《Damn Reincarnation》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 By:xImpulse I used to think I was a genius. Looking back on it now, it¡¯s so embarrassing that I¡¯d go mad from embarrassment, but I really thought I was a genius. I had enough talent to confuse me into thinking that. From when I was young, I never had trouble learning new things, and I got better at things faster than everyone else. But it was only easy up to the beginning. Even if I started out faster than everyone else, my progress eventually becameid back like everyone else¡¯s. I didn¡¯t think much of it at first. This can happen.I¡¯m slowly getting better.I can do it.Because I¡¯m a genius. And in the end I discovered the truth I never wanted to find out. I am not a genius.The event that broke myughable delusion was a meeting with a real ¡®genius¡¯ that I couldn¡¯t evenpare to. A frog in the well who confused himself for a genius. In the time I was basking in my imaginary superiority, the true genius was already soaring the skies. I hate geniuses. Seeing them act as if other people can also easily do the things they do makes me want to kill them. Whether it be sincere, or simply trying to show off by mocking those under them. Whatever it is, it leaves me with a fucking shitty mood whenever I hear it. ¡®Are you jealous?¡¯ Jealous? You fucker. You talked like a dick so I acted like a dick back. Why the fuck are you bringing up jealously? ¡®I didn¡¯t think you would think of it that way. I just¡­ thought your situation was unfortunate. Unfortunate? What is? ¡®If you just tried a bit harder¡­¡¯What the hell do you know about trying harder? ¡®You could be a lot better than you are now.¡¯ Hey, I¡¯m already doing really well. Your standards are just insanely high. How can every person be like you? You¡¯re a genius so don¡¯t think that other people can be like you. You got it?I can¡¯t be like you. * ¡°Fuck off.¡± I squeezed out the remainder of my voice. A hole in my chest. It seemed like they were pouring the elixir and casting magic, but it was a futile task. ¡°Please.¡± She¡¯s crying. I didn¡¯t think that bitch would ever make a face like that. Normally, she would make those teasing faces and provoke me every day, but I guess she did like me. ¡°That¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why I said so. I told you to go back. Why¡¯d you follow us and¡­¡± ¡°Senia. Just put that back.¡± My voice wasn¡¯t working properly. It was because of the blood that had risen up through my throat. ¡°Elixir. We don¡¯t have much of that precious stuff. Don¡¯t waste it here.¡± ¡°But¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I know my body the best. I can¡¯t live. I¡¯ll soon die.¡± I will die. I came to terms with that even before the hole in my chest. My body was already broken before that. Go back, Wait here. I ignored these worries and followed them here. ¡°¡­I could have dodged it.¡± A solemn voice. Son of a bitch. He¡¯s an asshole till the end. ¡°You didn¡¯t need to do this.¡± ¡°I told you to fuck off¡± Why the fuck do you keep bothering me when it¡¯s getting hard to squeeze out my voice. ¡°You probably knew it too.¡± He made a face as if he couldn¡¯t understand. I get it. Even if it looked like death to other people, it probably wasn¡¯t all that scary for you. Do you think I didn¡¯t know? Of course, I did. I¡¯ve been to many ces with you. I know how crazy of a monster you are, much more than the people who gossip about your strength. ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t need to die this way.¡± Then how else should I have died? You know it as well. It was a miracle that I was able to make it here. If you weren¡¯t here, I would have never reached this point. ¡°¡­This is close enough to an honorable death.¡± It¡¯s hard to squeeze out my voice, but I want to say this before I die. ¡°It was obvious I¡¯d be nothing more than a burden, and I didn¡¯t want to go back.¡± I also don¡¯t want to spend the rest of my life in a crippled body. ¡°Since you¡¯re so fucking good, I probably didn¡¯t need to take the hit.¡± I threw my body at it even though I knew. The body that didn¡¯t listen to me worked properly at that moment. Because of that, I pushed that infuriating bastard out of the way, and a huge hole was made in my chest. ¡°¡­I¡¯m getting tired. Leave me alone.¡± It¡¯s getting harder to make any sound. I hear my voice from afar, and the sound of crying even further away. My fingers won¡¯t budge, and my body is heavy. My vision stains ck. ¡°Thank you.¡± At the very end.I heard the bastard¡¯s voice. If you were going to say that, you should¡¯ve said it sooner. But it does feel nice. I¡¯ve never heard you say thank you to me before. ¡°Waaaa!!¡± What the fuck? Chapter 2 Chapter 2 By:xImpulse Demon Lord Killer. Martial God. All Master. There were many titles attached to the great vermouth, but his most famous title was this. Hero. [The Great Vermouth, the hero set out on a journey with his allies 300 years ago.] An old story he had heard since he was crawling on all fours. The Great Vermouth.The Wise Senia.The Devout Anise.The Brave Moron.The Stupid Hamel. ¡®The other guys are called great, wise, devout, and brave, but why am I called stupid?¡¯ Every time his nurse read the story to him, it set a fire aze in Eugene Lionhart. If only he could say something else besides crying like a baby! Or if his body would just move the way he wanted it to! ¡®Moron, that fucking retard got sugar coated as brave, so why am I called stupid? Did they identally switch the two?¡¯ No matter how much he thought about it, brave and moron did not go together. ¡®Brave? You mean The Retarded Moron.¡¯ [Stupid Hamel was always jealous of Vermouth. Hamel always said Vermouth was his rival. Even if nobody besides him thought of it that way.] ¡°The fucker who wrote this. I must¡¯ve beat him up or something 300 years ago.¡± Eugene spat out as he ground his teeth. It wasn¡¯t something he could not understand. Stories like these were targeted at kids, so they needed to be easy to read and have a simple moral to them. [Hamel always walked in front of Vermouth. Even on the crossroads to the demon lord¡¯s fortress. Vermouth wanted to go to the right, but Hamel strongly urged to go to the left.] ¡°Bullshit.¡± [So Vermouth ended up listening to Hamel. But a trap set by the Demon Lord was waiting in that path¡­ Stupid Hamel! He screamed that the Demon Lord made a trap because he was scared of Hamel. Idiotic Hamel!] Eugene, who was now ten years old, gripped his fists. It was a story he had read over several hundred times, but this part always filled him with rage. [Hamel was a troublemaker. His fire-like personality always made him fight with his friends.] ¡°¡­This is true¡± [ After many journeys, Vermouth and his friends finally made it into the Demon Lord¡¯s Fortress. Stupid Hamel didn¡¯t listen to Vermouth in the fortress either. Hamel, who always stood in the front, could not avoid the traps, so Vermouth and his friends faced lots of dangers because of him.] ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t even know what he¡¯s talking about.¡± Eugene spat out as he ground his teeth. The hellish fortress. The traps there were not something you could avoid even if you wanted to. You needed to push forward even if you knew there were traps ahead. [¡­Hamel, who always fought with his friends. Stupid Hamel. Violent Hamel. But Hamel loved his friends. When Hamel was wounded, he sacrificed himself for his friends instead of running away] ¡°¡­¡± [In hisst moments, Hamel began to regret not being honest to his friends. Senia, I loved you.] ¡°I didn¡¯t like her.¡± [Anise, pray for me.] ¡°I didn¡¯t say that.¡± [Moron, you are a warrior braver than anyone else.] ¡°That guy is fucking retarded.¡± [Vermouth. Please defeat the Demon Lord. Vermouth swore on Hamel¡¯s tears. I promise to defeat the demon lord. And with that, Hamel peacefully closed his eyes¡­] Nothing after was important enough to Eugene for him to read. Eugene closed the book with a scrunched up face. ¡®I was sacrificed for a children¡¯s book.¡¯ Children, even the stupid Hamel had a sense of justice deep down in his heart. He sacrificed himself for his allies. He repented for his dishonest past¡­.. ¡°Motherfucker! You sold my name for this shitty lesson?¡± No matter how many times he read it, it made him furious. Eugene threw the book and spat out his frustration. He wanted to beat whoever wrote this story into a bloody pulp, but the writer of the story from 300 years ago was anonymous. ¡°Vermouth, Senia, Anise, Moron. Those four are motherfuckers too. Why would you leave a story like this alone? Fucking Senia¡­ You cried so much as I died¡­.! Did you not think of protecting your friend¡¯s dignity?¡± Okay, I get it.After finishing his rant, Eugene caught his breath and thought about it. They probably didn¡¯t expect the dead Hamel to reincarnate with the memory of his past life. Reincarnation! Eugene recalled the days when all he could do was cry on the crib. To him, those days were as bad as the time he spent in the Demon Lord¡¯s fortress. His mind was awake, but his body did not move properly, and he couldn¡¯t speak well. He spent most of the day gnawing on his pacifier and staring at the toys dangling from the top of his crib. There was a reason the ten year old kid always looked mad. He spent his early days doing nothing but ring¡­ Eugene sighed as he massaged between his eyebrows. ¡®¡­Reincarnation is fine, but why was I reborn as the descendant of Vermouth?¡¯ Lionhart is thest name of Vermouth. ¡®I mean, there are plenty of ces to reincarnate in. Why here?¡¯ It was a background many would cheer to be born into, but Eugene was unable to feel the same way. He spent his whole life trying to outdo Vermouth.He didn¡¯t go around telling people he was his rival, but it was true that he was always conscious of Vermouth during their journeys. He could never surpass Vermouth. No matter how hard he tried and trained, the gap between Vermouth and him did not get any closer. ¡®The great Vermouth.¡¯ Eugene raised his head and looked up. There was arge portrait on the wall. The person painted in it matched the Vermouth from his memories perfectly. ¡®Stupid Hamel.¡¯ He brought out a pocket mirror and stared into his reflection. The face of a ten year old. It did not look like Vermouths. But hisst name was Lionhart, and he was the descendant of the hero Vermouth. At first¡­ he thought it was a dream long after death. But he came to terms with reality a long time ago. The stupid Hamel had reincarnated as the descendant of the great Vermouth. * Vermouth had many concubines besides his wives. ¡®I don¡¯t remember him going after women. Did he change with age?¡¯ The Vermouth Eugene rememberedcked any sense of warmth. To think that he had a total of 10 women to produce his descendants. ¡®I understand. He¡¯s human too.¡¯ The main wife and her children are the primary family. Even if they all had thest name Lionhart, Eugene¡¯s family was a coteral family. But that didn¡¯t mean he was poor. While it couldn¡¯t bepared to the mansion of the primary family in the capital, the mansion that Eugene lived in wasrge enough for Eugene to brag about in the countryside he lived in. Even if he was part of the coteral family, he still received some benefits. In thisrge mansion, the most eye-catching ce was therge training grounds. Hero, Martial God, All Master, The Great Vermouth. As descendants who received his blood, one should try their hardest to train. It was something he¡¯d heard repeatedly as a kid. ¡°Again¡­¡± Zehad Lionhart looked at his 10 year old son with saddened eyes. He had trained hard from a young age as well, but his past was filled with the guilt from the blood he was born with. His ancestor was the great Vermouth. But Zehad had no talent for fighting. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve broken it.¡± Zehad had a cluster ofplex feelings whenever he looked at his son. He used words that were past his age. His eyes thatcked any sense of innocence. His son had lost his mother when he was young, but Zehad had never seen him crying for his dead mother. Not only that. The talent of his son was¡­. So great that he could not believe they were connected by blood. ¡®A monster.¡¯ It was a strange thought to have about his only son, but Zehad sometimes felt fearful of his son. He was ten years old. He was a kid who had not been introduced to mana. How strong could a kid like that be? ¡°It just kinda broke.¡± Eugene shrugged as he put down the wooden sword. Wooden swords with steel rods in them are so heavy that they can¡¯t be handled with the strength of a child. Even then, Eugene refused to use anything but steel rodded wooden swords from when he was seven years old. At first, he thought it was just the confidence of a child. It was cute watching him struggle to swing the sword. That was already three years ago. Now, Eugene freely handles the heavy sword. He even straps on bags of sand to lift more weight. Zehad gulped as he looked at the floor. The broken wood sword. The dummy in shambles. How long has it been since he changed them? Four days? It wasn¡¯t that big of a surprise. Eugene had already broken and reced every dummy in the training grounds. ¡°The vige cksmith is trash.¡± Eugene spat out. It was harsh for a child¡¯s words, but Zehad didn¡¯t make any move to correct it. It was part of his son¡¯s nature. He had tried to correct it from when he was young, but his son¡¯s nature did not change. ¡°If he sells those flimsy things for money, we should call him over and flog him. You are too nice, father.¡± ¡°Oh, um¡­. I¡¯ll give him a warning. Next time I¡¯ll get a more sturdy¡­¡± ¡°Not a dummy. Just get me a whole boulder of iron. There¡¯s no need to worry about the shape if I¡¯m just swinging a wooden sword.¡± Zehad didn¡¯t know what to say as he looked at his son. A body so ripped and trained that he couldn¡¯t believe it was the body of a ten year old. Zehad was sure he would lose if they fought bare handed¡­ ¡®He was born to fight¡­¡¯ Zehad could not feel pure joy for his son¡¯s talent. Was it because his son felt like a monster? That was not the case. One of theplex feelings Zehad had was pride in his son. After all, he had been born with gracious talent, unlike him. However, alongside pride, he felt guilt. It was an unavoidable truth as his father. Not all Lionharts are born equal. Zehad¡¯s family had already been pushed out to the side several hundred years ago and was looked down upon even among other coteral families. Did his son know that reality? Probably not. It was tooplicated for a child to understand. ¡°Can¡¯t I use a real sword?¡± Now was a prime example. Zehad shook his head, making a sad face. ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Because of the Blood Descent Ritual?¡± ¡°yes. In three years, after you go through the Blood Descent Ritual, you¡¯ll be able to hold a real sword.¡± ¡°We can just keep it a secret between you and me.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t¡­ do that. As a Lionhart, I cannot ignore the n¡¯s traditions. The Blood Descent Ritual. It was a tradition of the Lionhart n that urred every 10 years. In the Blood Descent Ritual, all children with thest name Lionhart from ages 10 to 15 gather in the main hall. The ritual was simple. Who is most fit to carry the name of Lionhart? Who would not be ashamed of carrying thest name of the hero? Weapons that have des could only be used until after the Blood Descent Ritual. ¡®It¡¯s a retarded tradition.¡¯ Eugene did not let his thoughts leave his mouth. However, each time he heard about the tradition of the Blood Descent Ritual and whatnot, it pissed him off. The Blood Descent Ritual only oppresses the coteral families. Children of the coteral families cannot hold a real weapon until the Blood Descent Ritual. They may not train mana before the Blood Descent Ritual. However, children of the main family were allowed to use weapons regardless of age, and they began training mana as soon as they could walk. ¡®This is all just bullshit. Making sure the coteral families can never surpass the main family.¡¯ A limit so obvious even children could understand. And it was only Eugene¡¯s body that was young. Zehad could not read the mind of his son. However, He sensed many emotions from his son¡¯s silent face. In some ways, he thought his moody son was cute, but his sense of guilt far exceeded that feeling. ¡®If he had been born in the main family¡­¡¯ The talent of his son was amazing. But the coteral families of Lionhart had a clear limit. The Blood Descent Ritual in three years¡­ even if his son was amazing for his age, there was no way he couldpete with the children of the main family. That reality was what pained Zehad the most. If his son hadcked talent like himself¡­. He would not have needed to face the despair of reality. ¡°Father, why is your face so grim?¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡®Nothing¡­ I can see him self-deprecating about how he¡¯s a bad father.¡¯ Eugene clicked his tongue as he stared at Zehad. Because of how clear the memory of his previous life was, it was hard to think of Zehad as his true father. However, it was a fact that he had been born from Zehad. ¡°Father. Let¡¯s sword fight. We haven¡¯t done it in a while¡± ¡°H-hm?¡± ¡°Swordfight ying.¡± Eugene did not call it sparring. It was his way of trying to make things nicer for his father, who was being asked to spar by his ten year old son. That was why he specifically brought up the word ¡®ying¡¯, but Zehad¡¯s face was anxious regardless. Zehad felt the weight of the bs on his stomach. Then he looked at his son¡¯s arm that swung the steel-rod wooden sword like a toy. ¡°N¡­next time.¡± If he lost in strength to his ten year old son¡­ Zehad wiped away his cold sweat as he slowly backed away. Eugene grinned as he saw his father going further away. Chapter 2.1 Chapter 2.1 TL Notes: In the raws when the name is read is ?????= raionhateu so I tranted it as Ryanhart but as I trante the third chapter I realized that the western surname is Lionhart. Fortunately I found it soon Although Vermouth and ¡°The Holy Sword¡± were always highlighted in paintings and in fairy tales, within Eugene¡¯s memory, the Holy Sword was not a good weapon as it was exaggerated in the story. ¡®It was just some sh of light.¡¯ Even if it was a lot of help during the time on the ck Museoleum, that was just all. In the first ce, the sword was meant to be a ceremonial sword known for its appearance, and Vermouth did not really enjoy using it. He just sometimes uses it to kill some ghost. Master of All, Vermouth. As the nickname says, Vermouth had mastered many weapons. He stored them in his subspace and took the appropriate weapon depending on the situation. ¡®He was also a Genius in Magic.¡¯ Eugene. Hamel never mastered magic. ¡°Even if I had learned it with determination, wouldn¡¯t I have done as much as anyone else?¡±¡¯ Probably so, but he never thought he needed at the time. When one was a kid who mistook himself for being a genius¡­ He was too arrogant for himself to learn magic. The meeting with Vermouth changed much of Hamel¡¯s. There was a genius who was good at everything. Little Hamel believed he was such a genius, but his illusion was shattered when he encountered the real genius. I¡¯m not a genius. What about now? Eugene tilted his head while clenching his fist tightly. ¡®I have a memory of my past life. I will be stronger than I used to be.¡¯ He was sure about that. However, Eugene did not want to be satisfied with the level. He was reincarnated like this. What¡¯s the point of being on a simr level as in his previous life? He was reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth. Vermouth. Eugene thought while pressing his hard arm. ¡®I think I like your blood.¡¯ How long will a child¡¯s muscles start to grow? However, apart from the size of the muscles, the body was ideal. Eugene had no choice but to admit the fact. It may not be too big but it is a flexible body, so it is full of sticity. I can¡¯t think of it as a child¡¯s body with a small muscle density. The same goes for bones. Even if I roll it hard, I don¡¯t get hurt, and the wounds heal quickly. ¡®I¡¯ve always self-proimed myself as a genius but¡­I couldn¡¯tpare to you. I can now understand how strong you were.¡¯ The performance of the body is different. That fact brought joy and bitterness to Eugene. If only I had this body in my previous life¡­ ¡®¡­that¡¯s a nasty idea.¡¯ Eugene shook his head to shake off his frustration. His self from previous life is as far as it goes. Why do I have to regret my past life when I¡¯ve been reincarnated? Eugene thought so and shook off his feelings. However, he could not shake off all his regrets. The only thing left for Hamel was a stupid nickname. What about the others? The great Vermouth. He returned with this title while serving as a duke in his hometown, Kiel. He was praised as a hero to the end. The Kingdom of Kiel has made the death of Vermouth a state funeral and stillmemorates the anniversary of Vermouth¡¯s death. The Wise Senya. She was the youngest woman ever to be invited to the Magic Kingdom of Aroth. In Aroth, there are five towers. Now, two of the towers were headed by the disciples of Senya. The faithful Anise. The helpless woman is also called a saint in Yuras, the Holy Empire. She taught how to write a scripture. The Brave Moron. Eugene couldn¡¯t believe his track record. That stupid Moron built his own kingdom! He assembled refugees from the area where the Devil¡¯s Army swept through, and he established a kingdom named after himself? ¡®Thest thing I couldn¡¯t understand is this.¡¯ Eugene crumpled his expression. When this ideaes to his mind, anger always rises. ¡®They were all doing well before they died. But why are there still demons in the world?¡¯ Hamel from a previous life wandered around Helmund with his colleagues. He led the total army sent from each country and killed three of the five demon kings. On the way to the Fourth Demon, Mausung. The Fool Hamel died there. Chapter 2.2 Chapter 2.2 I remember my moment of death clearly. Vermouth and his colleagues believed they would kill all the remaining demon kings. But in reality? Of course, the world has be peaceful. The devil doesn¡¯t want to conquer the world anymore. All because the great Vermouth made a ¡®promise¡¯ with the devil. ¡®Why did you make that promise? Weren¡¯t you supposed to kill them all?¡¯ Eugene doesn¡¯t know why. Anyway, the war with the devils ended, and the world became peaceful. This peace hassted for three hundred years. ¡°¡­you¡¯re too nervous, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eugene looked up at the voice he heard. They were currently in a luxurious carriage and sitting opposite to him there was a middle-aged man with a long face. ¡°¡­it¡¯s my first time in the capital.¡± Eugene mumbled, ncing out the window. He left the countryside mansion. I arrived at the city by carriage all day. After a few warp gates, he stepped on the capital¡¯snd. ¡°I understand.¡± The man¡¯s name is Gordon. He was a knight who swore allegiance to the main house of Lionhart and an escort to pick Eugene up. ¡°Eugene, may I give you one piece of advice?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re already nervous beforeing to the main house, every day in the future will be very painful.¡± Gordon¡¯s expression was not joking. He was expressing his concern in the name of advice. Eugene smiled as he felt him. ¡°Thank you for your advice. Sir Gordon.¡± Eugene is well aware of his situation. However, Eugene¡¯s family is ignored even during the break. ¡®But first of all, it¡¯s Lionhart family, but only one driver came to pick me up. My father couldn¡¯t evene with me.¡¯ Eugene red out of the window without erasing his smile. ¡®It was a very tant cheap move. You¡¯re going to kill small fry from the start? Small Fry. Vermouth, this is all because you were fooling around.¡¯ Eugene can already imagine what was going to happen. Seeing that they are already raising the killing g, he¡¯ll receive a more explicit check from the moment he gets to the main house. ¡®Are they going to wee every descendants with a paper scroll in hand, shouting their name out loud together with the name of the ce where they came from? Just so they could know how sloppy a person¡¯s background is?¡¯ No, that¡¯s only for someone they can treat. Seeing that only one knight has been escorted, they won¡¯t give me a weing ceremony. ¡°¡­how many people will participate in this blood ceremony?¡± ¡°If I include you, Eugene, there will be six people. Three people will participate in the main house.¡± ¡°Three people from the main house?¡± Eugene pretended to be surprised, but he already knew who was attending the blood ceremony in advance. It was thanks to Jehard¡¯s special attention. The three members of one¡¯s family: One is the son of Jung-sil, and the other two are Seo-chul¡¯s twins. What he should pay attention to is the two from a family that is both marginal and powerful. ¡®The oldest was fifteen. Also, there¡¯s someone younger than me.¡¯ Eugene is now thirteen years old. I couldn¡¯t hold my sigh when I realized my new age. I mean, I will bepeting with ten-year-old kids. ¡®Eugene, neverpete with the children of your family. No matter how good you are, you won¡¯t be a match for children in your family. I mean..¡¯ Eugene recalled the gloomy look on Jehard¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t hide his fear that his son might be devastated by the children he saw. ¡®I¡¯m looking forward to seeing how good the descendants of Vermouth are.¡¯ Eugene drew attention from outside the window. The capital¡¯s spectacr scenery had already passed by, and now the wagon was out of the city and across the forest. ¡°From here on, it¡¯s Lionhart¡¯s estate.¡± It was a forest surrounded by tall walls. ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t have to get ready to get off already. We still have to go a long way from here.¡± Gordon grinned and said mockingly. ¡®I wish the ground was wider, you little bastard. Why are you shrugging when it¡¯s not even yournd?¡¯ ¡°Wow, this vast forest is the property of the main house?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it ufortable to be this wide?¡± ¡°There are warp gates everywhere.¡± Really? But why am I riding a carriage now? That¡¯s because Eugene didn¡¯t get permission to use Warpgate. Eugene stared out of the window, answering the questions in his head. As Gordon said. After a long run, the carriage stopped. Gordon, got off the opposite door and opened the door on the side where Eugene sat. ¡°Wee to Lionhart¡¯s home.¡± Gordon bowed politely and said. A wide-open front door .The mansion you can see beyond. Not a single crowd came out to wee you as I thought. ¡®Lionhart.¡¯ Eugene slowly raised his eyes. White gs lined up from the entrance of the main gate. The brave lion painted in the center. ¡°Lionhart, Vermouth.¡± Eugene looked down at his chest. His clothes are not engraved with any patterns. The only thing that can engrave a lion¡¯s pattern on the left chest symbolizing Lionart¡¯s direct line. I should have left some descendants behind. Hamel of a previous life was never married and had no children. ¡®No, I¡¯m good at not having any children. If I do that, I¡¯ll have some regrets.¡¯ Still. Seeing the family g lined up like that, Eugene felt sorry for my past life. ¡°Have the other rtivese yet?¡± ¡°Eugen is the first.¡± What the hell? Eugene nodded to do so. * Eugene was guided by a separate house away from the main building of the mansion. All the way here, I couldn¡¯t even see the rtives of my family, who had a lion engraved on their left chest. Why is it so expensive? If a 13-year-old rtive came, wouldn¡¯t hee to see it just out of curiosity? ¡°This is Nina.¡± However, the treatment was not very harsh. As soon as he arrived at the separate house, he got a personal servant. It was a young girl who didn¡¯t look much older than Eugene, but Eugene didn¡¯t feel much dissatisfaction with her. ¡°If you need anything, ring this bell.¡± Nina bowed her head and handed Eugene a small bell. ¡°May I speakfortably?¡± ¡°Yes, of course you should.¡± ¡°Do I use all of this detached house?¡± Eugene looked around the spacious annex and said, he just said it for confirmation. Eugene knew it wouldn¡¯t happen. Nina is too young to supervise a single detached house. ¡°That¡¯s not true, but you won¡¯t feel ufortable staying.¡± ¡°I have to stay with other rtives.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Do you know when you¡¯reing?¡± ¡°Everyone should be there in four days at thetest.¡± Eugene grinned at the answer. He meant to stay here for four days. ¡°Is the mist behind you?¡± ¡°¡­What? Yes¡­¡± ¡°Do you need permission from your family to wield a wooden sword?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uh¡­¡± ¡°No way.¡± Eugene smiled and headed for the ballroom. Nina followed Eugene even though she didn¡¯t know what to do. Chapter 3.1 Chapter 3.1 ¨C Chapter 3.1- Lionhart ¡°Who is Jehard?¡± ¡°Why? He is a rtive who lives in the corner of the countryside.¡± ¡°Where¡¯s this countryside?¡± ¡°At the western end of the Empire¡­ Why are you even interested? It¡¯s a hillside where we¡¯ll never go.¡± Cyan and Ciel are fraternal twins. Although their father is Seo-chul, it is no secret that the head of the family loves his second wife more than his first wife, who is faithful. Such a reality has made the noses of these two 13-year-old boy and girl high enough to reach the sky. (Note: Seo-Chul is the son of the second Wife of the head.) ¡°His name is¡­¡± ¡°Eugene. He has the same age as us.¡± ¡°Hey, age doesn¡¯t define a friend.¡± He continued, looking toward the detached house in the distance. ¡°I heard it¡¯s the first time he had ever been to the Capital. ording to Gordon, earlier he couldn¡¯t even bat his eyes out of the window throughout the time he was in the carriage.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable. I heard he is from Gidol, does he know that ce is so far away that no one even bothers to remember? I think that ce is only full of forest and fields.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know because I¡¯ve never been there, but it¡¯s probably because it¡¯s the country. Did he get motion sickness on the warpgate?¡± ¡°Gordon said he looked like he was going to throw up.¡± ¡°I guess he didn¡¯t vomit then. Oh, that¡¯s a shame. If he had thrown up, I was going to order him to clean up his own mess.¡± Ciel said with a mischievous smile. At her sister¡¯s answer, Cyan clicked his fingers left and right and clicked his tongue. ¡°You idiot, you don¡¯t have to throw up to clean up.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°He¡¯sing from a hillside, and his body¡¯s gonna smell like cow dung.¡± ¡°Aha!¡± ¡°He had been on the wagon for a few days, and the smell of cow dung from his body must have been on the wagon.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s dirty.¡± Ciel stuck out her tongue and looked disgusted. However, her eyes were full of mischievous yfulness. ¡°The carriage he came from is the property of the family. Even if we are rted, he should take responsibility if he defiles the carriage because of himself, right? ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°I heard that earlier. As soon as he got to the annex, he went to the ballroom and wielded a wooden sword.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the worst.¡± Ciel chuckled augh. The twins born on the same day have been a good match since they were young. ¡°It¡¯s his first time in the capital, and it¡¯s his first time in the main house. That¡¯s why he is so nervous.¡± Ciel bursts intoughter as he ps his brother¡¯s arm. However, Cyan made a solemn expression. ¡°Our stupid rtive. He must have high expectations for this blood ceremony. He didn¡¯t get a proper education from his father.¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°Now, he pretends to be training in order to show off in front of the adults. He is such a disgusting guy.¡± ¡°You have to scold him directly.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a little too much to scold. You shouldn¡¯t do that, rather you should be careful. Don¡¯t get scolded by adultster.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too nice.¡± Ciel smiled back even though she knew his brother¡¯s inside. The young twins learned from the very beginning that it was more interesting to do something stealthy than to do something openly. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Cyan took the lead with a strong shout. Ciel, who was following closely, turned his head back. The two twins, who had been carrying out mana since childhood, could perceived them even with naked eye. In the magnificent and splendid mansion, there was a boy standing by the window on the third floor. He slid back and closed the curtains when Ciel had eye contact. At the sight, Ciel grinned and stuck out her tongue. Chapter 3.2 Chapter 3.2 ¨C Lionhart A child in the family should not be armed with a de until he or she has proven his bloodline. Eugene did not want to respect the not-so-funny tradition, but his father Jehard could not ignore Lionart¡¯s tradition. This is because there were so many eyes on the mansion to just keep it a secret between father and son. ¡®Light.¡¯ Eugene crumpled his expression and looked down at his wooden sword. From the age of seven he had wielded an iron sword, and by the age of twelve he had wielded a steel sword and was no longer a training sword. The wooden sword that Eugene wielded for more than a year was a heavy weapon enough to make a bone even if he swung it roughly. But it¡¯s not a weapon that established a de. Even if he increases the amount of iron to increase the weight and grow it out of your muscles. It was just a wooden sword for now. Eugene has been doing it every day since he was able to control his bodypletely. He was notzy even for a single day. He has to live hard because he has reincarnated¡­ It was not because of the idea that he reincarnated why he worked hard. Eugene has originally this kind of personality. When he traveled with Vermouth, he had never neglected to practice unless there was a battle. ¡®But that bastard made me see that even with efforts still can¡¯t surpass him.¡¯ ¡°Vermouth, you tasteless bastard.¡± Eugene grated his teeth, recalling his previous memories. In his previous life, his body was overworked till it was at breaking point. Even so, the performance of an overworked body is more than imaginable. Vermouth. I don¡¯t know if this body, which was born as a descendant of yours is superior . However, it was clear that it was far superior to the ¡®Fool Hamel body. Even if he still hasn¡¯t start training mana, his 13-year-old body that hasn¡¯t even grown up can swing that heavy piece of iron. ¡°Do you have a heavier wooden sword? It should be a little big.¡± I think I¡¯ve swung it hundreds of times already, but I barely sweat. Eugene crumpled his face and looked back. ¡°And I told you to stay in the shade over there. Why are you standing under the sun?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. You sweat like that. Don¡¯t be stubborn and sit in the shade.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not that. Do you have any other wooden swords?¡± Nina looked perplexed as she was sweating profusely. His opponent is a 13-year-old boy from the countryside. Even the younger generation of his family can¡¯t be ignored. A temporary term is attached as an exclusive servant, but it is impossible for the owner to now rest in the shade while performing. ¡°The wooden sword¡­ is all that¡¯s in the storage room of the mist. The other wooden sword will be in the main house¡¯s armament¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you go get it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ I can¡¯t decide for myself. I¡¯ll go ask you if you want to, but¡­¡± ¡°Okay, then.¡± Eugene shook his head without regret. As he heard earlier, Nina was only sixteen years old. He heard it¡¯s just time for an apprenticeship ticket, but he didn¡¯t want to make an unreasonable demand and embarrass her. He¡¯s very outspoken. Eugene put down his wooden sword, swallowing the ridicule he is feeling inside. Why did they give him a girl who was just out of her apprenticeship? Isn¡¯t it obvious? When a clumsy servant makes a mistake or disrespect. He is persecuted, they will find a fault within him. ¡®I don¡¯t know what kind of baby you¡¯reing from, but you¡¯re so low.¡¯ Even if you swing your neck more, you won¡¯t be able to warm up. Eugene scrambled for the warehouse. Then Nina hurriedly chased after Eugene. ¡°Eugene, if you need anything, please let me know.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want anything else, but I can choose what to use for training. What if you don¡¯t like what I ordered you? Why bother you two or three times?¡± The warehouse, which is not normally used, was full of dust. Nina sweated a cold sweat in the dust. In fact, I have been trying to clean it for a few days, but it has remained this way because the mayor, who is in charge of the detached house, denied me that I don¡¯t have it. ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Chapter 3.3 Chapter 3.3 ¡°What?¡± Eugene was not bothered by Nina with her head down from behind his back. He rummaged through the dust and found what he needed. A sandbag tied to one¡¯s body he found something quite useful on the shelf. He doesn¡¯t even grease it properly and he is wearing dusty chain armor. It was much bigger than Eugene¡¯s physique, but he liked the heavy weight of the vest. After that, Eugene even took out a spear bigger than him. ¡°¡­ All I can do for you is¡­¡± ¡°Step on this.¡± After leaving the warehouse. Eugene said, pointing to a spear on the floor. Nina stepped on the spear as she was told. Fix it so that it doesn¡¯t move like that. Eugene began to hang the sandbag from the spear. Nina saw it all with her eyes that she was sick of it. Now Eugene is wearing a chain vest bigger than his physique, and is hanging sandbags from both arms. There were some sandbags hanging from the spear. ¡®That¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯ The weight of the armors alone seemed to be a double of his weight. However, Eugene shook his hand with a satisfied expression. ¡°Now get out of the way.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ yes.¡± Eugene held the spear with both hands, bending only his knees. He gritted his teeth for a moment under the dizzying weight, but he enjoyed the feeling of muscles pulling until his bones was shaking. ¡°Back¡­ No, farther. Go to the shade over there!¡± ¡°Yes¡­ Yes!¡± Nina was surprised and stepped back. Eugene swung the spear loudly only after confirming Nina¡¯s withdrawal. Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! However, the weight added to the body does not attract people. This purpose of wearing a vest and hanging a sandbag separately. Eugene swung the spear fiercely, continuing with his heavy steps. Whenever that happens, both arms are pulled as if they will fall out, and the waist that adds rotation screams. Nina shut her mouth at the sight. It seemed that a catastrophe would happen that could not be handled by that young body. Eugene, who was likely to copse, did not. Rather, whenever his body falters, the movement of the spear bes faster. Force the movement with added rotation. And immediately switch to stabbing. It feels like the calluses on both palms are being ripped off. The pain! He didn¡¯t wear gloves so he could feel the pain. Eugene giggled and continued to swing the spear. Holding the blood-soaked hand sliding on the window with only the grip force. His eyes are red with red blood because he is so strong, and his breathing is tight. ¡°Hey.¡± Nina watched the scene with so much attention that she was startled by the voice she heard next to her. ¡°What is he doing?¡± Cyan and Ciel, the malevolent twins who made punching bags out of numerous apprenticeships till they soaked themselves tears. The two came right next to each other and were shing their eyes. ¡°Young Master, Youngdy. What brings you here¡­? ¡°What is he doing?¡± Cyan squinted his eyebrows. He didn¡¯t like it when people who he didn¡¯t even know their names didn¡¯t answer questions right away. If it were normal, he would have scolded him so that he wouldn¡¯t do it again. But now, he was more concerned about what that countryman was doing than that. ¡°You don¡¯t even know?¡± It wasn¡¯t Nina who answered. Eugene took a deep breath and lowered the window. ¡°Do you know what this is?¡± Eugene asked, kicking the lowered window. What¡¯s he doing? Cyan frowned instead of answering straight away, and Ciel standing beside him grinned. ¡°It¡¯s a spear, you idiot. You don¡¯t even know that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Spear.¡± ¡°But what?¡± ¡°You know this is a spear, but you don¡¯t know what it is needed to swing a spear?¡± ¡°I know.¡± ¡°But why are you asking me what I¡¯m doing?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask. My brother asked.¡± ¡°Then let your stupid brother know that I am wielding a spear.¡± Ciel¡¯s eyes were open in a circle at the noise. On the contrary, Cyan¡¯s eyes became thinner. ¡°You think I¡¯m stupid? Me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re smart because you¡¯ve seen it openly and you don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°Oppa, that country boy is calling you stupid.¡± Ciel giggled and poked Cyan in the ribs. She instinctively knew that this way, rather than being as angry as her brother, encouraging his anger made the situation more interesting ¡°How dare you!¡± Cyan shouted as soon as he heard what her sister just said. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Cyan was not a fool. Of course he knew that what Eugene is holding now was a spear, and he knew that he was wielding a spear to practice. But he had never seen such an ignorant practice. Wearing a chain vestrger than his body, hanging sandbags from both arms, swinging and stabbing with the spear that has sandbags hanging. Can you even call this as practice? At least there was no such practice in Cyan¡¯s head. Ignorant and violent. Without the art of bnce, but only wielding and stabbing recklessly. To the point he can¡¯t even keep his body properly and stumble around? ¡®You are just a son from a vige. You¡¯re just seeking for attention.¡¯ That chain vest. It¡¯s big, but the iron purity must be cheap because it¡¯s a mess. That means, it¡¯s not as heavy as it looks. And that sandbag. It looks thick at first nce, but seeing how much it moves while hanging from its body, it must be thick outside but almost empty inside. ¡®Even if you¡¯re seeking attention, you¡¯re just an attention seeker. I¡¯ve learned how to y tricks like that.¡¯ Cyan understood that country bumpkins who might be stuck somewhere, the lowest rank in the field. Maybe he heard something from his parents and did something like that from the first day. He can¡¯t get anyone¡¯s attention without making a dirty trick. Although the tricks are very funny. But¡­ He was angered because a random countryside boy dare to say he is stupid. Cyan gasped and pointed his finger at Eugene. ¡°Apologize.¡± ¡°What.¡± ¡°Apologize for saying that I am stupid!¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eugene answered straight away. However, the apology was not satisfactory because Cyan couldn¡¯t feel the sincerity. He raised his eyes and raised the tip of his chin. ¡°Bow down, respectfully!¡± ¡°You¡¯re the same age as me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eugene asked without bowing. ¡°You¡¯re 13 years old, too. I¡¯m 13 years old, too. We¡¯re the same age. What do I supposed to do?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t be my friend!¡± ¡°I am not seeking friendship? But aren¡¯t you the one that talked to me first?¡± What am I doing now? Eugene kicked his tongue feeling pathetic. If he adds up to the age before he died, he will easily be over half a hundred years old. He feels sad to argue with a 13-year-old boy as a grown up, but his opponent was a descendant of Vermouth. ¡®What should I do? My past life is my past life. Now I¡¯m 13 years old, too.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s wrong with your ent? Don¡¯t you know how I practice the spear properly but also you question me about my affairs, don¡¯t you have the proper manners?¡± ¡°This¡­¡± Cyan¡¯s eyes shake in constant retort of words. This kind of childish argument was unfamiliar to him because he had been growing up as a pampered boy since he was young. ¡°You¡¯re so annoying¡­¡± The biggest advantage of a child is that it is okay to force one¡¯s feelings. Eugene was not used to this kind of verbal bickering. Cyan strode up to Eugene¡¯s nose. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even know the subject. Even if yourst name is Lionhart, it doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a pure Lionhart.¡± ¡°I know. I am a Branch member and you are direct descendant.¡± Eugene raised his finger to point to the mansion house. ¡°Your house is over there. My house is¡­ Either way. Anyway, stay away from here.¡± ¡°You know that, but you¡¯re so arrogant?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never poked around. I¡¯m just telling you the truth that you asked for. You asked me what I was doing. So I told you what I was doing. You asked me to apologize? I apologized.¡± ¡°You¡¯re so cheeky.¡± Cyan put his nose near Eugene. ¡°And your body smells bad. It smell of cow dung from the countryside! The smell of sweat! Very, very bad.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been near cow dung in my whole life, and I never smelled like a cow dung.¡± ¡°Then it smells like your poop! Anyway, it¡¯s very dry.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up a littleter.¡± ¡°No, wash up now. Wash up! Also, clean up the carriage were you came from.¡± ¡°Carriage?¡± ¡°Because the smell of your body¡¯s poo is on the sheet! Clean it up!¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± ¡°Because you¡¯re making our family¡¯s carriage smell very bad!¡± Cyan gave a deep shout. Because the distance was close, saliva sshes whenever he shouts. Eugene took a step back, frowning in his eyes. He just stepped back because he didn¡¯t want to get soaked with saliva, but Cyan thought otherwise and gave a superior smile at Eugene. ¡°You must bow your head and apologize. I haven¡¯t epted your apology yet. You called me stupid and I didn¡¯t know manners. Everything¡­¡± ¡°Nina.¡± Eugene looked back at Nina without listening to Cyan until the end. ¡°Yes, yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re my only servant, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I may not be of your help, but I¡¯m temporarily serving as your exclusive servant.¡± ¡°Then go clean the carriage I rode in. Don¡¯t just stand there nking out in the sun.¡± ¡°¡­yes?¡± Of course, if Cyan and Ciel were to step down, Nina woulde forward and clean the wagon first. Before that, it is reasonable for Eugene to order her. But Nina couldn¡¯t understand giving such an order under the circumstances. She wonders if those evil twins are just around the corner. Eugene¡¯s behavior was a tant disregard for Cyan¡¯s orders. ¡°What did you order her to do??¡± ¡°Cleaning the carriage.¡± ¡°You do it yourself!¡± ¡°Why would I do that myself?¡± ¡°I told you to do it!¡± ¡°Who are you tomand me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m Cyan Lionhart.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Eugene Lionhart. Let¡¯s get along well.¡± Eugene shook his hand with a look of annoyance. Then Ciel grinned with her hands around her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m Ciel Lionheart.¡± said Ciel, while giggling. Cyan took a deep breath only after a glimpse of his mean Sister. ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t get along with you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s too bad.¡± ¡°You ignored my orders.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in a position to take your orders.¡± ¡°And¡­ and you insulted me.¡± ¡°Oh, my God.¡± Eugene responded to his words sarcastically as if he were adding a few more salt to the wound. The more so, the more anger wriggled in Cyan¡¯s heart. Why am I doing this with him? I¡¯m not facing that country boy to do this. If I told him to do so, he should not talk back and just followed my orders. Cyan¡¯s head was filled with stubbornness. ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Ciel clung to his brother¡¯s side and blinked her eyes full of expectations. ¡°Duel.¡± I didn¡¯t want to be ignored rather than to live up to my sister¡¯s expectations. That country boy ignored me this much, and if I didn¡¯t do anything, my sister would tease me for days. ¡°You ignored me and insulted me. That¡¯s why we have to fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot of logic.¡± Eugene was dumbfounded withughter. He didn¡¯t know that a 13-year-old boy would ask for a duel. ¡°Friend, duel isn¡¯t that easy to do.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡± ¡°So I am not a friend? Anyway, don¡¯t say anything unnecessary and just go. Don¡¯t bother me.¡± ¡°Are you scared?¡± Cyan raised his chin as if he knew it. It was an obvious provocation, but Eugene kept his eyes open and stared at Cyan. ¡°Scared?¡± ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re scared. If you¡¯re afraid to fight with me, apologize quickly.¡± ¡°What if I am not scared, I just don¡¯t want to fight and I don¡¯t want to apologize?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know what honor is?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s not something you should say easily with your mouth.¡± ¡°You¡¯re insulting me again?¡± He felt insulted every time the country boy talked back to him. Cyan put his hand in his arms without holding back any longer. ¡°Don¡¯t.¡± Eugene said with a grimace in his eyes. ¡°Duel isn¡¯t something you should carelessly do.¡± ¡®What¡¯s wrong with you? What¡¯s wrong with me?¡¯ Cyan took out his handkerchief, staring at Eugene with his eyes wide open. ¡°If you¡¯re afraid, tell me you¡¯re afraid! I don¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t like it. Don¡¯t run away with it! Did you not learn what honor is from your parents?!¡± ¡°Huh.¡± Eugene¡¯s head tilted at the shouting. When he stared at him, Cyan was inwardly pleased at the thought that the provocation had worked. Then he opened his handkerchief wide open and held out. ¡°This is really thest time. Ask for forgiveness. And¡­¡± ¡°Throw it.¡± Eugene said, loosening the knot in the sandbag. ¡°You said you want a duel. Then throw it quickly.¡± ¡°¡­huh?¡± ¡°Throw it.¡± Thump! The sandbag in the left arm fell to the ground. Cyan¡¯s expression hardened by the muddy dust. ¡°¡­You¡­¡± ¡°That handkerchief. Aren¡¯t you going to throw it?¡± Thump! The sandbag from his right arm fell, too. Eugene even took off his chain vest and threw it in the back. The far-fetched vest falls to the floor and makes a heavy sound. Cyan opened his mouth at the sight. ¡°Wow.¡± Note: For the first trantion I was using Sean as Cyan¡¯s name but because I wanted it to be paired with her twin, Ciel, I changed it to Cyan. So if there are Sean remaining, they are Cyan. Ciel, who was enjoying herself like a stranger, also eximed at the sight. Eugene leaned down and took off the sandbag hung on his legs. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve trained your mana¡­¡± Cyan was surprised and open-mouthed until just now. His face twisted and got angry. A child in Countryside should not train Mana until the blood ceremony. It was a long tradition of the Lionnhart family. Only the children of their home could train Mana from an early age and take real weapons. Now, the tradition was trampled on before his eyes. It was impossible to deal with simple meanness and anger. ¡°I didn¡¯t train.¡± Eugene replied with a sour look. It wasn¡¯t a lie. Mana training. I¡¯ve been able to do it since I was a toddler, but I haven¡¯t trained for it. It was because he didn¡¯t want to make his father, Jehard, be in a difficult position for no reason, and because he was reborn as a descendant of Vermouth, he wanted to use his mana training method. ¡°The obvious lie¡­! How can you handle the weight without Mana training?!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it since I was seven.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡± ¡°Why do you keep lying to me even though you haven¡¯t done it before. If you doubt it, check it out with a duel.¡± Eugene sat on the floor and unpacked the sandbag from the spear. Cyan, who was ring at the scene, felt her sister¡¯s anticipated gaze. He was terrified and felt Nina¡¯s gaze. The servants of the detached house were also standing by the window, showing interest in the disturbance of the banquet hall. It was Cyan who put the duel in his mouth first. It was Cyan who took out a handkerchief first, and Eugene who said no and spoke of honor. So now he have not been able to retreat, and the crime of training Mana before the blood ceremony has been added to the subject of dissipation. So he should punish them. If he shut his mouth here and step back, it was clear that his sister would teased him for life, not just for a few days. First, Cyan picked up a wooden sword that was around him. It was a wooden sword that Eugene had wielded so far. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a duel!¡± Cyan shouted and threw a handkerchief at Eugene. The flying handkerchief falls on Eugene¡¯s shoulder. It was only around that time that Eugene was able to release all the sandbags that were hanging from the Spear. ¡°I ept it.¡± Eugene epted with a nod. Cyan was excited about his first duel in his life. Cyan¡¯s heart pounded with excitement. ¡®An insolent, sinner who disrespected the family tradition, how should I punish him? How can my sister admire his brother¡¯s brilliance when he scolds me?¡¯ Such thought was cut off. Eugene stabbed the spear as soon as he stood up. Cyan, who was taking a few steps back conscious of the wooden sword held in his right hand, failed to respond properly to the movement of the spear. Cuckoo! The tip of the spear stuck in Sean¡¯s abdomen. ¡°Oh, my gosh!¡± Cyan rolled the ground with a scream. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Training Spear. It was just a stick that didn¡¯t even have a spear de. But the ends are long, so if you poke someone right¡­ It hurts terribly, if not prated. But what if you¡¯re stuck in an empty stomach? ¡°Uh-huh!¡± That¡¯s what happens. Cyan rolled and spewed vomit from ce to ce. Ciel, with her mouth wide open, screamed and approached Cyan, and Nina was shocked and shut her mouth. ¡°I won.¡± Eugene put the spear down, speaking in a shady way. If it were a real spear, Cyan would have just died in an attack. Of course, it¡¯s not a real spear, but it was clear that he was still rolling the ground after being attacked on his vital point. ¡°Nina, go get someone to take him.¡± ¡°Yes, yes, yes!¡± ¡°Coward!¡± He squeezes tears from his nose but never stops sulking. Ciel, who was anxiously approaching, no longer approached her brother with the messy look. Instead, she raised her eyes and stared at Eugene. ¡°What cowardly things are done? The duel has already begun from the moment you throw your handkerchief.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ you¡¯re right, but! But being cowardly is cowardly.¡± ¡°Sucks that you are pretty but an airhead actually. Your stupid brother threw his handkerchief first and took his weapon. That¡¯s what he was like.¡± At the fierce fire, Ciel shut her mouth. It was also because she couldn¡¯t hear nothing other than being called pretty and airhead. ¡°¡­Did you just say I was pretty?¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Anyway¡­ being cowardly is cowardly. The duel was not an honorable one.¡± ¡°Well, you look just like your twins, and you have great logic.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t look like my brother.¡± ¡°You look like a mental head. So what do you think is an honorable duel? Throwing a handkerchief, count one, two, three and the fight starts?¡± ¡°Um¡­¡± Ciel mumbled her lips and nced at Cyan, who was rolling on the floor, sobbing as he was covered with vomit. She felt sorry for his brother¡¯s miserable appearance. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll hit you a little bit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I hit you gently enough.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t really train Mana?¡± Ciel asked, shining with his eyes. Eugene, who was organizing a bag of sand on the floor, looked back at Ciel, revealing his annoyance. ¡°Are you not going?¡± ¡°You really didn¡¯t train yourself.¡± ¡°I told you I didn¡¯t!¡± ¡°Lie. How can you carry those heavy things without training, Mana. And your attack. It was so fast that my brother couldn¡¯t react properly even if he didn¡¯t let his guard down.¡± The eyes shining with curiosity be thinner. At the words, Eugene stopped organizing the sandbags and paused. ¡°Have you seen it?¡± ¡°A little.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t think your eyes are for decoration.¡± ¡°You¡¯re such a bad talker.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard this a lot since a long time ago.¡± Everyone except Vermouth had heard a word. While Eugene piled sandbags in one ce, Ciel stood in her seat and looked at Eugene¡¯s back. It was not possible to see the movement of muscles hidden in clothes in detail, but it seemed that only muscle strength was used without mana. So Ciel couldn¡¯t understand anything now. Ciel and Cyan had been training their bodies since childhood. From the age of seven? Ciel was lost in thought as she recalled what former Eugene had said earlier. ¡®For a 13-year-old boy, his body is pretty solid.¡¯ He felt resistance as soon as he touched the tip of the spear. Evidence that the body is not considered to be of that age. The power to push it back also meant that the body had already built enough mana to respond to the crisis. He was not just beaten. At the moment of the attack, Cyan instinctively tried to pull himself back. A kid who doesn¡¯t even have a real experience. He was instinctively trying to get out of the crisis. ¡®It¡¯s great for a boy. But for a descendant of Vermouth, he is trash.¡¯ Of course Eugene doesn¡¯t even know how strong the 13-year-old Vermouth was. The first time I met him was when Vermouth and Hamel turned 20. But he could still have guessed it. Cyan Lionhart. The little boy, who had been taught by his family since he was a child, was unbelievably poor as a descendant of Vermouth. ¡®But there¡¯s still a trick.¡¯ It¡¯s because the standard is Vermouth. Looking at the possibility of the future, the number of drafts was fine. And Ciel. Even though she didn¡¯tpete herself, she seems to have an eye for it. ¡°You¡­ you dare¡­ I¡¯ll¡­!¡± Cyan took a breath and looked up Eugene. His head was spinning. It hurts whenever you move as if the center of the body is prated, and it has a fishy and rotten taste in your mouth. ¡°Coward¡­ Coward!¡± ¡°Both of you say the same thing because you¡¯re twins.¡± Eugene looked at Cyan with a smile. ¡°I don¡¯t want to say what I said again. Ask your siste what I just said.¡± ¡°You¡­ you son of a¡­!¡± ¡°Or try to trace your memory well. Your ears should have been open while your were puking around and rolling around.¡± Cyan couldn¡¯t refute anything. For sure. Eugene¡¯s words were heard in the midst of his terrible pain and resentment. However, even if he wasn¡¯t cowardly, Cyan, 13, couldn¡¯t ept this defeat. In front of his sister and his servants¡­ Such an embarrassing thing! ¡°Clean up.¡± Eugene looked at Cyan¡¯s face, distorted by humiliation, and uploaded the medicine. ¡°You threw up all of your pukes. If you clean all that, I¡¯ll clean the carriage, too. Then it¡¯s fair and good. Right?¡± ¡°How dare you¡­¡± ¡°And if you lose a duel, it¡¯s honorable and polite to humbly admit ¡®lose.¡¯ You talked about honor, honor¡­ You¡¯re not trying to be dishonorable, are you?¡± ¡°Uh¡­!¡± Cyan can¡¯t refute it, he was angry, his body hurt, his mouth tasted disgusting, and everything felt so humiliating. If he wasn¡¯t feeling any pain, he would have told him to get up and fight again. The current Cyan couldn¡¯t have done that. The overwhelming sorrow and anger turn into tears. Cyan sniffled his head down. Eugene, of course, did not feel pity for the sight. That little boy was the one who put his attitude on the line first. However, he felt a little skeptical about himself, who was panting against a 13-year-old boy. ¡®I should¡¯ve just put up with it. What¡¯s going on here for no reason?¡¯ There were also some worries about the future. He had beenpletely persecuted and ignored since the beginning, and he had made Cyan, the son of the main family, like that. In fact, he was worried that the fire arrow might be flying to his father in the countryside, taking advantage of this more than anything else. While Eugene was thinking about this and that. Cyan held back his tears desperately. He didn¡¯t want to look ugly anymore¡­ However, he did not admit defeat. It was a childlike stubbornness. ¡°Young Lady!¡± A distant shout approaches them in an instant. A man with a tall and uniform arrived at the ballroom. From far behind, Nina was running with her skirt in both hands. ¡°What the hell is this?¡± There was a badge on his chest. The man seemed to be a knightmissioned by his family. Oh, my. Eugene shined his eyes at the man¡¯s movements. He doesn¡¯t know the exact age, but Eugene thinks he is better than Gordon, who escorted him all the way here. ¡°He¡­ Hezar.¡± Cyan wept over the man. ¡°I¡­ I lost¡­ I said we¡¯d fight. But I lost¡­¡± ¡°Duel¡­¡± Hezar nced at Eugene with a firm look. Then he lowered his body and raised Cyan. Hezar¡¯s hands and uniforms were now full of vomit. Ciel took a few steps back at the sight, as if she hated it. ¡°¡­Greetings. I¡¯m Hezar, the coach of Master Cyan.¡± Hezar bowed his head as he assisted Cyan. ¡°I heard it from my servant, but I came so quickly that I couldn¡¯t hear it until the end. What happened?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Eugene Lionhart from Gidol.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t lower hhead. ¡°Gidol¡­ That¡¯s where Jehard family is.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s my father. The situation is¡­ Cyan got into a quarrel with me. I tried not to respond, but¡­¡± Eugene continued to look at Xian¡¯s face. ¡°Cyan insulted my father.¡± ¡°When did I?!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell me my father didn¡¯t learn what honor is, and you said I was a coward?¡± Cyan¡¯s face flushed red at the words. ¡°He also said that my body smells like cow dung.¡± ¡°¡­really. Your body smells like cow dung!¡± ¡°Shut up because your mouth smells like vomit.¡± Eugene red at Cyan with his eyes wide open. Xian shivered unknowingly at the fixed gaze. He still has a throbbing sense of honor, and felt like he was defeated in an orthodoxy manner. ¡°¡­so a duel?¡± ¡°Cyan insulted not only me but also my father. Sir Hezar, is there any reason why I should not ept a duel?¡± Hezar felt a strong sense of ipatibility with the question. The boy in front of him must be about the same age as Cyan and Ciel, but he is not ahead of the conversation and has a calm tone. Hezar, who had been suffering from twins¡¯ whining for years, did not dare to judge whether the boy in front of him was abnormal or if the twins were abnormal. ¡°¡­the reason is reasonable, but¡­ I think your methods were too much.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t showing mercy in a duel an insult to the other person?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Sir Hezar, if I¡¯m clumsy, I¡¯d be grateful for your advice, but I don¡¯t want to hear that my hands are too heavy.¡± ¡°¡­I apologize for saying something presumptuous.¡± Hezar bowed his head once again. Cyan, who was supported by him, has his face distorted. ¡°Hezar! That bastard trained Mana. You didn¡¯t even do the Blood Ceremony, but you already trained Mana!¡± ¡°I asked you to close your mouth.¡± Eugene tilted his head sharply and stared at Cyan. Cyan closed his mouth again and lowered his gaze. ¡°¡­Young Lady.¡± Hezar shook his head with a long sigh. ¡°Eugene didn¡¯t train Mana.¡± ¡°Hezar! Are you lying to me, too?¡±¡± ¡°Why should I lie to you¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t make sense¡­! How can he win over me if he didn¡¯t learn mana! And¡­ and that! Those sandbags! He put them on his body¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t feel mana in Eugene.¡± Hezar nced at the sandbags behind him and said, At first nce, the weight seems considerable. He put all that on his body? Hezar couldn¡¯t easily imagine the sight. However, even after looking at it several times, he still couldn¡¯t feel any mana from him. ¡°Lie¡­ it¡¯s a lie.¡± ¡°Cyan, first of all¡­ Let¡¯s start with your injury.¡± Hezar looked at Eugene¡¯s expression as he spoke like an old man. ¡°He stabbed me with a spear.¡± ¡°¡­where else?¡± ¡°It was on my stomach.¡± Stomach¡­ Hezar groaned low, and Cyan chewed his lips in shame. ¡°¡­then¡­ Mr. Eugene. I¡¯ll see you next time.¡± Hezar could not speak any more and bowed politely. Nina, who had been running from afar, arrived at the yard by that time. She bent her head down in a daze. ¡°Sorry, sorry.¡± ¡°What are you sorry about?¡± Eugene grinned as he saw from the distance where Cyan was on Hezar¡¯s shoulder, who was still being supported, dropped down. Why did he do that to the little child? It was also true that he felt such skepticism, but it was fun to break the habit of a nice little boy. ¡°See you next time.¡± Ciel, who was following Hezar¡¯s back, looked back at Eugene andughed. ¡°Good-bye.¡± Eugene smiled face to face and waved to Ciel. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 ¡°..so¡­¡± Anci tried to calm down. However, her son¡¯s eyes were swollen from crying so much that his emotions are not at her disposal. Anci patted her chest in frustration and grabbed a fan to cool off her face. ¡°¡­My son. Cyan¡­ ¡­ asked¡­a boy from the countryside for a duel and he lost? ¡°Yes.¡± Hezar couldn¡¯t raise his bowed head. He held his head up for nothing and didn¡¯t want to get worse from that dirty ck sheep. ¡°The little boy. Didn¡¯t trainman, did he?¡± ¡°No, he didn¡¯t¡­¡± ¡°No way.¡± Anci¡¯s reaction was the same as Cyan¡¯s. She looked at her son with cold eyes. Cyan was sniffing down his eyes. ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°¡­Mother¡­¡± ¡°Come here!¡± Anci couldn¡¯t stand it anymore and screamed. Cyan shuddered as he shuddered his shoulders. However, he approached Anci with faltering steps. Anci jerked her hand out, collecting her sizzling breath. ¡°Argh!¡± He has a strong grip on the stomach. The pain hasn¡¯t subsided yet. Hezar nced at Cyan with pity, and then he moved his head back. ¡°And you lost at one move too!¡± ¡°Oh, mother. It hurts¡­!¡± ¡°Stay still!¡± The body of Cyan, who was walking backward, was stiff. Anci pressed her son¡¯s name with an outspoken touch. Whenever she did that, Cyan held back his scream by clenching his teeth. Ciel, sitting in the back, watched the scene with a sulky face. She wanted to say something, but the young Ciel knew well that there was nothing to gain by opening her mouth. ¡°Hezar, you swear that what you¡¯ve seen with your eyes are correct, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I asked if you could swear. That kid. You sure he didn¡¯t train Mana?¡± ¡°I can swear.¡± Swear should not be easily spoken in any situation. But if he was silent now, it would be terrible in the future, and Hezar was sure of his judgment. ¡°The Son of Jehard, Eugene, didn¡¯t train Mana. There wasn¡¯t a handful of mana in his body.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Anci went back to her memory, a name that doesn¡¯te straight to mind It is a name that is not worth remembering. She means¡­ definitely in the province of Gidol. It seems that the name of their side branch, which was stuck in the corner of the vige, was Jehard. They were a family that was separated from its main house hundreds of years ago and has never been so distinguished. ¡°My son.¡± Anci lifted Cyan¡¯s clothes. Cyan shuddered and closed his eyes tightly. ¡°To a man who hasn¡¯t even trained mana¡­You were beaten by him with a blow.¡± His pear skin is heavily discolored. The deep bruise made Anci burst intoughter. She was also a child of nothing. Count Kaines, who holds a position in the military, is her father. ¡°A Hit. That¡¯s for sure. Ciel, how did your brother lose?¡± ¡°Oh, mother. It¡¯s like¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you.¡± Anci red at her son with her eyes wide open. His eyes are so fierce that it is unbelievable that he sees his 13-year-old son. ¡°¡­the moment the duel began. Eugene stabbed him with the spear.¡± Ciel pouted her lips and said, ¡°My brother was surprised and tried to attack back, but Eugene¡¯s spear was faster than him.¡± ¡°Was it due to the distance?¡± ¡°Brother was a little far away.¡± ¡°What was your brother doing at that moment?¡± ¡°He tried to lift the sword.¡± It was only an hour ago. It wasn¡¯t too old to recall. Whenever Ciel¡¯s words continued, Cyan trembled with anxiety. ¡°This¡­¡± Anci, who heard everything, uttered a trembling voice. ¡°A stupid thing!¡± p! The head of Cyan turned sideways. Cyan, who had assumed that this would happen, held back his groans with his teeth clenched. ¡°No Mana. He had even never trained properly! You¡¯re the same age as a kid¡­! You allowed him to attack first?! You can¡¯t even avoid it! You let him narrow the distance! You were beaten just like that, and fell while vomiting everywhere?!¡± Anci gave a sharp scream and pped the cheek of a continuous fusion. Whenever that happens, Cyan¡¯s head turns from side to side. It is not determined to hit. It was a p without mana on it . However, the punishment is extreme for a young son. ¡°In the presence of others¡­ showing such vulgarity! You¡¯re the first one to ask for a duel, and you¡¯re defeated?! Do you want to see your mother hang herself in shame and die?¡± ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry, Mom. ¡° Cyan held back the scream, but he couldn¡¯t hold back the tears. Cyan sniffed and shed tears. However, Anci felt more angry than sorry for her son¡¯s crying. ¡°What are you crying about?¡± ¡°Huh¡­¡± ¡°Why are you putting your mother in trouble by doing something that she shouldn¡¯t? Your father will be back soon, but I don¡¯t know what kind of face to greet him¡­! What kind of face should I show in front of Theonis?!¡± Lionhart¡¯s family home. Guird Lionhart had been away from his home for training for three years. In that case, it should be Mrs. Theonis, who is the first wife of the Lord, who holds the power of the family. But now that the first wife was currently away, it was Anci, who took the helm of the main house. It was for a simple reason. After giving birth to a child, Theonis body can no longer bear children. Guird, who wanted to prepare well for thetter years, was not satisfied with only one son. So he adopted a second wife, and Anci gave birth to twins. ¡®Three children was enough.¡¯ Guird always said so, but Anci couldn¡¯t agree with that. The reason why she came into the secret room that she could not stand despite receiving good marriage paths was that she coveted the value of the name Lionhart. ¡°She¡¯s gonnaugh at me. I¡¯m sure.¡± Anci chewed her nails well and recalled Theonis¡¯s face. Cyan, who was terrified by her mother¡¯s nervous appearance, stuttered and spat out. ¡°I-I, I¡¯ll fight again. So that you won¡¯t suffer shame, once again¡­¡± ¡°Again?¡± Anci¡¯s voice rose sharply. ¡°What are you going to fight again when you¡¯re already defeated?! Don¡¯t do anything wrong, stay calm until the blood ceremony starts!¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Hezar!¡± Anci couldn¡¯t listen to her son until the end and screamed. Hezar¡¯s shoulders flinched as he bowed his head. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I want to kill you.¡± Anci¡¯s fist trembled. ¡°But¡­ I can¡¯t. That¡¯s not how it works. Your¡­ His a favorite knight. I don¡¯t think your teaching is wrong. Right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I was right about your teaching, but ¡­ My son¡­! Couldn¡¯t learn properly, and he was defeated by that hillbilly kid.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± There is no positive or negative situation. In this case, it is better to pray for forgiveness than to keep your mouth shut. ¡°¡­take Cyan out.¡± ¡°Mother¡­¡± ¡°Go, train him. Don¡¯t ever disgrace my face again.¡± Hezar nodded back. While Cyan was in tears, Anci¡¯s order was followed without resistance. ¡°Ciel, you stay for a while.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± Ciel¡¯s expression on her face crumpled as she tried to sneak out with her. She sat back in her seat, ncing at Anci¡¯s face. ¡°¡­that little boy. You said his name was Eugene, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Did you ask the little boy for a duel, too?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t ask.¡± ¡°Howe?¡± ¡°Brother lost with a blow. So I assumed I couldn¡¯t have won a fight.¡± Ciel answered in a murmur. She answered honestly for now, but she was afraid that her mother might be angrier with her answer. ¡°Good job.¡± However, Anci did not burst into anger as she did before. She stared at her daughter with rather calm eyes. ¡°If you¡¯ve been defeated¡­ I would have hanged myself with shame.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, Mother.¡± Ciel was in tears. Of course, she knows her mother was a person who will never take her own life in any circumstances. However, she had learned from a young age that being fluttered would make her mother feel better. ¡°¡­Eugene. How was he?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡± ¡°Looks and attitudes.¡± ¡°His face¡­ um¡­ He¡¯s more handsome than other. But he is kinda strange¡­¡± ¡°Strange? Why?¡± ¡°He was so childish and mean when he was arguing with my brother, but he was like a grown-up when he talked to Hezar.¡± The words put Anci in thought for a moment. Since he is 13, she understood that he was childish and mean. But talking like a grown up with Hezar? ¡°Just¡­ what honor is all about. It is also said that showing mercy in a duel is an insult to others. When Eugene said that, Hezar apologized.¡± ¡°¡­Honor?¡± ¡°Yes, I heard he said something presumptuous.¡± Ciel smiled unconsciously as she recalled the moment. She soon changed her expression when she realized she wasn¡¯t supposed tough, but Anci did not point out Ciel¡¯sughter. ¡®¡­what¡¯s the subject¡­?¡¯ She thought she¡¯d have to call Hezar back and listen to the whole story. Anci thought with a slight nod. ¡°Are you angry that Eugene hit your brother?¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± It¡¯s a lie. Ciel wasn¡¯t, but she actually felt it was funny how her brother cried while pretending to be proud. ¡°Don¡¯t try to avenge your brother for nothing.¡± Anci knew what her daughter was up to. Since she was born as his brother¡¯s twin, she has been with her brother since she was young, and she used to follow her brother around and y mischievous pranks. She is a child who puts her pleasure before his affection for his brother. ¡°¡­for the time being, your brother will be busy being coached by Hezar.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll join him.¡± ¡°Of course you should. But don¡¯t get too carried away, Eugene¡­ Get acquainted with him.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The more friends you have, the better.¡± Anci¡¯s eyes cooled cold. The little boy defeated her son and put shame on herself. However, it is surprising to hear that someone who didn¡¯t train mana defeated her son. ¡°¡­Eugene, he¡¯s strong enough to beat your brother. So it¡¯s better to be close with him.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Anci cooled her boiling feelings. She wanted to turn his body into a fool who can¡¯t move for the rest of his life. But right now she can¡¯t. Hundreds of years ago, there was a state of mourning for the family of Lionhart. Although it was settled, it has been regarded as a taboo in the family since then. In the first ce, Guide, the current owner of the house, said, ¡°Three is enough,¡± because he was worried that the brothers would kill each other after increasing the sessors of the main house for no reason. Anci herself didn¡¯t want to break the taboo that hade down for hundreds of years. ¡®If I hurt him, I¡¯m the most suspicious one.¡¯ Although it is a tradition that the family has been persecuting each other since the blood ceremony in the first ce. There is a ¡°good¡± to keep him alive. It¡¯s not too much to put up ame servant, give him a separate house she doesn¡¯t use, and pick on him for nothing. But if she crosses the line¡­ The guardians of the family will intervene. Just imagining makes her body tremble with the creeps. Anci did not want to be associated with Gahon¡¯s guardians in this disgrace¡­ ¡°Okay, mother.¡± Ciel, who was contemting for a while, smiled and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll be close to Eugene. That¡¯s all, right?¡± Ciel was curious about this unknown rtive. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 ¡°¡­¡± Nothing really happened. Eugene thought there would be some kind of sanctions on Cyan, the son of the main family. As if the duel never happened between him and Cyan, the annex was peaceful. Only, there was little change. After the duel, the eyes of the servants from the detached house changed. They were wary of Eugene¡¯s behavior and wouldn¡¯t dare rush close to him. They didn¡¯t want to be hit by a firestorm by staying together with him. (Got Trouble with what Eugene did) ¡°Is it okay for you?¡± Eugene looked at Nina and asked. It is Eugene¡¯s second day here. It was only Eugene and Nina who came to the first-floor dining room. Still, there were many dishes prepared at therge table. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Follow me around.¡± Eugene spoke sourly and cut the meat. The meat is too big for breakfast. Among these many foods, the only thing Eugene ate was meat. Due to his intense training, it is not good to eat poorly or he will lose weight as well as physical strength. ¡°¡­Umm¡­¡± Nina couldn¡¯t answer quickly. While she hesitated, Eugene pushed the already cut meat into her mouth. ¡°¡­I understand, but¡­ It can¡¯t be helped. While you¡¯re at your home, I¡¯m your sole servant.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to be loyal to me for a month at the longest. You¡¯re not going to keep working at your home after I¡¯m gone.¡± ¡°¡­it¡¯s not necessarily because of loyalty. I was ordered to be the servant of Eugene¡¯s family, and It was probably the second wife¡¯s order..¡± Nina shook her head with a bitter smile. ¡°If you neglect your work by looking around, that is, ignoring the second wife¡¯s orders. That¡¯s why we have to wait and see for you.¡± ¡°Good mind.¡± Eugene grinned and pushed the empty te aside. Then he grabbed both chicken (or goat, it is not specified just some leg meat was said) legs the size of his forearms with his bare hands. ¡°It¡¯s not necessarily because of loyalty. Are you saying that you¡¯re not very loyal to me?¡± ¡°¡­because you will be my master for a while.¡± ¡°Then I have no choice but to act as your master. If you get in trouble because of me, don¡¯t put it in there for nothing and tell me right away.¡± ¡°¡­yes?¡± ¡°What are you? You¡¯ve be my servant because you¡¯re unlucky, and you¡¯ve been assigned to me by chance. So, let¡¯s just keep each other¡¯s head above water.¡± ¡°Ha, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough. Don¡¯t ask back what I¡¯m telling you to do. All right?¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± ¡°Then go get some wet towels.¡± Instead of talking anymore, Eugene ate both legs with his mouth wide open. Nina was captivated by the sight for a moment, and then bowed her head and stepped back. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think a towel is enough. I¡¯ll go get the basin.¡± ¡°I love your spontaneous opinions.¡± Eugene grinned as he chewed the meat. ¡°Oh, and¡­Talk to the chef if you¡¯re going to the kitchen. For lunch, increase the weight of meat while breakfast doesn¡¯t try to cook a big dish for nothing, just put it on the lean meat on the side.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Nina stepped back politely and looked sideways at the table. Did he mean that he can eat it all by himself? Of course, Eugene ate it all. He¡¯s been eating this and that since his previous life. ¡®I¡¯ve tried monsters and I¡¯ve tried those that possess mana.¡¯ Eugene scraped the meat off his teeth and washed his hands in the basin. Then he caressed his full stomach and left the table. Nina walked behind Eugene. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear anyone¡¯sing today?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get any orders from you.¡± ¡°Then go find out. I¡¯ll be in the field.¡± ¡°Yes, but, uh¡­ You just finished your meal. If you move right away, you¡¯ll have a stomachache.¡± ¡°Thank you for your concern, but it¡¯s useless. I don¡¯t have a stomachache even if I run right after eating.¡± Nina, who had a normal body, couldn¡¯t understand him. Still, she stepped back without asking any more questions. Eugene was not lying. He has never had a stomach ache since childhood. The hand that was torn while swinging the spear yesterday was now healed without a scratch. ¡®This is a cheat.¡¯ Come to think of it, even in his previous life, Vermouth rarely used healing magic or potion. It was rare for him to be injured, but even when he was injured very asionally, his body would recover on its own. Thanks to this, Anise and Senya¡¯s healing magic was only for Moron and Hamel. ¡®Don¡¯t you always get hurt because you jump forward ignorant!¡¯ ¡®Hey, Moron, that idiot popped out first!¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s because he¡¯s a fool. Why are you following that idiot? Are you a fool, too?¡¯ ¡®Then shall we leave him to be beaten up by that little monster? Why are you fucking with me?¡¯ ¡®Oh, let¡¯s not talk. Look at Vermouth. Can¡¯t you fight like him without getting hurt?¡¯ ¡®Why are you so annoying when you said let¡¯s not talk?¡¯ Whenever Senya saw theming back with a lot of wounds, she would stir-fry Hamel. Even after 13 years of reincarnation¡­ Every bit of memory from his past life was clear and indistinct. ¡®I heard that Vermouth died and had a funeral. I don¡¯t know if the other three are dead or alive.¡¯ The Wize Senya. She has the longest lifespan in the history of the Mado Kingdom and suddenly passed away about two hundred years ago. The subsequent track record is unknown. The faithful Anise. She, who was revered as a saint in the Holy Empire of Euras, also retired from the temple in herter years and became a pilgrim. Even the Holy Father did not hear anything else when she left for pilgrimage. The stupid Moron. The first king of the Northern Luhar kingdom At least he was alive until rtively recently. It was a hundred years ago, but¡­ He retired from the throne and lived in a leisurely manner, appearing on the anniversary of his founding a hundred years ago. ¡®I didn¡¯t think they¡¯re going to die¡­¡¯ This was a meaningless idea. Vermouth, who seemed most unlikely to die, also died 200 years ago. Eugene shook his head as he felt her appetite bing bitter. The ce where Cyan had vomit yesterday was neatly cleaned. Of course, Nina did the cleaning. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you.¡± Ciel was standing in the haze. She smiled as she waved at Eugene. ¡°Even if you have already eaten you don¡¯t smell like meat.¡± ¡°I brushed my teeth.¡± ¡°You can at least clean your mouth, your body is smelly.¡± ¡°Doesn¡¯t it smell like cow dung?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you said. I never said your body smells like cow dung. And I don¡¯t know what cow dung smells like.¡± ¡°It smells like cow dung. If you really don¡¯t know, take a dump and smell it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s dirty.¡± ¡°Why did you wait?¡± Nothing happened yesterday. So something will happen today? Eugene opened his eyes thinly and shot at Ciel. ¡°To train with you.¡± Ciel replied with a giggle. ¡°Look, I¡¯m wearing a uniform to train.¡± ¡°That¡¯s cool.¡± Eugene answered roughly and looked at Ciel¡¯s clothes. It was a uniform that clearly imed to be the blood of the main house, engraved with a lion on the left chest. ¡®There was no lion in the clothes you gave me.¡¯ ¡°Where did you leave your brother alone?¡± ¡°My brother is training with Hezar. You know what? My mother was so angry because of you yesterday. My brother got hit more than ten times.¡± ¡°He got hit?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Eugene blinked at the words. Of course, he thought they grew up being pretty. ¡°But why aren¡¯t you hitting me?¡± ¡°Why? Do you want my mother to hit you?¡± ¡°Your brother got mad because of me.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ well, that¡¯s true. She got angry because she lost face when brother fought with you.¡± ¡°No, I mean¡­ Come to think of it, you¡¯re mad because of me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true.¡± A child is a child even though he is intelligent. Eugene realized the fact to the bone. ¡°¡­does your mother know you¡¯re here?¡± ¡°She knows. My mother told me to be close to you.¡± ¡°You said your mother was angry enough to hit her own son because of me, and now you told me to be close.¡± Eugene managed to swallow a cry that soared to his throat. How can a little girl know what the second wife of the family is up to? ¡°¡­yes.¡± ¡°I told you yesterday. We¡¯re friends because we¡¯re the same age.¡± ¡°Your brother is also the same age as me, but he¡¯s not my friend.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what you said. But not for me. So you¡¯re not going to be friends with me?¡± ¡°¡­let¡¯s do it. My friend, I¡¯m going to train, so why don¡¯t you stop bothering me and go y over there?¡± ¡°Are you going to y with me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m going to train.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll train, too.¡± ¡®Let¡¯s not just deal with each other.¡¯ It should have been like this, but Eugene clicked his tongue and headed to the warehouse in the corner of the chimney. ¡°You swung the spear yesterday. You¡¯re swinging the spear again today? ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then? Sword?¡± ¡°I just want to exercise for now.¡± Eugene burst open the door of the warehouse. Unlike yesterday, the dusty warehouse was cleaned overnight. It was obvious who it was. Nina seems to have cleaned all night. ¡°I like this.¡± Eugene murmured into the warehouse. Not only was the dust cleaned, but it was also neatly arranged. Especially the sandbag. The surface was smooth and heavier than yesterday. It was like cleaning leather and filling up sand. ¡®¡­but there are only a few of them, so I don¡¯t want to waste them.¡¯ Eugene wanted to get an ax today. Sadly, there was no ax. Eventually, Eugene left the warehouse with only sandbags. ¡°What about weapons?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to work out without them.¡± Eugene sat on the floor and hung sandbags from his limbs. Ciel watched the scene, and he came out of the warehouse with a sandbag of sand. ¡°I¡¯ll join you.¡± What are you going to do?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not fun to just watch.¡± ¡°Do as you please.¡± Eugene lifted himself with all the hanging sandbags. Then he started running around the field. ¡®¡­heavy.¡¯ Ciel staggered to her feet. Mana she umted in her body are spread throughout her body to boost strength. After that, Ciel was able to control herself. ¡®How does he run like that with his bare body?¡¯ Ciel chased Eugene with incredible eyes. Eugene, who just ran out, was breathing hard and circling the field for ap. Ciel waited in her seat for a while and ran together to keep up with Eugene¡¯s return. ¡°Didn¡¯t you really train Mana?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do it. Don¡¯t talk to me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing¡­ how can you run with this thing without having Mana trained?¡± ¡°Practice, Practice, Practice¡± Eugene red back. Then Ciel stuck out her tongue and closed her mouth. Nina went to her home to follow Eugene¡¯s orders. She was determined to hear the bitter sound, but surprisingly, the servants of the main family did not persecute Nina. ¡®You made me do this, didn¡¯t you?¡¯ ¡®Yes.¡¯ ¡°Okay, afternoon today¡­¡± There was a hint of caution, but he gently answered the questions. Nina returned to the smokescreen of the detached house, wondering about the fact. ¡°¡­Ms. Ciel?¡± Nina opened her mouth to the sight in front of her. ¡°Hi, my servant.¡± ¡°Her name is Nina.¡± ¡°Hi, Nina.¡± Ciel smiled as she bnced her faltering body. Now she was sitting on Eugene¡¯s back with an armful of sand. ¡°Oh, hello¡­¡± Nina bowed her headte. However, she nced at Eugene with only her eyes ncing. Eugene was sweating profusely as he focused on push-ups. ¡°¡­what¡¯s the current number?¡± ¡°Ny-Eight.¡± ¡°Ny-nine.¡± ¡°One Hundred.¡± ¡°Come down.¡± Cuong! Ciel threw a sandbag sideways and came down from Eugene¡¯s back. Eugene sprawled on the floor, breathing heavily. ¡°¡­you got it?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Nina replied with a nod. ¡°Would you like water first?¡± ¡°No. Talk to me.¡± ¡°Decon, Hansen, and Jules will arrive at noon today.¡± Nina answered quickly. ¡°And by evening, Gargis and Dira will be arriving via Warpgate.¡± ¡°I was wondering what you were going to say.¡± Ciel giggled and punched Eugene in the back. ¡°You just had to ask me. Why didn¡¯t you ask?¡± ¡°I told Nina to find out anything, to be a suitable servant, she¡¯d have to go through a lot of trouble.¡± ¡°Who cares?¡± ¡°Also I was training.¡± ¡®I was toozy to deal with her.¡¯ Eugene raised his sprawled body and sat down. ¡°Three of them came by carriage. And Warpgate for two, right?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The treatment differs depending on which people are present. Eugene knows the reason. Gargis and Dira. They are the family with the highest authority among the family branches. ¡°You don¡¯t know who Gargis and Dira are, do you?¡± Ciel opened her mouth. ¡°I know their names but I¡¯ve never met them.¡± ¡°The two of them are the strongest in the field.¡± ¡°I know the family is strong. What about the other three?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even know where they¡¯reing from. It¡¯s simr to you. Oh, but you¡¯re much stronger.¡± In other words, they are also from a small family in the countryside. ¡°¡­Gargis and Dira. Have you ever met them?¡± ¡°They came to my brother¡¯s 10th birthday party.¡± ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°Gargis is a boring guy. He is one year older than me. Dira is younger than me, but he wasn¡¯t funny either.¡± Does this mean that the standard of fun could not be teased? Eugene organized his thoughts for a moment. ¡®Three from the main house. Six including me.¡¯ They said they would all be here within four days at thetest. It¡¯s faster than what I have heard ¡°Do you know when the blood ceremony starts?¡± ¡°I said we¡¯d all get together. Maybe today? ¡°Tomorrow, I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll start today. So, how do you do this blood ceremony?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Ciel shook her head. ¡°Don¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know. It¡¯s tradition for the lord to decide what to do during the blood ceremony. But now that he¡¯s not here¡­ Um¡­ he said he¡¯d be back soon. Anyway, I really don¡¯t know.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯tpletely believe it. Since she is from the main family, she must have heard the words. ¡®¡­I recalled what my father said to me, back then there were twelve of them in the tournament. Thest blood ceremony allowed him to wander in the woods for more than 10 days.¡¯ The format changes every time, but the essence does not. The blood ceremony is a ritual that determines the quality of future generations¡¯ connection to the Lionhart family name. Words are usible but not fair. After all, it is the parents of their parents who trained Mana from an early age that distinguished themselves in the blood ceremony. Eugene thought it was a strange tradition when he first heard about the blood ceremony. So, he promised to feed his family from his own blood. ¡®Vermouth, don¡¯t feel bad about me screwing your descendants.¡¯ Eugene raised his stiff body and said to Vermouth, probably in heaven. ¡®I didn¡¯t reincarnate as your descendant because I liked it.¡¯ Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Eugene did not have the slightest desire to be particrly close to children from other walks of life. It was not that there was no feeling of homogeneity, but in reality, it was only those who were not worthy of attention. Deacon, 11 years old. Hansen, 14 years old. Jules, 10 years old. Three children in the room arrived sequentially. Eugene greeted them roughly, bringing the three together in his head. ¡®Trembling beggars.¡¯ They were so intimidated by his attitude that they were constantly looking at him. Especially Hansen, who is a year older than Eugene. His cheeks were chubby and his body was plump, at first he didn¡¯t like it when he tried to openly pretend to be the one in charge, saying he was the oldest. However, that attitude was only the case in front of Eugene and other children. Hansen, who acted like a big brother, saw the lion on Ciel¡¯s left chest and changed his attitude. In fact, it was not an intelligent attitude. Children with weak influence have no choice but to be afraid of the main family. ¡°¡­who the hell is he?¡± Therefore, the three trembling nced at Eugene with their eyes full of disbelief. After a brief exchange of greetings, Eugene resumed his suspended performance. It was an extension of physical training that he had been doing since morning. Eugene thought that technology would develop over time. It¡¯s the same with martial arts. Even if Eugene was a warrior from 300 years ago, the idea that the martial arts of the ¡°Fool Hamel¡± were still unconditionally superior to modern martial arts was too arrogant. However, no matter how advanced martial arts are, they cannot be used properly unless the physical training was properly done. Eugene believed the fact and had no doubt. Even if he didn¡¯t train mana. Physical training should not be neglected. ¡®Since you didn¡¯t train your mana, you should be more focused on the physical.¡¯ In fact, even though he was pointed out as ignorant, he had nothing to say. But what can he do? The blood ceremony, that damn tradition of not training mana¡­ Those who excel in blood ceremony are bound to return to the direct line. There, the idea of feeding the house with salt was also a bacsh against Vermouth, who would have ignored the tradition. ¡°Aren¡¯t you tired?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard.¡± From the way forward, Ciel sat next to Eugene and watched the training. She was intrigued by Eugene. Ciel, who grew up in her family, has been training with her brother since she was young. However, twins have never been as ignorant and hard-working as Eugene. ¡°I guess someone¡¯s here.¡± Eugene stood up, shaking his sweaty hair. The far main gate was opening. Since it was time for the sun to set, it seems that the two missing in the room arrived around the evening. ¡®It¡¯s so bustling.¡¯ From the main house, the servants are running forward. The drivers who stayed behind the main house also ran in unison. ¡®Gargis and Dira. I heard that the families of the two little children are the most important family after the main, but I wondered how we are required to rush to run after not even preparing to greet them until now. ¡® ¡°¡­ Oops.¡± Ciel felt the same question. She blinked and looked at the front door, smiling as she heard the g stretched high from the entrance. ¡°My father must be here!¡± Ciel shouted in an excited voice. She sprang to her feet and ran toward the front door without waiting for Eugene. ¡°You, Eugene.¡± Nina was also surprised and approached Eugene. ¡°The Lord must be back. You have to clean yourself up. Oh, no. Change your clothes first.¡± ¡°It would be better to go sweaty than to go ale.¡± Eugene replied, tapping the dirt off his body. Nina hesitated for a moment and took a handkerchief out of her arms and wiped Eugene¡¯s limbs. However, the smell of sweat in Eugene did not go away, so she even took out perfume and sprayed it on Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Roughly pressing the greasy hair with his hands, full of sweat and dirty soil. It didn¡¯t take very long, but all the servants of the detached house and the servants of the room went toward the main gate. Eventually, Eugene and Nina were thest to leave the annex and head to the main gate. ¡°Oh¡­¡± All the gs engraved with Lionhart¡¯s symbol soared high in the sky. More than a hundred knights line up with the g. The servants of the main house and the detached house gather in one ce and line up at the entrance of the mansion. The rtives of the family stood before their servants. Ciel stood on the left side of Anci, who was grooming herself, and on the right side stood a pale-faced cyan. A few steps ahead of Anci. Although the real power of the family was away. In this position, Mrs. Theonis, who is a woman of honesty, stands ahead of Anci. She looked in for her husband, who had returned after years. Eugene looked to the boy next to Theonis. He has a handsome face, but his eyes are dull and his shoulders are drooping, not like his age. Iokin Lionheart. The eldest son of the family and the first in line of session. Theonis is biting her lips. Then Iokim stiffened his expression and straightened his waist and broadened his shoulders. ¡®I don¡¯t think everyone grew up being pretty.¡¯ That¡¯s why his personality is so different. Eugene turned his head with a flick of his tongue. ¡°Come this way, please.¡± One of the butlers of the main house approached and bowed his head. The ce where the children of the branch should stand in the corner of their rtives. It is clearly distinguished because of its proper distance. -Chaeng! The knights drew their swords in unison. More than a hundred words have been pulled out, but the sound of iron is not disturbed. The knights glued a high sword to their left chest and looked back at the main gate. A man on a giant ck horse was leading two wagons in. There was no such thing as a loud shout. The knights greeted their Lord, who had returned after years. ¡®Guide Lionhart.¡¯ Eugene stared at the man with his eyes twinkling. Although he does not possess a face resembling Vermouth, his brilliant Aura was quite impressive. ¡®The one who follows must be his brother, Hugo.¡¯ Lionhart¡¯s family. Guird has two younger brothers. The second younger brother, Gilford, is married and is still living in his home. The third younger brother, Hugo, left his home with Guide without getting married. ¡°¡­I wish you¡¯d let me know before you came.¡± ¡°I¡¯ming back to my house, and why would I let you know?¡± Guird answered as he got off the horse. ¡°Iokim, you¡¯ve grown quite tall. Have you improved that much?¡± ¡°¡­I tried to live up to your father¡¯s expectations.¡± Iokim avoided looking and blurted the end of his speech. Guird stared at his eldest son for a while and turned away. ¡°Cyan and Ciel? I almost didn¡¯t recognize you. Kids grow up so fast. It¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°I missed you, Father.¡± Ciel replied with a big smile. Only then did Guide smile and nod. He felt the smell of dust and sweat from the two twins. It was a smell that I couldn¡¯t feel in Iokim. ¡°Gilford, I heard you had a son. I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t share that moment of blessing.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that, brother.¡± Gilford answered with a bow. Next to him was his wife, Neria, holding a sleeping baby. Guird stared at the baby for a moment and caught his eye. ring eyes sweep the children in the room. Some of the children stood up, swallowing surprise. Eugene didn¡¯t have to do that. He was just looking at him, but why is he leaving? ¡°¡­no big preparation. Let¡¯s just eat together.¡± Guird¡¯s mouth opened. ¡°Let¡¯s talk about the blood ceremony.¡± People gather around a wide square table. The children in the room filled the table from the side to the end. The two wagons that came with Guide were carrying a Dira and a Gargis. The two sat on the innermost side of the children in the room as if it were natural. Eugene sat next to Gargis. ¡°¡­?¡± Gargis looked at Eugene¡¯s face with a curious look. It is an unwritten rule to sit within the order of the family. Originally, sitting next to Gargis had to be that fat Hansen. Hansen, however, sat next to Eugene without expressing any dissatisfaction. Hansen arrived around noon and saw how ignorant Eugene was training. He also saw the family¡¯s notorious twin, Ciel, being friendly to Eugene. Hansen didn¡¯t want to have an unnecessary quarrel with this rtive. ¡°I saw Gargis and Dirast time. I know your face because you¡¯ve been here with me.¡± The center opposite the children in the room. It is the seat of the family¡¯s Lord, Guird. He looked closely at the children in the room, wiping their hands with a wet towel. ¡°I don¡¯t know who the other four are.¡± ¡°My name is Eugene from Gidol. My father¡¯s name is Jehard Lionhart.¡± Eugene lowered his head slightly and announced his name. Starting with him, children from other branches introduced themselves. But Eugen was the only one who spoke smoothly. The other children shook their voices and stuttered. The presence of the main house¡¯s house owner right across from the other side made the children nervous. ¡°¡­ well.¡± After hearing all the introductions, Guide nodded low. Since then, Guide has put his chin on without saying much. Silence. The children in the room couldn¡¯t even breathe properly and noticed. The same was true of Gargis and Dira. Especially Dira. She was right in front of Guide, so she couldn¡¯t keep her eyes open and pinch her little thigh. ¡®I¡¯m hungry.¡¯ Eugene red at the shabby table. There were some slices of bread and tea, but who would put them on their noses? ¡®Who the hell is that?¡¯ Next to the Iokim was a blond young man. It¡¯s a man who came in a different carriage from Dira, Gargis. They don¡¯t think he is from Lionhart¡¯s household. Iokim, who sat right next to him, also felt that he didn¡¯t know who the man was. ¡°Father.¡± It was Ciel who broke the silence and opened his mouth. She stared at Guide with a big smile. ¡°It¡¯s been three years since you came back. Don¡¯t you have my present?¡± ¡°I never thought of it.¡± Gurde replied with a grin. Like most fathers, Guide cared for his daughter. However, unlike his eldest son, Ciel has a lot of aegyo. ¡°Hey¡­ I miss you every day. Don¡¯t you also miss me, father?¡± ¡°I miss you.¡± ¡°Liar. You didn¡¯t even bring me a present.¡± ¡°Haha, why don¡¯t I give you a present after the blood ceremony? Don¡¯t hate this father too much.¡± In the conversation, Iokim chewed his lower lip well. The other twin also lowered his eyes without saying anything. Originally, he would have shivered with Ciel as well. But there was still yesterday¡¯s bruise on Cyan. Duel, defeat. Cyan was afraid of being scolded by his father. ¡°By the way, Father. Who is that person?¡± Ciel made eye contact with Eugene once and looked back at the man sitting next to Iokim. She knew Eugene was constantly ncing at that man. It wasn¡¯t exactly because of him. Ciel was also curious about the identity of the man he didn¡¯t know. Now, not only Anci and Theonis but also Guide¡¯s two younger siblings were unable to join the table. Lionhart¡¯s main family. Children attending the blood system That¡¯s the only ce where a foreigner with identity should seat. ¡°Well, I was going to introduce him a littleter.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± The man replied with a smile. ¡°Well, you haven¡¯t even adjusted yet. The children are overwhelmed with silence, so we¡¯d better introduce myself now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. I was in a hurry and regretted my early collection.¡± ¡°Haha, it¡¯s not Guide¡¯s fault. The first meeting with a distant rtive will make everyone feel awkward.¡± The man looked back at the children with a grin. Eugene picked up a teacup while listening to them back and forth. He was hungry, so he wanted to push something down my throat. ¡°Hello, children. My name is Robertian from the Red Tower of Aroth.¡± ¡°¡­uh?¡± Dira sounded surprised. Some children tilted their heads, recalling the name that was left somewhere in their heads. ¡°Well, the Red Tower.¡± Iokim looked back at Robertian with a look of astonishment. ¡°Poof.¡± Eugene¡¯s mouth spouted the tea he just drank. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Eugene had never choked even if he chewed meat fast every morning. He didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be able to just by drinking tea. Eugene coughed as he tapped his chest. It was surprising. There are five towers in Aroth, the kingdom of Mado. Red, blue, green, white, ck. Three hundred years ago, there was no ck tower. But hundreds of years have passed since the promise of the warrior and the devil. There were more than a hundred ck wizards that Eugene killed in his previous life. After the promise of the warrior and the demon king, the ck Magician was treated as another type of magician and gained enough power to build a tower in Aroth. Anyway, the red tower has been there since 300 years ago. ¡°Are you all right?¡± Robertian looked at Eugene with astonishment. ¡°Oh, yeah, it¡¯s okay¡­ Yes, I¡¯m fine.¡± He just spits it out in surprise while drinking tea, but he felt embarrassed because everyone was looking in his way. Eugene caught the towel while spitting out a cough. But even before cleaning the table, Robertian flicked his finger. The wet tablecloth was cleaned up. It was magic. ¡°You must be very surprised.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Eugene smiled awkwardly as heid down his stretched hand. It was good at times like this to be young. ¡®If he¡¯s the Red Tower Master¡­ He must¡¯ve been a student of Senya.¡¯ Strictly speaking, Eugene was not a student himself. As Eugene remembered, the teacher of the Roman Empire was Senya¡¯s disciple. Although the line is quite different, the red tower Master, Robertian, and the green tower Master serve the wise Senya as their master. It was understandable. Three hundred years ago, Senya became the youngest person in Aroth¡¯s history to hold the position of a Green Tower Master. Apanion of the great Vermouth. A great wizard who can kill even the devil and the dragon. Countless wizards visited the Green Tower to be Senya¡¯s disciple. In addition, Senya has done many other feats. She revamped Aroth¡¯s public magic books and advised other Tower Masters on magic. In herter years, the wizards who had been taught by Senya sat at the top of the tower. The teachings continued to the present day, and the two great masters who imed to be wise Senya¡¯s disciples became the red and green masters respectively. ¡°Teacher¡¯s Master¡¯s Master¡­¡± No matter how hard Eugene thought about it, he didn¡¯t think that Robertian would have met Senya in person. Still, he didn¡¯t expect to meet someone rted to an old colleague here. ¡®If it¡¯s a red tower¡­ Summoning magic is their specialty.¡¯ Summoning magic was also Senya¡¯s Magic. The house where most of the trip was lodged was also a summons from Senya. ¡°¡­You said your name was Eugene, didn¡¯t you?¡± Guird opened his mouth. He was pointed out, but this time he wasn¡¯t surprised or drinking tea. Eugene nodded slightly and turned to Guird. ¡®I was wondering when I¡¯d be called by you.¡¯ When he saw him in front of the house, he felt Guide¡¯s secret gaze. ¡°I heard from Theonis.¡± The loser, Cyan, chewed his lips tight. However, Guird pressed Cyan¡¯s shoulders with his slow hands. ¡°My son¡­ He insulted you and your parents.¡± ¡°Yes, but now there are no hard feelings left.¡± Eugene sat upright in her posture. ¡°I was fighting to get rid of my feelings about him.¡± ¡°You won.¡± ¡°Even if I lost, I wouldn¡¯t have left any feelings behind. I¡¯m weak and I couldn¡¯t keep my honor, so I have to endure insults.¡± ¡°You¡¯re better than my son.¡± Guird grinned. He continued by tapping Cyan¡¯s shoulder one more time. ¡°Cyan.¡± ¡°¡­yes.¡± ¡°I`m not ashamed of your defeat. But I¡¯m ashamed of you being ashamed of your defeat and looking at your father.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I heard it was a duel that started with your insult. But you lost the duel and didn¡¯t apologize to Eugene.¡± ¡°That¡­ that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Cyan, yourst name is Lionhart. The great Vermouth is your forefather. If you were his blood, you should know how to respect not only yours but also your opponent¡¯s honor.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think he respected my honor.¡± Eugene looked at Cyan¡¯s face with unkind thoughts. Eugene thought their father would have a different personality because the twins¡¯ personalities were so bad. Guird seemed more mentally embedded than he thought. ¡®He said he¡¯d been away from his home for three years.¡¯ Three years is a long time for a 10-year-old kid, long enough to be one-third of his life. ¡°¡­sorry.¡± Cyan twitched his nose and blushed. He was not crying because he¡¯s sorry, he¡¯s crying because he thought it was unfair. Eugene knew it right away, but he had never expected a sincere apology in the first ce. Guird also felt his son¡¯s dissatisfaction. However, if he were to point out here, the discussion will be too long. ¡°¡­Not that I am being rude. Eugene, I don¡¯t know who your father is.¡± ¡°I understand. My family came from the back of the countryside.¡± ¡°Did your father teach you skills?¡± ¡°He taught me the basics, but most of them I trained by myself.¡± ¡°What kind of training did you do?¡± ¡°The sword or the spear¡­ We used training weapons, which are not as good as what I found here.¡± ¡°No one taught you otherwise.¡± ¡°There were some knights in my family, but they weren¡¯t good enough to ask for instruction.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Guird was lost in thought for a moment. Cyan chewed on his lips with humiliation, and Ciel¡¯s eyes shone as if they were funny. Iokim saw Eugene with nk eyes. ¡®He won a duel against Cyan?¡¯ ¡®Who¡¯s Jehard?¡¯ Gargis and Dira nced at Eugene with astonishing eyes. Other children from other branches were watching Eugene in dismay. ¡°¡­I think this blood ceremony will be fun.¡± ¡°I think so, too.¡± Guird smiled and said, Robertian, who was listening to the story with interest, also nodded his smiling face. The dish began toe out. However, they did not touch the dishes because they were looking at Guird. ¡°I don¡¯t know if the dish will suit my taste.¡± Guird began to eat with such a good cry. Only then did the children catch the tableware. Eugene cut arge piece of meat as if he had waited. ¡°Are you that hungry that you need a big portion?¡± ¡°I¡¯m hungry because I kept moving after lunch.¡± The atmosphere is a little relieved when the meal begins. Ciel giggled and put vegetables such as bell peppers and carrots on Eugene¡¯s te. ¡°Then eat mine, too. I¡¯m not hungry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you don¡¯t want to eat vegetables.¡± ¡°No, I like vegetables.¡± Ciel looked at Guird¡¯s expression and quickly continued. ¡°I¡¯m really not hungry.¡± After everyone¡¯s tes have been emptied. Guird opened his mouth by putting down his ss of wine. ¡°As you might have guessed. I¡¯m setting up a table to give you the details of the blood ceremony.¡± The utensils that were moving, slowly stopped one by one ¡°I also wanted to keep an eye on my rtive¡¯s children who are participating in the blood ceremony.¡± Guird¡¯s eyes move. His eyes stayed with Gargis, Dira, and Eugene for a long time. Three people, who Eugene defined as ¡°shots,¡± also knew about it, but did not feel dissatisfied. Decon, Hansen, and Julse. The three were well aware that they could not make any significant difference in the blood ceremony. ¡°¡­a ten-year-period system of blood ceremony. The contents are organized by the family Lord. I organized thest blood ceremony. As you may have heard before you came to the main house, thest generation allowed twelve children to wander in the middle of the forest.¡± Guird shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°Thest bloodline ceremony was held only by children of the Branch Family. But in this blood ceremony¡­ Three of my children are participating. It¡¯s funny to say, but I think the tradition of the blood ceremony itself is so discriminatory.¡± Guird¡¯s three children looked surprised. ¡°The blood ceremony is a tradition for the main house. Children in the branches can¡¯t hold a real weapon or train Mana until the blood ceremony. If the blood ceremony is carried out in such a state, the results will be obvious. A child in the branch can never beat a child from the main house.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to eliminate long-standing traditions at once.¡± It is a gap that has been divided between the main house and the main house for hundreds of years. Guird¡¯s younger brother, Gilford, also had a son. When the child was five years old, Gilford left his home and now belonged to the branch. Descendants of the great Vermouth. The home of Lionhart, who ims the legitimacy of blood. Only the blood with great purity is recognized as the main house. Lionhart¡¯s home has been in such good shape. ¡°No matter how light the blood is, no matter how light it is. Don¡¯t you all have Lionhart as yourst name? But the significance of the blood system is to identify the qualities that would im to be descendants of Lionhart, the great Vermouth. The depth of blood doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Vermouth. Eugene chewed the meat and thought. ¡®I think your descendants are nicer than you.¡¯ ¡°What¡¯s the point ofpetition with obvious results? I want to confirm not only my children but all of you who seeded with Lionhart¡¯sst name.¡± Guird turned his head. ¡°So, unlike the previous one, we decided to get outside help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. Kids.¡± Robertian smiled broadly. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the speech too long? I understand you¡¯re sleepy, but please stay alert and pay attention.¡± Guird smiled bitterly. Robertian didn¡¯t care about him and kept talking. ¡°We¡¯ll know once we get started, but the blood ceremony will start in four days at thetest. So what it¡¯s like is. I¡¯m going to summon a maze in the forest.¡± Robertian raised both hands. The mana gathered between the palms of his hands rose and made a huge maze on the table. ¡°You¡¯re going to go into different entrances and explore the maze. There¡¯s a whole bunch of traps in the maze¡­ Oh, oh, you don¡¯t have to worry too much. You won¡¯t need to hurt anyone in the maze.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Ciel asked with a tilt of her head. ¡°That¡¯s because everything in it is a magical fantasy. Whatever you go through in the maze, it¡¯s not real. But¡­ you¡¯ll have a realistic experience.¡± Robertian¡¯s smile thickened. ¡°The monster you encountered in the maze could cut off your arm. It doesn¡¯t really cut your arm, but in the maze, you would think you really have your arm cut.¡± ¡°Wow¡­¡± ¡°Magic is fascinating, isn¡¯t it? If you¡¯re interested,e to Aroth. The great Vermouth was also a great wizard.¡± In addition to summoning magic, it was also abination of higher mental magic. ¡®If I can do that, I¡¯ll make it.¡¯ Eugene listened silently to Robertian¡¯s exnation. ¡°Thebyrinth will have many other traps besides monsters. Of course, it¡¯s not really dangerous.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Ciel was the only one who giggled while listening to the Robertian story. The shiverers looked terrified. ¡°What you have to do in the maze is very simple. Go to the center of the maze and knock down the captain monster there.¡± ¡°How can I knock him down?¡± ¡°You just have to knock it down. Has anyone ever caught a monster?¡± ¡°Me.¡± Three members of the main house raised their hands. In the room, only Gargis, Dira, and Eugene raised their hands. Eugene also beat orcs with a wooden sword when he was about ten years old. ¡°It¡¯s the same as it was. The blood ceremony ends when someone out of the nine of you reaches the center of the maze and knocks down a bad monster. ¡°Is it okay if I can¡¯t get out of the maze?¡± ¡°Of course, if you¡¯re scared to go in front of you, you can stay still. But don¡¯t expect to get good grades¡­¡± Robertian answered kindly as he stared at Hansen with plump cheeks. ¡°If you catch the Captain Monster.¡± What¡¯s a captain monster? No matter how handicapped those opponents are, their opponents are 10-year-olds, isn¡¯t it too childish? Eugene rolled his eyes thinking about it. ¡®So, what are the rewards when we get him?¡¯ If Eugene could, he¡¯d like to ask him so openly¡­ ¡°¡­what can I get?¡± In the end, Eugene just asked straight away. ¡°I¡¯ll let you get out of the main house¡¯s underground treasure trove with one thing you want.¡± It was Gurd who answered. Eugene smiled brightly and nodded. ¡°Wow.¡± These were the children¡¯s responses. ¡®What should I choose? Sword? Spear? Bow?¡¯ Although the blood ceremony had not yet begun, Eugene was confident that he would break through the maze for the first time. Chapter 10 Chapter 10 ¡°Really?¡± The moment he left the main house and arrived at the detached house. Gargis, who had been closing his mouth, looked back at Eugene. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡­ you really won a duel with Cyan Lionhart?¡± ¡°Uh.¡± Gargis¡¯s eyes shake at the honest answer. He looked incredibly up and down at Eugene. Gargis Lionhart. He is fourteen years old, one year older than Eugene. His family was separated from the main family during the prehistoric period. It is a rtively recent split of the family, so it has a high rank among many branches. In addition, there was a forest full of monsters around the family. Gargis has been shooting around the forest since childhood, making it a game to break the head of a small monster like Goblin. In other words, it is called Muga, which is considered one of the best in the field. It¡¯s the same with Dira. Her family had already been relegated from the main house several generations ago, but she was a prominent military figure who had been in the military since her grandfather¡¯s time. As a result, the two had many contacts since they were young. Even though they are of the same family name, the vige head is far from the same age. Therefore, the two families are so close that they are jokingly sharing the story of getting married in the future. Naturally, the two families exchanged various opinions on the blood ceremony. There is nothing else to look at. In the end, they have topete with the other children, so let¡¯s not try topete with each other for nothing, but they might join forces. Gargis came to the main family with his parent¡¯s honor, but a countryside boy in which he didn¡¯t even know where he came from, fought against Cyan Lionhart from the main family. He even defeated him with a single blow and took the Lord¡¯s attention. ¡®Who¡¯s Jehard?¡¯ They didn¡¯t even know who Eugene¡¯s father was. There are so many branches with Lionhart as thest name. Among them, only a few of the bloodlines and branches of the main house are famous. ¡®He didn¡¯t evene to my birthday party three years ago.¡¯ Gargis and Dira looked at each other hard. ¡°Are you done with your questions?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uh?¡± ¡°Then can I go?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t wait for an answer. The two looked back at Eugene, who was passing by, giving a cold look. They thought he was going anywhere, but he didn¡¯t go into the house but headed straight for the mist. ¡°Are you here?¡± Among the servants of the detached house, Nina ran out the fastest. She handed Eugene a thick towel as if she had waited for him. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to train.¡± ¡°I like it.¡± Eugene grinned and nodded. It¡¯s only been a day, and Nina has learned a lot about Eugene. The 13-year-old instructor trains, saying, ¡°I wonder if a ghost died because I couldn¡¯t train, or if I was possessed to stimte my appetite before eating,¡± and ¡°I have to digest it after eating.¡± ¡°When are you going to take a bath?¡± ¡°A couple of hourster.¡± ¡°Coldwater will do, right?¡± ¡°Of course.¡± Nina jolted after Eugene. She¡¯s just out of her apprenticeship. Therefore, Nina was supposed to be in charge of the chores in the separate house, but the servants of the separate house did not make Nina do anything. They only told her to look after Eugene. Thanks to them, Nina was able to focus entirely on Eugene¡¯s behavior. ¡®What are they doing? Eugene did physical training earlier. The night air was cool, so he thought he¡¯d swing the sword. Gargis and Dira were looking this way. Wanting to step forward. Then, from what he expected, Gargis strode forward. ¡°¡­¡± Gargis threw off his coat without hesitation. A body that has incredibly developed muscles at the age of 14. Not only that but there were small wounds all over the body. ¡°¡­¡± Eugene looked at Gargis without saying anything. Then Gargis swallowed his breath and opened his chest. There was a wide chest muscle. His abs are wriggling underneath it. Gargis condescended and tapped on his chest muscles. ¡°Do you want to touch it?¡± ¡®What is he doing?¡¯ Eugene was just staring at him with that thought, but Gargis seemed to have some sort of stupid illusion. ¡°No.¡± Eugene answered without hesitation. Gargis looked sad and reduced his swollen chest muscles. Then he passed Eugene and headed for the warehouse in the corner of the chimney. After a while. Gargis came out with a wooden sword. He talked to Eugene with a look full of dissatisfaction. ¡°The weapons in the warehouse are too poor. I think they are of lesser quality than those from the warehouse in my family.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I mean, thest time I used this ordinary wooden sword was around when I was six. There is a huge bay in my family that I ordered myself. Of course, I didn¡¯t take it here because it was for training. It¡¯s really heavy with an iron core inside.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°You seem to have been pretty disciplined¡­¡± Gargis looked at Eugene¡¯s forearm holding a wooden sword. It is notparable to his thick forearms either, but it was clear that he had been training for a long time. ¡°What kind of training do you usually do?¡± ¡°Why do you ask that?¡± ¡°You said you beat Cyan. What kind of training did you do to beat Cyan Lionhart, the second son of the main family?¡± ¡°Hard work.¡±Eugene was toozy to deal with him. Eugene swung the sword again after giving a rough answer. The basic action of swinging from top to bottom. As Eugene repeated his move silently, Gargis, who was standing at a distance, also raised his wooden sword. Boom! It sounds so loud that it couldn¡¯t have been thought it was from an ordinary wooden sword. This is the sound of pure muscr strength without the help of Mana. Gargis nced proudly at Eugene, but thetter didn¡¯t give him a single nce. ¡°¡­how many hours a day do you train?¡± ¡°Every hour except the time I eat, go to the bathroom, and sleep.¡± ¡°How long do you sleep?¡± ¡°At least six hours.¡± ¡°I sleep for five hours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°I actually wanted to sleep a little longer. My father told me that sleep is a cure. I heard you need to sleep to get muscles bigger.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The size of your muscles is not because of the difference in sleep time. There is a visionary muscle growth system in our family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great.¡± ¡°It was made with the help of a famous alchemist from Aroth¡­ It is a drug that promotes muscle growth ording to training without umting mana in the body. Don¡¯t you use it?¡± ¡°I use nothing.¡± ¡°With simple training, muscle growth is limited. Originally, these muscle growth agents were used by mercenaries, but this cheap method together with our family¡¯s vision of muscle growth agents was of different quality. It doesn¡¯t have any side effects.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± ¡°Look at me. I know I sleep an hour less than you, but my muscles are too thicker than yours. How tall are you?¡± Gargis thought he deserved to make a boastful noise. Gargis and Eugene are only one year apart, but Gargis was one head taller than Eugene. Considering his still young face, he doesn¡¯t look 14 years old. ¡°No side effects. Where are you lying?¡± It was Dira who just changed her clothes that asked Gargis with a sharp voice. She had her long hair tied up and wore a generous size uniform. ¡°That medicine. They say it gives you a beard.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? It¡¯s natural for a man to grow a beard. I like my beard growing. I feel like I¡¯m an adult.¡± ¡°You are still growing up, you idiot!¡± Dira shot back with a grimace in her eyes. She is 12 years old, and she is also bold in cursing him because they were close since childhood. ¡°I heard you used a spear in a duel with Cyan. Why are you using a sword now?¡± ¡°I can use a spear and a sword.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re using all of this and that? And self-study? Other people would have given him a slight expression. Dira didn¡¯t dare to do that and just stared at Eugene. It was said he defeated the main family¡¯s son with a blow. ¡°¡­I specialize in spears.¡± ¡°It suits you.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. Dira was tall for her age, especially her long limbs. ¡°It¡¯s no fun just wielding a wooden sword. Let¡¯s have a fight.¡± ¡°All right.¡± Eugene nodded his head. He liked the straightforward attitude of Dira. In addition, Eugene was curious about the skills of the children who were ranked high among the branches. ¡°You use the spear. I shall use the spear, too.¡± ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather see you wielding a spear than a sword.¡± He rushed to the warehouse without answering Dira. Soon he returned with two long spears on his side. ¡°Take it.¡± The two children faced each other with a spear. Gargis, who was still taking off his coat, stood in the center. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be the referee.¡± ¡°Why do we need a referee in a duel?¡± ¡°In order for the result to be fair.¡± Gargis raised his arm high, saying so. Eugene didn¡¯t want to see his naked armpit¡­ ¡°Baby, what you¡¯re doing reminds me of a fool.¡¯ He¡¯s so big. If it weren¡¯t for his Lionhart surname, he would seriously suspect that he was a descendant of Moron. ¡°If I say start, it starts.¡± ¡°Tell him to get started, idiot.¡± Dira roared. Gargis stepped back slightly and lowered his raised arm. ¡°Go!¡± The match against Cyan ended with a blow, but this time Eugene didn¡¯t intend to. Because he wanted to see the skill of Dira. Dira did not run straight but crept a few steps to find Eugene¡¯s gap. Eugene did not leave his ce with the spear in both hands. However, only the spearhead was slightly moved to match the movement of Dira. ¡®¡­uh¡­¡¯ The eyes of Dira flinch. She was quite confident in her skills, but now she wondered if what she had in her hand was really a spear. ¡®There¡¯s no time¡­ She tried to move around, but she couldn¡¯t find any opening. Dira¡¯s lower lip was now swollen due to her biting it too much. She couldn¡¯t do anything, even finding openings. The distance between the two quickly narrows down. Soon, Eugene stepped forward and attacked her. Eugene¡¯s slight movement on the spearhead hit the spear of Dira. At that moment, she turned her body with the spear. The end of the spinning spear hits Eugene again. However, the results were the same again this time. Dda! When the attack was cleared, Dijira¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°Grr¡­¡± She chewed her lips and waved her arms. She was now striking back and forth against Eugene. The dull sounds of metal blend in between. Dira¡¯a determined stabbing attacks were easily countered by Eugene. She knows how to turn. ¡®She knows how to use rebound and sticity.¡¯ It¡¯s pretty good considering that she didn¡¯t use mana. In addition, the possibility of growth in the future is endless as she is young. The story of the future as far as it goes. She was not Eugene¡¯s opponent. The spear slips from the hand of Dira. She grabbed the bottom of the spear and increased the attack of the spear at once. Haak! Attack from top to bottom. Eugene grinned and bent sideways. It was the first time he avoided it while just removing it. This fact gave confidence to Dira. ¡®I¡¯m gonna turn the distance back here, and I will win¡¯ That¡¯s what she thought, but the reality didn¡¯t work out the way Dira thought. The moment the spear approaches the floor. Eugene¡¯s foot trampled on the spear. Then, at one go, he stabbed the spear at Dira. With the approaching spear, Dira pulled her head back in horror. The spear stopped before the Dira¡¯s nose. She pricked her lips and saw Eugene¡¯s face beyond the spear. ¡®¡­heavy¡­! The dragon was used to remove the trampled spear, but no matter how hard it was, the spear did not move. He was just stepping on one foot. He put the spear in front of the crying image of Dira. Rather than the spear not falling out, Eugene¡¯s body was not shaken even though he gave this much strength, which saved his defeat. ¡°Eugene Lionnhart won.¡± Gargis, who was standing as a referee, said with a solemn look. She crumpled her eyebrows and stared at Gargis, who had already been feeling sad. ¡°Shut up, pig!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a pig. A pig is a man like Hansen.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Dira. You didn¡¯t learn anything from the wonderful words of the Lord. You shouldn¡¯t be ashamed of losing. You need to know how to respect your opponent¡¯s honor.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± He took a few steps back without refuting Dira. She sighed and bowed to Eugene. ¡°¡­I lost.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene replied with a happy smile. ¡°You¡¯re a good spearhead.¡± ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± He meant it from the bottom of his heart. He eximed ¡°Dira¡± in a fit of rage. Only then did Eugene realize that he was a kid about the same age as Dira. ¡°Although I use it better.¡± ¡°You son of a¡­!¡± ¡°So I won. Even if it¡¯s unfair, I won.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°Dear you, he didn¡¯t get a single punch.¡± So he behaves like his age. Chapter 11 Chapter 11 TL Note: Dira¡¯s name is actually Dijira/Dihira. Just changed to Dira so her name is 2 sybles. Ioken is read as- Yo-Ken. His name should have been Ioden read as Yo-den but because his name looks like an element I changed it to Ioken- Yo-Ken. (I actually consulted the name dictionary to find an existing name with the same sound. All the names here are actually found using the dictionary because the author seem to like English names written in Hangul. Like Eugene= Yujin, Ciel= siEr, Cyan= sian) ¡°We have to work together.¡± That night. Dira and Gargis came to Eugene¡¯s room. At that time, Eugene was lying on the bed. He just washed his body neatly, changed into a soft pajamas, and was about to fall asleep with congratting himself for this satisfying day. ¡°Did you just wake someone up for that?¡± Eugene answered without looking at them while still lying on bed. ¡°I want your answer.¡± Gargis insisted. There was a face full of discontent called Dira standing beside him. She know Eugene¡¯s skills for sure, but there is still a sound in her ears teasing her saying that she didn¡¯t get a single hit. ¡°How do we put our strength together? You heard about the blood ceremony from the Lord earlier. It¡¯s the blood ceremony in which we go into different entrances and breaks through the Labyrinth.¡± ¡°But the destination is the same. The center where there are mysterious Bad Captain Monster.¡± He can¡¯t believe a monster got Bad Captain on his name. ¡°The Captain Monster must be very strong.¡± ¡°Maybe so.¡± ¡°The Lord and the Red Tower Master said that there are many traps and monsters inside the maze. But the three of us can break through the center alone.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something you¡¯ll know once we try.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never lost to monsters.¡± Gargis opened his chest with pride. ¡°I said that the monster of the Mage is not real, but just magical illusion. Then there¡¯s nothing to be afraid of.¡± ¡°If you are so confident, why want to join forces just to defeat the Captain Monster?¡± ¡°Are you perhaps afraid of pain if you lose?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never lost to a monster.¡± ¡°The Captain Monster is strong, that¡¯s why it¡¯s called Captain Monster.¡± Gargis replied with a confident look. ¡°So we have to work together. The twins in the main family will join forces, so we three will have to join forces.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s get together in the middle and catch the Captain Monster?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I think I can catch it alone.¡± Eugene replied with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m not lucky.¡± Dira said. Gargis nodded in agreement. ¡°Then let¡¯s do this. If you can¡¯t catch it after trying once join us.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± ¡°Run away and wait for us.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that? You¡¯re already strong enough. You guys can do it without me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that depending on the situation.¡± Dira replied. ¡°But there are three more people than two. I¡¯m sorry to hear that, but¡­ Stronger than me. If you help us, we can definitely catch the Captain Monster.¡± ¡°Why do you want to hunt it so bad?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to beat the main family?¡± Dira asked with a grimace in her eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve already beaten Cyan in the duel. I told you that if you win the blood system, you will also received a gift.¡± ¡°Family Branches has never won a blood ceremony in which the main family and Family Branches participated.¡± Gargis said. ¡°But I think there is a possibility this time. You have a Dira with me. You¡¯re the one who beat Cyan.¡± ¡°Even if you catch it alone, Family Branches wins, right?¡± ¡°If youe at it alone and win, I¡¯ll be very happy. It¡¯s better to catch it by one person than three people in the room.¡± Gargis answered with a nod. His stature reminded Eugene of Moron, who was like a fool. When he heard what he said, he knew how to think about it, and there was a big corner. ¡°Go away, okay. I¡¯m going to sleep.¡± Eugene shook his hand while lying down. Although Dira looked unhappy, Gargis nodded and grabbed Dira by the wrist. ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep for five hours again today.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to sleep six hours.¡± Eugene know what that fellow was thinking. And he felt like he was right. ¡°You idiot, what¡¯s wrong with getting a little more sleep than him?¡± ¡°The early bird catches the worm.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to catch a worm tomorrow morning?¡± ..When chapters reached 20, this will not be updated on Novel updates anymore other than on our discord¡­ ¡°You¡¯re two years younger than me, so you don¡¯t know what that metaphor is.¡± ¡°Get out!¡± Eugene threw a pillow and shouted. *** Anci was troubled all night. It was because of the blood ceremony. She expected it to be amon battle between children, but it was an out-of-the-box maze. ¡®And he invited Aroth¡¯s Red Tower Master?¡¯ The wise Senya has made a mark in the magical world of Aroth. The house of Lionhart, descendants of the great Vermouth, also maintains close ties with Aroth¡¯s great masters. In particr, Robertian, the master of the red tower of this time, imed to be a disciple of the wise Senya, and attended several events of the main house. ¡®However he never came to my children¡¯s birthdays.¡¯ Anci chewed her lips well. Of course, the Blood Ceremony is a traditional Lionnhart event, but¡­ No matter how hard she thought about it, it didn¡¯t seem to havee all by itself. Mrs. Theonis smiled. ¡®¡­maybe he¡¯s here to get a student.¡¯ It was a usible idea. Ioken liked reading books rather than using his body since he was young. He was especially interested in magic, so he practiced magic from the beginning. However, he has never had a teacher. The nickname given to the great Vermouth ¡°All Master.¡± It¡¯s a nickname given to Vermouth because he was not only good at martial arts but also with magic. However, not many people have been willing to study magic at Lionhart¡¯s home since Vermouth. There was a simple reason. Magic is hard to get to. Thepetition for session begins at an early age. If they have learned magic since then, it is unlikely that he will be magically promoted to Lord immediately. ¡°Ioken is fifteen¡­ He was learning magic since he was a kid, but¡­ It¡¯s self-taught to the point.¡± Will he ever be a disciple of the Red Tower? Anci pressed her twitching cheek with a smile. ¡®He¡¯s practically given up his session. If Ioken bes a disciple of the Red Tower, he had no choice but to leave home. In the meantime, Cyan and Ciel will grow up to be¡­¡¯ When Ioken goes to Aroth, Anci will take control of the main house. Objectively speaking, Cyan and Ciel¡¯s qualities are not bad. Rather, they are very good. Worthy of Lionhart¡¯s name. ¡®¡­The problem is the blood ceremony¡­¡¯ Anci did not know whether to be dissatisfied or pleased with the content of the blood ceremony. They go through different entrances and break through the Labyrinth? That means Cyan and Ciel can¡¯t help each other¡­ ¡®If it¡¯s just a simple duel¡­ Of course either Cyan or Ciel would have won¡­¡¯ She can¡¯t be sure of him. Eugene from the countryside that won the duel against Cyan. This factplicated Anci. A mystery with many variables¡­ The result of the duel will not be unconditionally reflected. Should I bribe him? Or should I be dissatisfied with the unique blood ceremony that castrates the advantage of our family and seeks equity first? ¡®¡­you should never intervene in with the blood ceremony.¡¯ Anci, who had been worrying all night, sighed. She thought she¡¯d secretly talk to her husband, but she knew he was strict with his children. If she get lucky for no reason, she will definitely get to her husband¡¯s bad eyes. ¡°¡­you should be nice to me¡­¡± Anci tilted her head toward the window and muttered. A few days before the blood ceremony starts. In the meantime, they should learn information that can help them in the maze. Thanks to this, Cyan and Ciel are buried in books rted to the pce, which were brought from the capital, instead of training with Hezar. Although Cyan¡¯s cheeks were pped because anger, Anci still loved her child. Children who have to live with thebel of Second Wife¡¯s children for the rest of their lives barely made it this far. ¡°The insults from now on will only narrow down.¡± Cyan and Ciel are still young. The reason why the two can do anything in the main house is because Anci stood tall without showing any shame. So her son¡¯s defeat hurts. The blood of the main family got defeated from someone of the Branch¡­ ¡®¡­I¡¯d rather¡­¡¯ Anci sighed with aplex look. ¡®If that Eugene is the first to break through the pce.¡¯ Shake hands that you don¡¯t dare to think of. If that happens, the whole house will be humiliated. But the disgrace is not borne by Anisci alone. Guide, the owner of the family, is also sharing with Theonis, the faithful. If she think the opposite way. Eugene¡¯s passing the maze may mask Cyan¡¯s defeat. It¡¯s not that he iscking in the talent, but thatd from the Branch family is just strangely outstanding. ¡®¡­the best thing is for Cyan and Ciel to break through the maze.¡¯ Anici sighed again and stood up from the chair. ¡®If I don¡¯t¡­ It¡¯s better for Eugene to break through than Ioken or any other kid.¡¯ Of course, Anici didn¡¯t want to cheer for Eugene. She only thought of a possiblene. Three dayster. ¡­After chapter 20 this will not be updated on Novel updates anymore. Refer to our discord for future announcement¡­ The children of the Branch Family were called by their parents. Since the preparation of the Labyrinth that was summoned to the forest was over, the blood Ceremony will begin today. Comfortable attire; personal arrangements are not allowed. What about weapons? Most of the children had such questions, but once they were told, they followed the knights into the forest. ¡°I¡¯ll prepare the weapons for you.¡± Inside the forest were the Robertian and Gurd. Behind the two, the entrance to the cave, which looked suspicious and artificial, stood tall. ¡°Tell me the weapon you need. We won¡¯t let you stand until the end of the day, but your child¡¯s opponent is not real anyway. You can deal with a weapon that¡¯s shaped enough, right?¡± Robertian said with a kind smile. Eugene hated that word ¡°children¡± more than anything else. He think he¡¯s just being a kid. However, he was a real warrior, so he couldn¡¯t express his dissatisfaction openly. ¡°Is there only one kind of weapon?¡± ¡°Not really. We¡¯ll prepare as much as we need.¡± ¡°How?¡± Ciel asked with a grin. Robertian raised his hands, looking at Ciel¡¯s big eyes as if they were cute. ¡°Like this.¡± Whaa! A long sword was made. ¡°Wow!¡± Ciel held the sword that came to him with both hands. The weight is reasonable, and the texture of the de is not bad. Ciel swung at the sword a few times with exciteness. ¡°What if this breaks?¡± ¡°Ha ha, little girl. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. This man is a great wizard. That is also magic, and it will never break inside thebyrinth that the littledy is going.¡± ¡°Can you make animals, not swords?¡± ¡°I can make dolls. Golem is possible but I can¡¯t make a living life.¡± ¡°Then can I take the golem you make for me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a sweet idea.¡± Robertian burst intoughter and looked back at Gurd. Gurd, smiling at his daughter¡¯s tricks, shook his head slowly. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. Because Golem will fight for you.¡± ¡°Then make a doll for me next time.¡± Ciel replied with a big smile. Ioken¡¯s eyes twinkled and saw the light twirling around the hand of the Roberian. ¡°Why can¡¯t you make a living life?¡± Ioken questioned. When asked, Robertian looked back at the Ioken with a funny look on his face. ¡°It¡¯s a magic taboo.¡± ¡°Forbidden?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to make, and there¡¯s nothing good about it. It is the beautiful power of being that gives birth to a living life.¡± ¡°Ah¡­¡± Ioken nodded as if he had understood. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not going to do this. I¡¯d like a longer, thinner sword.¡± ¡°Hold on. It¡¯s possible for me to make it one by one, but it¡¯s hard for me to make the same sword as the little girl¡¯ Robertian reached for Ciel. Then the light wrapped in his hand crossed over to Ciel. ¡°So, you can make it yourself. Other kids, too. It¡¯s not hard. I¡¯m using magic anyway, so you just have to pick up the light, clearly imagining what¡¯s in your head.¡± The light came over to the nine children. Ioken shook his fingertips as he looked at the light with ecstatic eyes. Gurd watched his eldest son silently. ¡°Oh¡­!¡± Gargis eximed. He made his favorite bay that he uses back in the family. Strangely enough, even the familiar weight was realized. He burst into admiration as he hung the bay over his shoulder. ¡­Read this onkrnvl.xyzfor future updates¡­ Even for Dira it created a spear as usual. She poked her spear several times into the air, savoring the feel of the spear in her hands. Then she put a spear on her back with a satisfied face. Ciel and Cyan made swords. Ciel¡¯s ck sword looked long and bby, while Cyan¡¯s ck sword was simr, but slightly heavier. Then Ioken made an ordinary sword. He squeezed the light with his ecstatic eyes, but when he held the sword, Ioken eyes sank as dull as usual. Other children made weapons, but Eugene didn¡¯t look at them. They were not motivated before they came here. Perhaps some will give up searching as soon as they enter the maze. Eugene made a sword that fits the length of his arm and a small shield that is mounted on his forearm. ¡°Why don¡¯t you use a spear? You¡¯re good at using spear.¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at using the Sword.¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the shield?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good at using the shield.¡± ¡°He¡¯s good at everything.¡± Then Dira grumbled. Ciel stared at the two talking and came to Eugene. ¡°What are you going to do when you meet me at the pce?¡± ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°Are you going to fight me?¡± ¡°Can I fight?¡± Eugene looked back at Gurd and asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can¡¯t do. The blood ceremony is verypetitive.¡± Gurd replied with a grin. With what her father said, Ciel puffed up her cheeks. ¡°But we don¡¯t have to fight.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Rather than unconditionalpetition, this blood ceremony is intended to examine the judgment and cooperation of the situation. After all, we are a family with the family name Lionhart.¡± ¡°We¡¯re a family.¡± Ciel looked back at Eugene and smiled back. ¡°When is your birthday?¡± ¡°September.¡± ¡°It¡¯s April for me. So I¡¯m your Noona.¡± (Term bout refer to older girls) ¡°Well¡­¡± To say so, he was conscious that there was Gurd, Ciel¡¯s father. ¡°You said something as sweet as¡­.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No.¡± Eugene turned his head coughing in vain. ************* Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Take one of these and go in.¡± After all the children had made weapons, Robertian handed them a ne with blue jewels hanging. ¡°The ne is connected to your spirit. If you are under too much stress in thebyrinth, I¡¯ll intervene through the reaction of the ne.¡± It was a safety precaution just in case. ¡°And if you think you can¡¯t break through thebyrinth, tap on the jewel of your ne and say, ¡®Help me.¡¯ Then you can escape from thebyrinth without a hitch.¡± It was Hansen and others who nodded at the words of Robertian. He only participated because he couldn¡¯t resist tradition. They had no ambition in the blood ceremony. ¡°Well, then. Let¡¯s get in together.¡± After I finish what I have to say. With a big smile, Robertian stepped aside from the entrance to the cave. ¡°We go in together, but from the moment you go into the cave, you¡¯ll be led in a different way. Don¡¯t be too embarrassed, but there is only one road at first, so go straight ahead. If you don¡¯t think you can do it from there, tap on the jewelry.¡± The children walk out. Eugene strode, conscious of the shield on his left forearm. ¡°Good luck.¡± Before entering the cave entrance. Ciel, who was walking along the side, smiled broadly at Eugene. Without the words Gargis and Dira, she gave Eugene a wink. Eugene said, grinning at their gaze. ¡°Good luck, too.¡± ¡°Yes!¡± At a rough throw of encouragement, Ciel nodded vigorously. Nine children entered the cave. At the moment they passed only the entrance. It became clear and dark around. Someone might make a surprised sound, but they will be unable to hear it. Eugene looked around without any embarrassment. Abyrinth brought in by summoning magic But now that he was inside, he can¡¯t feel any sense of ipatibility. Robertian may be an excellent wizard to be proud of being the desciple of the great wizard, as Eugene¡¯s immature body does not detect a sense of harmony unique to magic. ¡®Cause I still didn¡¯t train Mana.¡¯ If so, he should strictly be dependent on his body¡¯s senses. Fortunately, it was one of Eugene¡¯s good areas. Eugene breathed low and long. He didn¡¯t get excited in the first ce, but he calmed myself down. And started concentrating on the ither five senses one by one. Visual, auditory, olfactory, Touch¡­ Taste? It may be a useless sense in this ce. However, Eugene made the taste of blood in his mouth by chewing on the tip of his tongue. As such¡­ His sensation are now heavily concentrated. Breathing out repeatedly awakened his mind. His intuition opens up in such it looked like a sixth sense. It was the dull experience of being Hamel that awakened his mind. He had enough of it in his previous life. Most of the monsters that dig into the ground make nest like a maze. That¡¯s how a single ant makes its nest, and even Goblin does so. Not to mention mana. The hide out of Helmud was abyrinth itself. In modern times, it¡¯s a ce where you can pay a lot of money just for a tour. Helmud¡¯s ce was where Hamel wandered from was a terrible hell that shouldn¡¯t exist in this world. How many times he almost died there. Most of his confident skills were not used in Helmud¡¯s ce. Even that stupid Moron was afraid to move forward recklessly. Senya, who used to praise herself as a great wizard, was not convinced by her magic. Anise, who always said God would take care of her, also called out his colleagues¡¯ names more than God in Helmud. Only Vermouth was calm. ¡°¡­¡± Eugene smiled bitterly. The warrior Vermouth and hispanions¡­ That¡¯s true. The center of the party was Vermouth. Without him, everyone would not have broken through Helmud. Hamel, Moron, Senya, Anise. When he first entered Helmud, he was young and immature. But a man grows through experience. All of his colleagues, if not as much as Vermouth, had at least once mistaken that he was the best man in the world. So he was able to grow explosively. From some point on, colleagues regarded each day in Helmud as a routine. Moron moved forward again, Senya was convinced by his magic, and Anise restored her faith in God. Hamel, however, hated himself for being weaker than Vermouth. He hated shaking with fear. He simply couldn¡¯t do it like Vermouth. So I was more and more pushy about myself. Since he can¡¯t do it like Vermouth, he wanted to grow his own way. Vermouth does not feel afraid. Hamel feels fear. So get used to fear and ovee it. Vermouth does anything easily. Hamel can¡¯t do it easily. At first, even if he do well, he will face a wall someday. So break the wall and go out. The same is true here. Vermouth was not embarrassed in his firstbyrinth, but always tried to find his way. He was a man and could not always choose the right path. Every time he fails. Whenever he choose the right path. Hamel looked at what grounds Vermouth found the right path and what went wrong and chose the wrong path. Hamel had no innate intuition like Vermouth, so he filled hisck in that way. The same experience remains intact in Eugene¡¯s head. ¡®It¡¯s a mystery that made the kids break through. I didn¡¯t mean to kill her. Well, then¡­ It¡¯s in and obvious.¡¯ Eugene did not stop walking. As Robertian said, the beginning is a lonely road. It¡¯s still dark around¡­ However, as they go a certain distance, the darkness slowly clears. Left and right walls. There¡¯s plenty of distance not to be embarrassed by wielding weapons. However, if you want to swing the spear to your heart¡¯s content, you will have to think about your position in many ways. So Eugene didn¡¯t choose the spear. Sword and shield. This basicbination is abination of all-around abilities that can respond to almost any situation. ¡®The ceiling is blocked.¡¯ The trick of climbing the wall is useless. Eugene was conscious of the sense of smell among the sensitively awakened senses. The taste of blood was still hanging in his mouth. The smell of blood. Find a foreign odor by excluding it first. There is a slight smell of oil. If he could handle Mana, he could feel it more clearly. Eugene moved forward with a slight regret. He walked a little, and there were two paths in the road. The following road forms the same. The smell of oil is on the left path. It was a trap made by magic, but it smells like oil. It was in and obvious. However, Eugene still took the left path. It was to be sure that his judgment was right. While pretending to walk casually, the weight delivered to the soles of his feet is concentrated at once. One, two, three, four¡­ Seven The tread te that touches goes down a little. One, two¡­ Three. Got it! An arrow shoots from a w in the brick. Eugene held up the shield without embarrassment. Ambush! The arrow bounced through the shield. Eugene turned around without going any further. ¡®It¡¯s easy.¡¯ It¡¯s just that they¡¯re at the level of the kids. Eugene smirked. Whenever he checked the wrong way, Senya used to have a seizure. Past memories bring back memories as well as experiences. ¡°Thup.¡± Eugene felt his heart burn and went back to the right way. ¡°Go back and rest.¡± Guilliard caught a cold eye. Hansen was the first to knock on the ne and dere to be taken out. He didn¡¯t think there would bepetition anyway, and he didn¡¯t want to have any trouble. His parents also did not expect anything from his son to cause anything unusual. ¡°Yes¡­ yes.¡± Hansen, who was standing with crouch, bowed his head. Shortly after he returned, a rescue request was called again. Ten-year-old Julse was better than Hansen since he made his way to thebyrinth. However, he was shot by an arrow in the first trap and cried out for help. After a while, the rescue requestes back. It was 11 years old Deacon. He endured the arrow in his body, but was beaten by a Slime, who faced him afterwards. Slime is a monster hard to deal with with with flying weapons. Deacon screamed, ¡°Please save me because I was swallowed by slime¡¯s mucous body.¡± In less than an hour, nine people at the start became six. It was pathetic, but it¡¯s what they had expected. No one expected those three jerks to show anything. ¡®Gargis¡­ He is clumsy, but he doesn¡¯t stop.¡¯ Robertian put a video of thebyrinth in the air. Six children are shown on a split screens. Gargis chose to go straight forwards rather than avoid the trap. Even if he get hit by an arrow or face a monster, he would still swing a bay as big as his body and go all out. ¡®Thisbyrinth has a sleek design.¡¯ If you¡¯re caught in a trap, you¡¯ll need to change your path immediately. He avoided the trap several times. He didn¡¯t want to fight with monsters. If there is no other way, he¡¯ll just go back. It was only when he couldn¡¯t back down that he¡¯ll fight. ¡®The Design is too careful. But it¡¯s not bad.¡¯ Anci trained the twins with the handwriting of famous adventurers and the designs of various beauty pces. So the twins learned basic information about the mystery and how to target it. It helped to break through this tant, obvious, easy maze. For example, that beauty pce is blocked everywhere. However, the wind blows because of magic. If you go in the direction of the wind, it helps you find a way. If you look carefully, you can find artificial traces on the road, and if there is no such thing, it is possible to avoid them based on the judgment of the moment the trap was triggered. The draft was doing so. However, there was ackluster partpared to being cautious. The idea is not flexible. As you try to rely on only the memories thate to mind unconditionally, your vision bes narrow. So there were cases where they were caught in an easy trap. ¡°Siel is sensual. Think flexible, but¡­ There¡¯s something childish about it.¡¯ Siel triggered the trap by throwing things like shoes. After doing so many times, he goes on a path where there is a trap. If there is a traffic jam,e back again, and if there is no traffic jam, go on and on. When you meet a monster, you don¡¯t fight right away and bully him like ying with a toy. The E-Ode is. ¡°¡­what do you say?¡± ¡°You seem very interested in magic.¡± E-Ode was not focused on breaking through the mahogany. He looked at the traps one by one, and when he saw the monster, he burst into admiration. It¡¯s a monster made of vision, and it¡¯s this lively. Even after the monster was knocked down, he did not leave immediately, but for quite a while, he looked at the monster¡¯s body and shone his eyes. His eyes were dimly dead when he swung the sword and fought the monster. Iugh when I encounter magic. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve been doing that since I was a kid. I liked reading books rather than training my body and skills. I especially enjoyed telling you fairy tales about magic. You know what? Iod, that child has more respect for the wise Senna than for his forefather, the great Vermouth.¡± ¡°You deserve the respect of every sorcerer.¡± Robertian smiled proudly. ¡°So did I. I liked Senya¡¯s story better than Vermouth in ¡°The Adventures of Vermouth the Warrior.¡± Whenever the party was in trouble, Senya¡¯s magic woulde up with an amazing solution.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve read that fairy tale since I was a kid. I¡­ I liked Hamel, but¡­.¡± ¡°You mean stupid Hamel?¡± ¡°If he hadn¡¯t been in trouble, fairy tales would have been very boring. He was a mean man, but he was just¡­ I tried to ovee my inferiorityplex about my ancestors, Vermouth. Even when everyone followed Vermouth¡¯s opinion, Hamel was the only one who had a different opinion.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve hated Hamel since I was a kid.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s possible. Hamel¡¯s got them going through a lot of crises. But in every crisis, Hamel always tried to take responsibility for himself. From then I just couldn¡¯t hate Hamel¡­¡± Guide smiled and watched the video. ¡°¡­ Ioken, that kid wanted to learn magic from a young age. He actually learned it. I invited a magic teacher from the capital¡­ But he didn¡¯t try to get any more magic lesson during the middle school.¡± ¡°Do you know why?¡± ¡°He gave up on it. His mother has always told him that he will be the family head¡­ He have to be a family head. He made up his mind that magic doesn¡¯t have an advantage in the sessionpetition.¡± The sessionpetition begins in earnest when children be adults. ¡°¡­I understand something from this. Magic has infinite possibilities, so the road to go with it is tough and far.¡± ¡°Honestly, I wish Ioken would walk the way of a Magician.¡± Guilliard smiled bitterly and looked back at Robertian. ¡°There is only one family in the branch that specializes in magic. So I¡¯ve tried to send him there several times, but he refuses. But¡­ if he were to bevome a disciple of the Red Tower, he wouldn¡¯t say no. There is still a desire for magic in Ioken¡¯s mind.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t give you a definite answer.¡± Robertian shook his head. ¡°I can¡¯t ept anyone as my student. I have a rtionship with you, so I epted your favor, but¡­ I¡¯m not going to take him as a disciple unless he¡¯s good at it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter though. I don¡¯t mean to force it myself either. But I want to make him focus on his dreams.¡± It is not just for Cyan and Ciel¡¯s right of session. It¡¯s just it was painful to see his eldest son to rot while concentrating on something he doesn¡¯t even want to do. To convince his wife Theonis. And to push Ioken¡¯s back, he brought directly the Red Tower master. ¡°¡­ well, let¡¯s take a closer look at hid qualities. He don¡¯t seem to have any intention of using magic in thisbyrinth.¡± Robertian muttered and he looked at the screen. ¡°¡­but¡­ Eugene. What the hell is that kid?¡± The admiration has burst several times. Now embarrassing feelings precede admiration. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Guilliard murmured with sincerity. Eugene on the screen was tearing away the eyes of the troll. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 *** ¡®Trolls? Isn¡¯t that too much for ten some-years-old children?¡¯ That¡¯s what Eugene thought when he met it. It was not a real troll. It¡¯s just an illusion. It¡¯s not like he was being attacked. He may feel pain, but it was also just an illusion. If he could ovee this fear, his opponent was not impossible to defeat. Bear the pain, dog in, and once it attacks, counters it. ¡®It looked like the real deal.¡¯ Eugene looked up and down at the Troll and was amazed. He knew it was just an illusion, but one can think it¡¯s actually the real one. Not only the movement but also the unique body odor of a troll was present. ¡®But I guess he has some conscience.¡¯ Its size was not the same as the originals. It looked like a youngling that was not yet taught of hunting and fighting, it was still unable to stand on its own feet, and It doesn¡¯t even have thatmon club trolls usually have. Even so, it was still much bigger than the 13-year-old Eugene. Eugene slowly walked towards the Troll with a shield. ¡®I¡¯ve beaten Orc or Goblin to death. This would be my first time dealing with a medium-sized monster with this body.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to have a rough fight just because it was easy prey. His body was very excited about the fight that was about to happen. It¡¯s been a while since he entered thebyrinth, and after walking so many hours, he thinks he has gone a long way. He didn¡¯t feel any crisis on his way here. So he needs to warm up. Eugene slowly and boldly narrowed the distance between him and the Troll. The Troll over there only looked at him and didn¡¯te at Eugene right away. He wasn¡¯t surprised about their reaction. The monsters he faced earlier didn¡¯te over him first unless he was within a certain distance. This must be considered by the Mage considering the age of the participating children. When Eugene pushed his foot forward, the movement of the Troll changed ordingly. He jerked around and turned his head toward Eugene. Saliva flowed betweenrge teeth. A face ugly enough to scare the kids. However, Eugene felt joy instead of fear. ¡®It looks like Moron.¡¯ There were a few monsters that looked like Moron. Trolls, Ogre, cyclops, etc. All Human-type ugly monsters walking on two feet is what Eugene thought as a look-alike of Moron. Moron has never denied the fact that he was ugly. He knows it. Eugene kicked the ground to gain speed while recalling his old colleague¡¯s ugly face. As the distance narrowed in an instant, the Troll reacted. It was easy. Kagagak! Eugene¡¯s sword cut the calf of the Troll. After shing between the Troll¡¯s legs, Eugene quickly turned around and took the sword back. And without hesitation, he swung the sword at his feet. The cut was swallow and didn¡¯t affect the Troll much. Nevertheless, it still let the Troll taken back. After several cuts, the Troll¡¯s skin started tearing apart and revealed some bones amidst the Dark green blood gushing out. Eugene didn¡¯t want to dirty his body, so he covered himself with the shield. With his foot receiving immense damage, he started losing his footing. He screamed while staggering to bnce he bide. Hisrge hand falls over Eugene¡¯s head. The shield covering his body was now above his head. Smack! The attack was quite heavy for a 13-year-old kid. He might be training excessively, but it was still impossible to dodge the Troll¡¯s attack. Using his entire shoulder and arm together while the shield is slightly tilted, the attack¡¯s power was reduced. It would have crushed his arm if the timing were a little off, but Eugene didn¡¯t even think that he would fail. His defense was perfect. The Troll swings the other arm helplessly. Eugene swung the sword with one hand. Paak! The skin from the Troll¡¯s arm was cut, and blood was gushing. Eugene dug his sword more by spinning his sword deep to his bone. Quagak! The Troll opens his mouth and screams. The pain of being stabbed till his bones were spreading throughout its body and it paralyzed the Troll¡¯s body. ¡®He didn¡¯t have to make it more realistic by adding bad breath.¡¯ Eugene swung the shield with such discontent. Bam! The shield cracked open the lower jaw of the Troll. At the same time, Eugene pulled out a sword stuck on the Troll and put it between the Troll¡¯s ribs. Quagak! He poked the Troll¡¯s lungs. The skin was so thick that it barely reached the lungs between its rib. Eugene shes the sword horizontal to cut open its chest. Then, he cuts the lungs entirely and pulls out the sword as soon as it touches the sternum. (Sternum is the front bone that connects a pair of ribs) The Troll was no longer able to raise its arms, and he was drenched in blood. If It were a regr monster, it would not have to fight anymore. However, trolls are famous for their strong regenerative power. Eugene didn¡¯t wait for it to regenerate. He pushed the sword hard enough that it resisted. Eugene tore the Troll¡¯s body apart, and poked his heart five or six more times and stabbed his neck with the sword. He skillfully wielded his swords and avoided its bones. ¡°Whoa.¡± After killing the Troll with all the utmost effort, Eugene looked at its corpse with satisfaction. Robertian and Guird saw the scene from beginning to end. With his mouth wide open, Robertian wondered what kind of opinion he should say. Even if it¡¯s an illusion¡­ It¡¯s still a troll. Far from making a frightening noise at the sight of the Troll, a 13 year-old-child tore the Troll apart overwhelmingly. ¡°¡­ That¡¯s cruel. He didn¡¯t have to do that¡­¡± Robertian muttered. Guird, looking at the screen with equally nk eyes, soon shook his head with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s a well-made illusion, he may think is real.¡± ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, that¡¯s great¡­ I don¡¯t think he has ever met a troll. Far from being overwhelmed by fear, he butchered the trolls boldly and neatly¡­¡± Guird could not find fault with Eugene¡¯s swordsmanship. To point out, it was more of a form of ughter and annihtion than sword art. But what does that have to do with anything? Eugene still killed the Troll with great merit. ¡°There were no signs of traps in his paths.¡± Robertian looked at Eugene and spoke his thoughts. ¡°He never got caught in any other trap except for the first time.¡± ¡°When I saw him act, I thought he was used to it.¡± ¡°Where is the boy from?¡± ¡°Countryside.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think there are any unknown towers there¡­¡± Most resourceful towers are used as hiding ces for wizards. Then, sometimes, after the owner of the tower, the wizard, dies or leaves, the tower will be found by adventurers. If you are lucky, you may find treasure in the tower. After they pack everything they need to pack, the tower, without treasure, it will be transformed into a tourist destination. ¡°¡­even if he frequented many towers, he couldn¡¯t have possibly known how to avoid traps skillfully. Maybe he learned it from a book.¡± ¡°The average 13-year-old will not indulge in reading books rted to the traps.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like a normal kid. And maybe it¡¯s not about knowledge. It¡¯s about the senses.¡± ¡°¡­hmm. It¡¯s abyrinth made for children, but¡­ Just by the senses¡­ I didn¡¯t make it that easy to avoid traps¡­¡± ¡°No matter how young a child is, wouldn¡¯t he be able to do that if he was born to be great?¡± Robertian knew precisely what that kind of child he should be called. ¡®Genius.¡¯ Now Guird no longer put his eyes on Cyan, Ciel, and Ioken. He watched Eugene face the center of the maze with joyful eyes. When facing a monster, fighting and knocking it down is not the only answer. Trolls were such monsters in this ce. Arge build with slow responses¡­ Rather than fighting upfront, they could have avoided it and breakthrough. Only Gargis and Eugene fought against the trolls. *** ¡°Argh!¡± Gargis let out a furious roar. Although his whole body was hurting, the brave Gargis eventually knocked down the Troll. Gargis took the bay from Troll¡¯s chest and shouted again. He celebrated his victory with another roar. He sat down with all his strength. ¡®I¡¯ve been hit so many times.¡¯ He maybe have big muscle, but the Troll¡¯s attack was powerful. He didn¡¯t know how many of his bones are broken. ¡°It hurts¡­¡± Gargis gritted his teeth and spit it out. It hurted more than when he was hit by an arrow or when he was pierced by an iron bar. He knew that all this pain was just a magic trick, but being in pain is still painful¡­ Gargis came down from Troll¡¯s body, holding back the tears that were about to came out of his eyes. Then, he stumbled through the wall. ¡®Cause I¡¯ve been beaten this much. The others¡­.¡¯ He knows that the Dira is strong. Eugene is stronger than her. But he doesn¡¯t think they are stronger than a troll. How can their poor bodies deal with a giant troll¡­ Contrary to his worries, Dira was fine. She seeded in passing by the Troll without fighting it head-on. It was the same with Cyan and Ciel. (TL: Gargis is a type of person with brawns but no brains lol.) Cyan and Ciel joined on the way. From there, Ciel did not take the lead, but rather coaxed Cyan into being the first on the road. It was very easy for Ciel to persuade her brother. ¡°Oppa, which way should we go?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± ¡°You idiot. Why don¡¯t you know when we¡¯ve read a book together? Look at what I¡¯m doing.¡± Cyan has never felt inferior to her younger sister, who was born a few secondste. Rather, he thought he was superior to her younger sister, and always wanted to show off in front of his younger sister. It is still like that. From the moment the word ¡°I don¡¯t know¡± came out of her mouth, Cyan judged that it was an opportunity to let her sister see his greatness. Just a few days ago, he was humiliated in front of her, so he thought he should restore his crumpled honor in this event. ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind and follow me. Thisbyrinth is made by the Red Tower Lord.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know what¡¯s going to happen. A monster might suddenly appear in front of us. Maybe something strange will fall from the ceiling.¡± ¡°Like a ghost?¡± ¡°You fool, at times like this, you should say undead, not a ghost. Do you know what undead is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like a zombie but bones.¡± ¡°That¡¯s it. It¡¯s in the book we saw. A summons made by a wicked ck wizard, from the tomb of stupid adventurers blinded by treasure! The ck wizards of the old days made undead or chimera out of dead adventurers back then.¡± ¡°But the Red Tower Lord is not a ck wizard.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but maybe it¡¯lle out as a surprise.¡± ¡°I hate ghosts because they¡¯re scary.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not scared at all.¡± In fact, Cyan was afraid of ghosts too. When they were young, both siblings shared the same room. The two of them can¡¯t sleep at night so nannies read them stories, so they heard a lot about this and that. Sometimes the nanny told scary stories, Cyan would not fall asleep all night and he would always be conscious of what is under the bed or inside the wardrobe. But he couldn¡¯t express his fear in front of his sister. ¡®Why are we talking about ghosts all of a sudden?¡¯ Cyan nced at the ceiling, grasping all the tremors. The ¡°weird thing¡± that he imagined would fall from the ceiling was a spider or that kind of monster. He never thought of Ghost. Of course, Ciel deliberately brought up ghost stories. She knew well that her brother was afraid of ghosts since she was young, so she wanted to take the lead and pick on his proud brother. ¡®I hope you¡¯ll be surprised if somethinges out.¡¯ Ciel followed Cyan with naughty thoughts. From some point on, there were no traps in the road. But it wasn¡¯t necessarily straight, they were many blocked paths. Whenever that happened, Cyan was overly wary that something might pop out from the side. As his brother rarely screamed, Ciel slowly became bored. She¡¯d rather poke him in the back, then his brother will make a surprising sound. But how? He¡¯s on guard now. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 *** ¡°Big Brother. We¡¯re still in the maze, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Beats me. Robertian shouldn¡¯t have forgotten setting up monsters.¡± ¡°Maybe they got caught in a trap. Among the traps I¡¯ve seen so far, there was one with a very deep hole. Wouldn¡¯t a monster be stuck there if it really fell?¡± ¡°It could be.¡± Cyan agreed at Ciel¡¯s thought ¡°Thanks to our mother, we learned how to deal with traps. The other guys couldn¡¯t have possibly had such skills. Especially Eugene, he¡¯s a country bumpkin. He probably wouldn¡¯t even know what a tower is.¡± ¡°It would have been fun to meet him on the way.¡± ¡°Hey, what¡¯s fun? He¡¯s our enemy¡± ¡°But we don¡¯t have to fight andpete.¡± Cyan bit his lips at her words. ¡°¡­but that could be overlooked. That wizard didn¡¯t prohibit us from fighting each other. So, if I meet him, I¡¯ll fight him.¡± ¡°Can you win?¡± ¡°When I lost back then, it was because of carelessness. If we fight again, of course, I will win!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Of¡­course!¡± He may have said so, but Cyan wasn¡¯t sure of winning deep inside. He recalled the pain of being beaten by Eugene. Subconsciously, his body trembled at the horror. Maybe it was because he was thinking about ghosts all the way that he became so nervous. ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me, Ciel.¡± Cyan nced at her younger sister and looked ahead again¡­ ¡°I need to concentrate!¡± When her brother¡¯s gaze against her was gone, Ciel stuck out her tongue, made a face, and then silentlyughed. Suddenly a bloody woman walked out of the alley. Cyan opened his eyes wide and screamed. ¡°Ahhh!¡± His scream could be heard over half of thebyrinth. Dira wanted to try to catch him off guard, but the scream of Cyan threw her off and she also screamed in surprise. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!¡± The two screams echoed throughout the wholebyrinth. Cielughed at the sight. After screaming for so long, Cyan came to his senses and pulled out his sword. ¡°Dira! How dare you surprise me!¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯m more surprised!¡± He is the youngest son of the main family. And because of the situation of the Branch Family, she did not dare to speak to Cyan rudely. She jumped back. Her thought of catching them off guard has long gone. ¡°Why are you surprised?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± ¡°You are the one who surprised me!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie!¡± Dira felt like she was going to die of injustice. All kinds of traps, monsters, and giant trolls she saw on the way here. No matter how outstanding she was, being heavily beaten was inevitable. That¡¯s the reason why she looks like a bloodied woman right now. ¡°You are sabotaging my search¡­! How dare you surprise me?! Yeah, don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re up to? You must have scared me and tried to sneak attack!¡± ¡°No!¡± That was true. But she can¡¯t bluntly say it right now. She turned away. She heard Cyan calling her and shouting ¡°Comeback.¡± But she just ignored them and then run away. ¡°Big Brother, she¡¯s running away!¡± ¡°How dare you!¡± Cyan was genuinely angry. How dare she make him scream in front of his sister! This was really embarrassing! He felt like Eugene¡¯s sudden attack was better than being in this kind of situation, at least he could reason why he lost. So he can¡¯t forgive her. Cyan ran after the Dira. Ciel wasughing as she chased after Cyan. No matter how long and fast the legs and arms of Dira were, she couldn¡¯t be faster than the twins who already trained Mana. The distance between them is getting narrower. Gargis, where¡¯s this bastard?¡¯ ¡°Gargis!¡± Dira shouted at the top of her lungs. However, Gargis was facing a troll, so he couldn¡¯t hear the voice of the Dira amidst the continuous roars. ¡°Don¡¯t run away!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything wrong!¡± ¡°But why are you running away?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to bother me!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Cyan shouted. The answer of Cyan almost let her lose her bnce. If Cyan was alone, she could fight back. But, there was Ciel. Moreover, she can never win with a body full of wounds. ¡®Eugene.¡¯ Where¡¯s this bastard? Because her mind was elsewhere, the running Dira stepped on a trap. Coooooong! The floor started going down. Dira saw that the two were still following her, without any ounce of hesitation she jumped at the shout of Cyan. ¡°Dira!¡± She managed to jump over the hole andnded on the ground with her butt. ¡°I told you not to run away!¡± Cyan stopped at the sudden trap and shouted. Dira took a breath and dashed forward again. ¡°Big Brother!¡± Cyan look at the trap for a moment. The end is so deep that he can¡¯t see it. Moreover, there was quite a distance from the other side. Do they have to go back and find another way? Cyan hesitated, pondering for a moment. Then he saw his sister¡¯s eyes looking forward. Cyan chewed his lips. He can¡¯t be humiliated anymore. ¡°Argh!¡± Cyan shouted and jumped above the trap. The mana spread all over his body and made a long-distance leap. ¡°Ciel! Youe too! I¡¯ll catch you!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Cyan opened his arms wide with determined eyes. But Ciel jumped the trap without Cyan¡¯s help. They are twins who have learned the same thing since childhood. If Cyan can do it, of course, Ciel can do it too. ¡°¡­you¡¯re really my sister.¡± Cyan lowered his arms awkwardly and resumed his pursuit of the fugitive Dira. The run didn¡¯tst long and stopped. It was the same case with Dira. ¡°¡­ Boss Monster.¡± After a fierce run, the three reached the center of the maze. On the far side of the road, there was a huge cave blocked by walls. In the middle of it sat a monster much bigger than a troll. ¡°Why did the three of youe together?¡± Eugene, sitting with his back against the wall, tilted his head and asked. ¡°¡­what are you doing here?¡± ¡°What am I doing? I am sitting down.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just wondering who woulde first.¡± Eugene grinned as soon as he answered. His eyes were full of mischief. ¡°Who¡¯s first?¡± Cyan¡¯s expression crumpled up. This is because Eugene¡¯s words sounded like he was mocking him. Eugene was the first to break through the maze and arrive at the center. ¡°Dira came first.¡± ¡°She¡¯s been running away!¡± ¡°Why did she run away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± It was a question he didn¡¯t want to answer. He screamed because he thought there was a ghost. He was ashamed and angry so he tried to scold her¡­ To exin it, Cyan himself must admit that he screamed because he was afraid of ghosts. ¡°Dira¡­ insulted me.¡± ¡°You really love the word insult.¡± ¡°When did I insult you, Cyan?¡± Dira shouted with an expression full of resentment. If the surprise attack was sessful as she expected, she wouldn¡¯t feel this injustice. ¡°That pampered boy overreacted. We just ran into each other!¡± ¡°You scared me on purpose!¡± ¡°I never did that! On the contrary, I was more surprised by Cyan¡¯s scream!¡± ¡°I¡­ I didn¡¯t scream.¡± Cyan clenched his fist with his ears slowly bing red. ¡°I just¡­ I just screamed in anger. You¡¯re gonna¡­ Yes! Dira, you tried to surprise me!¡± ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°You hesitated for a second! I¡¯ve seen you roll your eyes. You really tried to surprise me?! How dare you surprise me and sneak attack!¡± ¡°Oh, really! Ahhh!¡± She shouted out in frustration and resentment. Cyan opened his eyes wide when she imitated him. ¡°Why are you talking down to me! I¡¯m the son of the Main Family and I¡¯m a year older than you!¡± ¡°You keep insisting when I just said no!¡± ¡°Another informal speech¡­¡± ¡°Stop.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t want to hear that childish argument anymore. He was not even interested in what insult Cyan received was. ¡°Anyway, I am the first one toe.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the first one toe.¡± Ciel grinned and pointed out. ¡°Yes, I was the first toe.¡± ¡°¡­what do you want?¡± Dira asked after ncing at Eugene. She remembered their conversation after dinner. Perhaps he¡­? Was he waiting here¡­ because Eugene wanted to challenge the Boss Monster alone? ¡°I want to propose a deal.¡± Eugene said with a smile. ¡°¡­deal?¡± ¡°I can fight the monster and win. But if I defeat it quickly, I will feel sorry for you who havee all the way here.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Cyan roared. He was clearly insulting him. He didn¡¯t scream like before, but he was angry at Eugene. What about Ciel? She didn¡¯t feel angry or insulted. However, the situation was so funny that she glinted in anticipation of what would happen next. ¡°Let¡¯s be fair, in the order you came.¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re talking out of your mind, aren¡¯t you? Did the monster hit you in the head while you wereing all the way here?¡± ¡°I dodge it. So, I¡¯m perfectly fine.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t stand up from his sitting position and looked up at the Dira. ¡°If you don¡¯t think you can win, you can give up. It¡¯s your choice.¡± Give up? Dira¡¯s eyebrows twitched. She came all the way here through that hardship. She felt it was ridiculous to hear the word ¡®Deal¡¯ already, but the word ¡°give up¡± made the Dira even angrier. ¡°I won¡¯t give up!¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard to fight it alone¡±. Eugeneughed like he just heard a joke. Dira looked back at the Boss monster with a trembling shoulder. A muscr giant that can be clearly seen from this distance. It¡¯s bigger than the troll she barely runs away from earlier. The biggest characteristic of the giant monster was the head of a bull. A minotaur is a monster that will most likely appear in abyrinth. However, this Minotaur was not as monstrous as from the fairy tale, but it was still scary looking at it closely. Dira swallowed her dried saliva while looking at the giant horn of the Minotaur. ¡®¡­ Gargis, why isn¡¯t this bastarding?¡¯ In the first ce, Gargis and her wanted to work together to fight the Boss Monster. However, Gargis did not show any signs ofing. Dira looked at Eugene just in case. ¡°I¡¯m going to fight after all of you.¡± ¡°¡­you¡¯re so crazy, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cyan was so dumbfounded listening to their conversation. He can¡¯t stand it anymore. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about dogs! Don¡¯t think I¡¯ll never defeat a cow like that!¡± ¡°If you defeat it, I¡¯ll call you brother forever.¡± At the words, Cyan hesitated for a moment. He will hear him calling him brother forever. The Young Cyan found that proposal very attractive. ¡°¡­don¡¯t take back your wordster.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± After hearing Eugene¡¯s answer. Cyan sat up. Then he breathed and guided the mana in his body. He was quite tired ofing all the way here, so he wanted to recover as soon as possible. ¡°Minotaurs¡­¡± It was also the first time he saw a Minotaur. He had heard many stories about Minotaur in a book he read randomly for several days. It was a monster with no special weakness, but it is not a monster that couldn¡¯t be defeated. Great strength and toughness. That¡¯s a natural feature for a mid-torge-sized monster of that size. It is not as regenerative as a troll, nor is it as monstrous as Ogre. Moderate strength, moderate intelligence. The Minotaur, seen in Cyan¡¯s eyes, was a monster that he could hunt without much difficulty. But to Dira this was different. She tried easing her trembling heart while she squat down. Her hand holding the spear was trembling. She had defeated a lot of monsters like Orcs, but she never hunted such a big monster yet. It was said that Minotaurs are the top predator of the trolls. The monster is indeed simr to a troll. But despite that, she couldn¡¯t imagine her victory. Even beforeing here, she couldn¡¯t evennd a strike on the troll she pass by before. ¡°¡­ Ahhh¡± However, she could not back down here. Then she grabbed the spear and ran toward Minotaur. Minotaur raised himself before Dira and narrowed the distance. The giant was fast. Trolls were not as fast as this monster was. The figure standing on both feet is bigger than the troll. Minotaur turns his head. The cow that Dira knew was cute because of its bright eyes, but Minotaur¡¯s eyes were filled with only creepy light. Minotaur waved its hand. At the sight of the Minotaur, Dira threw her spear. Bam! The big hand easily broke her spear. ¡®I knew it would break!¡¯ The face of the Dira is distorted. Before she knew it, the hand of the giant monster was now above her head. Dira reacted immediately. She jumped sideways and avoided the attack. Then she swung the broken spear toward Minotaur¡¯s side. She hit it, but the attack she just did was from an unstable position so it wasn¡¯t very powerful. Minotaur just ignored the attack of Dira without making a single sound of pain. ¡°AHHH!¡± Big fingers are wrapped around her body. Dira screeched and tried to escape somehow. Death! Her gut was telling her how dangerous her position was? Is this the end? That¡¯s outrageous! Dira closed her eyes tightly. However, Minotaur did not do the terrible things as Dira imagined. It did not crush her body or stamp her into the ground. Instead, it threw her into the center and toward the entrance of the cave. Bam! She could feel her bones breaking. Dira groaned in pain on the floor. Her whole body aches because she flew from quite a long distance and fell. ¡°You lost, so stay back.¡± ¡°It hurts¡­¡± ¡°Of course it hurts.¡± ¡°Why did it throw her and not beat her?¡± Ciel had a face full of confusion. She didn¡¯t want to see a cruel scene in person, but the Minotaur¡¯s behavior wasn¡¯t what a monster would do. ¡°That¡¯s not a real monster.¡± Eugene replied. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for it to kill us. The moment it got us on its hands, it is our loss.¡± There is no reason to instill unnecessary trauma in young children. Watching the situation, Cyan finally put on a rxed smile. ¡°Huh. Why did you rush? Did you think you could defeat Minotaur?¡± Dira couldn¡¯t answer, she just hugged her aching body and groaned. Cyan passed by Dira with a sneer. ¡°Sit here and watch it with your eyes wide open. The blood of the Main family is at a different level than you are!¡± Chapter 14.1 Chapter 14.1 For there to be trolls of all things. Weren¡¯t they too much of an opponent for children in their teens? Eugene had this thought from the moment he encountered them in thebyrinth. However, on second thought, these weren¡¯t even real trolls, just an illusion created by magic. It wasn¡¯t like the children could really get hurt either. Although they might feel pain, that too was just an illusion caused by magic. If the children were able to ovee their fear, the trolls weren¡¯t an impossible opponent for them. If they could just endure the pain, dig their heels in, and get in a good first blow, then they could even defeat these illusory trolls. ¡®Though they look just like the real thing.¡¯ Eugene felt admiration as he looked the troll up and down. Even though he knew that it was an illusion, he still got the feeling of facing a real troll. Not only were its movements the real deal, but it also had the disgusting body odor that was characteristic of trolls. ¡®But it looks like Lovellian and Gilead still have a conscience.¡¯ Considering its size, it didn¡¯t seem to be an adult troll. Instead, it appeared to be at an age where a troll would still be dependent on their parents,cking in the skills for hunting and fighting. They weren¡¯t even holding the clubs that trolls usually carried. All this being said, they were still much taller than the thirteen-year-old Eugene. Eugene slowly readied his shield as he approached the troll. ¡®I¡¯ve beaten both orcs and goblins, but this will be my first time facing a medium-torge monster in this body.¡¯ Just because it was an illusion without a tangible form, he didn¡¯t have any intention of fighting carelessly. Even if it wasn¡¯t the real thing, his body had been itching for a good fight. Although quite some time had passed since he¡¯d entered thebyrinth, and he thought that he had made a good amount of progress¡­ havinge this far, he had yet to feel any sense of danger. That was why he needed to warm up his body a bit. Eugene slowly and obviously narrowed the distance between him and the troll. Across from him, the troll simply blinked itsrge eyes at Eugene instead of attacking him right away. This wasn¡¯t something to be confused about. He had already experienced this several times during his exploration. The monsters in thisbyrinth did not attack unless someone stepped within a certain range of them. This should probably be a safety measure ced in consideration for the ages of the participating children. ¡®Slowly, slowly.¡¯ Just as Eugene¡¯s foot was inching forward, the troll¡¯s movements suddenly changed. The troll spun its body around and twisted its head towards Eugene as saliva dripped down from between its tusks. It had a face so ugly it could scare ¡ª no, terrify children. However, instead of fear, Eugene felt happiness. ¡®As I¡¯ve always said, they look just like Molon.¡¯ Though the truth was that more than one monster resembled Molon. Things like trolls, ogres, cyclops, and so on¡­ basically, any ugly humanoid monster that walks on two legs. Eugene believed that all of these monsters really bore a striking resemnce to Molon. Molon had never been able to conclusively deny this fact. After all, he was well aware of how ugly he was. As Eugene recalled the ugly face of his oldrade, he kicked off the ground. It was only after the distance between them had shrunk in an instant that the troll finally showed a reaction. This showed that it was both clumsy and dull. That was why it was easy for Eugene to do what he did next. ash! Eugene¡¯s sword sliced through the troll¡¯s calf as he slid between its legs. Once on the other side, Eugene quickly got back to his feet and turned to face the troll¡¯s back. Then, without any hesitation, he swung his sword down at the back of the troll¡¯s knee. These injuries would have been light for a real troll. But as expected, these illusions weren¡¯t exactly the same as the real thing. Besides, the de that Eugene was holding wasn¡¯t a real, sharp-edged sword either. All of which made the sharp cuts it inflicted on the troll seem quite unreal. Nevertheless, the sword shed out with one blow after another. As each shnded where the previous blow had fallen, Eugene finally managed to sever the troll¡¯s leg at the knee. Dark green blood spurted out of the wound. Eugene didn¡¯t allow any of it tond on him as he covered his face with his shield. However, his heightened senses didn¡¯t miss the moment when the troll finally reacted. As it tried to bnce its now-unsteady body, the troll let out a scream, and one of itsrge hands swung down at Eugene¡¯s head. Eugene¡¯s shield, which had been covering his face, shifted upwards. Screeech! Compared to the lightness of his own shes, the troll¡¯s attack was extremely heavy. Although his thirteen-year-old body had been tempered through intense training, it was impossible for him to block the troll¡¯s blow head-on. That was why he allowed it to flow to the side. He used both a tilt in the angle of his shield and the full strength of his shoulder and arm as a support. So the descending fist struck the shield at an oblique angle and slid right off. If his timing had been even a little bit off, his arm could have been crushed, but Eugene had never even bothered to doubt himself for a moment. His parrying truly was perfectly executed. With one leg already severed at the knee, the troll¡¯s gigantic body lost all bnce when its fist mmed into the ground. The troll wildly swung its other arm at Eugene as it tried to stay upright, but Eugene deftly swung the sword that he was still holding in his other hand. Chopchopchop! Blood spurted out as the skin on the troll¡¯s arm wascerated. As Eugene ducked beneath its iling blows, he reversed his grip on his sword. Squelch! Having already lost one leg at the knee, the troll¡¯s other heel was now pinned to the ground by Eugene¡¯s sword. Even if it was an illusion, it still reacted realistically to the pain from its wounds. The troll¡¯s jaws snapped open as it let loose a scream. The agony coursing through its body also momentarily paralyzed the troll. ¡®Was there really a need to copy its bad breath as well?¡¯ As Eugene felt some displeasure at this thought, he swung his shield. Bang! The shield mmed up into the troll¡¯s lower jaw, which was hanging wide-open, and mmed it shut. At the same time, he pulled out the sword that he had stuck into the troll¡¯s heel and shoved it back in between the troll¡¯s ribs. ¡°Kaaargh!¡± the troll roared as its breath was driven out of it. Eugene had pierced the troll¡¯s lungs. It might be because of howrge its torso was, but he couldn¡¯t quite thrust his sword clean through the troll¡¯s back. Though he hadn¡¯t expected to do so in the first ce. Eugene continued slicing his sword along the lines of the troll¡¯s ribs. By doing so, hepletely tore apart its lungs, and then he drew his sword out the moment it touched the sternum. This left the troll without any strength to swing its arms, and it coughed out bloody foam as it gasped for air. If this had been a normal monster, the fight would have ended here. However, trolls were famous for their strong regenerative powers. Eugene was curious to see if this illusory troll actually shared this trait, but he had no intention of allowing it to live a moment longer for the sake of such pointless spection. As such, Eugene decided topletely neutralize the troll as a threat. Though he had already pushed it to the point that it could no longer offer any resistance, with just a little more effort, he could break down the troll¡¯s bodypletely. Eugene thrust his sword into its heart about five or six times, and then he stabbed it in the neck. Even though he kept swinging his sword so violently, he never once got his de caught on any bone. ¡°Phew.¡± After he had painstakingly finished dismantling the troll, Eugene walked past its corpse with a satisfied expression on his face. Lovellian and Gilead had watched this whole scene take ce from beginning to end. Lovellian, whose jaw had dropped open in nk surprise, wondered what sort of remark he should make in response to this. Even if it was all an illusion¡­ that was still a troll. Someone, who wasn¡¯t even from the main family, a thirteen-year-old child at that, had¡­ without letting out any sound of surprise upon seeing a troll, proceeded to overwhelmingly tear it to pieces. ¡°¡­Wow, that was¡­ brutal. I don¡¯t think there was a need to go that far¡­.¡± Lovellian muttered probingly. He was trying to feel out Gilead¡¯s reaction to this surprise. Gilead had been looking at the screen with simrly shocked eyes and immediately burst outughing with a shake of his head as a response to Lovellian¡¯s words. ¡°Your illusions are so well-made that they need to be treated as if it were a real battle, isn¡¯t that so?¡± Gilead defended Eugene. ¡°That might be the case, but¡­.¡± Lovellian hesitated. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. Very amazing¡­ He shouldn¡¯t have faced a troll before, but¡­ rather than stiffening in fear, he cleanly and confidently neutralized the troll as a threat¡­.¡± Gilead couldn¡¯t find any ws in Eugene¡¯s swordsmanship. If he had to point something out, it would be that Eugene¡¯s performance was closer to ughtering and butchering an animal than it was to pure swordsmanship. However, what does that have to do with anything? No matter how it was done, Eugene had impressively in the troll with just his sword. ¡°He also hasn¡¯t had any difficulties with exploring thebyrinth,¡± Lovellianvished in amazement as he watched Eugene. ¡°Except for the first time, he¡¯s never once been caught in a trap.¡± ¡°If you just look at his actions, it would seem as if he was familiar withbyrinths,¡± observed Gilead. ¡°Where is that boy¡¯s hometown?¡± ¡°It¡¯s in Gidol province.¡± ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any ruins there. How remarkable¡­.¡± Mostbyrinths were originally created asirs by wizards. Then sometimes, after the wizard who created thebyrinth had either died or left, thesebyrinths were discovered by adventurers. If they were lucky, these adventurers might even find a treasure in thebyrinth. Once everything that hadn¡¯t been nailed down was taken as loot, the now treasure-lessbyrinth would be transformed into a potential tourist destination. ¡°¡­Well, it¡¯s not like he needs to have delved insidebyrinths all that often. He might have learned how to do it from books,¡± Gilead offered an alternate exnation. ¡°Normally, a thirteen-year-old wouldn¡¯t spend time reading a book aboutbyrinths,¡± Lovellian refuted. ¡°But you can¡¯t consider that boy a normal child, can you? Also, if he¡¯s not relying on knowledge or experience, that means that he could only be depending on his senses¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­ Although it is abyrinth made with children in mind¡­ to navigate it by his senses¡­. I shouldn¡¯t have made it so easy, that he could simply rely on his senses to get through¡­.¡± Lovellian pondered doubtfully. ¡°No matter how much of a child he is, as long as he was born with impressive talent, wouldn¡¯t it make sense for him to show such a performance?¡± Gilead asked convincingly. Even Lovellian had to admit that was true, and he knew exactly what such a child should be called. ¡®A genius.¡¯ Gilead no longer kept his eyes on Cyan, Ciel, and Eward. Instead, he watched with delight as Eugene headed towards the center of thebyrinth. Chapter 14.2 Chapter 14.2 When encountering monsters in abyrinth, fighting them head-on and defeating them in order to get past wasn¡¯t always the correct answer. The trolls in thisbyrinth were one such example. With their huge bodies that made it inconvenient for them to move quickly and their slow reactions ¡ª rather than an unskippable fight, they should instead be seen as a ¡®trap¡¯ that required you to look for an opening to slip past. The only two who had dared to fight the troll were Gargith and Eugene. ¡°Uwoooh!¡± Gargith let out a fierce roar. Although he hadn¡¯t made it out of the fight intact, the courageous Gargith had finally defeated the evil troll. Gargith pulled out his greatsword that was lodged in the troll¡¯s chest and released another yell. With these roars, he celebrated his victory and his continued survival. But then he lost all of his remaining strength and had to slump down on top of the troll. ¡®¡­It looks like I took too many hits¡­.¡¯ Although Gargith might be proud of his muscles, the troll¡¯s attacks were just that powerful. He thought that a few of his bones might even be broken. ¡°It hurts¡­!¡± Gargith spat out from between gritted teeth. It hurt even more than when he had been struck by arrows or when he had collided with that rolling iron ball. Although he knew that all these pain signals were a trick of magic¡­ painful things were still painful¡­. Holding back the stinging tears, Gargith rolled off the troll¡¯s body and onto his feet. Then, while holding on to the wall for support, he started staggering forward. ¡®Since I¡¯ve received such injuries¡­ the others might also be¡­.¡¯ He knew that Dezra was strong and that Eugene was even stronger than her. However, they shouldn¡¯t be stronger than a troll. How could their fragile bodies contend against such a massive troll¡­? In contrast to all his worries, Dezra waspletely fine. Without facing the troll head-on, she had instead found a gap in its attacks and had sessfully slipped past the troll. That went for Cyan and Ciel as well. Cyan and Ciel had actually met up along the way. Since then, Ciel had refused to take the lead and had instead secretly persuaded Cyan to open up the way. It had actually been very easy for her to do so. ¡°Brother, which path should we take?¡± Ciel had asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you even tell that?¡± Cyan said with a disdainful look. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure.¡± ¡°This idiot, we both read the same book, so how could you not know? Just watch me.¡± Cyan had never once felt inferior to his younger sibling, Ciel, who was born a few secondster than he was. Instead, while believing that he should be a role model to his sister, he never missed a chance to show off in front of her. That applied to the current situation as well. From the moment that the words ¡®not sure¡¯ had passed his sister¡¯s lips, Cyan had decided that it was an opportunity to put on a superior act in front of his younger sister. Since he had just been humiliated a few days ago right in front of her eyes, he thought that now was the time to restore his tarnished image. ¡°Don¡¯t fall behind and follow me closely. This is abyrinth created by the Head Wizard of the Red Tower after all,¡± Cyan ordered. ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Ciel asked naively. ¡°That means we can never know what might happen. A monster might even suddenly appear in front of us. Or else something strange might fall down from the ceiling.¡± ¡°Something like a ghost?¡± ¡°Idiot, at a time like this, you should be wondering about the undead, not ghosts. Do you know what the undead are?¡± ¡°They¡¯re things like zombies and ghouls, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It was mentioned in the book that we read together about thebyrinth made by the evil ck wizard. It became the grave of any foolish adventurers blinded by the treasure! It¡¯s said that the ck wizards of the olden days would make undead minions and chimeras from the adventurers who died in theirbyrinths.¡± ¡°But the Head Wizard of the Red Tower isn¡¯t a ck wizard.¡± ¡°That might be the case, but you never know. The undead might show up as some form of illusion.¡± ¡°I hate ghosts since they¡¯re scary,¡± Ciel confessed. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of anything,¡± Cyan boasted. To tell the truth, Cyan was also scared of ghosts. When he was very young, back when the twins shared the same room, they were looked after by a nanny who read them all sorts of stories every night. Sometimes, when their nanny would read them a scary story, Cyan wouldn¡¯t be able to fall asleep all throughout the night as he vainly tried to keep an eye on the space beneath his bed and inside his closet. However, he could not expose such a shameful fear in front of his younger sister. ¡®Why did she have to start talking about ghosts all of a sudden?¡¯Cyan thought to himself as he suppressed the tremors in his body and kept ncing up at the ceiling. The ¡®something strange¡¯ he had imagined falling from the ceiling was, at most, a spider or some other kind of monster. He hadn¡¯t even considered ghosts. Naturally, Ciel had brought up the topic of ghosts deliberately. She knew very well that her brother had been scared of ghosts ever since they were young, and she wanted to tease her brother, who kept strutting arrogantly as he forged ahead. ¡®It would be fun if something showed up to startle my brother,¡¯Ciel thought mischievously as she trailed behind Cyan. At some point, forks had stopped appearing on the road. However, that didn¡¯t mean the road just kept heading straight. Instead, it began to bend this way and that as the different paths started to join together. Each time this happened, Cyan was filled with caution at the thought that something mighte popping out from around the corner. Since her brother didn¡¯t end up screaming soon, like she had hoped, Ciel slowly began to grow bored. She wondered if she should just poke him in the back. If she did, Ciel thought that her brother might make quite an amusing sound of surprise. When would be the best time for that? Since her brother had his guard up, for now, she needed to wait until he was almost fully rxed. ¡°Brother, do you think that Eugene is still in thebyrinth?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°¡­The son of a bitch is someone who defeated me. There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll be taken down by monsters or traps,¡± Cyan reluctantly admitted. ¡°But there¡¯s a possibility that he might have gotten caught in a trap. Among all the traps that I saw, there was one that was almost a bottomless hole. If he got caught in that, wouldn¡¯t he be unable to get out?¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Cyan nodded his head with a solemn expression on his face. ¡°Thanks to our mother, we learned a lot aboutbyrinths before we entered, but the others probably weren¡¯t able to do that. Especially Eugene, since he¡¯s such a country bumpkin, he probably didn¡¯t even know what abyrinth was.¡± ¡°But it would be fun if we could all meet up in the center.¡± ¡°Hey, what would be fun about that? Those guys are ourpetition.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t father say that there was no real need to fight andpete against each other?¡± At these words, Cyan pursed his lips. Finally, he said, ¡°¡­He might have said that, but he also didn¡¯t say that we weren¡¯tallowedto fight. So if I end up meeting with a certain someone, then I¡¯m going to fight them.¡± ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll win?¡± ¡°I lost back then because I got cocky. If we fight again, then I will definitely win!¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°F-for sure!¡± Although that was what he said, Cyan couldn¡¯t be certain of his victory. He remembered how much it had hurt when Eugene had struck him, as well as the cold look in his eyes. His body almost started trembling uncontrobly. It might have been because of the earlier talk of ghosts alread yputting him on edge, but he needed to focus even more to keep himself from trembling. ¡°Don¡¯t say anything unnecessary, Ciel,¡± Cyan spat out as he turned to look at Ciel. Ciel stuck out her tongue at him and just smiled. With one final look at his sister, Cyan turned towards the front and said, ¡°I need to focu¡ªAaaaargh!¡± Just as they rounded a corner, a woman covered in bloodstains suddenly appeared out of a side-tunnel! Cyan¡¯s eyes widened, and his pupils shrank as he cut off his words in a scream. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± came a returning cry. From inside the side-tunnel, Dezra had been listening to the sound of approaching conversation. She had realized that it was Cyan and Ciel! Two of herpetitors in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. She was thinking of surprising them with an ambush if they had negligently let their guards down, but¡­ Dezra was the one who ended up startled by Cyan¡¯s loud cry, and she had let loose with her own scream in return. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± ¡°Waaagh!¡± As their two cries mixed with each other, Ciel grabbed her stomach and burst outughing at this sight. After screaming like this for some time, Cyan finally returned to his senses and instead drew his sword. ¡°Dezra! You dare attempt to startle me?!¡± Cyan demanded. ¡°I-I¡¯m the one who was startled!¡± Dezra defended herself. Dezra was younger than Cyan. On top of that, since she came from a coteral line, she just couldn¡¯t feel confident speaking with Cyan. So instead, she jumped slightly and took a few steps back. Her ambush was a total failure. ¡°Why would I startle you! And you, what¡¯s with your look? You¡¯re dressed like that because you wanted to jump out and scare me!¡± Cyan said angrily. ¡°This is because I got hurt!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me!¡± Dezra felt like she was about to burst something from the injustice of his usation. She had to get past all kinds of traps, monsters, and a giant troll just to get this far. No matter how precocious Dezra was for her age, slight wounds were unavoidable. The reason for her bloodstained face was that she had grazed her forehead on the way here. ¡°I can¡¯t forgive you¡­! You dare to startle me?! You, did you really think I wouldn¡¯t know what you were nning? You were nning on ambushing us after you surprised us, right!¡± Cyan barked. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t!¡± He had actually hit upon the truth, but Dezra hadn¡¯t even gotten a chance to attempt her n before it was already ruined. Dezra groaned in frustration and turned around. Then she started running away at full speed. ¡°Brother, she¡¯s running away!¡± ¡°She dares!¡± Cyan was genuinely angry. He had been made to scream in an unsightly manner in front of his younger sister! Dezra was truly mean-spirited to have leaped out at him while pretending to be a ghost. It was even more hateful than Eugene¡¯s surprise attack. That was why he definitely couldn¡¯t forgive her. Cyan started chasing after Dezra. Ciel also followed behind Cyan, still giggling. No matter how long and agile Dezra¡¯s limbs were, she couldn¡¯t be faster than the twins, who had already started training their mana. The distance between them gradually narrowed. Dezra desperately wondered,¡®Where¡¯s that son of a bitch, Gargith, gone to?¡¯ ¡°Gargith!¡± Dezra screeched loudly. However, at that moment, Gargith was in the middle of roaring out his victory on top of the downed troll, so he couldn¡¯t hear Dezra¡¯s call. ¡°Don¡¯t run away!¡± Cyan demanded. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything wrong!¡± Dezra protested. ¡°Then why are you running away?!¡± ¡°Because you want to bully me!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I do!¡± Cyan eximed. At this reply, Dezra squeezed out even more strength. Could she have tried fighting back instead? If Cyan was on his own, that might have been a possibility, but he had Ciel with him as well. Besides, with her body covered in wounds, she definitely couldn¡¯t win. ¡®But Eugene might be able to,¡¯Dezra recalled. But where was that bastard? While running headlong, Dezra identally stepped on the trigger to a trap. Booom! The floor aheadpletely copsed downwards. With a scream of surprise, Dezra leaped off the ground. Bangbang! Dezra just barely managed to jump over the hole andnded on her ass on the other side. While holding onto her sore tailbone, Dezra sobbed in pain. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to run!¡± Cyan immediately halted in front of the sudden trap and shouted across to her. Dezra panted, as she tried to catch her breath, before eventually taking off running once more. ¡°Brother!¡± Ciel cried as she caught up. Cyan looked down into the trap for a moment. It was so deep that he couldn¡¯t even see the bottom. On top of that, the other side of the trap was really far away. Cyan dithered for a moment out of hesitation. Should he go back and find another path instead? Just as he was about to turn back, he saw the look of expectation in his sister¡¯s eyes. Cyan bit down on his lip firmly. He could no longer show her such an embarrassing side of himself. ¡°Iyaaaah!¡± Cyan vaulted over the trap with a scream. The mana flowing through his body easily allowed him to leap over that great distance. ¡°Ciel! You should jump too! I¡¯ll catch you!¡± ¡°Yeah!¡± With reassuring eyes, Cyan spread his arms wide. However, Ciel simply leaped over the trap andnded beside him on the other side without needing Cyan¡¯s help at all. The twins had had the same lessons ever since they were young. If Cyan could do it, then of course, Ciel was able to do it as well. ¡°¡­As expected from my little sister.¡± After awkwardly lowering his outstretched arms, Cyan resumed his pursuit of the escaping Dezra. But the twins were stopped before they got too far. Ahead of them, Dezra had stopped as well. ¡°¡­It¡¯s the boss monster,¡± one of them whispered. At the conclusion of their fierce race, the three had actually managed to reach the center of thebyrinth. At the end of their pathy a huge underground cave with walls on all sides. In the center of the cave sat a monster, which was evenrger than a troll. ¡°Why are the three of you together?¡± Sitting with his back against the wall, Eugene tilted his head to the side and asked the new arrivals. ¡°¡­What are you doing here?¡± Cyan asked, snapping out of his astonishment. ¡°What am I doing? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯m just sitting?¡± ¡°But why here?¡± ¡°I was interested to see who¡¯d be arriving first,¡± Eugeneughed as he gave this reply. His round, wide eyes were overflowing with mischievous yfulness. Chapter 15.1 Chapter 15.1 ¡°Who¡¯d be arriving first?¡± Cyan¡¯s expression twisted as he repeated. He felt like Eugene¡¯s words were meant to mock him. After all, the one who had broken through thebyrinth and arrived at the center first was definitely Eugene. ¡°Dezra was the first to arrive,¡± Eugene decided. ¡°But she was just running away!¡± Cyan protested. ¡°Why was she running away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± This was a question that Cyan absolutely couldn¡¯t bear to answer. This had all begun because he had mistaken Dezra¡¯s bloodstained appearance for a ghost and had let out a scream. Then, embarrassed and angered by this, he had decided to catch her and teach her a lesson¡­. If he were to try and exin all of this, Cyan felt that he would first have to admit to Eugene that he had screamed because he was afraid of ghosts. ¡°¡­Dezra¡­to me¡­she insulted me,¡± with some difficulty, Cyan came up with this excuse. ¡°You really do like to use the word ¡®insult¡¯ a lot,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°When did I ever insult you, Cyan?¡± Dezra shouted with a resentful expression on her face. If only she had managed to ambush them as nned, then at least this abuse would be justified. ¡°Cyan was the one who overreacted. We just happened to meet up on the same path!¡± Dezra continued her exnation. ¡°You deliberately startled me!¡± Cyan used her. ¡°That¡¯s not how it happened! Instead, I¡¯m the one who got startled by your scream!¡± Dezra refuted. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t scream,¡± Cyan lied, as he clenched his fists and his ears were dyed red. ¡°I was just¡­ I was just yelling because I was so angry. As for you¡­ right! Dezra, you were trying to ambush us!¡± ¡°¡­No, I wasn¡¯t,¡± Dezra attempted to deny. ¡°You just hesitated for a moment, didn¡¯t you! I saw your eyes waver. So you really were nning to ambush us?! How dare¡ªhow dare a coteral descendant like you try to attack someone like me?!¡± ¡°Ah jeez! I fucking said that I wasn¡¯t!¡± Dezra shouted loudly, feeling both embarrassed and victimized. Cyan¡¯s eyes widened in shock at this explosive shout that exposed some of Dezra¡¯s usual foul-mouthedness. ¡°How dare you swear at me! Not only am I the scion of the main family, but I also happen to be a year older than you!¡± ¡°I told you that I didn¡¯t do any of that, but you keep fucking using me!¡± ¡°Again with the swearing¡ª¡± ¡°Stop,¡± Eugene ordered, having had enough of listening to their childish quarrel. In the first ce, he hadn¡¯t the slightest interest in whatever insult Cyan may have perceived. ¡°Whatever happened, Dezra was the first to arrive,¡± Eugene stated once more. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the first to arrive?¡± Ciel asked with a grin. ¡°That¡¯s right, I did arrive here first,¡± Eugene easily admitted. ¡°¡­Just what is it that you want to say?¡± Dezra asked as she nced sideways at Eugene. They had talked about a n tobine their strengths to defeat the boss monster on the night they had met in Eugene¡¯s room, following their dinner with the Lionheart Patriarch. Could the reason he was waiting here for them be that¡­ Eugene had challenged the boss monster on his own and failed? ¡°I just thought that I should concede this chance to all of you,¡± Eugene said with a smile. ¡°¡­Concede?¡± Dezra asked. ¡°The thing is, I can fight with him and I¡¯ll probably win. But if I just went and nabbed him first, I¡¯d feel sorry for you lot who worked so hard to get here.¡± ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re saying?¡± Cyan roared loudly in anger. He was definitely insulting all of them by saying this. Although Dezra wasn¡¯t shouting like Cyan was, she red at Eugene with a frown. As for Ciel? She wasn¡¯t feeling at all angry or insulted. Instead, she found this situation so highly entertaining that she was on the edge of her seat as she waited to see what happened next. ¡°To be fair, let¡¯s go in order of arrival,¡± Eugene said, ignoring their outrage. ¡°You¡­ are you really in your right mind? How many times were you struck in the head by monsters on your way here?¡± Cyan questioned. ¡°I didn¡¯t get hit at all. I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± Eugene reassured Cyan as he looked over to Dezra without getting up from his seat. ¡°If you don¡¯t think you can win, feel free to give up. It¡¯s your right to do so, after all.¡± Give up? Dezra furrowed her brows. She had gone through so much just to get here. His talk about a concession was already absurd enough, but when he told her to give up, Dezra really felt infuriated. ¡°I¡¯m not going to give up!¡± Dezra shouted. ¡°But it will be difficult for you on your own¡­.¡± Eugene smiled teasingly. As her shoulders shook in anger, Dezra turned to look at the boss monster standing in the central cave. Even from this distance, Dezra could clearly see that the boss monster had a tough, muscr build. It was even bigger than the troll that she had barely managed to escape from earlier. Its most distinctive characteristic was its ¡®head.¡¯ The boss monster was a giant humanoid with the head of a bull. In other words, a minotaur. It was a monster that almost always appeared in the many stories involvingbyrinths. However, seeing the minotaur in reality, it didn¡¯t appear anywhere near as ridiculous as it sounded in fairy tales. Dezra gulped as she stared at the minotaur¡¯s twin pair of gigantic horns. ¡®¡­Why hasn¡¯t Gargith, that son of a bitch, arrived yet?¡¯ The original n was to join forces with Gargith to fight the boss monster. However, Gargith seemed to have gotten stuck somewhere as he showed no signs of arriving any time soon. Just in case, Dezra shot Eugene a look. ¡°I¡¯m only going to fight after you all have had your chances,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°¡­You really are crazy, aren¡¯t you?¡± Dezra hissed. Cyan was so perplexed that, for a few moments, he had just kept listening as they talked. However, he couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. ¡°Do you really think that you¡¯ll get a turn?¡± Cyan demanded. ¡°Yeah, I think I will,¡± Eugene replied confidently. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me! Do you really believe that I won¡¯t be able to defeat a single cow-headed bastard?!¡± ¡°If you do defeat it, I¡¯ll acknowledge you as my big brother for the rest of my life.¡± At these words, Cyan hesitated for a moment. He imagined being able to hear this cheeky bastard call him ¡®older brother¡¯ for the rest of his life. The childish Cyan found this proposal extremely attractive. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t go back on your wordster.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t.¡± After hearing Eugene¡¯s confirmation, Cyan dropped down on the spot. Then, as he slowly breathed in and out, he began absorbing mana into his body. Since he had used up a lot of strength just getting here, he needed to quickly restore his mana through this method. ¡®If it¡¯s a minotaur¡­.¡¯ Truthfully, this was also Cyan¡¯s first time seeing one in real life. However, he had read many stories about minotaurs in the books he had been perusing at random for the past few days. It was a monster without any particr weaknesses, but it also didn¡¯t have any specific strengths. It had its strength and its tough skin, but these were natural features for a medium-torge monster of that size. It didn¡¯t have the strong regenerative capabilities of a troll, nor did it have the unspeakable strength and fury of an ogre. It was of moderate strength and intelligence. The minotaur, as seen through Cyan¡¯s eyes, was a monster that could be beaten without much difficulty. However, Dezra got apletely different feeling from it. Calming her shaking heart, she hesitantly made her way out into the central cave. Both her spear and the hands holding it were shaking. Although she had hunted many monsters around the same level as orcs, she had yet to hunt a monster asrge as the minotaur. ¡®¡­They say that minotaurs are higher up on the food chain than trolls, but¡­.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t always necessarily the case, but, for now, she would ept the fact that minotaurs were of simr or greater strength to trolls. Dezra, who had slipped past her troll without having been able to defeat it, found it impossible to imagine how she might be able to achieve victory. ¡°¡­Haiyaaa!¡± That said, she couldn¡¯t just turn back after havinge this far. Dezra shouted a battle cry to still her fear. Then she tightened her grip on her spear and charged at the minotaur. Before Dezra could close the distance, the minotaur got to its feet. It showed an unbelievable speed of reaction for such a heavy creature. Even trolls weren¡¯t that fast, and its figure, as it got up onto its feet, was farrger than the average troll. The minotaur turned its head towards Dezra. The cattle eyes that Dezra was familiar with were normally bright and cute, but the minotaur¡¯s eyes were full of eerie light. The minotaur swung its hand and, with a cry, Dezra thrust her spear. Crack! The minotaur¡¯srge hand shattered her spear into pieces without any apparent difficulty. ¡®But they said that it wouldn¡¯t break!¡¯ Dezra¡¯s face twisted in betrayal. The minotaur quickly raised its hand once more and mmed it down on top of Dezra¡¯s head, but this was still within the limits of Dezra¡¯s ability to react. She leaped to the side, dodging the attack, and then swung the end of her broken spear at the minotaur¡¯s exposed nk. ck! Although the blownded, the attack made using such unstable footing didn¡¯t prove very effective. Without making even a single grunt of pain, the minotaur caught up to Dezra. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Itsrge fingerspletely wrapped around her body. Dezra screamed fearfully as she tried desperately to escape. Her intuition was honestly telling her that she was about to die! Could this all really be an illusion? No, it was impossible! Dezra closed her eyes tightly in the face of her impending doom. Favorite Chapter 15.2 Chapter 15.2 However, the minotaur didn¡¯t inflict any of the terrible endings that Dezra had imagined on her. It didn¡¯t crush her body through its forceful grip, nor did it dash her against the ground. Instead, it simply threw her at the entrance of the path leading into the center of thebyrinth. Screech! Dezra was so consumed by fear that she forgot her training to deal with falls. So after skidding across the ground, she justy where she fell, whimpering in pain. Her whole body was aching after having flown so far through the air before falling, and it felt like she had broken several bones. ¡°Since you¡¯ve lost, get back out of the way,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°It hurts¡­!¡± Dezra cried out piteously. ¡°Well, of course it would hurt,¡± Eugene pointed out without sympathy. ¡°Why did it just stop at throwing her?¡± Ciel asked, her face showing iprehension. Although it wasn¡¯t like she wanted to see such a brutal scene taking ce right in front of her, no matter how much Ciel thought about it, the minotaur¡¯s behavior just now didn¡¯t seem like something a monster would do. ¡°That¡¯s because that thing over there isn¡¯t a real monster,¡± Eugene replied dismissively. ¡°There¡¯s no reason why ithasto kill us, since the moment it gets its hands on us, we¡¯ve already lost.¡± The organizers of this ceremony also had no reason to want to truly traumatize the young children. Having watched this situation y out, Cyan got up with a rxed smile on his face. ¡°Hmph. Instead of rushing out first, you should have recognized your ce. Did you really think that you¡¯d be able to defeat a minotaur?¡± Dezra was unable to respond, and she could only sob and curl her aching body into a ball. Cyan smirked as he stalked past Dezra into the center of thebyrinth. ¡°What a fool! Just sit there and keep your eyes peeled wide open as I show you how it¡¯s meant to be done. I¡¯ll prove once for all that the blood of the main family is on a different level to a coteral descendant like yourself.¡± Cyan felt like he had topliment himself on such a magnificent speech. Of course, these words weren¡¯t just meant for Dezra; they were aimed at Eugene as well. However, Eugene was simply smiling in amusement, as if he saw something funny that Cyan had missed. ¡®¡­Bastard. Does he really think that I can¡¯t kill a cow-headed bastard like that?¡¯ Cyan drew his sword with an eye-catching flourish. Then he began focusing his concentration on his sword. As he did so, the mana circting through his body began flowing into the sword as well. ¡°¡­Sword-light¡­!¡± Dezra felt a huge shock hit her. A faint light had wrapped itself around Cyan¡¯s sword. That was definitely sword-light, something that could only be manifested once your mana had been trained to a certain level. Dezra personally knew just how powerful a light like that was. It was basically a de of mana that could cut through anything it touched. She had sometimes seen her father wrap the spear-equivalent of sword-light around his spear and use it to pierce through arge block of iron as if it were a piece of tofu. ¡®If you train hard once you return from the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, you¡¯ll also be able to manifest sword-light,¡±her father had told her before she left for the main house. In order to activate the slightest ray of sword-light, you needed to have trained your mana for at least ten years. However, Cyan was only one year older than her and could already manifest his sword-light. This fact frustrated Dezra greatly. ¡°¡­Haha!¡± Cyanughed as he came out of his focus. Cyan enjoyed seeing Dezra in shock. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t maintain the sword-light for very long with the amount of mana that he possessed. However, it wouldn¡¯t take him very long to slice this stupid cow-headed bastard into pieces. With a confident gait, Cyan approached the minotaur. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± However, before he had taken much more than a few steps, Cyan halted in his tracks. The mana thatposed the sword-light had suddenly scattered. Cyan looked at his sword in confusion. He tried to focus his mind once more on emitting the sword-light, but no matter how much mana he used, he couldn¡¯t stop the sword-light from scattering into the air. ¡°Wh-what the?¡± Eugene looked at Cyan¡¯s bewildered appearance with a yful light in his eyes. While it had been a surprise to see that Cyan already knew how to manifest his sword-light, the fact that he knew how to do this only made Eugene even happier. A faint magic circle was drawn on the walls surrounding the central cave, so faded that you needed to look very closely to see it. Eugene had recognized the appearance of this magic circle. Although several points seem to have been changed¡­ the basic gist of it still remained. This was a magic circle that cut off all use of mana within its range. Three hundred years ago, Sienna had used this very same magic circle to counter several demonic wizards. ¡®Who¡¯d have thought that they would install this kind of magic circle in the center of thebyrinth?¡¯ Since the coteral descendants hadn¡¯t trained their mana, this magic circle¡¯s only targets were the children of the main family. ¡®Well, he did say that he would be judging us on the qualities that we had inherited, not the concentration of our blood.¡¯ Gilead was the one who had said this, and he had really put his words into action. Usually, the coteral descendants would never be able to win against the children of the direct line. However, what if the children of the main family could no longer use mana? Not knowing what to do, Cyan hesitantly backed away. The minotaur simply stood idly by and watched Cyan as he did so. ¡®Just¡­ just what on earth is going on? Why isn¡¯t the sword-light activating? Even though I still have plenty of mana¡­.¡¯ ¡°Brother?¡± Ciel called out to Cyan. Cyan¡¯s shoulders twitched at the sound of her voice. Could he really defeat the minotaur without the use of sword-light? Cyan gulped. He couldn¡¯t even absorb any more mana into his body. That meant he wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain the boost to his physical strength for very long. Did he really have a chance? ¡°If you think you¡¯re going to lose, then juste back. Don¡¯t pointlessly get your ass beaten out of stubbornness,¡± Eugene called out as he snickered. That irritating voice! Cyan bit down firmly on his lips. He had nowhere to retreat. If he admitted that he couldn¡¯t do it and just turned back now¡­. ¡°Haiyaaah!¡± letting loose a loud roar, Cyan charged at the minotaur. Like thest time, the minotaur only started moving after Cyan had rushed in. Although he couldn¡¯t call up his sword light, Cyan¡¯s movements were iparably faster than Dezra¡¯s had been. The minotaur swung its hand. Cyan avoided the minotaur¡¯s hand and dived into its reach with great difficulty. Then, with all his strength, he swung his sword. ng! Cyan¡¯s sword sliced at the minotaur. However, this only left a shallow cut on the monster¡¯s skin. While enduring the pain in his wrists from the recoil, Cyan continued to fiercely swing his sword. Cyan was extremely desperate. As he narrowly escaped the minotaur¡¯s attacks by dodging here and there, he continued to sh and stab with his sword. However, none of his attacks were truly injuring the minotaur. It was iparably stronger than all the monsters he had faced up until now. ¡®T-the leg. I need to hit its leg.¡¯ Cyan¡¯s breathing was already strained. Having inflicted only shallow wounds so far, he was far from defeating the monster. He needed to make a decisive attack. For starters, it was just way toorge, so he needed to bring it down somehow¡­ but his thoughts didn¡¯t have the time to form properly. Watch out for its hand! Cyan quickly ducked his head. Then as he dived forward with his head down, he thrust his sword at the minotaur¡¯s knee. Crack! Unfortunately, he had gotten the angle of the stab wrong. Cyan¡¯s sword didn¡¯t pierce into the minotaur¡¯s joint as he had hoped, and instead, as it impacted with the minotaur¡¯s tough kneecap, the sword cracked into pieces. As he saw this happen, Cyan¡¯s eyes filled with tears of despair. ¡®But they said it wouldn¡¯t break!¡¯ The moment his sword broke, Cyan resentfullyined to Lovellian in his head, just as Dezra had done. Unfortunately, what followed next was also identical to Dezra¡¯s experience. The minotaur¡¯srge hand wrapped around Cyan and threw him towards the entrance. ¡°Huuurgh!¡± Fortunately, Cyan was able to control his fall to minimize the damage. However, he was thrown so far, and his body was so exhausted, that he wasn¡¯t able to fully mitigate the force of the throw. Coming out of his roll, Cyan writhed on the ground as he tried to grab at his throbbing back. ¡°Gaaah¡­!¡± he groaned. ¡°You lost as well,¡± Eugene teased Cyan with a chuckle. Cyan couldn¡¯t say anything in reply, so he could only bite his lips in shame. ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight,¡± Ciel blurted out immediately. ¡°His sword-light wasn¡¯t working because of that, right?¡± Ciel¡¯s finger pointed at the magic circle that had been inscribed on the walls. ¡®Oh¡­.¡¯Eugene eximed inwardly, impressed. It looks like she really did have better eyes than her brother. ¡°How should I know?¡± Eugene said with a smile as he stood up. After looking at her brother with eyes that showed a mix of worry and amusement, Ciel turned back to Eugene. ¡°Can you win?¡± she asked him. ¡°I¡¯ll have to give it a try,¡± he said, and with this reply, Eugene walked out to meet the minotaur. Although he may have spoken modestly, Eugene had no intention of losing. Chapter 16 Chapter 16 As Eugene headed out to face the minotaur, no hesitation or nervousness could be seen in his stride. Could it be because the minotaur was so minor an opponent that such feelings weren¡¯t needed? In any case, Eugene had yet to train his mana, so the magic circle didn¡¯t change anything. Not being able to use mana while fighting against such arge monster was quite an inconvenient problem, but it wasn¡¯t enough of a cause for Eugene to hesitate. In his previous life, before he had ever learned the use of mana, he had fought countless trolls, ogres, and such like. Compared to them, this minotaur was nothing to be wary of. On top of the fact that it wasn¡¯t even a real monster, judging by its movements, it seemed to be weaker than an actual minotaur. It definitely had had its level lowered to be an appropriate opponent for children. ¡®I guess I¡¯ll just have to pay attention in case my weapon breaks.¡¯ Until now, no matter how roughly he had used it, his sword hadn¡¯t even chipped, but now things were obviously different. Was it because they wanted to know if the participants were capable of responding flexibly to unexpected situations? Or perhaps it was because they wanted to see what kind of skills and talents they might be keeping in reserve¡­? Whatever their reasons might be, this suited Eugene fine. After all, hadn¡¯t this given him the chance to see the main family eat crow, just as he¡¯d nned? In fact, he could have seeded in his n to embarrass the main family just by defeating the Minotaur right away and ending the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony all by himself. Still, thanks to a little patience, he had also gotten the chance to see Cyan humiliated. ¡®While all this proves that the Patriarch is an upright guy¡­.¡¯ His son¡¯s personality was quite a mess. Before it was toote, Cyan needed to get that dog-shit attitude beaten out of him, otherwise he would never get better. Eugene was convinced of the necessity of some physical education. Even if Gilead, the Patriarch, had turned out to be an okay guy, his son was still a bastard. Moreover, since Cyan was already such a bastard at his age, he might be even more of a bastard going forward. As such, even if it was just for Gilead¡¯s sake, Cyan¡¯s character needed to be physically corrected, and Eugene was happy to volunteer. ¡®Although it might not be enough with just one or two beatings.¡¯ Well, it wasn¡¯t like this was Eugene¡¯s responsibility. Gilead would probably take care of it once he found out the full scale of the problem. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene hummed in thought. He had already determined the range in which the minotaur was set to react. Standing just outside that line, he stared at the minotaur. Although Cyan had shed it several times, the Minotaur seemed perfectly fine. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, then¡­.¡¯ Eugene smiled as he stepped forward. Just like that, he entered the minotaur¡¯s reactionary range. ¡®¡­How shall I go about defeating it?¡¯ The minotaur responded immediately. Moving itsrge body with surprising speed, it charged at Eugene. Unlike Dezra and Cyan, Eugene did not rush forward, but he didn¡¯t move out of the minotaur¡¯s range either. The minotaur¡¯srge fist flew towards him. Before the attack had even been flung, Eugene had already predicted what course the attack would take. There were many ¡®clues¡¯ to be seen on the minotaur¡¯s giant body. From the way its fingers clenched to the movement of its elbows and shoulders, and even the twitching of its muscles, all of this could be used to deduce a prediction. Boom! The minotaur¡¯s fist mming into the ground ovepped with the movement of Eugene¡¯s sword. To strengthen the force of his sh, he counter-shed the descending arm, aiming for the inside of the minotaur¡¯s elbow. The joints where its skin folded were an inevitable weak point in its tough leather hide, and the tendons there weren¡¯t as thick as its arm muscles. Of course, it wasn¡¯t easy to time such a sh. However, Eugene made the cut look easy. He was familiar with wielding a sword in such a surgical manner from his previous life. Moreover, Eugene¡¯s current body was overwhelmingly superior to Hamel¡¯s body when it was his age. Right from birth, there had been an innate difference between the two. And Eugene had continued to refine and develop this difference over the course of several years. So he wasn¡¯t allowed to use mana? Why should that matter? Even without mana, his young body was extremely agile. ¡°Guooo!¡± The minotaur let out a roar. Although his elbow was too thick to have been cut throughpletely, the tendon there was very sensitive to pain because it was densely packed with nerves. Even if it wasn¡¯tpletely severed, that was still enough to make the pain seem unbearable. Its huge arm muscles were now left dangling uselessly, and the minotaur¡¯s reactions were slowed from shock. Without any hesitation, Eugene hopped onto the minotaur¡¯s arm. Then he started to sprint. It was easy to run up the minotaur¡¯s massive arm with his small child¡¯s body. Within moments, he had reached the minotaur¡¯s shoulders. Of course, the minotaur wasn¡¯t going to just stay still. It immediately twisted its body and swung its shoulders around as he ran up. However, Eugene was also experienced with running on unstable footing. And in the first ce, this cheat body had been born with an innate sense of bnce. Even with its body swaying randomly, Eugene continued to close in on the minotaur¡¯s head until its huge horns were tossing through the air right in front of him. Pausing to get the timing right, Eugene reached out his hand. Smack! Eugene¡¯s hand caught the minotaur¡¯s horn. Since he had been able to swing a swordpletely wrapped in heavy sandbags, it was effortless for him to support his whole weight with just one arm. Eugene tightened his grip on the horn and pulled himself up. Just like that, he had climbed on top of the minotaur¡¯s head. ¡°Graaaagh!¡± The minotaur raised its remaining mobile hand. It tried to catch Eugene, who was hanging from its head, but the speed with which Eugene thrust his sword was faster than its grasping fingers could clutch. Squelch! The long sword plunged into the minotaur¡¯s ear. The sword stabbed in so deeply that it even managed to reach the minotaur¡¯s semicircr canal.[1]The minotaur¡¯s body soon started shaking violently as it lost its bnce, and its wildly swinging hand couldn¡¯t even get close to touching Eugene. Then, unable to bear it any longer, the minotaur fell down onto its tail. For his next move, Eugene pulled out his sword and thrust it back into the minotaur¡¯s left eye. The minotaur released a terrible scream of pain. Eugene twisted his deeply impaled sword a few times before drawing it back out. Then he stabbed with his sword once again, this time into its right eye. Although the minotaur had squeezed its eye shut defensively, Eugene¡¯s sword pierced right through the thin eyelid. ¡°Guwaaah!¡± Bang! The minotaur¡¯s hand swung upwards, but it missed Eugenepletely and pped its own meless forehead instead. Due to its rage and panic, it had put too much force into the blow. The minotaur¡¯s head snapped backward abruptly, but this was a good opportunity for Eugene. He fell back down onto the minotaur¡¯s shoulders and, thanks to the Minotaur¡¯s raised chin, Eugene had a clear line of sight to its throbbing carotid artery. Once, twice, thrice, Eugene focused all three of his swings onto one location. With the second blow, he neatly sliced through its leather hide, and with the third, he had reached the blood vessel. Then, with a few more blows on top of that¡­. Ssh! Blood began spurting out violently. Eugene blocked the spray of blood with the shield on his left arm and continued to thrust his sword into the open wound. Soon the minotaur fell silent as its life bled out of it. It continued the rest of its fall to the ground, slowly copsing backward onto the cave floor. But before it could fallpletely, Eugene lightly leaped off it andnded on the ground once more. ¡°Phew,¡± Eugene sighed in satisfaction at a job well done. Although he had tried to block it with his shield, so much blood had sprayed out that both his hair and face had gotten drenched in it. Eugene roughly wiped off most of the blood before turning his head to face his audience, Cyan, Ciel, and Dezra, who were staring in his direction with their mouths wide open. Then, while grinning at Cyan specifically, Eugene pointed at the minotaur¡¯s corpse. ¡°You saw that, right?¡± ¡°¡­Uh¡­?¡± Cyan mumbled nkly. ¡°I killed it,¡± Eugene boasted proudly. Cyan didn¡¯t know how to react. He knew that Eugene¡¯s words were meant to rile him up, but after seeing something like that ur right before his eyes, he just couldn¡¯t muster up any outrage. Cyan was sure that he definitely wasn¡¯t able to do what Eugene had just done. But what if¡­ what if he had been able to use sword-light? If that had been the case, he was sure that he could have killed the minotaur. However, he still wouldn¡¯t have been able to aplish it as easily as Eugene had. Cyan was beginning to feel an unfamiliar emotion whenever his thoughts turned to center on this country bumpkin. It was simr to fear, but it brought with it an excitement in his chest that made it feel different from fear. The thirteen-year-old Cyan had yet to understand that this emotion was ¡®awe.¡¯ ¡°¡­Oh,¡± Eugene released a small sigh of surprise as he looked down at his own body. The bloody smell had disappeared in an instant. The minotaur¡¯s corpse that was lying right next to him, as well as the walls and the ceilings that had enclosed them from all sides, also started to disappear. His damp hair was dried back to a fluffy state as if it had never been wet in the first ce, and the sword and the shield he was holding in his hands faded and then vanished into thin air. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was over. * * * Both Gilead and Lovellian were left speechless. Everything up to the point where Dezra and Cyan had been defeated was something that they had predicted. In the first ce, they had known that it wouldn¡¯t be an easy challenge for children to hunt the minotaur. Wasn¡¯t that why Gilead had told them in advance that in this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony he wouldn¡¯t just be considering their individual performance, but their abilities to quickly make situational judgments and their cooperative spirit as well? He had wanted to see if they would retain the will to fight despite numerous setbacks. If the children had agreed to work together, it wasn¡¯t impossible for them to defeat the monster. And once they¡¯d caught the minotaur¡¯s attention, it was also possible to slowly draw it out of the magic circle¡¯s range. As long as the children didn¡¯t rush in impulsively, they could have tried out a few different methods until they finally seeded, or at least¡­ that was the way they had intended for the minotaur to be defeated. ¡°¡­Hahaha!¡± Although his ns had beenpletely overturned, Gilead didn¡¯t feel any frustration. Instead, he burst outughing with a broad smile on his face. ¡°Isn¡¯t he amazing?¡± Gileadmented as he pointed to Eugene. ¡°That kid, he¡¯s just a coteral descendant who hasn¡¯t even trained his mana, but he was able to defeat the minotaur through sheer overwhelming skill. ¡°¡­That¡­seems to be the case,¡± Lovellian slowly picked up his jaw off the ground before replying. Everything in thatbyrinth had been created by Lovellian, both the traps and the monsters. He hadn¡¯t made them too difficult so that they could match the children¡¯s levels¡­ but that child named Eugene had broken through thebyrinth with much more ease than Lovellian had expected. Lovellian felt the need to ask, ¡°¡­That child¡­just what on earth is he?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know either,¡± Gilead shook his head, stillughing. ¡°That child¡¯s father is apparently named Gerhard Lionheart, from the Gidol Province. He¡¯s from a coteral line that¡¯s been separated from the main line for around two hundred years now, but, as far as I know, not a single member of that family has ever drawn any attention until now.¡± ¡°But¡­ how could such an exceptional childe from such¡­?¡± ¡°Who knows. He says that he wasn¡¯t taught by his father or any other knight, but¡ª¡± Gilead burst outughing before he could finish the sentence. ¡°But his potential is indescribable. They say that that child, Eugene, since he has first arrived at the main estate, has gone to the gymnasium every day to repeat the same harsh training daily. I¡¯ve also sent a man to Gidol, and he reports that Eugene¡¯s extreme training is well-known throughout the whole estate.¡± Eugene was a child who had defeated his son in a duel, so Gilead couldn¡¯t help but have an interest in him. That was why he had sent a knight to the Lionheart family estate in Gidol to ask about Eugene. The man had reported that Eugene had first started going to the gymnasium every day when he turned five; and when he turned seven, he started swinging a wooden sword with an iron core that had been steadily increasing in weight over time. ¡°That boy was born to be a warrior, and he also has an innate hard-working character that is worthy of such a physique. Even if it was just by unearthing such a jewel in the rough¡­ this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony will prove to be of great significance.¡± ¡°But aren¡¯t you even the slightest bit displeased?¡± Lovellian asked in genuine curiosity. ¡°My apologies if I cause any offense, but that child¡­ has outshone all of your own children, Lord Gilead. If there¡¯s already such a difference between them, once that child begins training his mana¡­. And if he also happens to have an equally great talent for handling mana¡­.¡± ¡°If that happens to be the case, isn¡¯t that something to celebrate?¡± Gilead replied with a grin. ¡°After all, doesn¡¯t that child¡¯s name happen to be Lionheart? That means the more extraordinary that boy is, the more he makes the name of Lionheart shine brightly.¡± ¡°¡­But what if that child reveals any ambitions for usurping the direct line?¡± Lovellion asked bluntly, after being unable to think of a way to soften the blow. However, Gilead didn¡¯t feel at all offended by such a question. ¡°That isn¡¯t something for me to be concerned about,¡± Gilead answered sincerely. ¡°Only the very best among the Lionhearts has the right to be the Lionheart Patriarch. If my children fail to keep the position of Patriarch, that would just mean that they were too weak to keep a hold of their birthright. If that was all the strength that they had to offer, they wouldn¡¯t deserve to be the Lionheart Patriarch in the first ce.¡± ¡°Hm¡­.¡± Lovellian pondered. ¡°Of course, before I am the Patriarch, I am also their father; and as their father, I will guide my children to be the best that they can be. If that is still not enough¡­ then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Gilead shrugged in defeat. ¡°As an outsider, my apologies for bringing up something that wasn¡¯t my ce to address,¡± Lovellian nodded slowly in understanding and waved his hands as thebyrinth started to disappear. ¡°However, Lord Gilead, as an old acquaintance, I feel that I must advise you. If at all possible, you must adopt that child.¡± ¡°¡­Adoption?¡± Gilead asked in confusion. ¡°Yes. A coteral descendent has finally overturned the main family in a Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. That alone would make many of the Lionheart¡¯s coteral lines look down on the main family. If that happens, some of those dissatisfied with the current system may start to join forces.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gilead was silent for a moment. The Lionheart name had been passed down for over three hundred years. A multitude of coteral lines had been born due to their inheritance practices. Each coteral family was founded by someone born with the bloodline of the direct line but had lost thepetition to be the Patriarch. There were definitely a few among these coteral lines who harbored dissatisfaction against the main family. ¡°¡­The Guardians are responsible for enforcing the family¡¯sws,¡± Gilead muttered with a bitter smile. While thoroughly forbidding any dynastic disputes, the Lionheart Guardians also suppressed any rebellious individuals. ¡°I thank you for your advice. As for an adoption¡­ I think it¡¯s an attractive proposition,¡± Gilead finished. To be honest, the boy was so outstanding that Gilead had wished Eugene was his own son. Also, it seemed like being adopted would be better for the child¡¯s future as well. If Eugene just returned to Gidol like this¡­ the seditious families who plotted to rebel against the main family might try to contact him. And if that happened, that young child with a brilliant talent might even be kidnapped because of his gifts. ¡®¡­If I keep the boy by my side¡­ He could also be a great motivator to my children.¡¯ The more he thought about it, the more appealing the idea was. And wouldn¡¯t it make for an incredible sight when the child¡¯s potential was allowed to fully bloom in the still distant future? At that time, if Eugene still proved to be overwhelmingly superior to the children of the main family, then¡­. Not only would his adoption be good for the main family, but it would also be a happy event for the Lionhearts as a whole. ¡°¡­Well, before that, the celebrations have toe first,¡± Gilead mumbled as he turned his head. Both thebyrinth and the cave leading to it had disappeared. The children were looking at their surroundings with surprised expressions, having yet to understand their situation. ¡°¡­Haaagh!¡± Gargith, who had been lying on the floor, jumped to his feet with a gasp. Following his battle with the troll, he had started heading towards the center, but he had used up thest of his strength on the way there and had copsed into slumber. However, as the magic dissipated, all of his injuries also disappeared. ¡°What about the boss monster?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°It¡¯s dead,¡± Dezra spat out as she looked at Gargith with scornful eyes. ¡°Who killed it?¡± he asked. ¡°I did,¡± Eugene answered with a grin. 1. A sensory organ needed to regte the bnce and convey head position.? Chapter 17.1 Chapter 17.1 Before Gilead congratted Eugene, his gaze lingered on his children for a moment. The eldest, Eward, hadn¡¯t even reached the center of thebyrinth. He had spent far too much time studying the various magical traps and monsters on his way there. Truthfully speaking, Gilead was dissatisfied with this result. He knew that his eldest son had had an overwhelming amount of interest in magic ever since he was young. Since this type of magic wasn¡¯t often encountered, it was understandable for Eward to be ovee with curiosity. However¡­ for him to prioritize his own curiosity over disying his talents during this vital Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, Gilead couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed, both as a Patriarch and a father. On the other hand, Ciel and Cyan¡¯s performances left him feeling quite satisfied. The twins had been able to make their way to the center without facing any great difficulty from the traps or the monsters. Although they couldn¡¯t defeat the minotaur, that was just because the two children were still immature. And immaturity could bepensated for with experience. ¡°¡­All of you showed a great performance,¡± Gilead said as he stopped focusing solely on his children and addressed the remaining participants. He nodded his head sincerely as he smiled at everyone before continuing, ¡°From here, we were able to see everything as each of you faced thebyrinth. While we had expected it to be a challenging ordeal, all of you have done amazingly well.¡± ¡°¡­Thank you very much,¡± the children awkwardly received the praise. Gargith had been staring at Eugene with surprised eyes, now quickly followed suit and bowed his head along with the others. Honestly, he was feeling a little embarrassed. After his fierce battle with the troll, he hadn¡¯t been able to make it to the center of thebyrinth. Dezra and Cyan also felt simr embarrassment, but for slightly different reasons. Dezra wasn¡¯t even able to mount a proper fight against the minotaur; and Cyan had allowed himself to get flustered when his sword-light failed to materialize, causing him to fight in a manner that, even in his own opinion, wasckluster. ¡°Eugene,¡± Gilead said. Eugene, who had just been called out, was grinning. He was amused that Cyan¡¯s shoulders were drooping so heavily, although he was also feeling a little curious. Inside thebyrinth, he hadn¡¯t caught even a glimpse of Eward, the main family¡¯s eldest son. Though he had thought that Eward seemed tock the expected skill and confidence for someone of his position, Eugene had never imagined that Eward wouldn¡¯t even be able to make it to the center of the maze. Perhaps that was why Eward was also slouching his shoulders and avoiding everyone¡¯s gazes. ¡°¡­Although it seems funny for me to point out the obvious like this, you showed the best performance among all of the nine children who participated in this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Eugene said while bowing his head in a humble fashion. He thought it would be more appealing to give off a modest impression than acting overly proud. ¡°The way you dealt with the traps and the monsters was impressively wless. Especially when you fought the troll head-on. Unlike the other children¡­ you didn¡¯t even receive any minor injuries in the process,¡± Gilead continued his praise. ¡®No way,¡¯Gargith eximed inwardly. Gilead¡¯s words made Gargith¡¯s shoulders tremble in shock. Did Eugene really not get injured at all while fighting that vicious troll? Gargith nced at Eugene with a look of disbelief. ¡®How could he have done that when he¡¯s shorter and has fewer muscles than me?¡¯Gargith asked himself. He really was impressive. Gargith¡¯s thoughts gave way to sincere admiration for Eugene, but at the same time, he also felt disappointed.¡®If only he had the help of our family¡¯s revolutionary muscle growth agent, that poor body of his would also appear equally amazing,¡¯was Gargith¡¯s thought at this time.¡®As he is now, I¡¯d win in an arm-wrestling contest.¡¯ Gargith decided that he needed to challenge Eugene to an arm-wrestling contestter. ¡°Truthfully, we expected all of you to be trapped in thebyrinth for at least two days,¡± Lovellian said with a smile that didn¡¯t show any hint of embarrassment. Lovellian and Gilead had set reasonable expectations for the participants. After all, no matter how excellent they were, weren¡¯t they all still children younger than sixteen? Moreover, none of the children had ever been to abyrinth in person. Lovellian had estimated that, after cing various sorts of obstacles in their way, the children would have to wander thebyrinth for more than a day before they could break through. ¡®But as expected of the bloodline of the Great Vermouth. It seems that I greatly underestimated them.¡¯ Of course, this fact didn¡¯t cause him any embarrassment or offense. After all, seeing these gemstones of talent sparkle brighter than imagined could only be a pleasant surprise. ¡°Apart from Eugene, everyone else should return to their rooms and rest. I would have liked to hold a grand banquet this evening; however¡­ we didn¡¯t know that you would all emerge so quickly, and I¡¯m afraid that we weren¡¯t able to prepare the banquet in advance.¡± After informing the other children, Gilead turned to Eugene with a smile. ¡°As such, all of you can have a good rest today, and we will hold the banquet tomorrow. As for Eugene¡­ you cane with me.¡± ¡°Yes sir,¡± Eugene acknowledged. ¡°Are you going to give him his reward right now?¡± Ciel asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. The underground treasure vault was a forbidden location, even to those who had inherited the blood of the main family; only the Patriarch was freely permitted to enter. From a young age, Ciel had pestered her father for permission to visit the underground treasure vault with him, but even Gilead, who had such a soft spot for his daughter, wouldn¡¯t allow her to apany him into the treasure vault even once. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to dy, so wouldn¡¯t it be better if he got to choose more quickly?¡± Gilead said as he patted Ciel on the head. Truthfully, Gilead was also curious to see which item Eugene would pick from the treasure vault. Lovellion personally escorted the other children back to their rooms, while Eugene and Gilead headed to the main family¡¯s mansion. They had quite a ways to go, so they both began thinking of bringing up something to talk about. ¡°You¡¯re quite skillful to be able to wield multiple weapons,¡±mented Gilead, breaking the silence. Although he didn¡¯t look back at Eugene, thanks to the warmth in his voice, it was easy to guess his current expression. ¡°I¡¯m not too bad,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°You¡¯re more than not bad. I saw your performance in thebyrinth, and the way you wielded both your sword and your shield was truly adept. Moreover, didn¡¯t you use a spear to defeat Cyan and Dezra?¡± Gilead seemed to have heard the full story of Eugene¡¯s spar with Dezra. This wasn¡¯t surprising, as their spar had taken ce in the open, where any of the annex¡¯s servants could have spectated it. ¡°Yes. I like the spear because it¡¯s a fun weapon to use,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°And swords?¡± Gilead prodded. ¡°Swords are fun as well.¡± ¡°Apart from those, what other weapons do you enjoy using?¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ I also like bows. Although shooting something from afar isn¡¯t that fun, hitting a target from a long distance can be exhrating.¡± Eugene tried to use an age-appropriate tone when speaking with Gilead. Truthfully, at the start of his new life, he hadn¡¯t felt like he would need to do something like this; Eugene had thought that it would be fine to just admit that he was reincarnated with the memories of his old life. However, the more he had thought about it, the more difficult he felt it would be to reveal the truth. If he were to admit that he used to be Stupid Hamel, but he was now reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant, who would believe such a ridiculous confession without any proof? Also, he felt like it would be galling to admit that he had been reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth with his own mouth. ¡®And it¡¯d be just so embarrassing.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t be so bad if he had just admitted it from the beginning. But he had already been pretending to be a child for thirteen years¡­. If he revealed the truth at this point, it felt like all he would receive were gazes of pity. With Eugene¡¯s pride, it was absolutely impossible to wee such pitying looks. ¡®It also seems like things would get troublesome.¡¯ Not much was known about the journey of the hero and hispanions from three hundred years ago. After suddenly abandoning their subjugation of the remaining demon kings, the returning hero¡¯s party hadn¡¯t revealed much about their reasons for their sudden change of n or the details of their journey. Right to this day, that damn fairy tale was the most famous and reputable ount of the hero¡¯s journey in the world. The Stupid Hamel, as he was known in the fairy tale, had been reincarnated as the Great Vermouth¡¯s descendant¡ª if this fact were to get out, the world would be turned upside down. Eugene didn¡¯t want to deal with the flood of peopleing in from every corner of the world to ask him about the facts of their journey. But that wasn¡¯t his only reason. Eugene¡ªno¡ªHamel refused to tolerate the continued existence of the Demon Kings. This hate-filled conviction had not changed even after three hundred years had passed. If somehow, the two remaining demon kings in the Devildom of Helmuth were to learn of Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, they might begin moving behind the scenes. Those two had imedplete devotion to a peaceful existence for hundreds of years and had even willingly opened Helmuth to tourism. But how would these demon kings, who had seemingly flipped their attitudes out of the blue, react to a living witness of their past atrocities? Eugene had given it a lot of thought, but it didn¡¯t seem like they would wee him with open arms. Well, even if they did, it¡¯s not like Eugen would ept their favor. Chapter 17.2 Chapter 17.2 ¡°Although currently, the weapon associated with our Lionheart family is the sword¡­ it was a different story for our ancestor. There was a reason for the Great Vermouth to be called the God of War and the Master-of-All,¡± said Gilead. As for why their family had been tied to the sword in the first ce, it was all because of the Holy Sword, which had received the most acim among Vermouth¡¯s many weapons. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing for you to know how to wield a variety of weapons, especially since you find these various weapons fun to use. It could even be considered an innate gift.¡± ¡°Thank you for your guidance,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Of course, just because Vermouth was called by these titles, that doesn¡¯t mean he was the only one capable of using various weapons.¡± ¡°¡­I heard that Hamel was also able to wield several weapons,¡± Eugene said after a brief pause. ¡°That¡¯s right. Although Vermouth was called the God of War, hispanion Hamel was also a master warrior, second only to Vermouth,¡± Gilead readily agreed. ¡°¡­Ahem. But in the fairy tale I¡¯ve read, he keeps getting called Stupid Hamel.¡± ¡°Haha! Well, that can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯ve also read that fairy tale when I was young, but¡­ I¡¯ve realized that it wouldn¡¯t be a very interesting tale without Hamel constantly getting into trouble. What do you think about Hamel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what you¡¯re asking, sir.¡± ¡°I just want to hear your opinion. As for me¡­ I¡¯ve admired Hamel ever since I was young.¡± ¡®Oh?¡¯Eugene quickly swallowed the unconscious exmation he had almost made. ¡°¡­May I ask why?¡± Eugene asked, unable to leave the matter alone. ¡°Rather than the wless Vermouth, I preferred Hamel¡¯s more humane character. Doesn¡¯t it oftene up in the fairytale? Hamel often felt inferior to Vermouth, but he never once allowed himself to be frustrated.¡± ¡®But there were actually a lot of times I felt frustrated.¡¯ ¡°Instead, he spared no effort to ovee his own perceived shorings. And in the end, he didn¡¯t care about his own safety but instead chose to sacrifice himself for hisrades. Even now, I respect Hamel more than I do my own ancestor, Vermouth.¡± Hamel¡¯s portrayal was deliberately nderized[1]in the fairy tale. It was because he was meant to serve as a simple lesson for young children: no matter how excellent the people around you are, don¡¯t be overly jealous of them. Rather than doing that, you should slowly try to improve yourself instead. ¡°¡­I also admire Hamel,¡± Eugene replied while havingplex feelings about doing so. ¡°But the reason I use multiple weapons, well¡­. It isn¡¯t because I want to be like Hamel or Vermouth or anything like that.¡± Eugene felt the need to exin himself. Although he didn¡¯t know if Gilead epted his exnation, Gilead nodded his head with a grin. ¡°As someone who isn¡¯t even a member of the main family, you will be the first person other than a Patriarch to step foot into the family¡¯s treasure vault,¡± Gilead changed the subject. While receiving astonished stares from the servants, the two headed down to the basement. Although the stairs leading from the mansion to the basement were very long, glowing spheres were hanging from the walls every so often, so it wasn¡¯t dark. ¡°Is it really okay for me to go down there?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°Of course it is. Didn¡¯t I promise you that you¡¯ll be allowed to pick whichever item you desire? I¡¯ve already discussed this matter with the council of the family elders and obtained permission,¡± as he said this, Gilead led the way down the stairs. The council. Eugene felt his mouth turn dry at the thought of them. The old lions of the Lionheart n, the council wasposed of the direct line¡¯s previous Patriarchs and those from the coteral lines recognized as giants in their respective fields before they retired. ¡°May I ask, what exactly is contained inside the treasure vault?¡± ¡°It holds our family legacy, which has built up over the past few hundred years, of course. Among all these items, there are even quite a few relics left behind by our ancestor, the Great Vermouth.¡± ¡°Really? Then is the Holy Sword in there as well?¡± ¡°It¡¯s there, but¡­ it¡¯s impossible for you to pick the Holy Sword,¡± Gilead turned back to look at Eugene with a wry smile as if he had expected such a question. ¡°Because the Holy Sword is the symbol of the Lionheart n, it is a sword that no one person can own. Therefore, it is only wielded during ceremonies such as the session of the Patriarch.¡± ¡°Oh¡­,¡± came Eugen¡¯s disappointed murmur. Gilead continued, ¡°But that¡¯s not the only reason. Ever since the Great Vermouth, no one has been able to receive the recognition of the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°Recognition?¡± ¡°Mm¡­ rather than trying to exin it, it would be better for you to have a go at it yourself. Then you¡¯ll be able to understand what I¡¯m talking about right away.¡± At the bottom of the stairs stood an ornately decorated, massive door. Gilead held his hand up to the door after cutting his fingertips with his fingernails, causing red drops of blood to form on all his fingers. ¡°This will take a moment.¡± With his blood-tipped fingers, Gilead reached for the doorknob. The doorknob had been sculpted in the shape of a lion¡¯s head with its mouth opened wide. The lion absorbed the drops of blood on Gilead¡¯s fingertips and closed its mouth, just as the engravings adorning the door began to wriggle. All of this was part of a rite to unlock the powerful barrier that had been set on the treasure vault using magic. Eugene took a few steps back and watched as the door began to move. ¡°Will you be entering with me, Patriarch?¡± he asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. I¡¯ll wait here, so just go in and choose whatever you want.¡± The door opened fully. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to open this door from the inside. So once you¡¯ve finished making your choice, knock loudly on the door. That will let me know when to open it,¡± Gilead exined. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you toe in with me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°While I believe that it might be fun to watch as you pick something¡­. If I go in with you, I may end up unconsciously influencing what item you pick, and I would rather respect your freedom of choice. Also, If I do go in with you, I feel that I might distract you.¡± By saying all this, Gilead was showing his consideration for Eugene. Eugene smiled brightly and nodded his head. Although he had brought it up first, Eugene felt greatly excited that Gilead had decided not to go in with him. He wanted to get a close look at everything and have a poke at this and that. Truthfully speaking, if Gilead were to go in with him, Eugene would have to pay attention to his manners and avoid such conduct. ¡°But Patriarch, what¡¯s stopping me from hiding something on my person and attempting toe out with multiple items?¡± This type of daring and impolite question was something that only a thirteen-year-old like Eugene would be allowed to ask. So Eugene made sure to look up at Gilead to show off his innocent eyes that were free of malice. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if his face truly managed to reflect his intentions, for now, he at least tried to contort his features into such an expression. ¡°That isn¡¯t something that is likely to happen, now is it?¡± Gilead replied to his question with a smile that showed no displeasure. ¡°If that were to happen, I would be forced to scold you. And as these treasures are strictly guarded by magic, you would be caught as soon as you attempted toe out with something you shouldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Haha,¡± Eugeneughed awkwardly. ¡®As expected,¡¯Eugene eximed inwardly, without feeling any disappointment. Gilead offered, ¡°Still, allow me to give you a piece of advice. Don¡¯t be in a rush, and slowly take your time to choose a weapon that you¡¯ll be able to use for the rest of your life. In your case, rather than focussing on its performance¡­ I believe that it would be better for you to choose something that catches your eye and suits you.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Gilead stepped out of the way, clearing the door to the treasure vault. Eugene nodded his head and approached the door with hesitant steps. ¡°Thank you very much for this opportunity,¡± before entering, Eugene turned and politely expressed his gratitude. Gilead smiled and patted Eugene on the shoulder. The thought of adopting Eugene was running through his mind. However, there was no need to bring up such a topic right now, as it wasn¡¯t a matter that should be rushed into hastily. As Eugene entered, the door to the treasure vault closed behind him. Once it did so, Eugen could finally take a deep breath and loosen his polite expression. Smiling too much had numbed his cheeks, so he patted them a few times before taking a long look around the treasure vault. Immediately after he had done so, a smile inadvertently spread across his face as he eximed, ¡°¡­Wow.¡± Vermouth¡¯s Holy Sword, the splendid golden sword from his memories, stood in the center of the treasure vault. With a grin, Eugene walked towards the center of the room. 1.The deliberate exaggeration of one aspect of a fictional character to the point where that one trait grows to epass most of that character¡¯s personality.? Chapter 18.1 Chapter 18.1 The Holy Sword was still just as extraordinarily beautiful as when he had first seen it three hundred years ago. It was a weapon that was impossible to consider as merely a ¡®sword¡¯ used for cutting things. It was unknown what type of metal the sword was made from. ording to the legends of the Holy Empire, the home of the Holy Sword, it was a sword that had been bestowed by God. ¡®It¡¯s surprising that the Holy Empire didn¡¯t try to take back the Holy Sword.¡¯ Eugene circled around the Holy Sword, studying it from all angles. It had a beautiful scabbard and a long hilt that was best suited to being wielded with both hands. The de itself wasn¡¯t visible, but Eugene clearly remembered just how beautifully and dazzlingly the Holy Sword shone when pulled free of its scabbard. He had to admit that he wanted it. Such a desire couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, this was a sword personally bestowed by a God. The Holy Sword had been sealed in the central temple of the Holy Empire for a long period of time and it had apanied them on their journey through the Devildom of Helmuth after recognizing Vermouth as its sole owner. Although Vermouth himself didn¡¯t end up using the Holy Sword all that often, this did not diminish the importance and value of the Holy Sword. This beautiful sword had cut down countless demons and had even pierced the heart of the first to be in from Helmuth¡¯s five Demon Kings. ¡®¡­.Although after that, it was almost exclusively used as a torch.¡¯ When they defeated their first Demon King, everyone was still immature. While recalling back to that time, Eugene reached his hand out to grab the Holy Sword. It wasn¡¯t like he had decided that he was going to be leaving with the Holy Sword, but for now, he just wanted to hold it. Eugene grabbed the Holy Sword¡¯s hilt with his right hand. The feeling of wrapping his fingers around the hilt was amazing. Although it outwardly looked like a ceremonial sword that had absolutely no use in actualbat, apart from this fact, it had actually been expertly crafted. ¡°¡­Hm.¡± The Holy Sword¡¯s scabbard was embedded deep into the floor of the treasure vault. Eugene tried to forcefully draw the sword, but the scabbard would not release its hold on the de. Eugene grabbed the sword with both hands and tried to pull it out once more using all his strength. ¡°It¡¯s not working,¡± he eventually admitted. The Holy Sword was immovable. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn¡¯t pull it out. Just in case, Eugene bit the tip of his fingers to draw blood, then brushed his blood-stained fingertips on the hilt and the sheath of the Holy Sword. The blood that was smeared on the sword immediately vanished into thin air. He tried to draw the sword once again, but it still refused to be drawn. ¡®Just like Gilead said, you¡¯ll know once you¡¯ve had a go at it yourself.¡¯ Gilead had meant that it was impossible to draw the sword. Eugene didn¡¯t waste more of his strength on it and cast away any regret. Even if he had managed to draw the sword, it wasn¡¯t like he would have been allowed to keep it. He took another look around. Sure enough, the vault contained a lot of different types of treasure. Besides weapons, there were also many jewels and essories. With shining eyes, Eugene began his exploration. ¡®This was¡­ Azphel, right?¡¯ Several weapons caught his eye. One was an unusual sword hanging on a wall; the edge of its de had jagged protrusions that looked like the fangs of a beast. This was the ¡®Devouring Sword¡¯ Azphel. It could devour whatever it cut to increase its own strength. At first nce, its actual power seemed difficult to judge, but Eugene was well aware of how broken this sword could be. It was a sword that could cut magic, a mana-devouring sword. No matter how powerful the spell was, in front of Azphel, it would be worthless. ¡®Though only someone like Vermouth could use it to its full potential.¡¯ It was only thanks to the fact that Vermouth was an excellent wizard in the first ce that he was able to target a spell¡¯s weak point and crush it in a single blow. So despite feeling more attracted to it than he had with the Holy Sword, Eugene decided to set it aside for now. Besides this sword, several other familiar weapons had caught his eye. ¡®There¡¯s the Dragon Spear Kharbos.¡¯ Although its cooldown was a bit long, as long as you couldpensate for that, it was a spear capable of unleashing an attack as powerful as a dragon¡¯s breath with a single thrust. ¡®The Storm Sword Wynnyd.¡¯ A sword imbued with the protection of the Wind Spirit King. ¡®The Thunderbolt Pernoa.¡¯ A bow that shot bolts of lightning, which could cross any distance to reach its target. ¡®The Phantom Rain Sword Javel.¡¯ A sword that could create countless flying copies of itself when mana was inserted. ¡®And they¡¯ve even got Gedon¡¯s Shield.¡¯ A deceptive shield that could divert any attack that came into contact with it into a different direction. These were all weapons that could turn the world on its head if they got out. Eugene shook his head as he clicked his tongue in amazement. So it wasn¡¯t just that they were Vermouth¡¯s descendants; by holding the ownership of so many treasures, the Lionheart n could back up its status as a great family. Even a dragon would lose its mind in envy when it saw how much treasure had been collected in this vault. ¡®¡­But is this really everything?¡¯ Despite all that was here, Eugene still had his doubts. After all, this wasn¡¯t the entire range of weapons that he knew Vermouth had owned. He couldn¡¯t see the terrifying Moonlight Sword or the Demonic Spear he had really been coveting. ¡®The weapons here are only about half as good as those.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t anything strange. After all, three hundred years had passed. During this time, quite a few weapons may have left the treasure vault, never to return. ¡®Bastards. They must have known a good thing when they saw it and snatched up all the really cheat weapons.¡¯ Eugene kept clicking his tongue as he shook his head. Although the weapons that were left in the treasure vault were all amazing, he still felt regret for the weapons that weren¡¯t there. As a result of their loss, he had to prepare himself to make a difficult choice. ¡®None of them would count as a waste for me to take, but¡­.¡¯ There was nothing that really grabbed his desire. Since he was still young, he didn¡¯t have to worry about ack of familiarity with it. No matter which weapon he chose, if he held onto it for a few years, he could slowly adapt to it until he could use it to his satisfaction. ¡®The easiest to deal with is Wynnyd, but¡­.¡¯ It was a sword that had been personally blessed by the Wind Spirit King. Just holding it in your hands would allow you tomand the spirits of the wind and, of course, it enabled you to use spirit magic. Although it would be impossible for a while, as long as he kept umting enough mana, he would even be able to one day summon the Wind Spirit King himself. An advantage of this sword was that, unlike ordinary magic, spirit magic didn¡¯t consume a lot of the user¡¯s mana. Once the spirit was summoned, any further mana costs were taken care of by the spirit itself. ¡®And with it, there isn¡¯t a big demand for innate talent.¡¯ Spirit Magic was usually difficult to get into. If they weren¡¯t born with the trait that made a person attractive to spirits, even an excellent wizard wouldn¡¯t be able to summon a low-ss spirit. However, if one held Wynnyd, there wasn¡¯t any need to worry about that, as it bypassed all the requirements for spirit magic. ¡®Javel is tricky to wield. Azphel might be a good fit once I¡¯ve learned some magic, but it would be hard to use it well for now. Pernoa¡­ from what I recall, it consumes a whole lot of mana for each shot it makes.¡¯ The Dragon Spear Kharbos didn¡¯t fit Eugene¡¯s tastes. As for Gedon¡¯s Shield? It did have quite the cheat ability, but just like the Thunderbolt Pernoa, it consumed an enormous amount of mana each time. ¡®Wynnyd is definitely the most convenient to use.¡¯ Although he hade to this conclusion, Eugene didn¡¯t select it immediately. Instead, Eugene kept looking around the treasure vault with an aimless gait. In addition to these weapons, there were several other treasures that Vermouth had also used. ¡®These magic staffs¡­ I¡¯m not really sure how good they are.¡¯ And there were quite a number of magic staffs at that. Since he was still young, he had thought about learning magic as well, but he didn¡¯t want to choose a focus without knowing anything about it. ¡®¡­Oh?¡¯ Having wandered here and there through the treasure vault, Eugene halted in his steps. His eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the inside corner of a shelf. He quickly walked over and reached into the corner. Lying there was a small ne. ¡®¡­Why is this here?¡¯ Eugene held up the ne and blinked in shock. It wasn¡¯t anything special. There was no great magic imbued into it, nor did it have any important symbolism. It was just an ordinary ne filled with memories, for it was the ne that Hamel had worn in his previous life. Chapter 18.2 Chapter 18.2 From a very¡­very long time ago, this ne was the keepsake that had been left to Hamel after his parents were killed by monsters. Now that he had been reincarnated, Eugene didn¡¯t feel any lingering sadness for this tragedy from his previous life. All the sadness from that event had long since been converted into hate, after all, and Hamel had eventually taken revenge for their deaths with his own hands. Nevertheless, Hamel had continued to wear it around his neck until the day he died. It wasn¡¯t like there was any difort to be had from walking around with the ne on and there had never been any particr reason for him to take it off. He had expected that this ne had been buried with him. Or at least that was how it should have been. Eugene stood there, holding up the ne for quite some time. His state of paralyzation was because he just couldn¡¯t understand what the ne was doing here. ¡®¡­Could Vermouth have retrieved my body from Helmuth?¡¯ But none of the weapons that Hamel had wielded were stored in this treasure vault. The only thing in here that was in any way connected to Hamel was this worn-out ne. Eugene snorted as his hand wrapped around the ne. ¡®¡­.It looks like they didn¡¯t just forget about me.¡¯ For some reason, he had a bitter taste in his mouth. To someday kill all five of the Demon Kings, that was the promise that everyone had vowed to each other. But despite this¡­ Vermouth, Molon, Sienna, and Anise¡ªthose four had made an ¡®oath¡¯ of peace with the Demon Kings. Even though three hundred years had passed since then, Helmuth and its two Demon Kings were still alive and well. ¡®¡­Just what exactly did they swear in that oath? Even though you retrieved my belongings andid them to rest here, all of you¡­especially you, Vermouth¡­just what were you thinking?¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t put down the ne. Since he had even gotten the chance to reincarnate, he didn¡¯t want to get too bogged down with his past life. Even so, no matter how faint, the attachments to his previous life still existed. This ne had stirred up a number of feelings that Eugene had been trying to ignore. He suddenly had a thought. This ne was an item that didn¡¯t belong here. It belonged to Hamel after all. He didn¡¯t want to resent Vermouth and his otherrades. Since he believed that they must have had a reason for not being able to y the remaining Demon Kings. The Faithful Anise, the woman from his memories, was so cheeky and annoying that it was hard to believe she had be a saint, but her faith had been real. If even Anise had agreed to pull back at thest step, then they must have had an unavoidable reason for not killing the Demon Kings. ¡®¡­It might have been that theycked the strength to do so after I died.¡¯ After all, thest two Demon Kings were terrifyingly strong. Although it embarrassed him to even think this idea to himself, he had to admit this was a possibility. ¡°What a pointless find,¡± Eugene grumbled as he turned around. He still wanted one of the weapons, but he couldn¡¯t bear to leave this ne, the keepsake belonging to Hamel, inside the Lionheart¡¯s treasure vault. That was his only reason. ¡°¡­That is?¡± Gilead eximed with a surprised expression as he opened the vault door. His surprise was because he had made various guesses for what Eugene might choose, but he had never imagined that Eugune would actually return from the treasure vault after choosing apletely ordinary ne. ¡°¡­It called to me,¡± Eugene said with an awkward smile as he held up the ne to disy. Gilead blinked his surprise as he alternated between looking at Eugene and the ne. ¡°¡­Are you sure about this?¡± Gilead asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°But there should be many other more amazing treasures¡­.¡± ¡°As I¡¯m too inexperienced, I felt that I wouldn¡¯t be able to handle them,¡± Eugene recited his prepared excuse. However, even he found it hard to believe. Gilead felt increasingly confused as he thought about it. Of course, a child wouldn¡¯t be able to fully assess the values of the treasures within, but weren¡¯t there many weapons that appeared extraordinary just from their appearances? Could Eugene really have declined such treasures to pick a ne like this? ¡®¡­And what exactly is it?¡¯ What made Gilead even more bewildered was that he did not recognize the ne Eugene had carried out with him. Did the Treasure Vault really have a ne like that? And of course, there were a lot of other essories inside the vault that were all so expensive that just one could be exchanged for a whole castle. Gilead would have epted and understood Eugene¡¯s excuse if he had chosen such a trinket. Since there was nothing that had caught Eugene¡¯s eye right at that moment, he could have chosen to take something that seemed expensive and valuable so that he could somehow put the funds from selling it toter use. ¡°¡­Do you mind if I take a look at it for a moment?¡± Gilead requested. ¡°Please, go ahead,¡± Eugene handed the ne over with a nod of his head. As soon as Gilead received the ne, he scanned it all over. But it was just a crudely-made and worn-out¡­ ne. No jewels were embedded, nor was the workmanship extraordinary. Even when he inserted his mana, there was no reaction in response. This was simply an ordinary and cheap ne. ¡®¡­Why was such a ne inside the treasure vault?¡¯ The more he looked at it, the more Gilead failed to understand. He hesitated for a moment and then looked at Eugene. ¡°Please wait here for a moment,¡± Gilead ordered ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene replied with an unbothered expression. He understood why Gilead would feel so confused. Even in the privacy of his own thoughts, Eugene felt that choosing such a ne was a very foolish decision. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped. Since he couldn¡¯t just leave it there, he had to bring it out with him. ¡°¡­Hm¡­¡± while letting out a curious hum, Gilead took the ne and held it up to the treasure vault¡¯s door. Everything inside the vault, the honor and glory that the n had umted over three hundred years, had been recorded by the magic of the treasure vault. ¡°¡­This is quite¡­a mystery.¡± After holding the ne up to the lion on the doorknob, Gilead shook his head. ¡°This ne isn¡¯t an item that has been registered by the treasure vault.¡± ¡°¡­What does that mean?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Exactly what I said. This isn¡¯t a treasure of the Lionhearts. This is an item that shouldn¡¯t have been in there.¡± ¡°¡­But then why was it in there?¡± ¡°That is why I said that is quite a mystery. I¡­ do not recall ever leaving this ne inside there. Where did you find this?¡± ¡°In the inside corner of a shelf.¡± ¡°Could this item have been left behind by the previous Patriarch¡­? But if that was the case, then it should have been registered by the treasure vault¡¯s magic¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s possible that the previous Patriarch may have just lost it inside there,¡± Eugene offered as an exnation. ¡°Haha,¡± Gilead involuntarily burst intoughter. ¡°My father, the previous Patriarch, wasn¡¯t such a sloppy person. Nor was he the type of person who would y such a strange prank¡­.¡± Eugene was about to ask why Gilead didn¡¯t just ask the previous Patriarch personally, but then he remembered and stopped himself. Gilead¡¯s father, the former Patriarch, had already passed away long ago. ¡°¡­In any case, do you still want to keep this ne?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°No real reason, it¡¯s just¡­ it calls to me.¡± ¡°This ne doesn¡¯t seem to be valuable. It doesn¡¯t have any enchantments either. So even if you sold it, you wouldn¡¯t even be able to buy a cheap longsword.¡± ¡®That¡¯s exactly right,¡¯Eugene thought in agreement as he nodded his head. ¡°But I would still like to keep it,¡± is what Eugene ended up saying. ¡°¡­You really are quite special,¡± Gileadmented. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that a lot from my father ever since I was young.¡± ¡°If you really want to keep this ne¡­ then it can¡¯t be helped. However, I can¡¯t let you have it right away. Since the origins of this item are unknown, I¡¯ll have to ask Lovellian to examine it.¡± ¡°An examination?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Although I¡¯ve checked it myself, I don¡¯t really have any skill in magic. Just in case it does have some kind of enchantment, it feels like it would be better to have it looked over by a professional.¡± ¡°So I can have it back once the examination is over?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, I¡¯ll even promise you that I¡¯ll return it once the results are in.¡± After Gilead nodded his head, he was silent for a moment. ¡°¡­About this ne, it might have some kind of enchantment, or it might just be an ordinary ne without any special qualities. However, since it is clearly not an item that has been registered by the treasure vault, that means it shouldn¡¯t have been in there in the first ce,¡± Gilead said when he finally broke the silence. ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Eugene replied, unsure of where this was going. ¡°Although I really didn¡¯t think things could turn out like this¡­ Eugene, strictly speaking, the item you brought back with you is not a treasure of the Lionhearts.¡± For a moment, Gilead hesitated. Would this really be allowed? ¡®There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with this,¡¯ Gilead thought as he patted Eugene¡¯s shoulder with a wry smile. ¡°As that¡¯s the case, go back inside and onlye out after you¡¯ve picked something else.¡± Eugene barely managed to restrain the exmation of sheer surprise that he almost blurted out unconsciously and instead asked, ¡°¡­Can I really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. After all, I promised you that if you were the first to defeat the minotaur, you could go into the treasure vault ande out with whichever piece of treasure you desired. But Eugene, you didn¡¯te out with a piece of a treasure, so go back in and return with whatever you like.¡± ¡°Thank you so much!¡± Eugene shouted in gratitude, even as he thought to himself,¡®I really can¡¯t believe that Gilead is Vermouth¡¯s descendant.¡¯ Eugene bowed his head deeply towards Gilead, even as he held back augh. He had never imagined that Gilead would show such flexibility by giving him another chance to pick up a piece of treasure. ¡®I¡¯ve decided, it¡¯s you,¡¯Eugene thought upon returning to the treasure vault. He grabbed Wynnyd without any hesitation.¡®From now on, you belong to me.¡¯ As if it had read Eugene¡¯s mind, its silverish-blue de shone with a gleam. Chapter 19.1 Chapter 19.1 Although he now owned Wynnyd, it was impossible for Eugene to summon a spirit immediately. No matter how little mana was consumed by spirit magic, it still required a certain minimum amount of mana in the first ce. As Eugene had yet to start training his mana, not even a speck of mana could be found in his body. Even for Eugene, this was a problem that he couldn¡¯t help but be concerned about. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was over. Now, Eugene was free of any restrictions on wielding real swords, and he could even start training his mana. As descendants of the Great Vermouth, the Lionheart family possessed a mana training scripture far superior to any other scripture belonging to a martial family, knight, or mercenary. After all, it was a scripture developed three hundred years ago and continually refined over that time. The Lionheart¡¯s coteral lines were all families that had been split off from the direct line, and their mana training scriptures also originated from there. But needless to say, only the foundations of their mana training scriptures bore any simrities to the main family¡¯s mana training scriptures. This caused the level of the coteral lines¡¯ mana training scriptures to fall so low that they couldn¡¯t even bepared to the main family¡¯s. This difference in quality further allowed the direct line to maintain its superiority over the coteral lines. ¡®As for our family¡¯s mana training scripture¡­ although I haven¡¯t learned it yet, it should be nothing special.¡¯ Eugene was sure of this fact. His family had already split off from the main family hundreds of years ago and, during all that time, no one from their bloodline had been able to improve their family¡¯s status. ¡®And my father¡¯s strength isn¡¯t all that great either.¡¯ After he had turned ten, Eugene and his father had stopped their spars disguised as child¡¯s y. However, Eugene could easily recall Gerhard¡¯s thick belly, sluggish movements, and how Gerhard would lose his breath after only swinging his sword a few times. Gerhard had a habit of sighing that he didn¡¯t have any talent. As the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony drew closer, the number of times his father had said something along those lines with a tearful expression on his face had only increased. ¡®¡­Still, since it¡¯s based on the one from the main family, our mana training scripture shouldn¡¯t be that bad.¡¯ If it really turned out to be so terrible that he couldn¡¯t put up with it, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have any other means avable to him. Although it might have been three hundred years ago, hadn¡¯t he still been strong enough to be the hero¡¯spanion? The mana training scripture that he had learned during his previous life should still have some use in modern times. ¡®If even it proves insufficient, I can try mixing it with our family¡¯s training scripture.¡¯ Since he had prior experience, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult to do so. Eugene was confident of this. Not to mention that his current body¡¯s traits were so exceptional that the one from his previous life couldn¡¯t evenpare to it. ¡®Even in my previous life, I graduated from using sword-light immediately and went around waving sword-force, so there¡¯s no way that I won¡¯t be able to catch up in my current body.¡¯ Creating ayer of mana around your sword was called sword-light. Sword-force was a step above that. How long had it taken him to reach sword-force in his previous life, again? It felt like he had been in his twenties¡­. Eugene smacked his lips and fell into thought. The mana training scripture that Hamel had learned in his previous life was a cheap scripturemonly used by mercenaries. He had lost his hometown to a surprise invasion from monsters when he was only twelve, so he had be a mercenary in order to get revenge¡­. It was a past that he didn¡¯t really want to recollect. In any case, he had made quite a name for himself while diligently practicing that cheap training scripture. Of course, he didn¡¯t practice it as it was and had instead modified the scripture to fit himself. First, he met Vermouth. Then he met Sienna, Anise, and Molon. He had received all sorts of advice from them. In particr, Vermouth had given him various bits of guidance even though he had never asked for them, and as for Sienna¡­. ¡ªYou paid actual money for this garbage? Are you an idiot? ¡ªDon¡¯t you think that your words are a bit harsh? ¡ªFool! Come here and sit down. ¡ªWhy? ¡ªIf I tell you to sit, then just sit! Now then, from the beginning, show me how you practice that piece of trash you bought. Because I¡¯m going to tear it apart and fix it for you! ¡­He had received a lot of help from her. He parted ways with Gilead at the main mansion. Gilead headed straight for Lovellian, while Eugene returned to the annex. Dezra, Gargith, and Nina were waiting for him in the annex¡¯s gymnasium. ¡°Show it to us!¡± Dezra burst out as soon as she saw Eugene. As she came leaping towards him, her eyes were inly fixed on Wynnyd, which was hanging from Eugene¡¯s waist. ¡°¡­Why didn¡¯t you choose a spear?¡± ¡°It was my choice.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re great with spears!¡± ¡°Where the hell were you looking back in thebyrinth? Didn¡¯t you see that I¡¯m great with a sword as well?¡± Dezra put on a sulky expression at this answer. She really felt that he was rude and annoying, so she wanted to somehow refute his words; but as the image of Eugene defeating the minotaur shed through her head, she found it impossible to do so. Eugene definitely was just as good with using a sword as he was with wielding a spear. ¡°It looks way too light,¡± Gargith spoke up while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°With your strength, arger and heavier sword would have been a good fit. A weapon like a hammer or an ax would also have been good.¡± ¡°Like I said, it was my choice.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to be a bad weapon, just because it¡¯s light. Since it¡¯s not just any weapon, but one from the main family¡¯s treasure vault¡­. So, how about it?¡± ¡°What do you mean, ¡®how about it?¡¯¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯m talking about our family¡¯s muscle-growth supplement. Since the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony is over, you shoulde back with me to my family¡¯s home. I¡¯ll talk you up to my father, so that he¡¯ll provide you with as many muscle-growth supplements as you need.¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t need any.¡± ¡°It has the best effect if you take it during your growth period. If we add your barbaric training on top of that, you¡¯ll definitely start seeing results soon. No, wait, instead of training on your own, let¡¯s train together.¡± Gargith wasn¡¯t just saying all this on a whim. He genuinely wanted to build a deep friendship with Eugene. After all, this was the first time in the history of the Lionheart n that someone from the coteral lines had defeated those from the direct line during a Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. ¡°After all, didn¡¯t you say that none of the knights back at your home in Gidol are able to teach you. However, our family has a lot of exceptionally skilled knights. Of course, the best among all of them is my father. So, if youe with me, my father will also offer you guidance,¡± tempted Gargith. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Instead of talking with that pig-bastard, hurry up and draw your sword,¡± Dezra butted her way into their conversation. ¡°¡­Nina,¡± Eugene called out with a sigh as he gripped Wynnyd¡¯s hilt. ¡°Go tell the chef to prepare some food for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already given the order to do so,¡± Nina replied. ¡°What about the bathwater?¡± ¡°I have arranged for that as well.¡± ¡°Amazing job.¡± While nodding his head in approval, Eugene drew Wynnyd. The smooth metallic sound it gave off as it slid out of its scabbard made the corners of Eugene¡¯s lips twitch upwards. Eugene stared down at the thin, silvery-blue length of the de. Its edge was so sharp that it felt like one could cut themself with even the slightest touch, and as long as one inserted mana, this sword would allow them to summon spirits of the wind. Eugene was well aware of how powerful this sword was. Even without wrapping it in sword-light or sword-force, if one had the support of a wind spirit, they could create a de of wind around the sword. When the sword was swung in this state, almost anything could be cut as if it were just a piece of paper. Not only that, it could shoot des of wind at a distant foe and could even be used to block most attacks. Of course, without being able to summon a spirit, he couldn¡¯t currently use these functions. ¡°Which sword is it?¡± Dezra asked with sparkling eyes. ¡°It¡¯s called Wynnyd,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°The Patriarch told me that this sword is imbued with the protection of the Wind Spirit King. Once I¡¯ve started training my mana, I might be able to summon spirits.¡± Instead of relying on his own memories, Eugene ryed the exnation that he had received from Gilead. Dezra pouted and looked at Eugene with eyes full of envy. ¡°¡­It¡¯s an impressive sword, but¡­ there should have been a lot of spears even more impressive than that. I was sure you would choose a spear,¡± Dezra threw in her selfish opinion. ¡°Well, there were quite a lot of spears,¡± Eugene teased. ¡°Hey, did you see that one? The Dragon Spear Kharbos! The one that shoots out a dragon¡¯s breath attack with just a single stab. They say that it can even wipe out a mountain!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what it even looks like.¡± ¡°What about the Demon Spear Luentos? Was it there? I like that spear the most. After all, it was the strongest one amongst all of the Great Vermouth¡¯s weapons.¡± Dezra¡¯s eyes grew hazy with desire. Perhaps because she wielded spears as her primary weapon, she held a lot of fascination for Vermouth¡¯s spears. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of Luentos as well. Wasn¡¯t that the spear used by the Demon King of Cruelty?¡± Gargith said, nodding in appreciation. Remaining silent, Eugene returned Wynnyd to its sheath. Chapter 19.2 Chapter 19.2 ¡®¡­The Demon King of Cruelty.¡¯ Helmuth¡¯s second Demon King ¡ª Eugene could clearly recall just how terrifying and strong the Demon King of Cruelty had been. Three hundred years ago, in the Devildom of Helmuth, there had been five Demon Kings. Ranked ording to their strength: No. 1. The Demon King of Destruction. No. 2. The Demon King of Incarceration. No. 3. The Demon King of Fury. No. 4. The Demon King of Cruelty. No. 5. The Demon King of Carnage. Vermouth and hispanions had begun their conquest with the weakest, fifth-ranked Demon King. Eventually, Hamel had died in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon Spear Luentos was the spear used by the Demon King of Cruelty. After killing him, Vermouth became the spear¡¯s new master. Hamel had actually wanted to use that spear, but, as its name suggested, the Demon Spear gave off such terrible demonic power that no one could actually use it, other than Vermouth that is. ¡°¡­It¡¯s wrong to say that the Demon Spear Luentos is the strongest among all of the Great Vermouth¡¯s weapons. The strongest one is, of course, the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth,¡± Gargith dered after some thought. ¡°The Demon King of Cruelty was stronger than the Demon King of Carnage,¡± Dezra argued in favor of her choice. ¡°The ranks of the Demon Kings have nothing to do with the ranks of their weapons.¡± ¡®Now that I think about it, the Annihtion Hammer was also missing,¡¯Eugene thought, tuning out the argument. Among all of Vermouth¡¯s weapons, the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear were the only ones that had belonged to Demon Kings. ¡®It makes sense. Since those weapons are so foreboding, they can¡¯t just be left inside the treasure vault. Perhaps they were sealed somewhere else. In any case, those weapons cannot be used by anyone other than Vermouth.¡¯ As they were weapons he had often coveted in his previous life, he still couldn¡¯t help but feel regret at not getting the chance to pick them. ¡°The Demon Spear is stronger.¡± ¡°No, the Annihtion Hammer is stronger.¡± Gargith and Dezra had started to quarrel childishly. Eugene shook his head as he looked at the two of them and headed to the center of the gymnasium. Nina followed after Eugene in a hurry. ¡°The dinner preparations should be finished soon,¡± Nina reminded him. ¡°I¡¯ll be done soon as well,¡± Eugene reassured her. Although he couldn¡¯t summon any spirits right now, even without its spirits, Wynnyd was a good sword. ¡®It¡¯s also the first real sword that I¡¯ve held in this life.¡¯ Perhaps due to this, he was already feeling attached to it. Eugene pulled Wynnyd out of its sheath and ran his eyes down its de. When he gently reached out and touched the t of the de, the chill of the metal sent a shiver up his spine. As he had expected, a true sword gave off a different feeling just from a touch. Even though it was much lighter than his iron-cored wooden sword, its nature as a weapon that could kill with a single sh proved the difference between it and a wooden sword. ¡°As I said, the Demon Spear is stronger!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s the Annihtion Hammer.¡± Those two were still going strong. After looking at them with a pitying gaze, Eugene turned his focus back on Wynnyd. Both the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Weapon were such great weapons that even he found it difficult to choose which of them was superior. However, if he had to choose the greatest out of all of Vermouth¡¯s weapons, Eugene would make that choice without any hesitation. ¡®It¡¯s the Moonlight Sword.¡¯ It was pure destruction in the form of a sword; even the Devildom of Helmuth had chosen to seal it away. Eugene remembered just how terrible that sword was. Although the Holy Sword was used to kill the fifth-ranked Demon King, it was rarely used in battle after Vermouth got his hands on the Moonlight Sword. Both the Demon King of Cruelty and the Demon King of Fury had been in by the Moonlight Sword. Neither the Demon Spear nor the Annihtion Hammer, which Dezra and Gargith were making such a fuss about, could ovee the light of destruction emanated from the Moonlight Sword. Eugene set aside all thought of the Moonlight Sword and started to swing Wynnyd. Swish. The sword gave off a soft glow as a slow swing of its de cut the air itself apart. From the tips of his toes to the top of his head, Eugene felt a shudder of tion rush through his body. ¡°¡­Wow¡­.¡± Nina softly eximed in admiration as Eugene slowly flowed through the movements of a sword dance. Even from the perspective of someone like Nina, who had no skill with swords, Eugene¡¯s sword dance seemed extraordinary. Gargith and Dezra¡¯s childish quarrel was also cut short as the two turned to watch Eugene¡¯s sword dance with mesmerized eyes. It wasn¡¯t amazingly fast, nor were there any astonishing techniques mixed into his movements. However, the eerie gleam emanated by Wynnyd blended perfectly with each movement in Eugene¡¯s sword dance, flowing smoothly from one movement to the next without any interruption. ¡®I definitely have to get him toe back with me,¡¯Gargith thought as he gulped down his astonishment. ¡®¡­What should I say to get him to go with me? Shall I invite him to take a look around our home? It¡¯s still quite a long time until my birthday¡­,¡¯Dezra was also having simr thoughts. If only her birthday were closer, she would have been able to invite him to her birthday party as an excuse, but¡­. Dezra¡¯s lips pouted in disappointment. * * * ¡°¡­It¡¯s an ordinary ne,¡± Lovellian said as he opened his eyes and handed the ne he was holding back to Gilead. ¡°I have checked it thoroughly, but this item doesn¡¯t have any magic attached to it.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Although he tried to sound casual, these words caused Gilead to feel some embarrassment. It really turned out to be an ordinary ne without any magic at all. In fact, even calling it an ordinary ne was over-the-top. After all, wasn¡¯t it just a worthless, worn-out ne? But then why on earth had such a ne been included with the main family¡¯s treasures? Eugene had told him that the ne had been buried deep in an inside corner of a shelf. Gilead had been in the treasure vault several times to search for this-and-that weapon, but he had never once seen such a ne before. ¡®And the ne wasn¡¯t even registered with the magic of the treasure vault in the first ce.¡¯ That meant someone else must have brought it in with them, but who? Thete former Patriarch hadn¡¯t been the type to y such meaningless pranks. If that were the case, what about his other ancestors? But that still left the question, what reason could they have had for even doing so? ¡°Was this ne really inside the treasure vault?¡± Lovellian checked. ¡°Yes,¡± Gilead confirmed. ¡°¡­Could that boy, Eugene, have been ying a prank on you?¡± ¡°What reason could he have for doing so?¡± ¡°Hm¡­. From what I saw of him in thebyrinth, he has quite the cunning and mean-spirited side. Perhaps he snuck in with something that already belonged to him and picked that instead of something more expensive in order to leave a good impression on the Patriarch?¡± Lovellian cleared his throat and carefully started speaking. ¡°Honestly speaking, Lord Gilead¡­ you must have felt at least somewhat pleasantly surprised when Eugene returned with such a worthless ne instead of something priceless.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t really deny that,¡± Gilead admitted with a wry smile. ¡°However, isn¡¯t he just a thirteen-year-old child? I can¡¯t imagine that a boy like Eugene would be able to predict how I would feel about it ande up with a n like this.¡± ¡°It would have definitely been a huge risk to take. He was lucky that Lord Gilead was able to show such a generous mindset; with just a bit of carelessness, he could have also lost his chance at a guaranteed piece of treasure.¡± Lovellian was only airing a few idle suspicions. Even he didn¡¯t really believe that Eugene could havee up with such a scheme. After pondering for a few moments longer, Lovellian held out his hand to Gilead. ¡°Allow me to check it just once more,¡± Lovellian requested. ¡°Haven¡¯t you already finished all your scans?¡± Gilead asked. ¡°I have confirmed that there is no magic hidden within the ne. However, now that I¡¯ve also gotten a little curious about its origins, I¡¯d like to dig a little deeper into it.¡± ¡°How do you mean to do so?¡± ¡°Hm¡­ how should I exin this? To put it simply, I¡¯ll read the memories of the ne from when it was young.¡± Lovellian continued speaking with a wry smile, ¡°Mana exists everywhere in this world. While it¡¯s impossible tomunicate with mana directly, I know a spell that will allow me to read mana¡¯s ¡®memory.¡¯ It is a spell created by the esteemed teacher of our school, the Wise Sienna.¡± Lovellian was unable to hide the pride that he felt as he finished his exnation. That was just how amazing this spell and its creator were. In the history of magic, the only wizard to discover a way to interact with mana in such a manner was the Wise Sienna. ¡°¡­Then I¡¯ll be counting on you,¡± instead of sharing in Lovellian¡¯s admiration, Gilead simply handed the ne back to him. While feeling disappointed in his heart that Gilead didn¡¯t seem to recognize the greatness of Sienna, Lovellian took the ne. Then, focussing his concentration, he started to resonate with the mana of the ne. Mana existed everywhere in the world. Most objects also contained some amount of mana. Even if it was too meager to exhibit any mystical effects, it was still possible to read the memory contained within the mana. ¡°¡­Mmm¡­,¡± a moan escaped from Lovellian¡¯s lips as he concentrated so hard sweat drops formed on his forehead. ¡°¡­There really isn¡¯t anything. It seems to be an item from around a hundred years ago. This is¡­ the capital? On the side of the street¡­ it was sold there. Then¡­ mmm¡­ I can¡¯t read anything more from this point. It seems likely that magic of the treasure vault stopped the mana from recording any more memories.¡± ¡°A hundred years ago¡­.¡± Gilead trailed off. ¡°Around that time, yes.¡± That meant this ne went back several generations. Currently, there wasn¡¯t even anyone left from that time to ask about the origin of this ne. In the end, he could only specte that the Patriarch from several generations ago had decided to set this up as a prank for some unknown reason. ¡°So, what are you going to do with this ne?¡± Lovellian asked. ¡°Since it doesn¡¯t have any magic imbued within, I¡¯ll just give it to that boy, Eugene. After all, he wanted it so much that he even passed up the opportunity to choose a treasure,¡± Gilead exined. ¡°There was no need to go that far. I guess the boy must have really liked it,¡± Lovellian seemed perplexed. ¡°Well, there¡¯s no reason for why he shouldn¡¯t have it,¡± Gilead replied with a smile. Lovellian returned the smile and handed back the ne. Lovellian was the Head of the Red Tower of Magic. However, even he could not discover that this ne was the very ne that Hamel had worn three hundred years ago. The mana reading he had performed had managed to deceive Lovellian. Chapter 20.1 Chapter 20.1 Later that night, Eugene was summoned to see Gilead. Usually, at around this time, he would have been doing some training to help digest his dinner.Fortunately, the invitation hade with enough spare warning that there was no need for him to head to the main mansion while reeking of sweat likest time. Eugene had washed and put on some formal clothes while being fussed over by Nina. Upon exiting the annex once he was done, he found that all the servants were already waiting outside. ¡°Hey there!¡± They were all out here because of the man who had just greeted Eugene in a cheerful tone. He was Gion Lionheart, Patriarch Gilead Lionheart¡¯s youngest brother. Gion was known to be an oddball who had chosen to tag along on Gilead¡¯s training trip and, even at his age, had yet to be married. ¡°M-master Gion!¡± Nina cried out in surprise before bowing her head deeply. Following her lead, Eugene also bowed his head low, though he nced up at Gion to get a look at him. If Gion had gotten married at the usual age, he might have already had a son about as old as Eugene, but the man still looked unbelievably young for his true age. However, his gray hair, which could be called a trademark of the Lionheart line, gave him a mature atmosphere despite his youthful face. This was due in arge part to the color of his hair, which looked almost white at first nce. ¡®Vermouth also had the same kind of hair.¡¯ Though, unlike Gion, Vermouth¡¯s expressions had always been just as bleak as his hair. It seemed as if Eugene couldn¡¯t escape his blood-ties to Vermouth, no matter what, as despite being from a coteral line, Eugene¡¯s hair also had streaks of gray running through it. ¡°Pleased to meet you. I am Eugene Lionheart,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°Of course, I know who you are. The truth is that you¡¯ve drawn my attention ever since we first met on our return to the estate,¡± Gion revealed. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you gave off the smell of sweat. Ah, not that it was a bad thing. Anyone who bears the name of Lionheart should always smell at least slightly sweaty,¡± Gion joked with augh, revealing his pearly white teeth. He patted Eugene on the shoulder as he continued speaking, ¡°Also, I happen to have heard a lot about you from¡ª Ah, hold on! It¡¯ll be awkward if we just stand around talking like this, so let¡¯s get going first before we continue.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re here to guide me to the Patriarch?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That¡¯s right. My brother wanted to send one of his knights, but I told him that I¡¯d go and do it personally. I actually wanted to see you for myself,¡± Gionughed once again as he turned and set off. As he quickly walked off, his gait proved to be just as lively as the sound of hisughter. After tossing a goodbye back to Nina, Eugene started to follow behind Gion. ¡°Did you say that you wanted to see me in person?¡± Eugene asked politely. ¡°That¡¯s what I said, and I meant it. After all, you defeated Cyan in a duel¡­ and I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve even won the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony?¡± Gion turned his head back to look at Eugene as if waiting for an answer. ¡°I also wanted to see the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony in person, but it¡¯s tradition that no one except the Patriarch is allowed to watch the ceremony. Well, Master Lovellian also happened to be spectating beside my brother this year, but that¡¯s only because Lovellian helped set up this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony¡­.¡± ¡°Is there really such a tradition?¡± ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it? But it¡¯s a real tradition. Well, I guess you could call it part of the Patriarch¡¯s privileges. Like the fact that only the main family¡¯s Patriarch is allowed into the treasure vault. Simrly, only the Patriarch is allowed to have fun watching the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony,¡± Gion grumbled aint, only to tap himself on the lips in regret at having said too much. ¡°Ah, I know it might sound like it, but I¡¯m not reallyining about my brother, you know? It¡¯s just that the traditions are¡ª But if I say it like that, does it sound like I¡¯mining about the family rules instead?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you do,¡± Eugene said agreeably. Gion smiled and revealed, ¡°My brother actually doesn¡¯t mind it when Iin about them either.¡± Although they hadn¡¯t been talking for very long, Eugene had a rough idea of what Gion¡¯s personality was really like. His very attitude seemed to exude a sense of free-spiritedness. It was probably due to this character of his that he had decided not to marry yet. ¡°About Wynnyd,¡± Gion said as he stopped walking ahead of Eugene; instead, he slowed his pace to walk alongside Eugene. ¡°Although I¡¯ve never used it before, I know that it¡¯s a good sword. Make sure to cherish it.¡± ¡°Is there any reason you haven¡¯t tried using it before?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Not really, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m quite fond of my current sword,¡± Gion grinned and pointed down to the sword he wore at his waist. It wasn¡¯t one of Vermouth¡¯s many swords. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it look cool? It¡¯s a sword that I found long ago while traveling around the world, but maybe because it¡¯s a sword that I got through my own hard work, I¡¯m really attached to it.¡± ¡°Is it a magic sword as well?¡± ¡°Yes, butitsmagic isn¡¯t all that impressive. It can¡¯tpare to your Wynnyd. Well, if I had to exin it, its magic allows me to absorb mana a little more smoothly, or something like that?¡± Despite Gion¡¯s ims, such an effect wasn¡¯t something to be underestimated. Although it hadn¡¯t seemed extraordinary at first nce, Eugene guessed that the sword might even have been made by the dwarves. Gion changed the subject, ¡°So how did you find thebyrinth? Although I¡¯ve heard a few things from Cyan and Ciel, I¡¯d like to hear your perspective as you might have a different view of it.¡± ¡°It was really fascinating,¡± Eugene offered his opinion. ¡°So it seems that you didn¡¯t find it difficult,¡± Gion observed as he burst intoughter. ¡°Youreallyhad to face both traps and monsters, then trolls on the way to the center, and finally a minotaur waiting at the end? That¡¯s way too much for kids to handle. Even Cyan and Ciel didn¡¯t try to fight the trolls head-on. As for the minotaur¡­. Brother and Lovellian were really being a little cruel with that.¡± ¡°Is Cyan doing alright now?¡± ¡°His body¡¯s fine, but his mind is a moreplex matter. After all, it¡¯s not like we can open it up and take a look inside, can we? Well, Cyan is just taking his defeat hard because he¡¯s still immature. But it¡¯s better for him to experience such frustrations at a young age. Once he gets a bit older, it¡¯ll be harder to get over such setbacks,¡± Gion clicked his tongue inmiseration and turned to look at Eugene. ¡°As for me, I¡¯m actually feeling a little grateful to you. Thanks to you showing him up, Cyan¡¯s arrogance has been tempered slightly.¡± ¡°¡­But wasn¡¯t Cyan just badmouthing me to you?¡± ¡°Of course he was. He even spied on you from a distance and called you a son of a bitch.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cowardly to insult someone behind their backs.¡± ¡°I thought so as well, so I smacked him a good one.¡± With another smile, Gion again showed off his pearly white teeth. ¡°Because I¡¯ve already drubbed him for it, don¡¯t needlessly get into a fight with Cyanter, okay?¡± ¡°As long as he doesn¡¯t mess with me, I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame. If he could get beaten up a few more times for being rude, then Cyan might be able to correct his bad habits while improving his skills at the same time.¡± ¡°But didn¡¯t you just say that I shouldn¡¯t fight with him?¡± ¡°Mmm, you¡¯re right. Well then, I¡¯ll just give you permission to fight with him whenever you want. That is, as long as you don¡¯t hurt him too badly.¡± While they were discussing such topics, they arrived at the main mansion. Gion casually waved off the greetings from the servants and led Eugene upstairs. ¡°But why is the Patriarch calling for me?¡± Eugene finally asked. ¡°Maybe topliment you?¡± Gion guessed. ¡°I¡¯ve received hispliments earlier.¡± ¡°No matter how many times you¡¯ve heard them, it¡¯s not like you can ever have too manypliments.¡± ¡°It looks like Mr. Gion doesn¡¯t know the reason either.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any clues¡­ but it¡¯s not something to get all worked up over. Though it does have something to do with you and your future.¡± Once they got to the top of the stairs, they walked down a long hallway. As this was his first time visiting the main mansion, Eugene looked at his surroundings with curious eyes. ¡°However,¡± Gion said, suddenly stopping in his steps; ahead of them stood arge, tightly shut door. ¡°I think it would be nice if we could see each other more often.¡± Gion turned to look at Eugene with a slight smile as he said this. ¡°Me too,¡± Eugene agreed, not having had a bad impression of the man. Eugene decided to return the smile to show his sincerity. Gion turned back to the front, his expression turning neutral, and knocked on the door. ¡°Come in,¡± Gilead¡¯s voice was heard from inside. After opening the door for Eugene, Gion took a few steps back. Then he winked at Eugene and shooed him in. ¡®Although his personality is good, he¡¯s a bit overbearing.¡¯ With a slight feeling of nervousness, Eugene entered the room. The spacious room had been furnished into the Patriarch¡¯s personal office. ¡°Sorry for calling you so suddenly,¡± Gilead led with an apology. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene answered, bowing his head. Gilead smiled and pointed to the visitor seating area, ¡°For now, why don¡¯t youtake a seat.¡± Some refreshments had been prepared for him on a coffee table. However, Eugene didn¡¯ty a hand on any of the cookies or tea and insteadstaredpointedly at Gilead. Although it was rude, his behavior was still in the eptable range for a child. ¡°About the ne,¡± Gilead said, not taking offense to Eugene¡¯s attitude; instead, he felt that the spunky look like Eugene¡¯s was actually kind of cute. The first impression of someone will forever skew how that person is viewed, and Gilead had had a good impression of Eugene. ¡°I asked Master Lovellian to examine it, but it turned out to be just an ordinary ne,¡± Gilead continued. ¡°So that was the case,¡± Eugene feigned ignorance. ¡°He even read the earliest memories recorded in the ne¡¯s mana, but nothing special was found.¡± ¡®They even read the mana¡¯s memories?¡¯For a moment, Eugene almost revealed his panic before he quickly concealed the emotion.¡®Oh yeah, there was a spell like that, wasn¡¯t there?¡¯ But even though they had used one of Sienna¡¯s spells, they hadn¡¯t found anything special from the ne? At these words, Eugene couldn¡¯t help feeling ashamed on behalf of his previous life as Hamel. ¡°¡­There are memories recorded in the ne?¡± Eugene asked, trying not to sound too hurt. ¡°Hm¡­ how should I exin it? To put it simply, Master Lovellian used a spell to read the history of where the ne hade from. He said that the ne was purchased in the streets of the capital around a hundred years ago,¡± Gilead recounted before handing the ne to Eugene. After receiving the ne, Eugene checked it carefully. No, there was no mistake about it. This was definitely the ne that Hamel had worn three hundred years ago, the keepsake left by his parents. There was no way he would mistake a ne that he had constantly worn during his travels for over twenty years. Both the discoloration on the chain and the scratches on the cheap crystal hanging at the front were exactly the same as in his memories. ¡®In the first ce, who¡¯d be so crazy to sell an old ne like this at a roadside stall?¡¯ Such a ne could only be sold if the seller was insane and the buyer was even more insane. ¡®Lovellian could be lying, but¡­ there¡¯s no reason for him to do so. Could he really have read it wrong? An Archwizard currently serving as the Head of a Tower of Magic?¡¯ If that wasn¡¯t the case, then¡­. ¡®That would mean a spell that can even deceive the Head of a Tower of Magic has been cast on the ne¡­ creating ayer of new memories in the mana. But who on earth would have done that?Could it have beenVermouth?¡¯ Chapter 20.2 Chapter 20.2 But what reason would that guy have for doing something like this? It wasn¡¯t unusual for someone to have taken a keepsake from their deadpanion tomemorate him and stored it in their treasury. Vermouth hadn¡¯t seemed to be the type for such frivolities, but then again, Eugene had never expected that Vermouth would take more than ten wives after returning from the Devildom either. That was proof, if anything, that time changes people. ¡®But if they really wanted tomemorate me, they should have just killed all the Demon Kings.¡¯ If they couldn¡¯t do that, then at the very least, they should have properly registered the ne into the treasure vault. While feeling aplex mix of dissatisfaction and doubt, Eugene nodded his head to show he understood. ¡°¡­Then is it okay for me to take this ne?¡± ¡°The ne ispletely worthless. Are you sure you still want it?¡± ¡°For some reason, it just calls to me.¡± ¡°Hm. Well, I suppose that there are times when items do that.¡± Children were often attracted to strange things. Even Gilead used to collect old coins when he was a child. ¡°Have you always liked such antiquities?¡± Gilead asked curiously. Eugene prevaricated, ¡°I don¡¯t hate them, but I just find this ne strangely fascinating.¡± ¡°Well, if you really want it, you may keep it.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± With a grin, Eugene immediately hung the ne around his neck before looking back up at Gilead. When Gilead was caught staring at Eugene, he gave a low cough and got up from his seat. ¡°¡­Eugene. I called you here to give you the ne, but¡­ there was one more reason as well.¡± ¡°What reason would that be, sir?¡± Instead of replying immediately, Gilead walked over and took a seat in the chair across from Eugene. Then he picked up a teacup and started fidgeting with it as if trying to sort out his thoughts. ¡°¡­This might seem sudden, but I have an offer for you. It¡¯s nothing unpleasant, and in fact, this offer is for the sake of your future.¡± ¡®No way,¡¯Eugene thought, his eyebrows twitching in frustration at the halting pace of Gilead¡¯s words. An offer concerning his future? In such situations, for an offer to be worded like that, there were only a few options of what that offer might be. ¡°Eugene, are you¡ª¡± ¡°Sir Patriarch,¡± Eugene interrupted him. Gilead stopped mid-sentence and tilted his head in curiosity, ¡°Hm?¡± Eugene continued, ¡°Ciel is kind and cute, but I don¡¯t want to start thinking about marriage so soon.¡± Eugene was sure that this was about engaging him to Ciel. If he thought about it, things had seemed a little strange from the very beginning. Even after Eugene had left her twin brother in such a state, Ciel had stille looking for him the very next day with a smile on her face; and ever since then, she had been clinging to his side like an annoying tick. Also, before the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, Ciel had been acting so overtly friendly to Eugene that it felt off-putting. And she kept bbing some nonsense about how he should call her ¡®big sis,¡¯ just because she was a few months older than him. ¡®I wondered why she kept going on about that, so she¡¯s already trying to put me in my ce as herfuture consort.¡¯[1] That was definitely it. And what was with her behavior in thebyrinth? She had actually giggled as she watched her brother get beaten up by the minotaur. ¡®She was sitting beside me then as well.¡¯ It felt like there had also been times where Ciel subtly kept Dezra from getting close to him. Recalling all the times he had met with Ciel since arriving at the main estate, Eugene felt increasingly sure of his suspicions. It may not have been nned that way from the start, but after the twins had walked over to pick a fight, they must have decided to trap him in an arranged marriage upon seeing the result of their duel. ¡®No wonder. So that¡¯s why he was willing to give me a weapon from their treasure vault. They intend to tie me to the main family by engaging me to Ciel.¡¯ How could they havee up with such a terrible scheme while still outwardly treating him with so much courtesy? If it was to achieve their purpose, were they even willing to sacrifice their daughter¡¯s future? To be able to hide their evil intentions to such an extent, just as expected from the descendants of Vermouth. ¡®No, even Vermouth wouldn¡¯t stoop this low.¡¯ Inside Eugene¡¯s head, Gilead¡¯s image underwent a rapid transformation. Eugene continued trying to excuse himself, ¡°After all, I¡¯m too young to even be thinking about marriage. I need to get my father¡¯s permission as well¡ª And even if my father does allow it, I don¡¯t want to get married to Ciel¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Gilead, who had been listening to Eugene¡¯s speech in shock, suddenly raised his hand. ¡°Eugene, I think you may be misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t call you here with the intention of engaging you to Ciel. That¡¯s¡­ hmm¡­ well, that¡¯s something for Ciel to decide. But of course, your opinion is important as well.¡± In fact, he actually thought that it was quite a good idea, but Gilead didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of forcing either of them into such an arrangement. ¡°¡­Is that¡­ so?¡± Eugene choked out these words as he felt his face burn red-hot in embarrassment. It looked like he really had put his foot in his mouth this time. ¡°I called you here because I wanted to offer to adopt you.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Eugene thought he had been surprised before, but Gilead¡¯s follow-up was even more shocking. ¡®So they had that method avable to them.¡¯ Eugenegot their reasoning for their offer of adoption, but at the same time, he wanted to leap out of the window in embarrassment. He wanted to tear off his own mouth for admitting that he didn¡¯t want to marry a thirteen-year-old kid. No, more than that, he wanted to smash his own head for thinking that he was about to be engaged to a thirteen-year-old chick in the first ce. ¡®I must have been crazy.¡¯ After having to act like a child, it seemed that his mind had somehow be like a child¡¯s. ¡°¡­An adoption¡­ uh¡­ this is all too sudden¡­,¡± Eugene mumbled distractedly. ¡°But not as sudden as an engagement, right?¡± Gilead teased with a grin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for getting the wrong idea.¡± ¡°But do you really hate the idea of getting married to Ciel? From the way you speak of her, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯repletely against the idea¡­.¡± ¡°No, I hate it.¡± ¡°Hm¡­.¡± Gilead put on a disappointed expression, but he soon let it fall and continued speaking. ¡°¡­Setting this talk of engagement aside, what do you think about being adopted?¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°But¡­ my father is waiting for me in Gidol.¡± ¡°If you wish, I¡¯ll invite Gerhard to stay at the main estate as well.¡± ¡°So then I¡¯ll have two fathers?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. But your biological father is, and always will be, Gerhard.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not sure what¡¯s the point of me getting adopted.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to think about it too much,¡± Gilead smiled faintly as he picked up his teacup. ¡°It¡¯s just to bring your family into the same fold as the main family. Although nominally, I¡¯ll be your adoptive father, that doesn¡¯t mean you need to treat me as your real father. Of course, that¡¯s only if you agree to the adoption.¡± ¡°I feel like this would trouble my father greatly,¡± admitted Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ll probably have a lot of things that I need to go over with Gerhard, but Eugene, I too am a father of three children. I am not trying to steal Gerhard¡¯s son away from him.¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­.¡± ¡°Although I¡¯ve never met Gerhard, I promise to respect him as if he were my older brother.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Does that mean that, if I refuse, the Patriarch won¡¯t show my father respect?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± Gilead burst intoughter at such a bold question. ¡°Although I¡¯m embarrassed to even say this out loud, I¡¯m not such a childish person. So, if you refuse¡­ I¡¯ll just¡­ feel a little regret. That¡¯s all. I will, of course, respect your choice and wish you the best of luck with your future. However¡­ I really do hope to allow your future to shine as part of the mainfamily.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think this is an issue that I should decide by myself,¡± for now, Eugene decided to postpone making a decision. While in the end, it would be up to Eugene to decide whether or not to ept the proposal, he still wanted to hear his father¡¯s, Gerhard¡¯s, opinion. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s leave it until after the banquet,¡± Gilead decided. The banquet originally meant to celebrate the end of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was scheduled for the following evening. ¡°I¡¯ll send messengers to Gidol and tell them to respectfully escort your father over,¡± Gilead said. ¡°I am grateful for the Patriarch¡¯s consideration, but I also feel a little guilty for the inconvenience,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Don¡¯t say that. You don¡¯t owe me anything. You¡¯ve proven yourself the most outstanding child in this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. It would be a sad affair if your father could not be with his son during your moment of celebration and glory.¡± ¡°Thank you so much.¡± Without showing any further hesitation, Eugene bowed his head in thanks. By doing so, he was also hiding his joy. Truthfully, he was interested in the offer to join the main family through adoption. If Gerhard¡¯s personality was just as terrible as his sword skills, then he would have epted being adopted by Gilead without any hesitation. However, Gerhard was in fact a truly caring father. Unfortunately, due to the memories of his past life, Eugene had never really been able to ept Gerhard as his father, but even still, he liked and respected the man. ¡°¡­Earlier, you said that this would be good for my future as well,¡± Eugene focussed, putting down the teacup he¡¯d been sipping from. ¡°What exactly did you mean by that?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re fostered with the main family, there are a lot of benefits you can enjoy,¡± Gilead enticed Eugene; he was d that Eugene was showing interest in his offer. ¡°For example¡­ that¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you say that there weren¡¯t any knights you could go to for instruction back in Gidol? But at our main estate, you won¡¯t need to worry about that. After all, we have a lot of excellent knights here.¡± ¡°If I¡¯m going to learn from anyone, I want to learn from the best,¡± Eugen demanded, as he tried to smile as innocently as possible. Then looking straight at Gilead, he continued speaking, ¡°If I¡¯m adopted by you, Patriarch, will I be able to learn from you as well?¡± Eugene was curious to see just how strong the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch truly was. 1. The Korean word used here was ???? which basically meansa son-inw who marries into his wife¡¯s family, rather than a daughter-inw marrying into her husband¡¯s family, and has a lower status because of this. Part of the reason why it¡¯s considered shameful is that by marrying into his wife¡¯s family, the husband is giving up the responsibility and duty of passing down his family name, as his children will inherit his wife¡¯s surname instead. Although that doesn¡¯t apply in this case, as both Eugene and Ciel have the same surname, it still implies that Eugene will have a lower standing than his wife.? Chapter 21.1 Chapter 21.1 Gilead was not offended by such a daring yet childish request. Instead, he actually felt both pleased and sympathetic at the hungry look on Eugene¡¯s face. If a child truly was a scion of a martial family, then they should have such a greedy desire. ¡°¡­Of course, I¡¯ll be able to teach you,¡± Gilead said, looking at Eugene with a happy smile. ¡°However, if you want to learn from the very best, then there¡¯s someone even better than me.¡± ¡°Who is that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s Gion.¡± Eugene recalled Gion and his shiny white teeth. When he was opening the door for Eugene, Gionhadsaid that he¡¯d like it if they could see each other more often. ¡°In the past, my skills were better than his, but currently that¡¯s no longer the case,¡± Gilead admitted. ¡°Really?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. ¡°Is there any reason for me to lie and downy my skills?¡± Gilead returned the question. Eugene¡¯s eyes sparkled with curiosity and interest. Gilead continued speaking with a lowugh, ¡°Have you received instruction on your family¡¯s mana training scripture from your father?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t even learned its name yet,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite unusual,¡± Gileadmented. Usually, children from the coteral lines were instructed in their mana training scriptures before leaving for the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. That way, they could try to initiate their mana as soon as the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was over. Since they were already several years behind the children from the main family, the coteral descendants would try to speed up their initiation into mana, even if it was just by a few days. ¡°I told my father that I didn¡¯t want to learn it yet. If I needlessly learned it beforehand, I felt like I might identally start training my mana without even meaning to,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°So that was the case. After all, you¡¯re so diligent that you haven¡¯t neglected your training even once during your entire stay here¡­.¡± Gilead nodded his head in understanding. At the same time, he couldn¡¯t help but feel pity. Gerhard¡¯s household was one of the weakest among all the coteral branches. Even so, as long as they still held the name Lionheart, families like Gerhard¡¯s could live a prosperous life as localndlords, but their children couldn¡¯t dream of much more than that. On the other hand, what about Dezra and Gargith¡¯s families? Among the coteral lines, families as powerful as theirs could only be counted on the fingers of one hand. Their two families were capable of making all sorts of preparations to support the growth of their children. ¡®They¡¯ve probably already started purchasing mana stones years ago.¡¯ Crystals of mana could be found in the bodies of higher-leveled monsters and in mana-dense ores, like mithril. These aggregations of mana were called mana stones. When first initiating mana, the assistance of these mana stones could not be neglected. ¡®Gerhard¡¯s household probably doesn¡¯t have enough money to afford any mana stones¡­.¡¯ Due to their high utility and the difficulty of obtaining them, the price of mana stones was exorbitant. On top of that, for initiates to get the most benefit out of mana stones, they needed someone with outstanding abilities to guide them. Eward, Cyan, and Ciel had each been personally guided by Gilead when they first initiated their mana. That was why he couldn¡¯t help but feel regret. The boy had already proven his excellence, but the soil of Gerhard¡¯s countryside household was too poor to allow Eugene¡¯s talent to bloom. However, Gilead absolutely couldn¡¯t allow such words to leave his lips. Even if they were said out of honest worry and concern, Gilead didn¡¯t want his careless words to cause a son to turn against his father and the family he was born to. Instead of Eugene, this was something that he needed to discuss with Gerhard. However, even if Eugene didn¡¯t hear it from him directly, he could guess what Gilead was thinking. It wasn¡¯t difficult to figure it out, considering how muchpassion was showing in Gilead¡¯s eyes. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s true that our family is poor after all.¡¯ After this, the two continued to talk about various things. As the banquet¡¯s guest of honor, Eugene was asked if he needed anything or wanted any particr dishes served at the banquet. Time flowed quickly as they touched on various topics. Finally, when a nce out of the window revealed that it had turnedpletely dark outside, Gilead stood up. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve kept you up for far too long,¡± Gilead apologized. ¡°No, it was fun for me too,¡± Eugene denied any fault. ¡°I¡¯ll call someone to escort you over soon, so please wait a little longer.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to do that. It¡¯s not like the annex is that far from here. I¡¯m fully capable of walking back in the dark,¡± Eugene reassured Gilead. After refusing Gilead¡¯s offer once more, Eugene left the Patriarch¡¯s office. As he was walking down the corridor to the stairs, he sensed that someone was sneakily lying in wait for him on the other side of the hallway. It was Anci. She was attempting to stage this as an idental meeting, but Eugene wasn¡¯t surprised in the least. He had been able to notice Anci while she was still hiding out of sight, thanks to the scent of her perfume. As she turned the corner, Anci fluttered her eyshes in surprise. ¡°¡­Oh my,¡± Anci gasped in feigned shock, unaware that her ruse had already been seen through. ¡°It¡¯s Eugene, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes, good evening, Madam,¡± while deliberately putting on a surprised look of his own, Eugene bowed his head in greeting. ¡°My name is Eugene Lionheart, and I hail from Gidol.¡± ¡°Of course, I know your name,¡± Anci said with a fake smile. Anci hated Eugene. It wasn¡¯t just because he had handed her beloved son an embarrassing defeat, but this cheeky brat had also given the main family its first defeat ever in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. And there wasn¡¯t even a single reason why Anci should actually like Eugene. That said, she couldn¡¯t treat him with hostility. No matter what had happened, he was definitely a talented kid. Since he could already reach such heights at his age, as long as he didn¡¯t suddenly die somewhere along the way, he would continue to grow and perhaps even be able to raise his humble family out of obscurity within ten years. ¡®There¡¯s no need to make an enemy out of him in advance.¡¯ That was why she had allowed Ciel to stick to Eugene¡¯s side. Unlike her husband, Anci thought that the idea of ensnaring Eugene and Ciel into an arranged marriage was actually quite a promising n for the future. ¡°I heard that you and the Patriarch were having a private conversation, but it looks like the two of you chatted for quite a while. I didn¡¯t know that you were still here,¡± Anci continued speaking to Eugene with a feigned smile. Eugene felt a strange pressure emanating from behind her kind smile and overly sweet tone. So, for now, Eugene decided to test her intentions with a question, ¡°Is there something you wished to speak to me about?¡± Gilead had responded quite favorably to his bold behavior, but this wasn¡¯t the case for Anci. ¡®His arrogance is already skyrocketing.¡¯ Though she could understand why. It must already be quite exciting for such a country bumpkin to visit the main estate. On top of that, he had even managed to defeat a child from the main family in a duel on his very first day and then went on to win the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. She secretly wanted to crush his arrogantly upturned nose, but Anci firmly held back this urge. ¡®¡­After all, this kid might be my son-inw one day.¡¯While inwardly repeating this to herself, Anci said, ¡°I was curious about what you might have discussed with the Patriarch.¡± ¡°Because it was a private conversation between the Patriarch and me, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t dare tell you,¡± Eugene refused her subtle inquiry. ¡°Oh, right! Of course, that¡¯s the case. I didn¡¯t mean to put you on the spot, so please don¡¯t feel pressured. Besides that, there were actually a few other things I wanted to talk to you about¡­.¡± Anci trailed off, seeming apologetic. Eugene simply tilted his head silently in question. Anci maintained her friendly smile as she added, ¡°Well, wasn¡¯t Cyan very rude to you just a few days ago? If it were under the usual circumstances, as Cyan¡¯s mother, I should have already apologized to you personally. But as the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was just ahead of us, things were out of control, and my apology was dyed.¡± Like hell, she would have. If she had really wanted to apologize to Eugene, then Anci could have just gone looking for him that very day. But instead of pointing that out, Eugene simply said, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. At that time, I had already reconciled whatever problems I had with Cyan.¡± ¡°¡­Oh my. For a child your age, you sure are mature and broad-minded,¡± Anci¡¯s cheeks twitched as she forced herself to keep smiling. ¡°If those are your feelings on the incident, then that¡¯s fortunate for us. As for Cyan, who showed you such disrespect, I¡¯ve given him a strict warning, so I hope that the two of you will get along with each other from now on.¡± ¡°Of course, I will try my best. After all, we do share the same name, so ultimately, aren¡¯t we all part of the same family?¡± Eugene replied with a grin. On the other hand, Anci¡¯s face twisted into aplex expression. He said that they were part of the same family? Although he wasn¡¯t wrong, for some reason, when the word ¡®family¡¯ dropped from that irritating boy¡¯s lips, she couldn¡¯t help but feel ufortable. ¡°Would you mind if I take my leave now?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s fine,¡± Anci permitted. Anci didn¡¯t want to hold on to Eugene any longer. She needed to be careful of drawing her husband¡¯s attention, and she also needed to be wary of the head wife, Tanis. It wouldn¡¯t look good for her to keep talking to Eugene in the hallway like this. ¡°Be careful on your way back,¡± Anci said with a slight smile as she patted Eugene on the shoulder. ¡®What an irritating brat,¡¯she thought to herself. Even though Anci had nned out this meeting, it still felt like she had started the conversation on the wrong foot. However, she would just have to take better care from now on whenever she spoke to Eugene. ¡°Yes. I hope you have a good night,¡± Eugene also bade farewell, bowing his head deeply. He didn¡¯t know for certain what kind of personality Anci was hiding behind that smile. However, looking at the harassment she had authorized for him on that very first day, she obviously had quite the cruel streak. As such, he didn¡¯t want to needlessly get involved with her. Chapter 21.2 Chapter 21.2 Two dayster, Gerhard Lionheart arrived from distant Gidol. Although only a single knight, Gordon, had been sent to escort Eugene; this time, the Patriarch¡¯s own younger brother, Gion, had personally apanied Gerhard to the main estate. This fact caused Gerhard to feel immense pressure. The only times he had been to the main estate were for the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony twenty years ago and the Patriarch¡¯s session ceremony; following that, there had been no further visits to the capital city, let alone the main estate. ¡®¡­So Eugene really won this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony?¡¯ My son did that? Truly? Gerhard was currently suspecting that he might be in the middle of a dream. Or else, maybe all of this was a prank meant to make fun of him. But what reason would they have to do that? What on earth could cause the main family of the Lionheart n, the direct descendants of the Great Vermouth, to summon the patriarch of a small coteral family out in the remote countryside, just to y this sort of prank on him. However, he simply couldn¡¯t ept it so easily. When Gion had first arrived at his doorstep, he had been so surprised that he almost passed out. He was even more surprised when he saw the luxurious carriage waiting outside, flying the unmistakable banner of the courageous Lionheart. Even after hearing Gion recount the stories of what Eugene had done on the way here, his surprise still hadn¡¯t faded in the least. After traveling through several warp gates, they had arrived at the capital. It was only when they reached the main family¡¯s personal warp gate, which was only used for special asions, that Gerhard epted that this was all really happening. ¡®My son¡­ he really defeated the children of the main family.¡¯ Gerhard felt like he was about to start crying. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t heldanyexpectations for Eugene. His son had always been out-of-the-ordinary, ever since he was young. He was such an exceptional child that¡­ Gerhard had sometimes doubted if Eugene really was his son. That was why he had always felt guilty. Gerhard knew full well that with his own capabilities, he couldn¡¯t give his son the lift that Eugene needed for his talents to soar. He had thought that the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony would force Eugene to see the reality of his situation. After all, no matter how exceptional the coteral descendants were, defeat was still inevitable. It should not have been possible to ovee the gap that existed between the direct line and the coteral lines by innate talent and hard work alone, but¡­. ¡°Father!¡± The moment he saw his son, Gerhard forgot all propriety as tears began pouring down his face. Pride and guilt warred in equal measure as he looked at his only son. The Lionheart g was flying proudly in front of the majestic and splendid main family¡¯s mansion. His son stood in the center of this intimidating scene, smiling brightly as he waved his hand at Gerhard. Gerhard had never been able to provide Eugene with any meaningful support. He hadn¡¯t been able to find an excellent knight to serve as Eugene¡¯s teacher, and Gerhard himself was incapable of providing such instruction. Apart from the wooden swords and training dummies, he hadn¡¯t been able to supply anything else. Nevertheless, his son had been able to attain victory at the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. ¡°My son, Eugene¡­!¡± Gerhard pulled his son into an embrace as he continued to shed tears. Eugene was startled to see Gerhard like this, but he soon slipped on a childish expression and returned Gerhard¡¯s embrace. ¡°I¡¯m so¡­ I¡¯m so proud of you. The fact that you¡¯re my son makes me so proud,¡± Gerhard sobbed through his tears. ¡°I told you that I would send you good news, didn¡¯t I? Did you really not believe me?¡± Eugene teased his father. Eugene did, in fact, say this when he left Gidol to attend the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. Of course, Gerhard hadn¡¯t been able to whole-heartedly believe in these words. This fact also caused Gerhard to feel some guilt. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ you did say that, didn¡¯t you, my¡­ my son. I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m so sorry for not believing in you,¡± Gerhard sobbed out between sniffs. ¡°Hey now, what¡¯s with the apologies again. If I were in your ce, I wouldn¡¯t have believed it either,¡± as Eugene gave this soothing reply, he pinched Gerhard¡¯s belly. This instinctively caused Gerhard to step backward in shock. The stinging paining from his thick gut once again reminded him that this was real. But his son wasn¡¯t the only one waiting for him at the gates. Right behind Gerhard was the Patriarch¡¯s younger brother, Gion, and in front of him¡ª Gerhard swallowed visibly and quickly pulled a handkerchief out of a breast pocket. In front of him stood Gilead Lionheart, the Lionheart Patriarch who Gerhard hadst seen during the ceremony of his ascension to the seat of Patriarch. Gerhard could still clearly recognize Gilead¡¯s appearance from that event. He quickly wiped the handkerchief over his face, which was drenched in tears and snot, then bowed his head to Gilead. ¡°A-apologies for thete greeting. My name is Gerhard Lionheart, and I hail from Gidol.¡± ¡°I am Gilead Lionheart. Please forgive my rudeness of inviting you in such haste.¡± Gilead walked directly over to Gerhard and offered him a handshake. Startled, Gerhard scrubbed his hands on the sides of his trousers before shaking the offered hand. ¡°What rudeness¡­?! I don¡¯t consider it that way at all. In fact, I am extremely grateful that you have invited me like this,¡± Gerhard said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to take up too much of your time with your son, but if it is okay with you, would you minding inside with me for a short conversation?¡± Gilead didn¡¯t wish to have a lengthy exchange of greetings with Gerhard out here in the open. As a member of the coteral lines, Gerhard couldn¡¯t help but keep his head bowed low in the presence of the direct line¡¯s Patriarch, and Gilead didn¡¯t want Eugene to see his father like this. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Gerhard immediately agreed. Eugene considerately withdrew, allowing the two men to pass. While shooting curious nces at Eugene, Gerhard followed Gilead into the main family¡¯s mansion. It felt like his son had a lot of stories to tell him, and there were many things that Gerhard wanted to ask Eugene in turn, but Gerhard stayed quiet as he left Eugene for the moment. He was curious about the intention behind this offer to have a conversation with the Patriarch. When he thought about it normally, the fact that his son had surpassed the main family¡¯s children to win the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony¡­ was a huge insult to the main family. Were they trying to put pressure on him because of this? But if that was what they were trying to do, it felt like Gion was much too cheerful to have been sent as their emissary to do so, and it hadn¡¯t felt like anything was out-of-ce with Eugene. Patriarch Gilead also seemed far too polite to hold any intention of embarrassing him like this. Refreshments had already been prepared for their enjoyment in the Patriarch¡¯s office. Gilead got straight to the point after watching Gerhard wet his throat that had dried up out of tension with some tea. ¡°¡­You¡¯re talking about¡­ an adoption?¡± Gerhard asked in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gilead confirmed. He hadn¡¯t just recklessly thrown the offer at Gerhard. Instead, Gilead had exined in detail exactly why he was making this offer. Eugene¡¯s talents were so brilliant that he couldn¡¯t be left to his own devices. However, for his potential to bloom splendidly, the support of the main family was absolutely necessary. A child of a coteral line had won the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony by defeating those of the direct line. While it was a blessing for the Lionheart n to have such a talented sprout, it could also stir into action those among the Lionheart¡¯s countless coteral branches who held seditious thoughts. There was a risk that a conspiracy of these rebellious dissidents might reach out to Eugene. If Eugene didn¡¯t agree to their offer, they might even try to put pressure on him in some form or another. ¡°Of course, as a representative of the main family, I promise to do my best to protect Lord Gerhard¡¯s household from harm.¡± However, in reality, there was a limit to the protection that the main family could provide. ¡°Even if you refuse the offer, there will be no grudges held by the main family. I also promise that I will still spare no effort to support Eugene¡¯s growth as much as possible.¡± ¡°¡­Haha¡­.¡± Gerhard unconsciously let out augh. Wasn¡¯t this¡­ really just a dream? No, he couldn¡¯t escape from reality like this. Gerhard clutched his spinning head. ¡®Eugene¡­ adopted by the main family¡­,¡¯Gerhard attempted to sort out his thoughts. Gilead started to speak when he saw Gerhard remain silent,¡°If Eugene were to be adopted¡­ you, Lord Gerhard, may also be epted into the main family. I know that this offeres as a shock, but¡ª¡± ¡°I mean no disrespect with what I am about to say next,¡± having interrupted Gilead like this, Gerhard took a deep breath before continuing to speak. ¡°For showing such high regard for my son¡¯s potential and consideration for my own feelings, I offer you my deepest gratitude. However, in my view¡­ I have no choice but to consider what would be best for my son¡¯s future.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°Even though the Patriarch¡¯s intentions are well-meaning and honest, I am worried that others within the main family might persecute Eugene.¡± Gilead didn¡¯t feel offended by this concern. Instead, he actually felt respect for Gerhard, who was brave enough to state his opinions firmly. ¡°Although I was born a Lionheart, I am but a humble person who has never truly lived up to the Lionheart name. I¡­ I¡¯ve always wished to fully support my son¡¯s future, but¡­ I¡¯ve always carried the guilt that my humble means will prevent my son from achieving his brightest future,¡± Gerhard admitted his insecurity. Even as his voice wavered, Gerhard continued speaking. Though he sped his trembling hands together to suppress the turbulent emotions he was feeling. ¡°The Patriarch already has three children, don¡¯t you? If my son is adopted into your family¡­. No matter the reason for his adoption, won¡¯t he be treated as an unwee outsider?¡± asked Gerhard. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Gilead nodded. ¡°But the main family values its traditions. So even if Eugene was adopted into the main family, seeding in my position as the Patriarch¡­ would be very difficult.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gerhard listened silently. ¡°My wives and children are also aware of this fact. This tradition¡­ unfortunately, it cannot be overturned in my generation. I will promise you one thing; I don¡¯t want to limit Eugene¡¯s future. However, my will alone cannot represent the will of the main family or of the elders in the council,¡± Gilead offered this caveat. ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Gerhard recognized Gilead¡¯s sincerity. ¡°As long as that boy, Eugene, doesn¡¯t be too ambitious¡­ he will be able to freely disy his talents with the help of the main family. Bing the Patriarch¡­ will be difficult for him. However¡­.¡± For a moment, Gilead stayed silent before bowing his head deeply and continuing, ¡°Lord Gerhard, I hope that you will not be offended by these next words. ¡°It would be far better for Eugene¡¯s future if he was nurtured as a member of the main family than if he were to remain in Gidol. As long as he doesn¡¯t hold any ambitions of bing the Patriarch, Eugene will be able to build up a friendship with my children, as they will all be siblings once he is adopted into the main family. Their rtionships will open up many more opportunities and possibilities for Eugene in the future.¡± Gilead felt quite guilty for saying such things. Eugene¡¯s talents were superior to his children¡¯s. That was obviously so with Eward, but even Cyan and Ciel¡¯s amazing talents couldn¡¯tpare to Eugene¡¯s. Since there was already such a gap at their young age, the difference would be even more pronounced within the next few years. However, Eugene still couldn¡¯t be the Patriarch. Gilead actually wanted to see what would happen if Eugene were to be the Patriarch, and he genuinely wished for Eugene to bring glory to the main family, but these two desires were ipatible. In the first ce, a coteral descendant who was adopted into the main family bing the Patriarch would undermine the traditions and prestige of the main family. Even if Gilead, the current Patriarch, didn¡¯t care about that, the Lionheart n would be turned into aughingstock, and the Council would never allow such a thing to happen. In their eyes, the direct line had to maintain its superiority over the coteral lines. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was a tradition held for this reason and this reason alone. ¡°¡­I suppose that would be the case,¡± Gerhard epted the truth with a long sigh and a nod. His child¡¯s future, and the greater opportunities and possibilities that the main family could offer, Gerhard understood what was at stake so well that his heart ached for it. Gerhard keenly realized his own helplessness and rtive poverty. Eugene could enjoy an iparable amount of glory by bing the adopted child of the main family than he ever could by remaining as the only son of Gerhard from Gidol. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t believe this is something I can decide by myself,¡± Gerhard smiled bitterly and shook his head. ¡°I think it¡¯s time for me to have a conversation with my son.¡± Chapter 22.1 Chapter 22.1 Eugene lowered his sword as he spotted Gerhard walking over with a strange expression on his face. Gerhard looked as if someone he knew had just died and was swaying weakly as he walked. Eugene could clearly guess what Gerhard had been talking about with Gilead, which emotions Gerhard was currently feeling, and why his father wasing here now. ¡°Father, what¡¯s with the expression?¡± Eugene asked. Instead of acting like he already knew what was wrong, Eugene decided to ask Gerhard directly. Gerhard raised his lowered head at Eugene¡¯s words, catching sight of the annex as he did so. He realized that even a single annex assigned to the guests was bigger than their house in Gidol. Gerhard tried to draw confidence from the fact that, at the very least, their gymnasium at home wasrger, but the sword his son was holding made his shoulders fall once more. It was the Storm Sword Wynnyd. He had heard the whole story from Gion about how his son had chosen the sword personally as a gift from the main family¡¯s treasure vault. Even if he sold off all the property that Gerhard¡¯s family had rued over the years, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to afford a sword like that. ¡°¡­Son,¡± Gerhard began to speak, even as his feelings of inadequacy continued to grow. ¡°¡­The Patriarch of the main family has offered to adopt you.¡± ¡°I already knew about that. He discussed it with me earlier,¡± Eugene replied with a shrug. ¡°But what does that have to do with your expression, father? After all, it¡¯s not like the adoption would separate us since you¡¯ll being with me into the main family.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s what he said. However¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­ if I should. If it¡¯s for the sake of your future, allowing you to enter the main family through adoption is the right choice. But in that case¡­,¡± Gerhard hesitated, unable to finish what he was trying to say. Persecution from the main family and future conflicts over session rights¡ªGerhard could easily imagine these dangers lying in wait for Eugene in the future. However, he doubted whether his still thirteen-year-old son would be able toprehend such concerns. ¡°¡­Hypothetically¡­ if you are adopted into the main family, you may have to face many difficult thingster on,¡± Gerhard warned Eugene. ¡°Probably,¡± Eugene agreed readily. Although Gerhard didn¡¯t go into detail, Eugene clearly understood what he was implying. ¡°But father, so what if there are?¡± Eugene riposted. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Gerhard mumbled in iprehension. ¡°Although there might be a lot of difficult things awaiting me in the future, there should also be plenty of good things as well,¡± Eugene reasoned. ¡°¡­¡± Gerhard couldn¡¯t respond. ¡°Father, I¡¯ll be fine no matter what happens,¡± Eugene promised while sheathing Wynnyd in its scabbard. Then he walked over to Gerhard with a grin. ¡°If you don¡¯t want me to be adopted, then let¡¯s just go back to Gidol,¡± Eugene said with ease. ¡°¡­,¡± Gerhard stayed silent. Eugene continued, ¡°I really mean it. As I said, I¡¯ll be fine no matter what happens. Can¡¯t you see, father? I¡¯m doing quite well now, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡®I really have grown up well despite everything,¡¯Eugene thought to himself with a nod. ¡°Even though I haven¡¯t trained my mana or learned from a great teacher, I was still able to beat the children of the main family. As your son, I think I¡¯ve done pretty well for myself. Even if I don¡¯t get adopted into the main family, I will continue to do well,¡± Eugene promised. Gerhard felt the sincerity in his son¡¯s words, and it led his eyes to shine with unshed tears. Eugene gave him the finishing blow, ¡°I¡¯ve never regretted that you are my father.¡± Hup. Gerhard swallowed a sob. ¡°I was born as your son. It¡¯s thanks to you that I am here today,¡± Eugene was fully willing to admit this. If Gerhard had turned out to be someone with a puffed-up opinion of himself that didn¡¯t match his abilities, Eugene¡¯s childhood could have been troublesome in many ways. However, Gerhard wasn¡¯t that type of person. He had respected Eugene¡¯s determination and, from a young age, he had given Eugene whatever training materials he had asked for. ¡°That¡¯s why, father, don¡¯t needlessly me yourself. Instead, you should be proud of who you are. I was only able to grow up so well because, father, you were able to raise me, your son, well.¡± ¡°¡­Eugene¡­.¡± In the end, Gerhard couldn¡¯t hold back any longer and burst into tears, ¡°I¡­ I¡­ I¡¯ll follow you wherever you want to go. Instead of considering my reputation, you should decide based on your own dreams for the future.¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s in Gidol or in the main family, I¡¯m sure that Iwichieve my dreams,¡± Eugene replied in a voice filled with confidence. As well as confidence, these words held a ring of certainty to them. While there were a lot of advantages he could get by being adopted into the main family, they weren¡¯t absolutely necessary for him to achieve his goals. ¡®They¡¯ll only speed up my progress by a few years anyhow.¡¯ He only needed to train up a minimal amount of mana to summon spirits. He could manage at least that much, even if he returned to Gidol. If Gerhard¡¯s family mana training scripture proved inadequate, he could still use Hamel¡¯s mana training scripture. With this absurd body of his, even that cheap mana training scripture used only by mercenaries should still prove quite effective. And after that? At that point, he would be able to summon the lowest level of spirits. Even if this only enabled him to cover his sword with a de of wind, it would rece the need for sword-light. With just that, Eugene was confident that he could overpower any knight he faced. ¡°¡­However, Eugene, if you¡¯re adopted into the main family, you will have a lot more opportunities avable to you,¡± Gerhard reminded his son after he had calmed down. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true,¡± agreed Eugene. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid you might face a lot of disdain once you¡¯re adopted¡­,¡± Gerhard confessed his concern. ¡°Father, you¡¯ve been watching me ever since I was young,¡± Eugene said as he began poking Gerhard in the gut. ¡°I¡¯m not the type to just let any disrespect go unchallenged. Didn¡¯t you hear about it? On my first day here, I beat up Cyan from the main house.¡± Gerhard winced, ¡°I almost passed out when I heard about that¡­.¡± ¡°What was so shocking about it? In any case, you don¡¯t need to worry about me. Instead, you should be worrying about yourself, father.¡± ¡°Worrying about myself¡­?¡± ¡°About this dad bod of yours,¡± Eugene said, as he stopped poking Gerhard¡¯s gut and instead lifted it up with both hands. ¡°The food they serve in the main estate is a whole lot tastier than what we¡¯ve had at home. With how little exercise you get even now, if you start stuffing yourself full of all sorts of food once you¡¯re staying at the main estate, your beer belly will explode for sure.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ha ha ha,¡± Gerhard burst intoughter. ¡°If you want to be around to see my future, you need to take care of your health first,¡± Eugene threatened. Faced with his son¡¯s serious appearance, Gerhard finally calmed down and agreed, ¡°That¡¯s right¡­. You make a good point.¡± All the helplessness and self-loathing he had felt, now seemed ridiculous in hindsight. ¡°Eugene,¡± Gerhard said, btedly donning a solemn expression. ¡°¡­Your name is Eugene Lionheart, the name given to the son of Gerhard Lionheart.¡± ¡°Of course it is,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Your name was¡­. Both yourte mother and I chose it together for you. Never forget this fact,¡± Gerhard said with some sadness. ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot. Do you really think I¡¯d forget my own name?¡± Eugene asked with a snicker, but he still obediently nodded his head. ¡°Even if you are adopted into the main family, your real father who raised you from birth is, and always will be, Gerhard Lionheart,¡± Gerhard finished this with a silent nod. Despite his solemn expression, tears were still dripping down his face. Without letting out any sobs, he hugged Eugene tightly. ¡®In the end, it looks like I¡¯m getting adopted,¡¯Eugene thought from within Gerhard¡¯s embrace.¡®Although it seems like things will be a bit bothersome, there¡¯ll be many things I can wring benefits from, so it¡¯ll be worth it in the end.¡¯ Eugene held no desire to be the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch. Although he didn¡¯t know what might happenter, if he needlessly showed any signs of ambition for the position of Patriarch at this early stage, there would surely be a lot of annoying restraints ced on him. ¡®Although I¡¯m not sure if everyone will believe me when I say that I¡¯m not interested.¡¯ Especially the main wife, Tanis, and the second wife, Anci. Those two would have no choice but to try and keep Eugene in check. ¡®¡­They¡¯ll definitely have a lot of injunctions and restraints ced on me¡­. Unless I confront them head-on, that is. Or I could just try ignoring them.¡¯ Eugene, of course, preferred the former solution to thetter. Chapter 22.2 Chapter 22.2 The banquet to conclude this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was held that very night. Gerhard wasn¡¯t the only one who had been invited as a guest. While the results of this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony could only be considered an embarrassment to the main family, as if he wasn¡¯t at all ashamed of this oue, Gilead had also invited the families of each of the children who had participated in the ceremony. This was to give everyone the impression that this year¡¯s Bloodline Continuation Ceremony wasn¡¯t a disgrace of the direct line but instead an honor of the coteral lines. Anci was pleased by her husband¡¯s decision. Although she didn¡¯t believe that Eugene Lionheart¡¯s victory was the optimal oue, and she hadn¡¯t truly hoped for it, in the end, Eugene had defeated the main family and earned his victory. If his victory was publicized through this banquet, Cyan¡¯s defeat would seem even more insignificant inparison. ¡°Stand up straight,¡± she ordered. Anci was dressed in a fancy evening gown that framed her regal posture. Cyan had been standing beside her with his shoulders slumped and a dire look on his face and was startled by her words and turned to look at Anci in surprise. ¡°There¡¯s nothing you can do about the defeats you¡¯ve already experienced. Whether it¡¯s the duel or the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, what¡¯s happened has happened. However, you still shouldn¡¯t reveal your frustration,¡± Anci lectured her son. ¡°¡­Mother¡­,¡± Cyan whined. ¡°You are my son.The only son of Anci Caines. Even if you were defeated in a duel and showed a shameful performance during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that you are my son.¡± Cyan couldn¡¯t fully understand the meaning of these words. However he could vaguely feel that there was a deeper meaning behind them, so he nodded and threw back his shoulders. ¡°¡­Cyan,¡± Anci said after a pause. ¡°¡­Yes, mother,¡± Cyan responded hesitantly. ¡°From now on, you will constantly bepared to that child. The first thing that everyone will remember when they see you is that you¡¯ve lost a duel to Eugene. They will alsough at the fact that you were partially responsible for the main family¡¯s first recorded defeat in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± Cyan stayed quiet. ¡°This is something that cannot be helped. Cyan, you are allowed to feel ashamed, but you must not be discouraged. No matter how many people mock you, you must remember that you are my son and in line to inherit the seat of the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch.¡± ¡°Yes, mother.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t change the past. So remember Cyan, it¡¯s what you do from now that¡¯s important,¡± Anci bit out these words as she red at Eugene. Anci had been holding on tightly to Cyan¡¯s hand. Through this grip, Cyan could feel his mother¡¯s hand trembling slightly. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Cyan tried to reassure his mother. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right, as expected of my lovely son,¡± Anci said, epting her son¡¯sfort. Eugene was to be adopted into the main family. Tanis and Anci were informed of this fact the previous day. Naturally, they had objected. However, they hadn¡¯t been able to change their husband¡¯s mind. ¡®For the Lionheart n and for the glory of the direct line,¡¯ her husband had said, his words filled with familial pride and enthusiasm that could not be overturned. Rather than the family¡¯s glory, Anci preferred to ensure the glory of her children. However, she was also greedy enough to want to first raise the prestige of the Lionheart name. Combining this greed, her desires as a mother, and recognizing the importance of the bloodline for an inheritance, Anci had adapted to the new reality forced onto the main family. ¡°There is no way that Eugene can be the Patriarch,¡± Anci said, lowering her voice. ¡°However, Cyan, don¡¯t allow yourself to rx just because of that fact. Because you never know what the future might have in store. Since you have so many disadvantagespared to him, you need to work even harder to be the Patriarch.¡± ¡°Yes, mother,¡± Cyan didn¡¯t allow his shoulders to droop down once more, even though they wanted to. Instead, he turned his head to look in Eugene¡¯s direction while nodding. ¡°¡­Still. There¡¯s no need to needlessly make an enemy of Eugene,¡± Anci added. ¡°¡­Because we¡¯ll be brothers from now on?¡± Cyan uncertainly asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anci honestly wasn¡¯t happy to acknowledge that Cyan would have to treat Eugene as his brother, but her reply differed from her inner thoughts. ¡°Make sure to build up a brotherly connection to him. Make it strong enough that that child will be your strength in the future. After all, you¡­ you have time on your side.¡± ¡°¡­Time¡­?¡± Cyan muttered questioningly. ¡°Don¡¯t belittle him because he¡¯s adopted. Instead, treat him as an equal. As you y together and train together, create some fond memories. Don¡¯t allow that child to hold a grudge against you. Just like that¡­ make it so that one day that boy will be willing to assist you,¡± Anci continued her advice. ¡°¡­Yes, mother,¡± Cyan hesitantly said, quietly nodding his head. This small child held quite aplex array of emotions regarding Eugene. From his defeat in their duel came humiliation, unwillingness, and rage. But because of the overwhelming ability that Eugene had showcased during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, there was also admiration towards him, as well as envy and awe¡­. ¡®¡­Now I need to be friendly with him¡­,¡¯if this were only a few days ago, he would have burst into anger at these words. However, the current Cyan didn¡¯t show any trace of that. Instead, he actually felt slightly embarrassed. ¡°¡­M-mother,¡± Cyan tentatively spoke up. ¡°Say whatever it is you want to say,¡± encouraged Anci. Cyan nervously asked, ¡°How exactly¡­do Ibe friendly with him? C-can¡¯t you speak to him for me, mother? You can tell him to make friends with me¡­.¡± Although these words were to be expected from a spoiled child who had never needed to make friends, Anci looked at her son with a gaze full of disappointment. ¡°Talk to Ciel,¡± Anci eventually hissed. Anci would have taught her son a harsh lesson if it weren¡¯t for the eyes surrounding them. Instead, she let out a sigh and shook her head. Meanwhile, Ciel was currently standing beside Eugene. Gerhard was surrounded by the adults from the other coteral families and was busy chatting about this and that. Among these adults, the parents of Gargith and Dezra were especially eager to talk to Gerhard. ¡°You really have raised a wonderful son.¡± ¡°I heard that he will be adopted into the main family?¡± ¡°What type of training did your boy do?¡± ¡°They also say that Lord Gerhard will be entering the main family.¡± ¡°I heard from my son that your boy¡¯s strength is really impressive for his size.¡± ¡°Could you give some advice on how to educate my own children?¡± ¡°Even the main family doesn¡¯t have our house¡¯s revolutionary muscle growth agent. Are you interested in trying some?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quite serendipitous that we were all able to meet like this, so I think that from now on, we should continue to arrange events where members from the different coteral lines can mingle and get to know each other.¡± ¡°This muscle growth agent is most effective when taken by children, but even adults show some effect. Of course, it has to bebined with the proper exercise and nutritional supplements, but I think Lord Gerhard might be able to make good use of it.¡± ¡°Oh my, then that works out perfectly. You were supposed to go out hunting with the guys next month, right dear? Gerhard should go along with you as well.¡± ¡°Once you start working up a good sweat while running across the mountains, Lord Gerhard will also be addicted to the taste of ourmuscle growth agent.¡± Gerhard had no choice but to keep making sounds of agreement as the words poured in from all directions. Eugene didn¡¯t want to pointlessly get singled out by these over-eager adults. As such, he immediately left them behind while Ciel trailed along in his footsteps. ¡°My father told me that we¡¯ll be siblings from now on.¡± ¡°Do you have any objections to that?¡± ¡°It feels a little strange,¡± Ciel said with a giggle as she tugged on the back of Eugene¡¯s shirt. ¡°After all, I¡¯ve only ever had Cyan and Eward as brothers, but now suddenly, a new little brother has appeared.¡± ¡°What kinda crap is that?Little brother?¡±Eugene objected to this new title. ¡°But your birthday ister than mine,¡± Ciel pointed out. ¡°Why should that matter? It¡¯s not like there¡¯s a difference in years, only by a few months, so how can I allow you to call me your little brother?¡± Eugene asked aggressively. ¡°I was born five secondster than my brother, but I¡¯m still his little sister,¡± Ciel calmly pointed out. Eugene was left dumbstruck by her logic. After some hesitation, he weakly argued, ¡°¡­This and that are a little different.¡± ¡°How is it different? I¡¯m younger than Cyan by a few seconds, so I¡¯m his little sister. You¡¯re younger than me by a few months, so you¡¯re my little brother,¡± Ciel continued relentlessly. ¡°No, as I said, it¡¯s different,¡± Eugene was still trying to escape. ¡°Why is it different?¡± However, Ciel didn¡¯t halt her interrogation. So why was it different? Even Eugene, who had memories of his previous life, couldn¡¯te up with a reasonable answer to that question. ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­ because I¡¯m not your real brother! We have different parents, so¡­ that means I can¡¯t be your little brother,¡± Eugene tried to put some confidence in his words. ¡°However, you¡¯re still my brother,¡± Ciel wasn¡¯t having it. ¡°Although that might nominally be true, we¡¯re fundamentally strangers. That¡¯s why I will absolutely never call you by big sis.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just call me big sis even once?¡± ¡°Not even if my life was on the line.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Ciel began to pout her lips. She began choking Eugene by tugging the hem of his shirt back and forth. ¡°Call me big sis, just one time,¡± she pleaded. ¡°No way,¡± he refused. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s a hard thing to do.¡± ¡°I said no way, and I mean no way.¡± ¡°If you keep acting like this, big sis will have to punish you,¡± Ciel changed tack with a threat. ¡°Stop spouting nonsense,¡± Eugene huffed. ¡°Your words are way too mean. I¡¯m going to tell on you to mom.¡± ¡°Go ahead, tell on me, but before that, why do you keep grabbing me like this?¡± Eugene asked in annoyance as he shook Ciel¡¯s hands off his shirt. This caused Ciel¡¯s lips topouteven more. ¡°Why are you being so mean?¡± Ciel whined. ¡°I¡¯m not being mean. It¡¯s just that you¡¯re doing stupid sh¡ª¡± ¡°Do you want me to cry?¡± Ciel interrupted before he could finish. ¡°Hold¡ªHold on a moment,¡± Eugene started to panic, looking around for help as his fists trembled uselessly at his sides. After staring at Eugene sulkily, Ciel suddenly stuck her tongue out at him and said, ¡°I¡¯m not gonna cry, idiot.¡± ¡°Of course, you weren¡¯t¡­,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°I just want to hear you call me big sis, even if it¡¯s just once, is that really so hard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s extremely difficult for me,¡± Eugene answered. After all, how could he call a thirteen-year-old brat his big sis? ¡®I¡¯d rather die,¡¯Eugene sincerely believed this statement. Favorite Chapter 23.1 Chapter 23.1 ¡°I am not going to take you as my disciple right away,¡± Lovellian stated firmly. Eward tried to suppress the butterflies in his stomach as he turned to look at Lovellian. His sparkling eyes were full of longing and anticipation for his future in Aroth. However, Lovellian wasn¡¯t in a position where he could unconditionally grant this young man his desires. ¡°The Red Tower of Magic, of which I am the master, specializes in summoning magic among all the various types of magic. As such, you must first go to Aroth and take the systematic aptitude test to see if you fit our specialty.¡± ¡°But what if¡­ I do have an aptitude for summoning magic?¡± Eward asked hopefully. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s a joyous discovery, but aptitude alone won¡¯t qualify you to be my disciple.¡± With this, Lovellian clearly drew the line at what he was willing to do. Eward looked disappointed for a moment, but he quickly changed his expression, keenly aware of Gilead and Tanis who were sitting next to Lovellian. Eward was about to leave this suffocating household. That alone would be enough to make this a moment to celebrate. Even if he couldn¡¯t be Lovellian¡¯s disciple right away, the fact that he could leave his family behind and escape to another country made the tips of Eward¡¯s fingers tremble in excitement. ¡°It¡¯s because there are a lot of wizards who desire to be my disciple,¡± Lovellian continued speaking. ¡°In Aroth, your identity as an heir to the Lionheart n won¡¯t grant you any leeway. Unless you have enough talent to silence all the other wizards¡¯ protests, I cannot take you as my disciple.¡± ¡°¡­I understand,¡± said Eward, in a much subdued tone. Now that he had delivered his warning, Lovellian beganforting Eward, ¡°¡­While Aroth won¡¯t show any special treatment to those who bear the Lionheart name, I am Gilead¡¯s old friend before I am the Head Wizard of the Red Tower¡­. With my resources, I will be able to provide you with many opportunities, and I will also be able to protect you from the voices iming unfair discrimination. This is all to provide you with the best environment to train the magic that matches your aptitude.¡± All these promises made Eward¡¯s heart pound faster in excitement. However, Eward didn¡¯t rush to ept the offer or burst into excitedughter, no matter how much he wanted to. Instead, he turned to look at Tanis and Gilead with timid eyes. ¡°¡­This is something you should decide by yourself,¡± Gilead spoke first. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be concerned about me. If you want to go, then go.¡± ¡°¡­Father¡­,¡± Eward mumbled. ¡°Eward,¡± Tanis, who had stayed silent, suddenly called out while staring at her son, ¡°This is an opportunity your father has worked hard to grant you. Receive it with gratitude.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eward was cowed into silence. Noticing his son¡¯s difort, Gilead took over, ¡°What reason do you have to hesitate? After all, from an early age, you¡¯ve always shown more interest in magic than you have in swords or spears.¡± Eward still seemed unsure but was unable to think of something to say. ¡°For your sake, I requested several of the capital¡¯s greatest wizards toe and tutor you, but unfortunately, none were suitable to be your teacher,¡± Gilead sighed in disappointment. There was some irony in these words. The wizards who had been invited from the capital to teach Eward magic were all famous wizards who could have risen to positions of considerable height in their towers if they had chosen to remain in Aroth. None of them had be Eward¡¯s teacher because Eward himself hadn¡¯t been able to devote himself fully to the study of magic. This suffocating household had suppressed both Eward¡¯s passion and his free will. ¡°Eward,¡± Tanis said, narrowing her eyes. Eward was afraid of meeting his mother¡¯s gaze. He was much more afraid of his mother, who was always standing by his side monitoring his every action, than he was of his father, the Patriarch of their house. Tanis started one of her oft-repeated lectures, ¡°You must not forget. You are the first heir of the Lionheart n. As my son, you are destined to be the Patriarch of the main family.¡± Eward hated the sound of these words. They filled him with fear and weighed heavily on his shoulders each time he was forced to listen to them. Unable to say anything in response, Eward lowered his gaze to the floor. ¡°You must not forget this fact, even in Aroth,¡± Tanis concluded firmly. ¡°¡­Tanis,¡± Gilead chided his wife. Tanis defended herself, ¡°As his mother, I am only trying to encourage my son.¡± Gilead was just trying to get her to ease up, but Tanis shot her husband a cold re. She hadn¡¯t fully agreed with her husband¡¯s ns in the first ce. She hated the thought of a stranger like Eugene entering the main family. An adoption of all things? How ridiculous! Wasn¡¯t it enough that Gilead had even taken a second wife and ended up with twins? She also didn¡¯t want to send Eward to Aroth. If the eldest son, Eward, was sent to Aroth, it was obvious that that damned Anci would go crazy with joy. However, Tanis had no choice but to send Eward to Aroth. Although her hateful child had been born as the eldest heir to the main family, he hadn¡¯t inherited the qualities needed to appear suitable for such a position. Even worse, he had a weak and naive nature. No matter how much Tanis wanted to keep her son close to her, by doing so, she wouldn¡¯t be able to see even the slightest of improvements in Eward¡¯s capabilities. ¡°¡­Eward,¡± Tanis continued in a softer tone, taking hold of Eward¡¯s hand. She simply stared at her son¡¯s face as she waited for him to respond, without saying anything more. Eward slowly forced himself to raise his gaze and meet Tanis¡¯ eyes. That night, Tanis spent a long time speaking with Eward in his room. Eward would be leaving with Lovellian for Aroth the next day. Tanis hoped that Eward would be able to be Lovellian¡¯s disciple. But if he couldn¡¯t do that, then she at least hoped that he would be able to increase his chances of seeding his father by interacting with other wizards in Aroth. She hoped that by getting along with these wizards, he could create rtionships that wouldter benefit him, thereby gaining support for his bid to be the Patriarch; this was an opportunity that he wouldn¡¯t be able to take advantage of by remaining at the main estate. ¡°You are the heir to the Lionheart n,¡± Tanis repeated this line several times throughout the night. ¡°Y-yes, mother,¡± unable to raise his eyes off the floor, Eward repeated the same response every time. * * * The day after the banquet, a lot of people were departing from the main estate. Lovellian was headed to Aroth with Eward, and Gargith and Dezra were returning to their homes along with their parents. Even the dropouts whose names weren¡¯t important enough to remember had left, so the annex should have been nearly empty, but the servants in the annex were still bustling with activity since early this morning. This was because, from now on, the annex would be solely used by Eugene and Gerhard. Gilead had offered for them to stay with him in the main family¡¯s mansion, but Eugene had rejected this offer. This was for the sake of his father, Gerhard. If he ended up staying in the estate¡¯s main mansion without a good reason for doing so, Gerhard would probably have no choice but to keep walking on eggshells around the members of the main family. So instead of being forced to endure that difort, by living separately in the annex, things would be easier for the both of them. ¡°I hope we get along well from now on,¡± Eugene said with a smile. Nina nodded her head in reply. Her duties as his servant hadn¡¯t been suspended following the end of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. Following Eugene¡¯s request, Nina would continue to serve as his personal attendant. Nina knew that this was a sign of Eugene¡¯s esteem. ¡°Is there anything you would like me to bring back from Gidol?¡± Gerhard asked as he prepared to leave. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything, father, so you should just focus on packing up your own things,¡± Eugene replied. Even though he was currently suffering from a headache as part of his hangover, Gerhard couldn¡¯t afford to rest until he recovered. Because he needed to head to Gidol immediately with a few of the main family¡¯s groundskeepers. Since he would be living in the annex with Eugene from now on, he needed to arrange for his mansion in Gidol to be closed up. All the knights who had been serving Gerhard for so long, as well as all the servants and groundskeepers, were waiting for him in Gidol. While he wouldn¡¯t be able to return to the main estate with all of them, a chosen few would apany Gerhard back. Meanwhile, a few would be left behind and charged with the necessary duty of maintaining the now owner-less estate. As long as they were paid well enough, many of the servants would be willing to stay at their old mansion. ¡°Since the items in the annex are a lot better than the ones at our mansion, don¡¯t pointlessly pack things that we won¡¯t need,¡± Eugene advised his father. ¡°I still haven¡¯t gotten used to the idea¡­. Are we really¡­ living here from now on¡­?¡± Gerhard asked hesitantly. Gerhard chuckled in disbelief as he turned to take in the annex. Although he had tried his best to adjust to the situation multiple times, reality still sometimes felt like a dream. ¡®¡­But this is definitely reality,¡¯he reminded himself. Gerhard felt his heart swell with pride as he looked down at his son¡¯s smiling face. After hugging his son once more, he got onto the carriage prepared by the groundskeepers. ¡°Go safely and make sure to brag about our good fortune,¡± Eugene said with a smile as he saw Gerhard off. The morning of the first day in his new life as an adoptee had passed like this. Normally, he would have begun his training at this point, but Eugene instead just waited around aimlessly inside the gymnasium. Today was an important day for Eugene in many ways. Not only was this the first day in the rest of his life as an adopted member of the main family, but it was also the day he would be initiating his mana for the first time since his reincarnation. All mana training scriptures began by first teaching how to sense mana. Although mana was everywhere in the world, you wouldn¡¯t be able to find it with the naked eye no matter how hard you looked for it. Only after refining yourself and your senses ording to the mana training scripture could you begin to sense mana. Such ¡®refinement¡¯ could broadly be divided into two categories. The Breathing techniques and the Physical techniques. Breathing training techniques umted the mana that was dissolved into the atmosphere by breathing it in; Physical techniques umted this mana through the movement of the body. Neither of them was easy to learn, but if Eugene had to pick, he would say that Breathing techniques were superior to Physical techniques. Once a Breathing technique waspletely internalized, the user was able to absorb mana with every movement they made, but it was extremely hard for Physical techniques to do likewise. In his previous life, Hamel had trained his mana ording to a Physical technique. Later, with advice fromSiennaand Vermouth, he had converted his Physical technique into a Breathing technique. ¡®The Lionheart¡¯s mana training scripture is a Breathing technique,¡¯Eugene recalled. Although it might seem obvious, mana training couldn¡¯t be done just by breathing normally.Breathing techniques used to train mana also required a certain knack, somewhat simr to casting magic. ¡°You¡¯re here early,¡± a voice called out to Eugene. It was Gion Lionheart. He approached Eugene while leading two horses behind him. Without showing any surprise, Eugene bowed his head to Gion in greeting. Chapter 23.2 Chapter 23.2 The previous night, after the banquet had ended, Eugene had received a summons from Gilead. Now that the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was over, and he had even been adopted into the main family, it was time for Eugene to begin training his mana in earnest. For this, Gilead had decided to provide a detailed exnation of how Eugene¡¯s training would be conducted. His training would take ce on top of a leyline, a ce where mana was heavily concentrated. Deep within the forest of the main estate, there was a leyline that only members of the main family were allowed to visit. The leyline wasn¡¯t naturally urring but instead had been formed by the Great Vermouth himself three hundred years ago. Only the children of the main family were usually allowed to make use of the leyline¡¯s power. Although part of the reason why Cyan was already able to manifest sword-light was because of his own outstanding talent, the leyline¡¯s help had undeniably yed a huge role in his sess. ¡®He actually created an artificial leyline. Vermouth really was a monster,¡¯even with the experience from Eugene¡¯s previous life, he still found it difficult toprehend. So Vermouth had somehow forcibly twisted the flow of mana deep within the earth to create this artificial leyline? And it was even able tost for over three hundred years? ¡®Crazy bastard,¡¯Eugene silently cursed. If it was Vermouth they were talking about, this definitely seemed possible. However¡­insteadof feeling admiration for Vermouth¡¯s prestigious aplishments, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel a warped sense of unfamiliarity. Just what the hell had happened to Vermouth¡¯s brain in hister years that he had even thought of ensuring the future glory of his descendants by creating such a leyline? ¡®Taking more than ten wives, having dozens of children, splitting them into the direct and coteral lines while preaching the importance of legitimacy, and even creating the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony¡­.¡¯There was just too much of a difference between the Vermouth that Eugene remembered and the founder of the Lionheart n. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Gion suddenly asked, pulling Eugene out of his thoughts. ¡°I¡¯m excited,¡± Eugene replied with a smile. He set all his doubts and unpleasant feelings regarding Vermouth aside. In any case, Eugene had been adopted into the main family and then allowed to enter the leyline thanks to Gilead¡¯s kindness. Gion was also going to personally assist with his initiation of mana, so he shouldn¡¯t let his opinions of Vermouth color his view of the main family, especially when they were currently riding to the leyline. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy,¡± Gion warned. ¡°Because mana is¡­somethingthat is always around you, but it¡¯s still difficult to sense it for the first time. Although I¡¯ll be helping you, as someone who¡¯s just started initiating their mana, you¡¯ll have to go through quite a lot of trouble first.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Mhm. The younger you are, the easier it is to feel it. As you grow older¡­ your sensitivity to mana dulls. This is because your body gets used to not being able to sense mana,¡± Gion continued his exnation. This was something that Eugene was aware of as well. Just as any sense that hadn¡¯t seen regr use became dull, mana sensitivity suffered from the same detriment as well. ¡°Cyan and Ciel first initiated their mana when they were six. Asfor Eward¡­ my sister-inw was a bit too eager, so he initiated his mana when he was only five,¡± upon saying this, Gion turned to look at Eugene with a bitter smile. ¡°Although they were initiating their mana at such a young age, it still took them around three days to sense the mana. Eward¡­ mmm¡­ didn¡¯t it take him a week?¡± ¡°Does that mean he took a long time?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s actually very fast. The coteral descendants usually initiate their mana when they¡¯re around your age, but it¡¯s said that it takes them around a month just to ¡®feel¡¯ slight amounts of mana. Then after slowly absorbing these traces of mana into their body, it takes them a few more months until they can develop a full awareness of mana,¡± Gion showed some sympathy as he exined all this. Eugene nodded slowly. ncing at Eugene, Gion quickly added, ¡°Ah, but¡­ it shouldn¡¯t take you that long. Because we have the leyline here, which gives you a quick and easy way to sense mana. On top of that, I¡¯ll also be helping you.¡± ¡°How many days do you think I¡¯ll take?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Um¡­. Maybe ten days¡­?¡± Gion said with a half-hearted smile. Gion was lying. In his opinion, ten days would actually be very fast. Although thirteen wasn¡¯t toote of an age at which to initiate mana, it wasn¡¯t a particrly early age either. ¡®And even with the leyline, we can¡¯t guarantee he¡¯ll be able to feel the mana¡­,¡¯he thought, but Gion kept his doubts to himself. After all, wasn¡¯t that why Gion was here, to ensure Eugene¡¯s sess? So, for the time being, he needed to stick to Eugene¡¯s side. ¡°First of all¡­ it¡¯s important for you to be able to feel mana. Although the mana at the leyline will already be very dense, in addition to that, I will be directly infusing more mana into your body,¡± Gionid out the n. ¡°Will that allow me to sense it more easily?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gion confirmed. To have a master like Gion personally assist with your initiation into mana was a huge privilege. ¡®They really are taking good care of me,¡¯Eugene remarked to himself. Eugene had initially expected them to just provide him with a few manastones; instead, they had actually allowed him to enter their training grounds on top of a leyline and even set an expert at his side to guide him. ¡°Ten days, huh¡­. If that¡¯s the case, will I be spending the full ten days at the leyline along with you, Sir Gion?¡± Eugene double-checked the details. ¡°Although the leyline might be in the middle of the forest, it has everything we¡¯ll need. Although it¡¯s small, there¡¯s even a house¡­. All our daily necessities and food will also be supplied by servants,¡± Gion answered his question in detail. ¡°Wow, it sounds like this will be fun,¡± Eugene said, smiling childishly. ¡®As if it will take me ten days,¡¯Eugene scoffed behind his innocent smile.¡®It won¡¯t even take me ten minutes.¡¯ Eugene had only kept himself from absorbing any mana into his body by avoiding any sort of mana training. He hadn¡¯t neglected and dulled his ability to sense mana in the first ce. ¡®Although¡­ sensing mana and epting it into the body are two different things,¡¯Eugene acknowledged. He was feeling some anticipation. Would this cheat body also be good at absorbing mana? Far away from the mansion, a secluded hut stood inside the forest. Although Vermouth had created the leyline three hundred years ago, the hut looked to be in good shape, as if it had been constantly maintained since then. Gion ordered, ¡°Stay here for a few moments. It will take some time to undo the security. Unfortunately, there isn¡¯t much for you to look at while you wait.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene smartly responded. Gion first got down from his horse. Then he took out a keyring from his vest and began unlocking each of the cabin¡¯s locks one by one. These locks weren¡¯t simple iron affairs either. Without the permission of the Patriarch, it would be impossible to undo the locks and open the door, even with the right keys. During this time, Eugene had also gotten off his horse and turned to take in his surroundings. Although he had also ventured into the forest just two days back, they hadn¡¯t ventured anywhere near this deep. Eugene looked around at all the dense trees. He could see various small animals and insects, but there were no monsters. This entire gigantic forest was under strict management as part of the main estate. ¡®Though, if you just look at this natural atmosphere, it even feels like an elf might appear,¡¯Eugene observed. Three hundred years ago, the Demon Kings of Helmuth had begun to run rampant, and the races that had suffered the most from this were not the humans, but the elves and the dragons. More elves had died each time Helmuth¡¯s ominous power had grown stronger, and the dragons who attempted to confront the Demon Kings were killed in droves. ¡­Even now, when only two of the five Demon Kings remained, the two races had yet to fully recover from their past disasters. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s head on in,¡± Gion called to Eugene. Immersed in a mix ofplex emotions, Eugene took a moment topose himself before turning around. ¡°It all looks spotless,¡± Eugene remarked as he saw the inside of the hut. ¡°There are all sorts of magic that have been cast on it,¡± Gion answered the implied question as he led Eugene inside. They headed straight for the stairs leading down into the basement. ¡°Is it okay if we start right away?¡± Eugene asked excitedly. ¡°¡­Hm?¡± Gion gave a startled hum as he turned to look at Eugene. Then after blinking his eyes for a moment, he put on a wry smile and nodded his head. ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± Gion acquiesced. It was a good thing that Eugene was ambitious. However, Gion couldn¡¯t help but feel a little concerned. This boy, Eugene Lionheart, was truly exceptional. Even Gion acknowledged this fact. Although he hadn¡¯t personally seen Eugene¡¯s performance in the duel with Cyan or during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, he could clearly feel the truth from what he had heard about Eugene. On top of that, the habitual movements of his body were so light and agile that it was hard to believe they belonged to a child who hadn¡¯t even trained his mana. ¡®¡­Although being able to move his body well doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯ll be equally as skilled with manipting mana,¡¯Gion mused. Gion was truly well aware of this fact. He was also someone who had heard countless praises calling him a genius ever since he was young. However, even though his talent for the martial arts was amazing, it had taken him a very long time to get familiar with his mana. ¡®Hopefully, he won¡¯t be disappointed after fruitlessly getting his expectations up¡­,¡¯Gion worried silently. The more you were aware of your own talent and the greater the pride you felt from it, the worse the pain and frustration that came from your continued failure. I¡¯m definitely a genius, so why can¡¯t I just do this? As a child, Gion had needed quite some time to get over the frustration from his failures. Eventually, he had managed to ovee the wall blocking his progress, but initiating his mana for the first time and mastering its uses had still been extremely arduous. ¡®¡­At the moment, he¡¯s especially at risk of this since he¡¯s still full of confidence in himself,¡¯Gion sighed inwardly. Eugene¡¯s achievements were unprecedented in the history of the Lionheart n. It was the first time that a child from the coteral lines had defeated the children from the direct line to win the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. It was also the first time a child had been adopted into the main family. As if that wasn¡¯t enough, he had even imed Wynnyd from the family¡¯s treasure vault and then was allowed to enter the leyline. When even adults could be shocked by this list of achievements, how proud and full of himself must Eugene be as a thirteen-year-old child who had managed to aplish all this. Every time this thought went through his head, Gion¡¯s expression softened in concern. Although he knew that his worries were premature, Gion couldn¡¯t help but fear that Eugene would be despondent when confronted with the difficulties of reality. If Eugene had been able to read Gion¡¯s thoughts, he would have doubled overughing. Frustration over not being a genius? He had already gone through something like that three hundred years ago. Standing beside the Great Vermouth, he had had the truth of what a ¡®genius¡¯ really was rubbed in his face over and over again. Compared to Vermouth, there was not a single person in this world who could be arrogant enough to call themselves a genius. Only Vermouth was worthy of that title, and the word genius seemed to exist solely for someone like Vermouth. As Hamel, Eugene hade to fully ept these facts. ¡®The Stupid Hamel,¡¯when he had first seen this name written in a children¡¯s book, Eugene had felt like he wanted to rip a particr anonymous author to pieces. However, after further consideration, he realized that the name wasn¡¯t all that inurate. After all, Hamel had been pretty stupid, unlike Sienna, Anise, and Molon, who had never considered Vermouth to be their rival. To them, Vermouth was just a friend and apanion with whom they had risked life and death together. Although Hamel also felt this way, he was the only one who wanted to surpass Vermouth. As such, he was the only one who continued to argue with Vermouth¡¯s decisions. ¡°Sit over there in the middle,¡± although the basement waspletely empty, Gion pointed to the center of the room as he said this. ¡°For the first step, just try to clear your mind as you breathe. Since you¡¯ll need to get started by sensing the mana in your surroundings.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene obeyed the order. Mana was always present but was difficult to feel. And if you wanted to umte mana inside your body, you needed to be able to feel it first. Full-scale ¡®training¡¯ could only begin after that. ¡°The mana training scripture that has been passed down through the direct line was inherited from our ancestry, the Great Vermouth,¡± Gion began his lesson. ¡®Oh,¡¯ Eugene perked up. He had been waiting for these words. ¡°Although at the start it might have been the same as the ones used by the coteral lines, by now, it has bepletely different. After all, so much time has passed, and¡­ the coteral lines are not allowed to pass down the original scripture,¡± Gion continued. The Great Vermouth had drawn a clear line between the main family and its coteral branches. All the coteral branches shared the same roots as the main family. Even Eugene¡¯s ancestor had once been a member of the direct line in the distant past and was pushed out of the main family when they could not be the Patriarch. After they were exiled like this, an inescapable restraint was ced on all the ancestors of the coteral lines. This restraint made it impossible for them to pass on the mana training scripture that they had learned from the main family to their descendants. The only thing that could be passed down to the descendants of the coteral lines was a poor imitation of the main family¡¯s original scripture. This fake scripture was also made by Vermouth, but of course, it was much less effective than the original copy. ¡°The White me Form,¡± Gion uttered the name of their scripture as he roused the mana within his body. Mana that gave off a pure white light immediately surrounded Gion¡¯s body, appearing as if a me had just engulfed his entire body. Eugene hadn¡¯t known that the name of the scripture was the White me Form, but he clearly remembered the unique appearance of the mana generated by this scripture. The high-quality mana that Vermouth had used had always been expressed in the form of a pure white me like Gion¡¯s. Whenever Vermouth had charged forward with this white me-like mana wrapped around his body, the sparks that flew off him had looked just like a lion¡¯s flowing mane. Chapter 24.1 Chapter 24.1 Continuing the lesson, Gion exined, ¡°The mana training scriptures inherited by the coteral lines all share their roots in the inferior Red me Form.¡± Over the long three hundred years since the first coteral line had split off, the Red me Form inherited by each coteral line had gone through various improvements. By now, the mana training scriptures inherited by the oldest coteral houses bore almost no resemnce to their original form. However, the modified versions of the Red me Form still could not reach the full power of the White me Form. Even after such a long period of development, the knock-offs still couldn¡¯t ovee the original. Thebined wisdom and effort of entire lines of descendants couldn¡¯tpete with that of the Great Vermouth. The Lionheart n¡¯s direct line was well aware of this fact. As such, they hadn¡¯t altered the White me Form to be in any way different from its original form because there was no need to make any changes in the first ce. What reason was there toadd tosomething that was already perfect? ¡°You will be learning the White me Form,¡± said Gion. Distracted from staring nkly into Gion¡¯s me as he had been so far, Eugene nodded eagerly at these words. Although the name, White me Form, was unfamiliar to him, he couldn¡¯t be more familiar with its appearance. It was a sight that had caused him to feel frustration more than a few times in his past life. Until the very end, Hamel hadn¡¯t been able to surpass the power of these mes. ¡®¡­Haaah,¡¯Eugene sighed to himself. He could feel the echoes of bitterness lingering from his past. However, this did nothing to cool the burning excitement in his heart. Gion continued, ¡°Of course, you won¡¯t be able to learn it right away. You¡¯ll need to be able to sense mana first¡ª¡± ¡°I can already feel it,¡± urged on by his excitement, Eugene didn¡¯t have the patience to keep listening until the end and instead chose to interrupt Gion. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Gion grunted in confusion. ¡°I said that I can already feel the mana,¡± Eugene repeated. Gion was speechless as he stared at Eugene for a moment, his eyes blinking in disbelief. Then he burst outughing at the absurd im. ¡°That¡¯s just an illusion,¡± Gion corrected Eugene. He understood how Eugene could havee to make such a mistake. Once you got too absorbed into something, it was easy for strange delusions to arise in your head. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Gion hummed as he wondered how he should convince Eugene that he was mistaken. After a few moments of contemtion, Gion gently prodded his mana. Then, ording to Gion¡¯s will, an intangible wisp of mana moved and hovered at Eugene¡¯s side. When Eugene remained silent, Gion smiled andsaid, ¡°See. It¡¯s too early for you to¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± Eugene said, pointing to his left thigh. ¡°The mana has gathered in this location.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gion¡¯s face froze as he was struck dumb. No way, it couldn¡¯t be. Gion moved his mana once more. This time, instead of focusing it in one ce, he dispersed it. A light stream of mana curled around Eugene¡¯s body. ¡°Here, over there, up, and now down.How long do you want me to keep this up?¡± Eugene asked as his hand kept moving around to follow the flow of mana. Each time he got it correct, Gion¡¯s jaw dropped even further. Eventually, Gion took a few steps back and shook his head violently. ¡°¡­This is unbelievable,¡± Gion muttered in shock. But perhaps this was just a sign that Eugene¡¯s five senses were unusually developed. Gion changed the movements of the mana. Instead of allowing it to touch Eugene¡¯s body directly, he had the mana move further away. ¡°Over there.¡± But even with that, Eugene was able to point in the direction of the mana without any hesitation. Gion was struck by a dizzying sense of vertigo. Was this even possible? A thirteen-year-old kid who had yet to train his mana, who had never received any training to develop his sense for mana, was able to feel the mana as soon he tried? ¡°¡­¡± Gion tried to speak, but words failed him. They hadn¡¯t even gotten to the part where Gion was going to flow mana directly into Eugene¡¯s body! Eugene had learned how to sense mana all on his own. If Eugene had been able to sense mana after ten days with his assistance, Gion would have already called that quick. But Eugene was so fast that it was unbelievable. ¡°¡­Haha,¡± Gion finally broke out of his stupor and walked over to Eugene while shaking his head. ¡°¡­Although these words might seem a little rude, how great would it have been if you were born to the main family.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been adopted into it, haven¡¯t I?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Adopted¡­. You¡¯re right. That¡¯sgood enough,¡± Gion agreed with a wry smile. Gion sat down in front of Eugene and held his hands so that their arms formed a circle. ¡°¡­If you can already feel the mana, then we can begin right away. From now on, just focus on what is happening inside your body without getting distracted,¡± Gion told Eugene seriously. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± said Eugene obediently. Gion began transmitting the White me Form. Eugene closed his eyes and turned his concentration inwards. Soon, mana began flowing into his body through Gion¡¯s hands. The mana leaped across the points where their hands were joined and then scattered into numerous branches within Eugene¡¯s body. His body had never before taken in any mana. However, Eugene¡¯s body seemed to be able to absorb mana ¡®well,¡¯ to an almost unbelievable extent. This fact surprised Gion once again. Gion muttered to himself,¡®He¡¯s a genius¡­. No, this is¡­.¡¯ Gion¡¯s eyes wavered. He adjusted the flow of mana that he was sending into Eugene to be a little stronger. He was going to teach Eugene how to breathe in mana, not the Physical technique equivalent. Gion led Eugene into bing conscious of the mana that was in the air he breathed in and then helped him memorize how to flow this mana through his body ording to a set pattern, thus forming the mana breathing cycle. Eugene concentrated on feeling how the mana was flowing within his body. As the mana spread throughout his body, it formed a center at his heart. The mana converged around his heart and then settled into the blood vessels connected to the heart. Mana began flowing back out along with his blood. Although they flowed together, the movement of his mana didn¡¯tpletely follow the cirction system of his blood. ¡®¡­He¡¯s a monster,¡¯Gion finished his earlier thought. Gion slowly cut off the flow of mana that he was infusing into Eugene. However, the cirction of mana within Eugene¡¯s body didn¡¯t stop, following the withdrawal of Gion¡¯s mana. This showed that Eugene was already able to independently adjust the flow of mana within his own body. He was even making sure not to rush, going slowly so that his body had time to get used to it. Gion couldn¡¯t help but feel even further surprised that Eugene was able to aplish this much. ¡°¡­Make sure not to stop breathing,¡± Gion eventually managed to squeeze out in a shaking voice. ¡°Imagine that you¡¯re breathing in the leyline¡¯s mana with each breath you take. Yes, like that¡­. Take the mana you¡¯ve breathed in, and guide it to follow the cirction path set by the White me Form. Back now¡­ back to the heart.¡± Eugene¡¯s face showed no response. He was concentrating all his attention on memorizing the flow of mana. Then, as he breathed in more mana, he guided this inhaled mana into his heart. Gion was no longer holding Eugene¡¯s hands. Unable to close his gaping mouth, he stood up and took a few steps back. ¡°¡­That¡¯s right¡­ you¡¯re doing¡­ very well,¡± the words that slowly fell from his lips seemed ridiculous to Gion. Doing well? How were these words enough to describe what was happening? It was just that he didn¡¯t know what else he could say, forcing him to babble something inane like that. With each breath he took, Eugene was sending ripples through the rich mana of the leyline. Since Eugene had just initiated his mana, there was a tight limit to the amount of mana his body could ept. Or at least, that was how it should have been. However, Eugene was currently in the middle of breaking that piece ofmon sense into pieces. ¡®This is insane.¡¯ Gion wasn¡¯t the only one feeling astonished.Eugene was also surprised by the performance of this body that he had been reincarnated into. Because he had the memories of his past life, sensing mana wasn¡¯t difficult for him. That applied to forming the mana breathing cycle as well. However, even with all that, his body was absorbing mana with surprising ease. It was to the extent where he could feel the mana stored within his body increasing significantly with each breath. Of course, even a small increase would seem significant when he didn¡¯t have any mana in his body in the first ce. Still, no matter how good his sensitivity to mana was, it was a fact that his mana absorption rate exceeded all expectations. ¡®¡­But it looks like I still have limits,¡¯ Eugene finally realized. There was an inevitable end to the amount of mana that this young body could absorb.After being immersed in concentration for quite some time, Eugene opened his mouth and released a long sigh as heopened his eyes. His whole body felt sticky from being drenched in sweat. ¡°¡­Haha,¡± Eugeneughed in satisfaction. Chapter 24.2 Chapter 24.2 Eugene had been in this focused state for a good long while. Although the length of time was actually shorter than Gion had expected their first session to be, what Eugene had managed to aplish during these few hours broke all of Gion¡¯s beliefs and certainties. The mana of the leyline had actually thinned enough that a difference could be felt. Although it would recover with time, this was a sign that Eugene had absorbed as much mana as his body could possiblyhandle in just a few hours. Cyan, Ciel, and Eward had taken several days just to sense mana. Then it took them a lot longer to absorb mana into their bodies and eventually form a core from it. That went for Gion as well. Eugene, however¡­ had been able to sense mana as soon as he took a seat and, immediately after forming the mana breathing cycle, had gathered the mana around his heart in order to form his core. Eugene had even managed the whole process without much help from Gion. All Gion had done was provide an initial influx of mana and transmit the flow pattern of the White me Form. ¡®¡­The size of his core is also rming,¡¯Gion observed. It was sorge that it was impossible to believe that Eugene had just initiated his mana. If you didn¡¯t know Eugene¡¯s circumstances, the size might lead you to believe that he¡¯d been training his mana for a few years now. ¡®It¡¯s usually much smaller than that, but¡­.¡¯ When Gion had first started training his mana, his core was much smaller than Eugene¡¯s, but as he diligently trained his mana, the size of his core grewrger. ¡°¡­So you really are a monster,¡± Gion finally managed to choke out the words. While wiping away the sweat running down his cheeks, Eugene smiled calmly and asked,¡°That¡¯s apliment,right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s definitely¡­ apliment,¡± Gion muttered in a dull tone as he gave Eugene a hand up. ¡°¡­Well¡­ um¡­ let¡¯s start heading back.¡± Gion¡¯s thoughts were preupied with a single question, how exactly should he exin what had just happened to his brother? ¡®Thanks, Vermouth,¡¯Eugene smiled as he thought of thisrade from his previous life. Eugene continued to learn more about the White me Form on the way back. The biggest difference between the White me Form and the Red me Form was the former¡¯s ability to split off part of the original core to form a new core. No matter how much you developed and trained in the Red me Form, in the end, you could only have a single mana core inside your body. However, when the White me Form grew past a certain level, the core would split into two. In this way, the body would be able to absorb even more mana, and the split cores could resonate with each other to amplify both cores¡¯ power. Each of these cores, both the original and the one that had split off, were called ¡®stars,¡¯ and the number of stars you had reached marked your progress in the White me Form. The Great Vermouth, the progenitor of the Lionheart n and creator of the White me Form, had held ten stars in his body. In the entire history of the Lionheart n, Vermouth was the only one who had managed to reach the Tenth Star of the White me Form. ¡°Both my brother and I are at the Sixth Star,¡± Gion revealed. This seemed like nothing next to the Great Vermouth. However, in the history of the Lionheart n, the number of people who had managed to reach the Sixth Star of the White me Form could be counted on one hand. ¡°Cyan, Ciel, and Eward are all at¡­ the First Star. Although I¡¯m not sure about Eward, the twins should reach the Second Star after a year or so,¡± Gion cited as an example of how fast progress in the White me Form usually was. ¡°What about me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t tell,¡± Gion replied with a wry smile. The unbelievable sight he had seen back at the leyline caused Gion to answer very cautiously out of fear of having to eat his words. Gion continued the lecture, ¡°In my case¡­ it took me eight years to go from the First Star to the Second Star. It was around the same for my brother. Since Cyan and Ceil initiated their mana when they were six¡­ if they manage to reach the Second Star by next year, it would have taken them eight years, just like my brother and me.¡± ¡°Then will it take me eight years as well?¡± Eugene guessed. ¡°No,¡± came the immediate reply. Although he couldn¡¯t guess how long it would take Eugene, Gion felt certain as he said, ¡°You¡¯ll be a lot faster than that.¡± Gion could at least be confident of this belief. In the records of the Lionheart n, there had never been a child who was able to sense mana and begin practicing the White me Form as fast as Eugene. At the moment, just looking at Eugene¡¯s core, it seemed to be bigger than Cyan¡¯s when the boy was ten. ¡°It definitely won¡¯t take you eight years. Well¡­ as long as you don¡¯t bezy, that is,¡± Gion reminded Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to work hard,¡± Eugene replied with a grin. As if Eugene would bezy, there was no way he would do something as brain-dead as that. Now that he had been reincarnated into a body that was overwhelmingly better than the one from his previous life, he didn¡¯t want such a body to go to waste out of his own slothfulness. ¡®On top of that, I¡¯ve even learned Vermouth¡¯s mana training scripture,¡¯Eugene mused in excitement. How often had he been left feeling frustrated by that damned white me and the shining lion¡¯s mane that had sped ahead of him? Until the very end, Stupid Hamel had never been able to surpass Vermouth. No matter how hard he had worked, he had never been able to match Vermouth in strength. But now, was it possible for him to catch up to Vermouth? After some thought, Eugene decided,¡®No way.¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t want to just match the hero. What he wanted, what he had always wanted, was to surpass Vermouth. It wasn¡¯t for the sake of bragging rights. He had never even thought about doing something like that. You should be grateful for your hard-earned strength and make sure to use it properly. Why do needless shit like that and waste your own hard work? ¡®For now, I should just focus on learning all I can about the White me Form¡­. But the Tenth Star¡­ I¡¯m not sure if I¡¯ll be able to reach it.¡¯ Of course, there was no way that Eugene was just going to follow the lesson n obediently. Although he would have to try and dig deep into the structure of the White me Form first, if there was anything that didn¡¯t quite suit him, then he would make his own adaptations to fix it. ¡®Guess I¡¯ll have to deconstruct it as I¡¯m learning it.¡¯ Hamel¡¯s abilities weren¡¯t as exceptional as Vermouth¡¯s. Eugene was well aware of this fact. Still, his inherited abilities were better than most people¡¯s, and they could perhaps even be better than those of the previous Lionheart Patriarchs. ¡®Although I¡¯ll have to give it a go to know for sure.¡¯ He would have to try out various ideas based on the original White me Form. Now that he had initiated his mana, Eugene was currently capable of doing much more than he could before. ¡°I¡¯ll exin things to the Patriarch. As for you¡­ you must be tired, so go get a good rest,¡± with these words, Eugene parted ways with Gion in front of the annex. Eugene sent Gion off with a bright smile. Eugene had clearly heard the order to go and rest. Truthfully speaking, his body was quite tired. Although his body wouldn¡¯t let out a single protest no matter how much abuse he put it through, just absorbing a lot of unfamiliar mana was enough to make it feel exhausted. However, Eugene had no intention of resting. Since there was no one to tell him otherwise, why should he rest? This kind of fatigue would get better with just a full night¡¯s sleep anyway. ¡®First of all, why don¡¯t we go have a look at my new abilities,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. Eugene pulled off his sweat-drenched clothes and tossed them aside. Nina, who hade running out of the annex, stopped and stiffened as she saw his current appearance before turning around and heading back inside. This was because Nina realized that she needed to go and fetch a few necessary items for Eugene, such as a new set of clothes, a towel, and a washbasin. As she was leaving, Nina turned her head and called out, ¡°Ah¡­. Hold on, Master Eugene! What would you like for dinner?!¡± ¡°Meat!¡± came the answering shout. ¡°Yes, master!¡± It was just as she had expected. Nina ran back into the annex, hurrying to prepare for Eugene¡¯s unexpected return. Eugene stood still and turned his attention to the core inside his body. From its appearance, it truly deserved to be called a star. Created through the flow of mana guided by the White me Form, the core centered around his heart looked as if all the stars in the night sky had gathered into a sparkling sphere. ¡®It¡¯s small,¡¯Eugene frowned. It was so small that it couldn¡¯t even bepared to the one he had in his previous life, but this wasn¡¯t something to be disappointed about. At thirteen, Hamel had yet to even initiate his mana. At that time, Hamel was¡­ just trying to survive¡­. When he was young, Hamel had lived in a vige frequently attacked by monsters, a small vige at that. There had only been asional attacks in the beginning, but by the time Hamel turned ten, the attacks had be more frequent and even more ferocious. In order to protect the vige, everyone needed to know how to fight the monsters. So all the adults carried weapons like swords and axes, and the children held smaller versions of these weapons. Hamel was like that as well. As soon as he received a weapon, he had learned various ways of fighting¡­. But then, before too long, the vige was destroyed. The reason behind the steady intensification of monster attacks was the Demon Kings of Helmuth. Finally, a sudden assault wiped out the vige and left a young Hamel as the only survivor. Chapter 24.3 Chapter 24.3 ¡®¡­At least my current circumstances are iparably better than my past life,¡¯Eugene thought as he tried to shake off the bad memories. Eugene had initiated his mana earlier than he had in his previous life, and he had even learned Vermouth¡¯s White me Form. Due to these facts, it didn¡¯t make sense topare the current size of his core with the core he hadfirst cultivated in his past life. Eugene shook off his mncholic feelings and focused on the star around his heart. He began moving his mana, allowing it to flow alongside his blood, but also in different directions. While maintaining the flow of the White me Form, Eugene started warming up his body. Soon, Eugene was nodding with a satisfied expression. ¡®Looks good,¡¯he decided. Just because your core had a lot of mana, that didn¡¯t mean you were strong. What was important was how you used that mana. The White me Form also strictly abided by this principle. Even with this meager amount of mana, his body movements had already improved noticeably. From there, Eugene tried applying the experiences obtained from his previous life. He had always had a knack for handling mana, and he knew just how to maximize his power. Pow! A clenched fist burst through the air with a bang. Although he had only punched once, his muscles and bones already felt numb. Even though Eugene hadn¡¯t neglected his physical training, he had yet to familiarize himself with the amplifying effect that mana had on the body. ¡®This is something that I¡¯ll just need to gradually get used to.¡¯ After moving his body around a few more times, Eugene concluded that he wasn¡¯t able to create sword-light yet. Although he might be able to seed if he forcefully tried to squeeze some out, he didn¡¯t want to do something like that so soon. ¡®If I pointlessly deplete my core, even taking a day off won¡¯t be enough for me to recover.¡¯ Just like how you could get serious health problems by overworking your body, the same went for the core as well. If he used up all his mana, his core would be depleted, cing a corresponding burden on his body. ¡°Master Eugene,¡± Nina called out as she approached. After setting a heavy water basin down on the ground, she didn¡¯t pause to catch her breath and immediately started wiping Eugene¡¯s body with a dry towel. Eugene stood still, allowing her to work as he continued to think. ¡®I might be able to make a contract now,¡¯ he pondereduncertainly. He had gone through all sorts of things in his previous life, but he had never signed a contract with a spirit. So Eugene was currently unsure if he could summon a spirit with the minimal amount of mana he had now. ¡°Stand back a little,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°Yes,¡± Nina immediately skirted backward with a nod of her head. Eugene slowly took a deep breath as he drew Wynnyd. The bluish-silver de slid out of its sheath with a smooth ring. Nina¡¯s shoulder trembled as she was startled by this sight. After taking a few more deep breaths, Eugene began drawing mana away from his core. ¡®Let¡¯s give it a try,¡¯he thought with anticipation. He had never learned any sort of magic, let alone spirit magic. So he couldn¡¯t predict the amount of mana it would take to summon something. As such, he had no choice but to try blindly. The mana from his core flowed into Wynnyd. The star revolving around his heart began to shine. Strangely, even though he couldn¡¯t see this, he could feel this happening to the star deep inside his body. Wynnyd¡¯s de trembled. The magic sword began to hungrily devour all the mana Eugene was feeding it. Sweat once again dripped down from his body, which had just been wiped clean. The de emitted a soft light, and a gentle breeze started to whirl around Eugene. ¡°¡­Aah¡­¡± Nina gasped in shock upon seeing such a sight. As the wind gradually grew stronger, it began fluttering Eugene¡¯s hair. His mouth had dried up out of tension, but Eugene clenched his teeth and continued to infuse his mana into the de. Roooooar! At some point, the gentle breeze began turning into a violent storm. Nina jolted in surprise and drew back even further. However, the one that was most surprised was Eugene. What was going on? The wind was already so strong that he couldn¡¯t even open his eyes properly, but it was still growing stronger. Even though Wynnyd wasn¡¯t taking in any more mana. Eugene felt something like a ¡®door¡¯ appear inside of his body. This door opened slowly, and as the opening grew wider, the wind grew even stronger. By now, the wind blowing around Eugene had formed a tornado. [¡­You are¡­.] In the center of this tornado, Eugene lifted his head to look around. The fiercely blowing wind seemed to be carrying a voice that was speaking inside of Eugene¡¯s head. [¡­Could it really be¡­ are you really Hamel?] Eugene¡¯s heart started pounding as he tried to find out where this voice wasing from. ¡°Is that you, Tempest?¡± he asked. Tempest was the Wind Spirit King who had bestowed his protection onto the Storm Sword Wynnyd. Eugene had seen Vermouth summon him a few times in his previous life. [How could it be you? Could it really be that¡­ you¡¯ve reincarnated?] Eugene began responding to Tempest in his head,¡®You old fucker, how could you tell it was me?¡¯ [As Vermouth¡¯spanion, how could I forget the appearance of your soul?] Three hundred years had flown by, and even his face had changed, but his soul was still the same. Spirits weren¡¯t beings of the material ne. So the Wind Spirit King, Tempest, had easily recognized Hamel by his soul. [¡­It looks like you also remember me.] ¡®How on earth did you get here? I wasn¡¯t trying to summon you,¡¯Eugene demanded. [It¡¯s been a long time since Ist heard Wynnyd¡¯s call. I was curious to see which of Vermouth¡¯s descendants had been chosen to wield it, but then I felt¡­ a familiar soul.] The wind slowly began to die down. As it did, static began to interfere with Tempest¡¯s voice as it echoed inside his head. [How could this be? For someone to be reincarnated with their old memories¡­ and as Vermouth¡¯s descendant at that? And it¡¯s Hamel of all people?] ¡®Why didn¡¯t Vermouth kill the remaining Demon Kings?¡¯Eugene suddenly asked. How had he been reincarnated? Eugene had no idea. He had died in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, and by the time he hade to his senses, he was already in the body of a wailing newborn baby. ¡®Tell me, Tempest. Didn¡¯t you apany them on the rest of their journey through the Devildom? Why are the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction still alive after three hundred years?¡¯ [I don¡¯t know why Vermouth made that decision,] Tempest replied. [The only thing I know is that¡­ in the decisive battle with the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ Vermouth sheathed his sword.] ¡®What?!¡¯Eugene eximed. [¡­I don¡¯t know exactly what happened at that moment.] Tempest¡¯s voice was getting harder to hear,[¡­Their fight at that time¡­ was fierce but ultimately futile. In the end, only Vermouth and the Demon King of Incarceration were left standing. At the final moment, Vermouth put down his sword and refused to kill the Demon King of Incarceration. Neither did he go on to the castle of the Demon King of Destruction¡­. Their journey ended at the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration.] ¡®¡­Don¡¯t bullshit me,¡¯Eugene growled through clenched teeth. Their journey had just ended here? ording to the stories, the Hero Vermouth and hispanions had driven the Demon King of Incarceration to the brink of death. However, the Demon King of Incarceration had managed to escape without dying and begged the Demon Lord of Destruction for help. During Hamel¡¯s death, Vermouth had sworn an oath that he would kill all of the Demon Kings. Of course, Eugene hadn¡¯t been around to hear such an oath, but all the fairy tales agreed on this. So the hero¡¯s party had headed onwards to the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. However they could not defeat the two Demon Kings who had joined forces and instead forced them to swear an ¡®Oath¡¯ to bring peace to the world¡­. ¡®Like I said, don¡¯t bullshit me,¡¯Eugene demanded as the taste of blood filled his mouth, and his head grew dizzy.¡®What the fuck is with that Oath? Why did they make such an Oath? Why? Vermouth sheathed his sword? Instead of killing the Demon King of Incarceration¡­?¡¯ [I don¡¯t know anything about that Oath or why Vermouth made such a decision.] ¡®So what do you know, you son of a bitch?¡¯ [Only those who were there know what kind of Oath was made. From the moment that Vermouth put away his sword, I could no longer intervene in that situation.] ¡®Those who were there¡­? Didn¡¯t you say that no one was left standing there apart from Vermouth and the Demon King of Incarceration? Doesn¡¯t that mean¡­ everyone else lost consciousness¡­?! Are you asking me to dig up Vermouth¡¯s corpse and ask him?¡¯ [There¡¯s no more time¡­.] Tempest let out a long sigh. [With your inadequate mana, it would be impossible for you to have summoned me¡­. I forcibly opened the door toe here, so now I have to close it.] ¡®Answer me before you go!¡¯ [I told you I don¡¯t know, so why do you keep asking me¡­. I would also like to ask Vermouth why he did that¡­.] The wind was fading into nothingness, and Tempest¡¯s voice came drifting in and out. [¡­Next time¡­ when you have enough strength¡­.] Eugene grabbed onto something to steady his swaying body as he red down at Wynnyd. [Then¡­ let¡¯s meet again¡­ some time.] ¡°You motherfucker,¡± unable to hold it in any longer, Eugene spat out a curse. ¡°Tell me the full story¡­ before you leave¡­.¡± The wind finally vanished. And Eugene passed out with a nosebleed. Chapter 25.1 Chapter 25.1 When Eugene woke back up, it was in the bed he had been using for the past few days. Nina, who had been waiting at his bedside, let out a startled gasp and was about to call for someone, but Eugene immediately raised his hand to stop her. ¡°Please, keep quiet,¡± Eugene groaned. ¡°A-allow me to call someone for assistance,¡± whispered Nina. ¡°No, it¡¯s okay,¡± refused Eugene. ¡°Just stay still.¡± Nina let out a confused noise, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Stay still and don¡¯t say anything,¡± forcing out these words, Eugene clutched his aching head. His memories weren¡¯t clouded, and Eugene clearly remembered what he¡¯d been doing just before he copsed and the contents of his conversation with Tempest. But that still left him with a throbbing headache, along with a hollow feeling of emptiness inside his body. This would have been an unfamiliar sensation for the thirteen-year-old Eugene if not for his memories as Hamel. This feeling was mana depletion. He had managed to squeeze out what little mana he had until there had been nothing left. ¡®¡­This is all because Tempest just had to show up in person.¡¯ All his mana had been sucked dry just by opening the door to the spirit world. From there, Tempest had taken over and crossed over into the physical world for a short time under his own power. Doing this had ced quite a considerable burden on Tempest as well. Even spirits with great strength weren¡¯t able to open the door to the spirit world by themselves. But as someone who had be a Spirit King, Tempest was able to push the door open further by cing the burden for doing so on himself. ¡®It looks like Tempest must have been quite excited as well.¡¯ Tempest had recklessly shouldered the burden and forcibly widened the opening to descend to the physical world and confirm the truth for himself. That was how much Tempest, the Wind Spirit King, had been rmed by Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. ¡®¡­It would have been shocking for him to see that I was reincarnated with memories of my past life intact, but the fact that I was reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant must have made it seem even more so.¡¯ Spirits remembered people by their souls, so Tempest had managed to recognize the one wielding Wynnyd, Eugene, as Hamel¡­. This fact had Eugene grinning broadly. After epting that he had been reincarnated, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to shake off a few lingering, unpleasant concerns. Was he really Hamel? The Hamel seen in his memories of a past life from three hundred years ago? What if¡­ he wasn¡¯t reincarnated and was just someone who had Hamel¡¯s memories imnted into him? ¡®Even if that¡¯s the case, these memories are definitely real,¡¯Eugene had reassured himself whenever these fears popped up. He had alsoforted himself by saying that it wouldn¡¯t make anydifference if he wasn¡¯t Hamel reincarnated. He didn¡¯t want to attach too much meaning to the uncertain nature of his existence. I think, therefore I am; that belief alone would have to be enough. ¡®But Tempest called me Hamel,¡¯Eugene remembered with a grin. Those words hadpletely erased all those unpleasant concerns. Eugene shook his head with a carefree grin. ¡°¡­Master Eugene, are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Nina asked uncertainly. Eugene dismissed her concerns, ¡°I¡¯m fine. How long was I out?¡± ¡°About half a day¡­.¡± ¡°I must have made you all worry.¡± ¡°The Patriarch and Master Gion have been staying in the annex, waiting for you to regain consciousness.¡± ¡°They didn¡¯t need to do that,¡± Eugene said, shaking his head as he looked over to the room¡¯s closed door. Thanks to the mana absorbed into his body, his physical senses had be even more sensitive. As a result, he could feel a few presences hovering impatiently by the door. ¡°Why don¡¯t you open the door,¡± Eugene suggested to Nina. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve caused them a lot of worries.¡± Those two had every right to be let in. Gilead had granted him a lot of conveniences, adopted him into the main family, and even given him Wynnyd. Then they had passed on the White me Form that only the members of the main family were allowed to learn and even opened up the leylinefor him to initiate his mana. After having all this provided for his mana training, Eugene had still ended up copsing. When word of this had reached them, Gilead and Gion had rushed over in rm and were now waiting impatiently outside the door to check his recovery. As soon as Nina opened the door, Gilead and Gion rushed in. Upon seeing Eugene sitting up in bed, Gilead sighed in relief and approached him more sedately. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Gilead asked in concern. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene gave his reply with a reassuring smile. Although he wasn¡¯t able to personally check his appearance in a mirror, Eugene guessed that his face would appear like it had been drained of all its blood. Gilead and Gion both looked at Eugene¡¯s face for a moment before exchanginggazes. It was now Gion¡¯s turn to speak as he asked, ¡°What exactly happened?¡± As they were leaving the leyline and returning to the annex, Eugene had seemed perfectly fine. However, not long after his return to the annex, Eugene had copsed. Thanks to this, Gion couldn¡¯t help but feel a whole tidal wave of concerns. He was the one who transmitted the White me Form to Eugene and guided him into forming his own mana breathing cycle. What if Gion had made a mistake during this process, which had led something to go wrong within Eugene¡¯s body? Although Gion had faith in his own abilities, he couldn¡¯t help but worry now that something had gone terribly wrong. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard part of the story,¡± this time, Gilead resumed speaking. ¡°I was told that after you drew Wynnyd, arge¡­ breeze¡­ suddenly started blowing. Was this because you summoned a spirit?¡± Although he had expected such a question, Eugene hesitated for a moment without answering right away. How should he try and exin this? Did he really have toe up with a tant lie? ¡°The Wind Spirit King descended from the spirit world,¡± Eugene finally admitted. There was no point in divulging the whole story, but he had to say something. There were too many eyes who had seen Tempest¡¯s descent, and it was impossible for any other spirit to be able to provoke such a storm through their arrival on this ne. ¡°¡­What?¡± Gilead yelped. Eugene exined, ¡°He said that it had been a long time since he¡¯d heard a summon, so he wanted to see who it was.¡± ¡°What kind of¡­!¡± Gilead fell silent, too shocked to finish his sentence. Both Gilead and Gion couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. Three hundred years had passed since Vermouth had left them, so of course, more than a few ancestors in the direct line had wielded Wynnyd. Although this might be stating the obvious, most of them were able to summon the spirits of the wind with the help of Wynnyd. However, the expectations that the Wind Spirit King, Tempest, held for his summoners were just as lofty as his own royal standing. So following Vermouth, not a single ancestor had managed to sessfully summon the Wind Spirit King. Gion gave an audible gulp and asked, ¡°Is that really the truth¡­?¡± He knew that Eugene would have no reason to tell such a lie, but the news was so shocking that Gion felt he had no choice but to ask. ¡°Yes, The Wind Spirit King¡­ um¡­.¡± Eugene trailed off. Eugene frowned, making it obvious that he was having some difficulty remembering. While tapping the side of his own tousled head in order to jog his memories, Eugene continued speaking. ¡°¡­I think he said that I didn¡¯t have enough strength yet. And that next time¡­ when I had enough power, he was looking forward to seeing me again someday. Then he returned to the Spirit World.¡± ¡°¡­Hahaha¡­!¡± Gilead, who had been silently listening to Eugene¡¯s exnation, suddenly burst intoughter. While shaking his head, he plopped down onto a chair next to Eugene¡¯s bed. ¡°¡­Eugene. You really are ¡­one surprising child,¡± Gilead sighed in relief. Eugene didn¡¯t know what to say in response, so he just smiled. After staring at Eugene for a few moments, Gilead ced a hand inside his vest. ¡°I heard about what happened at the leyline from Gion. In less than an hour, you were able to sense mana and make a core using the White me Form. All that would have been shocking enough, but for you to attract the Wind Spirit King¡¯s attention as well.¡± Something like that happening was unprecedented. However, what about Eugene wasn¡¯t unprecedented? Winning the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony as a coteral child, being adopted into the family, bing the new owner of Wynnyd, and receiving the White me Form with theleyline¡¯sassistance; all these things were unprecedented in the history of the Lionheart family. ¡®He went from sensing mana to umting it into his body in less than a day. That too¡­ is something unprecedented,¡¯Gilead reminded himself. Gilead felt nothing but pure pleasure at this news. The Wind Spirit King had taken note of this young child and had even descended personally to take a look at him. An event like this could even be considered the revitalization of the Lionheart n. ¡°Drink this,¡± Gilead ordered. When his hand came out of his vest, Gilead was holding a small-sized potion. Gilead exined, ¡°This will restore your depleted mana. However, you have to promise me that, instead of overdoing it, you will lie in bed for the next few days.¡± ¡°But my body feels fine.¡± ¡°I still want your promise. If you injure your body by needlessly overburdening it, you will regret it in the future.¡± ¡°Fine, I promise,¡± without any further protest, Eugene nodded his head. The mana recovery potion was just as valuable as it was useful. Eugene gulped down the whole bottle under the watchful eye of Gion and Gilead. His hollowed-out body started to refill with mana. Without getting flustered, Eugene immediately began using the White me Form to recharge his core with this mana, but the mana from the potion wasn¡¯t enough to fully restore his depleted core. Due to the nature of mana, the amount that could be contained within the potion wasn¡¯t all that great. Even so, after emptying the entire bottle, his headache and the stiffness in his limbs were considerably relieved. ¡°After a few days¡¯ rest, Gion will resume your lessons,¡± Gilead said as he stood up. ¡°Initially, we were nning to go on another training trip once the Bloodline Continuation was over, but now¡­ it looks like that will be impossible.¡± ¡°Is it because of me?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s right. I think that we will need to prioritize cultivating your talents instead of our own training.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to take up too much of Patriarch and Sir Gion¡¯s time,¡± Eugene admitted shyly. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it like that. After all, I¡¯m the one who really wants to guide you personally,¡± Gion spoke up. He patted Eugene on the shoulder with a grin. Gion added, ¡°Ah, but of course, I¡¯ll be teaching Cyan and Ciel right alongside you. And the Patriarch will also be helping with our lessons.¡± Eugene was certainly special. However, it wouldn¡¯t be good to show Eugene excessive favoritism because of this. The eldest son, Eward, had left the main estate and headed to Aroth, but Cyan and Ciel were still staying at the main estate. They also deserved to receive the same level of teaching as Eugene. ¡®I expect it will be a good stimulus to have Eugene train alongside those two,¡¯Gilead thought. After hearing that Eugene had returned from theleylinewith impressive results after spending less than a day there, Cyan and Ciel had immediately headed to the gymnasium and started their own training. So Gilead was also nursing high expectations ofboth Cyan and Ciel. Chapter 25.2 Chapter 25.2 Some time after Gilead and Gion had left, Eugene called out, ¡°Nina.¡± ¡°Please allow me to go and prepare your meal,¡± Nina offered. ¡°Good, but before you do that,¡± Eugene said as he got out of bed and picked up Wynnyd. ¡°Keep whatever happens from now on a secret between the two of us.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, sir?¡± ¡°Even if I copse again, don¡¯t tell anyone.¡± ¡°¡­Do you really need to try to do something like that now?¡± Nina asked in concern. ¡°I just need to check something, so I probably won¡¯t fall unconscious again,¡± Eugene reassured her before infusing mana into Wynnyd. Luckily for him, there wasn¡¯t a repeat of the previous incident. But Eugene¡¯s brow still furrowed at this as he felt a slight dissatisfaction. Instead, a spirit that was only the size of his palm began hovering around him. It was a sylph, a lesser spirit of the wind. Composed of a mass of wind, it didn¡¯t even have a proper shape. However, with Eugene¡¯s small amount of mana, it was normal for him to have summoned a sylph. Just in case, Eugene tried to mentally ask the sylph,¡®Hey, have you heard anything from your king?¡¯ However, there was no reply. It seemed that it was impossible to converse with a spirit that had such low intelligence. With a click of his tongue, Eugene brandished Wynnyd. Eugene began his test by calling out an incantation in his head,¡®Wind-de.¡¯ Once he had done so, an opaque stream of wind formed around his sword. Eugene nced down at this wavering de-shaped wind before giving it a swing. Schick. The eerie sound that the de made as it swung through the air caused Nina¡¯s body to tremble. After swinging Wynnyd around a few more times, Eugene released the sylph back to the Spirit World. Before doing so, he attempted to mentallymunicate with it once more,¡®Pass this message on to Tempest, ¡°If you were lying to me, I¡¯ll kill you.¡±¡¯ But the Sylph still didn¡¯t reply. However, it appeared to sense that its king had been insulted, as it sent a gust of wind to ruffle Eugene¡¯s hair before returning to the Spirit World. ¡®¡­Though Tempest shouldn¡¯t have any reason to lie about that,¡¯Eugene admitted to himself. It was just that Eugene couldn¡¯t quite understand what he was feeling, so he felt like he had to say something. While feeling a mix ofplex emotions, Eugene sat down heavily on the bed. ¡®¡­I need to think about this rationally,¡¯Eugene told himself,¡®without letting any useless emotions get in the way.¡¯ Three hundred years ago, Hamel died. Hispanions, Vermouth, Sienna, Anise, and Molon, continued to make their way to the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. It had to have been a tough journey. The second-ranked Demon King of Incarceration was strong enough that none of the previous Demon Kings of Fury, Cruelty, and Carnage couldpare to him. Just getting to his castle was as difficult as ying one of the previous Demon Kings. ¡®¡­And with me dead¡­.¡¯ Speaking objectively, Hamel had been strong. Although he wasn¡¯t as strong as Vermouth, he was easily the next strongest in the party. So with Hamel dead, the remaining four may have found it impossible to deal with the remaining Demon Kings. They would have already been exhausted from making the torturous trek to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle, and Hamel had perished before the battle. In such a state, it was questionable whether they would have even been able to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. In that case¡­ wouldn¡¯t it have been better for them to retreat for the moment and reconsider their ns? ¡®¡­So did everything really end there?¡¯ With only Hamel having perished, Vermouth and the other four had returned from the Devildom of Helmuth after making some kind of mysterious promise. However, the only ones who knew the details of this promise were Vermouth and the remaining Demon Kings. ¡®But really, what was in that Oath?¡¯ That was what bothered Eugene the most. For the Demon Kings who lived to cause the world suffering, what on earth could have made them change their minds and swear to uphold the peace? Who exactly was the one who proposed such an oath in the first ce? What were the contents of the Oath? ¡®¡­It alles back to Helmuth.¡¯ Just thinking about it by himself wouldn¡¯t bring him any answers. The memories of his past life clearly ended when he had died in the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle three hundred years ago. As for the events after that¡­ most of what he knew came from the contents of the fairy tales that the young Eugene had read. ¡®I need to find some time to go to Helmuth,¡¯Eugene finally decided. Three hundred years ago, Helmuth was a horrifying ce. Demonic beasts whose only purpose in life was to catch and eat humans roamed thend, and the demonfolk inhabiting thatnd were constantly marching out to invade human territories. Fallen Wizards ¡ª now known as ck Wizards ¡ª hunted humans to offer them as tributes to their masters, the Demon Kings. These evil wizards wanted to be demons themselves, so they sought the truth of the Demonic Path[1]even if it meant bending the knee to the Demon Kings. Helmuth had been a twisted hell of such vicious and ugly desires. However, that was no longer the case.Since twohundred years ago, Helmuth had begun epting human visitors, and the Demon Kings and the demonfolk showed such hospitality to their visitors that it seemed as if they were trying to ovepensate for their past cruelty. Nowadays, peopledidn¡¯tthink of Helmuth as a hellish ce. Instead, they thought of it as a tourist destination where one could experience unique, seductive, and decadent entertainment that couldn¡¯t be found anywhere else. The demonfolk, who had once taken the initiative to invade human territories, were now volunteering their services in neighboring countries as reparations for the war. And the ck magicians, who had been wagging their tails for the Demon Kings, had cast themselves as victims and, after managing to sway public opinion, they had even managed to eventually erect the ck Tower of Magic in Aroth. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, all of this wasplete bullshit. The demonfolk were volunteering to work? They were definitely siphoning off human souls behind the people¡¯s backs. The ck Tower of Magic? It would be better to call it a ck Swamp of Corruption. Even though they said it was for the sake of promoting the study of magic, it was apparent why those crazy bastards in Aroth had weed the ck Wizards and averted their eyes from these same wizards¡¯ past crimes. Although the truth hadn¡¯t been revealed, Eugene was sure that there must be all sorts of ugly things hidden behind the construction of the ck Tower of Magic¡­. ¡®Helmuth, Aroth, Yuras, and the Ruhr¡­,¡¯as Eugene recalled each of the ces where his former life¡¯spanions had left their traces, he clicked his tongue in irritation. Of course, he couldn¡¯t just set off immediately. With his young body, it was impossible to head off alone on a journey to such distant countries. ¡®But someday,¡¯Eugene told himself with determination before letting out a deep sigh and patting his stomach. His empty stomach was rumbling in hunger. * * * What exactly should he say to Eugene? After leaving the banquet, this worry had kept Cyan up for most of the night. Although he had barely managed to get some sleep, that damn dream had ruined his rest. In that dream, Cyan had dueled with Eugene and lost once more. Except this time, Cyan was a minotaur instead of himself. Within the dream, he had personally experienced the scene he had witnessed during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. After bing a minotaur who couldn¡¯t use sword-light, Cyan was brutally dismembered by Eugene. Torn into pieces mercilessly. As he emerged from the gymnasium, Cyan attempted to shake off thest vestiges of his dream with a shudder. However, the frown on his face remained as heavy as ever. As he rubbed his eyes, which had been skewered multiple times during his dream, Cyan bit his lip in frustration. ¡°What¡¯s going on, brother?¡± Ciel suddenly asked. ¡°Nothing is going on. Why are you asking?¡± Cyan responded defensively. ¡°Your expression looks like it belongs at a funeral, and you didn¡¯t have much for breakfast either.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve always had this expression, and I ate just as much breakfast as I usually do.¡± ¡°Liar,¡± used Ciel, sticking her tongue out at him with a smile. ¡°I know what¡¯s really going on with you. It¡¯s because of Eugene, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cyan bristled, ¡°What does any of this have to do with him?¡± ¡°They said that we will be learning together with Eugene starting from today. I know that you¡¯re really bothered because of this.¡± ¡°I said that it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with him!¡± ¡°See, see, you¡¯ve lost your temper quicker than usual. Why are you taking your anger with Eugene out on me?¡± ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t lost my temper.¡± ¡°But you don¡¯t deny that something is bothering you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± hesitating, Cyan clenched his fists as he red at his cheeky younger sister. ¡°¡­Honestly, it does bother me.¡± ¡°But mother said you need to be friends with him,¡± reminded Ciel. ¡°Do you think I can really do that just because she tells me to?¡± ¡°I did. Would you like me to put a word in for you with Eugene?¡± ¡°¡­What are you going to tell him?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just ask him to be friends with my brother.¡± Cyan¡¯s shoulders slumped at these words, and his fists started trembling in embarrassment. Although he might be able to ask his mother to do something like that, Cyan definitely couldn¡¯t allow his sister, who was a few seconds younger than him, to make such a humiliating request¡­. ¡°I¡¯ll do things my own way,¡± Cyan spat out before immediately mping his lips shut. He had just caught sight of Eugene walking over from the far-off annex. Cyan¡¯s eyes widened as he caught sight of Wynnyd hanging from Eugene¡¯s waist. Even at this distance, he could make out all the tiny details of that famed weapon. ¡°They told me that he¡¯s already a First Star in the White me Form,¡± Ciel chimed in beside him. ¡°I know,¡± Cyan gritted out. ¡°Didn¡¯t it take us a really long time to reach the White me Form¡¯s First Star?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long. Since it took us around a month, that means only a handful of our ancestors in the direct line were as fast as us.¡± ¡°But Eugene didn¡¯t even take a day to reach the First Star. Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s the fastest in history?¡± ¡°Just be quiet.¡± ¡°I heard this from Uncle Gion, but apparently, Eugene was able to feel the mana as soon as he sat down on the leyline. It took us more than four days, right?¡± ¡°So what,¡± Cyan responded in a sharp voice as he turned to stare at his younger sister. Ciel just giggled in amusement at her older brother¡¯s reaction. Instead of continuing to tease her brother, Ciel waved at the approaching Eugene and called out a greeting, ¡°Hi!¡± ¡°Whydo you n on stayingin the annex? You should just live with us in the main family¡¯s mansion,¡± Ciel said to Eugene once he got closer. Cyan immediately replied in Eugene¡¯s ce, ¡°That¡¯s a terrible idea.¡± After ncing at Cyan with hooded eyes, Eugene nodded and said, ¡°I also think that would be a terrible idea.¡± ¡°But I think it would be great,¡± Ciel insisted with a grin before pointing to Wynnyd. ¡°So, I¡¯ve heard that you were able to summon the Wind Spirit King using Wynnyd?¡± ¡°That has to be a lie,¡± just likest time, Cyan replied instead of Eugene. Although his heart was slowly opening up to Eugene, Cyan absolutely couldn¡¯t bring himself to change his hostile behavior. Cyan was too young to understand his feelings of awe for Eugene, and it was even harder for him to identify the dawning sense of respect that he felt because of this. ¡°Except for the Great Vermouth, none of our ancestors could summon the Wind Spirit King while wielding Wynnyd,¡± Cyan cited as evidence. Eugene snorted at these words and drew Wynnyd. This startled Cyan into leaping backward, away from him. ¡°W-what do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Cyan demanded. Instead of replying, Eugene infused his mana into Wynnyd. Soon after, wind gathered into the form of a sylph. Seeing its appearance, Cyan inwardly felt relieved and burst outughing. ¡°What is that? The Wind Spirit King?¡± he asked mockingly. ¡°Nope,¡± came the simple reply from Eugene. Eugene held up Wynnyd so that it could be seen clearly and the sylph proceeded to wrap itself around the sword. Cyan¡¯s jaw dropped as he took in this de of wind. ¡°Sw-Sword-light?!¡± Cyan eximed in shock. ¡°Does this really look like sword-light to you?¡± Eugene asked mockingly. Cyan¡¯s face reddened as he felt the tables being turned on him. While swinging Wynnyd around a few times, Eugene stared firmly at Cyan. ¡°Shall we spar?¡± Eugene offered. ¡°¡­W-what?!¡± Cyan choked in panic. ¡°You can feel free to use sword-light, because I¡¯ll be using this.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± When Cyan remained silent, Eugene coaxed, ¡°Why don¡¯t we just have some fun? Or if you¡¯d like, we could bet on it? If you win, I¡¯ll¡ª¡± ¡°I-I won¡¯t,¡± Cyan immediately stepped back while shaking his head. ¡°I¡¯ve¡­e here today¡­ to learn from Uncle Gion. I¡¯m not here to spar with you.¡± Eugene grinned, ¡°Are you scared?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not scared,¡± Cyan replied hesitantly while urgently sending Ciel a pleading look. He was hoping that his sister could somehow salvage this situation. However, Ciel just ignored Cyan¡¯s nce and smiled in amusement. ¡®That evil bitch.¡¯ Fortunately, before Cyan was forced to make any excuses, Eugene backed down and gave him an out. ¡°Let¡¯s not argue pointlessly,¡± Eugene said with a sigh. Cyan couldn¡¯t think of anything to say, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°We¡¯re brothers now, so we should try to get along,¡± said Eugene with a broad smile as he offered Cyan his hand. For a few moments, Cyan alternated between staring at Eugene¡¯s hand and face. Eugene eventually asked, ¡°Don¡¯t you know what this handshake means?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Cyan seemed confused. ¡°It means that I want us to get along well as brothers.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, well¡­ that¡¯s¡­,¡± after some hesitation, Cyan eventually took Eugene¡¯s hand with a grateful nod. ¡°Shake hands with me as well,¡± Ciel demanded, cutting into their conversation from her position at their side. This request forced Eugene to cross his arms so that he could hold both Cyan and Ciel¡¯s hands simultaneously. ¡°Since I was born earlier than you, you should call me your big sister,¡± Ciel brought up once more. Eugene refused, ¡°Would you shut up about that?¡± Didn¡¯t that mean he was Eugene¡¯s big brother? Although Cyan felt this thought pop up in his head, he decided to keep his mouth shut when he saw Eugene¡¯s narrowed eyes. He definitely didn¡¯t have the audacity to im Eugene as his younger brother. 1. What makes a demon a demon.? Chapter 26.1 Chapter 26.1 Time sure flew quickly. Eugene suddenly had this thought as he looked in the mirror during the early hours of one morning. He casually tidied up his shaggy mop of hair as he stared at his own face in the mirror. He was now seventeen years old. Four years had already passed since the end of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony and his adoption into the main family. Although his face still looked like that of a young boy¡¯s, his body was almost fully grown. As Eugene examined his own wide chest and broad shoulders, for a moment, he was ovee by his emotions. ¡®This really is a great body.¡¯ This was a topic that he had thought of several times over the seventeen years he had lived in this body, but he never got bored of repeating this fact within his head whenever it came up. First of all, he had a handsome face. Eugene wasn¡¯t just saying that because it was his. Even if he was forced to look at it objectively, he would have to admit that his features were good-looking. Although he felt that Hamel¡¯s face from his past life wasn¡¯t all that ugly,paring that face to his current face after being reincarnated as Eugene, the difference in their looks was about as much as the difference between an ordinary elf¡¯s and a human¡¯s. ¡®Though not as much as an elfpared to an orc.¡¯ Eugene had no desire to disparage the face of his previous life to that extent. After patting his smooth cheeks a few times, Eugene started stretching his facial muscles by pulling all sorts of expressions in the mirror. The nasty look in his eyes when he frowned hadn¡¯t changed at all since childhood. It was just a part of his innate character. Despite going around with narrowed eyes ever since he was young, Eugene was just d that he didn¡¯t have any wrinkles. ¡®I had an even nastier look in my eyes during my previous life.¡¯ Rxing his frown, he gave a broad smile instead. But was this handsome guy in the mirror really him? Although he had already graduated from truly thinking such nonsensical thoughts, even after seventeen years of living in this body, he still felt amazed each time he saw this handsome face in the mirror. ¡®I have to admit it, your blood is strong,¡¯Eugene thought as he raised his eyes to his gray hair. The older he grew, the more prominent the gray hairs became. Every time Eugene saw this hair color, he was reminded of Vermouth. Eugene had his reasons for indulging in such self-absorbed sentiments this early in the morning. After initiating his mana when he was thirteen, Eugene had trained his mana every morning without skipping a single day. And today, Eugene had finally reached the Third Star in the White me Form. ¡®That was quick.¡¯ He could feel the split-off cores circling around his heart. Three points of light that showed he had reached the Third Star of the White me Form. ¡®Way too quick.¡¯ After he had started to train his mana, Eugene had realized something. The White me Form¡¯s performance was iparable to the mana training scripture he had learned in his previous life. Eugene was able to extract the optimal degree of efficiency from just a small amount of mana, and the speed with which he absorbed mana was also extremely fast. The cost of spreading this absorbed mana throughout his body and turning it into strength was also not very high. However, for him to have achieved this rank so quickly¡­ it couldn¡¯t just be attributed to the superiority of the White me Form; it was also because Eugene¡¯s body was naturally ¡®attuned¡¯ to absorbing mana. ¡®¡­Although it¡¯s great that this body¡¯s performance is so amazing¡­.¡¯ Sometimes he couldn¡¯t help but feel perturbed. ¡®If it¡¯s already this fast¡­ just how much faster will my progress beter.¡¯ It would be the opposite of subtle. But this was actually quite a pleasant issue to be perturbed about. Eugene smiled as he looked at his reflection. ¡®But the strength I had in my previous life won¡¯t be enough.¡¯ This amazing body had been granted to him, Eugene Lionheart, and it had given him a lot of expectations for his future. With this body, he couldn¡¯t be satisfied with just relying on the memories and experiences of his past life. Eugene had be convinced of this fact years ago. Hamel had definitely been a great talent. Although he wasn¡¯t as good as Vermouth, he had also known how to wield all sorts of weapons. Without any formal training, Hamel¡¯s skills had been forged and honed on the battlefield as hetoed the line between life and death. This meant his techniques had been refined through constant usage. Hamel had made a name for himself with just these skills and had evene to mistake himself as a genius. It was at this point that he had met Vermouth and¡­ Hamel had suddenly realized that he wasn¡¯t a genius after all. After bing Vermouth¡¯spanion, he had also gone through a lot. His techniques had been further polished, and he¡¯d added even more skills to his repertoire. ¡®But it¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t enough to just acquire the strength he had in his previous life. To take advantage of this talented and greed-provoking body of his, he needed more than just his past life¡¯s memories. ¡®I need to learn everything.¡¯ And not just to a basic level either. The sword, the spear, the ax, and the bow; he already knew how to skillfully handle most weapons. He had confidence in his weapon techniques since he had refined these skills in order to not just survive but thrive in the Devildom. But he wasn¡¯t quite there yet. Although he was still a little slower than he had been in his previous life, he knew in his head how to get there; it was just a matter of when not if. His body would catch up to what he knew it was capable of. So if he would eventually get there anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be more efficient to usehis time elsewhere. *** ¡°Looks like I need to learn some magic,¡± Eugene suddenly spouted. ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?¡± Cyan gasped. As Cyan sat on the ground, trying to catch his breath, he lifted his head to look up at Eugene. The monstrous guy standing beside him wasn¡¯t showing any signs of exertion even after all the exercise they had just done. At first, this would have made him re up in envy, but now¡­ after four years of looking at that rxed expression, he was already used to it. ¡°I said that I need to learn some magic,¡± Eugene kindly repeated. ¡°AndIsaid, ¡®what kind of bullshit is that?¡¯¡± Cyan spat out with a confused expression on his face. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one whose body had grown during these four years. Cyan had also grown a lot. Of course, it was obvious that Cyan didn¡¯t really appreciate this fact, and Eugene was a big reason for that. Although they might be of simr age, Cyan was just a tiny bit shorter than Eugene, and the difference in their skill levels was just as great as ever. ¡°Speaking of this morning¡­.¡± Eugene continued speaking without offering Cyan a hand up. Cyan was still a brat with too much self-respect; he wouldn¡¯t admit he had lost even when he was defeated, and he wouldn¡¯t appreciate it if Eugene offered him a hand up. Even though Cyan would no longer fuss about being insulted or whatnot, like what had happened when they first met, it would only stoke feelings of frustration lingering within the corners of his heart if Eugene were to show him any kindness. ¡°¡­I was just training in the White me Form like I usually do¡­.¡± ¡°Could it be, did you really¡­?¡± Cyan couldn¡¯t finish the question. Cyan¡¯s eyes started trembling as he got a bad feeling. Gritting his teeth, he jumped to his feet. Eugene smiled as he saw Cyan getting flustered like this. ¡°¡­and then this happened.¡± As Eugene finished speaking, the mana that was usually spread throughout his body gathered near his heart. Once there, the three stars at his core began to resonate with each other. These stars, locked together in a circuit around his heart, began to explosively amplify the power of his mana. Fwooosh! Mana, in the form of pure white light, engulfed Eugene¡¯s entire body. Cyan stared at this sight with wide eyes. The white me-like light wrapped around Eugene¡¯s form looked like a flowing lion¡¯s mane. ¡°What¡­ the fuck¡­!¡± Cyan swore, his voice shaking. Since he also practiced the White me Form, he was well aware of what that mana cloak engulfing Eugene signified. By covering his body in a ze of mana like that, he had truly created a fiery beacon that honored the name of the White me Form. This meant that Eugene had reached the Third Star of the White me Form. Favorite Chapter 26.2 Chapter 26.2 ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Cyan asked in disbelief. Cyanwas so ashamed that he felt like he would be better off dead. He had initiated his mana seven years earlier than Eugene and had been training in the White me Form for nearly as long. Thanks to this, he had managed to reach the Second Star of the White me Form three years ago. But until now, Cyan¡¯s progress had remained stalled at the Second Star. The stars around his heart seemed like they were just about to divide, but they never did. But instead¡­ that annoying son of a bitch, Eugene, who had initiated his mana seven yearster than Cyan, had already reached the Third Star of the White me Form. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible,¡± Eugene said with a rxed smile as he allowed the mana to dissipate. ¡°Because I¡¯m a genius.¡± Eugene thought dering something like that from your own mouth was rather shameful. Or at least, he used to think that. But now, he had to admit that it would be ridiculous to pointlessly act humble. He had been born with the body of a genius, and on top of that, he had memories of his past life. Although Hamel from his past life wasn¡¯t a genius, Eugene definitely was. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go and die,¡± Cyan cursed. Eugene chided him, ¡°Brothers shouldn¡¯t say such things to each other.¡± ¡°Like you can talk about what brothers shouldn¡¯t do. Every morning you beat me up so badly that it feels like I¡¯m going to croak.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one who keeps asking for a spar every morning? If you don¡¯t want to get beaten up, let¡¯s just stop. It doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± Cyan ground his teeth as he red at Eugene. Challenging Eugene to a spar every morning was Cyan¡¯s own way of dealing with the frustration of his rivalry with Eugene. Honestly speaking, Eugene appreciated this change in Cyan¡¯s attitude. At first, he thought that Cyan was just a stupid brat, but perhaps because he hade to ept Eugene after the adoption, Cyan¡¯s foolish streak had shown a lot of improvement. ¡°¡­But why magic of all things?¡± Cyan returned to the main point. ¡°Because I¡¯ve never learned any magic,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°So that¡¯s why you want to learn magic? Don¡¯t make meugh¡­. And how exactly do you intend to learn magic? Do you want to call up a teacher from the capital?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to check with the Patriarch regarding that.¡± ¡°Are you really serious? No, but ¡ª why on earth do you want to learn magic all of a sudden?¡± Cyan just couldn¡¯t understand Eugene. Since he had that much talent in martial arts, why would he want to dabble in magic instead of focusing on what he was good at? Cyan tried to dissuade Eugene, ¡°Aren¡¯t you too old to be learning magic?¡± ¡°Seventeen is still plenty young,¡± denied Eugene. ¡°This is nonsense. Have you forgotten about what happened to Eward?¡± Cyan asked with a snort as he dusted off his pants. ¡°He went off to learn magic when he was fifteen, two years younger than you are now, and now he¡¯s just being treated like a fool in Aroth.¡± Eugene red at Cyan and growled, ¡°Bastard, how dare you say such a thing about your older brother?¡± ¡°Did I say anything that wasn¡¯t true?¡± Cyan protested while shrugging off Eugene¡¯s re. ¡°¡­Instead of putting on airs and pointlessly heading to Aroth to learn magic, just stay here at the main estate, where it¡¯sfortable. ¡­If you really do tell him that you want to start learning magic, Father might just start crying tears of blood.¡± That did seem to be a possibility. Four years ago, Eward Lionheart, the eldest son of the main family, had apanied Lovellian, the Head Wizard of the Red Tower, to Aroth as soon as the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was over. ¡­But in the end, he couldn¡¯t be Lovellian¡¯s disciple. It seemed that his potential wasn¡¯t bad, as he had been allowed to remain in Aroth, but he couldn¡¯t be as big of a sess as his parents had hoped for. Now four years had passed, and Eward was still staying in Aroth. ording to what Eugene had picked up in passing, he was currently learning magic from a wizard affiliated with the Red Tower of Magic, but¡­ he didn¡¯t seem to be achieving much progress. Thanks to this, it wasn¡¯t just Lovellian¡¯s authority as the Head Wizard that had obviously been affected, but the main family¡¯s prestige had also been tarnished. Although the Patriarch had just done his best for his eldest son by using his connections to send him to the Red Tower of Magic to learn magic, to others, it appeared as though the Patriarch was getting rid of a mediocrely-talented heir by exiling him to the Red Tower. ¡°Even if the Patriarch does shed tears of blood, Madam Anci should end up supporting me,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°¡­I could see Mother doing that,¡± Cyan mumbled with a needlessly wary nce at the main family¡¯s mansion. ¡°H-however, it isn¡¯t that my mother dislikes you.¡± Eugene objected, ¡°But sometimes when we cross paths, she gets a really fierce look in her eyes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s seen how you beat me like a dog,¡± argued Cyan. ¡°Even if she has, what can I do? How can I just stop beating you when you keep asking for it?¡± ¡°You son of a bitch.¡± It was admittedly Cyan who had asked him to take their spars seriously. This was because Cyan had thought that his skills wouldn¡¯t grow if Eugene kept taking it easy on him, but, for a long time now, Cyan hade to feel deep regret for saying something like that. Eugene showed absolutely no mercy during their spars. If he even saw a tiny opening, he would pierce through it right away and keep attacking mercilessly. While doing so, Eugene would also constantly point out Cyan¡¯s various inadequacies. Still, because Eugene exined his criticisms clearly and in a way that was easy to understand, Cyan was forced to listen to him silently even when he felt like his heart would stop beating out of anger. Eventually, Cyan asked Eugene, ¡°¡­Do you really intend to go to Aroth?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to learn something, you should learn it properly,¡± was all Eugene needed to say in exnation. If you wanted to properly learn magic, the best thing to do would be to go to Aroth. ¡®And there¡¯s also something that I want to investigate,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. He wanted to see what Sienna¡¯s life had been like in Aroth following their journey. This desire had been building up within him for a long time. And it wasn¡¯t just Sienna, but Anise and Molon as well. He wanted to know how hispanions had lived their lives after they returned from the Devildom three hundred years ago, and ultimately¡­ he wanted to know the truth of what had happened then. ¡®Even here, at the main estate, there are hardly any records of them.¡¯ The history of the founding ancestor, Vermouth, was also left very vague. Although he had searched here and there during these four years, there were hardly any traces of what the hero and hispanions did after returning from the Devildom. ¡®And this ne as well.¡¯ Eugene stared down at the ne hanging from his neck. He had constantly worn the ne since he retrieved it from the treasure vault four years ago. Even when the Head Wizard of the Red Tower had personally peered into the memories left within the ne¡¯s mana, Lovellian hadn¡¯t been able to find any memories identifying it as Hamel¡¯s keepsake. This meant someone else had created an undetectable, falseyer in the ne¡¯s memories. From what Eugene thought, the only people who could do something like that were Sienna or Vermouth. But why on earth would they have done it? He couldn¡¯t figure out what their reasons for doing so might be. However¡­if hehad to say it, Sienna seemed more likely to have prepared such a prank in the ne, rather than Vermouth. The Vermouth that Eugene remembered wasn¡¯t the type of person to do something like this. ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­ if you do go to Aroth¡­,¡± Cyan coughed before continuing with a hesitant expression, ¡°¡­Ciel will be sad.¡± ¡°Really,¡± Eugene said, with augh for how absurd Cyan¡¯s im sounded. ¡°Are we talking about the same Ciel, the one who looks disgusted whenever she sees me?¡± ¡°Those aren¡¯t her true feelings,¡± although he said this, Cyan didn¡¯t seem to have any confidence in his own words. Ciel Lionheart, that cunning brat, seemed to have started going through puberty at the beginning of this year. She no longer stuck close to Eugene like she used to, and she wouldn¡¯t even start a conversation with him. Perhaps it was because the symptoms of her puberty were quite severe; she rarely even left her room. Although Ciel didn¡¯t neglect her training, she no longer trained with Eugene and Cyan as she had done before. ¡®I hate the smell of sweat,¡¯was the reason that she had given for it. Thanks to that, Gion and Gilead were forced to keep very busy. They first met with the puberty-stricken Ciel in the morning and spent half the day teaching her while the other half was spent teaching Cyan and Eugene. ¡°¡­Anyways, if you do go to Aroth, Ciel will be sad,¡± Cyan insisted. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯ll change my mind just because Ciel will be sad?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°You heartless bastard,¡± Cyan spat as his fists trembled in anger at Eugene¡¯s carelessment. ¡°Have you even considered how Mr. Gerhard will feel?¡± ¡°My father will be perfectly fine without me.¡± Even Cyan couldn¡¯t help but agree with that. Gerhard had initially been ufortable with living at the main estate, but he had bepletely ustomed to life here over the past few years. Now, he regrly went on hunting trips with the heads of the other coteral families, and he sometimes spent whole nights drinking beer with Gion and Gilead. Even Anci got along quite well with Gerhard. Of course, Eugene was well aware of the reason for this. Anci didn¡¯t wish to show much hostility to Eugene. Although she hadn¡¯t rxed her considerable vignce towards him, she knew that it was better for both of them if they appeared to get along than to appear openly hostile. However, Tanis, as Eward¡¯s mother and the official first wife¡­, was openly wary of Eugene and Gerhard. Following Eward¡¯s failure to be Lovellian¡¯s disciple, Tanis¡¯ overly sensitive personality had continued to worsen. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll need to be a little careful of Tanis,¡¯Eugene reminded himself. If she was told that Eugene was going to Aroth, Tanis would definitely be even more sensitive to the threat he posed to her son¡¯s candidacy. This wasn¡¯t a problem that Eugene could simply solve by paying more attention to her. Instead, this was something that he would have to secretly entrust to the Patriarch, Gilead. ¡°¡­Where are you going?¡± Cyan asked as he noticed Eugene beginning to walk away. ¡°To meet with the Patriarch,¡± Eugene exined over his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re going to meet with him right now?¡± ¡°I need to get his permission quickly, after all,¡± with this final reply, Eugene left the gymnasium. After staring absent-mindedly at Eugene¡¯s receding back, Cyan gave a deep sigh. ¡°¡­What the hell is with this bullshit about learning magic?¡± Cyan grumbled and began following after Eugene. Favorite Chapter 27.1 Chapter 27.1 Although Eugene had set out to find Gilead immediately, he couldn¡¯t just barge straight into Gilead¡¯s office. While casually exchanging greetings with the main family¡¯s servants, Eugene sent through a request to meet with Gilead. Before long, the Head Butler arrived to personally escort Eugene to Gilead¡¯s office. ¡°You should really think it over before deciding,¡± Cyan attempted to persuade Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ve already given this matter a lot of thought beforeing to my decision,¡± said Eugene. Cyan took a deep breath and swallowed his protests. Now that he thought about it, it was ridiculous that he was trying to hold onto Eugene and prevent him from leaving. If that monster were to turn his hand towards learning magic, wouldn¡¯t that mean his training in the martial arts would slow down? ¡®That would actually be better for me,¡¯Cyan realized. Although Eugene¡¯s progress might be ahead of his for the moment, Cyan would also rise to the Third Star within the next few years. So Cyan decided to see Eugene¡¯s departure as more of an opportunity. Of course, Cyan had no intention of being satisfied with just reaching the Third Star of the White me Form. He hoped to have somehow reached the Fourth Star by the time he became an adult. ¡®¡­But can I really?¡¯ Truthfully speaking, he had his doubts. In the history of the Lionheart n, there wasn¡¯t a single person who had ever managed to reach the Fourth Star of the White me Form while in their teens. Even the family ancestors who had made a name for themselves as geniuses, and even Gilead and Gion, had all been stalled at the Third Star before they had be adults. In other words, just being able to rise to the Third Star of the White me Form at this age was enough for him to bepared to his genius predecessors. However, such thoughts merely filled Cyan¡¯s mouth with a bitter taste. Eugene and Cyan were both currently seventeen, but today, Eugene had already risen to the Third Star of the White me Form. That was an unprecedented speed of advancement¡­. It wasn¡¯t like this was the first time that that monstrous child had left his mark in the history of the direct line, but¡­. Cyan gave a heavy sigh as he turned to stare at Eugene¡¯s back. Eugene was currently in the middle of waiting for a reply from the other side of the door before he could enter Gilead¡¯s office. ¡®¡­I too¡­.¡¯ Cyan forced himself to swallow another sigh that almost fell from his lips and faced forward once more. It had already been four years since Eugene had joined the main family. Since then, Cyan had suffered countless defeats to this absurd brother of his, with whom he didn¡¯t even share a single drop of blood. These sessive defeats had taught the young Cyan an unquestionable lesson. Despair is nothing but nourishment for further despair. Instead of spending any time in despair, shedding even a single drop of sweat in an effort to improve was far more useful. ¡°¡­Tsk¡­,¡± Cyan clicked his tongue as he recalled an unpleasant memory. This wasn¡¯t a lesson that Cyan had managed to learn all by himself. When he was still a child, the despair from his inability to defeat Eugene had led Cyan to hide in his room and cower beneath his nkets. However, Eugene had thrown open the door, barged into his room, and kicked Cyan in the ass. -Do you really think that I¡¯ll just y around while you do shit like this? Even if Cyan was consumed by despair, Eugene would continue to train without taking even a single day off. As such, the difference between them would only continue to grow. After Cyan reminded himself of this lesson, he left Eugene to his own affairs and headed to the gymnasium. ¡°What are you doing here so early in the morning?¡± Gilead weed Eugene into the room with a bright smile on his face. Instead of getting to the point immediately, Eugene first bowed his head and said, ¡°I¡¯vee because I have something that I would like to report to you.¡± ¡°Report?¡± Gilead asked, tilting his head to the side as his eyes gleamed with curiosity. He was curious about what kind of surprise his adopted son would be bringing him this time. As he sat down on the sofa, Eugene began speaking, ¡°Just this morning, I reached the Third Star of the White me Form.¡± At these words, Gilead unconsciously leaped up from his seat. ¡°Is that true?¡± he demanded. ¡°Yes, sir, it is,¡± admitted Eugene. Gilead rushed over with hurried strides. Meeting his unspoken request, Eugene began resonating the stars circling his heart. As white mes engulfed Eugene¡¯s body, Gilead took a deep breath in astonishment before bursting outughing. ¡°¡­Ha¡­ hahaha!¡± After taking in Eugene as his adopted son, Gilead had gone through so many different things that he had thought that he could no longer be surprised by anything. However, once again, Gilead couldn¡¯t help but be astonished. Was it really possible for him to reach the Third Star of the White me Form at just seventeen years of age? Even among all his predecessors, no one had managed the Third Star at Eugene¡¯s young age. As Gilead plopped down on the seat in front of Eugeen, he shook his head. ¡°¡­Adopting you into the main family¡­ might just be the best thing that I have ever done,¡± Gilead admitted. ¡°This is all thanks to the Patriarch¡¯s support,¡± Eugene replied with a faint smile. Although four years had passed since he¡¯d been adopted, Eugene had yet to call Gilead ¡®father.¡¯ The only one he called ¡®father¡¯ was his biological parent, Gerhard. Gilead didn¡¯t feel any unpleasantness due to this. Instead, he approved of Eugene¡¯s filial piety to his biological father and was proud of how considerate his adopted son was. But if only such an impressive child was truly his son¡­ then no one would raise any objections to Eugene bing the next Patriarch. On the contrary, everyone would actually be united under the opinion that Eugeneshouldbe the Patriarch. ¡®¡­I shouldn¡¯t have such thoughts,¡¯Gilead attempted to discard this dangerous idea with a shake of his head. Such careless thoughts would lead to bloodshed and death. For the n, and of course, his family as well, Gilead didn¡¯t want to force his children to have to bare their knives at each other. After he finished casting off such thoughts, Gilead continued, ¡°¡­My support, you say¡­. I don¡¯t believe that I gave you anything too impressive. So this achievement is all the result of your hard work.¡± ¡°But it was all thanks to the Patriarch¡¯s support that I was able to work so hard,¡± Eugene argued. After carefully examining Eugene¡¯s smiling face, Gilead burst outughing. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s something you need,¡± he observed. Without any hesitation, Eugene confessed, ¡°I want to learn magic.¡± In the past, he had had to pay attention to maintaining his childish facade while speaking to Gilead, but now there was no longer any need for that. Eugene had grown up quite a bit, and Gilead had gotten used to Eugene¡¯s forthrightness over the past four years. ¡°¡­Magic?¡± Gilead asked. Despite all this, Gilead wouldn¡¯t find it so easy to grant Eugene¡¯s current desire as he would any other request. The confusion that Gilead initially felt was the same as Cyan¡¯s. Why did Eugene suddenly want to learn magic? After all, Eugene had never once expressed any desire to learn magic during these past four years. ¡°¡­Are you serious when you say this?¡± asked Gilead. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°But why? No one from our family¡¯s entire line was able to reach the Third Star of the White me Form at your age. If you continue to work as hard as you have been, you might be able to rise to the Fourth Star before you be an adult.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll still be able to train hard, even while I¡¯m learning magic,¡± Eugene stated without any uncertainty. Although this might seem arrogant, in Eugene¡¯s opinion, someone like him had the right to say such a thing. ¡°Sir Patriarch. In the four years since I was adopted into the main family, I have never once left your care,¡± Eugene said as he straightened his back and faced Gilead firmly. ¡°Today, as I was advancing to the Third Star, I realized something. If I continue to stay at the main estate and keep practicing as I have been, I don¡¯t believe that I will continue to show the same amount of growth.¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Gilead hummed in consideration. ¡°I am extremelycking in real-life experience,¡± Eugene concluded. Although Eugene¡¯s voice was calm as he said this, Gilead felt a surging vitalitying from these words that matched Eugene¡¯s young age. Eugene¡¯s voice was full of his sincerity and desire for growth. Eugene confidently continued his argument, ¡°I want to learn much more, especially about magic. While it is something that I have never studied before, I know that it is also a discipline that uses mana. Although I don¡¯t yet know if I have any great talent for magic, I believe that by venturing into magic, I¡¯ll be able to view mana from a different perspective than the one I¡¯ve had until now.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Gilead stayed silent. ¡°Even if I don¡¯t make much progress in it, just by learning a new discipline, I believe that it will still be a great experience for me. I am sure that all of this won¡¯t be in vain. That is why I have dared to make such a request,¡± Eugene stopped talking at this point and stared at Gilead with sparkling eyes; then, he ced his hands on his knees and bowed his head low. ¡°I sincerely beseech you.¡± ¡°¡­Haha,¡± Gilead let out anotherugh. Then, as he shook his head from side to side, he continued speaking, ¡°Raise your head. Do you really think that there is any need for you to bow your head just for a small request like this?¡± ¡°Yes, Patriarch.¡± ¡°Even if I am your Patriarch, how can I pour cold water on your burning desire to learn and grow? Eugene, I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. So if you really want to learn magic, then¡­ I¡¯ll just have to give you my permission to learn.¡± Eugene shook his bowed head in relief and smiled. Of course, when he raised his head, there was no trace of amusement left on his face. ¡°So then, how exactly do you want to go about learning magic?¡± Gilead asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off. ¡°Since you¡¯ve alreadye to ask for my permission, you must have thought it through already, no?¡± ¡°I want to go to Aroth.¡± Although Gilead had expected this, he couldn¡¯t hide his uneasy reaction when Eugene mentioned the Magic Kingdom of Aroth. If you wanted to learn magic, then Aroth was definitely the best ce to go. ¡­And if it wasn¡¯t for what his eldest son, Eward, had experienced in Aroth, Gilead wouldn¡¯t have felt any difort from these words. ¡°¡­Aroth, you say¡­,¡± Gilead murmured. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything else, just your permission,¡± Eugene continued speaking quickly. From here on, Eugene knew that he needed to be careful with his words. Eward was Gilead¡¯s soft spot. Even though he was the eldest son, Eward hadn¡¯t made any outstanding achievements in the martial arts; and despite showing interest in magic ever since he was young, the eldest son had failed to show much progress in magic as well. Although he had stayed in Aroth ever since he was sent there four years ago, Eward hadn¡¯t been able to escape the heavy weight of the Lionheart n¡¯s prestigious name and instead had been made into aughing stock for having only managed to enter the tower through his connections. Eugene didn¡¯t want to get involved with Eward. He only wanted to go to Aroth to learn magic and follow any clues left behind by Sienna. However, if the word ¡®Aroth¡¯ was spoken anywhere in the main estate, whoever heard it instantly thought of Eward. So he needed to be very careful, as Eugene didn¡¯t want to create any pointless misunderstandings. Gilead eventually shook off his unease and said, ¡°¡­If that¡¯s what you want, then I can only give you permission to go there. Allow me to inform Lovellian first, though.¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m grateful for your thoughts, I don¡¯t want to receive too much in terms of support,¡± Eugene paused for a moment to examine Gilead¡¯s expression before continuing. ¡°¡­To be honest¡­ it feels like any assistance would be very burdensome, and Master Lovellian should be quite busy as well. If possible, I would like to try studying quietly on my own without any assistance from Master Lovellian.¡± ¡°That would actually be quite difficult,¡± Gilead said, unable to stop a wry smile forming on his face. ¡°Even if you leave the main estate, you are still a member of the Lionheart n. The moment you arrive in Aroth, many of Aroth¡¯s wizards will be paying attention to you. Even if you refuse it, a lot of people will approach you to make connections to the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°Then I just won¡¯t ept their offers,¡± Eugene said determinedly. ¡°¡­Your convictions are praiseworthy,¡± Gileadplimented with a sigh. How good would it be if his eldest son could be like that? As dangerous thoughts rose up in his head once more, Gilead shook his head to clear it. ¡°¡­Eugene, just promise me one thing,¡± Gilead requested. ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Do not get involved with ck magic.¡± In Aroth, there was a ck Tower of Magic where ck wizards gathered. There weren¡¯t any disturbing rumors that matched their sinister reputation, and unlike in the distant past, the public opinion of them wasn¡¯t too bad. However, the Lionheart n had been foundedby the GreatVermouth. Although some of the coteral branches had chosen to specialize in magic, ck magic was still forbidden to the n as an unwritten rule. ¡°I also despise ck magic,¡± Eugene replied without any hesitation. Gilead nodded in relief and said, ¡°As long as you can promise me that, I won¡¯t lift a finger, so you¡¯ll be free to leave for Aroth in whichever way you desire. I won¡¯t even inform Lovellian. ¡­I hope you won¡¯t have to personally experience the same sorts of troubles that Eward did. Is there anything else you would like to request?¡± ¡°I would like to shamelessly ask for an allowance.¡± ¡°How long do you n on staying in Aroth?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll need to go there first and start studying to get a rough idea of how long it will take me, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be returning before bing an adult.¡± ¡°That means you intend on staying for at least a few years.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s the only way I¡¯ll be able to actually learn something,¡± Eugene confirmed with augh. ¡°Hm, that certainly seems true. However, since magic is apletely different discipline from what you¡¯ve been taught so far¡­ it will be impossible for you to make any progress if you go into this half-heartedly,¡± Gilead warned Eugene. He had never learned any magic in his past life. As such, even Eugene didn¡¯t have the confidence to say that he would be ableto make rapid progress. Chapter 27.2 Chapter 27.2 Finishing his conversation with Gilead, Eugene left the room. As he walked back down the hallway, he heard a knocking sounding from a tightly locked door. ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked without any rm as he halted in his steps. He knew whose room that was. It was one of the rooms Ciel was using. Ever since she had started going through a rough patch of puberty a few months ago, she had stopped going to the gym and instead used some of the rooms in the mansion for her own training. ¡°Are you really going to Aroth?¡± Ciel didn¡¯t open the door fully and instead let her voice leak from a crack in the doorway. ¡°Did Cyan tell you that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Mhm. He also told me that you¡¯ve reached the Third Star of the White me Form.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve already heard everything then.¡± ¡°I asked if you¡¯re really going to Aroth?¡± ¡°Yep, I¡¯ve even got permission from the Patriarch.¡± ¡°Why are you even going?¡± as she said this, Ciel knocked on the door once more. Knock knock. Eugene smiled and responded with a few knocks of his own. ¡°Because I want to learn magic,¡± he exined. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you don¡¯t really need to go to Aroth. You can just invite a wizard from the capital to be your teacher,¡± argued Ciel. ¡°Don¡¯t you know that they won¡¯t be as good as the wizards of Aroth?¡± ¡°If you request it, Father would even summon a wizard from the royal court.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t believe that a court wizard would be better at teaching than a wizard from one of Aroth¡¯s Towers of Magic.¡± ¡°The court wizards are guaranteed to be skillful.¡± ¡°What I want isn¡¯t a skillful wizard, but a wizard who is good at teaching,¡± Eugene patiently exined. ¡°Do you really need to learn magic?¡± Ciel asked, her voice growing petnt. She opened the door slightly and let her head poke out of the room. At seventeen years old, Ciel was left with very little of her past mischievous look, but the change was only skin-deep. Eugene was well aware of just how cunning this girl¡¯s true personality could be. Ciel once again insisted, ¡°You don¡¯t really need to learn magic, right?¡± ¡°But there¡¯s also nothing wrong with learning magic, is there?¡± Eugene argued back. ¡°If it¡¯s magic you want, then isn¡¯t your spirit magic enough? Also, while you aren¡¯t here, brother and I might be able to catch up to your skill level.¡± Ciel was tantly provoking him, but Eugene just snickered in amusement. ¡°If that happens, that¡¯s actually good for me,¡± Eugene smirked. ¡°¡­What¡¯s so good about it?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t that just mean that the main family is growing stronger, and that it will be more fun sparring with you two? Ah, although it has been quite a while since I sparred with you.¡± ¡°If I start sparring with you from now on, will you stay here instead of going to Aroth?¡± ¡°No, I will still be going.¡± ¡°Bastard,¡± Ciel insulted him with a pout on her face before pulling her head back into her room. Until just now, Ciel had been immersed in her training, so her hair was frizzy, and her body was damp with sweat. She didn¡¯t want to show such an appearance to anyone, nor did she want anyone to notice her body odor. After a short silence, Ciel continued speaking, ¡°¡­How long will you be gone?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t know until I get there,¡± answered Eugene casually. ¡°You should know roughly how long it will take.¡± ¡°It will be a year at the very least.¡± ¡°Why do you want to stay for so long? Moving out will be a pain, and what will you do about Mr. Gerhard?¡± It might be because they were twins, but Ciel had ended up saying the same thing as Cyan. ¡°My father will be just fine without me,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°¡­Uncle Gion will be lonely,¡± Ciel eventually said after some hesitation. ¡°That might be true.¡± Eugene also happened to enjoy his frequent spars with Gion. ¡°To make up for me not being here, you both should make sure to y with him,¡± teased Eugene. ¡°And what about my brother?¡± Ciel suddenly brought up Cyan. ¡°Why bring up Cyan here?¡± ¡°What I mean is that my brother enjoys sparring with you as well.¡± ¡°If he really does enjoy getting beaten up by me, your brother has to be a little strange in the head.¡± ¡°In any case, brother will be lonely if you¡¯re not around. Earlier, while he was talking to me, he even secretly confessed that he didn¡¯t want you to go.¡± ¡°But I n on going anyway.¡± ¡°I would also prefer it if you didn¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m still going.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch.¡± Behind the door, Ciel¡¯s face twisted into a frown. In the main family, Eugene was the only one who would allow Ciel¡¯s words to wash over him without any reaction. Ciel popped her head out just to re at him before mming the door shut with a loud bang. ¡°¡­When are you leaving?¡± Ciel¡¯s muffled voice came through the door. Eugene answered, ¡°Tomorrow.¡± ¡°Why are you leaving so quickly?¡± ¡°Is there any reason for me to dy it? Since I¡¯ve received Gilead¡¯s permission, I should just save time and head off right away.¡± ¡°Rude jerk, shouldn¡¯t we at least have a farewell party?¡± ¡°Why would you want to throw a farewell party for a jerk?¡± Knocking on the door again as a goodbye, Eugene resumed walking down the corridor. Only after Eugene had gotten some distance away did Ciel open the door once more. ¡°Are you really leaving tomorrow?¡± As this voice came from behind him, Eugene just waved his hand as a response without turning back to look at Ciel. Since he had obtained Gilead¡¯s approval, Eugene showed no hesitation in his subsequent actions. After returning to the annex, he knocked on Gerhard¡¯s door. ¡°Come back safely.¡± Although he had been suddenly informed that Eugene would be leaving for Aroth tomorrow, Gerhard didn¡¯t spend much time thinking about it before giving his blessing. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have any concerns for his son, but Gerhard also didn¡¯t want to suppress his son¡¯s freedom after Eugene had already grown so splendidly. Gerhard lectured his son, ¡°While you¡¯re there, don¡¯t hang around with naughty kids, and make sure not to neglect your lessons.¡± Eugene returned the favor, ¡°Even when I¡¯m not here, don¡¯t do anything you shouldn¡¯t do, father, and don¡¯t neglect your exercise either.¡± Gerhard burst intoughter at this rejoinder. Gerhard had greatly improved himself during his past four years at the main estate. He had lost a lot of weight and even gained quite a bit of muscle. It was all thanks to his regr hunting trips with the coteral patriarchs and frequent walks he enjoyed in the main family¡¯s extensive forest. ¡°Also, if anyone tries to cause you trouble because I¡¯m not here, write to me right away. Don¡¯t pointlessly suffer in silence on your own,¡± Eugene insisted. Gerhard tried to reassure his son, ¡°I¡¯m sure that the Patriarch will be able to spare the attention if I bring the matter to him.¡± ¡°Still, wouldn¡¯t you feel better if it was your one and only son who was looking out for you instead of the busy Patriarch?¡± Gerhard smiled silently and patted Eugene on the shoulder. This gifted son of his was Gerhard¡¯s pride and treasure. If it wasn¡¯t for his son¡­. Gerhard nodded his head as he recalled his memories of Gidol, where they had been living just a few years ago. Gerhard tried to soothe Eugene¡¯s protectiveness, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to be a hindrance to you.¡± ¡°What hindrance? Don¡¯t say things like that anymore. I have never once thought of you as a hindrance,¡± Eugene responded bluntly while poking Gerhard in the side. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll be leaving tomorrow. I¡¯ll make sure to stay healthy while I¡¯m gone, so you should also make sure to stay safe, Father. Got that?¡± ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯ve got it.¡± Eugene was now taller than Gerhard. Gerhard smiled happily while looking up at his son, who had grown so mature. That night, Eugene and Gerhard, as well as all the members of the main family, gathered together and sat around arge table. Even Ciel, who hadn¡¯t shown her face at dinner in quite some time, was now sitting at the table wearing a nice dress. Although it wasn¡¯t avish farewell party, they had at least managed to wrangle something into ce so that the whole family could offer Eugene blessings for the future as he prepared to leave them for a few years. Various well-wishes were exchanged over a tableden with an array of luxurious dishes. ¡°So you intend to learn magic in Aroth, really¡­. Since you have such an amazing talent in martial arts, I¡¯m sure you will be good at learning magic as well,¡± Anci praised Eugene. The news of Eugene rising to the Third Star of the White me Form had made Anci chew on her lip in frustration, but the fact that that monstrous child was leaving the main estate for the time being was a joyous constion. ¡°I really envy Sir Gerhard for having such a wonderful son,¡± ttered Anci. ¡°Haha, you¡¯re too kind,¡± Gerhard epted thepliment with augh. During these four years, Anci¡¯s attitude hadn¡¯t seen much change from when they had first met. She had no intention of forging a hostile rtionship with Gerhard, let alone Eugene. Instead, she held out a hand with a smile, thus creating a friendly rtionship with Gerhard and Eugene. But Tanis, the first wife, showed the two apletely different attitude. The dark circles under Tanis¡¯s eyes and her sallow cheeks left a rather deste impression. For the past few years, Tanis had rarely left the main family¡¯s mansion, and she spent her days reacting with great agitation to even the slightest mistakes from the servants. Tanis felt that she had no choice but to do so. And she felt like she was being driven further into a corner with each passing day. Eward had not been able to be Lovellian¡¯s disciple as she had hoped, nor did he manage to forge any connections with Aroth¡¯s high-ranking wizards. Since even Gilford and his wife, who had been friendly with Tanis, had left the main estate a few years ago, Tanis had no allies in the current main estate. ¡®Although it¡¯s her fault for being so prickly,¡¯avoiding Tanis¡¯s intense gaze, Eugene focussed on cutting his meat. Gilead had never discriminated against Tanis. He didn¡¯t even force Eward to return despite all the negative rumors. Instead, Gilead kept providing support to shore up Eward¡¯s insufficiencies. It was Tanis¡¯s own decision to spend her days shunning any contact and wing at her surroundings. Just as the meal was ending, Tanis suddenly called out, ¡°Eugene.¡± Although Anci treated Eugene warmly whenever they met, this was the first time the temperamental first wife had called Eugene by his name all year. Though it wasn¡¯t like they had even held frequent conversations in the previous years. Tanis requested, ¡°Once you get to Aroth, please take care of your older brother, Eward.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene was unable to respond to these words that had suddenly been thrown at him and could only blink in surprise. Tanis continued, ¡°He must have been lonely, staying in Aroth all by himself for the past few years. ¡­I know that he didn¡¯t get to spend much time with you as siblings, but Eward is still your brother.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Eugene eventually replied. ¡°You might be adopted, but Eward is your brother. So, please treat him like a younger brother should,¡± even as she said this, Tanis¡¯s eyes slid to the side. She continued speaking while ring at Cyan and Ciel, who were sitting close to Eugene, ¡°¡­Take care of your older brother. You can at least do that, right?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Eugene avoided promising. ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re being too insistent, big sister. I¡¯m sure that Eugene will do what he can,¡± Anci gave a politeugh as she drew Tanis¡¯s gaze away from Cyan and Ciel with these words. Tanis red at Anci with her narrowed eyes, then pushed her chair back and stood up. ¡°Please excuse me. I¡¯m feeling exhausted. I¡¯ll be leaving now to go and get some rest.¡± ¡°¡­You may be excused,¡± Gilead nodded in permission with a perplexed look on his face. Over the past few years, Eugene had gotten quite close to Gilead. Thanks to this, he was able to make a fully informed decision about Gilead¡¯s position. ¡®Sure enough, the Patriarch¡¯s seat is a shit ce to be stuck on.¡¯ Eugene never wanted to be the Patriarch. Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Although Gilead had offered him an escort, Eugene had vehemently refused. After all, wouldn¡¯t it feel awkward being followed around everywhere by armed guards? ¡°It¡¯s not like Aroth¡¯s public security is that bad, and I¡¯m skilled enough to take care of myself,¡± Eugene had argued. All five of the Towers of Magic were located in the capital of Aroth. Since he was moving to such a bustling capital city and not some remote vige, he wouldn¡¯t need any guards. Gion had backed him up, ¡°With Eugene¡¯s skills, he shouldn¡¯t require an escort.¡± Since even Gion had spoken up for Eugene, Gilead could only nod in agreement. The two adults were well aware that Eugene had unbelievable levels of skills and experience for someone his age. On top of that, since he had also reached the Third Star of the White me Form, they couldn¡¯t treat him like a child any longer. At his age and skill level, Eugene needed to learn how to make his own decisions. ¡®¡­Unlike Eward.¡¯ Gilead washed down the bitter taste that this thought left in his mouth with a sip of wine. The next day, everyone was there to see Eugene off as he headed to the warp gate in the outskirts of the estate¡¯s forest. Gerhard, who had been smiling happily the day before, burst into tears at the sight of Eugene leaving. ¡°Make sure to eat healthily and don¡¯t skip any meals.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If you get sick, go find a doctor immediately.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°If things get too hard and lonely¡­ don¡¯t try to endure it and juste back, got it?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Eugene responded to each of Gerhard¡¯s reminders perfunctorily. It was hard for him to look at Gerhard directly as the man wept in love and concern for his son. In the past, Eugene¡¯s acknowledgment of Gerhard as his father had been faint, but strangely, the older he grew, the more he began to feel that Gerhard was truly his father despite having been reincarnated. ¡®¡­He is my real father, after all,¡¯even as Eugene realized this, he said out loud, ¡°Stop with the tears already. Do you really think I¡¯m just heading out there to die?¡± Gerhard paled, ¡°Don¡¯t tempt fate like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to learn some magic. Maybe do some sightseeing in the vicinity of Aroth as well,¡± Eugene reassured his father. ¡°You¡¯ve been living in Gidol for most of your life, and for thest few years, you¡¯ve spent all your days at the main estate. As someone who hasn¡¯t really seen the world, I¡¯m just not confident that you¡¯ll be fine living in Aroth all by yourself¡­,¡± Gerhard trailed off. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. So please stop crying. All the servants are watching,¡± Eugene said as he pulled out a handkerchief from his vest and scrubbed Gerhard¡¯s cheeks. ¡°How about taking Nina with you at the very least?¡± ¡°Nina also arrived at the main estate when she was very young, so she¡¯s just as ignorant of the outside world as I am. Besides, I¡¯ve already told her to take this chance and go for a vacation to her hometown.¡± ¡°Thank you so much for your consideration, sir,¡± Nina cut in with a smile and a nod. Eugene had personally requested the Patriarch to give Nina leave to go on this vacation. Thanks to this, Nina was able to visit her home with a heavy purse and an escort to protect her. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading off now,¡± Eugene said as he handed the tear-soaked handkerchief over to Gerhard. ¡°Although it won¡¯t be often, I¡¯ll write to you from time to time, whenever I remember to. So you need to remember to stay safe as well, father.¡± Gerhard tried to speak, but all that came out was a sob. ¡°Geez, I told you to stop crying. Do you really think I won¡¯t go just because you keep crying, father?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Y-you¡¯ll definitely still go¡ª¡± Gerhard choked out. ¡°You know me so well. That¡¯s why you should stop crying. Can¡¯t you just send your grown-up son off with a smile?¡± Finally, Gerhard stopped crying and put on a smile. But it seemed that Eugene had made a pointless mistake. Looking at Gerhard¡¯s tear-stained face, Eugene felt like a nail was being pounded into his chest. Still, Eugene didn¡¯t change his decision. Apanied by his father¡¯s tearful smile and the farewells from the members of the main family, Eugene departed for the warp gate. He never looked back even once. Just like in his previous life, Eugene never changed his mind once he had decided to do something. * * * The Capital of the Magic Kingdom of Aroth was called Pentagon. The five Towers of Magic formed the corners of a pentagon with the Royal Pce at its center. Eugene stared down at this scene in awe. Although he had been to Aroth in his previous life, thendscape he saw then was far different from thendscape he was looking down at now. ¡°¡­Wow¡­.¡± The five majestic and grand Towers of Magic were far more eye-catching than the pce. It couldn¡¯t be helped. The towers were both the symbol of Aroth and the source of its power. Unlike most kingdoms, the king had almost no ruling power. Aroth was instead governed by the prime minister of the parliament. ¡°Whoa¡­.¡± From up here, Eugene had a great view of the sprawling city. Pentagon¡¯s warp gates opened up in the sky, contained withinrge floating stations. Among the various kingdoms, Aroth was the only one to have its warp gates located in the sky. Each floating station was held aloft due to the multiple bits of magic that had been cast on it, and they were a symbol of the pride of Aroth, which called itself the Magic Kingdom. ¡®They didn¡¯t have anything like this in myst life.¡¯ For them to have raised a piece ofnd this size into the air and fixed the coordinates so that it could be used as a warp gate¡­. In addition to showing off just how great their magic was, they were also marketing its convenience and quality. Thousands of people wanted to travel to Pentagon¡¯s floating stations just to take in the sprawling capital at a single nce. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± a high-pitched voice said to Eugene. ¡°This view could even be said to be one of Aroth¡¯s cultural assets. There are as many as fifteen floating stations all around Pentagon, and all of them were created by the Wise Sienna.¡± ¡°¡­Wow,¡± Eugene awkwardly eximed. The voice continued its spiel, ¡°To go from this East Gate station, which Sir Eugene is currently at, to the Royal Pce, it would take at least half a day even with the help of a carriage. However, just by warping from one floating station to another, we can dramatically reduce the traveling distance¡­.¡± Even a blind person could understand what this meant. ¡°Also, there are aerial carriages assigned to each floating station! With these carriages, even those suffering from warp motion sickness can head to their destination while enjoying this view of Pentagon asfortably as if they were lying in their ownbed.¡± ¡°¡­Are those also something that chick¡ªI mean, that Lady Sienna came up with?¡± ¡°Of course they are! Ah, but there¡¯s no need to worry too much. Although they were constructed using magical techniques from hundreds of years ago, they have been continuously improved and repaired, so the annual rate of idents is very low.¡± But that meant there wasn¡¯t a zero chance of idents. ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Eugene hummed consideringly. The man standing next to Eugene, chattering away as he gave out exnations, was a guide who worked for the East Gate floating station. Due to therge number of tourists, many guides worked at each floating station. Most of them were young, inexperienced wizards who hadn¡¯t been able to enter a tower and instead worked as guides to cover their living costs and tuition fees. ¡®It was a mistake to wear these clothes here,¡¯Eugene thought with a frown as he looked down at his chest. He was wearing the official dress of the Lionheart n, which had the Lionheart sigil embroidered on the left chest. Thanks to this outfit that he had worn without much thought, a guide had been attached to him the moment he stepped out of the warp gate. ¡°The tourist attractions in the Pentagon are¡ª¡± ¡°Just one moment,¡± Eugene interrupted the guide to open a tourist brochure. After taking a few moments to check the tourist attractions listed in the brochure, Eugene nodded. ¡°¡­I would like to hire you just for today,¡± he eventually decided. ¡°If you sign up now, I can give you a discounted price of four days for the whole week,¡± the guide offered. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Let¡¯s just sign the contract now.¡± For now, there was only one ce that Eugene wanted to go to. After visiting that location, he had decided to head straight for the Red Tower of Magic to see Lovellian. As if he had been waiting for this, the guide pulled out a contract. After Eugene signed the contract using the pen that hade with it, he pulled out a cheque for a million sals from his wallet and handed it to the guide. ¡°Whoah!¡± the guide eximed in excitement. Eugene exined, ¡°This is the hiring fee for today, plus any other expenses that might crop up.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do my very best to show you around.¡± ¡°For now¡­ I would like to visit the mansion that belonged to the Wise Sienna.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent choice,¡± the guide praised with a smile. ¡°If you visit Pentagon, the three things that you absolutely need to see are: the Wise Sienna¡¯s mansion, the Towers of Magic, and the night view from the floating stations.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get a chance to see the night viewter. Right now, I just want to take a walk in the mansion by myself.¡± ¡°Did you say that you wanted to go in by yourself?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°As you wish,¡± the guide bowed his head and turned to lead the way. ¡®¡­So this is Eugene Lionheart,¡¯the guide considered the name written on the contract as he headed towards the warp gate.¡®But why has hee to Aroth? Is he trying to learn magic like the eldest son? Or could it be that he¡¯se to pick up that dunce?¡¯ The name Eward Lionheart was also quite famous in Pentagon. Especially among those poor and young wizards who were forced to cover their living and tuition expenses by doing odd jobs such as guide work, Eward¡¯s name was an object of envy. ¡®¡­If he was born to a martial family, he should just learn martial arts. Why act like such a know-it-all ande here to learn magic without having already learned shit-all in the first ce?¡¯ Even though he didn¡¯t have much talent in magic, Eward was someone who had been able to enter a Tower of Magic by relying solely on his personal connections. Although he hadn¡¯t be a disciple of the Red Tower Master, this had still enabled Eward to learn magic from one of the Tower Master¡¯s subordinates. To these poor, young wizards, he was known as a dunce, a fool, and a son of a bitch. Having gone through the warp gate, the guide pointed out of a window, ¡°The Wise Sienna¡¯s mansion is there, below us.¡± As the mansion was such a famous tourist destination in Pentagon, a floating station had been specially assigned to it. As they rode down in an aerial carriage, the guide continued to chatter, ¡°Three hundred years ago, after returning from the Devildom of Helmuth, Lady Sienna was the youngest person in Aroth¡¯s history to rise to the position of a Tower Master. In the square at the entrance to the Green Tower of Magic, which Sienna was once in charge of, you can find a statue that perfectly reproduces her image.¡± Eugene continued to stare at the view outside the window without any reply. ¡°This mansion was thest ce that Lady Sienna was ever seen. Two hundred years ago, Lady Sienna left a message in this mansion, saying that she was going into seclusion and then disappeared.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that story as well,¡± Eugene, who had been listening silently, turned his head and said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it still a mystery where Lady Sienna went after leaving that message?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Lady Sienna thoroughly erased all of her traces. Many of Aroth¡¯s wizards, and even Lady Sienna¡¯s own disciples, attempted to follow her tracks, but no one has been able to find out where Lady Sienna went into seclusion.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t there any spections or rumors of her whereabouts?¡± ¡°Of course, there were a lot of unconfirmed stores. Some say that she went to theDevildomto y the remaining Demon Kings. Others say that she wandered into Samar Forest, the sanctuary of the elves¡­.¡± After wracking his memories for a moment, the guide continued speaking. ¡°¡­There were even rumors that she had caught an incurable disease from somewhere and went into seclusion to die peacefully.¡± Eugene stayed silent, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to know how much truth these rumors hold. What is clear is that Lady Sienna hasn¡¯t been sighted even once in these past two hundred years.¡± The guide lowered his voice with a sad expression, ¡°Thementable fact is that the day Lady Sienna disappeared also happened to be her birthday. Just what on earth could have happened to her¡­ that she decided to go into seclusion instead of celebrating her birthday? This might just be my opinion, but I believe that Lady Sienna may have gone to the Devildom.¡± ¡°Why do you believe that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°If it was two hundred years ago, that would be the hundred-year anniversary of Lady Sienna¡¯s return from the Devildom of Helmuth. A hundred years since she was forced to return, leaving behind the body of herrade, the Stupid Hamel¡­. On the eve of her birthday, Lady Sienna may have recalled the fate of her long-deadrade and¡­.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene was speechless. ¡°¡®I want to avenge Hamel¡­,¡¯ it may have been such a desire that made Lady Sienna leave. You should have heard about this as well, right, Sir Eugene? It seems that Hamel had a crush on Lady Sienna. Like a bratty young boy, he couldn¡¯t confess his feelings to Lady Sienna, so he instead teased her throughout their journey¡­. Then shortly before he died, Hamel confessed his love for Lady Sienna¡ª¡± ¡°Stop your fucking bullshit!¡± Eugene suddenly shouted, unable to restrain himself. ¡°Huh?¡± the guide reeled back in astonishment at this sudden outburst. Eugene stammered as he tried toe up with an excuse, ¡°Ah, no¡­. Um¡­. That was¡­.¡± ¡°Ahah¡­,¡± after blinking in surprise for a few moments, the guide made a noise of enlightenment as he concluded with a wide smile. ¡°It looks like Sir Eugene is very against Hamel¡¯s romance with Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°¡­Well, yes, but¡­.¡± ¡°I often argued with my friends about this when I was young. I¡¯ve always imed that Lady Sienna¡¯s romance with Hamel was canon, but my friends insisted that Lady Sienna and the Great Vermouth were truly in love. That¡¯s why you were so angry, right?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t find any words. ¡°Well, that would still be a pretty interesting story. The Stupid Hamel¡­ who was constantly frustrated by Vermouth, even lost his love to the hero¡­ but in the end, he still threw himself in front of the blow meant for Vermouth and confessed his love as he was dying¡­. Ah, I really like such tragic stores as well.¡± Since Eugene had given him a million sals, shouldn¡¯t it be all right for him to p the guide across his mouth just once? Eugene seriously began to consider such an idea. ¡°In any case, that¡¯s just what I believe. Lady Sienna left Aroth and went to Helmuth alone to avenge Hamel¡­ but in the end, she failed to get her revenge¡­ and her eyes closed for thest time in Helmuth¡­.¡± ¡°¡­It seems that you really like tragedies,¡± Eugenemented with some difficulty. ¡°In Aroth, there are a lot of novels that have been written about Lady Sienna. If you are interested, I could bring you a selection of them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine¡­. However¡­ about Lady Sienna heading to Helmuth, that¡¯s just a wild guess, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not entirely unfounded. It¡¯s quite the famous story, but Lady Sienna hated both ck magic and the demonfolk, and until she went missing, she continued to oppose the erection of the ck Tower of Magic.¡± It had been two hundred years since the ck Tower of Magic had been raised in Aroth. This meant it was built shortly after the Wise Sienna¡¯s disappearance. ¡°¡­Some have argued that the radical ck wizards who were promoting the construction of the ck Tower of Magic may have assassinated Lady Sienna, but¡ª¡± ¡°There is no way any ck wizard could assassinate Lady Sienna,¡± the tone with which Eugene spit out this objection was so cold that he almost couldn¡¯t believe it belonged to him. ¡°Even the Demon King of Fury was unable to break through Lady Sienna¡¯s magical barrier. So how could mere ck wizards break through a spell that even stopped a demon king?¡± The guide eximed in amazement, ¡°Wow, you really know your stuff! Yep, that¡¯s what I think as well. Even the wizards who made up the ck Tower of Magic two hundred years ago stubbornly denied this assassination theory.¡± Despite Eugene¡¯s denial, a corner of his heart was still stained in darkness. ck wizards might not be able to assassinate Sienna, but what about the Demon Kings? Helmuth¡¯s two remaining Demon Kings had poured enormous amounts of support to construct the ck Tower of Magic. Eugene turned his head to look at the ck Tower of Magic in the distance. The lofty tower was shorter than the other towers of magic, but its extravagant splendor was so obvious that it could even be seen from such a distance. To this day, Helmuth was still keeping an eye on Aroth through the ck Tower. That was why they had given such great effort to have their pawns, the ck wizards, be part of Aroth. So from the perspective of the Demon Kings, Sienna, who continued to oppose the construction of the ck Tower of Magic, must have been a thorn in their eyes. So much so that they even wished to kill her. ¡®¡­Sienna,¡¯as the aerial carriagended on the ground, Eugene hopped off the carriage and immediately looked towards Sienna¡¯s mansion.¡®Are you really dead?¡¯ But the ce was so packed that he couldn¡¯t really appreciate the view. Too many tourists were crowding around the mansion for him to get a good look. Chapter 29.1 Chapter 29.1 The crowds were a natural sight. The Wise Sienna¡¯s mansion was a holy ce that all young saplings of magic wanted to visit; and even for those not learning magic, it was a standard tourist destination that needed to be seen at least once when visiting Aroth. ¡°Please¡­. Please let me pass this exam so that I can enter a Tower of Magic¡­.¡± ¡°This will be my eleventh time failing. Please at least let me get to the interview stage¡­.¡± The recruitment exams for the Towers of Magic, which were held twice a year, were reputed to be a truly brutalpetition. Across all five towers, there were thousands of wizards taking the exam, but only a few dozen wizards at most would pass the exam and be epted. There were still two months until the next terrifying public examination, but the road in front of Sienna¡¯s mansion was already packed full of students praying for sess. ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay them any attention,¡± the guide said upon noticing Eugene looking in their direction with shocked eyes. He walked over with a grin on his face. ¡°They won¡¯t be able to get into the mansion anyway since they don¡¯t have the money for it.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°The mansion¡¯s gate fee alone costs hundreds of thousands of sals. And that¡¯s just the cost to see the garden; if you want to look inside the mansion, you need to pay several times that amount.¡± ¡°Why is the price so high?¡± ¡°Because there are still people who are willing to go inside even if they have to pay such a price. There¡¯s a superstition that if you pray for help in passing your exam at the portrait of Sienna that¡¯s hanging in the mansion¡¯s main hall, you will definitely pass the recruitment exam for the Tower of Magic that you n on entering.¡± ¡°Is that even possible?¡± ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t¡­. A few years ago, after working hard to save enough money, I prayed at the portrait, but I still failed.¡± The guide¡¯s shoulders slumped as he admitted this. ¡°¡­In any case, the fact that it¡¯s so expensive just shows how valuable the opportunity to enter is, right? Since Lady Sienna never married and didn¡¯t leave behind any children, all tourism fees from this mansion go to the royal pce.¡± Together with the guide, Eugene headed to the mansion¡¯s front gate. Although there were already people lining up here, the Lionheart name proved effective in getting them to step aside. ¡®So this is why he told me to keep my formal clothes on.¡¯ Before boarding the aerial carriage, Eugene had started to feel bothered by all the gazesing his way, so he had tried to change out of his formal clothes. However, the guide had insisted that he needed to continue wearing them, or at least keep them on until he was done visiting Sienna¡¯s mansion. Thanks to his advice, there was no need for them to wait in line. After the guide had pulled the guards aside to have a word with them, the captain of the guards immediately emerged to greet Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene Lionheart, your identity has been confirmed.¡± Eugene¡¯s identity card was linked to his blood, so it was impossible to forge it. Especially since Eugene¡¯s identity card had a rare and eye-catching appearance, as the Lionheart sigil had been engraved on the back of the card after he was adopted into the direct line. ¡®Back in the old days, we went around carrying badges instead¡­.¡¯ And although they had all kept those badges on them, they actually weren¡¯t very suitable for identification purposes, as the badges were easy to forge. Back in that era of constant bloodshed, it was strength, not a badge, that was used to prove their identities. ¡®Even the currency has been converted into some strange pieces of paper¡­.¡¯ Although the currency had still been called sals, they used to carry around coins made of copper, silver, and gold. But the paper money that they use nowadays? Where exactly did its valuee from? ¡®The world really has changed quite a lot.¡¯ While Eugene was living at the main estate, he hadn¡¯t really felt the difference. But since venturing out into the world, it all felt a little unreal to him upon noticing that so many things had changed from his past. The captain of the guards asked, ¡°How would you gentlemen like to pay for the entrance fee?¡± With casual ease, the guide replied, ¡°We want a full course tour of the mansion. Sir Eugene, would you like to pay with cash or card?¡± Caught off guard, Eugene stammered, ¡°¡­W-with card.¡± Fumbling, Eugene took his card out of his wallet. This thing called a wallet was pretty awkward as well. Why did you need to pull your money out of these thin leather pockets? Didn¡¯t anyone use money bags nowadays? And what¡¯s with this card? He¡¯d been told that he could use it without any hesitation whenever he needed to pay for something. It was a ck card with the Lionheart sigil engraved on it. ¡°A ¡ªa ck card,¡± the guide took the proffered card with a gulp. The national banks only issued such ck cards to the highest level of ounts. Even though this might tempt thieves to try and steal it, stolen cards could not be used so easily. The public banks had linked cards like these to their owner¡¯s blood, just like the ID cards. ¡°Whoa¡­,¡± after a slight pause, the captain of the guards took the card with a respectful bow of his head. Once they were done with the payment process, Eugene and the guide were escorted away, not to the crowded main gate but to another more secluded gate instead. ¡°Please enjoy the tour,¡± the captain of the guards saw them off with a bow. While still ruminating on the acute difference between the current day¡¯smon sense and themon sense he had inherited from his past life, Eugene put away his wallet. ¡®I¡¯ll just have to try and get used to it.¡¯ Even when Eugene was back in Gidol, he had hardly ever left the mansion. After all, once he left his mansion, all there was to see were endless fields of wheat. And after he was adopted into the main family, Nina was there to bring him whatever he needed, so he devoted all his time to training his mana and martial arts. ¡°How long would you like to stay here?¡± the guide asked politely. ¡°Maybe one or two hours?¡± Eugene answered, sounding unsure. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll wait out here until you¡¯re done,¡± the guide replied with a smile. Eugene absentmindedly nodded and turned away from him. At first,he had wondered why someonewould even need a guide, but now he found it convenient to have someone handle the troublesome work for him. ¡°¡­Now then¡­,¡± Eugene took a deep breath before putting his best foot forward. ¡°Let¡¯s take a look at howthatchick lived.¡± Sienna¡¯s mansion was huge. It was a home that she had lived in for over a hundred years. During that time, Vermouth had married more than ten wives, and even that foolish Molon had gotten married and had several children. However, Sienna never married. She didn¡¯t even live together with her three personal disciples. Except for her servants, Sienna had lived in this spacious mansion all by herself. ¡®If she lived here for a hundred years, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for her to have married and even gotten to her grandchildren.¡¯ Because of her faith, it was normal for Anise to not get married. But what about Sienna? If she was going to live that long, wouldn¡¯t it have been better for her to get married and have children like Vermouth and Molon, just so she wouldn¡¯t get lonely? ¡ªHey, what are you going to do after all this? This memory, when did ite from again? It was probably¡­ sometime after they had killed the fifth-ranked Demon King of Carnage. In the ruins of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, while everyone was still exhausted from the battle, they had set up an order for the watch. On a night when everyone else had fallen asleep out of exhaustion, Hamel had been bandaging the wounds on his body when Sienna, who was next up for the watch, suddenly opened her eyes and had asked him that question. ¡ªWhy are you asking that all of a sudden? ¡ªI¡¯m just curious. Since we¡¯re going through all this shit in a hellish ce like this when we¡¯re meant to be enjoying the bloom of our youths, shouldn¡¯t we at least get to enjoy some happiness once all this is over? ¡ªI¡¯ve got no idea. Never given it any thought. ¡ªMolon, that idiot, says he wants to be a king. Doesn¡¯t that sound hrious? ¡ªCrazy bastard. What a load of bullshit. Why on earth does he want to be a king? ¡ªHey, leave him alone. It¡¯s what he wants to do¡­. Everyone has the right to dream. ¡ªHave you been drinking? ¡®Everyone has the right to dream¡­.¡¯ See this? I¡¯m getting goosebumps from the cringe. ¡ªScumbag. Even though I was trying to be sincere¡ª! ¡ªThen, what do you n on doing once this is over? Do you want to be a queen like Molon? ¡ªAre you crazy? Why would I choose to do something so boring? ¡ªBut you¡¯re implying that something like that isn¡¯t impossible for you? ¡ªOf course, it¡¯s not impossible. If we return after ying all the Demon Kings, won¡¯t they still try to pawn kingships onto us, even if we tell them not to? Molon has probably thought of that as well, and that¡¯s why he says that he wants to be a king. ¡ªSo then, if you don¡¯t want to be a queen, what do you want to do? ¡ªFor me, I¡¯d like to¡­. Eugene looked up at the portrait. There was Sienna, just as Hamel remembered her. Light purple hair that would enchant the eye, even from a stray glimpse caught in the middle of a crowd, and green eyes just as beautiful as her hair. ¡ª¡­live a normal life¡­ just like everybody else¡­. I want to get married, have children, livefortably, and eventually bea grandmother. In his mind, he saw the wind blow through Sienna¡¯s hair. Unconsciously, Eugene stretched his hand out towards Sienna¡¯s portrait. Suddenly a voice reminded him, ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to touch the portrait.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but curse,¡®This motherfucker, just when I was feeling a bit emotional.¡¯ One of the guards deployed throughout the mansion gave him a warning nce. Although all of the objects in the mansion had been enchanted with preservation magic, that still didn¡¯t mean that they could be touched freely. ¡°I understand your feelings,¡± the guard said sympathetically. ¡°Lady Sienna is truly beautiful¡­. Of course, there¡¯s no way that that portrait can fully capture Lady Sienna¡¯s beauty.¡± Still slightly annoyed, Eugene asked, ¡°You¡¯ve never seen her in person, so how could you be so sure of that?¡± ¡°Because portraits always palepared to the real thing,¡± the guard stated confidently. Eugene wasn¡¯t too sure about that. He raised his head to stare up at the portrait. At first, he had thought that the portrait¡¯s appearance perfectly matched his memories, but now that he took another look, it felt like the portrait seemed more beautiful than the real thing. ¡®¡­Really now.¡¯ The more he continued to look at the portrait like this, the more uncertain Eugene felt. If she had returned without killing thest two Demon Kings, she should have just gotten married, had children, and grown old peacefully surrounded by her grandchildren. So why did Sienna live all by herself forover a hundred years? Chapter 29.2 Chapter 29.2 ¡®¡­I didn¡¯te here to stare at a portrait,¡¯Eugene reminded himself. And he hadn¡¯te here to get all emotional either. No, Eugene was here to see ifSiennahad left any clues behind. ording to his calctions, Eugene believed that it was definitely Sienna who had ced his ne in the treasure vault. ¡®¡­.Lovellian did say that the memory he read was from a hundred years ago,¡¯he recalled. If that¡¯s the case, wouldn¡¯t that mean Sienna was still alive one hundred years ago? ¡®No, we can¡¯t say that for sure. It could have been an entirely fabricated memory¡­. Or perhaps¡­ the one who left it there was actually Vermouth.¡¯ Histhoughts were spiraling in circles. Eugene took a deep breath and stroked his ne. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that this had caught his eye, he wouldn¡¯t have been left with suchplicated thoughts. ¡®It can¡¯t just be some kind of surprise gift for me, so what on earth were they trying to do with this? Why did they put the ne there?¡¯ While forcing down his inner turmoil, Eugene left the portrait and moved on. Although there were many things to see in this spacious mansion, the most remarkable sight of all was the basement that had been entirely transformed into Sienna¡¯s personal study. Eugene nced at the bookshelves that were packed with magical texts. Copies of the original texts had been made two hundred years ago and stored here. Although powerful preservation magic had been cast over these books, they were still not allowed to be touched. ¡®There should be something that she left behind¡­.¡¯ There was no way that his reincarnation was a coincidence. His vague suspicions had been confirmed upon finding this ne from his past life. The ne hadn¡¯t been registered by the treasure vault¡¯s magic, and a fake memory had even beenid over it. ¡®What are the odds that the ne just happened to be in the treasury, and I just happened to stumble across it once I entered?¡¯ It all sounded impossible. While it was already extremely unlikely for him to have been reincarnated with his memories intact, for him to coincidentally be reunited with a keepsake from his past life? ¡®Something is going on. Someone had a hand in my reincarnation. Was it you, Vermouth? Or could it be you, Sienna? It might even be Anise, but there¡¯s no way it could be that idiot, Molon.¡± If someone had nned for him to be reincarnated like this, they would definitely have made other arrangements as well. His soul hadn¡¯t changed at all, despite his reincarnation. Tempest had recognized that Eugene used to be Hamel with only a nce. What if the magic that made use of this fact was cast on the ne as ity in the treasure vault? Then wouldn¡¯t it make sense for the ne to go undiscovered by anyone for hundreds of years, only to reappear in response to Hamel¡¯s ¡®soul¡¯? If the one who had nned for this was Sienna¡­. ¡®Then she should have left some other clues behind. But where¡­?¡¯ Of course, this conclusion was full of holes. The most obvious being, why use such a convoluted method? Wouldn¡¯t it be better if they had just immediately exined the situation to him as soon as he had gotten hold of the ne? But if they were using such a cumbersome method, there must have been a good reason for it. However, what on earth could that reason be? ¡°I can¡¯t fucking figure it out¡­,¡± Eugene cursed after wandering through Sienna¡¯s study for quite a while. He had traversed through the entire maze of bookshelves, scanning through the titles in the tightly-packed bookshelves. However, he hadn¡¯t managed to find anything. So he left the study and headed upstairs. He took a look in Sienna¡¯s bedroom and the many other rooms as well. But nothing stood out in his sight. ¡®I really have no fucking clue.¡¯ As he scratched at his hair in frustration, Eugene stared up at the portrait. ¡®So I guess I¡¯ll just have to do things my way. If there was something that you wanted me to do, you should have at least found a way to tell me properly. If you don¡¯t tell me anything, then how the hell am I supposed to know what you want me to do?¡¯ It was frustrating trying to cooperate with some unknown scheme. If there really was some n in motion, then as long as she hadn¡¯t died yet, they would definitely meet up again someday. Eugene took a quick look around to see if the guards were looking in his direction. Once he confirmed that they weren¡¯t,Eugene raised his middle fingers to Sienna¡¯s portrait. ¡°If that pisses you off, you cane right at me.¡± In the first ce, he was the one who had been reincarnated, not Sienna. ¡°¡­As long as you¡¯re alive, that is.¡± Eugene let out a long sigh and turned around. The sun was currently setting, and the sky was getting dark. He had been so focussed on his search that he hadn¡¯t realized how much time had passed. ¡°Did I keep you waiting for too long?¡± Eugene asked guiltily. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the guide replied. Even though Eugene said he¡¯d be out in an hour or two, the guide, who had been left waiting outside for twice that time, forced a smile. ¡°It looks like you really enjoyed the tour,¡± the guidemented. ¡°Well¡­ it¡¯s just that I ended up spending a long time thinking about various things. And it didn¡¯t help that the inside of the mansion was really spacious,¡± Eugene tried to excuse himself. The guide changed the subject, ¡°You saw Lady Sienna¡¯s portrait, right?¡± ¡°Yes, it was a really beautiful painting.¡± ¡°That beautiful appearance along with her unprecedented magical abilities that would even shame a Demon King¡­. Lady Sienna could truly be called a goddess of magic.¡± Eugene felt awkward, ¡°Well, calling her a goddess is a bit¡­.¡± And he didn¡¯t think that her abilities had really been strong enough to put a Demon King¡¯s to shame. ¡°Where would you like to go now?¡± the guide asked. ¡°This is a popr tourist attraction, so there are plenty of great restaurants nearby.¡± Eugene casually pulled out his wallet. The guide¡¯s eyes started sparkling when he saw this. ¡°Here¡¯s a tip,¡± Eugene said, handing over some money. ¡°Thank you so much!¡± the guide shouted excitedly. ¡°I¡¯m fine with not going to a restaurant, so let¡¯s head straight to the Red Tower of Magic. Once we arrive there, your work is over for today.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± At these words from Eugene, the guide¡¯s expression stiffened slightly. ¡°Yes, sir, please follow me.¡± Swallowing his jealousy, the guide continued to act professionally. Unlike that foolish eldest son, at least this adopted son had given him more money than he would have been able to earn after months of working as a guide. ¡®¡­And at least he¡¯s shown that he has true skills,¡¯the guide argued to himself. Unlike the eldest son, whose only virtue was being born to the direct line, Eugene had been recognized for his abilities and been adopted into the main family despite being born to a coteral line. The guide took the lead as he used these thoughts to soothe his depressed feelings. ¡°Is it okay if I ask you something?¡± Eugene suddenly asked. ¡°Of course, as long as it¡¯s something that I can answer,¡± the guide proimed. ¡°It¡¯s about Eward Lionheart.¡± As they were riding an aerial carriage on its way to the Red Tower of Magic, Eugene casually brought up his name, ¡°He¡¯s my elder brother, but have you heard of him?¡± ¡°¡­Among the younger generation of wizards in Pentagon, there are only a few who don¡¯t know that name,¡± the guide replied while giving Eugene a nervous look. Noticing his expression, Eugene smiled warmly and said, ¡°There¡¯s no need to be nervous. I just brought it up since we¡¯re heading to the Red Tower, and we¡¯re indebted to them for taking care of him.¡± ¡°¡­Ah¡­ yes.¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t my older brother been staying with them ever since he arrived four years ago? I¡¯m not sure if you know of our family situation, but I wasn¡¯t originally a part of the main family and was instead adopted into it. Just as I was being adopted into the household, Eward left the main estate and headed to Aroth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­. Yes, I¡¯m aware of it. It¡¯s quite the famous story.¡± Was it really that famous? Eugene had been living in the main estate for the past few years, so he was in the dark about the rumors spreading outside. Eugene continued, ¡°Thanks to that, I haven¡¯t been able to meet with my older brother, Eward, even once since I was adopted into the family. That¡¯s why I would like to ask, by any chance, have you heard any rumors concerning my older brother?¡± ¡°Ahhh¡­. Um¡­,¡± the guide dithered uncertainly. ¡°All I¡¯m asking you to do is to tell me any rumors concerning my older brother,¡± Eugene pressed, his eyes narrowing. The guide¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple bobbed as he felt the subtle pressureing from Eugene. ¡°The rumors that I¡¯ve been able to piece together about my brother aren¡¯t very substantial,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°But I can roughly tell that there aren¡¯t many good things being said about him. So don¡¯t you think I need to learn a bit more about my brother, just so that I don¡¯t make a mistake when we meet?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­. Yes, well¡­,¡± the guide still proved hesitant. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t feel offended by your words, nor will I punish you for any nder. I won¡¯t reveal the source of my information to the main family, especially not to my brother. I can swear all this on my family name.¡± Since Eugene had gone so far as to swear a vow, the guide had no choice but to nod in agreement. Eugene¡¯s gaze was far too piercing for him to try and insist that he didn¡¯t know anything. He had heard that Eugene was currently only seventeen, but how could his gaze be so overbearing? If Eugene were to give them this look, even mercenaries who had wandered the battlefields for decades might run away with their tails between their legs. The guide finally started spilling everything, ¡°¡­Well¡­ I also don¡¯t know much about him, but¡­.¡± ¡°Please, speak freely,¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°About Sir Eward¡­, I¡¯ve heard that he¡­ that he leaves the Tower of Magic every night to indulge himself in certain forms of entertainment.¡± ¡°Entertainment?¡± How old was Eward again? ¡®He was two years older than me, right?¡¯ At neen, Eward was at an age where his youthful vitality could keep him up at night. ¡°By entertainment, do you mean he indulges in alcohol and women? If it¡¯s those sorts of things, isn¡¯t that rather normal for someone his age?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. The guide hesitated, ¡°Um, no. It¡¯s not that kind of entertainment. This really is just a rumor, but¡­.¡± ¡°If rumors are spreading, there must be a good reason for it. Stop dawdling and spit it out already. What¡¯s this all about?¡± ¡°¡­.Su¡­.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said, it¡¯s a subus,¡± the guide finally revealed, blushing in embarrassment. ¡°That crazy bastard,¡± Eugene growled, his eyebrows shooting upwards in surprise. Favorite Chapter 30.1 Chapter 30.1 Subi were a species of Night-Demons[1]that were so famous almost no one was unfamiliar with them. Of course, Eugene was also well-acquainted with subi. In his past life, when he and hispanions were journeying through Helmuth, those damn Night-Demons would invade their dreams whenever they were tired and exhausted to pull all sorts of shit. ¡°This isn¡¯t even fucking Helmuth, so why are there subi here?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Pl-please calm down.¡± Seeing Eugene burst out in a rage, the guide was greatly flustered and raised his hands to form a fragile barrier. ¡°This might not be Helmuth, but there¡¯s still the ck Tower of Magic, remember? Apart from the human ck wizards, there are quite a lot of demonfolk living in the tower as well.¡± ¡°So that means that bastard, Eward¡ªno, I mean my big brother, has been ying around with a subus from the ck Tower of Magic?¡± Even though it hade from his own lips, Eugene still couldn¡¯t believe what he was saying. That guy was a descendant of Vermouth, the eldest son of the main family¡­ but he was ying around with demonfolk and a subus at that? ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­. Strictly speaking, rather than ying around with them¡­ he¡¯s just being entertained by them¡­.¡± ¡°How is that any different?¡± ¡°Although this might be true of any city, even Aroth has a certain street where illegal gatherings and ¡®those¡¯ sorts of shops operate in the open. To put it bluntly, it¡¯s a ce purposely left unsupervised as a form of necessary evil¡­.¡± ¡°So what about it?¡± ¡°While that street is most famous for its ck market, there are also a few shady shops that have hired subi as their hostesses. I¡¯ve heard that Sir Eward visits those types of shops regrly¡­.¡± ¡°That crazy bastard,¡± Eugene¡¯s tone grew even harsher. Since the guide had mentioned the ck Tower of Magic, Eugene had suspected that Eward might have some kind of rtionship with a ck wizard to whom the subus was contracted. But after hearing the full story from the guide, it only made Eugene despise Eward even more. To think that a descendant of Vermouth had gotten entangled in the skirt strings of a subus and was freely offering himself as sustenance. That alone would have been shameful enough, but she wasn¡¯t just a subus butwas actually a hostess.[2] Even calling her a hostess was actually putting it in exceedingly polite terms, as it was clear that the subi who worked in those sorts of shops were the lowest of the low among the subi. In human terms, they were no different from street corner whores. ¡°That crazy, stupid bastard. What the fuck does that still-wet-behind-the-ears brat think he¡¯s doing?¡± At these scathing words, the guide couldn¡¯t help but feel extremely flustered once more, because the way Eugene was speaking sounded just like an adult scolding a foolish child. Eugene rounded on the guide, ¡°Has this been confirmed?¡± The guide cringed, ¡°No, well, not really¡­. It¡¯s just to the extent that there are rumors about it¡­.¡± ¡°Do you know where that street is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s called Bolero Street. Those shops don¡¯t open every day, so the street only shows its true, corrupted appearance once a month, on the night of the full moon.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Eugene growled out a reply between gritted teeth. He had no desire to get all friendly with Eward uponing to Aroth. He had nned to keep a reasonable distance and basically ignore his step-sibling while focusing on his own affairs. However, now that he had heard this news, he felt a fiery rage ignite inside of him. Eugene¡¯s anger wasn¡¯t because of his attachment to their shared family name of Lionheart. Instead, he just couldn¡¯t ept that a descendant of Vermouth was offering his life force to a petty demon. ¡®How dare he give in to scumbags like those.¡¯ Eugene obviously hated the Demon Kings, but he also despised the demonfolk. And if he had to rank who among the demonfolk he hated the most, the subi would be at the top of his list. There was a simple reason for this. When they were attacked for the first time by subi in the Devildom, he had experienced a godawful embarrassment. ¡®Whether it¡¯s a subus or an incubus, any sort of Night-Demon, they all need to be wiped out.¡¯ He didn¡¯t even want to recall the embarrassing memories from back then. In any case, Eugene had torn apart countless subi and incubi in his previous life as revenge for the shame he had been put through. Hesitantly, the guide spoke up, ¡°¡­Sir Eugene, would you please keep the fact that I shared this story with you a secret¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Didn¡¯t you hear me swear on my name? I¡¯m not going to say anything to anyone, especially not to that fucking big brother of mine.¡± They were drawing close to the Red Tower of Magic. Having been distracted by the guide¡¯s worried voice, Eugene gave a vague nod of reassurance before going back to grinding his teeth. ¡®If I could have my way, I¡¯d just grab him by the cor and p the truth out of him.¡¯ But for now, he had only heard rumors, and they were pretty unreliable rumors at that. If he pped the shit out of Eward just because of some idle tales, Eugene would be the one in the wrong. So he needed to hold back his urge for violence until he had found some clear evidence. ¡°¡­You said that it opens on the night of the full moon and that it¡¯s called Bolero Street, right?¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± ¡°Okay, I¡¯ve got it.¡± The aerial carriagended in front of the Red Tower. Eugene was the first to fling open the carriage door. Turning back, he said, ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to get off with me since we¡¯ll be parting ways here anyway. Take care, and let¡¯s grab something to drink if we happen to meet in the streets sometime.¡± Surprised, the guide asked, ¡°W-would you like to take my business card? My name is¡ª¡± ¡°Now, now, there¡¯s no need for that. I have a good memory. I¡¯ll definitely recognize you if we meet again, so we can each go our own ways from here, and I¡¯ll make sure to say hi the next time I see you.¡± Waving goodbye, Eugene got off the carriage. The guide¡¯s intentions had been obvious. He had wanted to somehow establish a rtionship with Eugene. Because by doing so, he would hopefully get the chance to have his name heard by Lovellian, the master of the Red Tower. But that wasn¡¯t any of Eugene¡¯s business. ¡°Might you be Sir Eugene Lionheart?¡± A woman standing in front of the entrance to the tall, scarlet tower approached Eugene. Wearing arge, pointed, wide-brimmed hat on top of her magenta robes, she made for quite an impressive sight. ¡®Even three hundred years ago, no one went around dressed so stereotypically like a wizard¡­.¡¯ But trends came and went. Was something like that supposed to be an example of retro fashion? After ncing up at the pointed headwear, Eugene nodded in confirmation. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s me.¡± ¡°My name is Hera, and I am a wizard of the Red Tower of Magic,¡± Hera took off her hat and bowed her head as she introduced herself. ¡°The Tower Master is waiting upstairs. He nned to be here to greet you personally, but a small problem cropped up that¡¯s keeping him upied.¡± ¡°What kind of problem?¡± Eugene asked. At this question, Hera revealed a helpless expression. Unable to answer right away, she hesitated momentarily before ncing back at the tower. Tching! A pulse of mana swept from the tower and sent shivers through the atmospheric mana. The sharp, ringing sound set Hera¡¯s shoulders trembling. Eugene also furrowed his brows slightly as he lookedup at the tower. ¡°¡­Hm¡­ there seems to have been some sort of ident?¡± Eugene observed. ¡°¡­This is actually rathermon,¡± Hera admitted defeatedly. With a low cough, Hera put her hat back on. ¡°At the Red Tower of Magic¡­ well¡­ we have many wizards who study summoning magic. And among the various different types of magic, summoning magic¡­ um¡­ it has the highest risk of failure.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to tell him that, you should give him a proper exnation,¡± a voice suddenly interrupted. ¡°It¡¯s not just that the risk of failure is high; it¡¯s that they¡¯re trying to fail on purpose. They¡¯re trying to summon somethingpletely different by overloading the summoning circle with mana!¡± The owner of this annoyed-sounding voice was Lovellian.He opened one of the windows in the tall tower and flew outside. Fwoosh! As soon as the window opened, ck smoke started pouring out. ¡°However, this is just going too far. It looks like we really have a couple amazing geniuses on our hands. How, just how on earth, did you all manage to summon a Shadowbeast from a circle meant to summon a Lava Shark?¡± Hanging in the midair, Lovellian waved his hand. The Shadowbeast, which had already merged with the darkness of the night sky, was caught by the mana that Lovellian emitted. ¡°Your spirit of creative experimentation is rmingly amazing. What were you nning to do by summoning a demonic beast that you couldn¡¯t even handle? What do you think would have happened had the Shadowbeast escaped because of your mistake? Thankfully we¡¯ll never know for sure, but over a hundred people could have died before it was caught!¡± ¡°We-we¡¯re sorry¡­.¡± The young wizards who followed Lovellian out of the tower kept bowing their heads in apology. However, Lovellian¡¯s rage couldn¡¯t be appeased so easily. ¡®They must be insane,¡¯agreed Eugene in disbelief. The Shadowbeast was a demonic beast that stalked the nights in Helmuth. Like most demonic beasts, the Shadowbeasts weren¡¯t fully sentient. Instead, they were equipped solely with an instinct for destruction. If that Shadowbeast had managed to escape into the night sky, it would have immediately started hunting down the capital¡¯s inhabitants. The wizards tried to make excuses, ¡°We never meant to summon a demonic beast¡­. We-we just¡­.¡± ¡°From now on,youguys can be the Tower Masters of the Red Tower,¡± Lovellian suddenly dered. ¡°Huh?¡± the wizards gaped in shock. ¡°Even I wouldn¡¯t be able to summon a Shadowbeast from a Lava Shark¡¯s summoning circle. That would absolutely never happen. So, doesn¡¯t this mean you managed to perform a feat of summoning that even I couldn¡¯t? Since that must mean you¡¯re better wizards than me, you should be the Tower Masters of the Red Tower instead.¡± ¡°T-tower Master¡ª!¡± ¡°Do you really think I have stones for eyes? Your summoning circle was wed from the very start! Even if you make a mistake, you should at least try to get the basics right. This demonic beast could only be summoned if the very foundation of the summoning circle was screwed up!¡± Lovellian suddenly roared even louder, ¡°Pack your bags and leave immediately!¡± Thewizards continued to bow their heads in apology as tears dripped from their eyes. However, Lovellian didn¡¯t change his mind. Tearing his gaze away from the poor wizards,Lovellian turned to face Eugene. ¡°¡­Ahem.¡± 1. A category of demons who have power over dreams. Apart from the subi, this includes incubi, nightmares, and night hags.? 2. Though this may sound discriminatory towards certain professions, we do not endorse such discriminatory behavior.? Chapter 30.2 Chapter 30.2 Lovellian¡¯s fierce expression instantly transformed. It had turned back into the appearance of the kind young man who had said ¡®Hello children¡¯ with a smile on his face during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony four years ago. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Eugene,¡± Lovellian nodded respectfully. Although his smiling face was the same as back then, the tone of his voice had changed. This was because Eugene¡¯s station had also changed over the years. Four years ago, Eugene was just one of the several children frommon coteral branches. However, the current Eugene was now the adopted son of the Lionheart¡¯s direct line. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot,¡± Lovellian observed. ¡°Haha, to be honest, I almost didn¡¯t recognize you.¡± ¡°Master Lovellian hasn¡¯t changed at all,¡± Eugeneplimented the man. ¡°Well, so what. It¡¯s just because I¡¯m holding onto my youth with my magic. After all, isn¡¯t it better to have a youthful appearance than an aged one?¡± As Lovellian descended to the ground, he gave Eugene a broad smile. From what Eugene had heard, Lovellian was close to a hundred years old. However, he looked like he was in his mid-twenties at most. ¡®Although he seems different from when I saw him four years ago.¡¯ Even then, he had gotten a vague sort of threatening feeling from Lovellian. But because he hadn¡¯t started training his mana sensitivity yet, he hadn¡¯t been able to confirm anything ashewas unable to sense the man¡¯s mana. However, now that Eugene had met Lovellian once more, he now knew for sure. Lovellian was strong. This was actually rather appropriate. As one of Aroth¡¯s five Tower Masters, he should at least have that level of strength. However, Eugene didn¡¯t feel any other sort of impression from Lovellian, just that he was strong. When Eugene recalled the strong men he had met in his previous life, the ones he immediately thought of were those who had given him a unique impression besides their strength. ¡®It looks like he has a long way to go before reaching Sienna¡¯s level,¡¯Eugene observed. Lovellian also examined Eugene in turn,¡®¡­This is absurd.¡¯ Lovellian was astonished at the amount of mana he sensed from Eugene. It was Lovellian who had suggested that Eugene be adopted. He had already noticed Eugene¡¯s potential during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. Even after returning to Aroth, he had kept in touch with Gilead and had heard all about Eugene¡¯s aplishments. He had heard about how Eugene could sense mana in less than ten minutes after entering the Leyline. That was an abnormal level of mana sensitivity. Not only that, but Eugene had also shown monstrous levels of mana affinity that had allowed him to control the mana as soon as he sensed it. Lovellian couldn¡¯t help but feel troubled whenever he heard these stories about Eugene. Of course, this was because of Eward. Eventually, Lovellian said, ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard the news from Gilead. So, you are interested in magic?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Magic is an extremely engaging field of study. Although it¡¯s just as difficult to learn as it is interesting¡­. But if it¡¯s you, Eugene, you should be able to do well,¡± as he muttered this, Lovellian turned his head. He could feel a presence from behind the closed door that barred the entrance to the tower¡¯s first floor. He didn¡¯t feelfortable with how this presence was just lingering there, not daring to open the door. With a click of his tongue, Lovellian shot the door a nce. Creak! The closed door swung open, immediately followed by a sound of gasp. It hade from a skinny young man who was visibly taken aback when the door suddenly opened. It was Eward Lionheart. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to recognize him immediately. After all, four years was an exceptionally long time for children. Eward had grown a lot taller. However, his physique hadn¡¯t grown to match his new height. Eugene nced at Eward¡¯s barely muscled limbs. He also noted Eward¡¯s dull, spiritless eyes. As for his gray hair, which could be called a symbol of the Lionheart n along with their sigil¡­ it looked as dry and lifeless as withered des of grass. ¡®That fucking bastard.¡¯Eugene¡¯s eyes began to burn with an inner fire as he looked at Eward.¡®With an appearance like that, he¡¯s practically bragging about how he¡¯s regrly getting his life-force sucked away by subi.¡¯ Lovellian chided Eward, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you at leaste out to greet your younger brother?¡± ¡°¡­Ahem,¡± with an awkward cough, Eward looked up at Eugene. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not quite sure what I should say¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, big brother,¡± Eugene put some force into his voice as he red at Eward. ¡°Let¡¯s get along well from now on.¡± ¡°A-alright,¡± Eward nodded in agreement as he avoided meeting Eugene¡¯s intense gaze. Then, being careful not to draw Lovellian¡¯s ire, Eward slowly began backing away. ¡°¡­What do you even think you¡¯re doing? If you have nothing else to do, go upstairs and at least read a book,¡± Lovellian spat out this order as he turned his gaze away from Eward. If it wasn¡¯t for the fact that Eward was a scion of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line, and if it hadn¡¯t been a request from his old friend Gilead¡­ Lovellian would have never allowed Eward to remain in his tower. It had already been several years since Lovellian had begun experiencing this internal conflict between his friendship with Gilead and his desire to expel Eward. ¡°Yes, sir¡­,¡± Eward crept away with his shoulders slumped. Without looking at the wretched appearance of Eward¡¯s receding figure, Lovellian let out a long sigh. ¡°¡­Really now. Please ept my regrets for showing you such shameful sights as soon as you¡¯ve arrived,¡± Lovellian apologized. Eugene epted the apology, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°As for that earliermotion¡­ well¡­ asHerahas told you, it¡¯s quite amon incident for the Red Tower of Magic. Though a serious disturbance like today¡¯s is rare.¡± As Lovellian smiled bitterly, he shot a nce at Hera and said, ¡°So I¡¯ve heard from Gilead that you are unwilling to receive personal lessons in magic from me¡­.¡± Eugene exined, ¡°It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t want to burden you unnecessarily, Head Wizard.¡±[1] ¡°That¡¯s fine with me. But I just hope that you live up to my expectations, Eugene,¡± Lovellian admitted. Lovellian appreciated Eugene¡¯s exnation. Although he had already realized this four years ago, the boy in front of him showed a depth of consideration that belied his age. ¡®Though rather than consideration, would it be better to call it calction¡­,¡¯Lovellian mused to himself. This wasn¡¯t an easy judgment to make. Lovellian didn¡¯t know much about Eugene, nor had they spent much time together. Well, it was fine either way. It was better to be overly considerate than to be shameless despite yourcking ability, and it was better to be calcting than to be greedy and stupid. ¡°I¡¯m not fully confident that I will be able to live up to your expectations,¡± Eugene replied as he took a step back. ¡°Waving a sword. Thrusting a spear. Swinging an ax. These are the things that I¡¯m most confident in. From a young age, I was sure that I had a talent for these. But magic is a field of study that I have absolutely no experience with¡­ so I don¡¯t dare to say that I have the talent for it.¡± These words also appealed to Lovellian. It showed that Eugene¡¯s mentality was much better than Eward¡¯s, whocked both motivation and effort. Eugene continued his exnation, ¡°Also, if I personally learn magic from Master Lovellian, many people will look at the Lionheart n with dissatisfaction. So, for the time being, I would like to study the field of magic on my own.¡± ¡°¡­Very well. Then let¡¯s do it like that,¡± Lovellian nodded his agreement with a warm smile. ¡°Unless you ask me to, Eugene, I will not interfere with your studies. However, since it will be hard for a beginner to begin studying the field of magic all alone¡­ if you ever need help, feel free to ask me for assistance at any time.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°Have you arranged for a ce to stay?¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t found one yet.¡± ¡°In that case, just stay in the tower. It might not be as luxurious as the main family¡¯s mansion, but it¡¯s an adequate ce to live.¡± ¡°Is it okay for me to move in right away?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason why you shouldn¡¯t.¡± At Lovellian¡¯s cheerful answer, Eugene also smiled broadly. Eugene had hoped that he would be able to stay in the tower. That was why he hadn¡¯t even gone looking for a ce to stay beforehand. Eugene asked, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, would it be alright if I take a look at the library first?¡± 1. Tower Master and Head Wizard are both used for the same position of Tower Master. They are sometimes used alternately, specifically when addressing the person in question. Adding this note, in case any of you are confused why Eugene is addressing Lovellian as the Head Wizard.? Chapter 31.1 Chapter 31.1 ¡°Today as well?¡± ¡°Why on earth is a rich young master like him doing something like that?¡± ¡°Who knows why he woulde all the way to Aroth just to do that¡­? From what I¡¯ve heard, even the main family has recognized his talent.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he just trying to attract attention by doing that?¡± ¡°As a young master of the Lionhearts, he can attract everyone¡¯s attention just by standing there. Why would he feel the need to put on a show like that?¡± ¡°It could be possible. After all, he¡¯s only from a coteral line, not a potential heir.¡± The young wizards who were currently gathered in the library disliked Eugene. Unlike them, who had entered the Red Tower of Magic after a difficult series of exams, Eugene had been granted entry into the tower just on the virtue of his name as a Lionheart. But they couldn¡¯t express their dissatisfaction directly. Openly criticizing Eugene was the same as criticizing Lovellian, the Tower Master. ¡°¡­Still, isn¡¯t he at least better than that fool, Eward?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even think ofparing the two. Of course, he¡¯s better than Eward. At least this juvenile young master is actually working hard.¡± Even among these young wizards, many were able to recognize the admirable qualities that a person possessed, despite disliking that person. As they puffed on their cigarettes, the wizards kept ncing at the library¡¯s top floor. On that floor, the seat facing the window was practically Eugene¡¯s exclusive spot, as he¡¯d been the only one using it for the past month. Of course, it wasn¡¯t actually reserved for him, but after Eugene had taken that seat, no one else had dared to sit there. At first, quite a few wizards had approached him with fake smiles. They had all been people who were interested in Eugene¡¯s family name, Lionheart. By getting close to the young seventeen-year-old boy, they were hoping to make connections with the Lionheart n. But of course, Eugene had disregarded such attempts. Isn¡¯t the weather today quite pleasant? Isn¡¯t that The Beginner¡¯s Guide to Magic! Man, I also began learning magic using that book when I was young. If it¡¯s alright with you, how about I teach you a bit of magic? Doesn¡¯t it get boring spending the whole day inside the library? Young Master. Since the weather¡¯s so nice, why don¡¯t we take a walk together? I know a really good restaurant¡­. Whenever these sorts approached, Eugene always gave the same response. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Since they were always met with the exact same reply no matter what, at some point, these wizards had stopped approaching Eugene, and he was perfectly okay with that. No one would sit near him, so his surroundings were always empty. And on top of the wide desk, the books that Eugene had selected formed several towers circling him. Inside this enclosed space, the only sound that could be heard was that of pages turning. Although there was a smoking area directly below him, only a few floors down, the cigarette smoke didn¡¯t rise this high thanks to the magic that partitioned each floor. Due to that, Eugene could concentrate on reading while breathing in the fresh air. It had already been a month since he hade to the Red Tower of Magic. Without skipping a single day, Eugene had visited the library daily. He was in the library from early in the morning and only returned to his room when it waste at night. He wasn¡¯t just spending all his time on magic. He woke up a few hours before he needed to head to the library each day to train his mana, and before going to sleep, he worked out until he was pouring with sweat. Although this reduced his time spent sleeping, Eugene¡¯s gifted body was able to shake off all his fatigue after just a few hours of sleep. With the assistance of mana on top of that, he wouldn¡¯t feel more than a little tired, even if he missed a few days of sleep. ¡°¡­Yawn.¡± The sun was slowly setting. Eugene nced up at thest rays of sunset shining through the window. After staring out the window for a few moments, Eugene got up from his seat. He gathered the books strewn across the desk and returned them to their original ces. There was no aimless wandering, as Eugene clearly remembered where each book hade from. Not only did he recall their original locations, but Eugene had also memorized the contents of each book he had read. Just by lightly retracing his memory, he was easily able to recall everything he had seen on their pages. Despite initially having a poor grasp of magic, Eugene had begun to increasingly understand the field of magic with each book he read. ¡®Even this head of mine proves innately talented.¡¯ With a grin, Eugene headed down the stairs. In just a month, he had read all the introductory texts of magic that were stored in the Red Tower of Magic¡¯s library. At first, the books had been so confusing that it had even been painful to just turn the pages, but the more he had read, the more it all began to make sense; andter on, he had even been able to understand the contents of a book just by skimming over it. ¡®Although I¡¯m still only at the theory level for now.¡¯ For the past month, Eugene had only been reading books. While this had filled in the holes in his knowledge, he had yet to properly begin practicing magic. He had his reasons. Although it was all lumped together as magic, magic actually came in an infinite variety of forms. The more books he had read in the library, the more Eugene had begun to worry about which method would best suit his body. That was why he had only focussed on reading books. ¡®But now I don¡¯t have anything more to read.¡¯ It went without saying that any wizard who had joined the Red Tower had already achieved public recognition of their skills. So the introductory books on magic provided by the tower weren¡¯t meant to be actually used by any of the wizards in the tower and were instead prepared so that the wizards could use them for research and reference. In other words, they were all famous magical texts that had received public recognition for their reliability. Although there were countless introductory books on magic in the world, if you had read all the introductory texts in the tower, there was no need to read any other introductory text. ¡®Now then, shall I give it a go.¡¯ As Eugene approached the library¡¯s front desk, he spoke up, ¡°I would like to make the attempt today.¡± The librarian sitting at the desk raised her head to look up at Eugene and said, ¡°It¡¯s about time.¡± The librarian was Hera, the wizard Eugene had met on the first day he had arrived at the tower. While the wizards of the tower were usually immersed in the research that they were currently pursuing, Hera had recently finished a research project and was rxing while working as a librarian. Lovellian had told Eugene to ask him for advice if he had any questions about magic, but it would be bothersome and awkward for Eugene to approach Lovellian with every trivial question he might have. ¡ªIf you have any questions, feel free to ask me. Perhaps Hera had also noticed this, as she was the first to approach Eugene and make this offer. Thanks to this, during the past month that Eugene had stayed at the tower, he had received help from her several times and had even gotten to know her quite well. ¡°Where would you like to do it?¡± Hera asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to use the basementboratory,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Please wait one moment. Another librarian should be arriving soon to take over,¡± Hera said as she began tidying up her desk. While waiting for the recement librarian, Eugene categorized the magical techniques floating around inside his head. Many wizards had purchased residences outside the tower, but most young wizards stayed within the rooms provided by the tower. This went for Eugene as well. Although he had ess to a lot of money, living in the tower was much more convenient than buying or renting a residence. Perhaps because the tower had been used to research summoning magic for so long, there were many different types of familiars taking care of the daily chores inside the tower. The rooms were¡­ a lot smaller than the annex¡¯s rooms at the main estate. Still, they were spacious enough tofortably live in by yourself, and Eugene was satisfied with them. There was also no need to go to a restaurant; as long as you told them in advance, the familiars would bring the dishes that you ordered up to your room. If he was forced to pick something that he was dissatisfied with, it would be theck of a gymnasium. But that still wasn¡¯t a deal-breaker, as one of the manyboratories could substitute for a gymnasium. The only annoying thing was that, since theboratories on each of the tower floors were reserved for high-ranking wizards, he needed to take an elevator down to the basement to usetheboratory there. Chapter 31.2 Chapter 31.2 ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting,¡± Hera said once she was ready to go. Hera was wearing herrge pointed hat today as well. He had wondered if the style from three hundred years ago was back in fashion, but it had turned out that Hera¡¯s tastes were just a bit unusual. Hera was the only one in the tower who insisted on wearing such stereotypical wizard¡¯s clothing. ¡°It looks like my brother hasn¡¯t shown up today either,¡± Eugene noted. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s just how it is sometimes,¡± Hera said with a bitter smile as she put on herrge wizard¡¯s hat. For the first week following Eugene¡¯s arrival at the tower, Eward had also visited the library, but only for that first week. After that, Eugene rarely saw Eward in the library, and it was even rarer to see him in the hallways. He had heard that Eward had been like this for the past few years. No matter how friendly Lovellian was with Gilead, Eward¡¯s skill fell far too short of the standard for Lovellian to take him as his disciple. It was, of course, for the sake of fairness, but Lovellian also could not risk tarnishing his reputation as the Tower Master. As such, Lovellian had arranged for an idle high-ranking wizard who belonged to the tower to be Eward¡¯s teacher. Not only had he allowed Eward to enter the tower, but Lovellian had also managed to secure him a skilled teacher, so Lovellian had gone above and beyond what his friendship with Gilead ounted for. But Eward remained a problem. Aftering to the Red Tower of Magic, Eward had worked hard for about half a year, but after a certain point, he had stopped frequenting the library or theboratories and instead loitered in his room or outside the tower. ¡®Pathetic bastard.¡¯ Eugene knew the reason for this. Three years ago, Eward had taken the recruitment test for the Towers of Magic at Lovellian¡¯s suggestion. The results hadn¡¯t been great. Although he got a pretty decent grade for his theoretical, Eward¡¯s results in the practicals were so terrible that they couldn¡¯t be excused. Due to this, the situation had be awkward and embarrassing, not just for Lovellian but also for all the other wizards who had taught Eward. ¡®If he¡¯s not good enough, he should work even harder. How long does he n on ying around while living off his family¡¯s money? On top of that, he¡¯s even be a subus¡¯s lifeforce[1]meal ticket.¡¯ If he had personally witnessed the scene of Eward being fed on by a subus, Eugene would have beaten up Eward without any care for the fact that Eward was his older brother or that he was an heir of the Lionheart n. Eward might be feeling cautious because of Eugene, as he had stayed quietly locked up in the tower on the previous night of the full moon. However, he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep this up for long. A few days ago, Eugene had run into Eward in one of the tower¡¯s many corridors. Although his pale skin and dry hair had appeared to be rejuvenated, he was constantly biting his fingernails, and his eyes were clouded. These were signs of withdrawal. It was apparent that Eward would probably go looking for his subus on the next full moon. As they were heading down to the basement in the elevator, having offered to supply enough of the mana needed to move the elevator for the both of them, Hera spoke up, ¡°I expect that you¡¯re going to be attempting to use the Circles magic form, correct?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene confirmed. One of the reasons why the Wise Sienna was so revered in Aroth was because she had systematically established a ranking for the different levels of magical aptitude. Three hundred years ago, the line that separated a good wizard from a great one was still very vague. Powerful and astonishing spells obviously required a lot of mana, so a good wizard must be one who knew how to freely handle enormous amounts of mana. But the way in which they cast their spells also needed to be appropriately difficult andplex. In other words, a good wizard must be someone who was able to control a lot of mana and cast many different spells. This wasn¡¯t incorrect. But if you wanted to be called an Archwizard, it was obvious that not only did you need to know how to cast many different types of magic, but you also needed to be proficient in casting spells soplex that no other wizard would be able to copy you. Three hundred years ago, Sienna created clear divisions between the different stages of magical aptitude. Strictly speaking, Sienna had only devised this system for her own use, but after she became the Green Tower Master, Aroth¡¯s numerous wizards began adopting her system of magic. Sienna¡¯s system was based on the Circles system of magic. This systeminvolved guiding the mana inside the body into a circr flow and then allowing this flow to draw out the mana from within the body when a spell was cast. As the amount of mana that a wizard could control increased, their Circle of mana became thicker and stronger. When the amount of mana controlled exceeded what a single Circle could handle, the number of circles increased, and these Circles were able to ovep with each other. Furthermore, each time the number of Circles increased, the amount of mana that could be incorporated into a spell multiplied exponentially, so even a simple spell could have different power levels depending on the number of Circles used to cast it. Three hundred years had passed since then, and now most wizards were first introduced to magic through the Circles magic form. The only ones who weren¡¯t started on Circles were those who specialized in spirit magic and ck magic, as these two forms of magic made use of different magical systems. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s any other choice. Although there are other magic forms besides the Circles magic form, over these past three hundred years, the Circles have proven to be the most effective and logical system of magic,¡± Hera said with a prideful expression on her face. Lovellian wasn¡¯t the only one who imed to be a follower of Sienna. All wizards who used the Circles as their foundational magic form imed Sienna as their master. The Red Tower of Magic and the Green Tower of Magic were particrly proud of this heritage. ¡°¡­I¡¯m considering trying to change things up a bit.¡± As the elevator arrived at the basementboratory, Eugene was the first to step off as he admitted these words. ¡°Although I¡¯m unsure yet if it will work.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to make some changes? That¡¯s not really¡­. It doesn¡¯t seem like a good idea,¡± Heramented with a worried expression as she followed Eugene out. ¡°Circle adaptation is a research topic that all wizards have tried to investigate at least once. However, Sir Eugene, you haven¡¯t even taken your first steps into magic yet¡­. Wouldn¡¯t it be better to start with the orthodox method first and then study how to adapt the Circles after you¡¯ve reached a certain level?¡± Despite all these objections, it wasn¡¯t because she thought he was a pretentious child. Hera was genuinely concerned for Eugene. Magic forms were just as difficult to adapt as they were to create. If he ran out of mana during the attempt, then the magic form could copse within him. This could result in him being unable to use mana for the rest of his life or even death. Even if the consequences weren¡¯t that dire, he would still be bedridden for several days. Eugene attempted to reassure Hera, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to tear it apart and redo it from the very start. I promise that it won¡¯t be that dangerous.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s okay with you, may I please hear what you¡¯re nning to do?¡± Hera insisted. ¡°I¡¯m nning onbining the Circles with the Lionheart¡¯s mana form,¡± Eugene replied without any obfuscation. At these words, Hera was left blinking in shock for a few moments. ¡®¡­Could there be something off with his real age?¡¯Hera couldn¡¯t help but give this thought some consideration. She was well aware that Eugene was so precocious that it was hard to believe he was only seventeen. However, after hearing what was just said, Hera felt a sense of incongruity when she thought about his age. ¡°¡­Sir Eugene. The mana system used for martial arts and the mana system used for magic are two different paths. Although I don¡¯t know much about the Lionheart n¡¯s mana form, does it at least incorporate any concepts rted to magical operations or incantations?¡± Hera questioned patiently. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± Eugene admitted. Hera started to lecture him, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it should be impossible to use the Lionheart n¡¯s mana system to cast magic. Although you¡¯ll be able to draw out the mana for the spell, unless you shape it ording to the principles of magic and trigger it with an incantation, you won¡¯t be able to produce any magical phenomena.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to testbining the two systems,¡± Eugene insisted despite obediently listening to Hera¡¯s advice. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure that it would definitely work as nned. He had actually asked himself several times, could this really work? But something was telling him that it was possible. To verify this hunch, he had first read all the introductory texts on magic that were stored in the library. ¡°It won¡¯t be all that dangerous,¡± Eugene repeated. Hera finally conceded, ¡°¡­Hah¡­ for now, why don¡¯t you give it a shot. However, if the mana flow seems dangerous, I will be ready to intervene immediately. If you get injured, Sir Eugene, it won¡¯t just be me who gets in trouble; the Tower Master will also find himself in a precarious position.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡± Eugene nodded and came to a halt in front of a door. There were actually a lot ofboratories down here in the deep basement of the tower. Having picked the sameboratory that he¡¯d been using over the past month, Eugene opened the door. The inside of theboratory was extremely spacious. Thanks to advanced space-distortion magic, this basement could contain dozens ofboratories of this size. Although he had felt quite surprised on his first day here, Eugene was now able to calmly stand in the center of theboratory. 1. His vitality is the energy that the subus feeds on for nourishment.? Chapter 31.3 Chapter 31.3 ¡°I¡¯ll be starting now,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°Alright,¡± Hera acknowledged. Hera couldn¡¯t hide the anxious look in her eyes. She quietly summoned her staff and gripped it with both hands. This was so that she could respond immediately in case of an emergency. Eugene was rxed. ¡®It really is simr to the White me Form.¡¯ He was thinking about the Circles. As a system of magic created by Sienna, Eugene was indeed interested in it. Although the two were different systems, they shared the same essence. The White me Form guided mana into the stars around his heart. The Circles guided mana into a circr flow. In the White me Form, whenever there was enough growth, another star split off. With the Circles, whenever there was enough growth, another Circle was formed. ¡®I just have to try and apply them together.¡¯ It all made sense to him. Eugene had a good understanding of both methods, and he was personally familiar with the White me Form. As for the mana control that was needed? He¡¯d been continuously refining that ever since his previous life. Although he wasn¡¯t sure if it would work, Eugene felt that it was worth a try. ¡®The Circles can be reced with the stars. The resonance between the stars can amplify the mana. Depending on the situation, I¡¯ll have to make instantaneous adjustments to the mana. It¡¯ll be a pain if I mispredict it and make a mistake.¡¯ This was no ordinary magic form. Within moments, he could end up drained of all his mana. However, Eugene didn¡¯t hesitate. The mana within his body gathered to his heart. The three stars began to shine and then resonate as they linked up with each other. ¡°¡­No way,¡± Hera, who was holding on tightly to her staff, let out a noise of disbelief. Not only could she feel how pure the mana that Eugene had drawn out from his core was, but she could also tell how powerful it was. So this was the descendant of the Great Vermouth, the man known as the God of War and the Master-of-All. The whole world had heard of how impressive the Lionheart n¡¯s mana training scripture was. However, wasn¡¯t this going a bit too far? How could a seventeen-year-old youth like Eugene possibly draw out such pure and vast quantities of mana? ¡®Slowly,¡¯Eugene reminded himself. Fwooosh! A pure white me engulfed his entire body. Eugene focussed his concentration as he adjusted the flow of mana. He needed to be conscious of his current limits in controlling his mana, as he couldn¡¯t afford to overdo it. Eugene believed that this was possible because he felt something like this was no different from producing sword-light or sword-force. But now, how should he manifest this mana into a spell? From the depths of Eugene¡¯s memory, he recalled a specific method of processing the spell¡¯s form.Incantations didn¡¯t necessarily need to be spoken out loud. The important thing was to have a clear will to trigger the effect of a spell. His mana surged up, but Eugene suppressed it. He continued to adjust the unruly strands of mana. The experience from his previous life gave Eugene as much mana control as he needed. ¡®He has such perfect mana control¡­. It keeps looking like it¡¯s about to unravel, but it all stays together. Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s controlling even the smallest particles of mana? Is that even possible at his age?¡¯Hera asked herself. The more mana you attempt to control, the weaker your grip on it. That was justmon sense. Mana control required not just talent but a lot of experience as well. It was only four years ago that Eugene Lionheart, as a coteral descendant, had first initiated his mana. But he was able to umte so much mana in just these four years and attain perfect control over his mana as well? That was just absurd. Right now, Eugene¡¯s mana was so pure and strong that Eward, who had initiated his mana when he was only five years old, couldn¡¯t evenpare to him. ¡®¡­I did hear he was a monster,¡¯Hera recalled what Lovellian had told her about Eugene. However, Lovellian wasn¡¯t her only source of rumors regarding Eugene. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was a famous tradition of the Lionheart n. During the three hundred years of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony¡¯s continued existence, there was only one asion where a coteral descendant had defeated those from the direct line. Eugene was the only one who had ever qualified to be adopted into the main family through this method. As this incident became widely known, the world had begun to call the still-thirteen-year-old Eugene a monster. Fwooosh! A sphere of mes had appeared in front of Eugene. While staring into it, Eugene slowly began separating the sphere into strands in order to reform it into another spell. He could not allow the mana topletely dissipate and thus disappear, so all his focus was directed toward his mana. The scattered strands of me began to coalesce once more. Sweat dripped from his forehead and ran down to the end of his chin before falling to the ground. The shape of the coalescing mes hadpletely changed from the previous sphere. From the 1st Circle¡¯s basic spell, the Fireball, it had been converted into another 1st Circle spell, the Magic Missile. Eugene stared at thepleted magic missile floating in front of him. Honestly speaking, it was easier and stronger to just send out a ray of sword-light than it was to go through such trouble for a single magic missile. Or else, he could just summon a spirit of the wind. Either way, it would have been stronger than this clumsy first attempt and much more convenient and familiar to the current Eugene. However, Eugene smiled in satisfaction. Wasn¡¯t this a good result for his first attempt? Although the spell wasn¡¯t powerful enough to justify the effort put into it, being able to use magic like this was enough to make Eugene happy. ¡®Because I never got to learn magic in my previous life.¡¯ The truth was that Sienna had actually suggested that he learn magic from her several times. ¡ªIf you really want to, I could teach you some magic. ¡ªDon¡¯t need it. ¡ªBut Vermouth is great at magic. Don¡¯t you want to use magic like Vermouth does? ¡ªI can¡¯t surpass Vermouth in the things that I already know how to do, so won¡¯t the difference between us just increase if I act like a know-it-all and start trying to learn magic as well? And also, do you have the confidence to teach me magic that will allow me to beat Vermouth ragged? ¡ª¡­Ummm¡­. ¡ªAnd seriously, Sienna, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re better at magic than Vermouth, right? ¡ªDo you want to die? Don¡¯tpare me to something like him! Does it really make sense topare Vermouth, who¡¯s as good at fighting as he is at using magic, to me, who only knows how to use magic? ¡ªI can¡¯t use magic, and I¡¯m good at fighting, but I¡¯m still not a better fighter than Vermouth. ¡ªThat¡¯s because you¡¯re an idiot¡­! I am¡­ I am better at using magic than Vermouth. It¡¯s just¡­ well¡­ we have different specialties. That¡¯s it. It would have been helpful if he had just obediently taken the lessons at that time. ¡®Well fuck, it¡¯s not like I knew that I would be reincarnated.¡¯ If he had known that he would be reincarnated, he would definitely have worked hard to learn magic from Sienna. Eugene grinned and tried to move the magic missile around. Although it was slightly clumsy, it gave him a different feeling from when he used the pure mana generated by the White me Form. ¡®It¡¯s also different from sword-light¡­.¡¯ As he considered this, Eugene began to restore his mana through the breathing method. Hera, who had been watching all this with dazed eyes, said, ¡°You¡­ you really are amazing.¡± Even though she had seen it all with her own eyes, she still couldn¡¯t quite believe it. Hera alternated between staring at the sweat-drenched Eugene and the Magic Missile held in front of him. ¡®For a month, he only read the introductory texts on magic¡­ and this is his first time actually casting a spell. Even if he had learned mana control before this, the mana used in martial arts should be different from the mana used in spells¡­,¡¯Hera trailed off, still in disbelief. What was even more surprising was that Eugene hadn¡¯t verbally let out an incantation. An incantation was the trigger to activate a spell. Although high-ranking wizards could cast magic without incantations, you would need to verbalize it to trigger your magic if you hadn¡¯t reached that level. ¡®He was able to silently cast his first attempt at magic. Then, without dispelling it, he changed the mana into a different form.¡¯ ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Hera said with a gulp, ¡°Is this really your first time using magic?¡± ¡°Why are you asking something like that all of a sudden?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. ¡°You¡¯ve arranged all this to surprise me, right? Have you been secretly practicing magic in your room?¡± ¡°Today is my first time trying it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s impossible¡­.¡± ¡°Why would Ie up with that sort of lie?¡± As he said this, Eugene began moving the magic missile back and forth. It might not be as strong as sword-light, but he liked that it was able to move without any physical actions on his part. ¡°Please summon a monster for me,¡± Eugene requested. ¡°Huh?¡± Hera mumbled in iprehension. ¡°I¡¯d like to check the power of my spell,¡± Eugene offered in exnation. Hera hesitated before epting, ¡°Ah¡­ um¡­ okay. What type of monster do you need?¡± ¡°A tough guy, please.¡± ¡°Then are you fine with a golem? There¡¯s a golem that I¡¯ve just created, so I can summon it immediately without going to get a catalyst.¡± ¡°Yes, please.¡± While chanting her summons, Hera raised her staff. A magic circle was created a little ways away, and mana began to flow into the circle. Before too long had passed, arge golem was summoned from the circle. Hera introduced it, ¡°The golem is made fromcarbrium. Even without it using any defensive techniques, any attacks against it will have their force scattered on impact.¡± ¡°Sounds great,¡± Eugene said with a grin. After walking the golem over to stand in front of Eugene, Hera drew back. ¡°Please attack it,¡± she called out. ¡°Alright,¡± as soon as he finished his reply, Eugene threw the magic missile. Bang bang bang! The golem copsed backward. Chapter 32.1 Chapter 32.1 ¡°¡­So you¡¯re saying that¡­,¡± in order to speak these words, Lovellian first had to pick up his dropped jaw, ¡°young Eugene used the Core of the White me Form as a Circle and used it to cast magic.¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Hera confirmed. ¡°Without any mistakes, he was immediately able to summon a Fireball, and then, without dispelling it, he converted it into a Magic Missile¡­?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± ¡°This magic missile then knocked your carbium golem onto its back?¡± ¡°It hit right here, sir,¡± Hera said as she pointed to the golem¡¯s chest. Indeed, there was a crater there that had been left from the impact. Lovellian looked at it for a moment before chuckling, ¡°¡­Ho ho. That sure looks like quite a hit.¡± ¡°It was his first time casting magic, but it hit dead center,¡± Hera remarked in amazement. ¡°How pure was the carbium?¡± ¡°The outer surface waspletely made of carbium, sir.¡± ¡°And you didn¡¯t cast a defensive enchantment on top of that?¡± ¡°I hadn¡¯t gotten to it yet.¡± ¡°Is this really possible?¡± Lovellian murmured as he traced the scars on the golem with his hand. Although a defensive enchantment hadn¡¯t been cast on it, carbium was a flexible metal that was even able to shed attacks of considerable power. It should be impossible for the offensive spell of a young wizard hatchling, who had just learned magic, to pierce the carbium shell. ¡°¡­The purity and density of his mana was absurd.¡± As she recalled the amazement that she had felt at the time, Hera continued speaking, ¡°So much so that it was hard to believe that he was just a novice wizard. No matter what type of magic he could have chosen to cast, the power of his offensive spell would probably be greater than that of a Third Circle wizard.¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Lovellian¡¯s brows rose as he gave a low hum.¡®I did hear that Eugene was at the Third Star of the White me Form.¡¯ For him to have reached the Third Star at the age of seventeen was unprecedented. If Eugene had ended up not showing any great talent for magic, Gilead had requested that Lovellian persuade Eugene to return to the main estate for further training. ¡®The White me Form creates stars around the heart as a form of Core. The Cores of martial arts and the Circles of magic are different¡­ but he was able to substitute the mana from a Circle with that of the White me Form all on his own?¡¯ That was a monstrous level of talent, to the point where he might actually feel fear instead of admiration. A seventeen-year child had actually been able to showcase such mana control without making any errors and had substituted the mana system from a martial art for that of the Circles. Could a Core really be used for magic? It theoretically wasn¡¯t impossible. Among those rare magic swordsmen whose names were renowned, a few could cast magic using their own unique methods. However, he had never heard of someone using a Core in ce of a Circle. In the first ce, was there any need for that? A Circle was a Circle, and a Core was a Core. If you wanted to increase your mana control, it was overwhelmingly more efficient to just create a new Circle. ¡®Is the White me Form just that special?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t ignore such a possibility. After all, the creator of the White me Form was the Great Vermouth. Vermouth had been known as the Master-of-All as he was equally skilled in magic as he was in martial arts. However, in the present, it was impossible to know for sure whether Vermouth had used Circles to cast magic or a different method entirely. However, following Vermouth, there had never been any other wizard born to the main family who could be called an Archwizard. ¡®At a guess, does the Third Star of the White me Form correspond to a Third Circle wizard?¡¯ TheWise Sienna had divided the various different spells ording to the number of Circles needed to cast them. First Circle wizards could not use Third Circle spells. This was because the mana generated by a First Circle fell far short of the mana needed to cast a Third Circle spell. Of course, this wasn¡¯t an absolute standard. Sometimes, there were a few rare geniuses who could cast high-level magic that exceeded the limits of their own Circle. Lovellian was one such example. When he had reached the Third Circle, he had been able to cast all sorts of magic up to the Fifth Circle. ¡°¡­Did you say that Eugene has gone out?¡± Lovellian eventually asked. ¡°Yes. He said he had an appointment and left before noon,¡± Hera replied. ¡°That¡¯s fortunate,¡± Lovellian said as he stepped away from the golem. Sitting down at his desk, he looked up at Hera and called, ¡°Hera.¡± ¡°Yes, Head Wizard,¡± she responded. ¡°Do you think it would seem absurd for me to write a letter of rmendation requesting Eugene¡¯s entry intoAkron?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Hera¡¯s eyes widened into circles. Akron was the name of Aroth¡¯s Royal Library. Only a few high-ranking wizards of the Towers of Magic, nobles of high status, and members of royalty were allowed entry into that ce. As deserving of such a famous library, Akron was filled with magic texts far superior to those found in all the Towers of Magic. Even taking into ount the whole of the Red Tower of Magic, fewer than ten wizards were allowed entry in Akron. ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± Hera hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t think it would be too unreasonable,¡± Lovellian murmured as he crossed his arms in thought. ¡°I believe that he deserves the opportunity. At the young age of seventeen, he was able to cast magic with a Core in ce of a Circle, and this was as soon as he started learning magic. Furthermore, there wasn¡¯t anyone who taught him any magic, right? Hera, would you happen to have taught Eugene anything?¡± ¡°¡­I did answer a few of his questions,¡± Hera admitted. ¡°What sort of questions?¡± ¡°They were just questions about thebasic structures of spells.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you haven¡¯t taught him anything else about magic, correct?¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Lovellian unconsciously burst intoughter. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, that means Eugene was able to use magic after only reading introductory texts on magic for a month, and then he was even able to use a Core in ce of a Circle. Without any advice from a high-ranking wizard, he was able to do so based purely on his own judgment and knowledge. And the spell that he cast through this method was able to bore a hole through the armor of acarbiumgolem,¡± Lovellian summed up the situation. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right, sir,¡± Hera agreed, still in disbelief. ¡°Hera, do you know what we call someone capable of doing such things?¡± ¡°A genius.¡± ¡°No, he¡¯s a monster,¡± as he said this, Lovellian waved a finger. A desk drawer popped open, and a nk sheet of paper flew towards Lovellian. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to write Eugene a letter of rmendation. It¡¯s definitely not unreasonable. If he really is a monster of such talent, he should receive the appropriate treatment.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid that the other wizards might be dissatisfied by this,¡± Hera brought up hesitantly. ¡°And you?¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. Because I saw what Master Eugene was capable of firsthand.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t feel dissatisfied because you saw Eugene¡¯s talent. That means that what Eugene has aplished is just that amazing,¡± as he said this, Lovellian grabbed a pen and began writing his letter of rmendation on the nk sheet of paper. ¡°If they¡¯re still dissatisfied once they know the truth, that just means that they¡¯re refusing to acknowledge the facts and are blinded by their jealousy.¡± Of course, permission to enter Akron could not be guaranteed with Lovellian¡¯s letter of rmendation alone, but that didn¡¯t matter much. If he needed to, Lovellian was prepared to argue with the other Tower Masters; if that didn¡¯t resolve the issue, Lovellian could just personally retrieve any magical texts and lend them to Eugene. ¡®Or else I could have him enter on my behalf as my disciple.¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t that actually be the better option? Lovellian considered this seriously as he looked over the letter of rmendation that he had just written. Lovellian suddenly recalled something, ¡°¡­By the way, what sort of appointment did Eugene leave to attend? There shouldn¡¯t be anyone he¡¯s familiar with in Aroth.¡± ¡°He said he was going out to meet a friend,¡± Hera answered. ¡°A friend?¡± Lovellian asked. When did Eugene make a friend in Aroth? Lovellian tilted his head in curiosity as he stamped his seal onto the letter of rmendation. * * * Meriden Square, in front of the Green Tower of Magic. A tall statue stood in the center of this square, named after Sienna¡¯sst name. It was a statue of Sienna holding a staff in her right hand and a grimoire in her left. ¡®This one also looks better than the real thing,¡¯Eugene thought as he looked up at the statue. Just like the portrait, the face of the statue seemed a little more beautiful than the image of Sienna that Eugene recalled. No, maybe it was actually identical to its real-life inspiration? Eugene wondered as he gazed up at the statue¡¯s face. In his memories, Sienna¡¯s face was often showing annoyance. After all, Helmuth was a ce filled with all sorts of bullshit, and their journey was also arduous. That damned ce was a hell where you couldn¡¯t help but get frustrated. ¡ªPlease, I¡¯m begging you. ¡ªThat¡¯s why¡­ that¡¯s why I told you to just go back. Why did you have to follow us so stubbornly¡­? But rather than her annoyed expression, the most vivid memory that Eugene had of her was of her crying as tears fell from her reddened eyes¡­. ¡ªPlease, you can¡¯t die. ¡ªYou can¡¯t¡­ you just can¡¯t. Please, Hamel. The memories at the moment he died were a bit hazy and he hadn¡¯t been able to clearly hear what had been happening around him¡­. In any case, that was what he believed Sienna had said. Eugene scratched his hand in frustration before venting with a sigh. The statue¡¯s face wasn¡¯t tearful. Instead, it had a confident smile. Eugene recognized that face. The easily-annoyed Sienna used to put on such an expression whenever she had managed to aplish something great with her magic and turned to look at him smugly. ¡°¡­I guess it isn¡¯t that different from the real person,¡± Eugene mumbled as he turned around. Chapter 32.2 Chapter 32.2 Just like at Sienna¡¯s mansion, the fee to enter Meriden Square was exorbitantly expensive. So there wasn¡¯t a crazy amount of people packed into the square. Although this was partly because of the extortionate entrance fee, it was also partly because of the fact that such arge statue was easily visible from a distance even if you didn¡¯t enter the square. Eugene sat down on a bench and kept an eye on the entrance to the square. He nced up at a clock tower in the distance. It was currently noon. ¡®It¡¯s about time he got here,¡¯Eugene thought. They had promised to meet at noon. There was no way he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter just because he couldn¡¯t pay the entrance fee, right? Could it be that the road was blocked because there were too many people? ¡®I guess not,¡¯Eugene realized as he spotted something. Eugene had just noticed arge figure towering over the rest of the crowd. Despite his size, there was no need for the figure to push people out of his way. The people in front of him were intimidated by hisrge size and got out of his way of their own volition. Thanks to this, the giant was able to enter the square before too long. Eugene got up from his bench. The giant slowly drew closer. ¡°I almost can¡¯t believe it¡¯s really him,¡± Eugene sincerely muttered to himself. The giant figure was Gargith Lionheart. It was the first time they had seen each other since the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony four years ago, but this guy¡¯s growth was unbelievable. ¡°Eugene?¡± Gargith called out. ¡°Is that really you, Gargith?¡± Eugene asked as he looked up at Gargith. It seemed like Gargith¡¯s height was now over two meters. Although his body had already been quiterge when they hadst met. Gargith had now grown tall enough topletely tower over Eugene. The button stretched tight over his bulging pectoral muscles was trembling dangerously. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gargith confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s me, Gargith Lionheart. Have you already forgotten my name?¡± ¡°No¡­ it¡¯s not that I¡¯ve forgotten it, but¡­ you¡­ are you really eighteen?¡± Eugene felt the need to ask. Although Gargith¡¯s build was already shocking enough, the most surprising thing was that shaggy beard of his. Was it really possible for him to grow such a beard when Gargith was only eighteen? Eugene stroked his own cheeks, which were still smooth and silky. ¡°I¡¯ve heard many people say that I look older than my real age,¡± Gargith admitted. ¡°You don¡¯t look that old, but¡­ why is your beard so shaggy? You should trim it a bit. It looks scruffy,¡± advised Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s not scruffy. It¡¯s manly.¡± ¡°Even without a beard, you already look pretty manly.¡± ¡°Thanks for thepliment,¡± Gargith said with a grin. He reached out to Eugene with one of hisrge hands, offering a handshake. When Eugene epted the handshake, Gargith gripped Eugene¡¯s hand and vigorously shook his arm up and down as if he¡¯d been looking forward to doing so for quite some time. ¡°Although it¡¯s not as much as I have, you¡¯ve also grown a lot,¡± Gargith observed. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just that you¡¯ve grown stupidly big,¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°However, it¡¯s slightly disappointing¡­.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°I could tell from holding your hand just how much you¡¯ve trained your body during these past four years¡­. However, that still isn¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°Well, for now, why don¡¯t you let go of my hand.¡± Shaking their sped fists, Eugene pulled his hand free. However, Gargith didn¡¯t stop talking, ¡°Although your physique has greatly improvedpared to four years ago, it still isn¡¯t good enough. Have you been neglecting your training?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°I only sleep four hours a day,¡± Gargith bragged proudly. What was this bastard suddenly talking about? Eugene narrowed his eyes, having forgotten their previous conversation from four years ago. Gargith threw back his shoulders and continued speaking, ¡°Except for the time spent sleeping, all my time goes to training. My own personal tableware has had its weight increased by magic, as well as everything else I use, and even my clothes have had their weight increased.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ is that so,¡± reacted Eugene ndly. ¡°The same goes for my underwear.¡± ¡°How impressive of you.¡± ¡°This body of mine has been created through constant discipline and hard work. Of course, just because you increase the amount of weight you can hold doesn¡¯t guarantee that your muscles will get bigger. You need sufficient training, proper rest, as well asthis,¡± Gargith ced a hand into the inner pocket of his coat. ¡°Our family¡¯s revolutionary muscle growth agent.¡± He pulled out what looked like a small potion. After looking down at the potion with proud eyes, Gargith offered it to Eugene, ¡°I¡¯ve brought some here for you.¡± Eugene bluntly rejected the offer, ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡± ¡°Why not? Lord Gerhard¡¯s weight loss and muscle growth are all thanks to receiving help from our family. Weren¡¯t you aware of that already?¡± ¡°Now that you¡¯ve brought it up, please stop trying to send me those strange drugs through my father.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I wanted to give them to you personally. It doesn¡¯t matter if you drink it before a meal, so have it.¡± ¡°I told you, I¡¯m not going to drink it.¡± ¡°It looks like you just don¡¯t understand¡­. I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve reached the Third Star of the White me Form. Although that¡¯s an impressive achievement, in addition to training your mana, you shouldn¡¯t neglect training your body.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice into consideration, so just keep your shady drugs to yourself.¡± Eugene ultimately managed to refuse the potion. Unwilling to keep listening to Gargith prattle on about his muscles, Eugene prompted Gargith, ¡°So why did you ask to meet? You can¡¯t really havee all this way to Aroth just to try and force that drug of yours onto me.¡± He had received a letter from Gargith a few days ago. It had said that, since Gargith was heading to Aroth for specific reasons, they should meet in person after so long. ¡°There is something else that I have to do,¡± Gargith confirmed. ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Remember what I told you a long time ago? Our family¡¯s revolutionary muscle growth agent was created by a famous alchemist of Aroth,¡± Gargith said as he returned the potion to his inner pocket with a reluctant heart. ¡°However, now that my body has grown, the current mixture can no longer meet my requirements. When I informed the alchemist of this, he told me that he would adjust a new mixture to suit my body¡¯s needs.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re here to meet the alchemist?¡± Eugene checked. ¡°That¡¯s my main task, but there are a few other things as well.¡± ¡°Looks like you have a lot on your te.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Aroth is so far away. Since I¡¯m already here, I might as well make sure that the time spent traveling here and back isn¡¯t wasted.¡± Every time Gargith took a step, the ground seemed to shake slightly. When Gargith approached him, Eugene backed away slightly. ¡°Why are you avoiding me?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°You¡¯re giving off body odor,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°This isn¡¯t body odor. It¡¯s the scent of a man.¡± ¡°Just put on some cologne.¡± ¡°Why are you saying the same thing as Dezra¡­?¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°In any case, what other tasks do you have?¡± ¡°Hm,¡± Gargith didn¡¯t reply immediately, instead nced at his surroundings. The other people in the square were looking in their direction. Although he wasn¡¯t wearing the formal dress of the Lionheart n, Gagith was so gigantic that the crowd¡¯s gazes couldn¡¯t help but be drawn to him. Gargith lowered his voice and asked, ¡°¡­Do you know anything about Bolero Street?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it,¡± Eugene answered. It was the ce where that spoiled bastard, Eward, went to y around. ¡°Have you also heard that there¡¯s an auction house there?¡± Gargith continued. Eugene hesitated, ¡°Roughly speaking, yes. Is there something that you want to buy from there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumors that the testicles of a giant will be revealed at thetest auction.¡± ¡°Test¡­ What?¡± ¡°A giant¡¯s testicles.¡± ¡°Why do you want to buy a fucking thing like that?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you aware? The testicles of a giant have great magical value.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not the type who would want to buy those testicles for fucking magic, no?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. I¡¯m thinking of handing those testicles to the alchemist.¡± If it was giants that they were talking about, Eugene was also well aware of them. They were just as rare as elves, but their inclinations ran the exact opposite to the elves. Three hundred years ago, their entire species had sworn allegiance to the Demon King of Destruction. Although their journey hadn¡¯t been able to reach the Demon King of Destruction in the end¡­whilethey were wandering around Helmuth, Hamel and his party shed with the giants a few times. The giants were able to resist any amount of magic with just their bare bodies and could even copse mountains by merely shouting. ¡°Let¡¯s go there together,¡± Gargith suggested. ¡°Go where?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the auction house. Although I¡¯ve brought a lot of money, it still might not be enough to win the bid.¡± ¡°So you want me to lend you money?¡± ¡°I swear on my name that I¡¯ll pay you back with interest.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna.¡± ¡°I¡¯m even willing to beg you on my knees.¡± Gargith¡¯s body started to bend down. Eugene paled and quickly grabbed him by his shoulders. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ve got it, so don¡¯t do something so eye-catching. Moreover, what¡¯s with a big-boned bastard like you kneeling so easily,¡± Eugene demanded in a fluster. ¡°Thanks,¡± Garghith said calmly. ¡°What are you thanking me for? For agreeing to lend you money?¡± ¡°It was for calling me big-boned. Wasn¡¯t that apliment?¡± No matter which angle you looked at him from, Gargith really did seem like a descendant of Molon. ¡°Apart from the giant¡¯s testicles, I¡¯ve heard that many other items will be revealed,¡± Gargith shared. ¡°Oh, is that so,¡± remarked Eugene disinterestedly. ¡°Aren¡¯t you at all interested in it? Then again, you do have Wynnyd already, so you probably can¡¯t lower yourself to look at ordinary weapons.¡± ¡°Apart from the Auction House, there is somece else in Bolero Street that interests me,¡± Eugene said as he walked ahead of Gargith. It wasn¡¯t because he thought any further conversation was pointless; it was just that Gargith¡¯s body odor was far too strong. Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts Gargith:¡°This body of mine has been created through constant discipline and hard work. Of course, just because you increase the amount of weight you can hold doesn¡¯t guarantee that your muscles will get bigger. You need sufficient training, proper rest, as well as this.¡± Euguene: ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice into consideration, so just keep your shady drugs to yourself.¡± OBW: Oh no, herees the mlm pitch. dMomo: Gargith and Eugene¡¯s interactions are pure gold Yojj: note to self: never drink water while reading this. Chapter 33.1 Chapter 33.1 Bolero Street only opened on the night of the full moon. The next full moon would be in one week. Eugene gave up on trying to understand Gargith. He was already so big that it seemed like overkill, but to think that he still wasn¡¯t satisfied with that and was nning to buy some giant¡¯s testicles to chow down on. ¡°I¡¯m not going to chow down on them,¡± Gargith insisted earnestly. ¡°Then how are you going to eat them?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Rather than eating them directly, they have a much better effect after being made into a medicine.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re nning to grind them up and drink them.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give you some as well.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want any.¡± ¡°Why not? ording to what I¡¯ve heard, the testicles of the giant species are very beneficial for increasing stamina, as well as muscle growth.¡± Gargith¡¯s sincere eyes showed how seriously he had done his research. As he cut into his te of lean meat, he continued speaking, ¡°They also contain plenty of mana. All of this means that the testicles are a precious supplement that you might not be able to buy even if you wanted to.¡± ¡°You should take the whole lot,¡± Eugene offered generously. Although he knew that they were a supplement that would greatly benefit his body, Eugene absolutely rejected the idea of eating a giant¡¯s testicles. Even though you wouldn¡¯t be able to detect its unsightly original appearance once it was made into a potion, it wasn¡¯t so easy to change your perception of it. Gargith sighed, ¡°I just can¡¯t understand you. Even the popr healing potion uses the heart and blood of a troll as its ingredients. Mana potions also use mana stones and other monster materials as their ingredients.¡± ¡°But those aren¡¯t testicles,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°The testicles of animals are often used as high-quality ingredients.¡± ¡°Since you like them so much, you can have them all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t regret thister,¡± Gargith warned. ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Eugene muttered as he sipped his tea. ¡°¡­But why do you need to disguise yourself?¡± Having finished eating, Gargith asked this question as he sipped on a cup of egg whites like it was just an ordinary drink. Eugene resisted the urge toment on this and exined, ¡°¡­It will draw a bit of attention if a scion of the main family is seen wandering into such a shady street.¡± ¡°Hm, that¡¯s for sure.¡± ¡°Well, even if the street has received tacit approval from the officials, nothing can be gained from pointlessly getting into a scandal.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got the right idea,¡± Gargith said admiringly as he nodded in agreement. ¡°Although you don¡¯t intend to participate in anything shameful by going down that street, there¡¯s no need to create an unnecessary scandal. Especially since such a scandal will affect the dignity of your house.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right; our dignity,¡± Eugene slightly drew his head back as he agreed with Gargith. Although Eugene also had a good appetite, it was nothingpared to Gargith. Having devoured several chunks of lean meat, Gargith was currently downing several sses ofpletely unseasoned egg whites. Thanks to that, the fishy smell of raw eggs was wafting uncontrobly from his mouth. ¡°¡­Brush your teeth after you¡¯re done eating,¡± Eugene requested. ¡°Don¡¯t insult my sense of hygiene,¡± Gargith protested defensively. ¡°I don¡¯t care. Just make sure to brush your teeth. And spray some cologne as well.¡± ¡°I am not ashamed of my body odor,¡± Gargith insisted. ¡°By the way, do I need to put on a disguise as well?¡± ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Eugene¡¯s expression twisted as he considered this. He had been nning to just cover himself up with a robe, but with how burly Gargith was, that wouldn¡¯t be enough to solve the issue. Eventually, he decided, ¡°¡­You probably don¡¯t need a disguise.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°Because that big bulk of yours is impossible to hide, no matter what we do.¡± ¡°Thanks,¡± Gargith replied with a smile. It seemed that he had once again taken the observation of hisrge frame as apliment. ¡®It won¡¯t matter since he¡¯ll be stuck in the auction house anyway,¡¯Eugeneforted himself. Eugene was the only one who needed a disguise. He was certain that Eward would be heading to Bolero Street on the night of the next full moon. Since he already seemed to be suffering from nervous anxiety due to his subus addiction, it was obvious that Eward didn¡¯t have thestrength of willto ovee the withdrawal symptoms. ¡®If he had had that kind of strong will in the first ce, he wouldn¡¯t have ended up in such a state.¡¯ But something was bothering Eugene. With the signs of lifeforce drainage being so obvious, and since there were even rumors flying around about it, there was no way that Lovellian was ignorant of Eward¡¯s behavior. Could it be purposeful neglect? No, there didn¡¯t seem to be any reason for that. For now, he should try to hear Lovellian¡¯s side of the story. With this thought, Eugene got up to leave. ¡°I¡¯m heading back,¡± he informed Gargith. ¡°Already? I¡¯ll be working out soon, so how about we train together? If we visiblypare our bodies, you¡¯ll be able to clearly see the difference between you and me,¡± Gargith suggested. Eugene waved him off, ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Gargith barked out forcefully. Pushing the dishes on the table to one side, he drew himself to his full gigantic height. Then, cing both hands on his waist, he took a deep breath, threw his shoulders back, and pumped up his chest muscles. Pop pop pop! The buttons on his shirt, which had already been straining, were sent flying off like bullets. Having torn his shirt into shreds, Gargith flexed his upper body muscles as he sat down. ¡°Let¡¯s arm-wrestle,¡± Gargith challenged Eugene. After getting over his surprise, Eugene eventually asked, ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to arm-wrestle with you since four years ago,¡± Gargith said, his eyes sparkling. Then, cing one of his giant arms on the table, he took up an arm-wrestling pose. ¡°Without using any mana, let¡¯spete purely with the strength of our muscles.¡± His words sounded absurd. However, Eugene didn¡¯t refuse and took the seat across from Gargith. ¡°Since it¡¯s boring to just do it like this, let¡¯s ce a bet on it,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°What kind of bet?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°If I win, you need to put on some cologne whenever you head out. And you also need to stop peddling your muscle-growth drug to me.¡± ¡°Fine. But if I win, you need to do me a favor without asking any questions.¡± Gargith bared his teeth in a challenging grin. When Eugene took off his coat and rolled up his sleeves, Gargith nced at Eugene¡¯s bare forearms. ¡®Quite impressive¡­. However, it¡¯s still not enough,¡¯Gargith thought, sure of his victory. Two hands, which had an overwhelming difference in size, met across the table. Gargith rified the rules, ¡°Let¡¯s start on the count of three.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± Eugene agreed readily. ¡°Are you okay with me calling out the count?¡± ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter to me.¡± ¡°Then one, two¡ª¡± Creak. Gargith began tensing up his muscles. Eugene immediately began sharpening his senses while keeping his own muscles rxed. ¡°Three.¡± Bang! The results were decided in an instant. Gargith looked down at his hand in disbelief. His tensed and bulging muscles had been pushed down before they could even properly release their strength. From the moment that the count had ended, the speed of Eugene¡¯s reaction had rendered his strength useless. Instead, his overlyrge muscles had only contributed to the speed with which his arm hit the table. ¡°It¡¯s my win,¡± Eugene dered as he immediately stood up and began pulling on his coat. ¡°¡­How did you win?¡± Gargith asked, dumbfounded. ¡°Technique, timing, and sense.¡± Eugene patted Gargith¡¯s shoulder as he passed him on the way out. ¡°Next time, remember to spray on some cologne before arriving.¡± With this parting shot, Eugene immediately left the restaurantwithout looking back. Favorite Chapter 33.2 Chapter 33.2 As soon as he had returned to the Red Tower of Magic, he received a summons from Lovellian. Since he intended to ask about Eward, this worked out perfectly for Eugene. ¡®Now that I think about it, this will be my first time visiting the Head Wizard¡¯s room.¡¯ As befitting his position as the Tower Master, Lovellian was allowed to upy the entire top floor of the tower. Without an invitation from the Tower Master, no matter how much mana you poured into the elevator, it would be impossible to rise to the top floor. ¡®I can probably guess why he¡¯s calling me,¡¯Eugene thought. It should be because of the spell that he had cast in front of Hera. At that time, Hera had been about to faint in astonishment at the sight of the golem that she¡¯d been so proud of copsing onto its back. Although it wasn¡¯t as much as her, Eugene had also been rmed. Even though he¡¯d never heard of a metal like carbium in his previous life, in any case, he knew that he¡¯d managed to knock over a golem that had been constructed from such a sturdy material with the first spell that he had ever cast. This meant that the power of his spell was stronger than Eugene had expected. Truthfully speaking, he hadn¡¯t held high expectations for it, as it was his first time trying it out, but with a power like that, it felt like his spells were ready to be used in actualbat. As long as he became more ustomed to casting magic and the number of spells he could cast increased, Eugene felt like he¡¯d be able to do a lot of fun things. ¡®But it¡¯s not like he¡¯ll call me up just topliment me,¡¯Eugene continued his guesswork. It felt like he was about to receive some sort of present. Eugene trusted his gut instinct, and such a foreshadowing left him grinning widely. Eugene stepped out of the elevator and took a few steps down a corridor. Through the wide-open doorway at the end of the corridor, he could see Lovellian getting up from his desk. The man greeted Eugene with a friendly smile. ¡°Did you have any difficulties getting here?¡± Lovellian asked politely. ¡°If I had known that you were looking for me, I wouldn¡¯t have gone out in the first ce. My apologies,¡± Eugene returned the pleasantries. ¡°There¡¯s no need to say something like that. After all, I¡¯m the one who called for you so suddenly. To start with, please feel free to take a seat.¡± Now it wasn¡¯t just a feeling; Eugene was confident in his hunch. Lovellian¡¯s voice was overflowing with appreciation. ¡®Let¡¯s ask about Eward after receiving whatever the gift is,¡¯Eugene decided. Although it wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s intention to do so, Lovellian might feel like he was being interrogated upon listening to such questions. He might be a member of the Lionheart n¡¯s main family, but it was still disrespectful of Eugene, who was many years younger than Lovellian, to question the man about this and that. ¡®¡­How old was he again?¡¯Eugene tried to recall.¡®I think I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s close to a hundred¡­.¡¯ Even after adding the years from his previous life to his current age, Eugene was still younger than Lovellian. Just thinking about it that way gave Eugene a strange feeling. Of all the people that Eugene had met so far, Lovellian was the only one who was truly older than him. ¡°Um¡­. By the way, may I ask why I was summoned?¡± Eugene decided to stick to this question for now. He believed that there was no need for him to pointlessly report on how he was adapting to life in the tower. Since, in any case, everything that happened within the tower was already reported to Lovellian. ¡°First of all, please take a look at this,¡± with a flick of Lovellian¡¯s finger, the letter of rmendation popped out of the drawer and flew over to Eugene. ¡°¡­A letter of rmendation?¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes widened into circles as his gaze fell to the letter. ¡®It¡¯s for Akron? No way,¡¯Eugene struggled to contain his surprise. Even Eugene was familiar with that name. The prestigious Royal Library had already been famous three hundred years ago. It was the ce where the essence of Aroth¡¯s prided magic was stored. No matter how vast the array of magical books possessed by the Towers of Magic was, in terms of quality, it couldn¡¯tpare to the collection in Akron. ¡°¡­I think this is too much of an honor for me to ept at the moment,¡± although Eugene wanted to jump into the air and cheer in joy, for now, he decided to hold back and check the situation. And these words weren¡¯tpletely insincere. Even three hundred years ago, Akron had enjoyed a high status, so it wasn¡¯t a ce that anyone could just enter. ¡°I don¡¯t share your thoughts.¡± Lovellian continued speaking with a shake of his head, ¡°Instead, I believe that now is exactly the right time for you to enter Akron, Eugene.¡± ¡°Why do you believe that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because you have yet to venture deeply into learning magic, young Eugene,¡± Lovellian exined. ¡°Isn¡¯t that more reason why entry into Akron should be out of my reach?¡± ¡°Not at all. Since you haven¡¯t ventured deeply into learning magic, you still have a lot of possibilities lying ahead of you. Recing a Circle with a Core¡ªalthough it¡¯s easy to put into words, it should still be impossible for someone your age. However, you, Eugene, managed to aplish it.¡± Eugene was worried about what kind of expression he should show. Should he smile and show confidence? Or should he be humble instead? ¡°¡­Thank you very much,¡± Eugene said, eventually deciding on both. Eugene bowed his head respectfully but still revealed his excitement through his twitching fingers and made a show of hiding his proud smile. Lovellian gave Eugene some advice, ¡°There are many exceptional magical books in Akron. Although it might be impossible for you to benefit from them immediately, as long as you keep reading them and storing their contents in your head, you will be able to broaden your knowledge base. That knowledge will one day be the foundation that will allow your magic to truly shine, Eugene.¡± Calling Akron¡¯s collection of magical books exceptional was actually downying it. In the halls of Akron, ancient magic passed down from the mythical era was stored along with the writings of the sages whose names had received the highest of acims throughout Aroth¡¯s long history. ¡°¡­There is something I¡¯m curious about.¡± After some hesitation, Eugene continued speaking, ¡°Does Akron also have books written by Lady Sienna?¡± ¡°Of course it does,¡± Lovellian confirmed with a proud smile. ¡°Although there are books authored by Sienna in both the Red Tower of Magic and the Green Tower of Magic, one of the original three volumes of¡®Witch Craft,¡¯which Sienna wrote in herter years, is stored in Akron.¡± ¡®Witch Craft¡¯was considered one of the most significant series of books in all of Aroth¡¯s history. The wise Sienna had summed up all of her magical knowledge and divided the essence of her wisdom into these three volumes. As a result,¡®Witch Craft¡¯was considered a national treasure of Aroth, and no other copies were allowed to exist. Lovellian reflected on the books, ¡°Although the only volume avable for public viewing is the first book in the trilogy, that volume alone will impart knowledge that you won¡¯t be able to find in any other magical text. In my case¡­. Haha. When I first read the first volume of¡®Witch Craft,¡¯I realized that all the magic that I had learned in my life up until that moment was all just child¡¯s y.¡± ¡°¡­Ah¡­!¡± Eugene breathed in surprise. ¡°Although I can¡¯t guarantee that this letter of rmendation can be exchanged for an entry pass into Akron, I first wanted to hear your opinion, Eugene. Are you alright with me submitting a letter of rmendation on your behalf?¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s fine with me. However, I¡¯m still a bit concerned that my own inadequacies will cause trouble for the Tower Master.¡± ¡®Of course, it¡¯s fine with me, you bastard. Why ask such an obvious question?¡¯Eugene kept bowing his head deeply without allowing his true thoughts to escape his lips. ¡°¡®Cause trouble¡¯ you say¡­. Haha! Don¡¯t worry about that. Something like this won¡¯t cause me any trouble at all,¡± Lovellian said with a wry smile. There were some unidentified emotions lingering behind Lovellian¡¯s voice, and he seemed to be holding back a sigh. Eugene lifted his head slightly to nce up at Lovellian¡¯s expression. ¡°¡­Master Lovellian,¡± Eugene called out hesitantly. ¡°Yes, what is it?¡± Lovellian responded. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ um¡­ I have something that I need to talk to you about concerning my older brother, Eward.¡± Eugene had checked the letter of rmendation and received Lovellian¡¯s promise that he would submit it for Eugene. At this point, it didn¡¯t seem like Lovellian would go back on his words just because he got a little offended. The man sitting in the Tower Master¡¯s seat wouldn¡¯t be that petty. Eugene continued speaking, ¡°From the first day I came to Aroth¡­ I happened to hear a certain story. It was about how Eward hasn¡¯t been focussing on practicing magic and is instead going into some shady street to partake in the nightlife.¡± ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Lovellian sighed. As expected, Lovellian was already aware of Eward¡¯s misdeeds. ¡°Although I might not be a true sibling of Eward, as a rtive who shares the samest name as him, I am worried about Eward. Even those back at the main estate¡­ the Patriarch and his wife, are also extremely concerned about Eward,¡± persuaded Eugene. ¡°This is¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to put it into words,¡± Lovellian wasn¡¯t able to continue speaking immediately and instead scratched his head in frustration. ¡°Eugene. How much do you know about Eward¡¯s affairs?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s be acquainted with the subi whoworkin Bolero Street.¡± ¡°First of all, that is the truth,¡± Lovellian admitted with a short sigh. ¡°I¡¯ve also known about it, and I¡¯ve even warned him a few times. But I¡¯ve been unable to prevent Eward from indulging in that debauchery.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene waited for an exnation. ¡°Subi¡­ are a famous breed of Night Demons. In the past, before Helmuth was opened up, many people had died because the subi drained all their lifeforce.¡± Eugene was already very familiar with these facts. ¡°However, with the opening up of Helmuth, the attitudes of the Demon Kings and their demonfolk subjects underwent a lot of changes. The same goes for the subi. While they still absorb lifeforce, they don¡¯t kill people like they used to. It has been strictly forbidden by the Queen of the Night Demons who resides in Helmuth.¡± ¡°That still doesn¡¯t make my brother¡¯s lustful affairs appropriate,¡± argued Eugene. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right, of course,¡± Lovellian halted his words for a moment. He stared at Eugene with a bitter expression before continuing, ¡°Please have a little sympathy for Eward.¡± Stunned, Eugene responded, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Lovellian reminisced, ¡°Four years ago, Eward left the main estate to arrive in Aroth. He came to Aroth with a lot of expectations, but¡­. Unfortunately, Eward¡¯s talent failed to live up to his ownhopes andexpectations.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene listened patiently. ¡°Eward experienced a lot of setbacks. Samuel and I¡ªah, Samuel is the wizard who taught Eward¡ªin any case, Samuel and I did our best to help Eward ovee the frustration from these setbacks but¡­ unfortunately, it didn¡¯t go so well.¡± Even though hecked the necessary talent, they made it possible for Eward to stay in the tower. Moreover, they didn¡¯t spare him any advice on magic, and he had even received their personal instruction, along with rmendations to several useful magical texts. ¡°Discipline is something that needs to be cultivated on one¡¯s own. Relying on theurgingsof those around you is not enough to keep you focused on what you should be doing. Moreover, with his status, Eward couldn¡¯t help but be weighed down by many expectations.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugenecontinued to hold his tongue. ¡°¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be better to give him some time to catch his breath¡­.¡¯ That¡¯s what we thought at the time. We were trying to be careful not to overdo his instruction. Without such care, Eward may have already copsed.¡± It wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯tprehend what Lovellian was saying. Eugene had also lived in the main estate for the past four years. So he knew just how high-strung Tanis was and was also well aware of how sly Anci could be. Cyan and Ciel had been born with both talent and ambition. Those two wished to be the next Patriarch or Matriarch because they wanted to meet the expectations of those around them and also fulfill their own desires. But what about Eward? He had heard that Eward hadcked initiative from a young age, and he was more interested in magic than he was in training his martial arts. Ever since the birth of Cyan and Ciel, Tanis had constantly been reminding her son of his position as the eldest heir. Upon having his hopes for Aroth betrayed, Eward had decided not to return to the main estate, probably because he felt it was still better to live in Aroth than to return to that suffocating main estate. Eugene still couldn¡¯t ept Eward¡¯s actions,¡®No matter what, a subus is still a bit too much.¡¯ Although he understood that Eward¡¯s situation was pitiful, getting involved with a subus was going too far. Demonfolk, who had changed their attitudes and put smiles on their faces, were still demonfolk. They would never be able to peacefully coexist with humans. Eugene¡ªno, Hamel was all too aware of this fact. ¡°I understand,¡± Eugene said, nodding his head.¡®For now, I¡¯ll need to take a look personally.¡± Despite understanding that Eward¡¯s situation was pitiful, Eugene still couldn¡¯t turn a blind eye to the means he used to release his tension. Chapter 34.1 Chapter 34.1 Night Demons liked to invade the dreams of humans. Unlike reality, anything was possible within dreams. No matter how miserable your reality was, in your dreams, you could achieve whatever happiness you desired. Even if you aren¡¯t able to eat anything right now, in your dreams, you were able to taste all of the world¡¯s delicacies. Even if you didn¡¯t have a penny in your pockets, in your dreams, you could live in a mansion full of gold and silver treasure. Whether it¡¯s dead family members, friends, or lovers, even if you couldn¡¯t meet them in reality, in your dreams, you could even make new memories with them. You could do anything you wanted in your dreams. Your dreams could be filled with eternal happiness and joy. That was why they were called dreams. Even among the demonfolk, the Night Demons were particrly nasty. They dug into the weak spots of the heart that their victims, as humans, could do nothing about. They showed humans things that they couldn¡¯t achieve in reality, things that were only possible in their dreams. By doing this, they created a false sense of happiness that they used to ensnare their victims. Lovellian had mentioned the Queen of the Night Demons. In Eugene¡¯s previous life, she was one of the demons that Hamel had most wished to kill. That damned demonfolk had attacked Hamel and his colleagues several times during their journey through Helmuth. The Night Demons who served the Queen had invaded their dreams whenever they got a chance and had forced Hamel to recall his greatest regrets ¡ª the family he had lost in a monster raid, his helplessness as he hadn¡¯t been able to do anything, and the constant feelings of rivalry and inferiority that marked his rtionship with Vermouth. All of these ended up being highlighted in his dreams. In his dreams, Hamel didn¡¯t lose his family. Instead, the young Hamel¡¯s innate talents had miraculously blossomed, allowing him to ughter the monsters. His parents and the other vigers had celebrated Hamel as a hero. In his dreams, Hamel was simply greater than Vermouth. No matter how hard he tried, Vermouth just could not defeat Hamel.¡®It¡¯s because you¡¯re an idiot,¡¯Hamel had mocked Vermouth. In his dreams, Hamel had stood at the forefront of the subjugation effort. The thousands of people who had been lost in the process of crossing into Helmuth, all those who hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with the hero and hispanions and had perished along the way without even leaving their names behind, none of them had died in his dream. Forging ahead, he had defeated all the threats that stood in their way, and Hamel managed to save all those countless lives. Then he had finally defeated thest of the Demon Kings. But only in his dreams. ¡®Something like that can¡¯t rece reality.¡¯ Hamel¡ªno, Eugene was bitterly aware of this fact. No matter how sweet the dream that a Night Demon showed you, it could never be a reality. After waking up from the dream, the sweetness left over from this illusion was contrasted against reality and only bred bitter self-hatred. Although you might find happiness from such a dream, this only made reality feel even more shitty. In order to change your shitty reality, thest thing that you needed to do was to dive back into your dreams. You needed to tear the illusion apart. You needed to kill the Night Demon, who was trying to sway your heart by showing you such a damned illusion and eventually lead you into losing yourself in an empty dream. Three hundred years had passed since then. The Demon Kings, the demonfolk, and the Night Demons had all changed over time. Eugene could understand what Lovellian was trying to say. There was nothing particrly wrong with his words. He wanted Eward, who was crushed by his damning reality, to at least catch his breath in his dreams. ¡°I¡¯m too old for this,¡± Eugene muttered as he massaged his temples. Although he might be able to understand, at the same time, he just couldn¡¯t understand. Because he knew the horror of the Night-Demons and the futility of the dreams that they showed. Eugene could not consider Eward¡¯s shameful conduct to be a light matter. As long as Eward was addicted to the dreams, he would continue to turn away from reality. He would just end up bing a fool. Although he didn¡¯t hold any brotherly affection towards Eward, he had received a lot of favor from Gilead. ¡°¡®Old?¡¯ What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± came a surprised question. ¡°I¡¯m saying that your outfit is really old-fashioned,¡± Eugene said as he turned his head to face the questioner. He was currently sitting in one of the aerial carriages. Gargith was seated across from him. Though the inside of the carriage was quite spacious, Gargith, whose body was pointlesslyrge, had to hunch his shoulders slightly to fit inside. ¡°Why are you calling my clothes old-fashioned?¡± Gargith asked. Eugene critiqued, ¡°Isn¡¯t it because of those stupid-looking frills hanging off you. Who on earth dressed you in that outfit?¡± ¡°My mother picked my clothes, and she said that I looked very handsome in them.¡± ¡°Now that I take a closer look, it really does look good on you. When you add frills to your looks, which are practically overflowing with ferocity, you look just like a wild beast hiding its fangs.¡± At these hastily amended words, Gargith smiled in happiness, ¡°That¡¯s just what I thought.¡± Although Eugene desperately wanted to take back the words he had just uttered, Gargith¡¯s previous look of pitiful dismay had been painful to even look at. Gargith was currently wearing a formal suit with frills sewn onto its arms and chest. Although the scent of perfume thankfully covered up the smell of Gargith¡¯s body odor, it actually felt more disturbing when the smell of cologne was added to his already unusual appearance. ¡°¡­You don¡¯t need to put on any cologne,¡± Eugene grudgingly allowed. ¡°Why not?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°With your looks, the smell of body odor feels more natural, and it suits you better than cologne.¡± ¡°I had the same feeling as well.¡± Eugene turned his head to stare out the window once again. It was the night of the full moon. The night when Bolero Street would finally open. Eward had left the tower this morning. He had heard from Hera that Eward had said he was going out to buy some materials for magical experiments. Although Eugene didn¡¯t know if this excuse was true or not, there was no way that a guy who¡¯d been staying in his room for all this time would just happen to go out on today of all days. ¡®Idiot,¡¯Eugene scoffed as he looked at his reflection in the window. His face and hair color had been altered. It was still too early for him to be able to use the high-level spell Polymorph, even if he had wanted to. However, he was able to use some lower-ranking spells to change his facial features and hair color. Right now, Eugene had only learned spells up to the Second Circle. Although there had yet to be a reply to the letter of rmendation Lovellian had sent, he had decided to listen to Lovellian¡¯s advice. He might not be certain that an entry pass to Akron would be handed to him, but until he knew for sure, Eugene had decided to not learn any more spells. Instead, Eugene went over the magic already stored in his head. He organized the First and Second Circle spells that he had learned from the introductory books on magic. He had gotten practice with substituting a Core for a Circle and had gotten more familiar with casting spells. As a result, Eugene was able to cast any spell from the First andSecond Circle, without difficulty. The spell he had currently cast on himself was also a Second Circle spell. It was a rudimentary transformation spell that could be disrupted even by a low-ranking dispel, but it was adequate for a ce like Bolero Street. Although it maintained tacit approval from the authorities, most of the business done on Bolero Street was still against thew. Among those who came and went down Bolero Street, many chose to hide their identities. Since Polymorph was a high-ranking spell, it wasn¡¯t so easy to use, so most used rudimentary transformation spells. As such, dispelling the transformation magic cast on visitors to Bolero Street was strictly prohibited. ¡®Although that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s impossible to recognize someone by their looks,¡¯Eugene noted. Dispels weren¡¯t absolutely necessary to see the truth behind a disguise. High-level wizards could easily see through low-level magic. In the end, using such a spell in front of a powerful wizard was just like putting your hands over your eyes and ying dumb. But isn¡¯t that still better than not doing anything at all? As he flipped up the hood of his robe, Eugene opened the carriage¡¯s door. They had arrived atBolero Street. Chapter 34.2 Chapter 34.2 ¡°¡­This is different from what I expected,¡± Eugene muttered as he looked around at the bustling crowd. Although it couldn¡¯tpare to any of the previous tourist attractions he had visited, it was still quite crowded. Since it was already a tacitly approved ck market, at this point, wouldn¡¯t it be better to just develop it fully into a tourist attraction? ¡°The entry pass is two million sals,¡± someone said to them as they were caught looking around. ¡°What?¡± Eugene asked, still distracted. ¡°Two million sals,¡± the voice repeated. Therge figure blocking the entrance to the street was scowling at them fiercely. He didn¡¯t back down even in the face of Gargith, who was bigger than him. If he didn¡¯t have that level of guts and skills, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to work as Bolero Street¡¯s gatekeeper in the first ce. ¡°It¡¯s three million sals for two people,¡± the bouncer added. Eugene opened his wallet. He counted out four cheques and handed them over to the bouncer. Soon, the gatekeeper wrapped a paper bracelet around Eugene and Gargith¡¯s arms. ¡°The entrance fee alone is two million sals. That¡¯s way too expensive,¡± Gargithined. ¡°The two million per person is just the cost of entering the street. Each store also sets its own entry fee,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡± Although there had been an expensive entrance fee for every tourist attraction he¡¯d seen in Aroth, the entrance fee for Bolero Street was still more than Gargith had expected. ¡°They say that just entering a cheap tavern can cost at least a few million sals. For the auction house, you have to pay five million more sals just to get in,¡± Eugene borated further. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that this would also be your first timeing here, Eugene?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°I did my research beforeing here.¡± As Eugene shook his head in disappointment at Gargith, he nced down at the bracelet on his wrist. It was a paper bracelet worth two million sals. He tugged on it gently, but it didn¡¯t break. This bracelet acted as your proof of identity in Bolero Street. Official identity cards weren¡¯t used here. This bracelet and money, all you needed were these two things. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you had something else you needed to do?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that when the timees. For now, let¡¯s go to the auction house and get ourselves some seats inside.¡± Eugene ced one hand in an inner pocket of his robes. He had ced a small, magicalmunication terminal there. He had bought thismunication terminal to keep in touch with an aplice that was somewhere down this long and shady Bolero Street. [Have you arrived, sir?] a voice asked. [How did you know?] Eugene returned the question. [The max range of this terminal¡¯s connection is about the same as the length of Bolero Street. I knew you were here when the signal came in.] The hoarse voice that could be heard from the terminal belonged to the guide that Eugene had met on the first day he arrived in Aroth. Eugene had found him the previous day and persuaded him to act as a spy by offering him arge sum of money. His task was simple. The guide only needed to loiter around the subi den and signal Eugene when he saw Eward. Eugene had been worried that Eward might also be using transformation magic when he arrived, but¡­. ¡ªThere¡¯s no need for that concern. Eward doesn¡¯t use transformation magic. ¡ªHuh? ¡ªThat guy¡­ um¡­ I¡¯ve heard that he wears the same robe every time he goes there. And while he might not wear anything that carries your family¡¯s sigil, the hood of his robe often slips to show glimpses of his gray hair¡­. ¡ªHe really is a crazy fool. Eward seemed to be enjoying the attention he received from secretly revealing his identity. For someone who had always had a dazed look on his face back at the main estate and had even kept his eyes down and his shoulders slouched at the tower¡­ was he really taking the chance to loosen up and show off his identity on a street where anyone would be ashamed to be seen? ¡®If he was my son, I¡¯d beat him up to get him to fix his bad habits.¡¯ Although he had never had a son, Eugene still had this thought. ¡°You¡¯ll be paying the entrance fee for the auction house,¡± Eugene told Gargith. ¡°Fine with me,¡± Gargith agreed. ¡°About those¡­ giant¡¯s testicles¡­. If they¡¯re too expensive, I won¡¯t lend you the money.¡± ¡°How can you say that when we¡¯ve alreadye all the way here?¡± ¡°Think about it from my perspective. Although the Patriarch did gift me with this ck card, he¡¯s sure to be rmed if I end up spending too much money.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably true.¡± ¡°If the Patriarch asks me what I spent so much money on¡­ what the hell am I supposed to say to that? Do you think I can just say I bought some giant testicles? I¡¯d rather die than admit those words.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pay you back.¡± ¡°¡­No, who cares about that. I¡¯m telling you that I refuse to confess with my own lips that I bought giant testicles¡­!¡± ¡°If you¡¯re that worried about it, I¡¯ll just exin in your stead.¡± Just how much did he want to buy those giant testicles? Eugene snorted as he looked into Gargith¡¯s eyes, which were full of anticipation. As they entered the auction house, they were informed, ¡°It is forbidden to intrude into other guests¡¯ rooms, and any conversation should be kept between the two of you.¡± Although Bolero Street held more than a few auction houses, all auction houses shared the same rule of keeping the bidding private. Except forpanions, everyone was guided to a different room, keeping the bidding anonymous. After paying the entry fee of five million sals each, the gatekeeper of the auction house led them down to the basement as he continued his exnations, ¡°There will be three buttons in the room that you are led to. If you would like to bid, please press the button in the center. If you would like to increase the price, please click the button on the right. And if you need any other assistance, please press the button on the left.¡± Eugene and Gargith were ushered into a spacious room. There was an opaque ss window covering the front of the room, and no sounds could be heard from the outside. Once they were seated, staff wearing masks brought them some water. ¡°Do you wish to partake in any alcohol?¡± the employee asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Gargith replied in a deep voice. Based on his appearance, it might be impossible to believe, but Gargith was still only eighteen years old.[1]Of course, age didn¡¯t matter on Bolero Street. This was a ce where even a ten-year-old child could be sold alcohol, as long as they had the money for it. ¡°I thought you wouldn¡¯t be interested in spectating the auction,¡±mented Gargith. ¡°I need to do something to pass some time, and I¡¯m a little curious about what mighte out,¡± Eugene replied as he tilted his chair back. The front window wavered, and suddenly the figure of a man was reflected within the ss where previously nothing could be seen. It was a man wearing a fancy tailcoat and a mask. ¡°On this truly beautiful night of the full moon, we thank you for finding your way to our auction house.¡± The man continued speaking with a bow of his head, ¡°Our auction house mainly deals in rare magical materials sourced from Helmuth. As you may know, there are many auction houses situated on this street. However, I am confident that our auction house is unparalleled when ites to magical materials sourced from ¡®Helmuth.¡± ¡°¡­Unexpectedly, I¡¯ve heard that this street even has a ve auction house,¡± Gargith mentioned. ¡°Really,¡± Eugene reacted in surprise. very was an outdated and evil criminal offense that had already been abolished during his previous life. ¡°The alchemist told me about it,¡± Gargith revealed. ¡°Although very is still strictly forbidden¡­ they said that illegal ves are still being traded in secret. They also said that the traded ves are mostly demonfolk.¡± ¡®The world really has gone crazy,¡¯Eugene thought as he shook his head. The demonfolk were truly being taken as ves and sold to humans? Eugene just couldn¡¯t ept such a reality. Of course, he had seen quite a few illegal ves in his previous life. Elves who had lost their homes to the Demon Kings, skillful dwarven craftsmen, and the primitive beast-like centaurs¡­. The closer they got to Helmuth, the more ves he had seen. However, this was Aroth, not Helmuth. And instead of the demihumans, it was the demonfolk who were sold as ves? To humans, at that? ¡°Our first item is the horn of the Vrex. Let¡¯s start the bidding at ten million sals.¡± With this announcement, the auction began. When it came to the magic materials sourced from Helmuth, Eugene was confident that he could be considered a specialist. ¡®Vrex meat was really tough,¡¯Eugene recalled a slightly unpleasant memory. As he bnced on the back two legs of his chair, Eugene continued to survey the auction. ¡°The fruit of a Prosia.¡± ¡°The roots of a Mandragora.¡± ¡°The flower buds of a Yuzerak.¡± ¡°Oh my, there¡¯s even a living Turas Spider. This little guy¡¯s poison¡­.¡± ¡°Are you sure that the giant¡¯s testicles wille out tonight?¡± Eugene eventually asked. All of the things being shown were rare magical materials, but there was nothing that attracted Eugene¡¯s attention. Turning his gaze to the side, he saw that Gargith was half-asleep. ¡°It will¡­ it wille out,¡± Gargith asserted between yawns. ¡°I heard it would be in the auction tonight.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what the rumor said.¡± ¡°It would be good if it doesn¡¯te out, coz¡¯ that would mean I don¡¯t need to waste any money on it,¡± Eugene muttered as he sipped his water. ¡°The next item is¡­ a metal object made from an unappraisable mineral. It¡¯s a rather troubling item as it has remained unsold for quite some time. Our auction has been unable to see through the true value of this material, but perhaps one of the guests visiting us today may have some insight into this metal object¡¯s true value.¡± Unlike the previous times, his current spiel was rather lengthy. ¡°This metal object was found in Helmuth¡¯s Kazard Hills. If it¡¯s ced in moonlight, it gives off an extremely beautiful light, but¡­ frankly, it doesn¡¯t seem to be of any use apart from that. Although it¡¯s too hard to be machined, it doesn¡¯t seem to react to mana either.¡± They had said that they¡¯d been unable to sell it for a long time, so that was why it had such an exnation. Since the other items had received bids as soon as their names were called out, there was no need for lengthy exnations. ¡°It might be a good option as an ornament to ce by your bedroom window, as it shines quite beautifully under the light of the moon¡­.¡± The guests who had arrived here tonight had note to bid on such things. What use could you have for a hard piece of metal that was impossible to reforge and didn¡¯t even ept mana? However, Eugene looked at that metal object with a possessive gaze. The piece of the metal was only the size of a thumb, but he recognized it as a fragment of something else. ¡°¡­We will start the bidding at a million sals.¡± The items revealed up until now all had a base price of at least ten million sals. Thus this metal object had an exceptionally low price. Eugene immediately pressed the button. ¡°Eugene?¡± Gargith turned to Eugene with a look of rm. [Ah¡­. Would you like to ce a bid?] ¡°A million sals,¡± Eugene called out without any hesitation. He knew what that piece of metal was. A dim de that barely shone when out of the moonlight. Destruction in the form of a sword. The sword that had rendered the Holy Sword obsolete. A sword that had been erased from history. The Moonlight Sword. 1. The legal drinking age in Korea is 19 years old.? Favorite Chapter 35.1 Chapter 35.1 ¡°Why did you bid on such a useless item?¡± Gargith asked with a confused expression. It was just an unknown piece of metal that had gone unsold for such a long time. As someone unfamiliar with magic, Gargith couldn¡¯t seem to detect any value from this metal object. It was small, about the size of a finger at most, and it couldn¡¯t be reforged or even manipted with mana. Although the starting price might have been the lowest of all the items that the auction house had unveiled so far, in Gargith¡¯s opinion, that metal object wasn¡¯t even worth a million sals. Eugene didn¡¯t say anything. Instead, he clenched his fists as he tried to bring an order to the dizzying flood of thoughts rushing through his head. Vermouth had wielded numerous weapons in his life, and among them, there were quite a few powerful relics capable of turning the world on its head. The Storm Sword Wynnyd that Eugene currently possessed, for one; and then there was the Devouring Sword Asphel, the Dragon Spear Kharbos, Thunderbolt Pernoa, Phantom Rain Sword Javel, Gedon¡¯s Shield, etc. The most famous of his weapons was the Holy Sword. Although it hadn¡¯t seen much use, these days, it was seen as the weapon that best represented Vermouth. Apart from those, there was also the Demon Spear Luentos previously used by the Demon King of Cruelty and the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth that had once belonged to the Demon King of Carnage. While not to the same extent as the Holy Sword, all of these weapons had left their marks on history, but strangely enough, there was no record of the ¡®Moonlight Sword.¡¯ From what Eugene could recall, it was the Moonlight Sword that had allowed them to break through in the face of Luentos¡¯s fierce assault and finally defeat the Demon King of Cruelty. However, in the fairy tales and other historical records, the Holy Sword received the credit for the downfall of the Demon King of Cruelty. The Demon King of Cruelty wasn¡¯t the only victim of the Moonlight Sword. Three hundred years ago, there had been many powerful enemies in Helmuth besides the Demon Kings. They were the high-rankingdemonfolkwho fell just short of bing a Demon King. Enemies like the Vampire Lord and the Tribal Chief of the Giants. And it wasn¡¯t the brilliant light of the Holy Sword that had allowed them to sh with these powerful enemies and paved the way forward. Instead, it was a terrifying beam of moonlight that had forcibly torn open a path forward with the power of destruction. ¡®And that seems to be a fragment of the Moonlight Sword,¡¯Eugene thought. This meant that the sword might no longer be intact. However, he wasn¡¯t sure what could have caused the de to shatter into fragments. He also couldn¡¯t be sure that his eyes weren¡¯t fooling him. No matter how clear the memories from his previous life were, he couldn¡¯te to any definite conclusions based on a single glimpse of such a small fragment. After a while, someone knocked on the door. As the item he had bid on wasn¡¯t thatrge, it had been brought to him right after he won the bid. Eugene immediately got up and opened the door. ¡®¡­I was right,¡¯Eugene decided as he stared down at the fragment that had just been delivered. The unique dim shade of the metal was just as he remembered. This was definitely a fragment of the Moonlight Sword. But how on earth did a fragment of the Moonlight Sword end up in this auction house? ¡®The Kazard Hills¡­.¡¯ The ce where this fragment had been found was further proof of its true identity. The location of the Kazard Hills was a little ways away from the castle of the Demon King of Carnage. It had originally been a in, but in the aftermath of the fierce battle that took ce at the Demon King¡¯s castle, the whole ce had undergone a massive upheaval to be a hilly area. It urred right after they had defeated the Demon King of Carnage, just as they were leaving that Demon King¡¯s castle. They had discovered a dungeon that had been hidden deep underground. Suspecting that the demonfolk may have hidden it deliberately, they had explored the dungeon and found the Moonlight Sword at its very heart. ¡®¡­The only possibility that I can think of is that¡­ as Vermouth was leaving Helmuth, he took the Moonlight Sword back to its original resting ce and sealed it there.¡¯ Then why had the Moonlight Sword shattered into fragments? But if Vermouth really had decided to reseal the Moonlight Sword, Eugene suspected that he knew the reason why the sword had ended up as fragments. The Moonlight Sword was simply far too dangerous. Although the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer were also deadly, the Moonlight Sword exceeded them both. That ominous sword had acknowledged Vermouth alone as its master, and it had always caused terrible destruction whenever it was drawn from its sheath. Vermouth couldn¡¯t have felt reassured with just sealing such a horrible and dangerous sword. ¡®¡­It¡¯s too quiet,¡¯Eugene observed. The fragment of the Moonlight Sword was perfectly still. It didn¡¯t give off any sense of danger. Well, if it had shown off even a trace of the terrible power that it had held three hundred years ago, it wouldn¡¯t have been left on auction for so long without any bidders. With a bitter feeling, Eugene ced the fragment of the Moonlight Sword back into the wooden box. It was now just a fragment that held none of its previous power. He would be lying if he said that he hadn¡¯t held any expectations for it. He had hoped that a trace of its power might still remain. But even if it was just an ordinary piece of metal now, he didn¡¯t feel too disappointed. Just having sucha worrisome objectremain safely in his handsputhis mind at ease. [Sir Eugene,] themunication terminal buzzed. [Sir Eward has arrived.] It was the guide¡¯s voice. Eugene slipped the wooden box into his vest and stood up. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now,¡± he told Gargith. ¡°Hm? Don¡¯t you want to keep watching?¡± Gargith asked him. ¡°I don¡¯t. I¡¯ll leave my card with you before I go, so tell them that I¡¯ll pay for your bid afterward.¡± It was impossible to charge a ck card without the owner present to provide authentication. But since the ck card was so famous, it should be eptable for them to allow Eugene to pay for the bid after a slight dy. And if they said it wasn¡¯t eptable? Eugene couldn¡¯t really care about it. Instead, it would actually be a good thing for him, as that meant he wouldn¡¯t need to pay therge sums of money required to purchase those balls. After summoning one of the staff members with a press of the left button, Eugene was led outside the auction house. A lot of time seemed to have passed while they were inside, as the air now had thatte-night chill. However, the street was still brightly lit. It appeared that the street lights here didn¡¯t go out until dawn. [Where do I need to go?] Eugene asked. [Um¡­ If you head up to the north end of the street, you will be able to find a store called ¡®Rafflesia.¡¯ That¡¯s where you need to go,] the guide exined. Eugene began walking. [By the way, just what on earth are you nning to do? This type of shop strictly ensures the security of its customers, so¡­.] Eugene didn¡¯t answer right away. He had just decided to head over there first, without having a clear idea of what he would do. He just needed to ¡ª no, he wanted to, first of all, look Eward in the eye. How would the eldest son of the main family react when confronted with the fact that someone knew of his ugly little secret? Would Eward be angered by his exposed shame? Or, instead of getting angry, would he just stay silent? Would he spout excuses? Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what to expect. To be honest, he just wanted to grab Eward by the cor and p both of his cheeks to teach him a lesson. ¡®¡­But since he¡¯s so pitiful, I¡¯ll give him a chance.¡¯ If Eugene didn¡¯t get to p Eward¡¯s cheeks red, he at least wanted to know what the hell Eward was thinking. As he headed north, the atmosphere of the stores he passed began to change. By the time he reached his destination, the lights that were previously only used to illuminate the darkness had turned a sultry red, and the appearance of the greeters had also changed dramatically. Handsome men were attempting to seduce the passing women, and beautiful women were throwing smiles at the men. ¡®So there¡¯s Incubi, Subi, as well as Vampires working here. I can even see a few beastfolk.¡¯ So it wasn¡¯t just demonfolk working here.There were quite a few beastfolk, who looked like a cross between humans and animals, and in humansas well. Without sparing these greeters a single nce, Eugene looked up at the name of the store. The sign read, ¡®Rafflesia.¡¯ That meant he had finally found the store after walking down the street for quite some time. The exterior of the store looked fancier than he expected. Without any hesitation, Eugene approached the store entrance. As he drew closer, he was met with a challenge, ¡°Are you here for our services?¡± Five burly men hanging around the front of the store stepped forward to block his way as if they had been waiting to do so. Eugene stared at the young man standing in the center of their group. He had pale skin, red eyes, pointy ears¡­ and tiny horns. Demonfolk came in various different types. The night demons were just one category of demonfolk, and starting from three hundred years ago, the giants had also been counted as one of the tribes of the demonfolk. Corrupted dark elves and vampires were also mixed in with their number. So the term demonfolk didn¡¯t refer to a single race but instead referred to all the races ruled by the Demon Kings. But among all these races, the horned race, also known as the ¡®daemons,¡¯ made up the greatest percentage of the poption. In fact, the daemons could even be called the orthodox race of the demonfolk. Three hundred years ago, all five of the existing Demon Kings had been daemons. ¡°¡­I do want to head inside,¡± Eugene said as he looked straight at the young daemon. Since his reincarnation, this was his first time encountering a group of demonfolk, and with a daemon among them at that. If he was still in his previous life, the daemon would already have been dead before their eyes had even met, but Eugene didn¡¯t reveal a single trace of his murderous intent. The daemon asked, ¡°¡­Is this your first time visiting our store?¡± ¡°What, am I not allowed if it¡¯s my first time here?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Of course not. As long as you pay the entrance fee, you¡¯re free to head on in for as long as you like.¡± ¡°How much is this fee?¡± ¡°The base entrance fee is two million sals. After that, any further cost is calcted ording to the contents and length of your requested dream. Would you still like to enter?¡± the daemon asked with a faint smile. Without replying, Eugene pulled out his wallet and handed the daemon two cheques. Upon receiving the entrance fee, the daemon immediately stepped away from the door with the parting words, ¡°Please enjoy your time here.¡± Ignoring his words, Eugene walked into the store. He was immediately greeted with red lights and the sight of a raucous bar. The entire first floor appeared to be used as a pub. He could also spot various subi and incubi wearing suggestive clothing as they went around delivering trays of alcohol and ying coy with the guests. Eugene paused for a moment as he took in this scene. ¡°Allow me to lead you to a seat,¡± a beautiful subus offered as she approached him and entwined her arms around his. Ignoring her, Eugene panned his gaze upwards. It seemed that both the second and third floors were also used for drinking. He couldn¡¯t spot any rooms that looked like they could be used by the customers here to enjoy the dreams. ¡®They must be in the basement,¡¯Eugene concluded. He could see a few subi and incubi leading customers down into the basement. So where was Eward now? Was he having a drink somewhere, or was he already caught in his dreams? But before anything else, he needed to deal with this smell. The perfume scenting from the subus sticking to his side was overpowering. Favorite Chapter 35.2 Chapter 35.2 ¡°¡­Is this where we get our dreams?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re in a rush?¡± Now that he had shown weakness by bringing up this topic first, the subus eased up on her advances as she looked at Eugene with amused eyes.¡°What a cute guest. Is this your first time visiting our store? Why don¡¯t we get some drinks first?¡± The subus¡¯s smile widened as she casually brushed her body against Eugene¡¯s arm and whispered, ¡°If you drink something beforehand, it rxes your body and allows you to fall into a deeper state of sleep.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s no bed, I can¡¯t fall asleep,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. As long as you drink in moderation, I¡¯ll be sure to lead you down to the basement before it¡¯s time to sleep. But, more importantly, what kind of dream would you like us to arrange for you?¡± The subus lowered her voice as she led Eugene to an empty seat with a sense of familiarity. ¡°Don¡¯t be shy and tell me everything. We need you to be precise and specific with your desires if you want to enjoy your best dream experience.¡± From these words, Eugene was able to estimate the levels of the subi who worked in this store. High-level night demons were able to cause their victims to fall asleep regardless of their wishes and create a dream for them based on their subconscious desires. Considering that these ones needed to ply their guests with alcohol to make them sleepy and had even asked him to detail his intended dream¡¯s contents, there were only low-level night demons here. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t feelfortable saying anything yet,¡± Eugene said after some thought. ¡°Then, it looks like you¡¯ll need to have a drink first,¡± the subus smiled brightly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, our drinks are both delicious and strong. After you¡¯ve had a few sses, you¡¯ll be sure to speak your desires without feeling any shame.¡± Having just sat down with him, the subus got up again and left. Before long, the subus returned holding two sses of wine. ¡°Is it okay if this big sis drinks with you?¡± the subus asked. ¡®Who said that you could call yourself my big sis?¡¯Eugene thought as he took the ss. This would be his first time trying alcohol in his new body, but was he a good drinker as well? His talented body rarely suffered from minor illnesses and was strong against fatigue, so there was no reason why it should be weak to alcohol. With that thought in mind, Eugene brought the ss to his lips. ¡®¡­They¡¯ve even gone so far as to spike this drink,¡¯Eugene soon realized. A sweet scent had been subtly mixed in with the smell of the alcohol. It was the scent of a hallucinogenic herb that only grew in Helmuth. Since the levels of these subi were insufficient, it seemed that they were even making use of such a hallucinogen to make up for theirck of power. ¡®Well, it makes sense. There¡¯s no way that a high-ranking subus woulde to a street like this just to peddle dreams.¡¯ As the smell was faint, the drug didn¡¯t seem too potent. Eugene took a sip of the drink with an urge to test his body¡¯s tolerance. His throat burned as the alcohol went down. For the first drink he had had since his reincarnation, it tasted pretty good. However, due to the location in which he was consuming the drink, the aftertaste was just foul. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re a good drinker,¡± the subus hummed thoughtfully. Having taken a sip, Eugene put the drink down. Then he focussed on observing the reactions taking ce in his body. The heat of the alcohol warmed his stomach and then sent a rush of sensation up to his head, causing him to feel a little woozy. ¡®Looks like I have quite the innate tolerance.¡¯He decided to risk drinking the rest of his ss. As he did so, Eugene scanned the inside of the store,¡®There are people going down, but none areing back up.¡¯ Eugene lowered his empty ss. ¡°Let¡¯s head down,¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Hm?¡± the subus hummed in confusion. ¡°The drinks here don¡¯t match my tastes.¡± ¡°Ahah¡­. Are you feeling embarrassed to say anything up here? You don¡¯t need to worry about that, but¡­ in that case, shall we head down to the bedrooms now?¡± the subus asked, concealing her disappointment. She had intended to persuade him to drink a few more sses so that she could make more off of him from the alcohol. However, it was impossible to ignore the demands of her customer. Eugene and the subus got up and headed down to the basement together. ¡°It¡¯s a bit scary,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°What is?¡± the subus asked. ¡°It¡¯s actually my first time doing something like this,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°There¡¯s no need for concern.¡± The subus exined, ¡°Although we do drain a bit of lifeforce, it¡¯s only to the extent where you¡¯ll feel a little tired the next day.¡± ¡°Why do you feel the need to charge us when you¡¯re already taking away our lifeforce?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re feeding on our lifeforce, shouldn¡¯t you at least make it a free service?¡± ¡°No¡­ um¡­ in exchange for the money, don¡¯t we offer you pleasant dreams?¡± ¡°On second thought, I feel like I¡¯m getting ripped off, so I don¡¯t think I can do this. If it¡¯s a dream, I can get one just by going to sleep myself, so why do I need to hand over both money and my lifeforce?¡± Instead of heading into one of the bedrooms, Eugene just checked out the length of the basement hallway. Then he shook off the subus¡¯ arm and pulled out his wallet. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to go back and sleep in my own bed, so I¡¯ll leave after paying the bill for the drinks,¡± Eugene insisted. The subus sneered,¡°How does a cowardly guy like you have the guts to show his face at a ce like this?¡±[1] ¡°Anything is possible. Since I¡¯m scared and feeling reluctant, what else am I supposed to do?¡± Taking out a cheque for a million sals from his wallet, Eugene handed it to the subus. Even though this amount confused the subus, she still epted the money. ¡°You don¡¯t need to give me any change,¡± Eugene offered generously. ¡°Oh¡­ um, well, fine then,¡± the subus replied, thrown off-bnce. Was this guy an idiot? Or maybe just a sucker? In any case, this wasn¡¯t a bad deal for the subus. A million sals were much more than the cost of those two cheap drinks. The subus resumed her professional attitude, ¡°Goodbye then¡­. Next time¡­ pleasee to us after you¡¯ve prepared yourself. I¡¯ll be sure to take care of you once more. My name is¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Where do I need to go to get out of here?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°¡­Allow me to show you the way.¡± They walked down to a room at the end of the hallway. The interior looked like it had been a storeroom, but there was a staircase heading upstairs. Eugene left the subus behind and climbed up the stairs. He was greeted by a man¡¯s voice, ¡°Did you have a pleasant dream?¡± The next floor was a restaurant. It looked like it was intended for their guests, who had had a few drinks and then gotten their lifeforce sucked in their dreams, to have a meal in the restaurant before they left. Eugene opened up the wallet he was still holding and handed the man who had greeted him some money. The man seemed surprised, ¡°You¡¯ve already paid your bill¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted him, ¡°I want a quiet seat in a corner.¡± The man hesitated, ¡°Um¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s good here?¡± Eugene asked brusquely. Although he was secretly put off by the young man¡¯s abrupt rudeness, the man politely epted the money with a pleasant smile. ¡°The specialty of our restaurant is the magma stew. Its spicy taste has a real kick to it, and it¡¯s packed with plenty of meat,¡± the man gave his rmendation. Eugene¡¯s only response was, ¡°I want extra servings of meat.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± This restaurant, whose name he didn¡¯t know, was just as noisy as the first floor of Rafflesia. Apart from the customers who had woken up from their dreams, the restaurant also epted ordinary customers. Although this was a ck market, that didn¡¯t mean that all the shops here sold illegal goods and services. Even in a ce like this, there could still be restaurants. Eugen sat down in an out-of-the-way corner and pulled up his hood, but he wasn¡¯t the only customer doing something simr to protect their identity. Thanks to that, Eugene could quietly eat his food without attracting attention from anyone else. How long would he end up waiting? There had already been quite a few customersing up from the basement, but Eward was nowhere to be seen. As the time passed, Eugene continued to order a few more dishes. The food here was quite ptable. ¡®There¡¯s the bastard.¡¯ Just as he was done wiping his fourth ne clean, Eugene spotted his target. Eward was climbing up the stairs. He had his hood up, so it was impossible to see his face, but Eugene had a clear recollection of Eward¡¯s physique. On top of that, his hand could be seen below the cuff. That callous-free hand could be none other than Eward¡¯s. He didn¡¯t know how much Eward had drunk, but he was stumbling up the stairs. That alone would have been enough to piss Eugene off, but Eward wasn¡¯t alone in his climb. A few others were supporting Eward as they followed him up from the basement, and they weren¡¯t subi either. They were unmistakably daemons with those horns on their heads; two men and one woman. A burning rage rose in Eugene¡¯s chest as he caught sight of them. ¡®He¡¯s not just ying around with night demons. He¡¯s even getting carried by daemons?¡¯Eugene questioned in disbelief. As soon as Eward reached the second floor, two men who had been sitting in the restaurant got up from their seats. The two then casually paid their bills and made their way out of the restaurant, exchanging eye contact with the daemons as they did so. They nodded their hooded heads to the daemons, and Eward and the daemons followed them out. After confirming that they had all left, Eugene also got up. As quite some time had passed, the number of people walking the street had decreased. Eugene checked the direction Eward and his unknownpanions were heading in, then he turned and walked in the opposite direction. It was only after he had walked around the first building in sight that he turned around and started following Eward. ¡®But where are they going?¡¯Eugene asked himself. After they had passed several blocks, still supporting Eward on their shoulders, the group entered a particr building that didn¡¯t have any signage. After confirming that everyone had entered without leaving anyone outside, Eugene walked closer to the building. Right when he was about to push open the closed door, someone called out to him, ¡°Hey kid. You¡¯re in the wrong neighborhood.¡± Three burly men walked out of the alley next to the building. While screwing up their ugly faces into a scowl, they red at Eugene. ¡°This isn¡¯t some kind of store, so get lost,¡± one demanded. Eugene ignored the demand and asked, ¡°Then what kind of ce is this?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to get lost?¡± he demanded again. Eugene put on a friendly tone, ¡°Hey friend, don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re trying to cut our conversation a bit too short.¡± ¡°I said, get lost, you motherfucker.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t we go inside and have a talk instead of standing out here?¡± ¡°This crazy bastard.Do you think that we have the time to joke with a brat like you?¡± One of the men stomped over and grabbed Eugene¡¯s cor. Despite the hold on his neck, Eugene admitted, ¡°It does sound a bit like a joke.¡± ¡°You, you¡¯reing with me,¡± the oaf demanded. The man could smell the scent of alcoholing from Eugene. As he dragged Eugene into the alley, he spat out, ¡°If you¡¯re drunk, you should just go home to sleep it off. Looks like I¡¯ll need to teach a brat like you that the world is a scary ce.¡± After giving him a moderate beating, they¡¯d take Eugene¡¯s money as a teaching expense and then chase him away. The three men came up with this simple n as they exchanged nces. Eugene was easily able to read their thoughts from their faces as he quietly followed them into the alley. One of the men began ordering Eugene, ¡°First of all, take out your wallet¡ª¡± Since they had entered the alleyway, thus blocking the view of any watchers, there was no need for Eugene to keep ying along. Eugene pulled on the arm that was clutching his cor; this pulled the man¡¯s chin forward slightly, bringing it in reach for a swing of Eugene¡¯s fist. Before the man could even finish speaking, he had already lost consciousness. ¡°You crazy bastard, what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± With a scream, the remaining two thugs rushed Eugene. ¡°Come now, friends,¡± Eugene chided the men. The two thugs soon fell to the floor, unable to even lift their fists. As Eugene kicked them idly with his foot, he continued speaking, ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t you tell me what goes on in there?¡± ¡°W-we don¡¯t know,¡± the men stammered out. Eugene shrugged and said, ¡°That¡¯s fine. It really doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t tell me.¡± Bam! Kicking the men in their chins, Eugene turned around and left, ¡°Instead of listening to you, it should be faster and simpler to just take a look inside by myself.¡± 1. A more literal trantion of this line would be: ¡°How can there be guys like this as well?¡± It¡¯s quite amon Korean expression, a simr Western expression might be: ¡°Can you believe this guy?¡± But as this doesn¡¯t quite fit the context of the conversation, seeing as there are only two participants without any observers, something simr has been substituted.? Chapter 36.1 Chapter 36.1 Even at a second nce, Eward¡¯s actions seemed suspicious. Apanied by a group of suspicious people, he had headed into a building without any signage up front. That alone would have been suspicious enough, but a few burly and vicious thugs were even hanging around to intimidate anyone who got near. This was definitely a shady location. Eugene grabbed the doorknob and tried to turn it a few times, but the locked door refused to open. It looked like some kind of magic had been cast on top of the physical locking mechanism. Someone else might have asked themself, should I smash it? But Eugene didn¡¯t even pause to consider. The stars around his heart shone as Eugene checked the flow of mana that he could feel from the doorknob. Eugene felt lucky he had started learning magic. If it were in the past, he would have just tried to break through by force, but now he was even able to figure out the structure of the mana that formed this locking spell. However, just because this was true, it didn¡¯t mean that Eugene felt the need to change his method. It just meant that his usual fallback didn¡¯t require as much power as before. In the end, he was still going to forcefully break through the door. If Eugene¡¯s aplishments in magic were higher, that might not have been the case, but at present, Eugene couldn¡¯t possibly unlock the spell cast on the door using his own magic. A visible shroud of mana covered Eugene¡¯s hand, and he then pushed this mana into the locking spell. Thanks to the fact that he was already aware of the structure that the locking spell had taken, it didn¡¯t take much effort to overpower the spell¡¯s weak-point. Although it might seem obvious to say this, to dismantle a spell using this method, one needs to be able to control their mana as if it were their own hands and feet. Even a master wizard with quite some skill in magic would find this task impossible, but Eugene aplished it with ease. Creak. Although the method might seem crude, the results were undeniable. The doorknob that was twisted open forcefully hadpletely shattered internally. After confirming that the locking spell had also been broken, Eugene lifted one foot. Bang. With a sharp kick, Eugene broke the lock off the door. While this caused the door to swing open and Eugene entered without any hesitation, he still kept his guard up. One of his hands was resting on the hilt of Wynnyd, which Eugene had hanging from his hip. Just by doing this, his vigncejumped from merely adequate to almost excessive. As long as his hand was resting on his weapon, he could instantly draw it and have it ready for any situation. Eugene was assured by this. ¡°¡­Haaah.¡± It was hard to see in front of him as the whole floor had been filled with a thick cloud of smoke. The very air felt sticky and clung to the back of his throat, the smoke having a sweet yet savory taste to it. It numbed his senses and caused his vision to go slightly dizzy. Eugene circted the mana from the White me Form throughout his body, and the mild dizziness went away immediately. ¡°So it¡¯s anopium den[1],¡± Eugene muttered with a snort of disdain. Strange sounds were leaking out from the closed rooms around him. It made sense to find such a ce on a street like this, but to think that Eward would immediatelye here as soon as he was done with his subus dream had Eugene¡¯s eyes turn cold. ¡°I can understand needing a ce where he could catch his breath, but this is going way too far.¡± How could anyone even breathe properly in a ce like this? Just the dreams from a subus alone were enough to weaken and ruin his mind, but if he was huffing drugs in an opium den on top of that, he was practically drilling holes in his own brain. While clearing the smoke out of his way, Eugene kept moving forward. ¡°Who are you? How did you get in here?¡± ¡°Close the door!¡± Men puffing on their drug pipes rose to confront him as he passed by their alcoves. There were humans, beastfolk, and demonfolk ¡ª this opium den was practically a forum for racial inclusivity. Eugene gave his heartfelt apuse to the men who came staggering towards him. ¡°If guys like you were born three hundred years ago, the world might have been able to hold our hands together in love and peace,¡± Eugene praised sarcastically. One of the men shouted, ¡°What the hell is this bastard talking about?¡± Eugene continued, ¡°But don¡¯t think I¡¯ll let you off because of that, you rotten bastards.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t draw Wynnyd, nor did he run directly past them. Instead, the stars circling around his heart went into action. Bambambam! He instantly created a few magic missiles and sent them piercing through the smoke. Although they might be high on drugs, the addicts who had risen to confront the intruder were those who were quite confident in their own skills. Magic missile was just a First-Circle offensive spell. It wasn¡¯t that fast or that strong. So Eugene¡¯s targets dodged the spell with a snort of disdain. Or at least theytriedto dodge it. Although they had immediately reacted to the projectiles with their attempts to evade, the chaotic trajectory of the missiles made it impossible for them to avoid the attacks. ¡®They¡¯re way too obvious,¡¯Eugene observed with disdain. There was no way that Eugene would get fooled by the evasive movements of guys like these. Truthfully speaking, he was sure he could have hit them even if he cast the spell with his eyes shut. ¡°Where is Eward?¡± ¡°Gaaah¡­!¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to tell me. I can just look for him myself,¡± muttering this, Eugene drew Wynnyd from its sheath. With a chilling hiss, the silvery-blue de made its appearance. The men who had been sent flying felt their breaths being taken away by thissight. They knew they were going to die. Although Eugene didn¡¯t exude any obvious killing intent, their instincts sensed inevitable doom. They gave up any resistance and just curled up into balls, burying their heads in their arms. However, Eugene didn¡¯t swing his sword in their direction and instead raised the de towards the ceiling. Whoosh! A fierce breeze engulfed Wynnyd. It was the form of a lesser spirit of the wind, a sylph. But a sylph summoned by Eugene was actually able to create a gust so strong that it was impossible to believe that it was merely a low-ranking spirit. This was all because he was at the Third Star of the White me Form. Although he was even able to summon intermediate spirits with his current amount of mana, Eugene wasn¡¯t inclined to do so. He had calcted that it was much better to increase the amount of low-mana-consumption sylphs he summoned, as he had much better control over them, than draining all his mana to summon an intermediate spirit. Eugene had far too muchbat ability to put himself in a position where he needed to depend solely on a spirit¡¯s power for his own protection. ¡°Ahhhh¡­!¡± The addicts still scattered on the floor around Eugene stared at him with fearful eyes. Eugene was now standing in the center of a fierce wind storm as he kept Wynnyd in the air. Roooar! The storm suddenly scattered. The gusts of wind it sent blowing in all directions scattered the smoke and smashed open all the walls and tightly locked doors on this floor. ¡°Wh-what the?!¡± The drug addicts found in all of the formerly closed rooms let out screams. Eugene swept his eyes over all of these rooms in a single pass. There were a lot of disturbing,scivious, and just in disgusting sights, but Eward wasn¡¯t one of them. There was no need for Eugene to continue searching for Eward all by himself. He had scattered a number of sylphs along with the gusts of wind, and they were now blowing through the entire building. They soon told him where he needed to go. Even as he continued to bottle up his boiling irritation, Eugene headed upwards. Baaang! A number of magic missiles werebined together to blow a hole through the ceiling. Then Eugene used the wind to lift his body up through the hole. Repeatingthis process,he arrived on the third floor. 1.The original text calls it a roon den. Opium dens were called that because they used to smoke out roon dens when they were being hunted. I used opium den to make it easier to understand.? Favorite Chapter 36.2 Chapter 36.2 Eugenended in a hallway that was choked with both smoke and dust. With a buzzing sound, the sylphs that had followed him started to generate some wind. Using this to scatter the smoke, Eugene strode purposefully down the hallway. There was only one room at the end of this hallway, which meant Eward had to be in that room. Even as he continued to stare straight ahead at the locked door to the room, Eugene¡¯s feet suddenly slid sideways. Hiss. A spine-chilling noise swept past as something brushed the side of his head. Without panicking, Eugene manipted the wind around him. Boom! The wind gathered into one spot above him before exploding like a bomb. Falling from the ceiling, the man who had tried to attack him was forcefully embedded into the wall as his mouth sprayed out blood. It was one of the two men who had been waiting for Eward in the restaurant. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to backstab me, then you should at least aim properly, cheeky bastard,¡± Eugene clicked his tongue at the man before reaching into his vest with his left hand. The ambush wasn¡¯t over just yet. Without even opening the door, someone inside the room attacked Eugene by casting a spell that burst through the door. With a snort, Eugene pulled out the item he had been reaching for. He then casually threw the luxurious wooden box that he had obtained from the auction house in the way of the attack. Contained within the box was the fragment of the Moonlight Sword that he had bought at the auction house. Gwaaah! The spell was split into dozens of strands that swept across the surrounding walls. The fragment didn¡¯t break or show any other reaction to the spell¡¯s mana. ¡°What astounding performance,¡± Eugene muttered as he grabbed the fragment that had fallen to the floor. Although none of the original sword¡¯s appearance had been retained, the Moonlight Sword¡¯s characteristics could still be seen from this small fragment. Eugene continued speaking while looking straight ahead, ¡°If you had hit me with that attack just now, the power could have killed me.¡± Behind the door that had been shredded by the attack, a man in a ck robe was standing there. It was made even more obvious from his attire, but the spell he had cast had already revealed his identity as a ck wizard. Panicked by the failure of his attack spell, the ck wizard shrieked, ¡°Who are you?¡± He had cast that spell with a resolve to kill, but it had somehow been blocked using some unknown method. Had this intruder used magic just now? But how had he never heard of a defensive spell with such an effect? ¡°Why are you raising such an uproar here?¡± the ck wizard also demanded. It was true that Eugene had been the one to start attacking unterally. After beating up the guards outside, he had barged in through the front door and smashed through the ceilings of the first and second floors to reach the third floor. So the wizard had reason to feel wronged. However, Eugene didn¡¯t care about that. He didn¡¯t feel the need to exin the situation or even reveal his name. Escaping from reality through a dream made by a subus was pathetic but understandable. However, Eward had crossed the line this time. Drugs were already a step too far, but he was even consorting with a fucking bastard who used ck magic. ¡ªDon¡¯t get involved with ck magic. Gilead had even given Eugene a stern warning about such conduct before he left for Aroth. But what did Gilead¡¯s real son think he was doing, palling around with someone who could even be called Vermouth¡¯s enemy? ¡°Get out of the way,¡± Eugene spat out an order as he put the fragment of the Moonlight Sword back inside his vest. ¡°If you run away now, I won¡¯t have to try and catch you.¡± ¡°I already thought you were a cheeky brat, but that¡¯s¡ª!¡± The ck wizard snarled, ¡°Do you even realize where you are now and in whose presence you¡¯re behaving so rudely?¡± Eugene coldly replied, ¡°I know exactly who I¡¯m behaving so rudely to. That¡¯s Eward Lionheart, isn¡¯t it?¡± The thing that made Eugene feel even more furious and scornful was that, despite all themotion, Eward had yet to raise his head, let alone make a sound. Eward was so high on alcohol and drugs that he was still buried in the sheets of hisrge bed, giggling to himself. ¡°It seems like your distinguished young master still doesn¡¯t even understand what¡¯s going on,¡± Eugene observed sarcastically. The ck wizard suddenly screamed, ¡°Kill him!¡± The demonfolk who had been sticking close to Eward sprang into action. They were the ones supporting Eward on the way here from the restaurant. The three daemons directly threw themselves at Eugene. ¡®So they¡¯re all here,¡¯Eugene noted to himself. With these three, Eugene had finally met all the five people who had escorted Eward to this opium den. One of them was still embedded in the wall outside, and the other had started trying to cast a spell right in front of him. Fwoosh. The stars around his heart began to resonate as white mes red up to cover Eugene¡¯s body. As he started to charge forward, wisps of me scattered from him. Eugene lowered his body and drew Wynnyd back behind him. A lion with a white mane hides its ws, not needing to make the first move. It was only when the daemons got into range that Wynnyd made its move. Phwoosh! The lion¡¯s ws swung forward, tearing apart everything in its path. ¡°Aaaargh!¡± Blood spurted out from the chest of the daemon who had rushed closest to Eugene. In the next moment, Eugene took a step forward. The wind wrapped around his sword exploded, and the body of the second daemon, who had been slowed by fear, was thrown backward by the wind. ¡°Ugh!¡± The daemon who was right behind the second one was startled by thissightand tried to back away. However, it was much faster for Eugene to dive forward than for the daemon to retreat. Although the daemon lengthened its fingernails into de-like ws and swiftly shed at Eugene, the daemon¡¯s arm waspletely severed at the wrist before it could evenplete its swing. The daemon didn¡¯t even get a chance to scream in pain. Having already gotten into reach, Eugene¡¯s hand grabbed the daemon by its face. Crack! With this grip, Eugene smashed the daemon¡¯s head through the floor. ¡°Th-this is insane,¡± the ck wizard muttered as his face turned pale. Although Eugene¡¯s skills were undeniably amazing, it was the white mes covering Eugene¡¯s body that truly shocked the ck wizard. Those scattered wisps of fire that looked like the mane of a lion ¡ª only one mana training scripture in the whole world could cause such a unique phenomenon. That was the Lionheart main family¡¯s White me Form. The ck wizard stammered, ¡°M-might you be¡­ Sir Eugene Lionheart?¡± He stopped trying to cast his spell. Instead, he stepped backward, all the while sweating profusely, andid down his staff. Eugene shook the blood off of his hand after getting up. ¡°Get out of the way,¡± Eugene repeated. For a moment, the ck wizard considered whether he should continue to resist or just submit. Neither choice would prevent this from turning into the worst-case scenario, so instead¡­. The ck wizard hid the murderous intent in his eyes, and he subtly shuffled over to the staff that he hadid down. ¡°¡­N-now hold on a moment¡­. Allow me to exin the situation¡­,¡± the ck wizard drew out his words, trying to buy even a few more seconds of precious time. However, Eugene had no intention of listening to his story. He had told the ck wizard to get out of the way, but the ck wizard hadn¡¯t. As such, Eugene was nowdecidedon what to do next. Eugene narrowed the distance between them in an instant and reached out to grab the ck wizard. Unfortunately for him, there was far too little time for the ck wizard to properly cast a spell, so he recklessly burst out his mana. Although it wasn¡¯t as powerful or as effective as a proper spell, he was just trying to stop Eugene from getting any nearer by blindly expelling his mana. However, this still failed to cause Eugene any hindrance. Eugen just added sword-light to his sword that was already covered by a de of wind. The st of mana could not stop Eugene¡¯s sh without any refinement. ¡®How insane¡ª!¡¯the ck wizard cursed. How could he have imagined that hisst-ditch effort could be cut through so easily? He couldn¡¯t believe that Eugene was currently only seventeen. ¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­,¡¯or at least, that¡¯s what the ck wizard thought. Eugene¡¯s sword stopped right in front of the ck wizard¡¯s throat. The ck wizard trembled nervously, unable to gulp out of fear that this would cause his throat to be sliced open. ¡°Stay still,¡± Eugene spat out this order as he walked past the ck wizard. Eward was still intoxicated from all the alcohol and drugs he had taken. However, Eugene didn¡¯t draw any closer to Eward and instead slowly turned his gaze to the spot on the bed beside the disappointing heir. Thereid a bowl containing a grotesquely jiggling mass of flesh. ¡°Could that be what I think it is?¡± Eugene asked as he pointed to the mass of flesh. This wasn¡¯t just a simple chunk of meat. This was a ¡®cup¡¯ used for certain ceremonies. Eugene promised, ¡°If it turns out that there¡¯s a human heart in that bowl, you can be sure that I will skin you alive and cut you to pieces, starting from your toes.¡± ¡°It-it really isn¡¯t,¡± the ck wizard pleaded as he immediately knelt on the spot. ¡°That thing inside there really isn¡¯t a human heart. It¡¯s a m-monster¡¯s heart.¡± ¡°What kind of monster?¡± ¡°A unicorn¡¯s¡­.¡± Instead of listening any further, Eugene checked the inside of the bowl for himself. Indeed, he could see that the heart was too big to be a human¡¯s, and it also had a slightly bluish tint to it. Unicorns were monsters with such strong mana and divine power that they were called divine beasts. If it was meant to be used as a ¡®sacrifice,¡¯ then a unicorn¡¯s heart was much more valuable than a human¡¯s. ¡°¡­Is the other party a Demon King?¡± Eugene eventually asked. The ck wizard reacted with shock, ¡°How dare¡­. I-I mean, how could someone like myself arrange a contract with one of the Demon Kings?¡± ¡°Then who is it?¡± Eugene prompted, ¡°¡­It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s Baron Olpher of Helmuth¡­,¡± the ck wizard finally answered with his head bowed low. Eugene was unfamiliar with that name. His brow furrowed as he turned back to look at the ck wizard. ¡°And just who is that bastard?¡± Eugene asked. The ck wizard exined, ¡°He is an incubus who serves under Duchess Giabe.¡± ¡°Duchess Giabe? Are you talking about Noir Giabe?¡± ¡°Yes, sir¡­.¡± Noir Giabe was the queen of the Night Demons. Eugene snorted and shook his head. It wasn¡¯t surprising that that damn subus was still alive after three hundred years. Although the Helmuth of the distant past was nothing more than a hell ruled by the five Demon Kings, with none of the trappings of a real nation, the current Helmuth was now a genuine country ruled over jointly by the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction. Although it wasn¡¯t possible for her to stand on the same level as the Demon Kings, if it was the queen who ruled over all the Night Demons, it made sense for Noir Giabe to be called a Duchess. Struggling to hold in his irritation, Eugene said, ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is¡­ this damned bastard¡­ was about to sign a contract with a mere servant of Noir Giabe, an incubus who is nothing more than a baron¡­. Is that what you¡¯re saying?¡± ¡°S-sir Eugene,¡± the ck wizard stammered, unsure what to say. ¡°So he was nning to offer up the heart of a unicorn, while out of his mind on drugs and alcohol, in exchange for a contract with amereincubus baron. Have I got all that right?¡± ¡°It was Sir Eward¡¯s own desire¡­!¡± The ck wizard hastily made his excuses as he banged his head against the floor in apology, ¡°I was only listening to Sir Eward¡¯s request. Sir Eward was also the one who gave me the money to purchase the heart of a unicorn. I-I just listened to Sir Eward¡¯s request¡­ and I just couldn¡¯t refuse hiso-order.¡± ¡°Of course, you couldn¡¯t refuse him,¡± Eugene drawled sarcastically. ¡°After all, you must have been so excited. That idiot is still the eldest son of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line. On top of giving you money, he even wanted to make a contract with your master. If it had all worked out as nned, your strength would have increased greatly thanksto thatfucking bastard named Olpher.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± the ck wizard stayed silent. ¡°No, on second thought, it wouldn¡¯t just end with you getting stronger. If the deal had been struck, you might even have been able to negotiate a contract with that bitch Noir.¡± This was why he had been so eager to arrange for Eward to sign a contract with the enemy of Vermouth and the Lionheart n. ¡°You were willing to arrange this contract because you were also greedy for the results. So don¡¯t push all the me onto others and keep your mouth shut if you don¡¯t want me to beat you up,¡± threatened Eugene. The ck wizard was unable toe up with any more excuses. The killing intent that Eugene was exuding was far too ferocious and frightening for him to dare open his mouth any time soon. Eugene turned his gaze away from theck wizardto look at Eward, who was still lying on his back, eyes half-open, and with drool dripping from his ck-jawed mouth. First of all, he needed to calm himself down. Eugene took a deep breath before taking another look at Eward¡¯s face. ¡°This son of a bitch.¡± In the end, he still couldn¡¯t contain his temper. Spitting out a vile curse, Eugene pped Ewardon the cheek. Chapter 37.1 Chapter 37.1 aap! The bed bounced in its frame with a sound so terrible that it was hard to believe it came from just a p. The heavy blow, which was loaded with all of Eugene¡¯s emotions, woke Eward up from the haze of alcohol and drugs that had been clouding his mind. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Eward let out a scream. Although he had woken up, he still hadn¡¯t grasped the situation. After first clutching at his sore cheek, Eward lifted his head, only for Eugene to push Eward¡¯s hands aside. ¡°Have youe to your senses yet?¡± Eugene asked as he pped Eward once more. Though, rather than a p, it would be more urate to call it a full-on assault. The force of the blow even copsed the legs of the bed, sending Eward sprawling backward with his legs up in the air. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Eward screamed once again. ¡°Geez, big brother,¡± Eugene sighed. He raised his hands to deliver another blow, but Eward managed to react in time by covering his head with his arms. Eward had only been pped twice, but thick streams of tears were already dripping down his face. Considering that the insides of his cheeks had been torn, filling his mouth with blood, and his teeth had definitely been knocked loose, it was only natural that Eward was in a great deal of pain. But for him to cry because of that? He wasn¡¯t just some neen-year-old man from any ordinary family. No ¡ª he was the eldest son of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line, a descendant of Vermouth! And he was crying just because he got pped twice on the cheek? Eward¡¯stearsdid nothing to cool Eugene¡¯s rage. Instead, the sight of his whimpering only made his anger rise even higher. ¡°Do you really think you deserve any sympathy?¡± Eugene sneered. Disoriented, Eward babbled, ¡°Wh-who are you? Why am I¡ª? Wh-where is this?¡± ¡°Are you ying dumb, or do you really not know what¡¯s going on? Thetter is definitely a possibility, considering that you took drugs while already drunk on alcohol. But, having gone that far, it wouldn¡¯t be a surprise if you had difficulty recognizing your own parents,¡± as Eugene said all this in a calm voice, he reached out with his hand. Eward trembled and flinched backward. The sight of him then grabbing the blood-stained sheets and pulling them over his head was both absurd and pathetic. Eugene took a moment to calm himself before continuing, ¡°¡­That¡¯s why I need you toe to your senses first.Now, turn your other cheek towards me.¡± ¡°Who-who on earth are you?¡± Eward repeated his question. Eugene tsked in disapproval, ¡°You really are out of it. Do you still not recognize me? It can¡¯t be helped. It looks like I¡¯ll need to keep hitting you. If you haven¡¯te to your senses yet, it just means you¡¯re not in enough pain. If I hit you a few more times, you¡¯ll have toe to your senses even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± Eward begged, ¡°St-stop! Please don¡¯t hit me¡ª.¡± ¡°First of all, get that nket out of the way. Don¡¯t try to block it. If you pointlessly try to block it, I might just hit somewhere else by mistake, and that¡¯ll be bad news for you.¡± Although he said this, Eugene didn¡¯t wait for Eward to move on his own ord. He pulled down the nket and pushed away Eward¡¯s hands covering his head. The side of Eward¡¯s face that had been pped twice was already swollen, and blood was dripping from his cracked lips. Eugene grabbed Eward¡¯s nose and turned his head so that the other side was facing him. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± Ignoring Eward¡¯s screams, Eugene pped him twice on the remaining cheek so that the two sides appeared equal. Then he grabbed Eward¡¯s head and held him in ce with both hands. Eugene asked once more, ¡°Now, have youe to your senses?¡± ¡°Uuu¡­. Uwahhh¡­,¡± Eward could only sob in reply. ¡°Ah, sorry,¡± Eugene btedly realized something. ¡°You might not be able to recognize me because I currently have my appearance tweaked a bit.¡± Eugene immediately removed the transformation spell and returned to his original appearance. Eward¡¯s eyes finally widened in recognition. His tear-filled eyes wavered, looking around desperately for help as he stammered, ¡°Eu-Eu-Eugene.¡± ¡°Hey, big brother,¡± Eugene casually greeted him. ¡°You¡ª Wh-what are you doing here?¡± ¡°I followed you here, big brother.¡± In his heart, he would much rather curse Eward out, but, for now, Eugene decided to address Eward as his big brother in a friendly tone. ¡°Just what were you thinking?¡± he asked. ¡°¡­Umm¡­ Wha¡ª?¡± Eward mumbled uprehendingly. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, just what on earth were you thinking, big brother? I mean, I really have tried to sympathize with your situation, and I get that you¡¯re under a lot of stress, you know? Since your reality stinks like shit, I get that you might want to y around in the sweet depths of a subus dream.¡± ¡°I¡­ I was just¡ª¡± ¡°I thought that it was pathetic and stupid of you, but it wasn¡¯t like I couldn¡¯t understand why you were doing it. And the lifeforce that you were offering to the subus belonged to you in the first ce, right, big brother? So it¡¯s up to you to decide if you want to escape from reality by getting satisfaction from your dreams. However, this is just going too far.¡± Grind. Eugene pressed down on Eward¡¯s temples with both hands. The vice-like pressure caused Eward¡¯s eyes to be red and bloodshot. He tried to twist himself free of Eugene¡¯s hands, but Eugene refused to let go of Eward. ¡°You¡¯re not allowed to get involved with ck magic,¡± Eugene solemnly stated, keeping up the pressure. Eward groaned, ¡°Aaah¡­. Ughhh¡­.¡± ¡°As the eldest son of the Lionheart¡¯s direct line, the man next in line to be the Patriarch¡­ how could you try and make a contract with a demonfolk? And with something like an incubus at that?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­. I-I just couldn¡¯t help it¡ª¡± ¡°What do you mean, you couldn¡¯t help it? You crazy bastard!¡± Eugene suddenly roared. ¡°Do you even know what happens if you get into ck magic with a contract instead of at least learning how to use it with the proper method? Your soul bes the property of the demonfolk. You be a ve who kills when told to kill and dies when told to die.¡± There were two methods to start learning ck magic. One method was to slowly learn how to control demonic power. However, it wasn¡¯t really a method that just anyone could pull off. Unless you werea truly exceptional wizard, you wouldn¡¯t be able to learn how to control demonic power all on your own. As such, most ck wizards used the other method. Which was to make a contract with a demonfolk. Even if you werecking in skill, you could still at least make a contract; and even if you couldn¡¯t control demonic power on their own, you could still receive demonic power from the demonfolk you had contracted with. Most ck wizards raised their strength using the demonic power they received from the demonfolk they were contracted to. Thus, even with pitiful talents, they could quickly raise their levels, but no matter how strong they became, they could no longer escape their ties to the demonfolk. Eugene unleashed a storm of questions, ¡°Do you really think that this is a problem that will affect only you? Do you truly understand what will happen if you be a ck wizard? ¡°Let¡¯s see, the first thing to fall into the gutter because of you would probably be the family¡¯s honor. But that¡¯s only the start of it. What if the demonfolk you contracted with told you to kill your mother? Then your father, and finally your siblings. What would you do if he asked you to bring him the main family¡¯s White me Form and all the treasures in the treasure vault?¡± ¡°H-he said that I wouldn¡¯t need to show him unconditional obedience,¡± Eward protested with a disgruntled expression. ¡°He said that he would treat me with proper consideration¡ª! That he wouldn¡¯t give me any impossible or irrational orders¡­. Th-that¡¯s what he promised.¡± ¡°Who promised that?¡± Eugene sneered. ¡°Was it that fucking incubus bastard? You idiot, do you really think that the demonfolk are like the dragons or the elves? To them, breaking a promise is as easy as a flick of the wrist.¡± Eward tried to argue, ¡°B-but¡­ our ancestor and the Demon Kings¡ª¡± ¡°That fucking oath was made with a Demon King! Do you really think that a promise made with a smallfry incubus will have the same power?¡± With this cry, Eugene tightened the hold he had on Eward¡¯s head instead of releasing it. ¡°You won¡¯t need to show him unconditional obedience? That¡¯s right, you won¡¯t need to. Youcanrefuse to obey his orders; as long as you¡¯re prepared to die that is. But you, do you really have the guts to do that? Could you really disobey him if it meant that you would die instead?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eward couldn¡¯t say anything in his defense. Eugene sneered, ¡°As if you could do something like that. You¡¯re just a bastard who can¡¯t even defend yourself and instead escapes into alcohol and dreams.¡± ¡°Y-you¡­.¡± As tears fell from his eyes, Eward¡¯s voice found some strength, ¡°You¡­ what the hell gives you the right to judge me?¡± ¡°Hah, fine then,¡± with a snort, Eugene nodded his head inchallenge. ¡°You think there¡¯s something wrong with what I just said? Then why don¡¯t you have a go at defending yourself, big brother?¡± ¡°You, you have no idea. You¡ª! Ever since four years ago, everyone has been paying attention to you. Since you were adopted into the main family, fa¡ªfath¡ªthe Patriarch has been raining down support on you, so how could you¡ª?!¡± ¡°If someone else was listening to you, they might think you were being discriminated against. But you¡¯ve also received a lot of support, haven¡¯t you, big brother? Weren¡¯t you also granted ess to the leyline? And haven¡¯t you also inherited the White me Form? Then, because you wanted to learn magic, they even sent you off to Aroth, and you were even given a chance to be the disciple of a Tower Master. Am I wrong?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been getting the same amount of support as you, big brother. I¡¯m not this great because the Patriarch favored me over you, but it¡¯s just becauseI was born this amazing.¡± These words caused Eward¡¯s shoulders to tremble in anger. Eugene continued, ¡°Not only was I born with great talent, but I also put in just as much effort to be great. I bet I¡¯ve worked a lot harder than you, right, big brother?¡± ¡°Just because¡­ you¡¯re innately talented¡­ it¡¯s impossible for me topare to you¡­!¡± Eward squeezed out these bitter words. ¡°So that¡¯s why you tried to get into ck magic?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That¡¯s why you would sign a contract with an incubus, drag your family¡¯s name through the mud, and give up everything you have? And just how far do you think you¡¯d get by doing that?¡± Eugene let go of Eward¡¯s head. He lifted a finger to draw Eward¡¯s attention and pointed to the ck wizard kneeling on the floor beside them. ¡°Even if I fought a bastard like that with my eyes closed, I could still kill him within ten seconds,¡± Eugene confidently stated. ¡°¡­,¡± Eward bit his lip in silence. ¡°With the help of ck magic, that¡¯s about as far as you could go. Did you really think that the strength you would get from signing a contract with an incubus would be all that amazing? Ah, right. You might have been able to somehow use him as an intermediary so that you could sign a contract with the Queen of the Night Demons. Was that what you were hoping for, big brother?¡± Eward¡¯s cheeks trembled as he clenched his teeth. Bullseye!Eugene snorted and shook his head. Chapter 37.2 Chapter 37.2 ¡°Alright, if you were able to sign a personal contract with Noir Giabe, you probably would have gotten pretty strong,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°But what would you do with all that strength? Do you really think that you¡¯d be able to be the Patriarch with the power of ck magic?¡± ¡°I-I never,¡± Eward¡¯s eyes twisted into a re as he struggled to continue speaking. ¡°I never wanted¡­ to be the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch¡­!¡± ¡°Then what were you nning to do?¡± ¡°I¡­ I wanted to be a bl-ck wizard and go to Helmuth. In a ce like that, I¡¯d be free¡­, and my worth would be recognized¡­!¡± ¡°Hah, this son of a bitch,¡± Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a grimace as he knocked Eward on the head. ¡°Why would you want to receive the approval of demonfolk? Which do you think is better, being recognized by your family or being recognized by the demonfolk? And do you really think they would respect you? I think you¡¯ve got something mixed up, big brother. Without your background as the eldest son of the main family, you really don¡¯t have any value to them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, even more so, I want to get rid of that title! I never wanted to be the next Patriarch, and I never asked to be born as the eldest son of the direct line! I want to be free, to be able to do what I want to do¡ª.¡± ¡°How greedy can you get?¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°With your current background, aren¡¯t you already free to do as you please while receiving support for your goals as well? What more do you want?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­. There¡¯s a lot of things I can¡¯t¡ª.¡± ¡°Enough, I don¡¯t need to hear anymore. For now, just know this, big brother. I can¡¯t understand why you did this, and I don¡¯t want to understand. What is there to talk about with a bastard who thinks he¡¯s the only one who¡¯s got it unfair and challenging? A bastard who has had so many things granted to him from birth that others can only wish for, who makes up all sorts of excuses while whining about this and that,¡± Eugene grumbled as he pulled away from Eward. ¡°While you were in Aroth, drinking, doing drugs, and getting lost in your dreams, Cyan and Ciel, who stayed at the main estate, were truly giving it their best effort to improve themselves. Not to mention me.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eward had run out of excuses. ¡°That¡¯s all there is to it,¡± Eugene dismissed his excuses. There was no value in continuing the conversation. Eugene spun around like a whirlwind and kicked the back of the ck wizard, who was still quietly kneeling down. The ck wizard grunted, ¡°Ugh!¡± ¡°Just stay still and don¡¯te up with any nonsense,¡± Eugene warned him. The ck wizard protested, ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t doing anything¡­!¡± ¡°I know,¡± said Eugene. ¡°But you probably were thinking of doing something stupid, right?¡± The ck wizard¡¯s body shook slightly. Was this monstrous brat even able to read other people¡¯s minds? But of course, Eugene wasn¡¯t a mindreader. He had just given the guy a kick to relieve his own mounting irritation. Eugene didn¡¯t miss the fact that the ck wizard had flinched, ¡°So you really were thinking of doing something stupid? Okay then, you were asking for this.¡± He kicked the ck wizard once more, sending him rolling across the floor with a cry of pain. * * * Laws existed even in this chaotic street. While the guards in charge of this street might close their eyes to the usualmotions urring because of corruption and the unwritten rules, the current uproar had gotten out of hand. Buildings along the center of the street were shaking, walls were copsing, and other such chaos ensued. Even the guards killing time while enjoying the pleasures of the street couldn¡¯t ignore such an uproar. ¡°Sir¡­ Eugene¡­ Lionheart¡­,¡± the red-faced captain of the guards, who had just arrived, mouthed these words. These three words kept shing through the captain¡¯s wine-soaked head as he realized that things were fucked. Although it wasmon for incidents to ur on Bolero Street, this was the first time that such an influential figure had been involved. In the first ce, such public figures rarely caused such a huge uproar, even if they did get involved with some incident. ¡°It was self-defense,¡± Eugene said as he spread his arms, gesturing to his surroundings. ¡°My drunk older brother was half-carried to this location, so I was just following him to check if he was being kidnapped. When I tried to go in after him, I was stopped, so I asked them what kind of ce this was. But what was I supposed to do when they started threatening me and trying to steal my wallet?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± the captain yed dumb. ¡°So to protect myself and my wallet, I fought with them. As for what happened inside¡ª¡± ¡°I-I think we¡¯ve got a good idea of what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± the guard captain interrupted Eugene with a desperateugh, sweat pouring profusely down his face. ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to handle the clean-up, so if the good Sir Eugene could please leave this scene to us¡­.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just leave and take my big brother with me. Along with that bastard,¡± Eugene said, pointing to the ck wizard. At this, the ck wizard turned to look at the guard captain with a desperate look on his face. This was an unbearably embarrassing incident for the city. Drugs were supposedly forbidden in Aroth. Although they might only pay lip-service to this rule, turning a blind eye to its distribution and use of drugs, the fact that a drug den had been revealed in the middle of the street wasn¡¯t something that could be covered up by the unwritten rules. Moreover, both the ck wizards and the Lionheart n were caught up in this mess. If he just let them go like this, the guard captain¡¯s own head might be sent flying. The number of prominent figures who had ties to this street was too many to count, so if things went on as they were, even if the guard captain didn¡¯t have anything to do with all this, they might just cut off his head as part of a cover-up. Coming to a decision, the guard captain said, ¡°That¡¯s¡­. My apologies, but I don¡¯t think we can allow you to do that. We¡¯ll perform our own interrogation on that ck wizard¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up,¡± a cold voice descended from the sky. Eugene, who had been looking at the captain of the guards with a pitying gaze, lifted his head to look up into the sky. Lovellian was standing high up in the air. ¡°How am I supposed to trust you to interrogate the suspect when you¡¯ve been keeping your eyes shut to the things going on under your jurisdiction?¡± Lovellian demanded. ¡°H-head wizard,¡± the guard captain stammered. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of this incident myself. If you have anyints, you can call for themander of the guards. Although I have to say, I don¡¯t believe that he will oppose me and be a stickler on this issue.¡± Lovellian descended to the ground. The guard captain gave in and speechlessly bowed his head low. Though, he wasn¡¯t the only one to do so. ¡®Damn it, he got here so quickly,¡¯the ck wizard thought as his face twisted into a terrible scowl. But there was no way that the news should have been able to reach the far-off Red Tower of Magic so quickly? He couldn¡¯t understand how the Tower Master, who held little interest in anything other than magic, could have arrived here so soon. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have called you when you¡¯re already so busy,¡± Eugene apologized. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Lovellian replied as he took a calming breath. Eugene was the one who had summoned Lovellian. He had ordered the guide to do so through themunication terminal. Although he could have chosen to rely on the Lionheart name to purchase his way out, looking at the broader picture, he thought it would make for a neater ending if he got Lovellian¡¯s assistance rather than relying on his family¡¯s name. Eugene began to exin, ¡°If you would like to know what happened¡ª¡± ¡°I can roughly understand the situation,¡± Lovellian said as he shook his head. ¡°¡­It¡¯s because of my negligence that such an unfortunate incident has urred.¡± Eward¡¯s body trembled in fear. Lovellian sighed, ¡°¡­ying around with subi, forgetting the worries of reality through your dreams. Although I thought it was a much-needed method of rxation¡­ it appears that I made the wrong decision. My apologies, Eugene.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize to me,¡± Eugene attempted to wave it off. ¡°No, I do need to apologize to you. Of course, I will be apologizing to Sir Gilead and Lady Tanis as well, but I¡¯m also guilty for allowing you to witness such an ugly scene, Eugene. Furthermore, you performed the duties that I should have taken care of.¡± Lovellian was also simr to Eugene in his disdain for ck wizards. Just like his revered great master, the Wise Sienna, her disciples also despised ck wizards. Lovellian, in particr, as Gilead¡¯s long-time friend, was well aware of just how absurd it was for a member of the Lionheart n to get involved with ck magic. ¡°H-head Wizard,¡± Eward attempted to speak even as his body continued trembling. ¡°This is¡­ I was just¡­ I-I didn¡¯t do it. I haven¡¯t started learning ck magic.¡± ¡°But you tried to, didn¡¯t you?¡± Lovellian stared at Eward with cold eyes, ¡°Eward. You have¡­ tarnished the name of the Lionheart n. You have insulted Sir Gilead, who trusted you and left you to my care. Also, you have insulted Samuel, who chose to teach you, and you have insulted me, who chose to overlook all your foibles.¡± Eward stammered, ¡°N-no, I didn¡¯t intend to do any of that. I was just¡ª¡± ¡°If you continue to make any more excuses, I will¡­ I will just have to show you the cost of your insults immediately. And I really am tempted to do so,¡± Lovellian interrupted, unwilling to listen to Eward¡¯s words. ¡°So please, don¡¯t say another word. If you want to continue making excuses, don¡¯t spout them to me. Tell them to Samuel, who taught you, Gilead, who sent you here, and Tanis.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ uwaaah¡­,¡± Eward buried his head in his hands and burst into tears. Lovellian looked down at this sight with a pitying gaze before letting out a long sigh. ¡°¡­Let us return,¡± with these words, Lovellian turned away from Eward, and Eugene also didn¡¯t spare him another nce. Still, at the center of everyone else¡¯s gazes, Eward bowed his head to hide his face. As tears continued to wring themselves from his trembling frame, the light in Eward¡¯s eyes flickered and died. The night air was cold. Chapter 38.1 Chapter 38.1 Four years ago, Eward¡¯s eyes had sparkled brightly upon seeing the magic cast by Lovellian. He had held a pure passion and interest for magic. Born as the eldest son of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line with an excessive amount of expectations ced on him, Eward had held a much greater interest in reading books and learning magic than he had in learning how to swing a sword and move his body. However, just because he was interested in it didn¡¯t mean he had a talent for it. This wasactually prettmon. Most people unfortunately didn¡¯t have a lot of talent for the things they really liked and wanted to do. But Eward had felt betrayed by this. To the same extent that he had once felt love and hope for learning magic, Eward felt frustrated by how different his reality was from his ideal. Eward¡¯s suffering wasn¡¯t particrly cruel or umon. It was something that had happened to a lot of people. Although Eward held a great passion and interest in magic, even going so far as to harbor love for it, magic didn¡¯t return Eward¡¯s affections. * * * Gilead hadn¡¯t waited for dawn, though it was alreadyte at night. A few minutes past midnight, Gilead arrived at the capital of Aroth. Then he immediately headed to the Red Tower of Magic. And Gilead wasn¡¯t the only one toe to the Red Tower of Magic at this midnight hour. On the top floor of the Red Tower of Magic, along with Lovellian and Eugene, a man wearing a pair of ck-framed sses was waiting in his seat. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± the man greeted them politely. His name was Balzac Ludbeth. He was a powerful ck wizard who had been upying the seat of ck Tower Master for the past few decades. He got up from his chair and bowed his head deeply to Gilead. ¡°My name is Balzac Ludbeth,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°¡­I am Gilead Lionheart,¡± Gilead reluctantly returned the greeting. ring at Balzac, Gilead gave the man a slight bow of the head, then exchanged a short nce with Eugene. Tanis, who had apanied Gilead, absolutely refused to bow her head to the man. Biting on her bottom lip, she red at both Eugene and Balzac. ¡°¡­What areyoudoing here?¡± she demanded harshly. Tanis couldn¡¯t contain her surging emotions. Eward was her only son, the one who was meant to be the next Patriarch of the main family. But because he was more interested in magic than martial arts, she had reluctantly released him from her watchful eye so he could go and cultivate himself. But her beloved son had actually attempted to learn ck magic. Tanis absolutely refused to ept such a terrible reality. ¡°Please calm yourself,¡± Lovellian requested in a gloomy voice. ¡°¡­This incident has nothing to do with the ck Tower Master.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense is that!¡± Tanis cried out. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that Eward was tempted into dabbling with ck magic?! But are you really going to look me in the eye and expect me to believe that the ck Tower Master had nothing to do with it?!¡± ¡°The ck Tower of Magic does not hold authority over all the ck wizards in Aroth.¡± As he sat back down, Balzac continued to speak, ¡°As for the ck wizard responsible for this unfortunate affair¡­. Although we now know that his name is Gavid, he is not a member of the ck Tower of Magic. He is only a member of the Wizards Guild.¡± The Wizards Guild was known as thergestmunity of wizards in the world. However, it didn¡¯t have as much prestige as it had scale. Unlike the guild, which allowed anyone to join as long as they could use magic, the Towers of Magic were far more exclusive and would only ept those with genuinely exceptional skills. ¡°Although strictly speaking, I might also be a member of the Wizards Guild, that does not make me consider Gavid to even merit being an associate. Wouldn¡¯t you agree that that is the case?¡± While pushing his sses up the bridge of his nose, he gave Lovellian a nce, ¡°For example, while we both might be wizards belonging to the guild, I¡¯m afraid that the Red Tower Master and I don¡¯t consider ourselves as part of the same fraternity.¡± Though he remained silent, Lovellian nodded in agreement. Still furious, Tanis attempted to continue speaking, but Gilead raised his hand to prevent her from doing so. ¡°But you still haven¡¯t exined why you¡¯re here,¡± Gilead pointed out in a cold voice. If he imed that the ck Tower of Magic wasn¡¯t involved in this incident, why had Balzac insisted on being here? Gilead¡¯s concealed rage made the air in the room grow cold. However, Balzac wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by Gilead¡¯s hostility and instead calmly admitted, ¡°The reason I¡¯m here is to take responsibility for this matter.¡± As the Patriarch of the Lionheart n¡¯s main family, Gilead was one of a handful of the strongest people on the continent. But so was Balzac. Decades ago, he had originally been in line to be the next Tower Master of theBlueTowerof Magic. Now he was one of only three legendary ck wizards to have signed a personal contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. Balzac continued, ¡°Although Gavid isn¡¯t a member of the ck Tower of Magic, as the ck Tower Master, I intend to take responsibility for the problems that Gavid has caused.¡± ¡°Responsibility?¡± Gilead questioned. ¡°Yes, for tempting Eward into learning ck magic and arranging such a contract,¡± Balzac confirmed. ¡°Strictly speaking, these cannot be considered ¡®crimes.¡¯¡± Hundreds of years ago, just learning ck magic would cause one to be sentenced as a criminal and executed. However, after the treaty agreed upon between the Great Vermouth and the Demon Kings was signed, learning ck magic had be a personal right. Balzac borated, ¡°Though that might be the case¡­. I hope to show proper regard to the Lionheart n¡¯s stance on this matter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really like the sound of your words,¡± Gilead spat out. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re saying that, for the sake of the Lionheart n¡¯s prestige, you¡¯re willing to bow your head in apology even though you don¡¯t really need to. Have I got that right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Balzac immediately responded without any attempt at denying it. Pop. Gilead¡¯s knuckles clenched. His killing intent ratcheted up a level, causing space itself to tremble. As Eugene assessed the killing intent in the air, he nced down at the goosebumps being raised on his forearms. He had felt such levels of killing intent countless times in his past life. But the body he had been reincarnated into, which had only ever experienced this life, was trembling in the face of the killing intent. ¡°It isn¡¯t something I strictly need to take responsibility for, and I hope you understand that.¡± A ghastly wave of killing intent had engulfed Balzac. Still, even in the midst of this, his face remained calm as he continued, ¡°However, I wish to take responsibility anyway, as a fellow ck wizard. Because I have no desire to lose the current amicable peace that we have maintained with the Lionheart n because of this incident.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you really feel, how about getting down on your knees?¡± Tanis demanded in a sharp tone. Balzac immediately got up from his seat and, without any hesitation, said, ¡°If that¡¯s what you desire.¡± As Balzac was about to kneel down, Gilead shook his head violently and shouted, ¡°Stop, there¡¯s no need for that.¡± Reluctantly, Gilead continued, ¡°¡­I will gratefully ept your offer of nonobligatory responsibility. But there is one thing that concerns me. I fear that you may be attempting to cover up this incident in the name of taking responsibility.¡± ¡°Crimes involving drugs are governed by thew of Aroth. Everyone caught in the drug den will be confined in Aroth¡¯s prison, leaving me unable to conceal anything,¡± Balzac paused for a moment to give Gilead a look. ¡°Unless you would like to behead them yourself?¡± ¡°¡­Such words seem like an insult to my honor,¡± Gilead growled. ¡°All I ask is that thews of Aroth be applied fairly. By what right should I, as a foreigner, attempt to pass judgment over thews of Aroth?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve done you a discourtesy,¡± Balzac said as an apology. Gilead changed the subject, ¡°What will happen to the subi?¡± ¡°The business they¡¯re operating isn¡¯t illegal. Even the hallucinogens they make use of in their store aren¡¯t considered drugs, but¡­ there will be sanctions ced on them for allowing mistreatment of their patrons.¡± ¡°Then how exactly are you supposed to be taking responsibility?¡± Tanis hissed. As Balzac sat down once more, he replied, ¡°I have arranged for the incubus with whom Gavid is currently contracted and who attempted to sign a contract with Sir Eward to be beheaded.¡± ¡°¡­I beg your pardon?¡± ¡°Baron Eoin Olpher, an incubus who serves under Duke Giabe. As Duke Giabe was not involved in this scheme, she cannot im any responsibility for it, but¡­ the one who was directly involved with Gavid, Baron Olpher, will lose his head.¡± Balzac raised his hand. At this movement, Gilead leaned his body slightly closer to Tanis. This was to protect her should something unexpected ur. Although Gilead¡¯s actions and attitude tantly showed his caution and distrust of Balzac, Balzac did not feel offended by this. With apletely serene expression, he just drew his finger down through the air. Fwoosh. A ck burst of me ignited in mid-air and a scroll appeared. After waiting for the fire to die down, Balzac took the scroll and dered, ¡°¡­The Demon King of Incarceration has sent a personal message.¡± Eugene took firm hold of his body that was about to react unconsciously. He held back his rage. Nothing good would happen from pointlessly showing a reaction in this situation. His mind began to race in the ce of his frozen body. The Demon King of Incarceration was one of Helmuth¡¯s two remaining Demon Kings. In his past life, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to storm into the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration would like to convey his immense disappointment over causing such distress to the family of his good friend Vermouth,¡± Balzac read out. His good friend Vermouth?! These words caused Eugene¡¯s stomach to turn. He wanted to immediately jump up from his seat and grab Balzac by the cor. He wanted to snap at the man to go and tell that Demon King he served to stop spouting such bullshit and just keep his trap shut. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one whose expression twisted at these words. Gilead also began ring at Balzac while biting down on his lips. Even as he ignored these looks, Balzac continued speaking, ¡°As such, he deres that he will personally behead Eoin Olpher, and if desired, he can have the head delivered directly to the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Gilead ground out these words with a grimace. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, I will inform him that just beheading the baron will be sufficient,¡± Balzac said as he stood up once more. ¡°Once again, allow me to bow my head in apology to you. While this arrangement may not be enough to appease your anger, Lord Patriarch, please know that neither the Demon King of Incarceration nor the ck Tower of Magic have any desire to offend the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gilead stayed grimly silent. ¡°Well then¡­ I look forward to meeting you again under more pleasurable circumstances,¡± with this farewell, Balzac made to leave. Before he exited the room, he shot a nce at Eugene. Eugene felt this gaze, but he didn¡¯t immediately return Balzac¡¯s look. There was a short silence. ¡°¡­I will take Eward back with me to the main estate when I return,¡± Gilead was the first to speak. As he rubbed his stiff cheeks, he let out a long sigh and said, ¡°Master Lovellian¡­ I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ve made a grave error. All of this is my fault.¡± ¡°Not at all. If I had only been more strict with Eward, something like this wouldn¡¯t have happened,¡± Lovellian confessed with a simrly long sigh. He shook his head from side to side before bowing his head towards Tanis, ¡°My sincere apologies.¡± ¡°¡­Eward¡­ what is that child doing now?¡± Tanis asked, her eyes overflowing with resentment. She truly believed that Lovellian was at fault for Eward¡¯s error. If he had only epted Eward as his disciple and had taught Eward with a whole-hearted zeal, then there was no way that her son would have gone out and done something like this. Eward didn¡¯t have enough talent to be his disciple? What did that even mean? There was no way her son, Eward, could becking in any form. ¡°I told him to rest in his room,¡±Lovellian replied. Chapter 38.2 Chapter 38.2 ¡°Gilead,¡± after ring at Lovellian, Tanis turned to her husband. ¡°We don¡¯t really need to take Eward back home with us, do we? Eward isn¡¯t¡­ he hasn¡¯t truly dabbled in ck magic. He just made an attempt, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gilead remained stonily silent. Tanis pleaded, ¡°Since he knows that he¡¯s made a mistake, he won¡¯t do something like that again. If we treat this as a lesson, then he might even work harder from now on. So can¡¯t we just¡­?¡± Tanis couldn¡¯t help but feel desperate. Cyan and Ciel were waiting for them at the main estate. While Eward was off in Aroth, Cyan and Ciel were busy winning the approval of the members of the main family. It was impossible for the eldest son, who had returned after causing a scandal, to obtain the main family members¡¯ approval at this point. That was why Eward had been sent to Aroth in the first ce. Since he couldn¡¯t receive any recognition by staying at the main estate, Tanis had wanted him to win the approval of others in Aroth. She had hoped that by bing the disciple of the Red Tower Master and interacting with other outstanding wizards, he would be able to form bonds and obtain power that wouldn¡¯t be avable to him at the main estate. She neededfor Ewardto somehow remain in Aroth. If he were to be Lovellian¡¯s disciple, he could use theArchwizard¡¯ssupport to further develop himself. This scandal would also be just a trivial matter to be overlooked. Tanis attempted to persuade Gilead, ¡°If he has the right conditions, Eward can do better. He has the talent for it. You know that too, right dear? Eward has always been fond of books and magic ever since he was young¡ª¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Gilead was tired of listening to such talk. He was well aware of how Eward had spent his days in Aroth. The results of Eward¡¯s four years here were futile and worthless. Although he had been granted every convenience and received plenty of support, Eward¡¯s magical abilities hadn¡¯t surpassed the Third Circle. Considering that he had been trained in controlling mana ever since he was young, this was an appalling level of skill. He could barely even be called a Third Circle wizard; in terms of both his understanding and his skills in magic, he was actually much worse than that. In a pained voice, Gilead remarked, ¡°¡­In over three hundred years of the Lionheart n¡¯s history, there has never been a single member of the main family who became a ck wizard.¡± ¡°This is¡­ it¡¯s just a folly of youth,¡± Tanis¡¯s eyes wavered as she feebly tried to convince herself and others. Instead of answering immediately, Gilead exchanged looks with Eugene, ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry, Eugene. Could I ask you to step outside for a minute?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene was just as reluctant to keep listening to such a difficult conversation. As Eugene got up, Tanis turned to re at him, ¡°¡­I told you to get along with Eward. Even though I asked to take care of your big brother¡ª!¡± ¡°Tanis,¡± Gilead¡¯s eyes snapped open to re at Tanis. ¡°Eugene has done nothing wrong. So why are you taking this out on him?¡± Tanis argued, ¡°That brat could have just stopped Eward¡­! But instead of taking care of the issue before then, he just quietly waited and allowed things to get to¡ª!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say another word!¡± Gilead suddenly roared. Although Eugene, who had been standing there patiently, wondered whether or not he should say something to Tanis, in the end, he didn¡¯t dare to do so and just bowed his head. ¡°I¡¯ll take my leave now,¡± Eugene said as he turned to leave. Staying here just to act as the target of Tanis¡¯ hatred would be an exhausting affair. After Eugene had left, Tanis red at the closed door and took a deep breath. ¡°¡­I may have made an improper remark,¡± Tanis admitted. ¡°But Gilead, please reconsider.¡± ¡°I will not change my decision. Even though Eward is my son, what that child has done has tarnished the n¡¯s name. I cannot possibly allow the boy to remain in Aroth,¡± Gilead stated. ¡°But what ce is left for our child at the main estate?!¡± Tanis no longer begged her husband and instead vented all her feelings of resentment and frustration at him, ¡°You¡¯ve done nothing to secure Eward¡¯s position. Instead, you¡¯ve only listened to every demand of that damned Anci and her children, as well as that adopted child who doesn¡¯t even share a single drop of blood with you¡­!¡± ¡°¡­Do you really believe that?¡± Gilead asked quietly, losing his anger. He looked at Tanis with disappointed eyes and said, ¡°I have given my children everything they have asked for. I sent Eward to Aroth because he wanted to learn magic¡ª¡± ¡°If that really was for Eward¡¯s sake!¡± Tanis leaped out of her seat with this loud outburst. As she gasped for breath, she alternately red at Lovellian and Gilead. ¡°Then you should have made sure that Eward became Lovellian¡¯s disciple, no matter what¡­! And if you were truly worried about Eward going wrong, you should have sent someone to monitor and control that child¡­!¡± ¡°Please, just stop,¡± Gilead let out a long sigh and dropped his face into his hands. Monitor and control? Wasn¡¯t it because Eward had hated such restrictions that he had left the main estate and gone to Aroth in the first ce?Gilead had ced his trust in his eldest son. Since Eward had been constantly monitored and burdened with expectations all his life, Gilead had believed that once he got to Aroth, he would be able to enjoy a better life, living by himself. The rumors about Eward getting close to subi and demonfolk ¡ª Gilead had already been aware of them. But if that was all there was to it¡­ Gilead could still allow it. However, ck magic and drugs were going too far. ¡°Please don¡¯t bring any more shame onto the Lionheart n¡­ and to myself,¡± Gilead pleaded. Tanis shrieked, ¡°Shame? Don¡¯t be ridiculous. If he returns to the main estate like this, I¡¯ll be the one who can¡¯t bear the shame of it all. I would much rather die than see that happen.¡± Gilead attempted to persuade her, ¡°I don¡¯t believe that remaining in Aroth will be good for Eward either. If he still has any desire left to learn magic, then at the main estate, we can¡ª¡± ¡°If you¡¯re determined to take Eward back with you, then I will take Eward back to my family¡¯s estate,¡± Tanis refused to give in. If they returned to the main estate like this, all of her ns would be messed up. Eward would be pushed out of his position by the twins, and Tanis by Anci, turning them into a pair of figureheads. ¡°I will definitely never allow Eward to remain trapped at the main estate. I would rather have him stay at my family¡¯s home, where he can learn magic without fear of being oppressed,¡± Tanis said, her words showing utter sincerity. Tanis had no desire to receive Anci¡¯s ridicule, and there was still time to decide who the next Patriarch would be. As such, no matter how, Eward needed to develop enough strength to solidify his bid for the position. If he just returned to the main family like this, it would be impossible for him to turn the tables on his siblings. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s what you desire,¡± Gilead sighed as he closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t decide which course of action was correct, so he gave in, ¡°¡­As long as Eward agrees, you may do as you please.¡± That was the only thing he could say. * * * ¡°Sir Eugene Lionheart,¡± Balzac greeted Eugene from where he was standing on the other side of the corridor. Although the man had left the room first, he hadn¡¯t departed immediately and had instead chosen to wait for Eugene. ¡°Under the circumstances, we weren¡¯t able to speakfortably despite this being our first meeting,¡± Balzac observed. Eugene bluntly replied, ¡°I have no desire to have afortable conversation with you, Tower Master.¡± Instead of bowing his head in greeting, Eugene tilted his head away at an angle as a way to overtly show his displeasure. Seeing this reaction, Balzac just grinned. ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t like me very much,¡± Balzac pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s not just the ck Tower Master I dislike; I despise all ck wizards,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°Is that so? I can understand why. Although three hundred years may have passed, the public¡¯s perception of ck magic still isn¡¯t very pleasant,¡± as he said this, Balzac shrugged. ¡°As a ck wizard myself, I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s unfortunate. Although it might seem unreliableing from my own lips, I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± Eugene countered, ¡°Even if the ck Tower Master himself hasn¡¯t done anything wrong, aren¡¯t there a lot of ck wizards going around doing evil deeds?¡± This was an undeniable fact. Unfortunately, there were still a lot of ck wizards freely wandering the world, viting the ban on human experimentation. Though thews of Aroth and the ck Tower of Magic severely enforced this ban, there were plenty of ces for ck wizards to escape from these strictws in this wide world. ¡°But the ck wizards aren¡¯t the only ones, are they?¡± Balzac pointed out as he bared his teeth in a smile. ¡°People like wizards can easily sacrifice something like morals for the sake of satisfying their own curiosity and desire. Or, to put it in simple terms, there are many times more aberrant ¡®wizards¡¯than there are aberrant ck wizards.¡± ¡°Well, you might be right about that, but¡­.¡± Eugene hesitantly agreed. ¡°Isn¡¯t Eward one such example? He is just a ¡®wizard,¡¯ not a ck wizard. He was only trying to use ck magic as a means to achieve his own ends. Although it might not have worked out¡­ this affair with Eward didn¡¯t begin because of ck magic, but because of his own desires.¡± ¡°What exactly is it that you want to hear from me?¡± Eugene asked impatiently. ¡°I just hope that you¡¯ll agree to not transfer your dislike of ck magic onto me,¡± with a chuckle, Balzac walked over to Eugene and offered his hand. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you, Sir Eugene. Your performance in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony has been famous for several years now¡­ and I¡¯ve also heard that recently you¡¯ve shown a few great aplishments in magic as well.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done anything that can be considered ¡®a great aplishment.¡¯¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you get the Red Tower Master to write you a letter of rmendation for Akron?¡± Balzac raised a brow. ¡°That alone must mean your achievements were great enough to deserve such recognition, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene refused to take Balzac¡¯s extended hand. While casually lowering his hand back down, Balzac stared at Eugene. He then changed the subject, ¡°Although I wasn¡¯t able to tell you this inside the room, part of the ¡®responsibility¡¯ that I¡¯ve decided to take for this incident also involves you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean by that?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. ¡°It will be difficult for you to qualify for admission into Akron with just a letter of rmendation from the Red Tower Master. Because unfortunately for you, Sir Eugene, the other tower masters and wizards involved in making the decision will reject you on the grounds that youck the necessary qualifications.¡± ¡°So what? Are you saying that you will write me a letter of rmendation as well, Head Wizard Balzac?¡± ¡°I hold a great interest in your talent Eugene. And, well, that¡¯s not the only factor¡­.¡± Balzac nced at the closed door before continuing to speak, ¡°Another factor is that I don¡¯t have the best of rtionships with Head Wizard Lovellian. While I don¡¯t hold any bad feelings towards him, the Red Tower Master dislikes me just because I am a ck Wizard. On top of that, I feel like I may receive the Lionheart n¡¯s enmity because of this incident¡­.¡± ¡°So because of that, you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll write me a letter of rmendation?¡± ¡°Yes. Honestly speaking, even if I do write you a letter of rmendation that supports Head Wizard Lovellian¡¯s proposal¡­. Well, I don¡¯t expect that alone will be enough to make you like me, but won¡¯t it at least reduce your dislike of me? It will also show my sincerity to get along with the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°If you are offering to write one for me, I will dly ept your help,¡± Eugene replied with a frown. Although he disliked ck wizards, that didn¡¯t mean he believed that his dislike should extend to the gifts that they offered. ¡°But even if I do, I can¡¯t promise to be friends with you, Head Wizard Balzac,¡± Eugene warned. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t dislike me as much as you do now, that will be enough.¡± With a broad smile, Balzac stepped back, allowing Eugene to leave, ¡°That¡¯s all that I wanted to say. My apologies for keeping you here.¡± ¡°Did you really have nothing to do with my older brother¡¯s issue?¡± as he passed Balzac, Eugene decided to openly ask this question. At these words, Balzac burst intoughter. ¡°I take great pride in being a ck wizard,¡± he said, the eyes hidden behind his sses sparking. ¡°The existence of an ipetent ck wizard is just a disgrace to ck magic. Even if he is the eldest son of the Lionheart family, as long as he doesn¡¯t possess astounding talent, I would never consider offering him a chance to join us. Is that enough to answer your question?¡± ¡°Yes, it is.¡± Eugene clicked his tongue as he recalled the sight of Eward trembling as tears poured down his face. Pathetic bastard. Chapter 39.1 Chapter 39.1 ¡°Even though I¡¯vee all the way here, it looks like I¡¯ll be leaving without getting the chance to have a good talk with you,¡± Gilead apologized after he personally found his way to Eugene¡¯s room in the early hours of the morning. Expecting this turn of events, Eugene had woken up early and had been waiting for Gilead¡¯s arrival. ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Eugene dismissed. ¡°After all, it hasn¡¯t even been that long since I left.¡± Gilead refuted him, ¡°Since it¡¯s already been two months, you could say that it¡¯s been quite a long time.¡± Gilead appeared tired. It might be just because of his current mood, but he looked like he had aged by a few years since Eugene hadst seen him. Hesitantly, Gilead revealed, ¡°¡­Eward is¡­. It¡¯s been decided that he¡¯ll be apanying Tanis to her family¡¯s estate.¡± ¡°So he won¡¯t be returning to the main estate?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°He¡¯ll be returning for a short while, but he¡¯ll be leaving immediately afterward to go to his maternal rtives. It¡¯s¡­ understandable why she¡¯s doing this. If he just stays at the main estate, it will be difficult for him in many ways,¡± Gilead muttered as he looked out the window. ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t even have the slightest intention of ming you since you¡¯ve done nothing wrong.¡± ¡°I think I might be considered to have done wrong by beating up my older brother,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°If all you did was hit him, then he got off lightly,¡± though Gilead said this as if it was a joke, he didn¡¯t sound as amused as one might expect. ¡°¡­Tanis¡¯ family resides in Kiehl Empire¡¯s Bossar Fief. The ruler of that fief, Count Bossar, is my father-inw. Since it¡¯s a quiet and peaceful ce¡­ it will be a good ce for Tanis and Eward¡¯s hearts to recover.¡± ¡°Are you worried that they might bear a grudge?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯m only human after all, so of course I am,¡± Gilead admitted with a bitterugh. ¡°When I brought Anci into the main family for the n¡¯s sake, I was already prepared to bear a lot of resentment for it. I don¡¯t¡­ regret doing it. The Lionheart name is far too heavy to be borne by a single child. While I didn¡¯t want my children to be enemies, I did believe that some fraternal rivalry was necessary.¡± Eugene stayed silent, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I have no regrets,¡± Gilead continued. ¡°Although Eward might be my eldest son¡­ as a future Patriarch, his abilities were proving insufficient. So he needed siblings. He needed to be stimted by apetitive rivalry to shore up his weaknesses and thus be someone suitable to be the next Patriarch¡­. But it looks like I¡¯ve ultimately failed, both as a Patriarch and a father.¡± ¡°Sir Patriarch, you¡¯re a good man,¡± Eugene said as he clicked his tongue in sympathy. Gilead wasn¡¯t someone who deserved such self-criticism. At least in Eugene¡¯s view, Gilead was a great Patriarch. ¡°Thank you for saying that,¡± Gilead rested his hand on Eugene¡¯s shoulder with a wry smile. ¡°I¡¯vee to your room at such an early hour because I was worried that you might be feeling guilty because of this affair.¡± Eugene denied this, ¡°I don¡¯t feel guilty at all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it should be. Because you did the right thing. As for Eward and Tanis¡­ don¡¯t worry about them. You don¡¯t need to worry about Gerhard while he¡¯s staying at the main estate either.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± Eugene felt grateful for these words. Although Eugene had no reason to fear Tanis¡¯ resentment, he did feel a slight concern that Tanis might use this scandal as an excuse to oppress Gerhard. But now that Gilead had reassured him, there wasn¡¯t any need to feel concerned. ¡®On the other hand, Anci must be bursting with happiness right now, so she should take good care of my father.¡¯ This was inarguable as Anci had been able to get rid of her two greatest obstacles, Tanis and Eward, without needing to do anything. Although it was unknown how long those two would be staying with their maternal rtives, during this time, Anci was sure to establish herself in her position as the Madam of the main estate. ¡°I¡¯ve heard from Lovellian how great you¡¯ve been doing,¡± Gilead said, his expression softening as he looked at Eugene. ¡°It turns out that you possess amazing talent not just for martial arts but also for magic. And you haven¡¯t neglected your training for even a day since you¡¯ve arrived in Aroth. I really am so proud of how dedicated you are.¡± Eugene tried to downy his achievements, ¡°It¡¯s only because I¡¯m excited to learn something new.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s a good thing.¡±¡®If only you weren¡¯t adopted.¡¯ Gilead swallowed these words before they could spill out of his throat. Instead, he said, ¡°¡­Cyan and Ciel miss you greatly.¡± Eugene epted the change of subject, ¡°Are they still working hard?¡± ¡°They¡¯re working so hard, it¡¯s almost excessive. Cyan trains against Gion and me while saying that he will be stronger than you, and Ciel also regrlyes out of her room to spar with Cyan.¡± ¡°Even though she wouldn¡¯te out while I was there because she said that she hated the smell of sweat?¡± ¡°Well, she¡¯s at a sensitive age, isn¡¯t she? Even though she always smiled at me and showed off her cute side when she was young¡­. Talking about this makes me feel that time really has gone by pretty fast.¡± Gilead smiled as he reminisced on the young Ciel. Though he understood that Ciel was just growing up, he still sometimes missed his daughter¡¯s disys of cuteness. ¡°Um, Patriarch¡­ there¡¯s also something else,¡± Eugene reluctantly began to speak. ¡°It¡¯s about how I¡¯ve recently needed to spend a lot of money.¡± ¡°A lot of money?¡± Gilead repeated curiously. Although he didn¡¯t know for sure yet whether Gargith had managed to win the bid for the giant¡¯s balls, it mighte up as a surpriseter, so Eugene had decided to bring it up in advance. Eugene coughed and began to exin about Gargith and his giant balls. ¡°You¡¯re saying that he¡¯s bought some giant¡¯s testicles?¡± Gilead¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Just like Eugene, he couldn¡¯t understand how someone would want to purchase a giant¡¯s balls at such a high price. ¡®Is it really that good for your body?¡¯Gilead wondered in disbelief. Well, even if it was truly that beneficial for his body, he wouldn¡¯t want to eat it. Since the giants are already sorge, their testicles must be incredibly huge, so how could you eat something like that without going crazy? ¡°That should be the case,¡± Eugene confirmed. Still somewhat perturbed, Gilead hesitantly began to speak, ¡°¡­There¡¯s no¡­ issue with that. If he truly needs it then¡­ ahem¡­ and I also have an acquaintance with Viscount Stellord¡­.¡± Viscount Stellord was Gargith¡¯s father. As he recalled that bulging, muscle-bound rtive of his, Gilead nodded and said, ¡°¡­Don¡¯t be concerned about spending money. No matter how expensive it might be, if you need something, feel free to buy it no matter what. However, just¡­ please don¡¯t buy anything rted to ck magic.¡± ¡°Is it okay for me to have something like that?¡± Eugene asked as he pointed to a table in the corner of his room. On top of the table was the unicorn heart he had brought back from the drug den. ¡°It¡¯s already been checked out by Master Lovellian,¡± Eugene reassured him. ¡°Although it was intended to be used as a sacrifice, they didn¡¯t get around to truly offering it, so the Head Wizard said that it doesn¡¯t have any traces of ck magic on it.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, I don¡¯t have any problems with it,¡± Gilead replied. ¡°Is it really okay for me to keep it?¡± ¡°You won it in battle, so I don¡¯t see why not.¡± ¡°But the one who truly bought it was Eward¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Since you¡¯ve gone through a lot of trouble because of Eward, shouldn¡¯t you at least take something like that aspensation?¡± As he said this, Gilead got up and continued, ¡°Of course, apart from that, if there¡¯s anything you need, feel free to buy it no matter how much it costs. You don¡¯t need to get my permission each and every time.¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Eugene gratefully replied. Although he had received this guarantee, Eugene didn¡¯t have anything he really wanted to buy. If he wandered through Bolero Street¡¯s auction houses, he might be able to find quite a few rare items, but apart from their inherent value, they wouldn¡¯t be of much use to Eugene. Of course, lumps of mana like a unicorn¡¯s heart or mana stones were of great help in increasing one¡¯s mana levels. However, it wasn¡¯t necessarily a good thing to try and make excessive use of them just because of that. Rather than forcefully increasing the mana capacity, it was better to gradually increase the amount of mana that one had. ¡®Though I might be tempted if there was a Dragon Heart.¡¯ No matter how useful the heart of a monster was, it was still just a monster¡¯s heart. They had a lot of impurities and lowered the purity of one¡¯s mana when used. The same went for mana stones. Mana obtained through this method wouldn¡¯t quite match one¡¯s body, and a lot of mana was lost during the process of refining it into the person¡¯s body. However, a dragon¡¯s heart was a different story. A pure lump of mana that, if absorbed properly, could allow the core to grow without any losses. But the only problem was that they were terribly difficult to find. It wasn¡¯t a question of whether or not it was even possible to hunt a dragon; the issue was that it was strictly forbidden. In his previous life, he and hisrades had been lucky enough to absorb a Dragon Heart. While they were venturing through Helmuth, they met a dying dragon¡­ and following that dragon¡¯sst wishes, the party had taken the Dragon Heart and shared it between them. ¡°Looks like I need to go now,¡± Gilead said as he looked out at the dawn sky. ¡°You don¡¯t need toe out and see me off. Besides, I¡¯m afraid that Tanis won¡¯t have anything pleasant to say if she sees you.¡± Eugene nodded and said, ¡°Please give my regards to my father, Cyan, and Ciel. Oh, and Anci as well.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Gilead acknowledged with a smile. Make sure to keep working hard from now on. Gilead didn¡¯t feel the need to say something like that. Even if he didn¡¯t say anything, he was sure that Eugene would keep doing his best. Also, he didn¡¯t want to burden Eugene with any unnecessary words. ¡®Although I don¡¯t really believe that he¡¯ll feel burdened from something like that,¡¯Gilead mused. But Eward hadn¡¯t been able to endure the pressure ced on him by his surroundings. That had made Gilead more cautious than before. After once again looking at Eugene with affectionate eyes, he left the room. Chapter 39.2 Chapter 39.2 After Gilead had left, Eugene sighed, ¡°Looks like even Patriarchshave it hard.¡± As expected, Eugene still didn¡¯t want to be the Patriarch. After reaffirming this desire, Eugene walked over to the unicorn¡¯s heart. There was no reason for him to pointlessly procrastinate, so he was thinking of absorbing the unicorn¡¯s heart right here and now. There were several methods for doing so. Although eating it directly was an okay way to go about it, Eugene didn¡¯t choose to use such a barbaric method. While circting the White me Form, he reached out to the heart. ¡®This is the cleanest and easiest way to do it,¡¯Eugene nodded. He would only be extracting the mana from the heart. This was the cleanest way to do it if one could exertplete control over the mana. Eugene concentrated his focus and grabbed the unicorn¡¯s heart. Vwuuuu! The heart began to shake from vibrations. The mana contained within was drawn outpletely before being absorbed by Eugene. Eugene did not lose focus as he examined the purity of the mana. ¡®Good. There aren¡¯t that many impurities.¡¯ The huge amount of mana was circted to his cores. From here on was the most crucial step. He needed to have his cores refine the mana while removing any unnecessary impurities. The trio of stars around his heart began to shine brighter as they went to work. As Eugene calmly directed the mana to flow into his cores, he fell into thought. ¡®If it¡¯s like this, it seems like I might be able to reach the Fourth Star before I turn 20.¡¯ If the people at the main estate had heard this, they might have fainted from the surprise. In the three hundred years of the Lionheart n¡¯s history, not a single ancestor had managed to reach the Fourth Star before bing an adult. ¡®Although I can¡¯t be sure that a star will form just because the quantity of my mana increases.¡¯ After four years of practicing the White me Form, Eugene had realized something. The increase in stars wasn¡¯t dependent solely on the amount of mana possessed but also on how deep the understanding of the White me Form was and how skilled one was at circting it through their whole body. In this respect, Eugene held an overwhelming advantage over his predecessors due to his past life, both in terms of improving his depth of understanding and his skill in circting it throughout his body. These were both things that Eugene was definitely capable of doing. ¡®The Patriarch and Gion are at the Sixth Star. Vermouth had reached the Tenth Star.¡¯ Reaching the Sixth Star alone was enough to get you recognized as one of a handful of the strongest warriors on the continent. ¡®It looks like I¡¯ll have to start mixing things up before I reach the Fifth Star.¡¯ Eugene had no intention of blindly following the path left by the White me Form. Since he had already learned a lot of things from his previous life, he felt that he might as well meld the form together with everything he had inherited from Hamel. ¡®But it¡¯s still too early for that.¡¯ Right now, hewasonly seventeen. There was no need to be hasty. As he thought this, Eugene took his hand off the unicorn¡¯s heart. After all the mana had been sucked out of the heart, it had shrunk to the size of a finger. With a flick of his mana, he disintegrated the heart. Then he took out the fragment of the Moonlight Sword that he had kept in his vest and ced it on the windowsill. ¡°¡­Now I¡¯m sure of it,¡± he murmured. The fragment absorbed the moonlight shining in from outside the window and began to emit a soft, pale light. Eugene admired the light for a few moments. * * * ¡°They cost 300 million sals,¡± Gargith said as he handed Eugene¡¯s card back to him with a proud look on his face. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but blurt out a curse, ¡°Motherfucker.¡± ¡°I arranged for us to deposit the payment through a public bank. If we don¡¯t make the deposit before noon today, the right to purchase them will be transferred to the next highest bidder, so we need to hurry,¡± prompted Gargith. ¡°Can¡¯t we just let them have it?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°No, we can¡¯t. After all, I had to participate in such an explosive bidding war just to win the bid.¡± ¡°How much was its initial price?¡± ¡°Fifty million sals.¡± ¡°Fifty million sals for a giant¡¯s balls¡­ And it went up from there to 300 million sals? There really are just so many crazy bastards in this world.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because it¡¯s just that valuable,¡± Gargith said with a happy smile. ¡°If you were there to see it in person, you would probably understand what I¡¯m feeling.¡± Eugene scoffed, ¡°Even if I do see the giant balls in person, they definitely will just look like balls.¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s different,¡± Gargith insisted. ¡°Overwhelmingly so.¡± ¡°At the very least, I¡¯m sure that they¡¯ll definitely be overwhelmingly big. Were they hairy?¡± Eugene asked in morbid curiosity. ¡°They looked really neat after they had been spruced up.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say another word because I really don¡¯t want to imagine what that looked like. Anyways¡­ how do we go about making that deposit?¡± Eugene and Gargith had arrivedat Pentagon¡¯spublic bank. They were here to deposit the cost of the balls into the auction house¡¯s secret ount. Eugene was feeling flustered, as this was his first time at a bank since he was reborn, and he didn¡¯t know the first thing about making a deposit into another person¡¯s ount. ¡°Is this really your first time at a bank?¡± Gargith asked. Eugene hesitated to admit it, ¡°Um¡­.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­,¡± Gargith trailed off in shock. ¡°I had heard that Gidol was in the boonies, but they don¡¯t even have banks there? How is something like that even possible?¡± Gargith was looking at Eugene with a sincere expression of disbelief. Eugene simply couldn¡¯t ept being treated like a bumpkin by someone with shaggy hair, strong body odor, bulging muscles, who wore frilly clothes, and who had bought giant¡¯s testicles for 300 million sals. ¡°Gidol has a bank as well,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Then why are you acting like this is your first time?¡± ¡°Because I never had a reason to visit it¡­.¡± ¡°So it turns out that you¡¯re a country bumpkin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t spout such bullshit. You can grab any passerby and ask them who looks more like a country bumpkin between the two of us, and we¡¯ll see what they say.¡± ¡°It¡¯s wrong to judge people by their appearances.¡± ¡°This son of a¡ª¡± Although Eugene really wanted to curse at him, Gargith¡¯s words were more or less correct¡­. Eventually, Eugene came up with a rebuttal, ¡°¡­Is it really the right thing to call someone a country bumpkin just because they¡¯ve never been to a bank before?¡± ¡°You just need to go up to one of the windows and tell them that you need to make a deposit to this ount,¡± Gargith exined. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you answering me?¡± ¡°You would usually get a ticket number, but since we¡¯re transferring such arge amount and even have a ck card, there shouldn¡¯t be any need to wait. Follow me.¡± ¡°Answer me, you pig bastard.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a pig.¡± Right up until they reached the counter, Gargith refused to answer his question. Sure enough, once they approached one of the bank employees and showed them the ck card, they were immediately escorted to a private VIP room. ¡°Thank you for visiting our bank,¡± the head of the bank came out personally to ept the card while bowing his head. Before too long, they had finished setting up the deposit, and the bank manager returned with the card. The bank manager began peddling his services, ¡°Do you have any interest in opening up a separate personal ount? If you make one now¡ª¡± ¡°No need,¡± Eugene interrupted as he took the card and headed out of the bank. Smiling happily, Gargith followed behind Eugene. ¡°Let¡¯s head to my ce,¡± Gargith suggested. ¡°Why?¡± came the curt response. ¡°They said they¡¯d make the delivery as soon as they received our deposit.¡± ¡°Are you telling me to go all the way to your ce just to get a look at those giant balls? Are you insane?¡± ¡°If you see them for yourself, you¡¯re sure to change your mind about them. I¡¯ve said it before, but if you want, I can give you some of their extract once it¡¯s been made.¡± ¡°I said that I wasn¡¯t going to eat any of that shit.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t understand you¡­.¡± ¡°¡­For now, let¡¯s head to your ce.¡± ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡± ¡°Apart from the giant¡¯s balls, there¡¯s something else I want to see.¡± Although he didn¡¯t have any interest in those balls, he was interested in the Red me Form that Gargith had inherited. While he had already taken a look at Gerhard¡¯s Red me Form, rather than that mostly unmodified Form, he wanted to see the Red me Form that had been improved by Gargith¡¯s family. ¡®Because their version is probably a lot better,¡¯Eugene thought. He wanted topare theirs to the White me Form to see where the differencesy. While thinking about this, Eugene stepped out of the bank. As he was heading down the stairs, Eugene¡¯s body suddenly froze to a halt. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± he gasped. In the square below the bank, among the teeming crowds, he had spotted a glimpse of purple hair. Chapter 40.1 Chapter 40.1 His mind was immediately fixated on those fluttering strands of hair. The moment he saw them, Eugene threw himself down the stairs without hesitation. Gargith was following behind him, and he let out a startled cry, but the sound of his voice couldn¡¯t reach Eugene¡¯s ears. The square below was packed with people, but Eugene rushed into the crowd without caring. He made his way forward by pushing aside the people who got in his way and diving through the gaps. There was no way that Eugene had made a mistake. He would recognize that unique hair color even if he was forced to pick it out from hundreds or thousands of people. A seemingly-unnatural brightly colored purple ¡ª that color was created by Sienna¡¯s vast amounts of mana spreading through her hair. ¡®It¡¯s Sienna,¡¯Eugene realized. Could it be a hallucination? No, there was no way. Eugene swung his head from side to side as he dove into the crowd. In a ce like this, and under such circumstances, there was no way that he could have been mistaken. When Eugene saw her, he stood rooted on the spot, stunned, staring straight ahead. He tried to speak, but words failed him, ¡°¡­.¡± That was Sienna walking in the distance. It was definitely her. Her figure hadn¡¯t changed a bitpared to three hundred years ago. Though it seemed like her hair had gotten a lot longer. But that was only to be expected after three hundred years had flown by. As Eugene clutched his pounding chest, he drew closer to Sienna. Although he had gotten right behind her, Sienna still hadn¡¯t noticed Eugene¡¯s presence. Eugene felt that was understandable, considering how many people were in this square. But what was he supposed to say to her? Although Eugene had recognized Sienna, she probably wouldn¡¯t be able to tell who Eugene really was. I¡¯m Hamel, but I was reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant. No, really. I¡¯m telling you, this isn¡¯t a lie. I really am Hamel. As Eugene imagined how such a conversation would go, he reached out to Sienna. Sienna, that damned chick, wouldn¡¯t believe him so easily. She might even curse at him and tell him to stop with his bullshit. He would actually be thankful if she did. As it would mean that despite the passage of three hundred years, her personality hadn¡¯t changed all that much from what he could remember of her; she would still have the same bad attitude, and her mouth would be as rough as always. ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene called out her name with a shaking voice. Then he reached out and tried to grab Sienna¡¯s wrist, but he couldn¡¯t get a hold of her. Although she was right in front of him, Eugene couldn¡¯t touch Sienna. And that wasn¡¯t the only strange thing. Eugene nkly took in the scene as people began walking through Sienna¡¯s image from all sides. Truthfully, Eugene had already noticed this as he was getting closer. Sienna hadn¡¯t avoided any of the people walking in her direction, and they had all just walked right through her. And even though the color of her hair was so eye-catching, no one was paying any attention to her. Instead, they just kept eying Eugene with annoyed looks as he roughly barged his way through the crowd. ¡®A ghost?¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any presenceing from Sienna, who was right in front of him. He had reached out several times, but he still wasn¡¯t able to touch her. He couldn¡¯t feel any of the warmth of a human beinging from her. Although, she didn¡¯t feel cold either. In fact, he couldn¡¯t feel anything from her. Like a fantasm or a ghost, even though it was definitely right in front of one¡¯s eyes, it didn¡¯t feel real. Sienna¡¯s footsteps stopped. Eugene also came to a halt. Sienna turned her head, and Eugene lowered his outstretched hand. Since he couldn¡¯t catch her even if he tried to hold her, he felt that there was no point in continuing to try. Eugene looked at Sienna¡¯s face. And just as he had expected, the mansion¡¯s portrait and the statue in front of the tower of magic both looked better than the real thing. The Sienna in the portrait had softened her usually disgruntled expression and instead put on a benevolent smile. The Sienna sculpted into a statue was smiling with bravery and confidence. But the Sienna in front of him didn¡¯t have either of those expressions. Instead, her eyes were filled with irritation and fatigue. Her lips wouldn¡¯t stop mumbling day in and day out. At the very least, her face was still exactly as Eugene remembered. Now what kind of expression should he put on? First of all, Eugene showed her a grin. But then he had a sudden thought. If he just smiled at her like this, Sienna wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him. Since she hadn¡¯t responded to his numerous calls from behind her, it looked like she probably couldn¡¯t hear his voice either. But she had still turned to look behind her. Didn¡¯t that mean that she could still see with her eyes? ¡°Now then.¡± Eugene immediately held up both of his middle fingers at Sienna. Sienna blinked in shock at this sight. Her lips parted slightly before closing once more. Then she giggled and smiled. That smile was exactly the same as the one that Eugene remembered. Sienna¡¯s lips began to move. Although he couldn¡¯t hear her voice, Eugene could tell what she was trying to convey from her silent lip movements. I¡¯ve found you. Sienna¡¯s lips formed these three words. Following this, Sienna¡¯s figure disappeared right in front of Eugene¡¯s eyes. Just like a puff of smoke, Sienna¡¯s image faded away into thin air. Eugene stood there dumbly for a few moments, staring at the spot where Sienna had disappeared. ¡°I¡¯ve also found you,¡± Eugene eventually said as he turned around with a grin. ¡°Sienna Merdein,¡± Eugene muttered her name. His heart felt like a weight had been lifted off of it. Sienna wasn¡¯t dead. He was sure of it. The thing that he had seen just now was neither a ghost nor a phantom left behind after she had died. It was an illusion created by magic. ¡®I¡¯ve found you.¡¯ Sienna was still alive. She had survived ande looking for Eugene. But how had she known to look? Was it because he had given the middle fingers to her portrait?¡®If that pisses you off, you cane right at me,¡¯hadn¡¯t he said something like that? Had she really heard those words ande looking for him? ¡®There¡¯s no way.¡¯ The mansion had been preserved as a historical site for over a hundred years. Countless people visited the mansion each day, and blinded by superstition, they would mumble all sorts of things, like passing their exams and what-not, while staring at her portrait. No matter how great Sienna was, it would be impossible for her toe looking for Eugene after listening to all those mutterings. ¡®Maybe she was able to recognize my soul like Tempest did. Or else¡ª¡¯Eugene lowered his gaze to look down at his ne,¡®¡ªshe may havee looking for the ne.¡¯ There was probably some kind of spell cast on the ne. Although he couldn¡¯t tell what kind of spell it might be, what Eugene knew for sure was that,¡®Sienna knows that I¡¯ve been reincarnated.¡¯ She might have even been expecting it. And the fact that,¡®Sienna hasn¡¯t died.¡¯ However, it seemed like she was in a situation where she couldn¡¯te to see him personally. So instead, she had sent an illusion toe looking for him and wee him back to life. ¡°She must be sealed somewhere,¡± Eugene mumbled to himself nonchntly. ¡°Could she have done it to herself? Even with magic, was it impossible for her tost the full three hundred years without doing so? Or else was she sealed by someone? But who could have done it? A ck wizard? A Demon King?¡± ¡°In any case, it¡¯s fine now that I know she¡¯s unable to move on her own,¡± as he muttered this, Eugene stroked his ne. ¡°Because you¡¯vee and found me this time, so¡­.¡± The smile that Sienna had shown him right before she had vanished into thin air just wouldn¡¯t fade from his mind. Such an annoying chick could actually smile at him like that? This was the first time that he had discovered such a fact. ¡°So next time, I¡¯ll be the one who goes and finds you.¡± Everything was fine as long as she hadn¡¯t died and was still alive somewhere. With a grin, Eugene left the square. Or at least hetriedto. Gargith suddenly caught up to him and asked, ¡°Where on earth did you run off to in such a hurry?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to know,¡± Eugene dismissed the question. ¡°This ce isn¡¯t like Gidol. The streets here are asplex as a maze, and there are a lot of mean and nasty people. A naive viger like you, ignorant of the world, would be tasty prey to people like that.¡± ¡°You fucker, are you really calling me a viger because I told you not to call me a country bumpkin? What the hell is the difference between a country bumpkin and a viger?¡± ¡°Although a country bumpkin is a derogatory term, a viger is just a realistic description.¡± ¡°Damn you, you pig bastard.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one using the wrong terms. I¡¯m not a pig. After all, isn¡¯t pig used to describe people who are round and fat?¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°You seem to have a lot of pride in your muscles, but after seeing them in action, they¡¯re just big without much substance. Have you forgotten how you lost to me in the arm-wrestling match?¡± ¡°¡­I just got distracted,¡± Gargith tried to excuse himself. ¡°Distracted? That¡¯s bullshit. You were all tensed up even before we even started,¡± Eugene grumbled as he pped Gargith on the back. ¡°In my eyes, whether it¡¯s your prided muscles or a pig¡¯s jiggling fat, it all looks the same.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult the muscles created by our family¡¯s revolutionary muscle growth agent.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not insulting you. I just think it¡¯s a shame that such carefully sculpted muscles are going to waste. You shouldn¡¯t focus on just pointlessly increasing the size of your body, but instead, think of how to make the best use of your muscles.¡± ¡°Indeed¡­.¡± Although Eugene had just spat out the first excuse that came to his mind, Gargith¡¯s eyes lit up as if he had attained some great enlightenment. Gargith nodded, ¡°You¡¯re right. At some point, it seems that I turned away from listening to the voice of my muscles and instead focused solely on showing them off¡ª¡± ¡°Leave that nonsense forter when you¡¯re on your own. Just show me your Red me Form,¡± Eugene demanded. Chapter 40.2 Chapter 40.2 Eugene and Gargith entered the gym attached to Gargith¡¯s lodgings. Just as he had nned back at the bank, Eugene was here to witness Gargith¡¯s operation of the Red me Form. ¡°You¡¯ve already learned the White me Form, so why are you interested in the Red me Forms as well?¡± Gargith asked. Eugene shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m just curious.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s difficult for me to show it to you,¡± without any further questions, Gargith pulled off his shirt and threw it aside. Eugene didn¡¯t understand why Gargith even felt the need to take off his clothes, but it seemed pointless to make a big deal out of it, so he calmly continued to watch Gargith. While flexing his bulging muscles, Gagith struck a pose and held it. Eventually, Eugene couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer, ¡°¡­You¡¯re just circting the Red me Form, so why do you have to take such a distracting posture?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my preference,¡± Gargith grunted. ¡°Is that so¡­.¡± Gargith¡¯s eyes slowly sank into a calm focus. Soon, his whole body was engulfed in reddish mana. This was the Lionheart coteral ns¡¯ Red me Form. At a nce, Eugene could already see the difference between it and the White me Form. Between the two, the density of the mana was iparable. Although it resembled the White me Form in the way that it flickered like tongues of me, this resemnce was only skin-deep, as there was a huge difference in the actual power of the two scriptures. ¡°Can the Red me Form also split the core?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Our family¡¯s Red me Form can go up to the Fifth Star,¡± Gargith answered with pride. ¡°The version of the Red me Form taught by the main family doesn¡¯t allow you to split off new cores. But various coteral branches have further developed the Red me Form. Thanks to the efforts of our amazing ancestors, our family has seeded in increasing the number of stars that can be generated by the Red me Form to five stars. As far as I know, among all the versions of the Red me Form derived by the coteral lines, only a handful can generate five stars.¡± ¡®¡­Father¡¯s family could barely even reach the Second Star,¡¯Eugene recalled. Looking at it this way, it seemed that the Red me Form would never be able to surpass the White me Form. While stroking his chin, Eugene was lost in thought for a few moments. When he came out of his musing, he asked Gargith, ¡°How many stars do you have?¡± ¡°I¡¯m on the Second Star,¡± said Gargith. The Second Star of the Red me Form was iparably weaker than the Second Star of the White me Form, which Eugene had already graduated from. ¡®Even though it¡¯s been developed over hundreds of years, the Red me Form is still limited to five stars. Vermouth, that bastard, really was one hell of a genius.¡¯ The direct line¡¯s White me Form and the coteral lines¡¯ Red me Form. ¡®And the Red me Form taught to the knights who serve the direct line doesn¡¯t even allow you to split off your core.¡¯ All this said, the Red me Form was still an excellent mana training scripture. The Knights who swore allegiance to the main family were honored to serve the Lionheart n and took great pride in learning the Red me Form. ¡®No matter how hard I think about it, I just can¡¯t understand why. Vermouth wasn¡¯t such a petty bastard, but¡­.¡¯ He had still ordered that the White me Form be kept as the main family¡¯s secret, while the Red me Form would be taught to the coteral lines and their descendants. However, the main family was not allowed to use their strength to help develop it further, so the development of the Red me Form was left solely up to the coteral lines and their descendants. In this way, the gap between the direct and coteral lines could be narrowed but never closed. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve seen enough,¡± Eugene eventually dered. Although he still couldn¡¯t understand Vermouth¡¯s actions, Eugene wasn¡¯t too deeply invested in figuring it out. For now, what was clear was that the White me Form was superior to the Red me Form. ¡®If it had enough potential, I was thinking of trying to graft the Red me Form onto the White me Form, but it looks like there¡¯s no need.¡¯ Even among all the coteral lines, the Red me Form belonging to Gargith¡¯s family was excellent enough to be counted as one of the best. But it still wasn¡¯t good enough to make Eugene feel eager to learn it. ¡®Looks like there¡¯s no need to add the Red me Form.¡¯ Of course, what Eugene had seen wasn¡¯t the peak of the Red me Form¡¯s Fifth Star. However, just from the density of the mana and its movements that he had seen just now, it was enough for him to determine the full level of the Red me Form. So, without any regrets, Eugene turned his back on it. ¡°I¡¯m heading off,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re leaving already?¡± Gargith asked. ¡°But the giant¡¯s testicles should be arriving soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave the fine inspection up to you.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve already taken off my clothes and started circting the Red me Form. How about a spar or a practice match?¡± ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to win anyway, so what¡¯s the point of sparring? Instead of thinking about that, why don¡¯t you¡ªhow did you put it?¡ªlisten closely to the voice of your muscles.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some great advice¡­,¡± Gargith nodded his head as if he was deeply impressed. He immediately got down and started doing push-ups, but Eugene didn¡¯t turn to look back at Gargith. ¡®¡­So Akron, huh?¡¯ Sienna¡¯s smile had yet to fade from Eugene¡¯s mind. ¡®Didn¡¯t they say that Sienna left herst grimoire there?¡¯ The three-volume series,Witch Craft. ¡®There was nothing that stood out in her mansion. The same goes for her statue as well. If so, could that mean that there¡¯s something in the Green Tower of Magic¡¯s library?¡¯ That was the ce where Sienna could usually be found during her time as the Tower Master. ¡®It would be ridiculous of me to start snooping around the Green Tower of Magic for no reason. For now, I¡¯ll need to wait for the reply to Lovellian¡¯s rmendation letter to see if I¡¯m permitted to enter Akron¡­.¡¯ Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master, had also said that he would write a letter of rmendation for Eugene. Since things had turned out like this, Eugene felt that he could expect a positive reply to these letters of rmendation. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be in such a hurry,¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he headed into the Red Tower of Magic. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m the one who¡¯s been kept waiting.¡± Since they had already waited three hundred years for him, there shouldn¡¯t be anyints if they waited a little longer. ¡®It¡¯s not like I asked to be reincarnated, you know?¡¯ Instead of returning to his room, Eugene headed straight for the elevator and rode it down to the undergroundboratories. ¡®Besides, I should be able to find them within ten years at the verytest. Since they¡¯ve already been waiting for so long, they can wait a little longer.¡¯ Entering an emptyboratory, he closed the door behind him. Then, he casually tossed aside the coat he was wearing and ced the fragment of the Moonlight Sword in the center of theboratory. ¡°Let¡¯s start by examining it step-by-step,¡± as he muttered this, Eugene stared down at the fragment of the Moonlight Sword. He had watched as the fragment continued to soak up the moonlight all morning. Although nothing seemed special about it, other than the fact that it could emit light, it was definitely still a fragment of that terrifying Moonlight Sword. A sword that only Vermouth had been able to use. ¡°¡­Hm,¡± Eugene hummed as he slowly circted the White me Form. Using the stars around his heart as circles, he cast a spell. Fwooosh! A huge fireball appeared in front of Eugene. Although it was only a First Circle offensive spell, the fireball created from the mana of the White me form was so huge that it was impossible to believe it was merely a First Circle spell. Eugene confidently tossed the fireball at the fragment of the Moonlight Sword, but it didn¡¯t even leave a scorch mark. The moment the fireball touched the fragment, the mysterious power of the fragment scattered all the mana contained within the spell, disintegrating it. ¡®It¡¯s different from the Devouring Sword,¡¯Eugene observed. The Devouring Sword, Asphel, cut apart the magical structure and swallowed the mana. ¡®It¡¯s also different from Gedon¡¯s Shield.¡¯ Gedon¡¯s shield sent any attack that connected with it veering off in another direction. ¡®This destroys the structure of a spell just by touching it. That¡¯s how it scatters the mana contained within a spell.¡¯ Eugene recalled Vermouth¡¯s favorite method of attack. When he held Asphel, he would cut apart all the spells that came his way and use the mana to increase his own strength. Although it was strong enough to cut apart most spells, it was impossible for Asphel to cut apart the magic of high-ranking demons and Demon Kings. This resulted in their battle with the Demon King of Carnage being hellishly difficult. However, after obtaining the Moonlight Sword, even the spells of those high-ranking demons and Demon Kings couldn¡¯t touch Vermouth. All magic would disintegrate as soon as it touched the Moonlight Sword. Then Vermouth would immediately swing Asphel, swallowing up all the scattered mana and converting it into his own strength before attacking. ¡®¡­.It¡¯s impossible for such a tiny fragment to disintegrate high-ranking spells.¡¯ However, something like a low-level spell would be dispersed immediately. ¡®Under these circumstances, even cing it in a wooden box is enough to conceal its power.¡¯ The condition for the power of the Moonlight Sword to be activated was that it needed toe into ¡®direct¡¯ contact with the mana. As an example, Eugene had been able to operate the White me Form as usual even while carrying the wooden box next to his chest. ¡®Just by carrying it around with me when I go out, I can deal with any surprise attacks.¡¯ It was a barbaric way to use it. However, wasn¡¯t the power of that fragment itself rather barbaric? ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s just be barbaric together.¡± With a happy smile, Eugene pulled out Wynnyd. ¡®If that fragment doesn¡¯t interfere with my mana¡­.¡¯ The mana pulled up by the White me Form engulfed Wynnyd. ¡®And if it doesn¡¯t interfere with any spells I cast¡­.¡¯ After manifesting his sword-light, he cast his spells. Dozens of magic missiles obediently hovered around Eugene. ¡®Then that means that the density of my mana increases with every increase in the level of my White me Form.¡¯ Chapter 41.1 Chapter 41.1 Rumors concerning the 11th Laboratory in the basement of the Red Tower of Magic had reached Hera, causing her to tilt her head in curiosity. Laboratory 11 was used almost exclusively by Eugene, but rumors about sounds of explosions and constant vibrationsing from there had been spreading since a few days ago. ¡®The sound of the explosions and the vibrations can even reach the outside of theboratory?¡¯ The magical specialty of the Red Tower of Magic was summoning magic. This type of magic had a lot of variables that needed to be taken into ount during the summoning process, so the magic as a whole tended to be rather vtile. As such, explosions and vibrations weremon, so all theboratories had been thoroughly secured against them. ¡®With Eugene¡¯s level of magic, there shouldn¡¯t be any way to create an explosion that can be heard from outside the room, but¡­.¡¯ Recently, Hera had been preupied with various things. Although she had been taking a break after her previous research project, she had been greatly inspired by Eugene¡¯s sess in using a core in ce of a circle. So Hera had stopped working as a librarian and focused on her preparations for a new research project. She hadn¡¯t been able to return to Eugene¡¯sboratory since herst visit because of this. However, thanks to amand from the Tower Master, along with these rumors, Hera could no longer remain in her ownboratory. Young wizards were frequently faced with an issue. When someone first starts practicing magic, they could get caught up in repeating certain experiments due to their excessive enthusiasm and end up injuring themselves despite their great talent. Hera didn¡¯t want that monstrous boy with his overflowing talent to suffer a needless injury due to excessive use of magic. ¡°Sir Eugene?¡± she called out. Rumors were often greatly exaggerated. The basementboratories were as quiet as usual, with no signs of explosions or vibrations when Hera arrived. Having been relieved by this fact, Hera was soon knocking on the door of Laboratory 11. ¡°Are you in¡ª¡± Before she could even finish her question, there was a loud bang. Kuooong! Along with this loud noise, the door to Laboratory 11 began to shake. Startled, Hera immediately pulled out her staff and held it in front of her before throwing open the door without any further hesitation. ¡°Si-sir Eugene! Are you alri¡ª¡± Once again, she wasn¡¯t able to finish her sentence. Hera¡¯s jaw dropped at the scene that was taking ce in front ofher very eyes. The floor was covered in fine cracks, with no spot seemingly left intact. Eugene had been left swaying in a thick, roiling fog of mana. It was obviously the site of an ident. With a frown, Hera swung her staff. Fwooosh! The entire billowing fog of mana was immediately dissipated. ¡°Sir¡­ Eugeeene¡­.¡± Once more, she was unable to finish what she was saying. This time, Hera¡¯s words trailed off as she lowered her staff. But in the middle of her voice trailing off, Hera was forced to swallow a gulp. ¡°Phew,¡± Eugene sighed as he shook his head and wiped away the sweat that covered his body. Standing in the center of theboratory, Eugene was wearing only afortable pair of pants. In other words, this meant that Eugene¡¯s upper body, which was shining with sweat, could be seen inly. ¡®What kind of¡­seventeen-year-oldhas a body like that?¡¯Hera wondered in disbelief. Taking another gulp, Hera slowly turned her gaze to the side. But before she did so, she subtly took another look at Eugene¡¯s body. Although this wasn¡¯t the case for all wizards, most wizards had poor physiques. Since most of their work was spent sitting around and researching, without anything that had them moving around and working up a sweat, their limbs grew ever thinner even as their bellies ballooned outward. At least in the Red Tower of Magic, there wasn¡¯t a single wizard with a chiseled body like Eugene. Even though Lovellian took regr care of himself, his muscles weren¡¯t as cut as Eugene¡¯s. Hera counted silently,¡®One, two, three¡­ s-six.¡¯ This was her first time seeing a real six-pack. Hera gulped once more before taking a few steps back. Then, upon realizing her mistake, she felt a jolt of surprise and looked up at Eugene once more. This just so happened to grant her another view of his bare torso. Hera stammered an apology, ¡°I-I¡¯m so sorry. I should have waited for a reply before entering, but there was a loud noise, so I¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Eugene replied with a nonchnt expression. Calling on the sylphs who were frolicking in the air around him, he had them blow away the sweat dripping down his body. ¡°I was going to respond, but I wanted to finish what I was doing first,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°What you were doing¡­. M-may I ask what that was exactly?¡± Hera asked after getting a hold of her shaking thoughts. She had thought that he might have been practicing summoning magic, but after looking around theboratory, it didn¡¯t seem like that was the case. Hera observed,¡®I don¡¯t see any magic circles¡­ but what¡¯s that?¡¯ A fragment of some unknown metal was lying in the center of theboratory. The surrounding floor had been cracked and overturned, but the area beneath the fragment was intact without any traces of damage. ¡°I was training my mana. I alsobined that with some magic practice,¡± Eugene answered with a shrug. It was a week after the incident on Bolero Street. Eugene had spent most of his days inside thisboratory. This was to train his magic and mana by using the fragment of the Moonlight Sword as a target. The results weren¡¯t very satisfying. Even the sword-light he created by mustering all his will would dissipate as soon as it got close to the fragment. The same went for magic, and even the sylphs that he summoned wouldn¡¯t approach the fragment of the Moonlight Sword. When he tried to forcefully order them to do so, the moment they drew near, they would be banished back to the Spirit Realm. However, it wasn¡¯t like there were absolutely no results. At first, his spells would disintegrate before they could even explode, but now it was possible for him to forcibly hold onto the scattered mana and cause an explosion in the fragment¡¯s vicinity. That meant that the cohesion of his mana was growing stronger. ¡°Magic training¡­?¡± Hera asked curiously. ¡°Like this,¡± Eugene demonstrated. Instead of exining things step-by-step, Eugene immediately cast a spell. Over the past week, the spells he had been using the most were the First Circle¡¯s Magic Missile and Fireball. Hera¡¯s eyes shook at the speed with which he cast these spells. ¡®He¡¯s gotten even faster,¡¯she realized. Even though Eugene was already unbelievably fast thest time she saw him when he first cast those spells, his current speed was even faster than back then. At first nce, the speed was enough to make it feel like he may have used a magic scroll instead. ¡®But that wasn¡¯t a scroll. Just now, did he really personally activate his mana¡­ and totally use his cores like they were circles?¡¯Hera asked herself in disbelief. The absence of an incantation was no longer a surprise. Although it might have been faster, that wasn¡¯t the only thing strange about Eugene¡¯s spells. Hera paid close attention to the structure of the mana that made up Eugene¡¯s spell. The structure was so tight and sophisticated that it was hard to believe that this was created by Eugene¡¯s skills in magic. The cohesion of the mana was also incredibly strong, to the point where it would be hard to find a dispel capable of copsing its structure. No one would believe that these were just a First Circle Magic Missile and Fireball. ¡°¡­Are you practicing magic dueling techniques?¡± Hera asked hesitantly. The fact that his spells were difficult to dispel meant that Eugene would have an edge in magical dueling. Since this would also amplify the power of his spells, the current Eugene would be able to face a wizard at a higher level without backing down. ¡°Although it has had that effect, I was more focused on training the overall quality of my mana,¡± as he said this, Eugene allowed the spells to dissipate. Instead of scattering into his surroundings, the mana immediately engulfed Eugene¡¯s body. The transition between using the mana for his spells and the White me Form flowed as smoothly as water. Hera eventually made the observation, ¡°¡­It looks like you¡¯ve achieved quite some results.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene replied with a grin. As she calmed her chest, whichwaspounding from surprise, Hera stared at Eugene. The pure white mes that had engulfed his body were exuding a sense of intimidation that was difficult to describe. However, Eugene¡¯s face still retained its usual naive impression because of his youthful appearance. With a face like that, to think he had a body rippling with such muscles¡­. Hera pped her chest, which continued to pound disobediently, and started coughing. Hera reminded him, ¡°It-it¡¯s fine as long as you¡¯re not hurt. But Sir Eugene, please don¡¯t push yourself too far. If you do get hurt, you¡¯re not the only one who will suffer; both the Head Wizard and the Red Tower of Magic will be ced in a difficult position.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be careful,¡± Eugene nodded obediently with a smile. Hera wasn¡¯t just beingpolite with this warning. Chapter 41.2 Chapter 41.2 A week ago, Eward had left the Red Tower of Magic and returned to the main estate. Eugene hadn¡¯t seen him off, nor had he held any desire to watch Eward depart. Whether that stupid eldest son would get his head screwed on straight because of this incident, or if he became even more twisted and turned into a true asshole, Eugene no longer felt the need to care about it. That would be Tanis¡¯ job. Since she had decided to separate from Gilead and take her son with her to her maternal rtives, she would be the one responsible for furthering her son¡¯s education. In any case, it was true that the Red Tower of Magic and Lovellian himself had been left in a difficult position because of this affair. Lovellian had continued to harbor Eward, despite theints and ridicule of his fellow wizards, only for Eward¡¯s true ugly nature to be revealed to all the citizens of Pentagon. Though there had already been many rumors of Eward¡¯s poor behavior since a while back, having his crimes directly publicized instead of simply remaining as rumors had created a whole new set of problems. Thanks to Eward, arge-scale crackdown on drugs had also begun on Bolero Street, and the allowance made for the ck wizards belonging to the guild and, of course, the demonfolk had be even stricter. But the truth was that the greatest victim of this whole affair was the Lionheart¡¯s main family. The honor that had been passed down from their ancestor, the Great Vermouth, now had sewage smeared all over it because of the fact that the eldest son Eward had tried to make a contract with an incubus. ¡®I did the right thing by not having any children,¡¯felt Eugene. When he had first arrived at the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate, he had felt regret and had told himself that he should have left some descendants in his previous life. But now, he no longer held such regrets. If someone calling himself Hamel¡¯s descendant had done something as stupid as Eward¡­. Just imagining it was terrifying. ¡®If it were me, I would have broken my coffin and crawled out of the grave to teach him a lesson.¡¯ While thinking such thoughts, Eugene reabsorbed the mana. ¡°Did youe all the way here just because you were worried about me?¡± he asked Hera. Hera stammered, ¡°N-no, I mean, yes!¡± ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m wrong or right?¡± ¡°Although I was a bit worried¡­ I¡¯ve alsoe here because of a different matter.¡± ¡°What would that be?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°F-for now¡­ please put on some clothes,¡± Hera said as she once again turned her gaze away. It was only then that Eugene realized he was currently topless. ¡°Ah, sorry about that,¡± Eugene apologized. ¡°As I was training, I was sweating too much.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s fine,¡± said Hera. Thanks to that, she got to see something good. As she recalled the memory stored within her head, Hera licked her lips. She suddenly remembered a memory retention spell. A refreshing smile spread across Hera¡¯s face as she thought about extracting this memoryter on and saving it as a video. Hera continued, ¡°The Head Wizard asked me to fetch you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Are we going up to the top floor?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°No, the Head Wizard is actually away from his office right now.¡± ¡°Then where are we going?¡± ¡°To Akron,¡± Hera revealed with a wide smile. These words caused Eugene to smile just as broadly. * * * Within the capital city of Aroth, Pentagon. In the center of the five-sided shape drawn by the five Towers of Magic, there lies the royal castle of Aroth, named ¡®Abram.¡¯ Built at the heart of a greatke, Abram can not be entered without riding a boat to get there. Even the aerial carriages that fly freely in the skies above Pentagon are not allowed to get close to Abram¡¯s airspace, and it is impossible to cross theke with the use of magic. This was because Abram and theke surrounding it werepletely covered by a Magic Sealing Formation. Three hundred years ago, the Wise Sienna developed the Magic Sealing Formation as her trump card. This formation blocked the use of mana in a specific area while still allowing her own mana to be used. The Magic Sealing Formation that covered all of Abram was offered as a gift to the Royal Family by Sienna, and even now, after hundreds of years had passed, it was still working as perfectly as ever. They were currently at the Royal Library Akron. Its majesty did not fall short inparison to Abram, which could be seen in the far distance. Eugene alternated between looking up at the tall clock tower of Akron and over theke at Abram. ¡®That¡¯s just crazy,¡¯Eugene remarked internally. Thanks to the fact that he had recently been diligently studying books on magic, he had reached a general understanding of magic. ording to Eugene¡¯s newly developed mon sense,¡¯ it definitely didn¡¯t seem possible to cover all of that hugeke and the royal castle within a Magic Sealing Formation. Three hundred years ago, there wasn¡¯t anything resembling ake surrounding the royal castle. Thiske was also part of Sienna¡¯s gift. In less than a week, she had constructed that enormouske and moved the entire royal castle from where it used to be into the center of thatke. ¡°Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± Hera pointed to Abram with a bright smile and said, ¡°Even the Tower Masters aren¡¯t able to use magic when they¡¯re at Abram. The only ones allowed to use magic there are the royal family and the court wizards who have sworn absolute obedience to the royal family.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, does that mean that the Tower Masters haven¡¯t sworn absolute loyalty to the royal family?¡± Eugene asked. Hera found this difficult to answer, ¡°Ummm¡­ Although they have sworn loyalty, you can¡¯t expect them to obey even the most unreasonable orders unconditionally, right? You could describe the rtionship between the Towers of Magic and Aroth to be more along the lines of mutual cooperation¡­ rather than a rtionship based on fealty and obedience.¡± The king didn¡¯t have much involvement in the politics that governed Aroth. ¡°The ones that the Towers of Magic hold a deep connection with isn¡¯t the Royal Pce, but rather the Parliament. Since the Royal Pce has a Court Wizards Division, the wizards of the Towers of Magic are considered the matching power base of the Parliament. However, that doesn¡¯t mean that our two wizard organizations are in conflict with each other.¡± Aroth was at peace. There was no threat of civil war, and there were no enemies outside the kingdom either. After the end of the war three hundred years ago, the whole continent was at peace. It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t a few civil wars or wars fought between small countries, but there had never been a war as great as the one from three hundred years ago. ¡°Do you want to go and visit Abram?¡± Hera tilted her head and asked upon seeing Eugene continuing to gaze over at Abram. ¡°I¡¯m just staring because it¡¯s so amazing,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°After all, it isn¡¯t a ce I can visit just because I want to, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how it is. Because only great nobles and Tower Masters are allowed to visit Abram¡­. Ah, but if it¡¯s you, Sir Eugene, you might be able to go there.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m a Lionheart?¡± ¡°That¡¯s part of it, but if you do receive permission to enter Akron, you may also receive a summons from the Royal Pce. I¡¯ve never been there myself, but I¡¯ve heard about it from Head Wizard Lovellian,¡± as she said this, Hera led the way forward. ¡°It¡¯s not my ce to tell you about it. You¡¯ll probably hear all the details regarding that from Lovellianter today.¡± Together with Hera, Eugene entered Akron. As an attraction of such significance, it should have been crowded with tourists, but the area around Akron was empty without a single tourist to be found. This was because of the massive entrance fee. It was also impossible to approach the vicinity of Akron without obtaining prior permission. This permission also only allowed ess up to the first floor. From the second floor onwards, it was impossible to even step foot in them without an entrance pass. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be heading back now,¡± Hera stated. Hera did not possess an entrance pass. Since she was unable to lead him any further, she just nodded her head at Eugene. She encouraged him, ¡°Sir Eugene, don¡¯t be too nervous¡­. Good luck!¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Eugene epted her good wishes. Eugene grinned as he pumped his fist in response to her cheer. This was the Royal Library, Akron. Although the Red Tower Master and the ck Tower Master may have written him letters of rmendation, the other three Tower Masters had questioned Eugene¡¯s qualifications to earn an entrance pass into Akron. He might be a member of the Lionheart n left by the Great Vermouth, but no matter how great the hero¡¯s descendants were, in the end, wasn¡¯t Eugene just a young man without a firm grasp of magic? Akron was not such an easy ce to allow you entry with just a letter of rmendation. This was the ce where Aroth¡¯s magical history, as well as the Wise Sienna¡¯s distilled wisdom, was kept. ¡°My name is Eugene Lionheart,¡± he dered. He was in a spacious room on the first floor. As soon as Eugene entered, he bowed his head deeply. Lovellian and Balzac, along with the rest of the five Tower Masters, stared down at Eugene. But they weren¡¯t the only ones. Both the Chief of the Royal Pce¡¯s Court Wizard Division and the Guild Head of the Wizard¡¯s Guild were there as well. ¡°Raise your head,¡± a voice called out. A young man who was only a few years older than Eugene was sitting calmly amid all these giant movers and shakers of Aroth. ¡°Since a few years ago, your name has often reached my ears. I had hoped that I might be able to meet with you at some point, but I truly didn¡¯t expect that we would meet in a ce like this.¡± Honein Abram, the Crown Prince of Aroth, smiled down at Eugene. Chapter 42.1 Chapter 42.1 Eugene looked up at the Crown Prince, who was only four years older than him. Honein wasn¡¯t just the Crown Prince of Aroth; he was also an excellent wizard in his own right. ¡®He¡¯s a Fifth Circle wizard,¡¯Eugene recalled. From generation to generation, the royal family of Aroth continued to produce excellent wizards. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that they had continued to improve their bloodline¡¯s affinity for magic over the course of hundreds of years. And even among all those specially cultivated talents, Honein was particrly excellent. Every member of Aroth¡¯s royal family was introduced to magic from an early age, but Honein was the first to have reached the Fifth Circle before even reaching adulthood. He was a certified genius. Even Eugene was familiar with the stories surrounding Honein. After all, he was the Crown Prince who was first in line to seed the throne. Although Eugene had been warned by Hera in advance, it still felt strange to face this handsome prince in person. Eugene contemted,¡®I only met with royalty a few times even in my previous life, but since I¡¯ve been reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant, I get to meet a member of royalty when I¡¯m just seventeen.¡¯ Hedidn¡¯t really have any ties to royalty in his previous life. Although Vermouth was often called here and there, the orphaned Hamel didn¡¯t receive many invitations, and it had beenmon for him to ignore the few invitations that he did receive. ¡°Do you know the reason why you¡¯re here?¡± The one who spat out this question and marked the beginning of the interview was an uptight-looking wizard. He was the Blue Tower Master. Although he appeared to be middle-aged, his actual age should be much older than that. He red down at Eugene with eyes full of dissatisfaction and irritation. The Blue Tower Master continued, ¡°Eugene Lionheart, I¡¯ve heard many rumors about you, but for you to arrive here¡­. Both the Red Tower Master and the ck Tower Master have been praising you to the point that it seems like exaggeration.¡± The Blue Tower Master then looked at Lovellian and Balzac with narrowed eyes. As they felt his gaze turned towards them, Balzac just shook his head with a faint smile while Lovellian snorted. ¡°Ah, but of course, I¡¯m well aware of the fact that you are astounding, to the point where that criminal brother of yours can¡¯t evenpare,¡± the Blue Tower Master conceded. ¡°However¡­ being able to swing a weapon and emit sword-force, isn¡¯t thatpletely different from being good at magic?¡± The Blue Tower Master did not appreciate being put in this situation. The one facing him was just a seventeen-year-old kid. On top of that, Eugene was just a baby chick who had only just started practicing magic a few months ago. A kid like that had been able to get letters of rmendation from two Tower Masters and was now in front of a panel who would decide whether or not to bestow him with permission to enter Akron. The Blue Tower Master absolutely could not ept or even acknowledge such an embarrassment. No matter how he looked at it, this seemed to be a case of solicitation. Irrespective of how talented a seventeen-year-old kid who had just started learning magic a few months ago was, he couldn¡¯t be all that great, could he? Of course, he recognized the fact that Eugene had talent, but that wasn¡¯t enough for him to ept the idea that Eugene deserved an entry permit into Akron. Currently, there weren¡¯t just a few wizards in Aroth who had been called geniuses when they were young. All wizards permitted to enter a tower of magic must have been called a genius at least or twice in their youth. They were all diamonds in the rough with overflowing talent. Even wizards like that would eagerly waitdecadesjust for a chance to enter Akron, but a brat like Eugene, who couldn¡¯t be considered more than a young chick in terms of his aplishments in magic, was in the running for entry into Akron? No matter how much the Blue Tower Master thought about this, this felt ufortably like favoritism. ¡®The Red Tower Master has long been friends with the Lionheart¡¯s Patriarch, and as for the ck Tower Master¡­ I would have to guess that he wants to use this shameful affair as a chance to better his rtionship with the Lionheart n,¡¯the Blue Tower Master spected. After all, wasn¡¯t the timing of this offer too perfect to be true? Just as Eward, the eldest son of the Lionheart family, had failed to make much in the way of achievements, Eugene had arrived, and letters of rmendation had been written for him shortly thereafter. The Blue Tower Master wasn¡¯t the only one thinking something along those lines. Although the Green Tower Master and White Tower Master weren¡¯t showing it, they also didn¡¯t appreciate being called to participate in this sham. ¡°I understand what you are trying to say, but what do I need to do to prove that I am worthy?¡± Eugene asked without showing any hesitation. Then, as if he had been waiting for this, Lovellian spoke up, ¡°All you need to do is show us your magic.¡± Eugene confirmed, ¡°Is that really all you need?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lovellian said with a nod before turning to look at the other Tower Masters. ¡°If you could cast a spell in front of us, Sir Eugene, these famous wizards who have gathered here today will take the chance to examine your skill in magic.¡± The Blue Tower Masterined, ¡°Usually, we would look at the results of your research and the papers that you have worked on. But since you¡¯ve never done any research, let alone worked on a thesis, I guessthat willjust have todo.¡± Lovellian narrowed his eyes at the grumbling from the Blue Tower Master. Although Lovellian understood the Blue Tower Master¡¯s displeasure, he was offended by how his fellow Head Wizard kept openly showing him such disrespect in this formal setting. ¡°If that¡¯s what you need,¡± Eugene slowly nodded his head in eptance. Eugene had already prepared himself for the fact that he wouldn¡¯t always be treated favorably, so he didn¡¯t take offense from the Blue Tower Master¡¯s rudeness. Taking a deep breath, Eugene drew on his mana. As the Stars around his heart began to shine, all the wizards in the room were staring at Eugene with calm expressions. Their eyes weren¡¯t focused on Eugene¡¯s body but instead on the movements of his mana within his body. Honein, who wasn¡¯t unable to see such things with his own abilities, lowered a pair of thin sses onto the bridge of his nose. After a few moments, Honein¡¯s lips parted, and he released an appreciative hum, ¡°¡­Hm¡­.¡± The Blue Tower Master¡¯s expression shifted. Indeed, Eugene certainly wasn¡¯t using a Circle, but he wasn¡¯t just using a Core either. Eugene was using all three of the Stars generated by the Lionheart main family¡¯s White me Form. As the three Stars resonated with each other, they gathered Eugene¡¯s mana and amplified it. Brilliant white mes engulfed Eugene¡¯s body. Up until this point, there wasn¡¯t anything particrly remarkable. Then, the moment that the White me Form began operating in earnest, the movements of the Cores began to change. The resonating Stars started to rotate in an interlocked pattern. Like this, the three Stars became one Circle. ¡®It¡¯s a Circle.¡¯ ¡®So the Cores and Circles aren¡¯t separate from each other. By making the different Cores resonate with each other, they form one Circle¡­.¡¯ Eugene had only created a single Circle. But not a single wizard here believed that to be just a simple First Circle. ¡®The density of his mana¡­ it¡¯s ridiculous.¡¯ ¡®Although he¡¯s been training his mana for several years now, this is¡­. No, that just makes it even more unbelievable. Eugene Lionheart has only been training his mana for four years now.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know about his talents for martial arts, but they do say he was born with a talent for mana control.¡¯ ¡®But that still isn¡¯t enough,¡¯the Blue Tower Master judged, his eyes growing cold.¡®Having excellent mana control is apletely different matter from having an excellent understanding of magic.¡¯ You couldn¡¯t be an Archwizard just because you had great control over mana. The description of ¡®Great¡¯ in front of the name Vermouth Lionheart and the title attached to him as the ¡®Master-of-All,¡¯ was because he had risen to a never-before-seen level not just in martial arts but also in magic. Combining the Core and the Circle was extremely wasteful in terms of mana. Although many people in this world called themselves magic swordsmen, most of these magic swordsmen were only of so-so strength if you considered their martial arts and magic separately. It had been three hundred years since the time of the Great Vermouth. Since then, there had been many talented individuals in the Lionheart¡¯s direct line, but not a single person among them had shown the same level of prowess in magic as they had in the martial arts. Their ability to use the mana from their Cores to create sword-light and sword-force, and their skill at handling weapons, did not present any great advantage when plumbing magic¡¯s infinite depths. The opposite was also true. Among those Archwizards whose names had gone down in history, not a single one had been good at fighting while personally swinging a weapon in closebat. Even if the mana control required by both was simr, martial arts and magic were always meant to be two separate disciplines. One by one, Eugene showed off all the spells that he could cast. The white mes of the White me Form transformed into a de of wind and then into a red fireball. For a moment, it looked as if the fireball was about to dissipate, only to reform as dozens of bullets, then the bullets united as one to form an elongated de. During the transformation process of his magic, Eugene never once uttered an incantation. And there was no wastage of mana, even when the magic was broken down to be reformed. Instead, all of the mana that had been used for the first spell was saved to be used in the next spell. The Green Tower Master, who had been watching silently, asked, ¡°¡­Are you able to use magic and sword-light simultaneously?¡± Instead of replying immediately, Eugene directly showed it to them. Without stopping the transformation of his magic, he extended his right hand forwards. There was no need for him to pull out a sword or some other weapon. Instead, the mes of the White me Form were concentrated in his right hand and became a de of pure mana. Its appearance was enough to finally astonish the wizards watching him. His Circle hadn¡¯t copsed. While using a Core in ce of a Circle, he had still been able to use it as a Core as well. Since it hade to this, the Blue Tower Master¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t help but harden. Was it really possible to construct a working mechanism from the parts of twopletely different machines? And not just their appearance; could he really have fullybined their functions as well? Even if it were possible, how could a boy who had only been practicing magic for a few months have been the one to do it? ¡®And incantation-less at that.¡¯ Eugene had used mental calctions to link his techniques and his will alone to activate them. This meant that he must have fullyprehended all the magic he had learned. The Blue Tower Master let out a lowgroan of frustrated admiration. Chapter 42.2 Chapter 42.2 Lovellian turned his head to him with a proud smile and asked, ¡°How is he?¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± the Blue Tower Master fumbled for a reply. Lovellian confessed, ¡°I¡¯ve also often heard that I was a prodigy ever since I was a child, but even I wasn¡¯t able to use magic as wes he does when I was only two months into practicing magic.¡± Lovellian wasn¡¯t the only one that this applied to. All of the Tower Masters had been called geniuses since a young age, and they all held pride in their overflowing passion and talent for magic. However, none of them had been able to control their magic as well as Eugene did when they were at his age and experience level. ¡°¡­I think we need to hold a discussion,¡± the Green Tower Master murmured. The Blue Tower Master just nodded without further argument, ¡°I guess we do. Sir Eugene, would you be willing to wait outside for a few minutes?¡± ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Eugene obediently replied. ¡°It won¡¯t take that long. Although you¡¯re not allowed to go to any of the other floors¡­ since there are a lot of interesting sights on the first floor, please spend some time taking a look around.¡± Eugene bowed his head and left the room. Right afterward, the Blue Tower Master turned towards Lovellian and asked, ¡°Red Tower Master, are you sure that you haven¡¯t given him any guidance whatsoever?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I already said it so many times? I haven¡¯t given Eugene any sort of guidance,¡± denied Lovellian. ¡°Then I just can¡¯t understand it. If what you¡¯re saying is true, that means Eugene Lionheart reached such a level just through self-study, without anyone else guiding him.¡± ¡°He diligently read all sorts of books,¡± Lovellian added. ¡°That just makes it even harder to understand. I have no intention of denigrating the quality of the magic books possessed by the Red Tower of Magic, but didn¡¯t you say that the only magic books that Eugene Lionheart read were the introductory texts on magic?¡± Shaking his head, the Blue Tower Master continued speaking, ¡°Having only studied such introductory books on magic¡­ could he really have reached such an understanding of magic?¡± ¡°He is a Lionheart, after all,¡± the one who spoke up this time was Honein, the Crown Prince of Aroth. He stared at the door that Eugene had closed behind him as he left with shining eyes and continued, ¡°Someone from the Lionheart n of the Kiehl Empire. A descendant of the Great Vermouth. Everyone on the continent knows just how superb their ¡®bloodline¡¯ is, right?¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± came murmurs of agreement. ¡°But Crown Prince, isn¡¯t Eugene Lionheart just an adopted child who hasn¡¯t inherited the blood of the direct line?¡± one of the panel members argued. ¡°That might be the case, but isn¡¯t his surname still Lionheart? Even though hees from a distant coteral line, Eugene Lioheart¡¯s genius is truly indisputable. At least, that¡¯s how it appears tome.¡±As he took off his sses, Honein turned towards the others and asked, ¡°What do you all think? I feel like we have met an indescribable genius in Eugene Lionheart. I believe that he deserves to enter Akron.¡± ¡°¡­.But he¡¯s far too young,¡± the Guild Head, who had been listening silently, suddenly spoke up. ¡°I can¡¯t help but acknowledge Eugene Lionheart¡¯s genius, but setting his ingenuity aside, he¡¯s too young, and his level of magic is still too low.¡± ¡°For now, it is,¡± the ck Tower Master, Balzac, interjected. ¡°But that¡¯s why I believe that now, more than ever, is an important time for him. If Eugene enters Akron now, his magic will be able to develop rapidly.¡± ¡°But the main question is whether there is even any need to provide him with such a convenience,¡± the Green Tower Master said as he shook his head. ¡°The younger he is, the more reason why we shouldn¡¯t rush him into anything. Since we also need to consider Akron¡¯s prestige, as long as the Red Tower Master guides him personally for the next few years¡­ there shouldn¡¯t be any problem with waiting for him to reach a level that makes it impossible for anyone to object before allowing him free entry into Akron.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that there¡¯s any need to procrastinate like that,¡± Honein argued with his arms crossed defensively. ¡°With the talent that he¡¯s shown us today, Eugene Lionheart will be an outstanding wizard even without any special guidance. Although I wonder if hismagic formcould also be ssified into Circles¡­. If I had to guess, then I believe that he¡¯ll be able to cast spells at the Fourth Circle without too much trouble before he even bes an adult.¡± ¡°At the very least¡ª¡± the one who spoke up this time was the only woman on this panel, the White Tower Master. As she twisted strands of her curly hair between her fingers, she continued speaking, ¡°¡ªthe spells that the Lionheart kid cast just now¡­ although they were all First Circle spells, their power far exceeded that of the First Circle. You all felt that, right?¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± came another hum of agreement. The White Tower Master added, ¡°Apart from the purity of his mana and the sophistication of his spell structures¡­ what was particrly surprising was the cohesion of his mana. Although I would need to attempt it personally in order to confirm it, I believe that even a dispel at the level of a Fourth Circle wouldn¡¯t be able to dispel that kid¡¯s magic.¡± ¡°I would agree,¡± Lovellian nodded his head with a soft smile. ¡°¡­I think that it would be good to consider this as an investment,¡± after exchanging a look with Honein, the Chief of the Court Wizards had broken his silence. ¡°He¡¯s a seventeen-year-old with outstanding talent who was adopted into the Lionheart¡¯s main family. Although he¡¯s young, and his skills aren¡¯t quite up there, isn¡¯t he overflowing with potential? In any case, if his age and skills were enough, there would be no questions about allowing him to enter Akron, so why don¡¯t we issue the entrance permit in advance so that we can build a friendly rtionship with him.¡± One of the others objected, ¡°Is there a need for that? We already have quite the amicable rtionship with the Lionheart n anyways.¡± The Chief argued, ¡°I believe that it would be a worthwhile investment to be owed a personal favor from Eugene Lionheart, not just the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°¡­But even if that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s not like he¡¯ll be able to be the Patriarch, no?¡± the Green Tower Master murmured with a slight frown. At this, Balzac shrugged his shoulders with a grin and said, ¡°Of course, that should be the case. Because no matter how amazing his skills are, Sir Eugene is still an adopted child. The Patriarch¡­ will probably be one of the main family¡¯s twins.¡± ¡°Cyan Lionheart?¡± someone recalled his name. ¡°Yes. By order of inheritance, Eward Lionheart should have the advantage, but due to thetest unfortunate incident¡­. Since his skills were also quitecking, it seems that Eward will have no choice but to be pushed out of the race for session.¡± ¡°Even if Eugene Lionheart is unable to be the Patriarch, his position in the main family will by no means be small. The Lionheart¡¯s Second Madam seems to be well aware of this fact.¡± ¡°Instead, it is because he is unable to be the Patriarch that I believe it would be well worth it to invest in Eugene Lionheart,¡± as he made his argument, the Chief of the Court Wizards turned to look at the Tower Masters and the Guild Head with calm eyes. ¡°Someday, Eugene Lionheart will have no choice but to leave the main estate. Should he wish to get married and have children, it is a rule of the Lionheart n that he must leave to be independent of the main family.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you want to invite him to Aroth at that point?¡± someone asked. ¡°Since he is sure to have the skills needed to qualify for an important position by that point, I don¡¯t believe that there is anything wrong with making preparations in advance,¡± the Chief concluded. ¡°Even if he doesn¡¯t be independent, I think there will be enough value in having him owe us a favor. As long as he doesn¡¯t be the Patriarch, he will have just as much freedom to act as always, and if he doesn¡¯t forget Aroth¡¯s kindness, he is sure to be a strong ally someday.¡± Three people had expressed their disagreement with issuing Eugene an entry pass to Akron: the Blue Tower Master, the Green Tower Master, and the Head of the Wizard¡¯s Guild. However, as the discussion progressed, they couldn¡¯t help but be persuaded little by little. That was just how extraordinary the genius that Eugene had shown them was. They couldn¡¯t help but feel pure curiosity. Even though he had only been practicing magic for a few months, he was already that amazing, so if he were introduced to the astounding magic in Akron¡­ just how far could he develop his own magic? If he wasn¡¯t limited to self-study and received guidance in magic from a proper teacher¡­. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that he also showed overwhelming results in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony four years ago,¡± Balzac mentioned as he stared at the closed door to the room. ¡°Even the Lionheart¡¯s direct line was forced to recognize his talent. If he receives Aroth¡¯s support on top of that¡­ we might even be able to say that we contributed to the seconding of the Great Vermouth.¡± ¡°Haha¡­,¡± the Green Tower Master unconsciously released a chuckle at these words. The seconding of the Great Vermouth? He felt amused that the one who said this was the ck Tower Master. Eventually, the Green Tower Mastermented, ¡°¡­I can¡¯t help but feel that you¡¯re far too generous with yourpliments. Balzac Ludbeth, are those words truly yours?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Balzac asked. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Demon King of Incarceration who you¡¯ve contracted yourself to. I only wanted to know whether his influence is coloring your words,¡± the Green Tower Master exined. ¡°Hahaha,¡± Balzac burst outughing as he lowered his sses. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration is far too busy with Helmuth¡¯s affairs. Furthermore¡­if Iwas really trying to convey the will of the Demon King of Incarceration, I wouldn¡¯t have made my argument in such a fashion. I would have pushed even harder and more forcefully.¡± ¡°Forcefully?¡± the Green Tower Master¡¯s eyes cooled considerably. It wasn¡¯t just the Green Tower Master who showed such a reaction. Balzac just let the hostility sent in his direction flow over him as he shrugged and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry if my words sounded offensive, but the weight that the will of the Demon King has on me is far more absolute than anything else.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think that lets you off the hook,¡± the White Tower Master said with a snort as she got up. ¡°In any case, it doesn¡¯t feel like we¡¯ll be able to achieveplete unanimity with our differing opinions. So instead, why don¡¯t we leave it up to a majority vote? Because the longer that our argumentgoeson, the more bored that kid waiting outside will get.¡± ¡°That would be for the better,¡± Honein agreed with a smile. ¡°I am in favor of issuing Eugene Lionheart with a permit to enter Akron.¡± Chapter 43.1 Chapter 43.1 This was the first floor of Akron. The entire history of Aroth and Akron covered one wall of this wide-open hall, and quite a few stories rted to Sienna were recorded among the rest of the history. This Royal Library not only stored several grimoires of immense value, but on the upper floors, it also kept the various vestiges left by those legendary Archwizards who had left their names in the history of magic. ¡®For being a library, this ce also really resembles a museum,¡¯Eugene thought. Eugene stood and read what was written on the wall with his hands behind his back. Just as expected, what Eugene found the most interesting were the contents about Sienna. Sienna¡¯s vestiges were stored on floors twelve to fourteen. Among all the Archwizards whose names were recorded in Akron¡¯s list of prominent figures, Sienna was the only one with three floors dedicated all to herself. That was just how much of a role the name ¡®Sienna Merdein¡¯ had yed in the history of Aroth¡ªno, in the history of magic. She was the Archwizard who had faced off against the Demon Kings together with the Great Vermouth. Vermouth hadn¡¯t really contributed much to the further development of magic, but Sienna had settled in Aroth and spent a long time as the Green Tower Master. She had established the Circles magic form[1]and allowed it to spread so that countless wizards could learn from it. ¡®She really was working hard all her life,¡¯Eugene thought with a wry smile as he read the list of Sienna¡¯s aplishments.¡®But it really doesn¡¯t suit her.¡¯ Live an ordinary life, get married like everyone else, have a child, live peacefully, and be a grandmother; that was what Sienna had told Hamel she wanted to do when she retired. Despite having said that, Sienna had spent her entire life alone. While he was at the Red Tower of Magic, Eugene had found various books written about Sienna, but even though she had lived in Aroth for nearly a hundred years, she didn¡¯t seem to have had even the slightest scandal in all that time. Although she was known as the Wise Sienna, several of Aroth¡¯s history books had given Sienna a different title: the Seeker of Truth[2]. Sienna had lived alone her whole life, without consuming any alcohol or living a life of luxury, and she had spent most of her time in either the Green Tower of Magic or her mansion. She never met with any of her three disciples privately outside of the Tower of Magic, and she had never made any appearances at events like parties either. But these anecdotes about Sienna bore no resemnce to the Sienna that Eugene remembered. ording to Hamel¡¯s memories, Sienna had enjoyed drinking. Although it wasn¡¯t to the same extent as Anise, throughout their trip, Sienna would constantly steal Anise¡¯s holy water and drink some as she listened to thetest gossip. Sienna had also loved ying around. She loved drinking and chatting with the mercenaries staying in cheap taverns, and she also enjoyed talking to strangers. How could Sienna, with her lively personality, have lived such an ascetic life for this long period of nearly a hundred years, to the extent where she came to be called a Seeker of Truth? Eugene absolutely couldn¡¯t believe such a fact. ¡°Hey, kid,¡± a voice called out. Caught in the midst of reading Sienna¡¯s records over and over again with a frown on his face, Eugene turned to see the White Tower Master, who was smiling as she twisted strands of her curly hair between her fingers. ¡°What are you reading so intently?¡± she asked. ¡°Is there a wizard that you¡¯re interested in?¡± Instead of answering the question, Eugene asked about something else, ¡°Is the discussion over?¡± Behind the White Tower Master, the other wizards were walking out of the room. The White Tower Master nodded, ¡°Mhm, it¡¯s over. We didn¡¯t keep you waiting for too long, did we?¡± ¡°It was actually far quicker than I expected it to be,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°If we were forced toe to a unanimous opinion, even the whole day wouldn¡¯t have been enough.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how did you reach a conclusion?¡± ¡°We held a majority vote, of course.¡± With a grin, the White Tower Master turned and looked backward. ¡°Five people approved your entry, two people opposed it, and one abstained,¡± she revealed. Eugene responded, ¡°That was more support than I had expected.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about who approved, who opposed, and who abstained?¡± ¡°As long as I know that more people approved than opposed, I¡¯m fine with that. If that¡¯s the case, then am I allowed to go to the upper floors now?¡± ¡°Mhm, you¡¯re allowed. After all, that is what the majority vote decided. Hah, since it looks like you aren¡¯t all that curious, allow me to just tell you. I¡¯m the one who abstained.¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes widened at these words. From the way she had walked over and started speaking to him in a friendly tone, he had been sure that she was one of those who had approved his entry. While Eugene tilted his head in confusion, the White Tower Master giggled as she looked at him. ¡°From the atmosphere in the room, it felt like there would be a lot of people voting for you in any case, so I didn¡¯t feel like the oue would change just because I abstained,¡± she exined. ¡°Oh, but there¡¯s no need to worry. Although I may have abstained, I¡¯m not opposed to you entering Akron.¡± ¡°But no matter your reasoning, you didn¡¯t approve my entry either,¡± Eugene refuted. ¡°That may be the case. The truth is, I felt a bit ambivalent about it. You might be overflowing with talent and full of potential. However, isn¡¯t it just a fact that you¡¯re still a bit too young?¡± as she said this, the White Tower Master lowered her voice. Then, leaning over slightly towards Eugene, she whispered quietly, ¡°And besides. The crucial point is that if I showed my support to either side through my vote, I would just get caught up in an annoying argument. You can see it in their faces, right? They all still look upset¡­. Even though the majority vote has already been cast, and a conclusion has been reached, they¡¯ll just change the location and start arguing once more.¡± ¡°And what about you, White Tower Master?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Since I abstained, I don¡¯t need to care about it. I can just tell them honestly that I won¡¯t change my neutral position no matter what they want me to hear.¡± After straightening up once more, the White Tower Master waved her hand toward the other wizards. The only person who showed any reaction was the Blue Tower Master, who still had the uptight look on his face. After shooting a disgusted expression at the White Tower Master, he sighed deeply and made his way out of Akron. The White Tower Master suddenly said, ¡°The Blue Tower Master approved.¡± Eugene was slow to respond, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about your permission to enter Akron. At first, he was opposed to it, but he seemed to have changed his mind along the way.¡± Eugene felt surprised at these words. From the moment he had entered the room, the Blue Tower Master seemed the most tantly dissatisfied with his presence, but it seemed that the Tower Master had ultimately changed his opinion. ¡°Now then, dum-dum-dum. Who do you think the two opposing parties were?¡± the White Tower Master asked. ¡°I said that I wasn¡¯t curious,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°It was the Green Tower Master and the Head of the Wizard¡¯s Guild.¡± ¡°Why are you still telling me this when I¡¯ve said that I¡¯m not curious about it?¡± ¡°Are you really seventeen years old? What¡¯s with that cold reaction? Shouldn¡¯t you be more upset and frustrated?¡± ¡°What is there to be upset and frustrated about?¡± ¡°¡®How dare they ignore the prestige of the Lionheart¡¯s direct line?¡¯ Don¡¯t you have any feelings of offended elitism?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Is it because you feel like you¡¯re just from a coteral branch, after all?¡± ¡°Hah, it¡¯s not like that,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just, why should I show any elitism? How disgusting would it be for me toe all this way to a foreign country, only to get drunk on such nonsense.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about your older brother, right?¡± the White Tower Master asked with a mischievous smile. Eugene looked confused for a moment, and then red at the White Tower Master. The White Tower Master¡¯s name was Melkith El-Hayah. Even Eugene had heard about her. She was known as the best Spirit Summoner of their time. She was the first person in history to have signed a contract with two Spirit Kings at the same time. Not only was she skilled in Spirit magic, but she was also a great wizard who had reached the level of being called an Archwizard in general magic as well. ¡°You really do keep saying things that I don¡¯t want to listen to. Do you have some kind of grudge against me?¡± Eugene probed. ¡°Nope,¡± Melkith denied it. ¡°Then, do you have any ill feelings for the other wizards?¡± ¡°No way. Do you really think that the words I said just now were an attempt to stoke bad blood between you and the others? Yeesh, it¡¯s nothing like that. What would I get from poisoning your impressions of them?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why are you telling me all this?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m interested.¡± With a grin, Melkith pointed at the Storm Sword Wynnyd, which was hanging at Eugene¡¯s waist, ¡°I know what that sword is. It¡¯s a treasure of the Lionheart n, the Storm Sword Wynnyd. I¡¯ve heard that that sword has even been blessed with the protection of the Wind Spirit King?¡± Eugene confirmed it, ¡°Yep, so what about it?¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m interested in you as well, I¡¯m even more interested in that sword of yours. For a long time now, I¡¯ve always wanted to sign a contract with the Spirit King of the Wind, but¡­. he seems to be such a proud person that, no matter how many times I try to summon him, he just won¡¯t appear.¡± ¡°From what I¡¯m aware of, Head Wizard, haven¡¯t you already signed a contract with two Spirit Kings? Aren¡¯t those two enough to satisfy you?¡± ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not enough.¡± 1. Circles magic form was previously tranted as Circles magic system. We changed this to form when OBW realized that ¡°form¡± was a better trantion than ¡°system.¡±? 2. A term usually used to describe someone who seeks the Buddhist path to enlightenment through ascetic training. A Western equivalent may be the hermits who live in poverty.? Chapter 43.2 Chapter 43.2 Melkith was staring at Wynnyd with sparkling eyes. It looked as if she was just about to run over and try to tear it from him. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying really hard, you know?¡± Melkith whined. ¡°I¡¯ve even begged the Lightning Spirit King and the Earth Spirit King, but they¡¯ve told me that the Wind Spirit King won¡¯t sign a contract with anyone. That¡¯s why I sent such an earnest letter to the Lionheart¡¯s main family, begging to borrow Wynnyd, but do you know what they sent back in their reply?¡± Ignoring her question, Eugene asked, ¡°Is it alright for me to head upstairs?¡± ¡°They said that the treasures of the main family can never be lent to outsiders. Petty bastards, it¡¯s like they think I might take Wynnyd and go into hiding with it. I just want to use it as a catalyst of a contract, so whydo they have to beso stubborn about obstructing me,¡± Melkithined. Eugene sighed, ¡°Hey, no matter what you tell me, I have no intention of loaning Wynnyd to you, Head Wizard. Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not like I own Wynnyd. I¡¯m borrowing it with the Patriarch¡¯s permission.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I won¡¯t tell anyone,¡± Melkith promised. ¡°You can just lend it to me for a few moments. It probably won¡¯t take that long? Just a day at the most.If you want, you can even watch as I use it.¡± In fact, this proposition was quite appealing to Eugene. Vermouth had died, and although Sienna appeared to be alive, she wasn¡¯t in a state where she could speak to him as she seemed to be sealed away somewhere in this vast world. As for Anise? Having be a pilgrim, her tracks had been cut off two hundred years ago, and the whereabouts of Molon, that bastard, were simrly unknown. In this current era, only the Wind Spirit King, Tempest, knew the full story of what had happened three hundred years ago in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. Of course, Tempest had yed innocent, iming that he didn¡¯t know anything, but Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t believe those words. Eugene cursed internally,¡®That son of a bitch, his fat ass must have gotten pretty damn heavy over the years since he won¡¯te out no matter how many times I call him.¡¯ During these past four years, Eugene had attempted to summon Tempest several times. Every time he had reached the next star in the White me Form and every time his mana capacity had increased. Although he¡¯d even attempted to use his contracted sylphs to reach out to the Wind Spirit King, Tempest had never once responded to any of his summons. ¡®With the amount of mana I currently have, I still can¡¯t summon Tempest,¡¯Eugene calcted. However, Melkith might be able to summon him. Wouldn¡¯t she also have the necessary qualifications as well? Amongst the Spirit Summoners who had made a name for themselves on this continent, Melkith was the only one who had made a contract with two Spirit Kings at the same time. Although he hadn¡¯t appeared whenever she had tried to summon him up until now, if Wynnyd was used as the catalyst, who knew how Tempest might react. Melkith tried to keep Eugene from leaving, ¡°Kid, where are you going? I haven¡¯t finished talking to you yet.¡± Eugene just asked, ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no point in listening any longer, so why should I stick around?¡± Although he had his hopes up for it, Eugene wasn¡¯t going to show a positive reaction to Melkith¡¯s proposal just yet. Rather than allowing her to simply grab onto the bait, it was better to tease the line a bit to see if he was able to draw in a bigger catch. ¡°I asked, where are you going?¡± Melkith insisted. ¡°I¡¯m heading up,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that I¡¯d been given permission to enter? Or do I still need something like an entry pass?¡± ¡°If you go over there and ask for one, they¡¯ll give it to you,¡± Melkith surprisingly answered his question immediately. Eugene headed over to the door that she had pointed out. Even a ce like Akron had a Library Director. Although he was called the Director, he was actually just a public servant who wasn¡¯t allowed to enter the upper floors and merely managed thefamiliars[1]responsible for the maintenance. The elderly wizard currently filling the position immediately opened the door at the sound of Eugene¡¯s knock. ¡°I¡¯ve already heard the news,¡± the Head Librarian stated before Eugene could say anything. It didn¡¯t take long for his entry pass to be issued. Akron¡¯s seal was stamped on the back of Eugene¡¯s identity card, and that was all there was to it. ¡°If I had tried to go up without this entry pass, what would have happened to me?¡± Eugene asked out of curiosity. ¡°You would die,¡± the Director casually replied, as if it was only natural. ¡°First of all, Akron¡¯s interception magic would pierce through your entire body, and if that wasn¡¯t enough to kill you, all of Akron¡¯s familiars would be put into attack mode. Although before that happened, the wizards with entry passes into Akron would have been dispatched to stop you.¡± ¡°Did you know? The familiars who work here were all left behind by the Archwizards whose names have been written on Akron¡¯s wall,¡± this fact came from Melkith, who had yet to leave Eugene¡¯s side. As she gazed at Wynnyd with greedy eyes, she continued speaking, ¡°This, of course, includes those belonging to the Magic King who founded Aroth, a few from the Battlemage who was called the Father of Battle Magic, and familiars which belonged to the Wise Sienna as well.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene stayed silent. ¡°Kid, your reactions really are nd. Don¡¯t you have a tremendous amount of interest in Lady Sienna?¡± Melkith asked with a half-smile. ¡°I saw everything earlier. You were reading the records belonging to Lady Sienna over and over again. On your first day in Aroth, you headed straight to Lady Sienna¡¯s mansion for a tour, andst time, you even met with your friend from a different coteral branch at Merdein Square.¡± ¡°Why do you know so much about my activities?¡± Eugene asked, disturbed. Melkith teased him, ¡°It seems that you¡¯re not too aware of it, kid, but you¡¯re actually really famous.¡± ¡°Of course, I know I¡¯m famous,¡± Eugene replied with a snort. ¡°Your personality is a little¡­ unlike your appearance. It¡¯scking in charm.¡± ¡°What do you mean by saying it¡¯s unlike my appearance?¡± ¡°You have a handsome face, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°So please just think of my rudeness as the cost of enjoying my good looks.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a littlecking. You really aren¡¯t charming at all.¡± ¡°But why do you keep calling me a kid?¡± ¡°I¡¯m calling you a kid because you are one. Aren¡¯t you just seventeen years old? Phew, you still smell like breast milk.¡± ¡°There are some words running through my head right now, but I¡¯m not sure if I should spit them out.¡± ¡°What kind of words?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll just keep quiet. Since they feel a bit too rude to express during our first meeting.¡± There was no way that he was trying to say that she smelled like a granny, right? After gazing at Eugene speechlessly, Melkith sniffed her own body. ¡°I don¡¯t smell of anything,¡± she insisted. Eugene returned the favor, ¡°And I also don¡¯t give off the smell of milk.¡± ¡°Anyways, when are you going to lend me Wynnyd?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to lend it to you.¡± Ignoring Melkith, who was continuing to follow him, Eugene turned to look at his surroundings. He was just wondering if he needed to find some stairs in order to go to the upper floors, but then he spotted the elevator in the corner. Melkith helpfully exined, ¡°Do you see the hole beside the door? If you put your ID card in there, the door will open. You¡¯re going up to the twelfth floor, right?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°See, it seems like you really do like Lady Sienna a whole lot.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like her.¡± ¡°Could it be because you¡¯re just a young kid that you seem embarrassed by the strangest things? It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. This big sister understands everything. Children are usually like that, aren¡¯t they? Especially boys. They¡¯re never honest about saying that they like what they like, and that¡¯s exactly why they¡¯re so cute.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it going a bit too far to call yourself ¡®big sister¡¯?¡± ¡°You, just now, were you asking that because of my age?¡± ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, you are already over sixty years old.¡± Even if he added the years from his previous life to his current age, Melkith still had more years than him. Of course, going by Melkith¡¯s outer appearance, she looked like she was in her mid-twenties at most, but just because she kept her looks young didn¡¯t mean her true age got any younger. Melkith defended herself, ¡°When you¡¯re young at heart, why should age even matter? So don¡¯t be shy, and feel free to call me big sis.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t reply to these words. Instead, he ced his ID in the elevator¡¯s slot and lost himself in some irrelevant thoughts. If Sienna truly was alive and had lived all this time, that meant that her age had to be over three hundred years old. Eugene made a note to himself,¡®When we meet, I might have to call her a grandma.¡¯ Or it might be better to call her an undead rather than a grandma. Of course, if he really did say that in front of her, Sienna was sure to try to kill Eugene while oozing bloodlust. He would actually be very happy if that were to happen. With a wry smile, Eugene entered the elevator. Melkith didn¡¯t get onto the elevator with him. She stood outside the elevator and waved her hand at him with a grin. ¡°Come back soon,¡± she said. Eugene asked, ¡°You¡¯re not going to be waiting here for me, are you?¡± ¡°Even I¡¯m not such a free-willed person,¡± Melkith pouted. ¡°Although I actually want to go and take a look with you, ummm¡­. But if I¡¯m with you, I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to focus.¡± ¡°That would definitely be the case,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°Mhm, since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m not going with you. Although I won¡¯t get to see your shock when you face a glimpse of the truth¡­.Fufu, your first time is definitely the most intense.¡± As Melkith hid augh, she pointed at Eugene¡¯s lower body and said, ¡°It might be better for you if you wear a diaper?¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°You might just wet your pants a little.¡± It had been pointless to ask. With a deep frown, Eugene pressed the button for the twelfth, then he immediately pounded the button to close the door. The elevator climbed up. It didn¡¯t take that long for it to reach the twelfth floor. It would only be a slight exaggeration to say that he had arrived on the twelfth floor in the blink of an eye. Eugene was greeted by a voice saying, ¡°Wee to Sienna¡¯s hall.¡± As soon as the elevator doors opened, he was weed by a little girl looking up at Eugene with a broad smile. ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene¡¯s lips parted silently as he looked down at the girl. The girl, who appeared to be about ten years old, looked exactly like the Sienna that Eugene remembered. 1.These are the servants summoned or created by wizards to handle their chores.? Chapter 44.1 Chapter 44.1 While Eugene was lost for words, his mouth hanging open slightly, the young girl in front of him took off herrge hat and bowed her head deeply. ¡°Nice to meet you?¡± the girl hesitantly greeted him. ¡°¡­Oh¡­ u-um,¡± Eugene stammered. ¡°I am the familiar in charge of managing Sienna¡¯s Hall,¡± the girl said with a bright grin. Her smile shook free Eugene¡¯s memories. In his previous life, since they had all met each after bing young adults, Eugene had never seen Sienna as she was in her childhood. However, Eugene could see Sienna¡¯s childhood form in the familiar in front of him. With her light purple hair and an indescribably mischievous smile, although its age was a lot younger, the familiar looked just like Sienna. ¡°¡­A familiar?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°Yes!¡± the girl chirped in confirmation. ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­. Um¡­.¡± You really aren¡¯t Sienna? Eugene desperately suppressed his desire to ask such a question. Thinking of Sienna¡¯s illusion that he had met in the square in front of the bank, there was no way for this familiar in front of him to be Sienna herself. ¡°¡­What should I call you?¡± Eugene hesitantly asked as he examined the familiar. The short familiar¡¯s height was hovering around Eugene¡¯s waist. Thanks to that, Eugene had to bow his head slightly just to look at the familiar. ¡°Lady Sienna named me ¡®Mer,¡¯¡± the familiar dered. ¡°No way. Did she really name you Mer after the Mer in Merdein?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes! It¡¯s such a glorious name, don¡¯t you think?¡± while Mer replied with a bashful smile, Eugene could only snort in disbelief. Merdein was Sienna¡¯s surname. Having made a familiar in her own image, she had just ripped off the first half of her surname and attached it to the familiar as its name. ¡®What was she thinking?¡¯Eugene pondered. Hesitantly, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­Uh, I¡¯m just asking since I don¡¯t know much about your kind, but are familiars usually¡­ um¡­ as human-like as you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m special, of course,¡± Mer answered, her chin raised proudly. ¡°The one who made me was the Wise Sienna,panion of the Great Vermouth. The familiars found on the other floors aren¡¯t as special as I am.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± ¡°Yep! You haven¡¯t been to the other floors yet, right, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°How do you know my name? Are you really a familiar?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± What kind of nonsense was that? As Eugene stared at Mer with suspiciously peeled eyes, Mer could only put a bewildered expression on her face. ¡°Sir Eugene Lionheart, didn¡¯t you just now register your name with Akron on the first floor?¡± Mer reminded him. ¡°¡­So I did,¡± Eugene recalled. ¡°It isn¡¯t just me. All the familiars in this ce are linked to Akron¡¯s systems. We know exactly who is entering and exiting Akron at all times,¡± Mer creepily exined. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°So you were saying that you¡¯re a special case among familiars?¡± ¡°Yep!¡± Mer raised her chin once more and pulled a boastful expression as she exined, ¡°You can see it for yourself if you go to one of the other floors; the familiars there aren¡¯t as good at conversation as I am. They can only execute what was programmed into them when they were first created and respond to externalmands.¡± ¡°¡­And what about you?¡± ¡°I was created with the personality of my master, the Lady Sienna, as the basis.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it a taboo of magic to create a living being?¡± Eugene asked as he recalled the words he had heard at the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony a few years back. Why can¡¯t you create anything living? Eward, at that time, hadn¡¯t shown any interest in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, but his eyes had been shining brightly as he gazed upon Lovellian¡¯s magic. Unfortunately, even though Eward had held such interest in magic, he had still turned into such garbage after four years had passed. ¡°But I¡¯m not a living being,¡± Mer said in a tone that didn¡¯t have even a trace of uncertainty. ¡°Although it may look like I¡¯m alive, I don¡¯t have a soul like all living beings have. My body was created through Lady Sienna¡¯s magic, and as for my consciousness¡­.¡± Mer returned the hat to her head and turned to look behind her. Only then did Eugene also tear his gaze away from Mer to look ahead of him. Up ahead, he saw arge sphere of light floating in the room, with several orbiting rings slowly rotating around the sphere of light. ¡°It¡¯s in there,¡± Mer dered with a bright smile. Eugene stared nkly at the sphere. It was his first time seeing such a three-dimensional artwork. Even at first nce, it gave off a mysterious impression, but Eugene¡¯s senses detected an absurdly huge and borate arrangement of mana located within the sculpture. ¡°¡­What on earth is that?¡± Eugene eventually asked. Mer smiled, ¡°That¡¯s a great question!¡± Mer puffed out her chest and threw her shoulders back, tilting her head backward in the process and causing herrge hat, which was far bigger than her head, to also tilt backward. From the way her hat remained perched on her head despite looking like it could fall at any moment, it seemed like she was ustomed to making such movements. ¡°That is the distilled essence of all the magic that Lady Sienna developed over the course of her life. That is ¡®Witch Craft!¡¯¡± Mer revealed with a prideful cry. Eugene¡¯s jaw couldn¡¯t help but drop once more.This was Witch Craft? The grimoire that Sienna was said to have just finished writing before she disappeared and was said to have been divided into three volumes?! ¡°How does that look anything like a book?¡± Eugene protested. Mer sniffed, ¡°It¡¯s an outdated prejudice to say that a book should look like a book.¡± ¡°That just sounds like nonsense¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural that Sir Eugene doesn¡¯t understand it. After all, there¡¯s no way that Sir Eugene is capable of understanding Lady Sienna¡¯s magic when even the Tower Masters can¡¯tprehend it, right?¡± Mer¡¯s words were overflowing with pride, and her mischievous smile was full of confidence. And at the same time, her attitude subtly looked down upon the one facing her. She had said that she was based on Sienna¡¯s personality¡­. Indeed, Mer was very simr to Sienna in the way that she was annoying andcking in any charm. ¡°¡­You said that your creation was based on¡­ Lady Sienna¡¯s personality, right?¡± Eugene felt the need to confirm it. ¡°Yes!¡± Mer answered proudly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case¡­ um¡­ right up until she disappeared, was Lady Sienna¡¯s character simr to yours?¡± Eugene recalled the appearance of Sienna that he had seen in her portrait. It had a warm and benevolent smile that had seemed unlike her. The Sienna that Eugene remembered had never once shown that sort of smile. ¡°Of course it¡¯s different,¡± Mer replied with a grin. ¡°Lady Sienna was much nobler and overflowing with dignity. She didn¡¯tugh much and was solely preupied with researching and developing magic.¡± After a brief pause, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, then why is your character like that?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my character?¡± ¡°Even though you were based on Lady Sienna¡¯s personality, you seempletely different from the Lady Sienna you described.¡± ¡°Of course I am. That¡¯s because the personality I was based on is Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood personality.¡± That annoying chick. It looked like she was even more annoying when she was a little girl. Eventually, Eugene changed the subject, ¡°¡­So what did you mean by saying that your consciousness is in there?¡± Mer hesitated, ¡°Hmmm¡­ that¡¯s a tricky question. How should I put it so that you, Sir Eugene, who hasn¡¯t had much education, can understand it¡­?¡± ¡°Just tell it to me in a way that¡¯s easy to understand.¡± ¡°I¡¯m something like an artificial intelligence that Lady Sienna created for Witch Craft.¡± That was certainly an easy concept to understand. Mer exined, ¡°My consciousness is maintained by Witch Craft¡¯s magic, and the purpose of my existence is to protect and maintain Witch Craft. I have been supervising this hall following the orders that Lady Sienna gave me two hundred years ago.¡± Eugene walked past Mer without saying anything. He could feel Mer begin to follow along behind him at a quick trot. ¡°¡­Why did Lady Sienna use her childhood personality as a base for you?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Just to reminisce,¡± said Mer. ¡°Reminisce?¡± ¡°It might still be hard for Sir Eugene to understand, but most adults find it hard to recall their childhood. Although their memories might remain clear, they often can¡¯t quite remember what kind of ¡®personality¡¯ they may have had just from reconstructing those memories.¡± ¡°¡­I guess that¡¯s the case.¡± ¡°So, to reminisce about her childhood, Lady Sienna decided to restrict my personality to one based on her childhood memories. Her magic was so amazing that it was easy for her to call up those distant memories.¡± Eugene came to a stop in front of Witch Craft. Having gotten this close to it, its majesty really was impressive. The glowing sphere that was encased within several rings was the distilled essence of an Archwizard¡¯s understanding of magic that had been preserved for hundreds of years. Eugene suddenly thought of something, ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, do you have all of Lady Sienna¡¯s memories?¡± ¡°No way,¡± Mer said, bursting intoughter. ¡°Although Lady Sienna may have used her personality as the base for mine, she didn¡¯t go so far as to share all her memories with me. If she had, there was a good chance that my existence could be abused.¡± ¡°That sounds about right.¡± Chapter 44.2 Chapter 44.2 It was no exaggeration to say that Sienna was the most important wizard in the history of magic. If Mer had all of Sienna¡¯s memories, there was no way that the wizards of Aroth would have left her alone. They might have dismantled Mer in order to extract all her memories of magic, or else they could have used her to research new magic. No matter how much the wizards respected Sienna, if there had been something like ¡®that¡¯ in front of them, they wouldn¡¯t be able to call themselves wizards if they didn¡¯t take it apart to study it. Eugene concluded,¡®The fact that they haven¡¯t means¡­.¡¯ That it either couldn¡¯t be done. It didn¡¯t need to be done. Or they had already done it. Eugene openly stared at Mer. As far as Eugene¡¯s understanding went, Mer¡¯s very existence as Witch Craft¡¯s artificial intelligence was absurd. It was just as Lovellian had said. When the Head Wizard had first read the first volume of Witch Craft, he had said that all the magic that he learned up to that point in his life now seemed like child¡¯s y. ¡®Certainly, this is far beyond the realm of ordinary magic,¡¯Eugene nodded in understanding. Was this why Melkith had warned him to wear a diaper because he might wet himself? As Eugene recalled Melkith¡¯s mischievous smile, he shook his head. ¡®The original text of Witch Craft is still under the sole care of Akron. Any wizard permitted to enter Akron is allowed to read Witch Craft,¡¯Eugene considered. Since the secrets of Mer¡¯s consciousness and existence were clearly recorded within Witch Craft, there was no need to dismantle her. Eventually, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­Do you know why Lady Sienna went into seclusion, or where she went?¡± ¡°Of course, I don¡¯t know,¡± Mer huffed. ¡°Lady Sienna¡¯s disappearance was both surprising and secretive. Neither her disciples nor the servants at her mansion nor myself knew anything about Lady Sienna¡¯s retreat into seclusion.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, how many times do you think I¡¯ve been asked a question like that over the past two hundred years?¡± Mer¡¯s expression had shifted. She no longer puffed out her chest, her shoulders had slumped, and the pride-filled smile on her face disappeared. Her cold, dull eyes seemed tock even a single ray of light and were framed by scrunched-up brows and a twisted half-smile. That smile was so simr to Sienna¡¯s that it gave Eugene goosebumps. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that question so many times that I¡¯ve lost count. I was already stored in Akron long before Lady Sienna decided to go into seclusion. But the king of Aroth, the Tower Masters of that time, the Head of the Wizard¡¯s Guild, and countless other wizards still captured me and asked me for Lady Sienna¡¯s whereabouts,¡± Merined bitterly. Had something like that really happened? Mer continued, ¡°I told them that I didn¡¯t know anything. However, just like you did now, they didn¡¯t believe me. So I told them to just do what they pleased. Then men who didn¡¯t even know what they were doing and werecking in skills started trying to ess Witch Craft and messing with my memories. They seem to have lost their ability to learn from their mistakes since they keep finding me in order to repeat the same attempts every few decades.¡± So they¡¯d already done it. Since Sienna went into seclusion, Aroth¡¯s wizards had already scoured Witch Craft and Mer¡¯s mind several times. ¡°However, I really don¡¯t know anything about Lady Sienna¡¯s disappearance,¡± Mer repeated. ¡°Thest time I saw Lady Sienna, she showed no signs of wanting to go into seclusion.¡± ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve asked you a pointless question,¡± Eugene apologized. ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware of that.¡± Eugene stepped away from Witch Craft. Although he wanted to take a closer look at Sienna¡¯s magic that had been stored within it, the truth was that he currently did not have the confidence to understand it even if he did see it. ¡°¡­They say only the first volume is disyed at Akron, is that correct?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Mer confirmed. He followed with another question, ¡°Are the other two volumes stored here as well?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Mer shook her head. ¡°I¡¯m¡ªno, I meanthatis definitely the original text of Witch Craft, but only the first volume is stored inside there. Lady Sienna took the other two volumes with her when she left.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene eximed in surprise. ¡°Ummm¡­,¡± Mer seemed hesitant to admit it. ¡°Lady Sienna ¡®extracted¡¯ the second and third volumes from the original text, and when only the first volume was left, she donated the original text to Akron. Thanks to that, I¡¯ve really suffered a lot. They all¡­ not only do they want to find Lady Sienna¡¯s whereabouts, but they also want to find the location of the two other volumes,¡± as she said this, Mer drew closer to Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene seems to have a lot of interest in Lady Sienna.¡± Eugene defended himself, ¡°Isn¡¯t that true of everyone whoes here?¡± ¡°That may be the case, but Sir Eugene isn¡¯t exactly an ordinary wizard, right? Although I have never been able to leave Akron or had any reason to, for these past hundreds of years, even I have heard about the Lionheart n.¡± Mer lifted her head to look up at Eugene and continued, ¡°The n left by the Great Vermouth. This is my first time actually seeing one of his descendants, so it feels a little amazing.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to go so far as to feel amazed.¡± ¡°No, I really am. From what I can recall, before Lady Sienna donated me to Aroth, she never once interacted with the Lionheart n. She never even met with Vermouth again.¡± Eugene was also aware of these facts. In the three-hundred-year-old history kept by the Lionheart n, there was strangely very little contact made with Sienna and Anise. The same went for Molon as well. Although Eugene didn¡¯t know the reason, that fool, he had never oncee to see Vermouth after Vermouth was done establishing the Lionheart n. In the end, after Molon had stepped down from his throne, his descendants, the royalty of the Northern Ruhr Kingdom, and the Lionheart n had begun making contact little by little. But considering the rtionship and ties between their ancestors, the connection between the royal family of Ruhr and the Lionheart n was pretty shallow. Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t tell the reason for this. Although Vermouth was a bastard with abysmal social skills, Anise had followed Vermouth while iming that he would be the hero to save the world. Molon had also been intimidated by Vermouth and had usually refrained from his foolish behavior when standing in front of the hero. But why hadn¡¯t they stayed connected after returning from Helmuth, without ever meeting with each other? Eugene recalled,¡®¡­ording to the records of the Lionheart n, there was no further interaction after the n was established. The next time that any of thepanions met¡­ was at Vermouth¡¯s funeral.¡¯ Vermouth¡¯s funeral had be a day of national mourning for the Kiehl empire. At that time, Anise had recited a tribute as the Saintess of the Holy Empire, and Molon, as the king of the Northern Ruhr Kingdom, had taken off his garish crown and personally carried Vermouth¡¯s coffin. As Aroth¡¯s Green Tower Master, Sienna had¡­ when it looked like the sky was about to pour down with rain, she had used her magic to part the sky and made warm sunlight shine down on Vermouth as they parted ways with him. In the end, the only reunion of thesepanions following their return from Helmuth was for Vermouth¡¯s funeral. This made Eugene feel like there was a strong sense of separation between them and this filled him withplicated questions. Eventually, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­In your memories, were there any times when Lady Sienna talked about her formerpanions?¡± ¡°There were times she would look at Sir Molon and call him an idiot,¡± Mer confessed. ¡°And Anise?¡± ¡°She called her a snake-like woman.¡± ¡°¡­What about Hamel? ¡°Idiot, son of a bitch, fool, and motherfucker.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say earlier that Lady Sienna was ¡®much nobler, and overflowing with dignity?¡¯ And you said that she didn¡¯t even smile much.¡± ¡°Even a noble person overflowing with dignity can do something like swearing. Also, whenever Lady Sienna talked about her formerpanions, she never once appeared to smile. Instead, her expressions always seemed like she was about to cry.¡± As Mer recalled those memories from hundreds of years ago, she turned her head and spoke, ¡°Especially when she would talk about Hamel, it was extremely distressing for her.¡± Arge portrait hung in the direction that Mer had turned her head to. It was the same portrait as the one hanging in Sienna¡¯s mansion. The portrait where she had on a benevolent smile. ¡°¡­That portrait is a forgery,¡± Mer revealed. ¡°A forgery?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Lady Sienna never once smiled like that.¡± ¡°She might have smiled like that sometime before creating you.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s definitely a forgery. Of course, that portrait was painted before I was created, but I once asked her directly during the frequent talks Lady Sienna held with me to establish my personality.¡± ¡°¡­What did you ask her about?¡± ¡°I asked Lady Sienna why she always seemed so sad.¡± Mer looked at the portrait for a few moments before looking up at Eugene. Then she mimicked the same smile as the one that Sienna had on in the portrait and said, ¡°Although Lady Sienna wasn¡¯t able to smile like me, she exined to me why she would leave behind a portrait like that.¡± If it was meant to be passed down to future generations, it would be better to see a smiling face rather than a sad face. ¡°As for that portrait¡­ the artist just randomly drew a smile. Perhaps that¡¯s why Lady Sienna didn¡¯t like it very much. Although the portrait is currently up for public disy in her mansion, at least while I was there, the portrait was always left hanging with its face against the wall. That goes for the portrait in this hall as well.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene silently contemted the portrait. ¡°I¡¯m the one who flipped over the portrait in this hall,¡± Mer confessed. ¡°Because it¡¯s true that it¡¯s always nice to see a smiling face.¡± Eugene unconsciously reached out and patted Mer on the head. However, Mer immediately knocked away his hand and gravely said, ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line.¡± Coming to his senses, Eugene apologized, ¡°Oh¡­ you¡¯re right. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Although I might have a smaller body than you, Sir Eugene, I¡¯ve been here for over two hundred years, you know.¡± ¡°¡­Did Lady Sienna have anything to say about Vermouth?¡± Mer pursed her lips and turned around, ¡°She didn¡¯t say anything about him.¡± Was she mad that he had patted her head? Without looking back at Eugene, Mer walked off with short, quick steps. ¡°She didn¡¯t make anypliments, curses, or even observations about him.¡± Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts dMomo: I felt sorry for Mer, even though she is an AI. On another not, all the hero party definitely had a falling out after Hamel died. I am guessing it is rted to the deal that Vermouth made with the DKs. Chapter 45.1 Chapter 45.1 ¡°That staff is the one that Lady Sienna used throughout most of her life,¡± Mer said, acting like a tour guide. Witch Craft wasn¡¯t the only item in Sienna¡¯s Hall. The various magical tools that Sienna had used during her lifetime that couldn¡¯t be kept in her mansion because it had been opened up as a tourist attraction were stored here instead. For example, the staff that Mer was pointing to. That item was also included in Eugene¡¯s memories. ¡°¡­It¡¯s called Akasha,¡± he recalled. ¡°As expected, you already knew about it,¡± Mer smiled triumphantly and puffed out her chest. ¡°There is a type of tree known as the Fairy Tree, which only grows in Samar Forest, the sanctuary of the elves. Akasha, the most powerful magic staff in the world, was made from the roots of that thousand-year-old tree which grows in the center of their forest.¡± Her voice, which was trembling with excitement, really made Eugene feel like he was listening to Sienna. Sienna had personally exined the staff¡¯s origins to him a long time ago, and like a parrot, she had kept repeating those boasts about it whenever she got drunk. Mer continued her tale, ¡°The elves believe that the ancient tree holds the spirits of their ancestors and that its roots support the entire world.This World Tree is the center of the elves¡¯ religion.You know what that means, right? Those arrogant elves actually cut off a root of that ancient and sacred tree in order to make this staff as a gift for Lady Sienna!¡± Sienna wasn¡¯t an elf or even a half-elf. Although she was a human, Sienna was often associated with the elves. Among the many rumors about where she might have gone into seclusion, a few spected that she may have taken refuge in Samar Forest, the sanctuary of the elves. Sienna didn¡¯t know who her parents were. When she was just a baby, she was abandoned in the great jungle at the southern tip of the continent, the Samar Forest. Usually, she would have been eaten by a monster or a wild beast, but Sienna¡¯s luck was good that day. An elf who just so happened to be passing by was drawn to the baby¡¯s cries and saved Sienna. That was how Sienna was taken to the elves¡¯ sacred grove, whichy somewhere in the heart of that jungle. The elves there were not too weing of Sienna. However, after discovering that she had tremendous magical talent, they recognized her as one of their own and taught her the magic of the elves. As Eugene stared at Akasha with nk eyes, Mer continued the lecture in her high-pitched voice. ¡°Lady Sienna is the first person to ever own a staff made from the roots of the World Tree. Even among the elves, this was an unprecedented honor. Not only that, do you see that thing over there. The red jewel at the end of the staff! If you¡¯re curious to know what that is, it¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°A Dragonheart,¡± Eugene interrupted. Mer took this interjection in her stride, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right! Among all the magic staffs that exist in the world, there are only two staffs that have incorporated a Dragonheart. One is Lady Sienna¡¯s Akasha, and the other is¡­.¡± ¡°dmir,¡± Eugene answered the unspoken question in a calm tone. That terrible staff had still been around three hundred years ago. At that time, dmir¡¯s owner was a lich named Belial, a servant of the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene had an ill-fated rtionship with that staff. Eugene needlessly nced down at his own stomach. In his previous life, the one who had killed him was that lich, Belial. That guy was responsible for the powerful traps installed all over the Demon King¡¯s castle, and their party had been constantly harassed by those traps without getting any time to rest. During their time in that castle, Hamel had been left with a body that was in danger of dying at any moment after a hole was pierced through his chest. From the very start, the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration was so torturous that it was iparable to the castles of the previous Demon Kings. On top of that, all the demonic beasts and demonfolk who guarded the castle were powerful enough to be a match for any of the previous Demon Kings¡¯ servants. And even among those powerful guardians, there were three especially powerful demonfolk. These three were known as Incarceration¡¯s de, Shield, and Staff, respectively. While they were in the middle of fighting Incarceration¡¯s Shield, Belial, the Staff, had intervened. In the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, it was impossible topletely remove the effects of ck magic and any curses cast on them by the Staff, even with Anise¡¯s holy magic. Someone had been needed to push forward and open up a path. Hamel had volunteered for that role. Although Molon would normally have been the one to assume such a role, Hamel had rejected him and insisted he would take the lead, thus paving their way forward. It was impossible for them to conquer the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration without anyone dying. So if someone had to die for it¡­. ¡®Let that person be me,¡¯he had insisted. Hamel was strong. But he wasn¡¯t as strong as Vermouth. Hamel was tough. But he wasn¡¯t as tough as Molon. Having been well aware of these facts, he had taken the lead. So that even if he died, Molon would be there to endure the blows. Even if he could no longer fight, Vermouth would still be there to keep fighting. Once Incarceration¡¯s Shield was defeated, Hamel had suffered so many injuries that he was already on the verge of death. Neither divine power nor magic could be used to heal his wounds. The evil power of the Demon King¡¯s Castle and the curses of the lich drove Hamel close to death. And once the battle with Belial, Incarceration¡¯s Staff, was over, arge hole had been pierced through Hamel¡¯s chest. That was how his previous life had ended. Hamel had been killed by Belial and dmir. Eugene had definitely believed that dmir was destroyed. Just before he died, he had witnessed Belial¡¯s phctery being shattered and the lich itself copsing into dust. However, dmir somehow wasn¡¯t destroyed. Although he didn¡¯t know the full details of how it survived, the current owner of dmir was Count Edmond Codreth of Helmuth. Along with the ck Tower Master Balzac, Edmond Codreth was one of the three ck wizards to have signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°Can I try holding it?¡± Eugene asked as he pointed at Akasha. At this question, Mer put on a mischievous smile and nodded, ¡°Of course, it¡¯s okay, but just so you know, it¡¯s impossible for you to cast any magic with that staff.¡± ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Akasha will only recognize Lady Sienna as its master. After Lady Sienna went into seclusion, several wizards tried to be Akasha¡¯s new owner, but none of them were able to receive Akasha¡¯s approval.¡± ¡°If they couldn¡¯t use it, why just leave it here? They should have broken the staff and at least taken the Dragonheart.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t spout such nonsense. Akasha is a treasure gifted to LadySiennaby the elves and the dragons. Although it¡¯s not possible to be used, just on its own, it holds a tremendous value.¡± As Mer pointed this out with a tsk of her tongue, Eugene gave a faint smile. He felt some nostalgia from her answer. A long time ago, he had also heard the same sort of thing from Sienna. ¡°You should already know this as well, right, Sir Eugene? A Dragonheart is literally a dragon¡¯s heart. Because the heart of one of their deceasedrades was sacrificed to make a staff for Lady Sienna¡­ if someone were to break Akasha for it, while I¡¯m not sure about the elves, the dragons will definitely make an appearance and strafe Aroth with their breath attacks.¡± He had also heard something along those lines from Sienna. When he had joked about breaking the staff and dividing the Dragonheart¡¯s mana between them, Sienna had thrown a beer bottle at him with a loud shout. ¡ªYou ignorant bastard. You want to break what? Do you really want to doom us all? Of course, Mer didn¡¯t swear at him harshly like Sienna had. Even so, hearing her say the words that Sienna had said, with a face that resembled Sienna, caused Eugene to recall the memories of Sienna from his past life. ¡®¡­This is¡­.¡¯After standing there stunned for a few seconds, Eugene came to his senses with a thought,¡®Not good.¡¯ He was bing too obsessed with the memories of his past life. Eugene shook his head vigorously and turned away from Mer. He hadn¡¯te to Akron just to immerse himself in his recollections. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just try and hold it,¡±saying this, Eugenereached out his hand. The staff was as tall as Sienna was. Although he was holding it directly, nothing seemed to have happened. After shooting a nce at Mer, Eugene attempted to infuse some mana into Akasha. But once again, nothing happened. Akasha wouldn¡¯t ept the mana that he had offered it. Since he¡¯d seen the illusion of Sienna, Eugene had held a slight hope that he might be able to obtain Akasha¡¯s approval. But it seemed that Sienna had left no sucharrangements for him. ¡®If you were going to leave something behind for me, I¡¯d rather you¡¯d have left Akasha instead of my ne.¡¯ He still wasn¡¯t sure who had left behind the ne in the Lionheart¡¯s main estate. However, Eugene was almost certain that Sienna had been the one responsible for dropping it there. ¡°¡­Do you know what this is?¡± Eugene asked; having had a sudden thought, he pulled out the ne and showed it to Mer. Mer examined it and said, ¡°It¡¯s just a worn-out ne.¡± ¡°So you don¡¯t recall having seen it before?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that I could have. Didn¡¯t I already tell you that I haven¡¯t stepped foot outside of Akron in all these hundreds of years?¡± ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter if you don¡¯t recognize it.¡± Without asking any further questions, Eugene tucked the ne back inside his cor. Then he left Akasha behind and started looking around Sienna¡¯s Hall earnestly. There were quite a few things that he recalled having seen before. There were the robes and hat that Sienna had always liked to wear. They, too, were artifacts of extraordinary magical value. The first floor of the hall was full of such things. With Witch Craft at the center, its surroundings were filled with all the magic tools that Sienna had personally used. ¡°You can¡¯t take any of it outside with you,¡± Mer warned. Eugene waved her off, ¡°I won¡¯t try and take them with me.¡± Perhaps due to preservation magic having been applied to them, they were still in mint condition even though hundreds of years had passed. That isn¡¯t to say that they were in perfect condition, though. The robes were frayed in many ces. As Eugene tried not to feel bothered by that, he headed upstairs. ¡°These books are the notes written during the process of constructing Akron,¡± Mer continued to act as a tour guide. The thirteenth floor was packed full of bookcases. Although there had been a lot of books back in the mansion, the books on disy there could notpare to the ones disyed here in terms of their value. The magic books of truly outstanding value were definitely not stored in the mansion but here, in Akron. ¡°And that¡¯s a draft of the Circle magic form, written when Sienna was in the process of developing it. If you were to read it as you are now, Sir Eugene, you probably wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it. Even if it is a draft, the techniques and research used to develop it are extremely advanced.¡± As Mer followed behind Eugene, she continued to mutter, ¡°That goes for her other research journals stored in Akron as well. Among all the wizards who¡¯ve found their way here, none of them were able to understand Lady Sienna¡¯s research at first.¡± Allowing these words to flow in one ear and out the other, Eugene pulled out one of the research journals from a bookshelf. Although the books in the mansion were on disy, you weren¡¯t allowed to flip them open and read them. However, here, you were allowed to read as many research journals as you wanted. ¡°¡­Ha,¡± augh slipped out before Eugene had even flipped through more than a few pages. ¡°See, you have no idea what any of those words mean, right?¡± Mer rubbed it in. ¡°I guess so,¡± Eugene admitted with a grin as he turned away from the bookcase. He thought to himself,¡®Her handwriting is still as bad as ever.¡¯ Sienna¡¯s horrible penmanship was forever preserved inside these books. It was already difficult to understand what she was talking about when she went on about mana this and Circles that, but Sienna¡¯sscribbled chicken scratchesrequired decryption in and of themselves. Chapter 45.2 Chapter 45.2 Eugene stood there for a few moments, reading Sienna¡¯s research journal. When it felt like his head was about to start spinning, he closed the book and looked around. It felt like there were about a hundred volumes of books stored here. After ncing over all of them, Eugene opened his mouth and asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t there any of Sienna¡¯s personal notes? Ones that don¡¯t talk about magic.¡± ¡°There aren¡¯t any,¡± Mer stated. ¡°Right before going into seclusion, Lady Sienna erased all the personal notes that she had left in her mansion.¡± ¡°Looks like she was really thorough in covering her tracks.¡± ¡°That just shows how much she didn¡¯t want anyone to know where she was going for her seclusion.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s your opinion on that?¡± Eugene asked as he returned the research journal to the bookshelf he had pulled it out of. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of talk about where Lady Sienna might have gone into seclusion. Some say that she went to Helmuth, others say that she went to the Samar Forest¡­ and a few even say that she was assassinated by the ck wizards.¡± ¡°I believe that she went to Samar Forest,¡± Mer replied with a shrug. ¡°Although many people think she might have gone to Helmuth, from what I recall, Lady Sienna wasn¡¯t the type who would dare to do something so reckless and impossible. Of course¡­ right up until Lady Sienna went into seclusion, she was the most beautiful and strongest person I know. However, to challenge Helmuth¡¯s Demon Kings all by herself, Lady Sienna wasn¡¯t someone who would do something like that.¡± ¡°I also agree with that,¡± Eugene nodded along. ¡°For the ck wizards to have assassinated Sienna is also unthinkable. Although at the moment, powerful ck wizards like Balzac Ludbeth can be found in Aroth, two hundred years ago, the ck wizards who lived in Arothwereall insignificant and weak,¡± Mer sneered dismissively. ¡°But ck wizards from Helmuth could have snuck in to assassinate Lady Sienna,¡± Eugen said, ying the devil¡¯s advocate. ¡°Ha! That¡¯s even more unthinkable. Sir Eugene, just think about it. Lady Sienna¡¯s magical barrier was even able to block the ck magic cast by the Demon King of Fury,¡± Mer shouted in agitation. ¡®Although it wasn¡¯t able to block Belial¡¯s ck magic,¡¯Eugene silently noted. In terms of their magic levels alone, Belial the lich¡¯s level was actually greater than that of the Demon King of Fury. Though that didn¡¯t mean that Belial was stronger than the Demon King of Fury. Mer continued her tirade, ¡°If, just if, the ck wizards of Helmuth had really snuck in to assassinate Lady Sienna, there is no way they could have taken down Lady Sienna so quietly. There would have to have been enough surges of mana to shake the entire capital cityof Pentagonto its foundations. However, no such disaster happened when Lady Sienna went into seclusion! That means that Lady Sienna must have gone into seclusion of her own will and could not have been murdered by anyone.¡± Without calming down in the slightest, Mer continued to re at Eugene. Mer refused to ept even the slightest possibility that her creator, whom she loved and respected, could be murdered by someone like a ck wizard. ¡°Lady Sienna must definitely still be in Samar Forest,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know where exactly the elven holy de is within that vast forest, Lady Sienna is definitely¡­ definitely¡­.¡± Unable to finish her words, Mer drifted off into mumbles. Two hundred years was a really long time. If you were an ordinary human, you would definitely pass away during that time. Even Vermouth couldn¡¯t break free of the natural limits of his lifespan. ¡°¡­She has to just bfortably¡­ resting her eyes somewhere. Although¡­ I¡¯m not sure if she¡¯s still alive,¡± Mer reluctantly admitted. ¡°I believe that she¡¯s alive,¡± Eugene suddenly dered. Mer¡¯s slumped shoulders were bothering him. Although he wanted to pat her on the back, remembering Mer¡¯s stern warning from earlier, Eugene kept himself from reaching out unwantedly. Unsure how to continue, Eugene hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ the Brave Sir Molon was also still vigorously living it up just one hundred years ago. So Lady Sienna should still be alive. She¡¯s probably juststopped her agingwith magic or something like that.¡± ¡°¡­.It looks like Sir Eugene really does like Lady Sienna a whole lot?¡± used Mer. ¡°You can¡¯t really call it liking her.¡± ¡°Liar. You don¡¯t know what kind of expression you were making, do you, Sir Eugene?¡± Mer lifted up her drooping shoulders and looked up at Eugene. ¡°Every time I tell a story about Lady Sienna, your eyes twinkle brightly, and whenever you see something that belonged to Lady Sienna, you be extremely immersed in its history,¡± Mer listed the evidence. ¡°I¡¯ve always had a liking for old stories,¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Is that so? Then you should like that book as well.¡± With a grin, Mer headed to a corner of a bookshelf. She took out a book, whose cover had been faded by the traces of time. She read its title, ¡°The Great Adventures of the Hero Vermouth.¡± Eugene¡¯s cheeks had started twitching from the moment he saw it. ¡°It¡¯s a famous fairy tale, isn¡¯t it?¡± Mer proudly held it up. ¡°Since Lady Sienna and her otherpanions were always reluctant to talk about what happened in Helmuth, this fairy tale is actually the first book to tell the world about the legends of the Great Vermouth.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s a damned book, is what it is,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°Huh? Why would you call it a damned book?¡± Mer asked, looking puzzled. ¡°I mean, the truth is that I actually like Sir Hamel the most, and I respect and admire him,¡± Eugene struggled to hide his embarrassment. ¡°But in that fairy tale, Sir Hamel is really, really made out to look like such an idiot.¡± ¡°But Lady Sienna also called Hamel stupid, a son of a bitch, a fool, and a motherfucker?¡± ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t really like that. Sir Hamel wasn¡¯t stupid, a son of a bitch, a fool, or a motherfucker either. Instead, he was pretty nice and brave, and uh¡­ um¡­. In any case, he was a great person.¡± Why did he have to be the one to say such things? As Eugene felt a deep sense of shame, he sighed heavily. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Sir Eugene must have quite the weird personality. Usually, there wouldn¡¯t be anyone who likes Hamel after reading this fairy tale, right?¡± Mer expressed her concerns. ¡°Sorry, but apart from me, our Patriarch also said that he happens to like Hamel the best,¡± Eugene defended himself. Mer argued, ¡°That just means that your Patriarch is also a bit of a strange person.¡± ¡°Are you really cursing my adoptive father right now?¡± Eugene became aggressive in the face of his losing argument. ¡°I¡¯m just saying he¡¯s a bit strange, so how is that cursing him? In any case, Sir Eugene, if you really do like old stories, then you should have read this book as well.¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a lie to say that I read that book more than a hundred times while I was still young.¡± ¡°That might be the case, but this book is the first edition. It¡¯s different from the revised version that is spread throughout the world right now. You might not be aware of this, Sir Eugene, but this fairy tale was actually first published in Aroth three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Then who¡¯s the bastard responsible for publishing it?¡± ¡°How would I know? After all, the author of this book is anonymous¡­ He was probably a bard from long ago, no?¡± How could the author have been a bard? Eugene snorted and shook his head. While he was wandering around the continent in his previous life, he had met quite a few bards, but he had never once encountered a bard in Helmuth. ¡°Or else, well, he might just be a novelist who gathered and connected all the rumors surrounding Helmuth. Although I don¡¯t know why he didn¡¯t leave his name on it.¡± As Mer waved the fairy tale book around, she continued speaking, ¡°Lady Sienna also liked this fairy tale. Even though she wasn¡¯t someone who often smiled, sometimes at night, when she couldn¡¯t sleep¡­sheused to smile briefly while reading this book alone in her bedroom. I know because she read it to me as well.¡± ¡°¡­Did you say that the contents of the first edition are a bit different from the modern versions?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Ummm¡­. It¡¯s also been a while since Ist read thetest revised version, so I can¡¯t be sure that it¡¯s exactly the same as the one you read¡­. But as the first toe out, the first edition is¡­ a little more¡­ how should I put it¡­ it¡¯s a little crude.¡± ¡°¡­Crude?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of cursing. The anecdotes about Vermouth and hisrades are also slightly different¡­. Should I say that they¡¯re a bit more pessimistic?¡± ¡°Let me have a look.¡± Eugene quickly walked over and took hold of the fairy tale book. It might be because the book was from three hundred years ago, but the pages seemed really worn out. That was probably a sign of how many times it was read over and over again. [Hamel was an asshole. Although that asshole fought so excitedly with Vermouth upon their first meeting, he couldn¡¯t even touch Vermouth¡¯s cor, and his face was thrown into the ground so hard that he cried.] ¡°This son of a bitch,¡± Eugene¡¯s face contorted as he cursed. Mer had said that it was crude and full of curses, and it really was. The version of the fairy tale that Eugene had read said that Hamel was an idiot, but at least it didn¡¯t call him an asshole like this one. ¡®Could the bastard who wrote this have been Anise?¡¯he wondered. Recalling Anise, whose eyes were always stuck in a cheerful smile, Eugene ground his teeth angrily. Although he consideredparing the handwriting to Anise¡¯s, the fairy tale book seemed to have been made by magic or using a printing press, so the writing was neat and mechanical. ¡®It¡¯s true that I was thrown into the ground face first, but I did at least manage to brush his cor. Vermouth even said that he shed a drop of blood because of me. And crying because my face was smashed? Where does this person get off with spouting such bullshit?¡¯ As he tried to cool the boiling rage inside, Eugene ced the fairy tale back onto the bookshelf. After he had gotten a hold of himself, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­What¡¯s on the fourteenth floor?¡± ¡°The thirteenth floor is for research journals, so the fourteenth floor has the magic books that organize and connect all this research together. Although those will still be difficult for Sir Eugene to read, they¡¯ll still be easier to handle than these research journals. Because the exnations are a lot clearer,¡± Mer eagerly rmended them. ¡°But aren¡¯t they still a lot worse than Witch Craft?¡± Eugene questioned why he should even bother with them. ¡°Heheh¡­,¡± Mer snickered, her cheeks twitching as she tried to avoid sneering. ¡°Of course, they¡¯re a lot worse. But this¡­ rather than trying to exin with words, it¡¯ll be better if you try to read Witch Craft yourself. Well, to put it simply, let me exin the difference between the two. Witch Craft is harder to understand than it is to read, but as for the magic books on the fourteenth floor¡­ if you can read them, you can at least understand them slightly. Although it might be unreasonable to expect that much from you, Sir Eugene.¡± Turning around, Mer headed towards the elevator. ¡°For now, why don¡¯t we go up to the fourteenth floor,¡± Mer suggested. ¡°You would probably prefer that floor to this one.¡± ¡°Why so?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. ¡°Because you said that you like old stories, right? And that you like Stupid Hamel as well.¡± Although Eugene couldn¡¯tprehend these words, when they arrived on the fourteenth floor, he immediately understood what Mer had meant by that. ¡°Take a look,¡± Mer giggled as she waved her hand forward. ¡°Those are the personal memories that Lady Sienna extracted for her own recollections. Those aren¡¯t just simply portraits, but are the real versions of Lady Sienna¡¯srades as she remembered them.¡± Within the walls of the fourteenth floor, the figures of four people were clearly reflected. ¡°Over there, the handsome man standing in the center is the Great Vermouth,¡± Mer eagerly pointed him out. Vermouth looked exactly as he did in Eugene¡¯s memories. ¡°Beside him, the blonde woman whose eyes are smiling so much that it¡¯s impossible to see her pupils ¡ª that¡¯s Faithful Anise.¡± The saintess, who carried around bottles of wine while calling them holy water. ¡°The machocausing you confusion about whether he¡¯s a troll or a human is the Brave Molon.¡± Even though his body was already so big, he was always carrying around an ax that was even bigger than his own body, and he was a fool who kept causing problems in every fight. ¡°And over there, the man who looks like he has a bad personality, with a frown on his face, is Stupid Hamel. This is the one and only sole record of Hamel¡¯s appearance. You can only find his face here, in Lady Sienna¡¯s Hall.¡± At that moment, Eugene couldn¡¯t find any words. Hamel, who had died in Helmuth, hadn¡¯t left behind even a single portrait for the world to see. ¡°¡­.Puhahaha,¡± as he continued to look at this appearance from his previous life, Eugene eventually burst intoughter. ¡°If you were going to leave something like this behind, wouldn¡¯t it have been better with a smile on his face?¡± As Eugene chuckled, he shook his head. Chapter 46.1 Chapter 46.1 Although he wasn¡¯t sure from what moment these likenesses of their figures were taken, Eugene felt it was probably from just before they had departed for Helmuth. Vermouth, as he was pictured on the wall, didn¡¯t appear to have the Moonlight Sword on him. ¡®I also look like I have fewer scars.¡¯ In his previous life, Hamel had ended up with a lot of scars. The many scars on his body had been covered up by his clothes and armor, and even his face had borne a lot of minor scarring. Around half of them had been obtained while he was working as a mercenary, and the remaining half were obtained in Helmuth. The ¡®Hamel¡¯ in front of him had almost no scars on his exposed skin. Although he had a nasty expression, his eyes weren¡¯t all that offensive. From how neat and tidy his appearance was, this image had to be from before they had gone through all sorts of hardships in Helmuth. ¡°¡­How handsome,¡± Eugene eventually murmured. ¡°Right?¡± Mer agreed. ¡°Although I¡¯ve also seen this image a countless times, I still can¡¯t get over how handsome Sir Vermouth was¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted her praises, ¡°I was saying that Hamel was so handsome, not my ancestor.¡± Mer¡¯s eyshes fluttered. Her jaw dropped open as she alternated between looking at Hamel and Vermouth. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Mer demanded. ¡°Well, my ancestor, um, I admit that he¡¯s handsome, but Hamel also¡­ uh¡­ he has his charms. With his¡­ um¡­ untamable countenance? And that¡­ um¡­ that bestial charm¡­,¡±Eugene¡¯s lipseventually fell shut as he felt an unbearable sense of shame.¡®What the hell am I even saying?¡¯ Although the shame he was feeling was already intense, Mer¡¯s gaze, which looked as if she was seeing something confusing and pathetic, made him feel even more embarrassed. ¡°¡­That¡¯s just how I feel,¡± Eugene finishedmely. ¡°You have quite the unique taste,¡± Mer observed politely. ¡°That¡¯s just how people are.¡± ¡°Untamable countenance? Bestial charm? If that¡¯s where your tastes lean,how about admiring Molon instead of Hamel?Just from looking at him, you get the feeling that he¡¯s a bear, not a human.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit too much? Instead of a bear, at least say that he looks like a monster.¡± ¡°Well, that also works.¡± Mer couldn¡¯t deny those words. After ncing at Molon¡¯s bulging muscles with a disgusted eye, she eventually turned her gaze back to Eugene. ¡°¡­.Apart from the portrait, don¡¯t you have any other recordings of Lady Sienna¡¯s appearance? Something like these,¡± Eugene asked curiously. Mer returned his question with one of her own, ¡°Sir Eugene, aren¡¯t you able to recall your own appearance without having to use a mirror?¡± Eugene argued, ¡°But if she was going to leave something like this, she should have at least left her own figure since all she needed to do was stand in front of a full-length mirror.¡± ¡°Lady Sienna probably just didn¡¯t have any desire to do so,¡± as she said this, Mer giggled. ¡°After all, she so disliked attention that she was even reluctant to leave behind the portraits. Now then, what exactly are you nning to do?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m not too aware of the situation, the fact that you have been allowed in here despite only being seventeen andcking a high grasp of magic means that¡­ those arrogant wizards must have seen some amazing potential in you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s something like that.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to act so humbly. Even without you doing that, Sir Eugene, reading just one of the books of magic stored here will make you realize how humble your talent truly is,¡± as she said this, Mer looked at Eugene with a proud expression on her face. ¡°We don¡¯t just have Lady Sienna¡¯s hall here. Including Lady Sienna, nine other wizards have had their names added to Akron¡¯s list of halls.¡± This was the Royal Library, Akron. Here, there were other floors dedicated to nine other Archwizards like Sienna. The topmost, fifteenth floor, was the Hall of the Magic King who had founded Aroth. Below Sienna¡¯s Hall, on the eleventh floor, was the Hall of the Battle Mage, who had been called the father of battle magic; on the tenth floor was the Hall of the Great Spirit Summoner, the first human to have made a contract with a Spirit King. ¡°The second, third, and fourth floors are used to store a range of magic texts,¡± Mer continued. ¡°All of them are rare and valuable books of magic that were carefully selected by previous Tower Masters. Of course, although you were allowed to enter Akron because you possess the qualities to be called a genius, the magic stored in Akron was all created by fully-fledged geniuses.¡± ¡°Got it,¡± Eugene nodded his understanding with a calm expression. He knew what Mer was trying to tell him. From an objective point of view, Eugene¡¯s knowledge of magic was still too shallow. Although he had somehow managed to get into Akron, it was impossible for him to self-study the magic texts stored here as he had done with the introductory books on magic back at the Red Tower of Magic. ¡°Aren¡¯t you able to cast magic?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I can¡¯t be the one to teach you,¡± Mer rejected his unspoken question, shaking her head. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for me to do so, and the system programmed into me also strictly prohibits me from transmitting magic. For hundreds of years, many wizards have attempted to try and extract Witch Craft from me, but none have been able to change my settings.¡± After she had finished, Mer fell silent for a few moments. She had aplicated expression on her face as she crossed her arms in front of her. ¡°The only type of spells I¡¯m permitted to use¡­ are ones for removing any dust in this hall or picking up small pieces of trash,¡± Mer exined. ¡°Do you still want to see my magic?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene wordlessly responded. ¡°If so, please try to break into Akron without an entry pass. If you really do so, then I will make sure to appear faster than any of the familiars from the other floors to execute you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± ¡°If you dislike that method, you could try to attack either Witch Craft or myself. If you have a preferred method of death, Sir Eugene, I will do my best to fulfill your desire.¡± It didn¡¯t sound like a simple joke when she said it like that. In any case, it looked like it would be impossible to be personally taught magic by Mer. After taking a few moments to think, Eugene headed for the elevator. As he walked, he asked Mer, ¡°Even if you can¡¯t teach me, can you give me any advice about magic?¡± ¡°That is also restricted,¡± Mer admitted. ¡°If it were so easy for me to gently guide you into learning magic, wouldn¡¯t all the Archwizards of Aroth have already mastered Witch Craft?¡± Witch Craft was just as infamous as it was renowned. Even though you couldn¡¯t even touch it without being first qualified to enter Akron, among all the Archwizards who had entered this library, not a single one had yet to fully master the magic of Witch Craft. Mer hesitated, ¡°If you do need some advice¡­ um¡­. Sir Eugene, how many Circles have you reached?¡± ¡°If I had to say it, I might be at the Third Circle,¡± Eugene awkwardly admitted. Mer cringed, ¡°Ugh. Really?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only been a bit over two months since I started learning magic,¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°Hm. Considering how long it¡¯s been since you started, I guess you can be called somewhat of a genius. But even with that, you¡¯re still far from qualified to enter Akron.¡± Until just now, Mer had been smiling as she joked about this and that, but when it came to magic, her attitude became cold and scornful. Even this sort of look somehow reminded Eugene of Sienna, causing him to smirk in amusement. ¡°What did you mean by, ¡®If I had to say it, I might be at the Third Circle¡¯?¡± Mer demanded. ¡°I haven¡¯t actually created any Circles,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°No, really. Without any Circles, I¡¯ve been using my Cores as Circles when casting magic.¡± ¡°¡­Is that the Lionheart n¡¯s unique magic form?¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be. I don¡¯t know how Vermo¡ªI mean, my ancestor used to cast magic, but the Lionheart¡¯s direct line doesn¡¯t have any record of such a magic form. Although, I can¡¯t be sure about any of the coteral branches.¡± There were countless coteral branches of the Lionheart n. Although they didn¡¯t seem to interact much with the main family, there were also families among the coteral lines who specialized in magic. ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Mer hummed contemtively. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, is the magic form that you¡¯re currently using something that you came up with on your own, Sir Eugene? Or did you get advice from some other wizards?¡± ¡°I made it all by myself,¡± Eugene dered. Mer was lost in thought, ¡°Hm, hmmm¡­.¡± The elevator doors opened, and they entered. While they were descending to the twelfth floor, Mer was caught up in her own musings as she stroked her chin. Perhaps because the speed of their descent was so fast, her thoughts also seemed to quickly reach a conclusion. Mer appeared to be relieved as she said, ¡°Well then, it seems that your qualifications aren¡¯t as terrifyingly inadequate as I had feared. I was worried that your entry into Arkon was bought mostly by the prestige of your family name.¡± ¡°I think it may have yed at least a small factor,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°I really appreciate such an honest attitude. Although it would be faster to just see your magic than hear it from you, for now¡­ what type of magic are you interested in, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Are you asking so that you can give me some advice?¡± ¡°I might not be able to teach you any magic personally, but I can at least point you in the right direction.¡± ¡°I want magic that will be useful in a fight. Spirit magic would be okay as well.¡± ¡°What a barbaric request.¡± Mer clicked her tongue a few times in disapproval as she followed behind Eugene. Still, she continued to generously give her advice, ¡°The tenth floor is the Great Spirit Summoner¡¯s Hall. That Hall is dedicated to the human who was the first to make a contract with the Water Spirit King.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not like you can be sure to make a contract with the Water Spirit King just because you¡¯ve learned the magic stored in that hall,¡± Eugene quibbled. ¡°Well, that may be the case. After all, the innatepatibility of the summoner is also important when making a contract with a spirit. As for the magic stored on the tenth floor¡­ most of the spells there are meant to be applied together with the power of water spirits.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, they won¡¯t be of much use to me. I prefer wind spirits over water spirits.¡± ¡°But something likepatibility isn¡¯t up to you to decide, Sir Eugene¡­. Well, for now, I get your point. If you want magic that¡¯s useful in a fight, then the eleventh floor is definitely perfect for you. Because that hall is dedicated to the Archwizard, who was called the Father of Battle Magic.¡± Chapter 46.2 Chapter 46.2 ¡°Is there anything else you would rmend?¡± as Eugene asked this question, they came to a stop in front of Witch Craft. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what type of fighting style you have in mind, Sir Eugene. Do you intend to solely use magic when you fight? Even though the Lionheart¡¯s main family is a famous martial family?¡± Mer asked doubtfully. ¡°I¡¯ll use them both¡ªmagic and a weapon,¡± Eugene rified. ¡°How arrogant of you,¡± Mer giggled. Even considering the potential Eugene had shown at such a young age, it still felt absurd that he was nning to use both magic and martial arts together when he fought. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, rather than the tenth floor, the floor below that will be of more use to you,¡± Mer said, changing her rmendation. ¡°The magic texts on the tenth floor mainly deal with the proper application of battle magic and how to adapt the magic ording to the situation. In other words, their difficulty level is extremely high. Although that¡¯s actually the case for all the magic in this ce.¡± ¡°But what¡¯s on the floor below?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It has some powerful, and yet simple, magic. The spells of the Fire Wizard and Ice Wizard, who were eternal rivals during their lifetimes. While the ice magic pairs well with water spirits¡­ since you said that youpreferspirits of the wind, it would be better for you to learn the fire magic instead.¡± Although Mer was sarcastic, her advice was clear and helpful. ¡°Sir Eugene, once you¡¯ve be quite proficient in fire magic, you can also go to the seventh floor. Although the difficulty of the spells stored there is quite high, once you¡¯ve mastered them, there is magic powerful enough to wipe out an army or even a nation in a single spell. Have you heard of the ¡®Meteora¡¯ spell, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Of course, I have,¡± Eugene answered cautiously. ¡°That¡¯s the spell that rains meteor showers from the sky.¡± ¡°Was it around five hundred years ago? It was during an era of constant conflict between nations. The Eighth Hall is dedicated to the wizard known as ¡®Disaster,¡¯ who destroyed several armies with his signature spell Meteora during that time. Akron is the only ce on the continent that has aplete copy of the Meteora technique.¡± Although Eugene didn¡¯t know if he would learn Meteora, he couldn¡¯t deny being interested in it. Moving on, Mer revealed, ¡°There¡¯s spatial magic on the sixth floor. Sir Eugene, if you wish to fight with your martial arts skills instead of magic, I would also rmend learning spatial magic. As long as you canpletely master Blink, you will have an absolute advantage in any magical duel.¡± Blink was a short-range teleportation spell. Although the distance that could be teleported differed on the level of the wizard casting it, Sienna used to be able to jump dozens of meters with a single Blink. As he continued to listen to Mer¡¯s advice. Eugene slowly started to get an idea of what he could do with Blink. While teleporting here and there with Blink, he could either swing his weapon or cast a spell. As long as he was able to adapt to the style properly, he would be able to surpass his strength in his previous life. ¡®Since I wasn¡¯t able to cast even a single spark in my previous life, let alone Blink.¡¯ To be able to do something that he couldn¡¯t do in his previous life¡ªEugene felt a fluttering sort of pleasure from that. Breaking out of his daydreams, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­And what about Witch Craft?¡± Mer began a long-prepared lecture, ¡°Witch Craft contains an optimized mana application form designed for Circles. Through this, it can amplify the magical power created by a Circle. It can also simplify any technique, increasing efficiency and removing the need for incantations. It can even allow multiple activations of the same spell through a single casting. Also, it can be used to imprint spells into your subconscious mind and store them there, allowing you to cast the spell immediately ording to the situation, and you can even set a trigger so that the spell casts itself in response to external stimtion.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene was struck silent by this extensive list. ¡°Among all these benefits, the most impressive is that its Circle provides the ideal application of force. Although most wizards nowadays already use Circles, Witch Craft¡¯s Circle magic form is far superior to ordinary Circles. To put it simply, it allows you to exert maximum power with the minimum amount of mana.¡± ¡°Sorry, but while I hear what you¡¯re saying, I don¡¯t understand it.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the case. If you could understand it just by hearing it, there wouldn¡¯t be any reason for Witch Craft to be called the greatest grimoire in the history of magic, would there?¡± With a broad grin, Mer puffed out her chest. ¡°Okay then,¡± Eugene shrugged off the boasting, ¡°And just how am I supposed to read it?¡± ¡°Close your eyes and reach out your hand,¡± instructed Mer. ¡°After that, transmit your mana into Witch Craft, Sir Eugene¡­ if you do that, you¡¯ll be able to read it.¡± He just needed to reach out his hand? For a few moments, Eugene stared at the sphere of light that was covered by dozens of rings. Since he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it if he just kept looking at it like this, Eugene stretched out his hand as Mer had instructed. Although his hand was drawing closer to the light-emitting sphere, he couldn¡¯t feel anything like heat from it. However, he did feel a tremendous amount of mana. Ignoring his uneasy goosebumps, Eugene drew out his mana using the White me Form. Would it be alright if he just poured his mana in as it was? Or should he apply it through the pseudo-circle that he used whenever he cast a spell? As he hid these worries, for now, he just poured in his mana. Suddenly, he lost all sensation in his body. He couldn¡¯t hear anything, and he couldn¡¯t smell anything. Although his eyes shot open in rm, he couldn¡¯t see anything either. He couldn¡¯t see Mer, who had been right next to him, nor could he feel her presence. ¡°Ah,¡± he tried to voice this sound, but the noise failed to reach Eugene¡¯s ear. He couldn¡¯t even hear the sounds of his own body. It was only then that Eugene was somewhat able to grasp the situation he was in. This was a world formed within his own mind. Eugene¡¯s body didn¡¯t exist within this space. Once he had connected to Witch Craft, only his consciousness was dragged into the depths of this ce. ¡®It¡¯s simr to a dream¡­ but also different.¡¯ Things weren¡¯t changing ording to his will, like in a lucid dream. And he wasn¡¯t seeing any unpleasant hallucinations like in the bullshit pulled by Night Demons. Instead, he just felt an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. Since his body did not exist, he couldn¡¯t move anything. Among all of his senses that had been blocked off, only one sense remained essible. His sensitivity towards mana. This mental world was packed full to the brim with mana. Although this ce was constructed in Eugene¡¯s own consciousness, Witch Craft¡¯s mana had flooded his head, creating an infinite sea of mana. In the middle of this sea, Eugene¡¯s sense of self wasn¡¯t even asrge as a grain of sand. He couldn¡¯t even wander around and explore as he wished. So all he could do was contemte the situation and wait. ¡®The mana¡­ I can move it a little.¡¯ A little? ¡®Oh, that¡¯s right. So this is all the mana that I have currently.¡¯ Eugene realized that the mana he could move was the mana that belonged to his own consciousness. But within this sea of mana, Eugene¡¯s mana was just as small and insignificant as his sense of self. If he gathered in all his mana, would he be able to get out of here? That was probably the case, but Eugene didn¡¯t want to test that just now. After all, he hadn¡¯t seen anything yet. Eventually, the mana¡ªno, the sea began to move. A huge wave formed in front of Eugene, only to be a single ring. It was a Circle. The single Circle began rotating slowly, then at some point, it elerated so fast that he couldn¡¯t even tell it was spinning. With each rotation of the Circle, the mana that flooded this world was drawn into the circle¡¯s rotation, copying it. Through this, the Circle multiplied one at a time. Of the levels of magical aptitude that was divided into Circles, the highest level was the Ninth Circle. However, the copied Circles did not stop at nine. The moment the Tenth Circle was created, the mana that had been drawn into the Circle¡¯s rotation stopped, leaving an immense line of Circles. These ten Circles separated, but after pulling apart, they joined together once more to form a single giant circle, and the center of this circle was filled with an infinite amount of mana. That alone would have been rming enough, but the phenomenon wasn¡¯t done yet. Countless Circles began to be created within therger Circle. One, two, three, four¡­. At this point, Eugene gave up on counting. Having drawn out an infinite amount of mana, the greater Circle was creating an endless amount of Circles within it. These Circles kept multiplying, dividing, intertwining, multiplying once again, dividing, and¡­. Although he was simply looking at it, just the sight of it alone was shaking Eugene¡¯s consciousness. It felt like an optical illusion that exhausted the mind and caused motion sickness, But no, it wasn¡¯t an optical illusion. Within that Circle, an infinite amount of Circles truly were repeatedly multiplying, dividing, and intertwining. ¡®Even if I can see it, I don¡¯t think I can understand it.¡¯ All the magic that he had learned in his life until that point had felt like child¡¯s y. That was what Lovellian had said. A glimpse of the truth. That was how Melkith had described it. Both of them were correct. His consciousness wavered. The transformations taking ce with those infinite circles and all the possibilities that they contained¡ªEugene definitely couldn¡¯t fullyprehend all of them. However, he knew this much for sure. The Wise Sienna, she was the most astounding and powerful wizard in human history. ¡®Hold on¡­.¡¯ His consciousness began to copse. Eugene sensed what was currently happening to him. An unstoppable shutter was about to close in his mind and cause him to fall unconscious. ¡®I don¡¯t want to faint, but¡­. Hold on, no way!¡¯ ¡ªIt might be better for you if you wear a diaper? ¡ªWhy? ¡ªYou might just wet your pants a little. Melkith¡¯s earlier words weren¡¯t just a joke. Just when did hest¡­ go to the bathroom¡­? Eugene desperately attempted to keep a hold of his consciousness, but in this world that was connected to Witch Craft, Eugene¡¯s consciousness was pitifully weak. Resistance was impossible. ¡®No way! Please, my excellent body, you can¡¯t let me down.¡¯ Don¡¯t let me piss myself. With this earnest prayer, Eugene lost consciousness. Chapter 47.1 Chapter 47.1 When Eugene opened his eyes, the very first thing he did was check his underwear. He was worried that he might have wet himself, just like Melkith had warned. Fortunately, his underwear was soft and dry. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t feel reassured by this fact alone. Mer¡¯s gaze, who was standing nearby and looking in his direction, felt somewhat unusual. ¡°Did I do something shameful while I was out?¡± Eugene asked as he desperately tried to remain calm. ¡°Well, it was a bit shameful for you to faint like that,¡± teased Mer. Eugene bit out, ¡°Apart from that.¡± ¡°Were you worried that you might have peed your pants?¡± Mer asked with a mischievous grin. As Eugene felt his heart sinking, he shook his head desperately and said, ¡°There¡¯s no way I could have done something like that.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard that the truth almost always hurts?¡± Mer sighed.[1] ¡°Please, don¡¯t feed me such bullshit. Because, as I said, there¡¯s no way I could have done something like that!¡± Eugene¡¯s tone grew even more desperate. Mer finally let up on poor Eugene, ¡°Stop worrying about it. At the very least, you didn¡¯t pee your pants, Sir Eugene. Although you did froth at the mouth a bit.¡± ¡°¡­So just froth?¡± ¡°You also had a bit of a nosebleed. But anyway, haven¡¯t I already told you that you didn¡¯t wet yourself? Sir Eugene, if you had peed your pants, there¡¯s no way I would be standing this close to you¡­.¡± ¡°¡­From the way you say that, it seems that there are people who have wet their pants.¡± ¡°Of course, there¡¯ve been quite a lot. The current White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, also peed herself¡­ and so did the Blue Tower Master Hiridus Euznd.¡± Eugene recalled the Blue Tower Master with his uptight face. So that old wizard with an easily-offended personality had actually peed himself upon entering Witch Craft? He didn¡¯t really want to imagine such a sight¡­. ¡°I see, so that means I really didn¡¯t wet myself. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene said in a relieved tone as he got to his feet. How much time had passed? As he was looking around for a clock with this question in mind, Mer suddenly spoke up. ¡°Sir Eugene was passed out for around two hours,¡± Mer said, answering his unspoken question. ¡°That means I was out for quite a while,¡± Eugene murmured in surprise. ¡°So, how was it?¡± Mer asked, her eyes lighting up as she waited for his impressions. However, Eugene found it almost impossible to describe his reaction to all that he had just seen and felt. ¡°¡­Difficult,¡± Eugene eventually chose to begin with this word. ¡°And arduous. I don¡¯t even know what I was looking¡­. No, I think I can vaguely understand what I saw. However, I¡¯m finding it difficult to ept it as the truth, or as even just a theory.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the case,¡± Mer dered in approval. Mer truly appreciated Eugene¡¯s heartfelt impression. Archwizards, who held an overflowing pride in their skills and knowledge, rarely gave their honest impression after experiencing the contents of Witch Craft. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why Witch Craft and the one who made it, Lady Sienna, are so amazing,¡± Mer proudly affirmed. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene admitted, not denying such a fact. Or rather, he couldn¡¯t deny it. Even though he had wholeheartedly believed that Sienna was the greatest wizard, he had still been curious about what had made her so amazing that even the other wizards were forced to rate her so highly. Such thoughts couldn¡¯t be helped. Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel knew Sienna extremely well. Not as the Archwizard, The Wise Sienna, but as Sienna Merdein, the person who had once been hisrade. He was all too aware of how clumsy, rude, and foul-mouthed she could be, as well as how good she was at getting on other people¡¯s nerves due to her over-inted ego. ¡®Though I guess she deserves to have such an ego.¡¯ Eugene turned his head back to look at Witch Craft. To be honest, if he relied on self-study, it didn¡¯t feel like he would be able to understand Witch Craft even if he struggled for the rest of his life. ¡°¡­The movements of the Circles were truly mesmerizing,¡± Eugene mumbled to himself. As she heard Eugene¡¯s mutters, Mer¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Hoh?¡± Looking at Eugene deep in thought, Mer smiled. ¡°Indeed. He must have good eyes to see that Witch Craft can¡¯t bepared to all the magic he has learned up until now. And it seems that hisprehension is also pretty good,¡± Mer quietly analyzed Eugene. ¡°That Circle, just what the hell was that?¡± Eugene asked as he rubbed away the dried blood left from his nosebleed. The most surprising and iprehensible thing in Witch Craft ¡ª that Circle ¡ª was the very essence of the magic form taught by Witch Craft. Eugene knew what a Circle was. It had been three hundred years since Sienna established the Circle Magic Form. Over these past hundreds of years, Aroth¡¯s wizards had spent that time exploring the Circle¡¯s capabilities, improving its functions, and developing new versions. In this current era, it wasn¡¯t just in Aroth but most of the wizards in the world who had started practicing magic through the Circles. In other words, Circles had be poprized because they were easy to understand and learn. Even the introductory books on magic that Eugene had read were all able to describe Circles in a detailed way that was also easy to understand. Although he had read more than a dozen of such books back at the Red Tower of Magic, the description of the Circles given across these many magic texts were mostly simr. ¡°And what exactly was it that you saw?¡± Mer asked with a mischievous smile. It seemed that she really wanted to hear more of Eugene¡¯s evaluation or, more precisely, his amazement at Sienna¡¯s aplishments. ¡®So Sienna must have already been like that even when she was young,¡¯Eugene realized. Mer had said that she had been created using Sienna¡¯s childhood personality as a basis. The Sienna, whom Eugene knew, had also enjoyed listening to other people¡¯s gobsmacked impressions as a way of fluffing her own ego. ¡°¡­That Circle¡­ it just kept multiplying,¡± Eugene said as he rubbed his aching head. ¡°But the Circles I know¡­ they only go up to the Ninth Circle.¡± The Ninth Circle. These days, there were no wizards who had managed to reach the Ninth Circle. Even the Tower Masters, who were seen as the forefront of magic, were limited to the Eighth Circle, and even Helmuth¡¯s ck wizards, who had signed a personal contract with a Demon King, could not cross the wall into the Ninth Circle. The Ninth Circle was the final step of the Circles magic form. Although Eugene had seen this line written down in the many books of magic that he had read, only the Wise Sienna had actually been able to reach the Ninth Circle after the Circles magic form had been established. ¡°Witch Craft is thest grimoire that Lady Sienna ever made,¡± Mer dered, cing her hands firmly on her hips as she looked at Eugene. ¡°When she had first created the Circles magic form, Lady Sienna was already at the Ninth Circle. However, Lady Sienna continued to focus on researching and training her magic. And just like that¡­ she surpassed the limits that she had set herself.¡± Eugene surmised, ¡°If it¡¯s after the Ninth Circle, then that means that there¡¯s a Tenth Circle?¡± ¡°Are you an idiot, Sir Eugene?¡± Mer rudely asked. He was just making a guess based on simple arithmetic, but he was forced to hear someone call him an idiot. Eugene put on an offended expression, silently asking her to mind her words, but Mer¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change from the look of pity that she was giving him. ¡°Sir Eugene should also have witnessed the contents of Witch Craft first hand. You shouldn¡¯t have fainted before the demonstration reached the ten Circles, right?¡± Mer asked doubtfully. ¡°I saw what happened after that,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°From the moment that the ten Circles split apart¡­ their mana started intertwining with each other, forming a single huge Circle. Then, inside that Circle, countless circles were multiplying, dividing, and intertwining¡­.¡± ¡°That right there was the core truth of Witch Craft,¡± then, as if she had been waiting for this, Mer raised her finger like a lecturer calling for attention. ¡°It¡¯s called the Eternal Hole. The ultimate end goal of the Circles magic form that only Lady Sienna has been able to reach. Since Witch Craft was released, numerous wizards have attempted to recreate the Eternal Hole, but none have managed to break through the wall into the Ninth Circle.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene listened patiently. ¡°Without wasting even a single point of your mana, you need to contain all your mana within a giant series of Circles, then split them apart and rbine them to form a new one.This could be said to form the most efficient and amplifying model of a Circle. And it¡¯s not asplicated as a conventional Circle.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that it isn¡¯tplicated? Something like that?¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s difficult to create an Eternal Hole, it¡¯s actually very simple and easy to cast magic through it. Didn¡¯t I tell you this before?¡± An optimized mana application system for Circles that amplifies the magical power created by a Circle, simplifying any technique, increasing its efficiency, as well as removing the need for an incantation. Allowing multiple castings of the same spell through a single casting and imprinting spells into your subconscious mind to save them forter use. ¡°If you can create an Eternal Hole, you can do all of these as naturally as breathing,¡± Mer assured Eugene while also bringing up an example. ¡°A fireball cast through an Eternal Hole is stronger than a Hellfire spell cast at the Ninth Circle. At the same time, it doesn¡¯t require such vicious consumption of mana as a Hellfire, and its casting technique still isn¡¯t any moreplicated than before.¡± ¡°If I can create an Eternal Hole, can I even cast Ninth Circle spells without incantations?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the case, but you won¡¯t have any need for that. Since you can reproduce the power of a Hellfire spell with only a fireball, why would you even need to use Hellfire? It would be easier to just keep throwing fireballs. Ah, of course, if you do need even more power than that, it might be better to cast Hellfire, but by the time that Lady Sienna had created the Eternal Hole¡­ she never once felt the need to use Hellfire.¡± By then, she was no longer trying to conquer the Castles of the Demon Kings, nor was she fighting the Demon Kings and other high-ranking demonfolks. Following ¡®The Oath,¡¯ the world had been at peace, so Sienna was no longer living such an action-packed life as she had when they were wandering through Helmuth. ¡°You should have figured it out by now, right?¡± Mer asked as she waved her upheld finger left and right. ¡°For Lady Sienna to be assassinated by ck wizards, there¡¯s no way such a thing would happen. By creating the Eternal Hole, Lady Sienna could be said to have be invincible. Although she didn¡¯t confirm it personally, she could probably have in a Demon King all on her own.¡± ¡°Maybe,¡± Eugene said, unable to deny those words. Sienna, with whom he had wandered around Helmuth together, was already an incredibly powerful wizard, but it seemed that she had be even stronger after the end of the war with the Demon Kings. Eugene¡¯s basic understanding couldn¡¯t fullyprehend the greatness of Witch Craft. However, he could tell that Sienna, who had made Witch Craft, was far stronger than her previous self that Eugene remembered from her days out in the field. ¡®Sienna wasn¡¯t just wasting her time frivolously.¡¯ The others had probably done thesame, except for one. 1. What Mer literally said is: There¡¯s a saying that the truth is mostly cruel. I¡¯ve changed it to a version more familiar to Western audiences.? Chapter 47.2 Chapter 47.2 In the history of the Lionheart n, Vermouth was the only one to have reached the Tenth Star of the White me Form. He was already peerlessly strong even when they were in Helmuth, but Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what hade over Vermouth to make him so obsessed with bearing children¡­. Vermouth, from Eugene¡¯s memories, wasn¡¯t such an idle person. ¡ªIf you just tried a little harder¡­. You could be a lot better than you are now. Those were the words he had heard from Vermouth so very long ago. Those words were the ones that had left the deepest scars on his heart during the entirety of his previous life. Vermouth, that son of a bitch, even though he was already a genius, had also put in quite a lot of hard work. However,pared to the amount of effort he had put in, the results he had achieved were just excessive. ¡®Anise and Molon should also have gotten a bit stronger.¡¯ Although he wasn¡¯t able to confirm their achievements with his own eyes, as he had with Sienna, Eugene was confident of this fact. Hisrades from his previous life were all just those sorts of people. They were all so talented that they could be called geniuses no matter what era they had been born in, and they all had clear goals and convictions. And they had all sworn together to wipe out the Demon Kings from this world. ¡°But that¡¯s what makes me even more worried,¡± Eugene muttered to himself in a low voice as he got to his feet.¡®Sienna Merdein. If you were that strong, then¡­. Sienna, who I knew would definitely have found some way to challenge the Demon Kings once more.¡¯ The Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction ¡ª these two Demon Kings were so powerful that the Demon Kings of lower ranks couldn¡¯t even bepared to them. But even if they were defeated because of that, thepanions that Eugene was familiar with weren¡¯t the type to fall into despair. On the contrary, after increasing their strength and regaining their confidence, even if victory wasn¡¯t certain, they were definitely the type to once again risk their lives for their convictions before they died. So for those guys to have not gone to challenge the Demon Kings once more until the very end. And for Sienna and Anise to have gone into hiding at around the same time. ¡­And for them to have no interactions with the Lionheart n before Vermouth¡¯s funeral. ¡®Vermouth,¡¯Eugene let out a long sigh as he shook his head.¡®Just what on earth were you nning?¡¯ * * * Although Akron, as the Royal Library, had a nominal Library Director, there was no closing time as most of the library¡¯s operation was left to the familiars. In other words, as long as you gave up on time spent eating and sleeping, you could stay in Akron for as long as you wanted. ¡®If that¡¯s the case, it would be good if they had a separate location like a break room,¡¯Eugene wished. The library in the Red Tower of Magic was much more convenient in this regard. It had both the cafeteria and bedrooms prepared nearby. But unfortunately, there was no space for such things in Akron. He didn¡¯t know whether it was because they didn¡¯t want the smell of food spreading through the air or if they wanted to maintain a dignity worthy of its title as the Royal Library, but it was strictly forbidden to eat and drink inside Akron. Fortunately, there were separate research wings attached to the halls on each floor, where you could go to study and experiment with magic. If that was the case, shouldn¡¯t it be alright for him to eat and sleep there? Although Eugene asked Mer about this fact¡ª ¡°Even though I can¡¯t eat and it¡¯s impossible for me to drink anything, are you really going to do something like that in front of me?¡± Mer protested. ¡°There¡¯s absolutely no way. If you¡¯re hungry, just go outside to eat.¡± ¡ªMer had only offered such a petty denial. ¡°Are you really saying that such acts are forbidden because of a frivolous reason like that?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°Of course not. There are definitely reasons behind these restrictions. Since Sir Eugene isn¡¯t a pure wizard, he might not be aware of this, but ordinary wizards¡­ no, even wizards who can be called Archwizards are basically magic addicts,¡± Mer replied, shaking her head vigorously. ¡°If we don¡¯t draw a clear line like this, the wizards who enter this ce might be so engrossed in magic that they even risk shortening their lifespans to stay here longer. Isn¡¯t that why such stories are famous? Stories about wizards who became liches in order to keep researching magic after their deaths. And about wizards who died from overwork while immersed in research within their dungeons¡­.¡± ¡°I thought that such stories had an element of exaggeration mixed into them,¡± Eugene said doubtfully. ¡°If there wasn¡¯t a precedent, we wouldn¡¯t have any reason to make such a rule, no?¡± Mer lowered her voice. Intent on creating a gloomy atmosphere, she quietly whispered, ¡°Akron has a long history tracing back to around eight hundred years. A long, long time ago¡­ a certain wizard managed to obtain Akron¡¯s entry pass, which he had longed for all his life. He truly loved magic and was fascinated by the truths found in the research of his great and respected seniors. And just like that¡­ he indulged in magic while forgetting to eat, drink, and sleep, until eventually¡­.¡± ¡°So what, does hee out at night as a ghost?¡± Eugene asked, his tone skeptical. ¡°He could appear,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°Though I¡¯ve never actually seen him myself.¡± ¡°Wow, so scary.¡± Faced with Eugene¡¯s dry reaction, Mer pouted her lips. ¡°I¡¯ll be back tomorrow,¡± Eugene said as he turned to leave. Mer tilted her head in curiosity, ¡°Why are youing back here? The magic texts in this hall should be too difficult for you, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re hard, then I just need to keep learning,¡± Eugene dered confidently. ¡°I¡¯m not going to teach you anything,¡± Mer warned him. ¡°That¡¯s fine because other than you, there is someone who can teach me.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it¡¯s fine, but if you make too much noise, I¡¯m still kicking you out.¡± Mer said this with a tone of setting down an ultimatum. Eugene smirked and nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to be quiet,¡± he promised. Honestly speaking, Eugene was experiencing some internal conflict. He wanted to keep getting to know her and even be friends with Mer, who exceedingly resembled Sienna. However, he didn¡¯t think it would be right to transfer that kind of affection to her. It wouldn¡¯t be correct, and it wouldn¡¯t be fair to Mer either. After all, Mer was a familiar. She wasn¡¯t Sienna herself. Mer¡¯s existence was also causing Eugene to be overly conscious of his past life. So Eugene didn¡¯t want to get any closer to Mer than was absolutely needed. However, things weren¡¯t going as he had nned. Just taking today as an example, there were several times when Eugene had seen glimpses of Sienna in Mer¡¯s behavior. ¡®But I can¡¯t just act like I don¡¯t know her either.¡¯ If he really wanted to keep his distance, the best and simplest thing to do was not go to Sienna¡¯s Hall any longer. But Eugene didn¡¯t want to go that far. Because aside from the existence of Mer, he also wanted to indulge himself in Witch Craft and the other magical texts stored inside Before going down to the first floor, taking Mer¡¯s advice, Eugene looked around the lower floors. Although there were also familiars on these floors, they didn¡¯t have a personality or an artificial intelligence guiding them, so they could only answer a few simple questions and maintain their assigned halls. There were no familiars as human-like as Mer. ¡®Though the difficulty is the same.¡¯ Following the mechanical guidance of the familiars, Eugene had looked at the magic books on disy. Even if it wasn¡¯t as much as Witch Craft, which was impossible for Eugene to understand currently, the difficulty of these books was the same as the other magic texts that he had seen in Sienna¡¯s Hall. When he arrived on Akron¡¯s first floor, a voice called out to Eugene, ¡°You sure werete toe back down.¡± It was Melkith, who still hadn¡¯t returned to her own affairs and was just waiting there for him. ¡°So, how was it?¡± another voice asked. Lovellian was there as well. Up until just now, he¡¯d had a frown on his face, but from the moment he saw Eugene, he was walking over with a bright smile as he asked this question. ¡°Truthfully speaking, I¡¯m not really sure what I saw,¡± Eugene replied as he shook his head. ¡°Based on the magic theory that I¡¯ve learned so far, I think it will take me several years just to properly understand a single one of those magic books.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the case. Because the magic books stored here are the distition of Aroth¡¯s hundreds of years of magic,¡± Melkith responded with a smirk. While ncing at Wynnyd, which was hanging from Eugene¡¯s waist, she continued speaking, ¡°Kid, no matter how smart you might be, there¡¯s a limit to the amount of magic you can learn without a proper teacher.¡± Lovellian interjected from the side, ¡°White Tower Master.¡± ¡°Ah, like I said, you don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Melkith assured him. ¡°I have no intention of taking that kid as my disciple. I just¡­ I want to make a in and simple deal with him.¡± ¡°For Wynnyd?¡± Eugene asked although the answer was obvious. At this question, as if she had just been waiting for this, Melkith immediately nodded vigorously. ¡°As long as you lend me Wynnyd for a bit, I¡¯ll exin ten volumes of magic texts to you in a way that¡¯s easy for you to understand. Doesn¡¯t that sound like a good deal?¡± Melkith persuaded him. ¡°It does sound good, but¡­,¡± Eugen turned his gaze away from Melkith and met Lovellian¡¯s eyes. ¡°Sir Lovellian, may I ask if you have any intention of making me your disciple?¡± At these words, the two Tower Masters¡¯ faces underwent drastic changes. Lovellian¡¯s face lit up with a smile, while Melkith¡¯s face twisted into a grimace. ¡°If that is what you desire, Eugene, there¡¯s no way I can turn you down, right?¡± Lovellian weed him cheerfully. ¡°But aren¡¯t you very busy?¡± Melkith objected. Lovellian insisted, ¡°If it¡¯s for Eugene, no matter how long itsts, I can make the time for him.¡± Melkith turned towards Eugene, ¡°And as for you, kiddo, no matter how desperate you are, you shouldn¡¯t bow your head so easily. Besides, aren¡¯t you a Lionheart? Is it really okay for you to enter a master-disciple rtionship of your own volition?¡± ¡°Any more objections?¡± Eugene just sighed. ¡°There¡¯s also me,¡± Melkith quickly added. ¡°Since I¡¯m here, you don¡¯t need to enter a master-disciple rtionship so carelessly. You might encounter some pointless annoyancester. What will you do if the Red Tower Master does something bad to you after you¡¯ve already taken him as your teacher?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such nonsense,¡± Lovellian huffed. Eugene expressed his faith in the man, ¡°The Head Wizard Lovellian that I know isn¡¯t that type of person.¡± Melkith narrowed her eyes in frustration, ¡°You annoying brat, you¡¯re only seventeen years old. Do you really think you know the Red Tower Master better than I do?¡± ¡°Why do you keep spouting such ridiculous nonsense?¡± Lovellian asked with narrowed eyes. Unable toe up with another answer, Melkith chewed her lips for a moment before finally letting out a deep sigh. ¡°Fine then. If you do be the Red Tower Master¡¯s disciple, you won¡¯t need me to exin those magic texts in exchange for lending me Wynnyd. Although admitting this really hurts my self-esteem, the Red Tower Master¡¯s magic skills are better than mine, alright?¡± Melkith reluctantly confessed. ¡°We don¡¯t necessarily need to trade for guidance on those magic books,¡± Eugene said with an amused shrug. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything else that¡¯s worth trading for? Items can work just as well.¡± Melkith¡¯s jaw fell halfway in shock at this bold statement. After staring at Eugene for a few moments, she burst intoughter as she shook her head. ¡°This kid really knows how to cut a deal,¡± Melkithmented sarcastically. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Eugene casually replied. ¡°Who says that I don¡¯t want to?¡± Melkith responded immediately as she rubbed her chin. ¡°Just let me think for a moment.¡± Chapter 48.1 Chapter 48.1 Even in his previous life, Eugene had never disliked epting freebies. No matter how much he hated someone, as long as they were offering him something useful, he would still ept it. Besides, Eugene didn¡¯t really have any hard feelings towards Melkith. ¡®Anyways, I shouldn¡¯t have any need to use Wynnyd for the time being.¡¯ Of course, Eugene couldn¡¯t just decide to loan Wynnyd all on his own ord. The Storm Sword was a treasure that belonged to the Lionheart¡¯s direct line. Eugene was currently only borrowing it for a while. ¡®Though I don¡¯t think the Patriarch will say that it¡¯s not allowed.¡¯ Although he felt that he still needed to first ask for permission, Eugene wasn¡¯t really afraid that Gilead would turn down this proposal. Despite being the Patriarch of the Lionheart n, which heavily valued tradition, Gilead Lionheart had shown several times that he was more invested in being realistic and pursuing the n¡¯s best interests than in protecting such outdated traditions. And it wasn¡¯t like they were just handing Wynnyd over to Melkith. Gilead shouldn¡¯t have any reason to refuse if they could get something of value in return for lending it out for a few days if they could get that promise recorded in clear writing. ¡®And this works out for me as well.¡¯ Even as Eugene considered all this, Melkith was also lost in thought. She was busy recalling all the various artifacts she had collected for herself, as well as any magic books which were exclusively kept by the White Tower of Magic. ¡®¡­The magic books aren¡¯t valuable enough,¡¯Melkith judged. Since Eugene was allowed entrance into Akron, the magic books belonging exclusively to the White Tower of Magic were no longer of great value to him. ¡°¡­How about a staff?¡± Melkith suddenly spoke up. ¡°Kid, you don¡¯t have a staff yet, right? Although you might feel like you can already use magic quite well even without a staff, that¡¯s just because all the magic you¡¯ve learned so far has been simple.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene responded politely. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the case,¡± Melkith insisted. ¡°Did you think that wizards carried around staffs just to look cool? With the aid of a staff, you can easily fine-tune your mana, simplifying all your spell-casting techniques.¡± ¡°Eugene. I have a lot of fine staffs in my collection as well,¡± Lovellian immediately interjected. Truthfully speaking, he was reluctant to allow Melkith to borrow Wynnyd. Although it wasn¡¯t guaranteed that she would be able to summon the Wind Spirit King just because she was using Wynnyd as a catalyst, what if Melkith truly did seed in signing a contract with the Wind Spirit King? The White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, was already the greatest Spirit Summoner in the history of magic. Before her, no other Spirit Summoner had managed to sign contracts with two Spirit Kings. If the Spirit King of the Wind was added to that¡­ the power held by the White Tower of Magic would be far too strong. As the Red Tower Master, Lovellian didn¡¯t want the bnce of power between the Towers to copse. Who knew what would happen if Melkith, who was already so free-spirited and self-righteous, held more power than the other Tower Masters? ¡®With her personality, she won¡¯t want to be involved in Aroth¡¯s day-to-day affairs, but¡­ it still isn¡¯t good to allow too much power to be focused on one Tower Master,¡¯Lovellian believed. A current example of this was the ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth. Even in Aroth, he needed to be treated with special consideration. This was because of the Demon King of Incarceration, who had signed a contract with Balzac and thrown his support behind the ck Tower Master. Balzac was both the ck Tower Master and, at the same time, Helmuth¡¯s ambassador. ¡°Why do you have to keep trying to get in my way?¡± Melkith demanded. Lovellian replied with a question of his own, ¡°Why do you have to keep being so greedy when you already have contracts with two Spirit Kings?¡± ¡°This old man. Do you think that I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re really afraid of? Are you truly that worried that I might wreak havoc after signing a contract with the Wind Spirit King?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re well aware then.¡± ¡°Hey! Even though we¡¯ve known each other for decades, do you still not know me that well? Can¡¯t you see that I¡¯ve got no interest in the headache that¡¯s meddling in Aroth¡¯s state of affairs?¡± ¡°Although you can say that now, once you obtain too much power, it might end up twisting you.¡± Lovellian didn¡¯t raise his voice. He just continued to stare at Melkith with calm eyes, and Melkith was unable to refute him and could only grind her teeth in frustration. ¡°¡­You really are an amazing patriot. Since when were you so devoted to Aroth?¡± Melkith asked sarcastically. Lovellian calmly replied, ¡°I just don¡¯t want to step aside and allow further disturbances to break out. Balzac alone is enough to give me a headache.¡± ¡°Hah! From how you¡¯re acting, someone might think that Balzac really was up to something,¡± Melkith snorted in amusement. ¡°Lovellian Sophis, although I¡¯m well aware of how much you detest ck wizards, sometimes you just go too far. Don¡¯t you think you should avoid misjudging people because of your preconceptions?¡± ¡°Preconceptions?¡± Lovellian¡¯s lips twisted into a mocking smile. ¡°I lost my family due to a ck wizard¡¯s attempt at human experimentation. Right in front of my eyes, I was forced to watch as my mother, father, and sister writhed around as parts of a single chimera. If my master hadn¡¯t saved me, I too would have undergone the exact same thing to be part of that chimera.¡± ¡°¡­Ugh..,¡± Melkith grimaced. ¡°So isn¡¯t it only natural for me to detest ck wizards and to have preconceptions about them?¡± Lovellian pressed. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve¡­ put my foot in my mouth. Sorry,¡± Melkith apologized. ¡°You have the right to detest ck wizards. However¡­ Balzac is still innocent, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be sure of that,¡± with a snort, Lovellian shook his head. ¡°Can you really say for certain that Balzac isn¡¯t the mastermind behind the filth that goes on in Bolero Street? These days, several people go missing from Bolero Street each year. Such disappearances aren¡¯t just taking ce on Bolero Street, but in various other ces throughout Aroth as well.¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s no evidence that the ck wizards are behind those¡­,¡± Melkith weakly argued. ¡°Of course, there isn¡¯t. That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t attempted to interrogate Balzac either. But there¡¯s one fact that we just can¡¯t ignore. As far as I know, the only ones who enjoy kidnapping strangers are the ck wizards.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s none of my concern whether you hate ck wizards or are suspicious of Balzac,¡± Melkith spat out as she rallied her anger. ¡°I know what you¡¯re trying to guard against. However, I swear on my mana that I have no desire to abuse my power and make a mess. Even if I do manage to sign a contract with the Wind Spirit King, I won¡¯t do anything that disgraces my position as the White Tower Master.¡± ¡°Alright then,¡± Lovellian easily epted. ¡°¡­What?¡± Melkith struggled to respond. ¡°If you¡¯ve sworn on your mana, then I guess I¡¯ll just have to trust you, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Lovellian smiled warmly as if his cold attitude from earlier was merely for show. Seeing this, Melkith couldn¡¯t help but click her tongue, ¡°Tch¡­ this fox-like old man¡­![1]¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too offended. If I had just inly asked you to swear an oath, would you really have agreed to do so?¡± Lovellian asked her. Melkith found herself unable toe up with any denials and could only raise her clenched fists in anger. If she had her way, she really wanted to go up to Lovellian, grab him by his cor, and squeeze his throat until his tonsils popped out[2]. ¡°¡­Ah, but of course,¡± Lovellian recalled. ¡°The choice is still up to Eugene. My apologies for going off-topic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene said politely. He didn¡¯t feel particrly offended by Lovellian¡¯s cautious attitude. Instead, he was more concerned about the Head Wizard¡¯s suspicions regarding Balzac. After all, Eugene felt the same distaste that Lovellian did for ck wizards. When he first met with Balzac due to the previous incident with Eward, Balzac had drawn a line between himself and other ck wizards, saying he had nevermitted any crimes. Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t believe these words. All the ck wizards he had ever known turned out to be right sons of bitches. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it, but I don¡¯t really want a staff,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°If anyone heard you say that, they¡¯d think I was just giving it to you. Kid, I¡¯m justlendingit to you. You got that!¡± Melkith insisted. ¡°Allow me to say this in advance, but I will only be able to lend Wynnyd to you for a few days,¡± Eugene rified. ¡°But if that means I will only be able to borrow one of the artifacts that Head Wizard Melkith owns for a few days at most, then we might as well not go through with it.¡± ¡°You¡­. Just as I thought, you really are an annoying brat,¡± Melkith growled, her shoulders heaving in anger as she turned to look at Lovellian and then Eugene. Now that she looked back on it, it appeared that the two of them had already worked out what to say in order to take advantage of her. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s trade one year per day,¡± Melkith spat out. ¡°And that¡¯s the best offer you¡¯re going to get. If you lend me Wynnyd for one day, I will lend you one of my artifacts for a whole year.¡± ¡°So if I lend you Wynnyd for a week, you¡¯ll let me borrow whatever it is for seven years?¡± Eugene confirmed. Melkith grudgingly acknowledged, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± With some surprise, Eugene asked, ¡°Do you really have to go that far just because you want to borrow Wynnyd?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make me repeat myself over and over again. I have to make a contract with the Wind Spirit King no matter what!¡± Melkith shouted with a growl of frustration. Having already confessed her desire, Melkith didn¡¯t restrain herself any longer and continued, ¡°What I¡¯m saying is that ever since I became a spirit summoner, all I¡¯ve ever wanted was to sign a contract with the Wind Spirit King. The Lightning Spirit King and the Earth Spirit King are great, but Ihaveto make a contract with the Wind Spirit King!¡± ¡°Why?¡± Eugene asked bluntly. ¡°Why else! Because the Great Vermouth was thest one to have made a contract with the Wind Spirit King!¡± Melkith shouted once more. ¡°None of the great spirit summoners who managed to contract Spirit Kings before me were able to make a contract with the Wind Spirit King. Although you might not be aware of this, among the spirit summoners like me, the Wind Spirit King is¡­ um¡­ he¡¯s like a dream for us. This might not register with you because you were born to the Lionheart n, but like how some wizards revere the Wise Sienna, some spirit summoners greatly respect the Great Vermouth.¡± 1. Rather than fox, the Korean version of this insult uses a species of snake.? 2. The original Korean version of the idiom describes it as squeezing out the thrush in his throat.? Chapter 48.2 Chapter 48.2 ¡°¡­And what about Hamel?¡± ¡°Why would you bring up Stupid Hamel here?¡± ¡°No, well¡­. I just feel like he¡¯s also a great person worthy of respect.¡± ¡°Why should I hold any respect for him! Just grab any passersby and ask them! Between the Great Vermouth, the Wise Sienna, and the Stupid Hamel, if you asked them to pick the one they most respected, as long as they¡¯re not some lying attention-seeker, there¡¯s no way they¡¯d say they respect Hamel.¡± ¡°¡­Cough¡­,¡± Lovellian let out a low cough at Melkith¡¯s outburst. As Gilead¡¯s words about how he most liked Hamel ran through his mind, the Red Tower Master hesitantly spoke up, ¡°¡­Ahem¡­. Eugene, if you don¡¯t have any desire for a staff, then¡ª¡± Melkith interrupted him, ¡°Hey you, don¡¯t say anything pointless and just keep quiet.¡± Ignoring her, Lovellian continued, ¡°Among the artifacts collected by the White Tower Master, there¡¯s one that¡¯s extremely rare and precious.¡± ¡°I told you to shut up!¡± Melkith screeched. As if something was responding to her cry, her curly hair started to rise upwards as an electric current surged through it. ¡°It is strictly forbidden tomit any acts of violence within Akron,¡± Lovellian reminded her. Melkith threatened him, ¡°As long as you don¡¯t spout any nonsense, I won¡¯t need to do anything violent¡­!¡± ¡°What nonsense?¡± Lovellian defended himself, ¡°I¡¯m just going to give Eugene some advice so that he can make an informed choice.¡± ¡°I¡¯m also quite curious about what he has to say,¡± Eugene spoke up with a grin. Eugene also wanted to see Melkith summon the Wind Spirit King, Tempest. But if he could also get a rare treasure on top of that, he¡¯d be bursting with happiness.¡± Lovellian began, ¡°Well¡­ there¡¯s this artifact called the Cloak of Darkness¡ª¡± ¡°I said shut up!¡± Melkith repeated once more. ¡°Why do you sound so upset? When, as far I know, you haven¡¯t even used the Cloak of Darkness once in thesest ten years?¡± ¡°You¡­. Do you know how much I went through to get my hands on that cloak?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to lend it to someone who needs it and get what you want in return instead of just leaving it lying around unused except for ornamental purposes?¡± Once again, Melkith was left speechless. She dug her fingers into her floating hair as she was caught in frustrated anguish. ¡°What exactly is the Cloak of Darkness?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°¡­It¡¯s just a winter cloak. Since it¡¯s got fur all over it, it¡¯s quite warm¡­. Th-that¡¯s all there is to it,¡± Melkith stammered as she avoided giving a real exnation, but Lovellian was kind enough to exin in detail. ¡°You know about Gedon¡¯s Shield stored in the Lionheart treasure vault, right?¡± Lovellian confirmed. ¡°Although it¡¯s not really on the same level, the cloak can do something simr. If you direct a frontal attack into the inside of the cloak, you can redirect it back in any direction you want.¡± ¡°I-it¡¯s not that versatile,¡± Melkith desperately tried to downy it. ¡°Strictly speaking, it relies on a rebound instead of a reflection. If you don¡¯t calcte the spatial coordinates correctly and guide the path of the attack with mana, you won¡¯t really be able to send the attack back in the direction you want it to go.¡± ¡°In any case, it has some of the highest levels of spatial magic. You might not be able to get familiar with it right away, but if it¡¯s with your talents, Eugene, I believe that you¡¯ll be able to use it soon enough,¡± Lovellian assured him. ¡°You¡­! You, just why do you keep blowing such hot air? Does the Cloak of Darkness really look all that easy to grab?¡± Melkith¡¯s shoulders trembled as they heaved up and down. ¡°That¡¯s not the only way you can use it,¡± Lovellian continued, ignoring Melkith¡¯stest outburst. ¡°The outer surface of the cloak is also enchanted with high-level defensive spells. You can easily block an offensive spell of the Fifth Circle just by wearing it.¡± ¡°¡­But that also depends on your own mana,¡± Melkith sulkily added. ¡°All in all, it¡¯s a very convenient artifact. Also, Eugene, do you still enjoy using various different weapons?¡± Lovellian asked, showing no signs of having heard Melkith. The Head Wizard recalled the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony he hadspectateda few years ago. Although the current Eugene only wielded Wynnyd by itself, during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, Eugene had skillfully wielded both a shield and a sword together. Not only that, he had heard from Gilead that Eugene was also very good at handling spears. Eugene pretended modesty, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I use multiple weapons just for the fun of it. But if I have them, I¡¯ll use them. Though I currently only have Wynnyd on me since it¡¯s inconvenient to carry multiple weapons.¡± ¡°Haha! If that¡¯s the case, you¡¯ll really love the Cloak of Darkness. That cloak also has the highest levels of subspace magic imbued into it. There¡¯s nothingplicated about it. Just put some things into the cloak¡­ and then you can take them out whenever you need them,¡± Lovellian revealed dramatically. ¡°This son of a bitch¡­!¡± Melkith cursed as she raised despair-filled eyes to re at Lovellian. ¡°That sounds great,¡± Eugene nodded his approval with a broad grin. ¡°Let¡¯s trade for the Cloak of Darkness instead of a staff. Ah, but not right now. I still need to request permission from the main family.¡± ¡°I ¡ª I still haven¡¯t agreed to this,¡± Melkith spat out with desperation in her heart. However, Melkith was the one who had the most to lose by not making this deal, not Eugene. Or at least, that was how Melkith felt. Even in her dreams, Melkith couldn¡¯t have imagined the fact that Eugene was extremely eager to speak with Tempest once more. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to, then it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Eugene shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Anyways, I used too much brain power upstairs, so now I¡¯m starving¡­. Head Wizard Lovellian, if it¡¯s okay with you, would you like to have a meal together? We can talk about what I need to do as your disciple.¡± Lovellian epted the offer, ¡°That sounds good to me. Although it isn¡¯t that close to here, I know of a nice restaurant situated up in the sky, in one of the floating stations. Although the food there is delicious, the night view seen from its windows is even better than the food.¡± ¡°Wow. Come to think of it, I still haven¡¯t gotten to see the night view that¡¯s called one of Aroth¡¯s Crown Jewels.¡± ¡°If so, then that¡¯s great! Allow me to call an aerial carriage for us immediately.¡± Ignoring Melkith, Eugene and Lovellian got to know each other better as they exchanged chit-chat. Melkith had just been ring at this sight, but now she gritted her teeth and dropped her head in surrender. ¡°¡­F-fine, I get it,¡± Melkith reluctantly admitted defeat. ¡°Oh, you were still here?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. He was just as he appeared, a cheeky brat. As Melkith red at Eugene, she clenched her fists. Melkith struggled to spit out the words, ¡°¡­The Cloak of Darkness¡­! If that¡¯s what you want, I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll lend it to you.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. Haven¡¯t I already told you that I need to ask permission from the main family?¡± As Eugene replied with a shake of his head, Melkith was unable to endure it any longer and started releasing shrill screams of rage, ¡°Kyaaaaaah! Kiyaaaaah! Ukyaaaaah!¡± ¡°I could almost think that you were a crow¡­,¡± as Eugene shook his head in pity, he backed away from her. * * * Just as Eugene had expected, Gilead made no objections to loaning Wynnyd. However, he did attach conditions. They absolutely could not risk destroying Wynnyd during that time, and an observer from the Lionheart n would be attached to Melkith for the duration she was borrowing Wynnyd. ¡°An observer?¡± Melkith asked. Having visited him in the early morning hours, a few days after they hadst talked, Melkith¡¯s face didn¡¯t look all that good. Perhaps because she¡¯d been under a lot of stress for the past few days, the dark circles under her eyes were very deep. Melkith continued, ¡°Will the Patriarch being personally?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Then who will being? Is it that guy, the Patriarch¡¯s younger brother, Gion Lionheart?¡± ¡°How did you know that?¡± ¡°The Patriarch of the Lionheart n¡¯s main family wouldn¡¯t be so carefree as to be called here and there on various matters. Since he¡¯s already been called to Aroth recently because of his wastrel son¡­ it would be ridiculous for him to return for something like this,¡± Melkith grumbled as she unsped the cor of her cloak. ¡°Is that the Cloak of Darkness?¡± Eugene asked, pointing to the cloak that Melkith was wearing. She had said that it was warm because it was covered in fur, which was exactly how this cloak appeared. ¡°¡­Cool, isn¡¯t it?¡± Melkith bragged with mixed feelings. ¡°I think it would look cooler if I wore it than when Head Wizard Melkith wears it,¡± Eugene teased. ¡°I¡¯ve always felt like you were an annoying brat, but this is¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too upset. Since we¡¯re doing business with each other, wouldn¡¯t it be better if there were smiles all around?¡± ¡°Shut it. So then, when will the Patriarch¡¯s younger brother be arriving?¡± ¡°They said that he¡¯d be here sometime around noon today¡­ but Sir Gion isn¡¯t the only one who¡¯sing.¡± ¡°Then who else is tagging along?¡± Melkith narrowed her eyes as she carefully brushed the fur on the cloak. ¡°The Lionheart n¡¯s Guardians will also be apanying him,¡± Eugene replied with a tsk. ¡°This will be the first time loaning out a treasure of the main family, and they¡¯re also here to take a look at¡­ Eward¡¯s¡­ my older brother¡¯s incident.¡± ¡°¡­.The Guardians?¡± Melkith¡¯s narrowed eyes softened as she tried to recall the term. After a moment¡¯s thought, Melkith smiled and nodded, ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. You¡¯re talking about the Hunting Dogs of the Lionheart n, right?¡± Calling them Hunting Dogs, although the Guardians wouldn¡¯t appreciate these words, Eugene¡¯s opinion of them wasn¡¯t all that different from Melkith¡¯s. The Guardians of the Family Commandments ¡ª the Lionheart n¡¯s ck Lions. Although that¡¯s what they were called, the Guardians¡¯ role was no different from that of hunting dogs. If a child from the coteral lines who had not attended a Bloodline Continuation Ceremony were to train their mana or pick up a real sword, or if the White me Form, which was meant to be learned exclusively by the main family, was taught to a coteral descendent ¡ª the Guardians would appear to deliver the judgment for their crimes. ¡®And as for ck magic,¡¯Eugene recalled. The practice of ck magic was strictly forbidden by the Lionheart n¡¯smandments. Although Eward hadn¡¯t seeded in practicing ck magic, it was true that he had tried to start learning ck magic. As such, the Guardians had decided to visit Aroth to investigate this matter closely. Gion Lionheart, the still-unmarried younger brother of the Patriarch, was a member of the Lionheart n¡¯s ck Lions. Chapter 49.1 Chapter 49.1 The current Patriarch of the Lionheart¡¯s main family had two younger brothers. The rtionship between the three brothers was calm and the eldest son, Gilead, had ascended to the position of Patriarch without having to shed even a single drop of blood. In addition to the simple prioritization of seniority, Gilead¡¯s skills at that time were superior to his brothers¡¯. And Gilead¡¯s two younger brothers hadn¡¯t held much interest in the position of the Patriarch. The second son, Gilford Lionheart, whose skills fell shortpared to both his older and younger brothers, had given up on the position of the Patriarch at an early age and searched instead for his own happiness. From what Eugene could recall, Gilford Lionheart was a middle-aged man with a slightly protruding belly, though not as much as Gerhard¡¯s. ording to the rumors, he had yed around quite a bit when he was young, but¡­ although they hadn¡¯t gotten to know each other all that well, Gilford hadn¡¯t seemed like such a bad person to Eugene. Gilford had left the main estate earlier this year and established his own household in a secluded and peaceful country estate. Unlike Gilead and Gilford, Gion Lionheart had never gotten married, nor did he wish to be married. Eugene had personally asked Gion about his reasons for this a few years ago. ¡®Marriage? Of course, it¡¯s an admirable and beautiful thing. However, if I wanted to get married and have children, I would have to part ways with the main family before any of my children turned five. I would hate to have to do that. And with my personality, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d be a great father.¡¯ Gion had a free-spirited personality. He was always sharing augh with the knights who served the main family, and his attitude towards the servants was never overbearing. He showed a passion for teaching Ciel and Cyan and had even cut down on his free time to instruct the knights. Gion was very kind to Eugene in particr. During the four years Eugene spent at the main estate, Gion had personally instructed Eugene alongside Gilead. At least while Eugene was at the main estate, he had never once been discriminated against just because he was an adopted child from a coteral branch. In Eugene¡¯s view, Gion was quite a unique individual because of all this. His martial skills were also outstanding. Even the Patriarch, Gilead, had shown respect for Gion¡¯s skills. However, unlike Gilead, who hadn¡¯t been able to focus on his training after having be the Patriarch, Gion had devoted himself to his training while he wandered around the continent. Due to this, presently, Gion¡¯s skill had actually surpassed Gilead¡¯s. That said, Gion had never once thought of rebelling against Gilead. Gion would never deviate from his role as the Patriarch¡¯s ¡®younger brother.¡¯ One year ago, there was a period when Gion was away from the main estate for several months. When he returned, the Lionheart, the personal sigil of the Lionheart n that Gion had also worn on the left chest of his formal dress, was slightly different. It had turned into a sigil of a ck lion with its fangs drawn and ws exposed. This showed that Gion had be a formal member of the Knights of the ck Lion, the Guardians of the Lionheart n. In fact, this wasn¡¯t anything unusual. As long as you had exceptional skills and proven loyalty to the n, anyone in the Lionheart n could apply to join the Knights of the ck Lion. The Knights of the ck Lion were stronger and had a sharper edge than the Knights of the White Lion, which consisted of the knights who served the main family. ¡®Although this will be my first time seeing them personally.¡¯ It was getting closer to noon ¡ª the appointed time of their arrival. Eugene was feeling a slight excitement as he checked the time. Although he had lived at the main estate for four years, he had never once seen a member of the Knights of the ck Lion during all that time. The Knights of the White Lion, who belonged to the Lionheart¡¯s direct line, had sworn their loyalty solely to the main family. However, the Knights of the ck Lion weren¡¯t sworn to the main family; instead, their loyalty had been sworn to the ¡®Lionheart¡¯ name as a whole. The guiding force behind the Knights of the ck Lion was the Council of Elders, the group made up of the giants who had left their weighty names in the history of the ¡®Lionheart¡¯ n, regardless of whether they were from the direct line or the coteral lines. Even the current Patriarch, Gilead, did not stand on an equal footing with the Elders of the Council. ¡®It still isn¡¯t time yet,¡¯Eugene thought impatiently. He couldn¡¯t help but be interested in the Knights of the ck Lion. He had spent four years at the main estate. Gilead was strong, and so was Gion. Both of them were strong enough to be recognized for their strength no matter where in the continent they had been ced. The main family¡¯s Knights of the White Lion were also strong. Even among the numerous knightly orders that existed on this continent, they were one of a handful of the strongest. Even when the current Knights of the White Lion werepared to the Kiehl Empire¡¯s knightly orders, while they might be said to becking in numbers, they couldn¡¯t be said to becking in quality. But that alone wasn¡¯t enough. Vermouth had been the strongest person in all of humanity¡¯s history. That was why he was called the Hero and why he had led the subjugation force that sought to y all the Demon Kings. Neither the elves, who were long-lived, nor the dragons, who were called masters of magic, had been able to y a Demon King. However, Vermouth was able to kill three of the Demon Kings. Eugene was deeply aware of this fact. Molon, Anise, Sienna, and¡­ Hamel, all of them were strong. However, if it wasn¡¯t for Vermouth, it would be impossible for them to kill a Demon King. Vermouth, whom Hamel had seen and apanied, and who resided in Eugene¡¯s memories, had been so strong that he hadn¡¯t even seemed human. ¡®That¡¯s why it¡¯s still not enough.¡¯ Eugene stood up with a disappointed click of his tongue. Although Gilead and Gion were strong, as were the Knights of the White Lion, it wasn¡¯t enough for them to truly im to be Vermouth¡¯s sessors. Since that was the case, what about the Knights of the ck Lion? Without distinguishing between the main and coteral branches, epting the most exceptional and loyal n members who bore the name ¡®Lionheart¡¯ ¡ª how strong would such a knightly order be? And what about the Council who backed the Knights of the ck Lion? How strong were they? ¡®Those old geezers who¡¯ve retreated into the background¡­ it can¡¯t just be for the sake of making room for others, right?¡¯ Gilead didn¡¯t like the traditions of the direct line. Of course, there was the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, but other traditions meant to absolutely suppress the coteral lines also existed. However, the Patriarch¡¯s strength alone wasn¡¯t enough to change these traditions that had been passed down for over three hundred years. Both the Council and the Knights of the ck Lion were part of the Guardians of the Family Commandments that upheld the rules of the Lionheart n above all else. As guardians, they were required to have the appropriate strength needed to enforce their duties. Eugene hadn¡¯t intended for all of this to happen, but he was excited to finally get involved with the Knights of the ck Lion. * * * A gigantic aerial carriage boasting a magnificent splendornded in front of the Red Tower of Magic. ¡°They sure are throwing their weight around,¡± Melkith scoffed. She didn¡¯t appreciate being ced in such a position, especially when the other party wasn¡¯t even a high-ranking personage of Aroth. If it wasn¡¯t for the sake of Wynnyd, Melkith wouldn¡¯t be standing out here, respectfully waiting to wee these guests. Eugene reminded her, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you respect Sir Vermouth, the ancestor of the Lionheart n?¡± ¡°Kid, don¡¯t misquote me,¡± Melkith corrected him. ¡°The one I respect is the Great Vermouth, not the founder of the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°Well, aren¡¯t they pretty much the same thing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s different. I don¡¯t really like the Lionheart n. I don¡¯t like how its main family suppresses its coteral lines nor how their Council and their Knights of the ck Lion put on such a secretive act.¡± ¡°But for now, you should hide such an attitude,¡± Lovellian reminded Melkith. Unlike Melkith, Lovellian¡¯s expression was calm. While staring at the disembarking carriage, he continued, ¡°If you really want to borrow Wynnyd, you had better avoid doing anything that might offend them.¡± ¡°Are you really asking me to act all nice and polite?¡± Melkith demanded. ¡°If anyone had heard you say that, they might be confused into thinking that I¡¯m not trading with them on an equal footing. I¡­ with my greatly cherished and adored Cloak of Darkness, I¡¯m actually trading it for Wynnyd!¡± It was Eugene¡¯s turn to correct her, ¡°It¡¯s not really a trade. We¡¯re just loaning them to each other. And you remember that we promised a day for a year, right?¡± Melkith ground her teeth angrily. But even though she was showing such an expression, she wasn¡¯t truly angry. Although she had indeed been angry that day at Akron, when she had started screeching like a crow, once she went back to the White Tower of Magic, while clinging tightly to the Cloak of Darkness¡­ she had managed to calm her emotions and think about it rationally.[1] ¡®As if it would take me a day. It will probably only take a few hours, maybe half a day at most?¡¯Melkith thought optimistically. Melkith trusted in her affinity with spirits. Since she would also have the strong catalyst of the Storm Sword Wynnyd with her, there was no reason she wouldn¡¯t be able to summon the Wind Spirit King. ¡®That means I¡¯ll only be lending the cloak for a few months at most. I can endure it if it¡¯s just that much,¡¯Melkith assured herself. In exchange for getting the chance to sign a contract with the Spirit King of the Wind, which Melkith had longed for ever since she was young, she was loaning out the Cloak of Darkness for just a few months. No matter how much she thought about it, wasn¡¯t this a great deal? Of course, Melkith made sure not to openly reveal such joy. ¡®If I needlessly show my true feelings, that kid might try to change the terms of our deal.¡¯ Although it hadonly been a few days since they had first met, Melkith had already figured out that Eugene was shrewd, nasty, and as stubborn as a pitbull. The door of the aerial carriage finally opened. For such a spacious carriage, there were only five people riding in it, and the first person to get off was¡ª ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Eugene demanded. It was Ciel. ¡°My mother¡¯s birthday ising soon,¡± Ciel said by way of exnation. Since it had only been a few months since they hadst met, Ciel¡¯s appearance couldn¡¯t have changed all that much. However, as he was now seeing her in a sharply-cut formal dress and herhair tiedup in a way that he had never seen her wear before during his time at the main estate, she felt a little unfamiliar to him. ¡°Because of that, I¡¯vee to pick out a few presents for her. I was also curious to see if you were doing well,¡± Ciel replied with a dry expression that didn¡¯t show even a trace of amusement. With this, she narrowed her eyes and waited for Eugene¡¯s reaction. However, Eugene didn¡¯t seem as surprised or perturbed as Ciel had hoped. ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± he asked. And that was it. Ciel furrowed her brows, but instead of continuing to block the doorway, she stepped aside. Following Ciel, Gion was the next to emerge. Like thest time Eugene had seen him, the sigil of the Knights of the ck Lion was embroidered on the left side of Gion¡¯s chest. As soon as Gion saw Eugene, he smiled brightly and waved his hand. ¡°It really hasn¡¯t been long enough since you twost saw each other to feel such joy at your reunion,¡± said the middle-aged man who next emerged from the carriage as he patted Gion on the shoulder. ¡°That might be the case, but what can I do about feeling so happy at getting to meet Eugene like this?¡± Gion asked cheerfully. ¡°There¡¯ll be enough time for thatter, so let¡¯s just focus on business for now,¡± the man advised. Although he didn¡¯t know who the man was, Eugene could feel he had exceptional skills. ¡®But not with a sword. It looks like he uses a spear,¡¯Eugene observed. The man wasn¡¯t carrying a weapon. But considering his posture and the way his muscles had developed, Eugene could be certain that he used a spear. 1. The raw text says yesterday instead of ¡®that day¡¯ at Akron, but the previous chapter states that their first meeting was a few days ago. Taking into ount that the Lionheart family may have needed a few days to discuss and arrange things, we have decided to assume that the author just made a mistake in this chapter.? Chapter 49.2 Chapter 49.2 Eugene continued to observe the following two people who emerged from the carriage after the spearman,¡®That man¡¯s a wizard¡­.¡¯ Though the Lionheart n had made a name for itself as a martial n, it still had a few wizards. Since they wereing here to check on both Wynnyd¡¯s loan and Eward¡¯s issue, it was only natural for them to have included a wizard in their group. ¡®And behind him¡­. Oh, my.¡¯ Thest to emerge from the carriage was a woman with her dress uniform¡¯s ck jacket draped over her shoulders. Seeing as how she was the only one whose dress uniform was unbuttoned and draped over her shoulders while the others were wearing their dress uniforms all neatly buttoned up, it appeared as though she had the highest rank among them. ¡®She¡¯s strong.¡¯ But what Eugene noticed before all that was the woman¡¯s hands. Although they were covered up by leather gloves, due to the long period of time that had been spent training them as weapons, it was possible to estimate the strength of the woman¡¯s hands through their outlines alone. ¡®So she doesn¡¯t use a sword or a spear. She¡¯s a fist-fighter.¡¯ ¡°Has it been twenty years?¡± the woman spoke up as she looked straight at Lovellian with a cheerful smile. ¡°To be more precise, it¡¯s been twenty-three years,¡± Lovellian corrected her. ¡°Has that much time really gone by already? Ah, I¡¯ve heard the news. You¡¯re the current Red Tower Master, right?¡± ¡°When west met, I had already told you I would soon be the next Red Tower Master.¡± ¡°Did you really? Since so much time has passed, I can¡¯t clearly recall it. And I probably wasn¡¯t all that interested in the first ce,¡± having said this, the woman turned to look at Eugene. ¡°So you¡¯re Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± for now, Eugene decided to just bow his head. ¡°¡­My name is¡­ Carmen Lionheart. By all ounts, you could consider me your great-aunt, but don¡¯t call me that, got it?¡± ¡°¡­Um, yes?¡± Eugene hesitantly responded after a few moments of trying toprehend Carmen¡¯s words. Did she say that she was his great-aunt? But that would mean that this woman was Gilead¡¯s aunt¡­. ¡®Appearance really isn¡¯t everything,¡¯Eugene sighed to himself. Among those here, Melkith alone was over sixty years old, andLovellian wasthe closest to her age. But even so, these two were able to maintain unbelievably youthful looks at their respective ages, so it was no surprise for Carmen to look so young. However, aside from her youthful appearance, it was her seniority that caused Eugene to feel so surprised that someone like her hade all the way here. ¡°The wind is picking up, so why don¡¯t we head inside and talk,¡± Lovellian said with a grin. They started making their way to the drawing-room located on the top floor of the Red Tower of Magic. On the way there, Eugene was able to pick up a bit more about the members of the Knights of the ck Lion who had made their way here today. ~ Carmen Lionheart, like Gion, was the younger sibling of a previous generation¡¯s Patriarch, and again, like Gion, she hadn¡¯t gotten married. After staying at the main estate for quite some time, she transferred to the Knights of the ck Lion. Currently, shewasthe captain of the Third Division of the Knights of the ck Lion. Naishon Lionheart was the man who patted Gion on the shoulder. He was one of themanders in the Third Division led by Carmen, and instead of the direct line, he came from one of the coteral lines. Falgo Lionheart was the wizard. He likewise belonged to the Third Division. He was from a magic-focused branch, which was rare even among the coteral lines, and today he was the one in charge of formalizing the deal with Melkith. ~ ¡°Although we¡¯ve already negotiated the contents of this deal, allow me to confirm them once more,¡± Falgo said as heid his staff on top of the table. ¡°This deal involves the Storm Sword Wynnyd, which belongs to the Lionheart¡¯s main family, and the Cloak of Darkness, which belongs to the White Tower Master. For every day that Wynnyd is borrowed, the Cloak of Darkness will be loaned out for one year¡­. Although the condition has beenid out like this, a day isn¡¯t exactly the best unit to measure this by, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°So, what do you propose?¡± Melkith asked grudgingly. Falgo offered, ¡°A fortnight for an hour. A month for two hours. A year for twenty-four hours. How does that sound?¡± Melkith sarcastically replied, ¡°What about the minutes?¡± ¡°Although that¡¯s possible, I¡¯m afraid it might be a bit cumbersome to do so,¡± Falgo politely admitted. ¡°So if I borrow it for ten minutes, you¡¯ll still get to y with my Cloak of Darkness for an hour,¡± Melkith snorted in exasperation. Right away, it was obvious that such a condition wasn¡¯t favorable to her. ¡°Please understand our position,¡± Falgo requested. ¡°The Storm Sword Wynnyd is a sword that was personally used by our ancestor, and it¡¯s one of a handful of the rarest treasures in the Lionheart n¡¯s possession.¡± ¡°Is that the only condition you¡¯re insisting on?¡± Melkith finally asked. ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve already prepared a contract,¡± Falgo said with a sly smile as he pulled out a contract from his pocket. The contract then needed to be checked over, not just by Melkith but by Eugene as well. What was emphasized in bolded characters was that Melkith was not allowed to risk destroying Wynnyd. ¡°¡­If that urs, you must pay the corresponding price.Isn¡¯t that rather vague wording?¡± Melkithined. Falgo exined, ¡°We just hope to show our desire for there to be no incidents.¡± ¡°Well then, just in case, I would like to hear what would happen if I did destroy Wynnyd?¡± Melkith insisted on asking. ¡°Then you would have to pay for it with your life.¡± The one who replied to Melkith¡¯s question was Carmen. Instead of sitting in the seat offered to her, Carmen was sitting on the window sill as she looked out the window. It was impossible to associate that crooked and rakish appearance with someone who should, by all rights, be Gilead¡¯s elderly aunt. Carmen continued, ¡°The Storm Sword Wynnyd is a treasure of priceless value. If you really want to borrow it, then, of course, you should be prepared to risk your life.¡± ¡°Even though my life also has incalcble value?¡± Melkith asked challengingly. ¡°Although that might be the case for Aroth, that doesn¡¯t apply to the Lionheart n,¡± Carmen said in a cold voice as she pulled out a rolled-up cigar. After looking at Carmen, staring out the window as she chewed on a cigar, Eugene shook his head. ¡®Even though she isn¡¯t a teenager anymore.¡¯ Looking at this pretentious rascal, Eugene was reminded of Cyan from a few years ago. His twin, Ciel, had only started showing symptoms of going through puberty this year, but Cyan had begun showing the signs of going through puberty two years ago when he was fifteen. Cyan had started to enjoy wearing the ck clothes that he had somehow gotten his hands on, and when he had tried to get into alcohol and cigarettes by stealing them from the footmen, he had been harshly scolded by Anci. ¡°And what will you do if I say that I won¡¯t pay with my life?¡± Melkith challenged her. ¡°Now, now, there¡¯s really no need to offer up your life,¡± Falgo intervened while trying to maintain a wavering smile. ¡°I have faith in the White Tower Master. I also have respect for you as a fellow wizard. I don¡¯t truly believe that the White Tower Master will make such a clumsy mistake of destroying the catalyst while trying to make a contract with the spirit.¡± ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Melkith snorted, still displeased. Fargo tried to smooth things over, ¡°In any case¡­ should Wynnyd be destroyed, we will discuss the matter again at that time.¡± Melkith remained unmoved, ¡°But what you¡¯re saying is that it will still be up to the Lionheart n to decide first, right?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, then give up on borrowing Wynnyd,¡± Carmen said as she continued to look out the window while chewing on her cigar. Despite having had it in her mouth for a while, she had yet to light it. ¡°The truth is, no one on the Lionheart side is desperate to make this deal. If the Patriarch hadn¡¯t personally requested it, I wouldn¡¯t even havee here.¡± ¡°Hmph, if someone heard you say that, they¡¯d think you came all the way here because of me,¡± Melkith implied slyly. ¡°Of course, I¡¯vee here for the truly important issue, not this trivial matter,¡± mumbling this, Carmen took out a pocket watch from her vest. To think she was carrying a pocket watch¡­ Eugene held back theughter that unconsciously threatened to burst out. It was the first time he had seen someone carrying such an ufortable and heavy watch in their vest pocket. ¡°If you¡¯re going to go around carrying a pocket watch, why are you also wearing a wristwatch?¡± Unlike Eugene, who was holding back his urge to make a retort, Melkith questioned Carmen without any hesitation. ¡°Also, why do you keep chewing on a cigar you haven¡¯t even lit?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve made an appointment to visit the ck Tower of Magic in an hour from now,¡± Carmen said, refusing to respond to Melkith¡¯s retorts¡­. ¡°I need to have a conversation with Balzac Ludbeth about the incident with Eward. And after that, I will be apanying him to Aroth¡¯s prison.¡± ¡°Why go to the prison?¡± Melkith asked. ¡°To interrogate the cheeky ck wizard who dared to teach ck magic to the eldest son of the Lionheart n.¡± These words were theplete opposite of Gilead¡¯s previous response. Gilead had said that he would allow Aroth¡¯sws to hold precedence in judging Gavid¡¯s case. ¡°¡­That seems to be a bit different from what Gilead had decided,¡± even Lovellian couldn¡¯t allow such behavior to go unchallenged after hearing these words. He was a longtime friend of Gilead, and his sympathiesid with the Lionheart n. But even so, Lovellian was Aroth¡¯s Red Tower Master. He couldn¡¯t simply overlook it when a powerful n from a foreign country talked about ignoring Aroth¡¯sws. ¡°Although the Patriarch may have made his decision, the Council has reached a different decision. The name of the Lionheart n was dirtied due to the previous incident. The person who caused such filth to tarnish our name needs to be held ountable,¡± Carmenstatedwith a smirk as she stared at Lovellian. ¡°I have already obtained permission from Aroth¡¯s royal family and parliament. Rather than tearing at each other¡¯s faces over this issue, wouldn¡¯t it be a lot cleaner to allow us to interrogate and punish him?¡± ¡°Of course, it isn¡¯t clean,¡± Lovellian still objected. ¡°It seems like you misunderstand something. The Council has no intention of relying on the Lionheart name to push this matter. Since the Lionheart¡¯s eldest son was involved in this incident,we¡¯ve already agreed to show enoughsincerityto Aroth. Besides, the price of that sinner¡¯s life is worth nothing.¡± Since Carmen had said all that, Lovellian could no longer raise any objections. Magic research required a lot of money. For this reason, substantial tourist fees were set for all of the tourist attractions in the capital city of Pentagon. On top of that, rather than making money by revealing and utilizing the magic they had studied, most wizards were the type to hole up and devote themselves to research. He didn¡¯t know how much money the Lionheart n must have paid for the right to interrogate and punish the criminal, but¡­ the Council must have paid arge enough bribe that no one had sought to refuse. ¡°As such, what are you going to do?¡± Carmen prompted. ¡°Are you going to take the deal? I don¡¯t have much time, so answer quickly.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Melkith replied with a frown, even as she thought,¡®So they want to go by hours instead of days? That works out better for me since three hours should already be enough.¡¯ Thanks to this condition, no matter how long it might feel, she would be able to get her Cloak of Darkness back within two months. As Melkith signed the contract, she held back the urge to burst intoughter. Chapter 50.1 Chapter 50.1 After Melkith had made her decision, they immediately finalized the contract. The contract wasn¡¯t simply written down on paper, but created by magic, so that even an Archwizard like Melkith couldn¡¯t get out of it. ¡°What happens if I somehow destroy the cloak?¡± Eugene asked out of curiosity. Melkith was the one who answered him, ¡°You¡¯ll just have to rpense me for the value of the cloak. You don¡¯t need to worry since I won¡¯t ask you to give your life for it.¡± Frankly, she wasn¡¯t really in a position to even request something like that. Although Eugene might not be an heir, the opposite party was still an adopted son of the Lionheart¡¯s main family. If she made such an unreasonable request, it was obvious that she would be making an enemy of the Lionheart n, and Melkith wouldn¡¯t want that to happen. ¡°Though that sort of thing couldn¡¯t happen in the first ce,¡± Melkith said as an afterthought. ¡°The Cloak of Darkness was specifically designed to be a top-notch defensive artifact. If the Cloak was destroyed while you were wearing it¡­ then you¡¯d probably be dead. Kid, do you get what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± ¡°You meant that if I don¡¯t want to die, I should be careful?¡± Eugene confirmed quizzically. ¡°That¡¯s right. Don¡¯t swagger around while trusting in its defenses, and keep it low-key. It¡¯s okay if you want to wear it to a fancy party, but don¡¯t go fighting in it.¡± If he was only allowed to use it like that, why would he even need a cloak like this? Eugene snorted and swung the Cloak of Darkness onto his shoulders. ¡°Its design is impressive,¡± Carmen spoke up from her window seat. She still kept the unlit cigar in her mouth as she said, ¡°I especially like the thick fur around the cor. It reminds me of the symbol of our Lionheart n, the lion¡¯s mane.[1]¡± ¡°I guess it does resemble that,¡± Eugene politely agreed. ¡°But it¡¯s a shame that the fur is colored ck. If the fur was dyed white like the mes of the White me Form or¡­ if it was dyed gray, it would look much more impressive. The current fur color seems to suit someone from the Knights of the ck Lion much better,¡± Carmen critiqued. ¡°¡­,¡± without saying anything, Eugene faced Carmen with a nk expression. Carmen also stared at Eugene without saying another word. After they exchanged stares like this for a few moments, Ciel, who was sitting next to him, poked Eugene in the side. ¡°Hand it over,¡± she hissed. ¡°Why should I?¡± Eugene asked petntly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear her say she wants to try it on?¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t think she said something like that.¡± ¡°She doesn¡¯t necessarily have to put it into words for you to get what she meant.¡± What kind of nonsense was Ciel spouting now? Although Eugene didn¡¯t really understand, he was feeling an annoying pressure from Carmen¡¯s gaze. ¡°¡­Please try it on,¡± Eugene reluctantly offered as he took off the cloak, and Carmen immediately walked over. While putting on an expression of tant indifference, she took the cloak that Eugene had offered her and wrapped it around her body in a flourish. ¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± Carmen said as she nced at her reflection in the window and slowly went through a series of poses. Eugene eyed Carmen¡¯s back as she did this. Although he¡¯d seen a lot of elders in both his past and present lives, this was his first time seeing such a unique elder like Carmen, who seemed unable to act her age. ¡°I think it would be even better if you used a lion-shaped brooch to sp it across your chest. You could also have the Lionheart sigil embroidered on the back,¡± Carmen suggested. ¡°From the way you¡¯re talking, it¡¯s like I¡¯m giving it to you. Don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I¡¯m only lending it to you, remember? Don¡¯t mess around with my cloak,¡± Melkith, who had been gazing down at Wynnyd with greedy eyes, shouted in protest. However, Carmen didn¡¯t show any reaction to Melkith¡¯s cry. After continuing to be absorbed with her reflection in the window for a few more moments, she finally took off the cloak after Naishon pointedly coughed several times. ¡°It¡¯s about time. Let¡¯s go,¡± Carmen dered. ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Naishon said with a sigh of relief as he rose from his seat. He had been worried that Carmen might head off without first taking off the cloak, but fortunately, it seemed like Carmen wasn¡¯t about to do something so shameless and embarrassing. ¡°Ciel,¡± before leaving the drawing-room, Gion called out Ciel¡¯s name. ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll make sure to wait with Eugene,¡± Ciel readily replied with a grin, as if she had been waiting for this. Unlike Ciel¡¯s smile, Gion had a somewhat reluctant expression. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t able to ask him his reason for this because Carmen immediately exited the drawing-room without giving them a chance to chat. After Carmen and the other Knights of the ck Lion had left, Melkith leaped to her feet and said, ¡°I¡¯m also heading off.¡± She was hugging Wynnyd to her chest and smiling so widely that her cheeks were twitching. ¡°It definitely won¡¯t take as long as you expect,¡± Melkith gloated. ¡°Maybe half a day at the most?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll also go with you,¡± Eugene proposed. Melkith refused, ¡°No way. Who said that you could do that? Kid, this is about a contract with a spirit. Although the summoner¡¯s affinity with the spirit is important, the location and the setting are also important. Therefore¡­ if you had topare it, you could see it as a meeting with a prospective spouse.[2]¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene grunted in confusion. ¡°Just think about it. How would you feel if you arrived at the appointed meeting ce all excited, only to find some unknown scrub hanging around with the person you¡¯re supposed to meet?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think it would make that much of a difference. Maybe they¡¯ll just consider me as the person who arranged the blind date?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have any experience with such things?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Experience with meeting prospective marriage partners.¡± ¡°I¡¯m only seventeen.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t prestigious families often arrange such meetings at a much younger age than that? That¡¯s what I¡¯ve read in romance novels.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t confuse fiction with reality.¡± ¡°You really haven¡¯t? As always, reality fails to live up to fiction,¡± Melkith stopped mumbling and turned to face him. ¡°In any case, there¡¯s no way you cane with me. Now that I¡¯m about to seduce the Spirit King of the Wind, what will I do if he sees that you¡¯re there as well and refuses to make a contract with me? Wouldn¡¯t that be impolite to the Spirit King?¡± ¡°But I also want to see the Wind Spirit King in person,¡± Eugeneined. Melkith boasted, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, once we¡¯ve signed a contract, I¡¯ll let you see him when I return Wynnyd.¡± Eugene nodded in agreement. Just as Melkith had said, it seemed unlikely that Tempest would appear if he was with her. To be honest, it was hard to understand her simile about it being like meeting with a prospective marriage partner and whatnot, but Tempest was already aware that Eugene was Hamel yet refused to answer his summons. ¡®That son of a bitch, he¡¯s definitely hiding something from me.¡¯ When they had met four years ago, Tempest had imed that he didn¡¯t know anything, but Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t trust those words. ¡®Although he might not know anything about the Oath of Peace, he should be aware of what happened before the fight with the Demon King of Incarceration.¡¯ Eugene decided that he at least needed to ask Tempest about that. After Melkith left, the only ones left in the drawing-room were Eugene, Lovellian, and Ciel. Lovellian btedly realized, ¡°¡­Ah, apologies for myte greeting, Miss Ciel. Hasn¡¯t it been four years since west met?¡± Ciel smiled politely, ¡°Yes, sir.¡± When Eugene had seen her a few months ago, she had definitely been caught in the throes of puberty,leading her to self-iste in her room. But she seemed to have gotten over that phase as Ciel nodded at Lovellian with a bright smile. While looking at the seventeen-year-old Ciel, Lovellian keenly felt the passing of time. Although he had also felt this when he reunited with Eugene, children seemed to grow up very quickly these days. Ciel showed hardly any traces of the childishness he had felt from her four years ago. ¡°Did you say you¡¯vee here to pick something out for Lady Anci¡¯s birthday?¡± Lovellian asked. ¡°Yes, sir. Oh, and every single one of the gifts you have sent me over the years, Sir Lovellian, is decorating my room beautifully,¡± Ciel reported as she smiled charmingly. ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve always enjoyed reading the letters of thanks you sent me, Miss Ciel. I had just been thinking that it was strange you haven¡¯t sent me one this year¡­ perhaps you didn¡¯t like the gift I sent you?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that.¡± Though it had been an awkward question, Ciel just shook her head while maintaining a smile. ¡°Although it¡¯s embarrassing for me to admit this myself¡­ since the beginning of this year, my personality has be sensitive in various ways. The gift you sent me was beautiful, but strangely I just didn¡¯t want to pick up a pen and write you a letter,¡± Ciel exined. ¡°Ah¡­ I understand. At your age, youngdy, the days for those things cane quite suddenly,¡± Lovellian readily epted her excuse without feeling offended. Lovellian had never had any children of his own, so he couldn¡¯t understand a father¡¯s grievances, but there had been several times when he was forced to listen to Gilead¡¯s sorrows of having to watch his only daughter go through puberty. ¡°And by this point, I felt it would be rude of me to write a letter and send it to you,¡± Ciel continued. ¡°But even so, I would feel sorry to have taken your gift for granted¡­ especially since it feels like you won¡¯t be sendingme any more gifts from next year onwards.¡± Ciel smiled mischievously as she reached into her pocket. She pulled out what seemed to be a neatly wrapped gift box and said, ¡°So I¡¯ve picked out a gift that I thought would suit you, Sir Lovellian. It isn¡¯t much, but I bought it after saving my allowance.¡± Lovellian sucked in a breath of surprise, ¡°Oh¡­.¡± ¡°Please open it up quickly,¡± Ciel urged with a soft smile. Lovellian felt an unfamiliar yet warm feeling deep in his heart. Was this why people got married and had children? He hadn¡¯t thought anything of the idea when he was listening to Gilead gush over how proud he was of his children, but now that he was receiving a gift like this, Lovellian felt like he was bing overwhelmed with emotions. ¡°This is¡­,¡± Lovellian¡¯s voice and eyes trembled when he opened the gift box. Inside the box was a tie pin with a neat design. As Ciel had said, it couldn¡¯t really be called anything amazing. It seemed well-crafted enough that it might be a bit expensive, but an item like this could easily be bought as long as you had the money. However, Lovellian sensed a sentiment that far exceeded the price of this gift. He had never received a gift like this before in his life¡­. Cielmented, ¡°At first, I thought I should give you a gift that has something to do with magic since you are a wizard. However, after thinking about it some more, I felt that you would already have a lot of stuff like that.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Lovellian remained silent. ¡°But then, after a lot of thought¡­ I realized that you are always wearing robes. However, I thought that just because it¡¯s you, Sir Lovellian, there¡¯s no way that you will always be wearing robes¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be right back after I¡¯ve changed my clothes,¡± Lovellian said as he leaped to his feet, interrupting Ciel, who immediately giggled and shook her head. ¡°Please, don¡¯t do that. Instead of showing me how it looks on you right now, please wear it for my birthday party next year,¡± Ciel requested. ¡°Why do I need to wait until next year?¡± Lovellian asked sulkily. He really wanted to try it on immediately. Hearing Lovellian plead in a trembling voice, Ciel continued speaking, ¡°Because it¡¯s a gift that I gave you. Although I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ll be attending my mother¡¯s birthday party, please don¡¯t wear it then either, and instead, wear it to my birthday party. That way, I¡¯ll be able to brag about it to Cyan and the other guests.¡± ¡®Even after going through puberty, you¡¯re still as wicked as ever,¡¯Eugene thought with a grin as he nced over at the smiling Ciel. Although Eugene was also quite confident in dealing with adults, he was absolutely sure he couldn¡¯tpete with Ciel in this. Lovellian gave in, ¡°Um¡­ alright, I understand. Miss Ciel, by any chance, are there any gifts that you would like to receive next year?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be happy with anything you give me, Sir Lovellian. Ah, but please don¡¯t be too generous with any present you give me. My brother gets jealous.¡± So what if he gets jealous. Lovellian had no intention of paying any attention to that. Following the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, he had sent a gift to the twins at the main estate every year, and like Ciel, Cyan had also sent him thank-you notes. However, Cyan¡¯s letters had always been so formic that even now, Lovellian couldn¡¯trecall their contents if he tried. ¡°¡­Hmph,¡± Lovellian came to his senses with a grunt after staring at the tie pin with a fascination for a bit. He looked up at the clock hanging on the drawing room¡¯s wall and smiled disappointedly. ¡°It looks like I¡¯ve been holding you two up for far too long,¡± he apologized. ¡°Please don¡¯t say such a thing,¡± Ciel begged. ¡°Really, saying that you¡¯re the one holding us up¡­. Instead, we should be the ones apologizing for stealing your precious time.¡± How was she able to speak in such a charming manner? Lovellian shook his head in amazement as he stood up. Lovellian waved off her apology, ¡°No, not at all. I would much prefer to continue enjoying our chat a bit longer, Miss Ciel¡­ but since you have affairs to see to, let¡¯s end our talk here.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m fine with staying a bit longer¡­,¡± Ciel trailed off hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. I, too, must return to work,¡± Lovellian admitted. In order to confirm the Knights of the ck Lion¡¯s ims, it looked like he would need to show his face at the council for once. Since Lovellian had said this, Ciel could no longer refuse him. Eugene slowly began, ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m also head¡ª¡± ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going? You need toe with me,¡± Ciel demanded. ¡°Why should I do that?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Because this is my first time in Aroth. As such, don¡¯t you think that you should show me around?¡± Ciel pointed out. ¡°I¡¯d also appreciate it if you could do so, Eugene,¡± Lovellian added. Having gotten his hands on the Cloak of Darkness, Eugene had hoped to go down to theboratories to test its performance¡­ but Lovellian had already added his support to Ciel¡¯s words. Eugene smoothed out his furrowed brows and helplessly nodded in agreement. Chapter 50.2 Chapter 50.2 ¡°You really were lying through your teeth,¡± Eugene turned to Ciel and used her as soon as they had left the Red Tower of Magic. ¡°After all, I know for a fact that you¡¯ve shoved all the gifts that Head Wizard Lovellian has sent you into a corner of your room.¡± ¡°And how is that a lie?¡± Ciel challenged him. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they were decorating your room?¡± ¡°You just feel that way because you¡¯ve got quite the poor sense of interior design. In your eyes, it might look like I just tossed them into a corner, but in my eyes, all of them are in their proper ces as decorations.¡± Was that really the case? Eugene felt her ims were absurd, but he couldn¡¯t figure out how to refute Ciel¡¯s words. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like she had just crammed them out of sight, but could they really have been arranged as part of her decoration? ¡°¡­But I think they were covered in dust thest time I saw them?¡± Eugene recalled hesitantly. Ciel insisted, ¡°That¡¯s just because you weren¡¯t looking properly. Do you really think I¡¯d let my room get dusty? Something like that is impossible. If that really was the case, I¡¯ll immediately call my attendants and scold them as soon as I get back to the main estate.¡± ¡°Now that I give it a second thought, it seems like there wasn¡¯t any dust.¡± ¡°I guess it must have been a pretty memorable experience,¡± Ciel smirked as she casually drew closer to Eugene. ¡°What was?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m talking about youing into my room,¡± Ciel rified suggestively. ¡°It seems like it was so memorable that you can clearly remember every single thing that you saw there¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted her, ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve always had a good memory. I even remember everything I saw when Ist visited Cyan¡¯s room. Now that it¡¯s been brought up, when you see Cyan, tell him to get rid of the strange books that he¡¯s been hiding under his bed.¡± Caught off guard, Ciel btedly responded, ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Cyan still seems to believe that he¡¯s done such a great job hiding them so that no one else can find them. But it¡¯s not just me, even Nina knows that he¡¯s been collecting some pornography about women wearing strange bunny-eared headbands, ever since he was fifteen years old.¡± ¡°That¡¯s disgusting.¡± ¡°Right? Nina was distraught that someday, when Cyan bes the Patriarch, he might change the maids¡¯ uniforms to include bunny-eared headbands and stockings of different colors.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll pass your words on to my mother.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s a little¡­,¡± Eugene¡¯s reply trailed off with a troubled expression. If the strict Anci got wind of it, it was clear that she would soon grab Cyan by the ear and scold him silly; but if that really happened, Cyan might justmit suicide out of shame. ¡°You should just try and insinuate it to him,¡± Eugene rmended. ¡°What should I say?¡± Ciel asked, puzzled. ¡°Just say that you don¡¯t particrly like bunny ears,¡± Eugene started striding off, having sessfully changed the subject. After blinking her eyes in surprise at Eugene, Ciel quickly caught up with a hurried pace. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, what type of ears do you like?¡± Ciel probed. Eugene eyed her warily, ¡°Why would you ask something like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve said that you don¡¯t particrly like bunny ears. If that¡¯s the case, what kind of earsdoyou like?¡± ¡°Sorry, but I just prefer ordinary ears. If you really think about it, don¡¯t you find it a bit weird and disturbing? If they have rabbit ears growing out from the tops of their heads, what on earth could there be in the ces where ears usually go?¡± ¡°¡­Couldn¡¯t it just be featureless?¡± ¡°If you saw something like that in real life, wouldn¡¯t you find it creepy?¡± ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case¡­ what if they just have ordinary ears in the usual spots?¡± ¡°That means they would have both a pair of human ears and a pair of rabbit ears? Isn¡¯t that kind of disturbing as well?¡± ¡°¡­Ah¡­ ahem,¡± Ciel hadn¡¯t expected such a reply. With a sour look, she cleared her throat and said, ¡°Let¡¯s stop with the useless talk and go pick out a present for my mother.¡± ¡°But I don¡¯t even know what Lady Anci likes,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°But I do, so why should that matter? You just need to follow me.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re just going to have me follow you, why ask me to act as your guide?¡± ¡°You really dock any courtesy. Then do you want me to just wander around all on my own? You¡¯re going to abandon me in the capital of a foreign country, which I¡¯ve never been to in my life, a ce I know nothing about?¡± ¡°What do you mean by abandon¡­.After all, it¡¯s not like you can¡¯t take care of yourself.¡± ¡°Even if you say that, everyone knows you¡¯re supposed to be following me,¡± Ciel warned him. ¡°Then I guess it can¡¯t be helped. I¡¯m sure that if I needlessly blow you off, I¡¯ll be hearing about this for ages,¡± Eugene grumbled as he unsped the Cloak of Darkness. Although it was still too early in the season to wear a cloak like this that was bristling with fur, thanks to the various spells imbued into the cape, he could avoid feeling the heat even if he was in a desert. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Did you do anything for your birthday? How about a party?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. I was just reading books.¡± ¡°Books?¡± ¡°Inside the library of the Red Tower of Magic.¡± ¡°You really didn¡¯t have a party? And you didn¡¯t get any presents from anyone.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get any. Although Head Wizard Lovellian and Miss Hera offered to get me some, I begged them not to because I would feel embarrassed.¡± ¡°Who¡¯s Hera?¡± ¡°A wizard of the Red Tower of Magic.¡± ¡°Is Hera a woman?¡± ¡°Her name is Hera, so did you really think she would be a man?¡± ¡°What does she look like?¡± ¡°Like a wizard.¡± ¡°¡­And what do you mean when you say she looks like a wizard?¡± ¡°I meant it literally. She¡¯s always wearing robes, donning a tall hat, and holding a staff.¡± ¡°What about her looks?¡± Just as Eugene was feeling bothered about how to answer her question, he saw Hera walking down the other side of the street. She was hugging arge bag full of bread while breathing in the scent of the baguettes. ¡°That¡¯s Hera over there,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Oh my, Sir Eugene!¡± came an answering cry. Having just spotted Eugene, Hera smiled widely and waved her hand at him. In that brief moment, Ciel scanned Hera¡¯s appearance from head to toe. Then she smiled innocently as if what had just happened was an illusion and bowed deeply to Hera. ¡°I am Ciel of the Lionheart n,¡± she introduced herself. Hera eximed, ¡°Wha¡­! I-I am Hera Strill from the Red Tower of Magic.¡± Hera was unable to immediately process the situation and nced at Eugene for help. ¡°¡­She came along with the Knights of the ck Lion,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Oh¡­ for the Cloak of Darkness! It seems that the deal went through swiftly!¡± ¡°Yep. Originally I was nning to head down to theboratories, but she kept begging me to go with her.¡± Hera felt Ciel¡¯s subtle gaze rest on her. ¡°Ahem¡­,¡± she cleared her throat with a low cough and nodded in understanding, ¡°I hope you two have a good time.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene made a confused noise. Hera didn¡¯t see any need to say anything further. With quick steps, she ducked around Eugene. After looking at Hera¡¯s back for a few moments, Ciel nodded and said, ¡°She seems like a nice person.¡± Still confused, Eugene hesitated, ¡°Ah¡­. You¡¯re right. She is a good person.¡± ¡°It might be because of the smell of her bread, but I¡¯m feeling hungry.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t we get something to eat first.¡± As Eugene resumed his paused stride, he nced at Ciel and said, ¡°But you, did you reallye all the way to Aroth just to buy presents?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I was here to see you as well?¡± Ciel reminded him. ¡°But apart from that. I¡¯ve known you for four years. Did you really think that I couldn¡¯t read your reactions? It¡¯s not like it¡¯s some huge secret. So what do you want to do with Lady Carmen?¡± ¡°You really do notice the strangest things.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just too obvious.¡± ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of requesting her to take me as her squire,¡± Ciel replied with a shrug of defeat. ¡°Since, in any case, my brother is going to be the Patriarch, and I have no desire for the position myself. Although it seems like Mother wants me to enter an arranged marriage¡ª¡± For a moment there, Ciel peeked at Eugene¡¯s expression. However, Eugene¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any changes.¡± ¡°¡ªI hate the idea of arranged marriages. But I don¡¯t want to be locked up in the main estate either and forced to act like ady,¡± Ciel continued. ¡°So that¡¯s why you want to join the Knights of the ck Lion?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Although I cannot join right now, I want to be Lady Carmen¡¯s squire and receive her personal guidance.¡± ¡°And has Lady Carmen epted your request?¡± ¡°If she truly didn¡¯t like me, then she wouldn¡¯t have allowed me to apany her here. Although you might not be aware of it, Lady Carmen has been fond of me since I was a little girl,¡± Ciel bragged with a smirk. Eugene recalled Carmen¡¯s stark-looking or rather pretending to be stark-looking, face. ¡°¡­That¡¯s good,¡± he concluded. Ciel asked, ¡°What is?¡± ¡°It¡¯s good to see you looking for something you can do yourself, rather than just relying on the main family. How¡¯s Cyan doing?¡± ¡°He keeps talking about you. He also pulled me aside to talk about you before I left toe here.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°But my brother asked me to keep it a secret¡­.¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re going to tell me anyway, so how secret can it be?¡± ¡°He wanted me to find out what Star of the White me Form you¡¯ve reached.¡± ¡°The Third Star.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still the same as before.¡± ¡°What about Cyan?¡± ¡°He¡¯s on the Second Star,¡± Ciel revealed. ¡°Well, that means that he hasn¡¯t progressed either,¡± Eugene replied with a grin. Unlike that hopeless Eward, it looked like the twins were working quite hard. Eugene was quite happy to see this. Cyan¡¯s inferiorityplex was fuelling his training, and while still as wicked and maniptive as ever, Ciel didn¡¯t have a nasty personality that looked down on others. Only Eward had grown up to be a dog.[1] ¡°¡­Have you heard any news from our older brother?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I heard that he¡¯s gone back to his maternal rtives¡¯ house.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t know and don¡¯t care,¡± Ciel spat out with a furrowed brow. ¡°Although my mother was very pleased to hear of Eward¡¯s fall from grace, it just pisses me off. It also put my brother in a bad mood.¡± Eugene pressed, ¡°But you should have still heard some news, shouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that Lady Tanis might be looking for a wizard to hire as a tutor,¡± Ciel admitted. ¡°A tutor?¡± Eugene repeated in confusion. ¡°Funny, isn¡¯t it? Even though he did something so foolish, I guess they still want him to learn magic. Even though they should just let him do what he likes since he won¡¯t be able to be the Patriarch anyway,¡± Ciel mumbled as she clung to Eugene¡¯s arm. ¡°Let¡¯s stop discussing such upsetting topics and get something to eat. Isn¡¯t there a good restaurant nearby?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot of restaurants, but their food probably tastes worse than the main estate¡¯s cooking,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°The taste doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Ciel said with a roll of her eyes as she looked up at Eugene. ¡°In the first ce, when ites to good food, it isn¡¯t just taste, but the atmosphere is also important.¡± 1. This feels like a reference to the Asian idiom, ¡®A lion does not give birth to a dog.¡¯ The idiom implies that the children of great people aren¡¯t ordinary either. Only in this case, Eward has failed to live up to this ideal, while the twins have been sessful.? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts OBW: I think we¡¯ve all learned a little more about Cyan than we wanted to in this chapter. Yojj: I diedughing at that. But wow, skillful topic change on Eugene¡¯s part. Momo: Reminded me of all my male friends and their confidence that no one knows about the ¡°Studies} Homework} Math} Calculus} Slides¡± folder. ?? Chapter 51.1 Chapter 51.1 They had ate lunch in one of the floating stations at a restaurant with a great view. Although the food was pretty good, Eugene was left feeling a bit dissatisfied by the disappointing serving sizes of the meat. His meals back at the Red Tower of Magic were satisfying, since they had gotten used to him demandingrge chunks of meat for his meals over thest few months, but a restaurant like this that prided itself on its atmosphere wouldn¡¯t serve the hunks of roasted meat that Eugene really desired. ¡°Now that your body¡¯s all grown up, do you really need to keep eating so barbarically?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°I could still be growing,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°What will you do if youe to resemble Gargith by eating like that? I¡¯d really hate it if you grew thatrge.¡± ¡°I¡¯d hate that as well. Who would even want that?¡± While making an unpleasant expression, Eugene wiped his lips with a napkin. As the meat he had been served only came out in small portions due to the restaurant¡¯s rules on ting, a small mountain of empty dishes had piled up on Eugene¡¯s side of the table. On the other side of the table, the area in front of Ciel was clear. Eugene clicked his tongue when he saw she had only selected vegetables, apart from her disliked bell peppers and carrots. Eugene lectured her, ¡°If you¡¯re that picky, of course, you won¡¯t grow up.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be too sure about you, but I¡¯m already fully grown,¡± Ciel refuted. ¡°As long as you stop being so picky, I think you can grow a little more,¡± advised Eugene. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be attractive for me to grow up too tall,¡±Cielsaid, getting up from her seat. Eugene nced down at Ciel¡¯s slender forearms and shook his head in disapproval, ¡°Although it¡¯s always good to train your mana, physical workouts are equally as important. If you run out of mana in the middle of a fight, you¡¯ll be forced to rely solely on your body to¡ª¡± Ciel interrupted him, ¡°It might be because you were hanging out with Gargith a while ago, but even the way you talk is starting to resemble him.¡± ¡°Take that back,¡± Eugene demanded. As Eugene expressed his instinctive disgust, Ciel stuck her tongue out andughed. ¡°So I heard something from father,¡± Ciel changed the subject. ¡°Did you really use 300 million sals just to purchase giant testicles as a favor for Gargith?¡± ¡°So what?¡± Eugene asked defensively. ¡°Did you really eat them together with him? I asked Hazard about it, but apparently, it¡¯s not just the giants; all beast testicles have a nourishing effect on the body. But no matter how healthy it is, how could you eat something like that?¡± Ciel asked with a mix of curiosity and disgust. ¡°I didn¡¯t eat any,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Really? Then Sir Gerhard will be happy.¡± ¡°Why would my father be happy?¡± ¡°He was pouting because you kept such a good thing all to yourself.¡± ¡®Father, please,¡¯Eugene groaned internally. Thankfully, Ciel changed the subject, ¡°It¡¯s been over three months since you¡¯ve arrived in Aroth. So what have you been doing?¡± ¡°Reading books, learning magic,¡± Eugene exined simply. ¡°Apart from such obvious things,¡± Ciel dismissed. ¡°Haven¡¯t you had any new and exciting experiences?¡± Eugene argued, ¡°Learning magic is a new and exciting experience.¡± ¡°What about Akron?¡± she asked. Though she hade here to buy Anci¡¯s present, once they were eating, Ciel decided to go for a walk around the outskirts of the floating station instead of heading down to the streets for shopping. As she asked her question, Ciel pointed to theke that could be seen in the distance and at Abram, the royal pce. She continued, ¡°After all, not just anyone is allowed to go to a ce like that. Do youknow how happy father and Sir Gerhard were when they heard the news about you being granted an entrance pass to Akron?¡± ¡°What about Lady Anci?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°On the surface, my mother also acted like she was happy. But on the inside, she was feeling moreplicated.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to feelplicated about? After all, I can¡¯t be the Patriarch anyway.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just it,¡± Ciel turned to look at Eugene with a grin. ¡°You might not be able to be the Patriarch, but you¡¯re more suited to bing the Patriarch than any of us siblings.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because I¡¯m so talented,¡± Eugene retorted shamelessly. ¡°Being too talented is also a w. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to show something of a weak point somewhere?¡± Ciel suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll just say this outright because I¡¯m having difficulty understanding you, but Ciel, did youe all the way here just to warn me right now?¡± Eugene said with a simr smile to Ciel¡¯s. This smile caused Ciel¡¯s eyes to waver slightly. Over the four years that they had lived together, she had seen Eugene smiling more than a few times. But now, he had a different look in his eyes from those other times. Eugene was staring right at her as if he could see right through her. His eyes made Ciel recall when she had first met Eugene four years ago ¡ª back when he had epted the challenge to a duel. Eugene had red at Cyan with eyes just like that. ¡°¡­A warning, as if,¡± Ciel lightly shrugged the usation off and shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ I¡¯m also feeling a little unsettled due to the recent events. Cyan has always wanted to be the Patriarch. So this situation has turned out to be very good for my brother. Because of your actions, Eward and Lady Tanis were forced to leave the main estate.¡± ¡°If so, then they should thank me,¡± Eugene prompted sarcastically. ¡°Mother should be feeling grateful to you. But my brother¡­ I¡¯m afraid that he¡¯ll just resent this,¡± Ciel revealed. Eugene confessed, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m quite fond of Cyan. His strong self-esteem actually reminds me of someone.¡± ¡°Who?¡± Ciel asked curiously. ¡°Just some guy whose self-esteem seemed overintedpared to his actual abilities,¡± Eugene muttered as he walked past Ciel.¡°I know what you¡¯re thinking. Even though you¡¯re always nagging your brother, you really do love him, and even though you resent Lady Anci, you¡¯re still worried about her.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Ciel remained silent. Eugene reassured her, ¡°I have no intention of bing the Patriarch. I don¡¯t want to be the Patriarch; even if someone told me to, I wouldn¡¯t do it. For the rest of my life, I won¡¯t take any actions to be the Patriarch.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just say something like that so easily,¡± Cielined. ¡°Then what do you think?¡± Eugene turned to Ciel and asked. ¡°What would you do if I someday changed my mind and said that I wanted to be the Patriarch?¡± ¡°¡­Cyan would probably ept it,¡± Ciel admitted hesitantly. ¡°And you?¡± Eugene asked. Ciel avoided the question, ¡°My father¡­ would also ept you. Uncle Gion and the rest of the main family members would do so as well. If you said that you were determined to do it, they would have no choice but to ept you. Because the gap between you and Cyan is just too great.¡± Eugene repeated, ¡°I asked you, what wouldyoudo?¡± ¡°¡­I would also ept it,¡± Ciel mumbled through pursed lips. ¡°¡­Though I wouldn¡¯t really feelfortable with it. Because my mother would absolutely never ept you.¡± ¡°See that,¡± Eugeneughed as he leaned his back against a railing. ¡°If I say that I will be the next Patriarch, someone will end up being upset. That¡¯s unavoidable. Because no matter how talented I am, I¡¯m not an heir of the direct line.¡± ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re giving up for the sake of my mother?¡± ¡°There are several reasons why I¡¯ve given up on it. Even if you twins and the knights serving the main family ept me as the next Patriarch, the Council of Elders won¡¯t ept me. Wouldn¡¯t that be the first and most difficult challenge I¡¯d face?¡± Ciel couldn¡¯t find anything to say to refute him, ¡°¡­.¡± Eugene continued, ¡°That alone would be annoying enough, but I truly don¡¯t want to be the Patriarch. Why would I even want to? Bing the next Patriarch of the Lionheart¡¯s direct line, what¡¯s so amazing about doing that?¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t there a lot of amazing perks?¡± ¡°Even if I don¡¯t be the Patriarch, I have the confidence that I¡¯ll always receive the best kind of treatment no matter where I go.¡± ¡°You really are an annoying bastard.¡± ¡°But did I say anything untrue? Let¡¯s just look at the facts,¡± with a snicker, Eugene raised a finger in front of Ciel. ¡°Firstly, I¡¯m from a coteral bloodline. But at the age of thirteen, I was the first in the history of the Lionheart n to defeat members of the main family in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. In addition, I received the unprecedented reward of being adopted into the main family, and I was even granted ownership of the Storm Sword Wynnyd. ¡°At that age, I could initiate my mana on my first try, and I also inherited the White me Form. And now? My progress in the White me Form is higher than Cyan¡¯s, who first started practicing the form several years before me. Even though there are people in the history of the Lionheart n who could reach the Third Star before bing adults, none of them managed to reach the Third Star when they were only seventeen like I did.¡± Ciel warned him, ¡°You really are starting to annoy me.¡± ¡°And that¡¯s not all. After only learning magic through self-study for a month, I was able to cast my first spell, and now that three months have passed, I¡¯ve received permission to enter the Royal Library, Akron. When I¡¯m this talented, do I really need to turn my eye to the seat of the Patriarch?¡± ¡°Fine. You win. You really are so talented, you annoying bastard.¡± Having listened to each point one by one, Ciel couldn¡¯t help but think that Eugene really was a monster. As she looked at Eugene¡¯s slyly grinning gaze,Ciel shook her head in frustration. Chapter 51.2 Chapter 51.2 After calming down, Ciel asked, ¡°¡­So if you¡¯re not going to be the Patriarch, then what are you going to do?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just do anything I want to do,¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°Did you know? Mother wants me to marry you.¡± ¡°How awful.¡± Ciel¡¯s eyebrows twitched at Eugene¡¯s immediate reply. ¡°What¡¯s so terrible about it?¡± she growled. ¡°You and I are family, siblings at that,¡± Eugene pointed out. Cielined, ¡°But you¡¯ve never once called me big sis.¡± ¡°We¡¯re the same age, so who do you think you¡¯re calling a little brother?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to repeat the same nonsense that you spouted when you were thirteen, are you? About how you¡¯re the older sister just because you were born a few months earlier?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been telling you to call me big sister for the past four years. If you¡¯ve been forced to hear me say it this much, can¡¯t you at least pretend to let me win just once and call me big sis?¡± ¡°Why should I pretend to lose when I¡¯m always winning? If you really want to hear me call you ¡®big sis,¡¯ then why don¡¯t we have a spar for it. I know you¡¯ve been studying diligently under Gion and the Patriarch, even while you were holed up in your room.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bring up things from the past.¡± ¡°If someone could hear you say that, they¡¯d think it happened long ago. Sorry, but thest time I saw youacting like you¡¯ve got leprosybecause you were going through puberty was only three months ago.¡± ¡°Puberty usually starts suddenly and stops suddenly. That¡¯s how it was for Cyan as well.¡± ¡°But that wasn¡¯t the case for me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s because you¡¯re the weird one,¡± Ciel humphed without retracting her pouting lips. From the twin¡¯s perspective, it was clear that Eugene was the strange one. Even though they were the same age, his skills were far superior, and then he didn¡¯t even seem to go through puberty like they did. ¡®So what about puberty? If I startedining about puberty, at my real age, that would just be a sign of dementia,¡¯Eugene thought secretly. Ciel didn¡¯t even want to think about how hard puberty had hit her just a few months ago. Like she had just said, her puberty came onto her suddenly. For some reason, she had started to dislike how she looked in the mirror, and her moods would feel off for no reason. Her body odor, which she had never found unpleasant since she was born, was suddenly offensive to her¡­. But then it was suddenly over. Ever since Eugene had left for Aroth, the things that had been strangely bothering her didn¡¯t feel so bothersome any longer. Ciel spoke up, ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene asked. Hesitantly, she began, ¡°Well, back then, when I was going through puberty¡ª¡± ¡°You are talking about a few months ago, right?¡± he interrupted teasingly. ¡°¡­That waslongago,¡± Ciel insisted with a re. Eugene returned to the topic, ¡°Whatever. What about back then?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you smell something strangeing from me?¡± Ciel asked shyly. ¡°I didn¡¯t smell anything, though? In the first ce, you didn¡¯t even want toe out of your room because you were afraid ofgiving off any body odor,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°¡­How about now?¡± ¡°I can smell a slight scent of perfume.¡± ¡°What about the smell of sweat?¡± ¡°With how refreshing this breeze is, why would you even be sweating? Hey, stop paying attention to such strange things. So what if people smell of sweat? It happens.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that I do smell of sweat?¡± ¡°I already said that you don¡¯t. If you¡¯re really worried about that, you should try meeting with Gargith.¡± ¡°Why should I meet with that pig?¡± ¡°Because if you meet with him, you¡¯lle to think that the smelling from your own body isn¡¯t the smell of sweat, but instead the sweet scent of flowers,¡± having spat out such a im, Eugene started to walk off once more. After standing there silently for a few moments, Ciel followed behind Eugene, the corners of her mouth twitching as she tried to hide a smile. ¡°So now you¡¯re saying that I smell of flowers?¡± Ciel asked, acting purposefully obtuse. ¡°Even though your body has grown up, it looks like your brain hasn¡¯t,[1]¡± Eugene observed. ¡°Idid spray onsome rose-scented perfume,¡± Ciel revealed. Eugene just said, ¡°I prefer the smell of soap over the smell of flowers. ¡°You sound like an old man.¡± Ciel¡¯s careless teasing pierced his heart deeply. Eugene coughed and, after recovering, gestured to the downtown area below the flying station. ¡°¡­So when are we going to buy the present?¡± he asked. ¡°I wanted to keep looking around, but¡­. Hm¡­.¡± Ciel trailed off without finishing her sentence as she checked her wristwatch. ¡°¡­Our appointed meeting time is at five o¡¯clock.¡± Eugene asked, ¡°Where are you meeting back up?¡± ¡°In front of the warp gate.¡± ¡°Are you really heading back today?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve already finished signing the contract for Wynnyd. And because the issue with the ck wizard was dealt with before we even arrived¡­ it was decided that we would return right away after picking up some new recruits.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you returning to the main estate?¡± ¡°Nope. We¡¯re going to Us Mountain. Do you know where that is?¡± ¡°I know it¡¯s in the southern portion of the Kiehl Empire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s where the Knights of the ck Lion are based.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t entered the Knights of the ck Lion just yet, have you?¡± ¡°It was decided that I would take a simple test from Lady Carmen. Do you want to go there together?¡± Her trying to hook him into doing something without giving him any warning reminded Eugene of back when they were both thirteen. Eugene questioned, ¡°Why would I want to go there?¡± ¡°Lady Carmen is actually more interested in you than she is in me,¡± Ciel exined. ¡°Interested? In me? Why?¡± ¡°Why ask when you already gave the exnation with your own mouth earlier? Because you¡¯re so talented. But even though you¡¯re that talented, you can¡¯t be the Patriarch. Isn¡¯t it obvious that the Knights of the ck Lion would be interested in someone like you?¡± It certainly was obvious. To be honest, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel interested in Ciel¡¯s offer. After all, the Knights of the ck Lion were the Lionheart n¡¯s strongest force. Regretfully, he could only say, ¡°Please tell her not to act on her interest for now and save it forter.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°Currently, I¡¯m having far more fun learning magic.¡± ¡°There are a lot of wizards in the Knights of the ck Lion as well. Like Fargo, who came with us today, he¡¯s at the Fifth Circle.¡± ¡°But Crown Prince Honein, over there in the Royal Pce, reached the Fifth Circle when he was only twenty-three years old.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just because he¡¯s the Crown Prince of Aroth.¡± ¡°Anyways, I won¡¯t go with you right now.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be more helpful to use the time you¡¯ve spent learning magic to train the White me Form?¡± ¡°I¡¯m still training with the White me Form even as I learn magic.¡± This was the truth. Since Eugene had arrived in Aroth, he hadn¡¯t missed a single day of training with the White me Form. ¡°If you promised to meet up at 5 o¡¯clock, there are only a few hours left,¡± Eugene reminded Ciel. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to pick a present?¡± Ciel dismissed his concerns, ¡°If it¡¯s something that I¡¯ve personally chosen, Mother will be happy with whatever it is, so it¡¯s fine if we take our time.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to y it, whye all the way to Aroth just to buy a present for her?¡± ¡°You already heard me say it earlier, so why do you even keep asking?¡± Ciel giggled and clung to Eugene¡¯s arm as she cutely confessed, ¡°I¡¯m here because I wanted to see you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing, so get off me,¡± Eugene attempted to shake her off. ¡°Picking a present for my mother won¡¯t even take me thirty minutes. That means we need to use our time more efficiently. Don¡¯t you know any ces where we can go and visit?¡± ¡°Would you like to see me perform some magic?¡± ¡°I feel like that won¡¯t be any fun just watching. So where¡­. Oh, that¡¯s right. They did say the night view in Aroth is famous. Although I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get to see it today¡­. Why don¡¯t we go and take a look at the Wise Sienna¡¯s mansion?¡± ¡°I did that on my first day here.¡± ¡°But you haven¡¯t seen it with me.¡± Eugene was dragged along by his arm. * * * ¡°Since he said that he doesn¡¯t know anymore, then it can¡¯t be helped,¡± a cold voice dered. They were in an underground prison cell. The smell of blood mixed with the scent of cigarettes wasing from where Carmen had been leaning back against the wall. She finally threw the cigar she had been chewing on onto the floor. They were here for Gavid, the ck wizard who had been a member of the Wizards Guild. Among the many people who had been caught in the drug den on Bolero Street, those who could be killed were already dead, and those who shouldn¡¯t be killed were imprisoned. Gavid was someone who would usually be killed without consequences. He wasn¡¯t a member of the ck Tower of Magic, and even in the Wizards Guild, he was nothing more than a trivial ck wizard of no significant strength who drifted around the night streets of Aroth. Nevertheless, Gavid hadn¡¯t died and had remained alive until now. And today, he was finally being executed. But before that, he had first been tortured. There had been no need for Carmen toe forward to do this task personally. Naishon, themander of the Third Division, was good with spears, but he was also skilled in torture. Most of the Lionheart¡¯s Knights of the ck Lion were like that. Their fangs and ws weren¡¯t just good at biting and tearing their enemies from the front. Gavid was the one who had arranged the contract for Eward Lionheart. From what he had told them, the two had be friends through meeting at the subi¡¯s shop on Bolero Street. Their friendship had started at the beginning of this year, and Gavid imed that he would always hang out with Eward when BoleroStreet opened once a month. 1. This is a reference to their first meeting when Eugene criticized her for having a rose-tinted view of the world, and Ciel mistook it as apliment.? Chapter 51.3 Chapter 51.3 ¡°It¡¯s strange,¡± Carmen mumbled as she took out a new cigar. ¡°How could a low-level ck wizard like thate into contact with the eldest son of the Lionheart¡¯s main family and arrange a contract for him? He must have had his sense of fear surgically removed, or he could just be crazy.¡±[1] ¡°He was probably just desperate,¡± the reply came from outside the prison cell. ¡°He first started practicing ck magic dozens of years ago, but had found little sess. If he grew old and died just like that, his soul would be the property of the demonfolk he was contracted to, and he wouldn¡¯t even be allowed to reincarnate.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Carmen stayed silent. The speaker continued, ¡°As such, he felt like he had to try something. Even if he ran into a problem and it ended up getting him into trouble, he probably believed that he could get out of trouble with the ¡®strength¡¯ that he would have gained for selling the Lionheart n¡¯s eldest heir.¡± Gavid had admitted as much. Throughout his torture, he had screamed that he had done this solely for his own greed. Carmen finally responded, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Noir Giabe ims she wasn¡¯t involved in this.¡± ¡°Although that might be the case, Duchess Giabe would surely have bestowed a reward had the incubus managed to sessfully catch the Lionheart¡¯s eldest heir, and she certainly wouldn¡¯t have punished him,¡± the voice opined. ¡°And you?¡± Carmen demanded. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why the target of your questions alwayses back to me,¡± Balzac, the one standing outside the cell, shrugged. ¡°Especially since I believe I have cooperated with you at every step in this affair, and I¡¯ve shown you more than enough apologies and respect.¡± ¡°Rather than believe that such an insignificant ck wizard could be behind this plot, it would make more sense to suspect that you¡¯re the one who masterminded it,¡± Carmen gave her reasoning. ¡°Ah. Although I understand why you would think that if that were the case, what would I gain from allowing this?¡± Balzac asked, pointing to Gavid¡¯s dismembered corpse. ¡°If I was the one to have nned this¡­ I wouldn¡¯t have allowed the risk of someone picking up my trail. I would have arranged things so thoroughly that no one would be able to make a connection back to me. Don¡¯t you think so? ¡°This incident was extremely clumsy. To think that they chose a drug den in the middle of Bolero street as the site of their ritual. Plus, their guards were so weak that they didn¡¯t even notice a seventeen-year-old was following them, nor were they able to prevent his interference. Haha¡­ even if I tried my best, I couldn¡¯t pretend such ineptitude.¡± ¡°What if they were meant to be caught, to throw off the trail?¡± Carmen supposed. ¡°Are you saying they¡¯re my subordinates? What reason would I have to cut off my own flesh like that?¡± Bz chuckled, and with a snap of his fingers, a me was lit on the end of the cigar that Carmen was currently biting. ¡°Sir Carmen,[2]I happen to have a lot of enemies.¡± Carmen waited for him to get to his point, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I serve the Demon King of Incarceration, and I am grateful to him for cing a lot of trust and love on me. But thanks to that, many people in Helmuth don¡¯t like how much of his favor I receive.¡± ¡°Like Edmond Codreth?¡± ¡°Of course, he must also think of me as a hindrance. Amelia Merwin shouldn¡¯t like me very much either.¡± In this era, there were only three ck wizards who had personally made contracts with the Demon King of Incarceration: An Earl of Helmuth and current owner of dmir, Edmund Codreth. Aroth¡¯s ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth. The Dungeon Master of Nahama Desert, Amelia Merwin. ¡°Of course, apart from those two, there are a lot of ¡®demonfolk¡¯ who dislike me. In my opinion, one of them may have¡­ sought to disgrace me by using this as a pretense,¡± Balzac conveyed his suspicions. ¡°But you don¡¯t have any evidence,¡± Carmen pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s also no evidence for me being responsible for this incident. Really now, how many times over the past few days have I said that I had nothing to do with it¡­.¡± Balzac trailed off with a chuckle as he shook his head. ¡°By the way, Sir Carmen, surely I¡¯m not the only suspect that you have?¡± ¡°You¡¯re free to spit out whatever you¡¯ve got brewing in that head of yours,¡± Carmen straightened up, no longer leaning back against the wall, and red at Balzac. ¡°However, with that freedomes responsibility. Are you willing to take responsibility for your words?¡± ¡°You really don¡¯t have any other suspects?¡± Balzac pushed his sses up with a sly smile. ¡°As a faithful servant of the Demon Lord of Incarceration, just as he wishes to get along with the Lionheart n, so do I. That is why I bowed my head in apology, cooperated with your investigation, and showed you my respect. However, I am only human, so¡­ I can¡¯t fully suppress this feeling of injustice piercing deep into my chest like an awl.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Carmen stayed stonily silent. ¡°I am Balzac Ludbeth. Aroth¡¯s ck Tower Master. Servant of the Demon Lord of Incarceration. Although I understand why you would refuse to show me any respect¡­ in the face of such excessive insults¡­ even if it¡¯s for the sake of the Demon Lord of Incarceration and myself, I won¡¯t be able to show such inexhaustible consideration,¡± Balzac stated as his pupils grew darker. Naishon and Fargo, who were both inside the cell with Carmen, stepped forward to block the front of the cell with hardened faces. Gion also ced his hand on the sword at his waist as he watched the situation from further inside the cell with narrowed eyes. ¡°¡­I really have no desire to cause even more discourtesy as a visitor to this foreign kingdom,¡± Carmen sighed eventually. ¡°If that is what you desire, I¡¯ll do my best so that no one feels that your actions are disrespectful,¡± Balzac offered. ¡°But to do that, your neck must first remain attached to the rest of your body.¡± Balzac didn¡¯t respond to this tant threat and just smiled. But Balzac¡¯s shadow, which was cast on the cell wall, began to waver. Carmen had been staring at him coldly, but she eventually shrugged and shook her head. Carmen changed the subject, ¡°Then it looks like I¡¯ll just have to keep thinking about it.¡± ¡°About what?¡± Balzac asked. ¡°About who in the Lionheart n wishes to harm the prestige of the main family,¡± Carmen said, appearing to have ruled out Balzac as a suspect. The Lionheart n was far toorge. For the past three hundred years, except for the direct line of session from Patriarch to Patriarch, all other members of the main family were forced to be independent and found their own coteral branches. And no limit was imposed on the number of coteral lines that could exist. Among these countless coteral descendants, there were definitely a few who harbored enmity towards the main family. ¡°It was just a hunch,¡± Carmen admitted without apology. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find out anything with torture or with mind magic. It was all too clean. That¡¯s why I suspected you.¡± ¡°Oh my, then it looks like I went too far with my words,¡± Balzac stated embarrassedly. They¡¯d been left thoroughly in the dark, without any clues on where to pick up the trail. Hesitantly Balzac said, ¡°I must add that what I¡¯m about to talk next isn¡¯t all that ¡®clean.¡¯ And there¡¯s no reason you would trust me with this.¡± ¡°Go ahead,¡± Carmen conceded. ¡°If you need help, then I can offer you my power. Should you wish for it, that is¡­. Oh, that¡¯s right. Gavid¡¯s soul hasn¡¯t left this ce yet¡­ shall I summon it for you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to see any of your foul magic, and I really don¡¯t want your help with the investigation since you might be able to pull something off on us in the process.¡± ¡°Haha¡­.¡± ¡°What about Olpher¡¯s head?¡± ¡°I can show it to you, but it isn¡¯t an enjoyable sight.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already seen a lot of cruel and terrible things. Like this sight right in front of me.¡± Despite saying this, Carmen¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t stray to Gavid¡¯s corpse. Instead, her narrowed eyes were fixed on Balzac. In her opinion, the cruelest and terrible thing here wasn¡¯t the corpse that had died from torture but the living ck wizard. ¡°If that¡¯s how you feel,¡± Balzac shrugged. Balzac snapped his fingers, and the shadow attached to him slowly rose off the floor. The shadow was holding out the decapitated head of a handsome incubus in its ck hand. ¡°His soul was harvested by the Demon King of Incarceration. If you like, I can also request that it be offered to you,¡± Balzac said. Carmen rejected the offer, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± With a smirk, Balzacid the head of Eoin Olpher down on the cell¡¯s floor. Carmen immediately kicked the offered head. Crack! Eoin Olpher¡¯s head hit the bars of the cell and shattered into pieces. Standing behind those bars, Balzac had his face and clothes sttered with blood, bones, and bits of brains, but his smile didn¡¯t even shake. ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± Carmen ordered, wiping down the jacket slung over her shoulders as she emerged from the cell. Standing in front of Balzac, she warned him, ¡°¡­I¡¯m telling you this just in case. Eugene Lionheart. We are leaving him in the care of the Red Tower of Magic. If you evene into contact with him¡ª¡± ¡°The only one who canmand my actions and desires is the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Balzac interjected before Carmen could finish speaking. As his fingertips gently pulled off his sses which had been spattered with blood, he turned away and said, ¡°Sir Carmen, you have no power over me.¡± 1. Originally, Carmen says that he must have had his liver extracted from his stomach. In Korean, the liver is the organ that governs fear instead of, say, the heart. If your liver is trembling, that means you¡¯re afraid.? 2. Carmen is being referred to with the knightly Sir.? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts OBW: This was a fun chapter. Poor Gargith kept getting wrecked on and the conversation between Balzac and Carmen was chilling. Chapter 52.1 Chapter 52.1 Gion couldn¡¯t help but feel distressed. He had known about the Knights of the ck Lion since childhood. Not only had he heard the rumors surrounding them, but he had also met a few of them. While still in his youth, he had given up onpeting for the seat of the Patriarch and had instead wandered the world. During his travels, he had once stayed at ck Lion Castle, which was found in the depths of Mouth Us. ¡®They¡¯re definitely¡­ necessary.¡¯ The Lionheart n was one of the most prestigious families on the entire continent. Not only that, by maintaining its bizarre tradition, it had greatly increased its size, and at the center of this gigantic Lionheart n stood the main family. To keep this position, the main family couldn¡¯t help but require people dedicated to doing rough and dirty work. The Lionheart n wasn¡¯t the only one that raised these kinds of ¡®hunting hounds.¡¯ ¡®¡­But Ciel.¡¯ Gion didn¡¯t feel any qualms about bing a member of the Knights of the ck Lion. This was something he had decided on for himself, and he wanted to help his brother, the Patriarch, even if it meant stepping into the darkness. Moreover, since Gilead¡¯s ambition went against the strict adherence to tradition that the Council insisted on, by bing a ck Lion, Gion hoped to serve as a bridge between the Council and the main family. Whether it was dirty or cruel jobs, tasks that might get blood on his hands, Gion would do whatever it took if he was required to do these sorts of things. It wasn¡¯t for the sake of the Lionheart n but for the sake of his brother, the Patriarch, and also his family. Gion believed it was enough for him to be the only one to take on such a role. As for Ciel, that little niece of his, he didn¡¯t want her to set foot into this kind of business. He wasn¡¯t sure what Ciel desired for herself, but as for Gion¡­ he wanted his niece, who had been following him around and calling him uncle since she was a snot-nosed toddler, to live a peaceful life free from the scent of blood. It wasn¡¯t just Ciel. Cyan, Eugene¡­ and Eward as well. Gion hadn¡¯t gotten married nor had children and saw each of his nephews and niece as one of his own. ¡®¡­Eward. Why on earth would you turn to ck magic¡­?¡¯ ¡°Gion,¡± a voice called out. While he was in the middle of thinking such bitter thoughts, Carmen suddenly spoke up as she walked in front of him. ¡°Do you regret joining the Knights of the ck Lion?¡± she asked him. ¡°¡­How could I? It¡¯s not like that, Lady Carmen,¡± Gion replied with a wry smile. Just like how Gion had been looking after Gilead¡¯s children since they were young, Carmen had also watched over Gion¡¯s childhood. Just a few decades ago, Carmen had still been living at the main estate while a young Gion had trailed after her while calling her his aunt. His wanderlust was also something that he had caught from Carmen. ¡°This kind of work doesn¡¯t happen very often,¡± she reminded him. ¡°Although you should already be well aware of this.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± Gion acknowledged the reminder. Tasks that required someone on a captain¡¯s level to attend to them personally were umon. Most of the champions who led the Knights of the ck Lion rarely left ck Lion Castle. The current issue of the Patriarch¡¯s eldest son attempting to learn ck magic was serious enough that it required a captain of the Knights of the ck Lion to make a move. ¡°So, what do you think the truth of this matter is?¡± Carmen asked for his opinion. Gion hesitantly admitted, ¡°¡­It feels like the ck Tower Master wasn¡¯t involved. Instead, it appears to be as he said¡­ someone on the sidelines is attempting to stir up strife.¡± ¡°Amelia Merwin,¡± Carmen abruptly spat out the name. ¡°I suspect that it¡¯s her. She¡¯s also someone who wants to keep Balzac Ludbeth in check. The Demon King of Incarceration isn¡¯t known for suppressing the free will of the ck wizards he contracted with. He also doesn¡¯t interfere with every one of his subordinates¡¯ squabbles.¡± ¡°If Amelia was the mastermind of this plot, wouldn¡¯t that mean that Nahama is behind this?¡± ¡°Lately, Nahama¡¯s movements have been suspicious. Sultan bur is a young piglet with a lot of ambition. He¡¯ll probably dere war within the next few years.¡± War ¡ª this word caused Gion¡¯s eyes to grow cold. The Desert Kingdom of Nahama had long aspired to be called an empire. Gion questioned, ¡°Are you saying they¡¯ll go to war with Kiehl?¡± ¡°They¡¯ll probably hit Turas first,¡± Carmen corrected him. The Kiehl Empire shared a border with Nahama. The rtionship between the two countries wasn¡¯t hostile, but Nahama frequently quarreled with its western neighbor, the Kingdom of Turas. ¡°Even though they probably don¡¯t have a casus belli?¡± Gion asked curiously. ¡°If they need a casus belli, they can just somehow create one. But if Nahama attacks Turas, Kiehl will also need to prepare for war. Of course, as part of these ¡®preparations,¡¯ the Lionheart n will also be called up,¡± Carmen spected. ¡°So preempting that, Amelia made the first move to create division within the Lionheart n. Is that what you think?¡± ¡°Even if this doesn¡¯t lead to any division, it¡¯s nted a seed for it. In any case, like what thete Gavid confessed, it might just be a crime of impulse without any conspiracy behind it. However¡­ we can¡¯t be sure of that. That¡¯s why we need to be suspicious.¡± Carmen narrowed her eyes and continued, ¡°I heard that Eward doesn¡¯t even know anything about Gavid. When I saw him in his childhood, I thought Eward seemed pretty smart. Could it be that the Patriarch doesn¡¯t have the qualifications to teach his own children?¡± Gion sighed, ¡°¡­He just wanted to believe in his children.¡± ¡°A whip for the horse, a bridle for a donkey, and a rod for the back of fools.Though it¡¯s pointless to say such things now that it¡¯se to this. Instead of the eldest heir, Eward, it looks like the next Patriarch will be Cyan,¡± having said this, Carmen turned to look at the prison they had just left. ¡°¡­Gion. Hypothetically, what would have happened if we hadn¡¯t overlooked Balzac¡¯s provocation back there?¡± ¡°It would have caused quite the crisis,¡± Gion dutifully concluded. ¡°Don¡¯t point out something so obvious. I¡¯m asking if we could have killed him?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think what he said was an insult deserving of death. From the perspective of the ck Tower Master, he also had reason to feel upset. But¡­ if we had to fight him, apart from you, the rest of us would have died in there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being too modest.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that good at fighting with wizards,¡± Gion replied with an awkward smile. ¡°Just like you, I alsocked enough confidence. That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t get into a fight,¡± Carmen admitted with a click of her tongue as she pulled out her pocket watch. It was slowly getting closer to the time when they had arranged to meet. Gion recalled Ciel, whom he had told to meet with them back in front of the warp gate. ¡°¡­Are we really going to take Ciel back with us to ck Lion Castle?¡± Gion asked reluctantly. Carmen simply pointed out, ¡°Isn¡¯t that what the child wants?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gion couldn¡¯t argue with that. ¡°Don¡¯t overly smother a child who has already grown up so much.¡± There was a short silence. Then Gion shook his head to cast off theseplicated feelings. ¡°About Eugene Lionheart, what do you think of him?¡± Carmen suddenly brought up this question. However, Gion immediately replied without any surprise, ¡°I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ve already heard all about him.¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve heard about him. Four years ago, when the Patriarch said he would take in that child as an adopted son, and when Gilead said he would open the main family¡¯s treasure vault to him, do you know just how noisy the Council got?¡± Carmen demanded. ¡°It certainly must have been a headache,¡± Gion sympathized. Carmenined, ¡°The Council had already been in an uproar due to the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. Because the oue was unprecedented.¡± ¡°But it was worth it,¡± Gion stated with satisfaction. In Gion¡¯s view, Eugene was an outrageous monster. For the past four years, Gion had taught him variousbat techniques based on his swordsmanship, but¡­ to be honest, Gion couldn¡¯t be sure if he had really taught Eugene anything. ¡®It was like he already knew how to do everything.¡¯ ording to Gion¡¯s intuition, what made Eugene truly great wasn¡¯t his mana sensitivity or his quick progress in the White me Form. His true talent was that no matter what weapon he held in his hand, Eugene could wield it skillfully. Not just at the level of being a proficient wielder, but with the skill of a true master. His techniques did not resemble those passed down by a prestigious family and instead pursued practicality above all else. Eugene couldn¡¯t have learned such a style from anyone else. No masters of such skill existed in Gidol, Eugene¡¯s hometown. Could it be that Gerhard was really hiding his power? But something like that was absurd. Everything that Eugene had was something he had honed by himself. He had an instinct for battle that was unbelievable for someone of his age. Gion had alsosparredwith Eugene several times. Without drawing on their mana, they had contested purely in terms of skill. Yet Gion had never once felt like he could overwhelm Eugene. No, instead, there were several times when he felt like he was being carried along by Eugene¡¯s rhythm. But that was¡­ something he couldn¡¯t ept, nor did he want to ept. To be carried along by Eugene¡¯s rhythm? That meant¡­ that instead of Gion, it was the much younger Eugene who was overwhelming him in terms of technique. ¡°If only that child wasn¡¯t from a coteral line, everyone would have supported him bing the next Patriarch,¡± Carmen¡¯s words weren¡¯t simply meant to evaluate Eugene. Gion felt the tant inquiry hidden in her gaze and responded, ¡°¡­That child has no desire to be the Patriarch. In a way, he resembles both myself and you, Lady Carmen.¡± Chapter 52.2 Chapter 52.2 ¡°He resembles us? If that¡¯s the case, shall I invite him to join the Knights ofthe ck Lion?¡± ¡°Hadn¡¯t you already decided to do that?¡± ¡°I intended to respect that child¡¯s resolve. It also feels a little too early to invite him right now. After all, isn¡¯t he still in the middle of growing up? In my personal opinion, he really doesn¡¯t need to learn magic, but¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s wasting his time by learning magic, right?¡± Gion asked optimistically. Carmen gave a cold reminder, ¡°That¡¯s as long as it doesn¡¯t cause him to drift from his path.¡± Gion recalledEward.Could that child really have¡­ attempted to learn ck magic? Gion had yet to ept such a fact. Carmen nced over at Gion¡¯s troubled face. ¡°¡­Eward will be ced under surveince,¡± she said eventually. Gion remained silent, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°We have already dispatched one of our ck Lions to Tanis¡¯ rtives. Since he¡¯s the eldest son of the main family, Eward will be spared having his throat cut, but there will be no next time. Eward will live under surveince for the rest of his life. And of course, his right of session will be stripped from him.¡± He wanted to live freely. Gion heard that was what Eward had said. However, no matter how much Eward wished for this, he would remain under guard for the rest of his life. Carmen revealed, ¡°We¡¯ve heard that Tanis is looking for a tutor to teach her son magic. We will allow this to happen. Because if a mastermind is truly behind this incident, they may attempt to reestablish contact with Eward.¡± ¡°¡­Understood,¡± Gion acknowledged, left with no choice but to nod in confirmation. * * * In the end, Eugene wasn¡¯t able to talk much with Gion, whom he had finally reunited with after several months. He could smell the scent of blood wafting from the Knights of the ck Lion. It was clear what had taken ce since they had gone to interrogate a ck wizard. It appeared that he had been interrogated, tortured, and finally executed. ¡°¡­Alright then, we¡¯ll see you next time,¡± Gion said with a low voice as Ciel waved her hand from beside him and cried out, ¡°Goodbye.¡± For a moment, Eugene thought about what he should say to Gion, but in the end, he just bowed his head and said, ¡°See you next time.¡± ¡°Do you have any thoughts about joining the Knights of the ck Lion?¡± The one who had suddenly spoken up was Carmen. Confused, Eugene turned his head only to see Carmen standing there with her arms crossed. ¡°Huh?¡± he grunted. ¡°They say that you have great talents. If you have no interest in bing the Patriarch, you should just join the Knights of the ck Lion as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Thank you for the offer¡ª¡± ¡°Currently, the position of the Second Division Captain¡¯s squire is vacant. If you want, I can rmend you for it immediately.¡± ¡°Thanks, but¡ª¡± ¡°If you be a captain¡¯s squire, you can learn a lot. The apprenticeship period is about five years, but if it¡¯s you, you should be able to be a full member of the ck Lions when you be an adult, three yearster.¡± ¡°I hope you have a safe journey.¡± She should allow people to finish what they were saying. Why did she have to keep cutting him off like that? Eugene bowed his head deeply as he said farewell to Carmen. ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Carmen said as she turned around. Before they entered the warp gate, Ciel waved at Eugene once more. ¡°Has there been any word from the White Tower Master?¡± Eugene asked Lovellian once the visitors were gone. ¡°Nope. If she had sessfully managed to sign a contract, she would havee here right away to brag. But, seeing that there is no news, it seems that this contract won¡¯t be so easy,¡± Lovellian spected. That son-of-a-bitch Tempest. Eugene¡¯s brows furrowed deeply as he clicked his tongue. ¡°Fucking Tempest,¡± a voice cursed on the roof of the White Tower of Magic. Standing there being struck by strong gusts of wind, Melkith had also spat out a few swear words regarding Tempest. Without a single thread covering her, she waspletely naked and holding a staff. By embracing the wind in this primal fashion, it had taken her several hours just to excite all her senses and maximize her sensitivity to the wind. She had feared that the wind might still not be strong enough, so she had risked using magic to summon even stronger gusts. Finally, she had aroused the blessing of protection ced on Wynnyd and personally transmitted her intentions to Tempest. However, there was absolutely no response from Tempest. Even though she had clearly conveyed her intentions to the spirit world¡­ it felt absurd that he still hadn¡¯t replied even once. The sun was setting, and the day was turning into night. To raise her sensitivity to its absolute limits, Melkith couldn¡¯t even use magic to warm her body. Her skin was forced to endure these freezing cold winds and was already covered in goosebumps. Melkith had to sniff through a runny nose as she continued infusing her mana and will into Wynnyd. She finally heard a voice, [Contractor¡­.] But Melkith didn¡¯t feel any joy upon hearing it. ¡°Levin¡­!¡± It was the Spirit King of Lightning. As Melkith called outhis name, a crackle of lightning was mixed into the loudly blowing wind. ¡°I haven¡¯t even called you, so why are you the one appearing?¡± Melkith demanded. [Put on some clothes first¡­,] muttered the crackling lightning. However, Melkith had no intention of putting on her clothes. Instead, she pulled up her body, which had curled up from the cold, and cried out, ¡°Great Spirit King of the Wind, Master of Storms! I, Melkith El-Hayah, wish to make a contract with you!¡± Levin sighed, [Tempest asked me to tell you to shut up¡­.] ¡°Tell him toe here personally and say it to my face!¡± [Tempest just¡­ doesn¡¯t want to make a contract with you¡­.] ¡°Tell him that he should at leaste and hear me out for a bit! Tell him that I can give him whatever he wants!¡± [Contractor. You are not able to give Tempest what he wants.] ¡°What does Tempest want?!¡± [That¡¯s¡­,] the lightning trailed off. After a few moments of silence, he released a long sigh and continued, [You really are lost in your own delusions¡­.] ¡°What?¡± Melkith demanded. [He wants you to return Wynnyd to its original owner¡­.] ¡°It¡¯s mine! I¡¯m the owner!¡± [Don¡¯t lie¡­. Even Tempests knows that you only borrowed it from the true owner of Wynnyd for a short while¡­.] ¡°So he was listening in all this time! Tempest! I am the greatest spirit summoner in all of history! I am the only spirit summoner in the world who deserves to make a contract with you!¡± Melkith threw down her staff and grabbed hold of Wynnyd. Then she started randomly swinging Wynnyd around on the roof of the tall White Tower of Magic, her body still stark naked. She desperately pleaded, ¡°That¡¯s why you should appear in front of me! Although I don¡¯t know what you want, I can give you whatever you desire?!¡± Levin groaned, [Contractor¡­ please¡­ have some shame¡­.] ¡°I said get out here!¡± [Tempest says¡­ stop this vain attempt¡­.] ¡°Kyaaagh!¡± An eruption of stress caused the sound of a crow¡¯s cry to escape Melkith¡¯s lips. Her hair raised on end as she continued her harsh screams. The lightning, which had been watching this silently, sighed once more. ¡ªFizz. A streak of lightning descended from the sky above the White Tower of Magic. This merciless lightning strike engulfed Melkith. ¡°Kyaaaaak!¡± With a piercing scream, Melkith¡¯s eyes rolled up into the back of her head. If she was an ordinary person, this lightning would have killed her instantly, but as the one who had made a contract with the Lightning Spirit King, Melkith wouldn¡¯t die from a lightning strike like this. However, all the strength left her muscles, and she copsed onto the floor. [The Storm¡­ wishes to go northward. To defeat the devildom in the north that no one has been able to conquer¡­. To deal with the regrets that have yet to be forgotten after hundreds of years¡­.] Although Melkith was already unconscious, the lightning continued to mutter to her with a sorrowful tone. * * * Melkith came to find Eugene after ten days had passed. Eugene, who had been staying in Sienna¡¯s Hall within Akron, couldn¡¯t stop his jaw from partially dropping when he saw Melkith¡¯s appearance as she stepped out of the elevator. How could a person be so exhausted in just ten days? Eventually, he remembered to ask, ¡°¡­So, the contract?¡± ¡°Why even ask when you can clearly tell, you motherfucker?¡± Melkith cursed. Caught off-guard, Eugene asked, ¡°What¡¯s with the cursing?¡± ¡°That son of a bitch Tempest!¡± Melkith burst out. Mer narrowed her eyes at Melkith¡¯s sudden cry. She slid off of a chair that was about as tall as she was and turned to re at Melkith. ¡°Miss pants-wetter, this is a ce where you¡¯re supposed to keep quiet,¡± Mer reminded her. ¡°Kyaaaagh!¡± Melkith squawked in anger. ¡°Hah, really,¡± with a sigh, Mer¡¯s expression twisted even more as she raised a finger. She was thinking of shutting Melkith up and kicking her out, but before Mer could use her magic, Eugene stepped forward to stop her. ¡°So you really weren¡¯t able to sign a contract with him?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Why! Would! I! Lie?!¡± Melkith growled. ¡°Tempest hasn¡¯t asked you to lie about it, right?¡± ¡°Kiyaaaaak!¡± Was she really a human? As Eugene tsked his tongue, he tapped on the Cloak of Darkness that he had slung around his shoulders. ¡°As long as you borrow it for the rest of the day, that would be a full ten years, though,¡± Eugene said with some regret. ¡°Kiiiih¡­,¡± Melkith hissed. Eugene offered, ¡°If you return Wynnyd to me now, I¡¯ll round it down to nine years for you.¡± Melkith¡¯s head fell forward as her shoulders shook. Then, with shaking hands, she held onto Wynnyd. ¡°N-nine years¡­?¡± Melkith struggled toprehend it. ¡°This is nice and warm,¡± Eugene gloated over histest acquisition. ¡°¡­It isn¡¯t too hot even when you wear it in summer.¡± ¡°How should I clean it?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t¡­ need to. There¡¯s magic that does that¡­.¡± ¡°Wow, that¡¯s great.¡± Eugene really was happy to have it. With a snort, Melkith returned Wynnyd to Eugene. ¡°¡­Take¡­ good care of it,¡± she reluctantly requested. ¡°Please take care,¡± Eugene first put away Wynnyd, then bowed his head in farewell. After looking at Eugene with desperate and unwilling eyes, Melkith got up to leave. ¡°What am I supposed to do when he doesn¡¯t evene when I call him¡­,¡± Melkith grumbled to herself at an audible volume as she headed back to the elevator. He didn¡¯t really care why she felt the need to do this, so Eugene didn¡¯t pay her any attention. [Hamel was an asshole, and Molon was an idiot. Although it was difficult to determine who was worse between them, Hamel was at least a little better than Molon.] It was painful for Eugene to even read this. Saying that he was better than that fool, Molon didn¡¯t bring Eugene anyfort¡­. Chapter 53.1 Chapter 53.1 [The chieftain of the giants, Kamash, was ridiculously huge. No matter how straight the hulking Molon drew himself up, his height could only reach about the same level as Kamash¡¯s heel.] [Although Molon leaped forward, swinging his prided ax, that fool was sent flying with a single kick from Kamash. ¡®He¡¯s strong!¡¯ Molon shouted. Wasn¡¯t something like that already obvious?] [The beautiful Sienna raised her staff, Akasha! The light emitting from the staff was just as beautiful as Sienna. Some of you may not know this, but the giants possess the greatest magic resistance among all the races. Do you know what this means? No matter how powerful the cute Sienna¡¯s spells were, they were useless against a giant.] [But her foe was the dreaded Kamash! A giant that was hundreds of years old and the most powerful chieftain in all of the giants¡¯ history. However, you all should know that just because you¡¯re powerful doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re a great person. And that¡¯s exactly what Kamash was like. He was a savage bastard who sold his entire race to the Demon Kings.] [With her beautiful magic, Sienna beautifully attempted to restrain Kamash.] ¡®How on earth would you use beautiful magic to beautifully restrain someone?¡¯Eugene momentarily stopped reading the fairy tale to ponder this question. [However, it was impossible to restrain Kamash. In return for betraying his entire race, that savage bastard had received a powerful increase in strength from the Demon Kings. A giant could already fight a dragon with just its bare body, but Kamash, who had the blessings of the Demon Kings on top of that, was just like a sentient natural disaster.] Even the revised versions contained the battle with Kamash, the chieftain of the giants. However, the backstory of Kamash wasn¡¯t told as explicitly as in this first version. He was merely described as a bad giant. As it was a fairy tale meant for young kids, they now published a simplified version. [Still, they wouldn¡¯t back down. The gentle and elegant Anise radiated a divine light of resolve. That¡¯s right. They couldn¡¯t back down. Because behind Kamash marched an army of giants numbering in the hundreds, and they were advancing towards the ins of Palmir.] Eugene could remember it clearly. The ins of Palmiry at the entrance to the Devildom of Helmuth. Three hundred years ago, a tall rampart had stood there, separating the ins from the border of Helmuth. To prove his loyalty to the Demon Kings, Kamash had led an army of giants and hade to topple the wall personally. It was impossible for any of the armies belonging to either the kingdoms or the empires to stop this sentient natural disaster. However, they still needed to be stopped. [When the sweet Anise lifted high a rosary, what happened next was amazing. Brilliant lights poured down from the heavens like rain. Although the human armies prepared to stop the giants appeared insignificantly small, Anise¡¯s blessing gave courage and strength to them all.] [A thousand men were gathered to face hundreds of giants. Do you think that was too few? But it couldn¡¯t be helped. To you who are currently reading this book, are you truly confident that you wouldn¡¯t run away in the face of these giants¡¯ advance? The shaking from the footsteps of these enormously tall monsters could be felt on the ins of Palmir a few days before they even arrived.] [Also, the truth was that the number of allies didn¡¯t really matter.] That¡¯s just how it was. Eugene recalled his past life from hundreds of years ago. [Because Vermouth was there.] The Great Vermouth, the Master-of-All, and the God of War. He raised his dazzling Holy Sword high and marched forward. The rain of light called down by Anise increased the Holy Sword¡¯s strength. Any emotions detrimental to the battle, such as fear or despair, were erased from everybody¡¯s minds. At that moment, all the humans gathered there weren¡¯t afraid of death, pain, the giants, or even the Demon Kings. Anise¡¯s blessing didn¡¯t stop at just erasing any useless emotions. Any wounds would heal immediately, and no matter how long you fought, it made it so that you wouldn¡¯t get tired. In addition, it released the physical limits of what your body could handle, making your body more suitable for battle. Giants possessed strong magical resistance. But that didn¡¯t mean that Sienna¡¯s spells were useless. She shook the earth even more fiercely than the giants¡¯ footsteps and tore it apart. Lava rose from the ground, and lightning fell from the sky. [Molon, that idiot, wanted to test his strength against Kamash in a frontal contest. Although everyone thought Molon was an idiot, we all held back the urge to say it, and only that rude bastard Hamel actually socked Molon in the jaw.] ¡ªYou stupid bastard. A contest of strength? You¡¯re saying that you want to go up to that savage bastard and challenge him to an arm-wrestling match? Don¡¯t spout such bullshit, and just stay with the soldiers over there. ¡ªWhy do I need to do that? ¡ªIf you¡¯re not there to stop the giants, all those soldiers will be crushed into pancakes by the giants¡¯ feet! When Hamel had shouted that in a fit of perplexed frustration, Molon¡¯s mouth had hung open for a few moments in a look of confusion before he had nodded with an exmation. ¡ªOh, so that¡¯s the case. Hamel, you really don¡¯t want them to die. ¡ªWhy are you putting it like that? If we¡¯re going to fight together, it¡¯s just better if more survive than less. ¡ªOkay, I¡¯ve got it. I¡¯ll act as their shield. But what will you be doing? ¡ªWhat I always do. It was better for more to survive than less. Of course, that was only the case when talking about his allies. As for enemies, it was definitely better if a lot of them were killed. This was also something that Hamel was particrly confident, enthusiastic, and skilled in ensuring. [At that time, the knights still believed in their own greatness. When Molon stood in front of the soldiers, the knights headed over to Vermouth. Introducing themselves as the knights of this-rose and that-pebble,[1]they continued to spout off the names of knightly orders that no one would ever even care about. What these idiots basically meant by saying all this was¡ª] Let us fight together. [What did they mean by ¡®fight together?¡¯ It would be difficult for them to cut off one of Kamash¡¯s toes even if they all charged together. Also, saying that they would fight together with Vermouth was nothing but lip service. What they really wanted was to have their names added to Vermouth¡¯s legend so their reputation could be passed down to future generations.] [Besides, Vermouth didn¡¯t really like fighting with such groups. He very well knew that if he fought alongside these knights, they would only drag him down uselessly and serve as meatshields at most.] [This was the Great Vermouth. There was only one man who was able to fight alongside that inhuman monster, and he was the only one Vermouth could rely on this battlefield.] ¡ªHamel. ¡ªYeah. What? [The Stupid Hamel.] ¡ªThe left arm. Can you do it? ¡ªI¡¯d prefer the right arm. Isn¡¯t that bastard, Kamash, right-handed? ¡ªIf that¡¯s the case, you can take the right arm. ¡ªWhy do we even need to divide up the left arm and the right arm? I¡¯ll just figure it out as I go along. [That¡¯s¡­ um¡­ it¡¯s hard to put it into words. Although you readers might not be aware of it, it¡¯s taken me a lot of tries to somehow write this down, you know? However, if you¡¯ve read up to this point, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve already noticed it. I¡¯m not very good at writing stories. I just write whateveres to mind.] [In any case, it was an unbelievable fight. Kamash was as tall as a mountain. As for Vermouth and Hamel, well¡­. Although they weren¡¯t as hulking as Molon, they were still tall and with good physiques, but there was no way that they could bepared with Kamash.] [However, Kamash wasn¡¯t able to advance any further. When Kamash attempted to take another step, Hamel shed at his ankle with an ax. When Kamash swung his arm at the pest, Hamel sliced his arm with a sword. When Kamash threw his fist at Hamel, Hamel¡¯s spear pierced Kamash¡¯s wrist.] [Then Vermouth sliced open Kamash¡¯s throat.] It wasn¡¯t as simple as this book made it appear. Trusting in Anise¡¯s blessing, Hamel had headed out to meet Kamash. Whenever things got scary, Sienna¡¯s magic intervened, then Vermouth would parry the attack. Without the help of the light from the Holy Sword and Vermouth¡¯s assistance, Hamel couldn¡¯t have possibly blocked Kamash alone. [Only the Holy Sword was able to put an end to Kamash, who was d in the power of the Demon Kings. But, since the Holy Sword would only recognize Vermouth as its master, the only one who was finally able to kill Kamash was Vermouth.] [With his throat cleanly sliced open, the blood spewing from Kamash washed over the ins. It was like a riverbank somewhere had burst open.] [Although Kamash had died, the giants did not surrender. However, the situation was still more manageable than it was at first. The Demon Kings¡¯ blessing had faded with Kamash¡¯s death, so the beautiful Sienna¡¯s beautiful magic was able to exert its full force.] This was what Eugene had felt having read this far,¡®It was either Sienna or Anise who wrote this book.¡¯ Of course, the author of this ssic fairy tale was unknown, but having read this book, Eugene had figured something out. The Wise Sienna and the Faithful Anise. Those were their usual epithets. However, in this first edition of the fairy tale, all sorts of titles were attached to the front of Sienna and Anise¡¯s names. Beautiful Sienna. Elegant Anise. Cute Sienna. Sweet Anise. Charming Sienna. Seductive Anise. ¡®Just what were thosetwobitches ying at?¡¯ On the other hand, Molon and Hamel were harassed terribly. Idiotic Molon. Asshole Hamel. Stupid Molon. Son-of-a-bitch Hamel. Noisy Molon. Foul-mouthed Hamel. Perhaps because they couldn¡¯t bear to attach any other title to Vermouth, from beginning to end, whenever he appeared, he was only described as the Great Vermouth. 1. The original text says: ¡®The knights of the dog-shit roses and the horse-shit rat-tail.¡¯ Saying that two things are dog-shit and horse-shit is a Korean way of saying they¡¯re virtually identical, simr to po-tay-to and po-tah-to. As for the rat-tail, it means something small or insignificant, like saying that the pay is peanuts. The rose might also mean something that looks pretty but is useless.? Chapter 53.2 Chapter 53.2 But it wasn¡¯t just the titles. While this first edition was iparably more savage in its depiction, the contents were extremely detailed. It wasn¡¯t just the battle with Kamash and the giants; the various events they went through in Helmuth were also described in considerable detail. The author of this fairy tale that was published three hundred years ago was spected to be a bard experienced in picking up various rumors and weaving them into a song. However, having read this first edition himself, Eugene was sure that the author of this book wasn¡¯t anything like a bard. The rtionship between the characters was depicted in far too real a fashion for a book said to have been written by a bard. ¡®It¡¯s just like how I remember it.¡¯ Sienna and Anise got along well. ording to what Mer had said, Sienna would often describe Anise as a snake-like woman. This evaluation hadn¡¯t surprised him in the least. During their travels, Sienna had often called Anise a snake bitch to her face. Since they had gotten along so well¡­ the two of them may have written this fairy tale together. If that was the case, it would make sense for them to have used bullshit, such as beautiful or elegant, to describe each other. ¡®Or else, one of the two could have written it and then tried to obscure which of them it was by writing like this¡­.¡¯ Was it Sienna? Or could it be Anise? Eugene was lost in thought for a few moments. Surprisingly¡­ they both had rotten personalities, so he could see either of them pulling bullshit like this. ¡®Still, weren¡¯t they being a bit too blunt with these descriptions.¡¯ ¡°Wasn¡¯t this written by Lady Sienna?¡± Eugene turned to Mer and asked this question rather than pondering it all by himself. After all, he had with him a familiar who had apanied Sienna hundreds of years ago. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so crazy,¡± Mer, who had been reading a book on magic, responded with a disgusted expression. ¡°Why would Lady Sienna write such a story?¡± Eugene tried to exin himself, ¡°No, well¡­ As I was reading it, I noticed a lot of adjectives that were used to describe Sienna in particr.¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about the ones calling her beautiful, cute, and adorable? Really now¡­ Do you truly believe that Lady Sienna would write about herself like that?¡± Mer asked him skeptically. Eugene hesitated, ¡°¡­Um¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t insult Lady Sienna like that. Unless they¡¯re insane, who would attach such words in front of their own name in a story that they had hand-written themselves?¡± Mer demanded. ¡°¡­Ummm¡­,¡± Eugene held back his urge to say something in his own defense. ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, Sir Eugene, I won¡¯t forgive you if you insult Lady Sienna,¡± Mer said, lifting up her clenched fists. In response to this violent reaction, Eugene continued flipping through the fairy tale without asking further questions. [Sienna. I¡¯ve always liked you.] ¡®Why is this part the same as in the revised versions?¡¯ There was no way that Sienna would do this. After reading Hamel¡¯s death scene, Eugene was sure of this.The one who had written this fairy tale was Anise. ¡®Didn¡¯t they say that until she left on a pilgrimage, she spent her days in the Holy Empire being called a saint? It looks like such a life must have been boring enough to drive Anise crazy.¡¯ That had to be why she had written something so crazy. With Anise¡¯s personality, it was likely that she would write about herself as being kind and charming. As for why she had added this and that to Sienna¡¯s name¡­. ¡®She must have wanted to fuck with Sienna.¡¯ Sienna. I¡¯ve always liked you. ¡®And in the process, I was fucked with as well. That motherfucker.¡¯ Eugene clenched his fists in a surge of frustration. Although he had read it hoping otherwise, even in this fairy tale, it didn¡¯t really record how the decisive battle with the Demon King of Incarceration ended. In this, it was simr to the revised versions. An oath had been sworn, and with this newly forged peace, the members of the party had left Helmuth and returned to their respective homes. That was how they lived happily ever after. Happily, it said. Eugene clicked his tongue and closed the book. Eugene¡¯s mood further worsened when the portrait of Sienna with a smile that didn¡¯t suit her caught his eye. ¡°Are you going to have another go?¡± Mer asked. Eugene grunted in confirmation, ¡°Hm.¡± Mer observed, ¡°While I don¡¯t think it¡¯s bad to give it another attempt, it seems a little arrogant to attempt it at your level, Sir Eugene.¡± He had already heard something simr from her a few times before. Eugene smirked and headed over to Witch Craft. ¡°The challenge needs to be difficult to be worthwhile,¡± Eugene stated. Mer scoffed, ¡°You keep failing, so how is it worthwhile.¡± Although she said this, Mer didn¡¯t try to stop Eugene. She was secretly interested in what Eugene was attempting. Ten days after the Knights of the ck Lion had left, Eugene had spent most of his waking hours in Akron. For the first few days, he had studied the magic on the lower floors as Mer had rmended. The battle magic on the eleventh floor, the fire magic on the night floor, the battlefield magic on the seventh floor, and the spatial magic on the sixth floor. Eugene had been especially interested in the spatial magic on the sixth floor. It wasn¡¯t for Blink, which he couldn¡¯t use yet, but instead for studying how to properly use the Cloak of Darkness. This cloak had been enchanted with the highest levels of spatial magic and was an amazing piece of armor in and of itself, but it could be used in various other ways depending on how skillful you were in handling it. From the start, it was easy to use the subspace sealed inside the cloak. It worked just by grabbing any object and cing it inside the cloak. Taking it back out was also easy. You just needed to stick your hand inside the cloak and pull the object out. However, in order to use the cloak to rebound an attack, the spatial coordinates needed to be calcted separately. In other words, it was necessary to quickly identify the spatial coordinates from which the attack would be received and then designate the coordinates along which the attack was to be returned. Even just searching for these coordinates required high-level magic. Even though he¡¯d held great interest in it, Eugene was forced to give up for now. Eugene returned once more to the twelfth floor. The Eternal Hole he had seen in Witch Craft just wouldn¡¯t leave his mind. So once more, he went back to Witch Craft, saw its contents, and fainted. From his third attempt onwards, he stopped fainting. Eugene¡¯s consciousness got used to the absurd movements of the mana. But that alone wasn¡¯t enough. What could be gained from simply seeing it happen? If he really wanted to gain something from it, he needed to develop at least some understanding of it. ¡®The Eternal Hole.¡¯ The ultimate achievement in Circle magic. ¡®The White me Form.¡¯ The Lionheart n¡¯s mana training scripture. ¡®I¡¯m familiar with controlling mana, and I¡¯m also familiar with the White me Form.¡¯ He thought about trying tobine them through practical application. It was impossible for the current Eugene to fully reproduce the Eternal Hole. He needed to at least reach the Ninth Circle to replicate it. The Eternal Hole. To put it simply, it was just a matter of holding an infinitely multiplying amount of Circles inside one huge Circle. By continuously reproducing, entwining, and copsing the Circles created through this, it amplified any mana put into it. Eugene didn¡¯t use Circles when casting magic. He reced the Circles with his Cores, the Stars of the White me Form. By rotating his three Stars, he formed a Circle. But what if he could generate multiple Circles inside the Circle that he formed through his method? Eugene grinned to himself as he stood in front of Witch Craft. In his past life, Hamel hadn¡¯t learned the White me Form. Since he hadn¡¯t learned magic either, he also didn¡¯t have any Circles. What Hamel had learned was the cheap mana training scripture that was widely spread among mercenaries. Hamel had added his own knowledge and improvements on top of that. Afterward, Sienna had even gone through and corrected it. It didn¡¯t have a fancy name. Hamel had no intention of writing it down and leaving it for future generations, and he hadn¡¯t had any disciples or descendants to whom he could pass it down. In the end¡­ the only one in the world who had learned this mana training scripture was Hamel. First, you built your core. Then you burst the mana formed in this core in a chain of explosions. The mana propelled by this internal explosion quickly spread throughout the body. The exploded mana wasn¡¯t released outside the body. By exploding all of his mana, Hamel could bring his full force to bear for a single second. With just that alone, Hamel was able to sh Kamash¡¯s limbs. ¡ªYou were born with an instinct for battle. This was something that Vermouth had once told him. ¡ªYou actually paid good money for this kind of mana training scripture? That was what Sienna had said. ¡ªI just can¡¯t understand it. With this kind of¡­ garbage¡­ by practicing this mana training scripture¡­ you were able to reach the level of strength that you have now? He could do it. Eugene didn¡¯t doubt himself. He saw that his idea had some possibility of sess. If that was the case, he could definitely do it. He didn¡¯t necessarily need to perfectly reproduce the Eternal Hole. With his Third¨CStar White me Form and the Circle he had created from these Stars, he would explode the mana generated inside the Circle. It wouldn¡¯t just be any ordinary explosion. Instead of a singr explosion, there would be a continuous chain of explosions. If he could manage to do all that as naturally as if he was breathing¡­. ¡°Since you¡¯ve allowed me to see everything like this¡­.¡± Within his consciousness, Eugene saw the infinite sea of mana being used to draw a Circle. This was the Eternal Hole ¡ª the ultimate endpoint of the Circle Magic created by Sienna. It conveyed a sense of awe even though he had already seen it many times. By now, he was no longer at risk of falling unconscious. As he immersed himself in his own consciousness, Eugene watched the flow of mana. An infinite series of Circles was being created, all contained within one huge Circle. As he focussed on his consciousness, Eugene¡¯s mana, which was like a speck of dust within this vast sea, began to respond. Just like that¡­. Two years passed. Chapter 54.1 Chapter 54.1 This was the summer of Eugene¡¯s neenth year. Although the weather outside was hot and humid, the interior of Akron feltfortable. Eugene¡¯s shaggy hair had been left tied up casually. Although the interior of Akron was rife with spells used to guarantee various conveniences such as air purification and temperature control, Eugene was the only one who could be seen wearing a fur-lined cloak in this sweltering heat. He didn¡¯t have any particr reason for it. It was justfortable. Contrary to its heavy appearance, the Cloak of Darkness barely weighed anything. Although this fact was already obvious, magic truly was convenient. Even the small weight that Eugene did feel wasn¡¯t enough to burden him. Since he had been going about his daily training while strapping heavy sandbags onto his body ever since he was ten years old, there was no way that the weight of this cloak would make him feel ufortable. It wasn¡¯t hot either. The cloak resonated with its wearer¡¯s sensory systems and constantly monitored both internal and external temperatures, ensuring its wearer¡¯sfort in any situation. That alone was already convenient enough, but what Eugene most appreciated was definitely the spatial enchantments imbued within the cloak. And among these, he got the most use out of the subspace. While spinning a pen around on his finger, Eugene stared down at his desk. He was looking at a thesis he had started writing a few hours ago. By the time he came to his senses, he had several pages filled with writing. Eugene roughly scooped them all up and threw them inside his cloak, then took out some more nk sheets of paper. ¡°Isn¡¯t it almost time for you to get something to eat?¡± This question came from Mer, who was sitting across from him. Her legs were swinging idly as she sat on a chair too tall for her, and both her hands were cupped under her chin. Eugene gave an excuse, ¡°I ate a lot before I came here.¡± But Mer saw through it, ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden? You always eat a lot. So aren¡¯t you still hungry now?¡± ¡°I am a bit hungry,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°But if I go now, I¡¯ll lose my focus, so I can¡¯t eat just yet.¡± ¡®Liar,¡¯Mer thought as she gave a small hmph and puffed up her cheeks. For him to say that he would lose his focus was ridiculous. She had been watching over Eugene for two years now, and Mer had never once seen Eugene lose his focus. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too hasty?¡± Mer asked him. ¡°I really don¡¯t think so,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Now that the time hase to write your thesis, that¡¯s even more reason not to be hasty. You should write it calmly and slowly so that you don¡¯t make any small mistakes¡­,¡± Mer tried to think of any other arguments. ¡°Um¡­. So in any case, that¡¯s why it¡¯s better to write carefully, got it?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not rushing it, and I am writing calmly. Though I¡¯m not sure about writing slowly. I¡¯ve been revising my thesis constantly, and at least in my eyes, I¡¯ve yet to see any mistakes. This must mean that I am writing carefully,¡± Eugene replied as he continued to spin his pen in circles. Mer wasn¡¯t really satisfied with this answer, and after a short pause, she continued speaking. ¡°¡­I¡¯m just talking about normal wizards, but doesn¡¯t it usually take them several decades just toplete a thesis that summarizes their magic?¡± ¡°The amount of time I¡¯ve spent learning magic is a lot less than a few decades.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more reason to think that you are being overly arrogant by writing your thesis so early! Instead of doing something so rash, you should just immerse yourself in magic for the next ten years¡­.¡± Mer trailed off, still protesting. ¡°It looks like our little Mer is feeling really shy,¡± Eugene grinned as he stared at Mer. At this, Mer¡¯s eyebrows furrowed as if disgusted, and she raised both of her clenched fists towards Eugene. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you enough times to stop crossing the line?¡± Mer demanded. Eugene denied the usation, ¡°But I don¡¯t think that I crossed any line.¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about what you said: ¡®our little Mer!¡¯ I¡¯ve told you not to call me that. I am two hundred years older than you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Then it looks like our little granny Mer is pretty shy.¡± ¡°Wanna die?¡± Mer¡¯s shoulders seemed to be heaving with anger. But even so, Eugene didn¡¯t feel any killing intent flowing his way. Since she had been teased like this for two years now, it looked like Mer had gotten used to it. Besides, they both knew Mer wasn¡¯t serious while saying that and didn¡¯t really hate it when Eugene treated her like that. It was strange, novel, and nostalgic. Among all the wizards who had been granted entry into Akron over these hundreds of years, not a single one of them had treated Mer like a young child. Although some fools asionally wanted to dissect Mer and Witch Craft under the foolish pretext of doing research, most wizards kept a certain distance from Mer, making it difficult for her to talk to them. They had no choice but to treat Mer that way. Mer was a familiar who had been personally crafted bytheWise Sienna, and based on a childhood version of herself at that. She also served as the artificial intelligence of Witch Craft, the greatest grimoire in all of magic history. Even though they had already dissected it once, all the wizards who had experienced the contents of Witch Craft were in awe of Mer. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t like that. There was no reason for him to follow that trend. Respect for the Wise Sienna? Although he could admit that she was a great wizard, to Eugene, Sienna was just Sienna. Eugene got straight to the point, ¡°Do you hate that I¡¯m leaving?¡± ¡°Um¡­,¡± Mer hesitated to reply. ¡°See now, you do hate it. To think that it¡¯s already been two years since I first came here. Though it seems I¡¯m the only one who regrlyes and goes from this floor,¡± Eugene noted sympathetically. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s unavoidable,¡± Mer mumbled as she loosened her tightly clenched fists. ¡°Because the other wizards have already finished examining Witch Craft long ago.¡± It had been two years since Eugene first entered Akron. He had been visiting Akron almost every day since then and had spent around half of his waking hours in Sienna¡¯s Hall. This wasn¡¯t particrly impressive or surprising. All the wizards who were allowed to enter Akron, like Eugene, diligently immersed themselves in the study of magic. Most of the wizards who received permission to enter Akron had overwhelming pride and confidence in their magical abilities. But by refining their abilities even further, these wizards sought to reach the ultimate truths. So wasn¡¯t it just natural? Mer had been in existence for over two hundred years. The wizards who had been permitted to enter Akron were now either Tower Masters, Heads of the Wizards Guild, a member of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards, or part of the royal family of Aroth. They had all been born with a rarely-seen gift for magic, and by now, they had already proven themselves as wizards. For them, Witch Craft was an amazing piece of magic that their predecessor had left behind. The ultimate point of Circle magic ¡ª the Eternal Hole. If one was a wizard who had encountered Witch Craft for the first time, they couldn¡¯t help but be stunned and in awe of its greatness. Over their next few visits, these wizards would take their time to try to understand and explore the contents of Witch Craft. But they would eventually realize it. That this truth wasn¡¯t something that they could grasp just yet. From then on, their visits would decrease. Although Witch Craft was a great piece of magic, the Archwizards who were allowed to enter Akron had already established their own magic forms, and none were in a position where they could fully devote themselves to replicating Witch Craft. Their admiration and astonishment wouldn¡¯t fade, and they would reference Witch Craft for their own magic, but¡­ in the end, they would seek toplete their own unique magic form through independent research. In this respect, Eugene was unique. Or at least that¡¯s what he looked like in Mer¡¯s view. It might be because he was young, or it might just be because he had yet to establish his own magic form. Or maybe it was just that he was a flexible thinker? Or could it be due to having little pride in his identity as a wizard? It was probably all these thingsbined. In these two years, Eugene had spent half his rued time within Akron immersed in Witch Craft without ever fainting or getting a nosebleed. Every session, after spending quite some time perusing Witch Craft¡­ he would then emerge to study the magic texts stored in Sienna¡¯s Hall. What meaning was there in watching that scene over and over again? When he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand it anyway. It was said that a crow-tit will only tear its crotch if it tried to walk like a crane, but the level of Eugene¡¯s magical skillpared to that required for Witch Craft wasn¡¯t even up to the same level as the crow-tit¡¯s crotch. Instead, it was more like the difference between the earthworm and a dragon or a bug and a god. He had set his sights far too high. It was probably because he was a young master of the Lionheart n, which was a step above even the most prestigious families. And he wasn¡¯t just any young master. No, he was a young master who had once been a coteral descendant and was the first in history to be adopted into the main family after being recognized for his talents, wasn¡¯t he? It seemed obvious to others that Eugene was lost in his own genius and had set his sights on a height impossible for him to reach. However¡­. Eugene was able toprehend Witch Craft. No¡­ could that really be calledprehension? It was more along the lines of pounding it straight into his head. Mer had been watching over Eugene for two years now, but she still couldn¡¯t ept that Eugene¡¯s behavior was in any way reasonable. Mer finally asked, ¡°¡­If you really do manage toplete the thesis, will you be leaving Aroth?¡± Eugene returned her question with his own, ¡°Do you know just how many times you¡¯ve asked me that?¡± ¡°If you include today, then it¡¯s the 137th time.¡± ¡°That sounds about right. Since I started writing my thesis about half a year ago¡­ it means you¡¯ve asked me that question about once a day.¡± ¡°There were two days when I didn¡¯t ask that question,¡± Mer insisted poutily. ¡°Fine. If I have to be honest, I don¡¯t want you to leave Aroth.¡± Chapter 54.2 Chapter 54.2 ??10-13 minutes20.07.2022 ¡°If I don¡¯t leave, what would I be doing here?¡± Eugene asked her. ¡°You can do whatever you like. I don¡¯t know when the Red Tower Master might be retiring, but¡­ Sir Eugene, if you say you wish to be the next Tower Master, the current Red Tower Master would probably approve you as his sessor without hesitation.¡± ¡°I have no intentions of bing a tower master.¡± ¡°Then how about the Court Wizards? Isn¡¯t Trempel Vizardo also extremely interested in recruiting you?¡± Trempel Vizardo was the Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards. Since about a year ago, he had been trying to get close to Eugene to recruit him for a position in the Court Wizards. ¡°Crown Prince Honein also greatly favors you, Sir Eugene. In my opinion, Crown Prince Honein¡¯s line is one that will be able to continue to proudly make a name for itself over the next few decades, until it even reaches outside of Aroth,¡± Mer continued to persuade him. ¡°Although I¡¯m grateful for the Crown Prince¡¯s favor, that also doesn¡¯t appeal to me,¡± Eugene rejected the suggestion. ¡°You won¡¯t be able to be the Patriarch anyway, so why do you have to return to the Lionheart n?¡± Mer argued. Eugene just asked, ¡°Do I really need such an amazing reason just to go home?¡± ¡°And since when were you so attached to your home?¡± Mer asked sulkily. When she had first heard him mention his thesis, Mer hadn¡¯t thought much about it. This was because, even though Eugene¡¯s aplishments were astonishing, it would be by no means an easy feat to establish his findings in a thesis. However, Eugene¡¯s growth far exceeded Mer¡¯s imagination. It had only been half a year since he started writing his thesis, but Eugene had already neatly organized his previously vague magic theories into a coherent hypothesis. During the process, he had managed to advance his own unique magic form by several steps. ¡°¡­That thesis, do you really have no intention of publishing it?¡± Mer asked. ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Eugene replied with a shake of his head. ¡°This thesis is just for my self-satisfaction. In any case, other than me, no one else would truly be able to make use of it. So I¡¯m just using it to tidy up the details of my magic form by writing it all down.¡± This meant that Eugene didn¡¯t really need to write a perfect thesis. Mer had already heard him say so dozens of times before. That was why Mer refused to retract her pouting lips. As it was a thesis written solely for self-satisfaction, there was no reason for him to worry too much about the quality of the paper, as it wasn¡¯t going to be presented to a panel anyway. Although that was the case, Eugene wasn¡¯t going to casually write just anything. The thesis he had been working on for over half a year would be examined by Eugene¡¯s teacher, the Red Tower Master, Lovellian. It was Lovellian who had first brought up the opinion that there was no need for Eugene to publish his thesis. ¡ªThis Ring me Form can¡¯t be reproduced by any other wizard. Regardless of how advanced their understanding of magic is, it would be physically impossible for them to replicate it. Eugene didn¡¯t use the normal Circle magic form. ¡ªIt¡¯s also not something that can be reproduced by the White me Form users of the Lionheart¡¯s main family. Instead, Eugene had reced the Circle with the Stars from the White me Form. ¡ªI¡¯ve also¡­ attempted to reproduce your results by following your thesis. I was stalled right from the beginning because I haven¡¯t formed a core, nor have I learned the White me Form. So I tried to use my Circles as a recement, but I wasn¡¯t able to replicate your results, Eugene. Instead, my mana seemed to flow backward. In order to copy Witch Craft¡¯s Eternal Hole, Eugene had adapted the Eternal Hole to use the Stars of his White me Form in ce of the Circles. He was currently at the Fourth Star of the White me Form. With these four Stars, he made a Circle. Then inside this Circle, just as Hamel had done in his past life, he would ignite his mana to set off a chain of explosions. The exploding mana would then be refined into countless Circles that would then be intertwined with each other to create more Circles. On the outside, the spinning ring of mes in his pseudo-Circle would tightly bind his Stars, preventing any mana from leaking out. This was the Ring me Form. Originally, he had intended to attempt something simr once he reached the Fifth Star of the White me Form, but the timing had been pushed forward due to his meeting with Witch Craft. Learning magic every day allowed him to stimte his mana, and as a result, it also increased his progress in the White me Form. The two years he had spent at Aroth couldn¡¯t be described as simply hectic; they were far more intense than that. He had be Lovellian¡¯s disciple, so while half of his waking hours were spent studying in Akron, the other half was spent learning magic from Lovellian. As an Archwizard, Lovellian could clearly tell what level Eugene had reached. Apart from a strong foundation in mana control, Eugene only knew the basics. Lovellian didn¡¯t give Eugene any lessons on the vital arrangement of forms or the attunement of mana used to create spells. He felt there was no need to teach Eugene any of that, and Lovellian¡¯s judgment was soon proven correct. During Eugene¡¯s previous life as Hamel, with only a poor mana training scripture as his foundation, he had be strong enough to serve as Vermouth¡¯spanion. Hamel was one of the protagonists during the war with Helmuth, and he was right there alongside the others when they had killed three of the five Demon Kings. All while only having learned such amon and cheap mana training scripture. So Lovellian only taught Eugene various spells. And among the myriad of spells that he knew, he taught Eugene only the most useful. He tried to simplify theirplicated forms as much as possible, then left it solely up to Eugene to figure out how to arrange his mana to cast these spells. After Eugene had managed to establish his Ring me Form to a certain extent, Lovellian had provided his helpful critique as Eugene began to write his thesis. He had also assisted in adapting the existing Circle spells to fit Eugene¡¯s unique magic form. There wasn¡¯t really a need for Lovellian to do so, as it was possible to cast the usual Circle spells with the Ring me Form. However, if Eugene was going to be using his own unique magic form, wouldn¡¯t it be better for him to use improvised spells so that they were both stronger and easier to cast? ¡°Are you upset?¡± Eugene asked Mer. Mer harrumphed, ¡°Why would I be upset?¡± ¡°Because I said I¡¯ll be leaving even though you asked me to stay.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not upset. What right do I have to stop you from leaving? Sir Eugene, if you say you¡¯re going, then you can just go. Although I¡¯ve never thought about wanting to go somewhere, even if I did, I¡¯m just a familiar who can¡¯t leave Akron.¡± The more Mer talked, the further her lips protruded in her pout. ¡°That¡¯s why you should just feel free to leave. You can just leave me here all alone in this boring, dull, and quiet ce while you go off by yourself. I¡¯m not at all disappointed about parting ways with you, with whom I¡¯ve been ying for these past two years. After all, I¡¯m not really a living human being, and I know full well that humans are just selfish creatures.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene calmly asked. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m well aware of this. Because I¡¯m two hundred years older than you. Even so, Sir Eugene, please at leaste and see me before you leave. Don¡¯t just leave without saying anything like Lady Sienna,¡± Mer pleaded. ¡°Alright,¡± Eugene readily agreed. ¡°Even though I¡¯ve said all this, you¡¯re still as calm as ever. Though it feels like I¡¯ve thought this hundreds of times over these past two years, you really are a piece of trash,¡± Mer grumbled. Eugene argued, ¡°Why am I a piece of trash?¡± ¡°Because I just get that feeling from you. It doesn¡¯t matter if there¡¯s a reason or not. You, Sir Eugene, are simply trash. You¡¯re really so annoying. Even though you¡¯re a lot younger than me, you haven¡¯t shown me any respect as your senior. If an adult tells you to do something, shouldn¡¯t you just be a good child and ept the order obediently?¡± As she grumbled these words, Mer picked up the hat she had ced next to her and put it back on her head, covering her face in embarrassment. ¡°¡­Of course¡­ if you were to be truly persuaded by my words and chose not to leave Aroth, then I¡¯m sure I would feel extremely distressed because of that,¡± Mer haltingly admitted. ¡°But I can¡¯t help it. As my personality is based on Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood, my emotions and behavior can¡¯t help but be influenced by a childish temper.¡± Eugene seemed doubtful, ¡°Is that really the case?¡± ¡°Yes, of course, that¡¯s the case,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°That¡¯s why I say such childish things and show a child¡¯s stubbornness. Even under such circumstances, part of me still epts that it¡¯s your right to leave. That¡¯s why I still feel like an idiot for uttering such nonsensical words. Because I¡¯m sure that Lady Sienna wouldn¡¯t act like this. I feel like my actions are an insult to Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°¡­Hm,¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s why you should just treat my words like air. Since I¡¯m just being childishly stubborn about this, there¡¯s no need for you to pay attention to what I¡¯m saying. It¡¯s not like there¡¯s any point to it, and I don¡¯t really have anything I can offer you,¡± Mer meekly conceded. ¡°Maybe,¡± Eugene said, even as the pen he was using to write his thesis continued to move. ¡°But the real Lady Sienna might have acted just like you.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say something so nonsensical. There¡¯s no way that Lady Sienna would do that.¡± ¡°No, she would have.¡± ¡°And how would you know that, Sir Eugene? When you¡¯ve never even met the real Lady Sienna. Could you really be saying that while thinking of Lady Sienna as she¡¯s depicted in the fairy tale?¡± Mer asked as she lifted up her hat, revealing her face. Pffft. Mer blew a raspberry at Eugene. ¡°In the end, that was just something someone wrote while using their imagination,¡± Mer scolded him. ¡°I knew Lady Sienna; she wasn¡¯t that kind of person.¡± ¡°My thesis should be finishing soon,¡± Eugene dered as he childishly returned Mer¡¯s raspberry with one of his own. ¡°As long as I don¡¯t get too needlessly ambitious with it, I¡¯ll probably be able to finish it before the end of summer.¡± ¡°So what about it?¡± Mer asked grumpily. ¡°I¡¯ll definitelye looking for you before I leave. I might just have something I¡¯ll need to say to you at that moment, you know?¡± Eugene teased. Mer demanded, ¡°What is it? Are you trying to provoke me? I really will kill you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you at that time,¡± Eugene replied with a smile. Chapter 55.1 Chapter 55.1 ??11-14 minutes21.07.2022 Eugene hadn¡¯t spent the whole two years solely within Sienna¡¯s Hall. Even though it wasn¡¯t as long as the time he had spent in Sienna¡¯s Hall, he had also stayed on the eighth and sixth floors for quite some time. The eighth floor held the Hall of Scorching Heat and the sixth floor held the Hall of Space. If Eugene had been a bit greedier, he might have even wanted to spend some time in the Hall of Heavenly Punishment on the seventh floor and the Hall of Icy Chill on the eighth floor. But instead of needlessly spreading himself thin, reaching for this and that, Eugene had decided that he needed to concentrate on a few chosen topics. The fire magic on the eighth floor was rtively simple yet powerful. Although the difficulty of the magic varied depending on how he wanted to control the mes, as long as he could first ignite some mes, he would be able to cast spells of sufficient power. mes on their own were just that powerful, vtile, and destructive. However, the w of fire spells was that they required an absurd amount of mana. And the Hall of Scorching Heat on the eighth floor stored the spells of the one who was the most powerful Fire Wizard in all of magic¡¯s history. Eugene held a personal interest in the Blink spell on the sixth floor in the Hall of Space, and he also needed to learn spatial magic to use the Cloak of Darkness properly. The fruits of his study on the eight and sixth floors had proven more than adequate. ¡°So you¡¯re finally out.¡± A voice greeted Eugene as he stepped onto the first floor of Akron. A middle-aged wizard who had been seated there got up to meet him. He waved his hand at Eugene while pasting on a friendly smile that seemed a touch too enthusiastic. ¡°Was there something else you needed from me?¡± Eugene asked exasperatedly. This was Trempel Vizardo. As the Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards, he had shown himself to be extremely interested in Eugene. Strictly speaking, Trempel¡¯s tant attempts to curry favor was also a way of conveying Crown Prince Honein¡¯s friendly intentions. Since their first meeting with Eugene, they didn¡¯t hide the fact that they wanted to pull him closer. ¡°Sir Eugene, I¡¯m always asking you toe and have a meal with me, but since you are so busy, we haven¡¯t eaten together even once, have we?¡± Trempel asked chidingly. Eugene replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already eaten.¡± ¡°Even though I¡¯ve heard that you haven¡¯t been out of Akron in thest nine hours? There¡¯s no way Sir Eugene isn¡¯t aware of the rule that eating and drinking are not allowed in Akron,¡± Trempel confidently dered. It looked like the director must have spilled the beans. Eugene nced at the closed door to the director¡¯s office before replying, ¡°It¡¯s just that I ate a bit too much at breakfast. If I had at least been able to move my body around a bit more actively, I would have digested it all already, but since I¡¯ve just been sitting and reading, I haven¡¯t been able to digest anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that you weren¡¯t able to digest anything after nine hours?¡± Trempel asked skeptically. ¡°What¡¯s so hard to believe? In any case, let¡¯s put off getting a meal until next¡ª¡± ¡°Again with the next time? Sir Eugene, I didn¡¯t want to say this, but¡­ I¡¯ve heard ¡®next time¡¯ so many times that it feels like those words are getting stuck in my ear.¡± ¡°I simply don¡¯t have an appetite right now.¡± Although Trempel¡¯s gaze grew piercing, Eugene didn¡¯t change his reply. It was obvious what this old wizard was trying to talk to him about. Promising him an important position in the Court Wizards and such¡­. Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards Corps was considered one of the best Magic Corps on the entire continent. The treatment the members received was correspondingly excellent, and many wizards wished to be a member. Though no matter how prestigious or impressive it might be, in the end, it was still a military force, and during a time of peace like the one they had now, it was just another public office. ¡®Do they think I¡¯m crazy?¡¯Eugene scoffed to himself. Eugene was only neen-years-old. He didn¡¯t want to get tied down somewhere so soon. And among all his choices, he especially disliked the idea of joining a military force. No matter how peaceful the world was, an army was still an army. Although it would be easy to rely on the names of the Lionheart n and Crown Prince Honein to get by in the hellish hierarchy-based system that was an army, Eugene still wouldn¡¯t be able to live as freely and asfortably as he did now. ¡®Why is he trying to avoid such a great opportunity?¡¯Trempel thought to himself as he felt frustrated.¡®Could he truly have epted an offer from somewhere else?¡¯ Such thoughts caused Trempel to be nervous. Eugene was currently the disciple of the Red Tower Master, Lovelllian. Although the position of a Tower Master wasn¡¯t hereditary, if Eugene¡¯s talent was paired with Lovellian¡¯s teachings and the influence of the Lionheart n, he would be sure to rise to the position of the Red Tower Master. Trempel couldn¡¯t allow this to happen. Aroth¡¯s Towers of Magic and the Royal Pce might be in a cooperative rtionship, but they weren¡¯t truly of one mind. Trempel wanted to drag Eugene into the Court Wizards Corps by whatever means necessary. If he could achieve that, it would be easy for them to obtain the cooperation of the Lionheart n with Eugene¡¯s background¡­. ¡®There¡¯s no way it could be that old fogey, Jeneric,¡¯Trempel decided. Jeneric Osman was the Green Tower Master. Trempel didn¡¯t believe that geezer could have swayed Eugene. Just think about it. When Eugene first arrived in Akron two years ago, Jeneric and the Head of the Wizards Guild had been the only two to oppose granting Eugene an entrance pass until thest moment. It was understandable why the Head of the Wizards Guild had taken such a position. Although it may have also been due to a question of fairness, there were surely personal feelings involved as well. The ck wizard who had gotten close to Eward had been a member of the Wizards¡¯ Guild. Though Balzac, the ck Tower Master, had been able to profess that he had had nothing to do with the incident, this left the Head of the Wizards Guild in a position where he couldn¡¯t say the same. In Aroth, where the powery firmly in the hands of the Towers of Magic, the strength of the Wizards Guild couldn¡¯t help but be diminished. Most perceived the Wizards Guild to be made up of a bunch of amateur wizards who weren¡¯t able to join one of the Towers of Magic, and unfortunately, they couldn¡¯t really deny the reality of this. But if that was the case, why had Jeneric also opposed it? The answer was simple. Because the one who had rmended Eugene was Lovellian. Three hundred years ago, when the Wise Sienna had served as the Green Tower Master, two of the three disciples that she had taken had remained in the Green Tower of Magic, while the remaining disciple transferred over to the Red Tower of Magic. These days, Aroth¡¯s many wizards revered the Wise Sienna as their great master. However, Jeneric and Lovellian were the only ones who could legitimately im to be part of Sienna¡¯s line of session. The two of Sienna¡¯s disciples who chose to remain in the Green Tower of Magic got married, had a child, and passed down their magic onto him. This child was the former Green Tower Master and Jeneric¡¯s father. There was no way that Jeneric¡¯s family would be on friendly terms with the Red Tower of Magic. ording to them, the third disciple¡¯s audacity to leave the Green Tower of Magic where their master had taught and take root in a different Tower of Magic bordered on sphemy. Jeneric had inherited this line of session through his blood and hated Lovellian even more. If Lovellian didn¡¯t exist, then only Jeneric would be able to im the legitimacy of the inheritance Sienna had passed down to her disciples. This would grant his bloodline a power that could not be ignored in this magical kingdom that worshiped Sienna. So Lovellian¡¯s very existence could be considered a thorn in Jeneric¡¯s eye. This annoyance, Lovellian, also happened to be on excellent terms with the Patriarch of the Lionheart n. Due to this, Lovellian had even taken the Lionheart¡¯s eldest son into the Red Tower and given him special treatment. When that eldest son was caught doing something foolish, the adopted son of the Lionheart¡¯s family had been sent to rece him. That was why Jeneric had taken the opposing side on that issue. But after Lovellian took Eugene as his disciple, Jeneric began paying Eugene renewed attention. There was truth in the saying that in most cases, the other person¡¯s share always seems bigger. So out of jealousy, Jeneric hoped to somehow persuade Eugene to leave the Red Tower of Magic. Apart from the Green Tower of Magic and the Court Wizards Corps, many others were interested in Eugene. The White Tower of Magic, Melkith, who had had the Cloak of Darkness taken from her for a whole nine years, hoped to somehow persuade Eugene to allow her to borrow Wynnyd again. Or, if not that, she hoped to at least convince him to return the Cloak of Darkness. But these materialistic desires weren¡¯t the only reason she was paying attention to him, as Eugene had shown that he could freely control mid-level wind spirits. As for the ck Tower of Magic, although it wasn¡¯t openly stated, rumors had spread among the Tower Masters that Balzac was interested in Eugene. Due to the incident with Eward, the hostility between the Lionheart n and the ck Tower of Magic had only deepened, so it seemed that Balzac somehow wanted to improve their rtionship. Only the Blue Tower of Magic was showingplete indifference to Eugene. Trempel decided to change the subject, ¡°¡­Ahem, Sir Eugene. Well¡­ is your thesis going smoothly?¡± ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Eugene replied curtly. ¡°If you wish, I can help you review it,¡± Trempel eagerly offered. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m fully aware that your teacher, the Red Tower Master, is already in charge of your review. However, the more advice you receive, the better, right?¡± Eugene started to reject him, ¡°Although I¡¯m grateful for your offer¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on. Don¡¯t refuse just yet. It feels a bit embarrassing to say this myself, but in the end, isn¡¯t the Red Tower of Magic specialized in summoning magic? Not only am I good at summoning magic, but I¡¯m also capable in battle magic. After all, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m themander of the Court Wizards for nothing.¡± Trempel quickly added, ¡°My advice is sure to be different from the advice given by the Red Tower Master, who specializes in summoning magic.¡± ¡°Though that might be the case, it¡¯s not like Sir Trempel knows what kind of thesis I¡¯ve been preparing, right?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. That¡¯s because the only one you¡¯ve shown it to is the Red Tower Master.These words threatened to escape Trempel¡¯s throat, only for him to swallow them back down with a gulp. Trempelughed, ¡°Ha ha¡­. I might not know what it is, but I can find out just by reading it, right? I¡¯m just as keen on the guidance of juniors as any of the Tower Masters. I also regrly publish theses with the Magic Society of Aroth, and I¡¯ve reviewed the theses of my juniors on many asions.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful for your offer, but really, it¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene rejected him once more. ¡°Sir Trempel, If I ept your offer after having already gotten to this point, I¡¯m afraid that I would bemitting a great disrespect to my teacher, Master Lovellian.¡± Chapter 55.2 Chapter 55.2 ??10-13 minutes22.07.2022 ¡°Ahem¡­ but I¡¯ve heard that the Red Tower Master¡¯s heart is as broad and as deep as the sea,¡± Trempel ttered the absent Lovellian. ¡°Rather than being offended, I¡¯m sure he would be pleased that you¡¯re seeking guidance from a senior schr.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, allow me to ask Master Lovellian for permission directly.¡± ¡°Hey now¡­ why do you need to do that? Instead, let¡¯s just do this. You and me, why don¡¯t we just keep it a secret between us. You won¡¯t have to feel any stress from confronting your master, and the Red Tower Master won¡¯t lose any face either. As for me¡­. I¡¯m just happy to be contributing to your research¡ª¡± ¡°Please excuse me,¡± Eugene quickly slipped past Trempel without listening any further. Trempel reached out to Eugene with a face full of regret, but in the end, he sighed and shook his head. Trempel silently cursed to himself,¡®Darn it.¡¯ ¡°Fucking Hell,¡± Eugene had also spat out a curse as soon as he got some distance away from Trempel. If he said that he didn¡¯t want to do it, then Trempel should just ept it. Why continue to pester him like this? ¡®Since he doesn¡¯t know about my progress with the Eternal Hole, it¡¯s still only at this level. If he found out the truth, he might even try tocrawl through my bedroom window,¡¯Eugene shuddered at this thought. The only ones who knew that Eugene had managed to replicate the Eternal Hole with the White me Form were Lovellian and Mer. If Eugene were an Archwizard at Trempel¡¯s level, upon replicating the Eternal Hole, anyone with sufficient mana sensitivity would be able to detect the state of his magic and the revised application of his mana. However, the ¡®Ring me Form¡¯ that Eugene had created appeared no different from the White me Form until someone saw him casting a spell. In other words, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find the truth just from looking at him. This had several advantages for Eugene, as this meant that Eugene couldpletely hide his progress in magic from higher-level wizards. Lovellian had said that when looking at Eugene with ¡®magical¡¯ sight, he didn¡¯t appear to be a wizard at all. This was obviously because he didn¡¯t have any Circles. It also meant that even when he cast magic without using the Ring me Form, it would be difficult to detect the level of his magic. If they used the flow of his mana to estimate his level¡­ he appeared to be around the Fourth Circle. But when he used the Ring me Form¡­. ¡°¡­If you set aside which spells you¡¯re using and just look at how much power they hold, you appear to be far beyond the Fifth Circle,¡± Lovellian said once he had gotten over his surprise. They were currently in one of the undergroundboratories beneath the Red Tower of Magic. Although Lovellian had been Eugene¡¯s teacher for the past two years, he had never spoken to or treated Eugene like he was a subordinate. ¡°This means that your First Circle Fireball is stronger than a Fifth Circle Volcano Shot,¡± Lovellian sighed in awe. The tidal wave of mana brought by the Ring me Form was paired with a perfectly efficient structure and a swift casting technique. And finally, theck of any incantation. No, wait, there was still something more. One of the many reasons the Eternal Hole was considered the pinnacle of the Circle magic system ¡ª the ability to ¡®store¡¯ spells without the use of any seals. Even without using a scroll, it was possible to immediately cast a spell that had previously been recorded in your own sea of consciousness with this technique. There was also no need to call out an incantation in the process. This was¡­ no different from replicating the way in which dragons cast magic. ¡°I¡¯m still limited to the Fourth Circle,¡± Eugene said as he emerged from the ck cloud of smoke. ¡°Anything more than that, and the spells won¡¯te out of the Eternal Hole. Is my understanding of them still not sufficient?¡± ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be the case, Eugene,¡± Lovellian reassured him. ¡°Simply put, it¡¯s likely just a matter of limited capacity. Because your Ring me Form isn¡¯t a perfect replication of the Eternal Hole after all.¡± The Eternal Hole was a magic system that transcended the Ninth Circle ¡ª creating a ring with infinite mana and then creating an infinite amount of Circles within that. The present Eugene fell far short of that level. ¡°Sir Eugene, you¡¯re currently substituting your Cores for Circles. As you¡¯ve reached the Fourth Star of the White me Form, you now have four Cores. It appears that it would be urate to assume that the number of Cores is equal to your progress in Circles,¡± Lovellian estimated. Though, the power of Eugene¡¯s spells was absurd for their level. Lovellian continued, ¡°If we make a few assumptions, this means that every time you reach another level in the White me Form, your Eternal Hole¡ªno, the Ring me Form will also be stronger.¡± Although only Fourth Circle spells could currently be stored, what if Eugene¡¯s White me Form reached the Fifth Star? This would mean that his Ring me Form would be able to store spells up to the Fifth Circle. Though, they couldn¡¯t be sure of this just yet. As this was the first time such a magical form was being practiced, they couldn¡¯t necessarily predict what unique peculiarities might arise each time Eugene reached another level of strength. ¡°But don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± Lovellian warned Eugene. ¡°Although the current Ring me Form doesn¡¯t seem to have any downsides¡­ some dangers might arise when your level increases.¡± To ensure Eugene¡¯s safety, Lovellian had taken it upon himself to adjust the Circle spells to better fit Eugene¡¯s unique magic form. Lovellian sighed, ¡°¡­Really now. As I get older, I seem to be even more of a worrywart. When I should just be praising you for this¡­.¡± ¡°Rather than hours of hearing how well I did, a short bit of advice is much more helpful,¡± Eugene reassured him. ¡°Although I¡¯m grateful for you saying so¡­,¡± Lovellian hesitated for a few moments before shaking his head. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve said this a few times before, but¡­.¡± ¡°Are you trying to bring up your warning about me not using magic from levels above my own?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± If he was using the ordinary Circle magic form, there was no need to give this sort of warning. This is because circle magic was systematic and safe. In the past, overconfident wizards had ruined their ability to use mana by trying to convert their existing magic forms. But as the Circle magic form became more popr, the number of reckless wizards like them was greatly reduced. But generally, wizards of lower Circles could not use the magic of higher Circles. ¡°The Fourth Circle¡­. No, there should be no problems with spells from the Fifth Circle, depending on how many times you use them¡­ but don¡¯t try to use magic from the Sixth Circle,¡± Lovellian cautioned. The Ring me Form might not be able to store these higher-level spells, but it was still possible for Eugene to cast spells from the higher Circles on his own. Moreover, his innate calction speed and absolute control over mana allowed him to even cast higher-Circle spells with speed. Although this was an astonishing surprise, it was also rather worrying for Lovellian. It was impossible to predict what kind of danger would arise from freely using something that should usually be impossible to use. Thanks to that, Lovellian had had to abandon the sleeping pattern he had adhered to for decades. It wasn¡¯t easy to change the existing Circle spells to fit Eugene, but when he thought about the possible dangers that might arise when using higher-Circle spells, Lovellian couldn¡¯t help himself. ¡°¡­When do you expect to finalize your thesis?¡± Lovellian changed the subject. ¡°Probably before the end of summer¡­ so it should be finished somewhere around September. For now, my goal is to have itpleted before my birthday,¡± Eugene stated. Although he had called it a thesis written for his self-satisfaction, it had been of great help to Eugene in organizing all the knowledge he had studied and researched. ¡°You said you have no intention of returning to the Lionheart n immediately, right?¡± Lovellian confirmed. Eugene nodded, ¡°Yes, sir. As there¡¯s no reason for me to head back right away.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that Gilead and Gerhard will be disappointed¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t they still have Cyan to keep thempany? I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll forgive me for being away for a few more years since it just means that I¡¯ming back a littleter, that¡¯s all.¡± Ciel was no longer staying with the main family. She had left the main estatest year and had gone to live at the ck Lion Castle on Us mountain. She had managed to be Carmen¡¯s squire just as she had hoped. But it wasn¡¯t like Ciel had to stay there all the time. Just this year alone, she had returned to the main estate for her birthday. An invitation to the party had arrived, but Eugene had ignored it. Cyan and Ciel¡¯s birthday had been in February when Eugene happened to be so engrossed in his thesis that he couldn¡¯t spare any attention for anything else. ¡°If you aren¡¯t heading back to the main estate right away, where are you nning to go?¡± Lovellian asked curiously. ¡°¡­Ice crabs are said to be a specialty of the Ruhr Kingdom. I¡¯ve wanted to try some ever since I was little¡­,¡± Eugene hesitantly admitted. Lovellian asked doubtfully, ¡°Do you really need to go all the way to the Ruhr Kingdom for that? There are currently a lot of shops selling ice crabs on the streets of Aroth alone¡­.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it taste a lot better to eat them in their home environment?¡± Eugene tried to sound convincing. Of course, this was all a lie. Ice crabs? He had already eaten plenty of those pale king crabs during the winters he had spent at the main estate. ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you were such a gastronomist,¡± Lovellian said with surprise. Eugene reminded him, ¡°You know I¡¯ve always loved to eat since I was little.¡± ¡°I always thought that you just liked the big chunks of meat for their protein¡­,¡± Lovellian trailed off thoughtfully. ¡°I like them because they¡¯re delicious,¡± Eugene insisted. The Northern Ruhr Kingdom was the country that had been founded by that fool, Molon. Eugene continued to work on his excuses, ¡°In Ruhr¡­ um¡­ I¡¯ll be eating ice crabs. And after that¡­ I¡¯ll go to Nahama to see the oases.¡± ¡°The oases?¡± Lovellian questioned. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that Nahama¡¯s cactus scorpions are a delicacy¡­.¡± This, too, was a lie. Two hundred years ago, Anise, who had been revered as a saint by the Holy Empire of Yuras, had gone on a pilgrimage without even notifying the Pope of her intentions. After wandering around the world, she had beenst sighted in the heart of the Nahama Desert. ¡°¡­It seems that you really like crustaceans,¡± Lovellian observed. To think that Eugene would go chasing after the cactus scorpions of Nahama once he had had his fill of king crabs in Ruhr. ¡°¡­How about we get some lobster for dinner today?¡± Eugene rmended with a cough. Chapter 56.1 Chapter 56.1 ¡®What¡¯s with today?¡¯Eugene thought exasperatedly. There was no way this was a coincidence. This had to be a move by that Commander of the Court Wizards who had been following him around like a trail of goldfish poop. But for now, Eugene put down the lobster w he had been holding and got up from his seat. ¡°To think I¡¯d meet such an honored personage in such a shabby ce¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off. ¡°This ce can hardly be called shabby,¡± the person Eugene was addressing disputed. ¡°Even in all of Pentagon, this restaurant is quite famous after all.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re not going to deny that you are an honored personage?¡± ¡°If it were up to me, I would deny it, but wouldn¡¯t it be ridiculous of me tomitl¨¨se-majest¨¦by doing so?¡± The person Eugene had been addressing was Honein Abram. The Crown Prince of Aroth had just entered the private room they had reserved in this restaurant without a single attendant apanying him. With a bright smile, he pointed at an empty seat at Eugene¡¯s table. ¡°May I sit there?¡± he asked politely. Eugene replied, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me, but¡­.¡± There might not be much meaning to this choice, but Eugene still nced over to Lovellian for permission. Like Eugene, Lovellian simrly got up from his seat. ¡°I¡¯m fine with that as well. However, Crown Prince, would it be better for you if I were to leave my seat?¡± Lovellian asked. Honein assured him, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. If the Red Tower Master were forced to leave his seat, I¡¯m sure that Sir Eugene would also feel ufortable, and I also don¡¯t want to disrupt this meal between a master and his disciple.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s already been disrupted,¡± Eugene grumbled as he wiped his hands with a wet towel. ¡°If you were really taking that into consideration, you should have just approached us after dinner.¡± This way of talking was far too rude to be used when speaking to the Crown Prince, who was the first in the line of session. However, none of those present pointed out Eugene¡¯s rudeness. It had been two years since Eugene had arrived in Aroth, and though it wasn¡¯t too often, he had met with Honein a few times during this period. ¡°That was also my intention,¡± Honein revealed. ¡°But it seems that Sir Eugene, your meal ended up taking longer than I intended. Were you really nning on eating all the lobsters this restaurant has avable?¡± ¡°Hey now, that¡¯s an exaggeration. Don¡¯t you know, Crown Prince? These lobsters actually have very little flesh once they¡¯ve been peeled from their shells,¡± Eugene defended himself. Honein changed the subject, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that Sir Eugene enjoyed seafood so much.¡± ¡°I like anything as long as it tastes good. But why haven¡¯t you taken a seat yet?¡± Eugene asked as he pulled out the empty chair. At this invitation, Honeinughed and took the seat. ¡°Seeing you show such unusual courtesy, it seems that walking all the way here has been in vain,¡± Honein observed. ¡°You should have suspected it in your heart before you even came here,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Well, that might be the case.¡± ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see, it seems like it will take quite some time for them to serve us new dishes, so¡­.¡± Honein said, ¡°If you¡¯re inviting me to dinner, I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to refuse.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s get straight to talking,¡± Eugene said with a smile as he put down the wet towel. ¡°Though no matter what the Crown Prince offers, I¡¯m afraid my decision will not change.¡± ¡°Even if I¡¯m promising you the position of the Commander of the Court Wizards?¡± Honein calmly replied as if he had been waiting for Eugene¡¯s refusal. ¡°I can guarantee this offer with my own good name.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°I believe that should be outside your capabilities for now.¡± ¡°In ten years,¡± Honein firmly dered. Although Honein had promised that the position would be his in ten years, Eugene was still only neen-years-old. Not a single wizard in Aroth¡¯s history had managed to be the Commander of the Court Wizards at the young age of twenty-nine. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little bit too optimistic?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. Honein calmly exined, ¡°In ten years, I will be the king of Aroth.¡± Even hearing these words was enough to be dangerous for the listener. However, this VIP-only room was designed so that any conversation taking ce within it absolutely could not leak out. Moreover, the moment Honein entered, Lovellian had personally cast a spell to increase the room¡¯s protection against surveince. That said, it wasn¡¯t like Honein¡¯s words were any less dangerous for all these precautions. ¡°I believe the reigning monarch should still have the final say on this matter?¡± As Lovellion asked this question with narrowed eyes, Honein smiled brightly and raised both hands in surrender. ¡°Please don¡¯t get the wrong idea,¡± he said. ¡°I have already received a promise from my father regarding the session of the throne. Not only is my right of session unrivaled, but the people of Aroth also trust in me and have no doubt that I will be their next king.¡± ¡°Even though that might be the case, your words were still inappropriate,¡± Lovellian warned him. Despite having said this, Lovellian also had no doubt that Honein would be able to be the next king. Of course, there were other potential sessors, but Honein was unrivaled among all his siblings. The people of Aroth held so much respect and admiration for magic that it was called the Magic Kingdom. Though this country had produced many great wizards generation after generation, even among all of these wizards, the royal family of Aroth could proudly boast of possessing an excellent ¡®bloodline¡¯ for magic. And even among the royal family, Honein was absolutely exceptional. Everyone in the royal family of Aroth might have started learning magic from a young age, but Honein was the first in the royal family¡¯s history to have reached the Fifth Circle before even bing an adult. ¡®¡­.And it¡¯s not justpared to the rest of the Royal Family either,¡¯Lovellian mused. Among all the wizards who had studied in Aroth, none had managed to reach the Fifth Circle before entering adulthood. Even Lovellian, who had constantly been called a genius from a very young age, rose to the Fifth Circle only after he had be an adult. If Lovellian hadn¡¯t met Eugene, he would have believed that this Crown Prince held the most talent for this generation in terms of ¡®magic.¡¯ ¡°The Court Wizards are under the directmand of the king. Of course, it will take some mediation in respect of the parliament, but if it¡¯s you, Sir Eugene, then I¡¯m sure that in ten years, you would have obtained sufficient qualifications for the role,¡± Honein professed. Eugene expressed his doubts, ¡°Although I¡¯m grateful for your high esteem, Crown Prince, you can¡¯t be sure of what level my magic has reached, correct?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that because Sir Eugene and the Red Tower Master have been quite thorough in hiding it. Now, whywouldyou hide it?¡± Honein asked with a smile. ¡°I suspect you¡¯re hiding it because there¡¯s a good reason for you to do so. Since you haven¡¯t revealed it directly, I can only make guesses, but¡­ the other wizards should also suspect something along those lines.¡± ¡°¡­Hm,¡± Eugene grunted at him to go on. ¡°Witch Craft,¡± Honein uttered as he stared at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Honein was using the Sixth Circle spell Search-Eye. This spell was able to detect the mana contained within Eugene¡¯s body. Just from looking at the amount of mana that Eugene possessed, he could tell that Eugene¡¯s mana was far beyond what an ordinary Fifth Circle wizard could possess. Honein cut straight to the point, ¡°Have youprehended the Eternal Hole?¡± ¡°Do you really need me to reply to that?¡± Eugene asked in return. ¡°If you say something like that, then you¡¯re practically admitting it,¡± Honein pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s because I can¡¯t do something like lying to the Crown Prince, right?¡± Eugene smirked, ¡°Though that doesn¡¯t mean I have any intentions of telling you the whole truth.¡± ¡°The Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards ¡ª does this position truly not interest you?¡± tempted Honein. Eugene dismissed his offer, ¡°It¡¯s certainly a prestigious role, but I can get something like that wherever I go.¡± Eugene truly wasn¡¯t interested in such a position. Especially since it came with military duties. Besides, as he had just said, Eugene was confident that, with his abilities, he would be weed anywhere he went. Just solely in terms of national power, the Kiehl Empire was superior to Aroth. After all, only three countries in this vast continent were powerful enough to be called empires: The Holy Empire of Yuras, the Kiehl Empire, and the Devildom of Helmuth. At the moment, Eugene was just a member of the Lionheart n. Although the Patriarch of the main family hadn¡¯t held a noble title since the passing of the Great Vermouth, there were actually many members among the Lionheart¡¯s coteral branches who held high-ranking noble titles. If Eugene were to take up a title by swearing fealty to the crown, he would be able to obtain the lowest rank of baron with ease. ¡°If it¡¯s with Sir Eugene¡¯s skill, then, of course, that¡¯s the case,¡± Honein agreed. ¡°But is it really impossible for us to tempt you to stay in Aroth with this position?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that I dislike Aroth or hate the thought of bing a Court Wizard. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m not that interested in it,¡± Eugene confessed. Honein suddenly changed tracks, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what about knowledge?¡± Unable to understand what Honein meant by that, Eugene tilted his head in confusion, but at his side, Lovellian¡¯s expression stiffened. Hesitantly, Lovellian asked, ¡°Crown Prince, could you be talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Only the first volume of Witch Craft has been stored in Akron,¡± Honein said in a calm voice as he stared directly at Eugene. ¡°As you are already aware, the Wise Sienna wrote Witch Craft as aplete set of three volumes. The first of these is stored in Akron¡­ and the other two volumes are stored in the royal treasury.¡± Chapter 56.2: 19-Years-Old (3)

Chapter 56.2: 19-Years-Old (3)

These words surprised both Lovellian and Eugene. ording to Mer, the final two volumes of Witch Craft should still be in Sienna¡¯s possession. ¡°Since when did the Royal Family get their hands on those?¡± Lovellian demanded with a firm expression. Feeling this piercing gaze directed at him, Honein quickly tacked on an exnation, ¡°Please don¡¯t get the wrong idea. The volumes stored in the royal treasury are only copies that Lady Sienna left us as a gift to the royal family. Even the royal family is still unaware of Lady Sienna''s current whereabouts and that of the original two volumes.¡± ¡°...Is that really the truth?¡± Lovellian asked suspiciously. Honein shrugged, ¡°I have no reason to lie to you.¡± Lovellian stared at Honein for a few moments before letting out a heavy sigh. Since the matter of Witch Craft being hidden away by the royal family had urred hundreds of years ago, it would be ridiculous to quibble over this with the Crown Prince, who was still in his twenties. But while he was able to restrain his anger, Lovellian still felt that it was surprising that the Crown Prince would reveal such a hidden card to lure in Eugene. ¡°Are you saying that you will let me see your copy of Witch Craft?¡± Eugene rified. ¡°Well, it¡¯s impossible to do so immediately,¡± Honein admitted with a wry smile as he nced at Lovellian. ¡°Witch Craft is the greatest grimoire in the history of magic. While it is true that I am favored by his majesty, when ites to Witch Craft, even if it¡¯s me, I¡¯m still unable to make use of it as I wish. However¡­ once I ascend the throne, I will be a little freer to act on my desires.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene fell silent. ¡°It seems like I¡¯ve finally made you a tempting offer. Sir Eugene, if I do ascend the throne, I swear to use all my power to allow you to peruse Witch Craft,¡± Honein promised Eugene. ¡°¡­Though I¡¯m afraid that it will be difficult to extend the same offer to you, Red Tower Master.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re allowing me to read it, can¡¯t I just read it together with my master?¡± Eugene asked hopefully. ¡°If the Red Tower Master is willing to switch over to the Court Wizards, then I might be able to reconsider,¡± Honein counter-offered. Eugene spected, ¡°But if that¡¯s the case, then it looks like it would be impossible for me to take up the seat of the Commander of the Court Wizards.¡± ¡°If I know the Red Tower Master as well as I believe I do, I suspect he won¡¯t be interested in the position, no?¡± Honein turned this question to Lovellian. ¡°It appears that you do indeed know me well,¡± Lovellian replied with a grin. ¡°If it¡¯s forthatgrimoire, your offer would be enough to tempt anyone, but I have no intention of leaving the Red Tower of Magic. I also have no desire to be a member of the Court Wizards.¡± Honein continued to persuade him, ¡°If you truly desire, I may be able to set up a suitable position for you. It will only be a matter of changing your affiliation; there won¡¯t be anything required of you that might disturb or annoy the Red Tower Master.¡± Lovellian rejected him, ¡°No, I¡¯m fine where I am. As for Witch Craft¡­. Though I am sorely tempted, I don¡¯t want to blindly follow in the footsteps of my Master. Because I too have my own ideal form of magic to pursue.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what about you, Sir Eugene?¡± Honein turned to Eugene. But was there really any need for Eugene to consider? For the past two years, Eugene had surely felt what a truly amazing grimoire Witch Craft was. Even after viewing it hundreds of thousands of times, it was still hard for him toprehend. It was already so difficult to understand when you could see it right in front of you, but Sienna had managed to create Witch Craft in the first ce all by herself. Since the single volume stored in Akron was already so incredible, how extraordinary would the remaining two volumes be? And it wasn¡¯t just that. There might be other clues leading to Sienna¡¯s current location in the remaining two volumes of Witch Craft. Though if such clues did remain, then the ones who were storing Witch Craft, Aroth¡¯s royal family, should have already tracked Sienna down somehow¡­. ¡®It¡¯s still possible that they just couldn¡¯t understand it even if they did see it,¡¯Eugene persuaded himself. Eugene knew Sienna very well. Even if Aroth¡¯s royal family hadn¡¯t spotted the clues she had left behind, if it was Eugene, he might still be able to find them. Eventually, Eugene asked, ¡°...But you were saying that it¡¯s impossible for now, correct?¡± Since that was the case, then he couldn¡¯t just ept the offer immediately. If it would only be possible to read Witch Craft after Honein ascended to the throne, then this could be put off as a matter for ten years from now. Eugene continued, ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll be sure to stop by Aroth after the Crown Prince has ascended the throne. Let¡¯s talk about this matter again at that point.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you¡¯ll think about it?¡± Honein asked. ¡°It¡¯s truly a mouth-watering proposition, but honestly speaking, there¡¯s no need for me to join the Court Wizards immediately, is there?¡± Eugene pointed out. Honein was lost in thought for a few moments. To be honest, he¡¯d been hoping to hear Eugene¡¯s immediate eptance so that he could quickly recruit Eugene into the Court Wizards. This was all to ensure the stability of his ns. Although his right of session could not be shaken, in order to deal with those cunning old foxes in the parliament, he needed power other than that granted to him by his right of session. Honein had the support of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards. Even in this Magic Kingdom, the Court Wizards was a magical corps that was renowned for their skill inbat magic. However, with this alone, Honein felt that he wouldn¡¯t be able to keep in check the power of the Five Towers of Magic or the Wizards Guild, thetter of which was closely tied to the Parliament. The fortunate thing was that, for now, the Towers of Magic remained neutral. That being said, the Wizards Guild was still a concern. Even though they were made up of wizards who were unable to enter the Towers of Magic, the guild overwhelmingly surpassed the Towers of Magic in terms of pure numbers. Also, the guild had a close rtionship with the parliament that truly governed Aroth¡¯s affairs. Honein considered the situation,¡®The Towers of Magic are only staying neutral for now. They might respect the royal family, but they have closer ties to the Parliament.¡¯ The King reigned, but he did not rule. Aroth had followed the system of a constitutional monarchy for hundreds of years. The kings of Aroth had only managed to hold on to the power to rule over the people for a few generations following the death of Aroth¡¯s Founder, the Magic King. Honein desired to change this. He wanted to shed the symbolic role that the royal family had taken and reform Aroth. The parliament, which was supposed to justly govern the people, had already been showing signs of corruption from the very start of its existence. ck wizards who hade creeping in from who-knew-where were undermining the guild and had even extended their reach to the parliament. Not only that, the demonfolk from Helmuth and wealthy individuals from other countries were suspected of buying up members of the parliament. Under these circumstances, the master of the ck Tower of Magic, Balzac Ludbeth, was, fortunately, keeping his distance from both the parliament and the guild, preserving his neutrality. That said, Honein couldn¡¯t help but be wary of Balzac. If it was for the sake of Aroth, all unsettling sprouts had to be uprooted. That was Honein¡¯s ultimate goal, but the current royal family didn¡¯t have that kind of power. His royal father was a weak-willed man who was reluctant to quarrel with either the parliament or the guild. As such, Honein felt he had no choice but to step forward and do it himself. ¡®If I can just pull in Sir Eugene to be the Commander of the Court Wizards¡­ I¡¯ll be able to borrow the Lionheart n¡¯s strength,¡¯Honein thought. In truth, he didn¡¯t enjoy having to do this. Since it was Aroth¡¯s problem, shouldn¡¯t Aroth be the one to fix it? Honein continued plotting,¡®If I manage to rope in Sir Eugene, I¡¯m sure the Red Tower Master will also lend his strength. It¡¯s a well-known fact that the Red Tower Master hates the ck Tower Master¡­.¡¯ However, Honein couldn¡¯t afford to speak openly and ask Eugene for help. As the Crown Prince, Honein wasn¡¯t in a position where he could freely tell an outsider some of Aroth¡¯s embarrassing secrets. After all, he still only had his suspicions that there was corruption in the parliament. In fact, Bolero Street itself could be said to be a hotbed of corruption, but the existence of that street had also received the tacit acquiescence of the royal family. Eventually, Honein replied, ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, I will send you a letter when my coronation has been confirmed.¡± ¡°Thank you for thinking so highly of me,¡± Eugene said. ¡°By the way, Sir Eugene, would you be able to tell me what exactly you managed to attain from Akron?¡± Honein asked in curiosity. Eugene downyed his achievements, ¡°It¡¯s nothing too impressive. I¡¯ve just¡­ I¡¯vee to feel that magic truly does have extraordinary possibilities, and I¡¯ve managed to learn just a small amount of knowledge.¡± ¡°Is that so.¡± Eugene¡¯s reply might have been ambiguous, but Honein was satisfied. A small amount of knowledge, Eugene had said. If someone else had voiced these words, then Honein might not have given them much thought, but the one who had said this was the young lion who was said to have been born with the greatest amount of talent seen since the Great Vermouth. Honein changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ll be leaving Aroth once the thesis that you¡¯re currently working on ispleted. Where do you n to go next?¡± Eugene revealed, ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving to eat the ice crabs from the Northern Ruhr Kingdom, and then I¡¯m nning to sample the cactus scorpions of Nahama.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re an epicurean?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± ¡°Are you being serious?¡± ¡°Yep.¡± Honein was stunned, ¡°....¡± The reaction shown by Honein wasn¡¯t all that different from Lovellian¡¯s when he first heard of Eugene¡¯s ns. Honein nced at Lovellian with a bewildered look, only to receive a brief shake of his head from Lovellian. ¡°...Epicureanism is quite an impressive hobby,¡± Honein finallymented once he hade back to his senses. ¡°Thank you for your understanding,¡± Eugene replied with a grin. Favorite Chapter 56.3: 19-Years-Old (3) Chapter 56.3: 19-Years-Old (3) The summer practically flew by. Eugene didn¡¯t spend even a moment of time enjoying any of the activities that characterized the season. This wasn¡¯t just a behavior he had picked up sinceing to Aroth; after he had been reincarnated, he had never once turned his eye to having some fun. While he was staying at the main estate, Cyan and Ciel had repeatedly tried to persuade him to go on vacation with them in the summer, and in the winter, they had conspired to get him to go skiing with them, but Eugene had never once gone along with their ns. Eugene also didn¡¯t hold any intentions of doing so in the future. The sea that Eugene was familiar with was a haunting ce where shipwrecks and floating dead bodies could be seen wherever you turned to look. The area of the sea that connected Helmuth to its neighboring countries was filled with the nests of terrible and powerful marine monsters. The snow that Eugene was familiar with was dyed red with blood, forming a cemetery of frozen corpses whose limbs could be seen sticking out from all over the ce. The weather in the northernmost part of Helmuth was terrifying regardless of the season. Still, even in such a region, the realm ruled by the Demon King of Fury was especially terrible, a wintry hell where blizzards never stopped blowing. ¡®Could something like this be called a trauma?¡¯ Eugene pondered this thought deeply. Once he really thought about it, Eugene realized that his entire life following his reincarnation had been overshadowed by the memories of his previous life. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had considered something along these lines. Whenever he became too caught up in the memories of his old life, he had to shake himself several times just to break free of their hold. But since he¡¯d already been reincarnated, wouldn¡¯t it be pitiful andughable if he were to remain caught up in reliving the memories of his previous life forever? However, it wasn¡¯t that easy for him to resist doing so. The ne that he had insisted on taking from the Lionheart n¡¯s treasury,ing to Aroth to follow the clues left behind by Sienna, and his reasons for going to the Northern Ruhr and Nahama; all of these were because of the memories from his previous life. He couldn¡¯t just avoid these various memories and entanglements. Although he had already lived for neen whole years since he¡¯d been reincarnated, the time he had spent as Hamel was still a lot longer. The length of Eugene¡¯s existence fell far short of Hamel¡¯s experiences. ¡®Well, in the end, they¡¯re both me,¡¯ Eugene clicked his tongue as he tilted his chair backward. He didn¡¯t want to spend too long worrying about a problem with no easy answer. What was he supposed to achieve by getting all frustrated, worrying, and contemtive? He may have been reincarnated, three hundred years may have also passed, and even his name may have changed, but could he really just ignore all the memories from his past life? How could anyone do something like that? ¡°...Haaaah¡­,¡± Eugene sighed as he reached this conclusion. Meanwhile, across from him, Mer was reading Eugene¡¯s thesis with wide-open eyes. The thesis was meant to be just for self-satisfaction, a thesis that was never intended to be published but that didn¡¯t decrease its value. In the first ce, wasn¡¯t a thesis just meant to show off what someone had managed to learn? In that sense, Eugene¡¯s thesis was impressive. Although other wizards may not be able to understand it at first nce, Mer, as Witch Craft¡¯s artificial intelligence, was able to fullyprehend this thesis. ¡®The Cores and the Eternal Hole have reached a perfectbination through this. There might be a few innate imperfections, but¡­ structurally, it¡¯s reached a level where I can¡¯t see any way to improve it,¡¯ Mer observed. Even with these imperfections, it could already be said to have reachedpletion like this. It was impossible to believe that this thesis was written by a young fledgling who had started practicing magic less than three years ago. This Ring me Form had gotten closer to reproducing the full possibilities of the Eternal Hole than any Archwizard had managed. ¡®...As for the innate imperfections, they¡¯re due to a Core being different from a Circle. The resulting variables¡­ he¡¯s able to adjust for them by using only his senses,¡¯ Mer realized in shock. This showed that Eugene must have terrifying control over mana. ¡®Even as he continues to adjust to these variables by using his senses, he still manages to perfectly cast his spells. It might fall short of the Eternal Hole, but Eugene¡¯s Ring me Form greatly surpasses themon Circle magic form.¡¯ Wizards were people who were obsessive about magic. They wouldn¡¯t stop until they had ruled out all imperfections. Anything that could go wrong with a spell needed to be corrected so that it couldn¡¯t go wrong. This was because, if there was even a single mistake, it could cause an irreversible problem. However, Eugene simply epted these imperfections. With the experience from his previous life and the talent of his current life, Eugene was able to bring a challenge that should be so difficult that it was impossible into the realms of possibility. Even the magic form, which other wizards could not understand and might even consider a failure, was not a failure in Eugene¡¯s eyes. The sess of this Ring me Form was based on such an absurd proposition. ¡°...A-amazing,¡± Mer couldn¡¯t help but say this eventually. ¡°As for its level ofpletion¡­ it¡¯s fine. But since the only one who can use it is you¡­ it reads as¡­ um¡­ a little egoistic? At least that¡¯s what I felt while reading it. From a general point of view, its imperfections render it unusable, but that isn¡¯t the case for you, Sir Eugene, and¡­ judging it by your standards¡­ its level ofpletion is excellent.¡± Mer¡¯s expression twisted as she reluctantly admitted this. Just as Eugene had said, he had managed toplete his thesis before the end of summer. ¡°...When will you be leaving?¡± Mer eventually asked. ¡°The day after tomorrow,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°With your personality, I thought for sure you would be leaving tomorrow, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m only human, I need to at least rest for a full day. Also, they said that they¡¯d hold a farewell party for me at the Red Tower of Magic.¡± ¡°That must be so nice for you. Won¡¯t you be able to go there and eat a lot of delicious food? You¡¯ll also be receiving congrattions from all sides,¡± Mer said sarcastically as she pouted her lips. While kneading therge hat that she had set down next to her, Mer looked up at Eugene. She reminded him, ¡°Sir Eugene, surely you haven¡¯t forgotten what you said to me a few months ago? Didn¡¯t you say that you would have something to tell me?¡± ¡°First, let me ask you something,¡± Eugene said as he stopped reclining back in his chair. ¡°The things we¡¯ve talked about¡­ are you able to pass them on to someone else?¡± ¡°Geez, are you really suspecting me right now?¡± Mer demanded as mes of anger red in her eyes. ¡°Are you asking me this because you¡¯re afraid I might have told another wizard what we¡¯ve talked about when discussing your thesis?¡± ¡°Well, have you ever said anything?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t! Sir Eugene, do you know how much those sons of bitches, the Green Tower Master and a few others have been annoying me when you¡¯re not around?¡± ¡°Even if you haven¡¯t told them anything, can¡¯t they just force you to say something?¡± ¡°Hah! I never realized you were that kind of person, Sir Eugene. Can you really not trust someone¡ªno¡ªsomething like me? Even if those bastards tried to dissect both Witch Craft and me, I would absolutely never say anything.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ve been programmed not to do so! This isn¡¯t something special regarding you; it¡¯s a function meant to preserve the safety and privacy of all wizards permitted to enter Akron. I have stored the recorded information and conversation of all the wizards who have done research in Sienna¡¯s Hall, not just yours, Sir Eugene, in the deepest depths of Witch Craft¡¯s storage files. Unless those bastards decide topletely destroy Witch Craft, there¡¯s no way that Sir Eugene¡¯s information will be exposed to the outside world.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± When Eugene asked this question with a grin, Mer couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and let loose a scream. ¡°Argh, really!¡± Eugene snickered as he watched Mer struggle to catch her breath. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be that thorough about it, make sure not to let what I¡¯m about to tell you to leak to anyone else,¡± Eugene ordered. Mer sighed, ¡°Hah, I¡¯ve already said I¡¯ll do that. How many times must you ask me¡ª¡± Eugene interjected, ¡°I remember being reincarnated.¡± As soon as Eugene first started speaking, Mer immediately fell silent. Mer red at Eugene with narrowed eyes before spitting out, ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?¡± Eugene repeated, ¡°I said that I remember being reincarnated. And I¡¯ve still got the memories from my past life.¡± Mer scoffed, ¡°No, I heard you, and that¡¯s why I asked, what kind of bullshit is that? Are you trying to make fun of me right now? It¡¯s so unfunny that I can¡¯t even force myself tough¡ª" ¡°My name in my past life was Hamel Dynas,¡± Eugene continued speaking in a calm voice. His name in his previous life was Hamel Dynas. His name in his current life was Eugene Lionheart. Eugene dered, ¡°I was the Stupid Hamel.¡± Chapter 57.1

Chapter 57.1: 19-Years-Old (4)

Mer didn¡¯t know what she was supposed to say in response to such words. Could Eugene usually be described as quite a joker? Although he didn¡¯t joke all the time, it also wasn¡¯t like he had never told a joke. If that were the case, should she just treat these words as Eugene having made a rare joke? Alright, I understand. So you were the Stupid Hamel in a previous life. Since you have been honest with me, allow me to tell you my secret as well. I¡¯m actually the Wise Sienna. Hamel, you son of a bitch. Just when she was about to say all this, Mer changed her mind and asked, ¡°Are you being serious when you say that?¡± Although his words were hard to believe, and it would probably be best to think that he was joking, as far as Mer knew, Eugene wasn¡¯t a person to tell such a nonsensical joke at a time like this. Eugene hadn¡¯t just said something like this out of the blue. He had already revealed that he might say something that sounded absurd to her several months ago, and just before that, he had persistently asked her if she was able to keep his secrets. ¡°Are you afraid that I¡¯m lying?¡± Eugene asked with an amused smirk. Seeing this expression, Mer avoided his gaze and muttered, ¡°...Your im is hard to believe after all.¡± Actually, there was nothing that special about being ¡®reincarnated.¡¯ While this might not apply to an artificial intelligence like Mer, most people in this world were reincarnations of someone. However, it was near impossible to find someone who still had memories from their previous life before they had been reincarnated. asionally, you could meet people in this world who would tell you about their past lives, but most of them had some form of mental illness. Could Eugene be such a mentally ill person? Mer shook her head, ¡°...Hmph. Although it¡¯s hard to believe, if what you¡¯re saying is true, then¡­ I can suddenly understand many confusing things about you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Such as?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°The speed with which Sir Eugene has grown.¡± It had only been a little over two years since Eugene started learning magic. Was it really possible for someone like him to haveprehended Witch Craft in such a short time? Someone who wasn¡¯t an Archwizard who practically lived and breathed magic, but instead a young chick who had just started practicing magic? No. The truth was that Eugene hadn¡¯tprehended Witch Craft in terms of ¡®magic.¡¯ Instead, he had simply understood the form that mana took in order to form the Eternal Hole of Witch Craft. With his innate mana sensitivity, Eugene had merely imitated it and then adapted his imitation to better suit himself. From Mer¡¯s point of view, she couldn¡¯t believe such an act was really possible, even if Eugene was so talented that he was called a ¡®genius.¡¯ Among the wizards who had been allowed entry into Akron, where could you find one who hadn¡¯t been called a genius at one time or another? However, if Eugene could remember his past life and if he truly had been the Stupid Hamel, thepanion of the Great Vermouth, in his previous life¡­. ¡°...Stupid Hamel was a unique individual in many ways,¡± while staring at Eugene, Mer continued speaking. ¡°The Wise Sienna grew up in the forest of the elves, where humans were not allowed to enter, and personally learned magic from the elves. The Brave Molon was the son of the tribal chief of the Bayar tribe, a tribe of the indigenous people who live in the frigidnds of the north, and his tribe was one that was especially recognized for its skill in battle. The Faithful Anise was a saintess candidate who had been carefully nurtured by the cardinals of the Holy Empire of Yuras.¡± Mer was trying to say that they had alle from amazing backgrounds. As Mer was just saying, ¡°The Great Vermouth¡ª¡± ¡°He was a ve,¡± Eugene interrupted her as he drew on the memories of his previous life. ¡°Vermouth was one of a group of ves who had been abducted by the demonfolk to be used as sacrifices. In order to somehow survive, he stole a sword from a demonfolk, and even though it was his first time even wielding a sword, he managed to cut his way through dozens of demonfolks and ck wizards responsible for transporting the ves. Then, as he was leading the ves to escape Helmuth, he managed to kill hundreds of demonic beasts along the way.¡± ¡°Honestly, I always thought of that story as an exaggeration,¡± Mer confessed. ¡°Because that¡¯s what ¡®myths¡¯ are usually made up of.¡± ¡°Although I didn¡¯t see it happen myself, it was probably the truth. That guy was a real monster,¡± Eugene said with a grin. Vermouth hadn¡¯t enjoyed talking about his past. But Hamel had heard this same story dozens of times from Molon. The snowfield where the Bayar tribe had been living bordered Helmuth. Vermouth had led the ves across that snowfield to escape Helmuth, and that was where he had first met Molon. Mer hesitantly resumed, ¡°...The Stupid Hamel was particrly unique even among that party of heroes. He¡­ like Vermouth, didn¡¯t really stand out from the ¡®start.¡¯ And he didn¡¯t evene from a special background.¡± Hamel had been a mercenary. Before that, he had lived in a small vige. After the vige was destroyed by a monster attack, he picked up a sword to survive. He had also nursed a desire to get his revenge on these monsters and harbored a hatred for the Demon Kings who had caused these monsters to go crazy in the first ce. Like that, Hamel had lurked in the depths of the mercenary life for many years. He hadn¡¯t learned magic from the elves like Sienna, nor had he received a staff made from a Dragon Heart. He didn¡¯t receive the support and guidance an empire could provide like Anise. He wasn¡¯t born as the son of a tribal chief like Molon, nor was he made to confront nature with his own body as soon as he could walk. He wasn¡¯t born with an absurd amount of talent like Vermouth, nor did he kill dozens of ck wizards and demonfolk the first time he swung his sword. Before bing a mercenary, Hamel was just the type of kid you could find anywhere. If he hadn''t be a mercenary, he would have gone his whole life without knowing he had a talent for fighting. This was the Stupid Hamel. Although he came from the most ordinary background in this party of heroes, he grew to the point where he could stand shoulder to shoulder with the others in just a few short years. ¡°Did Sienna talk about me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°No. However, I¡¯ve¡­ also read the fairy tale several times.¡± Mer took a deep breath and looked up at Eugene, ¡°If you really are the reincarnation of Hamel, then I can understand your inexplicable growth rate. Because Hamel was also like that. Hamel, who appears in the fairy tale¡­. Although he was an extremely unpleasant person, he stands out the most among all the heroes when ites to how much he grew over the journey.¡± ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Eugene replied with a smirk. ¡°What I mean by that is, I was only good at improving rapidly when I first turned my hand to something. But even with that, I was unable to surpass my own limits. ¡°Vermouth was the God of War. He could wield all kinds of weapons and was even skilled with magic, to the point where he was called the Master-of-All. Although Sienna always insisted that their fields of specialty were different, Vermouth¡¯s magic was definitely superior to Sienna¡¯s in some ways.¡± ¡°...,¡± Mer wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. Eugene continued, ¡°I was always trying to surpass Vermouth. Since I didn¡¯t even have the chance to learn magic, I gave up on it at the very start, and from then on, I turned my attention to bing proficient with swords and spears. I wanted to defeat Vermouth so badly that I even went and trained my fists as well. However, I was never once able to beat Vermouth.¡± Hamel had once thought that he was a genius. While he was deluding himself like this, getting drunk on his own sense of superiority within the confines of his small well, Vermouth was already flying high in the sky. Hamel had done everything he could to catch up to him, but he had still been left in the dust. During their journey, Hamel had sparred with Vermouth several times, but it was always Hamel who ended up kneeling on the ground, his head bent in defeat. ¡°...Was that the case?¡± Mer asked doubtfully. Had Eugene just said all this because he wanted her tofort him? Mer honestly couldn¡¯t quite understand Eugene¡¯s feelings. Although the shadow Hamel had cast couldn¡¯t help but fall short whenpared to Vermouth, from an ordinary person¡¯s point of view, hadn¡¯t Hamel still been quite the absurd monster himself? ¡°What¡¯s the point of being called a genius by others?¡± Eugene asked after he noticed the sullen look in her young eyes. ¡°I¡¯m saying that Vermouth was such a motherfucker that I couldn¡¯t help but want to defeat that bastard at least once in my life. But until I died, I never managed to get one over on him. And on several asions, while we were journeying together, he would rub my own shorings in my face. He was both a genius and a son of a bitch.¡± ¡°Why are you calling him a son of a bitch?¡± Mer asked curiously. ¡°Did he do something evil that didn¡¯t end up recorded in history?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not the case. He was quite¡­ a good person. He didn¡¯t do any bad deeds. He always helped those in need¡­ he truly deserved to be called a hero. It¡¯s just that he was annoying, and it¡¯s only natural for an overly talented bastard like him to attract jealousy,¡± Eugene said with a snort. ¡°But since he was so amazing, don¡¯t I at least have the right to envy him? That¡¯s all this is, really.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that you were jealous of Sir Vermouth because he was way, way better than you, Sir Hamel?¡± ¡°If I had to admit it then¡­ yep, that¡¯s it. In the end, it seems like you¡¯ve decided to believe me? But there¡¯s no need to call me by the name Hamel.¡± ¡°I just said that it was hard to believe. I didn¡¯t say that I don¡¯t believe you,¡± Mer grumbled as she pouted her lips. ¡°When I start looking back at everything, it seems there were quite a few perplexing things that have now been cleared up. Like how you would often praise Hamel, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene went silent in embarrassment. Chapter 57.2 Chapter 57.2 Mer frowned in concentration, ¡°Now then, let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, that¡¯s right. Wasn¡¯t there an example on the first day you arrived here, Sir Eugene? You looked at the recorded image of Hamel upstairs and then said¡ª¡± Eugene quickly interrupted her, ¡°I don¡¯t think I can remember that happening.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fine because I can remember everything clearly,¡± Mer cruelly assured him. ¡°You looked up at Hamel¡¯s face and said that he had a charm like that of an untamable beast. Were you serious when you said that?¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t say anything in response, ¡°¡­.¡± Mer asked, ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel even a tiny bit embarrassed saying that? How could you point at your own face and such a ridiculous thing?¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that? I didn¡¯t feel even an ounce of shame when saying those words,¡± Eugene stubbornly insisted. ¡°Hamel had¡ªI mean, in my previous life, I had a face with its own certain charm about it.¡± ¡°Blegh¡­,¡± Mer covered her mouth as if about to vomit and shook her head vigorously. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve been reincarnated with a face like yours, how could you say something like that?¡± ¡°Whoever said that the face from my previous life is better than the one I have now? I¡¯m just saying that Hamel¡¯s face had its own unique charm to it,¡± Eugene rified. ¡°By the way,¡± as she said this, Mer¡¯s expression changed. She narrowed her eyes and stared at Eugene as she asked, ¡°Why have you suddenly told me something like this?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no real reason for it.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re expecting something from me, then it¡¯s useless. I really don¡¯t know anything about Lady Sienna¡¯s current whereabouts.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you this because I wanted you to tell me something like that,¡± Eugene said as he stood up with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s just, I¡¯ve been looking at you for the past two years. Although I already vaguely felt this when I first met you¡­ I¡¯ve realized that you really resemble Sienna. Both in looks and in personality.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­. That¡¯s because I was created based on Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood version of herself,¡± Mer mumbled as she turned her gaze away from him in embarrassment. Eugene asked her, ¡°Do you believe that Sienna is dead?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way she¡¯s dead,¡± Mer denied vehemently. ¡°I also believe that,¡± Eugene agreed as he turned his head to look at Sienna¡¯s portrait. ¡°Since three hundred years have passed, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for her to have died, but I don¡¯t feel like that chick Sienna was someone who would have just passed away without even leaving behind a will. That goes for the rest of them as well.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Mer stayed silent. ¡°Of course, since a lot of time has passed, I can¡¯t be sure if their personalities have changed greatly. But even so, can a person ever really changepletely?¡± ¡°¡­Do you really think so?¡± ¡°Definitely,¡± with a bright smile, Eugene extended a hand to Mer. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to go looking for them.¡± Tap. Eugene flicked the tip of therge wizard¡¯s hat that Mer was wearing with his fingertips. Mer¡¯s eyes widened to circles as she looked up at Eugene. ¡°Sienna, Molon, and Anise. They all must still be alive somewhere in the world¡­ that¡¯s what I believe. So I just need to go and find them,¡± Eugene dered confidently. Hisrge hand came to rest on top of Mer¡¯s head. Usually, Mer would have thrown his hand off in disgust, but she wasn¡¯t able to do so now. ¡°Don¡¯t you miss Sienna as well?¡± Eugene asked her. Stunned, Mer responded, ¡°¡­Y-yes? I¡­ I definitely do.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s even more reason for me to go and drag her back here. Sienna is also quite the bitch, don¡¯t you think so? After all, she¡¯s been neglecting the cute familiar she made herself for the past two hundred years.¡± ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t insult Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine for me to insult her. Do you know how many insults I had to endure from Sienna three hundred years ago? That damn brat, she called me a bastard and an asshole no matter what I did¡­. Oh, that¡¯s right, didn¡¯t you say you have a good memory? Do you remember that idea I brought up with you a while ago?¡± ¡°Are you talking about your suspicion that Lady Sienna is the author of the fairy tale?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. You might have said it was bullshit when you first heard it, but no matter how much I think about it, I can¡¯t help but feel that it¡¯s pretty usible. In the first ce, that fairy tale has some quite significant details for a story that was apparently stitched together from the rumors floating around.¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®quite significant?¡¯¡± ¡°Just what I said. In my opinion, the fairy tale was either written by Sienna or Anise. The two of them might have even written it together.¡± In the face of Eugene¡¯s agitation, Mer¡¯s expression grew strange. As she inly stared at Eugene¡¯s face, she recalled the image of Hamel that had been left upstairs. ¡°¡­So, Hamel¡ªno, Sir Eugene, ording to what you are saying, Lady Sienna is the one who wrote the words¡®Sienna, I like you¡¯in the fairy tale?¡± Mer asked doubtfully. ¡°Those fucking words, I never said anything like that,¡± Eugene insisted. Mer continued, ¡°Then, that means Lady Sienna would have recorded you saying something that you didn¡¯t actually say. Why would Lady Sienna do such a thing?¡± ¡°¡­Are you trying to fuck with me?¡± Eugene growled. Mer frowned, ¡°Please stop spouting such nonsense. I absolutely cannot imagine that Lady Sienna would add words like beautiful and elegant in front of her own name.¡± Eugene hesitantly admitted, ¡°Perhaps¡­ Perhaps Anise was the one who wrote it. Her personality was really, well, twisted and rotten. Although that fairy tale only records Anise¡¯s saintly appearance, the real Anise was practically an evil twin of that one.¡± ¡°Ah, yes. Of course, that¡¯s the case,¡± saying this, Mer raised her hand and waved it in front of her nose. Unsure of what that gesture meant, Eugene just blinked his eyes. ¡°Please take off your hand,¡± Mer requested. Eugene asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? In the past, you¡¯ve always pped my hand away.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m just trying to show you the respect that Lady Sienna¡¯srade deserves,¡± Mer confessed, feeling embarrassed. ¡°That¡¯s quite gratifying,¡± Eugene said with a smirk as he took his hand off Mer¡¯s head. Mer hopped off her chair and hesitated for a few moments before taking a deep breath. ¡°¡­Sir Eugene, can you swear an oath?¡± Mer asked. ¡°About what?¡± Eugene returned her question. ¡°About the fact that in your past life¡­ you really were the Stupid Hamel.¡± ¡°I¡¯m willing to swear, but let me just say this first. Since I¡¯m Hamel, can you stop adding that damn Stupid epithet in front of my name?¡± ¡°Then what should I say? The Asshole Hamel?¡± ¡°How about the Amazing Hamel? Or the Wonderful Hamel?¡± ¡°It looks like you really are envious that the word ¡®Great¡¯ is stuck in front of Vermouth¡¯s name.¡± Eugene coughed in embarrassment, ¡°Ahem¡­.¡± ¡°In any case, if you are truly the reincarnation of Hamel¡­ please swear an oath on it,¡± Mer sincerely pleaded. Eugene slowly nodded and solemnly dered, ¡°On my name as Eugene Lionheart, I am the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas. I swear on my blood and my name as a Lionheart that there is no falsehood in what I have just told you.¡± ¡°¡­Please wait one moment,¡± after she had received his oath, Mer turned and walked over to Witch Craft. She raised both hands up to Witch Craft and stood there for a few minutes with her eyes closed before continuing, ¡°¡­After Lady Sienna went into seclusion, several wizards dissected both Witch Craft and me on numerous asions. However, there are still a few things they weren¡¯t able to find. Hidden in the deepest location of Witch Craft¡¯s storage files, there is information recorded beneath Witch Craft¡¯s source code. And today¡­ I will also store the news you have shared with me in that hidden location so that no one will be able to find out about it.¡± Opening her eyes once more, Mer turned to look at Eugene, ¡°¡­What I will be revealing from this point on¡­ is also something that no one in Aroth has ever heard.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked. Haltingly, Mer began to recount her story, ¡°There is a clue rting to Lady Sienna¡¯s disappearance. It was about a week before she¡­ went into seclusion. At that time, I was already stored in Akron¡­ on this very floor, and Lady Sienna was also there with me. Then suddenly¡­ Lady Sienna copsed into her seat with a groan.¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s no way she could have really caught an illness, right?¡± Eugene asked worriedly. ¡°Of course not,¡± Mer replied. ¡°I was obviously surprised, so I asked¡­ Lady Sienna what had happened¡­ and she told me that one of her familiars had been killed.¡± Mer hesitated for a moment, unable to continue speaking immediately, before revealing, ¡°¡­It was stationed at Hamel¡¯s grave.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene stayed silent. ¡°At the grave, someone had¡­ broken in¡­ and this caused Lady Sienna to burst into a rage,¡± Mer finished recounting. At a grave? Hamel¡¯s grave? ¡°I have a grave?¡± Eugene asked with a nk expression. Mer took another deep breath before nodding, ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t manage to hear the full details about that either. That was also my first time hearing of Hamel¡¯s grave. Not long after that¡­ Lady Sienna suddenly disappeared, and I hid this conversation in the deepest depths of Witch Craft.¡± Mer had aplicated expression as she exined her actions, ¡°It was because Lady Sienna had suddenly disappeared without telling anyone. I didn¡¯t want to distress Lady Sienna by needlessly revealing something I shouldn¡¯t have. However¡­ since you, Sir Eugene¡­ are also Hamel, I feel you deserve to know.¡± ¡°¡­My grave¡­,¡± Eugene muttered before letting out an inexplicable snort ofughter. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard even a hint about it. I always thought that my corpse had beenpletely annihted by Belial¡¯s curse.¡± ¡°¡­Well, a lich¡¯s curse does annihte both the body and the soul, so I see why you would believe that,¡± Mer agreed. ¡°Usually, that¡¯s the case. Although thinking about it, my soul remained fully intact and was even reincarnated.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then your corpse should have also remained intact. Perhaps¡­ right. About your reincarnation¡ª¡± ¡°I also have my suspicions that Sienna might have been involved in it. Though I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s the truth just yet.¡± His tomb of all ces. Eugene snickered and shook his head. ¡°That just gives me even more reason to go looking for Sienna.¡± Chapter 58.1 Chapter 58.1 If Hamel¡¯s tomb truly existed, then where on earth could it be found? ¡®¡­Perhaps Helmuth?¡¯Eugene recalled the location of the ce where he had died in his previous life. After the Oath of Peace had been sworn three hundred years ago, the Demon Kings and the demonfolk had abandoned their invasion ns. Even the monsters who had been driven insane by the Whispers of the Demon Kings came back to their senses. All the demonic beasts spread across the continent with orders to attack people indiscriminately returned to Helmuth without leaving even a single one of their number behind. A hundred years had passed like this. The Demon King of Destruction remained as silent as always while the Demon King of Incarceration, as the representative of all demonfolk, set about correcting the damage they had done. Of course, things didn¡¯t go so well. There were too many countries that had been destroyed by the demonfolk, leaving too many people who had lost someone precious to the demonfolk. So even though the Demon King himself came forward and bowed his head in apology, the fear and hatred humanity held towards the demonfolk did not subside. So the Demon King of Incarceration sold out the names of the deceased Demon Kings. He imed that even among the Demon Kings, there was a factional divide between the doves and the warhawks. He further added that the deceased Demon Kings of Fury, Cruelty, and Carnage were the members of the warhawk faction, while he was the sole member of the dove faction. Even the Demon King of Destruction, who had stayedpletely neutral and kept their silence throughout the war, hadn¡¯t desired this war. Most of the immediate subordinates of the deceased Demon Kings had been killed by the party of heroes, and the few remaining subordinates were kept under theplete control of the Demon King of Incarceration. Those Demon Kings were dead anyway. So no matter how much the Demon King of Incarceration maligned them, how were these defeated and deceased Demon Kings supposed to retaliate against this nder? In addition to this steady push of propaganda, the Demon King of Incarceration also provided generous financial support. He built a grand city on the outskirts of Helmuth for all the refugees who had been disced by the war. For the countries that had suffered the most terrible devastation, the Demon King dispatched his own men to build new buildings and pave new roads. He also poured huge amounts of war reparations into the treasuries of the victimized countries. On top of that, the Demon King had purged many demonfolk, holding them ountable for these war crimes. This continued over the next hundred years¡ªno, in fact, reparations for the war were still being handed out. So Helmuth¡¯s neighboring countries were still receiving financial support from the Demon King even after three hundred years had passed. That was how the Devildom of Helmuth was able to be a great empire. ¡®¡­An empire, huh?¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t really consider Helmuth to be a true empire. It was just a hell where the different races of demonic beasts, demonfolk, Demon Kings, and the ck wizards who had sold their souls to the demons managed to somehow coexist. However, while Eugene might think this way, the rest of the world recognized Helmuth as an empire. The neighboring countries that continued to receive Helmuth¡¯s support were virtually identical to the protectorates of Helmuth. The capital of Helmuth was named Pandemonium. This was where the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration could be found. ¡®There¡¯s no way my tomb could really be in Pandemonium.¡¯ How could his body have beenid to rest in the demonfolk-infested capital of Helmuth, which was still ruled over directly by the Demon King of Incarceration? That just couldn¡¯t be possible. If that indeed was where his tomby, it was practically an insult to all Hamel had done in his life. If hispanions had actually managed to y the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction and then went on to annihte all the demonfolk living in Helmuth, then he wouldn¡¯t have minded if they had built his tomb there. Instead, under these different circumstances, he would have been happy to ept such an honor. But they had failed. Both the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction were alive and well. ¡®In the first ce, did my corpse really survive that curse?¡¯ Well, it wasn¡¯t like you strictly needed a corpse to construct a tomb, but seeing as Sienna had left her familiar there and be enraged that someone had managed to break into the tomb¡­ it looked like his corpse really had been hidden away somewhere in this world. But where? If it¡¯s a tomb, weren¡¯t they usually built in a ce that was deeply connected to the deceased person? There was no way it would be in the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle, so¡­. Eugene suddenly realized,¡®¡­Could it be in my homnd?¡¯ If it¡¯s a ce suitable for building a tomb, wasn¡¯t his homnd the most likely site? Eugene recalled his homnd, which he had never been too attached to in his previous life. Hamel¡¯s hometown had been located in the frontier regions of the Turas Kingdom. Although he didn¡¯t know what it was like now, it had been an extremely unpleasant ce to live back in his previous life. Monsters frequently emerged from the nearby forests, and pirates from the maind of Turas often came in raiding from across the sea. ¡°Sir Eugene?¡± a voice called out to him. Eugene had been in the middle of taking a walk outside of Akron to organize his thoughts. As he heard this voice suddenly call out to him, Eugene gritted his teeth in annoyance. For some reason, the wizards who were showing an interest in him seemed to really like the idea of an ¡®idental¡¯ meeting. Was it because they wanted to make the meeting seem more casual? But if that was the case, they should at least properly hide all the obvious signs. The wizard waiting for him had been shuffling around impatiently as if he was just begging to be noticed, and when Eugene failed to show any reaction and just ignored him, the man had started talking to him anyway. ¡°Is there something you need? At this midnight hour,¡± Eugene bit out impatiently. ¡°I was actually following you, Sir Eugene,¡± the man admitted. Still, at least it was fortunate that the man who hade looking for him was Balzac Ludbeth and not the Commander of the Court Wizards or the Green Tower Master. Balzac walked out from under the magic street light and smiled at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ve actually been following you ever since you left Akron. Did you not notice, Sir Eugene?¡± Balzac asked him. ¡°I noticed it immediately,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°I just kept quiet since the ck Tower Master seemingly pretended not to recognize me.¡± ¡°You seem to be in a bad mood,¡± Balzac observed. ¡°Well, what¡¯s new about that,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s true. However, it seems that your mood just happens to always be bad whenever we happen to meet. Could it really be because of me?¡± Balzac asked politely. ¡°It seems you¡¯re well aware of the truth,¡± Eugene nodded. He had met the ck Tower Master quite a lot of times during the past two years he had spent in Aroth, though they hadn¡¯t really talked much whenever they met. Usually, the ck Tower Master was the first to try and greet him, and Eugene would exchange a perfunctory greeting while showing his tant displeasure. That was all there was to it. They had never once shared a good conversation. Fortunately, the ck Tower Master didn¡¯t seem to take any offense to Eugene¡¯s attitude, nor did he try to stick to Eugene like the Commander of the Court Wizards and the Green Tower Master had done. Balzac got straight to the point, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you will be leaving Aroth.¡± ¡°Where did you hear that from?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it said in many ces. Sir Eugene, could you really have believed that rumors would not flow even after the Red Tower of Magic began to prepare a farewell party for you?¡± Balzac appeared surprised. ¡°It seems that the position of the ck Tower Master is actually prettyfortable since you have so much time to carefully listen to the affairs of the other Towers of Magic. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to use such passion to pay more attention to the activities of your own ck Tower of Magic?¡± Eugene suggested. Balzac shrugged, ¡°Even without me getting involved, the wizards of the ck Tower of Magic are doing fine on their own. Thanks to that, I¡¯m very free.¡± Even though Eugene had openly rebuked him, the ck Tower Master¡¯s smile never wavered. Eugene disliked this ck Tower Master. Honestly speaking, he hated Balzac and felt disgusted by him. During his past two years in Aroth, Eugene had heard various rumors about the man several times. Balzac Ludbeth was quite a unique individual evenpared to the other Tower Masters. Decades ago, Balzac hadn¡¯t been a ck wizard. Originally, he used to be a member of the Blue Tower of Magic, and on top of that, he was an outstanding wizard who was almost certain to be the next Tower Master. The current Blue Tower Master was Hiridus Euznd, but when Balzac was still in the Blue Tower of Magic, Hiridus had always been evaluated to be worse than Balzac. Balzac should have risen to be the next Blue Tower Master within a few years, but he had suddenly left the Blue Tower of Magic and gone to Helmuth. The reason he gave was that he wanted to broaden his knowledge of magic. Ten yearster, Balzac, who returned from Helmuth, had already be a ck Wizard. Immediately after returning to Aroth, he transferred his membership from the Blue Tower of Magic over to the ck Tower of Magic. Then, while winning the recognition of the ck Tower Master and receiving the overwhelming support of the other ck wizards, he rose to be the new ck Tower Master. After rising to the position of the ck Tower Master in this manner, Balzac didn¡¯t appear to do anything within the environs of Aroth. Balzac had even managed to maintain a good rtionship with Hiridus, who had be the Blue Tower Master, and he reached a friendly consensus with the Blue Tower of Magic itself. He showed respect to the Royal Family while also being close to the Parliament. He also stayed on good terms with both the White Tower of Magic and the Green Tower of Magic. Chapter 58.2 Chapter 58.2 The only Tower that kept its distance from Balzac was the Red Tower of Magic, with Lovellian as its Tower Master. And this was only because Lovellian truly hated ck wizards, not because the Red Tower of Magic as a whole held any enmity toward the ck Tower of Magic. In other words, even though Balzac was a ck wizard, he was able to get along well with everyone around him. Just from what Eugene had seen, Balzac¡¯s approach was extremely sensible. He went so far as to bow his head in order to show the Lionheart n his respect, and he didn¡¯t use the influence of the Demon King of Incarceration behind him to take control of the situation or ce pressure on anyone. At first nce, he appeared to be quite a nice ck wizard. But from Eugene¡¯s point of view, there was simply no such thing as a good ck wizard. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, the only good ck wizards were dead corpses or cripples unable to use magic. ¡°You must be happy to be so free,¡± since he wasn¡¯t feeling too good, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be sarcastic. Although Eugene was openly frowning at him, Balzac just nodded with a grin. ¡°And it seems that Sir Eugene, you have it hard with how busy you are,¡± Balzac noted in amusement. No, wait. Could Balzac truly just let Eugene¡¯s rudeness pass without ament? It seemed that Balzac was still only human after all, so how could he ept being treated this way by someone a lot younger than him? Although Eugene didn¡¯t know the reasons for it, this was the first time Balzac had responded with anything other than sheer politeness. Balzac waved his hand, ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t get me wrong. I didn¡¯t mean that to be sarcastic, Sir Eugene.¡± Saying that just made his previous words sound even more sarcastic. Eugene didn¡¯t reply immediately and just tly stared at Balzac. Balzac got back to the point of this conversation, ¡°Now then, what was I saying? Right, I¡¯ve heard that you will be leaving Aroth the day after tomorrow and would then be heading over to Ruhr and Nahama.¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯ve got quite a lot to say today,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°It¡¯s because I have some concerns about you, Sir Eugene,¡± Balzac exined. Eugene hesitated, ¡°¡­Concerns?¡± All of a sudden? Eugene¡¯s brows furrowed as he stared at Balzac. Balzac continued, ¡°The Northern Ruhr Kingdom is close to Helmuth.¡± ¡°¡­So why does that matter?¡± Eugene asked eventually. ¡°It¡¯s relevant because the Lionheart n¡¯s influence won¡¯t be able to stretch that far,¡± Balzac warned. ¡°Originally, the Ruhr strictly prohibited the entry of all demonfolk and ck wizards, but since five years ago, the royal family has be especially stubborn about it.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene listened quietly. ¡°There are a lot of demonfolk in Helmuth. Among them, there are also those who seek to go against the will of my master, the Demon King of Incarceration. In the first ce, the Demon King of Incarceration is not the only Demon King who reigns in Helmuth.¡± ¡°By that, do you mean to say that the Demon King of Destruction is preparing to make a move?¡± ¡°How could that be?¡± Balzac shook his head with a short chuckle. ¡°That isn¡¯t the case at all. The Demon King of Destruction¡­ well¡­ they don¡¯t enjoy violence. Also, they¡¯ve always shown respect to the Demon King of Incarceration. If the Demon King of Incarceration isn¡¯t making a move, then the Demon King of Destruction also won¡¯t make any movements.¡± The Demon King of Destruction was a first-ranked Demon King. Recalling some distant memories, Eugene clenched his trembling fists. Like their name suggested, the Demon King of Destruction brought destruction with him wherever they went. In his past life, the party of heroes had never truly confronted the Demon King of Destruction. They had only ever seen the Demon King of Destruction moving from afar. Eugene still couldn¡¯t be sure exactly what he had seen at that moment. Was it a ck¡­ no¡­ a gray blob? He couldn¡¯t even be sure of that. All he knew was that, on the other side of a wide-open in¡­ he had seen that blob of ¡®color¡¯ move. The truth was, he couldn¡¯t even be sure that that was the Demon King of Destruction. But he couldn¡¯t help but believe that it was. If something like that wasn¡¯t Destruction, then what on earth could even be called destruction? If something like that wasn¡¯t the first-ranked Demon King, then what on earth could even be called a Demon King? That feeling of existential doom had appeared briefly and then vanished from the other side of the ins, but everyone who saw it had lost consciousness for a moment. Let¡¯s go and fight him. We need to y him. No one had said anything like that. If Anise hadn¡¯t uttered a prayer, thus calming everyone¡¯s minds¡­ then they might have fallen into an unsightly frenzy. ¡°¡­However, Sir Eugene, even if the Demon King of Incarceration doesn¡¯t move, and the Demon King of Destruction keeps their silence¡­ that doesn¡¯t mean that all demonfolk will stay quiet,¡± continued Balzac. ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean your master iszy and indifferent, ck Tower Master?¡± Eugene asked provocatively. However, once again, Balzac didn¡¯t show any displeasure. Instead, he just smiled while nodding in agreement. ¡°Those words are undeniable. Yes, it¡¯s the truth. The Demon King of Incarceration doesn¡¯t suppress the demonfolk under his control to keep them from taking independent action. My merciful master, he¡­ respects the freedom of all his servants,¡± Balzac unabashedly praised the Demon King. Even though this seemed contrary to his name as the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°However, my master still clearly draws a line. It doesn¡¯t matter if you take advantage of the freedom he offers you, but you alone are responsible for the consequences that might arise from your actions. Just think of Baron Olpher, the one who tempted young Eward. He had to pay for the problems he caused with his own life,¡± Balzac casually brought up a sensitive topic. ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene held his tongue. Balzac continued, ¡°Demonfolk are naturally violent. The stronger the demonfolk, the more violent they are. And among the demonfolk, many are sick of this peace that has been going on for hundreds of years. The world might be at peace¡­ but the demonfolk¡­. Ha ha. It might sound ridiculous for me to be the one to say this, but the demonfolk aren¡¯t a group that can truly be satisfied by peace.¡± ¡°Are you saying that thanks to your Demon King¡¯s indulgence, they might be a threat to me?¡± Eugene rified. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that there may be many demonfolk who think this way,¡± Balzac said as he lowered his voice. He stared at Eugene with a smirk in his eyes and continued, ¡°This statement does not just apply to the demonfolk serving under the Demon King of Incarceration. The silent Demon King of Destruction also has demonfolk serving him. If it¡¯s to finally break the silence of their master, they might just be willing to do anything.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t reply to this and just red at Balzac. Faced with this silence, Balzac could only continue the conversation, ¡°Also, among the high-ranking demonfolk, a few wish to be one of the new Demon Kings. Since the original five Demon Kings have shrunk down to just two, doesn¡¯t that mean three slots are now vacant? Duke Giabe is one who is eagerly eyeing such a position.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t they just hold a vote for it?¡± Eugene asked as the corner of his mouth curled up in a smile. ¡°You can just gather all the demonfolk together and nominate new Demon Kings.¡± Balzac seemed amused by his suggestion, ¡°Haha¡­ while it would be nice if that were the case; unfortunately, the demonfolk don¡¯t believe in holding elections. The demonfolk are a group that would just smash the ballot box if they feel that an election wouldn¡¯t go the way they want. It¡¯s because they¡¯re like that that they hate peace.¡± ¡°Thank you for this warning.¡± For Eugene, these were just words; he didn¡¯t actually show any gratitude by bowing to Balzac. Instead, he stood there casually and stared at Balzac. ¡°Since you¡¯ve said all this, I might try going to the Ruhr at another point in time.¡± With his current skills, was Eugene truly capable of fighting high-level demons? Eugene believed in his strength, but it wasn¡¯t to the point of overconfidence. He also hated the idea of getting into danger because he needlessly got involved with something troublesome. He might still go there someday, but he only intended to visit Ruhr after he was confident that he could handle the danger there. ¡®I also need to pay attention to the matter of the Moonlight Sword,¡¯Eugene reminded himself. He had managed to purchase a fragment of the Moonlight Sword at an auction house. They had said that the ce this fragment was discovered was in the Khazad Hills. So in a few years, when he was ready to go to Ruhr, he also nned to make a trip to the Khazad Hills. ¡°As for Nahama¡­ hm,¡± Balzac trailed off with a thoughtful hum. He had already warned Eugene about Ruhr, but it seemed that Balzac wasn¡¯t done talking just yet. He pondered something for a few moments before smirking. ¡°You should be careful in the desert,¡± Balzac advised. Eugene asked, ¡°Because of the sandstorms?¡± ¡°No, because of Amelia Merwin,¡± Balzac said as he raised his hand. With a snap of his fingers, his shadow rose from the ground and engulfed Balzac¡¯s hand. ¡°But the Demon King of Incarceration has dered the Lionheart n a friend. If Amelia Merwin, who has made a personal contract with the Demon King, were to harm me, wouldn¡¯t that make the Demon King of Incarceration a liar for calling the n his friends?¡± Eugene asked. Balzac simply answered, ¡°She¡¯s special.¡± Even though Eugene had directly implied that the Demon King of Incarceration might be a liar, Balzac still hadn¡¯t dropped his smile. Balzac added more detail to his answer, ¡°She was¡­ even before she made a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, she was already an amazing ck wizard. Haven¡¯t I already told you that the Demon King of Incarceration respects his subordinates¡¯ right to freedom? Even among all his servants, Amelia Merwin especially enjoys a lot of freedom.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene was silent as he processed this. ¡°If, in the one in a million chance that you do identally bump into Amelia Merwin, you can try and give her this,¡± Balzac¡¯s hand was now holding up a ck envelope which he offered to Eugene. ¡°If you give this to her, no matter what you might have done to her, she probably won¡¯t harm you.¡± Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts Hello DR readers! It¡¯s Yojj~ We¡¯ve heard and taken your feedback into consideration. We have been splitting chapters so that you may enjoy DR on a daily basis but as the novel gets interesting, we understand that some may want to read the full chapter instead. If the public decides on full chapters, then the release rate would be 4 full chapters from Mon to Thurs, and a bonus chapter on Fri if the chapter length over those 4 days are too short. Damn Reincarnation¡¯s uing chapters starting from August onwards and your satisfaction hinges on your votes so be sure to vote! The poll will be open for 3 days and will close on July 30th, PST~ And as always, thank you for your enthusiastic support~ Chapter 58.3 Chapter 58.3 ¡°What is this?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°As you can see, it¡¯s just an envelope.¡± ¡°Can I examine its contents?¡± ¡°Feel free.¡± Eugene immediately broke the seal on the envelope as soon as he was handed it. However, there was nothing inside. ¡°The contents aren¡¯t really necessary, Sir Eugene. What¡¯s important is that you will be holding onto a letter that I wrote myself,¡± Balzac said as he waved his fingers with a grin. The broken seal fixed itself and reattached as he continued speaking, ¡°I might not be able to handle the sort of threats that might show themselves in Ruhr, but I can deal with Amelia Merwin¡¯s grudge against you. So if you intend to go to Nahama, please take this with you.¡± ¡°¡­What is it that you want from me?¡± Eugene asked. He couldn¡¯t help but be wary of Balzac. After havinge looking for Eugene to give him a warning about going to Ruhr, Balzac had now even handed him a personal letter to help deal with a potential threat. Since Balzac was showing Eugene such consideration, it was clear that he wanted something in return. Instead of answering, Balzac asked, ¡°Do you hate ck wizards?¡± Eugene naturally replied, ¡°Of course I hate them.¡± ¡°That hate is unavoidable,¡± Balzac nodded in understanding. ¡°However, I would like it if you could at least hold a little affection towards me.¡± ¡°By any chance, are you gay?¡± Eugene asked bluntly. Even the perpetually calm Balzac didn¡¯t seem to have expected him to say such a thing. Balzac couldn¡¯t respond immediately as he stared at Eugene with his jaw half dropped. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Balzac eventually managed to grunt in question. ¡°It¡¯s just a bit suspicious that you¡¯re treating me so well,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Although I don¡¯t really have any inclinations to that side of things, since the ck Tower Master has been so kind to me, I can¡¯t help but feel a little distressed and worried.¡± ¡°¡­Worried?¡± Balzac gave a strangled yelp. ¡°For my chastity, or even¡­. Although I¡¯ve said this already, I have no interest in that side of things,¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°¡­Hold on. I¡¯m a little flustered right now,¡± with a confused expression, Balzac adjusted his sses. ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t have that sort of misunderstanding. It¡¯s just¡­ I only want to build a friendly rtionship with you, Sir Eugene. Merely¡­ as one human to another. Yes. So please don¡¯t get the wrong idea. Isn¡¯t that the case with everyone here, not just myself? You might still be young, but we all know that you have a lot of potential, Sir Eugene¡­.¡± ¡°For now, I will receive what you¡¯ve given me with gratitude,¡± Eugene hastily stowed the personal letter into the Cloak of Darkness. ¡°However, it feels like I won¡¯t be able to repay this favor any time soon. So I guess I¡¯ll just be going then.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yes,¡± Balzac seemed relieved. ¡°If I could, I would have liked to invite you to my farewell party tomorrow. Ah, but having said that, please don¡¯t actually show up,¡± Eugene requested. ¡°Although I do truly feel that way, the human mind really is an ambiguous and strange thing. At the moment, I¡¯d like to invite you, but¡­ if I did see the ck Tower Master show up to my farewell party tomorrow, I feel like I¡¯d be more upset than pleased by it.¡± ¡°¡­I won¡¯t be going, so please don¡¯t worry about it,¡± now, Balzac just seemed exhausted. ¡°I am amazed at the magnanimity of the ck Tower Master at having said so. Well then, I will see youter,¡± with a quick bob of his head, Eugene turned around. After gazing at Eugene¡¯s receding back, Balzac let out a snort and shook his head. * * * Even though he spent thest two years living in the Red Tower of Magic, the only ones that Eugene had really gotten to know were Lovellian and Hera. Thanks to this, while it might be called a farewell party, it wasn¡¯t all that grandiose. However, the location and the identity of attendees were still quite impressive. The party was being held on the top floor of the Red Tower of Magic. It wasn¡¯t just Lovellian and Hera there, but the White Tower Master, Melkith, the Crown Prince of Aroth, Honein, and the Blue Tower Master, Hiridus, were all here as well. Including Eugene, that was six people. Although they could have invited more, Eugene didn¡¯t want that. He was reluctant to invite that overeager Commander of the Court Wizards or the Green Tower Master, and the ck Tower Master out of the question from the very start. ¡°Why did you invite me?¡± the Blue Tower Master asked Eugene. Honein and Melkith had developed good rtionships with Eugene. However, Hiridus and Eugene had barely said anything to each other. asionally, when they came across each other within Akron, they would exchange casual greetings, and that was it. ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯repletely unfamiliar with each other,¡± Eugene noted. ¡°But aren¡¯t you even more familiar with the Tower Masters who aren¡¯t here?¡± ¡°Why ask when you already know the answer?¡± Hiridus couldn¡¯t help but smirk at these words. ¡°Don¡¯t take your avoidance of the Green Tower Master and the Commander of the Court Wizards too far because that will just make them even more interested in you,¡± Hiridus advised Eugene. ¡°It looks like the Blue Tower Master isn¡¯t all that interested in me,¡± observed Eugene. ¡°Although I am a bit interested, I¡¯m not the type who would disregard his own face to try and steal away the Red Tower Master¡¯s disciple,¡± Hiridus admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s just what the Green Tower Master keeps trying to do,¡± Eugene smirked. ¡°Jeneric has always been extremely greedy. His self-esteem and stubbornness have always been stronger than his regard for saving face. But try not to hate him too much,¡± as he said this, Hiridus took a sip of wine. Then he let out a sigh from deep within his chest as he stared at Lovellian talking to Honein. ¡®I am a little envious,¡¯Hiridus admitted to himself. Hiridus also had a disciple. As it had been three years since they hadst met face-to-face, his disciple¡¯s skills should have improvedpared to when he hadst seen them. Although he had once felt that his disciple wouldn¡¯t fall short of anyone no matter where they went¡­ if hepared his disciple to Eugene, he couldn¡¯t help but feel that they were a bitcking. ¡°¡­.Although I was sure that it would be the case, it looks like you haven¡¯t invited Balzac,¡± Hiridus said eventually. Eugene couldn¡¯t deny it, ¡°Yes, well. My master would also be displeased by it, so¡­.¡± Eugene felt pleased by the direction this conversation had taken. He turned to look at Hiridus with bright eyes. ¡°Could I ask what type of person the ck Tower Master is?¡± Eugene asked him. ¡°What kind of answer do you want to hear?¡± Hiridus didn¡¯t seem flustered by the sudden question. Eugene admitted, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the ck Tower Master used to be part of the Blue Tower of Magic in the past.¡± ¡°So you want to hear about Balzac¡¯s past? Or do you want something more recent?¡± Hiridus continued to ask. ¡°Is there a big difference between the two?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°They¡¯re not that different. Even in the past, Balzac was mysterious, and it was hard to tell what he was thinking. Though that¡¯s still the case today¡­,¡± Hiridus chuckled as he shook his wine ss. Hiridus seemed to be looking dozens of years into the past within his swirling wine. Haltingly, he began to speak, ¡°¡­What I still can¡¯t understand is¡­ why Balzac left the Blue Tower of Magic. At the time, I was¡­ inferior to Balzac. Though I¡¯m afraid that might still be the case.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± Eugene encouraged him. ¡°No, I¡¯m speaking seriously. I can say this since I¡¯m from the same generation as Balzac. He could have be the most outstanding Tower Master in the history of the Blue Tower of Magic. However¡­ I guess that wasn¡¯t enough for him. It¡¯s not like I can¡¯t understand why that might be. No matter how amazing a human¡¯s magic is, in the end, it¡¯s still just a human¡¯s magic. It¡¯s impossible to surpass the magic of a Demon King,¡± though after having said this, Hiridus burst intoughter. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s not an absolute. Because there¡¯s the Wise Sienna as the exception to this. That¡¯s why I have to ask, Eugene, just how much have you been able to understand about Lady Sienna¡¯s magic?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really asking me if I truly understood it? I just made sure to observe it diligently,¡± Eugene said humbly. ¡°However, you must have gotten something. But don¡¯t worry about telling me since I have no intention of spying on your research,¡± Hiridus assured him before falling silent for a moment, lost in thought. When he came out of it, he said, ¡°¡­So I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re going to Nahama.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°The desert is a harsh ce,¡± Hiridus warned him. ¡°It¡¯s hot, and there are a lot of sandstorms. This is important advice, so make sure not to forget it. If you insist on going to Nahama, make sure to hide the fact that you¡¯re a Lionheart once you¡¯ve entered.¡± ¡°My master also told me to do that,¡± Eugene reported. Hiridus provided some more information, ¡°Currently, things there are unsettled. Lately, the Assassins of Nahama have been seen wandering around during the day rather than solely at night. Hopefully, they won¡¯t try to persecute you just because the Lionheart n is part of the Kiehl empire, but¡­ there¡¯s nothing wrong with keeping your guard up regardless, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to keep your words in mind.¡± Eugene had no intention of ignoring the old wizard¡¯s advice. It¡¯s not like his words were meant to insult Eugene. Hiridus had said this because he was worried about Eugene. In the same vein, Eugene also had no intention of ignoring Balzac¡¯s advice. Eugene judged,¡®If there is a scheme going on, rather than Molon, Anise should be the one behind it.¡¯[1] Most recently, one hundred years ago, Molon had been sighted attending the ceremony tomemorate the founding of Ruhr. But Eugene couldn¡¯t even imagine how Molon, that fool, might have had anything to do with his reincarnation. 1. Just a small reminder from a previous chapter that Anise wasst seen in the desert of Nahama. That¡¯s why Eugene feels like it¡¯s more important to go to Nahama than to Ruhr, since he is inclined to believe that she knows more about his reincarnation than Molon.? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts OBW: Being so irreverent might just be one of Eugene¡¯s greatest talents. Momo: Eugene had me at, ¡°Are you gay?¡± Couldn¡¯t stopughing all by myself. Yojj: Hahahaha, Eugene kills me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello DR readers! It¡¯s Yojj~ We¡¯ve heard and taken your feedback into consideration. We have been splitting chapters so that you may enjoy DR on a daily basis but as the novel gets interesting, we understand that some may want to read the full chapter instead. If the public decides on full chapters, then the release rate would be 4 full chapters from Mon to Thurs, and a bonus chapter on Fri if the chapter length over those 4 days are too short. Damn Reincarnation¡¯s uing chapters starting from August onwardsand your satisfaction hinges on your votes so be sure to vote! The poll will be open for 3 days and will close on July 30th, PST~ And as always, thank you for your enthusiastic support~ Chapter 59.1 Chapter 59.1 No matter how you looked at it, a cloak bristling with fur stood out in a sweltering desert. But the solution to this was simple. Among the various enchantments built into it, the Cloak of Darkness also had a simple transfiguration enchantment. It was only at the level of removing the fur and reducing its thickness, but that alone was enough. In this Nahama desert, where sandstorms blew constantly and the temperature dropped to below freezing at night, there were many travelers who wore such clothes. ¡®Although it would reduce its dignity.¡¯ But this wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s opinion. Melkith El-Haya, the original owner of this cloak, had informed him about the transfiguration enchantment while adding these words at the end. Naturally, Eugene didn¡¯t care in the slightest about reducing the cloak¡¯s dignity. ¡°Aroth and Kiehl really are first-world countries,¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he brushed the sand out of his hair. The reason Aroth was called the Magic Kingdom wasn¡¯t just because of the Five Towers of Magic and all the wizards congregating in that country. It was also because everyone in the country was extremely familiar with the use of magic. Aroth used magic for all kinds of things. From the floating stations and flying carriages soaring through the sky to the magically created streetmps that illuminated the ground below. Except for Helmuth, Aroth was the only country that was integrated with magic to this level. No other country was as familiar with magic as Aroth. This fact stood out most strongly in the matter of warp gates. It may have been difficult to make all of those warp gates that connected the sprawling streets of Aroth, but maintaining them was even more challenging. Since Aroth was chock-full of excellent wizards, it was possible for them to maintain these hundreds of warp gates, but other countries weren¡¯t able to do the same. Honestly speaking, even if they could, they wouldn¡¯t do it. Although warp gates were convenient, their instation came with several risks. Even in modern times, dozens of people died each year, disappeared, or lost their minds due to warp failure. Here, for example, there weren¡¯t that many warp gates in his current location of the Desert Kingdom Nahama. The few warp gates that existed were reserved for the country¡¯s high-ranking nobles, and foreigners were not permitted to use them. Of course, if he used the Lionheart name, it was possible for Eugene to get permission to use these warp gates. However, since not only his master, Lovellian, but even the Blue Tower Master had advised him against it, Eugene had no intention of revealing his family name any time soon. ¡°Ptew.¡± Eugene spat out the sand stuck to his lips and inserted his hand into his cloak. He pulled out two pieces of paper from among the various things stored within the cloak. One of them was a map of all the restaurants that specialized in serving cactus scorpions that Hera had hurriedly prepared for Eugene when she had heard that he was going to Nahama to sample the cactus scorpions. Although Eugene felt grateful for this, it was useless to him. Because he hadn¡¯te here to this swelteringly-hot, constantly-sandy desert just to do something like eating some scorpions. Still, as he felt grateful for her kindness, Eugene couldn¡¯t just throw it away. The other piece of paper was a map of Nahama that he had received from Lovellian. It wasn¡¯t just any ordinary map. It was a magical map that had been linked to the spatial coordinates of wherever Eugene was standing, allowing him to know precisely where in the world he was. Currently, Eugene was in the western end of Nahama. If he went quite a ways north from here, he would eventually arrive in Turas. Usually, if he was hoping to look for his lost tomb, Eugene should have sought entry into the borders of Turas to visit his hometown. However, there was no longer any need for that. Three hundred years was a very long time. The Nahama Desert was gradually expanding its territory during this time. About once every few decades, horrendous sandstorms appeared here sporadically, advancing unnaturally and engulfing thends beyond the desert. After three hundred years of this, Hamel¡¯s hometown, the vige in the frontier region of Turas, had already be part of the desert. Turas was just a small kingdom. They had no choice but to retreat in the face of these cmitous sandstorms and the desertification of thend, so these desert expansions inevitably became new territory for Nahama. ¡®I guess that¡¯s one way of conquering another country,¡¯Eugene mused. And with this method, there was no real need to go to war. Only an idiot would be ignorant of the fact that humans were behind the desertification caused by these sandstorms. The ones responsible for these sandstorms weren¡¯t as infamous as the ck wizards, but even three hundred years ago, they were already fairly notorious. In the era when the Demon Kings were gathering their power, the demonic beasts were being spread throughout the world, and the monsters were being driven mad. Some countries gathered their troops to face the Demon Kings, while other countries gathered their troops to take advantage of the opportunities left by this chaos. Nahama was one of thetter. They took advantage of the war and stationed their troops on their border with the Kiehl Empire. If Vermouth hadn¡¯te to Kiehl, Nahama would have been able to invade Kiehl and ascend into the ranks of empires. Nahama was a country that Eugene hadn¡¯t particrly liked even in his previous life, but even after three hundred years had passed, his impression of them hadn¡¯t improved in the slightest. This wasn¡¯t because he had lost his hometown to them, however. On the contrary, he even felt a little grateful to Nahama for this. Thanks to that, Eugene had no need to try and cross the borders into two countries. * * * There were a few things bothering Eugene. The first was the desert. The heat was no big deal, but the non-stop gusts of sand felt like shit. Fortunately, Eugene¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t too bad, thanks to the Storm Sword Wynnyd. Using the sword, Eugene was able to summon wind spirits who helped him shed all of this sand without having to take a bath. However, the gusts of sand weren¡¯t the only problem in this desert. The desert was both vast and barren. No matter where you turned to look, there was only sand. After passing by the warp gate on the western border, he hadn¡¯t seen a single vige, let alone a city. This didn¡¯t really matter that much. He already had a map that would keep him from losing his way even in this vast desert, and he had plenty of food and water packed in his cloak. As for theck of shelter? Well, that certainly might be a difficult challenge for a young master of the prestigious Lionheart n who had grown up in thep of luxury; but for Hamel, who had been forced to live the life of a wanderer from a young age, he was already used to it. So even though the desert was cold as hell at night, when hey down covered by the Cloak of Darkness, Eugene was actually put into a cheerful mood as he recalled the good old days. ¡®It¡¯s nice to be able to see the stars so clearly,¡¯Eugene thought positively. Wrapped up in his cloak, Eugene stared up at the night sky. Although the night skies of Kiehl and Aroth were also quite beautiful, they couldn¡¯tpare to the sky of a desert without a single source of illumination. If it weren¡¯t for those bastards hovering in the distance, he would have been in an even better mood to appreciate the night sky than he was now. ¡®How many days has it been?¡¯Eugene wondered. It was about four days after he had passed through the final city¡¯s western gate. Usually, when crossing a desert, normal people would never think of doing it alone. At the gate, which all foreigners needed to go through in order to leave the city, there were a lot of travelers looking forpanions to cross the desert together. That way, they could cooperate with each other, or even form a temporary caravan. They could also collectively hire guides and escorts familiar with the desert. These were some of the safest ways to cross the desert, but Eugene didn¡¯t choose any of them. Instead, he decided to just cross the desert all by himself, and that was literally what he did. Without even riding a camel, he set out to cross the desert by relying solely on his own body. This was because Eugene had judged that walking on his own two feet would actually be faster than riding a camel. Back to the present, Eugene thought to himself,¡®Are they really thieves?¡¯ That had been his first suspicion. But for thieves, their behavior was strange. They had been following behind Eugene since two days ago, but instead of attacking him to steal his belongings, they had just kept following Eugene¡¯s trail while maintaining a long distance between him and them. ¡®Identity cards are convenient, but at times like this, they sure are a fucking pain.¡¯ Three hundred years ago, fake IDs weremon. As long as you handed the guards a few pennies along with an identity badge you picked up from somewhere, you could easily pass through any gate you liked. However, in this day and age, since it wasmon for identification cards to be linked with your blood, it wasn¡¯t so easy to forge one¡¯s identity. Since it was so hard, and things would just get annoying if he got caught, Eugene had decided to forego such an attempt. ¡®So who are they?¡¯ Eugene had had no choice but to present his real ID at the city gate. He had also given quite a bit of money to the person in charge who had been on the verge of making a fuss about it. Eugene had thought that he¡¯d managed to convince the guy with his threats and bribery to just keep quiet and let him through, but it looked like that damn bastard had just pocketed his money and then reported it to his superiors. That was probably why he now had a tail. Being a member of a prestigious family wasn¡¯t always a convenience. With a click of his tongue, Eugene took out his map. For the past four days since he had left Kajitan, he had moved quite quickly. This body of his didn¡¯t tire easily, and his mana was also up to snuff. Thanks to that, he was able to move faster than he would have while riding a camel. If he kept up this pace, Eugene would arrive at his past life¡¯s hometown in three days at the verytest. But he had no intention of dragging this troublesome tail home with him. Eugene had left them alone for the past two days to better check their intentions, but since these guys were keeping quiet, it looked like he would need to make them speak up, even if that meant using force. Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts Even in modern times, dozens of people died each year, disappeared, or lost their minds due to warp failure. OBW:This sounds scary, but then you remember how many people die due to car idents each year, or even from airnes. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello DR readers! It¡¯s Yojj~ We¡¯ve heard and taken your feedback into consideration. We have been splitting chapters so that you may enjoy DR on a daily basis but as the novel gets interesting, we understand that some may want to read the full chapter instead. If the public decides on full chapters, then the release rate would be 4 full chapters from Mon to Thurs, and a bonus chapter on Fri if the chapter length over those 4 days are too short. Damn Reincarnation¡¯s uing chapters starting from August onwardsand your satisfaction hinges on your votes so be sure to vote! The poll will be open for 3 days and will close on July 30th, PST~ And as always, thank you for your enthusiastic support~ Chapter 59.2 Chapter 59.2 ¡°I really am amazed whenever I see it. Isn¡¯t that guy cold?¡± Laman clicked his tongue in astonishment as he lowered the telescope. They had been following Eugene at a distance for the past two days, but that boy from the Lionheart n seemed to be so naive and ignorant that it was difficult to believe that he was a young master from a prestigious family. Eugene hadn¡¯t even brought an escort with him. Well, Laman had heard that the Lionheart n was a famous martial n and that the boy showed exceptional talent even among the other Lionhearts of his generation. Although he was born from a coteral line, he had been adopted into the main family due to some kind of Bloodline Continuation Ceremony¡­. Well, whatever. It wasn¡¯t like Laman really held an interest in all of that. No matter how amazing the Lionheart n was, the person they were following was just a neen-year-old brat. And as rumors were usually just exaggerations of the truth, Laman was more afraid of failing his master¡¯s orders than he was of a young master from a distant, foreign country. ¡°I think it might be some kind of a ritual,¡± Laman¡¯s lieutenant spected. ¡°A ritual?¡± Laman repeated. The man continued, ¡°Didn¡¯t they say that he¡¯s almost reached the age where he¡¯s going to be regarded as an adult? Our tribe sends young men who are about to reach adulthood on a journey away from the tribe.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so special about that? Our tribe¡¯sing-of-age ceremony was also like that. Most of the tribes living in this desert have simring-of-age ceremonies,¡± Laman replied with a snort of derision. ¡°So what? You think that boy is challenging the desert to prove that he¡¯s a man?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s not the case, then what other reason could there be for such actions? He doesn¡¯t light any fires or pitch any tents and just keeps walking through the desert from morning to night¡­ hunting whatever monsters he encounters¡­. We¡¯ve only been watching him for so long, but the boy¡¯s behavior does seem no different from a person going through one of our desert tribe¡¯sing-of-age ceremonies.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that someone from the Kiehl Empire¡¯s Lionheart n would reallye all the way to this desert just for aing-of-age ceremony?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know his reasons, but remember what our master told us? He said we should not allow that boy to enter the Kazani desert.¡± That was their master¡¯s only order. Although even Laman hadn¡¯t been made aware of the reasons for this order, Laman had no intention of rudely specting about their master¡¯s order. ¡°Let¡¯s just get some sleep ourselves as well,¡± Lamana ordered. ¡°After all, that hardworking boy is sure to get back on the move early in the morning.¡± ¡°It seems that the Lionheart n really is amazing as they say it is. There¡¯s no way he could be familiar with the desert, but he¡¯s already able to walk so fast. Anyone looking at him would believe that he was born in the desert¡ª¡± Laman¡¯s talkative lieutenant couldn¡¯t finish what he was saying. As he turned to look behind Laman, his mouth fell wide open. Unable to understand why his lieutenant had such a shocked expression, Laman also turned his head to look. Then, Laman¡¯s jaw also dropped just like his lieutenant¡¯s. For behind Laman was the approaching figure of Eugene Lionheart. While following Eugene for the past two days, they had quickly learned that the boy was able to travel incredibly fast, even though Eugene wasn¡¯t riding a camel, nor was he equipped for such a desert crossing. He only had one cloak, and his shoes were an ordinary pair that might be seen being worn just about anywhere, but even so, that boy was able to run across the sandy desert like his feet were stepping on hard, t ground. And that was the case even now. No, could such a speed really be called running? For a moment, Laman was forced to question what he was seeing. Since they hadn¡¯t wanted Eugene to notice that they were tracking him, Laman and his men had stayed at a good distance. Far enough away that they shouldn¡¯t have been able to be seen without using a telescope. They hadn¡¯t neglected to blend in with the terrain either. Even now, Laman and his men were keeping low behind the ridge of a sand dune. But even so¡­. A pure white me could be seen clearly weaving through the darkness. This was the first time he had seen it in person, but even Laman had heard all about that famous mana me. It symbolized the Lionheart n¡¯s White me Form, the dazzlingly white lion¡¯s mane. ¡°G-get back!¡± Laman shouted the order. Their master hadn¡¯t given them orders to confront that boy, so it was best to withdraw. But how¡ªno¡ªsince when had that young man noticed them? Eugene was charging directly towards them, at far too fast a speed. The reasonable distance that they had kept no longer seemed so reasonable. For now, Laman could only pull out his kukri from his side. ¡®Like I thought, they aren¡¯t assassins,¡¯Eugene decided upon seeing them. There were two particrly famous and powerful forces in Nahama. The Sand Shamans and the Assassins. Looking at their level of stealth and clothing, Eugene¡¯s followers didn¡¯t seem like assassins. Judging by their clothes, they appeared no different from ordinary travelers attempting to cross the desert, but that was likely their disguise. Laman¡¯s face stiffened as he screamed, ¡°Stop!¡± He realized that it was toote for them to retreat. The boy had approached faster than expected. ¡®Stop? Did he really just try to tell me what to do? Why should I?¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t respond to Laman¡¯s cry. He was curious to see who his followers were. He also wanted to know what they were scheming by following behind him like this. He might have been able to find out by greeting them with a smile and chatting about this and that, but Eugene hadn¡¯t even given any consideration to such a method in the first ce. If something like that could actually work, why would they try to follow him secretly? Laman gritted his teeth. He had clearly stated his demand, but the other side wasn¡¯t listening. Had they been mistaken for thieves? Since the other side was already attacking them, it was toote for them to try and resolve the misunderstanding through dialogue. Their master had told them to secretly follow the boy¡¯s trail. If they wanted to carry out hismand properly, then instead of trying to resolve the confusion, it would be better to allow this confusion to continue. ¡®Let¡¯s just allow him to believe that we¡¯re thieves,¡¯Laman decided. They just needed to subdue the boy first, then they would steal a moderate amount of money and leave. This method wasn¡¯t the cleanest way to go about it, but perhaps this mugging would convince this boy to return the way he hade. To Laman, this didn¡¯t seem like such a bad oue. If that boy had continued to head forwards without changing his direction tomorrow, then Laman would have had to intervene in some form anyway. Laman¡¯s mana covered his kukri in a gray sword-force. Eugene¡¯s eyes lit up as he spotted this sight. Being able to create sword-force, which was the next level up from sword-light, meant that his opponent was a fairly skilled warrior. ¡®It¡¯s been quite a while,¡¯Eugene thought with anticipation. In thest two years, Eugene had spent most of his time breathing in the smell of ink rather than the scent of blood, and he had usually been holding a pen and paper instead of a sword or other weapons. As a result, his brain had been seeing a lot more use than his body. Although he had made sure to work out in theboratories every day, he had spent much more time learning magic and working on his thesis. Moreover, while working out in theboratories, Eugene was always on his own. While back at the Lionheart¡¯s main estate, he¡¯d had Cyan, Gilead, Gion, and other knights to serve as his sparring partners. It had been two years since hest fought seriously with someone like this. Eugene felt delighted by this surprising realization. Learning magic had certainly been fun, but in both his previous life and his current one, Eugene found moving his body to be even greater fun. Laman had shown off his sword-force, but he didn¡¯t take a swing. He had only taken out his sword in order to disy a bit of a threat and get Eugene to stop. But soon, Laman realized things weren¡¯t working out as he intended. That neen-year-old youth from the Lionheart n was still charging at their group of ten, despite this being a desert with no one around to help him. Even on this dark night and with Laman clearly disying the existence of his sword-force right in front of him, Eugene didn¡¯t show even a trace of fear. Instead, he seemed to be somehow amused as the corners of his mouth were lifted in a smile. Seeing this smile, Laman knew that he could no longer think of his opponent as a youth who had yet to experience hising-of-age ceremony. This was definitely a young lion who had grown strong enough to lead his own pride. The Cloak of Darkness fluttered around Eugene¡¯s shoulders as he ran, covering his arms and making them difficult to see. As Laman shuffled backward, he raised his kukri a little higher. Boom! With a thundering p from Eugene¡¯s cloak, a white light split apart the darkness. With a grunt, Laman swung his kukri. It wasn¡¯t just a half-hearted sh meant to act as a deterrent. Laman had instinctively felt that doing so wouldn¡¯t be safe, and he was soon proven correct. Ching! A silverish-blue de leaped out of Eugene¡¯s cloak and collided with Laman¡¯s kukri. Or at least, Laman had expected a collision. But he was wrong. Rather than an equal collision, he was struck with an overwhelming force. Laman¡¯s kukri was wrenched upward, and his wrists and arms were now throbbing with pain. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Laman quickly threw himself backward with a gasp. The sh was over in an instant, but his men were already moving. His lieutenant, who was slightly behind him, was already holding up his own kukri. The lieutenant quickly rushed forward to face Eugene in ce of the retreating Laman. But as he was rushing forward, he suddenly froze. Because Eugene was now holding a loaded crossbow in his left hand. But when did Eugene get an opening to pull it out? Until just now, his left hand had been empty. Shshsh! As he slid down the sand dune, Eugene kept his crossbow raised. The lieutenant couldn¡¯t tear his gaze away from the bolt aimed precisely at his chest. He wouldn¡¯t have been so afraid if it had just been for the bolt. The lieutenant was a skilled warrior who could even catch an arrow when it was flying at him. However, he couldn¡¯t do anything about the sand beneath him suddenly swallowing his feet. ¡®A spell!¡¯ There was no incantation. The spell had just activated suddenly. The lieutenant quickly attempted to pull himself free, but Eugene¡¯s spell didn¡¯t just stop at copsing the ground beneath him. Led by mana, the sand formed into dozens of tentacles that wrapped around the lieutenant¡¯s legs. ¡°How dare you!¡± Laman¡¯s other subordinates also charged forwards. Only then did Eugene loosen his crossbow. Twang! The lieutenant wasn¡¯t able to avoid the bolt. Fortunately, its head only pierced his shoulder, not his chest, but no matter where it had hit, getting shot by a crossbow bolt still hurt. Eugene hadn¡¯t just unleashed a crossbow bolt. Dozens of magic missiles also shed through the darkness alongside it. It was only then that Eugene spoke up, ¡°Who are you?¡± Laman wasn¡¯t able to respond immediately. Right now, the only ones still standing on their feet were Eugene and Laman. Chapter 60 Chapter 60 If he was just going to ask them that, why didn¡¯t he try talking to them first? What kind of thug would just assault them out of nowhere to get his questions answered? These questions ran through Laman¡¯s mind as he red at Eugene. Although Laman was listening to these questions, he still didn¡¯t lower his guard. Laman wasn¡¯t able to spot any openings on Eugene as he stood there in a slightly crooked stance. Eugene had also been able to cross that long distance in an instant and had been able to knock back Laman¡¯s sword-force with just a swing of his own sword from an unstable position. To top it off, Eugene had shown his skillful use of magic without any incantations. Taken together, it was unbelievable. Laman gulped nervously. Objectively speaking, Laman was an exceptional warrior. At least in this region, there was no warrior better than Laman. But it was exactly because of this that Laman couldn¡¯t help but be wary. Laman shuffled backward in order to widen his field of view. This allowed him to observe the state of his defeated subordinates. Although no one had died, they weren¡¯t in good condition either. His men had gotten their bones broken by the magic missiles, and his lieutenant had a crossbow bolt stuck in one shoulder while being bound by tentacles of sand. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer me?¡± Even as Eugene impatiently asked such a question, the tentacles of sand didn¡¯t disappear. Dozens of magic missiles were also still hovering above Laman¡¯s fallen subordinates. How was Eugene able to wield a sword even as he maintained multiple spells? And all while showing not a single opening? Laman may not have learned any magic, but even he knew that what Eugene was doing currently required an impossible level of skill for a neen-year-old. ¡°¡­We¡¯re thieves,¡± Laman eventually confessed. ¡°It seems that Nahama is quite the powerful country,¡± Eugene scoffed as the corners of his mouth twisted up in a wry grin. ¡°After all, the leader of a group of measly bandits, with less than ten members, is actually able to give off sword-force from his de. If a bandit group of this size is at that level, that must mean a gang of bandits with more than a hundred people will have at least ten men who can exert sword-force.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Laman stayed silent. Eugene continued, ¡°And how strong must the soldiers be to be able to suppress such bandits? That¡¯s quite amazing. If they have that kind of military power, won¡¯t Nahama be able to unify the continent?¡± Laman tried toe up with an excuse, ¡°As thieves, we¡¯re just¡­ a little special¡­.¡± ¡°Hey, old man. I¡¯m telling you, stop with your bullshit and just speak honestly,¡± Eugene said with a snicker. Having said this, Eugene confidently strode forward, but Laman couldn¡¯t retreat any further. ¡°Truth is, I don¡¯t really need you to answer me. You can keep silent if you like. Because I have my own ways of making you talk,¡± Eugene menaced. Was this really a young master of the prestigious Lionheart n? Although his face was that of a youth¡¯s, the words spilling from his mouth sounded like they could havee from the type of mercenary one would find at a pub. On top of that, there was Eugene¡¯s gaze. It was tantly exuding killing intent. How was it possible for a flower grown in a greenhouse to give off a killing intent like that? ¡°¡­Just who the hell are you?¡± Although Laman knew this was a strange question, he couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to ask it. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you mean by that,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°You should have known who I was before you started following me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re Eugene Lionheart,¡± Laman finally admitted. Eugene confirmed, ¡°That¡¯s right, it seems you¡¯re well aware of my identity.¡± ¡°But are you really¡­ Eugene Lionheart?¡± ¡°If not, then who else could I be?¡± As Eugene spat out these words, he kicked off the ground. The sand from the dune burst up and exploded in all directions. But there was no way that Laman could lose sight of Eugene¡¯s figure even in the countless grains of sand. Or at least that was what he thought. Eugene¡¯s figure disappeared in an instant. Such a movement was impossible with just speed alone. Laman¡¯s senses didn¡¯t miss the fact that the mana in the air had fluctuated. He quickly turned and swung his kukri to the side. ¡®Even Blink?¡¯Laman eximed as he moved instinctively. Tching! His kukri shed against Wynnyd. Although Wynnyd¡¯s de was thin, it was covered in a denseyer of mana. This was sword-force. Laman couldn¡¯t be sure of it from only their first sh, but now he was certain of his suspicion. For Eugene¡¯s mana to not be scattered when his sword collided with Laman¡¯s own de of sword-force could only mean that Eugene was using sword-force as well. There was no time for Laman to be astonished by this fact. He still needed to pay attention to other things, even with Eugene right in front of him. Laman felt a chill running down his back as a magic missile that had been hidden in the cloud of sand flew towards his blindspot. Magic Missile was only a First Circle spell. It was a spell that just about anyone who called themselves a wizard could use, but even when their Circles increased, most still favored Magic Missile as an attack spell due to its ease of use. Magic missiles could be cast with just a small amount of mana, and their trajectory could be changed at will depending on their caster¡¯s mana control. And mana control was something that Eugene had been skilled in ever since his previous life. Eugene¡¯s mind was capable of guiding each projectile individually, and the Ring me Form amplified the power of every projectile. Laman couldn¡¯t afford to ignore such an attack. Mana burst out from Laman¡¯s core. Grayish-white mana wrapped around his body. This was a Mana Shield. Since it was just a technique meant to coat someone¡¯s body with the mana that they possessed, the use of this defensive technique wasn¡¯t differentiated between a wizard and a warrior. But its defensive power varied greatly depending on the user¡¯s level of strength. Usually, a mana shield constructed by a warrior of Laman¡¯s level should be able tough off a blow from a First Circle offensive spell. However, Laman¡¯s body shook as he felt a heavy shockwaveing from behind him. As Laman was forced to stagger forwards, Eugene¡¯s sword pierced through the opening this had created. ¡°Ugh!¡± At first, Laman thought that he¡¯d been cut. But he wasn¡¯t. Eugene¡¯s sword just lightly grazed the surface of the mana shield that Lamana had erected. It had to have been deliberate. Eugene had purposely held back. Laman¡¯s eyes widened in anger. ¡°How dare you insult me!¡± Laman roared and violently swung his kukri. Each time his kukri, which was curved in the shape of a crescent moon, sliced through the air, it created a distinctive whooshing noise. Although Laman swung his kukri like this dozens of times, he wasn¡¯t able to make any contact with Eugene. Just by shuffling his feet slightly, Eugene could easily evade Laman¡¯s de. Usually, there was no way that Laman would grow tired just from swinging his sword like this. However, Laman¡¯s breathing was gradually getting heavier and heavier. It was because of the mounting pressure. Even when he swung his sword with all his might, Laman still couldn¡¯t hit Eugene, and the youth from the Lionheart n was no longer smiling like he was before. His calm eyes weren¡¯t showing any traces of agitation. Even in the face of shes that could cost him his life with just a touch, Eugene was still able to stay so calm. All of this was putting pressure on Laman. On top of that, it wasn¡¯t just Eugene that he needed to pay attention to. Laman didn¡¯t know when another spell mighte flying at his back. He could also be sucked into the ground like his lieutenant. Or something might even fall on his head from above. The range of Laman¡¯s guard needed to be increased for each variety of attacks that Eugene had shown. This limited what actions Laman was capable of. He couldn¡¯t afford to take risks. Just as Laman was on the verge of panting for breath, Eugene jokingly offered, ¡°How about I don¡¯t use magic?¡± These words caused the hair on Laman¡¯s head to stand up in rage. This was the first time he had ever been so insulted. ¡°Kaaaaaah!¡± Laman burst out in a shrill cry. The sword-force wrapped around his kukri intensified in strength. He was going to kill Eugene. Although Laman¡¯s master hadn¡¯t ordered him to do so, his warrior¡¯s pride that had been insulted was more important than his master¡¯s orders. ¡®Now things are looking up,¡¯Eugene smirked to himself. Not only had it been a few years since he¡¯d used his body like this, but this was also the first time for Eugene¡¯s reincarnated body to face an opponent who could output his sword-force like this. Whenever he sparred with Gilead, Gion, and the other knights of the main estate, they didn¡¯t use sword-light or sword-force for fear of possible injuries. As such, Eugene wanted to see what this man could do. This old guy facing him had been too cautious in his attacks after iming he was a thief. With toothless blows like those, no matter how much Laman swung his sword, Eugene would suffer flesh wounds at most. Now though, there was some weight to Laman¡¯s blows. Smirking, Eugene swung his shoulders, and his arms shook as he sprang into action. Bambambam! Grains of sand were sent flying with each step Laman was forced to take back, and drops of blood dripping from his cuts mixed in with the sand. Even though he was seeing it personally, Laman still couldn¡¯t believe what was happening to his body. ¡®These cuts,¡¯Laman winced. How many times has it been? Laman¡¯s whole body was stinging in pain. The cuts weren¡¯t deep, only skin deep at most. Neither his bones nor his muscles had been broken by these blows. Was it a miracle that they were all shallow? No, the truth was, Eugene was holding back on him. Laman¡¯s beard trembled in agitation. ¡°Kiaaah!¡± Laman roared once more and charged at Eugene. However, the results of this attempt weren¡¯t much different from those that hade before. By the time Laman had finished taking a step forward, Wynnyd had already made dozens of shes. Eugene¡¯s sword was unbelievably quick. But the even more rming thing was that none of the cuts made by his sword ovepped. This meant that the youth wasn¡¯t just swinging his sword haphazardly; he knew exactly where his sword was going and where each of his blows wouldnd. ¡®The intensity of his mana. His magic. And even¡­ his swordsmanship¡­. How on earth does someone like this exist?¡¯Laman thought resentfully, cursing the heavens for their unfairness. As blood poured down his body, Laman rushed at Eugene once more. Eugene just snorted at Laman¡¯s show of bravery. Kwaaah! A cloud of sand was sent flying with a boom, and Laman was left panting in the middle of the aftermath. He had squeezed out thest of his sword-force in a single instant, erupting into arge explosion. However, even with this, he hadn¡¯t been able to touch Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t you need to take care of your subordinates,¡± Eugene chided him. The voice wasing from behind him. As Laman felt a chill run down his spine, he spun around to look back. Laman saw his lieutenant and the other soldiers under hismand floating in the air. Eugene casually threw them aside and tucked Wynnyd into his cloak. ¡°What¡­ do you think¡­ you¡¯re doing?¡± Laman gasped out. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell just by looking at it? I¡¯m putting away my sword,¡± Eugene stated the obvious. ¡°I still haven¡¯t been defeated!¡± Laman insisted. Eugene shrugged, ¡°I know.¡± Pop pop pop. Eugene cracked his knuckles as he walked over to Laman. ¡°So I¡¯m going to defeat you now,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°Kaaaah!¡± Laman rushed at him with another scream. Eugene ducked under the sh that flew at him and clenched his fist. Pow! A fist covered in mana crashed through Laman¡¯s mana shield and drove into his side. ¡°Kagh!¡± Laman¡¯s breath was driven out of him, but the assault didn¡¯t stop there. Eugene skillfully swayed his body backward and then, for the sake of fairness, mmed his fist into Laman¡¯s other side as well. A blow to Laman¡¯s stomach came after that one. When Laman staggered, unable to endure the pain, Eugene immediately swung his leg and kicked the outside of Laman¡¯s thigh. Eugene wouldn¡¯t allow Laman to fall with just that. He grabbed Laman by the cor and held him up. Then he swung his fist up into Laman¡¯s jaw twice. When Laman was about to vomit, Eugene mmed his chin upwards, preventing Laman from opening his mouth. Laman choked, ¡°Gah¡­.¡± Laman felt himself losing consciousness, but he was still holding on to his kukri. He tried to swing his kukri to somehow change this situation, but it didn¡¯t work out. Eugene just grabbed Laman¡¯s wrist and twisted it. Then, with his other hand, he grabbed Laman¡¯s head. Using his sword first and then putting it away¡ªthis wasn¡¯t because Eugene had the intention of sparing Laman. It was all to show off a tant disregard for Laman as a threat and thus break his will. Eugene was demonstrating that he could crush someone like Laman with just his bare hands. Having seen the truth of this, Laman¡¯s will was immediately broken. Compared to being sliced dozens of times with the sword, being beaten up by the fists of a neen-year-old youth was much more painful and depressing. ¡°Hold¡ª¡±onis what Laman wanted to say. But Eugene didn¡¯t bother to allow Laman to finish. Bang! Laman¡¯s head was spiked into the sand. Since the ground wasn¡¯t that hard, Eugene didn¡¯t have to worry about cracking Laman¡¯s head in two. ¡®I still don¡¯t know who¡¯s behind these guys,¡¯Eugene reminded himself. The situation was different from when Eugene had dealt with the ck wizard in Aroth. This was a foreign country¡ªa ce where Eugene didn¡¯t even have Lovellian to look out for him. If the one behind this old guy was at the very least a noble of Nahama, this might turn into a political fiasco. He didn¡¯t want to put any more wrinkles onto Gilead¡¯s already troubled and worn-out face. That said, Eugene wasn¡¯t going to be excessively merciful either. Bang, bang, bang! Eugene mmed Laman¡¯s head into the sand a few more times. Laman¡¯s already broken will was utterly crushed. With the bitter taste of the sand entering his eyes, nose, and lips, Laman¡¯s tears and blood turned the sand into mud. Laman stammered, ¡°S-stop¡­.¡± Laman knew that he was really going to die. And he wasn¡¯t going to die fighting with honor but instead be left dead in a barren patch of the desert while pretending to be a thief. The realization of this was terrible, and so was the pain he was in. In a shaking voice, Laman could barely spit out this plea for mercy, and only then did Eugene¡¯s hands pause in their ce. ¡°Who are you?¡± Eugene asked once more. Laman tried to speak, ¡°I am¡­.¡± The moment Laman hesitated while replying, Eugene mmed Laman¡¯s head into the ground once more. ¡°Your response waste,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°If I ask you something, answer me right away. It¡¯s also fine if you answer me before I even ask.¡± What did Eugene even mean by saying it was okay for Laman to answer before being asked the question? Although this thought went through Laman¡¯s head, he didn¡¯t voice his protest. Instead, he confessed, ¡°M-my name is Laman Schulhov.¡± ¡°Hah? What¡¯s with your tone, you motherfucker,¡± Eugene cursed. Bang! Laman¡¯s head crashed into the ground once more. He repeated, ¡°M-my name is Laman Schulhov, Sir!¡± Bang! Laman pleaded, ¡°J-just what is it you want to hear from me¡­?¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°Forgetting the Sir again? This motherfucker.¡± Bang! A cry came from elsewhere, ¡°Please stop!¡± Having seen his superior thrown around like this several times, the lieutenant, who was still suspended in the air, twisted his body to face them and pleaded with Eugene. As blood trickled down from his nose and mouth, Laman looked up at his lieutenant. The lieutenant stammered, ¡°O-our master is Tairi Al-Madani¡­.¡± Bang! Even though the lieutenant was the one who answered the question, Laman¡¯s head was still smashed into the ground once more. In that brief moment, Eugene had understood the rtionship between Laman and his lieutenant. He realized that this upright old man would really refuse to tell him anything, no matter how many times he was hit. Bang! ¡°And who is that?¡± Eugene asked even as he mmed Laman into the ground once more. Eugene¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t aimed at Laman but instead at the lieutenant. But Laman was the one to respond to his question in a dizzied voice, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t tell him anything¡­.¡± Not listening to Laman¡¯s order, the lieutenant revealed, ¡°Our master¡­. Tairi Al-Madani is the Emir of Kajitan!¡± Rather than his master, who was far away, the lieutenant was more afraid of the one who kept mming Laman¡¯s head into the dirt right in front of him ¡ª Eugene. Eugene recalled that Kajitan was the city right on the western border of Nahama, which Eugene had just left. This meant that Laman was a subordinate of the lord of Kajitan. Bang! The lieutenant continued stammering, ¡°O-our master¡­ he¡­ he wanted us to¡ª¡± ¡°To? Hurry up, you motherfucker,¡± Eugene urged. Bang! ¡°He-he wanted us to¡­ secretly follow you¡­ Sir Eugene¡ª¡± Bang! ¡°I-I¡¯m not sure of his reasons¡­ but¡ª¡± Bang! ¡°Please just let go of the captain¡¯s head! I¡­ I can¡¯t give you a detailed reason. B-but¡ª¡± Bang! ¡°He told us¡­ not to allow you to enter the Kazani desert¡­!¡± Only then did Eugene stop pounding Laman¡¯s head into the ground. ¡°Why?¡± he asked simply. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m not really sure¡ª¡±! Bang! ¡°No, really¡ª¡± Bang! ¡°It¡¯s the truth! Really, I swear that I¡¯ve told you everything that I know. I truly don¡¯t know his reasons for this. Truly,¡± the lieutenant pleaded as tears poured down his cheeks. After eyeing him for a few moments, Eugene snorted and released Laman¡¯s head. That said, he wasn¡¯t just going to allow Laman to go free. Eugene plopped his butt down on Laman¡¯s back as he sat and stroked his chin.Kazani. That was the name of the desert that Eugene would enter if he kept going in this direction. It was also the location of Eugene¡¯s hometown. Three hundred years ago, the frontier of Turas had been in the middle of what was now the Kazani desert. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he want me to enter?¡± Eugene pondered. The lieutenant answered, ¡°He-he didn¡¯t say anything about that.¡± ¡°There usually isn¡¯t anything to see in a desert.¡± ¡°Kazani¡­ no beast or monster even lives there. There aren¡¯t any oases either.¡± This was only natural. The Kazani desert had only been created recently as the epicenter of the sandstorm that was gnawing at Turas¡¯s territory. It didn¡¯t have an oasis, and rain only fell rarely. Kazani was a harshnd that no one could live off. It wasn¡¯t like there hadn¡¯t been any attempts to make this wide desert livable. Just a few decades ago, an artificial oasis was created in Kazani with a vige surrounding it. However¡­ a sandstorm had suddenly engulfed the oasis and the vige, and after this had happened several times, Kazani had been abandoned as an uninhabitable wastnd. ¡®Could it be the headquarters of the Sand Shamans?¡¯ That was Eugene¡¯s first thought. But although it was obvious that Nahama was using the desertification to gnaw away at Turas, that didn¡¯t exin why they would want to keep the young master from the prestigious Lionheart n from entering Kazani. ¡®Or could Amelia Merwin be¡­?¡¯ In Nahama, the one that Eugene was the wariest of was Amelia Merwin. The ck wizard who had signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration and who was being supported by Nahama. Not only did she have a bad personality, but Amelia Meriwn also had as much power as a natural disaster, so even Nahama treated her with caution. It was strictly forbidden for tourists, as well as the citizens of Nahama, to enter the Ashur Desert, which was where her dungeon was located. The Ashur desert was a long way from here, and there was no reason for Eugene to go there. It was also far away from where Anise hadst been sighted. ¡°¡­Hm,¡± Eugene organized his thoughts. Raising his head, he looked around at Laman¡¯s subordinates, who were sunken into the sand. They hadn¡¯t just stayed still while Laman was getting thrashed. They had tried to attack Eugene several times, so Eugene had used magic to bury them in the sand until only their heads were sticking out. ¡°You all can go back,¡± Eugene said with a wave of his hand, then he tapped the top of Laman¡¯s head, ¡°But you¡¯ll being with me.¡± ¡°¡­Hah?¡± Laman grunted. Eugene pointed out, ¡°No matter what, you can¡¯t allow me to enter the Kazani desert, right? I don¡¯t really care about that, but it would be annoying if I get into a pointless argument by going there.¡± ¡°What does that¡­ have to do with me going with you¡­?¡± Laman groaned. ¡°If someone does make a fuss about it, I¡¯ll just me you,¡± Eugene exined. Laman was struck dumb, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°You get what I¡¯m saying, right? I¡¯ll use you, and thus your own master, as a shield. You said that your master is the Emir of Kajitan, right? Doesn¡¯t that mean I can silence any annoying protests by using his name?¡± ¡°¡­Th-that¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°Or would you rather die to me here? Of course, your subordinates will be dying along with you.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Or else you could just return to your master, tell him that you failed to follow me and that you were beaten to the brink of death? Of course, I have no reason to keep quiet about this. Didn¡¯t you call yourself thieves when we first met? I¡¯ll tell everyone that the Emir of Kajitan disguised his subordinates as thieves to steal the Lionheart¡¯s treasures¡­ how about that?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­! We never intended to do something like¡ª¡± ¡°Who do you think they¡¯ll believe, your words or mine? For now, what¡¯s certain is this: the Lionheart n will definitely believe my side of the story. After all, I do have things that are valuable enough to tempt you to steal them.¡± With a grin, Eugene pulled out Wynnyd¡¯s hilt from inside his cloak and showed it to them. ¡°You know what this is, right?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s Wynnyd, the Storm Sword used by the Great Vermouth, the ancestor of our Lionheart n. It¡¯s an item that just about anybody would covet. Or at least that¡¯s what most people would think, no? So they¡¯re sure to believe that the Emir of Kajitan pulled something so devious because he lusted for Wynnyd.¡± Unable to say anything, Laman could only purse his lips. Although the length of time that Laman had suffered under Eugene was brief, he couldn¡¯t treat Eugene¡¯s words as a mere threat. What if Eugene really went around saying something like that? Laman¡¯s head would be sent flying, and perhaps so would his subordinates¡¯. Even his master, Tairi Al-Madani, might lose his head if things went wrong. ¡°U-understood,¡± Laman had no choice but to concede. Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts OBW: ve get! This really reminds me of how Weed managed to recruit his own subordinates. ¡°If I ask you something, answer me right away. It¡¯s also fine if you answer me before I even ask.¡± Momo: LOL good ol¡¯ Eugene Chapter 61 Chapter 61 Although Laman¡¯s subordinates dreaded the thought of returning without him, they had no choice but to do so. Before they left, they straightened out their stories about what had happened here. During their covert pursuit, Eugene Lionheart had attempted to enter the Kazani Desert, forcing them to try and stop him. However, it had been impossible for them to stand firm in the face of the stubbornness from this young master from the Lionheart n, and they had also failed to persuade him. As such, their captain, Laman, had decided to apany Eugene alone. For now, they allowed Eugene to enter the Kazani Desert as long as he promised to turn back at the first sign of danger or trouble. None of them could be sure that Tairi Al-Mandani, the Emir of Kajitan, would ept such a story. The wounds that they had received from Eugene had been treated somehow with potions and healing magic, but¡­. in the end, their master¡¯s orders had been to prevent Eugene from entering Kazani, not to act as an escort and go with him if they weren¡¯t able to deter him. Thanks to this, Laman was so unsettled that he couldn¡¯t help but stay up all night long. After admitting to himself that even if his subordinates hadn¡¯t spoken up for him, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to stand the fear and pain that Eugene had brought him for much longer, Laman felt greatly ashamed of himself. Owing your loyalty to your master and having tight lips were important virtues for a warrior. But Laman had betrayed his master. His lips, which should have been as tight as a lock,[1]had pped freely. He was also concerned about how his subordinates, who had been left with no choice but to return, would be treated¡­. However, this was for the best. Although dying at Eugene¡¯s hands was certainly a scary thought, Laman was more afraid that both his and his master¡¯s honor would be tarnished because of this failure of his. He tried tofort himself with the thought that he was protecting their honor by following Eugene, but Laman¡¯s heart still couldn¡¯t rest easy. On top of that, Laman couldn¡¯t sleep because of all the slices and bruises that Eugene had inflicted upon his body, especially his face, which had been repeatedly smashed into the sand. On the other hand, Eugene was having a good night¡¯s sleep. While Laman was tortured throughout the night with pain in both his body and heart, Eugene was sleeping like a baby some distance away, wrapped up in his Cloak of Darkness. Laman looked over to Eugene and clicked his tongue in dumb-founded shock. Although he had been beaten up, Laman¡¯s limbs were still intact. His hands and feet hadn¡¯t been tied up, and neither had Laman had his weapons taken from him. If he could only muster up the confidence, Laman could have attacked Eugene whenever he pleased. ¡®Is he just that arrogant¡­. No, it can¡¯t be,¡¯Laman rejected such an idea. Eugene wasn¡¯t tossing and turning, nor was he snoring. He seemed to be deep asleep, breathing slowly with a calm look on his face. Even so, Laman still didn¡¯t dare to get close to him. In that short time, the violence his body had been subjected to had broken Laman¡¯s will to resist. Also, Laman still couldn¡¯t see any openings in Eugene. Eugene was definitely asleep. Whether it was his breathing or his pulse, all the signs indicated that he was in slumber. Could he be faking his sleep? But what reasons would Eugene have for doing so? Laman¡¯s defeat was by no means idental. He had been thoroughly defeated by that neen-year-old boy from the Lionheart n. It wasn¡¯t just a lucky shot. Laman¡¯s defeat was the natural result of the overwhelming gap in skill between him and Eugene. ¡®¡­Could it just be a habit?¡¯Laman spected. Laman guessed that Eugene was so ustomed to danger that he could fall asleep deeply even when he didn¡¯t know where the danger wasing from or what form it might take. While his mind might be fast asleep, his body was ready to respond to any threat. Laman wondered if he should try and test his guess, but then he recalled that hecked the skills to do so. With a snort of derision, Laman just continued covering his body in bandages. In the first ce, calling it a mere test would be ridiculous when he was risking getting his throat cut. It was pointless to get anywhere near Eugene. ¡°Shall we get moving?¡± Eugene suggested. Mornings came early in the desert. Eugene had immediately gotten up as soon as the rays of dawn began spreading across the sky. Even though he had just woken up, his eyes were unbelievably clear and bright. ¡°¡­Alright,¡± Laman reluctantly agreed. In the end, Laman hadn¡¯t been able to get even a wink of sleep. Even so, he didn¡¯t show any fatigue. Laman was also ustomed to harsh conditions. As a warrior who could skillfully control his mana, he could recover from his fatigue with a handful of mana even if he went without any sleep. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re in a bad mood because I treated you so rudely?¡± Eugene questioned him. ¡°Not at all,¡± Laman denied. Eugene continued prodding, ¡°Then are you upset because I trampled all over your honor?¡± ¡°¡­Not at all,¡± came Laman¡¯s dyed reply. ¡°Your first reply was quick, but the one just now was slightly slower. Ah, it¡¯s fine if you are upset. I said what I did because I wanted to upset you, and that¡¯s why I beat you up as well,¡± Eugene admitted as he started walking ahead, patting the sand off his cloak. ¡°But that was yesterday¡¯s business. Since the night has passed and the sun has risen on a new morning, let¡¯s just start the new day with a new frame of mind.¡± Laman wasn¡¯t sure what this bastard intended by saying such things. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Are there any Sand Shamans in the Kazani Desert?¡± Amid Laman¡¯s confusion, another question had arrived. Laman couldn¡¯t think of a reply immediately and just stared silently at Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t know,¡± warned Eugene. ¡°I-I truly don¡¯t know,¡± Laman stammered. Eugene threatened him, ¡°Do you really want to spend some more time in hell at my hands?¡± ¡°No way¡ª! I really, truly don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll swear this on everything that I have,¡± Laman insisted. Laman was being sincere. And why was Eugene asking if there were any Sand Shamans in the Kazani desert? Why would the Sand Shamans, who had sworn sole loyalty to the royal family of Nahama, be in the Kazani desert, which was so far away from the capital? ¡°What¡¯s your rank?¡± Eugene suddenly asked. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Laman sounded confused. ¡°You said that your master is the Emir of Kajitan. Since you even had subordinates with you, you must have some kind of military rank,¡± Eugene rified. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ themander of the Second Division of the Red Sand Warriors, a unit under the directmand of my master,¡± Laman revealed. A unit under the Emir¡¯s directmand. This was no different from a knightly order serving under a noble. This meant that being the captain of the Second Division had to be a fairly prestigious position. With the skills that Laman had shown yesterday, the position of captain wasn¡¯t wasted on him. Eugene turned his head around to scan Laman¡¯s face. What he saw there was just shame and fear. It didn¡¯t feel like Laman was lying to him. Eugene now knew why someone like Laman, who had already reached the rank of captain, had been sent on a mission like this. Laman was both honest and loyal. However, loyalty could never be an absolute guarantee. Meanwhile, ignorance could always be relied upon. No matter how much you terrified, intimidated, and tortured someone, they couldn¡¯t b about what they didn¡¯t know. In that respect, Laman was the perfect patsy. Eugene sighed, ¡°Are you an idiot, old man?¡± ¡°¡­Huh¡­?¡± Laman was perplexed by the sudden insult. ¡°The Kazani Desert. It used to be the territory of the Kingdom of Turas, right?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°Why on earth would you bring up something so ancient¡­. It¡¯s true that it was the territory of Turas around a hundred years ago,¡± Laman yed along with Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s right. But a sandstorm appeared out of nowhere and turned all the finend and forests into a desert. Since the rest of their border with Nahama also turned into a desert, Turas had no choice but to cede this territory to Nahama.¡± Although Eugene called it a cession, it was basically extortion. While iming that the spread of the desert had been mandated by heaven, the Sultan of Nahama stationed his warriors in the desert and began conducting military exercises. As a small country, Turas definitely couldn¡¯t risk a dispute with Nahama; and no righteous country on this continent would shed the blood of its soldiers just because it felt pity for such a small country. ¡°The desertification is still gradually progressing even now, isn¡¯t that right? Since your guys can¡¯t pull off such rubbish against the Kiehl empire, you just keep beating down on the pushovers in Turas,¡± there was a clear tone of usation in Eugene¡¯s voice. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you dare spread such nonsense,¡± Laman warned Eugene. ¡°Unlike your appearance, it seems that you¡¯re rather naive, old man. Or could you just be pretending to be naive?¡± Eugene asked. In an uncertain tone, Laman argued, ¡°Even if what you say is true¡­ there¡¯s no way our master could be involved in such despicable actions¡­.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t your orders to conceal your identities and follow me around rather despicable?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­. He was just worried that you might run into danger in such a treacherous desert¡­.¡± ¡°It looks like you really don¡¯t know anything. Well, that¡¯s fine. Since it¡¯s not like it¡¯s important whether or not you¡¯re aware of the truth,¡± Eugene shook his head as he said this and turned to face forward. ¡°But you should get one thing straight. I have no intention ofing all this way to a foreign country just to get mixed up in a conflict that I can¡¯t handle, got it? I can roughly guess why your master wouldn¡¯t want me to head into the desert. If a foreigner wanders into the base of the Sand Shamans, and if that foreigner happens to be the young master of the Lionheart n, wouldn¡¯t that just be a pain in the ass for everyone involved?¡± If Eugene was just some guy, then they could get rid of him without any concern. It wasn¡¯t umon for travelers to go missing in this vast desert. However, the disappearance of the Lionheart n¡¯s young master would hold much different weight. If Eugene were to go missing in the desert, Gilead, the Patriarch of the n, would never just let this issue rest. ¡°¡­I believe that I understand what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Laman replied as he lowered his gaze. ¡°If there really are¡­ Sand Shamans in there like you spected¡­ then before they can harm you, I will step in to protect you, my lord. Even if the Sand Shamans are directly under the sultan¡¯smand, they should at least show some respect for my master, the Emir of Kajitan.¡± ¡°It would be nice if that were the case,¡± Eugene said without any confidence. ¡°¡­But my lord¡­ why do you want to go to the Kazani desert?¡± Laman hesitantly asked. ¡°There really is nothing to be found there¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s something I¡¯ll need to confirm with my own eyes,¡± Eugene stated firmly. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if he could really find Hamel¡¯s grave in the desert. To a certain extent, this was all just supposition. It could be that there was nothing to be found there after all. But that said, he still felt the need to check it. Without saying anything more, Eugene started running across the desert. ¡®He¡¯s so fast,¡¯Laman eximed to himself as he immediately began following Eugene. Although Laman had been beaten ck-and-bluest night, fortunately, none of his bones had been broken. Thanks to him circting his mana instead of sleeping, Laman wouldn¡¯t have any problems keeping up, even if they were running. Though that should have been the case, it still proved difficult for Laman. While it didn¡¯t seem like Eugene was running particrly vigorously, with each step he took, his body was sent flying across the sand. Laman still had time to wonder to himself.¡®¡­Could the sandstorms really¡­ be the work of the Sand Shamans?¡¯ As a warrior, Laman didn¡¯t consider invading other countries to be an evil deed. After all, there was nothing wrong with the strong taking from the weak. This wasn¡¯t just aw of the desert; everything in this world ran on the survival of the fittest. But to use a sandstorm as their means of invasion¡­ wasn¡¯t something like that truly despicable? Laman felt that if there was going to be war, then it was only right that it should be a ¡®real¡¯ war, where warriors shed their own blood for victory. But what if the great sultan was just showing that he valued and cherished the blood of his warriors? If he was indeed saving their blood from being shed until the day of their great war for conquest by doing this, then his soldiers should just prepare for the war with feelings of both joy and gratitude. This was all that a warrior could wish for. But it looked like Laman Schulhov wasn¡¯t truly a warrior, as he could feel a treasonous emotion beginning to wriggle in the depths of his heart. Laman tried to ignore this feeling. * * * ¡°¡­An oasis¡­?¡± Laman gasped. A day had passed since Laman had started apanying Eugene, and they had entered the Kazani Desert. Just as Laman and his lieutenant had said, the desert was barren andpletely empty. It was a desert where nothing could survive. But that seemed to be all there was to it, as they hadn¡¯t encountered any particr dangers during the half a day they had spent in this desert. Then they had abruptly spotted an oasis. Laman stared at the distant oasis with a look of disbelief. The Kazani Desert had no oases. That was why nothing could survive there, and Laman couldn¡¯t be more familiar with these facts. But for them to have discovered an oasis¡­ Could a terrible sandstorm have churned up the ground, freeing the water below? Or had the rain fallen here unnoticed and collected on the ground? Either way, Laman felt that the oasis they had spotted in the distance had to be a miracle of the desert. ¡°It¡¯s fake,¡± while Laman was looking at the oasis with ecstatic eyes, Eugene spat out these words in a cold tone. Laman was bemused, ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°I said that it¡¯s fake,¡± Eugene repeated himself. ¡°Are you saying that it¡¯s a mirage?¡± Laman asked. ¡°If you see a mirage of an oasis, it means there must be a real oasis somewhere in the distance. But not in this case. That¡¯s a magical illusion.¡± Eugene was certain of this. He had gotten the feeling that from that point onwards, the density of mana was different from the surrounding area. But Laman hadn¡¯t been able to identify this as illusion magic like Eugene had. This was because his sensitivity towards mana was far lower than Eugene¡¯s, and he didn¡¯t have the same deep understanding of magic that Eugene did. ¡°So that¡¯s how they do it,¡± Eugene nodded with augh. ¡°By showing us a mirage, they¡¯re trying to make us think that we¡¯re heading in the wrong direction, thus discouraging us from getting closer. But that just makes it even more suspicious.¡± Laman was slow to react, ¡°You¡¯re saying that¡¯s a spell¡­. That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°Hey, Laman. Try to keep your attempts to escape reality inside your own head. Don¡¯t piss me off by pointlessly spouting your weak attempts at denial,¡± Eugene warned him. Laman bit his lip in silence, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s admirable that you¡¯re showing loyalty to your master, but it¡¯s not like your master is my master as well, right?¡± ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t insult my master.¡± ¡°When did I ever use your master of being a son of a bitch? What do you mean by saying that I insulted him? Why are people so sensitive to such things nowadays? They keep making up insults from nothing.¡± What was with Eugene saying ¡®things nowadays?¡¯ Setting that thought aside, Laman forcefully rxed his shoulders and lowered his gaze. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s really illusion magic, what should we do now? It would be dangerous for us to try and detour around it, so¡­. Since they¡¯ve gone so far as to cast such a spell to deter us, why don¡¯t we just go back the way we came¡­?¡± Laman weakly suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll need to take a closer look before deciding what to do,¡± saying this with a grin, Eugene started walking towards the distant oasis. Laman protested, ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say it¡¯s an illusion? So why do we have to go there?¡± ¡°To see if they really are trying to send people to a safe ce by making them turn back the way they came.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°For travelers in the desert, an oasis is an extremely precious site. To the extent where they would feel the need to make a stop there once they¡¯ve seen it.¡± ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be. Do you think that they might have an ambush lying in wait?¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t that probably be the case? If it were me, that¡¯s what I would do. Rather than deter an intruder who might stille barging in from who knows where, it¡¯s overwhelmingly more convenient and efficient to slit their throats after reeling them in.¡± Laman looked at Eugene with shaking eyes. Although logically speaking, Eugene¡¯s words were correct, it was hard to believe that such a judgment hade from a neen-year-old boy. Laman hesitated, ¡°¡­If that really is the case¡­ then why even risk the danger¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better to confirm your suspicions?¡± as he replied, Eugene pulled out his map from his cloak. If Eugene wanted to head directly to where his hometown used to be three hundred years ago, he needed to pass straight through that oasis. However, was it possible that someone might have left a trap here knowing that was the case? Three hundred years ago, Hamel had been the type of person who would just go ahead and check it out himself if he suspected a trap was in front of him. Hamel hadn¡¯t considered such actions to be reckless. Since he was sure he could handle whatever it threw at him, why not risk triggering the trap. So what if there really was a trap? He could just smash right through it. And if there wasn¡¯t a trap? Then he could just head on through with a more rxed mindset than before. Eugene would actually prefer it if the oasis was a trap. He hoped that someone really was there waiting to ambush them. If that was the case, that would make it a little easier for him to n for future situations. It could also confirm that his grave was somewhere in this desert. Currently, the presence of Nahama¡¯s Sand Shamans was just a suspicion on his part. But the fact that the oasis in front of him was an illusion cast by magic titled Eugene¡¯s suspicions over to certainty. If that really was a trap meant to bury any travelers in this desert and not guide them back to a safer location¡­. ¡®Then that just confirms it.¡¯ And if it wasn¡¯t, then he would just have to make another decision at that time. Whether to just continue exploring all by himself to find the unknown location of his grave or if he should properly seek permission for a full expedition. ¡®The Emir of Kajitan and Laman Schulhov, themander of the Second Division of the Emir¡¯s personal guard. With those two behind me, that¡¯s at least a little insurance¡­ and if that doesn¡¯t work, I can also use the Lionheart name as additional insurance,¡¯Eugene nned. If his attackers just chose to ignore all of that, that just meant that there was something over there important enough to risk turning the Lionheart n into an enemy. ¡®So what could it be?¡¯ His thoughts turned to the rumors that there would soon be a war. ¡®But is that really something that Nahama itself has decided on?¡¯ Amelia Merwin was based in Nahama. A ck wizard who had signed a personal contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. It was a well-known fact that she represented a huge proportion of Nahama¡¯s military strength. If Nahama truly was preparing for a war¡­ was that because the war was what Helmuth had decided upon? Or was Nahama just concealing a growing ambition beneath Helmuth¡¯s gaze? This was a question that he couldn¡¯t answer. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t just ignore his suspicion that the Demon Kings and Helmuth might be involved in all of this. He couldn¡¯t risk ignoring the possibility. Eugene cursed, ¡°Fucking hell, why is it so difficult just to find a grave.¡± ¡°¡­A grave? Are you here because you wanted to visit the grave of a family member?¡± Laman asked. ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°How could that¡ªwhy didn¡¯t you just tell me this earlier?¡± Laman asked exasperatedly. Eugene returned his question, ¡°And what would you have done if I did?¡± ¡°There¡¯s an area allocated separately as a cemetery in Kazani,¡± Laman exined. ¡°I could have just led you right there¡ª.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not in a cemetery. The grave I¡¯m looking for should be all on its own.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯m not sure what kind of grave you¡¯re looking for, but there must be hundreds of thousands of corpses buried in this vast desert.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably true. Are you a native of Kazani?¡± Eugene suddenly spat out this question without turning to look back at Laman. For a moment, Laman didn¡¯t know what to say and just pursed his lips. Eugene listed his observations, ¡°There¡¯s the way your eyes lit up when you looked at that oasis earlier. There¡¯s also the fact that you keep flinching during the regr sandstorms. Also, your mood shifted when I told you about the Sand Shamans.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­,¡± Laman appeared reluctant to speak. But Eugene didn¡¯t need him to say anything, ¡°Were you part of the group who tried to settle in the desert? So you were lucky enough to survive the disastrous sandstorm and somehow managed to reach Kajitan¡­. Was it your master who allowed you in? So that¡¯s why you don¡¯t want to believe that your master is connected to the sandstorms, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re starting to have some doubts about it¡­.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Laman¡¯s silence confirmed Eugene¡¯s conclusion. ¡°Hey, Laman. Let me give you a piece of advice,¡± Eugene offered. ¡°With the way that the world works, most of the things that we don¡¯t want to believe are true turn out to be correct. And among those, it¡¯s especially the suspicions of someone secretly being an absolute shithead that turns out to have been the truth.¡± Laman ground his teeth. Eugene continued, ¡°Although you might indeed owe a great debt of gratitude to your master, it should also be true that your master knows about the origin of the sandstorms. What Tairi Al-Madani never expected was the fact that I was strong enough to beat both you and your subordinates with ease. He also didn¡¯t know I would be stubborn enough to head into Kazani anyway, ignoring all the threats and warnings.¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s no way that¡¯s the case,¡± Laman couldn¡¯t stay silent any longer. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to keep your attempts at escapism inside your head? Well, do whatever you want. It¡¯s up to you to decide what you want to believe,¡± saying this with a snicker, Eugene continued to walk forward. At that moment, Laman¡¯s expression suddenly changed. He kicked off the ground and charged at Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s dangerous!¡± Laman wasn¡¯t attacking Eugene. With a fearful cry, Laman pushed Eugene¡¯s back as a dark de erupted from the sand beneath Eugene¡¯s feet. But Laman¡¯s hands weren¡¯t able to move Eugene¡¯s firm back. Then Eugene jumped straight up and spun around in midair. ¡°Do you really think I would miss something that you had noticed?¡± As Eugene grumbled, he summoned some wind spirits. Boom! The sand covering the ground was blown away by a strong force of the wind. 1. The Korean version of this idiom is ¡®lips as heavy as a rock¡¯ which means someone is able to keep a secret.? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts OBW: Fun fact, Eugene shared a piece of dangerous misinformation in this chapter. If you see a mirage in the desert, that doesn¡¯t mean an oasis is actually nearby. A mirage is caused by a heat haze bending the light to make it appear like water, there doesn¡¯t need to be any actual water nearby. Chapter 62 Chapter 62 Gales were mid-level wind spirits. If Sylphs were able to raise a breeze, then Gales were able to raise strong winds. Although there wasn¡¯t even a single breath of wind currently blowing in the desert, the moment that the Gale was summoned, a strong breeze stirred up the sandy ground. No, it didn¡¯t just stop at stirring up the sand. Eugene¡¯s power amplified the Gale¡¯s strength, creating a burst of wind that sounded like an explosion had gone off. All the surrounding sand erupted instantly, and Laman, who had been trying to push Eugene, was also sent flying head-over-heels. ¡°Whoah!¡± Laman cried out in panic, but Eugene just stared down at the ground while floating in mid-air. Deep beneath the cracked surface of the sand, a man with a mask covering his whole head was writhing in pain. His mask was dyed a dark color, but the areas around his ears looked especially dark because of the blood that had burst from his ears due to the sudden explosion. Eugene recognized him, ¡®He¡¯s from the Assassins.¡¯ There was never just one of them. Eugene¡¯s eyes quickly swept his surroundings. In the spaces where the wind wasn¡¯t able to blow, he could sense the swept-up sand deviating slightly. Eugene¡¯s mind reached out to the Gale. The formless wind cried out a roar as it churned with even more ferocity. Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh! Now that the whole area was obscured in a veil of billowing sand, Eugene decided to cast some spells. ¡®It¡¯s nice to have a lot of options on what to use,¡¯he mused to himself. A dozen mounds of sands erupted once more with explosions. The sand that had been sent flying by these explosions blew at the Assassins who had been waiting in ambush. They quickly raised their mana shields and tried to throw themselves out of range, but it was impossible to avoid all the grains of sand that were spread across such a wide area. Blood had sttered everywhere. The assassin who had been the first to attack Eugene was left in a truly terrible and torturous state. He had been too close to Eugene¡¯s counterattack and had already been injured, so he wasn¡¯t able to react in time. He was pierced by hundreds of sand bullets and had turned into a block of swiss cheese. Even so, the man didn¡¯t let out a single scream. The Assassins of Nahama were trained not to make a sound under any circumstances. However, even if they couldn¡¯t scream, that didn¡¯t mean they were immune to pain, and it also didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t die. Unable to keep standing any longer, the Assassin fell to the ground. The conditions of the other Assassins were a little better. Although they were bleeding from wounds piercing into their body in several ces, they weren¡¯t at any risk of copsing. So they all took a step back and eyed Eugene. Their eyes were their only features not covered by their masks. Although one of theirrades was dying right in front of them, not a shade of fear could be seen in their eyes. That said, there weren¡¯t any traces of anger either. These Assassins had no need for such emotions. ¡°This was just self-defense,¡± for now, Eugene decided to try talking. ¡°You¡¯re the ones who attacked me first. If I hadn¡¯t been able to avoid the attack, my crotch would have been split in two.¡± ¡°L-lower your weapons!¡± Laman cried out as he ran over from the distant spot he had fallen in. ¡°I am¡­ Laman Schulhov, a warrior serving under the Emir of Kajitan, Tairi Al-Madani. Know that the one you are showing such hostility to is my master¡¯s guest!¡± Although the fact that there really were Assassinsying an ambush here had shaken Laman, he didn¡¯t forget the reason he had been dragged all the way here. Laman continued, ¡°That is why you should all lower your weapons immediately and stand back. If you refuse, I will be forced to regard that as a challenge to the authority of my master, the Emir of Kajitan.¡± Even as he cried out these orders, Laman¡¯s eyes glistened with a dark emotion. But the Assassins did not withdraw, nor did they show any signs of backing down. Instead, they readied themselves in fighting stances as they began to emit a cold killing intent. And these weren¡¯t the only ones. In the distance, the sand stirred, and over a dozen Assassins rose from the ground. In the end, Eugene and Laman were surrounded by at least twenty Assassins. Laman was shocked, ¡°Why on earth¡­? Could it be that they didn¡¯t hear me?¡± Although Laman tried to repeat himself; once again, there was no reply. As the Assassins held up their weapons, their des shining in the sunlight, they exchanged nces among themselves. Laman stammered as he tried to convince them, ¡°I-I¡¯m telling you that this man is the guest of the Emir of Kajitan. Also, he happens to be the young lord of Kiehl Empire¡¯s Lionheart n.¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± Eugene said with a shrug, his face showing that he had been expecting this. ¡°Laman, those words will only give these puppies even more motivation to silence us and make their decision to kill us even easier.¡± ¡°What do you¡­?¡± Laman trailed off in confusion. ¡°Since they¡¯ve already attacked us, there¡¯s no way they¡¯re just going to let us off. Ah, though they might decide not to kill me, they¡¯re sure to kill you,¡± Eugene informed him. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they intend to kill you, Lord Eugene?¡± ¡°Because my dying will cause them quite a headache. That said, they can¡¯t just let me leave either. But those bastards should probably have a lot of unspeakable means to keep me from saying anything inconvenient.¡± Like poison or drugs, they might even have spells for that. There might be a variety of methods at their disposal, but in the end, they just had a single purpose¡ªto prevent any witnesses from divulging what they had experienced to anyone. In fact, the simplest method was just to kill them. Corpses couldn¡¯t speak and would always hold their silence. However, since the other person was a member of the Lionheart n¡¯s main family, it was impossible for them to simply kill Eugene thoughtlessly. As such, instead of killing him, they would just have to keep him from opening his mouth. But to do that, they would first have to subdue Eugene. Laman paled, ¡°They would go so far¡­? Just why¡­?¡± ¡°Who knows,¡± Eugene replied with a snort. The Assassins weren¡¯t the only ones whose motivation had increased and who now found it easier to have reached a decision. Since these guys had revealed their intent to kill, Eugene would just have to treat them simrly. After all, Eugene wasn¡¯t the one who had started this fight. ¡°Shall I make the first move?¡± Eugene asked as his hands reached into his cloak and pulled some things out. The moment Eugene had asked this question, the Assassins all kicked off the ground as one. The first to move was the assassin who had copsed from his severe injuries and was now dying. He shouldn¡¯t even have been able to move properly, but the man still charged toward Eugene, crawling across the sand with his hands like a beast. This wasn¡¯t anything to be panicked out. Even though three hundred years had passed, the Assassins were still the same. They were terrifying bastards who prioritized their orders and missions over their own lives. Even if their limbs were all sliced off, they would still try to attack by wriggling their torsos like worms. During Hamel¡¯s time as a mercenary, he had shed with them on several asions. Thanks to that, Eugene was well aware of just how terrifying Assassins could be, and he was also very familiar with the only working method to stop these bastards, apart from being the one who gave them orders. Shiiick. The sand in the ground formed into des. The body of the first assassin toe running in unawares was split in half. He was dead for sure, but Eugene didn¡¯t spare the body even a single nce. The other Assassins were still attacking. They may have abandoned their stealth, but their movements were so swift and agile that stealth was no longer needed. They were using each other as cover, thus confusing their numbers, and they each began preparing different venues for attacks. If one went down, the next would attack, and if he went down, the next one would still be able to put their knives to Eugene¡¯s neck. With a snicker, Eugene lowered his body. p! His cloak billowed, and six throwing knives were sent flying forward. Three from each hand. Although they were all thrown at once, each of the daggers shot off in different directions, with each knife aimed at one of the six Assassins. They weren¡¯t just simple throwing knives either. Ching! Although all the Assassins took defensive action with a mana shield, they were still forced to stagger backward. That was just how heavy the daggers Eugene had thrown were. des of sand then erupted beneath the feet of the Assassins who had been staggered by his attack. They had already seen such an attack before, so they were able to react, but that wasn¡¯t the only threat. In an instant, the air around the Assassins turned heavy. This wasn¡¯t a metaphor. The air truly did grow heavier, pressing down on their shoulders. This slowed down their actions slightly, causing the des of sand that erupted from the ground to slice the Assassins¡¯ ankles and hips. Once again, there were no screams. All the same, there weren¡¯t any cheers of joy either. Even in such a state, all the six Assassins raised their short swords at once and threw them simultaneously, as if they had already arranged to do so. Eugene wasn¡¯t just standing still during all this. As he leaped forward, he transmitted his intentions to the Gale. As his mana infused into the wind, it altered the trajectory of his daggers. There was no need for the wind to guide the daggers the whole way. Just a slight twist in their trajectories had been enough to create an opening. An opening that Eugene didn¡¯t miss. Kwachik! Eugene¡¯s empty hands grabbed onto the heads of two Assassins, pushed them backward, and smashed them down to the ground. His cloak pped open as he fell, and when he came back up, both of Eugene¡¯s hands were holding onto arge ax. Kwaduduk! The ax that Eugene swung with the rotational force of his entire body chopped right through the bodies of the nearby Assassins. Blood sprayed out, and intestines spilled across the ground. Eugene didn¡¯t remain attached to the ax after swinging it once. After he had chopped everyone nearby into two, he let go of the ax, and as the ax flew away, still spinning in circles, it embedded itself into the chest of another Assassin. Apart from that ax, Eugene had many other weapons. Since he didn¡¯t know what might happen once he got to Nahama, he had made sure to prepare thoroughly. He had enough food and water tost for several months, as well as adequate changes of underwear. After he was finished preparing things like that, he had stuck all sorts of weapons into the cloak. Among all the weapons he had stored away like this, axes alone just counted for twenty of them. ~ ¡ªHamel, why do you go around carrying all those weapons that you never even use? ¡ªIf I have them with me, I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll use them sometime. ¡ªLeave him alone, Anise. I¡¯m telling you that this bastard won¡¯t listen to you no matter what you say to him. And also, well¡­ there¡¯s nothing wrong with being well-prepared. ¡ªBut Sienna, Hamel¡¯s behavior shouldn¡¯t be encouraged. All those useless weapons belong to Hamel, so why does Molon have to pull the cart carrying them? ¡ªIt¡¯s because I won when we yed rock, paper, scissors. ¡ªBut that¡¯s not fair either. Why were you staking who has to pull your luggage on a game of rock-paper-scissors with Molon? ¡ªWhy do you keep making me out to be a bad guy? Do you really think that¡¯s just my luggage over there? I can see an awful lot of jars of the ¡®holy water¡¯ that you like so much! There¡¯s also the ax that belongs to that bastard, Molon! That ax is the heaviest thing on the cart! ¡ªIf I was really the only one who uses my holy water, I would definitely carry it all by myself. But that¡¯s not the case now, is it? You and Sienna, you two brats are always the ones who end up coveting my holy water the most. Also, doesn¡¯t that idiot Molon always make a fist whenever he ys rock-paper-scissors? Do you really think it¡¯s fair to y rock-paper-scissors with such a fool? ¡ªWhat about Sienna? Isn¡¯t she the one who invited me to drink your holy water with her? And in the first ce, we wouldn¡¯t need to drag the cart with us if she could just store our luggage using her summoning magic! ¡ªWhy the hell are you ming me when you¡¯re the one who said that you would just travel while carrying your luggage because it was hard to take things out quickly right when you needed them?! ¡ªVermouth! You motherfucker, don¡¯t just stay silent and say something. Why don¡¯t you ever take turns pulling the cart? ¡ªNone of my weapons are on there. ¡ªMust be nice for you. Subspace magic sure sounds fucking convenient¡­. ¡ªIt does sound convenient, doesn¡¯t it? Isn¡¯t that why I¡¯ve said you should let me teach you magic? Although I¡¯ve never taught anyone before, I feel like I should probably be good at teaching. If you get down on your knees and beg¡­. W-well, I might just be willing to lose a little sleep so that I can kindly teach you a thing or two¡­. In his previous life, he had often been chastised by Anise for going around carrying so many weapons. ¡®If I just had a cloak like this in my previous life, I definitely wouldn¡¯t have been forced to listen to so many insults,¡¯ as Eugene thought wistfully, he inserted his hands into the cloak, and when they came out, they were holding two long, ded spears. It was overwhelming. Laman had taken a few steps forward to help Eugene, but stunned by the sight in front of him, he had frozen in ce, unable to advance any further. There wasn¡¯t any need for Laman¡¯s help. The twenty-plus Assassins looked like a herd of sheep that had met a wolf¡ªno, like ants who were being trampled beneath a person¡¯s feet. The Storm Sword Wynnyd, which was known to be one of the treasures of the Lionheart n, didn¡¯t even make an appearance, and Eugene didn¡¯t actively cast any offensive spells either. Apart from the intermittent casting of Blink, his magic was just used as a support during any critical moments¡­. Unable to believe what his eyes were showing him, Laman violently shook his head. Eugene was left standing in the center of the Assassins¡¯ strewn corpses. Rubbing off the blood sshed onto his cheek, he scanned his surroundings. Not a single Assassin remained alive. Laman struggled to find his voice, ¡°¡­Was there really a need¡­ to kill all of them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have the talents needed to open the mouths of these Assassins,¡± replied Eugene, as the wind moved at hismand. The weapons he had used and then tossed away floated into the air and returned to Eugene. The wind cleanly blew away the blood and bits of flesh that had covered his weapons as they flew towards him. ¡°There also isn¡¯t any need to interrogate them,¡± Eugene added. Laman stayed silent, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Furthermore, there¡¯s no need to search their bodies. Because the Assassins won¡¯t carry anything that could be used to prove their identities.¡± After he ced all his weapons back inside his cloak, Eugene turned to look at Laman. ¡°Do you n to keep going?¡± he asked. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Laman grunted in surprise. ¡°I mean, the reason I brought you here was to use your master¡¯s name for assistance. But these jokers seem to look down on the Emir of Kajitan. So there¡¯s no reason to drag you with me any further,¡± Eugene exined. Laman stammered, ¡°¡­Th-that might be the case, but I can¡¯t just return like this.¡± ¡°Why not? It¡¯s not like you need to worry about me. Is it because you want to personally confirm what¡¯s going on in front of us?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°¡­,¡± Laman¡¯s silence was enough of an answer. Eugene hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll be of much help¡­.¡± Laman weakly persuaded him, ¡°¡­I¡¯ll try not to be a burden for you, my lord¡­.¡± ¡°Fine, do as you like. But don¡¯t expect me to be duty-bound to help you out¡­.¡± As Eugene¡¯s reply trailed off, he started to walk past all the corpses. It was at that moment. Rumble rumble! The desert shook, and the mana in the atmosphere fluctuated. Eugene felt an enormous amount of mana being formed into a spell underfoot. He immediately escaped from that spot with a Blink and climbed high up into the sky with the wind supporting his body. The sand beneath his feet had started bubbling like a pot. The Assassins¡¯ corpses were covered in a red light, and Eugene saw them melt like ice. They were being used as an offering. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened at this realization. ¡°My lord!¡± Laman cried out. The desert had been transformed into a swamp. Even though the ground had been fine despite all the bursts of wind earlier, in an instant, the entire area had been converted into quicksand. As Laman leaped around, trying to resist the force sucking at his feet, he yelled at Eugene, ¡°Please run away!¡± Eugene had been expecting Laman to scream for help, but instead, he had shouted something unexpected like this. Eugene was perplexed by his shout, but he wasn¡¯t in a situation where he could pay any attention to Laman. The air was roaring with noise. Different from the winds created by his summoned spirits, another kind of unnatural wind was whirling below Eugene. Soon, it had formed into a massive tornado. Kazani was known for its sudden sandstorms, but no matter how sudden they might be, a sand tornado that appeared from out of nowhere like this and swelled in size was clearly abnormal. ¡°It¡¯s m-magic¡­!¡± Laman gasped, his face contorting. It was just as Eugene had said earlier. Most of the things one wished were not true turned out to be the truth. Especially when these truths were allegations about someone you respected actually being a shithead. Laman had no choice but to admit this. Kazani¡¯s sandstorms were caused by the Sand Shamans. This meant that the sandstorm that had engulfed Laman¡¯s vige was also caused by the Sand Shamans. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡± Laman roared and pulled out his kukri. He frantically started swinging his kukri at the tornado, which was slowly growing in size. But unfortunately, this was a meaningless endeavor. Laman¡¯s skills made it impossible for him to slice apart that huge sandstorm. The same went for Eugene as well. As such, he didn¡¯t even bother trying. He didn¡¯t want to waste any valuable strength by attempting the impossible. Eugene instead fixed himself in the air so as not to be dragged around by the sandstorm. The Gale¡¯s winds weren¡¯t enough to help him escape the sandstorm. All it could do was help him endure the pull. Then would a Blink be enough to get him out of here? Just as he was about to try it, Eugene stopped. Something was rising from below the quicksand. Eugene slightly shifted his position while still in midair. He nced down at Laman, who was still swinging his kukri in one sh after another as he was being sucked beneath the quicksand. Eugene clicked his tongue and sent some of his wind over to Laman. ¡°Ugh!¡± Laman, who was about to be sucked under, grunted as the wind pulled him free. Laman turned to look up at Eugene as his legs continued to peddle in midair. Eugene had sent some of the wind holding him in ce over to Laman, causing his body to gradually be drawn towards the tornado. Laman cried out in concern, ¡°M-my lord!¡± ¡°Get going, you idiot!¡± Eugene roared out this order and then turned his gaze away from Laman. In any case, the wind¡¯s help wouldn¡¯t be needed Chapter 63 Chapter 63 ???.[1] The noise that the sandworm made was long, drawn-out, and echoing. With a loud boom, the wind was sent flying as Wynnyd exploded a hole in its side. Eugene held on tightly to himself as his body was thrown out of the hole. His surroundings were pitch-dark. This couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, he had crawled through the long, winding body of the sandworm and torn a hole at its tail end before being expelled from it. Since the sandworm had tunneled up from beneath the quicksand, the ce where it hade from and where Eugene had now arrived was obviously deep underground. ¡°Ugh,¡± Eugene groaned as he got up from where he had fallen. He had been thrown quite a distance. Eugene was lucky that he hadn¡¯t hit a wall or any sand while flying through the air. He had been prepared to be buried in sand in the worst-case scenario, but as per his prediction, that hadn¡¯t happened. The only things summoned by that summoning spell were the quicksand terrain and the sandstorm. The sandworm itself hadn¡¯t been summoned. Although it may have been enticed, the sandworm had to have been inhabiting the ground beneath the desert beforehand. Since that was the case, there would obviously be a sandworm¡¯s nest deep underground. The ce where Eugene was standing now was precisely that sandworm¡¯s nest. Eugene looked around with a disgusted expression on his face. The first ce Eugene looked was up top. He could still see the sandworm¡¯s tail wriggling and twitching. He had pierced the sandworm a new anus, but would it die from that? He had no idea. Well, anyway, thanks to it, Eugene had been able to dive underground as he had been hoping to do. The tunnels underneath the desert were¡­ extensive. But that was also what he had been expecting. They were created by the sandworms burrowing through the ground beneath the desert with their massive bodies. Earthworms would at least have made the soil fertile in the process, but the sandworms didn¡¯t provide any such benefits. These sandworms sucked up all the water sources beneath the desert, draining any oases. Then the bodily fluids they excreted would solidify the sand as they burrowed, creating theseplex and useless tunnel systems deep beneath the desert. This meant that a sandworm was just a useless, vicious monster. This nest may have also been a water source for what could have be an oasis, but now there wasn¡¯t even a single drop of water left. In this desert, only one group of people could find a clever use for these useless sandworms. That would be the wizards. When wizards reached a certain level of magical power and started hearing people calling them Archwizards from all sides, they often started thinking about creating these things called ¡®dungeons.¡¯ Whether it was because they wanted to show off their superiority or to immerse themself in research that they didn¡¯t want others to know about¡­ the reason was unknown. These ¡®dungeons¡¯ were a powerful expression of a wizard¡¯s typical maverick temperament, and the most well-known type of dungeon was the byrinth.¡¯ The vast and empty deserts were a particrly ideal environment for coborating with a wizard¡¯s designs for dungeons andbyrinths. Dungeon Makers. Most monsters were harmful threats of no benefit to humans, but sandworms were beloved by wizards who chose to settle down in deserts. The sandworms¡¯ nickname of the ¡®dungeon makers¡¯ had been given to them by these wizards. ¡ªOnce you¡¯ve summoned them, they¡¯ll dig beneath the desert of their own volition and create abyrinth for you. It doesn¡¯t take them that long either. Maybe ten days at most? If you just leave them alone during that time, they will create aplexbyrinth deep underground. Even if there is a water vein nearby, they¡¯ll conveniently clear it up for you, and since they even get rid of all the wildlife above and beneath the surface, how much more convenient can they get? You can just leave them to their work, then, when the right amount of time has passed, you just go down and eradicate the sandworms. After that, all you need to do is to reinforce thebyrinth with magic¡­. ¡ªSo what? Are you nning on going to the desertter and making abyrinth for yourself to live in? ¡ªAre you crazy? I have nothing to be ashamed of, so why would I want to live deep beneath the desert? While recalling a conversation that had taken ce long ago, Eugene gauged the distance he had fallen. As he did, he pulled out his map and unfolded it. Although he had fallen deep underground, the location where Eugene was standing was still marked on the map. ¡®Looks like¡­ there is a path.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s luck was good. No, there was no way it could be this good. Eugene¡¯s face contorted. Judging from the map, this underground path lead straight to the vicinity of where Hamel¡¯s hometown had been in the past. Could this really just be called luck? Well, the desert was vast, and it was still uncertain whether or not this path would lead him all the way to his former hometown. That said, Eugene still couldn¡¯t let his guard down. The summoning spell had been cast from deep underground, and the ambush site was still nearby. If the Sand Shamans of Nahama were using this nest as a dungeon, he might run into a Sand Shaman or an Assassin somewhere ahead of him. But until then, there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. However, there was still the fact that up aheady Hamel¡¯s hometown. The knowledge of Hamel¡¯s grave had never been made known to the world atrge. There were no records of what had happened to Hamel¡¯s corpse. Even in the fairy tale Eugene had found in Sienna¡¯s Hall, it hadn¡¯t said whether Hamel¡¯s corpse had been left in Helmuth or whether hispanions had taken care of it somehow. However, Eugene knew that there was a grave. If Hamel¡¯s grave had to exist anywhere in this world, then the only ce it could be was in Hamel¡¯s hometown. Sienna, Anise, Molon, and Vermouth¡ªhe didn¡¯t know what they had thought as they dug his grave, but they probably wouldn¡¯t have left the grave of their deadrade somewhere in Helmuth. Hamel¡¯s hometown. It was the ce where an ordinary little boy had lost his family and everything he knew, igniting within him a hatred for the monsters and the Demon Kings who had goaded them. From then on, Hamel dropped his farming tools and would only pick up weapons. Recklessly swinging a sword, he would join a mercenary corps that was in need of a camp servant. That was where Hamel had been born. ¡®Since it hasn¡¯t been revealed in the past hundreds of years, it must still be hidden.¡¯ The underground was a perfect hiding ce. ¡®This is just spection, but the fact that Anise came to Nahama on the pretext of a pilgrimage¡­ well¡­ she might have just been visiting my grave to pay tribute.¡¯ But would Anise really do something like that? ¡®The Kazani desert was created less than two hundred years ago. If you put those facts together, the timing roughly fits. While Nahama¡¯s Sand Shamans were fucking around in there, they might have found my grave¡­ then what if Sienna¡¯s familiar was killed in the process?¡¯ If that were the case, was Nahama involved in Sienna¡¯s disappearance? Or was it Helmuth, who had long since been the force behind Nahama? Eugene couldn¡¯t tell for sure. Because of that, he would need to take a look for himself. Eugene headed forward without pulling out his hands, which were still buried in his cloak. * * * ¡°Laman Schulhov.¡± Laman desperately held onto his hazy consciousness. A few faces were wavering in his blurry vision. He couldn¡¯t see clearly, but the ones who had caught him appeared to be covering their faces with gray masks and wearing turbans on their heads. These were the Sand Shamans. ¡°Why did the talented young master of the Lionheart ne all the way here? And why are you, a warrior of the Emir of Kajitan, acting as a guide for the Lionheart boy?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Laman refused to open his tightly clenched lips. In order to save Eugene, who had been swallowed by the sandworm, Laman had run out onto the quicksand. What Laman had been hoping to aplish by wading across the quicksand was to slice open the sandworm. Though, such a huge sandworm was an incredibly tough opponent, even for a warrior able to emit sword-force. Nevertheless, Laman had attempted to save Eugene. When Laman was about to be sucked under the quicksand, it was the wind sent by Eugene that had saved him. That moment was clearly engraved into Laman¡¯s mind. When some of the wind supporting Eugene¡¯s body had blown over to Laman, Eugene could no longer remain fixed in mid-air and had slowly started to drift. With the suction from the sand tornado that was slowly growing nearby¡­ Eugene had left himself in a state where he couldn¡¯t control his movements. Then the sandworm had erupted from below. ¡®In order to save me¡­ he gave his own life¡­!¡¯ In fact, if he really thought about it, Laman would realize that Eugene hadn¡¯t been swallowed by the sandworm and had instead leaped in with his own two feet. However, Laman couldn¡¯t imagine such a possibility. Unless you were insane, there was no way that you would throw yourself into the jaws of a sandworm. In other words, Eugene Lionheart had given his own life in order to save Laman. But why? Laman couldn¡¯t figure out his reasons for this. The only thing that mattered to Laman at that moment was the need to repay this life-saving grace. ¡°Could Tairi Al-Madani be nning to betray Nahama?¡± the Sand Shaman asked as he brought his head closer to Laman. ¡°It is his mission to impede those who should not being here. For him to fail his mission and instead attach a guide¡ª¡± ¡°What are you all doing here, in this ce deep underground?¡± Laman squeezed out a rough voice. ¡°The oasis. It was an illusion, wasn¡¯t it? The sandstorm was also created with magic. Were those all your doing?¡± ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t understand your situation,¡± with a click of his tongue, the Sand Shaman shook his head. Creak creak creak! The pressure of the sand binding Laman¡¯s limbs grew even stronger. Laman gasped in pain, ¡°Gah¡­!¡± ¡°We¡¯re the ones asking questions here,¡± the Sand Shaman reminded him. ¡°Are you keeping your mouth shut for the sake of your master¡¯s honor? That is pointless, Laman Schulhov. You will die in any case, but since you are going to die, wouldn¡¯t a painless death be better than the torturous demise awaiting you?¡± Laman gritted out, ¡°Just kill me¡­!¡± The Sand Shaman ignored his demand, ¡°Why has Eugene Lionhearte to Kazani? From the moment he entered Nahama, he has moved with a clear purpose. In our view, the only possibility seems to be that he was trying to get the Emir of Kajitan to betray Nahama.¡± ¡°Betray¡­?¡± Laman¡¯s bloodshot eyes shone as he uttered this word. Betray. This word confirmed quite a few unfortunate truths for Laman. First, there were Sand Shamans in Kazani. They were creating the sandstorms, forcing the desert to expand. And the Emir of Kajitan not only knew about this, but he was also cooperating with them¡­. ¡°How dare you invade the territory of another country in such a cheap manner!¡± Saliva flew from Laman¡¯s mouth as he suddenly cried out. The Sand Shaman¡¯s eyes furrowed in a frown as he stepped back. ¡°Invade? I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± said the Sand Shaman. ¡°Why else would all of you, who are supposed to be protecting the royal family, be here?! And that sandstorm¡­!¡± Laman angrily used. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re making quite a huge mistake. Do you really think that the desertification could be sped up with just our power alone?¡± the Sand Shaman asked with a snort. ¡°Although I know that warriors are usually ignorant, after hearing such brainless words, I can¡¯t help but be amused. It would take hundreds of Sand Shamans to create a sandstormrge enough to cause desertification.¡± Tututuk! The strength of the sand binding Laman¡¯s body progressively grew stronger. ¡°Kuuuh¡­. Then¡­ if that¡¯s the case¡­ why are you¡­ here¡­?¡± Laman groaned out his question. ¡°I have no reason to answer that,¡± taunted the Sand Shaman. ¡°If you¡¯re going to kill me anyway, then you should at least tell me the reason for it!¡± ¡°Why did Eugene Lionhearte to Kazani?¡± ¡°What¡¯s so important about his reasons for doing so?! Lord Eugene has already perished! You¡­ he died because of you!¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± another Sand Shaman replied to Laman¡¯s usation with augh. ¡°If Eugene Lionheart is dead, then the cause of it is just an ident. He went into a dangerous desert that he shouldn¡¯t have entered and suffered an unavoidable disaster.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nonsense!¡± Laman roared. ¡°The responsibility for his death will be ced on Tairi Al-Madani¡¯s head,¡± the Sand Shaman continued. ¡°It¡¯s all because you were the one to guide him here. Although I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s a favorite of the Patriarch, in the end, he¡¯s just an adopted son from a coteral bloodline. As long as we hand the Lionheart n the head of a big-city Emir, that should ay their fury.¡± Laman cursed, ¡°You sons of bitches!¡± The Sand Shaman advised him, ¡°If you want to be of some use to your master, then it would be best for you to confess everything that you know. Depending on the reasons, we might still be able to handle this situation smoothly.¡± ¡°Handle it smoothly¡­? H-hold on. ¡®If Eugene Lionheart is dead?¡¯ Does that mean Lord Eugene is still alive?¡± Laman struggled to keep a hold of his dazed consciousness. Currently, Laman¡¯s priority wasn¡¯t the Emir of Kajitan, but instead Eugene. One of the Sand Shaman questioned him, ¡°Are you really prioritizing Eugene Lionheart over your master¡¯s head?¡± ¡°It¡¯s obvious that he¡¯s just ying a trick,¡± the other Sand Shaman observed. ¡°Are you really iming that the decision to guide Eugene Lionheart was made on your personal whim and not Tairi Al-Madani¡¯s order?¡± Laman just desperately demanded, ¡°Where is my lord?!¡± ¡°Looks like our words aren¡¯t getting through to him,¡± one of the Sand Shamans sighed. The other one asked, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to just kill him? After all, his life is worthless.¡± ¡°No. He might still be of some use as a hostage.¡± Although they didn¡¯t know the reason for it, Eugene Lionheart had indeed tried to rescue Laman Schulhov. The Sand Shamans didn¡¯t question Laman any further and instead gathered together to sit among themselves. ¡°So, what have you found out?¡± ¡°He was eaten whole by a giant sandworm¡­ is it really possible to survive something like that?¡± ¡°A hole has appeared in its tail.¡± ¡°So what? Are you saying that after being eaten by a sandworm, he cut a hole in its tail and crawled out?¡± The more they looked at the facts, the harder it was for them to believe it. The Sand Shamans snorted in amusement as they shook their heads. ¡°We can¡¯t just allow him to go wherever he pleases.¡± ¡°¡­The Assassins are exploring the nest. They should catch him soon.¡± ¡°And what about after that?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not a good idea to pick a fight with the Lionheart n. It should be enough to erase his memory and toss him outside Kazani. No, it might actually be better for us to actively show that we¡¯re protecting him. Who knows, we might even be rewarded for our kindness.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that she¡¯s not here. If she were¡ª¡± ¡°Shush.¡± It happened right at the moment that the terrified Sand Shaman had pursed his lips and shushed hisrade. Booooom! A loud roar shook the ground below. The Sand Shamans all got up in rm. They shut their eyes tightly and resonated their mana with the sand in order to identify what was causing this roar. The same scene could be seen in each of their darkened fields of view. Dressed in a ck cloak, Eugene Lionheart was approaching their location from a ce not far from them. With each swing of his silver-blue sword, the magic barrier that barred intruders¡¯ entry was being torn apart. ¡®What about the Assassins?¡¯ They expanded their field of view to include the path that Eugene had already taken. There were corpses strewn all over the ce, both Assassins and Sand Shamans. ¡®He¡¯s advancing so fast?¡¯ Each and every Assassin who had remained here at their camp had received enough training to be a considerable threat to even the most skilled warrior. That went for the Sand Shamans as well. This meant they should have had enough power to not be ughtered by just one person. What¡¯s more, this was an advantageous battlefield for the Assassins and the Sand Shamans. This nest made by sandworms had already been aplexbyrinth in and of itself, but the Sand Shamans who had started using it decades ago had made thisbyrinth even moreplicated. The Assassins who were deployed here were skilled enough to be able to navigate thebyrinth with their eyes and ears closed. In such a situation, it would be difficult for even the most skilled warriors to notice their stealth techniques. Their sudden surprise attacks should have been enough to slice any ordinary warrior¡¯s neck. The Sand Shamans also had an advantage here. Even though a huge sandstorm like the one they had created on the surface was impossible, in a ce like this, where there was sand on all sides as well as above and below, any sand magic cast here would have more power than usual. Unfortunately for them, Eugene wasn¡¯t a good opponent for them to face. Since Eugene had been prepared to forcefully barge into the Kazani desert, this meant that he had already epted that he would have to confront the Assassins and Sand Shamans. He had even been certain that he was going to get attacked by the Assassins back at the oasis and had gone in anyway. Then he had managed to enter the tunnels deep underground. Eugene had been fairly sure that the Sand Shamans were staying somewhere underground and that the Assassins were hiding here as well. If Eugene didn¡¯t have the confidence to protect himself from them, he wouldn¡¯t have gone any further. Assassins and Sand Shamans weren¡¯t the only ones who had an advantage in thisbyrinth. Eugene, and Hamel, were used to all kinds of battlefields. Hamel had even fought Assassins before. Unlike the Assassins, who had learned their assassination techniques through harsh training, there were many natural assassins among the demonic beasts and demonfolk of Helmuth. There were demonic beasts who could travel from one shadow to another and demonfolk who could stab you in the back without revealing even a trace of their presence. Being prepared to receive a surprise attack in an unfavorable situation had just be second nature. Nevertheless, Hamel had survived. With every fucking surprise attack that Hamel had received, the wounds on his body increased one after another. And each time he received a new wound, he grew more familiar with surprise attacks, until one day, the number of injuries he received had stopped increasing. ¡®The level of the Assassins here isn¡¯t that great. Their stealth is only at the proficient level¡­ and their control over their mana isn¡¯t amazing either,¡¯Eugene critiqued. The most infamous of Nahama¡¯s Assassins weren¡¯t just at this level. The highest grade of Assassins had stealth techniquesparable to that of a demonic beast or demonfolk and were so terrifyingly tenacious that they couldn¡¯t even be considered human beings. The Assassins that Eugene had faced so far were certainly persistent, but they weren¡¯t all that terrifying. ¡®If this is an important site for Nahama, there should have been better Assassins than these guys.¡¯ The guards here were too weak. Although there were a lot of Sand Shamans, their skills didn¡¯t seem that great either. If this really was a key part of Nahama¡¯s ns to invade other countries, then more and better-trained troops should have been stationed here. Even if territorial aggression wasn¡¯t their goal, no matter what other purpose they might have had for being here, if this ce was of great value to Nahama, it should have received further support Chapter 64 Chapter 64 ¡°What the hell is that brat talking about now?¡± The Sand Shamans looked at each other in bewilderment as Eugene¡¯s cry rang through the air. Thieves? Strictly speaking, Eugene Lionheart was the one who had invaded their territory of his own volition. This meant that the one who should be called a thief was this fearless and ill-mannered little boy. ¡°My Lord¡­!¡± Laman said as he heard Eugene¡¯s cry. Just as he was sighing in relief, his body suddenly trembled. He recalled what the Sand Shamans had said earlier. Wasn¡¯t he now a hostage? Laman didn¡¯t want to be a chain around Eugene¡¯s ankle, pulling him down. As such, he tried to pull his limbs out of the restraints holding them in ce, but the Sand Shamans weren¡¯t blind. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything foolish,¡± came the warning. Rumble rumble! The sand from the groundpletely wrapped around Laman¡¯s body. Having made their threat clear to Laman, the Sand Shamans exchanged nces among themselves. ¡°What should we do?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t let him reach here.¡± ¡°Of course, I know that¡­ but should we report this?¡± The question was asked cautiously, the speaker¡¯s voiceden with an unquenchable fear. The other Sand Shamans hesitated, unsure what to say. ¡°¡­We can handle this ourselves,¡± someone eventually decided after an ufortable silence, and the other Sand Shamans nodded in approval. They didn¡¯t want to have to send a report about this problem to their superior. Enough damage had already been caused that this incident couldn¡¯t just be covered up, but¡­. ¡®¡¯It¡¯s not like they would even care about such losses.¡¯ This was a thought shared by all the Sand Shamans here. Quite a few Assassins and Sand Shamans may have died within a short time span, but that person would definitely dismiss their deaths as trivial. However, they couldn¡¯t let this matter blow up any further. Even if everyone here died, they could not allow this intruder to progress past this point. They needed to resolve this matter before that person returned. If they hadn¡¯t managed to take care of it by then, and that person happened to see what was going on while they were forced to ask that person for help because they couldn¡¯t resolve it, then¡­. ¡®Death would be preferable to that.¡¯ They would definitely be left in a terrible state that couldn¡¯t be considered either dead or alive. Not one of the Sand Shamans here wanted to imagine themselves suffering such a fate. Aaaargh! Gaaaah¡­. These screams were hearding from afar, but they were gradually drawing closer. Since the Assassins wouldn¡¯t let out even a single cry under any circumstances, the source of these guttural screams that were currently reaching them had to be the other Sand Shamans. ¡°Let me go!¡± Laman roared as he was dragged to the front of the crowd by the sand restraining him. Laman panted as he tried to struggle free. However, the Sand Shamans didn¡¯t pay any heed to Laman¡¯s cries. Instead, by resonating their wills with their mana, the Sand Shamans conveyed their orders to the other Sand Shamans scattered throughout thebyrinth. At the start, fifty Sand Shamans had been stationed within this maze. But, even though not that much time had passed, more than half of the Sand Shamans had died. And not to a disciplined army, but these dozens of Sand Shamans and Assassins had been ughtered by a neen-year-old young man. The surviving Sand Shamans were gathered at this one location. Eugene was also aware of this fact. At some point, the frequency of magical attacks had drastically reduced. And the signs of someone approaching in his direction had faded into the distance. Arge amount of mana was showing activity ahead of him, and Eugene could feel a familiar presence in the center of it. It was Laman Sculhov. ¡®Why are you tied up there when I did my best to let you run away?¡¯Eugene thought in exasperation. Bam! Eugene kicked an Assassin in this skull who had attempted a surprise attack from beneath his feet. Though all the Sand Shamans had gathered in one spot, a few Assassassins were still hiding here and there along the path. ¡°There are a lot of things that I want to ask them, but¡­,¡± Eugene muttered as he ced a hand inside his cloak. Arge amount of mana fluctuated just as Eugene took another step forward. The sand within the tunnel swirled. As the path Eugene was currently on copsed shut, the sand then reached out to swallow him. This was a spell known as the Sand Prison. Even for Eugune, it would be difficult to use his magic to free himself from a spell of this scale. But was there really a need for him to do so? Eugene took out a box that had been ced in his cloak. It contained the fragment of the Moonlight Sword. The shard that had been used for his mana training during the past few years was now sitting silently within its luxurious box. Without any hesitation, Eugene threw the box ahead of him. The sand, which was writhing like it had a life of its own, swallowed the box whole. ¡°Bang,¡± Eugene muttered as he flipped up the hood on his cloak. Boooom! A loud sound that was iparable to the noise that Eugene had made rang out. The Sand Prison, which had been cast by dozens of Sand Shamans working together, could not withstand the power of the tiny fragment. Although the strength of the spell had been increased by using arge amount of mana, the spell¡¯s cohesion was weak. The sand that had been freed from the mana¡¯s control scattered and crumbled. Eugene waded through the pouring sand. Although tens of thousands of grains of dust and sand were obscuring his vision, Eugene¡¯s senses could urately detect what was going on around him, even when he wasn¡¯t able to see ahead of him. From above and below, the Assassins who had approached together with the sandunched their surprise attacks. Their sword-lights were ignited in an instant. Without releasing even a trace of killing intent, even their flow of mana had been held back until it was their moment to strike. ¡°I¡¯ve seen this too many times already,¡± Eugenemented as his feet hit the ground. Bam bam bam! The flowing sand transformed into awls that pierced up into the Assassins. The Moonlight Sword¡¯s fragment had copsed the spell and scattered its mana. During the past two years, Eugene had trained the cohesion of his mana by using the fragment as his opponent. The mana refined through this method was stronger and faster than the mana Eugene had started out with. ¡®What did he do?¡¯the Sand Shamans wondered, more surprised at the method he had used to destroy the Sand Prison than they were at the death of the two Assassins. Was that a Dispel? No, it was different. A Dispel was a method of artificially interfering with the mana that made up a spell. Just now, Eugene hadn¡¯t appeared to meddle with the Sand Prison at all. The Sand Prison had just¡­ it just seemed to run out of mana. Even Aroth, famously known as the Magic Kingdom, didn¡¯t possess such a Dispel. Could it be a trump card of the Lionheart n? One of the Sand Shamans reminded the others, ¡°He¡¯sing!¡± They couldn¡¯t afford to continue panicking. The Sand Shamans licked their lips and started chanting a spell, their hands sped together in front of their chests to make a seal. ¡°My Lord!¡± Laman let out a shout from where he was bound in the sand at the very forefront of the group. ¡°D-don¡¯te here! Run away!¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Who do you think you are to tell me what to do?¡± Laman ignored Eugene¡¯s question, ¡°There¡¯s no need to risk yourself to save me!¡± ¡°Why would I be here to save you? It seems like you have a strange misunderstanding,¡± Eugene muttered as he picked up the fragment of the Moonlight Sword that had fallen to the floor. He felt mana gathering once more to shape another spell. Eugene clicked his tongue,¡®I really don¡¯t want to waste any more time.¡¯ The location he had confirmed on the map was right in front of him. Behind the Sand Shamans, he could see a path continuing onward. Eugene¡¯s eyes grew cold. He examined the fragment of the Moonlight Sword that he was holding in his hand. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene hummed to himself. Groaaan! The sand in front of him rose to form a giant wave. The ground beneath Eugene¡¯s feet was pulled forward like water being drawn towards a wave. Eugene followed the path of minimal resistance and moved forward by following the flow of the sand. The bodies that were first dragged away by the sand were swallowed by the wave and crushed, dying the yellowish-white sand with a crimson shade. Eugene raised his arm above his head. He leaned his upper body back, drawing power from his body for a throw. When the wave was about to hit him, Eugene threw the Moonlight Sword¡¯s fragment forward. Copsing the spell wasn¡¯t his only purpose behind this move. Even after the fragment of the Moonlight Sword had pierced right through the wave, it hadn¡¯t lost any of the force from his throw. ¡°Kagh!¡± The shard pierced the throat of the Sand Shaman who was standing beside Laman. The mana shield he had raised could not resist the power of the Moonlight Sword. Without even checking the results of his throw, Eugene lowered his body into a runner¡¯s crouch. Then he activated the Ring me Form. He had already started up the chain of explosions earlier, so Eugene¡¯s body was immediately engulfed in a blue ze. Roooooar! As Eugene kicked off the ground, the blue me left a trail of fire in the air. Charging forward, Eugene instantly leaped into the air, flying over the heads of the Sand Shamans. Even as they panicked, the Sand Shamans tried to respond. The sand in all directions began crawling over, gathering to the Sand Shamans. But the Sand Shamans were reacting to what they saw as his obvious next move, when the actual attack woulde from above their heads, from the ceiling. Eugene pulled out the hand that he had inserted into his cloak. Swiiiish! A ck whip unraveled across the ceiling and swept Eugene¡¯s surroundings. Although he didn¡¯t really enjoy using it, Eugene was also good at using a whip. ¡°Gurk!¡± The flexible whip wrapped around a Sand Shaman¡¯s neck. As Eugene pulled sharply on the whip, the Sand Shaman¡¯s head was sent flying into the air as Eugene¡¯s body was pulled to the ground. Laman tried to raise his fallen body, but he was immediately left with no choice but to lie back down. The air was filled with screams and blood. A de of wind sliced through everything above waist height, both sand and flesh. Bullets of mana wove in between the crowd. And blue mes scattered everywhere. As the Sand Shamans¡¯ attempted incantations were cut off in screams, the sand spells cast by the remaining dozen shamans were scattered by a single gust of wind. As Eugene danced among them, he almost looked like a ghost. Whenever he was about to be caught by a spell, he would escape with a Blink. Then he would re his cloak to swallow up the spell and spit it back out in apletely different direction. Eugene¡¯s weapons were constantly changing, and when they focused on defending against his weapons, Eugene would use his magic instead, and he didn¡¯t hesitate to swing his fists or legs either. Laman wasn¡¯t even aware that it was possible to fight like that. When even a warrior like Laman felt amazement, there was no way that the Sand Shamans could react flexibly enough to deal with this assault. The Sand Shamans couldn¡¯t help but panic,¡®What kind of spells are these¡­?¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t even use any incantations. He didn¡¯t even use any casting techniques, and the process by which his spells were formed was so fast that they couldn¡¯t even be seen. The spells were cast instantly. Not just on their own, but in groups or consecutively. The power of the spells cast in this manner was also absurd. As for how many Circles they were cast with? It was impossible to tell. The Circles of the spells that had been cast weren¡¯t that high, but their power and speed were far beyond the Sand Shamans¡¯ understanding. Right until the end, the Sand Shamans couldn¡¯tprehend the enigma called Eugene. After a short time had passed, blood had stopped spurting everywhere, and there weren¡¯t any screams either. Though, there was a smell of urine in the air. ¡°What were you all doing here?¡± Eugene interrogated the survivor. Of the dozens of Sand Shamans who had started this fight, only a single one was left alive. His teeth were chattering in fear as he looked up at Eugene. The situation was far beyond the survivor¡¯sprehension. The undeniable reality of what had happened filled him with great horror. The Sand Shaman trembled as he pinned together his thighs which were damp with urine. The Sand Shaman stammered, ¡°You¡­ just what on earth¡­ are you¡­?¡± ¡°I asked you what you all were doing here?¡± Eugene repeated with a frown and waved his hand. Squelch! A swiftly thrown dagger was now lodged in the Sand Shaman¡¯s thigh. The Sand Shaman groaned, ¡°Gah¡­!¡± ¡°The military force here is too small for this to be a garrison stationed by the sultan. So what were you doing here without orders from the sultan?¡± Eugene questioned him. The Sand Shaman tried to pretend ignorance, ¡°H-hold on, just what on earth are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to bother with interrogating someone like you. So listen up. Will you die, or will you tell me what I want to know?¡± Eugene threatened him. ¡°Wh-what¡¯s happening here isn¡¯t under the sultan¡¯smand,¡± the Sand Shaman eventually admitted. ¡°Then whose is it? Could it really be the Emir of Kajitan? What kind of nonsense is that motherfucker thinking of ying at this deep underground?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not him. We may have received his cooperation, but¡­.¡± Eugene threw another dagger. Squelch! The dagger pinned the Sand Shaman¡¯s other thigh. ¡°A-Amelia Merwin,¡± the Sand Shaman finally answered as his face contorted in pain. ¡°This is Amelia Merwin¡¯s dungeon.¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t lie to me. Amelia Merwin¡¯s dungeon is in the Yuras desert,¡± Eugene stated. ¡°Sh-she¡¯s been staying here since six years ago.¡± ¡°Six years?¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes narrowed. He shook his head as he tried to ignore the ominous thoughts running through his head. Once he hadposed himself, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­Why did Amelia Merwine all the way here?¡± The Sand Shaman fell silent, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Are you afraid of Amelia Merwin? If that¡¯s the case, then I will ease your concerns. I might kill you, but you can be assured that that is all I¡¯ll do. I¡¯ll allow you to die an extremelyfortable and simple death,¡± Eugene offered the man. The Sand Shaman¡¯s eyes fluttered. He took a deep breath and then sped his hands to his chest. ¡°¡­This¡­ thisbyrinth was created to elerate the desertification. There are many otherbyrinths apart from this one in the Kazani Desert, but thisbyrinth¡­ it was created ten years ago,¡± the Sand Shaman exined. ¡°So what?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°¡­Six years ago, thebyrinth expanded. We had believed that an unstable portion of the earth had copsed, but then arge gate was found deep within the earth.¡± ¡°¡­A gate?¡± ¡°Yes¡­ we tried to open the gate ourselves, but we couldn¡¯t do it no matter what we tried¡­ so we¡­ requested the assistance of Amelia Merwin.¡± Eugene nodded as he pulled out another dagger. Seeing this, the Sand Shaman felt relief instead of fear. ¡°Thank you¡­.¡± Squelch! Eugene¡¯s thrown dagger pierced the Sand Shaman¡¯s head. The Sand Shaman copsed backward, dead. As Eugene had said beforehand, he had given the Sand Shaman a painless death. That was what the Sand Shaman had desired. Now that things had turned out this way, Amelia Merwin¡¯s rage was inevitable. That vicious ck wizard didn¡¯t just kill her enemies; she enved them. It was better to just diefortably than to live as an undead, neither dead nor alive, wishing for death for the rest of his existence. Eugene muttered to himself, ¡°No wonder. I thought the military force stationed here was a bit too weak.¡± Among all the ck wizards to have signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Amelia Merwin was a special existence. Both Balzac Ludbeth, the master of Aroth¡¯s ck Tower of Magic, and Helmuth¡¯s Count Edmond Codreth, had be ck wizards by signing a contract with the Demon King. However, Amelia Merwin had already made a name for herself as a powerful ck wizard even before signing a contract with a demonfolk or a Demon King. Those who did so were able to im great benefits when signing contracts with the demonfolk. Of course, Amelia Merwin had indeed conceded her ¡®freedom¡¯ to the Demon King of Incarceration. Still, it was a clear fact that she enjoyed much greater freedom than other ck wizards. ¡®If there¡¯s a ck wizard of that level here, there¡¯s no need to garrison thisbyrinth with troops.¡¯ The reason for Sand Shamans and Assassins to still be here? They were here to act as Amelia Merwin¡¯s caretakers and punish any travelers who approached. From what the dead Sand Shaman had said, Amelia Merwin¡¯s ¡®real¡¯ dungeon was still in the Ashur Desert¡­ so Amelia Merwin must not spend much time in this dungeon. ¡°M-my lord,¡± Laman spoke up in a trembling voice. ¡°We need to get out of here. I-If this ce truly is Amelia Merwin¡¯s¡­ the ¡®ck Thorn¡¯s¡¯ dungeon¡­.¡± ¡°When we¡¯ve alreadye this far?¡± Eugene snorted and began walking forward. ¡°Fortunately, Amelia Merwin isn¡¯t in today.¡± ¡°C-can¡¯t we just turn back now¡­!¡± Laman pleaded. ¡°And what if we do leave? Do you really believe that Amelia Merwin won¡¯t pursue us? She¡¯ll probably do so anyway. Although I don¡¯t know her, that¡¯s what I would do in her situation. I would definitely want to hunt down the person who intruded into my vi and caused such a mess,¡± Eugene reasoned. ¡°¡­,¡± Laman couldn¡¯t think up any arguments. ¡°That means we are left with a bad situation no matter what we do.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t confident about the results of a conflict with Amelia Merwin. If at all possible, he had wanted to avoid her. However, now it seemed inevitable. If that was the case, they might as well confirm what they were here for before trying to escape. Or at least that¡¯s what Eugene had decided. Without looking back at Laman, Eugene walked past the corpses. When Laman followed him, Eugene asked, ¡°Why are you following me instead of running away?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ we don¡¯t know what might happen from now on,¡± Laman feebly exined. Eugene impatiently asked him, ¡°That might be the case, but I asked you why aren¡¯t you running away?¡± ¡°Lord Eugene has granted me his lifesaving grace twice now. If¡­ if Amelia Merwin returns and tries to kill you, lord, then I¡­ I will give my life to open a path for you,¡± Laman swore. ¡°You? For me? Huh¡­,¡± Eugene turned to look back at Laman in confusion. ¡°With what ability?¡± ¡°¡­Even without ability, I can still buy time with my life,¡± Laman protested. ¡°Instead of doing something pointless, why don¡¯t you just run away?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I can abandon you, lord, and leave on my own.¡± ¡°What do you mean, abandon? I¡¯m the one telling you to go¡­,¡± with a click of his tongue, Eugene raised his hand. Then Laman suddenly lost consciousness. Eugene had no need for Laman¡¯s death. That said, he also couldn¡¯t just drag Laman along with him, so Eugene just stunned him and threw him into a corner. Eugene¡¯s thoughts turned away from Laman to whaty ahead,¡®¡­A gate?¡¯ Six years ago¡­. Six years wasn¡¯t all that long ago. That was back when Eugene was thirteen. ¡®Back during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.¡¯ After it was over, he had entered the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault. Inside there, he had discovered Hamel¡¯s keepsake. Eugene tightly gripped the ne that he was wearing around his neck. ¡®Thisbyrinth has been around for ten years, but this part of thebyrinth only copsed six years ago.¡¯ What if¡­. What if Chapter 65 Chapter 65: The Grave (1)Although he had just leaped into the hole, Eugene didn¡¯t want tond at the bottom without any protection. So he wrapped his body in his summoned spirit¡¯s wind and as he stared down into the depths of the hole.¡®Just like they said.¡¯He could see something like a gate at the bottom of the hole. A huge gate made of some unknown material was installed in ce of a floor.The gate wasn¡¯t tightly closed. There was an openingrge enough for people toe and go through. Seeing this intrusion with his own eyes, Eugene¡¯s hair couldn¡¯t help but bristle with rage and murderous intent.The gate down there had been discovered six years ago, but it had been impossible for the Sand Shamans of Nahama to open the gate with their capabilities.That was why Amelia Merwin had been called here to open that gate.¡°Grick.¡±Eugene¡¯s teeth ground against each other. Impatiently, Eugene elerated his fall until he was hovering right in front of the gate, but he didn¡¯t go through immediately. Instead, he took a few deep breaths and calmed his boiling emotions.It had yet to be confirmed that what was inside here was really Hamel¡¯s grave. Perhaps¡­ perhaps it wasn¡¯t his grave, and instead somethingpletely different, like an ancient dungeon. Eugene didn¡¯t want to feel disappointed after getting his hopes up for nothing.¡°¡­Although that shouldn¡¯t be the case,¡± Eugene muttered to himself.There were no special markings or engravings on the door. If there had been any magic left, Eugene could have made a guess as to the style of the protections that had been cast on it or the level of magic used, but the spells cast on the door had already been breached.Since that was the case, he had no choice but to just go in and see it himself. Eugene pushed his way through the gap in the gate.The path continued on the other side of the gate, leading further underground. But the surroundings were no longer that of soil but instead made of metal, the same material that had made up the door.¡®It looks like a metal alloy.¡¯Tap.Eugene tried to bang on the wall with a fist infused with some power. But his strength had no effect, and his mana was also drained. Eugene stared at the wall for a few moments, then looked down.Had a dragon with its wings folded attempted to crawl down this tunnel?The walls were dented all over the ce, cracked and smashed. Traces that looked like they mighte from a weapon or a w ovepped with each other in a chaotic mess.¡®These are¡­.¡¯As he scanned these traces, Eugene continued his descent.¡®¡­the traces of a battle.¡¯Eugene had felt that there was a possibility of this being a dragon¡¯sir. However, the evidence he had seen seemed too violent for the marks a dragon might leave while tossing and turning in its sleep.¡®I¡¯m not sure¡­ what type of weapon could have caused these. Are these the shes left from swinging a de? It also seems like the wall might have been stabbed in ces¡­. In the first ce, the mana needed for an attack of this size would be¡­.¡¯It was impossible to tell anything more from the traces. Although Eugene was sure that these were the traces left by a battle, he couldn¡¯t make any guesses as to how many people there were, why they had fought, or how they had fought.Even though he felt like he couldn¡¯t just ignore these traces, it didn¡¯t seem like continuing to examine them would produce any further results. Eugene tore his attention away from the wall and continued descending downwards.In doing so, he realized a few things.This passageway must have originally hidden dozens, maybe even hundreds, of traps. However, whether it was because they had all gotten caught up in the battle that took ce or whether they had been dealt with when Amelia Merwin broke in, all the traps had been destroyed.¡®¡­It¡¯s not like I was some kind of emperor. So wouldn¡¯t it be a bit too much to set up so many traps in my grave?¡¯This thought made his initial conclusion feel shaky. No matter how Eugene looked at it, this ce felt more like a dragon¡¯sir than someone¡¯s grave.However, once Eugene had passed through the passageway and reached the next floor, such thoughts disappearedpletely.Eugene was dumbfounded as he stared up ahead.In the center of the floor stood a statue. There was no way Eugene wouldn¡¯t recognize it. It was a statue of what he had looked like in his past life, a statue of Hamel.Eugene gulped and headed over to the statue. The reason why he could so clearly recall this statue and recognize it wasn¡¯t just because the statue was carved into his previous life¡¯s image. It was also because Eugene had seen such an ¡®image¡¯ once before. In Aroth¡¯s Royal Library, Akron. Within Sienna¡¯s Hall.Sienna had left behind a record of her formerrades¡¯ appearances there.The Great Vermouth.The Brave Molon.The Faithful Anise.The Stupid Hamel.¡°¡­Haha,¡± Eugene burst outughing as he shook his head.This statue¡¯s appearance was identical to the image he had seen in Sienna¡¯s Hall. Eyes without any trace of amusement, a slouched posture, and a face that had yet to see too many scars.¡°As I said, if you¡¯re going to leave a record behind, you should at least have it be smiling.¡±Hamel Dynas(Holy Calendar 421~459.)He was a son of a bitch, an idiot, an asshole, a douche, a piece of trash.But he was also brave, faithful, wise, and great.In remembrance of this stupid man, who sacrificed himself for everyone and was the first to leave us.A memorial stone had been ced beneath the statue. Eugene stood there nkly, staring at the memorial stone. He recognized the handwriting on it.In Molon¡¯srge handwriting was the word ¡®brave.¡¯In Anise¡¯s perfect handwriting was the word ¡®faithful.¡¯In Sienna¡¯s crooked handwriting was the word ¡®wise.¡¯And in Vermouth¡¯s sharp handwriting was the word ¡®great.¡¯¡°¡­Ah fuck,¡± Eugene cursed without any heat and rubbed his nose.His eyes were getting blurry, and his nose felt stuffy. He felt the need to rub his eyes, but Eugene refused to do so. Although nobody was even watching him, he didn¡¯t want to admit to himself that he was truly driven to tears in front of this statue and memorial stone by wiping them away.¡°Those sorts of words should have been said to me while I was alive. What¡¯s the use of writing them on my tombstone after I¡¯ve died? How would I even see them, you fuckheads?¡± Eugeneined as he rested a hand on the tombstone.But Eugene couldn¡¯t allow himself to get lost in his own emotions.¡®It¡¯s strange.¡¯The statue and the tombstone were in excellent condition. No pieces were broken off, and they didn¡¯t show any signs of aging despite the hundreds of years that had passed since they were created.But that wasn¡¯t enough to be considered strange. Magic was a convenient tool. If preservation magic had been properly applied, items could be maintained for hundreds of years without any signs of aging.That was unless they were intentionally broken.Ignoring the tears flowing down his cheeks, Eugene looked around at his surroundings.This ce was a ruin. He couldn¡¯t help but see it as such.Traces of battle had definitely been left in the passageway, but seeing these ruins madethosetraces feel more like the results of a child¡¯s y. The floor here was cracked or overturned, and items that appeared to have been pirs had been thrust into the walls and floors like spears.Hamel¡¯s statue and the memorial stone were the only things that weren¡¯t broken and still intact.¡®Just what on earth happened here?¡¯Two hundred years ago, Sienna had detected the death of her familiar and had left Aroth to travel here to Hamel¡¯s grave.Did a fight break out immediately after that? For now, he couldn¡¯t help but suspect that was what had happened. She must have met with the unknown grave robber, and then¡­.¡®Sienna is strong,¡¯Eugene reminded himself.She was always strong but became even stronger after Hamel died. Although Eugene didn¡¯t truly know what Sienna had been like during this time, the glimpse of this ¡®Wise Sienna¡¯ that he had seen through Witch Craft showed that she had to have been the most powerful wizard in the world.If the intruder had the ability to fight Sienna, who had such strength¡­.¡®¡­then that means Sienna¡­ wasn¡¯t able to win.¡¯If Siennahadwon the fight, there was no way that she would have left this ce in such a ghastly ruined state.Since that was the case, could Sienna have died here?¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± Eugene assured himself.Eugene had seen a phantasm of Sienna in Aroth. It hadn¡¯t just been an illusion. When he had met it in the square in front of the bank, the phantasm of Sienna had been able to clearly convey what it was trying to say:I¡¯ve found you.¡®So she must have been injured during the fight that took ce here¡­ then went into hiding somewhere.¡¯At the moment, he had no choice but to believe that. Eugene scratched his head in frustration. Who on earth could have pushed Sienna so far? Could it have been a demonfolk? Was a Demon King behind this? Between the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction, which of the two could it possibly be?And what reason could they have for doing so? Hamel had died. Unable to see their attempt at conquering the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle to its conclusion, Hamel had passed away beforehand. Then an unknown ¡®Oath¡¯ had kept the two Demon Kings of Helmuth from making any noise for the past three hundred years.What reason could there be for these Demon Kings to break their silence and make such a move? There¡¯s no way they would¡¯vee to Hamel¡¯s grave to pay their respects¡­ so what reason could a Demon King have foring here?While scratching at his head, Eugene spun around on the spot. No matter how much thought he gave it, no usible assumptions sprang to mind. In the end, there was only one solution to solve this mystery. He needed to find the ce wherever on earth Sienna was hiding. Although Eugene currently didn¡¯t know where she was, the best way to find out exactly what happened hundreds of years ago was just to look for her.¡®After I look around here for a little more, that is.¡¯There were no traces left in these ruins other than the statue and the memorial stone. Looking at this spacious interior and all the broken structures, it seemed like all sorts of things had been stored here before the ce got turned into such a state¡­. But for now, Eugene just took a quick look around.Eugene examined the pirs that had fallen onto the floor. It was hard to see because of all the cracks, but if you looked closely, they were inscribed with words that were about the same size as sesame seeds. These words were part of the magical techniques used to create the tomb, but the writing was so fragmented that it was impossible to tell what their original form had looked like.But it wasn¡¯t all just magic. Apart from Sienna¡¯s scrawled magic runes, other things had also been written on them.Almighty God of Light, please protect and watch over this foolishmb. Guide him with love and mercy to his rest after his arduous journey, and even when darkness falls on thismb¡¯s path, please show him the way with your light.¡°Anise, you fucker. I told you that I don¡¯t believe in the gods.¡±Burn the sins that he hasmitted during his life with your sacred me. And please open the door to heaven, which is full of peace and happiness, not the door where only pain and despair await. If his good deeds are not enough for him to enter heaven, please allow me to shoulder his debts so that we might someday reunite with each other.¡°¡­Rotten bitch,¡± Eugene said with a sigh and patted the fallen pir.Eugene could clearly picture what this site had looked like before it had been turned into ruins. It wasn¡¯t that hard to recall what it must have been like because he could clearly remember what type of people hispanions had been.Molon, that idiot, must have erected these pirs with a face pouring with tears and snot that didn¡¯t suit his buff body. Although it would have been simple to do such a job using magic, Molon would have insisted on doing it personally. Molon might even have been the one to personally dig all the way down through the earth to these depths.Sienna, that chick would have also been crying. Right before Hamel died, Sienna had been crying the most. Molon would have tried to make the statue himself, only for Sienna to yell at him to not be so obnoxious. Then she would have made a statue of Hamel based on the image she had stored of him in her memories.While carving prayers onto these pirs, Anise would have pointed something out without even looking at the statue. She would have asked, don¡¯t you think Hamel was uglier than that? As she continued to exude the faint smell of alcohol, Anise would have done her best to hold back her tears. That was just how Anise had been even when Hamel was dying. While taking sips from the little holy water that she had left, Anise had asked him to consider converting to her god¡­ and in the end, she had given him onest drink.As for Vermouth.Would he have been crying? Eugene simply couldn¡¯t imagine the appearance of Vermouth shedding tears. Perhaps¡­ he might have continued ming himself even after havinge all this way. Still insisting that there was no need for Hamel to have pushed Vermouth out of the way of that attack only to be hit by the blow that had finally killed him. Vermouth might even have med himself for Hamel being forced to be the party¡¯s tank. After all, they had no other option but to use Hamel in this role when they were up against the two strongest subordinates of the Demon King of Incarceration, the Staff and the Shield.In Eugene¡¯s ¡ª no, Hamel¡¯s memories, Vermouth was just that type of guy. Both before and after entering Helmuth, upon seeing the corpses of those who had been killed by demonic beasts, demonfolk, monsters, and other such things¡­ Vermouth would also say the same lines despite these corpses having nothing to do with him.I could have saved them.I was supposed to save them.They didn¡¯t have to die.Saying things like this was Vermouth¡¯s bad habit. Especially whenever hisrades suffered an unavoidable injury during their journey. Even when they had managed to survive after defeating a powerful enemy. While everyone else was getting drunk on joy and a sense of aplishment, not caring about the pain from their injuries, Vermouth would wallow in his self-me.There was no need for you to get hurt.I should have been better.Vermouth would mutter such self-recriminations.¡ªAsshole, why are you spouting such bullshit again. What do you mean by ¡®there was no need for that¡¯ and ¡®I should have been better?¡¯ Hey, do you think you¡¯re a god? You¡¯re just a human like us, aren¡¯t you? So what makes you think that you can do everything by yourself? If you were able to do that, then fuck, why would you bring us along with you?¡ªHamel, stop bothering Sir Vermouth.¡ªDon¡¯t butt in, Anise. You also clicked your tongue just now. Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t notice your desire to shake some sense into this bastard and make him realize that he¡¯s being an ass by spouting such bullshit?¡ªI didn¡¯t click my tongue because of Sir Vermouth. I clicked my tongue because I knew that you would utter some kind of nonsense.¡ªYou really are treating both of us like a pair of fools.As he reminisced about the past, Eugene recalled a conversation that would never again be able to take ce. Although he had cried a little when he saw the statue and the memorial stone, these damn tears were flowing once more. Likest time, Eugene refused to wipe away his tears. Instead, he just allowed them to flow down. He didn¡¯t try to stop them or hold them back.If not at a time like this, when else were you meant to cry?¡®¡­Everything else is broken, but¡­.¡¯There was just one ce that didn¡¯t seem to have been destroyed.There was a door in the wall behind the statue. Eugene stared at it. Unlike the statue and the memorial stone, which had no trace of damage, the door showed off quite a lot of scratches.However, it hadn¡¯t beenpletely destroyed. Eugene walked closer to the door. Although it appeared intact on the surface, the inside of the room may also have been destroyed. For now, that was all that he could expect. Eugene didn¡¯t want to set his hopes too high.Creeeak.The door wasn¡¯t locked. While taking a deep breath, Eugene opened the door and looked inside. Just as he had expected, the inside of the room was a mess. From the roof to the walls, nothing appeared to have remained intact.However, at the other end of a long hallway stood another door without a single scratch on it. And someone was sitting at the bottom of the door with his back leaning against it.His appearance caused Eugene to unconsciously gasp. Because he couldn¡¯t be sure if something might happen at any moment, Eugene had been in a constant state of tension. But even so, he hadn¡¯t been able to notice this man¡¯s presence. And that was still the case even now. Despite having both eyes on this man, Eugene still couldn¡¯t feel anything from him.The man got up. His whole body was covered in a ck suit of armor with a full helmet that covered his face. From inside this helmet, a bright red light shed.¡°¡­Who are you?¡± Eugen demanded as he stared at the man who had gotten to his feet. ¡°Why are you sitting there, blocking that door?¡±The other person didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he just staggered closer. The hair all over Eugene¡¯s body stood on end. He could feel a vicious and intense demonic powering from the armored form walking up to him.¡®A demonfolk?¡¯No, this sensation was different. Could it be a human who had made a contract with a demonfolk? Looking at his appearance and the air around him, he couldn¡¯t be a ck wizard. If that was the case, could he be a ck Knight? A fallen knight who had sworn allegiance to a demonfolk in exchange for power.¡®No¡­ that¡¯s not it.¡¯Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any life-force emanating from this man. He wasn¡¯t a demonic beast, nor a demonfolk, nor even a contracted human.As such, there was only one possibility that Eugene could think of.¡®An undead,¡¯Eugene concluded.But there¡¯s no way that he could be, right?As Eugene¡¯s face contorted, he ced a hand inside his cloak.¡°I asked you who you are, motherfucker,¡± Eugene cursed threateningly.¡°¡­Thief¡­,¡± a cracked and hoarse voice rattled from inside the helmet.Judging by the fact that it had responded, it seemed like this thing still had some ability to reason.¡°¡­Your name,¡± Eugene growled as he felt an eerie mix of anxiety, anger, and murderous desire.He chose not to hide his obvious hostility. His cloak pped around him as blue mes engulfed Eugene.Eugene demanded once again, ¡°I said, give me your name, you son of a bitch.¡±¡°I am¡­,¡± the undead trailed off.The Death Knight pulled out his sword. It was a pitch-ck longsword. A sword that Eugene didn¡¯t recognize.The undead monster finally answered his question, ¡°I am¡­ the Stupid Hamel.¡±¡°What did you say, you motherfucker?¡± Eugene barked out as this reply caught him off-guard. ¡°Hamel? You? And you¡¯re iming to be the Stupid Hamel at that?¡±Crack crack crack!The floor beneath Eugene¡¯s feet shattered under the pressure he was giving off.Iam Hamel.But there was no need for him to say this. Eugene had no intention ofpeting with this Death Knight standing in front of him over who was the real Hamel. He was definitely Hamel, so without even needing to think about it, the Death Knight in front of him was a fake.Eugene Chapter 66

Chapter 66: The Grave (2)

Although Eugene spat out this demand, the Death Knight didn¡¯tply with his order. Instead, it emitted a hideous and sinister re, but the anger and murderous intent that Eugene leaked in return wasn¡¯tcking inparison. As he projected his hostility, Eugene ran forwards. Thoughts he didn¡¯t want to think about kept rolling around inside his head. He kept imagining some truly ominous and fucking disturbing ideas. No, he wasn¡¯t just imagining things. After all, wasn¡¯t the proof right in front of him? This ce was Hamel¡¯s grave. Death Knights were made from the corpses of dead warriors. Resentment, anger, and hatred ¡ª souls that had been drenched in these sorts of emotions would refuse to leave this world, even after they had died, and would remain trapped in their corpses. Most undead were made by tempting these sorts of souls. In return for granting their desires, these souls would sacrifice themselves to their contractor and be ves. Souls that had refused to leave this world would never reject such an offer. Their bitter resentment would force them to ept the deal even if it meant bing a ve for the rest of their existence and never being able to reincarnate. Although liches were usually insane wizards who had turned themselves into an undead, a Death Knight was a corrupted soul that had chosen to remain on earth even after it had died. A Death Knight was something that had given up all the dignities that living beings should possess and sacrificed everything it had for the sake of revenge. Because of that, they couldn¡¯t help but be strong. Eugene was well aware of how terrifying and terrible the power that they had obtained from using their soul as coteral could be. But what was going on here? ¡®Hamel?¡¯ The Death Knight was iming that its name was Hamel. ¡®You¡¯re really saying that you¡¯re Hamel?¡¯ Crazy bastard, it seemed like it hadpletely lost its mind after it had passed away. Eugene had no doubts about the fact that he was Hamel. In the first ce, there was no room for him to doubt himself. The Spirit King of the Wind, Tempest, had confirmed that Eugene¡¯s soul was previously Hamel¡¯s. Even without Tempest¡¯s confirmation, there was no reason to doubt this fact. If Eugene wasn¡¯t Hamel, then who on earth could he be? His memory, experiences, and everything else all fit his identity perfectly. However, Eugene¡¯s soul might have belonged to Hamel, but his body did not. ¡®That build¡­.¡¯ It was just like Hamel¡¯s. ¡®His habits¡­ there aren¡¯t any. Well, it¡¯s true that I didn¡¯t have anything like that.¡¯ Although it wouldn¡¯t be strange for someone to develop one or two habits that would reveal themselves during a battle, during his previous life, Hamel had intentionally erased all of his habits. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to grow any stronger if he had held on to his established habits. He wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive in Helmuth either. And he wouldn¡¯t even have the slightest chance of surpassing Vermouth. Under such pressing motivations, he had erased all the habits that weren¡¯t of any use to him. As such, Eugene couldn¡¯t tell this guy¡¯s identity just by looking at him like this. Although it seemed certain that this was a Death Knight formed from some poor soul, that alone wasn¡¯t enough. His face, Eugene needed to see his face. ¡®If they really did make my corpse into an undead by stuffing another soul in there¡­.¡¯ If that was the case, then all this rage and murderous intent that Eugene felt wouldn¡¯t simply go away. That thing washisbody. The body from his previous life. The body that Sienna, Anise, Molon, and Vermouth had painstakingly built a grave for andid to rest. ¡°Which fucking bastard was it¡ª¡± Boom! Eugene jumped into the air and twisted his body. ¡°¡ªthat stuffed you¡ª¡± His cloak billowed. As the space inside opened wide, the handles of countless weapons protruded from it. From among all of these weapons, Eugene grabbed hold of two sword-hilts. ¡°¡ªinto that body?!¡± Swoosh! The two swords that Eugene held in either hand were thrust downwards. Although the Death Knight had two swords descending toward its head in a sh, it didn¡¯t panic. Instead, it skillfully twisted its body to get out of the swords¡¯ trajectories and then spread its hand out towards Eugene. A hand that was covered by a ck gauntlet shot straight at him. Eugene gritted his teeth hard and blocked the attack with both hands. Boom! The blue mes wrapped around Eugene¡¯s hands exploded. ¡®It has a Mana Shield,¡¯Eugene realized. Strictly speaking, the power that Death Knights and ck Wizards used wasn¡¯t mana but was instead demonic power. However, the way that they used it was no different from mana. Its dense demonic power had been wrapped around the Death Knight¡¯s body to form a shield. After Eugene managed to push the Death Knight away, he retracted his stiffened hands. This opponent wasn¡¯t something that he couldpete with in terms of strength. No matter how well Eugene was able to control his mana or how effectively he could amplify it by using the Ring me Form, the fact that it had only been six years since Eugene had first started training his mana remained unchanged. It was only natural that he couldn¡¯tpete with this Death Knight in front of him in terms of strength. Eugene reminded himself,¡®I also don¡¯t really know anything about it.¡¯ How long had that Death Knight been guarding here? The first thought that came to mind was that this Death Knight had to have been created by Amelia Merwin. She had opened the door to this tomb six years ago, entered inside¡­ and then made a Death Knight from Hamel¡¯s corpse. Since Hamel¡¯s soul hadn¡¯t remained trapped in his body, she had to have stuffed a different soul in there. If that really was the case, that made it even more unlikely for Eugene to be able to defeat this Death Knight. As a Death Knight made by a ck wizard of Amelia Merwin¡¯s caliber, it had to be at least as strong as the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch, Gilead, or a Captain of the ck Lion Knights. Using his logic, Eugene could only reach such a conclusion. However, Eugene had no intention of retreating. So what if the Death Knight was strong? Fwooosh! The mes covering Eugene grew even more intense. As he exploded his mana without restraint, Eugene reached into his cloak. Whoosh! The Death Knight¡¯s hand tried to grab Eugene once more. Eugene immediately evaded with a Blink, reappearing behind the Death Knight. The weapon that he pulled out next was a giant ax. As Eugene retrieved this ax from inside his cloak, he spun his body. But as he unleashed his blow, Eugene wasn¡¯t able to send the Death Knight flying like he had hoped. The moment that the ax touched its body, the Death Knight¡¯s sword had sprung into action. Schk! Therge ax was sliced in half exactly down the middle. Eugene immediately let go of the ax and took a half-step back. Eugene¡¯s hand was already reaching back into his cloak. What he took out next was a greatsword that was evenrger than the previous ax. Eugene raised the sword over his head and swung it down at the Death Knight¡¯s helmet. Although Eugene may have stepped back, the Death Knight refused to reciprocate. Instead, it charged forward and swung its sword. Kacrack! The greatsword immediately shattered into pieces. Eugene had never seen an attack like this that could so easily destroy an opponent¡¯s weapon. Eugene examined the way that the Death Knight was swinging his sword. Although it seemed to have intentionally erased its habits, from the way it looked when wielding a sword to the allocation of its mana and the strength of its sword-force¡­ such things weren¡¯t habits but instead part of its basic skills. These sorts of things couldn¡¯t be discarded, even if you wanted to. ¡®...It¡¯s simr,¡¯Eugene admitted. He couldn¡¯t deny it. The Death Knight¡¯s movements resembled Hamel¡¯s. But it was just his movements, nothing else. This guy in front of him wasn¡¯t Hamel. Eugene was reassured about this truth once more. His cloak pped loudly as, in the middle of all this, Eugene lowered his stance. The Death Knight instinctively sensed his approach, so it spun around and held up its sword. Boom! The attack unleashed from beneath Eugene¡¯s cloak came as a shock. However, the Death Knight¡¯s demonic power wasn¡¯t even shaken. Instead, its eyes gleamed from behind its upheld sword. Eugene pulled out a spear and held it in both hands as he brandished it towards the Death Knight. ¡°Boy, it seems like you¡¯re good at wielding various weapons,¡± the Death Knight spoke up. Boy? Eugene snorted and lowered his knees. ¡°If you¡¯re trying to imitate me, then do it properly,¡± Eugene critiqued him; Hamel would never use tame words like that. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to take off your helmet?¡± The Death Knight replied, ¡°There is no reason for me to do so.¡± ¡°I think I liked it better when you just kept your trap shut.¡± If the Death Knight was going to im that its name was Hamel, then it should stop talking so politely. From when he was young, and even as he grew older, until the day he died, Hamel had never spoken so politely. Shick. The spear thrust forward. No, it just looked like it had been thrust forward. It had been a feint. But the deceptive movements of the swaying tip of the spear as it was pulled back and forth couldn¡¯t just be dismissed as a simple trick. The obvious momentum of the speartip could instantly turn the fake into the real at any time. The Death Knight didn¡¯t show any reaction. It just stepped back a little to get itself out of the spear¡¯s reach. Just as the distance between them was growing wider, Eugene¡¯s body moved into gear. The blue mes wrapped around the spear gave off a brilliant shine. Each time the spear shook, sparks would scatter off of it. The Ring me Form then transformed each of these sparks into a spell. Chains of me pierced through the air along with his spear. Crack! The chains that were about to wrap around the Death Knight¡¯s body were cut apart by a dark ray of light, but this attack failed to block the spear. At the moment of collision, the spear¡¯s trajectory twisted aside. In Eugene¡¯s hands, the straight spear was able to move both flexibly and freely. This transformed an ordinary spear into a deadly viper. With its fangs bared wide open, the viper struck the Death Knight. Bang! The Death Knight¡¯s mana shield fluctuated, but the one blow wasn¡¯t enough to push it back. Even though Eugene had managed to strike it firmly, the blow was still too light. Eugene¡¯s strength was insufficient to shove his opponent away. However, Eugene had done this in order to confirm something with his own eyes. The technique Eugene had used to handle his weapon was something that had belonged to Hamel. If the Death Knight was iming to be Hamel, then it needed to at least be able to see through and understand this technique. ¡°Boy, your skill is amazing,¡± the Death Knightplimented. Eugene sneered, ¡°I told you to shut your trap.¡± The Death Knight was acting like nothing had happened just now. As soon as it had been bitten by the viper, it had retreated backward so the attack couldn¡¯t dig in any deeper. Its technique was also sophisticated and skillful. However, this wasn¡¯t enough for the Death Knight to be able to im its identity as Hamel. Even though the Death Knight had managed to retreat from the blow, it had still set its bones ringing. But then something broke. Eugene looked down at the shattered spear in his hands. It was because of the Death Knight¡¯s sword. Its attack had been just a simple stab with no finesse, but it was strong and fast enough to shatter his spear. Now, the Death Knight had no intention of retreating any further. A vicious demonic aura filled the room. Shaking off the pressure that was constricting his whole body, Eugene shoved his hands inside his cloak. ¡°How unfortunate,¡± the Death Knight muttered. Suddenly, it appeared right in front of Eugene, its sword swinging forward in a ck sh of light. It was impossible to read any emotions from its eyes, but the words spat out by its hoarse voice made the Death Knight¡¯s opinion obvious. Eugene¡¯s face was no longer contorted in a scowl. Having gone far beyond the boiling point of rage and murderous intent, his face had hardened into a cold mask. Then, in the next moment, Eugene¡¯s sword-force split apart the Death Knight¡¯s darkness. It happened in an instant, and the Death Knight was left looking like it couldn¡¯t understand what had just urred. This was only natural. Its sh hade close to slicing open Eugene¡¯s throat, but suddenly it had failed to make contact. It was as if its sword had been twisted to the side. However, there was no reason for the sword to do so. With Eugene¡¯s strength, he shouldn¡¯t have been able to strike the Death Knight¡¯s sword aside. ¡°...What did you just do?¡± the Death Knight asked. ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Eugene spat out in a voice that carried no trace of amusement. ¡°That¡¯s proof that you¡¯re not Hamel.¡± This was an application of mana that had been able to astonish even an Archwizard like Sienna. Although his affinity to mana was also excellent, what Hamel had truly excelled in was his mana control. He might not have been well-versed in magic, but in his previous life, Hamel had still been extremely good at manipting his mana. Hamel¡¯s body hadn¡¯t been as strong as Molon¡¯s. He wasn¡¯t even as well-rounded as Vermouth. He hadn¡¯t known how to use magic or divine power either. Nevertheless, Hamel had been able to run wild on the battlefield. The reason why he was able to face the attack from the huge Kamash head-on and pierce through it was¡ª ¡°Parrying?¡± the Death Knight asked as it looked down at the position of its deflected sword. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just simply parrying. The moment both attack and counterattack collided ¡ª at that instant, Eugene had synchronized a wave of manaposed of sword-force along with his counter-attack. So that the whole strength of his sword-force would burst forth the moment that their attacks met. ¡®How heavy.¡¯ Eugene ignored the throbbing pain in his arm. He could also taste blood at the back of his throat. Although he had definitely gotten the timing down perfectly, it was impossible for him to have dealt with such a strong attack without any issues. Hiding all signs of this, Eugene cycled the Stars rotating around his heart even faster. Bang, bang, bang! Countless Stars exploded and reformed in the Circle formed by his original Stars. Baaang! A sword wrapped in blue mes collided with the darkness, but he couldn¡¯t sustain such a fight for very long. As Eugene resisted the urge to pant for breath[1], he attacked the Death Knight with one blow after another. The Death Knight defended itself while aiming for a counterattack, but its sword wasn¡¯t able to move as it desired. Eugene wouldn¡¯t allow this to happen. If the Death Knight tried to swing its sword, Eugene would stab at it from below. If it tried to stab at him, he would chop down from above, and if it tried to chop at him, he would slice at its side. Eugene was able to read the Death Knight¡¯s attacks and make the first move each time. However, it felt like Eugene¡¯s bones were splintering, and his muscles were being torn apart. So even this talented body couldn¡¯t stand up to such abuse? But this didn¡¯t matter. Because Eugene had been able to fight just as well with a body that was in much worse shape than this. As long as he was still conscious and his head was clear, he could still move. He could still fight. Most importantly, Eugene needed to take off that helmet and see its face. If the Death Knight refused to take it off, then Eugene would just need to break it. Even if the face that was revealed because of this wasn¡¯t Hamel¡¯s, Eugene still nned to kill the Death Knight. The reveal wouldn¡¯t change anything. The fact that it was a Death Knight was more than enough reason to kill it. On top of that¡­ how dare this thing... lock itself up inhisgrave? Acting like it was the owner... sitting in front of this door¡­ blocking this passageway[2]. And it even dared to call itself Hamel? Something likethis? ¡°Hmph¡­!¡± the Death Knight grunted. It was being pushed back. The Death Knight¡¯s body and feet were slowly sliding backward. The sword that it couldn¡¯t wield as it wished was just serving as a hindrance to it. The Death Knight¡¯s movements were nowpletely under Eugene¡¯s control. No matter how much stronger the Death Knight waspared to Eugene, Eugene¡¯s skills exceeded its strength, and it was left unable to swing its sword in a way that truly took advantage of its strength. Eugene was currently dancing on the edge of a de. He was bursting forth with one attack after another, but he still wasn¡¯t able to inflict any fatal wounds on this Death Knight. In the first ce, injuries meant nothing to an undead. And with the strong demonic power that this Death Knight possessed, any wounds it received were healed immediately. ¡®I need to end this in one blow,¡¯Eugene thought desperately. He wasn¡¯t paying any more attention to his breathing. Instead, all his focus was concentrated on the attacks. ¡®Counterattack, watch out for the sword, then recline upper body.¡¯ The mana shield wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body was growing ever fainter. All the mana erupting from his Ring me Form was being infused into his sword. Thankfully, he was using the Storm Sword Wynnyd. Its wind worked together well with his mes. Squeeeeal! Eugene¡¯s sword screeched as it collided with the Death Knight¡¯s armor, prompting the Death Knight to back away in rm. The Death Knight wasn¡¯t Hamel. Its skills were too inadequate, and its battle instinct wascking. Even though it showed off a bloated strength, it still couldn¡¯t control this power properly. Eugene realized something,¡®In the first ce, you¡ª¡¯ Eugene¡¯s body slid to the side, avoiding a simple and obvious stab. The Death Knight¡¯s stab was just a simple attack down a straight line. Although there was sufficient speed to give it great power, that was all there was to it. Then the explosion of the demonic power infused into the sword almost engulfed Eugene. Just before Eugene Blinked away, he stomped on the ground with his foot. Pwooosh! The ground melted into mud with the sticky consistency of glue and swallowed the Death Knight¡¯s feet. Although that¡¯s what it looked like, the gluey mud was actually disintegrated the moment it touched the Death Knight¡¯s demonic power. But that dy alone was enough. As long as it was able to upy the Death Knight¡¯s attention for a few moments, the distraction had proven effective. ¡®¡ªyou¡¯re not a swordsman.¡¯ Although it seemed to be able to handle its sword quite well, the Death Knight¡¯s swordsmanship was so crude that it was hard to believe that it was even capable of acting as a Death Knight. Eugene could admit that such swordsmanship would be able to receive praise for its strength no matter where it went. However, there was no way that it would have been able to stand at Vermouth¡¯s side with only this level of swordsmanship. Three hundred years ago, among all the knights who had followed them into Helmuth, there was not a single one whose swordsmanship wascking inparison to the Death Knight¡¯s. Every time it swung its sword, the Death Knight had to withdraw to recover its stance. Additionally, when the Death Knight swung with its right hand, its left hand, shoulders, and knees would all twitch beforehand. Finally, the Death Knight¡¯s gaze was also a little slower than its swing. All this proved that the Death Knight wasn¡¯t a swordsman. Unleashing another attack, the Death Knight violently twisted its body! Kwaaargh! The demonic power that spewed from the sword swing sprayed across the entire hallway. Something was damaged and fell to the floor. It was one of the countless weapons now strewn across the hallway. The Death Knight¡¯s eyes shook in shock,¡®How did they all appear in such a short time¡­? Was it while he was casting Blink?¡¯ Behind it! It was faster for the Death Knight to release a spray of demonic power backward than turn around. The demonic power collided with a st of mes and exploded. But this explosion was part of Eugene¡¯s ns. The Death Knight¡¯s senses were suddenly covered in points of high-density mana. In ones and twos, dozens and then hundreds, their sudden appearance overwhelmed his senses. Each of them was an attack that Eugene had fired wildly at it. Bang bang bang bang! Hundreds of magic missiles shot into the Death Knight¡¯s wavering demonic aura. In the midst of all this, Eugene readied his body. ¡°Now, let¡¯s see your ugly mug,¡± Eugene panted in a harsh voice. Wynnyd¡¯s sword-force split apart the darkness as he leaped. The Death Knight¡¯s helmet was sliced in half. Thud. As the only noise that could be heard was the sound of Eugenending behind the Death Knight, he turned his head to look back at it. The Death Knight was standing still, holding the split-apart pieces of its helmet in both hands. As Eugene recovered from his panting, he red at the back of the Death Knight''s revealed head. It had short hair, a severed left earlobe, and the back of its neck had a tangled mess of scars. As he calmed his heart which felt like it was about to burst, Eugene demanded, ¡°Look at me.¡± The Death Knight turned its head. A scar ran from the tip of its right chin, across its eye, and onto its forehead. Eugene was very familiar with this scar. Before the point where he actually died, that was the scar that Hamel had received uponing closest to his death. The event had happened shortly after entering Helmuth. It was the scar he had received while fighting the de of Incarceration[3]. ¡®The earlobe¡­ that was pierced through while fighting the Demon King of Cruelty.¡¯ At the sharp point of the Demon Spear Luentos. Although it was hidden by the armor, the scar from his battle with the Demon King of Carnage should also still remain on its right shoulder. That guy¡¯s weapon had been the Annihtion Hammer Jigth. If Hamel had been even a littlete in retreating, his body would have been crushed in half. But he hade the closest to truly dying back then, at the moment when his face was sliced open by the Sword of Incarceration. Looking at these scars, Eugene¡¯s current face, which was clean of any scarring, seemed to be throbbing for some reason. ¡°...Bastard, you sure are one handsome guy,¡± Eugene cursed as he looked at Hamel¡¯s face. Even though hundreds of years had passed, that face hadn¡¯t rotted away and was still the same as it had been in his previous life. However, there was no life to it. Its skin was pale and bloodless, and its two eyes were a grayish red like rotting blood. ¡°Your soul is incredibly ugly, but at least your face is handsome,¡± Eugene consoled the undead. The Death Knight did not respond. With nk eyes, it was staring down at the helmet it was holding in its hands. ¡°...Grrr¡­ Wooo¡­.¡± Its body started trembling as it made these sounds. The helmet it was holding shattered into pieces. ¡°Roooar!¡± with a roar, the Death Knight threw its sword. Chapter 67

Chapter 67: The Grave (3)

aaang! The sword thrown by the Death Knight pierced into the wall of the hallway and shattered the wall into rubble. Although Eugene had managed to avoid the throw, he couldn¡¯t afford to rx. The Death Knight was still attacking him. ¡®Fuck, this stinks.¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t hot down here, Eugene had been moving his body so vigorously that his whole body was now drenched in sweat. It had been a long time since he hadst felt this tired, and it wasn¡¯t just his overworked muscles either. The mana in his Core was slowly starting to bottom out. Eugene had overused his strength to keep up the reckless parrying and break through the Death Knight¡¯s defenses. If it wasn¡¯t for his Ring me Form, his mana would have already been depleted, and he would have copsed onto the floor. ¡®Now, what do I do?¡¯ Eugene had managed to see the Death Knight¡¯s face. He had confirmed that its body was created from Hamel¡¯s corpse. He had also confirmed that the soul inserted into that body was just the soul of some unknown bastard. But that wasn¡¯t enough. Eugene wanted to kill this Death Knight and was determined to do so now. Adjusting his breathing, Eugene continued to operate the Ring me Form. The source of power for a human being was their heart. But a Death Knight¡¯s heart didn¡¯t beat, nor did it have any flowing blood. To kill a Death Knight, one would need to tear it into so many pieces such that it wouldn¡¯t be able to regenerate any longer. Was the current Eugene able to do such a thing? Even if he couldn¡¯t, Eugene would just have to manage it somehow, so why ask such an obvious question? Eugene encouraged himself like this as wind wrapped around his de. As the amount of mana Eugene could infuse into the de dwindled, the wind evoked by his spirit was strengthened to make up for it. Baaang! Eugene¡¯s body flew into the air. Swallowing the blood that he was about to cough up, Eugene looked down at the floor. The Death Knight rose slowly from the center of a deep crater that looked like the site of a recent explosion. All it had done was throw away its sword, but it was now iparably faster and stronger than it had been before. This was its original level of skill. By holding a sword that it wasn¡¯t even familiar with, and as it had tried to prioritize usingmon sword techniques without leaning on its true strength, all of the Death Knight¡¯s moves had been blunt and simple. But now¡­. ¡®Fuck.¡¯ Each time Eugene endured an attack, it felt like his arms were being torn out of their sockets. Even though he was parrying the blows, with each burst of mana, he could feel his reserves of mana being drained away inrge clumps. It was a godsend that Eugene was able to handle releasing suchrge bursts of mana. It was fortunate that Eugene had trained his control over his mana by using the Moonlight Sword¡¯s fragment as the target of his spells because if he hadn¡¯t done that, his mana would already have reached the bottom of the tank through his parrying alone. ¡®But my specs still fall short,¡¯Eugene noted pessimistically. When the Death Knight was still holding a sword, it had been an easy opponent, but now that it had dropped the sword and was fighting with its bare hands, it was a tough opponent for him. On top of that, the Death Knight¡¯s fighting style was so messy that it was difficult for him to read the attacks and gauge how much mana he needed to deal with them. It was like he was fighting with a wild beast or a monster. It might be fighting with its bare hands, but although the Death Knight was wearing gauntlets, it wasn¡¯t fighting with its fists. ck demonic power was wrapped around its hands, and it was swinging its fingertips like they were ws. ¡®ws? No, it¡¯s different. Its fingers are curved, which means it¡¯s also using the power of its hands.¡¯ Some weapons had des on the back of their hands or even their fingertips. Those sorts of weapons focused on slicing and scratching. However, the Death Knight¡¯s style was different. It was actively using its grip strength and its knuckles. It wasn¡¯t just using its arms like a beast¡¯s limbs. Then there was also its posture. The Death Knight was tilting its upper body forward, and its arms were nearly low enough to touch the floor. It seemed that this posture was a more natural fit for it than when it had been standing upright on both feet, as it was correspondingly more agile. ¡®Fuck. If they were going to put a soul in my body, then it should at least have been a human¡¯s soul. Just what kind of monster did they stuff in there?¡¯ A monster¡­. No, was it really? It had been able to hold a conversation, but then there was its messy and barbaric fighting style. Its primary weapons were its arms and fingertips. Though its stance looked sloppy, the center of gravity was clearly settled around its lower body. There was also the way it had gone into a berserk frenzy. He had seen something like this somewhere before¡­. ¡°...A lycanthrope?¡± The moment he uttered these words¡ª Cracracrack! The Death Knight¡¯s fingertips scraped against Wynnyd. Eugene twisted so that his body turned with the blow''s force rather than resisting it. By doing this, he managed to retreat backward after spinning around a few times. ¡°Graaah!¡± the Death Knight let out a bestial howl. Grk, grgrgrk! Its teeth were grinding and gnashing against each other. A nce downward showed that the Death Knight was wearing metal boots, but even there, ck demonic power was sticking out like ws. ¡°Fuck, I was right,¡± Eugene cursed suddenly. ¡°What kind ofbination is this? Why would they stuff a lycanthrope''s soul into a human''s corpse? What on earth do we even call something like you?¡± There was no answer to his questions, ¡°Groooooar!¡± It looked like his words weren¡¯t getting through to it. Eugene spat out the blood pooling in his mouth and red at the Death Knight. ¡°...They really are pulling all sorts of crap,¡± barking out these words, Eugene reached into his cloak once more. Grrrr! The Death Knight charged over with another growl. Since the situation had changed from what it had been earlier, the tools that Eugene was using should also change to keep him from being passive. Eugene pulled out a small box and crushed it in his grip. This revealed the fragment of the Moonlight Sword, which he took and threw at the fingertips shing at him. ¡®A single fragment won¡¯t be enough to dissipate everything.¡¯ However, it could at least reduce the power of the blow to an eptable level. Wynnyd¡¯s sh drove into the Death Knight¡¯s wavering demonic power. ng! The power of Eugene¡¯s blow was also dissipated by the fragment. Things might have been different had he been using the real Moonlight Sword, but the fragment sure was inconvenient to use. That said, it was enough to turn the tides. As Eugene swung his sword in a frenzy, he pushed back the Death Knight¡¯s ws. This way, he was able to snatch up the shard and throw it at the Death Knight once more. He repeated this over and over until his head felt like it was about to explode. Eugene had to read the dizzying trajectory of the Death Knight¡¯s attacks, avoid what could be avoided, then grab the fragment, throw it, attack, and then grab the fragment once more. And the cycle repeated. Although Eugene was familiar with all sorts of fights, even in his previous life, he had never once been in a fight as troublesome as this one. Eugene was getting short of breath. He had no choice but to ept that the difference in their specs was far toorge. Even though they should both have been consuming each other¡¯s strengths, the Death Knight¡¯s demonic power appeared barely drained. Instead, every time it was attacked, the Death Knight was bing even more ferocious. Eugene was wearing the Cloak of Darkness. It was an artifact that could block spells up to the Fifth Circle without any difficulty, but it still wasn¡¯t enough topletely protect Eugene¡¯s body from the Death Knight''s attacks. Shallow wounds kept piling up, and Eugene¡¯s body was drenched in blood. He had already lost enough blood that his sight was starting to get blurry. However, his concentration kept getting sharper even as the mana in his Core was slowly starting to reach rock bottom. Should he try to retreat now? His specs just weren¡¯t high enough to win this fight. If it were a few yearster, Eugene felt like he would be able to win this. But should he retreat because of that? Someone like him? In the face of someone who was ying around with his corpse? Eugene had managed to pierce through the Death Knight¡¯s defenses several times. But its armor was just too tough. He had tried to thrust his de into the joints, but he didn¡¯t get the feeling that he was cutting anything important. It seemed that the corpse itself had also been strengthened. And Death Knights were the highest rank of undead, so it was impossible for Eugene to neutralize it with just that one fragment of the Moonlight Sword. Ever so slowly, Eugene started getting pushed back. While he was still putting up a fight by actively using the fragment, Eugene¡¯s body wasn¡¯t mature enough to draw out Hamel¡¯s full power. His physical abilities were sufficient for it, but his mana capacity still wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°Gargh!¡± Eugene gasped as he swallowed back the blood that was about to escape his lips and threw his body back into the fight. sh! The Death Knight¡¯s fingertips scraped past, slicing open his side, but Eugene ignored this as well. By doing this, he was able to thrust the fragment of the Moonlight Sword into the Death Knight¡¯s chest. The Death Knight¡¯s flickering demonic powershed out at Eugene¡¯s arms and body, but Eugene just pushed his head even closer and pressed strongly on the fragment. Just as the Death Knight¡¯s defenses were dimming, Eugene started casting spells. Explosions and projectiles burst against the Death Knight¡¯s undefended breastte. A fragment of the Moonlight Sword was able to dissipate all magical power into neutral mana. Eugene was very familiar with this effect, so he knew it was fine as long as his spells didn¡¯t touch it directly. With bloodshot eyes, he made sure to control the trajectories of each of his spells. A chain of explosionsnded around the fragment. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡± with a rage-filled roar, the Death Knight¡¯s body was thrown backward. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to catch the falling fragment in his hands. He didn¡¯t have any strength left to spare for that. He coughed up blood as he kept his eyes fixed on the dark cloud of smoke. Eugene had only managed to push it back for a few moments; the Death Knight wasn¡¯t defeated yet. However, he had seeded in shattering the breastte it had been wearing. ¡°...Kuh¡­ kukuh!¡± Eugene chuckled as he saw something absurd. He wasn¡¯tughing at how tough the Death Knight was. He wasughing because the shattered breastte had exposed its chest. There was nothing there. Only a hollow hole could be seen in the Death Knight¡¯s torso. The wound that had caused Hamel to die in his previous life had remained intact even hundreds of yearster. And in the center of that hole, he could see there was a red gem ced within. It seemed obvious that it was meant to serve as this thing¡¯s ¡®heart.¡¯ ¡°No¡­ don¡¯t look!¡± demanded the insane Death Knight that had mistaken itself for Hamel. Eugene snickered and pointed at the hole in its chest. He asked mockingly, ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re Hamel with that thing in your chest?¡± The Death Knight roared in anger, ¡°Graaaah!¡± It was important to know when you could afford to provoke someone and when you would be better off staying silent. Now was the time to do thetter. Although Eugene knew this very well, he just couldn¡¯t stand it. Having seen it for himself, how could he notugh at the absurdity? But the price for his momentary amusement was harsh. Baaang! Eugene¡¯s body was mmed against the wall. Although the Cloak of Darkness gave him some protection, since he was driven into the wall with enough force to crumble it, his body didn¡¯t make it out unharmed. His bones were definitely injured, and it felt like his internal organs might be as well. ¡°You¡­ stupid¡­ bastard! How could you be Hamel? You¡¯re just a Death Knight. Not even a human one at that¡­ but a lycanthrope,¡± Eugene copsed onto the floor and coughed out blood as he smiled. ¡°From the way you move, it looks like you were some kind of feline beast¡­. Haha! Could you have been a tiger? Or maybe a lion? No, that¡¯s not it. Seeing how your actions are so cute, you might just be a housecat.¡± The Death Knight growled, ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ kill¡­ you¡­!¡± ¡°Just try it, you fucking bastard. What were you trying to say again when you can¡¯t even deal with a neen-year-old kid? You said that you were Hamel? Are you making fun of Hamel?¡± Eugene mocked the Death Knight as he tried to get to his feet. Crunch! The Death Knight didn¡¯t allow Eugene to stand up. It grabbed Eugene by the shoulders and pulled him up so they could talk face-to-face. ¡°I¡­ I am Hamel,¡± the Death Knight insisted. ¡°Like fuck you are, asshole,¡± Eugene cursed as he spat some of the blood flowing from his mouth into the Death Knight¡¯s face. ¡°Also, don¡¯t get so close to me. Since you give off the smell of a rotting corpse. If you¡¯ve died once, then you should just rest in peace already. Where do you think you get off, wandering around in someone else¡¯s corpse and messing with the living?¡± ¡°Grrr¡­!" Crunch. The hands holding Eugene''s shoulders tightened their grip. Suppressing a groan, Eugene red into the Death Knight''s face. Eugene had lost. Was he going to die now? Just like this? No, this wasn¡¯t the end for him. He had even been reincarnated, so he had no intention of dying in such a fruitless manner. If he had felt like he was going to lose, he would have run away immediately. Eugene hadn¡¯t run away because he had wanted to confirm its identity. When Eugene had first raised his sword against the Death Knight, he had felt like he could win. And now? ¡®If I really have to usethat, I¡¯ll be a fucking mess for the next few years.¡¯ Although it wasn¡¯t all that impressive, in his previous life as Hamel, he had kept one special move hidden as his trump card. In fact, it was so simple that it couldn¡¯t even really be called a special move. But still¡­. If Eugene used it, he was sure to win. He would win no matter what. Even a special psychopath like this Death Knight that wouldn¡¯t die unless it was torn to pieces would be shattered into dust without leaving any traces behind. But as strong as this move was, it came with the same amount of recoil. Although it was impossible for him to kill a Death Knight with his current specs, if he used Ignition, Eugene would definitely be able to kill it. Just as Eugene was considering whether or not to use it, he heard a voice call out to him. ¡°Young master!¡± ¡®What now?¡¯ It was Laman Schulhov! That fool, Eugene had knocked him out to give him the chance to run away, but why had he continued to follow Eugene all the way here? Eugene couldn¡¯t turn his head to look at Laman. The Death Knight was still holding Eugene by his shoulders. ¡°Get back! You monster!¡± Laman shouted as he rushed at the Death Knight. But the Death Knight also didn¡¯t turn to look at Laman. It just picked Eugene up with one hand and threw him at the ceiling on the opposite side of the room to Laman. ¡°Gagh!¡± Bang, boooom! Eugene¡¯s thrown body crashed into the ceiling, mmed back down to the floor, and was sent rolling across the room. Since Eugene had been reincarnated, this was the first time that his body had been so severely damaged. As Eugene kept spitting blood, he raised his head. Perhaps, could it be? For a few moments, Eugene got his hopes up. Was it possible that Laman, who hade running here so confidently, had awakened some great power and was now able to defeat the Death Knight? But this ended up being just a daydream. Laman¡¯s sword-force was easily overpowered by the Death Knight, and his kukri was shattered to pieces. ¡°Gugh!¡± Then Laman wasn¡¯t even able to get away in time. The Death Knight grabbed Laman by the throat and turned to look at Eugene. Surprisingly, it asked, ¡°...Is this¡­ your henchman?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene casually denied. Laman shouted, ¡°Young master¡­! P-please run away. While I¡¯ve got a hold of him¡ª!¡± What kind of bullshit was that when Laman was the one who was being held captive? Eugene burst outughing because his im was so ridiculous. This just made Laman admire Eugene even more. Even after suffering so many injuries and being cornered in a fight with this mysterious monster, Eugene was still able tough like that. ¡®He truly is a great man,¡¯Laman wholeheartedly admired. While Laman was caught up in his arbitrary fantasies about Eugene, the Death Knight red at the still grinning Eugene and threw Laman at him. ¡°Gaaah!¡± Laman screamed. Eugene was struck by the thrown Laman and was sent skidding across the ground with him. ¡°What¡­. Grrrr¡­. Is so funny?¡± the Death Knight growled. ¡°I¡¯m justughing since you look like a fool,¡± Eugene said as he pushed Laman off him and staggered to his feet. Laman got up at the same time as Eugene and quickly moved to support him. ¡°Young master. I¡¯ll rush over and make an opening, so you have to run away no matter what. You don¡¯t¡­ you don¡¯t need to try and save me anymore,¡± Laman gave this heartfelt plea, but neither the Death Knight nor Eugene paid him any attention. ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­ that I¡¯m funny?¡± ¡°Yeah. You¡¯re hrious.¡± Behind Eugene stood a tightly closed door. It was the door that the Death Knight had been guarding at the start. Even though it knew there was a door here, the Death Knight had still thrown Eugene over to this side instead of where they had first entered. This meant that it didn¡¯t matter even if they did open it. Or else that it wasn¡¯t able to be opened. ¡®Let¡¯s confirm this first.¡¯ Eugene shuffled his feet backward. Laman, who was supporting Eugene, was also dragged back. Seeing this sight, the corners of the Death Knight¡¯s mouth twisted into a smile. ¡°That¡¯s¡­. Grrr¡­! That¡¯s not where you should try to escape to,¡± it informed them with a growl. ¡°Even though there¡¯s a door here as well?¡± Eugene asked casually. ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± ¡°No, as I said, I find you amusing.¡± ¡°Then why¡­ are you trying to open that door?¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious to see what¡¯s inside there.¡± ¡°That door doesn¡¯t open. Nobody, not even her, has been able to open that door.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene¡¯s hand reached the door. Laman was looking between Eugene and the Death Knight with an anxious expression. Why had they gotten close to a door that couldn¡¯t even be opened? Could it be that this was some part of a deliberate n to distract the enemy? ¡®As expected of a great man like him.¡¯ Just as it looked like Eugene was trying to open the door, they should charge at the enemy. Of course, Laman couldn¡¯t just say something like this out loud. Instead, Laman furiously winked one eye at Eugene to inform Eugene that he was in on the n. ¡®Why the hell is he winking like that?¡¯Eugene thought to himself. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you it¡¯s useless,¡± the Death Knight said. ¡°That door doesn¡¯t open.¡± ¡°After hearing those words, I want to open it up even more,¡± Eugene cheekily replied. If this was a situation where he would need to use Ignition, then Eugene would have no choice but to use it. However, before that, he still had to check what was behind this door. Since this was Hamel¡¯s tomb, and he was Hamel, then if Sienna or someone else had nned for his reincarnation, then¡­. This door that wouldn¡¯t open no matter what must have been left for this grave¡¯s owner. ¡®Though perhaps Amelia Merwin opened it and then immediately spelled it shut,¡¯as Eugene considered this thought, he pushed against the door. But it didn¡¯t open, his attempt had failed. Immediately after this, Eugene¡¯s ne gave off a small light. Eugene felt some heating from his ne as the door began to move. Eugene smirked, ¡°See, it does open.¡± The Death Knight¡¯s expression changed. It quickly kicked off the ground and charged at Eugene, but Eugene pushed the door open and dragged Laman in with him. No, rather than ¡®opening¡¯ the door, it was more like they were sucked through the door. ¡°Ugh,¡± Laman copsed onto the ground with a groan. Unable to understand what had just happened, he raised his head to look around, but Eugene chopped him on the back of the neck to keep him from getting up. ¡°Although you weren¡¯t of any help, since you didtryto save me,¡± as Eugene muttered this, he took a seat on the back of the now-unconscious Laman. Eugene turned his head around to look behind him. The door was shut tight. The Death Knight must be going crazy trying to open the door, but the door didn¡¯t even shake, let alone transmit the sound of someone pounding on the other side. For now, Eugene could assume that this was a safe ce. He nodded his head and turned his head to the front. ¡°...Those crazy bastards,¡± Eugene muttered as he looked at the center of the wide-open space in front of him. ¡°Why did they leave it here?¡± The light that illuminated this dark room wasn¡¯ting from a magically conjured me. It was the pale shade of moonlight. In the center of the dark room, a crescent moon hovered over a pure white coffin. Chapter 68 Chapter 68 Chapter 68: The Grave (4) Three hundred years ago, in Helmuth. Near the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s castle. It had originally been a in, but the entire area had been overturned due to the battle with the Demon King of Carnage. After the battle was over, the heroes searched the surroundings to see if there were any remaining forces that had fled the Demon King¡¯s castle or were trying to stay hidden in the vicinity. Somewhere in all that overturned ground, they found a path leading underground. Under the suspicion that they might fight Carnage¡¯s minions hiding down there, they followed the path downwards, but they didn¡¯t find any demonfolk, demonic beasts, or monsters down there. It was unknown for how long it had been around, but they found a ruin deep underground. Upon seeing the ancient words carved into the walls, Sienna spected that it might be a relic of the mythological period. Sienna and Anise were able to trante most ancient scripts, but even for erudites like them, it was impossible to trante the ancientnguage that they found engraved on the walls of the ruin. Eventually, since they weren¡¯t able to uncover the true identity of these ruins, they had no choice but to explore deeper into the ruins. And in the deepest level of these ruins, they found a hidden room. There was no opening to the outside and no source of light, yet in the center of the room, they saw a full moon shining with a pale light. ¡®I call dibs on that one.¡¯ As soon as he saw the sword that had been embedded beneath the moon, Hamel immediately took the lead in iming it. Hispanions didn¡¯t have anyints. In their battle with the Demon King of Carnage, most of Hamel¡¯s weapons had been shattered and broken, leaving him with only a single intact sword. As for the Annihtion Hammer Jigth, the weapon wielded by the Demon King of Carnage, both Hamel and Molon had coveted it, but neither of them were able to be the Annihtion Hammer¡¯s new master. It was close to impossible for a human to properly wield a Demon King¡¯s weapon, so the only one who could wield it without taking any damage was Vermouth. Molon preferred heavy andrge axes over swords. Vermouth already possessed various weapons such as Wynnyd, the Holy Sword, and Gedon¡¯s Shield; moreover, he had just gotten his hands on the Annihtion Hammer as well. Thus, he didn¡¯t put up a fight when Hamel imed the sword that they found in these ruins. However, Hamel wasn¡¯t able to get his hand on the sword. The moment that he got close to the sword bathed in moonlight, he fell to his knees coughing out blood. The mysterious moonlight also dissipated Hamel¡¯s mana and left him feeling disorientated. In the end, that sword was also taken by Vermouth. Vermouth was the only one in the party who could safely approach it from beneath the moonlight and draw the sword. No one knew the reasons for this. But in fact, this wasn¡¯t anything to be surprised about. All hisrades knew just how special Vermouth was. ¡ªMotherfucker, why do you always end up with everything? ¡ªI tried to yield it to you. ¡ªAnd who asked you to do that? ¡ªWould you like me to hand it to you now? ¡ªI won¡¯t take it, you crazy fool. Are you trying to piss me off? They gave the sword that they had found in the ruins the name of the Moonlight Sword. Although the name was simple and straightforward, it was also appropriate. The sword had been found embedded in the ground beneath a full moon. The gray de that could be seen whenever it was pulled out of its scabbard appeared to be the same shade as moonlight and whenever the sword was swung, the luminous phenomenon it produced looked like it was scattering rays of moonlight. Yet, despite its appearance, that thing wasn¡¯t just a simple sword. It wasn¡¯t just Hamel who had felt that way, all of hispanions shared this sentiment. Fundamentally, literally any weapon was a tool meant to kill and destroy; however, among all the weapons in the world, the Moonlight Sword most perfectly captured the essence of this entity called ¡®weapon¡¯. The Moonlight Sword was pure ruination in the shape of a sword. The Demon Spear Luentos was the prided weapon of the Demon King of Cruelty, and its terror was overwhelming. In spite of that, it couldn¡¯t even pierce through the light of the Moonlight Sword. After Vermouth got his hands on the Moonlight Sword, the Holy Sword would no longer make an appearance on the battlefield. This was only natural. Rather than the beautiful Holy Sword that emitted a brilliant light, the simple-looking Moonlight Sword was much, much stronger. Currently, Eugene was nkly staring up at a moon. In the ruins where they had first discovered the sword, the moon they had seen had been a full one. However, the one in front of him now was only a crescent moon. As Eugene was about to pull out his fragment of the Moonlight Sword, he burst intoughter, ¡°I forgot to pick that thing up.¡± After mming into the Death Knight¡¯s chest, the fragment had fallen to the floor, and Eugene hadn¡¯t gotten a chance to pick it up. He had wanted to take the fragment out to see if it would show any reaction, but it looked like he would have to leave that forter. ¡°¡­Vermouth,¡± Eugene muttered as he shook his head from side to side. ¡°Why did you leave something like this in my grave?¡± Unlike when he had first seen it three hundred years ago, the Moonlight Sword wasn¡¯t embedded into the ground, but was instead floating in the air. Eugene stared at the Moonlight Sword as it hovered in front of him. The fragment of the Moonlight Sword had been discovered in the Khazad Hills. As such, Eugene had thought that Vermouth had personally shattered the sword and sealed it away because it was too dangerous. But now, what was the Moonlight Sword doing here? What reason could there be to seal the Moonlight Sword away in Hamel¡¯s grave of all ces? ¡°Was it out of sympathy for me?¡± Although Hamel had wanted to possess the Moonlight Sword, he hadn¡¯t been able to obtain it. He had never held any regrets because of this, but¡­ Eugene felt that this was a very Vermouth-like disy of sympathy. Rather than writing a tear-filled letter or bursting out with some emotional words, Vermouth had been the kind of guy to just suddenly offer what his colleagues had desired, just like this. Eugene looked at the space below the Moonlight Sword. He could see a white coffinying there. That was probably where his corpse had been ced. ¡°What¡¯s the use of giving it to me after I¡¯ve died?¡± Eugneughed and shook his head as he said this, though he wouldn¡¯t have even been able to use it while he was alive. But this wasn¡¯t the time to get all emotional. Apart from the Moonlight Sword, there was nothing else in this room. It didn¡¯t have any statues or memorial stones like the room outside. The only entrance was the door that they had used to enter. That was also the only way out. If they wanted to leave this room, they would have no choice but to face that damned, insane Death Knight once more. The Death Knight wasn¡¯t the only thing that Eugene needed to be concerned about. The ck Wizard, Amelia Merwin, had also set foot in this grave. For a Death Knight to have been found here, it must have been Amelia Merwin who had created it. And Eugene had no idea when that bitch of a ck wizard might return. As such, he needed to finish things here as soon as possible, and then escape from here. The issue was that things were getting moreplicated than he had expected. With a frown on his face, Eugene approached the Moonlight Sword. His body was still covered in wounds, and his heart was still racing from the battle¡¯s adrenaline. He didn¡¯t know why the Moonlight Sword was here, or what Vermouth¡¯s intentions were for leaving the Moonlight Sword here, but the fact that it was here¡­ meant that Vermouth had left this sword as an offering to Hamel. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, that just means it¡¯s alright for me to take it,¡± saying this with a grin, Eugene stretched his hand out towards the moonlight. Yet feelings of worry outweighed Eugene¡¯s giddiness and hope. In his previous life as Hamel, it had been impossible for him to even hold the Moonlight Sword in his hand. Although he had been reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth, would he really be able to wield the Moonlight Sword because of that? ¡°I¡¯ll just have to try and hold it,¡± Eugene muttered as he reached his hand out. ¡°After all, that bastard did dedicate this sword to me.¡± The moment his hand touched the moonlight, all the hairs on his body stood up in shock. Even though it should just be rays of light, Eugene¡¯s breath was starting to race. The mana inside his body was fluctuating and it felt like he would soon run out of mana just by leaving his hand under there. Eugene gritted his teeth and started operating the White me Form in order to wrench back control over his mana. With this, Eugene pushed his body forward. Yet it was easier to handle than he¡¯d been expecting. Was he recalling the experience incorrectly? Or was this because he was Vermouth¡¯s descendant? Could it be due to the fact he had learnt the same White me Form as Vermouth? No. ¡®It¡¯s been weakened.¡¯ Eugene was sure of this. The Moonlight Sword in front of him was iparably weaker than the one that he had first seen in those ruins. Just as he had thought, the Moonlight Sword must definitely have been broken into pieces. His hand touched the hilt. Crackle! A gray electric current wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body. The mana that he had been keeping a tight grip on fluctuated wildly, but then calmly subsided. Taking a deep breath, Eugene sat down right where he was. He was holding it. The sword that Hamel hadn¡¯t been able to even touch¡­ Eugene was now definitely able to hold it in his hands. Eugene calmed his rough breathing and nced down at the Moonlight Sword. From the outside, it just looked like an ordinary sword. Setting aside the overly morous Holy Sword, even Wynnyd had some fancy decorations on its pommel and guard, but the Moonlight Sword didn¡¯t have any of that. The same went for its scabbard as well¡ªit didn¡¯t have any artwork or jewels. But such decorations weren¡¯t of any importance to a sword. Eugene took a gulp and grabbed the scabbard. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not there.¡± Although he¡¯d been half-expecting this as he pulled on the hilt with a shaking heart, the gray de was nowhere to be seen. The Moonlight Sword had appeared to be intact from a distance, but in fact, only the ricasso was left of the whole de, allowing the hilt and guard to be attached to the scabbard.[1] ¡®As I thought. They must have shattered it.¡¯ The moment this thought passed through his head, the crescent moon floating in the air began to dissipate. The moonlight that had been illuminating his surroundings gathered to the Moonlight Sword. Eugene watched what was happening to the Moonlight Sword with wide eyes. As the light converged, it took the shape of a straight de. ¡°¡­Hahaha,¡± Eugene burst intoughter as he looked down at the gleaming sword. This de was made of light, not metal, so it was different from the Moonlight Sword that Eugene was familiar with. Nevertheless, this light was still unmistakably moonlight. Eugene slowly raised the sword, infusing his mana into it at the same time. Although the Moonlight Sword could copse all forms of magic and mana, Eugene¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t dissipated. Instead, the sword greedily swallowed up the mana, as if it had been waiting for this moment. Fwoosh. The moonlight flickered like the me of a candle. This was caused by the mes from the White me Form resonating with the Moonlight Sword and bing one. Eugene shrugged and smiled, ¡°It really is a bullshit sword.¡± The words he spat didn¡¯t show any signs that he was overwhelmed with happiness. Eugene understood exactly what kind of weapon the Moonlight Sword had be. He knew that this sword made from light would be able to resonate with the White me Form, but it proved to also be a huge drain on Eugene¡¯s mana. Of course it might have a lot of power that made up for this drawback, but it was still a difficult weapon to handle for Eugene, who had yet to be plete¡¯. ¡°Still, it¡¯s amazing,¡± Eugeneplimented it. Even though it had been shattered into pieces, it still had this much strength. It might eat up his mana like crazy, but as long as he used it properly, it would be able to show overwhelming superiority during battles that used mana. ¡®If I had known that this would happen, I would have chosen the Devouring Sword.¡¯ In the treasure vault of the Lionheart n was stored the Devouring Sword Azphel, one of the weapons that Vermouth had used. The sword was able to slice apart spells and devour the mana. However, while its ability to slice apart spells was indeed simr to the Moonlight Sword, in terms of sheer power, thetter was far superior. If the two swords were used together, their drawbacks would bepensated by each other. The mana drained by the Moonlight Sword would be supplemented by Azphel¡¯s absorption, and Azphel¡¯sck of power would be supplemented by the Moonlight Sword. ¡®Since there¡¯s no way I could have known that I would actually be able to get my hands on the Moonlight Sword, it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ In any case, he already had Wynnyd, which was unsurpassed in terms of convenience. If he was eventually able to sessfully summon Tempest, Eugene would be able to create a storm even without having to swing his sword. ¡°¡­If I do my best to act cute and beg for it, maybe they¡¯ll give me Azphel as well?¡± Eugene muttered to himself. If it was Gilead, then this idea could probably work for real. Clicking his tongue, Eugene slid the Moonlight Sword back into its scabbard. Of course, it was just an idle thought. There was no way that Eugene would ever act cute in front of Gilead. ¡°But now, what?¡± Eugene fell into deep thought as he rubbed his chin. Should he just rest here and drag out the time for a bit? No, never mind. It would be a pain in the ass if Amelia were to arrive while he was doing that. ¡®I might still have the personal letter from Balzac, but¡­.¡¯ There was no way that Eugene could have expected that he might encounter her in a ce other than Amelia¡¯s own territory. Eugene might have epted the letter, but he really didn¡¯t want to rely on Balzac¡¯s favor¡­. Well, in the worst case scenario, he would have no choice but to use it. ¡®Though I¡¯m not sure if she truly will back down just by seeing one letter.¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t put all his hopes into this letter. If at all possible, he wanted to handle this situation himself. He nced at Laman, who was still copsed on the ground. For now, he would just leave this guy here while he dealt with the Death Knight outside. ¡®As for Ignition¡­ there¡¯s no need to use it,¡¯Eugene judged. This was also a chance to test the power of the Moonlight Sword. Before that, Eugene opened up the white coffin. As he had thought, there wasn¡¯t any corpse lying within. However, taking a closer look, Eugene was struck dumb with surprise, ¡°¡­?!¡± The corpse was indeed missing, but there were other things inside the coffin. On the underside of the coffin¡¯s lid, an inscription had been written. Some day, I will meet you again in the world that you¡¯ve been longing for. And beneath these words written by Sienna, something else had fallen. * * * ¡°Grrr¡­!¡± while growling like a beast, the Death Knight red at the door. Not much time had passed since the intruders had gone through that door. In this short time, the Death Knight had already swung its ws at the door hundreds of times. However, it still hadn¡¯t been able to break down the door. It had attempted to break through the door hundreds of times before, but let alone breaking, the door had never even shown any signs of damage. ¡®How did they enter?¡¯the Death Knight questioned once more. It just couldn¡¯t understand this. The Death Knight grabbed its head and groaned. This was the grave of the Stupid Hamel. The Death Knight was Stupid Hamel. That¡¯s just how it had to be. Since this body belonged to Hamel, the soul inside this body also had to be Hamel¡¯s. This was the strong suggestion[2]that had been ced on the Death Knight when it was created. The master of the Death Knight had been able to synchronize the lycanthrope¡¯s soul with Hamel¡¯s body through this powerful suggestion. It was a necessary modification. Hamel¡¯s soul may not have remained inside it, but the corpse still carried all the traces of his life experiences. If the newly-inserted recement soul was able to perfectly tap into these traces and respond ordingly, then the Death Knight would be able to subconsciously draw from Hamel¡¯s experiences. The skills that were elicited through such a method might not beparable to that of the real Hamel, but the Death Knight¡¯s master was still greatly interested in this prospect. Wasn¡¯t that only natural? The Stupid Hamel was apanion of the Great Vermouth, and he was the only one among all thesepanions, Vermouth included, who had left an intact ¡®corpse¡¯. This corpse was one of the best materials for making a Death Knight. It was different from a soul, which was basically a consumable item. ¡°I am¡­ I am Hamel,¡± the Death Knight mumbled as it tore at its hair. The lycanthrope knew that there had been several souls ced within this body before it, but it didn¡¯t know which version of Hamel it was. It didn¡¯t want to know either. If it became aware of this, its already unstable sense of self would only grow even more shaky. ¡®Disposal,¡¯the Death Knight¡¯s eyes shook and eyelids fluttered at this thought. Its helmet had been split open and its breastte was shattered. The Death Knight¡¯s master had not permitted these to be broken, so they would definitely be enraged. And if that happened? The only thing waiting for it wasdisposal. Souls that were judged to be useless were discarded, and then other souls would be used as aponent for the Death Knight instead. If the Death Knight wanted to avoid that, then it needed to prove that it wasn¡¯t useless junk that should be discarded. He needed to kill the intruders and offer them¡ª No, it couldn¡¯t kill them. It needed to capture them. Since they were able to easily open the door that its master had been unsessfully trying to open, the Death Knight needed to offer them to its master alive. ¡®Need to do it quickly. Before the master returns¡­.¡¯ Had its earnest wish been answered? The door started shaking. The Death Knight shook its body and readied its ws. This was also something that its master would be furious about. The master had insisted that it was a human, not the soul of a lycanthrope. This meant that it wasn¡¯t allowed to use its fingernails or toenails as ws, which meant that the Death Knight was forced to rely solely on the body¡¯s muscle memory for any fights. Readying its ws was a direct disobedience of its master¡¯s orders. However, the Death Knight couldn¡¯t help it. After all, this opponent wasn¡¯t green enough for the Death Knight to believe that it could defeat him by relying on unfamiliar methods. A call came as the door opened, ¡°Did I keep you waiting?¡± Eugene had been expecting to be attacked the moment that the door opened. But the Death Knight didn¡¯t do that. Insteads it crouched down, lowering its center of mass and pressing its heels into the ground as if it was ready to explode into movement at any moment. It red at Eugene. ¡°How did you get through that door?¡± it questioned him. Eugene shrugged, ¡°I just tried to go in?¡± ¡°¡­What did you see¡­ inside there?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± Crunch! The Death Knight¡¯s feet dug into the ground. Eugene chuckled and ced his hand on the sword at his waist. He taunted the Death Knight, ¡°Who do you think I am?¡± ¡°Graaaaaagh!¡± Having been persistently taunted like this, the Death Knight finally couldn¡¯t take it anymore, so he roared and kicked off the ground. It wanted to kill Eugene and tear him into pieces, but it couldn¡¯t afford to do that. Suppressing its murderous intent, the Death Knight swung its ws at Eugene. Eugene lowered his stance. Just as the Death Knight¡¯s ws drew close, he pulled out the Moonlight Sword. 1. Although the author used the word tang (??) the tang is the part of the sword that connects the guard, hilt, and pommel, so it never touches the scabbard. The ricasso is the unsharpened part of a de, a few centimeters from the guard, which allows for a tight fit between the de and the scabbard, among other functions. /functional- Chapter 69 Chapter 69: The Grave (5) The quick-draw technique was, in simple terms, a technique for drawing the de from its scabbard and shing with it in one continuous motion. It was meant to catch the opponent off-guard, and, if done well, it could also be used to cut things at extremely close range directly. The problem was that it usually wasn¡¯t all that powerful. No matter how fast the sword was pulled from its scabbard, it was much better to just get into the right stance and sh with the full force of your arms. But that was only as far as an ordinary sword was concerned. The Moonlight Sword didn¡¯t really have a physical de at all ¡ª the entire length of the de, except for a small bit of the ricasso, was made up of pure moonlight. Normally, this quick-draw technique required particr attention and care ¡ª when shing out right after drawing, the de could take damage from hitting the opponent at the wrong angle, so the speed of the draw was somewhat limited. But with the Moonlight Sword, there was no need to care about that. All one had to do was draw and sh, no pause in-between. Thanks to that, it was possible to raise the speed of the initial cut to its limits. And as for power? That was a silly question. The Moonlight Sword was ruination in the form of a sword. It was as if Eugene had just drawn a crescent moon, or at least that was what it looked like to his eyes. The moment that he drew the sword from its scabbard, the light of the sword seemed to be a new moon. Its light illuminated the darkness. No¡­ it didn¡¯t just illuminate it. It broke the darkness apart. Craaash! The Death Knight¡¯s ws that were approaching Eugene were shattered by the moonlight andpletely erased from existence. The Death Knight¡¯s eyes showed that it didn¡¯t understand what had just happened. ¡°Huff¡­¡± While taking a deep breath, Eugene pushed forward. Although he had only swung the sword once, it already felt like he was choking for air and his vision was blurred. These were the typical symptoms of mana depletion. Once Eugene¡¯s tank of manapletely reached the bottom, he would be exhausted and would have no choice but to copse. ¡®I can do it twice more before I¡­.¡¯ Eugene had thought that he would have enough control over the sword¡¯s power, but as expected, the assumptions that he had made before actually trying to use it were quite off. Still, the power of this sh satisfied him. Even though he had only swung the sword once, he hadpletely crushed the iing attack. The Death Knight could notprehend what had happened. It had definitely swiped its ws. There was no way that this tired and weary intruder should have been able to respond. It had been intending to cut off the intruder¡¯s arms and bring him to his knees. Nheless, it had failed. The ws that had been shing at its prey had been shattered by a pale light, and the Death Knight¡¯s gauntlets were now also cracking into pieces. Eugene clicked his tongue as he saw this. ¡°Tsk. I was trying to cut off your arm.¡± Eugene¡¯s n had been the same as the Death Knight¡¯s, and the results were also identical: neither of the two ended up achieving their goal. The Death Knight had been unable to cut off Eugene¡¯s arms, and Eugene had also been unable to slice off the Death Knight¡¯s arm. ¡®Did I overestimate the power output? Or could it be that¡­ I was expecting too much from it, and its strength actually dropped more than I thought since it¡¯s been shattered?¡¯ Since he didn¡¯t have enough mana, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to try its strength out earlier. What was clear was that, with its current power, the Moonlight Sword couldn¡¯tpletely destroy the Death Knight¡¯s body. ¡®I¡¯ve also cut the Death Knight a few times previously, but I wasn¡¯t able to really injure it.¡¯¡¯ What the hell had they done to someone¡¯s corpse? As Eugene angrily ground his teeth, he approached the Death Knight. ¡°Graaaah!¡± the Death Knight roared. It might not be able to understand what had happened, but the cause of the mystery was clear. That ominous light had shattered its demonic power. Demonic power was the source of all ck magic. A high-ranking undead like a Death Knight wouldn¡¯t just disappear because it had used up all its demonic power, but consuming all of its power source to deal with an opponent like this would only further inme its master¡¯s rage. Well, anyway, so what if that was the case? Wasn¡¯t the solution simple? There was no pressing need for the Death Knight to use its demonic power. Looking at the intruder, his eyes were cloudy and his face was pale. It didn¡¯t seem like he even had the strength needed to walk, as he was now staggering over. With this body of its, although it had never properly learned swordsmanship, the Death Knight ever-so-rarely got the feeling that it was used to swinging a sword. However, it had never been able to draw these instincts outpletely. Having fought with its ws[1] for all its life, it was much easier and more efficient for the Death Knight to continue using its ws rather than wielding a sword. What it was going to do now was something that the Death Knight had always enjoyed and been good at. Although it didn¡¯t have its true ws, the Death Knight¡¯s enhanced grip power could shred a sheet of tough metal like it was just paper. And if its target was a human body? There was nothing stopping its hands from piercing into a human body and tearing it apart. Even with his blurry vision, Eugene was able to make out all of the Death Knight¡¯s movements. Was it really not going to use demonic power because it was wary of the Moonlight Sword? So what, it was just going to fight with its bare body? Without holding any weapons? Against him? ¡°I really don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Eugenemented as he saw the Death Knight getting ready to attack him with just its bare flesh. ¡°You cheeky bastard.¡± As Eugene chuckled, he swapped the Moonlight Sword to his left hand. Then, he drew Wynnyd with his right. Just maintaining the light of the Moonlight Sword was eating up all his mana, so Eugene couldn¡¯t afford to drag this out for too long. ¡®Though Vermouth, that bastard, was able to wield it like it was just an ordinary sword.¡¯ That monstrous son of a bitch¡­ but Eugene had more pressing things to do than reminisce of the past. Right now, a literal monster was attacking him. Bam! The swinging hands were just as wild as ever, but perhaps because it wasn¡¯t using demonic power, Eugene¡¯s opponent didn¡¯t feel as overbearing as it had before. Eugene brushed its hand aside with Wynnyd and dove into its chest. As the Moonlight Sword was raised slightly, the Death Knight flinched and leapt backwards. ¡®I didn¡¯t even swing,¡¯ Eugene scoffed. He cut at the retreating Death Knight¡¯s waist with Wynnyd. The sound of metal scraping against metal rang out. Although Eugene had only managed to make a shallow cut, that was enough. The wind that burst off of Wynnyd wrapped around the Death Knight¡¯s body. It was the wind spirit, Gale. Kwaaaah! The Death Knight¡¯s entire body was engulfed in a whirlwind. While maintaining the light of the Moonlight Sword, Eugene calcted the Death Knight¡¯s coordinates. As his blue mes were infused into the whirlwind, they wrapped around the Death Knight¡¯s limbs. ¡°Gagh!¡± the Death Knight roared as it tried to free its limbs. It wasn¡¯t using demonic power, just the strength of its bare body, but even so, each thrash of its limbs created a strong burst of wind, pushing away the wind summoned by the spirit. Eugene¡¯s gaze traveled upwards towards the ceiling. Thin cracks had spread across it like a spider web from the previous battle. After calcting the location of its epicenter, Eugene cast a spell. Groooan! The ceiling copsed and countless metal fragments rained down on the Death Knight¡¯s head. They weren¡¯t just falling naturally either. Eugene¡¯s magic was infused into each and every one of the fragments, turning them into bullets that he could move as he wished. Bam-bam-bam! The bullets followed the Death Knight as it attempted to evade and pierced into its flesh regardless. Like this, Eugene was able to make the Death Knight move ording to his will. ¡°If my body was just in better shape, I¡¯d be able to take care of you with just my bare hands,¡± Eugene boasted. It felt like a few of his bones were broken, and whenever he moved, there was throbbing paining from his internal organs. Eugene sighed in regret and struck the ground with his foot. Fwoosh! Blue mes erupted from his feet and transformed into a hand that shot out at the Death Knight. ¡°Grawh!¡± the Death Knight roared and hastily spun around. The hand of me barely nced past its chest, tearing off a pauldron. Once again, its armor had been broken. The Death Knight¡¯s eyes rolled around in anger. Frenzied rage stalled its ability to reason, and a monstrous fury was aroused. The Death Knight raised its hands into the air, forming giant ws. Eugene mocked it, ¡°That¡¯s why, if you hold back, you just turn to shit, asshole.¡± The ws tore apart the zing whirlwind. The Death Knight burst free and swung both arms at Eugene. ¡°But you were already shit anyway.¡± Eugene ttened his body and dove beneath the Death Knight. The metal fragments stuck in its armor began to move ording to Eugene¡¯s will. The Death Knight¡¯s body was frozen in mid-air ¡ª it was just for a moment, but that was enough to create an opening. In any case, with Eugene¡¯s remaining mana, it was impossible for him topletely control the Death Knight¡¯s movements. The slight stiffness in the Death Knight¡¯s movements bought Eugene more than enough time. Rays of moonlight shed as the Moonlight Sword pierced the Death Knight¡¯s chest and urately struck the reddish gem at its core. The Death Knight wasn¡¯t even able to make any final death throes. As the Moonlight Sword¡¯s de of light dissipated, its body fell to the ground. In order to not get trapped beneath the corpse, Eugene quickly rolled out of the way. ¡°Uwagh¡­¡± He then proceeded to dry heave. It had felt like he had kept a good control of the sword¡¯s strength, but his mana had already been far too low to start with. Eugene retched a few more times before getting up. ¡®Still¡­ at least this is better,¡¯ Eugeneforted himself. He was in a better state than he would have been if he had been forced to use Ignition. Eugene gasped for breath and rubbed his lips clean. A nce at the Moonlight Sword revealed that it was no longer emitting any moonlight, so its de was all but gone. ¡°This bullshit sword,¡± Eugene muttered as he ced the Moonlight Sword back in its scabbard. Then he weakly staggered over to the Death Knight. Although it hadcked any sense of vitality from the very beginning, being only a deceased corpse¡­ now it was fully dead. Eugene had felt its core breaking on the tip of his sword and he had seen it shatter as well. All that was left was the corpse of Hamel, and Eugene standing there nkly, staring down at his own corpse. This corpse proved that it had been no ordinary Death Knight. With a normal Death Knight, the moment that the core containing the soul was destroyed, the body would also disappear. However this corpse had still been left lying in front of Eugene. ¡°¡­This feels like shit,¡± Eugene eventually muttered. Shouldn¡¯t there be limits on how far you could insult someone who had died? Not only had they dared to break into someone¡¯s grave, they had even turned his corpse into a Death Knight? Gritting his teeth, Eugene lifted Wynnyd upwards. For now, his priority was to destroy this thing and then escape with Laman, who was still lying down stunned on the other side of the door. The sword descended. Or, at least, it tried to. His arm wouldn¡¯t move. Eugene gritted his teeth. Drawing on thest of his strength and mana, he tried to pour strength into his arm, but it waspletely immobile. It wasn¡¯t just his arm either. His whole body was being held against its will, unable to move. ¡°¡­Fuck,¡± Eugene snorted and spat out a curse. Being so tired that he was unable to move¡­ wasn¡¯t the cause of this. Rather, his entire body was being tied up by some great, invisible force. ¡°Can¡¯t we talk this out face to face?¡± Eugene requested. He wanted to turn his head to look around, but he wasn¡¯t able to do so. All that Eugene could do at this moment was move his lips and release his voice. And the fact that he was able to do so, was because they had given him permission to open his mouth and speak. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of what I should do with you,¡± a voice approached him. ¡°Quite a lot of ideas spring to mind, but the one that most appeals to me is¡­ this. I will drag you up to the surface with me, still tied up like this. Then I will throw you into some heated sand. Of course, I won¡¯t just let you die suffocated like that. I will make sure to leave holes for your eyes, nose, and mouth.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too kind,¡± Eugene said sarcastically. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that your mouth is frozen open, unable to close. Your eyes will also be made unable to shut. Before long, your eyeballs will dry up and shatter into pieces, and your tongue will be like a withered twig.¡± The voice was nowing from right behind Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°I think that I¡¯ll be baked dead in the sand before that even happens,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°No, you won¡¯t. Because I won¡¯t allow that to happen. And after that¡­. Do you know what a scarecrow is?¡± the voice asked. Eugene answered, ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°You will be the scarecrow of this desert. I will break all the bones in your legs, wind them around each other, and tie them tightly with your muscles and blood vessels so that they won¡¯t unravel. Then I¡¯m going to drive long iron rods through each of these fingers of yours,¡± the voice tapped one of Eugene¡¯s hands with a cold finger as it said this. ¡°From here¡­ they will climb up your forearms¡­ and go across your shoulders until they reach the fingertips on the opposite side, so that you¡¯ll be forced to keep your arms open wide. Though¡­ you won¡¯t be able to see what happens to your body, because your eyes will have already crumbled to dust. Well, even if you can¡¯t see it, you will certainly be able to feel it. I won¡¯t allow you to be so numb to pain that you block out these sensations.¡± ¡°If you go that far, I¡¯ll probably already be dead from shock,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°I told you that I won¡¯t let you die,¡± the voice repeated. ¡°You¡­ no matter what happens to your body, you will never die. That¡¯s how you will continue to serve me as this desert¡¯s scarecrow. For a long, long time, until I finally be bored of you, I will make you stand in a ce where I can see you, on your one twisted leg, with your arms spread wide open.¡± ¡°Hah¡­.¡± ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± The touch traveled from his hand up to his arm and then caressed Eugene¡¯s neck. In stark contrast with their horrifying words, their fingers were soft and warm. ¡°You¡¯re Ame Merwin,¡± Eugen said, feeling disgust at her touch. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re well aware. I am Amelia Merwin,¡± she confirmed. ¡°The Dungeon Master of the Desert. The ck Thorn. The Answer to Death. That is me.¡± Her hand stopped caressing his neck. Suppressing his boiling emotions, Eugene continued staring straight ahead. Amelia Merwin had brown skin and long, dark hair that hung down her back. The expression on her face was unreadable, because her mouth was covered by a white veil. Although her purple eyes were fixed in a calm gaze, Eugene could feel a terrible murderous intent hidden deep within those pupils. ¡°You broke my pet,¡± Amelia used. ¡°¡­Your pet?¡± Eugene asked. Amelia pointed to the Death Knight at her feet, ¡°It may have been a useless pet, but it was mine. Whether it¡¯s to bully, destroy, or kill it, those are the sort of things that only its master gets to decide.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve really raised quite a disgusting pet. Shouldn¡¯t you at least regrly give it baths? The corpse stench was really¡ª¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t able to finish speaking. Pow! The staff that Amelia Merwin was holding smashed into Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°The only one who can say that sort of words about it is me, its owner,¡± Amelia scolded. Eugene spat out the blood flowing from the cuts inside his mouth. Amelia¡¯s staff was made of various bones, with the horned skull of a goat as the pommel. Fortunately, the horns were curved in the opposite direction, so he had just been smacked in the mouth. If he had been hit the wrong way, Eugene would now have sported a hole in his face. ¡°¡­Your pet almost bit me,¡± Eugene said with a smile, revealing bloody teeth. ¡°No, instead of biting, it actually tried to scratch me. If I had been less careful. I could have died.¡± Amelia promised him, ¡°You will regret not allowing yourself to die like that.¡± ¡°Balzac Ludbeth,¡± Eugene said as he once again spat out the blood that kept flowing into his mouth. ¡°You know who that is, right?¡± Instead of answering immediately, Amelia stared at Eugene. After a while, she lightly shook her head. With each shake, a ringing sound came from therge gold earrings in her ear. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t think of why you would bring up such a name at this time,¡± Amelia said eventually. ¡°It¡¯s not something I¡¯m all that proud of, but I happen to be acquainted with Balzac. Did you know, he actually wrote a letter for me and told me to give it to you if we met?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Amelia stayed silent as her eyes narrowed. Still staring at Eugene, she took a step back. Then the invisible bindings holding Eugene¡¯s body disappeared as well. Eugene copsed on the spot and took a deep breath. ¡°There will be consequences for saying such words,¡± Amelia warned him. ¡°I really don¡¯t like hearing his name.¡± Eugene agreed, ¡°I don¡¯t like saying that bastard¡¯s name either.¡± Could he kill her? Eugene considered this for a moment as he ced his hand inside of his cloak. The opponent was a wizard. No matter how fast she was at casting magic, there should still be a small opening. If he was able to take advantage of that opening, would he be able to kill her? Eugene immediately reached a conclusion, ¡®I can¡¯t kill her.¡¯ He wanted to try using Ignition, but even if he did, it wouldn¡¯t work. She was different from the Death Knight. Amelia Merwin was a ck Wizard who was considered to be one of the strongest people in the entire world. For the current Eugene, even if he was given a hundred chances, it would still be impossible to kill Amelia. Eugene set aside his regrets and pulled Balzac¡¯s letter out of his cloak. There was no need for him to hand it over personally. As soon as Eugene had taken out the letter, the letter left his hand and flew over to Amelia. ¡°¡­This seal,¡± Amelia muttered as she stared at the wax seal sealing this envelope. ¡°It¡¯s the real thing. I can¡¯t understand it. Who are you to that man that Balzac would write a letter for you?¡± ¡°He said that he liked me,¡± Eugene offered as an exnation. ¡°Do you know what this letter means?¡± ¡°He said that If I had this letter with me, you wouldn¡¯t kill me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not exactly correct.¡± Amelia continued speaking as she stared down at the envelope, ¡°I received some help from Balzac at one point, a long time ago, and in return, I promised to owe him a favor.¡± Eugene listened silently. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°That favor should have been of great value to Balzac. Because with that, he would be able to make one request of me, Amelia Merwin. For decades, he hasn¡¯t asked me for anything, which means that he never had a problem which required him to use up this favor from me.¡± Fwoosh! Balzac¡¯s letter was engulfed in ck mes and disappeared. ¡°Do you know what I¡¯m trying to say,¡± Amelia¡¯s eyes turned to look at Eugene once more. ¡°Since he gave you this letter, it means that you can make a request of me on behalf of Balzac. Although it¡¯s up to me to see if I¡¯m willing to listen to your request.¡± ¡°¡­Well, that¡¯s quite something,¡± Eugene said, unsure of what to say. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, then ask me to spare you,¡± Amelia advised. ¡°If you do, then I won¡¯t kill you. However, I won¡¯t just let you go either. Why did youe here, how did you get here, and what did you do here? I need to hear the answers to these questions from you.¡± ¡°I want tomit suicide,¡± Eugene lied. ¡°I already told you that it¡¯s up to me whether or not to listen to your request,¡± as she said this, her veil shook withughter. Amelia tilted her head to the side as she continued speaking, ¡°So I will give you two choices to choose from. If you choose not to speak, I will respect your choice. That means I will kill you. If you choose to live, I will spare you. But instead, I will hear everything from you that I want to know.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± these options left Eugene speechless. Amelia attempted to reassure him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much. I won¡¯t y with my words by doing something like sparing you, but turning you into a cripple instead. As for torture? There¡¯s no need for that. Aside from torture, there are many other ways for me to get my answers from you. ¡°I really am very interested in you. How did you find your way into here, when even the sultan doesn¡¯t know about this ce? The only ones who should have any knowledge of this location are the Sand Shamans. Was there a rat among them who was inmunication with you? But that would be quite strange. They shouldn¡¯t have a reason for doing so¡­.¡± Damn it, Balzac. If he was going to write Eugene a letter like this, shouldn¡¯t Balzac at least have given him a proper exnation? Although Eugene felt quite dissatisfied because of this, in fact, there was no need for Balzac to feel ashamed. How could Balzac have imagined that Eugene would truly invade Amelia Merwin¡¯s territory and destroy one of her possessions? ¡®What should I do?¡¯ Eugene asked himself. Couldn¡¯t he make some other request? Apart from suicide, that is. ¡°¡­What if I ask you not to pursue me?¡± Eugene asked tentatively. ¡°Then I won¡¯t pursue you. But that request doesn¡¯t involve me sparing you, does it?¡± Amelia pointed out. Even if Eugene could somehow get out of this situation, there were still a lot of problems. Amelia would do everything that she could to get those answers from Eugene, but Eugene absolutely didn¡¯t want to spill anything about it. If she asked him why he came here? He could just say ¡®by chance¡¯, of course, but Amelia would never believe him. In the first ce, since she had said that she would get him to talk without resorting to torture, that meant she was going to use magic, and the mental maniption spells that a ck Wizard like her could use were able to simply ignore their subject¡¯s will and draw out the right answers. ¡°It seems that your mind is racing. Whatever it is that you¡¯re thinking of¡­ would you like me to listen to it and take it as your request?¡± Amelia asked with a chuckle as she pointed her finger at Eugene. A dark light shone on the tip of her finger. Eugene was conscious of the Moonlight Sword, whose hilt still hung at his waist. Using Ignition, if he could first get off a swing with the Moonlight Sword and then run away¡­. No, it was impossible. This space was already under Amelia¡¯splete control. ¡°I will count to three,¡± Amelia whispered. ¡°One.¡± Could he use the name of the Lionheart n? Would Amelia even respect the Lionhearts? Was the name even capable of dispelling the doubts of this bitch of a ck Wizard? ¡°Two.¡± Should he just tell the truth? But what was he supposed to say? Eugene had entered the grave, opened the door that even Amelia had failed to open, and found the Moonlight Sword within¡­ it all sounded like nonsense. If he said something like that, Amelia might spare Eugene, but she would definitely take the Moonlight Sword from him. ¡°¡­,¡± there was an unexpected pause as Amelia didn¡¯t call out ¡®three¡¯. With a surprised expression, she tilted her head and looked down. Her eyes were on Hamel¡¯s corpse¡ªthe remains of the Death Knight. Its eyes had opened and were now staring up at Amelia. ¡°¡­Could this¡­ truly be¡­,¡± Amelia mumbled as she took a few steps backward. Eugene felt nauseous, as if his insides were being flipped over, and all the hairs on his body stood up as he felt terror wash over him. The Death Knight¡¯s two eyes, which had turnedpletely ck, including the whites, turned to stare at Eugene. Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel knew this gaze. ¡°Why would he be here?¡± Amelia mumbled in disbelief. She slowly got down onto one knee, but instead of bowing her head, she continued to stare at the Death Knight. The Death Knight slowly stood up. ¡®¡­It¡¯s a Demon King,¡¯ Eugene thought as he swallowed the bile rising in the back of his throat. 1. The original text has fingernails and toenails, but ws feel more appropriate for the context. ? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts Penguin¡¯s thoughts: The quick-draw technique is the famous iaijutsu/battojutsu you see in samurai movies and anime fights: draw ¡ú cut ¡ú shake off blood ¡ú resheathe with an audible and satisfying click ¡ú omae wa mou shindeiru. The biggest problem, rather than edge alignment, is that a careless draw can and will result in loss of fingers, which is also why people generally don¡¯t do this with a double-edged sword (£þ¨Œ£þ) Chapter 70 Chapter 70 Chapter 70: The Grave (6) After it stood up, the entity possessing the Death Knight didn¡¯t directly reveal who it was. However, there was an ominous presence lurking deep within those dark eyes. And just by the fact that Amelia had gotten down on one knee, Eugene could be sure that the presence within the Death Knight was none other than the Demon King of Incarceration himself. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± the Death Knight said. Although the wordsing from its jaws were spoken in the same hoarse voice as before, they were packed with a ¡®power¡¯ that made them feel iparable to before. Eugene¡¯s heart, which was racing as if it was about to burst, cooled down instantly the moment he heard the undead¡¯s manner of speech. The cold sweat running down Eugene¡¯s back felt like a drop of ice. ¡°I have seen you through the eyes of Balzac Ludbeth,¡± the Death Knight ¡ª no, the Demon King murmured. ¡°Are you here to offer flowers at the grave of your ancestor¡¯s closestpanion[1]?¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene didn¡¯t answer him. ¡°Since you have seen it, you should be aware of this as well. The owner of this grave is Hamel Dynas[2]. Although he is known to the world as Stupid Hamel, he was truly far from stupid. Among ¡®dear¡¯ Vermouth¡¯srades, he was especially outstanding and strong, so much so that Vermouth always kept that man by his side.¡± You. What makes you think. That you have the right! TO TALK LIKE THAT?! Eugene barely managed to suppress this shout as it threatened to burst out of his mouth. He bit his lips with such force that they were bruised and split, dripping blood down his chin. Eugene red at the Demon King with bloodshot eyes. ¡°I do notprehend your hostility,¡± the Demon Kingmented. Even though Eugene was tantly emitting killing intent, the Demon King didn¡¯t show any signs of displeasure. ¡°Vermouth and I truly understood each other and built a friendship based on this understanding,¡± the Demon King imed. ¡°Admittedly, trying to force such a rtionship from three hundred years ago onto his distant descendants would be a ridiculous stretch. I might respect the ¡®Lionhearts¡¯ as the descendants of a close confidant, but that does not give me reason to force you to return this respect.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene kept a firm hold of his tongue. ¡°This may be our first time meeting in person, Eugene Lionheart, but I¡¯m already aware of your exceptional aplishments. It has been three hundred years since Vermouth passed away. I have seen many Lionhearts during this time, but among those, I believe that you are the one who has most strongly inherited the blood of Vermouth.¡± ¡°¡­Ha,¡± Eugene could help but bark out augh of incredulity. ¡®Dear¡¯ Vermouth? Respect? All of what the Demon King had been talking about had already seemed absurd, but what he was saying now felt even more ridiculous. ¡°¡­Lionheart. I see, so that¡¯s how things are,¡± Amelia, who was still kneeling on one knee, muttered to herself. ¡°Gray hair and golden eyes. The Kiehl Empire¡¯s Lionheart n.¡± Amelia stared at the Demon King through narrowed eyes and asked, ¡°For you to personallye to this shabby ce, using this Death Knight as your vessel¡­. Demon King of Incarceration, how am I supposed to ept such an honor?¡± The Demon King dismissed her veiled barb, ¡°It is your freedom to choose how you respond to my presence.¡± ¡°However, I still need to ept the consequences thate with this freedom, right? Please don¡¯t speak to me in such an impish manner. Demon King of Incarceration, is your purpose foring here really just to protect this naughty lion?¡± Amelia demanded. ¡°It is because he is the descendant of my close confidant.¡± As the Demon King said this, he turned his gaze towards her. Amelia¡¯s eyes shook slightly as they met with those pitch-ck eyes. She covered her veil, which was shaking from her rapid breaths, with her hands. Once she hadposed herself, she asked, ¡°¡­Just for that, are you really going to suppress my freedom, which you¡¯ve always imed to respect?¡± ¡°Amelia Merwin,¡± the Demon King intoned. ¡°Although I may love and respect you, I don¡¯t love and respect you as much as I do Vermouth.¡± ¡°Vermouth is dead.¡± ¡°However his bloodline has continued uninterrupted, especially within Eugene Lionheart. In him, I can see the appearance of my old friend, Vermouth.¡± These words stirred up Eugene¡¯s emotions even more. Eugene wondered what kind of reaction this Demon King would show if he got up right now and started cursing this bitch of a Demon King to his face. Didn¡¯t he say that he wouldn¡¯t force the Lionhearts to return his respect? If that was the case, wouldn¡¯t it be alright even if Eugene did swear at him? ¡°¡­The ghost of someone who died three hundred years ago¡­ you¡¯re saying that you respect it more than me, who¡¯s currently living?¡± Amelia angrily demanded, her emotions having been simrly agitated by the Demon King¡¯s words. Amelia¡¯s eyes widened and she tried to stand up, but things didn¡¯t move ording to her will. Her body was about to get up, only to sink back down again. Amelia showed a flustered expression on her face, but she didn¡¯t release any sounds of distress. Instead she red at the Demon King with even more venom in her eyes. She hissed, ¡°You dare¡­ to my body¡­!¡± ¡°You have indeed been given independence, but that independence can never supersede my authority,¡± the Demon King said. ¡°Amelia Merwin. No matter what you nned to do with Hamel¡¯s grave, I respected your freedom to do so. But if you wish to harm Vermouth¡¯s descendants, then I am afraid I cannot allow that. At least, not for now.¡± ¡°¡­For now?¡± Eugene hadn¡¯t missed thosest words. He raised both eyes and red up at the Demon King. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± He demanded. ¡°As I thought, you really are a disrespectful brat,¡± Amelia spat out with frowning eyes. She felt infuriated that Eugene wasn¡¯t showing proper respect to the Demon King. ¡°Vermouth is dead,¡± the Demon King said. ¡°Although, to me, it doesn¡¯t feel like it happened too long ago¡­ It has already been three hundred years. That¡¯s quite a long time, for humans at least. During these past three hundred years, I feel like I have continued to show a sufficient amount of goodwill and respect to Vermouth¡¯s descendants.¡± Amelia no longer showed any signs of displeasure, and instead stared at the Demon King with eyes full of anticipation. The Demon King¡¯s voice lowered as he continued speaking, ¡°I have respected their freedom to not show me any goodwill or respect in return. However I am concerned that you may be taking my continued goodwill for granted. First and foremost, I am the ruler of numerous demonic beasts and demonfolk, a king of Helmuth.¡± With each word that the Demon King said, Eugene felt like his heart was being constricted in a vice. While enduring this pressure that felt like someone was stepping on his chest, Eugene red at the Demon King. Eugene refused to kneel in front of the Demon King. He had no reason to kneel, nor did he wish to. The Demon King lectured, ¡°With freedomes responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is just indulgence. Descendant of Vermouth, tell this to everyone in the Lionheart n. Do not take the goodwill that I have granted you as an incentive to go too far. If you will not give me my due regard, then I shall no longer respect you either.¡± Eugene clearly understood the meaning of these words. It was a warning. The Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t attempted to conquer the world in the past hundreds of years, and had instead taken to showing his goodwill and respect to the other countries. Eward¡¯s affair, which had taken ce just two years ago, was one such example. To the Demon King of Incarceration, Eward¡¯s scandal wasn¡¯t significant enough to even be considered a problem. That said, the Demon King of Incarceration had still gone out of his way to solve the situation ¡®peacefully¡¯. Balzac Ludbeth, who was personally contracted to the Demon King, had bowed his head to the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch, and the Demon King had even beheaded the incubus who had attempted to contract Eward. It wasn¡¯t just the Lionheart n. Following the Oath made three hundred years ago, there had still been a lot of people who were wary of Helmuth¡¯s demonfolk and Demon Kings. The Holy Empire and the Anti-Demon Alliance, who were located in Helmuth¡¯s immediate vicinity, had made several attempts to rally support for conquering Helmuth and ying the remaining Demon Kings. Of course, an attempt had never actually taken ce, but there had been several musterings of armed forces. Even now, the troops of the Holy Empire were stationed on the border with Helmuth, and the forces of the Anti-Demon Alliance were aligned with them. However, both Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration had simply ignored them. For the past three hundred years, the demonfolk had worked hard to rectify their image, but in spite of that, there were still ces on the continent where demonfolk were being oppressed. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, they were just receiving the punishment that they deserved. He knew full well just how terrible the world had been three hundred years ago. However the demonfolk of Helmuth certainly wouldn¡¯t think so. And perhaps that went for the Demon King of Incarceration as well. ¡°¡­What are your reasons foring here and saying these words now?¡± Eugene managed to spit out after taking a deep breath. After having been silent for three hundred years, what was it that made him send a warning now of all times? ¡°Your ancestor may have made an Oath in exchange for his freedom, but now, the end of that promise is drawing near,¡± the Demon King revealed. ¡°The time ising for the wheel that has stalled to resume moving forward once more.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene silently processed these words. The Demon King paused in thought for a brief moment. ¡°Someday¡­ we may have to make a new Oath. I wonder who will be able to make a new promise in Vermouth¡¯s stead, and stop this wheel once more.¡± ¡°¡­Just what the hell was in the Oath?¡± Eugene burst out once more. The Demon King did not respond for a few moments, then ¡®Hamel¡¯s¡¯ lips twitched in a faint smile as he said, ¡°You do not deserve to know such details.¡± Eugene struggled to keep himself from cursing, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Because you are not Vermouth,¡± the Demon King exined. ¡°¡­My ancestor died three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene reluctantly argued. ¡°It seems that you resent your ancestor,¡± the Demon King observed. Eugene was struck dumb, ¡°¡­.¡± The Demon King smirked, ¡°You Stupid Lion.¡± Those words. Eugene¡¯s body trembled in surprise. He unconsciously tried to run towards the Demon King, but his body wouldn¡¯t move ording to his will. The Demon King stared at Eugene¡¯s trembling body and continued speaking, ¡°Your existence, your soul, and everything else that you have¡­. it¡¯s all thanks to Vermouth¡¯s Oath that you were able to be born now, after three hundred years have passed.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Eugene grunted in confusion. ¡°Amelia Merwin,¡± the Demon King said, no longer looking at Eugene. Eugene desperately tried to squeeze out a few words, but his voice just wouldn¡¯te out. The same force that had been constricting his heart was now constricting his throat. ¡°Return to your dungeon,¡± the Demon King ordered. ¡°¡­I still have something that I need to ask that brat about,¡± Amelia tried to argue. ¡°There is nothing that he can tell you.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s absurd¡­! My pet is dead because of him. And then there¡¯s that door¡ª!¡± ¡°There is nothing beyond that door.¡± As the Demon King said this, he reached his hand out towards the door. At this gesture, the closed door turned to dust and disappeared. On the other side, Laman was still copsed on the floor, having yet toe to his senses. This sight caused a bewildered expression to appear on Amelia¡¯s face. ¡°Nothing of importance happened here,¡± the Demon King affirmed once more. Amelia desperately wanted to refute this. Nheless, in the face of the Demon King¡¯s gaze, as he stared right at her, she couldn¡¯t put up any resistance. She eventually squeezed out a question, ¡°¡­Demon King of Incarceration. Have you developed a fondness for that body?¡± ¡°I will return this corpse to you,¡± the Demon King reassured her. ¡°Is that alright? Isn¡¯t that the body belonging to your dear, cherished Vermouth¡¯s friend?¡± ¡°I have no fondness for Hamel.¡± This reply caused Amelia to burst intoughter. Straightening up from her bent knee, she nodded her head. Then she looked at Eugene and said, ¡°¡­You got lucky.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene red at her silently. ¡°The next time, your luck won¡¯t be as good as it was today,¡± Amelia threatened. She was still left with a lot of questions about this ce. Just in case, Amelia had tried to read the memories recorded in the mana, but it was just as the Demon King of Incarceration had said. The mana¡¯s memory had been erased, making it appear like nothing had happened here. It wouldn¡¯t be too much trouble for the Demon King of Incarceration to have done something like this, but it felt unlikely that the Demon King would go so far to protect that young lion. ¡®¡­Next time,¡¯Amelia promised herself as she slowly turned away. The Demon King of Incarceration had made his will clear. Amelia also didn¡¯t know anything about the contents of the Oath, but she was more interested in the ¡®warning¡¯ that the Demon King of Incarceration had given¡ªthat the Oath was about to expire¡ªthan in what the Oath involved. She couldn¡¯t do anything about this brat right now, but someday¡­. Once the Oath was over with, there woulde a time when things wouldn¡¯t stop at just a warning. Amelia Merwin left the grave. The Demon King of Incarceration, who had possessed the Death Knight for this brief period of time, also left with her. Nevertheless, Eugene remained fixed on the spot for quite some time. Until the very end, he had refused to kneel to the Demon King of Incarceration. Even now, he remained standing. The Demon King of Incarceration may have already disappeared, but Eugene was forcing himself to stay upright. He didn¡¯t want to copse, nor did he want to just sit down. Eugene stood there for quite a while, trying to get control over his emotions. In the end, he couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and screamed, ¡°¡­Aaaaaarghh!¡± Eugene stomped on the ground several times, then he smashed his fists against the cracked walls. He didn¡¯t care about his exhausted body, his injuries, or anything else. Roaring out several curses, Eugene vented his anger. ¡°That fucking bastard!¡± After his tantrum had continued for quite some time, Eugene¡¯s rage had settled slightly. He took deep breaths and sat down on the ground. ¡®He knows about me,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. ¡®Stupid Lion.¡¯ That choice of words had to be deliberate. ¡®My existence, my soul, and everything else is only possible because of Vermouth¡¯s Oath? What does that even mean?¡¯ Could it be? Had the Demon King of Incarceration meant to say that Vermouth had sworn an oath with the Demon Kings in exchange for Hamel¡¯s reincarnation? But this sounded absurd. Perhaps thereweresome pure feelings of friendship hidden deep within that dreary man¡¯s chest, that made it so that Vermouth couldn¡¯t get over the death of hisrade. But if that guy had truly cared for Hamel, then he would have just prioritized killing the Demon Kings instead of arranging for Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. In the first ce, that Oath was something along the lines of a peace treaty. It shouldn¡¯t have been focused on my reincarnation.¡¯ Didn¡¯t the Demon King of Incarceration say something else as well? That in exchange for the Oath, Vermouth had sacrificed his ¡®freedom.¡¯ ¡®The end of the Oath¡­ the stopped wheel. That motherfucking Incarceration bastard. As a Demon King, why does he have to be so coy with his words?¡¯ The more he thought about it, the more he felt like he was about to boil over. Should he have just let loose at the Demon King without thinking about the consequences? There were hundreds of curses that Eugene had wanted to fling at him, so he should have just gone ahead and tossed them all at the Demon King. I have no fondness for Hamel. ¡°I also hate you, you son of a bitch,¡± Eugene cursed as he ground his teeth. In the end he hadn¡¯t managed to destroy the corpse from his previous life that had been turned into a Death Knight. Well, alright. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Rather than the deceased body from his previous life, wasn¡¯t the body that he had been reincarnated into more important? ¡®I got lucky? That goes for you too. Because next time, I¡¯m going to kill you,¡¯Eugene promised Amelia in his head. The Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t killed Eugene. Even though he knew that Eugene was Hamel, the Demon King still hadn¡¯t killed him. He hadn¡¯t asked what had happened beyond that door either. I wonder who will be able to make a new promise in Vermouth¡¯s stead, and stop this wheel once more. ¡®I have no intention of making any promises.¡¯As he thought this, Eugene reached into his cloak.¡®Why should I try and stop that wheel? If that fucking thing starts moving again, rather than stop it, I just need to break it.¡¯ If his reincarnation¡­ had been arranged by Vermouth instead of Sienna or Anise then¡­. ¡®If it¡¯s you. Then you won¡¯t be expecting too much from me, right?¡¯ Eugene pulled his hand out of his cloak. What he had pulled out were a few withered leaves. He had found these leaves¡­ in the room where the Moonlight Sword had been sealed. Why were there leaves fallen here, deep underground, where there weren¡¯t even weeds, let alone trees? ¡°¡­A nasty thoughtes to mind,¡± Eugene mumbled as he stood up. Two hundred years ago, after Vermouth had died, somebody had intruded into this grave. Sienna had noticed what was going on in the grave, so she had traveled all the way here from Akron. She had gotten into a fight with the intruder, and then she had disappeared. Eugene recognized these leaves. ¡®These are the leaves of the World Tree.¡¯ They were a treasure that Sienna valued even more than Akasha. The leaves of the World Tree, the holy figure of the elves¡¯ religion. With these, it was possible to teleport to the forest of the elves from anywhere in the world. If Sienna had been driven into a corner, she may have used the leaves of the world tree to warp to the forest of the elves. But who was the one who had broken into his grave? Had they really been able to back Sienna into a corner? He was also reminded of a previous mystery,¡®A lich¡¯s curse is said to annihte both body and soul.¡¯ Eugene stumbled as he tried to stand up. ¡®Was it cured by Anise? Or perhaps it was due to the power of the Holy Sword? In any case, it seems that I wasn¡¯t annihted, by any standard.¡¯ His corpse and his soul had been preserved. Then, they had both been ced in this grave. ¡®Then someone took my body from the coffin in that room¡­ and brought it out here¡­ but the only one who could do that would be¡­.¡¯ Vermouth. ¡®¡­So he faked his death¡­ but what reason could he have had for doing that?¡¯ Eugene suspected that the one who had fought with Sienna was Vermouth himself. But he truly didn¡¯t want to believe this. 1. The Demon King has a very stiff and formal way of speaking.? 2. The raw text has Bryce, but this seems to be a typo. Hamel¡¯s surname was previously revealed to be Dynas and the wiki agrees with this.? Chapter 71 Chapter 71: The Grave (7) Thepanions had all been good friends. Or at least that was what Eugene had believed. Although they came from different backgrounds, they shared a hatred for the Demon Kings. Hamel was the only survivor of a vige that had been attacked by monsters that were driven mad by the Demon Kings. At the approximate age of ten years old, he had lost both his parents and his hometown to the Demon Kings. Molon was the son of the warchief of the Northern Bayar tribes. The tribes there had long been ustomed to sharing a border with the demonfolk, but when the Demon King suddenly invaded theirnds, many tribesmen were returned to the earth[1]. Molon was the son of the warchief, and on behalf of the tribes, he swore to y the Demon Kings with his own two hands. Anise was a saint candidate who had been carefully nurtured by the Cardinals of the Holy Empire. The Cardinals believed that only they, who had received God¡¯s guidance, were qualified to lift the darkness that had fallen over the world; and they felt that the saints who they had raised were perfect for the role of acting as god¡¯s representative on this world. By the time Anise graduated from being a candidate to bing a true saint, the army of the demonfolk had swelled in numbers. She and the Holy Empire decided to follow the will of their god and provide their aid. Sienna had been saved by the elves and had learned their magic while growing up in the forest of the elves. Despite not usually epting humans, the elves had adopted Sienna, who was born with a natural talent for magic, as one of their own. As Helmuth¡¯s ominous power continued to grow ever stronger, the elves slowly began to die off. Sienna couldn¡¯t bear to see the elves¡¯ extinction. For her, the elves were a family that had raised her from childhood and taught her magic. As the representative of the elves, she became the master of Akasha and left the forest. As for Vermouth. He was one of a group of ves being transported to Helmuth. His hometown was the Kingdom of Ashal, which had been located next to Helmuth. As the first country to be destroyed by the demonfolk and demonic beasts, its territory now belonged to the Ruhr Kingdom that had been founded by Molon. In the Great Invasion, Vermouth had lost his entire family. The few remaining survivors had been captured by the monsters, and were sent away in groups to be Helmuth¡¯s ves. During the journey, Vermouth stole a sword from the demonfolk and rescued all the ves. Vermouth met Molon¡¯s Bayar tribe while he was leading the ves across the snow fields. All of this meant that although all their reasons may have been different, their purpose was the same. They had lost something to the demonfolk and they wanted to get revenge for what they had lost. They were determined to kill the Demon Kings. All of thepanions had had the strength and the talents needed to assist Vermouth in this goal. Vermouth¡¯s firstpanion was Molon. Vermouth knew that they couldn¡¯t face the Demon Kings with their still weak strength, but he believed that, rather than a multitude of soldiers, what they needed to confidently face the Demon Kings was an elite group of warriors. For this purpose, they went around searching forpanions. The thirdpanion they found was Anise. The Holy Empire had paid a lot of attention to Vermouth, who had been able to rescue so many of the ves being transported to Helmuth; and thanks to his incredible strength and potential, the Holy Empire was considering supporting him with all their might. However, they still needed further verification. In order to test whether Vermouth had the right personality, the Holy Empire brought him in front of the Holy Sword that had been bestowed onto them by the God of Light a long time ago. Vermouth pulled out the Holy Sword without any difficulty. As such, the Holy Empire gave their blessing to Vermouth¡¯s journey and ordered Anise to be Vermouth¡¯s support. The fourthpanion was Sienna. She was already famous even before bing Vermouth¡¯srade. In a world full of chaos and despair, it was a time when everybody was looking for heroes to save them. A young witch suddenly appeared on the battlefields where monsters and demonic beasts were running rampant and cast great feats of magic wherever she went. Several countries had tried to recruit Sienna, but she refused to join any force and instead wandered the world alone, hunting demonic beasts. But even such a person didn¡¯t hesitate to be Vermouth¡¯srade. That was how much of a special existence Vermouth was. ¡®I was thest one,¡¯ Eugene recalled. Although it wasn¡¯t as much as Sienna, Hamel had also been quite famous. If Sienna could be said to have received attention on the national level, Hamel had be quite famous in the mercenary circles and on the battlefield. A young mercenary who could skilfully wield all kinds of weapons ande back alive from even the harshest battlefields. Without being part of a mercenary troop, without leading any men with him, Hamel was known as the ghost of the battlefield who went searching for battlefields filled with demonic beasts rather than the ce that gave the highest pay. Back then, that was the kind of life Hamel was living. He could clearly recall their first meeting. At that time, warp technology hadn¡¯t been as developed as it was now, so if you wanted to cross the sea, then you needed to take a boat. After the war in northern Turas had ended, Hamel had been staying in a port as he waited for transport to Helmuth, the home of the Demon Kings and the demonfolk. It was during this wait that Vermouth¡¯s party came looking for him. Hamel had also picked up all sorts of rumors while working as a mercenary, and because of that, he was also familiar with Vermouth. It was said that in thest few years, a ¡®hero¡¯ had made a name for himself on the other side of the sea. Hamel was certainly interested in Vermouth, but being asked to be theirrade? ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t matter what you offer me, I won¡¯t listen to the orders of some bastard who¡¯s shittier than me, so can you prove that you¡¯re stronger than me? ¡°Ugh, goddamnit,¡± Eugene groaned as he recalled this scene from his past life and he facepalmed in mortification. What a crazy bastard. As far as he could recall, he had been a little over twenty years old at that time. But had he really said something like that when he was already that old? Eugene definitely didn¡¯t want to have to admit that it was the truth¡­. ¡ªThis guy is the kind of mercenary bastard that you can find just about anywhere. So why exactly do we need to take this guy in particr with us? Sienna had pissed him off from their very first meeting. ¡ªIt might be impossible to expect any ss from such a person, but there should still be limits on how unrefined someone can be. Sir Vermouth, there are countless warriors who are better than this wild dog of a mercenary. The only son of the Commander of the Knights of the Kiehl Empire is said to have excellent looks and personality, as well as skills, so what about taking a look around Kiehl instead? Anise had openly called him a son of a bitch. She might have worded it as ¡®wild dog¡¯, but at the very least, it was a fact that she had definitely implied that he was dog-like. ¡ªI¡¯ve heard that the warriors of the Floating Kingdom in the Sea are truly brave men. I¡¯d like topete with them. Even back then, Molon was a fool. ¡ªNo. Vermouth was always an odd one. While giving a faint smile at Hamel¡¯s provocation, he ignored the opinionsing from the other three. ¡ªIt has to be you. Truthfully speaking, at that time, Hamel wasn¡¯t really all that great. Although he had made a name for himself in the mercenary field, mercenaries were still just mercenaries after all. At that point, Hamel¡¯s sense of presence was iparably smaller than that of hisrades. Nevertheless, Vermouth had still said those words. He still didn¡¯t know what on earth Vermouth had seen in Hamel that made him feel that way and say that sort of thing. In any case, Vermouth drew his sword and answered Hamel¡¯s challenge by sparring with him. When he had first grabbed a sword and started doing mercenary work, Hamel had believed that he was a genius. After all, that was what all the mercenaries around him had told him. I¡¯ve never seen a kid who¡¯s as good with a de as you. You can already feel your mana? Sword-light? That¡¯s absurd! Hamel was used to surprising those around him, and was ustomed to being called a genius. However, he didn¡¯t allow himself to get carried away by arrogance. Every day was spent in hard work and training. Because of this, his only pride was in the skills he had developed. But Hamel still lost. He didn¡¯t just lose, he waspletely dominated. It wasn¡¯t like in the fairy tale, where he had failed to even brush Vermouth¡¯s clothes, but Vermouth¡¯s clothes were indeed the only thing that Hamel had managed to cut. He hadn¡¯t burst into tears because his face had been mmed into the ground, either. That said, it was true that his face had been mmed into the dirt. It was the first time he had experienced such an overwhelming defeat. ¡ªLooks like I¡¯m stronger than you. ¡ªShut up¡­. Fuck, one more time. Let¡¯s fight again. I haven¡¯t lost yet! Just as Hamel requested, Vermouth fought with him once more. They actually sparred three more times, and Hamel ended up with three more losses. In their first duel, he had been able to cut the edge of Vermouth¡¯s clothes, but in their next three duels, Hamel didn¡¯t even manage to touch his hem. ¡ª¡­I admit that I¡¯m much weaker than you, but why do you want me as yourrade? ¡ªBecause I need you. ¡ªThat¡¯s why I¡¯m asking, why do you fucking need me? After all, you¡¯re stronger than me! ¡ªIf I win, you would be myrade, isn¡¯t that what you promised? ¡ª¡­I¡¯m just asking because I don¡¯t understand it. If you were to ask them to be yourrade, there are more than a few bastards who would happily ept the offer without any hesitation. ¡ªYou are thest member of our party. Even though Hamel was copsed on the ground, covered in dirt, Vermouth had still reached his hand out to him. ¡ªLet¡¯s go there together, Hamel. Hamel ¡ª no, Eugene was very familiar with hisrades. Asrades, they had known everything about each other. That was why Eugene didn¡¯t want to admit his suspicions ¡ª that Vermouth had been nning something shady while faking his own death. That he had fought a battle with Sienna at this location. ¡®¡­What are you doing, Vermouth?¡¯ If he was still that spry, shouldn¡¯t he have just gone and fought with the Demon Kings? Why would he drag a corpse out of its coffin, extract its soul and then¡­. What could have made him go so far as to¡­ shake hands with a Demon King? ¡®Couldn¡¯t you at least have put my body back in its coffin. You son of a bitch,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as his shoulders slumped. ¡®Or at the very least¡­ you should have properly¡­ left an exnation.¡¯ It must also have been Vermouth who had left Hamel¡¯s ne in the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault. If it was Vermouth, he would have been able to sneak the ne into the treasure vault without any problems. Eugene had finally found the answer to that mystery. ¡®¡­But then, there¡¯s Sienna,¡¯ Eugene frowned. The onlyplication was, how had Sienna known to send a phantasm to find him? It might have made sense if Sienna had been the one to arrange his reincarnation and the ne, but if Vermouth was the one who had arranged all this¡­. Eugene realized something, ¡®¡­No. I¡¯m being too hasty in assuming that Vermouth came up with this n all on his own.¡¯ Some day, I will meet you again in the world that you¡¯ve been longing for. He had thought that this meant Sienna was nning to meet him again in heaven. But when he took into ount the fact that he had been reincarnated, the line read differently. Had Vermouth¡­ betrayed Sienna? He couldn¡¯t be sure of anything yet. Eugene rubbed the leaves of the World Tree that he had taken out of his cloak. He still needed to find Sienna. ¡°¡­My lord, could you possibly be in need of a toilet break?¡± Laman carefully voiced the question. He was worried about Eugene, who he was carrying on his back; since a while ago, Eugene had been constantly twitching and making strange moaning noises. ¡°There are no toilets in the desert,¡± Laman informed him. ¡°If you¡¯re in a bit of a hurry, I¡¯ll dig a pit for you, so that you can urinate¡ª¡± ¡°Shut up and just keep walking,¡± Eugene hissed with gritted teeth as he kicked Laman in the thigh. They had already left the underground grave and escaped thebyrinth. Having fought so seriously despite already having broken bones, Eugene had seriously overstrained himself. As a consequence, he was now being carried on Laman¡¯s back. Rather than insisting on walking on his own two feet, it was better for Eugene to focus on recovering while Laman gave him a piggyback ride. ¡®I miss having elixirs.¡¯ Eugene ground his teeth in frustration. Even back then, three hundred years ago, elixirs had been rare treasures, but as the hero and his party, they had all gone around carrying some of those precious elixirs. Although he had packed plenty of potions, wounds this serious couldn¡¯t be healed immediately, even with a potion. ¡®Since healing magic is divine magic, I still haven¡¯t learned any¡­. This sucks. Do I have to learn divine magic as well? Since that field of magic all depends on how much faith you have, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to make much progress with that.¡¯ Even though Sienna hadn¡¯t learned any divine magic, she had still been able to use high-level healing spells. However those were part of a unique type of healing magic that belonged to the inheritance of the elves, so Sienna hadn¡¯t transmitted that knowledge to the future generations. Laman encouraged him, ¡°My lord, please hold on for just a bit more. We should be able to arrive in Kajitan within a few days. At that time, if we¡¯re able to find a doctor or a healer then¡ª¡± ¡°My wounds aren¡¯t that serious,¡± Eugene argued. Laman warned him, ¡°If we just leave them like that, your bones might set incorrectly.¡± Laman, whose life had been rescued several times by Eugene, was genuinely worried about him. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of all that by myself, but what are you nning on doing?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Laman grunted in confusion. Eugene rified, ¡°I¡¯m talking about your boss, the Emir of Kajitan.¡± ¡°Are you worried for my sake?¡± Laman asked gratefully. ¡°Nope. But if you suddenly go all crazy-eyed and chop off your master¡¯s head, that will probably be a big pain in the ass for me. So if you¡¯re going to do it, then do it after I¡¯ve already left,¡± Eugene replied with a snort. The Emir of Kajitan didn¡¯t know anything about the grave or about Amelia Merwin. However, he had cooperated with the Sand Shamans¡¯ request by restricting who was allowed to enter the Kazani Desert. ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­,¡± Laman hesitated, unable to reply immediately. His master had known that the sandstorms in the Kazani Desert were man-made. However, the orders for Emir to cooperate with this n should have been passed down to him from long ago. Nahama was slowly tearing off strips of Turas¡¯s territory through this desertification project, but to divert suspicions, Laman¡¯s vige had been chosen as a worthy victim for a sudden sandstorm. The pioneers had been sacrificed for the glory of Nahama. However, Laman could not ept such a thing. Anyone in his ce would feel the same way. A sandstorm had struck from out of nowhere and had devoured his friends and family. If the survivors were told that these deaths were an unavoidable sacrifice for the glory of the country, who among them would just nod and ept this fact? ¡°¡­I don¡¯t want to me my master,¡± Laman muttered as he shook his head. ¡°This desert was created over a hundred years ago, and the sandstorms have continued to appear ever since. The Emir who preceded my master should have also tolerated these orders for the sake of Nahama.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do?¡± Eugene prodded. Laman reached his decision, ¡°¡­I will quit serving as his personal guard. Although I don¡¯t want to me my master for this, I no longer want to give my life for him either.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether you quit or not, but do you have any other skills with which to make a living?¡± Eugene reminded him. ¡°¡­I would like to follow you, my lord,¡± Laman admitted as he turned his head to look back at Eugene. Eugene immediately pushed Laman¡¯s cheek back around with a disgusted expression on his face. ¡°Don¡¯t turn your head this way,¡± he ordered. ¡°Your beard stinks of wet dog.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Laman was shocked by this sudden insult. ¡°Also, why do you want to follow me? I¡¯m not even a citizen of Nahama.¡± ¡°I am willing to follow you no matter where you go, my lord.¡± ¡°Then first, shave off that beard.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need you to follow me around anywhere, because I still have a ce that I need to see in Nahama. So I¡¯ll need a local guide. Laman, have you ever been to Hogani?¡± ¡°Hogani, you say¡­. Are you talking about the Holy Land of Light? I visited there years ago.¡± Hogani was now called a Holy Land, since it was a ce where Saint Anise had gone on her pilgrimage. It was unknown whether it was the final destination of her pilgrimage, but Hogani was where Anise hadst been seen two hundred years ago. The city of Hogani was right next to Kajitan. ¡®¡­Perhaps she really dide here to pay respects at my grave¡­,¡¯ Eugene suspected. Would Anise have left any clues in Hogani? Somewhere in that wide-open desert? * * * The Emir of Kajitan, Tairi Al-Madani, narrowed his eyes and silently stared in front of him, ¡°¡­.¡± Eugene was sitting across from him, and behind Eugene stood Laman. In this situation, should Tairi ept that what his eyes and ears had been telling him was the truth? Or should he be worried that someone might be hiding some other intentions within their hearts? ¡°¡­You must be aware of how unreasonable your actions were, right?¡± Tairi asked pointedly, venting some of the pressure that he was under. ¡°My subordinates told me every word that you said to them.¡± Since the lieutenant and Laman¡¯s other subordinates had been so terribly beaten by Eugene, in order to exin their conditions, they had had no choice but to honestly report to Tairi. It was Laman who had identified himself as a ¡®thief¡¯ in order to secretly continue carrying out Tairi¡¯s orders, and the lieutenant had quite a glib tongue. He had turned on his captain, ming Laman for failing to properly carry out their master¡¯s orders. Tairi addressed Eugene, ¡°Eugene Lionheart, you¡­. Do you truly believe that I sent my men after you in order to steal from you?¡± ¡°No matter what the respected Emir¡¯s intentions might have been, isn¡¯t it true that I suffered damages because of them?¡± Eugene asked innocently. Eugene knew the entire truth, which meant that Tairi had be a much easier opponent to face. ¡°They were just tasked to protect you,¡± Tairi imed. Eugene shot down his excuse, ¡°Why would they need to lie about being thieves in order to protect me?¡± ¡°Because you are a member of the Kiehl Empire¡¯s Lionheart n, and I am an Emir of Nahama,¡± Tairi insisted with furrowed brows. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you are aware of this, but Nahama and Kiehl¡¯s rtionship isn¡¯t very friendly. The Emperor of Kiehl is wary of Nahama¡¯s power, and the sultan is also suppressing his rage at the Kiehl Empire¡¯s nder.¡± ¡°But what connection does that have to the respected Emir¡¯s lies?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°And what makes you think that there¡¯s no connection? I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re aware that Kazani is prone to sudden sandstorms.¡± Tairi was wary of what Eugene might be keeping hidden inside his head. Tairi knew that the Sand Shamans of the Kazani desert were intentionally creating sandstorms as an act of invasion. Of course, the other countries might also have their suspicions that the sandstorms were being used as a means of invasion, but¡­ if that brat truly had shed with the Sand Shamans, Tairi couldn¡¯t afford to treat this matter lightly. ¡®¡­There haven¡¯t been any messages,¡¯ Tairi recalled with concern. The ce where the Sand Shamans had been keeping their heads down as they worked was at the other edge of the desert. From there, they would periodically create sandstorms and gradually widen the scope of the desert. Unless Eugene Lionheart possessed a pair of wings, it would have been impossible for him to reach the other end of the desert within these few days. ¡°If I was seen protecting you openly, it might be taken as Nahama bowing its head to the Kiehl Empire,¡± Tairi continued exining. ¡°Besides, I¡¯m still trying to figure out your intentions. Why were you heading into the Kazani Desert, where no one actually lives?¡± Eugene refused to answer, ¡°I¡¯m not sitting here because I wanted to be interrogated.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the thing. It¡¯s not possible for me to interrogate you, so I had my men follow behind you, just in case they needed to protect you from any unforeseen circumstances. If Laman Schulhov, the one standing behind you, had just followed his orders properly, then you and I would never have been ced in such an ufortable position,¡± Tairi nced at Laman. He continued, ¡°I understand why you would feel displeased by this, but I¡¯m afraid that I had no say in this matter. Also, It¡¯s not like they truly stole anything from you, no? From what my men told me, they were just following behind you at a reasonable distance. In the first ce, you were the one who attacked them while they were doing just that.¡± Eugene smirked at these words and sipped his tea. This old Emir hadn¡¯t brought up any mentions of the Assassins or the Sand Shamans. He probably didn¡¯t know that Eugene had been ambushed by the Assassins and had then gotten rid of all the Sand Shamans hidden underground. His ignorance couldn¡¯t be helped. Thebyrinth that Eugene had fallen into was a dungeon under Amelia Merwin¡¯smand. Even the sultan was likely unaware of the fact that Hamel¡¯s grave had been found down there. The only ones who knew about this dungeon had been the Sand Shamans who were stationed there. Thete Sand Shamans had beenpletely obedient to Amelia Merwin, because they feared her. The reason why Tairi Al-Madani had tried to keep Eugene out of the desert was all because of the sandstorms, not because of Amelia Merwin. ¡®So there¡¯s no need to pointlessly worry about it,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. If that hadn¡¯t been the case, then Eugene would also have been left in a difficult position. Eugene intended on cleanly concluding all his affairs in this country before he left. Eugene went on the offensive, ¡°No matter what the respected Emir says, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that the Emir endangered my life, now does it?¡± Tairi shifted the me, ¡°It must be my ipetent subordinates who failed toprehend my orders properly. There must have been a misunderstanding somethere.¡± Eugene pounced, ¡°But I¡¯m wondering how I should exin such a misunderstanding to my family.¡± Tairi hesitated, ¡°¡­I¡¯m not quite sure what you mean by those words¡­.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it seems that I¡¯ve failed to persuade you. Under these circumstances, I¡¯m afraid that the Emir will be in for a lot of trouble. And that¡¯s not something I say lightly.¡± Eugene fiddled with the luxurious teacup, his hands wrapped in bandages, as he continued speaking, ¡°From what¡¯s been said so far, it seems that I must also take responsibility for my careless words. Unfortunately, as I am still too young. In order to take responsibility for these words of mine, I have no choice but to borrow the power of my family.¡± ¡°¡­Lord Eugene,¡± Tairi called out. Eugene shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that either, since it could lead to a problem between our two countries¡­ I also don¡¯t want to cause any issues for my family. But Emir, forget about me, will you be able to handle these consequences?¡± Tairi let out a long sigh and rubbed his beard. Eugene grinned at the old Emir in front of him. ¡°¡­Young lord, what is it that you want?¡± ¡°Five hundred million sals,¡± Eugene said as he took another sip of his tea. ¡°I would consider this a bargain if I were you; our rtionship has be so ufortable due to a misunderstanding that failed to be properly resolved, and if such a meager amount smooths it out¡­.¡± ¡°¡­Haha,¡± Tairiughed dryly. ¡°Well, this may not have been what the Emir intended, but¡­ let¡¯s just treat this as an inexplicable encounter between the two of us,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to keep my mouth shut, so all you need to do is open your wallet, respected Emir.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you are now neen years old, but you really are daring,¡± Tairi said through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯ve often heard those sorts of words from here and there. But if I really was the type to run around like a foal with its tail on fire, wouldn¡¯t you still be the one in trouble, respected Emir?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help but feel reluctant. I just sent my subordinates after you in order to protect you, so why do I now have to pay a fine as if I¡¯vemitted a crime? I feel like there are many other ways to solve this issue.¡± ¡°Other ways? It may be because I¡¯m young, but the words you¡¯ve just said fill me with fear, respected Emir. Could you really be thinking of killing me here? Or maybe you are nning on sending Assassins after me? Either way, that would probably be going against the Sultan¡¯s wishes. The cost of taking responsibility for such an extreme decision is sure to rise hundreds of times higher than just five hundred million sals.¡± Tairi was silent for a few moments. Five hundred million, was it? As Eugene had said, it wasn¡¯t an excessive amount. However, just as Tairi had admitted, he couldn¡¯t help but feel reluctance. Was he really being used of theft? What kind of absurd im was this? ¡®¡­Should I just ept the cost of five hundred million sals to wrap up this whole affair¡­?¡¯ What if Eugene had encountered Sand Shamans in the desert? No, there shouldn¡¯t be any possibility of that. Tairi would have to send someone to make sure, but it would have been impossible for a neen-year-old boy like this to make it back alive if he had met the Sand Shamans and Assassins in the desert. Even if Eugene had been lucky enough to survive such an encounter and return, Tairi could not imagine how Eugene would be able to go through such an encounter and then calmlye here to talk about ¡®misunderstandings¡¯ and request a bribe of five hundred million sals. ¡°¡­If I must then I shall pay,¡± Tairi acquiesced, nodding slowly. ¡°If you can guarantee that this willpletely quell your anger.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so poorly-raised that I would throw a tantrum after receiving full payment,¡± Eugene assured him. ¡°I¡¯m told that the Lionheart n is one of the wealthiest families on the continent. Could it be that you aren¡¯t receiving any of the benefits of this wealth?¡± It was subtle ¡ª no, it was far from subtle. It was tant sarcasm. ¡°My family may have a lot of money, but it¡¯s not like all of that is my money, right?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°¡­Haha,¡± Tairi snorted and snapped his fingers. The servant who had been waiting in the back of the room bowed their head deeply and left the room. ¡°¡­Now that our misunderstanding has been cleared up, allow me to ask you one question. I am extremely curious. Why on earth did you go into the Kazani desert?¡± Tairi asked. ¡°I wanted to see the vast desert so that I could feel the magnificence of nature and raise my courage,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°¡­,¡± Tairi¡¯s silence seemed skeptical. ¡°It¡¯s also because it was the closest desert.¡± ¡°If you want to appreciate something like that, I can personally introduce you to the vast deserts of Nahama.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s fine. I¡¯ve already felt enough of that.¡± ¡°Did you see anything interesting in Kazani?¡± Tairi casually asked. ¡°Of course, I saw the desert,¡± Eugene replied with a smile. Eugene could clearly see that Tairi wanted to ask him if he had discovered anything suspicious. However, Tairi was unable to do that openly, so all he could do was suppress his urge and ask Eugene about it in a roundabout way. ¡®Well, there¡¯s nothing there anymore,¡¯ Eugene said to himself. From Hamel¡¯s tomb, the statue, the coffin, and a few pirs¡­ everything that he didn¡¯t want to leave buried had been stuffed into his cloak. Then thebyrinth connecting to the tomb had been destroyed by Eugene¡¯s own hands. ¡®The most they¡¯ll be able to find are a few corpses.¡¯ The one who controlled that dungeon was Amelia Merwin, not the Sultan. Neither the Sultan nor the other Sand Shamans had known anything about the grave. As long as Amelia Merwin didn¡¯t say anything, no one would know what Eugene had experienced there. Eugene remembered something, ¡°Ah, one more thing. I¡¯ll be taking Laman Schulhov with me when I go.¡± ¡°¡­For what reason?¡± Tairi asked hesitantly. ¡°Since you threatened me, then you need to pay the price for it. But I obviously can¡¯t make an Emir pay the price,¡± Eugene exined, trying to sound reasonable. ¡°¡­Haha!¡± Tairi let out another dryugh and nced at Laman. For a few moments, Laman held out some hope that his master might stand up for him. Tairi offered, ¡°If you truly wish for a fair price, then I can arrange for Laman to be executed in front of you, young lord.¡± Eugene dismissed the offer, ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not ruthless enough to want someone¡¯s throat to be sliced open for something like this.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Tairi raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m just going to take him home with me and order him to clean the shit out of the stables,¡± Eugene dered. For a few moments, Tairi appeared to be considering Laman¡¯s value. Laman was the captain of the second squad of the Emir¡¯s personal guards. He was definitely a renowned warrior, but he wasn¡¯t worth keeping if he couldn¡¯t be trusted to properly carry out his orders any longer. There were many warriors who were better than Laman in the first squad, which served as the Emir¡¯s right-hand men. ¡®He¡¯s also someone who cannot be allowed to learn about the Sand Shamans,¡¯ Tairi considered. He was going to be executed anyway, so why not give him to Eugene? ¡°Then let us arrange it as the young lord wishes,¡± Tairi agreed, even as the corners of his mouth twisted into a frown. Not too long afterward, the servant returned carrying arge box. When Tairi opened the box, the beautiful jewels stored within sparkled brightly in the light. ¡°I will select the jewels, so please pardon the wait,¡± Tairi apologized. Eugene had been expecting them to give him a bunch of cash, but it looked like they were going to pay him in jewels instead. As he looked at all the sparkling jewels, Eugene suddenly had a thought, ¡®Even with five hundred million sals, I can only buy one giant¡¯s ball.¡¯ He felt like he should have upped the price a little. Although money wasn¡¯t tight, Eugene suddenly felt that it would be a pity if he didn¡¯t. ¡°Instead of five hundred million sals, let¡¯s round it up to a billion,¡± Eugene suddenly announced. ¡°¡­What did you just say?¡± Tairi asked in disbelief. Eugene exined, ¡°It¡¯s just that the Emir¡¯s jewels are so beautiful that I can¡¯t help but be greedy.¡± After looking at Eugene with incredulous eyes, Tairi frowned and then nodded. ¡°Just take the whole box,¡± he generously gave in. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Eugene epted without any false modesty. 1. This is a euphemism for death. ? Chapter 72: The Return (1)

Chapter 72: The Return (1)

Anise Slywood. The woman that Eugene remembered was someone who both did and did not suit the word faithful. Her beliefs and faith might have been sincere, but her usual conduct definitely did not match the definition of the word ¡®faithful¡¯ or her title as a ¡®Saint.¡¯ Anise liked alcohol even more than Sienna. If Sienna liked to have fun while drinking, then Anise just liked to drink. She always carried a small bottle of wine with her, but she insisted that the liquid contained within was holy water and not alcohol. She did have a saintly appearance, though. Whenever they were faced with a lot of corpses, Anise would get down on her knees and offer a prayer. Hamel used to wonder if there was any meaning in praying for a corpse that was long since deceased. The corpses had already decayed, so their souls had either already left or had be a ything for the demonfolk. Anise must have known these facts better than anyone. Even so, she did not skip praying for them. Even if it had no other meaning than paying her respects, Anise would still pray that the deceased person would find their peace and rest. Anise had always been a strong drinker, but whenever they passed by a lot of corpses, she would drink even more than she usually did. Even when they told her not to, since she would just get drunk, Anise would still do it anyway. In the middle of a battlefield filled with the hellish stench of rotten corpses, Anise still could not restrain her intoxication. ¡ªWhen will this world be peaceful and happy? Anise used to ask this question often, whenever she had been forced to use the smell of alcohol to cover up the stench of rotten corpses. ¡ªThings should be peaceful and happy once we¡¯ve killed all the Demon Kings. ¡ªEven if we kill all the Demon Kings, that doesn¡¯t mean all the innocent people that they have killed wille back to life. ¡ªBut we can at least save their souls. ¡ªHamel, do you believe in the afterlife? ¡ªDoesn¡¯t it make you feel morefortable to believe that there is one? ¡ªBut I thought that you don¡¯t believe in the gods. ¡ªThat and the afterlife are two different things. Although I don¡¯t know about hell, I definitely hope that there¡¯s a heaven. And don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s funny that you¡¯re the one asking me this? In the Holy Empire of Yuras, the main god that they worshiped was the god of light. Although there were countless faiths that could be found throughout the continent, even amongst all of them, the one that could be considered the main faith was the god of light, who also served as the patron deity of Yuras. You umte good deeds throughout your life, and when you die¡­ your good deeds be light, and your evil deeds be darkness. If the light is bright enough to banish all the darkness, you can ascend to heaven. Darkness does not exist in heaven. The world¡¯s sins arise from darkness where there is no light. In other words, in the heaven ruled by the god of light, since there is no darkness, there is no sin, and since there is no sin, there is no suffering. ¡ªSometimes I have doubts. Her cheeks were flushed red with drunkenness. ¡ªSo many people have died. To the Demon Kings, the demonfolk, the demonic beasts, and the monsters. In the long history of this continent, the number of people who have met such an unfortunate death is sorge as to be uncountable. Is the god that I serve¡­ really so omnipotent that he has enough light to brighten the darkness of all those souls who have died? ¡ªIs a Saint like you really doubting your god? ¡ªYep. I am doubting him. Yet the almighty god whom I serve hasn¡¯t said anything, let alone punish me for my doubts. ~ The ce where they had held such a conversation was in the middle of a battlefield filled with corpses. It was after they had blocked the advance of that savage bastard, Kamash, the chieftain of the giants. Countless human corpses and giant corpses alike covered the battlefield. Molon had done his best to protect themon soldiers. While raining down light, Anise had cared for the wounded. Sienna¡¯s spells had driven the giants away from the soldiers, while Hamel and Vermouth had defeated Kamash. Nevertheless, allied casualties were unavoidable. Arge army of demonic beasts had apanied the giants. Powerful demonfolk had been mixed in here and there. Where they had gotten mixed up in the battle, thousands of people had been killed or wounded. The priests of the Holy Empire who had been sent as support and the doctors scrounged up from all over the ce had taken care of the wounded, but those dying had still died. This was unavoidable. ~ ¡ªIf god truly is all-powerful, shouldn¡¯t he be the one shedding blood in the ce of the blood shed by his youngmbs? ¡ªAnise. ¡ªIf he really is the light that illuminates all darkness, why doesn¡¯t he personally illuminate this suffocating darkness? ¡ªHey. ¡ªEven at this very moment, when the world has been plunged into a deep darkness. Right now it¡¯s night. The dawn that will being soon will not illuminate those who have taken theirst breaths in this pitch darkness. The only things that will be illuminated by the dawn¡­ are corpses. Hamel. Do you know how many people died here today? And it isn¡¯t just here. Everywhere in the world. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Countless people have died in the dark, and even in ces illuminated by the light, they have died and will continue to die. ¡ªYou¡¯re drunk. ¡ªI truly do want to believe in my god. However I can¡¯t fully understand his will. No matter how beautiful the heaven that we will reach after death must be, the world is still so miserable. Why doesn¡¯t god shine his light down on the world? ¡ª...We have Vermouth. This was what Hamel had said at that time. ¡ªI¡­ I don¡¯t know what the doctrine of the god of light is. But, I do know that bastard Vermouth is an unspeakable monster. Haven¡¯t you said it several times now? That Vermouth is a miracle sent by god. ¡ª.... ¡ªSince god can¡¯te down here to take care of the world himself, he proved his existence by sending us a living miracle in the form of Vermouth. That¡¯s why he¡¯s the hero, and why the Holy Sword recognized him as its master. Isn¡¯t that right? ¡ª...I never thought that I¡¯d hear those kinds of words from you. ¡ªI also don¡¯t want to say this sort of stuff either. However, it¡¯s just as annoying to listen to your drunken ramblings. Now, I don¡¯t think that you were really asking me tofort you, since I¡¯m not the type of guy who people turn to forfort. Therefore, Hamel just tried to be as honest as he could. ¡ªJust think about it this way. What¡¯s the use of getting angry at a god who doesn¡¯t give you any answers? All we need to do is kill all of the Demon Kings and save the world. If we seed, then everything after that¡­ will turn out okay. All the souls captured by the demonfolk will be saved and rise up to heaven, and the world will be a peaceful and happy ce. Hamel had just said whatever came to mind. He wasn¡¯t sure if he had managed to convince Anise. However, in Hamel¡¯s view, he just wanted to offer her a clear purpose as an alternative to resenting a heaven that might not exist or a god that she could no longer have faith in. ¡ª...Will we really be able to do that? ¡ªWe can do it. We have Vermouth¡­ and we also have a saint like you. There¡¯s Sienna, Molon, and me as well. We¡¯re strong, strong enough to kill all of the Demon Kings and save the world. Even if it was vague, she needed hope. ¡ªSo that¡¯s why you should stop talking about such pointless things and let me have a drink. Don¡¯t just guzzle it all down by yourself. ¡ªThis isn¡¯t alcohol, it¡¯s holy water. I can¡¯t give it to someone like you whocks faith. ¡ªI¡¯ll also be a believer in the god of light from today onwards, so give it here. ¡ªFalse faith is a heavier crime than any other sin. As someone who has been called a saint, I cannot offer any grace to one who has false beliefs. In the end, Anise didn¡¯t give him even a single drop of alcohol that day. That snake-like woman. That was what Hamel and Sienna had used to call Anise. Anise had a bad temper that didn¡¯t fit her image as the saint, and although she was faithful, she also had a tendency to casually break the doctrinal rules. Nevertheless, when necessary, she was faithful enough to be called a saint, and her divine magic shone more brilliantly than any other priest. She also secretly ¡ª no ¡ª in fact, Anise had a tant habit of messing with people. Apart from Vermouth, everyone had suffered at her hands more than once. When Molon, who always kept running ahead of the party, had had his legs cut off, Anise had once swapped the two limbs while reattaching them in order to try and fix Molon¡¯s bad habit. Among the many priests in existence, only Anise was capable of performing the miracle of reattaching severed body parts. She had hoped that this prank would change Molon¡¯s habit of running ahead, but it had turned out that Molon was able to run very well even with his legs on the wrong sides. ¡ªAttach this bastard¡¯s legs properly! ¡ªTo do that, we need to cut off Molon¡¯s legs once more. ¡ªI¡­ I¡¯m fine with my legs like this. I can still run very well, and I can also fight well. ¡ªDon¡¯t spout such nonsense. Whenever you asionally stumble, I¡¯m the one who gets hit instead. Get over here, I¡¯ll cut them off in one blow. ¡ªDon¡¯t wanna¡­. ¡ªSienna! Put this bastard to sleep! Eventually, Sienna¡¯s powerful sleeping spell had been able to put Molon to sleep, during which Hamel had cut off Molon¡¯s legs. ¡°What a nasty bitch.¡± Although it wasn¡¯t as bad as that, Hamel had also been pranked by Anise a few times. He had once conspired with Sienna to steal Anise¡¯s holy water and drink it all by themselves; in retaliation, Anise had waited until it was her turn to cook, and after they were done eating, she hadughed and told them that Sienna and Hamel¡¯s stew had been boiled using monster urine. If Molon hadn¡¯t stepped in to stop them, Sienna, Hamel, and Anise would really have fought until one of them died. As he recalled that time, Eugene smiled bitterly. Holy Land of Light, Hogani. Outside the city, there was a statue of Anise kneeling down and praying. The statue¡¯s face was almost covered by arge hood, and it didn¡¯t bear a lot of resemnce to the appearance of Anise that Eugene remembered. That said, it did have a sacred feeling to it. Even Eugene, who wasn¡¯t a believer in the god of light, felt a sacred aura from the statue, so true followers of the light must have been overwhelmed by it. Around the statue, there were of course believers from Yuras, but members of the church of light in countries all over the ce had found their way here to kneel and pray. Eugene nced over them as he spun around. It had been a week since he first arrived in Hogani. Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to find anything here. He had thought that Anise might have perhaps left a clue here, but he hadn¡¯t been able to spot anything like that. It was just like in Aroth. Exactly like how the wizards of Aroth felt about Sienna, the believers from Yuras also desperately wanted to find Anise. If the two had indeed left something behind, then someone should have discovered it already. ¡®I had hoped that their clues might appear in response to my soul.¡¯ But nothing like that had happened. That statue was located at the site where Anise had offered a prayer hundreds of years ago before leaving for the other side of the desert. The records of Anise¡¯s journey ended here. Following that, Yuras had dispatched several missions to pursue Anise¡¯s trail, but in the end, Anise was never found. ¡®Why was she in Nahama of all ces?¡¯Eugene wondered. He could make a vague guess regarding this. In the present, with the development of magic, warp gates had been installed in every country, but this wasn¡¯t the case hundreds of years ago. If you were to take a ship across the ocean from Yuras, you would arrive at the port city located to the north of Hogani. From there, she had started her ¡®pilgrimage¡¯. Anise was¡­ probably¡­ ¡®She probably came here to pay her respects at my grave.¡¯ Sienna¡¯s seclusion and Anise¡¯s pilgrimage, these two events didn¡¯t oveppletely. Sienna had gone into seclusion a few years earlier; afterward, Anise¡ªwho was revered as a saint in Yuras¡ªhad embarked on a pilgrimage. Eugene recalled,¡®My grave was sealed up.¡¯ His grave had only been rediscovered six years ago. It had probably been revealed shortly after he had found Hamel¡¯s ne in the Lionheart treasure vault. In response to this discovery, the ¡®seal¡¯ on his grave must have disappeared. ¡®Anise couldn¡¯t have entered my grave.¡¯ If she had managed to enter, Anise wouldn¡¯t have left it looking like such a ruin. As he stared at Anise¡¯s statue, a bitter feeling washed over Eugene. ¡®...Vermouth.¡¯ The man had faked his own funeral, survived his supposed death, and then broken into Hamel¡¯s tomb. There, he had gotten into a fight with Sienna. Vermouth had managed to defeat her, then he had sealed both the Moonlight Sword and the grave. This had all happened two hundred years in the past. Anise¡­ a picture of her wandering the desert was drawn in Eugene¡¯s mind. As she had wandered in search of his undiscoverable grave, what on earth could Anise have been thinking? ¡®Could Vermouth also be involved in Anise¡¯s disappearance?¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t know this for sure, as Anise hadn¡¯t left any clues behind. At least for now, the only one who had left a clear clue to their current location was Sienna. Eugene¡¯s focus drifted briefly to leaves of the World Tree that were stored inside his cloak. ¡°My Lord,¡± Laman, who had been quietly standing next to Eugene, spoke up with a cautious expression. ¡°Have you changed your mind?¡± ¡°...No,¡± Eugene said, shaking his head. Before they left the city, he had just wanted to look at the statue onest time. He hadn¡¯t been able to find any clues, and Eugene didn¡¯t have the confidence to go searching for any clues that may have been left in this vast desert two hundred years ago. That being said, he couldn¡¯t head over to Molon¡¯s kingdom either. The Demon King of Incarceration knew that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel. Since he had even received a warning from the Demon King, heading north to a country that bordered Helmuth was far too dangerous. ¡®For now, that is.¡¯ His strength was insufficient. Eugene keenly felt this truth. Ever since he had been reincarnated, he had never been so desperate for power, but now he craved it. He had almost been killed by a Death Knight in an imperfect state. He had also almost died at the hands of Amelia Merwin. Even when the Demon King of Incarceration was in front of him, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to charge in to try and kill him. Eugene confirmed, ¡°We¡¯re heading back to Kiehl.¡± It had been two years since he had left the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. It was time to go home. * * * Kiehl Empire¡¯s Capital City, Ceres The whole of therge forest outside the capital was part of the Lionheart estate, and it was also the only ce in the capital where a warp gate had been installed within an estate. Cyan Lionheart was standing with his arms crossed in front of the warp gate. He, who would soon be turning into an adult on his twentieth birthday, was almost certain to be the Lionheart n¡¯s next Patriarch. However, Cyan couldn¡¯t ept this fact, nor could he enjoy it. This was because of Eugene, who would be returning soon. ¡®...That son of a bitch,¡¯Cyan cursed to himself. Cyan couldn¡¯t help but feelplicated. Was he supposed to feel happy or sad about meeting with this sibling, who shared not one drop of blood with him, who was returning after two whole years? Apart from that, there were a few other factors. After the main wife, Tanis, and the eldest son, Eward, had departed from the main estate, Anci had taken full control of the estate¡¯s servants. As her son, Cyan had been at the forefront of these efforts. In these two years without Eugene, Cyan had spent every day fruitfully. He had not neglected his daily training, and he had even sparred regrly with his father. Along with his mother¡¯s intense training on how to be the perfect sessor, Cyan had also kept up his practice with the White me Form. He had hung out with the younger knights, and while bowing his head to the knights who had been serving the main family for a long time, he politely asked for their assistance. At first, Cyan had hated this strict schedule, but he had graduallye to ept it. Cyan wanted to be the Patriarch. It was something that his mother had always talked to him about when he was young, and Cyan himself was desirous of the Patriarchal seat. Now that Eward had been disqualified, Cyan¡¯s session as the next Patriarch was almost guaranteed. Fortunately, there was no rivalry with his twin sister, Ciel. Ciel had given up her right of session because she wanted to be a member of the Knights of the ck LIon. If only Eugene wasn¡¯t there, Cyan bing the next Patriarch would have been a certainty. ¡°Damn it,¡± Cyan cursed. Cyan hated being seen like that, and he also hated it when his thoughts turned to that. If it was against that fool Eward, he might not care, but Cyan couldn¡¯t bear topete with Eugene. Against Eugene, Cyan felt both apetitive rivalry and a sense of looming defeat. Even though they hadn¡¯t met yet, Cyan was already thinking about his own ¡®defeat¡¯. Cyan was annoyed at this side of himself, and he hated how thoughts of Eugene would ¡®grate¡¯ on him. Eugene Lionheart, that guy was a son of a bitch. After he had been adopted six years ago, Cyan had suffered under the hands of Eugene every day. They were beatings disguised as sparring. Contrary to the merciless beating that he had suffered, Cyan had never managed to defeat Eugene even once. ¡°Cyan,¡± Anci, who had been watching her son¡¯s expression stiffen, spoke up. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be happy that your brother is returning.¡± ¡°...I¡¯d be happy to see him return, but I¡¯d be just as happy if he didn¡¯t,¡± Cyan admitted. ¡°Cyan.¡± ¡°If he says that he wants to be the Patriarch, I will probably step aside for him,¡± Cyan said as he shook his head with a deep sigh. ¡°Because he¡¯s more suited to bing the Patriarch then I am.¡± ¡°...ording to Ciel, that child, Eugene, has said that he doesn¡¯t want to be the Patriarch,¡± Anci reminded him. ¡°That was two years ago. He may have changed his mind since then,¡± Cyan argued pessimistically. ¡°As long as you don¡¯t step aside for him, there is no way that Eugene will be the next Patriarch.¡± ¡°But would that be the right decision for the Lionheart n?¡± ¡°Cyan, you need to have a firm resolve.¡± ¡°The Patriarch of the Lionheart n must be the strongest heir in the main family.¡± ¡°You may have been weaker than Eugene two years ago, but now¡­.¡± ¡°That bastard has to have sweated just as much as I did,¡± Cyan ground his teeth together as he red at the warp gate. ¡°...Mother, I don''t believe that blood should be thicker than sweat. If Eugene is stronger than me and wants to be the Patriarch, then I¡­ just what should I do?¡± ¡°See, you still want to be the next Patriarch,¡± Anci noticed his hesitancy, but she couldn¡¯t just dismiss her son¡¯s words as immaturity. She truly wanted her son, who had inherited the blood of a great hero, to stand tall and be the next Patriarch of the Lionheart n. But instead of pressuring him, Anci said, ¡°...You are no longer a child. As such, you need to make this decision yourself. If you want to be the Patriarch, then you can just be the Patriarch. And if you want to step aside¡­ then you can just step aside.¡± ¡°...But that¡¯s not what mother wants for me,¡± Cyan noted with surprise. ¡°It seems that I have raised you overly strictly,¡± Anci said with a sigh as she patted Cyan on the shoulder. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t want to be like Tanis. By that, I mean that I don¡¯t want to ruin my child with my own excessive ambition.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m different from Eward,¡± Cyan insisted. ¡°That¡¯s right, you are different,¡± Anci agreed. ¡°So you should do what you feel is right. As for me¡­ no matter what you choose, I¡¯ll be proud of you for doing the right thing. I want to respect your will.¡± Would she really be able to do that? Although she had said this sort of thing, Anci felt like she should question herself. Ever since she had be the second wife of the Lionheart¡¯s direct line, she had wanted to make her son into the next Patriarch. If it hadn¡¯t been for the incident with Tanis and Eward¡­ she might have been enraged by her son¡¯s uncertain words. She wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold herself back as she had done just now. Was it because she had seen how a mother¡¯s presumptuous meddling and stubbornness could ruin her son? ¡°...Cyan, my boy, just keep this in mind. Just as you have your own thoughts and desires, Eugene will also have his own thoughts and desires,¡± Anci reminded him. ¡°...,¡± Cyan listened silently. ¡°You have no idea what your brother desires. Who could have guessed that Ciel would truly be a ck Lion? Neither I, Ciel¡¯s mother, nor you, Ciel¡¯s twin, knew about Ciel¡¯s desires.¡± ¡°...My brother.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Eugene is your brother. Even though you don¡¯t share any blood, you two are still siblings. That¡¯s why the two of you should meet and talk with each other before deciding anything. The Patriarch¡¯s sessor¡­ it won¡¯t be toote to decide who that will be after you¡¯ve had a conversation.¡± ¡°...Yes,¡± Cyan slowly nodded his head. It felt like he was slightly more at ease. ¡®Let¡¯s just see how much stronger you¡¯ve gotten.¡¯ The warp gate began to glow. Cyan sharpened his gaze and waited for Eugene to step out of the warp gate. Chapter 73

Chapter 73: The Return (2)

Having just passed through the warp gate, Eugene froze for a moment at the sight of dozens of gazes staring right at him. Although he had been expecting this, all of the main estate¡¯s servants and family members had really gathered in front of the warp gate to wait for him. ¡°...With how cold the weather has gotten, what are you all doing out here?¡± Eugene asked. Eugene had been about to say, ¡®I¡¯m back,¡¯ but for some reason, he got nervous and blurted out he was thinking instead. A reply came immediately, ¡°My son!¡± Gerhard, whose shoulders had been shaking as he stared at his son from afar, rushed over to Eugene with tears in his eyes. Gerhard¡¯s shout, along with his agile movements, caused Eugene to unconsciously widen his eyes as he stared at his father running over. ¡®Is that really my father?¡¯ Gerhard¡¯s changes were so surprising that Eugene couldn¡¯t help but ask this question. Ever since he was a little baby, Eugene remembered Gerhard as a middle-aged man with a bouncing belly. Since they had moved to the main estate, the multiple invitations to various events, and Gerhard voluntarily starting an exercise regime had seen him sessfully start losing weight. Two whole years hadpletely changed Gerhard and made him appear very different from Eugene¡¯s previous memories. ¡°What a triumphant transformation,¡± Eugene praised his father. Gerhard continued to gush with tears as he embraced Eugene. Although he was happy to be reunited with his father, more than that, Eugene felt impressed by his father¡¯s diet. The tendons in his father¡¯s forearms that were wrapped around his shoulders were wiry with strength, and the chest he was being held tightly against was firm and unyielding. ¡°...It even feels like your beard has grown a lot as well. Is this for real?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. Gerhard confidently exined, ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to my buddy, Stellord.¡± Stellord? He was Gargith¡¯s father. Had they really gotten close enough to call each other buddy? Eugene smelled the stench of Gargith¡¯s body odoring from his father¡¯s close proximity¡­. As his expression twisted, Eugene escaped from his father¡¯s embrace. Eugene scowled at his father, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to take their drugs?¡± ¡°My son!¡± Gerhard repeated excitedly. ¡°You¡¯ve really grown a lot in these past two years.¡± ¡°Not as much as you, Father.¡± His body had be hard, and his beard had be bushy, but it appeared that Gerhard¡¯s personality hadn¡¯t be any more masculine. Shaking his beard that was drenched from both his tears and runny nose, Gerhard smiled brightly at Eugene. ¡°You unfilial son,¡± Gerhard chided him. ¡°How could you have note back even once during these past two years?¡± Eugene evaded, ¡°I thought that I was sending you letters pretty often¡­.¡± ¡°Do you really think that sending letters twice a year is often?¡± ¡°I made sure to send one on my birthday and one on your birthday. See, wasn¡¯t I making sure to regrly send them on special asions? Also, you can¡¯t just me me for this. You didn¡¯te looking for me even once during these past two years, did you, Father?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you kept writing in your postscripts that I shouldn''te to visit you?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Eugene nodded with a grin. ¡°By the way¡­ where¡¯s the Patriarch?¡± ¡°He¡¯s at the ck Lion Castle.¡± This reply didn¡¯te from Gerhard. Instead, it came from Anci. Standing beside Cyan, she had wiped away her stiff expression and was now showing Eugene a bright smile. Anci continued, ¡°After all, next year is just around the corner, and you know what that means, right? It¡¯s time for your Coming-of-Age Ceremony.¡± ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Eugene grunted in understanding. It was one of the Lionheart n¡¯s traditions, like the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. But while that was attended by all eligible members of the direct and coteral lines, the ¡®Coming-of-Age Ceremony¡¯ was only for the children of the main family. Eward, the eldest son of the main family, had be an adult two years ago. Under normal circumstances, Eward would have been the first of the siblings to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony. But Eward had been practically exiled from the main family due to his involvement with ck magic, and he hadn¡¯t even been honored with a Coming-of-Age Ceremony. ¡°Since thest Coming-of-Age Ceremony had to be skipped, and there will be three children bing adults next year, it looks like they¡¯re nning to make the event a little more grandiose than usual,¡± Anci exined. Eugene asked, ¡°Is that what the Patriarch desired?¡± ¡°It seems that this was the Council¡¯s decision,¡± this reply had Eugene clicking his tongue in annoyance. Then, suddenly remembering that he hadn¡¯t given Anci his greetings yet, Eugene bowed his head and said, ¡°Apologies for thete greeting, Step-mother.¡± Ever since he moved into the main estate, Eugene had be used to calling Anci ¡®Step-mother¡¯ and Tanis as Matriarch[1]. Truthfully, he hadn¡¯t really wanted to call them by those names, but from the moment that Eugene had been adopted, Anci had secretly forced Eugene to call her by the title of ¡®Mother.¡¯ Once Anci had forced him to call her step-mother, it would seem weird if he called Tanis by a different title. Saying the words ¡®step-mother¡¯ again after two years still left a strange taste in Eugene¡¯s mouth. ¡°...There¡¯s no need for such formal greetings between family members,¡± Anci chided him. Now that Tanis had left the main estate, wouldn¡¯t Anci be dissatisfied with the title of step-mother? Eugene had held some misgiving about this, but it appeared that Anci didn¡¯t feel unsettled by this at all. ¡®But that¡¯s to be expected. In the first ce, it was Tanis¡¯ own decision to go back to her parent¡¯s house.¡¯ By doing so, Tanis had ced herself in a position where it was impossible to return. ¡°The Patriarch might not have been able to make it, but we should still hold a celebration party for your return, right?¡± Anci proposed. Eugene scoffed, ¡°Why go so far as to hold a celebration party for a family member returning home? There¡¯s no need for a troublesome thing like that.¡± ¡°I knew you would say that,¡± Anci replied, having only brought it up as a suggestion. For as long as she had known him, Eugene had never once shown any enjoyment at a party. ¡°...By the way¡­ who is he?¡± Gerhard, who had been scrubbing away his tears, slowly spoke up. He nced over at Laman, who seemed to be trying to shrink in on himself as he stood behind Eugene. ¡°He¡¯s my valet,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°...Your valet?¡± Gerhard repeated questioningly. ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°His name is Laman Schulhov¡­ as for his age¡­ um¡­. Laman, how old are you?¡± ¡°I am thirty-two years old,¡± Laman replied with a cough. If Laman was thirty-two years old, that meant he was thirteen years older than Eugene. ¡°So you look older than your actual age,¡± Eugenemented. Laman exined, ¡°It¡¯s because of the harsh desert winds¡­.¡± ¡°He¡¯s someone that I¡¯ve personally brought back with me, so his identity has already been verified. Even if he is my valet, I haven¡¯t taught him anything, so I¡¯m just taking him to the annex where he can take care of the chores,¡± Eugene exined. Anci and all the main estate¡¯s servants who were gathered here shot Laman wary looks. Laman flinched at all the gazes directed at him and couldn¡¯t help but hunch his shoulders. As a guard of the Emir of Kajitan, Laman had been ordered to escort the Emir to all sorts of events and had seen many excellent warriors. However, among all the warriors he had seen in his lifetime, very few were as skilled as the knights in the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. Laman¡¯s mind raced,¡®As long as you discount their numbers, in terms of individual skills alone, the guards of the Emir of Kajitan can¡¯tpare to them at all¡­.¡¯ Was it really alright for the knights of a family without an official noble title to be this exceptional? ording to his ownmon sense, Laman couldn¡¯t understand how this could be. What¡¯s more, the knights that he could see right now were definitely not the n¡¯s full power. The ¡®true¡¯ strength of the Lionheart n was in the Knights of the ck Lion. Even Laman was well aware of this fact. Laman spected,''If they have amassed such power, they could even throw a revolt at any time¡­.¡¯ Of course, for the past hundreds of years, the Lionheart n had never once attempted to revolt against the Kiehl Empire. Even so, Laman felt that the Lionheart¡¯s n¡¯s power was still too much for a single family to hold. ¡®So the young lord is the adopted son of such a great family.¡¯ Laman¡¯s chest swelled with pride as he looked at Eugene from the corner of his eyes. He had received several instances of lifesaving grace from Eugene. If it wasn¡¯t for Eugene, Laman would have died from either being swept away by the sandstorm or from being sucked beneath the quicksand. Even if he had somehow escaped death at that point, Laman would have been silenced by the Assassins and the Sand Shamans. Or he could have been killed by Amelia Merwin in that ce deep underground, or perhaps her pet might have been the one to end him. Or he might even have been trapped deep underground and died from starvation. All of this had happened because he had gotten involved with Eugene, but Laman still felt like he had to repay Eugene¡¯s lifesaving grace. It was with these intentions that Laman had decided to part ways with Tairi Al-Madani and be Eugene¡¯s subordinate. Even if the tasks he was asked to do were just chores for the mansion, no matter what they might be, as long as they were done for the sake of serving Eugene, wouldn¡¯t he be able to repay his master¡¯s past grace little by little? ¡°Nina,¡± Eugene waved over Nina, who had been waiting nearby. The twenty-two years old Nina didn¡¯t have the same baby-faced appearance that she had had two years ago. Eugene¡¯s eyes narrowed as he scanned Nina¡¯s slender physique. ¡°Were you neglecting to eat because I wasn¡¯t here? Or could it be that someone was bullying you? Why do you look so haggard?¡± Eugene questioned her. ¡°Young master, I¡¯ve been a little busy because you said you would be returning so suddenly,¡± Nina exined. Eugene refused to ept this, ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who works in the annex, so why are things particrly busy and troublesome just for you? Did someone tell you to do all that work alone? Was it the head butler?¡± As Eugene¡¯s eyes turned towards them, the face of the head butler, who was standing behind Nina, paled. ¡°N, not at all, sir,¡± the head butler quickly denied. Nina also refuted this, ¡°I¡¯m the one who said I would handle it alone. But it looks like you haven¡¯t changed at all, Sir Eugene.¡± Although the head butler was in charge of all the servants who worked at the Lionheart estate, the annex where Eugene lived was a forbidden ce that the chief butler did not dare to touch. Eugene was also aware of this fact. It was just that, since he was returning after a long time, he wanted to check if the other servants might have been bullying Nina. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m d. Nina, take this old man with you and teach him how to do the chores,¡± Eugene instructed. ¡°What kind of chores should I guide him in?¡± Nina asked. Eugene considered the question, ¡°Cleaning the stables and the gymnasium¡­ as well as, um¡­ any chores that you don¡¯t want to do, the bothersome ones that require a lot of strength.¡± Nina hesitated, ¡°Is it really okay for me to do that? Is he not your personal valet, Sir Eugene¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because he¡¯s my valet that he should do the chores I tell him to do.¡± Eugene then introduced her, ¡°Laman, this woman¡¯s name is Nina, and she¡¯s my exclusive servant. If you had to say it, then I guess you could call her your immediate senior.¡± ¡°My name is Laman Schulhov,¡± Laman introduced himself. His senior¡­. Laman looked at Nina with a bitter expression. Before arriving at the Lionheart¡¯s main estate, he had listened to Eugene talking about the Lionheart estate¡¯s key figures. Even Nina, a servant, was one of these ¡®key figures.¡¯ ¡®Do I really need to take a girl ten years younger than me as my senior¡­?¡¯ Although Laman had decided to give his life to Eugene, deep in his heart, there was still the pride of a warrior from the savage desert. Of course, that pride didn¡¯t dare to lift its head from the depths of his heart. Although the wounds from the beating that Eugene had given him had already healed, Laman was still afraid of Eugene¡¯s fists. * * * Eugene asked Cyan, ¡°Why are you acting so stiff?¡± Intending to assist the two siblings resolve the tension between them, Anci had taken the servants with her as she left. After developing some tact during his time spent at the main estate, Gerhard had naturally left along with Anci. Nina followed suit, taking Laman with her as she returned to the annex. Thanks to that, Eugene and Cyan were the only ones left in front of the warp gate. Eugene continued speaking as he smirked at Cyan, who had an intense frown on his face, ¡°After all, even Lady Anci was able to smile at me while saying that it¡¯s been a long time. Didn¡¯t you miss me? What¡¯s with your expression? Are you constipated?¡± ¡°...Even though you kept calling her ¡®step-mother¡¯ while my mother was here, now it¡¯s back to Lady Anci?¡± Cyan pointed out sarcastically. Eugene defended himself, ¡°I need to call her by that name to keep Lady Anci happy, no?¡± ¡°And who do you think you are, that you need to try and keep my mother happy?¡± Cyan snarled aggressively. ¡°Bastard, what¡¯s with you? Did you get hit byte puberty like Ciel? But that shouldn¡¯t be the case. You already went through puberty when you were fifteen. Have you already forgotten that time? You secretly stole some cigarettes from the knights, and when you tried to smoke them¡ª¡± ¡°Sh-shut up!¡± Cyan burst out as his face flushed red. Then after ring at Eugene for a few moments, he let out a deep sigh. Eventually, Cyan asked, ¡°...You, just what the hell is your true identity?¡± ¡°Identity? What do you mean, identity?¡± Eugene repeated, perplexed. Cyan took a deep breath, ¡°You¡­ are you really the same age as me, only neen years old?¡± ¡°You want me to tell you the truth? Then I¡¯m actually not the same age as you as I¡¯ve been reincarnated,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Stop with the bullshit.¡± What was the point of asking for his true identity when Cyan wouldn¡¯t believe him even when he told the truth? Eugene clicked his tongue in admonishment and patted Cyan on the shoulder. ¡°After having not seen me in so long, have you suddenly realized how great your brother is?¡± Eugene teased. ¡°Yeah,¡± Cyan confirmed. What was going on with this bastard? Saying something so embarrassing. Eugene could only blink his eyes in surprise at Cyan¡¯s honest reply. ¡°Your two years and my two years. Although the same two years have passed for both of us¡­. With you¡­ it feels like twenty years have passed,¡± Cyan spat out in a voice boiling over with frustration. Then Cyan let out a long sigh as he rxed his fists which had been clenched so tightly that they had be pale from the restricted blood flow. Cyan continued, ¡°I had thought that I was also working extremely diligently. While you were learning magic, I just¡­ I just swung my sword like a madman here at the main estate. At the same time, I also practiced the White me Form. I converted my sword-light into sword-force, and while strengthening my sword-force, I also trained my mana¡­.¡± ¡°You sure have worked hard,¡± Eugene muttered as he scanned Cyan from top to bottom. Cyan¡¯s mana had increased so much that it was iparable to the amount he had two years ago, and it had been further refined as well. Although Cyan hadn¡¯t figured it out quite yet, it looked like he was right on the verge of reaching the Third Star of the White me Form. This was an amazing feat that had only been seen a handful of times in the Lionheart n¡¯s history. The number of people in these hundreds of years of family history who had managed to reach the Third Star of the White me Form before reaching adulthood could be counted on the fingers of one¡¯s hands. That said, it was still impossible for Cyan topete with Eugene. Eugene had already reached the Fourth Star of the White me Form, and not only that, he had even created the Ring me Form. There was no way for Cyan to narrow this gap. In the first ce, it was an unfairpetition. The support that Cyan had received from being born into the main family was nothing muchpared to the fact that Eugene was Hamel in his previous life and had all his memories from that time. On top of that, Eugene had made sure not to waste a single moment of his second life. So what was his reason for not training his mana before the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony? It was because Eugene knew that initiating his mana a few yearster wouldn¡¯t bring him any disadvantages. Thanks to the fact that he had waited instead of going against the flow, Eugene had managed to get his hands on the Great Vermouth¡¯s White me Form and the Storm Sword Wynnyd. With these, Eugene¡¯s growth had been elerated explosively. Eugene was currently stronger than Hamel had been when he first met Vermouth. At the verytest, ten years from now, he would have grown as strong as he had been in his previous life ¡ª no ¡ª even stronger. ¡®I keep telling him that he¡¯s already doing a lot better than expected,¡¯Eugene thought. Eugene knew his situation the best, so he just took it for granted that he was stronger than Cyan. No matter what might happen in the future, Cyan shouldn¡¯t be able to be stronger than Eugene. Although Eugene knew all this, Cyan did not. To Cyan, Eugene must seem like such a monster that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the heavens themselves felt that it was unfair that Eugene had such strength. And it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Cyan to feel despair and broken-hearted because of this. Yet instead of feeling despair, Cyan just felt frustrated with himself. Eugene appreciated Cyan showing such a reaction. In fact, Cyan was able to feel this way only because Eugene had spent several years beating him to a pulp in order to reforge his mentality. But if Cyan¡¯s innate disposition had been poor, no matter how many beatings he took, it wouldn¡¯t have been possible to guide him back to the correct path like that. ¡°You should be the Patriarch,¡± Cyan dered. ¡°I guess twins really are the same,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°I heard about it from Ciel, but after seeing you in person, I know that I definitely can¡¯t do it,¡± Cyan admitted. ¡°If there¡¯s you, who¡¯s iparably superior to me, how could I possibly be the Patriarch?¡± Eugene refuted him, ¡°Why can¡¯t you? As long as you say that you¡¯ll do it, of course, you can be the Patriarch.¡± ¡°I said that there¡¯s no way I can ept it!¡± Cyan shouted. ¡°If you really want me to be the Patriarch, you¡¯ll need to duel with me first. Because if you win, I will obey you unconditionally,¡± challenged Eugene. Cyan noticed something, ¡°...If I win the duel, why would I make you the Patriarch? And that means that if you win, I¡¯ll be the one bing the Patriarch.¡± ¡°It looks like your head is quicker than I expected.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± As he heard Eugene mutter a slightpliment, mes lit up in Cyan¡¯s eyes as he red at Eugene. Eugene decided to be serious, ¡°Do you really think that there¡¯ll be a good oue from forcing someone who isn¡¯t interested into the position of Patriarch? A position like that should be upied by someone with the motivation for it. I have no desire for the seat of the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch.¡± ¡°...Even if it¡¯s just as a figurehead, you should take the seat of the Patriarch. Because I¡¯ll do all the bothersome things you don¡¯t want to do in your stead,¡± Cyan eventually offered. Eugene expressed his doubts, ¡°Do you really understand what you¡¯re saying? For the rest of your life, you¡¯ll never get married and never set up your own branch of the family. You¡¯ll just stick to the main estate and act as my servant? A prideful person like you?¡± ¡°...,¡± Cyan¡¯s silence spoke volumes. ¡°And by the way, the words you¡¯ve just said, you know that they can be turned back on you, right? You be the Patriarch. Because I¡¯ll take care of the tasks that need someone to show their strength in your ce,¡± Eugene counter-offered. ¡°I really can¡¯t understand you,¡± Cyan sighed deeply and shook his head. ¡°Is it because you¡¯re from a coteral bloodline? No, as someone from a coteral bloodline, you should be even more interested in bing the Patriarch. If you be the Patriarch¡­ you¡¯ll have the power to shatter the centuries-old traditions of the Lionheart n. Despite that, no one will be able to go against your will. Both the Knights of the ck Lion and the Council of Elders, they¡¯ll have no choice but to listen to you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not really a certainty,¡± Eugene attempted to correct him. ¡°No, they will concede,¡± insisted Cyan. ¡°The only ones who canpete with you are Ciel, that fool¡­ Eward, and me. But none of us three canpare to you. So regardless of tradition or whatever, if it¡¯s for the sake of the Lionheart n, you should be the one to be the next Patriarch.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s so impressive about the Lionheart n,¡± Eugene harrumphed as the corners of his mouth twisted into a sneer. Hamel¡¯s grave had been left in ruins. The Moonlight Sword had been sealed away. Sienna had disappeared, and Anise had been forced to wander the desert, unable to find his grave. All of this had something to do with Vermouth. Eugene recalled that bastard¡¯s face as he scoffed, ¡°For you, the Lionheart n might seem like something truly important, but from my point of view, it¡¯s not really all that amazing.¡± ¡°...Be careful of what you¡¯re saying,¡± Cyan warned him. ¡°What¡¯s there to be careful about? Anyone has the right to talk smack about the home they grew up in,¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°We are¡­. You shouldn¡¯t say those kinds of things. You¡¯ve received a lot of benefits from growing up in the main family. Can you really deny that your nonsensical talents are an expression of the fact that you¡¯ve strongly inherited our ancestor¡¯s blood?¡± Cyan argued. ¡°Of course, I can¡¯t,¡± Eugene readily acknowledged what couldn¡¯t be denied. This body of his was so innately talented because he was a descendent of Vermouth. Since Eugene had the memories of his previous life, he may have been able to be strong even with a trashy body, but the reason he had been able to grow this quickly was thanks to this exceptional body that he had been born with. If it was in the past, Eugene would have just been grateful for this. He might have been reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant of all the people, and he might have been confronted with the confusing and fucking upsetting reality that the remaining Demon Kings were still living as happily as ever. But he still felt like it had to be a miracle that he was reincarnated with the memories of his past life. However, what if it wasn¡¯t a miracle? Eugene ¡ª no ¡ª Hamel¡¯s reincarnation had been intentional. The one who had nned this was probably Vermouth, and while the Demon King of Incarceration had known about his reincarnation, Sienna and Vermouth had shed somewhere during the process. Thesepanions from his previous life¡­. ¡®In order to reincarnate me¡­.¡¯ But why him of all people? ¡°I have no intention of changing my mind,¡± Eugene told Cyan distractedly. Eugene currently felt disillusioned. What exactly was that inhuman, superman, hero, Master-of-All, God-of-War, the Great Vermouth even thinking? And why had he done something like this? What was he nning to do by faking his death while shing with arade with whom he had gone through countless life-or-death situations and nning Hamel¡¯s reincarnation? If Vermouth was really that lively, it would have been better for him to just join forces with hisrades once more to fight the Demon Kings. ¡°The one who will be the Patriarch is you, Cyan. I won¡¯t do something like bing the Patriarch. If you really want to change my mind, try convincing me by using your strength,¡± Eugene challenged him once more. The Lionheart n was Vermouth¡¯s family. Eugene had never held any great interest or pride in the n in the first ce. It was the same even now. Although he had lived for neen years as ¡®Eugene Lionheart,¡¯ he still didn¡¯t hold much interest or pride in his role as a member of the n. Gilead, the Patriarch, was a good person. As for Gion? He was also a good person. Even though they were the direct line of the main family, those two had never once looked down on Eugene. And Anci, well, although there were times when she definitely wanted to look down on him, and her goodwill was only superficial. Still,pared to Tanis, you could even call her an angel. Cyan and Ciel as well. Although their first impressions weren¡¯t great, after spending a few years together, they might not be as close as true siblings, but they had still be attached to each other. As for Gargith¡­ he was built like a brick shithouse[2], reminding Eugene of Molon, and it felt like he was a good guy. Gerhard? What was there to say? Eugene really liked his father. But even with all that, Eugene still couldn¡¯t hold much interest and pride in his n. ¡°...A duel is a bit much,¡± Cyan muttered. Cyan had to admit that he wouldn¡¯t be able to change Eugene¡¯s mind. In the past, Eugene hadn¡¯t gone so far as to dismiss the ¡®Lionheart¡¯ name like this, so he had to wonder if Eugene had gone through a change of heart sometime during the past two years. ¡®Or perhaps, he might just be going through puberty as well.¡¯ With a bitter taste in his mouth, Cyan grabbed the sword hung at his waist. ¡°Since it¡¯s been a while, let¡¯s have a spar,¡± Cyan proposed. Eugene warned him, ¡°I¡¯m telling you this in advance, but no matter what you try to do, you won¡¯t be able to defeat me.¡± ¡°I know, you son of a bitch,¡± Cyan cursed. ¡®Rude bastard,¡¯Cyan thought as he shoulder-barged Eugene on his way to the training grounds. Chapter 74 Chapter 74 Chapter 74: The Return (3) The spar was one-sided. Cyan¡¯s sword-force might be unbelievably refined for his age, but it was impossible for him to push back against Eugene. Although Cyan refused to back down and swung his sword fiercely, he couldn¡¯t even force Eugene to take a step back. It felt like Cyan was swinging his sword into nothingness. Or at least, that was what he thought at first, but gradually the feeling began to change. Cyan started feeling like he was battling sticky mud and an endlessly deep swamp. Even though it felt like Eugene¡¯s sword was just diverting his attacks, at the same time it was also sticking to Cyan¡¯s blows like mud, and then, as if his attack were being sucked into a swamp, it dragged his de over to where Cyan didn¡¯t want it to go. And after that, the mud and the swamp became the sea, as a huge wave of mana shook Cyan¡¯s sword-force, guiding his attacks away and making them sputter off into thin air. There should be no reason for him to have gotten tired so quickly, but¡­ Cyan felt his breathing be rough, and he could hear his heart pounding away rapidly. As he had worked towards the Third Star of the White me Form, Cyan¡¯s mana control had improved greatly. In the past, even emitting sword-light had required great concentration, but now it was possible for him to draw out his sword-force naturally, without even needing to focus on it. It also wasn¡¯t difficult for him to maintain the sword-force that he had drawn out like this for a long time. This was Cyan Lionheart, after all. As a member of the prestigious Lionheart family, he had been trained in using mana since a young age and had received all sorts of support. At their age, it would be extremely rare for anyone in the entire continent to have as much mana as Cyan. Cyan was aware of this fact and had felt pride in this. However, this pride was currently crumbling apart like a sandcastle. ¡°Fuck¡­.¡± He could no longer maintain his sword force. As Cyan panted for breath, he spat out this curse and copsed on the spot. The sand and dust that had been floating around the gymnasium gradually settled down. Thanks to Cyan¡¯s non-stop flow of attacks, the floor of the gymnasium had been deeply scarred, cracked, and turned over by his sword-force. However, Eugene¡¯s surroundings were in perfect condition. There weren¡¯t even any footprints left behind. From the very start right until the very end, Eugene had remained standing in one spot and hadn¡¯t moved away by even a single step. ¡®¡­Incredible¡­,¡¯was the thought of everyone watching this one-on-one spar. At first, there had only been Eugene and Cyan here, but from the moment the match started, the knights of the main estate had gathered to watch. Since they hadn¡¯t dered it a private spar, the knights were free to stand at a distance and observe Cyan and Eugene¡¯s sparring. Thanks to that, the knights of the main estate were able to realize once again what an incredible warrior the adopted child, Eugene Lionheart, was. Two years ago, when Eugene was only seventeen, Eugene had already been notorious among the knights of the main estate. In fact, he was so notorious that there was actually an unwritten rule concerning him floating around among the knights. The rule was that if you were arranged to spar with young master Eugene, you could never allow things to get too serious. This wasn¡¯t for the sake of their still-immature young master. On the contrary, this unwritten rule was meant to preserve the pride of the knights. The knights here all took great pride in their skills. If they were still overwhelmed¡­ even after they got serious¡­ moreover when their opponent was much younger than they were¡­. No matter the fact that their opponent was the young master of the Lionheart n¡¯s main line, the knights were bound to feel frustrated. ¡®He was already so strong two years ago¡­ but now¡­.¡¯ ¡®If it were me up there, would I be able to win?¡¯ The eyes of the knights flickered as these thoughts ran through their heads. In spars that were only meant as a form of training, sword-force was rarely ever used. So what if they did use sword-force and fought with Eugene seriously? Would they still be able to win? They couldn¡¯t be sure. Most of the young knights got the sense that they would be defeated. Even the knights who were older than them couldn¡¯t feel certain of their chances for victory. Hazard felt the same way. He was a member of the Knights of the White Lion, who had sworn loyalty to the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line, and was one of the youngest amongst these knights. However, age did not necessarily equate to skill. Hazard had beaten out several other knights to rise to his position as amander in the Second Squad of the Knights of the White Lion. He had never once felt that his innate talents werecking. In just a few years, Hazard was sure to be the Captain of the Second Squad. If even more time passed, he might even be able to aim for the position of the Leader of the Knights of the White Lion. Even such a man like Hazard had no choice but to feel his own inadequacy whenpared to Eugene. Among the knights here, was there anyone arrogant enough to im that when they were neen, they were as strong as Eugene was now? Hazard looked at the other knights. There were more than a hundred sixty knights who belonged to the main estate¡¯s Knights of the White Lion. Among all these knights, the ten strongest made up the First Squad. The remaining hundred fifty men were divided into groups of thirty to form five squads. Hazard looked at the five squad captains. Just like Hazard, their faces had stiffened. They were all skillful warriors who were sure to receive respect no matter where in the continent they went, but they couldn¡¯t hide the astonishment they felt in response to this adopted son from a coteral bloodline. ¡®Even the knights of the First Squad¡­ wouldn¡¯t feel anything different. I¡¯ve never felt that same overwhelming sense of power from them that I have from Sir Eugene,¡¯Hazard spected. The First Squad of the Knights of the White Lion, along with their leader, the Knight Commander, had apanied Gilead to the ck Lion Castle. Hazard gulped in amazement as he recalled those currently absent elites. Sprawled out on the ground, after he finally caught his breath, Cyan raised his head and asked, ¡°¡­What was that?¡± Eugene, who had been shaking loose his wrists, turned to look at Cyan and grinned. ¡°What was what?¡± he asked facetiously. ¡°The thing you did just now. Where you sent my attacks flying all over the ce,¡± Cyan rified. Eugene imed, ¡°That was just parrying. Can¡¯t you tell just by looking?¡± Who wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that much? All the knights spectating the spar had also realized that Eugene had been simply parrying Cyan¡¯s attacks. Parrying was a technique that could be used with all weapons, not just swords. The technique could even be used with one¡¯s bare hands, though one needed a lot of practice in order to do so. However, among these knights, not a single one of them had the confidence to say that they would be able to show parrying on the same level as Eugene. His was no ordinary style of parrying. He wasn¡¯t just obstructing the sword-force; he was diverting it. That alone would have been enough to ssify it as an advanced technique, but instead of only diverting the sword-force outward, Eugene could divert it back inward, breaking the opponent¡¯s stance. By mixing in both inward and outward flows, Eugene had been able to nullify all of Cyan¡¯s attacks and had also made him overuse his mana. And that was all without him taking a single step away from his spot. ¡°¡­Tell me how you did that,¡± Cyan reluctantly requested. ¡°Whaaaat did you say?¡± Eugene reacted with feigned surprise. Cyan gritted out, ¡°I said, tell me how you did that¡­ you son of a bitch.¡± ¡°Reeeeally?Youwant to learn fromme?¡± Eugene snickered and stretched his hand out to the copsed Cyan. His shoulders trembling with rage, Cyan grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand as he imagined nting his other fist into Eugene¡¯s face. No, that wasn¡¯t nearly enough. Cyan considered,¡®I¡¯m still holding a sword in my other hand¡­. I could just thrust it up into his guts¡­.¡¯ ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to rx your grip? I won¡¯t be able to teach you like this, you know?¡± Eugene reminded him. ¡°Huh? Aaaaah¡­ what? You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re going to teach me?¡± Cyan snapped out of his confusion as he rxed the hand that was holding the sword. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me to teach you?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°¡­Um, yes,¡± Cyan hesitantly confirmed. ¡°Then, I might as well teach you,¡± Eugene said, his expression looking like this wasn¡¯t a big deal. It wouldn¡¯t be too difficult to teach Cyan this. In the first ce, learning Eugene¡¯s style of parrying was something that depended on the learner¡¯s ability and perception rather than the teacher. ¡°For now, just follow me,¡± Eugene said as he pulled Cyan up and turned around. After staring nkly at Eugene, who seemed to be returning to the annex, Cyan quickly followed behind him. After exiting the gymnasium, Eugene headed to the forest on the other side of the mansion. Cyan was panting for breath as he continued to trail behind Eugene, unable to close the distance between them. Like this, the two ventured deep into the deserted forest. After making sure that no one else was around, Eugene looked back at Cyan and asked, ¡°If you¡¯re strong enough, there¡¯s no need for me to be the Patriarch, right?¡± Cyan grunted in confusion, ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s fine. Although you won¡¯t be able to be stronger than me, as long as you¡¯re strong enough to be the undisputed Patriarch of the Lionheart n, there¡¯s no problem, right?¡± Eugene confirmed once more. Cyan hesitated, ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­.¡± Eugene pressed forward, ¡°You just need to be good at talking. The things you understand and have confidence in are the things that I hate, and that won¡¯t change, got it? No matter how much you try to push me into it, how can I be the Patriarch when I say that I don¡¯t want to do it?¡± Cyan protested, ¡°But with your skills¡ª¡± ¡°What about my skills? As the Patriarch, you need to follow the Lionheart n¡¯s traditions, and you also need to have an appropriate sense of dignity. Hypothetically speaking, what would you do if I went out into the middle of the capital city, pulled off all my clothes, and took a shit right there? No matter how strong I am, do you really think that a naked public shitter would deserve to be the Patriarch of the Lionheart n?¡± Eugene was actually threatening to poop naked in the middle of the capital city? Such a thought was unimaginable for Cyan, who had been born and raised in the main estate. Cyan swallowed a gulp and stared at Eugene. He recalled what happened five years ago when Eugene had first arrived at the main estate. Although Eugene may have dismissed it as the barking of a mad dog, at that time, Cyan really had gotten a whiff of cow dung from Eugene. No, perhaps it wasn¡¯t truly the smell of cow dung. But it was definitely the smell of the countryside. Did Gidol, a rural area on the outskirts of the Kiehl Empire, even have toilets? Cyan seemed to seriously consider this question. He asked in a shocked tone, ¡°¡­You¡­ are you really going to defecate in public¡­?¡± Eugene tried to exin, ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t really saying that I was going to do that¡­ I was just bringing it up as a possibility. Like, I¡¯d rather shit in public than be the Patriarch.¡± ¡°That¡­ would be uneptable. How could the Patriarch of this prestigious Lionheart n do such an obscene thing¡­?¡± Cyan trailed off in horror. Eugene nodded agreeably, ¡°Right? It¡¯s an unspeakable thought, isn¡¯t it? That¡¯s why, for the sake of the Lionheart n, you have to be the Patriarch. You don¡¯t need to worry about anything because I¡¯ll make sure to teach you well so that you don¡¯t get beaten up if you end up going somewhere.¡± After hesitating for a moment, Cyan nodded his head. Under normal circumstances, Cyan would have had topete with Eward, who was the eldest son, for the seat of the Patriarch, but Eward had taken care of that issue through his own actions. If he just stayed still, Cyan would definitely be the Patriarch. However, it was just that, because of the gap between him and Eugene, Cyan couldn¡¯t ept his own suitability for the position. That was why Cyan had tried to concede it to Eugene¡ªbut, in the end, he truly did wish to be the Patriarch. With a shrug, Cyan coughed, ¡°¡­Ahem. If you truly don¡¯t want to be the Patriarch, then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± How many times had Cyan offered the position to Eugene? At least three times, as far as he could remember. In any case, since Eugene said that he didn¡¯t want it, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°Well¡­ you might have amazing skills, but it¡¯s true that you don¡¯t have any of the dignity that a Patriarch should have. You also haven¡¯t received any training to be a proper heir, right? That means you aren¡¯t prepared for it. As someone who lived half of his life in a rural area, you might find it difficult to be ustomed to the culture of the high society that a Lionheart Patriarch needs to familiarize themselves wi¡ª¡± After quietly listening to Cyan speak, Eugene suddenly kicked him in the shin. Letting out a single scream, Cyan clutched his leg and rolled around on the ground. ¡°Why-why did you hit me?¡± Cyan demanded. ¡°Because you were being ill-mannered,¡± Eugene exined. Cyan used, ¡°The words you¡¯ve spouted are far more ill-mannered¡­!¡± ¡°I know. But if it offends you, then you can try and kick me too,¡± Eugene offered. ¡°¡­Siblings shouldn¡¯t fight with each other,¡± Cyan eventually said as he got up, rubbing his stinging shin. ¡°By the way¡­ how are you going to teach me that? Are we starting right now?¡± ¡°Your big brother is a very busy person,¡± Eugene informed him. ¡°¡­Why are you calling yourself big brother?¡± Cyan protested. ¡°We¡¯re the same age, and if we go by our birthdays, I was actually born a few months earlier than you. That means I¡¯m the older brother.¡± The twins really were twins in every way. The words Cyan was using to argue were exactly the same as Ciel¡¯s. Eugene wanted to refute him somehow, but he couldn¡¯t find anything to refute him with and ended up just twisting his lips. ¡°¡­In any case,¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Because I happen to be a bit busy, I¡¯ll write down what I¡¯m going to teach you and give it to youter.¡± Cyan questioned him, ¡°You¡¯re going to write it down for me? It feels like it would be a lot faster if you taught me persona¡ª¡± Eugene impatiently interrupted him, ¡°No, as I said, that¡¯s not going to work for me. You don¡¯t even have the basics down, so how do you expect me to teach you personally? And do you really think that you¡¯re a genius like me? Can you even imitate what I showed you earlier?¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t,¡± Cyan reluctantly admitted. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to write it down for you. If you ept that for now and study it diligently, you¡¯ll be able to use it on your own,¡± Eugene persuaded him. But would that really be the case? Although Eugene had imed this for now, even he couldn¡¯t be sure that he was telling the truth. In the first ce, even in his previous life, he had never actually taught anyone. As a mercenary, there had been no reason for him to teach someone, and after bing Vermouth¡¯spanion, there had been no need to teach anyone. Sienna, Anise, and Molon were all so skilled that Eugene didn¡¯t need to teach them anything. As Eugene wanted to peacefully and leisurely enjoy his reincarnation, he felt like he could try and teach his techniques for fun, but he currently didn¡¯t want to devote any of his precious time to Cyan. ¡°¡­You aren¡¯t lying to me just because you don¡¯t want to be the Patriarch, are you?¡± Cyan asked suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re right that I don¡¯t want to be the Patriarch, but it¡¯s not a lie,¡± Eugene reassured him. Although he had said this to Ciel as well, Eugene actually liked Cyan. It was because whenever he saw Cyan continue topete with him without giving up, Eugene was reminded of his past life as Hamel. Eugene was very familiar with the feelings of frustration, resentment, and determination that Cyan must be feeling. ¡®We¡¯re also siblings,¡¯Eugene reflected. Yes, even though they didn¡¯t share any actual blood ties. Nodding his head, Eugene walked past Cyan. As Cyan followed behind Eugene, who was heading off first, he snickered to himself. ¡®Fine. If he says that he doesn¡¯t want it, what else can I do? Mother wants this as well, so I¡¯ll definitely be the one to be the Patriarch.¡¯ This alone would be a happy event, but what was currently making Cyan¡¯s heart flutter in happiness was the fact that he would be able to learn Eugene¡¯s technique. Right now, he might be learning from that guy, but perhaps someday he could use this as a basis to surpass Eugene. While holding such high expectations, Cyan rubbed his still tingling shin. * * * Southern Kiehl, Us Mountain. This broad and rugged mountain had been designated as part of the Lionheart estate ever since the events three hundred years ago. In that distant past, thest Grand Duke of the Kiehl Empire, the Great Vermouth himself, had developed this area into his territory and had stayed in a castle deep in the mountains. Vermouth had eventually relinquished his title and moved to the Capital estate, but even three hundred yearster, Mount Us remained part of the Lionheart estate. The ck Lion Castle had been built deep within the mountains. This was the ce where the Great Vermouth had spent the longest amount of time, and it was also the ce where the body of the great hero was enshrined. On the top floor of the ck Lion Caste, in the center of arge room, dozens of people were sitting around a ck, round table. ¡°¡­So, Eugene¡­ it seems that child has returned to the main estate,¡± Gilead said as he lowered the letter he had been reading. With narrowed eyes, he stared in front of him. Someone expressed their opinion, ¡°I actually thought that he would be returning a littleter.¡± Another replied, ¡°Instead, it seems that he came at just the right time.¡± The man sitting across from Gilead spoke up as he stroked his short beard and stared at Gilead, ¡°There are only two months left in this year, no?¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s no real need to call them here, is there?¡± Gilead argued. After all, there¡¯s never been a situation quite like this.¡± ¡°The one responsible for this unprecedented situation is you, Patriarch,¡± the man said with a smile. Gilead might be the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch, but his words didn¡¯t carry any more weight than those of the others sitting around the table. This was something that couldn¡¯t be helped. Except for Gilead, every one of the ten people sitting at the table was a member of the Lionheart n¡¯s Council of Elders. Regardless of whether they were from the direct line or the coteral lines, they were giants who had left their name in the history of the Lionheart n. ¡°After all, this is the first time ever that a child from a coteral branch has been adopted into the main family,¡± the man continued speaking. ¡°Of course, the Patriarch has guaranteed this child¡¯s value, but unfortunately¡­ thetest batch of children from the main line has caused quite some fuss. As such, we have to inspect them more thoroughly.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just the Patriarch,¡± Carmen suddenly spoke up. Unusually, even though she was a member of the Council of Elders, she hadn¡¯t retreated from active duty, and she still served as the captain of the Third Division of the Knights of the ck Lion. ¡°Because I¡¯ve also seen that kid, Eugene Lionheart, for myself, and I can guarantee it. Why should the fact that he¡¯s from a coteral bloodline be such an important issue? What¡¯s really important is that kid¡¯s potential,¡± Carmen argued. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m looking down on him just because he¡¯s from a coteral bloodline,¡± the man said with a smile. This man made Gilead feel awkward. It had been that way ever since he was a child. This was the Immortal White Lion, Doynes Lionheart. Chapter 75: The Return (4)

Chapter 75: The Return (4)

¡°ck Lion Castle?¡± Eugene asked. Eugene¡¯s eyes twinkled brightly as he lifted his head. Across from him, Cyan was chewing on some food ¡ª no ¡ª on air. With his mouth half-open and his hand lifting empty spoonfuls of air up to his lips, Cyan looked like he had lost half his wits. This was all because of the book that he had received from Eugene. Three days after his return to the main estate, Eugene had finished writing the book for Cyan by hand ¡ª no ¡ª by magic and had gifted it to him. ¡°...That¡¯s right,¡± Anci was the one who had answered Eugene¡¯s question. While ring at her son, who had gotten lost in his book during their meal, Anci was holding back her desire to reprimand him. As his mother, she was pondering whether she should support her son¡¯s growth or severely criticize him for trying to eat mouthfuls of air while reading a book at the dinner table. Anci decided to just ignore him for now, ¡°...I had thought that the Council of Elders had gathered at the ck Lion Castle in order to prepare for your Coming-of-Age ceremony, but it seems they were waiting for you, as they have invited both you and Cyan to visit the ck Lion Castle.¡± ¡°Ho¡­ Ohhh¡­ Hmmm¡­¡± Cyan distractedly replied while pursing his lips. His reply wasn¡¯t meant to show amazement at Anci¡¯s words. Instead, it was a reflection of how absorbed Cyan was in the book, even though it made him feel like his head was spinning. Cyan asked himself,¡®Isn¡¯t this just nonsense? Is something like this really possible?¡¯ In the book that Eugene had written for him, unlike what Cyan had expected, there were no exnations of parrying or otherbat techniques. Instead, the only things listed were ways of stressing one¡¯s ¡®Core¡¯ to the point of hellish torture. More specifically, spreading the mana extracted from the Core throughout the body and then circting it, with the Core acting as the heart and mana as blood. Then, when you had be so familiar with this that you could maintain it unconsciously, you needed to move your body with just your mana, not the strength of your muscles. This was simr to the outdated physical style of mana training scriptures, which had been pushed into obscurity by the Core and mana breathing training scriptures. They were both ways to train your mana through physical movements. However, unlike the original physical training scriptures, which umted mana by moving the body, Eugene¡¯s method had been adapted for Cyan, who had already formed a Core with the White me Form. As such, Cyan needed to get used to actively moving his umted stores of mana. In order to do so, the best way was to keep everything except his mana from actively moving. Then, once he had gotten familiar with moving his body with only his mana, Cyan would halt his Core¡¯s operations. Not using his Core would force Cyan¡¯s body to rewire itself, causing his mana to naturally follow the movements of his body. ¡®This bastard, isn¡¯t he just writing whateveres to mind?¡¯Cyan grumbled to himself. From Cyan¡¯s point of view, such training made absolutely no sense. Without operating your Core, how on earth were you supposed to draw on your mana? No, that wasn¡¯t where the problems started. Was he really supposed to circte the mana from his core like it was his blood and then use only his mana to move his body? Even muscles would get tired and tear apart when they were overused, so wasn¡¯t this just a simr way of abusing his mana? In the first ce, the mana generated by the Core wasn¡¯t infinite. This book told him to squeeze out all of his Core¡¯s mana without leaving even a single drop behind. If Cyan followed this instruction to the word, he would be sure to copse from exhausting his mana. Repeating this over and over again would just damage his Core and disperse all of his mana, and after that? Cyan was sure to be a cripple who couldn¡¯t handle any mana for the rest of his life. ¡°...You¡­ are you seriously telling me to do this?¡± Cyan asked skeptically. Eugene confirmed it, ¡°That¡¯s what I did.¡± ¡°Stop bullshitting me!¡± Cyan demanded. ¡°Hey now. What¡¯s with those harsh words at the dinner table?¡± Eugene chided him. ¡°Can¡¯t you feel step-mother ring at you?¡± ¡°Ugh,¡± Cyan gulped and closed the book. Indeed, Anci, who was sitting right next to him, was ring at Cyan with eyes opened wide in anger. If it was just reading a book at the dinner table and chewing on air, she felt like she could show some understanding and allow him that much. However, Anci couldn¡¯t tolerate Cyan¡¯s mean-spirited attitude that didn¡¯t show any gratitude for Eugene¡¯s teachings and instead turned on his benefactor with eyes full of suspicion. ¡°Cyan,¡± Anci called out. ¡°Yes¡­,¡± Cyan meekly replied. ¡°Apologize to your brother, Eugene,¡± she ordered. ¡°He personally wrote this book, all for your sake, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Cyan stammered, ¡°...I¡¯m so¡­ sor¡­.¡± ¡®You crazy bastard! Aren¡¯t you making fun of me by telling me to do something so fucking absurd!¡¯ Although these furious words threatened to erupt from Cyan¡¯s chest, while Anci¡¯s narrowed eyes were fixed on him, he definitely couldn¡¯t let them out. Eventually, Cyan bowed his head and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± ¡°As long as you know your mistakes. It¡¯s the truth that I became stronger using this method, so stop suspecting that it won¡¯t be of any use to you and just practice it diligently. Good luck,¡± Eugene said, cheering him on. Eugene wasn¡¯t lying. In his previous life, Hamel had trained his mana by using a physical training scripture until Vermouth and Sienna had fixed it for him. Without caring about his Core or what happened to him, he had just torn apart his muscles until he was about to die, made his bones creak with strain, and overworked his body with the belief that this would allow more mana to reside within his flesh. That¡¯s just how it was. All Hamel had was that cheap mana training scripture mainly used by mercenaries. It had been an era where you could find the corpses of monsters, demonic beasts, humans, and sometimes even demonfolk scattered wherever you went. It had been an era where wars and conflicts never ceased. For a mercenary who lived by his sword to make a living, he needed to be able to fight better than the others and longer than others. It was a profession that naturally required you to overwork your body. ¡®...Although I did attempt to remodel it myself,¡¯Eugene recalled. While practicing that cheap mana training scripture, he had made adjustments so that it was easier to use. Now on top of that, he had also modified it to work alongside the White me Form. Eugene muttered to himself, ¡°And this bastard doesn¡¯t even have the decency to say ¡®thank you¡¯ with tears in his eyes¡­.¡± ¡°Eugene,¡± Anci addressed him with an apologetic tone. Eugene dismissed her concerns, ¡°Well, since he¡¯s said that he¡¯s sorry, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be shedding many tears in the future.¡± Eugene had no intention of picking a fight with Anci. He turned to Cyan, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t want to, once you start your training, I¡¯m pretty sure you¡¯ll be shedding a lot of tears and snot. But you should still keep this in mind. It''s not enough just to leak some tears and have your nose run. If things are still flowing out of your body, that just means you still have room to push things. You need to keep training until the tears and snot have stopped flowing. Until you¡¯re shitting yourself and vomiting blood.¡± Cyan, who had been idly fiddling with the cover of the book, now shrugged his shoulders as he heard these words. ¡°That¡¯s just what I need to do to even be able to step on your shadow. If I want to be the Patriarch of the Lionheart n, I¡¯m ready to at least do that much,¡± Cyan said eptingly. ¡°...Annoying git,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Oh, how sweet,¡± Cyan smirked. ¡°Though I¡¯m not sure why it sounds so nice to hear you call me annoying.¡± Eugene bared his teeth in a broad smile, then turned to face Anci. ¡°So, step-mother, when do we need to head off to the ck Lion Castle?¡± he asked. ¡°...They said toe as soon as you were ready,¡± Anci replied. ¡°Then let¡¯s just go now,¡± Eugene said confidently. ¡°They should have everything we need over there, so don¡¯t we just need to take what¡¯s on our bodies? Hey Cyan, you¡¯re fine with that as well, right?¡± ck Lion Castle? Why were they talking about ck Lion Castle? Cyan hadn¡¯t heard what they were talking about, probably because he had been lost in the book, so his eyes darted here and there as he tried to figure out what was going on. He couldn¡¯t just keep his mouth shut, though, so he hesitantly replied, ¡°Uh¡­ yes?¡± ¡®What a lucky turn of events,¡¯Eugene cheerfully thought to himself. No, should he really be pleased by this? As he left the dining room, he began to consider this matter seriously. The ck Lion Castley deep within the Us Mountains. It was a ce where even the members of the Lionheart n were forbidden from entering without permission. To enter the ck Lion Castle, you needed to be recognized for your skills and receive a summons from the Knights of the ck Lion. As for this ¡®recognition,¡¯ no matter how much someone wanted to join the Knights of the ck Lion, it was far from easy for them to receive approval. This was because the Council was the one to judge whether someone was qualified to be a ck Lion. The only exceptions to this were the children of the main family who had given up on their right of session topete for the position of Patriarch. Ciel had been able to join the Knights of the ck Lion at a young age and be Carmen¡¯s squire because she had given up this right. ¡°For it to be the ck Lion Castle¡­ this will be the first time that the direct line¡¯s Coming-of-Age Ceremony has been held somewhere other than the main estate,¡± muttered Cyan, who couldn¡¯t hide his excitement after being briefed on the situation. The book was carefully cradled in his arms. ¡°Well, I get why they¡¯re doing it. Thanks to that bastard, Eward, we, as our father¡¯s sons, are receiving the Council¡¯s attention,¡± Cyan imed. ¡°...Is that the case?¡± Eugene questioned doubtfully. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s the case,¡± Cyan insisted. ¡°Father has been in a difficult position for a while now. You know why, right?¡± ¡°Because of Eward. And probably me as well,¡± Eugene replied in an apathetic tone. Eugene wasn¡¯t so tactless that he had remained ignorant of this. Even just changing the format of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was enough to get a lot of people eyeing him. But Gilead had then immediately adopted a member of a coteral branch as his foster-child, and had taken Wynnyd from the main estate¡¯s treasure vault and ced it in Eugene¡¯s hands. Even as the Patriarch, Gilead must have had to bear a huge weight of criticism on that day. Although Gilead had never once spoken to him about this, Eugene could easily guess that Gilead¡¯s resolution to reform the old-fashioned traditions of their family wasn¡¯t going down so smoothly. ¡°They might even be trying to discipline us,¡± Cyan warned with a serious expression. ¡°By summoning a troublemaker like you, they might be warning you.¡± ¡°And what about you?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯m to be the next Patriarch, so maybe they¡¯re congratting me in advance? Or perhaps¡­ maybe¡­,¡± Cyan¡¯s breathing picked up as he trailed off. As his eyes shone with excitement, he clenched his trembling fists and said, ¡°They might even n on allowing me to enter the tomb of our ancestor.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t as excited by this thought as Cyan. Instead, his chest became chilled as if ice had been poured onto him. As the ce where Vermouth had stayed for the longest time, Us Mountain also held the tomb that was said to belong to him. The precise location of Vermouth¡¯s tomb in the mountain was strictly kept a secret. Even the Patriarch of the Lionheart n wasn¡¯t allowed to know too much about their ancestor¡¯s tomb. ¡®Even though I have to open his coffin,¡¯Eugene thought with concern. Eugene needed to check Vermouth¡¯s tomb at all costs. Unlike what had been recorded in history, Vermouth hadn¡¯t died peacefully. Or, at least, heprobablyhadn¡¯t. Eugene needed to confirm Vermouth¡¯s corpse to turn these suspicions into a certainty. ¡°...Or maybe they might even designate me as the master of the Demon Spear?¡± Cyan said, still caught up in his excitement. ¡°No, instead of the Demon Spear, they might actually designate me as the master of the Annihtion Hammer. Either way, it would be so amazing¡­! After all, even father couldn¡¯t be a master of the Demon Spear or the Annihtion Hammer.¡± The Demon Spear Luentos and the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth were the weapons wielded by the Demon King of Cruelty and the Demon king of Carnage, respectively. These weapons hadn¡¯t been stored in the main estate¡¯s treasure vault and were instead kept at ck Lion Castle. The current master of the Demon Spear Luentos was the Head of the Council and the eldest of the Lionhearts, the Immortal White Lion, Doynes Lionheart. Gilead¡¯s father, the former Patriarch who had died a long time ago, had been the master of the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth. After the former Patriarch¡¯s death, under the reasoning that the Annihtion Hammer was ¡®too dangerous¡¯ and that it would expose the main estate to too much threat, it had been moved to the ck Lion Castle. The current master of the Annihtion Hammer was Doynes¡¯s grandson, Dominic Lionheart, the Captain of the First Division in the Knights of the ck Lion. ¡°The Head of the Council is already so old. In other words, he¡¯s long since passed the age for retirement. Maybe he¡¯s summoning us to dere his retirement while also handing the Demon Spear over to me?¡± Cyan spected. Eugene asked dismissively, ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡± ¡°Though I only know the basics of spearmanship¡­. No, that doesn''t matter. I can just start learning spearmanship afresh. If I end up receiving the Demon Spear, perhaps Sir Doynes will even teach me the spear personally,¡± Cyan sighed hopefully. The Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer; as Eugene recalled those bloodthirsty and terrifying weapons, he ced his hand inside the cloak. Contained within it was the Moonlight Sword, still resting in its sheath. Although Eugene had wondered if it might show a reaction upon returning to the main estate, unlike what he had hoped, the Moonlight Sword didn¡¯t show any sort of response. ¡°...Hm,¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully. Leaving behind Cyan, who kepting up with even more wild guesses, Eugene returned to his room in the annex and drew the Moonlight Sword. This damn demon sword still sucked up all his mana each time he drew it. Eugene narrowed his eyes and stared at the Moonlight Sword¡¯s de, which was giving off a faint light. A small fragment was floating on the underside of the de. It was the fragment of the Moonlight Sword that he had won at the auction house. ¡®If I collect all of the fragments¡­ it feels like I should be able topletely restore it.¡¯ The fragment had been found in the Kazard Hills of Helmuth. Since he needed to be wary of the Demon King of Incarceration, he couldn¡¯t go there immediately. Eugene reminded himself,¡®No need to pointlessly rush into things. I can take it slowly, but first thing¡¯s first. I need to find Vermouth¡¯s grave.¡¯ First of all, getting this done wouldn¡¯t be such an easy task. Even the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch wasn¡¯t allowed to enter the tomb feely, and Eugene didn¡¯t even know where Vermouth¡¯s grave was. Gilead might have indulged Eugene¡¯s request, but the members of the Council of Elders probably wouldn¡¯t. Would he be able to find Vermouth¡¯s grave while avoiding their eyes? ¡°To think that, after finding my own grave, I need to find Vermouth¡¯s as well,¡± Eugene muttered as he ced the Moonlight Sword back inside his cloak. From someone else¡¯s point of view, Eugene probably seemed like a graverobber. ¡®I didn¡¯t expect that I¡¯d be leaving the main estate once again only a few days after returning.¡¯ Eugene nced over Hamel¡¯s statue and the memorial stone that had been ced inside his cloak. ¡®...And what should I do about these?¡¯Eugene asked himself. He naturally hadn¡¯t wanted them to be buried forever, so he had brought them with him. But now he didn¡¯t have any ce to put them. If Gilead was here, Eugene could have somehow talked to him about this, and he¡¯d been nning to erect them somewhere in the main estate. But since Gilead wasn¡¯t here, that was impossible. ¡®...No, hold on,¡¯Eugene grinned as he suddenly thought of something. * * * Unlike Eugene, Cyan had spent half a day getting ready to go to the ck Lion Castle. He had brushed his hair nicely, going so far as to rub pomade into it, while also wearing a stylish formal dress that even had a cape draping around his shoulders. ¡°Are you going there to show off?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°Do you think that you¡¯re going off to y somewhere?¡± Cyan asked in return. He clicked his tongue as he saw that Eugene wasn¡¯t dressed any differently from his everyday clothes. In fact, they were the same clothes that Eugene had been wearing earlier that day. The only difference was the cloak he was wearing on top of them; everything else was the same as before. Eugene wasn¡¯t even carrying a sword with him. Cyan noticed something,¡®That cloak¡­.¡¯ It was the Cloak of Darkness. Even Cyan had heard about it. Right now, he felt deeply envious of Eugene¡¯s cloak. Since the cloak looked so cool, wouldn¡¯t it feel amazing to have it draped around his shoulders? On top of that, there were also various convenient spells installed in it, and it even had a subspace¡­. ¡°Even if you look at me like that, I¡¯m not giving it to you,¡± Eugene warned him. ¡°I-I wasn¡¯t even going to ask for it,¡± Cyan replied in a fluster as he walked past Eugene. Us Mountain was a long way away from the capital city. Since it would take around a month, even going by carriage, they would need to take a warp gate. This warp gate also wasn¡¯t something that they could use at will. For them to arrive there directly, the warp gate had to be opened from the ck Lion Castle¡¯s side. ¡°The gate has been opened,¡± the wizard managing the warp gate said as he stepped out of the way. The mana concentrated within the gate tore a hole into space, and the road leading to the distant Us Mountain was opened. ¡°Cyan. Make sure not to show off an embarrassing appearance ande back safely,¡± Anci ordered. ¡°Son¡­ I believe in you,¡± Gerhard said as he held back tears. Confused by these words, Eugene had to look back at Gerhard, ¡°Do you really need to burst into tears whenever I go somewhere, Father?¡± Gerhard made an excuse, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re leaving only three days after your return¡­.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going somewhere else. I¡¯m just going to meet with the elders of our family, right? I¡¯ll just go there, y around a bit, and scrounge up some pocket money, so don¡¯t worry about me, Father, and just make sure to not miss any meals.¡± As he said this, Eugene turned his head. ¡°You were listening, right? Make sure to keep my father entertained so that he doesn¡¯t get bored, and if he doesn¡¯t have an appetite, just force-feed him.¡± ¡°Yes, young lord,¡± Laman responded. He looked entirely different, having shaved his shaggy beard and put on a butler¡¯s uniform. Why did he, a valiant desert warrior, need to don such an appearance? Laman himself couldn¡¯t really understand the reason for this¡­. ¡°...Aren¡¯t you going to take me with you?¡± Laman asked hesitantly. Eugene just asked, ¡°Why would I take you with me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s because I¡¯m your right-hand man¡­.¡± ¡°Since when were you my right-hand man? If I had to pick someone, my right-hand man would be Nina, not you.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, should I follow along?¡± Nina asked, tilting her head. Smirking at these words, Eugene waved his hand. ¡°They said that they just wanted Cyan and me, so why do you all keep trying to follow me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Stop with the nonsense and just take good care of my father along with Laman. If someone tries to bother you while I¡¯m away, don¡¯t needlessly keep it to yourself and just inform Laman.¡± ¡°Mhm¡­!¡± Laman grunted his assent, and his eyes shone with determination as he nced at the Knights of the Lionheart n. But would he be able to win if they fought? No, in the first ce, why would the Lionheart n¡¯s knights even bully a mere servant? Laman didn¡¯t seem to be aware of this fact. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugene said, patting Cyan on the back as he headed over to the warp gate. Already a little nervous, Cyan stared at Eugene¡¯s back as he calmly walked forward before quickly catching up to him. Then their two figures were swallowed up by the light of the warp gate, and the long-distance jumpmenced. Having already experienced this feeling several times, Eugene did not panic and instead enjoyed the feeling of floating through the warp. However, he soon had no choice but to panic. ¡°...This is¡­,¡± Eugene muttered as their warp came to an end. Eugene burst out with confusion, ¡°What are they trying to pull here?¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± Cyan¡¯s scream was heard from a distance. Eugene turned to look for Cyan. In the far distance, he could see Cyan falling down through the air. Eugene was also in the same situation. Having passed through the warp gate, it was only natural for them to arrive at another warp gate. But right at this moment, Eugene and Cyan had instead arrived in the middle of the sky and were currently falling to the ground. Keeping calm, Eugene noted,¡®This ce is¡­.¡¯ Eugene looked ahead, eyes peeled. Below themy a huge mountain range. ¡°Looks like things are starting off with a thrill[1],¡± Eugene grunted and unfurled his cloak. Chapter 76 Chapter 76 Chapter 76: The ck Lion Castle (1) ¡°¡ªAaaaaaahhh¡­,¡± Cyan¡¯s scream was slowly drifting away. Even as Eugene was falling to the ground far below, he didn¡¯t take his eyes off Cyan. Cyan was the young master of the Lionheart¡¯s direct line, a famous and prestigious n of warriors. With such a background, Cyan had definitely been taught many things from an early age, yet there was no way he could have been familiarized with a freefall like this. And wasn¡¯t this only natural? Having passed through a warp gate, they were immediately left to fall to the ground from high in the sky. So right at this moment, Cyan was pping his arms in mid-air, still screaming his head off. Eugene considered,¡®Do I need to help him out?¡¯ For now, Eugene decided to take care of his own safety first. After he slowed his fall with some flotation magic, he looked at Cyan once more. With Cyan¡¯s abilities alone, he wouldn¡¯t be able to survive a fall from this height. Even with the greatest of luck, some of his bones would bepletely shattered. ¡®It seems I don¡¯t need to help him out,¡¯Eugene decided. This wasn¡¯t a simple ident. If someone had nned to drop them from the sky from the very start, they must have prepared some safety measures just in case. It was just as Eugene had expected. Though Cyan was still screaming and squawking for help, his fall was slowly being decelerated. Somewhere in the forest below, a wizard must have cast a spell on Cyan. Without paying any more attention to Cyan, Eugene turned his head. He could see a castle built near the peak of the nearby mountain. Eugene eyed the g waving from the top of a tower¡¯s spire. The g bore an emblem of a lion baring its ws and fangs, proving that this was the ck Lion Castle where they were originally meant to have arrived. Would they allow Eugene to just fly over there from here? No. If that were the case, they wouldn¡¯t have had him fall from this height in the first ce. Although he didn¡¯t know the specific reasons behind this happening, for now, Eugene just decided to ept this situation optimistically. Although Vermouth¡¯s grave might be hidden somewhere on the grounds of the ck Lion Castle, it also might be hidden somewhere on this mountain. ¡®Though I don¡¯t think they¡¯re just going to let us wander around as we please.¡¯ To start with, Eugene decided to just take a look at any of the ces that caught his attention while making his way to the castle. With this in mind, Eugene started elerating his descent. The wind wrapped around Eugene began pushing him forward. Far away, a voice inquired, ¡°Was that all Wynnyd¡¯s power?¡± They received an answer, ¡°No. Before he summoned a spirit of the wind, he first used a flotation spell.¡± ¡°He also showed no sign of panic¡­. As expected. He¡¯s also skilled in magic,¡± yet another voice observed. Doynes smiled brightly as he stood with his hands behind his back. He and the other members of the Council of Elders were standing on the castle wall, observing Eugene and Cyan. Even without using something like a telescope, they were able to see Eugene and Cyan far off in the distance, as clearly as if the two were right in front of them. ¡°How proficient is he in magic?¡± Doynes asked. ¡°¡­With flotation magic, even the easiest spells belong to the Fourth Circle. Even when falling from such a height, his speed is constant, and¡­ he also has good control of his bnce. I can¡¯t say for sure, but it looks like he¡¯s reached the Fifth Circle at the very least.¡± The one who had answered Doynes¡¯s question was an elder wearingrge sses. He came from a family renowned for their skill in magic, even among all the coteral branches of the Lionheart n. As such, he couldn¡¯t help but be astonished by Eugene¡¯s grasp of magic. For Eugene Lionheart to have reached at least the Fifth Circle when he was only neen years old was absurd. The elder had even heard that Eugene¡¯s progress with the White me Form was also so rapid that it was unprecedented. Could Eugene really have risen to the Fifth Circle already when he had only started learning magic two years ago? ¡°¡­Patriarch, do you know which Star Eugene Lionheart has reached in the White me Form?¡± The elder hid his rm as he turned to look at Gilead. Gilead was looking at Eugene and Cyan with a slightly stiff expression. He pondered this question for a few moments before replying, ¡°¡­Before he left for Aroth, Eugene had reached the Third Star, and I received a letter sometimest year informing me that he had reached the Fourth Star.¡± ¡°Hoho!¡± The one who had responded to this revtion withughter was Doynes. Nodding his head, he rubbed his chin and said, ¡°For a neen-year-old to have reached the Fourth Star¡­! Perhaps he might even advance to the next level in a year.¡± ¡°¡­Something like that¡­ is impossible,¡± the one who had replied this time was a middle-aged man who gave off a neatly-kept impression. Among the ten council elders, only three of them were members of the direct line who practiced the White me Form. The eldest of the direct line and Head of the Council, Doynes Lionheart. The former Patriarch¡¯s sibling, Carmen Lionheart. And the one who had just imed it was impossible was another of the former Patriarch¡¯s siblings, Carmen¡¯s younger brother, Klein Lionheart. He had already separated from the main family several decades ago and founded his own branch of the family; then, ten years ago, he had retired from active duty and had been epted as one of the Elders of the Council. Although he may have retired, Klein still trained in the White me Form during his daily practice. Yet even with this, Klein still hadn¡¯t been able to break through the wall thaty between him and the Seventh Star. Among the current living Lionhearts, only two people ¡ª Doynes and Carmen ¡ª had been able to cross that wall and reach the Seventh Star. Even the current Patriarch Gilead, and his younger brother, Gion, had yet to cross the wall into the Seventh Star, meaning they were still lingering at the final steps of the Sixth Star. But this brat, who had yet to reach adulthood, was said to have the potential of reaching the Fifth Star of the White Form within a year. Klein absolutely refused to recognize such a possibility. ¡°Just because you¡¯re ipetent doesn¡¯t mean that everyone else is as ipetent as you,¡± Carmen muttered as she pulled a cigar from an opulent case. ¡°Ugh, big sister!¡± Klein shouted in protest. ¡°Don¡¯t call me big sister with a face like that,¡± Carmen ordered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my face?¡± Klein asked defensively. Carmen sniffed, ¡°Anyone who looks at us would think that you were my father or even my grandfather.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you won¡¯t act your age and stubbornly insist on keeping your face young, sister¡­!¡± Klein used. ¡°Just how long do you n on sticking to that young appearance?¡± ¡°It¡¯s far better to look young than to look old,¡± Carmen defended herself. ¡°But I¡¯m saying that, with your appearance, there¡¯s no sense of dignity, none at all! When you started hearing people call you elder, you should have tried to cultivate a sense of dignity that matched that title; instead, sister, even though you¡¯re over sixty, you still act like you¡¯re a young maiden in her twenties¡­.¡± Crack. Carmen¡¯s teeth bit right through the cigar, and Klein found himself unable to say anything more. Although it was embarrassing to admit this when he was already at such an age, Klein was afraid of his sister¡¯s fists. However, he still believed that it was important to cultivate a sense of dignity that was worthy of their positions as elders. Carmen was the only one of the ten elders who insisted on remaining on active duty. And just look at the current Carmen. She had ced another unlit cigar in her mouth, and a coatrge enough to fit her like a cloak was draped across her shoulders. On top of that, she had raised one of her boot-d feet up onto the railing, and even as the wind blew right into her face, Carmen still kept up the pose. Klein sighed,¡®She¡¯s even doing this where our nephew can see her¡­.¡¯ It might not matter when only the elders gathered together, but Klein at least wanted Carmen to look a little more deserving of respect when their nephew, Gilead, was around to see her. Even more so now that their great-nephews would be arriving soon¡­. ¡®¡­It¡¯s already toote,¡¯Klein admitted with a sigh as he stroked his beard. After all, hadn¡¯t Carmen already epted their great-niece Ciel as her squire two years ago? Whenever he recalled this, Klein couldn¡¯t help but cringe in second-hand embarrassment[1]in ce of his still-immature older sister. ¡°They¡¯vended,¡± Doynes dered. After seeing Cyan and Eugene fall into the forest, Doynes turned around. Standing behind him were the elders and the ten captains who led the divisions of the Knights of the ck Lion. ¡°Klein,¡± Carmen said as she dropped the booted foot that she had propped up on the railing with a thud. At this sight, Klein couldn¡¯t help but release another sigh. This childish elder sister of his was prided as one of the most veteran members of the Lionheart n, next to Doynes, but she still had yet to retire from active duty and continued to lead her division in the Knights of the ck Lion. Hearing Carmen clearly call out his name, Klein quickly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not going with you,¡± he insisted. Now that he¡¯d already be an elder, why should he have to work his body? Carmen¡¯s eyes narrowed at this response. Simr to how Klein thought his big sister was immature, Carmen also believed that her little brother was childish. Instead of showing an example for their descendants to follow, he was only thinking of how to spend his days infort on the grounds that he was getting older¡­. ¡®That¡¯s why he hasn¡¯t been able to make any advancements.¡¯ Carmen shook her head at her little brother¡¯s pitiful nature and then walked to the stairs leading down from the castle walls. Carmen wasn¡¯t the only one looking to leave. Apart from her, six other captains also began to move away in ones and twos. ¡°Dominic,¡± Doynes called out to his grandson, who was among the captains preparing to leave. Dominic Lionheart was the captain of the First Division, and instead of answering his grandfather¡¯s call, he just nodded his head slightly as he continued to depart. ¡°¡­It shouldn¡¯t be toote if we wait to test them after they¡¯ve arrived at the castle¡­,¡± Gilead hesitantly argued. Doynes shot him down, ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be much of a test, now would it, Patriarch? Could it be that you don¡¯t trust your children?¡± ¡°¡­Of course not,¡± Gilead denied the usation. Doynes stated, ¡°Things are different from the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. It would have no meaning if we were to adjust the criteria out of consideration for the age and experience of the children. Especially since¡­ the Patriarch¡¯s children are¡­. Haha. It might not be the mostfortable thing for you to hear this, Patriarch, but aren¡¯t they a lot more exceptional than you were at their age?¡± ¡°¡­If the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was going to be held like this, I feel like it would have been fine to include Eward as well,¡± Gilead gritted out as he fought back the urge to frown. However, there was nothing that Gilead could do about the feelings swelling deep within his chest. Guessing the source of Gilead¡¯s displeasure, Doynes shook his head as if he was sympathizing with Gilead. ¡°Do you still have some regrets for your eldest son?¡± Doynes asked. Gilead remained silent, ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Patriarch, I know it can¡¯t be helped since he is your son, but you should let go of your regrets towards Eward. Because that child doesn¡¯t want to have anything to do with your regrets. You should be aware of it as well, right? Eward is living a peaceful life at your inws, and he¡¯s finding his own happiness there.¡± ¡°¡­That might be the case, but Eward is my son, and he remains the eldest child of the direct line. It may be impossible for him to seed me as Patriarch, but we should at least have the right to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony for him.¡± ¡°That child has already be an adult,¡± Doynes said with a wry smile as he patted Gilead on the shoulder. Although Gilead didn¡¯t continue speaking, he couldn¡¯t quiteprehend what Doynes meant by these words. It had been two years since Tanis and Eward had returned to the home of Gilead¡¯s inws. During this time, Gilead had never once been able to meet with the two of them. This was because the Council headed by Doynes would not allow him to do so. No matter how serious his son¡¯s sins might have been, Gilead couldn¡¯t ept being denied a meeting with him. However, he hadn¡¯t even been able to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Eward, and he also hadn¡¯t been allowed to visit his inws for the Coming-of-Age Ceremony that they had held for his son in his stead. The fact that the eldest son of the main family had tried to learn ck magic was a grave sin that had sshed mud all over the name of the Lionheart n, which had been passed down for over three hundred years. Usually, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for Eward to have been cast out of the family because of this issue. ¡®¡­Though, in fact, he practically has been cast out,¡¯Gilead grumbled to himself. If they weren¡¯t going to the extent of casting him out, shouldn¡¯t they have at least given Eward a chance to atone for his sins by assigning him a punishment? Gilead had questioned the Council about this matter several times, but Doynes refused to change his position. As for his reasons for this¡­ Gilead could only make vague assumptions. Doynes and the Council members might suspect that Eward may have been tempted into trying to learn ck magic at the behest of someone else. And perhaps Eward, taking advantage of the main family ¡ª including Gilead ¡ª turning their attention away from him, might just try to learn ck magic once again¡­. So the Council was using Eward as bait to draw out their internal and external enemies. Although Gilead could understand the logic behind this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a deep sense of dissatisfaction, disappointment, and rage towards the Council. In any case, even though he was the Patriarch of the main family, since his son hadmitted such a crime, Gilead could not oppose the Council¡¯s will. ¡®¡­Eward,¡¯Gilead thought wistfully as he let out a long sigh and closed his eyes. He might believe in his son, but the Council would never trust Eward. * * * Rustle. Eugene nced down at the leaves and branches that were cracking beneath his feet, then looked back up at the sky, but the sky was hard to see because the foliage was so thick. ¡°¡­Hm,¡± Eugene hummed consideringly as he rubbed his chin and turned to look at his surroundings. A few traces that had been carved into the tree trunks caught his eye. ¡®There¡¯s a barrier.¡¯ Although he had already predicted that there would be one, now he knew for sure. This barrier seemed designed to distort the sense of direction of anyone caught within it, making them go around and around in the same ces. Eugene grinned as he picked up a few branches that had fallen onto the forest floor and cracked them between his hands. Then, as he dropped the wood fragments one by one, Eugene started to move forward. He wasn¡¯t just dropping the pieces of wood straight down, but instead throwing them in various directions. He thought about shattering the barrier entirely with the Moonlight Sword, but it was clear that doing so would only cause trouble for him afterward. The Moonlight Sword¡¯s name hadn¡¯t been left in any historical records. Even the books passed down through the direct line had nothing written about the Moonlight Sword. ¡®Though in the first ce, I wonder if it¡¯s even possible to break a barrier of this size with the current Moonlight Sword.¡¯ Having dropped them into the forest, were they just supposed to make their way back to the ck Lion Castle? That was what Eugene had initially thought, but this couldn¡¯t just be a simple orienteering exercise. This forest was quite dangerous. Although it hadn¡¯t been that long since he was dropped off in the forest, Eugene had already encountered two Twin-Headed Ogres, which ¡ª like their name suggested ¡ª were ogres with two heads. ¡®Usually, there¡¯s no way that the two of them would be found in the same area,¡¯Eugene observed. Ogres were one of the most powerful among all medium-sized monsters, and the two-headed variants were especially strong. When settling down, they usually took an entire forest as their territory. There was no way that it was a coincidence that Eugene had met two such ogres, who didn¡¯t form groups and instead lived solitary lives, in such a short period of time. They had to have been born and raised here. It wasn¡¯t just ogres either. The entire forest was probably a huge breeding ground for monsters. ¡®Isn¡¯t this too much for a kid¡¯s test?¡¯Eugene asked himself. Though that¡¯s only if they were talking about normal kids. As the children of the direct line, could they be trusting Cyan and Eugene to easily pass something like this? No. If that was what they were thinking, this was actually too easy. No matter how dangerous ogres might be, as long as you were able to wield sword-force skillfully, they weren¡¯t too difficult as opponents. ¡®It¡¯s not like they¡¯ve restricted our mana like during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.¡¯ The only thing that was currently bothering Eugene was the barrier that was making him wander through the forest, unable to find his way. But if they were just going to keep the hindrances to something like this, there was no way they would have dropped Eugene and Cyan from the sky at the start of the test. There was a change in the wind. ¡°Indeed, just as expected,¡± Eugene said with a grin as he bent his knees. Cracracrack! Tree branches falling from a high ce crashed down onto Eugene¡¯s head. In order not to get caught up in that, Eugene leaped backward and then looked up again. ¡°Huh,¡± Eugene grunted. This time, he really was surprised. The next thing to swoop down from the sky towards him was a giant wyvern. Even though a monster of that size was plunging down on him from straight above, he had beente in noticing it because of the barrier. The wyvern¡¯s attack was surprising enough, but the person riding in the saddle on the wyvern¡¯s back surprised Eugene even more. Eugene bluntly asked, ¡°Since when did you go around riding wyverns?¡± The rider was Ciel Lionheart. While pulling back on its reins, she gave him a puzzled look. ¡°How could you tell I wasing?¡± She asked him. Ciel couldn¡¯t help but be surprised. The barrier spread throughout the entire forest was the work of the Sixth Division, which was made up of battle wizards who could be found even among the ranks of the Knights of the ck Lion. This barrier was meant topletely obscure the attacker¡¯s presence. Yet, despite this, Eugene hadn¡¯t panicked at being caught in a barrier and had been able to respond to the unexpected attack. Ciel just couldn¡¯t believe that this was true. ¡°The wind was too noisy,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°What kind of crazy talk is that?¡± Ciel questioned as she reined back her wyvern. Whoosh! With arge p of its wings that overturned a whole patch of the forest floor, the wyvern struck at Eugene. Once again, Eugene retreated quickly and pushed his hands into his cloak. ¡°As expected, you¡¯re here to stop me,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°I thought it would be too easy if it were just these monsters.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west saw each other, and is that all you have to say?¡± Cielined. ¡°That goes for you as well. Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re too much by attacking me without even saying hello?¡± Eugene argued back. ¡°¡­Doesn¡¯t your head hurt?¡± Ciel asked instead of answering his question Chapter 77

Chapter 77: The ck Lion Castle (2)

Although Eugene hadn¡¯t known that he¡¯d be fighting Ciel all of a sudden, he had no intention of going easy on her. It wasn¡¯t because Ciel hadn¡¯t been amused by the joke he had thrown out. Definitely not. Ignoring the way his flushed ears were burning with embarrassment, Eugene stretched his hand out towards Ciel. The mana in the air fluctuated. Spotting the magic missiles that had instantly appeared to surround her, Ciel sent a signal to her wyvern with a click of her tongue. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± As the wyvern let out a high-pitched cry, it pped its wings. These winged lizards, which looked ever so simr to dragons, might not be able to cast spells on their own, but they could do something simr. With their strong resistance to magic, wyverns could disrupt spells with a p of their wings. The trajectories of the magic missiles shooting towards Ciel were instantly diverted in all directions. Without resisting the force of the wind, Ciel held her body like an arrow and converted the wind into her support. Having elerated herself even further by doing this, Ciel thrust forth her rapier. ¡°Well now,¡± Eugene hummed in amusement. It seemed this wouldn¡¯t be just a savage battle where they each nted their feet onto the ground and swung their swords at each other. As he felt a small sense of excitement from this realization, Eugene tightened his grip on Wynnyd. ng! A sword strike that rose from below deflected Ciel¡¯s rapier. At the same time, the whip that Eugene was holding in his left hand snapped forward. Ciel couldn¡¯t help but be flustered for a moment by the whip¡¯s strange movement. This was because it hadn¡¯t been swung forward, but instead, it had shot straight ahead like an arrow. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ciel grunted in exertion. The whip looked as if it was about to pierce her shoulder, but Ciel hastily twisted her body mid-air. Right at that moment, Eugene¡¯s wrist, which was still guiding the whip, bent to the side. This twist changed the whip¡¯s trajectory. The whip curved around and wrapped around Ciel¡¯s waist. Then, Eugene pulled on it, dragging Ciel down to the ground. Recovering from the fall, Ciel raised her head, an extremely twisted look on her face. Eugene was still floating in mid-air. With a smirk, Eugene pulled on the whip once more. The force on the whip wrapped around Ciel¡¯s hips wasn¡¯t that strong. If Eugene was determined to tighten the whip¡¯s grip on her, he could have crushed Ciel¡¯s back, but Eugene had no desire to cripple Ciel. ¡°Caught you,¡± he taunted. ¡°Not yet,¡± Ciel spat out. Kyaaaak! The giant wyvern charged over. Its wide-open maw showed intimidating fangs. Just as Eugene was about to slice the wyvern into pieces with a swing of Wynnyd, Ciel suddenly screamed loudly, ¡°You can¡¯t kill Draggy!¡±[1] ¡°Draggy¡­ who?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. Ciel shouted once more, ¡°I said you can¡¯t kill my wyvern!¡± What a shameless girl. She was the one who¡¯dunched a surprise attack on him in the first ce, and now she was making all sorts of demands. While grumbling to himself, Eugene sheathed Wynnyd. Although he wanted to ignore Ciel¡¯s cries and slice the wyvern in half, he knew that if he did so, Ciel might burst into tears and resent him for this for the rest of their lives. ¡°You should know that you got lucky today, you lizard bastard,¡± Eugene said threateningly. He might have sheathed Wynnyd, but the wind spirits he had summoned didn¡¯t disappear. Eugene twisted his body mid-air and swung his foot. Crack! Eugene¡¯s kick smashed up into the wyvern¡¯s jaw. The wyvern¡¯s wide-open jaws were smashed shut, and its flight faltered. Eugene immediately charged at the wyvern and mmed his fist into its snout. Bam! The wyvern¡¯s body mmed into the ground, shaking the whole field. Meanwhile, Ciel had cut herself free of the whip wrapped around her, and she attempted to attack Eugene once more. ¡°You evil brute!¡± Ciel used him. Eugene felt perplexed by this criticism. He was the one who had been surprise-attacked. He had also spared the wyvern¡¯s life after Ciel had told him not to kill it. Instead, Eugene had just shattered its jaws, making it unable to chew its meat for a while. By keeping it to this level, wasn¡¯t he showing more than enough consideration as her sibling? ¡°Are you really going to attack me again?¡± Eugene asked in exasperation. Even so, Eugene admired her persistence. Cyan was also the same way. Was this proof that Anci¡¯s parenting methods were pretty impressive? ¡®They¡¯re much better than Tanis¡¯ methods, of course.¡¯ Eugene threw away the shortened whip and boldly reached his hand out towards the thrusting rapier. Ciel couldn¡¯t help but be terrified at the sight of Eugene reaching out to stop her sword-force with his bare hands. ¡®Has he gone insane?¡¯Ciel asked herself. Just like how Eugene had no desire to cripple Ciel, she also didn¡¯t want to permanently injure Eugene. In the first ce, the battle taking ce in this forest was just intended to be a test for the heirs of the direct line. It wasn¡¯t meant to turn them into vegetables with no hope of recovery. Because of this, Ciel hastily changed her rapier¡¯s trajectory. Eugene smirked at this sight and rose to meet the de. ¡°Like I thought, you¡¯re just a softie at heart,¡± Eugenemented. Though she had desperately attempted to alter the trajectory of her rapier, right now, Ciel had no choice but to regret that decision. How could she have expected this unbelievable bastard to risk his own flesh for a thrill? However, it was toote for regrets. Eugene¡¯s hand grabbed Ciel¡¯s wrist and twisted it. ¡°Ugh!¡± Ciel let out a short scream as she was forced to let go of the rapier. Still keeping a firm grasp of her wrist, Eugene twisted Ciel¡¯s arm behind her back and pinned her down with one knee. ¡°Can¡¯t you be a little gentler?¡± Cielined as she was pressed down to the ground,pletely prone. Eugene smirked and shook his head. He said, ¡°I can, as long as you promise not to attack me anymore.¡± ¡°...The result of the fight has already been decided. And in the first ce, the exam is meant to pit you against a group. I know that I¡¯m not able to test your limits by myself,¡± having spat out these words, Ciel chewed her lips for a few moments. Then she asked, ¡°...Did you expect me to twist my rapier to the side?¡± ¡°I gave it fifty-fifty odds,¡± Eugene judged. Ciel cautioned, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t twisted it, your hand could have been sent flying.¡± ¡°I was able to reach out with my hand because I was confident that it wouldn¡¯t get cut off,¡± Eugene stated confidently. ¡°You son of a bitch.¡± She knew that he would say something annoying like that. But had the gap between them really grown even further? Eugene snickered as he let go of Ciel¡¯s arm. ¡°Ever since I arrived here, it¡¯s been one surprise after another. Now that I¡¯ve caught you like this, how about giving me an exnation?¡± Eugene requested. Ciel reluctantlyplied, ¡°...You just need to make your way to the ck Lion Castle.¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°I¡¯m aware of that much. What I want to know is, how troublesome are they nning to make the journey there?¡± ¡°...There¡¯ll be sixty Knights of the ck Lion,¡± Ciel finally admitted before turning to him with a pout. ¡°That includes captains as well. All of them will be scattered around the mountain, and they¡¯ll attack both you and my brother on sight.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that going too far for a Coming-of-Age Ceremony?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s because the Elders of the Council have high expectations of you. It looks like they also might be a bit suspicious of you. My poor brother is just getting caught up in your mess.¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural for them to hold me in high regard, but why are they suspicious?¡± ¡°Are you seriously asking such an obvious question? Isn¡¯t it because you went around to Nahama after you left Aroth?¡± ¡°It¡¯s my freedom to go wherever I want.¡± ¡°But it looks like the Council Elders might not see it that way. Recently, Nahama¡¯s position has been a bit suspicious. Then, in the midst of this current tension, you went to Nahama on your own ord.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, they could have just told me to not go to Nahama in the first ce,¡± Eugene grumbled as he patted Ciel¡¯s back in gratitude. ¡°So? You¡¯re warning me that they¡¯re concerned I might have gotten into some kind of problem that may bring trouble to the n while I was away from the main family?¡± ¡°...It¡¯s also for the sake of testing you,¡± Ciel reminded him before turning to look at Eugene. ¡°How long are you going to keep humiliating me?¡± ¡°Hey now, watch your words. Since when have I humiliated you?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°You¡¯re doing it right now,¡± Cile pointed out. ¡°This isn¡¯t humiliating you. I¡¯m just subduing you,¡± Eugene grumbled as he got off her back. Ciel immediately pushed herself up, so she was now sitting up straight, and then brushed off the dirt staining her uniform. ¡°You almost broke a bone,¡± Cielined. Eugene dismissed her anger, ¡°If nothing is broken, that means you¡¯ll be just fine.¡± The wyvern that had been mmed into the ground raised its head with a whimper. At this, Ciel quickly got up and went over to the wyvern, stroking its scales as if she was brushing a pet¡¯s fur. ¡°Sixty knights, you say¡­,¡± Eugene muttered as he stood there, lost in thought for a few moments. ¡°That¡¯s way too many for attacking just the two of us.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s because the mountain is sorge,¡± Ciel chimed in. ¡°Also, they¡¯re not just here to attack you. They¡¯re also here to keep you and my brother from entering any hazardous locations.¡± ¡°Hazardous locations?¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes lit up as he looked at Ciel. ¡°Where?¡± Taken aback, Ciel reminded him, ¡°...I did say that those ces are dangerous. You should have encountered monsters on your way here, right? There are a lot of monsters on this mountain.¡± ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that they¡¯re here to prevent us from entering the territory of dangerous monsters? Is that all there is to it?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. Vermouth¡¯s grave might be located somewhere on this mountain. Eugene hoped that she might mention something about this as he turned to look at Ciel. ¡°Although you can only find ogres in this area, if you head in a bit deeper, you might just meet some dangerous things that hunt ogres for fun,¡± Ciel warned. ¡°Things?¡± ¡°Demonic beasts,¡± Ciel¡¯s expression twisted as she said this. Eugene¡¯s eyes chilled as he demanded, ¡°Demonic beasts? What are demonic beasts doing here?¡± ¡°...They¡¯re being bred here to serve asbat experience for the Knights of the ck Lion,¡± Ciel hesitantly admitted. ¡°Humans are breeding demonic beasts?¡± Eugene asked before bursting into disbelievingughter. A while ago, back on Bolero Street, Eugene had heard the stories about humans secretly purchasing demonfolk as ves. At that time, he had also been incredulous, but this idea of breeding demonic beasts was even more ridiculous than that. Demonic beasts were neither livestock nor monsters. It was impossible to breed them. Although they called it ¡®breeding¡¯, they had probably just released the demonic beasts deep in the mountains. Compared to how dangerous demonic beasts were, summoning them wasn¡¯t that difficult. A wizard skilled in summoning magic could summon demonic beasts without any special offerings. That was why, three hundred years ago, the world had be infested with demonic beasts. By meddling with the summoning magic circles that were being cast all over the ce, those fucking Demon Kings had tricked the wizards using them into summoning demonic beasts instead of what they had been nning to summon. The demonic beasts that had been spread across the world as a result of this had reproduced among themselves, birthing offspring, forming groups, and then attacking people. ¡°It¡¯s not that dangerous,¡± Ciel quickly added as she saw Eugene¡¯s face harden. ¡°Every week, we inspect the demonic beasts¡¯ territories and cull them. Through this process, the knights can umte practical experience and¡ª¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯s okay just because they¡¯re demonic beasts?¡± Eugene asked as he narrowed his eyes and red at Ciel. ¡°Our ancestor¡¯s tomb should be somewhere on this mountain. So I really can¡¯t understand this. How could you let demonic beasts, of all things, roam freely on our ancestor¡¯s gravesite?¡± ¡°Why are you getting angry at me?¡± Ciel protested. ¡°As a member of the main family, this isn¡¯t something I can help but get angry about,¡± Eugene argued back. ¡°Since when were you so passionate about the n?¡± Ciel pouted as she climbed onto the wyvern¡¯s back. ¡°As far as I know, our ancestor¡¯s tomb is nowhere near the demonic beast¡¯s territory. It¡¯s not like the Council of Elders is crazy, so how could they release demonic beasts near our ancestor¡¯s tomb?¡± Eugene asked, ¡°Then where is it?¡± ¡°How am I supposed to know? What¡¯s clear is that it isn¡¯t anywhere near the demonic beasts'' habitat. I¡¯ve gone out culling demonic beasts several times, but I¡¯ve never picked up anything about our ancestor¡¯s tomb,¡± Ciel offered up this information. Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed as he got lost in thought,¡®If that¡¯s the case¡­ somewhere where the demonic beasts aren¡¯t around. Where could it be? This mountain is way toorge¡­.¡¯ She had told him that the Elders on the Council were suspicious of him. That was an annoyance. He¡¯d been nning on scouring the mountain while pretending to be heading towards the ck Lion Castle. ¡®I already have too much attention on me, so it¡¯s obvious that I¡¯ll be in for it if I do anything needlessly suspicious.¡¯ Now that things had turned out like this, Eugene had no choice but to use the other method he had thought of. Although he didn¡¯t feel too satisfied with this situation, for now, Eugene had decided to just quietly head towards ck Lion Castle. He would have to exin why he stopped by Nahama in any case. He might have given Lovellian the excuse that he was going there to try the cactus scorpions, but that excuse wouldn¡¯t work on the old fogies of the Council. Eugene finished his calctions and looked up at Ciel, ¡°...Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Ciel had gotten onto her wyvern and was stroking its neck as it kept whimpering and moaning in pain. ¡°Why would you ask something so obvious? I¡¯ll be heading back,¡± Ciel answered impatiently. ¡°Who decided that?¡± ¡°I did. You got a problem with that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of taking you as my hostage and riding your wyvern back to the castle,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous,¡± Ciel grumbled as she tugged on the reins. ¡°Before I go, let me give you some advice. It would be best for you to get out of here as soon as possible.¡± ¡°Why exactly is that?¡± Eugene inquired. Ciel exined, ¡°Since I targeted you from the start, I¡¯m just the one who got to you the fastest. The other knights will also be on their way soon.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. But the captains should arrive a littleter than them. They were all over by the castle wall the¡ª¡± Before she had finished speaking, Eugene rushed over and attacked Ciel. Startled by the sudden assault, Ciel released the reins and leaped backward. Fwooosh! The wind blowing from Eugene pushed Ciel¡¯s body back even further. At the same time, Eugene grabbed onto the wyvern¡¯s reins. ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± The wyvern let out a loud scream and attempted to buck off Eugene. In response to this, Eugene let go of the reins and ced his hand on the nape of its neck. ¡°You wanna die?¡± he asked. As a wyvern, it wasn¡¯t able to understand humannguage. But why should that matter? It had been bred and raised by human hands to fly with people on its back, and it had even been outfitted with a saddle and reins. The wyvern might not be able to understand Eugene¡¯s words, but it could feel the power and killing intenting from the hand on its neck. What¡¯s more, it had already been beaten up by him once. The wyvern no longer screeched in protest and immediately spread its wings. Sometimes, physicalmunication was an even faster method than verbalmunication. Eugene smirked and grabbed the wyvern¡¯s reins. ¡°This will be my first time riding a wyvern,¡± Eugene muttered. Even so, thanks to him beating it up in advance, the wyvern was extremely obedient. It pped its wings and rose into the air. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Ciel screamed, havingnded on the ground. ¡°Draggy! Come back here!¡± ¡°If you go back, I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Eugene growled in a low voice as he shook its reins. Kyaaaak! The wyvern ignored Ciel¡¯s cry and ascended into the air. After it had risen quite a bit higher into the sky, Eugene was able to look down and survey the whole forest. After scanning the forest for a few moments, Eugene lifted his head and looked ahead. In the distance, he spotted the ck Lion Castle. ¡°Whoa now,¡± Eugene eximed to himself. He didn¡¯t just see the castle. He also spotted the dozens of wyverns flying his way. Narrowing his eyes, Eugene checked the identities of the wyvern riders. He couldn¡¯t see Carmen. Although he didn¡¯t know the other captains¡¯ appearances, he didn¡¯t see anyone who seemed strong enough to be a captain. In that case, there was no reason for him to hesitate. ¡°Hyah!¡± Eugene shouted as he shook the reins. The wyvern pped its wings and flew straight ahead. As Eugene felt the wind in his face, he changed the shape of his cloak. The wildly pping cloak turned thin and clung to Eugene¡¯s body. ¡°What a brazen child¡­!¡± The knight riding the lead wyvern couldn¡¯t stop himself from clicking his tongue in surprise. Had Eugene really dared to steal a wyvern and soar up into the sky? Although that might be the best option if you wanted to get to the castle quickly, wouldn¡¯t that only be the case if there wasn¡¯t anyone looking to obstruct him? By soaring into the sky like this, Eugene was bound to attract everyone¡¯s attention. And as a matter of fact, all of the knights who had been hovering over the forest were now flocking to Eugene. ¡°Be careful,¡± one of the knights reminded the others. ¡°We know,¡± the other knights replied with a nod. Since the purpose of this trial was ultimately just a test, they couldn¡¯t take their attacks too far. That said, they couldn¡¯t be too merciful either. As they kept these requirements in mind, the knights pulled out their weapons. Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any hostility or killing intent from them. He grinned and stood up on the wyvern''s back. From what he could see, the Knights of the ck Lion were quite impressively skilled. Even in his previous life, he had never seen a knightly order made up of such outstanding talents. However, no matter how exceptionally skilled they might be, it didn¡¯t seem like they were meeting him with their full resolve. If they didn¡¯t hold any hostility or killing intent, then they wouldn¡¯t be much of a test for Eugene. ¡®Shall I take a look?¡¯ Instead, Eugene felt like he should be the one testing the Knights of the ck Lion. Eugene jumped off of the wyvern¡¯s back without any hesitation. The wind following behind him blew Eugene¡¯s body forward. The knights couldn¡¯t help but be surprised at this sudden action. Although they had already known that Eugene could fly through the air, the knights were astonished, because they didn¡¯t expect that he would really charge at them instead of changing direction. The cry rang out, ¡°Block him!¡± The knights scattered to form a wall. Those among the knights who were carrying bows nocked their arrows. Then, they loosed their arrows all at once. The arrows they shot didn¡¯t lose their power even when going against the wind. Instead of intercepting the airs that were shing towards him, Eugene twisted his body in mid-air. In an instant, his cloak unfurled and swallowed all the arrows. Then it immediately released the arrows in the same direction they hade from. ¡®Even the arrowheads are blunt,¡¯Eugene noted.¡®This is quite the gentle ambush.¡¯ That being said, if Eugene was hit by an arrow going that fast, it might not pierce his skin, but it would still break his bones. With a mischievous smile, he infused his wind into the returning arrows. With this, the arrows elerated as if they were being pulled forwards by the wind, though their trajectories went all over the ce. However, not a single one of the knights was struck by the arrows. They skillfully swung their weapons to clear away the arrows, then checked back on Eugene¡¯s movements. He wasn¡¯t there. ¡®It¡¯s Blink!¡¯they instantly realized. Then one of them felt somethinging from the side. Without any hesitation, the knight stabbed his sword sideways. Eugene, who had just appeared in that spot, twisted his body and waved his hand. ng! A short dagger collided with the knight¡¯s sword. Chiiiing! Eugene¡¯s body rotated like a top. He climbed up on top of the knight¡¯s sword and then instantly plunged down to a distance within arm¡¯s reach. ¡°Bang,¡± Eugene uttered. A ball of wind exploded in the space between Eugene and the knight. The knight had hurriedly raised his Mana Shield, but the wind still sent the knight¡¯s body flying backward. Eugene used the wyvern¡¯s back as a stepping stone and leaped into the air once more. ¡°Haha!¡± a nearby knight burst intoughter as he thrust with his spear. Eugene recognized the knight¡¯s face. It was Naishon Lionheart, themander of the Third Division that he had met back in Aroth. Naishon asked, ¡°So, where have you dropped off Lady Ciel?!¡± ¡°Back down there,¡± Eugene replied to his shout as he drew a spear from his cloak. ck ck ck! Their two spears intertwined, collided, and were pulled back, all within that short engagement. Naishon was no longerughing as he thought with amazement,¡®I was actually pushed back?¡¯ Even with Eugene in such an unstable position, Naishon hadn¡¯t been able to pin him with his spear thrust. Instead, it was Naishon who had been pushed back. Even though he hadn¡¯t made serious use of his mana, Naison still couldn¡¯t believe this fact. ¡°Hmph¡­!¡± Naishon grunted as he hardened his expression and swung his spear again. Instead of meeting him inbat, Eugene was carried away by the wind and soared higher into the air. There was no real need for Eugene to face his opponents with just his weapons. Eugene confirmed the positions of the surrounding wyverns and then infused the wind with his mana. With this, he transformed the wind into a storm of magical des. The des rushed out in all directions to attack the wyverns. The wyverns might have a strong resistance to magic, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to disrupt the density of Eugene¡¯s spells with just that. It was obvious that their bodies would be turned into pincushions if they just stayed where they were, so the wyverns had no choice but to retreat. The impatient knights let go of their wyverns¡¯ reins and stood up in their saddles. They were preparing to jump into the air and catch Eugene themselves. They might not have expected the situation to turn out like this, but the knights were also well-trained for aerial battles. But before the knights could leap off¡ª Boooom! Something shot up from the ground like a cannonball. Eugene immediately twisted his body and spread his cloak wide open. However, the Cloak of Darkness wasn¡¯t able to swallow the attack like it had donest time. As the back of the cloak bulged hugely, Eugene spun his whole body around. The unswallowed cannonball was instead released into the sky. Eugene nced at the tail of the receding cannonball. ¡®It¡¯s a rock?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t some kind of spell. It was just a rock that had been picked up and thrown with all of someone¡¯s strength. Eugene snorted in amusement and looked down. But soon, he couldn¡¯t help but raise his gaze once more. ¡°Hey,¡± came a greeting. It was Carmen Lionheart. Having rocketed up right in front of him before he had even realized she wasing, she raised her heel high and then mmed it down onto Eugene. Chapter 78 Chapter 78 Chapter 78: The ck Lion Castle (3) Eugene wasn¡¯t able to give a reply to her casual greeting. Although he had blocked it with his sword, Carmen¡¯s foot was incredibly heavy, sending Eugene¡¯s body plummeting downward. ¡®As expected,¡¯Eugene hummed in thought. He wasn¡¯t panicked by this. This was Carmen Lionheart after all, the Captain of the Third Division of the Knights of the ck Lion. She was Gilead¡¯s aunt, and one of the oldest knights that Eugene had ever met. Since Carmen had been born to the direct line, she had to have learned the White me Form, so if Carmen hadn¡¯t been as strong as she had just shown herself to be, Eugene would have instead felt disappointed. Bang! The wind whirling around Eugene spooled out in a wide circle, arresting his fall. As Eugene gentlynded on the ground, he nced down at his stiff arms. ¡®My strength falls below hers by quite a bit,¡¯he noted. A stone that Carmen had just picked up casually and thrown at him had almost pierced right through his Cloak of Darkness. Even the Death Knight that he had met in Nahama hadn¡¯t been as strong as Carmen. This fact slightly touched on Eugene¡¯s self-esteem. Of course, the Death Knight he had met there was just a poor example of a Death Knight. Next to the Death Knights that Eugene had seen in his previous life, especially those controlled by Belial, otherwise known as the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Staff, Amelia Merwin¡¯s Death Knight was so crudely constructed that it couldn¡¯t even stand inparison. Eugene darkly thought to himself,¡®To think that she fucked up the Death Knight made from my corpse to that extent¡­.¡¯ Making a Death Knight from his corpse was already more than enough to make him tremble in rage, but the fact that his Death Knight had been so weak only further annoyed Eugene and made him even angrier. Eugene tried not to think about it as much as he could help it, but recalling those unpleasant memories in such a situation made him grind his teeth in anger. ¡°¡­Was my greeting too harsh?¡± Carmen asked as she slowly fell towards him, having spotted how twisted Eugene¡¯s expression had be. While straightening the coat pping around her shoulders, Carmen eyed Eugene. ¡°It seems to have made you very angry,¡± shemented. ¡°I wasn¡¯t angered because of you, Lady Carmen,¡± Eugene replied, as he calmed himself by releasing his rage in an exhale. Above, the knights on their wyverns were still flying over. It wasn¡¯t just in the sky either. The knights who had been spread throughout the forest were also gathering at this location. ¡°Aren¡¯t you focussing a bit too much effort on encircling me?¡± Eugene asked as he saw this happen. ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re a lot more capable than we had expected. After all, Cyan still hasn¡¯t been able to shake off the illusion of his fears,¡± Carmen replied with an aloof expression on her face. She waved at the approaching knights to keep their distance, then she pulled out a pocket watch from inside her vest. ¡°Don¡¯t think too badly of us,¡± she requested. ¡°This just shows that we¡¯re paying you the attention that you deserve, and since I¡¯ve even taken action personally, your test will be over quickly.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Three minutes.¡± Click. Carmen flipped open her pocket watch. ¡°If you can withstand my assault for three minutes, I¡¯ll take you straight to the ck Lion Castle,¡± Carmene offered her challenge. ¡°¡­Three minuuutes¡­?¡± Eugene drew out inquiringly. ¡°Because if you¡¯re capable of that, then there¡¯s no point in continuing this test any longer. What? Not confident enough? If you think that¡¯s too long, then I can reduce it to one minute.¡± ¡°¡­Haha¡­.¡± Her confidence was only natural. He could understand why that would be the case. That said, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but let out a snort of derision. To think that he would really be reduced to hearing such words¡­. ¡®Well, fine¡­. Things like this happen. To that granny over there, I¡¯m just her many-years-younger grand-nephew.¡¯ Although he might have understood this, Eugene still unconsciously showed his annoyance by referring to Carmen as that ¡®granny¡¯. ¡°That¡¯s fine with me, since I¡¯m young and full of spirit, but at great-aunt¡¯s age, won¡¯t it be too rough for you to move your body so vigorously for three whole minutes?¡± His unconscious impudence didn¡¯t just stop with his thoughts. As Eugene tantly asked such a rude question, Carmen¡¯s hand that was holding the pocket watch started to tremble in anger. Even the faces of the knights surrounding them paled as they stared at Eugene in horror. The air itself seemed to be pervaded by a frosty chill. Carmen impatiently threw her still-open pocket watch at her lieutenant, Naishon. ¡°One minute,¡± Carmen spat out as she widened her stance. ¡°That should be more than enough time for this.¡± As if to lend credence to her words, the pure white mes of the White me Form engulfed Carmen. The mana mes clung tightly to Carmen¡¯s body, showing no signs of wastage, as sparks scattered from her like a lion¡¯s mane. ¡®Whoa¡­,¡¯Eugene thought as he honestly admired Carmen¡¯s skillful application of her mana. It was difficult to grasp the full capacity of Carmen¡¯s mana, because she was deliberately expelling the bare minimum, but Eugene could tell from how she condensed her mana that she possessed great strength. Carmen didn¡¯t concede the chance to make the first attack. She disappeared from in front of Eugene¡¯s sight. Though that¡¯s what his eyes were telling him, Eugene didn¡¯t miss Carmen¡¯s movements. ng! Eugene¡¯s body staggered sideways as one of Carmen¡¯s boots knocked Wynnyd¡¯s de aside. Instead of righting his unbnced body, Eugene twisted himself around fully. His sword slipped past Carmen¡¯s boot and thrust at her waist. A hand d in a leather glove met the sword¡¯s trajectory. With one hand, Carmen diverted the sword strike, and with the other hand, she struck at Eugene. ¡°Huh,¡± Carmen grunted. Her rage at those words that should not have been said faded away into surprise. Eugene had parried Carmen¡¯s fist with another sword that he had pulled out without her noticing and was able to stand his ground after having been pushed a few steps back. ¡®I was intending to break one of his ribs with that,¡¯Carmen thought in surprise. She had swung her fist with that intention, but she hadn¡¯t been able to properlynd a blow onto Eugene¡¯s body. Carmen dropped her serious expression and smiled brightly. Then, her offensive grew even more intense. As Eugene had realized upon seeing her, Carmen didn¡¯t use any weapons. Even among the rest of the Lionhearts, she was quite the unusual character. Ever since a young age, without holding any weapons, she had gotten into fights with just her bare body. After decades of fighting like this, her flying fists had be faster than spears, and a swing of her leg was sharper than any sword. Facing Carmen¡¯s skills, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel sincere admiration. With such a level of skill, she would have been able to make a name for herself even during those terrible times three hundred years ago. That¡¯s why Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel disappointed. Eugene thought,¡®I¡¯d like to fight with her seriously, but¡­.¡¯ He wanted to fight with her without having to limit their strength so that they didn¡¯t kill each other ¡ª to fight her without thinking of the consequences. Although that was what Eugnee truly desired, there was no way that they could really do that. After all, there was no reason for either of them to do so. ¡®Butcurrently, it feels like I would be the one to lose,¡¯Eugene admitted to himself. Even if he tried to use Ignition, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to win. The current Eugene wasn¡¯t yet able to fully demonstrate this skill from his past life. Of course, he couldn¡¯t be sure of that until he tried it, but Eugene didn¡¯t feel the need to test that just yet. Eugene observed as he fought,¡®If Ipare them in terms of how much pressure they give off, she¡¯s on par with Amelia Merwin¡­ No, I shouldn¡¯t jump to conclusions. After all, Amelia Merwin was truly determined to kill me.¡¯ Through this battle with Carmen, he was able to roughly estimate the skill levels of the rest of the Knights of the ck Lion. If the six Captains were all around the same level of strength as Carmen, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to im that the Knights of the ck Lion were the strongest of all the knightly orders that Eugene had ever met. At the very least, ording to Eugene¡¯s memories from three hundred years ago, there was no knightly order that sported a simr concentration of such skilled individuals. ¡®Had we had such a knightly order with us three hundred years ago, we wouldn¡¯t have been as exhausted as we were,¡¯Eugene spected regretfully. It had to be taken into ount that a lot of time had passed since then. In such a long time, everything was sure to have developed to some level. Wasn¡¯t magic alone evidence enough for this? Although the wizards from three hundred years ago had certainly been exceptional, the wizards of the current era were learning magic far more advanced than what had been taught in the past. It might be possible forbat techniques to undergo remarkable advances during a war, but that didn¡¯t mean that these techniques would have just stagnated or even degraded during the three hundred years of peace. ¡®Even so, I¡¯m actually quite happy with this state of affairs.¡¯ Enduring the onught of attacks, Eugene concentrated his focus even as he felt pain erupt all over his body. ¡®After all, I¡¯m not some kind of old-fashioned has-been.¡¯ In fact, Eugene¡¯s ¡®ancient technique¡¯ was still able to hold up even with Carmen as his opponent. Although Eugene himself might not feel like his skills were adequately polished, he still had the free time to look for an opening as he parried each of Carmen¡¯s attacks. However, Carmen didn¡¯t show him any weakness that he could take advantage of. If only he had enough strength, then Eugene could have forced an opening somehow, and he might have been able to induce an opening by daring to mix in a few faints, but Eugene didn¡¯t feel the need to do that. ¡°About those three minutes¡ª,¡± Eugene gasped. Bambambam! As he parried Carmen¡¯s fists one final time, Eugene quickly retreated backwards. Wynnyd was fine, but the ck de in his left hand was so chipped and cracked that it was now unusable. ¡°Haven¡¯t they passed already?¡± Eugene finished asking as he ced the broken sword back inside his cloak. Carmen furrowed her brows as she looked at Eugene, but she didn¡¯t continue her attacks. ¡®I couldn¡¯t get in a solid hit,¡¯Carmen thought with regret as she nced down at her own hands. The leather on her gloves had been roughened, and several tiny tears could be seen. Certainly, she had done her best to hold back her strength, but¡­ The fact of the matter was that Carmen still hadn¡¯t been able to overwhelm a boy who was so much younger than she was. ¡°¡­Isn¡¯t there still a minute left?¡± Carmen argued. ¡°Left? As if. I¡¯m telling you that the time is up,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°There¡¯s no way.¡± ¡°I was counting the seconds inside my head.¡± ¡°You were counting the seconds even as you fought with me?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s just thanks to the fact that Lady Carmen kept things in hand.¡± Not only did Eugene not want to provoke Carmen any further, it was also the truth that time was up. But Eugene had also stopped because he had noticed an opponent that he couldn¡¯t help but be interested in, even more than Carmen. His perfectly healthy body had suddenly started throbbing in agony as it felt like it was being crushed into pieces. As Eugene felt this false sense of pain, he turned to look around. It wasn¡¯t obvious what was emitting this ominous sensation, but Eugene¡¯s acute senses were still able to confirm the source of this ¡®force¡¯. ¡®¡­The Annihtion Hammer Jigoth.¡¯ Among the knights who were spectating his battle with Carmen, Eugene spotted a particrly tall fellow. Although this was the first time seeing him in person, Eugene immediately knew who this was. The current master of the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth, Captain of the First Division, Dominic Lionheart. He locked eyes with Eugene for a few moments before blinking and showing a faint smile. ¡°Impressive,¡± Dominic spoke up. He pushed his way to the front of the knights and approached both Eugene and Carmen. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to believe that a neen-year-old is able to show such movements. Eugene Lionheart, word of how exceptional you are has been constantly ringing in my ears for a while now, but¡­ to be honest I thought that, as rumors, they were bound to be exaggerated. Now that I¡¯ve seen you myself, instead it seems like the rumors have failed to properly encapste you,¡± Dominic said tteringly. ¡°¡­That¡¯s an exaggeration,¡± Eugene respectfully denied the ttery with a deep bow of his head. The hammer that Dominic wore at his waist had a ck handle that was covered in uneven bumps, making it look like blood vessels had sprouted all over it. This appearance made it obvious that it was far from an ordinary hammer. ¡°Sir Carmen, do we need to continue the test?¡± Dominic asked. ¡°¡­No,¡± Carmen replied with a shake of her head as she smoothed out her furrowed brows. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that there is any need for further testing. But perhaps you feel otherwise?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t believe that there is a need to expand this test to include my involvement. Though I¡¯m not sure how any of the others might feel,¡± as he said this, Dominic turned to look around them. ¡°If there are no objections, then let¡¯s head to the castle immediately,¡± Carmen said, and she was the first to walk away from the scene. The knights of the Third Division, which was led by Carmen, immediately followed after her. Eugene looked around at the remaining knights before tilting his head to the side and asking, ¡°¡­Is Sir Gion not here today?¡± ¡°He¡¯s currently acting as the lieutenant of the Fifth Division, who are stationed elsewhere,¡± Dominic replied. ¡°Just based on his skills, Gion is already good enough to be promoted to a captain¡¯s position. Since the Captain of the Fifth Division will be retiring soon, he was transferred over to the Fifth Division in order to ensure a smooth handover of power.¡± Dominic patted Eugene on the shoulder as he passed by. Then, he continued, ¡°Since young master Cyan¡¯s test hasn¡¯t ended yet, you won¡¯t be able to meet with him immediately, but you should be able to see him again in three days¡¯ time at the verytest, once he reaches the ck Lion Castle.¡± Eugene unconsciouslyughed at the words, ¡®three days.¡¯ In other words, it was assumed that this surprise test would take up three days at the very most. Eugene was resistant to mental attacks, so he hadn¡¯t been forced to wander the forest, but Cyan would be lost in the forest for the next few days, battling both ghosts and monsters. ¡®After that, he still needs to break through the encirclement of the ck Lion Knights,¡¯Eugene realized in amusement. After sending his condolences to Cyan, who was still letting out screams somewhere in the forest, Eugene began following the knights. Just as he was about to leave the spot, he heard a loud shout. ¡°You evil bastard!¡± It was Ciel. She was panting for breath on the back of her wyvern, whose chin he had shattered, her arms swinging in circles as she threw a tantrum[1]. ¡°How could you just leave me like that?!¡± Ciel demanded. ¡°Well, it looks like he found his way back to you, so no harm done. It seems that wyvern of yours is quite clever. It even knows to go looking for his master when left on its own,¡± Eugene praised. This was a lucky turn of events for him. In order to get to the ck Lion Castle that was near the peak of the mountain, Eugene would have had to ride a wyvern, but it was much better to ride a wyvern together with Ciel than with some unfamiliar knight. ¡°¡­You want to ride together?¡± Ciel confirmed hesitantly. Eugene asked,¡°What, do you not want to?¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want to,¡± Ciel shyly admitted. ¡°But wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to ride in the front?¡± ¡°It¡¯s your wyvern, so why should I ride in the front? Stop with theints and just shift over so that I can ride behind you,¡± Eugene ordered her. ¡°It¡¯s fine as it is. What are you waiting for? Just get behind me already,¡± as if she hadn¡¯t even been angry in the first ce, Ceil grinned and patted the saddle right behind her. ¡°You should hang on tightly. Otherwise, you might fall from the sky.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t die even if I do fall,¡± Eugene defended himself half-heartedly. Ciel remained cheerful, ¡°It¡¯s just because I care about you. Get a bit closer¡­ and where do you think you¡¯re putting your hands? Don¡¯t grab onto Draggy¡¯s scales, you¡¯ll hurt him, you know.¡± ¡°If it feels pain from someone lightly touching its scales, can you really call it a wyvern? That would make it just a knock-off lizard bastard.¡± ¡°Draggy might be a wyvern, but he¡¯s still sensitive.¡± The other knights had already gotten onto their wyverns and were flying off, but Eugene and Ciel were still stuck quarreling on the ground. Eventually, Eugene found that he couldn¡¯t win against Ciel¡¯s stubbornness, and he ced both hands around her waist. ¡°Why are you holding onto me so awkwardly? Just hug me tightly already,¡± Ciel demanded. ¡°Hah,¡± Eugene sighed. What a nuisance. As he silently grumbled to himself, he wrapped his arms tightly around Ciel¡¯s waist. ¡°Kagh!¡± Ciel grunted. This was different from what she had imagined. It felt like her intestines were about to pop out of her throat. Ciel gasped and twisted her body, ¡°A-a little gentler¡­.¡± ¡°What am I supposed to do if I fall off after holding onto you gently?¡± Eugene asked with false concern. ¡°Just¡­ just grab onto my waist. That should be fine¡­,¡± Ciel finally conceded. How demanding of her. Eugene grinned and rxed his arms, gently cing his hands on Ciel¡¯s waist. Ciel panted as she caught her breath and turned to re at Eugene. However, there was nothing that she could use him of, so she eventually just kept her mouth shut and climbed into the sky. Like this, they continued to fly through the sky for a while, the ck Lion Castle at the peak of the mountain didn¡¯t seem to draw any closer than at the beginning of their flight. Compared to the other knights, the flight speed of Ciel¡¯s wyvern seemed particrly slow. And on top of that, instead of heading directly for the castle, the direction that they were flying in seemed to be drifting slowly. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Since you¡¯re here, wouldn¡¯t it be nice for us to go on a bit of a walk,¡± Ciel suggested. Eugene insisted, ¡°Rather than a walk, I feel like it would be a lot more refreshing to just go to the castle, get something to eat, and then take a bath.¡± ¡°I¡¯m just letting you know that, if you go there, you¡¯re in for a lecture,¡± Ciel informed him with a pout as she turned to look at Eugene. ¡°Why would there be a lecture when I haven¡¯t done anything wrong? I have a clear conscience. You should stop pointlessly worrying about it and just quickly head there already,¡± Eugene persuaded her. ¡°¡­Carefree idiot,¡± Ciel said with a sniff. Even though she was just showing her concern for him. Ciel grumbled to herself as she turned her head back around. As he watched her cheeks swell with indignation, Eugene pinched her side. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said sincerely. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t pinch me,¡± Ciel eventually responded. ¡°What, it¡¯s not like you have anything theretopinch.¡± ¡°You still pinched my skin, didn¡¯t you?¡± Although she was still grumbling, Ciel¡¯s cheeks weren¡¯t puffed up any longer. * * * The ck Lion Castle. Eugene hadn¡¯t been expecting a wee party, and there really wasn¡¯t one waiting for him. As soon as they arrived at the castle, Carmen took Eugene away, heading together with him to the tallest tower in the castle. ¡°The ck Lion Knights arecking in manpower,¡± Carmen revealed on their way to the tower. She continued speaking, ¡°The great Lionheart n has a history that spans back three hundred years. Yet, there are still too few knights to protect the n. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± Although the question was sudden, Eugene didn¡¯t get flustered by it. While recalling the knights that he had met in the forest, he shrugged his shoulders. ¡°Isn¡¯t that something that can¡¯t be helped?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°Because unlike the main estate¡¯s Knights of the White Lion, the Knights of the ck Lion are strictly people from the Lionheart n.¡± The inheritance of the Lionheart n could only be passed down the direct line. Any siblings who weren¡¯t able to be the Patriarch split off to form their own branches, and as this continued, the number of coteral branches kept rising. Thanks to this, the Lionheart n had been able to expand widely, but it was impossible for all of these descendants to possess exceptional talent. Thus, it was only natural for the Knights of the ck Lion, who drew solely upon those rted by the Lionheart blood, to have fallen into a manpower shortage. ¡°That¡¯s something that can¡¯t be helped. The Knights of the ck Lion are forced to deal with the Lionheart n¡¯s dirty issues, as well as their other duties.¡± Muttering this, Carmen turned to nce at Eugene. ¡°Like your brother. As with Eward¡¯s issue, the Knights of the ck Lion are charged with intervening in the various problems faced by the Lionheart n. Most of these are problems concerning the n¡¯s prestige.¡± There were far too many coteral branches. This was the result of the seeds sown by Vermouth and his family traditions. Carmen continued, ¡°There are those whose blood has thinned out so much that, by all rights, they should no longer im to be a Lionheart. However, they still have the right to bear the Lionheart name. The problem is¡­ when they use that thin blood of theirs to tarnish the family¡¯s name.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t find it difficult to understand what she meant by those words. The Knights of the ck Lion had a duty to actively intervene in the n¡¯s problems. If they saw that the family¡¯s name was being tarnished, the Knights of the ck Lion were the ones who would enforce the corresponding punishment, based on their own judgment. ¡°And there¡¯s no way we can allow strangers to have a say in solving such problems,¡± Carmen concluded. ¡°Is there something that you want to say to me?¡± Eugene asked. Carmen replied, ¡°The same words that I said to you thest time we met.¡± In this tower that seemed to touch the sky, there was an elevator just like the one that Eugene had used in Akron. Carmen continued speaking as she walked through the wide-open elevator doors, ¡°I want you to join the Knights of the ck Lion.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I turn down that offer already?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°At that time, I hadn¡¯t properly seen how skilled you were. I only got a thorough look at you today. The position of the squire for the Captain of the Second Division remains open if you want it.¡± ¡°What has he been doing for the past two years instead of looking for a squire?¡± ¡°He has tried to recruit a few, but his personality is so harsh that they couldn¡¯t endure it.¡± Eugene demanded, ¡°So why should I have to take up such a difficult position?¡± ¡°Because your techniques resemble those of Genos, the Captain of the Second Division.¡± As she said this, Carmen tantly eyed Eugene. ¡°So much so that you could even be suspected of being Genos¡¯s disciple.¡± ¡°But this is the first time that I¡¯ve even heard his name,¡± Eugene protested. Carmen changed the subject, ¡°If you do be his squire, I think that you two would really hit it off[2]. Also, with a position in the Knights of the ck Lion, you can contribute greatly to the glory of the n.¡± ¡°Although I care about the n¡¯s glory, I¡¯d like to prioritize my own glory first,¡± Eugene confessed. There were quite a lot of ces here and there that he wanted to visit. ¡®If I was forced to be a squire, I would rather go back to Aroth instead.¡¯ The Crown Prince of Aroth had promised Eugene the position of Commander of the Court Wizards. Eugene might hold a bit of interest in the Knights of the ck Lion, but no matter how you looked at it, there was no way that he could be both a member of the Knights of the ck Lion and the Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards at the same time. If he ced the two of them on a scale, Eugene¡¯s heart would, of course, lean towards Aroth¡¯s offer. ¡°Setting that aside¡­. Why, after calling me all the way to this remote location, are they summoning me now?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Why do you think?¡± Carmen returned his question. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s just because they want to tell me that I¡¯ve done a good job,¡± admitted Eugene. ¡°If you promise to be a member of the Knights of the ck Lion, I can tell you,¡± tempted Carmen. Not falling for her ploy, Eugene said, ¡°Even if Lady Carmen doesn¡¯t tell me anything, I¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡± ¡°It¡¯s regarding your whereabouts,¡± Carmen easily revealed as she pulled a cigar case out of her vest. ¡°They want to know why you went to Nahama, and what you might have gotten into there.¡± ¡°They can¡¯t really be suspecting that I have conspired with the sand rats in Nahama, can they?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°Although the chances of that are very low, they still need to be considered. Who would have imagined that Eward Lionheart would really attempt to be initiated into ck magic?¡± Carmen said as she nced at Eugene. ¡°Especially since you¡¯re in a good position to receive various kinds of offers. You¡¯re exceptionally skilled, but because you¡¯re from a coteral line, there seems to be a limit to how far you can rise. What if someone offered to give you their support and guarantee that you would take the seat of the Patriarch?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to be the Patriarch,¡± Eugene denied. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then we just need to think about it from another direction. If it was someone of your skills, then you¡¯re sure to have been met with offers of recruitment wherever you went,¡± Carmen stated confidently. ¡°Could the Sultan of Nahama have promised you wealth and honor?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never even met the sultan. Are you interrogating me right now?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± When Carmen gave an honest reply, Eugeneughed as if he had been expecting it. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it seems like I can¡¯t answer Lady Carmen¡¯s questions,¡± Eugene stated calmly. The elevator doors opened. Eugene and Carmen walked through them, heading to the room at the end of a corridor. Carmen shrugged, ¡°Even if you don¡¯t answer me right now, won¡¯t you have to give the same exnation to the elders in that room anyway?¡± Before Eugene could even reach his hand out, the door opened, revealing the inside of the room. Eugene stared at the elders sitting around a round table. Even Gilead, the Patriarch, was sitting there; behind the elders stood Dominic Lionheart, who had arrived before them, and another man who gave off a cold impression just by standing there. It looked like this man was Genos Lionheart, the Captain of the Second Division. ¡°Good day to you all,¡± Eguene greeted them with a bow of his head as he entered the room. ¡°Although this might seem sudden¡ª¡± As he said this, Eugene raised his head and unfurled his cloak. His actions were abrupt, but none of the elders moved to restrain Eugene. That was because they all possessed more than enough skill to defend themselves, and because they detected not a single trace of hostility from Eugene¡¯s sudden actions. ¡°¡ªplease take a look at this.¡± Without any hesitation, Eugene pulled something out of his cloak. Arge statue and a memorial stone were left standing in front of Eugene. penguin¡¯s thoughts: Eugene and Ciel are heading in the right direction, and it¡¯s not the ck Lion Castle 1.Couldn¡¯t find an urate description of it, but it¡¯s a trope you sometimes see in anime where girls swing their arms in circles while going into a /photos/1846978-anime-manga? 2. The Korean version of this phrase is ¡®the porridge you two would make would taste just right¡¯. Think of the Goldilocks story, where one person¡¯s porridge is too hot, the other person¡¯s porridge is too cold, but by mixing them together, they each get a bowl of perfect porridge? Chapter 79 Chapter 79 The elders sitting at the round table were silent for a few moments. They simply stared at the statue and the memorial stone that Eugene had pulled out with puzzled expressions. Then, someone stood up from their seat. It was a middle-aged man whose gray hair had grown closer to white in shade. It was Doynes, Leader of the Council of Elders and the Immortal Lionheart. cing his hands behind his back, he slowly walked over to the statue and memorial stone. ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Doynes hummed as he assessed the statue that appeared to be in perfect condition, without any trace of damage. The level of realism was so amazing that it was hard to believe that this was just a statue. After Doynes scanned the statue, which had been so realistically carved that even the tiniest of the subject¡¯s scars had been reproduced, his gaze then turned to the memorial stone ced at its feet. ¡°¡­Hamel Dynas,¡± Doynes read. ¡°The Stupid Hamel?¡± came a murmur from the elders. Before he had even realized what he was doing, Gilead got up from his seat and approached Hamel¡¯s statue. His eyes shifted between the statue¡¯s face and the words on the memorial stone, his gaze full of surprise. ¡°¡­Where did this statue¡­. How did you even find it?¡± Doynes turned his head to look at Eugene. That damned fairy tale had spouted all sorts of obscenities and fabrications about Hamel, while permanentlybeling him with the title of the Stupid Hamel. Now that Eugene had taken out this memorial stone and shown it to them, the epithet given by the fairy tale would no longer be attached to Hamel, and his honor would surely be restored. That was why Eugene was happily watching as the council of elders exchanged murmurs, their eyes fixed on the memorial stone. Eugene began to answer Doynes¡¯s question, ¡°As the elders of the Council may be aware, for the past two years I have been studying magic in Aroth¡­.¡± Naturally, Eugene had alreadye up with an excuse. During his time in the Royal Library of Aroth, Akron, while he had been immersed in the magical texts stored within Wise Sienna¡¯s Hall, he had been able to learn about ¡®Hamel¡¯s Grave¡¯ through the grimoire, Witch Craft. ¡°How?¡± Doynes demanded. ¡°It¡¯s because I was the first member of the Lionheart n to ever encounter Witch Craft. I suspect that it was probably due to Lady Sienna¡¯s arrangements,¡± Eugene replied, making sure to sound as if he wasn¡¯t able to confirm anything and was only making guesses. In any case, that was how he had found out about ¡®Hamel¡¯s Grave¡¯. Then, Eugene had left for Nahama in order to find the grave. ¡°Sir Hamel was an old friend of our great ancestor. Unlike the other members of his party, he wasn¡¯t able to return from Helmuth, and instead he nobly sacrificed himself for the sake of hisrades¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off in embarrassment. To call his own death a noble sacrifice, Eugene felt ashamed to have to say these words with his own mouth, but apart from this bit of self-aggrandizement, Eugene¡¯s tongue proved to be quite agile as he continued his tale. ¡°While wandering through the deserts of Nahama, I searched for the grave, and I finally discovered its location. Of course, things didn¡¯t end up going smoothly. The entrance to Hamel¡¯s grave happened to be where the Assassins and Sand Shamans of Nahama had set up their camp.¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Doynes hummed as he took in these facts. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you all are already aware of it, right? That Nahama is using the sandstorms to devour Turas¡¯s territory. The subterranean dungeon where Hamel¡¯s grave was located just so happened to be where the group of Sand Shamans stationed in the desert made their base!¡± From that point on, there was no need for Eugene to continue mixing lies into his story. Everything else was the truth after all. ¡°After breaking through the assault of the Sand Shamans and the ambushes from the Assassins, I managed to find my way into Sir Hamel¡¯s grave. And there¡­ is where I found this statue and the memorial stone,¡± as Eugene said this, he clenched his fists to keep them from trembling in anger. ¡°The grave had been seriously damaged by someone. Only the statue and the memorial stone remained intact¡­.¡± In order to give a full exnation of what had happened there, Eugene had to tell them about Hamel¡¯s corpse and how it had been used to create a Death Knight. Eugene calmly unraveled the whole story with a sad expression on his face, but the elders listening to him couldn¡¯t hide their agitation. ¡°I barely managed to defeat the Death Knight, allowing me to recover this statue and the memorial stone. But then¡­ I ran into the notorious Dungeon Master of the Desert¡­ Amelia Merwin herself.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± the Elder who was versed in magic shot up from his seat with a gasp. ¡°You bumped into the Death Answerer? But¡­ but then, how in the world did youe back alive?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s because the Demon King of Incarceration personally intervened,¡± as Eugene said this, he nced up to take in the elders¡¯ reactions. The moment that the name of the Demon King of Incarceration was uttered, no one was able to remain in their seats. All of the elders bolted up and stared at Eugene with frozen-stiff expressions. ¡°¡­The Demon King Incarceration?¡± ¡°Did the overlord of Helmuth truly descend on that location in person?¡± Eugene answered their questions calmly, ¡°Yes. He stopped Amelia Merwin who was trying to kill me, and allowed me to leave while spouting something about the Oath and his goodwill. Also¡­ he told me to pass on a warning.¡± ¡°A warning?¡± ¡°He said that freedom without responsibility is just indulgence. It was a warning that his goodwill and Helmuth¡¯s continued silence could not continue forever.¡± With this, Eugene had passed on the warning. Eugene had no idea what kind of damn oath Vermouth had made. However, the Demon King of Incarceration had clearly given a warning that the current peace would notst forever. Having heard such a warning, they all needed to make preparations for when this peace finally broke. ¡°¡­Haaaah¡­,¡± Doynes let out a long sigh and shook his head. ¡°¡­I could never have imagined that you would be bringing such earth-shaking news with you.¡± They had summoned Eugene in order to interrogate him about his whereabouts. However, Eugene¡¯s interrogation had now revealed an unexpected, major issue. One of the elders brought up his concerns, ¡°Could it be that Helmuth is preparing for a war with Nahama acting as their vanguard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s too early to jump to conclusions. If the Demon King truly wanted to end this peace, then there was no need for him to have given such a warning,¡± Doynes assuaged their fears. After turning to look at rest of the muttering elders, Doynes continued speaking, ¡°Freedom without responsibility it just indulgence, hm¡­. Do you remember what the Demon King of Confinement¡¯s exact words were?¡± Eugene shivered and admitted, ¡°Having faced such a being in person and after I was even addressed by him, there is no way that I can forget that moment for the rest of my life.¡± He wouldn¡¯t allow himself to forget those words. Eugene¡¯s lips twisted in a grimace as he recalled the murderous desire and rage that he had felt at that time. ¡ªI feel like I have continued to show a sufficient amount of goodwill and respect to Vermouth¡¯s descendants. ¡ªI have respected their freedom to not show me any goodwill or respect in return. However, I am concerned that you may be taking my continued goodwill for granted. First and foremost, I am the ruler of numerous demonic beasts and demonfolk, a king of Helmuth. ¡ªWith freedomes responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is just indulgence. Descendant of Vermouth, tell this to everyone in the Lionheart n. Do not take the goodwill that I have granted you as an incentive to go too far. If you will not give me my due regard, then I shall no longer respect you all. ¡ªYour ancestor may have made an Oath in exchange for his freedom, but now the end of that promise is approaching. The time ising for the wheel that has stalled to resume moving forward once more. ¡°Indeed, this is definitely a warning,¡± Doynes agreed as he shook his head in dismay and returned to his seat at the round table. He fell into his seat with a thud and was lost in thought for a few moments before finally speaking. ¡°First of all, it¡¯s clear that the Demon King of Incarceration has left us some leeway. As long as we don¡¯t take advantage of his goodwill, that terrible era from three hundred years ago should not be recreated in the present.¡± ¡°Since he¡¯s even gone so far as to give us a warning, I believe that the current peace is sure to be broken eventually,¡± Gilead argued with a hard expression as he red at Doynes. ¡°Even now, isn¡¯t Nahama still continuing its centuries-long invasion of Turas? How can we be sure that Helmuth isn¡¯t behind their evil scheme and that the Demon King of Incarceration isn¡¯t the one who goaded them into doing so?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why don¡¯t you go looking for the Demon King of Incarceration and ask him about it yourself, Patriarch?¡± Doynes asked sarcastically as he turned to Gilead with a bitter smile. ¡°This era hassted for three hundred years. After our great ancestor secured the Oath and returned from Hemuth, the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon of Destruction no longer threatened the world and peace ensued. Patriarch, I have lived for a very long time¡­ and I believe that our current peace is both beautiful and precious.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gilead maintained his silence. ¡°Of course, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if this peace shattered at any moment. The two strongest Demon Kings are still alive and well, and the demonfolk and ck wizards in sworn service to them have spread all over the continent. However, despite all that, peace still endures,¡± Doynes stated firmly. Gilead called out to Doynes, ¡°Council Leader.¡± Ignoring the call, Doynes argued, ¡°Even the Great Vermouth wasn¡¯t able to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. Among the Lionhearts, who do you think would even be able to y a Demon King? Do you think that I¡¯ll be able to do it at my age? Or maybe my grandson can do it for me? How about you, Patriarch, do you think you can do it?¡± As Doynes spoke, his voice grew increasingly heated. He red at Gilead as he continued, ¡°After gathering all of the Lionheart n¡¯s armed forces, do you dare to boast that they will be stronger and more skilled than our ancestor and hispanions from three hundred years ago? I am certain that you won¡¯t have the audacity to do so. Our ancestor took just his fourpanions with him to y the Demon Kings of Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury. Do you really think that there is currently anyone in the world who would be capable of repeating such a thing?¡± ¡°¡­The Lionheart n aren¡¯t the only ones who should feel threatened by this. This warning from the Demon King of Incarceration is aimed at everyone in the world,¡± Gilead eventually pointed out. ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right,¡± Doynes easily agreed. ¡°However, we are the descendants of the Great Vermouth. If we do end up confronting Helmuth, it is we who must oppose them from the forefront. Patriarch, in your perspective, do you really think that we are ready for that?¡± Eugene just stood there unmoving, not saying a word. He had been expecting this kind of debate to erupt the moment that he passed on the warning. In any case, this wasn¡¯t something that Eugene needed to pay attention to. These armchair generals might quarrel with each other[1], but this would have no effect on what Eugene had decided to do. Eugene was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. Although he didn¡¯t know why Vermouth had decided to reincarnate Hamel, or what Vermouth might have been thinking, Hamel had long ago sworn to kill all of the Demon Kings. That was also the goal that Sienna, Molon, and Anise, those who had fought together with Hamel, had sworn themselves to. ¡°¡­About this warning. While neither the Lionheart n, nor the Kiehl Empire would dare to infringe on the Demon King¡¯s goodwill, the Holy Empire and the Anti-Demon Alliance are still stationing their troops on their borders with Helmuth,¡± one of the Council Elders brought up. ¡°Those savage Demon King haters will immediately raise their forces to invade Helmuth once we pass on the warning,¡± Klein said as he sweated profusely. But Doynes snorted and shook his head in disagreement, ¡°If they were that zealous, they would have already mobilized the troops deployed there. The Holy Empire and the Anti-Demon Alliance have no intention of truly attempting to face Helmuth in a head-on confrontation. It¡¯s just a tant act. If they were to realize that the situation is getting serious, they would immediately withdraw their forces back from the borders.¡± ¡°¡­The Demon King of Incarceration isn¡¯t the only Demon King in Helmuth,¡± Gilead brought up as he let out a sigh and shook his head. ¡°The Demon King of Destruction may have a different opinion from the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Ignoring Gilead¡¯s warning, another Elder proposed, ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration at least providing a warning that the Oath would soon be ending. He even offered us another chance. If the world decides to show him the appropriate respect, then the Demon King of Incarceration might¡­ he might even make another Oath with us.¡± ¡°The Oath whose contents we have no clue about?¡± ¡°Of course, the Demon Kings might still just go on a crazy rampage like they did three hundred years ago. However, they¡¯re not doing so now, right?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t want to listen to such squabbles any longer. Interrupting the debate he asked, ¡°Can I take these things back now?¡± Although he had voiced his request as a question, Eugene didn¡¯t wait for a reply and immediately ced the statue and the memorial stone back inside his cloak. Doynes btedly gave his permission, ¡°¡­Since you are the one who brought it here, then it¡¯s fine for you to take it back with you. But what do you intend to do with them?¡± ¡°I would like to take them to the great ancestor¡¯s grave and leave them there,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°¡­Why there?¡± Doynes asked. Eugene replied, ¡°Sir Hamel¡¯s grave has already been destroyed, but please take a look at this memorial stone.¡± Hamel Dynas. He was a son of a bitch, an idiot, an asshole, a douche, a piece of trash. ¡°¡­Ignore the curses, just look at what¡¯s written below,¡± Eugene awkwardly requested. But he was also brave, faithful, wise, and great. In remembrance of this stupid man, who sacrificed himself for everyone and was the first to leave us. ¡°Our great ancestor sincerely mourned Sir Hamel¡¯s death. But the grave that they painstakingly dug for him was destroyed by some wretched scoundrels and has now copsedpletely,¡± Eugene said without any trace of guilt. ¡°For the sake of the long-deceased Sir Hamel¡­ and for the sake of our great ancestor, I believe that this statue and memorial stone should be enshrined within our ancestor¡¯s tomb.¡± ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Doynes and the other elders weren¡¯t able to give him a reply immediately and couldn¡¯t help but ponder this request. Eugene took advantage of the silence caused by their musing and added a few more words, ¡°While I may not have been personally taught by Lady Sienna, I have read the masterpiece that she left behind, Witch Craft, and I managed to obtain a little understanding. My teacher, Sir Lovellian, is someone who had inherited the legacy of Lady Sienna, so in a way I, as Sir Lovellian¡¯s disciple, can also call myself Lady Sienna¡¯s disciple.¡± To think that the day woulde when he willingly called himself Sienna¡¯s disciple. ¡°In other words, I am both Lady Sienna¡¯s disciple and a descendant of our shared ancestor. I am also thest person to have paid tribute to Sir Hamel¡¯s gravesite.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± the Elders were left speechless by this list of achievements. ¡°As such, I believe that I should be the one to personally ce this statue and the memorial stone in our great ancestor¡¯s tomb,¡± Eugene finally concluded. ¡°¡­I understand what you¡¯re getting at,¡± Doynes said eventually. ¡°However, as you may already be aware, the tomb of our ancestor isn¡¯t a ce that can be entered as you please. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t just grant you permission, but¡­.¡± Doynes stop speaking for a moment to look around the room. ¡°¡­If we¡¯re talking about Sir Hamel¡¯s memorial stone, I agree that it should be enshrined in our ancestor¡¯s tomb,¡± Gilead lent his support to Eugene¡¯s proposal. Carmen nodded, and the reactions of the other elders showed that they also agreed. ¡°¡­If that¡¯s the case, then I have no choice but to open the path leading to the tomb,¡± Doynes conceded. Eugene silently cheered with joy. With this, there was no need for him to search for Vermouth¡¯s grave while trying to avoid any attention. ¡®I might not be able to open the coffin in front of them, but finding its exact location is an important step.¡¯ He might not be able to check the contents of the coffin immediately, but he coulde backter and open the coffin when he was alone. At that time, there would be no need to pay any attention to avoiding the notice of the Knights of the ck Lion and the Council of Elders. If they determinedly tried to block him from doing so, then what was stopping him from beating them up and clearing the path anyway? ¡°Since I will need time to open up the path, you should store them with you for now,¡± Doynes instructed Eugene. ¡°Yes,¡± epted Eugene. He needed time? Did that mean the tomb was sealed away with magic? Eugene wanted to openly ask his questions, but he restrained the urge to do so and just nodded quietly. Bringing an end to this issue, Doynes said, ¡°Well then¡­ Genos. You should take Eugene to his room. Unfortunately it seems that the Patriarch¡¯s reunion with his adopted son will have to be postponed for a short while. I¡¯m afraid that we still have a lot of things to talk about.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Genos said, bowing his head and approaching Eugene. After bowing his head to the Elders and the Patriarch, Eugene turned around and left the room together with Genos. ¡®Looking at this situation, it seems that there is no way that they will dere war on Helmuth,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as he left. After the n delivered word of this warning to the Emperor of Kiehl, it seemed likely that the leaders of the various kingdoms would gather together to discuss future countermeasures. While it was unlikely that any meaningful measures would actually be taken, the mere act of discussing countermeasures was enough for Eugene to feel justified at having passed on the warning. ¡°¡­Kid.¡± As Eugene was walking down the corridor with Genos, the man suddenly spoke up. ¡°Once we arrive at the bottom¡­ let me see that statue and the memorial stone once more.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easy, but why make such a request?¡± Eugene asked inquisitively. ¡°I want to offer some flowers to him,¡± Genos revealed. Why bring up flowers all of a sudden? Eugene turned to look at Genos in confusion, only to freeze up at the sight. Genos¡¯s eyes were brimming with tears. Eugene hesitated, unsure what to say, ¡°Um¡­ just why are you¡­ crying so suddenly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not crying,¡± Genos tantly lied as he widened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°¡­I have conjunctivitis, so sometimes¡­ tears just flow on their own, regardless of what I¡¯m feeling.¡± Was this guy crazy? Eugene didn¡¯t ask any more questions and hastened his walk to the elevator. 1. In Korean, this phrase reads as ¡®they¡¯re quarreling over a desk discussion¡¯ ¡ª a useless debate that is purely academic and fails to reflect real life. ? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts Penguin¡¯s thoughts: what a terrible day for rain Chapter 80 Chapter 80 Chapter 80: Genos Lionheart (2) After Genos escorted Eugene down, he told Eugene to wait there for a bit and then left to go somewhere. He returned before too long, holding a bouquet of wildflowers in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Eugene had no idea what this guy was trying to do with those and just stared at Genos with a bewildered expression. ¡°The statue?¡± Genos prompted. ¡°¡­Ah, yes,¡± Eugene quickly agreed. Without asking any questions, no matter how much he wanted to, Eugene pulled the statue and the memorial stone out of his cloak. Right away, a trail of tears started streaming down from Genos¡¯s bloodshot eyes once more. No matter how you looked at it, there was no way that these tears were just caused by conjunctivitis. After Genos had stared at the statue and the memorial stone for quite some time, he bowed his head and got onto his knees. Then, with a careful hand, he ced the bouquet of flowers and the bottle of wine down in front of the memorial stone. Next, Genos first filled a ss to the brim with the wine and ced it in front of the memorial stone. Then he poured a ss for himself and chugged the wine down all by himself. Looking at this scene, Eugene felt like he had no choice but to seriously consider the question,¡®Could this bastard really be my descendant?¡¯ But it couldn¡¯t be. This was Genos Lionheart. He was Captain of the Second Division of the Knights of the ck Lion, and he was definitely Vermouth¡¯s descendant. Eugene began specting,¡®Could a descendant that I didn¡¯t even know about¡­ have gotten married to one of Vermouth¡¯s descendants in order to produce this brat¡­? No, there¡¯s no way that could be the case. I definitely never had any children.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t like Hamel hadn¡¯t had any experience with women, but he had never left behind any offspring. On top of that, after bing one of Vermouth¡¯spanions, he had never slept with a woman. Sienna and Anise had been keeping their eyes peeled open right next to him whenever the possibility came up, Vermouth and Molon had never shown any interest in going out to have fun at night, and Hamel also wasn¡¯t the type to sneak out and go enjoy the nightlife. No matter how much he thought about it, this meant that there was no way he could have left behind any descendants. But then, just what was this bastard doing, offering flowers and alcohol in front of Hamel¡¯s statue and memorial stone while he cried his eyes out? ¡°¡­Ahem,¡± after watching Genos for a few more moments, Eugene let out a low cough. During this short amount of time, Genos hadpletely emptied all of the alcohol in therge bottle of wine he had brought with him. ¡®This ill-mannered bastard. He only offered me a little ssh of wine, then he actually drank the rest of it by himself?¡± Although Eugene had this thought, honestly speaking, he wasn¡¯t displeased by all this. Eugene forcefully stilled his twitching cheeks and stared down at Genos¡¯s back. ¡°Sir Genos¡­ um¡­ just what kind of rtionship do you have with Sir Hamel?¡± Eugene finally asked the question that had been burning him on the inside. ¡°¡­¡± Genos, who had been quietly weeping without letting out any sobs, turned his head towards Eugene. While wiping away the tears running down his cheeks with the back of his hand, he let out a long sigh. ¡°¡­I am Sir Hamel¡¯s disciple,¡± Genos revealed. What kind of crazy talk was this? Eugene barely managed to swallow the cry before it could burst out from his lips. Then he looked back through all the memories from his previous life. A disciple? In his past life, he had never once taken in someone as his student. During the time when he had be famous as a mercenary, there had been quite a few people who hade to him, asking to be taught how to use a sword or how to survive on the battlefield; at that time, however, Hamel had been so drunk with self-satisfaction that he had held no intention of dragging around the burden of someone less talented than himself, let alone teaching them. ¡°¡­.Um¡­ I¡¯m not quite sure I understand what Sir Genos is talking about. Sir Hamel is someone who died three hundred years ago, isn¡¯t he? From what I¡¯m aware of, he didn¡¯t leave behind any descendants, nor did he have any disciples to pass down his teachings,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Strictly speaking, what I¡¯ve learnt doesn¡¯te directly from Hamel,¡± Genos readily admitted. But then why was he calling himself Hamel¡¯s disciple? ¡°¡­As with all coteral branches, ites as no surprise that my family line also split away from the direct line. But my distant ancestor happens to be Vermouth¡¯s second son,¡± Genos revealed. Three hundred years ago, Vermouth had taken more than ten partners and had raised many children. That had marked the beginning of the Lionheart n. It was unknown what Vermouth had been thinking, but after a certain point, he had started to seriously consider how to preserve his bloodline and secure the purity of his lineage; fortunately for him, among his many children, Vermouth¡¯s eldest son was unquestionably the best. In fact, even if the eldest son hadn¡¯t been as exceptional as he was, it wouldn¡¯t have been much of a problem. Because as long as Vermouth was determined for his eldest son to seed him and personally provided his guidance, even if his son had been born crippled, he would have been able to instill in his son unparalleled skills that would have made him iparable to his other brothers. In any case, the eldest son had sessfully taken over as the next Patriarch after Vermouth, and his many siblings had left the main estate to found their own coteral branches. Genos continued his exnation, ¡°My ancestor may not have been able to be the Patriarch, but it seems that our great ancestor still took good care of him. ording to family traditions, my ancestor wasn¡¯t allowed to pass down the White me Form to his own children, but he was able to pass down a different legacy instead.¡± ¡°¡­And what does that have to do with calling yourself a disciple of Hamel?¡± Eugene persisted. ¡°The Great Vermouth taught my ancestor Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques,¡± Genos finally revealed as he wiped his damp eyes and raised his head proudly. Unable to think of what to say, Eugene could only move his lips soundlessly. Eventually, he wheezed out, ¡°¡­Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques?!¡± ¡°¡­There¡¯s something that I would like to ask you,¡± Genos said as he got up off of his knees, holding the empty wine bottle. ¡°By any chance, could it be that you have discovered a secret manual written by Sir Hamel in his tomb?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Eugene grunted in confusion. ¡°Back then, I was watching as you and Sir Carmen faced each other,¡± Genos confessed. ¡°In truth, it wasn¡¯t really long enough to be called a serious confrontation, but it was enough for me to get a glimpse of your absurd skills.¡± ¡°¡­So what are you trying to say?¡± Eugene asked for rification. ¡°The technique you used to divert Sir Carmen¡¯s fists,¡± Genos took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°That¡­ that seems almost identical to one of Hamel¡¯s techniques that has been passed down from our family¡¯s founding ancestor. But among the many branches of the Lionheart n, ours is the only family that should have inherited Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene stayed silent. ¡°It is an inimitable technique that cannot be used without deepprehension and control of mana, along with a genius instinct for battle. I couldn¡¯t believe it when I saw you use it earlier, but if you have been to Sir Hamel¡¯s grave¡­ then it¡¯s notpletely out of the question. If you happened to have obtained Sir Hamel¡¯s secret manual from his grave, it all makes sense,¡± Genos seemed confident in his theory. Eugene¡¯s head was spinning in circles. So what Genos was saying was that three hundred years ago, that bastard Vermouth had decided of his own volition to teach Hamel¡¯s techniques to his descendants? ¡®That motherfucker. If you were going to teach it, you should at least have taught it to the direct lion; why teach it to your second child who couldn¡¯t even be the Patriarch?¡¯ Well, now that his techniques had already been taught without his permission, it wasn¡¯t like it mattered whether or not Eugene epted that decision. Smoothing away his twisted expression, Eugene looked Genos in the eyes. Having calmed down, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind answering your questions, but there¡¯s something that I can¡¯t quite understand. Why did our great ancestor pass Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques to his second child, the one who couldn¡¯t be the Patriarch?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t feel like he could just allow his doubts andints to be buried. He wasn¡¯t sure if Genos, a distant descendant, would even know the answer, but for now Eugene just decided to try and ask. ¡°Because the direct line has no need for such techniques,¡± answered Genos. ¡°So it was because Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques were seen as inferior to the White me Form?¡± Eugene questioned resentfully. Genos nodded in satisfaction, ¡°Indeed, you really have uncovered Sir Hamel¡¯s secret manuals.¡± How had his words been twisted into a confirmation of Genos¡¯s suspicions? Eugen red at Genos without voicing any objections, but Genos just nodded, confident that his guess was correct. ¡°If that wasn¡¯t the case, then you would have no reason to show such irritation because of that choice,¡± Genos pointed out. ¡®You son of a bitch, the ¡®reason I have to show such irritation¡¯ is that I AM HAMEL!¡¯Eugene barely swallowed the angry shout that was about to burst out of his throat. Since it was impossible for him to tantly reveal his secrets, however, Eugene decided to just allow Genos¡¯s misunderstanding to go unchallenged. Genos suddenly changed the subject, ¡°¡­These days, the Knights of the ck Lion are around to take care of the n¡¯s dirty messes, but do you know who would have filled this role three hundred years ago?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Eugene grunted. ¡°As the n went through several generations and the number of n members increased, the number of dissident elements inevitably increased at the same rate. Soon enough, there were those who proved themselves unworthy of iming to be our great ancestor¡¯s descendants. The ancestor of my branch of the family was the first ck Lion to be charged with the duty of punishing such fools,¡± Genos revealed. Eugene understood what Genos was implying by these words. So Vermouth took his second son, who wasn¡¯t able to be the Patriarch¡­ and raised him to a hunting dog to keep both the main family and the other coteral branches in line. Even though the Knights of the ck Lion might be called a knightly order or whatever, at their core, they were just vicious hunting dogs. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be lost in thought for a moment, wondering what he should feel about this revtion. ¡®This means Vermouth decided that, with my techniques, those hunting dogs would be able to stand up to the renegade users of the White me Form from both the direct and coteral lines.¡¯¡¯ Or at least that was how Eugene could think of it if he wanted to put a positive spin on Vermouth¡¯s sections; from a negative point of view, Vermouth had just passed on histe friend¡¯s skills to his pet hunting dogs in order to make them more efficient predators. ¡®That rotten bastard. If you were going to screw me over like that, you could have at least gotten your children to put up a statue of me in their homes,¡¯Eugeneined as he tried to calm the irritation boiling up within him. Genos had nothing more to say as he calmly gazed at Eugene¡¯s face and waited for a response. ¡°¡­About the techniques that your family inherited from Hamel¡­ It wasn¡¯t just parrying, was it?¡± Eugene probed. ¡°Ignition,¡± Genos said abruptly, without any warning. By doing so, Genos had hoped to provoke a reaction from Eugene, but Eugene¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any sign of surprise. ¡®Vermouth, you son of a bitch.¡¯Although he outwardly didn¡¯t show any reaction, on the inside, Euguene was verbally chewing Vermouth out. For now, he decided to pretend ignorance, ¡°¡­And what is that exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a technique where you intentionally elerate the mana in your core,¡± Genos exined. ¡°Because of its dangers, the technique is rarely used.¡± Having confirmed what he wanted to know, Eugene asked, ¡°¡­Why are you interested in knowing if there was a secret manual?¡± ¡°If you do have a secret manual in your possession, I request that you surrender it to me,¡± Genos honestly replied. ¡°And why should I hypothetically surrender it to you?¡± Eugene continued pressing. Genos repeated, ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, but Hamel¡¯s techniques are extremely difficult to learn. Even if you can see through the theory behind them, it would be difficult for you to imitate them with your body. It isn¡¯t so easy to teach them either. However, if you happened to have found a secret manual, then I could¡ª¡± ¡°To start off with, let¡¯s get the order of seniority straight,¡± Eugene said, suddenly interrupting Genos. ¡°From a certain point of view, you could say that I am the direct disciple of Sir Hamel, so if we put ourselves into the order of seniority, wouldn¡¯t that mean I am of a higher rank than Sir Genos?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Genos muttered in confusion. ¡°That means I am the senior disciple, and you, Sir Genos, are the junior disciple. Although you may have been born a few decades earlier than me, if you truly consider yourself to be Sir Hamel¡¯s disciple, then you need to ept me as your Senior Brother,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden¡­? Hold on. Do you mean to say that there really was a secret manual in Sir Hamel¡¯s tomb?¡± Genos eagerly picked up on Eugene¡¯s hints. But Eugene quickly disappointed him, ¡°I burned it after memorizing it.¡± ¡°What? Why?!¡± Genos burst out in protest. ¡°If I didn¡¯t do that, then what else was I supposed to do with it? Didn¡¯t you hear me talking about it earlier? I almost died in that grave. It was already a stroke of luck that I managed to find that ¡ª here, Eugene paused guiltily ¡ª that secret manual. I was risking my life by fighting a Death Knight, remember?¡± These words caused Genos¡¯s eyes to waver in shock. ¡°¡­Hold on. Does that mean you were able to use Sir Hamel¡¯s parrying technique only a few days after you discovered the secret manual?¡± Genos questioned incredulously. ¡°I¡¯ve always been good at parrying,¡± Eugene said as an exnation. ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous,¡± Genos rejected his excuse. ¡°Sir Hamel¡¯s parrying is apletely different technique from ordinary parrying¡ª¡± ¡°It seems that you don¡¯t know much about me, but you should be aware that I was exceptional enough to be adopted into the main family, and I am the youngest genius among all the geniuses who were given permission to enter Akron.¡± Although it felt a bit embarrassing to make these ims with his own lips, everything that Eugene had said was the truth, ¡°So then, what are you going to do? If Sir Genos epts me as your Senior Brother, then I would be willing topare the secret manual that I have stored in my head to the techniques belonging to Sir Hamel that have been passed down through Sir Genos¡¯s family. That way, you might be able to fill in any missing content.¡± Unable to think of what to say, Genos¡¯s lips twisted soundlessly. At first, Eugene had felt offended by this guy who imed to be his disciple when he had never even granted him the right to do so. But that being said, Eugene couldn¡¯t find it in himself to dislike Genos. After all, wasn¡¯t Genos the only person in this world who was carrying on Hamel¡¯s legacy? ¡®He even offered me flowers, and shed tears for me,¡¯Eugene recalled with gratitude. From this, it seemed that Genos truly admired Hamel and respected him as his master. Because of that damned fairy tale, Hamel had been looked down upon and called the ¡®Stupid Hamel¡¯ for hundreds of years, so Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel pleased at finding someone who still respected Hamel enough to consider themselves his disciple. ¡°¡­Could you truly have memorized that entire secret manual?¡± Genos asked doubtfully. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to believe me when I say it, why even bother asking[1]? Just trust me,¡± Eugene demanded. Reminded of how Amelia Merwin had kept probing him, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be annoyed as he thought of how that damn bitch had spoken to him so rudely. ¡°¡­Do I need to call you my Senior Brother in front of others?¡± Genos asked hesitantly. This was a very important issue for Genos. Even amongst the Knights of the ck Lion, Genos was famous for being strict and difficult to handle, and as the Patriarch of his own family branch, he needed to protect their reputation as well. ¡°If that happens, I will also be ced into a troublesome position, since I might be forcefully questioned about our rtionship¡­. You can just leave that for when it¡¯s just the two of us,¡± Eugene charitably allowed. ¡°¡­Um¡­,¡± Genos let out a low hum as he fell into thought. After considering it for a while, Genos finally nodded his head and said in a very embarrassed tone, ¡°¡­Senior Brother.¡± ¡°Good choice, Junior Brother. But just how long are you going to keep me waiting here? You said that you were going to guide me to my room, so when exactly do you n on showing me the way there?¡± Eugene immediately epted the appetion without any sense of difort as he packed the statue and memorial stone back into his cloak. Genos¡¯s cheeks twitched at Eugene¡¯s quick change of attitude from respectful to condescending. However, he didn¡¯t dare to snap at Eugene, so he just ground his teeth in anger. ¡°Were you grinding your teeth just now? Does my attitude bother you? Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re being a bit too disrespectful of your Senior Brother?¡± Eugene was quick to criticize his newfound Junior Brother. Genos reluctantly gritted out, ¡°¡­My apologies¡­.¡± ¡°I understand that this might be a bit embarrassing and difficult to adapt to at first, Junior Brother. However, I hope that you get used to it as quickly as possible,¡± Eugene encouraged. ¡°¡­,¡± Genos just kept his silence. Eugene prompted him once more, ¡°So when exactly are you going to start leading me to my room?¡± Eugene¡¯s room was in the front keep of the castle, set apart from the rooms where the Knights of the ck Lion and the Elders of the Council resided. Since it would take a few more days for Cyan to finally arrive at the ck Lion Castle, until then, the only ones residing in this section of the castle were Eugene and the castle servants. ¡°Let¡¯s start things off with you reciting all the techniques that have been passed down through your family, Junior Brother,¡± Eugene said as soon as they arrived at his room and he had gottenfortably seated. ¡°¡­There are a total of ten techniques that have been passed down from the founder of our line,¡± Genos slowly revealed. There¡¯s actually ten of them? On the inside, Eugene felt surprised by this, but he just nodded with a calm expression and asked, ¡°So what are they?¡± Slightly suspicious, Genos paused before continuing, ¡°¡­As Senior Brother should already know, since youhaveseen the secret manual, Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques are founded on the use of mana, not weapons. As such, their usage cannot be limited by whatever weapon you wield¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted him, ¡°LIke you said, I already know about all that. So why don¡¯t you just tell me what the ten techniques are already?¡± ¡®Did I really have ten techniques?¡¯Eugene asked himself doubtfully. No matter how much he scratched his head, Eugene really couldn¡¯t understand what this im was based on. In the first ce, the only technique he had developed in his previous life that he felt was significant enough to attach a name to was Ignition, everything else that he had used in battle was just him fighting ording to the situation and what he had on hand. So which bastard hade up with ten techniques to be passed down through Genos¡¯s family? Increasingly doubtful, Genos finally recited, ¡°¡­The ultimate technique of the Hamel Style, Ignition.¡± ¡°Hamel Style¡­? What the hell is that?¡± Hamel demanded. ¡°You mean you don¡¯t know? The Hamel Style is everything that our great ancestor taught to the founder of my family,¡± Genos exined. ¡°That name, could it have been¡­ our great ancestor who personally attached that name to this set of techniques?¡± Eugene asked resentfully. Genos shrugged, ¡°I can¡¯t be sure about that myself, but from the very beginning, the name that has been passed down through our family is the Hamel Style.¡± Eugene dropped his face into his hands as he was ovee by embarrassment,¡®Vermouth¡­. Vermouth, you son of a bitch. If you were going to stick a name to it, you should have chosen a good one. But of all things you went with Hamel Style¡­? Were you insane?¡¯ Ignoring Eugene¡¯s preupation, Genos continued, ¡°Hamel Style Number 1: Mana Parrying.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Eugene silently allowed him to continue. ¡°Hamel Style Number 2: Thousand Thunderps.¡± ¡°Ohmotherfuckeeer,¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t bear to keep listening and had to p his hands over his ears in shame. Watching this, Genos tilted his head with a puzzled expression on his face and asked, ¡°¡­Senior Brother? What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°No¡­ this is¡­ fuck¡­ aargh¡­ just¡­ just keep going,¡± Eugene finally bit the bullet and ordered Genos to continue. Thousand Thunderps? Thou-sand Thun-der-ps? ¡®When exactly did Ie up with a skill like that?¡¯ No matter how much he rifled through his memories, Eugene couldn¡¯t recall a single moment when he had ever shouted ¡®Thousand Thunderps¡¯ while swinging his weapon. 1. In the original text, Genos¡¯s question starts out with using the informal tone and ends with a formal tone. This doesn¡¯t trante well into English, so this alternative was used.? Chapter 81 Chapter 81 Chapter 81: Genos Lionheart (3) Profound mystery of the Hamel Style, Ignition. Number 1: Mana Parrying. Number 2: Thousand Thunderps. Number 3: Lightning Counter. Number 4: Asura Rampage. Number 5: Dragon Burst. Number 6: Cyclone. Number 7: Dead End. Number 8: Poltergeist Aegis. Number 9: Infinite Purgatory. After speechlessly listening to this long list of cringeworthy names, Eugene immediately wanted tomit suicide by sticking his nose in a shallow te of water[1]. In his previous life, had he really ever fought while shouting out the names of his attacks like this? Suddenly, Eugene realized that he actually had. He hadpletely erased those incidents from his memories, never wanting to recall them again, but as he was listening to Genos reciting the names of these techniques with a serious expression, the shameful memories that he had buried in the deepest levels of his mind were being uprooted one by one. ¡ªAsura Rampage! ¡ªWhy is that bastard making such a fuss? ¡ªIt must be because of his over-inted ego. ¡ªWhat the hell does swinging a sword all over the ce have anything to do with an Asura Rampage? ¡ªDon¡¯t you also call out Firest and shit like that when you¡¯re just letting off some fucking fireworks? ¡ªThat¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s because the spell¡¯s name is Firest. I didn¡¯t give it that name¡ª! You should already know that spells can¡¯t function without incantations, so what are you looking at me for?! ¡ªYou too, Anise, when all you¡¯re doing is just shining some light, you shout ¡®Holy Cross,¡¯ don¡¯t you! ¡ªI at least make the light into the shape of a cross. ¡ªIt seems like you guys don¡¯t realize this, but swinging a sword is a lot like using magic. We¡¯re both using the same type of mana, so what exactly is the difference? ¡ªSo what, are you really saying that shouting Asura Rampage makes your technique stronger? ¡ªOf course it does. By letting out a battle cry, you can exert more strength. Although the expressions that Sienna and Anise would make in response showed that they definitely didn¡¯t understand what he was talking about, Molon would always nod his head in appreciation of these words. ¡ªI think it¡¯s cool. Whenever Hamel shouts Asura Rampage while swinging his sword, Hamel really does look like he¡¯s turned into an Asura[2]. ¡ªSee, he gets it. ¡®He gets shit.¡¯Eugene trembled in agonizing embarrassment as he recalled this distant memory. At that time, Hamel had been far too young and immature. But Hamel had just turned twenty, so wasn¡¯t it only natural for him to have been a bit immature at that young age? Eugene confirmed that these were the ten techniques whose names he had called out as he had used them. As time went on, he had stopped shouting each of those named techniques. It had gotten embarrassing to do so, and he hadn¡¯t even needed to call out their names either. As far as Eugene could remember, he had only fought like that, foolishly shouting out the names of his attacks, for a few years. This meant that an overwhelmingly longer amount of time had been spent fighting without needing to shout their names. But Vermouth, that bastard, still recalled each of the names that Hamel had foolishly given them and he taught these names alongside Hamel¡¯s techniques to his own son. His face flushed red in embarrassment, Eugene¡¯s head fell into his hands as his shoulders trembled in shame. Rather than being reincarnated, he should have been returned to the past instead. That way, he would have been able to stop himself from shouting the names of his techniques like an idiot. Or else, he could have just killed the old Hamel with his own hands. ¡®Then I could have killed Vermouth, that son of a bitch, as well,¡¯Eugene thought wistfully. There was also that damn fairy tale. He could understand why Hamel might be less respected than his past life¡¯srades, since he was the first to die, but wasn¡¯t that ridiculous depiction of him going too far? Although he could understand that it might have been done out of a desire to keep the deceased Hamel alive in people¡¯s memories, but still¡­. Eugene cursed,¡®If you were going to allow something like that to be written, then you shouldn¡¯t have reincarnated me.¡¯ Why would you resurrect a deceased person only to force them to read such a damn fairy tale about their life? And now, Eugene was even being forced to relisten to the embarrassing technique names that he hade up with in his youth from aplete stranger. After struggling to get a grip on his emotions, Eugene raised his head. Genos was looking at Eugene with a confused expression. Seeing this look on his face, Eugene once again felt a violent desire to off himself. ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­ are these ten techniques all there is?¡± Eugene asked, avoiding any exnation for his actions. ¡°Yes. Are you implying that there were more techniques than these in the secret manual that you discovered, Senior Brother?¡± Genos asked eagerly. Eugene hesitated as he thought about what to say, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not the case. In there¡­ let alone those ten techniques¡­ there wasn¡¯t even a single technique like those ones written down within the manual.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Genos demanded as his eyes widened in surprise. The gears in Eugene¡¯s head spun desperately as he crafted an exnation. He was faced with a major problem. What should he say here in order to best restore the honor of the deceased Hamel, while also ensuring that those fucking stupid technique names would no longer be passed down to the future generations? ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­ about those techniques. Those are all things that Hamel came up with when he was still young and immature,¡± Eugene exined, gaining confidence. Genos asked doubtfully, ¡°How can you be so sure of that, Senior Brother?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ well, the reason for that is, because the manual I found didn¡¯t have any techniques like that. Although there¡¯s nothing wrong with what our great ancestor may have taught the founder of your family branch, in my opinion¡­ I believe our ancestor may have been recalling the techniques that Hamel had solely used in his youth when he taught your penultimate ancestor, Junior Brother,¡± Eugene theorized. ¡°Indeed¡­ that makes sense, but to think that the techniques that Sir Hamlet used in his youth were so amazing that they remained indelibly imprinted in our great ancestor¡¯s mind,¡± Genos marveled. Just why did Genos keep twisting Eugene¡¯s words like this? Eugene tightly clenched his trembling fists as he continued speaking, ¡°Um¡­ well, I guess you could see it that way. Although he might have been overshadowed by the brilliance of our great ancestor, Sir Hamel was also an exceptional and amazing person.¡± By this point, Eugene no longer felt ufortable saying such things. ¡°In any case, the secret manual I found doesn¡¯t have any of those idiotic¡ªno, I mean embarassing techniques written down in it. Sir Hamel graduated from using such embarrassing techniques as he traveled with our ancestor and umted a lot of experience,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Did you say embarrassing techniques¡­?¡± Genos¡¯s expression hardened slightly as he picked up on Eugene¡¯s words. He narrowed his eyes and red at Eugene as he said, ¡°Even if you are my Senior Brother, I cannot overlook yourments denigrating these techniques.¡± ¡°Huh¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. ¡°Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques have been passed down through our family over a long period of three hundred years, and we have always respected him as our master. My father, who left this world a long time ago, and even my child[3], who is not currently staying in the ck Lion Castle ¡ª every generation of my family has cultivated Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques.¡± As Genos proudly dered this, he ced a slight emphasis on the word ¡®child.¡¯ Although he had epted Eugene as his Senior Brother, Genos was reminding Eugene that he was closer to Genos¡¯s child in age. ¡°These words might seem to being out of the blue, but my child also participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony sixteen years ago. They¡¯re currently twenty-six years old,¡± said Genos, emphasizing once more the difference in their ages. ¡°Oh, is that so,¡± Eugene said to show he was listening. But what was the point of telling him that? Eugene allowed Genos¡¯s words to flow in one ear and out the other. Returning to the main topic, Eugene said, ¡°Junior Brother, I believe that you may be misunderstanding something. I too respect Sir Hamel. Even before I discovered his secret manual, I have always held a great amount of respect for Sir Hamel. Also, it¡¯s not the techniques themselves that I consider embarrassing, but their names.¡± ¡°¡­Their names¡­?¡± Genos muttered in confusion. ¡°Junior Brother. Be honest with me. Let¡¯s ce our hands on our chest, and promise to speak only the truth. Thousand Thunderps? Asura Rampage? Dead End? Dragon Burst? Poltergeist¡­ Aegis? Infinite Purgatory¡­? Don¡¯t you think that these names are really embarrassing?¡± Eugene struggled slightly at the end, but managed to get through the worst of the embarrassment. ¡°¡­Hm¡­.,¡± even Genos couldn¡¯t give an immediate response to these words. After hesitating for a few moments, his gaze wandered aimlessly as he muttered defensively, ¡°¡­Lord Carmen¡¯s ultimate attack is called the Destiny Breaker.¡± ¡°¡­Quite the impressive name,¡± Eugeneplimented sarcastically. ¡°Her Iron Fist Combo is abination that starts with Eclipse, then uses Emperor Blow and Lightning Strike, before finishing with Destiny Breaker. It has a reputation for being particrly fierce and powerful, even among the Knights of the ck Lion,¡± Genos stated. ¡°I think you¡¯re the one who¡¯s a legend for memorizing all of that,¡± Eugene muttered in serious admiration for his memory. Although Eugene had gotten this feeling from the very first moment that he had seen her holding an unlit cigar in between her lips, his great-aunt Carmen Lionheart seemed to be quite the amazing person. Eugene dismissed Genos¡¯s argument, ¡°Sir Carmen is Sir Carmen. But what about you, Junior Brother? Do you also shout something like ¡®Asura Rampage!¡¯ whenever you use it in a fight?¡± ¡°¡­Inside my head I do¡­,¡± Genos muttered quietly. ¡°But are you able to shout it out loud? In front of all your subordinates, all the proud members of the Second Division, can you really shout ¡®Poltergeist Aegis!¡¯ in front of them?¡± Eugene continued applying pressure. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not like you need to say it out loud, right?¡± Genos argued. Eugene celebrated his victory, ¡°See. Even you, Junior Brother, can¡¯t shout out those names in public because they¡¯re so embarrassing! So how do you think Sir Hamel would feel? That¡¯s why he didn¡¯t write the names of those techniques down in his final secret manual. After all, once they¡¯ve been masteredpletely, you can use them without having to shout the names of the techniques.¡± Genos wasn¡¯t able toe up with a response to that, so he just kept his lips tightly shut. Taking pity on him, Eugene changed the subject, ¡°¡­Well, enough about the names of the techniques. Let me take a look at them.¡± ¡°You mean, right now?¡± Genos questioned. ¡°If it¡¯s a bit inconvenient for you to show them to me, you can just write them down for me to read. After all, you know that the way that you apply your mana is different with every technique, so how am I supposed to know where to start?¡± Eugene argued reasonably. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ um¡­.¡± Genos finally let out a long sigh and shook his head, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t mind showing them to you, Senior Brother, but like I said earlier, Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques are incrediblyplex and difficult to learn. As such¡­ even now that three hundred years have passed since then, the teachings of our great ancestor couldn¡¯t be fully reproduced.¡± That was an understandable result. The second son, whom Vermouth had taught personally, might have been incredible enough to learn those techniques with just his own body, but there was no way to guarantee that all his descendants would be as exceptional. ¡®They probably wouldn¡¯t have been able to improve it either,¡¯estimated Eugene. Instead, it might even have degraded. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bitter about this fact. Though this disappointment wasn¡¯t just because his techniques hadn¡¯t been fully inherited. ¡®I should have just founded my own school instead. That way, I would never have had to hear such embarrassing techniques spoken about again.¡¯ Eugene tried to calm the regret simmering inside him. Meanwhile, Genos had obtained a pen and paper from a servant outside and was now sitting down at the room¡¯s desk. ¡°¡­Junior brother, have you ever entered our ancestor¡¯s tomb?¡± Eugene suddenly asked as he was looking out the window. Even as Genos was busily writing with his pen, he managed to answer Eugene¡¯s question, ¡°I went there once, on the day that I became a Captain.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°It¡¯s not just me, everyone who is appointed to be a Captain in the Knights of the ck Lion must enter the tomb of our ancestor at least once, so that they can swear an oath to him that they will defend the family even if it means sacrificing their own lives.¡± ¡°¡­What kind of ce is it?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t picture it as anything too grandiose. I can¡¯t describe it to you in too much detail, as the ce is meant to be kept extremely secret, but unlike Sir Hamel¡¯s tomb, it doesn¡¯t even have a statue or a memorial stone,¡± Genos stopped talking and fell silent for a few moments. ¡°¡­If I had to put it into words¡­ it looks more like a shrine.¡± ¡°A shrine?¡± ¡°Like any one of the many shrines that can bemonly found throughout the world. Although it¡¯s not like the ce is really used to worship a god, it just so happens that the tomb of our ancestor who managed to save the world really resembles a shrine. Perhaps¡­ our ancestor may have be a god after he died and the shrine is meant to honor him. Or maybe that¡¯s just what he wanted.¡± A god. As he continued looking out the window, Eugene¡¯s eyes narrowed. Just like in his past life, Eugene didn¡¯t hold much faith in gods. That¡¯s not to say that he actually questioned their very existence. After all, wasn¡¯t the divine magic that could only be cast by their priests proof of their god¡¯s existence? However, believing that a god existed and having faith in them were twopletely different matters. Rather than a god who could be hiding who knows where, Eugene found that a sword, a spear, or any other weapon that he could hold in his hand was more reliable. ¡®So Vermouth¡­ became a god¡­?¡¯ What if that was the case? Eugene started to feel like this could be a real possibility. He didn¡¯t know about anyone else, but if it was Vermouth you were talking about, he really might have been able to be a god after he had died. Because if that guy really did be a god, then this would exin how he was capable of miraculously reincarnating his deceasedrade. ¡®¡­But if he really did be a god, then there¡¯s no reason for him to have fought with Sienna.¡¯ Then perhaps the one who had broken into his grave hadn¡¯t been Vermouth, but someone else. However, Eugene¡¯s suspicions couldn¡¯t bepletely swayed into believing this line of thought. Because who in the world, other than Vermouth, would have been able to find Hamel¡¯s sealed grave, open up the coffin in order to retrieve Hamel¡¯s corpse, seal away the Moonlight Sword, and then defeat Sienna who hade to stop him? ¡°I¡¯ve finished writing them down,¡± Genos said after a few hours had passed and he got up from his seat. Eugene looked down at the heap of papers that he had been handed, his expression twisting into a frown as he read the very first page. The Hamel Style. ¡®Motherfucker,¡¯Eugene cursed at how awkward it sounded. After needlessly shooting a re at the innocent Genos, Eugene started reading what Genos had written down about this damned Hamel Style. It was probably due to the fact that Genos had taken several hours to write it all down, but his exnation of the Hamel Style was extremely detailed. To the extent where, if you were already good at controlling your mana, you would be able to start practicing the Hamel Style as soon as you obtained these notes. However, it didn¡¯t take Eugene more than ten minutes to read it all, let alone several hours. After reading the whole thing, Eugene flipped back to the first page. Then he read it once more. ¡®¡­It sucks,¡¯Eugene eventually judged. The mana operation instructions themselves were excellent, without anything to criticize. Genos¡¯s ancestor, who had first learned the Hamel Style, must have practiced the White me Form, but his subsequent descendants were not allowed to learn the White me Form. However, the Hamel Style didn¡¯t differentiate between users of the White me Form and the Red me Form, and only concerned itself with teaching the methods of operating their mana. It must have been Vermouth who had improved the Hamel Style to the point where it could be used with both the White me Form and the Red me Form interchanged. Because if it wasn¡¯t for his involvement, there was no way that these instructions could have been as neatly organized as this. However, the connection between the usage of their techniques and their mana fell far behind the refined operation of their mana itself[4] After reading it a few times to confirm his suspicions, Eugene knew that the Hamel Style¡¯s mana operation methods had been adapted so that the difficult andborious physical training was no longer required. This had resulted in the mana operation not being as smooth as it should have been. ¡®It doesn¡¯t just suck, this isplete shit,¡¯Eugene realized as he kept reading. Since the mana operation wasn¡¯t smooth, their connection to the techniques couldn¡¯t help but fall behind. It wasn¡¯t difficult for Eugene to figure out the reason for this. It was clear that the idiots who had inherited the Hamel Style had decided on their own volition to add their own touches here and there, hoping to resolve a few of the things that they felt were inconvenient. It must have been because physical training as a whole had been pushed into obsolescence since quite a while back. Even if it couldn¡¯tpare to the White me Form, the Red me Form was a mana operation method that wouldn¡¯t be looked down on no matter where in the world it was found. As they were already practicing such an exceptional Red me Form, the inheritors of these techniques must have felt that it was unreasonable for them to have to keep up the old-fashioned physical training as well. ¡®And it looks like they even came up with their own ways of efficiently applying mana to their techniques.¡¯ Others might have called these an improvement, but in Eugene¡¯s view, these were nothing more than a regression. Still, they seemed to have worked hard to try and supplement the shorings of their Hamel Style, making the techniques at least usable. ¡°¡­There¡¯s quite a difference between these and what¡¯s written in the secret manual,¡± Eugene muttered as he went over to the desk and sat down. He picked up a pen and then turned to look at Genos, ¡°Junior Brother, does the Red me Form that you¡¯ve learnt also enable you to split off your Cores?¡± ¡°Our form can reach up to the Fifth Star,¡± Genos replied. Eugene continued, ¡°And how many do you have, Junior Brother?¡± ¡°I have all five Stars,¡± Genos dered, puffing up his chest in pride. Although this was something to be proud about, Eugene didn¡¯t really feel much of an emotional reaction. After all, hadn¡¯t even Gargith¡¯s family managed to increase the number of Stars in their Red me Form to five? Or course, even if the number of Stars was the same, the power of their respective forms might still be different, but Eugene felt that Genos¡¯s Red me Form couldn¡¯t be all that different from Gargith¡¯s Red me Form. Eugene hesitated,¡®It would be a bit too much for me to demand that he do physical training at this point¡­.¡¯ He had instructed Cyan to do so, but Cyan was apletely different case. Cyan was still young, and even his White me Form was still in its growth state, so there was no big issue with adding physical training on top of that. However, Genos had already put on a lot of years, and he had mastered his Red me Form to its fullest Chapter 82

Chapter 82: Genos Lionheart (4)

¡®What are they doing in there withouting out all day?¡¯Ciel pouted her lips as she red at the keep. Since they had finally reunited after years apart, she had wanted to share a meal with Eugene, then take him on a tour of the castle, or maybe even go with him on a long walk through the mountains. However, after Eugene had immediately passed the test and entered the fortress, he hadn¡¯t even taken a single step out of his room. Usually, Eugene wasn¡¯t someone who would have stayed locked up in his room, and he would have at leaste on down to the gymnasium to do some training. But perhaps his habits had changed during their time apart, as Eugene hadn¡¯t visited the gymnasium even once. That said, the idea of personally going to visit him somehow pricked at her self-esteem. Ciel red at the castle while kicking holes in the innocent ground. ¡®...They did say that Lord Genos went in there with him¡­,¡¯Ciel recalled. Could it be that they were really trying to persuade Eugene to join the Knights of the ck Lion? This sudden thought caused Ciel to unconsciously grin. Genos Lionheart was the Captain of the Second Division. Although Ciel might have been able to charm most of the adults she had met, Genos was a difficult opponent to ovee, even for her. Ciel wasn¡¯t the only one who found Genos difficult to confront. Among the knights of the ck Lion, Genos could count himself alongside the likes of Carmen and Dominic as one of the most skilled warriors in the entire knightly order. That was why Ciel had made several attempts to build up rapport with Genos, but no matter how much work she put into it, she never seemed to be able to make any progress. Genos had a strict personality, and perhaps taking after their captain, even the knights of the Second Division that was led by Genos didn¡¯t really interact with the other units. ¡®....If possible, it would be a lot better if Eugene joined the Third Division instead of the Second Division,¡¯Ciel yearned wistfully. From the first time that Carmen had met Eugene, she had intended to offer him the position of squire to the Captain of the Second Division. Even in Ciel¡¯s view, this was quite the attractive proposition. It was an offer to be the squire of not just any Captain, but Captain Genos, who was known to have outstanding skill evenpared to the other Knights of the ck Lion. Ciel continued her train of thought,¡®After all, the Second Division rarely stays for long at the ck Lion Castle¡­.¡¯ Although the contents of their training were different for each Division, the training of the Second Division seemed especially harsh whenpared to the other units and emphasized actualbat. Although they were currently staying in the castle in order to take part in the Coming-of-Age Ceremony, the Second Division¡¯s usual routine was to wander the most uncivilized regions of the continent. So, if it was at all possible, Ciel hoped that Eugene would enter the Third Division instead of the Second Division. After all, it wasn¡¯t like there were any disadvantages to doing so, right? If they could belong to the same unit, then they could stay together no matter where the unit went. They could share meals together every day, wear the same uniform, and even receive the same training¡­. Ciel just stood there absentmindedly as she imagined what Eugene would look like wearing the uniform of the Knights of the ck Lion. After giggling to herself like this, Ciel turned around and left without any regrets. ¡®Seeing as they¡¯ve been talking so long, it looks like Lord Genos¡¯s persuasion seems to be working.¡¯ Since that was the case, she shouldn¡¯t interfere. If it was the strict Lord Genos who was talking to Eugene, there was no way that he would be swayed by Eugene¡¯s silver tongue; and even Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to disregard Lord Genos, who was both skillful and shared a simr attitude to Eugene when it came to training. But what if it was Carmen trying to convince him? ¡®...Lady Carmen is¡­ of course she¡¯s a good person, but¡­,¡¯Ciel trailed off without finishing her thought. In any case, Ciel was having fun imagining that Eugene mighte to think positively about joining the Knights of the ck Lion. As long as he became Genos¡¯s squire to start with, wouldn¡¯t she eventually be able to coax him to transfer over to her Division? Ciel felt like she was overflowing with confidence as she thought of this. With a wicked smile on her face, she walked away from the part of the castle where Eugene was staying. Not a single thought in this wicked girl¡¯s head was given to her poor twin brother. What reasons were there for her to care about that brother of hers, who had been beside her ever since they were born and whom she had spent eighteen years of her life living with? In any case, it wasn¡¯t like he had any truly deplorable sides to him like Eward had, so Cyan was sure to arrive at the castle after oveing the various difficulties lying in wait for him. On the next day, after finishing her breakfast in a hurry, Ciel headed straight to the front of the castle. Normally, she would have been training under Carmen¡¯s watchful eye, but since the day before, Carmen had been upied with the Council meeting. ¡®What¡¯s so important that they have to discuss it for more than a day?¡¯Ciel idly thought to herself. As far as Ciel knew, the current state of the Lionheart n was pretty peaceful. Among the many coteral branches, there were no misbehaving families, and even the barbarians beyond the southern border of the empire had been keeping to themselves for the past several years. Under these circumstances, Eward was the only thing consistently upying the attention of the Knights of the ck Lion. Even now, the Lieutenant of the Sixth Division was away from the ck Lion Castle, having been assigned to keep an eye on Eward in the Bossar Fief. Ciel shrugged,¡®Although I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on¡­.¡¯ For now, it didn¡¯t have anything to do with Ciel. Could today be the day that Eugene finally came out of his room? Carrying these high expectations, Ciel arrived at the guest quarters in the castle. Ciel¡¯s eyes blinked in surprise as she took in the scene that greeted her. In the center of a broad gymnasium, Genos was swinging his sword. Eugene was standing at a slight distance, observing Genos¡¯s movements. From her first nce at this scene, Ciel could only think of one exnation for this. Ciel immediately pasted on a bright smile and walked over to Genos and Eugene. Noticing her arrival, Genos stopped swinging his sword, and preemptively shot a nce at Eugene. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Eugene asked in ce of a greeting. This would¡¯ve been enough to offend almost anyone else, but Ciel didn¡¯t seem to take any offense and instead just smiled cheerfully. ¡°So you¡¯ve decided to be Lord Genos¡¯s squire, right?¡± Ciel asked confidently. This had to be the case. If not for that, then there was no reason for the two of them to have been out here in the gymnasium so early in the morning. On top of that, Genos seemed to be showing Eugene a demonstration of his sword techniques for teaching purposes. ¡°You¡¯ve made a good choice. Lord Genos is the most skilled warrior, even amongst the Knights of the ck Lion,¡± Cyan ttered Genos to further ensnare Eugene. Ciel wasn¡¯t actually spouting nonsense either. Dominic, for instance, had the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth, while Carmen had been taught the White me Form. Since Genos was just as strong as either of them despite not having any kind of special advantage, it was safe to say that he was the most skilled amongst all the Knights of the ck Lion. ¡°...Um¡­ Ciel.¡± Genos spoke up as he hesitantly shot a nce at Eugene. Since they were both members of the Knights of the ck Lion, Genos felt no need to address Ciel as ¡®Young Lady¡¯. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re misunderstanding something.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Ciel looked at him questioningly. ¡°I haven¡¯t taken Young Master Eugene as my squire,¡± Genos exined. Ciel¡¯s eyes widened at these words. Barely managing to hold on to the smile that threatened to slip from her face, Ciel tilted her head to the side and asked, ¡°What exactly do you mean by that? Didn¡¯t you spend a long time talking to Eugene about it yesterday?¡± Genos hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Ciel kept speaking, ¡°And aren¡¯t you teaching Eugene your sword techniques right now? Why would you be guiding him in your sword techniques if you haven¡¯t even taken him as your squire?¡± The one who was receiving guidance was actually Genos himself, but it was impossible for him to admit to such a thing. Although he hadn¡¯t drawn on his mana when he was performing the technique, the move that Genos had been demonstrating was the Dead End recorded among the Hamel Style techniques. Dead End! This was a skill that worked in conjunction with Asura Rampage to drive one¡¯s opponent into inevitable doom. By spraying out a dense of sword-force like a spider¡¯s web with the Asura Rampage, this brilliant sword technique could restrict an opponent¡¯s movements before finishing them off¡­. ¡°Although I haven¡¯t be his squire, I can still receive some instruction on swordsmanship, can¡¯t I?¡± Eugene responded to Ciel¡¯s questions with an apathetic expression. This was of course just an excuse. There was not a single thing that he could learn from the Dead End that Genos had just performed. Inside Eugene¡¯s head, there were countless techniques that were cleaner and far more deadly than that. Of course, there was no reason to disparage Genos¡¯s skill because of this. Even when looking at him from the perspective of Eugene¡¯s previous life, Genos was an extremely skillful warrior. However, since Genos¡¯s abilities were rooted in the Hamel Style, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but have an overwhelming advantage over him if it came to a battle. ¡°Why?¡± Ciel whined, her cheeks puffing up as she pouted. ¡°What do you mean, why?¡± Eugene changed the subject. ¡°Have you eaten beforeing here?¡± ¡°...I have,¡± Ciel sulkily admitted. ¡°But I haven¡¯t eaten anything yet,¡± Eugene informed her. Sessfully distracted, Ciel asked, ¡°What have you been up to that¡¯s so important that you still haven¡¯t eaten?¡± ¡°I was just nning on getting something to eat when I had the time,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Sir Genos, why don¡¯t we head on inside now and get something to eat? Or would you prefer to return to your own quarters first?¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll get something to eat once I¡¯ve returned to my quarters,¡± Genos replied with a cough as he sheathed his sword. Judging from the situation, it seemed that Ciel would also be taking part in the meal, and Genos was afraid that he might make a mistake and reveal something that he shouldn¡¯t if put on the spot. What if he idently let slip the words ¡®Senior Brother¡¯ while Ciel was in hearing range? Genos was well aware of how wicked and maniptive Ciel Lionheart could be. Although it had been less than two years since she had joined the Knights of the ck Lion, she had been able to firmly establish her footing with a smile that allowed her to get out of any trouble, as well as her own cunning maniptions. If he spilled the words ¡®Senior Brother¡¯ in front of Ciel, she would definitely not allow the slightest mistake to slip past her. Genos had no desire to have his weakness seized by this youngdy and used to y with him¡­. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, it looks like I¡¯ll be eating alone,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ll eat with you,¡± Ciel insisted. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you just ate beforeing here?¡± ¡°I only ate a little bit, so it¡¯s fine.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get fat if you eat too much,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°Do I look like I¡¯ve gotten fat?¡± Ciel coldly asked with narrowed eyes. While this conversation was taking ce, Genos had quickly left the room with a cautious, stealthy stride. Eugene eyed Ciel uncertainly, ¡°I think you have a little?¡± ¡°I just grew a bit taller and put on some muscle,¡± Ciel retorted as she stormed off ahead of Eugene. However, it seemed like Eugene¡¯s usation continued to bother her. Although she did apany Eugene to the dining room so that they could eat together, Ciel barely touched her food and just rested her chin on a cradle formed from her hands. Despite Ciel¡¯s tant and heavy gaze resting squarely on him, Eugene just continued to eat without any distractions. ¡°...Does it taste good?¡± Ciel eventually asked. Eugene gave hispliments, ¡°It looks like they¡¯ve got some good chefs here.¡± ¡°If you join the Knights of the ck Lion, you can eat delicious food like this every day,¡± tempted Ciel. ¡°You really are persistent,¡± Eugene merely replied. ¡°After I¡¯ve worked so hard to try and persuade you, can¡¯t you just pretend not to notice and let me win?¡± Ciel whined. Eugene denied her the satisfaction. ¡°I prefer winning over losing.¡± ¡°Who in the world doesn¡¯t want to win when they can?¡± Ciel muttered as she pouted her lips. Even so, she decided to give up and stop bothering Eugene any further. Ciel¡¯s stubbornness was strong enough that it wouldn¡¯t lose to anyone, but Eugene¡¯s stubbornness was just as strong. Changing the subject, Ciel asked, ¡°...So what did you do in Aroth?¡± ¡°How quick of you to ask,¡± Eugene noted sarcastically. ¡°Yesterday wasn¡¯t the right time to ask you about it,¡± Ciel excused herself. Instead of answering her question, Eugene had one of his own. ¡°So what do you expect me to say to you?¡± ¡°You¡¯ll probably say that you were busy studying magic.¡± ¡°See, looks like you¡¯re already well aware of what I was up to.¡± ¡°But apart from that, wasn¡¯t there anything else that you were busy with? I¡¯ve heard that you also got close to Aroth¡¯s Crown Prince during your time there.¡± ¡°What does that have to do with me being busy?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you invited to any of the parties or social events hosted by the Royal Family? Or else¡­ did Sir Lovellian ever introduce you to the promising young wizards of Aroth?¡± Ciel asked tentatively. Eugene stopped eating, only to burst out intoughter, ¡°Do you really think that I would enjoy that kind of thing?¡± ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t.¡± Reassured by Eugene¡¯s answer, Ciel smiled bashfully. ¡°Still, don¡¯t you think that you should slowly umte some experience with those sorts of things?¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow. ¡°You and I will both soon be adults. That means we¡¯ll be old enough to attend parties and be expected to socialize.¡± ¡°Hey now, someone take a look at what this girl is saying. So, since you¡¯ve been quiet up until now, you¡¯ve decided that once you be an adult, it¡¯s okay for you to party hard, right?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not like that, but¡­. if it¡¯s partying around with you, I think it¡¯ll be a lot of fun,¡± Ciel admitted. ¡°Why are you just leaving your brother out of the equation?¡± Eugene asked with amusement. ¡°My brother has a lot of people looking to drag him out for some fun apart from me and you. Besides, I think that my brother will be extremely busy starting from next year. Many noble families, and maybe even the royal families of other nations, will be trying to introduce their eligible maidens to him,¡± as she said this, Ciel leaned her body closer to Eugene. ¡°He might even be the earliest of all of us to get married. ¡°This is supposed to be a secret, but there just so happens to be a young princess from the Sea Kingdom Shimuin. She might be a long way away from seeding the throne, but she¡¯s still a member of the royal family.¡± ¡°So what about her?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that she might be engaged to Cyan. Nothing has been finalized yet, but the Elders of the Council are pushing forward the proposal,¡± Ciel lowered her voice as she continued. ¡°And it¡¯s not just Shimuin either. You know about the Ruhr Kingdom, right? The princess of that country is also one of Cyan¡¯s prospective spouses.¡± The Ruhr Kingdom¡­. The moment that he heard that the princess was from there, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but imagine something that was, by all rights, an unimaginable sight. The princess was a descendant of Molon, so if the princess just so happened to resemble Molon¡­. Eugene suddenly pictured in his head a Molon who had grown his hair out and was wearing a poofy dress. At the same time, he also recalled the sight of Gargith wearing his formal garmentced with ruffled fills. Eugene gagged, ¡°Disgusting¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so disgusting?¡± Ciel asked in surprise. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. Anyway, so how old are the princesses in question?¡± ¡°The princess of Shimuin is the same age as us, but¡­ the princess of Ruhr should currently be nine years old?¡± ¡°Are you really saying that Cyan could be getting married to a young girl who¡¯s currently just nine years old?¡± ¡°What does it matter that she¡¯s currently nine years old? It¡¯s not like she¡¯s going to be staying nine forever.¡± ¡°I just can¡¯t see it that way. Cyan getting married to someone who¡¯s ten, or moreyears younger? That would be a crime not even the heavens can forgive.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you''re not interested in anyone who is younger than you?¡± Ciel asked, her eyes sparkling with interest. ¡°...I would just prefer it if any romantic partner I had was around the same age¡­¡± As he said this, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel a strong sense of disassociation. Although he had been reincarnated, if you based his age on when he had been first born, Eugene was over three hundred years old. Eugene realized something,¡®The only ones whose ages are close to mine are¡­ the elves or maybe¡­ the dragons¡­.¡¯ No, just because someone had been around three hundred years ago, that didn¡¯t mean that they were necessarily three hundred years old. In his past life as Hamel, he had died at the age of thirty-eight, and with his twenty years as Eugene, he could technically be considered to be in his fifties. As such, if he was looking for someone in her fifties, that would be someone like¡­ Carmen, Tanis, Anci, or Melkith. Eugene decided to stop thinking about this. ¡°...Anyway, I don¡¯t think that age is really that important,¡± Eugene confidently stated. ¡°Why are you going back on your words?¡± Ciel asked in disappointment. ¡°The human heart has always been like a leaf in the wind[1],¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Still, if we go by what you said earlier, you would prefer someone who is of a simr age to you over someone who is younger than you, right?¡± Ciel persisted in asking. ¡°Why are you treating this like such an important issue?¡± ¡°Just when do you n on getting married?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any ns to do so, though?¡± Ciel¡¯s expression immediately froze stiff. ¡°Why not?¡± she immediately demanded. ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that marriage is a blessing?¡± ¡°...Aren¡¯t we a bit too young to have to start talking about marriage already?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°If Cyan gets married before you do, that means you¡¯ll have lost to Cyan.¡± ¡°Why would me getting marriedter than Cyan count as losing to him?¡± ¡°Who exactly is getting married?¡± a voice demanded as the door to the dining room was mmed open. Without any surprise, Eugene calmly turned his head to face the new arrival. This was because he had detected signs of Cyan¡¯s presence before thetter had even opened the door. However, since Ciel wasn¡¯t able to do this, she couldn¡¯t help but stare at Cyan with a surprised expression on her face. ¡°Why have you arrived so early?¡± she asked. ¡°Are you disappointed by my premature arrival?¡± a shabby-looking Cyan spat out as he panted harshly. He had wandered through the forest for an entire day, fighting ghosts, monsters, and knights. He hadn¡¯t been able to even eat or drink anything, let alone get some sleep. ¡°...I thought you would be lost for a few days at least,¡± Ciel muttered in disappointment. ¡°Who the hell do you think I am?!¡± Cyan roared angrily as he staggered over to them. After having gone through all kinds of hardship and finally arriving at the ck Lion Castle, he hadn¡¯t even been properly greeted with a single word of congrattions. This was because the Patriarch and all the Elders of the Council were still gathered around the round table, having their discussions. If it was just that, then Cyan could have endured it. However, the news that Eugene had arrived at the castle a day earlier than him had made Cyan¡¯s heart boil over with frustration. Even though he had been well aware that Eugene wouldn¡¯t find things as challenging as he had, he had still expected Eugene to have arrived earlier that morning. Instead¡­ Eugene had made it to the castle less than an hour after they had both fallen into the forest! ¡°Did you get to see a lot of ghosts?¡± Ciel asked him teasingly. ¡°...Don¡¯t say anything about ghosts,¡± Cyan threatened her. Ciel ignored his warning, ¡°If you¡¯re here, does that mean you were able to defeat the ghosts?¡± Cyan defended himself. ¡°...Well, you can slice a person, a monster, or a demonic beast to death with a sword, but there¡¯s no way to slice a ghost to death.¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, ghosts are just a type of undead. They¡¯re still just monsters, so whycan¡¯tyou kill them? The reason why you weren¡¯t able to kill them is just that you¡¯re too weak, isn¡¯t it?¡± Ciel taunte. ¡°...The undead and ghosts are different. The ones I¡¯m afraid¡ªno, I mean, the ghosts that Ihateare different from the ghosts that are considered part of the undead.¡± As he dered this with a scowl, Cyan sat down next to Eugene. Eugene pinched his nose to block off theplex and noxious stench, seemingly a mixture of various different scents, that was wafting over from Cyan. ¡°Your body is giving off a rotten odor,¡± Eugene used him. ¡°I¡¯m already aware of that, so just be quiet. After I get something to eat, I¡¯ll wash up and go to sleep,¡± muttering this, Cyan grabbed some cutlery for himself. However, Cyan wasn¡¯t able to wash up and get some sleep as he had nned. This was because, as soon as their meal was over, the butler arrived bearing a message. ¡°An important guest will be arriving soon, so please make your preparations and head over to the warp gate,¡± the butler ryed. ¡°...Is the guest really so important that we all need to go out to meet them?¡± Cyan asked with a look of despair on his face. ¡°But I didn¡¯t hear anything about a guest arriving?¡± Ciel inquired with a puzzled expression. These words caused the butler¡¯s expression to stiffen slightly as he bowed his head and exined, ¡°We also haven¡¯t received any word to be prepared for a guest. It is likely¡­ that they have been specially invited to join in the meeting held at the round table.¡± ¡°So, who are they?¡± Ciel asked, as he got up from his seat. The butler announced, ¡°The guest soon to be arriving is Auxiliary Bishop Kristina, from the Holy Empire.¡± Chapter 83 Chapter 83 Chapter 83: Kristina Rogeris The Holy Empire Yuras had imed Helmuth¡¯s border province of Alcarte as its diocese[1]. As part of the concessions established by the Demon Kings, the province served as a bridge between Yuras and Helmuth. But could the demonfolk really find salvation through faith? In Eugene¡¯s opinion, such a thing was absolutely impossible. In the first ce, it was both foolish and useless to proselytize your faith to the demonfolk, who had already rebelled against the gods. However, it wasn¡¯t just the demonfolk who lived in Helmuth. Even after excluding the ck wizards and their dependents, there were actually quite a lot of ordinary people living in Helmuth ¡ª namely, those who had signed a contract with the demonfolk and now worshiped the Demon Kings. They had chosen to do so not just for any absurd reason, but for a most realistic and reasonable exchange. Helmuth was a human-friendly country. The citizens there were guaranteed a minimum standard of living even if they didn¡¯t do any work. Vast numbers of demonic beasts had been bound as familiars to the Demon King and performed any difficultbor in ce of the country¡¯s citizens. And it wasn¡¯t just demonic beasts either. There were also the undead which had been raised by high-ranking demonfolk and ck wizards. These non-human monsters would do all the work in ce of the humans, or at least in ce of the humans who would otherwise be engaged in agriculture, so the vastnd of Helmuth was usually covered with the golden color of wheat, regardless of the season. The citizens of Helmuth did not have to pay their taxes in money. The taxes that they were made to pay each month came in the form of their easily recoverable life-force[2], and they were far from onerous. And if they wished, a citizen could even enjoy quite a luxurious life in Helmuth by mortgaging their soul. As long as they paid off the mortgage before they died, it was even possible for them to reim their mortgaged souls. And if they weren¡¯t able to reim their souls? Well, then the price of the luxury they had enjoyed in life would have to be repaid after they had died. In other words, they would be transformed into undead ves upon their deaths. However, the world was full of idiots who wanted to live in luxury and enjoy the glory that came with wealth, even it meant bing undead ves once they died. Helmuth had no problem epting the immigration requests of these idiots. Ten years, that was all that the Demon King of Incarceration asked in return from these new citizens of his country; their post-mortem period ofbor would be restricted to ten years at the very most. So in return for several decades of a happy life in Helmuth, they would only have to work for ten years after their death. Although the cost of immigrating to Helmuth was quite high, it wasn¡¯t so much that those desperate to do so were unable to afford it. As such, the Alcarte Diocese hadn¡¯t been established for the sake of the demonfolk; instead, its purpose was to convert the humans who had settled down in Helmuth. Even though they had sold their souls to the damned demonfolk and their Demon Kings, as long as they possessed a firm faith, they would be able to ascend to heaven, even if it was only after they had finished theirbor term¡­. The Alcarte Diocese peddled the ¡®salvation¡¯ desired by those idiots who had chosen to exchange the wealth and glory they had experienced in life for harshbor after they had died. And the one who assisted the Diocesan Bishop in charge was Auxiliary Bishop Kristina Rogeris. She was the adopted daughter of one of Yuras¡¯s three cardinals, and she was a candidate for continuing the lineage of saints that Anise had been a part of. Although she couldn¡¯t currently be called a ¡®Saint,¡¯ Kristina was the only actual candidate that Yuras had put forth to be a Saint, so within the next few years it was certain that she would officially inherit the title of Saint. ¡®¡­Something about her¡­,¡¯Eugene narrowed his eyes as he stared into the distance. When they arrived, Eugene and Cyan had been dropped out of the sky, but there was actually a warp gate within the ck Lion Castle. Currently Eugene, Cyan, and Ciel had alle out of the castle and were waiting together in front of the warp gate. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who hade out to greet their guests. All the knights within the ck Lion Castle were here, and even the Elders and the Patriarch, who hadn¡¯t left the round table since the day before, were present and waiting in front of the warp gate. Their presence was an indication of just how important this sudden visitation was. ncing at the elders, Eugene noticed that there were signs of agitation written all over their faces, then he turned his gaze back towards the warp gate. Eugene finished his previous thought,¡®¡­is familiar.¡¯ Just a few moments prior, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina had stepped through the warp gate. Arriving with three escorts, Kristina took a look around her and then lifted her skirt slightly in a curtsey. ¡°Thank you for the impressive wee,¡± she greeted them. She wore a white veil that was fixed to her head with a tiara, but this didn¡¯t pose a huge obstacle to checking her facial features. Eugene continued to squint his eyes as he stared at Kristina¡¯s face. Anise Slywood, Eugene caught the appearance of thisrade from three hundred years ago within Kristina¡¯s features. Although he couldn¡¯t tell if these simrities continued to their personalities, Kristina¡¯s face so resembled Anise¡¯s that he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if she was somehow descended from Anise. ¡°¡­We weren¡¯t aware that you would truly being in person,¡± Doynes stepped forward and spoke to her. ¡°After receiving a call that necessitated my presence, of course I would choose to answer it,¡± Kristina exined with a soft smile as she bowed her head. Eugene noticed the short wand that Kristina had hanging from her waist. The shining golden wand had a cross ¡ª the symbol of the God of Light ¡ª attached to its end, and from just a quick nce, Eugene could tell that it was far from an ordinary weapon. ¡°¡­A call that necessitated your presence, you say.¡± Doynes repeated her words. ¡°You mean that there is a reason for you to havee in person?¡± ¡°Of course there is. However, since it is not something that should be discussed out here, please lead the way inside,¡± Kristina requested. Soon enough, following Doynes¡¯s lead, the elders and Gilead turned around and headed back inside. Apanied by her pdins, Kristina trailed after the elders, but for some reason she suddenly stopped walking and turned her head toward Eugene and the others. Eugene and Kristina¡¯s gazes collided in mid-air. Kristina stared at Eugene for a few moments, before showing a faint smile. Her eyes also seemed to curve into smiles as she did so. Even in this, she resembled Anise. Eugene stood there nkly for a few moments, unable to take his eyes off of Kristina. ¡°¡­Have you two met before?¡± As Kristina walked away, Ciel poked her elbow into Eugene¡¯s side and questioned him in a low voice. ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Then why did she look so happy to see you?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± ¡°She might have been smiling at me instead,¡± Cyan muttered in a low voice. Then, in a pointless gesture that only confirmed the obvious, he lifted an arm, sniffed his own armpit, and, with an anxious expression on his face, whispered, ¡°Do I really smell that bad?¡± Eugene confirmed it, ¡°Yep, it kinda smells like dogshit that¡¯s been left out in the rain.¡± ¡°Then could she have turned to look at me because she caught the smell¡­?¡± Cyan trailed off in dread. ¡°If that was the case, then why would she have been smiling?¡± Eugene pointed out. Cyan muttered despondently, ¡°She might have been smiling to keep herself from frowning at such an important time.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t feel the need to reply. That evening, after Cyan had left to find a bed to pass out in, Eugene was finishing up his dinner alone. ¡°Young master.¡± A servant approached Eugene as he was sipping some tea to refresh his mouth. ¡°A guest hase looking for you.¡± ¡°A guest? Who? Is it Lord Genos?¡± Eugen asked with a curious tilt of his head as he set down his teacup. He couldn¡¯t think of any other guests who woulde looking for him at a time like this ¡ª apart from Genos, that was. However the servant shook his head, with a stiff expression on his face. He replied, ¡°No, sir. It is Auxiliary Bishop Kristina.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Eugene asked in surprise as he rose from his seat, recalling the Saint candidate who had looked at him with a smile in her eyes. ¡°Pleased to meet you, I am Kristina Rogeris,¡± Kristina introduced herself, having already entered the hall leading into his quarters. After taking in the slight smile that she wore on her face, Eugene bowed his head slightly and greeted her, ¡°I am Eugene Lionheart. May I ask, why the sudden visit?¡± Kristina hadn¡¯t brought any of her escorts into his quarters with her and waspletely undefended. However, Eugene sensed presences making themselves tantly known from outside his quarters. These were the Pdins of Yuras. Unlike regr knights, these pdins were able to control both mana and divine power at the same time. ¡®Since they were deemed strong enough to escort a Saint candidate, I¡¯m sure that they must be quite skilled,¡¯Eugene estimated. Under ordinary circumstances, he might have been interested in seeing how strong the pdins really were, but for now he could only set that aside. Eugene first had to deal with Kristina, who was openly staring at him. Although he had already sensed this when he had caught sight of her from afar, Kristina¡¯s face truly resembled that of Anise¡¯s. Eugene suspected,¡®She might really be Anise¡¯s descendant.¡¯ As far as the world was aware, Anise hadn¡¯t left behind any descendants. Although this was partially due to the fact that Anise had beenbeled a Saint, the Anise that Eugene was familiar with was never the type to unconditionally follow the church¡¯s doctrines. She had even drunk alcohol while calling it holy water, so it was entirely possible that she might have secretly had a descendant without anyone knowing about it. That said, it wasn¡¯t like he could suddenly ask Kristina, who was still just a stranger, about her ancestry. So for now, Eugene just asked, ¡°¡­Is there something that you need from me?¡± Although Eugene had been treating her politely, out of consideration for the fact that they were still strangers, it seemed that Kristina had no intention of following suit. ¡°Please pardon me,¡± Kristina spologized as she reached out her hand and grabbed Eugene by the wrist. ¡®What is she trying to do?¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly flustered. Although Eugene had predicted Kristina¡¯s movements in advance, he couldn¡¯t figure out the reason behind her actions. Soon, a tingling electric current began flowing from where she was gripping his wrist. Eugene¡¯s brows furrowed at this, but he didn¡¯t try to pull himself free of Kristina¡¯s hands. Kristina was still looking up at Eugene with a wide smile on her face. ¡°¡­Are you done?¡± Eugene asked, after a few moments had passed. The tingling sensation spreading from his wrist had stopped. Yet, even so, Kristina was still holding on to it. After fiddling with Eugene¡¯s wrist, she boldly ran her eyes up Eugene¡¯s forearm. ¡°Is there a reason why you just did that?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Your forearm seems quite strong,¡± Kristinamented. Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°I¡¯m hoping that you¡¯re not just touching me because you wanted to feel me up.¡± ¡°I heard that you personally faced the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Kristina finally exined before letting go of Eugene¡¯s wrist with a nod. ¡°Havinge face-to-face with a Demon King, there was a risk that your mind and soul may have been tainted with his Demonic Power.¡± ¡°And so, was my mind and soul tainted by the Demon King?¡± Eugene asked, confident of the answer. ¡°Not at all,¡± Kristina said. ¡°They¡¯re bothpletely clean without a trace of contamination.¡± Eugene snorted. Back then, The Demon King of Incarceration had descended upon the site using the Death Knight¡¯s body as his vessel. Although he might not have been so certain of this had the Demon King of Incarceration decided toe out in person, there was no way that Eugene¡¯s soul was so weak that it would be tainted after facing just that. Eugene got back to the main point, ¡°So did youe here just because you were worried about me?¡± ¡°Though that was part of it, I was also curious about you,¡± Kristina admitted. Eugene smirked, ¡°It seems that rumors of my exploits have even spread to the Holy Empire.¡± ¡°Rumors are rumors, but I have also received a revtion,¡± Kristina said, as she looked up into Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°¡­A revtion?¡± Eugene asked, uncertainly. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°What kind of revtion?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it would be difficult for me to reveal that to you Sir Eugene, as you have not yet converted to our faith.¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t even tell me what it says, why tease me by making me aware that it exists?¡± Eugeneined. ¡°I just wanted to make you aware that God had given his blessing to our meeting,¡± Katrina dered piously. God? Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a deep scowl. He should have known. If there was any being capable of delivering a revtion to this Saint in front of him, it had to be the God of Light, who all of Yuras worshiped. However, Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t just ept these words at face value. Even someone like Anise had never once received a divine revtion. Thus, to a certain extent, Anise¡¯s participation in Vermouth¡¯s journey was done at the will of the Holy Empire, not at the will of their God. ¡°¡­Have you finished your business with me?¡± Eugene eventually inquired. ¡°Not at all,¡± Kristina said, shaking her head. She reached out her hand once more to grab Eugene by the wrist, ¡°The meeting held at the round table is finally over. Since the Elders of the Council have decided to open the door to the tomb, let us visit the tomb together.¡± ¡°¡­Will you also be entering the tomb, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. ¡°Yes, that is why I came here in person,¡± Kristina exined. Eugene voiced his suspicions, ¡°Is this also because of the revtion?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina replied with a smile. Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t tell what Kristina¡¯s true intentions were, and once again, this fact reminded him of Anise. Since Kristina was the one who had taken liberties with him first, Eugene decided that there was no need to be so polite with her. ¡°¡­Would it be alright for me to ask you a question?¡± Eugene spoke up as Kristina led him down the hallway. ¡°Auxiliary Bishop Katrina, I have heard that you are currently the only candidate for the position of the Saint. Is that because you have inherited the legacy of the ¡®Saint¡¯ through your bloodline?¡± ¡°Your question sure is quite sudden,¡± Katrina responded. Ignoring her evasiveness, Eugene continued, ¡°I have been studying magic for the past two years in Akron. Auxiliary Bishop Kristina may not be aware of this, but within Lady Sienna¡¯s Hall, there is a ce where she left behind the images of herrades from three hundred years ago.¡± These words caused Kristina¡¯s steps to falter for a few moments. As her eyes narrowed into a thin smile, she turned around to look at Eugene. In response to her silent smile, Eugene justgrinned and said, ¡°This of course include my ancestor, the Great Vermouth, as well as the Brave Molon, the Stupid¡­ Hamel, and the Faithful Anise. I was able to see all of their appearances.¡± ¡°How fortunate for you,¡± Katrina said drily. Eugene got to the point, ¡°There, I happened to get a good look at Lady Anise¡¯s face. I¡¯m not sure how you¡¯ll take this, but you just so happen to greatly resemble Lady Anise, Auxiliary Bishop Katrina.¡± ¡°Although thates as quite a surprise, I am grateful for your words,¡± Kristina said as she let go of Eugene¡¯s hand and bowed her head deeply. ¡°For you to have seen a resemnce to the Lady Saintess from long ago in this servant, I, who have yet to graduate from being a mere candidate¡­. Perhaps this too may be due to a miracle from God.¡± ¡°Can a mere facial resemnce really be called a miracle?¡± Eugene questioned doubtfully. Instead of answering Eugene¡¯s question, Kristina continued, ¡°Perhaps Lady Anise may even be my ancestor. If that is the case, that would be quite amazing.¡± ¡°Though I¡¯ve heard that Lady Anise didn¡¯t leave behind any descendants,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Though that may be what the world believes, beneath the title of a Saint even Lady Anise was still only human, so she may have desired descendants,¡± Kristina argued. ¡°How much do you know about me, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m aware that you are Cardinal Rogeris¡¯s adopted daughter,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Yes. I was abandoned as an infant by my birth parents. My parents, whose very names are lost to me, ced me in a basket and discarded me at the door of a monastery, in the hopes that the priests of the God of Light would take me in,¡± Kristina reached out once more and caught Eugene¡¯s wrist in her hand. ¡°Because of that, I know nothing about my bloodline or about my ancestors. However, since Sir Eugene ims that he can see a resemnce to the Faithful Anise in my features, then I really do suspect that she might be my ancestor,¡± said Kristiana with a giggle. ¡°If that really is the case, then it would be truly fortuitous and amazing, but it would also be slightly distressing. From what Sir Eugene has said, if I really am the descendant of Anise¡­ wouldn¡¯t that mean that one of parents was still unable to care for their own child despite also being a descendant of Anise?¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what to say to this, so he just shrugged his shoulders. He didn¡¯t miss the reaction that Kristina had shown when she had first heard him say that she resembled Anise. Kristina hadn¡¯t seemed overly flustered. As if she had heard it many times before. Once he had given it some thought, Eugene realized that there was no way that Anise¡¯s appearance would have gone unrecorded by the Holy Empire. Just like what Eugene had felt upon seeing Kristina, the priests of the Holy Empire must have also sensed a resemnce to Anise¡¯s appearance in Kristina. How many children were left abandoned in front of a monastery each year? For an abandoned child like her to have caught the eye of a Cardinal, there must have been some kind of reason behind it. Eugene decided not to continue asking questions about her rtionship to Anise. Perhaps that snake-like woman really had started a family without anyone knowing about it, even as she went around as a Saint. Maybe she had even started a family while wandering around on her pilgrimage. That was all up to Anise. But what was clear was that it couldn¡¯t be the least bit pleasant to keep bothering Kristina, who might not even be Anise¡¯s descendant, about it. ¡°¡­The night air sure is cold,¡± Eugene muttered as he pulled out a thick robe from within the Cloak of Darkness and handed it to Kristina. No matter how cold the night air was, it wasn¡¯t like Kristina was incapable of making her own preparations to handle the cold. Eugene was also well aware of this, but the offer was still meaningful as the actmunicated his good will to her. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Kristina said with a faint smile as she took the robe and wrapped it around her body. She didn¡¯t feel the need to turn down Eugene¡¯s good will. ¡°Are we heading to the tower with the round table?¡± Eugene finally asked. ¡°Nope,¡± Kristina replied. As the closed door to his quarters swung open, the pdins waiting outside his quarters bowed to Kristina. Then they raised their bowed heads and eyed Eugene, but that was all that they did. The pdins did not move to follow Eugene and Christina as they left. Kristina revealed once they were in private, ¡°We will be heading to the back of the castle.¡± Then she pulled up the hood of her cloak and led the way forward. 1. A diocese is a territory with several churches, under the jurisdiction of a bishop.? 2. The readers may recall that this is the same substance that the subus den on Bolero Road extracted from their clients.? Chapter 84 Chapter 84: Kristina Rogeris (2) Gold strands of hair escaped from her hood and shook in the air as Kristina walked beneath the moonlight. Eugene stared at Kristina¡¯s back as he followed her. Every dragon has a reverse scale. Although she hadn¡¯t shown anything on the surface, when he had mentioned Anise earlier, Kristina¡¯s smile had faltered slightly. Eugene licked his lips as he felt his heart pounding from the tension. ¡°Um, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Eugene decided to apologize for now. At this, Kristina, who was still walking ahead of him, shrugged her shoulders andughed, ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden apology?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just, well¡­¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°I think I might have been a bit too careless with my earlier question.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to feel that way. Weren¡¯t you just asking because you don¡¯t know me very well, Sir Eugene? Having seen Lady Anise¡¯s appearance, it was only natural for you to have some doubts about me,¡± Kristina said as she turned her head slightly to look back at Eugene. ¡°Also¡­ don¡¯t you have quite a lot of interest in the heroes from three hundred years ago, Sir Eugene? That only makes it more understandable that you would have such questions.¡± ¡°A lot of interest?¡± Eugene repeated curiously. ¡°There are a lot more people paying attention to you than you seem to be aware of. As the foster-child of the main family¡­ that alone would have made you stand out, but your talents, Sir Eugene, are such that even Aroth¡¯s high-brow Tower Masters were forced to recognize you, no?¡± Kristina asked as she looked forward once more. As she regained her previous speed, she continued talking. ¡°...While Hogani may be part of Nahama¡¯s territory, it has also been designated as a holy site by the Holy Empire. Every year, many believers make a pilgrimage to that holy site. Naturally, this means that the Holy Empire has many eyes watching that holynd.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene silently processed this. Katrina confessed, ¡°It might be unpleasant for you to hear this, but I was already informed of what you were up to during your stay in Hogani.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not enough to piss me off. I had already noticed that I was receiving a lot of attention while I was in Hogani,¡± Eugene replied with a snort. Eugene and Laman had stayed together in Hogani for less than a week. In that short span of time, Eugene had indeed felt a great number of eyes watching him. There hadn¡¯t been any hostility in those gazes, so he hadn¡¯t bothered to evade them. Since there had also been that matter with Amelia Merwin hanging over his head, Eugene hadn¡¯t wanted to kick up a fuss and draw her attention. As such, he had left his watchers alone, but he had kept up constant vignce while their gazes were directed at him. From the priests who had prayed to the statue of Anise, to the believers in the God of Light who carried the cross ¡ª the symbol of their God ¡ª around their necks or wrists, and even the knifeden warriors of Nahama¡­. ¡°The way that the Holy Empire has been paying attention to me, is that also because of the revtion?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°Pardon me for repeating what I said earlier, but I am afraid that I cannot reveal anything to you, as you are not a member of our faith,¡± Katrina repeated her refusal. ¡°I remember that, but I really can¡¯t help but be curious about it,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°I informed you about it because I hoped that it would arouse your curiosity,¡± Katrina cheekily admitted. ¡®She¡¯s got a nasty personality,¡¯ Eugene thought as his face twisted into a scowl. Not only did her face resemble Anise, Kristina¡¯s wretched personality also reminded him of his oldpanion. Could Katrina really be Anise¡¯s descendant? ¡®...It would be jumping to conclusions to decide that Kristina is Anise¡¯s descendant just because of a resemnce between their faces and personalities. In the first ce, wouldn¡¯t it be strange for Anise¡¯s descendant to so closely resemble her after a whole three hundred years have passed.¡¯ Currently, there was no descendant in the Lionheart n¡¯s main family whose face resembled that of Vermouth¡¯s. The only resemnce that could be seen between the ancestor and his descendants was in their gray hair and golden eyes. Perhaps it was just a ¡®coincidence¡¯ that Kristina¡¯s face resembled Anise¡¯s. Blonde hair and blue eyes were a fairlymon pairing. In fact, her facial features and appearance weren''t exactly identical to Anise¡¯s. To put it bluntly, it was the characteristics and the aura of a ¡®Saint¡¯ that had yed no small part in reminding Eugene of Anise. However, it was true that their looks were simr. That could be why she had been taken in by the Cardinal in the first ce ¡ª so that he could raise her as a copy of the Saint¡­. The more Eugene thought about it, the moreplicated he felt. Anise hadn¡¯t talked much about her past. In fact, she hadn¡¯t been the only one; aside from Molon and Sienna, neither Hamel nor Vermouth had enjoyed bringing up stories from their pasts. However Anise¡¯s attitude towards her past had been different from that of Hamel or Vermouth. Anise hated her past. Although she had never said so directly, Eugene¡ªno, Hamel had gotten that feeling from her. They had traveled together for a very long time after all. While going through all sorts of hardships, they had shared a lot of talk about this or that. Bringing up ¡®memories¡¯ was a simple way to pass the time, and it was good to talk about them over drinks. Sienna would rave about how beautiful the elven forest where she had spent her childhood was. And whenever she brought this topic up, Molon also seemed to be unwilling to lose to her, as he would brag about how magnificent the northern snowfields where his tribe lived were. Whenever they started talking like that, Vermouth and Hamel preferred to pick holes in the others¡¯ stories rather than tell their own stories. Just like Hamel, Vermouth has also lost everything he had to the demonfolk. As for Anise, unlike them, she hadn¡¯t lost her hometown. After all, she had been born in the Holy Empire, Yuras. Even now, after three hundred years had passed, it was a powerful country that still reigned strong as one of the three empires. Even so, Anise strangely seemed to hold no desire to talk about the Holy Empire. She spoke about the God of Light several times, but she barely said anything about the Cardinals of the Holy Empire who had been involved in raising her. Hamel didn¡¯t know what it had been like for Anise, growing up in the Holy Empire. However, considering her silence and the way her smile would have a different twist to it from her usual look, and when he thought about ¡®how¡¯ Anise had be Vermouth¡¯srade, it wasn¡¯t difficult to imagine that being a Saint was quite a shitty position to be in. Anise was able to be Vermouth¡¯srade, all because the Holy Empire had ordered her to do so. The reason why Anise had joined Vermouth¡¯s journey, and had gone on his mission to save the world, was simply that it was the will of the Holy Empire and of her God that she do so. ¡°The path continues down there,¡± Kristina informed him as she came to a halt. The two of them had arrived at the rear of the ck Lion Castle and were now standing in front of a cliff, the bottom of which could be seen far below. Eugene walked up next to Kristina, and looked down at the bottom of the cliff. The first thing that came into view was the forest below. In the mountain ridges beyond the forest, they could see wyverns and other flying monsters soaring through the sky. ¡°...How far down?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact location, but we should be able to spot it as we¡¯re falling,¡± Kristina assured him. ¡°Ah-sheesh,¡± Eugene let out a sigh as he shook his head. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is that, without taking any safety measures, our next step is just to throw ourselves off the cliff?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t like you¡¯ll be falling alone, right, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina encouraged him. Eugene checked, ¡°Do you know how to use flight magic, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina?¡± ¡°Of course I know how to use it,¡± Kristina said with a wide grin as she offered her hand to Eugene. Eugene narrowed his eyes and stared at her hand in confusion. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°Since we¡¯re going to the same ce anyway, there¡¯s no need for us to fall separately, no?¡± Kristina proposed cheerfully. ¡°Really now¡­¡± Shaking his head in exasperation, Eugene took Kristina¡¯s hand. Then, Kristina immediately pulled Eugene with her as she threw herself off the cliff. Clicking his tongue at her daring behavior, Eugene pulled in his cloak that was pping in the wind and wrapped it tightly around his body. After a while, he thought to himself, ¡®Could it be that we need to fall all the way to the bottom?¡¯ The fall was long enough that Eugene couldn¡¯t help but consider this question. At some point, Kristina had gotten closer to Eugene, as if she were asking to be embraced. Eugene, who had still been staring at the ground far below, turned his gaze towards Kristina. Instead of looking at the ground, Kristina was staring straight at Eugene. As their eyes met, Kristina smiled at him with just her eyes. She extended one of her fingers and poked Eugene in the chest. ¡°If we die from falling like this, do you think we will go to Heaven?¡± Kristina asked teasingly. ¡°Did you trick me into falling because you wanted to lead me into Heaven?¡± Eugene returned the question. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to go to Heaven, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°I do want to go there eventually, but I don¡¯t want to leave for Heaven already.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it seems that I won¡¯t be able to apany you there.¡± Kristina giggled and pulled out the wand she carried at her waist. The blue jewel embedded in the center of the wand¡¯s cross emitted a dazzling light. The blinding light immediately engulfed Eugene and Kristina, forming a pair ofrge wings. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ Eugene felt warmthing from the light surrounding him. This light¡­ was divine power. A Holy Magic spell, the Wings of Light. It was one of the divine spells that Anise had most enjoyed using. Eugene turned his head to look behind him. Eugene gasped, ¡®...?¡¯ For a moment there, Eugene saw the figure of an angel with its wings spread open. Its appearance was so majestic and divine that even Eugene, who didn¡¯t believe in gods, was shocked. At the same time, it conveyed to him a strong sense of dread. This wasn¡¯t his first time seeing an angel. Three hundred years ago, Anise had summoned angels several times through the use of high-leveled divine magic. However, the angel he had seen back then¡­ had a different appearance from the one he was seeing right now. The current angel had its eyes closed and a benevolent smile on its face. Its face was also exactly identical to that of Anise¡¯s, to the point where it gave him goosebumps. Soon, he could no longer see the angel¡¯s figure.. The majestic wings of light slowed their fall and then wrapped themselves around Eugene and Kristina. Eugene gaped wordlessly for a few moments, before his face twisted into a frown. ¡°...What was that just now?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kristina asked in turn. ¡°Just now¡­ that angel¡­,¡± Eugene faltered. Kristina tilted her head in confusion at these muttered words. ¡°...An angel? Sir Eugene, have you been taking any hallucinogens?¡± ¡°...¡± Eugene wordlessly shook his head. ¡°The name of this Holy Spell is the Wings of Light. It¡¯s not the kind of high-level Holy Spell that can cause an angel to appear. However, since the spell will be able to keep us both safe as we fall from this height, you don¡¯t need to worry about any threat to our lives,¡± Kristina reassured him. It seemed that Kristina suspected that Eugene had seen a vision of an angel because he was worried about falling to his death. Eugene asked no further questions and kept his lips locked up tight. This wasn¡¯t the time for questions. Space suddenly distorted. This wasn¡¯t a phenomenon caused by the Wings of Light. Surprised by this, Kristina unfurled the Wings of Light. The feathers of the wings then scattered into light and disappeared. Thud. Eugene and Kristina¡¯s feet touched the ground. Eugene suppressed his rm and took in his surroundings. A few seconds prior, Eugene and Kristina had been falling to the bottom of the cliff. But now, let alone the cliff, he couldn¡¯t even see the mountains or the forest. They had been drawn into a strange space. The grass in the field below was green and the sky was blue. There was no sun hanging high in the supposed sky, but the sky was blue and bright. There was no wind, but the grass in the field was swaying. Eugene slowly crouched down and tried touching the grass. The feeling he got from touching it was no different from that of real grass, but at the same time, he couldn¡¯t feel any presence of life from the grass. It was the same with the soil. ¡°...So this ce was created using spatial magic,¡± Kristina muttered, causing Eugene to nod along. Of course, it was impossible to create a subspace of this size with just a simple grasp of magic. One of Akron¡¯s floors was dedicated to the Hall of Space. Although Eugene had touched on the highest levels of spatial magic while studying there, among all the spells that he had seen, none of them were able to create a subspace of this size. ¡®Sienna¡­ no, could it have been Vermouth?¡¯ Eugene spected. Since Vermouth was also an Archwizardparable to Sienna in skill, Eugene suspected that it would have been possible for Vermouth to create a subspace thisrge. Eugene rose back to his full height and looked ahead. On the other side of the fieldy a beautiful garden. In the center of the flowers, Eugene spotted a white shrine. Though it wasn¡¯t just an ordinary shrine. In front of the shrine, a stone statue of Vermouth had been erected. Eugene stared at the statue for a few moments, before walking over to the shrine. As he was drawing close to the shrine, Doynes and Gilead emerged from within, with Doynes asking as soon as he saw them, ¡°Don¡¯t you find this ce quite beautiful?¡± Doynes stared at Eugene and Kristina with a faint smile on his face. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the need to guard this tomb, I would have left it open for all the members of the Lionheart n to pay their respects,¡± Doynes admitted. ¡°...I¡¯m sure that our ancestor would be happy to receive the honor and respect of his many descendants,¡± Eugene spoke up. ¡°Haha. So it seems that you share my opinion. However, it was none other than our ancestor himself who created this ce. If he had wanted to receive the honor and respect of his descendants, there was no need for him to have built his tomb in such a troublesome-to-reach ce like this,¡± Doynes said as he looked up at the statue. ¡°...Hm¡­. About Sir Hamel¡¯s statue¡­ I think it would be good for you to ce it opposite this one. What do you think?¡± ¡°...I¡¯m sure that Sir Hamel would be satisfied with cing it anywhere here,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°But we also still need to consider whether our ancestor would be satisfied with its cement. Well¡­ I don¡¯t think it would be so bad to ce it there either. Since this statue of the founder has been on its own for three hundred years, I¡¯d like to believe that it would be meaningful to set up a statue of an old friend nearby so that they can stay here together,¡± Doynes said, and then kept his silence for a few moments. So far, he had simply been leading the conversation in ce of the silent Gilead, but now his gaze turned to Kristina before he continued on to more serious matters, ¡°...In order to open the path leading to this space¡­ it requires both the seal of the Patriarch and the seal of the Council Head. These two keys were personally created by our great ancestor, and he also left a message that his tomb should not be entered unless the position of the main family¡¯s Patriarch is being seeded or if a new Captain of the Knights of the ck Lion is being appointed.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that something like this is unprecedented,¡± Kristina spoke up in acknowledgment of the point he was making. She nced down at the flowers that were swaying at their feet. Just like the grass of the field, the flowers below were only for the sake of appearances and moved with a strange lifeless harmony. She continued, ¡°I also understand why you may want to rebuke my presumptuousness, but I am here for an important purpose, so important that it even excuses subverting such a long-standing tradition.¡± ¡°We¡¯re just worried that now might not be the best timing for whatever it is you¡¯re here for,¡± Gilead spoke up. ¡°...As long as Lady Kristina is following the will of the Holy Empire, how can a mere n like our Lionheart family disobey the will of a god?¡± Gilead¡¯s gaze left Kristina and turned to Eugene. His gaze wasn¡¯t scolding Eugene, nor was it filled with displeasure from being ced in such a situation. There was only regret and concern for Eugene reflected in his eyes. Gilead didn¡¯t want his son to have to be involved in such an unprecedented visitation. Gilead continued, ¡°Lady Kristina. You have visited us at a time like this, and have stubbornly insisted on apanying my son in his request to enter our ancestor¡¯s tomb. As the Patriarch of the Lionheart n, I have the right to ignore such a presumptuous demand, but I chose not to ignore your request out of consideration for the long-standing alliance between the Holy Empire and ours Kiehl Empire, as well as the friendship that has been passed down from our great ancestors.¡± ¡°I, too, feel the same way.¡± Doynes nodded in approval of Gilead¡¯s words. ¡°Lady Kristina. You told us that you wouldn¡¯t be able to inform us of your reason for making this demand until you had entered the tomb. You spoke of a ¡®revtion¡¯, and that now that the Demon King of Incarceration has spread his warning to the whole world, the long era of peace is about to be shattered. For a revtion to be given under such circumstances¡­ it must be for something that cannot be ignored. So now that we are here, please, release the tight lock that you have kept on your own lips.¡± ¡°Then allow me to say this,¡± Kristina said, as she stepped past Eugene and ced herself in the center of the room. She raised the wand that she had still been holding ever since their entry into this space in front of her chest, and with her other hand she slowly drew her own name in mid-air. ¡°I am Kristina Rogeris, the adopted daughter of Cardinal Michael Logeris, Auxiliary Bishop of the Alcarte Parish, and the only Saint candidate in the entire Yuras Holy Empire. From now on, I will be representing the will of the Pope, and I stand here before you as the newly confirmed Saint, having received a revtion from the God of Light. Doynes and Gilead¡¯s eyes widened at this calm deration. However, Kristina didn¡¯t pay attention to their surprise and simply continued, ¡°Now then, please open the coffin of the hero.¡± ¡°...What on earth are you saying¡­?¡± Doynes responded after collecting his wits. ¡°The Great Vermouth, the Hero who ended the Era of Cruelty by forcing an Oath onto the Demon King of Incarceration, the Master-of-all, our greatest Hero. As the founder of the Lionheart n, he was a wless person who truly deserved to be called a hero. With there being no other hero who has aplished deeds as great as Vermouth¡¯s, then surely Vermouth should have been the first to enter heaven on his passing, before anyone else,¡± Kristina dered suggestively. For now, Eugene just kept quiet and listened to Kristina speak. Gilead and Doynes were ovee with astonishment, that was quickly giving way to rage, but there was not a single reason for Eugene to feel upset with how things were ying out. On the contrary, this situation was perfect for Eugene. The tomb wasn¡¯t just simply sealed away with magic, it was locked up tight, and without the seals that had been divided between the Head of he Council and the Patriarch it would be impossible to open the door to this ce. On top of that, Vermouth¡¯s tomb wasn¡¯t located within a barrier as he had expected, but instead within this subspace. It was absolutely impossible for the current Eugene to forcefully open a door leading to this ce. If that was the case, would it be possible for him to do so in the future? Eugene couldn¡¯t be sure of an answer. But wasn¡¯t Kristina now telling them to open Vermouth¡¯s coffin all on her own? ¡°Havinge this far, I¡¯m not sure you understand what you¡¯re telling us to do,¡± Doynes said, no longer smiling. ¡°All discussion about our ancestor¡¯s tomb was alreadyid to rest over three hundred years ago. The Holy Empire canonized our great ancestor as a Saint, and formally ceded the Holy Sword to the Lionheart n as a symbol of their friendship with him. With that, the connection between the Holy Empire and the Lionheart n became even stronger than before and has developed into a sacred bond.¡± ¡°Yes, of course that¡¯s the case,¡± Kristina agreed with him. ¡°In an era of peace, that alone would have been taken as confirmation enough. However, now that the Demon King of Incarceration has issued his warning, the world is destined to no longer be at peace.¡± ¡°And what does that have to do with opening up our ancestor¡¯s coffin? Also, what did you mean by prattling on about Heaven?¡± Doynes demanded. ¡°The Great Vermouth¡¯s soul has not entered Heaven,¡± Kristina confirmed as she raised her hand and pointed at Vermouth¡¯s statue. ¡°In the revtion, it was said that the soul of a hero continues to wander without any rest. That is why I, as the Saint, must perform a final check on the hero¡¯s remains.¡± ¡°...Are you¡­ aware¡­ of how disrespectful¡­ your current words are¡­ to the Lionheart n?¡± Gilead ground out slowly, unable to hide his anger. He unconsciously manifested a ming white mane of mana as he red at Kristina, and beside him, Doynes also red at Kristina with narrowed eyes. However, Kristina wasn¡¯t even the slightest bit hesitant. Instead, she just nodded her head with a heavy smile. ¡°I have no intention of undermining the great hero¡¯s many aplishments,¡± Kristina dered. ¡°...¡± Gilead and Doynes remained silent. Kristina confidently argued, ¡°Yet, instead of mindlessly praising the great hero, we should at least confirm his final moments. We, who are living in this world three hundred years after thest war finally ended, are not able to fully understand the events that urred during that era. Just why did such a great hero have to beid to rest so quickly? Why did the Wise Sienna go into seclusion so suddenly, and then why did the Faithful Anise disappear during her pilgrimage? Why has the Brave Molon not apparead in this world since a hundred years ago?¡± Kristina resumed walking forward. Crossing the field of flowers, she approached Doynes and Gilead as she continued her diatribe. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the heroes defeat the remaining Demon Kings? What kind of Oath was made between the Demon King of Incarceration and the Great Vermouth? I¡¯m afraid that we don¡¯t know anything about it. Not even God knows what urred at that moment. All He can say is that the soul of the hero has not entered Heaven. That is why we should at least check the tomb, in order toy our suspicions to rest.¡± ¡°...Would rejecting your request be going against the will of your god?¡± Doynes demanded. ¡°We have no desire to enforce the authority of our faith on those who don¡¯t believe in Him, Nevertheless, in this case, yes. As a believer in our God, I would feel a great disappointment at your rejection,¡± Kristina confessed. Even back then with Anise, Eugene had this thought several times that it was a damned annoying reasoning to im that it was all god¡¯s will. No matter what you said in response, after they had put forward that it was the will of their god, they no longer needed any other reason to keep pushing through what they had decided to do. As a believer, their god¡¯s will was absolute. To those who didn¡¯t believe in their god, their words might sound like bullshit, but it was also hard to just disregard their revtions when the believers ced so much faith in them. ¡®How lucky,¡¯ Eugene silently cheered. Now, of course, there was no reason for Eugene to get involved in this troublesome matter. As he tried not to show any obvious interest in the oue, he kept watching this situation unfold with as stiff a face as he could manage to hold. ¡°...What in the world are your reasons for involving my son in this ¡®confirmation¡¯ of yours?¡± Gilead demand. ¡°That is also part of the revtion, but I¡¯m afraid that I cannot say any more on that just yet,¡± Kristina regretfully excused herself. Gilead¡¯s tone grew snide, ¡°¡®Saint¡¯ Kristina, do you really understand just how ridiculous and offensive you¡¯re revealing yourself to be[2]?¡± ¡°That may be, but this is all the will of God, as well as the will of His Holiness the Pope,¡± Kristina defended herself.[3] ¡®She absolutely refuses to lose the argument,¡¯ Eugene noted. Anise was just like that. Eugene stared at Kristina¡¯s back, gob-smacked at her stubbornness. ¡°...A confirmation, you say,¡± Doynes muttered. He tightened his hands into fists for a moment before loosening them, then he turned to nce at Gilead and said, ¡°I will follow the Patriarch¡¯s decision in this.¡± ¡°...Are you sure?¡± Gilead asked in surprise. ¡°Even though I am in a position that requires me to lead the Council of Elders, I still can¡¯t take over for the Patriarch when ites to deciding such issues. However, as Head of the Council, while I will unconditionally abide by the decision made by the Patriarch, I will never allow it to develop into a problem in the future,¡± Doynes vowed. Gilead was silent for a few moments as he lost himself in thought. Eventually, he let out a long sigh and then grinned bravely. ¡°I never imagined that I would actually get to open our ancestor¡¯s coffin with my own hands,¡± Gilead muttered as he turned around and walked away. ¡°Please, follow me.¡± Chapter 85 Chapter 85 Doynes did not enter the shrine along with the others. ¡°How could someone like me, who isn¡¯t even the Patriarch, dare to examine the remains of our great ancestor?¡± Doynes said. He shook his head while releasing a long sigh, then he bowed his head toward Kristina. Eguene didn¡¯t say anything useless, and just quietly stuck to Kristina¡¯s side. ¡®After havinge this far, there¡¯s no way that they¡¯ll turn to me and give me some bullshit about not being allowed to apany them in, right?¡¯ Eugene told himself this, but he still decided that it was best to be cautious. So far, things had worked out quite well for him. If he was kicked out now, right at the most important moment, he would no longer just stop at having no faith in God ¡ª Eugene would be actively hostile to the divine being. While he was entertaining such thoughts, Eugene nced at Gilead¡¯s back. He thought with some concern, ¡®It must be very stressful for him.¡¯ The memory from earlier, of Gilead angrily defending the safety of Eugene as if he was Gilead¡¯s real son, lingered in Eugene¡¯s mind. Since Eugene already had Gerhard, he couldn¡¯t really think of Gilead as his father. However, he acknowledged the fact that Gilead was a good person, and he had sensed a lot of concern and fatherly loveing from Gilead. That was why he couldn¡¯t help but feel that Gilead was in a very pitiful position. The eldest son had smeared shit all over the face of his father and his n, and now a Saint who hade to visit was stubbornly insisting on opening up their ancestor¡¯s grave. ¡®Bing a Patriarch? Like hell I would do that. Absolutely never,¡¯ Eugene swore as he felt a shudder run down his back. Setting aside his pity and any other emotions, Eugene reaffirmed his decision once more. If he was forced to join the Knights of the ck Lion instead, he could deal with it, but he absolutely couldn¡¯t bear bing the Patriarch. No, he didn¡¯t even want to be a Knight of the ck Lion either. Eugene just wanted to live his life the way he wanted to. ¡°What a mysterious ce.¡± Having been following Gilead silently, Kristina suddenly spoke up. ¡°A subspace of this size¡­. It has a sky and a field, flowers, and even a shrine¡­. Although it all looks gorgeous at first nce, the appearances are only skin-deep. In fact, there seem to be no decorations within the shrine either.¡± ¡°¡­That was the will of our great ancestor,¡± Gilead admitted in a quiet voice. ¡°He forbade all of his descendants from decorating his tomb, and he also forbade the Lionheart n as a whole from adding any ornamentation. He also told us that we are not to worship his tomb, nor use it as a symbol of our respect for him.¡± ¡°¡­Worship and a symbol¡­,¡± Kristina muttered. ¡°It seemed that he truly wanted to avoid bing an idol[1].¡± ¡°Normally, even the statue of Sir Hamel would not be allowed to be ced here. However, strictly speaking, it¡¯s not a decoration arranged by his descendants, nor is it an ornament arranged by the Lionheart n¡­¡± Gilead paused for a moment and looked back at Eugene. ¡°..after all, the fact that Eugene is a disciple of the Wise Sienna takes precedence over his identity as one of Vermouth¡¯s descendants. Also, as thest to pay tribute to Sir Hamel¡¯s grave, my son has inherited the right to decide what to do with the recovered artifacts. That is the decision that the Council and I havee to on this matter.¡± ¡°What a beautifulpromise,¡± Kristina said with a bright smile. The atmosphere around the three was still chilly, but she smiled without any sign of restraint. ¡°To think that a friendship from three hundred years ago would be resurrected here. To think that Hamel¡¯s grave was lost to the entire world¡­. For Sir Eugene to have found his way into the grave, it surely must have been God¡¯s will,¡± Kristina confidently stated. ¡°¡­Was the fact that Sir Hamel¡¯s grave was damaged and his body desecrated in order to create a Death Knight, also part of God¡¯s will?¡± Eugene asked with a bitter expression. At this snide response, Kristina slowly shook her head and replied, ¡°Of course that was not God¡¯s will. That was why he used you as a ray of light to illuminate the darkness lurking so deep underground.¡± What amazing leaps of logic. Eugene just snorted and shook his head. Anise had been just as tant as Kristina in using her god as her excuse for anything. ¡®Even so, I was never once able to win an argument with her,¡¯ Eugeneined to himself. Could shitty logic and stubborn rhetoric be the basic skills taught to all clergy? For now, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but assume that this was the case, having seen such examples in both Anise and Kristina. ¡®¡­It does look pretty shabby,¡¯ Eugene noted as his eyes roamed around the interior of the shrine. Just like Kristina had said, while the shrine seemed very grand on the outside, it was pretty shabby on the inside. There weren¡¯t any of themon murals or paintings that usually decorated shrine walls, and no patterns had been engraved onto any of the pirs. Eugene felt that something like this better suited Vermouth¡¯s personality than something extravagant. Then, he recalled Hamel¡¯s grave, which had already crumbled into ruins. Before it had been demolished, it looked to have been a pretty decent grave. There had been a statue and even a memorial stone dedicated to Hamel. The pirs and walls had also been carved with Anise¡¯s prayers and Sienna¡¯s magic formations. However, this shrine had absolutely no decoration. There weren¡¯t even any prayers written down, and he couldn¡¯t see a memorial stone either. On the stone statue of Vermouth that stood in front of the strone, the only thing engraved below the statue in an impersonal handwriting was his own name, Vermouth Lionheart. Vermouth Lionheart. The handwriting that this name had been written in matched Vermouth¡¯s handwriting from Eugene¡¯s memories. Recalling what was written on the stone in Hamel¡¯s grave¡­. Vermouth had to have written the name on his tombstone with his own hands. Eugene had a hard time imagining what that had felt like. ¡°¡­Wait here for a few moments,¡± Gilead instructed as he came to a halt. Within the shrine, a white coffin had been ced right in the center. After staring at the coffin for a few moments, Gilead slowly knelt down. Although Gilead didn¡¯t tell him to follow suit, Eugene also got onto his knees. He was paying his respects not to his ancestor, but to his deceasedrade¡­ an old friend. Eugene felt aplicated feeling stir within him as he closed his eyes and bowed his head. Kristina was also doing the same thing. She had gently gotten down onto her knees and ced her hands together in front of her chest in a prayer. For a brief moment, all three of them spent some time paying their respects to the deceased. After a while, Gilead was the first to rise. As he tried to quell the feelings that surged within him, Gilead turned towards Kristina. ¡°¡­Come closer,¡± Gilead instructed. Eugene slowly got up and raised his head as Gilead and Kristina approached the coffin. His heart was pounding from the tension. Eugene couldn¡¯t believe that he would truly be able to check the contents of Vermouth¡¯s coffin so soon. ¡®¡­Please,¡¯ Eugene pleaded sincerely. ¡®Just¡­ please be lying peacefully inside the coffin. Whether it¡¯s an intact corpse or a mummy, whether it¡¯s rotted into a mess or only the bones are left, just about anything would be fine. As long as your corpse¡­ is still lying here.¡¯ If Vermouth really was lying in his coffin, then Eugene could finally be relieved of these suspicions that he couldn¡¯t bear to believe were true. Who was the one who had ced the Moonlight Sword in Hamel¡¯s grave? The one who had shed with Sienna in the process of doing so? ¡­The one who had made some stupid fucking promise¡­ with the Demon King of Incarceration? ¡°I¡¯m opening it now,¡± Gilead nervously dered. If Vermouth really had passed away and was lying in there, that alone would be enough to give Eugene some peace of mind. Even if Vermouth had been involved in his reincarnation, that wasn¡¯t something that Eugene could really me him for. However, what if Vermouth truly was the one who had fought with Sienna, arade with whom they had both gone through so many hardships, and had forced Sienna to have no choice but to retreat? Then, there was how that motherfucker Incarceration had talked about being friendly with Vermouth. If the person that the Demon King had pped his lips about and acted like he was in a close rtionship with, really was Vermouth. ¡®Then I¡¯ll¡­.¡¯ Then Eugene definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to ept it. He wouldn¡¯t even try to ept it. He wouldn¡¯t want to understand it. And he wouldn¡¯t be able to understand even if he wanted to. Because it was him, then Vermouth couldn¡¯t be allowed to do something like that. If it were anyone else, then they shouldn¡¯t do that either, but Vermouth, he especially, definitely couldn¡¯t be allowed to do something like that. The Demon King yer. The Hero. God¡¯s Chosen. The God-of-War. The Master-of-All. The Great Vermouth. He definitely, definitely couldn¡¯t be¡­. ¡°¡­As expected,¡± Kristina let out a long sigh as she saw the contents of the coffin. Gilead staggered backward in shock. Eugene finally closed his intensely stinging eyes. Blood dripped down from his tight fists. He unclenched his fists once, then clenched them again to stop the blood from dripping and hide the wounds. ¡°There¡¯s nothing inside here,¡± Kristina voiced the obvious. Creak. It sounded like Eugene¡¯s mrs were about to shatter under the strain. But at the moment, Eugene felt like he wouldn¡¯t care even if they did shatter. Without any regard for the n or for proper etiquette, he wanted to tear down this shrine and smash it into pieces. No. He just didn¡¯t want to stay here any longer. ¡°¡­Since three hundred years have passed¡­ it¡¯s possible that not even the body was left¡­,¡± Gilead croaked out in a trembling voice. From his tone, they could feel that even he wasn¡¯t confident in what he was saying. ¡°I have heard stories where the remains of holy figures sublimated and disappeared,¡± Kristina conceded as she looked down into the empty coffin. ¡°¡­However¡­ if that truly was the case, then the soul of the Great Vermouth should have already entered Heaven.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Gilead was silent in the face of this cogent argument.. ¡°At the very least, what we can be certain about, is that Sir Vermouth was notid to rest here,¡± Kristina stated firmly. Gilead¡¯s eyes wavered. His lips pped soundlessly, unsure of what to say, and his gaze kept switching between looking at the empty coffin and at Kristina¡¯s face. Eventually Gilead managed to squeeze out the words, ¡°¡­Are you saying¡­ that our ancestor didn¡¯t die, and instead just disappeared?¡± ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what his reasons were for doing so, at the moment, I have no choice but to assume that,¡± Kristina said as she turned around. Without any trace of amusement on her face, she gazed up at the ceiling for a few moments. When her lips parted once more, she called out a name. ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± Eugene opened and closed his blood-stained fists again, then raised his head to look at Kristina. He had already guessed that this would be the result of their check. He hadn¡¯t wanted to believe it was true, but there were too many events involving Eugene that couldn¡¯t have been possible without Vermouth having been behind them. Hamel¡¯s keepsake left in the main family¡¯s treasure house; Sienna defeated; the Moonlight Sword stored in Hamel¡¯s grave; all of these things couldn¡¯t have been done without Vermouth¡¯s involvement. The problem was¡­ why had he done these things? If his sole purpose was to reincarnate Hamel, there was no reason for Vermouth to have kept such secrecy. They were Sienna, Anise, and Molon ¡ª if Vermouth had just exined the situation to them, even if they didn¡¯t understand what he was doing, they would have at least epted it. But Vermouth hadn¡¯t done that. What was even more damning was the fact that the Demon King of Incarceration knew about Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, while his ownrades probably had no clue. All of these discoveries made Eugene feel like shit. He tried his best to control his emotions, and stopped his killing intent from leaking. However, he had no attention to spare for his facial expression. His face felt awkward and unfamiliar to him, as if he was wearing a mask. Unconsciously, Eugene reached up and touched his own cheek. His blood, which had yet to dry up, was smeared across his cheek. ¡°¡­Allow me to disclose the rest of the revtion,¡± Kristina continued speaking. ¡°Eugene Lionheart, from this moment on, I dere you to be the sessor of the Great Vermouth, and our next Hero.¡± What the hell¡ª ¡°This deration is made by the will of the God of Light, who has sent down His revtion, and it has also been recognized by His Holiness the Pope. As the Demon King of Incarceration has yet to take any action other than a warning, we cannot announce this to the world, but I am to apany you as Saint of the Holy Empire and Witness of the Light,¡± Katrina proimed one-sidedly. ¡ªwas she talking about now? Eugene snorted and red at Kristina. Gilead was unable to hide his surprise as his gaze shifted between Eugene and Kristina. ¡°¡­The next Hero? What in the world do you¡­?¡± Gilead trailed off in confusion. ¡°At a time like this, when the Demon King of Incarceration has issued such a warning, Sir Eugene¡¯s existence is by no means a coincidence,¡± Kristina stated confidently. These words rang a huge rm bell in Gilead¡¯s chest. This was embarrassing to admit, but Gilead had also thought the same thing at several points. Eugene Lionheart, the son that he had adopted six years ago¡­ was so amazing that his aplishments were unrivaled in the three hundred years of history of the Lionheart n. ¡°This isn¡¯t part of God¡¯s revtion, but¡­ I believe that Sir Eugene might even be the reincarnation of Vermouth,¡± Kristina held her cross-headed wand tightly in front of her chest as she continued speaking. ¡°If that was the case, it would also exin why the great hero¡¯s soul has not entered heaven. In order to address the imminent crisis that the world is about to face, the hero¡¯s soul has reincarnated itself in the body of his descendant.¡± ¡°¡­Haha¡­.¡± Eugene had decided to hear her out, but now he was so perplexed that he couldn¡¯t help butugh at the absurdity. If there really was such a thing as fate, then the current Eugene had to be right in the middle of a whirlwind of fate. But so what? Whether this fate was like a whirlwind or a spider¡¯s web, did he really need to follow it blindly? Eugene would definitely never be willing to do something like that. He wished that he could meet in person with whatever god of light who had sent down this revtion. If they were going to throw out such nonsensical bullshit¡ª ¡°¡­then they should at least get my permission first. Fucking what? A hero? What a load of bullshit,¡± Eugene cursed. These words didn¡¯t just stay in his head, Eugene spat them out for all to hear. And after spilling these words¡­ Eugene didn¡¯t gasp in surprise. He had fully intended to say these words out loud. Gilead had a shocked expression on his face, but right now, Eugene hardly gave a damn about his foster father¡¯s position on the matter. ¡°The Great ¡ª Ha ha ha! You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m the Great Vermouth¡¯s reincarnation? Me?¡± Eugene asked incredulously. ¡°Hey now, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina ¡ª no, would that be Saint Kristina?¡± ¡°¡­¡± Kristina blinked, but said nothing. ¡°Please don¡¯t spout such bullshit. On what grounds are you iming that I¡¯m someone¡¯s reincarnation? And what right does your god have, just how great does he think he is, that he picks me, who¡¯s doing just fine all on his own, and deres me a hero or whatever, without even asking for my consent?¡± Eugene demanded angrily. Kristina waited for him to finish before calmly responding. ¡°¡­It is just my opinion that Sir Eugene may be the reincarnation of the Hero. Even if you are angry at him right now, please do not take my God¡¯s revtion lightly.¡± ¡°No. In any case, I¡¯m not a believer in the god of light, I have no intention of converting to him, and I don¡¯t have any thoughts about going to heaven, so I¡¯m just going to keep on doing what I already had nned,¡± Eugene insisted with a derisive snort as he shook the blood off of his hands. ¡°I¡¯m just me, Eugene Lionheart. If you need a hero to rece my great ancestor, then get someone else to do it. You can just pick someone out of a crowd and call them a hero. If no one really catches your eye, then maybe that almighty and powerful god of yours can descend personally to do the job himself.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina said, protesting his sphemy. ¡°I haven¡¯t finished speaking yet. No matter what you¡¯ve based it on, I have no desire to foolishly im to be a hero in front of the public. I¡¯m not honored by the offer, and I¡¯m not happy with it either. I¡¯m just me, and this is my life. I¡¯m going to live my life by doing what I want to do,¡± spitting out these words, Eugene then turned towards Gilead. ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for my harsh words, Lord Patriarch. But I believe that I¡¯ve made my position clear, so I hope that you can ept my refusal of her offer. Speaking of which, now that it¡¯se up, I have no intention of bing the Patriarch in ce of Cyan, and I have no desire to be a member of the Knights of the ck Lion, either. That said, I will not do anything that may somehow dishonor the family, nor will I do anything to bring shame to the Patriarch¡¯s face, so I hope that you will continue to trust me and support me as you have been doing thus far.¡± ¡°¡­I¡­ of course¡­ I will always respect your decision,¡± Gilead replied after finally oveing his astonishment. Eugene smiled brightly at these words, and then wiped away the blood smeared across his cheek with the back of his hand. ¡°So anyways, Saint Kristina. Please pass my message on to your almighty God of Light,¡± Eugene politely requested. Hesitantly, Kristina inquired, ¡°¡­What would you like me to say to him¡­?¡± ¡°Just this,¡± Eugene said as he held up a hand that was still stained with blood and lifted his middle finger. ¡°Also, please tell him that I said ¡®fuck you.¡¯¡± Having just managed to get over his astonishment, Gilead¡¯s jaw dropped in shock once again. Kristina just looked at him wide-eyed, unable to say anything in response. Eugene lowered his middle finger and then turned around. As he left, Eugene called back over his shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ve said all I wanted to say, and it¡¯ste at night, so I¡¯m going to call it quits here and go get some sleep.¡± ¡°¡­What about the statue?¡± Gilead asked after collecting himself. Eugene shrugged andughed, ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think that Sir Hamel would want to stay at a ce where his friend never actually rested.¡± Both the statue and the memorial stone, he didn¡¯t want to leave them at a ce like this. 1. Idol as in an image or representation of a god that is used as an object of worship. ? Chapter 86

Chapter 86: Kristina Rogeris (4)

Eugene didn¡¯t stop to look back. He walked straight out of the shrine, approaching Doynes, who was standing in front of the statue of Vermouth. ¡°If I want to get out of here, what do I need to do?¡± Eugene asked. Doynes put on a puzzled expression at these abrupt words. He shot a gaze towards the shrine, searching for Gilead and Kristina, who had yet to appear, and then turned back to face Eugene. ¡°...What about Sir Hamel¡¯s statue?¡± Doynes eventually asked. ¡°There¡¯s no longer any need to leave it here,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°...Hah¡­?¡± Doynes¡¯ expression froze as he heard this, unable to tell what Eugene meant by this. Unsure of what to say, he hesitated for a few moments before letting out a long sigh and acquiescing. ¡°...Just keep heading straight. If you do that, you¡¯ll naturally be able to make your way outside. Eugene nodded, ¡°Got it, thank you very much. Then I¡¯ll be heading out first.¡± ¡°Could you tell me why you¡¯re so angry?¡± Doynes¡¯s words caught Eugene just before he could leave. The coffin was missing their ancestor¡¯s remains. Doynes could at least figure out that much, but he did not fully understand why Eugene would be so angry. Under normal circumstances, Eugene would have reacted to these words more calmly, but right now, he was in a state of such heightened emotion that he couldn¡¯t find the patience for that. ¡°I don¡¯t think I have an obligation to exin the reason for my anger, now do I?¡± Eugene replied insolently. He didn¡¯t even wait for a reply ¡ª he simply walked straight past Doynes and through the flower field. Doynes¡¯s eyes blinked in shock as he looked at Eugene¡¯s back, then he shook his head as he let out a long sigh. Eugene felt like dogshit. Lately, he¡¯d been encountering a whole lot of things that made him feel this way. Like in the underground grave in Nahama, when he had discovered that Hamel¡¯s corpse had been made into a Death Knight. Or when Amelia Merwin had been about to kill him. There was also the whole thing where the Demon King of Incarceration had shown up in person. When the Demon King had spoke of his fondness for Vermouth, and when he had snidely called Eugene a stupid lion, revealing that the Demon King was aware of his reincarnation. But evenpared to back then, his current state was even more dogshit awful, motherfucking dogshit awful. Eugene bit down hard on his lower lip and chewed angrily. He could taste blooding from his shredded lip, but the throbbing pain wasn¡¯t nearly enough to shake off this dogshit feeling. He wanted to run off into the woods like a madman. To find a monster or a demonic beast, no, anything would do. If he beat something to death with just his bare hands, would it make this mood of his feel a little better? "No.¡± He didn¡¯t even need to try something like that to know that it wouldn¡¯t be any fun at all, and that it wouldn¡¯t make him feel any better either. In the end, it would only vent his rage for a short while. Unless he could somehow address the root of the problem that was souring his emotions, he wouldn¡¯t be able to get rid of this damn feeling. As such, he just kept recklessly walking ahead. Although the body he had been reincarnated to was still only neen years old, Eugene still perfectly retained the memories of his previous self, which had gone through all kinds of experiences. Thanks to that, he didn¡¯t want to pointlessly take his anger out on anyone, and he was able to exert control over his boiling emotions all by himself. It was just like Doynes had said. After passing through the flower fields and then walking across the field, at some point, Eugene found himself standing in the middle of a dark forest. The cold wind blew around him. Eugene slowly raised his head and looked up at the heavens. He could see the night sky through the lush foliage. The night sky over the Us Mountains was full of stars. It was such a beautiful night sky that it made the fact that he still felt like shit even more of a shame. As Eugene red up at the heavens, his boiling emotions began to slowly cool. However, he was still panting in rage. Just as he was about to shout or scream loud enough to tear apart his own throat, he stopped himself and settled for the understatement of the century. ¡°This stinks.¡± Eugene took a deep breath and then raised his fists. His fists were still covered in blood. When he spread his fingers, he saw that his palms were covered in ragged cuts. Eugene began takingrge strides as he tore off the ces where the blood had scabbed against his skin. After walking for a bit, he started to resent the fact that this forest had far too many trees. Although it was only natural that a forest would have many trees, right now, Eugene couldn¡¯t ept such a natural fact. As such, he struck at one of the trees with his bloodstained fists. He didn¡¯t use any mana and simply struck the tree with only his strength, but the tree was knocked down. Eugene nced down at his stiff fist. The blood that had just finished clotting was starting to slowly pour down once more. Leaping over the fallen tree, Eugene walked deeper into the forest. This forest was usually infested with monsters. However, none of the monsters living in this forest dared to draw closer to Eugene. The killing intent flowing off of Eugene was something that he had developed during his life as Hamel, and the monsters didn¡¯t dare to enter the reach of that vicious killing intent. After he had walked for quite a while, Eugene turned to look at his surroundings. Even though he was in the middle of a forest, he couldn¡¯t hear the sound of even a single insect chirping. Even the insects had been silenced by his killing intent. Eugene extended his senses a little further beyond the silence that was surrounding him. The only things detected in his immediate vicinity were monsters. There weren¡¯t any traces of spells either. After Eugene dried his hands that were still dripping with blood by rubbing them clean on his cloak, he pulled out Wynnyd. ¡°Tempest,¡± Eugene called out. The cold wind subsided. As Eugene began operating the Ring me Form, he red down at Wynnyd. ¡°I know that you¡¯re listening to me. At the moment, I¡¯m a little bit royally pissed off. I¡¯m not sure what I should do with all this rage, but right now, I just so happen to be holding in my hand a sword that looks like it would break pretty easily.¡± As Eugene muttered this, he lowered his face close to the reflective surface of Wynnyd¡¯s de. ¡°Six years ago, my mana was insufficient, so I highly valued Wynnyd¡¯s ability to easily summon spirits. But as you should already know, there¡¯s no longer any reason for me to treasure Wynnyd, right? During this past six years, I¡¯m umted a whole lot of mana, and I¡¯m able to manifest sword-force even without using Wynnyd.¡± The wind hadpletely died down. Eugene stroked Wynnyd¡¯s faintly trembling de with his blood-stained fingers. ¡°Of course, Wynnyd is a good sword. A magic sword with such a convenient ability is one of the most useful weapons in the entire continent. But what can I do? Right now, my mood really feels like the fucking shit, and Wynnyd keeps looking more and more fun to break.¡± Whooosh¡­. As the de trembled it let out a gust of air. Eugene hadn¡¯t called for this wind. Oddly enough, the wind flowing from Wynnyd was a refreshingly warm breeze. In response Eugene just mmed down on the t of Wynnyd¡¯s de with his clenched fist. ng! Wynnyd¡¯s de vibrated with a ringing peal, and the wind was cut off immediately. ¡°You should know this since you¡¯ve been watching me, but apart from Wynnyd, I now also have the Moonlight Sword. That means that I won¡¯t feel any regret even if I do have to break your sword. However, Tempest, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯ll find it a pity. Since you know me so well, you should also be familiar with my personality, right? I¡¯m one bad motherfucker. Now then, you¡¯ve got until I count to three.¡± This wasn¡¯t just talk. Operating the Ring me Form, Eugene raised his fist. White mes engulfed this fist. ¡°One, two¡­.¡± A voice rang out in his head, just as he was about to count to three and m his fist down. [Hold on.] Whoooosh! A surge of mana flowed out of his resonating and rotating Cores. Six years ago, his mana had beenpletely depleted after summoning Tempest for just a short time. However, that was no longer the case as he was now. Although his head felt a bit dizzy for a moment, that was just because of how suddenly his mana had been drained. Eugene first settled his agitated mana, then red down at Wynnyd. Eugene cursed, ¡°You motherfucker. Do I really need to raise my fist just to get you toe out?¡± [You really are as barbaric as ever¡­!] ¡°The foundations are the same, so why would you expect anything different?¡± The wind blew wildly. The surrounding trees swayed as if they were about to be swept away by a storm, and the ground beneath was shaking as their roots were pulled ups. Eugene narrowed his eyes and spat out, ¡°Do you really need to kick up such a fuss just to appear for a short amount of time.¡± [...It can¡¯t be helped as my presence is so huge.] Tempest imed. ¡°A bastard who calls himself the Spirit King of the Wind can¡¯t even calm a single gust of wind?¡± As Eguene raised his fist once more, the swirling winds calmly subsided. [...Just what in the world is going on?] Tempest asked after letting out a long sigh. Even if he was the Spirit King of the Wind, it was impossible for him to grasp what Eugene¡¯s situation was like at all times, as Eugene had yet to sign a contract with him. Even the summoning catalyst, Wynnyd, had been ced inside the Cloak of Darkness, so Tempest couldn¡¯t help but be ignorant of what had happened within Vermouth¡¯s shrine. ¡°We opened Vermouth¡¯s coffin just now,¡± Eugene revealed. Tempest fell silent. [....] ¡°There was nothing inside.¡± [...So it was true¡­.] Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a scowl at these subtle words. ¡°You were expecting this?¡± Eugene demanded. Tempest exined, [...It was impossible for something like what Vermouth had be to have died so quickly. From what I could tell, even though Vermouth still called himself a human, he was something that was free from the lifespan that every human being is supposed to have.] ¡°Then tell me why Vermouth faked his death.¡± [Hamel. Though I know that you¡¯ve been expecting me to be able to answer all your questions, I truly don¡¯t know anything about Vermouth.] ¡°Stop with the bullshit and just tell me already.¡± [I can swear on my very existence. I do not know what was in the promise sworn by Vermouth, nor the reason he faked his death, nor how Vermouth managed to reincarnate you.] Eugene clenched his teeth as he heard the voice of Tempest echo inside his head. For the Spirit King to make an oath on its very existence, it had to be serious. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t just any Spirit King, but the Spirit King of the Wind, who had made this oath. [The only one who could truly understand what Vermouth was up to was Vermouth himself. Though perhaps¡­ perhaps the Demon King of Incarceration may have also understood Vermouth.] As Eugene stayed silent, Tempest released another sigh. [However, it seems that Sienna, Molon, and Anise weren¡¯t able to understand Vermouth¡­. What I can say for certain is that not only did they fail to understand him, but they even came to resent him.] ¡°...Resent him?¡± Eugene repeated. [Just like how you can¡¯t understand why Vermouth had to make that ¡®promise¡¯, they too harbored doubts about it and grew to resent his decision. Three hundred years ago, all three of them were unable to ept the arbitrary decision that Vermouth had reached.] Eugene tightly squeezed his lips together as he red down at Wynnyd. With a calm breeze, Tempest¡¯s voice continued speaking, [...The battle with the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ was intense. The only reason why it was still considered a fight, was because Vermouth was there.] It wasn¡¯t too difficult to understand what Tempest meant by these words. [The Demon King of Incarceration is one of the greater Demon Kings, ranked second in power. Hamel, you must know that he is such a terrible existence that the three Demon Kings you all managed to face and ovee together couldn¡¯t even bepared to him. Just like this name suggests, he plunges all your hopes and chances for victory into the depths of the abyss, locking them away forever.] ¡°...,¡± Eugene stayed silent. [Sienna¡¯s magic couldn¡¯t pierce the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s defenses. Anise¡¯s divine power wasn¡¯t able to illuminate the darkness that the Demon King of Incarceration summoned. Molon¡¯s charge couldn¡¯t even touch the Demon King of Incarceration.] Eugene had only ever encountered the Demon King of Incarceration once during his previous life. He recalled a trembling darkness, the sound of creaking chains, and a red pair of eyes. The Demon King of Incarceration that he had personally faced at that time gave off a much different presence than when it had descended upon Hamel¡¯s grave in Nahama by using the Death Knight as its vessel. [If it hadn¡¯t been for Vermouth, Sienna, Anise, and Molon wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive for a second. It was only thanks to Vermouth that the battle with the Demon King of Incarceration was even viable. With Vermouth there, Sienna''s magic managed to pierce the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s defenses, Anise¡¯s divine power illuminated its darkness, and Molon¡¯s charge actually hit its target.] Tempest stopped speaking for a few moments before continuing, [...But that still wasn¡¯t enough. The reason that their fierce battle instantly became a futile struggle was because everyone except for Vermouth couldn¡¯t keep up with the pace of the fight. If¡­ perhaps if you, Hamel, were there at that moment¡­ things might have gone a little differently.] At these words, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter, ¡°You¡¯re right. Fuck. It¡¯s all my fault that I died. I did something that I didn¡¯t need to do, and I died even though I shouldn¡¯t have. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve ended up in such a dogshit state of affairs. If I hadn¡¯t died there, and had instead died after picking off the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction, I wouldn¡¯t have been forced to see things turn out like this.¡± [Hamel.] Tempest¡¯s voice rang out once more. [...The past is already over and done with. There¡¯s no way that it can be reversed. If Vermouth really was behind your reincarnation, then it must be because there was a good reason for doing so. Vermouth choosing to make a promise with the Demon King of Incarceration must have been because he realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction with what power he had left.] ¡°So what about it?¡± Eugene asked sulkily. [Yourrades weren¡¯t able to understand Vermouth, and Vermouth didn¡¯t desire hisrade¡¯s understanding. That unfathomable man plotted your reincarnation, even if it meant betraying hisrades, those who had crossed the line and followed him into danger even if they didn¡¯t understand him. The Vermouth that I knew from that time was always lonely, right up until the end, and he derived no happiness from being praised as a hero.] ¡°...Those idiots,¡± Eugene lifted his head and red up at the night sky. Sienna had ended up the same way. From what Mer had said, Sienna had lived in solitude for all her life. She hadn¡¯t found any lovers, never got married, didn¡¯t go to any parties, and just isted herself in her study, working tirelessly on Witch Craft. [...The promise that he made with the Demon King of Incarceration, and the fact that the Demon King knows about your reincarnation¡­ there must have been a reason that left Vermouth with no choice but to do this. Hamel, the fact that you resent Vermouth is¡ª] ¡°It¡¯s not resentment,¡± Eugene muttered as he lowered Wynnyd. ¡°This is¡­ I guess you could say¡­ it¡¯s betrayal. Yep. It¡¯s betrayal. Like you said, that bastard was a prick and we could never tell what he was really thinking. But that wasn¡¯t good enough. No matter what kind of incredible mission he was on, I should have¡­ we should have¡­. We wandered the world together with Vermouth. We tore our way across Helmuth. Hell, we even killed three of the Demon Kings.¡± Eugene¡¯s voice shook as he continued, ¡°There was no reason for me to die in ce of Vermouth. Even if I hadn¡¯t pushed him out of the way, Vermouth wouldn¡¯t have been in any danger. However, I still died for Vermouth. Because I thought that dying like that was the best death that I could have.¡± Even before a hole was pierced through his chest, Hamel¡¯s body had already been dying. If he had tried to keep going together with them, then he would have just be a burden for them. Everyone had tried to convince Hamel that they should just retreat for the time being, but Hamel had refused to do so. Because he knew that even if he did go back, there was no way to heal that broken body of his. They had just barely, with truly narrow odds, managed to make it all the way to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle. Having threaded their way down such a dangerous path, their confrontation with the Demon King of Incarceration was right in front of their noses. If they retreated at that point, there was no way to be certain that they would ever be able to reach the Demon King of Incarceration again. No. Even if they did somehow manage to somehow retreat, and then make it back to the Demon King of Incarceration once more, Hamel still wouldn¡¯t have been able to be there with them. So he had willingly thrown himself in front of that final blow, and had died in Vermouth¡¯s ce. Hamel had been convinced that he needed to die with this honor. The honor of dying for a hero, for Vermouth, for his friend. It was all just his own foolish self-satisfaction. ¡°...It wasn¡¯t just me. Everyone there wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to die if it meant saving Vermouth. Because we all came to understand the truth as we progressed through our journey. Even I, who was always so full of selfish pride, understood it. Even if I died, Vermouth was not allowed to die. Even if everyone else died, as long as Vermouth was still alive, there would still be another chance.¡± Eugene¡¯s voice continued to tremble as he confessed what they had all been thinking. His fingers holding on to Wynnyd seemed to be losing their strength as he continued. ¡°...Tempest, if things were as you say they were¡­ and Sienna, Anise, and Molon did truly resent Vermouth, it wasn¡¯t because of Vermouth¡¯s arbitrary decision-making. It was because they knew that they were too ipetent, and they had be a weight chained around Vermouth¡¯s ankle. The guys and girls that I knew were just that type of people. They were the kind to resent themselves for their own ipetence, and resent Vermouth for not abandoning them when he should have.¡± [...Hamel,] Tempest said in a mncholic voice. [Why should Vermouth have abandoned hisrades?] ¡°...,¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t answer Tempest¡¯s question. [He didn¡¯t want you to die.] You didn¡¯t have to die like this. [He also didn¡¯t want to see Sienna, Anise, or Molon die either. That¡¯s why, when everyone else was defeated, Vermouth held back from delivering the killing blow with the Moonlight Sword. In that moment, the Demon King of Incarceration would still have been able to kill everyone except for Vermouth¡­. However, that didn¡¯t happen, because the Demon King of Incarceration instead was forced to make a promise with Vermouth.] ¡°...,¡± Eugene listened silently. [That promise wasn¡¯t made for the sake of the world. It was to save therades who had stayed together with him until that final moment, and to reim your soul, which should by all rights have been annihted.] ¡°I know,¡± Eugene acknowledged. Betrayal, rage, and resentment. Caught in the mix of theseplex emotions, Eugene recalled a scene with Vermouth, right at the moment when they had first defeated a Demon King. ¡ªW-we won. We won! Hamel, you son of a bitch! We¡¯ve killed a Demon King! ¡ªDid we really kill him? That fucking bastard, couldn¡¯t he just be pretending to be dead? He won¡¯t suddenly get up and attack us, right? ¡ªHow could someone like a Demon King use such a childish tactic? ¡ªHe might have been an enemy, but he sure was a great foe. I, Molon Ruhr, as one warrior to another, will recognise my match with the Demon King as one that will be remembered for the rest of my life¡ª ¡ªFuck your great foe bullshit. Stop spouting nonsense and quickly hold your side together. Your internal organs are spilling out! ¡ªHamel, you fucker! We¡¯ve killed a Demon KIng! ¡ªSienna, why do you keep calling out to me and cursing me when I¡¯m just standing here quietly? This had been the fifth-ranked Demon King ¡ª the Demon King of Carnage. Just as Vermouth was pulling out the Holy Sword that had been thrust into the Demon King¡¯s chest, even though it was still clearly dusk with the sun setting on the horizon, Vermouth¡¯s brilliance shone so brightly that it seemed like the dawn hade. Everyone had been overjoyed at the fact that they had defeated the Demon King, but seeing Vermouth standing there with his back to the light, they all felt so reverent that for a few moments they forgot how to even speak. ¡ª...You fucker¡­ You really¡­ Um¡­ I guess you already know how well you fought, so¡­ yeah. We already know that it¡¯s thanks to you that we managed to defeat that son of a bitch, but do you really need to stand there acting so cool? ¡ªIt wasn¡¯t all because of me. Vermouth had looked down at all of them as he said this. ¡ªWe¡­ all of us together¡­ we all fought well. It¡¯s thanks to all of us working together that we managed to defeat the Demon King. ¡ª...So long as you¡¯re aware of that. I was pretty impressive in that fight, you know. ¡ªThank you. Vermouth rarely smiled. However, when he did, he smiled so brightly that it was hard to believe that this was the same person as the usual Vermouth. ¡ªFor not dying and for apanying me here¡­ thank you. ¡°I knew that already.¡± Eugene covered his face with his abused hand. ¡°...It¡¯s because I knew¡­ that I didn¡¯t want to know.¡± [...You never know, perhaps we might find Vermouth still alive.] ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯m going to kill him for real,¡± Eugene promised. [Let¡¯s go to the north, Hamel.] Just when Eugene was about to be ovee with emotion, what was this bastard talking about now? [The mission that we weren¡¯t able to aplish three hundred years ago, now that you¡¯ve been reincarnated, we can achieve it. Six years ago, you weren¡¯t strong enough, but now things are different. Take me with you to the north. You and I together will defeat the Devildom in the north that no one, not even Vermouth, has been able to conquer¡­.] ¡°Stop with the bullshit, and just head back for now,¡± Eugene ordered. [Hamel, isn¡¯t that what you want to do as well?] ¡°Not just yet,¡± Eugene said as he unfurled his cloak. ¡°I¡¯ll go there eventually, but the timing is up to me.¡± [...,] Tempest¡¯s silence was loud. Eugene warned him. ¡°So don¡¯t try to swing me around any more.¡± [...Hoho. That¡¯s fine as well. Hamel, no, Eugene Lionheart, from this moment on, I will be the tailwind for your journey and, when you need it, the storm that protects you from your enemies.] ¡°Instead of just talking so big, can¡¯t you try and consume less of my mana?¡± [That¡¯s¡­. It can¡¯t be helped. It takes a lot of mana in order to manifest a Spirit King¡­.] ¡°Fine, I get it, so just go back in already.¡± After cing Wynnyd inside of his cloak, Tempest¡¯s voice could no longer be heard. Chapter 87

Chapter 87: Kristina Rogeris (5)

After pouring a potion onto his hand, Eugene wrapped a bandage around it. If he wanted to return to the castle, he needed to climb back up the steep cliff with his hand like this, but that didn¡¯t prove too difficult for Eugene. After climbing up the cliff, as he headed towards the castle, he ran into Ciel on the way there. ¡°What¡¯s with your hand?!¡± Ciel yelped with an rmed expression and ran over to Eugene. She took Eugene¡¯s hand that was wrapped in bandages and gently touched the back of his hand. ¡°Did you get into a fight with someone?¡± Ciel asked. Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°Who would I fight with?¡± ¡°...With my father?¡± Ciel hesitantly proposed. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m crazy?¡± Eugene let out a snort and tried to pull his hand free, but Ciel refused to let go. With a look of incredulity on her face, she nced down at the bloodstained bandages and asked, ¡°Then, did you get into a fight with the Council Head?¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°Do I really need to have gotten into a fight if my hand is bleeding?¡± ¡°...Then why are you bleeding?¡± ¡°It just happened somehow.¡± The truth was that he had clenched his fist too tightly, and then he had smashed it into a tree in a fit of rage. So he definitely couldn¡¯t tell her why he was really bleeding. With Eugene refusing to say anything, Ciel also stopped asking about it. Taking a deep breath, Ciel unwrapped the bandages around Eugene¡¯s hand. Thanks to the potion, blood had stopped flowing from the wounds, and it was already starting to heal. To Eugene, this meant that it was but a scratch. However, Ciel¡¯s reaction was different. Seeing the wounds that were left on his hands, she made a guess as to how they had appeared. She spotted the nail marks deeply embedded in the palm of his hand, as well as his split-open knuckles. ¡°...Why did you get so angry?¡± Ciel asked after she put the clues together. ¡°Do I really have to answer that?¡± Eugene dodged the question. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to answer, then you don¡¯t have to. And even if I do beg you, when have you ever said something that you didn¡¯t want to say?¡± Cielined. Eugeneughed instead of replying. Ciel nced up at Eugene with an annoyed look in her eyes, and then took out a small first-aid kit from a pocket. ¡°Just leave it. It¡¯ll be fine by tomorrow,¡± Eugene told her. ¡°Yeah, that sounds about right,¡± Ciel reluctantly acknowledged. ¡°Ever since we were young, you¡¯ve always been strangely quick to recover. Did you know? There was a time when my brother and I seriously suspected that you might be half troll.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really mind, but don¡¯t you think that you were being too rude to my father?¡± From what Eugene could recall, his mother had been a perfectly normal human being. She had passed away before Eugene could even take his first steps, so he had no memories of her, but she definitely wasn¡¯t a troll. ¡°Well, we were at a young age, so it¡¯s not surprising that we came up with one or two nonsensical ideas,¡± Ciel admitted as she squeezed a generous amount of ointment onto her fingertip and began rubbing it into Eugene¡¯s wounds. ¡°...In any case, aren¡¯t you going to tell me what happened?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about it, and it¡¯s not something that I can reveal to you without getting permission,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Then it can¡¯t be helped.¡± Ciel easily conceded. Anything rted to their ancestor¡¯s tomb had to be kept a secret. Whatever had happened there, Ciel didn¡¯t have the authority to hear about it. After Ciel was done smearing ointment onto his hand, Eugene pulled his hand free. It was Eugene¡¯s turn to question Ciel. ¡°It¡¯s already sote at night, so what are you doing here?¡± ¡°Just taking a walk,¡± Ciel answered blithely. ¡°Alright, you can continue your walk. I¡¯m heading in and getting some sleep.¡± Ciel¡¯s lips stuck out in a pout. Naturally, the walk was just an excuse. Since Kristina had dragged Eugene out somewhere, she was just wandering around outside the castle, trying to find out what was going on. Normally, she would have mped down doggedly and stuck to him until she got an answer, but now Ciel didn¡¯t dare to do so. For some reason, she felt like tonight¡¯s Eugene was a lot taller than he usually was. As such, Ciel smiled softly and waved Eugene away with a ¡°Good night.¡± Eugene smirked at her disingenuous consideration and walked past Ciel. He was soon met with another interrogation. ¡°Where are you just getting back from?¡± Cyan, who had woken up from his nap, was out in the gymnasium. Seeing how he was sweating profusely, it looked like Cyan was training diligently, following the instructions in the book that Eugene had given him. Ordinarily, Eugene would have been pleased to see this and might have given him some advice, but tonight he just patted Cyan on the shoulder a couple of times and walked past. ¡°...What¡¯s with that bastard?¡± Cyan cursed with a disgusted expression on his face, but just like Ciel, he didn¡¯t persist in looking for an answer. Instead he just tilted his head and stared at Eugene¡¯s back with concerned eyes as thetter entered the castle. Without even washing up, Eugene returned to his room. After casually tossing the Cloak of Darkness aside, he sat down on his bed and lost himself in thought for a few moments. ¡®Not just yet,¡¯he reminded himself. The Devildom in the North, otherwise known as Helmuth. Tempest wanted him to conquer it. That was what Eugene wanted as well. However, no matter how ardently the wind blew in support, impossible things were still impossible. Even if Eugene gave it his all, as he was right now, it was still impossible for him to even kill Amelia Merwin. Setting aside his pride and other such, Eugene was sure of this fact. ¡®That said, it¡¯s also impossible for me to creep into Helmuth and slowly try to increase my strength that way. Because there¡¯s more than one or two bastards currently eyeing me.¡¯ Balzac Ludbeth had given him a warning. There were far too many demonfolk in Helmuth, and the Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t the only Demon King lurking there. There was still the Demon King of Destruction to be wary of. And even the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t bepletely confident in controlling all those who served him. But that wasn¡¯t all, was it? There were plenty of other high-ranking demons in Helmuth who wanted to rise to the throne of Demon King. For them, a Lionheart n¡¯s stray lion cub was sure to be attractive prey. He was confident that he would be able to protect himself from most dangers. However, the dangers that he might face in Helmuth would be far beyond the bounds of ordinary danger. Even back then, three hundred years ago, it had still been such a terrible ce. ¡®Even as Hamel.¡¯ Eugene raised his hand that had been smeared all over with ointment. ¡®I need to surpass my old self.¡¯ Three hundred years was a very long period of time. While Hamel was considered dead, the demonfolk of Helmuth were sure to have gotten even stronger. ¡®But I can¡¯t do it alone.¡¯ He needed Sienna. Eugene took out the leaves of the world tree that he kept in one of his pockets. * * * The next morning, Eugene draped his cloak over his shoulders. He was feeling pretty refreshed. He hadn¡¯t had any dreams, and had slept soundly. Now, he was just hungry. ¡°Looks like it¡¯s all better,¡± Eugene said with a smirk as he nced down at his unmarked hand. He roughly groomed his stray bed-hair and then left his bedroom. A servant was waiting outside for him, ¡°Young Master Eugene. Breakfast is¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡± Eugene interrupted the man. Without stopping, Eugene walked down the hallway, only for the servant to keep following him. ¡°...There are guests waiting for you on the lower floor,¡± the servant informed him. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene replied with augh. He headed down to the first floor and kicked open the door to the drawing room. Someone asked him as soon as he entered, ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Like he had expected. One of the guests was Kristina Rogeris. Gilead and Doynes were also waiting inside the drawing room with her. After Eugene bowed his head towards them, he sat down opposite Kristina. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you that I wouldn¡¯t be something like a hero?¡± Eugene reminded her. ¡°The divine revtion has entrusted me with this mission to support you,¡± Kristina insisted, picking up her teacup with a soft smile. ¡°As such, it doesn¡¯t matter what your ns might be, Sir Eugene. As the Saint, I must apany you.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there any other options?¡± Eugene asked, tilting his head to the side. ¡°I prefer items of material value over empty things like recognition. Doesn¡¯t the Holy Empire have anything that they can give me?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the Holy Sword enough already?¡± ¡°That already belongs to the Lionheart n in the first ce.¡± ¡°Strictly speaking, the sword still belongs to the Holy Empire, and is only being kept in the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault for safety. However, since the God of Light has approved of you, you should be able to be recognized as the master of the Holy Sword.¡± After taking another sip from her teacup, Kristina set her teacup down. ¡°Just like the Great Vermouth.¡± ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m asking if there¡¯s anything else apart from the Holy Sword?¡± Eugene persisted. ¡°...I already told you this yesterday, but while the Holy Empire does recognize Sir Eugene as the next hero, for your own safety, they cannot announce it to the world just yet,¡± Kristina reminded him. This was only understandable. Even three hundred years ago, after Vermouth had been proimed as the hero, he had to face a whole lot of troublesome issues once he had be the master of the Holy Sword. ¡°However, if Sir Eugenees with me to the Holy Empire, I¡¯m sure that the Pope, as the representative of God, will grant you whatever you desire,¡± Kristina promised. ¡°Fine then,¡± Eugene said as he reached out and grabbed one of the cookies that had been set there as refreshment. ¡°I don¡¯t need anything else. But Lady Kristina, can you tell me how useful you are?¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Kristina made a questioning noise. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re useful,¡± Eugene repeated himself, ¡°As a Saint candidate, seeing as you were even able to be an Auxiliary Bishop, you should at least be considered an exceptional priest, right? So how good are you at using Holy magic?¡± ¡°...Although I¡¯m not sure what type of level Sir Eugene is expecting of me, I¡¯ll give it a shot,¡± Kristina epted his challenge and lifted a finger. Eugene¡¯s eyes narrowed as he looked down at the cookie he had been holding. At some point, the cookie that Eugene had been holding in his hands had turned into a loaf of bread. ¡°As a Saint, I should be able to aplish miracles of such a level,¡± Kristina boasted proudly. ¡°Something like this is in useless.¡± Eugene harshly criticized her. ¡°...I can also turn water into wine,¡± Kristina argued with lessened confidence. ¡°But you can¡¯t really make true alcohol, can you? Just like this bread, in the end, all you¡¯ve done is change its appearance slightly. It won¡¯t fill you up as much as real bread.¡± Anise had also been able to easily pull off miracles like these. Without Anise¡¯s miracles, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to catch and eat the demonic beasts in Helmuth, and they wouldn¡¯t have been able to drink the contaminated water that was found there. However, like what Eugene had said, these miracles weren¡¯t truly life-changing. If you didn¡¯t have any cookies in the first ce, you couldn¡¯t make them into bread. And Anise, who had drunk alcohol while iming it to be Holy Water, did not drink the wine she herself had made because it couldn¡¯t really get her drunk. Eugene continued his interrogation, ¡°Are you able to reattach severed limbs?¡± Kristina hesitated. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­.¡± Eugene continued. ¡°Can you regenerate the blood lost from a wound?¡± ¡°...¡± Kristina was left dumbstruck by these absurd demands. ¡°Can you reform a pulped eyeball?¡± ¡°That is impossible.¡± The smile had disappeared from Kristina¡¯s face. What Eugene had described were things that could be considered true miracles. In the entire history of the Holy Empire, the only one capable of performing such miracles was the Faithful Anise, who had apanied Vermouth on his journey. ¡°...Currently, it¡¯s impossible for me to perform a miracle on the same level as Lady Anise. However, I too have been appointed as the Saint. Some day, I will be able to perform miracles just as amazing as those of Lady Anise,¡± Kristina imed, regaining her confidence. ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. Anise had truly been special. So while this was disappointing, for Eugene, who wasn¡¯t able to use Healing magic, being apanied by Kristina wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. At the very least, he would have an extra hand in dealing with injuries. ¡°Lord Patriarch,¡± Eugene said, finally turning his head towards Gilead and Doynes. Since they had chosen toe in without even knocking, Eugene had responded by just treating them as part of the scenery while he had been addressing Kristina. However, the two of them didn¡¯t seem to be annoyed by this. Although they could have scolded Eugene for being rude, neither of them seemed to want to blow this matter up into a big deal. At least, that was what Gilead was thinking. Eugene had always been a free-spirited kid ever since he was young. However, now that a Saint hade looking for him in order to dere him a hero, it was only natural that his emotions might be a little high-strung. Eugene immediately requested, ¡°About the Holy Sword in the treasure vault, would it be alright for me to borrow it for a while?¡± ¡°...Hm,¡± Gilead polished his teacup as he considered this for a few moments. He was still a bit uncertain as to how he should deal with this whole issue in the first ce. First, there was the fact that his ancestor¡¯s remains hadn¡¯t been found in the Great Vermouth¡¯s tomb. Gilead and Doynes had been discussing this untilte this morning. The only ones who knew about this in the entire Lionheart n were Eugene, Gilead and Doynes. For now, they definitely could not share this issue with the other elders. Although it was impossible to be certain about all the facts, they could at least be sure of some things. The state funeral was all a lie. Their ancestor had faked his death and disappeared somewhere¡­. It was impossible for his descendants to guess his reasons for this now that three hundred years had already passed. However, ever since his supposed death, their ancestor¡¯s figure had never appeared in the eyes of the world. For the Lionheart n, this was bothforting and disquieting. And now, for the first time in three hundred years, the Holy Empire had recognized the next ¡®hero¡¯ following the Great Vermouth. The Lionheart n¡¯s Holy Sword originally belonged to the Holy Empire. Although the Lionheart n might have been using the sword as their personal symbol, no one had been able to be a true master of the Holy Sword ever since the time of their great ancestor. Only the Patriarch was able to ¡®draw¡¯ the Holy Sword, but even then, it was impossible for them to get their sword to emit a brilliant light like it did in the legends. ¡°...You dislike the thought of being the hero, but you still want the Holy Sword?¡± Doynes asked with a grin. Just because the treasures in the vault belonged to the main family, that didn¡¯t mean the Patriarch was allowed to do whatever he liked with them. Especially for those items of significance like the Holy Sword, the Patriarch still needed to seek the consent of the Council. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than ept that title, but since the Saint over there is already calling me a hero whenever she sees me, what else can I do? Also, just because they call me a hero, doesn¡¯t mean that I need to do something heroic right away, like what our ancestor did,¡± Eugene replied with a shrug. ¡°Ah, of course. Even if the Saint tries to force me into doing something heroic, I definitely won¡¯t just go along with it. I¡¯m not sure if the Council Head has already heard about this, but I¡¯m the only one who gets to decide what I¡¯m going to do.¡± ¡°Even if it goes against what the family wants you to do?¡± Doynes asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene replied, not backing down in the slightest. ¡°I won¡¯t do anything disgraceful. And I won¡¯t try anything that will diminish the family¡¯s prestige. Isn¡¯t that good enough for you?¡± ¡°I am not a believer in the God of Light,¡± Doynes said with a nod of his head. ¡°However, I cannot doubt a god¡¯s vision. If the god says that you are a hero, then there must be a good reason for saying so. As the Head of the Council, I will respect your will. As long as you¡­ remain faithful to the Lionheart name. So long as you don¡¯t bring shame to us as you follow in your ancestor¡¯s footsteps, the n will support you.¡± While this was a deration of support, it was also a tant warning. Doynes was making it clear that they would have no choice but to intervene if he started behaving excessively arrogant. ¡°Yes.¡± Eugene epted the warning with a chuckle. Doynes looked at Eugene, who was not at all intimidated, with a strange gaze, but eventually nodded. ¡°Under usual circumstances, this would have been discussed with the other elders. But it seems that we can¡¯t do that with this issue. As such, Patriarch, our council will just have to keep our eyes closed during this next month,¡± Doynes dropped a heavy hint. ¡°By those words, do you mean¡­. Okay, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Gilead turned to look at Eugene with a smirk. ¡°If you need anything else, just tell me. As the Patriarch, I will dly open the door to the treasure vault and allow you to take the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°Is it okay if I take some other things as well?¡± Eugene asked, not wanting to miss this opportunity. ¡°Since I''m just going to borrow them, I would also like to take some of the other weapons that our ancestor used.¡± ¡°...Haha!¡± Doynes burst intoughter, unable to hold it in any longer. He stared at Eugene as he pounded his knee in amusement. ¡°Kid, you really are greedy.¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like they get many chances to be seen outside the treasure vault in the first ce, do they?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°All the treasures in the vault belong to the main family. Although they might not be in use because there isn¡¯t currently a need for them, there¡¯s no guarantee that a need for them won¡¯t arise in the future,¡± Doynes argued back. ¡°But I¡¯m not saying that I want to take everything, I just want to take ¡ª no,borrowthe weapons used by our ancestor. In any case, don¡¯t they all get to choose their rightful owner?¡± Eugene shot back. The Demonic Spear Luentos was currently with Doynes, Dominic had the Annihtion Hammer, and even Gilead had a sword that had been used by Vermouth. ¡°...Patriarch, what do you think?¡± After Doynes silently stared at Eugene for a few moments, he turned to speak to Gilead. Although the question was sudden, Gilead wasn¡¯t panicked by it, and he rubbed his chin for a few moments as he thought about it. He was considering his other children. Eward couldn¡¯t im anything, but¡­ once they had be adults, Cyan and Ciel would also be given the chance to enter the treasure vault and pick a weapon. ¡°...The Phantom Rain Sword should go to Ciel. And I think that Gedon¡¯s Shield would be a good fit for Cyan,¡± Gilead proposed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll take the Holy Sword, the Devouring Sword Azphel, the Thunderbolt Pernoa, and the Dragon Spear Karbos. This way, I¡¯m only borrowing four of the weapons.¡± Eugene readily epted the deal. Even Eugene agreed the Phantom Rain Sword matched well with Ciel. It would take a long time for her to get used to it, but as long as she could get a good handle on it, it would be a good fit for Ciel¡¯s swordsmanship. ¡®Though Gedon¡¯s shield is a bit unexpected for Cyan.¡¯ Whenever they sparred, Cyan didn¡¯t use a shield. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean that Cyan was unfamiliar with how to use a shield. This wasrgely Eugene¡¯s influence. The image of Eugene skillfully wielding a sword and shield as he tore a minotaur into pieces had been indelibly engraved within Cyan¡¯s mind. Eugene felt like it would be quite a viable fighting style if Cyan had Gedon¡¯s shield on his left arm. Once he got good at parrying, Cyan¡¯s defense would be impervious to just about any attack. ¡®I¡¯m not sure about anything else, but I need Azphel at the very least.¡¯ The Moonlight Sword was the Moonlight Sword, but if he wanted to be able to summon Tempest properly, then he needed to save enormous amounts of mana. If he used Azphel along with the Ring me Form, he would be less likely to suffer from mana depletion. ¡°...Those three weapons are extremely difficult to use, which is why they aren¡¯t often seen outside the treasure vault,¡± Doynes advised Gilead. ¡°If it¡¯s Eugene, then I¡¯m sure that he¡¯ll be able to handle Azphel well. He¡¯s also good at wielding various different weapons, so he¡¯ll be sure to wield the Thunderbolt and the Dragon Spear most skillfully.¡± Gilead confidently stated his support for Eugene. ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Doynes rubbed his chin for a few seconds as he pondered his concerns. ¡°...If that¡¯s what the Patriarch wills, then I too will give my approval for it. However, those are all valuable weapons, so he needs to take the appropriate care when handling them.¡± ¡°Of course I will,¡± Eugene said, nodding and smiling brightly. ¡°Can I go and pick them up immediately?¡± ¡°...You mean right away?¡± Doynes asked doubtfully. ¡°The Coming-of-Age Ceremony is over. Is there any other reason why I should stay at the ck Lion Castle for any longer?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...That might be the case, but¡­.¡± Doynes turned to look at Gilead with a hesitant expression on his face. ¡°...In order to open the door to the treasure vault, the Patriarch must be apanying you. However there are still many things for the Patriarch to discuss before he can leave.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Eugene easily acquiesced. ¡°Also, the test may be over, but the Coming-of-Age Ceremony isn¡¯t done yet,¡± Doynes corrected him. ¡°The Coming-of-Age Ceremony itself will be held in the Grand Hall tomorrow, so if you want to leave as soon as possible, you still need to wait for at least two days.¡± ¡°Is there anything else that I need to do to prepare for the ceremony?¡± Eugene checked. ¡°...Perhaps take a bath?¡± Doynes suggested. ¡°That¡¯s something I do every day.¡± Eugene smiled warningly, proudly baring all of his teeth. Doynes smiled once more, amused by Eugene¡¯s cheekiness. ¡°Once you leave the castle, will you be staying at the main estate?¡± Doynes asked. ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene immediately replied. At that moment, Kristina was still staring at the bread that Eugene had set down. Eugene nced at her before continuing, ¡°Since the Saint has dered that she will be apanying me, I would like to go on a short trip.¡± Doynes repeated, ¡°A trip? Where to?¡± ¡°To the Samar Forest.¡± ¡°Hah¡­,¡± Kristina gasped, and turned to Eugene with an rmed expression. ¡°I¡¯ve also heard the rumors that Lady Sienna may have gone into seclusion there. Could it be¡­ Are you really going looking for Lady Sienna, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Well, I also happen to be Lady Sienna¡¯s disciple, so why not?¡± Eugene replied with a nod. ¡°Hasn¡¯t the God of Light sent you any revtions concerning Lady Sienna?¡± ¡°...I haven¡¯t received any such revtions,¡± Kristina reluctantly admitted. ¡°Have you asked him about Lady Anise?¡± ¡°The former saints and the priests have all been hoping to receive a revtion about Lady Anise¡¯s whereabouts, but they have never heard anything.¡± ¡°Was there any reply to the greeting that I sent him yesterday?¡± ¡°Your words really are outrageous,¡± Kristina scolded him, her cheeks twitching as she tried to keep up her smile. ¡°I was just curious.¡± Eugeneughed mischievously as he sipped his tea. Chapter 88: Leaving the Castle (1)

Chapter 88: Leaving the Castle (1)

¡°Do you really n on heading there without an escort?¡± When Eugene told him that he was nning on heading south, instead of asking for Eugene¡¯s reasons, Genos couldn¡¯t help but first question hisck of an escort. This was the Samar Rainforest they were talking about. Thergest jungle in all of the continent. In size alone, it couldpete with the entire territory of the Kiehl Empire, and there were countless tribes living in their own individual nations within that vast forest. The tribes living there were not receptive toward outside attempts to civilize them. Located deep within the forest, these tribes had strong enduring traits that helped to maintain their own cultures. For hundreds of years, Kiehl had been attempting to negotiate with these natives, and, when necessary, had even threatened the use of force in order to secure Samar as part of its territory. However, these attempts hadn¡¯t gone very well. Samar was far toorge and there were too many natives for them to seed. The indigenous people, who had lived in the forest since times immemorial, had developed their own unique forms of civilization. It was only natural that they would preserve their own customs instead of adopting the civilization of those from outside of the forest. The culture of the jungle mainly focused on witchcraft and spirits, as well as methods of fighting within the rainforest. Not only that, but the indigineous people of the Samar Rainforest were even able to raise monsters like livestock. Samar was indeed divided into dozens of tribal states, but when confronted by the Kiehl Empire, they would join together in order to form a huge tribal coalition known simply as ¡®the Samar¡¯, and shoot down any attempts to ce them under Kiehl¡¯s rule. However, Kiehl was an empire. Had it truly wanted to, it would have been able to conquer the Samar Rainforest at any time. What really prevented them from doing so was the fact that Helmuth supported the freedom of the Samar tribes. Although Helmuth imed that they were defending the cause of freedom, considering the circumstances, there were a lot of factors motivating their intervention. For the past three hundred years, Helmuth had been attempting to recover their reputation in the eyes of the continent. They supported the countries that had been most affected by the war and epted human immigrants. They allowed the Holy Empire to establish a diocese in their own territory, and they even closed their eyes to the fact that the Holy Empire and the Anti-Demon Alliance continued to deploy their troops on their shared borders with Helmuth. Nevertheless, most of the countries on the continent still had yet to recognize Helmuth¡¯s peaceful intentions. Wasn¡¯t it obvious why that would be the case? Demon Kings, demonfolk, and the demonic beasts were all far too dangerous to deal with. In any case, Samar was a huge forestparable in size to the entire Kiehl Empire. By protecting Samar, Helmuth had obtained the recognition of its tribespeople. Other countries were also subtly bolstering Helmuth¡¯s support of Samar, as they didn¡¯t want Kiehl to add this vast forest to its alreadyrge territory. As such, even an empire like Kiehl was left in a position where it couldn¡¯t afford to mobilize its army on therge scale needed in order to conquer Samar. After all, if such mobilization took ce, then Helmuth was sure to intervene. ¡°That ce is far too dangerous,¡± Genos insisted. Genos was well aware of how wild and dangerous the barbarians of the Samar Rainforest could be. The Us Mountains, where the ck Lion Castle was located, also bordered the Samar Rainforest to the south. Although they had been rtively docile in recent times, the barbarians of Samar had historically made several attempts to raid Kiehl by crossing the Us Mountains. Because of this, the knights of the ck Lion Castle were always keeping a wary eye on Samar. The Knights of the ck Lion were, of course, sworn to the Lionheart n, but with the approval of the Kiehl Empire, they were also tasked with protecting the border. ¡°It¡¯s also a very inconvenient location.¡± Genos tried to persuade Eugene. ¡°They don¡¯t have warp gates there, let alone any cities.¡± ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating things, Junior Brother. People live there, so why wouldn¡¯t there be cities?¡± Eugene refuted him. ¡°...But there won¡¯t be any cities like the ones you¡¯re familiar with, Senior Brother. Can you even call a ¡®city¡¯ a ce where a bunch of one-story buildings are haphazardly squished together and the roads aren¡¯t even properly paved?¡± Genos argued. Eugene shrugged. ¡°Well, you can call any ce where a lot of people live a city.¡± ¡°The toilets there don¡¯t even have running water,¡± Genos warned him. Eugene persisted. ¡°So what about it? That sounds like it would be very eco-friendly and quaint.¡± At Eugene¡¯s reply, Genos let out a deep sigh. ¡°...I¡¯m trying to tell you that, if at all possible, you shouldn¡¯t go there. Although I of course have faith in you, Senior Brother, to survive in Samar, you need not just skill, but luck as well.¡± ¡°That just means that as long as you¡¯re skilled enough, you won¡¯t need any luck,¡± Eugene boasted confidently. Genos hesitated. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°Junior Brother, let''s just be frank. In your opinion, you believe that my skills aren¡¯t enough to keep me alive in Samar. Isn¡¯t that right, Junior Brother?¡± Eugene addressed the matter directly. Instead of replying, Genos¡¯s brows furrowed slightly. It wasn¡¯t like he could do anything else. He didn¡¯t want to tantly prick his young Senior Brother¡¯s pride. However, he couldn¡¯t help but be worried about Eugene, this neen-year-old Senior Brother of his. There was no doubt about his innate talent, and from what Genos had seen during Eugene¡¯s match with Carmen, Eugene already possessed exceptional skills for someone his age. But even so, Samar was still far too dangerous a ce for Eugene to wander around without an escort. In this world, there were many people who found excitement and joy by flirting with such danger. Every year, wealthy merchants and aristocrats searching for a unique experience would spend a lot of money to recruit escorts and guides before entering the Samar Rainforest. And every year, there were always a few who didn¡¯t return from Samar. If they were lucky, they were able to return after being forced to pay a huge ransom, but if they were out of luck, it was impossible to even retrieve their bodies. ¡°Before I came here, I was already told not to go there because that ce is too dangerous,¡± Eugene revealed. When he had announced that he intended to head to Samar, Gilead had shot to his feet with an objection. No matter what reasons Eugene might have, Gilead could not permit his adopted son, Eugene, to enter the exceedingly dangerous Samar Rainforest. Surprisingly, Doynes hadn¡¯t been as fiercely opposed to Eugene¡¯s ns as Gilead was. In a few months from now, Eugene would also be an adult. This meant that he would no longer be a child who needed to be followed around by his parents. However, Doynes did express his concerns about the weapons that Eugene had decided to borrow and take with him. In such an uncertain situation, Kristina was the one who had lent him her strength to support Eugene¡¯s decision. She persuaded Gilead that if she ¡ª a Saint ¡ª apanied Eugene, God¡¯s blessing would surely be with them. ¡°Junior Brother, I¡¯m not an idiot either. I¡¯m not nning to go to such a dangerous ce where death is a very real possibility for no reason. I¡¯m going there because I need to go there, and I also have the confidence to protect myself,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°...I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve reached the Fourth Star of the White me Form,¡± Genos said after some thought. ¡°Although I don¡¯t practice the White me Form, I¡¯m well aware that no one in the history of the main family has ever been able to reach the Fourth Star of the White me Form at an age like yours, Senior Brother.¡± ¡°I am pretty amazing,¡± Eugene stated arrogantly. ¡°On top of that, I¡¯ve even learned magic.¡± ¡°Would it be alright if I check just how skilled you are, Senior Brother?¡± Genos proposed. Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°And if you decide that my skills aren¡¯t good enough, Junior Brother?¡± ¡°Then I will stop you from going to such a dangerous ce,¡± Genos solemnly promised. Eugene burst intoughter and got up, ¡°Well now. If I say no, then it seems like this Junior Brother of mine won¡¯t truly be able to respect me as his Senior Brother¡­. In that case, it can¡¯t be helped. Shall we get started then?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s head down to the gymnasium first,¡± Genos proposed. ¡°Although it might just be a light spar, so long as we¡¯re going at it seriously, then we¡¯ll need an impartial observer. I¡¯ll go get one and meet you there.¡± It looked like Genos was trying to make it impossible for Eugene to wriggle out of their deal. Eugene chuckled and nodded his head, ¡°As your Senior Brother there is no way I would go back on my word to my Junior Brother. ¡°It¡¯s just better to be sure,¡± Genos answered evasively. Shortly afterwards, everyone gathered at the gymnasium. The elders were led by Doynes, the Patriarch Gilead, and even the Captains of the Knights of the ck Lion were present. Looking around at all the people standing outside the gymnasium, Eugene let out a whistle. ¡°Aren¡¯t there way too many ¡®observers¡¯ here?¡± Eugene noted. Since the number of spectators had increased, Eugene left out Genos¡¯s title of Junior Brother. While stripping off his dress shirt and tossing it aside, Genos replied, ¡°The only one that I asked to serve as an observer was the Patriarch. However, once they heard that you and I were going to spar, a lot of people seemed to be interested in watching, Eugene.¡± This was only natural. On the one hand, Genos Lionheart was one of the strongest warriors in the Knights of the ck Lion, alongside the likes of Dominic and Carmen. On the other hand, there was Eugene Lionheart. Even though he was born to a coteral branch, he had been adopted into the main family due to his one-of-a-kind talent. In many ways, he had left an unprecedented mark on the history of the Lionheart n. ¡°Instead of live des, let¡¯s use these wooden swords,¡± Genos proposed. Eugene asked, ¡°What about sword-force?¡± ¡°If we used that, what would be the point of switching to wooden swords? It will be safer for the both of us if we limit the use of mana solely to our own bodies,¡± Genos said as he picked his wooden sword. Eugene likewise selected his own wooden sword. Indeed, even without using a real sword or sword-force, their level of strength was enough to shatter bones. And that was before even mentioning what they could do with mana enhancement. As such, they had both armored their bodies with a Mana Shield. The rule was simple. The moment that one of their mana shields was pierced and one of them was injured, it would count as their defeat. ¡°What about magic?¡± Eugene asked once more. ¡°If you feel like you need to use it, then go ahead,¡± Genos allowed. ¡°Since I don¡¯t think that what Sir Genos wants to see from me is my skill in magic, I won¡¯t use any spells,¡± Eugene promised with a grin. Without reacting to this response, Genos tightened his grip on his wooden sword and stepped backwards. ¡°Sir Carmen.¡± Dominic, who had been watching as the two prepared for their confrontation, suddenly spoke up. Stroking his chin, he nced sideways at Carmen and continued speaking, ¡°As someone who has fought with both Sir Genos and Eugene, what do you think of this spar?¡± ¡°...The two of them are simr,¡± Carmen muttered as she chewed on the end of an unlit cigar. She then held the cigar between her fingers and crossed her arms as she borated, ¡°If you don¡¯t factor in his magic, it¡¯s impossible for that brat, Eugene, to face Genos. Or at least that¡¯s how it rightfully should be, but¡­ honestly, I¡¯m not sure.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re not sure?¡± Dominic repeated. ¡°Sir Genos is not in a position where he can perform at his best. This is just a spar, so he can¡¯t risk killing or crippling his opponent, especially when that opponent is an heir of the main family.¡± Carmen couldn¡¯t be certain of how this spar would y out. It was because she had a strange feeling, one that was difficult to exin. A parrying technique that was able to divert all attacks ¡ª such a skill could even be said to be Genos¡¯s speciality. However, Eugene could also use a simr technique. In fact, the techniques shared by these two were so simr that she had even begun to suspect that Eugene was Genos¡¯s disciple, or had at least been taught by him. Carmen hesitated.¡®...However¡­ in terms of finesse¡­.¡¯ It seemed absurd, but¡­ having personally faced both of their techniques, she felt that Eugene¡¯s finesse in executing the technique was far above that of Genos. When she had faced Eugene, Carmen hadn¡¯t used her full power. However, the attacks she had thrown at him were powerful and heavy enough that it should have been impossible for a neen-year-old brat to deal with them. She had vowed to defeat him within a minute, after all. Yet, let alone a minute, she wasn¡¯t able to defeat him even after three minutes had passed. No, she hadn¡¯t even been able to really push him¡­ even though Carmen hadn¡¯t been going easy on him. Eugene had shown absurdly high levels of mana control, and he had been able to divert all of her attacks. His technique surpassed even Genos¡¯s. ¡°Come on, then.¡± Genos conceded the first blow. Eugene might be his distant senior, but such generosity was still justified. Eugene smirked and took up his stance.¡®That¡¯s just fine with me. I¡¯ve been wanting to take a good look at it.¡¯ In regards to the damn Hamel Style that Vermouth, that son of a bitch, had sorted out and taught his descendants, Eugene had also be familiar with it after reading the notes that Genos had written for him. But even if he hadn¡¯t read it, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be familiar with it. All ten moves in the Hamel Style were based on techniques that had been used by Hamel after all. Although that was just in his immature childhood. Eugne judged,¡®In terms of technique, I¡¯m superior. I¡¯ve taken the Hamel Style apart and corrected it for him, but Genos probably won¡¯t be able to adapt the techniques that he¡¯s practiced for decades so quickly.¡¯ And even if Genos did manage to adapt them, it still wouldn¡¯t be much of a problem. After all, wasn¡¯t the Hamel Style still based on what Eugene hade up with as Hamel? In other words, under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Eugene to lose this spar. There was no way that Genos wasn¡¯t aware of this fact. Even so, Genos had still proposed this spar because he wanted to confirm Eugene¡¯s abilities other than these techniques. Also, if Genos was able to beat Eugene even if they were using the same techniques, then¡­. Unbeknownst to the audience, Eugene¡¯s right to keep acting superior to Genos was also on the line. ¡®You¡¯re distracted, Junior Brother.¡¯Eugene silently chided Genos as he held his wooden sword straight in front of him.¡®To start with¡­ alright. Let¡¯s use the Hamel Style second mo¡ªwait, fuck. Why ameven Iusing that bullshit name now?¡¯ Eugene¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl as he pushed off the ground with one foot. The second move was called Thousand Thunderps. Although it had ¡®thousand¡¯ in its name, it was really just stabbing his sword dozens of times in a rapid flurry. If you added sword-force on top of that, even if you didn¡¯t reach a thousand, you could at least make it seem that there were hundreds of blows. ¡®Thousand Thunderps¡­!¡¯Genos recognized it, his eyes opening widely. Although Eugene hadn¡¯t shouted out the name of his attack, there was no way that Genos wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize this technique. ¡®No, it¡¯s different,¡¯Genos realized.¡®It¡¯s not the same Thousand Thunderps that I know. What was in Sir Hamel¡¯s secret manual was an improved version¡­ the genuine Thousand Thunderps¡­!¡¯ As his juvenile Senior Brother, Genos had been taking Eugene a bit lightly. He had been forced to call Eugene his Senior Brother due to the rules of seniority, but Genos had still thought that he was overwhelmingly superior to Eugene in terms of pure ability. However, after seeing the genuine Thousand Thunderps being used by Eugene, Genos could no longer continue to believe that his own skill was so massively superior. Currently, what Eugene was disying was the perfectly recreated version of the true Thousand Thunderps. Even without mixing in sword-force, the tip of the wooden sword seemed to have split into dozens of copies all thrusting together. That was just how seamlessly each of the different sword thrusts were woven together. Genos immediately pulled his wooden sword back behind him. Hamel Style, third move ¡ª Lightning Counter. Crackle! Genos¡¯s wooden sword transformed into a lightning bolt. The lightning pierced right through the center of the flurry of sword thrusts. ck! Both of their wooden swords were knocked backwards. His attack had failed. The Lightning Counter was a counterattack that was meant to slip through an opponent¡¯s attack. However, without any hesitation, Genos immediately recovered his sword. ¡®The lightning of the Hamel Style never stops,¡¯Genos reminded himself. He used the mana circting within him to regte his body. The arm that had been pushed back by the recoil was forcibly moved back into ce by the flow of his mana. The final goal of the Hamel Style was to be able topletely control all of the body¡¯s movements with mana alone. This would enable the practitioner to be even faster and stronger. It would also allow them to attack continuously, whatever their situation or their condition. Genos¡¯s Thousand Thunderps burst out towards Eugene. Eugene¡¯s eyes were able to catch up to each of the dozens of sword thrusts. As expected, Genos¡¯s technique was still just like what he had written down in the notes he gave to Eugene. In other words, his technique was inferior by Eugene¡¯s standards, but Genos¡¯s skill and experience could still make up for the technical inferiority. That said, Eugene could still see through it. He could see everything. Eugene¡¯s body slipped backward, a moment before the sword thrusts stabbed into the air in front of him. ¡®The Lightning Counter is meant to strike without any notice,¡¯Eugene thought in that instant.¡®Wait, fuck, no, it¡¯s not the Lightning Counter, it¡¯s¡­. Damn that son of a bitch, Vermouth, the names that he came up with keep popping up inside of my head.¡¯ Lightning shot out. Eugene¡¯s counterattack was smoother and more subtle than Genos¡¯s. Genos realized that it was impossible for him to parry this attack that had already pierced its way into his chest. ¡®So this is the true Lightning Counter¡­!¡¯Genos had the time to muse. Rather than trying to knock the attack aside, Genos judged that the best way to deal with it was to retreat. Indeed, doing so allowed him to narrowly escape the attack ¡ª and then Genos¡¯s wooden sword went wild. Hamel Style, fourth move ¡ª Asura Rampage. This dizzying sword strike, which Molon had described as ¡®just like an Asura¡¯, swept through the air. Eugene braced his own sword arm tight against his body and dove into the sword blow. Making use of parrying, their wooden swords shed against each other, and Eugene managed to slip past. Having knocked away the closest sword strike, Eugene¡¯s wooden sword spun around in his hand. The sword that he was now holding in a reverse grip dug a furrow into the ground as it surged upward. ¡®Dragon Burst!¡¯Eugene shouted internally. The Dragon Burst that Genos was familiar with required the user to condense sword-force and then let it burst forth with a sh. Although they weren¡¯t allowed to use sword-force in their current spar, the form of this attack was definitely the Dragon Burst. The technique that Genos chose to face this attack with was the Dead End. Genos¡¯s wooden sword soared high into the sky, then fell down like the de of a guillotine. Crash! It was impossible to believe that such a sound could havee from two wooden swords colliding. As the mana covering their bodies shed froming so close, the ground shook from the force of it. At this sight, the faces of their spectators were covered in astonishment. No matter how many cards Genos was holding in his hand, the neen-year-old Eugene was still able to meet him on an even ying field. ¡®That monstrous bastard¡­!¡¯Cyan thought as his jaw dropped open. When he heard that Eugene was going to be sparring with Genos, Cyan had hoped that Eugene was going to suffer a beating. He hade out here because wanted to see such a sight personally, with his own eyes, but what the hell was going on? ¡®If it was me¡­ if it was me, I would have fallen down already,¡¯Cyan admitted.¡®This is absurd¡­. He¡¯s not getting pushed back in the slightest despite sparring with a Captain of the Knights of the ck Lion?¡¯ His throat seemed to have dried up and his fingertips were twitching sporadically. Cyan felt the urge to immediately pick up a wooden sword and jump into the fight along with them. Of course he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on for even a moment and would only end up copsed on the ground groaning pitifully, but it felt like he would still be able to obtain something by doing so. Cyan painfully admitted,¡®I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m weak. In many ways, I¡¯mcking. But so what?¡¯ Forgetting to even blink during all this, Cyan avidly watched the spar. Although he wasn¡¯t able to fight alongside them, by focusing on watching the spar from the side like this, Eugene and Genos¡¯s techniques were slowly being absorbed into Cyan¡¯s head. ¡®I can¡¯t break through,¡¯Genos realized, feeling an admiration that surpassed his faint surprise. It was impossible for him to overwhelm Eugene even with the fair bit of strength that Genos was holding in reserve. Let alone overwhelm Eugene, Genos felt like he was slowly being pushed back. The things that were really getting to him were Eugene¡¯s Mana Parrying and Lightning Counter. In a state like this, where he was forced to refrain from using the full amount of his mana, Genos didn¡¯t have the confidence that he could properly disy his techniques the way Eugene was doing. This was proof of Eugene¡¯s superior mana control. Hamel Style, sixth move ¡ª Cyclone. The rotation added to Eugene¡¯s sword thrust twisted the path of Genos¡¯s sword, then immediately flowed into the movement for an Asura Rampage. Genos was slowly getting pushed back little by little, even as he kept looking for a chance at a Lightning Counter. When he was finally able to send out a sh of lightning, however, the lightning bolt that shot back at him in return was faster than Genos¡¯s own! Crack! Although Genos immediately twisted his body out of the way, Eugene¡¯s wooden sword barely managed to scrape past Genos¡¯s shoulder. ¡°...Amazing¡­!¡± Genos gasped as he took a few steps backward and shook his head. His mana shield hadn¡¯t been punctured yet, but Genos epted that there was no point in continuing this spar. Having to admit defeat like this in front of so many people should have been humiliating, both as a knight and as someone from the older generation. However, Genos didn¡¯t feel even a hint of shame at admitting his defeat. Instead, he actually admired and respected Eugene even more for it. Genos felt that respecting Eugene was the same as respecting Hamel, whom Genos had acknowledged as his grandmaster. Eugene was Genos¡¯s Senior Brother, as well as the true sessor of the Hamel Style. Genos dered, ¡°I¡¯ve lost. You really are amazing¡ª!¡± Although he had just been about to cry out Senior Brother, since there were so many eyes watching them, Genos had to stop himself. As Genosid down his wooden sword and walked over to Eugene, he grabbed Eugene¡¯s shoulders with tears shining in his eyes. ¡°...Why the hell are you crying?¡± was Eugene¡¯s first question. ¡°I¡­ I have conjunctivitis. Sometimes, tears just end up flowing out like this.¡± As Genos stared up into the sky to keep his tears from flowing, he hugged Eugene tightly. This was quite embarrassing behavior, but¡­ seeing how passionate Genos¡¯s tears were, Eugene just couldn¡¯t bear to push him away. ¡°...That¡¯s great.¡± Carmen sighed, as she admired the passionate embrace of the two men, as well as Genos¡¯s chivalry in being willing to admit that his far-younger junior had defeated him. She put the cigar that she had been holding in her hands back into her mouth, then she took off her leather gloves and started pping. p p¡­ p p p p. Once Carmen had started pping, everyone else who had been watching started pping as well. Even Cyan, who had pinned his eyes wide open as he watched the spar, pped vigorously as he felt a burning passion in his chest. ¡®Eugene¡­ you might be an adopted son, but you will surely be the pride of the entire Lionheart n,¡¯Gilead thought to himself in admiration of Eugene. When Eugene had said that he wanted to go to Samar, Gilead had felt like he definitely couldn¡¯t allow Eugene to go there. That was why, once he had heard that Eugene would be sparring Genos with this trip on the line, Gilead had been willing toe here and act as an observer. In his heart, he had been hoping for Eugene¡¯s defeat. If need be, Gilead had even been prepared to intervene midway and announce Eugene¡¯s defeat as quickly as possible. He was determined to protect his son from going to such a dangerous ce even if it meant resorting to such measures. But he hadn¡¯t been able to do that. There wasn¡¯t any chance for him to do so. Although he had already seen some of it during Eugene¡¯s match with Carmen, this time he was able to properly assess how much Eugene¡¯s skill had grown over the years. Right now, Eugene was no longer a young lion that needed to be sheltered in his embrace and protected. He was a mature lion that wouldn¡¯t face any problems even if it left the pride to be independent. ¡®Indeed¡­ I wasn¡¯t mistaken about him,¡¯Gion also felt deeply moved. From when they had first met at the main estate, Gion had sparred with Eugene several times over the years. Although he had also taught swordsmanship to Cyan and Ciel, he hadn¡¯t actually been able to teach Eugene anything. The child had already known how to do everything before Gion had even started teaching him. No, it wasn¡¯t just that. Whenever they had held those types of spars, Gion had never once felt like he had held the upper hand over Eugene. He now couldn¡¯t help but admit that it wasn¡¯t just a feeling ¡ª it was a fact. That boy had been born with an unbelievable instinct for battle. He could make urate judgments no matter what the situation, and his body reacted immediately. ¡®I have a bad feeling about this,¡¯Ciel thought sulkily. Although she was pping, her eyes were looking somewhere other than Eugene. Specifically, she was looking at Kristina Rogeris, who was staring intently at Eugene with her hands sped in front of her chest instead of apuding. Those eyes seemed to contain an emotion that waspletely different from either admiration or astonishment at Eugene, though Ciel couldn¡¯t really figure out what that feeling was. As such, Ciel couldn¡¯t help but dislike Kristina. Chapter 89

Chapter 89: Leaving the Castle (2)

Perhaps because of how unusual it was to hold it at the ck Lion Castle, the Lionheart Coming-of-Age Ceremony this year was particrly majestic. However, apart from that, it wasn¡¯t particrly special and it didn¡¯t take all that long either. Although the blessings delivered by elders were all worded slightly differently, their contents were practically the same.Don¡¯t shame the Lionheart n, and take responsibility for your own actions¡­. Of the three siblings, Cyan had been appointed as the representative. This was because Eward wasn¡¯t able to attend, and also because Cyan was the closest in line to inheriting the position of Patriarch. Without hiding his heightened emotions, Cyan ced his hand on his chest and swore an oath. Eugene and Ciel stood a step behind Cyan and repeated the words of Cyan¡¯s oath along with him. And just like that, the Coming-of-Age Ceremony was over. ¡°Although there are a few months left until we¡¯re legally adults, since we¡¯ve already had our Coming-of-Age Ceremony, you could pretty much say that we¡¯re all grown up,¡± Cyan imed with a confident nod as they were on their way back to the castle keep. cing his hand on Eugene¡¯s shoulder, Cyan made an offer. ¡°In that case, should we go grab a drink together, brother?¡± ¡°You really are a pretentious prick,¡± Eugene snorted and brushed off Cyan¡¯s hand. Cyan¡¯s expression twisted into a pout, as if to deny that he had ever been anything like pretentious, and he pressed on. ¡°So, how about it? Won¡¯t this be our first time grabbing a drink?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gone drinking before,¡± Eugene informed him. Cyan faltered. ¡°What¡­ did you say? When?!¡± ¡°While I was in Aroth,¡± Eugene exined. Cyan¡¯s eyes trembled in shock at this casual reply. There had once been a time, when Cyan was going through puberty, that Cyan, like many other boys, had started to think that some unhealthy habits were really cool. The fifteen-year-old Cyan hade to admire the wandering knight-errants that appeared in many sagas. The drifters who were kind to the weak, and merciless to their enemies. Badasses who wore sloppy old cloaks, enjoyed alcohol and cigarettes, and brooded in their solitude even as they received the love of many women¡­. However, the only women to be found in the main estate were the servants; for Cyan, these servants were viewed first as the dependents of his family, and only then as women. This meant that they couldn¡¯t be treated as objects of his affection. As such, Cyan had given up on the love of women, and instead had tasked his servants with getting him some cigarettes and alcohol. It was obvious that if he tried to smoke and drink in his room, he would be caught by that terrifying mother of his and really be in for a scolding. Since the knights and the family servants sometimes went to smoke in the back of the storerooms, Cyan felt there would be little risk of getting caught if he hid in the gymnasium¡¯s storeroom. In the midst of the dusty room, he had leaned his back against an old wall, and sucked on a cigarette¡­ then, instead of pouring the incredibly harsh whiskey into a ss, he tried to take a big gulp straight from the bottle. But just before he could do so, Eugene had kicked open the door of the storeroom and stomped in. Eguene proceeded to beat Cyan up until the cigarette that he had just lit finally burned out. But that damned bastard didn¡¯t just stop at beating him, Eugene even grabbed Cyan by the ear and dragged him over to Anci. Then, Cyan proceeded to get scolded by his mother as well. ¡°You¡­ you really dare to look me in the eye¡­ even though you scolded me for trying to drink before I became an adult¡­ when you actually drank alcohol in Aroth?!¡± Cyan growled in rage. Eugene shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like I went drinking because I wanted to.¡± ¡°You son of bitch!¡± Cyan cursed, his shoulders heaving as he struggled to contain his anger. ¡°About that Auxiliary Bishop Kristina¡­¡± Ciel interrupted them. ¡°There¡¯s something suspicious about her.¡± Eugene turned to face her, ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Like when you and Lord Genos had your match yesterday, and today at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony as well, she was looking at you with a strange gaze,¡± Ciel used. ¡°Instead of Eugene, she might have been staring at me.¡± Cyan, who had just been in a fit of rage, started to smile brightly as soon as the talk turned to Kristina. ¡°After all, I was the protagonist of today¡¯s Coming-of-Age Ceremony. As for you two¡­ well¡­ you were just supporting characters meant to prop me up. Don¡¯t you agree? I was the one who recited the oath after all, and I was also the one standing up at the front.¡± ¡°Brother, can you just shut up for a bit?¡± Ciel¡¯s brow furrowed as she had to avoid looking at him, but Cyan¡¯s smile remained unmoved. Patting the front of his well-tailored suit, Cyan continued speaking, ¡°Although I had already noticed this when we first met, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina truly is quite beautiful¡­. It might be because she¡¯s a Saint candidate, but though it¡¯s difficult to describe, there¡¯s an air of sacredness that seems to flow off of her¡­.¡± Kristina had not revealed that she had be a full saint to anyone else. Likewise, she also hadn¡¯t revealed the fact that Eugene had been selected as the hero, nor that he and Kristina would be leaving for the Samar Rainforest. Gilead and Doynes also hadn¡¯t made any of these facts public. As it was, this matter was too important to treat lightly, so the fewer people knew about it, the better. ¡°Didn¡¯t you feel it too? That Auxiliary Bishop Kristina, she¡¯s paying so much attention to you that it just feels strange.¡± As she asked this, Ciel nced down at Eugene¡¯s fist. Kristina wasn¡¯t the only one acting strange. Just two days ago, his fist had been bleeding profusely, though currently not a single wound remained. Ciel could still clearly recall the overbearing atmosphere that Eugene had been exuding at that time. ¡°I guess she just likes me,¡± Eugene replied, his expression showing how little he cared about it. Cyanughed at these words as if he found them ridiculous, but Ciel couldn¡¯t be as cheerfully oblivious as Cyan. She tilted her head to the side and stared at Eugene. ¡°I guess you had fun during your secret rendezvous with her?¡± ¡°Do your jokes really need to sound so sarcastic?¡± Eugene riposted. ¡°So, I heard that you will be returning to the main estate tomorrow? Is there any reason why you want to return so quickly? Cyan has said that he¡¯ll be staying in the castle until next year, so why don¡¯t you stay here as well and get in some of that crazy training of yours?¡± Ciel suggested. Cyan had admirably decided to stay at the ck Lion Castle for some training. He had made this decision because of the battle between Eugene and Genos. Although the knights of the main family were excellent, it was true that they would be foundcking whenpared to the Captains of the Knights of the ck Lion. As such, Cyan had decided to stay at the ck Lion Castle for the next few months and receive tutge from the Captains. Gilead fully supported his son¡¯s decision, the Captains of the Knights of the ck Lion had of course agreed already, and even the Elders of the Council were willing to lend their guidance to Cyan, the most likely candidate to be the next Patriarch. In Ciel¡¯s opinion, under such circumstances, there was no reason for Eugene to not remain at the castle. Wasn¡¯t this the guy who had been obsessed with training ever since they had first met at the main estate? It just so happened that the Knights of the ck Lion also counted many high-ranking wizards among its members, and there were even Captains who were good at using various weapons and techniques. But even with all that, Eugene had decided not to stay at the castle. Only her brother, who had been with her ever since they were born, would be staying in the castle with her. Ciel was deeply disappointed by this fact. ¡°On top of that, they say that Auxiliary Bishop Kristina will also be leaving on the same day that you leave.¡± Ciel sharply brought up another issue. ¡°We just so happen to be leaving at the same time. If we leave separately, that just means we have to warm up the warp gate twice.¡± ¡°Since when did you care about something like that?¡± Ciel asked. Eugene returned with a question of his own. ¡°Why are you being so suspicious? It¡¯s not like there''s even any grounds for your suspicions.¡± ¡°...I heard that you will be going on a trip after you¡¯ve returned to the main estate? Where are you going?¡± Ciel changed the subject. ¡°I haven¡¯t really decided on a destination, I just want to go out and see the world,¡± Eugene imed. ¡°Together with the Auxiliary Bishop Kristina?¡± Ciel had been quick-witted ever since she was young and had already noticed something was going on. While staring intently at Eugene, she continued, "After you all returned from the tomb, father and the Council Head have been showing unpleasant expressions. And that goes¡­ for you as well.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t see how that could possibly be connected with me supposedly going on a trip with Auxiliary Bishop Kristina,¡± Eugene responded evasively. ¡°That¡¯s right. Lady Kristina isn¡¯t such a free person, so why would she ever travel with him?¡± Cyan immediately agreed with Eugene¡¯s words and eyed Ciel doubtfully. ¡°Little sister. You should just be honest. You really want Eugene and I to stay in the castle with you, right?¡± ¡°Brother, please, just shut up for a moment,¡± Ciel pleaded exasperatedly. Cyan turned to Eugene. ¡°Since she¡¯s already said so much¡­ can¡¯t you just stay with us? You can still go on your tripter.¡± In the end, the point was that Cyan also wanted Eugene to stay at the castle with them. Although he had eagerly read and memorized the book that he had received from Eugene, he still hadn''tpletely understood the gist of it. As such, Cyan wanted to continue learning a bit more from Eugene. While it would be a valuable experience to receive advice from the strict and experienced Elders, as well as the guidance from the Captains who had gone through hell and high water, Cyan still wanted to be guided in this training by his own brother if at all possible. ¡®It hasn¡¯t been that long since he¡¯s returned, so why is he thinking of leaving again?¡¯Cyan thought to himself with some hurt feelings. Returning after three whole years, only to leave them again. After his twin sister Ciel had also left for the ck Lion Castle, the only one who had been left at the main estate was Cyan. Even though he should have had many siblings with him, he was the only one still living in that sprawling estate. Of course, Cyan was so busy and involved in his training during that time that he didn¡¯t even have a moment to spare to feel lonely, but if at all possible, he still wanted to be with his siblings. ¡°What a cute brat.¡± Eugene smirked and patted Cyan on the shoulder. Ciel was skilled in hiding her facial expressions. However, her twin, Cyan, wasn¡¯t able to do the same. ¡°Fine. Let¡¯s get a drink together as brothers,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°I¡¯m also going to drink with you,¡± Ciel insisted. ¡°What about your duties?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯m not scheduled for anything today, so it¡¯s fine.¡± After saying this, Ciel pouted her lips. ¡°...So are you really leaving?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene easily confirmed. Once Eugene had made up his mind, he rarely ever changed it. That was how he had been in his previous life, and that was how he was now. Although it might be quite fun to spend a few months in the castle, there was a reason for which he needed to go to Samar. A reason why it needed to be prioritized over everything else. He needed to find the Elven Vige that was hidden somewhere within that vast rainforest. As for whether he would really be able to find Sienna there¡­ he wasn¡¯t certain. Perhaps, just perhaps, she might have died long ago. As such, he needed to find the vige of the elves as soon as possible. If he managed to get there, he would know exactly what kind of state Sienna was in. He didn¡¯t know where Anise had disappeared off to, and that was also the case with Molon. Although that fool had still been sighted one hundred years ago, he had suddenly dered that he was going into retirement and had disappeared. Molon¡¯s descendants, the royal family of Ruhr, fully respected their former king¡¯s retirement. Eugene might be from the Lionheart n, but if he suddenly went looking for them and asked them to tell him where the previous king was, there was no way that the Ruhr royal family would grant his request. From Akron, he had followed this path leading to Sienna. From Hamel¡¯s grave to the leaves of the World Tree. Now he needed to find the Elven Vige, somewhere in the Samar Rainforest. ¡°...It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Ciel conceded, sensing that she definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to change Eugene¡¯s mind. She let out a long sigh and scratched her head in frustration, then she changed the subject. ¡°...This is the first time we¡¯ll be drinking together. Since you¡¯re leaving tomorrow, let¡¯s alsomemorate the end of our Coming-of-Age Ceremony. So if we¡¯re going to drink, then we should at least drink something good.¡± ¡°Something good?¡± Cyan repeated, his eyes widening at these words. ¡°Lady Carmen has an extremely expensive wine stored in her disy case. ording to the knights of the Third Division, not only is the wine¡¯s price high, but it¡¯s also extremely difficult to obtain,¡± Ciel exined. ¡°There¡¯s no way that Lady Carmen would give us such an expensive wine,¡± protested Cyan. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Because I¡¯m going to stealthily sneak it out,¡± Ciel assured him. ¡°Sis¡­ is that really okay?¡± Cyan asked uncertainly. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ciel insisted. ¡°Because Lady Carmen doesn¡¯t even drink a single drop of wine. She asionally ces it on the dining table, but she just pours some ck tea that¡¯s the same color as the alcohol into her ss.¡± ¡°It seems like she¡¯s quite the consistent person,¡± Eugene muttered with an amused snort. ¡°In that case, there shouldn¡¯t be any problem as long as you rece the contents of the bottle with that of another wine.¡± After everything was done, the three of them gathered in Eugene¡¯s room in the middle of the night. Ciel recounted the saga of how she had broken into Carmen¡¯s room in order to steal the wine, while Cyan admired his sister¡¯s courage and gave off a sense of anticipation for the first drink in his life. However, the reality of something was often worse than what you had been anticipating. The neen-year-old Cyan found that he actually preferred the taste of warm milk over this bitter wine. ¡°This really is a good wine¡­,¡± Cyan squeezed out, putting on a facade. He then looked at Ciel, who was frowning as she took a sip, and scornfully said, ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± ¡°Why do people even like drinking something as bitter as this?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°But I feel like this is tastier than other refreshments¡­. Ciel, you¡¯re not able to enjoy the taste of this wine because you grew up so smoothly, without any difficulties,¡± Cyan pretentiously dered. Since they were born as twins and they had grown up together, Cyan¡¯s words obviously didn¡¯t make any sense. Ciel was annoyed by her brother¡¯s bravado, but she didn¡¯t show any of it and instead just filled Cyan¡¯s cup to the brim. ¡°As expected, brother really is amazing.¡± She made sure to tter him. Like this, Cyan drank one cup after another until he finally fell over onto his side. Ciel, who had downed Cyan, now turned to Eugene as her next target. However, unlike Cyan, Eugene was pretty good at drinking. Her n to get him drunk and dig up all sorts of ckmail was a failure. Even though the wine that she had brought had finally bottomed out, Eugene was still perfectly fine. ¡°...Why aren¡¯t you drunk?¡± Ciel finally asked. ¡°I do feel a little drunk,¡± Eugene admitted. Ciel pounced on her chance. ¡°Are you going somewhere with that Auxiliary Bishop Kristina?¡± ¡°I already said that we''re not going anywhere together, so why do you keep asking me the same question over and over?¡± Eugene asked exasperatedly as he threw the sprawled-out Cyan onto a bed and escorted Ciel out of the keep. Before she left, Ciel said, ¡°I¡¯ll see you off tomorrow.¡± However, Ciel wasn¡¯t able toe out to see him off. This was because Carmen, who had detected her intrusion, caught her and dragged her to do some one-on-one training starting early in the morning. Kristina, who had arrived in front of the warp gate earlier than Eugene, looked at him with a faint smile as he approached. Gilead was talking about something with Doynes. ¡°Sorry to trouble you like this.¡± Eugene apologized for keeping everyone. ¡°Don¡¯t think of it like that. As the Patriarch, I would have to be there in any case to open up the treasure vault. Also¡­ I want to be there to see it in person when you draw the Holy Sword,¡± Gilead siad, his voice sincere. Following the Great Vermouth, no one had managed to gain the Holy Sword¡¯s recognition. While they were not directly rted by blood, Gilead still considered Eugene to be his son. As such, he couldn¡¯t help but feelplicated. This was all because of Eward. Although he didn¡¯t really want to think about it, Gilead had to admit that the contrast between his eldest son Eward and his adopted son Eugene was far too strong. That sore finger[1]of his was both Gilead¡¯s soft spot and his greatest shame. Gilead tried not to show any of the pity that he was feeling towards his eldest son in front of Eugene. After letting Eugene go off on his journey, Gilead intended to return to the ck Lion Castle. The few months that Cyan would be staying in the ck Lion Castle would also serve as a test to see if he was worthy of his position as the n¡¯s next Patriarch. The Council of Elders had no intention of giving Eward, who had tarnished the family¡¯s prestige, any such chance. As such, Gilead decided that¡­ during these next few months, he would persistently try to persuade the Council of Elders. He wouldn¡¯t be asking them to do anything in regards to the Patriarchal session, of course. Gilead was just hoping that they would allow Eward to return to the main family. After that, Gilead wanted to go to the Bossar fief in order to meet with Eward and Tanis. Even if he failed to convince the Council of Elders, he at least wanted to meet with his wife and son in order to find a release for these suffocating feelings. After passing through the warp gate, they arrived back at the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. Thanks to having passed on the word in advance, only the minimum number of servants needed for activating the magic of the warp gate were waiting ahead of them. ¡°Are you really not going to tell Gerhard anything?¡± Gilead asked Eugene. ¡°If I told him that I was going to Samar, my father would grab on to me and beg me not to go while drowning me with tears and snot,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°He definitely would do that,¡± Gilead nodded with a bright grin. ¡°But isn¡¯t it only natural for a father to worry about his son.¡± ¡°Do I also make you worried, Sir Patriarch?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...Of course¡­ I¡¯m also very worried about you. However, my faith in you has surpassed all my worries,¡± Gilead assured him. ¡°I¡¯ll try my best not to get caught up in anything too risky. Because I won¡¯t be going alone,¡± Eugene said as he nced backward. Kristina, who was following him with a faint smile, nodded slightly in response to Eugene¡¯s gaze. ¡°I, too, will do my best to keep Sir Eugene¡¯s journey from bing too dangerous.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know how a miracle of turning cookies into bread would help in a dangerous situation,¡± Eugene noted sarcastically. ¡°The barbarians of Samar might just happen to like bread,¡± Kristina said, her smile twisting slightly. Eugene shrugged at these words and looked forward once more. Eventually, they arrived in front of the treasure vault. It had been six years since Eugene hadste here. Eugene rubbed the ne that he had been wearing around his neck all this time as he looked at the door of the treasure vault. ¡°...But anyways, is it okay for Lady Kristina to go in there with us?¡± Eugene btedly checked. Gilead hesitated, ¡°In principle, it¡¯s forbidden, but¡­.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be strange if a Saint was not present at the site where the Holy Sword is drawn?¡± Kristina argued, having no intention of backing down. While cing emphasis on the name of the sword, she continued, ¡°No one has been able to receive theHolySword¡¯srecognition for the past three hundred years. However, if Sir Eugene seeds in doing so today¡­ that would mean that the God of Light has given his blessings for Eugene¡¯s journey, and he may even deliver another revtion about your journey.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking because I¡¯m really curious, but is it really okay for a priest to so easily sell out their god as an excuse to get what they want?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°Sir Eugene. Just what exactly do you mean by that? I swear on my word that I have never once taken God¡¯s name in vain,¡± Kristina vowed. In the end, it was decided that Kristina would also apany them into the treasure vault. Just as he had done six years ago, Gilead stroked the doorknob with his bloodstained fingers. Creeeak! The engravings carved into the door began to writhe. The treasure vault opened. The first thing that Eugene saw through the open door looked exactly the same as it had six years ago: the radiant golden sword that was embedded in the center of the room. Separate from the lighting that illuminated the interior of the treasure vault, the sword emitted its own light. This was the Holy Sword. ¡°Aaah¡­ that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s really the Holy Sword of Light, Altair¡­.¡± Kristina released a sigh of admiration as she sped her hands together. It had been a long time since Eugene hadst heard the true name of the Holy Sword. Kristina called out to him. ¡°Now then, Sir Eugene¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get to thatter,¡± Eugene said as he turned to Gilead. He might have already asked for permission in advance, but wouldn¡¯t it be rude of him to just wander around the treasure vault as he willed? ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay any attention to me,¡± Gilead said with a wry smile. It was only then that Eugene grinned and started strolling around the treasure vault. He saw the Dragon Spear Kharbos, the Thunderbolt Pernoa, and the Devouring Sword Azphel. These three weapons were in the very same ces that they had been six years ago. ¡®As long as you¡¯re good at wielding them, any one of these weapons could be used to conquer a country.¡¯Eugene marveled at the sight. This wasn¡¯t an exaggeration. Vermouth had been able to release a storm with a swing of Wynnyd, a mountain disappeared whenever he fired Kharbos[2], and when he shot something with Pernoa, the ground itself copsed. Even though Azphel couldn¡¯t create as huge a spectacle as these other weapons, it had shown off its true power when it had sliced apart the demonfolks¡¯ mega-ss spells. ¡®Vermouth, I always thought you were a greedy bastard to monopolize weapons like these all on his own,¡¯Eugene mused. Except for the Holy Sword, most of these weapons had been found during their journey. At that time, Hamel had been overwhelminglycking in mana, especially whenpared to the rest of the party, so he hadn¡¯t been able to handle any of these weapons that consumed a load of mana. That was still the case even now. The Dragon Spear and the Thunderbolt both consumed too much mana. ¡®Well, my mana will keep increasing from now on in any case. And since I¡¯ve learned magic on top of that, I shouldn¡¯t have any problems using Azphel.[3]¡¯ With a grin, Eugene stored the weapons inside his cloak. Then, he walked over to stand in front of the Holy Sword. It was just six years ago when he had first tried to pull it out and had failed¡­. Before reaching out to grab it, Eugene turned to Kristina and asked, ¡°What happens if I can¡¯t draw it out?¡± ¡°There is no way that will be the case. Now that God has sent down his revtion authorizing this, Sir Eugene will be able to draw the Holy Sword,¡± Kristina insisted faithfully. Eugene sincerely hoped that he wouldn¡¯t be able to draw this sword. He still couldn¡¯t fully trust the divine revtion, and he didn¡¯t want to be the chosen Hero either. However, the moment Eugene held the sword in his hand¡ª ¡®Ah, fuck.¡¯ Even though he hadn¡¯t put any strength into his grip in order to pull it out, Eugene instinctively knew the truth. Six years ago, the Holy Sword hadn¡¯t seemed to budge no matter how much strength he put into moving it. However, now it seemed like it would be all too easy to pull out. Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Leaving the Castle (3)

Although Eugene¡¯s desire to not pull it out was real, since Kristina and Gilead were both staring at him with shining eyes, he couldn¡¯t even fake not being able to draw the sword. In the end, while earnestly hoping that his premonition would go awry, Eugene strengthened his grip in the hand that was holding on to the Holy Sword. Then, his premonition proved to be more than just a feeling. The Holy Sword, which to all appearances was deeply embedded into the floor, easily slid out with just the slightest application of force. While swallowing the curses that threatened to rise from his throat, Eugene stared at the Holy Sword for a few moments. ¡°Uh¡­ ahhh¡­ ohhhhh¡­!¡± Gilead couldn¡¯t hide his excitement. His body trembled as if he had been electrocuted, and he tightly clenched his fists in triumph. ¡®Right now, I¡¯m at the center of unfolding history.¡¯Gilead rejoiced. The God of Light and his Saint had recognized Eugene as the Hero. However, since Gilead wasn¡¯t a follower of the God of Light, rather than this proof of their recognition, he was more impressed by the fact that the Holy Sword had been sessfully drawn after three hundred years. ¡°Ahhh¡­!¡± Kristina¡¯s agitation was even greater than Gilead¡¯s. She knelt down on the spot, pped her hands together, and raised them in prayer. Standing in the center of all of this, Eugene hid his sour expression. Light was continuously flowing out from the Holy Sword. When Eugene sharply focused his senses, he could sense how the Holy Sword was generating this light. It was through divine power. Even though there was no doubt that it existed, it was still somewhat unclear what divine power was. It mostmonly came in the form of a light that could only be manifested through the ¡®power¡¯ generated by a priest or pdin¡¯s worship of their gods. ¡®So that¡¯s how it was. Could the Holy Sword be some kind offocus[1]?¡¯Eugene spected. Eugene didn¡¯t worship any gods. If they did exist, then they existed, and if they didn¡¯t, it didn¡¯t matter to him. Although that was what he had originally thought, what with all this revtion and other shit that he had been forced to listen to recently, Eugene was starting to get annoyed with just hearing all this bullshit. ¡®Worship is for suckers. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m letting them take me for a fool,¡¯Eugene stubbornly insisted. Nevertheless, Eugene could feel the ¡®light¡¯ given off by the Holy Sword. Despite not having the slightest investment in the religion, he could still sense the Holy Sword¡¯s divine power. Eugene infused his mana into the Holy Sword. As if responding to his mana, the divine power expressed in the form of light wrapped around the de. By doing this, Eugene had created a de of sword-force that used divine power instead of mana. ¡°Aaah!¡± Katrina, who was still kneeling, eximed in admiration. While staring at the light that had engulfed the Holy Sword, she spoke in a trembling voice, ¡°What a dazzling brilliance it has¡­!¡± ¡°Hm¡­.¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully, paying no attention to Katrina¡¯s awe. All of his focus was concentrated on the Holy Sword. The sword¡¯s brilliant glow wasn¡¯t simply for the sake of providing illumination. Eugene was well aware of what a powerful and oppressive effect that this pointlessly shy sword had on the demonic races. ¡®It¡¯s a powerpletely different from mana,¡¯Eugene observed. He might not have a religious bone in his body, but just by bing the master of the Holy Sword, Eugene was able to make use of such an intense divine power. He already had more than enough weapons that consumedrge amounts of his mana as it was, so it was fortunate that the Holy Sword didn¡¯t consume any mana. In other words, this meant that the sword was a very fuel-efficient weapon. This fact came as a truly pleasant surprise. ¡®Although I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll enjoy swinging it much,¡¯Eugene noted with disappointment. Eugene was indeed used to wielding all sorts of weapons from his previous life, but he had never used a sword that went so far beyond the bounds of a good ¡®weapon¡¯ like this Holy Sword. Rather than a sword meant to be swung in battle, the Holy Sword looked more like a ceremonial sword meant to be used when knighting someone and other formal ceremonies. However, at the end of the day, it still had a sharp edge. Eugene probably wouldn¡¯t enjoy using it, but it would still be well worth it to keep it with him as an insurance. ¡°Sir Eugene, haven¡¯t you heard something like a voice calling to you?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow as he returned the question. ¡°The Holy Sword Altair is a sword that the God of Light personally forged and bestowed upon this world long ago,¡± Kristina recited. This was part of the founding mythology of the Holy Empire of Yuras. A long, long time ago, before any civilization was formed on the continent, the world had been engulfed in endless chaos. At that time, Demon Kings did not exist. It was an era before the boundaries that now separated demonfolk, demonic beasts, and monsters had arisen. Their ancestors were nothing more than inhuman horrors that caught and devoured all humans. Compared to these horrors, humanity was tremendously weaker. The embers sparked by the humans could only be used to light some fire and grill some meat, but it was impossible for them to light up the darkness that came once the sun had set. During that mythical age, mes could give off heat, but they weren¡¯t able to illuminate. All horrors were born from the darkness. After the sun had set, the night belonged to these horrors. The weak humans gathered together to resist the horrors, but they weren¡¯t even able to put up a fight. The more humans that were hunted, the longer the night grew, and the more ferocious the monsters became, transforming all of the day¡¯sughter into tears. Just when all hope was about to turn into despair, a light fell from the heavens. God had descended upon the world. God lit up the darkness, and gave the mes that could only emit heat the ability to illuminate. This myth, the creation myth of the Holy Empire of Yuras, was undoubtedly arrogant. They truly believed that the current world could only have been reached because the God of Light had descended. They imed that all other gods were merely the children of the God of Light. ¡°The God of Light created a sword from his own blood and flesh in order to light up the darkness. Altair was the God of Light¡¯s first child, and the most brilliant beacon that our God has left in order to protect this world,¡± Kristina religiously intoned. This was, to a certain extent, a myth solely belonging to Yuras. Every other country had its own separate founding myth. However, Saint Kristina had no intention of recognizing the validity of any other founding myth. Kristina continued. ¡°In other words, this means that the will of our God still resides in Altair. Three hundred years ago¡­ the Great Vermouth became Altair¡¯s master, thus fulfilling God¡¯s revtion.¡± ¡°Huh¡­.¡± Even though dozens of rebuttals came to mind, Eugene merely let out a grunt and continued to silently listen to Kristina. ¡°The reason why the Hero was able to ovee all the hardships that he faced while wandering the world, was all because Altair was there to show the Hero the right path. If it hadn¡¯t been for Altair¡¯s revtions¡­ even the Great Vermouth wouldn¡¯t have been able to defeat the three Demon Kings,¡± Kristina confidently proimed. ¡°Ha¡­ haha,¡± Eugene had been intending to listen quietly while keeping his opinions to himself, but he couldn¡¯t hold on any longer. As Eugeneughed in disbelief, Gilead too found himselfughing along with Eugene. ¡°If what Saint Kristina is saying is the truth, then you¡¯re iming that our ancestor was just fighting as the Holy Sword instructed him to?¡± Gilead asked sharply. ¡°It probably didn¡¯t go so far as instructions on how to fight, but he definitely must have received the Holy Sword¡¯s assistance,¡± Kristina insisted. ¡°Saint Kristina, since you weren¡¯t born three hundred years ago, how can you even be sure of this fact?¡± Eugene challenged. ¡°Not being born three hundred years ago, doesn¡¯t that apply to you as well, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina retorted. This cheeky brat. Eugene barely managed to swallow the words that he was seconds away from spitting out. ¡®It¡¯s quite a creative fabrication. The Holy Sword¡¯s support? It did indeed do an impressive job as a torch,¡¯Eugene thought to himself sarcastically. Vermouth had never once spoken of the Holy Sword giving him a revtion. Anise had also never said anything about the Holy Sword having that kind of power. ¡°Well, since neither of us was born three hundred years ago, there¡¯s no way that we¡¯ll be able to know the truth. However, who in the world told you that, Saint Kristina?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°These facts are passed down to me through the scriptures,¡± Kristina answered. Eugene frowned, ¡°The scriptures¡­?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you already aware of the scriptures, Sir Eugene? The founder of your Lionheart n, the Great Vermouth, is someone who is revered as a Saint even within the Holy Empire. Could it really be that you have never read about the ¡®Book of Vermouth¡¯, even though you¡¯re a member of the Lionheart n?¡± Kristina asked in disbelief. ¡°Ah¡­. Um¡­.¡± Unable to reply immediately, Eugene shot a nce at Gilead. Gilead coughed in a low tone and spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ regarding the Book of Vermouth, the religious overtones it carries are so strong that it isn¡¯t really authorized by the Lionheart n.¡± Kristina gasped. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­!¡± ¡°Well¡­ I also tried to read it once when I was young, but the contents were so absurd that I¡­.¡± Eugene trailed off awkwardly as he recalled what he had read. Leading the refugees to stand in front of the sea, Vermouth lifted the Holy Sword while chanting the holy words and split apart the sea¡­. The book was packed full of such bullshit. The contents were even more ridiculous than what was recorded in the fairy tale. ¡®...Now that I think about it¡­ there was definitely something like that in it,¡¯Eugene realized. My apostle Vermouth, my blessing will guide your arm, so illuminate the darkness with the Light of God. There should still be limits on what kind of bullshit they could im. It wasn¡¯t just the Lionheart n who disregarded the Book of Vermouth, the book was also dismissed by historians. This meant that the book was actually treated as being less reliable than a fairy tale book meant for children. Kristina changed the subject. ¡°...So then¡­ Sir Eugene, you haven¡¯t heard any revtionsing from the Holy Sword?¡± ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Eugene hummed as he focussed his concentration while staring down at the Holy Sword. ¡°...Ah!¡± ¡°Aaaah!¡± Kristina cried. ¡°Have you received a revtion?¡± Eugene reluctantly admitted, ¡°For a moment there, I heard a voice in my head, but I¡¯m not really sure if it was a revtion¡­.¡± ¡°What did that voice say to you?¡± Kristina demanded. ¡°It said to look at Saint Kristina and tell her to shut up for a bit,¡± Eugene said with a straight face. Kristina¡¯s eyes widened at these words. While clenching her skirt tightly in her fists, she rose up from her seat. ¡°Please do not borrow the name of God in order to insult me,¡± Kristina huffily demanded. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already say it in advance? That I wasn¡¯t really sure if it was a revtion,¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that just mean your head is full of rude thoughts towards me? In my opinion, there must definitely be a demonic influence contaminating poor Sir Eugene¡¯s mind¡± Kristina used him. ¡°A demonic influence you say¡­. Ever since I was young, my mind has wandered from time to time, and I used to feel strong impulses that made it difficult for me to control myself¡­.¡± Eugene twitched. ¡°Just like¡ªugh¡ªjust like now. You¡­ motherfucker.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Kristina gasped. Eugene continued. ¡°Perhaps there is another me who isn¡¯t me inside of me. Apletely different Eugene Lionheart who is borrowing the voice of the Holy Sword in order to say these evil words¡­.¡± ¡°Are you mocking me right now?¡± Kristina asked, the corners of her lips twisting upwards in a dangerous smile. Eugene knocked on his own head, as if in embarrassment, and ced the Holy Sword inside of his cloak, ¡°Sometimes this trap of mine doesn¡¯t move ording to my own will.¡± ¡°That is quite a serious illness. If you kindly permit it, I can attempt to treat the illness personally,¡± Kristina offered. ¡°This sickness of the heart is something that I need to heal myself. I, Eugene Lionheart, as a descendant of the Great Vermouth, do not want to depend on the Saint to deal with my own weakness,¡± Eugene dered earnestly. Ignoring this, Kristina asked, ¡°What are you nning to do now?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just leave on our own time,¡± Eugene flourished his cloak as he walked past Kristina. ¡°It bothers me that you''re leaving without even saying goodbye to Gerhard,¡± Gilead confessed as he saw them out to the warp gate. As he stared at the annex in the distance, Eugene had a wry expression on his face even as he felt grateful for the Patriarch¡¯s consideration, ¡°I¡¯ll be counting on you to take the appropriate measures, Patriarch.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like we know when you¡¯ll be back. Even if it is me, I can¡¯t just keep lying to Gerhard for years,¡± Gilead pointed out. ¡°If that ends up being the case, then please give this letter to my father on thest day of the year,¡± Eugene requested as he handed Gilead the letter that he had written the day before. ¡°Tell him I¡¯ll be just fine. I have the confidence to take care of myself no matter where I go, and I even have a great God protecting me on my journey.¡± ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Gilead hummed in agreement, though rather than the God of Light¡¯s protection, he ced more trust in Eugene¡¯s own capabilities. ¡®...Saint Kristina will be going with him as well¡­,¡¯Gilead reminded himself before saying, ¡°...Eugene, I¡¯m trusting you.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,¡± Eugene said with a grin, before extending a hand to Gilead. ¡°...It might be a bitte at this point to ask you something like this, is it okay if I call you uncle[2]?¡± ¡°....What¡­?¡± Gilead uttered in shock. Eugene seemed embarrassed, ¡°Well, my father is still alive and in good health¡­ and aren¡¯t you a few years older than my father? So I thought it would be okay to call you uncle¡ª¡± Although Eugene had reached out for a handshake, Gilead pulled Eugene into a close embrace and said, ¡°No matter what you call me, I¡¯ve thought of you as my son ever since six years ago.¡± ¡°Th¡­ thank you so much,¡± Eugene repeated. Eugene had said these words because he was grateful for Gilead¡¯s faith in him, and because he was also feeling a little guilty for borrowing so many weapons from the treasure vault. However Gilead¡¯s reaction was much warmer than he¡¯d been expecting. ¡°Be careful, and may you achieve the purpose of your journey, my son,¡± Gilead gave Eugene his blessings. ¡°Yes¡­ uncle. Please take good care of yourself,¡± Eugene said in a slightly choked voice. Their warm embrace came to an end. Even so, Gilead didn¡¯t burst into tears like Gerhard would have done. All Gilead did was keep his back straight and stick out his chest as he saw off Eugene. However, to Eugene, that shining gaze of his felt just as burdensome as Gerhard¡¯s tears. Still, it didn¡¯t feel so bad being seen off like this as he left on his adventure. In his previous life¡­ there weren¡¯t many times when he had received such a fond farewell. ¡°There is no warp gate leading to Samar,¡± Kristina spoke. ¡°After we pass through the southern border of Kiehl, we will have to walk the rest of the way. Were you aware of this?¡± ¡°Well, roughly,¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°Does that mean you haven¡¯t made any travel ns?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that the case for you as well, Saint Katrina?¡± ¡°It seems that I¡¯ve prepared more diligently than you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina said as she gave him a faint smile. ¡°First of all, it would be for the better if you don¡¯t use your personal identity card, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯ll receive a lot of attention?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina nodded. ¡°But it will be difficult to forge an identity card, and the checkpoints are pretty strict about identification, especially when we¡¯re crossing the border,¡± Eugene brought up cautiously. However, from the moment that they crossed the border, they would no longer be bound by the need for an identity card. The public safety in Samar was so bad, that it couldn¡¯t even bepared to a ghetto, and the identity cards that were somon to the other countries on this continent didn¡¯t see any use there. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about passing through any checkpoints,¡± Kristina assured him, as she pulled something out from the inside of her robes and handed it over to Eugene. Presenting him with a nk identity card, she continued speaking, ¡°The priests of the Holy Empire travel all over the continent. During their journeys, high-level priests often attract unwanted gazes.¡± ¡°So they carry fake identity cards with them as they travel?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°You won¡¯t meet any trouble even if you do find yourself needing to use it,¡± Kristina said confidently. Eugene grinned and took the identity card. Before passing through the warp gate, Kristina showed Eugene how to register the nk identity card. The method for doing so wasn¡¯t difficult, nor did it take too long. A new identity could be created immediately by cing a blood-stained thumb on the identity card and memorizing the name that would be used as his alias. ¡°So now that it¡¯s been created, does that mean that the Holy Empire will eventually register this identity?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°And with that, our identities should be safely secured, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina confirmed. ¡°We will be posing as missionaries traveling to Samar.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow. ¡°You don¡¯t really intend to proselytize the natives of Samar, do you?¡± ¡°If possible, I would like to try and preach to them, but unfortunately the indigenous people of Samar do not respect the God of Light,¡± Kristina said with a bitter smile. That was just the reality of the situation. Most of the zealous priests who traveled to Samar in order to proselytize their religion and serve their gods never returned. ¡°After you dered that you were going to Samar, I did my own independent research on Samar,¡± Kristina informed him. ¡°So what did you find out?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Although elves are sometimes seen in Samar¡­ most of those elves are wandering around, unable to find a way to return to their ¡®hometown,¡¯¡± Kristina said as she turned her robes inside out. ¡°A few years ago, the dark elves of Helmuth began trickling into Samar and making contact with these wandering elves. If you want to find the vige of the elves, you should try and meet with some of the wandering elves, just like what the dark elves are trying to do.¡± It had only been a few days since Eugene had informed her that he intended to go to Samar. In that short amount of time, and without even leaving the ck Lion Castle, she had managed toplete her own investigation¡­. It seemed that the identity of a ¡®Saint¡¯ was quite convenient. ¡®...To think there¡¯d be dark elves,¡¯Eugene¡¯s expression twisted as he ran his fingers through his hair. Each time his hand shook his strands of hair, the gray color of his hair darkened into ck. After even the Lionheart sigil embroidered into his surcoat had been removed, Eugene also altered the appearance of his cloak. ¡®I don¡¯t have any good memories of those pests.¡¯ Three hundred years ago, while they were wandering through Helmuth, he had gone through countless near-death crises. But among those, there was one moment in particr that stood out. It wasn¡¯t from their battles with the Demon Kings¡­. Or from when his face was almost cut in two by the Incarceration¡¯s de. It was before that¡­. Back when he had met Iris, the Demon King of Fury¡¯s adopted daughter, a dark elf called the ¡®Rakshasa¡¯. Chapter 91

Chapter 91: Samar (1)

The fifth-ranked Demon King of Carnage had the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth. The fourth-ranked Demon King of Cruelty had the Demon Spear Luentos. However, the third-ranked Demon King of Fury didn¡¯t possess anything like a special weapon. In ce of that, the Demon King of Furymanded a great army. In his army, the proportion of heterogeneous races was unusually high. The giants led by Kamash served as the vanguard of Fury¡¯s army, and alongside them fought beastfolk and elves. Races that were created from the corruption of human beings, like the vampires and the lycanthropes, were also recruited into Fury¡¯s army. The four most powerful warriors in his entire army were known as Fury¡¯s Four Heavenly Kings. The Chief of the Giants, the Earthshaker Kamash. The Vampire Lord, the Bloodshedder Sein. The Lunatic of the Beastfolk, the Depraved Oberon. The Dark Elf Princess, the Rakshasa Iris. Three hundred years ago, Hamel and Vermouth had worked together to y Kamash. After that, they killed the Demon Kings of Carnage and Cruelty. As they were making their way to the Demon King of Fury¡¯s Castle, bolstered by this momentum, they were ambushed by the vampires led by the Bloodshedder Sein. During that battle, they managed to kill Sein. Although he was a vampire, and therefore extremely difficult to kill, Anise¡¯s divine power and Vermouth¡¯s Holy Sword were enough to end him, and Sein¡¯s body was burned to ashes. In the Demon King of Fury¡¯s castle, they were attacked by the beastfolk and the dark elves, led by Oberon and Iris. They weren¡¯t able to kill these two like they did Sein, as the two of them managed to retreat to Fury¡¯s position and readied their final defenses. It was a truly terrible fight. Oberon was strong, and so too was Iris. Needless to say, the Demon King of Fury was also extremely powerful. However, in the end they were defeated. While Vermouth was facing the Demon King of Fury, Molon faced Oberon. Hamel¡¯s opponent was Iris. ¡ªFather! He could still hear that desperate cry of hers ringing in his ears. When Fury finally fell, the bloodstained Iris ran over to Fury while letting out that scream. Hamel had no intention of letting Iris go freely. The dark elf was strong and a difficult opponent to deal with. Even if Iris did manage to break away from him, it wouldn¡¯t have changed Fury¡¯s death, but regardless of this fact, Hamel had nned to put an end to Iris. But to put it bluntly, he failed. For some reason, instead of using thest of his power to make a counterattack or revive himself, the dying Fury used it to help Oberon and Iris escape. No one there had expected that the Demon King of Fury would do something like that. Sienna¡¯s magic wasn¡¯t able to stop Oberon and Iris¡¯s escape in time. Even a guy like Vermouth had shown a momentary look of bewilderment at Fury¡¯s actions. ¡ªYou¡­ I¡¯ll kill you¡­ I¡¯ll kill all of you¡­! F-fa-father¡­! As space was ripped open to form a door, Fury¡¯s dark magic engulfed Iris and Oberon. Iris was still trying to attack them even as she wept convulsively, but Oberon, who had lost an arm, kept a tight hold on Iris. ¡ªHamel, you¡­ it¡¯s because you blocked me¡­! ¡ªFuck, stop with that bullshit. So what if I blocked you? Hamel had mocked Iris¡¯s resentment. Even in her current situation, with Iris having barely managed to escape after being rendered close to death, instead of Vermouth who had put a sword through Fury¡¯s chest, it was he ¡ª Hamel ¡ª that Iris resented more. It was just ridiculous. In any case, that was how the Demon King of Fury died. Iris and Oberon escaped, and the rest of the dark elves and beastfolk all scattered. Now, three hundred years had passed. The vampires, who had lost their lord, and the lycanthropes all came under the control of Noir Giabe, Queen of the Night Demons. The remaining giants had united amongst themselves to form a tribe in the rugged backwoods of Helmuth. Oberon had sworn himself to the Demon King of Destruction, but about one hundred and fifty years ago, his own son had ripped out his throat and killed him. As for Iris¡­. ¡®We never met again after that,¡¯Eugene recalled. Even though she had been ring at him with poison in her eyes and spitting out dire curses right up until the end, he had never encountered Iris again. ¡®I should have killed her back then,¡¯Eugene regretted. Just like elves, dark elves lived for a long time. Their lifespans went well over a thousand years. In the first ce, elves and dark elves weren¡¯t actually separate races. When an elf was corrupted by a Demon King and epted their demonic power, they became a dark elf. ¡®Calling Fury her father because of that is just nonsense,¡¯Eugene scoffed. Even now, after having been reincarnated, he still couldn¡¯t really understand what Iris had been thinking at that moment. The Demon King of Fury had made all the Four Heavenly Kings believe that they were his children. Even Kamash, who was as huge as a mountain, believed that he was Fury¡¯s eldest son. Right before Kamash had perished, he had called out ¡®father¡¯ onest time. It was a thoroughly unamusing way of ying house. By tying them together through the rtionship of a ¡®family,¡¯ even though they didn¡¯t share any blood, Eugene felt that Fury was only using these bonds as a tool to evoke a sense of unity and loyalty. However, at the moment of his death, Fury had allowed his ¡®daughter¡¯ Iris and his ¡®son¡¯ Oberon to escape. Why had he done that? If he had that much energy left, then he could have made himself into a suicide bomb. Though he wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill Vermouth even with that, wasn¡¯t that a more fittingst act for a Demon King? ¡®It¡¯s fortunate that Oberon has passed away, but¡­ the son who was able to rip his throat out must be quite the formidable madman.¡¯ The beastfolk were also divided internally between several different races. Three hundred years ago, Oberon was crazy enough that he could still be called the Lunatic, even whenpared to the rest of the beastfolk, but it seemed that the son he had managed to sire was just as crazy as his father. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be wary of Oberon¡¯s son and Iris. They had arrived at the Samar Rainforest. This ce was, in a certain sense, even more dangerous than Helmuth. Although it was not as infested with demonfolk as Helmuth, and there also was no one who even came close to the level of a Demon King, Samar was still full of low-grade trash. Unlike in other countries, identity cards didn¡¯t see any use here. Heinous criminals who shouldn¡¯t be allowed in the same country, let alone the same city, and those who should have been imprisoned until they rotted or just t out executed ¡ª whether they had managed to escape or were never caught in the first ce, all these people fled to Helmuth or Samar. Of course, even Samar had ws¡¯. However since thesews covered much less than thews passed in ordinary countries, Samar was still called awless zone. The natives of this ce were uncivilized, and thews differed from tribe to tribe. In any ordinary country, murder was a ¡®crime¡¯, but in Samar, that wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. Murder could be forgiven for even the slightest of reasons, and some of the barbaric tribes might even consider murder without cause to be a valiant act. ¡°To think that people would still try to do missionary work in Samar. It must be quite a popr mode of suicide,¡± a brown-skinned man observed as he scanned Eugene and Kristina with narrow eyes. Just like Kristina has said, there had been no problems with using the counterfeit identity cards to pass through Kiehl¡¯s southern border. The problems came after that. Not only was Samar evenrger than the Kiehl Empire¡¯s entire territory, there weren¡¯t any warp gates opened for usage. Although it looked like a few had been installed, there were only a handful of people with permission to use the warp gates in Samar. No matter how much money that they offered, foreign nobles were not allowed to use Samar¡¯s warp gates. In other words, after they crossed the border, they had no choice but to continue riding in a carriage or on horseback. After having traveled like this for a few days, they arrived at the trade city that was located closest to the border. Although it was called a trade city, it couldn¡¯tpare to any of the cities found in Kiehl or Aroth. There were no buildings taller than a few floors and the roads were filthy. ¡°Our reasons foring here shouldn¡¯t matter to you, no?¡± Kristina said with a soft smile as she showed him her identity card. At this, the man let out a heartyugh and flipped Kristina¡¯s identity card over to inspect it. ¡°Let¡¯s see here¡­ so you¡¯re a D-ss adventurer. But so what?¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t this inn affiliated with the Adventurers Guild? I would like to receive the regr service for someone of my ss,¡± Kristina hesitantly requested. ¡°Ha ha! Miss Nun, are you pretending to be naive, or are you just really that naive? This ce might be close to Kiehl, but it¡¯s still a town in Samar. Whether it¡¯s this identity card or your adventurer ss, they¡¯re all useless here,¡± the innkeeper said with a snicker as he passed the identity card back to her. ¡°You want the regr service for your ss? That¡¯s one of the funniest jokes that I¡¯ve ever heard. Miss Nun, you need to realize¡­ this is Samar. This inn might be affiliated with the Adventurers Guild, but it¡¯s still the same no matter under which guild you¡¯re traveling. It¡¯s impossible to trust the identity cards of any of the bastards who¡¯ve crawled their way here¡ª Ah, stop, that doesn¡¯t work either.¡± ¡°What do you mean it doesn¡¯t work?¡± Eugene asked with a furrowed brow as he was caught pulling out his wallet. The innkeeper borated. ¡°I¡¯m talking about your money, your money work here. So don¡¯t try to pull it out, because it¡¯s pointless. Do you two really not know anything about Samar? Samar doesn¡¯t use any foreign currency. What¡¯s used here are¡ª¡± ¡°I already know that, so stop pointlessly interrupting me. Unless you want to get the shit beaten out of you, that is,¡± Eugene threatened with a grin as he leaned closer over the table. On the other side of the table, the innkeeper was momentarily perplexed by Eugene¡¯s sudden change in attitude before muttering, ¡°What a rude, young bastard¡­.¡± The innkeeper¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl as he ced a finger on the buzzer hidden beneath the table. With just one slight tap, he could call down the mercenaries waiting on the upper floor. However, the innkeeper wasn¡¯t able to press the buzzer. A dagger that had pierced straight through to the underside of the table stopped just short of the innkeeper¡¯s finger. ¡°Hey now, no need to rush things.¡± Eugene chided him. The innkeeper shakily demanded, ¡°...You bastard¡­ what the hell do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Eugene raised a brow. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to keep listening until I was done speaking?¡± Eugene took out a small jewel from the inside of his cloak and ced it on the table. It was one of the jewels that he had obtained from the Emir of Kajitan. Seeing this, the innkeeper¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°We might not be able to use any of our foreign currencies, but we can still use gems, right? After all, everyone likes shiny things,¡± Eugene grinned. The innkeeper was speechless, ¡°....¡± ¡°Now then, old man. From now on, stop interrupting me and just answer my questions,¡± Eugene instructed. ¡°And stop trying to judge me based on my appearance and listen to the way I talk. Now you should be able to recognize a fellow mercenary who¡¯s made his living by the sword, isn¡¯t that so?¡± The innkeeper¡¯s face stiffened slightly. He could sense the sharpness of the dagger that was touching his finger, and felt rmed at the fact Eugene had stabbed it into the table without giving any signs in advance. That wasn¡¯t the only thing leaving him off bnce. The killing intent that he could feeling from this brat in front of him, who had yet to shed the air of youth, was far from ordinary. ¡®I¡¯m the only one who can feel this¡­,¡¯the innkeeper realized. Eugene¡¯s killing intent was all focussed on the innkeeper without any wasted spillover. As a former mercenary, the innkeeper recognized that Eugene, unlike his outer appearance, was extremely dangerous. ¡°A jewel of this size should serve as the price of a room,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°...¡± The innkeeper silently sweated. ¡°Since there are two of us, we¡¯ll need two rooms,¡± Eugene continued as he took out another jewel and ced it on the table. ¡°Although there are probably a lot of inns better than this, well, it¡¯s all about convenience. Do you get what I¡¯m saying?¡± Eugene prompted. The innkeeper btedly realized, ¡°...You need information?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got it. If you¡¯re part of the Adventurers Guild, doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re also connected with the Mercenary Guild and the Informants Guild? While at the same time, you¡¯re also in charge of the amodation for any adventurers,¡± Eugene pointed out. The innkeeper hesitated and then asked, ¡°...Are you two bounty hunters?¡± As far as the innkeeper knew, the only ones who would usually stop by to ask for information while giving off such refined killing intent were bounty hunters. ¡°Well, I guess you could call us that,¡± Eugene epted. ¡°But as my stupid colleague here has already revealed, our purpose foring here shouldn¡¯t be of any importance to you, right? I have the jewels that you want, and you have the information that I want. Isn¡¯t that right, old man?¡± ¡°...Ummm¡­¡± The innkeeper hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you this in advance, but if you try to do something like rob me because I look like an easy mark¡­ you¡¯re all dead. I truly mean that,¡± Eugene sincerely emphasized. ¡°I hope that you¡¯re tactful enough to see the difference between an unguarded bowl of rice and one that will take an arm off if you touch it. So what do you think, old man? Will you take the risk of trying to kill me just so that you can rifle through my pockets?¡± ¡°...That¡­ doesn¡¯t really sound like it would work,¡± the innkeeper admitted. Eugene¡¯s killing intent was slowly growing stronger. The innkeeper¡¯s breath was rapidly hastening and cold sweat was flowing down his body. ¡°We¡¯re looking for an elf,¡± Eugene said, reaching into his cloak once more. This time he took out a jewel that was several times the size of the first gem that he had taken out. The innkeeper¡¯s eyes lit up with desire as soon as he saw it. The greed that was aroused by thisrge gem was even greater than his fear of dying. Eugene continued, ¡°Not a dark elf, just a normal elf. From what I¡¯ve been told, elves sometimes visit this city¡­ so any one of them will do.¡± ¡°...It seems that you¡¯re not too familiar with our prices,¡± the innkeeper coughed before continuing to speak. ¡° For information about the elves, we will need three jewels of the same size as that one. Although I don¡¯t know why you might be looking for an elf¡­ it should be quite well-known that there aren¡¯t just one or two wealthy merchants or nobles looking to own an elf.¡± ¡°Seeing as you¡¯ve said all that, it seems like you really do have information on the elves, right?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°...In exchange for one of those jewels, I can connect you with the informant,¡± the innkeeper offered. ¡°You can discuss the rest of the cost with the informant himself¡­.¡± Eugene bared his teeth in a predatory grin as he growled, ¡°You motherfucker, where do you think you get off with trying to rip me off.¡± Whoosh! Eugene¡¯s hand wrapped around the innkeeper¡¯s throat. ¡°Gack!¡± the innkeeper choked. ¡°I don¡¯t mind if you scream a little louder,¡± Eugene said generously as he kindly pressed the buzzer beneath the table in ce of the innkeeper. The moment he had done so, rough-looking mercenaries immediately came racing down the stairs. ¡°Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina looked to Eugene in a fluster. Instead of answering her, Eugene just smirked at her and barked out orders. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you pulling out your wand? Aren¡¯t you going to block those bastards from charging at us?¡± ¡°Who the hell are you?!¡± one of the mercenaries demanded. Eugene casually answered him, ¡°We¡¯re a man and a woman, you son of a bitch.¡± Crack! Eugene grabbed one of the innkeeper¡¯s fingers and snapped it. The mercenaries, who all looked dumbfounded by Eugene¡¯s confident remark, also snapped out of their bewilderment, and they drew their weapons and rushed over. Instead of reacting to this personally, Eugene red at Kristina. In response, Kristina let out a short sigh and raised her hands in front of her chest. sh! The light that erupted from her took the form of a long whip that swept her surroundings. ¡°Aaargh!¡± the mercenaries all let out rmed cries. Instead of sweeping the mercenaries away, the whip of light bound their arms and legs tightly. Seeing this, Eugene grinned and then turned back to the innkeeper. ¡°Kristina, what was this bastard¡¯s name again?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...It¡¯s Jackson¡±, Kristina replied. ¡°That¡¯s quite amon name,¡± Eugene noted. ¡°Hey, Jackson. Didn¡¯t I say it just now. The reason I came here instead of some other inn, it¡¯s all for the sake of convenience.¡± Crack crack¡­! Jackson¡¯s finger was bent back even further. Although Jackson screamed and tried to twist himself free, Eugene¡¯s hand refused to let go of Jackson¡¯s throat. ¡°I came here because I thought that you were an information dealer. But what did you say to me? You said that you¡¯ll just take a brokerage fee and connect me to your informant? Then you wanted me to sort out a separate payment with the informant? You motherfucker, where do you get off with ripping off your customers like this?¡± Eugene demanded. Jackson groaned. ¡°Gah¡­ gahhhh¡­!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t want to kick up a fuss, so I thought that I would just settle things cleanly by paying you some money, but I didn¡¯t expect you to have such a wicked heart.¡± Eugene shook his head in dismay. ¡°Now, where was I¡­, Oh, right. The Informants Guild has its own set ofws, correct? I don¡¯t think that thews of Samar¡¯s Informants Guild should be much different from its other branches. If you spout some nonsense during your duties, then you get your finger cut off, isn¡¯t that right?¡± The innkeeper stammered, ¡°Th-thatw was repealed a long time ago¡­.¡± ¡°When exactly was that, motherfucker? Three hundred years ago? If that¡¯s the case, then what are thews like now? Well, not that it matters. I¡¯m not a member of the Informants¡¯ Guild, so I don¡¯t really need to follow theirws, now do I? Since you¡¯ve fucked with me, it¡¯s only fair that I fuck with you too, right?¡± Eugene''s eyes widened as he red at Jackson. Letting go of the finger that he had been holding beneath the table, Eugene mmed the dagger all the way through the table. ¡°Come on, you son of a bitch. Which finger should I cut off? One on your right hand? Or your left hand? Even I have some sense of mercy, so I can avoid the hand that you use most often. You¡¯re right-handed, right? If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll take one from your left hand. But if I take off your index finger, then that¡¯ll inconvenience your daily life, no? Since that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll cut off your middle finger. That¡¯s probably better than your index finger. You might not be able to tell someone to fuck off with just your left hand, but if it¡¯s just that, it seems a pretty cheap price to pay for your stupidity,¡± Eugene dered. Before they had entered, Kristina had informed Eugene that the innkeeper¡¯s name was Jackson and that he was an information broker belonging to the Informants Guild. Originally, he had just intended to pay a reasonable price in order to purchase the necessary information, but things like ns had a habit of changing ording to the situation. Kristina might not be able to understand the reason for Eugene¡¯s sudden actions, but by Eugene¡¯s logic, it was always better to enforce discipline, even if it meant making a fuss, than to be treated like a fool. ¡°Now then, why don¡¯t you just rx. Spread the fingers of your left hand wide so that it¡¯s easier for me to make the cut. You don¡¯t want to? If you don¡¯t want to, then I¡¯ll just add another one. How about both the middle and ring fingers?¡± Eugene offered. Jackson tried to warn him, ¡°If-if you hurt me, the Informants Guild will¡ª¡± ¡°This bastard is really still trying to threaten me,¡± Eugene snorted in derision. Thwack! The sharp dagger cut off Jackson¡¯s middle finger. Jackson tried to scream, but Eugene covered his mouth with a hand to keep his scream from escaping. ¡°If I was afraid of that, do you really think that I would be holding you by the throat as I cut off your fingers?¡± Eugene spat out as he red into Jackson¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°Think carefully. Missing a single finger, while inconvenient, won¡¯t affect your life. If you speak up now, I¡¯ll let you off with just one finger. Ah, and you don¡¯t need to worry about payment. If your information is confirmed, then I¡¯ll even leave you these jewels.¡± How had things turned out like this? Pain and fear clouded Jackson¡¯s head. The situation had beenpletely different just a few moments before. These two idiots hade in here without knowing anything. It had been surprising to hear them bring up the Informants Guild and the elves, with Jackson not caring what kind of circumstances had brought these two to Samar. Jackson had just wanted to take a brokerage fee. He really had been nning on connecting them with a suitable informant, But now, all he had to see for it was the finger that had just been cut off¡­.. ¡°If you really don¡¯t want to cooperate? Then it can¡¯t be helped. The Informants Guild is still just a guild; at the very least, for the crime of treating me like shit and wasting my time, I¡¯m making sure that you die here. I¡¯ll also kill all the mercenaries that we have tied up over there. And after that? Well, you won¡¯t need to care about that as you¡¯ll be dead. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± As he said this, Eugene removed the hand that was covering Jackson¡¯s mouth. ¡°However, I hope that you can think about this clearly. If I¡¯m able toe here and act so recklessly¡­ that has to mean that I have something that I can firmly trust to have my back, no?¡± ¡°...You¡­ just who the hell¡­ are you?¡± Jackson pleaded. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Just tell me about the elves.¡± With a scrape of the dagger, Eugene brushed away the finger that had fallen on the table. ¡°P-please¡­ I¡¯m bleeding¡­.¡± Jackson stammered, and Kristina moved to approach him. However, Eugene took action before she could, grabbing the stump of Jackson¡¯s finger. ¡°Gah¡­!¡± Jackson screamed. ¡°Stay still. I¡¯ve just stopped the bleeding,¡± Eugene said, his method of stemming the blood loss was truly barbaric. By squeezing the severed finger, he could stop the blood from pouring out. As Jackson¡¯s body shuddered in pain and fear, he looked down at his hand. He was afraid that Eugene¡¯s bloodstained hand might reach out to break or remove one of his other fingers. ¡°Now speak,¡± Eugene said, sitting down on a chair with a casual expression on his face. Chapter 92 Chapter 92 ¡°Weren¡¯t you being too unreasonable?¡± Kristina spoke up once they had left. Her question wasn¡¯t asked with any nitpicky nuance. It was just like during the actual event, where even though Kristina had been surprised and flustered by the sudden change in situation, she hadn¡¯t gotten angry with Eugene¡¯s radical behavior. Seeing her react like this, Eugene felt quite impressed. If it had been an ordinary priest with him, they would have been enraged by Eugene¡¯s radical actions, going so far as to rebuke him for cutting off a finger, and would definitely have cast some healing magic on Jackson, who was in pain and dripping blood, without his permission. However, Kristina hadn¡¯t done that. Although surprised and flustered, she hadn¡¯t tried to stop Eugene¡¯s actions. She hadn¡¯t even try to cast any healing magic on her own volition. ¡®If I had an ordinary priest with me¡­,¡¯ Eugene mused. But in the first ce, Kristina was no ordinary priest. She was the Holy Empire of Yuras¡¯s saint candidate ¡ª no, their actual ¡®Saint.¡¯ So, with Kristina¡¯s actions on top of her background, and thanks to her appearance as well, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be strongly reminded once more of Anise. ¡°You have to be unreasonable when dealing with unreasonable bastards,¡± Eugene said as he nced back at her. ¡°Also, aren¡¯t you being the unreasonable one by even asking that? If you converted the jewels I took out in front of him into cash, do you know how much that would be? As long as he got a good deal on just one of them, he would have had enough cash to drink and party with for a whole year. Since he tried to pocket one of them for free by using such a nonsensical excuse, don¡¯t you think that he got off rather cheaply with just losing a finger?¡± ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Kristina hummed as she considered this for a few moments, then she smiled softly and nodded. ¡°Indeed. I understand what you are trying to say. You and I might nowe from backgrounds where we have no shortage of money, but for ordinary people, the jewels that you offered must be of great value,¡± Kristina agreed as she lowered the hood of her robe. ¡°On top of that, both of us grew up in a very poor environment in our younger days. As such, we both appreciate the value of wealth even more.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°I¡¯m d that you understand¡ª¡± ¡°However.¡± Kristina interrupted him. ¡°Even taking all that into ount, I still feel like cutting off that information broker¡¯s finger was overkill. It would have been enough just to scold him, there was no need to go that far.¡± ¡°Would a bastard who makes a living by selling information in a ce like this really back down from simple threats? Taking a single finger was instead the cleanest way to handle things,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°What if he wants revenge for this?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°Do you think he¡¯d be that stupid?¡± ¡°Sometimes anger can consume all reason.¡± ¡°Rather than abandoning all his fear and attempting something like that, that guy will probably just lie there, fantasizing about getting his revenge,¡± Eugene muttered as he turned away from her, looking forward once more. ¡°Nevertheless, if he does try to take revenge on me, I¡¯ll just have to make him regret taking such a foolish choice of action. As someone with enough ability to be confident in my chances, I would actually prefer if he did instead choose to try and get revenge.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Kristina muttered with a giggle. It seemed like she hadn¡¯t just asked her initial question because she wanted Eugene to exin his reasoning. ¡°Sir Eugene, you are quite the unusual individual,¡± Kristinamented. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°After all, isn¡¯t Kiehl¡¯s Lionheart n one of the most prestigious families on the entire continent? However, your earlier behavior was so cruel that it was hard to believe that you were the heir of such a prestigious family. You were acting just like a hard-as-nails mercenary,¡± Kristina praised. ¡°Do you really see the children of prestigious families as the type to justugh pretentiously and sip tea even as they¡¯re getting ripped off?¡± Eugene asked rhetorically. ¡°Let¡¯s just be frank with each other. You can just say that you feel like I¡¯m too unreasonable to be a young master from a prestigious family.¡± Kristina smiled, ¡°That¡¯s what I said at the very beginning.¡± Weren¡¯t you being too unreasonable? Eugene burst intoughter as he recalled the words that he had indeed heard earlier. ¡°Still, at least I didn¡¯t kill him,¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°Instead, you cut his hand off at the wrist,¡± Kristina reminded him. ¡°He needed to pay the price for his mistakes,¡± Eugene curtly dered. Jackson had refused to talk about the elves. ¡®I can¡¯t say anything,¡¯ Jackson had said as he begged for mercy. * * * Three hundred years ago, when the five Demon Kings had been trying to take over the world, the two races that had suffered the most damage were the elves and the dragons. There hadn¡¯t been many dragons in the first ce, but then half of them were killed while fighting against the Demon Kings. The elves were even worse off than the dragons. They had started gradually dying even before any of the elves could have fought back against the Demon Kings. This was all because of a gue ¡ª the ominous power of the Demon Kings proved fatal to the pure and untainted elves. The shocking pandemic that ensued, called the ¡®Demonic Disease¡¯, brought many of these elves, despite their long lifespans, to an untimely death. Elves who felt sickened by the world, elves who had barely escaped being taken as ves, and elves who had caught the Demonic Disease. Their reasons varied, but various groups of elves had all found their way back to the Samar Rainforest. The elves who had been born in the forest and had then left for the outside world, all wished to return to their hometown. The elves who weren¡¯t born in the forest arrived searching for the elven sanctuary that they heard was located deep within the forest. The elves who had caught the Demonic Disease had an even more desperate reason for returning than the other elves. Once they were infected, they would only be able to persist for five years at the very most before dying, but those who returned to the Samar forest would be able to live for a much longer period of time. Eugene didn¡¯t know if it had always been like this, buttely, not a single one of the elves that had attempted to return were able to find the elven sanctuary. Elves lived for a very long time, they were beautiful, and no matter how old they got, their natural beauty wouldn¡¯t age. As such, there weren¡¯t just a few wealthy merchants and nobles who were looking to enve the elves. For people like this, their eyes couldn¡¯t help but light up with enthusiasm at the elves¡¯ predicament, treating these wandering elves as their prey. If it was just a few years ago, this city may have been filled with numerous vers and ve traders who hade here from abroad. But now? There were none. There might be a few who were continuing their work under the table, but the number of vers and ve traders who were working out in the open had seriously dwindled. This was because of the dark elves. Starting from a few years ago, the dark elves had appeared in this city and formed a force that counter-hunted these vers and ve traders. These vicious dark elves had sealed the mouths of the informants guild, and they were the only ones allowed to contact any elf that appeared in this city. Why? Because they wanted to turn these wandering elves into dark elves. They would persuade these elves who hade to Samar that no matter how much they wandered around, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find the elven sanctuary. The elves already living there had hidden their borders, and were actively rejecting any of their people who came in from the outside. But if the wandering elves became dark elves instead, they would no longer need to worry about vers and ve traders. They would also no longer need to worry about a sudden onset of the Demonic Disease. In fact, it was even alright if they had already caught the Demonic Disease. Dark elves wouldn¡¯t die from it. ¡°Are you familiar with the Princess of Fury?¡± Kristina asked. Nights in the forest were both long and dark. Kristina had no objections to living rough; she might be a Saint, but she was far from dead-weight. She gathered firewood on her own, started a campfire, and helped set up camp. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of her,¡± Eugene confirmed. It was Iris, the dark elf that he hadn¡¯t been able to kill three hundred years ago. Fury¡¯s adopted daughter. ¡®I should have killed her back then,¡¯ Eugene regretted. Oberon had sworn himself to the Demon King of Destruction, and then died when his own son ripped out his throat. Iris hadn¡¯t subordinated herself to any of the other Demon Kings or demonfolk. While iming that she was the Demon King of Fury¡¯s legitimate heir, she had established her own tform in Helmuth, campaigning to be one of the new Demon Kings. She made a valid case. The vampires and the lycanthropes had submitted themselves to the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. Oberon¡¯s son and the other beastfolk had continued to swear allegiance to the Demon King of Destruction. The only ones who hadn¡¯t subordinated themself to one of the other Demon Kings or demonfolk were the giants and the dark elves. However, the giants made no im as to being the heirs of Fury, and instead lived among themselves in the backwoods of Helmuth. In the end, only Iris now imed to be the heir of Fury, while aiming for the throne of the Demon King. ¡°¡­Setting aside the power that she holds, the Princess of Fury¡­ Iris, isn¡¯t very well-considered in Helmuth.¡± Kristina continued speaking as she stared into the campfire. ¡°Even in the Alcarte Diocese, where I lived, there was a lot of mockery being spread about Iris. As someone who wasn¡¯t a pure-blooded demonfolk and instead something like a dark elf, they ridiculed her for not knowing her ce and coveting the throne of the Demon King.¡± ¡°Well, the concept of a pure-blooded demonfolk is also ridiculous,¡± Eugene said with a snort as he chewed on his meat. ¡°In the first ce, in terms of pure-bloodedness, apart from the Daemons[1], what other race of demonfolk can actually im to be pure-blooded? The Night Demons and the other demonfolk are all subspecies of the Daemons.¡± ¡°However, they were at least born as demonfolk,¡± Kristina pointed out. Things hadn¡¯t been that different three hundred years ago, either. Those like the vampires and lycanthropes ¡ª namely, those who had been ¡®converted¡¯ from humans and were considered part of the demonfolk ¡ª would be despised by the ¡®pure-blooded¡¯ demonfolk as being ¡®Half-Demons¡¯ or ¡®hybrids¡¯. In contrast to the Half-Demons, the treatment of the ck Wizards by the demonfolk was much better. This was because there was a clear sense of hierarchy between them. ¡°As the foster-daughter of the Demon King of Fury, Iris is able to corrupt elves into dark elves even though she is not a Demon King,¡± Eugene continued the discussion. That was why he felt such regret. If he had only been able to kill Iris three hundred years ago, the dark elves would no longer have increased in number. ¡°I¡¯m aware of many high-ranking demonfolk in Helmuth who offered Iris their support, but she has refused any such support and insists on building up her own tform solely through her own strength,¡± Kristina added. ¡°How funny,¡± Eugene muttered as he even chewed off the bits of meat still stuck to the bone. ¡°Even as she¡¯s being despised by those ¡®pure-bloods¡¯, in the end, she too insists on being pure-blooded. With the elves already being so few in number, the number of dark elves is even smaller. Does she really intend to build up her own force from such a shadow of a race,pete with the other demonfolk, and sessfully be a Demon King? She sure does dream big.¡± There was no way that Iris could be a Demon King. Eugene was well aware of the power that the demonfolk had held three hundred years ago. Iris was definitely strong, but there was no way that her strength could greatly surpass that of the other highest-ranking demonfolk such as the Queen of the Night Demons. There was also noparison between their forces. If a new Demon King was truly born from amongst the demonfolk, the closest to that position were the three Dukes of Helmuth. Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. Incarceration¡¯s de, Gavid Lindman. ck Dragon, Raizakia. The three of them were so deeply entangled together that they were practically sick of each other. ¡®But that¡¯s exactly why, out of all of the demonfolk who were on the same level as them three hundred years ago, they¡¯re the only three remaining,¡¯ Eugene mused. Jackson had spilled everything he knew about the dark elves as he kept weeping. He told Eugene that if he leaked any information about the elves, the dark elves were sure to kill him, so he begged Eugene not to question him about the elves. In other words, Jackson had had no intention of giving them any info about the elves from the very beginning, but he had still been trying to pocket the information and brokerage fees. ¡®It seems like Iris isn¡¯t following the orders of the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction,¡¯ Eugene observed. So when shing with the dark elves, he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about any interference from the Demon Kings. The only one that he really needed to keep an eye out for was Iris. ¡®¡­At least there should be no reason for me to run into Iris here,¡¯ thought Eugene. He had been told that the dark elves took all the elves that they had managed to persuade back with them to Helmuth. The only one who could corrupt elves was Iris. In other words, this meant that she shouldn¡¯t be in the Samar Rainforest and was instead still somewhere in Helmuth. Their conversation had died, leaving only the sounds of the campfire burning and the insects chirping. Without saying a word, Kristina was sipping on a hot cup of tea. Eugene was cleaning up thest of the meat skewers. ¡°What are you nning to do?¡± Kristina eventually spoke up after a long silence. ¡°Do I need to get your permission?¡± Eugene asked as he chewed thest of the meat. ¡°What are you asking permission for?¡± ¡°Murder.¡± Kristina hesitated. ¡°Although that¡¯s not something I can really grant permission for¡­ I will pray in your stead, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to pray for my sin of murder to be forgiven?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°Not at all. Instead it will be a prayer of remembrance and purification,¡± Kristina said with a soft smile as she brought her hands together to her chest. ¡°How could it even be considered a sin to punish the servants of the devil? However, they are all still life who were born and raised on their earth, asmbs who should have been led into the light. Our prayers are for the sake of illuminating their souls that have been corrupted by darkness, and guiding them back onto the path of righteousness. ¡®It seems like all Saints are crazy people,¡¯ Eugene thought, recalling Anise, as he swallowed hisst bite of meat. ¡ªEarth to earth! In addition to her divine magic, Anise was also good at wielding her il[2]. ¡ªAshes to ashes! Her brightly shining il had smashed more than a few demonfolk heads into pieces. ¡ªDust to dust! Although there weren¡¯t many asions where Anise had to put her il to work, when caught in a scrum, she would lift her il up with a helpless expression and go into battle. ¡ªBrilliant light! Illuminate the darkness! She would break heads with her il, create a mist with her true holy water, and unfurl her gleaming wings. As she did all this while screaming out prayers, Anise looked more like a madman than she did a Saint. ¡°¡­By any chance, do you wield a il as well?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. ¡°Huh?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°A il, are you not familiar with them?¡± ¡°¡­I know what they are, but I prefer to wield a mace.¡± ¡°¡­A mace¡­?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Yes. Although they¡¯re heavy, so I haven¡¯t been carrying one with me¡­,¡± Kristina reluctantly admitted. Eugene hesitantly offered, ¡°¡­If you need one¡­ just tell me. I have a few inside of my cloak.¡± ¡°Thank you very much.¡± Just as Kristina had given her thanks with a gentle smile, something flew out of the darkness and fell to the ground, rolling straight towards them. Eugene and Kristina didn¡¯t show any rm, and just stared at the rolling object. It was the head of the information broker, Jackson. The head¡¯s tongue was sticking out, and its eyes had rolled so far back so only the whites could be seen. ¡°About that mace, will you lend me one now?¡± Kristina requested. ¡°No,¡± Eugene denied her, and just wiped his hands on his trousers as he got up. ¡°Since you¡¯ve said that I don¡¯t need your permission, just stay here and pray.¡± They had immediately noticed when someone had started stealthily approaching them. During their shared silence, the intruder had narrowed the distance, so even before Eugene had asked Kristina for permission, Eugene had already decided what he was going to do to them. A question came flying out of the darkness, ¡°Are you a ver?¡± ¡°If we tell you that we aren¡¯t, are you just going to leave?¡± Eugene responded with a casual tone. ¡°¡­I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re going around asking about the elves,¡± the voice said as it drew a little closer. A dark elf came walking out of the darkness to face Eugene. Eugene questioned the dark elf, ¡°He was just an old man trying to make a living in this cutthroat world of ours. You didn¡¯t need to kill him, right?¡± The dark elf ignored his question, ¡°The informant told me all about you. He said that you came to him suddenly and wanted to buy information about the elves.¡± ¡°But he refused to sell us any information about the elves,¡± Eugene noted. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to be surprised. Have you already heard about us?¡± the dark elf asked. Without answering the question, Eugene pulled out a folded handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his mouth. Seeing this needlessly fastidious act, the dark elf put on a puzzled expression. ¡°¡­Could it be that you don¡¯t understand what kind of situation you¡¯re in?¡± the dark elf demanded. Eugene shook off the handkerchief a few times and asked, ¡°Did youe here on your own?¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I asked you if you came here on your own,¡± Eugene repeated as he tossed the handkerchief into the air. ¡°You impudent bastard.¡± Before the handkerchief hit the ground, it was blown away by a storm. 1. It¡¯s been a while since they werest mentioned, so here¡¯s a refresher. The Daemons are a horned demonfolk race. Considered to be the original demonfolk race, all of the past Demon Kings came from this race. ? 2. Although the original text has Anise using the Western word for ¡®mace¡¯, a ler in the chapter has Kristina saying she prefers a mace(the Korean word) over a ¡®mace¡¯. After checking the wiki, a picture of Anise Slywood(https://w.namu/s/780c9a113b521937eb80191c2922d9db12a264db410336cfd38c76fbbae64d1dd73712fbc086709029c62e5946639c9edd4c951b959138f2fafba35477807a44a37c52c8173061d8d73485191d8f41f0f7d0ef1cd76f9c292af66ef70fec2994d68d7705882726ff6c853152a207735f) has her carrying what looks like a morning star. So the author appears to have made a mistake and used ¡®mace¡¯ when he actually meant to use ¡®morning star¡¯ or ¡®il¡¯. ? Chapter 93 Chapter 93 In the face of the oing wind, the dark elf¡¯s expression changed abruptly. He quickly retreated backward while reaching for his waist, but Eugene was faster and was onto him before he could do anything. This was an inevitable oue. The summoned wind was only for the sake of surprising the dark elf. Eugene had used the Blink spell for movement. Without holding any weapons, Eugene pounced on the dark elf with his bare hands, but the dark elf wasn¡¯t making it easy to capture him. He bent his body backward, and then, in this unstable position, the dark elf swiveled in ce, in a movement that could almost be called acrobatic. By doing so, he brought his leg swinging around toward Eugene. Eugene snickered. He twisted his outstretched arm and blocked the dark elf¡¯s kick with the back of his hand. It wasn¡¯t just an ordinary block either ¡ª the wind covertly swirling around Eugene¡¯s hand swallowed the dark elf¡¯s body. ¡°Ugh!¡± the dark elf grunted. The wind was as sharp as a de. Engulfed the center of this storm, the dark elf protected his head with both of his arms while drawing on his strength. Crash! Gray-colored mana wrapped around the dark elf¡¯s body. ¡®His mana is quite high-level, but his demonic power is nothing special,¡¯ Eugene observed. The dark elf was only a little better than the lower-level demonfolk in terms of demonic power. However, his skills were far superior to any of the lower-level demonfolk. Just like elves, dark elves also lived a long time. Although a hundred-year-old human would be so old that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for them to die at any time, a hundred-year-old elf was treated like a child by their own people. The elves were one of those races who were blessed with an overflowing amount of time. Even if they just diligently cultivated their mana during all that time, any elf could be strong enough that no human would be able to look down on them. With all that said, were elves unconditionally superior to humans? That wasn¡¯t necessarily the case. Three hundred years ago, Vermouth had definitely been a human. Molon, Anise, Sienna, as well as Hamel, had all been humans. Humans were so numerous that they outnumbered the elves by the tens of hundreds, and amongst this overcrowded poption, one could sometimes find monsters who were able to ignore the difference in lifespan. The dark elf who hade here today couldn¡¯t have imagined that he would be facing one such monster. But now, there was no need to imagine it. The reality of the situation was clear. The dark elf couldn¡¯t understand why or how he had been thrown to the ground. The reality that he was facing right now had far exceeded the limits of hismon sense. ¡°¡­Gagh!¡± The dark elf coughed. Even though he had yet to understand the situation, his lips opened by themselves as blood sprayed out of his mouth. It had looked like a clean and simple back throw, but was that really all there was to it? No ¡ª before the dark elf had even hit the ground, Eugene had struck him a few more times. Eugene had first reached out to the hand that was holding onto a dagger, grabbed it, and twisted it. As the dark elf¡¯s arm was pulled in toward his side, his elbows were mmed against his own ribs. His mana shield was crushed by this blow, and the bones in his arm were broken. A rising fist then slightly brushed against the dark elf¡¯s chin. For a moment, the dark elfpletely lost consciousness. In the next instant, the dark elfnded onto the ground back-first. His arms, ribs, and shoulders¡­ his whole body trembled as if it had been electrocuted. Not only were his bones broken, his internal organs had also been damaged, so every time he took a breath, the fishy smell of blood filled his throat. Struggling any further would be trivial and futile. What had happened to him was so one-sided it couldn¡¯t even be called a fight. The dark elf gasped for breath as he red up at Eugene. Although he was aware of these facts, the dark elf wasn¡¯t a true warrior. He didn¡¯t feel any respect for the opponent who had just defeated him. ¡°A human boy like you¡­!¡± the dark elf growled angrily. Drawing the dark elf here had been intentional. Rather than attacking the dark elves¡¯ stronghold, Eugene had been intending to get the dark elves to pursue him by using Jackson as bait. If Jackson had been terrified enough to keep quiet, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to draw out any of the dark elves, but Eugene had made sure that he wouldn¡¯t just keep quiet. That was why he had cut off one of Jackson¡¯s hands. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how I should react to that. I am a human, and I¡¯m young enough to be considered a boy, so should I still take your words as the insult they were intended to be?¡± Eugene muttered as he brushed off the dirt that had sshed up onto his cloak. The dark elf coughed up another mouthful of blood, and tried to push himself up with his still-intact left arm. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you¡­,¡± the dark elf groaned out. Eugene had gotten used to hearing such words in these kinds of situations. This meant that he knew there wasn¡¯t any value in continuing to listen to them. Without any hesitation, Eugene raised his foot and stomped on the dark elf¡¯s left hand. Crackle! There went the sound of bones being crushed. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡± Unable to endure the pain, the dark elf screamed. One feature of the dark elf¡¯s appearance that stood out as much as any member of the elven race was his long ears. As their length suggested, these long ears expanded the range of their hearing. This excellent sense of hearing allowed the dark elf to know precisely what kind of situation he had found himself in. The screams that he let out weren¡¯t spreading into the distance, and were instead echoing back within a small, confined area. ¡®A spell¡­!¡¯ the dark elf realized. The sound wasn¡¯t able to spread because it had been blocked from doing so. The dark elf didn¡¯t let out any further screams, and just grunted with effort as he tried to free his pinned-down hand. However, Eugene refused to release the dark elf¡¯s hand, and just crouched down on the spot so that he could look into the dark elf¡¯s eyes. He had brown skin and crimson eyes. The characteristic traits of a dark elf hadn¡¯t changed since three hundred years ago. Eugene reached out to him with an apathetic expression. He pulled off the dark elf¡¯s cloak, then he tore open the cor as well. The dark elf¡¯s eyes started to shake. His face twisted into a grimace, and he spat the blood that collected in his mouth onto Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± the dark elf cursed. ¡°I¡¯d rather die than be vited by someone like you¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted him, ¡°What kind of nonsense are you yelping, you bastard? Why the hell would you think I¡¯d be interested in viting you?¡± In the first ce, this dark elf was a man, and even if it had been a woman insted, Eugene would have rejected taking such an action without even blinking. Even when he was making a living as a mercenary in his previous life, Eugene had never once forcibly taken a woman. ¡°Let¡¯s see now¡­. That¡¯s right, just as I thought,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. Eugene stared down at the tattoo that marked the dark elf from his left corbone to his chest. It was in the shape of an upside-down goat¡¯s skull, the horns of which had an unusual form. They were actually two pairs of horns growing out of the same base, one curved and one straight. An upside-down goat¡¯s skull with two pairs of horns was the sigil of the Demon King of Fury. The fact that this dark elf had a tattoo of it on his chest was proof that he was a subordinate of the Demon King of Fury. ¡®But if he was alive three hundred years ago, there¡¯s no way that he¡¯d be this sloppy,¡¯ thought Eugene. This meant that he had probably be a dark elf rtively recently, and had just entered Iris¡¯s service. Or else he could just be young. Either way, this dark elf was definitely one of Iris¡¯s subordinates. ¡°There are a few things that I want to ask you, so if at all possible, I hope that you can kindly cooperate with me,¡± Eugene requested. ¡°Just kill me,¡± the dark elf spat out. Wasn¡¯t it obvious what kind of questions a ver would ask? The dark elf had no intention of loosening his lips and betraying his people, even if it meant his death. Eugene tried to persuad him. ¡°If you¡¯re going to die anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to die painlessly.¡± Although he had at least tried to convince the dark elf, Eugene didn¡¯t believe that it would be so easy to get this dark elf to open his mouth. That was why he had ced a seal on this location so that any sounds wouldn¡¯t carry for too far. Eugene didn¡¯t like torture. However, he also wasn¡¯t the type to hesitate in its use when the situation called for it. Eugene now held the dagger that he had stolen from the dark elf in one hand. ¡°It looks like this might take a while, so why don¡¯t you go get some sleep first instead of waiting up,¡± Eugene offered to Kristina. ¡°Allow me to offer you my help,¡± Kristina said as she stood up. Eugene snorted and turned around to look back at her, ¡°And how do you intend to do that? Are you going to make him repent by reciting prayers at him? Or are you thinking of smashing his fingers into bits with a mace?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to use such rough methods,¡± Kristina said with a smile as she walked over to Eugene¡¯s side. Eugene shrugged and stepped over the dark elf, then pulled on the dark elf¡¯s left arm so that it was twisted behind his back. ¡°So what are you nning to do?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°An interrogation,¡± Kristina said as she pulled out her wand. The cross at the end of the wand was held up to Kristina¡¯s chest. With a calm smile, she stared at the dark elf. Eventually, Kristina¡¯s lips twitched. Fwooosh! A short spell was cast using her divine power. The blue jewel embedded into the center of the cross shone in resonance with the divine power that Kristina had aroused. This flickering light was directed at the dark elf. As dark elves were corrupted by demonic power, they instinctively rejected divine power. The dark elf started sweating profusely as he tried to twist his body free of Eugene¡¯s hold. ¡°Look at me,¡± Kristina whispered. Her smile exuded benevolence, and her voice rang as sweet as a child¡¯s. Eugene was startled. ¡®This is¡­.¡¯ Still holding the arm of the dark elf behind his back, Eugene had a front-row view to what Kristina was doing. However, he couldn¡¯t tell what holy magic Kristina was currently using. Anise had never used a divine spell like this. On the other hand, while studying magic at Akron, Eugene had gotten to know various different types of magic. Although it was impossible for him to personally learn any divine spells, he had read a few books on holy magic. Mental magic was of a different category from normal magic. The only ce that dealt with mental magic in depth was the ck Tower of Magic. However, if one went beyond the strict boundaries of ¡®magic¡¯, it wasn¡¯t ck magic that was most adept at manipting the target¡¯s mental state ording to the caster¡¯s will. The true master of this kind of activity was holy magic. Three hundred years ago, back when ck wizards were still widely reviled, the Holy Empire of Yuras¡¯s Inquisitors were the greatest fear of all ck wizards. In those days, everyone was united in their hatred of the ck wizards, but the Inquisitors of Yuras in particr didn¡¯t even see ck wizards as human beings. In today¡¯s era, Inquisitors weren¡¯t as fearsome as they used to be three hundred years ago. This was because they were no longer in an era where they were given free rein to go wherever and do whatever they wanted in the name of hunting these ck wizards. However the Inquisitors could still be found in Yuras. They watched over the priests of the Holy Empire, and served as a warning not to falter in one¡¯s faith. ¡°¡­You even know how to use this type of divine spell?¡± Eugenemented. ¡°I don¡¯t enjoy using it,¡± Kristina said defensively. ¡°It would have been better if you had just used it earlier,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°Are you talking about using it on the informant? He might have had a bad temper, but he was just an ordinary human, he wasn¡¯t even apsed follower of the God of Light,¡± Kristina lowered her wand and straightened back up. The dark elf, who had been stammering while under the control of the spell, was now muttering to himself with his head bowed low, in a garble tongue where it was impossible to make out any actual ¡®words¡¯. ¡°¡­As you can see¡­ now that his will is broken and his mind has copsed, I have managed to extract a confession straight from his heart,¡± Kristina exined. Although it might have been possible for her to do so, Anise had never once used such a spell. ¡°Taking this into ount, the interrogation spell isn¡¯t one that should be used lightly, and I personally also dislike using it. However¡­ since this is a fallen elf, there was no reason to hesitate in interrogating him,¡± Kristina said as she brought her hands together in prayer. ¡°Through his confession, we will be brought one step closer topleting our divine mission. Surely God¡¯s ear will be drawn towards listening to this poor soul¡¯s confession, and his hand shall guide this soul darkened by corruption back into thend of light.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that it¡¯s alright to kill him then?¡± Eugene surmised. ¡°It¡¯s not about killing, it¡¯s about purifying the soul,¡± Kristina said with a broad smile. What a snake-like woman. Although it wasn¡¯t exactly the same, Kristina also had an unknowable side to her, just like Anise. They were also simr in the way that they sinisterly hid their true feelings behind a smile. Eugene grabbed the limp dark elf by the cor and dragged the elf up with him as he stood up. Despite the rough treatment, the dark elf was still vacantly muttering to himself. Although Eugene had been intending to go find a quiet corner in which to execute the dark elf, Kristina didn¡¯t stay put as expected and instead followed Eugene. He decided to let her do what she wanted. Instead of just slicing open the dark elf¡¯s throat, Eugeneid him down onto the ground and ced a hand on his chest. A few momentster, the dark elf¡¯s heart suddenly stopped. After watching this scene take ce with some surprise, Kristina walked over to the side of the pulse-less elf and knelt down. Then she ced her hands together, and after spending a few moments in prayer, she lifted her wand. Fwooosh! The light summoned by Kristina swallowed the dark elf¡¯s body. Not long afterwards, the dark elf¡¯s body transformed into ashes and thenpletely disappeared. ¡°¡­Almighty God of Light, please receive this corrupted soul and render unto him your judgment. Please light up the darkness in his soul with your light, and burn away the karma that he has rued during his life with your ming torch,¡± Kristina prayed. Kristina¡¯s prayers were simr to, but also different from the prayers that had been engraved onto Hamel¡¯s grave. But the basic core on which their prayers were based could still be seen in both cases. ¡°Was my help of some assistance?¡± Kristina asked as she finished her prayer and stood up. ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene answered honestly. If it wasn¡¯t for Kristina¡¯s interrogation spell, he would have had to spend a long night in this forest torturing the dark elf. ¡°Let¡¯s postpone our rest for tonight,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°Are you worried that we might be pursued?¡± Kristina asked. The dark elf was alone and hadn¡¯t brought anypanions. That said, it was still better for them not to keep camping there, at a ce where they had alreadye into contact with one dark elf. And since there was nothing wrong with being careful, it was better for them to keep moving during the early hours of the morning. ¡°We also have a long way to go,¡± Eugene added. They had learned several things through the interrogation. They may have already confirmed it with the tattoo, but the dark elf had personally admitted to being Iris¡¯s subordinate. He was a member of Fury¡¯s Independence Army. With Iris at its head, the Independence Army was an organization made up solely of dark elves. While they were increasing their manpower by recruiting the elves who came to Samar, they were also searching for the undiscovered elven sanctuary. Apart from that, they had also learned something about the elves. There were still elves who had rejected their persuasion to be dark elves and who had instead headed into the depths of the rainforest. These elves knew that they were highly valued as ves, and they also knew that many of the barbaric tribes that lived in the rainforest had no regard for the elves. The guiding purpose of these elves was to find their way to the elven sanctuary where the World Tree hopefully still stood tall. However, as the road leading to it was blocked, the elves who weren¡¯t able to enter the sanctuary had gathered together and formed a new vige. To reach this vige from the outskirts of the Samar Rainforest, no matter how fast they traveled, it would take the two at least a month to get there. ¡®¡­Then there¡¯s the matter of the guardian¡­,¡¯ Eugene mused. In the vige where the wandering elves had gathered, there was said to be a guardian who protected the vige from attacks by vers and other barbarian tribes. ¡°¡­It¡¯s said that the elves living there shun all contact with humans,¡± Kristina brought up cautiously. ¡°We just need to make them feel weing,¡± Eugene stated confidently. ¡°How do we do that?¡± Kristina asked uncertainly. ¡°Just because they¡¯re elves, do you really think that they would reject all gifts?¡± Eugene replied with a shrug. ¡°There¡¯s no one in the world who doesn¡¯t like a gift.¡± The dark elf that they had just interrogated didn¡¯t know anything about the elven sanctuary. Just like Eugene had expected, he was a young elf who hadn¡¯t been born within the sanctuary and had instead been born somewhere outside the forest. What Eugene was looking for was elves who had lived inside the sanctuary. ¡®If at all possible, it should be someone who also knows about Sienna,¡¯ Eugene thought hopefully. If it was an elf who had left the sanctuary around two hundred years ago, they might have even run into Sienna on their way out. Chapter 94

Chapter 94: Samar (4)

Elves were swift-footed. Especially in the forest, where elves ran so fast that it looked as if they were receiving magical assistance. However, elves or otherwise, there was no way that they could still run that fast on just a single leg. A one-legged elf could run fast enough that it was hard to believe that they were one-legged, but it was impossible for them to outrun the skilled vers that were after them. Their[1]heart felt like it was about to burst, their sloppy prosthetic leg had already started to shatter, and their head felt like it was spinning. The elf had a gut feeling that it wouldn¡¯t be long before they copsed. But they absolutely couldn¡¯t allow themself to do so. After having finally reached Samar, they were afraid that once they copsed, they would open their eyes again not knowing where they were. ¡°Haiyah!¡± The sharp cries of their pursuers were drawing closer. This sound was the hunting cry of the rainforest¡¯s native tribes. The tribal warriors were whooping cheerfully as they chased down the fleeing elf on the back of their mounts, the giant Vakhan Wolves. If they had wanted to, they could have caught their prey right away. By not doing so, they were trying to keep their prey from breaking down in despair. Elves were highly sought-after prey. Rather than catching these elves and and using them as ves of the tribe, the native vers preferred to sell them to the foreign ve traders who came all the way to Samar just to purchase these elves. As such, they couldn¡¯t allow themselves to seriously injure their prey. Since the value of the elf had already dropped due to the fact that it was one-legged, if they left a scar on its body as well, the drop in price would be more than they could ept. The elf, who had been running with a limp, came to a halt with a sharp gasp. ¡°...Aah¡­!¡± Because they had been running like crazy, they hadn¡¯t been paying any attention to the sounds of their surroundings. No, more than that, it was because their reason had been clouded by the terrifying cries of the natives. This was what had led them to almost run off the edge of a cliff. With shaking eyes, the elf looked down. The foot off the cliff, a great distance below, was covered by a flowing river. They needed to find a different path. Limping, the elf made to withdraw. But then, a long spear thudded into the ground near the elf. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± The elf let out a scream as their shoulders trembled in fright. The tribal warriors were blocking the elf¡¯s way back from the cliff. The Vakhan wolves carrying the warriors were letting out growling sounds as they bared their sharp fangs. The hideously masked natives snickered as they gestured towards the elf. The meaning behind their gestures was that the elf should just give up resistance and quietly allow themself to be caught. The elf bit down on their trembling lips. There was no way that they couldmunicate with these barbarians. After they had first encountered each other, the elf had tried begging them for mercy several times, but the natives only ever spoke amongst themselves in anguage that only they knew the meaning of. The elf hesitantly stepped backward. A few of the natives who had gotten down from the backs of their Vakhan wolves approached the elf. They had put down their spears and spread their arms wide, as if to show that they didn¡¯t intend any harm to the elf. But behind their round masks with eye sockets that looked like they had been torn open with a knife, the elf saw the greed and lust gleaming within their eyes. Their gazes drove the elf¡¯s body to make a risky move. Swallowing an instinctive scream, the elf threw themself off of the cliff. * * * Stomp-stomp! Having rolled up her trouser cuffs, Kristina was stomping herundry. Prior to bing a saint candidate, she had been an orphan abandoned at a monastery. Thanks to this, she was used to chores like doing theundry. ¡°It seems like you¡¯re enjoying yourself,¡± Kristina sourlymented as she turned to re at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Although she was used to them, it didn¡¯t mean that she enjoyed them. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m just ying around.¡± Eugene defended himself. Eugene had set up a fishing rod and was sitting by the river. But after having done all that, he wasn¡¯t even focussing on fishing. Instead, he had even brought out a chair for him to sitfortably on and was absorbed in a book of magic. ¡°By reading this book of magic, I learn more magic, and by learning more magic, I be stronger,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°As I get stronger, the risks that we¡¯ll face further along in our journey are reduced. If that happens, then¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re quite wordy today.¡± Kristina interrupted him. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯ve already had to say this several times now, but you keep questioning me. If you didn¡¯t want to suffer like this, then you shouldn¡¯t have followed me,¡± Eugene said with a dismissive shrug as he flipped the page. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m ying around. And it¡¯s not like I¡¯m overworking you either. Aren¡¯t you familiar with the term ¡®role allocation¡¯?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, I said something pointless. So please just focus on your reading,¡± Kristina said exasperatedly. Eugene continued despite her protests, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m making you do chores like theundry all the time either. I take care of the hunting and the fighting, and I also handle drying theundry. All you need to do is theundry and the cooking, right? Even then, your cooking doesn¡¯t taste that good, so I¡¯m the one who usually handles it.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to do some studying?¡± Kristina reminded him. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve brought it up, I have to say, there¡¯s way too many problems with how you cook,¡± Eugene continued his lecture. ¡°Haven¡¯t I already told you so many times that I prefer stronger vors? And the meat should not be overcooked, just to an extent where it¡¯s slightly dripping with blood.¡± ¡°I¡¯m doing it out of concern for your body, Sir Eugene.¡± Kristina defended herself. ¡°I suspect that you¡¯re just cooking ording to your own tastes,¡± Eugene used. ¡°I¡¯m at the peak of health, so I won¡¯t catch anything from eating a dripping red steak that¡¯s been smothered in spices.¡± Kristina stopped protesting and just kept her lips shut. It had already been over a month since they had first entered this forest. A lot had happened along the way, and Kristina had gotten a good grasp of how intractable Eugene¡¯s personality was. Especially when it came to arguments, as Kristina had never been able to defeat Eugene in a straight debate. Kristina had always thought that as a priest, she should maintain apassionate heart, but after talking with Eugene, she felt the urge to forget about her priesthood and just sock him in the back of his head. ¡°Does that book happen to have any spells rted to washing clothes written in it?¡± Kristina asked hopefully. ¡°Does your holy magic have anyundry spells?¡± Eugene returned the question. ¡°Why would holy magic have any spells for doing theundry?¡± Kristina protested. ¡°Then why should I have to learn anyundry spells?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°How many times will I ever end up having to do my ownundry?¡± This was actually a lie. Among the various spells that Eugene had learned in Aroth, there were also a fewundry spells. He had just started making Kristina do theundry as a bit of a prank to relieve his boredom. However, if he came clean now, and told her that he did actually know how to use magic to do theundry, he was afraid that he might just end up getting socked right in the kisser by Kristina. On top of that, what Kristina was washing now was her own clerical uniform. Eugene had plenty of clothes packed into his cloak that he could change into, but Kristina didn¡¯t share that option. Kristina also had a bag that had some spatial enchantments cast on it, but her bag didn¡¯t have as much storage space as the Cloak of Darkness. As they wandered through the forest, they couldn¡¯t go a day without getting their clothes dirty somehow, but Kristina couldn¡¯t stand having any dirt on her clerical uniform, which was always meant to be kept scrupulously clean. ¡ªYou can just wear some other clothes. ¡ªIf a priest doesn¡¯t wear their clerical clothing, what else are they supposed to wear? Especially as it is by God¡¯s will that I am apanying you, Sir Eugene, so I absolutely cannot take off my priestly garb. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t get where she wasing from. In Eugene¡¯s previous life, Anise had also stubbornly insisted on wearing her clerical uniform while they were traveling. ¡®Although in Helmuth she just wore whatever she picked up,¡¯Eugene recalled. In any case, this meant that it was Kristina herself who had decided that it was a good idea to do theundry barefoot in cold river water. As such, Eugene didn¡¯t feel any guilt about not usingundry spells to help her. He would be drying the wet clothes with the help of a wind spirit once Kristina was done with washing herundry, and wasn¡¯t doing that much already helpful enough? ¡°...Hmm¡­¡± Eugene suddenly hummed as he paused his reading of the magical text and raised his head. This wasn¡¯t in reaction to movement from the fishing rod. Getting up from his chair, Eugene dusted off the seat of his pants and turned to look upstream. ¡°Is it a monster?¡± Kristina asked, turning to look at Eugene while pausing in the midst of wringing her robes dry. This forest was infested with monsters, but they couldn¡¯t discount the possibility of it being bandits either. But since they were doing theirundry near a river, it was more likely that they had managed to provoke one of the monsters living in the river into attacking them.. ¡°No,¡± Eugene replied as he picked up the fishing rod. ¡°It¡¯s a big catch.¡± With a grin, Eugene cast his fishing rod. As the long fishing line spooled out, it was covered by Eugene¡¯s mana. Eugene manipted the fishing line using his will and caught on to an object that hade floating in from upstream. ¡°...An elf?¡± Kristina questioned with an rmed expression. Eugene pulled the elf that he had caught onto the riverbank. The tropical Samar Rainforest was always muggy, but the water of the river was cold. After looking down at the pale, exhausted body of the elf, Eugene stretched out his hand. Though the elf¡¯s body was as cold as ice, they were still barely breathing. Eugene first summoned a wind spirit to dry their wet clothes, then created a me using magic. ¡°Kristina,¡± Eugene called out. ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina responded as she immediately stopped what she was doing and came to the elf¡¯s side. A bright light shone from her hands and swept over the elf¡¯s body. With this, color returned to their skin quickly enough that the change could be seen with the naked eye. ¡®...So they¡¯re a ve,¡¯Eugene confirmed. Lifting the hem of their clothing, Eugene found a mark that had been branded on them near their navel. Although very had already been abolished during his previous life, even back then there were an abundant amount of illegal ves. ¡°...The leg¡­,¡± Kristina muttered in concern. ¡°It was amputated a long time ago. They must have cut it off themself,¡± Eugene said as he nced down at the elf¡¯s left leg. The surface of the stump looked like it had been roughly abraded, and blood kept flowing from it. It looked like their cheap prosthetic leg had dug into their flesh. ¡°Could they have escaped from a ve trader?¡± Kristina spected. ¡°We¡¯ll find out as soon as we wake them up,¡± Eugene answered. Although the elf¡¯s circumstances were pitiable, their coincidental meeting could be considered a stroke of luck for Eugene. Eugene grabbed the elf by the shoulders and lightly shook them a few times. ¡°Cough!¡± Before even opening their eyes, the elf let out a cough and vomited out some water. Then, they moaned as they tried to twist their body free from Eugene¡¯s hold. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t move around so much,¡± Eugene warned them. They may have given the elf some emergency treatment, but even when putting it generously, the elf couldn¡¯t be described as being in good health. Bruises covered their entire body and the number of fractures¡­. These injuries didn¡¯t appear to be from an assault. They were probably sustained by falling into the water from a great height. ¡°...Kyaaah!¡± the elf screamed, when they realized what kind of situation they were in. ¡°I probably should have started by telling them not to scream,¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he let go of the elf''s body. The elf, who had been switching between looking at Eugene and Kristina from the moment they opened their eyes, started to crawl away from them backwards. The elf stammered. ¡°Y-y-you two, who are you? Tribals?¡± ¡°Even though we¡¯ve done all we can to save you, it seems like you don¡¯t feel the need to hold back with your rudeness,¡± Eugene wryly observed. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. So sorry.¡± The elf panickedly apologized. Although Eugene had only beenining half-heartedly, the elf immediately started begging for forgiveness while knocking their head on the ground. After tantly observing this sight, Kristina nced at Eugene. ¡°It seems like your face and behavior have frightened them, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina teased. ¡°What about my face?¡± Eugene asked defensively. ¡°It might not be as good as an elf¡¯s, but it¡¯s good enough that I don¡¯t feel ashamed taking it with me wherever I go.¡± ¡°...Ahaha!¡± Kristina burst out intoughter. Without lifting their bowed head, the elf sped their hands and rubbed their palms together[2]as they said, ¡°Yes, yes. The lord¡¯s face is truly impressive. It¡¯s so amazing that no elf can even think ofparing to you. Th-the madam is also extremely beautiful.¡± ¡°...Madam?¡± Eugene repeated in confusion. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry. S-so sorry.¡± The elf apologized once more. ¡°I meant the youngdy, the youngdy is truly beautiful.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with them? Could their brain be a bit damaged as well,¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he furrowed his brow. At this, the elf stopped rubbing their hands together and started banging their head against the ground as they said, ¡°Ye-yes. That¡¯s right. Brain damage. M-my head isn¡¯t that good. So please, f-forgive me if I¡¯m being foolish or fail to obey your orders¡­.¡± ¡°You try to calm them down a bit,¡± Eugene said as he immediately stepped back behind Kristina. At this, Kristina just pointed at the basket packed full of wetundry with a smile, then she turned to the elf and said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your race is beautiful, and you seem to be living proof of that. My name is Kristina. I am a priest who worships the God of Light. The man over there drying the clothes is my servant and bodyguard, so please don¡¯t be too afraid of him.¡± What the hell did she mean, servant? As Eguene grumbled to himself, he summoned up a spirit of the wind. The spirit began to dry the wet clothes. Kristina continued to cate the elf. ¡°We have no intentions of intimidating or harming you. Instead, we would actually like to protect you from any misfortune you might be in.¡± The elf hesitated. ¡°A-are you really¡­? ¡°Yes, of course it¡¯s the truth. After all, it¡¯s only natural that the duty of a priest is to help and rescue those in trouble. And if there was a Hero in this world, he too certainly wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do what is just and right.¡± As Kristina said this, she gave Eugene a nce. She had purposefully raised her voice so that he could hear her. Eugene just snorted as he casually folded the dried-out clothes. ¡°...M-my name is¡­ Narissa.¡± The elf eventually introduced herself. Then, she started to tell them such a tragic tale that it would bring tears to any listeners. To put it simply, Narissa was a runaway ve. Her owner, a wealthy merchant in the Kiehl Empire, had bought Narissa on the ck market ten years ago. ¡°And how old are you now?¡± Kristina asked gently. Narissa resplied, ¡°I¡¯m a hundred and thirty¡­.¡± ¡°If we convert that to human years, that means you¡¯re just thirteen,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Human years? What do you mean by that?¡± Kristina asked as she turned to Eugene with a perplexed expression. Eugene exined, ¡°The lifespan of an elf roughly extends to a thousand years. Normal humans can live somewhere up to a hundred years if they can manage a long life without any disease, so if you convert an elf lifespan into a human lifespan, every hundred years for them counts as ten years for us.¡± ¡°What kind of foolish nonsense is that¡­.¡± Kristina shook her head as she muttered this. The logic behind his im seemed so absurd that it wasn¡¯t even funny, but Narissa just pped her hands in agreement with a servile smile as she said, ¡°Y-yes. In elf years I might be a hundred and thirty years old, but in human years, I¡¯m only thirteen¡­.¡± Eugene continued his interrogation, ¡°So where is your hometown? Were you born in Samar?¡± ¡°...My hometown is in Kiehl Empire¡¯s Mount Odon,¡± Narissa admitted. ¡°Are there elves living there as well?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. ¡°Not¡­ not any more.¡± After saying this, Narissa¡¯s head sunk low, unable to find any more words. Eugene and Kristina could figure out what had happened without even asking. It was rare for an elf to have been living in hiding deep within the mountains, but it wasn¡¯t rare for such an elf who lived in hiding to be captured and enved by a ver. Kristina sighed. ¡°Haaah¡­. How pitiful¡­.¡± After a long time, Kristina finally showed the appearance of a real Saint. She spread her arms and embraced Narissa, stroking her trembling back. ¡°It must have been so painful for you,¡± Kristina murmured sympathetically. ¡°You had to cut off your own ankle just to escape, and then you came all the way to this forest¡­.¡± Eugene stepped past Kristina as she continued tofort Narissa. Still stroking Narissa¡¯s back, she nced at Eugene, but didn¡¯t say anything. She just nodded at him, causing Eugene to grin. Elves were a strong race. Unlike humans, they possessed an affinity with all spirits, and could sense mana even without any specific training. Their muscles were also far more flexible and durable than a human¡¯s. Hunters were always well-informed about the races that they hunted, and only went hunting after making thorough preparations. This was the same for the tribespeople who lived in this forest. They were born as hunters, and raised as hunters. An ordinary human being might not have been able to survive jumping from a tall cliff andnding in the river below. From such a height,nding on water was no different fromnding on rock. If it was a human, they would have died, but an elf wouldn¡¯t have. It wasn¡¯t just because their bodies were stronger. Having an affinity to spirits literally meant being loved by those spirits. The main reason why elves could run so fast was that the spirits dispersed throughout the wind pushed them from behind. That also applied to this kind of fall ¡ª the wind and the river water would have protected the elf¡¯s body. Knowing that, the vers hadn¡¯t stopped their pursuit of the elf. ¡°So you¡¯re from the Garung Tribe.¡± Eugene greeted the hunters from where he was sitting, on arge rock. It had been a month since they had first entered the rainforest. They hadn¡¯t just been wandering around during all that time. They had also encountered a few merchants who were traversing the forest, and they had even met a few of the natives who belonged to different tribes. They weren¡¯t very pleasant meetings. The merchants mocked Kristina¡¯s cover as a missionary, and the natives had tried to enve the two foreigners who were traveling alone without an escort. All of them had immediately paid the price for acting like idiots. Through this process, Eugene had heard about the various tribes who lived in this forest. The deeper you went into the forest, the more savage and ferocious the natives became, especially in their ostracization of outsiders. The Garung were an example of one such tribe. They captured all foreigners and made them their tribe¡¯s ves. If the foreigner they caught was a wealthy merchant or a noble who hade for a luxurious tour, they had a chance of being handed back over once the tribe received arge enough ransom. But even then, that was only if those who were captured got lucky. If they weren¡¯t lucky they would just be killed and eaten. Some of the native tribes practiced cannibalism, and the Garung were one such tribe. ¡°Outsider,¡± spoke one of the natives riding on the backs of theirrge wolves. He had pulled up the mask on his face, making it obvious that he was staring at Eugene. The native¡¯s face was covered in scars and tattoos. ¡°What. You. Doing. Here?¡± the native demanded. Unlike his vicious appearance, it seemed that he could speak themonnguage, but he enunciated the words slowly and in a slightly slurred manner. ¡°What does it look like I¡¯m doing?¡± Eugene replied. ¡°I¡¯m just sitting here and resting.¡± The native continued his curt questioning. ¡°A noble? From where?¡± ¡°Who wants to know?¡± Eugene returned the question impudently. ¡°This smell,¡± the native said with a frown as he sniffed the air. Eugene chuckled and picked up a corner of his cloak to examine it. ¡°Does it really give off such a smell? There¡¯s no reason why it should,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°I¡¯m on the tidy side, so I wash my body every day.¡± ¡°It smells of elf,¡± the native growled. ¡°Do I look like an elf?¡± Eugene asked mockingly. ¡°Outsider,¡± the native said as it slipped his mask back down from where it had been propped up. ¡°Garung''s prey. Have you stolen it?¡± ¡°What kind of preyes with an owner? It¡¯s whoever catches it first that bes its owner,¡± Eugene said with a shrug as he dropped the corner of his cloak. The giant wolves charged at him. Chapter 95

Chapter 95: Samar (5)

Vakhan wolves were monstrous wolves that lived in the Samar Rainforest and possessed startling agility for theirrge size. On top of that, they even had poisonous nds that secreted paralytic venom on the inside curve of their long ws. First scratching their prey with their ws and then tearing into it once it stopped moving was the preferred hunting method of these Vakhan wolves. The natives of this rainforest knew how to tame monsters. That went for the Garung tribe as well. These Vakhan wolves, which had received training from the moment they were born, had no inhibition against carrying the tribal warriors on their backs. These tamed Vakhan Wolves were easily able to race through theplex forest terrain like it was a t in, before lunging at the tribal warriors¡¯ prey and sinking in their ws and fangs. When the wolves charged at him, Eugene stood up on his rock. The wolf running at the head of the pack leapt into the air and threw itself at Eugene. It first attacked him with its ws rather than its fangs. sh! A spray of blood fell from the air. A stone column had burst up from the ground and pierced right through the wolf¡¯s body. The wolf let out an agonized cry, but the warrior who had been riding on top of the dying wolf just kicked off of its back and leapt towards Eugene. ¡°Kiyaaah!¡± Letting out a shrill cry, the warrior thrust his spear at Eugene. Eugene still had yet to pull out a weapon. He reached out with just his bare hands and caught hold of the spear in mid-air. Pulling on the spear with one hand, he mmed his other fist into the native¡¯s face before they even had time to let out another cry. Eugene¡¯s fist made the warrior¡¯s whole face cave in with just one blow. Ignoring the now sprawled-out warrior, Eugene grasped his stolen spear in both hands. The de of the spear was glistening, but it wasn¡¯t the gleam of metal. The spearhead had been coated with the Vakhan¡¯s Wolves¡¯ paralyzing venom. With a smirk, Eugene jumped down from the boulder. The wolves were no longer charging at him and had insteade to a halt. Boom! The stone column copsed back into the dirt, sending the wolf it had impaled sprawling onto the ground. Although the wolf was still barely breathing, it wasn¡¯t far from death. ¡°A wizard?¡± Among the warriors, it seemed that there was another one who knew how to speak themonnguage. He narrowed his eyes and red at Eugene. The warrior barked out, ¡°You. Garung¡¯s warrior. Killed him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he¡¯s still alive, though.¡± Eugene pointed out. This was the truth. Although his face had pretty much copsed inward, the native was still alive. While letting out indecipherable groans, the downed man was writhing on the ground. ¡°No. You killed him. He no fight any more,¡± the warrior spat out in his slurredmonnguage as he shot nces at the other warriors. The warriors who had been riding on the backs of their wolves started to dismount onto the ground. Eugene felt the mana in the air begin to fluctuate. Just because they were tribal warriors, the Garung Tribe weren¡¯t opponents that he could take lightly. These tribal warriors possessed enough skill that they were even able to assault thevish escorts hired by the wealthy merchants and nobles who visited Samar. Woo¡­ Ahwooooo¡­ An ominous sound blew through the forest. The ground began to tremble. The warriors lowered their bodies as they tensed their muscles. Eugene nced down at the ground. ¡®So they¡¯re using spirits of the earth,¡¯he realized. The natives of Samar were adept at both shamanism and spirit magic. With how close they were to the dense forest where they were born and raised, it was almost like they were loved by the forest itself. This was a disadvantage for Eugene. Trying to prod any initial movement out of the earth using magic was a very tiring affair. However, the earth was much more responsive to the persuasion of the spirits than it was to having magic cast on it. ¡®...No, this isn¡¯t just an earth spirit.¡¯Eugene corrected himself. There was something else mixed into it. Something that wasn¡¯t quite mana¡­. Eugene¡¯s lips twisted into a frown. ¡°It has a nasty taste to it,¡± Eugene grunted. This feeling was somewhat simr to ck magic, but the essence of it was different. These tribal warriors weren¡¯t using demonic power like a demonfolk or a ck wizard would. They were using the power of shamanism. The wolves¡¯ bodies suddenly drooped, as the monsters¡¯ souls left their bodies and entered the warriors¡¯. The warriors trembled, and the ominous noise grew even louder. While spitting out the nasty taste in his mouth, Eugene readied his spear. Bang! The warriors kicked off the ground. Their movements seemed to be a blend of both human and monster. It had already been disgusting enough sensing the monsters¡¯ souls ovey the warriors¡¯, but their movements caused Eguene to recall some unpleasant memories. They resembled the Death Knight created by cing the soul of a lycanthrope into Hamel¡¯s corpse. Boom! The air itself was torn apart as the spear that Eugene threw ripped one of the attacking warriors into shreds. * * * When Eugene returned to the riverside, Narissa was folding the clothes instead of Kristina. ¡°Why are you making her do that?¡± Eugene questioned Kristina. ¡°I¡¯m not making her do anything,¡± Kristina protested. ¡°She said that she wanted to repay the favor, and she started working all on her own.¡± ¡°Even if she started working on her own, then you could have just told her that she didn¡¯t need to do it.¡± ¡°She volunteered out of her own free will because she wanted to repay our help; if I told her to stop, that would just leave Lady Narissa feeling awkward.¡± Kristina was sitting in the chair that Eugene had left by the riverside. She scanned Eugene¡¯s spotless appearance before smiling softly. ¡°So which tribe was it?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°The Garung,¡± Eugene replied. Narissa¡¯s shoulders trembled as she listened in on the conversation between them. ¡°The Garung are not some small tribe. Did you make sure to kill all of them?¡± Kristina checked. ¡°What, did you think I would only kill some of them? Or do you think that I should have just warned them of how strong I am and told them they should give up on chasing the elf if they didn¡¯t want to die?¡± Eugene asked with a snort of amusement. ¡°They probably wouldn¡¯t have listened to the warning even if you did,¡± Kristina sighed. ¡°Probably not,¡± Eugene agreed. Eugene didn¡¯t find any enjoyment taking care of such pointless and tiresome affairs either. If at all possible, he had wanted to solve this issue without getting into a conflict. However, the native warriors weren¡¯t the type of opponent who could be so easily persuaded. If Eugene had told them that he¡¯d be willing to pay what the elf could have brought them on the market, they would surely have insisted on taking all the money that Eugene had as their price for letting the elf go free. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like we''re nning on staying here forever. So, what did she say?¡± Eugene asked. Kristina returned his question. ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her yourself?¡± ¡°She¡¯s too afraid to even make eye contact with me,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s probably because an elf¡¯s ears can be a bit too keen for their own good,¡± Kristina said with a smile as rose from her seat. Standing up at the same time, Narissa repeatedly bowed her head to Eugene as she apologized to Eugene, ¡°I-I¡¯m-I¡¯m sorry, your great and fearsome lordship. I-I¡¯m just so overwhelmed. I¡¯m so, so sorry, my ears picked up things that they shouldn¡¯t have¡­.¡± ¡°What does she mean by ¡®things that they shouldn¡¯t have¡¯? Did I say anything important while I was over there?¡± Eugene mumbled to himself as he headed over to the tent. Thisrge tent was an artifact that had been modified for added convenience, using magic. A simple press on a button affixed to the central pole had the tent folding neatly on itself. Although it was still bulky, that wasn¡¯t any issue for Eugene. He stuck the whole tent inside of his cloak and turned to look at Narissa. ¡°So, what exactly did you hear?¡± Eugene asked her. Narissa stammered. ¡°S-screams, and¡­ people begging for their lives¡­.¡± ¡ªP-please, spare me. ¡ªYou were striking all sorts of poses earlier while acting cool and pretending to be strong. What¡¯s with you suddenly begging for your life? So uncool. ¡ªI¡­ I am a warrior of the Garung tribe. If I don¡¯t return. They¡¯ll¡­ they¡¯ll send pursuers. Moreover, ourrades aren¡¯t far away. ¡ªEven if I do spare you, they¡¯ll still be sending pursuers. I stole away your prey, after all. So if I kill you now, that just means there¡¯ll be one less personing after me. So wouldn¡¯t you say that it would be better for me to just kill you now? Don¡¯t you agree? ¡°I¡­ because of me¡­ I¡¯m so sorry for troubling you,¡± Narissa apologized. ¡°It¡¯s really more annoying than troubling. Also, did you ever ask us for help? When you came floating down the river, I¡¯m the one who pulled you out of my own volition, and I killed those guys because I wanted to, you didn¡¯t even ask me to do so,¡± Eugene insisted as he tucked the clothes that Narissa had folded into his cloak. Kristina spoke up. ¡°Will you be carrying her, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Carrying her? What kind of nonsense are you saying all of a¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off as his eyes turned to Narissa. He suddenly recalled that her left foot had been amputated. Narissa¡¯s shoulders hunched as she felt Eugene¡¯s gaze rest on her and she stood up by herself. ¡°I-I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she imed. ¡°I can run well even with just one leg. I-if I find a useful branch along the way, I can use it as a crutch. So please¡­ please don¡¯t¡­.¡± ¡°Please this, please that, can you please stop with all those damned pleases?¡± Eugene sighed in exasperation. Narissa sobbed. ¡°Uh¡­ uwah¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± ¡°No I¡¯m sorry, but please, can you also stop saying sorry all the time as well?¡± Eugene grumbled with some embarrassment as he summoned a wind spirit. When a gust of wind suddenly caused her to start floating, Narissa panicked and started thrashing in midair. ¡°Tell me if you need to go to the bathroom while we¡¯re traveling,¡± Eugene instructed her. ¡°Don¡¯t piss yourself while pointlessly trying to hold it in.¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± Narissa replied as she gulped down her shock. As an elf, she also knew how to perform a bit of spirit summoning. Howevers, elves as a race usually tended to allow their innate talents to lie fallow due to their peace-oriented natures. Although she had already lived for a long span of a hundred and thirty years, Narissa¡¯s spirit summoning magic was only slightly above the level of a beginner in the art. Elves were just such a race. They lived for a long time indeed, but they spent most of that time chirping with the wild birds of the forest and caring for the flowers and trees. Even so, with how long they lived, an elven archwizard who had lived for hundreds of years was strong enough to make a human archwizard look ridiculous inparison. ¡°Ummm¡­ Sir Eugene¡­ do you mind telling me¡­ how old you are?¡± Narissa asked hesitantly. ¡°If you convert it into elf years, I¡¯m around two hundred,¡± Eugene answered her. Narissa was lost for a moment, ¡°Huh¡­? Um¡­ Ah! Yes, I see. That¡¯s truly amazing. Even though you¡¯re not that old, to be able to freely control the spirits like this¡­ and you¡¯re even strong enough to terrify those fearsome warriors¡­ I-I truly admire you.¡± Narissa¡¯s trembling had settled a little as she stared at Eugene with admiring eyes. Kristina, who noticed this look, snorted and shook her head. ¡°First she said that you have a face that¡¯s so impressive and amazing that even an elf can¡¯tpare to you¡­ and now she¡¯s saying that she admires you? It feels like you might be hearing morepliments today than you¡¯ve heard in the rest of your life,¡± Kristina noted. Eugene disagreed. ¡°Not really? I think I¡¯ve heard a lot ofpliments like that, ever since I was young. I¡¯ve also been told a few times that I have quite the handsome face.¡± In his past life, with Hamel¡¯s face, he¡¯d never once been told anything like that, but after he was reincarnated with this face, he truly had heard thosepliments a few times before. Even for Eugene himself, when he was looking at his reflection in a mirror or in a body of water, there were times when he had that kind of thought.¡®What a handsome bastard.¡¯ Kristina suddenly jolted. ¡°Hold on, Sir Eugene, you aren¡¯t thinking of abandoning her midway just because she might be a burden, are you? I refuse to believe that your personality isthatscrewed-up.¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°If I was going to throw her away, I wouldn¡¯t have picked her up in the first ce. Besides, this makes for a good pretext, doesn¡¯t it? We¡¯re just protecting a traveling elf and guiding them to the elven vige. No matter how fierce the guardian who protects the vige is reputed to be, he probably won¡¯t reject his own people.¡± At this reply, Narissa swallowed a sigh of relief. Eugene suddenly turned to her. ¡°But anyways, Narissa.¡± Narissa yelped, ¡°Y-yes!¡± ¡°Did youe here looking for the elven sanctuary that is said to lie at the foot of the World Tree?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That was one reason, but¡­ I also thought that it would be easier to live in hiding in a rainforest rather than in a city. I-I wouldn¡¯t need to worry about the Demonic Disease either¡­,¡± Narissa faltered. Eugene eyed her. ¡°But it doesn¡¯t look like you¡¯ve caught the Demonic Disease. Have you?¡± ¡°Uh, no¡­ I haven¡¯t caught it yet, but who knows when it might happen,¡± Narissa mumbled as her chin fell to her chest. The Demonic Disease was a disease that only afflicted the elves. The reason why Sienna, who had been living peacefully within the elven sanctuary, had ended up going out into the world was because of the Demonic Disease. It was now rare for any elf to catch the Demonic Disease, but three hundred years ago, back when all five Demon Kings were still alive, countless elves had contracted the Demonic Disease and perished. The elves living in the sanctuary were no exception to this. As such, Sienna had set out from the elven sanctuary. Her mission was to y all five Demon Kings, and prevent any more elves from being afflicted with the Demonic Disease. ¡°...The Demonic Disease is an incurable illness,¡± Kristina muttered. ¡°Even with the light of divine magic, it is impossible to treat the Demonic Disease. Even the Demon King of Incarceration has been left with no choice but to evade responsibility for it, calling the Demonic Disease an ¡®unavoidable illness.¡¯¡± ¡°Well, that makes sense. In order to get rid of the Demonic Disease, all the Demon Kings and demonfolk would have tomit suicide,¡± Eugene gave a repressed response before turning towards Narissa. ¡°Were your parents also born outside of the rainforest?¡± ¡°Yes¡­,¡± Narissa cautiously admitted. This meant that she wouldn¡¯t be of any help in finding the ce. He held back the urge to say this out loud, but Eugene still couldn¡¯t help but think this to himself. * * * Ujicha was a senior warrior of the Garung tribe. He was a towering giant that closely resembled a stone statue. His cleanly shaved head and muscr body were absolutely covered in scars and tattoos. Filled with cold rage, Ujicha turned to look at his surroundings and voiced his conclusion. ¡°It was a one-sided ughter.¡± He had no choice but to judge the battle that had taken ce here as such. The tribe¡¯s warriors and the Vakahan Wolves, they had all been one-sidedly ughtered. Ujicha slowly walked through the battlefield, examining the corpses. Soon, Ujicha¡¯s eyes lit up. Although the corpses had already been lying there for a few days and had been damaged by monsters feeding on them, the wounds they had suffered could still be made out clearly, mostly because of the variety of blows that had been delivered. A few had been killed by a fist, some shed by a sword, some others had been stabbed with a spear, others blown to pieces as if they had been within range of an explosion, and still others looked like they had been grabbed by some huge monster and crushed to death. However, unlike the traces that had been left on the corpses, the set of footprints that remained imprinted in the ground indicated that there had only been one opponent. ¡°So this was all done by one person,¡± Ujicha mumbled. Ujicha wasn¡¯t the only one to havee to this conclusion. A man wearing arge shirt that easily allowed the wind to blow across his skin came on over and stood at Ujicha¡¯s side. The man spoke, ¡°So then, these brave warriors of the Garung Tribe¡­ they truly couldn¡¯t beat just one person and even had their prey stolen from them?¡± ¡°So it seems,¡± Ujicha conceded. The veins on Ujicha¡¯s bald head were throbbing in anger. He red at the man beside him and growled out in a ferocious voice, ¡°I will hunt him down and return with the prey.¡± ¡°Of course you will.¡± The man nodded. ¡°Can¡¯t you see how excited our young master had be after being told that you¡¯ll be giving him that elf as a gift?¡± ¡°If he wants elves, there are others we can give him,¡± Ujicha grunted. ¡°The ve market should be opening again soon. One or two elves should probably be put up for sale this time as well.¡± It wasn¡¯t just the Garung tribe who would be participating in this ve market, several other neighbouring tribes would also be attending. This market, which was held twice a year, traded in tribal criminals who had been sentenced to very, tamed monsters, and foreigners who had also been enved. It wasn¡¯t just the natives of Samar who attended this market ¡ª foreign nobles and merchants who had developed close ties to a tribe could also find their way there. That said, their main purpose for visiting wasn¡¯t to purchase ves, but rather to take in this rare spectacle of an event that only took ce twice a year. ¡°No no, other elves won¡¯t do. Our young master¡­ well¡­ he has slightly unusual tastes. He¡¯s obsessed with elves who have had a body part amputated,¡± the man admitted with a shrug and a look of embarrassment. ¡°You get what I¡¯m saying right? He¡¯s got a bit of an¡­ amputee fetish? Something along those lines. He likes it when they¡¯re missing a limb, or even just an eye¡­.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s what he wants, then I can just cut them up for him,¡± Ujicha offered. ¡°No no, I¡¯m telling you that just won¡¯t do. If that could work, don¡¯t you think that I would have thought of it already? The young master says that he can¡¯t get excited by such artificial measures. He needs to know that they were already missing a limb before he gets his hands on them,¡± the man exined. ¡°Of course, that one-legged elf probably wasn¡¯t born with just one leg, but the young master insists that he wants an elf whose foot was cut off, not an elf whose foot was cut off because of him.¡± ¡°So he¡¯s just crazy then.¡± Ujicha snorted in disgust. He had no desire to understand the young noble¡¯s twisted tastes. The man continued, ¡°Furthermore, if you want an elf from the market, you still need to pay for them, right? Why waste our money on that? When we can just catch that one-legged elf for free.¡± ¡°Bron. Don¡¯t rush me,¡± Ujicha growled. ¡°I¡¯m not rushing you¡­ did it sound like I was? Well then, I guess I¡¯ll let you go about it your own way,¡± Bron mumbled as he kicked one of the corpses. ¡°That aside¡­ his skills must be pretty impressive. My first impression is that he doesn¡¯t seem toe from a knightly background. Could he be a mercenary? But what reason could a mercenary have toe all the way here just to wander in the forest on his own?¡± ¡°He must be a hunter[1],¡± Ujicha guessed. ¡°For him to have entered this deep into the forest all on his own, he must not be an ordinary hunter,¡± Bron muttered to himself. ¡°It¡¯s been two days since they were killed. We can still catch up to him,¡± Ujicha stated firmly as he ground his teeth in suppressed rage. ¡°That¡¯s good, the trip has been getting a bit boring. Let¡¯s go after him together,¡± Bron proposed. ¡°Ah, it won¡¯t be just the two of us, right? It may have been just one guy who killed all your warriors, but he might still havepanions.¡± ¡°Are you scared?¡± taunted Ujicha. ¡°Haha! Me, one of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, scared?¡± Bron chuckled as he pounded Ujicha on the shoulder. Once he had calmed down, Bron nheless reminded Ujicha, ¡°It¡¯s still better to be on the cautious side.¡± Chapter 96

Chapter 96: The Dream (1)

One could never predict what would happen in the forest at night. Even a month after they had first entered Samar, Eugene and Kristina still took turns standing guard every night. Narissa had now been added to the initially two-man party. The elf¡¯s sensitive hearing was certainly enough to keep a close watch on their surroundings, but as Narissacked the strength needed to protect herself if it came to an emergency, they couldn¡¯t allow her to stand guard all by herself. As such, tonight as well, Eugene and Kristina were still the only ones taking turns to stand guard. He didn¡¯t know how Kristina might be taking his actions, but Eugene still chose to show respect and consideration to Kristina in his own way. Generally speaking, the first and thest watches of the night were the most convenient. So every day, Eugene gave up the first andst watches to Kristina, and took on the most difficult watch in the middle of the night. A small voice suddenly called out his name, ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± That alone was enough to make Eugene¡¯s eyes snap open. He then easily got up from his sleeping spot without showing any signs of fatigue. Kristina was crouching down just outside the entrance to his erected tent. ¡°Any report to make?¡± Eugene checked. Kristina shook her head. ¡°Nothing happened.¡± Monsters roamed this forest at night. Under the usual circumstances, the camp should have already received several attacks from these monsters, but Kristina¡¯s barrier was able to hide their camp from the monsters¡¯ perception. That said, they couldn¡¯t just blindly trust the barrier and not stand guard. While Eugene was rather unreliable in other matters, when it came to things like this, he was always thorough. This was because, during his time wandering around as a mercenary, there were more than a few times where he had ended up in danger when some foolish mercenaries he was working with had let their guard down while on the night watch. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel tired? After all, you were quite active today. I¡¯m not feeling that worn-out, so why don¡¯t you just sleep in for today?¡± Kristina offered. It seemed that Kristina was showing such consideration because he had been forced to deal with the warriors of the Garung tribe earlier today. Eugene just smirked in the face of Kiristina¡¯s concern. ¡°In the first ce, I didn¡¯t even get enough exercise to wear me out,¡± Eugene reassured her. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to wake you up in five hours, so don¡¯t worry about it and get some rest.¡± Kristina didn¡¯t argue any further and just nodded. When she had yet to be as familiar with Eugene as she was now, there had been several times where Kristina continued arguing with Eugene over simr matters. But by now, she had learned better. When it came to matters such as these, Eugene would always refuse to back down. It wasn¡¯t that Eugene was ignoring the consideration that others showed him, but it was just that he was extremely strict with the standards that he had set for himself. ¡°...Okay. Well then, I¡¯ll be counting on you,¡± Kristina said with a bow of her head as she withdrew from the entrance to his tent. After roughly grooming his bedhead with only his hands, Eugene left his tent. It had been a good idea on his part to prepare several tents. After checking that Kristina had entered her own tent to rest, Eugene took a seat in front of the campfire. Narissa was sleeping in one of his spare tents, which had been set up on the other side of the campfire. ¡°...Ahem.¡± Eugene let out a cough as he flipped open his cloak and pulled out a book. The book was a magical textbook that he had already read several times now. He had received this magical textbook from Lovellian on the day he left Aroth. ¡®I should have sent a letter to Teacher Lovellian when I had the chance,¡¯Eugene regretted. In his heart, he sincerely respected Lovellian as his teacher. The fact that Lovellian was older than him, even when he added the age of his previous life as Hamel to his current years, only deepened his respect. For Eugene, this was a very important reason for why he should respect Lovellian. Quite some time had passed since he started reading. The forest at night was far from quiet. The sounds of insects chirping were very loud, and each time the wind blew, the thick branches of the trees shook against each other. He could even hear the sounds of monsters from just a short distance away. ¡°...Ahem.¡± Eugene coughed again. Ever since their first day camping in these woods, Kristina had revealed herself to be a deep sleeper. Today proved to be another example of the same pattern. Kristina had fallen asleep as soon as she had turned in for the night and only the sounds of calm breathing could be heard from her tent. Eugene let out a sigh and folded his book closed. ¡°...Is there something you want from me?¡± These words weren¡¯t addressed to Kristina, who was already fast asleep. The tent on the opposite side of the campfire shook slightly before the p at the entrance slowly rose. Narissa peeked out of the tent. ¡°Um, that¡¯s¡­ I-I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± ¡°I told you to stop saying you¡¯re sorry,¡± Eugene reminded her. Narissa¡¯s shoulders drooped at this response. Eugene calmly pushed some more firewood onto the campfire. ¡°Is it because the forest is too noisy?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Or is it because, after going through so many things today, you¡¯re so afraid that you can¡¯t get any sleep?¡± ¡°...,¡± Narissa stayed silent. ¡°Well, let me just say this, as I¡¯m afraid that you might be having some strange concerns. I have no intention of abandoning you while you¡¯re asleep. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m taking care of you solely out of my own good will. I¡¯m protecting you because I need you for something,¡± Eugene persuaded her. ¡°...I-if that¡¯s the case then¡­ like I thought¡­,¡± Narissa¡¯s eyes wavered as she muttered to herself. After a few moments of hesitation, she suddenly nodded as if she hade to some kind of decision. ¡°...I-I don¡¯t mind if it¡¯s with you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene grunted. ¡°I¡¯ve been expecting you to make such a request and I¡¯ve prepared myself for it.¡± Narissa suddenly blushed and stammered, ¡°Ah, no, wait. Rather than expecting, it¡¯s more like I thought that something like this¡­ well, it¡¯s not like it can be avoided, so¡­ instead of going to sleep I¡¯ve been waiting for you to¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted her. ¡°Hey now, hold on a moment, I¡¯m not sure I understand what you¡¯re getting at. You¡¯ve been expecting something? Something that can¡¯t be avoided? So you were waiting? For me? Waiting for what exactly?¡± ¡°...Well¡­ I do have a lot of scars on my body, and with my missing leg as a w¡­ I might not be able to satisfy your standards, Sir Eugene,¡± Narissa admitted in a depressed tone. ¡°Why would having scars on your body mean that you wouldn¡¯t be able to satisfy my standards¡­?¡± Eugene stiffly asked, his cheeks twitching with suppressed outrage. Narissa gasped and started to shake, then after taking a few deep breaths, she hesitantly asked, ¡°...Could it be that you prefer a body with a lot of scars, Sir Eugene¡­?¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t an idiot. He could guess what kind of scenario Narissa had envisioned, and what she had been expecting of him. Having lived as a ve, she had definitely gone through many difficult situations, so it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t understand why she would havee up with such an idea, but Eugene was still left feeling extremely upset. ¡°Hey. I have no ns on crawling into your tent, and I have no intention of getting you to repay your debt to me with your body,¡± Eugene clearly stated. ¡°...Huh¡­?¡± Narissa uttered, gobsmacked. ¡°Just what kind of person do you see me as? Geez, a kid like you really dares to say just about anything, huh,¡± Eugene scoffed. At these words, Narissa¡¯s jaw dropped open. Had he actually called her ¡®a kid like you¡¯? Narissa was a hundred thirty years old! ¡°Of course I¡¯m aware that you have lived a longer life than me, but if we convert your age into human years, you¡¯re still just thirteen years old,¡± Eugene insisted. Ah¡­ yes¡­,¡± Narissa muttered as she stared at Eugene for a few moments, then she straightened her posture and bowed her head to him. ¡°...I¡¯m really¡­ truly grateful to you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I told you that there¡¯s nothing to be thankful for. How many times must I tell you that I¡¯m just taking you with me because there¡¯s something that I need from you? Eugene asked. ¡°...You¡¯re talking about the Guardian of the elven vige, right? I-if I do manage to meet with the Guardian, I¡¯ll make sure to tell them that I¡¯ve been receiving great kindness from you, Sir Eugene,¡± Narissa promised. ¡°Of course you should make sure to tell them that. Although I might know who that Guardian bastard is, if that bastard tries to turn me away because I¡¯m a human, you¡¯ll have a very important role to y. You get what I¡¯m saying, right? That means that you need to keep him from escaping even if you have to throw yourself at his feet,¡± after saying this, Eugene opened up his magical textbook once more. Even as Eugene continued to ignore her, Narissa kept looking at Eugene with a gaze filled with admiration for his righteous words and deeds. ¡®With a handsome face like mine, it¡¯s a lot easier to charm these elves,¡¯Eugene mused. Strictly speaking, he wasn¡¯t really trying to charm her, but Eugene felt that the result was still somewhere along those lines. The night continued to pass. After five hours had flown by, Eugene swapped shifts with Kristina and crawled back into his own tent. Although he didn¡¯t really feel the need to rest, Eugene still closed his eyes and went to sleep. Even if you didn¡¯t need to take a break just then, you should still rest when you can and catch some sleep if you have the chance. Eugene was familiar with these habits from his previous life. * * * It had been a while since hest had a dream. Usually, he didn¡¯t really have clear dreams. Whenever he went to sleep, he fell into a deep, dreamless slumber that still allowed him to immediately wake up when he needed to. Dreams just left the mind feeling more tired than when they started. For that reason, Eugene didn¡¯t really enjoy the act of dreaming. Whether they were happy, sad, or just ordinary dreams about everyday life, dreams weren¡¯t reality. Eugene did not know why people dreamed, but what he did know for a fact was that dreams couldn¡¯t take the ce of his reality. In his previous life, after defeating the Demon King of Fury, their journey to fight the Demon King of Incarceration had been one long nightmare. After all, their target was the second-ranked of all Demon Kings. Like his ranking suggested, the Demon King of Incarceration had both powerful subordinates andrge armies under hismand. One of these was the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. Strictly speaking, she wasn¡¯t truly subordinate to the Demon King of Incarceration. Although she hadn¡¯t yet reached the extent to where she could be called a Demon King, even back then, Noir Giabe was a powerful demonfolk ¡®queen¡¯ who had vast numbers of Night Demons serving her. During their journey to reach the Demon King of Incarceration, Noir Giabe had repeatedly attacked Hamel and hispanions. She was hellishly tenacious, constantly appearing in their dreams rather than confronting them in reality, trying to break the spirits of Hamel and hisrades. Thanks to these experiences, Eugene was wary of dreams, hated nightmares, and truly loathed all Night Demons. Noir Giabe¡¯s attacks had tormented their party to the point where their pain wasparable to all that they had suffered while shing with the Demon Kings of Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury; and in some ways, dealing with her was even more terrible than fighting against a Demon King. ¡®...This is¡­.¡¯Eugene realized that he was feeling a strong sense of alienation from his current dream. This had to be some kind of lucid dream, as Eugene was fully aware that he was currently in the middle of a dream. However even though he could recognize the fact that he was currently dreaming, Eugene wasn¡¯t able to use his will to exert any control over the dream. Caught in this dream, unable to effect any changes, Eugene was just left standing there aimlessly. ¡®...Could this be an attack of a Night Demon?¡¯Eugene suspected. Trapped in a dream where he didn¡¯t have any control of his surroundings, Eugene felt on edge. With his memories of his past life intact, Eugene¡¯s mental power was strong enough to shrug off any ordinary attacks. Yet even so, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to notice when these changes were made to his normal sleep pattern. For a Night Demon to be able to interfere with his dreams so subtly, it had to be quite a high-ranking one. ¡®Since when¡­ did I get pulled into this dream? I was just¡­,¡¯Eugene trailed off. In order to try and stay calm, Eugene decided to focus on something else.¡®I am Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas from three hundred years ago. I am the son of Gerhard Lionheart and the foster-child of Gilead Lionheart. I am the disciple of the Red Tower Master Lovellian.¡¯ He didn¡¯t seem to be having any problems with his memory. ¡®This dream¡­ it feels somehow different¡­ from a Night Demon¡¯s attack,¡¯Eugene realized. This wasn¡¯t an assault. It didn¡¯t have the unpleasant, sticky sensation to it that a Night Demon¡¯s attack usually had. The dreamworld shook around him. ¡®Ah¡­!¡¯Eugene gasped. Although it was his first time seeing it, the scene being brought to life in front of him seemed somehow familiar. He was now in the middle of a spacious underground cavity. In front of him, arge, muscr hulk was carrying a statue several times the size of his own body. ¡®It should be fine here,¡¯the giant figure said. ¡®What do mean it should be fine?¡¯A woman scolded him.¡®The center of the room is a little further than that, no, go back¡­. Sienna, what do you think?¡¯ Sienna sobbed out a reply as she looked down from where she was floating.¡®A little¡­ hic¡­ to the right¡­ hic¡­ sob¡­ Th-there.¡¯ The man suddenly stopped as he felt a liquid drop onto his head.¡®...How amazing¡­! It¡¯s actually raining this far down underground. Hamel, Hamel! Is that you? Have youe to visit us from your ce of rest and shed these tears? Don¡¯t cry, Hamel! We won¡¯t¡­ I won¡¯t ever forget you!¡¯ The woman sighed.¡®Molon, please, don¡¯t say something so foolish. The things that are falling on your head right now aren''t raindrops. They are Sienna¡¯s tears.¡¯ ¡®Oh, indeed¡­ I thought they were a bit too salty to be raindrops.¡¯ ¡®Don¡¯t-don¡¯t drink them, you stupid bastard. Why the hell are you swallowing my tears?!¡¯ The womanforted her.¡®Don¡¯t cry, Sienna. Hamel also wouldn¡¯t have wanted you to weep for him.¡¯ ¡®Hamel¡­ Hamel, that son of a bitch¡­! Why did he have to die like that? Just why¡­?! H-he didn¡¯t need to die. If he just¡­ if he had just turned back¡­.¡¯Sienna trailed off, her anger suppressed by her sorrow. ¡®...Sienna. Hamel was a great warrior who I have no choice but to recognize. He was a greater warrior than I, Molon of the Bayar tribe. Hamel¡­ he must have wanted to die as a warrior.¡¯ Sienna was goaded into a fury once more.¡®He wanted to die as a warrior? Don¡¯t bullshit me, Molon¡­! It doesn¡¯t matter how you die, you¡¯re just dead. What difference does it make whether you die as a warrior? Instead of dying as a warrior, it would be better to just live as a human being¡­!¡¯ WIth a gasp of realization, Eugene stood there nkly as he watched this scene take ce. It really wasn¡¯t his first time seeing this location. This was Hamel¡¯s grave, which had been dug deep beneath the Nahama Desert. This was a scene from when the grave was first being built. Molon erected the statue. After checking its appearance, the woman, Anise, slowly dragged her feet over to one of the walls. ¡ªHamel, you have bad posture. ¡ªWhat are you saying all of a sudden? ¡ªI¡¯m saying that it doesn¡¯t reflect well on all of us. I know that your childhood education was cut short and that you¡¯ve been a mercenary for a long time, but since you¡¯ll now be traveling with us, you need to fix your bad posture. ¡ªWhy should I? ¡ªYou¡¯re really asking why¡­. Don¡¯t you understand what kind of position you¡¯re in? Hamel, you¡¯re apanion of the master of the Holy Sword, he who is recognized by the Holy Empire, the Hero Vermouth Lionheart. And I am the Holy Empire¡¯s Saint, Anise Slywood. ¡ªAlright, and I¡¯m Hamel Dynas. ¡ªWhy haven¡¯t you introduced my name? I am Molon Ruhr. Proud warrior of the Bayar tribe and the son of its chieftain, Darak Ruhr¡ª ¡ªShut up, Molon. ¡ªIdiot. ¡ªHamel¡­! Don¡¯t you think that you were a little too harsh on Molon. ¡ªYou also looked at Molon just now and told him to shut up, didn¡¯t you? ¡ªHowever, I didn¡¯t call Molon an idiot. Even if you¡¯re not wrong in calling Molon an idiot, don¡¯t you see that it¡¯s very disrespectful to call a fool a fool to their face. ¡ªI¡¯m not an idiot. ¡ªHamel, it isn¡¯t just your posture that¡¯s bad, the way you conduct yourself is also wed. You¡¯re just too vulgar. ¡ªDon¡¯t you think that you¡¯re being a bit too harsh? ¡ªCorrecting your behavior is also important, but if you keep your mouth shut for now, at least people won¡¯t be able to tell what kind of cesspit you have for a mouth[1]. So let¡¯s just fix that bad posture of yours for starters. ¡ªAnd what¡¯s so bad about my posture¡ª ¡ªYou¡¯re doing it right now! Don¡¯t cross your legs. Sit with your back straight. Your feet, make sure not to drag your feet. That creates an unpleasant noise. When you walk, you need to keep your shoulders back and your chest out¡­. Now for your knife¡­ pay attention to your knife! You need to hold it lightly, like a pen¡­ where in the world would you find a madman who uses a knife like an ax when he¡¯s just cutting the meat on his te?! ¡ªYou¡¯re looking at one right now. In the early days of their party, Anise had hounded Hamel for quite some time, hoping to fix his behavior. It hadn¡¯t proved to be a wholly pointless effort. Although his normal words and actions went unchanged from start to finish, thanks to Anise¡¯s troublesome and persistent corrections, Hamel had at least managed to absorb and ingrain some table manners. Despite having done all that, Anise was dragging her feet herself right now, and walking along with her shoulders slumped, too. Each time she dragged her feet, a scraping sound could be heard from the ground. ¡®...Hic¡­.¡¯She was crying. Anise was actually crying. The Anise who was always smiling brightly, even as she drove knives into other people¡¯s hearts. That Anise Slywood was really crying for him. ¡®...Almighty God of Light, please¡­ please protect and watch over this foolishmb. Please lead him with mercy and love on his arduous journey to his final resting ce, and should darkness fall onto thismb¡¯s path, please illuminate the way forward with your light.¡¯ Even as she wept, Anise carved these prayers onto the wall. ¡®...Please burn away all the remaining burdens left from his life with your ming torch. Instead of the door behind which only pain and despair awaits, please open unto him the door of heaven, which is full of peace and happiness, If his good deeds are not enough to qualify for his entrance into the kingdom of heaven, please ce the cost of the difference onto my shoulders, so that we can someday reunite with each other in the same afterlife.¡¯ Molon stood in front of the statue that had proudly been erected in the center of the room. His lips were squeezed firmly shut as he stared up at the statue. But why was he now taking his clothes off? Was he feeling hot? That¡¯s right, deserts did get pretty hot, and when you needed to cool down, Eugene guessed that the fastest way to deal with it was just to take your clothes off. Molon was just that kind of person. If he was hot, he took his clothes off, if he was cold he put some on, if he was hungry he ate, and if he was thirsty he drank. And if there was an enemy in front of him, he would charge right at them, no matter how strong the enemy was. ¡ªMolon! Block them! If someone gave him the order, Molon would rush over and block the enemy without any hesitation. ¡®...Hamel.¡¯ That was why Molon was now weeping. There wasn¡¯t anyplicated reason for his tears, it was just because he was sad. Sad enough that tears were welling up inside him, and that was why Molon was crying. ¡®...I wanted to have a match with you someday¡­ to decide between you and me¡­ which of us was the greatest warrior.¡¯ Molon was the type of guy to just go along with his desires, but he hadn¡¯t been so direct as to challenge Hamel to a fight. There had been a very simple and natural reason why Molon hadn¡¯t done so. Because Hamel was hisrade. His friend. If they wanted to decide which of them was the greatest warrior, they would need to go all out in their fight, without holding anything back. That was the only way they would truly be able to test each other¡¯s skills. But if they did that, one or even both of them could have been seriously injured. That was why Molon hadn¡¯t challenged Hamel to a duel. Even if he did have the thought of deciding which of them was the superior warrior, he didn¡¯t want to fight with all his might against his fellowrade and friend, Hamel. Molon was just that type of guy. ¡®I¡¯ve never really fought with you. And from now on, I¡¯ll never get the chance to fight with you again. However, Hamel, even without having fought, I know the truth. I truly respect you, Hamel. You¡­ you¡¯re a greater, braver, and stronger warrior than I am.¡¯ As for Sienna, without saying anything, she just floated down to the ground and sat on the spot. Ever since earlier, from the start of the dream in fact, Sienna had been crying. Even now, she was still weeping. Tears were pouring down her face and dampening the floor. In-between sobs, Sienna said,¡®...If you didn¡¯t die¡­ if you had lived¡­ that would have been enough. Hamel. We could have¡­ we could have¡­ been happy. More than anyone else in the world¡­ we deserve to have happiness¡­.¡¯ She had told him that she wanted to live an ordinary life, get married like an ordinary person, have a few children, then live to see herself be a grandmother. ¡®Do you know? Hamel¡­. People are saying that we¡¯re heroes. The heroes who saved the world. Haha¡­!¡¯ While rubbing her reddened eyes, Sienna looked up at the statue. ¡®Hamel. You¡­ I¡¯m sure you would have hated those words. Because you¡¯re a son of a bitch, and you have a shitty personality as well. You probably would have cursed out anyone who called you a hero. Heroes? How could we be called heroes when we weren¡¯t even able to y all the Demon Kings? I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you would say.¡¯ Sienna continued tough even as she kept crying. ¡®We¡­ we didn¡¯t manage toplete our quest. ¡­It couldn¡¯t¡­ it couldn¡¯t be helped. That¡¯s right, of course we couldn¡¯t do it. Because you were dead. That¡¯s why, Hamel, please don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯t resent us too much. Even if it¡¯s not now, mmm, it might be impossible right now, but¡­.¡¯ Sienna clenched her fists. ¡®Someday. That¡¯s right. Someday¡­ we will definitely do it. So that when they call us heroes, we can actually be proud of such a shameful title. Someday, we will be able to meet each other again in the world that you have been longing to see.¡¯ Sienna turned her head to look behind her. ¡®Because he made an Oath to that effect.¡¯ Behind her stood Vermouth. Vermouth was staring at the statue with a slight distance between him and the others. His face waspletely nk. It was a look that Eugene had be used to seeing on Vermouth¡¯s face. Sienna red at Vermouth as she waited for a response. ¡®...That¡¯s right,¡¯Vermouth eventually said.¡®That was the reason for the Oath.¡¯ ¡®...An Oath that only you know the full details of,¡¯Sienna muttered reproachfully. After a few moments, Sienna stopped ring at Vermouth.¡®...I¡¯m sorry, Vermouth. I¡­ I¡¯m just too¡­ agitated right now.¡¯ ¡®...Let¡¯s write him an epitaph,¡¯Vermouth muttered as he lifted his hand. He activated the spatial magic that Eugene had seen him use all the time. From a wide gap that seemed to have been torn into space, arge tombstone fell to the ground. ¡®After all, every grave should have a memorial stone,¡¯Vermouth murmured. [Hamel Dynas] (Sacred Calendar 421~459) Vermouth reached out his hand and wrote Hamel¡¯s name onto the tombstone. Staggering up onto her feet, Sienna walked over to Vermouth. Hesitating, her eyes shifted left and right between Vermouth and the tombstone. ¡®...I want to write something below that,¡¯Sienna finally said. ¡®Alright,¡¯Vermouth agreed. ¡®He was a son of a bitch, an idiot, an asshole, a douche, a piece of trash,¡¯Sienna read out as she wrote. Vermouth hesitated.¡®...If that¡¯s all you write down, I don¡¯t think we can call it a memorial stone anymore.¡¯ ¡®You can just write down whatever you want to write below this,¡¯Sienna insisted. ¡®Then I¡¯m next.¡¯Molon, who had been shedding thick droplets of tears, abruptly got up from where he had been sitting and walked over to them. ¡®You¡¯re not wrong in saying Hamel was a son of a bitch, an idiot, an asshole, a douche, a piece of trash.¡¯ ¡®But he was also brave.¡¯ ¡®...As well as brave, he was faithful.¡¯ ¡®...He might have been an idiot, but he was wise.¡¯ ¡®...He was great.¡¯ They all wrote down their words onto the memorial stone. After cing the memorial stone down in front of the statue, Vermouth muttered,¡®...Let¡¯s move the coffin.¡¯ Vermouth walked over to the coffin thaty behind him. ¡®I¡¯ll lift it,¡¯Molon said, stepping forward. But Vermouth shook his head.¡®No. Let me¡­ carry it.¡¯ Anise broke up the argument,¡®Don¡¯t even think about doing it all on your own. Everyone¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be better for all of us to lift it together?¡¯ ¡®Molon, get down,¡¯Sienna ordered. Molon frowned.¡®Why do you want me to get down?¡¯ ¡®Because you¡¯re a lot taller than us. Since it¡¯s impossible for us to carry the coffin together with you, you should get down on your hands and knees so that we can put the coffin on your back. That way, we can help lift it from the sides,¡¯Sienna exined. ¡®Are you really telling me to crawl with the coffin on my back? A warrior shouldn¡¯t creep along on the ground¡ª¡¯ ¡®Can¡¯t you even do that much for Hamel?¡¯ ¡®Well, if it¡¯s for Hamel¡­.¡¯ As soon as Molon started getting down onto the ground, Sienna panicked and kicked Molon in the shin. ¡®Can¡¯t you tell that was just a joke¡­?! There¡¯s no need for you to crawl on the floor. You just need to bend over a bit, so that we can carry it together,¡¯Sienna exasperatedly stated. The dream began to shake. Anise noticed something.¡®...Sienna. That ne¡­.¡¯ ¡®The coffin¡­,¡¯Sienna hesitated.¡®No¡­ I¡¯ll take it with me.¡¯ ¡®...That goes against the agreement.¡¯ ¡®...Haven¡¯t we all already agreed on this?¡¯As the dream kept shaking, he saw Sienna tighten her hold on the ne.¡®After creating the world that Hamel wanted to see¡­ at that time¡­ I¡¯ll give it to him¡¯ ¡®...Oh, Lord.¡¯Anise put her hands together and began praying.¡®Please avert your eyes from this immoral act. If you truly aren¡¯t able to overlook this, please ce any further burdens on my shoulders, so that we may all ascend to heaven. So in that way¡­ I hope that you allow us all to meet once again in the same ce.¡¯ ¡®...Anise, do you really think we can all go to heaven?¡¯Sienna asked. ¡®If we¡¯re not able to get there, then who in the world is worthy of going to heaven?¡¯Anise insisted. ¡®But my¡­ our tribe¡¯s afterlife¡­ might be a different ce from the God of Light¡¯s heaven,¡¯Molon brought up worriedly. ¡®It¡¯s no different. Heaven is¡­ all heavens lead to the same ce. We will surely be able to reunite in Paradise. If that isn¡¯t possible then,¡¯Anise paused slightly as she stroked the white coffin with a sad smile.¡®Then that just means God does not exist.¡¯ ¡°Ah,¡± Eugene gasped as he opened his eyes. After staring nkly up at the roof of his tent for a few moments, Eugene slowly pulled himself up. ¡°...Fuck.¡± The Cloak of Darkness had been wrapped around Eugene like a nket. But the Holy Sword Altair was somehow protruding from his cloak, and the hilt was resting in Eugene¡¯s hand. Chapter 97

Chapter 97: The Dream (2)

¡®...Why am I holding it in my hand?¡¯was Eugene¡¯s first thought upon waking up. After taking it out of the treasure vault, he had swung it a few times to learn how it felt in his hand, but he had yet to use the Holy Sword in a battle. The reason for this was simple. The Holy Sword was too eye-catching. The needlessly ostentatious ceremonial sword stood out even when he was just holding it in his hand, but when he infused his mana into it, it actually started emitting a brilliant light. The tribespeople of Samar were savage and greedy. It wasn¡¯t just them, either; there were a lot of other dangerous people roaming Samar. As long as it wasn¡¯t in Helmuth, Eugene had the confidence to be able to protect himself no matter where he went, but he didn¡¯t want to attract too much attention before he was done with his goals here. That was why he had used a fake identity card and had also used magic to dye his gray hair ck. As for Altair, it might be the one and only Holy Sword in the world, but Eugene had no intention of drawing Altair while in Samar. This meant that Eugene had kept it inside his cloak all this time and had never once taken it out. So¡­ why was he now holding Altair in his hand? Could it really be that Altair had fallen out of his cloak while he was tossing and turning in his sleep? Or else was it possible that he had some kind of sleepwalking disorder or an obsessivepulsive disorder that he had never even noticed, causing him to unconsciously pull out a weapon while sleeping in such a dangerous ce? There was no way that could be the case. Feeling distressed, Eugene rubbed the corners of his eyes with his fingertips. Fortunately, he hadn¡¯t shed any tears. That must have been because he already shed a lot of tears during his first visit to the grave. However, even if he hadn¡¯t shed any tears, his emotions had yet to subside. He might have already woken up from his dream, but the memories of his dream and the scene that he had seen there weren¡¯t fading away. It was as if he had really been with his oldpanions in that moment so long ago. ¡®...Though, if you really think about it, I was with them.¡¯ His deceased corpse had also been present at the scene. ¡®Well, my corpse was lying inside the coffin. But the scene that I saw in my dream¡­ could it really be just a delusion?¡¯ It had seemed far too realistic for that. Sienna, Molon, Anisse, and Vermouth, their appearances were just as Eugene remembered them; and their behavior wasn¡¯t much different from what Eugene had imagined when he had first seen the statue and the memorial stone in his grave. ¡®...But instead, that makes it even more likely that¡­ the whole dream might be just a figment of my imagination.¡¯ If the dream wasn¡¯t just a product of his imagination, if something like that really had happened three hundred years ago¡­. Then why had it appeared to him in a dream now? ¡°Was it you?¡± Eugene said as he red down at Altair. The dream he had just experienced was something different from a Night Demon¡¯s assault. Night Demons didn¡¯t create dreams like this when attacking their prey. If it had really been an attack from a Night Demon, he would have realized it in his sleep. Alright, fine then. Eugene had already confirmed the truth. The dream wasn¡¯t an attack meant to break his will. It had only shown Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel a scene that had taken ce after he died. And when he had woken, Eugene was holding Altair in his hands. ¡°...Was this a revtion?¡± Eugene asked as he lifted Altair up for a better look. The Holy Sword didn¡¯t respond to his questions. ¡°I don¡¯t even believe in gods, so would that guy really send a revtion to someone like me?¡± It had also been different from what he had imagined the usual revtion was like. Shouldn''t a revtion from god be a bit more awestriking, while warning about something that might happen in the future? But the dream that he had been shown wasn¡¯t of the future, but of the past, and from the distant past three hundred years ago at that. Eugene muttered to himself, ¡°I don¡¯t know what the meaning of this is. What are you trying to tell me¡­?¡± ¡ªSienna. That ne. ¡ªI¡¯ll take it with me. ¡ªThat goes against the agreement. ¡ªHaven¡¯t we all already agreed on this¡­. ¡ªAfter creating the world that Hamel wanted to see¡­. ¡ªAllow us all to meet once again in the same ce. ¡ªSomeday, we will be able to meet each other again in the world that you have been longing to see. ¡ªWe will surely be able to reunite in Paradise. ¡ªIf that isn¡¯t possible then¡­. ¡ªThen that just means God does not exist. Eugene tightened his grip on the ne. This ne had been taken away by Sienna, causing Anise to say that doing so was against the agreement. Sienna had replied that everyone had already agreed on something. However, that ne had somehow left Sienna¡¯s hands and found its way into the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault. ¡ªFound you.[1] Just what in the world was going on? If they were going to show him something, they should at least make it clear. ¡®You could have at least shown me something that I haven¡¯t already figured out myself,¡¯Eugene said to himself resentfully. But what was going on between Sienna and Vermouth? Just what kind of promise had Vermouth made with the Demon Kings? And where had everyone ended up now? Were Vermouth, Sienna, Anise, and Molon all still alive? While feeling a deep sense of frustration simmering within him, Eugene ced Altair back inside the cloak and then left his tent. Something else was simmering on the outside as well. It was a clear soup packed full of vegetables and mushrooms, and the one doing the cooking was Narissa. While the person who was on thest watch, Kristina, was in principle responsible for taking care of breakfast, she had left it up to Narissa to boil some soup while she sat in the warm sunlight and offered up her morning prayers. ¡°Was it you?¡± Eugene used. Taken aback, Kristina said, ¡°...What are you saying all of a sudden?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if you¡¯re the one who entered my tent while I was asleep?¡± Eugene rified. ¡°How shameless¡­. Sir Eugene, just what kind of person do you think I am? Why would you use me of going into your tent?¡± Kristina¡¯s eyes narrowed as she turned to face Eugene. Indeed, there was no reason for her to do so. If Kristina really had entered Eugene¡¯s tent and stuck her hand into his cloak, there was no way that Eugene wouldn¡¯t have noticed that. Changing the subject, Eugene pointed out, ¡°...You¡¯re the one who¡¯s supposed to be doing the morning duties.¡± Kristina defended herself, ¡°I was going to do it, but Narissa offered to help.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t on the level of just helping someone. Isn¡¯t she doing it all on her own?¡± ¡°The ingredients and the cooking tools were all provided by me.¡± Eugene was struck by her shamelessness. ¡°I¡¯m also the one who prepared all of those things¡­. I even picked the mushrooms too.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, let¡¯s not get tripped up by such trivial matters. But what in the world are you doing so early in the morning? Out of nowhere, you suddenly started suspecting me, and even used me of doing something so shameless¡­ could it be that you saw my figure in your dreams?¡± Kristina asked him with a small smile on her own face. This look of hers caused Eugene to recall the appearance of Anise that he had seen in his dream. Their excessive resemnce to each other was bing quite a problem. Even so, his reply came without any hesitation. ¡°No.¡± Eugene tly denied. Anise and Kristina were two different people. Still, it bothered him. They might be two different people, but perhaps Kristina was actually descended from Anise. It might be because of the sight of Anise with tears dripping down her face that he had seen in his dream, but Eugene felt like he should treat Kristina with a little more kindness. However, before that, he decided to ask her a few questions about the Holy Sword. After using magic to block the sound from spreading so that Narissa couldn¡¯t hear them, Eugene spoke, ¡°...Hey, about the Holy Sword, does it sometimes move on its own volition?¡± As far as Eugene knew, the Holy Sword had never shown any sign of moving on its own during his previous life. ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden¡ªAh!¡± Kristina replied with a bewildered expression, but all of a sudden, she let out a gasp as her eyes lit up. She ced her hands together in front of her chest and looked up at Eugene with reverent eyes. ¡°Sir Eugene, could it be that you have received a revtion?¡± Kristina asked. Eugene hesitated. ¡°No¡­ I guess I was just daydreaming¡­.¡± ¡°So the Holy Sword hadmunicated the voice of our God to you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina stated confidently. Eugene denied it. ¡°It wasn¡¯t the voice of your god, but¡ª¡± ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina interrupted him. ¡°Please don¡¯t ignore the clear sincerity that lies within your own soul. Although you might say that you don¡¯t believe in God, the truth is that you really do have faith in him. Please stop deceiving yourself, there¡¯s no need to feel ashamed.¡± ¡°When have I ever felt asham¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural for humans to be afraid and shy away from the dark. Sir Eugene might be a bit coarse and unscrupulous at times, but since you¡¯re still at quite the immature age, it¡¯s not unusual for you to be afraid of the dark¡­. So our benevolent God looked into your heart, and came to you, so that you would not need to fear the darkness.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene stayed silent as Kristina continued to get carried away. ¡°Because that is what Sir Eugene subconsciously desired. ¡®I am not afraid of the dark, I can ovee the dark.¡¯ Such desires caused Eugene to grab onto the Holy Sword, a miraculous artifact bestowed by our merciful God. With its help, Sir Eugene was able to fall asleep in the warm light of the Holy Sword, and in his dream he received a revtion from God,¡± Kristina said devoutly. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°I did receive a revtion. God did appear in my dream, and do you know what he said?¡± At these words, Kristina sped her hands together with a shining expression on her face. She cheered, ¡°Aah! Indeed, so that really was the case! Sir Eugene, what message has God passed on to you?¡± ¡°He said to look at you and tell you to shut up,¡± Eugene imed.. ¡°....¡± Kristina was struck dumb. ¡°And about the god that appeared in my dream, he wasreallyugly. No, he far surpassed the level of normal ugliness, he looked justhorrible. It looked like he was covered in a mixture of cockroaches, centipedes, and maggots; he had the head of an orc that seemed to have been scarred in a fire, and he made ¡®kweeek kweeek¡¯sounds whenever he spoke,¡± Eugene calmly described. ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Whenever Kristina gets too chatty ¡ªkweeek ¡ªand seems to becking in logic despite the torrent of words¡­. Tell her to stop using faith as a substitute for eloquence ¡ªkweeek¡ª and don¡¯t use the name of God to back up her own ims ¡ªkweeeeek ¡ª¡­.¡± ¡°Please just shut up,¡± Kristina hissed. Eugene had thought that he should treat Kristina a bit more kindly from now on, because she resembled Anise, but it looked like that was impossible. ¡°The soup is done,¡± Narissa called out. ¡°Alright,¡± Kristina responded, calming down. ¡°Isn¡¯t there any meat?¡± Eugene asked. Narissa¡¯s soup proved to be quite tasty. * * * ¡°It should be about time for our pursuers to catch up with us,¡± Eugene mused. It had been three days since Narissa had joined them. ¡°That should be the case,¡± Kristina agreed. The ce where Eugene had fought with the warriors of the Garung tribe was a little outside of their tribe¡¯s territory. However, after ten warriors who had gone out on a hunt had failed to return, and when their prey had been a highly valuable elf at that, there was no way that the tribe could simply overlook this issue. ¡°What did you do with the corpses?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°I burned them,¡± Eugene answered. Of course he had done so. Pointlessly leaving their corpses intact would only make it easier for their chasers to catch up. Eugene had burned all the dead warriors and Vakhan wolves with magic, so that not even a bone was left. ¡°But seeing as they haven¡¯t caught up even after three days, it seems that they¡¯re having a hard time keeping up with us,¡± Eugene observed. The forest was veryrge and every inch of it was dangerous. The tribes who lived here despite this were bound together by aplex web of interests. The Garung were undoubtedly a savage tribe, but that didn¡¯t mean that they could so easily intrude into someone else¡¯s territory. This was part of thews upheld between the tribes. If they wanted to remain as a ¡®Tribe of Samar¡¯, it was best for the Garung to follow thesews obediently. However, the chief warrior of the Garung, Ujicha, had no intention of doing that. This horrific-looking bald man had ambitions that did not lose in magnitude to his massive muscles. Those born in the forest could only be raised in the forest and eventually die in the forest. But just like most tribes, the Garung tribe nevertheless had some ongoing ties with a few upper-level figures in the outside world. Their contact to the outside world was Count Kobal of the Sea Kingdom Shimuin. The Garung Tribe operated a small mine, which had started to produce mythril a few years ago. This led Count Kobal to eye the high-quality mithril produced from this mine owned by the Garung Tribe. But he didn¡¯t just want to get his hands on the mithril ¡ª he wanted to purchase the mine itself. Since the mine had started to produce mithril, there could also be other precious ores resting within. In order to get to them, the mine first needed to be properly developed, but it was impossible to develop a mine by just blindly picking up a pickaxe. The natives who were born in the forest and were only familiar with hunting didn¡¯t have the knowledge needed to develop the mine. They barely had the capability to mine the iron ore that was used to make their weapons and tools. In order to develop the mine, Count Kobal was even willing to mobilize some dwarven craftsmen. However no matter how enthusiastic their side was, the Garung tribe had no intention of selling the mine that had been in their possession since the time of their ancestors, or of allowing outsiders to develop the mine. This was the stubborn decision of the Garung tribe¡¯sst chieftain. But the chieftain was old. Ujicha saw his opportunity to drag the chieftain off of his throne and be the chieftain himself. After that, he could sell the mine for arge sum of money. To Ujicha, it didn¡¯t matter if these outsiders came in and developed the mine. He had no intention of being stuck in this forest as the chieftain and growing old like that. Strength might weaken with age, but the power of money would never grow weaker with the years. Ujicha wanted to use his connection to Count Kobal to leave the forest. He wanted to cross the vast sea and live a luxurious life in a shining city. In order to ensure such a future for himself, Ujicha was forced to cater to the poor tastes of this chubby little boy beside him. Although Ujicha was rather unable to respect or understand this noble¡¯s twisted desires, he still couldn¡¯t afford to refuse or ignore thetter¡¯s orders. When Ujicha usurped the chieftain and announced his willingness to sell the mine, Count Kobal had sent his sworn knights and his own son to Samar. Dajarang Kobal, the count¡¯s son, looked like a pig walking on its hind legs. However, to Ujicha, this piglet had a pair of wings ¡ª by satisfying Dajarang¡¯s voracious desires, those wings would allow him to fly to his splendid future. Dajarang deeply wanted to possess the one-legged elf. He was enraged by the fact that their hunt had failed. He mocked the warriors, calling them fools for failing to capture a single elf. Then, while saying that he couldn¡¯t trust them any further, he had insisted on following them on their hunt. The fact that they hadn¡¯t been able to catch up to the elf, even after three days had passed, was partly because of the piggish noble¡¯sints. After walking just a few steps, he would whine that he was hot. If they gave him a ride on a wolf¡¯s back, he would start throwing a fit about how it was smelly. And when they tried to run just a bit faster, he would start screaming that his stomach was churning. If Dajarang hadn¡¯t been the Count¡¯s son, he would already have been killed, but every time Ujicha felt a surge of killing intent, Bron ¡ª the sworn knight apanying Dajarang ¡ªforted him. ¡°Just hold on for a little bit more. I¡¯ll be sure to tell the Count how much you suffered to keep his brat happy,¡± Bron promised him. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s worth it?¡± Ujicha asked in a skeptical tone. ¡°Mhm, no question about it. The Count is very appreciative of talented people. With your skills as the chief warrior, and all the thoughtful gifts that you have prepared for the young master¡­. Haha! The Count is sure to value you,¡± Bron said with a wicked smile on his face. ¡°Fine then, if you¡¯re still unsure, why don¡¯t we do this. Before you sell the mine, make sure toe to Shimuin at least once. Let me introduce you to some of thedies I am intimate with. All of thedies are from aristocratic families. If it¡¯s a man like you that I¡¯m introducing to them, thedies are sure to be interested in you, and if you''re sessful in developing a rtionship with one of them¡­ then you might be able to be a noble right away.¡± These soothing words managed to calm Ujicha¡¯s rage. Right, he just needed to hold on for a little bit longer. Their pursuit was indeed a little slower than they had nned, but they had still managed to find traces leading to the thieves that had dared to steal the tribe¡¯s prey. ¡°Lord Ujicha,¡± called out a warrior who had just returned from scouting ahead. ¡°Some unknown youth is waiting for us up ahead.¡± ¡°Is it a member of the Yabang tribe?¡± Ujicha asked. They were currently in the territory of the Yabang tribe. As dozens of warriors from another tribe had invaded their territory, it was only natural for the warriors of the Yabang tribe toe out and confront them. The Yabang tribe wasn¡¯t a tribe that would need to bow its head when facing the Garung tribe, but if the two tribes were to sh with each other, they were both sure to suffer significant losses. As such, once they exined the situation, the Yabang tribe should allow them to continue on their path. After all, warriors from the Garung tribe had been killed and their prey stolen. Although the Yabang tribe might be outraged by the Garung tribe¡¯s temerity in not sending an emissary in advance to seek permission to pass through theirnds, that didn¡¯t matter to Ujicha. For Ujicha, whose ns for the futurey outside the forest, the problems of following thews of the forest and bncing the rtionships between the tribes didn¡¯t matter in the slightest. ¡°It¡¯s not a warrior of the Yabang tribe,¡± the scout reported. ¡°Could it be one of the thieves¡¯panions?¡± Ujicha suspected. Having noticed that they were being pursued, the thieves may have left one of theirrades behind to block his way. With a bloodthirsty smile on his face, Ujicha mounted his wolf. Ujicha growled. ¡°It seems that they¡¯re being arrogant just because they managed to kill a few of our warriors.¡± Even if the boy wasn¡¯t one of the thieves, it didn¡¯t matter. As long as he wasn¡¯t a warrior of the Yabang tribe, that meant that there was no need to show him mercy. Should anything block their way, they just needed to clear the path and keep on going. ¡°When are you going to catch the elf?¡± the fat pig, Dajarang, whined. His lips twitching, Ujicha turned to look at Dajarang and said, ¡°It seems that arade of the thieves who stole the elf is waiting for us up ahead. We should go see him, young master.¡± ¡°Why should I? I don¡¯t want to. I want to stay in the shade¡­.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all heading there together, young master. If we¡¯re able to capture him, that means we¡¯ll be able to find the elf even faster. If you wish to stay here and rest, the capture of the elf might be dyed even further,¡± ¡°Ah really¡­,¡± eventually Dajarang got up from his chair with a sigh. Ujicha was nning to brutally kill the guy blocking their path ahead; by doing this in front of Dajarang, he hoped to terrify the brat into obedience. If he could manage that, then Dajarang¡¯s attitude, which had already driven Ujicha to the point of murderous rage a few times, would probably improve slightly. ¡°Kiyaaah!¡± Ujicha called out. Dozens of wolves raced through the forest. Chapter 98 Chapter 98 The wolves came to a halt. It was just as Ujicha had been told ¡ª a man was sitting down right in the center of the bumpy forest road. ¡°I am Ujicha, the chief warrior of the Garung tribe,¡± Ujicha shouted pompously as he got off his wolf¡¯s back. ¡°I am searching for the thieves who dared to steal our tribe¡¯s prey. You, have you seen any elves with just one leg?¡± The man didn¡¯t respond. His body was wrapped up in arge cloak, and he even had the hood pulled up, so his face couldn¡¯t be seen clearly. ¡°Answer me,¡± Ujicha demanded as his voice lowered into a growl. Even though he had made sure to use themonnguage, the man didn¡¯t respond. Ujicha took the man¡¯s silence as confirmation of his guilt. The moment that Ujicha raised his hand, the wolves began to growl. Dozens of warriors surrounded the man and blocked his escape routes. ¡°A hunt? Are we going to be hunting?¡± Dajarang¡¯s voice rose slightly in excitement. Dajarang, who only felt desire for women with physical impairments, had no interest in running around on his own two feet to hunt, but he did like watching others hunt and examining the corpses of their prey. ¡°Bron, Bron! I want to get closer too. If that bastard tries to take me hostage, make sure you stop him. Got it?¡± ¡°Yes, young master.¡± Bron had no intention of trying to stop Dajarang. It wasn¡¯t the first or the second time Dajarang tried to do this sort of thing, so Bron was used to it. ¡°Tell me about yourrades,¡± Ujicha ordered as he grabbed the hilt of the great sword that was strapped to his back, ¡°Where are they taking the elf? If you tell me what you know about them and lead me to them, I might just spare your life.¡± ¡°This bald bastard! What gives him the right to decide whether this guy lives or not? There¡¯s no way, no way! Kill him! Tear off all his limbs and kill him!¡± Dajarang squawked out in a childish outburst. Ujicha ground his teeth and red at Dajarang in frustration. ¡°¡­Ahaha!¡± The man who was sitting in the middle of the road startedughing, his shoulders shaking. As he pounded his knee in amusement, he shook his head and said, ¡°To think that I would get a chance to see a piglet wearing a silk robe that doesn¡¯t fit its status and a golden cor today.¡± ¡°¡­Where the hell is he seeing a piglet¡­? Bron! D-did that bastard just call me a pig? He did, didn¡¯t he?! I¡¯m sure of it! He looked at me and called me a pig! C-catch him and bring him to me! Make him bow down in front of me!¡± Dajarang screamed as he threw a tantrum. ¡°Now, now, young master. Please calm down. Even without the young master prompting me, you¡¯ll soon be able to see quite the enjoyable sight.¡± Having said this, Bron turned to look at the man. ¡°You. You should be careful with what you say.¡± ¡°What reason do I have to be careful? I have no intention of listening to your orders and I¡¯m not going to beg you to spare my life. Since that¡¯s the case, we¡¯re sure to end up fighting here and now,¡± the man said as he stood up. Ujicha smiled, revealing his yellow teeth. ¡°Is that so? So that means you have no intentions to give us the information on yourrades and the elf?¡± ¡°I can tell you this much,¡± the man offered, a golden light shing within the dark depths of his upturned hood. ¡°The warriors of your tribe were all trash. Even though they imed to be warriors,they were all ridiculously weak. Also, they were petty and cowardly. Do you know just how pretentious they were when they first met me? Do you know just how quickly their bluff was called and how many tears they shed in the end as they begged me for their lives?¡± ¡°¡­Do not insult the warriors of the Garung tribe,¡± Ujicha growled out as veins throbbed on his skull. Seeing this sight, the man burst intoughter. Once he had calmed down, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll give you a chance.¡± ¡°¡­A chance?¡± Ujicha parroted. ¡°If you give up your pursuit and withdraw right now, I¡¯ll allow you to do so instead of kicking your ass. You can go back and keep on wiping that ugly pig¡¯s ass,¡± the man said. ¡°Kill him! I said, kill him!¡± Dajarang¡¯s eyes rolled angrily in his head as he screeched. Now that it hade to this point, Bron also couldn¡¯t keep up his smile. Bron did feel a simr disgust towards his juvenile young master, but he was nevertheless a knight who had sworn allegiance to the Kobal n. ¡°Ujicha. I¡¯ll take care of this,¡± Bron said. ¡°¡­Hm.¡± Ujicha hummed as he nodded in agreement. He still needed to take out his anger at the tribe¡¯s warriors being insulted, but he could take his revenge on the other thieves who were probably escorting the elf. Right now, it was better for him to concede this chance to Bron, out of consideration for Bron¡¯s injured dignity. ¡°My name is Bron Jerak,¡± Bron dered as he stepped forward and grasped the sword hanging at his waist. ¡°I am a knight sworn to Count Kobal of the Shimuin Kingdom.¡± ¡°Bron¡­ Bron Jerak¡­. Ahh, so it was you. One of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest,¡± the man realized, letting out a short sigh as he nodded his head in recognition. The Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest was a term used to refer to the twelve most skilled knights in the Shimuin Kingdom. Bron arrogantly admitted, ¡°That¡¯s right. Although it¡¯s embarrassing to admit, I can be called one of the Twelve Finest. As for you, you nameless ruffian, it¡¯s toote to regret it now. The sin of insulting the young master of the n that I have sworn my loyalty to, you¡¯ll pay for it with your¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that you understand your ce,¡± the man interrupted Bron with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s only right for you to feel embarrassed. As one of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, that means you only measure up when ites to the knights of your own country, right? Furthermore, you, Bron Jerak, are the youngest of the Twelve Finest, so what gives you the right to act like you¡¯re so amazing?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ll make you feel such terrible pain as you die that you will regret ever being born,¡± Bron promised as the smile disappeared from his face. He drew the long sword that hung from his waist and pointed it at the man. ¡°I won¡¯t be following the code of chivalry in this fight. This is not a duel between knights, and as you have failed to respect my honor, I see no reason to respect yours.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I hate knights,¡± the man said, his golden eyes curling up in a smile. ¡°They¡¯re always much too wordy. Just how much longer are you going to keep chatting away?¡± ¡®Let¡¯s start by cutting off an arm,¡¯ Bron thought as he stepped forward. With just that one step, he was able to instantly narrow the distance between them and stab out with his sword. This rapid thrust was the ultimate expression of Bron¡¯s prided quick sword technique. ¡°Ugh,¡± Bron groaned as his body shook violently and he lost his sense of bnce. There was a simple reason for this. Namely, the arm that he had used to thrust his sword had been torn clean off. ¡°See,¡± the man said, his cloak still swaying slightly from when he had made his move. The golden eyes beneath his raised hood were smiling as hemented, ¡°You¡¯re so weak that you deserve to feel ashamed.¡± ¡°You¡­!¡± Bron¡¯s face contorted as he desperately swung his other hand at the man. He was no longer holding a sword, but Bron attempted to slice at the man with sword-force wrapped around his bare hand. However, that arm was also torn off. Yet, it didn¡¯t fall to the ground ¡ª instead, each of Bron¡¯s arms were held in one of the man¡¯s hands. This meant that the man had destroyed Bron¡¯s sword-force and ripped off Bron¡¯s arms with just his bare hands. ¡°But it seems that you still didn¡¯t know your ce well enough,¡± the man said regretfully as he let go of the arms that he was holding, then he reached out slightly and grabbed Bron by the stomach. ¡°Ugh¡­ aaagh¡­ aaargh¡­ aaaaargh¡­!¡± For the next few moments, Bron wasn¡¯t even able to release a proper scream. Each time the man loosened and reapplied his grip, Bron¡¯s thick waist was forcefully squeezed thinner. Crack! When the man finally fully clenched his hand, Blon¡¯s body had been split in two. One of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, Bron Jerak, died just like that. Dajarang¡¯s mouth fell open at this sight. Ujicha was even more shocked than Dajarang. He recalled the corpses of the warriors who had died a horrible death. Hisrades had their faces punched in, they were sliced by swords, stabbed by spears, sted by explosions, and even crushed to death. He had made a mistake. The warriors weren¡¯t actually sliced by a sword or stabbed by a spear, nor were they hit by an explosion. As for those that had been crushed, he had dismissed what these clues were pointing to as mere nonsense, but it had turned out to be the truth. Ujicha realized that the tribe¡¯s warriors had all died to this man¡¯s bare hands. After all, he had just seen it happen right in front of him: Bron had been picked up and crushed to death by this man with just one hand. ¡°See now, just why did you keep following me?¡± the man asked with a smile. As he flicked away the blood that had spilled onto his sharp fingernails, he continued. ¡°I told you not to follow me, and that was after I even kindly left those corpses behind as well. After seeing those corpses, that should have been enough to frighten you away froming after me.¡± Ujicha faltered, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ uh¡­ my-my mista¡ª-¡± ¡°That goes for you as well.¡± The man interrupted him. ¡°Ujicha, chief warrior of the Garung tribe.¡± The wolves had lowered their tails in submission. The monsters¡¯ innate ferocity had shriveled down to nothing in the face of their overwhelming terror. It wasn¡¯t just the wolves either. All of the warriors there were trembling from their instinctive fear of death. ¡®I¡¯m going to die,¡¯ Ujicha realized. He had a gut feeling that no matter what he said, he wouldn¡¯t be able to make that monster in front of him back down. His luxurious life in the city, his glorious future ¡ª all of that would end up lost with his death. ¡®It¡¯s time.¡¯ The man moved. Ujicha squeezed his eyes shut. * * * They had a slight problem. They had confirmed the existence of the vige that was said to have been built by the wandering elves. Although the deceased informant ¡ª Jackson ¡ª hadn¡¯t been able to tell them anything, ording to the dark elf they had caught, the elven vige wasn¡¯t just a rumor and it definitely existed. But how were they supposed to find it? Even the dark elves weren¡¯tpletely certain of the vige¡¯s location. The only thing that they knew was that the vige was somewhere deep in the forest, near the territory of the Ajan tribe. None of the dark elves had been able to approach the vige. They had been terrorized by the Guardian. Three hundred years ago, the elves had truly detested the dark elves. The elves dered that all dark elves were traitors who had forgotten their duties as an elf and had corrupted the essence of their race by cozying up to the Demon Kings. And now? The times had changed greatly. During the era three hundred years ago, the whole world hated the Demon Kings. For the elves who were dying from the Demonic Disease, the Demon Kings weren¡¯t someone to whom they could plead for their lives, but instead an eternal enemy who had already in much of their race. However, the present era didn¡¯t find the Demon Kings as detestable as it had three hundred years ago. People wouldn¡¯t be stoned to death just for following the Demon Kings like in the past, and they wouldn¡¯t be hunted indiscriminately just because they were warlocks. The same went for the dark elves. It couldn¡¯t be helped that they were viewed with disgust, but they weren¡¯t an object of unconditional hatred either. After all, dark elves born after the Oath was sworn couldn¡¯t help but be seen as victims of injustice. It was all because of the Demonic Disease. Those who had caught the disease were faced with only two choices: be a dark elf or enter Samar. If they weren¡¯t even able to defend themselves, going to Samar would leave them with no choice but to risk being enved, but if they became dark elves, they could be freed from the shackles of the Demonic Disease and even receive Iris¡¯s protection. Ultimately, it was up to the individual to decide whether or not to be a dark elf. They all had the choice of whether to live as an elf or as a dark elf. Eugene was not able to ept such a decision himself, but he felt like he could understand how things probably looked from an elf¡¯s point of view. However, the Guardian didn¡¯t show any such tolerance towards the dark elves. He just gathered the wandering elves and protected the vige. Any encroaching hunters were mercilessly killed, and the same went for dark elves as well. The Guardian did not recognize the dark elves as his kin. Though this was a rather outdated view in these modern times. But it was an outdated view that suited someone like Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel. ¡®This probably means¡¯ ¡ª Eugene started to imagine what the Guardian he had yet to meet looked like ¡ª ¡®that the Guardian must be well over three hundred years old.¡¯ It was just a vague guess. ¡®He should be in his four hundreds at the very least.¡¯ Elves, as a race, derived no enjoyment from killing things. ¡®He also probably took part in the war.¡¯ Elves usually refused to kill their own people, but elves and dark elves were different. At least, that was the conclusion that the Guardian must have reached, which meant that the Guardian likely hated dark elves so much that he had no choice but to feel that way. Three hundred years ago, the dark elves did many things that left the elves with no choice but to hate them. Elves were originally a race that loved nature and was loved by nature. When the Demon Kings started raising their armies and spreading the Demonic Disease, many elves participated in the war against the Demon Kings. The elves used the mountains and forests in various sites as their battlefields on which to fight against the armies of demonic beasts and demonfolk. In response, the Demon King of Fury used a very simple and yet effective tactic to deal with these elven rangers. He formed a dark elf corps led by Iris. At that time, the elves were still hesitant to kill the dark elves. They considered the dark elves as poor innocents who had been corrupted by the Demon Kings. They thought that they might be able to save the dark elves, or at least persuade them to coexist. But the dark elves led by Iris left the elves with no choice but to hate them. She set about burying all those forests and mountains. As Iris had once been an elf, she had a good grasp on the character of these elves. Even as the elves screamed in pain, burning alongside the forests and mountains, they refused to run away. For them, the most important matter wasn¡¯t to save themselves, but to instead put out the fires that were ravaging the forests and mountains. ¡ªI don¡¯t know¡­ the location of the vige. Dark elves can¡¯t even get close to the vige. That was what the dark elf who had been made to ¡®confess¡¯ had said. ¡ªThe Guardian¡­ he brutally kills all dark elves. He makes them kneel, then he slices open their stomach and pulls out their intestines. Then he takes the¡­ long intestines¡­ and pulls them out as far as he can before leaving them to die. That guy¡­ that guy is crazy. It might just be a vague guess, but these words had made Eugene feel confident that his suspicions about the Guardian were correct. ¡®That was the method Iris used whenever she executed someone.¡¯ In order to instill fear in her opponents, Iris had made sure to kill the elves in a brutal fashion. While giving them the choice of whether to live as a dark elf or die as an elf, she would force her elven captives onto their knees and make them watch as their ownrades suffered this cruel execution. ¡°¡­Ah¡­!¡± Narissa, who was still being carried by the wind spirits and floating in mid-air, suddenly gasped as her body began to tremble with excitement. ¡°S-sir Eugene¡­ I can hear¡­ I can hear a song!¡± ¡°So that really was the case,¡± Eugene muttered to himself without any surprise. The elven vige had been expertly hidden. Under such circumstances, he had been specting how they would go about guiding the wandering elves to enter their vige. Could they have left some clues out in the open that only an elf would be able to notice? ¡°A song you say¡­ but I can¡¯t hear anything, though.¡± Eugene continued to mutter as he sharpened his senses. He was certainly not an elf, but he was proud of the fact that his ears were as sharp as any of theirs. However, even as he circted his mana, he still couldn¡¯t hear the ¡®song¡¯ that Narissa was talking about. Hesitantly, Narissa described it. ¡°Ah¡­ um¡­. This is¡­ well¡­. Instead of my ears, it¡¯s more like I¡¯m hearing it inside my head. Just like¡­ just like magic¡­.¡± ¡°Can you tell which direction it¡¯sing from?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°From deeper inward¡­ huh¡­ uh¡­ yes¡­?¡± Narissa shrugged her shoulders, then she turned to look at Eugene and Kristina with a helpless expression. Hesitantly, she continued, ¡°Um¡­ well.. Uh¡­ Sir Eugene¡­?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°There¡¯s a voice inside my head¡­ it¡¯s telling me to say something to you¡­.¡± ¡°Say it.¡± ¡°It wants me to tell you that you should leave me here¡­ and go back,¡± Narissa reluctantly admitted. ¡°And if we don¡¯t withdraw?¡± Eugene asked with a smirk. At these words, Narissa pulled a tearful expression and seemed hesitant to respond. ¡°Just say it, Narissa,¡± Eugene reassured her. ¡°¡­If you continue traveling with me any further¡­ sob¡­ it says that it will kill Sir Eugene and Lady Kristina¡­,¡± Narissa tearfully conveyed the message. ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene burst out with a hugeugh as he called over the wind spirits carrying Narissa. ¡°If you want to kill me, then you¡¯ll just need toe out in person.¡± Eugene directly took hold of Narissa and started carrying her. ¡°For now, let¡¯s start with meeting him, then we can n our next step.¡± The Guardian might just be someone that Eugene had met in his previous life. Chapter 99

Chapter 99: The Guardian (1)

After pulling Narissa, who was clinging to his back, even closer, Eugene flipped up the hood of his cloak. He also called on the spirits of the wind to guard his surroundings. On top of that, he erected his mana shield and even mixed in a few defensive spells. In response to his preparations, Kristina also cast her own holy spell. These kinds of spells were actually superior in terms of defense to other magic of the same ss. After checking the range of the barrier that Kristina had cast over them, Eugene told her, ¡°Make sure to stick right behind me.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina replied without any objections. Wasn¡¯t he being too reckless? But such thoughts didn¡¯t even cross her mind. When it came to things like this, Kristina wouldn¡¯t argue with Eugene. As he walked forward, Eugnee ced both hands inside of his cloak, but he didn¡¯t take out any weapons in advance. Just when he had moved forward a little further with his guard still raised, his highly sharpened senses caught something. But the moment that it was caught, it escaped. No¡­ it hadn¡¯t escaped; instead, it was racing even closer. Eugene was on alert anyway, so his response came immediately. He pulled a sword out from his cloak and sliced through the air. ng! The sword broke the moment it collided withsomething. Ignoring the shattered metal fragments that had been sent flying, Eugene pulled out his right hand, which was still in his cloak. The mana that had burst out at the moment of the collision was then absorbed by the Devouring Sword Azphel. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Narissa cried at the sudden explosion. Eugene stopped carrying Narissa and threw her to the wind spirits, who moved her away from the fight. Kristina also immediately lifted her wand and covered Narissa in a shield of light. Now that his body was free of its burden, Eugene charged forwards without any dy. The figure of the Guardian, who was wearing an old robe, was captured in his sight. Azphel¡¯s outstretched de jumped and jerked as it diverted the oing attacks. ng! There was the sound of metal shing against metal, but Azphel didn¡¯t shatter like the first sword had. But the Guardian also refused to back down. Instead of continuing to attack, the Guardian readied his sword as he waited for Eugene¡¯s attack. Azphel dug a furrow in the ground as Eugene ran forward. Then the sword struck upward with an explosive burst of mana. The Guardian¡¯s sword moved to meet the attack. Whoosh! Before the explosion could engulf the Guardian, the sword he was swinging sliced through the now empty space as the attack was withdrawn. [...That sword.] The Guardian¡¯s voice rang inside of his head. Without swinging his sword any further, Eugene took a step back. [That¡¯s the Devouring Sword, Azphel.] Eugene didn¡¯t respond. The Guardian looked at Eugene calmly before continuing to speak. [Since when did the Lionheart n start protecting the wandering elves?] ¡°Why don¡¯t you show your face first and then speak to me aloud?¡± Eugene said challengingly. His heart was pounding in anticipation. Eugene smoothed his expression and ced Azphel back inside his cloak. As he did so, his lips moved slightly. ¡°...Ho,¡± seeing the movements of his lips, the Guardian let out a small exhale. After staring at Eugene for a few moments, he chuckled with a smile on his face. [I thought that you resembled him, but it looks like it wasn¡¯t a case of resemnce at all.] Eugene just shrugged without saying anything in reply. In response to this silence, the Guardian lowered his sword, then flipped back the hood that was covering his face. [Hamel Dynas.] Eugene had swung his sword while hoping that the other party would recognize him from it. Because of sheer embarrassment, the name of the attack absolutely refused toe to his lips, but the sword blow that struck upwards from below was the fifth move of the Hamel Style ¡ª Dragon Burst. [Are you wandering around as a ghost unable to find eternal rest?] ¡°I feel like the same could be said of you?¡± Eugene replied with a smirk. Without letting out his voice, Eugene had only moved his slips slightly to mouth out a certain name. An older elf who could recognize Azphel and possessed such skills. A ruthless elf who hated Iris and the dark elves and was willing to act on the hatred that he held. There weren¡¯t many such elves in Eugene¡¯s memory. His hood lowered, the Guardian that was revealed had dull green hair, a face that was so beautiful it was unclear whether or not the owner was a man or a woman, and a scar across one cheek. This elf¡¯s name was Signard. ¡°What¡¯s your purpose here?¡± Signard asked, no longer speaking with his mental voice. As he slid his sword back into his scabbard, he openly eyed Eugene and Narissa. Then his gaze moved to Kristina. He then stared at Kristina for a few moments. Just like how Eugene had recognized Signard, Signard had recognized that Eugene was Hamel. In other words, Signard was also familiar with Anise from three hundred years ago. ¡°...No, isn¡¯t it ridiculous to even ask you that,¡± Signard muttered to himself as he turned around. He didn¡¯t tell them to follow him, but Eugene trailed behind Signard without even asking any questions. ¡°...Is he someone you know?¡± Kristina walked over to his side and asked. Having had yet to fullyprehend the situation, Narissa was still too terrified to speak. ¡°If it was someone I knew, would he have attacked me in the first ce?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°However, he stopped attacking, didn¡¯t he?¡± Kristina pointed out. ¡°After seeing our appearances, it looks like he realized that it was a misunderstanding,¡± Eugene said teasingly as he nced at Kristina¡¯s face. ¡°...It also helps that your looks resemble a certain someone.¡± Kristina smiled faintly and nodded her head. That was her only response to his words. Without asking any further questions, Kristina threw an arm over Narissa¡¯s trembling shoulders with aforting expression on her face. As they walked forward, the scenery around them appeared to twist. They had just gone through a barrier spell so advanced that it was difficult to even detect it from the outside, let alone interfere with it. Of course, this was nothing to be surprised about. This was a vige where wandering elves gathered together. Was there a more mouthwatering hunting ground for the vers and the tribespeople than a ce like this? Under such circumstances, the fact that its location was not well-known wasn¡¯t just thanks to the existence of the guardian, but also thanks to the spell that protected the vige by keeping it in a separate space. ¡®It¡¯s a good thing that we brought Narissa,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. If they hadn¡¯t had her leading them, they would have been forced to wander through thisrge forest for quite some time. ¡°...To think there would be a barrier like this,¡± Kristina murmured as she looked around in admiration. Even when they were right in front of the barrier, and now, after they had gone through it, they still felt no sense of incongruity. Eugene also felt the same way. In terms of wizardry, Eugene¡¯s level had surpassed the Fifth Circle. As a general rule, wizards of the Fifth Circle or higher were ssified as intermediate wizards. However, with Eugene¡¯s sensitive mana sense and the knowledge he had obtained from Witch Craft, he wasn¡¯t just at the level of an intermediate wizard. ¡®...This isn¡¯t some ordinary barrier,¡¯Eugene realized. Eugene tried to understand the barrier from a magical standpoint, but it wasn¡¯t easy for him to do so. Even when he was walking through the barrier itself, he hadn¡¯t felt any sense of difort from it. The Signard that Eugene could remember wasn¡¯t such an exceptional elf in terms of wizardry. ¡°...How many elves are in this vige?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°About a hundred,¡± Signard answered.. At this response, Narissa let out a surprised exmation. They could see a few elves staring at them from the houses in the distance. Their gazes held a mixture of hostility and fear. ¡°It seems that we need to have a conversation. What would you like to do?¡± Signard checked with Eugene. ¡°Kristina, do what you want to kill some time,¡± Eugene said without looking back at Kristina. His words came suddenly, but Kristina wasn¡¯t flustered by them. She nodded slightly, then she turned to look back at the elves with eyes full of interest. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything rude,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Kristina replied with a bright smile. Eugene left Kristina and Narissa behind and followed after Signard. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too careless?¡± Signard asked. Eugene scoffed, ¡°What, are you nning on taking the two of them hostage while I¡¯m not with them?¡± ¡°Would I have any reason to do that?¡± ¡°Of course not. So I don¡¯t need to keep my guard up.¡± ¡°The elves who live here hate outsiders,¡± Signard warned him. ¡°I could tell that even without you saying it. Their hostility is extremely¡­ pointed. However it seems that there are only a few elves actually capable of acting on their hostility,¡± Eugene said as he looked over to the elves. Although he hadn¡¯t expected there to be a hundred of them, he felt like the only elf that could actually threaten Kristina was Signard. With a grin, Signard gave a shrug and changed the subject, ¡°About that woman.¡± Eugene knew what he was trying to say. ¡°There¡¯s a resemnce, right?¡± ¡°It goes a bit beyond just having a resemnce.¡± ¡°I was surprised when I first saw her as well. However, it¡¯s still just a resemnce.¡± ¡°She might be deceiving you.¡± ¡°Signard, just like how you recognized me, Anise would also have recognized me. I might not have said anything openly, but I didn¡¯t hide it either. If she was going to recognize me, she would have recognized me far faster than you did.¡± While he was traveling with Kristina, Eugene had drawn his sword a few times. No, even before that; when he had fought with a sword against Genos in the ck Lion Castle, Eugene had shown nopunctions about using the Hamel Style. This was not only to gain Genos¡¯s approval, but also to check Kristina¡¯s reaction. Her eyes at that time had looked a bit strange. It had bothered him quite a bit, but Kristina still hadn¡¯t brought up Hamel. If Kristina really was Anise, there was no reason for her to hide herself like this. ¡°...Well that may be,¡± Signard muttered in a low voice as he smiled. He opened a door to an old hut and motioned for Eugene toe on in. ¡°I never expected to see you again.¡± ¡°That goes for me as well,¡± Eugene agreed with a returned smile as he passed through the door. The moment that he had entered, Signard¡¯s figure disappeared. Eugene smirked and bent backwards at the waist. A swinging elbow brushed past the fabric of his shirt. Even though he was in an unstable position, Eugene was able to reach out and grab Signard by the cor. Then he closed the distance between them by pulling Signard close. ¡°You really have grown up. You¡¯ve even learnt how to pick a fight,¡± Eugene praised. ¡°You¡¯re the one who¡¯s gotten far too young,¡± Signard said as he bared his teeth in a smile. After they wrestled like this for a few moments, Signard was the one who first lowered his hands. Then he took a few steps back and scanned Eugene from top to bottom. ¡°Your skills may not have rusted, but you¡¯re weaker than you were in your past life,¡± Signardmented. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°This body of mine still hasn¡¯t fully grown.¡± ¡°A human¡¯s body¡­.¡± Signard paused. ¡°How old are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be twenty soon,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°...Haha!¡± Signard burst into cheerfulughter at Eugene¡¯s reply. ¡°Indeed. Even taking into consideration that you¡¯re a human being, that¡¯s still a young age. Even so, for you to be as aplished as you are now¡­ it seems that you haven¡¯t just been leisurely enjoying your reincarnation.¡± ¡°If the world wasn¡¯t in the state that it is, I might have been able to enjoy myself leisurely while doing all the things I couldn¡¯t do in my previous life,¡± Eugene admitted as he pulled out a chair and plopped down. Signard btedly noticed, ¡°That body¡­ could it be the body of a descendant of Vermouth?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask me too many questions,¡± Eugene said with a scowl. ¡°Even I don¡¯t know enough about my reincarnation to satisfactorily answer all the questions surrounding it.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°I died in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. For me¡­ I went straight from my death to being reincarnated. I didn¡¯t go to heaven or hell¡­ I just¡­ I died, and when I opened my eyes once more¡­ I was a baby.¡± Signard sat across from Eugene as he listened to his story. ¡°I don¡¯t know the full details,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°I was born as one of Vermouth¡¯s descendants, and somehow became the foster-child of the main family. After growing up like this¡­ well¡­ I eventually found my way here. You can guess my reason for doing so.¡± ¡°¡­Sienna,¡± Signard murmured. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°So what have you been doing with yourself? Three hundred years, that isn¡¯t a short length of time, even for an elf.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t a very fun time either,¡± Signard said as his lips twisted into a wry smile. Three hundred years ago, Signard was one of the elven rangers who fought against the Demon Kings. He fought in Helmuth, which, at that time, was considered the front lines of the war. Elven rangers, including Signard, roamed through the forests and mountains of Helmuth,bating the armies of demonfolk. Hamel had met Signard just once in his previous life. While they were both fighting against the demonfolk forces in Helmuth, Hamel had once conducted a joint operation with the elven rangers. At that time, Signard was a young elf overflowing with energy who had known Sienna ever since she was a child. Sienna actually used to call Signard her big brother. Although Signard was an elf, he didn¡¯t really act like one. Especially since he could not ept that Sienna was forced to go to such a dangerous battlefield for the sake of the elves. He had yelled at Sienna several times, trying to get her to return to the forest, and when Sienna refused to listen to him, he even tried to force her to return. Just when he was about to forcefully overwhelm her objections, Hamel had stepped forward. Signard was indeed strong, but he wasn¡¯t as strong as Hamel. ¡ªNo matter what happens, take care of Sienna. After he had been beaten up and left crumpled on the floor, Signard ¡ª who was covered in blood and dirt ¡ª had still spat out some pretty arrogant words even as he gasped for breath. ¡ªTake care of her? That chick should probably be stronger than me, though. That was how they had separated from Signard. Hamel, Sienna, and Vermouth¡­ the ¡®Hero¡¯s party,¡¯ continued onward. The allied forces, including Signard and the elven rangers, remained behind to prevent the demonfolk armies from crossing the front line. A few months after that, the dark elf corps led by Iris annihted arge proportion of the elven rangers. ¡°After you died, the war ended with Vermouth¡¯s Oath.¡± Signard continued speaking, ¡°The other elves and I¡­ we returned back to our territory. We had no choice but to do so. The peace that we had just barely wrought couldn¡¯t be broken for the sake of our revenge.¡± The Oath that was sworn three hundred years ago was at the mercy of the Demon Kings. Neither the Demon King of Incarceration nor the Demon King of Destruction were in a position where they needed to make such a promise. Tempest hadn¡¯t said it. But the final battle that had taken ce in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration was far from an equal battle. That the battle hadn¡¯t been decided immediately was because Vermouth was there, but if the Demon King of Destruction had joined in as well, even Vermouth wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive and escape from such a situation. Nevertheless, the Demon King of Incarceration had still sworn such an Oath. Vermouth, Anise, Sienna, and Molon had all escaped death. The only one who had died there was Hamel. No one else had perished. With that, the war ended. Vermouth returned to the Kiehl Empire and became a Duke, Molon founded the Ruhr Kingdom in the north, Anise became a Saint in Yuras, and as for Sienna¡­. ¡°...That girl¡­ she returned to the elven territory and attended the memorial service,¡± Signard recalled. ¡°...The memorial service?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°The souls of the elves who die ¡®outside¡¯ all eventually return to the World Tree,¡± Signard began to exin. This was the core t of the elven faith. At the center of the elven domain stood a thousand year old fairy tree. The elves called this gigantic fairy tree ¡®the World Tree¡¯, and they believed that the souls of all deceased elves, including their elven ancestors, resided in that tree. ¡°With the war over, the elven territory held a memorial service for the victims. Although Sienna wasn¡¯t born as an elf, she was part of the elven family. Also¡­ she managed to inflict more ¡®revenge¡¯ on the enemy for us than anyone else.¡± When the news broke out that Iris and her dark elf corps had annihted the elven rangers, Sienna had torn at her hair as she cried out in despair. ¡®Aaaaah!¡¯Sienna had screamed until her throat had swollen shut and she wept tears of blood. Her rage and hatred had caused her mana to run wild, shaking both the heavens and the earth. Molon had approached Sienna in order to try and calm her down, only to get struck by her magic and get sent flying dozens of kilometers away; Anise had to maintain a barrier with sweat pouring down her face to keep the rampaging magic from swallowing the rest of the party. Hamel had risked his life in order to calm the out-of-control Sienna. If Vermouth hadn¡¯t managed to suppress Sienna¡¯s magical power, it wouldn¡¯t have stopped at just risking his life; Hamel would truly have died, torn to pieces. That was why Eugene hated the dark elves. The current generations of dark elves might be seen as pitiful, but every time he saw their dark skin, red eyes, and long ears, he recalled the sight of Sienna weeping bitterly. Holding her in his arms, as his clothes were soaked in her tears, running nose, and blood¡­. They always reminded him of Sienna crying with such an ugly look on her face. ¡ªI-I-I¡¯ll kill them. ¡ªUh-huh. ¡ªReally¡­. I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll wipe them all out. The dark elves, and I-I-Iris, and the Demon King of Fury too. ¡ªDon¡¯t try to kill them alone, let¡¯s kill them together. In the end, they had failed. They had managed to kill the Demon King of Fury, but they couldn¡¯t kill Iris. No one there could really have imagined that the Demon King of Fury would sacrifice his own life to help Iris and Oberon escape, and that went for Sienna as well. ¡ªI¡¯m sorry. ¡ªDon¡¯t apologize. ¡ªI shouldn¡¯t have let her go¡ª ¡ªI said, don¡¯t apologize, you son of a bitch. It¡¯s not like you let her go because you wanted to let her go. Hamel had gone to her with his head bowed and apologized, but Sienna had yelled at him and kicked him in the shin. They hadn¡¯t managed to kill Iris, but they had still sessfully killed the Demon King of Fury. Sienna just had to be satisfied with that. After a pause, Eugene asked, ¡°...What happened after that?¡± ¡°Sienna left for Aroth and I stayed in the elven domain,¡± said Signard. ¡°But aren¡¯t you here now?¡± Eugene pointed out in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s because three hundred years is a long time,¡± Signard said with a wry twist of his lips. ¡°I¡­ I still wanted to get my revenge somehow. So I left the forest and wandered the world. I was hoping to kill that damned dark elf.¡± ¡°...It looks like you didn¡¯t ask Sienna for help,¡± Eugene noted. ¡°That¡¯s because that kid is an iparablyrger figure than I am,¡± Signard exined. ¡°I might just be one elf on a crusade, but if Sienna were to make a move¡­ the peace obtained through the Oath may have been shattered.¡± He hadn¡¯t managed to kill Iris. The dark elf was still alive, and leading the Fury Independence Army. She was iming to be the legitimate heir of the Demon King of Fury while campaigning to be the next Demon King. Signard had failed in getting his revenge. ¡°...I¡¯ve heard that Sienna returned to the elven territory and went into seclusion,¡± Eugene mentioned. Signard denied it. ¡°That¡¯s just a rumor.¡± ¡°Could it be that you don¡¯t trust me?¡± Eugene raised a brow. ¡°Hamel.¡± Signard snorted. ¡°Since when were we close enough for there to be unconditional trust between us?¡± Well, that was a good point. Eugene smirked and nodded. Signard continued. ¡°I might have epted that you¡¯re Hamel, but I still can¡¯t fully trust you. You¡­ youdiedin the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration three hundred years ago. Even if you were miraculously reincarnated, that still doesn¡¯t give me enough to believe that you¡¯re free from any bad intentions.¡± ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from. I also had a lot of distressing thoughts at first. Was I really Hamel? Why was I reincarnated? Since I¡¯ve been reincarnated, just what in the world am I meant to do? If my reincarnation was all part of someone¡¯s n, doesn¡¯t that mean that whatever I do now that I have been reincarnated is all part of me dancing as someone¡¯s marite?¡± Eugene chuckled as he reached a hand into his cloak. ¡°However, Signard, it¡¯s pointless for me to worry about such things. I am Hamel. As long as I am certain of that, that is enough for me. What did I want in my previous life as Hamel? I wanted to kill all of the Demon Kings. And the current me? I still want the same thing. I am going to kill all the Demon Kings. The Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction will die at my hands. I¡¯ll also exterminate all the demonfolk who are kicking up a fuss in Helmuth.¡± ¡°...,¡± Signard was struck silent. ¡°The problem is this. It¡¯s clear what I want, but getting it done is too difficult. Or at least it¡¯s too difficult for me right now,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not just difficult, it¡¯s impossible,¡± Signard retorted. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t impossible,¡± Eugene denied as he rose from the chair. He red at Signard without pulling his hand out of his cloak. ¡°It¡¯s so difficult that it might be infinitely close to impossible, but it¡¯s not impossible. I can do it. I will definitely do it.¡± ¡°...,¡± Signard was silent. Eugene pressed him, ¡°Signard. I need to meet with Sienna.¡± ¡°...She¡¯s dead,¡± Signard responded in a quiet voice, only for Eugene to burst intoughter. ¡°Don¡¯t spout such bullshit,¡± Eugene cursed as he pulled out the leaf of the world tree that had been stored within his cape. Upon seeing it, Signard¡¯s eyes shook wildly. He gasped. ¡°...Is that¡­?¡± ¡°If someone told me that Sienna died, I wouldn¡¯t believe it until I personally set my eyes on her corpse. So if you want to convince me that she is dead, bring me her body. Or at least lead me to where her body is being kept,¡± Eugene demanded. Eugene¡¯s other hand had yet to emerge from inside of his cloak. Signard couldn¡¯t feel any killing intenting from Eugene, but he knew that Eugene would still be able to swing a sword at him even without the intent to kill. ¡°Unlike in my previous life, I''ve learned quite a bit of magic,¡± Eugene revealed. The barrier around this vige was something that no ordinary wizard could even begin to imitate. ¡°If you want to convince me that she¡¯s dead, then you¡¯ll first need to exin to me about this vige¡¯s barrier. This barrier, the one who made it was Sienna, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene asked. Signard leto ut a long sigh before getting up, ¡°Hamel. What would you do if I refuse to trust you right until the very end and refuse to tell you anything?¡± Signard proposed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll do what I did to you three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene answered him. ¡°I¡¯ll beat the shit out of you until you¡¯re on the verge of death, and make it so that you have no choice but to speak, even if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°The way you are now, that¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not impossible.¡± Fwoosh. The mes of the White me Form engulfed Eugene¡¯s body. ¡°Whenpared to the things that I want to aplish, it¡¯s not even on the same order of magnitude,¡± Eugene boasted. Could he win if he fought with Signard? If he used everything that he had, the Moonlight Sword, the Devouring Sword, the Dragon Spear, the Thunderbolt, the Storm Sword, and the Holy Sword, then yes. Since he had enough weapons, if he uses Ignition from the very start, then he would definitely win. ¡°Is that so¡­¡± Signard epted his im with a chuckle and looked down at the leaf of the world tree. Eventually, he said to Eugene, ¡°...Follow me.¡± Favorite Chapter 100

Chapter 100: The Guardian (2)

The ce where Signard led him to was an empty lot right behind his house. As he looked around at the spacious vacant lot, Eugene shrugged in bemusement. ¡°If we¡¯re going to do something like this, shouldn¡¯t we at least head out a bit further from your house?¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± Signard asked. ¡°If you get beaten up here, won¡¯t that leave you feeling a bit embarrassed from now on whenever you see the other elves who¡¯ve witnessed your defeat. I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m also not in a position where I can be considerate about your reputation. If we do end up fighting, I¡¯m going straight to full force without any probing or holding back,¡± having given his warning, Eugene began operating the White me Form. However, the reaction he received was different from what he had expected. Signard stood there woodenly, blinked his eyes, and then let out a sigh of exasperation. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve died and been reborn, it seems that your true nature hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Signardmented. ¡°What does that mean, you bastard?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°In any case¡­. Hamel, I didn¡¯t bring you here to fight with you,¡± Signard exined. ¡°...Is that so? Well, in my defense, you asked me to follow you all of a sudden, so I thought that we were going to rumble,¡± Eugene mumbled. ¡°There¡¯s no reason for us to fight,¡± Signard said as he turned to face Eugene. ¡°...Hamel, if you had just thoughtlessly found your way here to ask me about Sienna, I wouldn¡¯t have anything to say to you. However, despite your rudeness, you¡¯vee here with a clear cause.¡± He was talking about the leaf of the World Tree. ¡°Since you¡¯vee here with that in your hands, then I can¡¯t just stay silent about Sienna. However¡­ Hamel, I don¡¯t know as much about everything that happened as you may have been hoping for,¡± Signard warned him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then just tell me what you do know,¡± Eugene stated. ¡°First of all, why don¡¯t you take a look at what¡¯s right in front of you,¡± Signard said with a grin as he turned back around. ¡°...In front of me?¡± Not understanding what Signard meant by these words, Eugene tilted his head in confusion. Then he slowly peeled open his eyes and scanned his surroundings. They were in arge, open space. Signard was standing there unmoving. There were also a few trees, but that was it. ¡°...Hoh.¡± Eugene suddenly noticed something. As an elven vige in the middle of the forest, it was only natural for there to be many trees. However, one species of tree in particr seemed unique. Unconsciously, Eugene began walking over to these trees. It had been over a month since he had entered Samar. When it came to trees, he had seen enough of them day after day that he had be sick of them. It wasn¡¯t like he had just been seeing the same type of trees either. There were more than a hundred different species of trees growing in this vast forest. Eugene wasn¡¯t a botanist, nor did he have enough interest in trees to memorize the subtle differences between each tree¡¯s characteristics. But now, looking at the trees that stood next to Signard, the interest that had previously beencking was starting to sprout. ¡°...They¡¯re fairy trees,¡± Eugene realized. In all of the vast Samar Rainforest, this species of tree grew solely in the elven domain. The fairy tree was the most valuable tree in the world and was considered to be the best material for making magic staffs. ¡°They¡¯re not just simple fairy trees,¡± Signard imed with a sorrowful smile as he looked at the tree. ¡°These trees are seedlings of the World Tree.¡± ¡°...So that was it,¡± Eugene muttered. He had now understood something. Eugene slowly looked up at the sky. For an ordinary vige where only about a hundred elves were living, the barrier that protected this vige from the outside world was something that far surpassed what a decent wizard could even begin to imitate. ¡°...Could it be¡­ they¡¯re casting a spell?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief ¡°Hamel, you might be able to understand the spells of the ¡®current¡¯ era, but you won¡¯t be able toprehend this spell,¡± Signard stated confidently. ¡°...Ancient magic,¡± Eugene realized. ¡°Even among the elves, it¡¯s rare for anyone to sessfully cast this spell. Even Sienna wasn¡¯t able topletely understand the ancient magic behind it,¡± Signard said, as he stroked his hand down the trunk of a tree. ¡°...As for someone like me, who¡¯s not too enlightened on the mechanics of magic¡­ I can only think of this ancient magic as the divine favor and miracle of the forest. After all, isn¡¯t that truly the case? These few trees are able to protect this vige, just like how the elven territory is protected beneath the leaves of the World Tree.¡± Was this some kind of formation? Eugene examined the trees with narrowed eyes. These three fairy trees were just saplings of the World Tree and they didn¡¯t appear to have any magic forms engraved onto them. Nevertheless, they were able to independently maintain the barrier. As expected of ancient magic, it had a truly different foundation from modern magic. ¡°...Did Sienna arrange this?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°I¡¯ve already told you. Even Sienna wasn¡¯t able to fullyprehend this ancient magic,¡± Signard reminded him. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then is it as you said just now, a divine grace or miracle of the forest?¡± Eugene asked. Signard nodded. ¡°Hamel, I don¡¯t know what happened to the elven domain.¡± ¡°....¡± Eugene listened silently. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one, either. Haven¡¯t you ever thought that it¡¯s strange? There are about a hundred elves living in this vige. There must surely be even more elves still living outside the forest,¡± Signard pointed out. Two hundred years ago, the Wise Sienna had suddenly disappeared from Aroth and had gone into seclusion. The most usible theory thrown around about her seclusion was that she had returned to the elven territory that was hidden somewhere within the Samar Rainforest. But that was two hundred years ago. As a person who was greatly revered by all in Aroth, her sudden disappearance had Aroth assign tracking down Sienna¡¯s movements as a matter of national importance. Aroth didn¡¯t simply choose to respect Sienna¡¯s seclusion. This couldn¡¯t be helped. If Sienna had just properly left a letter behind exining the situation before going into seclusion, Aroth would have respected Sienna¡¯s withdrawal from the world. However, Sienna¡¯s seclusion had been too abrupt, and Aroth at that time had been plunged into chaos by the sudden proposal to establish the ck Tower of Magic, with Sienna having taken the lead in opposing this ck Tower of Magic. Perhaps it was the ck wizards, or perhaps it was Helmuth¡¯s demonfolk and its Demon Kings who had somehow managed to assassinate Sienna. Although such words were just treated as spurious ims these days, that hadn¡¯t been the case two hundred years ago. As such, Aroth had devoted all its resources into tracking Sienna¡¯s whereabouts. They had even sent a delegation to the Samar Rainforest to make contact with the elves. However, the delegation hadn¡¯t been able to find anything. Let alone finding Sienna, Aroth hadn¡¯t even been able to make it to the elven domain. This was just absurd. No matter how tightly the elves kept their mouths shut, the Aroth of two hundred years ago would still have done everything that it possibly could in order to find Sienna. For them to not be able to find her even after all that, there had to be a deeper reason why they were left with no results other than failure. Signard began to exin. ¡°Not all of the elves in the world were born in the elven domain. However, many elves, including myself, were born within the elven territory.¡± Eugene held his tongue. ¡°Hamel. I can still vividly remember the scenery of that ce even now. I remember how magnificent the World Tree was, and how beautiful the elven city that surrounded it and stretched in all directions looked. However¡­ strangely, I can¡¯t remember ¡®how¡¯ I got in and out of the domain,¡± Signard confessed. Elves who lived outside the forest would still often return to Samar. However, all of these elves were unable to return to their hometown, and were instead forced to wander the forest. ¡°So it¡¯s because of a spell,¡± Eugene muttered in a low voice. Something interfered with their memories. It wasn¡¯t just one or two people ¡ª it interfered with the memories of the entire elven race. That kind of magic had to have serious aftereffects. No matter how careful one was with magic that touched on the mind, it was still easy to destroy the brains of those they were trying to manipte. ¡°Were any other memories clouded?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°No, none,¡± Signard simply replied. A mental maniption magic with no aftereffects¡­ was such a thing even possible? Was it really possible to interfere with the memories of an entire race and conveniently delete only a selected portion of their memories? Within the bounds of magic that Eugene knew, such a thing was impossible. However, if it was Sienna¡­. ¡°...In the end, this just means that you don¡¯t know anything useful about Sienna,¡± Eugene said resignedly. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Signard replied with a wry smile. ¡°I returned to this forest decades ago. I¡­ I had been wandering around Helmuth, trying to get my revenge, but I failed. All that I managed to do there was catch the disease that has been eating away at me.¡± He was talking about the Demonic Disease. Eugene flinched at this news and stared at Signard. On the surface, Signard didn¡¯t look like someone who had caught an illness. Sensing Eugene¡¯s gaze, Signard smiled wryly and pulled up his clothes to offer a better look. From the center of his chest, ck spots could be seen spreading out like a drop of ink on a white page. ¡°...Are you okay?¡± Eugene asked in concern. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine as long as I don¡¯t leave this forest,¡± Signard assured him. If they lived outside the forest, an elf who had caught the Demonic Disease had a life expectancy of five years at the most. ¡°This too should be a miracle bestowed by the divine grace of the forest,¡± Signard sincerely dered. ¡°...Is it because of the World Tree?¡± Eugene probed. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Signard confirmed. Things were different from three hundred years ago, when all five Demon Kings still lived. Even if the elves were afflicted with the Demonic Disease, as long as they returned to Samar, they would be able to keep their lives. No other forests would do. Only the Samar Rainforest, where both the fairy trees and the World Tree grew, could preserve the lives of these elves. ¡°...Don¡¯t even think about using sentimentality to change the subject,¡± Eugene said as he red at Signard. ¡°You called those fairy trees ¡®saplings of the World Tree, didn¡¯t you?¡¯¡¯ ¡°To think that you would dismiss someone¡¯s sad past as mere sentimentality. Whether it¡¯s in the past or the present, you¡¯ve always had a vulgar personality.¡± Singard huffed. ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden? I just wanted to make sure of the situation,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°I have no intention of hiding it,¡± Signard said with a sniff as he stroked the trunk of the fairy tree. ¡°...All I want is to die in my hometown.¡± ¡°Again with the sentimentality.¡± ¡°Listen until the end, you son of a bitch.¡± ¡°Elves really do benefit from such a well-constructed public image. They¡¯re always seen as a race with beautiful appearances, who live in the forest while being peace-loving, and everyoneknowsthat elves only use kind and pretty words to speak,¡± Eugene noted sarcastically. ¡°We really are such a race,¡± Signard insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me, you motherfucker. If elves really were a race who only use kind and pretty words, why was Sienna, who was raised by the elves, able to out-cursemon mercenaries?¡± Eugene asked challengingly. ¡°...Because we¡¯re beautiful and peace-loving, we happen to have sharpened our tongues so that we don¡¯t need to resort to spilling blood in fights,¡± Signard said defensively. Eugene snorted dismissively. ¡°Hah, fine, you long-eared bastard. Just keep trying to y up the sentimentality.¡± Signard had wanted to die in his hometown. While harboring such a desire, he had returned to Samar. However, no matter how much he wandered, he wasn¡¯t able to return to the hometown that he so fondly remembered. Signard resumed his tale, ¡°Even back during those dozens of years ago, the natives of this forest were as savage as ever. If an elf was spotted, their eyes would light up and those sons of bitches would race over like dogs in heat. Even though I was dying from the Demonic Disease, it wasn¡¯t difficult for me to deal with any one of those barbarians. While I was trying to find my way back home, I rescued other wandering elves who were in crisis¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted, ¡°Hah, so what¡¯s with these fairy trees being saplings of the World Tree?¡± ¡°¡ªthen I had a dream,¡± Signard resumed, with a frown at the interruption. At the word ¡®dream,¡¯ Eugene recalled the dream that he had been visited by not so long ago. The dream that the Holy Sword had shown him. The dream thatmight just bea revtion from a god. Eugene¡¯s eyes shone as he stepped closer to Signard and asked, ¡°Could it be that you saw Sienna in your dream?¡± Taken aback, Signard paused before answering. ¡°...No, Sienna didn¡¯t make an appearance.¡± Eugene showed a tantly disappointed expression at this reply. Seeing this expression, Signard clenched his fists tightly in anger before continuing to speak, ¡°...Instead of her, I saw the World Tree.¡± In his dream, Signard saw the roots of the gigantic World Tree diverging to grow into a few smaller trees. It wasn¡¯t just a simple dream, though. When he woke up from his dream, there were three young seedlings nted in front of Signard. ¡°...Hmm¡­¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully. Indeed, after having dreamt such a dream, it was certainly possible that the barrier protecting this vige was truly a miracle bestowed by the divine grace of the forest. While suppressing his surprise, Eugene looked at the saplings of the World Tree. In fact, they had already grown sorge that they couldn¡¯t really be called saplings, but these fairy trees were definitely still too small to be called World Trees. ¡°...Damn it,¡± Eugene spat out a curse as he scratched his head in frustration. ¡°So what? In the end, this just means that you don¡¯t know anything about Sienna or the elven domain.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t know anything,¡± Signard denied as he raised a finger and pointed at the leaf of the World Tree that Eugene was currently holding. ¡°Hamel, what you have there is the genuine leaf of the World Tree.¡± ¡°What, did you think that I might be holding onto a fake leaf of the World Tree?¡± Eugene scoffed. After a pause, Signard ignored his rudeness and continued, ¡°...I¡¯m not able to confirm the exact location of my hometown, nor am I able to find my way there, but I do remember those leaves.¡± No matter where you were in the world, if you used the leaves of the World Tree, you would be able to warp back to the elven territory. Eugene was well-acquainted with this fact. ¡°But this leaf has already been used,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°However, it hasn¡¯t disintegrated yet and still remains perfectly intact,¡± Signard countered. ¡°If you manage to get close to the World Tree, that leaf should be able to lead you to the territory.¡± ¡°...Really?¡± Eugene asked, his eyes blinking in astonishment. However, Signard¡¯s expression showed that he wasn¡¯t all that certain about the circumstances that he had just described, ¡°...That¡¯s how it would be under the usual circumstances, but¡­ I can¡¯t be sure of that now. All of the elves, including myself, have had our memories erased by some form of magic. Not only that, but I wasn¡¯t able to find the elven domain no matter where I went in Samar.¡± ¡°...A seal.¡± As Eugene muttered these words, Signard nodded in agreement. ¡°If the elven territory truly has been sealed away, that must mean that there was a reason that left them with no choice but to do so. However¡­ considering the fact that the leaf of the World Tree still remains intact and that you have it with you, it might just be the key needed in order to open that locked door.¡± He had no choice but to give it a go. Without saying anything, Eugene stared at the tree leaf in his hands. Even though it looked like it might disintegrate at just the slightest touch, the leaf wouldn¡¯t crumble no matter how tightly he held it in his hands. Eugene felt an iprehensible ¡®power¡¯ing from within this leaf. It was a power simr to mana, but packed with more vitality. ¡°...Hamel,¡± Signard eventually called out. ¡°Don¡¯t call me by that name any more,¡± Eugene said as he spun a leaf of the world tree in his hands. ¡°That name is from three hundred years ago. Right now, my name isn¡¯t Hamel, it¡¯s Eugene.¡± ¡°Is that really important?¡± ¡°Of course it¡¯s important. I don¡¯t want my reincarnation to be the talk of the town.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you at least nning on revealing that you¡¯re Hamel to that woman who resembles Anise?¡± ¡°Nope. The only ones to know that I¡¯ve been reincarnated are¡­ Tempest, Sienna¡¯s familiar, the Demon King of Incarceration, and you.¡± ¡°...Did Sienna have a familiar?¡± Signard asked curiously. ¡°You didn''t know? If you ever get the chance, you should go to Aroth and take a look. In their Royal Library, they¡¯re keeping hold of Sienna¡¯s familiar named Mer, she really looks just like Sienna in her youth,¡± Eugene teased ¡°But you¡¯ve never met Sienna when she was young,¡± Signard protested. ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t, just by looking at her, you can tell that you¡¯re looking at a young Sienna,¡± Eugene imed. Signard¡¯s eyes shook slightly. He was brought back to hundreds of years ago, when a young Sienna was still toddling around the vige. As he recalled this distant past, Signard¡¯s shoulders drooped for a moment. ¡°...I can¡¯t go to Aroth,¡± Signard realized. Eugene nodded. ¡°I¡¯m aware. Since you¡¯ve caught the Demonic Disease, you aren¡¯t able to leave the forest.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re aware, then why did you even tell me that?¡± ¡°I just wanted to annoy you.¡± Signard¡¯s eyes widened in shock. After ring at Eugene for a few moments, his shoulders slumped in disbelief. Changing the subject, ¡°So you said that the Demon King of Incarceration is also aware of your reincarnation?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t be certain of it, but he¡¯s probably aware,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°That¡¯s why I need Sienna¡¯s help. Well, it¡¯s not really all that important of an issue for right now. I don¡¯t know what that guy is scheming, but even though he knows it¡¯s me, he has no intention of killing me.¡± ¡®That cheeky bastard.¡¯ Eugene ground his teeth as he remembered what happened in Hamel¡¯s grave. The more he thought about it, the more irritating and shitty the situation felt. He was almost killed by Amelia and Hamel¡¯s corpse had been made into a Death Knight, but while this was all very annoying¡­. The most annoying thing of all was that the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t even done anything. Even though he knew that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel from three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t done anything to Eugene. Instead, he had actually forced Amelia to back down when she tried to kill Eugene. ¡®...For him to say that it¡¯s not an important issue¡­¡¯Could something like that really be described as unimportant? As Signard inwardly marveled at Eugene¡¯sposure, he shook his head in amazement. Finally getting to the point, Signard admitted, ¡°...Eugene, I have a request to make of you.¡± ¡°I thought you might. If you want to follow me to the World Tree, you can do as you please,¡± Eugene said, not caring too much about Signard¡¯s ¡®request.¡¯ Wasn¡¯t it only obvious that Signard would make such a request? He must still desire to somehow return to the hometown where he was born, and the only way to enter the elven estate, which had probably been sealed away, was the genuine leaf of the World Tree that was in Eugene¡¯s possession. ¡°No, my request isn¡¯t about that,¡± Signard said as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not in a position where I can leave the vige unguarded. Although the barrier does protect this vige, the barrier is not absolute. If you¡¯re determined to find it, you can discover this vige.¡± ¡°So what is it then?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°I want you to take the elves away from this vige.¡± He hadn¡¯t expected such a request. Unable to reply immediately, Eugene stared nkly at Signard¡¯s face. ¡°...I can¡¯t give you a definite answer,¡± Eugene eventually replied. ¡°There is no guarantee that this leaf will absolutely lead us into the elven domain.¡± ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, then I want you to take the elves living here to a safe location other than Samar and protect them,¡± Signard said, as if he had been prepared for such a response. ¡°I understand your feelings, but isn¡¯t it more dangerous for these elves to leave the forest?¡± Eugene asked as his eyes went to the three fairy trees. ¡°I¡¯ve also be familiar with the fact that this forest is a hellhole for the elves. Both outsiders and the natives worked together to hunt the elves, then they sell them outside the forest as ves. Even if that¡¯s the case, the elves should have no other choice but to live in this forest.¡± ¡°You just need to transnt these fairy trees,¡± Signard proposed. ¡°Are fairy trees really the type of tree that could so easily be dug up by the roots and transnted?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. ¡°As long as you have the leaf of the World Tree, it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°How?¡± ¡°You just need to transnt the fairy trees in soil where that leaf has been buried.¡± Without replying right away, Eugene stared at Signard. He knew what Signard meant by these words. Signard was asking Eugene, no, the Lionheart n to be the guardian of the elven race. In awless ce like Samar, the treatment of elves was terrible, but there were other countries on this continent that didn¡¯t treat the elves with such tant cruelty. At that very moment, the Northern Kingdom of Ruhr treated the elves as respected personages and the Holy Empire took the envement and persecution of elves very seriously. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t just about the elves ¡ª very itself had already been treated as an evil practice that was supposed to have been abolished three hundred years ago. However, it was difficult for the elves to trust the Ruhr or the Holy Empire to protect them. It was because these two countries were too close to Helmuth. Since the Demonic Disease afflicting the elves was caused by proximity to the demonfolk and Demon Kings, the spread of the disease inevitably increased the closer a location was to Helmuth. Kiehl was quite far away from Helmuth. On top of that, the Lionheart n had taken the entire southern Us Mountain Range as their domain and their main estate at the capital epassed a huge forest that surrounded their mansion. ¡°...I am sincerely making this request,¡± Signard said with his head bowed. ¡°Ha, as if you even needed to make it a request.¡± Eugene smirked and smacked Signard on the shoulder. ¡°Why are you acting like it¡¯s such a hard thing to do? We just need to transnt these trees back to the forest at the main estate and release about a hundred elves into the forest there as well.¡± It wouldn¡¯t be as easy as Eugene made it sound. However, he still willingly gave his word. It wasn¡¯t really for the sake of Signard. It was more that he knew it was what Sienna would have wanted, so Eugene could at least do that much. Chapter 101 Chapter 101 ¡°I think you might look a bit more intimidating if we stick a beard on you,¡± Kristina said thoughtfully. ¡°Do I even need to look more intimidating?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°Since you¡¯re trying to disguise yourself as a ve trader, wouldn¡¯t it be better if everyone could recognize you as a ve trader as soon as they looked at you?¡± Kristina argued. ¡°Maybe so,¡± Eugene admitted as he looked at Kristina with a falsely apologetic expression. ¡°But why are we only working on my disguise? You need to disguise yourself as well.¡± ¡°Why do I have to put on a disguise as well?¡± Kristina objected. ¡°Then, do you really intend on trying to get into a ve market while wearing a priest¡¯s outfit that tells everyone that you¡¯re a priest? Do you really think those bunch of bastards would be willing to let you in?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°¡­That might truly be the case, but I have no intention of changing my outfit or altering my appearance,¡± Kristina insisted, her face hardening into a stubborn pout as she stuck her chin out. It seemed that she was unwilling to take off her priest garb for any reason. ¡°Also, there¡¯s no need for me to put on a disguise as well, is there? If wee up with a reason for why a priest might be apanying you, then¡ª¡± ¡°Setting aside your position as the Saint, that course of action is sure to bring a lot of scorn to the Holy Empire. For one of their priests to actually ept money from a ve trader in order to help them purchase an elf¡­ will you really be alright if such rumors start to circte?¡± Eugene asked with a raised brow. At these words, Kristina¡¯s face stiffened even further. After hesitating for a few moments, she got up from her seat. ¡°¡­I¡¯ll give it some thought,¡± Kristina said, giving in. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s not like anything will happen if you don¡¯t follow me,¡± Eugene offered as an alternative. ¡°There¡¯s no way that I can do that,¡± Kristina firmly denied. ¡°It is my duty to apany you on your journey.¡± ¡°Why would you go so far as to call it your duty?¡± Eugene teased her as he turned back to look into the mirror. He was using a transformation spell a level higher than the one he had used on Bolero Street in the past. Although he still wasn¡¯t able to make any changes to his skeletal structure, Eugene¡¯s current face hadpletely transformed into that of a grumpy middle-aged man. On top of that, his hair color had been changed from gray to yellow; after covering his hands in oil, Eugene smoothed his hair to the side. A ve market was going to be held today, and all the tribes of Samar were expected to be attending inrge numbers. This market, which was only held twice a year, would exhibit several races that particrly captured the interests of its foreign visitors, and the most valuable among all these races were the elves. Before heading out to rediscover the elven domain by using the leaf of the World Tree, Eugene had decided to attend the ve market in order to rescue the elves that were to be exhibited there. His reason for doing so wasn¡¯t particrly pressing. It was still uncertain whether the leaf of the world tree could truly be used to lead them into the elven territory, but once that matter was taken care of, Eugene had promised to take the elves living in the vige back with him to the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. Although it would be better if he had first sought out the permission of the main family, since he had already decided on this course of action, he intended to just take them back with him for now and then ask for permissionter. And since he was going to take them with him anyway, wouldn¡¯t it wrap things up nicely if he took care of the elves that were going to be exhibitted at the ve market first? ¡°I think a beard might be going too far,¡± Eugene muttered as he looked into the mirror and twisted his face this way and that way. ¡°Yes, I believe that your face already looks intimidating enough as it is, young master.¡± The one who had just chimed in with her opinion[1] was a one-eyed elf. She was staring at Eugene with her single eye, and unlike her polite manner of address, her gaze wasn¡¯t all that polite. Although Eugene and Kristina were the guests of Guardian Signard, many of the elves living in this vige harbored antipathy toward humans. That was also the case for this one-eyed elf named Lavera. The elves living here felt particr animosity toward Eugene, since they had been informed that they would be leaving Samar soon in order to follow him and live in the forest that belonged to the Lionheart n. They understood why this was happening. Guardian Signard had personally informed them of the facts behind this move. Rather than Samar, which was infested with barbarians and vers, it would be much morefortable for the elves to live in the forests of the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. Since they would even be moving over the fairy trees that had long protected the elves of this vige, there would also be no need to worry about the Demonic Disease. However¡­ several elves, including Lavera, felt unavoidable fear at the thought of being protected not by their own kind or by the forest, but by the hated humans. Eugene also had a rough idea of what kind of position this proposal had left the elves in. He had to admit to himself that by first attending the ve market and rescuing the elves that were being exhibited there, he was hoping to make a public demonstration of his goodwill toward the elves. ¡®Although I don¡¯t really have the spare time to care about how they might react to it,¡¯ Eugene mused. Still, it should at least soften the hostility that they had shown him from the very start. They wouldn¡¯t have any choice but to do so, right? They were taking an unnecessary risk in going to the ve market, and they were going to have to spend a lot of money to purchase the exhibitied elves and escort them back to the vige. Then, Eugene would also be allowing them to live in the Lionheart n¡¯s estate, which was much safer than this forest. ¡®After having done that much, if they still mindlessly dislike us just because we¡¯re humans, would they still be able to call themselves elves? They would just be mannerless bastards instead.¡¯ While having these thoughts, Eugene changed the cut of his cloak. Then Kristina, who had headed out a few moments ago, returned to Eugene¡¯s side. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina called. ¡°Take a look at this.¡± On her return, Kristina¡¯s face was covered with a proud smile. Having covered up her priestly outfit with arge robe, she walked over to stand in front of Eugene and spun in circles. ¡°If I do this, then there¡¯s no need for me to take off my priest¡¯s garb, and if I put up the hood as well, I can even cover my face,¡± Kristina dered. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a little funny to brag about that like it¡¯s some great discovery?¡± Eugene asked mockingly. Kristina¡¯s smile faltered at this question. She stopped spinning around on the spot and, while ring at Eugene with narrowed eyes, she buttoned up her robe. ¡°¡­Is it really alright for me to not follow along?¡± Narissa, who was standing nearby on her crutches, asked hesitantly. She certainly was afraid of going to the ve market, but she also felt the desire to assist Eugene and Kristina, who had already done so much to help her. ¡°You should just wait here,¡± Eugene said firmly. ¡°If we needlessly take you with us, it would be a pain if we were to run into the Garung tribe.¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­,¡± Narissa epted meekly. Narissa¡¯s shoulders shook slightly at the words ¡®Garung tribe.¡¯ It had only been a few days since she had thrown herself off of a cliff in order to escape her tribal pursuers mounted on giant wolves. ¡°There¡¯s also no real need for you to follow us,¡± Eugene said, addressing Lavera. Lavera shook her head. ¡°Do you really think that a foreigner without any goods for sale will be able to enter and exit the market as he wills?¡± Her argument was irrefutable. Eugene checked the ivory que that he had already received from Signard. This que was issued by the Erbor tribe, one of the great tribes of Samar. Without this que, no matter what they did to disguise themselves as ve traders, they wouldn¡¯t even be able to enter the market. ¡°Perhaps you could rely on the Lionheart name to get in,¡± Lavera proposed. ¡°If you reveal your true identity, Master, then the various tribes are sure to receive you as an esteemed guest and allow you to participate in the market. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get in there bad enough that I¡¯m willing to smear dirt all over the n¡¯s name,¡± Eugene grumbled as he stood up. With a smile in her single eye, Lavera assured him, ¡°As long as you¡¯re carrying the que and have trade goods to sell, you can enter the market by just paying a small entrance fee.¡± ¡°Will there be an inspection?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be. In the first ce, those ques are only spread amongst the ve traders,¡± Lavera exined. Eugene didn¡¯t bother to ask why Signard would have such a que. Wasn¡¯t the reason obvious? The ve traders who originally held it must have been caught sneaking around, trying to capture a few of the wandering elves, only to meet their ends at Signard¡¯s sword. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it too much. Since I¡¯ve had personal experience with the ve market, I can provide you with all the guidance that you need,¡± Lavera said as she fastened a set of shackles around her own neck and limbs. Watching this sight, Narissa began to tremble in fright. Especially when Lavera locked the heavy chains around her own ankles, Narissa couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and was forced to sit down with a pale face. ¡°Sob¡­ hic¡­ sob¡­.¡± Unlike Narissa, who had been ovee by her trauma, Lavera¡¯s eyes had settled into a cold gaze. She staggered upright and then ced the end of the long chain in Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­Do I really need to hold on to this so early?¡± Eugene asked ufortably. ¡°You need to get used to treating me with as much cruelty as your face suggests you are. If you pointlessly treat me with care, the other ve merchants and the natives will be suspicious of you, Sir Eugene,¡± Lavera insisted. ¡°Come then, ve,¡± Eugene immediately acquiesced and awkwardly tugged on the chain. At this sight, Narissa was forced to cover up a shaky smile, while Lavera just shook her head without saying a word. * * * ¡°I¡¯m Ryan.¡± ¡°¡­And I am Tina.¡± Before they arrived at the ve market, they stopped to get their stories straight. Eugene¡¯s alias was Ryan and Kristina¡¯s alias was Tina. Ryan was a former mercenary turned ver, and Tina was Ryan¡¯s wife. ¡°Do I really need to be your wife?¡± Kristina asked petntly. ¡°Then do you want to act as a ve as well?¡± Eugene asked in return. ¡°¡­In the first ce, for a couple to work as a pair of vers¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s a saying, isn¡¯t there, that ¡®birds of a feather, flock together¡¯?¡± ¡°When you say that with your current face Sir Eugene, no, Sir Ryan, it feels very offensive to me,¡± Kristina protested. ¡°Sorry to say, but your current face isn¡¯t exactly a looker either,¡± Eugene said without sounding particrly apologetic. Kristina¡¯s face twisted into a scowl at these provocative words. Kristina¡¯s face had been transformed into that of a middle-aged woman who looked venomous-tongued and ill-tempered. ¡°While you¡¯re at it, you should also change the way you speak.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Your polite way of speaking doesn¡¯t fit that face at all. You should mix in a few curses, and make your voice a bit scratchier¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off in thought. ¡°¡­Do I really need to do that?¡± Kristina asked reluctantly. ¡°Would you rather be more of a hindrance than a helper by making a fuss and drawing attention?¡± Eugene challenged. ¡°I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll do my¡­,¡± Kristina hesitated and then changed tracks. ¡°G-Got it, boss.¡± ¡°It looks like you just can¡¯t pull it off.¡± Eugene shook his head. ¡°Why don¡¯t you try acting like a mute instead? There shouldn¡¯t be any need for you to open your mouth while we¡¯re in there in any case.¡± Kristina squeezed her lips shut and red at Eugene. If she had her usual face, she would have been able to hide her anger behind a smile instead of ring at him like this, but perhaps because of how her face had been altered, her angry stare looked especially harsh today. Only thergest of tribes held the right to host this ve market. This time, the market would be held in the territory of the Zyal tribe. ¡®I thought that we would be going to a city at least.¡¯ Perhaps because both foreigners and tribespeople would being and going, the market would be held in the middle of the forest instead of in a city. In terms of being a ck market, it resembled the Bolero Road that he had visited in Aroth, but otherwise, the ve market held here was iparably more primitive than Bolero Road. Even the entrance reflected this fact. The warriors of the Zyal tribe, who had set up patrols throughout this area of the forest, gave wide-eyed looks to the merchants who were trickling in, while making threatening gestures to the guests from the other tribes. ¡®It feels like the market is just a front.¡¯ Eugene had a rough idea of what was going on here. The ve market only opened twice a year. During those times, even hostile tribes were not allowed to fight each other. This was because the great tribes had prohibited any fighting within the ve market. Even so, in a ce where so many people gathered, seeds of conflict couldn¡¯t help but be sowed here and there. With how much wariness and hostility each tribe harbored toward the others, the tribes felt the need to inte their own stature in order to deter each other¡¯s influence. The distinguished guests who were connected to each of the tribes also deeply enjoyed such a sight. For them, the market itself was a rarely-seen attraction. Also, ves weren¡¯t the only things traded here ¡ª various other items of interest were also being exchanged. Samar was vast. This ce wasn¡¯t just overgrown with trees; many other valuable resources rarely seen in the rest of the continent were buried within. Various priceless gems and mithril extracted from Samar¡¯s mines and the materials rendered from the forest¡¯s monsters were all sold here. Apart from that, there were also potions that could artificially increase one¡¯s mana or strengthen one¡¯s body. These were the product of the legacies being passed down through each of the tribes from their ancestors. For these foreign nobles, such things were more valuable than ves, even if these ves were elves. ¡°¡­I want an elf with some kind of physical imperfection,¡± one such noble muttered to himself. It was Dajarang Kobal. Rather than things that weren¡¯t of obvious value, this pig was more interested in an elven ve that he could see with his own eyes, possess, and y with. ¡°¡­There¡¯s no need to rush,¡± Ujicha persuaded Dajarang while resisting the urge to sneer. This chief warrior of the Garung tribe had somehow managed to survive the encounter with the unknown assant a few days ago. It was all thanks to the unknown man¡¯s whims. After looking at the pathetic Ujicha, who had pissed his pants on the spot and was begging for his life, the man had simply disappeared. Ujicha felt no shame from what had happened. Anyone who was ced in such a situation would have peed their pants. In fact, none of the warriors of the Garung tribe who were there at that time hade out of it with dry pants. Some had even shit themselves. There weren¡¯t just one or two of them who had also copsed to the ground and started begging for their lives. Compared to these warriors, Ujicha seemed practically dignified and had kept his honor as the chief warrior. He might have begged for his life, but he hadn¡¯t fallen to his knees. He might have pissed himself, but at least he hadn¡¯t emptied his bowels. He somehow hadn¡¯t died and had managed to live another day. Wasn¡¯t that enough to ask for? One of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, Bron Jerak, had lost his life, but Ujicha had survived. Dajarang Kobal, an important guest, had also made it out of the situation alive. That was enough to count the situation as a sess. Ujicha had not been able to get Bron to introduce him to thedies of the Shimuin Kingdom, but as long as he managed to satisfy Dajarang¡¯s desires, he could still ensure a splendid future for himself in Shimuin. ¡°You¡­ just let me tell you, you¡¯d better make sure to take good care of me,¡± Dajarang red at Ujicha with an arrogant upturn of his eyes. ¡°Just because Bron got himself killed, it doesn¡¯t mean that you can get away with treating me badly. After all, you¡­ you know who my father is, don¡¯t you? Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t notice what you¡¯re really feeling on the inside?¡± Dajarang sure was an asshole, but it wasn¡¯t like he waspletely brainless. Before he hade here, he had been forced to listen to dozens of lectures about the importance of the deal being made between his father, Count Kobal, and Ujicha. Even after arriving at the Garung tribe, the deceased Bron had also given him dozens of reminders. ¡°About your tribe¡¯s mine. You know that my father is the only one who can give you the terms that you want for the deal, right?¡± Dajarang haughtily sniffed. Although not necessarily the truth, Count Kobal was the best trading partner that Ujicha had found after reaching out to several ces. In the first ce, Count Kobal was an aristocrat of major importance even within the entirety of Shimuin. ¡°Bron¡¯s death¡­ well¡­ it was unavoidable. I-it wasn¡¯t my fault,¡± Dajarang stammered. Dajarang had no desire to recall that moment. No, he did not. What made it even more frightening in retrospect was the fact that Bron had died. Even though he had been the least of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, Bron had nevertheless been one of the twelve strongest knights in Shimuin, and Count Kobal had valued him very much. That was why he had attached Bron as an escort for his foolish son and had sent him to Samar. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re saying, young master.¡± Ujicha widened his eyes innocently as he looked at Dajarang. ¡°Bron¡¯s death was an ident. Should the deal be finalized, I will make sure to testify to Count Kobal as the young master wishes me to.¡± ¡°Right¡­ that¡¯s right. B-Bron died after falling in a cesspit. After getting drunk¡­ h-he fell in your tribe¡¯s toilets because of their open design[2]. He stumbled into the hole feet-first and died,¡± Dajarang dered proudly. Ujicha hesitated, ¡°¡­Rather than that, how about we say that he died while trying to ride a horse after he had too much to drink. In any case, there¡¯s no need for the young master to worry. Since I¡¯ll do all that I can so that you don¡¯t need to worry about anything.¡± ¡°M-mhm, okay then,¡± Dajarang epted. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure topliment you to my father, so that my father can grant you a knighthood.¡± At the word ¡®knighthood,¡¯ the corners of Ujicha¡¯s lips twitched upward. Although he felt sorry for the deceased Bron, thanks to Bron¡¯s death, Ujicha¡¯s future was bing even brighter. Having lost such a knight, Count Kobal was sure to be on the lookout for strong warriors. Ujicha had the confidence that he was skilled enough to fill Bron¡¯s spot. After receiving a knighthood from Count Kobal, if Ujicha was able to umte enough merits, he might even be able to get his name listed within the Group of the Twelve Finest that Bron had been a member of. ¡®If that happens, then¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to live a luxurious life as an aristocrat,¡¯ Ujicha thought to himself with a smile as he turned to look at his surroundings. He looked around the primitive and dirty market. Foreign ves, naked and in chains, were disyed like pieces of meat hung up at a butcher¡¯s stall. ¡°Please save me!¡± There were all sorts of simr calls. Every foreign ve was shouting who they were and what country they were from, hoping for rescue. The tribal criminals who had been punished with very were just looking around with fearful eyes, even as they inted themselves to try and look as muscr as possible. Seeing this, Ujicha made up his mind. Right now, he had arrived at this market as this pig¡¯s escort, but someday he would return here again after having be a noble of Shimuin. In front of these big guys from the greater tribes, whom as the chief warrior of the Garung tribe he wasn¡¯t even qualified to look in the eye as they swaggered about, he would return as a noble that they would all struggle to line up to greet. While picturing that distant ¡ª no, not-so-distant future, Ujicha¡¯s lips quivered into a smile. ¡°Ujicha!¡± At that moment, Dajarang shouted, grabbed Ujicha by the arm, and started shaking him. ¡°Th-that elf! Over there!¡± ¡°What elf?¡± Ujicha asked. Up to this point, they had been taking a look around the market, but they had only managed to find one elf for sale. The problem was that the elf was a man and Dajarang didn¡¯t show any interest in him because all his limbs were intact. However, now, Dajarang¡¯s voice was filled with more desire than ever before. ¡°Right in front of us!¡± Ujicha looked up ahead to where Dajarang was pointing. ¡°¡­But she has all her limbs?¡± Ujicha pointed out hesitantly. ¡°Don¡¯t you see she¡¯s missing an eye!¡± Dajarang shouted, practically gulping back his drool. Indeed, now that Ujicha took a second look, the elf in front of them had lost her right eye, leaving behind a mass of scars. Dajaran muttered excitedly, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even have an eyepatch¡­. Are¡­ are those scars from a knife? Or could they be burn scars instead?¡± The scarring left on tant disy had aroused Dajaran¡¯s interest. While Ujicha definitely couldn¡¯t understand such a twisted taste, for the sake of his glorious and sweet future, he had to satisfy Dajarang¡¯s desires. Ujicha gave a confident nod of his head and quickly strode forward. ¡°Oi, you there,¡± he shouted. The merchants dragging this elf with them were a man and a woman. Dajarang¡¯s eyes fluttered as he red at the man holding the elf¡¯s chain. The male merchant¡¯s physique was quite good, but it couldn¡¯tpare to that of Ujicha¡¯s, who had been training in the forest for decades. ¡®Could he be a mercenary turned ver? That means his skills shouldn¡¯t be that great.¡¯ Ujicha evaluated the skills of this ver with the sharp eyes of Garung¡¯s chief warrior. ¡®The one beside him¡­ could she be his wife?¡¯ Seeing how their faces were simrly worn down, they seemed like a married couple. ¡®Her body doesn¡¯t appear to have been trained all that much. Could she be a wizard¡­ or just a bed warmer?¡¯ The answer didn¡¯t really matter. While tantly showing off his imposing biceps, Ujicha blocked the path of the two with his arms folded and demanded, ¡°That elf. Sell her to me.¡± 1. The original Korean version of this idiom is ¡®the one who had just sparked a match.¡¯ ? 2. Here¡¯s an image of the kind of toilet that he is describing. /mp/b.php?m=view&b=bullpen&id=201706150005037331 ? Chapter 102 – The Market (2) Chapter 102 ¨C The Market (2) The ve market would be open for two days and elves would only be exhibited on the first day. On the second day, the focus would be on monsters that had already been tamed by the natives or young trainable monsters. Because they were a rare race that fetched a high price, there was a separate area where the elves could be bought and sold. Eugene had no shortage of funds. Even at their lowest prices, he could get at least a billion sals from selling the jewels that he had managed to rip off from the Emir of Kajitan, and apart from that, before entering the forest, he had sold a portion of the jewels for about five hundred million sals. ording to Lavera, the basic price of the elves that were sold during this market was about three hundred million sals. Though the price varied depending on gender, appearance, and physical condition, most elves could still be purchased by going up to five hundred million sals. Usually, there were at most two elves exhibited each time this market was held. This meant that with the money that Eugene had on him, he should be able to snap up all the elves. ¡®It¡¯s even cheaper than I thought¡¯ was Eugene¡¯s first thought upon hearing the price of an elf from Lavera. But in hindsight, it wasn¡¯t really all that good a deal. The elves who returned to Samar usually had a few ws. In the case of Narissa, one of her legs had been amputated, while Lavera had lost an eye. If an elf were able to escape very and travel to this distant forest, they were bound to have gone through many hardships along the way, and in the process it was also likely for them to have received irrecoverable wounds. These wounds weren¡¯t necessarily physical wounds either. Even elves were helpless in the face of mental illnesses. PTSD in particr was one of the chronic diseases mostmon among elves who had experienced very. To sum up, their limbs weren¡¯t always intact, their virginity wasn¡¯t guaranteed, they weren¡¯t necessarily young, and even their minds might not be sound. Not only that, the chance of them being afflicted with the Demonic Disease was not zero, so it was actually surprising that elves still went for at least three hundred million sals. ¡®That¡¯s about the same price as a pair of giant¡¯s testicles,¡¯ Eugene recalled. Gargith, that son of a bitch. Eugene ground his teeth as he recalled that distant rtive of his that he hadst seen several years ago. Thanks to that jacked-up muscr pig, his sense of economic scale had be strange. ¡®I wonder if he¡¯s still chasing after strange supplements like this?¡¯ Eugene thought idly. In fact, Eugene had received several letters from Gargith while he was in Aroth. Gargith had made sure to send letters of congrattions on each of Eugene¡¯s birthdays, along with a gift of things like supplements that were supposed to be good for the body. Of course, Eugene hadn¡¯t eaten any of them. All of the supplements that Gargith had sent were full of questionable ingredients. These supplements were instead repackaged into gifts for Lovellian and Melkith, who were secretly worried about looking their own age, so thanks to Gargith, Eugene had even be pretty well-liked by Melkith. ¡°Sir Ryan,¡± Kristina called out his alias. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene said as he stopped his idle reminiscing and looked up ahead. From a short distance away, a giant bald-headed man was swaggering over towards them. Eugene looked at the tattoos inked here and there on his bulging muscles, then checked the tribal markings hanging from his waist. ¡®The Garung Tribe.¡¯ Eugene wasn¡¯t flustered. This market was a huge event that always drew arge number of the tribes in the area to participate. It was because of this that he hadn¡¯t brought Narissa, as he was afraid that her being recognized might cause amotion. As for the risk that someone recognized his face despite his disguise? That was nothing to worry about. Eugene had annihted every single one of the warriors of the Garung tribe who had attacked him in their first encounter, where he hadn¡¯t had his hood up. ¡°Oi, you there,¡± the bald warrior called out to them, his gaze looking down on them. Eugene himself was on the tall side, but the warrior surpassed him by a head. ¡°That elf. Sell her to me,¡± the warrior demanded. Eugene had been wondering what this guy was going to say. Looking behind the bald warrior, Eugene spotted the pig-like noble that was snickering to himself. His skin that seemed like it hadn¡¯t seen much sunlight, a belly fat enough that it was poking out of the fabric of his shirt, and hands that had never suffered from a day of work in his life¡­. That emblem on his chest¡­ I don¡¯t know which n it belongs to. His clothing isn¡¯t in the Kiehl style, either. He must be from Shimuin.¡¯ The Sea Kingdom Shimuin was an ind country found in the Southern Sea. Eugene responded to the demand. ¡°My apologies, but this elf cannot be sold.¡± Ujicha¡¯s face contorted into a scowl at this reply. He red down at Eugene with a gaze filled with killing intent, but Eugene just shrugged gently with a troubled expression on his face. ¡°You can¡¯t sell her? Why not?¡± Ujicha barked out. Eugene hesitated. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s a reason why I can¡¯t sell her to you.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the reason?¡± Ujicha growled. Even though she had lost an eye, Lavera was nheless beautiful, so Eugene had been expecting that someone might make an offer for her and he had already thought of a reason for which he could turn them down. ¡°This elf has been cursed,¡± Eugene stated. ¡°¡­A curse? Are you saying that she¡¯s caught the elf-killing disease?¡± Ujicha asked. ¡°Indeed, it seems that you¡¯re already aware of it. Yes, this elf has caught the disease. She can somehow survive by staying in this forest, but if she leaves the forest, she will die within a few days,¡± Eugene exined. Ujicha¡¯s brow furrowed at these words. Instead of pressing Eugene any further, Ujicha turned his head to look back at Dajarang. ¡°So what if she¡¯s caught the disease? Why should that matter?¡± As if he had been waiting for this opportunity, Dajarang stepped forward with a smile. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s even better that she¡¯s caught the disease! Doesn¡¯t that just make her price cheaper? Oi, that elf, I¡¯ll buy her for one hundred million sals!¡± Eugene just let out a snort at Dajarang¡¯s shout and shook his head. ¡°There is no way that I can do that. Even if she¡¯s caught the disease, an elf is still an elf, so how can I sell her for the low price of one hundred million sals?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll give you three hundred. Three hundred million sals. That much should be enough, right?¡± Dajarang couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, his fat ass shaking from side to side. All the while, he had been scanning Lavera from head to toe with greedy eyes. Eugene hesitated. ¡°¡­You¡¯re offering three hundred million? But you don¡¯t seem like someone who lives in this forest, sire¡­.¡± ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Dajarang demanded. ¡°I can just y around with her while I¡¯m staying in this forest.¡± It seemed that this guy was crazy. Was he really saying that he would pay three hundred million sals just to y around with her for a few days? Three hundred million sals was a huge amount of money, enough to buy a pair of the giant¡¯s testicles that Gargith so enjoyed. Eugeneposed himself, ¡°¡­Sire, pardon me, but may I ask how old you are?¡± ¡°I¡¯m twenty-three years old.¡± Although he didn¡¯t know the reason why Eugene was asking this question, Dajarang puffed up his chest as he replied. Eugene let out a deep sigh at these words and shook his head from side to side. ¡®Twenty-three years old? It looks like he¡¯s just a brat who¡¯s never once had to earn money with his own abilities and was just lucky enough to be born into a noble n. Is he really trying to waste the money that his father works so hard to earn, just for a few days of fun?¡¯ Eugene saw a reflection of Eward in Dajarang. The unfilial bastard who had been sent abroad to Aroth in order to study magic, only to y around with subi and almost get initiated into ck magic. ¡°Sire, I am truly very sorry, but I refuse to sell this elf to your grace,¡± Eugene firmly rejected the offer. ¡°What?!¡± Dajarang burst out. ¡°Although it might be hard for you to believe this, despite all appearances, I am proud of my profession and the way I do business,¡± Eugene said sincerely. ¡°If my insight is correct, then your grace should be the heir of a high-ranking Shimuin nobleman, and my pride as a merchant would never tolerate selling a sick elf like this to such a personage.¡± Pride? What kind of bullshit excuse[1] was that? What kind of pride could a merchant who sold such wed elves even have? ¡°You lowly merchant, just what in the world do you think you¡¯re saying? Could it be that you are afraid that I might pester youter for a refund on the grounds that the elf is diseased?¡± Dajarang red at Eugene with wide eyes. ¡°I am Dajarang Kobal. My father is Shimuin¡¯s Count Kobal. I swear on the name and honor of my n that I won¡¯t try to persecute you in any way after our deal has been struck.¡± To think that he would actually ce the name and honor of his n on the line just to buy an elf that he intended to use as a perishable ything. ¡®This spoiled bastard is even worse than Eward,¡¯ Eugene realized. Hiding his disdain, Eugene denied him again, ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t believe you, sire. It¡¯s that my pride as a merchant won¡¯t allow me to do it. I refuse to sell this elf to anyone, not just to you, sire.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch. I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m fine with it, and I¡¯ve even got the money to pay for it, so why are you putting up such a fuss and refusing to sell to me? Fine, five hundred million, I¡¯m offering you five hundred million sals. Still not enough? Then eight hundred million!¡± Dajarang spat out these words with a spray of saliva, but he still kept his voice from rising too high. While it was true that Count Kobal was a high-ranking nobleman of the Shimuin Kingdom, apart from the Garung tribe, he hadn¡¯t been able to establish a connection to any of the other greater tribes. It was toote to throw out a new line now, as the Zyal tribe was already busy managing the current market. If a fight were to break out in the market, the Zyal tribe was sure to intervene and Dajarang couldn¡¯t risk getting in trouble with them. ¡°Sire, what you¡¯re asking me to sell isn¡¯t an elf, it¡¯s my pride. Even if you offered me eight billion sals instead of eight hundred million sals, I will never sell my pride,¡± Eugene said with a wide-eyed look of sincerity. Dajarang was left speechless, pounding his chest in frustration, but Ujicha was looking at Eugene with admiration. What pride! Although it was only the pride of a merchant, those pride-filled words had heavily resonated with what little was left of the warrior¡¯s spirit within Ujicha. ¡°Then¡­ then if you¡¯re not going to sell her to me, why not just give her to me,¡± Dajarang pleaded petntly. ¡°Please don¡¯t say something so ridiculous,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sell this elf, I¡¯m going to take her out into the forest and kill her myself.¡± Dajarang¡¯s jaw dropped. ¡°Why would someone who calls himself a businessman eat such a loss¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a loss if it¡¯s for the sake of keeping my pride. Well then, I think we¡¯re done here.¡± Without saying any more, Eugene stepped past Dajarang. Dajarang reached out to try and grab hold of Eugene, but Ujicha managed to grab Dajarang¡¯s wrist first. ¡°Y-you son of a bitch,¡± Dajarang cursed. ¡°Why are you stopping me? No, before that, why did you just stay silent instead of helping me?¡± ¡°If I hade forward to threaten him, the Zyal tribe wouldn¡¯t have stayed still,¡± Ujicha said in his defense. ¡°So what?! I¡­ I need that elf¡­,¡± Dajarang said, panting in rage. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Ujicha lowered his body and whispered into Dajarang¡¯s ear. ¡°In any case, he said that he wouldn¡¯t be selling the elf. When he leaves the market and exits the Zyal tribe¡¯s territory, we can attack him at that moment, kill him, and take the elf for ourselves.¡± ¡°¡­Will that really be okay¡­?¡± Dajarang asked doubtingly. Ujicha reassured him. ¡°It will be fine.¡± Usually, such an action wouldn¡¯t be allowed. This market had been opened following an agreement made between the various tribes. The agreement also specified that the merchants provided with ques to attend the market were not to be attacked. But Ujicha didn¡¯t care about that. Although the pride-filled words that the merchant had uttered had resonated with his warrior¡¯s soul, Ujicha would still much rather be a nobleman than a warrior. ¡°¡­Your nonsense sounded very persuasive,¡± Kristina said once they were alone. ¡°If you thought that it sounded persuasive, there must be something wrong with your head,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°In the first ce, I did call it nonsense, didn¡¯t I?¡± Kristina defended herself. ¡°Thanks to Sir Ryan, it seems that I¡¯ve learned a rather useless life lesson.¡± ¡°Life lesson?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Yes. The oue of an argument is often decided by how loud your voice is, rather than logic,¡± Kristina said with a sigh. ¡°And rather than persuasion, you should just back them into a corner and give them no room to respond.¡± ¡°Tina, you really are a genius¡­!¡± Eugene gaped at Kristina with a look of admiration. Kristina just tilted her head questioningly at his sudden exmation. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°The ¡®life lesson¡¯ you spouted just now is something I actually learnt entirely from you. But why have you only realized it just now? Could it be that you taught it to me without even realizing that you were doing so?¡± Eugene praised her sarcastically. ¡°Please just shut up,¡± Kristina hissed as she rolled her eyes and red at Eugene. The following transactions all went smoothly in their own way. Eugene bought two male elves, and one of them had even been afflicted with the Demonic Disease, so he was able to purchase the elf for less than the market price. If there was one thing that could be called a minor issue, it would be that thest elf exhibited for sale was a female. She hadn¡¯t caught the Demonic Disease and she didn¡¯t have any scars, so the merchant who was selling her had been able to drive up her price until it was much higher than market price. ¡°¡­One billion sals,¡± Eugene raised the bid even as he felt like he was about to cough out blood. The spectators that had flocked to this impromptu auction let out cheerful roars. In order to pay one billion sals, Eugene would need to dig into thest of his remaining gems. It might be stating the obvious, but the Lionheart n¡¯s ck Card couldn¡¯t be used in a market like this. ¡®Don¡¯t raise the bid any more,¡¯ Eugene begged inwardly. ¡®Wait, no, please do raise it. That way I can just give up cleanly.¡¯ Feeling distressed at the potential loss of so much money, Eugene clenched his fists tightly. He didn¡¯t want to make a fuss, so if he needed to, he would reluctantly pay for the elf with his remaining jewels. However, now that he didn¡¯t have any money left, wasn¡¯t the only option to give up if someone had a higher bid? So Eugene still held out hope that someone would post a higher bid, so he could be free to give up. Of course, that didn¡¯t mean he would just give up on saving that elf. He would just be left with no choice, really, no choice at all, but to don a mask and be a robber. ¡°A billion sals! Someone has offered a billion sals,¡± the auctioneer called out. ¡®Please, someone, anyone, please ce a bid.¡¯ After a final countdown, the auctioneer announced, ¡°Sold for a billion sals! Congrattions!¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to congratte, you son of a bitch,¡± Eugene cursed quietly. ¡°Huh?¡± The auctioneer leaned closer ¡°No¡­ thanks for this,¡± Eugene said as he swallowed the anger that was welling up inside of him and took out his box of jewels. With this purchase, Eugene had managed to squander all the jewels that he had brought into the forest with him. The ve trader who had managed to sell his elf at twice the market price had a truly gleeful look on his face. With his mrs on full disy[2], he calcted the total amount as he assessed each gem individually. ¡°All done, you¡¯re free to take her with you.¡± Once he confirmed that the jewels had the appropriate value, the merchant happily handed over the elf. ¡°¡­¡± Eugene silently epted his new purchase. ¡°I¡¯m happy to have reached such a good deal with you. But you really are quite unusual, brother. What are you nning on doing with four elves?¡± the ve trader asked. Eugene¡¯s mouth snapped open to let out an angry reply, only for him to get a hold of his boiling emotions and turn away from the man. All four elves, including Lavera, were riding in the cart that they had brought with them from the elven vige. Kristina hesitantly asked, ¡°¡­Sir Ryan, are you feeling fine?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Eugene ground out. ¡°Your money was used to save those in need. Don¡¯t think of it as a waste,¡± Kristina advised. ¡°Who said that I was?¡± Eugene huffed. ¡°I just said that I wasn¡¯t feeling fine. Do I look like someone who¡¯s going to act upset just because I had to spend one and a half billion?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you feeling pretty upset right now?¡± ¡°This is just how I usually look.¡± Although he had never had to worry about money ever since he had been reincarnated, Eugene still couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was wasteful to have spent so much money. ¡®It¡¯s alright¡­ it might have been one and a half billion sals, but that¡¯s only enough to buy five pairs of giant¡¯s testicles,¡¯ Eugene tried tofort himself, but this didn¡¯t help him very much. While Eugene was riding the horse that was pulling the cart, the elves who were riding behind him were all listening to Lavera¡¯s tale. The elves had all thought that they would definitely be branded as ves and sold to other masters, but Lavera¡¯s words brought hope to these newly purchased elves. As they traveled, Eugene¡¯s scowling face also began to loosen up little by little. ¡°¡­Sir Ryan,¡± Kristina spoke up. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene said with a grin as he pulled on the horse¡¯s reins. As the horse elerated, the cart started rattling. None of the elves made any noise to show surprise. Until moments ago, the faces of these elves had been filled with hope, but now all that was seen spreading across the elves¡¯ faces was fear. Lavera tried to stay calm. There was no need for her to worry. The Guardian of their vige, Signard, had spoken to her personally before they left. They were going to a dangerous ce, but there shouldn¡¯t be any danger. No, well, they might run into something dangerous, but it wouldn¡¯t pose much of a problem. Signard had said these words while trying to reassure Lavera. ¡­But was that really the case? Lavera¡¯s shoulders began to shake at the sounds she was hearing. She could hear the pounding footsteps of a tribal warrior drawing closer. Why were they being chased? The natives of the forest should be bound by the rule of not attacking the merchants who were invited to the market. ¡°¡­Sir Ryan¡­?¡± Lavera sought out some reassurance. Tension and fear was causing her breaths to quicken. Lavera ced a hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart as she turned to look at Eugene for reassurance. Hearing a calle from behind him, Eugene turned his head around to look back at her and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with your expression?¡± ¡°A-are we going to be alright?¡± Lavera stammered. ¡°Of course we¡¯re going to be alright. This actually works out great for us,¡± Eugene replied with a bright smile. While their pursuers had been quickly narrowing the gap between them, past a certain point, they had stopped drawing any closer and were keeping their distance. Were they waiting until Eugene and his party had reached a point where an attack wouldn¡¯t cause any political problems for the raiders? ¡¯I guess I should be grateful,¡¯ Eugen thought to himself as he continued heading straight forward, not seeing any need to change direction. Like this, they soon left the territory of the Zyal tribe. As the cart slowly headed deeper into the forest, Eugene was left wondering when their attackers would approach. Was it now? Yep, it was now. Their pursuers sped up and quickly closed the distance. Then, they overtook the cart. The warrior who had been chasing after Eugene¡¯s group appeared to have been jumping through the tree branches above the road, as he fell from the air a good distance in front of them, blocking the path of the cart. Without panicking, Eugene brought the cart to a halt. ¡°Urp¡­!¡± Dajarang, who had been hanging on to Ujicha¡¯s back, covered his mouth as he held in the urge to vomit. He quickly got down from Ujicha¡¯s back, copsed onto the ground and vomited. ¡°Get down.¡± Even as the sounds of vomiting continued to ring out from behind him, Ujicha did not look back at Dajarang and instead pointed his finger at Eugene as he made this demand. As he did, he also checked to see that Kristina and the elves were still riding in the cart. He wasn¡¯t interested in Kristina herself, since she had yet to remove her disguise of a middle-ageddy. However, after he handed the one-eyed elf over to Dajarang, that left three elves for him¡­. Ujicha licked his lips with a smile. Eugene stood up without getting down from the driver¡¯s seat.[3] ¡°You said that your name was Dajarang Kobal, right?¡± Like Ujicha, Eugene stretched out a finger and pointed at Dajarang. ¡°Urp¡­ Uwaaargh¡­¡± Dajarang was unable to reply to the question and just kept vomiting. But the truth was that his reply didn¡¯t matter. Eugene had spent one and a half billion sals in order to buy these three elves. Dajarang had said that he would buy Lavera for eight hundred million. In other words, Dajarang had at least eight hundred million sals¡¯ worth of gems on him. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ Eugene suppressed the urge tough as he leapt down from the cart. ¡®I had no intention of robbing him. But since this bastard decided to try and engage in robbery first by blocking my way, then¡­.¡¯ That just left Eugene with no other choice. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what kind of situation you¡¯re in?¡± Ujicha¡¯s lips twisted into a scowl as he looked at Eugene, who showed no signs of fear. Ujicha hadn¡¯t brought any of the other warriors from his tribe with them, but there shouldn¡¯t be any problems. It was just a single lowly ve trader after all. Tearing someone like him to pieces would be even easier for Ujicha than catching and killing an insect¡­. ¡°What?¡± Ujicha unconsciously spat out a surprised cry. The ve strader, who had been right in front of them until just now, had suddenly disappeared. 1. The original Korean idiom for bullshit was ¡®the sound of a dog chewing on a bone.¡¯ ? 2. The original Korean term has it as ¡®his gums were in full bloom.¡¯ ? 3. Pending rification as previously it said that Eugene was on horseback. ? Openbookworm¡¯s Thoughts Penguin¡¯s thoughts: all I got from this chapter is that a fully functional elf is worth about three pairs of giant cojones Chapter 103 Chapter 103 ¡®Where did he go?¡¯ Ujicha, chief warrior of the Garung tribe, couldn¡¯t help but feel flustered. He had lost sight of the ve trader. Could the man have escaped? But would he really have run away, leaving behind the elves that he had paid so much money to purchase and even his own wife? More importantly, if the merchant really had run away, just when had he found an opening to do so? Ujicha had been looking right at him, never once turning his gaze away. In fact, he had blinked a few times. As he was only human, Ujicha definitely couldn¡¯t go without blinking. It was precisely during that blink of an eye. That span of time was long enough for Eugene to elerate away from his position. Bam! A kick from outside his field of vision mmed into Ujicha¡¯s jaw. This blowpletely surpassed all of Ujicha¡¯s expectations. Who could have imagined that a lowly ve trader would be able to move like that? As a result, Ujicha didn¡¯t even manage to let out a cry. The surprise attack was too quick and sharp. With just one blow, Ujicha had lost consciousness. His pupils widened sightlessly as the over two meters tall giant staggered on his feet. St. Copsing backward, Ujicha¡¯s bald head fell right in the center of a puddle of vomit. Dajarang, who was still gagging as he found himself unable to shake off the motion sickness, couldn¡¯t help but let out a scream. ¡°Wh-wh-what!¡± Without even wiping away the vomit that was staining his mouth, Dajarang jumped backward. At least, he tried to jump backward. As someone who had been overweight for most of his life, his overworked knees were unable to execute the sudden ¡®leap!¡¯mand. In the end, Dajarang wasn¡¯t able to back off as far as he had intended. After only having taken a couple of steps, the churning that this movement set off within his bloated body once again set off his urge to vomit. ¡°Uwaaaargh¡­.¡± Dajarang vomited all over the unconscious Ujicha¡¯s face. Eugene had seen all sorts of messy and terrible things during his previous life, but his face still distorted in an honest look of disgust at the sight in front of him. ¡°Fuck, that¡¯s nasty,¡± Eugene cursed. Dajarang just kept vomiting. ¡°Urp¡­. Uwaaargh¡­.¡± ¡°Just how much did you eat that you can keep vomiting and vomiting without any sign of stopping?¡± Eugene spat out as he wriggled his fingers. Strands of wind condensed around his fingertips and shot towards Dajarang. Boom! A bullet of wind struck Dajarang right in the sr plexus and stuck there without scattering. As someone who had contracted Tempest, the Spirit King of the Wind, Eugene could control this ¡®breeze¡¯ as easily as if it was the mana within his own core. ¡°Urp¡­. Uwaaargh¡­!¡± The ball of wind embedded into the pit of Dajaran¡¯s stomach began to swirl. As it drilled into Dajarang¡¯s fat belly, it sent vibrations throughout the rest of his body. It wasn¡¯t just Dajarang¡¯s flesh that was sent rippling ¡ª the violent ball of wind shook Dajarang¡¯s innards, forcing everything that still remained in his stomach and had yet to be vomited up and out of his esophagus. For someone like Dajarang, who had been born to a count and lived a life without any suffering or hardship, the pain that he was presently feeling was an unknown sensation that he had never before experienced in his life and hoped never to experience again in the future. After Dajarang had vomited out everything that had been in his stomach, he was left crawling on the floor, tears and snot dripping down his face. Dajarang begged, ¡°Pl-pl-please, please spare me¡­.¡± ¡°Who said that I was going to kill you?¡± Eugene spat out as he wrinkled his nose. He had been worried that Dajarang would just keep vomiting without being able to answer his questions, so Eugene¡¯s assault had just been meant to make sure that there was nothing left to vomit. Instead of getting any closer to Dajarang, Eugene just pointed a finger at him. ¡°Hee!¡± Although Eugene had only pointed a finger at him, Dajarang let out a squeal and got onto his knees. Dajarang would never forget the pain that he had just felt when those outstretched fingers hadunched the ball of wind that had assaulted him. As such, Dajarang couldn¡¯t help but preemptively get on his knees in a begging position. In all his twenty-three years of life, this was the first time that this young master hadcked confidence that his authority as the son of a count would be enough to protect him from the threat right in front of him. ¡°How much money do you have on you?¡± Eugene bluntly asked, Pinching his outstretched index finger and his thumb together, Eugene formed a circle with his hand. It was obvious what that gesture symbolized, but this greedy demand actually reassured Dajarang. If all that Eugene wanted was money, wasn¡¯t that simple and easy to handle? ¡°I-I have about three hundred million sals in actual currency. In jewels, I have about a billion sals,¡± Dajarang honestly confessed. ¡°And what would you do if I asked you for that money?¡± Eugene prompted. Dajarang stammered, ¡°O-of course I¡¯ll give it to you¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯re willing to give it to me. But maybe you¡¯ll remember this incidentter and try to get revenge on me?¡± Eugene purposefully emphasized the word ter¡¯ as he stared at Dajarang. These words caused Dajarang to make the best use of his head in all his twenty-three years of life. He immediately reached a conclusion: since the word ter¡¯ had been uttered, wouldn¡¯t it mean that the merchant didn¡¯t intend to kill him? Dajarang immediately shook his head. ¡°O-on Count Kobal¡¯s honor, something like that definitely won¡¯t happen,¡± Dajarang swore. ¡°Why are you cing your innocent father¡¯s honor on the line?¡± Eugene grumbled as he stared at Dajarang. ¡°I never did anything to provoke you. If I really had toe up with something, it would be that I didn¡¯t sell you the ve that you wanted. But as a merchant, it¡¯s up to me to decide whether or not I sell you something, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Y-yes,¡± Dajarang quickly agreed. ¡°Then things should have been over once we parted ways, but then you had to try and kill me. Isn¡¯t that right? You definitely colluded with that native who¡¯s lying over there, the one who¡¯s still out cold. You were nning on killing me, and also nning on killing the woman who¡¯s with me, then you would just steal away the elves that I¡¯ve been transporting for yourself. Am I right?¡± Eugene eyed him challengingly. ¡°Yes¡­,¡± Dajarang reluctantly admitted. All the while, Dajarang was inwardly praying to himself, ¡®Don¡¯t wake up.¡¯ Ujicha was still lying there unconscious. But what would happen if he woke up? Would Ujicha be able to do anything to change this situation? The chief warrior of the Garung Tribe, someone who had been knocked unconscious by a single blow from this ve trader, and who had begged for his life while pissing himself in front of the monster that had killed Bron? Trembling in fear, Dajarang slowly reached into his pocket. Eugene nodded in approval. ¡°Since you¡¯re the one who caused all of this to happen in the first ce, you should also be the one to take responsibility for this.¡± The item that Dajarang pulled out of his pocket was a small purse. Darang turned the purse upside down and shook it. Severalrge jewelry boxes fell out with a thud. ¡°This is the price that you¡¯ve paid to keep your life,¡± Eugene warned him as he stared at Dajarang with narrowed eyes. ¡°If you try to find me again, then you won¡¯t be able to pay me off with just jewels, I truly will take your life as the cost of your sins.¡± Eugene¡¯s face had been disguised. The identity that he had used to enter Samar was also a fake one. And in the first ce, ever since he had truly entered the forest, he had never actually used his identity card. As for the currency and the jewels that he was currently taking from Dajarang? Things like these could beundered cleanly no matter the amount. Even so, Eugene had still given Dajarang a warning. Then, he summoned up a breeze that carried the heavy jewelry boxes over to him. ¡°¡­Aargh,¡± just then Ujicha opened his eyes with a groan. The first thing that he sensed was an indescribablyplex and subtle ¡®vor.¡¯ Behind that, lingered a somewhat familiar ¡®smell.¡¯ These two things quickly awakened his dazed mind. ¡°Gagh!¡± Ujicha shouted as he shot upright. While scraping off the vomit that covered his head and face, Ujicha quickly took in his surroundings. He saw Dajarang on his knees, and the jewelry boxes floating in the air. And in front of him stood the ve trader. Rage drove Ujicha¡¯s body into immediate action. He let out a roar and charged at Eugene. Ujicha wasn¡¯t someone who had won the position of the chief warrior solely on the basis of his fearsome looks. His mana, which had quickly sprung into operation, elerated Ujicha¡¯s body into a blur. However, this level of eleration still seemed slow to Eugene. He clicked his tongue and gently pressed his foot into the ground. Bababang! The ground in front of him rose to be a barrier. ¡®Magic!¡¯ Ujicha realized in rm as kicked off the ground into a jump. As he did, he felt that something was off. The warriors of Samar were all able to receive the protection of the spirits without having to learn summoning magic. The warriors who were born in this vast forest possessed an affinity to spirits from birth, and in Ujicha¡¯s case, he had received the protection of the spirits of the wind. The primal spirits existing in every gust of wind were what allowed Ujicha to move so agilely for his size. However, his current leap forward wasn¡¯t as powerful as he¡¯d been expecting. Ujicha had intended on leaping high into the sky and crushing this cheeky ve trader¡¯s skull by smashing down on him from above. But his current leap only barely allowed him to jump over the barrier. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯ Ujicha asked himself. The reason was quite simple. Primitive spirits without their own will couldn¡¯t resist themand of higher spirits, and all the wind in the area was under Eugene¡¯s control. In other words, Ujicha¡¯spatibility with Eugene was the absolute worst. Eugene waved his right hand towards Ujicha. Roooar! A huge gust of wind swallowed Ujicha. The gust then transformed into a storm of des, tearing Ujicha¡¯s clothes into pieces. ¡°Gaaagh!¡± Ujicha screamed as he struggled in the middle of this slicing whirlwind. Eugene stared at Ujicha with an indifferent expression on his face. Unlike his hairless scalp, Ujicha¡¯s body was covered in thick hair. Eugene nodded to himself and clenched his hand into a fist. Bang! The gust of wind exploded. With his body engulfed by the wind, Ujicha had all of his hair torn out at the root by the explosion, leaving not a single strand behind. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Ujicha let out a high-pitched scream as he experienced a pain the likes of which he had never felt before in his life. The smooth-shaven Ujicha fell to the ground, but he didn¡¯t manage tond on his feet. Eugene raised another gust of wind that lifted Ujicha back into the air. ¡°L-let go of me!¡± Ujicha demanded as he tried to somehow wrestle himself free of the wind¡¯s grap. Ujicha¡¯s core churned as he squeezed all he could out of his mana and earnestly prayed to the spirits that had granted him their protection. In addition to that, he even activated the battle sorcery of the Garung tribe. The Garung tribe¡¯s battle sorcery borrowed the power of the soul. It could be seen as a kind of necromancy. It wasn¡¯t just the Garung ¡ª there were several tribes that used this type of battle sorcery that was derived from necromancy, and the techniques that Ujicha used weren¡¯t anything umon to Samar. But it was something that in Eugene¡¯s opinion shouldn¡¯t be used. Eugene felt the souls that were being drawn to Ujicha. It was simr to how ck magic could summon resentful spirits andpletely erase the selves from their past lives. ¡®How disgusting,¡¯ Eugene thought with a scowl. Eugene hated this type of sorcery because of how much it resembled ck magic. As such, he didn¡¯t feel the need to show any mercy. After all, his opponent wasn¡¯t someone who deserved mercy in this first ce. This bastard was the one who had tried to attack him unprovoked. ¡°Uwaaagh!¡± Dajarang covered his ears, his body trembling as he tried to block out the screams that wereing from above his head. There was also crackling and popping as Ujicha¡¯s bones were forcibly twisted. Ujicha quickly started screaming for mercy, causing Dajarang to recall a memory from just a few days ago that he had earnestly hoped never to recall. It was the memory of the monster that had torn Bron into two pieces with such ease. Their bestial eyes that had shed gold from beneath their hood, and the sharp fangs that appeared each time the monster¡¯s lips curled up into a smile. ¡®I-I just want to go back,¡¯ Dajarang desperately prayed. ¡®Back to my home¡­ to Shimuin¡­.¡¯ The sound of Ujicha¡¯s screams began to fade away. It wasn¡¯t because the screams had stopped; instead, the source of the screams was quickly flying away from Dajarng. Would a human be able to survive having their limbs twisted like a pretzel and then being thrown into the distance? Even if fate somehow allowed them to survive, how would they be able to continue living in this savage forest with a body that couldn¡¯t move on its own? But none of that mattered to Eugene. He packed the jewelry boxes inside of his cloak, then he returned to the cart. ¡°May you have a peaceful death,¡± Kristina prayed in the direction that Ujicha had flown with her hands sped in front of her. These words felt like a nasty joke to Eugene, he sneered and said, ¡°It¡¯s ridiculous to expect a peaceful death for him. If he somehow manages to survive, he¡¯s in for a fate worse than death; and even if he gets lucky and dies as soon as he hits the ground, he¡¯ll still have to suffer all that pain before he dies.¡± ¡°However, after his death, he may find peace,¡± Kristina responded with a soft smile. Yep, she was just as twisted as expected. As he hid such a thought, Eugene grabbed hold of the reins. With a rattle, the cart began to move. The elves werepletely silent, not even daring to breathe. However, even as they did their best to not attract attention, they were ncing over at Dajarang who was still kneeling on the ground. The elves, who had be ustomed to being persecuted while being sold as ves, felt an unfamiliar pleasure when they saw this human noble kneeling on the ground and pleading for his life, still not daring to raise his head. The same went for Lavera. She touched the scarred pit that had once been her right eye before it was stabbed out with a sword by her former master and then cauterized. An unfamiliar heat was burning in her eye socket. Heat of apletely different kind from the pain that she had felt when she was burned. ¡®¡­How cool,¡¯ Lavera thought to herself as she stared at Eugene¡¯s back with a passionate eye. * * * ¡°¡­I think that you should probably head west,¡± Signard said vaguely. ¡°Your words don¡¯t sound very certain,¡± Eugene critiqued. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. I told you that I haven¡¯t been able to properly retain the memories,¡± Signard grumbled with a frown. ¡°All that¡¯s left of my memories are¡­ a few fragmented recollections. Solely relying on those, I wandered around desperately searching for our domain.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why don¡¯t we just go looking for it together?¡± Eugene offered, his head tilted to the side in question. Signard didn¡¯t answer right away. After staring at Eugene for a few moments, he grinned and shook his head. ¡°Of course I can¡¯t do that. Because I don¡¯t know what might happen while I¡¯m away from the vige,¡± Signard exined. Although it was the first time that Eugene had made this offer, he had already expected that Signard would reply in such a manner. The fairy trees¡¯ barrier wasn¡¯t absolute. The reason why this vige built for the wandering elves hadsted for all these years was because Signard cut down all the intruders who attempted to approach it. ¡°¡­In the recent years, I¡¯ve beening in more frequent contact with the dark elves,¡± Signard muttered as he stroked the sword at his side. ¡°Every time they draw near, I catch, interrogate and execute them. By doing so, I¡¯ve been able to keep abreast of the situation. I¡¯ve heard that the Corruptor, Iris, has been trying to infect more of the elves with her corruption in order to secure her position.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Eugene listened silently. ¡°Isn¡¯t it funny? That girl is a monster ¡ª no, she¡¯s a piece of shit that shouldn¡¯t even exist. So much so that it¡¯s even hard to believe that we were once the same race, much less belonging to the same nation. After being responsible for massacring so many elves three hundred years ago, does she really think she can just take the remaining elves into her embrace at this point?¡± Creak. Signard gripped the hilt of his sword tightly as he ground his teeth. ¡°I can¡¯t trust her word. Iris and her dark elves say that they are only making the wandering elves an ¡®offer¡¯, but there is no way that¡¯s the truth. They must be intimidating those poor elves and forcibly turning them into dark elves. If the elves refuse to ept the offer, then they would surely be killed. What would happen if the dark elves were toe¡­ while I was absent from the vige?¡± Signard had taken part in the war three hundred years ago. He was one of the few survivors left among the elven rangers. In a forest that had been set on fire by Iris, he had seen hundreds of corpses belonging to elves who had had their intestines pulled out. This scene had burned itself into Signard¡¯s brain, bing an unshakeable memory that had haunted him for the past hundreds of years. ¡°¡­If we do manage to find the elven territory, then it might help you to ovee your trauma,¡± Eugene said with a bitter smile. ¡°After all, since no one had been able to find it for hundreds of years, it should still be at peace.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Signard muttered as he loosened his tight grip on the hilt of his sword. ¡°If we aren¡¯t able to find it, then don¡¯t feel too disappointed,¡± Eugene continued. ¡°It might not be asrge as Samar, but the forest at our main estate is also prettyrge. It wouldn¡¯t make a noticeable difference even if a hundred or so elves started living within it.¡± ¡°¡­More than that, it should be much safer,¡± Signard sighed as he looked at Eugene with a relieved expression. ¡°¡­Thank you, Hamel.¡± Eugen tried to brush him off, ¡°What are you saying all of sudden?¡± ¡°¡­Because if you hadn¡¯te here, I wouldn¡¯t have had any hope of safely bringing the elves to leave this vige. As such I must express my gratitude,¡± Signard exined sincerely. ¡°Well, what else can I say,¡± Eugene epted this thanks with a snort and stood up. ¡°So anyway. I should just go west from here¡­. Is there anything else?¡± ¡°Since hundreds of years have passed, all of thendmarks should also have changed,¡± Signard admitted with a shrug. ¡°Useless bastard,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°¡­While heading west, pay close attention to the leaf. If you do that, then you should probably be able to find your way into the territory.¡± Signard lowered his gaze and let out a sigh. ¡°¡­I¡¯m afraid that I have no other advice for you.¡± ¡°Then that¡¯s all I need to know. Chapter 104 Chapter 104 ¨C Sienna (1) It was a few days after they had headed west, following Signard¡¯s directions. After leaving the vige of the wandering elves, they hadn¡¯t run into anything particrly troublesome. They had encountered a few monsters and discovered traces of nearby tribes, but they hadn¡¯t run into any of the natives. ¡°¡­Ah,¡± Eugene let out a gasp. He felt ¡®movement¡¯ing from the leaf of the world tree that he had stored in his chest pocket. It wasn¡¯t just an illusion. Most of Eugene¡¯s senses had been focused on this dried leaf during these past few days of travel, and Eugene wasn¡¯t foolish enough to make such a mistake no matter how eagerly he had been waiting for a response. Eugene immediately pulled the leaf out of his pocket. He stilled the wind that was blowing towards them and then stared at the leaf as he held it in the palm of his hand. The leaf began to move once more. Havinge over to his side at some point, Kristina¡¯s face brightened as she saw this. The leaf in Eugene¡¯s palm moved slowly. While constantly shifting ever so slightly, the leaf was moving forward in a certain direction. ¡°It¡¯s like apass,¡± Eugene muttered as he ced it back inside his pocket. ¡°Why are you putting it back?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°It¡¯s cumbersome to keep holding it in my hand as we travel. In any case, even if I keep it in my pocket, I can still feel where it¡¯s trying to head,¡± Eugene exined. This direction was¡­ just slightly off from due west. It looked like Signard¡¯s memory wasn¡¯t wrong, so for him to have failed to find the elven territory even with that, there had to be another reason that had kept him from doing so. While feeling his heart pound with excitement, Eugene hurried his steps. As they went in the direction that it was indicating, the leaf¡¯s reaction grew stronger. At first it would only wriggle slightly to show they were going in the right direction, but now it was practically osciting as if it was trying to climb out of his pocket. As the leaf¡¯s reaction grew stronger, Eugene¡¯s steps also grew faster. Without losing track of Eugene¡¯s movements, Kristina kept following him. Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina called out. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene spat out, his voice shaking slightly. Even as he focused on racing forward, Eugene didn¡¯t miss the ¡®changes¡¯ that were urring around them. The wind had begun to pick up, and it felt different from an ordinary breeze. It wasn¡¯t just the wind either. The ground and the trees also felt different from the forest that these two had been walking through for the past two months or so. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t tell exactly what was different about it. He thus pulled Wynnyd out of his cloak. [¡­This is surprising.] Tempest¡¯s voice rang out inside of Eugene¡¯s head. Without needing any exnation whatsoever, Tempest immediately grasped the situation. [A primal spirit¡­. No, could this be the spirit of the World Tree?] ¡®What does that mean?¡¯ Eugene asked. [Do you know what a primal spirit is?] ¡®Of course I know. It¡¯s the lowest ss of spirit without a will of their own.¡¯ Tempest let out a low chuckle at this answer. [The lowest ss of spirit you say¡­. Fine, I guess you could also see it that way.] ¡®Is that not the case?¡¯ [Primal spirits are the pure essence of spirits. Weaker than the lesser spirit of the wind, the Sylph, a primal spirit can¡¯t even mount any resistance to the breeze that a Sylph can raise, but¡­ primal spirits won¡¯t lose themselves even when they¡¯re caught in a Sylph¡¯s breeze.] ¡®¡­,¡¯ Eugene listened silently. [Whether it is I, the Spirit King, or a Sylph, a lesser spirit, we were all also primal spirits at one point.] After pondering for a few moments, Eugene asked, ¡®¡­Is it a simr state to mana?¡¯ [That¡¯s right. Primal spirits are simr to mana. You might even see them as¡­ another aspect of mana. Just like how mana exists everywhere in existence, so too do the primal spirits. All wind, earth, fire, and water areposed of mana and the primal spirits.] ¡®But why did your reply sound so vague when you were saying that you were once a primal spirit?¡¯ Eugene pointed out. [Hamel, do you have any memories from when you were a fetus?] ¡®¡­I do have memories of the moment I was born.¡¯ [However, you don¡¯t remember the time when you were in your mother¡¯s womb. Even the fact that your memories start from the moment that you were born is because you were reincarnated with the memories and personality of your previous life. Ordinary people, no matter how good their memory might be, would not be able to remember the moment they were born.] ¡®Well, of course that¡¯s the case. But what does all that have to do with the spirit of the World Tree?¡¯ Having signed a contract with Tempest, Eugene had thought that aftering to Samar he might perhaps be able to get Tempest to help him find the elves and their elven domain. Tempest was the Spirit King of the Wind, withmand over the wind spirits, and as elves had an innate affinity to the spirits, their entire race was able to sign contracts with spirits without having to learn any particr spirit summoning techniques. However, things hadn¡¯t proved to be that easy. For a spirit, contracts were absolute. No matter how much authority that Tempest had as the Spirit King of the Wind, it was impossible for him to get the wind spirits under hismand to spill any information about their contractors. [Just as I was saying.] Tempest¡¯s voice was filled with an unconceble excitement. [If a spirit that dwells in the wind is called a wind spirit, then the spirit that dwells in the World Tree must be the spirit of the World Tree. It is different from a tree spirit.] ¡®¡­Isn¡¯t the World Tree basically just an old fairy tree?¡¯ [Are you being serious?!] ¡®Nah, I just wanted to try saying it. Even I know that the World Tree is special.¡¯ A tree whose young saplings were able to set up a barrier and block the advancement of the Demonic Disease couldn¡¯t be said to just be some ancient tree that had been around for a long time. In the first ce, fairy trees were extremely rare and were used as powerful magical reagents. [¡­Elves have always ced their faith in the World Tree. They believe that their deceased ancestors and those that they have lost¡­ all of the elven souls are guided to the World Tree after their death, and they also believe that the tree will always protect their race.] ¡®But it¡¯s not like all elves believe that. After all, there are also elves who serve the god of light.¡¯ [Isn¡¯t that something unavoidable? Faith is a choice that everyone makes for themselves. In any case, the World Tree is a spiritual and powerful existence that has received most of the faith from an entire race.] The forest ¡ª no, space itself began to shake. The ground slowly began to move and the trees seemed to be drawing back. [Even though I am the Spirit King of the Wind, I cannot control the winds in this ce. I would not be the only one. No matter which Spirit King it is, they would not be able to interfere with the spirits residing here.] The leaf in Eugene¡¯s pocket was vibrating. As he pulled it out, he saw that it was emitting a bright ray of light. Then, it began to float in the air all on its own. Eugene didn¡¯t keep hold of the leaf. Whomp! The space in front of them distorted and a path opened up. As the leaf flew into the passage, Eugene stretched his hand out to Kristina. Kristina hesitated for a moment and then took Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°¡­Will it be dangerous¡­?¡± Kristina asked hesitantly. ¡°There¡¯s no way,¡± Eugene muttered as he pulled Kristina closer to him. Then, he kicked off the ground and leapt into the hole in space. After the two had passed through the opening, the hole closed up once more. The forest that had crawled apart to open up a path had returned to its original appearance. Shortly after that¡­. Boom! Leaping over from some distant location, a man fell to the ground. After brushing off the dust from hisnding, he turned to look at the surroundings. Even the trees that had crawled out of their way to open up a path had already returned to normal, and the soil they had overturned had also ttened back out. The path had closed. ¡°I missed it,¡± the man with a raised hood muttered as he sniffed the air. The scent¡­ was gone. Even though they had definitely disappeared in this location, no clues had been left behind as to their whereabouts, as if it had all been an illusion. ¡°Damn it.¡± The man spat out a curse, with a scowl twisting his lips. He had just wanted to peacefully follow them to their destination, but to think that things would really turn out like this¡­. This was all because that little brat was way too sensitive. He had been just a bit toote because he had had to make sure to keep a good distance and follow them by their scent trail. The man thought to himself, ¡®Could they still be¡­ somewhere nearby?¡¯ There was no way to tell. Even though they should have been here just now¡­ their scent trail had been erased from this location. Their scents seemed to be floating off into apletely different location¡­ no, their scents were actually being scattered throughout the surrounding patch of forest. Was it because the trees had twisted aside to create a path, and this had created a gust of wind? ¡®It¡¯s like a maze,¡¯ the man observed as he sensed the myriad different scent trails. He decided to give up on chasing their scents. Well then, what should he do now? Should he just wait here thoughtlessly, when he had no idea when they might being back out? And it wasn¡¯t like there was any guarantee that they would being back out in the same ce, was there? Since that was the case, then he might just end up waiting here for a long time, only to not achieve anything. The man was disgusted by the thought of such a possibility. In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be better for him to wait in a ce that they were sure to return to? * * * ¡°¡­Wow¡­¡± Kristina gasped. Was she really someone who knew how to make such an innocent sound? Eugene turned his head as he heard this clear exmationing from beside him. The look of awe on Kristina¡¯s face was so pure that it could easily be called the most beautiful expression that he had ever seen on her. It was without any of her arrogance or pretentiousness. Kristina was just sincerely admiring the sight in front of her. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Eugene ced the leaf of the World Tree back into his pocket and looked ahead. He also felt the same admiration at the sight in front of him. ¡°¡­It¡¯s like an umbre,¡± Eugene muttered in a low voice. It might sound like a poor metaphor, but this sight in front of them truly did look like an umbre. The countless, verdant branches and leaves of the huge tree before them, the World Tree, looked like an umbre that had covered up the sky. ¡°Rather than an umbre¡­ it feels more like a huge ceiling,¡± Kristina argued. ¡°Well, that might be true. But in the end, they both cover things, right?¡± Eugen replied as he looked up at the sky. No, he couldn¡¯t see the sky no matter how high up he looked. All that could be seen, no matter where he turned, were branches and leaves. They were currently at the top of a cliff, and below them sprawled a city. A city that had been around for hundreds of years. Looking down at it like that, it almost seemed like an ancient ruin. ¡®No, if it¡¯s that old, it really is an ancient relic.¡¯ As Eugene corrected himself, he nced back behind them. He couldn¡¯t see the path that had connected them to this location. Tree roots, vines, and soil were all intertwined with each other, blocking the path that had led them here. ¡°What should we do when we want to get back out?¡± Kristina asked in concern. ¡°Well, who knows,¡± Eugene replied as he began walking forwards. ¡°For now¡­ we can tell this much. This ce might be beautiful, but it¡¯s not a ce where anything can survive.¡± ¡°¡­Yes, it does seem that way,¡± Kristina also agreed with a nod. ¡°Everything in this ce seems to be connected to the World Tree. However, that¡¯s all there is to it. Contrary to what we have seen¡­ the mana here is almost nonexistent.¡± This was a weird problem. Boasting a magnificent stature, at first nce the World Tree seemed full of mana, just like the area in the Lionheart Forest surrounding the Leyline. However, there was almost no mana to be sensed. Even all of these green leaves, on the outside they might seem to be full of vitality, but for some reason it felt like they would crumble to dust if he tried to touch them. ¡®What is going on here?¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. He was reminded of Vermouth¡¯s tomb, the space that had been filled with blooming artificial flowers. The trees and grass here weren¡¯t fake, but while they might be real, they were lifeless. [Was all the mana concentrated into the barrier?] ¡®What about the spirits?¡¯ [¡­Hm¡­. It¡¯s strange,] Tempest muttered. [The spirits are silent. They are there, but they aren¡¯t manifesting themselves.] Eugene shrugged and leapt off the cliff, with Kristina unfurling her wings of light and following after him. After the two hadnded at the bottom of the cliff, they walked over to the city. The buildings were ancient, with roots growing from the ground and wrapping around the buildings. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t seem like there¡¯s anyone here,¡± Eugene murmured.. Eugene had been expecting the elves to be here waiting for them. However, there were no elves to be found anywhere in the city. Although the ce was beautiful, no one could actually have lived here. The mana was too faint and there was nothing for people to actually live off of. As they passed through the city, they saw a few dried up trees. These trees were wrapped around and connected to the roots of the World Tree, but they weren¡¯t fairy trees. Instead, there were several different types of fruit trees. Eugene got closer to one of the trees and ced his hand on it. ¡®¡­It¡¯s dead.¡¯ He could sense that the tree would copse with just a slight press of his hand. It wasn¡¯t just the trees, either. The soil had also dried up. None of the wells that were located throughout the city had any water in them. Eugene assessed the city. ¡®It¡¯ll be impossible for any of the wandering elves to relocate here.¡¯ If the soil was revitalized and seeds were nted, would they be able to make this ce livable? [That¡¯s impossible. Thend here is dead. That has been the case for quite some time. Without supplying a massive quantity of mana, it is impossible to revive this ce.] ¡®A massive quantity of mana¡­ how much would that be exactly?¡¯ [Comparing it to the Leyline in the Lionheart n¡¯s estate¡­ you would need several times the amount of mana there.] ¡®What if we had a Dragonheart?¡¯ [¡­Could you really be thinking of stealing Sienna¡¯s staff?] Akasha was a magic staff that was made from a branch of the world tree and a Dragonheart. ¡®If it¡¯s necessary,¡¯ Eugene admitted. [Even a Dragonheart won¡¯t be enough. Also¡­ I sense that this might call for more than just mana. Hamel, I can feel an unknown diforting from this whole space.] ¡®What do you mean by that?¡¯ [This feeling¡­ it¡¯s like¡­ it reminds me of a Demon King¡¯s sinister aura.] ¡®Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous. This is the territory of the elves. That¡¯s the World Tree right in front of us,¡¯ Eugene responded aggressively as he strode forwards. ¡°¡­Where could the elves have gone?¡± Kristina spoke up. ¡°Maybe they all decided to go into hibernation together,¡± Eugene hypothesized. ¡°Or perhaps they just moved to a different ce?¡± ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m being serious here. This isn¡¯t a ce fit for someone to live in. There aren¡¯t any elves living here either. Do you really think that all the elves living here were killed? The city is in too good a state for that to be true.¡± Although no one was here, the city wasn¡¯t actually in ruins. They crossed through the city and drew closer to the World Tree. It had already seemedrge when they were viewing it from a distance, but as they got closer, they began to realize just how huge the World Tree really was. The tree was at least asrge as a mountain. And below, there was a hugeke lying at the foot of the World Tree. Even though all the water in the wells had dried up, the water in thiske had remained as it was. Eugene looked down calmly into the surface of theke. Deep in the depths of theke, he could see the roots of the World Tree. These roots had spread throughout the city, thend, and even thisnk, connecting everything back to the World Tree. Eugene crouched down and ced a hand on the surface of theke. ¡°¡­Really now¡­,¡± Eugene said with a sigh. The mana here wasn¡¯t as faint as everywhere else. All of the mana that would normally have been spread throughout the entire space was being concentrated into the World Tree. Its roots had spread out like blood vessels, with the mana being the blood flowing back into the World Tree. Eugene focused his concentration and tried to sense where exactly all the mana was flowing to. Then he found it. Eugene stood back up. Then, without saying a word, he stepped forward onto theke. The surface of theke supported Eugene¡¯s foot without even a ripple. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina called to him. Eugene told her, ¡°Wait here.¡± His order might have been abrupt, but Kristina didn¡¯t question him. She gave a slight nod and remained on the shore as Eugene walked across thergeke. Before too much time had passed, Eugene arrived right at the foot of the World Tree. The exact location¡­ well, it didn¡¯t matter where he was exactly. Eugene took the leaf out of his pocket and brought it close to the World Tree. The bark of the World Tree cracked into two, opening up a path. Eugene tried to calm his nerves as he stepped into the tree. Eugene silently walked down the long passage thaty inside. This was the inside of the World Tree. The mana outside was certainly scarce, but there was more mana inside the tree itself than any ce that Eugene had ever been to. [¡­They¡¯re silent.] ¡°Are you talking about the spirits?¡± [That¡¯s right. The primal spirits¡­ no, the spirits of the World Tree. They might not have formed an ego, but they are observing you.] ¡°So what, do they feel weing?¡± [Something like that.] Eugene smirked as he gazed around. He had finally found some elves. They were wrapped in tree vines with rxed expressions on their faces, and they had been buried into the walls of this wide passage. It didn¡¯t¡­ seem like they were dead. They just looked like they had fallen into a deep sleep. He could hear their faint breathing, and their heartbeats were resonating with each other. Thump. Thump. The unified sound of their heartbeats made this passage feel like one giant cradle. ¡°¡­Ah,¡± Eugene gasped. After passing the elves who had fallen into a long nap, Eugene¡¯s steps came to a halt. ¡°¡­I found you.¡± What sort of expression should he be making? He couldn¡¯t figure it out on his own. Should he be smiling because he was happy? Or else¡­ just like she had, should he be wallowing in tears instead? ¡°Sienna Merdein,¡± Eugene called out her name. Like all the other elves, she had been ced into a deep sleep. Only¡­ she had a huge hole through her chest. The thing keeping her alive was the World Tree, whose vines wrapped around half her body. Eugene reached out with a shaking hand to touch Sienna. But in the end, he couldn¡¯t do it. He was afraid that Sienna would shatter into pieces if he carelessly touched her. Like all the dead and fallen trees that he had seen on the way before arriving here. ¡®¡­Her chest was pierced through.¡¯ The vines of the World Tree had woven together to fill the hole. With that, Sienna had been connected to the World Tree. ¡®¡­But she hasn¡¯t died.¡¯ Sienna was breathing weakly, and her heart was also beating. Eugene tried to smile. ¡°Hey,¡± he said in a trembling voice. The results of his attempt weren¡¯t that great. Eugene weakly sat down on the floor as he stared at Sienna. ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene called out once more. There was no reply. In a shaking voice, he asked, ¡°What happened to you?¡± Then Eugene finally gave in, dropping his face into his hands as he wept. Chapter 105

Chapter 105: Sienna (2)

It was a good thing that he hadn¡¯te here with Kristina. This thought passed through Eugene¡¯s head. If she hade with him all the way here, he would have had to make excuses for why he had immediately burst into tears when he saw Sienna like this. But since they hadn¡¯t entered together, there was no need for that. Eugene just silently allowed his tears to flow as he stared at Sienna covered in vines. He was overwhelmed by a mix of several emotions. First there was disbelief and sorrow, and then relief and anger. Sienna wasn¡¯t dead. Though she appeared to be in a state no different from being dead, having been inflicted with a wound so grave that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she died at any moment, she was definitely still alive. Tempest was keeping his silence. He too was feeling a surge of mixed emotions regarding this situation. Sienna Merdein was, as far as Tempest knew, an exceptional Archwizard ¡ª one of the most powerful in the world. Three hundred years ago, there had been no wizards who could outss Sienna Merdein. Vermouth was also quite the amazing wizard in his own right, but in terms of their understanding of magic, Sienna was a few steps ahead of even Vermouth. That very Sienna was now being kept in a deep sleep, with a hole pierced through her chest. After letting his tears flow for a few more moments, Eugene scrubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. ¡°Looks like I really have gotten old,¡± Eugene spat out with his mouth twisted in a sneer. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever shed as many tears as I have today.¡± Or maybe it wasn¡¯t that he had gotten older, but because he was still too young. At least, that was what Eugene was hoping. After all, this body he had been reincarnated into was still just neen years old. If not that, then¡­ it could also be that this situation itself allowed for nothing else but tears. Eugene snickered to himself as he shook his head. ¡°Can you hear my voice?¡± Eugene asked, checking if Sienna showed any reaction. However, there was no response at all. Her closed eyes didn¡¯t flutter open, the corneas behind her eyelids didn¡¯t seem to move, and her lips didn¡¯t twitch either. Eugene didn¡¯t feel disappointed by this, as he hadn¡¯t been expecting much in the first ce. After taking a few deep breaths, he once more stretched a hand out toward Sienna. What if he broke something with a careless touch? Even as he felt this concern well up within him, he reached out to Sienna with as much care as if he were trying to touch a tender, young sprout. Clink. Eugene failed to make contact. The moment that he got close, a light went off between his outstretched hand and Sienna. He didn¡¯t lose his cool and merely pulled back his hand calmly. A green shell of light spread to cover both Sienna and the vines. Soon, Sienna and the vines connected to her were engulfed within a solid crystal. Eugene tapped on the surface of the crystal with his finger. The substance felt hard, and it didn¡¯t seem like it would be broken easily. And even if it could be broken, he felt like he shouldn¡¯t try to do so. [...It¡¯s a seal,] Tempest muttered. Eugene nodded in agreement. ¡°Should be.¡± cing his hand on the crystal, Eugene closed his eyes and focused, sensing the flow of mana within. The huge amount of mana concentrated into the World Tree was being infused into Sienna¡¯s surroundings. ¡®....With a wound that left her so close to death¡­ is the World Tree keeping her alive? What about the elves?¡¯ Eugene still didn¡¯t have a clear grasp of the situation. Two hundred years ago, someone had intruded into Hamel¡¯s grave. Sienna had sensed the destruction of her familiar and had immediately headed to Hamel¡¯s tomb. There, Sienna had gotten into a fight with the mysterious intruder. Their conflict was fierce, leaving Hamel¡¯s grave in ruins. Everything except for the statue and the memorial stone had been destroyed. The intruder had then opened up his coffin and taken out his corpse. But why? He didn¡¯t know what reasons they had for doing something like that. In any case, they had taken his corpse out of his coffin and sealed the Moonlight Sword on top of the coffin; meanwhile, Sienna had used the leaf of the World Tree to teleport here after being seriously wounded. But what had happened after that? What had caused the city to be left empty, all the elves living here to be kept asleep and stored within the World Tree, Sienna to be sealed, and the memories of how to enter the territory erased from the minds of the elves caught outside? ¡°Couldn¡¯t you at least have left a letter for me?¡± Eugene grumbled as he turned to look around. Eugene was someone who could make a clear distinction between what he could and what he could not do. This seal wasn¡¯t something that he could prod carelessly. Sienna¡¯s wounds were serious enough that she had been left on the brink of death and Eugene wasn¡¯t an expert on how to treat such wounds. Well, he really did not know what to do about the seal, but there was an expert on injuries and how to treat them waiting right outside. ¡®Were you crying?¡¯ Under the usual circumstances, Kristina would have teased Eugene as soon as she saw his puffy, red eyes. However, she got the feeling that she definitely shouldn¡¯t do something like that at this time. As such, Kristina locked her lips shut and kept her silence. She ignored his red, bloodshot eyes and the tear tracks on his cheeks. Even though she could see all these obvious traces of grief, Kristina didn¡¯t say anything about them, instead deciding to say something else. ¡°...It¡¯s like a cradle,¡± Kristina muttered as she walked past all the elves who were tied up in vines. ¡°It looks like people really do all think the same way. I got the same feeling as well when I saw all of this,¡± Eugene replied with a grin. His voice sounded the same as usual. Together, the two ventured deep into the World Tree. ¡°...Ah,¡± Kristina gasped as she saw the woman sleeping within the crystal. Even without Eugene telling her in advance, Kristina instantly recognized the woman. It was Sienna Merdein. Kristina calmed her shaking nerves and slowly walked over to the crystal. There was no need to ask why she had been brought here ¡ª Kristina could see the hole going through Sienna¡¯s chest and the vines of the world tree that had extended into the wound. She could also hear the faint beating of Sienna¡¯s heart and her slow breath. Kristina stood in front of the crystal and pulled out the wand hanging from her waist. A bright light surrounded her, and her eyes lit up as she scanned Sienna. ¡°...Her heart has been damaged,¡± Kristina reported while her eyes were examining the inside of Sienna¡¯s body. ¡°It¡¯s not just the heart either, most of her major organs have been¡­ contaminated.¡± ¡°...Contaminated?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina confirmed. ¡°They might not be as damaged as her heart, but they probably won''t be able to function properly.¡± ¡°But she¡¯s still alive,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°...Yes,¡± Kristina hesitantly agreed. The fact that Sienna was still alive was something of a miracle, but Kristina didn¡¯t feel the need to say this out loud. She felt like it might not be appropriate to put it in such a way. ¡°...It wouldn¡¯t be strange if she had died. No, she already has one foot in the grave. However, this magic is somehow preserving her life,¡± said Kristina. ¡°Can she still be saved?¡± Eugene asked hopefully. These words were filled with such weight that Kristina felt like she shouldn¡¯t answer him carelessly. After hesitating for a few moments, however, she took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± she promised. Kristina raised her wand in front of her and closed her eyes. Every time that the blue jewel embedded in the center of the cross sparkled, the halo of light surrounding her spread out further and further, as if resonating with the jewel. Eugene took a few steps backward. At the center of her halo of light, Kristina licked her lips in concentration. A huge cross appeared below her feet and strange characters were scrawled around it, drawing a magic circle around Kristina. The power of divine magic was determined by the strength of the caster¡¯s faith. The spell that Kristina was casting right now was the highest level of revitalization magic, and even in the entirety of the Holy Empire, there were very few priests capable of casting it. The reason why the wealthy from other countries would donate astronomical sums of money to the Holy Empire every year was to ensure that this revitalization magic would be avable for their use. Even if they were on theirst breath, they could still be saved. It wasn¡¯t much of an exaggeration to say that this grade of revitalization magic wasn¡¯t just a spell, but a downright miracle. Even with all that, beads of sweat were running down Kristina¡¯s forehead. Her brows had furrowed above her tightly closed eyes as she focused all of her concentration and drew heavily on her divine power. While it indeed wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call this spell miraculous, in the end it still fell short of a true miracle. Although the light shining from Kristina passed through the crystal and flowed into Sienna¡¯s body, Sienna¡¯s wound didn¡¯t show even the slightest sign of being healed. This was because it wasn¡¯t just the visible areas of the wound that needed to be healed. The light emanated by Kristina wasn¡¯t able to purify all of the unknown contamination that was infecting Sienna¡¯s body. No ¡ª it wasn¡¯t that she couldn¡¯t, but rather that it wasn¡¯t necessarily a good idea to do it. Kristina instinctively realized this fact. This contamination wasn¡¯t something that she should meddle with so carelessly. For the past hundreds of years, this contaminant had been seeping into Sienna¡¯s body, binding itself tightly to her mana, until it had reached its current state where it was as if it had be an integral part of her existence. ¡®Just what in the world is this¡­?¡¯Kristina thought in shock. This was her first time seeing such a contaminated body. Could this be some kind of curse? But this was the Wise Sienna after all, so where in the world would anyone find a curse that could so thoroughly ravage the body of the greatest wizard in all of history? Kristina withdrew her divine power. She pressed her lips tightly as she mustered all of her concentration. Her eyes were closed, but she could see everything around her clearly. In particr, she could sense that Sienna¡¯s body was rejecting the light of her divine power. The miracle-like revitalization spell simply scattered into sparks of light without having any effect. Watching from the side, Eugene¡¯s eyes darkened. Kristina hated to see such a look on him. Even though she had so proudly dered herself a Saint, she had no choice but to look helpless at the moment when a miracle truly was needed. Soon after they had first met, Eugene had mocked her by asking if turning crumbs into bread and water into wine really counted as miracles. He had argued that she should at least be able to do things like reattaching severed limbs. Now, if she really wasn¡¯t able to properly perform a miracle when they needed one, she was sure that he would continue to mock her from now on as well¡­. Tching. Kristina trembled. Was it really impossible? In his heart, Eugene had already resigned himself to this fact. If it really couldn¡¯t be done, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. Kristina was casting the holy spell with all her might, even as sweat beaded on her brow, but Sienna¡¯s wounds aren''t healing. But just when he was about to reach out to her and tell her that she could stop, Kristina suddenly showed a strange reaction. ¡°You did your best,¡± Eugeneforted her, reaching out to catch her when it looked like Kristina was about to fall. Although divine power was based on one¡¯s faith, it wasn¡¯t an infinite source of power. Just like mana ¡ª if it was overused, it would eventually run out. Bam! His outstretched hand was suddenly knocked away by a surge of light. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened as he looked at Kristina. One, two, three¡­. Eight wings had manifested on Kristina¡¯s back. The wings were made of light, and they were connected to a body of light that slowly left Kristina¡¯s. While half of the figure was still embedded within Kristina, it spread its eight wings and looked up at the ceiling. It was an angel. ¡°...Anise?¡± Eugene unconsciously called out her name. It was the same angel that he had seen back at the ck Lion Castle, while they were falling off the cliff towards Vermouth¡¯s tomb. There could be no mistake about it. That hadn¡¯t been an illusion. The angel certainly resembled Kristina, but she was definitely a different person, and her face was exactly the same as Eugene¡¯s recollection of Anise from three hundred years ago. The angel lowered her head. With shining blue eyes, she looked down at Kristina, who was still connected to her, and then she looked at what was in front of her. There, she saw Sienna, who was covered in vines and encased in the crystal. After staring at this sight for a few moments, the angel turned her head. The angel was now looking at Eugene. A smile appeared on her previously expressionless face. The way that her eyes and lips curled up, that thin smile, it was exactly the same as the smile that Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel had seen on Anise. ¡°...Anise,¡± Eugene called out once more in a shaking voice. Anise didn¡¯t reply. Her smile was indeed the same as it had been three hundred years ago, but her shining eyes and wings gave her a mysterious aura, and with how her figure was wrapped in light, she looked more benevolent and divine than she had at any time in the past, back when she was still called the Saint. Her eight widespread wings shone with light. The wand held in Kristina¡¯s limp hands floated into the air, and the jewel in the center of the cross radiated bright blue light, as if it was resonating with the light of theirbined divine power. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand what was currently happening, nor guess what was about to happen. He had never encountered something like this in his previous life, and it was impossible for him to even begin toprehend this even with all the magical knowledge that he had learned after being reincarnated. However¡­. As the light spun around like a storm, he saw it engulf everything in their surroundings and ovey them. ¡°¡ª¡± A sh of light burst out, illuminating their surroundings. Suddenly, Eugene found himself watching a scene that he had never witnessed before. It was a view of the elven city. All of the elves who should have been living there had left the city and had gathered in front of the World Tree. They all had desperate looks on their faces and seemed to be shouting something, but Eugene couldn¡¯t make out what exactly they were saying. They seemed to be ovee with a fear that had left them with no choice but to desperately flee their homes. The being that had driven them to gather here was floating high in the middle of the sky. It was a man wrapped up in a ck cloak. His appearance was familiar to Eugene. He had long, wavy hair, bright red eyes, and a twisted smile. When the five Demon Kings had first risen up as a threat to the world, the very first race that they had fought against was the dragons. Among the dragons, there was one who had betrayed his own race by splitting open the chest of the leader of the dragons. A dragon who had, for the first time in the history of dragonkind,mitted the crime of murdering a member of their own race and had happily allowed the very depths of his being to be corrupted by demonic power. This was the ck Dragon Raizakia. Floating in the sky, he looked down on the elves gathered below. The area of sky behind him seemed to be bizarrely distorted, looking as if it had broken and was about to fall. With his back to the sun, a cloud of darkness was spreading from Raizakia. This expanding field of darkness transformed the sky of the elven domain from day into night. Raizakia¡¯s lips moved as he appeared to be saying something. These words seemed to set the elves in an uproar. Eugene still wasn¡¯t able to hear anything that they were saying; however, he could clearly see the vicious twist in Raizakia¡¯s smile. The cloak covering Raizakia¡¯s body fluttered as he abandoned his human form. In a burst of ck light, a huge dragon spread his wings to cover the lofty heavens. His scales were discolored from corruption, and his huge red eyes looked as if they were filled with blood. As Raizakia opened his jaws wide, a dark ray of light gathered between his sharp fangs. This was his Dragon¡¯s Breath. Something like that wasn¡¯tplicated enough to be called a spell ¡ª any dragon could use the Breath by sheer natural instinct. However, Raizakia¡¯s Breath couldn¡¯t bepared to any ordinary dragon¡¯s Breath. Though the world did not recognize him as a Demon King, ording to Eugene¡¯s memories, Raizakia was already a monsterparable to the Demon Kings. Raizakia released his Breath. There was no way that the elves gathered here would be able to withstand the attack. In other words, everyone standing below was about to perish. Facing this descending Breath, the elves sensed their impending doom. Everyone seemed to be prepared for the inevitable. But the moment that the dark Breath was released, someone walked out from behind the elves. It was Sienna. Fortunately, blood wasn¡¯t flowing from the open wound in her chest, but her face was deathly pale, and she looked as if a corpse had been forced into motion. When Raizakia had let out his Breath, Sienna had been standing behind the elves. When the Breath burst forth in an explosion of light, Sienna was already standing in front of them. Sienna stretched out her hand, and the Breath released by Raizakia was prevented from advancing any further. Raizakia¡¯s huge eyes lit up with astonishment. Having blocked the Breath, ck blood was now dripping out from Sienna¡¯s lips. The elves screamed as they tried to support Sienna, but ck blood was also flowing from their own eyes, noses, and lips. The roots of the World Tree suddenly reached out and wrapped around Sienna and the elves. Wrapped in these roots, Sienna tightly clenched her outstretched hand. The entire space around Raizakia appeared to twist, and the darkness brought about by Raizakia was dissipated. In response to this, Raizakia hurriedly spread his wings as he frantically tried to twist his body out of the way. Tens, hundreds of magic circles suddenly appeared around him as he tried to cast a spell. He seemed to be shouting something ¡ª no, he was screaming! Then, all the magic circles that he had summoned slowly faded away and disappeared. With ck blood still dripping from her mouth, Sienna stared at Raizakia. Something seemed to amuse her, as she shrugged with a smile and then lightly waved her outstretched fist at him. Then she extended a solitary middle finger. The moment that Sienna flipped him off, Raizakia¡¯s gigantic body was sucked into a hole in the distorted space. Eugene watched all of this happen, in awe. Sienna stumbled and fell. The elves tried to catch Sienna, but they were also unable to walk more than a few steps. One by one, they all fell down. ¡°Knock-knock~[1]¡± Eugene¡¯s shoulders trembled as he was startled by the sudden voice. Until just a moment ago, he had been watching a scene that had taken ce hundreds of years ago. But what was going on now? ¡°Knock-knock.¡± Was this an illusion? A dream? Or was the Holy Sword ying tricks on him? Could it be the angel¡­ Anise? His mind was in turmoil. Eugene let out a groan as he clutched his aching head. ¡°Knock-knock¡­.¡± What in the world was going on? Raizakia had disappeared. What exactly had happened to him? Why had the dragon been standing in the sky of the elven domain in the first ce? What about Sienna? And the elves¡­? What happened to them after all that¡­? ¡°...Knock-knock.¡± Then there was the sight that had now appeared in front of him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to answer me already?¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t find any words. ¡°Stupid, idiot, asshole.¡± At the foot of the gigantic tree¡­. ¡°On top of that, you¡¯ve even turned out to be a crybaby. Her light purple hair fluttering in the breeze¡­. ¡°I never thought that you would be able to cry so much. Eugene opened his mouth soundlessly. ¡°....¡± ¡°See what I mean?¡± Sienna was sitting there with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re crying again, Hamel.¡± Chapter 106: Sienna (3)

Chapter 106: Sienna (3)

Was this also a dream? Eugene just stared at Sienna with a nk gaze. Her figure brought up so many memories. This was the Sienna that Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel remembered from three hundred years ago. She looked like the portrait left in her mansion in Aroth, like the statue in Merdein Square, and like the Sienna he had seen in the scene from the past that the Holy Sword had shown him. They were all she: Sienna Merdein. From her waves of purple hair to her big green eyes, everything was just like the Sienna that Hamel remembered. ¡°Just how long are you going to keep crying?¡± Sienna asked with a snicker as she got up from her seat on the ground. ¡°I never knew that you could be such a crybaby, Hamel. I never once got the chance to see you cry in the past.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene was still speechless. ¡°Well, three hundred years have passed since then¡­ But no, it wasn¡¯t really three hundred years for you, was it? You probably weren¡¯t even able to feel all that time passing. Though I don¡¯t know what it was like, since I¡¯ve never been reincarnated myself. Well, that¡¯s not really all that important. I¡¯m actually pretty happy to be able to see this new side of you,¡± Sienna confessed with a smile and a shrug. ¡°Anyways. Are you just going to keep crying like that? Back when you flipped me off, you weren¡¯t crying like you are now¡ª¡± ¡°What is with you?¡± Eugene spat out as he purposefully twisted his face into a scowl. Why were these damned tears flowing out of their own ord? These stupid fucking tear ducts, he had no intention of crying, but why did they just keep leaking tears? Covering up his embarrassment, Eugene cursed, ¡°Fuck, just what the hell is going on with you? What did you think you were doing, huh? Just what kind of plot am I in now? What am I doing here, and what areyoudoing here, and just what the hell happened to you ¡ª no, what the hell happened to everyone?!¡± His words weren¡¯ting out properly. The inside of his head and his emotions were all messed up. Even so, Eugene marched on over toward Sienna. ¡°Just what in the world is going on with Anise?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°How the fuck did Anise be an angel, and what¡¯s with her having eight wings? And Molon. What about Molon? What is that bastard up to?¡± Sienna sighed. ¡°Hamel.¡± ¡°...And Vermouth. That bastard¡­ just what is he up to? What exactly happened in my grave? Then there¡¯s me,¡± Eugene paused for breath. ¡°Why was I reincarnated, and then left in the dark? You fuckers, why couldn¡¯t at least one of you give me a proper exnation?¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Sienna repeated. Eugene didn¡¯t react even as he heard his name being called. His tears had stopped, but his heart felt so frustrated that he somehow felt that it might be better for him to just bow his head and burst into wailing instead. His heightened emotions still hadn¡¯t fully subsided and the inside of his head was still spinning. Panting for breath, Eugene looked closely at the figure in front of him. Sienna was right in front of his nose. However, he couldn¡¯t feel any sense of presenceing from her. She was clearly standing right in front of him, but it somehow felt like she didn¡¯t exist. Just like when he had seen her in Aroth¡­. The Sienna in front of him felt like nothing more than a phantom. ¡°...Just what the hell is going on?¡± Eugene squeezed out this question once more in a hoarse voice. He reached out to Sienna with a trembling hand. He wasn¡¯t sure whether he would be able to touch her. After all, he hadn¡¯t been able to in Aroth. At that time, he hadn¡¯t been able to say anything to Sienna. All he could do was flip her off in order to get her to recognize him. The truth was that instead of flipping her off, he had wanted to do something else. He had wanted to grab Sienna, who was wandering around like a ghost, by the shoulders, hold her in front of him, and then pull her into a hug. If he had been able to do that, Sienna, this annoying and savage chick would surely have kicked him in the shin and said,¡®Are you crazy?¡¯ No, when he took into ount Sienna¡¯s sassy personality, instead of kicking him in the shin, she would¡¯ve probably boxed his ears. He would have been fine with anything. No matter what, he had just wanted to touch Sienna. But he hadn¡¯t been able to do so in Aroth. Sienna hadn¡¯t been able to hear him no matter how many times he called her, and when he had tried to reach out to grab her, he hadn¡¯t even been able to touch her. But now¡­. ¡°Hamel.¡± He could touch her. His outstretched fingertips made contact with Sienna¡¯s cheek. He couldn¡¯t feel even the slightest warmthing from her. However, Eugene could nevertheless feel the soft texture of her skin. From this skin devoid of any trace of warmth, he could still sense Sienna¡¯s existence. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Sienna said with a faint smile. Her smile resembled the benevolent smile that he had seen in her portrait. A smile that hadn¡¯t really suited Sienna. However, this was unmistakably Sienna¡¯s smile. ¡°...Fuck.¡± Eugene¡¯s head dropped as he spat out the curse. ¡°That kind of smile really doesn¡¯t suit you.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch.¡± His insult was immediately returned with one of her own. Sienna grabbed a tuft of Eugene¡¯s hair and yanked on it, but Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any powering from her grip. ¡°That goes for you as well, Hamel. What the hell is with this mug of yours? If you hadn¡¯t flipped me off in order to show me who you were, I would never have been able to recognize you as Hamel even if I had all the time in the world.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know I was going to be born like this, nor did I have any say in it,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°Hmph. Even though you say that, you must be pretty satisfied with your current looks, right?¡± Sienna used. ¡°Hamel, ever since the old days, you¡¯ve always been secretly concerned about that kind of thing.¡± ¡°...When have I ever?¡± Eugene attempted to deny it. ¡°Look at you, pretending not to know what I¡¯m talking about. Don¡¯t you remember what you were like when the five of us first started partying together?¡± Sienna recalled, ¡°You said that this was your first time being a member of a party, so you bought some fancy clothes that made you look like an asshole and even had your hair cut.¡± ¡°...Why are you bringing up something that happened so long ago¡­?¡± Eugene muttered in embarrassment. ¡°Well, no matter how much you decorated your previous life¡¯s face, it still looked rough and ferocious, but now¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s fine I guess. Even if you go around looking like a beggar, you¡¯ll still look a lot better than you did in your previous life,¡± after saying this, Sienna raised both hands. She reached out and grabbed Eugene¡¯s cheeks. While rubbing Eugene¡¯s cheeks, she snickered to herself. ¡°Although it¡¯s not the face that I remember, you really are Hamel. That fact is¡­ unmistakable. Hamel,¡± Sienna¡¯s voice faltered. ¡°You¡¯ve finally¡­ returned. You have trulye back to me.¡± ¡°...¡± Eugene was silent. ¡°This really is a strange feeling. Your face as well as your body might be different, but since I know that you¡¯re Hamel, it just feels like I¡¯m meeting a different form of Hamel.¡± Sienna¡¯s fingers moved back and forth across the middle of Eugene¡¯s face. He had been wondering what she was doing, but Eugene suddenly realized that Sienna was drawing imaginary scars on his unmarked face. In his previous life, Hamel¡¯s face had been covered in these scars. Eugene let out a snort and pulled his head backward. ¡°What¡¯s with the rude behavior?¡± Eugene demanded. Sienna pouted, ¡°...What do you mean? How am I being rude?¡± ¡°Of course you¡¯re being rude. Why are you trying to draw scars on my clean face?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just, well, by drawing these scars, I just want to see how different your face is from your previous one.¡± Still pouting, Sienna poked Eugene in the cheek with her finger. ¡°...Your cheeks are softer than they were in your previous life,¡± Sienna observed. Eugene defended himself, ¡°That¡¯s just because I haven¡¯t lost all of my baby fat yet.¡± ¡°Baby fat¡­ baby fat?¡± Sienna repeated in disbelief before bursting intoughter. ¡°Ahahaha! How cute, Hamel. Just how old is your new body? Mhm, you definitely look like you¡¯re still pretty young.¡± Ignoring her amusement, Eugene answered, ¡°Neen years old.¡± ¡°Wow¡­ really? Are you really? You¡¯re still just neen years old? Hmmm, back when we first met, Hamel, you were twenty-two weren¡¯t you? At that time you definitely looked a few years older than your actual age¡­.¡± Eugene also recalled that moment. During that time, he had made quite a name for himself as a mercenary. While he was waiting at a port, trying to find a way to get into Helmuth, Vermouth and his party hade to visit Hamel. ¡ªIsn¡¯t he just some scumbag mercenary that you can find just about anywhere? So what reason could you have for needing to take this one in particr with us? Sienna had looked down on Hamel while clicking her tongue at him in disapproval. She had already be well-known as an Archwizard, so she didn¡¯t show much interest in Hamel, who was just a lowly mercenary. The same went for Hamel as well. Why should he pay any attention to someone who so rudelyined about him during their very first meeting? Both of their first impressions of each other weren¡¯t at all pleasant. Vermouth had practically dragged Hamel into bing a member of the party. After that, Sienna had continued to ignore Hamel for quite a while, and Hamel had also avoided Sienna. Anise had instead been the one to take care of Hamel while constantly nagging him, and as for Molon, well¡­ he had treated Hamel with warmth from the very beginning. ¡°I remember,¡± Eugene acknowledged. Giggling, Sienna withdrew the hands that had been rubbing his cheeks and said, ¡°We all got on a ship together and left the port. It was arge merchant ship, but the sea route leading to Helmuth was full of monsters and demonic beasts, and sometimes even crazed ck wizards riding on ghost ships crewed by the undead would appear.¡± ¡°...Hm,¡± Eugene hummed as he too was caught in their shared memories. ¡°At that time, we were all so young and¡­,¡± Sienna hesitated. ¡°Immature. Although Vermouth was already a monster at that point. You, me, Anise, and Molon, none of us were as polished as Vermouth. I was too overconfident in my skills so I acted as I pleased, but then¡­.¡± ¡°You almost died,¡± Eugene finished her thought. He remembered that moment. It was during an attack by an undead fleet of ghost ships. While Vermouth and Anise were dealing with the undead, Molon, Hamel, and Sienna were taking care of the monsters and demonic beasts that were leaping out of the sea. Sienna, who had been lost in her own sense of self-importance, had been flying through the sky and unleashing a storm of spells. She was being far too careless by doing so. The ck wizards who had been hiding at the bottom of the sea had intercepted Sienna, and their sudden attack managed to disrupt Sienna¡¯s mana. It was Hamel who had rescued Sienna from falling into the swirling seas below. From that moment on, Sienna had stopped ignoring Hamel. ¡ªThanks. As blood was dripping from both her nostrils, Sienna had thanked him. ¡ªIt¡¯s fine, just plug up your nosebleed. ¡ª...Okay. ¡ªAlso, don¡¯t act so full of yourself. Just because you know how to fly in the sky for a bit, you were darting about here and there, acting like you could do everything all on your own. In these types of battlefields, where there are a lot of foes, the ones who stand out are usually the first to fall. Got it? ¡ªAlthough I am grateful for your help, you really are kind of a bastard. ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene said, as he shook himself free of the memory ying itself out inside of his head. After all, Sienna was right in front of him. ¡°Just what exactly happened?¡± Eugene asked firmly as he stared into Sienna¡¯s eyes. This was what he had been trying to ask her from the very start. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to tell me what happened at the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration? What kind of promise did Vermouth make?¡± ¡°...,¡± Sienna hesitated. ¡°Say something,¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Hamel,¡± Sienna said with a weak smile, cing her hands on Eugene¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Do you believe in miracles?¡± ¡°...Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?¡± ¡°The fact that you¡¯re here right now, that you¡¯ve met me here and are talking to me. All of these are miracles.¡± Crackle. The space they were in shook. Startled, Eugene quickly stepped backwards. The huge world tree suddenly ovepped the small tree that had been standing behind Sienna. For a moment, her appearance in ¡®reality¡¯ also ovepped with the sight of Sienna smiling weakly. ¡°...Are you dead?¡± Eugene asked gravely. ¡°Nope,¡± Sienna denied this with a smile and a shake of her head. Crackle. But behind her smiling face, Eugene was still able to see through to what she looked like in reality. Her pale, bloodless face, with her eyes closed peacefully. The hole in her chest and the vines entangled around and within her. ¡°Hamel,¡± Sienna spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t me Vermouth for this.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Vermouth¡­ he has more burdens to carry than we do, no, more than anyone in the world. If he hadn¡¯t had made such a promise with that bastard¡ª¡± ¡°Was Vermouth the one that left you in this state?¡± ¡°Hamel.¡± ¡°I asked you if it was Vermouth? I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m not an idiot either. Sienna, I¡¯ve been to my grave. What I saw there¡ª¡± ¡°I already know that. Because I left the leaf of the world tree in a ce where only someone with your soul could enter.¡± Sienna interrupted him as she stared up at Eugene with a wry smile. ¡°...What happened there was just a misunderstanding between us.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°That ne. You¡¯re still wearing it,¡± Sienna remarked as she pointed at Eugene¡¯s chest with a mischievous smile. ¡°It really has been through a lot. Hamel, did you know? Your body and soul were originally doomed to either be annihted or be the ythings of the Demon King of Incarceration. However¡­ they were returned.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene silently processed this. ¡°I don¡¯t know the full extent of the Oath that Vermouth made at that time. However¡­ thanks to the promise that he swore, all of us who were there, Anise, Molon, and I were spared; and the terms also included the return of your body and soul,¡± Sienna revealed. Eugene had thought that might be the case. He was killed by the spell of none other than Belial, the one who was known as Incarceration¡¯s Staff. If he was lucky, his soul would have just dissipated into nothing. The absolute worst oue would be that Belial had sessfully offered Hamel¡¯s soul to his master, the Demon King of Incarceration. However, Hamel¡¯s soul hadn¡¯t just disappeared. His body also hadn¡¯t disintegrated, and the remaining corpse had been interred within the coffin in Hamel¡¯s grave. Sienna finally revealed something. ¡°I ced your soul within that ne.¡± ¡ªSienna. That ne¡­. ¡ªThe coffin¡­. No¡­ I¡¯ll take it with me. ¡ª...That goes against the agreement. ¡ªHaven¡¯t we all already agreed on this? Eugene recalled the scene from the past that the Holy Sword had shown him. Sienna continued, ¡°What exactly happens when someone dies? Anise said that they go to heaven, but I¡­ I can¡¯t ce my faith in the gods like Anise could. I¡¯m a wizard, Hamel. I can¡¯t trust in anything that I can¡¯t see for myself and I don¡¯tprehend. ¡­No, in the end, that¡¯s all just an excuse.¡± With a snicker of self-derision, Sienna sat down on the spot. ¡°I just didn¡¯t want to let you go ahead of me, Hamel. So it just¡­ it just worked out that way. Were you satisfied with your death? If you really were, then you¡¯re a son of a bitch. What gives you the right to go and get yourself killed out of self-satisfaction? Neither I, Anise, Molon¡­ nor Vermouth, none of us wanted you to die. We couldn¡¯t just ept your death, and we didn¡¯t want to let your soul go to its final resting ce ahead of us.¡± Everyone had agreed on this n. ¡°That¡¯s why I captured your soul, so that you wouldn¡¯t leave without us. So that some day, somehow, we would be able to meet again. In the world that you, that everyone wanted to see. After we had managed to kill all the Demon Kings, at that time¡­ at that time we would send you off,¡± Sienna finished tearfully. Sienna was just like how Eugene remembered her. She had always been stubborn and determined to get her own way. Even if it went againstmon sense, she would always prioritize the option that only she herself could understand and ept. In the face of this stubbornness, reasoning didn¡¯t matter. Wizards had always been a bunch of mentally unsound people in the first ce, and Sienna was no exception. ¡°What about Vermouth?¡± Eugene asked. Sienna lifted her head to look up at Eugene and said, ¡°It seemed that his ns were slightly different from ours. I don¡¯t know why Vermouth did it or what he was really nning. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m Vermouth and right up until the end, I never really understood him.¡± ¡°...Sienna,¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°I always¡­ I always kept the ne that held your soul with me. But in your grave, he took it from me.¡± These words made Eugene¡¯s hair stand on end. ¡°That bastard didn¡¯t even say anything to me. At your grave, he killed my familiar in order to get it to call me there. Then, as soon as I arrived ording to his n, he attacked me,¡± Sienna muttered as she rubbed her chest. ¡°...But was that truly Vermouth? The truth is that I can¡¯t really be sure of it. Vermouth, I thought that he had already died. He should have¡­ been dead. However, he showed up looking perfectly fine, didn¡¯t even say anything, attacked me, disappeared after stealing the ne from me, and then¡­.¡± ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene tried tofort her. Sienna shook her head and continued, ¡°But Hamel, you shouldn¡¯t me Vermouth.¡± Eugene gritted his teeth at these words. He just couldn¡¯t understand her. She was asking him not to me Vermouth? ¡°Don¡¯t spout such nonsense,¡± he gritted out. ¡°...The fact that you¡¯re here, that means Vermouth must have returned your soul to life,¡± Sienna pointed out. ¡°That son of a bitch, he didn¡¯t even leave any kind of exnation,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°He even tried to kill you¡ª!¡± ¡°That goes for me as well,¡± Sienna said with a smile as she held up her fist and looked at it. ¡°Just like how that bastard was trying to kill me, I also tried to kill that bastard. Hamel, I¡¯m sure that you¡¯re feeling betrayed right now, but I also felt just as betrayed back then. As much as you do, no, perhaps even more than you.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene held his silence for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s why I just can¡¯t believe it. Was the one who called me there and tried to kill me really Vermouth? Could the one that I fought there, and tried so hard to kill, truly be Vermouth?¡± Sienna asked herself. Eugene shouted, ¡°There¡¯s no way it couldn¡¯t be¡ª!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you were there, asshole,¡± Sienna cut him off, flipping up the middle finger of her raised fist. Eugene unconsciously smiled at this sight. ¡°I¡¯m the one who almost died, so why are you shouting and acting angrier than I am? I¡¯m the one who personally fought with him there and had a hole pierced right through my chest. I¡¯m the one who got instantly destroyed and was forced to leave the soul with your ne behind! So why the hell are you making such a fuss while I¡¯m trying to speak!¡± Sienna yelled at him. ¡°...Hah,¡± Eugene half-snorted. Sienna continued her tirade, ¡°You should know how to listen when someone else is trying to speak. Why is your personality still so shitty after somehow dying and returning back to life? If you died after having refused to listen to what others were telling you, like an asshole, then shouldn¡¯t you have at least learnt how to quietly listen to other people?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, Sienna,¡± Eugene easily conceded. ¡°Because we¡¯ve finally met after so long, and I¡¯ve gotten a bit older than you since you died, I was trying to hold back and be a bit more gentle, but you¡ª! Whether it¡¯s in the past life or the present, you really are a fucking stupid bastard,¡± Sienna spat out this curse as she leapt to her feet. Then she quickly marched over and grabbed Eugene by the cor. ¡°Hey! Hamel, listen closely. Although the person who tried to kill me did look like Vermouth, I don¡¯t think it really was Vermouth. Do you understand?¡± ¡°Do you really think that what you¡¯re currently saying makes any sense?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. ¡°Ah, really! If I say that it didn¡¯t seem like him, then you should just believe it wasn¡¯t him until proven otherwise¡­! In any case, I don¡¯t really know what was in the promise that he made. Vermouth should be behind your reincarnation, so, well¡­ I think it worked out for the best. I thought that we would only be able to reunite with you in heaven, but it seems that we¡¯re able to reunite while we¡¯re both still alive,¡± Even as she said this, Sienna started shaking Eugene by his cor. ¡°Anyway, you, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Eugene answered simply. ¡°Not that one! The name you got after reincarnating,¡± Sienna insisted. ¡°...Eugene,¡± he said reluctantly. Sienna hesitated. ¡°...The color of your hair and eyes¡­ and your mana. There¡¯s an idea that keeps popping up inside my head, but I¡¯m kinda afraid to confirm whether it¡¯s true or not.¡± ¡°Whatever you¡¯re thinking, it¡¯s probably correct,¡± Eugene finally admitted. ¡°Really? You, were you really reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°So that means your name is Eugene Lionheart, I guess?¡± ¡°...Yeah.¡± ¡°Could Vermouth have developed dementia?¡± Sienna muttered to herself as she finally released Eugene¡¯s cor. ¡°Why would he reincarnate you as his own descendant¡­? Hm¡­ hmmmm. Indeed, when that bastard took more than ten wives and started having a lot of children, I had hoped that he was just trying to make up for all the suffering that we when through in Helmuth by living well, but¡­ could he have purposefully been increasing the number of his descendants to prepare for your reincarnation¡­?¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of that, but it really did feel like a gut punch to be reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°It might feel kinda fucky, but I think that there are more positives than negatives,¡± Sienna assessed. ¡°In the first ce, your looks are a lot better than they were in your previous life, and your body should also be much better than the one you had as Hamel, right?¡± ¡°...That might be the case,¡± Eugene acknowledged reluctantly. ¡°You still have your memories¡­ and a body that is overwhelmingly superior to the one that you had in your previous life¡­ did he n for you to kill the remaining Demon Kings?¡± Sienna hypothesized. ¡°If that was what he wanted, then he could have just reincarnated himself,¡± Eugne protested. ¡°No, even without reincarnating¡ª¡± ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re really Molon and not Hamel?¡± Sienna spat out as she stared at Eugene. Even in such a situation, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but scowl fiercely at these words. ¡°Apologize.¡± ¡°Mm. I¡¯m sorry. My words were a bit harsh.¡± ¡°Be careful with your words,¡± Eugene warned her gruffly. ¡°Hehe. Seeing how rude you are, you¡¯re definitely Hamel. That¡¯s unmistakeable. In any case, there has to be a good reason why Vermouth didn¡¯t reincarnate himself or try to kill the Demon Kings with his own hands,¡± as she said this, Sienna took a few steps back and stroked her chin as she looked at him thoughtfully. ¡°...Also, I think you¡¯re just the right person for the job. Eugene blinked. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about you. Even with the body of an insect, you were already that strong. Now that you¡¯ve been reincarnated with the memories of your past life, and in a body that¡¯s overwhelmingly superior to the one you had before¡­ then it¡¯s like I just said. I think that you can be even stronger than Vermouth,¡± Sienna stated confidently. Eugene scoffed, ¡°Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who shouldn¡¯t say anything ridiculous, asshole,¡± Sienna retorted angrily. ¡°Although I understand how you feel, considering that you were always beaten by Vermouth as you sparred with him every day, if you really think about it, that just means that you were the one who was closest to Vermouth¡¯s strength among all of us. Vermouth was certainly special, but you were just as special as he was. Vermouth may have eventually failed, but Hamel, if it¡¯s you¡­ then you might really be able to do it.¡± Eugene¡¯s lips twitched slightly as he heard these words. Sienna didn¡¯t miss this reaction. She snickered and pped Eugene on the shoulder. ¡°Look at that smile. Are you really that happy Iplimented you?¡± ¡°...Ahem,¡± Eugene coughed in embarrassment. ¡°In any case, getting back to what I was saying. Hamel, don¡¯t be too angry at Vermouth. Because I don¡¯t really me him either.¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t that just because you don¡¯t want to ept reality?¡± ¡°Shut up. I¡¯m a wizard. Even if I do see something with my own eyes, if I can¡¯t truly understand and ept it, then I won¡¯t believe in it.¡± ¡°It feels like those words have changed a bit from before?¡± ¡°Frankly speaking, Hamel, just what do you have to me Vermouth for? He¡¯s the one who brought you back to life. In a much better body than the one you had in your previous life at that! You¡¯re angry that he didn¡¯t give you an exnation? So what if he didn¡¯t? You should just be grateful that you got to live once again after dying. What do you have to me Vermouth for?¡± Sienna rattled out these questions and then pointed at her own chest. ¡°I¡¯m telling you that even I don¡¯t me him for piercing a hole in my chest. Got it? I believe in Vermouth. So you should also have faith in him. We¡­ we both owe Vermouth.¡± ¡°...I don¡¯t know what the fuck you¡¯re talking about,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°Even though you¡¯vee back from the dead, you really are just as childish as you always were,¡± Sienna said with a smile. Changing the subject, Eugene asked, ¡°So what happened to Anise and Molon?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know. How exactly did Anise be an angel? You¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s surprised by that, so don¡¯t ask me. As for Molon? After that idiot founded his kingdom¡ª¡± Sienna¡¯s eyes suddenly widened in surprise. ¡°Ah! Did you already know? Molon, that idiot, he actually became a real king!¡± ¡°Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t have heard about that?¡± ¡°Haha, who would have thought that Molon would actually be a real king? You should have been there to see the founding ceremony of the Ruhr Kingdom¡­. Have you heard how Molon, that fool, only came to the afterparty wearing a cloak and a pair of panties?¡± ¡°...Just why?¡± ¡°I gave him the panties as a present and told him that they would appear as a formal dress that was only visible to those who were virtuous and brave. But that bastard really dide out wearing only that pair of panties. His vassals were horrified, but he told them that they couldn¡¯t see his clothes because they weren¡¯t virtuous and brave enough¡ª¡± Sienna was unable to finish speaking as she burst intoughter and was forced to clutch her stomach. Once she had calmed down, she continued, ¡°In any case, I need to thank Anise.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene kept his silence. ¡°The fact that I¡¯m currently able to speak to you like this, it¡¯s all thanks to Anise for making this miracle happen,¡± Sienna said gratefully. ¡°...Before I came here, I saw a vision of the past,¡± Eugene mentioned. ¡°Ah, you saw Raizakia,¡± Sienna¡¯s face twisted into a scowl as she spat out the dragon¡¯s name. ¡°In hindsight, the responsibility for why I¡¯m in this state lies more with that son of a viper than it does with Vermouth. He actually figured out how toe and find me while I was on the verge of death, then he even broke through the barrier and invaded the elven domain!¡± ¡°...So what exactly happened?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t you see it? That guy shot his Breath at us and I blocked it. Since I wasn¡¯t in a good condition, I wasn¡¯t able to block itpletely. You remember what Raizakia¡¯s Breath is like, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s basically a clump of demonic power. No, Raizakia himself is a huge clump of demonic power. He¡¯s like a sewer rat that¡¯s infested with germs,¡± Sienna said as her body shuddered in disgust and she clenched her fists. ¡°The elves there were all infected by him. I also couldn¡¯t stop his demonic power from leaking into my wounds. That¡¯s how I got contaminated with his curse. Just before I was about to die, I managed to make a connection to the World Tree, then I sealed my body and all the elves with me inside of the World Tree.¡± Sienna sat down on the ground with her shoulders slumped. After she hadposed herself, she continued, ¡°...Although I feel sorry for the elves who were caught outside, at that time there weren¡¯t any other options. Because I was in a desperate situation where I had to hurry to keep myself and hundreds of elves from dying. I sealed away the entire territory and altered the memories of the elves so that no one would be able to re-enter it¡­. Ah, I was able to do that thanks to the ancient magic that has been passed down through the World Tree. This tree is actually connected to every elf¡¯s soul.¡± ¡°And so?¡± ¡°What do you mean, and so? You also saw it, didn¡¯t you? The elves and I have been sealed inside of the World Tree¡ª¡± ¡°Not that. I mean how do I get you to open your eyes again?¡± Eugene asked as he sat down facing Sienna. For a few moments, Sienna didn¡¯t continue to speak, and just stared at Eugene who was sitting so close to her. ¡°Hamel, I made two mistakes,¡± Sienna eventually confessed after letting out a short huff and folding her arms. ¡°The first is that I tried to kill Raizakia, but I failed. If I had been able to kill him, then I would have been able to cleanse his curse from my wounds.¡± ¡°And the other one?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°Since it was too difficult to chase him out, I banished him to the outer dimension,¡± Sienna¡¯s brow furrowed as she said this. ¡°Or well, I tried to. If I had managed to banish him properly, then this curse wouldn¡¯t havested for so long. Seeing as it¡¯s still clinging on without getting any worse¡­ it looks like he was probably caught in some kind of dimensional rift. That guy is pretty amazing. Doesn¡¯t that mean he¡¯s still holding on after getting stuck in a dimensional rift for over a hundred years?¡± ¡°In that case,¡± Eugene said with a grin. ¡°If we kill Raizakia, who¡¯s been stuck in a dimensional rift, you¡¯ll also get better?¡± ¡°...Probably,¡± Sienna confirmed hesitantly. ¡°How do we find him?¡± Eugene eagerly asked. ¡°It¡¯s impossible for you right now,¡± Sienna denied his request. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°But tell me anyway. Because I¡¯ll go after him and kill him as soon as it does be possible.¡± Without saying anything immediately, Sienna just looked at Hamel before sighing. ¡°...You really are Hamel.¡± ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Sienna said with a softugh. Chapter 107: Sienna (4)

Chapter 107: Sienna (4)

¡°...Hm,¡± Sienna¡¯s smile suddenly shook slightly. Her green eyes widened into circles as she piercingly stared at Eugene. After examining him like this for a few moments, she tilted her head from side to side a few times. ¡°...Hm?¡± Sienna hummed consideringly. After she was done tilting her head, Sienna abruptly thrust her face closer to Eugene. Ufortable with her sudden approach, Eugene immediately raised his hands to block Sienna¡¯s face from getting any closer. ¡°What are you doing? Are you crazy?¡± Eugene spat out. ¡°Get your hands out of the way,¡± Sienna merely demanded. Having said that, Sienna didn¡¯t wait for Eugene to remove his hands. She grabbed his hands on her own ord and pushed them out of her way. ¡°...It seems a bit different, but¡­ no¡­ isn¡¯t it the same?¡± Sienna muttered to herself. ¡°What are you even saying?¡± Eugene asked in annoyance. ¡°Hamel, you¡­ it seems that you¡¯ve learnt some magic?¡± A wide smile spread across Sienna¡¯s face. Still holding onto Eugene¡¯s hands, she childishly swung them around as she giggled to herself. ¡°It¡¯s not just any type of magic, either! You learned the magic that I created. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°...Yeah,¡± Eugene reluctantly admitted. Sienna let out a few prideful sniffs, ¡°Hm, hmhm, hmhmhm. Well, of course you did. Even if hundreds of years have passed since I disappeared, there¡¯s no way that a wizard as exceptional as I am could be born during that time. In that case, that must mean that most wizards nowadays have learned the Circle Magic Form that I created.¡± ¡°...Well, something like that,¡± Eugene acknowledged. ¡°However! Hamel, you didn¡¯t just learn my Circle Magic Form. Looking at your mana¡­ you must have grafted my research in Witch Craft onto Vermouth¡¯s White me Form, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Sienna confidently used him. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what was causing Sienna so much amusement, as she continued to smile at him. It didn¡¯t just stop with her cheerful expression, she was still sniffing proudly as she giggled. Eugene felt that her attitude was a bit annoying. But the fact of the matter was that hehadlearned the Circle Magic Form, as well as her research in Witch Craft. Since that was the case, that meant Eugene was practically Sienna¡¯s disciple. Although Eugene had imed to be Sienna¡¯s disciple at several points before today, he had no desire to be recognized as a student by Sienna herself. Doing something like that would create an inevitable conflict with his own self-esteem¡­. Eugene awkwardly replied, ¡°...I might have learned those, but¡ª¡± ¡°From now on you should worship me as your teacher,¡± Sienna abruptly demanded. ¡°Did you really think I learned those because I wanted to?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°After hearing about your death¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t die,¡± Sienna interrupted. Eugene continued. ¡°...After hearing about your disappearance¡­ uh, well¡­ you could call it an act of mourning an oldrade and friend¡­.¡± ¡°So what are you saying? Are you trying to im that you didn¡¯t really learn the Circle Magic Foru? I guess that you haven¡¯t learned anything from Witch Craft either, right?¡± Sienna sarcastically refuted his denials. ¡°I¡¯m the teacher, you¡¯re the disciple. Got that?¡± ¡°Are you looking for another beating,¡± Eugene threatened her. ¡°Then I just don¡¯t need to use magic for the rest of my life, now do I? That way I don¡¯t have to call you teacher.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous, Hamel. You¡¯ve already drunk all the sweet water[1]and learnt everything you can, so why are you arguing at this point? How can a person be so shameless?¡± ¡°What the hell do you mean by that?¡± ¡°Well, even in your past life, you were always a shameless son of a bitch.¡± Surprisingly, Sienna quickly epted his refusal to call her his master. By now, she had stopped swinging Eugene¡¯s hands around and let go of them, but she still hadn¡¯t stopped smiling and giggling to herself. With the way they were sitting, the distance between them had gotten pretty close. Sienna seemed to suddenly realize this. Letting out a low cough, she tapped one of Eugene¡¯s knees and said, ¡°...You¡¯re too close. You should back up a bit.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who crawled up to me in the first ce, so why are youining to me?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°...When did I crawl up to you?¡± Sienna denied in embarrassment. ¡°Could you really have aged so much that you now have dementia?¡± Eugene eyed her consideringly. ¡°Have you forgotten the way you grabbed my face and molested it earlier?¡± ¡°Hamel, you¡­ just try and call me old one more time and see what that gets you,¡± Sienna darkly promised him as mes seemed to burst forth in her eyes. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been defeated on the way to the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, you would have been the same age as me. Therefore, if we¡¯re calcting your actual age, we should count all the years since your previous life as well.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to spout such bullshit, you should at least make it sound a bit more reasonable. Do you really think that makes any sense? Why would you include the years since my past life into my age? Age is calcted by how old the body is. Since I¡¯ve been reincarnated, my body is fresh and young. As for you¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off suggestively. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go ahead and say another word?¡± Sienna challenged him. ¡°Because I really will kill you.¡± ¡°...Well, I¡¯m just saying,¡± Eugene backed down after some thought. ¡°The physical body is mere vanity,¡± Sienna sniffed. ¡°Besides that, my body has been sealed for hundreds of years, and I physically reconstructed it several times before that. If I¡¯m released from this seal, I¡¯ll reconstruct my body once more, and then my body will return to being just one year old[2].¡± ¡°Uhuh, yeah. Go ahead and call yourself one year old. Would you like me to gift you a pacifier as well? I¡¯ll carry you on my back and even rock you to sleep with a luby,¡± Eugene offered. Sienna¡¯s fists clenched and started to tremble at his provocative remarks. She red at Eugene, then sighed heavily and shook her head. ¡°...It¡¯s not worth it.¡± Changing the subject, Sienna asked, ¡°More importantly, what happened to change your mind? Even though I offered to teach you magic several times during your past life, you never once took me up on it.¡± ¡°That was just in my past life,¡± Eugene quickly spat out an excuse as he awkwardly shifted his gaze sideways. ¡°...After all, three hundred years have passed. I was alone after I reincarnated and I didn¡¯t even know if you all were alive or dead. Since there were still two Demon Kings remaining¡­ well, I just thought that I didn¡¯t have a choice but to learn magic.¡± It would be impossible for Eugene to aplish his goal with just the ability he had inherited from his previous life as Hamel. It wasn¡¯t just slightly beyond the realm of possibility, but immeasurably so. Thankfully, the body that he had been reincarnated into was so vastly superior to Hamel¡¯s body that the two couldn¡¯t even bepared. Moreover, even after reincarnation, he still retained all his previous life¡¯s talent. Vermouth was missing. So were Anise, Sienna, and Molon. Since all of them weren¡¯t there, this meant that Hamel would need to learn all the knowledge and handle all the responsibilities they used to have when they were together as a party. Or at least that was what Eugene had told himself. Even though he was unable to ept the Lionheart n¡¯s tradition of the Bloodline Continuation ceremony, he still hadn¡¯t risked disgrace by going against it. Without showing any unneeded stubbornness or pride, Eugene had managed to be adopted into the main family. There, he had learned Vermouth¡¯s White me Form, which he had always secretly envied. Having obtained Wynnyd, he had still harbored a desire to obtain even one more of the many weapons that Vermouth had used. In order to learn magic, which he hadn¡¯t even spared a nce at in his previous life, he had left to study abroad in Aroth. For several years, he had locked himself up in Akron and absorbed himself in learning Sienna¡¯s magic. Everything Eugene did was for the sake of bing stronger than Hamel had been. Even though he was aware that his hard work might not bear fruit right away, he had still sown the seeds for the future. In order to someday ¡ª yes, someday sessfully surpass his former ¡®self¡¯ and y the two remaining Demon Kings. With that as his focus, he had given up all of his unnecessary hang-ups from his previous life. However, Eugene didn¡¯t want to reveal to Sienna the desperation to which his heart had been driven by the absence of hisrades. It was something far too embarrassing. Sienna also didn¡¯t ask for further details. She wasn¡¯t stupid. She could see the reason why Hamel, or Eugene, that idiot, asshole, scumbag, stubborn, and rude bastard¡­ might have abandoned the inhibitions from his past life that had kept him from epting her offer despite the amount of effort she had put into persuading him. Sienna was all too familiar with Hamel. ¡°Sorry.¡± That was why Sienna was the first to bow her head and apologize. ¡°What are you apologizing for?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...I just ¡ª I feel like we might have left you feeling very lonely,¡± Sienna said regretfully. ¡°As if.¡± Eugene snorted. With her head bowed like this, all Eugene could see was the crown of Sienna¡¯s head and her wavy, purple hair. This sight reminded him of Mer back In Akron and Eugene unconsciously reached out and patted Sienna on the crown of her head. ¡°...What are you doing?¡± Sienna asked in shock. ¡°You just reminded me of your familiar,¡± Eugene exined. Sienna sighed. ¡°...Ah¡­ Mer. So you¡¯ve met with that kid as well.¡± ¡°She¡¯s doing pretty well,¡± Eugene tried to assure her. ¡°Like hell she is,¡± Sienna cursed with a scowl as she pushed Eugene¡¯s hand away from her. ¡°There¡¯s no way that those old wizards would have left Mer in peace. She must have been through a lot after I disappeared.¡± ¡°...Well that¡¯s true,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°It¡¯s all because you took thetter parts of Witch Craft with you.¡± ¡°Ah, that?¡± Sienna blinked her eyes in surprise for a few moments before bursting intoughter. ¡°That was just a lie.¡± ¡°...What did you say?¡± ¡°There are notter parts to Witch Craft. Well, if it really came down to it, you could say that something like that is inside my head, but it¡¯s more like a truth of magic that¡¯s impossible to really pin down into a grimoire.¡± ¡°...But I was told that the royal family of Aroth has a copy of thetter volumes of Witch Craft?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ ummm¡­ that was just my own way of providing some support to the royal family. As the royal family of the kingdom of magic, shouldn¡¯t they at least possess a grimoire that can act as a symbol of their worthiness for the position? It¡¯s aption of some of the high-level spells that I¡¯ve created.¡± Eugene¡¯s lips parted soundlessly as he couldn¡¯t think of what to say to this. After finally breathing out a faint huff of surprise, he barely managed to get out the words, ¡°A-are you saying that you conned them?¡± ¡°Hey now, that¡¯s going a bit too far. I didn¡¯t really scam them, it¡¯s more like a white lie. In any case, it is a fact that I gifted them a grimoire filled with powerful and unique spells. I made all the spells myself, and evenpiled them into a grimoire, so isn¡¯t it up to me to call it by whatever title I like?¡± Sienna smiled with a guilty expression and tried to act like her hands were clean. ¡±Well¡­ this misunderstanding is all because I didn¡¯t know that I would end up going into seclusion like this. I was thinking of going into retreat shortly before everything that happened, but technically speaking, this was more of a mistake than a deliberate deception.¡± ¡°...But I¡¯ve heard that Aroth¡¯s wizards actually disassembled Mer in order to try and find out the truth about thetter half of Witch Craft and your hidden refuge,¡± Eugene reported. ¡°They didwhat?! Those ungrateful sons of bitches! Even though I contributed so much to the history of magic, just because I went into seclusion, they dare to torment my familiar?!¡± Sienna¡¯s eyebrows shot up in outrage. She leapt up from her seat and kicked Eugene. It didn¡¯t really hurt that much. However, Eugene just couldn¡¯t understand why she had suddenly kicked him. Why had she hithimwhen he hadn¡¯t even done anything?¡± ¡°Why did you just hit me?¡± Eugene immediately demanded. Sienna gave her reason, ¡°Because there¡¯s no else here apart from me and you!¡± ¡°What does that have to do with you hitting me¡ª?¡± Eugene asked before he was cut off. ¡°Don¡¯t be so fussy! If I¡¯m able to return to Aroth in the future, I¡¯m not just going to stop at kicking them, I¡¯m going to turn the whole ce upside down! Thoseidioticroyals. Thosedouchebagwizards! Even though it¡¯s been two hundred years since I disappeared, they¡¯re still caught up in the illusion that there is another part to Witch Craft!¡± Unable to contain her rage, Sienna stomped her feet as she shouted. Eugene also felt the same sense of betrayal. Even though he had given so much thought to joining the Court Wizards, just because he was promised ess to thetter parts of Witch Craft¡­ only to be told that the other parts didn¡¯t exist in the first ce? Sienna turned to Eugene. ¡°You¡¯re also an idiot, Hamel!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not the idiot, that¡¯s Molon,¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°That¡¯s right, you¡¯re just an asshole!¡± Sienna agreed. ¡°You should have seen Witch Craft as well, right? Based on the qualities and feel of your mana, it seems that you¡¯ve been able to attain a slightprehension of my research in Witch Craft. But even so, you actually believed that there would be a second half?!¡± ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ of course I didn¡¯t believe it,¡± Eugene lied unconvincingly. Sienna picked up on it immediately. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡± ¡°Well, if you really look at it, isn¡¯t it all your fault? Why did youe up with such a lie that ended up wasting so many people¡¯s time? What? You want to call it a white lie? You want to return to Aroth and flip it upside down? Before you do that, you need to get on your knees and apologize to Mer. Because of your lie, you caused Mer so much trouble,¡± Eugene turned the tables on Sienna. ¡°...Of course I¡¯ll apologize to her,¡± Sienna admitted with a pout as she sat back down. ¡°...So anyways, Witch Craft, how was it?¡± ¡°...What kind of reaction are you expecting from me?¡± Eugene asked hesitantly. ¡°Your honest opinion only. I¡¯m eagerly waiting for your admiration and awe at the work of the greatest genius in the history of magic, the likes of whom never have been and never will be seen in the past, present, and future,¡± Sienna boasted. ¡°Oh, well your magic was quite nifty,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°Is that it?¡± ¡°...Really nifty?¡± ¡°You really can¡¯t be honest, can you?¡± At some point, Sienna had stopped pouting and was now smiling once again. ¡°Mm, I guess it is pretty nifty. The core principle of Witch Craft is the Eternal Hole. The Witch Craft that I left In Akron was just a textbook meant to guide those fools into understanding the Eternal Hole.¡± ¡°Alright. I already know that you¡¯re a genius, so stop changing the subject and answer my questions,¡± Eugene said, staring at Sienna without any traces of amusement. Sienna also stopped smiling. ¡°Raizakia, that son of a viper, how am I supposed to find him?¡± Eugene asked once more. ¡°...I already said that it¡¯s impossible for you as you are now,¡± Sienna muttered. ¡°Do you think that I¡¯m asking because I don¡¯t know that? Even in my past life, that bastard wasn¡¯t someone that I¡¯d be confident in taking out on my own.¡± Eugene informed her. The ck Dragon Raizakia was a monster. Even before his fall, he was one of the strongest among the younger dragons, but after he had killed his own Lord and devoured the chief dragon¡¯s heart, he had be an even more intimidating monster. ¡°Sienna, are you worried about me right now?¡± Eugene asked her. ¡°...No,¡± Sienna lied unconvincingly. ¡°Of course not. Who¡¯d be that stupid? Wouldn¡¯t it be funny if you, who almost died and has been sealed away, were actually worried for me, who¡¯s alive and well?¡± Eugene noted sarcastically. ¡°...What if¡­,¡± Sienna muttered while avoiding his gaze. ¡°...For my sake, you do go looking for Raizakia, and when you finally find him¡­ he kills you? In that case, what am I supposed to do?¡± ¡°What do you mean, what are you supposed to do?¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°Why are you so afraid of something that hasn¡¯t even happened¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t know,¡± Sienna spat out with a quietugh. ¡°You¡­ you don¡¯t know anything. Hamel, there¡¯s no way that you could know. After you died¡­ how do you think the rest of us felt? Do you know what emotions were going through me as I held your ne? What-what sort of thoughts went through my head as I stood in your grave?¡± ¡°I do know,¡± Eugene said as he held Sienna by her shoulders. ¡°I know for a fact that you cried like a baby while you were there. I also know just how you spent the decades while you were in Aroth.¡± Taken aback, Sienna fell silent. ¡°But do you know how I feel? There¡¯s no way that you could know that. You, who has been trapped here by this seal, will definitely not know how I feel. You might know the me from my previous life, but you have no idea about the current me,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°...That¡¯s probably true,¡± Sienna weakly admitted. ¡°Then you just need to find out for yourself. But if you remain trapped here, then you definitely won¡¯t be able to learn anything about me,¡± Eugene stated with confidence. ¡°Sienna Merdein, stop pointlessly worrying about me and get rid of the delusion that I, as someone who¡¯s been reincarnated once, will allow myself to be defeated once more.¡± Sienna raised her head to look up at him. Eugene continued, ¡°You came to find me, and I also went looking for you. I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t just stay out of this. I will free you from this ce somehow. I¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯re free to stand up on your own and walk out of here, so that you can travel together with me. Even if you sit there whining that you don¡¯t want to go with me, I¡¯ll take you out of here even if it means I have to drag you with me.¡± Sienna¡¯s eyes wavered at these words. Eugene¡¯s hands tightened around Sienna¡¯s shoulders as he looked straight into her trembling green eyes. ¡°You have no objections with that, right?¡± ¡°...Ahahaha.¡± After he spat out this final question, Sienna burst intoughter. ¡°You say that I don¡¯t know the current you? No, that¡¯s not true at all. I know you, Hamel. Even though your reincarnation changed your body, reced your face, and even gave you a new name¡­ you¡¯re still the same Hamel that I¡¯ve always known.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then you should also be aware of how serious I am when I say all this.¡± ¡°...Mhm,¡± Sienna agreed with a smile even as she let a few tears fall. ¡°You¡¯re still the same as ever. Not a single thing¡­ has changed about you.¡± ¡°If you smile while crying, something will grow on your butt[3],¡± Eugene warned her. Sienna snorted. ¡°The amount of bullshit you¡¯re full of hasn¡¯t changed either.¡± ¡°Anyway, hurry up and tell me how to find Raizakia,¡± Eugene insisted while shaking Sienna by the hold that he had kept on her shoulders. ¡°...Is my staff still kept in Akron?¡± Sienna eventually asked. ¡°Akasha? It¡¯s still there,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s been stored away safely along with Witch Craft.¡± ¡°Well, of course it would be,¡± Sienna said with some relief. ¡°As foolish as the wizards of Aroth might be, even they wouldn¡¯t stoop to the level of trying to meddle with Akasha¡¯s relief.¡± Sienna was lost in thought for a few moments. After considering whether he should do anything about this, Eugene gently shook Sienna by the shoulders once more. ¡°Just leave me alone for a minute, you son of a bitch.¡± In the end, Sienna was unable to bear it and she pped Eugene on the cheek as she cursed him out. Like thest time she had kicked him, her p didn¡¯t hurt all that much. ¡°...I¡¯ll teach you the technique to release Akasha¡¯s seal,¡± Sienna said once she had finished her contemtion. ¡°Does that mean I¡¯ll be able to find Raizakia once I have Akasha?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...It won¡¯t be easy,¡± Sienna advised him. ¡°Raizakia was caught in the dimensional rift partly due to his own actions and partly because I made a mistake due to being seriously unwell. Even so, Hamel, if you have Akasha with you and you¡¯re nearby, you should be able to sense the opening to the dimensional rift where Raizakia has been trapped.¡± Sienna couldn¡¯t even be certain of that. For now, all they could be sure of was that Raizakia had to be trapped somewhere within a dimensional rift. If he had been banished to another dimension or had died, his curse wouldn¡¯t have been able tost for hundreds of years as it had. ¡°So that means I¡¯ll need to scour the whole continent,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°...If you don¡¯t want to, then don¡¯t do it,¡± Sienna pouted. ¡°When did I say that I didn¡¯t want to? It¡¯ll be a piece of cake. Besides, that¡¯ll mean I get to use your fancy staff as well,¡± Eugene said smugly. ¡°...I¡¯m saying this just in case, but if I do get betterter, I¡¯m definitely taking Akasha back from you. Also, if you go overboard and shatter Akasha¡¯s Dragon Heart¡­.¡± Sienna trailed off warningly. ¡°I¡¯m already well aware.¡± Eugene waved off her concerns. ¡°It¡¯ll get the dragons toe looking for me, right? No, wouldn¡¯t that actually be better? In the first ce, aren¡¯t the dragons even better at using magic than you?¡± ¡°Do you really think those overly proud lizards would just kindly grant your requests? They¡¯ll probably just loose their Breaths at the bastard who deliberately broke the staff that their tribe helped create as a gift. But if you want to test that theory, then have at it,¡± Sienna challenged him. ¡°Well, if nothing else works, then I can give it a try,¡± Eugene replied before bing lost in thought for a few moments. The ck Dragon Raizakia hade to fame during his previous life, but his presence was still making itself known even in the present day. In fact, he was still known as one of Helmuth¡¯s three Dukes. It had been two hundred years ago since Sienna had banished Raizakia into a dimensional rift, but Raizakia somehow still retained an active presence in Helmuth. ¡°...If that truly is the case, that means the Raizakia in Helmuth has to be a fake,¡± Sienna said, her eyes narrowing in suspicion after Eugene had conveyed this information. ¡°It had to be Raizakia himself who invaded this domain. If the attempt to banish him had failedpletely, then he could have just repeated his intrusion once more.¡± ¡°But if that isn¡¯t the real Raizakia, does that mean someone else is pretending to be Raizakia?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s no way that those demonfolk bastards in Helmuth would continue to pay respect to Raizakia¡¯s status if he wasn¡¯t around. Then it¡¯s probably¡­ either Raizakia¡¯s clone or his hatchling.¡± ¡°...Hatchling?¡± Eugene repeated questioningly. Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed as he tried to recall his memories of Raizakia. Did that ck Dragon really have a hatchling? ¡°I¡¯m not too sure of that either. How am I supposed to know if that son of a viper hatched an egg or not? However, whichever one it might be, that¡¯s not necessarily a bad thing for you¡ª,¡± Sienna abruptly stopped speaking in the middle of her sentence and covered her mouth. Eugene grinned at this sight and lightly smacked Sienna¡¯s leg. ¡°What¡¯s with the sudden silence? You¡¯re right, this isn¡¯t such a bad thing for us. Whether it¡¯s Raizakia¡¯s clone or his hatchling, either way it has to have some kind of connection to Raizakia. If we can somehow manage to get our hands on them, we might be able to find the coordinates to where Raizakia is buried.¡± ¡°...Don¡¯t do anything needless, Hamel,¡± Sienna warned him. ¡°I won¡¯t. Having already died once, even I would hate to repeat the experience,¡± Eugene said with a smile. ¡°...Ah, that¡¯s right.¡± While he was still smiling, something suddenly popped up in his head. Eugene immediately erased the smile from his face and red at Sienna. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s with that thing?¡± Eugene demanded. Sienna was surprised. ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden?¡± ¡°That fairy tale,¡± Eugene growled. Sienna¡¯s expression stiffened. Through gritted teeth, Eugene hissed. ¡°Stupid Hamel.¡± ¡°...Umm¡­,¡± Sienna tried toe up with something to say. Eugene interrogated her. ¡°Who wrote it?¡± Sienna stammered, ¡°I-I don¡¯t know. I just thought it was interesting. When I first saw it I¡ªAh!¡ªN-no, I¡¯ve never actually read it, so¡­.¡± ¡°Is this really the time and ce for such nonsense? Even though you shouldknowthat you left the first edition of the fairy tale in Akron,¡± Eugene pressured her. Sienna struggled toe up with an excuse, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I just¡­ I bought that as a souvenir.¡± ¡°I already told you not to spout nonsense,¡± Eugene easily dismissed the im. ¡°I heard from Mer that you read that fairy tale hundreds of times, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Why is sheing up with such ridiculous lies? Since her maintenance has been neglected for hundreds of years, could something have broken down¡­?¡± Sienna continued to act innocent. ¡°The contents of the first edition were quite something to see. The beautiful, cute, darling, and cuddly Sienna,¡± Eugene said teasingly. ¡°Th-there wasn¡¯t anything about me being darling or cuddly¡­ probably?¡± Sienna argued hesitantly as she desperately tried to trace her memory. ¡°In any case, there were definitely a few times where you were called beautiful and cute. Are you insane? How could you write something like that by your own hand?¡± Eugene questioned her. ¡°Wh-what are you talking about! Why would I write something like that? I-It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Sienna denied unconvincingly. ¡°Then was it Anise?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ ummm.¡± ¡°You really are clinging to such nonsense until the very end. Don¡¯t you think that you two were being a bit too much? You and Anise are cute, beautiful, darling, cuddly, and other such bullshit, huh? But why is Molon an idiot and I¡¯m a son of a bitch?¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°I said that I didn¡¯t write it!¡± Sienna screamed loudly as her face flushed red. Chapter 108: Sienna (5)

Chapter 108: Sienna (5)

¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you, whodidwrite it?¡± Eugene continued to confront Sienna. ¡°...I don¡¯t know,¡± Sienna insisted. ¡°Isn¡¯t it embarrassing and shameful to keep saying ¡®I don¡¯t know¡¯ over and over again?¡± ¡°...Shut up.¡± ¡°If Anise was the one who wrote it, could you be trying to protect Anise¡¯s reputation by insisting that you don¡¯t know who it is? Even though you know that the suspicion will turn on you if you keep clinging to the same denial?¡± Eugene began sounding out his reasoning with a serious expression on his face. ¡°Are you really going to prioritize protecting Anise¡¯s honor over having to bear such an insult yourself? But I don¡¯t think you¡¯re that type of person. You¡¯re not upright enough to take the me for something that you haven¡¯t done.¡± ¡°...Wh-what do you know?¡± Sienna stammered. ¡°Although I might not be as insightful as you, I think I have a pretty good idea of the depth of your character,¡± said Eugene. These words caused Sienna to blush all the way up to her earlobes. She was unable to look at Eugene directly, and she awkwardly lowered her gaze to the floor as she fiddled with her fingers. ¡°...It¡¯s-it¡¯s really not me,¡± Sienna attempted to deny it one more time. ¡°Why don¡¯t you look me in the eye and say that,¡± Eugene challenged her. Sensing she was about to be boxed in, Sienna tried to change tracks, ¡°This all happened three hundred years ago¡­ so¡­ it¡¯s not really a big deal, isn¡¯t it? M-Molon also really enjoyed the fairy tale. He liked it so much that he even tried to pass aw requiring the memorization of the fairy tale as his kingdom¡¯s first ever edict.¡± ¡°...Was that bastard really a good king like they say he was? Couldn¡¯t he have just been a mad dictator and a tyrant?¡± Eugene muttered to himself with a look of utter disbelief on his face. Then, his expression changedpletely and became serious once more. ¡°No. If it¡¯s Molon, then he has reason to like it. After having heard himself be called an idiot day after day, he was actually given the prestigious title of the Brave Molon.¡± ¡°...Was it really all that great?¡± This time, Sienna was the one with an expression of disbelief. ¡°Even though he¡¯s called the brave Molon, the stupid things that he did were recorded exactly as they happened. As it was a children¡¯s book, I couldn¡¯t just keep calling Molon an idiot¡ª¡± Eugene cut in, ¡°So you did write it?¡± ¡°¡ªOr at least that¡¯s what the author must have been thinking,¡± Sienna feebly finished. ¡°Even though they made such an edit, they still wrote down all sorts of swear words like ¡®asshole¡¯ and ¡®son of a bitch¡¯ beside my name,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°...Think about it clearly, Hamel,¡± Sienna told him as she straightened her expression. ¡°At the time that the fairy tale came out, Molon wasying the foundations of a nation by mobilizing the northern tribes and gathering disced refugees. What would happen if the fairy tale called Molon an idiot while he was doing all that?¡± ¡°So what?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. ¡°Are you seriously saying that? Don¡¯t you feel sorry for all the people who believed in Molon and became his vassals, or the descendants who would be born from them? What kind of sins could they havemitted in their previous lives to deserve hearing other people mock their king for being an idiot?¡± Sienna lectured Eugene. ¡°...,¡± Eugene was struck silent. Sienna continued her tale, ¡°If the fairy tale called Molon an idiot, everyone in the Ruhr Kingdom would have been ridiculed for being the vassals of an idiot. What would happen then? All of the people in the kingdom would surely have rebelled against their king. There might even be enraged extremists who would try to kill the author of the fairy tale no matter what¡­.¡± ¡°With an imagination like that, you could practically write a novel,¡± Eugene sharplymented as his expression twisted into a scowl. ¡°Fine. This is all because I died too early, before I got the chance to leave behind any descendants. Is that right? If I hadn¡¯t died so early, then I wouldn¡¯t have been called the Stupid Hamel.¡± ¡°...Well, something like that,¡± Sienna agreed. ¡°So why did you feel the need to do that to me?¡± Eugene asked her. ¡°...I already said that I didn¡¯t write it,¡± Sienna insisted. ¡°What was it that I¡¯m supposed to have said right before I died? Sienna, I¡¯ve always liked you,¡± quoted Eugene. Sienna¡¯s hands rose to cover her face. Then her body started shaking and she could no longer sit face to face with Eugene, instead choosing to turn her body in the opposite direction. ¡°I-It wasn¡¯t me,¡± Sienna whined. ¡°Then could it have been Anise?¡± Eugene prodded. ¡°I don¡¯t know!¡± Sienna loudly screamed as she shot up to her feet. ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t know! So why do you keep asking me? I really don¡¯t know! S-some other bastard must have written it!¡± ¡°You seem embarrassed,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°You-you¡¯re the one who made a mistake, Hamel. Why did you have to go and die first? And who-who asked you to go and get yourself reincarnated? If you hadn¡¯t been reincarnated, you wouldn¡¯t have been able to read the fairy tale yourself in the first ce!¡± Sienna argued passionately. ¡°Uh-huh, sorry foring back to life,¡± Eugene sarcastically apologized. ¡°I guess I should have just stayed dead. It was my mistake to let myself be reincarnated.¡± Sienna¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly at these words. She turned her body to face Eugene once more. With a helpless expression on her face, Sienna chewed on her lips. As she hesitantly stood there, unsure of what to say, tears welled up in her wavering green eyes. ¡°...Sorry, I said something crazy,¡± Sienna apologized tearfully. ¡°No¡­ that¡¯s¡­. I was just joking with you, why are you taking it so seriously?¡± Eugene responded awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s because I said something¡­ that I really¡­ really shouldn¡¯t have. I¡¯m-I¡¯m so-I¡¯m so sorry Hamel,¡± Sienna choked out these words as tears fell from her downcast face. Seeing Sienna with such a tremulous expression on her face, Eugene let out a long sigh andforted her. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Because I¡¯m the one who should be sorry for dying first.¡± ¡°...Hic.¡± A sob was Sienna¡¯s sole reply. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether it was you or Anise who decided to call me the Stupid Hamel, but I¡¯ll forgive you for that as well,¡± Eugene said. Sienna continued crying. Sniffle. Eugene finished with, ¡°And thanks for my memorial stone.¡± Sienna stopped sniffling any further. Her face, which had been flushed a bright red until just now, suddenly became pale. Eugene¡¯s words had reminded her of something.¡®That¡¯s right, the memorial stone¡­!¡¯ Shehadwritten something like that. While thick drops of tears were flowing from her eyes, Sienna had carved several inscriptions onto Hamel¡¯s memorial stone. It wasn¡¯t just the memorial stone, either. She had also prepared a separate note on Hamel¡¯s coffin, while Vermouth, Molon, and Anise weren¡¯t looking. Without anyone knowing, she had written ast message for Hamel on the lid of his coffin. Some day, I will meet you in the world you¡¯ve been longing for. Her pale, drained face once again began glowing bright red. Sienna had written down all those things because she had thought that she would never be able to see Hamel again. Eugene continued, ¡°There was also the coffin¡ª¡± Sienna snapped out of her fugue. ¡°I-I¡¯ll kill you.¡± ¡°When you were erecting my statue, you sure did cry a lot.¡± ¡°When did I ever cry? Stop imagining things ¡ª!¡± Eugene teased her. ¡°But I saw Molon drinking your tears?¡± ¡°That¡¯s ridiculous¡­ how do you know all that? Your soul should have been inside the neckl¡ª! You¡­ were you still conscious even though all that was left of you was your soul within the ne?¡± Sienna¡¯s voice was shaking as she asked this question. Although there was no way she could think of that this was true, Sienna couldn¡¯t help but imagine the worst case scenario where something like that was possible. Eugene quickly dismissed her fears, ¡°Do you really think that something like that would happen? I just saw it in a dream.¡± ¡°A dream?¡± Sienna asked with some relief. ¡°About the Holy Sword¡­¡± Eugene suddenly paused with a distressed expression on his face, unable to continue speaking as a sudden possibility sprang to mind. Was the revtion in a dreamreallysomething that the Holy Sword had shown to him? Eugene couldn¡¯t help but recall the powers of the angel with eight wings that looked just like Anise. She had even shown him the scene from the past, the scene of Raizakia¡¯s attack. And the reason why he was able to face Sienna like he was now was all because of the miracle that angel-Anise had performed. Eugene didn¡¯t really want a full exnation of what was going on. It wasn¡¯t because he didn¡¯t have faith in the god of light. Regardless of his ownck of faith, everything that had happened were unmistakable miracles. He simply didn¡¯t want to admit that Anise was behind all this. That was because, by doing so, Eugene would also have to admit that this was all just a dream that Anise had somehow created. The Sienna that was now in front of him was moving, talking,ughing, and crying like she was in perfect health. However, he couldn¡¯t feel any warmthing from her, nor could he hear her heart beating. In reality, Sienna still had a hole in her chest and was barely clinging on to life through the power of the World Tree. This reminder of the reality of the situation soured Eugene¡¯s mood. ¡°...Can¡¯t we leave here together?¡± Eugene pleaded, feeling a bit reluctant. ¡°You¡­you came to find me in Aroth, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...That was just me sending out a mental projection for a very brief moment. Even that was only possible because I squeezed out what little mana I had left,¡± Sienna revealed. Squashing his disappointment, Eugene asked, ¡°...How did you find me?¡± ¡°Your ne,¡± Sienna said with a weak chuckle as her head remained bowed. ¡°A security spell that I installed in my mansion long ago still remains intact. It wasn¡¯t activated, but since the spell is connected to me, it detected the ne.¡± Sienna had kept the ne with her ever since she had taken it from Hamel. As it was imbued with traces of her mana, it was only natural for the spell to have reacted when the ne had finally returned to the mansion after hundreds of years. ¡°So I squeezed out thest of my mana and went to check the situation. The body produced this way was only an imperfect version of mental projection, but even so¡­ I still managed to find you,¡± Sienna said with some lingering relief. Eugene didn¡¯t ask any further questions and just sat next to Sienna. Sienna also stopped talking to Eugene. She just quietly sat down and hugged her knees while staring forward nkly¡­ though sometimes ¡ª no, quite often she would turn and nce at Eugene. ¡°...You should get going.¡± After sitting there silently for a while, Sienna was the first to break the silence. She stopped ncing over toward him and instead stared at him directly. ¡°...There¡¯s no point in you staying here any longer.¡± Eugene was also aware of this. This was why Eugene so hated the Night Demons, who would tempt people with a dream that made them reject reality. A dream that could never be reality, but was still extremely close to reality. As long as they mixed in a few factors that were different from reality, it was easy for them to seduce the human mind andpletely destroy it. ¡°...Probably,¡± Eugene reluctantly agreed. Even though he was all too aware of this truth, it wasn¡¯t so easy for him to ept it. Now, it felt like Eugene could understand a little what was going through Eward¡¯s head. If you didn¡¯t want to face reality and instead rejected it¡­ it would be easy for you to be addicted to the sweet dreams that the Night Demons offered. Even so, you needed to face reality. If you remained stuck within a dream, you wouldn¡¯t be able to change anything about your reality. Eugene got up. ¡°We¡¯ll meet again,¡± he promised. Sienna looked up at Eugene who was standing beside her and smiled. ¡°...You¡¯re no longer Hamel, so I¡¯ll call you by your current name. Because even if your name changes, you will always be Hamel,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Just like how you are and always will be Sienna,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°Mhm,¡± Sienna grunted as she tried her best to avoid crying. Her effort was obvious to see. ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene said as he reached out to Sienna. ¡°Don¡¯t cry and just wait here for me patiently.¡± ¡°...Stupid, blockhead, moron, son of a bitch,¡± Sienna cursed. Even though she was trying her best not to cry, Sienna rubbed her eyes and grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°...Because you keep saying such selfish things, I can¡¯t help but feel some hope.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Eugene curtly replied. ¡°Because of that¡­ because of that, I¡¯ll wait for you,¡± Sienna promised him. ¡°I will trust you, ce my hopes in you, and wait for you.¡± ¡°Of course you should,¡± Eugene epted her promise. ¡°...You don¡¯t have toe back here to pick me up,¡± Sienna said as she stood up with a few sniffs. After hesitating for a few moments, she pulled Eugene closer by his hand until she was able to reach up and hug Eugene around his shoulders. ¡°...Because I¡¯lle looking for you. You¡­ you just need to wait for me.¡± Eugene patted Sienna on the back. Sienna clenched her lips tightly shut at his touch, and buried her face into his shoulder. He couldn¡¯t feel any warmthing from the Sienna in his arms. He couldn¡¯t even hear her heart beating. Even so, Eugene could still feel Sienna. She hadn¡¯t died back then and was still alive to this day. ¡°...Fine,¡± Eugene replied with a smirk. After looking up at his grin, Sienna also returned a smile. ¡®This is a miracle,¡¯Sienna silently thought to herself. To think that she would be able to meet with Hamel like this ¡ª Hamel, who had been the first to leave them.¡®Even though a lot of things have changed.¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to let go of him. She didn¡¯t want to have to say goodbye to him. Just for a little longer. Even as these thoughts ran through her mind, Sienna deliberately let go of Eugene. As Sienna looked Eugene up and down, she thought,¡®...No, nothing has changed. You¡¯re still¡­ Hamel.¡¯ Sienna didn¡¯t cry. While smiling as brightly as possible, she waved goodbye to Eugene. ¡°...I¡¯m so d that I got to meet you like this,¡± Sienna confessed. The miracle was ending. Sienna was gradually beginning to lose consciousness. She couldn¡¯t see Eugene¡¯s figure any longer. She slowly sat down on the spot. The small tree that had been growing behind her had disappeared. Everything else then disappeared and was covered in a bright light. Sienna sait in the center of this scene, still staring forward. ¡°...Thank you,¡± she muttered. Anise, with her eight angelic wings outspread, was now standing at a close distance. Without saying anything, Anise just stared at Sienna with a faint smile on her face. ¡°May you also find salvation,¡± Sienna said as she stared at Anise, before closing her eyes. Anise¡¯s wings slowly folded away, and as their light disappeared, the ce was filled with darkness. * * * Eugene opened his eyes. He quickly got up from where he had been lying down on the ground. Everything was as it had been before he fell unconscious; not a single thing had changed in reality. Sienna was lying down with her eyes closed, encased within the crystal, with a hole in the middle of her chest and vines connecting her to the World Tree. Eugene stared at Sienna for a few moments. His memories of what had happened just now remained crystal-clear. From the full conversation that he had with Sienna to the technique he had learned that was meant to unlock Akasha¡¯s seal, releasing it from its confinement within Akron. ¡®Don¡¯t me Vermouth.¡¯ He also recalled these words. Smiling wryly, Eugene stroked his own chin. ¡°...Let¡¯s just give him a chance,¡± Eugene eventually muttered. No one had ever really been able to understand Vermouth. Vermouth also hadn¡¯t asked for anyone¡¯s understanding. That guy had been carrying a lot on his shoulders, without asking anyone to help shoulder the burden with him. No. Hehadasked for help. He had faced the Demon Kings together with Sienna, Anise, Molon, and Hamel. Of all the many living beings in the world, only these four had been able to keep up with Vermouth. However, Vermouth still hadn¡¯t sought any understanding from hisrades. After Hamel had died in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, Vermouth had tried to pull everything together all by himself. Whether it was the Oath¡­ ¡­Or Eugene¡¯s reincarnation. ¡®We never understood each other.¡¯ ¡®I don¡¯t know why Vermouth did it or what he was really nning. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m Vermouth, and right up until the end, I never really understood him.¡¯ ¡®I think you¡¯re just the right person for the job.¡¯ ¡®Vermouth may have eventually failed, but Hamel, if it¡¯s you¡­ then you might really be able to do it.¡¯ ¡°It¡¯s heavy,¡± Eugene muttered as he massaged his own shoulders. ¡°This is why I hate being called a hero.¡± He soon saw that Kristina had copsed nearby. Anise wasn¡¯t anywhere to be seen. However, the wand that had resonated with Anise¡¯s light was still touching Kristina¡¯s fingertips. Eugene stared at Kristina for a few moments, then picked her up and carried her. Kristina was still unconscious, so how much time had really passed since he¡¯d been caught up in the ¡®miracle¡¯? It didn¡¯t seem like it had been too long. Fortunately, Kristina had only lost consciousness and there didn¡¯t seem to be anything wrong with her. ¡®...Just what is her true identity?¡¯Eugene thought to himself. There was no way that Kristina could secretly be Anise. But the ¡®angel¡¯ had been partially connected to Kristina. ¡°...Well then,¡± Eugene muttered as he let out a sigh and turned his head. He took onest look at Sienna¡¯s face, whose eyes were still closed peacefully. ¡°Wait for me.¡± After saying goodbye like that, Eugene headed out of the World Tree while carrying Kristina. [...Hamel?] Tempest¡¯s shout echoed inside of his head. [What in the world just happened? And what exactly was that light¡ª] ¡°Can¡¯t even get a moment to wallow in my emotions¡­.¡± Eugene grumbled as he tucked Wynnyd back into his cloak. Chapter 109: The Flame (1)

Chapter 109: The me (1)

¡°...Ugh¡­,¡± Kristina came to her senses with a groan. She immediately tried to get up, only to be stopped by a surprise. Instead of lying on the ground, Kristina was currently resting horizontally in midair. ¡°Slept well?¡± Eugene asked as he nced back at her. Without replying immediately, Kristina first took a look around at their surroundings. They had just been inside of the World Tree. After she had cast the revitalization spell¡­ she seemed to have lost consciousness. Kristina didn¡¯t know what had happened after that, but she knew one thing for sure. This wasn¡¯t the inside of the World Tree, nor was it anywhere within the elven domain. ¡°...Did I fail?¡± Kristina first decided to ask about the result of her attempt. Kristina was afraid that she had failed. She suspected ¡ª no, she was sure of it. Even before she had lost consciousness, she had foreseen her own failure. Kristina¡¯s divine power could neither heal Sienna¡¯s wounds nor wake her up. Even so, the reason why Kristina couldn¡¯t help but feel the need to ask this question¡­ was because of the strange state that her body was in. In order to cast a divine spell of that magnitude, she had had to squeeze her divine power to its very limits and pour everything that she had into the spell. ¡®...But my body feels light.¡¯ Her mind didn¡¯t feel overdrawn either, and was actually pretty refreshed. Her divine power was also fully charged, as if she hadn¡¯t even cast a spell. ¡°It was a failure,¡± Eugene responded as he lowered Kristina to the ground. ¡°You made quite a sh of light, but in the end, it wasn¡¯t enough to revive Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°...As I thought,¡± Kristina said with disappointment. ¡°It looks like you aren¡¯t able to clearly remember what happened?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina confirmed with a furrowing of her brow as her feet touched the ground. ¡°I know that I failed, but what am I doing here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re here because I brought you out with me,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Of course I know that,¡± Kristina snapped. ¡°What I¡¯m asking is, why have we left the World Tree? Just because I failed once, are we really just giving up?¡± Instead of replying immediately, Eugene stared at Kristina. Eugene didn¡¯t have the capability of reading minds, but he could tell that Kristina was currently telling the truth. Though there wasn¡¯t really any reason for her to lie. Kristina didn¡¯t seem to know anything about Anise, who had be an angel. ¡®Anise recognized me,¡¯Eugene recalled. That was unquestionably the reason why she had appeared and performed such a miracle. For now, Eugene decided not to look into the matter of Anise. It was a difficult issue that would only bring harm if he tried to dig into it prematurely; moreover, if he wanted to know the truth, instead of Kristina, he would need to investigate her superiors. This meant Cardinal Rogeris, who had adopted Kristina, and the Pope, who had assigned Kristina as a saint candidate. ¡°...We haven¡¯t given up,¡± Eugene finally responded with a shrug. ¡°The resuscitation failed, but a miracle did happen.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Kristina gasped, unable to immediately process what she had just been told. ¡°The moment that you lost consciousness, the light seemed to burst out. Then I¡­ I received a revtion,¡± Eugene revealed. There was no need to say anything about meeting with Anise and Sienna. This matter was soplicated that he wouldn¡¯t know where to even start exining. However, as long as he threw the word ¡®revtion¡¯ around, it was easy enough to convince Kristina. ¡°...Aaaah!¡± Kristina truly was convinced by his im. Letting out another gasp, she sped her hands together in front of her chest. Eugene felt a bit guilty for lying, but¡­. ¡®No, it¡¯s not really a lie. Because Anise did appear, having transformed into an angel, and did perform a miracle. So if you look at it from a certain angle, you could call that a revtion.¡¯ Eugene brazenly convinced himself that he was just telling the truth. Still, it didn¡¯t feel right to say that the god had spoken to him, so he further exined, ¡°...I heard the voice of an angel.¡± At the word ¡®angel,¡¯ Kristina¡¯s eyes started sparkling. ¡°You said there was an angel¡ª! Sir Eugene, did you really see an angel in person?¡± Kristina asked eagerly. ¡°...That¡¯s, the light was too bright so I couldn¡¯t really see her clearly, but I could make out the way she spread her wings,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Her wings!¡± Kristina eximed. ¡°Sir Eugene, for the angels of the God of Light, the number of wings is an indicator of their ss. By any chance, were you able to tell how many wings the angel had?¡± Eugene hesitantly revealed, ¡°...It seemed like there might have been eight wings¡­.¡± ¡°...But that can¡¯t be!¡± Kristina¡¯s voice rose in surprise. She immediately got down on the spot, fell to her knees, and began praying. Taken aback, Eugene asked, ¡°...Is there something wrong with having eight wings?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene¡­! ording to the records in the scriptures, among all the angels sent by the God of Light to descend upon this world, the angel whom God valued the most only had six wings,¡± Kristina reported. Eugene felt a bted sense of regret. It would have been better had he dropped the count a little. ¡°But if the angel that Sir Eugene saw really had eight wings, then it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary angel, but an envoy personally sent by the God of Light!¡± Kristina continued excitedly. ¡°...Aaah¡­ now that I think about it, I probably just didn¡¯t see it too clearly because it was too bright? It might have just been six wings, instead of eight,¡± as Eugene groped around for an excuse, he recalled Anise¡¯s appearance. The light that she gave off had indeed been bright, but he hadn¡¯t made a mistake. Anise had definitely spread eight wings exactly. ¡®An envoy of God?¡¯ ThatAnise? ¡°No,¡± Kristina firmly denied. ¡°At the moment of a miracle, there is no way that Sir Eugene could have been mistaken.¡± Eugene grumbled, ¡°I¡¯m the one who feels like I might have made a mistake, so how can you be so sure of that when you fainted right away¡­.¡± ¡°There can be no mistake about it,¡± Kristina insisted. ¡°The God of Light must have sent an apostle to deliver a revtion to Sir Eugene, the Hero and master of the Holy Sword. Eugene gave up. ¡°Uh-huh. Well, think whatever you like.¡± ¡°So, Sir Eugene, what kind of revtion did you receive?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°...In order for Lady Sienna to be awakened, we need to kill the ck Dragon Raizakia.¡± Once he had said this, Kristina could no longer muster up any desire to exim in excitement, and her thrilled expression also faded away quickly. The ck Dragon Raizakia. Kristina was also well aware of the terrible notoriety that the dragon had established. Also known as the Fallen Dragon and the Kin-Killer, Raizakia was one of the three Dukes of Helmuth, a monster that was capable of taking over one of the empty positions for a Demon King. ¡°...How difficult,¡± Kristina said faintly. ¡°Because of that, there¡¯s something that I need to discuss with you,¡± Eugene kept walking as he continued to speak to her. ¡°ording to the angel¡¯s revtion, the Raizakia in Helmuth isn¡¯t the ¡®real¡¯ one.¡± ¡°...What does that mean?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°Raizakia invaded the elven territory two hundred years ago. It looks like he intended to kill Lady Sienna and all the elves there, but he wasn¡¯t able to seed in his plot. Lady Sienna managed to banish Raizakia into a dimensional rift, but Raizakia¡¯s poison has forced Lady Sienna and the elves to hibernate in the World Tree.¡± Kristina let out a short cry of surprise. To think that someone was actually able to face a monster that was said to be the strongest dragon of all time, and even banish him into a dimensional rift! ¡°...So something mysterious is going on,¡± Kristina reasoned after she got over her surprise. Angels were not able to lie. Of course, Eugene didn¡¯t believe in her God and hadmitted sphemy by falsely iming to have received a revtion several times before. However, there was no way that Eugene would lie about something like this. So Kristina held no doubt about Eugene¡¯s words. ¡°If he was banished into a dimensional rift, that means he cannot be found in our world¡­. But I haven¡¯t heard of any issues uring in Helmuth,¡± Kristina contributed. ¡°The same goes for me,¡± Eugene said with a nod. The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. The de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman The ck Dragon, Raizakia. These three individuals were called the Three Princes of Helmuth and their positions in this triumvirate hadn¡¯t changed in hundreds of years. Eugene shared what he knew, ¡°If one of the Three Princes, Raizakia, had disappeared hundreds of years ago, there is no way that the other demonfolk of Helmuth wouldn¡¯t aim for his vacated spot. However, Raizakia¡¯s territory, the Dragon Demon Castle, is still doing well, and someone with his name is still sitting in the seat of the Duke.¡± ¡°...Duke Noir Giabe is a representative of the moderate faction among the high-ranking demons,¡± Kristina followed Eugene¡¯s example as she shared what she could recall. ¡°Duke Gavid Lindman still ims to be the subordinate of the Demon King of Incarceration, and does not interact much with the outside world. Although I¡¯m not sure what his exact opinions are, it seems that Duke Raizakia has always upied the exact opposite political position to that of Duke Noir Giabe.¡± Noir Giabe had never been against the infusion of humans into Helmuth. Eugene didn¡¯t know what kind of festering hellpit that damned bitch was concealing within her chest, but in any case, that slut had been actively involving herself with the humans ever since Helmuth had opened its gates to their kind. Raizakia had not followed suit. That guy was simply violent and insane. Although the dragon imed to be an arbitrator of bnce, he was just a bastard who had killed his own lord and devoured his heart. Even so, he was still shameless enough to disy the arrogance that was so characteristic of dragons. He considered all those weaker than him to be inferior bugs who didn''t deserve to live. Kristina continued. ¡°Even in Helmuth, foreigners are strictly forbidden from entering Duke Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Demon Castle. He is known to be a vicious hater of humans, so even though he hasn¡¯t been seen out and abouttely, rumors of his past infamy have still spread among them.¡± At the very least, this meant that there hadn''t been any incidents arising from when the false Raizikia would still wander around Helmuth. Sienna had hypothesized that it might be either a hatchling or a clone impersonating Raizakia. ¡®That said, we can¡¯t just attack the Dragon Demon Castle directly either.¡¯ If it was really a hatchling or a clone, then it should be much weaker than the real Raizakia. But even so, it wouldn¡¯t do to underestimate a dragon. At least for now, Eugene had managed to confirm that Sienna was still alive and he had even had a good conversation with her. I will trust you, ce my hopes in you, and wait for you. Sienna had said these words to him before he left her. ¡®I can¡¯t be hasty,¡¯Eugene reminded himself, suppressing his surging emotions. What he needed to do now was to return to the elven vige. It was clear that leading all the elves who lived there outside of Samar would be a tiresome affair even just by itself. This wasn¡¯t only one or two elves that they were talking about ¡ª he would need to lead more than a hundred elves across the hostile forest. After escorting the elves back to the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate, he could then head back to Aroth and get his hands on Akasha. Although he would probably be forced to deal with the wizards of Aroth regarding this matter, as long as he put forth evidence of Sienna¡¯s recognition of him and his legitimate im to the staff, they would have no choice but to keep their mouths shut. ¡°...Hm,¡± Eugene hummed to himself as he listed all the things that he would need to do in the future, then he slipped his hands inside his cloak. ¡°Sir Eugene, is that¡­?¡± Kristina trailed off as she approached him with a surprised expression on her face. Her eyes widened into circles as she saw the long branchden with leaves that Eugene was holding. ¡°I twisted one off,¡± Eugene casually remarked. Kristina gasped. ¡°Is that even allowed¡­?¡± ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t it be?¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°You saw howrge the World Tree is. Breaking off one of its branches makes no difference to it.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t feel any guilt about twisting off one of the World Tree¡¯s branches. In fact, he felt that doing so was unavoidable. While he had kept hold of the leaf that had led him to the elven domain, a green branch and its many leaves seemed like they would be of more help than a single dried leaf. They still needed to transnt the saplings of the World Tree to the forest at the Lionheart¡¯s estate. Although Eugene had broken off the tree branch in order to help with that, he couldn¡¯t deny that he hoped it might prove useful in other ways. A leaf of the World Tree would usually allow you to warp to the elven territory no matter where in the world you were. He had tried out that function while Kristina was still unconscious, but it seemed that the warp function wasn¡¯t enabled while the elven domain was still sealed away. ¡®Come to think of it¡­ I didn¡¯t talk to Sienna about Signard.¡¯This thought btedly crossed Eugene¡¯s mind.¡®Oh well, it¡¯s not like he even gave me any words to pass on to her.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just Signard that they hadn¡¯t managed to get around to talking about. There were a lot more stories that Eugene had wanted to share with her. What about all the things that had happened to him since he had been reincarnated? That alone would have been enough for them to spend a few days talking about it. ¡®We can just do that next time,¡¯Eugene reassured himself. Because this wouldn¡¯t be thest time they met. Eugene could feel Sienna¡¯s presenceing from the small branch that he held in his hand. * * * Eugene had memorized the way back to the elven vige. Since it was protected by its barrier, he wouldn¡¯t be able to enter it directly, but as long as he got close, Signard or one of the other elves shoulde out to meet him. They didn¡¯t get held up along the way, so they were able to reach the vige within two days. But none of the elves came out to meet them. ¡°...Something¡¯s going on¡­,¡± Eugene muttered. He had a bad feeling about this. Eugene narrowed his eyes and set his senses on edge. The barrier that protected the vige was of a high enough level that it didn¡¯t give off a sense of incongruity even after knowing that a barrier did exist. However, he was currently getting an ufortable feeling from it. The mana that formed the barrier seemed slightly distorted. This was quite different from how it had been just a few days ago. Eugene stopped walking and closed his eyes. It wasn¡¯t just an illusion. The barrier¡¯s mana had indeed been distorted. This distortion was proof that the barrier had recently been broken. But why? Eugene reopened his eyes. This wasn¡¯t the time to get lost in suspicion. ¡°I¡¯ll head over first, so just follow after me,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°...Yes,¡± Kristina replied after a pause. Kristina didn¡¯t feel the same difort as Eugene. However, she was able to predict a vague omen of danger from Eugene¡¯s expression and voice. Eugene immediately kicked off the ground and leapt forward. Kristina unfolded her wings of light and followed after Eugene. Although her flight was pretty fast, Eugene was even faster than her. ¡®It¡¯s only been two days,¡¯Eugeneined silently. In just two days, someone had attacked the elven vige. Was it hunters looking to take the elves as ves? There was no way that they could be just any ordinary group of vers. The barrier protecting the vige was created by the saplings of the World Tree. It was impossible for the average wizard to even sense the barrier. It had to be the dark elves. Those guys were notorious for recruiting elves in order to strengthen their position in Helmuth. However, wasn¡¯t the timing of this too auspicious? Did they really just happen to find the vige on Eugene¡¯s arrival and attack it once he had left?¡¯ ¡®The distortion in the mana, it doesn¡¯t feel like they broke through the barrier with a spell. Instead¡­ it seems to have been torn down through sheer brute force,¡¯Eugene observed. Was this really the dark elves¡¯ doing? Amongst the many questions that were flowing through his head, Eugene recalled a scene from a few days before. When all of the elves had seen the two off, their eyes full of earnest prayer and hope. Chapter 110: The Flame (2)

Chapter 110: The me (2)

¡°Really now,¡± a man said with a shake of his head as he clicked his tongue. ¡°There was no need for the both of us to tire ourselves out because of this. You¡¯re just giving me more work.¡± Signard didn¡¯t reply to the man¡¯s words. Even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t reply. Signard was covered in blood and arge hand was wrapped around his throat. Like this, he couldn¡¯t even breathe properly. When Signard finally managed to part his lips, the only sound that emerged was a faint moan. ¡°This is all because you misunderstood me,¡± the man said with a sigh as he shook his hand. This set Signard¡¯s body swaying back and forth like a doll hanging from a string as his blood sprayed across the floor. The floor that was already covered in his blood. ¡°I had no intention of harming you,¡± the man imed. ¡°I have no desire to bully the weak.¡± ¡°...Krgh¡­¡± Signard groaned as he swallowed back the blood that was filling his mouth. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say as much in the first ce? I just wanted to stay here for a while, a few days at the very most. I wasn¡¯t going to bother you and there was no need for you to pay any special attention to me either.¡± Signard squeezed out thest dregs of his mana and strength, then he swung his arm as if he was trying to slice open the man¡¯s throat with his hand. ¡°All I wanted¡ª¡± Before his hand had even reached the man¡¯s throat, Signard¡¯s body was smashed into the ground. Baaang! The ground shook, as clumps of blood and dirt sprang up into the air. Signard¡¯s lips stretched wide open, but he wasn¡¯t even able to release any of the excruciating pain that he was in with a scream. ¡°¡ªwas to stay here until that brat returned. Asking you to just pretend to be hostage, so that we could all have a pleasant negotiation¡­ was that really such a difficult request for you to ept?¡± the man asked rhetorically. It felt as if all the bones in Signard¡¯s body had been shattered. As thest of the mana in his core had just been exhausted, he didn¡¯t even have the strength to lift a finger. The man¡¯s figure appeared in Signard¡¯s blurred vision. He was wearing a hood that cast a deep shadow over his face, of which only his golden eyes could be seen. Each time he opened his mouth, sharp fangs were revealed. ¡°...Kukugh!¡± While ring at the man, Signard let out a gravelly attempt atughter. ¡°...Only a hostage? You weren¡¯t going to hurt us¡­? Stop spouting¡­ such bullshit.¡± ¡°Really now,¡± the man sighed once more. ¡°There should be limits on how much someone can keep their guard up. Have you only ever encountered deceit your whole life?¡± ¡°Your¡­ your very existence is poisonous to us. It infects us with that disease and pushes us closer to death,¡± Signard used. The man hummed in agreement, ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s something that can¡¯t be helped. However, it would be good if you would just recognize the fact that I don¡¯t have any say in it. In fact, I pity you elves. The sight of you falling sick and dying is quite pathetic. Therefore¡ª¡± Signard interrupted him with a chokedugh. ¡°Ka¡­ kakakagh! Are you really trying to say¡­ that we should be grateful for the chance to be dark elves¡­?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better than dying from disease?¡± the man asked. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t just be any dark elf either, I even offered you a rmendation so that you could serve directly under the Rakshasha Princess herself. It looks like you don¡¯t know just how great of an opportunity that really is.¡± Signard spat out, ¡°Stop with your bullshit¡­ and fuck off. You beast.¡± The man no longer felt like smiling and feigning pleasantries. The word ¡®beast¡¯ was an unforgivable insult to the man ¡ª no, to the man¡¯s whole race. ¡°It looks like you don¡¯t understand your ce,¡± the man hissed in a cold voice as he let go of Signard¡¯s neck. Looking around, the man spotted the other terrified elves. Some of the elves were strewn across the ground, covered in blood just like Signard was. These were the young elves who had stood alongside Signard to resist this violent invader. But to this man, the resistance put up by the elves was nothing. Except for Signard, none of the other elves in this town could really be called a warrior. If they had that sort of strength in the first ce, they wouldn¡¯t have needed toe back to this forest. ¡°It should be alright if I kill a few more,¡± the man muttered to himself. For this type of task, he needed to set an example. He had no intention of killing everyone here. If he sessfully brought back all these people with him and gave them to the Rakshasa Princess, his big brother would also be happy as it meant that the Rakshasa Princess would owe them a favor. In any case, there were a lot of elves here. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with killing two or three of them. As the man came to his decision, he raised a foot into the air above Signard, who was still copsed on the floor. His foot fell bit by bit. The man intended to slowly crush Signard to death beneath his heel. Then the man suddenly noticed something, ¡°...Hm?¡± Just before he could put his foot down, the man¡¯s expression changed. While twisting his body around quickly, the man swung his arms at something. Baaaaang! The man¡¯s figure disappeared with a loud roar. Signard, who had been prepared to die, couldn¡¯t understand what had just taken ce in front of him. His eyes had been able to keep up to the point where the man had swung his arms around in order to counter a ¡®bombardment¡¯ of some sort, but Signard couldn¡¯t believe that this powerful monster had been sent flying so easily. This was the power of the Dragon Spear Kharbos. The downside of this spear was that it consumed too much mana, but as long as the user had enough mana, they could continue to shoot out powerful bombardments without needing anyplicated magic forms. Even though the bombardments fired by this weapon weren¡¯t as strong as a true dragon¡¯s Breath, the attacks it generated were overwhelmingly more powerfulpared to the mana it consumed. Eugenended on the ground with therge Dragon Spear leaning against his shoulder. He looked around at the elves who had copsed to the ground while covered in their own blood. Among all these casualties, Signard was the one in the most serious condition. ¡°...Ha¡ª,¡± Signard unconsciously tried to call out ¡®Hamel,¡¯ only to realize what he was doing and quickly mp his lips shut. The one who had attacked them wasn¡¯t dead yet. ¡°Who is that bastard?¡± Eugene said without another look down at Signard. Eugene couldn¡¯t afford to do so. Even though the Dragon Spear¡¯s explosion had directlynded on its target, it hadn¡¯t been enough to kill the man. ¡°...He said that he¡¯s one of Jagon¡¯s brothers. Eugene, he¡¯s aiming for you,¡± Signard warned with a gasp. Eugene¡¯s face slightly stiffened as he heard the name Jagon. Although he had never met the man in his previous life, Eugene was familiar with the name. It was the name of the current chief of the beastfolk who served under the Demon King of Destruction. The son of Oberon. Even if he didn¡¯t know anything else, Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to help but recognize Jagon¡¯s name because the beastman had torn out the throat of Oberon ¡ª his own father ¡ª and usurped the position of chief. Oberon had been so violent and powerful that he had even taken the title ¡®The Depraved¡¯ for himself, so as the son who had been able to kill someone like Oberon, it was clear that the man had to be at least as crazy and vicious as Oberon. ¡°...Siblings, you say,¡± Eugene muttered as a corner of his mouth twisted. ¡°But it looks like he doesn¡¯t really resemble his father.¡± The man who had been sent flying into the distance had stood up once more. Although Eugene had already felt this from the moment that the attack hadnded, it looked like there weren''t any serious wounds on the man¡¯s body. It was just to the extent that the cloak the man had been wearing had be ragged. ¡®He showed a quick reaction,¡¯Eugene noted to himself. He had shot out the attack from a reasonable distance. Eugene couldn¡¯t do anything about the sound it made when it wasunched, but the Dragon Spear¡¯s attack wasn¡¯t something that could be avoided just by hearing the roar of the shot before itnded. ¡°Ptew.¡± The man spat out some blood from his mouth as he stared at Eugene. ¡°Eugene Lionheart. You¡¯ve returned much more quickly than I expected.¡± Now that his robe had been turned into rags, the man¡¯s appearance could be seen clearly. Lycanthropes were a mutation developed from vampires and demonfolk. Like vampires, they could increase their numbers by feeding others their blood. Even if someone was once human, once they were infected with lycanthropy, their soul would be stained with demonic essence. Beastfolk were different from lycanthropes. Just like the elves and the dwarves, beastfolk were just a separate race from the humans. They weren¡¯t able to change between human and beast forms like a lycanthrope; instead, their appearance held a mixture of a beast and a human from the moment that they were born. In other words, they could be described as beasts with human intelligence. In that regard, most beastfolk still retained their bestial instincts and those beastfolk who were born in the wild were especially susceptible to being swayed by their natural impusles. In order to live in this world, you needed to know how to suppress your own instincts. The difference between beastfolk and beasts was merely whether or not they had the reason needed to suppress their own bestial natures. However, three hundred years ago, the beastfolk led by Oberon had fully unleashed their true natures. They had all lived as predators, like the carnivores that fed on herbivores. And not just any carnivores, but wild predators that stood at the top of the food chain. Instead of using reason to suppress their true natures, these predators used their ability to reason to kill even more effectively and take delight in the act of ughter. The man who was now walking over to them was one such predator. A beast who was able to walk like a human. He had golden eyes and fangs, and his face looked like a mix between a tiger and a human. Unlike beasts, he had the upper limbs of a human, but tiger-like stripes clearly stood out against the fur covering his body. ¡°So you said that you¡¯re a brother of Jagon?¡± Eugene asked as he red at the beast. ¡°That means should also be a son of the Depraved Oberon. From what I¡¯ve heard, Oberon was a bear. If you¡¯re the younger brother of his son, why are you a tiger?¡± ¡°Brat,¡± the man said as he licked his lips with a smile. ¡°You should be careful with what you say. Our formermander¡¯s name bears far too much weight to be used carelessly by someone like you.¡± ¡°A bastard beast pretending to be a human,¡± Eugene scoffed as he tucked Kharbos back into his cloak. ¡°Are you some kind of mongrel? Did a tiger happen to catch Oberon¡¯s eye, so when he had kids with her, the eldest son Jagon was born as a bear and you, the second son, was born as a tiger?¡± The man growled, ¡°I said¡ª¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s quite a surprise,¡± Eugene interrupted him without any hesitation. ¡°To think that a child could actually be born between a bear and a tiger¡­! Even a bastard beast like you knows what a mule is, right? It¡¯s a hybrid that¡¯s born between a horse and a donkey. It¡¯s said that such hybrids cannot produce any children no matter what gender they¡¯re born as, so¡­ are you a eunuch as well as a beast?¡± ¡°¡ªbe careful with your words,¡± the man spat out as his face twisted into a scowl. Eugene also no longer had a smiling expression on his face. ¡°If I am careful with my words, are you really just going to let me go as I please?¡± Eugene asked, his hands still inside his cloak. ¡°You¡¯vee here to kill me, haven¡¯t you? So no matter what I say, you¡¯re going to try and kill me, so why should I watch my mouth?¡± This man knew exactly who Eugene was, but Eugene had never once revealed his identity upon entering Samar. In this forest, only Kristina and the elves living in this vige knew about him. So the fact that this bastard beast hade here in order to catch Eugene meant that¡­. ¡®Who was it?¡¯Eugene asked himself. Someone outside of the forest had opened his mouth. Could it have been someone from the Holy Empire? Or perhaps¡­ it might even have been someone from the Lionheart n¡¯s side of things. Eugene didn¡¯t want to even imagine that this was a possibility. Among the members of the Lionheart n, not many had been informed that Eugene would be going to Samar. There was Genos, Commander of the Second Division of the Knights of the ck Lion; Doynes, Head of the Council; and Gilead, the Patriarch. Apart from those three, no one else had been informed of the fact that Eugene was heading to Samar. Even Eugene¡¯s biological father, Gerhard, and the twins, Cyan and Ciel, were unaware of Eugene¡¯s departure from the ck Lion Castle. ¡°You sure have a disgusting mouth on you, brat,¡± the man said without any attempt to conceal his bared fangs. ¡°If I was going to kill you, then I could have killed you at any point before now. Did you know? When you picked up the one-legged elf, I was the one who took care of the warriors from the Garung tribe that were chasing after you.¡± ¡°Thanks for taking care of such a troublesome task for us,¡± Eugene said insincerely. He had thought that the pursuit was a bit looser than he¡¯d been expecting. Eugene narrowed his eyes as he red at the man. That being said, this meant that the man had been following Eugene right from the very beginning. ¡®I didn¡¯t even notice,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. It couldn¡¯t be helped. No matter how sharp Eugene¡¯s senses were, it was impossible for him to have noticed someone who was following them from such a considerable distance. On the other hand, the man had already been aware of Eugene, and the uniquely strong sense of smell that beastfolk shared meant that he wouldn¡¯t lose Eugene¡¯s scent even from a distance. ¡°So you were saying¡­ that your goal isn¡¯t to kill me? So what is your purpose?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Unlike that stupid elf, it seems that we¡¯re able tomunicate,¡± the man said as his slips twisted nto a smile. ¡°My name is Barang. Brat, about what you¡¯ve been yapping, I might not share the same blood as Jagon, but we do share a bond of brotherhood between us.¡± As he had thought. Wasn¡¯t it impossible for a tiger to be the descendant of a bear? ¡°The reason I¡¯ve been following you is in order to find the elven domain that¡¯s said to be hidden somewhere within this forest,¡± Barang exined. Eugene listened silently, ¡°....¡± ¡°Brat, I saw you enter the elven territory. Since I wasn¡¯t able to enter along with you, I came here instead in order to wait for you, but that elf bastard sprawled at your feet tried to attack me first while saying that he was going to kill me,¡± Barang stated calmly. ¡°Of course he¡¯d attack you,¡± Eugene said as a smile twisted the corners of his lips. ¡°So what, are you asking me to lead you to the elven territory?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, let¡¯s just keep things simple and make a deal,¡± Barang said with a nod. ¡°And what happens after I lead you there?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°Then we can just part ways with a smile.¡± Barang reassured him, ¡°Like I said, I have no intention of killing you.¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Why are you looking for the domain?¡± ¡°I have no intention of telling you that,¡± Barang denied. ¡°Fine. If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll ask you something else. Who¡¯s the one who pped his lips and told you about me?¡± Eugene demanded. Barang warned him, ¡°You shouldn¡¯t try to know too much, brat.¡± ¡°It seems that even though you¡¯re asking so much from me, in reality, it looks like you don¡¯t really want to grant me anything that I desire,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°Such unreasonableness is the privilege of the strong,¡± Barang boasted with a chuckle. Instead of making another reply, Eugene tilted his head to the side. ¡®He says that in the end, we¡¯re just going to part ways with a smile?¡¯ As if that would really happen. Eugene couldn¡¯t trust Barang¡¯s words. Moreover, he was asking Eugene to lead him into the elven territory. It was an unthinkable request. Sienna and the other elves were still sealed away in the World Tree that stood in the center of the elven domain. Although he didn¡¯t know why that bestial bastard wanted to enter the elven territory, or what he was going to do there once he entered, Eugene didn¡¯t even have the slightest intention of leading him there. And this wasn¡¯t an opponent that he could turn away with words alone. ¡°...Eugene, run away,¡± Signard squeezed out from between trembling lips. Barang also heard these words. Heughed loudly and shook his head. ¡°Are you really asking him to abandon over a hundred elves?¡± Barang taunted Signard. Signard¡¯s face contorted at these words. ¡­If he sacrificed himself, would it be possible to stall for time? No, that was impossible. Even though Signard had charged at him with all his might, that beast didn¡¯t even have a single wound on him. Regardless of how much weaker Signard had gotten from his prime due to being afflicted with the Demonic Disease, it was an indisputable fact that this beast was strong. Eugene was also aware of this fact. This was a tough guy who had only received minor injuries even after being hit by a bombardment from the Dragon Spear. It was impossible for Eugene to fight Barang and win. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± A voice called out from behind him. It was Kristina, who had been following after him and had just now reached the vige. With a pale face, she took in Signard and the other elves who had been horribly wounded. Eugene stretched out a hand and stopped Kristina when it looked like she was about toe to his side. ¡°Stay there,¡± he ordered her. ¡°...Huh?¡± Kristina gasped with a puzzled expression, unable to understand his reason for this. Eugene took a step forward. Barang smiled at this step, as if he thought Eugene was foolish for doing so. Barang had heard about this brat, Eugene Lionheart. A genius who was said to be the ¡®next incarnation¡¯ of the founding ancestor from the history of the Lionheart n. But Barang could only see him as a neen-year-old young boy. Barang scoffed. ¡°Just give up, brat.¡± Eugene had no intention of negotiating with Barang, nor did he intend to follow Barang¡¯s orders. ¡®The fortunate thing is¡­¡¯ Eugene checked the weapons stored within his cloak. There were dozens of misceneous weapons, as well as the Storm Sword Wynnyd, the Devouring Sword Azphel, the Dragon Spear Kharbos, and the Thunderbolt Pernoa. Then, there was the Moonlight Sword. ¡®...I have plenty of weapons, and¡­¡¯ Eugene pulled out his right hand that had been immersed within his cloak. Brang smirked and shook his head. The hand that emerged from his cloak wasn¡¯t holding any weapons. Instead, Eugene ced his right hand on his chest. ¡®...I¡¯ve got a high-ranking priest here who can stop the worst of the side effects.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t an enemy that he could handle as he was now, so Eugene would just have to adjust his own condition so that hecouldhandle Barang. The neen-year-old Eugene couldn¡¯t handle the Barang in front of him. However, the Hamel he¡¯d been in his previous life would definitely have won. If his current abilities weren¡¯t enough, then¡­. He would just need to get close to the abilities from his prime. ¡®Ignition,¡¯Eugene chanted silently. Eugene¡¯s right hand stayed on his chest. The mana flowing from his hand put pressure on his heart and his Cores. Badump. Everyone could hear the loud beat of his heart. A burst of mes rushed out from him in the shape of a lion¡¯s mane. Chapter 111: The Flame (3)

Chapter 111: The me (3)

¡ªDon¡¯t use that. Sienna hated Ignition. ¡ªHamel. You must be too stupid to know this, but Cores are very delicate organs. People aren¡¯t born with them, they are artificial organs made by mastering mana. Therefore, they are imperfect ande with many risks. Several times in his past life, Hamel copsed from exhaustion after using Ignition. Every time he did that, Sienna would sit beside him and nag all night ¡ªFrom the start, that technique could only be used by you. Do you understand what it means? You¡¯re an idiot, so you must think that just because no one can use the skill, it means it¡¯s some very special specialty. Well, in my eyes, it¡¯s a disability, not a specialty. ¡ª¡­Aren¡¯t you being too harsh? ¡ªHow is this harsh? I held back. So. Many. Times. Thanks to you, we aren¡¯t in danger anymore, but¡­ you! You idiot! You are in danger now. What on earth are you doing? Look at you, just lying down on the floor and unable to lift a finger. You became a real idiot now. Whenever he heard these naggings, his fuse would snap and he would refute her. Still, Sienna always came down to the same conclusion,¡®Yeah, you are an idiot.¡¯ ¡ªDo you get it, dummy?Neveroverload the Cores. They are already too close to the heart, so why do you keep overloading them? Ordinary people ¡ª no, not just ordinary people! Even I, the Greatest Archwizard of Humanity, would also die or be a vegetable if my Cores were overloaded! ¡ªI¡¯m able to do stuff that even you can¡¯t do, so isn¡¯t it a specialty? ¡ª¡­Oh, yeah.That¡¯s a specialty, alright. You are special. A special idiot with a special DISability. Most of the time, Vermouth took care of the danger, but he wasn¡¯t a god. From time to time, the party would encounter dangers that even Vermouth couldn''t deal with or times that he couldn¡¯t protect hispanions. No matter how distinguished he was, he was only one man. There was a limit to how much a person could handle on their own. That was whypanions existed. Like how Hamel threw himself in front of hispanions to protect them, everyone ¡ª Molon, Sienna, and Anise ¡ª did the same thing for each other. To make sure that Vermouth didn¡¯t have to do everything on his own and in order to not get in his way, everyone tried their best. ¡ªHamel,that skill will kill you someday. Sienna wasn¡¯t the only one who hated Ignition. It was Anise who revitalized Hamel¡¯s broken body after he copsed because of the rebound from the skill. ¡ªI am aware that you cancontrol mana better than anyone. Sienna worries that you might die from mana overload¡­but I beg to differ. Hamel, you won¡¯t die from mana overload. ¡ªThen what do you think? ¡ªThe human body is not assturdy as human body owners think. When she said that, Anise didn¡¯t smile like she usually did. In his past life, Hamel was more scared of the serious Anise who didn¡¯t smile rather than the usual Sienna who cursed at him. ¡ªYour body in particr isn''t as sturdy as you think, Hamel. Had you been born with a brainlessly tough body, as Molon did, I wouldn¡¯t even bother to warn you. ¡ªWhat about my body? ¡ªHamel, you are born with the gift of mana control¡­but that gift didn''te together with a strong body. Hamel couldn¡¯t say anything back. Even in his past life, he had realized that dozens, no, hundreds of times. When he was a mercenary, he wasn''t aware of this. Was his body fragile? No, that wasn''t the case. Hamel''s body was enough for him to mistake himself for a genius. Still, every one of hispanions could be called a genius in their field. Molon and Vermouth''s bodies were so sturdy that it was almost embarrassing topare himself to them. ¡ªThattechnique, Ignition. Not only does it overload the Cores, but it also overloads your entire body, especially your heart. Sienna warned you about this several times, the Cores are close to the heart. That''s why mana overload is dangerous¡­Hamel, you overtax everything ¡ª your Cores, heart, and body. ¡ª¡­It''s inevitable. Since I gained more power, it is natural for my body to endure more¡­ ¡ªEvena metal machine breaks down when it¡¯s pushed over the limit. And, Hamel, you aren''t a machine. Your body isn''t made of metal. ¡ª.... ¡ªYou must be aware of this too. No matter what kind of miracles I can perform, it''s impossible for me to restore that which ispletely broken. Hamel, do you understand what I''m saying? That technique will ruin your body ¡ª actually, it already did. Someday, your heart won''t work like before and your body will refuse to move, regardless of how much you want it to. ¡ª¡­Well¡­Umm¡­In a fight¡­No, not only in a fight, a person has to embrace risks to some levels in life¡­ ¡ªAreyou a dimwit or an idiot? ¡ª¡­Do I have to pick one? ¡ªHamel, if you didn''t act like a dimwit or talk like an idiot, then would I say stuff like this in front of you? Everyone thinks Molon is an idiot, but even he listens a bit when he is told to not do something. Why are you acting more stupid than Molon? ¡ªHey, that''s a lousy thing to say¡­ ¡ªAnyhow, I warned you. If you be an idiot who can''t even sit straight, then as a friend and apanion, I will arrange a room for you in the highest-ss sanatorium of the Holy Empire. ¡ªIf that really happens, are you going to take care of my shit and piss? ¡ªI will mercy-kill you myself before that happens. Like that, he had heard so many warnings in his past life. That didn''t mean he had hesitated before he used it. When the thought of ''I have to use it'' entered his mind, the situation was really so dire that hehadto use it. And every time he used it, Ignition yed its role. It was well worth his body getting damaged. He overcame several crises.It was especially worth using it when he and Sienna got attacked during reconnaissance by Incarceration''s de, Gavid Lindman. If he hadn¡¯t used Ignition then, he and Sienna would have died. Even in the Demon King of Incarceration''s castle, he used Ignition continuously. That was how he killed Incarceration''s Shield and Staff.Then, Hamel also died. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯ Barangheard aheartbeat. That kid''s heart beat too loudly.His bloodshot eyes worsened the terrifying feeling. The human''s teeth were clenched shut, but they looked sharp, like those of a beast. ¡®What did he do?'' Barang wondered. Barangdidn''t fully grasp the change in Eugene''s body. After his reincarnation, Eugene thought about this multiple times. ¡®Even now¡­.¡¯ He would absolutely win if he used Ignition. He would be able to definitely kill Barang. ¡®...I can kill him.¡¯ The Cores were thus overloaded with mana. The Four Stars of the White me Form fiercely rotated ¡ª the Ring me Form modified using the Eternal Hole.Thefour stars created one Circle, and Eugene triggered a chain explosion of mana inside the Circle. The ceaselessly exploding mana was refined into countless Cores, which were then interconnected.Therotating Circle of fire firmly held onto mana, preventing leaks. The White me Form amplified the mana in the Core, which allowed the mana to be used without waste. Still, that wasn¡¯t enough. No matter how much he amplified the mana, he couldn¡¯t amplify it more than the total amount of mana in his body. Eugene¡¯s heart kept beating as his Cores were overloaded. The rotation of the stars got faster and faster. The operation exceeding his limit caused the Cores themselves to contort. Boom,boom, boom. He kept sting it, and as it burst, mana spread throughout his entire body. The distorted Cores became bigger and bigger. Ignition purposely overloaded the Cores. Like that, the skill spread the mana throughout the entire body after the explosion. As the flow of mana got intense, Eugene elerated his heartbeat ¡ª overloading the entire body to adjust to the overheated Cores. He felt the heat of the blood running through his vein, it was hot. His pulse elerated until it felt as if his heart was going to burst. As he connected his internal energy to the environmental mana, he prepared his entire body for the next explosion. Putting his hand on his chest, Eugene had grabbed his heart. Only a couple of seconds had passed after that. But in those few seconds, Barang¡¯sperception of the child standing in front of him had changed drastically. Eugene¡¯s mana, which had begun to overload, pressured Barang.Bristling up his fur, he pounced on Eugene. A Beastfolk¡¯s hand had five fingers, like that of a human. However, popping out of Barang¡¯s fingertips were not the fingernails of a human, but the ws of a beast. The beast shot forward. With bloodshot eyes, Eugene watched Barang approach. He knew for sure that if he hadn¡¯t used Ignition, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to follow Barang¡¯s movement. But now he could. ¡®Yeah.¡¯ When Barang swung his ws right under Eugene¡¯s nose, Eugene made a judgment. ¡®I can kill him.¡¯ Bang! Barang was the one who attacked. Barang was also the one who flew backward. He couldn¡¯t understand what had just happened. How ¡ª what had happened? Why was he the one thrown backward?Hadn¡¯t he attacked with his ws? Twisting his body in the air, Barang fixed his posture. The ws he had brandished were all shattered. Squirt! The moment Barang looked at his palm, it split open and squirted blood. ¡°Arf!¡± His palm had been sliced; the cut was so deep that his palm was split into two. Barang roared out of rage, rather than pain. This kind of wound was nothing to him. Beastfolk¡¯s body regenerated the injuries in no time. Like Barang, the Beastfolk who had epted demonic power could regenerate like a high-rank demonfolk. In fact, when Barannded onthe ground, the cut in his palm had regenerated entirely. However, Barang could not initiate an attack again. It was because Eugene was nowhere to be seen. [¡­Hamel, he is¡­.] ¡®An animal,¡¯answeredEugene. [Shouldn¡¯t you use the Moonlight Sword?] ¡®No.¡¯ The Moonlight Sword stood out too much. If he had to use it, then he would, but the situation was not dangerous enough for him to use the Moonlight Sword. ¡®I can win without it.¡¯ Eugene felt the wind that Wynnyd created. Usually, he would use this wind to push his body, but he didn¡¯t need to do so now. Eugene was faster than the wind, so fast that it couldn¡¯t catch up with him. His body was overloaded, but it was moving better than he had thought it would. It was much better than he had expected. ¡®It is definitely better thanmy body in my past life.¡¯ It felt as if his arm was going to fall off. But it justfeltthat way. His arms did not actually fall off. ¡®Tempest.¡¯ Eugene lifted Wynnyd high in the air. ¡®How sturdy is this sword?¡¯ [...Hmm.] With a low groan, Tempest raised the wind. A violent wind surrounded the sword. [It will be able to handle yourpower without a problem.] ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Eugene showed a crooked smile. ¡®That''s a relief.¡¯ The sword ¡ª no, the storm plunged into the ground. Watching from afar, Kristina had a strong premonition, so she embraced Signard. Woosh! The divine power surged from Kristina as she created a shining shield and protected the elves. Thuudd! The forest shook. The storm crashed into the ground, annihting everything in its path. Wind spread from the eye of the storm, swallowing the nearby buildings. ¡°Rooaaar!¡± In the center of the storm, Baranghowledas the wind mutted his entire body. He couldn''t feel anything in his left arm. The wind shing from above had chopped it off. The attack only cost Barang a left arm because he had managed to twist his body and dodge the attack. ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± As Baranghowled, he drew out power. Dark demonic power wrapped around his entire body. Barang was strong. He was one of the most powerful of the beastfolk, whose leader was Jagon, under themand of the Demon King of Destruction. Barang had snapped Bron¡¯s back with one hand ¡ª the back of someone who always bragged about being one of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. That was why none of this made sense. His arm was that sturdy, but it had been chopped off in a single strike. ¡®Thispower¡ª¡¯ Barang hadn¡¯t been able to defend against the attack because it had been too sudden. Eugene was a kid and a human, so Barang had taken him too lightly. However, Eugene was a Lionheart, the best human warrior family there was. It was inevitable that he had some cards up his sleeves. He realized that Eugene wasn''t someone to be taken lightly, so from now on, it would be different. His mutted left arm? That was also fine.Hewould regenerate it somehow. First, Barang nned on taking the kid out, tearing off his limbs, and making him crawl like a bug to the elven sanctuary. He would then rape the saintess in front of Eugene and kill her.He was also going to kill all the elves, every single one of them, and make Eugene shed tears of blood. After deciding what to do, Barang swung his arm. The dark demonic power turned into a giant w and ripped the storm open. Eugene was standing outside the storm. Wrapped up in the demonic power, Barang lunged torward Eugene like a dark cannonball. ''He¡¯s nothingpared to Oberon,¡¯ Eugene thoughtas he took a step forward. ¡®Even against Amelia Merwin, he¡¯s nothing.¡¯ Woosh!A clear blue me rose up from his body and turned into sword force. ¡®I can''t believe I have touse Ignitionto deal with this lowly bastard.¡¯ As Barangferociously charged toward him, Eugene sighed as he pitied himself. ''Even though I¡¯m running, it''s far,''Barang suddenly thought. It was a dozen meters at most. He could get closer in a single leap. And yet¡­ he felt as if he wasn¡¯t getting any closer. He felt a gap between Eugene and him. Barang didn¡¯t want to admit that. It wasn¡¯t that the distance was actually real ¡ª he just felt that way. The gap between the kid and him was so wide that Eugene felt miles away from Barang. But that couldn¡¯t be true. ¡®I have to reach him¡­¡¯ No, Barang shouldn¡¯t ¡ª his instinct¡¯s warning filled his head. ¡®That can¡¯t be possible,¡¯Barang denied his instinct. He would die if he stepped any further. ¡®No way,¡¯he denied once again. ¡®I¡¯m strong.¡¯ Stubbornness prevented Barang from stopping. ¡®I am¡­¡¯ He held out his hand, and the demonic power dissipated. His ws cracked, shattered, and disappeared. His fingers and hands were cut into dozens, hundreds of pieces, and scattered in the air. With eyes wide open,he watched his own body getting shredded. For Barang, everything was awfully slow and cruelly vivid. Barang came to a halt. He had no choice but to stop. Vomiting blood, Barang hung his head. His body was sliced open, and blood and organs were falling out. He had reached out with his arm¡­but failed toplete the attack. Well, maybe his arm had served a purpose, as a shield. If it hadn¡¯t, that terrifying attack from above would havepletely shredded his entire body to pieces. ¡°¡­You¡­.¡± Shuddering, Barang spoke. He was no longer able to stand, and he simply copsed. ¡°Who¡­who¡­are¡­you?¡± Barang saw Eugene wrapped up in a blue and white me. Eugene wore the me like a lion¡¯s mane. In Barang¡¯s eyes, Eugene wasn¡¯t human. ¡°You knowwho I am.¡± Eugene¡¯s tired eyes made him frown, but his voice was calm andposed. ¡°I¡¯mEugene Lionheart.¡± Chapter 112: The Flame (4)

Chapter 112: The me (4)

There was no way that Barang didn¡¯t know his name. But even though he had just received confirmation from the man himself, Barang simply couldn¡¯t believe it. After all, how could he? The one standing up there, right in front of him, was a terrifying existence that seemed impossible to even touch. How could this person truly be a human brat who had yet to even be a full adult? ¡°...There¡¯s¡­ no way,¡± Barang denied the possibility through clenched teeth. ¡°You, you aren¡¯t Eugene Lionheart. Who in the world¡­ are you? Could you really be a dragon?¡± This was the first time that Eugene had been subjected to such a misunderstanding. Eugene snorted and shook his head. ¡°Do I really look like a dragon in your eyes?¡± he asked. Barang didn¡¯t reply. Both his arms had been cut off. His internal organs were also spilling out of his torn-up torso. However, Barang wasn¡¯t dead yet. Although his wounds were so serious that he wouldn¡¯tst long without treatment, Barang was still alive, refusing to die. But he was barely clinging on to hisst breath. In such a state, was it even possible for him to overturn this situation? Was this all because he had been too careless? No¡­ while that could have been held up as an excuse at first, now that things had turned out like this, carelessness alone couldn¡¯t excuse this result. Barang had done his best, but his best effort alone wasn¡¯t enough to narrow the gap between him and Eugene. Or rather, this mysterious opponent who had hidden his true identity behind the mask of the neen-year-old Eugene Lionheart. ¡®Big brother¡­¡¯Barang thought regretfully. He swallowed the blood that had surged up his throat. The long distance between the two opponents slowly decreased as Eugene calmly walked over to Barang. His pace wasn¡¯t fast, allowing each of his steps to ring clearly. Barang began to tremble slightly. Although he wholeheartedly denied that the person in front of him was truly Eugene Lionheart, he couldn¡¯t deny the terror that he was feeling. With each step that narrowed the distance between them, Barang¡¯s terror rose even higher. His instincts were telling him to somehow force himself onto his feet and get away from Eugene. ¡°Who gave you your orders?¡± Eugene demanded. The effects of Ignition weren¡¯t over quite yet. Though there was a limit on the skill¡¯s duration, Eugene still had enough time to take things leisurely. ¡®Big brother¡­¡¯Barang thought once more. Barang¡¯s trembling body hunched inward. While it was true that they did have a sibling rtionship, Barang was afraid of Jagon. He wasn¡¯t alone in his fear of Jagon, either. All the beastfolk who followed Jagon were afraid of him as well. Jagon was the very incarnation of fear for all of the beastfolk. That was just the type of person Barang¡¯s sworn brother was. His rtionship with Jagon really wasn¡¯t all that impressive. As someone who had even personally killed his own biological father, how much value and sentiment would a man like Jagon ce in a brother whom he didn¡¯t even share a drop of blood with? Barang was also well aware of this. No matter what happened to him, Jagon would feel no sympathy for him. He might even mock Barang for being weak. A brotherhood that they had sworn when they were both young and dreaming of a distant future together¡­ such a rtionship wasn¡¯t of the slightest significance to Jagon as he was now. ¡°...This has nothing to do with Jagon,¡± Barang spat out with a scowl. ¡°This task wasn¡¯t done on Jagon¡¯s order. He is too busy to give the orders for such a trivial task.¡± ¡°A trivial task you say¡­. Well, whatever,¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°So anyways, what were you nning to do once you followed me into the elven territory?¡± Barang revealed, ¡°My mission was just to confirm the existence and location of the elven territory.¡± Just a bit more. ¡°After I had confirmed that, I intended on returning after I killed you and the Saint.¡± If he coulde just a bit closer¡­ ¡°Even though you said that you weren¡¯t going to kill us? So in the end, it was just a lie,¡± Eugene scoffed. Barang kept his silence. ¡°In any case, who did you get those orders from? If it wasn¡¯t Jagon, was it one of the demonfolk? Could it be the dark elves?¡± Eugene spected. Right when Eugene had taken another step closer, the color of Barang¡¯s blood that had stained the ground around them changed. The blood turned a dark color and sprayed up at Eugene. Without even waiting to confirm the result of this surprise attack, Barang clenched his teeth. The spilled blood and guts ¡ª no, Barang¡¯s entire body was consumed in a dark explosion. Both of his arms had already been cut off. Barang still had his teeth left, but he didn¡¯t see any chance of sess in trying to charge at Eugene and sink his fangs into him. The best that Barang could do at this point was force his own body to explode and die together with his enemy. ¡°Sir Eugene!!!¡± Kristina¡¯s scream was swallowed up by a loud boom. The ck explosion engulfed Eugene. With the distance between the two of them being so close, it was impossible for him to evade it. Though¡­ there wasn¡¯t any need to avoid it. Gwaaaaah! The explosion wasn¡¯t able to surge past the point where Eugene had been standing. The moment that he died, Barang¡¯s eyes witnessed mes surge to life ¡ª mes burning blue and mes burning white. The mixture of these two types of mes formed a huge barrier, blocking off the st. In the end, the explosion that Barang had created by sacrificing his own life wasn¡¯t even able to leave a mark on Eugene. ¡°Damn it,¡± Eugene cursed as he shook his raised hand. Not a single trace remained of Barang¡¯s corpse. Eugene stared at the charred patch of ground that had been left as he ced Wynnyd, which he had still been holding in his hand, back inside his cloak. Kristina called out to him once more. ¡°Sir Eugene¡­!¡± Rushing over to him, Kristina quickly grabbed Eugene¡¯s wrist. Then, she ced her other hand on top of Eugene¡¯s racing chest as her brows furrowed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have let him die,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°I had a lot of ways to make that bastard open his mouth.¡± There were a lot of things that Eugene had wanted to ask Barang. The only method of interrogation that Eugene had learned in the past was torture, but now he had Kristina with him. No matter how tightly Barang tried to keep his lips shut, Kristina¡¯s holy magic would have been able to easily pull open his lips¡­ ¡°...No, that would have been impossible,¡± Kristina corrected him as she straightened her expression. ¡°That beastman was iparably stronger and much more corrupt than the dark elf we interrogated previously. Had I tried to use an interrogation spell on him, he would have dissipated his own soul before we could even start listening to his confession.¡± ¡°Even so, I shouldn¡¯t have let him die like that. Even if we weren¡¯t able to get him to open up, we might have gotten him to spill something once we started beating him up,¡± Eugene said regretfully. ¡°...Is your body alright?¡± Kristina asked, changing the subject. ¡°It¡¯s alright for now, but soon it won¡¯t be,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°...Huh?¡± Kristina asked, not sure what he meant. Eugene didn¡¯t feel the need to exin. Kughk¡­. His fingers dug into his own chest and used mana to gently stroke his heart. The overloaded Cores¡¯ heat slowly dissipated and his heart rate slowed down. Then came the recoil. Eugene¡¯s body shook violently. When it looked like he was about to copse on the spot, Kristina quickly supported him. ¡°S-sir Eugene?! Why are you acting like this so suddenly?¡± Kristina burst out in rm. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to hear her voice clearly. His head was feeling dizzy and all the muscles in his body felt like they were being torn apart. His bones ¡ª no, even the very blood in his veins felt as if they were weighing him down. His Cores, which had been exhausted by the overload, had now fallen silent. By this point, Eugene couldn¡¯t even draw out the strength needed to stay in control of his own body. ¡®...Still, this is better than what I expected,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. In his previous life, he had always lost consciousness after using Ignition. Whenever he had opened his eyes after copsing like this, he had heard all sorts of harsh criticism from Sienna and Anise.[1] ¡®Is it thanks to the fact that this body is stronger than my old one?¡¯ The burden on his heart wasn¡¯t that heavy either. Even so, Ignition still wasn¡¯t a skill that he could abuse. Eugene first needed to have the certainty that he would be able to kill his opponent no matter what. This skill also couldn¡¯t be used without having apanion nearby who could take care of his tattered body after Eugene was done killing the enemy. Kristina quickly assured him, ¡°I¡¯ll cast a healing spell right¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s useless,¡± Eugene cut her short. Although he said this, Kristina stillid Eugene down on the ground and cast a holy spell over him. A warm light wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body. However, the aftereffects from using Ignition couldn¡¯t be shaken off even with healing spells. There was no way to recover from an overworked Core other than just getting enough rest. ¡®...Isn¡¯t Anise going to show up?¡¯Eugene thought as he looked at Kristina¡¯s back. But even with all the intense light pouring forth from Kristina, Anise¡¯s figure couldn¡¯t be seen. ¡°...About that fucking bestial bastard,¡± Eugene said as hey on the ground, clenching and unclenching his tingling fingers. ¡°He knew about you and me.¡± ¡°...Does that mean someone let slip the news about us?¡± Kristina asked, her face stiffening as she worked through the implications. After hesitating for a few moments, she continued speaking. ¡°...The only ones who knew that I¡¯d being to Samar¡­ are the Pope and Cardinal Rogeris.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± ¡°...Although I¡¯m not sure if they have told someone else, those two are the only ones that I sent my report to,¡± Kristina confirmed with a nod. ¡°Do you trust those two?¡± Eugene asked as he looked straight at Kristina. Truthfully speaking, Eugene was even prepared to get pped in the face for asking such a rude question. On the one hand, there was the Pope, the supreme leader of the Church of Light. On the other hand, there was a Cardinal, who was just one step below the pope, and Kristina¡¯s adoptive father. It would only be natural for Kristina to be furious at having these two be addressed with such suspicions. However, Kristina didn¡¯t show any signs of being enraged. Instead of replying immediately, she only stared at Eugene for a few moments. Eugene couldn¡¯t clearly read the emotions that were buried in those eyes. However, he still got the feeling that the emotions were something other than anger. ¡°...What about you, Sir Eugene? If news about us has been leaked, then it isn¡¯t just the Holy Empire, but also the Lionheart n that needs to be suspected, right?¡± Kristina asked without answering his question. ¡°There¡¯s no way that the Patriarch would do this,¡± Eugene stated confidently. ¡°He has no reason for doing so. However, if it¡¯s the Head of the Council, then I think he might be capable of doing something like this.¡± Eugene was an adopted child who had proven himself superior to the direct descendants of the main line. No matter how much Eugene denied having any desire for the seat of the Patriarch, the Council of Elders would have no choice but to be wary of Eugene¡¯s ambitions. In fact, that wasn¡¯t the only reason why Doynes might have betrayed them. Eugene and Kristina knew that there wasn¡¯t any corpse resting inside of Vermouth¡¯s tomb. The Lionheart n¡¯s honor was something that had been passed down onto them from their ancestor, the Great Vermouth. If it was for the sake of protecting the n¡¯s honor¡­ then this could also be a convenient way of burying this shameful truth so that it would never be revealed. ¡°How about you?¡± Eugene asked again. ¡°Do you trust the Pope and the Cardinal?¡± After a short silence, Kristina spoke up, ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± She continued in a subdued voice, ¡°I can¡¯t trust those two. I can¡¯t figure out what reason they might have for doing this, but if they felt it was needed, they would even be willing to cooperate with the demonfolk.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene was struck silent. ¡°However, Sir Eugene. I also heard what that beastman said. He imed that after we guided him to the elven territory, he had intended to kill both of us. Although I can¡¯t really tell at this point if he was telling the truth or not, if that was the truth, then¡­.¡± Kristina hesitated before finishing confidently, ¡°then neither the Pope nor Cardinal Rogeris should have made a deal with the beastfolk.¡± ¡°Is it because I¡¯ve received the Holy Sword¡¯s recognition?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That might also be a factor, but the two of them also wouldn¡¯t want me to die like this,¡± Kristina said with a faint smile on her face. This wasn¡¯t a topic of conversation that would cause any amusement, so it was obvious that the smile was artificial. It was the same type of smile that Anise used to show whenever she talked about the Holy Empire so long ago. Anise had been strangely reluctant to speak of the Holy Empire. Even when everyone else was chatting about their past, Anise had just remained silent. There had also been a twisted smile on her face that was different from the one she usually wore. Right now, Kristina looked exactly the same. After some hesitation, Eugene decided to ask. ¡°...Why not?¡± Kristina refused to answer. ¡°I feel like the rtionship between you and me isn¡¯t deep enough yet for me to be willing to share such a story.¡± ¡°Fine then,¡± Eugene mumbled as he stood up. Or at least he tried to stand up. He couldn¡¯t properly muster up the strength in his body, and even after gritting his teeth in effort, he wasn¡¯t able to bend his waist past a certain angle. At this sight, Kristina¡¯s smile changed back once more to her usual one. She chuckled and then reached a hand out towards Eugene¡¯s armpit. ¡°What the fuck are you doing?¡± Eugene cursed in surprise as he tried to twist his body out of the way. With amusement in her eyes, Kristina asked, ¡°What¡¯s with that tone, Sir Eugene? I¡¯m just trying to support you.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me. You weren¡¯t trying to support me, you were trying to tickle me in the armpit!¡± Eugene used her. ¡°...Where in the world did you get such an idea? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m insane, so why would you use me of trying to tickle you in the armpit, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina asked with a frown. Although her argument was reasonable, Eugene had clearly felt that Kristina¡¯s fingers had been wriggling slightly as they tried to reach below his arm. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s no need to support me.¡± Eugene finally gave in. ¡°Just give me a hand so that I can pull myself up.¡± ¡°Would it really be all that shameful for you to ce yourself safely in my hands without putting up such resistance?¡± Kristina inquired. Eugene maintained a stubborn silence. ¡°So you actually do have a cute side to you. It feels I haven¡¯t really realized it until now because of your usual words and actions, but looking at you now, you truly are younger than I am,¡± Kristina observed with a soft smile as both her hands reached out towards Eugene. ¡°Now then. Try not to feel ashamed and raise both your hands so that this big sister can pick you up. If you need an example, raise your hands like you¡¯re cheering.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re mad because I used the Pope and the Cardinal, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Not at all,¡± Kristina replied with a shake of her head. ¡°I don¡¯t feel any anger at being asked such a question. Because there is no reason for me to feel angry.¡± ¡°Then why are you doing this to me? Why exactly are you harassing me like this?¡± Eugene asked dramatically. ¡°Sir Eugene, do you know what the word ¡®karma¡¯ means?¡± Eugene yed dumb. ¡°Sir Eugene, you have also harassed me on several asions since we¡¯ve entered this forest, and your harsh words have left their marks on my heart. Of course, I have never harbored any hatred towards you because of those actions, but if not at a time like now, when else will I get the chance to do whatever I want with you, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina asked rhetorically. Eugene tightly squeezed his lips shut and stubbornly stuck his arms to his waist. In response to this, Kristina directly grabbed Eugene¡¯s hands and spread them wide open. Eugene resisted with all his strength, but the way he was now, he simply couldn¡¯t ovee Kristina¡¯s strength¡­. ¡°You really are very stubborn, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristinamented. ¡°Judging from the condition of your body, even if I supported you, it would be difficult for you to walk.¡± ¡°...At least get a stretcher¡­,¡± Eugene murmured in embarrassment. Kristina decisively rejected his request. ¡°No. There¡¯s no need for that. I can piggyback you myself, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to piggyback me¡­?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°Yep. And just so that you won¡¯t fall or feel ufortable, I¡¯ll make sure to securely support your bum as well,¡± Kristina reassured him. Eugene¡¯s eyes were shaking in embarrassment. Was he really about to be piggy-backed, at his age? His rough past, from when he had made a living as a hard-bitten mercenary in his previous life, shed through his head. Eugene decided that he thoroughly hated the thought of getting piggy-backed by Kristina. Yet, no matter how much he hated the idea of it, the state of his body made it impossible for Eugene to resist. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Kristina asked, not waiting for a response before swinging him onto her back. ¡°A bit higher¡­ there we go. Now, please hold on tightly to my neck.¡± Eugene groaned. ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t you feel any shame?¡± ¡°Why would I feel shame when all I¡¯m doing is taking care of a wounded patient?¡± Kristina asked innocently. ¡°But does that mean that you¡¯re feeling ashamed right now, Sir Eugene?¡± Eugene desperately kept his silence. ¡°Please don¡¯t forget this feeling. I hope that Sir Eugene will hold on to the experience of this day and use it to be a better person from now on,¡± Kristina cheerfully requested. Eugene clenched his trembling lips and bowed his head. The feeling of Kristina¡¯s hand supporting his bum from below was truly hateful. Chapter 113: The Flame (5)

Chapter 113: The me (5)

¡°Looks like I¡¯m getting better all on my own,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. Eugene had been on bedrest for the past two days. When he had first used Ignition with the body from his previous life, he hadn¡¯t been able to move for a whole week. After that, he had used it a few more times and had slowly gotten used to the aftereffects, but the overload from using Ignition had still taken him a whole three days to recover from even at the point where Hamel could be said to have ¡®mastered¡¯ it. ¡®It¡¯s faster than I predicted,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. Credit had to be given to the impressive quality of this body, but the main reason the burden of overloading his body had been sharply reduced whenpared to the experience from his previous life was because the Ignition that Eugene had used was even more advanced than the one Hamel hade up with. First of all, the White me Form was overwhelmingly superior to Hamel¡¯s mana training scripture. The Ring me Form, which incorporated the Eternal Hole on top of that, was even more advanced than the White me Form, and it had even been specialized to an extent with the activation of Ignition in mind. All his Cores were connected into a Circle. Then, within that Circle, further Circles were continuously being created and then exploded. This part resembled what Hamel had done when overloading his Cores. However, with the Ring me Form, this process was still at a level where Eugene hadplete control over it without having to overburden his Cores. With Ignition, Eugene was then able topletely release all the limits of the Ring me Form. Although this act of overloading both the body and the Cores at the same time was simr to his previous life¡¯s version of Ignition, the actual method was much more refined than the one he had used in the past. ¡®The burden ced on my body is still dangerous, but¡­ I still feel like I¡¯m holding up better than I was in my previous life,¡¯Eugene thought as he stroked the area over his heart, which was now beating at a regr speed. Of course, he still couldn¡¯t abuse this skill. Whether or not it was more sophisticated than the version from his previous life, it was still essentially the same technique that cut off pieces of his own flesh in exchange for power. However, there had been an unexpected side-benefit to doing this. Eugene closed his eyes and concentrated his focus on his Cores. Originally, Eugene¡¯s White me Form had been stuck on the Fourth Star, but now the number of Stars that were circling around his heart had increased by one, bringing the total up to five. Eugene could guess what the reason for this was. In order to make any advancements in the White me Form, one couldn¡¯t just depend on increasing their total amount of mana; in addition to that, they also needed to increase their understanding of mana by going through various challenges and experiences. Despite having the memories of his past life, Eugene had still needed to take the time to diligently increase his total mana capacity. The Samar Rainforest was rich in mana and could even bepared to the average leyline. Having deliberately depleted all of his mana, and with how overloading his Cores had allowed them to experience handling greater quantities of mana, this experience had allowed him to sessfully split off another Star. ¡®As long as I make good use of this skill, I can even use it as a shortcut to speed up my growth.¡¯Eugene rubbed his chin as he fell into thought. Making advancements after overloading his Cores; in a way, it was simr to a training method used to rapidly put on muscle. This training method involved deliberately overworking the muscles to the point of tearing them so that they needed recovery. The more the muscles were torn, the stronger they grew back.[1] Eugene imagined,¡®By using Ignition a few more times, won¡¯t I be able to make quick progress in the White me Form?¡¯ Although he gave it some thought, Eugene soon realized that any repeated attempts wouldn¡¯t turn out as effective as this first time using it. In order to promote the growth of a Core by overloading it, he would need to keep putting a higher load on it every time. In the course of fine-tuning this method, his body was sure to break down, and there was no guarantee that the Core would necessarily split after all this abuse. In the end, Eugene didn¡¯t dare to give it another attempt. In only six years after he had first started training his mana, he had already risen to the Fifth Star of the White me Form. Even in the Lionheart n, this was an unprecedented rate of growth. Amongst the current elders, the highest level of the White me Form that any of them had reached was the Seventh Star. In the generation below the elders, the Patriarch and his younger brother were on the Sixth Star. Then there was Eugene, who was on the Fifth Star. He was still only neen years old, and apart from his aplishments in the White me Form, he was also capable of far too many things. Moreover, he was sure to be even more capable in the future¡­. ¡®Barang.¡¯Eugene recalled the beastfolk who had attacked them. During these past two days, Eugene had been trying to figure out the conspiracy that he was entangled in. ¡®He was a member of the beastfolk sworn to the Demon King of Destruction. Son of Oberon, sworn brother to Jagon.¡¯ Objectively speaking, Barang had been strong. If he hadn¡¯t used Ignition, Eugene would have found it difficult to guarantee his victory over such an opponent. Wynnyd, Azphel, Pernoa, and Kharbos ¡ª only by using all of these weapons, supplementing them with his magic, and even drawing the Moonlight Sword on top of that, would Eugene have barely been able to pull off a win. In other words, this meant that Barang was an opponent that the ¡®current¡¯ Eugene could just barely eke a win over. Eugene had clear memories of just how strong Oberon was. Three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Fury had Four Heavenly Kings serving under him. Despite not sharing a single drop of blood with him, they had been treated as Fury¡¯s children. The Chief of the Giants, Earthshaker Kamash. Vampire Lord, Bloodshedder Sein. The Madman of the Beastfolk, Depraved Oberon. Princess of the Dark Elves, Rakshasa Iris. They were all strong warriors. The physicallyrgest of all of them had been defeated by Vermouth and Hamel after they joined their strengths. Sein had also been defeated by them, but Oberon and Iris had managed to escape with the help of the Demon King of Fury. Jagon was an unfilial bastard who had ripped out the throat of his own father. But the fact that this feat was even possible meant that Jagon had to be at least as strong as Oberon. Barang had been strong, but he wasn¡¯t strong enough to be worthy of someone calling themselves Jagon¡¯s sworn brother. ¡®He did say that this has nothing to do with Jagon,¡¯Eugene recalled. So it wasn¡¯t because of Jagon¡¯s orders that Barang had been searching for the elven territory. While he couldn¡¯t fully trust those words, for now, Eugene decided to act as if he believed them. Rather than distrusting Barang¡¯s words unconditionally, he would take them at face value for the time being, while he tried to narrow down who the traitor might be. From which side had their information been leaked? Kristina had said that it was probably not the Holy empire. Although Eugene hadn¡¯t been given a detailed exnation for this, the Holy Empire wouldn¡¯t see any benefit from arranging for the ¡®Saint¡¯ and the ¡®Hero¡¯ to be killed at the same time. However, what about the Lionheart n? And by ¡®the Lionheart n¡¯, Eugene meant the Head of the Council, Doynes Lionheart. Such a person could see the benefits of pruning an overly-talented foster-child who was disturbing the family¡¯s order¡­. Although this choice couldn¡¯t really be said to be in the n¡¯s best interest, if Eugene had died, the issue of who would be the sessor to the Patriarch of the Lionheart n would have be very, very smooth. And what else would such an oue mean to the n? It would mean that the n¡¯s hierarchy had been restored. Eugene wasn¡¯t an idiot either. He knew that as a child from a distant coteral line who had been taken as a foster-child of the main family, he would be seen as a rival to the heirs of the direct line. Even if he didn¡¯t actually be the Patriarch, Eugene¡¯s very existence could serve as a rallying point for all the coteral bloodlines. The Lionheart n¡¯s main family wouldn¡¯t tolerate such an oue. For the past three hundred years, the n had made sure that the direct line had maintained its superior position, while all the coteral lines were treated as inferiors. ¡®I¡¯m not just any ordinary coteral descendant,¡¯Eugene thought without any self-intion. The Head of the Council had always maintained a firm grasp over the main family¡¯s authority. For someone like him, more than the fact that Eugene was a coteral descendant, it would be much more irritating to see Eugene being publicly recognized as the Hero by the Holy Empire and its Saint. In the history of the Lionheart n, the only one to have ever been certified as a ¡®Hero¡¯ by the Holy Empire, by its Saint, and with a revtion from the God of Light, was the founder of the n ¡ª the Great Vermouth. A foster-child from a coteral line had actually received the same de as their founding ancestor. He had even received the approval of the Holy Sword. Furthermore, Eugene was also aware that the founding ancestor¡¯s coffin had been empty. So there were plenty of reasons for Doynes to want to kill him. The Holy Empire was wary of drawing the Demon Kings¡¯ attention, so they had yet to announce that Eugene was the new Hero. If Eugene and Kristina were killed, then they wouldn¡¯t ever be able to reveal that the founding ancestor¡¯s tomb was empty. But this wasn¡¯t something that Doynes could arrange personally. So he may have colluded with the demonfolk. If their rtionship was secure enough for Doynes to make such arge request of them, this meant that their collusion had been going on for a long time. The Head of the Council was in cahoots with the demonfolk. ¡®...I can¡¯t be too certain,¡¯Eugene reminded himself while looking down at his own fist. The blood vessels in his fist, which had been unconsciously clenched for quite some time, were twitching.¡®After all, it might not be the Head of the Council.¡¯ As such, Eugene had to keep his silence for now. Was he strong enough to storm the ck Lion Castle alone, subdue the Head of the Council, and uncover the truth? That was impossible. The nickname of the Head of the Council, Doynes Lionheart, was ¡®Immortal White Lion¡¯. He was a character who had been around for over a hundred years. ¡®If Ie back alive and in good condition, the bastard behind this conspiracy will be forced into taking further action.¡¯ Eugene had decided to keep his silence because Barang¡¯s mission wasn¡¯t just to kill him and Kristina. That was just a secondary purpose. That beast¡¯s first goal was to confirm the location of the elven territory. For that reason, he had trailed behind Eugene from the very beginning without attacking them. Eugene pondered.¡®What reason could the Head of the Council have for being interested in the elven territory¡­?¡¯ He couldn¡¯t think of anything. Could it be that Doynes also wanted to find Sienna? Well¡­ it seemed that just about everyone had some desire to find out where Sienna had disappeared. ¡®...But no.¡¯Eugene shook his head. The one who had really wanted to find the elven territory had to be the Demon King behind Barang. Which, in this case, was the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene had no desire to recall that name, or the figure associated with it. In his previous life, there was just one asion where he had ¡®seen¡¯ the Demon King of Destruction. Even then, they hadn¡¯te face-to-face, instead having spotted him while he was moving from a distant location¡­. No, had it just seemed like he was moving¡­? Had he really just been standing still? Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any certainty. The Demon King of Destruction was just such an existence. Eugene had only ever seen him that once, but everyone who had been there had shared the same gut feeling.Thatwasn¡¯t something that they could fight.Thatwasn¡¯t something that they stood any chance of resisting. Thatwas something iprehensible. The Demon King of Destruction was a uniquely strong and bizarre existence even amongst the five Demon Kings. They had only seen him that once, but everyone had immediately understood this fact. Killing the other Demon Kings was nothing more than a step forward in their goal to eventually reach the Demon King of Destruction, and their battle with him would be the ¡®final decisive battle¡¯ of the war. ¡®...The beastfolk have sworn their service to the Demon King of Destruction,¡¯Eugene recalled. The Demon King of Destruction was undoubtedly bizarre, but he wasn¡¯t one for solitude. Even back three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Destruction had had quite a few vassals. However, even in his avoidance of solitude, he still proved to be bizarre. Demon Kings were all able to grant their vassals power through various different methods. As one received this power from a Demon King, their soul was mortgaged to the Demon King. This form of contract was the same as the one used by the ordinary demonfolk. The Demon King of Destruction did ept vassals, but he didn¡¯t grant them the power that could be obtained from their contracts with the Demon King. So his vassals weren¡¯t forced to mortgage their souls to the Demon King of Destruction. That said, it didn¡¯t mean that their contracts were useless. Just being able to be a vassal of the Supreme Demon King, who ranked first in strength among all Demon Kings, was something special. In addition to this, their ¡®contracts¡¯ with the Demon King of Destruction marked them with an imprint that also gave them the knowledge of how to control demonic power. However, such an imprint gave a set amount of knowledge on how to control demonic power, only up to a certain extent. In other words, it was of limited value to other demonfolk or ck wizards. If they were going to sign a contract, even if it meant having to mortgage their souls, it was better for them to sign a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, who could promise a huge amount of ¡®power¡¯ in return. Something else that was clear was that the Demon King of Destruction wasn¡¯t focused on governing his vassals like the Demon King of Incarceration was. He didn¡¯t have much of a master-servant rtionship with his vassals. This bizarre Demon King didn¡¯t really meddle in the affairs of his vassals, much less anything else in the world. ¡®If the Demon King of Destruction is taking an interest in Sienna¡­ why wait until now?¡¯ For now, Eugene stopped trying to figure out what kind of conspiracy was going on. All that he could do at this point was make guesses. He needed more information. He needed to know what kind of position Barang, who had imed to be Jagon¡¯s sworn brother, had held amongst the other beastfolk and who he had been connected with. He also needed to know what kind of rumors were circting about the Raizakia staying in the Dragon Demon Castle. ~ ¡°Are your preparations done?¡± Eugene asked the crowd. Over a hundred elves had gathered in the center of the vige. The elves who had been injured in Barang¡¯s attack two days ago had all been healed by Kristina¡¯s holy magic. This meant that all the elves were able to move on their own two feet. ¡°They are,¡± Signard confirmed. Signard had also received the same treatment as the others. But the expressions of the elves, including him, weren¡¯t all that relieved. From now on, they would be leaving the vige that they had lived in for so long and would be forced to cross the hostile Rainforest. If they managed to arrive at their destination, they would have a much better life than the one that they had in this vige, but¡­ most of the elves still feared that this journey would end in failure. ¡°How¡¯s your body?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...Mm¡­¡± Signard hummed. The biggest problem that they faced was that several of the elves were infected with the Demonic Disease. Although the Demonic Disease wouldn¡¯t progress any further so long as they lived in this forest, if they were unlucky, they could die from the Demonic Disease as soon as they left it. ¡°...It seems fine,¡± Signard replied after some hesitation. Among the elves, the one with the most advanced case of the Demonic Disease was Signard, so he had been given a long branch to hold in his hand. No, he wasn¡¯t just holding it. Signard was reverently supporting the branch with both hands, as if he was serving as its vase or pedestal. This was the tree branch that Eugene had cut off the World Tree. Since the barriers of the vige were maintained by the saplings that sprouted off the World Tree, Eugene thought that branches cut from the World Tree might have a simr effect¡­. Fortunately, it seemed that things had worked out just as he¡¯d been expecting. ¡°...It feels sofortable, as if I¡¯ve finally returned home¡­,¡± Signard muttered. Eugene asked him bluntly, ¡°Isn''t that just an illusion on your part? Are you sure you¡¯refortable?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Signard stated confidently. ¡°Although it¡¯s only a branch¡­ I can feel the warmth of homeing from this.¡± ¡°...Is it something like the taste of your mom¡¯s stew?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Why would a branch taste like stew?¡± Signard scoffed. ¡°Why would a branch feel like home?¡± Eugene shot back as he drew Wynnyd. [I¡¯ve confirmed it. The spirit of the World Tree does reside in that branch.] ¡®If that¡¯s the case, doesn¡¯t that mean we can use Signard as a moving barrier?¡¯ [...A moving barrier¡­?] ¡®What? I¡¯m right, aren¡¯t I?¡¯ [Hm¡­ that certainly seems to be the case. You¡¯re right Hamel. The Demonic Disease won¡¯t be able to progress in an area around that elf.] ¡®Is it impossible to purify the diseasepletely?¡¯ [Well¡­ if it¡¯s not the World Tree itself, then I can¡¯t say for sure. After all, that¡¯s still just a branch¡­.] Tempest pondered this question for a few moments before continuing to speak. [However, if you nt that branch and those saplings together in your family¡¯s estate, they might one day be able to grow into a giant tree capable of purifying the elves of the Demonic Disease.] ¡®That will take quite a while,¡¯Eugene grumbled to himself with a sigh as he walked over to the saplings of the World Tree. There were three saplings in total. He had thought about cing them inside of his cloak, but he might cause the saplings to dry out and die. As such, he had no choice but to pull them out of the ground, roots and all, and take them with him. [To think that you¡¯re using such a barbaric method¡­.] ¡®What about it?¡¯Eugene asked defensively. ¡®It consumes a whole lot less mana to just uproot them and lift them in the air with your wind, than it would to make the ground flow like a river and carry the saplings.¡¯ [It¡¯s only thanks to me that the mana consumption of the first method is so low.] ¡®Uh-huh, thanks a lot,¡¯Eugene pacified Tempest and swung Wynnyd. A strong wind was called that uprooted the three saplings. As such, a bizarre spectacle was created. From now on, Eugene would have to cross the forest with three trees floating above his head and leading more than a hundred elves behind him. ¡°How tiresome,¡± Eugeneined to himself. He couldn¡¯t just carry the trees around with him either. Each time they had to take a break, the trees would also need to be rented and given time to recover, so that they didn¡¯t wither. The fairy trees that grew solely in Samar were strong enough that they wouldn¡¯t die so easily, and they even had the branch of the World Tree with them, so it was unlikely that they would truly wither and die, but¡­ better safe than sorry. ¡°I¡¯m already getting all impatient,¡± Eugene muttered as his brows furrowed, and he ced a hand inside of his cloak. When the saplings were uprooted, the barrier that had protected the vigepletely disappeared. Two days ago, Barang had attacked the vige by breaking through the barrier using his brute force. Imediately afterwards, he had fought with Eugene and had even been driven tomit suicide. The loud explosion that Barang had created with his death had caused enough of a fuss to attract the attention of the nearby tribes. It was likely due to the barrier having been broken, but they had noticed that this ce seemed to have something to do with the vige of the wandering elves. As a result, quite a lot of the natives had gathered in the surrounding forest. Eugene had no intention of trying to negotiate with them. No matter what he tried, their group couldn¡¯t help but stand out, and unless he was willing to give up on the elves, they would continue to be attacked. Eugene had finished thest of his tasks in this forest. Since he had already been exposed, there wasn¡¯t any need to keep being so careful. Eugene took out a bow from his cloak. The bow named Thunderbolt Pernoa shone with a golden light. With its huge size, it couldn¡¯t bepared with an ordinary bow. Eugene held the bow that was as tall as he was in one hand and aimed it at the sky. He had now reached the Fifth Star of the White me Form. Although it had only been an increase of one Star, Eugene¡¯s mana had doubled from what it had been before. The use of Thunderbolt consumed even more mana than the Dragon Spear, but as he was now, Eugene was able to use the bow without much of a burden. ¡°Cover your ears,¡± Eugene warned them in advance. The elves, who were filled with worries about their future, turned to look at Eugene. If it was in the past, they might not have followed his warning. However the elves had seen Eugene fighting with Barang. They had seen the overwhelming power with which Eugene had defeated that terrifying invader. ¡°Yes,¡± they quickly acquiesced. The elves no longer doubted Eugene. And among the elves, Narissa and Lavera in particr looked at Eugene with an admiration that went beyond trust, even as they covered their ears as he had instructed. ¡°Are you nning on killing all of them?¡± Signard asked. ¡°Do you really see me as such a butcher?¡± Eugene retorted with a smirk as he spread his arms. The bow didn¡¯t appear to have a string, but as he bent his fingers, a thin strand of light appeared in the ce of the bowstring and was caught by his fingers. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll just give them a warning shot,¡± Eugene stated. Buzzbuzz! An electric current flowed through the taut bowstring. ¡°If they still chase after us after this¡­¡± Eugene¡¯s mana, amplified by the Ring me Form, was converted into lightning. ¡°...then, well, it can¡¯t be helped.¡± His fingers released the bowstring. A small lightning bolt was shot up into the sky. Soon after¡­. Krakoom! A huge lightning boltnded in the distance. Chapter 114: Forest (1)

Chapter 114: Forest (1)

¡°Well.¡± Pat!The man patted Eugene¡¯s back with hisrge hand. In his own way, he was showing affection but his hand was so barbaricallyrge that his light pat was enough to shake Eugene¡¯s entire body. ¡°See youter,buddy,¡±theman said. ¡°Who says that I¡¯m your buddy?¡± After bncing his body, Eugene looked sharply at him. His eyes were somewhat sharp, but he didn¡¯t look so threatening. Due to ring ever since he was a baby, only his eyes looked threatening, and he was objectively handsome, very handsome. A frowning handsome kid wasn¡¯t enough to intimidate the man. That was understandable ¡ª the man himself looked very intimidating. ck tattoos covered his brown-colored body. There were also several scars on his face.Therefore, no matter how hard Eugene frowned, it was nothingpared to the man¡¯s smiling face. It wasn¡¯t just this man. Dozens of natives behind the man all had threatening appearances and sizes. Zoran Tribe ¡ª they were one of the biggest tribes in Samar. The man beside Eugene was a young heir of the Zoran Tribe. Judging from his looks, it was hard to believe that he was young; however, the man was surprisingly neen years old, the same age as Eugene. ¡°We arebuddies because we shared the drink.¡± ¡°I only drank it becauseyou were hell-bent on making me drink it.¡± Grumbling, Eugene turned his head away. He had met the Zoran Tribe a month ago, not long after leaving the elven sanctuary. When Eugene was done shooting out lightning using the Thunderbolt bow, he and the elves departed right away. These not-so-intelligent natives were taken aback, because thunder struck the ground like rain. Still, they rushed in for the elves¡¯ great migration, drooling. Eugene took out a lot of natives, really a lot. In thebeginning, he hadn¡¯t been nning on killing them, but he found that he could not go easy on them. If he did not make them fear him, then the number of attackers would only increase, and they would keeping at him. This was going to be one hell of a journey. On the first day of their journey, he took out nearly a hundred natives. The timing for their departure had turned out to be rather terrible. There was a ve market nearby, and many tribal warriors participated in it.For them,chasing and hunting a hundred elves was just a fun after-party. Eugene expected the ambush to continue all night. To prepare, he discussed with Kristina about using the World Tree¡¯s sapling to put up a barrier and keep an eye on things, and maybe calling for backup. Evatar, the heir of Zoran, came to visit. Eugene noticed that other tribes were tantly tiptoeing around Evatar, so instead of blindly attacking, Eugene weed Evatar for the time being. ¡ªYou. You are strong.[1] After introducing himself and his tribe, Evatar grinned and offered his hand. ¡ªI knowwhat me you are wearing. ¡ªSo what? Are you going to take advantage or something? ¡ªIf I do so, then I will lose many Zoran warriors. Evatar didn¡¯t seem hostile. ¡ªThose elves,are they your ves? ¡ªNo, they aren¡¯t. ¡ªThen what are you doing? ¡ªI¡¯m going to take them out of this fucking forest. ¡ªWhere are you taking them? ¡ªTo the Lionheart territory. ¡ªSo if I help you, then I help Lionheart. Evatar didn¡¯t even ask for Eugene¡¯s permission. When Evatar signaled to his warriors, they nted Zoran gs around the camp. That was it. The Samar natives were more scared of Zoran than of an outsider who threw shes of lightning, stirred up a storm, and shot out God knew what. Evatar and the Zoran warriors became their volunteer guards for a month, throughout the journey across the Samar Rainforest. Just traveling with them was enough to make other tribes not attack anymore. ¡°I will visit Lionheart someday.¡± ¡°I told you this several times, but I haven¡¯t asked you to do this,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that Zoran helped you.¡± During their trip, Eugene talked with Evatar about many things. Samar natives did not like the Kiehl Empire. For them, the Kiehl Empire was just an invader that entered the rainforest without permission, ruined the forest as they pleased, and kept trying to make the forest a part of theirnd. Most tribes would think that way, but it was different with the Great Tribes. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call the Great Tribes, located deep in the big rainforest, small countries. A tribe of that size usually became involved with various parties, and that applied to the Zoran Tribe, too. ¡°Eugene Lionheart. Even if you don¡¯t be the Patriarch, Lionheart will not be able to ignore your presence and power,¡±Evatar said. When Eugene had first met Evatar, thetter had reminded Eugene of Molon. They looked nothing alike, but they were both muscr giants and didn¡¯t speak themonnguage very well. ¡°I want to beyour friend for that reason. We are same age and strong. It won¡¯t be bad for you to be friends with me.¡± It turned out that they were different, after all.Evatar was smarter than Molon. ¡°I think youactually benefited, didn¡¯t you? If I did not protect you and the elves, you would not have arrived here today.¡± ¡°Then wouldI havedied midway?¡± ¡°Haha! Youare not. You are strong. But. You, Signard, Kristina wouldn¡¯t have been able to protect a hundred elves without a scar.¡± Evatar guffawed and pped Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°It will be very difficult. It will take longer to get here and you will be very tired.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t deny it. It was the undeniable truth that Evatar and Zoran warriors made the journey reallyfortable. Without them, Eugene¡¯s group would have had to stop and shut themselves inside the barrier. If they tried to call for backup, the journey would have be longer, as they would have been forced to travel back and forth. ¡°I¡¯m not asking you for something materialistic,¡± Evatar said as he smiled.¡°Someday, when I visit the Lionheartmansion. I just hope you will greet me as your guest.¡± ¡°That, I can do.¡± Eugene also believed that it was good to make an alliance with Evatar. He wasn¡¯t sure if he was going to visit Samar in the future, but there was no harm in bing friends with the heir of a Grand Tribe. ¡®I can also understand their situation.¡¯ Helmuth supported the Samar natives¡¯ freedom.Thereason why the Kiehl Empire couldn¡¯t just send the army to conquer Samar was that several countries, including Helmuth, were holding the Kiehl Empire in check. As such, there were some tribes that directly made exchanges with the demonfolk in Helmuth. The most powerful tribe of all was theKochitribe. They were the biggest tribe in the Samar Rainforest and also ruled over several nearby tribes. Considering its size, it would have been natural for many rumors about the KochiTribe to exist, but there weren¡¯t any. It was partially due to theirnd being the backwoods of backwoods, and partially due to the fact that the tribe was excessively secluded.They never participated in the ve market when most tribes did, and apart from the tribes they ruled over, they never made exchanges with anyone. Eugene didn¡¯t think Kochi or a Helmuth-affiliated tribe was behind Barang, but he had to stay on guard since Helmuth was involved. He didn¡¯t say that aloud in front of Evatar. It wasn¡¯t a bad thing to make an alliance with the Zoran Tribe, but Eugene didn¡¯t trust Evatar yet. He benefited from Evatar and the Zoran Tribe during their journey, but it was too soon to trust them. ¡°I don¡¯t care about visiting, but don¡¯t smuggle yourself in. If you are going toe over, go through the proper channels and send me a letter before you do.¡± ¡°I do havemon sense,¡± Evatar guffawed. * * * Anci Caines, the Lionheart Patriarch¡¯s second wife, started her morning early. She usually woke up before daybreak, but she did not head out of the room straight away. Although her husband, Gilead, and her lovely children weren¡¯t in the main house right now, she wanted to maintain her dignity as the second mistress of the prestigious Lionheart house. She had to always look perfect. She especially could never show others her shabby face after she woke up.That was why Anci began to prepare all by herself, without the servant¡¯s help, right after she woke up. She took a bath, dried andbed her hair, did her makeup, and chose her outfit for the day. Although she had no ns to go outside and no expected guests either, that did not prevent her from doing her best to appear decent. After hours of preparation, the sun finally rose. If the Patriarch and her children had been in the house, she would have had breakfast with them. However, there were only Anci and Gerhard there right now. She didn¡¯t want to appear hostile, and she made sure she was on good terms with him. Still, eating alone with him¡­ was rather awkward. Gerhard also felt the same way, so they rarely shared the same table. Today¡¯s morning was just like a usual morning ¡ª Gerhard in the annex and Anci in the main house. With a servant apanying her, Anci sat in front of the table and smelled the coffee in her cup. A cup of coffee without a single grain of sugar and a te of fresh sd were in front of her. The ¡®dignity¡¯ Anci pursued included looks. The clean diet and steady exercise were part of her efforts to show dignity as the second wife of the Lionheart Patriarch. She didn¡¯t only value appearance, however. While the Patriarch was away, Anci managed all affairs in the main house, particrly the social events. There were a lot of parties during the New Year. There was a party hosted by Marquess Ragos next week. The invitation said the party was to celebrate the new year, but Anci knew that the party was actually about showing off Ragos¡¯s power. It wasn¡¯t rare for nobles to do this. Most high-ranking nobles¡¯ parties were about showing off their power. The nobles kept each other in check by showing off in terms of both party fanciness and guests¡¯ ranks.They alsorevised their rtionships by checking who refused the invitations and who went to whose party. ¡°Marquess Ragos and Count Berid are having their parties on the same date. They are being very obvious,¡±Anci snorted. She received the invitations from both of them.As the most prestigious house in the Kiehl ¡ª no, the continent, the Lionheart n could participate in any party. The hosts were the ones who were fretting about Lionheart¡¯s attendance. ¡®Which party shall I attend¡­¡¯Anci joyfully wondered, and turned over the report after checking the guest list. In this report, there was a lot of information aside from the party. It was about the various rumors regarding Lionheart¡¯s coteral descendants, from who got married and gave birth to children to¡­ ¡°Puhh.¡± Anci spat out the fragrant coffee in her mouth. The shocked servant approached, but Anci couldn¡¯t care about the servant and her dignity as the second wife. ¡°¡­What¡¯s up with this report?!¡± Anci sprang right up from her seat, shuddering. She went through the coffee-stained report multiple times. Feeling dizzy, she copsed back onto the chair. ¡®Whatin the world is up with him¡­ what has he done?¡¯ The report also included Eugene¡¯s whereabouts and status. Yesterday, Eugene hade back through the Kiehl Empire¡¯s south gate. That alone was enough to astound Anci. When had he left Kiehl in the first ce? She knew that Eugene had left the ck Lion Knight¡¯s castle. She didnot know his exact destination, but she had assumed that it was somewhere in the Kiehl Empire. However, the report said Eugene had arrived at the Empire through the south gate. South. Samar Rainforest. When? Why Samar? That wasn¡¯t it, either. Right up to the south gate, Eugene had been escorted by the Great Zoran Tribe, one of the most powerful tribes in Samar. ¡°And elves?¡± She had no idea why Eugene got involved with the Samar¡¯s barbarians in the first ce, but now Eugene had also brought a hundred elves and three trees floating above their heads? ¡°Andtreeees?!¡± Anci pinched her thigh, wondering if she was dreaming. It hurt, which meant this wasn¡¯t a dream. This unbelievable report was all true. Eugene had been escorted by Samar natives, leading a hundred elves, with three trees floating above their heads. In front of the public, he had passed through the gate, stayed the night in the southern city, and arrived this morning at the warp gate in the capital Ceres¡­ The report was too ridiculous. Anci btedly came to her senses and first wiped the coffee on her mouth with the handkerchief. ¡°The carriage¡­Bring the carriage¡­¡± ¡°Lady Anci.¡± The mansion¡¯s butler hurriedly approached Anci. ¡°We receiveda message from the warp gate.¡± ¡°¡­What message¡­?¡± ¡°The warp gate in Ceres is requesting to be connected¡­¡± ¡°For whom?!¡± ¡°Master Eugene,mydy¡­¡± Hunching his shoulder, the butler answered. Anci moaned as she held on to her head. ¡°¡­What on earth is with that child?¡± ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t received reports about him heading to Samar, so why is heing from Samar?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°What is up with the elves? He didn¡¯t just bring one or two elves, but a hundred of them? Where on earth did he bring those elves from in the first ce? Of course, Samar! Why did he bring A HUNDRED ELVES FROM SAMAR?!¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°Why did he have trees floating above his head! Why is he doing those things in the open!Why wouldhe volunteer to be a clown!¡± ¡°That¡­I¡¯m not sure¡­¡± ¡°Let them do what they want!¡± After yelping, Anci copsed on her seat again. ¡°¡­Prepare the carriage.¡± ¡°Are you going to meet him?¡± ¡°Then shall I not meet him? ShallI not connect the warp gate and just ask him to walk?¡± Regretting his question, the butler lowered his head without answering. ¡°How could he do that? That¡­that bas¡­that boy¡­ mischievous boy!¡± As she caught her breath, Anci clenched her fists. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± After pouring out her anger on the butler, Anci gently smiled at Eugene who passed the gate. ¡°My¡­this is unexpected. Are they your friends?¡± She was burning up inside.Still, shecouldn¡¯t show it to Eugene. Seven years had passed since Eugene had be an adopted son of the main house, and Anci had never lost herposure in front of Eugene in all this time. ¡°One, two¡­Oh, my¡­You brought so¡­many friends.¡± ¡°Are you angry?¡± Eugene saw Anci''s eyes twitch. ¡°Oh, no¡­Angry¡­Why would I be angry? There¡¯s nothing to be mad about bringing friends.¡± ¡®I think you are angry¡­¡¯Eugene thought. Anci spoke too kindly. Eugene threw a nce at the servants and knights behind Anci. He met the eyes of Hazard, the captain of the second division. Hazardslightly hunched his shoulder and moved his lips. ¡°Umm¡­ They aren¡¯t friends,¡± Eugene said, after ncing back. Including Signard, a hundred elves were standing behind him. ¡°Then¡­who are they?¡± ¡°Families.¡± ¡°Families¡­? Eugene, I¡¯m not sure what you are talking about right now.¡± Anci held up her feather fan to hide the twitching corner of her mouth. ¡°Umm¡­they are more of neighbors¡­than families.¡± ¡°¡­You lost me.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the main house¡¯s forest wide?¡± Eugene asked innocently. ¡°¡­The forestis¡­wide.It has many trees. And whatare the trees over your head?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to nt them in the forest.¡± ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t there a lot of them already? Why those trees specifically? Is there a reason for you to bring some trees floating above your head?¡± ¡°These are expensive and rare trees.¡± ¡°¡­That is nice.So, what do the elves have to do with the wide forest¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to let them live in the forest,¡± Eugene said ashe awkwardly smiled. The fan in Anci¡¯s hand was crushed. Chapter 115: Forest (2)

Chapter 115: Forest (2)

Although Anci was the second mistress of the main family, she could not control her daring adopted son. It may have been possible when Eugene was young and he had just been adopted, but now, Eugene was an adult. For a long time, Anci had properly faced reality. Her biological children, the twins, were truly outstanding prodigies. If she hadn¡¯t met Eugene, she may have thought her children were geniuses, like any other mother would have. However, shehadmet Eugene, so she could no longer think the twins were that great geniuses. Fortunately, the child didn¡¯t wish to be the Patriarch. If anything, he rather loathed the idea of bing the Patriarch. Thus, there was no reason for her to be hostile toward him. As such, ever since Eugene had be her adopted son, Anci had tried to be on good terms with him. She had also coaxed Cyan, who had been caught in his immaturity and ego. Then, she had reasoned with the curious, mischievous Ciel so that she wouldn¡¯t provoke Eugene too much. Anci herself tried not to provoke him, for that matter. Cyan and Ciel had ended up bing close with Eugene. Although they were rted by little blood, the three had be true siblings. Cyan had turned his inferiorityplex into a desire to improve himself. Instead of hating Eugene, who was better than him, Cyan yearned for him and wanted to follow in Eugene¡¯s footsteps. It was also simr for Ciel. She didn¡¯t have a massive inferiorityplex like Cyan, but she had definitely been motivated by Eugene and Cyan. She didn¡¯t try to ck off in her training. All the while, Ciel was conscious of Eugene in a different way than Cyan. In Anci¡¯s eyes, their rtionship was very peaceful and satisfying. Eugene wouldn¡¯t be the Patriarch in the end. Even Ciel had chosen to join the ck Lion instead ofpeting with her biological older brother to be the Patriarch. Cyan was trying his best to be a person who could live up to the title of the Patriarch¡ªtrying to use the things that were ¡®conceded¡¯ to him. Anci didn¡¯t want to do anything to ruin this desirable dynamic. What if that daring child changed his mind when she acted unfriendly? ¡­Cough. Anci cleared her throat and fidgeted with her fingers. Her crushed fan swung in the air, a terribly pathetic sight. ¡°Their stories¡­I am sorry to hear that.¡± The fact that elves were persecuted for their natural beauty and longevity, was famous. To be honest, Anci felt sorry for the elves ¡ª to die from the Demonic Disease that only affected elves, to wander around the rainforest because they couldn¡¯t go back to their home, to be hunted by ve traders and Samar natives, to be sold as ves¡­ ¡®¡­Well¡­ there is no harmin taking them in. Wouldn¡¯t it be a chance for the Lionheart to gain more status?¡¯ Anci quickly thought about it. As far as she knew, there was no house that sheltered that many elves on the continent. ¡°¡­Is there anything that I could do to help¡­¡± ¡°I won¡¯t bother you, Lady Anci.¡± It was already bothersome enough! She tried to see this incident in a positive light, but she couldn¡¯t. Now, the elves were a little over a hundred, but wouldn¡¯t their number increase over time? The more troubling matter was that she could not even use those elves as servants of the main house. They would just live in the forest. In the end, she understood. She had to. Well, there were a lot of questions she wanted to ask. She now knew why Eugene had gone to Samar Rainforest without letting anyone know about his destination ¡ª he had been trying to look for the elven sanctuary where Sienna the Wise had secluded herself. ¡®That is a very important matter, why would you be the one to do it? And why did you do it with just two people?'' On top of that, his femalepanion was none other than Kristina Rogeris, the saint candidate of the Holy Empire. Kristina was standing so naturally beside Eugene right now that it confused Anci more. Eugene had gone to the ck Lion''s castle for his Coming-Of-Age ceremony,so how had he ended up in the Samar Rainforest to find Sienna the Wise out of the blue? Had only the two of them gone together? In the end, Anci didn''t pry any further. Holding down the sighs that were about to burst out of her, she nodded. ¡°¡­Still, I have to help with something. I will summon the workers to build some houses in the forest. Until then¡­¡± ¡°Doesn''t the annex that I use have many empty rooms? I will just tell them to stay in the annex until then. If they say they don''t like it because it''s ufortable, then I will let them stay on their own in the forest.¡± ¡°¡­What about their meals?¡± ¡°I will tellNinato take care of it.¡± Seven years ago, Nina had just finished her apprenticeship as a maid, but now, she was overseeing the servants in the annex. ¡®¡­That means theLionheart n still has to feed them, right?¡¯ Did he know? Everything that happened in the estate, whether in the main halls or the annex, went through Anci. Of course, Eugene knew that. ''Well, the Lionheart n is filthy rich anyway.¡¯ He didn''t give a hoot. * * * ¡°It''s a nice forest.¡± After Anci returned, Signard finally spoke his mind. He nodded as he took a look around the vast Lionheart forest. ¡°The trees,the earth, everything is well managed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a forest.¡± ¡°I really like thatit doesn¡¯t smell unpleasant.¡± ¡°Unpleasantsmell?¡± ¡°Smell of blood,¡± Signard answered as heughed. ¡°It always smelled like blood in Samar Rainforest. I often heard screams there, but this ce is peaceful and nice.¡± It had to be ¡ª after all, this forest was included in the main house¡¯s estate. There were no barbarians who indulged in territorial disputes. There were no monsters. Many animals freely roamed thend, but there were no predators who could destroy the forest¡¯s ecosystem. Since it was winter, there weren¡¯t many leaves on the trees, either. Nevertheless, the forest was peaceful and beautiful. ¡°Thereis also plenty of mana.¡± Signard turned his head toward the far end of the forest. ¡°It¡¯s the Lionheart¡¯s leyline.¡± ¡°¡­Was that always there?¡± ¡°It is said thatthe Great Vermouth made it.¡± As Eugene said so, he signaled something to Signard. Eugene had said that dozens of times to Signard before they had gotten here ¡ª to watch his mouth. Signard knew Eugene was Hamel. That was why Signard needed to be careful. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­I see.¡± ¡®The Great Vermouth¡­¡¯The corner of Signard¡¯s mouth twitched as Eugene spoke. If they had been alone, Signard would have definitely teased him, but he couldn¡¯t do so now. There were other elves, and there was also Kristina. ¡°Let¡¯s pick the ce to settle down first.¡± Eugene led the way and entered the forest. For a second, he thought the location didn¡¯t matter but it soon became apparent that it wasn¡¯t the case. [Go a little bit deeper.] ¡®Are you sure?¡¯ [I¡¯m sure. TheWorld Tree¡¯s spirit wishes for a deeper, denser, and livelier ce.] Tempest¡¯s voice was echoing inside his head. He could feel andmunicate with The World Tree¡¯s spirit in the seedling, guiding Eugene to find the ce that the spirit wanted. [This ce will do. The wind likes this ce.] ¡°¡­This ce is¡­.¡± Eugene took a look around, feeling odd. The Lionheart leyline was nearby; he had visited this ce when he was thirteen years old, as he had started to sense mana there.Staring at the farawayhut,Eugene touched Wynnyd¡¯s handle on his waist. ¡®It¡¯s close to the leyline. Does it mean anything special?¡¯ [Something must be special. Like I said before, a primal spirit is another form of mana.] The World Tree¡¯s spiritwas basicallyaprimal spirit. AsEugene listened to Tempest, he tried to be conscious of the wind, but he couldn¡¯t feel anything. It was understandable. The wind just naturallyexisted. No matter how great the spirit summoner was, it was impossible to perfectly control a primal spirit that didn¡¯t have a form. The primal spirits of wind, earth, water, and fire allowed the elements to hold a form, and the elements imbued the spirits with power. The Samar natives, who were born and raised in the forest, received help and protection from the primal spirits, and so did the elves. Still, they merely received help from the primal spirits ¡ª they didn¡¯t control, much less dominate them. [Thisleyline is not natural. Vermouth made it, so the mana in that leyline is artificially distorted.] It was unbelievable, but Vermouth had actually pulled it off. [Hmm¡­] Tempest became a gust of wind and hovered around Eugene. [Hamel. You must know this too, butthe mana in that artificial leyline isn¡¯t infinite.] Mana existed everywhere in the world, and a leyline held an overwhelminglyrge amount of mana. Still, it wasn¡¯t infinite. If a person trained their mana in a leyline, they could progress at a fast pace. However, if someone stayed for too long in the leyline,the mana in the leyline would be eventually depleted. That was why the Lionheart¡¯s leyline was under strict management. [If you nt the seedling of the World Tree in thisnd, that leyline will be moreplete.] ¡®Are you saying mana in this region will increase?¡¯ [I guess so.] Eugene also knew that a leyline was convenient. However, the more he mastered mana, the less he would benefit from the leyline. The cores weren¡¯t something that could be strengthened with just a lot of mana. ¡®Any ordinary leyline will benefit from this.¡¯ The World Tree in the elven sanctuary came to Eugene¡¯s mind. The mana in the sanctuary was almost non-existent, but there was more mana inside the World Tree than in any other ces Eugene remembered. ¡°Imade a good choice bringing them here,¡± Eugene suddenly murmured. ¡°What are youtalking about?¡±Signard asked back. ¡°To imagine that you guys are going to live happily in this forest after going through all those fucking hardships, my heart is deeply touched.¡± Eugene made up excuses. His excuses touched the hearts of Signard and the elves. Eugene stirred up the wind and hastily cleared the unevennd. After that, he dug a hole in the spot Tempest designated and nted the seedlings and branches of the World Tree. ¡®¡­Nothing is happening¡­¡¯ Eugene was about to bring this up, but he was shocked by an abrupt change. He bent down and stroked the ground with his hands. He could feel a faint warmth in this dry, coldnd.There was also aslight tremor. Theroots of the seedlings spread far and deep into the earth, while their branches energetically stretched wide. Their leaves became more alive. The branches from the World Tree itself lightly wavered too. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Elves eximed to the sight. They heard the forest¡¯s joyous voice. Along with Signard, the elves born in the sanctuary saw the grand World Tree in the small seedlings and branches. Some elves shed tears as they couldn¡¯t hold back their thrill anymore. ¡°¡­Indeed.¡± Kristinaexpressed her admiration in a low voice and brought her hands in front of the chest.¡°These things arethe true miracles.¡± ¡°These miracles weren¡¯t done by your god.¡± ¡°Yes, I am aware of that.However, a revtion of God led us here¡­Not allmiraclesare done by the God of Light himself, but every miracle holds light.¡± ring at the smiling Kristina, Eugene shook his head. ¡®Themana doesn¡¯t seem to be increasing right away.¡¯ [After some time passes, the leyline will also begin to change.] ¡®It¡¯s meaningless if it takes too long.¡¯ [You don¡¯t have to worry about such stuff. You won¡¯t be able to feel this, but the primal spirit in thisnd is answering to the World Tree¡­] ¡®Does it mean therewillbe moreofthe World Tree¡¯s spirit?¡¯ [Yes, this forest in the estate will soon turn into the most beautiful and lively forest on this continent. Elves will live on in this forest and look after everything in this forest ¡ª the earth, the trees, the forest. They will also harmonize with the World Tree¡¯s spirit, and that way, the number of fairy trees will increase. As they grow, the entire forest will turn into a leyline.] ¡®¡­.¡¯ [Yes, the forest will turn into aleyline. The Lionheart¡¯s leyline will bear far more vast mana than before.] ¡®I guess I won¡¯t have to hire any more forest keepers orndscapers.¡¯ [¡­What?] ¡®You said so yourself. The elves will tend to theforest. I am a human, so I thought it was a bit too much to ask them to earn their keep¡­ Well, if they do thendscaping, then that sorts out the problem.¡¯ [¡­Hamel¡­] ¡®What? I¡¯m right, do you have any idea how wide this forest is? I can¡¯t just let the forest be, it needs to be pruned and grafted each season. Anyhow, there are a lot of things to be done. If the elves do those on their own¡­¡¯ Tempest shut his mouth. ¡°Here, listen up.¡± Eugene gathered the thrilled elves in one ce. ¡°We got permission from Lady Anci and nted the trees.¡± He talked casually to Signard, but he couldn¡¯t do that to the other elves. ¡°I may not have to even say these things, but you are not allowed to leave the estate. If you really wish to, then inform the Lionheart servants beforehand. I won¡¯t say you can never go out, but wouldn¡¯t it be tiring for all of us if you get into a quarrel outside?¡± Hunting elves was illegal, and the capital, Ceres, was pretty safe. Still, there was always that ¡®if.¡¯ ¡°I will tell the Lionheart knights toapany you when you wish to go out of the estate, and the servants will provide thenecessities.Please show your hands if you don¡¯t want to live here and want to seek freedom otherwise.¡± No elves raised their hands ¡°Yeah, of course, you do. I don¡¯t care what you do in the forest, but do you see the cabin over there? Don¡¯t go there,ever,¡± Eugene emphasized, pointing at the leyline. ¡°If you go there, I willget angry. And another thing, you wille across the knights, servants, and other workers of Lionhearts as you stay in this forest. Don¡¯t look down on them or pick a fight.¡± ¡°Do you need to mention it?¡±Signard asked, ring at Eugene.¡°It¡¯s not like before¡­.¡± Eugene red back. Signard cleared his throat and continued.¡°¡­Hmm.Elven elitism was a given 300 years ago, but not now, the elves are in a difficult position.¡± ¡°Not all elves are like that, are they?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°¡­Butthe elves here fear humans, so they won¡¯t look down on them.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You have a point. Then to the next matter¡­ Probably starting tomorrow, people wille and build a vige for you guys. Where do you guys wish to stay before it¡¯spleted?¡± Signard took the lead and gathered the elves¡¯ opinions. ¡°¡­Most elveswant to stay in the forest, but some say they want to go to the annex.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Eugene,do you live in that annex?¡± ¡°I live there¡­and my father lives there.¡± ¡°There are some elves who used to be servants. They wish to repay you by serving you.¡± ¡°Serve me¡­?¡±Eugene said with a sour face. Ten elves stepped forward. The one-legged Narissa and the one-eyed Lavera were among them. ¡°Were youa servant?¡± ¡°Some¡­thing like that,¡± Narissaanswered. ¡°Do youknow how to clean?¡± ¡°¡­I do know how.¡± It was a lie. She had stayed in a mansion when she was a ve, but she had never cleaned anything. Still, she could do it if she tried. Feeling the groundless confidence rising up, Narissa clenched her fists. ¡°What about cooking?¡± ¡°I think I can learn.¡± Lavera had never cooked anything. ¡°I am confident when ites to eating.¡± This wasn¡¯t a lie. In her days of being abused as a ve, Lavera had eaten all sorts of disgusting, terrible things, then vomited and suffered to satisfy her master¡¯s sadistic desires. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­.¡± They said they wanted to repay Eugene by bing his servants, so there wasn¡¯t much Eugene could say to that. Besides, training apprentice servants wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s job. ¡®Nina will take care of it.¡¯ He didn¡¯t really care either. * * * The desert warrior, Laman Schulhov, had been having an identity crisis over the past few months. The beard was a symbol of power for the desert men. The lowlifes couldn¡¯t have a beard. In Nahama, the more power the person had, the more voluminous and cool their beard. Laman¡¯s former master and emir of Kajitan, Tairi Al-Madani, had a bushy beard. Laman¡¯s beard was iparable to his, but it was pretty neat nevertheless. It was Laman¡¯s small joy in life to brush his beard using scented oil every morning¡­ His precious beard had been shaved off on his first day in the Lionheart mansion. Since he hade to Kiehl ¡ª no, to the Lionheart n, he had to follow the Lionhearts¡¯w.Ironically, his new master, Eugene, hadn¡¯t been the one to enforce thew on Laman. The one to do it was Nina. She oversaw the servants in this annex and she didn¡¯t allow Laman to keep his beard. Her reason was simple: his beard did not match his butler outfit. Laman argued that he was a warrior, but as far as Nina was concerned, the only ¡®warriors¡¯ here were the knights of the main house. Laman couldn¡¯t be a knight of the main house. Nina didn¡¯t have the authority to knight him, and Eugene didn¡¯t wish to do it. In the end, Laman had be a butler. He trained from time to time, but he spent most of his day in the annex, handling the trivial works given by Nina. The cause of his identity crisis was that¡­ he unexpectedly enjoyed those works. The big master, Gehard, was humorous and kind. Nina was indeed hard on Laman, but she took care of him so he wouldn¡¯t have any problem living in the Lionheart house. Other servants, who had first been wary of Laman because he was from Nahama, had be friendly after watching Laman working hard. He had never experienced this kind of life in Nahama. This ce was peaceful and nice. There were no sandstorms, no warriors checking on him, and no suspicious conspiracy. However, Laman never let go of his pride as Eugene¡¯s right-hand man.He was working as the butler of the annex right now, but someday, he would return to being a warrior and follow Eugene¡¯s lead. Eugene never said such things to Laman, but that was what thetter nned. His master had saved his life not only once, but multiple times. Laman had to repay him somehow. ¡°¡­¡± Laman absentmindedly stood and looked at Eugene. No, he looked at the ten elves standing behind Eugene. The elves were so beautiful¡­ There were both males and females, and the male elves were as beautiful as the females. ¡°¡­You are truly somethingelse, Master Eugene!¡± Lamanstayed silent for a moment, but then he nodded. ¡°You have an elven harem!Even the harem of my former master, Tairi Al-Madani, only had one elf¡­¡± ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡±Eugene said as he kicked Laman¡¯s shin. Laman yelped and grabbed onto his aching shin. ¡°These guys willwork here, starting today.¡± ¡°Par¡­Pardon?¡± Laman lifted his head in shock. ¡°Then what about me?¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°If thoseelves work in this annex, will I be a warrior and follow you?¡± ¡°Why do you keep speaking bullshit?¡± Dumbstruck, Eugene stared at Laman. ¡°Ibrought you here because you said you wanted to tag along. That¡¯s it.¡± ¡°You have saved my life twice, Master Eugene. As a warrior, I just wish to repay that¡­¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do anything for me right now. Not with your skills, anyway.So, if you want to repay me, keep working hard here,¡± Eugene said. Laman didn¡¯t feel humiliated by Eugene¡¯s remark. ¡®I will try tobe of help to Master Eugene.¡¯ Laman was determined not to neglect his training as a warrior, all while faithfully carrying out his tasks as a butler. Chapter 116: Akasha (1)

Chapter 116: Akasha (1)

Nina didn¡¯t know what to say and could only blink speechlessly. The same went for Gerhard. He unconsciously ran his hand down his much-reduced belly as he gazed at his son, who he had been reunited with after a few months of absence. Yet, despite their reunion, Gerhard couldn¡¯t allow himself to burst into tears of happiness. Eugene was now an adult and Gerhard was well aware that his son could no longer be treated as a child. Gerhard hesitantly said, ¡°...To think I would live to see the day¡­ where you would actually take elves as your servants¡­.¡± Nina didn¡¯t say anything, but she felt the same way as Gerhard. She had never thought that, in all her life, the day woulde when she would have to train a couple of elves. ¡°...Do they really intend to serve as servants of the annex?¡± Nina asked doubtfully. ¡°They don¡¯t want to work for the main house,¡± Eugene exined. There were already enough servants for all of the annex¡¯s needs. In the first ce, the only ones living here were Eugene and Gerhard. And even then, Eugene was away from the main estate most of the time, so Gerhard was in fact usually living in the annex all on his own. While there were a lot of things that Nina could teach them, she had to wonder just when exactly they would get a chance to put those things into practice, but¡­ it couldn¡¯t be helped. Since Eugene had already said that he would ept them as his servants, Nina felt that she shouldn¡¯t put up any resistance. Eugene awkwardly began, ¡°Um, well, I know it¡¯s a bit tactless for me to say this right after returning from a few months away from home, but¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re nning on going somewhere else again?¡± Gerhard asked with an indignant snort. ¡°There¡¯s a really important matter that I need to deal with,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°I need to head back to Aroth for a while.¡± ¡°Still, at least this time you¡¯re letting us know in advance.¡± ¡°Father, are you really still annoyed by that?¡± ¡°Who¡¯s annoyed, you brat? You¡¯re just darting around wherever you please, so what¡¯s there for me to get annoyed about?¡± Gerhard responded sarcastically. It was a pity that Eugene had left right after returning from the ck Lion Castle, without even sparing a single word for Gerhard, but to think that he had actually sneaked off to Samar, which was rumored to be very dangerous! Eugene tried to soothe his father. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going somewhere dangerous this time, and I don¡¯t want to lie to you either. It probably won¡¯t take too long before I¡¯m done and on my way back.¡± ¡°¡­Ahem.¡± Gerhard prompted him with a cough. ¡°And after I¡¯ve returned, I¡¯ll stay here quietly for a while without leaving to go somewhere else,¡± Eugene promised. Gerhard eventually relented. ¡°...There¡¯s no need to go that far. It¡¯s just that as your birth father, I still have to showsomeconcern for my only son. What parent in this world would feel d to hear of their children bing involved in such dangerous affairs?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure there would be a few,¡± Eugene argued. Gerhard snorted. ¡°...Hmph¡­ well, that might be, but I¡¯m not that sort of person. Eugene, do you really think that your father is someone who would enjoy hearing about his child facing dangers and misfortunes?¡± ¡°Eh, of course not,¡± Eugene responded immediately. ¡°As your son, I know better than anyone how much my father cares about me and wants to show me his love.¡± At these words, Gerhard¡¯s lips twitched in a suppressed smile. Eugene continued, ¡°Because of that, I promise that I¡¯ll also be more careful, so that you don¡¯t have to feel so worried or sad, father.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m grateful for those words, but¡­ don¡¯t let yourself feel too restrained out of a needless consideration for me,¡± Gerhard said as he fully rxed his stern expression and patted Eugene on the shoulders. ¡°After all, you¡¯ve already held your Coming-of-Age Ceremony at the ck Lion Castle. You¡¯re no longer a child; instead, you¡¯re an adult who needs to take responsibility for his own actions and decide what he wants to do.¡± After this remark, a rather lengthy lecture followed. Eugene didn¡¯t feel any need to interrupt Gerhard while he was nagging, instead answering all of his questions with full sentences while listening closely until the very end. ¡°I didn¡¯t think that you would really keep listening to him patiently all the way until the end,¡± Kristina said afterward as she followed Eugene out, feeling quite surprised that Eugene had such a side to him. ¡°What did you think I would do instead of listening patiently? Do you think that I would just snap at him to shut up?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d go that far, I expected you to try and use a more polite choice of words to cut the conversation short,¡± Kristina replied. ¡°It seems like you really do think that I¡¯m some kind of mannerless bastard,¡± Eugenemented. Kristina denied this, ¡°Not at all. It¡¯s just that, from what I¡¯ve seen of you so far¡­ Sir Eugene doesn¡¯t seem like the type of person to humbly listen to such pretentious nagging.¡± ¡°It seems like you¡¯ve seen right through me. You¡¯re right. I hate pretension and I also hate it when people nag me while trying to tell me what to do, but it also depends on who¡¯s doing the nagging,¡± Eugene grumbled with a shrug. ¡°After all, my own birth father is just saying these words to me because he¡¯s worried about me, his only son.¡± Kristina asked, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then shouldn¡¯t you have told him about going on such a dangerous journey at the very start¡­?¡± Eugene retorted, ¡°So what if I had told him? Once he knew my reason for going, would he be any less worried? There¡¯s no way that¡¯d be the case. My father¡­ well¡­ he¡¯s a very empathetic person. When I was young, there were a lot of times he burst into tears¡ª¡± ¡ªKnock knock. Sienna¡¯s yful words suddenly echoed inside of his head. That¡¯s right. Eugene had thought that it was strange. In his previous life as Hamel, he hadn¡¯t shed tears for most of his life. Even when it had be painful enough that he would rather die, right before the end of his life, he had refused to cry. ¡®I was wondering why this body of mine was so prone to crying.¡¯ As expected, blood really did tell. Eugene btedly med Gerhard¡¯s genes for the fact that he had burst into tears several times since he had been reincarnated. ¡°...In any case, since I know that it¡¯s all for my sake, as his son, I should at least pretend to listen to my father. I might not be able to live while following his advice, but when he gives it, I should at least say ¡®yes, yes¡¯ while pretending to listen,¡± Eugene concluded. Absent-mindedly, Kristina replied, ¡°...Is that so?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t think that he had said something unusual. ording to Eugene¡¯s ownmon sense, he felt that this was quite a natural tendency. In fact, where in the world would you find a son who faithfully followed all of his parents¡¯ advice? Even so, it was only right to show some kind of positive affirmation of their parents¡¯ care. However, Kristina¡¯s reaction was a little rming. She was just staring at Eugene, her lips pressed tight, with a slightly stiff expression. ¡°...Did I say something strange?¡± Eugene tentatively asked. ¡°No, not at all,¡± Kristina replied. ¡°But your expression makes me feel like you might be thinking that,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°...As you may already know, I was abandoned by my birth parents when I was still an infant. After that, I grew up in a monastery until I was ten, when I was adopted by Cardinal Rogeris and raised as his foster-daughter. As a result, I have never experienced the rtionship between a birth parent and their child,¡± Kristina revealed. Although Eugene felt that he hadn¡¯t said anything that absolutely needed to be experienced to truly be understood, he decided not to say this out loud. There were certain circumstances that no one really enjoyed talking about to others. ¡ªI feel like the rtionship between you and me isn¡¯t deep enough yet for me to be willing to share such a story. Kristina had drawn a clear line between them as she said this with a twisted smile. Eugene had no desire to intentionally cross this line. Kristina changed the subject. ¡°When do you n on leaving for Aroth?¡± ¡°Right now,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°...Then why have wee back to your room?¡± Kristina asked, puzzled. ¡°Because I need to talk to you,¡± Eugene said as he plopped down on a sofa. It had been a few months since hest returned to this room. Before that, he had been away from this room for several years. Even so, it didn¡¯t feel unfamiliar to him. ¡°I¡¯m going to Aroth alone,¡± Eugene dered. Kristina just stared at Eugene without saying anything in reply. Eugene didn¡¯t avoid this gaze and just pointed at the sofa across from him. Eventually, Kristina said, ¡°...I should have already told you this before, Sir Eugene. As the Saint of Light, I must apany the Hero¡ª¡± ¡°Someone leaked the information about you and me,¡± interrupted Eugene. ¡°It can¡¯t have been the Pope or Cardinal Rogeris,¡± Kristina insisted. ¡°Haven¡¯t I already said that to you before? Those two wouldn¡¯t want me to die for something like thi¡ª¡± Once again, Eugene spoke over her, ¡°They could have changed their minds. Or it could have been someone else connected to them who spilled the information.¡± ¡°...That could be the case, but I can¡¯t help but be offended that you still insist on suspecting the Holy Empire. The information might also have leaked from the Lionheart n,¡± Kristina ryed her suspicions. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°I¡¯m also keeping an eye out for that. That¡¯s why, for the time being, I need to monitor the situation. If it¡¯s the Lionheart n, then the Head of the Council might try to y his hand once more because he just can¡¯t tolerate my existence; then, when his move fails, I can take action.¡± ¡°...,¡± Kristina silently processed this. ¡°The Holy Empire might really be innocent in all this, in which case I don¡¯t want you to get involved in this,¡± Eugene exined. Kristina silently stared at Eugene. She then rubbed her stiff cheeks with her hands and took a few deep breaths. With her usual smile back on her face, Kristina spoke up, ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene asked. Kristina used, ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re suspicious of me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Eugene gave his honest response. ¡°Barang wanted to kill both of us, you and me alike. Though, well, he might have just been saying that and perhaps he only wanted to kill me.¡± ¡°...,¡± Kristina stayed silent as Eugene continued. ¡°However, is there any need for me to suspect you? What reason would you have for fucking with me like this? Well, you might have your reasons, but would you really use such a cumbersome method to do so?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°You apanied me to the elven domain, and you also saw Lady Sienna while we were there. Before that, you were traveling with me all that time. And when I was bedridden for a few days, you even nursed me.¡± ¡°...So that¡¯s why you¡¯re not suspicious of me?¡± Kristina eventually asked. ¡°What, do you want me to suspect you? Do you really not trust me when I say that I trust you?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°...Not at all,¡± Kristina said with a smile as she shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ it surprises me.¡± ¡°You really do get surprised by the strangest things,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°In any case, I¡¯m going to Aroth alone. Even if you stubbornly insist on following me, I won¡¯t let youe with me.¡± ¡°...Then what should I do? Is it really alright for me to just stay here and wait for you to return, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina asked reluctantly. ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene said as he leaned forward to peer closely at Kristina. ¡°I¡¯m not familiar with the circumstances of the Holy Empire. It¡¯s also difficult for me to dig into such matters. However, you should find it easier than I would.¡± ¡°...Haha,¡± Kristina let out a smallugh as she shook her head. ¡°Indeed, it seems like Sir Eugene really does trust me.¡± Kristina wasn¡¯t foolish enough to take what she heard for granted. She understood that Eugene was drawing a line in the sand. Without her crossing that line to meet him, it would be impossible for them to gainplete trust in each other. In the end, he was asking her to choose carefully. Would she remain a Saint whose loyalty belonged to the Holy Empire? Or would she follow her God¡¯s revtion and truly apany the Hero? ¡°It might be difficult for me to achieve a result that matches Sir Eugene¡¯s expectations,¡± Kristina warned. ¡°I don¡¯t expect much,¡± Eugene reassured her. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll do my best to meet your low expectations,¡± Kristina said, then she pulled over a pen and some paper that had been set aside on a nearby table. Once she was done writing, Eugene read the paper he was handed and asked, ¡°...Rohanna Celles? Who¡¯s this?¡± ¡°She¡¯s a friend that I made while I was still living in the monastery,¡± Kristina exined. Eugene double-checked the name that was written on the paper and the address given below it. Kristina continued, ¡°In the end, I was carried off by Cardinal Rogeris while Rohanna remained in the monastery. Even after that, we continued to exchange letters, and we¡¯ve also met up a few times since then to spend some time together.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that we can trust her?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll contact you through her, and I will try to send you a letter at least once a month.¡± ¡°What if a letter doesn¡¯t reach me within a month?¡± ¡°That will never happen,¡± Kristina replied with a smirk * * * Back in Aroth, the scenery of this magic kingdom felt more familiar and weing to Eugene than Gidol, the town where he had been born and raised. ¡®Well, it makes sense. Ever since I was adopted into the main family, I¡¯ve never once returned to Gidol.¡¯ Within the grand frame of the Kiehl Empire, Eugene¡¯s birthce, Gidol, was pretty much as deep in the countryside as one could go. It had fields, mountains, rice paddies, and not much else. There was a town there, but frankly speaking, it was a backward town that could barely bepared to the shabby trade cities found in Samar. Just like when Eugene had firste to Pentagon three years ago, one of the guides came up to him. ¡°Are you a tourist? Wee to Pentagon, the capital of Aro¡­.¡± As he was speaking, the guide suddenly trailed off, his eyes widening into circles. He recognized Eugene by his gray hair and the furry cloak that was wrapped around his body. There was no reason why he wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize him, either. Eugene had only left Aroth a few months back. The guide gaped as he thought,¡®It¡¯s Eugene Lionheart.¡¯ If you wanted to work as a guide in Aroth, you needed to know all the stories going around the city; especially whimsical stories that were sure to delight the ears of the tourists. The stories spread about Eugene were of such weight that it seemed like they would never fall into the trivial category. Eugene was the descendant of a great hero. His adoption into the main family was an unprecedented event for the prestigious Lionheart n. Even though he wasn¡¯t a direct heir, his skills were such that no one could question his right topete for the seat of the next Patriarch. From the age of thirteen, Eugene had managed to outshine the children of the direct line with his talent for martial arts; even worse, it wasn¡¯t just martial arts, he was a ¡®genius¡¯ born with the talent for magic as well. Eugene was reputed to be a Child of Destiny, someone who had be the youngest wizard ever to obtain an entry pass into the Royal Library, Akron. He had even be the disciple of the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis. ording to the rumors, by the time Eugene was neen years old, he had already reached the Fifth Circle. All this alone was enough of a story to get the tourists hooked. By sprinkling a little seasoning on top and telling them about the riots on Bolero Street as well, the tourists would be happy to open their wallets and give the guides a tip. ¡°Sir Eugene! P-please allow me the honor of escorting you!¡± The shocked guides all ran over. Of course, they didn¡¯t want just the honor of escorting the famous Eugene. The guides there were hoping that, after being hired by Eugene, they would get a unique story for themselves that they could use to entertain the tourists. ¡®After all, hasn¡¯t the guide who stuck to Eugene Lionheart when he first arrived at Pentagon recently bought a building in the capital?¡¯ His sess story had managed to fire up the hopes of all the guides. ¡®What¡¯s with these bastards?¡¯Eugene thought to himself. He had been hoping that they would know their ce and keep their distance. The fact that they were instead running at him with their eyes rolling crazily was just a headache. Startled, Eugene leapt up off the ground and flew into the air. ¡°Sir Eugene! P-please take my carriage!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to escort you to your destination infort!¡± Even the coachmen of the aerial carriages were squawking their pitches at him. One of the station attendants called out to him, ¡°Sir Eugene¡­! It¡¯s forbidden to use flying magic in the skies above Pentagon without permission! You must make use of the aerial carriages and the floating stations!¡± Eugene was already well aware of this fact. Since there were far too many wizards in this magic kingdom, if all of these wizards used such magic to satisfy their own convenience, the city¡¯s order would soon be a mess. Therefore, flying magic and personal spatial transportation spells, such as Blink, were forbidden in Pentagon. Only the highest rank of wizards in Aroth, including the Tower Masters, were allowed to use such conveniences. ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll just pay the fine,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. Eugene didn¡¯t really think much of the penalty. Even if he was forced to pay a huge fine, Eugene had a lot of money to spare. But it wasn¡¯t likely that he would be even charged a fine. Eugene¡¯s current master was the Red Tower Master Lovein; apart from that, he was also on close terms with several of Aroth¡¯s high-ranking wizards. ¡®Or if I don¡¯t want to pay any penalties, I could just ask the Crown Prince Honein for a favor. ¡­No, on second thought, it would be a bit disgraceful to make such a request of the Crown Prince. What if I use the name of the Commander of the Court Wizards as an excuse instead?¡¯ In fact, it was actually rather funny to be caught up on such trivial thoughts. Because the task that Eugene was currently heading over to do would be such a huge event, that flying over the capital city couldn¡¯t even bepared to it. Eugene hadn¡¯t even contacted Lovellian in advance to tell him that he was returning to Aroth. He felt a bit guilty for not doing so. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped. For Eugene, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if Lovellian would really give him permission and support him in what he intended to do; or if perhaps, as the Red Tower Master who was bound to ¡®Aroth,¡¯ Lovellian might instead decide to prevent Eugene¡¯s actions. ¡®...Although I feel like he probably would give his permission,¡¯Eugene thought hopefully. Lovellian was sincere in treating Sienna as his grandmaster. ¡®But if I needlessly ask him for permission, I might get Lovellian in troubleter on,¡¯Eugene persuaded himself. Thus, he decided to just try and make his attempt first. Eugene came to a stop in midair and looked down below. In the distance, he could see Aroth¡¯s royal castle, Abram, floating on theke. Right below the castle was the Royal Library, Akron. Eugene grinned and flew down. One of Aroth¡¯s treasures, a certain magic staff, was kept in Akron. Created using a whole Dragonheart, this magic staff had been used by Sienna herself. Eugene was here for Akasha. Chapter 117: Akasha (2)

Chapter 117: Akasha (2)

There were a lot of familiars in Akron, but it was impossible for most of these familiars to even hold a proper conversation. They supervised their assigned tasks, as they had had been programmed to do, and were only capable of obeying the simple orders given by the wizards who visited their halls. However, Mer was different. Even though she was a familiar created by using magic, she was so sophisticated that one could even believe that she was a real human being. Mer herself held a great amount of pride in this fact. Therefore, Mer didn¡¯t like to spend her free time doing the same things as other familiars did. Although her body didn¡¯t really need to eat or drink, she wanted to eat and drink like a real person. She wanted to be able to feel and express her emotions through casual conversations with others. This Royal Library, Akron, was just like a boring prison to Mer. She was absolutely forbidden from going outside the doors of Akron, so she had spent her past few hundreds of years in a listless state¡­. When even she couldn¡¯t take it any longer, she would shut off her link to Witch Craft; just like turning off the power to a device, it would shut down her consciousness. As a familiar, Mer couldn¡¯t sleep, nor did she feel the need to sleep, but this suspension of consciousness was somewhat simr to sleep. But it was only simr, it wasn¡¯t really sleeping. She couldn¡¯t even dream. In the end, this meant that there was no way for Mer to relieve her boredom. ¡®It¡¯s so boring,¡¯Mer thought to herself as she slumped on top of a desk, pouting. Although she had already realized how boring this ce was more than a hundred years ago, thest few months had been particrly boring and tortuous for Mer. ¡®It¡¯s all because of Sir Eugene,¡¯Merined. She was thinking about Eugene Lionheart. He had only visited Sienna¡¯s Hall for two years. Compared to the length of time that Mer had existed, this was an absurdly short period of time. However, that short amount of time had been so much fun that it had reminded Mer of the time that she had spent with Sienna, her creator, a long time ago. Even though there had been several other wizards who had visited Sienna¡¯s Hall before Eugene, Mer had never once found it enjoyable to talk to those old wizards who were old-fashioned and whose sense of humor had decayed as they aged. Most of the wizards who visited this ce were idiots who had spent most of their lives listening to the sound of people calling them geniuses, and they had thus fallen into the ¡®illusion¡¯ that they really were geniuses. In other words, they were engrossed in their own arrogance and self-love. Such wizards held no respect for a familiar like Mer. This was an unavoidable issue. Most wizards treated their familiars as ves that took care of cumbersome chores for them. Although it was forbidden by thews of the continent to use humans or demi-humans as ves, there was no problem with wizards using their familiars as ves. But Eugene was different. He didn¡¯t mind talking with Mer and had never disrespected Mer just because she was a familiar. Meanwhile, he had also been absorbed in learning. Most of these condescending types of wizards weren¡¯t able to understand Witch Craft, and in their despair, they would quickly leave Sienna¡¯s Hall as if they were fleeing. However, Eugene had made his way to Sienna¡¯s Hall every day for two whole years in order to understand Witch Craft, and had managed to learn it through his hard work and perseverance. ¡°I¡¯m so bored I could just die,¡± Mer groaned as she kept pouting her lips and tapping on the desk. ¡°There are not even any other wizards visiting.¡± It had only been a few months since Eugene had left, but Mer couldn¡¯t believe this fact. Although time didn¡¯t really touch her, it still felt like at least a year had passed, so had it really been only a few months? ¡®...No, a few months is still quite a long time for humans. If that much time has passed, shouldn¡¯t he at leaste and visit just once, even if it¡¯s out of boredom¡­.¡¯ Zap! Her tired mind was awakened by a sudden rm. Mer raised her head and blinked in surprise for a few moments. Soon, a bright smile spread across her lips. She picked up therge hat that she had ced beside her and got up from her seat. After roughly straightening her frizzy hair with her hands, Mer plonked the hat down on top of her curls, but she didn¡¯t like the look of her reflection in the window. Taking her hat back off, she quickly ran both hands through her hair. She didn¡¯t want to look too neat. She didn¡¯t even want to look as if she¡¯d been waiting to greet him when he got up. What she wanted was¡­ a natural look. To look like she usually did. Focussed eagerly on his arrival, Mer quickly trotted over to stand in front of the elevator. ¡®What should I say?¡¯Mer wondered. ¡®Why have youe back? Just as I thought, you¡¯ve realized it, haven¡¯t you? Sir Eugene, your magic thesis was quite impressive, but it wasn¡¯t perfect. Yep, but that¡¯s only natural. After all, hasn¡¯t it only been two years since you¡¯ve started learning magic? ¡®That¡¯s why I told you, didn¡¯t I, Sir Eugene? That you shouldn¡¯t be in such a hurry to leave? Magic should be practiced with a calm mind. Well, the fact that you never even lend half an ear to other people¡¯s advice was also mentioned several times in the fairy tale! If you really lived your past life like that, then you should change things now that you¡¯ve been reincarnated. ¡®That¡¯s way too long!¡¯ The elevator was on its way up. It would arrive in a few seconds from now. Mer straightened her back and puffed out her chest, then she ced both hands on her waist. ¡°Wee to Sienna¡¯s Hall!¡± Mer said with a wide smile, just like when they first met. Right after she had gotten the words out, Mer felt the need to wince. Her voice hade out higher than she had expected. And it wasn¡¯t just her voice, it felt like her smile was also a bit too wide. Mer immediately straightened her expression and took a few steps back. Pretending to be surprised, Mer continued, ¡°Oh my! Isn¡¯t it Sir Eugene? You just left Aroth a few months ago, what are you doing back so soon?¡± Once again, Mer felt regret as soon as these words were out. She was linked to Akron¡¯s management systems. This meant that she was able to tell in real time when any wizard presented their entrance pass and entered Akron¡­ ¡­And Eugene was probably also aware of this fact. The moment that Eugene looked down at her and was about to say something, Mer burst out. ¡°Akron¡¯s management systems have been down for maintenance since this morning. As you may know, Sir Eugene, spells can be very delicate and to be checked periodically. Especially here, in Akron, since there are a lot of treasures that have drawn plenty of interest and might even tempt other countries, let alone individual wizards, to try running off with them. ¡°Oh, is that so?¡± Eugene reacted mildly. ¡°Yes, that''s right! Although the spells cast by Lady Sienna are so perfect that they don¡¯t need to be overhauled even after a hundred years have passed, Akron¡¯s management system was not created by Lady Sienna! Really now, it¡¯s quite difficult for us, you know? Thankfully, there aren¡¯t that many wizards visiting¡­.¡± ¡®A perfect save,¡¯Mer thought as she grinned cheekily. ¡°So anyway, Sir Eugene, may I ask why you¡¯vee here? Did you realize that you still need to do some more study after all?¡± Mer teased. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene hummed as he calmly looked down at Mer¡¯s upturned face. She looked like Sienna had in her childhood. Unlike the ones in the portraits, this smile was full of yfulness. Eugene smirked and ced his hand on top of Mer¡¯s head. ¡°...Wow¡­ you really do cross the line so casually as soon as we meet,¡± Merined. She really should shake his hand off, or at least that¡¯s what she told herself, but Mer didn¡¯t try to remove his hand immediately. Instead, she just grinned as she looked up at Eugene. ¡°Have you been well?¡± Eugene asked. Me snorted in disgust. ¡°Heheh. Why even ask if I¡¯ve been well or not? It¡¯s the same as always.¡± ¡°That just sounds like you¡¯re not doing well to me,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Not at all,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°I would never say something like that. I¡¯m just saying that things are¡­ the same as usual? Without anyoneing to visit me, in the midst of this quiet tranquility¡­ well¡­ I can get in a bit of contemtion, do some cleaning, and reorder the magic books disyed on the bookshelves¡­.¡± Mer tried hard not toin too much. As she continued speaking in a monotonous tone, Mer took hold of Eugene¡¯s wrist, his hand still resting on her head. Afterposing herself, Mer coughed. ¡°Ahem. Well, for now, we shouldn¡¯t just stay standing here, blocking the entrance. Aren¡¯t you already familiar with everything here? Needless to say, the ce where you always sit is still in the same state. Of course, there¡¯s also the cushion that you left there.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll need to sit in my usual ce.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Although Eugene had smiled as he said these words, Mer wasn¡¯t smiling. Her eyes widened into circles as she stared at Eugene. ¡°...Why not?¡± Mer pleaded as her face crumpled into a frown. ¡°No way. Did you reallye all the way here just to say hello? Didn¡¯t youe here because you wanted to continue practicing your magic?¡± ¡°Well, for things like magic training, I don¡¯t really need toe here to do that, now do I?¡± Eugene said teasingly. ¡°How arrogant!¡± Mer shouted in a sharp tone as she pinched Eugene¡¯s wrist. ¡°I won¡¯t tolerate such a remark from you, Sir Eugene! Are you really saying that you just want to practice your magic elsewhere instead of here? Do you know how many wizards have made it their lifelong wish to one day make it into Akron?¡± ¡°Truthfully speaking, that has nothing to do with me,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s¡ª! That might be true, but¡ª! In any case, no matter how talented you might be, it would be overwhelmingly more efficient to practice in Akron than to practice alone,¡± Mer fervently argued. ¡°Well, I guess that could be true,¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re really annoying,¡± Mer growled out with shaking shoulders as she twisted her pinching fingers. ¡°Yes yes, I know that you are talented, Sir Eugene. But so what? Why did you evene here? Just to say hi? I refuse to ept your greetings. There¡¯s no reason for it, if I had to say something, it¡¯s just because¡ª What? Huh? What are you doing? Why are you heading inside?¡± While Mer was in the middle of her tirade, Eugene began walking into the Hall without shaking off Mer¡¯s hand, which was still pinching his wrist. While rattling out her questions, Mer followed behind Eugene, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you didn¡¯t need to sit in your usual spot? So why are you heading inside?! See, in the end, you really are going to take a seat. So why act like you weren¡¯t? Not like I was angry about that, or anything.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t be sitting down,¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Then why are you¡ª¡± Mer suddenly stopped speaking. Her brows furrowed and she released Eugene¡¯s hand before eventually saying, ¡°...Trempel Vizardo is here.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Have you already forgotten him?¡± Mer reminded Eugene, ¡°He¡¯s the Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards. An old guy who goes around sporting a handle-bar mustache that doesn¡¯t really suit him.¡± ¡°No, I know who he is, but how do you know that he¡¯s here?¡± Eugene rified. ¡°How do I know¡­? What in the world are you talking about¡ª Ah!¡± Mer yelped in surprise before quickly straightening her expression. ¡°It looks like the overhaul of the management systems has beenpleted.¡± ¡°What great timing,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°...The world is just full of coincidences like that. Hm¡­ what? It looks like Trempel Vizardo is on his way up to this Hall. Could it be because of you, Sir Eugene?¡± Mer spected. ¡°That''s probably the case,¡± Eugene said with a smirk. They had gotten here faster than he had expected. Well, he should have figured they¡¯d be early, since he had flown in a no-fly zone¡­. The guards were primarily responsible for managing the capital¡¯s security, but in the end, the highest levels of the guard reported to the Court Wizards Division. ¡°Lord Eugene!¡± The cry was issued as soon as the elevator doors opened. Trempel walked out of the doors with his arms held wide open. ¡°If you wereing to Aroth, it would have been nice if you had contacted us in advance!¡± Truthfully speaking, Trempel was a bit annoyed ¡ª both by the fact that Eugene had broken thew by flying in the sky above the capital city and by the fact that he, the Commander of the Court Wizards Division, had to personally take action for such a trivial issue. However, it couldn¡¯t be helped. If the offending party had been just amon wizard, then he could have just been dealt with ording to thew. But he wasn¡¯t amon wizard, now was he? Trempel had a lot of interest in Eugene and hoped to somehow persuade him to join the Court Wizards. As for Eugene flying without permission? Something like that could be given a bit of leeway. If Eugene requested it, Trempel was even thinking of granting him the right to fly freely through Aroth¡¯s skies. ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to punish me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Hm? Um¡­ haha! What should I say? Flying in the sky over the capital, well, it might be an issue if the average wizard were to do it, but¡­ it¡¯s fine if it¡¯s you, Lord Eugene,¡± Trempel said obsequiously. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s my luck.¡± Eugene casually epted the absolution. ¡°Haha! Please don¡¯t worry about it too much. Well, Lord Eugene is still young, aren¡¯t you? It looks like you just couldn¡¯t resist acting your age, haha! Flying where forbidden is alightoffense, so it can easily be overlooked. So, does that mean Lord Eugene is now a rule-floater[1]?¡± Trempelughed heartily as he delivered his pun. Unable to hold it in, Mer revealed a disgusted expression. Eugene¡¯s body shivered in disgust as he turned his head to look Trempel in the face. His handle-bar mustache really didn¡¯t suit him¡­. Although he was surely older than he appeared, Trempel had the face of a man in his middle age with the wrinkles to match. ¡®Are you crazy?¡¯ Eugene recalled when he had made a simr joke. The words that Ciel had spat out back then as her face twisted into a scowl echoed inside of his head. ¡®That¡¯s right, so this is how Ciel must have felt back then¡­.¡¯ Eugene now felt regret for uttering such words at that time. ¡°...Yeah, I guess so,¡± Eugene still tried to respond politely as he turned his head back around. Trempel was also displeased by such a dry reaction from Eugene. He was the Commander of the Court Wizards. His position was the highest that a battle wizard could reach in Aroth. In some ways, this meant that he had even higher authority than a Tower Master. Such a person had personallye to visit Eugene and even made a joke as a sign of friendship, but instead¡­. ¡®Even though I can get the Court Wizards tough so hard that they have to clutch their stomachs just by opening my mouth,¡¯Trempelined internally. ¡°...Ahem¡­. By the way, Lord Eugene, may I ask why you havee to Akron?¡± ¡°I¡¯vee here on an errand,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°What do you mean, an errand? Oh, ahah! It¡¯s rather famously known that you were obsessed with Witch Craft while you were studying in Aroth, Lord Eugene¡­. Haha! As expected, Lord Eugene, you truly are a wizard at heart. Being reminded of such a great spell every time you close your eyes, you couldn¡¯t stand to be away any longer, could you?¡± Trempel said with an understanding smile as he walked over to Eugene. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, how about you just live in Aroth permanently? Oh, ahem. I¡¯ve also heard the news about you, Lord Eugene. They say that you returned from Samar leading over a hundred elves with you? While I¡¯ve heard that the forest at the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate is quite spacious and beautiful, strictly speaking, it doesn¡¯t really belong to you, now does it, Lord Eugene.¡± ¡°Yes, well¡­.¡± Eugene tried to stay nonmittal. ¡°You also happen to be an adult now, so¡­ until when do you n on staying at the main estate where so many eyes will be on you? Lord Eugene, if you so desire, I can find a luxurious mansion for you in the capital. As for the elves you picked from the forest, there¡¯s a forest belonging to the Royal Pce that they can¡­ live¡­ in¡­. Uh¡­ what exactly are you doing?¡± Trempel asked, his eyes widening as he stared at Eugene. Eugene had circled around Witch Craft, which was in the center of the hall, and was now standing in front of Akasha, which was hung on the wall. Trempel realized something and burst intoughter, ¡°...Ahaha! So that was the case! Lord Eugene, you don''t have your own staff yet, right? I remember when I first visited Sienna¡¯s Hall in Akron. That¡­ was the first time I had seen such an amazing and beautiful staff. Just like you, I was fascinated¡­ the wand that I had been using was no longer pleasing to the eye, so I really went to a lot of trouble to get a staff made from a fairy tree¡¯s wood¡­.¡± At his age, Eugene still had a cute side to him. Trempel walked over to Eugene with an amused smile. ¡°It¡¯s extremely difficult to obtain and even when it¡¯s avable, there¡¯s no guarantee that you¡¯ll be able to obtain it. But if Lord Eugene were to join the Court Wizards¡­,¡± Trempel trailed off suggestively. Without giving any reply, Eugene stretched a hand out towards Akasha. Trempel didn¡¯t feel any need to stop him from doing so. In this hall, there were no rules forbidding guests from holding Akasha directly. This was because there was no point in doing so. Akasha did not recognize anyone other than the Wise Sienna as its master. ¡°...Sir Eugene?¡± Unlike Trempel, Mer was standing right next to Eugene. She felt like there was something different going on from the smile that was on Eugen¡¯s face. ¡°...What are you doing right now?¡± ¡°What do you think? You can tell just by looking,¡± Eugene snickered as he continued to reach out to Akasha. ¡°Just likest time, I want to try holding it.¡± ¡°...Hold on,¡± Mer said, her face turning white. Eugene¡¯s mana was moving. It wasn¡¯t just a simple infusion of mana either, his mana was moving as if it was performing some kind of technique. What this meant was clear. Eugene was trying to use some kind of magic. Trempel¡¯s smile instantly disappeared. It was forbidden to use magic in Akron. This was a strong taboo that couldn¡¯t bepared to the one banning flying over the capital city. The tomes that were being kept in Akron were the greatest spells in Aroth, no, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that they were the greatest spells in the history of magic. Therefore, they needed to be carefully protected. As such, no one could be allowed to use magic in Akron. Whether it was the Commander of the Court Wizards, a Tower Master, or even Aroth¡¯s royal family. ¡°Lord Eugene!¡± Trempel let out a roar. This taboo was currently being vited right in front of his eyes. Mer quickly reached out her hand and grabbed Eugene¡¯s cor. ¡°Wh-what do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Mer demanded. ¡°You should be well aware, Sir Eugene! Using magic in Akron is¡ª¡± ¡°I know,¡± Eugene said with a nod as he pulled Akasha closer. ¡°However, without using magic, I won¡¯t be able to take this with me, so what else can I do?¡± Mer couldn¡¯t say anything in response to these words. Fwooosh! The Dragonheart embedded into the tip of Akash burst into light. Chapter 118: Akasha (3)

Chapter 118: Akasha (3)

The mana which had been fluctuating around Eugene, concentrated onto Akasha. The mana that hadn¡¯t yet been visualized blended with the light being emitted from the Dragonheart, giving the light multiple hues. This beautiful and radiant light engulfed Eugene. Trempel and Mer stared at the scene in front of them with awe. They both knew what was about to happen. Akasha, the staff that no one had been able to control ever since the Wise Sienna had left, was about to ept a new owner. ¡°...Utterly ridiculous¡­!¡± Trempel gasped, unable to believe it. It had been two hundred years since Akasha was first stored in Akron. During that long period of time, the various wizards who had been granted entry into Akron had made many attempts to be recognized as Akasha''s new master. Even Trempel himself had made an attempt. That was why he couldn¡¯t believe what he was currently seeing. Akasha had never been seen to ept any type of mana. The fact that it wouldn¡¯t ept an infusion of mana meant that it couldn¡¯t be used to cast any magic. It was a magic staff that couldn¡¯t be used for magic. If you really wanted to, you could still use it as a club, but what would be the point of that? The light began to fade. Ignoring the surprised reactionsing from his surroundings, Eugene focussed all of his attention onto Akasha. ¡°...Whoa,¡± Eugene first eximed in admiration, honestly revealing his true emotions. He then gently touched his own throbbing head with his fingers as he wondered,¡®Is this one of Akasha¡¯s functions?¡¯ Although Eugene himself didn¡¯t really know if this was an urate impression of what had just happened to him, it felt like a huge amount of information had been imnted into his brain. The imnted information had thenbined with his already existing knowledge, as if it had been there from the very beginning. ¡®My understanding of magic itself ispletely transformed,¡¯Eugene marveled. There were several types of spells that Eugene could use. When his White me Form had reached the level of the Fifth Star, Eugene had immediately be able to cast spells up to the Fifth Circle without using any incantations. This was the ability of the Ring me Form that Eugene had created bybining the White me Form with the Eternal Hole. The parts from the Eternal Hole were what enabled him to record a spell form in his ¡®subconscious,¡¯ without the use of a scroll. While staying at the Red Tower of Magic, Eugene had learned the basics of magic. Then, he had continued to learn magic from each of Akron¡¯s Halls. Among the things he had learned, most of the magic he had absorbed were the spells he had learned from Sienna¡¯s Hall. After Eugene hadpleted his Ring me Form, with Lovellian¡¯s help, he had been able to adapt existing Circle magic spells to better suit his Ring me Form and had relearned them. ¡®...How strange,¡¯Eugene thought as he narrowed his eyes at Akasha. There was no way that Akasha could have been aware that he had developed the Ring me Form. If one took into ount their fundamental principles alone, the Ring me Form did seem simr to the Eternal Hole. That being said, they weren¡¯t exactly the same. In the end, Circles and Cores were twopletely different types of mana organs after all. ¡®It feels like it¡¯s somehow¡­bining with my own thoughts and providing its assistance?¡¯Eugene tentatively observed. Even though it couldn¡¯t have known about the Ring me Form, Akasha was transforming the various spells that Eugene had tucked away inside his head, adapting them to be easier to use with the Ring me Form. It seems to have based its adaptations on the spells that Lovellian had already adapted for Eugene. In other words, Akasha automatically analyzed Eugene¡¯s magic and spell forms, then transformed all existing spell forms into the most optimal forms that were suitable for Eugene. ¡°Hmmm¡­,¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully as he scratched his temple, then took a step forward and approached a nearby bookshelf. Mer followed after Eugene with a nk expression on her face, but Trempel found himself unable to move from the spot. This was because Trempel was wondering what in the world he was supposed to do in response to this. Akasha was one of Aroth¡¯s treasures, but a new owner had appeared for that Akasha. So this meant that¡­ Akasha could no longer be kept in Akron. ¡°...Lord Eugene¡­?¡± Trempel finally spoke up. ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene replied to his call as he pulled out a magic book from a nearby bookshelf. ¡°...What in the world just happened? Did Akasha really¡­,¡± Trempel trailed off in disbelief. Eugene calmly dered, ¡°As you can see, I have be its new owner.¡± Trempel could only respond with a stunned, ¡°...How?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that the problem won''t be solved just by convincing you, Sir Trempel, now will it?¡± Eugene pointed out as he walked over to a nearby desk. Then he tried to pull out a chair and take a seat, but Mer quickly stepped in front of Eugene to block him. Even though Mer still had a lost look on her face, she shook her head resolutely. Then she kicked Eugene¡¯s shin with her own small foot. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Eugene coaxed her with a smile as he pushed the chair back in. He then walked over to a window on the right hand side of the Hall. This was where the seat that Eugene had always used when visiting Sienna¡¯s Hall stood. There were several reasons why he had habitually used this same seat. It was close to both the elevators and Witch Craft. He could check the passage of time by looking at the view from the window. And Sienna¡¯s portrait, which was hanging on the wall behind Witch Craft, was also visible from here. ¡­Thatst one wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s motivation for choosing this seat. It was actually the reason why Mer had decided, at some point, to start sitting across from Eugene. While Eugene was focussed on studying magical texts, Mer would either look outside the window or stare at Sienna¡¯s portrait. ¡°...Hmph,¡± Mer sniffed with a triumphant smile as Eugene sat in his usual seat. ¡°...Does that mean you don¡¯t feel that there¡¯s any need to convince me?¡± Trempel asked, his brows furrowing as he finally walked over to Eugene. There was a tone to this question that warned that the words Eugene had just said could be taken as a huge insult depending on how Trempel chose to ept them. ¡°I greatly respect Sir Trempel as a wizard, so how could I have meant such an insult by those words?¡± Eugene asked as he opened up the magic text. ¡°Sir Trempel, I¡¯m also well aware of the consequences of what I just did. I know how difficult things will get for me if I¡±m unable to convince everyone of my right to do so.¡± ¡°...It seems that you¡¯re well aware of your situation, Lord Eugene. I¡¯d be well within my rights to take you in for questioning, even if you¡¯re unwilling to cooperate,¡± Trempel threatened. ¡°Take me in for questioning? Are you really going to arrest me for the crime of flying over the capital?¡± Eugene asked with feigned surprise. Trempel scoffed, ¡°At this point, something like that can¡¯t even be considered to be an issue. But doing whatever you want with Akasha is¡ª¡± ¡°But Akasha doesn¡¯t really belong to Aroth, now does it?¡± Eugene interrupted him with a smile. ¡°Although it is currently being stored in Akron, Akasha¡¯s true owner is the Wise Sienna.¡± ¡°...,¡± Trempel could only silently acknowledge this. ¡°I have inherited the ownership of Akasha from the Wise Sienna,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°What¡ª?!¡± Trempel burst out, his eyes shooting wide open. Trempel opened his mouth to ask further questions, but unable to find the words, he could only close his mouth once more. It was just as Eugene had said. The true owner of Akasha was the Wise Sienna. No, it wasn¡¯t just Akasha. Everything that was stored in this Hall ultimately belonged to Sienna. ¡°If I need to convince everyone of this issue¡­ then perhaps a hearing should be held for it. I will be staying in Aroth for a while, so if a hearing is organized I¡¯ll be sure to attend it in order to give a full exnation. ¡°...You aren¡¯t going to run away after saying that, are you?¡± Trempel spat out as he red at Eugene. At these words, Eugene just shrugged and said with a smile, ¡°I am a member of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line and a disciple of the Wise Sienna. What is there for me to be afraid of and why should I run away? After all, I haven¡¯tmitted any crime. Is it really a sin for a rightful owner to retrieve an item that has been left in storage for a long time?¡± ¡°...Hmph¡­,¡± Trempel just grunted, unable to refute this im. Taking a few steps back, he gave a deep sigh and said, ¡°...There are a mountain of things that I would like to ask you, but¡­ it would be an insult to Lady Sienna for me to dare to question the owner of Akasha in a ce such as this¡­.¡± Trempel shook his head as he turned and left. He hade here in a hurry, thinking that he would do a favor for Eugene and entice him into joining the Court Wizards. Now, Trempel couldn¡¯t help but feel that it had been aplete waste of time. How the hell was he supposed to settle a matter like this? How was he even supposed to report it?! ¡®A hearing he says¡­. What a mess¡­. But do we really have grounds to hold a hearing? All that happened is that an item has been returned to its owner¡­.¡± Although he thought this, Trempel didn¡¯t really believe it. Trempel let out another sigh. Akasha couldn¡¯t just be treated as a simple object¡­. After the Wise Sienna had gone into seclusion two hundred years ago, her name had be one of Aroth¡¯s most important symbols. Countless wizards from all over the continent hade to Aroth, fascinated by Sienna¡¯s legend, and many tourists flocked to Merdein Square, which was merely named after her, and Sienna¡¯s mansion every day. Akasha was, in a sense, even more of a symbol of Sienna than even Witch Craft itself. Trempel couldn¡¯t possibly imagine how Akasha would be permitted to leave Akron, let alone Aroth. ¡°...What in the world just happened?¡± After Trempel had taken the elevator down, still heaving out sighs, Mer had quickly sat down next to Eugene and started questioning him. ¡°How could you have be Akasha¡¯s new master? Akasha should have been sealed so that no one apart from Lady Sienna could even use it¡­!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, it was,¡± Eugene said with a nod as he once again turned to his magic book. In the past, it had been full of sentences that were difficult for him to understand. However, now it didn¡¯t feel like that at all. Just by reading it, his head was immediately able to understand what the author meant. ¡°Hey, Sir Eugene. Can¡¯t you please answer my question properly first?¡± Mer demanded as she leaned her face over the book to meet Eugene¡¯s eyes. ¡°Did you manage to find Lady Sienna? You did, didn¡¯t you? Apart from Lady Sienna, no other wizard would have been able to break Akasha¡¯s seal. Lady Sienna¡­ she¡¯s still alive, right?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so hasty,¡± Eugene chided. ¡°You¡¯re really asking me to not be hasty! How does that make any sense? Sir Eugene might be able to leave this ce at any time, but I can¡¯t do that!¡± Mer argued. ¡°Ah,¡± Eugene let out a short noise of surprise, closed the book, and stood up. ¡°See! You¡¯re just going to run away now that it¡¯s too bothersome and tiring to answer my questions!¡± Mer used with a screech. ¡°U-uwah! I can¡¯t even hold on to you! Once you¡¯ve run away like this, who knows when you might return¡ª¡± ¡°I just realized that I forgot something.¡± ¡°Forgot something! What would you forget?!¡± Mer stuck close to Eugene as she followed behind him. She wasn¡¯t just quietly following him either, instead swinging both hands like windmills as she pounded on Eugene''s back. But her soft cottonball-like fists didn¡¯t hurt him in the slightest. ¡°Sir Eugene, you¡¯re always like that! Acting as you please, causing everyone else to feel frustrated! The contents of the fairy tale arepletely correct. You''re a piece of trash, a son of a bitch!¡± Mer cursed. ¡°Sorry, but the one being described like that in the fairy tale isn¡¯t Eugene Lionheart, it¡¯s the Stupid Hamel,¡± Eugene corrected her. ¡°Are you really saying something like that at this point?¡± Mer asked in disbelief. ¡°I know that youareHamel!¡± ¡°Well, that may be,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°Are you making fun of me? You-you son of a bitch! I¡¯m ordering you to tell me where Lady Sienna is, and whether she¡¯s alright!¡± ¡°Geez, I told you not to be so hasty.¡± ¡°Why do you keep telling me to not be hasty! When I need to hurry up and get the answers from you before you leave!¡± ¡°Just hold on for a bit longer,¡± Eugene grumbled as he quickly turned around. Eugene grabbed her by the waist and lifted her up into the air. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Mer screeched as she kicked her heels in mid-air. Eugene shook Mer up and down, then ced her on top of a nearby desk. ¡°You¡­ yoooou¡­ you bad guy¡­!¡± Mer¡¯s vocabry was simr to Sienna¡¯s, but also different. Sienna was someone who had mastered all kinds of curses, from ¡®son of a bitch¡¯ to much worse ones, but Mer¡¯s curses weren¡¯t as harsh as Sienna¡¯s. After all, Mer wasn¡¯t Sienna herself, but instead a familiar created based on Sienna¡¯s childhood. ¡°Just wait here for a moment. I have to concentrate, so don¡¯t disturb me,¡± Eugene instructed with a grin as he patted Mer on the head. Then he walked over to Witch Craft. Mer watched Eugene, her expression filled with displeasure as she pouted her lips. There were a lot of things that she still wanted to ask him, one of them addressing the fact that she didn¡¯t know what Eugene was nning to do now. Holding Akasha in his left hand, Eugene reached out to Witch Craft with his right hand. As he did, Witch Craft began to activate. He had done this dozens, even hundreds of times now. Eugene closed his eyes and connected to Witch Craft. The first thing he saw was the Eternal Hole, the ultimate goal of the Circle Magic Form. It still amazed him, even though he had already seen it hundreds of times. Eugene stared at the Eternal Hole for a few moments. It was an infinite cycle of Circles. He had already managed to attain some understanding of it, and through this understanding, he had been able to create the Ring me Form. Akasha was assisting his ability to understand magic. But even with that, his understanding of the Eternal Hole didn¡¯t undergo any great changes. He knew that it was an infinitely multiplying amount of Circles that were chained together, and the mana amplified through this process could be considered numerically infinite. So there seemed to have been no point in trying to get a second look at it. ¡®...This must mean that my understanding of it is correct,¡¯ Eugene thought with some relief. Since this was the case, even with Akasha¡¯s assistance, his understanding of the Eternal Hole hadn¡¯t undergone any changes. Eugene grinned with satisfaction at this realization. But he hadn¡¯t connected to Witch Craft just to confirm this. Eugene had a different goal in mind. He took a few deep breaths and then opened his eyes. As he returned to reality, the Eternal Hole was no longer visible. Instead, a sphere could be seen that was covered inyers or rings. This was the physical appearance of Witch Craft. Without erasing his smile, Eugene approached Witch Craft. Back at the World Tree, in the elven domain, Sienna had taught him the method used to unlock Akasha¡¯s seal. She had also taught him something else. While readying his focus, Eugene held Akasha forward. Akasha¡¯s Dragonheart began to glow softly and Witch Craft began to respond to this light. ¡°...Huh¡­?¡± Mer made a puzzled noise, an analytic expression crossing her face as she sat on the desk, only for her eyes to widen in surprise. The Rings surrounding Witch Craft, which had never stopped moving, wereing to a halt one by one. With each ring that stopped moving, the light that surrounded Witch Craft¡¯s sphere dimmed. Creak, creeeeak¡­. Once all the rings hadpletely stopped, the sphere split into two, revealing a huge mana crystal. This was where the core forms of Witch Craft, which no one had ever been able to discover or analyze, were stored. Eugene waved Akasha at the crystal. ¡°¡ªKyaaaah!¡± Mer, who had been staring nkly, suddenly screamed. She panicked and jumped off the desk. Then she immediately rushed over to Eugene. Or at least that¡¯s what she intended to do, but she wasn¡¯t able to go through with it. The moment that Mer leapt off the desk, she lost all strength in her legs. Mer limply plopped down on the spot. She tried to scream once more, but this time, she couldn¡¯t even let out a cry. Mer could sense that her body¡¯s structure was changing. She had been dissected by wizards several times before, but that hadn¡¯t been painful for her. No matter how this body of hers was dissected, the core of Mer was inside of Witch Craft. As long as that remained intact, Mer¡¯s body would never be permanently broken. It had been hundreds of years since Witch Craft was stored in Akron. Several wizards had attempted to crack into Witch Craft, but none had been able to open up the exterior of Witch Craft and reach the techniques inside. However, Eugene had just managed to open up the exterior of Witch Craft without any apparent difficulty. Mer stared at Eugene¡¯s back with terrified eyes. She wanted to say something to him, but she couldn¡¯t move her body ording to her will. This caused Mer to feel even greater fear. She was dying. No, she was malfunctioning. Was she really going to be erased like this? Why? Was this something that Lady Sienna had requested? But why in the world would she do so? There shouldn¡¯t be any reason for doing that¡­.. A number of thoughts that Mer didn¡¯t even want to contemte began appearing inside of Mer¡¯s head. ¡°...Uwaaaah!¡± Mer started sobbing as thick streams of tears ran from her eyes. ¡°Uwaaah! Aaah! Waaaah!¡± Eugene remained silently focused on his task. ¡°Sob¡­ hic¡­! Sooob! Uwaaa¡­ hic¡­. Waaaaah!¡± As Mer continued to cry, she btedly realized something. The sound of her crying was audible. Even though, just a moment ago, she hadn¡¯t been able to make any noise when she had tried to scream! Mer jerked her head up in surprise. ¡°Why are you crying? Eugene asked as he looked over at Mer with a confused expression. Her lips trembling, Mer sniffed, some snot drawn back up her nose. ¡°Knock knock~¡± After watching Mer for a few moments, waiting for her to say something, Eugene tried to cheer her up with a joke. ¡°Knock knock~¡± Despite his repeated attempts, Mer remained silent. ¡°Knock¡ª¡± ¡°Sh-shut up,¡± Mer said with a slight sniffle as she got to her feet. ¡°What in the world¡­ just what in the world did you just do? How did you¡­ to Witch Craft¡­ you, just what did you do?¡± ¡°I moved the form controlling your structure from Witch Craft over to me,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°...Huh?¡± Mer grunted in shock. Eugene continued, ¡°I thought it would be better to move it to Akasha, but Sienna said that it would be better to move it to me instead. She said that adding your control form to Akasha would be incredibly difficult, while with all the mana that I have, I should have more than enough to sustain you.¡± Mer couldn¡¯t find anything to say to this. Eugene just grinned and tucked Akasha into his cloak. ¡°Sienna asked me to tell you that she¡¯s sorry,¡± Eugene began conveying the message. ¡°...Hic¡­,¡± Mer broke her silence with a sob. Eugene kept talking, ¡°She also asked me to take good care of you. Since you¡¯ve been stuck in this ce for hundreds of years, she wanted me to take you out of here, so you can see some better sights, and even have some good food to eat¡­.¡± Mer kept crying. Sob¡­. ¡°First of all let¡¯s get you a change of clothes¡­,¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°No¡­ hm¡­ we don¡¯t need to do that immediately, right? So let¡¯s go to the Red Tower first. I still have to exin the situation to my master¡ª¡± ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Mer burst into tears once more as she threw herself into Eugene¡¯s arms. Chapter 119: Akasha (4)

Chapter 119: Akasha (4)

In the Red Tower of Magic, Lovellian was trying to understand the situation he was in, wondering how he should react to it, and struggling to decide how in the world he was meant to deal with this in the future. This problem had already caused him to sigh more than once. But if someone asked him whether he was angry¡­ Lovellian felt like this really wasn¡¯t a problem he could be angry about. Though, if that was the case, then was he supposed to be annoyed? It should still be okay to feel annoyed when being faced with such a difficult problem. ¡°...For now¡­,¡± Lovellian hesitated. Yet, he couldn¡¯t find it in himself to get annoyed. With a distressed expression, Lovellian looked at the person in the seat across from him. Eugene Lionheart. The very first disciple that the Red Tower Master, Lovellian, had ever taken. At the same time, he was also the adopted child of Lovellian¡¯s longtime friend, Gilead Lionheart. Being the son of a friend wasn¡¯t enough reason for Lovellian to ever treat Eugene with unconditional favoritism. The reason why Lovellian had made Eugene his disciple, aside from being the son of his friend, was that Lovellian was fascinated with Eugene¡¯s talent. This was why Lovellian was finding it so hard to get angry at Eugene. ¡°...Please exin to me just how in the world things got like this,¡± Lovellian pleaded as he looked down at the staff that had been ced on the table between them. This was Akasha¡­ the Wise Sienna¡¯s personal staff. Lovellian considered himself to be a grand-disciple who had inherited the legacy of the Wise Sienna, and held pride in this fact. It was a pride that had been instilled in him from a young age. Lovellian¡¯s master¡¯s master was Sienna¡¯s disciple. So ever since Lovellian had first started learning magic, he had been told every day by his master to treat his master¡¯s master¡¯s master, the Wise Sienna, as his grandmaster and pay his respects to her. ¡®...This is a strange feeling¡­,¡¯Lovellian thought to himself as he looked down at Sienna¡¯s staff. Not only Lovellian himself, but even his master and his master¡¯s master had been unable to be the wielder of this staff. ¡®...To think that my disciple¡­ would truly be able to receive Akasha¡¯s recognition,¡¯Lovellian marveled. When he thought of it like that, Lovellian just couldn¡¯t bring himself to get angry or annoyed at Eugene. He didn¡¯t even feel any jealousy. He just felt like Eugene was a truly unique individual and held pride in the fact that such a person was his disciple. While waiting for Eugene¡¯s reply, Lovellian took the teacup in front of him and brought it to his lips. Right. Was something like a ¡®reason for which Akasha would choose Eugene¡¯ really all that important? What was truly important was that Lovellian¡¯s only disciple had already be Akasha¡¯s master. As a result, the royal family could even decide to hold a hearing where they would discuss whether or not to punish his disciple. If that really did happen¡­. Lovellian would use everything that he had avable to him, both from his position as the Red Tower Master and as an Archwizard, in order to protect Eugene¡­. The moment that Lovellian had made up his mind on this and was about to take a sip of his hot tea, a voice suddenly spoke up. ¡°Excuse me.¡± Pwoosh! Lovellian spewed out his tea in surprise. Yet even at such a moment, he proved himself worthy of the title of an Archwizard. Before the tea that he had spat out could even touch Eugene, Lovellian evaporated the liquid using magic, then grabbed his sore throat as he went into a coughing fit. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eugene asked in concern. ¡°I-I¡¯m fi-I¡¯m alright,¡± Lovellian replied as he waved off Eugene¡¯s concern. Then, Lovellian¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Eugene. To be more precise, rather than at Eugene, Lovellian was staring at Mer, who had popped out of Eugene¡¯s cloak, so that only her face was showing. ¡°Why did youe out without permission?¡± Eugene chided her. Merined, ¡°Just how long do I have to keep hiding in here? After all, I haven¡¯t done anything wrong.¡± ¡°Look at how surprised he is, why did you burst out like that?¡± Eugene scolded her. ¡°That¡¯s why I told you to wait until the conversation is over and then slowly make an¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like it makes much of a difference whether I shock him now or I shock himter. Even though you led me out of there while promising to give me freedom, you stuffed me inside your cloak as soon as we left Akron,¡± Mer grumbled, her cheeks puffing up in indignation. Then she twisted her body back and forth inside the cloak, while trying her best to work her way out. However, no matter how much effort she put into it, it was impossible for Mer to fully leave the cloak on her own. ¡°...Can¡¯t you just let me out of here for a bit?¡± Mer begged. ¡°You may not know this, but it¡¯s very dark and lonely here.¡± ¡°Well, it should be fine,¡± Eugene muttered as he nced up at Lovellian for approval. Lovellian was staring at Mer with his jaw half-dropped. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Eugene coughed and opened up his cloak further. Mer crawled out of the opening on her own and, while putting on an elegant act, she greeted Lovellian, ¡°Hello, Sir Lovellian. I believe that it has been a month since west met.¡± ¡°...Uh¡­. Um¡­. Uh¡­,¡± Lovellian stammered before finally nodding. ¡°...Just how¡­ what in the world are you doing outside of Akron? No, but how does this make any sense? Isn¡¯t Lady Mer the familiar in charge of Witch Craft?¡± ¡°Lady Sienna asked me to do this,¡± Eugene exined. Lovellian¡¯s expression underwent another change at these words. He picked his jaw back up and then tried to calm himself. ¡°...So it¡¯s true¡­ you really have met Lady Sienna?¡± Lovellian asked eagerly. ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene simply replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve been to the Samar Rainforest, Eugene. You then returned to the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate with over a hundred elves following you.¡± Lovellian hesitated, ¡°Those elves¡­ did theye from the elven territory that¡¯s said to lie at the foot of the World Tree?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± Eugene denied. ¡°I led back some elves who weren¡¯t able to return to the elven territory and were just living among themselves.¡± ¡°...I still can¡¯t believe it,¡± Lovellian said as he lowered his teacup with a trembling hand. ¡°For you to have found the elven territory where Lady Sienna was rumored to have gone into seclusion¡­. Two hundred years ago, when Lady Sienna went into seclusion, my master¡¯s master, who was Lady Sienna¡¯s own disciple, countless wizards of Aroth, and even the Court Wizards Division went over to Samar hoping to track down Lady Sienna.¡± However, let alone Sienna, they hadn¡¯t even found the elven territory. ¡°...Um, about that¡­ it all has to do with when I went to Nahama.¡± Eugene thus started his attempt at convincing Lovellian. He had already thought about what to say. In Nahama, Eugene imed to have identally discovered Hamel¡¯s grave. The story up to here was the same as the one he had given at the ck Lion Castle. He went over the Death Knight¡¯s attack and his encounter with Amelia Merwin. Then Eugene described how he had found a leaf of the World Tree within Hamel¡¯s coffin. After heading over to Samar, he had been guided by the leaf. With its help, he had managed to enter the elven territory, and met Sienna who had been ced under a seal¡­. Eugene hesitated.¡®Telling him that I¡¯m Hamel would be a bit¡­.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t that Eugene didn¡¯t trust Lovellian. But even if Eugene did trust him, there was still something holding him back. Eugene had yet to even reveal to Gerhard and Gilead that he was the reincarnation of Hamel. Apart from the Demon King of Incarceration, only Mer knew that Eugene had once been Hamel.[1] There was a simple reason for this. Mer was a familiar created by Sienna. She would absolutely never betray this secret, because she was incapable of such a betrayal, so no one would be able to question Mer and make her tell them the truth. ¡°...So Lady Sienna¡­ has been ced under a seal¡­,¡± Lovellian considered this problem as he chewed on his bottom lip. A huge hole had been pierced through her chest and only the power of the World Tree was barely keeping her alive. As a disciple who had inherited Sienna¡¯s legacy and who deeply admired her as an example to all wizards, Lovellian naturally felt an extreme amount of anger at this fact. ¡°...While transferring the ownership of Akasha to me, Lady Sienna also asked me to look after Mer,¡± Eugene finished his exnation. ¡°...,¡± Lovellian listened silently. ¡°She also told me the method of how to undo her seal,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°If we can somehow kill Raizakia, who¡¯s trapped within a dimensional rift, the curse afflicting Lady Sienna will disappear¡ª¡± ¡°Eugene,¡± Lovellian interrupted with a stiff expression. ¡°I think it would be better not to talk about this matter at the hearing.¡± ¡°Yes, I also feel the same way,¡± Eugene agreed. The Wise Sienna had been fatally wounded. This fact alone was enough to make countless wizards go crazy. If this information were to be revealed, just how many wizards would go searching for Sienna in Samar, and would take out their hostility on Helmuth out of a desire for revenge? On top of that, the ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth, would also be attending the hearing. Although Raizakia didn¡¯t have any sort of contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, that still didn''t mean that they could be sure the Demon King of Incarceration had nothing to do with Sienna¡¯s sealing. ¡®Two hundred years have passed. Neither the Demon King of Incarceration, nor the demonfolk contracted to him have gone looking for Sienna,¡¯Eugene considered. However, if it was revealed to them that Sienna had been mortally wounded and ced under a seal¡­ this might drive them to a different course of action. ¡°...I don¡¯t trust Balzac Ludbeth,¡± Lovellian continued speaking. ¡°However, aside from my distrust of him, Balzac Ludbeth has indeed behaved with more decency andmon sense than the ¡®true¡¯ demonfolk and the other ck wizards like him that are found in Helmuth. As such, while I might distrust Balzac Ludbeth, I do not hate him.¡± Eugene hesitated, unsure what to say. ¡°...Well, that¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that you also cannot deny this fact,¡± Lovellian stated. Eugene clicked his tongue. In the present, there were only three ck wizards who had personally signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. Although Eugene had never met Earl Edmond Codreth, who resided in Helmuth, so he couldn¡¯t say for sure, it was true that, whenpared to the likes of Amelia Merwin, Balzac showed an iparable amount of decency andmon sense. ¡°Even if Balzac doesn¡¯t leak this information, if you were to reveal Lady Sienna¡¯s condition during the hearing, Eugene¡­ the story is sure to eventually be spread far and wide,¡± Lovellian stated with certainty. ¡°Eugene, there are arge number of demons in Helmuth who are interested in gaining prestige. Right now, Helmuth¡¯s Three Princes might be the closest to the position of the next Demon King, but there are countless demonfolk below them who also covet their prestigious titles and the position of the next Demon King.¡± One such demonfolk was the Raskshasa Princess Iris, but apart from her, there were many others. The honor of taking the Wise Sienna¡¯s life was sure to be coveted by these prestige-seeking demonfolk. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure not to spill any information about Lady Sienna being sealed away during the hearing,¡± Eugene promised. ¡°I was thinking of saying something along the lines of ¡®she just went into seclusion out of a desire for some serenity and introspection.¡¯¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lovellian agreed. ¡°I, too, think that would be for the best. ¡­As for the transfer of Akasha and Lady Mer¡­ if the other party is you, Eugene, then I¡¯m sure that everyone at the hearing will have no choice but to ept it.¡± Eugene was a descendant of the Great Vermouth Lionheart. At the same time, he was also a distant disciple who had inherited the legacy of the Wise Sienna. There weren¡¯t many people on the continent who could im to be of Sienna¡¯s lineage and possess as many ties to her as Eugene did. ¡®Though the Green Tower Master is sure to have a seizure,¡¯Lovellian thought as an aside. Jeneric Osman was the Tower Master of the Green Tower of Magic, in which Sienna had once presided, and his masters¡¯ master was also once Sienna¡¯s disciple. Eugene hesitantly brought up another issue. ¡°...But, Master Lovellian, I¡¯m a bit worried that I¡¯ll be forced to swear an oath to tell the truth during the hearing.¡± Wizards were not able to deceive an oath sworn on their own mana. If they swore to tell the truth, but instead told a lie, their mana would no longer act ording to the will of the wizard who had told the lie. ¡°There¡¯s no way that will happen,¡± Lovellian said with a smirk. ¡°Eugene, an oath sworn on one¡¯s mana is so absolute that its use cannot be forced so arbitrarily. Even criminals have the right to remain silent, so how could they justify forcing you, when you haven¡¯t evenmitted any crime, to swear such an oath?¡±, ¡°Well, with this matter being what it is¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off hesitantly. ¡°Hm, I agree that issues concerning Lady Sienna cannot be discussed lightly, but Eugene, you haven¡¯tmitted any crimes and Lady Sienna also hasn¡¯t requested for the truth to be revealed, now has she?¡± As Lovellian said these words, he gently grabbed Eugene¡¯s hands. ¡°If those attending the hearing do attempt to persecute you and force you to swear such an oath, as Lady Sienna¡¯s disciple, your master, and a friend of the Lionheart n, I will be sure to protect you. Of course, feel free to use all of the qualifications avable to you in order to protect yourself. No matter how powerful Aroth¡¯s royal family is, they cannot recklessly persecute the descendant of Kiehl¡¯s great hero, a member of the Lionheart n.¡± This was indeed the case. If they really did have the guts to persecute Eugene, then Trempel would have taken Eugene in for questioning immediately, instead of leaving him in Akron. The fact that he hadn¡¯t meant that Trempel was also one of those wizards who truly revered Sienna. Also, it was because the Lionhearts weren¡¯t a n that could be so recklessly messed with. ¡°Furthermore¡­ in regards to the ck Dragon Raizakia, I will use my own personal connections and my informationwork in order to acquire any clues to his whereabouts,¡± Lovellian promised. ¡°Please also look into any information about Barang,¡± Eugene added in a cold tone of voice. He had given it a lot of thought, but it was clear that the information that Lovellian could collect would be qualitatively superior to any information that Eugene would be able to collect by running around on his own two feet. ¡°Yes, of course I will. After all, there¡¯s no good reason why your location should have been exposed.¡± After saying this, Lovellian was lost in thought for a few moments. While listening to this conversation between the two of them, Mer ever so slowly stretched her fingers across the table between their seats. Refreshments such as cookies, choctes, and candies had been ced in the center of the table. For Mer, these were the very first sweets that she had encountered after hundreds of years. Would it be okay if she ate them? They wereid out like that because they were meant to be eaten, right? Although she hadn¡¯t been offered any tea, it should still be fine for her to try the snacks, right? ¡°What are you acting so secretive for?¡± Eugene said with a grin as he pulled over the basket of snacks and ced it in front of Mer. Even Lovellian, who was still lost in thought, used a spell to push a teacup over to Mer. ¡°...Wow¡­ it¡¯s been two hundred years since myst cup of tea. I really like tea leaves from the Yukar region,¡± Mer said as she brought the teacup to her lips. The tea was hot. This warmth brought a bright smile to Mer¡¯s face. While blowing on the ck tea to cool it down, she took a sip of the tea and then closed her eyes as her body shook in pleasure. ¡­Although Mer preferred sweet milk tea over ck, as the first tea that she had drunk in over two hundred years, it would have tasted sweet even if it was the most bitter concoction in history. ¡°...You didn¡¯t necessarily need to tell me the truth, Eugene,¡± Lovellian said, breaking silence after he was done sorting out his thoughts. ¡°However, you have revealed it to me. That¡¯s¡­ is it because I am your master?¡± ¡°That was part of it, but it was also because I know that Master Lovellian is a good person,¡± Eugene replied with a grin. ¡°Also, the truth is that I haven¡¯t revealed everything. There are some things that I definitely cannot tell anyone.¡± ¡°Of course that would be the case. However, I won¡¯t try and squirrel them out of you, Eugene. Even if you don¡¯t tell me what they are, the fact that you¡¯ve mentioned you¡¯re keeping secrets in the end means that you¡¯re asking me to forgive you for keeping them from me, right?¡± Lovelian asked with a grin. ¡°As such, I will happily wait until the day you feel it¡¯s safe to share your secrets with me.¡± ¡°...Well¡­ I might be able to tell you someday soon,¡± Eugene answered his trust with an awkward smile. ncing away to hide his embarrassment, Eugene noticed Mer eating a t cookie that was covered in chocte. The way that she closed her eyes and clenched her fists with each bite reminded him of Sienna. Though Sienna favored alcohol, she also liked sweet desserts just as much. ¡®¡­Would it be alright for me to try and feed Mer a whiskey bon-bon?¡¯Eugene thought with idle curiosity. Whiskey bonbons, choctes filled with liquor, were a treat that Sienna loved to death. From Mer¡¯s outer appearance, she appeared to be about ten years old. However, she had been in existence for hundreds of years and wouldn¡¯t it be strange to treat a familiar like a human at the same age? ¡°...Would you like to join us for dinner?¡± Eugene eventually offered. ¡°No, the two of you should go and have fun by yourselves,¡± Lovellian declined with a smile. At the word ¡®dinner,¡¯ Mer¡¯s eyes shone brightly. Stealthily wiping away the chocte off of her lips with a finger, Mer turned to look at Eugene. ¡°I want to eat cake,¡± Mer requested. Eugene argued, ¡°But cakes aren¡¯t really food, are they?¡± ¡°What kind of a statement is that? If you eat it and it fills you up, then of course it¡¯s food,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, then that¡¯s even more reason why you shouldn¡¯t consider a meal. Since there¡¯s nothing that can actually fillyouup,¡± Eugene pointed out. Mer pouted at these words. As a familiar, while she had the same appearance as a human being, this didn¡¯t mean that the inside of her body was the same as a human. The food that she ate waspletely dposed by her own mana and disintegrated. In other words, this meant that no matter how much she ate, she could never be full. ¡°...If it tastes good, then it¡¯s food,¡¯ Mer stubbornly insisted, unwilling to give in. Eugene stood up, along with Mer, and bowed his head towards Lovellian. Once they had left the tower, Mer asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to tell the Red Tower Master about your past life, Sir Eugene? ¡°Not yet.¡± ¡°Then, does that mean that the only ones who know that Sir Eugene is Hamel are Lady Sienna and I?¡± Mer asked excitedly. Eugene corrected her, ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration probably knows as well.¡± ¡°The Demon King is different. So it¡¯s true that the only ones you treated as special and ¡®personally¡¯ revealed the truth to are Lady Sienna and me, right?¡± Mer insisted with a bright grin as she stuck closely to Eugene¡¯s side. ¡°Thinking about it like that makes me feel a little happy.¡± ¡°Even if you act all cutesy, we¡¯re not going to eat cake,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°...You¡¯re a piece of trash,¡± Mer cursed disappointedly. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Anyways, you¡­ do you know how to drink alcohol? When it came to alcohol, Sienna would always go crazy.¡± ¡°...¡¯Go crazy¡¯?¡± Mer repeated. ¡°Could you please stop insulting Lady Sienna. Lady Sienna would elegantlysavorher wine, she would never go crazy for it.¡± ¡°How hrious, do you really think that you know Sienna better than I do?¡± Eugene challenged Mer. ¡°...Ugh¡­. That¡¯s¡­ that might not be the case, but I too know a lot about Lady Sienna,¡± Mer defended herself. Eugene returned to his main point. ¡°That¡¯s why I was asking you, do you know how to drink?¡± Mer hesitantly admitted, ¡°...While Lady Sienna was drinking, I once asked her for a cup. But Lady Sienna refused, saying that I was too young to drink.¡± ¡°If so, then I shouldn¡¯t give you any,¡± Eugene concluded. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t you give me some? At that time, it was just because it hadn¡¯t been long since I was created. Now, after two hundred years have passed, I¡¯m much older than Sir Eugene. I should be able to drink as well,¡± Mer imed proudly. Eugene wasn¡¯t swayed. ¡°That still won¡¯t do. After all, your mother said that you shouldn¡¯t drink any.¡± ¡°...My mother¡­?¡± Mer¡¯s eyes shook as she repeated this word. ¡°Please don¡¯t say such a thing in front of anyone else. It might create some strange misunderstandings about Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth, so why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± Eugene said with a shrug. ¡°Since Sienna was the one who made you, then Sienna is your mother.¡± ¡°However, I¡¯m a familiar, not a human,¡± Mer pointed out. ¡°Who in the world would treat a familiar as their own child? We familiars also don¡¯t consider our creators to be our parents. To put it bluntly, familiars just see their creators as their owners.¡± ¡°Why would you being a human or a familiar make any difference? In the first ce, you¡¯re different from the regr familiars, aren''t you?¡± Eugene questioned. Mer hesitated. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s true. However, rather than her child, as Lady Sienn¡¯as familiar¡­ um¡­ it would be closer to call me her clone. Because I was made based on a childhood version of herself¡­.¡± ¡°So what, do you really dislike being treated as Sienna¡¯s daughter that much?¡± Eugene asked with a grin. At these words, Mer¡¯s eyes began to dart here and there. Eventually, she said, ¡°...My own desires don¡¯t matter. What¡¯s important is what Lady Sienna thinks of me. And probably, Lady Sienna doesn¡¯t think of me as her daughter.¡± ¡°Then we can just ask herter,¡± Eugene said with a smile as he righted her hat, which had tilted to the side. ¡°Sienna was worried about you. She also felt sorry for abandoning you. That¡¯s why she asked me to take care of you. At the very least, the Sienna Merdein that I know isn¡¯t the type of person who would think of you as a mere familiar. If you really were just a simple familiar, she wouldn¡¯t have made you in her own image.¡± Sienna¡¯s deepest desire was to live an ordinary life, get married like everyone else, have children, live happily, and eventually be a grandmother. However, Sienna hadn¡¯t even found a single romantic partner in Aroth, let alone getting married. She didn¡¯t have any children either. Instead, she had created a familiar that closely resembled her in her own childhood. ¡°I¡¯m sure that Sienna will ept you as her daughter,¡± Eugene promised Mer. Mer wasn¡¯t able to say anything, her lips pouting silently. With both hands, she pulled her hat low to cover the expression on her face. Even so, she wasn¡¯t able to cover the sniffling sounds. ¡°Are you crying again?¡± ¡°...Sob¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you eat some cake, so don¡¯t cry,¡± Eugene weakly conceded with a sigh. ¡°Though we won¡¯t go there right away. I want to get a meal first, then we can get you some cake¡­.¡± ¡°...Sir Eugene¡­ you really like Lady Sienna don¡¯t you?¡± Mer used. Eugene was taken aback. ¡°Has this girl gone crazy? Why spout such bullshit all of a sudden?¡± ¡°You definitely like her,¡± Mer stated confidently. ¡°It-it¡¯s love, isn¡¯t it? I already found out about it. In the fairy tale, Hamel admitted that he loved Sienna¡­.¡± ¡°I fucking said that was a lie, didn¡¯t I? Do you really think I¡¯m crazy enough to say that I li- lik- I¡¯m fond of that tomboy? Uuurgh¡­!¡± Eugene gagged and then covered his mouth with a disgusted expression on his face. At his violent reaction, Mer just proudly raised her chin high. ¡°...The younger a man is, the less honest he is with the girl he likes, and instead he bullies her,¡± Mer lectured. ¡°...So what about it? I¡¯m not a young man,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°That saying refers to the age of the mind, rather than the age of the body.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more reason why I¡¯m not young any more. Don¡¯t you know how old I was in my previous life?!¡± Changing the subject, Mer revealed, ¡°Whenever she spoke of Hamel, Lady Sienna seemed happy.¡± Embarrassed, Eugene tried to hurry along. ¡°Stop with the nonsense and let¡¯s get going.¡± ¡°If Lady Sienna gets engaged to Sir Eugene, does that mean I should call Sir Eugene father instead?¡± Mer asked teasingly. ¡°Don¡¯t say something like that, I really will vomit.¡± Eugene threatened her with a frown as he hastened his steps. Chapter 120 The Hearing (1)

Chapter 120: The Hearing (1)

¡°Basically, I''m a supplementary device for your magic, Sir Eugene." Mer¡¯s eyes sparkled as she sat on the chair. Right now, since Eugene had been given the control form, Mer was no longer bound to Witch Craft, but to him. Therefore, Mer couldn''t use the various spells that she had been able to use while she was linked to Witch Craft. ¡°So¡­Hmm¡­ Sir Eugene, you prefer spatial magic, right? That kind of magic requires a high level of coordinate calction when you are using a form.No matter how smart you are, it won''t be easy to calcte spatial coordinates perfectly while the mana fluctuates.¡± Blink yed an important role in magicalbat.It wasn''tanexaggeration to say that the speed and proper usage of Blink determined the winner in magicalbat. ¡°I willbe doing such calctions for you. Of course, there are other things I can do as well.Sir Eugene, you can currently record and utilize Fifth Circle magicusingthe Ring me Form, right?¡± ¡°That''s right.¡± ¡°Under ordinary circumstances, it''s impossible to use magic belonging to a circle higher than the user¡¯s level. But you can use magic up to the Sixth Circle, right? If I assist you, you will be able to use magic two circles higher than your level. That means up to the Seventh Circle. Of course,I¡¯m just saying this without having done an in-depth analysis, and it would still definitely require you to know the technique and perform the incantation. Still, it will be a lot easier than doing it with no support,¡±Merbragged.¡°Especially if you cast different kinds of magic at the same time and want to harmonize the spells¡­ Umm, it will be better for you to try it yourself, rather than me exining it.¡± Mergrumbled as she climbed down the chair. She took a look around a couple of times, then scurried toward Eugene.¡°Open it, please.¡± ¡°Do we have to go inside and do it?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, as you can see, I¡¯m not a fighting familiar.I can be repaired when I¡¯m broken, but still, I¡¯m not built for direct magicalbat or hand-to-hand fighting.¡± Mer pouted and fluttered the Cloak of Darkness. ¡°I amsimply a magic-assisting familiar. If you have a problem with that, you can build me abat body, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm¡­.¡± Eugene stared at Mer for a moment. ¡®Combat body, huh¡­? So basically, Mer will take care of using magic, and she is asking me for a body that is suited forbat.¡¯ ¡­Eugene thought about Gargith and Evatar¡¯s muscr bodies. Well, their muscr bodies were suited forbat, all right. If he put Mer¡¯s face on top of that ripped body¡­. Eugene almost puked at the disgusting mental image. He took a couple of steps backward as he covered his mouth. While pping the cloak up and down, Mer frowned and asked,¡°Why are you frowning so suddenly?¡± ¡°I imagined something terrible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s random. Anyhow, open your cloak please.¡± Like Mer requested, Eugene lifted the Cloak of Darkness and let her in. No living being could enter the cloak, but that didn¡¯t affect Mer, who was a familiar. ¡°What kind of magic will you be using?¡± ¡°Scorching meball.¡± On the eighth floor of Akron, there was the Hall of Scorching Heat. The magic of the most powerful fire wizard in the history of Aroth was stored there.TheScorching meball Eugene wanted to use now was one of these spells ¡ª a piece of Seventh Circle magic. The technique was in his head. He also knew the theory: where to start and how to let the mana flow in order to perform it.However, he had never actuallyused it. Seventh Circle magic¡¯s power and impact were simr to a natural disaster, so it was something very difficult to control. Mana fluctuated. Only sticking out her head from the cloak, Mer closed her eyes as the technique in Eugene¡¯s head was shared with her. Although the magic was two circles higher, the mana flowed smoothly due to Eugene¡¯s inborn calction ability and mana control skill. His calction ability was fast already, but Mer¡¯s assist shortened the time to several seconds. Eugene continued to chant. ?Woosh! A small me appeared in front of Eugene. The me wasn¡¯t terribly impressive at first nce ¡ª it was just a wisp that couldn¡¯t even be considered a fireball. Still, when it appeared, the room¡¯s temperature skyrocketed. ¡°¡­Phew!¡± Mer exhaled. Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the me floating in front of Eugene. ¡°¡­We did it.¡± This spell had almost drained Eugene¡¯s Cores. Eugene focused on the me as it slowly moved forward. Its movement was slow, but the me got exponentially bigger as it moved. The Scorching meball was one of the strongest me-ball spells, second only to Hell Fire. The me had merely moved a little bit forward, but it had already be so big that it almost filled up half of theboratory, and it now exuded zing heat. ¡°Then next¡­let¡¯s try harmonizing it with the pr opposite type of magic. Sir Eugene, you also know the Hall of Icy Chill¡¯s magic, right?¡± ¡°Wait,¡±Eugene said as he turned his head. He felt a presence on the other side of theboratory door. Behind the closed door was standing the Chief of the Court Wizards, Trempel Vizardo. He wasn¡¯t surprised when the door opened on its own, but he was indeed perplexed when he saw the me that filled theboratory.People outside couldn¡¯t see what was going on inside, nor feel the mana in this undergroundboratory when its door was closed. Therefore, Trempel had no idea what Eugene was doing when the door was closed. His jaw dropped. ¡°¡­The Scorching meball?¡­From the Hall of Scorching Heat?Seventh Circle¡­magic?¡± Trempel couldn¡¯t believe it, and his eyes were trembling in shock. Thefive Tower Masters were at the Eighth Circle, and so was Trempel.Inthe entire history of magic,there was no wizard who reached the Ninth Circle aside from the Wise Sienna. No matter which generation it was, reaching the Eighth Circle was enough to be redited as an Archwizard. There was one circle difference between the Seventh and the Eighth Circle, and that gap was truly wide indeed. But¡­so what?As far as Trempel knew, Eugene was just twenty years old. There wasn¡¯t a single wizard who had reached the Seventh Circle at twenty ¡ª not now, not ever.Even among Aroth¡¯s royalty, who were born to be wizards, there wasn¡¯t a single person who had reached the Seventh Circle at this age. ¡°¡­Lord Eugene¡­what¡­how¡­no, when have you reached the Seventh Circle¡­?¡±Trempel asked, trembling.He was an Archwizard, and ever since he was young, people had called him a genius. However, even he had only been at the Fourth Circle when he was twenty. ¡°I haven¡¯t. I¡¯m still at the Fifth Circle.¡± The heat from the Scorching meball distorted the air around it. Eugene waved his hand and scattered the Scorching meball. ¡°¡­Did you say¡­you are a Fifth Circle wizard?Then how could you use the magic that is two circles higher¡­¡±Trempel trailed off as his eyes widened. After the spell form was scattered, the disintegrated mana didn¡¯t disappear, it returned to Eugene. Everything was far beyond Trempel¡¯s understanding. Eugene cast a spell that was higher than his circle. Not just a bit higher, but two whole circles higher. And as for retrieving mana without waste while dispelling the magic¡­ was this even possible? It was definitely impossible for Trempel. He wasat the Eighth Circle,and could never use Ninth Circle magic regardless of how hard he tried or what method he used. Moreover, when a wizard dispelled their magic in the middle of casting it, they could retrieve some of the mana used, but it was impossible to recover most of it the way Eugene was. On top of that, he was doing it with such high-level magic! Grabbing onto his dizzy head, Trempeltook a few steps backward. ¡®¡­If a Fifth Circle wizard can use Seventh Circle magic¡­can that wizard be called a Fifth Circle wizard? Wouldn¡¯t it be more urate to ssify a wizard¡¯s Circle ording to the magic they use?¡¯ ¡°Hello.¡± This greeting did nothing to clear Trempel¡¯s dibobtion. Seeing Mer sticking her head out of Eugene¡¯s cloak, Trempel¡¯s legs turned into jelly and he copsed on the floor. ¡°¡­Huh¡­Huuuh¡­¡± ¡°SirTrempel, I understand your surprise. Don¡¯t worry, the only reason Sir Eugene could use Seventh Circle magic was that he had the assistance of Lady Sienna¡¯s familiar,me.¡± Mer pompously lifted her chin high. ¡°He can¡¯t use it without my assistance. I¡¯m cool, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Huh¡­Huuuuh¡­¡± ¡°Are you here forthe hearing?¡±Eugene spoke as he patted the humming Mer¡¯s head. Trempel btedly came to his senses and picked himself up. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­Yes, Lord Eugene. Your hearing will be held today.¡± ¡°Today? It¡¯s faster than I thought. I thought it would take a few more days.¡± ¡°¡­The agenda is quite serious.¡± Originally, Trempel was nning to act solemnly and high-handedly. He was going to browbeat Eugene and bring him to the hearing nice and tender¡­but he had instead disgracefully fallen on his buttocks. ¡°Where isthe hearing held? Is it going to be held in the Abram pce as usual?¡± ¡°¡­We werenningto do so, butthe Red Tower Master ardently refused.¡± Frowning, Trempel walked through theboratory''s hallway. ¡°As you mayknow, Lord Eugene, aside from the royal family and the court wizards, no one can use magic in the Abram pce. The restriction also applies to Tower Masters.¡± ¡°Yes, I heard so.¡± ¡°¡­ording tothe Red Tower Master,it was wrong to hold a hearing when you didn¡¯tmit any sins and itwas even more wrong to hold it on Abramwhere magicis forbidden¡­Hmph!The Red Tower Master¡­that guy is too untrusting¡­ It¡¯s not like the royal family and Aroth¡¯s court wizards will persecute you using the hearing as an opportunity, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily see it that way,¡±a new voice interrupted. The air in front of them distorted and then parted as Lovellian stepped out from it.¡°I just thought that it didn¡¯t make sense, Trempel. I believe you are a righteous man, and the royal family is fair.¡± Trempel grunted. ¡°Mydisciple,Sir Eugene, hasn¡¯tmitted any crimes. So why should he be summoned to a hearing? And why should the hearing be held in Abram, where wizards be powerless?¡± ¡°Stop it, Lovellian. Didn¡¯t the location already change from Abram to the annex pce at the outerke because of your adamant opposition?¡± ¡°You were going to hold it in the tribunal. It only changed to the annex pce because I opposed the idea.¡± ¡°Goodness gracious¡­why would you say such unnecessary stuff? Lord Eugene, don¡¯t get any wrong ideas. I¡­do not agree with the hearing. I don¡¯t like the idea, whether it¡¯s done at Abramor at a tribunal.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°The prime minister is just too stubborn about it. Well¡­as you know well, Akasha is a meaningful treasure for Aroth in many ways.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not Aroth¡¯s treasure, it¡¯s Lady Sienna¡¯s treasure,¡±Lovellian snapped as he red at Trempel. ¡°Oh, dear! Why are you taking it out on me? Did I do it? Huh? Damn it, I already feel bitter about me, the Chief of the Court Wizards, bing an errand boy¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too angry. That means Aroth¡¯s royal family trusts you very much.¡± ¡°¡­Hmm¡­right, that¡¯s right.¡± Trempel¡¯s angercalmed in notime as he stroked his beard. * * * The five Tower Masters, the Head of the Wizard Guild, and the Chief of Court Wizards attended the hearing. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call these seven wizards the symbol of Aroth. ¡°¡­Do you know what I saw?¡± As he sat down, Trempel¡¯s facecrumpled into a frown. ¡°Lord Eugenecasting the Scorching meball of the Seventh Circle.¡± ¡°¡­Is that true?¡± The Head of the Wizard Guild,Edgard Gironopened his two eyes wide and stared at Trempel. ¡°That¡¯s unbelievable¡­Isn¡¯t Eugene Lionheart twenty years old? How could he reach the Seventh Circle¡­?¡± ¡°¡­He did say he is actually atthe Fifth Circle¡­.¡± ¡°Howcould the Fifth Circlewizard useSeventh Circle magic?¡± ¡°HowshouldI know?¡±Trempel blurted out with a frown. With trembling eyes, Edgard turned to stare at Lovellian, who was sitting across. However, Lovellian didn¡¯t give Edgard any exnation. He just watched Eugene with a proud look on his face. ¡°You mustfeel soooo uneasy right now,¡±The White Tower Master,Melkith El-Hayah,smirked as she watchedEdgard. ¡°Aren¡¯t you still at the Seventh Circle? You must be three times older than that kid¡­¡± ¡°¡­There is only a thin wall ahead of me.¡± ¡°Didn''t you also say that five years ago? You busted your ass for five years and you still failed to reach the Eighth Circle. But when I ask, you always talk about that ¡®thin wall.¡¯¡± ¡°Withjust asmall bit of enlightenment, I can go over that wall.WhiteTower Master,don¡¯t insult me too much.Are youparing me to that young child right now?¡± ¡°Well,it¡¯s not really an insult, but¡­yeah, I amparing you.¡±Melkithgiggledand pped. Edgard¡¯s hair rose, and he was ready to shoot out all kinds of curse words.However¡­he couldn¡¯t really say them to Melkith. That annoying, frivolous woman was an Archwizard at the Eighth Circle and the only grand spirit summoner who had contracts with two Spirit Kings. ¡°¡­The Seventh Circle, huh...Did Akasha make it possible?¡±The Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman looked the most vicious among the seven wizards. Watching Eugene who was sitting on his chair, Jeneric blurted,¡°If it wasn¡¯t for Akasha, it would be impossible to reach the Seventh Circle at his age.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t judge him as you please,¡±Lovellian spoke.¡°Sir Eugenealready knew how to use magic of the higher circles before he became Akasha¡¯s master.¡± ¡°Hmph.You aretrying awfully hard to stick up for your disciple, Lovellian Sophis. Oh wait, is it because he is the son of Lionheart, notbecause he is your disciple?¡±Jeneric¡¯s sharp eyes turned to Lovellian.¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable. You saw the idiotic first son before him, so who wouldn¡¯t look better than him? But you are going too far, Red Tower Master.Akasha is Aroth¡¯s treasure. To think that a Lionheart is taking it away¡ªno, the Kiehl Empire is taking it away¡­.¡± ¡°You have no right to insult Sir Eward.¡±Red energy stirred up like a hurricane in Lovellian ¡¯s eyes.¡°And,I believe you aren¡¯t angry just because Sir Eugene took away Akasha, aren¡¯t you?You are angry because you wanted Akasha for yourself so desperately, but it chose someone else as its master.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s some hell of a love for your disciple. You are well aware I can never let that kind ofment just slide with a smile, right?¡±Jeneric said. ¡°Of course, I do.How long have we known each other? It¡¯s at least been 40 years.I know howmuch you obsess about your title of ¡®Wise Sienna¡¯s disciple¡¯ and I know that youlook down on me and the Red Tower, thinking only the Green Tower is the rightful sessor of Lady Sienna.¡±Lovellian snorted and turned his eyes away from Jeneric. ¡°However, Lady Sienna was the Green Tower Masterthree hundredyears ago. Isn¡¯t it ridiculous for the Green Tower to obsess over that and brag about your self-proimed title of sessor of Lady Sienna? No matter how much you argue and insist, Akasha chose Sir Eugene!¡± ¡°You bastard¡­!¡±Unable to hold his anger anymore, Jeneric sprang right up from his seat. Melkith pped and cheered as if she had waited for this exact moment. ¡°Fight! Fight!¡± The Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euznd, clucked his tongue as he red at Melkith.¡°What in the world are you doing right now? Aren¡¯t you embarrassed in front of the young man?¡± ¡°I have no intentionof fighting.¡±Lovellian smirked as he shrugged.¡°The Green Tower Master was inappropriately carried away by his feelings, that¡¯s all.¡± Jeneric gritted his teeth as vast mana swarmed around him. Lovellian sneered and called upon his own mana to fight back against the Green Tower Master. Rumble¡­! The immense mana stirred up by the two shook the entire annex. ¡®He is tougher than I expected.¡¯ Sitting in his seat, Eugene watched the whole scene unfold. His teacher, Lovellian, never lost his temper in front of Eugene. He had met Lovellian when he was thirteen, and back then as well, Lovellian was pleasant and gentle with the children, a kind and benevolent teacher. Still, that did not mean that he was weak. He was very strict with the Red Tower¡¯swizards. If they made a single mistake during the magic experiment, Lovellian would suddenly appear and severely rebuke them. Even right now, Lovellian quarreled with Jeneric without letting thetter¡¯s words slide. ¡®¡­Whydoes thatbastard keep watching me?That¡¯s ufortable,¡¯Eugene thought. The ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth, was also attending this hearing. Lovellian and Jeneric were fighting with mana right under his nose, but Balzac paid no attention and just gazed at Eugene. ¡°Crown Prince Honein has arrived.¡± The guards outside the annex pce announced the arrival of the crown prince. The mana in the air, which was bingrger andrger, as if the two wizards were going to devour each other, subsided instantly. All wizards, including Eugene, rose from their seats. ¡°To be honest, I didn¡¯t want to attend this hearing.¡±HoneinAbramentered the hall with an awkward smile. ¡°It was just a tiff,¡±Lovellian said as he bowed.¡°Is His Majesty not attending?¡± ¡°Hmm, That¡¯s right. His Majesty allocated this matter to me and the prime minister,¡± Honein answered, turning back to look at the old man who followed him.¡°Frankly, His Majestydoes not feel pleasant about this matter. However, the problem should be treated fairly, so the royal family can¡¯t put their personal feelings first. On top of that, if a king personally handled this matter, then it would put Lord Eugene in an awkward position.¡± ¡®Is the king really being considerate?¡¯Eugene thought without lifting his head.¡®...He just doesn¡¯t want to take responsibility.¡¯ Of course, he couldn¡¯t say that out loud in front of Honein. ¡°Umm¡­. Raise your heads, everyone. And please take a seat.¡±Honeinsat in the center seat.¡°First, I would like to rify the purpose of this hearing. This hearing is not about Aroth and Kiehl¡¯s rtionship. It¡¯s also not about persecuting the Lionheart n using the royal family¡¯s power,¡±Honeincontinued as he stared at Eugene.¡°The Lionheart n shouldn¡¯t be persecuted, and there is no reason to do so. As the Red Tower Masterstated, it¡¯s not like Lord Eugene hasmitted any crime.¡± ¡°¡­Your Majesty,'''' the prime minister sitting beside him whispered.¡°Akron had been storing Akashafor 200 years. Akron is Aroth¡¯sroyallibrary, and everything in Akron belongs to the Aroth royal family.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡±Honein continued as he nodded.¡°However, it¡¯s not like Lord Eugene stole Akasha. AlthoughAkasha belonged to Aroth indefinitely, it''s master was the Wise Sienna and Lord Eugene stated that the Wise Sienna personally handed Akasha over to Eugene.¡± ¡°That isthe purpose of this hearing, to check the validity of his im,¡±theprime minister said as he turned to Eugene. ¡°200 years have passed since Lady Sienna secluded herself. But he is now telling us that Lady Sienna is ¡®alive¡¯ and handed Akasha¡¯s ownership to another person. It¡¯s hard to blindly believe his im.¡± ¡°Cannot believeit?¡±Lovellian blurted as he squinted his eyes.¡°Prime MinisterConrell.Does that mean my disciple is lying?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just talking about possibilities,¡±Conrellsaid as he stroked his beard.¡°200 years is a long time. We have been desperately searching for Lady Sienna, but we failed to find even a trace of her. How could she just hand over the ownership of Akasha? Even if it¡¯s true, Akasha has belonged to Akron, to Aroth for 200 years. So wouldn¡¯t it be right for the Aroth royal family to im Akasha?¡± ¡°im something that they can¡¯t even use?¡±Melkithchuckled.¡°Well, yes. It¡¯s true that Akasha has belonged to Aroth for 200 years. But to im that Aroth is Akasha¡¯s master¡­isn¡¯t it rather ridiculous?¡± ¡°White Tower Master¡ª¡± Conrell tried to interrupt her, but Melkith continued.¡°What, am I wrong? For over 200 years, no one could be Akasha¡¯s master. From former kings to every wizard in Akron, Akasha recognized no one as her master.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a wizard,¡±Conrenswered as he snorted.¡°I am aware that Akasha is the Archwizard¡¯s staff, but I can¡¯t really feel it. Still, I can feel that it is the royal family¡¯s ¡®treasure.¡¯ Everything in Akron belongs to the royal family. No one could be Akasha¡¯s owner, but despite all that, Akasha belongs to the royal family. The hermit from 200 years ago reiming her ownership¡­ I feel like that¡¯s a very shameless act.¡± When Conrell said that, Lovellian sprang right up from his seat. Lovellian fiercely red at Conrell. However, Conrell didn¡¯t flinch even facing Lovellian¡¯s sharp eyes.¡°Don¡¯t re at me too much. I serve the royal family and I am responsible for Aroth¡¯s state affairs. It is only natural for me to act for Aroth¡­.¡± ¡°Can I say something too?¡±After being quiet all this time, Eugene spoke. ¡°...Go ahead.¡±Conrell nodded. Eugene stood up as he quietly cleared his throat.¡°Lady Siennais alive.¡± Staring at Conrell, he continued, ¡°And she said to me that she will return to Aroth and knock over the entire whole country.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°I swear on mymana that everything I said just now is true. Lady Sienna is not only alive, but also furious with Aroth.¡± Honein dropped his jaw. ¡°Iam not sure how she will vent her wrath¡­. Hmm¡­ As far as I know, the Abram pce was a gift from Lady Sienna¡­.Theke that surrounds the pce was also made by Lady Sienna. Isn¡¯t the pce¡¯s devil-seal circle also the work of Lady Sienna? So¡­ she might drown the whole pce¡­.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°Or else¡­she might pour a meteor shower on the pce. It¡¯s none of my business, though¡­¡±After that, Eugene sat in his seat. ¡°¡­SirLovellian.¡± ¡°¡­Huh¡­Yes?¡±Lovellian flinched. ¡°I will put in a good word about you to Lady Sienna so that you and the Red Tower of Magic won¡¯t suffer any damage.¡± What was Lovellian supposed to say to that? He opened his mouth to answer a couple of times, but ended up just nodding instead.¡°¡­Thank you?¡± Favorite Chapter 121 The Hearing (2)

Chapter 121: The Hearing (2)

Honestly, Eugene¡¯s fuse had snapped. That was why he had said such things. Still, he had no intention to swear, no matter the circumstance¡­ ¡®No,isn¡¯t this better?¡¯ It seemed like since Eugene was the one who mentioned an oath first, they didn¡¯t mention it anymore. Basically, he had justified his own actions. He had sworn to tell them and then talked about Sienna out of the blue because he just didn¡¯t want to hear Conrell¡¯s babbling anymore. He had acted on impulse, but it appeared to be very effective. The name ¡®Wise Sienna¡¯ meant a lot in Aroth. Besides, the wizards attending this hearing all had Akron passes and they were Archwizards who had been using Witch Craft for dozens of years. Therefore, they could never look down upon Sienna. Everyone here was an Archwizard, but there wasn¡¯t a single one of them who created their own magic at a level even close to Witch Craft. Aside from the Head of the Wizard Guild, Edgard, the six wizards were at the Eighth Circle. They knew how high and sturdy the wall to the Ninth Circle was. Even if they spent their remaining time trying to reach the Ninth Circle, there was no guarantee that they would be able to. Not to mention¡­the Wise Sienna may have surpassed the Ninth Circle by now! In other words, Sienna was a mystery to the wizards. She was at a level that other wizards could never reach. They could never put Sienna in the same sentence as themselves, and that was why they instinctively feared her. ¡°¡­Drowning¡­¡±Balzac spoke. He chuckled as he stroked his chin.¡°Lady Sienna is morethan capable of doing such things.¡± ¡°¡­ck Tower Master.¡±Conrell turned back to Balzac with a pale face. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that Sir Eugene is not exaggerating. Actually, it wouldn¡¯t take Lady Sienna to do so¡­even I can sink the Abram pce to the bottom of theke.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°If I can, that means all other tower masters can. On top of that, Lady Sienna is a supreme wizard, overwhelmingly more powerful than we are. Even 200 years ago, no tower master at the time was better than Lady Sienna.¡±Balzac was speaking without a single doubt.¡°If Lady Sienna returns to Aroth and tries to drown Abram pce¡­Haha, whoever could block Lady Sienna¡¯s magic? I sure can¡¯t.¡± Balzac dramatically raised his two hands. ¡°¡­It would be impossible to stop her even if all tower masters gathered their forces,¡± the Blue Tower Master, Hiridus, murmured as he stroked his beard. ¡°Ipletely agree with the ck Tower Master. I¡¯m a wizard before I¡¯m the master of the Blue Tower. I have heard legends of Lady Sienna ever since I was a little kid. I still deeply respect Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t wish to resist Lady Sienna¡¯s wrath. If she appears because she¡¯s angry, then I will instantly kiss the ground and beg for forgiveness.¡± ¡°¡­Whatare¡­?¡± Dumfounded, Conrell shook his head. He wasn¡¯t a wizard, so he couldn¡¯t understand the tower masters. ¡°To exin it in easy terms, Conrell,¡± Melkith began to speak, grinning.¡°Creating something is tricky and bothersome. I¡¯m not sure if you have a talent for carpentry, but let¡¯s say you are making a chair or¡­a desk.¡± ¡°¡­What are you talking about so suddenly?¡± ¡°Be quiet and listen.If you are going to make a chair and a desk, it will take a long time. Creating something is usually annoying and requires time. But destroying it? It¡¯s very easy, it¡¯s not so difficult to destroy something that has been already created. You can just throw it against the wall or smash it with a hammer.¡± Conrell understood what Melkith was saying. ¡°200 years ago, didn¡¯t Lady Sienna build the Abram pce in a week? She copsed the ground to build ake, move the pce on top of it, and put many spells in ce. But she wouldn¡¯t need a week to destroy the pce. She¡¯d need¡­ what, an hour at most?¡± Conrell¡¯s face turned pale. Now, he finally understood the Tower Masters¡¯ source of fear that had been a mystery to him before. ¡°Boom.¡± Melkith dramatically mimicked the sound. Her voice was small, but Conrell¡¯s shoulder flinched.¡°That¡¯s how the pce sinks. Who can stop her? I agree with the ck and Blue Tower Masters. If Lady Sienna wishes to do so, I won¡¯t stop her. I¡¯m going to run far away, but notthatfar away. I¡¯m going to watch the whole thing, and if Lady Sienna seems less angry¡­hehe. I¡¯m going to quietly approach her and hand her a cold drink.¡± ¡°Are youseriously¡­!¡± Conrell raised his tone in anger. ¡°If you really want to stopLady Sienna, then ask the court wizard to stop her, not us,¡± Melkith mockinglycontinued. Conrellquietly turned his head to Trempel, but Trempel¡¯s face crumpled into a frown. ¡°¡­Ahem¡­¡±Conrell cleared his throat. Honein tried to calm down and wake up from this shock. He held his breath a couple of times, took a deep breath, and looked at Eugene.¡°...DidLady Sienna really say so?¡± ¡°Iswore, didn¡¯t I? I did not lie, Your Highness,¡± Eugeneanswered. ¡°¡­Why did she say such a thing?¡± ¡°There are many reasons, but I can onlytell you one. The wizards in Aroth do not respect Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°Respect?¡± Conrell abruptly interrupted them.¡°What in the world are you talking about? For 200 years, Aroth has done nothing but respect Lady Sienna! We built a za and named it after her. We managed her mansion and built so many statues of her!Do you think that¡¯s it? We altered all educational curric in Aroth¡¯s school so children can learn to respect Lady Sienna¡­¡± ¡°You have been using the za and the mansion as a tourist spot.¡± ¡°¡­That is¡­¡± ¡°Besides,the Aroth wizards have been abusing the familiar that Lady Sienna left for a long time. You are seriously not going to say dissecting the familiar wasn¡¯t abuse, are you?¡± ¡°That¡­was¡­inevitable for the development of magic and locating Lady Sienna¡­¡±Conrell stuttered. ¡°Yes, please save that for the furious Lady Sienna who wippearter.Anyhow,Lady Sienna handed Akasha over to me, and she requested me to take care of the familiar.¡± ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± Aside from Lovellian and Trempel, no one knew this. Eugene dramatically lifted his Cloak of Darkness. ¡°Did Lady Sienna really say she¡¯s going to drown Abram because she¡¯s furious about my treatment?¡± As ifshe waited for this, Mer stuck her head out. She looked up at Eugene with sparkling eyes, feeling touched and excited at the same time. ¡°Yeah. Do you know how angry Lady Sienna got when I talked about you? I¡¯m not bullshitting, I almost ran away because I was so scared,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°How could you distortthe truth!¡±Conrell raised an outcry. When he did, Mer swiftly turned her head at the outcry.¡°Distort the truth?Hey, you old man! You are the one who¡¯s distorting the truth! I am right here! I, the living witness and subject of the abuse! How can you spout this kind of bullshit?!¡± ¡°Hmmph¡­!¡± ¡°Did you bring out thefamiliar of Witch Craft? How? No¡­ is it okay to do that?¡± Honein urgently asked.Witch Craft was the center of the Hall of Sienna and the most valuable treasure in Akron.Hedidn¡¯t mind if it was Akasha, a staff that couldn¡¯t be used, but he couldneveroverlookthe loss ofWitch Craft. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s okay. I only brought out Mer. Witch Craft is still in there.¡± ¡°But¡­ the familiar¡­¡±Honein fumbled. ¡°All Mer did in the Hall of Lady Sienna was wait until the elevator door opened and say, ¡®Wee to the Hall of Wise Sienna!¡¯, right?¡± Eugenespoke as if it wasn¡¯t big of a deal. However, Mer puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. Fidgeting inside the cloak, Mer pinched Eugene¡¯s waist.¡°Wrong. I do a lot of other stuff. I clean, organize the bookshelf, and¡­¡± ¡°Other familiars without intelligence can do that too. It doesn¡¯t have to be you. Don¡¯t interrupt me and go back inside.¡± ¡°You are trash, Sir Eugene.¡± Poutingin frustration, Mer went back inside the cloak. ¡°Anyhow,I brought Akasha and Mer out because it was Lady Sienna¡¯s wish. She personally requested me to have Akasha, how could I say no to that? It will also be disrespectful to Lady Sienna to hand over her gift without her permission,¡± Eugenesaid. Although he didn¡¯t say it directly, everyone in this hearing knew what Eugene was talking about. No matter what kind of excuse they used, taking away Akasha from Eugene meant disrespecting the Wise Sienna. ¡°¡­So, Lady Sienna is alive. That¡¯s fortunate news,¡± Balzac spoke. Out of all people, Balzac was saying something like that? Everyone¡¯s eyes turned to him. In spite of everyone¡¯s tant stare, Balzac simply grinned and shrugged.¡°I¡¯m not implying anything else. I respect Lady Sienna as a fellow wizard. There are still some people who doubt the ck Wizards and the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ Sir Eugene, would you please unveil the truth about her seclusion here?¡± ¡®Wow.¡¯Eugene stared at Balzac. Vermouth had hurt her, so she had to seclude herself. The reason she wasn¡¯t able to recover was the attack of the ck Dragon Raizakia. Maybe the Demon King of Incarceration was behind all that. However, Sienna didn¡¯t mention who could possibly be behind all this. Could Eugene interrogate Balzac for this? That was too risky. ¡°¡­Lady Sienna secluded herself to cultivate.¡± ¡®I will just answer it vaguely,¡¯Eugene thought. ¡°Another reason for her seclusion was to protect the elves from the demonic disease, since Helmuth isn¡¯t taking any responsibility for it.¡± ¡°Haha¡­¡±Balzac smiled bitterly and shook his head.¡°I have tostay neutral regarding the demonic disease. Still, please keep this in mind. To take the responsibility for the demonic disease, the Demon King of Incarceration is bestowing a lot of charity to the elves who naturalized to Helmuth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of my business.¡± Eugeneshowed a twisted smile. ¡°¡­I understand your situation,¡± Honein began to speak after deep thought, with mixed emotions on his face.¡°First, I believe everyonein the Magic Kingdom of Aroth will be happy to hearthat Lady Sienna is alive. Even if Lady Sienna is furious with Aroth¡­I¡­as the Crown Prince of Aroth¡­I will be weing Lady Sienna¡¯s return.¡± ¡°Even if Lady Sienna tries to sink the pce?¡± Melkithmischievously asked. Shuddering, Conrell red at Melkith, but Honein unhesitatingly nodded. ¡°I believe Lady Sienna¡¯s wrath is valid. Even if it was done hundreds of years ago, it is true that the Aroth wizards abused Lady Sienna¡¯s familiar.¡± ¡°¡­But¡­Your Highness. No matter how much Lady Sienna is revered in Aroth, threatening the royal family¡­¡± Conrell murmured. ¡°We still have to take responsibility,¡± Honein continued as he red at Conrell. ¡°Or what, are you going to summon the entire court wizards to fight against Lady Sienna? If we do so, wouldn¡¯t countless wizards take Lady Sienna¡¯s side? Right now, three out of five tower masters just stated that they won¡¯t be participating, didn¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Four, actually,¡±Lovellian spoke after staying quiet all this time.¡°I think it¡¯s unnecessary to even say this, but I consider myself as Lady Sienna¡¯s disciple. I will never go against Lady Sienna. I think it also applies to the Green Tower Master.¡± Jeneric didn¡¯t answer, but just red at Eugene with fiery eyes. Eugene read tant and intense jealousy from his fiery eyes. ¡°¡­Then we willhave to exclude everyone from the towers in this fight. Lord Edgard, how about the Wizard Guild?¡±Honein asked. ¡°¡­If the royal family wishesso¡­I will provide support. However, I cannot force the wizards in the Guild, Your Highness. Please understand that,¡±Edgard answered. ¡°Of course. The Guild isn¡¯t an army.¡± ¡°How could the people ofAroth..!¡± Conrell¡¯s fists trembled in anger, but no one tried to change their mind after hearing Conrell. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t delude yourself, Prime Minister. Aroth has no intention to wage war against Lady Sienna. Even Lady Sienna wouldn¡¯t want that,¡±Honein continued, sighing.¡°I desperately hope that an apology from the royal family will be enough to calm Lady Sienna¡¯s anger down¡­Lord Eugene, what do you think? Do you think Lady Sienna will really sink Abram into the water?¡± Eugene thought about Sienna¡¯s personality. He would expect no less of her. ¡°If I putin a good word, she won¡¯t sink the pce. Maybe she will just tear down the pce walls a little bit¡­¡± Eugrailed off. ¡°Aroth won¡¯t im the ownership of Akasha,¡± Honein answered as he nodded.¡°Of course, we will also be guaranteeing the freedom of Lady Sienna¡¯s familiar. To prove our sincerity¡­ we will grant the familiar a citizen card.¡± ¡°That is also unprecedented,¡± Melkithinterrupted as she chuckled.¡°Afamiliar with a citizen card¡­ Ah, no offense. I¡¯m just amazed, since this is unprecedented.¡± ¡°Do you wish for anything else?¡±Honein asked. Honein¡¯s thoughts jumbled. From the start, Honein had figured that it was impossible to take Akasha away from Eugene. If Honein stubbornly persisted, then he would really be burning the bridge to Eugene. Honein desired Eugene¡¯s allegiance very much. He had even promised Eugene the seat of the Chief Court Wizard. The promise was made verbally, but he was really going to honor it. That wasn¡¯t all ¡ª he had even promised Eugene to show him the second volume of Witch Craft, which was being kept by the Aroth royal family. That was the best treatment that the king of Aroth could offer to a wizard. ¡®¡­I was going to gain his favor by derailing the hearing and handing over Akasha,¡¯Honein thought. Ever since the Wise Sienna was brought up, the hearing was no longer about interrogating Eugene.Instead, they werethe onestiptoeingaround him. ¡®¡­No, sinceLady Sienna handed Akasha over to him¡­Things were bound to turn out this way.¡¯ Still, the tide overwhelmingly turned in Eugene¡¯s favor after he mentioned how Sienna was going to knock over Aroth herself. Honein genuinely believed it was really fortunate that it was he who was attending this hearing instead of his father. In the end, two things were set in stone: the Kingdom of Aroth did not want a war against the Wise Sienna, and the kingdom had to tiptoe around one young wizard. They were both things that a king could never admit to. ¡°¡­Let¡¯s wrap it up.¡± Feeling mixed emotions, Honein stood up from his seat. Conrell was way past feeling conflicted, his whole face was miserably contorted. He really didn¡¯t want to ept the result. This wasn¡¯t a hearing, nor was it an interrogation. Normally, in cases like this, the participants had an in-depth conversation, considered their interests, and prioritized their country¡¯s profits. That was why he, the prime minister, hade. But what was this? This was just a quarrel between children. They were just retreating because the other side was bigger and stronger¡­ ¡®¡­Butthat is the nature of politics.¡¯ With a crumpled face, Conrell sighed. He wasn¡¯t a wizard, but he had to admit it. The Wise Sienna had secluded herself 200 years ago, and if she was still alive and had be stronger¡­one kingdom wouldn¡¯t be enough to handle her. ¡®...Interesting,¡¯thought Eugene. He liked when problems solved themselves, but he felt a bit bitter.¡®No, well¡­ Sienna is worth the respect.¡¯ Shewasthe greatest wizard in history. She was one of the five people who killed three of the Demon Kings 300 years ago. EugeneknewSienna well, so he didn¡¯t really feel nervous around her. However, ¡®the Wise Sienna¡¯ was a legend just by and of herself for the wizards of theter generations. They couldn¡¯t even imagine going against her. ¡®Then what about me?¡¯ The Stupid Hamel. ¡®This is all becauseI have ¡®stupid¡¯ in front of my name. Damn it, Sienna. Couldn¡¯t you find a better word than ¡®stupid¡¯? The Strongest Hamel, The Absolute Hamel, The Asura Hamel¡­¡¯ When Hamel swung his sword as he shouted ¡®Asura Rampage!¡¯, he would really be a demon. But then, Molon¡¯s assessment of Asura Rampage came to Eugene¡¯s mind, and the Hamel Style also¡­ The Strongest Hamel¡¯s Lightning Counter. The Absolute Hamel¡¯s Dead End. The Asura Hamel¡¯s Asura Rampage¡­ Eugene couldn¡¯t take it anymore and pped himself hard. Favorite Chapter 122 The Hearing (3)

Chapter 122: The Hearing (3)

¡°A citizen requires a surname too. Then, is your name going to be Mer Merdein?¡± Eugene had suddenly gotten something to tease Mer over. As the thought came to his mind, he turned to Mer and smirked. ¡°MerMerMerdein.¡± ¡°¡­You are truly something, Sir Eugene,¡±Mer muttered as she was seething. ¡°Didn¡¯tSir Hameldiewhen he was thirty-eight? And you are twenty years old right now, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°So ifwe add your age from the past life, then you are fifty-eight years old right now. It¡¯s close to sixty. How could you be so childish?¡± ¡°Trempel Vizardo is close to seventy, but he said I was a flighty rulebreaker because I flew across the city,¡± Eugeneretorted, but he felt bitter. The momentwhen he had felt great about calling Ciel a flighty rulebreaker came to his mind. He thought that when he met Ciel again, he should really apologize to her about that. ¡°I neverwished for a surname, but I don¡¯t really mind even if my name bes Mer Merdein. Lady Sienna gave me the name, and Merdein is Lady Sienna¡¯s surname whom I really really like and respect.¡± ¡°I think your name came from ¡®Merdein.¡¯¡± ¡°¡­That can¡¯t be possible. Lady Sienna is wiser and more considerate than you know, Sir Eugene. There must be some other reason why my name is Mer,¡±Merquickly replied. ¡°I really don¡¯t think there is another reason¡­.¡± ¡°How could you possibly know what Lady Sienna thinks,Sir Eugene? I am Mer Merdein. Besides, I can¡¯t use your surname and be Mer Lionheart.¡± ¡®...Actually, it wouldn¡¯t be that bad, would it?¡¯Merstopped speaking as she was absorbed in thought. Mer hadplete faith in the fairytale. She had never thought that Sienna was the author of the fairytale. That was understandable, that fairytale¡­the first edition was too much even in Mer¡¯s eyes. The Beautiful Sienna, the Cute Sienna¡ªthose were the actual words written in the book. ¡®¡­That fairytale musthave beenwritten by one ofLady Sienna¡¯s followers.¡¯ If Mer thought rationally, that was the reasonable answer. It wasn¡¯t rare for such things to happen. Even in this generation, many people still followed the hero and hispanions for killing the demon kings. Therefore, everyone on the continent must have followed the hero and hispanions 300 years ago. ¡®Sir Eugene and Lady Siennadidn¡¯t say that the fairytale was aplete fiction,¡¯Mer thought. But then, a line from the book came to her mind. ¡®Sienna, I really liked you.¡¯ ¡®Even ifSir Eugene denies having said such a thing, the book was written in a way for Sir Hamel to leave that kind of will¡­then doesn¡¯t it mean there was something going on between them?¡¯ Mer recalled Sienna¡¯s life in Aroth. She had taught her magic to her three disciples. The disciples had given their hearts and souls for Sienna to not be lonely. She had also opened her heart to the disciples. The only people who personally interacted with Sienna were the disciples and Mer. Mer remembered Sienna used to bury herself in the magic research without sleeping for days in the empty mansion.Dozens of party invitations came every month, but Sienna never epted the invitation. She never even opened them¡­. ¡®¡­Sir Eugene said Lady Sienna considers me like a daughter.¡¯ Mer clenched her small fist. When a man and a woman got married, the couple¡¯s surname was decided by their families¡¯ power¡ªwhoever was from the stronger family got to keep their surname. The surname ¡®Merdein¡¯ belonging to the Wise Sienna, or the surname ¡®Lionheart¡¯ belonging to the most prestigious house on the continent¡­. If she became Mer Merdein, nothing would change, but what if she became Mer Lionheart? If she weed Sienna with the surname of Lionheart¡­. ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Eugene asked as he turned back to Mer. She flinched after being brought to reality.¡°Yeah,yeah yeah yeah. What?¡± ¡°What could you possibly think about to space out that hard? You¡¯re even drooling.¡± ¡°No, nope. I¡¯m not drooling.¡± Merquickly wiped her mouth. She really wasn¡¯t drooling. ¡°So, what are you goingto do now? Are you really going with Mer Merdein?¡± ¡°¡­Mer Lionheart doesn¡¯t sound so bad,¡± shequietly answered. ¡°No, you can¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because that¡¯s out of my authority. It¡¯s true the main house loves me, but that doesn¡¯t mean I can name you Lionheart as I please.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be okay if you be the Patriarch, Sir Eugene?¡±She asked. ¡°DoI have to be a Patriarch to name you Mer Lionheart when I don¡¯t even want the seat?¡± Eugene grumbled as he stared at the document for the citizen card in front of Mer. The slot for her surname was still nk. ¡°¡­Then how about Sir Lovellian¡¯s surname? He said he didn¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Iknow the Red Tower Master is a nice person, but that doesn¡¯t mean I want his surname. I also don¡¯t want to burden the Red Tower Master into having a daughter when he didn¡¯t even get married yet,¡± Mer shrugged. In the end, Mer became Mer Merdein. Since the superior office had ordered the person in charge beforehand, Mer¡¯s citizen card was issued right away. Merheld up her citizen card with both hands, eyes sparkling. ¡°¡­I feel like I became a human.¡± ¡°I honestly can¡¯t tell the difference,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s because you are looking away from the truth, Sir Eugene. You know better than anyone else that I¡¯m not a human. The only reason I can exist like this is that my control form is engraved inside you,¡± Mergiggled as she rose up from her seat. ¡°Aside from Lady Sienna,no wizardwill be able to build a familiar that behaves as human-like as I do. Still, I¡¯m not a human. I¡¯m¡­ more like a golem.¡± ¡°¡­Golem?¡± Eugene asked. The golem built by Hera a few years ago came to his mind. She said the golem was made with Carbrium, but it was impossible to call it a human. ¡°It is a big tabooin magic to create ¡®life.¡¯ Lady Sienna was arrogant and was more of a wizard than any other wizard, but¡­she nevermitted taboo.¡± There was no blood running inside Mer. She didn¡¯t even have a heart or other organs. ¡°The fact I can move doesn¡¯t necessarily mean I¡¯m alive.Lifemeans soul, every living being has it. I don¡¯t have a soul. My ego was built based on Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood memories. I am simply an artificial intelligence that is capable of learning on its own. You have given me freedom by engraving my control form in yourself¡­ but my root still resides in Witch Craft.¡± Mer smiled. Eugene quietly stared at her as she continued,¡°Just look at this citizen card. A citizen card is synchronized with the owner¡¯s blood and only a living being can shed blood. Although it serves a simr purpose, it¡¯s hard to call machine oil ¡®blood,¡¯ right?¡± ¡°You are too strict with yourself.¡± Eugousled Mer¡¯s hair as he grumbled. ¡°Artificial intelligence? So what? You don¡¯t blindly follow orders, you make your own judgment. Blood and oil don¡¯t run inside you, but mana does.¡± ¡°¡­What does that have to do with this?¡± ¡°I gained something as the owner of Akasha.¡±Eugene pulled aside his cloak to show Akasha. ¡°Akashasynchronizes with my consciousness to transform the spells that I have analyzed and learned into their optimal state. In other words, it ¡®understands¡¯ magic.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Akasha improves the owner¡¯s understanding of magic, but it¡¯s not perfect. Right now, I can¡¯t understand every piece of magic thatposes you. However, I do understand this: mana is the foundation of life.¡± ¡°¡­Foundation?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why it has infinite possibilities. So what if only a living being can bleed? Mana runs in your body insteadof blood. Rather than bone and flesh, perfectly bonded mana makes up your body.¡± ¡°¡­You can¡¯t convince me with those kinds of words.¡± ¡°I told you, Akasha helped me understand magic. I can¡¯tpletely understand your control form, but I do understand how your body was made. I can actually see it right now.¡±Eugene squinted as he stared at Mer. ¡°Mer, you¡¯re right that Sienna is arrogant, more of a wizard than anyone else, and didn''tmit a taboo. Just as you are strict because you were built based on Sienna''s childhood personality,Sienna wasstrict and adhered to the rules when it came to magic.Still,she was mischievous and somewhat twisted.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Sienna. A wizard, especially an Archwizard, would inevitably fall into madness while trying to be stronger. ¡°Sienna does notmit taboos, she works around taboos. You are nottechnicallya human, but Sienna still made you a human by working around the taboo, notmitting it.¡± Mer tried to hold back her tears, her face crumpled. ¡°MerMerdein, you should be proud of yourself and you should be proud of this fact.¡± A weird sound escaped from Mer¡¯s mouth. Her pouting lips trembled and her eyes became teary. Eugene had a mischievous smile on his face as he watched her.¡°Are youcrying again?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not.¡± ¡°Your personality is based onSienna¡¯s when she was a child. Then doesn¡¯t it mean Sienna was a crybaby if you are a crybaby?¡± Eugene teased her. ¡°No, no that¡¯s not true. I¡¯m not a crybaby and Lady Sienna isn¡¯t a crybaby.¡± ¡°Come on, she is a crybaby. Sienna cried a lot when I died. Not only did she cry a lot after I died, but she also cried when she met me this time." ¡°¡­Lady Sienna is justsensitive. She has a very kind and beautiful heart, so she cries when the situation demands it.¡± Of course,Mer defended Sienna. ¡°Well, that¡¯s the definition of a crybaby.¡±Eugene kept teasing Mer as they stepped outside. ¡°You finally came.¡± MelkithEl-Hayah was wearing a big pair of sunsses and a fur hat. The sunsses were covering half her face, and the fur hat made Eugene question her fashion sense. Was that a fox tail sticking out of the fur coat? The fluffy fur around her neck seemed to symbolize her stubbornness.[1] ¡°What are youdoing here?¡± The White Tower Master twisted her curly hair underneath the hat.¡°I was waiting for you.¡± Melkith¡¯s eyes were on the Cloak of Darkness that Eugene wore. The cloak was originally her artifact. She had treasured it so much that she had rarely worn it¡­ Melkith took a big breath and strode toward Eugene. ¡°Didn¡¯tit get worn out a bit?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not possible. As you may know as the former owner, an appearance restoration spell is cast on the cloak, Lady Melkith,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°¡­Former owner?That cloak is mine!¡± ¡°Oh, right. I have been using it for over three years, so I forgot.¡± ¡°¡­You havesix years left.¡± ¡°Did youe all the way here to tell me that?¡± ¡°No way!¡±Lowering her sunsses, Melkith red at Eugene. The hearing had ended the day before, so she thought this was the perfect moment to speak with Eugene. However, she couldn¡¯t because Lovellian had left with Eugene right after the hearing ended. She thought it was better that he had left like that, since she didn¡¯t have to resist the temptation. It had already been a few days since Eugene came to Aroth, and Melkith knew about his arrival on the first day. She had been patient in her own way, doing her best to suppress her desire to visit him. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t let him think I am the one who needs to meet him.¡¯ Since she had been patient for a few days, she thought it would be okay to visit now. ¡°Is Wynnyd doing alright?¡± ¡°What¡¯s there for it to not be alright?¡± ¡°You little¡­ You have a nasty tongue.¡± ¡°Let me tell you something first. I won¡¯t be lending Wynnyd to you, Lady Melkith. Isn¡¯t it tiring and bothersome for both of us? And it¡¯s not just us. I have to report to the ck Lion Castle to lend it to you, and they also need to send an observer.¡± ¡°¡­Hey,kid. Although it is good to do things by the book, a wizard should sometimes challenge and flout the rules. You are a Lionheart, but you are also a wizard, aren¡¯t you?¡± After quietly listening to Melkith, Mer burst intoughter. Melkith tilted her head in confusion, failing to understand why Merughed. ¡°¡­What? Whyis sheughing?¡± ¡°She just heard the same thing from somebody else a moment ago.¡± ¡°¡­I assume it was you, wasn¡¯t it? Great, you see through the true nature of wizards.¡±Melkith bragged as she patted Eugene¡¯s shoulder.¡°Yes, kiddo.A wizard should be shrewd. Without viting the rules, a wizard should go around them and pursue their own profit. If you lend me Wynnyd only for a few days and we all stay quiet about this, then no one will know.¡± ¡°No matter what you say, I¡¯m not lending you Wynnyd. As you said, Lady Melkith, I¡¯m a wizard but I¡¯m also a Lionheart.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m guessing I can¡¯t persuade you.¡±Melkith knitted her eyebrows.¡°Well, fine. I justsuggested it. Let me be clear. I don¡¯t have any lingering feelings, okay?¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know.¡± She was lying. She had ametric tonof lingering feelings. However, these kinds of matters couldn¡¯t be solved just because she insisted. Ultimately, Melkith didn¡¯t have anything that could change Eugen¡¯s mind. She was an Archwizard and a Tower Master, so she had many valuable artifacts. However, she didn¡¯t have many artifacts that were better than the Cloak of Darkness. That was Melkith¡¯s magic armor and the artifact indefinitely belonged to her soul, so she could never give it to him. ¡®Anything less than the Cloak of Darkness is worth nothing. Since I lent him the Cloak of Darkness, he will only be interested in an artifact on the same level.¡¯ She still had lingering feelings¡­but she didn¡¯t insist any further.This wasn¡¯t her primary goal anyway. ¡°Then how about this?¡±Melkithgrabbed Eugene¡¯s shoulders with her two hands. ¡°As youalready know, I am the best spirit summoner in this century¡­no, in history. I am certain there won¡¯t be a better spirit summoner than me for at least 200 years after I die.¡± ¡°Why 200 years? That¡¯s oddly specific.¡± ¡°Are¡­you seriously asking that? The Great Vermouth was born 300 years ago, right? I was born 200 yearster than him.¡± ¡®Come to think of it, Melkith idolized Vermouth for contracting with the Wind Spirit King,¡¯thought Eugene ¡°¡­Oh, yeah. So?¡± ¡®Cheeky little kid,¡¯Melkith thought.Shewas so annoyed by Eugene that she almost crushed his shoulders. She smiled as she calmed down with difficulty. ¡°And I willteach you spirit summoning magic. You may already know this, but this is once in a lifetime opportunity. Your teacher, Lovellian, is a brilliant wizard. Still, his magic and spirit summoning magic are entirely different.¡± There was a reason for her confidence. Melkith was an Eighth Circle Archwizard who contracted with two spirit kings. ¡°¡­Aren''t people born with the ability for spirit summoning magic?¡±Eugene lukewarmly asked.¡°Peoplemay be born with spirit affinity. If they have magic talent on top of that, they can instantly contract with a spirit when they begin to feel mana.¡± ¡°Geniuses are monsters with talent,¡±Melkith answered as she snorted.¡°Asyou said,innate talent is everything in spirit summoning magic. The reason I could make a contract with two spirit kings was that the lightning and earth spirits loved me ever since I was born. But so what? You are also called a genius.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying this. A genius can never understand a man of no genius. You could naturally use the spirit summoning magic ever since you were born, Lady Melkith, but I can¡¯t. How would it be possible for you to teach me spirit summoning magic?¡± After letting Eugene¡¯s shoulder go, Melkith stepped back.¡°...If we just consider the talent as a wizard¡­then, yes. Your teacher, Lovellian, is a better wizard than me. Yeah, I admit to that. I only reached the Eighth Circle by harmonizing the magic and the spirit summoning magic. But that¡¯s why I¡¯m unique, kiddo. I may not be a better wizard than your teacher, but I have something that your teacher can never have.¡± ¡°You sure do,¡±Eugene answeredhalf-heartedly. ¡°It also applies to you. You are a genius of the Lionheart family, the most prestigious warrior family. Besides all that, you are also born with the magic talent so high that you have already reached the Fifth Circle at twenty. Thanks to Wynnyd, you can also control wind spirits.¡± Melkith¡¯s index finger dramatically swung from side to side. ¡°Innate talent is pretty much everything. With effort, an ordinary person can improve, but they cannot be a genius. You must understand this too, kid. Unlike martial power and magic talent, you aren¡¯t born with spirit affinity, but it doesn¡¯t matter anymore since you can talk to the Wind Spirit King. You are able to use magic and control spirits right now, that¡¯s enough for you to learn.¡± Eugene didn''t answer and just stared at Melkith. She grinned and crossed her arms as she continued. ¡°Spirit summoning magic is about dealing with spirits, not magic. Just because someone is using a sword to cast magic, that doesn¡¯t make them a swordsman, don¡¯t you get it? That¡¯s why I¡¯m going to teach you. There is no better teacher than me in this world,¡±Melkith said. Of course, she had an ulterior motive. Melkith was nning on summoning the Wind Spirit King using Wynnyd as a catalyst while she taught spirit summoning magic to Eugene. He could read her mind so clearly. [...Hamel.] Tempest¡¯s voice sounded in Eugene¡¯s head. [I hate her.] ¡®Why?¡¯ [You may not know this, but she is not in her right mind. Do you know what she did with Wynnyd when you lent it to her without my permission?] ¡®I don¡¯t know.¡¯ [She rubbed her naked body against the sword! I can¡¯t believe there is still a person who believes that barbaric and primal superstition¡­!] Tempest let out a yell. ¡®...Er¡­superstition?¡¯ [The superstition about how the mix of a catalyst and a naked body triggers a spiritual response! How could a grand spirit summoner believe such superstition?!] Well, Tempest had kind of brought that upon himself. Melkith had called him dozens, hundreds of times, but he hadn¡¯t answered. Therefore, Melkith had ended up using a barbaric method. [That¡¯s not it. She swung Wynnyd against the wind on top of the tower, all naked, to summon me! She even made some weird, inhuman sounds!] ¡®...¡¯Eugene kept listening to Tempest silently. [I hate her. If you let her touch Wynnyd again, I will never answer your call.] ¡®Are you ckmailing me right now? So what? Do you think I will be sorry if you don¡¯t answer me?¡¯ [... I will answer¡­but I hate her.] Tempest desperately resisted. ¡°What¡¯s your answer?¡± Melkith confidently asked. ¡°He saysnope,¡± Eugene answered right away. Melkith¡¯s face contorted instantly. ¡°Why not? Wait¡­hesays? Who is ¡®he¡¯?¡± ¡°Tempest.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°Ihaven¡¯t told you this yet, but I signed a contract with the Wind Spirit King.¡± Eugene politely bowed and passed by Melkith. Mer also chuckled as she followed Eugene. Melkith stayed frozen for a while. Then, she turned back, her neck stiff. She could see the shapes of Eugene and Mer in the distance. ¡°Where areyou going!!¡± Melkith let out a yelp and chased after Eugene. Chapter 123: The Hearing (4)

Chapter 123: The Hearing (4)

The Witch¡¯s Sweet Dream. It had been rmended by Hera, from the Red Tower of Magic, as the best dessert restaurant in Pentagon. They didn¡¯t take reservations, so there always was a line leading out the restaurant¡¯s doors, but¡­ with status, fame, and money, it was simple to overturn the rule of not taking reservations and secure a private table for themselves. They were quickly seated by a third-floor window that offered a great view. ¡°It¡¯s so¡­ so pretty!¡± Mer gasped in amazement. Mer¡¯s eyes twinkled like a starry sky as she looked at all the colorful dessertsid out in front of her on different tes. ¡°And they taste amazing!¡± Mer squealed upon taking her first bite. She first tried the macarons stuffed full of cream. The cream, which anyone could tell tasted sweet just by looking at it, had even been studded with chocte chips, and the smooth surface of the macarons was so brightly colored that it was hard to believe that it was a dessert. Mer trembled in delight as she munched on the stuffed macaron. ¡°No one is going to take it away from you, so eat a bit slower,¡± Eugene nagged. ¡°Why do I need to eat any slower?¡± Mer argued. ¡°It won¡¯t get stuck in my throat no matter how fast I eat, and I won¡¯t feel sick either.¡± However, Mer still couldn¡¯t do anything about the size of her mouth. No matter how wide the tiny Mer opened her jaws, there was a limit to the amount of macaron that fit inside her mouth. As such, she was quickly biting, swallowing, and biting again. After all, there was no such thing as being full for her. All the food that she ate was dposed into mana and disappeared the moment that it passed through her esophagus. Mer felt a deep gratitude that her body had been constructed this way. This meant that she could eat an infinite amount of delicious and sweet things, and she wouldn¡¯t gain any weight either. Just as she was happily contemting the variety of cakes set out in front of her eyes, Mer¡¯s expression suddenly turned cold. ¡°Stop that,¡± Mer demanded. Her hand, swinging as fiercely as if it was trying to swat down an annoying fly, struck the back of Melkith¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m the one who ordered these.¡± ¡°How stingy!¡± Melkith shrieked, her eyes widening as she red at Mer. ¡°I¡¯m not stingy,¡± Mer denied. ¡°White Tower Master, you¡¯re just an uninvited guest. Sir Eugene and I didn¡¯t give you permission to apany us. However, you brazenly and stubbornly insisted on following us here and sat down with us.¡± ¡°...I am the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah,¡± she dered proudly. ¡°In thisnd of wizards, there is nowhere I am not allowed to go¡ª¡± ¡°You really are shameless. Do you really believe that your position as the White Tower Master can just excuse your rudeness? Even if you do have such a status, or at least you think you do, that still isn¡¯t something that you should im for yourself,¡± Mer spat out as she cut into a chocte creamyered cake with her fork. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve already known that the White Tower Master was shameless ever since twenty-eight years ago.¡± ¡°...Twenty-eight years ago?¡± Melkith asked uncertainly. ¡°Have you forgotten?¡± Mer kindly reminded her, ¡°It was in summer, twenty-eight years ago. Right before you rose to the seat of the White Tower Master, when you first entered Akron.¡± Melkith¡¯s face turned pale. She quickly manipted the mana of the space they were in so that none of the conversation at this table could leak out. Mer continued, ¡°You approached Witch Craft curiously, and exactly six minutes and twenty-one secondster, you copsed on the spot with a nosebleed and pissed yourself.¡± ¡°...Isted at least ten minutes.¡± Melkith attempted to correct her. ¡°No,¡± Mer denied it. ¡°It was six minutes and twenty-one seconds. Exactly. The only current Tower Masters to havee into contact with Witch Craft and pissed themselves are you and the Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euznd. The Blue Tower Master, at least, managed tost for eleven minutes.¡± Melkith was stunned silent. ¡°As Lady Sienna''s former familiar, I feel like I should be proud of the fact that a few Archwizards of the current era were unable to understand Witch Craft and were instead forced to piss themselves. However, you should at least clean up your own secretions. Don¡¯t you agree? The Blue Tower Master cleaned his own mess up. However you, the White Tower Master, just ran away without getting rid of it. How shameless!¡± Mer pressured Melkith while still munching on her cake, as her shoulders shook in an unconscious response to the violent sweetness. ¡°I¡­ the White Tower Master, I¡¯ve never¡­!¡± As Melkith stammered in embarrassment, her hair floated upward on its own. ¡°It was just one cake! That¡¯s all I wanted! Must I really listen to such disgrace for that!¡± ¡°Really, how noisy. I¡¯ll give you one, so please be quiet.¡± Mer gave in with a frown on her face as she pushed over to Melkith a cake that she had already taken a bite out of. ¡°Kieeek!¡± Unable to contain her rage, Melkith let out a scream. It was a scream that Eugene happened to have heard several times before. ¡°...Really now,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°Did you have to talk about dirty things like pee or bodily secretions when we¡¯re at a dining table¡­.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, you should be proud of yourself,¡± Merplimented. ¡°You were granted entry to Akron when you were twenty years younger than the White Tower Master, and you didn¡¯t pee yourself in front of Witch Craft.¡± ¡°Can you really bear to swallow the cake while talking about dirty stuff like that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°This cake¡­ is just that amazing,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°It¡¯s sweet, but not too sweet. It doesn¡¯t cloy the pte and instead disappears with a refreshing aftertaste. Here, take a look at theseyers of brilliantly whipped cream! How did they manage something like this?¡± ¡°By magic. This store¡¯s patissier is said to have dozens of patents for baking magic. It might look just like ordinary cream, but each of thoseyers have had magic added to them to give it a different vor,¡± Melkith exined with a sulky pout. ¡°...No wonder,¡± Mer muttered with a nod as she nced at Eugene. ¡°So that¡¯s why Sir Eugene keeps ring at that cake like he wants to kill it.¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t he just ring like that because he wants to eat it?¡± Melkith asked in confusion. The answer to that was no. Eugene had no interest in the sweetness of the dessert that Mer so admired. Ever since his previous life, he preferred greasy, salty, and spicy food over sweet desserts. The reason why he was ring despite all this was¡­. ¡°...Hmmm¡­¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully with narrowed eyes as he stuck his hand in his cloak and pulled out Akasha. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± His mana began to move. Melkith realized what Eugene was trying to do and felt some interest in seeing the spells. Magic whose creators had gone so far as to register a patent wasn¡¯t the kind of magic that they would so easily share with others. The Witch¡¯s Sweet Dream was called the best in Pentagon because its otherpetitors weren¡¯t able to imitate this shop¡¯s taste. ¡®The spell form has been kept a secret. In the first ce, vor-transformation magic is a non-mainstream magic that people outside of the industry seldome across,¡¯Melkith recalled. On top of that, it was difficult. If Melkith was forced to ssify it, this magic belonged to the enchantment side of things, and unlike tools and weapons which were often used as the base for enchantments, food was a very fragile material. Even a slight fluctuation in mana control or error in the form could cause the whole form of the spell to copse or decay, ruining the vor. ¡®As long as you put the practice into it, it¡¯s doable, butpared to the effort you have to put in, there are clear limits on how far you can go with such magic,¡¯Melkith assessed.¡®In the end, it¡¯s just making some food a bit more delicious¡­ could this brat really have put in the time to learn such magic?¡¯ Indeed, it seemed that Eugene really was young and hot-blooded. Melkith smirked as she sipped her tea. Curiosity and the desire to experiment were virtues that all wizards should possess. Since there was no way that Eugene could have found out the spell forms used by this shop, it appeared that he just wanted to try out this new type of form he had encountered¡­. ¡®I¡¯ll get a goodugh out of it,¡¯Melkith decided. Eugene would definitely fail. If the spell were that easy to copy, this store wouldn¡¯t have been able to stay perched at the top of this industry for the past ten years. Melkith readied her rounds as she prepared tough at Eugene¡¯s failure. ¡°...Hm,¡± Eugene hummed once more as his fingers poked the cake. There was a slight sparkle of light. Melkith¡¯s eyes widened in shock. That slight sparkle was proof that the exact same spell form had just been applied to the cake. If some other spell form had been applied, the different forms would have shed with each other, causing the cake to copse. ¡®Did he actually apply the exact same form?¡¯Melkith wondered in disbelief as she quickly poked the cake with an outstretched finger. Seeing this, Mer¡¯s face twisted in a horrible scowl as she spat out, ¡°How rude!¡± Melkith didn¡¯t hear this criticism, too busy thinking,¡®It didn¡¯t copse. What about the taste?¡¯ She scooped up some cream with a finger and ced it into her mouth. The taste hadn¡¯t changed all that much, though there was a slight incongruity¡­. Even so, this was already enough of a surprise. Just how in the world had Eugene done this? While Melkith analyzed how the ¡®vor¡¯ left in her mouth had differed from the previous taste, she stared at Eugene and asked, ¡°Are you a regr to this store?¡± ¡°This is my first timeing here,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Then, the magic you used just now¡­.¡± ¡°Well, I just copied what I saw.¡± ¡°...You should know just how unbearably absurd that sounds to any wizard, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t as easy as I¡¯m making it sound,¡± Eugene replied with a smirk, ¡°I underestimated it because I thought it was just infusing a spell into the cake.¡± ¡°...From your point of view or mine, you can¡¯t really call this magic all that impressive. However, it¡¯s not a trivial piece of spellwork. This type of magic requires a deep level of proficiency in order to be used properly, even if the actual Circle level is low,¡± Mer said with aplicated expression as she held her chin. ¡°...You said that you just copied what you saw. There¡¯s now way that you could have seen the spell form being cast in front of you, so¡­ could it be an ability granted by Akasha?¡± ¡°It allows me to understand most magic just by seeing it,¡± Eugene revealed as he pointed to his own eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve tested it a few times, but I canprehend any spells between the First and Fifth Circle. It doesn¡¯t really work that well from the Sixth Circle onwards.¡± ¡°...It doesn¡¯t really work that well?¡± Melkith repeated as sheughed in disbelief. ¡°The fact that you can say that means that you can still somewhat sense such magic in the first ce. Even if it is a spell that¡¯s of a higher level than your own Circle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°...That¡¯s not something you should reveal so easily, brat. Is it because you¡¯re not aware of how great an advantage it is to be able to see through higher ranks of magic than your own during a magic battle?¡± Melkith questioned exasperatedly. Eugene just grinned instead of replying. Melkith felt a dawning sense of horror from this smile. This brat wasn¡¯t her opponent right now. No matter howcking in dignity Melkith was, she was nevertheless a Grand Spirit Summoner who had made a contract with two Spirit Kings, and an Archwizard who had reached the Eighth Circle. ¡®...Right now, he¡¯s still only twenty years old. With enough martial talent to be called the seconding of the Great Vermouth, after bing the Red Tower Master¡¯s disciple, he has managed to reach the Fifth Circle in just three years, and now he¡¯s even inherited Sienna¡¯s legacy,¡¯Melkith counted off Eugene¡¯s aplishments. Now that he had be Akasha¡¯s master as well, Eugene¡¯s achievements in magic were sure to rise even faster. Melkith couldn¡¯t imagine what Circle Eugene might reach in only a year or so. ¡®...Even worse, this guy can actually cast spells a Circle above his own. He¡¯s still not up to my level¡­ but perhaps¡­ if it¡¯s not just with magic and instead he used everything that he has, he might even be able tobat a Seventh Circle wizard,¡¯assessed Melkith. This might be a bit disrespectful to the Lionheart n¡¯s reputation, but Melkith couldn¡¯t help but feel that Eugene¡¯s talent was devilish. His young age and such talent¡­ she honestly couldn¡¯t deny her desire for him. Anyone who saw such a gem in the rough[1]would be fascinated by it. Melkith licked her lips with a distressed expression. ¡®If only he wasn¡¯t the disciple of the Red Tower Master,¡¯Melkith thought regretfully. She couldn¡¯t just steal someone else¡¯s disciple. However, there was nothing wrong with having a close rtionship with them. Melkith didn¡¯t have the nasty habit of wanting to trample any junior with overflowing talent ¡ª instead, she actually wanted to provide that talent with a bit of help, so that Eugene would owe her a favor in the future. ¡°I¡¯ll teach you summoning magic,¡± Melkith dered once she had finished her considerations. ¡°I¡¯ve already refused your help earlier,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°Tempest really doesn¡¯t like you, Lady Melkith.¡± ¡°...That¡­ that really¡­ really hurts me¡­ deeply, but¡ª!¡± Melkith ground out through gritted teeth as she red at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯lll teach you summoning magic for free! I have no desire to force a contract with a Spirit King who doesn¡¯t like me. I¡¯ll even make you a promise. I won¡¯t eveny a hand on Wynnyd, nor will I try to mess with Tempest if you summon him.¡± ¡°....Your poker-face is really good,¡± Eugeneplimented. Melkith shouted in frustration, ¡°Ah really! I, Melkith El-Hayah, am promising that I¡¯ll teach you summoning magic without asking for anything in return!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really believe in costless favors,¡± Eugene said with a tilt of his head as he smiled at her. Like she¡¯d thought, he really was a cheeky brat. Melkith returned his smile and folded her arms. ¡°...Well, the truth is, that it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t want anything from you,¡± Melkith admitted. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that as I teach you, our rtionship will grow.¡± Eugene confessed, ¡°I feel like I¡¯m already pretty close to you, Lady Melkith.¡± ¡°So are you going to learn spirit summoning magic from me or not?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re offering to teach me, then I¡¯ll make sure to learn with gratitude.¡± Eugene had no hesitation in epting her offer this time around. At Eugene¡¯s reply, Melkith cackled and nodded her head. ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°Right now is unsuitable, but I¡¯ll make sure to visit you soon.¡± ¡°Why is it unsuitable?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°My spirit summoning magic focuses on controlling spirits of earth and lightning, and you haven¡¯t contracted those spirits. I feel like you¡¯ll have a better chance of contracting the spirits of lightning instead of earth, but you don¡¯t have any affinity towards lightning spirits,¡± Melkith judged. ¡°So what then?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°I said it before, didn¡¯t I? As long as you¡¯ve signed a contract with the Spirit King of the Wind, your affinity with spirits isn¡¯t all that important. Although it¡¯s unlikely that you¡¯ll be able to sign a contract with the Spirit King of the Lightning like me, you should be able to make contracts with lightning spirits up to the intermediate level. As long as I provide a catalyst, you should also be able to finalize a contract,¡± Melkith assured him. Instead of replying immediately, Eugene was lost in thought for a few moments. [Lightning Spirits are powerful. Even if it¡¯s only up to the intermediate level, they should be able to achieve excellent results whenbined with your skills.] With a voice inside of his head, Tempest came to Eugene¡¯s aid. [Especially whenbined with one of the weapons in your possession, the Thunderbolt Pernoa. If a lightning spirit lends its aid to the weapon, its power would be amplified and the mana consumption would be reduced.] ¡®That sounds about right,¡¯Eugene agreed thoughtfully. [Hamel. In your current list of skills, isn¡¯t there something you once called the Lightning Counter? If that skill is amplified with actual lightning, it won¡¯t just be called ¡®lightning,¡¯ you might be able to develop it into a real lightning bolt¡ª] ¡®Mind shutting your piehole?¡¯Eugene immediately interrupted Tempest as his face transformed into a scowl and he thrust Wynnyd back into his cloak. Once he regained hisposure, Eugene addressed Melkith, ¡°...There¡¯s also the fact that I won¡¯t be staying in Aroth for all that long. Since the hearing is over, I was nning to head back either today or tomorrow.¡± Melkith snorted, ¡°So what if you¡¯re heading back, why should that matter? You¡¯re just going to stay at the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate, aren¡¯t you? That works out pretty well. I also happened to be interested in the elves staying at your main estate.¡± To be more precise, rather than the elves, Melkith was interested in the trees that were said to have been brought with them. Seeing as how they were transported together with the elves from the depths of the rainforest, those were definitely the fairy trees that only grew in close vicinity to the elven territory. ¡®As long as I get close enough, I might be able to snag a branch for myself,¡¯Melkith thought greedily. A branch of a fairy tree was a precious material that you might not be able to find even if you had the money to purchase it. Currently it was extremely rare for any branches to be in cirction, and most of those that were had already been processed into items. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Mer finally spoke up. While Eugene and Melkith had been focusing on their conversation, Mer had vacuumed up all of the desserts. While she wiped away the whipped cream covering her lips, her eyes were still sparkling up at Eugene. ¡°Could I please eat some more?¡± she requested. ¡°...Aren¡¯t you sick of those yet?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Sir Eugene, I haven¡¯t been able to eat anything for the past two hundred years,¡± Mer pointed out. ¡°Do you really think that I would get sick of such cakes after only eating a few of them?¡± ¡°But that wasn¡¯t just a few cakes¡­,¡± Eugene argued as he turned to survey the empty tes in disbelief. Despite his protest, that didn¡¯t mean he wouldn¡¯t allow Mer to have some more. With a trembling expression on his face, Eugene nodded his head, causing Mer to hug Eugene¡¯s arm with a smile. ¡°Thanks!¡± Mer said cheerfully. Melkith stared at Mer with wide eyes. Was this really the Wise Sienna¡¯s familiar? The Mer that Melkith recalled wasn¡¯t so lively and cute. Well, this was probably due to Melkith having peed herself in Sienna¡¯s Hall, but in any case, she felt deeply surprised as she saw Mer show such a different attitude towards Eugene. ¡®...Since this familiar has the body of a woman¡­ could it be that she likes handsome young men?¡¯Melkith spected. But no, Mer¡¯s current attitude wasn¡¯t like that, it was closer to the way a daughter would pester her father¡­. Melkith quickly dismissed the thought.¡®...There¡¯s no way¡­ if you count the years that familiar has been in operation, it should be well over two hundred.¡¯ Although her mental age had been fixed by basing it on Sienna¡¯s childhood personality¡­. Melkith scratched her cheek in confusion as she felt that this was quite aplicated situation. ¡°So you were here,¡± a voice interrupted. Just as Eugene was about to call a waiter over to ce another order, someone approached their table. The sarcastic voice continued, ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you looking so rxed, Eugene Lionheart.¡± It was the Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman. As he drew closer, Melkith narrowed her eyes and stood up to confront him. ¡°Green Tower Master, I can¡¯t help but think of some pretty rude assumptions about you right now,¡± Melkith admitted. Jeneric epted her usation, ¡°I won¡¯t scold you for being rude. Because your assumptions are probably correct.¡± ¡°...Ha! Are you being serious?¡± Melkith scoffed. ¡°The hearing is over and Aroth¡¯s royal family has recognized Eug¡ª¡± ¡°But I haven¡¯t recognized him,¡± Jeneric spat out as he red at Eugene. ¡°Even if Lady Siennahasrecognized you and handed over the ownership of Akasha. As the Patriarch of the Osman family, and the Master of the Green Tower of Magic, I must assess you personally.¡± ¡°How disgraceful,¡± Melkith remarked with a sneer. ¡°I really don¡¯t appreciate your overweening pride, Jeneric Osman.¡± The Wise Sienna had taught three disciples during her life. One of them was Lovellian¡¯s grandmaster, who had served as the former Red Tower Master. The remaining two had stayed in the Green Tower of Magic, proceeded to marry, and had children together. This was the Osman family. The two¡¯s son had served as the former Green Tower Master, and his son was Jeneric Osman, the current Green Tower Master. ¡­But now that Eugene had be Akasha¡¯s owner, and thus Sienna¡¯s sessor, the Osman family could no longer im to be the legitimate heirs to her legacy. ¡°Do you intend to defy Lady Sienna?¡± Eugene asked without standing up from his seat, simply staring at Jeneric. However Jeneric refused to back down and just red back at Eugene. ¡°I,¡± Jeneric dered, ¡°believe that if you would im to be the sessor to the Wise Sienna, then you must be the most exceptional wizard of your time.¡± ¡°Disgraceful,¡± Melkith repeated. ¡°And arrogant as well. The greatest wizard of your time? Could it be, are you really saying that you¡¯re confident enough to im to be such a wizard?¡± Crackle. An electric current began to flow around Melkith. ¡°You¡¯re really saying that in front of me?¡± Without hiding her hostility, Melkith red at Jeneric as she hissed this question. Although her gaze was fierce, Jeneric didn¡¯t shrink back and just snorted. ¡°I¡¯m not free right now, but if you so desire, I¡¯ll dly establish the pecking order between us, Melkith El-Hayah. Although I admit that you¡¯re a worthy and respected wizard, I don¡¯t see you as above me.¡± ¡°...Ahaha! Are you so old that you¡¯re going senile? If you really do think that way, then¡­ follow me outside right now!¡± Melkith finished with a challenging roar. ¡°I should have already told you, I¡¯m not free right now,¡± Jeneric said as his eyes coldly looked Eugene up and down. ¡°What I want to confirm today isn¡¯t who is superior between you and I. What I want to confirm is, between Eugene Lionheart and I, which of us two is the best suited to be Lady Sienna¡¯s sessor?¡± ¡°You have no right to decide such a thing, Green Tower Master,¡± Mer cut in. Although she¡¯d been smiling softly just a few moments before, Mer was no longerughing. She was now confronting Jeneric with a cold and stiff look on her face. ¡°In the first ce, it is ridiculously arrogant for you to even believe that you have the right to decide who has the better qualifications. If I had to say why, then it¡¯s because you''re not qualified in the slightest,¡± Mer coldly pronounced. ¡°...What?¡± Jeneric barked out indignantly. Mer exined, ¡°Both you and your father. I¡¯m saying that neither of you has the right to im to be Lady Sienna¡¯s sessor. Your grandfather, Weiss Osman, and your grandmother, Fri Hellen, may have been Lady Sienna¡¯s disciples, but that doesn¡¯t mean that their descendants can im to be Lady Sienna¡¯s sessors.¡± Jeneric stewed in silence. ¡°Instead, I believe that the only other person with the right to im to be Lady Sienna¡¯s sessor is the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis. Because Lovellian and his master, at the very least, managed to show respect to myself, Lady Sienna¡¯s familiar,¡± Mer exined. Jeneric shouted, ¡°A mere familiar dares to¡ª!¡± Mer interrupted him, ¡°Yes, I am a mere familiar. That might just be a fact, but if you truly im to be Lady Sienna¡¯s sessor, then it¡¯s inappropriate for me to look down on you as you are. I remember what happened one hundred and twenty years ago. How your father had me dissected. Just how presumptuous they were in trying to dig into the core of Witch Craft?!¡± Jeneric¡¯s face twisted into a scowl as he protested, ¡°My father was doing that for the sake of Lady Sienna. It was in remembrance of Lady Sienna that he was attempting to fullyprehend the Witch Craft that she left behind for us!¡± ¡°In remembrance?¡± Mer repeated mockingly. ¡°Lady Sienna hasn¡¯t died. She¡¯s still alive, and she has recognized Eugene as her sessor.¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Eugene spoke up. ¡°So, what the Green Tower Master is saying is¡­ he doesn¡¯t recognize me as Akasha¡¯s master nor as Lady Sienna¡¯s sessor¡­. Have I got that right?¡± Pushing his chair back, Eugene stood up. ¡°Well then¡­ I¡¯m happy to ept such a challenge. Because legitimate or not, it¡¯s that, ¡®for now,¡¯ I amcking in terms or being a wizard whenpared to the Green Tower Master,¡± Eugene easily admitted. ¡°...For now?¡± Jeneric ominously repeated. ¡°You have to consider our ages, of course. Take right now, for example. Isn¡¯t it an ugly and shameful thing that someone who isn¡¯t as talented as me, whose only advantage is having lived fifty years longer, is actually questioning a young man¡¯s qualifications?¡± Eugene asked mockingly as the corners of his mouth twisted upwards. ¡°Honestly speaking, I¡¯m not sure what exactly it is you¡¯re trying to achieve, Green Tower Master. Are you really trying to get me to hand over Akasha on the grounds that I¡¯m currentlycking as a wizard whenpared to the Green Tower Master? Have you seriouslye here thinking that would be epted? Or else, could it be that you¡¯re so blinded by greed and jealousy that you want to take Akasha from me even if it means defying Lady Sienna, whom you im to respect?¡± As he asked these questions, Eugene reached into his cloak. ¡°In your opinion, do you really think that such stubbornness is eptable? The Green Tower Master himself might believe that it is, but no one else who agrees will agree will feel the same way. Do you really think that you¡¯ll be able to convince Aroth¡¯s royal family at this point? When they should currently be busy worrying that Lady Sienna might just drown Abram?¡± ¡°...Lady Sienna is also a rational wizard,¡± Jeneric insisted, his eyes bulging as he red at Eugene. ¡°Lady Sienna may have met you first, but she hasn¡¯t met me yet. Since my abilities are superiors to yours, why would Lady Sienna still choose you as her sessor?¡± ¡°So what are you going to do about it?¡± Eugene challenged. ¡°Let¡¯s duel,¡± Jeneric proposed as he looked inside the cloak that Eugene had unfurled. The staff that he wanted, Akasha, was now in Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°Of course, since there is arge difference between your skills and mine, an ordinary duel would be unfair. So I will limit myself and only use magic up to the Sixth Circle,¡± said Jeneric. ¡°And me?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°You¡¯re free to use all the abilities in your possession. The Lionheart n¡¯s martial arts and your magic, both are fine.¡± Even if a wizard of the Eighth Circle were to limit themself to using spells within the first six Circles, their skill would definitely not be limited to that of an ordinary Sixth Circle wizard. Even if the spells were from a lower Circle, they could match spells from a higher Circle depending on how they were used. In the first ce, the Eighth Circle wasn¡¯t something that could just be reached only by knowing spells that had a lot of power to them. A wizard¡¯s Circle level depended on how deeply they understood magic itself. That was why the wall of the Eight Circle was so high, and why anyone who crossed that wall was allowed to call themself an Archwizard. ¡°And if I refuse?¡± Eugene tested him. ¡°Are you going to?¡± Jeneric sneered. ¡°Of course not,¡± Eugene snorted as he picked up a crumpled napkin that was on the table. ¡°If I lose, I will ce Akasha in Akron and leave.¡± ¡°...You should hand it over to me,¡± Jeneric proposed greedily. Eugene immediately refused. ¡°Absolutely not. This staff belongs to Lady Sienna, I¡¯m just taking care of it for her.¡± Jeneric¡¯s face stiffened at these words. He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice couldn¡¯te out. A napkin stained with whipped cream, which Mer had used to wipe her lips, was thrown into Jeneric¡¯s chest. As he threw it, Eugene said, ¡°I will ept your challenge, Green Tower Master.¡± The napkin struck Jeneric¡¯s chest and fell to the floor. ¡°If I win, I want you to apologize to Mer,¡± Eugene stated. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­¡± Jeneric hesitated. Eugene further rified his request. ¡°And I want you on your knees, with your head bowed,veryrespectfully.¡± Jeneric¡¯s face reddened in anger. Chapter 124: The Green Tower Master (1)

Chapter 124: The Green Tower Master (1)

Inside of a spacious aerial carriage, Mer sat next to Eugene and distractedly fiddled with her fingers. No matter how much she thought about it, this whole situation didn¡¯t make any sense to Mer. Akasha belonged to Sienna. The same went for Witch Craft and everything else that was in Sienna¡¯s Hall; it all belonged to Sienna. Although they were currently disyed in the Royal Library Akron, the royal family of Aroth could not im ownership of them. It was uneptable for them to do so. Aroth had already asked far too much of Sienna. The Magic Kingdom of Aroth had a long history. The founder of Aroth, the Magic King, was called the first ¡®Archwizard¡¯ in the history of humankind, someone who had reached the pinnacle of ancient magic. Ever since then, Aroth had produced several great wizards. However, no other wizard had had asrge an effect on the whole field of ¡®magic¡¯ as Sienna. None were able to copy her feat of defeating a Demon King with just a human¡¯s body. Aroth was only able to establish its title as the Magic Kingdom because Sienna, having returned from Helmuth, had settled in Aroth. In the following three hundred years, countless wizards and people dreaming of bing wizards had been drawn to Aroth out of admiration for Sienna and had settled here. Even after Sienna had gone into seclusion, this trend had continued unabated until the present day. ¡®...We already convinced the royal family,¡¯Mer thought as her lips stuck out in a pout. Of course, that persuasion was based on the threat of drowning the entirety of Abram. In any case, the important thing was that they had been convinced. Mer assessed the situation.¡®Crown Prince Honein seemed to have the intention of handing Akasha over to Eugene from the very beginning. If that old man called the prime minister hadn¡¯t tried to hold on to it and failed, the handover would have gone much more smoothly.¡¯ That was how things should have ended. ¡°...Sir Eugene,¡± Mer spoke up after some hesitation. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to amodate the Green Tower Master¡¯s stubbornness.¡± The Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman, was a wizard who thought of himself as the Chosen One. That had also been the case with Jeneric¡¯s father, the former Green Tower Master. Mer clearly remembered just how wicked and terrible of a wizard that man was. While iming that it was for the sake of magic and Lady Sienna, he had gotten consent from the Royal Family to dissect Mer, whom he treated as a mere familiar ¡ª no, as a mere ¡®thing.¡¯ Although Aroth had acknowledged Akasha¡¯s handover, Jeneric refused to recognize it. From the moment he was born, he had been installed with a pride in his ¡®bloodline¡¯ that made him unable to acknowledge what he should already have been forced to admit. Jeneric still felt that he could personally im to be the legitimate sessor of the Wise Sienna, so he hade to Eugene and issued a challenge. He never once doubted the fact that Akasha, which he himself couldn¡¯t even use, would one day be the magic staff that belonged solely to him. ¡°No matter how irritated and angry the Green Tower Master gets, he still has no right to im Akasha¡¯s ownership,¡± Mer argued. ¡°He also has no way of taking it from you by force.¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably true,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°In the first ce, asking for a duel was ridiculous and absurd. Even if Sir Eugene were to refuse the challenge, no one would call you a coward for doing so. Instead, they would consider it pitiful that the Green Tower Master would actually attempt to force a junior many years younger than himself into a duel,¡± Mer said indignantly. ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene responded wordlessly. ¡°...Even if the Green Tower Master absolutely refuses to back down, there¡¯s still no need to take part in a duel. After all, the Red Tower Master ¡ª no, practicallyallthe Tower Masters except for the Green Tower Master will support Eugene in this. How amusing that the other Tower Masters respect Lady Sienna more than the Green Tower Master, who ims to be Lady Sienna¡¯s legitimate sessor,¡± Mermented. Instead of replying, Eugene just grinned at her. As Mer, who was sitting across from Eugene, looked at him with eyes full of anxiety, he just shrugged casually. Mer recalled the exact moment during the conversation that Eugene¡¯s attitude had undergone a transformation. When Jeneric had first appeared out of nowhere, Eugene hadn¡¯t taken the lead in the conversation. It had been Melkith El-Hayah and Mer who had taken turns wrestling with Jeneric. ¡ªA mere familiar dares to¡ª! Unable to control his rage, Jeneric had spat out these words. At that moment, Eugene¡¯s expression had changed. When it was revealed that Jeneric¡¯s father was behind Mer¡¯s dissection in an attempt to uncover Witch Craft¡¯s core mysteries, Eugene had gotten up from his seat. ¡°...Is it really because of me?¡± Mer couldn¡¯t help but ask this question after a few moments of hesitation. There was no need for Eugene to go that far. Mer hadn¡¯t revealed that information because she had wanted to spur Eugene into action. ¡®A mere familiar?¡¯ Hearing words like these didn¡¯t have any effect on her. Although Eugene had told Mer that she wasn¡¯t just a familiar, Mer had already heard such hurtful words from people like Jeneric so many times that she had gotten tired of them. As such, Mer didn¡¯t care even if she had to hear such nonsense one more time. As long as Sienna had truly thought of Mer as a daughter, and Eugene kept reassuring her that she wasn¡¯t just a familiar, but a human being, that alone was enough for Mer. ¡°It¡¯s just that,¡± Eugene finally spoke up with a smirk, ¡°that bastard, the Green Tower Master, looked down on me.¡± Eugene had always had this sort of personality, ever since he was Hamel. Even if he started out trying to control himself, the moment that his opponent crossed a ¡®line¡¯ that Hamel had set in his own mind, then he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to hold it in. He would need to vent his anger and irritable temper on the offender somehow. It was just like back then, seven years ago, when he had first arrived at the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate for the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. At that time, Eugene hadn¡¯t really wanted to get into an unnecessary fight with the twins from the direct line. However, when Cyan began disparaging Gerhard, Eugene¡¯s own father, Eugene couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer and he had epted Cyan¡¯s challenge to a duel. ¡°...Puhaha!¡± Melkith, who had been silently listening to them talk, suddenly burst intoughter. She wrapped her arms around her stomach as she doubled over cackling, then nodded her head and said, ¡°You''re right. Just like you said, the Green Tower Master, that bastard, really is looking down on you. I¡¯ve always thought he was a nasty old man. Why do you think he came looking for you today of all days?¡± ¡°Because Master Lovellian is absent,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°That¡¯s right. If the Red Tower Master was still in his Tower of Magic, would the Green Tower Master have dared toe looking for you spouting this nonsense about a duel? That bastard, he probably felt really conflicted when he saw you with me,¡± Melkith smugly guessed. ¡°Even so, he still approached us in the end and spat out his nonsense. Ah, is that because he feels that the White Tower Master is actually inferior to himself?¡± Mer spected. ¡°...Hahah!¡± Melkithughed harshly. ¡°If that really is the case, then that bastard Jeneric really is a fool. I would even bet that among the current day Tower Masters, not a single one of them is a worse wizard than Jeneric. It¡¯s not just the Tower Masters either. Trempel Vizard, that aristocrat, would probably be able to take care of Jeneric in just ten minutes.¡± Eugene felt a bit surprised by these words. The impression that Eugene had gotten from Trempel was that he wasn¡¯t all that impressive of a wizard. He seemed to just be an old wizard who threw around stale jokes that weren¡¯t all that funny and who had always annoyed Eugene from the moment they had met by following him around and calling out ¡®Lord Eugene, Lord Eugene.¡¯ ¡°...Hm. Brat, I can probably tell what you¡¯re thinking from that expression on your face. That old man, Trempel, despite what he looks like, is actually quite the impressive person. In the first ce, the fact that he¡¯s able to stand at the heat of the Court Wizards as theirmander means that he has to be Aroth¡¯s number one battle wizard,¡± Melkith revealed. Eugene marveled, ¡°His looks really are deceptive.¡± Melkith spected, ¡°That¡¯s probably because he¡¯s satisfied. He¡¯s already reached the age that he has, there¡¯s no position higher than the one he currently upies, and it¡¯s not like there is a wartime situation going on. In any case, Jeneric must have still pressed on after seeing me with you because he probably wasn¡¯t sure of my rtionship with you.¡± ¡°Had he kept trying to pressure me into agreeing, even after I had refused, would you have taken my side?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°There¡¯s no need to even ask such an obvious question. However, didn¡¯t you still end up foolishly epting his request? That¡¯s why I¡¯ve apanied you here,¡± Melkith said with a bright smile. ¡°Magices in innumerable forms. After mastering their speciality of magic, each wizard who has gone on to sessfully be an Archwizard has had to develop their own unique, ¡®Signature¡¯ spell. You should already be familiar with one, right? The Red Tower Master¡¯s ¡®Pantheon¡¯.¡± ¡°I know of it, though I haven¡¯t learned it,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°If you want to inherit that spell from him, you will probably have to actually reach the Eighth Circle first. That¡¯s not just the case with the Red Tower Master¡¯s Pantheon either. All Archwizards¡¯ Signature Spells are high-level spells that can¡¯t be imitated if you¡¯re not in the Eighth Circle,¡± Melkith abruptly changed her mind. ¡°No, they might be inimitable even if you do reach the Eighth Circle.¡± The specialty of the Red Tower of Magic was summoning magic. As its Tower Master, Lovellian was the best summoner among the current generation of wizards. His Signature Spell, Pantheon, was able to call on a whole pantheon of summons, each of whom had the power equivalent to a natural disaster. Melkith informed Eugene, ¡°Jeneric¡¯s Signature Spell is ¡®Yggdrasil¡¯. A spell that turns his own body into a giant tree¡­ or at least that¡¯s the most convenient way to think of it. No, would it be better to consider it a flower? But it doesn¡¯t really suit him, does it?¡± ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°Still, you can¡¯t take that spell lightly. The moment that Yggdrasil is set up, Jeneric bes a very difficult opponent to deal with. His attack speed is fast and he has crowd control, but that¡¯s only the most obvious threats¡­ what makes him especially tricky is that the entirend that Jeneric roots himself ines under his control,¡± Melkith borated with a grin as she pointed out the window. ¡°In principle, Jeneric might be able to take over about half of Pentagon. Isn¡¯t that absurd? But an Eighth Circle Archwizard is just that sort of existence. And that¡¯s the Archwizard Jeneric Osman that you¡¯re scheduled to duel with.¡± ¡°However, in his duel with me, he won¡¯t be able to use that awesome Signature Spell of his, right?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s true. Because Yggdrasil is Jeneric¡¯s original Eighth Circle spell. However, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s only limited to using only low-rank spells either, right?¡± Melkith intentionally erased her smile and stared at Eugene as she warned him, ¡°Jeneric developed Yggdrasil bybining several different original spells. Thepleted version of Yggdrasil is in the Eighth Circle, but the previous version of the spell, the Divine Tree, is in the Sixth Circle. Jeneric was probably intending to use that spell to win from the very beginning.¡± ¡°How cheap, so that¡¯s why he set the limit at the Sixth Circle?¡± ¡°Probably. While pretending to make such a reasonable concession, he actually just wants to reinforce his reputation as a wizard by crushing you.¡± Changing the subject, Eugene asked, ¡°What kind of spell is the Divine Tree?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a miniature version of Yggdrasil,¡± Melkith answered. ¡°Although he can¡¯t just fire high-level magic like he could as Yggdrasil, it will still allow Jeneric to control the ground at the site of the duel.¡± ¡°Well, that just means I need to keep flying,¡± Eugene said with a shrug. ¡°...That¡¯s a joke, right?¡± Melkith asked in disbelief. ¡°You intend on flying in the sky while facing a wizard of a higher Circle than you? The moment you start flying, you¡¯ll be sent crashing to the ground with a Dispel.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of that until I try,¡± Eugene said confidently. ¡°If you¡¯re not going to encourage me, could you at least stop trying to scare me off?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just trying to tell you that you can still give up at this point,¡± Melkight informed him as she leaned over and looked closely at Eugene. ¡°Brat, I like your hotbloodedness. Since that bastard, the Green Tower Master, tried to take you for a fool, there¡¯s nothing wrong with getting angry at him. However, what do you think that there is to gain from taking part in a real duel against him? The honor of fearlessly epting a challenge from a wizard who¡¯s stronger than you are? But is that honor worth as much as Akasha?¡± Mer didn¡¯t say anything and just kept her head bowed. No matter how much she thought about it, it felt like it was her fault that this duel had been finalized. ¡°Even if you call off the duel at this point, there shouldn¡¯t be many people who will look down on you for it. Because you¡¯re still young after all. And if Jeneric puts up a fuss because of that? I¡¯ll take care of him. What? Do you feel like you¡¯re burdening me? That bastard, Jeneric probably won¡¯t want to fight me for real in any case, and I feel the same way,¡± Melkith assured him with a grin as she pointed behind herself, where Jeneric was riding in the aerial carriage ahead of them. ¡°As long as I stand up to that bastard and quarrel with him, the Red Tower Master should find his attention drawn to here ande running over from Abram. The other Tower Masters should also follow suit. If that¡¯s how the situation ys out, Jeneric also won¡¯t be able to continue being so stubborn¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ept the duel because the blood suddenly rushed to my head,¡± Eugene interrupted her. ¡°Since he refuses to recognize me, I want the chance to prove my qualifications to him. I also want him to apologize to Mer.¡± Mer hesitantly began, ¡°...Sir Eugene, I¡¯m fin¡ª¡± ¡°But I¡¯m not fine, so just drop it. Mer, you know who ¡®I¡¯ am. My personality is a bit vicious. I¡¯m also a touch stubborn. I¡¯m also a piece of trash who won¡¯t even lend an ear to what anyone else is saying. Whether it¡¯s in the past or now, that¡¯s all still the same,¡± Eugene said with a grin as he ruffled Mer¡¯s hair. ¡°Between honor and Akasha? If I had to choose one, then of course Akasha is more valuable. But that said, while honor isn¡¯tpletely worthless, I don¡¯t really enjoymenting about whether or not someone is honorable. Especially when ites to myself.¡± ¡°...But then why do you need to ept the duel?¡± Mer pleaded. ¡°Because I¡¯m not going to let him take it from me,¡± Eugene promised as the corners of his mouth twisted into a smile. ¡°I can only use spells up to the Sixth Circle, but that¡¯s ¡®only spells¡¯. Isn¡¯t that right? Without relying on magic, there¡¯s a lot of other things that I can do. If I immediately summon the Wind Spirit King, you can¡¯t really ssify his existence ording to the Circle Form, now can you? Of course not. Spirits are spirits, and Circles are Circles, so how do you decide what the equivalent is?¡± ¡°...Hm,¡± Mer hummed hesitantly. ¡°Apart from that, I¡¯ve also got other things up my sleeves. If I thought I was going to lose, then I wouldn¡¯t have epted the duel under these conditions,¡± Eugene assured her. Eugene understood why Melkith had been trying to warn him. While Eugene was talented, Jeneric Osman was also quite the talented person. If it was a contest of their ¡®magic,¡¯ then Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to beat Jeneric even if he got a free revive. Honestly speaking, even if Jenneric was only limited to spells of the Fifth Circle instead of the Sixth Circle, Eugene wasn¡¯t confident that he would be able to beat Jenneric in a battle of magic. However, this wasn¡¯t a battle of magic. It was a duel. Moreover, Jeneric had even told Eugene that he was free to use all of his abilities. The Lionheart n¡¯s main family had recognized Eugene¡¯s martial talent and adopted him, but he was still only twenty years old. Experience was something that came with age, especially when it came tobat. So how exactly did Jenneric see Eugene? In the three years that Eugene had spent in Aroth, he had kept himself confined to Akron. The news that Eugene had killed both Assassins and Sand Shamans in Nahama hadn¡¯t been revealed. Jenneric was also ignorant of how Eugene had fought with Barang in Samar, and the Zoran tribe had helped him while Eugene was escaping the forest with the elves, making it seem like Eugene hadn¡¯t done anything. Jenneric knew nothing about Eugene. There was no way for him to know that Eugene was really the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel, who had been apanion of the Great Vermouth three hundred years ago. Right now, magic wasn¡¯t the core of Eugene¡¯s abilities. He had always been a warrior since his previous life, and that was still the case now. Magic was just one of his various different means. So even if Jeneric was the superior wizard, setting the limit at the Sixth Circle was both ignorant and arrogant on his part. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a duel,¡± Jeneric dered as soon as he descended from his carriage, his voice trembling with excitement. He quickly gave orders to the wizards from the Green Tower of Magic who were waiting there to meet him, ¡°A duel isn¡¯t any fun without a lot of spectators. Go and deliver the news of this duel to the tourists in Merdein Square. Tell them that the square behind the Green Tower of Magic will be opened so that they can watch.¡± Jeneric had designated the site of the duel to be the square behind the Green Tower of Magic. Thend there was the private property of the Green Tower of Magic. It was also close to one of Aroth¡¯s famous tourist attractions, Merdein Square. ¡®As long as enough of a crowd is gathered, it will be difficult for the other Tower Masters to oppose the duel,¡¯Jeneric schemed. The news of a duel, especially one between the famous Eugene Lionheart and the Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman, would spread quickly. Spectators would surely flock to the duel while feeling as if they had just won the lottery. Under such circumstances, if someone tried to cancel the duel, the audience was sure to be outraged and might even take Jeneric¡¯s side without Jeneric even needing toe out and say something. Eugene arrived momentster as his aerial carriagended on the ground. There were already spectators packed tightly around the outskirts of thisrge square. ¡°Nasty bastard,¡± Melkith grumbled as she red out the carriage window. She had expected something like this from the moment that Jeneric had designated the square behind the Green Tower of Magic as the site of their duel. That was why she had told Eugene to quickly give up, but¡­. ¡®...It¡¯s still not toote. So what if it¡¯s embarrassing?¡¯Melkith scolded silently. Something like public outrage could easily be suppressed by showing the civilians something even more scary and revealing their true strength. Of course, such an oppressive method was sure to lead to dissatisfactionter, but Melkith wasn¡¯t the type of person to care about something like that. ¡°Really now, quite a lot of people have already arrived after only a few minutes,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°Are you feeling nervous?¡± Jeneric asked with a smile. While it looked polite on the surface, having seen what trulyid below, it just felt disgusting to Eugene. Eugene chuckled and shook his head before saying, ¡°Not at all, since I¡¯m the type of person who gets more excited the more people are watching me.¡± As he¡¯d thought, Eugene really was just a cheeky brat. Jeneric kept up the smile on his lips, even as his eyes filled with a cold chill. ¡°...About thatfamiliar,¡± Jeneric brought up as he red down at Mer who was standing next to Eugene. Jeneric clearly remembered how Mer had thrown a dirty napkin at his chest. It was so ridiculously insulting that Jeneric had gotten flustered and failed to stop the thrown napkin from hitting him. The words that had followed were equally absurd. On his knees, with his head bowed, very respectfully? Apologizing to something like a mere familiar? Jeneric continued speaking, ¡°Do you intend to use it as a meatshield? I have to say that would be a pretty good strategy. Although I don¡¯t know about you, that familiar is quite durable. Even after breaking it apart again and again, you can still restore it by infusing it with some mana. ¡°...Haha,¡± Eugene squeezed out a dryugh as he unfurled his cloak. ¡°You told me to use my full ability, right? Honestly speaking, it didn¡¯t feel good to hear that. And I¡¯m not using Mer, I¡¯m getting help from her.¡± ¡°...Help?¡± Jeneric repeated doubtfully. ¡°Well anyways, since Mer¡¯s existence is also part of my full range of abilities, I will make sure to get her help, just as Sir Jeneric has advised,¡± Eugene said politely. Jeneric just thought of this as a futile disy of stubbornness. Could this be an example of the pride that came from being young and hot-blooded? Jeneric snorted and pulled out a long staff from inside his robe. ¡°Whatever you like,¡± Jeneric offered generously. Jeneric didn¡¯t know what kind of help Mer could give to Eugene. Even if he had known, he wouldn¡¯t have ced any restrictions on ¡®using¡¯ Mer. While iming himself to be the Wise Sienna¡¯s legitimate sessor, Jeneric also took great pride in the fact that he was an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle. ¡°Let¡¯s get started,¡± Jeneric proposed. Would it look better if he took the time to y with his opponent? Or would it be better to finish Eugene off quickly, so that he wouldn¡¯t even get a chance to put up any resistance? Either way, the result of this duel would surely end up being Jeneric¡¯s victory. This was quite the happy problem for Jeneric to be facing. A young child like this who coveted things that were out of his league and was overconfident in his talents needed to be properly disciplined. ¡®Let¡¯s start by showing him the difference in our levels,¡¯Jeneric thought with a rxed smile as he raised his staff. He had decided what kind of spell he would start off with from the moment that he had set the limit of all magic spells to the Sixth Circle. The Divine Tree. A huge amount of mana was directed by the staff into the earth, causing the ground to shake. The surging soil wrapped around Jeneric¡¯s legs. Meanwhile, a white mane flowed up in the air. Chapter 125: The Green Tower Master (2)

Chapter 125: The Green Tower Master (2)

Divine Tree was cast without any incantation. It only took a few seconds for the soil of the square to gather to Jeneric and transform into roots tightly wrapped around his legs. An Archwizard¡¯s casting speed was very fast. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that, as long as it was a spell from a Circle below their own, an Archwizard could cast any spell near instantly. But casting speed wasn¡¯t the only thing that was fast in this duel. While Jeneric was casting his Divine Tree, Eugene immediately began operating the Ring me Form. A match of speed? That was something that Eugene also held confidence in. His talent for mana control that he had shown even in his previous life had also been enough for Sienna to click her tongue in amazement. Both hands were inside of his cloak. His left hand was holding Akasha, while his right hand held several daggers. When the Ring me Form was operated at its highest setting, a brilliant white mane of mana formed around him. ¡®Mer,¡¯Eugene called out her name in his head. Mer, who was crouching in the depths of his cloak, responded to the unspoken voice. There was no need for her to stick her head out of the cloak. Mer was able to share Eugene¡¯s vision from inside the cloak. This was because Mer¡¯s control form was transferred to Eugene himself rather than Akasha. Sienna had hoped that the familiar she had personally created and cherished would be of help to Eugene. In ce of herself, who had yet to be released from her seal. Eugene silently chanted the name of the spell.¡®Chain Leap.¡¯ The spatial coordinates that he hadn¡¯t yet grasped for the spell were instead calcted by Mer. While the roots of the Divine Tree were lifting Jeneric into the air, Mer had already finished calcting the spatial coordinates. Once calcted, these coordinates were immediately transferred into Eugene¡¯s head. As Eugene¡¯s right hand was pulled out of his cloak, the daggers that he was holding disappeared. At the same time, Eugene¡¯s body also disappeared. Crack! Daggers that were suddenly thrust at him from all different directions collided with Jeneric¡¯s mana shield. Paying no attention to this, Jeneric continued rying his instructions to the Divine Tree. Roots speared out of the earth and concentrated on a certain location in the air. ¡®Such cheap tricks only show his mediocrity,¡¯Jeneric sneered to himself. It seemed like Eugene was trying to open up some space between them by first teleporting those daggers, then teleporting himself away while Jeneric was distracted. Jeneric snorted in derision and examined the ends of the roots. But there was nothing there. ¡®What?¡¯ Jeneric had clearly predicted that Eugene would Blink to that location. Had his senses mistaken him? No, it couldn¡¯t be. ¡®While Blinking he actually cast a Dispel on himself, and then Blinked once more?¡¯Jeneric realized in shock. Such a fake-out shouldn¡¯t be aplishable at Eugene¡¯s level. In the first ce, a teleportation spell like Blink was just as risky as it was convenient. Casting a Dispel right after Blinking, then picking some other coordinates to jump to wouldn¡¯t be an easy task for even the most battle-hardened wizard. As such, Jeneric told himself that he had to have made a mistake. Meanwhile, Eugene just thought,¡®You were the one who told me to use everything that I have.¡¯ It was true that he had dispelled Blink right after casting it. As for the resulting mana bacsh? That didn¡¯t matter. If there was a bacsh, then all he needed to do was redirect it. Archwizard Jeneric hadn''t spotted this because not even a speck of the dispelled mana had escaped Eugene''s control. Eugene¡¯s mane of mana red outward. Blue mana light was mixed into the pure white me. He had appeared elsewhere on the wide open square, the noise of his arrival being masked by the sound of the crowd, only the vibrations of his mana revealing his position. In his right hand, Eugene held Akasha. The vision it granted allowed Eugene to understand just how high-level a spell like the Divine Tree was and realize that Jeneric kept a dense field of mana around him under his own control. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to approach him stealthily,¡¯Eugene judged.¡®The moment I approach, I¡¯ll make contact with his mana.¡¯ From there, it would depend on the difference between their reaction speeds. Even if Jeneric noticed his approach, Eugene just needed to be faster than any attempts to keep him out of reach. Boom! He kicked off the ground with a forceful burst. Shortly after that, the roots wrapped around Jeneric¡¯s body sprang into action. It looked as if all thend surrounding Jeneric was now trying to attack Eugene. ¡®I¡¯ve made contact,¡¯Eugene immediately realized upon seeing this reaction. Even if the difference in reaction speed was only as thin as a piece of paper, it still worked out in Eugene¡¯s favor. Before the roots could take a swing at him, a jagged sword with an edge like a saw de thrust out of his widely spread cloak. It was the Devouring Sword Azphel, a sword that could cut through spells. While rotating his body like a spinning top, Eugene swung Azphel. Kwakwakwak! The roots wrapping around Jeneric were sliced apart. Jeneric¡¯s eyes widened in rm. They shouldn¡¯t have been cut so easily. These roots were made of earth bound together with mana. Their earthen structure should have been hard enough to be a match for upper-level barrier magic. ¡®The mana ¡ª no, the spell form itself was sliced apart,¡¯Jeneric realized. However, the attack was too shallow. The roots had been sliced into, but the cuts weren¡¯t deep. The strands of the spell form that had been cut apart just needed to be woven back together and the damage would be restored. Pursing his lips, Jeneric began chanting an incantation. There was a limit to the level of the spells that he could use, but Jeneric didn¡¯t care about that. In the first ce, he hadn¡¯t felt any sense of crisis from the prior situation, he had just felt slightly surprised. ¡®Too shallow.¡¯Eugene had also sensed the same thing. As he¡¯d suspected, was Eugene really being too unreasonable to immediately try andprehend a spell¡¯s structure and cut at its core on his first time seeing it? Without feeling any disappointment, Eugene pulled out Akasha. ¡®Mer,¡¯he silently called. Without any distraction on his part, the spell that Eugene wanted to use was cast with perfect timing. Whoosh! Eugene¡¯s body was yanked backwards. The roots that had just been flying towards him, narrowly brushed past him as Eugene was pulled out of reach. [Sir Eugene,] Mer called out in warning. ¡®I know,¡¯came Eugene¡¯s short reply. The attacks didn¡¯t just stop at just the roots. As Melkith had warned him, flying into the sky just because the earth was under Jeneric¡¯s control was a blind path to defeat. When battling against wizards who flew freely through the sky, the type of spells that were designed to bind their feet or send them plunging back down to the ground were innumerable. The dense field of mana that was under Jeneric¡¯s control transformed into a heavy ¡®weight¡¯ that pressed down on Eugene¡¯s body. Then the ground shook as if responding to the weight. Cracracrack! Roots surged up from below, forming a jaw full of sharp teeth that tried to swallow Eugene. Would Eugene be able to escape this using his strength? ¡®Do I even need to?¡¯Eugene scoffed. Without having mastered any magical speciality, Eugene should have been left with no choice but to escape by using force, but he soon proved that there wasn¡¯t any need for that. Akasha¡¯s Dragonheart shone with a red light. Mer elerated the formation of a spell and Akasha amplified the spell¡¯s strength. ¡®st,¡¯Eugene chanted silently as his eyes were fixed above his head. His spell sted away the mana that was weighing down on him with an explosion of air. ¡®Frostfield,¡¯Eugene uttered his next spell. An ice magic spell of the Sixth Circle, one that Eugene had learned from the Hall of Freezing Chill, slowed the movement of the roots. This was only the start of the spell. The rapidly spreading frost stopped the movement of the roots in their entirety. Then, the mes of the Ring me Form engulfed Eugenepletely. This was an ability that had nothing to do with magic. He was just covering his body in sword-force. This was a conversion of a warrior¡¯s defense technique known as the Aurashield into a more offensive version of itself, the Hamel style¡ª [...Sir Eugene? What exactly is the Poltergeist Aegis?] Mer asked. ¡°Shut it,¡± Eugene snapped as his face twisted into a scowl. Bang! His foot mmed down and shattered the frozen earth. However, the shattered roots were immediately reconnected and Jeneric was now looking at Eugene with a frown. All of the spells that Eugene had used just now were from the Sixth Circle. Even though they were above Eugene¡¯s apparent level, the flow between the different spells was unbelievably smooth. ¡®The sword that sliced my spell must be the Devouring Sword Azphel¡­ and that must be the Lionheart n¡¯s White me Form. Fine then, it¡¯s no fun if the ending is too one-sided,¡¯ Jeneric thought as he expanded his field of awareness. By doing so, he was finally able to cast his magic in earnest. The reconnected roots all began attacking Eugene as one. There was also movement from the ground below the roots. Each individual grain of soil became sticky and tried to cling to the soles of Eugene¡¯s feet. mes surged forth. Roooar! The burst of fire pushed Eugene off the ground. Eugene quickly checked above him, only to see countless bullets of mana were now aimed at him. They weren¡¯t just simple bullets either. Even without touching them, Eugene was able to tell what they were. The way that the bullets were aiming at him from every direction, they formed a prison meant to constrict his movements and force him back to the ground. ¡®Blink,¡¯Eugene ordered. [I can¡¯t. The space has been locked down,] Mer reported. ¡®Then can¡¯t you just open it back up?¡¯Eugene asked. Mer couldn¡¯t understand what Eugene meant by these words. How was she supposed to open up a space that had been locked down by an Archwizard? But she soon got it. At the same time, Mer realized that she might have been underestimating Eugene quite a lot. [Isn¡¯t that too barbaric?!] Mer shouted. ¡®So what?¡¯Eugene shrugged internally. Tchiiiiik! Eugene tore his footpletely off the ground, ripping the sole free from the grains of soil clinging to it. His Ring me Form reinforced his mana, turning the me blue. Baaang! His foot mmed into the ground as he cast the Fifth Circle spell Earthquake. Well, it was normally a Fifth Circle spell, but considering the power it was cast with and the effect it showed, Eugene¡¯s version was clearly beyond that. Jeneric¡¯s cheeks trembled from the amount of mana and the precision with which he pushed that mana into maintaining his spell. Thanks to this, thend under his control wasn¡¯t damaged any further by the spell. However, the Earthquake¡¯s shockwave disturbed the mana locking down space for a moment. Ordinary wizards wouldn¡¯t have even been able to feel this vibration, let alone seize the opening, but Eugene was different. He quickly inserted the form for the Blink spell into the opening that he had created. And with that, he teleported. Jeneric reacted too slowly to pick out the coordinates for his sudden Blink. ¡®Ice Awls.¡¯ A hurricane of cold air formed into a bundle of long icicles that all fired at once. The attack appeared from Jeneric¡¯s blind spot. Jeneric clicked his tongue, and drew on his magic. Thuthuthud! The icicles mmed into a raised shield of roots. Eugene, who hade flying in together with the icicles, twisted his body. His two feet mmed into the end of an icicle, plunging it even further into the root. Soon, frost began to form all over the roots. ¡®What is he doing?¡¯Jeneric couldn¡¯t understand what Eugene¡¯s moves were meant to achieve.¡®The flow between his spells is smooth. The power behind his spells is also impressive. However they still won¡¯t be able to reach me.¡¯ Wouldn¡¯t it be more effective for Eugene to try and swing Azphel like he had before, or make use of his physical skills? Jeneric realized something.¡®...For him to stubbornly stick to using magic¡­ this cheeky brat¡­!¡¯ Could it be, since he was dueling with a wizard, Eugene had decided to persist in solely using magic? Jeneric¡¯s eyes grew bloodshot with rage. Crack! The frost that had spread over the roots was shaken off. Gwoooar! The whole square shook as all the soil under Jeneric¡¯s control transformed into roots that rose up like a nest of snakes. At the same time, all kinds of spells began taking form in midair. They were all attack spells that wouldn¡¯t exceed the limit of the Sixth Circle. So even as he manifested all these spells at the same time, there was still a lot of spare capacity left in Jeneric¡¯s mana control, allowing him to maintain control of the spell he had already cast. The nest of snakes ¡ª no, roots began to dance, a wild dance where they seemed to be iling at random. While mixing flight, jumps, and sprints into his movements, Eugene wove his way through the roots. He wasn¡¯t just dodging them. With each step that he took, Eugene left a burning footprint behind. ¡®ze Stamp.¡¯ Jeneric knew this spell as well. It was a Sixth Circle fire spell that was stored in the Hall of Scorching Heat. Engraving a seed of me into the ground with each step, it was a spell that was meant to set a wide area on fire when all these stamps resonated together at once. The power of the ze Stamp varied depending on how many footprints the caster had left. ¡®What a one-dimensional n,¡¯Jeneric sneered. Because his opponent wasrge, he had decided to use ze Stamp. This was an idea that anyone could havee up with. And since he was dealing with roots, he should just use fire? He couldn¡¯t really be that stupid, could he? The Divine Tree might be a tree, but it wasn¡¯t really a tree. In other words, this meant it wouldn¡¯t burn as easily as a dry branch would. ¡®He really is as fast as a rat. Just how long will he be able to keep jumping around? Do you really have the mistaken belief that I can¡¯t catch you?¡¯Jeneric thought as he held back a grin. The spells that Jeneric had prepared in the air prevented Eugene from leaping above a certain height. The thrashing roots seemed to be attacking randomly, but they were actually directing his movements into certain specific directions. Whichever way Eugene decided to approach, Jeneric was fine with it. The moment that Eugene had gotten deep enough, Jeneric would capture him without giving him a chance to escape. ¡®Should I just smash him to pieces instead? That might be more convenient,¡¯Jeneric thought idly. Jeneric was confident that he could kill Eugene instantly. However, that was something that should be avoided. Even Jeneric was aware that he couldn¡¯t afford to go that far. ¡®Or else, should I wait until he gets deep enough and tries to open up a path with Azphel? But does he really think that I¡¯ll get hit by something that I¡¯ve already seen once before?¡¯ Battle was, in the end, a challenge of wits. Knowing how many cards that they each held in their hands and being able to see a few steps ahead of your opponent were the most important factors in a battle. Jeneric was well aware of how vital these were. He believed that he had gotten Eugene¡¯s full measure, and that he was looking far enough ahead of his young opponent. ¡®He hasn¡¯t summoned a spirit yet,¡¯Jeneric noticed. It was well-known that Eugene Lionheart was carrying Wynnyd. Seeing as how he even carried Azphel as well, he probably even had a few others of the Lionheart n¡¯s treasures on him. Jeneric assessed the situation.¡®But anything else is probably too wild and unwieldy for him. He won¡¯t be able to use them as he pleases. If he tries to force their use during a narrow opening, he¡¯ll just get interrupted by my attacks.¡¯ Something like this didn¡¯t apply to Jeneric. His body was ced in the center of a solid tree trunk. The greatest advantage of Yggdrasil was its defensive power that didn¡¯t even require the use of any defensive spells. With all that said, he wasn¡¯t just a huge stationary target either. Even at this moment, Jeneric was still able to transfer to another root and have it serve as the new tree trunk. ¡®It¡¯s a pity that I can¡¯t allow any flowers to bloom,¡¯Jeneric regretted.¡®If the limit had been set at the Seventh Circle, it would have been even more fun to y with you.¡¯ While Jeneric was feeling such regret, Eugene had entered the trap. With a grin, Jeneric set the Divine Tree into motion. The ground that hadpletely transformed into a nest of roots gathered up into a huge wave that washed over Eugene. Also, the spells that had been prepared in midair wereunched, bombarding Eugene¡¯s location. ¡®Mer,¡¯Eugene called. Even at this moment, Eugene wasn¡¯t even slightly flustered. [Yes,] Mer replied, knowing what he wanted her to do. She withdrew to the depths of the cloak on her own volition and began calcting spatial coordinates. The Cloak of Darkness billowed wide. The nearest root was swallowed by the cloak and then projected in the opposite direction. Cracracrack! The roots collided with each other, twisting around and forming a tangled mess. This left various spells still pouring down at Eugene from overhead. At the center of this knot of roots, Eugene looked up at them. They didn¡¯t just have numbers; in terms of variety, there were dozens of different types. Since he couldn¡¯t use Blink¡­ should he try and cut them with Azphel! Or else should he just break through with the Poltergeist Aegis? Neither option really attracted him. Eugene bared his teeth in a grin as he focused. Tching. The sudden strain gave him a dizzying headache. It felt as if his brain was on fire. Inside of the cloak, Mer let out a shocked scream. [You want to do that now?!] Although she shouted this, Mer still focussed her concentration. Their concentrated focus resonated with each other. Mer felt some responsibility for this duel. If she hadn¡¯t needlessly confronted Jeneric, then she wouldn¡¯t have been insulted as a mere familiar. If not for that, Eugene also wouldn¡¯t have bothered to take part in this duel. But Mer also felt some grievance towards Jeneric. To this Green Tower Master who didn¡¯t really respect Lady Sienna, she wanted to break ¡ª no, to snap off his long nose. So in the ce of the absent Lady Sienna, she wanted to be of help to Eugene. By doing so, she wanted to guarantee Eugene a victory. All the mana amplified by the Ring me Form was drained away. Blood began to drip from Eugene¡¯s bloodshot eyes. Even as he cried tears of blood, Eugene processed the forms of each spell bombarding him and grasped each of theirplex spatial coordinates. On Akron¡¯s sixth floor, in the Hall of Space, there was a certain pinnacle Seventh Circle spatial magic spell. ¡°Reverse Rotation.¡± The space around Eugene was cut off. Then, the space around the falling spells, or at least all that were within the range of Eugene¡¯s vision, was also isted. The two disconnected spaces were then linked and swapped with each other. Booooom! The roots of the Divine Tree, which were still entangled, were bombarded by the spells that appeared between them. Jeneric couldn¡¯tprehend what kind of spell Eugene had just cast. No, he refused toprehend it, even though he had definitely heard the incantation. Reverse Rotation, even amongst the other Seventh Circle spells, was known to be of especially high difficulty. So¡­ how? There was no way Eugene should have been able to use it! No, he might have heard something like this from Trempel Vizardo. That Eugene had been able to use the Seventh Circle¡¯s Scorching meball¡­. ¡°But that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s apletely different kind of magic!¡± Jeneris shouted his protest inplete disbelief. Caught in a chain-eruption of spells, the roots copsed. Jeneric gritted his teeth as he reasserted control over his spell. Still shedding tears of blood, Eugene now stood in the sky. He had wanted to capture all the spells that could be seen within the space swapped by the Reverse Rotation, but it seemed that he had hit his limit. Looking around at the spells that had awkwardly frozen in midair as Jeneric was distracted, Eugene pulled out Azphel. Jeneric was a bit toote in noticing this. Such an unbelievable surprise could dy even an Archwizard¡¯s judgment. As he hastily reimed control of the spells and ordered them to attack Eugene, Eugene just kept his arm loose as he swung Azphel. The sh of the sword seemed to be almost boneless, but even so it was unbelievably sharp and fast. The preempted spells were all shattered, and the scattered mana was devoured by Azphel. The me wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body grew even stronger. Eugene knew better than anyone that a battle ultimately came down to a challenge of wits. Opponents who were confident in their own strength were actually easier to deal with. Their certainty in their inevitable victory due to their own pride and arrogance could be used in all sorts of ways to ce a noose around their necks depending on the situation. As for Azphel? Eugene had shown it off once. Then he didn¡¯t use it after that. By doing so, he had made it seem like Eugene was limited in its use. Jeneric had said that he would only use spells up to the Sixth Circle. However, Eugene had no such restriction ced on him. Even so, so far he had only used spells up to the Sixth Circle as well. He had also ced more emphasis on his magic than he did on his physical skills. Jeneric had taken this as Eugene being arrogant. He had only seen the surface, just as Eugene had been hoping he would. In the end, Jeneric had drawn up a n that had seen him drawing Eugene into a trap by allowing him to run freely then defeating him using their overwhelming gap in skill. Eugene had drawn up a different n. The burning footprints still remained on the surface of the roots that he had woven his way through. Eugene willed these footprints to burst into me. A dizzying red line was drawn through the air and began radiating heat. Shortly afterwards, it exploded into mes! Boomboomboom! The explosion from the ze Stamp further magnified the explosion caused by the chain of spells that had erupted deep within the tangle of roots. The crowd surrounding the square let out screams of excitement as the heat wave washed over them. Taking a deep breath, Eugene held Akasha out in front of him. Hesitantly, Mer asked, [Isn¡¯t this too¡­ brutal¡­?] ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene replied with a smirk. As he cast Scorching meball, a small ember sparked to life in front of Akasha¡¯s jewel. Eugene lightly pushed the ember forward. The heat and the mes that had erupted from the ze Stamp was drawn to the Scorching meball. The slowly flying Scorching meball crazily grew in size. ¡°Th-th-that crazy bastard¡ª!¡± Melkith cried out, her face having already turned white as she nkly watched the duel take ce. Quickly leaping into the air, Melkith¡¯s hair rose to point at the sky. Grooooan! The ground where the spectators were standing shook. The Spirit King of the Earth had descended at Melkith¡¯s call. The Spirit King of Earth received amand from Melkith¡¯s will and began to move. Cracracrash! A huge wall of earth rose up in front of the crowd. ¡®Will it be enough?¡¯Melkith anxiously asked herself. Melkith wasn¡¯t the only one moving to protect the crowd. It was unknown when exactly they had arrived, but the Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euznd, and the ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth, also flew up into the sky. The two exchanged a nce, then applied their own barrier spells to the earthen rampart that Melkith had created. Jeneric groaned, ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± The flow of mana was intense. Jeneric red at the approaching Scorching meball as it continued to grow in size. Was a Dispel possible? No, it was toote. Now that the spell had grown sorge, there wasn¡¯t any use in trying to copse it. He was left with no choice but to try and push it backwards. Jeneric¡¯s lips moved quickly, while ordering any roots still able to move upwards, he also attempted to cast a spell¡­. ¡°Tempest,¡± Eugene called out as his left hand emerged from his cloak. Jeneric¡¯s face paled as he saw the beautiful silver-blue sword that Eugene was holding in his hand and heard the name that Eugene uttered. ¡°Come here and push that,¡± Eugene boldymanded. The wind began to churn crazily as the Spirit King of the Wind descended onto this ne. As if to show off his dignified stature to everyone, Tempest appeared standing next to Eugene. Eugene narrowed his eyes as the hot air washed against his cheek and grumbled. ¡°Stop acting cool and push already.¡± [Ahem¡­,] Tempest coughed in embarrassment and stretched one hand out to the Scorching meball. A raging wind emerged from his fingers and made contact with the ball of mes. The moment he saw this, Jeneric realized that it would be impossible to continue resisting by relying on the Divine Tree. An explosion of mes soared high into the air. Chapter 126: The Green Tower Master (3)

Chapter 126: The Green Tower Master (3)

¡°Why are you blocking the view?!¡± ¡°Show us what¡¯s happening!¡± These roars wereing from the crowd. Normally, Melkith would have unleashed a tirade on them for their ingratitude towards their saviors, but currently Melkith couldn¡¯t care less about the squabbling of the crowd. It wasn¡¯t just Melkith either. All three of the Tower Masters who had stepped forward to protect the spectators had their eyes fixed on the pir of fire soaring high up into the sky. The mes slowly dissipated and the raging heat began to fade away. Although the air was supposed to still have the chill of early spring, the crowd started taking off their coats as they felt as if they were in mid-summer. Eugene stared straight forward, through the shifting and wavering haze, as he caught his breath. He could see some huge things wriggling within. Eugene smirked and waved his hand. Responding to this, Tempest¡¯s winds blew and swept up all the remaining heat in an upward st. This allowed Eugene to confirm what he was seeing. The wriggling objects were giant roots. Though not asrge as those of the World Tree that he had observed in the elven territory, these roots belonged to a tree that was stillrge enough to remind him of it. If one had to pick out thergest difference between the two trees, it was that the end of each branch and root of this tree had something that looked like a flower bud, but, in any case, this tree had quite the bizarre appearance. The center of the tree trunk split open. Jeneric, who walked out from within the tree, was biting hard on his lower lip as if he wanted to draw blood. Even though he had just been struck by thebination of the Scorching meball and Tempest¡¯s tornado-like winds, not a single scorch mark had been left on Jeneric¡¯s body. Eugene was honestly amazed. So this was Yggdrasil: the Signature Spell of the Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman. The moment that the firestorm exploded, the Sixth Circle Divine Tree had instantly transformed into Yggdrasil. The resulting explosion was then blocked by an instant casting of a continuous defense spell andyers of roots. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Eugene began speaking without first sending Tempest back to his realm. As he stared at Jeneric, who was still in the center of Tempest''s tornado, Eugene continued, ¡°No matter how you look at it, that¡¯s not a Sixth Circle spell.¡± Jeneric kept silent. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve vited the restrictions that you yourself brought up. Oh yes, you aren¡¯t really going to try and make any arguments about the fact that I used Seventh Circle spells and summoned the Spirit King first, are you?¡± Eugene taunted. Still, without making any reply, Jeneric just red at Eugene. Although his chewed-up bottom lip covered up the bitter taste of defeat, Jeneric¡¯s spirit raged as the taste of blood filled his mouth. How could he be humiliated like this? Jeneric had ended up viting the restriction that he himself had set. At that moment, it would have been difficult to defend against the explosion with his Divine Tree or other Sixth Circle spells. Even though it was just a single Scorching meball, with Tempest¡¯s tornado added on top of that, the attack had be absolutely impossible to block with anything within the Sixth Circle. As such, Jeneric had been left with no choice but to use Yggdrasil. If he didn¡¯t use it? Although he probably wouldn¡¯t have died, he would have still suffered equal disgrace. ¡®...No. Instead this might be even more disgraceful¡­!¡¯Jenericmented. Eugene met Jeneric¡¯s simmering gaze. Humiliation, rage, and hostility were all mixed into this gaze, blending into a dark, murderous intent. ¡®Nah, there¡¯s no way. He¡¯s not unhinged enough to go crazy in a ce like this, is he?¡¯Eugene asked himself. Just judging by his gaze, it seemed like Jeneric really mighte running at him to try and kill him, but Eugene wasn¡¯t too worried about that. After all, weren¡¯t there a lot of spectators? And weren¡¯t the Blue, White, and ck Tower Masters all waiting nearby? Eugene smirked and looked up at the sky. Booom! A huge door fell from the sky and stayed upright as itnded on the ground. The door was engraved with many intricate carvings. Seeing this, Jeneric¡¯s face contorted. ¡°It seems that it¡¯s already over,¡± Lovellian said as he descended shortly afterwards and sat on top of the door. As his eyes zed red with anger between his shaggy blonde bangs of hair, Lovellian asked challengingly, ¡°Or perhaps you intend to continue?¡± ¡°...Red Tower Master,¡± Jeneric eventually spat out, after he had buried all his murderous thoughts back deep within his heart and twisted the corners of his wooden lips into a stiff smile. ¡°Your disciple¡­ he¡¯s really¡­ impressive.¡± Lovellian agreed smugly. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s not just you, everyone else here is also thinking the same thing.¡± Eugene looked at the door Lovellian was sitting on with sparkling eyes. It might be his first time seeing it in person, but seeing a spell with such depth that he couldn¡¯t understand even with Akasha and the intricacies of its form alerted him as to what this door was. It was Pantheon, the Signature Spell of the Red Tower Master, Lovellian. The reason why Lovellian had summoned it from the moment that he began descending onto the scene was that Jeneric still had Yggdrasil cast on the field, and not only that, he had also sensed a subtle murderous intenting from Jeneric¡¯s gaze. ¡°Green Tower Master,¡± Lovellian called out as he ced his gloved hands on the door frame. ¡°Your gaze feels a bit overbearing. Is my disciple bothering you somehow?¡± ¡°...How could that be,¡± Jeneric reluctantly denied. ¡°I¡¯m just feeling amazed by this junior¡¯s overflowing talent." Lovellian silently stared at Jeneric. ¡­Tap tap tap¡­. In this silence, the sound of Lovellian tapping the door frame echoed through the air. While wiping the back of his hand across his lower lip, which was now bleeding, Jeneric took a few steps back. ¡°...He truly is impressive,¡± Jeneric repeated with a sigh. Splssssh¡­. Yggdrasil scattered into dust. Even the churned up ground calmly subsided. ¡°I could never have imagined that he¡¯d be so exceptional. I heard that he managed to cast the Seventh Circle Scorching meball, but to think that he would truly¡­ be able to cast Reverse Rotation as well. And even summoning the Spirit King of the Wind on top of that!¡± Jeneric deliberately raised his voice as he said this with a chuckle. Jeneric didn¡¯t want to expose his wounded self-esteem by acting petnt. Even though, if he could have his way, he would much rather soothe his ill temper with a few choice words. While Jeneric was doing this, Eugene unfurled his Cloak of Darkness and said, ¡°It was all thanks to Mer.¡± ¡­Although the cloak had already been opened up for her, Mer failed to emerge on cue. Both the Reverse Rotation and the Scorching meball were spells that Eugene shouldn¡¯t have been able to handle yet, but he had managed to cast them thanks to her help, and even if Mer wanted to hide, she couldn¡¯t avoid receiving the praise for this. ¡°...Hm¡­ now really,¡± Eugene said with a sigh as he reached into his cloak, grabbing Mer¡¯s hood from where she had been lying down deep inside. As she was dragged out like this, Mer just lied there limply, her eyes spinning in circles. Mer groaned feebly. ¡°Uurp¡­. Uwaaargh¡­.¡± ¡°Great work,¡± Eugeneplimented her. ¡°We¡¯re¡­ we¡¯re done, right? It¡¯s okay for me to rest now, right?¡± Mer pleaded. ¡°It¡¯s not like you even need any sleep anyway,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°Even so, I still neeeed rest¡­. Ever since I was first created¡­ this is the first time that I¡¯ve ever felt so burned out¡­,¡± Mer whined as she tried to wriggle her way back into the cloak. However, Eugene didn¡¯t let go of Mer and held on to her hood tightly. ¡°Just wait for a little bit more,¡± he told her. Mer childishly drew out the question, ¡°Whyyyy¡­?¡± ¡°There¡¯s something that you still need to hear,¡± Eugene pointed out. Jeneric¡¯s shoulders shook at these words. Mer¡¯s eyes, which had been drooping sleepily, started to sparkle as life returned to them. Throwing back her raised hood, Mer stared at Jeneric. ¡°...Ah¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± Mer slowly drew out the words as a wide smile spread across her face. ¡°Sir Eugene, you really did win. You defeated the Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman, in a duel!¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to your help,¡± Eugene generously conceded. ¡°Hmph, hahmph, hahahmpf. Oh, no, not at all, even without me, I¡¯m sure you would have been able to win just fi¡­. Hahmph, or maybe not? Yes, that¡¯s right. If I hadn¡¯t been there to help, there¡¯s no way Sir Eugene would have been able to win. Isn¡¯t that right? I¡¯m telling the truth, aren¡¯t I?¡± Mer turned to look up at Eugene and smiled pridefully as she asked these questions. ¡°You might be strong even without my help, but because I helped you, you became even stronger. Thanks to that, do you know how difficult it was for me? Seriously, it felt like I was going to overheat from the burden of calcting all those forms.¡± ¡°That sounds quite exaggerated,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Ummm¡­ alright, fine, it was an exaggeration. No matter how much my processors are burdened, I won¡¯t burn out just from calcting forms. Because my core structures were created by none other than Lady Sienna after all,¡± Mer proudly dered. Eugene nodded in agreement and patted Mer on the head. When he had first started patting her, Mer had warned him that he shouldn¡¯t cross the line with her, but at some point, she had stopped rejecting Eugene¡¯s touch. ¡°...Could you really have forgotten the bet?¡± Eugene eventually asked, looking at Jeneric who was standing there woodenly. Jeneric¡¯s lips were twitching silently, as if lost for words, and his face contorted terribly as he heard Eugene¡¯s question. Had he forgotten the bet? No, of course he remembered it. If he was defeated, then he would have to get on his knees, bow his head, and apologize to Mer very sincerely. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re embarrassed by having so many spectators?¡± Eugene teased. The high earthen ramparts had already been lowered. While they hadn¡¯t been able to see the decisive moment, the crowd could easily tell who the winner was between Eugene and Jeneric by one¡¯s dismayed gaze and lowered head. Jeneric felt like everything that had happened was part of a conspiracy to drive him crazy. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene snorted augh as he passed by Lovellian and approached Jeneric. Once he was standing in front of Jeneric, Eugene¡¯s feet lightly tapped on the ground. Grooooan! A newly created earthen rampart now surrounded Eugene and Jeneric. ¡°If it¡¯s like this, no one will be able to see us. Since I¡¯m making such a concession, it should be fine now, right?¡± Eugene pressed Jeneric. ¡°...Gk¡­ Grrr¡­!¡± After staring nkly at his new surroundings, Jeneric clenched his fists and squeezed out a smile as he growled, ¡°You want me¡­ to thank you¡­! You¡­ do you really¡­ want to push me this far¡­!¡± ¡°Is even this not enough?¡± Eugene¡¯s smile fell from his face. ¡°Green Tower Master. I¡¯ve won our duel. You, the Green Tower Master, are the one who ced that restriction on yourself, you¡¯re also the one who decided not to ce any restrictions on me. Could it be that you really thought there was no way you could lose?¡± Jeneric¡¯s silence was as good as a confession. ¡°If that''s the case, then it seems that the Green Tower Master has really underestimated me,¡± Eugene said with a frown. ¡°So much so that it¡¯s even insulting. I am a Lionheart, as well as the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis¡¯s disciple, and I¡¯ve even been recognized as the sessor to the Wise Sienna.¡± With better regret, Jeneric protested, ¡°...If it wasn¡¯t¡­ for the restriction¡­!¡± Eugene snorted and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? I¡¯m aware of that as well. If the Green Tower Master had just set the limit at the Seventh Circle instead of the Sixth Circle, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to win as ¡®easily¡¯ as I have now.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Jeneric barked, his eyes narrowing as he red at Eugene. ¡°Easily? You¡¯re saying that you won easily? Against me?¡± ¡°If not, does it look like it was a difficult victory for me? Green Tower Master, from the start of our duel to the end, all your movements were made ording to my will,¡± Eugene revealed. Jeneric was unable to muster up a rebuttal. Eugene gave some advice, ¡°You should just admit the truth, Green Tower Master. You overestimated your own strength. If you had gone into the duel without cing any restrictions on yourself, would I have been able to win? Haha! If that was the case, then I might as well be the Green Tower Master, no?¡± Jeneric was unable to say anything to this. Everything that Eugene had said was the truth, and trying to argue against it would only lead to Jeneric making even more of a fool of himself. ¡°...I¡¯ll bend¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t take back his words. Nor could he do anything about the fact that he had be drunk on his own arrogance and overconfidence in his own abilities, thus leading him to be falsely certain of his own victory. ¡°...my knees¡­¡± He had looked down on his opponent and ignored what cards Eugene could be keeping hidden. Jeneric had been so sure of his lead in the fight and had been so certain that he was the one in control of his opponent¡­ ¡°...and apologize.¡± ¡­so what honor was there in arguing against that now? ¡°...You¡­ no, esteemed creation of the Wise Sienna. I called you a mere familiar, looked down on your existence, and my father even dissected you for the purposes of experimentation,¡± Jeneric confessed. Honestly speaking, he really didn¡¯t want to say these words. He also didn¡¯t want to bow his head and he definitely didn¡¯t want to bend his knees. As for this apology? He really wanted to ask why he was being forced to do something like this, However, Jeneric still had to do it. No matter what excuses he mighte up with, he couldn¡¯t change the oue of the duel. After all, wasn¡¯t being beaten by a boy much younger than himself already shameful enough? Instead of arguing against it, it was better to admit defeat and use the restriction as an excuse to alleviate some of the shame from this duel. If there hadn¡¯t been any restrictions, then of course he would have won. In order to protect his remaining honor, Jeneric just needed to ept the results and keep to the words he had said in haste. ¡°...I apologize for all of those,¡± Jeneric concluded his apology. ¡°Got it,¡± Mer replied with a smile. She walked out of Eugene¡¯s cloak fully and stood in front of the kneeling Jeneric. ¡°I, Mer Merdein, have received the Green Tower Master¡¯s apology,¡± Mer formally dered, puffing out her chest, cing her hands on her hips, and ring down at Jeneric. From here, she had a very good look at the top of Jeneric¡¯s deeply bowed head. Seeing this, she couldn¡¯t help but feel refreshed inside. Mer snorted proudly a few more times before turning and going back to Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene, we did it!¡± Mer cheered. Eugene nodded and agreed. ¡°That¡¯s right, we did it.¡± Eugene opened his cloak slightly, but Mer didn¡¯t duck inside. Instead, she came closer and hung onto one of Eugene¡¯s arms with a giggle. It might be because her body had been relieved of all its tension, but she found it difficult to walk and was dragging her feet. In the end, Eugene picked Mer up and sat her on his shoulder. Mer let out a startled sound, but immediately corrected her posture to sit securely on Eugene¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This is more ufortable than staying inside the cloak,¡± Mermented. ¡°Of course it would be ufortable,¡± Eugene acknowledged. ¡°It seems that I¡¯ll need to prepare a cushion for times like these. Or else, hmmm, Sir Eugene, this cloak can change its appearance, right? This prickly fur, can¡¯t you swap it for a fluffy cushion instead?¡± Mer requested. Eugene admitted, ¡°I can change it, but I don¡¯t want to. Why should I? What kind of madman goes around wearing a cushion on the shoulder of his cloak?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you even do that much when I¡¯m so tired?¡± Mer pouted. ¡°Yep, I really can¡¯t. If it¡¯s ufortable and you can¡¯t stand it, just go back inside of the cloak,¡± Eugene told her. ¡°You¡¯re the one who put me up here, Sir Eugene!¡± ¡°Because that was easier than carrying you around in my arms.¡± Eugene persisted in refusing to transform his cloak¡¯s appearance, leading Mer to pout her lips in disappointment. The earthen rampart that had been recently raised was lowered. At the same time, Jeneric stood up and neatly brushed the dust off of his knees. However, he couldn¡¯tpletely hide his twisted expression. After ring at Eugene, who was standing with his back to Jeneric, thetter cast Blink and left the square as soon as the barrier disappeared. ¡°Why did you hide it?¡± Melkith fussed as she approached. ¡°After all, I also wanted to see that bastard, the Green Tower Master, get down on his knees and cry like a baby!¡± ¡°He did get down on his knees, but he didn¡¯t cry,¡± Eugene informed her. ¡°That¡¯s why there¡¯s a problem with your method. It¡¯s said that an apology is onlyplete when there are tears as well. If I had been there with you, I¡¯d have made both tears and snot run down the face of the Green Tower Master, that shameless old man,¡± Melkith said as she let out deep sighs of sincere regret. Lovellian was watching Eugene from the side. It was the first time Eugene had seen Lovellian with such an expression on his face, and the eyes with which he was looking at Eugene were also different from normal. The Patheon that Lovellian had summoned had yet to disappear and was still standing tall behind Lovellian¡¯s back. ¡°...Um¡­ that¡¯s¡­.¡± Eugene tried to smile brightly as he tilted his head to the side and asked, ¡°Did I make you mad?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Lovellian answered without any hesitation. ¡°I am mad. Just what in the world did you think you were doing? Eugene, do you know where I went today and why I went there?¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°...Uuum¡­ oh yes. You¡¯ve just been to Abram, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve just returned from Abram. Eugene, I hate going to Abram. I truly detest it. Unless they¡¯re a member of the Court Wizards, no wizard would enjoy going to Abram[1]. Because going there leaves a wizard feeling powerless,¡± Lovellian admitted as he waved his hand with a deep sigh. At this gesture, the door of Pantheon that had been standing there imposingly vanished into mist. Lovellian exined, ¡°With the hearing over and done with, Aroth¡¯s royal family has acknowledged that Akasha is under your ownership, Eugene. However, the king of Aroth wasn¡¯t present at the hearing, so someone needed to report to him in detail and guarantee both your worth and your continued good rtions with Aroth.¡± That was why Lovellian had been called. He was the master of the Red Tower, an institution of Aroth, and an Archwizard who had held a position of authority in Aroth for dozens of years. ¡°The conversation with His Majesty was quite enjoyable. His Majesty also epted the situation. However, having such a long conversation in Abram left me feeling very ufortable. Even so, for the sake of my disciple, I did my best to endure it,¡± Lovellian guilted Eugene. Eugene stammered. ¡°Um¡­ that¡¯s¡­ I¡¯m sor¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t apologize,¡± Lovellian said without allowing Eugene to finish what he was saying. ¡°...But you said that you were angry?¡± Eugene meekly pointed out. ¡°I am angry! I am angry at you, Eugene, because you were reckless enough to ept such a duel! Since the Green Tower Master was the one to challenge you to duel, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to refuse even if you asked to postpone it. You should have made sure to discuss with me first about whether the conditions of the duel were ¡®fair¡¯ before you agreed to a duel with the Green Tower Master!¡± Lovellian chastised. ¡°Hey now, Red Tower Master,¡± Melkith cut in. ¡°I was there as well. I think that the conditions were pretty fair¡ª¡± Lovellian demanded, ¡°Please be quiet, White Tower Master. You aren¡¯t Eugene¡¯s master.¡± Her intervention proving useless, Melkith grumbled and shook her head. ¡°...Um¡­ so you¡¯re saying that you¡¯re angry because I acted on my own?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s because you weren¡¯t being careful enough,¡± Lovellian corrected. Eugene argued, ¡°However, I won.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said that you don¡¯t need to apologize. Even if you were too reckless in getting into such a duel, Eugene¡­ you won your duel with Jeneric Osman, Archwizard and Green Tower Master,¡± Lovellian said proudly, his mood no longer angry. ¡°You were amazing.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to me,¡± Mer, who was still sitting on Eugene¡¯s shoulder, haughtily cut in. ¡°Yes,¡± Lovellian agreed. ¡°Lady Mer was also truly impressive.¡± ¡°...Um¡­ that¡¯s, if I hadn¡¯t made sure to block it off properly, most of the crowd would have been burned to death,¡± Melkith, who had been listening silently, thrust herself back into the conversation. Lovellian turned to look at Melkith with a hesitant expression, before saying, ¡°How¡­ amazing?¡± ¡°Ahem¡­ I was just doing what I should,¡± Melkith replied with some embarrassment and tried to avoid his gaze. Chapter 127: The Green Tower Master (4)

Chapter 127: The Green Tower Master (4)

That night, an unexpected guest arrived at the Red Tower of Magic. ¡°Because if I had sent word of my intention to visit, I¡¯m sure that you would have declined it,¡± confessed the ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth. Taking off his ck fedora, Balzac smiled at his unweing hosts. Eugene and Lovellian weren¡¯t returning the smile. The corners of Lovellian¡¯s lips were downturned and Eugene had an even more tant expression of dissatisfaction on his face. Although their reaction to his presence was rather harsh, Balzac was used to such treatment. ¡°Would it be alright if Ie in? Or else, would you like toe out for a walk with me?¡± Balzac politely asked. Lovellian reluctantly responded to his question. ¡°...You¡¯re not here to find me, are you?¡± ¡°Haha, please don¡¯t feel too disappointed,¡± Balzac chuckled. ¡°If the Red Tower Master is fine with me, I¡¯ll be happy toe and apany you at any time.¡± Even though Balzac said these words with a smile, Lovellian¡¯s expression stiffened drastically. Just like Eugene, Lovellian also didn¡¯t have much tolerance for ck wizards. Even if he didn¡¯t consider all ck wizards and demonfolk to be absolutely evil, Lovellian definitely didn¡¯t believe that he could ever be friends with them. ¡°Is there any way for us to refuse you?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°If you reject me today, I¡¯ll juste back tomorrow,¡± Balzac threatened. ¡°But I intend to return to the main estate tomorrow.¡± ¡°In that case, it seems that we only have time for this today. By any chance, are you free right now? If not, dawn also works for me.¡± This meant that Balzac was determined to take up some of his time no matter what. Eugene coughed and nced at Lovellian. ¡°...Since it¡¯s getting dark, if you absolutely need to have a conversation, then let¡¯s head inside,¡± Lovellian conceded. The Red Tower of Magic was Lovellian¡¯s territory. As long as they stayed inside the tower, it was possible for him to be able to intervene no matter what type of situation might ur. It was unlikely that the ck Tower Master would do anything too absurd, but Lovellian just couldn¡¯t trust this mysterious ck wizard. ¡°...Please,e in.¡± Eugene also felt reluctant to invite Balzac in. However, he was also curious about what kind of matter could make a ck wizard like Balzace visit in person. Especially since Balzac was a ck wizard personally contracted to the Demon King of Incarceration. Perhaps he was here to bring a message from the Demon King of Incarceration himself? ¡°In all my years, to think that there woulde a day when I would be able to enter the Red Tower of Magic,¡± Balzac marveled, appearing to be in a good mood. As he looked around Eugene¡¯s spacious quarters, he continued speaking. ¡°As Sir Eugene may already be aware, the Red Tower Master doesn¡¯t like me all that much.¡± Eugene defended his master. ¡°But he has reason not to, doesn¡¯t he?¡± Balzac nodded. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why I don¡¯t feel upset by it. The Red Tower Master¡¯s hatred is a hatred directed at all ck wizards. That¡¯s a burden that all who are ck wizards must share.¡± Eugene was also aware of the reason why Lovellian hated ck wizards. Lovellian had lost his family to a ck wizard¡¯s human experiments. He had seen his own mother, father, and younger sister being turned into a writhing chimera right in front of his very eyes. If it wasn¡¯t for the wizard who had shown up to hunt down the ck wizard in his own dungeon, Lovellian would have been turned into another chimera as well. Eugene asked him, ¡°Don¡¯t you find that the very existence of ck wizards itself is considered wrong?¡± ¡°Many peoplemit sins,¡± Balzac answered as he sat down in a chair. ¡°But no matter how many people there are whomit sins, it cannot be said that the existence of humanity as a whole is wrong.¡± ¡°Are you really trying to say¡­ that while there exist ck wizards whomit sins, there are also good ck wizards as well?¡± Eugene said these words with disgust. ¡°But in my eyes, the ck wizard¡¯s very existence is a sin.¡± Balzac justughed. ¡°Haha¡­ I didn¡¯t mean to start such a debate by saying that.¡± No matter how you looked at it, Eugene¡¯s words were rude. However, Balzac did not express any displeasure over this. Instead, his eyes shone as if he was having fun while he stared at Eugene. ¡°The goal that we are pursuing is different¡­ is what I¡¯d like to say. But as Sir Eugene may already know, it isn¡¯t just ck wizards who conduct human experiments. Countless wizards throughout history havemitted terrible crimes and broken all sorts of taboos in order to try and gain esoteric enlightenment through those attempts,¡± Balzac argued. ¡°However, they never signed a contract with a Demon King,¡± Eugene pointed out. Balzac suddenly expressed a startling opinion. ¡°In the present age, Demon Kings aren¡¯t much different from gods.¡± Eugene instinctively felt offended by these words. Balzac continued. ¡°Well, this is clearly sphemous, so I won¡¯t be able to defend myself even if I do get rebuked for this, but¡­ in my opinion, the Demon Kings are actually better than the gods.¡± ¡°How so?¡± Eugene demanded. Balzac began his argument. ¡°All gods have to start by proving their existence. However, we already know the Demon Kings exist. Not in the vague ¡®heavens¡¯, but on this verynd, they can easily be found in Helmuth.¡± Although it was offensive, Eugene couldn¡¯t deny such words. ¡°Of course the gods can bestow miracles, but¡­ rather than their unreliable miracles, isn¡¯t it much better to have a Demon King who reigns over you personally and can be seen at any time? Also, Demon Kings are reasonable. Rather than things like belief and faith, a contract made using the soul as coteral is more reliable and worthwhile,¡± Balzac argued. ¡°Worthwhile¡­," Eugene skeptically repeated. ¡°To put it simply, ck wizards are just pragmatists who seek extreme efficiency¡± Balzac summed up. ¡°As Sir Eugene may know, magic is a harsh, capricious, and unreasonable discipline. No matter how hard you try or how much you yearn for it, if you don¡¯t have the talent, then you can¡¯t be a wizard.¡± At these words, Eugene recalled Eward. ¡°For such people, contracts with demonfolk are bound to feel very attractive. By selling their soul, they can get the magic that they so desire¡­ the only cost is one that they themselves must pay. It doesn¡¯t bring any harm to others,¡± Balzac insisted. ¡°It¡¯s only when they can¡¯t be satisfied with that, that they mightmit ¡®sins¡¯.¡± ¡°What about the ck wizards who domit a lot of sins, are you trying to say that it''s also because they¡¯re pragmatists?¡± Eugene challenged sarcastically. ¡°If there is a clear profit to be made by viting human morality, then it is possible that they might cross that line in order to pursue the truth. But that¡¯s true of most wizards though,¡± Balzac countered. As Balzac had once said a long time ago,¡®People like wizards can easily sacrifice something like morals for the sake of satisfying their own curiosity and desire. Or, to put it in simple terms, there are many times more aberrant ¡°wizards¡± than there are aberrant ¡°ck wizards.¡±¡¯ Changing the subject, Eugene asked, ¡°Did Sir Balzac also sign a contract with the Demon King for practical benefits?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Balzac hummed thoughtfully, a thin smile appearing on his lips as he tilted his head consideringly. ¡°Have you heard a lot about me?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you were once fellow students with the Blue Tower Master,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°It¡¯s not like we were under the same master, but¡­yes, I too was once a member of the Blue Tower of Magic,¡± Balzac confirmed. ¡°ording to the Blue Tower Master, when you were still a member of the Blue Tower of Magic, your skills were said to be quite impressive,¡± Eugene mentioned. ¡°Haha¡­ while it might look like I¡¯m gilding my own face, yes, that is the truth. When I was still in the Blue Tower of Magic, I performed much better than the current Blue Tower Master¡­ than Hiridus. If I had just spent a few more years there, I would have be the Blue Tower Master instead of Hiridus.¡± Balzac fell silent for a few moments, tapping on the armrest of his chair, before continuing, ¡°...However¡­ it¡¯s just that rather than settle for what was going to fall in my hands naturally, what I wanted was more than that.¡± ¡°More than that?¡± Eugene repeated curiously. ¡°I am not the Wise Sienna,¡± Balzac suddenly brought up her name from out of nowhere. Eugene frowned, not understanding what he meant by that. Balzac chucked and continued speaking. ¡°The Wise Sienna is loved by magic. Lady Sienna was a wizard who could even pose a threat to a Demon King, but ever since Lady Sienna¡¯s birth, no other such wizard has ever appeared. That goes for me as well. Ah¡­ of course, I don¡¯t mean that I wish I could pose a threat to the Demon Kings, it¡¯s just that I desire to be a wizard as great as she is.¡± Eugene listened silently. ¡°It¡¯s not just me either. Amelia Merwin and Edmond Codreth, too. The three of us could have be ¡®Archwizards¡¯ even without having signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. It¡¯s just that we wanted more. Any wizard who believes himself to be a genius will hold a desire to see the very ¡®end¡¯ of all magic. However, such an end is far out of the reach of even an Archwizard,¡± Balzac said regretfully. ¡°...An end you say¡­,¡± Eugene smirked and shook his head. ¡°So what, are you saying that after you signed a contract with the Demon King, ck Tower Master, you were able to see the end?¡± Balzac nodded and said, ¡°I have a feeling that I¡¯m getting closer to the end, little by little. I also hope that, through this conversation, Sir Eugene hase to understand me even a little more.¡± ¡°Is there a reason why you need me to understand you?¡± Eugene asked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s a little ¡ª no, very distressing to be treated like a viin even though I haven¡¯t done anything,¡± Balzac imed sorrowfully. Was he joking? Eugene couldn¡¯t tell what Balzac¡¯s true intentions were, so he just kept up a stiff expression. Balzac shrugged with a sheepish smile. ¡°...Aren¡¯t I at least better than Amelia Merwin, though?¡± Balzac eventually asked. ¡°...Ahah,¡± Eugene said as he finally nodded his head with a grin. ¡°I was wondering why you hade looking for me. So you¡¯ve heard something about me from Amelia Merwin, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It looks like you made valuable use of the letter that I gave you,¡± Balzac observed. ¡°Though I didn¡¯t expect that it would really be used so quickly.¡± ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t really want to use it,¡± Eugene readily admitted. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it was an idental encounter. It came as quite the surprise to me as well. To think that she would really go and create another dungeon, and that she would actually run into Sir Eugene there¡­¡± Balzac marveled at the coincidence. ¡°Are you aware of the full story?¡± Eugene checked. ¡°I haven''t been able to hear it. Although I was curious, Amelia Merwin refused to tell me about it,¡± Balzacined. ¡°Ahah,¡± Eugene said once more. ¡°So the reason why you came looking for me today was that you wanted to ask about the full story?¡± ¡°Would you be willing to tell me?¡± Balzac asked hopefully. ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene answered without any hesitation. ¡°If it really makes you that curious, instead of asking me, can¡¯t the ck Tower Master just ask the Demon King of Incarceration, whom you serve so happily?¡± ¡°I might be able to do that, but the Demon King of Incarceration probably won¡¯t answer me. Because I¡¯m not the only one who is receiving the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s favor,¡± Bzc said reluctantly, pursing his lips as if he was disappointed by this. ¡°I wanted to hear the whole story from Sir Eugene, but since you have no intention of telling me, I won¡¯t be stubborn and insist on asking about it.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, will you be heading back now?¡± Eugene asked hopefully. ¡°There¡¯s still a matter that needs to be addressed.¡± ¡°What kind of matter?¡± ¡°The Rakshasa Princess,¡± Balzac¡¯s voice lowered as he said this name. ¡°Also known as Iris. Have you heard of her?¡± ¡°...I¡¯ve been told that she is the head of Helmuth¡¯s dark elves,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°News that Sir Eugene brought more than hundred elves out of Samar with him is sure to have reached the Rakshasa Princess as well. So, before too long, the Rakshasa Princess may make her way to the Lionheart n for some negotiations,¡± Balzac reported. Eugene¡¯s brows furrowed as he repeated Balzac¡¯s words. ¡°...Negotiations?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Balzac confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s because she¡¯s obsessed with increasing her fighting power. While you were in Samar, did you happen to see any dark elves?¡± ¡°...There were rumors about them and I¡¯ve heard a few stories from the elves,¡± Eugene replied evasively. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then this should be easy for you to understand. The Rakshasa Princess¡¯s influence in Helmuth isn¡¯t all that great. The pure-blooded demonfolk consider the Rakshasa Princess and her dark elves to be hybrids, and the Rakshasa Princess is currentlypeting with the other high-ranking demonfolk to be the next Demon King,¡± Balzac exposited. ¡°Do you think she has a shot at it?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Of course not,¡± Balzac replied without any hesitation. ¡°The dark elves are a special subspecies. It is impossible for even the Demon King of Incarceration to corrupt a race and create a new one from it. The only ones with that special power were the Demon King of Fury, who died three hundred years ago, and his adopted daughter, the Rakshasa Princess, who nowmands the dark elves.¡± The Demon King of Fury had been in. This left Iris as the only one in this world who could turn an elf into a dark elf. ¡°As I said during the hearing, the Demon King of Incarceration provides a lot of charity to those elves who immigrate to Helmuth after being afflicted with the Demonic Disease. They receive aplete exemption from the lifeforce tax and, even without selling their souls, they receive a generous pension every month. For the sake of the dark elves, he has ordered that a forest that is already far toorge for their reduced numbers be set aside as the territory of the Rakshasa Princess,¡± Balzac said with a slight smile and shake of his head. ¡°Of course, most of the pension that each elf receives is taken away to be used as the Rakshasa Princess¡¯s military funds, but¡­ the problem is that the Rakshasa Princess¡¯s goal is far toorge, and with her independent army so weak, it is impossible for her to achieve it. As far as I am aware, the number of dark elves led by the Rakshasa Princess numbers less than a thousand.¡± It couldn¡¯t be helped that this number was much smaller than it had been three hundred years ago. At that time, more than half of the dark elves led by Iris had been killed by Sienna during their subjugation of the Demon King of Fury. On top of that, most elves preferred dying from the Demonic Disease rather than bing a dark elf. ¡°In other words, Sir Eugene is harboring a ten percent increase to the Rakshasa Princess¡¯s manpower in the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. Blinded as she is by her desire to increase her war potential, it is inevitable that the Rakshasa Princess will turn her eyes to you,¡± warned Balzac. ¡°If shees looking for me, I¡¯ll just tell her to fuck off,¡± Eugene replied with a cold smile. ¡°Or perhaps¡­ are you asking me to try and negotiate with the Rakshasa Princess?¡± Balzac hurriedly denied this. ¡°What right do I have to persuade Sir Eugene of that? Not to mention, I am not even one of her allies anyway.¡± ¡°Then just what is it that you want to say to me?¡± Eugene demanded exasperatedly. Balzac began to exin, ¡°I¡¯ve told you something like this before. While the Demon King of Incarceration controls Helmuth, he does not control the entirety of the demonfolk. The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, and the ck Dragon, Duke Raizakia, have not signed contracts with the Demon King of Incarceration, and apart from them, countless other demonfolk are also outside the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s control.¡± Eugene silently red at Balzac. He still had no idea what in the world Balzac was trying to warn him about. ¡°Of course, such demonfolk are still subject to sanctions when they break thews set by the Demon King of Incarceration, so they¡¯re forced to take responsibility in exchange for the freedoms they¡¯ve enjoyed. Just like how Baron Olpher was decapitated for trying to seduce Sir Eward.¡± Bc brought up an example known to Eugene. In the end, the Demon King was just the most powerful one amongst the demonfolk. Just like how the king of an ordinary kingdom couldn¡¯t know every single move that his people make, the Demon King was simrly helpless. A Demon King would only be able to seize control of a demonfolk¡¯s soul if they had made a contract with him. However, all that said, the strength of the Demon King was absolute in Helmuth. If the Demon King of Incarceration were to order someone¡¯s death, any demonfolk weaker than him would have to offer up their heads, even if they hadn¡¯t signed a contract with the Demon King. ¡°....Even in Helmuth, there are some demonfolk that the Demon King of Incarceration cannot fully control,¡± Balzac pointed out. ¡°...Are you talking about those who follow the Demon King of Destruction?¡± Eugene asked, picking up the hint. ¡°Yes, especially the beastfolk among them,¡± Balzac responded, confirming Eugene¡¯s suspicions. Eugene tried to keep any emotions that he was feeling from being expressed on his face. Balzac had to be talking about Oberon¡¯s son ¡ª the sworn brother of Barang, the beastman Eugene had fought with in Samar. ¡°The Rakshasa Princess has only recently realized the reality of her situation. With less than a thousand dark elves, it is impossible for her to be a Demon King if she stubbornly insists on solely relying on her own people¡¯s support,¡± Balzac revealed. ¡°...So you¡¯re saying that she¡¯s joined hands with the beastfolk?¡± Eugene guessed. ¡°But as far as I know, the current chief of the beastfolk, Jagon, killed his own father to take the position. And that father of his happens to have been the Rakshasa Princess¡¯s brother.¡± Balzac shook his head and said, ¡°No, the Rakshasa Princess hasn¡¯t joined hands with Jagon. Instead, she¡¯s recruited some of the beastfolk who follow Jagon to be her mercenaries.¡± ¡®Mercenaries?¡¯Eugene tilted his head and silently muttered this word to himself. ¡°Jagon is a tyrannical beast who reigns solely through his own strength. He despises those who are weak and doesn¡¯t even ce them in his eyes. In order to catch Jagon¡¯s eyes, the ambitious beastfolk have no choice but to develop enough strength.¡± Balzac continued his lecture. Eugene silently took in this information. ¡°Because of this, there are many beastfolk pursuing active careers as mercenaries in Helmuth. By fighting in the territorial battles between the small and medium-sized aristocrats, they are able to gainbat experience and raise their own strength by preying on other demonfolk. And they do all this because they won¡¯t be able to win Jagon¡¯s favor if they¡¯re not strong enough.¡± Balzac finished presenting his observations of the beastfolk. Barang had said that the reason why he was searching for the elven territory had nothing to do with Jagon. ¡®Could that guy have been serving as a mercenary for some demonfolk, and have gone there after receiving an order from them?¡¯Eugene spected. Eugene couldn¡¯t openly ask any questions about Barang. For now, he had no choice but to wait and see what kind of information Lovellian might be able to pick up. ¡®Master Lovellian should be listening in on this conversation as well,¡¯Eugene thought with some reassurance. Lovellian should also have pricked up his ears at this talk about mercenaries, and he could use that as a starting point to gather information about Barang. Without any trace of hesitation, Eugene nodded in understanding and said, ¡°That guy named Jagon, he seems to have quite the crazy personality.¡± Balzac pointed out, ¡°He¡¯s someone who tore out his own father¡¯s throat, after all. Even the Rakshasa Princess wouldn¡¯t be so quick to join hands with such a renegade. And as Sir Eugene has already said, the father who Jagon ended with his own hands was also the Rakshasa Princess¡¯s brother.¡± The beastfolk tribes, when led by Oberon, had served the Demon King of Fury alongside the Rakshasa Princess. Although the beastfolk were now sworn to the service of the Demon King of Destruction, the Rakshasa Princess would definitely be reluctant to join hands with Jagon, who had killed her formerrade and brother, Oberon. ¡°If Sir Eugene refuses to negotiate, then the Rakshasa Princess is sure to back down. Because she¡¯s not so desperate that she would attack the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate in order to take those elves for herself. However, there is a possibility that she might send beastfolk to attack.¡± Balzac stood up as he gave one final warning, ¡°Jagon shouldn¡¯t have any reason to show up in person, but you shouldn¡¯t take any member of the beastfolk lightly.¡± ¡°What are your reasons for providing us with such a warning?¡± Eugene asked suspiciously. Balzac hesitantly admitted, ¡°One reason is that I want you to owe me a favor¡­ Sir Eugene¡­ but please don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I don¡¯t want to use this favor for any, well,sexualpurposes.¡± No matter how much he pretended that it hadn¡¯t affected him, it seemed that what happenedst time, when Eugene had asked him if he was gay, had left a thorn embedded deep within Balzac¡¯s heart. ¡°The other reason I give this warning is for my own personal reputation. I¡¯m already so hated just for being a ck wizard, but should the beastfolk from Helmuth really attack the Lionheart n without any warning¡­. Should a tragedy ur as a result of that, I¡¯m afraid of any me that mighte my way for not having said anything,¡± Balzac confessed. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re attracting so much hatred because you¡¯re needlessly staying in Aroth? If you were to leave for Helmuth, then I¡¯m sure there would be far less hostility,¡± Eugene kindly advised. ¡°Haha¡­ while that might be the case, I¡¯m not very fond of Helmuth,¡± Balzac imed with a smile as he lowered his fedora back onto his head. * * * Kristina rubbed her stiff cheeks. The appearance reflected in the mirror was somehow unfamiliar to Kristina, especially her expressions. Kristina furrowed her brows, straightened them, and then blinked intently. The flesh beneath her fingertips felt soft, but she could feel her facial muscles stiffening at the slightest pressure. Originally, this had been the natural state of affairs. Back then, it hadn¡¯t felt strange at all. This sort of expression was just how Kristina used to look. Kristina chewed on her lips a few times, then smiled self-consciously. ¡®...It¡¯s only been a few months,¡¯she thought to herself. Kristina tried changing her smile a few more times. However, no matter what she did, it didn¡¯t feel right to her. ¡­Had she smiled like this when she was in Samar? There had to have been more than a few times when she smiled like this. For Kristina, smiling all the time was just a habit. Even if she didn¡¯t have a reason to smile. That was just what she was taught to do ever since she was a child, back in the monastery. Rather than an expressionless or upset face, a smiling face would make her seem more friendly. ¡®It¡¯s only been a few months, but I can¡¯t recall what my usual expression was like,¡¯Kristina silently sighed. Kristina raised the corners of her lips with both index fingers. But was a forced smile like this really any better than a facade? As her fingers fell, the raised corners of her lips also drooped once more. Kristina sighed. ¡°...Family, huh¡­.¡± Parts of the conversation that she had had with Eugene before leaving the Lionheart estate refused to leave her head. ¡ªMy own birth father is just saying these words to me because he¡¯s worried about me, his only son. ¡ªSince I know that it¡¯s all for my sake, as his son, I should at least pretend to listen to my father. These weren¡¯t particrly important snippets of conversation, but even so, they had been lingering inside her head for the past few days. Kristina also knew that there was nothing inherently special about such words. However, what really mattered was that such words were onlymonly found among real ¡®families¡¯. That was why Kristina wasn¡¯t really able to understand the sentiment behind such words. Ever since she was born, Kristina had never once been part of a true family. ¡®...But that¡¯s why it matters to me even more,¡¯Kristina admitted to herself. She heard a knocking on the door. Kristina pasted the still awkward-feeling fa?ade back onto her face. In her own mind, Kristina absently addressed Eugene.¡®I know that you didn¡¯t have a good reason to do so¡­.¡¯ Her fa?ade might feel awkward right now, but she would soon get used to it. ¡®...but I would have been fine with you killing me¡­¡¯ Because while meeting her father, Cardinal Rogeris, Kristina would need to be able to keep up such a smile without focusing on it. ¡®...that way, I would have been able to leave this ce and nevere back.¡¯ Kristina had hoped to never return to this ce. Chapter 128: The Lightning Flame (1)

Chapter 128: The Lightning me (1)

¡°Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene¡­Are you not going to wake up, Sir Eugene?¡± Mer shook him. ¡°I¡¯m up,¡± Eugene answered as he sprang up from thebed. He wasn¡¯t someone who usually slept for very long. It was a different thing if he was camping, but when he slept in a familiar ce where some level of safety was guaranteed, then he would always wake up before daybreak. He actually woke up on his own, even if no one woke him. However, someone had started to wake him up a few days ago, even though Eugene didn¡¯t ask for it. ¡°Did you sleep well?¡± Mer was standing beside his bed when Eugene turned his head, rubbing his dry eyes. After throwing a nce at the long wall clock, Eugene came down from his bed and said,¡°Itold youyou don¡¯t need to wake me up. Why do you wake me up¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it. I can¡¯t even sleep, so I¡¯m so bored at dawn.¡± ¡°You lived like that for hundreds of years. You must have gotten used to it.¡± ¡°I earned my freedomwith difficulty after living like that for so long, so I don¡¯t want to waste a minute or even a second of my life.¡± Mer sheepishly smiled asshe followed Eugene. Mer had stopped wearing her trademark robe and witch hat. Instead, she was wearing clothes that an ordinary ten-year-old girl would normally wear. However, the clothes themselves weren¡¯t ordinary in the slightest. They were very expensive¡­not that Eugene cared, since he was not the one who had purchased them. ¡°Still, I like it here more than in Akron. There are a lot of beings to talk to while you sleep.¡± Mer trotted behind Eugene and chattered. Listening to her cheerful voice, Eugene stood in front of the mirror. With his hand, Eugene roughlybed his disheveled hair backward and gestured to Mer.¡°Give me some space.¡± ¡°Okayy.¡± Mer didn¡¯t go far, she just leaned her forehead against the wall nearby. Meanwhile, Eugene unbuttoned his pajamas and opened the wardrobe. The wardrobe was wide, but the only clothes inside were simr-looking martial arts suits.Other kinds of clothes were in a separate dressing room. Eugene just grabbed one of the martial arts suits and put it on, then kicked the pajama on the floor into a basket near the door. ¡°Are you done?¡± Mer asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± On the day when Eugene first brought Mer out, he had just changed his clothes without paying her any mind. Mer¡¯s face had turned scarlet as she shrieked. After that, Eugene had to go through this troublesome process every time he changed his clothes. This applied not only in the Red Tower but also in the main house and the annex of Lionheart. ¡°Have you slept well, Master Eugene?¡±Nina and the servants were standing outside the door. When Eugene absentmindedly nodded, Nina lowered her head and met Mer¡¯s eyes. Mer beamed when Nina winked. ¡°Lady Anci suggestedhaving breakfast with her in the main house,¡± Ninasaid. ¡°Weate together yesterday''s dinner, lunch, and breakfast.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t wrong for a family to sit at the same table.¡± ¡°She is being too obviousabout this.¡± Eugenechuckleddryly as he shookhis head. It had been a week since he had returned to the main house with Mer. At first, he had been worried. When he hade back with a hundred elves, Anci crushed her fan. She allowed the elves to live in the forest in the end. However, adding more members to the main house without any notice meant that Eugene was directly challenging the authority of Anci, the Second Mistress. It had been only a couple of days since his first transgression, but Eugene did yet another one. He had honestly expected some criticism. And yet¡­ ¡°LadyAnci is a good person.¡± Mersmiled as she walked down the corridor with Eugene.¡°She was the one who gave me these clothes.¡± It wasn¡¯t just the clothes she was wearing right now. Anci had turned an empty room in the annex into a dressing room. It had only taken her a day to fill the entire wardrobe with Mer¡¯s clothes. ¡°She asked me to visit the main house whenever I am bored during your training, Sir Eugene. You already know about the main house¡¯s library, right? Of course, there are no magic texts and Akron is a better library. Still, there are many interesting books that you can¡¯t find in Akron,¡± Mer excitedly exined. ¡­Eugene hadn¡¯t heard the slightest bit of criticism. Instead, Anci had weed Mer. She too had heard about Aroth in the Lionheart¡¯s main house. Although the opponent had some restrictions, Eugene had nevertheless won the fight against a proud Tower Master of Aroth. That victory wasn¡¯t just for Eugene to enjoy. The more achievements Eugene had, the higher Lionheart¡¯s status became. With that victory alone, Anci could suppress her annoyance about the elves. What was the big deal of adding a very small, cute girl? Anci wasn''t the first wife, but despite that, she wished to make one of her children the Patriarch. That was why Cyan and Ciel had received strict education from a very early age. They had started mastering mana and practicing with weapons right after they had started to walk. Anci never regretted her parenting strategies. She went a bit overboard sometimes, to the extent of using physical punishment, but she believed that her every action was for her children¡¯s future. It wasn¡¯t like she only used the stick ¡ª after the stick, she always gave her children the sweet gifts they desired. However, she sometimes thought that she wanted to stop being strict for a moment and just spend time with her children, as a family. At those moments, she wished she didn''t have to physically punish her children for their faults and instead embrace andfort them with her love. She felt that the most whenever she saw her daughter, Ciel. She had been cute and adorable ever since she was a baby. Anci wanted to dress her up in clothes that suited her cuteness and give her dolls and toys instead of a sword. She hoped that she could do some shopping with her daughter and brag about her at a social party¡­ ¡®¡­I could never do that with Ciel,¡¯Anci thought. Before Ciel was her daughter and a girl, she was a Lionheart. She preferred a sword over dolls in the first ce, and she liked to attend swordsmanship training rather than shopping or social parties. Anci was proud of Ciel. She was proud of her daughter for training hard every day for future glory. That was so much better than the empty-brain nobles who chortled as they gossiped and trash-talked others. ¡®Still, evenjust once¡­¡¯ She never said those things out loud. If Ciel had wished to go shopping or to social parties, Anci would have allowed it. But her daughter was tougher than Anci had hoped her to be. ¡®I really¡­ really didn¡¯t think that she would have decided what to do with her future that quickly and go to the ck Lion Castle, even before we could attend the capital noble¡¯s social party in dresses together¡­ ¡¯ ¡°Can¡¯t you go faster?¡± The morning sun wasing up. Early spring morning was just as cold as the winter. Anci wrapped herself in a thick fur coat as she looked out the window. ¡°We are going as fast as we can,¡±said Hazard. As the Second Division Captain of the White Lion Knights, he was chosen to be Anci¡¯s entourage in this early morning. He knew how sensitive the second mistress was. ¡°You must like Lady Mer very much, huh?¡±It had been already 20 years since he began to serve the main house. He had been so loyal that it wouldn¡¯t be so weird for him to joke around like this. Of course, that sensitive second wife never took the joke. Originally, Anci would snap, saying don¡¯t say such nonsense. ¡°¡­She iscute,¡± Anci quietly answered. Anci was head over heels for Mer, who looked like a ten-year-old girl ¡ª maybe because her children had both left the main house. Mer was like the essence of Anci¡¯s unfulfilled fantasy. Mer politely said ¡®thank you¡¯ when Anci gave her sweets, and she nibbled on them with a lovely face.Whensomeonegave her acake, she smiled so adorably that the hearts of people nearby ached. Unlike Ciel, who hated fluffy skirts, Mer was happy with whatever clothes she received. ¡°Does she have to stay in the annex?¡± ¡°Master Eugene broughther, and Lady Mer wants to stay in the annex¡­¡± ¡°It recentlycame to my mind that the annex is too far from the main house. The building is pretty old since it was built a long time ago. Doesn¡¯t it require some repairs?¡± Of course, if the annex was renovated, then the people in the annex would have to stay in the main house. Anci continued.¡°No, repairments wouldn¡¯t be enough. I think it¡¯s better to just demolish it and build a new one right beside the main house.¡± If she did so, then she wouldn¡¯t have to ride on a carriage to the annex in the early morning. The people in the annex wouldn¡¯t have to visit the main house for their every meal. ¡°We are here,¡±said Hazard. The carriage stopped, and Anci patiently waited. The door should be opened by a person outside. Impatiently opening it herself was the far opposite of the dignity that Anci pursued. Opening the door took only a few seconds. She had never felt annoyed about it or thought it took too long, but this time¡­. ¡®HaveInot slept very well? Why do I feel like Hazard is terribly slow today?¡¯ The door soon opened. It was because Hazard felt Anci¡¯s annoyance, so he quickly got down from the carriage and escorted Anci. As she got down, she could feel the cold air. ¡°Oh, my¡­¡± Ancitrembled as she tightly grabbed onto her coat. ¡®She is too cute!¡¯ In the training area of the annex, Mer was standing in her soft outer garment. On the other hand, Eugene was topless as he was sitting in front of Mer. He didn¡¯t seem to mind the cold weather. ¡°¡­What is he doing right now?¡±Anci dumbfoundedly asked. ¡°He is meditating,¡± Hazard calmly answered. ¡°I can see that. I am asking why is he meditating outside in this cold weather without any clothes?¡± Anci also came from a prestigious warrior family. Therefore, she had learned several martial arts since she was a child. Still, she didn¡¯t really understand why he would do such a thing in this cold weather. ¡°If he wants to do it, he should do it alone. How could he do such a thing with a young child?!¡±Anci clenched her fists, trembling in anger. ¡°Lady Anci!¡± WhenAnci and Hazard got closer, Mer beamed as she waved her hand. The sight! Anci grabbed onto her heart without realizing it. The memory of Ciel and Cyan calling her ¡®mommy¡¯ for the first time came to her mind. ¡°What brings youhere this early in the morning?¡± ¡°Hmm.¡±Anci controlled her expression right away. Mer¡¯s face was pale as she looked up, but Anci knew that it wasn¡¯t due to the coldness. She also knew that the adorable girl wasn¡¯t a human, but a familiar that had lived for hundreds of years. Therefore, Mer never felt cold. However, those things about Mer aroused Anci¡¯s maternal love.So whatif she didn¡¯t feel the cold? The only thing that mattered right now was that the wind Anci could feel was cold. Clearing her throat, she wrapped the highest-quality scarf around Mer¡¯s neck and said,¡°¡­I came here to talk about how to greetEugene¡¯s important guest, since she is visiting today.¡± ¡°She isn¡¯t really an important guest.¡± Eugene opened his eyes.¡°It¡¯s not worth your attention, Lady Anci. Besides, she is just a guest I invited personally¡­¡± ¡°Your guest isthe Lionheart family¡¯s guest.¡± Anci red at Eugene.Meanwhile, her two hands were busy wrapping the scarf around Mer¡¯s cheeks and ears.¡°And how could shenot be an important guest? I can¡¯t agree with that. Isn¡¯t she Aroth¡¯s White Tower Master?¡± Melkith El-Haya¡¯s letter from Aroth had arrivedst night. She wrote that she would visit the Lionheart¡¯s main house today, since she was now ¡®ready.¡¯ ¡°Well, she is¡­but she is visiting for personal reasons. So if you could open the warp gate¡­¡±Eugene trailed off. ¡°I can¡¯t do that. As the second mistress of the Lionheart family, it is my duty to greet the guests.¡± Anci had no intention of backing down regarding this matter. The rtionship with a celebrity like a Tower Master was something that couldn¡¯t be bought. Of course, there was the Red Tower Master, Lovellian. She often met him, since he was Gilead¡¯s acquaintance and he had visited the Lionheart house every year after he had participated in the bloodline continuation ceremony. Now, besides the Red Tower Master, she was also going to meet the White Tower Master. Even if the meeting was started by her foster son, Eugene, the meeting could turn into the beginning of a rtionship with the Lionhearts depending on how she handled this meeting. ¡®...The White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah¡­She is the only woman among the five Tower Masters. Wait, how old is she?¡¯ Anci got lost in thought for a moment. If her memory served her correctly, Melkith was already over 60. ¡®But I heardthatsheisstillbeautiful.¡¯ The Red Tower Master, Lovellian was actually also a grandpa, but he looked like he was in his twenties. ¡®I dotake care of myself, but it¡¯s nothingpared to magic. I won¡¯t have a problem for at least a decade, but after that, I may have to use magic¡­¡¯ ¡°Lady Anci?¡±Mer¡¯s voice brought Anci back to reality. Surprised, she looked down at Mer. Tightly wrapped in the scarf, Mer¡¯s big eyes were sparkling. ¡°Hmm.¡± Anci almosthugged her. Marveling at her own patience, she stood up. ¡°It looks like you are done with your morning training. Let¡¯s have breakfast in the main house.¡± ¡°My father is still in bed,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°There is no need to forcefully wake him up.Sir Gehard would prefer sleeping till noon to having breakfast at this hour.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true.¡± Eugene nodded. Anci¡¯s breakfast was always simple¡ªa bnced meal mainly consisting of vegetables and a cup of coffee with no sugar.That would be her breakfast if she was eating alone, but Mer and Eugene were joining her today. The breakfast became so excessive that it was hard to call it breakfast. Meat, meat, meat, and meat ¡ª meat dishes including pork, beef, and chicken were lined up on the table like a parade. Eugene had meat for virtually every meal. It was the same for Mer, too. Aside from sweet and fluffy desserts, Mer liked everything as long as it was tasty. Although the smell of these dishes was enough to upset Anci¡¯s stomach, and she actually didn¡¯t have any of them, she pleasantly watched Mer eating. ¡®I have to recruit more cooks,¡¯Anci thought. There were already plenty of cooks in the main house, though.Moreover, all of them were experts who could be called the best in the Kiehl Empire. ¡®Cooks in the Kiehl won¡¯t be enough. Hasn¡¯t Mer eaten nothing for hundreds of years? I¡¯m going to feed her so many dishes that will make up for her time.¡¯ Anci made a promise to herself. * * * Melkith arrived a little after noon. ¡°Hi!¡±After she walked out from the warp gate, she joyfully waved her hand in a frivolous greeting. She was wearing a coat that almost covered her ankles, and the coat was so fluffy that it doubled Melkith¡¯s size. Anci had imagined a serious Tower Master, but Melkith was nothing like that. ¡°Wee to the Lionheart House.¡±Anci didn¡¯t lose her precious dignity, although she was perplexed. Lifting her leopard-pattern sunsses up, Melkith stared at Anci.¡°And who are you?¡± ¡°¡­I am the second wife of thePatriarch, Anci Lionheart.¡± ¡°Aha!You didn¡¯t have toe out and greet me like this, I heard a lot about you from the Red Tower Master.¡± Melkithapproached Anci, grinning.¡°I am visitingtheprestigious Lionheart main house, wouldn¡¯t it be rude toe empty-handed? So I brought a gift that I think would suit you, Lady Anci.¡± ¡°A gift¡­ You didn¡¯t need to do that¡­¡± ¡°Come on,don¡¯t refuse.Ithink you will really like it when you find out what my gift is.¡± Leaning forward a little,Melkith whispered something to Anci, whose expression slightly changed in the next moment. Clearing her throat, Anci nodded. ¡°What gift have youbrought?¡± Eugene asked as he stared atAnci who was returning with the knights. ¡°A bottle of rejuvenating potion,¡± Melkith answered. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Aside from the spirit summoning magic, the White Tower also deals with alchemy. I am not really an expert in alchemy, but I have Aroth¡¯s best alchemists as subordinates.¡±Melkith crossed her arm, bragging.¡°Actually it¡¯s not really a rejuvenating potion. It¡¯s more of a skin care thing¡­still, do you know how expensive that is? We only deliver it to Aroth¡¯s royal family.¡± Their interest coincided. Just as Anci wished for a rtionship with the White Tower Master, Melkith also wanted a rtionship with the Lionheart family. ¡°Igrilled my alchemists to bring you this gift today.¡± ¡°What on earth is that?¡±Eugene asked as he tilted his head, but Melkith didn¡¯t answer. She just grinned. ¡°What¡¯s the rush? You will see soon enough. To be honest, I do want to show you right now.¡± She lifted her head and took a look around the Lionheart¡¯s forest. ¡°First¡­let me take you to the annex.¡± Eugene offered. ¡°Theannex?Are you seriouslyasking a spirit summoner to leave this forest for a boring annex? Ridiculous,¡±Melkith murmured as she trembled. The forest was so green that it was hard to believe the weather was cold today. Mana was so abundant in the forest. As a grand spirit summoner, Melkith could feel how ridiculous this forest was. ¡°I have never seen aforest with this many spirits,¡±Melkithquietly spoke as she lowered herself to the ground. Not only did she contract the Lightning Spirit King, but also the Earth Spirit King. Therefore, she could feel how many spirits were living in thisnd. ¡°¡­Can I live here?¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t,¡± Eugene answered without any hesitation. Chapter 129: The Lightning Flame (2)

Chapter 129: The Lightning me (2)

Melkith¡¯s admiration continued throughout the entire walk. The forest had lush vegetation, something unbelievable considering the weather. Spirits, including primal ones, were everywhere in this forest. ¡°This forest is heaven for a spirit summoner!¡± Melkith excitedlyyelled.¡°I am really not exaggerating, you should believe me! I went to dozens, hundreds of ces that are known to have many spirits while I learned spirit summoning magic all these dozens of years, but I have never seen such a lively ce, much less one with more spirits than this forest!¡± ¡°Ah, sure,¡± Eugene absentmindedly answered. ¡°In this forest,even the most minimal spirit affinity is enough to create a contract with a spirit. If you already have a contract, the level of your spirit summoning magic would increase by just living here. No, no! Not only the spirit summoning magic! What¡¯s up with this ce? How could this ce have so much mana?¡± Melkith wasso thrilled that she threw her hands in the air. Then she suddenly pounced at Eugene and grabbed his cor. ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± Eugeneasked. ¡°Thisis a crime!¡±Melkith raised an outcry.¡°It¡¯s a crime for a mere n to own this spot full of mana and spirit!¡± ¡°Er¡­Umm¡­ The Lionhearts are not really ameren¡­¡± Eugene answered with a reluctant face. ¡°Hey, even the magic kingdom of Arothdoesnothavethiskind of mana site! I¡¯m pretty sure that applies to every other country on the continent!¡± ¡°I assume Helmuth has one.¡± ¡°¡­Thaaat¡­is¡­possible. Ah, anyhow, this ce isn¡¯t an ordinary mana spot! Even in Helmuth, there isn¡¯t a better spirit sp¡­ hmm¡­ but they probably have plenty of darkness spirit gathering spots¡­¡±Melkith was flustered, unable to finish her sentence. Still, she was able to reach a conclusion soon. ¡°¡­I really can¡¯t live here?¡± ¡°Tsk, I already said no.¡± ¡°Then,forget about living. How about visiting twice a we¡­¡± ¡°No, you can¡¯t.¡± ¡°You are being so cheap.Technically, this forest isn¡¯t even yours. Lady Anci seems to like my gift very much¡­ I can just negotiate with her, can¡¯t I?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t answer Melkith, but just stared glumly at her. Truthfully, there wasn¡¯t any reason for him to unconditionally say no. However, Melkith¡¯s entricity, which Eugene had heard about from Tempest, troubled his mind. What if Melkith ran around here naked in the middle of the night just like she had done with Wynnyd? Eugene really didn¡¯t want to imagine it¡­ ¡°¡­You cheap bastard, you don¡¯t have to re at me like that. I¡¯m not going to pester you anymore since you are being really, really cheap. Actually, I have everything. Do you know that?I¡¯m already at a peak as a spirit summoner.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Eugene nonchntlyanswered. Melkith gritted her teeth as she red at Eugene. Then she quickly turned away from Eugene and started walking down the forest. ¡°¡­Come to think of it, where¡¯s Mer?¡± ¡°She¡¯s here.¡± When Eugene lifted the cloak as he answered, Mer stuck her head out.For a moment, Melkith feltmixed emotions as she saw Mer. Her treasure, the Cloak of Darkness, was being used as that little girl¡¯s house¡­ ¡®¡­I never imagined the cloak would be used like that.¡¯ ¡°You are really making good use of it,¡±Melkith said bitterly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I will be returning it to you in one piece after six years.¡± ¡°Of course, you should. If the cloak has a single scratch, this entire forest will¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m joking, jooooking.You are really something, how could you have no respect for the elders? You are ring as if you are going to kill me every time I say something. This big sister is so scared of you.¡± ¡°You, a big sister¡­?¡± ¡°Be quiet,¡±snapped Melkith. No matter how hard she thought, it was all because the Green Tower Master, that son of a bitch, caused a scene. Of course, Melkith hadn¡¯t wanted the Green Tower Master to win the fight. However, she was certain Eugene had no respect for the Tower Masters because of the Green Tower Master¡¯s inelegant act. ¡°But whereare you heading right now?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°Thece fullof spirits and mana.¡± ¡°I thinkthat applies to the whole forest.¡± ¡°Thereis aparticrlydense spot in this forest. You don¡¯t need to guide me. I¡¯m already sensing it.¡± Melkith thought this was a good opportunity. She grinned and dramatically turned to make her coattails fly. As she did so, the ground beneath her rose like a sea wave. ¡°These spirits of the earth are guiding me.¡± Eugene looked up to Melkith with a reluctant face. Waiting for Eugene¡¯s admiration, she was still spreading out both her arms as she stood on the earth wave. ¡°¡­Shall we go?¡± Eugeneasked after a pause. ¡°Do you want to ride it too?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to refuse. Riding this is quite fun!¡± When Melkith flicked her finger, the ground beneath Eugene wriggled.It was actually pretty surprising: the earth was being moved by the spirits, not magic. ¡®Well, she did make a contract with the Earth Spirit King,¡¯Eugene thought. He stopped walking and stood still. Melkith was still not getting down from the wave. Like that, they moved forward, standing on the moving ground. In the meantime, Mer also wriggled out from the cloak and stood beside Eugene. ¡°Have you ever surfed before?¡± Melkith asked. ¡°No.¡± ¡°You can always ask me if you feel like it.We don¡¯t even need to go to the ocean, I will create a wave for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a bit too much¡­¡± ¡°Why? Did this big sister make your heart race?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say such a gross thing,¡± Eugeneanswered with a disgusted face. However, Mer didn¡¯t look displeased. Maybe because she liked what Melkith said¡­ or maybe she was having fun riding the earth wave. ¡°¡­Ooooh¡­¡± After crossing the forest, they arrived at the elven vige, which had just beenpleted. It was probably the supply delivery day, too¡ªcarriages were lining up before the vige entrance. ¡°Master Eugene, what brought you here?¡± Standing in front of the carriage, Narissa and Lavera were checking the supplies being unloaded. ¡°Your¡­preferences are very¡­unique and¡­er¡­umm¡­shocking.¡± Melkith stuttered, looking at Narissa and Lavera. The two elves were wearing the Lionhearts¡¯ maid uniforms. One had a prosthetic leg and another was wearing an eyepatch. It wasn¡¯t rare to use elves as servants, but both of these elves had damaged or missing body parts.It madeMelkith imagine something very dark and decadent. ¡°Don¡¯t get any weird ideas.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m a person who tries to understand every person¡¯s preference. There¡¯s no need to be shy. Uh¡­you already know a lot about my embarrassing secrets.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say something that will cause a misunderstanding either.¡± Narissa and Lavera, who politely bowed before, were now staring at Eugene¡¯s group. They were currently apprentice maids of theannex, and theyhad be Nina¡¯s subordinates while Eugene was gone. The nonsense babbled by Melkith would reach Nina, and from there, it would reach his father, Gerhard. ¡°So is this the ce with a lot of spirits and mana?¡±Eugene asked. ¡°Hmm¡­ Hmmmmm¡­¡± ¡°Seriously, stop thinking weird shit.¡± ¡°Fine.You really shouldn¡¯t be so shy.¡± Melkith cleared her throat and raised her finger. ¡°That¡¯s the ce.¡± Her finger was pointing at the back of the elven vige. It was where Eugene had nted the saplings of the World Tree. It had barely been weeks, but the saplings had be much taller than when he got them from Samar. ¡°¡­Aren¡¯t those the fairy trees you¡¯ve brought from Samar?¡±asked Melkith. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Even I have never seen a live fairy tree. Can I get one sturdy branch as a gift?¡± ¡°It depends on you,Lady Melkith,¡± Eugene grumbled ashe approached the fairy tree. As Melkith followed him, she saw a hut not far from the fairy tree. ¡®The hut is the center of this forest,¡¯thought Melkith. It was theleyline of the Lionheart n. ¡®Is theroot of the fairy tree connected to the leyline? That¡¯s why the leyline¡¯s power amplified, so the mana¡­ No¡­wait a minute¡­ The spirits in this ce¡­why are they somewhat different?¡¯ She was familiar with primal spirits who didn¡¯t have egos, but the primal spirits in this forest were a little different from the other spirits. ¡°...Am I mistaken?¡± Melkithmurmured. ¡°Mistaken about what?¡± ¡°The primal spirits in this ce¡­they are somewhat differ¡­ Oh my god! Is this the World Tree, not the fairy tree?!¡± Melkithshriekedandflung herself toward the sapling. Then she wrapped her limbs around the trunk like a cicada. ¡°Inever thought I would see the World Tree in this life!¡± ¡°Technically, it¡¯s nottheWorld Tree. It¡¯s a branch of the tree¡­¡± ¡°Oh my god, oh my god!¡± ¡°How did you know?¡± ¡°Levinand Yhanos told me. How, how is this possible?! For a mere mortal n to have THREE World Trees in their forest!¡± ¡°Whoin the world are Levin and Yhanos?¡± ¡°TheLightning Spirit King and the Earth Spirit King!¡± ¡°Are you going to stay there?¡± Eugene asked. After a while, Melkith slid down the tree. ¡°¡­You aren¡¯t going to give me one even if I ask for it, right?¡± ¡°Never.¡± ¡°Ughhh¡­ I¡¯m so sad. I can¡¯t even pester you anymore, I kind of grasp the current situation. Be thankful for the humanity left inside me.¡± The elves were brought from Samar, where Sienna was known to be secluded. The World Tree was here probably for the elves and because of Sienna¡¯s wish.Melkith looked upat the young World Tree with eyes full of lingering feelings. ¡®If only I could do as I please¡­ I want to have one in the White Tower¡­¡¯ However, she couldn¡¯t. Melkith sighed heavily and copsed against the tree. ¡°Come here.¡± ¡°Are you going to negotiate with me or something?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I¡¯m trying to start the contract between you and the spirit. I came here today for that, right?¡± Melkith opened her coat wide and took out a big box from it, cing it in front of Eugene. After that, she moved her hands here and there, light radiating from the tip of her fingers. She used the light to inscribe a form and draw a magic circle in the ground. Eugene sat in front of Melkith and watched the whole process. ¡°Do I need to sittoo?¡± Merasked, but Melkith firmly shook her head. ¡°No, you stay outside. Somewhere far away from here. Your delicate control form might interfere with what¡¯s about to happen.¡± ¡°¡­Is it dangerous?¡± Mernervously asked again. ¡°The mood is important when you¡¯re making a contract with the spirits. The lightning spirits especially have a nasty temper. If a random familiar stays in for no reason, the spirits might strike you with lightning or something,¡±Melkith exined. She scanned Eugene up and down.¡°Do you want to take off your clothes?¡± ¡°Do I have to take off my clothes while I contract spirits?¡± Eugeneasked reluctantly. ¡°I prefer thatmethod.When I approach them in a primal state, without any unnecessary decorations, my connection with the spirits strengthens.¡± ¡°Tempest told me that¡¯s a superstition.¡± ¡°¡­Everyspirit has different preferences. Anyhow, my advice is to take off your clothes. I rmend at least taking off your top. It might burn away during the signing of the contract.¡± Eugene frowned, but he didn¡¯t ignore her advice. ¡°That¡¯s a fine body you got there, little brother.¡±Melkith whistled as she looked at Eugene, who came back after taking off his top. He looked at her with disgusted eyes before plopping down onto the ground in front of her. ¡°Justopen up the box. I¡¯m really curious if it¡¯s worth all the fuss.¡± ¡°Hehehe!¡±With a wicked smile , Melkith flicked her finger toward the box, which opened. Eugene opened his eyes wide as he looked inside the box. Something that was crouching inside jumped up with a sh. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Pzzzz!Inside the barrier made by Melkith,lightning went on a rampage. It was so fast that Eugene had a hard time following its movement, even leaving afterimages as it bumped against the barrier and flew erratically. Every time the lightning sparked, Eugene¡¯s naked upper body stung. ¡°Alightning me.¡± Melkith adoringly watched the lightning merunning wild.¡°There is a magic material called ¡®lightning ore,¡¯ which holds lightning. It¡¯s a very valuable gemstone that is normally used to make artifacts. However, a high-level spirit summoner can process the lightning ore to hold a lightning spirit.¡± Melkith¡¯s snapped her fingers. The rampaging lightning me flinched, then dropped to the floor of the box. ¡°This lightning ore has been processed using alchemy. It was a piece of ore, but it has been refined into a me, not a refined ore.¡± ¡°...is that supposed to mean something?¡± ¡°The gemstone is a stone, after all. No matter how it¡¯s refined, the stone can never be bigger than its original size. We carve and crush a stone, making it smaller in the end. But how about a me?¡± Grinning,Melkith continued to exinas she pushed her head in Eugene¡¯s direction. ¡°mecan change in any way really, depending on how it¡¯s controlled. Water requires a bowl to be held, but me doesn¡¯t even need a bowl.Itgrows bigger, it shrinks¡­and it¡¯s violent at the same time. In other words, a me is a very belligerent and also a very convenient material.¡± ¡°Aha¡­¡± Eugene quietlychimed in. ¡°Of course, this isnot an ordinary me. It burns like a me, but the ore is actually hosting a primal spirit of lightning. Therefore, it doesn¡¯t have any ego, just aggressiveness. What do you think? Isn¡¯t this material charming?¡± ¡°It is, but¡­¡± ¡°Your reaction is so boring! Do you know what I went through to make this?Tons of lightning ore were used to make this me. I changed that ore into mes andpersonallysummoned the Lightning King to literally pour high-power lightning into these pieces!¡± Eugene stared at the lightning me with narrowed eyes. The lightning me curled up on the bottom of the box was only as big as a bonfire, but hefelt theimmense mana concentrated inside. ¡°Don¡¯t worry aboutpatibility,¡±Melkithspoke as she shook her head.¡°There is a reason why Imade it to look like a me. It¡¯s because your mana looks like a me while you use the Lionheart¡¯s White me Form. It might seem like it doesn¡¯t mean much, but it¡¯s actually pretty important. It¡¯s like adding color to the clothes you are wearing. In a nutshell, I¡¯m making it appear morefamiliar, since youck spirit affinity.¡± ¡°¡­How doI proceed with the contract?¡± ¡°Hold the lightning me.¡±In front of Eugene, Melkith opened her hands, then clenched them into fists. ¡°Make it answer to your mana, using the White me Form. The trick is¡­ hmm, make it answer to your mana, your power, and your existence. Change the shape of the lightning me like that.Then,the lightning me will naturally resist the outside mana.¡± ¡°Are you telling metomake it surrender?¡± ¡°Asa summoner, I think it¡¯s better to call it ¡®harmonize¡¯ rather than surrender. But that¡¯s up to you. Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to try it yourself?¡± Melkith had a point. Eugene nodded and reached out for the lightning me. ¡®Huh? Look at this bastard,¡¯Eugene thought. When his hand got closer, the lightning me flinched and then increased its size as if it was going to swallow Eugene¡¯s hand whole. He smirked and used the White me Form. Woosh!The white me twirled around Eugene¡¯s body. Soon, the me was dyed a cerulean hue.Eugene grabbedthe lightning me with a me-wrapped hand. Pzzz! The lightning sparked. Eugene¡¯s arms ached and his teeth chattered. In spite of Eugene¡¯s will, his two arms trembled like aspen leaves, and they became hot as if they were burning. However, Eugene didn¡¯t let the lightning me go. He tightened the grip around the me instead, as he brought it closer to his body. ¡°Umm¡­ Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you treat it more gently?¡± ¡°You saidit¡¯s up to me whether I make it surrender or harmonize.¡± Eugene smiled as his cheeks twitched. It resisted harder than he had thought. It was pretty interesting. Pzz..!As Eugene pressured it, the lightning me began to shrink. ¡°Uh¡­hmm¡­ You are¡­right. So, if you continue¡­ you will be able to feel the spirit attracted by the lightning me. There is no way it¡¯s a low-ss spirit. You should be able to contract with an intermediate-ss spirit, at the very least,¡± Melkith exined. ¡®Though I think he won¡¯t be able to contract a high-ss spirit,¡¯she thought. Actually, the ss of spirit didn¡¯t matter. When a summoner contracted any spirit, their spirit affinity increased afterward depending on how they treated the spirit. Even if Eugene only contracted a low-ss lightning spirit right now, he could always get a higher-ss lightning spirit afterward. ¡®Or, Levin. How about if you help him out a little? You can call a high-ss spirit from the start¡­¡¯ [A contract should be fair.] The Lightning Spirit King, Levin, answered in Melkith¡¯s head. [I didn¡¯t like that lightning me thing in the first ce. I only conceded because you stubbornly insisted on it, Melkith. Since you¡¯ve been amodating him this much, he should at least proceed with the contract on his own.] ¡®You are cheap¡­¡¯Melkith grumbled. [If you wanted him toget a high-ss spirit, why didn¡¯t you just make an artifact that could hold a spirit?] ¡®That¡¯s not a contract, that would be using the spirit in the weapon.¡¯ That was why Wynnyd was a ridiculous treasure. The sword didn¡¯t just ¡®host¡¯ spirits, it enabled the owner to make a contract with the Wind Spirit King himself. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡±The look on Eugene¡¯s face changed as he controlled the lightning me. It was because Eugene felt a disparate ¡®presence¡¯ within the lightning spewed by the lightning me. There was no way that Melkith, who had an overwhelmingly sensitive lightning affinity, could have missed the presence. Melkith beamed and said,¡°Aspiritis answering.¡± ¡°¡­Low ss?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s an intermediate ss. I knew it. Okay, now. Concentrate on the spirit to start the con¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s too weak, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene answered ashe frowned. The power of the spirit he could feel right now was weaker than the lightning me, and it was iparable to the bolts of lightning he could shoot using the Thunderbolt bow. ¡°Don¡¯t be too greedy now. Let¡¯s first begin with the con¡­¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go on with this a little bit more,¡± Eugene interrupted. He wasn¡¯t fully controlling it yet, but his confidence wasn¡¯t groundless. Eugene¡¯s mana control was so exceptionally good that even Sienna admitted it. The lightning spirit that answered him from inside the lightning me was a primal spirit. And a primal spirit was another form of mana. Eugene couldn¡¯t sense primal spirits normally, but this time, a primal spirit was captured using this processed ore. It was more than possible for him to sense and control it as he did with mana. As the White me Form circted, his Cores spun faster. Explosions sted the inside of Eugene¡¯s body, amplifying his mana. The me wrapped around his body turned a perfect cerulean. Pzzz,pzzzz! As Eugene proceeded with controlling the me, the blue me and the lightning mixed up. The me sparked up and the mana scattered away. Using the White me Form, Eugene drew both of them inside his body, letting them flow inside his core with no waste of energy. ¡°Er¡­ Ummm¡­¡±Melkith was unable to say anything, so she just watched the scene unfolding before her eyes. ¡®Is it even okay to do that? ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡¯ Let alone trying to do something like that herself, Melkith had never even thought that it was possible. Besides, that wasn¡¯t why she had created the lightning me in the first ce. ¡°Hey¡­ are you alright? Doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t answer. Gritting his teeth, he just red at the lightning me. The light blocked his view. As he proceeded to suppress it, the lightning me became smaller and smaller. Conversely, every time the White me Form made his mana explode, the lightning me swelled up. [Melkith?] Levin watched Eugene through Melkith¡¯s eyes. [Who is that guy?] ¡®¡­I don¡¯t know.¡¯ [How is it possibleto control primal spirits like that¡­?] Levin¡¯s shock was understandable. A primal spirit was pure essence. It was weaker than low-ss spirits, but it didn¡¯t lose itself even before high-ss spirits¡¯ power. Every spirit in this world had once been a primal spirit, and that also applied to the Spirit Kings. [Melkith.] ¡®I don¡¯t know, so stop calling me!¡¯ [No¡­ I¡¯m not trying to ask you anything, we just got sidetracked.] ¡®What?¡¯ [The barrier is copsing.] Surprised, Melkith raised her head up. It was just like Levin said; the barrier which she had cast to prevent the lightning me from running wild was now cracking because it wasn¡¯t able to withstand the power moving around this ce. ¡®I thought it was something serious¡­ I just have to make another one, don¡¯t I?¡¯ [No, let it be for a moment.] The moment Melkith tried to recast the magic, Levin stopped her. ¡®Why?¡¯ [Look at the cracks.] Levin¡¯s voice shook. Unable to understand his trembling voice, Melkith stared at the cracks. It didn¡¯t take long for her eyes to open wide in shock. [The World Tree¡¯s spirits are responding to the lightning.] Lightning seeped in through the cracks. It merged of its own volition into the lightning me and was driven inside Eugene¡¯s body by the White me Form. ¡°¡­What the¡­¡±Melkith stutteringly spoke. Rumble! The lightning exploded. Chapter 130: The Lightning Flame (3)

Chapter 130: The Lightning me (3)

The spirit¡¯s lightning didn''t intimidate Melkith, but it was an indication of an impending burst. Still, Melkith didn¡¯t scream despite the fact that she got entangled in the explosion. However, she was shocked. She knew how this explosion had urred. The World Tree¡¯s spirits, who were wandering about, had entered through the barrier¡¯s cracks and turned into lightning. Due to the sudden increase in energy, the lightning me had burst, unable to withstand the power. ¡®¡­Is this even possible?¡¯Melkith wondered. Recovering her posture ruined by the explosion, Melkith brushed the electricity off of her as if she was brushing off dust. [It¡¯s impossible.] It wasn¡¯t Levin who answered. It was Yhanos, the silent Earth Spirit King. It was really rare for him to speak, but he answered Melkith this time. [Spiritscan¡¯t change their nature.] Primal spirits existed in the wind, fire, earth, and so on. They didn¡¯t have an ego; they were just another form of mana. However, primal spirits couldn¡¯t really be used as mana. Primal spirits of earth were, in the end just earth spirits. Melkith was also well aware of it. The basics of spirit summoning magic was to understand the nature of spirits. Even though they couldn¡¯t be seen by ordinary people, they surely existed. A wind spirit could never be an earth spirit. An earth spirit could never be a me spirit. A me spirit could never be a water spirit¡­ ¡°¡­The World Tree¡¯s spirits,¡± Melkithmuttered. She turned back with a stiff expression.The young World Trees didn¡¯t have a single scratch, despite the sudden explosion.She could sense the World Tree¡¯s spirits dancing around the branches. Trees also held spirits. However, spirit summoners didn¡¯t really like them, because tree spirits had too many restrictionspared to other spirits. If the summoner called upon them in a forest, tree spirits were undeniably strong, but when they weren¡¯t in a ce with trees, they weren¡¯t all that useful. EventheWorld Tree was nothing else but a giant tree in the end. However¡­those spirits were quite different from tree spirits. Melkith drylyughed and looked forward. Eugene was sitting still, just like before, but the lightning me was no longer visible in his hand.Instead,the lightning had blended into the mes of the White me Form that Eugene was circting. It wasn¡¯t ordinary lightning. It was spirit lightning¡­ No, the World Tree¡¯s spirit turned into lightning. There was no dissension between the lighting and the mana me ¡ª it harmonized with the mana as if it had been a part of it in the first ce. The scattering embers conducted lightning. [¡­It¡¯s not a lightning spirit.] Levin began to speak with difficulty. [I don¡¯t know what that lightning is. Even I can¡¯t interfere with it.] ¡®Then what in the world is that?¡¯ [It¡¯s hard to believe, but that boy¡­created a new spirit with his own power.] Eugene was also surprised. The explosion had surprised him, and the fact that the lightning me had disappeared also surprised him. He was again surprised to find that the World Tree¡¯s spirits had turned into lightning. [Unbelievable!] Eugene was already shocked; as for Tempest, he couldn¡¯t even stop yelling. [Hamel! I never thoughtthat this would be possible! You created a miracle that no spirit summoner or Spirit King ever could produce!] Eugene didn¡¯t bother to answer Tempest. Instead he was analyzing the change inside himself. ¡®¡­It didn¡¯t really disappear.¡¯ He looked down at his empty hands. ¡®The lightning me ispletely blended into my mana.¡¯ [The thing you were squishing around was simply a lump of primal spirit¡­! However, the World Tree¡¯s spirits answered your call and became new spirits!] ¡®I know, so be quiet.¡¯ Taking a deep breath, Eugene manipted his mana. Pzzz! The more violent the me became, the stronger the lightning became. ¡®Was the lightning me that much of a special material?¡¯ No, that wasn''t it. The change had started after the World Tree¡¯s spirits had joined the equation. He stood up from the ground. Then, he tried to sense the mana around him and the World Tree¡¯s spirits, but the wandering spirits didn¡¯t turn into lightning anymore. ¡®Or else, was it because I¡¯m special?¡¯ The fact he had reincarnated was enough to make him feel special. As far as Eugene knew, no one else in this world had seeded in reincarnating, other than himself. ¡®Maybe theyare keepingtheir mouths shut after theyreincarnated.¡¯ He wasn¡¯t just special because he had reincarnated, he had also been special in his past life. Although he had been together with talentedpanions at the time, Eugene was nheless the Stupid Hamel who had killed three demon kings. ¡®Mana mastery, the lightning me, and the World Tree¡¯s spirits.¡¯ No, that wasn¡¯t enough. ¡®The EternalHole.¡¯ It was the power that had made the lightning me surrender. ¡®The Red me Form.¡¯ Tempest babbled on and on, saying that this was a miracle. However, this was an inevitable result, not a miracle. All these factors had interlinked to create this result. After reaching a conclusion, Eugene turned to Melkith and asked,¡°Lady Melkith, I have a favor to ask of you.¡± ¡°Uh¡­uhhh. What?¡± ¡°Create another lightning me for me.¡± Melkith knew why he was asking for another. He wanted to test his hypothesis one more time. ¡°¡­I can do that but¡­¡± Melkithmumbled,butEugene didn¡¯t hear the end of her sentence. He flew up and reached the tree branches that spread out energetically. Interestingly, he could now see which branches could be cut with no damage to the trees. ¡®¡­I can see now.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t see them before, but the World Tree¡¯s spirits were visible to his eyes now¡ªthey looked like an opaque haze. There were some branches that the spirits didn¡¯t hover around. In other words, it was okay to cut those branches. Eugene cut one thick branch and came down. Watching him, Melkith unconsciously swallowed hard. Although Tower Masters had high authority, even a normal fairy tree branch was very hard to get. Moreover, that branch was not just from an ordinary fairy tree, it was the World Tree¡¯s branch! This material was as valuable as a dragon¡¯s heart! ¡°In return, I will give you this.¡±Eugene spoke as if he was doing her a big favor. Regardless, Melkith reached out her hands and received the World Tree¡¯s branch. ¡°He¡­hehe¡­hehehe¡­.hehehehe!¡± Unable to hold in her excitement, Melkithughed so hard that her shoulders shook. She was already using a fairy tree branch staff, but it was a refurbished one, while this piece was big enough to make a new one perfect for her. ¡°I will make you one. Yes, of course. I will make you one! I will return to Aroth tomorrow first thing¡­¡± Melkith excitedlyspoke. ¡°Right now.¡± ¡°¡­Lady Anci told meshe was going to prepare a party¡­¡± ¡°Give it back to me if you don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Wh¡ª when did I say no?! I actually don¡¯t like parties. Parties¡­there aren¡¯t many wizards who like parties. Yes, I am also a wizard. I like researching alone in a quiet ce, rather than going to noisy parties.¡± Her voice was bright, but her face was crumpled. She was lying through her teeth. Melkith was crazy about parties, but she didn¡¯t want to give up on the World Tree branch in her hand right now. In the end, Melkith returned to the Lionheart family¡¯s warp gate, holding the World Tree¡¯s branch in her arms as if it were her precious baby. She only returned to the Lionheart house ten dayster. From the start, lighting ore was a rare material, and she had used up all the ore the White Tower had while making the first lightning me. Therefore, Melkith had even searched the Bolero Street¡¯s ck market and emptied her personal wallet, not the White Tower¡¯s, to buy a massive amount of lightning ore. Then, she had begged and given gifts to her subordinate alchemists, who had already pulled all-nighters to make the first lightning me, to convince them to remake the me. ¡°It¡¯s bigger than thest one,¡±Melkith said. She was telling the truth. The new lightning me looked indeed bigger than the one before. Eugene and Melkith walked through the same course ¡ª the main house, the forest, the elven vige, and the three World Trees. Just like he had done ten days ago, Eugene sat before the box and grabbed the lightning with his hands. The conditions were also the same ¡ª Melkith cast a barrier and Eugene controlled the lightning me using the White me Form. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Some time passed as Eugene moved the lighting me around. ¡°It¡¯s not working.¡± ¡°¡­It seems like it,¡± Eugene said, puttingdown the lightning me without any lingering feelings. There had been reactions while he was interacting with the lightning me. His me-like mana had condensed the lightning me, then made it expand. However, unlike before, Eugene¡¯s mana hadn¡¯t merged with the lightning me, and no World Tree¡¯s spirits had been attracted by it either. ¡°Why don¡¯t you look disappointed?¡± ¡°I kind of saw iting.¡± Smacking his lips, Eugene touched the lightning me with his finger. ¡°The change only happened once. That was how the lightning me became my power. That¡¯s all,¡± Eugene nonchntly spoke. ¡°Thischange that happenedtoyou¡­ I, the grand spirit summoner Melkith El-Hayah, and the two Spirit Kings I have contracts with, can guarantee that there is no precedent in the history of spirit summoning.¡± ¡°Tempest told methe same thing too.¡± Flick.As Eugene flicked his finger, the lightning me got pushed away. When it did, the lightning me shuddered and went back into the box where it originally was. ¡°Idid a lot of tests these pastten days.¡±Eugene stood up from his seat and dusted off his pants.¡°Anew kind of spirit was created inside me, and its attribute is lightning. However, it¡¯s not a lightning spirit.¡± Theywalked through the woods. ¡°Will the spirits get bigger little by little? Or will more World Tree spirits turn into these new spirits? I was curious. Therefore, I lived in this forest for ten days and sensed the spirits nonstop, but¡­ The World Tree¡¯s spirits didn¡¯t turninto new spirits anymore.¡± Squinting his eyes, Eugenelooked at the trees in the forest. The World Tree¡¯s spirits were flying between the trees as if they were teasing Eugene. ¡°I feellike they want to annoy me.¡± ¡°¡­Annoy you? The spirits?¡± Melkithdumbfoundedlyasked. ¡°Yes, they aregesturing for me te, but they don¡¯te to me when I get close. But, they don''t really run away either. They are definitely close by, but I can¡¯t touchthem.¡± ¡°¡­The spirits don¡¯t really have physical bodies, you know?¡± ¡°In any case, thosedamn bastards don¡¯t answer any of my requests.¡± Chuckling, Eugene raised his finger. Pzz. Lightning shot forth from the tip of his finger. Melkith dropped her jaw and turned to the direction in which Eugene had shot the lightning. The electricity was still flowing in the scorchednd. ¡°¡­Unbelievable,¡± Melkith murmured, calming down her shock.¡°The lightning spirit ¡ª no, your mana itself is holding the lightning. Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°Itmeans it¡¯s entirely different from spirit-summoning magic or normal magic.¡± ¡°It¡¯s also different from martial arts! Mana is just mana. In order to transform it into anything, it first needs to be changed into magic using a spell or martial technique.¡± The primal spirits didn¡¯t have egos. This also applied to the World Tree¡¯s spirits ¡ª they were primal spirits that happened to live in the World Tree, that was all. ¡°Primal spirits are the essence of all spirits and another form of mana. They exist everywhere as long as spirits exist, but it doesn¡¯t lose itself even in front of the higher-ss spirits.¡± Melkith swallowed hard. The reason why she had made the lightning me was to help Eugene make a contract with the lightning spirit himself. He had failed to sign a contract, but he didn¡¯t need to anymore. The lightning was flowing in his body now. There wasn¡¯t really any need to contact the spirits anymore. "...Although the lightning is mixed with your mana, its attribute didn''t change. Shall I be honest? I want to pin you down and dissect you right this second. I''m certain that any spirit summoner would want to do the same. No,every single wizardin this world would think the same.¡± ¡°Please leave it to your imagination. Don''t try it.¡± ¡°I''m curious.¡± Feeling a thrill traveling down her spine, Melkith¡¯s eyes sparkled.¡°What can you do with that unique power of yours?¡± ¡°I havebeen conducting some experiments¡­¡± These ten days, Eugene had tried many things. No new World Tree spirits were attracted by the lightning in his body. This hadn¡¯t changedafter he used the second lightning me. This lightning was nowpletely blended with his mana. It wasn''t depletable anymore. Just as mana recharged after a while, the lightning also recharged. Every time Eugene made progress in the White me Form, his lightning would also get stronger. In other words, his mana and his lightning were one and the same, in a sense. Whether his mana was imbued with the spirits of lightning or otherwise, it didn''t make much of a difference to Eugene ¡ª in any case, his mana was now buzzing and gave him a tingling feeling. Just as he could ''shoot out'' mana, he was now able to shoot out lightning. He could even imbue his zing sword force with the lightning attribute. The lightning amplified his power, and this also applied to the White me Form itself. His White me Form was grafted onto the Eternal Hole. He spun his Cores in a Circle, sted them apart, remade the pieces into countless smaller Cores, and made those tiny Cores spin and explode once more. Now, lighting was added to the explosion, making it stronger and the mana flow more violent. It taxed Eugene''s body, just like when he used Ignition, but his Cores didn''t overload. ¡°I''mnot really used to it yet.¡±Eugene inhaled and exhaled deeply. He continued to breathe like that for a while. Melkith was filled with excitement as she watched Eugene.Soon, she realized that Eugene''s face stiffened as he breathed. It wasn''t just his face; his whole body was tense. Melkith had never properly learned martial arts, but she knew what this meant. ¡®¡­Is henervous?¡¯Melkith thought. It was strange. She had witnessed the battle between Eugene and the Green Tower Master, and she had been with Eugene before the fight had taken ce. As they were riding to the Green Tower za, Melkith and Mer had been worried about Eugene, thinking of the uing battle. However, there hadn¡¯t been the slightest hint of nervousness on Eugene''s face. Even in the carriage, he had been rxed. He hadn¡¯t been scared in the slightest at the perspective of fighting against an Archwizard at the Eighth Circle. He had been the same when he had left the carriage, and indeed when the battle started as well. He had just moved naturally and won the fight. ¡°Hey¡­ You are not mistaking something, are you?¡±Melkith cautiously asked.¡°I did ask what you can do with that power, but that doesn¡¯t mean that I want to fight you, you know?¡± Melkith thought, ''Is that kid going to pounce at me? Did he misunderstand me? He''s young, that is possible.'' However, Eugene didn''t answer Melkith''s question. He just red forward as he frowned. The reason for his nervousness was simple. ¡®I don''t want to embarrass myself¡­¡¯Eugene thought. Of course, he had no intention to fight Melkith. This nervousness was solely due to himself, due to psychological reasons. After taking several deep breaths, Eugene operated the White me Form. When he put one foot forward, electricity sparked. Boom! Seeing what just happened before her eyes, Melkith¡¯s jaw dropped. Like lightning¡­ Yes, the thing just now was like lightning. No, notlike. Eugene reallyhadbe lightning just now. That was the only possible description given how he was fast and explosively powerful.Theproblem was that even Eugene couldn''t perfectly control the ridiculous velocity. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡±Melkith stutteringly asked as she approached Eugene. He had sprung forth, bing a bolt of lightning and came to a halt after he crashed into some trees. The way he had stopped wasn''t really neat. The furrows behind his dragging feet were clearly visible. His posture was also unstable. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±Eugene cleared his throat. That was why he had been nervous. As a person who had all the memories from his past life, Eugene was unbearably embarrassed with himself for failing to control his power and getting dragged away by his power. ¡°Ah¡­ This is¡­ Huh¡­ Woah¡­¡± ¡°Can you hear me? Are you alright?¡± ¡°Of course, of course.I¡¯m alright. It doesn''t even hurt, you know? You have seen it too, White Tower Master,¡± Eugene spokeat a fast pace. ¡°¡­Yes, I have seen. You were really fast. You were like a lightningman.¡± He wasn¡¯t injured. Well, of course he wasn¡¯t; he had sprung forth with an aura shield all over his body. It was just that his feelings were hurt. ¡®My speed is slower than when I use Ignition.¡¯ Ignition not only overloaded the Core, but it also overloaded the body. That was why he could properly control its power. However, this ¡®lightning¡¯ only caused mana to explode faster. Eugene¡¯s mana control was nothing short of spectacr, but it was still hard to put the brakes on himself. It was easy to amplify the power of an attack by mixing some lightning into it. On the other hand, it wasn¡¯t easy to move around as he circted this fierce mana through his entire body. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±Stroking her chin, Melkith was buried in thoughts.¡°Since it¡¯s not ordinary mana¡­ Why don¡¯t you just use it for magic and stop mixing it in when you use martial arts?¡± ¡°Thatwould feel like I¡¯m wasting it.¡± Magic was charming. The more he studied, the more things he could achieve that were impossible if he just used martial arts. However, that didn¡¯t mean Eugene was going to give up on martial arts. ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not that easy to use it for magic,¡±Eugene tousled his hair. ¡°Thenature of mana changed so¡­ This is unprecedented, so I can¡¯t give you any advice.¡± ¡°Well, then I have no choice. I have to get used to Lightning sh¡­¡± ¡°Lightning sh?¡± Eugene just blurted it out, but Melkith didn¡¯t miss it and asked,¡°Did you name it?¡± ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°So, what you have just used was the Lightning sh of the White me Form¡­ Is it something along this line?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t answer. ¡°Or is it the Lightning sh Form? The Lightning sh White me Form? The Lightning sh me Form? The White me Lightning sh Form?¡±Melkith kept teasing Eugene. ¡°Be quiet.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t your face a bit red? Are you embarrassed about naming your skills? Hey, there¡¯s nothing to worry about, you know? It¡¯s a person¡¯s right to name the skill they made,¡±Melkith proudly said.¡°Every wizard has such dilemmas¡­ They created this really cool magic, but they have a hard timeing up with a cool name for the magic. And the name is a tricky thing. The name might look cool to the person who named it, but it might sound embarrassing and lousy to everyone else, right?¡± The corners of Melkith¡¯s lips perked up. Eugene remained silent. ¡°But it feels like the creator is belittling his own skill to use an ordinary name¡­If the name is too fancy, then it¡¯s embarrassing to tell it to another¡­Umm, I know it very well. Didn¡¯t I tell you? Every wizard has those dilemmas, okay?¡± ¡°Okay, so¡­¡± ¡°I thinkthe name Lightning sh is fine. No, it¡¯s actually a bittoonormal. How about Fire Thunder? Or Thunder Fire. Do they sound tacky? Firebolt¡­ Thunderme¡­¡± ¡°Magic!¡±Eugene shouted. Melkith snickered as she turned to Eugene.¡°What magic?¡± ¡°I will show you magic,¡± Eugene answered. He frowned as he lifted his cloak to take out Akasha. However, it wasn¡¯t just Akasha that came out from the cloak. ¡°¡­¡± Eugene stared atMer, who was hugging Akasha while desperately holding in herughter. Looking at the sniggering child, he felt as if Sienna was smirking at him. He rapped Mer¡¯s head without realizing it. ¡°Why are you hitting me?!¡±Mer bristled up. ¡°Your smilewas annoying.¡± ¡°Ithink the name Lightning sh is really cool. When I heard that simple and intuitive name, I can feel that your naming skill has really improved,¡± Mersoon spoke with a sly smile on her face. ¡°Naming skill?¡±Melkith repeated Mer¡¯s words. With vengeful wrath, Mer continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a much better namepared to names like Asura Rampage, Poltergeist Aegis, Dead End, Thousand Thunderps, and Lightning Counter? ¡°Whatkind of idiotes up with such embarrassing names? Well, at least Thousand Thunderps and Lightning Counter sound pretty okay. They sound like lightning.¡± Melkith chimed in to tease Eugene. ¡°Shut up,please.¡± Eugeneclenched his teeth. Calming his irritation, he held Akasha up while shoving Mer, who was still hanging onto Akasha, back into the cloak. ¡°Go inside!¡± ¡°Sir Eugene,how about Lightning Asura?¡±Mer mockingly asked. ¡°Shut up!¡± Eugene no longer wanted to have a conversation regarding this topic. After freeing himself from all ideas and thoughts, he settled down to concentrate and recall a form. The form was then converted into a spell. The crackling lightning me twirled around Eugene¡¯s body, descending upon the ground. At the same time, Eugene¡¯s body floated up into the sky. Lighting covered the ground below him, merrily dancing around. ¡°¡­You¡­¡±Melkith stammered. She had lost count of the number of times she got surprised today. As her face turned pale, she shook her head.¡°Monster¡­!¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly the same, but it was enough for Melkith to recognize what Eugene was doing. She knew what spell Eugene was casting. This particr piece of magic had been created by the Green Tower Master Jeneric Osman while he was trying to create a signature spell for himself. The Divine Tree. ¡®Did he copy it by just looking at it?¡¯ It was not remotely on the same level as copying the magic patterns engraved on a cake. Since Eugene had never seen the Divine Tree form, it was impossible for him to randomly mimic it. ¡°Well, he¡¯s scratching the surface¡­¡± Divine Tree was technically a Sixth Circle spell, but the level of difficulty was actually too high for Sixth Circle wizards to try it. Theonly reason whyhe could cast it was that he understood the magic through Akasha and was assisted by Mer. ¡°¡­That magic¡­ You better not use that,¡± Melkith murmured, shaking her head.¡°Ifthe Green Tower Master finds out you learned the Divine Tree without his permission, he will kill you no matter what, reputation and dignity be damned.¡± ¡°Of course, he would try.¡±Scattering the form away, Eugene snorted.¡°Ijust used it once for you to see, anyway. I¡¯m not nning on using this kind of crappy magic.¡± Thanks to the Divine Tree, Eugene could shut Melkith up. ¡°Crappy magic¡­¡± Melkith drylyughed and shook her head again. Chapter 131: The Lightning Flame (4)

Chapter 131: The Lightning me (4)

A month had passed. A letter arrived from the Holy Empire. The letter was from Rohanna Celles, Kristina''s childhoodfriend from the monastery. The letter didn''t say much. She said she was having a quiet and peaceful life after she had spent months wandering around Samar. After skimming down the letter, Eugene grabbed Akasha. ¡°I guess she hasn''t forgotten how to use it,¡± Eugene said. The letters were scribbled in such a way that they actually formed a magic form. Any given group of wizards tended to know at least one or two encoding spells, which also applied to the Red Tower. Lovellian had taught Eugene about the Red Tower''s enciphering magic, and Eugene had taught Kristina in turn. Even in the Red Tower, the only people who could use this enciphering magic were Lovellians'' right-hand people, including Hera. Kristina didn''t distrust Rohanna Celles; however, there was always that ''if.'' She had also mentioned how her letters might be monitored. That was why Eugene had taught her the enciphering magic. At first nce, it looked simple. It was actually simple, for that matter. However, the magic form was weaved with various traps everywhere. However, the traps were simply meant to record that someone tried to snoop, and did not show any visible changes whatsoever. That was why only the letter''s recipient could see the trap and find out that it had been triggered. Following the decoding form, Eugene infused the mana and deciphered the code. The words in the letter were immediately reced bypletely different ones. Kristina was not able to interrogate the pope and the cardinal herself. Taking the bulls by the horn to see their reaction was too risky. If they were the ones behind the ambush, of course, they would be alert against Kristina returning alive. Therefore, she was keeping an eye on them. ¡®Yeah. If she presses them hard about the ambush, the pope and the cardinal will pull their ranks and take action.¡¯ The very Saint of the Holy Empire had been attacked by the demonfolk of Helmuth. Although the ambush had ended in failure, that would not prevent the rtionship between the Holy Empire and Helmuth from deteriorating. It was inevitable. ¡®The Demon King of Incarceration is officially a pacifist,¡¯Eugene pondered. No one could deny that. There was an organization called the Anti-Demon Alliance. It was an international organization made by a group of small countries in the north, led by the Holy Empire. For a long time, it had been deploying armies near Helmuth¡¯s border, staging an armed protest. Although it didn¡¯tunch direct attacks on the frontier towns, it blocked trade routes and held regr military exercises near the gates of Helmuth castles. Even though the Demon King of Incarceration had the power to wipe them out, the king was overlooking the organization¡¯s activities. Naturally, the demonfolk could not directly collide with the organization, even though they madeints. The demonfolk tried to kill the Holy Empire¡¯s saint. Helmuth couldn¡¯t hush this kind of thing up by ming everything on the demonfolk who attacked Kristina. If this got publicized, it was surely going to be the spark to start the war. ¡­However, it was too soon for a war. ¡®Right now,she can only say she will look further into it,¡¯Eugene thought, putting Kristina¡¯s letter aside. He had actually received one more letter. This other letter wasn¡¯t from the Holy Empire; it was from Aroth, written by Lovellian. The letter contained information about Raizakia and Barang. The Dragon Demon Castle was the ck Dragon Raizakia¡¯s residence. The castle was unique even in Helmuth in that it resided in the sky, not on the ground. The flying castle, dozens of times bigger than the famous floating station of Aroth, was overflying Raizakia¡¯snd. Raizakia loathed humans. Helmuth weed humans, but there wasn¡¯t a single human living on Raizakia¡¯s estate. Only demonfolk, demonic beasts, and demi-humans lived on the dragon¡¯snd. Poption meant military strength, so although thend itself was vast, the troops of Raizakia were overwhelmingly weakpared to the other dukes¡¯. Moreover,humans naturalized to Helmuth generally weren¡¯t strong enough to be used as soldiers, but they regrly paid taxes. That money was used to increase the demonfolk¡¯s power. Yet, the human-hater Raizakia refused to even receive that tax money. Indeed, among the numerous demonfolk, dragons were special, and Raizakia was the most arrogant dragon of all. ¡®Hmm.¡¯ Scanning the long letter, Eugene frowned. ¡®It¡¯s not Raizakia.¡¯he reached a conclusion. There was a race that made up an especially great portion of the poption in Raizakia¡¯s estate, a fair bit higherpared to any othernd of Helmuth: dwarves. Dragons usually went nuts over jewels and handiworks. Since they considered themselves the greatest of races, they believed that it was only right to own things that suited their elegance. That was why dragons had been ruling over dwarves for a long time, and it was the same for Raizakia. Even before he had fallen, many dwarves had worked for him. Then, he had flown to Helmuth with all his dwarves without either liberating or massacring them when he had fallen. Three hundred years had passed since then, and the descendants of those dwarves were still not free from Raizakia. There was a big mine on Raizakia¡¯s estate.The dwarves weren¡¯t able to leave the mine; they worked in the mine for their entire lives. Everything they mined, hammered, and crafted went into Raizakia¡¯s treasure house. ¡®¡­The productsmade by the dwarves are being siphoned off.¡¯ Dwarf products were not officially exported. However, through dozens of brokers, such products were actually released in secret. Dragonsneversold their stuff. Then, was somebody siphoning off goods after pulling the wool over Raizakia? No, that was impossible. In Raizakia¡¯s estate, there were several high-ranking demonfolk who served the dragon. Although Eugene didn¡¯t know the exact uses of their contracts, he was certain that it wasn¡¯t possible to plot against Raizakia. ¡®Dwarveswould also never do that.¡¯ The current problem alone was enough to doubt it was Raizakia, and he had some circumstantial pieces of evidence as well. Over thest 200 years, Raizakia hadn¡¯t made any new contracts with other demonfolk. There were only three dukes in Helmuth. Among them, Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, already had powerful armies, so she didn¡¯t need to make new contracts. As for Gavid Lindman¡¯s title, the Incarceration¡¯s de, that was more like an honorary title. He had been the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s right-hand man for 300 years. Instead of making his own contracts, Lindmanmanded the other demonfolk who had contracts with the king. Raizakia had overwhelmingly few subordinatespared to the other dukes. The ck wizards weren¡¯t the only ones who signed contracts with the demonfolk due to a desire for power; demonfolk also made contracts with higher-ranking demonfolk, wishing for the same thing. In other words, there were definitely a lot of demonfolk who wanted to work with Raizakia. Soon after the war hade to an end 300 years ago, Raizakia had indeed made new contracts with some demonfolk, after a thorough screening process. However, he had never done that since. ¡®¡­And who the hell is this?Count Kad?¡¯ The guy was a newly rising noble of Helmuth. The man had practically zero presence 300 years ago; instead, he had gained power in the age of peace. Now, he was a young ambitious noble who was hoping to join the central forces of Helmuth. Count Kad¡¯s estate was right next to the Dragon Demon Castle. That wasn¡¯t much of an issue, but the letter said that he had started to slowly infiltrate the border of the castle this year. ¡®I¡¯m certain. The Raizakia in the Dragon Demon Castle isn¡¯t the actual Raizakia. It doesn¡¯t seem like a clone either¡­¡¯ Maybe the imposter was his hatchling. ¡®If the hatchlingis hundreds of years old¡­ then it all makes sense.¡¯ Dragons were born powerful, but that wasn''t why they were unchallenged. Their overwhelmingly long lifespans contributed to their strength. The older the dragons were, the stronger they became. ¡®Raizakia himself made contracts with the demonfolk andmanded the dwarves. His hatchling cannot take over the contract,¡¯Eugene thought. If Raizakia had died, then the contracts would have been over. The demonfolk and the dwarves, who were on the other end of the contract, would have revolted. The Dragon Demon Castle was intact, however, unstable though it was. ¡®The contracts remain¡­So they must be staying loyal to their master¡¯s child, but they are reaching their limits.¡¯ The next paragraph of the letter talked about Barang. As the man himself had told Eugene, he was indeed Jagon¡¯s sworn brother. However, there had definitely been no trace of the brotherly love that usually came after the ¡®sworn brothers¡¯ part. In the past, Jagon had sunk his fangs deep into Oberon¡¯s neck and killed him.After that, he had also killed all the elders, who were Oberon¡¯s right-hand men, to trigger a change in leadership. Right now, rtively young beastfolk, from the same generation as Jagon, yed the key roles. However, Jagon had never shared a close bond with anyone, not even the beastfolk in his generation. He simply used supreme power to rule over them. The only beastfolk who could stand beside Jagon were the strong ones, the ones who had survived the ¡®change.¡¯ Barang, who was said to be Jagon¡¯s sworn brother, was certainly not one of them. ¡®¡­Yeah, he wasreally weak for someone who bragged that much.¡¯Eugene reminisced. Eugene had heard from Balzac that the beastfolk under Jagon¡¯smand worked as mercenaries to be stronger. ording to Lovellian¡¯s letter, Barang had also been an independent mercenary. He was quite famous in the mercenary industry in Helmuth, having attended dozens of territorial disputes and such. The letter didn¡¯t mention whose request had made Barang leave Helmuth, though. At the end of the letter, Lovellian mentioned that he would look into it as best as he could, but Eugene didn¡¯t get his hopes up. He too had been a mercenary in his past life. The quests given to the low-ss mercenaries were not trustworthy in the slightest. Any involved party could betray the other party at any time. It wasn¡¯t even strange if the content of the request got leaked. The same didn¡¯t apply to higher-ss mercenaries, however. In the beginning, a mercenary¡¯s priority was money, obviously, but as time passed, mercenaries would start to feel a sense of honor with respect to their trade. In turn, honor attracted trust. Besides, the amount of payment was no longer the main drive of the high-ss mercenaries; what mattered was to get entertaining requests, a trusting rtionship with the guild, and so forth. ¡®Mercenary guilds are everywhere on the continent, but Helmuth¡¯s mercenary guild is special.¡¯ It was bound to be special. Helmuth¡¯s mercenary guild gave out very difficult assignments to its mercenaries. They could get assignments like bodyguarding or defeating enemy forces from any other mercenary guild on the continent, but Helmuth¡¯s quests were on another level. On top of that, Helmuth¡¯s belligerent demonfolk always waged territorial war with each other, making Helmuth a heaven for the mercenaries. ¡®So,of course, thecontent of the request would never get leaked. It doesn¡¯t seem like the attacker got the request through the guild, either.¡¯ Assassinating a Lionheart and a Saint was not the kind of request that a mercenary guild would arrange. After piling up the letters, Eugene burned them, then stood up. ¡°Areyou going today too?¡± Mer asked as she sat on afysofa, licking a candy. A famous patissier had put great effort into making this candy for Mer. He was one of the chefs recently hired by the Lionheart¡¯s main house. It was candy, but it also resembled ice cream. When Mer licked the candy, she could taste a mouthful of sugar, but its size didn¡¯t get any smaller. It looked really soft, but when she tried to chew it, she found that it was crunchy.Merhad definitely taken a liking to it, judging from how she was holding it every time Eugene looked at her. ¡°Lady Anci is so overzealous,¡± he muttered. ¡°She isbeautiful and kind.¡± ¡°She nevergave me such candy when I was little. And neither did she hire dozens of cooks for me.¡± ¡°No way¡­ Sir Eugene, are you being jealous of me? I am smaller and cuter than you.¡± ¡°I wassmall and cute seven years ago.¡± ¡°But you weren¡¯t kind like me, or on good terms with Lady Anci. I heard several stories about your childhood from Lady Anci, Sir Eugene. You were truly something even from that age!¡±Mer grinned and hopped down from the sofa.¡°Youbeat down Lady Anci¡¯s son on the first encounter, and also bullied him whenever you could even after they adopted you, right?¡± ¡°¡­Uh¡­ Lady Anci exaggerated because it involved her son. I didn¡¯t beat him down, I hit him once. It was a fair and honorable fight. And bullying? I was the one who got bullied! Do you know how much the twins bothered me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to trust your word, Sir Eugene. You never give me candy, cookies, and cakes.¡± ¡°This is so unfair. Did you already forget how many dessert shops I took you to in Aroth? ¡°Lady Ancitook me to more dessert shops than you.¡± ¡°Yeah, if you likeLady Anci that much, then ask Lady Anci to be your mother. Change your name to Mer Lionheart. No, change it to Mer Caines and be her daughter.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t sulk, Sir Eugene. Aren¡¯t you also benefiting from my cuteness?¡± Mer chuckled and followedEugene. He couldn¡¯t deny that. The chefs hired by Anci were all talented, increasing the quality of Eugene¡¯s meals significantly. ¡°Mer!¡± As they were heading to the annex, they heard a loud voice. The voice was enough to attract the attention of all servants who were cleaning the first floor. ¡°Where areyou going? Do you have to go? If you don¡¯t have any ns today, how about we go sightseeing in the city?¡± It was Gerhard, approaching with a big smile. Eugene frowned. ¡°You guys went there yesterday.¡± ¡°There isn¡¯t aw that prohibits a second visit, is it?¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you nning to get swordsmanship training from Laman?¡± ¡°¡­We postponed it.Laman also liked it when I said I wanted to postpone it.¡± Indeed, Laman was nowhere to be seen. It was obvious where he had gone. ¡®Attending the training of the main house¡¯s knights,¡¯Eugene thought. It was good for Laman to train himself. Eugene didn¡¯t consider Laman as his right-hand man, in spite of thetter¡¯s hopes and expectations. Still, Eugene thought it was good to have someone loyal to him personally, not the Lionhearts. ¡®I have Signard, but helives in the forest.¡¯ However, Laman spent his entire day in the annex. If someone attacked the main house, they would go for the annex first, where there were fewer people. When that happened, Laman would be able to easily protect Gerhard and Nina until the knights of the main house arrived. Without ying any political games, he had be the Emir¡¯s bodyguard, so he was objectively skilled. He wasn¡¯t White Lion Knight Captain material, but he would be weed in any estate with his skill. More importantly, he wasn¡¯t in the least bit satisfied with his level, so he constantlymunicated and trained together with the knights of the Lionheart estate. ¡°Mer ising with me today.¡± Eugenedenied his father¡¯s request. ¡°¡­Mer wouldprefer to tour good restaurants in the city rather than participate in your training.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want to keep your current body? You worked hard to lose that weight.¡± ¡°I can loseit quickly if I take medicine.¡± ¡°Father! I told you not to eat that medicine,¡± Eugene shouted. ¡°¡­Viscount Stellord gave me that himself. How could I refuse his goodwill?¡± ¡°Viscount Stellordwouldn¡¯t want his gift to be used as diet supplements. He gave it to you so you can diligently exercise and be stronger.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ You are right¡­But I don¡¯t want to be a muscleman like Viscount Stellord¡­¡± ¡°So don¡¯t rely on drugs and just exercise instead. Also, swing a sword a couple of times too. If you keep postponing things like this, I will train you myself.¡± Hearing Eugene¡¯s threatening words, Gerhard¡¯s face was clouded with despair. He fully knew how strict and ruthless his son was during training. There would be no father and son in that training, only the trainer and the trainee. ¡°Ialso agree with the necessity of training. Sir Gerhard asked me to keep it a secret from you, Sir Eugene, but he recently orderedrger ceremonial clothes,¡± Ninaunhesitatingly spoke from behind Gerhard. He quickly turned his head and cleared his throat. ¡°I heard it from Narissa, the kitchen assistant. Sir Gerhard quietly orderste-night snacks every night.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°One ofthemainjobs for Lavera is to clean up those dishes. It seems you thought that ordering the apprentice servants will make things unnoticeable, Sir Gerhard. However, your overeating is always reported to me.¡± ¡°¡­I treated them so nicely¡­ And this is how they betray me!¡± ¡°Everyone is concerned for your health, Sir Gerhard.¡± After hearing Nina, Eugene heaved a sigh and shook his head. ¡°Fathere with me and run ten ¡ª no, twentyps at least.¡± ¡°Myknees won¡¯t be able to take thoseps!¡± ¡°Human knees aren¡¯t made of ss, but your increasing weightwillshatter your knees like ss. Okay, say no more. Come with me right now. Come to think of it, we haven¡¯t run together since I was eight years old, right?¡± ¡°I have a reason why I don¡¯t run¡­¡± Gerhard also remembered the moment vividly. He was proud of his little son, who strived to train himself, so he once ran in the field with Eugene. They weren¡¯t having a match, but Gerhard felt like a total loser at the time. Eugene was an eight-year-old kid, obviously much smaller than him, but he couldn¡¯t catch up with Eugene even running at full speed. Even forgetting about his pride as an adult, his pride as a father was irreparably damaged by the fact that he could not outrun his own son. ¡°If yourun, I will run with you, Sir Gerhard,¡± Mer saidwith the candy stick in her mouth. She was already done with the candy. ¡°Mydy, it will ruin yourteeth arrangement.¡± Ninaquietly approached and took away the candy stick in Mer¡¯s mouth. Ever since his wife had died, Gerhard had promised himself to not marry again, but he sometimes wished for the daughter he never had. The memory of running together with his son was filled with misery, so he had been reluctant. However, for some reason, he felt like he could make good memories if he ran with Mer. After some pondering, Gerhard nodded. That was how they started running, and that was also how reality ruined Gerhard¡¯s expectations for beautiful memories. Eugene didn¡¯t hurry; he merely fell into step with Gerhard. Mer also diligently ran beside him. The problem was Gerhard¡¯s endurance. Thanks to Viscount Stellord, he had built up quite the stamina, but running in this cold weather made Gerhard tired very quickly. As a familiar, Mer didn¡¯t get tired. As for Eugene, let alone twentyps, even two hundred were not enough to make him sweat a little. After finishing his tenthp, Gerhard copsed, unable to run any longer. Eugene had been slowly following him, then he stopped beside Gerhard for a moment. ¡°Let¡¯s increase the distance by onep a day,¡± Eugene said. Instead of answering, Gerhardy down on the ground and just waved his hand around. Eugene forced Gerhard to stand upand wiped the dirt off of his clothes. He then called Mer. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Okay,¡± She answered as if she waited for thismoment, then she approached Eugene. Lifting his cloak to let Mer enter, he took a couple of deep breaths as he stood still. ¡°Lightning sh.¡± ¡°Master Eugene is using Lightning sh!¡± The servants in the annex talked in whispers. Eugene could see some elves, who had a keen sense of hearing, covering their ears. He tried his best to stay calm, but he was able to feel the strong desire to kill the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, rising from the bottom of his heart. Lightning sh ¡ªthe name that only existed inside Eugene¡¯s head had reached Melkith by ident. On that evening, Melkith had babbled away at the main house¡¯s party. ¡ªThe Lionheart familyhas a really bright future. Did you know about Eugene¡¯s new skill, Lady Anci? He named it Lightning sh, and the skill is so cool and brilliant, just like its name. Who could have known that a human could turn into lightning and fly away in a sh? ¡­Eugene was very ufortable with everyone looking at him. Still, he thought it would be more embarrassing to stop now. Pzz. When he used the White me Form, his mana now had the lightning attribute. It had only been a week since he had shown it to Melkith, and he still wasn¡¯t able to control the technique properly, but unlike before, when he was unable to hit the brakes, he was no longer crashing into trees. He put one foot forwardand prepared to spring forth. However, before he had the chance to dash, he had to quicklye to a halt. ¡°What?¡± From the forest, his destination, some people were approaching him. ¡°When did you arrive here?¡± Carmen Lionheart and Ciel Lionheart. The two women, who by all ounts should have been in the ck Lion Castle, wereing his way. Favorite Chapter 132: The Preparations for the Hunt (1)

Chapter 132: The Preparations for the Hunt (1)

Carmen and Ciel weren¡¯t the only ones who had suddenly returned to the Lionheart n¡¯s main house. Led by their captain, Carmen, the entire Third Division of the ck Lion Knights arrived at the house. ¡®Still, there are only ten people in the division,¡¯Eugene thought as hescratched his head. Only the members of the Lionheart n could be ck Lion Knights. That was why they had an overwhelmingly few number of knightspared to other elite orders. However, Eugene was also well aware that the power of a knightly order wasn¡¯t decided by the number of members. The party that had killed three demon kings only had five members, Hamel included. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the best knights on the continent, six orders must be mentioned,¡± Carmensaid. ¡°The Blood Cross Knightsof Yuras,the Violent Tide KnightsofShimuin,the White Dragon Knightsof Kiehl,the White Fang KnightsofRuhr,the Sand Scorpion Knightsof Nahama, and us, the ck Lion Knights.¡± These knightly orders had one thing inmon: they worked for the royal families of their respective countries. The only exception was the ck Lion Knights of the Lionheart n. Eugene couldn¡¯t grasp Carmen¡¯s intention in bringing up the story and stared at her nkly. ¡°Some boneheads say that the ck Lion Knights aren¡¯t as skilled as other knights who work for the royal family, but I don¡¯t think so. We may have fewer men, but the ck Lion Knights are the best, skill-wise.¡± Carmen proudlyfinished her speech. ¡°Yeah¡­well¡­¡± ¡°Would you like to join the strongest knights?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to,¡± Eugene answeredwitha disgusted face. He had already declined several times, but Carmen hadn¡¯t given up yet. ¡°Ican¡¯t understand you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t understand you either, Lady Carmen. How many times do I have to say no before you give up?¡± ¡°How manytimes doIhave to offer before you ept? I am putting aside a lot of my pride when I make you this offer, you know?¡± ¡°Iam very aware how much you love the Lionheart n and are proud of the ck Lion Knights, but I don¡¯t wish to devote my entire life to the n as a ck Lion Knight.¡± ¡°You are as stubborn as a mule.¡±Carmen lifted her cup, frowning. At first nce, she was drinking a cup of ck coffee, but the coffee was mixed with many, many spoonfuls of sugar. She changed the subject. ¡°I am interested in your Lightning sh.¡± ¡°Pfffttt,¡±Eugene almost spat out his coffee. ¡°I heard your Lightning sh is truly something else. Every time you use the skill, lightning stirs up¡­¡± ¡°Who did you hearit from?¡± ¡°When I askedthe elves in the forest about you, they answered right away.¡± Eugene¡¯s fists trembled from the humiliation. In all honesty, the name Lightning sh wasn¡¯tthatembarrassing to him. Compared to Asura Rampage or Poltergeist Aegis, there was a nice simplicity to it. However, he had be embarrassed about the name after Melkith had teased him. Her teasing had made him regret putting a name on his skill; he felt like he shouldn¡¯t have named it in the first ce. However, he couldn¡¯t really change the name now, because it felt like Melkith yed him if he did so. In the end, it was a matter of pride for him. ¡°I have a simr skill¡­its name is Lightning Strike,¡±Carmen said in a serious tone. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°They both have Lightning in the name. Why don¡¯t wepete with each other and see whose Lightning is better?¡± ¡°...I¡¯ll decline.¡± Eugene had heard about Carmen¡¯s Lightning Strike from Genos before. ¡ªLord Carmen¡¯s ultimate attack is called the Destiny Breaker. ¡ªHer Iron Fist Combo is abination that starts with Eclipse, then uses Emperor Blow and Lightning Strike, before finishing with Destiny Breaker. It has a reputation for being particrly fierce and powerful, even among the Knights of the ck Lion. He didn¡¯t know what kind of skill Lightning Strike was, and also had no idea what the rest of the skills were ¡ª Iron Fist, Eclipse, Emperor Blow, and Destiny Breaker.Hewascurious, but he didn¡¯t want topete with her right now. ¡°I am pretty sure you aren¡¯t visiting here to talk about such stuff.¡± The Third Division¡¯s visit was too abrupt.From what Eugene had heard, they had just notified the main house¡¯s servants to activate the warp gate an hour ago and used it right away. ¡°Thatwas one of my reasons, but I have two primary reasons.¡± ¡°Twoprimary reasons?¡± ¡°One isto protect the people of the main house.¡± Carmen sipped on her sweet ck coffee.¡°The eldersoftheck Lion Castle aren¡¯t nning to find fault with you for bringing the elves without authorization. I only found out about it a bitte¡­ that you asked the Council Head himself for permission to visit Samar with Auxiliary Bishop Kristina.¡± When the Head of the Council of Elders was mentioned, Eugene¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°The Lionheart n¡¯s ancestor is the Great Vermouth, so this family is also Wise Sienna¡¯s sworn friend even after three hundred years, and it will be so even three thousand years from now.If Wise Sienna has requestedto protect the elves, we will do so, of course.¡± ¡®Sworn friend, huh?¡¯Eugene thought after listening to Carmen. With much difficulty, Eugene stopped his lips from scornfully twisting. Vermouth was the one who put a giant hole in Sienna¡¯s chest, his sworn friend. Besides, the elves had been persecuted for hundreds of years. With that said, he knew that Carmen couldn¡¯t be med. Elves were an entire race, and three hundred years was a long time. ¡°Ipersonally think it would be better to move them to the Us Mountains, rather than the main house¡¯s forest, but the elves said they will stay in the forest here when I asked them.¡± ¡°It seems like they really love this forest,¡± Eugenecalmly answered. ¡°You changed the forest to suit their taste.I lived in the main house a long time ago, but the forest at the time was nothing like the one I saw just now.¡± Carmen pulled out her cigar case, chuckling. ¡°I¡¯m not nning on prying on the cause of the change. I am also ted about the change in the forest. This business trip is going to be a great chance for me to cultivate myself.¡± ¡°Will you also be protecting the main estate?¡± ¡°I hope no incidenturs where I have to protect someone, if possible,¡±Carmen answered, crossing her legs. After cutting off the tip of her cigar, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the smell as she put it close to her nose. Eugenewitnessed Carmen frowning at that moment. ¡®The cigar mustbe musty.¡¯ ¡°Do you know about theRakshasa Princess?¡±she asked after getting sidetracked by the musty cigar. ¡°I have heard about her in Aroth. Specifically, about how she might visit the Lionheart¡¯s main house to negotiate.¡± ¡°ThenI can cut to the chase. Although it¡¯s given, the Lionheart n has no intention to negotiate with her.¡± Carmen bit the cigar.¡°Still, we can¡¯t m the gate on her face. If she does visit, we are going to greet her.¡± ¡°Do you thinkthe people in the main house can¡¯t handle Rakshasha Princess?¡± ¡°No way.We have the White Lion Knights in this ce. They might not be as good as ck Lions, but they are also elite knights.¡± Carmen stopped talking for a moment. ¡°However, we don¡¯t have the Patriarch or the First Division of the White Lion Knights, the best elites. That is why I came.¡± ¡°I¡¯m curious as to why the Patriarch didn¡¯t return to the house in a situation like this.¡± ¡°He is at the pce now.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Eugene asked instantly. This was his first time hearing about this. When Eugene looked shocked, Carmen continued, chewing on the unlit cigar. ¡°Hewent to the pce fifteen days ago. Of course, he¡¯s not there to attend parties or something. He is there to have a talk with the emperor.¡± ¡°Forfifteen days?¡± ¡°TheDemon King of Incarceration had been silent for a whole three hundred years, but now he is warning us. Fifteen days are far from enough to have a proper discussion.¡± Indeed, he hadn¡¯t been just killing time. ¡°Anyway, the second reason is to deliverthe Chief¡¯s message.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the message?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be hunting season soon for the ck Lions.¡± ¡®Hunting season?¡¯ He had never heard about this. When Eugene tilted his head in confusion, Carmen continued exining. ¡°ck Lions¡¯ hunting season is in spring, around the New Year. Of course, we aren¡¯t hunting animals. ck Lions hunt demonic beasts and monsters that are roaming around in the Us Mountains.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The earlyComing-of-Age Ceremony, that you and Cyan experienced, was designed to avoid demonic beast nests on purpose. We had to, since those nests are too dangerous for children who haven¡¯t even be adults yet.¡± Without saying anything, Eugene stared at Camren. She could feel what he wanted to say. She put down her cigar, quietly chuckling. ¡°¡­Although I¡¯m pretty sure it doesn¡¯t apply to you.¡± ¡°Ehem, hmm¡­¡± Eugene cleared his throat. ¡°You surely have a strong pride in yourself, kiddo.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a kid.¡± ¡°You do have a point.¡± ¡°TheComing-of-Age Ceremony is already over, so what does ck Lions¡¯ hunting season have to do with me?¡± ¡°A lion pushes its cubs off a cliff,¡±Carmen spoke in a serious tone, not chuckling anymore. With a solemn face, she crossed her arms since she didn¡¯t want to bite onto her bitter cigar, and she stared at Eugene. ¡°Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°The story of a lion pushing its cubs off a cliff is a groundless rumor. What kind of animals throwtheir cubs off acliff?¡± ¡°That means¡­beasts¡­umm¡­put their children through trials and tribtions¡­to raise them as predators¡­¡± ¡®Lions do not push their cubs off a cliff? Really?¡¯Carmen¡¯s thoughts fell into chaos. As she had spent her entire life believing that story, her eyes lost focus for a moment. However, she didn¡¯t ask Eugene about the story in detail, since she had to preserve some face. ¡°Anyway,the point is that the Demon King of Incarceration delivered a warning, and we are the Lionheart n, the most prestigious warrior family on the continent and the descendants of the Great Vermouth. We don¡¯t know the future ahead of us, but we have to make the necessary preparations so we can live up to our bloodline.¡± ¡°Aha.¡± Eugene chuckledas he nodded. Since he had heard this much, how could he not know what Carmen was trying to say? ¡°So you are saying you will make me participate in the hunting season, because the young lion needs training, huh?¡± ¡°Likea lion pushing its cub off a cliff.¡± So what if the story was a groundless rumor?Carmen liked the story.No matter what the reality was, the lions in Carmen¡¯s mind pushed their cub off a cliff. They had to. ¡°Is it mandatory?¡± Eugeneasked. ¡°We are not forcing anyone.If you wish to be a real lion, you are going to willingly participate¡­¡± ¡°Yeah, then I¡¯m not gonna go,¡±Eugene instantly answered and stood up. However, Carmen urgently reached out and grabbed his wrist. ¡°¡­It¡¯s optional for everyone else. Not for you.¡± ¡°Why is it different when ites to me?To be honest, I think I amalready a great lion without getting pushed off a cliff.¡± ¡°All the more reason for you to do it! You have to set an example for the other lions.¡± ¡°Let''s stop beating around the bush and be honest, shall we? It seems many coteral descendants will participate in the hunt. You are hoping I will maintain the main house¡¯s dignity and be a source of motivation to the coteral descendants, aren¡¯t you?¡± Carmen didn¡¯t answer Eugene and just scowled at him instead, with a dissatisfied look on her face. ¡°I am curious about one thing, though. Is it you or the Chief who wants me to participate?¡± ¡°...I have been asked to persuade you to participate,¡± Carmen answered bitterly. Figuring out that his guess was correct, Eugene smiled and sat back in his seat. ¡®I didexpect him to contact me soon, but was this his way of contacting me?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t certain, but he had a suspicion that it was the Council Head who had ordered Barang to kill him. If Doynes was really the viin behind all this, he would try to contact Eugene, who had returned alive and in one piece, in one way or another. ¡®Us Mountains arerge, and on top of that, it¡¯s a demonic beast nest. Anything can happen in such a ce¡­assassinating me, perhaps?¡¯Eugene smirked internally. ¡°Well¡­it does sound interesting. I would like to hear more about it.¡± Only the young lions who had participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seven and seventeen years ago could attend the hunt. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seventeen years ago had taken ce without any children from the main house. ¡°Some of the people who distinguished themselves at the time joined the ck Lions Knightage. However, there are two people I wanted as my subordinates, to be honest.¡± ¡°And those are?¡± ¡°One is Genia Lionheart, SirGenos¡¯ daughter.¡± He never heard her name, but he knew that Genos had a daughter. If his memory served him correctly, she was twenty-seven years old now. ¡°Genia hasbeen inShimuin to cultivate, but she is returning to take part in this hunt. The other person is Hector Lionheart,¡± Carmen said. ¡°Ah.¡± Eugenehadheard about him. Gerhard had talked about him several times before Eugene had to participate in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony a long time ago. ¡°It seems you haveheard about him.¡± ¡°Yes, Ihave.¡± ¡°You must have,since Hector wasconsidered the best among the coteral descendants of the Lionheart n before you showed up.¡± When Hector participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seventeen years ago, he had been thirteen years old, just like Eugene when he took part in the ceremony. That must have madeGerhardtalk about Hector. ¡°The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony isa tradition that¡¯s unfair and bothersome in many ways.¡± Carmen calmlymade an unconventionalment. ¡°Still, we can¡¯t abolish the tradition.¡± ¡°Suchis the nature of traditions.It¡¯s old and boring, but we can¡¯t abolish it since we have carried it out for three hundred years,¡± Carmen continued as she tappedon the table.¡°TheBloodline Continuation Ceremony takes ce every ten years. Only the children from ten to fifteen can participate in the ceremony, so¡­ the Lionheart n have to time their births.Besides, unlike the descendants in the main house, the coteral descendants participate in the ceremony without any knowledge of how to use mana or wield real swords.¡± The restrictions were only given to the coteral descendants. That was why the ceremony seventeen years ago had been fair. Without the children from the main house, who were given a head start, only the coteral descendantspeted against each other. ¡°Hector¡¯s family was quite ordinary among the coteral families and the ceremony seventeen years ago was about wandering in the forest for ten days. The frontrunner was Genia Lionheart. Unlike the other children, who were exhausted after enduring the days in the forest, those two spent the ten days very¡­ well,¡±Carmen reminisced. ¡°Theypeted on thest day, right?¡± ¡°Yes, Genia challenged Hector, wishing for the glory of victory. However, Hector won an overwhelming victory in that fight.¡± Genos¡¯s family was a special one, even among the Lionheart n. They were the first ck Lions and Lionheart hounds who had been taught the Hamel Style by the Great Vermouth himself. That meant the family was just as prestigious as the main house, despite it being a coteral family.And the spirit of this warrior family had also been passed down to Genia, who was only ten at the time.Eventhoughshe wasn¡¯t able to use mana and had never used a real sword, Genia¡¯s power wasn¡¯t that of an ordinary child. Still, she had lost the fight. Although Hector also couldn¡¯t use mana and hadn¡¯t wielded a real sword, just like Genia, he had won the fight and the first ce in the ceremony. ¡°Just like Geniacultivated in Shimuin, Hector has been cultivating in Luhr and he is taking part in this hunt. So what do you think? Don¡¯t you wanna change your mind and participate?¡±Carmen excitedly spoke. ¡°Not really.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you want topete with him? Hector was called a genius among the coteral descendants before you showed up.¡± ¡°Then, the oue is already decided. If I was weaker than Hector, he would still have the title of a genius,¡± Eugene answered, snorting.¡°If he wasbetter than me, Hector would have been the one who got adopted, instead of me.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Carmen absentmindedly blinked for a moment, but then broke intoughter. ¡°That issome cool arrogance. Yes, you are right.¡± ¡°Is there anyone else who is participating other than those two?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Out ofthosewhohave gone through the same Bloodline Continuation Ceremony as you, there are Gargith and Dezra Lionheart.Of course, the twins from the mainhouse will also participate.¡± ¡°Ciel is also participating? Then why did shee to the main house when she was going to participate anyway?¡± ¡°Sheinsisted on following me no matter what. Isn¡¯t there only one reason? She must have wanted to see her mother for the first time in a long time.¡± In fact, Ciel wasn¡¯t with them right now. Instead, she was spending time with Anci and Mer. ¡°¡­And there are two more.¡± Carmen hesitated for a moment Eugene read ¡®perplexity¡¯ from her eyes, so he asked,¡°Two more?¡± The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony seven years ago came to Eugene¡¯s mind. Cyan, Ciel, Gargith, and Dezra had participated. There were also some losers, but they weren¡¯t worthy enough for him to remember their names. Had one of those losers trained themselves over thest seven years and volunteered to join the hunt in the ck Lion Castle? ¡°Deacon Lionheart¡­¡± It seemed that he had been at the same Bloodline Continuation Ceremony as Eugene, but he wasn¡¯t so memorable. Why had she hesitated to say the name of a nobody? ¡°...and Eward Lionheartare participating.¡± Eugene¡¯s jaw dropped. Favorite Chapter 133: The Preparations for the Hunt (2)

Chapter 133: The Preparations for the Hunt (2)

There was a saying about how a stone that gathers moss will be knocked out of its ce by a rolling one, but this had never applied to the twenty-year-old Ciel Lionheart. After all, she was a nobledy of the prestigious Lionheart Family. When she was thirteen, Eugene was adopted, but he didn¡¯t drive anyone out. And, of course, Ciel herself wasn¡¯t the kind of stone to be disced just like that. She was born to be loved by the members of the main house. Cyan felt threatened by Eugene, but to the young Ciel, her brother looked ridiculous. She had been cute and lovely since she was born, and she knew how to efficiently use the weapons she was born with. Her stupid, slow brother didn¡¯t have that kind of ability, so he was often harshly scolded by their mother. Meanwhile, Ciel did not get scolded at all. She knew what kinds of actions would result in a scolding, and when she had to do something that warranted it, she knew how to avoid getting scolded.That didn¡¯t change even after she grew up; moreover, she also began to work hard inareasthat she hadn¡¯t worked on when she was a child. Ciel had no intention of bing a pretty, cute flower. The Lionheart n was a prestigious warrior n, and in order to be recognized by them, a cute and lovely smile wasn¡¯t enough; she needed proper skills to be a real Lionheart. Thus, she grabbed a sword and started to swing it. Seeing that she did it all on her own, her parents loved her even when she wasn¡¯t acting cute in the slightest, while the knights of the main family all made time to help her train. ¡®I wasn¡¯t wrong.¡¯Ciel gritted her teeth. Ever since she was little, she had been quick-witted. She was aware of how her mother secretly desired a cute, lovely daughter. She also knew that her mother wanted to spend time like an ordinary noble mother and daughter¡ªholding teacups instead of swords and wearing cute dresses rather than ceremonial or martial art suits. She knew it, but she didn¡¯t fulfill it. It wasn¡¯t that she was ignoring her mother¡¯s wish, but that she knew that such yearning was impulsive and fleeting. Anci, the mother she knew, wanted a strong and beautiful lion who could live up to the Lionheart¡¯s name, not a flower. ¡®I wasn¡¯t wrong¡­ but this is unfair,¡¯ Ciel¡¯s fists trembled in anger as she looked forward. She could see a ten-year-old girl sitting on Anci¡¯sp. When she was that girl¡¯s age, she also used to sit on Anci¡¯sp, but after she had gone through the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, she had stopped doing that. Completing the ceremony meant that she was recognized as a Lionheart. From that moment forward, she had to give up childhood and be a young lion. It was Anci who taught her that. ¡®That¡¯s my seat¡­!¡¯ Until a few years ago, it really had been. Proper protocol had stopped her from sitting there, but she knew that she could do it whenever she desired to. In the Lionheart family, Anci¡¯sp was only for Ciel. At least that was what Ciel had thought. But now, some girl had taken her spot. The way Anci looked at Mer made Ciel more shocked.Hereyes were filled with love and joy, as if they were looking at her young daughter. ¡®I can¡­understand. Mother must have been lonely.¡¯ But still, how could she look at the girl like that when her own daughter was right here?! For the first time in a long time, Ciel felt jealous. She immediately wanted to shove the girl away and sit on Anci¡¯sp instead. ¡°Isn¡¯t she cute?¡±There was no way Anci could''ve felt Ciel''s simmering rage, but she spoke with impable timing. ¡°Shereminds me of you when you were little, Ciel.¡± ¡°¡­Wasn¡¯t I cuter?¡± Cisked as she stared at the girl, smiling.Her way of speakingwas quite provocative. ¡°Today is the first time for me to meet you, but I heard so many stories about you from Lady Anci, Lady Ciel,¡± Mer answeredas she nibbled on a cookie.¡°She told me she has a very beautiful daughter who looks just like her¡­¡± ¡°Oh my, Mer¡­ Don¡¯t tell her that, you are making me blush.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the truth. Lady Ciel is really beautiful!¡±Mer beamed, putting down the cookie she was munching on. To Ciel, Mer¡¯s smile felt like a strong punch in her chest. She unconsciously took deep breaths and tucked her chin. ¡®Ican see why Mother is fascinated by her¡­¡¯Ciel bitterly thought. As she grew older by each year, one thing she had to give up on was her innocence as a child. The girl before Ciel had the innocence that Ciel had long given up. Most importantly, shewasn¡¯t a Lionheart¡ªshe had no ambition to be a lion instead of a flower. That was why she could stir up Anci¡¯s maternal love in such an innocent manner. Just like Anci wished, Mer wore pretty clothes and ate sweets without minding how they would affect her body. Those were all the things Ciel had refrained from enjoying. ¡®¡­What am I doing?I am being jealous of a child.¡¯She sipped on her tea, btedly calming herself. ¡®¡­Huh?¡¯Ciel realized something a momentter. ¡ªWasn¡¯t I cuter? A while ago, Ciel had provoked her, but Mer hadn¡¯t yed into her provocation. She had said Ciel was ¡®beautiful,¡¯ not ¡®cute.¡¯ Being cute was different from being beautiful, they couldn¡¯tpete.The word¡®beautiful¡¯did not suit a ten-year-old girl. ¡®No way.¡¯ Aftering to the conclusion that she wasoverthinking, Ciel put down her teacup, maintaining her smile. Mer, who was sitting across from her, picked up a new cookie and put it in Anci¡¯s mouth. ¡®That¡¯s not possible.¡¯ No, she wasn¡¯t wrong. It was just for a moment, but Ciel and Mer¡¯s eyes met. When Ciel saw Mer smiling at her, she realized Mer was just as sly as her. Ciel Lionheart was twenty, so she wasn¡¯t a girl anymore.That was why she had lost to a girl¡ªit wasn¡¯t even apetition. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±She didn¡¯t want to admit her defeat. Therefore, she sprang up from her seat and sat beside Anci. Naturally linking her arms with Anci¡¯s, Ciel leaned against Anci¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I missed you, Mother,¡±she saidwith puppy eyes. ¡°Oh my¡­¡± ¡°Lady Anci, try this too. It¡¯s so delicious!¡±Mer offered. ¡°Wow¡­wow¡­¡± Anci eximed, trembling with overwhelming excitement. She felt that being a mother was the most fulfilling thing. ¡°You are pretty good,¡± Cielsaid with an impressed look on her face. After the tea party was over, she left the room with Mer. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to charm my mother that well just over a couple of days.¡± ¡°Ididn¡¯t charm anyone.¡±Mer smiled, looking up at Ciel.¡°It¡¯s just that Lady Anci adores me.¡± Mer spent hundreds of years in Akron. The only visitors she received were old, boring wizards, and they just treated her as a well-made familiar, not a cute little girl although she looked like one. Therefore, she never had the chance to consider herself cute. However, she had all the chances in the world after leaving Akron. The outside was full of wonders that she had yet to encounter. ¡°¡­So you were made hundreds of years ago, although you look like a child.¡± ¡°But my mind isn¡¯t that old. My personality is fixed as the childhood personality of Lady Sienna, the Wise.¡± ¡°What doesthathave to do with anything?Your mind ages after hundreds of years, even if you were built that way.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t age voluntarily. Besides, isn¡¯t someone¡¯s mental age decided by their experience and physical age in the first ce? I have existed for hundreds of years, but I have not experienced as much as you. And, of course, my body didn¡¯t age either.¡± ¡°I also haven¡¯t experienced much, you know?¡± Ciel saidwith a snort. ¡°Why are you guys fighting?¡± Eugeneinterrupted them as he entered the hallway. He had just left the room after finishing his discussion with Carmen. He tilted his head in confusion as he watched Ciel and Mer standing on guard against each other in the middle of the hallway. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡±Mer called out Eugene¡¯s name. As if she had been waiting for him toe, she ran to Eugene, smiling. As Ciel watched Mer hopping and clinging to Eugene, she felt jealous in aplicated way. ¡°Fight? What fight?What reason do I have to fight with a kid?¡± She strode and stopped in front of Eugene. After looking at Mer derisively, she naturally stood beside Eugene. In an equal spot as Eugene, she met his eyes and furtively linked her arms with Eugene. ¡°You are gonna go to the ck Lion Castle, right?¡± ¡°What is up with you?¡± ¡°Has your arm gotten more muscr? Are you still doing that brainlessly hard self-cultivation?¡±She looked at Eugene¡ªno, Mer as she smiled with her eyes. And once again, she realized it. Mer wasn¡¯t jealous of Ciel in any way. Mer was a little girl. Unlike Ciel, she wasn¡¯tconsciousof Eugene. ¡®Uh¡­¡¯Shefelt so embarrassed after realizing that. Linking her arms with Eugene was nothing to be embarrassed about, but she felt like she was being yed by that little kid. ¡°¡­Ehem, hm.¡± Ciel cleared her throat. Afterreleasing Eugene¡¯s arm, she took a step back. ¡°Thereis no need for you to drag your feet, is there? Considering your temper, you wouldn¡¯t have refused¡­By the way, was the trip with Auxiliary Bishop Kristina fun?¡±She casually asked. ¡°You could call it that.¡± ¡°Really?It was fun to wander around some rugged backwoods, just the two of you? Just. You. Two? Pray tell, how was that fun?¡±Ciel squinted as she stared at Eugene.¡°Samar Rainforest doesn¡¯t even have a vige, let alone a city, right? Just trees and dirt everywhere. How did you sleep? Of course, you must have camped outside. No way¡­ did you use the same tent as her?¡± ¡°Stop fucking around.¡± Eugenelightly pushed Ciel¡¯s forehead as she was retorting.¡°Besides, why are you prying, Ciel?¡± ¡°I¡¯m your sister, so I have a duty to know about my brother¡¯s flighty rulebreaking.¡± The corner ofCiel¡¯s mouth twitched. On the other hand, Eugene¡¯s face crumpled up. ¡°You haven¡¯t be a flighty rulebreaker by any chance, have you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong, so don¡¯t say that.¡± Eugene stuttered. ¡°Whyyy? You are the one who taught me this disgusting wordy.¡± ¡°That is why I am sorry,¡± Eugene grumbled and turned away. Ciel followed Eugene as he hurriedly walked away as if he was running away.¡°Where are you going? Are you going to the warp gate?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the hunt begin in fifteen days? Why would I go already?¡± ¡°So you are going, huh?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± The Council Head could try to assassinate Eugene. If he considered that risk, it was better for him to not go and coop himself up in the main house instead. However, he would never find out the truth if he did that. ¡®Besides, there is Genos,¡¯Eugene thought. The ck Lion Knights were also participating in the hunt. The Council of Elders could not be trusted, but Genos could be trusted. ¡°Since you are herenow, rx and spend some days with Lady Anci.I heard you leftright away after you were done with your businessst time.¡± As he wasining, Eugenelooked at the strangely-shaped sword hanging on Ciel¡¯s waist. The sword was Vermouth¡¯s weapon, Phantom Rain Sword Javel. Eugene secretly wanted it, but couldn¡¯t get his hands on it. ¡°Isn¡¯t this cool?¡± Ciel asked sinceshe could feel Eugene looking at Javel. Beaming, she tapped on Javel¡¯s handle. ¡°I can¡¯t handle it properly yet, but I got pretty used to it.¡± ¡°That sword is hard to handle in the first ce.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± ¡°Ehem¡­ I can tell from its look. The shape alone looks like a pain in the ass.¡± Javel was technically a sword, but it was actually more like a whip. When Ciel swung the sword, it broke into hundreds of pieces that sprayed her opponents with an overwhelming wave of death. ¡°How is Cyan?¡± ¡°He is fine, though he looks tired.¡± Cyan hadn¡¯t returned from the ck Lion Castle. ¡°He is gettingtrained by the captains every day. Even today, he was being harassed by Sir Genos. Oh, he told me to deliver a message.¡± Ciel recalled. ¡°What did he say?¡± ¡°He says he¡¯s going to kill you if you don¡¯t participate in the hunt.¡± ¡°He can¡¯t kill me even if he tries to.¡± ¡°He¡¯s just saying that.¡± Ciel giggled and glued herself to Eugene. Mer, who was clinging to Eugene¡¯s arm, wriggled and climbed into Eugene¡¯s cloak. ¡®What is she doing?¡¯ She scowled, unable to understand what Mer was doing. A momentter, Merpletely disappeared inside the cloak. Ciel lifted Eugene¡¯s cloak in shock. ¡°Where did she¡­¡±she trailed off. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡±Mer answered, only sticking her head out of the cloak.¡°Would you like toe in, Lady Ciel?¡± ¡°She can¡¯t go in there,¡±Eugenemented. ¡°It¡¯s reallyfy here.¡± Mercheekilysmiled. Ciel frowned and put the cloak over Mer¡¯s head. ¡°You heard about Ewarding to the hunt, right?¡±Ciel¡¯s face turned serious. ¡°I seehe somehow managed to get permission.¡±Eugene smiled bitterly.¡°He didn¡¯t even get to have a Coming-Of-Age ceremony.¡± ¡°The Patriarchhad one hell of a time persuading people,¡±sheanswered with a sigh. ¡°Ewardhasbeencooped up in the house of Lady Tanis¡¯ parents forthree years already.The Patriarch thinks Eward did enough self-reflection¡­.and couldn¡¯t leave hisfirst sonlike that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s funny because he¡¯s being so obvious.¡± ¡°Yeah, I think so too. Cyan also thinks the same.¡± The next Patriarch was Cyan. Eward could conclude his introspection and return to the Lionheart n; however, the Patriarch sessor would never change. Eward¡¯s right of session was forfeited. ¡°Many coteral descendantsalso participate in the hunt. The Elders want to make it clear who the next Patriarch is. Something along the lines of ¡®although he did something so crazy that his rights to be a Patriarch got forfeited, Eward has more legitimacy as an heir.¡¯ It seems that he has been practicing magic even after he was sent away to think about his problems. But¡­you know how he is better than anyone else, right?¡± ¡°He can bust hisass all he wants for three years, but he won¡¯t be able to beat Cyan,¡± Eugene answeredwithout any hesitation. ¡°Of course, he won¡¯t. You are an adopted son and your ability is well-known¡­but not Eward.He is the first son andhis ability is unknown. That¡¯s why Cyan needs to prove to them that Eward is an overwhelmingly worse candidate than Cyan.¡± ¡°Eward was the one who said he will participate in the hunt.¡± ¡°Youdon¡¯t seriously think Eward really wanted to do that, do you? He is sooo timid. Lady Tanis must have forced him.¡± Eugene also agreed with Ciel. Seven years ago, he had met Eward for the first time. The fifteen-year-old Eward was¡­weak. He was a boy who had fallen deeply in love with magic. His eyes used to twinkle as he watched Lovellian use magic. Three years ago, Eugene had seen how pathetic Eward was in Aroth¡¯s Bolero Street. He was neen at the time, two years older than Eugene. ¡°Although I think three years is enough to change a person¡­¡± Eugene shook his head, clucking.¡°Eward isn¡¯t someone who will change, and his surroundings don''t help him one bit.¡± ¡°Lady Tanis isoverzealous,¡± Ciel said bitterly. ¡°Yes,for Eward to really change, he has to get out from behind Lady Tanis'' skirt. But he couldn¡¯t, could he?On top of all that, Eward has been controlled by Tanis in her parents¡¯ house for three years.¡± Tanis¡¯ ferocious look came to Ciel¡¯s mind, and it made her shudder.¡°Horrible.¡± If Anci hadn¡¯t witnessed what happened to Eward, she might have had be the same kind of mother as Tanis. ¡°Butwhere are you going?¡± Ciel asked asshe saw Eugene turning away. ¡°Forest.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s time for me to train,¡±Eugeneanswered casually. Ciel¡¯s mouth fell open.¡°Are you not going to y with me?¡± ¡°We can y while we train.¡± Shaking her head in disbelief, she followed Eugene. * * * ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry too much.¡± His mother was full of love. ¡°Idecided on my own. Yes, I know. They won¡¯t like me.¡± He understood that it was natural for a mother to love her son. The son was pathetic, but the mother loved him still. ¡°That gives me more reason to prove myself.¡± Beaming, Eward put down his tableware. His mother, Tanis, was tenderly smiling as she was sitting across from him. Eward liked his mother¡¯s tender smile. At some point in his childhood, his mother had stopped smiling like that. She always watched him with a dissatisfied look. Instead of smiling, the corner of her mouth twitched in anger. She didn¡¯t whisper any praise or loving words to her son; instead, she kept talking about a future her son never wanted and scolding him for not being up to standard. Everything happened because Eward was ipetent and did something wrong. After realizing that, everything had be simple. If he changed himself of his own volition, he could easily change the way his mother looked at him. ¡°Youare going todo well in thehunt.¡± Listening to his mother, Eward nodded. ¡°You are my son. My lovely son, Eward, you are the first son in the Lionheart family.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m your son, Mother.¡± ¡°Youaren¡¯table to bea Patriarch, but you are still my son.¡± ¡°Yes, you are right. That¡¯s a given from the start. I¡¯m sorry, Mother. If I hadn¡¯t made any mistakes, I would have be a Patriarch, just like you wanted me to be.¡± ¡°Eward, please don¡¯t call that a mistake. It¡¯s all my fault that you ended up doing something like that. If I had loved you more and tried to understand you more¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±Eward shook his head, smiling.¡°Your scolding made me who I am today.¡± ¡°Ah¡­thank you so much¡­for putting it that way¡­¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t treat me like that because you hated me. Your every action was out of love for me, too much love.¡± ¡°You will do well.¡± ¡°Yes, I will.¡± ¡°You are a greatchild, Eward.¡± Edward could feel his mother¡¯s love from her words. Keeping his bright smile on his face, he stood up. Warm, beautiful sunlight from outside the window warmed up the table. He smiled at the chirping birds outside. Today was a good day. ¡°I will get going now,¡±Eward said as he drew the curtain. Although he liked sunlight, his mother didn¡¯t.¡°Don¡¯t see me off.¡± ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t need me toe with you?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Please stay here and cheer for me.¡± ¡°My love will be with you.¡± When he exited after leaving the dining table, he could see servants standing in the hallway. ¡°Isn¡¯t today the day, Master Eward?¡± ¡°You will dowell, Master Eward.¡± Passing the cheering servants, he exited the mansion alone. His grandfather, Count Bossar, was standing outside. ¡°Oh,Eward. Are you going now?¡±Count Bossar asked. ¡°Grandfather¡­you didn¡¯t have to see me off.¡± ¡°Haha! How could I not?! My lovely grandson is finally going back to the world!¡± Although Eward looked embarrassed, he approached Count Bossar and hugged him. ¡°Thank you, grandfather.¡± ¡°Whatdoes it matter even if you don¡¯t be a Patriarch of the Lionhearts? What matters is whatyouwant to do, Eward. Ipletely respect your decision.¡± ¡°Thank you so much,so much.¡± After leaving his grandfather''s arms, Eward stood in front of the closed gate. He stared at it for a moment and turned back. Even though he had told her not to see him off, his mother was standing beside his grandfather, smiling at Eward. Dozens of servants working in the mansion had stopped what they were doing and came out to cheer for Eward. ¡°See yoter,¡±Eward said as he wiped away his tears, feeling touched. Chapter 134: The Preparation for the Hunt (3)

Chapter 134: The Preparation for the Hunt (3)

¡°They are not going to randomly drop us from the sky again, arethey?¡±Eugenecouldn¡¯t stop his mouth from blurting out this thought. ¡°Unlikely.¡±Ciel shook her head while straightening up the cor of her uniform.¡°If youwere going alone, maybe, but you areing with me. They won¡¯t just drop us from the sky.¡± ¡°What do you have to do with anything?¡± ¡°Do youhave any idea how much the knights and the elders in the ck Lion Castle adore me?¡± Ciel proudly puffed out her chest and bragged. While doing so, she nced at Mer, who was only sticking out her face from the cloak. ¡®Acunningfamiliar indeed.¡¯Ciel grumbled in her thought. It had been a week since she hade back to the main house, and Ciel could feel how much things had changed after she had left the main house for good.Previously,the servants and the knightsused tocall Ciel¡®mydy,¡¯ and put her on a pedestal, but now, Mer was the one treated that way instead. ¡®I know it can¡¯t be helped.¡¯ She thought that it was inevitable, since she had left the main house for good a long time ago. If she were to be honest, she was also aware of how unreasonable it was to wish that everyone treated her the same way as they did when she was young. She was an adult now. ¡°Do you need to follow him?¡± Signard asked from behind. Of course, he was asking Mer, who was inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. Signard remembered Sienna¡¯s childhood, which made him hold Mer very, very dear. She was the same as Sienna when she was a child, just like Signard remembered. Regardless of how he cherished Mer, Signard wasn¡¯t good at expressing himself. He couldn¡¯t openly dote on her, much less hug her like Anci did. Instead, he sometimes came up to Mer and handed her a couple of flowers when she walked across the forest. They were the flowers that Sienna liked since she was a child. Although the flowers weren¡¯t supposed to bloom in this kind of weather, they beautifully blossomed in the forest protected by the World Tree. ¡ªThank you! Whenever she received the flowers, Mer always smiled and said ¡®thank you.¡¯ ¡°Yeah, there is no need to follow him, is there? New clothes will arrive this afternoon¡­¡±Anci chimed in as if she waited for Signard to say so. ¡°No, I have to go with Sir Eugene,¡± Mer firmly answered.¡°I¡¯m having so much fun wearing pretty clothes with Lady Anci, eating delicious food with Sir Gerhard, and strolling in the forest with Sir Signard. However, I exist to help Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Oh my¡­You are talking so maturely¡­!¡± ¡®I thinkMother is mistaking something¡­ She just looks like a kid, but she is a familiar hundreds of yearsold,¡¯Ciel bitterly thought as she nced at Anci. No, that was why Anci liked Mer even more. Anci genuinely thought so. Since she had raised Ciel and her brother herself, she was well aware of how scary demons lived inside cute, lovely children. ¡°The warp gate is now connected,¡± the wizard who took care of the gate notified them. The path to the ck Lion Castle was opened. Eugene shoved Mer¡¯s head back into the cloak. ¡°Goinside. It¡¯ll be a damn nuisance if you fall out from the cloak while we warp.¡± ¡°Okayyy.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Cielsaid as she approached. She grabbed the edge of Eugene¡¯s cloak and swept it back ¡°I can¡¯t see the symbol if you wear the cloak like this.¡± Ciel poked Eugene¡¯s left chest, where a lion symbol was embroidered.Only the main family members could have the symbol on their uniform. ¡°They are going to be waiting for us at the entrance. You should be proud and show it to them.¡± Cielurged. ¡°It¡¯s not my first time.¡± ¡°But it has been a while.¡± ¡°Even so, aren¡¯t there only Gargith and Dezra?AndDeacon¡­I don¡¯t even remember his face.¡± ¡°There is one more.¡± Ciel sighed, pulling Eugene¡¯s arm. ¡°Eward.¡± ¡°¡­I seeyour nasty temper never changes. Do you want to pressure Eward by showing the lion symbol or something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s up to Eward on how to take it.¡± Ciel pouted. ¡°Ewardcrossed the line.He stained the name of Lionheart. Eugene, you see, I can¡¯t understand how Eward dares to participate in this hunt.¡± ¡°Lady Tanis pressured¡­¡±Eugene muttered. ¡°Eward isn¡¯t a child anymore, is he? No matter how strict Lady Tanis is, Eward also has a problem if he¡¯s still under her control.¡± ¡°We are not theinvolvedparty, so we can¡¯t speak for them,¡±Eugene grumbled as he wiped the lion symbol on his chest.¡°¡­IsEward already here?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°To be honest, it¡¯s a bit awkward for me to meet him. You may have also heard about it, but I beat the shit out of him three years ago.¡± ¡°Ewardshould be the one to feel awkward. That¡¯s why we need to go in confidently. So confident that Eward won¡¯t even be able to hold his head up high.¡±Ciel scowled at Eugene as she started walking.¡°I will go first, so follow me with confidence.¡± ¡®What does she mean, with confidence?¡¯Eugenedrylyughed, shaking his head. ¡°I didn¡¯tmit any crime.¡± Eward was the one who hadmitted a sin. ¡®Maybe the Council Head also did,¡¯Eughought as he smirked. Considering how the Council Head had gone through every kind of hardship the world had to offer, it was unlikely that he would get cold feet and be unable to make eye contact with Eugene. ¡®Wouldn¡¯t he rather ask me with a smile, ¡±Was your trip fun?¡±¡¯ Eugene took a few steps forward, and Doynes¡¯ faded gold-colored eyes crossed his mind. Since he had no reason to bow his head, he puffed his chest out and straightened his posture. Thus, Eugene walked forward. The usual feeling of being afloat overwhelmed Eugene when he stepped into the warp gate. Since he was warping to a faraway location, the feelingsted for a long time. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t fall from the sky likest time, would¡­¡¯Eughought. He didn¡¯t. As he exited the warp gate, he found himself standing firm on the ground. Tap, tap, tap. Eugene took several steps forward and bnced his wobbling body. ¡°Hmm.¡±He lifted his head up and looked forward. He could see the ck Lion Castle, which he hadst seen several months ago. The ck Lion Knight¡¯s gs were standing tall on every castle wall. Underneath the dozens of gs, a couple of people were waiting. ¡°Hey.¡±Cyan stopped leaning against the railing and approached Eugene. He was smiling, feeling good to see Eugene.Organizinghishair that had gotten disheveled during warp, Eugene stared at Cyan. ¡°What are youstaringat?Are you feeling great to see your brother again? It¡¯s only been a couple of months since west saw each other, you know?¡±Cyan excitedly asked. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Well, we had shared drinks and finished the ritual to be adults before you left. So I also feel the same as you, brother.¡±Cyan dramatically wriggled his upper lip as he spoke. ¡°¡­You.¡±Eugene also approached, frowning.¡°Speak after you cross your heart. Do¡­do you really think your mustache looks good on you?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying this as your brother. It doesn¡¯t suit you one bit. I get that you are excited since you¡¯ve be an adult, but why would you fucking grow that shitty mustache?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it cool though?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the pr oppositeof cool. Right now, I am fighting with a strong urge to tear out every single strand of that ugly hair on your upper lip.¡±Eugene held up his clenched fist right under Cyan¡¯s nose. ¡°Yeah¡­anyway, you aren¡¯t the one to be med, since you¡¯re stupid. If there is anyone to be med, it¡¯s you, Ciel. Why would you let your stupid brother grow that bullshit mustache?¡± ¡°I amalso really surprised right now, you know?¡± Cielshouted. She had arrived a few moments before Eugene and her fuse had clearly snapped already.¡°Cyan didn¡¯t have that weird mustache a week ago.¡± ¡°Then areyou saying that his mustache grew in a week? That doesn¡¯t make any sense. You don¡¯t havethatmuch body hair.¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯ve put on hair growth solution,¡± Cyan mumbled as he turned his head to the side.¡°I can at least grow a mustache, since I¡¯m an adult. In some countries, adult men have the right to grow a beard.¡± ¡°Itlooks ugly on you.¡± ¡°He said it looks good on me¡­¡± ¡°What kind of psycho said that mustache looks good on you? Where did you even get the hair growth solution in the first ¡ª¡± Thump. Hearing heavy footsteps, Eugene stopped talking and looked up.Abig man revealed himself from behind a high spire. Why was he standing on top of the spire? Why was he wearing a sleeveless top, which revealed arge part of his chest and his armpits, when he was at the top of the cold, windy mountain? Any person withmon sense would have asked these questions, but Eugene didn¡¯t bother. Common sense was altogether foreign to a guy who was willing to spend 300 million sal to buy a giant¡¯s testicle. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± ?Thud. Jumping down from the spire, a giant mannded upright on the ground, and as he did, Eugene was forced to look upward again. ¡­He was big. He had also been big three years ago, but now, he was a head taller.He was almost as big as Evatar of the Zoran Tribe. ¡°¡­You¡¯ve gotten bigger.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you, Eugene.¡± Gargith Lionheart smiled, and his healthy teeth were revealed below his voluminous mustache. It was hard to believe he was just twenty-two years old. ¡°Canyou see?¡± Wriggle. Every time Gargith raised his arms, Eugene could see his pectoral muscles wiggling through the gap of his embarrassing sleeveless top. ¡°The giant¡¯s testicle that we bought together has made my body more beautiful.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not beautiful.¡± ¡°I see youhaven¡¯t been cking off with your training. You are wearing a cool uniform, but I can see how diligently you trained your body.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you also wear that cool uniform, huh? And I would like you to put down your arms and not lift them anymore.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t want to see Gargith¡¯s armpits, openly revealed right before his eyes. ¡°Also¡­why didyou give Cyan the hair growth solution?¡±Eugene asked with difficulty. ¡°I saw Master Cyanlookingatmy beard enviously,¡±Gargith said, stroking his voluminous beard.¡°All men idolize this kind of beard. Of course, this beard suits me because my body is beautiful.¡± ¡°Cyan,I''m telling you before anything happens. I will kill you myself if you take any muscle enhancer from this bastard,¡± Eugene spoke in a fast tone afterturning his head to Cyan. ¡°Why?Ithink Gargith¡¯s body is pretty cool¡ª¡± ¡°How is it cool? It¡¯s just gross.¡±Ciel looked as if she had seen a most hideous object.¡°You were always like this, butyou are too gullible. You fall for really weird stuff. If you bulk up and grow a beard like that pig, I won¡¯t think of you as my brother anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a pig, mydy,¡± Gargithspoke. Maybe because of his childhood memories, Gargith was very respectful to Cyan and Ciel. Eugene just looked forward, ignoring Gargith who was unting his muscle after quietly approaching Eugene. ¡°Is she Dezra?¡± Eugene asked, pointing ata tall woman leaning crookedly against the wall. Her skin was nicely tanned and looked healthy, and she had long, slender limbs. She still had the same characteristics that Eugene had seen seven years ago. ¡°Hmm.¡±Gargith nodded as he stroked his beard.¡°She must be feeling shy,judging fromhow sheis keeping her distance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not here because I¡¯m shy, you idiot!¡±Dezra screamed after hearing Gargith¡¯s murmuring.¡°I¡¯m staying on guard against you guys!¡± ¡°Can it be called ¡®being on guard¡¯ when she actually said it out loud with her own mouth?¡± ¡°Although she pretends that she¡¯s not, sheisprettystupid. And she has a wicked heart to boot¡­¡± Cyan hadn¡¯t forgotten the time when he got humiliated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. At the time, Dezra had tried to ambush Cyan by approaching him after pretending to be a ghost. Thanks to her, Cyan had ended up shrieking in front of his younger siblings. ¡°Are you still misunderstanding me, Master Cyan?¡± ¡°What misunderstanding?! It¡¯s true that you tried to ambush me!¡± ¡°You¡­are right¡­¡± ¡°I am right?! You said I was wrong at the time?! How dare youlie to me!¡±Cyan yelled, his mustache trembling. Eugene paid no attention to the stupid argument, instead, he looked forward. Someone was standing on the rampart across from them. Eugene had never seen him¡ªbushy hair and a scraggly beard surrounding a face with droopy eyes. However, in spite of his overall easy-going looks, he clearly had a firm body. His posture was perfect, straight and sharp like a well-honed sword. ¡°¡­So he isHector.¡± ¡°How did youknow?¡± Cyan asked surprisedly. He had stopped grilling Dezra and turned back to Eugene. ¡°Have you met him?¡± ¡°No, I only heard of him.I¡¯m seeing him for the first time. If someone is that talented, I can recognize them instantly,¡± Eugene answered. As he stood still, Eugene¡¯s gaze met Hector¡¯s. After a few moments, Hector grinned and waved his hand at Eugene. ¡°¡­He is a famous oneamong the coteral descendants,¡± Cyan grumbled. ¡°Hehas been training in Ruhr for over ten years. He isn¡¯t even a citizen of Ruhr, but he still became an honorary White Fang Knight. The White Fang Knights are some of the best on the continent.¡± ¡°Anawesome rtive,¡±Eugene casually answered. ¡°You must be so happy because you don¡¯t have to worry about anything.¡± ¡°Why are you whining all of a sudden?Haven¡¯t you already gained enough guts to grow that shitty mustache?¡±Eugene smiled, pping Cyan¡¯s back. ¡°Are you feeling pressured by the fact that you have to do better than Hector in the hunt?¡± ¡°Nah, not really.¡± ¡°Not really,my ass. There¡¯s so much pressure on you I can almost feel it myself.¡± ¡°Why are you feeling pressured byHector?¡± Gargith asked, unable to understand the situation.¡°You must be mistaking something, Master Cyan. Hector is from the same Lionheart house as we are. Besides, this hunt is not about making the main house and the coteral descendantspete, is it?¡± ¡°I somehow envy the fact that your brain is made of muscle.¡± Cyan shook his head,chuckling. ¡°In some way, this hunt is a test for me, the next Patriarch. In addition to that, there are coteral family members who are participating in the hunt. Although there are few of them, they still volunteered. I think we can say that they will be leading the next generation of coteral families.¡± ¡°Really¡­¡± ¡°I have to get some respect from the coteral descendants as the next Patriarch.Let¡¯s say Hector does better than me. Then will the young coteral descendants like you or Dezra respect me or Hector more?¡± ¡°I willrespect both of you,¡± Gargith answered, wriggling his chest muscles. After nkly watching the bulging muscle wriggling for a moment, Cyan nodded with a bitter face.¡°Yeah¡­ Thank you¡­¡± ¡°Cyan,¡± Eugenespoke, looking around. ¡°Where is Eward? I heard he has already arrived.¡± When he mentioned Eward, Cyan¡¯s face crumpled up more. ¡°Ewardarrived three days ago. He was summoned by the Council of Elders on the first day, and he¡¯s shut himself in his room ever since.¡± ¡°Have you seen him?¡± ¡°We even said hi.I didn¡¯t really want to say anything, but Eward approached me first¡ª¡± Cyan stopped speakingand turned away, revealing clear hatred on his face.It wasn¡¯t just Cyan, Ciel also did. Although they weren''t as severe as Cyan and Ciel, Dezra and Gargith also looked sideways with uneasy faces. Wearing a big robe, a young man was approaching. He was Eward Lionheart. His ash-colored hair was tied into a ponytail. Underneath his forelock, his gold-colored eyes reflected off sunlight. ¡°Long time no see.¡±Eward faintly smiled at Eugene. Eugene suddenly felt as if Eward had changed a little¡ªno, a lot. The Eward that Eugene had seen in Aroth three years ago never smiled at him like that.At the time,a subus had sucked so much of his lifeforce that he looked as if he was ready to knock at death¡¯s door. The only smile of Eward that Eugene remembered was the empty smile he showed while wandering in the subus¡¯ dream. He had never shown a single smile other than that one. He had just leaked tears from his eyes and blood from his nose. ¡ªYou¡­ What the hell gives you the right to judge me? ¡ªYou, you have no idea. You¡ª! Ever since four years ago, everyone has been paying attention to you. Since you were adopted into the main family, fa¡ªfath¡ªthe Patriarch has been raining down support on you, so how could you¡ª?! ¡ªJust because¡­ you¡¯re innately talented¡­ it¡¯s impossible for me topare to you¡­! ¡ªI never wanted¡­ to be the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch¡­! ¡ªI¡­ I wanted to be a bl-ck wizard and go to Helmuth. In a ce like that, I¡¯d be free¡­, and my worth would be recognized¡­! ¡ªI never wanted to be the next Patriarch, and I never asked to be born as the eldest son of the direct line! I want to be free, to be able to do what I want to do¡ª. ¡°Ah¡­¡±Eward awkwardly smiled and scratched his cheek as Eugene stared at him. ¡°Have I acted¡­too friendly? I¡¯m sorry, you must be ashamed of me¡­ I know you would be, but I really wanted to say hello to you.¡±Eward was flustered, unable to continue speaking. As his arm flew around, his robe was lifted for a moment. There was no Lionheart symbol on Eward¡¯s left breast. ¡°Ciel¡­ Yes, long time no see to you too. I haven¡¯t met you since I left for Aroth. Haha¡­ It has been seven years since Ist saw you. You grew up a lot¡­¡± ¡°You changed a lot, too,¡± Ciel answered, unstiffening her face a little bit. She had also seen how Eward didn¡¯t have the Lionheart symbol that only the members of the main house were allowed to carry. ¡°Hmm¡­ Yes, I did change a lot. I had to. Seven years is a long time.¡±Ewardcleared his throat and straightened up his posture. ¡°You¡¯ve greeted me first,¡± Eugenesaid.¡°ActuallyIshould be the one who greets you first, Big Brother. I¡¯m younger than you.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who¡¯s older when ites to who greets first.¡± Eward shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s a relief to see you well.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡±Eward beamed. ¡®It doesn¡¯t look like he is being sarcastic,¡¯Eugene thought without saying anything. As he kept staring at Eward, thetter hurriedly added,¡°I don¡¯t me you for what happened in Aroth. I¡¯m rather grateful to you, Eugene.¡± ¡°Grateful?¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t knocked some sense into me at the time¡­ I would have still been trapped in pleasure-seeking at Aroth. Your punch¡­haha, it really hurt, but it was a valuable lesson to me.¡± Although he was stuttering, Eward didn¡¯t let his shoulders slump. ¡°Thanks to you, I am working hard now. It¡¯s all thanks to you.¡± Three years ago, Eward had only been at the Third Circle. Technically, Third Circle wasn¡¯t low. However, he had been personally trained by the Red Tower Master and other well-respected wizards. On top of that, he was the firstborn son of the Lionheart family. Such an achievement was far from enough. ¡®It seems that he hasn¡¯t been wasting his time¡­¡¯ Eward was at the Fourth Circle right now. ¡®He made progress, but¡­ No, my standard is too high.¡¯Eugene straightened his face and nodded.¡°Thank you for putting it that way.¡± ¡°Yeah, yes¡­ I really wanted to say that.¡±Ewardturned away, smiling. ¡°The wind is cold. Haha¡­I¡¯ll head in first. It¡¯s really exciting to meet my siblings¡­after a long time.¡±Eward walked away. ¡°He does have a conscience,¡± Cielquietly spoke as she watched Eward getting further away.¡°If Eward had embroidered the main family¡¯s symbol on his uniform, I would have said some pretty mean things to him. Wait¡­. You didn¡¯t give him a heads-up, did you, Cyan?¡± ¡°Why would I do that?¡± Cyan grumbled, stroking his mustache.¡°I haven¡¯t seen him carry the symbol since he first came to the ck Lion Castle.He can take a hint.¡± ¡°Butyou can¡¯t take a hint.¡± ¡°What did I do?¡± ¡°Go shave off your mustache.¡± Eugenechuckled and pped Cyan¡¯s back. Chapter 135: The Preparation for the Hunt (4)

Chapter 135: The Preparation for the Hunt (4)

¡°¡­Who are you?¡± Eugene asked. He was visiting the headquarters of the Second Division of the ck Lion Knights to meet Genos when he came across a woman he had never met before. Eugene had visited this ce several times to find Genos, but he had never seen her around. ¡°I¡¯m Genia Lionheart,¡±sheanswered,flipping her braid over her shoulder.Then, she squinted and bowed to Eugene slightly,veryslightly. ¡°Ah¡­you must be Sir Genos¡¯ daughter.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± She looked at him withhostility. ¡®Did Genos say something to her? He wouldn¡¯t have told her that I¡¯m his senior brother,¡¯Eugene thought. Eugene had repeatedly warned Genos to keep their rtionship a secret before Eugene left the ck Lion Castle. Besides, Genos also wouldn¡¯t want to go around and talk about this rtionship, especially not to his one and only daughter. ¡°Are you here tomeetmy father?¡±Genia asked, staying vignt. ¡°Yes, I am.¡± ¡°Can I know why?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any obligation to answer that question, do I?¡± She squinted in dissatisfaction at Eugene¡¯s answer. After scowling at him for a moment, she nodded and took a step back. ¡°SirEugene,¡±she spoke whenEugene walked past her. ¡°I will never lose to you.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°Never.¡± With these words,Geniawalkedaway.As she got further away, Eugene could see her tightly-clenched fists trembling in the white gloves. ¡°What the hell is shesuddenlytalking about?¡± Eugene grumbled and went on his way. Genos¡¯ door was closed when he arrived. Eugene would¡¯ve just gone in, but that was rude by any standard and there were too many eyes watching him, anyway. Eugene had no n to unt his seniority in public. Knock. Knock. ¡°Enter.¡± Genos didn¡¯t bother to ask who the visitor was. Clearly, he had already sensed who the visitor was. ¡°Long time no see.¡± Seeing Eugene, Genos rose up from his seat. Eugene stopped him and closed the door first. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Eugene answered and lifted his cloak. Mer stuck her head out, as if she had been waiting for him. Surprised, Genos stepped backward, causing his chair to flip. ¡°W¡ªWho is that child?¡± ¡°Go back inside.¡± Eugene pushed Mer¡¯s head back. Then, he raffled through the cloak and pulled out Akasha. ¡°Ah¡­So this magic staff is¡­!¡± Without paying much attention to Genos, Eugene grabbed Akasha. He took a look around the room, eyes wide open. ¡®There are only simple security spells. An intruder rm¡­conserving the wall¡¯s durability, and maintaining cleanness¡­. There are no surveince spells,¡¯Eugeneanalyzed. Akasha made its owner understand magic. Even if the magic was invisible to the naked eye, Akasha¡¯s owner could see through it as long as a magic form had been employed. Even if Eugene was unaware of the existence of a spell, he could still see through it while he was holding Akasha. ¡°Seems like you¡¯ve been well.¡± Lowering his guard, Eugene started the conversation. ¡°I expect my days have been better than yours, Senior Brother,¡± Genos answered with a smile. Eugene was seven years younger than Genia, Genos¡¯ daughter. Still, what did age matter? Although Eugene was so young that he could be called Genos¡¯ son, he was nevertheless Genos¡¯ savior, who had corrected the Hamel Style which had deviated from its origin over the course of hundreds of years. Eugene had found Hamel¡¯s grave and inherited the techniques of Genos¡¯ family. As the head of the family that inherited the Hamel Style, Genos had genuine respect for Hamel. ¡°Imet your daughter on the way over here, Junior Brother.¡± ¡°Shewas with me just now.¡± ¡°She seems to be very¡­hostile to me. You didn¡¯t talk about me to your daughter, right?¡± His junior brother¡¯s daughter¡ªthe title sounded very awkward to Eugene, but it seemed wrong for Eugene to refer to her casually. From the start, this brotherly rtionship was only between them. There was no reason for Genos¡¯ daughter, Genia, to get entangled in this rtionship. ¡°I would never do such a thing.¡±Genos shook his head, appalled.¡°You were the one who told me that we have to keep our rtionship secret. I haven¡¯t even told Master Cyan, although you told me that he has learned the same Hamel Style as you.¡± ¡°So¡­you are still using the Hamel Style for the name.¡± ¡°Of course, I have never toldGenia either. I don¡¯t even want to tell her, for that matter. If my daughter is looking at you with hostility, then she must be just jealous of you, Senior Brother.¡± ¡°Jealous?¡± ¡°She is jealous becauseshe has heard rumors about me favoring you, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene tilted his head in confusion, failing to understand his words. Genos continued. ¡°When you visited the ck Lion Castle a couple of months ago, we met several times and even sparred.Everyknightin theck Lion Castle knows about this.¡± ¡°Of course, they would know.¡± Eugenereluctantly nodded. ¡°On top of that,you and I used the same Hamel Style when we sparred.¡± The term ¡®Hamel Style¡¯ always made Eugene cringe. He thought that he would never get used to the word even if he heard it dozens or hundreds of times. ¡°TheHamel Style is only known to my family. You might be a member of the main family, but you aren¡¯t part of our family. In spite of that, you have used the Hamel Style, which made my daughter feel jealous.¡± ¡°She must have thought I became your disciple, huh?¡± ¡°Isaid no and I exined to her that I taught you a couple of Hamel Style techniques because you have a great gift for it¡­¡± ¡°If her temper is the way I just saw it, I think your daughter¡¯s fuse will snap if you say it like that,¡± Eugenecalmly answered. Genos nodded as he was in a tight spot. ¡ªI will never lose to you, Sir Eugene. ¡°Your daughter surely has one hell of apetitive spirit.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not bragging, but my daughter¡¯s strength was even recognized in Shimuin, a ce that is known to uphold chivalry. Since she isn¡¯t a citizen of Shimuin, she couldn¡¯t join the Twelve Finest, but¡­¡±Genos excitedly spoke. Although he said that he wasn¡¯t bragging, that sounded like bragging about his daughter in anyone¡¯s ears. Eugene cleared his throat and sat on an empty chair. ¡°Anyway, I have something important to tell you.¡± ¡°Is itabout the things you experienced in Samar?¡± Genos cautiously asked. Eugene nodded. He trusted Genos, but not enough to tell him the truth about the elven sanctuary and Sienna. He only believed in Genos as the senior brother who bonded with Genos over Hamel. That was why Eugene observed Genos carefully as he continued his story. ¡°¡­So theCouncil Head tried to¡­kill you, Sir Eugene?¡± Eugenefocused on the emotions visible on Genos¡¯ face. ¡°Idon¡¯t have proof. However, therewerenot manypeople who knew about me and Auxiliary Bishop Kristina going to Samar. Only three people¡ªthe Patriarch, you, and the Council Head¡ªknew about it among the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°There isa chance that the information leaked from the Holy Empire side. However, I can¡¯t figure out if that¡¯s the case. That¡¯s why I sent Auxiliary Bishop Kristina to see how things are there.¡± ¡°You are not doubting me?¡± Genosasked with a solemn face. ¡°Whatwouldyou gain by selling me out, Junior Brother?¡± ¡°Whatwouldthe Chief Elder gain?¡± Eugene had to be careful when answering Genos¡¯ questions. Genos didn¡¯t know that Great Vermouth¡¯s grave was empty, nor that Eugene had gotten approved by the Holy Sword. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± There was no reason for Eugene to rack his brain right now. ¡°That¡¯s why I can only give you circumstantial evidence. I really don¡¯t know.¡± Eugene shrugged. Genos didn¡¯t say anything. He just stared at Eugene. ¡°Since I doubt everyone, I can¡¯t trust anyone, can I? I can certainly trust the Patriarch, but he is at the pce right now. Therefore, I can only trust you, my junior brother. That¡¯s my conclusion. I don¡¯t know what you think about this, but I believe my tie to my junior brother is stronger than my tie to the Chief, since Sir Hamel was the one who brought me to you.¡± The ck Lion Knights followed the orders of the Council of Elders. Among them, the Council Head was the Immortal White Lion, an old monster who had been alive for over a hundred years.He had reigned in the ck Lion Castle even before Genos was born. As the eldest of the Lionheart family, he deserved respect, even without taking his martial prowess into ount. ¡°I don¡¯t want to believe your suspicion is correct, Senior Brother.¡± The Chief Genos knew was a living legend of the Lionhearts. ¡°Butyour suspicion is reasonable,¡±Genos answered with difficulty.¡°Since you said you don¡¯t doubt me, I¡­will keep an eye on the Chief¡¯s behavior in this hunt, Senior Brother. I don¡¯t really want to consider this possibility, but if the Chief tries to assassinate you¡­¡± Genos gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, unable to control his fury. ¡°As adescendant of the first ck Lion, the one that prosecuted people who didn¡¯t live up to the name of the Great Vermouth, I will bring the Chief to justice myself.¡± Genos respected Hamel because Genos was proud of his blood¡ªthe blood of the first ck Lion. Standing in front of Hamel¡¯s statue, Genos had shed tears. Although he had made up an excuse about whatever conjunctivitis, Genos'' tears at the time were genuine and out of passion. And after he and Eugene were done sparring, he had shed tears once more. It wasn¡¯t because he was humiliated by the fact that his senior brother, who was so young that he could be called Genos¡¯ son, had a moreplete form of the Hamel Style. Not in the slightest. Genos had burst into tears out of respect for Hamel¡¯s true heir. That was why Eugene didn¡¯t doubt Genos. ¡°Senior Brother¡­¡± ¡°I know.¡± Eugene nodded. He had already verified that the room wasn¡¯t bugged with surveince spells. He had also cast a soundproofing spell to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. In any case, since they had already finished the conversation and Eugene had received an answer,there was no usefor them to continue this dangerous discussion. Hearing a person¡¯s footsteps getting close to the room, Eugene put Akasha back inside his cloak. Knock, knock. ¡°Sir Genos and Eugene. It¡¯s me, Dominic. Are you guys in there?¡± Dominic Lionheart. Captain of the First Division of ck Lion Knights and owner of the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth. He also happened to be the grandson of Doynes Lionheart, the Council Head. ¡°Ah, you were in here indeed.¡± Dominheerfully smiled and reached his hand out to Eugene as Eugene opened the door for him. ¡°I heard that you returned from Samar.Good to see you looking healthy.¡± After lightly shaking each other¡¯s hands, Dominic winked at Genos. ¡°Did I interruptyour conversation? If I did, I apologize, but I had no other choice. The Chief is raining hellfire upon me to bring Eugene over.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Yes, right now. Is there any reason why you need to postpone?¡±Dominic asked, tilting his head. He was asking a question, but he wasn¡¯t exactly waiting for an answer. That was just his typical way of speaking. He was leaning against the opened door to prevent it from closing, so that Eugene could directly leave the room. He was clearly waiting for one thing: Eugene going with him that very moment. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugeneanswered, nodding. For a moment,Genos¡¯ eyes met Eugene¡¯s. However, he didn¡¯t offer to follow them. He also understood what an assassination was. Although it happened rarely, assassination was also one of the ck Lion Knights¡¯ duties. As the name suggested, an assassination happened secretly and in the dark, ending the target without letting anyone know who had ordered it. If Eugene died during the hunt, the one who had ordered his assassination could me monsters or demonic beasts. However, this ce was the ck Lion Castle. No monsters or demonic beasts roamed nearby. Assassinating people here was simply not possible. ¡°Youseem to be getting along with Sir Genos.¡±Dominic hummed while he led the way.¡°But SirGenos strongly denied it when I asked if you were his disciple.¡± ¡°He isguiding me in many ways asmysenior inmartial arts.¡± ¡°Asenior¡­ Guidance, huh¡­ Haha!I don¡¯t think you need a lesson from Sir Genos, though.¡±Dominicguffawed, looking back to Eugene. ¡°Of course, Sir Genos would have won if he put his heart into that sparring session. But you had an upper hand in that fight using your techniques.¡± ¡°The sparring wasn¡¯t fair. I thought a martial arts master like you would have noticed, Sir Dominic.¡±Eugene provokingly exined, but Dominic smiled as he nodded. ¡°Thank you forhaving ahigh opinion of me.¡± ¡°Sir Dominic,you are the Captain of the First Division of the ck Lion Knights.¡± ¡°The division number has nothing to do with the captain¡¯s abilities.Ididn¡¯t be Captain of the First Division because I was better than Sir Genos and Lady Carmen. That said, I have to say that your fight was truly bizarre. You guys didn¡¯t use mana, and it was clearly a friendly match. The way Sir Genos used his techniques wasn¡¯t as fierce as it would be in an actual fight. He just performed them with sincerity and ording to the theory.¡± Genos simply wanted to fight using the Hamel Style. ¡°Evenso, you used techniques that were far moreplex than Sir Genos¡¯. You also know where his techniquese from, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°The techniques of Great Vermouth¡¯s friend, theStupid Hamel. And you are the very person who first discovered Sir Hamel¡¯s grave.¡± ¡°Whatare you trying to say?¡± ¡°I am talking abouthow Sir Hamel¡¯s techniques have been passed down to every generation for over three hundred years.Isn¡¯t that cool?¡± ¡°Do you think I am Sir Hamel¡¯s heir?¡± ¡°If you want to deny it, I won¡¯t pry any further. But is there a reason for you to deny it? Inheriting Hamel¡¯s technique is not something to be embarrassed about.Didn¡¯t Sir Genos also recognize you?¡±Dominicsaid as he turned to Eugene again.¡°Eugene, you are trying to have too many secrets.¡± ¡°Secrets?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what happened to you in Samar, but I have a general idea. You went to find Lady Sienna, right? I really don¡¯t understand why you decided to handle such an important and dangerous matter only with Auxiliary Bishop Kristina.If you had asked for it, theCouncil Head would have ordered the elite ck Lions to escort you.¡± ¡°I believe a person should have a secret or two,¡± Eugene calmly answered. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°It¡¯s more fun that way.¡± Unable to answer straight away, Dominic stared at Eugene, blinking. ¡°Hahaha!¡± He burst intoughter.¡°You¡¯re right. There¡¯s a subtle pleasure in keeping secrets, isn¡¯t it?¡± Dominic stopped in front of the door to the round table room. ¡°But¡­do nottry to keep secrets in front of the Chief.¡± Without a single trace of a smile, Dominic turned back to Eugene. ¡°The Chiefthinks ofsecrets as treacherous threats, even if thosesecrets are justa boy¡¯s mischievous joke.Youmay already have felt this, but the Chief has been on guard against you ever since hefound out of yourexistence.¡± ¡°¡­Iunderstand.¡± Eugene quietly nodded. ¡°All the more reason not to keep secrets from the Chief.¡± Dominic warned Eugene once more as he opened the door. ¡°I will bear that in mind.¡± It was not a warning to be ignored.Bowing slightly, Eugene walked through the door. ~ Only the Council Head, Doynes Lionheart, was sitting at the round table, Seeing Eugene, he closed the book he was reading and put down the sses on his nose. ¡°Long time no see.¡±Doynes greeted Eugene, looking at him with a gentle smile.¡°Did you have a good trip?¡± ¡°It wasquite fun.¡± Don¡¯t y with secrets in front of the Chief. He kept the warning in mind, but that didn¡¯t mean he was going to follow it. ¡°The tripwas quite unique. If you are bored with your life in the ck Lion Castle, try going to Samar. You will never have a dull moment.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ It¡¯s a great suggestion, but I¡¯m too old to wander around in such backwoods.¡± Doynes chuckled, tapping on the table.¡°Did youget what you wanted?¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°This ce is located in the middle of the mountainin the South of the Kiehl Empire, but I have no problem getting the wind of rumors in the world. I know that you brought the elves to the Lionhearts¡­and I know what you went through in Aroth.¡± He was talking about Akasha. ¡°Why didn¡¯t youe with Lady Sienna?¡± ¡°She wished to stay,¡±Eugene answered, smiling.¡°She saidshe wille and find me when it istime.¡± ¡°So the elven sanctuary was real.¡±Doynes stood up.¡°I have lived for a long time, but Imust be a childpared tothe elves.The sanctuary is a paradise for those elves, and there is even the World Tree in its forest.¡­Haha, I wish to see that ce with my own eyes if possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll guide you someday if you want me to.¡± Eugene offered. ¡°I¡¯ll decline. Just like I said, I¡¯m too old now. I¡¯m okay with staying in this castle and forest, since they are like my home¡­but I¡¯m afraid to leave my sweet home, as old people do.My joints alsoache.¡± Doynes approached Eugene. He was the Immortal White Lion, an old man who had lived for over a hundred years. Although he said he was old, his gait was light. He stood in front of Eugene, looking so healthy that no one would believe his age. ¡°Did you encounterany danger on that fun, unique trip?¡± ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±Eugene answered without a flinch.¡°I fought with the natives several times, but that wasn¡¯t exactly dangerous.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a relief to hear.¡±Doynes grinned, patting Eugene¡¯s shoulder.¡°Great work. I¡¯m d to see you¡¯re back safely.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Sorry to summon you like this.I had no other choice, because I wanted to hear your story no matter what. If the Patriarch was present, we would have been able to speak more amicably.Haha¡­Talking to a much younger man than me is too much for me.¡±After tapping Eugene¡¯s shoulder a couple of times, Doynes stepped back. ¡°You are good to go. The hunt will begin in two days, so rest up.¡± ¡°Are you also participating in the hunt, Chief?¡± ¡°This is my home,¡± Doynes answered with a gentle smile. ¡°Asan elder,I have to guide the young onesso they don¡¯t go astray or fall into danger.¡± Chapter 136: The Preparation for the Hunt (5)

Chapter 136: The Preparation for the Hunt (5)

¡°It¡¯s really hard to meet you, maybe because you are famous,¡± a man spoke. As he was returning to the keep, the sun slowly set and the sky turned scarlet. Underneath the Lionheart¡¯s g, which was hung high, a shadow abruptly rose beneath a rampart. Eugene silently stared at the shadow. A man stepped out of it with an easy-going smile on his face. ¡°Hector Lionheart,¡±Eugene said. Hector slowly approached Eugene, holding out his hand for a handshake. ¡°I hope I wasn¡¯t being rude to the main family¡¯s son.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was rude.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t leave Hector hanging. As they briefly shook hands, Hector grinned. ¡°If I could do as I please, Iwould¡¯ve likedto say hello to you when you arrived a while ago,¡±hesaid.He was sitting on the rampart across from where Eugene was standing. The first encounter with Hector had been brief. They had met each other¡¯s gaze, smiled, and waved. That was all. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to y smug among young people just because I am a few years older than you. Besides, only the people who participated in the same Bloodline Continuation Ceremony went to greet you earlier, right? It would have been pretty awkward if I had been there.¡± ¡°I assume you havean interest in me, am I right?¡± ¡°Everyone does.¡± They let go of each other¡¯s hands. During that brief contact, however, Eugene could figure out many things about Hector. ¡®He¡¯s strong.¡¯ A martial artist¡¯s hands¡ªtheir stocky hands, their calluses, and the thickness of their joints¡ªsaid a lot about the martial artist.Depending on what kind of weaponsa martial artist used, their hands ended up taking a certain form. ¡°Weseemto be alittle bit alike,¡±Hector spoke, smiling. Eugene also agreed with him. Hector¡¯s hands appeared to be those of a swordsman,but also looked like a spearman¡¯s. In other words, his hands resembled Eugene¡¯s. ¡®It seems that he uses any weapons he can get his hands on.He also seems like a skillful hand-to-hand fighter.¡¯ His neatly refined mana control especially piqued Eugene¡¯s interest. People did say that Hector had been the most outstanding genius of the coteral families, and it didn¡¯t look like they were exaggerating. If Eugene hadn¡¯t shown up, Hector would still have been called the most outstanding genius of the coteral lines. ¡°Is that because we are both called geniuses?¡± ¡°That is one ofthe reasons.¡± Hector chuckled as he nodded.¡°Just like I said, anyone would be interested in you. People will be interested in you even if they aren¡¯t members of the Lionheart n. And if they are, all the more reason for them to be interested in you.¡± ¡°What do you mean when you say ¡®interest,¡¯ Sir Hector?¡± ¡°Hmm. I meana desire to win¡­and also in old curiosity.¡± ¡°What about jealousy?¡± Eughrew the question. Although he openly asked this in order to gauge Hector¡¯s reaction and see what he was nning in his head, Hector looked at him with wide eyes. ¡°Why would I be jealous?¡± Hector asked in shock. ¡°You have also been called a genius and won first ce in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.¡± ¡°Ah¡­right. I have walked a simr path as you, but I didn¡¯t get to be adopted by the main family like you did.¡± Hector nodded after he btedly understood what Eugene meant.¡°Me being jealous about that¡­ Hmm, I guess it could be viewed that way.¡± ¡°I apologize for my rude question.¡±Eugene bowed to Hector after taking a step back. When he did, Hector rather seemed baffled. ¡°No, don¡¯t apologize. I fully understand your situation. Well, it is embarrassing to say it myself, but many other people were jealous of me too, just like they¡¯re jealous of you.¡± It was inevitable. When a person was called a genius, other people became jealous of them in one way or another. ¡°I can¡¯t me you for thinking that way and staying on guard against me. But I am really not jealous of you. I am in awe of you, though.¡± ¡°In awe?¡± ¡°Yes, you are a really cool person. Although I said that you and I were alike, we are iparable, to be honest. When I participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, the main family members didn¡¯t participate. But how about you? Youpeted with not one, but three children from the main house, and you still won.¡± Hector¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to do what you have done, achieve what you have achieved since you were adopted.That is why I am in awe of you.Anyway, shall we walk? I don¡¯t have enough things to talk about that would require me to sit somewhere and talk over a drink.Besides,we stay in the same keep, so we are going to walk on the same path, aren¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Any topic can turn into a conversation.¡± ¡°Not sure¡­ I think forcing a conversation to continue causes a rtionship to worsen. Or do you mean that you have a lot of stuff to talk about with me?¡± ¡°Do you not have anything else to talk with me, Sir Hector?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been waiting for me?¡± ¡°I think Idid enough by waiting. A conversation isn¡¯t essential to exin how much I am interested in you. For no reason at all, I came all the way here to wait for you, and we are walking back together asI naturally talk about small things, without forcing a conversation.¡± Hector said nothing for a while, then suddenly broke intughter. ¡°My, my. I said it myself, but it is pretty embarrassing. You aren¡¯t getting any wrong ideas, are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m used to it,¡±Eugene answered as he thought of Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master. ¡°If you are thatinterested inme, why don¡¯t we try sparring a little?¡± ¡°No,I will decline. I am not the kind of person that volunteers to get humiliated.¡± ¡°I think you are too harsh with yourself.¡± ¡°Haha! Thank you for putting it that way, but I¡¯m nothingpared to you.¡± ¡°I havealso heard a lot about you, Sir Hector. You are an honorary knight of the White Fang Order, right?¡± ¡°That medal is truly nothing.Do you know how many White Fang Knights there are in Ruhr?There are at least five hundred of them, but how about your pass to Akron? Aren¡¯t there ten passes at most?¡±Hector guffawed, shaking his head.¡°From the start, an honorary knight title is honorary, just as the name suggests. My name is listed as one of the White Fang Knights, but that doesn¡¯t mean I am really a White Fang Knight. With your talent, I am pretty sure you would be an honorary White Fang Knight even faster than me.¡± Eugene was interested in the Ruhr Kingdom, but he wasn''t really interested in the White Fang Knights, the royal knights of Ruhr. ¡®No, would it be better if I became a White Fang to dig up news about Molon?¡¯Eugene wondered. Since he wasn¡¯t a citizen of Ruhr, Eugene would be an honorary knight at most. Just like Hector had said, the title was honorary. When would he ever be a member of Ruhr¡¯s royal family if he started at the bottom? ¡®I wish Cyan would just marry a princess of Ruhr,¡¯Eugene grumbled. The main family was considering numerous candidates to be Cyan¡¯s wife, and a princess of Ruhr was one of them. However, there was a problem¡ªshe had just turned ten. ¡°Hector!¡±Genia Lionheart suddenly called out for Hector from a window on an upper floor. She scowled when she saw Eugene and Hector standing together. ¡°You must be closetoher,¡±Eugene calmly spoke. ¡°We are meeting for the first time in years, but yeah, we are pretty close.¡± Genia stepped on the railing, then jumped over. Although she jumped from a pretty high ce, shended without making a sound. She strode toward Hector. ¡°Why areyou twoing together?¡±Genia asked. ¡°We met in the middle,¡± Hector answered. Sheclearlydidn¡¯t like his answer. With a fierce look, she looked back and forth between Eugene and Hector. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± ¡°Huh? Gowhere?¡±Hector bafflingly asked. ¡°You promised to spar with me!¡± Genia snapped, grabbing onto Hector¡¯s wrist. It seemed Hector didn¡¯t want to spar, but he didn¡¯t shake off Genia¡¯s grip. ¡°Will youe withus?¡± Hector turned back to Eugene while Hector was getting dragged away. Before Eugene could say anything,Genia pulled Hector¡¯s wrist even harder, frowning. ¡°I don¡¯t want to show him,¡±she said through gritted teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t show what?¡± ¡°Me sparring¡­ I mean, I don¡¯t want to show him my skills¡­!¡± Geniasaid so as quietly as possible. However, Eugene could hear their conversation crystal clear due to his keen senses. Watching the two with a bitter face, Eugene was having an inner conflict. If he could do as he pleased, he would¡¯ve liked to follow them. He wasn¡¯t interested in their skills one bit, but he wanted to pester them about watching their sparring session, precisely because Genia didn¡¯t want him to watch. ¡®If only shewasn¡¯t Genos¡¯ daughter.¡¯Eugene grumbled. He could understand Genia on some level. Besides, Genos would be in a tight spot as her father if Genia ended up hating Eugene any more than she did right now. In the end, Eugene took a few steps back, as if he was doing them a favor. ¡°Thank you for the offer, but I think I will have to decline. I¡¯m a bit tired, I¡¯ve been summoned here and there right after I arrived.¡± ¡°Summoned?¡± Genia raised an eyebrow.¡°My father didn¡¯tsummonyou, you just visited my father on your own.¡± Genia left, dragging Hector with her. ¡®It seemsshe really likes her father,¡¯Eugene thought as Genia and Hector got further away. Eugene turned the opposite way and returned to the keep. The hunt was due in two days. Unlike the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, attendance wasn''t mandatory and the event was held at pretty short notice.Despite that, many people from the coteral family participated, such as Gargith, Dezra, and Deacon. ¡®I don¡¯t remember anything about Deacon.¡¯ Seven years ago, there had been only two people who had caught a little bit of Eugene¡¯s attention during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony: Gargith and Dezra.Aside from them, there had also been several people from the coteral family, but they were a bunch of losers not worth remembering. ¡®If I have to remember¡­ I do remember a fat bastard.¡¯ His name was Hansen or something. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Deacon had been eleven at the time. Although he had been iparable to Gargith and Dezra, Eugene had heard that Deacon had achieved a pretty brilliant exploit. With arrows stuck in his body, he had marched forward without giving up¡­ However, he had gotten swallowed by a slime and ended up being rescued at the end. ¡®He is still better than the other losers,¡¯Eugene thought as he stared at Deacon, whom he had just met in the middle of the hallway. Deacon didn¡¯t make much of an impression even after seven years. His body had gotten quite big, yet he still had the face of an eighteen-year-old boy. ¡°He, hello¡­¡±Deacon stutteringly said his greetings and passed Eugene by as if he was running away. Eugene kept walking, but he could sense Deacon watching him from behind. When he nced back, he could see Deacon staring at him from far away. Deacon had also stopped walking. ¡°¡­Do you have something to say to me?¡± ¡°No, no. I don''t.¡±Deacon flinched, then shook his head. He turned back again and walked away at a fast pace. ¡°Hecks spirit,¡±Mer said as she stuck her head out of the cloak. After she nced at Deacon, who just kept walking, she hopped toward the door of Eugene¡¯s room. ¡°I think there are only two people whom you should pay attention to, Hector and Genia.Whatdo you think, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Why do I have topay attention to them?¡± ¡°Those twomight attack you on the order of the Council of Elder¡¯s Chief,¡± Mer spoke quietly after she and Eugene entered the room. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Chief will take matters into his own hands, considering his position. The ck Lion Knights are the knights who do the Lionhearts¡¯ dirty work in the first ce, right? On top of that, he is theChief.There will be plenty of men who will soil their hands on his behalf.¡± ¡°You may be right,¡± Eugeneapathetically said as he approached a window in his room. ¡°Just like you said, Hector or Genia may be the Chief¡¯s assassin. Or Deacon might be the one who tries to stab me in the back, much to everyone¡¯s surprise.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­that little boy who had no spirit?¡±Mer asked doubtfully. ¡°The best person to carry out an assassination is the one nobody expects.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Deacon. There were tons of people who would stain their hands on the Chief¡¯smand. Although Eugene couldn¡¯t tell if one of the ck Lions or another Lionheart participating in this hunt was one such person¡­ ¡®¡­Ireally don¡¯t think Gargith will be the assassin.¡¯ Maybe Eugene was trusting Gargith prematurely, but he really couldn¡¯t imagine Gargith trying to stab him in the back on the Chief¡¯s order. ¡®Maybe Dezra will be the assassin.¡¯ Eugene stood beside the window and looked outside. Dezra and Gargith were standing in the corner of a big gymnasium. Gargith was focusing on exercising his muscles, still wearing the top that offered an embarrassing view of his chest and armpits. Of course, the embarrassed one wasn¡¯t Gargith. A little further away, Dezra was practicing with her spear. ¡°¡­They areworkinghard.Doesthat man, Gargith,fightusing hismuscles?¡± Mer asked. ¡°No¡­ I think he used a greatsword if I remember correctly¡­¡± ¡°But why is heonly doing strength exercises instead of swinging a greatsword?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯m not sure¡­¡±Eugene turned away with a sour face. The only people in the gymnasium were Gargith and Dezra. Deacon had returned to his room, and Eward¡­ Eugene hadn¡¯t seen him after they said their hellos. ¡°It seems he cooped himself up in his room,¡± Ciel toldEugene as she let herself in Eugene¡¯s room. Quietly ring at Mer, who was rolling around on the soft bed, she continued.¡°From what I heard, he alsoeats in his room. I thought he became a little bit more sociable when he said hello to you first, but I guess he didn¡¯t change much.¡± ¡°I think he¡¯s better than he was when he was in Aroth.¡± ¡°Ican¡¯t really tell, but I think Father will like it when he sees Eward.¡± Cielsnorted.¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be possible that Eward is participating in this hunt because he wants Father to react?No, maybe that¡¯s what Lady Tanis wants. It would be awkward for her to say that she wants to go back to the main house now, so she is subtly revealing her desire to return by showing how much Eward has changed.¡± ¡°But the Patriarch can¡¯t make it to this hunt.¡± ¡°Yes, you are right. Father isatthe pce now¡­ Can I be honest?¡± ¡°Since when did youneed my permission to talk honestly?¡± ¡°I¡¯m d Father isn¡¯t at the ck Lion Castle right now. You may not know this, but do you know how many times Father had to lower his head to other people for Eward? Father consistently participated in the Council of Elders¡¯ regr meeting, asking them to forgive Eward.¡± Since she was seventeen, Ciel had been living in the ck Lion Castle. That was why she knew how hard Gilead had tried over the past three years. He often visited the ck Lion castle and attended meetings to defend Eward. ¡°Originally, Eward should have been disowned. Being disowned is a given, considering how he tried to learn ck magic despite being the first son of the main family. The only reason Eward didn¡¯t get disowned was that Father begged and begged to stop it from happening, saying he couldn¡¯t abandon his first son.¡± That was why Ciel hated Eward. ¡°He was the one who put Father in such a spot¡­ but Lady Tanis med Father instead, right? It¡¯s so absurd that it¡¯s not even funny. What did Father do wrong? Is it Father¡¯s fault that Eward is a wuss?¡± Cielfuriously asked. ¡°Umm¡­ He is not totally meless,¡± Eugene answered. Ciel scowled at Eugene. ¡°I mean¡­ It¡¯s true that the Patriarch was away from the main house a lot when you guys were children.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right, but Cyan and I didn¡¯t be idiots like Eward. Mother raised us well. The only reason why Eward became a fool is that Lady Tanis raised him wrong.¡± ¡°Ummm¡­. To be honest, I don¡¯t think you and Cyan would have be the mature adults you are today if I hadn¡¯te to live in the main house.¡± ¡°Speak for Cyan, not me!¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± ¡°Anyhow, I can¡¯t tolerate this. Along with Eward, Lady Tanis should also humbly apologize to the Patriarch if they really want to return to the main house.¡± ¡°Then, can theye back if they apologize?¡± ¡°Why would I stop them?¡± ¡°Lady Anci may hate it.¡± ¡°Ha!¡±Ciel snorted, shaking her head.¡°Do you think Lady Tanis will be a match to Mother just because she returned to the main house? The servants in the house are loyal to Mother, they already consider Mother as the sole mistress of the Lionheart n. You don¡¯t know this, but it has been this way for a long time. They treated Lady Tanis as their master only because she is the first mistress.Motheris considered to be better than Lady Tanis when ites to managing n affairs.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know¡­¡± Eugrailedoff. ¡°You don¡¯t know the situation. No matter what kind of method Lady Tanis uses, she will never be respected in the same way she used to be. That also applies to the hunt that will take ce two days from now. The current situation will never change no matter whatEwarddoes inthe hunt.¡±Ciel¡¯s eyes narrowed.¡°He¡¯s still Eward. Of course, I¡¯m not lowering my guard. This is why Cyan is still training without returning to the main house. I¡¯m going to do overwhelmingly better than Eward.¡± ¡°You are at an advantage. You must have hunted demonic beasts several times in this ce, right?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten deep into the forest yet, though¡­¡± Ciel murmured. Her shoulders twitched as she suddenly realized something. She had a powerful advantage¡ªexperience. There were no demonic beasts in other areas; not in Aroth, the Nahama Dessert, or the Samar Rainforest. ¡°Hehe.¡±Ciel grinned as she stared at Eugene.¡°You must have met many monsters, but you haven¡¯t met demonic beasts, right? Do you know this? Monsters and demonic beasts look simr, but they are entirely different creatures. Monsters be violent because they are affected by demonic energy. Meanwhile, demonic beasts are born from demonic¡­¡± ¡°Pfft¡­¡± Mer tried to hold herughter. ¡°...That is why their existence alone is ominous. Even a low-ranking demonic beast has a magical ability, unlike monsters¡­¡± Ciel ignored Mer and continued. ¡°Hehe¡­¡± Mer washaving a really hard time holding herughter. ¡°¡­What I¡¯m saying is¡­ It will be dangerous for you to roam around alone.The ck Lions are apanying you, but since you are the main family¡¯s son, you have to be able to hunt alone and get achievements.Don¡¯t worry too much. Unlike you, your sister here has a lot of experience in hunting demonic beasts, so if we stick together¡­¡± ¡°Ha¡­ Hahaha!¡±Mer finally broke intoughter. ¡°Why areyou keepughing?¡± Cielturned to Mer, crumpling her face. Burying her face in a pillow, Mer was lying and pounding on the bed with her legs. ¡°It¡¯s¡­not¡­nothing,¡± Mer answered, halfcrying.She knew Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel, so she naturally found Ciel¡¯s boasting unbearably funny. An expert in hunting demonicbeasts? There wasn¡¯t a better expert than Eugene in the whole continent. ¡®¡­Whatis up with her?¡¯ Since Ciel had no way of knowing that, she had no idea why Mer wasughing at her. Although he wasn¡¯t being obvious as Mer, Eugene was desperately holding in hisughter. ¡°What isup with you too?!¡± Cielshouted after seeing Eugene¡¯s annoyingly twitching cheeks. ¡°No¡­nothing¡­ Yes¡­ You are cute, very cute. Yeah, I¡¯m counting on you, Ciel. I don¡¯t know much when ites to demonic beasts, I will trust you, who knows about demonic beasts¡­better¡­better than¡­better than me¡­¡± ¡°Why are youughing?!¡± Ciel could feel that she was being mocked, and she had no idea why. Chapter 137: The Preparation for the Hunt (6)

Chapter 137: The Preparation for the Hunt (6)

Two dayster, dawn found most people in the ck Lion castle getting busy. Monster hunting was just an annual task, not much of a special event at all. However, this hunt was rather different from the previous ones. Not only were there people participating who were not members of the ck Lion Knights, but there were even two young lions who hadn¡¯t even had their Coming-Of-Age ceremony. ¡°The Council of Elders will stay at the Red Boulder.¡± Genos visited Eugene before the crack of dawn to tell him about the hunt. ¡°It is unprecedented for the Council of the Elders to leave the castle during demonic beast hunting. The Council of Elders has never been involved in the hunt, at least, not after I joined the ck Lion Knights.¡± ¡°But they are not going to run around andhunt demonic beasts themselves, right?¡± ¡°You are right.¡±Genos nodded and pointed to a map he had brought. ¡°Unlikest year¡¯s hunt, this hunt also serves as a test for the young Lionhearts.¡± The Us Mountains were vast, but demonic beast habitats throughout the mountain range were thoroughly restricted. This was only natural; just as Ciel had said, demonic beasts were not like average monsters at all. The origin of monsters had been exined by wizards long ago, but it was still a regr topic of conversation. Monsters were originally normal animals that were affected by mana and ended up mutating. It wasn¡¯t difficult to figure out which monster was rted to which animal. In other words, a pet dog, a wild wolf, and a Monsterwolf weren¡¯t so different in nature. It also applied to human-type monsters¡ªorcs, goblins, ogres, and trolls. Although countries like the Holy Empire would never admit it, the Magic Society of Aroth imed that humans and human-type monsters had the same ancestors. Still, the Magic Society only consisted of a few thousands of people. Perhaps the number of people who believed in this wasn''t the problem; instead, there was a deeper problem that needed to be addressed.Who wouldjust simply nod when they were told that orcs and goblins were humans¡¯ rtives? Demonic beasts, unlike monsters, had zero connection with any animals or humans.Somelooked likeanimals, monsters, or humans, but their nature was quintessentially different. Namely, demonic beasts were born from demonic energy. It wasn¡¯t possible to interbreed a demonic beast with anything else.In other words, only demonic beasts could give birth to other demonic beasts. Their ominous birth gave them ferocious power, and their power was iparable to monsters in terms of both quantity and quality. The power resembled magic, but demonic beasts didn¡¯t require magic forms. As if they were magic forms themselves, they used up their powers to perform magic-like attacks. ¡°The demonic beast habitat starts beyond the Red Boulder. The farther you go inside the forest, the more demons will appear. They will also be stronger as you go in. Although a test should be strict¡­ we can¡¯t just let young people die.¡± As he talked, Genos pulled out a pen and drew circles here and there on the map. ¡°Right after this hunt was nned,the Sixth Division knights pulled an all-nighter to release ¡®eyes¡¯.¡± Magic eyes would transmit footage of what was happening in the forest to the post right away. ¡°All captains, including me, have received orders from the post. We are going to pave the road for the young lions, so they will not encounter any danger beyond their abilities to deal with.¡± ¡°Whatabout ordinary ck Lion Knights?¡± Eugene asked as he tilted his head. ¡°They will hunt the same way they do every year. After all, this is a normal yearly activity for them. The only things that are different in this hunt is that there are special guests and a more troublesome hunting method.¡± Continuing with his exnation, Genos moved his pen. ¡°The ck Lion Knights are going to head to the center of the forest by the shortest route. We aren¡¯t going to deal with the small fries. The ones we are going to deal with first are the monsters that block our path on purpose.Do you knowwhat a demonic cave is, Senior Brother?¡± ¡°I do.¡±Eugene nodded. ¡®Did he learn about it inArothor in the main house?¡¯Genos didn¡¯t pry about why Eugene knew and how much he knew. ¡°Ademonic cave is a demonic beast¡¯s nest. More urately, it¡¯s a source that generates demonic energy, resulting in demonic beasts staying in the nearby area.¡± ¡°What else is in that ce?¡±Eugene asked, ring at the map. Although he had heard about demonic beasts being let out into the forest, he could tell how wide the area was when he looked at the map. ¡°What did you guys use to control this many monsters, oddstones? Cursed relics? Or did they go wild and draw a ck magic circle?¡± Magic stones were basically pieces of solidified mana. They were usually found inside monsters or ces where mana stagnated. Oddstones were simr to magic stones in that they were lumps of demonic energy. Just as magic stones were used for mana training, oddstones were used when ck wizards cultivated themselves. Cursed relics were different from oddstones in that they were items intentionally imbued with abundant demonic energy. A low-ss cursed relic wasn¡¯t worth much, but a high-ss cursed relic generated demonic energy on its own. Things that could be ssified as high-ss cursed relics were Incarceration¡¯s Staff, Belial¡¯s Bloody Mary, or Demon King weapons like the Demon Spear Luentos or the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth. ¡®The radius of this demonic beast habitat is ridiculous.¡¯Eugene red at the map with squinted eyes. He would have understood it if this ce were Helmuth, but this was the south of Kiehl. On top of that, the forest was in such a lively mountain range, and yet the demonic beasts¡¯ habitat was this wide? ¡°Weused all three of them.¡±Genos answered Eugene¡¯s question with a bitter smile. ¡°Using cursed relics and oddstones as catalysts, we carved a ck magic circle deep inside a demonic cave. This hunt is to control the demonic beasts¡¯ poption, but it is also to manage the magic circle at the center of the forest.¡± Dangerous. The word crossed his mind, but Eugene left it unspoken.Thiswastheck Lion Castle. One of the continent¡¯s best knightly orders lived here. On the off chance that magic overload urred, resulting in arge influx of demonic energy,theinhabitants ofthe ck LionCastleweremore than capable of bringing the chaos under control before a demonic beast invasion urred. ¡®The world really changed,¡¯Eugene thought. He clicked his tongue and leaned back on his chair. The reason why demonic beasts were at the loose in the ck Lion Castle forest was that they were used to train knights. It would have been absolutely uneptable in Eugene¡¯s past life. However, three hundred yearster, it had ceased being wrong, or even umon for that matter. Infact, other famous knightly orders often trained their members using demonic beasts as well. This kind of training helped the knights prepare for realbat, and it wasn¡¯t like it was a big deal if the knights killed the beasts. ¡®From what I heard, some tribes in Samar even nurture demonic beasts.¡¯ Furthermore, demonfolk were also sold as ves at the Bolero Street in Aroth. Whenever Eugene saw such reality, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of ipatibility. This was one of these moments. ¡°So¡­we are going to wear a bracelet?¡± Eugene asked,dumbstruck. ¡°Yes, you are.¡± ¡°Every timewecatch a demonic beast, it will be recordedbythe bracelet¡­and the people at the post will check it?¡± ¡°There is already a bet going on amongthe knights,¡± Genosanswered as he shrugged.¡°The bet is about who will catch the most demonic beasts. Unsurprisingly, most people picked you, Senior Brother. Some also picked Hector. Anyhow, picking who will get first ce doesn¡¯t work because the odds of you winning are just too high. That is why everybody is honing in on who wille in second ce.¡± ¡°Who did you bet on, Junior Brother?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Who do you think?¡± ¡°Your daughter?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. ¡­Ah, please keep this a secret from Genia. She would obviously get angry as to why I didn¡¯t bet on her getting first ce.¡± ¡°¡­We are not that close enough totalk about such stuff.¡± Eugene cleared his throat. He was hiding his difort of making demonic beast hunting intopetition while wearing bracelets that recorded the head count. ¡®Why are young ones nowadays treating demonic beast hunting as a joke?Well¡­ this ce isn¡¯t Helmuth, though,¡¯Eugene thought. With a bitter face, he nodded.¡°I guess there are some peoplewho are betting on Eward, right?¡± ¡°There are some crazy youngoneswhoare betting against the odds, trying to get a higher share.Umm¡­ Most people think Master Eward or Deacon wille inst.¡± People¡¯s assessment about Eward was disastrous, considering that Eward was the main family¡¯s first son.However, Eugene¡¯s opinion was not so different from theirs. A total of nine Lionheart youngsters participated in this hunt. Among them, Hector was strong enough to be an honorary knight of the White Fang Order. Genia was talented enough to bepared to Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. ¡®No need to even mention Cyan and Ciel. I¡¯m guessing Gargith and Dezra will probably be in the lower ranks, butthat¡¯s mainly due to other participants being too strong.They are not badif I only consider their skills.¡¯ Deacon was the one who overwhelminglycked skills. ¡®In fact, Eward¡­isn¡¯t too ipetent when ites to skill.¡¯ Eward was at the Fourth Circle of magic. Fourth Circle wizards were treated with respect everywhere. It was just that Eugene just had a very high standard; he had already surpassed the Fourth Circle when he was eighteen, and Eward was twenty-two this year. ¡®Circles aside,there is no way Eward has realbat experience.¡¯ Deacon actually could turn out to be better than Eward when it came to realbat. ¡°A location tracking spell is also engraved into the bracelets. Your locations will be ryed to me and other captains in real time.¡± ¡°Just like the old times,¡± Eugene murmured, nodding. He had worn a simr bracelet during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. ¡°I won¡¯t stay far away from you, Senior Brother. If any dangeres your way, I will step in right away.¡± Genos stopped talking for a moment and shook his head. ¡°Although I can¡¯t really imagine the Council Head¡ªno, anyone will try to assassinate you in these circumstances.¡± ¡°Maybe it will be easier to assassinate me precisely because of these circumstances,¡±Eugene answered, chuckling.¡°Theyknow my exact location at all times during this¡­ hunting game.¡± From this perspective, it was indeed the perfect time to assassinate Eugene. ¡°A game¡­¡±Genos murmured with a bitter smile. He certainly also thought that this hunt had more game-likeponents than the previous ones. ¡®¡­Maybe¡­if they are confident in their ability,¡¯Genos thought. Eugene could be assassinated at any moment, and he was treading on the home ground of a person that could have been behind the previous assassination attempt. However, he was unperturbed. Genos had felt this before, but he really couldn¡¯t believe Eugene was a twenty-year-old man, basically someone who had just be an adult. He felt that even more when Eugene was in the same room with those of his age. ¡®¡­They are nervous,¡¯Genos thought. People had already finished building the facilities necessary to make the Red Boulder function as a post. Genos looked forward with squinted eyes. Including Eugene, nine people stood in line. With white bracelets on their left arm, they stared at the forest in front of them, which sunlight hadn¡¯t yet reached. ¡°Don¡¯t be too afraid.¡± Doynes, the Head of the Council of Elders, spoke with a grin.¡°Theyare called demonic beasts, but for all intents and purposes, they¡¯re just monsters that are a bit more annoying. If you are a true Lionheart, you shouldn¡¯t fear mere demonic beasts, since our ancestor is the Great Vermouth Lionheart.¡± While Doynes spoke rxedly, Deacon¡¯s shoulders were noticeably slumped. Eward stood beside Deacon with a surprisingly calm look on his face, but the tips of his fingers were faintly trembling. Deacon and Eward weren¡¯t the only people who feared the unknown. Gargith swallowed hard, and Dezra took several deep breaths. ¡°Theideais simple.¡± Doynes pointedto Cyan¡¯s wrist. Cyan had been trying to maintain hisposure, but as he was being unexpectedly pointed out, he flinched in surprise. ¡°I thinkthe people standing in front of me will definitely be leading the next generation of the Lionheart n. Since those promising young people are gathered here today¡­won¡¯t it be more fun to mixpetition and game, if we are going to do it anyway?¡± Doynes fixed his eyes onCyan. Cyan just took it as Doynes paying extra attention to the next Patriarch. ¡°I¡¯m telling you this beforehand, but there is no reward.¡±Doynesughed as if he was joking.¡°I¡¯m serious. No matter how many monsters you kill, we don¡¯t have any valuables we can give you as rewards.I¡¯m guessing it doesn¡¯t matter, since we are doing this hunt annuallyin the first ce¡­and you guys are voluntarily participating, right?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want any reward,¡±Genia answered.She andHector weren¡¯t showing any sign of nervousness. ¡°I just want to provehow much I¡¯ve improved. That is whyI am participating in the hunt.¡±Genia spoke while tantly staring at Eugene. ¡°You want honor.That is also a goodmotivation.¡± Doynes nodded, grinning. Honor.When Eward heard this word, his eyes shone. The tips of his fingers were no longer trembling. ¡°Well.¡±Doynes stepped aside.¡°We don¡¯t need a ¡®get set, go,¡¯ right? The way to the forest is already open. If you go a little further in, you will encounter hungry prey.I¡¯m just saying this out of concern, but be careful, soyoudon¡¯t be prey.¡± There were no rules in this hunt. If the participants wanted topete, they couldpete. They were also able to form a group if they didn¡¯t want topete. They were even allowed to not go in if they didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Will youewith me?¡± Hector offered. However, Genia coldly declined.¡°No way.¡± She strode forward, but then stopped and turned toward Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m not going to lose.¡± She blurted out the same words as before, then sprang forth to the forest. Hector dryly chuckledas he watched Genia get further away. ¡°So¡­then¡­does anyone want toe with me? I am going, but I would like someone to apany me. I don¡¯t want to feel lonely.¡± Deacon was the one to react to Hector¡¯s offer. After hesitatingly looking around, he approached Hector. However, the two of them were the only ones to form a team.Others had no intention to do so. Just like Genia had said, everybody wanted to prove themselves in this hunt. Their young passion led them to step forward. ¡°¡­Are you going to be okay?¡± Cyan askedEward.¡°It seems this hunt will be difficult for you, considering your ability.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ Thank you for worrying about me,¡±Eward answered, beaming.¡°I will beokay. The forest is definitely dangerous, but it won¡¯t threaten my life.¡± Eward nced at the Chief, but Doynes stayed quiet, only a faint smile on his face. ¡°Besides¡­ This hunt is like the Coming-Of-Age ceremony that I didn¡¯t get to have, so I can¡¯t receive your help, brother. I have to do this on my own.¡± There was firm determination in Eward¡¯s whispers. Cyan lookedsomewhatbewildered; it seemed that he hadn¡¯t expected Eward to say such a thing. ¡®Everythingwill be okay,¡¯Cyan thought as he looked back. Aside from the captains, the ck Lion Knights were already in the forest. The captain of the Third Division was at the main estate, so only five captains were currently at the ck Lion Castle. Among those five, the captain of the Sixth Division was going to stay in the post to manage the magic transmission. Still, four captains were going to supervise this hunt by receiving signals from these bracelets, so there wouldn¡¯t be any casualties. ¡®¡­Now isnot the time to be worrying about others,¡¯Cyan gloomily thought. Cyan could see Eugene just standing there, rxed. He hadn¡¯t even left for the forest yet. ¡®Although he didn¡¯t have to,Hectordecided to carry a burden.¡¯ Cyan had a lot riding on this hunt.ThePatriarchhad to always be careful when they made their move. ¡®¡­Prove how much she improved? She was so condescending, babbling away like that¡­ and what did she say? She¡¯s not going to lose? She should have said that stuff to me, not to Eugene.¡¯ Cyan gritted his teeth and marched forward. ¡°I have something to tell you.¡±Ciel lowered her voice as she leaned against Eugene. She also hadn¡¯t left yet. ¡°Actually, I wasn¡¯t going to tell you, but it bugged me not to tell you when I told Cyan.¡± That wasn¡¯t the only reason. Ciel had waited for Eugene toe to his senses and request her to join him before they departed to the forest. ¡®¡­You are never going toask for mypany.¡¯Cielthought. She was certain when she saw the look on Eugene¡¯s face. That annoying prick would never ask her something like that. ¡°Listen carefully. I am telling you this because I am worried about you. If you enter without¡ª¡± ¡°There will beDizzyLumps,¡±Eugene indifferently interrupted her. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°There will be Dizzy Lumps, am I wrong?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ Uhhh¡­ No, you are right¡­¡± ¡°I thoughtthey divided the sectors manually. Well, it sure makes their work easier if they released Dizzy Lumps in the forest.¡±Eugene grumbled as he walked toward the forest¡¯s darkness. Dizzy Lumps were a type of demonic beast. Covered by the darkness, they crept along the forest paths, causing the vision of their prey to blur and its senses to fail. After taking away the prey''s senses, the Dizzy Lumps caused it to lose strength by making it wander through the forest. Then, the Dizzy Lumps opened their mouths wide in the dark and led the unassuming prey in. ¡°How did you know?¡± Ciel askedas she followed Eugene. Eugene snorted.¡°I know one when I see it.¡± There were several inconsistencies he had noticed. First of all, the density of the darkness covering the forest was inconsistent.Secondly, theedgeof the darkness wasundting like a sea wave. Finally,within the scent of the green forest, he could sense a trace of a different smell. ¡°¡­You know one when you see it?¡±Ciel shook her head, unable to understand him. Favorite Chapter 138: The Hunt (1)

Chapter 138: The Hunt (1)

The somber forest smelled bloody, yet had a smell that Eugene had missed. Ciel, who had been following Eugene, was nowhere to be seen now. He couldn¡¯t even see the people who had entered the forest before him. He took a look around. Ten minutes had passed since he had entered the forest after passing the Red Boulder. However, Eugene felt as if he had been inside for longer than that. The forest was so dense that it looked as if he had already reached the center. In a forest like this, he had to be wary of these kinds of illusions. Eugene felt something different in the air, something that seemed to stick to his airways every time he breathed. It wasn¡¯t mana or a primal spirit. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a sweet old memory.¡± Three hundred years ago, Helmuth had been a terrible hell, but Hamel had gotten most of his good memories precisely in that terrible hell. He had lived half of his past life in Helmuth. As a survivor of a monster attack, he had spent his teenage years as a mercenary, blindly trying to get revenge. Thus, he had little to show in terms of good memories; if he really had to pick something, it would be the memory of his first murder, or maybe the first time he had finished a quest on his own. ¡®I guess I can¡¯t really call those things memories to reminisce about.¡¯ Eugene smirked as he took a step forward. As if it had been waiting for him, something popped up from underneath his feet. It was an ambush, but the signs were obvious. Whoever failed to avoid this obvious ambush clearly had some sort of problem. Thump!Using the step forward as momentum, Eugene kicked the attacker. The thing that had tried to drag Eugene into the shadow was a scrawny ck hand. ¡°Wow¡­¡± Eugene smiled as he lowered his body. Seemingly flustered, the ck hand crawled toward the darkness. However, Eugene¡¯s hand was much quicker at catching it than the ck hand was at escaping. ¡°This really reminds me of the old days.¡± The thing he had just dragged out of the darkness looked nothing like a monster, much less a demonic beast. At the end of the scrawny arm was a bumpy lump of flesh. When he waved it in midair, a slit appeared on the lump of flesh, revealing sharp teeth. ¡°Yuck,¡± Mer said as she stuck out her head from the cloak. When she saw the Dizzy Lump, the monster swinging in Eugene¡¯s hand, her face twisted into a frown. ¡°It looks so gross. How can you just grab that with your bare hand and shake it?¡± ¡°It¡¯s like catching cockroaches.¡± ¡°Do you think anyone can rte to that?! Why in the world would you catch a cockroach with bare hands?! You can use tools or magic! No, wait, a situation where a cockroach appears in front of your eyes is wrong in the first ce!¡± Disgusted, Mer shook her head. It seemed quite natural for her to loathe something this disgusting, considering her appearance and mental age. However, Mer¡¯s loathing was rooted in the fact that this thing was a monster; it had little to do with its appearance. ¡°You aren¡¯t gonna eat it¡­ right?¡± ¡°Why would I?¡± ¡°The hunt continues for four days.¡± ¡°Even if the hunt continued for four months, I wouldn¡¯t eat a monster. Besides, their meat is so poisonous that no one can eat them except high-ranking priests.¡± Eugene grumbled and infused mana in the Dizzy Lump. ?Pzzz!There was no need for him to cast magic or use sword-force. Just letting his lightning-infused mana into the Dizzy Lump was enough to kill it and distort its body. ¡°Besides, we have plenty of food inside the cloak. There is no need for me to eat this disgusting monster meat.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a relief. I don¡¯t even want to call this a living thing, but I really don¡¯t wanna tolerate this disgusting, detestable, and grotesque trash bing a part of you after it reaches your stomach through your mouth,¡± Mer spoke. Her tightly clenched fists trembled. Was Sienna¡¯s ego influencing Mer¡¯s hatred toward the monsters? Or was it the fact that she was a familiar, fundamentally a mana being created by magic, and she hated monsters¡ªessentially lifeforms thriving on demonic energy¡ªas a consequence of pure nature? ¡°It¡¯s thetter,¡± Mer answered, frowning at Eugene¡¯s direct question. ¡°Yes, my personality is based on Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood memories, but that doesn¡¯t mean we share all memories. And of course¡­ Of course, I loathe them not only because of my physical aversion toward them but also for another reason. Monster¡ªno,everybeing that originates from demonic energy has made Lady Sienna suffer.¡± As she talked, Mer slowly crept back inside the cloak. Usually, she tried to scratch and w her way out of the cloak, but now, she wasn¡¯ting out of the cloak even though Eugene had let it open. ¡°I hate this forest.¡± ¡°So do I.¡± Eugene chuckled and closed the cloak for her. ¡°Just because it makes me feel longing and it brings back old memories doesn¡¯t mean I like it.¡± The hunt would take four days. They had given him the bracelet as if they were telling him to hunt as many monsters as possible, but his priority was clearly survival. Monster meat was poison, he couldn¡¯t even think about eating it unless he was in a dire situation. Therefore, the people in the forest had to find food resources on their own to hold out in the forest for four days. If they weren¡¯t greedy, there wasn¡¯t really a need for them to enter deep into the forest. It was a given, but the further they got away from the center, the lower the concentration of demonic energy was. It also lowered the difficulty of acquiring food. ¡®Of course, they will be greedy.¡¯ They voluntarily participated in the hunt, so they obviously wanted to yield good results. Catching a bunch of small fries was nothing to be proud of; people were going to definitely reach deeper into the forest, aiming for a more significant result. ¡®They must be¡­¡¯ Rubbing his fingers against each other, Eugene frowned. Arge group of Dizzy Lumps wasn¡¯t enough to be a threat to Eugene. Ambush? He only had to be a little cautious to avoid it. The cloak of darkness would shield him against most attacks anyway. Hunt? No, this was just a stroll. Eugene didn¡¯t chase after the prey, he simply walked. As he did, the monsters hidden in the forest approached him. And died. ¡°Excellent Poltergeist Aegis.¡± Mer snickered inside the cloak. With a disgusted look on his face, Eugene snapped. ¡°Shut up.¡± Mer was correct, though: it was the Poltergeist Aegis. Stirring up only a small amount of mana, so it wouldn¡¯t be visible, he wrapped it around his body. With this, he didn¡¯t even need to target anything; he could just intercept approaching monsters directly. ¡®Sheenteredfirst, but why is she stillhere?¡¯Eugene thought. He didn¡¯t look in her direction, since he didn¡¯t want to be conscious of her. However, no matter how hard he tried to ignore her, she was tantly staring at him. Genia Lionheart was stalking him, making sure she was not letting out even the slightest sound. She had indeed entered the forest before him, but the Dizzy Lumps lurking in the darkness made people lose their way as soon as they went in. Therefore, if people entered the forest one by one, with some time in-between, they would all end up in random ces. Thebination of a wide forest and Dizzy Lumps'' hexes made it hard for people to run into each other. When people had be so exhausted that they were no longer able to defend themselves, they would get eaten¡­ That was the story for ordinary people, but it didn¡¯t apply to Genia. As soon as she had gotten into the forest, she had found a path and killed dozens of monsters. For Genia, the hunt was boring work, without a single thing to be nervous about, so she was about to go straight into the forest. ¡®¡­Whyis Father only staying near him?¡¯Genia thought bitterly. To protect them, four captains had alsoe into the forest after all the youngsters had already entered. Their goal was to protect nine young lions from harm, after judging whether or not they needed to interfere. However, Genos, the Captain of the Second Division, didn¡¯t move around. He continued to stay near Eugene as he maintained a distance¡ªfar enough not to interrupt Eugene¡¯s hunt or provoke the monsters, but close enough to interfere right away if an unexpected threat appeared. His favoritism wassoobvious. As his daughter, Genia was not able to let it slide. If there was a person who Genos should favor, it should have been her, his biological daughter. With thatint in her mind, she chased after Eugene. While his own daughter was protesting against his actions, Genos still did not leave Eugene¡¯s vicinity. He had his reasons; he was staying on guard for a situation where the Council Head attempted to kill Eugene. Since he was aware of the possibility, he couldn¡¯t leave Eugene and let ite true. ¡®That¡¯s¡­¡¯ Genia¡¯s jealousy was also understandable. Genos was a ck Lion knight, so he stayed in the ck Lion Castle instead of his home. Of course, he returned home several times during his vacations, but Genia hadn¡¯t been home for seven years because she was busy cultivating in Shimuin. In other words, it was her first time meeting her father after five years. Therefore, she believed her father was going to tail her and see her achievements. Genia took a deep breath. Mana was invisible to the naked eye, but when she concentrated hard, she was able to visualize the invisible flow of mana. Genia could feel the me wrapping around Eugene¡¯s body. No¡ªit was more like thorns, rather than a me. He looked simply off-guard while walking. However, his thorns crept and spread out to the surroundings. When the monsters that thought he was their prey came into contact with the thorns, the ¡®poison¡¯ led them to the end of their lives. ¡®No, that¡¯s no poison.¡¯Genia thought as she realized. It was unbelievable, yet she had no choice but to admit it. ¡®That¡¯s¡­ Poltergeist Aegis.¡¯ It was the technique of Hamel, a great hero who deserved respect. His technique had been passed down in the Lionheart n for three hundred years. ¡®Is that¡­?¡¯ Genia did recognize it, but she couldn¡¯t believe her eyes. She also knew how to use Poltergeist Aegis, but her Poltergeist Aegis wasn¡¯t that transparent. ¡®It¡¯s not sword-force¡­ He¡¯s letting mana out just enough for it to stay invisible.But it¡¯sjust mana, so how can he kill the monsters with it?¡¯Genia wondered. At first, she had thought he was a coward using poison, but after some time, she had be certain that it wasn¡¯t poison. However, she couldn¡¯t understand how mana, not sword-force, was able to kill monsters. In the end, she decided to see for herself. Standing up, she measured the distance between Eugene and herself. She could shorten that kind of distance in an instant. But what about her father? He was staying far away, but he was certainly monitoring the situation. Would he interfere if she attacked Eugene? ¡®That will never happen.¡¯ The purpose of the hunt was to kill monsters, but they had received no warning about fighting each other. Although it was a pretty weird conclusion, Genia believed that was intentional. That was understandable. It was very natural for the knights of Shimuin, the ce where Genia had cultivated for seven years, to fight each other. After measuring the distance once more, Genia sprang forth. As the distance quickly shortened, the size of Eugene¡¯s back gradually increased. ¡®Shall I draw my sword? No, that¡¯s overkill. Just subduing him from behind will be enough Instead of attacking¡­¡¯ ¡°Ugh¡­¡± She suddenly groaned. ¡®Why?¡¯ Her lips twitched against her will as she groaned even louder. There was no way this was ordinary mana, or something like this would not have happened. Eugene had simply blocked the attacking from behind. The thinyer of mana, invisible to the naked eye, turned into me. ?Pzzz! The lightning mixed into the me struck Genia. She gritted her teeth to endure, but her groans only kept getting louder. Her hair bristled up and her body twisted by itself. The only reason why she only suffered a minor shock was that Eugene was limiting the output of lightning, while Genia¡¯s own mana also rose automatically to protect her. ¡°¡­Er!¡± The mana from her core shook off the lightning. Aftering to her senses, she instantly retreated, leaping backward. She had gotten rid of the lightning, but she was still suffering from the effects of the electric shock. She stretched her aching limbs as she panted. ¡°Wh¡­at? Just?¡± Genia couldn¡¯t even move her tongue very well. She didn¡¯t want to speak with a lisp, so she kept the questions short. ¡°Iam the one who asks the questions here. What are you doing so suddenly? Why did you attack me?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm. Uhm. Uhmm¡­¡± Dodging Eugene¡¯s questions, Genia cleared her throat. ¡°Ah, ah.¡± Only after her tongue unstiffened did she fiercely re at Eugene, saying, ¡°¡­I thought you were a monster.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You may not know, but there is a monster who imitates humans.¡± Her excuse didn¡¯t make any sense. ¡°¡­I just came by to check. I had no intention to attack you. See, I didn¡¯t even draw out my sword. I simply approached you.¡± ¡°Why are you following me around?¡± ¡°¡­Following you around? No, you¡¯re wrong. I never followed you around.¡± ¡°You were hiding in in sight, why bother lying?¡± ¡°What do you mean, in in sight? Nonsense, I perfectly muffled all the sound¡­¡± ¡°See? You did follow me around,¡± Eugene provokingly said. Hearing his remark, Genia was shaken. She stared at Eugene for a moment and turned her head away along with her braided hair. ¡°Haven¡¯t I told you before? I am not going to lose to you.¡± ¡°Yeah, so? What does it have to do with following me?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene. You are an enemy that I don¡¯t know.¡± Genia desperately came up with excuses. ¡°To achieve a victory in a fight against you, I have to know about you. Investigating the enemy is a basic tactic in a fight. You must have considered my investigation as shadowing because you are ignorant.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Actually, I would like to ask whatyouare doing here. It has already been a few hours since the hunt has begun. Why are you still wandering around the entrance? No way¡­ are you going to kill time in a safe spot to avoid danger?¡± Genia squinted and scowled at Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene! I am aware that you are being favored by my father. I also heard the rumors about you having abilities unprecedented in the history of the main house¡ª no, in the history of the Lionheart family, and being just as talented as the Great Vermouth. But! As an heir of the Hamel Style, I refuse to lose to you, especially if you are a coward who only tries to avoid danger!¡± ¡°I am Hamel.¡± ¡°What kind of joke is that?¡± She seemed to be awfully proud about being an heir to the Hamel Style, so Eugene furtively threw these words. Of course, Genia didn¡¯t believe him. Her eyes were rather filled with disgust as she red at Eugene. ¡°I will take care of myself, so don¡¯t mind me. Let¡¯s go separate ways.¡± Eugene turned away, waving his hand. Genia asked, ¡°Do you know how to survive in the forest?¡± ¡°You said that you heard rumors about me. I¡¯ve been wandering through the Samar Rainforest till quite recently.¡± ¡°The rainforest is also a dangerous ce, but it wasn¡¯t contaminated by demonic energy. Although the hunt onlysts for four days, you won¡¯t be able to survive just by usingmon sense while hunting in this forest.¡± Listening to Genia, Mer stifled herughter. ¡°If you request help, I won¡¯t refuse. It is my chivalry to not abandon my principle even if I have to help someone whom I hate.¡± ¡°Then would you do me a favor?¡± ¡°Let me hear it first.¡± ¡°I am really okay, so don¡¯t bother me. Go away,¡± Eugene spoke as he bent his knees. ¡®¡­Don¡¯t bother? Why is he saying such a thing when I offered my help out of goodwill?¡¯ As her train of thought reached a station, Genia¡¯s eyebrows met in the middle. ¡°What did you just¡­¡± Pzzz! A bolt of white lightning sparked. She had already gotten an electric shock when she thoughtlessly attacked him. Therefore, Genia flinched and unconsciously retreated. She only took a few steps backward, but¡­ ?Woosh! A gust of wind blew Genia¡¯s hair as she watched the scene in front of her with widened eyes. When the wind pushed Eugene¡¯s back, a bolt of lightning shot forward. At least, that was what it looked like for an instant. Seeing Eugene¡¯s back shrinking as he was moving far away from her in a mere moment, Genia gaped. ¡°¡­What was that?¡± ¡®Was it magic? No¡­ Is there a kind of magic that enables someone to move that fast?¡¯Genia wondered. The fastest person Genia knew was Ramju the Swift, one of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. ¡®His speed just now¡­ was much faster thanSir Ramju. How could he be this fast without any preparation?¡¯ After absentmindedly standing for a while, Genia btedly came to her senses and chased after Eugene. * * * ¡°What is Hector doing?¡± [He is on the move with the burden. I don¡¯t know if I should call him brave or say ¡®that¡¯s so like him¡¯¡­ Is he nning to go to the center? It¡¯s not like he craves fame.] ¡°Haha¡­ Rather than fame, what motivates Hector is interest. Didn¡¯t he also act like that before?¡± Dominic quietly chuckled and shook his head. ¡°When I met with him to persuade him to join the ck Lion, he rejected the offer because he wasn¡¯t interested. Then, he left for Ruhr as if he was running away.¡± [If he had joined then, he would have been made a captain by now.] ¡°Well, it¡¯s still not toote. I will try to convince him once more after we finish with the hunt.¡± [¡­If he hasn¡¯t betrayed us yet.] ¡®Betrayed, huh,¡¯Domonic thought as he scratched his chin, listening to the Council Head. ¡°Is anyone else listening right now?¡± [No. It¡¯s just me.] ¡°Grandfather. I don¡¯t think Hector betrayed us.¡± [¡­Just like you said, Hector¡¯s priority is his interest. It¡¯s not that difficult for that kind of person to betray. No, maybe he doesn¡¯t even realize he has betrayed us.] ¡°¡­But he is proud of being a Lionheart.¡± [Is his pride aimed toward the main family members with authentic blood? Or maybe it is toward the Lionheart family itself¡­ No one can know. Of course, I am not doubting Hector for no reason.] The Chief stopped speaking for a while. Dominic didn¡¯t rush him and just looked forward. [Hector cultivated in Ruhr¡­and Ruhr is too close to Helmuth. Especially since, five years ago, Ruhr¡¯s royal family yielded and opened their doors to the demonfolk.] ¡°Hmm¡­¡± [I¡¯m not just doubting Hector. I doubt everyone. That is my job. Aside from Cyan and Ciel, the rightful heirs of the main house, I suspecteveryone.] The Chief didn¡¯t bother to mention Eward. He wasn¡¯t even worth mentioning. [¡­So Dominic, suspect everyone and keep an eye on everyone, just like I do. Someday¡­you will have to sit in my seat.] ¡°I heard that so many times that I can recite it in my sleep,¡± Dominic spoke, shaking his head. ¡°But¡­ Master Hector¡­ Haha. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s worth doubting him.¡± [¡­There is a precedent.] ¡°I am aware of that, but this isn¡¯t his home ground¡­ There are also a bunch of lions around who are able to slit his throat in an instant. I don¡¯t think he will try anything funny.¡± [I rather hope hedoestry to pull a trick.] The Chief said in a cold voice. [The Patriarch happens to be away now, so it wouldn¡¯t be an issue to execute Eward on sight if he attempts anything funny.] He wasn¡¯t joking, he seriously thought so. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have the guts to pull something like that,¡± Dominic said, looking ahead. ¡°You may already be aware, grandfather¡­the young master is avoiding fighting with monsters as much as possible. He is killing the monsters with magic, but he is not doing it smoothly. He is having a tough time.¡± [He only killed ten of them until now¡­] ¡°I''ve been watching him, since you asked me to suspect everyone, but¡­wouldn¡¯t it be better if I watched Hector too?¡± [Harris is watching him now.] ¡°Or¡­ how about Master Eugene?¡± [Genos is watching that boy. I understand your boredom, but keep watching Eward. If he does anything suspicious, kill him right away.] That was why he had ordered his grandson to tail Eward. The Council Head could not forgive someone who disgraced the Lionheart family, so he wanted to make Eward pay with his life. ¡°Understood,¡± Dominic answered as he nodded. With that, hismunication with the post ended. Smacking his lips, Dominic watched the moving Eward from far away. ¡°¡­Itisboring.¡± He yawned and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s boring because it¡¯s too easy.¡± Chapter 139: The Hunt (2)

Chapter 139: The Hunt (2)

Akasha strengthened Eugene¡¯s barriers. In addition, Mer didn¡¯t need to sleep and was connected directly to Eugene. If somebody tried to interfere with or infiltrate through the barrier, Mer would instantly notice it and notify Eugene. This fact alone eliminated the need to keep a night watch, but Eugene went strictly by the book in matters like this. He hadn¡¯t started a fire. Thick darkness covered the forest, but it wasn¡¯t a problem for Eugene. He had chosen a terrain that was not suited for an ambush and hadn¡¯t spread any rugs over the ground. Wrapping himself with the big cloak, Eugene sat on the ground. If he had to sleep, he would sleep light and short. He could spend the night sleeping like that. Of course, he had set several spells nearby, but he had no ns to have a deep sleep and sweet dreams. Genia, who had chased him from afar, quietly gave him a passing mark when she saw what he did. Of course, there was no judge in this hunt, and even if there were one, it wouldn¡¯t be Genia. In any case, she made some amendments to her assessment of Eugene. His talent had already been recognized by other people anyway¡­ If she saw a sign of naiveness that suited his age, she was going to criticize him right away, but Eugene stayed on guard even in a situation like this. He was worthy of a passing mark. ¡°I can see you are having fun,¡± Genia snapped, regardless. Brushing off dirt from the edible roots in her hand, she red at Eugene. Unlike Genia, who had foraged uncontaminated nts, Eugene was unsparingly spreading fruit jam on a piece of bread. He had more of them in his cloak. ¡°I would prefer the term ¡®well-prepared,¡¯¡± Eugene calmly answered. ¡°I could also do yourpreparation.I didn¡¯t do so on purpose. Why, you ask? This hunt is about testing our ability to survive as a hunter¡ª¡± ¡°Since when was this a test?¡± ¡°Ever since the bracelets that record the head count were wrapped around your wrist and mine, this hunt was no longer an ordinary one. It also became a test, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to care even if you are correct. It¡¯s not like I am going to receive a reward for winning, and I believe someone other than me will beingst. Even if Ie inst by any chance, I will only be embarrassed. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene¡­ Do you not have any ambition to prove yourself to everyone?¡± ¡°I have always been proving myself until now, haven''t I?¡± Eugene bit the bread, chuckling. Genia looked back and forth between the slice of bread with a thickyer of jam and the dirty roots in her hand. She tightly shut her lips and brushed off the rest of the dirt on the roots. ¡°Would you like one?¡± Eugene offered. ¡°No, thank you. I am going to have this root I found.¡± ¡°Caliz¡¯s root. Isn¡¯t that very bitter if you eat it raw?¡± ¡°Do you know about this?¡± ¡°Of course I do. The nts are resistant to demonic energy. If you nche and dry it, it¡¯s pretty sweet.¡± ¡°And I can chew it for a long time.¡± ¡°Well, one slice of bread with jam is better than ten of those roots though,¡± Eugene quietly spoke, but it was loud enough for Genia to hear him. She pouted. ¡°¡­This is also pretty good in a situation like this.¡± She dramatically opened her mouth and took a big bite of Caliz¡¯s roots. When the piece of the root touched her tongue, its bitterness, which resembled an electric shock, filled her mouth. However, Genia¡¯s expression showed nothing of what she was feeling. ¡°Why don¡¯t you get some jam on that, at least?¡± Eugene offered. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± She wanted to spit it out. If it wasn¡¯t for Eugene, she would have spat it out. No, if she had a fire, she would have been able to roast it at least. Stopping the corners of her lips being contorted with difficulty, she forced herself to swallow the root. ¡°Are you going to follow me during the entire hunt?¡± ¡°I told you I¡¯m not following¡ª¡± Genia answered, but Eugene didn¡¯t listen. He just stood up, so she cleared her throat and nodded. ¡°I am going to leave after I finish eating.¡± Straightening her face, she continued. ¡°Although I only saw fragments¡­I have witnessed¡­your capability¡­Sir Eugene. I can indeed understand why my father favors you. Since I have witnessed your ability with my own eyes, I have no choice but to recognize your ability. ¡± ¡°Have you been following me because you couldn¡¯t recognize my ability?¡± ¡°I only wanted to see it for myself,¡± she snapped, then stood up. ¡°And I have seen enough. Even if I catch more monsters than you in this hunt¡­you won¡¯t think you lost, will you?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°Still, I will catch more monsters than you.¡± ¡°Do your best,¡± Eugene answered rxedly. She had said such things to make himpetitive, but it didn¡¯t affect Eugene one bit. Feeling annoyed by his nonchnt face, she scowled at Eugene for a moment. ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t hate my daughter too much,¡± Genos said as he approached after Genia had left. Watching him standing a distance away, Eugene grinned. ¡°Are you sticking to the rule in your own way by noting close to me, Junior Brother?¡± ¡°I am only here as a guardian.¡± ¡°It seems your daughter is very discontent with you staying near me like this.¡± ¡°I have no other choice. If you hadn¡¯t told me about the possible assassination attempt, I wouldn¡¯t have stayed near you, Senior Brother.¡± ¡°What is the Council Head doing?¡± ¡°He is staying at the Red Boulder,¡± Genos continued, being conscious of themunication device on his ear. ¡°¡­I haven¡¯t got a specific order yet, and no idents have urred yet.¡± ¡°What about Cyan and Ciel?¡± ¡°It seems Master Cyan is aiming to get to the center of the demonic cave, and Lady Ciel¡­¡± Feeling it difficult to continue, he hesitated for a moment. ¡°¡­Is tailing Master Eward.¡± ¡°Brother Eward?¡± ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t think she nned this from the start¡­¡± She had either run into Eward or seen him from a distance. Regardless of which of these was the case, she was shadowing Eward now. ¡®No way. Is Ciel nning to kill Brother Eward using this hunt as an opportunity?¡¯ The thought entered Eugene¡¯s mind for a moment, but it didn¡¯t make sense when he thought about it again. He knew Ciel hated Eward, but she didn¡¯t hate Eward enough to really kill him. ¡®Besides, Ciel¡­isn¡¯t the type to get her hands dirty. If she was really going to kill him, she would have hired an assassin or poisoned him.¡¯ She was probably just keeping watch in order to prevent Eward from pulling a stunt, since he had a history of doing that kind of thing. Of course, Eugene also kept an eye on Eward. The forest was full of demonic energy, and a ck magic circle was in the center of the demonic cave. Oddstones, which held demonic energy, and high-ss cursed relics were also prepared. With this kind of environment, there was no need to make a contract with whatever demonfolk to be a ck wizard. ¡ªYour punch¡­haha¡­it hurt, but it was a valuable lesson to me. ¡ªThanks to you, I am working hard now. It¡¯s all thanks to you. Eward¡¯s smiling face came to Eugene¡¯s mind. ¡°If he is a human,¡± he said in a t tone as he sat down, ¡°he won¡¯t do it again.¡± This forest was the perfect environment to be a ck wizard. However, the state of the forest was just too unfortunate. It was easy to be a ck wizard, but exiting the forest alive afterward was impossible. Dozens of ck Lion Knights were at the center of the forest. The moment Eward turned to the demonic ways, the teeth and ws of the ck Lions would rip him apart. The captains wouldn¡¯t even have to step up. ¡®Eward isat the Fourth Circle. It¡¯s not bad, but not enough to get out of this alive.¡¯Eugene analyzed. No sane person would even think of attempting such fuckery. ¡®He tried to learn ck magic because he wasn¡¯t sane¡­but he isn¡¯tthatstupid, right?¡¯ With the thought in mind, Eugene scowled into the darkness. After watching him for a while, Genos slowly stepped back, distancing himself from his protegee. Eugene was left alone. Mer didn¡¯t say anything and just curled up inside the cloak. It was because she understood the meaning of Eugene¡¯s silence and the feelings he was sinking into. ¡®It¡¯s too serious,¡¯Mer thought. Eugene spoke lightly, and the conversation between him and Genia had also been light. No¡­it only seemed that way. Mer once again realized Eugene wasn¡¯t an ordinary twenty-year-old, but a member of the same team that had wandered around Hell three hundred years ago. The Stupid Hamel. The moment he had stepped foot in this forest, he had been suppressing his boiling rage. He was furious at the demonic energy that clung to his airways with every breath he took, and at the monsters that pounced at him without knowing their ces. For him, everything in this ce was intolerable evil. He ought to ughter them at this instant. There was only one reason why he didn¡¯t do so. ¡®¡­He isholding back,¡¯Mer thought, closing her eyes. Inside the cloak of darkness, she crouched in the middle of the darkness that filled the cloak. There was no tremor in the darkness, but there was a sound ¡ª the sound of a beating heart¡­ Sometimes, Eugene¡¯s thoughts became voices and echoed inside the cloak. The control form of the familiar engraved inside Eugene¡¯s mind made Mer¡¯s own mind resonate with Eugene¡¯s strong emotions. ¡®Three hundred years have passed in this world,¡¯Eugene reminisced. He considered every Demon King, demonic beast, and demonfolk evil. He had seen a world where his belief was right, survived in that world, and wandered to finish that world. Three hundred years was a long time. Eugene¡¯smon sense was notmon in the current world. Everyone lived in various ways now. People had signed a peace treaty with the demon king. ck wizards, who were supposed to be absolute evil, were just ¡®pragmatists.¡¯ Demons were treated as movable and efficient puppets that enabled people to train. People could use demonfolk as ves or hire them from an illegal shop. Since the world changed, Eugene had concluded that he couldn¡¯t stick with hismon sense from three hundred years ago, so he tried to ept the new one. Despite all his effort, an uncontroble rage rose within him while breathing this fucking air that he hadmissedas he saw these bullshit demons squirming and pouncing at him as they mistook him for prey. That was why he killed every demon that came across his path as he marched forward, but it didn¡¯t help his rage one bit. He was so furious that if Genia wasn¡¯t Genos¡¯ daughter, he would have taught her a lesson to make her stop following him. ¡®Will assassinse?¡¯ The badge that fastened the cloak on Eugene¡¯s shoulders was engraved with the Lionheart n¡¯s symbol. Creak. ring into the darkness, Eugene scratched the symbol with his fingernail. ¡®Assassinswon¡¯te, at least today,¡¯He concluded. He wasn¡¯t that deep in the forest, so it would be too premature to attempt an assassination and cover it up as an ident. ¡®I got four days left so I won¡¯t rush. Assassination? I¡¯m used to it, it¡¯s just a hunt that requires a certain set of skills.¡¯ If the Council Head was really the mastermind behind all this, would he really order it? Killing a son of the Patriarch, adopted though he was, in the vicinity of the ck Lion Castle, was something else entirely than hiring a mercenary to do it somece else. Why would he go to the length ofmitting such an act? The Chief¡¯s intention was none of Eugene¡¯s business. When he had met the Chief face to face, he hadn¡¯t sensed any desire to kill him from the old man. ¡®The old man has lived for over a hundred years. He wouldn¡¯t make the rookie mistake of revealing his desire to kill me.¡¯ For now, he believed that the Chief had ordered his assassination. ¡®Shall I move recklessly then?¡¯ The Chief was staying at Red Boulder. Would he order Dominic Lionheart, his grandson, or one of the ck Lions to assassinate Eugene? He was looking forward to meeting one of them but¡­he thought that they weren¡¯t going to be that clumsy while trying to assassinate him. ¡®I am going to try luring him, but I can¡¯t devote all my attention to this matter.¡¯ He had other matters to attend to, since the Rakshasha Princess was going toe. He also had to find Raizakia, who was stuck in a dimensional rift. ¡®If the hunt ends without incident, shall I take the bull by the horns?¡¯ Eugene clicked his tongue and clenched his fists, making a mental note to ask ¡®Are you the one who tried to screw me by sending that animal bastard?¡¯ * * * Ciel hadn¡¯t directly run into Eward. She had noticed him from afar as he was walking through the forest. The night in the forest started early. The sun only descended slightly, but the forest was already dark. However, he didn¡¯t carry a torch or conjure light by using magic. Without any source of light, he crossed the dark forest. The sight of Eward bothered Ciel and also made her curious. In her eyes, he was still the fifteen-year-old boy who she had seen seven years ago. When she had heard he had tried to learn ck magic in Aroth, she hadn¡¯t been all that surprised. She had thought¡®Eldest Brother Eward, of all people, is fully capable of doing something like that.¡¯ In the main house, he had been so depressed that it wasn¡¯t so strange for him tomit such a thing. Of course, he hadn¡¯t been born depressed. Until he was ten years old, Eward had been pretty normal. He had been just like an ordinary child of that age, yful and all. Ciel and Cyan sometimes hung out with him, since he didn¡¯t avoid them for being his half-siblings. However, they had stopped hanging out after Eward became ten years old. She was just seven years old at the time, but she nevertheless knew why her eldest brother had begun to change. When a child turned ten in the Lionheart n, they could participate in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, the traditional ceremony of the n. Since then, Eward had kept a distance from the twins. Instead of ying childish games, he had started to wield a sword under Tanis¡¯ strict observation. Listening to his mother¡¯s browbeating, he cultivated his mana as he sat upright. After sunset, he cooped himself up in the library and read about the theories of sword arts and variousbat tactics. At some point, magic texts were added to Eward¡¯s reading list. Tanis wasn¡¯t pleased with his son¡¯s choice, but she didn¡¯t oppose him reading magic texts. It was because she also had to admit it at that point. Eward Lionheart didn¡¯t have a talent for martial arts. That was why he had decided to pursue a different path¡ªmagic. It was what Eward wanted to do. He had fun reading magic texts, imagining his ¡®talent¡¯ in magic that was yet to be confirmed. It was much more fun than devoting himself to practicing sword arts, which he was bad at, as he got scolded by his mother... Ciel remembered Eward from that time. With twinkling eyes, he would shut himself inside the library and flip over the pages of magic texts. It hadn¡¯t been long since he had started to learn magic, and he wasn¡¯t even good, but he stirred up his mana and mimicked magic. Yes, that was mimicry after all. It wasn¡¯t real magic. Although he indulged himself in magic texts, he was unable to cast magic. Shutting himself in a room where thick curtains blocked all lights, he did so many things¡ªread magic texts, swung a sword, mimicked magic, and imagined his bright future in magic with sparkling eyes. ¡®This is¡­¡¯Ciel thought as she came to a halt. Something was weird. She crouched down and red at a corpse. It seemed to be a demon corpse¡­was it a corpse? Frowning, Ciel pulled out a dagger. When she shoved the dagger into the body, the corpse bled. There was no sign of spasm in the body. It wasn¡¯t breathing either. She was certain: the demon before her was dead. However¡­ it looked so peaceful that she wasn¡¯t able to think of it as a corpse. Instead, it seemed to be fast asleep. ¡®¡­What in the world happened?¡¯ Tilting her head in confusion, Ciel stood up. She was a member of the Third Division of the ck Lion Knights. Her captain, Carmen, was considered one of the best ck Lions. The Third Division Knights, which she led, went through various kinds of training so they could live up to their captain¡¯s name. She had trained in the forest multiple times, killed countless monsters, and fought numerous demons. The demons in the center of the demonic cave were dangerous, but the demons in the forest weren¡¯t really dangerous, not for Ciel. ¡®¡­How did this get killed?¡¯ Ciel hadn¡¯t learned magic, but she knew enough about it. There was even a wizard in her Third Division. Feeling leery, she stood up. The path in front of her was all but paved with demons sleeping in eternal peace. Was it magic¡­or poison? No, there were no traces of poison on their bodies. Not to mention, an ordinary wizard could never continuously kill this many demons so fast that they never had the chance to counterattack. ¡°Did¡­Eward¡­do this?¡± Ciel spoke in disbelief. ¡°It¡¯s amazing, right?¡± She heard a voice behind her back. Surprised, she instantly moved. With a short leap, she got away from the demon''s corpse and then drew out her sword. ¡°¡­Eward?¡± ¡®It doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡¯ Thoughts jumbled up in her head. Eward had been ahead of her. How could he jump out behind her? Had he used Blink? Yeah, he could have used that. However, she would have seen signs if Eward had really used Blink. When a low-circle wizard used Blink, they ended up distorting the mana in the air. There was no way Ciel would have failed to notice a Blink used by a Fourth Circle wizard. ¡®¡­It¡¯s weird.¡¯ Shifting her foot backward, Ciel firmly grabbed onto the hilt of her sword. ¡®He is right in front of me¡­ I can¡¯t feel anything, it¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t exist.¡¯ ¡°I know that sword.¡± With a faint smile, Eward pointed to Ciel¡¯s sword. ¡°It¡¯s Phantom Rain Sword Javel.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°Cyan received Gedon''s Shield.¡± He spoke in a t tone. ¡°Eugene¡­got¡­Storm Sword Wynnyd¡­and many other things.¡± ¡°¡­Eward.¡± ¡°I have received nothing.¡± He quietly chuckled and shook his head. ¡°Ah¡­don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not ming the Patriarch¡­Father.¡± ¡°How did you get behind me?¡± Ciel asked as she swallowed dryly. To her question, Eward simply tilted his head. ¡°I just walked behind you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­impossible. You were in front of me.Iwent after you.¡± Ciel refuted. ¡°Why did youe after me?¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°I know. You have followed me because you were worried I might do something bad¡­something that would disgrace the Lionheart name.¡± ¡ªYou are a disgrace to the family. ¡ªBecause of you, I had to¡­ ¡°Ciel, I know you.¡± ¡ªWhy are you¡­my son? ¡ªHow can an idiot like you be my grandson? ¡°You¡­must have expected me to do something wrong.¡± ¡ªI wanted to raise you into a talented person like that adopted son, no, like the twins, at least. ¡°You were always like that. When I made a mistake¡­or did something that my mother hated¡­or gotughed at. You tattled on me to your mother and spread rumors to the servants. Why did you do it? I did what you asked me to do, so why? I became a mess because of you. I spent my entire life in humiliation, I can¡¯t even hold my head up as I walk. Whenever you ran your mouth¡­haha¡­my mother summoned me to her room and whipped me. Father was not at home¡­and the servants didn¡¯t stop my mother¡¯s ¡®education¡¯. As she sneered at me, she said, ¡®what use does your grandfather have, with his title of Count, when his one and only grandson is a mess?!¡¯ Well, it didn¡¯t really hurt when she whipped me¡­Uhm¡­ Have you ever been whipped? I have seen Cyan getting whipped a couple of times¡­ I guess the answer is no. Ever since you were little, you were very good at not getting whipped. Haha¡­ I also learned it recently. I have to change myself in order not to get whipped. If I change, I can make my mother smile.¡± ¡°Eward¡­¡± Ciel cautiously called him. Crack¡ª She tightened her grip on the sword. Tiny cracks began to spread across Javel¡¯s de. ¡°¡­You sound really weird right now.¡± ¡°Weird?¡± Eward shook his head as he smiled. ¡°I¡¯m not weird.¡± Ciel didn¡¯t know why, but she felt a shiver running down her spine. It¡­it wasn¡¯t magic. Then, what was she sensing? ¡®He¡¯s going to do it.¡¯she bitterly thought. Although she had a hard time believing it. ¡®He¡¯s going to attack me.¡¯ Eward was going to do something really stupid. ¡°¡­Eward. Stop.¡± Ciel called him again with a trembling voice. ¡°You have been looking forward to seeing me doing something like this,¡± Eward answered in a pleased tone. ¡°And, by the way, Ciel.¡± The darkness in the forest undted. ¡°I have decided to not listen to other people from now on.¡± Chapter 140: The Hunt (3)

Chapter 140: The Hunt (3)

It was the second day of the hunt. Gargith''s eyes opened as he woke up. Dew that had an ominous ck color to it had been umting on the surface of his armor since dawn. The color was from the poison mixed into it. Gargith brushed off the dew with a calm expression. When there was only a little left on the tip of his finger, he brought it up to his nose and sniffed its scent. It was faint, but it smelled a bit like rotten eggs. He showed no hesitation in then opening his mouth wide and sticking his finger in. A poison like this, even if he drank a solid pint, wouldn¡¯t harm this well-built body of his. ¡°...However, as expected of a poison. My body really doesn¡¯t feel happy swallowing it¡­,¡± Gargith muttered to himself. His tongue, throat, and esophagus, everything that the poison had touched, felt sore. Although Gargith had never neglected training his body, he had never been able to train his internal muscles. If he really went looking for a method to do that, it wasn¡¯t like he wouldn¡¯t be able to find a few, but Gargith still hadn¡¯t found thetruesecret to training his ¡®insides¡¯. ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no need for me to wake you up.¡± Dezra spoke up from her seat perched high on a tree branch. ¡°Nothing much happened. A demonic beast did approach us, but it wasn¡¯t dangerous enough for me to wake you or for us to have to move.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± Gargith grunted in acknowledgment with a nod and then began doing squats on the spot. Instead of asking his reason for such behavior, Dezra took out some jerky from a pocket and began chewing on it. ¡®He was a strange guy when we were young, and he still is even now, but¡­ even so, it seems that my luck is unbelievably good,¡¯Dezra thought cheerfully. There were only nine of them who had ventured into this wide forest. Their paths into the forest had separated into such a tangled mess that it was unlikely for any of them to meet anyone else as long as they kept going forward. And that was exactly why Dezra felt like her luck was so good. Yesterday, when the sun had set and the forest had started to sink into darkness, she had met Gargith while she was contemting on whether to continue moving until dawn or find a safe ce to camp. Just going from being on their own to being together with another had made a lot of things much easier. They could relieve their tiredness by taking turns to rest, and as the number of eyes and ears had grown, navigation had also be correspondingly easier. ¡®Although our evaluation may be harsher than if we had struck out on our own,¡¯Dezra considered for a moment. But she had already prepared herself for this. In the first ce, Dezra didn¡¯t think that she would be able to overtake their hunting score and defeat the monsters from the main family, or Hector for that matter. She just wanted to get a moderate score, enough to make the elders in the ck Lion Castle remember the name ¡®Dezra Lionheart¡¯. ¡®And I also want to join the ck Lions¡­,¡¯Dezra admitted to herself. She especially hoped to join the Third Division. As long as you were a woman born in the Lionheart n ¡ª no, any female warrior with a passion for the martial arts, you wouldn¡¯t be able to help but feel a sense of admiration fortheCarmen Lionheart, also known as the Amazon of the Lionheart n and the Iron-Blooded ck Lion. Dezra signed.¡®But apparently Lady Carmen is away¡­.¡¯ Dezra had heard that Carmen had left on an escort mission for the main family. However, if Dezra was able to show some aplishments in this forest, then she would very likely be allowed to join the Knights of the ck Lion. ¡°...Are you done?¡± Dezra asked Gargith. ¡°Just three more sets,¡± Gargith grunted. ¡°Isn¡¯t that too much for having just woken up? You haven¡¯t even eaten yet.¡± ¡°Replenishmentes after my training is over.¡± Below her, Gargith was now performing squats with his greatsword held across his back. ¡°Want something to eat?¡± Dezra offered once Gargith was done. Gargith turned her down, ¡°No, this is enough.¡± Taking out arge canteen, he filled a cup to the brim with what looked like a thick porridge made from some unknown ingredients. After expressing gratitude for his healthy body and performing prayers for his continued growth, Gargith drank the cupful of his family¡¯s revolutionary muscle growth supplement in a single gulp. Vigor spread throughout his body as a feeling of fullness settled in his heavy stomach¡­. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Gargith said with a refreshed expression as he wiped away the sweat from his forehead. Although Dezra¡¯s dream was to join the Knights of the ck Lion, Gargith had no such ns. If he were to be a member of the Knights of the ck Lion, this would inevitably create a rift between him and the family that he was born in. The only exceptions to such an issue were the likes of the Council Head¡¯s family or Genos¡¯ family, where the entire family would join the ck Lions as part of a hereditary tradition. Gargith respected his father and loved both his branch of the n and the territory that they ruled. Rather than bing a ck Lion and contributing to the Lionheart n as a whole, he would prefer to inherit his father¡¯s title and rule their own territory peacefully. However, that didn¡¯t mean he had no desire to prove his skills in this forest. Gargith wanted to see just how much this body of his, which he had trained every day until sweat poured down like rivers, would shine during this hunt. ¡®It might look crude, but¡­,¡¯Dezra observed the movements of Gargith¡¯s greatsword, which was about as big as her own body,¡®he isn¡¯t just swinging it with all his strength. He¡¯s actually pretty sophisticated.¡¯ The trajectory of the de was constantly being corrected so that it wouldn¡¯t get caught in any of the surrounding trees. It was all thanks to his body, which Gargith had trained so barbarically, that he was able to swing and strike with such ease despite the sheer weight of the sword. He wasn¡¯t just relying on the greatsword alone either. He was striking with his feet, swinging his fists, and charging forward with his shoulder. Gargith¡¯s huge bulk on its own was a weapon that he used to crush any demonic beast that came his way. Meanwhile, Dezra kept to the rear. She had been in constant training with the spear starting from a young age and so was ready for anything. Demonic beasts could pop out from anywhere. Some could emerge from shadows, others lurked in trees and rocks, and still others could even leap out of the ground. Monsters that were able to manipte their mana were rare. However, this wasn¡¯t the case for demonic beasts. They could freely manipte the demonic power that filled their bodies and unleash a power simr to magic or sword-force. But they still weren¡¯t a threat. Or at least, that¡¯s what Cyan thought. During the few months he had spent training in the ck Lion Castle, he had yet to fight a demonic beast. All of Cyan¡¯s training had been in one-on-one spars with the Captains and other knights. That was more than enough. Even if his opponents were humans instead of demonic beasts, the most important thing was that, in the end, it was all bat¡¯. The more familiar one¡¯s body was withbat, the better they would do. The knowledge of how to move ording to each situation would be ingrained into one¡¯s body. As the experience piled up, even when they found themselves in apletely unfamiliar situation, they were able to avoid the worst courses of action. After entering the forest, Cyan had never once been in what he would call a worst-case situation. He hadn¡¯t even needed to use Gedon¡¯s Shield. If the demonic beasts were only on this level, Cyan was confident that he would be able to easily break through this challenge with just his sword alone. ¡®Hector has probably headed in deeper, right?¡¯Cyan spected as he shook the blood off his sword.¡®That bastard Eugene is definitely deep into the forest.¡¯ Cyan held simr intentions. He wanted to venture deep into the forest. He wanted to prove just how brave and exceptional the next Patriarch of the Lionheart truly was. ¡°...This is a surprise,¡± Cyan muttered as he hid a look of rm. ¡°No way¡­ to think you two would already have gone in deeper than me.¡± He had juste face to face with Gargith and Dezra. Cyan reluctantly thought to himself,¡®I know that they are among the most exceptionally skilled of the coteral branches, but¡­.¡¯ So what if that was the case! Cyan shook off the unnecessary slouch in his shoulders as he regained his confidence. They just hadn¡¯t been operating under the same conditions. No matter what one might say, Cyan was on his own, while the two of them had each other. Indeed, Cyan had continued moving while they had slept through the night, as he had needed to be wary of the demonic beasts that he could encounter in the dark, so it couldn¡¯t be helped if Cyan¡¯s movements had been slowed. On the other hand, since there were two of them, they could keep an eye on each other¡¯s blindspots and¡­ if they were tired, they could lean on each other; in any case, the two of them had definitely had it much easier. Cyan decided to think of it like that. ¡°Hmm, but seeing as you two have turned back, it seems that you two must have faced difficulties heading in any further, right?¡± Cyan stated with increased self-confidence. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that,¡± Dezra replied, as her expression twisted into a fierce scowl. The memories of being chased by Cyan during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, back when she was only eleven, were still fresh in Dezra¡¯s mind. Thanks to that, Dezra held a hidden fear of Cyan, but in order not to reveal this, she purposefully raised her voice and narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re using us of turning back? We have been heading forward all this time and will continue to do so. We have no intentions of turning back,¡± Dezra proudly dered. ¡°What kind of bullshit is that?¡± Cyan demanded. ¡°Also, what¡¯s with your expression? Are you trying to fuck with me right now?¡± Gargith suddenly spoke up, cutting the tension. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve shaved your facial hair. Although it''s toote to advise you either way, I think that you look better without any facial hair, young master.¡± ¡°Hmph, as long as one of you knows their ce¡­¡± Cyan epted thepliment with a nod and reached into his pocket. ¡°In any case¡­ I¡¯ve always said that fools are called fools for a reason. You two, after entering this vast forest, didn¡¯t you even bother to take the basic precautions to keep yourselves from getting lost?¡± This had to be because they hade in here with a sloppy attitude. Cyan clicked his tongue in disappointment as he pulled out thepass that he was keeping in his pocket. ¡°Here, see this, this might look like just apass, but this is no ordinarypass. Its needle has been forged with magic, so that it always points to the deepest concentration of demonic power. You understand what that means, right? As long as we keep an eye on the needle of thispass, we will be able to move toward the center from no matter where we are in the forest,¡± Cyan proudly dered. This was apass specially designed for the ck Lions¡¯ use. Cyan had endlessly pestered his uncle Gion, themander of the Fifth Division, in order to borrow thispass. ¡°Apass? We have one as well,¡± Dezra insisted with a pout on her lips, taking out her ownpass. ¡°Although it doesn¡¯t point towards demonic power like the young master¡¯s, ourpass is pretty good as well. The center of this forest is to the west, right? Starting from yesterday, we¡¯ve been heading due west¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s broken,¡± Cyan interrupted Dezra before she could even finish speaking, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°See this, you¡¯re saying that yourpass is currently pointing due west, right? But that¡¯s the direction that I¡¯ve juste from. However, the direction thatmy¡®My head¡­ feels heavy. Is this fatigue¡­ fromck of sleep? Am I really¡­feelingsleepy? In this short of situation? Could it be poison¡­?¡¯ ¡°Where¡­ are we going?¡± Ciel somehow forced herself to speak. At this, Eward, who she could see walking in front of her, turned his head to look back at her. ¡°You¡¯re amazing,¡± he marveled. ¡°...What?¡± Ciel squeezed out in confusion. Eward exined, ¡°The form that I used on you is a concoction refined from a Gasamal fruit and the roots of a Pahyur.¡± ¡°...So I was drugged.¡± Ciel¡¯s blood-stained lips twisted into a sneer as she said, ¡°So you really can¡¯t teach an old dog new tricks¡­. When you told us that you no longer bought drugs¡­ you were hiding the fact that you now refine them yourself, huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t use them for myself,¡± Eward replied with a smile. ¡°During these past three years¡­ well¡­ there have been a few times where I tested them on myself, but I¡¯ve never used them for enjoyment.¡± ¡°But you were a user, weren¡¯t you?¡± Ciel used. ¡°Uhuh, I did use them, but that was three years ago. But ever since I started making them with my own hands¡­ it led me to not enjoy using them myself. Did you know, Ciel? The dreams that you have while high on drugs are truly pleasant. Whatever you want to see, whatever you want to do, they make it alle true,¡± Eward¡¯s hands shook as he said this. ¡°However, when you wake up, it¡¯s all so empty. That¡¯s all that dreams are in the end. Even though you want to keep having the same dream, you can¡¯t control what dreames to you¡­ and when you wake up, the dreams just fade from your mind. Because, in the end, dreams aren¡¯t reality¡­. ¡°That¡¯s why I no longer use them. To a certain extent, you could say that it was also because it was impossible for me to invite a subus to the mansion¡­ but it was also due to having realized something, I just need to make reality like my dream.¡± Ciel silently listened to him. ¡°In any case, Ciel, you really are amazing,¡± Eward repeated. ¡°With a dosage of that level, you should have lost consciousness or be seeing hallucinations, but you¡­ you¡¯re still resisting and trying to keep your mind awake as you shake off the effects of the drug, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Unlike you, brother, I¡¯ve always taken my training seriously,¡± Ciel goaded him as she bit down on her lip once more. ¡°Although it seems¡­ that you only remember me from what I was like when I was younger, brother. I¡¯m also grown up and I¡¯ve changed a lot. Just like Cyan has. Because we¡¯ve both worked hard.¡± ¡°That goes for me as well,¡± Eward said with a smile as he nodded in agreement. ¡°I¡¯ve also changed, and I¡¯ve worked hard to make these changes. Your transformation might be extraordinary, but¡­ haha¡­. Ciel, please don¡¯t get angry at me for saying that your changes are merelypraiseworthy.¡± Ciel fumed silently. Eward tried to soothe her, ¡°What I was trying to say is that I would rather you get high on the drug, so that you can at least get to rx and see the hallucinations of what you want to see.¡± ¡°...Aren¡¯t you happy to talk to me?¡± Ciel prodded stubbornly. ¡°Of course I¡¯m happy. After all, we haven¡¯t had many chances to talk to each other like this. However, rather than continue talking for my own happiness¡­ I would rather that my younger sister remain happy,¡± Eward said with some disappointment. ¡°...If that¡¯s the case¡­ then you can still stop now. Just what in the world are you even trying to do? No, what do you n on doing to me?¡± Ciel demanded. She had just noticed that she couldn¡¯t feel her mana. She kept questioning Eward. ¡°The medicine that you gave me should have had the effect of scattering my mana. Is this a spell¡­? Some kind of ck magic? Just how did you hide it?¡± She couldn¡¯t understand it. If Eward had be a ck wizard, then there was no way that the ck Lions wouldn¡¯t have noticed it. No¡­ that wasn¡¯t the only thing that she was struggling to understand. The demonic beasts that had been killed by Eward, there was no way that the Captains who were supposed to be monitoring them would just ignore such unusual corpses without examining them. Quite a long time had passed since Ciel had been overpowered by Eward and carried away, but¡­ no one hade to intervene. ¡®...Has he shaken off his surveince? How?¡¯Ciel wondered. Even though Eward should have been under extra scrutiny due to the precedent he had set? ¡°It¡¯s not ck magic,¡± Eward denied the usation with a smile and a shrug. ¡°...You¡¯re saying that¡­ this isn¡¯t ck magic?¡± Ciel repeated incredulously. Ciel definitely couldn¡¯t believe those words. She tried to get out of what was holding her up by twisting her body once more, but there was still absolutely no feeling below her neck¡­. Ciel gulped down the blood that was filling her mouth and looked down. Her body below her neck was covered by a ck darkness. Was she unconsciously walking on her own two legs right now? Or else could she be flying in the sky¡­? If neither of those possibilities were true, had everything else except for her head disappeared? Ciel tried not to be ovee by the spine-chilling horror of her situation. ¡°Are you afraid?¡± Eward asked without turning to look back at her. He just continued walking through darkness. Without a torch, without any magic light. Quite some time seemed to have passed. The night and dawn should have alreadye and gone, so by now the sun should have risen. However, there was no light in Eward¡¯s immediate vicinity. Where exactly were they in the first ce? Was this really the forest? Ciel¡¯s head was clouded. She couldn''t fully trust her senses. At some point, even the smell of the forest had disappeared¡­ Their surroundings¡­ it was too dark to see anything. ¡°I have no intention of deriving enjoyment from seeing you tremble in fear. That¡¯s the reason why I gave you that drug in the first ce. I wanted you to be at least a little morefortable for whates next¡­.¡± Eward sighed in regret. ¡°Just what were you nning to do to me while I was under the drug¡¯s effects?¡± Ciel spat out, unable to hide the trembling in her voice. ¡°I-I have to say, I know that you¡¯re a failure and a piece of trash, brother, but I still¡­ I still thought of you as a person. No matter how twisted of a human being you were, I still thought of you as my big brother.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ this kind of misunderstanding¡­ is really awkward and embarrassing,¡± Eward muttered as he shook his head. ¡°Ciel, I¡¯m just saying this so that you don¡¯t get the wrong idea, but I have no intention of defiling you.¡± Ciel¡¯s silence expressed her disbelief. ¡°Really, there¡¯s no point in me polluting your purity,¡± Eward insisted. ¡°You might not be a wizard, but you should still have heard about ¡®sacrifices¡¯, right? It¡¯s¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s not just something rted to ck magic. While it¡¯s now considered to be taboo, in ancient magic and witchcraft it was quitemon to use sacrifices in order to strengthen a spell.¡± ¡°...Just what are you trying to say?¡± Ciel asked suspiciously. ¡°Among such sacrifices, a ¡®sacrifice of kin¡¯ is quite a special offering. The strange thing is, with that kind of sacrifice, the value of the offering increases depending on how close the rtionship of the sacrifice is with yourself,¡± Eward paused his exnation for a moment to burst intoughter. ¡°Ciel, you and I are half-siblings. We share the same father. That alone raises the quality of your sacrifice. ¡°However, after that is factored in, the quality of your sacrifice depends not on our rtionship, but on your own individual value. Silver hair and golden eyes are quite rarely found among humans. On top of that, Ciel, you truly are beautiful. You have the body of a maiden who has just graduated from her childhood and is overflowing with vitality. Your skills and mana far surpass your peers. Finally, you are pure, and your purity has never been defiled.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re disgusting,¡± Ciel cursed. ¡°My personal opinion of you¡­ well¡­ it¡¯s just to the extent of agreeing that you¡¯re beautiful. However, everything else is just the truth, isn¡¯t it? You do possess such value, and you even share the same bloodline as I do. Ciel, you are the best among all the sacrifices that I could have offered,¡± Ewardplimented sincerely. Ciel was paralyzed by disgust. ¡°However, it won¡¯t be enough with just you,¡± Eward said to himself. ¡°Cyan¡­ I wasn¡¯t able to meet with him earlier, but he should be here soon. Did you know? Just like how a pure virgin female has a high value as a sacrifice, a pure virgin male also shares the same high value. The only things better are newborn infants, fetuses, and pregnant women, but I¡­ well¡­. I don¡¯t really want to bother with that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re crazy,¡± Ciel spat out as her body trembled in fear. ¡°You¡¯re not in your right mind. So that¡¯s it, you just want to offer meandCyan, as your sacrifices? What exactly are you doing all this for?¡± Eward said simply, ¡°The more sacrifices the better. Of course, there is a limit to the amount of sacrifices that I can handle at any one time with my current skills, and it would be unreasonable for me to try and take on all of the ck Lions by myself. That¡¯s why we need to do this as quickly as possible¡ª¡± Ciel burst out, ¡°You¡¯re insane! What makes you think you¡¯ll even get away with this? You, you¡¯re going to die here, brother. And it won¡¯t just be you¡ª! Both Lady Tanis, who raised you, and Count Bossar will also¡ª! ¡°They¡¯ll be fine,¡± Eward cut her short, his steps halting. ¡°They¡¯re all cheering me on. No matter what I do, they won¡¯t me me for it.¡± Ciel gasped. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so absurd¡ª!¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re no longer trying to hide your true feelings. Mhm, well it can¡¯t be helped. You¡¯ve been afraid ever since earlier, and¡­ although you¡¯ve been good at hiding your inner feelings ever since you were young, you¡¯ve never needed to hide terror,¡± Eward observed as he pointed a finger at Ciel. ¡°So you should just rx. Close your eyes and stop resisting. That¡¯s all that you need to do.¡± Everything in front of Ciel¡¯s eyes began to blur. Her head also started to feel heavy. But she didn¡¯t want to go to sleep. If she fell asleep, she didn¡¯t think that she would ever be able to open her eyes again. ¡­And Cyan? What about her twin brother? Eward had said that he would being here, so¡­ would her twin be caught like this as well? What about mother, father, Sir Carmen¡­. ¡®...Eugene.¡¯ What would happen to him? Was heing here like Cyan was? ¡®...Help me,¡¯Ciel begged as she lost consciousness. * * * ¡°...It¡¯s strange,¡± Eugene murmured as he stopped walking with a frown. Before entering the forest of the demonic beasts, he had received apass from Genos, though he had never actually taken it out to use it. Eugene was able to clearly feel the ominous demonic power covering the entire forest, so he was able to sense in which direction the source of the demonic powery without having to rely on tools. However currently, he wasn¡¯t able to fully trust his own senses. Yesterday, when he had first entered the forest, he could still recall the direction in which he had sensed the center of the forest to be. But now? Paying close attention to the confusion of his senses, Eugene took out thepass. ¡°...So it really has changed?¡± Eugene muttered when he saw that thepass was pointing in apletely different direction. ¡°Have I really unconsciously gotten lost in this forest?¡± He took out a differentpass ¡ª just an ordinary piece of equipment, this time. Eugene held the twopasses in each hand, then kicked off the ground and raced forward. ¡®There¡¯s no way that the both of them would break at the same time,¡¯Eugene thought confidently, but even though he was heading forward in a straight line, thepasses were still each pointing to a different location.¡®So, has something gone wrong with the forest?¡¯ Eugene retrieved Akasha from inside his cloak and held it in his hand. He then examined his surroundings, but he couldn¡¯t spot any spells that could be affecting the forest. Eugene thought of something.¡®Is this the influence of the demonic power? Well, that¡¯s also a possibility.¡¯ If this were Helmuth, then it wouldn¡¯t be strange for that to be the case. However, this was patentlynotHelmuth. In the first ce, even if something had gone wrong with the forest, one would still be able to find their way without using apass. ¡®But Genos has gone missing¡­.¡¯ Eugene could no longer feel the faint traces of his presence. ¡°Hmmm¡­¡± Eugen hummed thoughtfully as he ced bothpasses back inside of his cloak. ¡°...Uuu¡­,¡± Mer, who was lying on her back, groaned as she lifted her head to look at him. ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Sir Eugene¡­?¡± ¡°I need you to keep your head sticking out,¡± Eugene instructed. ¡°...Huh?¡± Mer grunted questioningly. ¡°We need to find the right path,¡± Eugene informed her. Tap. Eugene knocked on Mer¡¯s head and said, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re a guidepost.¡± Mer reacted with confusion. ¡°Huuuh¡­?¡± ¡°Although I could keep going by following my senses, aren¡¯t you just as sensitive to demonic power as I am? So you can just guide me to wherever it feels the most disgusting,¡± Eugene proposed. Mer warned him, ¡°But I might just throw up¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not even capable of such a thing,¡± Eugen scoffed. ¡°You don¡¯t even have a stomach, so just what are you trying to say¡­.¡± ¡°If I want to, then I can manage it somehow,¡± Mer stubbornly insisted. ¡°I really will vomit inside of your cloak¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll get mad,¡± Eugene threatened. Bong. Eugene bonked Mer on the head and resumed walking forward. Chapter 141: The Hunt (4)

Chapter 141: The Hunt (4)

Something had changed. The dissonance affecting Eugene¡¯s senses was slowly growing more prevalent as he moved forward. However, he couldn¡¯t clearly tell where this dissonance wasing from. He had repeatedly checked with Akasha, but it didn¡¯t seem to be a spell. Was this a side-effect of the demonic power? But if it were something like that, there was no way that Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize it. ¡°...Sir Eugene,¡± Mer suddenly spoke up. She had been gazing up ahead with an expression that looked like she had taken a mouthful of sand. ¡°This really isn¡¯t a spell, right?¡± ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene replied, ncing down at Akasha, which he was holding in his hand. Akasha¡¯s power enabled him to understand spells by allowing him to see through the secrets of the magic behind them. This forest wasn¡¯t under the effect of any spells. ¡°...However, something is strange,¡± Mer continued as she gazed around at their surroundings with narrowed eyes. ¡°It feels like we¡¯re being herded somewhere?¡± ¡°We are?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s not just you, Sir Eugene. Whether it¡¯s mana or demonic power¡­ all the ¡®power¡¯ in this forest is being gathered in one location,¡± Mer deduced. Eugene nced down at thepass he was still holding in his other hand. This was thepass that pointed towards the densest concentration of demonic power, but the location it was currently pointing at wasn¡¯t the center of the forest. If one were to rely solely on thispass, one would arrive at apletely different location than expected. And if one didn¡¯t have thispass? They would be able to find their way through the forest with a different method, but those who had trained in the martial arts often grew over-reliant on their trained body and senses. Relying on such a method to make progress would usually end up being a mistake for first-timers. Only after a few such failures would their now-honed senses assist them in finding the right path, even in a densely tree-packed forest. However, when in an artificially ¡®tangled¡¯ forest like this, it was even possible for one''s senses to be influenced. It was so subtle that Eugene almost hadn¡¯t noticed it, but for someone like him, who was quick to grasp any situation, this whole situation felt like a tant trap. ¡®...The problem is that I might not be the only one caught in this,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. Spell or not, this ¡®trick¡¯ had been cast over a wide area. ¡®To attract all of the energies in this forest¡­. Is that in order to neutralize the Knights of the ck Lion stationed around the center of the forest? What about the Captains who are meant to be supervising us? Without any energy to draw on, will they even be able to put up a fight?¡¯ The mystery of it all caused Eugene¡¯s imagination to run wild. His thoughts turned to the potential culprits. Once you crossed the Us mountains, Kiehl¡¯s bordery straight ahead, and beyond that, sprawled the Samar Rainforest. Whenever the ouws of Samar needed to smuggle something into Kiehl, the mostmonly used route was to cross the Us Mountains. One of the main tasks of the Knights of the ck Lion was to capture these smugglers who sought to bring contraband items into the country. ¡®...No¡­ no matter how greedy they are¡­there¡¯sno way those types would pick a fight with the Knights of the ck Lion like this. Then the only remaining possibility is¡­,¡¯Eugene surmised. It had to be the dark elves. ¡®Iris¡¯ dark elves were in Samarst time I checked,¡¯Eugene recalled. The Rakshasa Princess wanted to convert all the elves staying at the main estate. ¡®...She couldn¡¯t really be thinking of taking us hostages and exchanging our lives for the elves, could she? Although that chick, Iris, has always been a crazy bitch, has she gotten even crazier after three hundred years?¡¯Eugene thought in disbelief. He had made a lot of guesses, but there was still no way to tell the truth. Eugene focused his mind and called out, ¡°Tempest.¡± His forceful summons reached out to the spirit world. Eugene¡¯s hair whipped around as the wind in his surroundings began to shake. [What¡¯s the matter?] Tempest asked upon arriving. ¡°I need you to scout out the area for me,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°And search for Genos Lionheart. You know what he looks like, right?¡± [...To summon the Spirit King of the Wind for such a trivial task. Hamel, you really are the only one who would¡ª] Tempest¡¯s voice suddenly cut off. ¡°Kyaaah,¡± Mer then let out a cry of rm as the rest of her body that was still inside the cloak began to wriggle. After a few moments of twisting her body to and fro, her face contorted in a grimace, then she managed to reach into the depths of the cloak and retrieved Wynnyd. Wynnyd, now held firmly in Mer¡¯s hands, was shaking as it hummed. Receiving Wynnyd from Mer, Eugene tilted his head to the side and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with you? Is there something strange?¡± [Hmmm¡­!] Just like how Wynnyd¡¯s body was shaking, Tempest¡¯s voice was also trembling. Although it had been quite a while since Eugene first got his hands on Wynnyd, he had rarely ever seen Tempest show such agitation. Fwooosh! The wind gathered into one location. Manifesting his body, Tempest reached out here and there as he turned and looked at their surroundings. With each gesture of his hands, a gust of wind blew out, leaving the tree branches swaying violently. Although Eugene wasn¡¯t able to understand what Tempest was doing, what he did know was that it couldn¡¯t be in reaction to anything good. So he didn¡¯t say anything further and just waited for Tempest to speak. [...This is unbelievable,] Tempest eventually muttered. ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene prompted. [The wind spirits and the earth spirits¡­ no, all the spirits in this forest are asleep.] ¡°Why?¡± [It¡¯s the darkness,] Tempest dered, his voice still shaking. [Most beings choose to sleep when in darkness without any light, as they fear to imagine what unseeable things might be lurking out there in the gloom ahead of them. ¡­Hamel, the darkness has long carried with it an air of mise, as it is a time when certain ominous beings are free to roam.] ¡°...So, what¡¯s going on?¡± Eugene asked. [Spirits can still be found even in such darkness. They are, of course, the spirits of darkness, but they are harder to contract than any other spirits. Spirits of darkness are indifferent to humans, and on top of that, darkness spirits can even drive humans crazy¡­,] Tempest trailed off. Eugene silently took in the implications. [...The darkness covering this forest is a spirit''s darkness. It has managed to engulf an area of this size and forced everything in its range, including the other spirits, to fall asleep. Darkness spirits are usually as strong as they are ominous, but for one to have such a powerful influence is¡­.] ¡°Could it be a Spirit King?¡± [No, that¡¯s not the case. No Spirit King of Darkness exists. So it¡¯s probably still just a high-ranking spirit of darkness that has managed to engulf this ce. Hamel, I know how skilled you are, but this isn¡¯t an opponent you can easily ovee,] Tempest muttered as his body scattered back into the wind. [...Genos Lionheart is probably wandering around somewhere in the dark. It¡¯s hard to put such a skilled warrior to sleep, but twisting his path into circles is as easy as child¡¯s y for a spirit of darkness.] ¡°So I need to find the spirit summoner,¡± Eugene spat out as he bent his knees. Thanks to the lightning mes dissolved into his mana, he could feel the spirits of the World Tree, but it was still impossible for him to sense the presence of other types of spirits. So he had to leave it up to Tempest to find the spirit of darkness. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, Mer stopped whining and held on tightly to the edge of the cloak. After sensing where the concentration of demonic power was the deepest, Eugene kicked off the ground and leaped forward. * * * ¡°...Young master?¡± Breaking her silence from all this time, Dezra suddenly spoke up as she looked around at their surroundings. ¡°...Are we heading the right way?¡± At some point, their surroundings had stopped feeling like a forest. The sun should have definitely risen by now, but even if they looked up at the sky, they couldn¡¯t see any sunlight. Was it because they were too deep in the forest? Was the foliage too dense? But no matter how dense it was, could it really get this dark? ¡°The demonic beasts have grown stronger,¡± Cyan observed as he scrubbed away some blood that had gotten onto his armor. ¡°No matter how foolish you are, you should at least be able to tell that, right? Though, you did make a fool of yourself just now. When that herd of spike-antlers ambushed us, you retreated instead of fucking stabbing them like you should have!¡± Dezra colored in embarrassment as she stammered, ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡ª¡± Cyan shouted her down, ¡°What in the world were you thinking? Why did you decide to take part in this hunt when you only have that level of skill to show for it? Even if you are weak, you should at least take responsibility for your weakness and try harder. Instead, you¡¯re nothing but a burden¡ª.¡± Cyan caught himself. Something was strange. Her mistake wasn¡¯t something that he would usually get this mad about, but Cyan¡¯s emotions felt strangely heightened. And even though he had sensed this strangeness, he still couldn¡¯t hold back his irritation. But was there even any need for him to hold back in the first ce? It was only natural for him to not like what he didn¡¯t like, so why should he try to suppress that? Wasn¡¯t he the next Patriarch of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line? Why should he have to carry around a useless burden like her in a ce like this? Why should he, the future Patriarch, have to stand at the forefront of the party, swinging a sword to open up a path? Why did he have to amodate that weak fool¡¯s mistake? ¡®...It¡¯s because I am the future Patriarch,¡¯Cyan struggled to remind himself. A sh of resolve brought this downward spiral of thoughts to a halt. Cyan took a deep breath and shook his head. This dark forest seemed to be making them feel strange things. It was probably because they had gone in too deep. The concentration of demonic power was having some kind of effect on them¡­. ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m not weak. For you to call me just a burden is¡ª! I¡¯m also working hard. Whenever the young master can¡¯t pay any attention to his rear, I¡¯m the one guarding your back. And just now, I¡¯m the one who killed the young master¡¯s previous opponent with my spear!¡± Dezra shouted while holding back her tears. Cyan wasn¡¯t the only one feeling the emotional upheaval. ¡°Also, it really is strange. It¡¯s really, really strange! If you can¡¯t tell that something is wrong, that means you¡¯re the one who¡¯s the foolish idiot, young master. Look around us. We can¡¯t ¡ª we can¡¯t see anything. Even though we¡¯re in a forest, we can¡¯t see any trees, there¡¯s barely any sound, and even the ground we¡¯re stepping on is strange!¡± Dezra shouted as she kicked off her shoes; then, with a thump, she stomped on the ground with her bare feet. ¡°A forest should have dirt! But even though it¡¯s supposed to be dirt, none of it gets onto my feet! Th-there are no rocks either. And doesn¡¯t it feel like we¡¯re currently heading downwards? What the hell is going on here?¡± ¡°Calm down and clear your head. It¡¯s not umon to be left in a confused state due to the influence of demonic power¡­!¡± Cyan tried to calm her, only to begin losing his temper, ¡°You, you! Did you reallye here knowing that you were going to enter this forest without even learning the basics¡­?!¡± ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that it was the young master who led us down this strange path!¡± Dezra returned his usation. Cyan tried to hold back his annoyance. He really did try to suppress it. But when he heard Dezra shout those words, he couldn¡¯t stop the anger inside of him from boiling over. Moreover, did he ever give permission for her to speak to him so rudely? Cyan was two years older than Dezra. Cyan gritted his teeth, ¡°This damn¡ª!¡± ¡°Enough,¡± Gargith, who had been listening quietly as they argued, suddenly spoke up. His heavy bass tones ruthlessly cut off the harsh words that Cyan had been about to utter. ¡°Just like the young master has said, we all appear to be caught in some kind of mental interference caused by the demonic power. We¡¯re snapping at each other because our minds have been weakened,¡± Gargith said as he walked over and picked Dezra up with just one arm. Surprised by her sudden weightlessness, Dezra let out a scream and kicked her heels. ¡°L-let go!¡± Dezra demanded. ¡°Put on your shoes,¡± Gargith instructed calmly. Dezra¡¯s thrashing hands scraped past Gargith¡¯s cheeks, but he just held his head in ce without taking even the slightest movement to avoid them. Gargith then carried Dezra over to stand in front of the shoes that she had just kicked off. ¡°...You¡­ how are you okay?¡± Cyan asked with a sour expression. Unlike Cyan and Dezra, whose emotions had run wild due to the mental interference, Gargith¡¯s expression was as serious as it usually was. ¡°It¡¯s because a healthy mind dwells in a healthy body,¡± Gargith replied as he flexed his bicep in a demonstration. ¡°If you build as healthy a body as I have, young master, you will obtain aposure that will keep you from feeling anxiety under any circumstances.¡± ¡°Uhhh¡­¡± Cyan just gulped in disbelief and nodded. Thanks to Gargith getting in between them, Cyan and Dezra stopped snapping at each other. However, their situation still wasn¡¯t all that great, and if they kept heading forward, there was no way of knowing what they might run into. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if it¡¯s just demonic beasts; we can handle them,¡± Cyan dered after shaking his head vigorously. ¡°Seeing as the interference has grown so strong, the center of the forest must not be far away. Since the Knights of the ck Lion have been directing their hunting efforts in that direction starting from yesterday¡­ there might not be as many demonic beasts as we fear there are.¡± This wasn¡¯t just a random guess. In fact, as the darkness of their surroundings deepened, the frequency with which they encountered demonic beasts had also reduced. ¡°...If something dangerous does happen, instead of the demonic beasts, it will probably be because of this thing affecting our heads,¡± Cyan warned direly. ¡°For example¡­ Dezra, you might try to backstab me with your spear like you did during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony.¡± ¡°...Are you being serious right now?¡± Dezra asked in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that it¡¯s a possibility,¡± Cyan insisted as he took a deep breath. ¡°Of course, I believe in you two. After all, no matter what might happen, we¡¯vee this far together. Don¡¯t worry about the demonic beasts bing too dangerous for us to handle. I am stronger than you, so I can protect you. All you two need to do is try your best.¡± ¡°...You mean, I¡¯m the one who has to try her best,¡± Dezra muttered with a lowered gaze. After staring at her downcast appearance, Gargith pped Dezra on the back. ¡°Aaargh!¡± Dezra cried out in pain. ¡°Straighten your back and stick your chest out,¡± Gargith advised. ¡°Such an unsteady and slouched posture will only tire out the mind.¡± ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Dezra groaned, unable to argue with him. ¡°Also, you have to believe in yourself. That¡¯s where true confidence lies,¡± Gargith said as he steadily began to stride forward. Seeing Gargith open the path ahead of them, Cyan also followed after him without saying another word to Dezra. ¡°Since you¡¯re weaker than me, don¡¯t stand in front of me,¡± Cyanined. ¡°Yes, young master,¡± came Gargith¡¯s polite reply. They walked like this for quite some time. It was so dark that it was impossible to believe it could get any darker, and it became impossible to tell whether the surface they were treading on was dirt or gravel. Just as Dezra had said while screaming, for some reason, it felt as if they were heading down inside the ground. But it was just a feeling. There were still a few trees surrounding them. Whenever they tried to touch something that seemed to be shimmering in front of them, it turned out to be a tree. ¡­Yet, instead of reassuring them, this just made Cyan¡¯s party even more nervous. This was still the forest, but it didn¡¯t feel like a forest. If they hadn¡¯t been able to touch the tree right in front of them, they definitely wouldn¡¯t have been able to tell what it was. ¡°Should we take a short rest?¡± Cyan breathed out, feeling slightly light-headed. Gargith also nodded in agreement at these words. Although she was also dying to rest[1], Dezra didn¡¯t feelfortable expressing her opinion. So she deliberately kept her mouth mped shut and looked around at their surroundings as if surveying the location. ¡°...Ah¡­,¡± Dezra¡¯s lips parted slightly as she stammered. ¡°...J-just now¡­ th-that, I¡¯m not the only one who can see that, right?¡± ¡°Are you trying to mess with me right now?¡± Cyan demanded angrily. ¡°N-no way. J-just l-l-look over there,¡± Dezra continued to stammer, her face paling as she pointed her finger. As Cyan felt irritation boil up inside him, he clenched his fists. Apparently, this foolish chick was harboring the misconception that the next Patriarch of the main family was still afraid of ghosts. ¡®Trying something at a time like this¡­,¡¯Cyan thought with a sigh as he turned to look in the direction she had pointed to. Cyan¡¯s expression abruptly stiffened. Gargith, who had also turned to look, widened his eyes in shock. Gargith immediately reached out to try and grab Cyan, but Cyan preempted Gargith by racing forward. ¡°Young master!¡± Gargith shouted after him. But his cry couldn¡¯t reach Cyan¡¯s ears. Instead, the only thing audible to Cyan was the sound of his heart beating so fast that it was almost about to burst. White mes explosively erupted into life around Cyan¡¯s body and flew outward from him like a mane. Cyan¡¯s thoughts were solely on his one and only younger sister,¡®Ciel.¡¯ Cyan¡¯s golden eyes grew bloodshot. That precious sister of his was now hanging off the ground in the middle of this stark darkness. Her body couldn¡¯t be seen, with only her head standing out in this gloom; her eyes closed in her pale, bloodless face. This scene caused Cyan to imagine a terrible scenario. Demonic beasts that ate humans weren¡¯t rare. No, in fact, all demonic beasts could and did eat humans. However, among them, there were some especially terrible ones who would mark their territories by hanging up what was left of the corpses of the humans they had eaten. Could Ciel really have been eaten, leaving only her head behind? He didn¡¯t even want to think of this possibility. Cyan let out a scream as he raced towards Ciel. Whoosh! But fortunately, he hadn¡¯t fully lost his sanity. Instead, at this very moment, Cyan¡¯s head was cooler than ever. So he was still able to react to an unexpected event with a leap forward. ¡®What¡¯s going on?¡¯Cyan thought as his body twisted in mid-air and saw the sword that had struck at him. Something like ck slime was clinging to its de. But the attack didn¡¯t end there. Just as he thought that the darkness in front of him seemed to be writhing, the sword shot toward Cyan once more. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be cut by it. Cyan immediately reached this judgment and raised his left arm. Chachunk! The vambrace wrapped around his left forearm split apart and formed a shield. This was Gedon¡¯s Shield, a shield that could deflect all the attacks it received into empty space. The shield¡¯s ability was quite broken, but it wasn¡¯t invincible. It was impossible topletely block an attack that surpassed the limits of the wearer¡¯s mana. Wooooo! The space around them shook. Although it had drained quite a bit of Cyan¡¯s mana, he had seeded in deflecting this attack from his unknown assant. As Cyannded back onto the ground, he immediately took a guard stance. ¡®She¡¯s still alive,¡¯Cyan realized with a nce at Ciel. Although her face was pale and bloodless, she was still breathing faintly. If so, then everything was fine. Cyan regained hisposure and red ahead of him. ¡°...Who is it? Are you a demonic beast? Or perhaps¡­ a human?¡± ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Cyan¡¯s face contorted at the reply that returned from the darkness. ¡°...Eward?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Although Cyan could hear his voice, he couldn¡¯t make out Eward¡¯s appearance. He still didn¡¯t know what in the world was going on. Why was Ciel hung up like that, and why had Eward attacked him? ¡­But did he really not know? It was just that Cyan didn¡¯t want to believe it. Cyan felt such great rage that he could hardly believe that such an emotion could belong to him. As if sympathizing with his rage, the mes that engulfed Cyan red up in size. Cyan growled, ¡°You, a child of the Lionheart n¡­ you really have gone crazy! Do you know just how much father did to protect you¡ª!¡± Eward interrupted him, ¡°Twins really are twins, after all. How is it that you say the exact same things as Ciel?¡± Eward still didn¡¯t show his face. Crouching in the darkness, he chuckled to himself. ¡°Eward¡­! If you¡¯re feeling so self-satisfied with your crimes, then stop hiding and show yourself! You damned son of a bitch!¡± Cyan cursed loudly. ¡°But there¡¯s no need for me to show myself,¡± Eward rejected his demand. Squeak¡­ squeeeak. As Eward drew a pattern on the floor in red blood, he absently muttered, ¡°I don¡¯t really enjoy fighting.¡± Cyan cursed once more, ¡°Fuck your bullsh¡ª¡± Bang. The sound hade from behind him. Cyan flinched and turned to look at his rear. The first thing he saw was the sight of Dezra, who had fallen to the floor bonelessly. Beside her, Gargith¡¯s giant frame was also lying copsed. ¡°This fucking¡­,¡± Cyan ground out as he clutched the hilt of his sword. Could he still rescue Ciel and escape? If so, didn¡¯t that mean he would have to abandon Gargith and Dezra? No, in the first ce, was it even possible to save anyone else from the current situation? The most important thing right now wasn¡¯t to care about someone else, but to take care of himself. So for now, he should run away on his own¡­. This wasn¡¯t a situation where he had a lot of time to think. Cyan forcefully cut short his train of thought and leaped forward. With Ciel, Gargith, and Dezra, no matter what he tried toe up with, it would be impossible to run away with all three of them at once. As the next Patriarch, could Cyan really abandon his younger sister and his vassals to run away all by himself? That was impossible. Thus, his sudden charge wasn¡¯t meant to be an escape attempt. ¡°Hector!¡± Cyan shouted as he swung his sword. Hector Lionheart raised his hands with a bitter smile on his face. ¡°It¡¯s so much harder to subdue someone without killing them,¡± Hector muttered. Hector¡¯s body tensed as he lowered his stance. As Cyan swung his sword, Hector ducked beneath it. The sword¡¯s trajectory twisted mid-swing. Hector¡¯s eyes sparked as he brushed the falling sword aside with his shoulder. Pang! Hector¡¯s hand caught the de. ¡®He caught it even though it¡¯s covered in sword-force?¡¯Cyan thought as his eyes widened in shock. With his hands pped together, Hector held the sword firmly so that it couldn¡¯t move. Cyan quickly released the sword and tried to retreat. But Hector wouldn¡¯t let Cyan go off so easily. By the time Cyan had taken two steps back, his opponent had taken four steps forward. Like this, Cyan and Hector¡¯s bodies collided. Tching! The aura shield protecting Cyan¡¯s body was shattered. ¡°Gagh¡­!¡± Cyan gasped as his body bent forward at the waist. Bam¡­ bam bam bam! Hector¡¯s fists smashed through his armor and pounded his sr plexus. Baaam! His left elbow then mmed down on Cyan¡¯s spine, causing Cyan¡¯s eyes to roll back in his head. ¡°Phew,¡± Hector let out a sigh he had been holding back. His hands stung as he picked up Cyan, who had fallen face-first onto the ground, and swung him over his shoulders. A nce down at his hands revealed that they were covered in blood. ¡°Indeed, as expected of the main family¡¯s young master,¡± Hector muttered in appreciation as he clenched and unclenched his blood-stained hands. It was true that he had resorted to barbaric means in order to subdue Cyan quickly, but to think that his hands would be this damaged¡­ Had he really bled so much? With these thoughts, Hector headed deeper into the darkness. ¡°Is it going to take much longer?¡± Hector asked impatiently. ¡°Not too long, but it still needs some time,¡± Eward answered. ¡°Hm¡­ I suppose it would be unreasonable to expect you to control that with your own power, right?¡± Hector eventually conceded. Eward broke intoughter, ¡°Haha¡­. If it were possible for me to do something like that¡­ then I wouldn¡¯t even need your help. ¡°Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Hector agreed. ¡°Would you like me to help out with an earnest prayer? If not, you can also tell me if there¡¯s a simpler method.¡± ¡°Prayers are something that only apply to gods and Demon Kings,¡± Eward corrected. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Hector shook his head with a huff as he looked down at Cyan. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll be backter.¡± ¡°Where are you going?¡± Eward asked. ¡°Young master Eugene is approaching,¡± Hector revealed. Squeak¡­ squeak. Eward¡¯s hand, which was still in the middle of drawing the pattern, paused for a few moments. ¡°Can you subdue him?¡± Eward confirmed. ¡°It would be easier to kill him,¡± Hector said uncertainly. Eward rmended, ¡°Try to subdue him if it¡¯s possible.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll give it my best shot,¡± Hector promised. ¡°In a ce like this, I might still be able to subdue young master Cyan, but it will be difficult for me to subdue young master Eugene. Because all our ns will be ruined if you also get caught up in the fight.¡± ¡°What if I help you?¡± Eward offered. ¡°Just keep praying¡­ no, requesting,¡± Hector waved off the offer with a grin as he turned away. ¡°So that the other Captains won¡¯t be able to interfere.¡± Chapter 142: The Hunt (5)

Chapter 142: The Hunt (5)

Eugene kept his eyes fixed in front of him as hended on the ground. Standing there was Hector Lionheart. Eugene had spotted Hector wandering around in the darkness as he flew overhead. ¡°Sir Hector?¡± Eugene called out. Hearing Eugene¡¯s voiceing from behind him, Hector turned his head with a surprised expression. ¡°Eugene?¡± Eugene read a look of youthful embarrassment on Hector¡¯s face. Before asking what had happened, he first scanned Hector. Hector was on his own. That on its own was already something to be concerned about. Hector¡¯s travelingpanion, Deacon Lionheart, was nowhere to be seen. ¡°..Why are you on your own?¡± Eugene eventually asked him. ¡°It¡¯s all my fault,¡± Hector replied in a rushed tone. ¡°I should have held on to him, but¡­ as we got deeper into the forest, Deacon became frightened by themotion caused by the demonic beasts, and he ran away all by himself.¡± That was a likely story. After all, wasn¡¯t Deacon just an eighteen-year-old brat? This would be his first time hunting demonic beasts, and seeing his appearance full of timidity, he probably didn¡¯t have much experience inbat. Needless to say, his skills were also likelycking. Dense demonic power could cause mental interference. The weaker your mental strength, the faster and more aggressively the interference took hold. In the face of such terror, it would only be natural for that kid to end up running away in fear if he had been unable to ovee it. ¡°Would you mind helping me?¡± Hector asked cautiously. Instead of replying immediately, Eugene took a look at their surroundings. It was dark wherever he looked. It might still be because of the dense demonic power, but this thick darkness was more likely to be a trick yed by the darkness spirit. ¡°...Well, something like that¡­ it¡¯s not a difficult request,¡± Eugene said, expressing his willingness to help. ¡°Thank you. Since this forest is so wide, there¡¯s a limit to how much I can search on my own,¡± Hector said as he sighed in relief and approached Eugene. ¡°There¡¯s something strange about this forest. While I lived in Ruhr, I¡¯ve been to a few ces with dense concentrations of demonic power, but¡­ during all those times, I¡¯ve never been to a ce as ominous and dark as this.¡± ¡°It seems that something else is going on,¡± Eugene spected. ¡°Something else?¡± Hector reacted with surprise. ¡°Are you saying that someone is ying tricks on us?¡± ¡°That seems to be the case,¡± Eugene confirmed. Hector burst intoughter, ¡°Hahaha¡­! That¡¯s just absurd. Who the hell would be ying tricks in the den of the Lionheart n¡¯s elite ck Lion Knights?¡± ¡°Someone with massive balls[1],¡± Eugene replied as he turned away. ¡°Or someone who has lost their mind.¡± ¡°Well, that might indeed be the case. If they weren¡¯t insane, they wouldn¡¯t dare to do something like this,¡± Hector nodded as he agreed enthusiastically. Now then, how should he do this¡­. Hector didn¡¯t want to fight head-on. After all, his opponent was Eugene Lionheart. The man who was considered to be the greatest genius of the Lionheart n since the Great Vermouth. Although Hector had also heard countless voices calling him a genius ever since he was young, he had never heard such high levels of praise. Of course, he didn¡¯t feel any disappointment about this. It had made him interested in Eugene. But this interest wouldn¡¯t stop Hector from doing what he needed to do. ¡®The ideal course of action would be a surprise attack. I can¡¯t allow the battle to drag on for too long, so if at all possible, I need to end it in one blow. That would be better for both of us. I wouldn¡¯t have to use too much strength either,¡¯Hector considered. In the same situation of a surprise attack, subduing your opponent was much more difficult than simply killing them. This meant that he couldn¡¯t just take action hastily. Hector continued to walk a few steps behind Eugene, staring at Eugene¡¯s back. ¡®...Hoh¡­,¡¯Hector thought to himself in surprise. He couldn¡¯t help but be rmed. As far as Hector could tell, Eugene truly didn¡¯t show even the slightest of openings. Eugene wasn¡¯t even turned this way, nor had he stopped walking even once. He was just walking forward normally, but¡­ Hector felt such pressure that it was as if he was facing Eugene head-on with swords drawn. Hector broke the silence. ¡°Just in case¡­ if there really is someone ying tricks, who do you think it might be?¡± ¡°Are you really asking me to take a guess as to who might have such brass balls or an insane enough mind?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. ¡°Well, that¡¯s fair. So, could it actually be some demonfolk from Helmuth? Or perhaps a ck wizard¡­? Hmmm, it might even be the tribespeople of Samar or perhaps the Assassins of Nahama? You¡¯re familiar with them, right? The rtionship between Kiehl and Nahama isn¡¯t all that great currently,¡± Hectormented. ¡°Hmmm, any of them might have done this, but¡­ they¡¯re not the ones responsible,¡± Eugene dered firmly. ¡°They¡¯re not?¡± Hector repeated in surprise. ¡°Then who do you think it could be?¡± ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± Eugene stated simply. What did he say just now? Hector wasn¡¯t able to understand what Eugene meant by the words he had just spat out. It hade far too suddenly, the sentence was too short, and the moment that he heard those words¡ª An explosion went off beneath Hector¡¯s feet. Instead of Eugene¡¯s words, Hector chose to prioritize his reaction to the explosion. He immediately leaped into the air as he raised an aurashield. At some point, Eugene had turned around and was now looking up at Hector, and that gaze of his¡­. Btedlyprehending the meaning of Eugene¡¯s words, Hector swallowed a bitter smile. Those two eyes were as dark and cold as a block of ice. Eugene¡¯s actions showed absolute certainty without even a speck of indecision, and the look in his eyes dered that instead of talking anding to an understanding, he intended to force Hector to surrender before getting his answers. ¡°...Fine then,¡± Hector said as he somersaulted backward with a smile. It¡¯s not like he hated the idea of having a conversation with Eugene. When there were interesting topics and entertaining personalities, conversations with such people were always fun. If this was a cafe or a pub, he would have enjoyed sitting down to have a conversation. But probably, from now on, he would never get the chance to have such a talk with Eugene in a public ce for the rest of his life. Hector felt a slight sense of disappointment at this fact. ¡®That just means my interest in him was sincere,¡¯Hector thought with a mental shrug. Fwooosh. A bright red, me-like mana wrapped around Hector¡¯s body. ¡°Before we start, I just want to ask¡­ how did you know?¡± Hector asked curiously. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have revealed any hostility or murderous intent.¡± ¡°The smell,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°There was a smell of metal polish mixed in with the smell of your blood.¡± ¡°With just that?¡± ¡°That was enough. The smell of that polish is something that I smell at the main estate every day.¡± No way. Hector squeezed out a smile as he looked down at his own hands. He still had the wounds from grabbing Cyan¡¯s sword. He had already stopped bleeding, but¡­ the smell of metal polish? Hector was also quite confident in the sharpness of his senses, but even he couldn¡¯t distinguish the smell of polish when mixed in with the smell of his own blood. ¡°Really now¡­ and I thought I had cleaned it up quite well,¡± Hector said regretfully. ¡°Don¡¯t treat the main family like fools,¡± Eugene said as he wagged his finger at Hector. ¡°The Lionheart n as a whole is a martial n, and the main family stands at the center of it. Even the oil used to polish our weapons is of the highest quality, and the scent blended into it cannot be erased without using a custom-made cleaning agent.¡± This was specially designed so they could chase after wounded and fleeing prey or in preparation for the dangers of assassination. Therefore, the members of the main family were made to memorize that scent when they began their training. Hector eventually asked Eugene, ¡°...Is that all you have to say? Shouldn¡¯t there be many things that you want to ask me? Like, who did I betray you to and why¡­?¡± Crackle. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene said as an electric current surged across his fingertips. ¡°Because I¡¯ll make sure to ask you all that once I¡¯ve left you half-dead.¡± His mana shed. Crackoom! A jagged ray of light shot through where Hector had been standing. But what in the world was it? A spell? Although Hector had seeded in quickly avoiding it, seeing such an attack for the first time left his head in some confusion. ¡®Casting a spell without any incantation¡­. No, was that really a spell? It felt more like he turned his mana into sword-force and just shot it out?¡¯ But then, how could it be so fast and strong? In any case, he couldn¡¯t risk a direct hit. Finishing his deliberations, Hector made his move. Both hands fell to his waist, and each drew a sword. ¡®Two-sword style,¡¯Eugene noted with surprise. There was noparison between wielding a sword in one hand and wielding two swords, one in each hand. Even for a swordsman with exceptional skill, it was impossible to skillfully handle two swords without any experience. Although such a style couldn¡¯t be handled without a certain level of skill and talent, if practiced well, it was a difficult style for the opponent to deal with, as it made the opponent feel like they were facing dozens or even hundreds of swords instead of just the two. ¡®The lengths are different,¡¯Eugene noticed. The sword in Hector¡¯s right hand was half as long as his body, while the sword in his left hand was much shorter than that. For his weapons to be out of bnce¡­. Eugene¡¯s lips twitched as he realized,¡®That means he thinks he can y at whatever distance he likes, egoistic bastard.¡¯ Who exactly did he think his opponent was? Eugene¡¯s body surged forward. As if waiting for this, Hector responded by swinging both his swords. Drawn from Eugene¡¯s cloak, Wynnyd burst forward in a silver sh of light. Tchang! On collision, both mana and wind were sent flying. Hector¡¯s feet edged forward as he swung the sword in his left hand. At this distance, a longer sword wasn¡¯t ideal, but his shorter, dagger-like sword could be used with ease. ¡°Hoh,¡± Hector gasped, and his eyes widened. His attack was blocked. Before he knew it, Eugene was also holding a sword in his left hand. This had turned into a match of the two-sword style versus the two-sword style. ¡°How interesting,¡± Hector muttered as he raised his arms. As Hector¡¯s swords frantically attacked in wave after wave, Eugene refused to back down. His eyes were peeled wide open as he read the paths of Hector¡¯s swords. A lot of fake moves were mixed into his attacks, but it was useless. It was far too easy for Eugene to tell which of them were fake and which were real. ¡®...This is unbelievable,¡¯Hector couldn¡¯t help thinking. Hector¡¯s swords kept getting blocked. No matter where they flew, Eugene¡¯s swords were already there, waiting for them, so each of his attacks was cut off mid-swing. If he tried to change their trajectory, he would just be met with a counterattack. So he was forced to alternate between attack and counterattack. The fight was out of Hector¡¯s control. Though he had only been forced to divert his swords a few times, this meant that Eugene waspletely leading Hector¡¯s swords by the nose. ¡®There¡¯s this much of a gap between us?¡¯Hector thought with surprise. He had expected Eugene to be a tough opponent, but he hadn¡¯t really thought that Eugene would be this strong. He had thought that, as long as Eugene had his guard down, it would be possible to subdue him and that it would be even easier to just kill him, but¡­. ¡®My preparations weren¡¯t thorough enough,¡¯Hector admitted.¡®Even killing him would be difficult.¡¯ The moment that he realized this, Hector switched his attacks. Since he now knew that it would be difficult to kill Eugene even if he wanted to and was determined to do so, there was no longer any need to swing his swords with the intent of subduing Eugene. His swords grew even faster, sharper, and more lethal. This was a feat well worth admiring. Even in Eugene¡¯s previous life, he had never seen another swordsman able to demonstrate the two-sword style so skillfully. But to a certain extent, this was just because the two-sword style wasn¡¯t a mainstream fighting style. What if Hector¡¯s specialty wasn¡¯t the two-sword style? ¡®He is pretty strong,¡¯Eugene admitted. He might have struggled with Hector if it had been just a few months ago. However, now, there was no reason for him to struggle. In terms of technical proficiency? Comparing them would just be an insult to Eugene. Even three hundred years ago, Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel¡¯s skills could only bepared to Vermouth¡¯s. As for experience and cunning? The same went for those as well. As of now, Eugene still couldn¡¯t use all of Hamel¡¯s abilities. The White me Form was certainly an excellent mana training scripture, but if he was asked to reproduce the strength of his previous life with just the Fifth Star of the White me Form¡­ in all honesty, that would just hurt his pride. However, now that his White me Form had reached the Fifth Star, his strength had at least increased significantlypared to when he had only reached the Fourth Star. For an opponent of Hector¡¯s strength, he didn¡¯t even need to use Ignition. There was a whole ss of difference between them. Hector quickly recognized this. He wasn¡¯t able to get an edge in terms of skills. Nor was he able to get ahead by using force. ¡®...It can¡¯t be helped,¡¯Hector resigned himself. Though Hector hadn¡¯t wanted to get any help, since he had realized that he wouldn¡¯t be able to subdue Eugene by himself, Hector resigned himself to doing so. He took a deep breath as he let go of the sword in his left hand. Kiiiing! Having left Hector¡¯s hand, the sword was engulfed in a bright red me. Then, as if it had been enchanted with a spell, the sword moved on its own and shot at Eugene. Through precise maniption of his mana, Hector was able to move the sword without touching it. From Eugene¡¯s point of view, this was just a petty technique that wasn¡¯t particrly useful for anything except stabbing a target. Instead of doing that hit, it would be much faster and stronger to just personally wield the sword with your own hands. Like this¡­. aang! Wynnyd shattered the short sword, and the mana contained within it erupted in a dazzling burst of light. Hoping that Eugene¡¯s eyes would be blinded for a few moments, Hector quickly ran back. Fwooosh! With a gust of wind, Eugene¡¯s body rose into the sky. Sensing this happening behind him, Hector clicked his tongue and lowered his body further. Eugene red at Hector, who was running away, leaving a trail of bright red sparks behind him. Crackle! Lighting-mes spread out from Eugene as he pulled Akasha out of his cloak. At the same time, he went through the countless spells that filled his head and picked one. [Aerost.] From inside the cloak, Mer mouthed the name of the spell. At the same time, Eugene¡¯s hand stretched forward,pleting the spell''s casting. The spell thenbined with the winds raised by the Wind Spirit King, Tempest. Aerost was a Sixth Circle offensive spell. However, its current power far exceeded the bounds of the Sixth Circle. Kwaaaang! Compressed air and wind burst forth in a single direction. Hector swung a de or, more precisely, bright red sword-force to try and shatter the spell, but the power of the spell far exceeded his imagination. Rooooar! The darkness shook. Hector was thrown a long way backward, where he struggled to focus his dizzy head. ¡®...No way¡­ even an offensive spell of this level, he can cast it without any incantation¡­?¡¯ Hector had put up a defense. However, his whole body still felt numb, as if he had been electrocuted. Was it because that was a wind-type attack spell? ¡­No way. Hector let out a snort as he reached for his neck. ¡°So you have an artifact.¡± His cloak billowing in the wind, Eugene looked down on Hector from on high as he held Akasha forward and said, ¡°There are two dispel-type spells, three counter spells, five buffing spells, and¡­ is that seven defensive spells? Quite excessive.¡± To think that Hector¡¯s artifact had been enchanted with seventeen different spells. That made it a treasure that couldn¡¯t be bought even with billions of sals. ¡°You didn¡¯t have it with you when I saw youst time¡­ it looks like that was your trump card?¡± Eugene spected. ¡°It¡¯s a lifeline that has saved me time and time again,¡± Hector admitted. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that this is thest time it will save you,¡± Eugene muttered as he concentrated his mana on Akasha. Crackle¡­ Craaaackle¡­! Lightning-mes also gathered around it. ¡­Hector realized that it hadn¡¯t just been an illusion. Eugene Lionheart¡¯s mana was indeed infused with lightning. But how could that possibly be? Hector wondered as he struggled to raise his sluggish body. ¡°...I shouldn¡¯t havee here,¡± Hector sighed. Releasing a deep sigh, Hector nced down at the sword in his right hand. In the aftermath of the collision with that spell just now, the sword was inplete ruins. At that moment, Eugene¡¯s spell came flying at him. Dozens of beams of light pierced through the air. The name of this spell was the Space-Piercing Ray-Beams. By piercing a hole through space, this spell could hide the trajectory of its beams. Bam bam bam bam! Hector¡¯s feet slid backward as he swung his shattered sword. Any beams that couldn¡¯t be blocked were left up to his ne¡¯s defenses. He just needed to avoid any direct hits for now. As he focussed on his defense, Hector continued to draw backward. It was difficult to deal with the beams of light tearing through space, but it wasn¡¯t unmanageable. However, once Eugene also intervened, the situation became terrifying. While weaving through the light beams, Eugene thrust his sword at Hector. All Hector could do was desperately avoid any fatal wounds, even as he became covered in blood. [How is it?] Hector heard this voice inside of his head. Without revealing any emotions through his facial expressions, Hector focused on the bracelet he wore on his left wrist. ¡®I¡¯m about to die,¡¯Hector reported.¡®I didn¡¯t know that he¡¯d be this strong. Instead of a twenty-year-old, it¡¯s like I¡¯m fighting with a master who¡¯s been training for two hundred years.¡¯ [I told you so. When he sparred with Genos Lionheart, he had the upper hand in terms of technique.] ¡®Who the hell would actually believe that? It was only reasonable to think that Lord Genos had taken it easy on his junior¡­,¡¯Hector protested. [Hm, you¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you? There¡¯s no way thatyouwould have such a misunderstanding, right? You probably just became interested in his strength and wanted to try fighting him once.] ¡®Yes, you¡¯re right. I made a mistake,¡¯Hector readily conceded.¡®So, would you mind helping me out a bit? If things go on like this, I will die here.¡¯ [Take six steps to your left. Then take nine steps back.] ¡®...And after that?¡¯Hector prompted. [Just wait there. Not a step backward or to either side. Make sure to stay on that spot.] Hector quickly followed the instructions. Since he kept getting pushed back anyway, there wasn¡¯t any problem in moving a bit to the left. Soon he was at the designated spot, but Hector still didn¡¯t know what purpose this served. [Now then¡­ hmmm¡­ count to ten inside your head and jump.] It wasn¡¯t easy for Hector to follow such instructions. In the face of all the attacks that Eugene wasunching at him from the front, he needed to stand his ground without taking a step back. Hector despaired.¡®I¡¯m going to die¡­.¡¯ 1, 2¡­. ¡®How exquisite.¡¯Hector still had time to admire Eugene¡¯s skills.¡®Even in the White Fangs, it¡¯s rare to find someone who can use a sword as well as he can¡­.¡¯ 5, 6¡­. ¡®No, it¡¯s not just rare. There isn¡¯t anyone like him. There are a few whose swords are as fast and as heavy, but none are as exquisite. It¡¯s like he¡¯s reading what I¡¯m thinking¡­ or maybe even further ahead. Just how is he doing this?¡¯Hector thought intively. 8, 9¡­. Hector immediately jumped backward. Eugene raised his head to follow Hector¡¯s movements. Below him, the ground was stained ck. [Sir Eugene?] Mer called out, her voice sounding terrified. Eugene¡¯s hair stood on end. ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Eugene spat out a curse as he almost went berserk with rage and killing intent. ck spikes sprouted up from below. Chapter 143: The Hunt (6)

Chapter 143: The Hunt (6)

Hector watched this scene take ce from a distance. Hundreds, no, thousands of spikes shot up from the previously empty ground. The spikes were all ck, but they were not shadows. They were all wriggling as if they were alive, and each spike seemed to be covered in ck keratin. [Don¡¯t get too close,] the voice inside his head seemed full of excitement as it warned Hector. [Even if it¡¯s you, if you were to get close to that, your body would rot away and die.] ¡°Have you confirmed any signs of life?¡± Hector eventually asked. [There¡¯s nothing to see, but if you want to check, go have a look yourself. However, Hector, despite your abilities, if you get close to any of those with your bare body,you will definitely rot away and die,] the voice repeated with emphasis. Hector¡¯s face contorted into a frown at these words. It wasn¡¯t like he suspected those words were unfounded, as the speaker didn¡¯t have any reason to lie to him, but he still felt a need to check it out. Hector picked up a few stones lying near him and threw them forward. Psssssh! The moment that the stones touched the ck thorns, the stones turned ck and disintegrated into ashes. Upon seeing this happen in front of him, all thoughts of going closer vanished. Shaking his head, Hector stepped further backward. ¡°He must be dead,¡± Hector agreed with some regret. [We have enough sacrifices in any case. Wasn¡¯t it just Eward¡¯s selfishness that made him obsessed with having that guy as an offering?] ¡°Well¡­ with the rtionship between them, he has a reason for his obsession. Or perhaps it¡¯s because of Eugene¡¯s value as a sacrifice?¡± Hector spected. [Hm. I¡¯ve heard that blood rtions like siblings or parents are of higher value as sacrifices, but¡­ strictly speaking, Eugene Lionheart isn¡¯t blood-rted to Eward, right?] Hector just shrugged in response to the voice and turned around. What kind of reaction would Eward show to the fact that he had been unable to capture Eugene and bring him back? Would he be angry? Or perhaps disappointed? Hector recalled the usual look on Eward¡¯s face. Eward looked as if something had been emptied out of him¡­ no, he looked as if he had been emptiedandthat void had been filled by something else instead. Although Hector was interested in the nature of Eward¡¯s existence, he had no intention of trying to understand Eward or getting familiar with him. Even after Hector left that location, the thorns didn¡¯t disappear. [Sir Eugene¡­?] Mer called out to Eugene in a voice full of anxiety and concern. However, there was no response to her words. Mer¡¯s body started trembling in fear at this silence. [You¡¯re¡­ you¡¯re okay, right?] Mer pleaded once more, but just like before, no reply came back. Although she wanted to stick her head out of the cloak, Mer wasn¡¯t able to do so. Even without direct contact, as long as she was in the range of these thorns, her very existence would be corroded. However, Eugene was perfectly fine, without a single injury. It was all thanks to the Moonlight Sword. Even this intense corrosive curse couldn¡¯t leave any kind of mark on the Moonlight Sword. Eugene stared down at the Moonlight Sword that he was holding close to his body and the soft moonlight emanating from it. The bracelet on his left wrist was now broken. The moment the thorns had begun sprouting from the ground ¡ª Eugene had immediately shattered the bracelet without any hesitation before drawing the Moonlight Sword. The only reason Eugene had been able to react so quickly was his familiarity with this type of attack. This attack had a very long range. As long as one could confirm the location and coordinates, they could raise these thorns beneath their target even while being dozens of kilometers away. ¡®...Though it seems they¡¯re not that skilled at using it,¡¯Eugene observed. His body wasn¡¯t injured, but Mer¡¯s voice kept ringing inside his head. Although Mer should know that he hadn¡¯t received any injuries, even so, she kept asking him if he was alright. Eugene knew the reason for this. What Mer was concerned about wasn¡¯t his body but his mind. Eugene finally smiled faintly and shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he reassured her. The inside of Eugene¡¯s chest felt like it was boiling over. On the other hand, his head was as cold as ice. ncing down at his throbbing left hand, he saw that the fingernails on his tightly curled-up fingers had dug into the skin on his palms and drawn blood. ¡°I was just reminded of the past,¡± Eugene muttered in a low voice as he wiped the blood off his palm. ¡®I wasn¡¯t able to fully split them in two,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. He had originally meant to use the Moonlight Sword to slice apart all the sprouting thorns. But his efforts had fallen short. Perhaps if it had been with the Moonlight Sword at its full power, he would have been able to do it, but what Eugene currently possessed was merely the hilt of the Moonlight Sword, with only the power from a fragment restored to it. ¡®...Well, it¡¯s not the only thingcking in strength,¡¯Eugene mused. He had still been able to slice off enough of the thorns so that his body wasn¡¯t injured. There also weren''t any subsequent waves of attacks. Now that he had taken a slow look around, he could see that the shape and density of the thorns wereckingpared to their full potential. ¡®As expected,¡¯Eugene thought as he lifted the Moonlight Sword.¡®For a human being who isn¡¯t the Demon King or even a demonfolk, this is probably their limit.¡¯ Whenever the Demon King of Cruelty had thrust his Demon Spear Luentos forward, the entire Demon King¡¯s Castle had be a field of thorns. That unpredictable attack had almost killed Hamel, several times. After the Demon King of Cruelty was in, and with Vermouth currently missing, the new owner of the Demon Spear Luentos was now the Council Head. Doynes Lionheart. Eugene ground his teeth as he swung the Moonlight Sword. Baaang! The light spraying forth from the Moonlight Sword erased countless thorns. After swinging the Moonlight Sword a few more times, Eugene left the site behind. ¡®Now that the bracelet has been broken, he won¡¯t be able to sprout those thorns on my exact location anymore,¡¯Eugene thought with some relief. With the power of his demonic eyes, the Demon King of Cruelty could summon his thorns without needing their specific coordinates, but Doynes wouldn¡¯t be able to do that. ¡®...Value as a sacrifice,¡¯Eugene repeated to himself. Those were the words that Hector had muttered. ¡®Although I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing that requires a sacrifice¡­ for now, that means their purpose isn¡¯t to ughter everyone unconditionally,¡¯Eugene realized with relief. To be honest, he hadn¡¯t thought that Doynes would be able to use the power of the Demon Spear. Eugene recalled,¡®In the first ce, the only one who could freely use the weapons of the Demon Kings was Vermouth¡­.¡¯ In his previous life, Eugene had also picked up the Demon Kings¡¯ weapons a few times. The moment he had grabbed them, his blood had begun to turn ck, and he had felt like he was going crazy. ¡®That¡¯s not a power that can be used continuously,¡¯Eugene guessed. But this was all simply self-justification. Eugene had to admit that he had been careless. Although he had suspected that Doynes was a viin, he had only thought of the man as the ¡®Head of the Council,¡¯ not as the ¡®Master of the Demon Spear.¡¯ To think that Vermouth¡¯s distant descendants would really be able to draw out the special attack of the Demon Spear¡­ [...What are you going to do?] Mer asked with a voice chock-full of anxiety. [From that darkness spirit summoner to the Council Head as well¡­ this forest is much too dangerous. I know that Sir Eugene is strong, but fighting the enemy on their home ground is¡ª] ¡°He said that there were sacrifices,¡± Eugene silenced Mer, though he knew what Mer was worried about. ¡°Hector must have captured Cyan.¡± Mer fell silent. ¡°It might not just be Cyan. Ciel might have been captured as well¡­. Gargith and¡­ the others could also be included in their capture targets,¡± Eugene said, his face twisting into a scowl. As long as Cyan and Ciel were okay¡­. Eugene tried to reassure himself with this thought, but he just couldn¡¯t stay calm. [...Sir Eugene might have a dirty mouth and a nasty attitude to boot, but your heart is in the right ce,] Mer cheered him on. ¡°Be quiet,¡± Eugene snapped. Instead of listening, Mer continued, [Indeed, if you were a hard-hearted person, then you wouldn¡¯t have fought against the Demon Kings to save the world. Even if the world was in a terrible state three hundred years ago, with your skills, Sir Eugene, you would have been able to livefortably without taking any risks in such a world.] ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with your words,¡± Eugene denied as he clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°I was able to survive in that world and be stronger because I just couldn¡¯t feelfortable with living in such a world. It wasn¡¯t just me, either. That goes for Sienna, Anise, Molon, and¡­ Vermouth as well. We all shared that same trait.¡± These words came naturally to Eugene without any trace of exaggeration. If Hamel had wanted to seekfort on his own, he could have done so on a few asions. When his entire vige had been annihted by monsters, leaving him as the sole survivor, he could have just been grateful for that miracle and decided to live quietly. But he hadn¡¯t done that. Hamel had wanted revenge. That was why he had be a mercenary. When he finally seeded in making a name for himself as a mercenary, he also had plenty of opportunities to live infort. But just when his fame was on the rise, Hamel had instead decided to head to Helmuth. Sienna, Anise, Molon, and Vermouth had also been the same. If they had really wanted to, they would have been able to find a way to livefortably. Vermouth had certainly been the pir of the party, but none of them had ever said something like ¡®I want to go back, I don¡¯t want to fight, this much should be enough¡­ so let¡¯s just stop.¡¯ They just continued to hope and long for the future. They even thought about and discussed what they might do when they had managed to defeat all the Demon Kings, and the world had be peaceful. What kind of lives would they live? [It¡¯s because you¡¯re a hero,] Mer said, not really trying to persuade Eugene. ¡°...But I hate that title because of how heavy it is,¡± Eugene sighed. [But Sir Eugene, at this point, you¡¯re still going to go and save everyone, aren¡¯t you?] Mer pointed out. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not quite true that I¡¯m going there to rescue them,¡± Eugene replied as his face twisted awkwardly. ¡°But I¡¯d feel bad if I just left them there, so it can¡¯t be helped. Also, I¡¯m pretty pissed off. After all, wasn¡¯t I just doing my own things? But that fucker Doynes, the old bastard, he tried to kill me, didn¡¯t he? So he¡¯s the one who picked a fight first. And Hector, the other bastard, kept chatting me up, but he was just trying to stab me in the back.¡± [...Well, that might be the case, but¡­ in the end, you¡¯re still going to go and save Miss Ciel and the others,] Mer insisted. ¡°No, that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. The important thing is that it¡¯s only natural for me to get mad in this situation, right? Mer, you already know this, but I have quite a savage and shitty personality. Since you can¡¯t teach an old dog new tricks, my personality is exactly the same as it was in my previous life. The Council Head? The Demon Spear? Fuck that. I have the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. Do you really think I¡¯ll lose if I use the Storm Sword, the Dragon Spear, and the Thunderbolt all at the same time while also turning on Ignition?¡± As Eugene spat out this tirade, he dropped the Moonlight Sword back into his cloak. [That¡¯s¡­ Sir Eugene, you really can¡¯t just be honest, can you?] Mer said with a sigh. ¡°What? Where would you even find someone as honest as I am?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Some fuckers are acting like motherfuckers, so I¡¯m going to go fuck them up. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± [Did I ever say there¡¯s something wrong with what Sir Eugene is nning?] Mer questioned. ¡°Then stop saying so many pointless things and just sit tight inside the cloak,¡± Eugene growled as he red into the darkness. After reading Eugene¡¯s thoughts, Mer gulped and asked, [...As expected¡­ is it really Sir Eward?] While holding Akasha, Eugene had managed to spot Eward. To his sight, it appeared that Eward really hadn¡¯t learned any ck magic, nor was he using any forbidden magical artifacts. But the only thing that Akasha allowed Eugene to see was ¡®magic.¡¯ If Eward had made a contract with a spirit of darkness, it was impossible for even Akasha to detect it. ¡®Seeing howthey¡¯re preparing offerings, it seems like they¡¯re preparing some kind of ritual rted to ck magic. If there isn¡¯t some unknown third party involved¡­ then Eward must be at the center of all this,¡¯Eugene reasoned. This was a crime that couldn¡¯t even begin to bepared to when Eward had tried to learn ck magic on his own. Since Eward had gotten his own siblings and a lot of his coteral rtives involved, even the Patriarch, Gilead, wouldn¡¯t be able to defend Eward from the consequences. ¡®That means it¡¯s fine even if I kill Eward here,¡¯Eugene rationalized. The image of Eward¡¯s face, as he smiled while thanking Eugene, shed through his head. Eugene couldn¡¯t even begin to understand what in the world Eward had been thinking when he had said that. * * * ¡°...You¡¯ve caught one more,¡± Hector muttered as his brows furrowed. On a tree that loomed in the darkness, the ¡®sacrificial offerings¡¯ dangled like fruit from a branch that had been stretched out in a bizarre shape. There were the twins from the direct line as well as Gargith and Dezra from the coteral lines. When Hector had left this area, there had only been four sacrifices in total. Now, Genia had been included as well, bringing the total up to five. Hector looked up at Genia, who had lost consciousness and was hanging therepletely limp. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who brought her here,¡± Eward¡¯s voice emerged from the darkness. ¡°She found this ce on her own and ran in all by herself.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re the one who made her do that,¡± Hector used. ¡°I know that you and that youngdy have a close rtionship. However, Hector, you were the one who failed to bring back the offering that you were tasked with. As such, isn¡¯t it alright for me to add another offering of my own ord?¡± Eward argued. Hector sighed, ¡°When you put it like that, I can¡¯t say anything back, young master.¡± Hector looked away from Genia. ¡°Well¡­ it''s true that we were pretty good friends. She was quite a fun sparring partner as well. However, with all that¡­ I don¡¯t think we¡¯re close enough for me to beg you not to sacrifice her¡­. Hm¡­.¡± Hector pondered for a moment on what to say. He couldn¡¯t quite figure out which words would best express hisplicated mood. ¡°This is quite a delicate feeling¡­. Hm¡­ so that¡¯s it. Although I don¡¯t mind killing her, I don¡¯t want to see her die like this¡­. That¡¯s right, it¡¯s like that,¡± Hector said with some relief at figuring it out. ¡°So what, are you asking us to not sacrifice her?¡± Eward asked. ¡°No, like I said, I don¡¯t mind. What matters right now isn¡¯t my mood. It¡¯s that the young master manages toplete this spellproperly. With more sacrifices, the spell will be correspondingly better, right?¡± Hector said, waving his hands dismissively as he headed closer to the center of the darkness. However, he wasn¡¯t able to get too close. The more the distance between him and it shrunk, the more an indescribable ominous feeling nibbled away at his mind. This feeling wasn¡¯t unfamiliar to Hector. Within Northern Ruhr, the country which had just opened its gates to the demonfolk of Helmuth starting from five years ago, there had been several times when Hector had met a high-ranking demonfolk. ¡®It¡¯s not unfamiliar, but¡­ it still makes me feel dirty every time I encounter something like this,¡¯Hector thought as he narrowed his eyes and peered into the darkness. The ground was covered in a magic circle painted in red blood. It wasn¡¯t just the ground, either. Even in the empty spaces midair, blood had spread out in several lines from the magic circle. Hector hadn¡¯t learned any magic. However, he had enough of a connection with magic that he was able to carry a high-ranking artifact that couldn¡¯t be bought even with millions of sals. Because of that, Hector could feel it intuitively. The magic circle that Eward was currently drawing was by no means part of any ordinary spell. As a wizard of the Fourth Circle, Eward was definitely incapable of properly operating such a magic circle. In the first ce, magic circles weren¡¯t something that could be used just because they were drawn neatly. With a high-ranking magic circle, it was impossible for them to be operated unless you were a wizard of sufficient skill. ¡°How amazing,¡± a voice was heard from behind Hector. Hector turned around to look back in surprise. ¡°...You came much faster than I expected you to. Can you really move that fast just by running?¡± Hector asked. ¡°It¡¯s because all the paths were connected in a straight line,¡± Dominic said with a grin. ¡°This spirit of darkness is more convenient than I thought it would be. To think that the eldest son who¡¯s been called the disgrace of the n¡­ would really be able to sign a contract with such a high-ranking spirit of darkness.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you already aware I had made such a contract?¡± Eward asked. ¡°Of course I knew,¡± Dominic confirmed. ¡°However, I thought you would have just made a contract with a lower-ranking spirit, no? To think that a former heir without any talents for the martial arts or magic¡­ would truly turn out to have an affinity for the spirits of darkness, who would have ever guessed?¡± Dominic said with amazement. ¡°It¡¯s a bit different from that,¡± Eward replied from within the darkness. ¡°I don¡¯t actually have any affinity to spirits.¡± ¡°...What does that mean?¡± Dominic asked in disbelief. ¡°The spirit told me that directly. Except under special¡­ haha¡­ yes, special circumstances, it wouldn¡¯t have signed a contract with a person like me,¡± Eward revealed bitterly. ¡°Special circumstances?¡± Dominic repeated. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ in my case, it seems that I¡¯ve received quite a bit of help from my pedigree. Isn¡¯t that funny? My position as the eldest son of the ¡®Lionheart¡¯ n, the burden that I¡¯ve longed to discard¡­ if it wasn¡¯t for that, there would be nothing special about me,¡± Eward said as he continued to stare straight ahead. He was looking directly at Deacon Lionheart, whose chest had been split open. Even looking at this corpse from such a close distance, Eward didn¡¯t feel anything in particr. For Eward, this eighteen-year-old boy was nothing more than the first offering, a paint bucket filled with the ¡®blood¡¯ needed to draw the magic circle. Beside the corpse of Deacon, the Annihtion Hammer Goliath was floating in midair. The magic circle drawn in Deacon¡¯s blood was spreading outwards from the Annihtion Hammer. The Annihtion hammer served as the vessel that gathered the power of the sacrifices and amplified the strength of the darkness spirit. ¡°...What have you done with the Head of the Council?¡± Eward eventually asked. ¡°I stabbed him through the chest,¡± Dominic replied with a calm smile, ¡°from right behind his back. No matter how old he might have be, I had no confidence in fighting him head-on. Especially since I left the Annihtion Hammer here.¡± ¡°...Did you kill him?¡± Eward prompted. ¡°Haha¡­. Even though my grandfather is called the Immortal White Lion, with a hole in chest, he¡¯s bound to be dead,¡± Dominic responded as he lifted his right hand for a closer look. He was actually holding onto a ckened and withered right arm that was itself holding onto the Demon Spear Luentos. Dominic grunted as he started pulling at the withered hand still clinging to the spear. ¡°I used grandfather¡¯s arm to cast the Spear Forest[1], but it looks like it¡¯s impossible to cast it again. Since I have no desire to cripple one of my own arms,¡± Dominicmented. ¡°Can¡¯t you just cut off someone else¡¯s arms and use the special attack through that arm like you just did?¡± Hector asked out of pure curiosity. Dominic just snorted at this and shook his head before exining, ¡°Don¡¯t say something so absurd, Hector. The only reason this arm is still intact is that it''s the hand of my grandfather, who¡¯s been using the Demon Spear for fifty years; any other arm would rot off just by touching the spear. My father and the previous Patriarch both died from the aftereffects of wielding the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ so that really is the case,¡± Hector nodded in understanding. ¡°However, wasn¡¯t the Council Head able to stay in control of the Demon Spear for over fifty years? Lord Dominic is also the master of the Annihtion Hammer.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why my grandfather and I are so special. Though, now that my grandfather is dead, I¡¯m the only one who¡¯s special,¡± Dominic dered proudly as he nodded his head with a grin. After tearing away each of the Council Head¡¯s fingers that were still clinging to the Demon Spear, he spun the Demon Spear around to get a good look at it. ¡°So, young master, when will the spell be done? Have you double-checked the spirit¡¯s instructions?¡± Dominic reminded Eward. ¡°Lord Dominic, you, of all people, are suspicious of him?¡± Eward asked. Dominic hesitated, ¡°Well, I¡­ after all, he¡¯s never spoken to me.¡± ¡°The magic circle isplete. Now we only need to start¡ª¡± Eward¡¯s voice suddenly halted. ¡°...Didn¡¯t you say that you killed him?¡± The darkness shook. ¡°Killed who?¡± Dominic asked, puzzled. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°What in the world are you talking about? Could that guy really still be alive?¡± Dominic asked as he turned to look at Hector in bewilderment. Hector hesitated. ¡°I didn¡¯t check his corpse¡­ no, I wasn¡¯t able to do so. And didn¡¯t you say there wasn¡¯t any need for it?¡± ¡°Of course, there was no need to check. Who the hell would even be able to survive the Spear Forest¡ª¡± Before Dominic could finish his cry of protest, a hole was pierced through theyers of darkness. Chapter 144: The Remnant (1)

Chapter 144: The Remnant (1)

Eugene fixed his eyes forward after jumping down from the hole. The first thing he saw were the people hanging like fruits on a ck, wriggling tree. Although briefly, Eugene checked every one of them. No one was dead, but their faces were pale, and their bodies were wrapped in wiggling darkness. The sight was enough to infuriate Eugene. He had heard Hector and Eward talking about sacrificial offerings. That had to be the reason why they were hung on the tree ¡ª to be sacrifices. Underneath the tree stood more people looking in Eugene¡¯s direction. They were Hector¡­ and Dominic Lionheart, Captain of the First Division of the ck Lions. Eugene saw Dominic holding the Demon Spear Luentos and a skinny arm lying around a little further away. Then there was Eward Lionheart, behind whom was a magic circle drawn with blood that connected the ground and empty space. Hadn¡¯t Eugene thought no one had died? Well, clearly, he was wrong. One man was dead, his face contorted in pain. His chest had probably been cut in half when he was alive. His heart and a bloody dagger were lying beside him. Along with the blood, Eugene could smell a particr medicine that even the strong bloody smell could not mask¡­. The dead person was none other than Deacon Lionheart. Eugene was not really acquainted with that eighteen-year-old boy. The boy was his distant,verydistant rtive. Although they had both participated in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony years ago, they hadn¡¯t talked with each other. Though they had exchanged words during their encounter at the ck Lion Castle, it wasn¡¯t enough to be called a conversation. During that brief meeting, Eugene could see that Deacon envied and idolized him. Deacon¡¯s talent was so-so, and his family wasn¡¯t so powerful. However, the kid was highly motivated. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure why Deacon had even participated in this hunt, but he could roughly guess the reason: to improve himself or to gain something. Deacon Lionheart would never have imagined himself dying in the forest like this. ¡®¡­What is that?¡¯Eugene thought as he looked at the magic circle floating behind Eward, but he couldn¡¯t understand the circle, even with Akasha¡¯s power. ¡®¡­That¡¯s Annihtion Hammer Jigoth.¡¯ The Annihtion Hammer, the weapon of the Demon King of Carnage, was floating in the middle of the magic circle. The magic circle was built on an advanced magic spell that couldn¡¯t be understood even through Akasha¡­. Was the Annihtion Hammer a catalyst? Were living people going to be used as offerings on top of that? Eugene¡¯s ash-colored hair rose up. Woosh! Blue me mixed with lightning wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body, bing bigger. He understood the situation. He didn¡¯t know the details, but he also didn¡¯t need to ask such things for now. The rtionship between these three, their goal, and their connection with each other¡­ all of that was secondary. What Eugene had to do right now was turn those three into vegetables. That was the easiest way to solve most of this fuckingplicated situation. ¡®I can¡¯t use Ignition now.¡¯Eugene considered his options. There was no going back once he used Ignition. There could be more of them hiding in this ce. On top of that, Eugene had no allies to take care of him if he copsed after using Ignition, and he had to be careful of using that particr skill in situations like this. ¡°¡­You really are alive,¡± Dominic murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. Dominic had gotten Eugene¡¯s exact coordinates from his bracelet and urately activated Spear Forest at that location. Spear Forest was an attack that ignored distance. It didn¡¯t even have any telltale signs before the target got attacked. How could he have survived such an attack unscathed? Dominic was seeing the impossible with his own eyes, but he still couldn¡¯t believe it. ¡°It would be better to subdue him than kill him, right?¡± Dominic kept on mumbling as he picked up the Demon Spear. He was asking Eward, but Eward was nkly watching Eugene, who was wrapped in mes. Those were the mes from the White me Form of the Lionheart¡¯s main family¡­. However, Eward didn¡¯t recognize the bluish me mixed with lightning that surrounded Eugene. He swallowed hard without realizing it. So far, he had seen many mes produced by the White me Form. He had seen his father¡¯s me long ago, and today, he had witnessed Cyan and Ciel¡¯s mes. However, Eugene¡¯s me was different from theirs. ¡°¡­Yes,¡± Eward answered as he nodded. There were several emotions that Eugene could read from Eward ¡ª envy, idolizing, and greed. Eugene was disgusted. He hid his two hands inside the Cloak of Darkness. Mer was already synchronized with Eugene¡¯s mind, preparing for the iing fight. She wasn¡¯t the only one; Tempest was also preparing for the fight. The Wind Spirit King was not only furious with the current situation itself, but also harbored massive rage at the fact that his enemies were the Demonic Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. Dominic moved first. He was the Captain of the First Division of ck Lion Knights. Divisions were not assigned numbers based on strength, but Dominic was nevertheless confident that he was the strongest ck Lion Knight. Carmen and Genos Lionheart were strong, even by his own admission; he truly wasn¡¯t sure whether he would overpower them if they fought with their strength and skills alone. Yet, Dominic knew that he was special. In the history of the Lionhearts, there was almost no one who could perfectly control the Demon Kings¡¯ weapons, apart from the Great Vermouth himself. The previous Patriarch and Dominic¡¯s father had even passed away because they weren¡¯t able to fight off the curse of a Demon King¡¯s weapon. Dominic had been handling such a weapon for decades. And right now, he was holding the Demon Spear. Since he had been favoring the Annihtion Hammer for a long time, he was more adept at using the Annihtion Hammer. But even so, he was pretty confident in handling a spear. ¡®I have arough idea of your ability,¡¯Dominic thought. Eugene¡¯s fight with Genos Lionheart wasn¡¯t the only fight that allowed Dominic to get some ideas. ¡°You killed Barang, right?¡± Dominic asked, as if just to confirm. The distance between Dominic and Eugene was reduced in no time. The ck spear came right up to Eugene¡¯s nose. Dominic grinned as he spun the shaft. ¡°That guy went through a lot, you know.¡± Thummmpp! The air current spun along with the Spear and was dyed in darkness. Shortly after, demonic energy burst out of control, an ominous power that was different from mana. The Demon King¡¯s weapon itself held an endless amount of dark energy. Eugene scrunched up his face. He pulled his hands from the Cloak ¡ª his right hand was holding Wynnyd, and his left hand was holding the Holy Sword. Woosh! The Holy Sword¡¯s light pushed away the demonic energy. Dominic¡¯s eyes opened wide in shock at this sight. ¡°¡­The Holy Sword? I never heard you owned the Holy Sword¡­.¡± Dominic blurted in disbelief. ¡°I guess the old man didn¡¯t b about everything, huh?¡± Eugene asked rhetorically. ¡°It seems he didn¡¯t.¡± Dominic guffawed and swung the Demon Spear. sh! The Demon Spear and Wynnyd shed in mid-air. As Eugene nced at Wynnyd being eroded by demonic energy from the Demon Spear, he began to use the Ring me Form. The wind that wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body got bigger. The angry Tempest stood up. As Tempest raised the wind, Eugene¡¯s me and lightning blended with it. Was Eugene using magic? No, Eugene was simply causing his mana to burst. ¡®He isjust sting out mana. How can an ordinary mana burst be this powerful?¡¯Dominic thought, shocked. Dominic¡¯s mana and the Demon Spear¡¯s demonic energy blended into one, forming a defense that perfectly shielded him from close-range explosions. It was hard to defend without doing this much. Feeling his arm trembling as he held the Demon Spear, Dominic frowned. ¡®He¡¯s a monster,¡¯Dominic thought as he gritted his teeth. Dominic had a rough idea of Eugene¡¯s ability. Barang had been strong, but he had also been greedy. As a result, Dominic had been able to give Barang what he wanted, turning him into an easy-to-use tool. However, Barang had been strong enough that even Dominic couldn¡¯t take him lightly. Since there was a zero chance of Barang betraying Dominic, the fact that Eugene had returned from the Samar Rainforest unscathed while Barang hadn¡¯t meant only one thing: Barang was dead. ¡®His mana control is delicate, and his movements aresplendid.¡¯Dominic observed. That wasn¡¯t it. The ground underneath Dominic turned into thorns and soared up. He leaped backward and looked below. He could see cracks resembling a spider web spreading on the ground. Rumbleee! The ground flipped over. Specks of dirt were gathered into multiple lumps, and stones were divided into pieces, all of these turning into thousands of bullets. Once formed, these bullets shot at Dominic, who was floating in mid-air. Dominic wasn¡¯t the only one who entered the fight. Scowling, Hector also sprang forth. He had fought Eugene before but hadn¡¯t gained anything from the battle. He wasn¡¯t going to win if he fought Eugene now. He was painfully aware of this fact, but he couldn¡¯t stand down due to his circumstances. While Dominic destroyed the earth and stone bullets, he met Hector¡¯s eyes. Next, the two pounced at Eugene in unison, as if it was natural for them to do so. Eugene followed their movements with wide-open eyes. The situation wasn''t enough for him to rx. The Cloak of Darkness flew high. From inside the cloak¡¯s darkness, Eugene slowly pulled out Akasha, which was wrapped in red light. Eugene didn¡¯t need to hold Akasha, as his consciousness was connected to the staff and Mer was also assisting him from within the cloak. As the red light connected Eugene to the staff, Akasha floated in front of him. ¡°Burning me¡¯s Wild Dance,¡± Eugene muttered. He cast a Seventh Circle fire-type magic. Eugene¡¯s mana had been undting around him, but it now became fire des that burned with scarlet shades. Eugene now looked like he was armed with dozens of des. The des were connected to the caster¡¯s consciousness and followed their orders. This kind of magic was a good match with Eugene, as he didn¡¯t need to control them himself. Mer controlled them on his behalf as she read his mind. Eugene¡¯s incandescent des and Hector¡¯s sword shed. Eugene¡¯s wild dancing des tried to lodge themselves in Hector. Hector deflected the attacks, trying as hard as he could to avoid being in by the des. In the meanwhile, he fumbled around the bag near his waist with his left hand. Buffs from the artifact weren¡¯t enough, and he needed something extra. After he drank the potion from his bag, the world around him changed. Hector¡¯s eyes were able to see more things with greater uracy. In contrast with the world that seemed slower in his eyes, he had now be faster. ¡®I am going outof my mind.¡¯Hector thought. ¡­Was he really seeing things slowly? Hector felt a chill as he watched Eugene¡¯s me des approaching his neck. It was slow¡­. It was definitely approaching at a slow speed, but he couldn¡¯t think of a way to avoid this attack neatly. His escape route was already blocked. The only way Hector could minimize damage was to push forward. ¡®We just started fighting, but I¡¯m already in a tight corner? How many steps does he read ahead?¡¯ Hector was also confident in fighting and figuring out his opponent¡¯s next move. However, he couldn¡¯t help but realize how meaningless his confidence was. Lowering himself, Hector moved forward. As he plowed ahead through the burning des, Hector saw a giant me. It was none other than Eugene. Eugene¡¯s eyes were zing even more powerfully than the mes wrapping around him. When Hector saw a lightning spark, he instinctively reached out with his left hand. He regretted taking the potion. In his slow-motion world, he could perceive what would happen to his body; his future was cruel, but he could not retreat. ¡®¡­I really shouldn¡¯thavebeen here,¡¯Hector thought. At least, luckily, he hadn¡¯t reached out with his right hand. sh! A bolt of lightning mutted his left arm. Gritting his teeth to keep himself from screaming, Hector twisted his waist to throw the sword. The sword flew in Eugene¡¯s direction but didn¡¯t reach him ¡ª the wind hovering around Eugene shattered the sword into pieces. ¡®Huh?¡¯Dominic was surprised. Eugene had easily overpowered Hector as if he were a child. Marveling at the fact, Dominic pierced the ground with his Demon Spear. Booom! He had only thrust downward, but the whole ce shook, and the ground copsed. ¡®The Holy Sword is indeed worthy of its reputation, I see.¡¯Dominic observed. Eugene had blocked the Demon Spear with the Holy Sword. Then, as Dominic drew out more demonic energy from the Demon Spear, the Holy Sword shone brighter, pushing away the darkness. ¡®I can¡¯t use Spear Forest right now, but Demon Spear has one more powerful attack.¡¯ Dominic¡¯s mana turned into a giant me, resonating with the Demon Spear. With Dominic as the center, pitch-ck darkness spread out. Eugene¡¯s lips twitched as he red at the sight. He was well aware of what was going to happen now. Thorns shot out from the darkness. Eugene had previously used Burning me¡¯s Wild Dance, but it wasn¡¯t enough to sh away the thorns, as his me des dissipated when they touched the dark thorns. Inside the Cloak, Mer shrieked as she shouted, [Sir Eugene! You need to step back!] As he had first-hand experience with the attack from long ago, Eugene definitely knew that. However, he didn¡¯t step back. Tempest¡¯s wind rocked the sky; he knew what Eugene was trying to do, but his n hurt the Wind Spirit King¡¯s ego. [¡­I have no choice.] Tempest grumbled, but that didn¡¯t mean he was not going to cooperate. He had no choice in the first ce. Even Spirit Kings couldn¡¯t defy the orders from the person they had made a contract with. Thus, Tempest¡¯s wind created a giant wall behind Eugene. Dominic was thrusting his spear, but he couldn¡¯t understand why Eugene was building a wall. It didn¡¯t appear that his intention was to block the Demon Spear¡¯s attack. Instead, it seemed like the wall was limiting the radius of the attack. It was only natural for Dominic to think that way, since the wind wall had blocked not only Eugene¡¯s back, but also his sides. ¡®What the hell is he trying to do¡­?¡¯Dominic thought. He suddenly felt a chill. He didn¡¯t know why; it just seemed as if time had be a lot slower. Dominic had developed his intuition as he had spent his entire life as a martial artist. This intuition was warning him about something dangerous that was going to happen. Why was it warning him, though? The Holy Sword and Wynnyd were no longer in Eugene¡¯s hands anymore. He had cast a barrier spell, not an attack spell, through the floating Akasha. The wall created by wind and magic made Dominic and Eugene confront each other head-on. By the time Eugene had finished building the wall, Dominic had made the thorns from the Demon Spear rise up right under his nose. What was Eugene trying to do? It was toote to block or avoid Dominic¡¯s attack. It had to be, but the chill in Dominic¡¯s spine didn¡¯t disappear. It had rather be stronger. He wasn¡¯t the only one trembling; the Demon Spear also did. Its handle was shaking. This old weapon knew what had happened three hundred years ago. A faint light flickered inside Eugene¡¯s wide-open cloak. ¡®¡­What is that?¡¯ The light was so white that it almost seemed pale. It was faint, but it got bigger. Eugene pulled out the long light, looking as if he was pulling out a crescent moon. All the thorns generated by the Demon Spear were crushed. Dominic was unable to understand the moon in front of him, but he knew one thing for sure ¡ª he couldn¡¯t touch it. He would die if he did. Dominic gathered demonic energy from the crushed thorns to build a defense wall, but the wall wasn''t able to block out the light, not even for a second. That horrible moonlight lit up every bit of the darkness that tried to spread. ¡®I should run¡­,¡¯Dominic btedly realized. Eugene hadn¡¯t built the wall to limit the range of his attack, he had done it to stop Dominic from avoiding Eugene¡¯s attack by dodging sideways. There were two things Dominic could do ¡ª push forward and be torn apart by the moonlight, or keep on stepping back until he exhausted himself. ¡°The Moonlight Sword.¡± Dominic wasn¡¯t the one who called the sword¡¯s name. It was Eward Lionheart, looking at Eugene¡¯s sword with wide eyes. The entire sword was covered with moonlight, even its handle. Eward didn¡¯t know what that sword was. The Moonlight Sword wasn¡¯t recorded in the Lionheart ¡ª no, the world¡¯s history. However, the being connected to Eward¡¯s mind knew the sword. Ooooo! The darkness spirits that spread around Eward gathered in one ce. Ink-like darkness spread in Eward¡¯s golden eyes,pletely turning them ck. Red dots showed up in the center of his ck eyes. A darkness spirit that wasn¡¯t able to take form wrapped around Eward¡¯s body. Attracted by the darkness, Eward grabbed the Annihtion Hammer at the center of the magic circle. When Eward grabbed the Annihtion Hammer, Eugene instinctively looked up at him. [¡­Oh my god.] Tempest felt a presence from the darkness spirit that covered Eward. The presence made him despair. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not mistaking something, right?¡± Eugene murmured and put his hand over his left chest. [I am feeling the same thing as you,] Tempest confirmed. Eugene fiercely dug his fingers into his chest as if he was going to grab his heart. [The spirit is the Demon King¡¯s remnant.] Chapter 145: The Remnant (2)

Chapter 145: The Remnant (2)

Eugene dug his fingers into his chest, feeling his pounding heart. ¡®TheAnnihtion Hammer is the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s weapon,¡¯Eugene thought. He was ranked number five among the Demon Kings, the first Demon King to be killed by the hero party 300 years ago. The Demon King of Carnage didn¡¯t know of the Moonlight Sword. Vermouth had yet to find the sword at that point, so he used the Holy Sword to cut the Demon King¡¯s head. The fight had continued all night, copsing every in near the Demon King¡¯s castle. That was how the ins had been transformed into hillynds. During the terrain change, an underground dungeon was revealed. Although no one was sure when the dungeon had been built, Vermouth had found the Moonlight Sword inside after that disastrous fight. ¡®It¡¯s a Demon King¡¯s remnant, but the Demon King of Carnage wouldn¡¯t recognize the Moonlight Sword.¡¯ Eugene continued his train of thought. However, Eward ¡ª who seemed to be resonating with the remnant ¡ª urately recognized the Moonlight Sword. The existence of the Moonlight Sword hadn¡¯t been passed down among the Lionhearts¡¯ descendants, let alone the world. The only people who remembered the Moonlight Sword in the current generation were the reincarnated Hamel or long-living beings that had lived since that generation. ¡°Well, well.¡± With a scornful smile, Eugene dug his fingers into his chest as if he was grabbing his heart. Badump, badump, badump. His heart pounded faster. His rage and his hatred were mixed into one desire: to kill. ¡°Fucking great to see you again, you son of a bitch.¡± Eugene spat. The Demon King of Carnage didn¡¯t know the Moonlight Sword, but the Demon King of Cruelty did. Of course, he did. The Demon King of Cruelty had been torn apart by the Moonlight Sword¡¯s light. Tempest said the darkness spirit that wrapped around Eward was a Demon King¡¯s remnant. Eugene was also sensing it since he vividly remembered what had happened 300 years ago. The Demon Kings he had fought against had extremely disgusting, ominous, and horrible presences. He could feel both the Demon King of Carnage and the Demon King of Cruelty from the darkness spirit. The spirit was too small, considering that it was a remnant oftwoDemon Kings. However, it was understandable. That miserable thing was what had be of the Demon Kings after they had died 300 years ago. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t even bother hiding his rising desire to kill them. ¡°You should just have copsed into specks of dust if you are dead. Why did you prolong your pathetic lives by leaving your remnants in your weapons? Did you two hold each other¡¯s hands and hope to resurrect yourselves because you thought it was okay now?¡± Badump, badump, badump. His heart kept on pounding, but he didn¡¯t calm down. Instead, he used his mana to make it beat faster. ¡°Yeah, you may have even seeded.¡± Eugene¡¯s hair rose up. His mana me and the lightning within zed up more fiercely ¡ª he was using Ignition. ¡°If I wasn¡¯t here.¡± He had already taken out the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. Though he had said there was no going back when it came to using Ignition, so what? If he was worried about the aftermath, he could just wipe everything out, eliminating the need to worry in the first ce. Besides, he couldn¡¯t worry about his safety when he was looking at those disgusting beings right before his eyes. He wasn¡¯t sure what that magic circle and the sacrificial offerings were for. However, it was pretty obvious how they would be used since that darkness spirit had been born from two Demon Kings¡¯ remnants. No ¡ª if he didn¡¯t kill them now, there would be one more living demon king, bringing the total of living demon kings to three. 300 years ago, he had gone through all that trouble to kill three demon kings. How could he let it go to waste? ¡°What in the world¡­?!¡± Hector¡¯s face turned pale as he backed down after he stopped the bleeding of his severed arm. He looked back and forth between Eward, floating in the air with the darkness, and Eugene, wrapped around in an unbelievably fierce me. Hector knew how everything had started. The Captain of the First Division of the ck Lion Knights, Dominic Lionheart, didn¡¯t take any pride in being a ck Lion and a Lionheart. The thought ¡®I am special¡¯ had previously motivated Dominic to work hard for the Lionhearts, but the Lionhearts didn¡¯t treat Dominic as someone special. His grandfather was the Immortal White Lion, who was known as the living legend of the Lionhearts. However, his family was still a coteral family, since his grandfather hadn¡¯t be the Patriarch. That fact made him discontented. This discontentment was considerably heightened and distorted when Eugene, a coteral family member, became the main family''s adopted son. ¡°¡­What¡­are you?¡± Dominic drylyughed as he stood up. Dominic had never felt as close to death in his entire life as when he had felt the unidentified power just now. The form of death that Dominic had just felt was none other than the moonlight. ¡°How are you that strong?¡± he asked as he swallowed the blood rising up in his mouth. The Demon Spear didn¡¯t shatter amid the awful moonlight, but Dominic was gravely injured after swinging the Spear. His mana flow had reversed, damaging his Cores, and his left leg was left mangled because he had stepped back two seconds toote. ¡°What have you done just now?¡± Dominic asked desperately. Some other coteral family members had simr grievances as Dominic. Of course, they didn¡¯t tantly reveal their grievances. Instead, they had secret meetings among themselves ¡ª bbering about the Lionheart¡¯s future and dreaming of a future where the coteral family members ¡ª no,theythemselvesbecame leaders of the next generation. Dominic knew them very well since it was one of his jobs. The ck Lion Knights existed for various reasons; one of them was to hunt those worthless bugs that ate away at the family¡¯s pir. That was why getting close to them was easy. As a ck Lion, Dominic thought that those bugs were a group of pathetic losers. However, he liked their n of using the main family¡¯s first son, who had gotten kicked out after being treated like trash. ¡°I was almost there,¡± Dominic hissed. Was everything a coincidence? No, it was fate. Just as the name suggested, darkness spirits lived in darkness. However, darkness didn¡¯t necessarily mean dark ces without any light. It also referred to a human¡¯s mind where light and darkness couldn¡¯t be clearly distinguished. Since there was no light that could purify it, a human¡¯s mind sometimes became darker than anything. Dominic never heard the spirits¡¯ voices, but he felt a certain desire deep inside his heart. His position as a Captain of the ck Lion Knights was very convenient for secretly meeting Eward, who was locked up in the house of Tanis¡¯ parents. After distracting the ck Lion tasked to keep an eye on Eward, Dominic had impulsively met Eward that night. Still, he didn¡¯t question why he had such an impulse so suddenly. Eward was the first son who was treated like trash; even Dominic thought Eward was trash. However, Dominic saw darkness deep inside Eward¡¯s eyes ¡ª malice, not desire to kill, toward his mother, grandfather, and the many servants of the Bossar family. In the beginning, his n was to deliver a ck magic catalyst. If Eward became a ck wizard, the Lionhearts¡¯ honor would be irreparably damaged. It was even better if Eward ended up running amok afterward. Besides, Dominic had no lingering feelings for the Lionhearts, so he was going to ruin the main family himself. After doing so, he would seek asylum in Helmuth or other countries, weed as the owner of the Annihtion Hammer. But when he saw Eward¡¯s eyes, Dominic handed him not the ck magic catalyst he had prepared, but the Annihtion Hammer. There was no voice telling him to do that, but he somehow knew that he had to. Ever since darkness seeped into his heart, Dominic had been predestined to hand over the Hammer to Eward¡­. Eugene opened his arms wide. All of his power was concentrated on Akasha ¡ª his Cores were being overloaded from Ignition, and the Ring me Form had amplified his mana so massively that it would have been impossible for others to control it. Akasha shone. Arge magic circle appeared first, and dozens of smaller magic circles ovepped therge magic circle. Eugene wanted strong, destructive magic so he could pour out the emotions he was currently feeling. As Eugene began casting his magic, Mer assisted him. Dozens of different types of magic were cast simultaneously. Dominic and Hector couldn¡¯t properly perceive which magic circle was which at first and how the different magic circles were connected. However, they felt the attack that erupted in front of them was a magical disaster. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± Dominic let out an outcry as he thrust the Demon Spear. Amid the light created by Eugene¡¯s magic, the Demon Spear¡¯s darkness spread. Although the Demon Spear emitted darkness, Dominic¡¯s body couldn¡¯tst any longer. Standing beside Dominic, Hector also tried to block Eugene¡¯s attack in any way he could. ¡°Akasha,¡± Eward muttered. His eyes were still ck, with red dots in the center. He slowly reached out his hands and tapped on an empty space with his long fingers. Pop! The waves from Eugene¡¯s attack, which had spread widely in the darkness, burst apart. ¡°Wynnyd, the Holy Sword, and the Moonlight Sword. Now, you even have Akasha,¡± said Eward bitterly. Eugene didn¡¯t respond. He just looked at Eward. Eward¡¯s eyes remained unchanged, and his face was pale. A gruesome smile spread over his emotionless face. ¡°¡­Eugene, you¡­surely got all of my father¡¯s love.¡± Again, Eugene didn¡¯t answer. He just smiled. From what Eward had said, Eugene figured out what kind of a being Eward was. He was influenced by the darkness spirit born from the remnants of the Demon Kings. Due to that influence, he had received a part of the Demon Kings¡¯ memories. However, the Demon Kings weren¡¯t reigning in Eward¡¯s mind. It was just their residue. Eward was just a child who didn¡¯t know his limits, trying hard to digest the remnants of two Demon Kings who had died 300 years ago. [¡­You shouldn¡¯t take him lightly. Hamel, that idiot just crushed your magic with one finger.] Tempest warned Eugene. ¡®I know.¡¯ After his magic copsed, all of his scattered mana returned to Eugene. His Cores, running wild due to Ignition, swallowed the mana again. Zinng! Akasha builtyers of barriers around Eugene. ¡®He may not be the Demon King himself, but he is something simr. It will be too arrogant of me to fight him with magic.¡¯ Eugene was pretty confident in his magic skills. To top it off, he even had Akasha. However, it was still impossible to fight a being that was simr to a Demon King. The only people who could do so 300 years ago were Sienna and Vermouth. Unfortunately, Eugene wasn¡¯t at their level yet. ¡°Cough¡­!¡± Dominic stood up amidst a pile of debris. As he coughed up blood, he looked at his arms. Rather than him holding the Demonic Spear, it simplyid on top of his bizarrely twisted arms. Besides Dominic, Hector was lying unconscious, but Dominic had no obligation to care for Hector, nor was heposed enough to do it anyway. Dominic tried to walk backward, but his mangled arms led him forward. ¡°¡­Stop¡­.¡± Dominic begged the Demon Spear. He didn¡¯t want to fight this brainlessly ¡ª destroying everything nearby. There were other ways to fight Eugene even if Dominic¡¯s power was weaker than Eugene''s. That was what Dominic thought, but the Demon Spear didn¡¯t listen to his pleas. The darkness had previously protected Dominic from the magic disaster incurred by Eugene. Now, it rose up and coiled itself around Dominic¡¯s arms. Trembling, Dominic watched what the darkness was doing. Crack. Crack, crack. Everything was tangled into one ¡ª his mangled arms, ripped flesh and muscle, and crushed bones. Dominic¡¯s newly formed arms looked more like lumps with scales than human arms. ¡°¡­Haha¡­.¡± Dominic dryly chuckled as he nkly watched his newly formed arms. They now looked bizarre, and his fingers were glued to the shaft. Dominic and the Demon Spear were now connected as one, and soon, Dominic¡¯s head was eroded by the evil memories that remained in the Demon Spear. Creak¡­. Dominic grinned and lifted the Spear above his head. Eugene had seen that movement before. ¡­Crack¡­crack! The scales spread from his arms to cover Dominic¡¯s shoulders, chest, and back. Next, another set of arms sprouted out from Dominic¡¯s back. ¡°You aren¡¯t surprised.¡± Holding the giant Annihtion Hammer that was as big as his height, Eward looked down at Eugene. ¡°...You¡­ are truly interesting. How can you not be afraid even in a situation like this? Ciel and Cyan were. Everyone became afraid when they came here.¡± Eugene checked the people who were hanging on the tree. Fortunately, everyone was okay. It meant that they weren¡¯t ready to be used as sacrificial offerings yet. ¡®Yes, that¡¯s it. The remnant¡­ of the Demon Kings¡¯ has gone berserk.¡¯ Eugene concluded so for now. Many factors made the remnant run amok ¡ª the memory of the Moonlight Sword, the defeat they had experienced 300 years ago, and a sense of humiliation, wrath, and hatred. Eugene lowered his stance. ¡°¡­I can now¡­.¡± Eward grinned, looking at the Annihtion Hammer. ¡°...Kill you¡­ and make everyone inside this forest into sacrificial offerings.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene nodded, smiling. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t know what Eward could do. However, he would find out, since he would be deeply involved in this fight. No matter how any of this had started, the ending was already decided. Eugene was going to kill Eward. ¡°I¡¯m not going to ask every little detail, such as what you are thinking, what happened to you or why this happened.¡± After being blurred for a moment, Eugene¡¯s view expanded. In his hands, he felt violence and destruction that wanted to go on a rampage. ¡°I can just finish this by killing you. If I kill Dominic, Hector, you, the spirit, and the remnant, all of this will be over. As for the reason that drove you to do this? If needed, I will make something up after I kill every one of you.¡± Eugene opened his arms wide once more. His power was now split between Wynnyd and the Moonlight Sword; Ignition was still on, overloading his Cores, and the Ring me Form brought his mana to such heights that anyone else apart from him would have found it impossible to contain. ¡°You guys did this because you are a bunch of idiots,¡± Eugene spoke as he gritted his teeth. Mer had never experienced such severe desire to kill. Eugene¡¯s desire had no trace ofpassion or mercy. There was only a desire to annihte the opponent. She tightly shut her eyes, trembling as she felt Eugene¡¯s vicious emotions. She didn¡¯t know what was going to happen from now on, but she didn¡¯t want to know or see that. The Eugene ¡ª no, the Hamel she knew, wasn¡¯t such a scary person. Yet, she couldn¡¯t ask Eugene to stop. His anger, hatred, and desire to kill right now were legitimate. If Eugene was facing an ordinary ck wizard or a demonfolk, he wouldn¡¯t have been this infuriated. The thing before him wasn¡¯t a Demon King of the past. It was a residue that may or may not be a demon king. On top of that, he had killed the Demon Kings himself. Although he hadn¡¯t cut off their heads, he had mutted their limbs and stabbed their hearts dozens, even hundreds of times. ¡°You guys will be killed because you are a bunch of morons.¡± The Demon Kings hadn¡¯t crumbled into dust; they had survived. And now, using Eward Lionheart¡¯s body, they appeared before Eugene. Tempest let loose a hurricane. He let his wind run amok, turning the ground upside down and pushing away the darkness. Dominic threw himself against the rampaging hurricane. Although he wasn¡¯t sure why he felt thrilled and hateful at the same time, he grabbed the Demon Spear with his four arms. Dominic looked different; his size was also different, and Eugene was reminded of the Demon King of Cruelty, whom Eugene had killed 300 years ago. At the top of the Demon King¡¯s castle, he had skillfully used the Demon Spear with four arms as he fought against the heroes. ¡°You are disgusting,¡± Eugene spoke with spite. Dominic was just imitating the Demon King and didn¡¯t actually possess the Demon King¡¯s dreadful power. However, the dark demonic energy emitted by the Demon Spear brought back a distant memory that Eugene didn¡¯t want to recall. No, the memory wasn¡¯t shameful. The Demon King of Cruelty was the one who had lost in the end. It was a glorious tale of heroism for Eugene. He could brag about it while he told the stories in front of others if only he hadn¡¯t run into the damn Demon King again like this. ¡°Aaaahhhhh!¡± cried Dominic. Rumbbble! As Dominic spun the spear shaft using his four arms, the Spear was swallowed by pitch-ck darkness. A little behind Dominic, Eward marched forward with the Annihtion Hammer. He could see, feel, and realize many things. As an intense feeling of being omnipotent rushed over him, Eward trembled. The information was being engraved in his head ¡ª the truth of ck magic. Humans couldn¡¯t understand it; they shouldn¡¯t understand it. With knowledge of this ¡®truth¡¯, Eward came to a conclusion. He needed more blood from the members of the Lionheart n toplete the magic circle and turn the spirit into a ¡®Spirit King.¡¯ Specifically, he needed the blood of the members of the main family, but the young twins from the main family weren¡¯t enough. Eward needed blood from thatthingbefore him. 300 years had passed after the Great Vermouth and his party yed the Demon Kings. Eward was the descendant who had the purest Lionheart blood. He had only met his ancestor from 300 years ago as a portrait or a statue in the main house, but strangely enough, he could now vividly see the ¡®Great Vermouth¡¯ in his head. He wasn¡¯t scared of arge army or a Demon King. Wrapped around in white me, he marched forward with a cold, pale light in his hand¡­. ¡°¡­Yes¡­.¡± Eward saw Eugene. Dominic thrust the Demon Spear, but it was deflected upward by the Moonlight Sword¡¯s light. Tempest¡¯s storm that followed shattered the darkness. Dominic ran forward with a weird sound ¡ª maybe it was a scream, maybe an exmation, maybe a shout of concentration. He was using a grotesque spear skill in which he freely used his four arms, but he still couldn¡¯t get the upper hand in this fight. Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword, tearing off Dominic¡¯s arms as easily as cutting a piece of paper. Before anyone knew it, Eugene thrust the Holy Sword that lit up the darkness and pierced Dominic¡¯s body. ¡°¡­like you.¡± Although he wasn¡¯t sure why, Eward felt thrilled as he watched Eugene stab Dominic with his sword. Eward idolized Eugene¡¯s me. Eward could diligently spend his entire life learning the White me Form, but he would never reach Eugene¡¯s level. That was why Eward wanted Eugene¡¯s talent. Eugene¡¯s talent that was recognized by Eward¡¯s father and everyone else in the Lionheart n. Therefore, Eward happily epted the truth inside his head: Eugene Lionheart had to be sacrificed for the spirit to be a Spirit King. In fact, Eward wished to make Eugene into a sacrificial offering even if he didn¡¯t need to. Eugene was the one who had forced Eward to wake up from his happy dream three years ago. That day, Eward had faced a harsh reality after waking up from his dream. He had changed himself to live in reality. If this was how his childhood hade to an end, he now wanted to have a Coming-of-Age ceremony. Since he hadn¡¯t had a Coming-of-Age ceremony, he was going to have it now bypleting the spirit using Eugene, who woke Eward from his dream, as a sacrificial offering. Eward lifted the Annihtion Hammer high in the air. Chapter 146: The Remnant (3)

Chapter 146: The Remnant (3)

The Annihtion Hammer Jigoth was a giant hammer. Its power also suited its shape. When its owner swung the hammer downward, the sky would copse. It wasn¡¯t a metaphor; the sky actually would copse. It was always night in Helmuth because the sun was very dim. On top of that, Helmuth¡¯s night sky had a heavy concentration of demonic energy. The Annihtion Hammer could control the demonic energy in the sky and direct it with its swings. With just a downward swing of the Annihtion Hammer, its owner could bring forth night¡¯s descent. The Demon King of Carnage was ranked number five, but if only physical strength was considered, he was stronger than the Demon Kings ranked higher than him. The remnant here today was also strong, though it was not the Demon King himself. As Eward swung the Annihtion Hammer, he guided the darkness that drifted through the forest to fall down in unison. Dominic staggered to his feet. His arms were crushed, and arge hole could be seen in the middle of his torso. However, his wounds recovered quickly. They were covered in scales again, and even the hole in his body was filled up with scales. As he breathed in a bizarre manner, Dominic thrust the Demon Spear into the ground. He was using Spear Forest. The darkness underneath Eugene¡¯s feet expanded, and hundreds of thorns soared up. His current attack was precise, iparable to the time when Dominic had used Spear Forest with the Council Head¡¯s arm. Darkness was falling from the sky, and thorns soared from underneath Eugene¡¯s feet. However, neither was enough to make Eugene panic or even take a step back. He held the Moonlight Sword in his right hand and the Holy Sword in his left hand. Then, he swung them together. The pale moonlight and the glorious holy fire blended together, ripping apart the sky that had fallen because of the Annihtion Hammer and crushing the thorns underneath his feet. Eugene also began using the Ring me Form in addition to Ignition, making a Circle with his overloaded Cores. Inside the Cloak of Darkness, Mer felt Eugene¡¯s spinning Cores and his exponentially amplifying mana. She also knew about the Ring me Form, but she wasn¡¯t aware of this brainlessly overtaxing technique. After intentionally overloading his Cores, he elerated his heart to keep up with the fiercely moving mana. But that wasn¡¯t the end. He made every muscle fiber in his body hold the mana. ¡®...Could he have¡­ lost his mind?¡¯ Mer thought. Trembling, Mer looked at Eugene¡¯s overloaded mana running wild. No sane person would use this kind of technique. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t. The technique¡¯s use shortened Eugene¡¯s lifespan. The more his Cores were overloaded, the more they weakened. No one knew when his unstable, fast-beating heart would stop. His stimted body, which was forced to follow the torrent of mana, would also be worn out. That was the logical oue. But¡­. ¡®¡­He is controlling it perfectly.¡¯Mer was beyond surprised. The World Tree spirits that had blended themselves in Eugene¡¯s body didn¡¯t just mix lightning in his mana to create the Lightning me. As the spirits naturally merged into his body, they strengthened his Cores and contained the intensified explosions within one great ¡®Circle.¡¯ The Lightning me wasn¡¯t the sole reason why he was capable of such a feat. 300 years ago, even Sienna had been shocked by Eugene¡¯s understanding and control of mana. After getting to know the Lightning me in minute detail, Eugene then proceeded to use it to upgrade the White me Form and Ignition to moreplete forms. Without Ignition, Eugene couldn¡¯t properly control the Lightning sh. The reason was simple ¡ª his body wasn¡¯t able to keep up with the Lightning sh¡¯s speed. However, he could perfectly control Lightning sh if he used Ignition. From the start, he had created Lightning sh to rece Ignition bypletely eliminating its associated risks. ¡°I will trust you to defend me,¡± Eugene coldly spoke as he lowered his stance. He wasn¡¯t just saying it to Mer, but also talking to Tempest. The Wind Spirit King stood up behind Eugene and nodded. Although Mer couldn¡¯t dare to stick her head out of the Cloak, she clenched her fists, determined. Dozens of defensive barriers were cast,pletely under Mer¡¯s control. Stirring up a great gust of wind, Tempest pushed away the darkness. This battlefield was the worst for Tempest. The forest was already under his enemy¡¯s control, and the darkness blocked his wind. Yet, he didn¡¯t shrink in fear. He was the Wind Spirit King, so he didn¡¯t feel intimidated by the residue of his hateful enemy remaining in the darkness. He wasn¡¯t intimidated, because one of the heroes from 300 years ago was standing in front of him. The world remembered him as the Stupid Hamel, but Tempest knew how much of a dreadful nightmare the human named Hamel was for demonfolk. At that time, demonfolk were more worried about Hamel than the owner of the Holy Sword, Vermouth, on the battlefield. Hamel had no mercy. There was one person who killed more monsters, demonic beasts, and demonfolk on the battlefield than Vermouth ¡ª Hamel. What he was doing was not fighting in a war, but perpetrating a massacre. [You will be able to.] Tempest¡¯s wind pushed Eugene forward. [Your reincarnated self will be able to settle the old scores that even Vermouth couldn¡¯t.] Tempest¡¯s hurricane still wanted to go north, so it couldn¡¯t end in a ce like this. Eugene felt Tempest¡¯s strong will. Settle old scores that even Vermouth couldn¡¯t deal with ¡ª his words made Eugeneugh. Vermouth wasn¡¯t the only one who had rued old debts and didn¡¯t get to pay them. Everyone who wandered around the Devildom wished to settle those debts. ¡°¡­You guys¡­¡± Eugene spoke as the Moonlight Sword in his right hand lit up. The iplete Moonlight Sword consumed a great amount of his mana, maybe because it needed to make up for itsck of power. When he first held the sword at Hamel¡¯s grave in Nahama, he could only swing it a couple of times, but¡­ now? ¡°...are already way past the line.¡± The Moonlight Sword shone brighter still. When he swung the sword, its light filled up the crooked crescent moon, making it into a half-moon. And that still wasn¡¯t enough. Turning around in a full circle, Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword once more. The trajectory of the sword now drew the shape of a full moon. ¡°That is why you can¡¯t block this,¡± Eugene dered. The filled-up full moon scattered away. All-consuming light flooded the entire forest. Dominic didn¡¯t know what the sword in front of him was. Although the Moonlight Sword had been sealed deep underground in Helmuth, even the Demon King of Carnage didn¡¯t know what it was. The Moonlight Sword was pure destruction in the shape of a sword. Every thorn from Spear Forest that Dominic had cast using the Demon Spear was crushed. With every beam of light touching him, his body was destroyed, and every time, more scales covered his body. Dominic¡¯s consciousness became faint as he went through this process multiple times. It was bing faint, but it didn¡¯t mean he was unconscious. No longer under Dominic¡¯s control, his body moved even more sharply and precisely. The remnant in the Demon Spear led Dominic; he wasn¡¯t using his skills anymore. ¡®¡­What am I¡­?¡¯Dominic absentmindedly thought. With nk eyes, he looked forward. Every time a shining light brushed past him, his body shook greatly, but it didn¡¯t hurt. ¡®¡­What am I doing here¡­?¡¯ He remembered stabbing his grandfather from behind. He had pierced the heart, twisted the sword, and held his grandfather¡¯s copsing body. His grandfather had pulled out the Demon Spear to counterattack, but he hadn¡¯t used it in the end. He had just turned back, looking at Dominic in disbelief. Dominic had enjoyed the look on Doynes¡¯ face. The Council Head had thought Dominic would obediently be his heir, huh? Well, in a way, the Council Head ruled over the entire Lionheart n. If Eugene Lionheart hadn¡¯t shown up, Dominic would have dreamt of bing the Head and been satisfied with his seat. There was one reason for the Council of Elders to be stronger than the main house: the Council Head, Doynes Lionheart. He was positioned higher up in the Lionheart family tree than any other main family member. He was also a man of talent, recognized by everyone in the n. However, Dominic couldn¡¯t be his grandfather. He wasn¡¯t certain whether he would be treated as the Lionheart¡¯s highest elder and martial arts master when he was old enough to be the Council of Elders¡¯ Head like his grandfather. ¡®¡­Why¡­?¡¯Right before his consciousness faded away, one question filled Dominic¡¯s head.¡®¡­Why am I dying?¡¯ The answer to Dominic¡¯s question was simple: Eugene had killed him with his sword. No matter how bizarre and brilliant spearmanship Dominic showed with his four arms, Eugene already knew every skill he used. The remnant didn¡¯t have an ego. How hard could it be to fight against a person who only relied on another¡¯s memory to use skills? The heroes¡¯ fight against the Demon King of Cruelty had continued for three days. Hamel and Vermouth had stood on the front lines and dealt with the Demon King¡¯s spear. It was impossible for Eugene to forget the fight, so he knew how Dominic would move ¡ª he knew in which direction he should deflect Dominic¡¯s attack and where to aim in order to cut Dominic. If the Moonlight Sword by itself did not suffice to fight the Demon King, Eugene could use it with enough proficiency so itwouldsuffice. Everything happened in a sh. Right after Eward flew up to the sky and swung the Annihtion Hammer downward, Dominic¡¯s mind was destroyed. It didn¡¯t take long for Eugene to cut off Dominic¡¯s every arm and slit his stomach. Eugene passed by Dominic, but the dead Dominic stood up behind him. Dominic¡¯s mind was already corroded and destroyed by the remnant, his body irreparably damaged. However, the scales connected and filled up his horrendously damaged body. Looking at Dominic being stitched together once more, Ewardughed. Controlling a corpse was a taboo even in ck magic, but Eward enjoyedmitting this taboo that he should never havemitted. ¡®Mother.¡¯Eward thought of Tanis and everyone in the Bossar Family. He wondered if everyone had rotted by now. They probably had. At the time, Eward wasn¡¯t a ck wizard, so he couldn¡¯t make proper undead out of the corpses. The best he could do was kill them without leaving a scar¡­ and control them very carefully using his darkness. He really didn¡¯t want to break them. ¡°Magic is¡­.¡± Trembling with excitement, Eward moved his hands. ¡°¡­So cool and fun.¡± The darkness spirits creepily shrieked, and the darkness resonated with their screams as they crowded around Eward. Moving his finger, Eward drew a form with blood-red light on the darkness. The darkness that hovered around Eugene turned into numerous hands. They all reached out to Eugene, trying to grab him. Avoiding their grips, Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword simultaneously. Meanwhile, Dominic¡¯s ¡ª no, themonster¡¯sface was covered with scales. With a squealing sound, the monster thrust the Demon Spear into the ground. Once again, darkness spread underneath Eugene. Thorns soared up, turning the ground into a forest of spears. However, Eugene stood in the center, unscathed. Woosh! Turning full circle, Eugene crushed the thorns and took a step back as he lifted his cloak. With his ck magic, Eward tried to pressure the space around Eugene to suffocate him. [Ack¡­!] Mer groaned in Eugene¡¯s head. Eward¡¯s magic was tenacious and ominous, just like a curse. Using the barriers, Mer stopped Eward, then analyzed the form and dispelled Eward¡¯s magic. Eugene had said that he was going to trust Mer and Tempest to defend him. And that was what he was going to do. When he turned his head, Eugene could see the staggering Dominic. Eugene had killed him several times, but Dominic still stood up. ¡®Do I have to turn him into ash to finish him off?¡¯ Eugene wondered. Although he could spare a part of his mana, it was a waste to infuse enough mana in the Moonlight Sword to reduce Dominic to ashes. ¡®I can¡¯t waste it on a corpse.¡¯ He pulled out the Thunderbolt Pernoa. It had previously consumed a significant amount of his mana, but he now had the Lightning me. Ever since he had acquired that, Eugene could greatly reduce his mana waste, enabling him to continuously fire the Thunderbolt with little mana. Pzzz! He didn¡¯t even need to draw the bow. The waving Lightning me held up the Thunderbolt as the bolts of lightning from the me became its arrows. One, two, three, four, five¡­ fifteen lightning bolts were now ready to fire. Eugene shot them out all at once. Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Amid the loud sound and the blindingly bright light, Dominic¡¯s body was crushed and began to scatter away. Moving forward, Eugene swung the Holy Sword. Under the sword¡¯s holy fire, Dominic¡¯s entire body crumbled to dust, leaving no trace behind. However, the Demon Spear remained. Ignoring the Demon Spear, which had fallen on the ground, Eugene jumped up. With the giant magic circle behind his back, Eward was holding the Annihtion Hammer high. ¡°¡­Hahaha!¡± Eward burst intoughter and swung the Annihtion Hammer downward. Rumbbleee! The intense air current made by the Annihtion Hammer rushed over Eugene. Numerous hands came out of the darkness underneath Eugene, trying to grab him. The magic circle behind Eward rippled, and a set of giant hands emerged from within the circle. Then, as if they were Eward¡¯s wings, the hands opened wide and grabbed his body from behind, appearing like giant folded wings. ¡°Nice to see you,¡± Eugene spat. He knew those hands. The hands were made from the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s ck magic. Even though Hamel had attacked with all his might, he had found it difficult to sh off even one finger. There were ten fingers in total, each with its own magical ability. The Demon King had simply moved a finger here and there, but it was enough to bombard the heroes¡¯ party with powerful magic. The demonic energy led by the Annihtion Hammer was weighing down on Eugene¡¯s entire body as if it would crush him. The barriers under Mer¡¯s control shattered one by one. As Tempest supported Eugene¡¯s body, he tried to countervail the Annihtion Hammer¡¯s power, but his storms scattered away as the darkness began to mix itself in the storms. Eugene put the Thunderbolt back inside the Cloak. The pressuring energy was strong, but not enough to bend his back. As Eugene nced at Eward, he saw thetter looking down at him, using the giant hands to shield his entire body. He was smiling as if he was certain of his victory. He looked ridiculous. What had Eward done ever since the fight had begun? Well, he had made several smart moves. Isting this space with darkness and stopping the ck Lions from joining the fight was pretty smart. Making Cyan, Ciel, and the others their hostages earlier was also smart. However, that was it. He had signed a contract with the darkness spirit, the remnant of the Demon Kings. After that, he could do so many things, such as controlling the darkness in this ce, using the Annihtion Hammer properly, and using high-ranked ck magic by resonating with the remnants. But he didn¡¯t. ¡®Thisis all he can do.¡¯Eugene concluded. Swinging the Annihtion Hammer, grabbing opponents with a bunch of hands, making thorns with the Demon Spear¡­ Eward used various spells aside from these things, but he did it pretty clumsily considering how powerful the Demon King¡¯s skills had been originally. Pzzz. Eugene¡¯s lightning flowed, and the zing mane generated by the White me Form fluttered in the air. Theyer of demonic energy created by the Annihtion Hammer was broken through. With his eyes dyed with darkness, Eward urately perceived what had happened in front of him. Theyer of demonic energy was prated when the Moonlight Sword shone. Without dy, Eugene approached the giant hands. Arriving in front of them, he turned his waist and pulled out the Holy Sword. He first cut the fingers with the Holy Sword, then attacked the weakened fingers with the Moonlight Sword. ¡°¡­Ah¡­¡± Eward gasped. The fingers that shielded his body were cut apart. The darkness that had previously risen up flowed down like blood. Eward looked down at his copsing body, but he saw something weird. Of course it was weird. Eugene¡¯s attacks from above had cut Eward in half. ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± Eward screamed as he felt horrible pain. The darkness near him burst continuously. The magic circle was distorted. ¡®It hurts. Why?¡¯ Eward was bisected at the abdomen. ¡®Am I going to die?¡¯ He wasn¡¯t going to die. The darkness reconnected his body, even recing Eward¡¯s blood, making Eward whole once again. ¡°I w-will ki-kill you,¡± Eward stutteringly said, wiggling his fingers. Using the set of giant hands, he started bombarding Eugene with magic. His attack was ferocious and fierce, very much unlike Eward¡¯s usual self. Wrapping himself in a mana shield, Eugene broke through Eward¡¯s magic attacks. He wasn¡¯t just relying on the mana shield ¡ª Tempest¡¯s raging wind pushed away Eward¡¯s magic while Mer intercepted the rest. ¡°Arrggh!¡± Holding the Annihtion Hammer, Eward sprung out at Eugene. The floating set of giant hands flicked a finger in Eugene¡¯s direction. Booom! The explosion affected him, but Eugene didn¡¯t let it show. Instead, he stepped forward without stopping. Then, he swung the Moonlight Sword powered by the explosive Ignition. Bannggg! The Annihtion Hammer and the Moonlight Sword shed. Eugene didn¡¯t have enough power to cut down Eward. If he went head to head with Eward, he would certainly be at a disadvantage. So, instead of trying to fight against Eward¡¯s power, Eugene used Eward¡¯s momentum to turn around and shove the Holy Sword, which he pulled out from the Cloak, into the gaps between the giant fingers wrapped around Eward. ¡°Ak!!¡± Eugene slit Eward¡¯s throat, but he couldn¡¯t cut the head off. He only cut it halfway. As Eugene had expected, no blood came out of Eward¡¯s throat, and his ¡®brother¡¯ could still speak clearly. Screaming at the top of his lungs, Eward brandished the Annihtion Hammer and blindly fired different magic attacks. Thummmp! Eugene hadn¡¯t stopped using Ignition, but he was already starting to feel the rebound. Although he pursed his lips tightly, blood was oozing out from the corner of his lips. His speed slowed down for a moment. Tempest and Mer focused on defending Eugene, but the Annihtion Hammer broke through their defense, smashing Eugene¡¯s left arm. ¡°Ha¡­ Hahaha!¡± Eward saw Eugene¡¯s left arm bleeding. If he had been a little stronger, he would have ripped off Eugene¡¯s arm. Although Eward hadn¡¯t managed that, Eugene had to be experiencing a lot of pain. Besides, Eugene couldn¡¯t recover his wounds, unlike Eward. ¡°It hurts? Right?! You can cry if you want to. Even scream if you want!¡± Eward chortled. ¡°Grow a pair,¡±[1]said Eugene. ¡°¡­What?¡± ¡°If you can¡¯t man up and you think this kind of injury is something to cry about, wear a diaper, you fucking baby,¡± Eugene smirked as he came up close to Eward. Eugene was holding the Moonlight Sword, but Eward couldn¡¯t see the terrifying moonlight. ¡®...What is that sword?¡¯Eward thought, unable to understand what Eugene was holding right now. Still, he didn¡¯t care because he was definitely going to get Eugene at this distance. He wasn¡¯t lowering his guard, as he hated getting hurt. The fingers covered Eward¡¯s body, creating a more secure cocoon, and another magic circle appeared on top of the previous giant magic circle behind Eward. ¡®¡­Why?¡¯Eward asked inside his mind. The darkness pulled him toward it. ¡®¡­What do you mean by ¡®avoid it¡¯¡­? That thing is just¡­ a stick.¡¯ The spirit delivered a warning in a faint voice. ¡®Don¡¯t¡­ order me around. I-I can do this on my own. Trust me, I will feed you that guy myself.¡¯ The fight that seemed evesting finally stopped when the Moonlight Sword touched the giant set of hands that protected Eward, exploding the moonlight. Chapter 147: The Remnant (4)

Chapter 147: The Remnant (4)

The moonlight seeped in from between the gaps of the giant hands. A Demon King was a mythical being with powers that lived up to their name. 300 years ago, even Vermouth couldn¡¯t rip apart the Demon King of Cruelty when heunched a direct frontal attack using the Moonlight Sword. On top of that, Eugene¡¯s Moonlight Sword was significantly weaker than Vermouth¡¯s. If the Demon King of Carnage had used any magic right now, it would have been impossible for Eugene to use the current Moonlight Sword to rip apart the Demon King¡¯s magic with a direct frontal attack. ¡°Ahhh¡­.¡± Eward looked forward with wide eyes. He felt like hundreds, thousands of ants were crawling on the surface of his brain. Those marching ants suddenly dug their way into the center of his brain, messing with Eward¡¯s mind. Someone else¡¯s memory deranged Eward¡¯s brain, but he didn¡¯t know whose memory this was. It showed Eugene wrapped in white mes. His me overloaded abruptly, but he wasn¡¯t using a technique pertaining to the Lionhearts¡¯ White me Form. He used the technique that he had used earlier while dodging Dominic¡¯s attacks as he had toyed with Dominic. It took more than a genius to develop that kind of advanced skill. Eward saw a scene he had never seen before in his life. Wrapped in white mes, a man swung the Holy Sword. In fact, he used multiple swords ¡ª sometimes, he used the Holy Sword, but he also swung the Moonlight Sword. Over time, his clothes and movements changed¡­. But there was something that never changed ¡ª another man who fought beside the man with the Holy Sword. This second man, covered with scars, wasn¡¯t wrapped in mes, but he kept fighting nheless. No matter how ruthless the enemy¡¯s attack was, he didn¡¯t stop. Every time his weapon shattered, he would pick up another from the ground. Some attacks seemed impossible to dodge, but the man avoided them somehow. That wasn¡¯t the end; he even made counterattacks. Slowly, the memory from the distant past ovepped with the present. That was when Eward realized ¡ª the man full of scars was none other than Eugene Lionheart. ¡°AWKKKKK!¡± Eward screamed in pain. His pain was greater than his shock from realizing the truth about his adopted brother. The moonlight that had seeped in through the gaps of the giant hands destroyed Eward¡¯s magic. Directly facing the light, Eward¡¯s body began to fall apart. He used the Demon King¡¯s magic, but its power was not as great as when the Demon King used it himself. ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Eugene blurted out, shoving the Moonlight Sword further into the gap between the fingers of the giant hands. His left arm was crushed. He also didn¡¯t expect he would be hit by Ignition¡¯s rebound in this critical moment. Still, he didn¡¯t think he was unlucky. It had only cost Eugene an arm to take care of a Demon King¡¯s remnant. Besides, his left arm hadn¡¯t even been cut off. The bones in his left arm were just shattered, and the flesh around the bones had been crushed. He would recover without a scar. He felt pain, but his injury wasn¡¯t painful enough to make him scream. Even when Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel had died with a hole in his chest, he hadn¡¯t screamed even once. This kind of injury was nothing to him. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the Patriarch¡¯s broken heart hurts more.¡± Eugene bitterly looked at Eward. He couldn¡¯t consider Gilead a great Patriarch or father. However, the man tried his best, and Eugene thought he was rather unfortunate. If Gilead had been a more active parent, Eward wouldn¡¯t have fallen this far. Gilead was a sloppy father, and Tanis was a greedy mother. ¡°¡­If only¡­¡± Eward stuttered out a painful scream. Opening his reddish-ck eyes wide, Eward red at the Moonlight Sword. With Eward¡¯s fragile mind, making a decision was impossible. However, the spirit that corroded Eward¡¯s mind pushed his body forward with malice. ¡°If only you weren¡¯t here¡­!¡± Eward screamed. The giant hands that protected Eward¡¯s body opened up. In spite of being cut apart by the moonlight, the fingers sprung forth at Eugene. No, they were not fingers anymore. The darkness filled with a desire to kill Eugene rushed over him, but it was scattered away by the increasingly bright moonlight. Eugene didn¡¯t answer Eward¡¯s frantic scream. His chest muscles were stiff, and his heart ached. Quite some time had passed since Eugene had started Ignition. He hadn¡¯t struggled in this fight, but he had used an overwhelming amount of powerpared to when he had fought Barang. ¡°I¡¯m getting tired,¡± Eugene murmured as he moved forward. He hadn¡¯t finished using Ignition yet. When he wished to speed up, all his mana sparked up in reply, enabling him to spring forward like lightning. The darkness rushing in was ominous enough to crush people as soon as it touched them, but Eugene¡¯s me pushed away the darkness. ¡°If only¡­!¡± Eward kept whimpering. Eugene quickly closed the distance between him and Eward. Different types of magic spells crossed Eward¡¯s mind. He could use them to ride out the current situation. Yes, Eward had a bunch of magic he hadn¡¯t used yet. Hadn¡¯t he longed for this kind of magic ever since he was little? If he sacrificed Eugene, he would learn much greater magic than now. ¡®¡­What should I do?¡¯Eward wondered. Right now, there was one thing the Eward severelycked ¡ª the ability to make a judgment duringbat. He couldn¡¯t crush Eugene with his power, and using magic without any n was meaningless. However, Eward wasn¡¯t good at making a choice. He had been desperate to learn magic since he was little but had no talent in magic that he so desperately craved. Yet, he had never tried hard enough topensate for his shorings. That was why it was toote for Eward to win. With the Moonlight Sword, Eugene pierced Eward¡¯s heart. Even before Eward moaned, the Moonlight Sword shone. The pale moonlight lit up inside Eward¡¯s body. His mouth opened wide, but he couldn¡¯t scream. The moonlight was enough to destroy the man¡¯s fragile mind. His very existence had been stained by the darkness, but the moonlight lit up the darkness, obliterating it. Wooosh! Eward¡¯s limbs turned to ashes, disappearing. With cold eyes, Eugene watched Eward crumble into dust. The thought of asking Eward about anyst words crossed Eugene¡¯s mind, but he stayed quiet in the end. He just watched Eward die. Eward¡¯s ck eyes were returning to their original color, and his face was contorted from fear and pain. Waving his arms in the air, Eward opened and closed his mouth several times. Eugene forcibly moved his left arm to hold the Holy Sword. Stab! The light from the Moonlight Sword was already killing Eward, but Eugene shoved the Holy Sword into Eward¡¯s chest as well to ensure that he died. Woosh¡­. The light dimmed. Gasping for breath, Eugene put down the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. Thud! The Annihtion Hammer, held in Eward¡¯s hand, fell to the ground. Without leaving a trace, Eward crumbled into dust. Staying in mid-air for a moment, Eugene caught his breath. It felt like his heart was going to burst, and his whole body ached. However, he couldn¡¯t rest now. The fight wasn¡¯t really over yet. Continuing to catch his breath, Eugene looked down at the ground. The ground was originally covered with the darkness summoned by the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear. Underneath the darkness was the forest with bumpy grounds. However, only a giant hole remained on the ground now. With nonchnt eyes, Eugene followed the trail that his fight left, searching for his target. The Demon Spear, which fell first, was at the bottom of the hole. The Annihtion Hammer was next to the hole. ¡°¡­Hector.¡± Eugene crumpled up his face as he couldn¡¯t find Hector Lionheart. Thest time Eugene had seen Hector was¡­ when he was lying unconscious behind Dominic. Had he dissipated into dust in the middle of Eugene and Eward¡¯s battle? ¡®Or else, did he run?¡¯Eugene wondered. Strangely, Hector had a pretty strong artifact. Maybe he also had a way to escape from this darkness. Clicking his tongue, Eugene slowly came down to the ground. [...Hamel, it won¡¯t be a wise move to hold¡­.] Tempest cautioned. ¡°Those idiots had been using it, so I¡¯m sure I will be able to use it.¡± Eugene chuckled as he reached out his hand for the Demon Spear. 300 years ago, Hamel and Molon wanted to be the owner of the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear. Hamel tried holding it several times, but every time he did, he felt like he was going to go insane. So, in the end, he gave up on being the owner of those weapons. Was he not worthy enough? The thought had crossed Hamel¡¯s mind. The Demon Spear, the Annihtion Hammer, and the Moonlight Sword only epted Vermouth as their owners, not epting anyone else. Only Vermouth could use those ridiculously strong weapons. Hamel and Molon were also strong, but they weren''t as strong as Vermouth. If someone needed to meet special qualifications to be the owner of the legendary weapons, only Vermouth met those qualifications. Hamel had thought so 300 years ago, but Eugene didn¡¯t think so right now. The Council Head owned the Demon Spear. The Annihtion Hammer was owned by Dominic. Were they more qualified than Hamel and Molon? If ¡®qualifications¡¯ meant talent, then absolutely not. The only thing that made Doynes and Dominic more special than Hamel and Molon was their lineage as the Great Vermouth¡¯s descendants. ¡®¡­Even the Moonlight Sword,¡¯Eugene thought. He could now hold and swing the awful sword with ease, maybe because he had reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant. Eugene stood in front of the Demon Spear. The ominous Spear was tenaciously emitting darkness, dyeing the ground ck. After ring at it for a moment, Eugene unhesitatingly reached out to grab the Demon Spear. Ooooo! Trembling, the Demon Spear in Eugene¡¯s hand howled. His head spun; his mind was confused. He was in more pain than he had been when his left arm was crushed by Eward¡¯s attack. As he gritted his teeth to stop screaming, Eugene pulled out the Demon Spear stuck into the ground. He came out of the hole and approached the Annihtion Hammer. [Sir Eugene¡­? You are okay, right?] Mer asked in fear. Without answering Mer, Eugene extended his crushed left hand and grabbed the Annihtion Hammer. When he grabbed the Hammer, Eugene¡¯s view was covered with darkness, but he wasn¡¯t surprised. ring at the darkness, he took a step forward. The darkness shook hard as it gathered up in one ce. Although it didn¡¯t have a specific form, this ominous darkness made every living being instinctively shudder. Eugene was familiar with this darkness. The ¡®darkness spirit¡¯ had previously existed in two pieces: one was in the Demon Spear and another in the Annihtion Hammer. However, the pieces now united and became one ¡®darkness spirit.¡¯ The spirit was the remnant of the two Demon Kings ¡ª the Demon King of Carnage and the Demon King of Cruelty. When he became conscious of the remnant, Eugene¡¯s mind became unstable again. Staggering, Eugene grabbed his head. The truth of ck magic, which had made Eward be in the raptures of happiness, was about to be engraved in Eugene¡¯s mind. However, this engraving wasn¡¯t the same as umting knowledge. If that truth remained in his mind, the darkness spirit would take over his body, regardless of Eugene¡¯s will. It meant that Eugene would be a representative of the Demon Kings, whom he hated with all his heart. On top of that, the Demon Kings had already died 300 years ago. ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene spoke harshly as he took one more step forward. Woosh! The white me wrapped around Eugene. As he kept marching on, the me mane around Eugene flew in the air. He dropped the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear. Before they touched the ground, Eugene pulled out the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword from the Cloak. Eugene had no intention of tolerating the existence of that ominous, horrible being, much less using its power. The converging pale moonlight and holy light lit up the darkness. Ciel Lionheart was intoxicated, but she didn¡¯t experience hallucinations. It had already been three years since she started to train as a ck Lion. She never skipped her drug-tolerance training, so her tolerance was pretty high. Her mind wasn¡¯t fragile, either. However, her body was powerless; her mind was groggy. The darkness spirit not only shackled Ciel but all sacrificial offerings. The spirit then dragged their minds into deep darkness. Everything felt like a dream, but Ciel knew what had happened wasn¡¯t a dream. Still, it didn¡¯t seem real. She couldn¡¯t interfere, only able to watch. She saw a reality that felt like a dream. ¡°¡­Where is¡­Eugene?¡± Ciel asked with trembling lips. It was difficult for her to speak. Her head ached, and her body felt heavy like wet cotton. Her eyes kept closing on their own, so Ciel forced them to stay open. Among the people who had been captured as sacrificial offerings, Ciel was the first to regain consciousness. ¡°¡­He is okay¡­right?¡± She pressed her uncle, Gion Lionheart, for an answer. With worried eyes, her uncle looked down at her, unable to pull himself together. Gion had realized something was going on in the forest. After he discovered that arge amount of demonic energy was umted elsewhere besides the center of the forest, the entire ck Lion Order marched into the forest. Dominic knew the ck Lion Knights well. They were too obsessed to make only the Lionhearts as the ck Lion Knights. As a result of their obsession, there wasn¡¯t a single priest or a pdin in the ck Lion Knightly Order. The barrier had been meticulously made by the Demon King¡¯s remnant and was truly powerful. However, since the ck Lion Knights didn¡¯t have the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, it was impossible for them to break the barrier. Even the captains on watch duty gathered up in one ce to break through the barrier, but it wasn¡¯t easy to break this kind of barrier with pure physical force. Gion included, the ck Lions hadn¡¯t arrived at the scene of the incident because they had been able to break through the barrier. No, they had arrived because the barrier had been destroyed when a brilliant light filled the darkness. ¡°¡­He is injured, though¡­.¡± Gion nodded, heaving a long sigh. After hearing his answer, Ciel raised her head with difficulty and searched for Eugene. With a haggard face, Eugene was sitting down on the ground. His bloody left arm was a mess. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange for Eugene to have fainted already. Instead, he looked the same as he did when the semiconscious Ciel saw him inside the barrier. ¡°¡­Are you okay?¡± Ciel spoke with a trembling voice. Her voice was small, but Eugene heard her. Looking at Ciel, Eugene grinned. ¡°Do I look okay to you?¡± He was not gonna lie; he wasn¡¯t fine. Without Kristina, Eugene would take at least a week to recover from his left arm injury and the internal injury he had sustained as a rebound from Ignition. ¡°Don¡¯t try to stay awake. Just sleep.¡± Eugene suggested to Ciel. ¡°¡­I, I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°I know you are not okay. It¡¯s all over, so you don¡¯t need to stay awake.¡± ¡°¡­I have to¡­ I want to say something to you.¡± Ciel didn¡¯t change her mind. She could finally rx, but she was beginning to choke up with emotions. Thinking that this was how she would die, she was scared. Although she wished someone woulde and save her, at the same time, she also wished for no one toe. Yet, neither of her desperate wishes hade true: Cyan, Gargith, Dezra, and Genia hade one by one¡­ and failed to save her. Everyone had been overpowered and captured by the darkness. However, Eugene hadn¡¯te. Despite everything, she thought that it was fortunate. She hoped that Eugene had run away and gone outside the forest to ask for help. With the smell of blood filling her nose as Eward drew the magic circle, Ciel had gradually be unconscious. Then, when she was about to faint, she saw Eugene¡¯s me. ¡°¡­You saved me,¡± Ciel quietly spoke after she calmed herself. ¡°Don¡¯t say it now.¡± Eugene shot her down. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Thank meter. I¡¯m going to hear it when you and I are both fine. You can say thank you then,verypolitely.¡± ¡°¡­No, I don''t want to. Hear it now¡­!¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not gonna hear it now. You can thank me a hundred times now, but I¡¯m not going to hear it,¡± Eugene said with a cheeky smile. Favorite Chapter 148: The Remnant (5)

Chapter 148: The Remnant (5)

¡®Won¡¯t it be better to just die than be in this much pain?¡¯Eugene seriously wondered as hey in bed. Every time he so much as lifted a finger, his entire body was in such pain that Eugene had to grit his teeth to not scream. His body was so tightly wrapped with bandages that he felt stuffy. He was on so many medicines that smelled so disgusting they hurt his nostrils. It wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s first time experiencing a rebound from Ignition; he had felt it in his past life too. However, Eugene was certain that the current rebound hurt the most. Even with his past life included, he had never been in this much pain. ¡°Errr¡­argh¡­¡± Eugene groaned, gritting his teeth again. He had just lifted a finger, but he felt like someone was shattering his bones with an icepick. The damn Lightning me was why he was in so much pain right now. The Lightning me significantly increased Ignition¡¯s power, but the rebound also became significantly stronger. As a result, Eugene¡¯s muscles were in extreme pain. Although he had trained and trained, his body couldn¡¯t handle the rebound from the upgraded Ignition. ¡°If you are now going to use Ignition and the Lightning me together, then should we call it Thunder Ignition?¡± Mer asked, sitting on a rocking chair beside Eugene¡¯s bed. Putting down the book she was reading, Mer stared at Eugene with twinkling eyes. ¡°Or is it Lightning Ignition?¡± ¡°I might really kill you someday,¡± Eugene spoke as he red back. ¡°I think the name Ignition is really cool, but the version you use right now is different. It¡¯s on another level altogether, so shouldn¡¯t you change its name?¡± ¡°MerMerMerdein, I¡¯m really gonna kill you.¡± ¡°My name isn¡¯t MerMerMerdein.¡± ¡°Ah fuck. Ignition is my technique, and I use it. Why are you trying to get under my skin bying up with new names?¡± ¡°Think of it as necessary advice.¡± Mer pouted as she got down from her chair. ¡°...If you give your techniques really embarrassing names, you might not use that brainlessly dangerous technique anymore because you would be too embarrassed.¡± ¡°You sound just like Sienna. She used to talk just like you, telling me to stop using Ignition.¡± Eugene grumbled, frowning. ¡°I had to use Ignition in that situation. Yeah, it fucking hurts right now, but I don¡¯t regret using it. I will continue to use it in the future when the situation demands me to. If I don¡¯t, I will just regret it afterward.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t really know what pain is, but people are bound to hesitate if they know that they are going to be in pain,¡± Mer muttered, staring at the floor. ¡°I don¡¯t hesitate. If I decide to do something, I always do it. Besides, it won¡¯t hurt much the next time I use it. As my body adapts to Lightning sh, the severity of the rebound will drop back to normal¡­.¡± ¡°So is it Lightning sh Ignition then?¡± Mer swiftly raised her head. ¡°I can¡¯t move right now because I¡¯m in pain, so would you please knock yourself on the head?¡± ¡°Unlike you, I don¡¯t have a masochistic hobby of overtaxing my body or making myself suffer.¡± Mer puffed her cheeks in frustration, sitting on the edge of Eugene¡¯s bed. For a moment, she looked at Eugene, feeling bad for him. He wouldn¡¯t suffer any aftereffects as he usually recovered very quickly. There were no elixirs avable in the ck Lion Castle, but there were many expensive, effective potions. Since Eugene had received proper first aid, his left arm wouldpletely recover after a week of bed rest. Although Eugene was in such extreme pain that he thought it would be better to die, he would feel much better after a couple of days in bed. Mer also knew that, but that didn¡¯t mean she could be nonchnt about Eugene¡¯s injury. ¡®What if Sir Eugene never recovers and he has to spend his entire life in bed? What if he sustains irrecoverable injuries in a difficult fight like thest one?...Ordiesduring the fight?¡¯Mer nervously thought. Clicking this tongue, Eugene said, ¡°Stop thinking about the worst scenarios. It brings bad luck.¡± ¡°¡­Huuh¡­how did you know? Can you readmymind?¡± ¡°You are an open book.¡± ¡°¡­I can¡¯t help but worry. I don¡¯t like to see you suffering. I¡¯d hate to see you die even more.¡± ¡°You really think of me as a maniac, huh? Do you think I like suffering and dying? Stop chattering. Juste and cut me an apple.¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know how to cut it.¡± ¡°Are you never gonna do it because you don¡¯t know how? There can be stuff you are bad at or don¡¯t know how to do. But you still have to try and practice in order to be good at it.¡± ¡°Ok, geezer.¡± Mer pouted, looking at a fruit basket sitting on Eugene¡¯s bedside table. Genos and Gion had brought the basket while Eugene was unconscious. Geezer¡ªEugene couldn¡¯t really refute Mer, but he still felt a strange sense of ipatibility. Including his age from his past life, Eugene was over sixty years. His body had changed, but his soul hadn¡¯t, so it wasn¡¯t technically wrong to call him an old man, was it? However, the young girl who had just called him ¡®geezer¡¯ merelylookedlike a young girl. Wasn¡¯t she actually a 200-year-old familiar? ¡°Preposterous, my personality is that of a youthful mademoiselle,¡± Mer spoke like a character in an old novel. ¡°What is up with your way of talking¡­.¡± Eugene mumbled with a disgusted face. Mer dramatically stuck her tongue out at Eugene. Then, she picked up a big apple and started peeling it with a paring knife that was as small as her palm. Knock, knock. While Mer was having trouble peeling an apple, someone knocked on the door to Eugene¡¯s room. It was Genos. ¡°Come in,¡± Eugene answered. Genos entered the room and looked back and forth between Mer, who looked serious as she held the paring knife, and the bunch of apple skins, with a lot of apple flesh still attached, that fell on the floor. ¡°¡­Let me do it.¡± Genos offered. ¡°I don¡¯t need to know how to neatly peel off an apple while I live because I don¡¯t need to eat apples. On top of that, you don¡¯t need to peel off apples when you make an apple pie or apple juice,¡± Mer quickly said. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if she was making up excuses or just randomly babbling. Mer handed Genos the paring knife, and Genos skillfully sliced the apple as he spoke. ¡°¡­The Council Head¡­No, Sir Doynes regained his consciousness.¡± ¡°Is it fortunate news?¡± ¡°¡­The ck Lions and the Council of Elders may think so, but Sir Doynes doesn¡¯t think his survival is good news. The first thing he said after he regained his consciousness was, ¡®Why did you save me?¡¯¡± Genos put down the paring knife as he bitterly smiled. There was a te full of bunny-shaped apple slices in front of him. Mer swiftly picked up a slice and ate it. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to save him anyway,¡± Eugene said calmly. ¡°Yes, Sir Doynes refuses any further treatment. But¡­ he says he wants to hear the whole story from you and express his remorse, Senior Brother.¡± ¡®Remorse, huh?¡¯Eugene thought as he made a sour face. The Council Head wasn¡¯t the one who had requested Barang to kill Eugene. It was Dominic. However, the Council Head wasn¡¯t meless; he had talked too much to his grandson. Of course, this incident would still have happened even if the Council Head had kept his mouth shut. Dominic, Hector, and Eward¡¯s conspiracy had nothing to do with Barang trying to assassinate Eugene. Dominic had done that on his own. ¡°¡­When?¡± Eugene reluctantly asked. ¡°If you are okay with it, I will bring him here right now,¡± Genos eagerly spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t mind, but wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to go? I¡¯m asking a dying grandpa with a hole in his chest toe.¡± ¡°Your injury is also severe, Senior Brother. And the Council Head insisted that he should be the one to visit you.¡± ¡°Why is he insisting?¡± Genos didn¡¯t answer, hesitating a bit. After checking whether or not the door was closed, he also checked if anyone was eavesdropping. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact reason, but I have some ideas.¡± ¡°Ideas?¡± Eugene asked, tilting his head in confusion. ¡°¡­You have told me the whole story of the recent incident.¡± Genos began to speak, carefully choosing his next words. Before losing consciousness due to the rebound from Ignition, Eugene desperately held on and told the whole story to Genos. It included everything from the darkness spirit, which turned out to be the remnant of Demon Kings, Eward running amok, and Dominic and Hector¡¯s betrayal. ¡°¡­I know you are strong, Senior Brother. But¡­ no matter how strong you are¡­ you are still young¡­. It¡¯s impossible¡­ to kill Dominic, Hector, and Eward, particrly since they were together with the Demon Kings¡¯ remnant.¡± ¡°But I did kill them.¡± ¡°Yes, you did. On top of that, the enemies were using the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear, but the only injury you sustained was a fracture in your left arm. The reason you are on bed rest is that you are experiencing a rebound from using Ignition.¡± Genos stopped speaking for a moment. Then, swallowing hard, he stared at Eugene. ¡°¡­Senior Brother¡­. Who are you?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­.¡± ¡°You have found Sir Hamel¡¯s grave, which no one found before you. Although you have told me that was where you found Sir Hamel¡¯s secret manual¡­ it isn¡¯t enough to exin how you can be so strong. I know¡­ I know how nonsensical this sounds, but¡­ I have fought you, Senior Brother. While we fought using the Hamel Style, you used Asura Rampage and Lightning Counter so proficiently¡­.¡± Genos desperately exined. ¡°Stop.¡± Eugene raised his hand, heaving a long sigh. Above all else, Eugene really couldn¡¯t hear Genos saying Asura Rampage and Lightning Counter. He could see Mer holding back herughter after finishing half the apples on the te. ¡°I get what you are thinking right now, Junior Brother. Yes, I see where the Council Head ising from.¡± Eugene nodded very slightly. He could deny their ims by making up excuses, but Eugene didn¡¯t want to do that. Although he tried to sit as upright as possible, he could feel his injured body refusing to move. In the end, Eugene raised his head as high as he could as hey on the bed and looked at Genos. ¡°I am Hamel,¡± Eugene said in a not-so-solemn way. He had previously thought that if he was going to reveal his identity, he would do it more seriously in a situation that would suit the hero from 300 years ago. However, he now figured it would be more embarrassing to postpone this moment only to do whatever magnificent revealter. ¡°¡­I knew it¡­!¡± Silently urged by Mer, Genos had been cutting apples into bunny-shaped slices, but he instantly sprang up from his seat when he heard what Eugene said. He immediately put down the paring knife and apple, then kneeled in front of Eugene. Genos didn¡¯t doubt Eugene. Instead, he felt much better after hearing this. A twenty-year-old man being that unbelievably strong ¡ª it would have actually been more ridiculous to think that Eugene had be that strong solely based on his inborn talent. Above all, if the hero from 300 years ago had reincarnated or possessed Eugene, Genos was now able to serve and respect Eugene as his senior brother without being embarrassed orining. Of course, Genos didn¡¯t haveints about calling Eugene his senior brother, but he was still a bit embarrassed. ¡®If Senior Brother is Sir Hamel, it is only right to serve and respect him.¡¯ Even Genos had a hard time respecting a man younger than his daughter. ¡®No¡­if he is Sir Hamel, then isn¡¯t it actually wrong to call him Senior Brother?¡¯ When the thought crossed his mind, Genos trembled, feeling a shiver down his spine. ¡°Teacher!¡± Genos spoke with teary eyes. As the heir of Hamel Style, he couldn¡¯t help but shed tears of joy. He was enjoying the great honor of calling the great hero his ¡®teacher.¡¯ ¡°How am I your teacher?¡± Eugene said with a sour face. ¡°Everyone in the n considers you our teacher, Sir Hamel¡­!¡± ¡°But¡­well¡­ technically, I never epted you guys as my disciples. So why would you guys call me your teacher on your own¡­?¡± ¡°You have taught me the new, correct Hamel Style, Teacher¡­! Why are you refusing to be called a teacher when you have epted me as your junior brother and told me to call you senior brother?¡± Genos spoke with a hint of anger. ¡°Alright, don¡¯t get angry now¡­.¡± Eugene heaved a big sigh. ¡°Tell the Council Head toe to visit me. Or shall I go?¡± ¡°No, I will go. Please stay in bed.¡± After neatly wiping off the tears on his face, Genos stood up. When Genos left the room, Mer also quietly stood up and lifted the Cloak of Darkness. ¡°I will be inside the Cloak.¡± ¡°If you were going to go in, you could have gone in sooner. Why would you go in only after eating all the apples?¡± ¡°I only ate it because you didn¡¯t, Sir Eugene. Did you know that peeled-off apples turn brown over time? They look hideous. That is called the browning process.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ is that so¡­.¡± ¡°To stop the browning process, you have to put the apple slices in salt water or sugar water. It¡¯s interesting, right? Lady Anci told me, but I prefer sugar water to salt water. Salt water is too salty.¡± ¡°Are you going in, or what?¡± Eugene asked in annoyance. Mer sheepishly smiled and crawled into the Cloak. Leaning against the bed¡¯s headboard, Eugene organized his thoughts. It had been two days since Eward had run amok. Just like Eugene, the people who had been captured as sacrificial offerings were still on bed rest. ording to Gion, they would be able to recover by the next day at thetest. ¡­The bodies of Eward, Dominic, and Hector hadn¡¯t been recovered. There was nothing to recover, anyway. The only body found in the forest was of Deacon Lionheart. Deacon¡¯s body had beenid in a coffin, and Carmen¡¯s brother, Klein Lionheart, visited Deacon¡¯s family to deliver his body. Gilead had been notified of the events, but even though he wanted to return, he had to stay at the pce for the time being. The ck Lion, dispatched to the Bossar Family, was found dead in their mansion¡¯s warehouse. Unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t the only body that was found. Over a hundred dead bodies were found inside the mansion ¡ª Tanis, Count Bossar, and the servants. They were all rotting. They had also found a diary in Eward¡¯s room. However, no one had checked the diary¡¯s contents. It was because Carmen, who had been dispatched to protect the main house, had threatened everyone to not check the diary before Gilead, Eward¡¯s father and the Patriarch. ¡®¡­It¡¯s absolute fuckery right now,¡¯Eugene thought, his head aching. ¡®The Council Head won¡¯t be able to recover, so he must have delivered his will to the Council of Elders. He will probably die after he apologizes to me.¡¯ People were still sorting out the situation. Eward and Dominic had died. No one could confirm Hector¡¯s death. Dominic and Hector¡¯s families had already been arrested by the ck Lions. Although Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what the ck Lions would gain from interrogating their family members, he was sure about one thing ¡ª the Lionheart n¡¯s reputation was in the gutter now. On top of that, the ck Lion¡¯s reputation had been trashed and dragged in the mud. They were too helpless in the recent incident. ¡®¡­Carmen Lionheart¡­ She would probably be the Council Head.¡¯ After Doynes Lionheart¡¯s death, Carmen Lionheart would be the highest-ranking elder. ¡®¡­But she would never want that, considering her personality. She still wants to work in the field¡­. Then would Klein Lionheart be the next Council Head?¡¯ Kleincked dignity, but he didn¡¯t seem to be a bad person. ¡®What would happen to the main family? I¡¯m guessing the Patriarch would resign to take responsibility for raising a wuss son¡­. Then is Cyan going to be the next Patriarch right away? Or is it going to be Gion? But they wouldn¡¯t make the second son Patriarch, especially since he has already be a coteral family member.¡¯ Gion wouldn¡¯t want to be a Patriarch, either. Frowning, Eugene sighed. There was one thing that troubled Eugene ¡ª too much spotlight was on him right now. Even Genos had doubts about Eugene¡¯s real identity, so it was safe to assume the Council Head was probably thinking the same. ¡®¡­I¡¯ll just tell the Patriarch that I was able to do all that because of the Holy Sword.¡¯ While he was entertaining these thoughts, he heard a knock. ¡°Come in,¡± Eugene answered. The door opened right away. Eugene was expecting Donyes to be in a wheelchair or have someone help him walk. However, Doynes walked in without any support. Still, looking at how Doynes was practically forcing himself to keep his eyes open, Eugene could see that the man was dying. Donyes¡¯ face was livid, and his cheeks were hollow. As for the hole in his chest, Eugene couldn¡¯t see anything because Donyes was wearing a uniform to cover it. ¡°Is it okay for you to move around like that?¡± Eugene cautiously asked. Even though he was staggering, Donyes walked on his own. After he closed the door, he stared at Eugene for a moment, then bowed his head. ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet the Great Hamel.¡± ¡®He is not even asking me whether or not I am Hamel,¡¯Eugene thought as he reluctantly nodded. ¡°Uhm¡­I¡­am also¡­uh¡­d to meet my friend¡¯s descendant.¡± Chapter 149: Bedside Visits (1) Chapter 149: Bedside Visits (1) The awkwardness was unbearable. If hehadn¡¯t been so injured, he would have at least been able to turn his head away or adjust his posture. But right now, for Eugene, moving anything below his neck was a daunting challenge. So Eugene could only keep up an awkward expression while staring at the crown of Doynes¡¯s head as the man bowed to him deeply, with the utmost respect. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ in your poor state of health¡­ why don¡¯t you stop that and take a seat?¡± Eugene rmended. ¡°I¡¯m fine like this,¡± Doynes rejected the offer.[1] ¡°No, what do you mean by ¡®I¡¯m fine¡¯? Didn¡¯t you get stabbed through the chest? Let me just say, as someone who also had a hole pierced through his chest, I¡¯m very familiar with what it feels like.¡± Eugene rambled awkwardly as he recalled the memories of his past life. ¡°It¡¯s a very shitty and hollow feeling, isn¡¯t it? Hmmm¡­ um¡­ well¡­ the hole that ran me through may have beenrger, but still¡­. I wasn¡¯t able to walk around like you, and I just had to lie there waiting for death, you know?¡± ¡°How amazing,¡± came the response from Doynes. Embarrassed by the words he had spewed out, Eugene coughed awkwardly. ¡°...Um¡­ I wasn¡¯t trying to brag that my chest hole was bigger¡­,¡± Eugene stiffly apologized as he desperately tried to shake loose the fixation with chest holes rattling around inside his head, but it wasn¡¯t going the way he wanted it to. If you really thought about it, having a hole through the chest was an injury with many connotations for Eugene. His death in his previous life had also been due to a hole in his chest, and Sienna, still sealed in the World Tree, also had a hole in her chest¡­. ¡°...Didn¡¯t I tell you to stop standing there and take a seat? My body isn¡¯t in great shape either, so having to look up at you standing there is a bit difficult,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°Yes,¡± Doynes agreed and, without any further attempts at refusal, sat down on a chair near the bed. As the distance between them shortened, Eugene was better able to feel the aura of death lingering around Doynes. ¡°How much time do you have left?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I won¡¯t make it through the night,¡± Doynes answered in a calm voice. ¡°If you summon a high priest from the Holy Empire, there¡¯s still a possibility that you could be saved, or perhaps we can call for the Saint,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°I¡¯m the one who knows my own body the best,¡± Doynes refuted. ¡°Even the blessing of the Saint won¡¯t be able to revitalize this body of mine.¡± There was no change in Doynes¡¯ expression as he continued to speak. ¡°...This current situation¡­ it¡¯s evidence of how ipetent the Lionheart n ¡ª no, the ck Lions have be. We were so arrogant and drunk on the honor of being the descendants of a great hero that we weren¡¯t able to properly live up to the demands of our position.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve realized this far toote,¡± Eugene chided. ¡°It¡¯s because the world has been too peaceful,¡± Doynes said regretfully. ¡°What¡¯s ridiculous is the fact that Vermouth¡¯s descendants have be so drunk on peace. If my body was healthy and I still had the strength that I used to have in the old days, I would have made all of you arrogant ck Lions[2]kneel down and then beaten you with a paddle,¡± Eugene threatened. ¡°My apologies,¡± Doynes said as he bowed his head once more. ¡°...Allow me to take the guilt of that sin with me when I pass. Any further mockery will only fuel the discontent of the younger generation. So please, I hope you keep this fact in mind and take care of us.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not asking me to join the ck Lions, are you?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. Doynes shook his head as he said, ¡°I¡¯m well aware that the ck Lions are far too small to retain you, Sir Hamel. However, as Sir Hamel does have a rtionship connecting himself to the ck Lions, I hope you can watch over the changes in the ck Lion Knights, even if it¡¯s from a distance.¡± ¡°Changes, you say?¡± Eugene smacked his lips and tilted his head curiously. ¡°Stop being so vague and tell me, what exactly are you going to change?¡± ¡°The ck Lion Castle will be opening its doors.¡± ¡°Its doors?¡± ¡°As you may be aware, Sir Hamel, the ck Lions aren¡¯t a ce one can join just because they want to. The restrictions are rtively looser for any member of the main family who wishes to join, but for a coteral descendant to be a ck Lion, they must first possess skills that we can¡¯t help but recognize.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°...From now on, if there is a child who wishes to be a ck Lion among the coteral descendants attending a Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, they can be brought directly to the castle for further training¡ª¡± ¡°The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony itself is the problem,¡± Eugene interrupted as his face twisted in a scowl. ¡°The changes that you¡¯re talking about will, in the end, only increase the number of ck Lions in the next generation. Well, that might indeed be good in terms of boosting the n¡¯s power. Even if the quality decreases a little, the increase in quantity more than makes up for it, and even if it means teaching a dunce from a young age, they should still be of some use.¡± However, as long as the tradition of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony remained, any other changes would be inadequate. ¡°In the aftermath of this incident, didn¡¯t you say that a couple of the coteral branches have suspiciously gone missing at the same time? This fact shows us that this treasonous affair arose from the dissatisfaction that the coteral descendants bear towards the main family. And where does this dissatisfactione from? It¡¯s all because of that idiotic Bloodline Continuation Ceremony,¡± Eugene criticized. Doynes hesitated. ¡°...However¡­ the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony is our great ancestor¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°That bastard Vermouth must have been senile,¡± Eugene burst out. Unable to control his anger, he unconsciously tried to leap to his feat. Of course, the moment he tried to exert any strength with his body, he had to restrain himself from screaming at the terrible pain coursing through his whole body. ¡­Frankly, the tradition wasn¡¯tpletely iprehensible. Vermouth had taken more than ten wives and had had dozens of children. Among his many children, the most outstanding child had be the family''s next Patriarch. But what about after that? This left behind numerous siblings who hadn¡¯t been able to be the Patriarch. The situation would have been neatly tied up if the next Patriarch had just conducted a purge, but it would have been ridiculous for the children of a hero to fight among each other, killing their own siblings. In the end, the first generation all passed away, and the numerous siblings also gave birth to multiple children once more. The problem began from there. Vermouth had died, leaving behind his legacy, the Great Hero¡¯s Lionheart n. And the coteral families that hadn¡¯t be the main family tried to inherit the great legacy and gain glory. ¡°The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony was necessary,¡± Doynes insisted after letting out a long sigh. ¡°The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony ensured that the main family kept its unique stature and prevented any coteral families from overpowering it. If it weren¡¯t for the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, the n as a whole might have disappeared long ago due to infighting.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Eugene acknowledged as he rxed his expression. ¡°...Vermouth, that bastard. He must have created the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony because he had his own reasons for doing so.¡± As for what that reason was, thoughts that Eugene didn¡¯t want to think kept unfolding in his head. Along with the main family¡¯s White me Form, the coercive tradition of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony had ensured the main family¡¯s superiority. For the past three hundred years, this had allowed the main family to amass strength that couldn¡¯t be surpassed, even as the coteral branches gradually increased in numbers. If there had been no Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, and the White me Form had been passed to all Lionheart descendants, then¡­. Would the Lionheart n really look like it did now? Everyone would receive the same treatment, but only one of them got to be specially referred to as the ¡®main family.¡¯ Would the other branches, apart from the direct line, really recognize them as the main family? Perhaps, like Doynes had said, the Lionheart n may have immediately fragmented due to infighting. And what about now? Multiple factors ensured that the coteral branches could not ovee the direct line¡¯s superiority: the main family¡¯s unique status, storing all of Vermouth¡¯s heirlooms except for the Moonlight Sword in the main family¡¯s treasure vault, and inheriting the White me Form in its perfect form, along with the use of the special leyline. All of this had guaranteed the main family¡¯s continued existence for these past three hundred years, as well as its ability to control the growing number of coteral branches. But all of that for what reason? ¡®...Was it really all for the n¡¯s honor?¡¯Eugene asked himself uncertainly. Vermouth had been involved in Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. Eugene had been able to confirm that through his meeting with Sienna. Hamel¡¯s soul had been sealed inside the ne that Sienna had kept with her ever since he died as Hamel¡¯s memento. Vermouth had stolen that ne from Sienna. ¡®...Vermouth¡­ if you intended for me to be reincarnated as a Lionheart¡­.¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t know how exactly his reincarnation had been aplished. However, a few things stood out ringly when he thought about it in simple terms. The body he had been reincarnated into was superior to the body from his previous life. No, it was so far superior that it even stood out among the Lionhearts. In order to guarantee that he would be born in a body as excellent as this, the most convenient method would be to first increase the total number of descendants. ¡®...It¡¯s just a guess, but¡­ what if it¡¯s the truth?¡¯ Had Vermouth purposefully increased the number of his descendants in order to give Hamel the best body possible? In order to preserve the core of the Lionheart n¡¯s strength, Vermouth had made sure that the main family was special. And what if Hamel was reincarnated as a coteral descendant? That still wouldn¡¯t be a problem. As long as the foundation of his body was excellent, with the memories of his previous life to draw from, Hamel would definitely grow strong enough that he would eventually be able to suppress the main family. Things had somehow gone so well that Eugene had been adopted into the main family and had even inherited the White me Form, but¡­ even if that hadn¡¯t happened, he could still have somehow trampled the main family and imed all of the main family¡¯s power for himself. ¡°...Get rid of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony,¡± Eugene muttered with a sigh. ¡°There¡¯s no more need for it. It also led to the current problem. If we just get rid of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, most of theints from the coteral lines will disappear.¡± Doynes still hesitated, ¡°...But¡­.¡± ¡°Are you still going to be stubborn even though it led to you getting stabbed in the back?¡± Hamel asked scornfully. ¡°Like you said, the world has been so peaceful that even the Lionhearts have be ipetent idiots. However, now, things won¡¯t be as peaceful. You never know when Helmuth might dere the start of the war, and the coteral descendants harboring a grudge against the main family have all disappeared.¡± Doynes listened silently. ¡°It¡¯s a good time for a change,¡± Eugene insisted as he red at Doynes. ¡°If you¡¯re going to die before the end of the day, then you should leave a will before closing your eyes. You are the Immortal White Lion, after all. Your death may not be the most honorable, but your name still holds sway over the other elders. So if you abolish the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony in your will, even the elders won¡¯t be able to raise any strong objections to it. No one wants to be the first to say it, but they all know that this situation arose because of this fucking tradition rotting the n from the inside.¡± Doynes didn¡¯t respond immediately. While Doynes closed his eyes and pondered the matter for a few moments, Eugene snickered and continued speaking, ¡°Actually, who am I to try to pressure you into this? You don¡¯t need to leave a will if you don¡¯t want to. Because after you die, I¡¯ll take this mess apart and try to fix it on my own. Of course, it would have to be a rough fix that wouldn¡¯t reallypare to a will left by the Immortal White Lion, but what can you do?¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­¡± Doynes burst intoughter at this tant threat. ¡°To receive advice from not just anyone, but from a hero who lived three hundred years ago¡­. Alright, I understand. I¡¯ll make sure¡­ to leave it in my will.¡± The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony had been a tradition for three hundred years. As someone who had lived for a hundred and twenty years, Doynes was a living witness to the history of the Lionheart n. As a former member of the main family, he had been one of the beneficiaries of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. Therefore, denying the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony felt the same as denying the foundation of the Lionheart n, which he had held such pride in for his entire life. However, it needed to be done. Doynes acknowledged just how much of a disgraceful affair this incident had been and also recognized that the grandson who had stabbed him through the chest hadn¡¯t felt the same sense of pride that he did¡­. ¡°My grandson¡­ Dominic, did he die with regrets?¡± Doynes asked. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t have been any room for regret,¡± Eugene replied thoughtfully. ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± Doynes chuckled before continuing. ¡°I wanted him to die while regretting his choices and actions. But, if he died without even having any chance to feel regret, doesn¡¯t that mean his death was so painful that he couldn¡¯t spare any thoughts for regret?¡± ¡°It was quite a terrible death,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°...But the deaths of those who covet what they do not deserve and fall to evil are always terrible.¡± ¡°I owe you a great debt, Sir Hamel,¡± Doynes said as he got up once more and deeply bowed his head to Eugene. ¡°...At the same time, I havemitted a great many sins. If Sir Hamel hadn¡¯t stopped them there, all the children of the main family would have been offered up as sacrifices¡­ and Eward would have beenpletely possessed by the remnants of the Demon Kings. For the descendant of the Great Lionheart who yed the Demon Kings¡­ to be used as a tool to revive those same Demon Kings¡­ such a thing could never be allowed to happen.¡± Eugene coughed. ¡°Hm, now that I think about it¡­ it doesn¡¯t seem like they would really have been reborn¡­ since they were just some remnants. In other words, it really wasn¡¯t all that serious. They were just a couple of scumbags.¡± Eugene had been trying to say all this with a dignified expression, but he had raised his chin a bit too high, and now his neck was throbbing in pain. Strangely enough, the cloak he had left on the sofa appeared to be wriggling. Eugene imagined Mer covering her mouth with her hands as she tried to hold back herughter inside the cloak. ¡°...Ahem¡­ by the way, how did you realize the fact that I¡¯m Hamel?¡± Eugene questioned Doynes, trying to change the subject. ¡°I saw it in a dream,¡± Doynes confessed. ¡°A dream?¡± Eugene repeated in surprise. That was quite an unexpected answer. ¡°After being ambushed by Dominic and copsing¡­ it seems that my consciousness still had a slight connection to the Demon Spear. It must have been because it¡¯s been in my hand for dozens of years, and it¡¯s quite an ominous and mysterious weapon. In this dream, I saw how you drove Dominic to his death, Sir Hamel,¡± Doynes paused for a moment as he finished speaking and stared down at his own hand. His one remaining hand was trembling in fear just from imagining the scene he had witnessed in the dream. ¡°That strength and that technique could never belong to a twenty-year-old young man. Also¡­ the rage that you showed at the tomb of our great ancestor was closer to the betrayal that someone would feel towards their friend rather than towards a revered ancestor,¡± Doynes exined. ¡°...Indeed,¡± Eugene muttered with a nod of understanding. When he had discovered that Vermouth¡¯s coffin was empty, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to fully restrain his emotions. A sense of betrayal towards Vermouth had taken hold of him and had shaken him to his core. Doynes hesitated before continuing, ¡°...The Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer¡ª¡± ¡°Mer,¡± Eugene called out without allowing Doynes to finish his words. At his call, Mer¡¯s head popped out from between the folds of his cloak. ¡°Yes, did Sir Eugene, who has been injured to the point where he¡¯s unable to move after a fight witha couple of scumbags, call for me?¡± Mer asked teasingly. ¡°...Watch your words,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°I¡¯m not injured. This is just muscle strain.¡± Mer nodded. ¡°Understood. You are suffering from so much muscle strain that you¡¯re unable to move after a fight witha couple of scumbags, correct?¡± ¡°You¡¯re really going to get it once my body is all better,¡± Eugene threatened Mer. Ignoring the threat, Mer asked, ¡°So why did you call for me, Sir Eugene who¡¯s only able to move his lips?¡± ¡°...Get the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer¡­ out of my cloak,¡± Eugene ground out while holding back the anger boiling away inside of him. Mer just stuck her tongue out at him before popping back inside the cloak. Turning to Doynes, Eugene demanded, ¡°Did you justugh?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Doynes denied. ¡°I feel like you wereughing, though?¡± Eugene used him. ¡°Not at all,¡± Doynes repeated. ¡°You wereughing on the inside, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Not at all.¡± By the end of this brief interrogation of an old man who was scheduled to dieter today, Mer came out of the cloak dragging the huge Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer with a strained whimper. Both these weapons were patentlyrger than her own body. ¡°I¡¯m holding on to these. You don¡¯t have anyints, right?¡± Eugene stated as he gestured to the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer with his chin. Those were no longer the same former armaments of the Demon Kings. Although their form hadn¡¯t changed, the demonic power that had formed the foundations of these weapons had been cleanly erased. Instead, a portion of the lightning-mes that flowed through Eugene¡¯s body had been poured into the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. Due to this, Eugene felt like there was a strong possibility of a specific thing pertaining to those weapons. He wasn¡¯t able to test this suspicion right away, as his body wasn¡¯t strong enough. But considering the fact that the lightning-mes now resided in the ce of the spirit of darkness that had disappeared along with the demonic power¡­. He might not be able to reproduce their special attacks, but it might still be possible to use the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer as powerful weapons. ¡°...Who else could be the master of those weapons if not Sir Hamel?¡± Doynes said, having already decided not to show any further resistance to Eugene¡¯s words. Though they had only chatted for a while, this great hero from three hundred years ago still had the same fiery personality as described in the fairy tale passed down throughout history. ¡°I¡¯m sure you have a lot to attend to,¡± Eugene prompted Doynes. The aura of death that he had been feeling from Doynes had continued to deepen over the course of their conversation. ¡°....Dominic might have been your only descendant, but¡­ even so, shouldn¡¯t you at least say goodbye to the elders you¡¯ve known for such a long time,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°I also need to prepare a will,¡± Doynes agreed with a chuckle as he stood up. ¡°...Thank you so much for your consideration, Sir Hamel. ¡­As a knight, I feel it¡¯s a great honor to have met with you like this. If I only had enough time, I would have liked to ask you to regale me with some of your past sagas, Sir Hamel.¡± ¡°No way, that would be too embarrassing,¡± Eugene expressed his rejection with a disgusted look as he shook his head. Then, changing the subject, Eugene asked, ¡°...So, who is going to be the next Head of the Council?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of Carmen, but she probably won¡¯t be willing to take the position,¡± Doynes admitted. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then her younger brother will probably be the Council Head,¡± Eugene mused. ¡°Yes,¡± Doynes agreed. Eugene suddenly asked, ¡°Is it alright if I make just one request?¡± ¡°Please, speak freely.¡± ¡°Leave the main family out of it.¡± Doynes, who had withdrawn respectfully, raised his head to look at Eugene. ¡°I mean, you shouldn¡¯t pointlessly harass the Patriarch over this issue,¡± Eugene specified. ¡°Because, without anyone adding on to his troubles, he must be the one whose heart is suffering the most right now.¡± ¡°...Hoho,¡± Doynes chuckled with a faint smile at these words. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing for the main family that you cherish them like this, Sir Hamel.¡± ¡°That said, I have no intention of bing the Patriarch,¡± Eugene insisted cautiously. ¡°However, as Sir Hamel cherishes both of the twins and the main family, even if you don¡¯t be the Patriarch yourself, I¡¯m sure you will lead the main family to unprecedented glory,¡± Doynes dered confidently. The only regret that remained in Doynes¡¯s heart was a desire to see such a sight in person. However, it was impossible to sustain his life, and someone had to take responsibility for this situation. So with his death, he would ignite the sparks of reform for the n. ¡®...My death might be tainted with disgrace, but¡­.¡¯There was a bitter smile on Doynes¡¯s face as he turned to leave and thought to himself,¡®It seems that with my death, I can still be of some use to the family.¡¯ While being called the Immortal White Lion, he had lived for a hundred twenty years. Yet he had never once imagined that he would actually die like this. However, Doynes didn¡¯t resent being consigned to such a death. In the end, all of that was inconsequential. With his blind trust in his grandchild and his own arrogance in thinking that everything he did was for the sake of the n, Doynes had dug this grave for himself. Sure, it was an ugly and dishonorable death, but before he died, he had learned that a legend from three hundred years ago now resided in the Lionheart n. Doynes quietly closed the door behind him. Outside the door, Genos was waiting patiently. Genos approached to offer his support, but Doynes shook his head in refusal. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Doynes said. The two then headed off to the Round Table, where all meetings of the Council of Elders were held. Doynes insisted on walking toward the Tower of the Round Table on his own two feet in order to leave behind his final will. Chapter 150: Bedside Visits (2)

Chapter 150: Bedside Visits (2)?

Doynes¡¯ funeral was held so quietly that it was hard to believe it was the funeral for an elder who had lived to a hundred twenty. Usually, for the funeral of such a distinguished figure like Doynes, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange even if all of the Lionheart¡¯s coteral branches, prominent foreign dignitaries, and even the Emperor of Kiehl attended personally as mourners. However, Doynes had specifically mentioned in his will that he didn¡¯t want a grand funeral and opted for a simpler ceremony solely attended by those family members currently at the ck Lion Castle. Eugene was unable to attend the funeral because of his physical condition, but he was still able to lie down by the window and look down on the funeral procession. Everyone was wearing dark formal clothes as they walked down the g-lined procession. Although it hadn¡¯t been a glorious death, the elders and all the ck Lions present still mourned the passing of the respected Immortal White Lion, who had ruled the castle for decades. The Captains of the ck Lion Knights carried the ck coffin. Doynes was to be buried in the ck Lions¡¯ Graveyard behind the castle. Although he wasn¡¯t able to participate in the procession, Eugene also gave his condolences to Doynes. Though he hadn¡¯t fully brought this situation down on himself, in the end, Doynes had died because he hadn¡¯t raised his child¡­ no, his grandson, well. ¡°...It seems that educating your children never goes quite as you desire.¡± Eugene was looking out of the window with a swollen face but now muttered to himself as the funeral came to an end. ¡°I don¡¯t need any education,¡± Mer suddenly spoke up from her preupation with slicing apples on the other side of the bed. She was working hard to reproduce the rabbit-shaped apple slices that Genos had carved for them. However, it wasn¡¯t going well. Despite her best efforts, the bodies of the rabbits that she made were crushed and lumpy, and their ears were blunt and thick. Mer really wanted to make a rabbit that was as sleek and smooth as the ones Genos had carved, but¡­. ¡°If you want to know why, it¡¯s because I¡¯m so perfect that I don¡¯t need any education,¡± Mer dered proudly. ¡°The base for my character is astounding as well. From childhood, Lady Sienna has always been bright andpassionate.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure about anything else, but it looks like you need education on how to peel apples,¡± Eugene remarked. ¡°Lady Sienna probably isn¡¯t able to wield a dagger¡­ or a fruit knife very skillfully either,¡± Mer protested. ¡°I might be experienced in the theory of magic, but I¡¯m new to this sort of petty work. However, I still don¡¯t need any education. I can learn just fine on my own.¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re not aware of this, but Sienna was also pretty good at wielding a knife,¡± Eugene revealed. At these words, the fruit knife fell from Mer¡¯s hands. Her eyes opened wide, and she stared at Eugene like she had received a huge shock. ¡°Eh?¡± Mer cried out wordlessly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it ridiculous to believe that a wizard can only swing a staff around? I¡¯m not sure about a wizard whose only role is to stay in the back apart from casting spells, but the battlefield in our era was a real, fucking mess.¡± As he drew on his memories from three hundred years ago, Eugene continued, ¡°...Anise was quite good at cracking heads open with a mace¡­ and Sienna used daggers that she could hide in her pockets.¡± ¡°...You¡¯re saying she gave up Akasha to use daggers instead?¡± Mer asked in disbelief. ¡°You¡¯ve had a good look at it, so you should already know why. Akasha¡¯s design is a bit poor if you want to use it as a weapon instead of a magic staff. What happens if you break the Dragonheart due to a careless swing?¡± Eugene reminded her. Though it wasn¡¯t like he had never suggested using Akasha as a weapon. ¡ªIf you¡¯re worried about the Dragonheart breaking, you can just cast a reinforcement spell on it. ¡ªWhy are you making such a fuss about my decision to stab my opponents with my daggers instead of swinging my staff? ¡ªNo, fuck, you¡¯re just a wizard in the first ce. You should just quietly stay behind the scenes casting your magic. Why do you need toe to the front and use a dagger instead of using magic? ¡ªI¡¯m fully capable of covering an opponent and stabbing him with my daggers, so don¡¯t¡­. Hamel, are you actually worried about me? ¡ªI¡¯m not worried. I¡¯m more confused¡­. ¡ªYou¡¯re worried that I¡¯m fighting on the front instead of staying on the rear where it¡¯s safe, aren¡¯t you? ¡ªI mean, if you¡¯re a wizard, you should know your ce and just stay squeezed into the back¡­. ¡ªHeh¡­ hehehe. Thanks for your concern. I mean, there¡¯s no need for it, but, um, you¡­ you were concerned for me in particr, huh? Like you just said, I guess I should know my ce! ¡ªNo, like I said, I¡¯m not worried¡­. Sienna did have her reasons for personally stabbing the enemy with a dagger. One of the oldest spells in use, ¡®Curse,¡¯ wasn¡¯t just a ck magic spell; it also had a generic magic variant. The conditions for casting the ck magic version of Curse were simplepared to its power, but many conditions were required for the generic version of Curse to be cast properly. Amongst these conditions, the most important were the blood and flesh of the enemy. Whenever Sienna had swung her Cursed dagger at the forefront of the party, it had weakened all the monsters in the battle. However, was there really a need for that? Eugene had asked himself the same question several times during his previous life. Although they had seen quite a lot of benefits from Sienna¡¯s use of Curse during battles withrge groups of foes, wasn''t it still much more effective to hit the enemy with arge-scale spell cast from the rear of the party than toe to the forefront and swing a dagger¡­? ¡ªFrom now on, stoping forward! ¡ªI will do what I want! ¡ªIf you¡¯re going toe out like that, at least go over and stay by Molon¡¯s side instead ofing to me! Why do you keep ying around near me? ¡ªP-p-ying around? You son of a bitch! ¡ªYou¡¯re being a burden, so just back off a little! ¡ªDon¡¯t say something so foul, Hamel. ¡ªYour words were a bit harsh. ¡ªWhy are you all taking Sienna¡¯s side? She¡¯s the one who keepsing over to mess with me! ¡ªThat¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s because Sienna also wants to watch your back¡ª ¡ªI-i-i-it¡¯s because I want to puta dagger in your back, you bastard! ¡°...Well¡­ in any case, unlike what you might expect, Sienna was also pretty handy with a dagger,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°...I¡­ I can be good at stabbing stuff with a dagger, too,¡± Mer insisted stubbornly. Narrowing her eyes, Mer held the fruit knife in a two-handed grip. Then she began stabbing into the empty air as if trying to show off her skills. Eugene didn¡¯t discourage her and just watched Mer stab into the air with her dagger with the feeling of watching a child in a talent show. He even gave her some advice, ¡°If you stab like that, the de won¡¯t sink in. You need a bit more of an angle, just like that, and put some more weight into it¡­.¡± Just sitting there watching this was enough to make Eugene¡¯s body twitch in impatience. He had been lying in bed for three whole days. Since he couldn¡¯t even move his body because of the lingering pain, he couldn¡¯t help but be bored. Eugene was so bored that he even missed Kristina, who had gone off to investigate the Holy Empire. ¡®...She might not be as good as Anise, but she¡¯s pretty good at performing miracles. If Kristina were here, wouldn¡¯t my body have gotten better immediately?¡¯ While wistfully thinking such thoughts, he kept teaching Mer some dagger techniques. The door suddenly swung open without a knock. There weren¡¯t many people in this castle who would thoughtlessly barge into Eugene¡¯s room like this. ¡°Are you trying to pull some shit just because my body is currently in bad shape?¡± Eugene asked as he gave a sideways scowl to Cyan, who was now standing in Eugene¡¯s doorway. ¡°You need to knock before you enter, you rotten bastard. As soon as I get better, I¡¯ll be sure to reeducate you in the rules of etiquette.¡± ¡°We¡¯re brothers, so why¡­.¡± Cyan grumbled, even as he slowly stepped backward and closed the door behind him. Knock knock. Mer giggled and stopped ying with her dagger at the sound of Cyan knocking and reopening the door. ¡°...Are you trying to raise your familiar as an assassin?¡± Cyan asked with an uncertain expression as he turned to look at Mer. The way she held that dagger in her tiny hands¡­. Cyan coughed and continued. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it actually sounds like a pretty smart idea, but if possible, maybe you should reconsider it? I think my mother will dislike the idea¡­ and I can¡¯t say I feel veryfortable about it either.¡± ¡°Stop talking nonsense. How is your body?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Cyan replied with a shrug. ¡°...Although it¡¯s embarrassing, I must admit that the injuries I sustained during my battle weren¡¯t very serious¡­.¡± ¡°But what about your head?¡± ¡°From what I can tell, there don¡¯t seem to be any problems.¡± As he said this, Cyan walked into the room. Eugene turned to look at Gargith and Dezra, who casually followed behind Cyan. ¡°And what are you two doing here?¡± Eugene asked them. ¡°We¡¯vee here to give you our thanks,¡± Gargith responded as he flexed his pectoral muscles. Even Dezra, slouching next to Gargith, bowed her head deeply after a few moments of hesitation and said, ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, we all could have died there, so¡­.¡± ¡°Since when did people starting to give thanks empty-handed?¡± Eugene asked with a petnt tilt of his head. He had only said this as a joke, but as if waiting for this signal, Gargith reached into a thick pocket and pulled out a potion. Gargith began to speak, ¡°Our family¡¯s revolutionary¡ª¡± Only for Eugene to cut him short, ¡°Alright, fine. I¡¯ll save it for myter use, so just leave it on the desk somewhere.¡± ¡°I¡­ I haven¡¯t prepared anything special, but¡­ I won¡¯t forget this favor for the rest of my life,¡± Dezra spoke hesitantly, unsure what to do or say. Should she at least try to offer a cash reward? But just how much should she give for having saved her life? Was there any meaning in giving money to the main family, who were already rolling in so much cash that most of it was probably just rotting away? Or perhaps she could try to repay him with some other piece of valuable treasure? ¡°Hmmph,¡± while Dezra was lost in her own thoughts, Cyan let out a snort. ¡°If you¡¯re done giving your thanks, why don¡¯t you head back out for a bit? I need to have a serious talk with my brother about thistest incident.¡± ¡°Eugene, you need to follow the directions when you take the supplements,¡± Gargith entreated before leaving. ¡°Don¡¯t get greedy and take them on your own. Make sure to call for my help.¡± Eugene sighed, ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ll use themter¡­.¡± After Gargith and Dezra had left, Cyan let out a long sigh and plopped down on the sofa near Eugene¡¯s bed. ¡°...Your body really is fine, right?¡± Cyan asked in concern. ¡°I said that it¡¯s fine. I should be all better after a few more days or so?¡± Eugene replied with an indifferent expression as he openly stared at Cyan¡¯s face. This proud and self-centered brother of his seemed unable to fully resolve all the feelings lingering in his heart and could only reveal them through the pout on his lips. Eugene didn¡¯t have any intention to try and sympathize with the confusion and anxiety that Cyan must be feeling, but he still opened his mouth to offer at least somefort. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± he asked. Cyan stayed silent. ¡°We¡¯re brothers, aren''t we? It probably won¡¯t happen in my lifetime, but if I was ever disgracefully held captive like you were¡­ wouldn¡¯t you do the same thing that I did and try to save me without going back and forth on whether you could or not?¡± Eugene asked hypothetically. ¡°...It wasn¡¯t disgraceful,¡± Cyan spat out as his shoulders hunched in embarrassment. ¡°I was just¡­ careless. ¡­I was also in a lot of distress since Ciel had just been captured by them.¡± ¡°Of course, that must have been the case,¡± Eugene agreed half-heartedly. ¡°...I didn¡¯t know that Eward would really be that crazy,¡± Cyan argued. ¡°I¡­ I was just trying to do my duty as the heir of the main family. I wanted to save Ciel and punish Eward, who had fallen into insanity. But to think that Hector of all people would be coborating with Eward¡ª! If I hadn¡¯t been flustered by Hector attacking me, I would have been able to save Ciel without your help.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eugene asked skeptically as the corners of his mouth curved up in a sly smile. Noticing that Eugene was looking right at him with such a tant expression of disbelief, Cyan chewed on his lips in embarrassment before letting out a deep sigh. ¡°...No, I couldn¡¯t have,¡± Cyan admitted. ¡°On my own, I wouldn¡¯t have the means to save Ciel and stop Eward. It¡¯s true that I was careless and distressed, but¡­ in the end, that¡¯s all just an excuse.¡± ¡°As long as you¡¯re aware of that,¡± Eugene said, nodding his head in appreciation. ¡°It¡¯s not like you were crippled anyhow. You managed to survive safely. Then it¡¯s all fine. You just have to admit your mistakes and do better next time so that something like this doesn¡¯t happen.¡± ¡°...I know,¡± Cyan epted sulkily. Eugene warned him, ¡°From now on, things will get very difficult for you. With as much of an impact as this incident has had on the main family, you have to do an even better job as the next Patriarch. You get what I¡¯m saying, right? You need to train harder and be stronger, or else do you want to end up getting beaten up wherever you go?¡± As Cyan quietly listened to Eugene¡¯s speech, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a seed of doubt rising inside him. Eugene¡¯s words were valid, and there was nothing to refute. ¡­But was this advice really something that shoulde out of the mouth of a brother who was around the same age as him? Cyan cursed. ¡°...Bastard. I know you¡¯re right, but do you really need to talk to me like you¡¯re some old man?¡± Eugene brushed off the insult. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just because my mind is much more mature than yours? Brother, could it be that your mental age is still stuck at when you were thirteen?¡± Cyan didn¡¯t respond and just pouted his lips. He sat like that on the sofa for a few seconds, sping and unsping his hands, then he slowly raised his gaze to look up at Eugene. Hesitantly, Cyan proposed, ¡°Since something like this happened, why don¡¯t you just be the Patri¡ª¡± ¡°Are you looking for a beating?¡± Eugene interrupted him with a growl. ¡°Ahem¡­. Alright, I¡¯ve got it, so don¡¯t get angry.¡± Cyan immediately backed down, his tail curling up between his legs as he avoided eye contact. ¡°...I heard some news from the elders earlier. Father will being to the ck Lion Castle in two days at the verytest. The Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master will also being here at the same time,¡± Cyan reported. But why? Eugene was about to question Cyan out of reflex, but he managed to swallow it back. It really wasn¡¯t difficult to infer their reasons foring here. In order to understand the truth behind this situation more thoroughly, the Lionheart n would need the help of these Archwizards. Eward had died, and the magic circle he had drawn had been swept away during their fierce battle. However, Eugene was able to remember exactly what that magic circle looked like. He had only gotten a brief nce at it, but Akasha allowed Eugene to store all the magic circles he had ever seen inside his head. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who remembered it either; Mer had also memorized it. Besides that, there was also the spirit of darkness. The White Tower Master, Melkith El-Haya, was the best Spirit Summoner of her time. Although she hadn¡¯t made any contracts with a spirit of darkness, there was no greater expert than Melkith when it came to spirits. ¡®In fact, the best thing would be to summon the ck Tower Master, but¡­.¡¯ There was no way that the ck Lion Castle would wee his presence. Since ck magic had been involved in this incident, they would have no reason to want even more ck wizards to get dragged into this. ¡°What about the Holy Empire?¡± Eugene asked as he tilted his head in curiosity. With the Red Tower Master and White Tower Master, they would have more than enough experts in terms of magic and spirits, but in Eugene¡¯s opinion, they would also need the Holy Empire¡¯s help investigating the traces of ck magic. ¡°...We sent an invitation to Assistant Bishop Kirstina, but it appears that she was forced to reject it due to being too busy. Instead, an Inquisitor will be visiting us.¡± ¡°Hm.¡± An Inquisitor, huh? Eugene recalled the Inquisitors that he had met three hundred years ago. They were hunters who tracked down and erased every trace of ck magic, fanatics who had even more faith in their God than anyone else in the Holy Empire. These were a group of people who, while hunting ck wizards, could be even crueler than the cruelest ck wizard. ¡°...They are quite the experts,¡± Eugene admitted thoughtfully. They were not able to cast miracles as powerful as Kristina¡¯s, but they were certainly of more use than Kristina when it came to tracking down ck magic. ¡°But why didn¡¯t Ciele with you?¡± Eugene asked after btedly realizing Ciel¡¯s absence. He had seen the two of them standing together during the funeral procession earlier, but it was strange that Ciel hadn¡¯t apanied Cyan when even Gargith and Dezra had chosen to visit. ¡°Well, I did tell her toe with me,¡± Cyan said, smacking his lips. ¡°But Ciel said that she woulde by herselfter.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°How should I know?¡± * * * Ciel red at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a dress uniform that was solid ck from top to bottom. It was the prestigious uniform of the ck Lions, but she still felt stuffy seeing all the buttons on the dress shirt underneath done up neatly. The funeral was over. It didn¡¯t matter even if she did change clothes. However, she couldn¡¯t just change right away. She needed to firm her resolve. This would be her first time taking part in a bedside visit. That barbarically strong guy was currently confined to lying in bed, unable to lift even a finger. ¡®...This is my first bedside visit, but it might also be myst,¡¯Ciel reminded herself resolutely. Although most of Ciel¡¯s wardrobe consisted of dress uniforms and training clothes, there were still a few other clothes she had never worn before. Most of these were clothes that she had received as birthday gifts. She had intended to wear them if she ever needed to go to a party, but wouldn¡¯t it be fine for her to wear one of these outfits tomemorate her first, and potentiallyst, bedside visit? Ciel imagined a voice asking her,¡®Are you crazy?¡¯ Of course, that rude bastard might say such a thing as soon as he saw her in such a fancy outfit, but it didn¡¯t matter. In fact, Ciel actually wanted to fluster Eugene by doing this and hopefully alleviate the currently gloomy atmosphere through an exchange of jokes. ¡°...Alright,¡± Ciel said, having mustered her resolve. Then she began determinedly undoing the buttons on her dress uniform. After taking off her clothes, she walked over to her wardrobe and stood in front of it. Then she spent quite some time choosing what to wear. She needed something that wasn¡¯t too extravagant. Not like this dress, for example. Just why were its chest and back cut so low? Ciel hesitated.¡®...If I wear this¡­.¡¯ After imagining a crumpled look on Eugene¡¯s face that made it appear like he had just taken a mouthful of shit, Ciel snickered to herself. Although seeing such an expression on him would also be amusing, she didn¡¯t want to wear this crazy dress just to elicit such a reaction. ¡°You, I¡¯ll leave forter,¡± Ciel promised the dress. After making a quick mental note regarding the dress, Ciel resumed tearing through her wardrobe. In the end, what Ciel chose was a simple and neat dress that wasn¡¯t too fancy. Ciel patted the wrinkles out of the skirt with her hand, then looked at her reflection in the mirror. It had been a long time since Cielst wore a skirt. After staring at her appearance for a few moments, her gaze shifted toward her uncovered corbone. ¡®That guy always goes around wearing that strange ne, doesn¡¯t he,¡¯Ciel recalled. The ne appeared ancient. As it seemed to have a story behind it, Ciel had asked Eugene for the details several times ever since they were young, but Eugene had never once given her an answer. ¡®What¡¯s with that ne?¡¯ ¡®Isn¡¯t it pretty?¡¯ ¡®...Well, it suits you.¡¯ ¡®Would you like me to give you a ne as well? One that¡¯s exactly the, same, as, mine.¡¯ While imagining such an exchange of words inside her head, Ciel rummaged through her essories. She had received quite a few nes as presents, so she had to choose one that wasn¡¯t too extravagant and was something simr to Eugene¡¯s ne¡­. After selecting a neced with a few small jewels, Ciel hung it around her own neck. ¡°...Earrings and bracelets would be a bit too much, right? It¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to a party,¡± Ciel muttered to herself. The funeral may have been over, but she still shouldn¡¯t wear an overly colorful and shy outfit. The dress Ciel had chosen after struggling so much just now was also a ck one-piece. ¡°Fine then,¡± Ciel murmured. She reached up and changed the shape of her hair a few times. Should she let the ends of her hair hang loose or perhaps tie it up? Maybe she should brush it over her shoulder? But the casual look would probably be better. After spraying on a gentle perfume, her preparations wereplete. Ciel left her room with a satisfied smile and headed over to the suite of rooms where Eugene was staying. ¡°Ciel, what are you doing¡ª?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you if you say another word.¡± Cyan had run into Ciel on her way there and addressed her with surprise, only for Ciel to silence him with a threat and immediately leave him behind as she headed up the stairs. But Ciel silently stopped walking before she had even reached the end of the hallway. Genia was standing in front of the door to Eugene¡¯s room, sighing deeply as she cradled arge bouquet of flowers. Favorite Chapter 151: Bedside Visit (3)

Chapter 151: Bedside Visit (3)

When she saw the bouquet in Genia¡¯s arms, Ciel silently backtracked before quickly spinning around and barging into Cyan¡¯s nearby room. ¡°What the¡ª¡± Cyan, who had just returned to his room, cried out in surprise as he turned around to face the sudden intruder. Ignoring her brother¡¯s rm, Ciel just looked around his room with narrowed eyes. ¡®There it is,¡¯Ciel thought to herself in delight as she reached her hand towards the flower vase resting on a table. Her older brother had a girlish side to him that really didn¡¯t suit his character, so even his room at the main estate was always decorated with flowers. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Cyan asked, his jaw dropping as he saw Ciel pull the flowers out of their vase. However, Ciel didn¡¯t bother answering. After shaking the water off the flower stalks, she roughly tore off their roots and then resumed looking around the room. Cyan tried to get her attention, ¡°Hold on¡ª¡± But Ciel just boldly threw open his closet. Seeing this, Cyan¡¯s eyes filled with anxiety and shook in panic. From a young age, Cyan would hide the things he couldn¡¯t allow others to see, like certain naughty books filled with his own specific kinks, underneath his bed or deep inside his closet¡­. His voice wavering, Cyan called out, ¡°That¡­ Ciel, just what in the world are you¡ª¡± ¡°Brother,¡± Ciel cut him off as her hands, which had been rummaging through his closet, dug into its depths to retrieve something. ¡°Lend me this.¡± The item that Ciel had retrieved was an old-fashioned silk scarf that was part of a formal dress suit. It was a congrattory gift for Cyan from one of the best fashion designers on the continent for bing an adult. Unfortunately, after Cyan officially became an adult, he hadn¡¯t yet had the chance to leave ck Lion Castle, so he hadn¡¯t gotten around to wearing that suit and scarf set. ¡°...No¡­ that¡¯s a bit¡­,¡± Cyan hesitated. ¡°I don¡¯t want the clothes. I just want the scarf,¡± Ciel bargained. Cyan tried to exin, ¡°That¡¯s, um, the clothes and the scarf together are a set¡­.¡± ¡°If you keep arguing like this, I¡¯m going to take out the books you¡¯ve hidden at the bottom of your wardrobe and read them,¡± Ciel threatened. ¡°After that, I¡¯ll also tell our mother about their contents and spread rumors around ck Lion Castle.¡± ¡°You¡­ don¡¯t you know how old I am? I¡¯m also an adult! Even mother can no longer scold me about such matters!¡± ¡°Yeah, I know that. She probably won¡¯t scold you. Instead, she¡¯ll just stare at you with a very, veryplex look in her eyes, brother. And so will I.¡± As if to demonstrate the said look, Ciel turned her head and stared at Cyan. Cyan shuffled backward in the face of his sister¡¯s gaze, which was filled with something subtle yetplex, and was a swirling mix of many different emotions. If he refused her here, it was clear that this hateful little sister of his would look at him with these sorts of eyes for the next ten years at the very least. ¡°...T-take it,¡± Cyan gave in. ¡°Thanks,¡± Ciel said with a wide smile as she nodded. Riiip! Then, right in front of Cyan¡¯s eyes, Ciel tore the scarf into two. Cyan¡¯s jaw dropped open at his younger sister¡¯s merciless actions. Ciel ripped the scarf a few more times and then gathered the flower stalks together. With one of the longer strips of silken cloth, she tied the flowers into a bouquet, then used the rest of the strips to cover the bouquet in ribbons. When all of this was done, Ciel¡¯s hands were now holding a stylish bouquet made using the entirety of the high-ss silk scarf. While admiring her dexterity and aesthetic sense, Ciel scanned the creation from all angles. ¡°...You tore up the gift I received for mying-of-age¡­ just to make a bouquet¡­?¡± Cyan confirmed in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m taking this as well,¡± Ciel informed him as she took arge jeweled brooch from his essory box. ¡°This brooch doesn¡¯t suit you, brother.¡± Cyan protested, ¡°But I¡¯ve never even worn it¡ª!¡± ¡°Your sense of aesthetics has been messed up since you were young,¡± Ciel critiqued. ¡°Where exactly were you going to go while wearing such arge bejeweled brooch?¡± Unable to respond, Cyan could only stand there silently, his shoulders trembling. Ciel ced the brooch in the center of the bouquet¡¯s ribbons as a decoration and then nodded with a look of satisfaction. Although it was much smaller than the bouquet Genia had been holding, hers couldn¡¯tpare in terms of sincerity and value that Ciel had ced in this bouquet. ¡®Especially since I¡¯ve made it personally.¡¯ With a happy smile on her face, Ciel left Cyan¡¯s room. ¡­Meanwhile, Genia was still hesitating in front of the door to Eugene¡¯s room. Her memory of what had happened was vague. The moment she was led into the depths of the forest by the demonic power¡­ a wave of darkness had surged toward her from her rear. It had been a sudden surprise attack. She thought that she had reacted to it well, but she couldn¡¯t remember what had happened after a certain point. After regaining consciousness, she remained in bed for two whole days. During that time, she had heard the entire story. Something about how Eward Lionheart, the eldest son of the main family, had gotten involved with a darkness spirit possessed by remnants of the Demon Kings¡­. Since Genia wasn¡¯t interested in magic, she couldn¡¯t get a clear understanding of what had really happened. As such, she decided to just think of it in simple terms. The eldest son of the main family had gone crazy. Dominic, the Captain of the ck Lion Knight¡¯s First Division, had also gone crazy. ¡­And so had Hector. ¡°...Phew¡­,¡± Genia released a heavy sigh as she looked down at the bouquet in his hands. Although it was hard for her to believe, she had no choice but to believe what had happened. After going insane, the three responsible for this incident had been killed. What was even harder for her to believe was that the one who had killed these three and saved the hostages was none other than Eugene Lionheart. ¡®...No¡­ was it really?¡¯Genia thought doubtfully. However, what reason could the Knights of the ck Lion have for lying about such a thing, even as they admitted to their own failures? Genia intively thought to herself,¡®The one who saved me really wasn¡¯t my father?¡¯ But he had inly said that he hadn¡¯t. Genos felt deep gratitude that his much-esteemed grandmaster Hamel had been reincarnated as Eugene and had saved his one and only daughter from this crisis. Also, he wanted his daughter to feel the same gratitude and reverence for their Grandmaster Hamel that he did. ¡­However, Genos couldn¡¯t reveal Eugene¡¯s true identity to his daughter. He hadn¡¯t received permission to inform her. The fact that Eugene was Hamel was a secret that Genos needed to keep for the rest of his life. But¡­ Genos really wanted to tell her. His lips itched with the urge to say it. Genia also shared his respect for Hamel, so he wanted them to show their respects to their master with a sincere heart together; once his daughter knew the whole truth¡­. That was why Genia was here. The bouquet had been ced in her hands by Genos. He had pushed her in the back and told her toe here and thank her lifesaver. But Genia didn¡¯t know about her father¡¯s thoughts. Her mood was currently dampened due to a mix of various different factors. Hector, her close friend and rival since childhood¡­ had betrayed the Lionheart n. Then he had just died. So, could Eugene be said to have gotten revenge on Hector for her? Although she didn¡¯t think that things really went that far¡­ Genia still had a hard time epting Eugene. It wasn¡¯t like Genia couldn¡¯t recognize his skill, but she felt jealous of how much appreciation her father seemed to show Eugene. A voice suddenly called out to her, ¡°Is it okay if I head in first?¡± Strolling over, Ciel now stood beside Genia. Genia had been engrossed in worrying about what kind of expression she should show Eugene and how she should express her gratitude. Ciel¡¯s sudden arrival startled her, and she turned to look at the unexpected intruder. ¡°Unless you n on going in now, that is,¡± Ciel said with a smile as she tossed her hair back in an elegant gesture. As she did so, Ciel carefully examined both Genia¡¯s appearance and the bouquet¡¯s. ¡®So it was a misunderstanding,¡¯realized Ciel. Havinge here all by herself, with a bouquet of flowers at that, Ciel had felt the need to check if Genia might be harboring certain indecent intentions. But seeing the tant reluctance all over Genia¡¯s face, it seemed clear that Genos had pushed her into doing this. ¡°It looks like you feel ufortable heading in on your own?¡± Ciel observed as she ced her hand on the doorknob with a soft smile. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, let¡¯s head in together. I was also feeling a bit embarrassed to go in by myself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ is that so?¡± Genia said, her expression rxing as she felt sincere gratitude towards Ciel¡¯s proposal. Ciel had done several calctions before making this offer. Genia was twenty-seven years old, while Ciel was twenty. Although Genia wasn¡¯t that old, a seven-year age gap was still prettyrge. ¡®As for appearances, well¡­ I¡¯m still better,¡¯Ciel thought smugly. Ciel¡¯s appearance had been praised ever since her childhood. Ciel knew all too well that she was seen as sweet, cute, and pretty. ¡®She¡¯s wearing such a drab outfit. And as for me? It looks like I made a good decision to get changed beforeing here. When we enter together, there¡¯ll be an obvious difference between the two of us.¡¯ She had even sprayed on some perfume and put on a ne. Ciel turned the doorknob with a wide smile. ¡°I won!¡± The moment the door opened, Mer, who had been sitting on the sofa, leaped up with a cheer. With a triumphant expression, she approached Eugene, who was still lying in bed and reached her hands out toward him. ¡°You were already standing out there for quite a while. If you were going to enter, couldn¡¯t you have at least waited one more minute beforeing in?¡± Eugeneined, his face twisting into a fierce scowl, and he red at Ciel and Genia. ¡°I lost the bet because you came in too early!¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say so?¡± Mer bragged. ¡°I said she was slowly getting ready toe in, but Sir Eugene, you insisted that she woulde in a bitter. So that means I won. In other words, Sir Eugene, you lost. You know what that means, right?¡± ¡°Just do it quickly,¡± Eugene said resignedly. ¡°Please admit your defeat.¡± ¡°Fine, I lost. Now just do it quickly!¡± Hearing this retort, Mer snickered. Then she pulled one of Eugene¡¯s limp wrists out from beneath his nket and rolled up his sleeve. ¡°I won¡¯t take it easy on you,¡± Mer warned. Eugene snorted, ¡°Who asked you to?¡± ¡°I know that your body is in pain, but a bet is a bet[1],¡± Mer insisted. Fuu, fuuuh. After Mer brought her index and middle finger together, she blew on them to warm them up, then mercilessly delivered a p to Eugene¡¯s wrist. Snap! The pnded with a sharp noise. Normally, the attack wouldn¡¯t even have stung him, but in Eugene¡¯s current state, this blow prated deep into his bones and even shook his soul. ¡°Kaaargh¡­!¡± Eugene clenched his teeth as he choked back a scream. However, this violent reaction only startled Mer more. Her shoulders shook as she scanned Eugene¡¯s expression. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Mer asked timidly. Eugene squeezed out, ¡°It¡¯s¡ªIt¡¯s nothing¡­!¡± ¡°You¡­ you really mean that, right? You aren¡¯t going to get mad at me for thister?¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s nothing!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s pinky promise,¡± Mer insisted. Having forced Eugene to make such a promise, Mer returned to her seat with a smile. Enduring the pain in his wrist that had yet to fade, Eugene lifted his head. ¡­What in the world were they doing? Ciel had imagined having a conversation with Eugene several times, but she hadn¡¯t expected to be met with such aedic situation as soon as they entered his room. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Genia coughed as she presented the bouquet she was holding in her arms to Eugene. ¡°...I¡¯vee here to give you my thanks.¡± ¡°I thought so,¡± Eugene said with a nod. ¡°...This bouquet carries not just my gratitude but my father¡¯s as well,¡± Genia added. As Eugene recalled the sight of Genos with tears flowing from his eyes, he felt a bit embarrassed. ¡°...I¡¯ll gratefully ept this,¡± he said politely. Ciel butted into the conversation, ¡°Take mine as well.¡± Then, as if she had been waiting for this, Ciel pushed her bouquet onto him. She presented it at an angle where the ribbons and the jeweled brooch could be seen clearly from the front. ¡°Pretty, isn¡¯t it? I even made this bouquet myself,¡± Ciel bragged. ¡°What¡¯s with this jewel?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s a brooch. It¡¯s meant to decorate your chest. Would you like to try it on?¡± ¡°Maybeter.¡± As Eugene responded, he nced at Ciel¡¯s attire. ¡°And what¡¯s with your clothes?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...Hm?¡± Ciel questioned wordlessly. ¡°And what¡¯s with that ne? Since when did you go around wearing nes?¡± Eugene demanded. Ciel had been prepared for such a question. ¡°Isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± Ciel asked with a slight tilt of her head. By doing so, Ciel emphasized the curve from her neck to her shoulders, even as the corners of her mouth curled up in a mischievous smile. ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene said with a shake of his head. ¡°...What?¡± came Ciel¡¯s indignant response after a short dy. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really suit you,¡± Eugene dered. How could he say such a rude thing right to a person¡¯s face? ¡°Instead of such a shiny ne, I think a different ne would suit you better,¡± Eugene borated. Surprise colored Ciel¡¯s reaction, ¡°Ah¡­. Oh? Really?¡± ¡°Your clothes are certainly pretty,¡± Eugeneplimented. ¡°This feels like the first time I¡¯ve seen you dress up like this.¡± ¡°...Is that right?¡± Ciel said shyly. Her heart was shaken by this unexpected turn in the conversation. Ciel smiled softly and brushed her hair back in an elegant gesture. ¡°Do you remember what you said? You told me to save my thanks forter when I was all better, and you¡¯d be expecting sincere thanks from me?¡± Ciel reminded him. Then, so that he could get a good look at her, Ciel spun around on the spot. The subtle perfume she had sprayed on her body was dispersed through the air by her spin and carried over to Eugene. ¡°So thank you for saving me,¡± Ciel said gratefully as she slightly raised the hem of her skirt and bent both her waist and knees. Without bowing her head downpletely, Ciel stared at Eugene with a yful look in her eyes. ¡°So, this favor for having saved my life, how exactly should I go about repaying it?¡± Ciel asked suggestively. Instead of answering her question, Eugenemented with a frown, ¡°But it feels like your thanks isn¡¯t all that sincere?¡± Ciel was left speechless. ¡°Your knees should be bent a bit more¡­ and your head should be bowed down fully. Wouldn¡¯t that be a more sincere thanks?¡± ¡°Like I¡¯ve always said, for a younger brother, you really are cheeky towards your older sister.¡± Ciel¡¯s expression contorted into a scowl as she stood back up. Then she flounced over and plopped down next to Eugene. ¡°Then how about this? While your body is recovering, I¡¯lle over to nurse you daily,¡± Ciel offered. ¡°I can take care of nursing him,¡± Mer lifted her head and interjected, only for Ciel to snort and wave a finger at her chidingly. ¡°How can you be a nurse when you can¡¯t even peel a single fruit properly?¡± Ciel retorted. ¡°Being able to peel a fruit isn¡¯t important when ites to nursing,¡± Mer protested. Ciel sniffed, ¡°Then what do you think is important?¡± ¡°You need to change Sir Eugene¡¯s bandages, wipe the sweat off his body, change his clothes, change his underwear, massage his muscles so that they don¡¯t stiffen, and help him with his poo and pee,¡± Mer listed diligently. Ciel¡¯s lips parted slightly in shock. She turned to look at Eugene in disbelief, even as Eugene turned to look at Mer with the exact same expression. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Eugene scolded her. ¡°But isn''t that what a nurse does?¡± Mer argued back. ¡°When did I ever ask you to help me with my poo and pee?¡± ¡°I¡¯m prepared to do so at any time.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it!¡± Eugene roared. ¡°Now that I think about it, it¡¯s quite strange. You¡¯ve been spending thest two days convalescing in bed, but why haven¡¯t you gone to the toilet even once? You haven¡¯t sweated either,¡± Mer pointed out as she blinked and tilted her head to the side. ¡°...His poo and pee¡­,¡± Genia, who had been listening quietly, suddenly murmured. She nced at Eugene with an ufortable expression and admitted, ¡°...I never thought that such words would grace the lips of the people from the main family.¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I already resolved this misunderstanding?¡± Eugene sighed in exasperation. ¡°I have never asked someone to help me poo and pee, and I have never asked them to help me change my clothes either.¡± ¡°Then, could you be wearing a diaper?¡± Genia said with disgust as she took a step back, unconsciously ncing down at Eugene¡¯s lower body. Of course, his lower body was covered by a nket, so nothing could be seen. Exasperated, Eugene confessed, ¡°...That¡¯s¡­. I¡¯m dealing with all that by using magic. I¡¯m also using magic to clean myself, so that¡¯s why I don¡¯t need to change my clothes. Are you satisfied now?¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, I¡¯m still ready whenever,¡± Mer chimed in. ¡°Turn it down a bit,¡± Eugene scoffed as he rolled his eyes at Mer for that unnecessaryment. Then he turned to nce at Ciel and Genia, who were still staring at him, to warn them, ¡°...Don¡¯t have any strange ideas.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not thinking of anything strange,¡± Ciel said as she leaned back and shook her head. ¡°...It¡¯s just, well¡­ I¡¯m fine with changing your bandages, but¡­ anything more than that is a bit too much.¡± ¡°That goes for me as well,¡± Genia agreed. ¡°When did I ever ask you to? Stop bothering a sick patient and just leave,¡± Eugene shot back with a scowl as he gestured to the door with his chin. At this gesture, the wind responded to Eugene¡¯s will and popped open the closed door. ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long since we arrived, and you¡¯re already asking us to leave?¡± Cielined. ¡°The patient¡¯sfort is paramount,¡± Eugene stated. ¡°You¡¯re saying that being with me isn¡¯tfortable?¡± ¡°Why ask something so obvious?¡± ¡°Why not? Is it a psychological reason? Does my being in the same room as you while dressed up like this stimte you psychologically?¡± Ciel asked with excitement. ¡°It isn¡¯t your clothes that are stimting; it¡¯s the nonsense that you keep spouting. And do you know what type of stimtion I¡¯m feeling? It¡¯s rage. So if you don¡¯t like it, then just get lost!¡± Eugene let out a roar. At this outburst, Ciel just stuck her tongue out at him and stepped back slightly. However, Genia didn¡¯t allow herself to retreat. After hesitating for a few more moments, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a ne with a whistle hanging on it. ¡°...If you need any help, please blow this whistle,¡± Genia said as she hung the ne around Eugene¡¯s neck. Since he wasn¡¯t able to properly move his body, it was impossible for him to resist. Eugene red at the whistle hanging from his neck, then summoned a breeze to lift the whistle to his mouth. Peeeep! Seeing Eugene blow this whistle right in front of her, Genia blinked in confusion. Spitting out the whistle, Eugene continued speaking, ¡°Take Ciel and leave this room immediately.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too rude,¡± Ciel chided. ¡°You¡¯re the one who came here for a bedside visit only to make my blood pressure explode!¡± Eugene roared once more. ¡°Seeing how loud your voice is, it seems that we don¡¯t need to worry about you,¡± Ciel said with a wide smile as she grabbed Genia by the sleeve and pulled her along. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s head out now and stop disturbing him, big sis.¡± ¡°...Big sis?¡± Genia repeated in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re seven years older than me, after all. Could I be making you ufortable by calling you big sis?¡± Ciel asked tentatively. What should she say¡­? There didn¡¯t seem to be any hidden meanings behind Ciel¡¯s words, and it wasn¡¯t unusual to be called that considering their family situation, but¡­ Genia still felt subtle displeasure. Of course, she wouldn¡¯t take her annoyance out on this youngdy of the main family just because of a speck of resentment. ¡°...Not at all,¡± Genia eventually allowed. Turning to Eugene, Ciel instructed, ¡°Rest well. Call me if you¡¯re bored or need any help. Also, about going to the toilet, if at all possible, you shouldn¡¯t hold it and just go to the bathroom even if you do need assistance.¡± Eugene¡¯s only response was, ¡°Get lost!¡± Ciel left the room after showing him a final cheeky smile. While Eugene was still panting in anger, Mer took the bouquets that Eugene had received and moved the flowers into a flower vase. ¡°Still, it looks like everyone is worried about you, Sir Eugene, and grateful as well,¡± Mermented happily. ¡°I saved them all, so it¡¯s only natural for them to feel that way,¡± Eugene saidcently. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you feel proud or rewarded?¡± ¡°Just like it¡¯s natural for them to feel that way, I only did what I was supposed to have done, so why should I feel proud or rewarded?¡± Eugene had responded to her question without much thought, but Mer still smiled widely at this answer. ¡°You are a good person,¡± Mer stated confidently. ¡°Did you think I was a bad person?¡± Eugene just asked sarcastically. ¡°What I mean is, you¡¯re a much better person than I imagined when reading the fairy tale,¡± Mer exined. Eugene just turned to look out the window without saying a word in response to that. Mer sat next to Eugene and resumed peeling the apples while humming a song. ¡°...Those apples sure are pitiful,¡± Eugene eventually muttered. ¡°Huh?¡± Mer grunted in confusion. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Eugene denied it. The apple peels were falling off in uneven shreds. Chapter 152: The Inquisition (1)

Chapter 152: The Inquisition (1)

After two more days passed, Eugene finally got out of bed. Although he hadn¡¯tpletely recovered, after five whole days ofplete bed rest, his body had now recovered enough that he was able to move haltingly. ¡°Don¡¯t you need me to give you some support?¡± Mer approached him with this offer. But Eugene just shook his head and said, ¡°Don¡¯t need it.¡± Standing in front of a mirror, Eugene dried his damp hair. ¡°How does it feel to have a shower after five days?¡± Mer asked. Eugene just shrugged, ¡°It feels about the same as ever?¡± ¡°After all, oil has been umting in your hair for five days,¡± Mer pointed out. Eugene denied this with a frown, ¡°But it hasn¡¯t? Don¡¯t you know I¡¯ve been taking care of that every day by using magic?¡± ¡°Then why did you even need to take a shower?¡± ¡°Because I wanted to?¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Mer conceded with a giggle as she dragged a chair behind Eugene¡¯s back. Then Mer stood on the chair and beganbing Eugene¡¯s hair. His hair, which had been wet just a few moments before, had already been dried by a warm wind blowing over it. ¡°It doesn¡¯t really need to bebed,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°I¡¯m doing this because I¡¯m bored,¡± Mer exined. ¡°Also, do you really think that it¡¯s unneeded? You seem to think that unkempt hair suits you better, but I believe you would look much better with neatlybed hair.¡± ¡°Know why that is? It¡¯s because I have a handsome face,¡± Eugene bragged. ¡°You¡¯re so shameless¡­,¡± Mer muttered. While Mer wasbing his hair, Eugene adjusted his outfit. He was wearing the ck formal dress uniform of the Lionheart n. It was neat, without any creases, but Eugene still felt the need to fiddle with his outfit by undoing a button and then re-fastening it. ¡°What about your cloak?¡± Mer asked. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be an issue with wearing it,¡± Eugene replied. With a soft smile, Mer wrapped the Cloak of Darkness around Eugene¡¯s shoulders. After she was done, Eugene looked back up into the mirror, only to find that, for some reason, he didn¡¯t really like the look of his cleanlybed hair. So he casually ruffled it with his hand. ¡°Why would you do something like that!¡± Mer eximed, her cheeks puffing up with displeasure. However, she didn¡¯t stubbornly insist on any morebing and immediately slipped into the cloak when Eugene held it open for her. ¡°Don¡¯te out today unless I call you,¡± instructed Eugene. ¡°Just what do you think of me?¡± Mer said with a pout. ¡°I¡¯m not tactless enough to cause you any trouble, Sir Eugene.¡± At the warp gate of the ck Lion Castle, there were so few people around that it felt strange. This was because the weing of today¡¯s visitors wasn¡¯t something to be proud of. The ones waiting at the Warp Gate along with Eugene were Genos, who had arrived soon after Eugene, and Ciel, who had spent the most time unconscious from among the sacrifices. There was also Klein, who had been newly appointed to the Seat of the Head of the Council. Furthermore, the only one in charge of personally manning the Warp Gate was the Captain of the Sixth Division, Diard. ¡°The guests from Aroth will be the first to arrive,¡± Diard informed them. After checking the time, Diard raised his staff. Puff! The Warp Gate shone as the connection was established. Shortly afterward, the Warp Gate began to ripple. The first to walk out was Lovellian, wearing a ck robe. Rather than Eugene, who was the first to meet his eyes, Lovellian approached Klein, the new Head of the Council, and extended a hand to the man. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since west met,¡± Lovellian said in greeting. ¡°It would have been better if we could have reunited for a more pleasant affair,¡± Klein said with a wry smile as he shook Lovellian¡¯s hand. Melkith, who had followed Lovellian through the warp gate, was wearing a surprisingly ordinary outfit today. She had on a glossy, ck mink coat. However, she did have leather boots that were so high that they went up to her knees and made a creaking noise with each step she took. ¡°Hi!¡± Melkith called out. A funeral had been held just a few days ago, and with how serious the recent incident had been, the atmosphere of the castle was sunk into depression, but¡­ Melkith didn¡¯t care about any of that. After ncing around at her surroundings, she spotted Eugene and waved at him with a wide smile. Melkith first addressed Ciel, ¡°It¡¯s been a while since west met, hasn¡¯t it, youngdy? Do you remember me?¡± ¡°...Yes, of course,¡± Ciel reluctantly admitted. ¡°So where¡¯s that Captain who doesn¡¯t know how to act her age? I¡¯m talking about the woman who kept checking the time on her pocket watch even though she was wearing a wrist watch,¡± Melkith borated. ¡°...Captain Carmen is currently stationed at the main estate.¡± Ciel eventually felt pressured to reveal the truth by the cheerfully smiling Melkith, even though she really wanted to say, ¡®Who are you to use someone of being unable to act their own age?¡¯ ¡°This is my first time visiting ck Lion Castle. Is it okay if I take a little look around?¡± Melkith requested. ¡°Why don¡¯t we save that forter,¡± Klein interjected. ¡°The Patriarch should also be arriving soon.¡± ¡°Hm, well, he has it tough enough already. I¡¯ll make sure to keep a hold of my facial expressions,¡± Melkith promised. But why did she have to stick to that guy like it was only natural for her to do so? Ciel furrowed her brows as she nced at Eugene and Melkith. Was it something simr to maternal affection? Indeed, that was certainly a possibility. Eugene couldn¡¯t know what a mother¡¯s love felt like. So it might be that he was getting friendly with this woman who had a mature figure, a good amount of years, and was full of motherly affection. ¡®...Although rather than a mother, isn¡¯t she more like a grandmother?¡¯Ciel rudely spected. Although she had the beautiful appearance of a twenty-year-old¡­ Ciel didn¡¯t allow herself to finish that thought. The moment she began to consider Melkith from that aspect, Ciel felt like she was about to have some rude thoughts about her own direct superior, Carmen Lionheart¡­ As the Captain of the Third Division, a woman, while strong and beautiful, she left others with no choice but to respect her¡­. ¡°Connection has been established with Yuras,¡± Diard reported. At these words, Melkith leaned closer to Eugene and whispered, ¡°So I¡¯ve heard that an Inquisitor ising? Have you ever met one before?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Let me just say, while I hate the Holy Empire, I hate Inquisitors even more. Do you know why?¡± Melkith asked. Eugene nodded and said, ¡°I do. It¡¯s said that in the distant past, the Holy Empire judged spirit worship to be a type of heresy and persecuted spirit summoners, right?¡± Melkith gasped, ¡°Oh my, you¡¯re quite knowledgeable, aren¡¯t you? It seems that you also did a lot of study about the history of wizards?¡± ¡°But wasn¡¯t that all a really long time ago?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Well, that might be the case, but even now, they might still be secretly persecuting spirit summoners, no?¡± As she said this, Melkith¡¯s eyes were filled with a cheerful yfulness. While staring directly into her eyes, Eugene snorted and muttered, ¡°You¡¯re like a grandmother who enjoys frightening children by telling them scary stories¡­.¡± ¡°Hm? What did you say? I can¡¯t hear you very well,¡± Melkith lied. While Melkith covered her ears and made an ¡®Aaah¡¯ sound to drown out any objections, the warp gate began to shine. Two people walked out of the warp gate. Both wore robes as red as blood, and beneath those, they were wearing the jet-ck uniform that all priests of the God of Light wore, with ck shakos[1]on their heads. The man in the lead introduced himself, ¡°My name is Atarax, and I am a member of the Maleficarum. And this is Hemoria, my disciple.¡± Atarax was a man with long blonde hair, but the woman, Hemoria, had shorter hair than Atarax and had covered her mouth with a ck, metal mask. With her straight, bobbed hair that seemed to have been cut with a knife framing her face, Hemoria scanned her surroundings. Although Hemoria kept her silence apart from a short grunt in greeting, Atarax spoke up as if speaking in her ce, ¡°Isn¡¯t the Patriarch here yet?¡± Klein assured him, ¡°He¡¯ll be arriving soon. We¡¯ve just managed to connect to Kiehl.¡± Eugene tantly stared at both Atarax and Hemoria. The Maleficarum, that violent and ruthless branch of the Inquisition, had also been around three hundred years ago. To be honest, Eugene didn¡¯t harbor any misgivings toward them. What about their ruthlessness towards ck wizards and demonfolk? That was precisely what Hamel had been like in Eugene¡¯s previous life as well. In the chaotic world of three hundred years ago, the Maleficarum was also one of Hamel¡¯s allies. ¡®...But aren¡¯t they too old-fashioned an organization for the current era?¡¯ This was a world where you could no longer hunt ck wizards indiscriminately or show open hostility towards the demon folk. So for this branch of the Inquisition, which existed for the sole purpose of doing so, to still be in existence, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised. The warp gate rippled. Eugene straightened his back as he stared at the warp gate. Shortly afterward, the Patriarch of the Lionheart n, Gilead, passed through the warp gate. The impression Eugene got from the current Gilead was markedly different from Gilead that Eugene had met just a few months ago. The Patriarch had deeply sunken cheeks and dark circles beneath his eyes. His beard was still neatly trimmed, but Eugene could see the cuts that had been left on Gilead¡¯s cheeks and chin. ¡®...For such a skilled warrior to allow himself to be cut by a razor,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. His whole frame seemed to have shrunk over the past few months. It seemed that Gilead¡¯s mental state had been shattered by Eward¡¯stest incident. ¡°...Patriarch,¡± Klein let out a sigh and approached him with this greeting. Only for Gilead to immediately fall onto his knees and say, ¡°I am so sorry.¡± Klein was startled by this sight and quickly pulled Gilead up to his feet. ¡°Hey now¡­ you shouldn¡¯t show such a pitiful appearance,¡± Klein chided him. ¡°...Do I really have any choice but to do so? All of this happened because of my own ineptitude. This, this crisis¡­ I don¡¯t know how to even begin to take responsibility for this¡­,¡± Gilead trailed off guiltily. ¡°...Let¡¯s discuss all thatter. For now, stand up straight. ¡­Your children are watching, remember,¡± Klein reminded him. Letting out a deep sigh, Klein patted Gilead on the shoulder. At this reminder, the light btedly returned to Gilead¡¯s darkly over-shadowed eyes. He turned to look at Ciel and Eugene. Normally, she would have greeted her father with her smile, but the current Ciel couldn¡¯t bring herself to do so. She quickly bowed her head towards Gilead while holding back the urge to burst into tears. ¡°...Haaah¡­!¡± Gilead released a relieved sigh as he approached Eugene and Ciel. He pulled them into a tight hug and bowed his head over them. ¡°...I heard the full story. It¡¯s such a relief¡­ that you¡¯re all okay,¡± Gilead murmured softly. ¡°...Father¡­,¡± Ciel whispered as she buried her face into her father¡¯s chest and cried a little. Instead of letting out any tears, Eugene nced at the arm that Gilead had wrapped around his shoulders. He hadn¡¯t been mistaken when he got the feeling that Gilead¡¯s whole body seemed to have gotten smaller. Gilead¡¯s arms truly were thinner than they had been just a few months ago. It had only been five days since Eward¡¯s incident had been dealt with, but it seemed that the distress Gilead had felt during these few days was enough to leave his cheeks sunken in and his arm muscles withered away. ¡°...Thank you, Eugene,¡± Gilead addressed him gratefully. ¡°...I only did what I should have done,¡± Eugene responded evasively. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, then it would have been toote to do anything.¡± ¡°...I was just lucky. It wasn¡¯t just my strength either.¡± As he said this, Eugene nced at the two Inquisitors from the Maleficarum ¡ª Atarax and Hemoria. They were tantly staring at Eugene¡¯s bare waist. ¡°...The Holy Sword is in safe hands,¡± Eugene eventually assured them. ¡°That¡¯s a relief,¡± Atarax said with a smile as he put the shako he had taken off in greeting back on top of his head. ¡°Well then¡­ please lead the way. We need to see the ce where that devil, Eward Lionheart, performed his forbidden, depraved, and almost cmitous ritual.¡± ¡®That devil.¡¯ Gilead¡¯s eyes shook at these words. However, he wasn¡¯t in a position to show any reaction to this usation. Gilead just let out a short sigh and released Eugene and Ciel from his embrace. ¡°Please follow me,¡± Genos suddenly spoke up. Genos didn¡¯t trust the Maleficarum as a whole. But even amongst them, Atarax¡¯s name was especially famous for having a dirty reputation attached to it, of which Genos was well aware. ¡®...For the church to send the Punisher Atarax¡­ and Guillotine Hemoria,¡¯Genos thoughtfully considered. Although he had known that someone of high status would be sent due to the significance of this incident, to think that they would really send the Punisher. And his disciple, Hemoria, was just as high-ranking as Atarax was. ¡°What about the survivors?¡± Atarax brought up. ¡°They are all safe,¡± Genos reported. ¡°You mean that they didn¡¯t suffer from any mental pollution?¡± ¡°Fortunately, that was the case.¡± ¡°Pollution can quickly spread from even the smallest grain. After inspecting the site of the ritual, we will interview each of the survivors individually,¡± Atarax dered. ¡°You know, your tone doesn¡¯t sound like someone who¡¯s asking for permission,¡± Genos pointed out aggressively. ¡°It needs to be done. You don¡¯t want any more of your n to fall to corruption, do you?¡± Atarax responded. Klein¡¯s expression stiffened at Atarax¡¯s words. He red at Atarax with an uncharacteristic hostility in his eyes. Hemoria reacted to this gaze by cing her fingers on the mask that covered her mouth and ring back at Klein. ¡°We are not here to sympathize with the Lionheart n¡¯s unfortunate incident, nor are we here to assist in discovering the truth,¡± Atarax said as he raised a hand and grabbed Hemoria¡¯s shoulder. ¡°This incident is an unprecedented and bizarre case of the remnants of the Demon Kings, who were subjugated three hundred years ago, returning to cause chaos. In the current Maleficarum, we may not be allowed to hunt ck wizards or demonfolk, but¡­ should we discover the breaking of any taboos, particrly themitting of any crimes that involve the ¡®use¡¯ of humans, the Maleficarum will not hesitate to hunt the perpetrators, no matter who they may be.¡± ¡°...Therefore?¡± Klein prompted. ¡°We are here to do what needs to be done,¡± Atarax stated with determination. ¡°As such, we will not ask for permission. Council Head, we understand that you might want to cover up your n¡¯s embarrassment, but¡­ what if any seeds of the devil were to remain in the heads of the sacrifices? What if this leads to them falling into madness and one day performing the same demonic ritual that Eward did?¡± ¡°Alright, I see the necessity,¡± Klein reluctantly admitted as he sighed and shook his head. ¡°...However, allow me to correct just one thing. I have no intention of covering up our n¡¯s embarrassment. Because if we blindly attempt to conceal it, all we will do is cause ourselves to rot from within. However, what I was concerned about is that your methods of interviewing the sacrifices might be too harsh.¡± ¡°Our interviews will be gentle and polite,¡± Atarax promised. ¡°In that case, you won¡¯t mind me watching,¡± Klein requested. Atarax conceded, ¡°Yes, please watch as you like.¡± They headed into the depths of the forest. Finding the ce where the ritual had been performed wasn''t difficult as several ck Lions were guarding the forest so no demonic beasts could damage the site. ¡°...Hm,¡± Melkith hummed thoughtfully. For this entire time since they had entered the forest, Melkith had stayed focused without saying a word. She stopped walking for a few moments, then bent down and touched the soil with her hands. ¡°...Hm,¡± Melkith hummed again, her eyes narrowing. The soil she swept her hands over trembled, and y people[2]the size of a finger climbed out of the ground. ¡°...Indeed, it does seem¡­ like there truly was a spirit of darkness¡­. This is quite unusual,¡± Melkith muttered as she patted the y people on the head with a finger. ¡°The spirits of thisnd¡­ aren¡¯t really in harmony with the soil here. They were pushed over from a different patch ofnd to this one. And over there¡­ hmmm¡­ the number of primal spirits is lower than it should be.¡± Melkith scooped up a heap of soil with her hands. Then she spread her fingers and let the soil trickle down like grains of sand. ¡°Perhaps, once this season passes, there won¡¯t even be a de of grass left in that area? It¡¯s quite curious¡­. This is¡­ rather than thend being dead¡­. Hmm, that¡¯s right¡­ so that¡¯s the case. It seems like the primal spirits of thend were actually transformed into spirits of darkness?¡± Melkith hypothesized. ¡°Is something like that even possible?¡± Eugene asked her. ¡°For me? Of course, it¡¯s impossible. I don¡¯t have any contracts with the spirits of darkness, nor do I want to make a contract with them. Even so, it''s not like I need to know the spirits of darkness firsthand, no? No spirit can interfere with or obstruct other spirits ofpletely different elements. Even if they¡¯re a Spirit King,¡± Melkith said with a chuckle as she straightened up.¡± So a normal spirit of darkness shouldn¡¯t have the power to forcibly assimte the primal spirits of another element. On top of that¡­ didn¡¯t you say that it was able to block the eyes and ears of the prestigious Knights of the ck Lion? Haha! That¡¯s impossible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary spirit,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Yep, that¡¯s why it¡¯s so curious¡­ how intriguing,¡± Melkith said with excitement. ¡°The remnants of the Demon Kings who were defeated hundred of years ago lingered on in their weapons¡­ that much I can understand. However, for these remnants to then be spirits? There are already several papers written on the close rtionship between mana and spirits, but for a Demon King to be a spirit is¡ª¡± ¡°It could also mean that spirit worship truly is a type of heresy,¡± Atarax muttered. ¡°You¡¯re still spouting such nonsense,¡± Melkith said with a snort as she raised her hands. The y people crawled back into the soil, causing the ground to tremble and rise. It was the wave of dirt that Melkith had shown them back in the Lionheart n¡¯s forest. ¡°For someone like you, who spouts such bullshit, you don¡¯t deserve to ride this amazing dirt wave of mine,¡± Melkith dered proudly. ¡°Instead of doing something so embarrassing, let¡¯s just go already,¡± Lovellian scolded her. ¡°This is it,¡± Eugene said as they arrived at the site where the ritual had taken ce. ¡°Over there¡­ that¡¯s where the ritual was held. Maybe there are a few traces of it left? A magic circle was drawn all over the ground¡­ parts of it were also painted in the air, but those have disappeared.¡± He was met with silence as the others examined the site. ¡°Also, there was a ck¡­ tree over there. I don¡¯t know if it really should be called a tree, but well, it at least looked like one. The sacrifices were hung from branches that were wriggling like tentacles. And everything was swallowed up by a dark gloom,¡± Eugene said as he nced at Ciel. ¡°Since I wasn¡¯t captured as a sacrifice, if you want to know how it felt, you¡¯ll want to ask Ciel instead of myself. She was able to keep partly conscious even in that situation.¡± ¡°...Really now, this is¡­,¡± Lovellian muttered quietly as he looked around at the surroundings, then let out a snort. ¡°This is even worse than I thought.¡± ¡°It was quite the horrifying ritual,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°No, I¡¯m not talking about the ritual,¡± Lovellian rified as he lifted a finger and pointed at something. ¡°It can even be considered fortunate for there to be only one innocent casualty. Lovellian was pointing at the traces of the battle. He looked down at arge hole so deep it looked as if it had pierced all the way into the bedrock. Melkith also whistled as she took a look around. ¡°This is huge. How bad was it that there aren¡¯t even any spirits in the ground?¡± Melkith marveled. ¡°How terrible,¡± Atarax growled as he narrowed his eyes and raised a hand. He ¡®grabbed¡¯ at the air with his white-gloved fingers and rubbed his fingers together. After doing so, his gloves were instantly dyed ck. ¡°...To think that I would be able to see such vicious, ominous demonic power in a ce outside of the Devildom¡­,¡± Atarax muttered. ¡°Five days ago, it was even worse than it is now,¡± Eugene spoke casually, then flinched and held his cloak open. ¡°...Without the power of the Holy Sword and Akasha, I also wouldn¡¯t have been able to survive.¡± Although he had already received quite a lot of attention, Eugene didn¡¯t want to attract even more attention and suspicion from these outsiders. So he took out the Holy Sword and Akasha and showed them to the group. Akasha didn¡¯t receive much attention, but everyone¡¯s eyes shone as they looked at the Holy Sword that Eugene was holding in his hands. They couldn¡¯t help but do so. This Holy Sword was part of the Great Vermouth¡¯s legend and was said to be the legendary sword that had cut down three Demon Kings. After Vermouth had passed, only the Patriarch had been able to carry the Holy Sword during family ceremonies, and not a single person had been recognized by the Holy Sword as its master. ¡°...Whoah¡­,¡± Atarax breathed out in awe as he, too, looked at the Holy Sword with admiring eyes. Hemoria, who hadn¡¯t uttered a single word so far, also stared at the Holy Sword with rmed eyes. Atarax muttered, ¡°...It¡¯s really Altair¡­!¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°At first, I thought that the report was wrong¡­ but to think that a new master of Altair has truly been found¡­!¡± Atarax eximed in amazement. Eugene began to say, ¡°My apologies for hiding it¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to say such a thing,¡± Atarax interrupted Eugene with a shake of his head. ¡°There was good reason for you to not be able to announce that you are the master of the Holy Sword, and weren¡¯t the Saintess Candidate Kristina and the Holy See already made aware of your status as the new master of the Holy Sword, after all?¡± Atarax raised his hands. ¡°Hemoria! Apuse for the master of the Holy Sword!¡± Atarax instructed. Hemoria silently raised her hands and began pping. But the sound of Atarax¡¯s pping was much louder than Hemoria¡¯s. ¡°Enough,¡± Atarax said as their apuse abruptly stopped. ¡°Now then, master of the Holy Sword, please, tell us the story of how you heroically slew the devil who attempted to descend here!¡± ¡°It died because I swung the Holy Sword at it,¡± Eugene simply exined. Atarax and the others were struck dumb. ¡°Well, it also made a ¡®Kaagh¡¯ sound before biting it,¡± Eugene muttered as he walked over to the altar where parts of the magic circle remained. Chapter 153: The Inquisition (2)

Chapter 153: The Inquisition (2)

Although the color had faded, the magic circle itself could still be seen on the ground. The Tower Masters, Lovellian and Melkith, approached the magic circle with their eyes shining. ¡°This, this is Ancient script, isn¡¯t it?¡± Melkith turned to Lovellian for confirmation. ¡°But at first nce, these look like Gelse[1],¡± Lovellian pointed out. ¡°The wavering does resemble it.¡± ¡°As long as there are systematic simrities, we might be able to trante them.¡± ¡°Well, there are more than a few Ancient characters¡­.¡± ¡°This might be the Ancient script of the demonfolk,¡± Lovellian remarked. ¡°As expected, this is knowledge passed on by the remnants of the Demon Kings, right? But isn¡¯t this¡­ something that we should call Balzac for?¡± Melkith hesitantly asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way we can call such a suspicious expert over,¡± Lovellian refused. ¡°If it¡¯s the Ancient script, I¡¯m also quite well-versed in it, so for now, let¡¯s continue looking for a bit longer.¡± Lovellian and Melkith were caught up in their own personal conversation as they examined the magic circle. After staring at the two of them for a few moments, Eugene lifted up Akasha, which he had been holding in his left hand. ¡°These are the remaining parts of the magic circle that I can remember,¡± Eugene informed them. The rest of the magic circle, which now remained solely in his head, was drawn in the air. Because mana wasn¡¯t infused into it, the magic circle wasn¡¯t activated. However, his actions goaded Hemoria into movement before he could say anything. Hemoria was now standing between Eugene and the magic circle that he had drawn in mid-air, ring at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Eugene could feel a simmering hostility directed at him deep within those ruby-red eyes. ¡°...What is it?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. Hemoria was quite a strange woman. That ck, metal mask thatpletely covered her mouth from corner to corner reminded Eugene of the muzzle ced around the jaws of vicious dogs. Wasn¡¯t it ufortable to wear something like that over her own mouth? You would have to spend quite some time taking it off every time you wanted to eat and drink. ¡°If you have something to say, then just say it to my face,¡± Eugene demanded. However, Hemoria remainedpletely silent. Instead, a ¡®grk-grk¡¯ sound could be hearding from inside her metal mask. Was she grinding her teeth? Or was there really some kind of gag on the inside of the mask that she was biting on? Now that Eugene thought about it, from the moment Hemoria had passed through the warp gate, she had never once spoken a single word. ¡°Excuse me,¡± Atarax called out as he grabbed Hemoria by the shoulder and pulled her away. Eugene noticed Atarax¡¯s fingers were digging deep into Hemoria¡¯s shoulder. However, there wasn¡¯t any change in Hemoria¡¯s expression. She simply continued to re at Eugene like she had done before. ¡°In some ways, my disciple is even more fervent than I am,¡± Atarax admitted with a smile as he patted Hemoria on the shoulder. ¡°But as the hero chosen by the Holy Sword¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted him, ¡°I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t call me by that title.¡± ¡°Alright, I also felt that it might be a bit inconvenient to address you like that during a private conversation,¡± Atarax agreed as he turned his head to look at the magic circle. ¡°...I know that it can¡¯t be helped, but¡­ sharing the knowledge of this terrible magic circle with two of Aroth¡¯s Tower Masters and the fact that you have it memorized in your head, Sir Eugene, it¡¯s¡­ all of that is difficult for us to ept.¡± ¡°Did you hear that, Red Tower Master? That good Sir Inquisitor seems to think that you and I might study this shitty magic circle ande up with some bad ideas,¡± Melkith said with a sneer. ¡°To be fair, it¡¯s not impossible,¡± Atarax argued. ¡°As far as I know, if it¡¯s for the sake of their interest and goals, wizards would not hesitate to do such crazy things.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny that, but if it¡¯s a wizard on the level of us Tower Masters, then they must already be pretty crazy. My own brand of insanity means that I don¡¯t have any attention to spare for this sort of unorthodox magic circle,¡± Melkith shot back with a snort and a dismissive wave of her hand. ¡°It should be the same for the Red Tower Master, who¡¯s just quietly kept his mouth shut beside me. Hmm? Do you feel that? Ahhh¡­! All of my hair is standing on end, and I feel like trembling in terror at this killing intent¡­! Want to know why that is?¡± Although the way that Melkith was shivering was highly exaggerated, she wasn¡¯t lying. Eugene could also feel a faint killing intent. This killing intent wasing from Lovellian, who was gritting his teeth so tightly it seemed like his mrs were about to be crushed into pieces. Melkith continued excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s because of how furious the Red Tower Master is! Do you know just how great of a hatred for ck magic writhes within him behind that gentle and handsome mask of his? This is the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis! Although he has grown docile in his old age, just up until thirty years ago, he was known as the Mad Dog of the Red Tower of Magic and had a truly foul temper.¡± Lovellian finally spoke up, ¡°Let¡¯s not bring up my shameful past, Spirit Princess of the White Tower of Magic.¡± This was a nickname from Melkith¡¯s youth that she had hoped to never hear again. Melkith covered her ears and shrieked like a crow, ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± Ignoring this, Lovellian continued, ¡°...However, it¡¯s also true that my fury has indeed been stoked. Inquisitor Atarax, I will absolutely never use or even research this magic circle for my own self-interest. If you wish, I can even swear this on my mana.¡± ¡°The Holy Empire is an ally of Aroth,¡± Atarax said with a smile as he shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m only expressing my view from my position as an Inquisitor. I have no intention of insisting on something like an Oath. Red Tower Master, I¡¯m already aware of why you hate ck magic so¡ª¡± Grrk. The sound was heard once more,ing from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask. Trying to draw attention away from this, Atarax turned to Eugene, ¡°...As for the Lionhearts, the descendants of the Great Vermouth¡­ believing in the purity and righteousness of their bloodline¡­ might be foolish to do so in light of how this incident urred, but there is no way that Sir Eugene, who has been acknowledged by the Holy Sword, would be corrupted by ck magic.¡± Tap, tap. Atarax¡¯s fingers, still holding onto Hemoria¡¯s shoulder, tapped on her shoulder in reminder. The grinding sound could no longer be heard from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask, and the hostility also disappeared from her red eyes. Hemoria bowed her head to Eugene and stepped back to stand behind Atarax. ¡°Hemoria. Don¡¯t say anything, don¡¯t do anything, and just stand here watching while the Tower Masters inspect the magic circle,¡± Atarax ordered. Hemoria nodded in acknowledgment. ¡®Is he having her act as surveince?¡¯Eugene thought as he nced towards Gilead. Upon arriving here, Gilead¡¯splexion had be even paler, and he had chewed on his trembling lips so hard that they were covered in blood. ¡°...Patriarch,¡± Klein called out as he approached Gilead, looking at him with pity. ¡°...A diary was discovered in Eward¡¯s rooms within Count Bossar¡¯s mansion.¡± Klein pulled out a fancy diary with a leather cover from the inside of his pocket. ¡°...ording to the ck Lions who searched the mansion¡­ this diary was found in the top-most drawer of Eward¡¯s desk as if he intended it to be found,¡± Klein revealed. ¡°Isn¡¯t that cute?¡± Ataraxmented before bursting intoughter. ¡°He must have been dreaming up quite a cool future for himself inside of his own head. After finishing the ritual here¡­ having sacrificed all those who had mocked and looked down on him¡­ and having gained such strength from this, he must have imagined himself being able to escape leisurely. However, if he did that, he wouldn''t be able to tell you why he did all of this in person, so he deliberately left a diary for you to find.¡± That could be the only exnation for why Eward had left behind something so important as his diary. Eugene also had the same feeling as Atarax. That idiot must have wanted to reveal the ¡®why¡¯ and ¡®how¡¯ pretty badly, so he must have done something like this. Gilead silently took the diary and opened it. Eugene had thought that Atarax would disagree with them reading the diary, but surprisingly, Atarax allowed Gilead to read it without any interference. It didn¡¯t take long for Gilead to read the entire diary. ¡°...Haaah¡­,¡± Gilead gave a long sigh and shook his head a few times. Then he lifted his chin and looked up into the sky. ¡°...Father¡­,¡± Ciel called out in a sorrowful voice as she embraced one of Gilead¡¯s arms. After letting out a few tears, Gilead handed the diary to Eugene. ¡°Is it alright for me to read it?¡± Eugene checked. ¡°...Since you were thest one to speak to him, I think that you deserve to read it as well,¡± Gilead said. There was no reason to refuse the offer. Eugene was also quite curious about the inner workings of this incident. ¡®...Really now¡­,¡¯Eugene muttered to himself once he was done reading. The first half of the diary didn¡¯t have any reading value. It was full ofmentation, rage, and self-hatred. Unable to even put his thoughts down in coherent sentences, it was all just a stuttering stream of words. There were only details about how much he was despised by Count Bossar and how many rebukes he was forced to hear from his mother, Tanis. Although the contents were bound to leave Eward¡¯s father, Gilead, in great regret, they meant nothing to Eugene. He wasn¡¯t interested in any of these thoughts. Nevertheless, Eugene continued to flip through the diary. Where the content changed abruptly¡ª [Dominic Lionheart came to me.] ¡ªwas at this point. Why had Dominic approached Eward? Even Dominic himself couldn¡¯t really exin the exact reason for it. It was just an impulse. That was all it must have seemed like to Dominic, but Eward could uncover the precise reason for this. It was none other than the remnants of the Demon King. The whispering of the darkness spirit had led Dominic to approach Eward. Their existence was nestled deep within Dominic¡¯s Annihtion Hammer, and they held an interest in the ¡®blood of the main family¡¯ flowing through Eward¡¯s body. [The spirit said that I was special. After they became a spirit, they had possessed several people, but I was the first to have ever heard their voice.] [When I asked them about when they first came into existence, they said they became a spirit one hundred years ago. As a spirit of darkness, I asked them if they could be as powerful as a Demon King? As the remnant thoughts of the defeated Demon Kings¡­ with just that, they wouldn¡¯t be able to be a Demon King. But at the same time, they aren¡¯t just some trivial existence either. The spirit said that I was special, and they, as a special spirit, matched well with me.] [I want to be a great wizard, not a spirit summoner.] [The spirit told me it didn¡¯t want to remain as just a spirit either. So if that was the case, what should we do? The spirit said that he would show me the way.] [All that the ritual requires is the blood of their enemies. So how about Ciel and Cyan? If it¡¯s those twins, they should make for a great offering. Since so much time has now passed, the power of using Vermouth¡¯s bloodline for the ritual must have faded, but the spirit says that with how special I am, I can serve as their vessel and that offering my brother¡¯s blood as a sacrifice will give it significant meaning. Magic really is amazing.] [The more sacrifices there are, the better.] [I¡¯ll be leaving this house tomorrow. Mother, grandfather, and everyone else are all giving their blessings for my future. Once the ritual ispleted, I will be an Archwizard that no one can look down on anymore.] [I haven¡¯t decided where I should go once this is all over. The Pride say that I should make a new Lionheart n to symbolize the main family''s downfall, but¡­ Dominic doesn¡¯t seem to care for that idea. The same goes for me. I hate the Lionhearts.] With that, the diary ended. Eugene closed the book and handed it over to Atarax, who had been waiting patiently. ¡°...I knew that he had gone insane when he fought, but it seems that he was already insane before he even started writing that diary,¡± Eugene observed. From the day before Eward finally left the mansion, Eward was the only living human left in the Count¡¯s estate. Count Bossar, Tanis, and the servants were all killed by Eward before he left. ¡°It seems that the power of this ck magic ritual is amplified by the extent to which it breaks taboos.¡± Flipping through the diary, Atarax continued speaking, ¡°The Demon Kings'' enemy was the Great Vermouth, who subjugated them three hundred years ago. As the heir to his blood¡­ they wanted that exiled son¡­ to sacrifice his own siblings. If they had seeded, there should be no better condition than that for performing this ck magic ritual. It seems that it was true that Eward¡¯s ¡®blood¡¯ was quite special.¡± The blood of their enemy. Instead of forcefully activating the ritual somehow, Eward had been obsessed with obtaining Eugene as a sacrifice. ¡®It seems that wasn¡¯t just Eward¡¯s stubbornness,¡¯Eugene thought. Vermouth wasn¡¯t the only enemy of those Demon Kings. For the Spirit of Darkness, Eugene must have been a great potential sacrifice they couldn¡¯t give up on. ¡°This term, ¡®The Pride,¡¯ is frequently mentioned throughout this diary. Is this referring to cancer within the Lionheart n?¡± Atarax deduced. ¡°Right after this incident urred, of the many coteral branches of the Lionheart n that have spread across the continent, four families have suspiciously disappeared. In addition, a few members of other branches have also disappeared,¡± Klein exined. ¡°They are most probably a Lionheart splinter group that led Dominic astray and tried to make use of Eward.¡± ¡°Are they still a threat?¡± Atarax inquired. ¡°Not at all,¡± Klein replied without any hesitation. ¡°If Dominic had sessfully managed to steal the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer, they could have be a dangerous organization. And if Eward¡­ hadpleted the ceremony, their group would have be a true terror. However, they weren¡¯t able to aplish anything. They might have imed a fancy and grand name for themselves as ¡®The Pride,¡¯ but they are nothing more than a bunch of losers who ran away, abandoning all they had to preserve their own lives.¡± ¡°However, if they manage to emigrate to Helmuth, the Lionheart n¡¯s prestige may fall to the ground,¡± Atarax warned. ¡°Do you think our prestige really has any more room to fall?¡± Klein scoffed with a chuckle as he shook his head. ¡°Should they manage to emigrate to Helmuth, we may instead be grateful for it. Should Helmuth really make public the news that descendants of the great hero¡¯s n have willingly walked into Helmuth¡¯s embrace on their own two feet¡­ then we will leave it up to the ck Lions to take care of them.¡± ¡°They might emigrate to Nahama or even hide in the Samar Rainforest,¡± Atarax murmured a reminder as he closed the diary. ¡°...We¡¯ve finished our inspection of the magic circle,¡± Lovellian said as he stood up. ¡°Excluding the help of a ck wizard or a high-ranking demonfolk from Helmuth, our interpretation of its purposes should be the best avable.¡± ¡°Please give us your expert opinion,¡± Klein requested. ¡°The purpose of this ritual is a reconstitution of the soul and the creation of a body,¡± Lovellian dered as his face twisted into a scowl. ¡°The basic gist of the spell is simr to summoning magic. Though it has been twisted into an obscene mess.¡± ¡°Did you say that it was intended to create a body?¡± Atarax confirmed. ¡°If the sacrifices had been made sessfully, this magic circle would have summoned arge number of demonic beasts from Helmuth. Then he would have probably constructed a new body by using a mixture of those demonic beasts,¡± Lovellian theorized. ¡°...What about the reconstruction of the soul?¡± Atarax asked after processing the previous answer. Melkith answered this question, ¡°It¡¯s literally what it sounds like. The thing that died here was a spirit of darkness born from the remnants of the Demon Kings, not a Demon King itself. But if the ritual had beenpleted¡­ then it could have be a higher-ranking ¡®Spirit King.¡¯¡± Melkith stopped talking for a moment to burst intoughter. ¡°I have to say that this is quite a surprise! To think that a spirit of darkness was trying to raise its own status through independent and artificial means. Should I say, as expected from the remnants of the Demon Kings? They attempted a method that an ordinary spirit would definitely never even think of,¡± Melkith reluctantly admired. ¡°...So they¡¯d be a Spirit King without a body¡­,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Although they might not be able to reach the heights of a Demon King right away, they were close to bing an existence that would likely reach the heights of a Demon King in time,¡± Lovellian said as he turned to look at Eugene. ¡°Saying that, fortunately, they didn¡¯t seed.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the blessings ced on the Holy Sword and the Hero,¡± Atarax praised. With a pleased chuckle, he apuded Eugene. Atarax¡¯s apuse suddenly cut off as he began, ¡°However¡­.¡± Grrk. The metallic sound leaked out from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask once more. ¡°...It seems that not everyone who was here died that night,¡± Atarax concluded. Booom! Atarax¡¯s foot stomped on the ground. As his body was surrounded by a soft brilliance, a mass of the dead and ckened soil rose as one. Shashashak! The floating soil flowed forth like a wave of sand. Slowly, very slowly, the soil advanced forward toward the huge hole that had been created during the fierce battle. As the soil neared the entrance to the hole, it suddenly began to whirl around. ¡°...Hrm¡­!¡± Lovellian let out a low grunt of surprise. He hadn¡¯t been able to detect any traces of magic at that spot. Even when holding Akasha, Eugene also hadn¡¯t been able to see anything. However, as a department of the Holy Empire¡¯s Inquisition, the Inquisitors of the Maleficarum were expert hunters who had received training in eliminating ck magic and hunting down demonfolk that had been passed down over hundreds of years. Atarax was one of a handful of the most talented members of the Maleficarum. He had examined all the remaining demonic power in this area and found traces of the ck magic that had been cast here five days ago. ¡°Although it¡¯s impossible to reproduce the exact technique¡­.¡± Atarax tightened his control over the soil hanging in midair and continued speaking, ¡°...This was¡­ some kind of spatial transportation. It wasn¡¯t Blink, but instead some kind of long-distance¡­ technique that allows one to teleport without going through a gate¡­.¡± ¡°Hector,¡± Eugene growled as his face contorted into a scowl. ¡°It looks like he managed to get away.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯tallowhim to run away, did you?¡± Atarax asked, turning to look at Eugene with a grin. ring back into those seemingly amiable eyes, Eugene shrugged and replied, ¡°What reason could I have for allowing him to escape?¡± ¡°You might have a reason you don¡¯t want others to know about,¡± Atarax insisted. Eugene growled, ¡°Me? Someone who¡¯s been recognized by the Holy Sword?¡± ¡°I just want to explore all the possibilities. Because the Holy Sword does not necessarily prove one¡¯s innocence,¡± Atarax stated calmly. ¡°I thought that Hector was dead,¡± Eugene shrugged once more. ¡°For it to turn out that he ran away, it seems like he was much more talented than I expected.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you confirm it?¡± Atarax asked with disapproval. Adopting an insolent tone, Eugene asked, ¡°What if I tell you that it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want to?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, your carelessness allowed this rat to run away,¡± Atarax used. ¡°We don¡¯t know if this rat might manage to sneak away to hide in a shed, where he can devour some grain before continuing to spread disease¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on, I don¡¯t think I fucking get what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Eugene tried to respond calmly before giving in and losing his temper. ¡°Are you really trying to say that I fucking let him get away on purpose? The motherfucker who tried to kill me? I told you, I didn¡¯t know that he was fucking alive! I was busy keeping my eyes on the Demon Spear trying to stab me and the Annihtion Hammer trying to crush my head in, all while the bastard who I called my older brother joined hands with a spirit of darkness to try and sacrifice me! So how the fuck was I supposed to check if that bastard who should have been out for the count had either escaped or was swept away by our attacks and had died?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be upset,¡± Atarax tried to calm him. ¡°I¡¯m not upset. I¡¯m just irritated. No matter how much I think about it, it¡¯s ridiculous and infuriating. Are you fucking making light of the Holy Sword? Do you think thatyoucan hold the Holy Sword?¡± Eugene challenged them. ¡°Grrrk.¡± ¡°And is she a mute or what? Why has she just been making thosegrk-grknoises instead of speaking? If you¡¯re going to question my words and fuck with me, then stop grking away over there and fucking say something. If you¡¯re going to pretend like there¡¯s nothing wrong, then just stop with thosegrk-grknoises already!¡± In the face of Eugene¡¯s outburst, Atarax¡¯s mouth snapped shut, and Hemoria also blinked in surprise as she stopped making those grk noises. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Eugene stated as he took a deep breath, then nted the Holy Sword he was holding into the ground. ¡°If you have any moreints or just want to spout off some more bullshit, then before you say anything, you need to pull this Holy Sword out first.¡± Eugene folded his arms and stepped back from the Holy Sword. He then gave this ultimatum, ¡°I¡¯m not going to take this shit from a pious jerk who only pretends to be faithful if he can¡¯t even draw the Holy Sword.¡± Momo¡¯s thoughts: Melkith had me at ¡°My own brand of insanity.¡± You do you, girl. And Eugene had me at ¡°stop grking away.¡± Chapter 154: The Inquisition (3)

Chapter 154: The Inquisition (3)

Grgrgrk. A much louder sound than all the previously heard sounds emerged from within Hemoria¡¯s mask. Her eyes had transformed into a much deeper shade of red than they had been at first; rather than just bloodshot, it felt as if something was burning within them. Unlike Hemoria, who was exhibiting intense emotions, Atarax¡¯s expression was calm. He smiled as he looked between the Holy Sword, plunged into the ground, and Eugene, standing there with his arms crossed. ¡°... ¡®Pretends to be faithful¡¯ you say¡­. Haha! Sir Eugene, you might be the only person who would dare to say such a thing to an Inquisitor of the Maleficarum,¡± Atarax said with calm amazement. Eugene shot back, ¡°I¡¯m also the only one to be recognized by the Holy Sword as its master.¡± Atarax tried to defend himself, ¡°I¡¯m only trying to consider all the possibilities.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one saying earlier that there was no way that I, the master of the Holy Sword, would be corrupted by ck magic?¡± Eugene reminded him. ¡°Allowing Hector to escape is a different matter from being corrupted by ck magic,¡± Atarax argued. ¡°If we keep going back and forth like this, it will never end. Are you trying to somehow force me into making a confession?¡± Eugene asked with a smirk as he red at Atarax. ¡°It feels to me like you think that you¡¯ve bitten onto the tail of arge catch, and now you¡¯re racing ahead of yourself to reel it in.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that could be the case,¡± Atarax denied the usation as he backed down with a shrug. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll just choose to ept it. I will do my best to have faith that Hector Lionheart¡¯s escape¡­ truly had nothing to do with you, Sir Eugene. In fact, if you want to prove your innocence for certain, there is¡ª¡± ¡°You want to use Confession[1]on me, right?¡± Eugene interrupted. ¡°Were you already aware of it?¡± ¡°All I know is that it¡¯s a cruel method of interrogation that tears the victim¡¯s mind into pieces.¡± ¡°Haha!¡± Ataraxughed. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry about the danger of that. Because the experts of the Maleficarum are better than anyone else in the Holy Empire when ites to ¡®interrogation.¡¯ It¡¯s not like we intend on digging too deep, we only want the truth of what happened five days ago, so there should be no after-effects from the investigation.¡± ¡°Have you already forgotten what I just said?¡± Eugene asked as he gestured with his chin, pointing to the sword embedded in front of him. ¡°If you¡¯re displeased with me or feel like you want to start an argument, then I¡¯m telling you toe over here and pull out the Holy Sword first.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s quite an interesting proposal,¡± Atarax eventually muttered as his gaze turned towards Hemoria. Hemoria, who had been ring at Eugene with her blood-red eyes, strode over to the Holy Sword until she was right within arm¡¯s reach. The corners of Eugene¡¯s lips twisted up in a smile as he met Hemoria¡¯s intense re. ¡°...Grk,¡± came the sound from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask. Such a sound seemed too loud and sharp to be made just by grinding her teeth¡­. Eugene tilted his head to the side in curiosity as he stared at Hemoria. ¡°You don¡¯t seem like a beastfolk, but could your teeth really be as terrible as a beast¡¯s?¡± Eugene observed. ¡°My disciple is currently serving a vow of silence, so she cannot use her voice,¡± Atarax exined in Hemoria¡¯s stead. So she had taken a vow of silence. Eugene let out a snort and backed down. Hemoria¡¯s hand, which was covered by a ck glove, reached out toward the Holy Sword. But the moment when her long fingers were about to touch the hilt of the Holy Sword¡ª Fwoosh! The Holy Sword¡¯s mes engulfed Hemoria¡¯s hand. However, Hemoria didn¡¯t panic or even let out a scream. She calmly withdrew her hand and then shook off the me that had wrapped around her glove. Hemoria¡¯s skin was made visible through the cracks that the me had burnt into the glove. Her coloring looked pale and bloodless. Hemoria felt Eugene¡¯s gaze on her. She took off her glove and lifted her hand as if inviting him to take a closer look. Her skin was pale, but apart from that, there was nothing special to it. ¡°Grk.¡± The grinding sound was heard once more as Hemoria began waving her hand between Eugene and herself. ¡°...Is that signnguage?¡± Eugene eventually realized. ¡°She¡¯s asking if you thought she was a vampire,¡± Lovellian tranted. Without seeking to avoid Hemoria¡¯s piercing re, Eugene replied, ¡°...She¡¯s just asking to be noticed with how loudly she¡¯s grinding her teeth, and the sound is quite sharp. Her eyes are red, her skin is white, and she¡¯s wearing a hat, cloak, and even gloves. Isn¡¯t that enough reason to be suspicious of her?¡± ¡°To suspect an Inquisitor of being a vampire,¡± Atarax murmured. ¡°Unfortunately, the Maleficarum is a more conservative organization than you seem to think, Sir Eugene, so demonfolk like vampires cannot be epted as Inquisitors.¡± Eugene noticed something, ¡°Does that mean that they might be epted for positions other than as an Inquisitor?¡± ¡°That¡¯s correct because even a demonfolk has the right to convert. If they truly desire to serve the God of Light as his priests, why not baptize them and allow them to serve as evangelists of the light?¡± Atarax said with a smile as he patted Hemoria on the shoulder. ¡°Even Hemoria, whose faith is so strong, is unable to grasp the Holy Sword¡­. As expected of the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°How about you?¡± Eugene challenged. ¡°If I pointlessly try to stretch my hand towards it, all I might end up with is a burnt hand. I¡¯m afraid that I have no desire to be humiliated like that,¡± Atarax said as he turned and walked over to the ce where Hector had disappeared. Then, while looking at the soil still floating in the air, he continued speaking, ¡°...In any case, we¡¯ve confirmed that Hector Lionheart escaped from here without dying.¡± ¡°Such long-ranged teleportation¡­ only an Archwizard would be capable of such a thing,¡± Lovellian chimed in with narrowed eyes. ¡°To perform a Blink, you need to calcte the coordinates of an arrival point within your field of view and leap there. As long as you¡¯re able to perform those calctions urately, Blink isn''t too difficult orplicated a spell. However, long-range teleportation is an entirely different matter.¡± Atarax slightly corrected him, ¡°This was a warp that connected the gates on both sides of a teleport. It¡¯s slightly different from a Teleport spell.¡± For this type of teleportation, the one being teleported needed a guidepost. If the World Tree, for example, was the guidepost, one would be able to teleport to the World Tree from anywhere in the world using one of its leaves. ¡°Unless we¡¯re able to figure out what Hector used as a medium for the warp, we have no way of knowing where he teleported to,¡± Atarax dered. ¡°However, just how many wizards in the world can manage such a teleportation?¡± Melkith pointed out with a grin as she started counting on her fingers. ¡°First of all¡­ there¡¯s Aroth¡¯s five Tower Masters. Then there¡¯s Trempel Vizardo, Commander of the Court Wizards Division. Then, as far as I know, none other should have reached the Eighth Circle among all the wizards belonging to other nations?¡± ¡°...I just left the Royal Pce of Kiehl this morning,¡± Gilead revealed. ¡°Kiehl still has to have raised an Eighth Circle Archwizard.¡± This reply had the corners of Melkith¡¯s lips shooting right up to her cheekbones. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why Aroth is known as the Kingdom of Magic, no matter what? Including the Tower Masters, the kingdom has six Archwizards, after all! If war were to break out, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for Aroth to unite the continent all on its own?¡± Melkith dered proudly. Lovellian spoke up, ¡°The Tower Masters are not obligated to participate should Aroth choose to start any wars of conquest. If Aroth were to start such a war, then perhaps everyone in the Red Tower of Magic, including myself, would choose to leave Aroth. ¡°That goes for me as well, but¡­.¡± Melkith continued speaking with a snicker, ¡°Setting aside Aroth¡­ the only ce with wizards capable of a teleportation like this is Helmuth. There¡¯s the Staff of Incarceration, Edmund Codreth, and a few other high-ranking demonfolk.¡± Lovellian picked up the topic, ¡°The Queen of the Night Demons and the ck Dragon¡­ those are two most famous of thetter group.¡± While bringing up the ck Dragon, Lovellian spared Eugene a nce. Lovellian was the one responsible for investigating Raizakia on behalf of Eugene. As such, he was aware of the possibility that Raizakia, currently reigning over the Dragon Demon Castle in Helmuth, might not be the real Raizakia. Lovellian continued, ¡°Amongst the high-ranking demonfolk, there might be other Archwizards capable of teleportation apart from those two. Demonfolk live many times longer than humans, and they are much better at casting ck magic than humans.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there also an Archwizard in Nahama?¡± Atarax brought up with narrowed eyes. ¡°The Dungeon Master of the Desert, Amelia Merwin. We are aware that the situation between Kiehl and Nahama has been unstable for several years now. Weakening Kiehl¡¯s power by promoting internal division within Kiehl¡¯s Lionheart n¡­ sounds like something that Nahama, who swallowed Turas while ming it on the sandstorms, would do. On top of that, Amelia Merwin is also a ck wizard who has signed a contract with a Demon King.¡± ¡°That might be the case, but the Demon King of Incarceration shouldn¡¯t be the one supporting Hector and giving him orders.¡± Eugene continued with a serious expression, ¡°Because an affair like this is too trivial for a Demon King to even pay any attention to. In the first ce, would the Demon King of Incarceration feel any need to resurrect the Demon Kings who died three hundred years ago out of loyalty to them?¡± Hesitantly, Atarax responded, ¡°Well, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too definite¡­?¡± ¡°Sir Atarax. I have also been a diligent student of history since I was young. The Demon Kings have never cooperated with each other. From three hundred years ago until now, the Demon Kings have always beenpeting to see who can cause more nations to copse and who can increase their territory and power the most,¡± Eugene stated confidently. Of course, Eugene hadn¡¯t actually studied history. He had lived right in the middleofsaid history, so there wasn¡¯t any need for himtostudy it. Even as the three Demon Kings were in, the remaining Demon Kings had never once cooperated with each other. Although they were all collectively called the Demon Kings, there was no sense of camaraderie among them. ¡°Would the Demon King of Incarceration really get involved personally, pulling this sort of scheme to revive the deceased Demon Kings and divide the Lionheart n? What reason could a Demon King have for doing so? As an Inquisitor, particrly one from the Maleficarum, you should know this. A Demon King is an existence that doesn¡¯t need to do something like this,¡± Eugene said with a sneer. Would the Demon King of Incarceration have any reason to try and split apart the Lionheart n? Especially when, if he really bothered to take any action, he could just directly tear the n into pieces himself? Simrly, was there any need for him to try to secretly perform this ritual to resurrect the deceased Demon Kings? After all, he could just perform the ritual openly while wiping out all who dared to interfere. ¡°...So I don¡¯t think that the Demon King has anything to do with this,¡± Eugene concluded. The ones who were currently under suspicion were the three ck wizards who had signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Aroth¡¯s Archwizards, and certain high-ranking demonfolk. ¡°...Having escaped from the consequences of this incident, Hector Lionheart should no longer be able to travel around the continent in peace,¡± Atarax reasoned. ¡°However, if he has escaped to a ce without any public order, that¡¯s a different story. Even the Eyes of Light, spread across the continent, cannot fully grasp awless ce like the Samar Rainforest.¡± Eugene asked doubtfully, ¡°...So you¡¯re saying that Hector could have fled to Samar?¡± ¡°I think there¡¯s quite a significant possibility that he did, yes. Sir Eugene, I¡¯ve heard that you have developed a good rtionship with the Zoran Tribe, one of the great tribes of Samar¡­. Wouldn¡¯t you be able to request some help for them?¡± Atarax proposed with a smile as he stared at Eugene. At this mention of the Zoran tribe, Eugene recalled Evatar, the heir to the tribe who had escorted him on his way out of Samar. ¡°...Since that forest is sorge, it should be very difficult to find someone specific,¡± Eugene pointed out reluctantly. ¡°It¡¯s up to you, Sir Eugene, on how to make such a request,¡± Atarax said with a shrug. ¡°Depending on your desire, you can ask them to capture or kill the fugitive, Hector Lionheart.¡± ¡°And what will the Maleficarum be doing?¡± ¡°Since Hector Lionheart was involved in this ritual, we will, of course, also be doing our best to pursue him. And to do so, we will be using the Eyes of Light spread across the continent.¡± The God of Light did have a trulyrge number of followers. ¡°My deepest regrets,¡± Atarax apologized as he took off the shako he was wearing and bowed his head toward them. ¡°It seems that we weren¡¯t actually able to rify anything. However, we truly are sorry for the tragedy that took ce here.¡± ¡°...It¡¯s quite a disgrace,¡± Klein admitted as he let out a deep sigh. ¡°...Since there¡¯s nothing more to investigate here, and you¡¯ve checked everything that you can¡­ why don¡¯t we head back to the castle now? Since you also have to interview the children involved in this incident.¡± ¡°Thank you for your understanding¡ª¡± Atarax abruptly stopped talking and turned his head. Then, while staring at Hemoria, he let out a low chuckle and murmured, ¡°...Hm¡­. Indeed.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Eugene inquired with a disingenuous expression. The truth was that he had already guessed what might soon be enfolding. While the conversation was going on, Hemoria had continued to stare at Eugene and the Holy Sword. While her gaze wasn¡¯t as filled with hostility as before, Eugene felt a familiar motivation and desire for victorying from Hemoria. Atarax said, ¡°It appears that she wants to confirm for herself why you were acknowledged as the master of the Holy Sword, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°But it feels to me like you might also share that same desire, Sir Atarax?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°Haha¡­ I won¡¯t deny it. Because it¡¯s not just in the Holy Empire, everyone on this continent has heard the fairy tales of the Holy Sword Altair and the hero chosen to wield it since they were young,¡± Atarax admitted with a low chuckle as he approached Hemoria. ¡°Of course, there is also some dissatisfaction.¡± ¡°...Dissatisfaction?¡± Eugene repeated. Atarax exined, ¡°The Lionhearts have kept the Holy Sword in their possession for the past three hundred years without ever returning it to the Holy Empire. Since the Great Vermouth, no one in the Lionheart n has been able to be the Holy Sword¡¯s master. However, what if the Holy Sword had been returned to the Holy Empire? Couldn¡¯t it have been possible for one of our devout and exceptional youngsters to have be the Master of the Holy Sword during that time?¡± ¡°That might have been possible, but I don¡¯t think that devout and exceptional youngster would have been you,¡± Eugene said with a smirk as he tilted his head. ¡°Also, the fact is that even Yuras¡¯s Pope has acknowledged my identity as the master of the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°However, Sir Eugene, you aren¡¯t even a believer of the God of Light, nor are you a citizen of Yuras.¡± ¡°So what do you propose to do about that?¡± Atarax responded calmly, ¡°I¡¯m not trying to say we should take the Holy Sword from you.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like that would even be possible,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°...It¡¯s just¡­ I would like to ask if you would be willing to amodate my disciple¡¯s desire,¡± Atarax requested as he ced a hand on Hemoria¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Would you agree to a light spar?¡± ¡°With me using the Holy Sword?¡± ¡°If you need to.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like there¡¯s any need for that,¡± Eugene denied with augh as he took off the Cloak of Darkness. Mer hurriedly stuck her head out from inside the cloak at this move and protested, ¡°Sir Eugene! Your body still isn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯s only going to be a light spar, so¡­,¡± Eugeneughed off Mer¡¯s concern as he dropped the cloak to the floor. Melkith, who had been quietly watching from the side, shrieked at this action and ran over to Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t drop it on the ground!¡± Melkith cried out. ¡°You¡¯ll get dirt on it!¡± Although there were still a few years left until Eugene had to return it, Melkith had no desire to see her precious cloak left lying on this dirty ground. Ignoring Melkith, Eugene asked Atarax, ¡°What about weapons?¡± Atarax replied, ¡°Hemoria doesn¡¯t use any weapon in particr.¡± ¡°Ahah¡­ so her whole body is a weapon or some cliche thing like that? Hm, fine then. It seems like you¡¯ve trained her well,¡± Eugene assessed. ¡°...Please don¡¯t underestimate my disciple too much,¡± Atarax warned him. ¡°Aren¡¯t you the one underestimating me?¡± Eugene countered with a broad smile as he shook his wrists loose. ¡°It seems that you two haven¡¯t fully realized this, but the one who you¡¯re questioning the qualifications of is the greatest genius in the history of the Lionheart n since the time of our founding ancestor. I am also the master of both the Holy Sword and Akasha and the one who defeated the remnants of the Demon Kings.¡± ¡°...Hm, Sir Eugene, I do admit that you are quite impressive, but¡­ as your familiar said just now, isn¡¯t it true that your body hasn¡¯tpletely recovered yet?¡± Atarax reminded him. ¡°It¡¯s just a light spar, without even using any weapons. Won¡¯t we just be crossing our fists a little, so what¡¯s the matter with that?¡± Eugene asked rhetorically. ¡°...If you get injured, we will make sure to offer treatment,¡± Atarax promised. ¡°Even though it¡¯s not to the same extent as the Saint Candidate Kristina, I¡¯m still quite efficient at healing magic.¡± Grk. The sound was heard once more from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask. She took off her hat and cloak, then raised her fists as she took a stance. On the other hand, Eugene just kept his arms rxed as he faced Hemoria. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to take off your mask?¡± Eugene asked her. Hemoria kept silent. ¡°Hm¡­ is that your way of asking me not to hit you in the face?¡± Eugene asked. Eugene had been feeling dislike towards her since earlier. ¡°If you get hit in the jaw while wearing a metal mask like that¡­ will it be my fist or your jaw that will hurt more¡­?¡± Eugene mused. Hemoria had red at him pretty fiercely, leaking tant hostility and dissatisfaction while also making that strange grinding sound from the inside of her mask. ¡®She¡¯s also the one who picked this fight.¡¯ While ring ck at Hemoria, Eugene unbuttoned the top button of his dress shirt. Chapter 155: The Inquisition (4)

Chapter 155: The Inquisition (4)

Their confrontation began with a brief silence. Eugene couldn¡¯t hear any more grinding noisesing from Hemoria¡¯s mouth. Instead, she red at Eugene with narrowed eyes, then unclenched her fist and showed her hand to him. Was she using signnguage again? Soon, Eugene smirked wryly. He had correctly guessed that Hemoria had held her hand up to convey some signnguage. However, this time, Lovellian¡¯s help wasn¡¯t needed to trante what she was trying to tell him. That was how explicit and easy to understand Hemoria¡¯s current use of signnguage was. Hemoria had just lifted up her index finger and then crooked it at him a few times. Eugene nodded in understanding as he stepped forward. ¡°It might be because an Inquisitor is still a priest, in the end, but it seems she¡¯s quite merciful,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. Thoughts such as desiring to check the skills of the new master of the Holy Sword, who had finally appeared after hundreds of years¡­ were understandable. And as an Inquisitor, she must be confident in her battle skill. But could Hemoria really be thinking that she could win this fight? ¡®There¡¯s no way that could be the case,¡¯Eugene thought dismissively. If Hemoria really did have such a thought, then there must be something wrong with her head. From the looks of it, her pride and stubbornness seemed quite strong, but it appeared that she had probably talked herself into a fight because she didn¡¯t like the look of Eugene and couldn¡¯t ept that he was the master of the Holy Sword. Of course, Eugene had no problems with epting such a fight. Because he felt the exact same dislike that Hemoria, no, that both the Inquisitors did. From openly praising him as the master of the Holy Sword to trying to find fault where there wasn¡¯t any to be found. ¡°Careful of your face,¡± Eugene said suddenly. Then he moved without caring whether or not Hemoria had managed to process these words. He took arge stride forward, but it wasn¡¯t just a simple step. A burst of mana pushed Eugene¡¯s body forward. This allowed Eugene to cover that considerable distance with just one step. After that, he swung at his target just like he had warned. Swish! Hemoria¡¯s short hair fluttered in the wind as she dodged, barely managing to avoid direct contact as Eugene¡¯s foot passed right in front of Hemoria¡¯s noise. Tap, tatap. After just one kick, Eugene took a few steps back, a grin on his face. Hemoria¡¯s finger, which was still outstretched, returned to its former position as she once more clenched her fists. Hemoria sprang into action. She daringly charged forward with a short hook of her fist. Bam! The fist that was about to drive into his side was caught by Eugene¡¯s hand. Hemoria¡¯s fist instantly unclenched, and her fingers intertwined with Eugene¡¯s. Eugene¡¯s eyes lit up as he felt an immense strength push his fingers back. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any movement of mana within the fingers that were intertwined with his. Simply and barbarically ¡ª Hemoria was merely exerting her strength without using mana. ¡®To have such power with her physique. Could she have a special constitution that makes her simr to a monster?¡¯Eugene spected. This wasn¡¯t a strength that could be obtained through training. As he watched his fingers bend to the limits of their range of motion, Eugene calmly thought to himself. If things went on like this, his bones would be broken. Though that was only if he stayed still like an idiot. Baaaam! Eugene¡¯s foot swept across the ground and struck Hemoria¡¯s ankle, causing her to flinch and sway backward. ¡®She¡¯s tough,¡¯Eugene observed. Once again, Eugene felt curious. Although he hadn¡¯t intended to shatter her ankle, he had hoped to at least twist it with that strike. However, Hemoria¡¯s foot hadn¡¯t even shaken. Instead, it felt like he had kicked a whole piece of iron without any joints. Eugene realized something,¡®Her body¡¯s density is different from a normal human¡¯s.¡¯ Was it drugs? Or perhaps it was a mixture of magic and surgical modifications? Either way, Hemoria¡¯s body wasn¡¯t entirely human. While clenching and unclenching his fingers that had almost been broken, Eugene kept an eye on Hemoria. However, Hemoria was just looking at Eugene with eyes full of disbelief. When his hand had descended to meet her fist, it had certainly been strong, but it had also been fast enough that she couldn''t react in time. The same went for that first step he had taken. Hemoria had been able to read his movements, but they had been so fast that it had been difficult for her to respond to them. The same event had yed out again just now. It had been Hemoria¡¯s turn to try and read his movements and block his attack, but that peculiar eleration¡­. It couldn¡¯t just be because of Eugene¡¯s physical abilities. If that were the case, there was no way that Hemoria could have overpowered him earlier. Atarax narrowed his eyes as he watched the spar. Hemoria was actually being overwhelmed in closebat. All of Hemoria¡¯s moves were blocked right before she could make them, and at the exact moment when Hemoria was unable to react, she was struck with precise counterattacks. ¡®There¡¯s something mixed in,¡¯Atarax realized. The way that Eugene¡¯s mana burst forth was simple yet peculiar. Something was mixed into his fighting style, but what¡­? Could it be something from the Lionheart n¡¯s White me Form? No, this was different. Rather than on the technique side of things, something seemed to be mixed in with his mana. Baaam! Hemoria¡¯s feet left the ground once more. There weren¡¯t any cries of pain this time, either. She had already been hammered in the jaw several times by now, but Hemoria was always able to react like she hadn¡¯t felt any pain. The same went for this time as well. ncing at his opponent¡¯s hands that were attempting to get close and grab hold of his body, Eugene used his other hand to grab one of Hemoria¡¯s wrists. He immediately twisted Hemoria¡¯s arm around behind her back. Although he had definitely dislocated her elbow, Hemoria¡¯s arm didn¡¯t seem to lose any strength. While twisting her dislocated arm, she tried to swing Eugene¡¯s whole body around. As such, Eugene let go of her arm without any hesitation. Eugene then mmed his fist into the side that had been leftpletely open by Hemoria¡¯s dislocated arm. He had already pounded that spot several times, but he couldn¡¯t feel any of the cracking sensations that should havee because Hemoria¡¯s ribs were so dense that they didn¡¯t seem human. ¡®I¡¯m sure of it now,¡¯Eugene thought as his brows furrowed. Apart from Eugene, most people wouldn¡¯t have been able to notice something else was going on. Indeed, it was because of one of his specialties from his previous life that Eugene had been able to discern what was happening ¡ª the ability to perfectly recover the mana drawn from his core without wasting any of it. Thanks to this ability, Eugene could feel that his mana was seeping into her with every blow against his own will. This wasn¡¯t just some coincidence. It had to be part of Hemoria¡¯s n. Since he wasn¡¯t using sword-force or any type of spell, the mana flowing through Eugene¡¯s body seeped into Hemoria whenever he came into contact with her body. ¡®Could it be a drain-type spell?¡¯Eugene wondered.¡®But it seems too subtle for something like that.¡¯ The mana being stolen wasn¡¯t strengthening Hemoria. Although there had to be some n where it could be used after it had been stolen, Hemoria didn¡¯t seem intent on using his stolen mana right now. ¡®How cheeky,¡¯Eugene thought to himself. They had asked him for a light spar. As such, Eugene had assumed both of them would be willing to hold back a little. If Eugene had really wanted to hurt Hemoria as much as he could, he could have finished her off immediately with just one blow. So Eugene didn¡¯t really appreciate the way Hemoria seemed to be nning on taking advantage of him, stealing away bits and pieces of his mana while refusing to let out any cries of pain. Eugene didn¡¯t know why she was called Guillotine Hemoria, but rather than wanting to find out why her nickname was the Guillotine, he wanted to hear moans and screamsing from behind that mask instead of that annoying grinding sound. Crackle. Lightning and sparks of me erupted from Eugene, scattering around him. Atarax¡¯s eyes trembled at the explosive burst of speed that Eugene showed next. Atarax wasn¡¯t alone in his surprise. Gilead and Klein were also surprised by Eugene¡¯s movements. Only Genos looked at Eugene with an unsurprised expression, even as the man felt his heart pounding in admiration. ¡®As expected of Sir Hamel,¡¯Genos thought proudly. The only ones here who knew Eugene¡¯s true identity were Genos and Mer. He definitely must not reveal that Eugene was actually Hamel¡­ so Genos quickly fixed his expression. As for Hemoria, she couldn¡¯t feel the same sense of surprise as her spectators. The distance between them was too close, so she experienced his speed before she could even sense it. Then, iparably faster than any attack that hade before it, a heavy blow impaled her side. Hemoria¡¯s body shook violently as she almost fell. Unable to properly adjust her body, she still swung her arms in an attempt to counterattack. After calmly retrieving his hand from her side, Eugene mmed his other fist into the center of Hemoria¡¯s unguarded chest. ¡°Kahagh!¡± Although she managed to hold back from screaming, Hemoria couldn¡¯t do anything about getting the breath knocked out of her. She tried to retreat as she staggered backward, but Eugene grabbed Hemoria¡¯s cor and pulled her closer. Crunch! A rising knee strike into her ribcage caused Hemoria¡¯s whole body to tremble. Eugene didn¡¯t stop there, unleashing consecutive attacks. With each attack, Eugene checked where the mana that was being sucked from him was gathering. It wasn¡¯t to the Core near her heart. Instead, the mana seeping into Hemoria¡¯s body was gathering into the dantian below the navel. ¡®The dantian?¡¯Eugene thought in puzzlement. He had heard of some mana training scriptures that gathered mana to that area, but¡­. Eugene examined Hemoria¡¯s body. Hemoria already had a Core near her heart, and what was being collected in her dantian was solely the mana she was secretly stealing from Eugene. ¡°You should have asked for permission first,¡± Eugene muttered as he grabbed Hemoria by the hair. Baaam! Aiming precisely at her dantian, Eugene mmed his fist straight into it. So far, Hemoria had never once released a groan of pain, but this time was different. Eugene heard a gasping from behind her metal mask. Her other reactions were also intense. Hemoria¡¯s body twisted violently, its movements going far beyond a normal joint¡¯s range of motion. As Hemoria fell to the ground, her fist rose upwards, aiming at Eugene¡¯s face. Her fist had enough power behind it that, if it managed tond properly, his head would explode like a balloon popped by a needle. ¡®She¡¯s furious,¡¯Eugene noted. Her strength was even stronger than before. Her speed had also risen. But all that said, the gap between Eugene and Hemoria still hadn¡¯t been closed. Under these conditions, Eugene couldn¡¯t imagine losing in a close-range battle. Hemoria¡¯s spine shook with rage, but her rage wasn¡¯t enough to sessfullynd a hit on Eugene. All of Hemoria¡¯s moves werepletely within the palm of Eugene¡¯s hand[1]. Eugene tenaciously aimed all of his attacks at one location, the ce where his stolen mana was gathered. Each time hended an attack there, a groan leaked out from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask. ¡°Kahagh!¡± After an unknown number of blows, when Eugene¡¯s fistnded on her dantian again, Hemoria couldn¡¯t endure it any longer. All the mana she had gathered in her dantian scattered as she tore off her mask in a coughing fit. Hemoria tried to stagger backward, but Eugene refused to just let her go like this and grabbed her by the hair once more. Then he mmed his fist into her dantian one more time. Hemoria¡¯s body was lifted off the ground by the preciselynded blow. Her body folded over like a shrimp as she let out a moan of agony. Seeing Hemoria¡¯s legs trembling shakily, Eugene clenched his fist again and drove in another blow. In the end, Hemoria wasn¡¯t able to endure any longer and copsed on the spot. Eugene didn¡¯t continue striking her, clearly raising his hands and backing away. While covering her stomach with both hands, Hemoria was wracked with hacking coughs. The torn-off mask fell to the ground. ¡°...Hm,¡± Eugene hummed consideringly as he openly stared at Hemoria¡¯s revealed face as he lowered his raised fists. He had been wondering how she was making such a grinding noise. It turned out that Hemoria¡¯s teeth were so sharp that they could hardly be recognized as human. After spitting out a mouthful of blood with a cough, Hemoria btedly realized that she had removed her mask. At that moment, Hemoria¡¯s eyes zed with even more fury than before. No longer gasping in pain, she immediately rushed at Eugene. With her jaws wide open, she tried to bite into Eugene¡¯s flesh with her sharp teeth like a wild beast. Of course, Eugene wouldn¡¯t just offer up his flesh like Hemoria wanted. He immediately took a step back as he swung his palm around. Bam! Hemoria¡¯s head spun to the side as she was thrown off her feet. After falling to the ground, Hemoria wasn¡¯t able to get up and continue charging at him. Instead, her split and bleeding lips twisted into a grimace as her fingers wed the ground. Her eyes were getting even redder. The blood dripping from her mouth boiled where it fell, and her wounds began regenerating. Drops of red blood started to gather in front of her churning lips. ¡°Enough,¡± Atarax shouted. Pop! The drops of blood that had gathered in front of Hemoria¡¯s lips disappeared with a soft burst. Eugene also heard his shout. However, he pretended not to hear him. While the drops of blood gathered in front of Hemoria¡¯s lips, Eugene had already arrived at her side. Baaaaam! A merciless swing of his footnded in Hemoria¡¯s stomach. ¡°Kahagh!¡± Blood sprayed out from between Hemoria¡¯s lips as her body was sent flying from the impact of his kick. Eugene slowly lowered the foot that he had just swung to the ground as heughed and said, ¡°Sorry, you should have said that a bit quicker.¡± ¡°Hack¡­! Kahagh! Kaaargh!¡± Havingnded back on the ground, Hemoria let out pained moans as she wrapped her arms around her stomach. Blood and saliva dripped down from her wide-stretched lips. Atarax reluctantly epted Eugene¡¯s half-hearted apology, ¡°...No, it¡¯s because my disciple was so stubborn. Even after realizing that she wouldn¡¯t be able to win, she still desperately tried to win somehow.¡± ¡°But it seems like she¡¯s not convinced of her defeat,¡± Eugene said as he nced down at Hemoria. Having barely managed to catch her breath, Hemoria rubbed away the blood around her mouth and then picked up the metal mask that had fallen to the ground. Eugene goaded, ¡°Sir Atarax if you let her off her leash, I don¡¯t mind continuing.¡± ¡°No, I''m afraid that we would be in a lot of trouble if we did so,¡± Atarax rejected. ¡°Why would that be?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene has enough spare ability to afford to do so, but I¡¯m afraid Hemoria can¡¯t keep this up. If we continue, Hemoria will surely cross the bounds of a light spar.¡± ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± ¡°How could that be? I¡¯m worried about my disciple.¡± Having said this, Atarax approached Hemoria and ced her cloak back around her shoulders. ¡°As expected of you, Sir Eugene,¡± Atarax acknowledged with a nod. ¡°Although it was just a light spar, I couldn¡¯t spot any ws in your physical skills. It was only natural for my disciple to be overwhelmed like this, and even if it were me facing you, I would definitely have suffered helplessly.¡± Eugene waved off the praise, ¡°You¡¯re being too humble.¡± ¡°One of my rare strengths is my modesty,¡± Atarax jokingly said with augh. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that blood magic just now?¡± Lovellian spoke up without any trace of amusement. While ring at the metal mask covering Hemoria¡¯s lips, he continued speaking, ¡°That¡¯s one of the ancient magics that were lost long ago. Even Aroth doesn¡¯t have theplete record of that type of magic, so how¡­?¡± ¡°To think that you were able to recognize such an old style of magic, I wouldn¡¯t have expected anything less from the Red Tower Master,¡± Atarax said as he turned to Lovellian with a calm expression. ¡°The Maleficarum is an organization that has been battling enemies of the faith ever since the church of light was founded. We are both priests and hunters, pdins and butchers. Is it really that strange that we use magic other than divine magic?¡± ¡°...Of course, that is certainly possible, but it can¡¯t be helped that ites as such a surprise. Blood magic is an ancient magic that even Aroth has failed to restore. And the reason noplete record remains to this day is that the Holy Empire dered blood magic to be a type of heresy long ago and had persecuted its practitioners.¡± This purge of magic urred in the Holy Empire a long time ago. At that time, the Holy Empire dered that all the various types of magic apart from divine magic were a form of heresy, so treating it like ck magic, they attempted to erase all other types of magic. This indiscriminate and self-righteous persecution wasn¡¯t only limited to wizards but also targeted spirit summoners, so countless spirit summoners and wizards were in by the Inquisitors of the Holy Empire. ¡°...That¡¯s a story from long ago,¡± Atarax pointed out without agitation. ¡°Also, the Holy Empire has already made amends for those crimes. In the temples of light we have raised all over the continent, there are facilities that care for children without parents, provide aid to those in need, supply free welfare, and much more. For such a long period following those witch hunts, the Holy Empire has¡­.¡± Atarax¡¯s boasts weren¡¯t anything worth listening to. Although it might be true that they had done more good than harm, to Eugene, that still made them no different from the Demon King of Incarceration. Even now, the Demon King of Incarceration was also giving reparation to other countries aspensation for the war three hundred years ago. ¡°Blood magic isn¡¯t heretical,¡± Atarax continued his exnation with a cheerful smile. ¡°That was all a misunderstanding based on its use of blood as a medium. The Holy Empire analyzed blood magic a long time ago and came to the conclusion that it isn¡¯t inherently evil like ck magic is.¡± ¡°...So now you¡¯re able to monopolize its use?¡± Lovellian questioned indignantly. ¡°Calling it a monopoly is rather hurtful. After all, doesn¡¯t Aroth im sole possession of many amazing examples of magic?¡± Atarax argued. ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not possessing; it¡¯s protecting. Since a long time ago, some bastards did something crazy like trying to purge all magic,¡± Melkith muttered with a derisive snort. Atarax shot a nce at Melkith before continuing to speak, ¡°...That was¡­ a regrettable incident. Everyone has things they regret from their immature childhood. If you are interested in learning blood magic¡­ please feel free to visit the headquarters of the Maleficarum. We don¡¯t put too many restrictions on what we teach or who we teach it to.¡± ¡°As long as we consent to be baptized by the light, that is,¡± Melkith finished for him. ¡°It¡¯s not like you have to face a difficult choice on which god to serve, now do you?¡± Atarax asked with a wide smile. Grik. Once again, the sound of grinding teeth leaked from behind Hemoria¡¯s mask. * * * ¡°You were far too reckless,¡± Atarax chided with a deep sigh as he took off his shako. ¡°I never said you could expose your teeth, now did I?¡± Hemoria lowered her head as she stood there with her hands sped behind her back. Atarax looked at his distraught disciple, then he slowly shook his head. ¡°...Well¡­. Judging by his insistence in aiming for your dantian, it seems that he saw through the ruse immediately, but¡­ no matter how angry you were, you still shouldn¡¯t have shown your teeth without my permission. Ah, but that restriction doesn¡¯t apply if you truly need to defend yourself,¡± Atarax reminded her. In reply, Hemoria raised her hands. ¡®I¡¯m sorry.¡¯ Hemoria conveyed her apology through signnguage. Atarax clicked his tongue and continued, ¡°Since you¡¯ve had to endure a lot, and you¡¯ve already been beaten severely, I won¡¯t punish you for the transgression. But still¡­ is there really not even a little of his mana left?¡± ¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯Hemoria signed. ¡°No matter how focused he was on attacking your dantian¡­ isn¡¯t it strange that not even a little bit of it was left?¡± ¡®Eugene Lionheart¡¯s mana is strange.¡¯ ¡®He was also far too quick in noticing it.¡¯ ¡®All of the mana I stole from him has disappeared.¡¯ Atarax¡¯s expression contorted as he read Hemoria¡¯s signnguage. Something was mixed into Eugene¡¯s mana. He was able to tell that much just from watching the spar. The mes of the White me Form and¡­ that peculiar lightning. ¡®If Hemoria had only been able to sneak away some mana, I could have analyzed it,¡¯Atarax sighed in unavoidable regret. Eugene was the hero recognized by the Holy Sword. Although they weren¡¯t too sure about his personality, his talent and skills were the real deal. Even though both participants in the spar had ced restrictions on themselves, Hemoria had still beenpletely overwhelmed. ¡®...What if we get a hold of his blood?¡¯Hemoria proposed. ¡°You really want to infiltrate the Lionheart n¡¯s territory?¡± Atarax shook his head with augh and said, ¡°We might have used an aggressive method to try and test him, but the hero of the Holy Sword is not our enemy.¡± ¡®Master, do you really think that he is worthy of being called the hero?¡¯Hemoria asked skeptically. ¡°The fact that he has drawn the Holy Sword is irrefutable. Also, hasn¡¯t he done something that only a hero could do? Even if they were just the dregs, he destroyed the remnants of the Demon Kings.¡± Atarax¡¯sughter subsided as he muttered, ¡°...However¡­ for it to be another Lionheart¡­ God really can be quite cruel. To set aside his countless followers and pick a Lionheart once more¡­ and for the ownership of the Holy Sword to be given to a Lionheart in the same generation that a Lionheart fell to the seductions of the Demon Kings¡¯ remnants.¡± ¡®The Holy Sword isn¡¯t the only special existence.¡¯Hemoria continued to borate in signnguage,¡®The Holy Empire has the Saint of Brilliant Light. She might still only be a candidate, but Assistant Bishop Kristina has the exact same appearance as the Faithful Anise.¡¯ ¡°...Haha¡­ you¡¯re right. We still have the Saint candidate,¡± Atarax agreed with a smile as he looked at the faith sparkling within Hemoria¡¯s eyes. Grk. Grinding her teeth, Hemoria continued to admit in signnguage,¡®I still wish that I could have be the master of the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Ataraxforted her. Fwoosh. mes erupted from a match that Atarax was holding in his fingers. He lit the end of the cigarette in his mouth, then shook the match to extinguish it. Atarax muttered around his cigarette, ¡°It seems that faith alone is not enough to make you the master of the Holy Sword.¡± Chapter 156: The Inquisition (5)

Chapter 156: The Inquisition (5)

¡°I won¡¯t ept your intention to resign,¡± Klein, the newly appointed Head of the Council, made clear from the very beginning. Gilead didn¡¯t respond to these words immediately and just pursed his lips. The two were currently sitting at the Round Table within the ck Lion Castle. ¡°I know what you must be thinking, and I also know that you¡¯re feeling guilty. However, the Lionheart n will be thrown into even greater chaos if you decide to take responsibility for this incident by resigning from your office.¡± Klein continued speaking without losing momentum, ¡°If you abdicate from your seat as the Patriarch, just who in the world do you think we can turn to as our next Patriarch? Gion, who has joined the ck Lions? Or Gilford, who has already left to form his own coteral line? If that happens, then what should we do with your wife and children?¡± Hesitantly, Gilead attempted to reply, ¡°...That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°It would all be tough to deal with,¡± Klein pressed onwards. ¡°Having abdicated from your position as the Patriarch, should we allow you to remain as part of the main family? Or else should we send you out to start a new coteral line? And what should we do with the next Patriarch? No matter how you think about it, it would all be far from easy to handle and lead to an utter mess. As such, I order you to put up with your shame and humiliation and just keep sitting in the seat as the Patriarch.¡± Eugene had also been invited to sit at the Round Table with them. As he listened to Klein speak, Eugene nodded inwardly to himself. ¡®If Gilead steps down from his position as the Patriarch at this point, Anci¡¯s eyes are sure to roll up to the back of her head.¡¯ Anci¡¯s personality had be more amiable because her position in the main family had been strengthened, and Cyan had been confirmed as the next Patriarch. But what if they were forced to leave the main family at this point, or questions about who the next Patriarch should truly be arise? It was all but a certainty that Anci would run wild. Gilead hesitantly tried to argue, ¡°...However¡­ this incident urred due to my inadequacies as a father. Since I have harmed the n due to my shorings, I should take responsibility for it¡­.¡± ¡°The responsibility for this is not yours alone, but the Lionheart n¡¯s as a whole,¡± Klein growled out as he waved off Gilead¡¯s confession. ¡°This problem wasn¡¯t caused by your son, Eward Lionheart, alone; instead, it was an eruption of a problem that has long-festered at the heart of the Lionheart n.¡± Gilead silently acknowledged this truth. ¡°The deceased former Council Head has left behind a will thatys out this matter clearly. As the new Council Head, and a long-time senior of the Lionheart n, I will do everything I can to ensure that the family does not experience a problem like this in the future,¡± Klein sincerely vowed. ¡°He left behind a will¡­?¡± Gilead asked hesitantly. Klein coughed in response and stood up to read out the will. The following talk between the two men followed along the lines of the topics that Eugene had brought up with Doynes. There was to be a massive expansion in the recruitment and training for the ck Lions and an abolishment of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony so that from this year onwards, all coteral branches would have the same freedom to train their mana and swordsmanship that the main family did. ¡°...The White me Form will still remain in the main family¡¯s possession, but the abolishment of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony should convince all the coteral lines that change truly hase to the Lionheart n,¡± Klein concluded. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ was all that really in the former Council Head¡¯s will?¡± Gilead asked doubtfully. ¡°Are you surprised by this? So was I. However, he truly did leave such a will before he finally rested his eyes,¡± Klein then let out a long sigh and sat down. ¡°...Although it¡¯s sudden¡­ and honestly hard to ept, the elders, including myself, have decided to validate his will. Thistest situation was triggered by the dissatisfaction of the coteral bloodlines, which umted due to the stale tradition of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, so it is time to admit that it has rotted us from within.¡± Gilead hesitated, unable to figure out what to say. The fact that the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony wasn¡¯t a well-thought-out tradition was something that Gilead had already felt for some time now. However, the tradition wasn¡¯t something that could easily be corrected, even when everyone knew that there was something wrong with it. ¡°...The Lionheart n¡­ it really is changing,¡± Gilead realized with some shock. ¡°It has to change,¡± Klein agreed with a deep sigh. ¡°We should have changed before now¡­. No, that wouldn¡¯t have been possible. If we hadn¡¯t experienced this kind of pain, then we would never have even thought of changing¡­.¡± ¡°...I also believe that increasing the ck Lions¡¯ strength is a necessity,¡± Gilead eventually said, having pushed down his turbulent emotions. ¡°...It¡¯s a bitte to inform you of this, but the Emperor of Kiehl has said that, in order to prepare for Helmuth¡¯s schemes, he wants to promote unity between the knightly orders from each country.¡± ¡°Unity?¡± Klein repeated. The other elders who had gathered here today also began showing interest in Gilead¡¯s words. Gilead coughed as he felt all of their gazes focus on him and then continued to speak, ¡°Yes. All of Kiehl¡¯s allies will be invited to a conference, including whichever of the smaller countries that wish to participate. ¡­It hasn¡¯t been fully confirmed yet, but it seems that any mercenary corp of simr size to a knightly order may also be allowed to participate.¡± ¡°I see,¡± Klein muttered as his brow furrowed. ¡°For him to invite the knights and mercenaries from other countries¡­ it seems that the emperor wants to hold a contest of strength in the name of unity.¡± There were several famous knightly orders on this continent. The likes of Blood Cross Knights of the Holy Empire of Yuras, the Sea Kingdom Shimuin¡¯s Storm Knights, the White Dragon Knights of the Kiehl Empire, the Ruhr Kingdom¡¯s White Fangs, Nahama¡¯s Sand Scorpions¡­ and the Lionheart n¡¯s Knights of the ck Lion and Knights of the White Lion. But which one among all of them was the strongest knightly order? Such a question couldn¡¯t be answered hastily. Of course, the Emperor of Kiehl had always believed that his White Dragon Knights were the best, but before now, hecked the opportunity to prove so. Gilead exined, ¡°Through this Unity Conference, each of the knightly orders will have the opportunity to cross arms to promote camaraderie¡­.¡± ¡°If all of the empires and kingdoms gather their forces to one location, then even the Demon Kings of Helmuth may begin to feel a little nervous,¡± Klein said optimistically. Gilead justughed, ¡°Hahaha¡­ even though the Demon King of Incarceration has shown no reaction to having the Anti-Demon Alliance and the Blood Cross Knights stationed at the borders of Helmuth?¡± Changing the subject, Klein asked, ¡°Did the Emperor tell you where he ns to hold the Unity Conference?¡± ¡°Of course, he¡¯s nning on holding it within the borders of Kiehl,¡± Gilead answered, though his brows furrowed in skepticism. ¡°There¡¯s no way that will happen,¡± Klein clicked his tongue as he shook his head in disappointment at the Emperor¡¯s naivety. ¡°After all, this incident is bigger than Kiehl, now isn¡¯t it? So the only possibility is¡­ it has to be Ruhr.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve concluded as well,¡± Gilead agreed. While listening to the conversation between the elders and the Patriarch, Eugene kept his mouth shut. However, he could no longer contain his curiosity at this news, so he looked over to Genos, standing behind Klein, and met his gaze. Genos coughed, ¡°...Ahem¡­ the reason why Ruhr is highly likely to be the site of the Unity Conference¡­ should be the strong aura of legitimacy that the Ruhr¡¯s royal family holds.¡± ¡°Legitimacy?¡± Eugene repeated questioningly. Genos replied, ¡°The royal family of Ruhr are the direct descendants of the Brave Molon. Of course, we Lionhearts are also the descendants of the Great Vermouth, and Lady Sienna¡¯s disciples can be found in Aroth, but¡­.¡± ¡°The biggest reason should be that, only one hundred years ago, Sir Molon was spotted on the founding anniversary of the Ruhr Kingdom, right?¡± Gilead picked up where Genos had left off. ¡°After that, he disappeared again, but Sir Molon¡¯s death has yet to be revealed to the world. The royal family of Ruhr will only say that Sir Molon¡¯s current whereabouts are ¡®hidden.¡¯¡± ¡°...Aha, so you¡¯re saying everyone is hoping Sir Molon will make an appearance at the Unity Conference?¡± Eugene said as his eyes shone in excitement, and he nodded in understanding. ¡°That should be the biggest reason for it,¡± Gilead confirmed. ¡°Considering that the Demon King of Incarceration has given us that warning, in this current era, you never know when Helmuth might reveal its despicable intentions. In such turbulent times, if a hero who personally faced the Demon Kings three hundred years ago were to add his support¡ª¡± ¡°Ahehem¡­,¡± Genos coughed awkwardly. Gilead turned to Genos in concern, ¡°...Lord Genos? Is something the matter? Are you feeling ufortable¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s¡­ ahem¡­ it¡¯s nothing. I suddenly got something stuck in my throat¡­ ahem¡­. Sometimes I just get these uncontroble coughs¡­,¡± Genos weakly tried to excuse himself. But the moment Eugene red piercingly at Genos, he quickly regained control of his breath. ¡°...When will the Unity Conference be held?¡± Klein asked. ¡°Since His Majesty is showing great enthusiasm for the idea, we will probably receive the news within the year,¡± Gilead revealed. Klein sighed, ¡°How tant¡­ since this incident has also taken ce, it seems that he ns to make public the fact that the situation of the Lionheart n isn¡¯t what it used to be?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not unusual behavior for them, is it? Throughout the years, the sessive Emperors of Kiehl have always wanted to prove that their White Dragon Knights are superior to the ck Lions and the White Lions. They¡¯ve always wanted to take possession of the strength of the Lionheart n for themselves,¡± Gilead said with some resignation. ¡°It seems we¡¯ll be forced to show them quite a pathetic and shameful appearance. With the Immortal White Lion dead and his sessor, Dominic¡­,¡± unable to properly finish the sentence, the new Council Head let out a deep sigh. ¡°...The destruction of the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer will also greatly impact our prestige.¡± ¡°However, Lady Carmen is still here, isn¡¯t she? There¡¯s also Lord Genos, and as for the strength of the Knights of the ck Lion¡­,¡± Gilead hesitated, unsure how to finish. Genos pessimistically assessed, ¡°It would be fair to say that the strength of the ck Lions has fallen by halfpared to our heyday.¡± ¡°That might not necessarily be the case,¡± Klein argued as he patted his knees and raised his head. ¡°Don¡¯t we have the person responsible for destroying the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer here with us?¡± All the elders¡¯ eyes turned to Eugene. Eugene blinked calmly, then he scratched his cheek and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll do the best I can,¡± he promised them. Perhaps because he had already refused them before, none of them asked him to join the Knights of the ck Lion once more. ¡®If that Unity Conference is going to be held in Ruhr, that works out well for me,¡¯Eugene thought. It was a ce he still needed to visit at some point, but since it was so far away, it was a bit of a hassle for him to go there alone. But if Molon was still alive¡­ then just like everyone was hoping for, he would definitely make an appearance at the Unity Conference. ¡®Unless his personality has changed significantly in the past three hundred years, that is,¡¯Eugene considered cautiously. Since the old days, Molon always enjoyed feasting andpeting with others. If arge number of knights and other powerful warriors from foreign countries gathered together in the middle of his kingdom, Molon was sure to make an appearance, even if it was just to prove that he was still the strongest and most skilled warrior. ¡®If he¡¯s still alive,¡¯Eugene silently sighed. Eugene recalled Molon and his poor grasp of themonnguage. Even after wandering together for over ten years, Molon¡¯s rough way of speaking had never shown any improvement. He was simple and honest, and even though he had skillful techniques, rather than disying them, he preferred to challenge his foes from the front, confronting them in terms of strength rather than skill. No matter the situation or what manner of foe they had encountered, Molon had always been the first to charge forward. Whenever the battle ended, with him being the first to get injured, Molon would promise them each time that he would make sure to look ahead and think before he jumped into action next time. They had all trusted him, and that faith had never once been shaken. If it was Molon, he would be able to endure it. With Molon, they could break through this. If Molon was with them, they would be fine. Though Molon wasn¡¯t the only one to whom such trust was directed. Hamel, Sienna, Molon, Anise, and Vermouth ¡ª all five of them had trusted in each other. Because of their unconditional trust in each other, they were able to advance through Helmuth¡¯s terrible gloom. They had never betrayed each other, never fled alone, and it was because they all believed that they shared the same determination to fight that they were able to confront the Demon Kings without doubting each other. ¡®...Molon,¡¯Eugene thought wistfully as he pondered hisplex mix of emotions. Although it had been so long since they hadst seen each other, Eugene could still clearly recall Molon¡¯s appearance and voice as if they had just met. It wasn¡¯t just Molon, but Sienna, Anise, and Vermouth as well. Eugene could still vividly remember how they had all fought together, carrying the same goals and guarding each other¡¯s backs. ¡®I just can¡¯t imagine the sight of you looking old or weak.¡¯ While recalling the appearance of his old friend, Eugene clenched his fists tightly. * * * The day after their meeting had ended, Eugene came out to the warp gate in front of ck Lion Castle. Since there was no reason to continue staying in ck Lion Castle any longer, he was here to make an early return to the main estate. He had heard that the Inquisitors from the Holy Empire had returned earlier that morning. They hadn¡¯t asked anyone to see them off and, unlike when they had arrived, they quietly left the castle. ¡®I should have asked them to pass on my greetings to Kristina,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully for a few moments, but then he realized there was no need to say something so pointless. Atarax was good at subtly getting on people¡¯s nerves, and Hemoria had openly ground her sharp, bestial teeth at them. No matter how Eugene thought about it, neither of them seemed cordial enough to do Eugene such a favor. ¡°...It looks like I¡¯ll have to stay here at the castle until the end of the month,¡± Gilead spoke up with a wry smile. ¡°...We need to ensure that this incident is dealt with properly, and I also need to visit the grave of the deceased, former Council Head.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Doynes¡¯ grave either. Eward had massacred all of Count Bossar¡¯s household, including Tanis. Their funerals had already been arranged, and another lord had been appointed to inherit Count Bossar¡¯s fief. Klein and the other elders had already bowed their heads in apology to appease Bossar¡¯s enraged rtives. But separate from them, Gilead also needed to offer his apologies. Or at least, that¡¯s how Gilead felt. So he first needed to visit the Bossar n¡¯s graveyard, and once that was dealt with, he also needed to visit the family of the deceased Deacon who had been used as a sacrifice. And after that? He needed to announce the abolishment of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony while also dealing with the influential figures from the coteral bloodlines who would be sure to visit ck Lion Castle. Usually, any such meetings would be held at the main estate, but with the announcement of the abolition of the age-old tradition and the other changes urring to the Lionheart n¡¯s long-standing traditions, it was only natural that these meetings would be held at ck Lion Castle, where the elders would make themselves avable. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll be able to return before the month is over,¡± Eugene opined. ¡°I also feel the same way,¡± Gilead agreed with a nod as he continued to smile bitterly. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to return until next month at the verytest. Since Cyan has said that he will remain in this castle with me and continue his training until it¡¯s time¡­ I¡¯ll leave the main estate in your hands until my return.¡± ¡°Lady Anci and Lady Carmen will also be there,¡± Eugene assured him. ¡°You forgot to mention Gerhard,¡± Gilead said in a reminder. Only for Eugene to scoff, ¡°My father won¡¯t be of much help even if he is there¡­.¡± Upon hearing Eugene make such a joke, Gilead forced his sunken cheeks into an awkward smile. Seeing this reaction, Eugene felt there hadn¡¯t been any point in making such a joke. The forced smile of a sick man, who looked as though he might copse at any time, just looked pitiful. ¡°...Ciel will also return to the main estate soon, won¡¯t she?¡± Eugene said as he turned to look behind Gilead, only for Ciel Lionheart to poke her head out from behind a wall of the castle and roll her eyes at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m only going back so I can continue learning from Lady Carmen,¡± Ciel insisted. ¡°Who even questioned that?¡± Eugene simply responded. ¡°I¡¯m free to return to my home whenever I like.¡± ¡°Like I said, who even questioned that.¡± Ciel¡¯s tone was a bit petnt. Part of her wanted to tell him to wait a few more days so they could return together, but Ciel couldn¡¯t. She had decided to stay at ck Lion Castle for a little longer because she was worried about the suffering her father was going through. Since Gilead would also likely require an assistant, Ciel was thinking of apanying Gilead on his visit to the Bossar family¡¯s graveyard and then to Deacon¡¯s family as well. ¡°...Make sure to tell mother that my brother and I are in good health and we don¡¯t have any injuries,¡± Ciel reluctantly entreated. ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene grunted in response before turning to look at Gilead. ¡°If that¡¯s all, I¡¯ll see you when you return to the main estate, Uncle.¡± As he saw Eugene approach him with his hand outstretched, Gilead gave a faint smile and said, ¡°...Thank you.¡± Gilead epted the handshake of his foster child with whom he shared not a drop of blood. It seemed like only yesterday when he had first adopted Eugene as his foster child, but the hand he was holding didn¡¯t have any traces of that former youth left on it. This made Gilead¡¯s heart ache even further. He could still clearly remember what his foster child''s hand had felt like when they had first met, but¡­ he found that he couldn¡¯t clearly remember how his eldest son, Eward¡¯s, hands had felt. Ovee by guilt and remorse, Gilead closed his eyes. ¡®...Uncle?¡¯Ciel thought, her lips protruding in a pout. It was obvious who Eugene was referring to by that title, but why was Gilead now ¡®uncle¡¯? Thest time the two had met, she was sure that Eugene had paid attention to the line between them and had kept referring to her father as ¡®Sir Gilead.¡¯ ¡®Well¡­ calling him Uncle¡­ isn¡¯t all that bad¡­,¡¯Ciel realized consideringly. ¡°Call me big sis,¡± Ciel demanded. ¡°Have you started drinking so early in the day?¡± Eugene asked. Ciel argued, ¡°Why won¡¯t you call me big sis when you can call my father your ¡®uncle¡¯?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what that has to do with anything,¡± Eugene muttered as he turned around. The warp gate had been connected since earlier, and Dyad, the Captain of the Sixth Division in charge of maintaining it, was sending him a hurrying look. ¡°Try to stay out of trouble, and give Uncle a shoulder massage when you have the time,¡± Eugene advised her. ¡°...You¡¯re talking like an old man again,¡± Ciel sulked. Without saying anything further, Eugene headed into the warp gate. Once he returned to the main estate, the first thing that he would need to do would be to fully exin the situation to Anci and Carmen. After that, he would have to test out the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer in the forest where the elves now lived. And perhaps during that process, he might just sneak into the estate¡¯s leyline for a bit. ¡®They should forgive me for that much,¡¯Eugene mused. After he had finished his maintenance of the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear, Eugene would also need to start preparing. ¡®...Iris,¡¯Eugene rolled the name around his head. It was about time for the Rakshasa Princess to show up. Favorite Chapter 157: The Capital (1)

Chapter 157: The Capital (1)

Eugene was sitting upright in the center of the Lionhearts¡¯ forest. The talkative Mer wasn¡¯t with him right now. The Lionheart family¡¯s second mistress, Anci, was affluential in the high society of the capital Ceres. But many Lionheart knights didn¡¯t respect her as much as they respected their more conspicuous Patriarch, Gilead. Still, she was well aware of what went on in high society and influenced the other members into making decisions in her favor even though she did not participate much in social parties. That was how she acquired the nickname ¡®The Lioness of High Society.¡¯ However, the Lionheart family¡¯s reputation was now in the gutter because of Eward. To continue her reign over the high society, there was a lot of stuff Anci had to do, such as personally writing letters to the nobles and even attending parties that she had rarely attended before.Since there were some lowlifeswho spoke badly of the Lionhearts at banquets or tea parties, Anci had to ckmail them in the name of gifts[1]. She also had to warn and, if needed, threaten the press to keep them from publishing any articles or tabloids about the Lionhearts. To sum up, she was under a lot of stress. She usually had her own methods of relieving stress, like downing sses of wine before going to bed or a good, hard jog before dawn in her training suit until she was out of breath. These days, however, Anci had not needed any of her usual go-to stress-relieving tactics. Mer currently happened to be in the main estate ¡ª the very person with whom Anci could fulfill her fantasy and interact to get rid of regrets from her previous parenting. Anci realized that dressing, feeding, and adoring this little girl were just as effective, if not more, in relieving her stress. Therefore, Mer was with Anci right now. In fact, Eugene couldn¡¯t have let Mer stay by his side even if Anci hadn¡¯t wished to spend time with her. ¡®She mightbe negatively affected by this,¡¯Eugene thought. When Eugene saw the Lightning me for the first time, Melkith warned him that Mer¡¯s form might get damaged while Eugene tried to make the Lightning me surrender. If Mer¡¯s control form got damaged, it was impossible for the current Eugene to restore it. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±Eugene slightly changed his upright sitting position a couple of times as he got absorbed in his thoughts. After the World Tree¡¯s seedlings had been moved to the Lionhearts¡¯ forest, they had rooted themselves in the ground and touched the leyline that was created by Vermouth hundreds of years ago. Only a month had passed since then, but this forest had be lively and was now green all year round, just like Tempest and Melkith had said. Although the number of fairy trees hadn¡¯t increased yet, and neither had the World Tree¡¯s seedlings gotten any bigger¡­Eugene could feel the same amount ofWorld Tree¡¯s spirits as that of the elven sanctuary. ¡°They really don¡¯t listen to me,¡± Eugene grumbled.He could only feel them; he still couldn¡¯t control the World Tree¡¯s Spirit.Even thoughhe hadalready tried when the Lightning me blended into his body for the first time,those spiritscontinued to not answer Eugene¡¯s calls. ¡®Inever counted on it, though.¡¯Eughought as he scratched his head. He pulled out the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear from the Cloak of Darkness. Despite the fact that they were used to fight the intense battle at ck Lion Castle, these two weapons were fortunately intact. There was not a single crack on them. When Eugene tightly grabbed the Demon Spear, it squirmed like bulging veins. It had a curvy de, simr to a sea wave, and was longer and sharper than most des. The Annihtion Hammer looked just like a giant hammer. The Demon Spear was too long and stood taller than Eugene, but the Annihtion Hammer matched Eugene¡¯s height. However, it was heavy. Rather than using this giant hammer as a weapon, it would be better for Eugene to smash boulders in a mine. In other words, the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear were currently just weird-looking metal pieces. On top of that, these weapons were hard to handle. Eugene could only use these as a hammer and a spear. It was because their demonic energy and the Demon Kings¡¯ remnants had beenpletely obliterated by the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. Eugene squinted in thought as he held the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer in both hands. Regardless of their states, he could still use them as weapons. Even after thorough analysis, he wasn¡¯t sure what these weapons were made of, but he could infuse a lot of mana in them.However, that didn¡¯t mean much. He could also infuse a lot of mana in Wynnyd and Azphel. While Eugene infused mana into Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear, he could see the part of his Lightning me in his mana seep into them. ¡®I can¡¯t analyze their spell forms.¡¯ Eugene did check their forms through Akasha. The Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer had forms to recreate the Demon Kings¡¯ ability, but the forms didn¡¯t exist separately. Rather than being engraved in the weapons, they were ¡®melted¡¯ into them, bing one with their respective weapons.Therefore,he couldn¡¯t modify or separate the forms from the Spear or the Hammer. ¡®Icannot even understand these forms, so it¡¯s not surprising.¡¯ With ordinary mana, Eugene couldn¡¯t recreate the lost ability of the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer.Would it be different if he used demonic energy? Yes, it probably would, but Eugene would never try to control demonic energy unless he went nuts. Yet, there was some good news: Eugene saw a possibility of recreating the ability of the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. And the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer turned out to be excellent catalysts. Woosh! The white me rose up from Eugene. Then, holding the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer in each hand, Eugene focused on connecting his Cores and making them spin in a circle. When his Cores began to spin,Eugene¡¯s me became bigger, and the Lightning me sparked around him. Oooo! As if they were answering to the Ring me Form, the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer howled. Eugene red at the two weapons, feeling his stinging skin.Theweapons weren¡¯t taking away Eugene¡¯s mana; instead, Eugene was practically shoving his mana into them. Eugene¡¯s current mana was immense and pure, and no one would believe that he had only trained for seven years. He was shovingthatmana into the weapons to the point of scraping the bottom of his mana barrel. Wrapped around the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer, Eugene¡¯s sword-force became sorge that the fierce me-like force couldn¡¯t be any bigger.Under Eugene¡¯s control, his force was condensed. When Eugene poured his mana to the limit, his mana seeped into the weapons little by little, but this wasn¡¯t surprising.For the pastfifteen days, he had repeatedly done this whenever his mana was replenished.This forest wasfull of mana ¡ª the World Tree¡¯s seedlings were here, and the leyline was close by. Even if Eugene used his mana to the brink of depletion,the efficient White me Form helped Eugene recover his mana in less than half a day. ¡®I thinkI¡¯m almost there¡­.¡¯ Just when Eugene felt an ache from his Cores that were being depleted¡­ Crack! ¡­he could hear different sounds from the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. The two weapons were originally ck, but they started to turn white within the mes of the White me Form. Small cracks spread on the surface of the weapons immediately after the weapons changed their colors. Crack¡­! Craaack! The Lightning me in Eugene¡¯s mana seeped in through the weapons¡¯ cracks. That wasn¡¯t it. No matter how many times Eugene had called them previously, the World Tree¡¯s spirits never approached Eugene, but those fog-like beings now came up to Eugene as if being attracted to him like mas. As the Lightning me sparked, the World Tree¡¯s spirits blended themselves into the me, bing a part of Eugene¡¯s mana. Then again, Eugene¡¯s mana seeped into the cracks of the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. Eugene watched everything as his consciousness clouded. ¡®Should I stop?¡¯Eugene pondered. Although the World Tree¡¯s spirit had been added to his mana, the total amount of Eugene¡¯s mana didn¡¯t significantly increase. His Cores were already on the brink of getting depleted. If Eugene continued to infuse his mana into these two weapons, he might pass out from exhaustion or acquire a chronic injury in his Cores. ¡®I¡¯m not going to be fucked, ri¡­?¡¯ Booom! The Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer exploded.The explosions were sudden, but Eugene wasn¡¯t flustered or let go of the two weapons as he hadn¡¯t missed the telltale signs of those weapons¡¯ mana flows exploding after they were distorted. ¡°Shit.¡±Eugene looked at his arms, crumpling up his face. Thankfully, his bones and muscles weren¡¯t injured, but his skin was reddened and stung as if Eugene had acquired a slight burn. Eugene¡¯s Ring me and the Lightning me disappeared as the explosions subsided.However,they weren¡¯t technically gone. The cracks on the weapons were now filled up. The Lightning me inside Eugene¡¯s mana was added to the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer, bing one with the weapons. To put it shortly, the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer were connected to Eugene. Grinning, Eugene held up the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±Hebegan to utilizehis mana as he kept on grinning. Pzzz! Even with little mana, he could form sword-force around the two weapons. With a big smile, Eugene looked at the Lightning me as it sparked around the weapons. No, he shouldn¡¯t be satisfied already. ¡®I will first start with the Annihtion Hammer,¡¯Eugene thought. After putting down the Demon Spear, Eugene held up the Annihtion Hammer with both hands. He first looked around to decide where he was going to swing it. Then, after choosing a suitable location,Eugene swung the Hammer downward. Crack! The strong air current created by the Hammer overwhelmed the nearby area. Eugene had doneit. Of course, his Annihtion Hammer couldn¡¯t bepared to the Demon King¡¯s or Eward¡¯s.Still,Eugene had sessfully used the Annihtion Hammer¡¯s ability without usingdemonic energy. He was a bit dizzy, though. Although he had expected it, Eugene had to use a lot of his mana to use the Annihtion Hammer¡¯s ability. ¡®¡­It¡¯s not burdensome. I can spare this much mana.¡¯ He also had to take into ount that he didn¡¯t have much mana left in his Cores. The power of his Annihtion Hammer¡­ had also weakened, but Eugene could still use the Hammer inbat. ¡®It will be stronger over time.¡¯ Next, Eugene picked up the Demon Spear. He calcted the coordinates to make the thorns rise, then thrust the Spear into the ground. Replicating the sessful activation of the Annihtion Hammer¡¯s attack, this time, thorns rose up from the ground at the exact coordinates calcted by Eugene. However, the radius of the Forest was smaller than Dominic¡¯s, and the arrangement of the thorns was also bad. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t disappointed. Since the Lightning me had been blended into the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer, their powers would keep growing significantly as he became stronger. ¡°¡­Hmm¡­¡±Eugene was about to put those two weapons inside the Cloak, but he had to stop. When the weapons were halfway inside the Cloak,Eugene could feel that someone was fervently watchinghim. The fervor in the person¡¯s eyes intensified when Eugene ignored them and put the weapons in.Unable to understand what was going on, Eugene pulled out the weapons a little bit, and the fervor in the gaze subsided slightly. ¡°¡­Why are you staring at me like that?¡±Eugene turned around, holding back his sighs. From behind a faraway tree, Carmen Lionheart stuck out her head. She was gloomily watching Eugene with squinted eyes. With a sour face, Eugene tilted his head in confusion.¡°¡­Um¡­. You are not suddenly going to reprimand me for owning the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer, right?¡± He had told Carmen in advance about his owning the two weapons. Eugene had to tame the weapons in the forest,butit was impossible to fool Carmen¡¯s eyes. Carmen was grateful that Eugene had sorted out the incident at ck Lion Castle, and she had also checked that there wasn¡¯t a single trace of demonic energy on both weapons.Therefore,she readily agreed to Eugene¡¯s ownership of these two weapons, but why was she looking at him like that? Unable to understand her intention, Eugene just blinked. Carmen walked out from behind the tree, clearing her throat.¡°¡­I heard an explosion.¡± ¡°Ah¡­well¡­that was because of me.¡± ¡°I felt a surprisingly immense amount of mana.¡± ¡°That was also¡ª¡± ¡°Youhave just used ¡®Pressure¡¯ with the Annihtion Hammer and ¡®Spear Forest¡¯ with the Demon Spear¡­right?¡± ¡°Uhm¡­ I told you before, I¡¯m going to tame them so I can use¡­.¡± Before Eugene could finish, Carmen held out her right arm sideways. Due to her sudden movement, Eugene took a step back in surprise. To let Eugene see what she was doing,Carmenrevealed the thing in her right hand ¡ª a silver pocket watch. ¡°Form Change,¡± Carmen spoke quietly. Click! Eugene could hear a low machine soundinside the pocket watch.When it opened, the clock¡¯s hands turned, and its lid split apart. Unable to say anything, Eugene just watched the whole thing happen.It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say the watch was the essence of cutting-edge alchemical technologies. The pocket watch, which was as small as Carmen¡¯s palm, split into pieces and extended itself, wrapping around Carmen¡¯s right arm. ¡°This is myHeaven Genocide¡¯s Destiny Form.¡± Eugene silently listened to Carmen¡¯s exnation. ¡°If anyone sees this arm¡­ someone has to die.¡± ¡°¡­Do I have to die?¡± Eugeneasked. ¡°Since I have no intention of dying, you will if we begin to y with fate,¡± Carmen said asshe clenched her fists. Her sharp fingers were covered in silver metal. Squeak. ¡°But I don¡¯t fight to the death with my family,¡± she continued. ¡°¡­Is that so¡­.¡± Eugenehalfheartedly said. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing for both of us. We won¡¯t be adding another tragedy to the Lionheart family.¡± Squeak, squeak. Carmen continued to move her fingers. Since Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what to say, he just looked at the Heaven Genocide in its Destiny Form wrapped around Carmen¡¯s right arm. Eugene could feel the excitement rising deep inside when he looked at the metal gauntlet. ¡°What do you think?¡± Carmen askedsuddenly. ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about my Heaven Genocide in Destiny Form.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s cool,¡± Eugene answered halfheartedly again. ¡°I haven¡¯t shown you ¡ª no, I can¡¯t show you my Destiny Breaker.But to maximize Destiny Breaker¡¯s power, I have to use it in Destiny Form.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­.¡± ¡°The Heaven Genocide has many forms aside from the Destiny Form. Don¡¯t you wanna see them?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m good¡­.¡± ¡°I think we can have a good fight if I use my Heaven Genocide in ster Form and you use Pressure with the Annihtion Hammer. Well, we can¡¯t actually have a battle, though.¡±Carmen lifted her arm sideways, looking genuinely disappointed. Click! When Eugene heard the machine noise again, the Heaven Genocide changed its form to be the pocket watch again. ¡°So, what do you think?¡±Carmen asked again. ¡°Didn¡¯t you ask me that before?¡± ¡°Ifelt your previous answer wasn¡¯t genuine.¡± ¡°¡­I really thinkit¡¯s cool,¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Do you want to have this?¡± ¡°Nope¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable if you want to have this. This artifact is really cool, but I¡¯m not going to lend it to you. I¡¯m also not going to tell you how I got my hands on it or who made it.¡± ¡°Right¡­.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious?¡±Carmen asked with a proud look. Judging from how she kept ncing at Eugene with her chest puffed out and shrugged, it seemed shedesperatelywantedto brag. ¡°¡­I¡¯m curious.¡± Eugene obliged unenthusiastically. ¡°Ifound the Heaven Genocide through a coincidental encounter ¡ª no, a miracle¡­. Wow, it¡¯s already been decades since I found it. I went through a magical experience when I was young. That¡¯s all I can tell you,¡±Carmen spoke with a dazed look. ¡°Can¡¯t you just tell the story to the end if you are going to tell me anyway?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t break the promise since promises are important.¡± Click! After closing the lid of the pocket watch, Carmen put it into her inner pocket. ¡°Your new weaponsmade the enthusiasm inside me spark.Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯m used to feeling enthusiastic in this way, and I can always control it.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t worried about that from the start. ¡°However, be careful not to explode anything else. While I was running here,I saw a couple of elvescopse ontheground. Sir Signard was also about toe running here, thinking the vige was under attack. So I stopped him,¡±Carmen warned Eugene. ¡°¡­Thank you,¡± Eugene bitterly answered. ¡°Is your injured arm okay?¡± ¡°It just stings a little now. I will recover by tomorrow, even without any treatment.¡± ¡°You are being sloppy. Small injuries should also be treated fully.Besides, the Lionheart family is a warrior family. We have all kinds of healing potions, so don¡¯t hesitate to use any kind of medicine to heal your injury.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I understand.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s return.¡±Carmen turned back. As if it was natural for her to do so, she led the way as she and Eugene got out of the forest.Since Eugene hadfinished taming the Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer, he had no reason to stay in the forest any longer. ¡°You know.The Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer no longer resemble their original form. Do we still have to call them by those names?¡± ¡°Yea¡­ Pardon?¡± ¡°Since they don¡¯t hold demonic energy anymore,we can¡¯t call them Demon Kings¡¯ weapons now. Then would there be any reason to call them by those names?¡± ¡°I think it¡¯s better to use the same name since it would be confusing¡­.¡± ¡°What do you think of Gaia Crasher and Longinus?¡± ¡®Then are they now Gaia Crasher Jigoth and Longinus Luentos?¡¯ The question crossed Eugene¡¯s mind. ¡°I like their original names.¡± Eugeneswiftlyshook his head. ¡°Hmm¡­. The owners have the right to name their weapons, so I will just make suggestions. I won¡¯t vite your rights.¡± ¡®Does she think the names Gaia Crasher and Longinus are better? Really?¡¯Eugene seriously wondered. ¡°Master Eugene.¡± Right before Carmen and Eugene exited the forest, they met Narissa, sitting down on the floor,andLavera, helping Narissa stand up. When Carmen and Eugene saw the two elves, Carmen dramatically signaled Eugene with her eyes as she crossed her arms. Narissa was the elf who copsed to the ground, surprised by the sound of the explosions. Did Carmene this way on purpose to show Eugene what happened after the explosions?Eugene felt like hewould never be able to understand what went on inside Carmen Lionheart¡¯s head. ¡°I was going to find you, butI happened to run into you first,¡±Lavera spoke brightly with a nonchnt look. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Eugene asked. Narissa and Lavera were currently working as apprentice maids in the annex. Their shifts must be over already, but they were still wearing their Lionheart maids uniform. ¡°I havee to ask permission to go out tomorrow, sir,¡±Lavera calmly exined. ¡°Go out?¡± ¡°Yes,tomorrow happens to be my day off,¡±Lavera continued as she brushed the dirt off Narissa¡¯s skirt. Every time Lavera brushed Narissa¡¯s skirt, her body wobbled. It seemed Narissa hadn¡¯t adjusted to her new prosthetic leg yet. ¡°Can I ask why you aregoingout?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I have toreceive my prosthetic eye,¡±Narissa spoke, pointing to her left eyepatch. ¡°Where are you going?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to downtown Ceres.¡± ¡°Have you ever been there?¡± ¡°No, sir.¡± Elves attracted people¡¯s attention. Of course, the capital of the Kiehl Empire was safe, but there was always that ¡®what if.¡¯ Therefore, Eugene had previously set a ground rule: the elves had to be apanied by at least one knight from the main house when they went out. ¡°Do you want any specific knight toguard you?¡± ¡°No, sir,¡±Lavera dryly answered, but Narissa kept poking Lavera¡¯s waist, ncing at Eugene. No matter how many times Narissa poked Lavera, her expression remained the same. ¡°Then I will go with you,¡± Eugenecasually said. ¡°¡­Would that be okay?¡±Lavera asked. Narissa¡¯s eyes lost focus for a moment. She didn¡¯t expect Eugene to offer to be Lavera¡¯s guard. ¡°Me, me too¡­.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have a day off tomorrow, Narissa,¡±Lavera said coldly. ¡°If I just ask somebody to cover my shift¡­.¡± Narissasuggested tentatively. ¡°Head Servant Ninadoesn¡¯t like servants changing their shifts for personal reasons.¡± Laveracalmly reminded Narissa, so she couldn¡¯t speak any further. ¡°What time shall we meet tomorrow?¡±Eugene asked. ¡°Any time will be fine with me,¡± Narissaanswered. ¡°Then shall wego at around noon? I also haven¡¯t gone out to downtown Ceres yet, butMer knows many good restaurants.¡± This was because Anci and Gerhard brought Mer out to tour the city whenever they could. ¡°¡­Yes,noon will be good.¡±Lavera calmly bowed her head. Chapter 158: The Capital (2)

Chapter 158: The Capital (2)

The Lionheart family¡¯s main estate was located on the outskirts of the capital Ceres. It took hours to go downtown in a carriage. If Lavera had asked one of the Lionheart knights to apany her, she would have used a carriage. But with Eugene apanying her, things were different. After all, why would they bother to use a carriage when they had a warp gate they could employ? The warp gate in the main estate wasn¡¯t usually activated other than for significant asions. However, Eugene was currently respected enough to warrant the use of the warp gate for personal reasons. ¡°When you are talking about a prosthetic eye, are you talking about a specially-made artifact?¡± Mer actively asked. Unlike usual, Mer wasn¡¯t in the Cloak. Ever since she hade to the main estate, she had gone out to the Capital¡¯s downtown several times, but she had never gone out with Eugene. Maybe because of that, Anci had made considerable efforts to dress up Mer from head to toe since daybreak. ¡°I have heard of prosthetic eyes that can be directly connected to people¡¯s optic nerves, but I heard they are costly,¡± Lavera spoke as she stroked her right eyepatch.[1]Instead of her maid uniform, she was wearing a formal dress today. ¡°Money shouldn''t be a problem. You should buy it if you need it. It will be ufortable to live without an eye,¡± Eugene said matter-of-factly. ¡°As an apprentice maid, I¡¯m receiving more sry than I deserve, but¡­.¡± ¡°Of course, you can¡¯t afford it with your sry. Can¡¯t I just buy it for you?¡± Eugene tilted his head as if saying something obvious. ¡°I appreciate your gesture, but I¡¯m fine, sir.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t have to refuse.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t use such prosthetic eyes,¡± Lavera exined, lifting her eyepatch slightly, and exposing burnt, cut marks around her eye. ¡°The inside of my eye was seared with a hot iron, so I will never be able to see with my left eye, no matter how expensive of a prosthetic eye I use.¡± ¡°Errr¡­.¡± Mer trembled after she saw Lavera¡¯s wound inside her eyepatch. ¡°¡­Then¡­ umm¡­ won¡¯t it look good if you use a prosthetic eye made from a jewel?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t it be good if you just don¡¯t say anything?¡± Eugene advised. Mer refuted, ¡°I am being considerate of Miss Lavera in my own way.¡± ¡°Were you being considerate when you suggested a one-eyed elf to set a jewel in her eye?¡± ¡°I¡¯m in despair at yourck of humanity to call the one-eyed elf as the one-eyed elf, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything wrong.¡± A very inconsiderate conversation was being exchanged back and forth between Eugene and Mer. Meanwhile, unable to say anything, Lavera, the subject of their conversation, just stayed quiet. Of course, she knew they were being considerate in their own ways while saying such stuff. However, what was she supposed to say when they talked about things like one eye or jewel eye? ¡°¡­I just like ordinary prosthetic eyes.¡± Lavera wasn¡¯t going to interfere, but she felt their conversation would never finish if she didn¡¯t. ¡°There are prosthetic eyes that can be used for self-defense.¡± Mer beamed. ¡°Do they shoot out death rays or something?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Such eyes might exist.¡± ¡°I have seen it before¡­,¡± Eugene spoke without thinking much, but then he became conscious of Lavera¡¯s presence and cleared his throat before continuing. ¡°When I went to Nahama Desert. Some of the Assassins and Sand Shamans used prosthetic eyes engraved with magic forms.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the kind of prosthetic eye I was talking about.¡± Mer pped as she chimed in. It wasn¡¯t hard to see people who were missing a limb or had an arrow stuck in their eyes 300 years ago. Therefore, naturally, some crazy bastards used specially-made artifacts to make up for their missing body parts. However, those specially-made artifacts had limits in the end. No matter how much ingenuity and best efforts the talented artisans, alchemists, and wizards used in trying to make prosthetic eyes with rare magic minerals, artificially created prosthetic eyes were ultimately overwhelmingly inferior to demoneyes. Of course, demoneyes were also very rare. They could only be found among demonfolks, but not every demonfolk had them. Only a select few high-ranking demonfolks had demoneyes with ridiculous abilities. Those demoneyes were a symbol of power within the pureblood demonfolks. It was an inheritance that was passed down and consistently developed for generations and generations within the pureblood demonfolk families. [I have heard that the Queen of Night Demons has the Demoneye of Fantasy. Is that true?] Mer asked Eugene in her mind. ¡®Yes, but her demoneye doesn¡¯t have magnificent powers, unlike its name.¡¯ [ording to the records, the Queen of Night Demons had single-handedly killed 30 thousand Turas¡¯ elite forces.] ¡®Noir Giabe wasn¡¯t the only high-ranking demonfolk who had the power to do so at the time.¡¯ [She even drowned 30 thousand men in a in that didn¡¯t have a single drop of water. From what I read, the in turned to a sea when her eye shone, and sea waves rushed over the armies¡­.] ¡®It¡¯s true that 30 thousand people drowned, but the in didn¡¯t turn into a sea.¡¯ [What¡¯s the difference?] ¡®Noir Giabe¡¯s demoneye¡­ umm¡­ doesn¡¯t turn illusion into reality. She just makes others feel that way. Those 30 thousand men had seen sea waves and drowned¡­ but weren¡¯t actually buried at sea.¡¯ [Hmm¡­. So she shows powerful illusions, am I right?] ¡®Yeah, Noir Giabe¡¯s demoneye is called the Demoneye of Fantasy because she and the demoneye matched fantastically well, more like disgustingly well.¡¯ Noir Giabe was the Queen of Night Demons. Among the numerous night demons, she was the most powerful. As such, she reigned over them. The dreams created by her were so exquisite that they were hard to distinguish from reality. She could interfere and break human minds in seconds, making her power iparable to other demons. Her Demoneye of Fantasy could make others dream even when awake. When one was caught by her demoneye, their reality changed into dreams. [You said her demoneye doesn¡¯t have magnificent powers, but when I listen to your story, I feel like the Demon King that the Queen serves can fight with God.] ¡®I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not like that. She can bust her ass, but in the end, all she does is make illusions, not change reality. If you continue to get a grip on yourself, she can¡¯t delude you. To be honest, I had more trouble dealing with Gavid Lindman¡¯s Demoneye of Divine Glory and Iris¡¯ Demoneye of Darkness, rather than Noir Giabe¡¯s Demoneye of Fantasy.¡¯ Noir Giabe had given the heroes¡¯ party so much trouble in Helmuth, but no one in Eugene¡¯s party fainted or went out of their minds. [¡­Doesn¡¯t that just mean you are the best in the end?] ¡®I wasn¡¯t the only one who was best. Anise had maintained her holy barrier, and Sienna had blocked all kinds of mental interference around the clock. That¡¯s why we didn¡¯t get deluded.¡¯ [Lady Sienna is indeed the best.] Mer sheepishly smiled as she nodded. While they conversed with their minds, Lavera naturally became alienated, but she didn¡¯t mind much and only focused on walking. She inevitably got used to being alienated. The Kiehl Empire¡¯s capital, Ceres, was the fanciest city Lavera had ever been to. The city was well managed: the roads were smoothly paved, the pedestrians used different roads from carriages, guards were deployed every few blocks, and people in the streets were dressed in fine clothes and were very rxed. It was an everyday scene in this ce. Lavera and Eugene were walking in the central area of Ceres. Even ifmoners worked for their entire lives, they could never own even a small room in this area. Lavera had lived in Nahama in the past. Her owner was a merchant who had umted a fortune through trading. However, her owner didn¡¯t live a morally correct life. Due to its harsh environment, the gap between the rich and the poor was tantly revealed in Nahama. Her owner enjoyed various pleasures in hisrge mansion, but outside his mansion, many old houses couldn¡¯t even shield people from the desert¡¯s cold night. Her owner sometimes put a leash on Lavera and took a walk around the city. It was an ordinary event in Nahama. Nobles and wealthy merchants in Nahama often showed off their rare ¡®pets.¡¯ And Lavera happened to be the rarest of them all ¡ª an elf. She was a great pet who made her owner puff out his chest with pride. As the owners¡¯ ¡®contests¡¯ went on, the poor people talked in whispers and looked at Lavera with heinous intentions mixed with jealousy, hostility, and greed. She was used to people looking at her that way. When her naughty, mischievous owner got bored during their stroll, he would furtively let go of Lavera¡¯s leash and make her walk on her own. Every time he did that, Lavera walked, looking around carefully, hunching her shoulders as much as she could. After she had spent a while like that, her owner would disappear, and people with wicked intentions would immediately approach Lavera. Then Lavera had to run and hide from them, but in the end, she always got caught. There was nothing Lavera could do but scream. And as she screamed, her owner¡¯s warriors would show up and save her. The stroll was never fun for Lavera, but when she thought of what would happen afterward, she preferred the stroll. She shouldn¡¯t feel pain in her left eye anymore, but somehow her left eye ached. Horrible memories came flooding back at her in waves, making her subconsciously flinch, but she soon caught her breath after looking around her peaceful surroundings. This city was different from the city in Nahama. Although people might be staring at her, they didn¡¯t look at her with heinous intentions. Lavera knew why ¡ª she was wearing a cloak that had the Lionheart family¡¯s symbol on the back as she walked with Eugene and Mer. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Eugene asked as he felt Lavera lose her footing. ¡°¡­An old memory crossed my mind,¡± Lavera hesitantly answered. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not a good memory. Don¡¯t waste your time thinking about the past. Think about the lunch we are going to have instead.¡± Eugene looked outside the window. ¡°What are we having?¡± Lavera asked with a faint smile on her face. ¡°We are going to a restaurant that Sir Gerhard regrly visits. Their veal-course meal is really good!¡± Mer spoke with sparkling eyes. She had rmended the restaurant to Eugene and Lavera, and Anci had personally made a reservation for them. The restaurant was so famous that people had to make reservations a week in advance to be able to at least sit in the corner of the restaurant. However, this morning, the second mistress of the Lionheart family reserved the window seat with a great view using family influence. ¡°To be honest, I think dinners in the main estate are better,¡± Eugene grumbled. The restaurant waiters continuously served them fancy dishes. The food was as good as it looked, but it wasn¡¯t as good as the dishes served in the Lionhearts¡¯ main estate. ¡°You eat very well for someone who says such stuff.¡± Mer sneered. ¡°Why would I leave any food on my te when I havee this far to eat? I¡¯m not saying the food is bad.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t like it, don¡¯t eat more. Give it to Miss Lavera or me.¡± ¡°Why would I give my leftovers to someone else? I will just order one more.¡± Eugene grumbled again as he cut his big steak. Sitting across from Eugene, Lavera nced forward as she cut her steak into little pieces. Although Eugene hadined as if he wasn¡¯t going to give Mer his steak, he was putting the pieces he had just cut on Mer¡¯s te. Beaming, Mer naturally ate the big steak pieces one by one. ¡°¡­You two look like a father and daughter,¡± Lavera quietlymented. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Eugene swiftly turned to Lavera in shock. ¡°I actually think so too, Miss Lavera.¡± Mer grinned. Eugene and Mer¡¯s reactions were the pr opposite of each other. Still beaming, Mer put one piece of her steak on Lavera¡¯s te. ¡°I have never even gotten married before. Why would you treat me as somebody¡¯s dad?¡± Eugene spoke, annoyed. ¡°Do you have a n to get married, Master Eugene?¡± Lavera asked as she chewed on the steak piece from Mer. ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°There is a rumor going around among servants ¡ª you and White Tower Master share a ¡®special bond¡¯....¡± Lavera trailed off. ¡°Are you really crazy? Me? With White Tower Master? With THE Melkith El-Hayah?¡± ¡ªKiyaaaaahhhh! Melkith¡¯s weird scream came to Eugene¡¯s mind, making him frown. ¡°Uh¡­. Isn¡¯t there a big age gap between us? I have just turned 20 this year,¡± Eugene said haltingly. ¡°Hehe¡­.¡± Mer quietly chuckled beside Eugene. Scowling at Mer, Eugene continued, ¡°White Tower Master is almost 70 now. If she had gotten married early, she would have a grandson my age.¡± ¡°Is a 50-year gap a lot?¡± Lavera innocently asked. ¡°¡­Yeah, you are an elf¡± Eugene groaned. ¡°I am aware White Tower Master is old from a human perspective, but won¡¯t she live longer than ordinary humans as an Archiwizard? Among long-living beings, the age of 70 is considered pretty young.¡± ¡°Then I must be a baby in your eyes.¡± ¡°Not only does White Tower Master look young, but she also has a pure, young mind.¡± Lavera continued her insight on Melkith. ¡°It weirdly sounds like apliment even though it means she can¡¯t act her age.¡± ¡°Do you not want an older partner when you get married?¡± Lavera asked, prompting Mer to look at Eugene with sparkling eyes. ¡°¡­Well¡­ maybe it is better if she is older than me¡­ rather than being too young.¡± ¡°Are you considering another woman to be your partner besides White Tower Master?¡± ¡°You are weirdly very inquisitive about my marriage today. Did you secretly receive orders from my father or Nina?¡± Without answering, Lavera stayed quiet. Shaking his head, Eugene clicked his tongue. ¡°Father is being silly. It hasn¡¯t been long since I became an adult, so why is he worried about my marriage already?¡± ¡°Lady Anci is also worrying about marriage. She wants Sir Cyan to marry a princess from another kingdom. Do you like princesses too, Sir Eugene?¡± Mer interrupted. With a disgusted face, Eugene answered, ¡°What? Princess? No¡­ I don¡¯t have any ns to get married.¡± ¡°Still, you might get married if the person is older, on the same wavelength as you, and is your close friend, right?¡± Mer grinned, imagining the future where her name was Mer Lionheart instead of Mer Merdein. Eugene had never imagined getting married. Why would he think about getting married when he had a ton of stuff to do right now? ¡®But¡­ well¡­.¡¯Eugene groaned. Since he had died in his past life without having any children, he did want to get married and have many children. However, he was going to think about it after he finished the stuff that he hadn¡¯t been able toplete in his past life. Although, it would be difficult to kill all demonfolks, he wanted to kill the Demon King of Incarceration, and the Demon King of Destruction¡­ Weirdly, the women whom Eugene was acquainted with came to his mind ¡ª Sienna Merdein, Ciel Lionheart, Kristina Rogeris, and Melkith El-Hayah. Aside from those four women, there were several other women whom Eugene knew, but those four were the ones with whom he had gotten close. Getting married to Sienna? Why would he get married to that violent girl? She always cursed at him whenever Hamel did something. The times when Sienna called him ¡®son of a bitch¡¯ and ¡®motherfucker¡¯ annoyedly shed through Eugene¡¯s mind. So, why would he meet, eat, and wake up with her every day? ¡®Wait,hadn¡¯t we already done that in Helmuth?¡¯Eugene thought. ¡ªHamel. ¡ªYou have trulye back to me. Inside the World Tree, Sienna had hugged Eugene, smiling with teary eyes. When that moment came to Eugene¡¯s mind, he couldn¡¯t continue to think about Sienna anymore. Then how about Ciel¡­? Wasn¡¯t she still a kid? Were they able to get married in the first ce? Well, it was possible since they were siblings who had totally different parents. Although Eugene was currently Gilead¡¯s adopted son, Gilead would be more than willing to annul Eugene¡¯s adoption for the sake of marriage. In fact, Gilead would prefer to be called ¡®father-inw¡¯ rather than ¡®uncle.¡¯ ¡®Well, I think Lady Anci will want it too.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t a bad deal for the Lionheart family, but Eugene really couldn¡¯t imagine being married to Ciel. There was also Kristina Rogeris ¡ª the Saint of the Holy Empire. She looked like Anise and was connected to Anise, who became an angel for some reason. However, getting married to the Saint was absolutely absurd. The Church of Light didn¡¯t force its priests to remain single, but nuns and monks had to. The restriction also applied to the Saint. Eugene really couldn¡¯t imagine Kristina as his wife, and Kristina also would have to be half out of her mind to get married to Eugene. Despite all that, Kristina had to renounce the Church of Light if Eugene and Kristina were to get married. After that, things would get really bothersome andplicated. Eugene had met the Inquisitors at ck Lion Castle, but they were egoists, self-righteous, and know-it-alls. They would definitely hunt Kristina after she renounced the Church, calling her heretic and fallen. ¡®¡­Lady Melkith is¡­.¡¯ ¡ªKyaaah! ¡ªKiyaaah! Eugene stopped thinking. Besides, what was the point of imagining all this? It wasn¡¯t like anything like that had happened in reality. ¡°¡­I have requested the shop in Alcard Street to make my prosthetic eye. The street is at the west of Ceres.¡± Lavera calmly exined, pulling Eugene back to reality. The street was close to the pce but far from the central district where all the rich people lived. Still, the international warp gate was located nearby, making it a busy street for the many tourists visiting the Kiehl Empire. This street was also home to the adventurers and mercenary guilds. Since they had to travel a lot to do their quests, like killing monsters and adventuring in dungeons, it was more convenient to have an international warp gate close by. With many people in those lines of work frequenting this street, various unique shops that couldn¡¯t be found in the central district were located here ¡ª shops favored by mercenaries and adventurers rather than knights or nobles. There were weapon shops that sold functional and practical weapons rather than decorative ones and alchemists who roamed the streets, quietly selling effective but suspicious looking potions. Eugene¡¯s group arrived at Alcard Street through the warp gate. The street looked uniquely different from the central district where Eugene¡¯s group had just passed through. In fact, this was the ¡®toughest¡¯ street in the capital Ceres. ¡°I have nevere here before.¡± Mer looked around, feeling her heart pounding with excitement. The street wasn¡¯t dangerous. Guards regrly patrolled this street too, but they usually didn¡¯t meddle with fights among adventurers or mercenaries from the guilds. Rather than mediating, solving, and arresting them one by one, the guards knew that it was easier to let the guild members fight among themselves. ¡°Ah, there are so many annoying people.¡± Although he hadn¡¯t bothered to look around, Eugene could sense people looking at his group from every direction. Eugene¡¯s group did stand out, attracting attention ¡ª a one-eyed elf, a gray-haired man with golden eyes, wearing a Lionheart uniform, and a purple-haired girl in her cute formal dress. ¡°You must be really annoyed, too, since people always stare at you for being an elf. They don¡¯te and pick a quarrel, do they?¡± Eugene asked Lavera. ¡°I havee to this street for the second time, but nothing of the sort has happened so far.¡± Lavera shook her head. ¡°Which knight did you go out withst time?¡± ¡°Sir Nein from the White Lion Knights guarded me.¡± ¡°Hmm, stuff like this didn¡¯t happenst time because that guy is big and looks intimidating.¡± ¡°It is true that the people in this street are belligerent, but they wouldn¡¯t think lightly of the Lionhearts ande close¡­.¡± Lavera stopped speaking as she turned her head. A freckled man with bushy hair was furtively approaching their group, smiling servilely. ¡°Are you Sir Eugene Lionheart?¡± the man asked. He was alone. Since Eugene just looked at him without saying anything, the man cleared his throat as he continued, ¡°My name is Tepir. I am working as a reporter at Scarth Newspaper.¡± ¡°Which newspaper is that?¡± Eugene asked Mer. ¡°It is the shitty newspaper that publishes exaggerated, tabloid gossip.¡± ¡°Errrr¡­.¡± Tepir groaned. ¡°It is more like a fiction novel publisher than a newspaper publisher. What was the article that I read? Oh, right. The mysterious serial killer roams the capital at dawn¡­ but it turns out he is Marquess X¡¯s illegitimate son?! Scarth is doing an exclusive interview with him! It scribbles this kind of stuff,¡± Mer spoke. ¡°Is there a serial killer roaming around the capital at dawn?¡± Eugene tilted his head in confusion. ¡°No, there isn¡¯t. See? I told you. It publishes fiction novels, not newspapers.¡± Mer¡¯s criticism had Tepir frowning noticeably. Maintaining hisposure with difficulty, Tepir asked, ¡°¡­Could you give me a moment of your time?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t do interviews,¡± Eugene answered shortly. ¡°Please, it won¡¯t take long. I heard that the Lionheart family has recently experienced a humiliating and embarrassing problem¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got some guts. Are you saying that even though you know my surname is Lionheart?¡± Snorting, Eugene waved his hand. ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me and get lost. You can keep fucking around if you want to write your articles with a pen in your mouth for the rest of your life.¡± As if he hadn¡¯t expected a young noble from a prestigious family to say such stuff, Tepir blinked, unable to say anything. ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene told Tepir twice already. Tepir hesitated, but he stayed put. Clicking his tongue, Eugene flicked his finger in Tepir¡¯s direction. Pop! With just a single finger, Eugene struck the middle of Tepir¡¯s forehead. Screaming, Tepir copsed on the floor. ¡°Some people just don¡¯t listen. Oh, you can write this as your article, by the way. Eugene Lionheart from the Lionheart main family is an asshole and violent like a rabid dog. If people fucked around me, they might get their asses kicked. You got it, right?¡± Anci was recently hellbent on oppressing the newspapers, so if Tepir really published an article like that, she would literally tear the Scarth Newspaper apart and set an example for other newspapers. ¡°Are you already making sure you wouldn¡¯t receive any marriage offers?¡± Mer grinned. ¡°Be quiet.¡± ¡°I am right, aren¡¯t I? You are advertising that you have a serious problem with your personality, so other nobledies and princesses wouldn¡¯t ask you to marry them, right?¡± ¡°My personality is fine. Of course, I act rude to rude bastards. For nice words toe around, nice words need to go around.[2]¡± [If Lady Sienna says nice words to you, will you say nice words back to Lady Sienna?] Mer asked in her mind. ¡®That girl¡­ she never said nice words¡­.¡¯ ¡ªI know you, Hamel. ¡ªEven though your reincarnation changed your body, reced your face, and even gave you a new name¡­ you¡¯re still the same Hamel I¡¯ve always known. [Why did you stop talking?] ¡°It¡¯s hot today,¡± Eugene grumbled, passing Tepir, who was still copsed on the road. The spring breeze brushed against Eugene¡¯s hair. The breeze was still cold because winter wasn¡¯t over yet. Chapter 159: The Capital (3)

Chapter 159: The Capital (3)

Lavera took the lead in Alcard Street. The shops in this street were different from the central district, with their size being the most distinguishing difference. Most shops in the central district used an entire building, while the shops in this street shared a building with at least two to three shops in one building. They didn¡¯t even have a door. Instead, they just demolished a wall and disyed their merchandise. Such characteristics intrigued Mer. Mercenaries and adventurers were the ones who primarily used the shops in the street. As a result, the shops disyed several suspicious weapons and unappraised artifacts they had piged during their quests. Mer spoke excitedly, ¡°Didn¡¯t you often read it in novels and stuff? Something along the lines of the vendor selling old weapons at a really low price, but instead, they happened to be very powerful weapons.¡± ¡°I think street vendors in this kind of street just bribed the authors to advertise their shops.¡± Eugene scanned the weapons disyed in the street stall with an apathetic face. 300 years ago, he had also searched for weapons in stalls like this since he had been a mercenary, a very renowned mercenary at that. However, the quality of the weapons in these stalls didn¡¯t change much over the years, and one thing remained the same ¡ª they were cost-effective. ¡°Vendors are not idiots. Why would they sell their product at a dirt-cheap price without knowing their valu¡­.¡± Eugene stopped mid-sentence. The moment he bought the piece of the Moonlight Sword at an auction house crossed his mind. That piece had been dirt-cheap. ¡°Why did you stop talking?¡± Mer asked. ¡°¡­There can be a diamond amidst a pile of dumps,¡± Eugene spoke solemnly. ¡°Diamond?¡± ¡°How can a person distinguish an expensive jewel from poop when the said jewel is covered with poop and piss?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say gross stuff when we have just eaten.¡± ¡°Poop,¡± Eugene instantly spoke. Mer¡¯s face crumpled up like a paper ball. Was that really what the hero from 300 years ago should say? It wasn''t the same, but Lavera thought along the same lines as Mer as she walked in front of them. ¡®Hedoesn¡¯t act like a noble,¡¯Lavera thought in surprise. The mistress of the Lionhearts, Anci, was an epitome of a nobledy. On the other hand, Gerhard from the annex wasn''t really an epitome of a noble, but he still unconsciously acted with a dignity akin to a noble. However, Eugene never acted like a noble, even though he was considered to be worthy of the name Lionheart more than anyone else. ¡®It¡¯s not for me to judge.¡¯Lavera unnoticeably shook her head. Lavera was an elf, but she had almost no elven elitism left in her mind. The years she had spent as an abused ve obliterated the elitism from Lavera. It wasn¡¯t just Lavera. There was also Narissa, who worked as an apprentice maid in the annex. In fact, most elves who lived in the Lionheart forest no longer had that elitism. For Lavera, Eugene was a master whom she wanted to serve. So what if Eugene didn¡¯t act like a noble? Lavera may not have felt a dignity of a noble from Eugene, but she had felt a dignity of an absolutely powerful man from him. When Eugene and Lavera were in Samar Rainforest, they had encountered a typical, ordinary noble and a barbarian after exiting the ve market. Recalling the memory of that moment always sent a shiver down Lavera¡¯s spine. Elves should never have run into barbarians in the Rainforest. The barbarian looked especially ferocious and stronger than any other barbarians Lavera had ever seen. However, Eugene had treated the barbarian like a baby, sending the barbarian fly in the air. There was also the incident with the noble. The man had acted like a typical noble, but he had tantly looked at Lavera with a disgusting look. She was well aware of these kinds of nobles, who treated elves like objects, ying with them as they pleased and destroying them in the end. However, the noble had pathetically begged for his life, kneeling in front of Eugene. ¡°¡­It¡¯s this way.¡± Lavera tried to ignore the rising heat from deep inside her heart. The shop where Lavera ordered her prosthetic eye was in the back of the alley. It wasn¡¯t at the very end, but people surely wouldn¡¯t be able to find the shop from the main street. The shop was intentionally located there to ensure that people who didn¡¯t need prosthetics wouldn¡¯t spend time window-shopping, naturally making the customers who actually needed prosthetics shop at ease. When Lavera opened a wicket door under an old sign, various smells assaulted Eugene¡¯s group, among which some especially stood out to Eugene ¡ª painkillers, oil, and dye. ¡°Did Narissa also make her prosthetic leg in this shop?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Yes.¡± Lavera nodded. ¡°A knight from the main estate rmended the shop to us. Apparently, this shop¡¯s owner is quite famous among mercenaries and adventurers.¡± He seemed famous for a good reason. Eugene scanned through prosthetic arms and legs that were disyed like decorations. When he stared at a prosthetic arm with open fingers, he could feel a certain desire rising inside him. ¡®Can I touch it? I want to fold all its fingers except for the middle one¡­.¡¯ ¡°What are you, a child?¡± Mer quietly spoke after reading Eugene¡¯s thoughts. Embarrassed, Eugene cleared his throat. ¡°You came on time.¡± When the door to the workroom at the back of his shop was opened, an old man with a bushy beard walked out. His sses were noticeably thick and shone under the light as he looked at Eugene¡¯s Lionheart uniform. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Eugene raised his hands, saying he wasn¡¯t here to pressure anyone. The man bowed shortly, then nced at Mer, standing beside Eugene, as he spoke, ¡°There is not much to see in here, but take your time.¡± ¡°Can I touch them?¡± Eugene calmly asked. ¡°The products on the shelves are samples, so you can touch them,¡± The old man exined and then turned his head to Lavera. ¡°It will fit perfectly, but let¡¯s go inside and check again. I have to check the symmetry and the color¡­.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± Lavera nodded as she meekly followed the old man. After Lavera and the old man went to the workroom, Eugene reached his hand to the prosthetic arm as if he had waited for this moment. ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± Mer instantly warned Eugene. Fidgeting with the prosthetic arm, Eugene cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything. I¡¯m just touching it.¡± Since these prosthetics were used by mercenaries and adventurers who lost their limbs, several of them had hidden devices inside. Some of these prosthetic users could shoot arrows when they bent their wrists, or a knife popped out from their finger at their own will. Some even installed a cannon shooter in their prosthetic knees¡­. So many variations existed. Several samples of prosthetic eyes were on disy, too. They weren¡¯t the highest-ss prosthetic eyes that could be connected to the user¡¯s optic nerve, but they looked incredibly real, almost appearing like somebody had actually plucked out their eyes and disyed them. Eugene observed those for a moment, but then he suddenly started. He didn¡¯t know what had happened, but he couldn¡¯t hear anything from the workroom ¡ª no one was in the room. Until now, Eugene had been able to sense two people inside the workroom, but for some reason that he couldn¡¯t understand, he felt as if they had disappeared. It only took several steps for Eugene to open the workroom door. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to find the old man or Lavera. It wasn¡¯t just them. There was now nothing in the workroom. ¡°¡­What¡­ happened?¡± Mer stutteringly asked. Without answering, Eugene looked around the workroom. Oil and dye stains were still visible on the wallpaper. Eugene could still smell the painkiller, oil, and dye. This room had definitely not been empty before. After pulling out Akasha from the Cloak of Darkness, Eugene took a second look around the workroom. He could see a soundproof spell, a dustproof spell, and a humidity control spell. The building was old, and there were other shops nearby. Of course, spells like these existed in the workroom. With a grim expression, Mer mumbled, ¡°¡­No magic has been vited.¡± The magic spells were engraved on the wall and the floor, but they hadn¡¯t been vited or tampered with. It wasn¡¯t like the shop¡¯s wall had been demolished. No new magic had been added too. No one had used Blink to take the two away. If someone really did so, Eugene and Mer would have sensed it. Teleportation inevitably distorted spaces. There was no window in the workroom, and the only door was the one Eugene used to enter. This ce was a physically and magically sealed room. Still, everything in this sealed room had disappeared ¡ª one elf, one human, and every object in the workroom. Well, not everything had disappeared. When Eugene took a third look around the room, he could see shelves, decorations, and numerous tools hanging on the wall¡­. The things hanging on the wall hadn¡¯t disappeared. The only things that had disappeared had been on the floor. Eugene silently red at the floor. It was squeaky clean, and oil stains and dyes just remained on the wall. Unable to believe her own words, Mer gasped. ¡°Something¡­appeared on the floor¡­?¡± ¡°It has been ovepped.¡± Eugene stroked the floor after he squatted down. ¡°Like a shadow.¡± The light hanging on the ceiling connected Eugene and his shadow. With a cold look, Eugene scowled at his shadow. ¡°I didn¡¯t know they would do such a thing,¡± Eugene muttered, standing up. There was no more information to gain from this workroom. It was impossible to search for the missing people ¡ª Lavera and the old man. No Archwizard would be able to tell what kind of magic had been used to make the two disappear. It couldn¡¯t be helped. The magic that was used wasn¡¯t exactly ssified as usual magic. ¡®300 years is really a long time.¡¯ Clicking his tongue, Eugene stood up and lifted the Cloak of Darkness. After reading Eugene¡¯s mind, Mer approached him and crawled into the Cloak. ¡°I didn¡¯t know I would be doing this today,¡± Eugene quietly muttered under his breath as he returned to the shop. The previously empty show now had other customers waiting inside. The three people were wearing big hoods pulled down to their faces. Eugene stared at them, remaining calm. ¡°Follow us,¡± a man spoke without revealing his face. Eugene quietly chuckled as he flicked his finger. Woosh! The wind blew even though the window wasn¡¯t open, flipping the customers¡¯ hoods open. ¡°Before you state your businesses, why don¡¯t you introduce yourselves first?¡± Three dark elves scowled at Eugene. The male dark elf, who had spoken first, red at Eugene, ¡°¡­We are the Fury Independence Army.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Eugene could see the tattoos on their left corbones ¡ª the reversed shape of a goat¡¯s skull. The Fury Independence Army had been carving the tattoo on themselves for 300 years. ¡°I don¡¯t want to use a violent method to take you away.¡± ¡°Do you really think you can drag me away with a violent method?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Arrogant human bastard,¡± the other dark elf, who had been quiet, spoke in a hostile tone. When Eugene heard the dark elf, he burst intoughter. ¡°How dare a fallen dark elf who even betrayed their kind spew bullshit?¡± Eugene shot out insults, tilting his head in contempt. Upon hearing Eugene¡¯s remark, the dark elves frowned. The two dark elves reacted fiercely, but the one who had spoken first didn¡¯t show any reaction. ¡°If you reject our request or try to resist, we can¡¯t guarantee the hostages¡¯ safety,¡± the male dark elf spoke again. ¡°If you wanted to converse with me, you should have asked for a handshake first.¡± Eugene shot back. ¡°I feel bad about it. So, what are you going to do? Will you follow us or get dragged away?¡± ¡°Can I just kill you all and go alone? You can just tell me the location.¡± Eugene beamed. ¡°You have a violent temper.¡± ¡°I was about to happily end my day out in the city, but you guys have fucked it up.¡± Eugene wasn''t just acting hot-headed as he spoke. He continued to talk as he looked around the shop. There were three dark elves in the shop, and Eugene couldn¡¯t sense any other dark elves¡¯ presence. No change had urred on the floor too. It was weird since she must be observing the situation. Was she not going to show up here even if Eugene had beaten the shit out of her people? She was uselessly full of love for her kind, so wouldn¡¯t she appear if Eugene ughtered her people? The air in the shop became tense. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if any of them started attacking each other any second. The two hot-headed, young dark elves prepared to pounce at Eugene. Unable to say anything, the dark elf who spoke first just red at Eugene. ¡°Well, let¡¯s forget about it,¡± Eugene said as he shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not like my kidnapped maid will return after I kill you guys.¡± ¡°Do youreallythink you can kill us?¡± One of the young dark elves sarcastically asked, snorting. Not smiling anymore, Eugene stared at the dark elf. ¡°You think I can¡¯t?¡± Feeling Eugene¡¯s intense desire to kill him, the dark elf shuddered as he felt overwhelmed. He couldn''t believe a 20-year-old man was able to show this fierce desire to kill someone. The dark elf subconsciously took a few steps back, trembling. He wasn¡¯t able to say anything anymore. ¡°Lead the way.¡± Eugene covered his arms using the cloak that was hanging over his shoulder. It was to pull out weapons whenever he needed them, but the Cloak of Darkness itself was an excellent armor. ¡°¡­Will you walk there? Or¡­.¡± ¡°I will walk. I won¡¯t use other methods since your princess might try to fuck with me.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s not too far away.¡± The dark elves put the hoods over their heads again as they exited the shop. Leading the way, the dark elves entered a back alley. Eugene followed them without hurry. Eugene had a few questions in mind. The Lionhearts had been expecting the dark elves, led by Iris, to make contact. That was why Carmen and the Third Division of the ck Lions were at the main estate right now, but this wasn¡¯t the only precaution the Lionhearts had taken. People in the main estate were able to collect a variety of necessary information; the information on dark elves was one of them. To prepare for being contacted by dark elves, the Lionhearts had been keeping an eye out on who had entered Kiehl. However, dark elves had never entered the Kiehl Empire. On top of that, this was Ceres, the capital. People at the gate were very thorough in identifying the person who went through the gate. ¡®They enteredKiehl illegally,¡¯Eugene thought as he clicked his tongue. They had started off on the wrong foot. Iris had no intention of taking elves from the Lionhearts in a legitimate way. ¡®I don¡¯t think she was this stupid 300 years ago.¡¯ Eugene had heard that Iris was in a tight spot in Helmuth. She wanted to be a new Demon King, inheriting the title of Demon King of Fury. However, there were high-ranking demonfolks who had higher chances of bing the next Demon King than Iris ¡ª the three dukes in Helmuth never considered Iris as theirpetitor. ck Dragon Raizakia might say he wasn¡¯t interested, but the two remaining dukes still were more powerful than Iris. ¡®Iris criticallycks supporters.¡¯ It was her principle to only take dark elves under her wings. She had recently been persistent with her principle, but it was only to the level of hiring beastfolk mercenaries, not taking them under her wings. That was why Iris was hell-bent on increasing the number of dark elves. ¡®Still, how dare she just try to take an elf away like this?¡¯ She hadmitted a heinous crime. As he felt a boiling urge to kill her, Eugene red at the back of the dark elf walking in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s this way,¡± the dark elf said, pointing at an iron door that led to a basement of a pretty old building. Eugene could see the word ¡®Bullshot Mercenaries¡¯ on the iron door. ¡®Did she take over a mercenary guild¡¯s office? Since when was she here?¡¯ With those thoughts in mind, Eugene gestured with his chin. ¡°Open it.¡± The dark elf cautiously opened the door, revealing the stairway that led to the basement. No light source existed, so it was hard for Eugene to see an inch ahead. Could Eugene create light with his magic? No, it wouldn¡¯t work. She was the owner of the Demoneye of Darkness. No light could light up the darkness created by Iris. The darkness created by her Demoneye looked like darkness, but it was no ordinary darkness. When he had gotten down to the basement, Eugene could see a dark elf putting her leg on top of the table as she leaned on the red sofa. The basement ¡ª no, the office was veryrge, but it was very shabby. ¡°Kid.¡± The dark elf was the leader of the Fury Independence Army ¡ª Rakshasha Princess, Iris. Lightly tapping a liquor bottle on the table with her foot, Iris smiled. ¡°Do you know how to drink?¡± Compared to 300 years ago, not much had changed. Maybe her clothes and hair had changed a bit. Her white hair used to be very long, but she had cut her hair to shoulder length. Instead of leather armor, she was wearing a red suit, but she hadn¡¯t fully buttoned up; Eugene could see her corbones. A gold ne could be seen around her neck. Fancy-looking rings and a watch in her hand twinkled. ¡°¡­You look more like a mafia boss than a princess,¡± Eugene spoke honestly. Iris smiled, revealing her white teeth. Chapter 160: The Capital (4)

Chapter 160: The Capital (4)

To be honest, Eugene wouldn¡¯t have recognized Iris if he didn¡¯t know she was behind all this. Iris¡¯ change was shocking to that extent. Iris had originally been an elven ranger, so she usually wore leather armor and a camo poncho for mobility. Even when she led the dark elves in field operations, Iris stuck to the same outfit. She knew how to hunt elven rangers. Therefore, she trained her subordinate dark elves to be hunters that hunted the original elven hunters. When she had begun to fight in front of the Demon King of Fury¡¯s castle, she had worn ck chain armor and swung a scimitar to block the hero¡¯s party instead of her usual outfit. Eugene could still recall the memory vividly ¡ª the Demon King of Fury¡¯s children were adopted. Some children weren¡¯t even demonfolks. However, they were one of the toughest enemies he had to fight against in Helmuth. ¡®I should havekilled her.¡¯Eugene silently gritted his teeth. However, he couldn¡¯t. Unlike the other Demon Kings, the Demon King of Fury had sacrificed his life to let his children escape, allowing Iris and Oberon to survive the hunt of the hero¡¯s party. Iris, whom Eugene couldn¡¯t kill at the time, was sitting in front of Eugene after 300 years. She looked unrecognizably different now. ¡°Kid.¡± Putting her right foot on the table this time, Iris tilted her head. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you kneeling in front of me even though you know who I am?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like the head of Bullshot Mercenaries. Are you a new mafia boss that reigns over this street?¡± ¡°Are you spouting bullshit because you want to pretend to be brave?¡± Iris gave a twisted smile. Without answering, Eugene looked beyond Iris. Ten dark elves were standing behind the sofa, all wearing red suit jackets. ¡®The organization must have undergone a major change over the past 300 years.¡¯Eugene assumed. There were some familiar faces among those elves. They had been serving Iris as her right-hand elves for a long time. These were the dark elven rangers who ambushed elven rangers in dark mountains and forests. ¡®Well, people will treat them like lunatics if they still wore ponchos in this city.¡¯ However, he felt a group of dark elves wearing the same red suit jacket would be treated the same. ¡°Where is she?¡± Eugene cut to the chase. ¡°I have heard there are over 100 elves in your family¡¯s forest. Why are you worrying about one elf?¡± ¡°Cut the bullshit.¡± Eugene strode toward Iris. Even though Eugene was shortening the distance between him and Iris, the dark elves behind Iris showed no reaction. That was also the same for Iris. Keeping her twisted smile in ce, Iris just stared at Eugene. It was understandable since she had no reason to stay on alert. She was the Rakshasa Princess Iris ¡ª the living legend who fought in wars 300 years ago and inherited the Demon King of Fury¡¯s power. If Iris hadn''t insisted that she was the second Fury and had given up on bing a Demon King, no, if she hadn''t been so obsessed with the purity of her supporters, then Helmuth would have four dukes instead of three. ¡®Indeed, she is stilltheliving legend.¡¯Eugene could see that. He felt how confident and rxed Iris was. Some might say that was very arrogant of her, but she hadn¡¯tpletely lowered her guard. Not missing Eugene¡¯s every move, her eyes were sharp like that of a predator, watching its prey¡¯s move. ¡®I won¡¯t be able to win if I fight her right now.¡¯Eugene admitted, without making up excuses. If Eugene fought Iris head-on, he would definitely lose. The possibility of Eugene winning in this fight was close to zero. He could run away, but that was all Eugene was able to do right now. 300 years was a long time, and Iris¡¯ outfit was not the only thing that had changed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you wanna talk to me?¡± Eugene spoke as he sat down on the sofa across from Iris. ¡°Kid.¡± Iris¡¯ smile became more twisted. ¡°You realized you wouldn¡¯t be able to win if we fought, didn¡¯t you?¡± Although she had nced at Eugene for only a very short moment, Iris figured Eugene out. As she smiled, her red eyes resembled blood-crescent moons. ¡°I like how you understood the situation quickly. I have heard several rumors about you¡­ hmm. Rumors are bound to be exaggerated, but I guess it doesn¡¯t apply to you.¡± Iris sat up straight. Thump! When she lightly pounded the table with her foot, the liquor bottle on the table flew up in the air. Iris chuckled as she caught it midair. ¡°The elf is safe.¡± The light on the ceiling flickered. Actually, the light hadn¡¯t flickered, but the room darkened for a moment. Iris had made more darkness with her Demoneye of Darkness. Her darkness didn¡¯t mix with the darkness that originally existed. Instead, her darkness was a dark, thick lump thatlookedlike darkness. ¡°As you can see, I didn¡¯t corrupt her either.¡± Iris shoved her hand in her squirming darkness. At first nce, her darkness resembled the darkness spirit which Eugene had seen back at ck Lion Castle. However, this wasn¡¯t a spirit, mana, or demonic energy. ¡°I don¡¯t want to make random elves into dark elves. I first ask their opinions and persuade them if they refuse¡­,¡± Iris spoke as she dragged the unconscious Lavera out of her darkness. As if Lavera was a piece of baggage, Iris threw her in Eugene¡¯s direction. Woosh! Eugene summoned the rushing wind to catch Lavera. He checked for signs of injury on her, and finding none, heid Lavera beside him, relieved. Meanwhile, Iris opened the liquor bottle. She then pulled out an ice bucket and sses from the darkness that hovered around her, but she suddenly frowned. ¡°Oh, yeah. I also had this.¡± With a nonchnt face, Iris pulled out the old man, who had previously disappeared along with Lavera, from her darkness. Upon seeing Iris grabbing the old man by his neck, Eugene instantly pulled out a dagger from the Cloak and stabbed the table. ¡°Easy, kid.¡± Iris chuckled as if she was amused by Eugene¡¯s reaction. Woosh¡­! The darkness covered Iris¡¯ right eye, and it also rose up on the table, swallowing the dagger. When the darkness disappeared, the dagger was no longer on the table. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to insist on killing a poor old man who got entangled in this matter.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you just try killing him?¡± ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t have a reasonnotto kill him. As a human, it is natural for you to protect another human¡¯s life¡­ but I couldn¡¯t understand your situation since I am not a human. Do you get what I am saying?¡± Iris giggled away, putting big ice cubes in her ss one by one. ¡°And as an elf, it is also natural for me to protect elves.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you a dark elf?¡± Eugene sneered at her. ¡°They both have ¡®elf¡¯ in the names, right? Let¡¯s think outside the box.¡± ¡°You have kidnapped my maid out of the blue.¡± ¡°I wanted to have a conversation.¡± After filling the sses with liquor, Iris pushed a ss in Eugene''s direction. ¡°But I didn¡¯t think you would actually involve yourself in this matter if I took her, Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°¡­I guess it was difficult for you to visit the Lionheart¡¯s main estate, huh?¡± Eugene picked up the ss, keeping hisposed smile. An elf protected by the Lionhearts had ordered her prosthetic eye and would be picking it up. Eugene didn¡¯t know when Iris had settled down on this street, but it wouldn¡¯t have been difficult for Iris to hear that much. ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± Iris didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°It was difficult¡­ figuring out how to deal with the idiots who still believe they are high and mighty as they did 300 years ago.¡± Iris raised her ss to her lips. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been difficult for me to visit your house, sit in your drawing room, and drink tea as I smile and ask, ¡®Could you let me take the elves under your care?¡¯. But what about the Lionhearts?¡± After refilling her ss with liquor, Iris drank up in one breath. ¡°I¡¯m a dark elf and a leader of the Fury Independence Army. I¡¯m also called the Rakshasa Princess. So¡­ would you guys, the Lionhearts who are still high on their image of ¡®the powerful Lionhearts¡¯ without knowing your ces, have let me take the elves if I had asked you? I don¡¯t think so. You guys would continue to stand on your stupid pride and kick me out saying, ¡®We don¡¯t negotiate with dark elves¡¯ or ¡®We don¡¯t n on helping the seconding of the Fury,¡¯ right? Eugene didn¡¯t deny that. Even if Eugene didn¡¯t ask them to, no one in the Lionhearts would try to make deals with Iris. No matter how polite Iris was, the Lionheart n would never negotiate with her as long as she was a dark elf and dreamt about being the seconding of the Fury so she could be a new Demon King. ¡°So, I decided to be considerate of you idiots.¡± Licking the liquor drops on her lips, Iris smiled with her eyes. ¡°I was wondering about what method I should use¡­ but I heard you were out in the city with the elf, kid. So, I opened a pathway in that smelly shop¡¯s shadow.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m not the Lionheart n¡¯s Patriarch.¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°You, the very person who is called the future of the Lionhearts, are right in front of me, so why does it matter? Do you not understand the situation?¡± Iris chuckled as she put her hand in her darkness again. Clink. She pulled out a heavy iron lump, but Eugene wasn¡¯t familiar with the shape. Still, that didn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t know what that was. It was a gun ¡ª the portable cannon shooter that fired metal bullets with gunpowder. It was easy to use, but the martial artists who were proficient in mana control didn¡¯t really use them. The reason was simple: there were other weapons that were faster and stronger than guns. Instead of shooting bullets by blowing up gunpowder, martial artists could just swing their sword-force-coated weapons or shoot mana arrows with special-made bows. Besides, that gun was useful in hunting animals but didn¡¯t really work on monsters. ¡°I can kill you right now.¡± Iris pointed her heavy revolver at Eugene. ¡°It is easier to understand your situation this way, right? Kid, bring the elves who are being protected in your family¡¯s forest to me if you don¡¯t wanna die. ¡± ¡°¡­They wouldn¡¯t want to be dark elves,¡± Eugene spoke, still looking at Iris. ¡°I will persuade them until they wish to be one of us. I am very good at persuading elves into doing so.¡± She spun her giant revolver. ¡°How about you? I know you are strong, but are you strong enough to kill me? Well, I know the answer ¡ª you aren¡¯t. You have no chance of winning if you fight against me.¡± ¡°¡­Threatening a Lionheart, huh?¡± ¡°Hahaha! You are really naive, like a kid. Didn¡¯t I tell you just now? To me, the Lionhearts are a bunch of assholes who are deluding themselves, thinking they are still high and mighty as they were 300 years ago. Your ancestor, Vermouth, was nightmarishly strong, but has anyone as strong as him born in the Lionhearts after he died?¡± Without answering, Eugene set his ss to his lips. ¡°There is no one. That would be impossible. Vermouth was a real monster. Threatening a Lionheart¡­ haha¡­ hahaha! So what? You know, you guys should actually thank me. I have been respectful toward the Lionhearts. Or else I would have mmed your heads on the floor!¡± Irisughed frantically, her shoulders trembling. The entire time sheughed, her darkness wobbled, pressuring Eugene with its immense power. Eugene drank the liquor while feeling his skin tingling and his hair standing on end. His throat turned hot as if he had swallowed a ball of fire. That ball of fire warmed Eugene¡¯s body from the inside. ¡®I should havekilledher then.¡¯Eugene tightly clenched his fists. He wasn¡¯t sure how many times he had regretted this matter. Had he killed her 300 years ago, he wouldn¡¯t have to deal with this fucking bitch now. Clicking his tongue, Eugene put down his ss. ¡°¡­I need time to think.¡± ¡°I have given you time since you have stepped into this ce, kid. I let you sit in front of me and gave you a drink. I have done all that for you while not killing you. All of that was time given to you.¡± Instead ofing up with an answer, Eugene was going through an internal conflict. ¡®Should I just fight head-on? What are my chances of winning? Won¡¯t it be better to attack her first and retreatter than listening to her bullshit?¡¯ Various thoughts crossed his mind. Eugene would definitely have gone through with his thought if Lavera and the old man from the shop weren¡¯t here. The unconscious duo was lying beside him, limiting Eugene¡¯s options. The situation made him frustrated, boiling up from the inside. ¡®Is it not the time yet? I don¡¯t want to get Lavera and the old man entangled in this.¡¯Eugene thought as he crossed his arms, clicking his tongue. ¡°¡­Do you remember Signard?¡± Eugene decided to buy time for now. ¡°He is at the Lionheart¡¯s forest, too. He grinds his teeth every night, wishing to kill you someday.¡± ¡°I remember. He is the elf who is full of vengeance even though he is pathetically weak. Kid, I don¡¯t like talking about the old time.¡± Iris spoke discontentedly. ¡°I have heard a lot about you from Signard, too. The traitor of elves. You are the elf who killed the most elves. Is it true you made your elven prisoners kneel and slit their stomachs? Oh, right. You also left them to die after you pulled out all of their intestines, am I right?¡± ¡°It is ancient history now. Your parents weren¡¯t even born ¡ª no, one of your ancestors must have been a sperm in Vermouth¡¯s testicle at the time.¡± Iris twisted her lips. ¡°Of course, I regret my actions during the period. I went too far, but those regrets give me more reason to make elves lead better lives.¡± ¡°You just want to increase the number of dark elves.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to be a dark elf and gain freedom instead of worrying about when they will die from the demonic disease? I¡¯m going to be a Demon King someday. When that dayes, every dark elf will be revered,¡± Iris spoke as she turned the revolver¡¯s cylinder. ¡°Do you wanna talk about the old times with me or something? If you be my friend, I will tell you as much as you want.¡± ¡°Who would win if Vermouth and Hamel fought?¡± Eugene asked out of the blue. Iris¡¯ giggling stopped for a moment. She must not have expected Eugene to ask such a random question in this situation. Her pathetic madness mixed with her rationality. ¡°¡­What?¡± Iris asked, dumbstruck. ¡°Vermouth versus Hamel. Who would win?¡± Eugene calmly repeated. ¡°You are asking¡­ a random question. Of course, Vermouth will win.¡± ¡°Won¡¯t Hamel win?¡± ¡°Hamel¡­ haha! He is an idiot who is called stupid by future generations, so how can that wuss win? You are talking nonsense.¡± ¡°You are pretty harsh on Hamel. He might win, you know.¡± Mumbling, Eugene picked up the liquor bottle. ¡°Then I will ask you another question. Who is more handsome? Hamel or Vermouth?¡± ¡°¡­Are you crazy?¡± Iris tried hard to not gape. ¡°I¡¯m just curious, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not worth answering.¡± ¡°You mean it¡¯s hard to choose, right? That must mean Hamel and Vermouth were equally handsome.¡± ¡°Hamel was an ugly bastard. A piece of rugged clothes would be more handsome than him.¡± She was being too harsh on Hamel. Holding back the rising fury inside him, Eugene poured Iris a drink. ¡°Still, Hamel is more handsome than Molon, right?¡± ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Iris red at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be your friend. So, friend. Why don¡¯t we hang outter? Can you just go home today?¡± Thump! She mmed her right foot on the table, wrecking the table. The liquor bottle and the sses flew in the air. Eugene leaned back to avoid getting drenched in alcohol. ¡°You are truly something.¡± Iris looked at Eugene coldly. ¡°So, a 20-year-old human bastard is acting this shamelessly in front of me, huh? I never thought one of Vermouth¡¯s descendants would act like you.¡± ¡°300 years is a long time.¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°Yes, it is a long time for humans. There must be dozens of ancestors between you and Vermouth in the family tree, right? If that wasn¡¯t the case, I would have considered you a descendant of Hamel, not Vermouth.¡± Iris muttered under her breath, opening her revolver¡¯s cylinder. ¡°Since you are having a difficult time choosing, I will help. Why don¡¯t we have a fun game?¡± When she opened the cylinder, the bullets dropped on the floor. Iris put one of the bullets in the cylinder and spun it in front of Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s a simple roulette game. We are going to take turns pulling the trigger. If the bullet goes through your head, I won¡¯t be considerate of the Lionhearts. I¡¯m going to bring your body to the main estate right away and bring all the elves with me.¡± ¡°What if the bullet goes throughyourhead?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Then I will let you return. I won¡¯t try to negotiate with the Lionhearts regarding this matter anymore,¡± Iris spoke as she put her finger on the trigger. As she put her revolver against her temple, she continued to look at Eugene. ¡°You can give up now if you are afraid. But you must bring the elves to me, just like we discussed. How does this sound? You don¡¯t have to gamble with your life.¡± ¡°Shoot.¡± Eugene crossed his legs as he interlocked his fingers on top of his knee. ¡°You pull the trigger once, and I pull the trigger once. That¡¯s how this game goes, right?¡± Click! As soon as Eugene had finished talking, Iris unhesitatingly pulled the trigger and beamed as she handed Eugene her revolver. ¡°Don¡¯t delude yourself, kid.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene asked back. ¡°I¡¯m saying don¡¯t delude yourself¡­ by thinking a bullet made from lead won¡¯t be able to go through your head. I created the bullet with my demoneye. No matter how much mana you have, you won¡¯t be able to stop my bullet from going through your head.¡± ¡°Then how about you?¡± ¡°I won¡¯t get shot.¡± ¡°Aha¡­. So this wasn¡¯t a fair game from the start, huh?¡± Eugene pulled the trigger, chuckling. Click! The sound of the hammer hitting an empty chamber echoed in the air. Eugene returned Iris¡¯ revolver to her. ¡°Shoot,¡± Eugene spoke concisely. ¡°Are you out of your mind?¡± Iris asked in shock. ¡°Well, it¡¯s true I will die in this game, and you won¡¯t. But all I need to do is make a bullet go through your head, right?¡± ¡°So you will be the only one to bet your life?¡± ¡°I said shoot,¡± Eugene repeated. Iris was right. This was a simple roulette game. If a person put a bullet and spun a gun¡¯s cylinder, an ordinary person wouldn¡¯t know which chamber held the bullet. But Eugene did. He checked how many rounds the cylinder had turned. When he held the revolver, he could feel the bullet¡¯s location by the slight difference in weight. The bullet was created by Iris¡¯ Demon Eye of Darkness, but it existed like an object, meaning Eugene could feel its weight. Eugene concluded that the bullet would be fired if Iris pulled the trigger this time. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Iris tilted her head sideways and pulled the trigger. Click. Another sound of the hammer hitting an empty chamber echoed in the air. The bullet wasn¡¯t fired. Instead of being shocked, Eugene burst intoughter. ¡°Wow, do you really want to win this way?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± Iris handed him the revolver with a twisted smile on her face. It was simple ¡ª the bullet¡¯s location had changed. Since the bullet was made with Iris¡¯ power, she could always make it disappear or appear again. If Eugene pulled the trigger this time, the bullet was bound to go through his head. Chuckling, Iris gestured to her dark elves, who were standing behind. One of the dark elves came up to her and put a cigarette between her fingers. Iris used her golden lighter to light the cigarette and inhaled the smoke deeply. ¡°You can give up now,¡± Iris spoke as she enjoyed the smell of cigarette smoke inside her mouth. ¡°But I do want to see your brain popping out of your he¡ª¡± Before she finished talking¡­. Boom! ¡­the door to this basement got crashed. Chapter 161: The Capital (5)

Chapter 161: The Capital (5)

When the door flew into the basement, Eugene grabbed Akasha from the Cloak. Ziinng! Eugene instantly cast Blink on Lavera and the old man. It was tricky and there were so many things to consider when a wizard used Blink on somebody else. However, it wasn¡¯t a big problem for Eugene. The most important thing while casting subspace magic was to urately calcte veryplicated magic forms in ordance with coordinates and mana flows that differed every time when a wizard used it. Since his past life, Eugene had been great at sensing mana, and his exceptional body only made his calction speed faster. On top of that, Mer was assisting Eugene right now, so it was only natural for Eugene¡¯s subspace magic to be fast and urate. There was also another reason why Eugene could sessfully cast magic ¡ª Iris¡¯ attention had shifted when the door had gotten sted away. Rather than focusing her attention on stopping Eugene from casting magic, Iris now paid more attention to the person who had smashed the door to enter the basement. Thanks to this, there was a gap in Iris¡¯ control over the basement. The sound of someone walking down the stairs quietly echoed in the basement. The one who entered the dark basement was Carmen Lionheart. Holding an unlit cigar in her mouth, she walked through the clouds of dust. Her gray hair and coat hanging on her shoulder pped in the wind. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Carmen slowly looked around the basement ¡ª ten dark elves were standing up, Iris was sitting in front of those elves with her legs crossed, and Eugene was holding Akasha across from Iris. It was Mer who had told Carmen about the location. The Lionheart main estate and annex were very big. It didn¡¯t matter to Eugene, because all he did was cultivate, but that was not true for Mer. She was not only adored by Anci and Gerhard, but also by the servants, such as Laman and Nina, and the White Lion Knights.Therefore, she got called over a lot, but Eugene couldn¡¯t apany her on every asion. To solve this problem, Eugene had installed a magicmunication device in his room and connected it to Mer. Themunication device was often used by both of them. When Eugene couldn¡¯t find Mer after he had finished his training, he used it to contact the familiar. She also used it to find Eugene in the wide Lionheart forest. Mer could also reverse the direction of themunication ¡ª in other words, she was able to send a message to the device. That was how she had contacted Nina, who happened to be cleaning Eugene¡¯s room at the time. Then, Nina had ryed the message to Carmen, who was in the main estate. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Iris deeply inhaled the cigarette smoke. Her face was covered with clouds of thick smoke. Just one deep breath was enough for Iris to burn her cigarette to its filter. After that, she chewed until the cigarette was broken in half. The cigarette fell to the floor, along with a cloud of smoke. Through the smoke cloud, a red ember dropped to the floor. Being conscious of each other, the three did what they had to do right now¡ªattack. Everyone initiated their attacks at the same time. A dark light shone in Iris¡¯ Demoneye. Her revolver was still in Eugene¡¯s hand, but that did not prevent her from firing it. Then, Iris ced her hands on her sofa and pushed. Her hips moved upward as she swung her leg. Moving like a de ¡ª no, like a whip, her leg approached Eugene at a tremendous speed. When the bullet left the barrel of the revolver, Eugene¡¯s head followed its movement. He had to keep an eye on the bullet¡¯s trajectory, because this bullet was something created by the Demoneye of Darkness. Iris was just using a revolver because she liked it; her darkness bullets did not need a gun to be fired, and they didn¡¯t even move straight. The darkness generated by Iris¡¯ Demoneye moved in ordance with Iris¡¯ will. As the bullet touched his hair, Eugene suddenly sparked with electricity. His mana blended with lightning enabled him to move so fast that no one would have believed that he was even human. In the end, the bullet failed to go through Eugene¡¯s head and hit the wall behind him. Iris¡¯ kick was about to reach Eugene from above, so he swiftly kicked off the floor. ?Booom! With a backflip, Eugene instantly opened up the distance between him and Iris. Instead of Eugene, Iris ended up destroying the sofa, making the floor copse in the process. Unable to withstand the air current, Carmen¡¯s cigar crumbled ¡ª that was how fast she moved. The coat that hung on her shoulder also flew away. Keeping her left fist at her chest, she moved her right fist so far back that some would have worried about her shoulder getting dislocated. When her left foot touched the ground, she turned her ankle and waist together. It looked as if she was throwing a cannonball using her body as the cannon, not just swinging her fist. Her straight fist attack prated Iris¡¯ darkness. Iris¡¯ eye shone once again ¡ª she used the Demoneye of Darkness to create more darkness. Wooosh! The darkness became a tornado, swallowing Carmen¡¯s fist attack whole. Landing his backflip, Eugene made the Cloak of Darkness swallow him whole. Creak¡­! Eugene drew out the Thunderbolt Pernoa from the Cloak. Five bolts of lightning were now ready to be fired. Pzzzz! He let his lightning bolts fly in Iris¡¯ direction one by one. Thump! With her insole, Iris kicked the liquor bottle that was rolling around the floor. Crash! Eugene¡¯s lightning bolts hit the liquor bottle, vaporizing the liquor. After her first fist attack, Carmen shortened the distance between her and Iris even more. Carmen spat out the cigar in her mouth. The room was now filled with the vaporized liquor smell and cigarette smoke; Carmen hated both smells. She was displeased with the current situation as it was, and the development was giving her even more reasons to be discontent. Rip. Using her left hand, which she had been keeping on her chest, Carmen ripped off her shirt¡¯s buttons, then she tightly clenched her fists. Her leather gloves weren¡¯t able to withstand her gripping power; they seemed like they would break apart at the seams. Her gray hair fluttered in the air as she elerated and pounced at Iris. ¡°Tsk.¡± Carmen clicked her tongue. Something had stopped Carmen¡¯s cannonball-like fist attack. She felt as if the floor had given out under her feet. In fact, she felt as if she was about to fall. Iris had spread her darkness to cover the floor; it almost looked as if she was inviting Carmen to visit the bottom of an abyss. Of course, rather than approaching any further, Carmen backflipped right out of the situation. ¡®Can I kill her from here?¡¯Eugene clicked his tongue. He let go of the Thunderbolt and spread the Cloak of Darkness wide, like wings. Eugene was fighting against Rakshasa Princess Iris ¡ª the legendary dark elf who had been notorious for 300 years. There was zero chance for him to kill Iris as things stood. He could try using Ignition, the Moonlight Sword, or the Holy Sword. However, none of these cards was worth anything in front of the ace that was Iris. Even Eward, who had borrowed the monstrous power of a Demon King¡¯s remnant, was patheticpared to Iris, therealmonster. She had already been strong 300 years ago, but her current self left her past one in the dust. Her most noticeable achievement was her seemingly perfect control of the Demoneye of Darkness. Iris hadn¡¯t been able to use her Demoneye¡¯s power quickly and proficiently 300 years ago. This was the reason why Eugene hadn¡¯t thought of Iris as a suspect when Lavera and the old man had disappeared from the shop ¡ª he hadn¡¯t expected Iris to get this proficient. ¡®What about the Moonlight Sword?¡¯ The thought came to his mind, but Eugene didn¡¯t pull the sword out. He wasn¡¯t certain whether or not he would be able to cut Iris deep enough to kill her with the iplete, weakened Moonlight Sword. It was also the same for the Holy Sword. In fact, the Holy Sword couldn¡¯t help Eugene much while fighting against Iris. The power of her Demoneye was so ridiculous that even with the Holy Sword¡¯s divine power, purifying it was a tall order. Iris reached out her hand. This battle had begun pretty abruptly, but she still kept her twisted smile. She bent her long fingers, and her eye shone with ck light again. At that moment, clusters of darkness appeared beside Eugene, one on his left and another on his right. The two clusters tried to squash Eugene to death from both sides. Paah! The Cloak of Darkness spun in the air. After swiftly pulling out Wynnyd from the Cloak, Eugene came out of the Cloak and shed at Iris¡¯ darkness, but he could feel nothing. He hadn¡¯t felt this way for a long time ¡ª heknewthat he had cut something, but he had felt no resistance from his de. Well, Eugene wasn¡¯t wrong. Once his sword had passed through Iris¡¯ darkness, the pieces of darkness instantly reattached themselves. However, his attack had not been a vain attempt. Along with his strike, Eugene had used the magic form. He infused his mana into the form to cast space expansion spell. Wooosh! The darkness, which was a cohesive mass, inted as if somebody had grabbed the top and bottom of the cluster and stretched it. It was impossible to use magic to break through Iris¡¯ darkness itself, but he could physically sh the darkness apart and push his magic through the gap. ¡®She¡¯s tricky to deal with,¡¯Eugene thought. She had also been like that 300 years ago. Noir Giabe was way stronger than Iris, but Iris was by far more troublesome. The reason was simple ¡ª Sienna and Anise had perfectly shielded the hero party from Noir Giabe¡¯s attack. However, Hamel had dealt with Iris alone most of the time. ¡®She wasn¡¯t great at hand-to-handbat at the time.¡¯ Crash! Iris¡¯ front kick pushed Eugene backward. Before her kick reached him, Eugene had already cast seventeen barrieryers, plus an aura shield. However, her one kick had been enough to shatter Eugene¡¯s defensive bubble and make him fly back. Not only that, but she had done all this while still sitting on the sofa. ¡°¡­Ahahaha!¡± Iris brightly giggled as she crossed her legs once more after the kick. Creak¡­ Creak¡­ During the process of pushing Eugene backward, Iris¡¯ sofa creaked. She ced her arms on the sofa¡¯s headrest and raised her head. ¡°You aretheSilver Lion of the Lionhearts, am I correct?¡± Iris asked with interest. Instead of answering, Carmen pulled out her fingers from the ceiling. She wasn¡¯t far from the ground, so it didn¡¯t take long for her to drop to the floor. As she fell to the ground, Carmen was alreadyunching attacks on Iris with her leg, leaving hundreds of afterimages. It was unbelievable that she was able to strike so many times in what was nothing more than the blink of an eye. However, Iris wasn¡¯t flustered; her wide-open eyes followed Carmen¡¯s every attack, then she summoned her darkness to block. Carmen¡¯s kick made Iris¡¯ darkness disperse. Yet, the darkness that was scattered away gathered once more; no matter how much it dispersed, it never disappeared. Carmen¡¯s feet were on the ground once more, while Iris did not move from her sofa. As for Eugene, the wall behind him had put an abrupt stop to his flight backward. It had only been several minutes since Carmen hade to this ce, but the Third Division of ck Lion Knights arrived. These knights, whose skills were recognized by all countries, ran down the stairs. ¡°Don¡¯te in,¡± Carmen spoke as she kept her eyes on Iris. ¡°Just watch. Don¡¯t interfere.¡± Iris grinned, feeling the creaking sofa as she leaned against it. She was speaking to the dark elves who were standing behind her. Eugene¡¯s body slid down to the floor. Squeak. Carmen pulled the gloves back on with her teeth to make sure they stayed on. Crack. Iris¡¯ finger made a cracking sound. Badump. Eugene¡¯s heart beat hard. Just like the first time, everyone began to move at the same time. Iris generated more darkness to cover up the basement; her darkness spread like an ink drop staining a white paper. The floor of the basement now looked like a portal that led to God knew where ¡ª it was hard to distinguish if Iris had simply covered the floor or created a passage that led to some abyss of darkness. This was why fighting against Iris was tricky. No one could identify the dark lump without touching it. It was a bizarre power that couldn¡¯t be understood even through Akasha. ¡®I know since I have experienced it several times.¡¯Eugene shrugged. Would Carmen know? He wasn¡¯t sure, but there was no time to let her know about Iris¡¯ power. Carmen was already moving forward. The three were engaging in very closebat ¡ª he was familiar with this type ofbat. Clink. With his left hand, Eugene drew out a karambit knife which he had hidden on the inside of his belt. Putting his index finger through the ring pommel, he tightly clenched his fist around the grip. Then, he condensed his sword-force into a thinyer that covered the de. Pzzz. Lightning sparked around his body again as Eugene elerated forward. Carmen had already moved, a bit ahead of Eugene; she leaped across the floor to avoid getting swallowed by the darkness and swung her fist against the wall of darkness that Iris had created. When her fist touched the wall, however, Carmen simply pulled back. Her irvoyance-like intuition, which she had developed during years of training, had warned her that something was wrong the very first instant that her fist had touched the wall. If she had pushed through any further, Iris¡¯ darkness would have swallowed Carmen¡¯s fist. Her clusters of darknessmunicated with each other through space, so if Iris had made her darkness disappear while Carmen¡¯s fist was swallowed, her hand would have been mutted. It didn¡¯t matter how much Carmen had trained or how much of a treasure her gloves were. Carmen changed the angle of her punches, flexibly turning her torso and attacking Iris¡¯ darkness from the side. This time, just before her fist reached Iris¡¯ darkness, her strike created an explosion, sting apart and dissipating the darkness. Eugene¡¯s instantaneous velocity was faster than Carmen¡¯s. When Carmen had burst Iris¡¯ darkness, Eugene had already moved past her and entered Iris¡¯ attack radius. There was one thing that was much better than 300 years ago: there were many more kinds of weapons tha Eugene could use right nowpared to when he was Hamel. Wynnyd¡¯s wind was one of them. Surrounding Eugene¡¯s body, it moved ahead of Eugene, so it touched Iris¡¯ darkness before Eugene did. The wind either got swallowed by the darkness or was blocked. It didn¡¯t do much, but that was all Eugene needed to figure out the characteristics of Iris¡¯ darkness. ¡®She could only control two clusters of darkness 300 years ago.¡¯ That had been the case before, but she had clearly developed her ability so much that she now had perfect control of her darkness. Maybe she had also gained other powers, but for now, Eugene could only be vignt against powers that he knew about for sure. ?Ziiinng! The karambit knife¡¯s curved de shone with Eugene¡¯s sword force. As Carmen swung her fist from the side, Eugene used his knife to attack from above. Iris was still sitting on her sofa, but her eye was covered with darkness again. Her darkness swallowed Eugene¡¯s attack ¡ª or, rather, Eugene let his attack be swallowed. He had various weapons, but he had chosen a karambit for one reason: it was easier to move his own limbs than swing a weapon. ¡®And I don¡¯t care if this one breaks. My attack will be less powerful, though,¡¯Eugene quickly thought. Iris¡¯ darkness undted, turning into waves. The waves of darkness rushed over Eugene and Carmen. In response, Eugene summoned more fierce winds to shield them against the waves as the sword force wrapping his knife let out sparks. Carmen was now standing beside Eugene. They had shortened the distance between them and Iris in no time, and at this point, Iris could no longer stay still on her sofa. The darkness summoned by her Demoneye pushed Iris forward. After she unsteadily stood up from the sofa, as if someone had pulled her up, she created a shield to protect the dark elves standing behind her. Then, she raised her hands. Dozens of attacks struck at Iris in virtually a single moment. Carmen punched and kicked at Iris, in an attempt to push her back, then tried to grab her head and twist her neck. Timing his own attacks in tandem with Carmen, Eugene aimed sh after sh at Iris, assaulting her relentlessly. Actually, there was no point in discussing each attack separately ¡ª what happened was that, without interfering with each, Eugene and Carmen attacked Iris in every possible way. Iris moved her arms with a twisted smile. Her darkness spread out, blocking every angle from which Carmen and Eugene could strike. Their options were already limited anyway, and even though they hadunched hundreds of different attacks, hardly any of them had impacted Iris in any significant way. In the ten minutes psed since the start of the battle, their attacks had amounted to nothing more than vain attempts; no matter how formidable the duo was, they both failed to reach their target. In spite of many powerful attacks being exchanged, never mind the basement copsing, the building hadn¡¯t even been shaken once. The only things that had been destroyed were the table, the sofa, and the door ¡ª the table and the sofa had been smashed by Iris, while Carmen had crushed the door as she entered. That was how precise their attacks were. Without wasting any power, each of the three focused solely on their target. ¡°Form Change.¡± Carmen took ateral stance. ¡°Heaven Genocide.¡± With her ragged leather glove, she grabbed her pocket watch. ¡°stor Form.¡± The name didn¡¯t give Eugene the slightest clue as to what Carmen¡¯s technique was. Chapter 162: The Capital (6)

Chapter 162: The Capital (6)

¡®Does she really have to pull her pocket watch from her inner pocket, hold her arm sideways¡­ and say those lines? stor Form? What does that even mean? If she really has to go through all that process, that weapon has zero practicality inbat, doesn¡¯t it?¡¯Eugene grumbled in his mind. Even though he thought that way, he could see that wasn¡¯t actually the case. The previous day, Carmen had shown Eugene her Heaven Genocide¡¯s Destiny Form for the first time. Eugene had been able to follow the transformation process with his eyes at the time, but Carmen¡¯s speed right now was iparable to her speed from yesterday. When she had muttered ¡®stor Form¡¯ under her breath, her right hand was already covered in a silver gauntlet. In other words, she had slowed down her Destiny Form¡¯s transformation the previous day to show it to Eugene. ¡®Amazing¡­.¡¯Eugene marveled as he looked at Carmen¡¯s right hand. Destiny Form had previously turned her fingers into de-like ws. stor Form was Heaven Genocide¡¯s gauntlet form. The knuckle guard looked rough and tough, clearly designed for smashing her opponents to pieces. Iris had been casually deflecting attacks with a twisted smile pasted on her face, but Carmen¡¯s stor Form was enough to make her stop smiling. Her eyes were now wide open. She blinked as she looked at Carmen¡¯s right hand. ¡°¡­What the¡­?¡± Iris muttered. ¡®What was that ridiculous name she had just mumbled? What¡¯s up with that fist?¡¯ All kinds of thoughts jumbled in Iris¡¯ head. This centuries-old dark elf looked wild and free, and her manner of speaking did not belie that impression. However, that didn¡¯t mean she could understand Carmen¡¯s peculiar preference. Carmen didn¡¯t care much about Iris¡¯ approval, either. Her left foot soundlessly tapped the ground, and Carmen moved forward as if somebody had pushed her from behind. Keeping her left fist on her waist this time, Carmen pulled her right fist back, and Eugene could hear a mechanical noiseing from her elbow. Swoosh. Iris couldn¡¯t use her demoneye at the right moment. Before she could figure out what was going on, Carmen¡¯s fist forced Iris to understand the situation. The shock was so powerful that Iris¡¯ feet left the floor as she was pushed back. Iris couldn¡¯t even make a sound as Carmen''s punch made her bend over. People generally need a moment to recover their breath after taking a hard punch to the gut. But before Iris was able to do that, another shock overwhelmed her, restarting the whole process. Carmen¡¯s hits showered her at an unbelievable rate, not giving her a moment of rest. Carmen¡¯s speed was so ridiculous that Eugene could only follow part of her movement. Was it even possible to move that way? Keeping her legs still, she didn¡¯t use the momentum of her upper body, including her waist. She had previously had her right fist at her waist, but now, it pistoned through the air as she continued tounch her fist attack. During the whole process of swinging her right fist back and forth, Carmen got faster and faster¡­. Was it possible for her to do all that with just her right arm? ¡°?Machine Gun Blow,¡± Carmen spoke as she finished herbination strike. Even after attacking Iris so many times that thetter couldn¡¯t even breathe, Carmen wasn¡¯t out of breath. The sound of Carmen¡¯s fist attacks btedly followed after. ¡°Cough!¡± Iris used her darkness to stop herself from flying backward. The sheer amount of strikes per second she had eaten made her spit out blood and pieces of her intestines, but she was still in one piece. As Iris was pushed back, Eugene sprung at her. Deflecting Iris¡¯ punch, Eugene swung his knife at her. Biting her blood-smeared lips, Iris summoned another cluster of darkness. When her darkness was about to stop Eugene¡¯s knife, Eugene made his sword force explode. Then, with extraordinary control, he covered the de with sword force once more. The knife was only as long as Eugene¡¯s fingers, but he had no trouble spinning it all over in a wild, chaotic dance. Before Iris¡¯ eyes, her darkness was shredded to pieces. Although the pieces wouldn¡¯t disappear, Eugene¡¯s attacks were too fast for them to reattach. Iris¡¯ insides ached. She couldn¡¯t believe that she had let Carmennd that many hits on her in such a short time. Iris hurriedly tried to retreat, wanting to get herself together, but Eugene¡¯s nonstop attack from above brought back a very old memory. ¡®This style of attacking from above¡­.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s attacks were fast and heavy; he put his whole weight behind each strike. His wild knife dance seemed chaotic, but Iris couldn¡¯t find an opening to counterattack. When she thought she had finally found a chance to attack, Eugene used her counterattack against her. ¡®¡­Asura Rampage?¡¯Iris came to a realization. The darkness dispersed by Eugene¡¯s attacks couldn¡¯te back together. Throughout his tempestuous assault, Eugene had not only used the knife but also magic. In order to make sure that Iris¡¯ darkness wouldn¡¯t simply restore itself, he had used space expansion spells between his attacks from above. On top of that, Eugene had made his sword force into a thin and long thread and used it to bind the small clumps of darkness that drifted apart. ¡®How¡¯s this possible?¡¯Iris wondered. Iris certainly wasn¡¯t capable of doing this. ¡®Sword force thread¡­ I know this one.¡¯ She wouldn¡¯t be able to forget that moment even if she tried for her entire life ¡ª the moment she had lost her dear father 300 years ago. That damn Vermouth had ughtered her father with that horrible sword, filling Iris with despair. At the time, she had wished she could throw herself between them and save her father. The Moonlight Sword emitted that pale moonlight that seemed to be the embodiment of destruction. She had been well aware that the light would burn her to ashes, but she had been perfectly willing to make that sacrifice for her father. However, she was unable to do that. A son of a bitch who was just as annoying as the fucking Vermouth had stopped her. The Stupid Hamel. Had she not had the Demoneye of Darkness, she would have been ughtered by Hamel. There was a big gap in power between Iris and Hamel. Indeed, she was the most powerful dark elf, the Demon King of Fury¡¯s daughter, and the so-called Rakshasa Princess. However, Iris had been the weakest one in the Demon King of Fury¡¯s castle 300 years ago. The sword force threads connected with each other inside the darkness. Eugene spun his karambit around his index to the back of his hand. As he wrapped the sword force thread on his left hand, he continued to meticulously attack with other methods ¡ª he had summoned a gust of fair wind, and his Lightning me sparked around him. His left hand moved as if he was ying with a cat¡¯s cradle. ¡®¡­Dead End!¡¯Iris thought in shock. As the threads furtively approached Iris, they tied her up. The threads looked weak and thin, but they were sharp enough to mutte bodies as soon as they touched the threads. Had Iris been a normal dark elf, the threads would have mangled her. Rip! Dozens of lines were drawn on Iris¡¯ red suit ¡ª Eugene¡¯s sword force threads had cut her clothes, relieving her skin amidst the gaps. It was soft, without a single blemish or callus. Even though Eugene¡¯s sword force had touched her skin, it had only drawn drops of blood from her skin. ¡®She¡¯s still persistent.¡¯Eugene gritted his teeth. The Demon King of Fury¡¯s children were adopted. Instead of passing his power through blood, the Demon King had bestowed various abilities on his adopted children. Iris¡¯ Demoneye of Darkness had belonged to the Demon King of Fury. The Demon King had also bestowed her with a very durable body that was umon among elves. ¡°You bastard¡­!¡± Iris crumpled up as she tried to wiggle out of Eugene¡¯s sword force thread. Pzzzzz! Eugene made the Lightning me mixed with his sword force to swallow Iris whole, but it wasn¡¯t enough to make Iris lose consciousness. ¡°You are the Lionheart hound¡­!¡± Iris cried. Well, he was Hamel, who had died 300 years ago. He had just reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant. Of course, Iris wasn¡¯t able to reach that kind of conclusion; no one would. On top of that, Iris knew that Vermouth, whom she hated, had passed down Hamel Style to his son after Hamel¡¯s death. She was also aware of how the descendants of Vermouth¡¯s son had continued to inherit the Hamel Style. ¡®Thank you for your misunderstanding.¡¯Eugene thought with a mental shrug. Without answering, Eugene reached out his hand to Iris. His Lightning me had still been burning up Iris, but in ordance with Eugene¡¯s will, the Lightning me had condensed itself, putting pressure on Iris. Carmen sprung forth from Eugene¡¯s back. Eugene no longer doubted the practicality of Carmen¡¯s Heaven Genocide. She hadn¡¯t even said ¡®Form Change,¡¯ but her right hand was in a totally different form from the previous stor Form. Her Heaven Genocide no longer looked like ws or a gauntlet. It was now a heavy cannon shooter, covering her entire right arm. Ziinnnggg..! Through her Cores, the unrefined mana in the air was concentrated on Carmen¡¯s right arm. Woosh. She was using the White me Form to the fullest extent. Only a few people had reached the Seventh Star of White me Form after Great Vermouth. Since Doynes Lionheart had died, Carmen Lionheart was the only living person who had reached the Seventh Star of the White me Form. To put it simply, Carmen was the strongest person in the Lionhearts. ¡®Wait, is shealsousing the Lightning me?¡¯Eugene thought as he realized what had happened. The part of the Lightning me that had been tying Iris up was also concentrated in Carmen¡¯s iron cannon shooter. The circuit engraved on the surface of the cannon shooter lighted up. Iris¡¯ eye shone in ck light. Thuuud! Carmen¡¯s attack was different from before. Yet, Iris felt an immense shock ¡ª her darkness burst. Iris had used her darkness passage to diffuse the power of Carmen¡¯s attack, but it was still powerful. The shock spread throughout Iris¡¯ entire body, breaking her teeth and bursting her eyeball. Iris flew backward. Carmen had created a chance for Eugene to attack, and Eugene didn¡¯t want to miss this opportunity. Eugene grabbed the Moonlight Sword¡¯s handle inside the Cloak. Right now, Eugene saw a possibility of killing her with the Moonlight Sword. Iris was flying away like a puppet without strings. Hamel had won and survived as he went through numerous battles 300 years ago. Therefore, he knew that a rash conclusion during battles equaled a sword shoved into his throat. Letting go of the Moonlight Sword, Eugene held Akasha. Carmen had developed her intuition to a irvoyant level, but unlike Eugene, shecked the experience of surviving life-and-death battles. Although Carmen¡¯s power was respectable, she spent her whole life in the age of peace, where Demon Kings and humans didn¡¯t try to exterminate each other¡¯s kind. That was why she hadn¡¯t sensed something was wrong and just marched forward. ¡®stForm.GigantImpact.¡¯Carmen thought. She knew her attacks had worked. The power of her attacks was lessened while trying to break through Iris¡¯ darkness barriers and having been diffused by Iris¡¯ darkness passage. Still, she had sessfully destroyed Iris¡¯ innards. Carmen saw a chance of victory. Although she wasn¡¯t sure whether or not her body would be able to take it, she knew she could kill the Rakshasa Princess if she took a few more steps forward. The question of what would happen after she killed the Rakshasa Princess crossed Carmen¡¯s mind, but she concluded that there was nothing to worry about. The Rakshasa Princess was the one to instigate the fight. Besides, the Rakshasa Princess and her Fury Independence Army were problems for Helmuth too. So Carmen would have no problem if she killed the Rakshasa Princess right here. ¡®For the Lionhearts¡¯ honor.¡¯Carmen solemnly thought. The Lionhearts¡¯ honor was now in the gutter. Killing the Rakshasa Princess was the best starting point to pull out the n¡¯s honor from the drain. Creak. Carmen¡¯s right arm changed its form. She really wanted to speak the names, but there was no time to speak them out. ¡®Form Change. Destiny Form. Destiny Breaker¡­.¡¯ Woosh! She should be shortening the distance between her and Iris, but she got further away from Iris. ¡®What¡¯s going on? Wasn¡¯t I stepping forward? My sense of distance is all jumbled up.Why did I catch onte?¡¯Carmen thought in perplexity. That was because she could never imagine Eugene, who was fighting on the same side as her, would use subspace magic and grab her nape to pull her backward. ¡°Why¡ª¡± Before Carmen could form a sentence¡­. Craaackkk! ¡­a pitch-ck darkness sphere rose up in the space where Carmen was trying to move forward. The darkness summoned by Iris all appeared abruptly, but Carmen and Eugene could avoid it since there was a telltale sign ¡ª Iris¡¯ demoneye glowed before she used her power. However, the darkness showed up without any telltale sign this time. Besides, the darkness right now had apletely different property from the previous darknesses that had appeared beforehand. Carmen could feel it even though she hadn¡¯t touched it. If she hadn¡¯t stopped ¡ª no, if she had kept marching forward, she would have died without realizing the reason. ¡°¡­Tsk.¡± Iris clicked her tongue in discontentment. Iris had stopped flying when she crashed against her darkness, bending her upper body backward. Iris leaned forward, her bones creaking. Her eye had burst, so her eye socket was empty. However, blood and darkness were whirling in her empty eye socket. ¡°Are you a lucky one, or do you just have a great instinct?¡± Iris spoke, but blood dripped out of her mouth the entire time she talked. Then, chuckling, she leaned against her darkness. ¡°It¡¯s a pity. I could have crushed you into a meat pie if I had been just a little bit faster.¡± The darkness sphere, which had previously appeared, popped and disappeared. Slowly sliding down the wall, Iris stared at Carmen and Eugene. ¡°Princess,¡± One of the dark elves spoke, standing outside Iris¡¯ darkness. ¡°We are out of time.¡± ¡°It hasn¡¯t been that long. It¡¯s just been ten minutes, right?¡± ¡°They are already approaching.¡± ¡°This country is uselessly safe.¡± Iris stood up, clicking her tongue. As she stood, she could feel her legs had weakened slightly. Still, she didn¡¯t stagger and stood upright, using all her remaining energy. ¡®Interesting,¡¯Iris thought. Humans had put her in a tight spot. The humans were younger than Yagon, the motherfucker and the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s three demons. Instead of feeling humiliated, Iris felt ecstatic about this. Feeling her tired eyes, she blinked as she giggled. Then, her exploded eye regenerated, and her crushed teeth grew back. ¡°I¡¯m guessing our negotiation has broken down, huh?¡± Iris spoke brightly. Eugene could feel Iris¡¯ desire to kill him and Carmen had subsided. Shrugging, she gestured at the dark elves behind her. One of the dark elves approached, putting a cigarette between Iris¡¯ fingers and lighting it up with a golden lighter. ¡°Or shall we sit at the table and begin negotiating again?¡± Iris asked, blowing the smoke. ¡°I can try talking to your sessor if you would just let me kill you,¡± Eugene calmly answered. ¡°It is difficult for me to grant your wish. The Fury Independence Army means something because I, the rightful heir of my father, exist.¡± The dark elves gathered around Iris. One dark elf took off her suit jacket and put it around Iris¡¯ shoulder since Iris¡¯ clothes were as good as rags now. ¡°Eugene Lionheart and Carmen Lionheart,¡± Iris called as she savored the cigarette smoke in her mouth, holding the cigarette that had burnt away in an instant. ¡°Let¡¯s meet under sunlight, not in a musty basement.¡± When she dropped her cigarette, Iris and the ten dark elves dropped to the darkness underneath their feet. Using the darkness as a passage, all dark elves disappeared from this basement. ¡®¡­She didn¡¯t have the power to do this 300 years ago.¡¯Eugene thought as the moment when Carmen almost got crushed by Iris¡¯ darkness sphere came to his mind. The darkness on the floor turned back to natural shadow, not Iris¡¯ darkness. ring at the shadow, Eugene was absorbed in thoughts. ¡®Itis a shocking improvement, Iris. You could only shoot and move fast 300 years ago, but I now see that you have gotten pretty good at closebat. On top of that, you can use new abilities with your demoneye. You must have trained a lot to be a Demon King.¡¯ Eugene chuckled as he pulled out his index finger from the karambit knife. ¡°I¡¯m lucky,¡± Eugene concluded. He didn¡¯t have to feel bad about failing to kill Iris in this basement. Actually, Iris was the one who should feel bad about today¡¯s battle. Maybe, she was certain she could surely kill both Eugene and Carmen if the third party hadn¡¯t interfered. Although for a different reason, Eugene was also confident. In fact, he had be more certain as he fought against her ¡ª no matter what he did today, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to kill Iris. If Eugene had kept fighting, he surely would have needed to devise an escape n. However, Iris had retreated even before he tried. Their fight was short, but Eugene had learned about the new power of Iris¡¯ demoneye; she definitely couldn¡¯t have done all that 300 years ago. To sum up, Eugene had learned about the current Iris, but Iris didn¡¯t know much about Eugene. He thought he made a great choice of not pulling out his Moonlight Sword, Demon Spear, or the Annihtion Hammer. This would be Eugene¡¯s greatest advantage the next time he tried to kill Iris. ¡°¡­Phew.¡± Carmen changed her Heaven Genocide into a pocket watch again. ¡°¡­Are you all right?¡± Eugene asked as he looked at Carmen¡¯s bloody right arm. Without answering, Carmen flicked her fingers in a certain direction, making her coat fly back to her. When Carmen first entered the basement, the coat had fallen off her shoulders, unable to keep up with Carmen¡¯s speed. ¡°¡­You helped me,¡± Carmen spoke as she put her coat around her. ¡°Don¡¯t mind it.¡± ¡°I would have died if you didn¡¯t pull me away.¡± ¡°I was behind you, so I could see the bigger picture.¡± ¡®That was all it took for him to figure it out?¡¯ Carmen couldn¡¯t really understand it, but she didn¡¯t pry any further. She wasn¡¯t able to feel her drooping right arm. Therefore Carmen pulled out her cigar with her left hand and put it in her mouth. ¡°¡­Lighter,¡± Camen spoke out of the blue. ¡°Pardon?¡± Eugene asked back. ¡°The golden lighter used by the dark elf just now. It made a sound when she opened it.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, yup,¡± Eugene half-heartedly said. ¡°I wanted to ask where she bought it.¡± ¡°¡­Lady Carmen, you don¡¯t light your cigar.¡± ¡°I might want to light it someday,¡± Carmen mumbled as she turned away. Chapter 163: The Capital (7)

Chapter 163: The Capital (7)

When Eugene and Carmen walked upstairs, the Third Division of the ck Lions, under Carmen¡¯smand, was waiting for them on the first floor. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Nathan, the Vice-Captain of the Third Division, came up to Carmen with a serious face after seeing Carmen¡¯s bloody right arm. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch,¡± Carmen answered nonchntly. As the Vice-Captain, Nathan had been assisting Carmen for dozens of years. As a result, he knew Carmen better than anyone, so he could understand the true meaning of her overly calm response. ¡®Shemeans it hurts a lot,¡¯Nathan thought. Her injury wasn¡¯t fatal ¡ª there were no broken bones or torn muscles. Time wouldpletely heal her. However, Carmen was in excruciating pain right now. It was understandable, as her right arm was bleeding so profusely that it had stained her entire sleeve. ¡®Should I give her a painkiller?¡¯ The only thing he could notice were the beads of cold sweat on her forehead. Nathan would have handed Carmen a painkiller without hesitation if Eugene hadn''t been present, but he understood Carmen¡¯s personality very well. She must want to look like a cool, strong martial artist in front of her very young junior. ¡°¡­The White Dragon Knights are outside,¡± Nathan spoke quietly. ¡°That¡¯s not a surprise. Is that Alchester kid here too?¡± Carmen chuckled. ¡°Yes, he is here.¡± Even Eugene knew who Alchester was. When the question of who was the strongest knight in the continent was raised in a conversation, several names were always mentioned ¡ª the Lionheart Patriarchs; Doynes Lionheart, the Immortal White Lion; Carmen Lionheart, the Silver Lion; and themanders of famous knightly orders. Alchester Dragonic, the Commander of the White Dragon Knightly Order of Kiehl, was one of thosemanders. He was a duke, but he never showed up at social parties or was involved with any politics. As a matter of fact, Alchester¡¯s title was bestowed on him out of the emperor¡¯s utmost respect for his dear old friend and guard. His title of a duke was a symbol of ¡®the best knight of Kiehl.¡¯ When Eugene, Carmen, and the Third Division went outside, there were no spectators because the knights surrounding the building were intimidating enough that spectators wouldn¡¯t dare toe up close. ¡°Long time no see.¡± A red-haired man with a dragon symbol on his chest te approached Carmen. Although Eugene had never met him in person, he could tell at first nce that the man was Alchester Dragonic. ¡®So, he is the best knight of the Kiehl Empire, huh?¡¯Eugene thought as he observed Alchester. The current emperor of Kiehl, Straut the Second, was known to publicly im that Duke Alchestor Dragonic was the best and strongest knight in the Empire. However, the emperor said those things because the Lionhearts hadn¡¯t sworn absolute loyalty to the emperor. For a long time, the emperor used various methods to have the Lionhearts under his control. His greed was reasonable ¡ª the name Lionheart had a meaning. The Lionheart n was extraordinarily influential to be considered an ordinary n. The ck Lion Knights were considered equally powerful as the White Dragon Knights. The young knights who indulged in the fantasy of ¡®knight¡¯ wanted to join the White Lion Knights rather than the White Dragon Knights or Imperial Knights of Kiehl. That was also understandable. Those young knights respected Great Vermouth, who had fought against the Demon Kings and saved the world, more than the emperor who reigned the Empire. ¡°Is your right arm okay?¡± Alchester asked Carmen, looking at her bloody right arm. The emperor¡¯s right-handed man and guard, Alchester Dragonic, was a handsome man with red hair and blue eyes that stood out. ¡°It¡¯s just a scratch.¡± ¡°It seems like it needs to be treated,¡± Alchester spoke with a serious face. ¡°I¡¯ll receive treatment in the Lionheart estate after I finish talking to you,¡± Carmen answered as she looked at the building. Even though an intense battle had taken ce in the basement, the building¡¯s exterior looked intact. After checking that she could sense no presence in the building, she asked, ¡°Were there any civilian casualties?¡± ¡°There were none.¡± Alchester shook his head. ¡°Are you aware of what happened here?¡± ¡°Your Vice-Captain gave me a rough exnation. So the Rakshasa Princess and her dark elves were upying that mercenary guild¡¯s office?¡± ¡°First, I want to make sure that the Lionhearts are totally meless here,¡± Carmen spoke as she wiped her bloody hand on her pants. ¡°I have heard that one of your elven maids and one craftsman from a prosthetic shop had been kidnapped, so to find them¡­.¡± Shifting his gaze to Eugene, Alchester continued, ¡°¡­the famous Eugene Lionheart barged into the headquarters of the Rakshasa Princess and her dark elves solo.¡± ¡°To be urate, I was guided here. I didn¡¯t barge in,¡± Eugene spoke as he raised an arm. ¡°You are very reckless. Maybe because you are young,¡± Alchester mumbled, frowning. His blue eyes were partially hidden now. Snorting at Alchester¡¯s remark, Eugene said, ¡°The elf under my protection hade to Ceres with me. She was kidnapped before my very eyes. I have a responsibility to protect her, and I couldn¡¯t neglect it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s some chivalry you got there. But son, keep this in mind ¡ª you are alive today because you got lucky,¡± Alchester warned Eugene. ¡°Have you been waiting here to talk about this kind of stuff?¡± Carmen asked as she put her cigar between her fingers instead of her mouth. ¡°Kid, I thought you must be busy because you aretheAlchester, Commander of the White Dragon Knightly Order.¡± ¡°¡­Stop calling me kid.¡± ¡°No matter how big you have gotten, you are always a kid to me. I still remember when you swung your wooden sword as you sniffled.¡± ¡°Stop talking about trivial stuff,¡± Alchester said as he shut his eyes tightly. ¡°Then I will start talking about serious stuff. Commander of the White Dragon Knightly Order. I am not an imperial knight of Kiehl and have no desire to receive a title. However, I am a citizen born in Ceres and love the Kiehl Empire. So I¡¯m going to give an admonishment to you ¡ª Commander, Duke, and emperor¡¯s right-hand man.¡± Carmen¡¯s voice was cold. Unlike usual, she didn¡¯t try to look solemn. ¡°Why are the dark elves in Ceres?¡± Alchester became quiet. ¡°It is none other than the Rakshasa Princess, the leader of Fury Independence Army. We have formally requested the Kiehl authorities to let us know if the Rakshasa Princess enters the Kiehl Empire. We even exchanged documents regarding the matter,¡± Carmen spoke as she quietly looked at Alchester. ¡°¡­That is because¡­.¡± Alchester tried to say something but was cut off by Carmen. ¡°Although this is really not the time to say this, my niece-inw has generously bribed several nobles working in the Immigration Bureau to let us know if the Rakshasa Princess arrived in the empire. We did so to prepare for Rakshasa Princess¡¯ arrival, so you are not seriously going to take issues with bribes right now, right?¡± ¡®Niece-inw?Is she talking about Anci? Oh, yeah¡­Carmen is my great aunt.¡¯Eugene thought as he realized how old Carmen was once again. ¡°We, the Lionhearts, are citizens of Kiehl living in Ceres. And we have absolute faith in how Ceres is the safest city on the continent. Of course, it should be. You do know how much tax we pay and the donations we make each year, don¡¯t you? So, why should we be the ones who have to confront criminals who kidnap our servants?¡± Looking at Eugene, Carmen spoke coldly, ¡°And why in the world should we hear the word ¡®reckless¡¯ from you about this matter?¡± ¡°I apologize, so please don¡¯t be too angry.¡± Alchester shook his head, heaving a long sigh. ¡°I am aware of how the Lionhearts are totally meless in this matter. However, about the Rakshasa Princess¡­. Yes, I will be honest with you. The Immigration Bureau of Kiehl didn¡¯t know the Rakshasa Princess and her dark elves had entered the Kiehl Empire.¡± ¡°So they are not only kidnappers but are also illegal immigrants, am I correct?¡± ¡°Yes, you are right.¡± Alchester agreed readily. Eugene found Alchester¡¯s reactions a bit surprising as he heard the conversation between Alchester and Carmen. He was the Commander of the White Dragon Knightly Order, who was also called the best knight in the Empire. Due to his title, Eugene had thought Alchester would be an upstanding man, though a bit old-fashioned. However, Alchester turned out to be a timid gentleman. ¡°I also apologize about the Police Bureau¡¯s ineptitude in the incident that happened in the capital. If you want, I will let you know who took responsibility in the future,¡± Alchester continued with his exnation. ¡°It seems you will need a new head patrol guard to oversee this district and a new immigration officer at Kiehl¡¯s gate,¡± Carmen spoke tly. ¡°I will order my people to do so.¡± Alchester nodded. ¡°Can you really just say that, kid? Wouldn¡¯t His Majesty be displeased if you take a Lionheart¡¯s advice to take care of this matter?¡± ¡°As the members of the Lionheart n, if you can overlook today¡¯s incident, we won¡¯t have such a problem,¡± Alchester spoke gently as he raised his head. Every White Dragon Knight, who had been surrounding the building, took a step backward. Thud. The sound of footsteps echoed in the street as one ¡ª the White Dragon Knights moved in unison. That was when Eugene realized that no one else besides the White Dragon Knights was in the street. ¡°I see. So everything will be okay as long as we keep our mouths shut, huh?¡± Carmen spoke in a sarcastic tone. ¡°I don¡¯t want to worry people of Ceres with this incident,¡± said Alchester. ¡°Nothing will be solved if you just cover this up.¡± Carmen had a hint of anger in her voice. ¡°We aren¡¯t covering it up. Once we have investigated this matter enough, the Police Bureau will make a formal announcement to let the citizens know about the incident, so the popce can easily ept the situation. Then we will ask for their understanding.¡± ¡°How about the Lionhearts? Are we getting just one apology?¡± ¡°Is there something you want?¡± Without answering, Carmen was now deep in thought. Eugene quietly marveled at how Carmen never let go of control in the conversation as she smoothly continued to talk. Right now, she wasn¡¯t a crazy grandma who put an unlit cigar in her mouth and hid a weapon called Heaven Genocide in her pocket watch. She was now living up to her title of the Lionheart elder. ¡°The Rakshasa Princess might try to attack us again, so I want White Dragon Knights to stand guard around the main estate¡¯s walls.¡± ¡°Until when do you want my knights to stand guard?¡± ¡°You should figure it out yourself. The Rakshasa Princess escaped from this ce, but I don¡¯t know where she escaped.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Alchester pondered for a moment, stroking his chin. After a moment, he agreed, ¡°All right. I will personally stand guard in the main estate until we know for sure that the Rakshasa Princess has left Kiehl.¡± ¡°You will be guarding the main estate yourself?¡± Carmen asked in shock. ¡°Yes, I will.¡± Then, turning his head in Eugene¡¯s direction, Alchester began to scan Eugene¡¯s unscathed body as he continued, ¡°I¡¯m also doing this out of my personal interest¡­ so you don¡¯t have to worry about His Majesty.¡± Carmen pondered without responding to Alchester. Although Alchester said he was doing it for personal reasons, Carmen could feel that wasn¡¯t the case. Alchester was the best knight in the Empire and also the Commander of the White Dragon Knights. In other words, Alchester was the emperor¡¯s ¡®sword¡¯ who never left the emperor¡¯s side. So for Alchester to leave the emperor''s side and ask Carmen permission to be the Lionhearts¡¯ guard, it must mean¡­. ¡®His Majesty must be acting greedy again.¡¯ Several days ago, Gilead, the Patriarch, had visited the pce and had an audience with the emperor to talk about the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s warning. Therefore, starting this year, the countries made a union to prepare for the uing war. However, no country in the continent would be thinking,¡®Let¡¯s unite and fight against Helmuth or the Demon Kings!¡¯Using the alliance as an excuse, the countries would show off their powers and try to gain something if they could. The Kiehl Empire was already an empire, but Straut the Second, wanted to expand his Empire. His ambition had ended in smoke because he had to stay on guard against Helmuth. However, he had been furtively revealing his desire to conquer Nahama untilst year. ¡®The Lionhearts experienced rebellion. Our power has gotten weaker.The changes we made still haven¡¯t been epted by the people of the Lionheart n,¡¯Carmen thought bitterly. The history and the pride of being Great Vermouth¡¯s descendants made up the current Lionheart n. Just like the ck Lion Knights, the White Lion Knights were one of the Lionheart n¡¯s powers. However, they weren¡¯t born as members of the Lionhearts. What united the White Lion Knights was their loyalty to the Lionheart n and their pride in servingtheLionhearts. Yet, the Lionhearts had been humiliated and weakened after the rebellion. Would they still be proud of the current Lionhearts? ¡®¡­They will.¡¯ Carmen¡¯s thoughts remained the same. The rebellion inside the Lionhearts had made the n suffer from an unprecedented amount of humiliation. The Immortal White Lion had been killed by his grandson. The main family¡¯s first son had started the rebellion after being blinded by the Demon King¡¯s power, and a coteral family member, disloyal to the main family, had been the root cause of this all. Still, the Lionhearts would not crumble. Doynes Lionheart may have died, but Carmen Lionheart was alive and well. So what if the first son hadmitted a sin against heaven by killing and trying to make other Lionhearts into sacrificial offerings? Carmen turned her head to Eugene. Eugene was still young since he was 20. However, the boy would be revered by not only the Lionhearts but also all the knights on the continent in the near future. From the fight with the Rakshasa Princess, Carmen became certain of her thoughts. ¡°¡­I will feel easier if youe to the estate.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Besides, you will also continue to stay in the main estate, Lady Carmen.¡± Alchester shrugged. ¡°There are three of us ¡ª you, me, and this boy,¡± Carmen said as she kept her eyes on Eugene. ¡®Three, huh¡­.¡¯Alchester thought as he nodded with a faint smile on his face. ¡°Exactly what happened down there?¡± ¡°We fought with the Rakshasa Princess,¡± Carmen casually answered. ¡°With just the two of you?¡± ¡°Yes, it would have been better if we killed her. But it turns out the hundreds-of-year-old dark elf was aiming to be the next Demon King for a reason.¡± As Carmen exined to Alchester what had transpired, Eugene began to think. Iris retreated because she worried about the White Dragon Knights interfering in their fight. She didn¡¯t want to fight against Alchester while still fighting Eugene and Carmen. ¡®¡­Something is not right.¡¯Eugene groaned. From the start, Iris had no intention of negotiating about the elves in the Lionheart forest, so she didn¡¯t act withmon sense. She had illegally entered Kiehl, killed the mercenaries, and taken over their office. Then, she kidnapped Lavera to get Eugene involved in this matter. ¡®She saidsomething about being considerate of the Lionhearts,¡¯Eugene thought as he recalled what Iris said. The Lionhearts never negotiated with dark elves. Since Iris was well aware of this fact, she had tried to make Eugene a hostage. ¡®Did she have to do that?¡¯ Iris controlled her Demoneye of Darkness far better than 300 years ago. It was so good that she had kidnapped Lavera without alerting Eugene right away. She had also disappeared with her dark elves before Eugene¡¯s eyes. If she had decided to go so far that she was willing to kidnap and hold hostages, she had various options. If Iris had sneaked into the main estate and tried to abduct the elves with her Demoneye of Darkness¡­ then how could Eugene stop her? ¡®¡­What if she had no choice¡­?¡¯ The World Tree had already rooted itself in the Lionheart forest, forming a barrier that protected the elves. ¡®She can¡¯t get in there.¡¯Eugene came to a realization. He had to try very hard not tough. ¡®Then there is really no need for the White Dragon Knights to protect the main estate¡­. No, they are needed. Iris may not be able to infiltrate the forest, but she is capable of pulling crazy stunts.¡¯ When Eugene had thought that much, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. This ce was none other than the Kiehl Empire, and Iris had acted this crazy againsttheLionhearts. Helmuth would no longer recognize Iris as one of their own, no matter how much the Demon King of Incarceration respected Iris as the Demon King of Fury¡¯s daughter. ¡®She is going to leave Helmuth.¡¯Eugene reached a conclusion. Helmuth had never seen Iris and the dark elves in a positive light. Therefore, the demonfolks in Helmuth would never ept Iris as their Demon King, even if she had be strong enough to be respected as a Demon King. ¡°Uhm, it¡¯s a bitte, but let me introduce myself,¡± Alchester spoke cautiously. While Eugene was deep in thought, the conversation between Alchester and Carmen came to an end. With a faint smile, Alchester approached Eugene and extended his hand. ¡°I¡¯m Alchester Dragonic.¡± ¡°I have heard a lot about you,¡± Eugene spoke as he received Alchester¡¯s handshake. ¡®He only resembles his hair and eye color.¡¯Eugene thought as he recalled the ¡®Dragonic¡¯ whom he had seen in his past life. His title of the best knight of Kiehl was not the only reason why Eugene knew and took an interest in the name Alchester Dragonic. 300 years ago, Eugene had met Alchester¡¯s ancestor. ¡®He babbled about how he was half human and half dragon¡­.¡¯ There once was a crazy bastard who had abandoned his original surname and changed it to Dragonic. Chapter 164: The Capital (8)

Chapter 164: The Capital (8)

There was a man named Orix Dragonic three hundred years ago. Just like Vermouth, Orix suddenly made a name for himself in the world. During the time when demonic beast armies had invaded the Kiehl border, a general thought that his army had no chance of winning on this chaotic battlefield, so he was about to order his people to retreat. At that moment, Orix literally dropped from the sky. After he appeared, he ughtered half of the demonic beast armies with his sword force that reached tens of meters in length. With Orix¡¯s help, the Kiehl army had a chance of winning, and they didn¡¯t let it go to waste ¡ª they sessfully drove out the demonic beast army from the Kiehl border. Most heroes who lived during the era had a story or two like this. That was only natural; the world was in chaos three hundred years ago. There were wars going on everywhere, the enemies were always strong, humans were weak and outnumbered¡­. People couldn¡¯t help but dream of bing a hero. When somebody asked Orix about where he had learned swordsmanship, Orix told the man that he had learned it from his father. When someone else interrupted the conversation and asked how he could umte that much mana, his answer remained the same. In fact, he used the same answer for most questions. In the end, the general became so frustratingly curious that he had to ask who Orix''s father was. ¡ªMy father¡¯s name is Pasquez. He is a dragon. ¡­Although the world believed so, Hamel knew that Orix Dragonic wasn¡¯t half human and half dragon. His name was Venos Allen. Just like Hamel, he was a mercenary. At one point in time, Venos and Hamel had been in the same mercenary guild. They had even fought together on the battlefield. He wasn¡¯t Hamel¡¯s friend, though. Venos was a narrow-minded bastard. When the young Hamel had first joined the mercenary guild, Venos had be Hamel¡¯s direct superior since Venos was a year older than Hamel. Venos would order Hamel to empty chamber pots and wash the senior mercenaries¡¯ smelly clothes. Since the tradition of the group¡¯s youngest member doing all sorts of dirty work had already been in ce even in that fucked up era, Hamel obediently followed Venos¡¯ orders. Hamel was still young at the time, but true to his inborn nature, his temper was getting worse and worse. At first, he simply followed orders, but at one point, all the things that he was forced to do began to annoy him. ¡®That bastard is just a year older than me, but he keeps ordering me around just because he is my direct superior.¡¯ Venos was not the only one that Hamel didn¡¯t like. He also hated the mercenary seniors. There was nothing to learn from them, and they deserved no respect. Some of them even looked at the young Hamel¡¯s butt in a very sexual way, and it wasn¡¯t all that rare for these kinds of incidents to happen in the mercenary guild during the era. Of course, Hamel would have rather died before he epted any kind of sexual harassment, and that was how all hell ended up breaking loose. One of the mercenary seniors stretched a little too close to Hamel¡¯s sleeping bag. Having finally run out of patience, Hamel simply beat the shit out of his senior. Naturally, Venos also flipped out. He showered Hamel with curses, so Hamel beat up Venos as well. The leader of the mercenary guild then jumped on Hamel, saying that he was going to cut off Hamel¡¯s arms. How dare the youngest member of a mercenary guild go crazy andmit mutiny? Therefore, Hamel beat up the mercenary guild leader too. Obviously, since he had, in fact, revolted against the leadership, he could no longer stay in the mercenary guild. The young Hamel thus quickly gathered his belongings and ransacked the pockets of the unconscious Venos and other mercenaries. After that, he left the mercenary guild. Hamel thought that was going to be hisst time seeing Venos. When Venos had be Orix and protected the Kiehl border, Hamel was in Vermouth¡¯s party. At the request of the Kiehl emperor, they headed to the Kiehl border. When they arrived, however, the battle was already over. The general who was guarding the border introduced Orix to the hero party in a rather grand manner. Since Hamel hadn¡¯t met Venos for a long time, he wasn¡¯t able to recognize Venos from his appearance. On top of that, Venos looked different too ¡ª his hair was now red and his eyes became blue. Yet, Hamel remembered Venos¡¯ mana. Of course he would ¡ª Venos had always nitpicked on how Hamel trained his mana. Though, for a person who spouted that much bullshit, Venos surely didn¡¯t have many Cores or that much mana¡­. ¡°Do I have something on my face?¡± Alchester asked as he shyly brushed his cheek. ¡®I must have stared at him for too long.¡¯ After the thought, Eugene casually answered, ¡°I was just amazed to meet the descendant of the legendary half-dragon. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Alchester grinned as if he understood why Eugene stared at him. ¡°I am talking to the descendants of the Great Vermouth, so I know I shouldn¡¯t be too proud¡­. But my ancestor, Sir Orix Dragonic, was also a legendary hero.¡± Eugene desperately held back hisughter. ¡°My ancestor couldn¡¯t refuse the emperor¡¯s request at the time, so he remained in Kiehl and protected the Empire. However¡­. ording to our family¡¯s history, he always regretted not going to Helmuth¡­.¡± Under the Cloak, Eugene pinched his own thigh. Mer also read what was going on in Eugene¡¯s head. Withoutanypersonal reasons, Mer helped Eugene hold back hisughter by also pinching and twisting the skin on Eugene¡¯s waist and arms. ¡ª Are you Venos? ¡ª ¡­You¡¯ve got the wrong man. My name is Orix Dragonic. My father is Pasquez the dragon¡­. ¡ª It¡¯s little, but I can still sense Venos¡¯ mana. ¡ª ¡­I don¡¯t know who Venos is. Venos had kept on pretending that he didn¡¯t know anything, so Hamel had made him tell the truth. Hamel had some proof to back up his words. ¡ª You motherfucker. You are a Demon King¡¯s spy, aren¡¯t you? ¡ª That¡¯s outrageous¡­. ¡ª You see, the Venos I know is a bastard who is weaker than a stone rolling around on the street. How can such a bastard get this much stronger within ten-something years? ¡ª ¡­Lord Hamel¡­. I heard you were also an ordinary mercenary¡­. ¡ª Everybody already called me freakishly strong when I was a mercenary, but they didn¡¯t callyouthat, Venos. How can I not have some doubts when a weak-ass bastard like you has gotten this strong? Tell me the truth, you son of a bitch. You are a Demon King¡¯s spy, aren¡¯t you? A Demon King ordered you to infiltrate Kiehl and kill the emperor, right? ¡ª What in the world¡­? Hamel hadn¡¯t felt the need to talk about this any further ¡ª he had simply pounced at Orix. Baffled, Orix had fought back right away. However, it hadn¡¯t taken long for Orix to roll around on the ground, bleeding from both nostrils. ¡ª Speak the truth, you son of a bitch. You are a Demon King¡¯s spy, aren¡¯t you? ¡ª No, I told you I¡¯m¡­. Argh! After beating the living daylight out of Venos for a bit, Hamel could finally hear about what had happened to him. Due to Hamel¡¯s rampage in the mercenary guild, the guild had disbanded. Therefore, Venos had been forced to bounce around multiple mercenary guilds to gain experience. During that era, a mercenary¡¯s main job had been to fight in wars, but that wasn¡¯t their only job. ¡ª You explored an underground dungeon because of a quest. But it turns out that the dungeon was a dragon¡¯s tomb¡­? When you touched a Dragonheart in that dungeon, its power entered your body? Are you fucking kidding me? ¡ª W-why do you keep saying I¡¯m lying¡­?! ¡ª If you are going to lie, you have to make your lies more believable, you know¡­. Orix had cried his eyes out at the time, his tears mixing with snot and blood from his nose. In Eugene¡¯s head, Orix¡¯s face at the time ovepped with the face of Alchester, who was sitting right in front of him. As a result, Eugene almost lost it, even though Mer was still pinching him with all her might inside the Cloak. ¡°If my ancestor had gone to Helmuth with the heroes¡­. The Great Vermouth might have made more achievements¡­,¡± Alchester spoke, looking outside the carriage¡¯s window. Of course, Alchester had no way of knowing that story. Eugene, on the other hand, knew Orix and what had happened in the past, so it was torture for him to listen to Alchester. Orix had been hellbent onnotgoing to Helmuth three hundred years ago. He had wanted to be treated with utmost respect in Kiehl, just fighting off the demonic beasts that invaded the border from time to time. If he had gone to Helmuth, Orix would have had to fight every day and worry about someone shoving a knife into his throat every night. That was just how Helmuth had been at the time. The hero party also had no need for Orix. At first, Sienna had been interested in Orix¡¯s Dragonheart, but she quickly became disappointed when she found out that Orix didn¡¯t have that much mana even though he was the owner of a Dragonheart. ¡ª Hamel, do you know the saying ¡®putting lipstick on a pig?¡¯[1] ¡ª Why would you put lipstick on a pig? ¡ª You¡¯re dumber than a pig. Since Molon liked fighting against a strong person. he had also been interested in Orix. However, his interest quickly dissipated once he found out that Orix wasn¡¯t as strong as he had thought. As for Anise and Vermouth, they had shown zero interest in Orix from the get-go. Anise said that the current party was ideal, adding someone would just break the bnce. On top of that, she evaluated Orix as someone who wasn¡¯t worth enough for her to wait until the party regained bnce. Vermouth said the same stuff: the hero party didn¡¯t need an extra member. The five were fine on their own. Vermouth always said that. While the party had been wandering around Helmuth, they had met numerous heroes. Some had wished to be a member of their party. There had been some whom Hamel himself wanted as one of his party members. There was one thing he could never deny ¡ª Hamel was the weakest member in the hero party when they first arrived at the frontline of Helmuth. Among the heroes who had already made a name for themselves in the area, there were many people who were stronger than him. Yet, Vermouth never asked them to join his party. On the contrary, when other heroes approached him wanting to be a member, he firmly rejected them. Vermouth exined to them that it had been great fighting together on this or that asion, but he had to be together with his current teammates. At the time, Hamel had really been unable to understand Vermouth. ¡®¡­I still don¡¯t.¡¯Eugene thought, feeling mixed emotions. He put his hand inside the cloak and pped the back of Mer¡¯s hand to stop her from pinching him. ¡°¡­You seem to have a lot of respect for your ancestor,¡± Eugene spoke, trying to be as calm as possible. ¡°Just like you respect the Great Vermouth,¡± Alchester spoke, smiling. ¡°My ancestor may not have fought against the Demon Kings in Helmuth, but he protected numerous Kiehl citizens and the Kiehl borderline as he remained in the Empire. Sir Vermouth protected the world by fighting against the Demon Kings, but my ancestor also devoted his life to Kiehl.¡± Alchester looked at the symbol of the White Dragon Knightly Order on his uniform. ¡°¡­It is said that the first Kiehl emperor was friends with a dragon,¡± Alchester exined the founding myth of Kiehl. ¡°From the start, the Kiehl Empire has been friends with dragons. However, a long time has passed since the guardian dragon of the Empire died. No connection existed between the Empire and dragons afterward¡­. But when my half-dragon ancestor arrived at Kiehl three hundred years ago, the Empire once again became friends with dragons.¡± ¡°...Cough,¡± Eugene suddenly cleared his throat. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Alchester swiftly asked. ¡°¡­My¡­ my wound from the fight with the Rakshasa Princess suddenly ached.¡± Eugene grabbed his chest, physically suppressing hisughter froming out. ¡°Of course, you would have an injury. The Rakshasa Princess is strong,¡± Carmen spoke as she turned her head away from the window. Holding her bandaged right arm, she continued, ¡°But we¡¯re strong too, kid¡­. Well, I guess I can¡¯t call you kid anymore, Eugene.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you callingmekid then¡­.¡± Alchester timidly interrupted. ¡°Quiet, kid. I haven¡¯t survived a life and death battle with you, so you are still a kid to me, Alchester.¡± Alchester wasn¡¯t able to understand Carmen¡¯s logic, but he decided to not nitpick on that. ¡°A dragon, huh¡­,¡± Carmen muttered under her breath as she stared at her bandaged fingers. ¡°Do you have something you would like to say?¡± Eugene cautiously asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± Carmen put her hand in her coat pocket and chuckled. ¡°Heaven Genocide¡­. The pocket watch that hides its true form.¡± As she kept on staring at her pocket watch, she furtively nced at Eugene. ¡°¡­A dragon, huh¡­.¡± Eugene stayed silent at Carmen¡¯s obvious act. What Carmen had said the day before crossed Eugene¡¯s mind. ¡ª I found the Heaven Genocide through a coincidental encounter ¡ª no, a miracle¡­. Wow, it has already been decades since I found it. I went through a magical experience when I was young. That¡¯s all I can tell you. ¡ª You started anyway, so why can¡¯t you just tell me the whole damn story? ¡ª I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t break the promise since promises are important. In any case, thanks to Carmen being really obvious, Eugene had a rough idea about how Carmen had gotten her hands on Heaven Genocide and who had made it. ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be better if we go together?¡± Alchester asked with a hint of discontentment. ¡°No, you guys should go by carriage.¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°I think it¡¯s inefficient¡­.¡± ¡°I asked you and the rest of the White Dragon Knights to guard the nearby areas of the Lionheartnd. I don¡¯t want strangers to enter the main estate.¡± Due to Carmen¡¯s firm rejection, Alchester had no choice but to step back. ¡°In that case, I will do as you ask. We will use the warp gate at the outskirts of Ceres to visit the Lionhearts¡¯nd.¡± ¡°We will discuss how to protect the estateter. We wille to you, so you just put up a camp outside the main estate¡¯s wall or something,¡± Carmen instructed Alchester. Leaving Alchester, Carmen went through the warp gate first. Following Carmen, Eugene also entered the warp gate. The sight of a familiar forest unfolded before his eyes. ¡°Did you do that because of the forest?¡± Eugene asked Carmen, who was putting another cigar in her mouth. ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s why.¡± Carmen nodded. ¡°Alchester isn¡¯t a ck-hearted person. I have known him since he was a little child. At one time, I have exchanged knowledge for the sake of the Lionhearts and the Dragonics¡¯ friendship.¡± ¡°Exchanged knowledge?¡± Eugene tilted his head in confusion. ¡°I taught Alchester the Lionheart style. Alchester¡¯s father¡­ the former Dragonic Patriarch taught me the Dragonic style. I personally think the Lionhearts were the ones who suffered a loss during the exchange,¡± Carmen spoke, chewing on the end of her cigar. Soon, she frowned as she felt the bitterness spreading in her mouth. ¡°¡­To put it in another way, I was Alchester¡¯s teacher, so I know who Alchester is. He¡¯s timid, but his loyalty for his lord makes him ovee his timidness.¡± Alchester¡¯s lord was the emperor of Kiehl. ¡°This forest is too valuable. There is not only the leyline made by the Great Vermouth, but there are also the trees that you brought. These things make the forest into a treasure warehouse. If Alchester finds out about the forest¡­ he will definitely report back to the emperor. He wouldn¡¯t try to take ournd, but he is more than capable of producing a royal decree ordering us to cooperate and let the White Dragon Knights train in the forest. Things would get real noisy around here.¡± As they talked, the other ck Lions arrived at the estate through the warp gate. Watching them, Carmen continued, ¡°The Rakshasa Princess retreated, but don¡¯t lower your guard. Since she went that farst time, we don¡¯t know when she will strike again.¡± After warning Eugene, Carmen went over to the ck Lions to discuss their future ns. Eugene approached Lavera, who looked noticeably pale. ¡°¡­Master Eugene.¡± Lavera¡¯s eyes lost focus for a moment. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­okay. Master Eugene, are you¡­. No, never mind. I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there for you to apologize?¡± Eugene grumbled as he stood in front of Lavera. ¡°Stand still.¡± ¡°¡­Pardon?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t move,¡± Eugene repeated, grabbing Lavera¡¯s shoulders. Lavera was surprised, but she stood still, remembering Eugene¡¯s instruction. ¡®He is punishing me.¡¯Lavera thought and bit her lips. Although Lavera hadn¡¯t done it on purpose, Eugene had fallen into danger because he had gone out to the city with her. Since the ve had put her master into trouble, the ve had to be punished. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Eugene groped Lavera¡¯s body, starting from her shoulder. His hands went slowly over her armpits, corbones, and her chest. Lavera wasn¡¯t humiliated, but saddened by the fact that Eugene, whom she had idolized, was doing this kind of stuff to her. While talking with the ck Lions, Carmen happened to see what Eugene was doing to Lavera. She gaped in shock, her cigar falling out of her mouth. ¡®What on earth is he doing? Why here? They aren¡¯t alone. Why would he be groping an elven maid¡¯s body in front of everyone?¡¯ Carmen¡¯s eyes lost focus. ¡°Hmmmm¡­¡± Eugene¡¯s touch was delicate, as if he was merely conducting some sort of diagnostic. After her chest, Eugene¡¯s hands hade down on Lavera¡¯s waist and abdomen. Turning her flushed face, Carmen loudly cleared her throat. ¡°¡­Uhm¡­ why don¡¯t you¡­ do itter¡­?¡± ¡°Got it.¡± Eugene spoke calmly, not giving a hoot about the onlookers¡¯ impression. ¡®Got what?¡¯Carmen bewilderedly thought. Before she could say something, Eugene pped Lavera¡¯s waist. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Feeling a shock spreading throughout her body, Lavera covered her mouth. Eugene infused his mana into Lavera as he kept his hand on her waist. ¡°Open your mouth,¡± Eugene ordered. However, there was no need for Eugene to give such an order. Something instantly squirmed out from deep inside her body and filled her mouth. ¡°rghhh!¡± Lavera vomited up a dark lump. Chapter 165: The Capital (9)

Chapter 165: The Capital (9)

The dark lump dropped to the ground without making a sound. As Lavera witnessed it falling right before her, her eyes widened in shock. She tried to take a few steps back, covering her mouth, but she ended up falling on her bottom. Unable to say anything, she just looked up at Eugene. ¡°Master¡­ Master¡­ Eugene. W-what is¡­?¡± Lavera asked, stuttering. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Eugene kept his eyes on Lavera. ¡°Pardon¡­?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you been feeling weird since you returned to the forest? You might have felt nausea, a headache¡­.¡± After hesitating a bit, Lavera nodded. Smiling as if he had known it all along, Eugene tapped the dark lump on the ground with his foot. ¡°It was because you had this thing inside you.¡± Iris had given up on Lavera too easily, which made Eugene have doubts. Just in case, Eugene had scanned Lavera¡¯s body, and to his absoluteck of surprise, he had found Iris¡¯ darkness right where he had expected it. ¡°¡­Something terrible could have happened,¡± Carmen mumbled as she frowned. She had witnessed how Iris could use her darkness in so many different ways. Therefore, seeing the darkness cluster filled Carmen¡¯s mind with questions. ¡®What if Iris infiltrates the Lionheart main estate with her army using that darkness? What if she destroys the Lionheart warp gate so we can¡¯t ask for outside help and attacks the estate after seizing the forest?¡¯ Carmen approached the darkness to squash it but was stopped by Eugene. ¡°What are you doing?¡± As he nced at Carmen¡¯s fist, he said, ¡°There is something I want to check.¡± ¡°Check what?¡± Eugene told her about his hypothesis on how Iris might not be able to enter the forest. After staring nkly for a while, Carmen cleared her throat. ¡°¡­Actually, I thought that might be the case too.¡± She was lying. Iris couldn¡¯t approach the forest because of the World Tree inside the forest? The thought had never crossed her mind. However, it sounded usible when Carmen heard Eugene¡¯s hypothesis in detail. If Iris wasn¡¯t thinking about the consequences of her actions, it would have been much simpler for her to infiltrate the forest rather than stage a hostage situation. ¡®Am I right?¡¯Eugene thought. He picked up the darkness cluster with his wind, then headed into the forest. The lump reacted noticeably as Eugene went deeper into the forest. When Eugene had almost reached the center of the forest, the lump started to wobble as if it was going through a seizure. Momentster, it turned into ashes and disappeared. The darkness created by the Demoneye of Darkness wasn¡¯t mana or demonic energy, but it was under Iris¡¯ control. When an elf was corrupted after epting demonic energy, they became a dark elf. The World Tree protected elves. Although the demonic disease killed elves, elves wouldn¡¯t contract the disease in the World Tree¡¯snd. And even if they had already contracted the demonic disease, the disease wouldn¡¯t progress any further in thend. ¡°The Rakshasa Princess can¡¯t enter this forest. I¡¯m guessing it also applies to her dark elf subordinates.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Carmen began to think as she stroked her chin. ¡°Then would it be better to make the White Dragon Knights go away?¡± ¡°Do we have to? It¡¯s not like we have to pay them. They volunteered to protect the estate.¡± ¡°That is true¡­.¡± ¡°Besides, we wouldn¡¯t have gone through this unfortunate event if they had been doing their job right in the first ce. And the Rakshasa Princess might use another method since she can¡¯t enter the forest, right?¡± Eugene shrugged. Eugene¡¯s logic was wless. Nodding, Carmen stared at Eugene intensely. ¡°I feel a bit ridiculous to say this now, but you have quite the skill.¡± Eugene thought the same about his interlocutor ¡ª Carmen Lionheart was stronger than he had expected. He was aware that Doynes had been considered to be the strongest Lionheart, but he had never seen Doynes fighting. However, as he witnessed Carmen fighting against the Rakshasa Princess, he had thought that she was strong enough to be considered the strongest Lionheart. ¡®Shedealt with Iris¡¯ Demoneye pretty well considering it was her first time seeing it.¡¯ If Iris hadn¡¯t gotten stronger over the past three hundred years, Eugene would have killed Iris using the Moonlight Sword during the fight with Carmen. Feeling how long three hundred years was, Eugene clicked his tongue. ¡®¡­It doesn¡¯t just apply to Iris, either.¡¯ Although Raizakia was half-dead and wandering around a dimensional rift, the other two dukes ¡ª the Queen of Night Demons and Incarceration¡¯s de ¡ª were alive and well. Gavid Lindman, Incarceration¡¯s de, was doing particrly well. When Eugene recalled Gavid¡¯s ck sword and the sound of his nking chain, he felt a shiver down his spine. Without revealing what he was feeling, Eugene turned to Carmen who was deep in thought. ¡°What are you thinking about with that serious look on your face?¡± ¡°You said Hector escaped from the ck Lion Castle, right?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°Is there a possibility that Hector is linked with the Rakshasa Princess? With her Demoneye, it would have been a piece of cake for the Rakshasa Princess to help Hector escape.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s highly unlikely.¡± Hector had used magic to escape. That was why Hector had left a trace. If Hector had used Iris¡¯ Demoneye to escape, there was no way he would have left a trace. Besides, only Iris could use her darkness as a passage. Just because Hector had Iris¡¯ darkness inside him didn¡¯t mean that he was able to use it to flee. Not to mention¡­ was there any reason for Iris to show up and take Hector away? Why would she have bothered to leave a trace of magic just so that she could conceal her involvement in the matter? No matter how hard Eugene thought, he couldn''t think of a reason. ¡°You surely know a lot about the Rakshasa Princess,¡± Carmen muttered under her breath as she blinked. Eugene hurriedly straightened his face. Come to think of it, Eugene had revealed too much to Carmen. ¡°Your personality is different from your looks, huh?¡± Carmen randomly asked. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°You listened to Alchester¡¯s boring family history with interest and often hung out with Sir Genos at the ck Lion Castle. The Rakshasa Princess even mistook you to be a Lionheart hound.¡± ¡°¡­Uh¡­ yeah, she did.¡± ¡°You might already know this, but Sir Genos¡¯ family is a rather prestigious coteral family. I might be offending them if I talk this way¡­ anyway, the Great Vermouth made Sir Genos¡¯ family work like a hound for the Lionhearts. And then he passed down the Hamel Style, his deceased friend¡¯s style. That¡¯s how the ck Lions were founded.¡± ¡°Yes¡­ I heard about that too¡­.¡± ¡°I guess Sir Genos adores you so much that he even passed down his family¡¯s secret technique, huh¡­. Well, I can see you and Sir Genos get along pretty well. You two both like old stories.¡± Aftering to a conclusion on her own, Carmen had a pleasant smile on her face. For a moment, Eugene had worried that Carmen had found out about his true identity¡­. He could see that he was worrying about nothing, however, when he saw Carmen¡¯s pleasant smile. ¡°Uhm¡­ Yeah¡­ I respect Sir Hamel¡­¡± ¡°It seemed like it. Your current level is not something that can be achieved with just innate talent. You wouldn¡¯t be able to reach this high without going through the kind of training that makes you shed blood instead of sweat. You must have put so much effort into training that ordinary people would never be able to imagine it.¡± Carmen looked at Eugene with seriousness; her golden eyes shone under the sunset. Eugene felt ufortable as he listened to her, but he also felt rather good to have his efforts recognized like this. ¡°Deep respect and affection for Sir Hamel made you the person you are today,¡± Carmen solemnly spoke. She was pretty content with herself, because she thought she had said something really cool. Carmen put her hand on Eugene¡¯s shoulder and nodded. ¡°During your Coming-Of-Age ceremonyst year, I was the one who sparred with you, but I will acknowledge it again today. Eugene Lionheart, you are not only worthy of the name Lionheart, but you are also a giant me who will make the Lionhearts¡¯ future bright.¡± ¡°¡­Yes¡­ Is that so¡­.¡± ¡°Therefore, I want to gift you a rightful name as a Lionheart elder and a senior in martial arts,¡± Carmen spoke solemnly ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene sensed something weird was going on. ¡°A lion with a bluish-white me that epasses lightning¡­.¡± Carmen looked up at the sky with dazed eyes. ¡°Wait¡­.¡± ¡°Lightning sh Azure Fire God¡­¡± Carmen frowned and wondered why the name didn¡¯t sound as catchy when she said it out loud as it did in her mind. Then, she noticed her own bandaged right hand. The bandage was wet with blood. ¡°¡­Yes. From now on, you are Eugene Lionheart the Blood Lion.¡± ¡°Lady Carmen, look.¡± ¡°The Blood Lion annihtes his family¡¯s enemies. He will walk a blood-soaked path, but he will always stay elegant, beautiful, and strong.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t take it anymore. He tried to get out of there, but Carmen didn¡¯t let Eugene¡¯s shoulder go. p. p. p. The ck Lions, who had been silent, began to p. They were part of the Third Division which was led by Carmen. Intimidating, frightening men apuded Eugene, looking sincerely touched. ¡®They are all fucking crazy,¡¯Eugene desperately thought. In his past life, Eugene had also named his techniques so weirdly that, even now, the names made him cringe from time to time. However, the names ¡®Asura Rampage¡¯ and ¡®Poltergeist Aegis¡¯ felt pretty normal inparison to what he was experiencing now. And why in the world were they pping?! They had all clearly gone mad like Carmen, since no sane people could respect and follow such a captain. ¡®¡­Maybe Ciel is also¡­.¡¯ The sound of Ciel¡¯s annoyingughter came to his mind. She had already been working as Carmen¡¯s squire and studying under her. Ciel respected and followed Carmen¡­. Eugene was seriously worried that Ciel had gone mad like them. * * * ¡°Princess.¡± A dark elf approached, worrying about Iris. However, Iris waved her hand with a nonchnt face. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± She wasn¡¯t acting tough. It was true that she had gotten hit multiple times, and her enemies were stronger than she had thought. Indeed, a diamond lying on a dunghill was still a diamond. The Lionhearts were strong enough to call themselves the best warrior family on the continent. Chuckling, Iris sat on a sofa. ¡°Carmen Lionheart, the Silver Lion. Eugene Lionheart¡­. I guess the two of them are enough to make the Lionhearts the strongest warrior family on the continent,¡± Iris mumbled as she undid one of her buttons. Although she had been hit so many times, there wasn¡¯t a single bruise on her body. She had finished recovering during the brief time it had taken her to teleport back to this ce. ¡®¡­Maybe I should have put myself out and taken them hostages.¡¯ Iris regretted it. If she had taken Eugene and Carmen hostages, she could have used them to negotiate with Lionheart and take a hundred elves. With difficulty, Iris let go of her regrets. From the start, Iris hadn¡¯t nned to negotiate with the Lionhearts. Therefore, she had illegally entered the Kiehl Empire, made a ruckus in Ceres, and attacked the Lionhearts. There was no longer room for negotiation. ¡°¡­Are you okay, Princess?¡± The dark elf asked again, unsure about Iris¡¯ condition. ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Rattle. The carriage departed. It was more like a wagon, and Iris and the dark elves were now in the back of the wagon. The wagon was covered with arge, thick canvas, so they couldn¡¯t see what was going on outside. Leaning against the sofa, Iris touched her abdomen. ¡°I have been persistent over the past three hundred years,¡± Iris quietly spoke. Dark elves were sterile. Once they had be corrupted after epting demonic energy into their body, dark elves could no longer have children, no matter what. In other words, Iris had to corrupt elves in order to increase the number of dark elves. ¡°There are one hundred elves in the Lionheart forest. Even though I want to use them to increase the number of dark elves¡­ I can¡¯t use them to fight.¡± Iris gritted her teeth. The elves were still on Iris¡¯ mind. When she had heard that the descendants of the fucking Vermouth were protecting elves, she had really wanted to just barge in and take the elves away. The fact that elves didn¡¯t want to go with Iris didn¡¯t matter to her. However, it turned out that it was impossible for Iris to do so. As a recon, she had once gone to the Lionheartnd, but her heart and head had started to ache as she went closer. Even the Demoneye of Darkness, which was Iris¡¯ strongest power, didn¡¯t function properly. While retreating, she hade to a realization. Even if she sessfully made one hundred dark elves, would there be any dark elves whom she could fight with right away? Elves had long lifespans, but they didn¡¯t use those to be stronger¡­ Iris was well aware of this, since she had once been an elf herself. Iris thought that elves were God¡¯s mistake. They spent hundreds of years doing nothing meaningful. They were born with powerful magic and astonishing spirit affinity. However, all they focused on was cultivating forests, nting flowers, and picking fruits, instead of training their innate affinities. Although elves were better than humans in every way, they cooped themselves in a closed society without trying to procreate. Elves were like that, and Iris was sure that most elves under the Lionhearts¡¯ protection were the same. ¡®¡­If there¡¯s any elf who would be able to fight right away after bing a dark elf¡­ that would be Signard. I¡¯m not sure if the rest of them have even tried holding a sword,¡¯Iris bitterly thought as she stared at the white canvas. It was important to increase the number of dark elves, but what Iris needed right now were elves whom she could fight with to achieve a great task, not ipetents. Even if she sessfully made a hundred elves into dark elves, they wouldn¡¯t be much of a help to her. In fact, they would be just burdens to Iris. The Demoneye of Darkness¡¯ teleportation ability wasn¡¯t omnipotent. That was why they were riding on a wagon. They would have needed several more wagons to move another hundred dark elves. ¡°¡­Fuck.¡± Iris heaved a big sigh with a cigarette in her mouth. Everything led down to one conclusion: her war chest was almost empty. Since she had left Helmuth, she could no longer receive the dark elf support fund. Yes, she had umted a fortune over hundreds of years. However, she had used it up to grease demonfolk bureaucrats who were making new administration policies and to fund multiple wild goose chases. A sugar cube in a cup of hot tea would have melted away slower than the gold in her vaults. ¡°¡­How long will it take for us to get to the harbor?¡± Iris asked as she frowned a bit. ¡°It will take ten days by wagon.¡± They had no ns to use a warp gate. Iris clicked her tongue and lit her cigarette. ¡°Are you¡­ guys really okay?¡± Holding the cigarette smoke in her lungs, Iris looked at her subordinates as she cautiously spoke. ¡°We are dark elves, but we were once elves. It is in our nature to feel peace in forests¡­ but there are no forests in the seas.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t doubt yourself, Princess.¡± A dark elf who had been serving Iris for a long time bowed. ¡°We all have devoted everything to your cause, Princess.¡± ¡°...I know that¡­ but¡­ ¡± ¡°Many dark elves and mercenaries are already waiting for you in Shimuin.¡± Without answering, Iris blew out the smoke in her lungs. A few momentster, she asked, ¡°Have you guys¡­ ever been on a ship?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡± ¡°So you¡¯ve never sailed a ship, have you?¡± ¡°I can learn if I need to.¡± ¡°I think it would be faster to just seize a ship. We can get a human who knows how to operate a ship, right?¡± another dark elf interrupted. ¡°Yeah¡­ that would be better. We already decided we will be pirates anyway.¡± Iris sighed, blowing out another cloud of smoke. Due to the development of warp gates, the world of trading had gone through a cataclysmic change. However, that didn¡¯t mean that was the end of maritime trade. Although warp gates were really convenient, the instation cost was astronomically high. The countries that owned warp gates also had to regrly spend tremendous amounts of resources for maintenance. Warp gates had naturally be a yardstick in determining whether or not a country was advanced. Therefore, there was no way for small ind countries or cities to own warp gates. That was why Iris decided that she would be a pirate. Everybody considered Sea Kingdom Shimuin an advanced country, but many inds near Shimuin had no warp gates. On top of that, Shimuin also traded with Samar Rainforest. Elves often used Shimuin¡¯s trading ships to get to Samar. ¡°I can fill up my war chest and increase the number of dark elves at the same time¡­ Yeah, there¡¯s nothing bad about it except for the fact that we have to live on the sea.¡± ¡°Or¡­ we could settle in Samar, how does that sound? ording to the fellow dark elves who settled there first, it¡¯s a harsh environment, but it¡¯s not bad to start working on our great task¡­.¡± One of her dark elves cautiously suggested. ¡°There are too many tribes under Helmuth¡¯s control in that ce,¡± Iris spoke as she bit the cigarette filter. ¡°¡­I became so pathetic.¡± After stubbing out her cigarette, Iris buttoned her shirt again. ¡°¡­If I had just won the territorial war with that bitch, Noir Giabe¡­.¡± The Queen of Night Demons was the reason why Iris had to leave Helmuth. She bit her lips as she recalled the events. Chapter 166: Queen of the Night Demons

Chapter 166: Queen of the Night Demons

The Devildom of Helmuth, a nation that was well-suited for the lives of both humans and demonfolk. The citizens who lived here were guaranteed a minimum living standard even if they didn¡¯t do any work. The ancient undead raised by high-ranking demonfolk and ck wizards along with the countless demonic beasts contracted by the Demon King did all the work that citizens would usually have done. Thanks to this, Helmuth¡¯s vast farnds were always covered in golden wheat regardless of the season. Helmuth¡¯s citizens didn¡¯t have to pay their taxes with money; instead, they paid their taxes in the form of life-force. In other words, even if they didn¡¯t have a single penny in their pocket, it was possible for them to keep to a minimum standard of living just by regrly offering some life-force to Helmuth. However, like with most beings, their greed was endless. Just by mortgaging their souls and epting the condition that they would be put to work for ten years after their death, humans who emigrated to Helmuth were able to enjoy a luxurious life. As for the demonfolk? They weren¡¯t much different from humans in terms of greed. However, demonfolk weren¡¯t as quick to bargain with their souls as the humans. Because they were familiar with contracts of the soul, the demonfolk were well aware of how dangerous they were and how much care needed to be taken when bargaining with their own souls as a coteral. That was why demonfolk preferred to do work personally instead of deferring it to after their deaths. While it was true that undead and demonic beast workers were convenient to use, Helmuth didn¡¯t persecute those who chose to work on their own volition. If there was anyone who wanted a job, then they were given priority in being provided with a job. That was just how capable Helmuth¡¯s Ministry of Employment and Labor was, and how much the Great Demon King, who ruled this immense empire, respected and guaranteed all the rights and freedoms of his people. Thanks to that, on this construction site, apart from the undeadborers, there were also many of the lowest-ranking demonfolk at work. They had agreed to be paid in some turbid life-force and one hundred thousand sals for today¡¯sbor. Of course, what thesemon demonfolk really wanted was the life-force rather than the cash. For demonfolk, life-force was essential for the growth of their strength. However, who the hell would want to make a contract with thesemon demonfolk to provide them with their needed souls and life-force? Therefore, the Ministry of Employment and Labor had passed a regtion. Common demonfolk were to be paid with the lowest kind of life-force as part of their wages. Oooh, how generous of the Demon King of Incarceration! ¡­But who could have imagined that such a scene would take ce at a construction site like this? ¡°Heave-ho! Heave-ho!¡± shouted a woman dressed in a yellow hard hat and a worker¡¯s overalls. Who was this woman who was dancing at the top of an observation tower, shouting out roars of encouragement as if she was singing, and waving a pair of traffic wands in both hands like they were a pair of cheerleader pom-poms? ¡°Put your back into it! Put your¡ª Hold on, hold on one second! You, over there! Stop fooling around! It isn¡¯t break time yet!¡± The woman blew into the whistle that was hanging around her neck. Peeeeep! One of themon demonfolk, who had been crouching in a hidden corner of the construction site, let out a sigh and stood back up. ¡°...Just who the hell is thatdy?¡± he asked one of his fellow co-workers. ¡°Who,huff, who knows,¡± came the panting reply. ¡°Why would there be a cheerleader at a construction site¡­?¡± ¡°A hu ¡ªslurp, a human?¡± ¡°Mr. Komu, you¡¯re not thinking of doing anything strange, are you? This isn¡¯t some back alley slum or a sewer¡­ if you so much as drool at a human, you¡¯ll be charged with an offense and get your soul even further restricted.¡± ¡°Slurrrrp¡­.¡± ¡°I know, I know. But you¡¯re a prior offender, Mr. Komu. That¡¯s why you need to be even more careful. The restrictions on your soul have already made holding a conversation difficult¡­ how much more difficult will it be if the next restriction leaves you with a Vocal Ban[1]?¡± ¡°Sluuuurp¡­.¡± At these words from the cyclops, Gargal, a gloomy expression slid across the face of the sewer slime demonfolk, Komu. Apart from a few outliers like Gargal, lower-ranking demonfolk were usually quite far from humans in appearance. This couldn¡¯t be helped, as mostmon demonfolk were actually demonic beasts that had gained self-awareness and be sentient. ¡°Heave-ho, heave-ho!¡± After confirming that themon demonfolk had gotten up and started working again, the woman resumed swinging around her traffic wands while shouting out cheers of encouragement. ¡°If you hold on a bit longer, it will be time for lunch! Although you should all already be aware of this, the lunch prepared for you today will be based on the questionnaire that you filled out this morning! Within the legal limits, of course!¡± Sometimes, there were a few demonfolk who went overboard with their requests. Perhaps because they weren¡¯t good at studying and were ignorant, there were a few idiots who would write down things like ¡®human flesh¡¯ on the lunch menu questionnaire. That was why the woman had emphasized ¡®within the legal limits¡¯ while shouting. ¡°We¡¯re only able to prepare all of these meals ording to your desires thanks to the grace of Duchess Noir Giabe, who¡¯s both the client for this construction site and the CEO of our Dreaming Construction Company! Now then, all workers, make sure to thank Duchess Giabe! Let¡¯s all shout together now!¡± ¡°¡­¡± After a few moments'' pause, the workers followed the instruction. ¡°Our thanks to Duchess Giabe!¡± Their loud roar echoed all throughout the forest around the construction site. The woman spun around with a happy expression on her face at these ringing shouts. Then she leapt off the top of the extremely tall observation tower. ¡°...How impressive,¡±mented a man with neatlybed hair, dressed in a ck suit, who was standing at the bottom of the observation tower. On his shoulders were a pair of golden epaulets and his chest was covered in ornate medals. In spite of his gaudy appearance, no one on the construction site seemed to be aware of the man. And it wasn¡¯t just the man either. Of the workers busily strolling around, none of them paid any attention to the woman who had just jumped down from the towering observation desk. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± the woman asked. ¡°I was just in awe of how thick your skin is,¡± the man exined. ¡°Aha, you¡¯re talking about their ¡®thanks to Duchess Giabe.¡¯ Did that annoy you?¡± the woman asked as she took off her hard hat. Abundant waves of ck hair that seemed impossible to have been able to fit inside that hard hat, poured down her back. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I¡¯ll make sure to include your name for next time. ¡®Thanks to Duchess Giabe. Thanks to Duke Lindman.¡¯ How does that sound?¡± the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, asked him with a grin. In the face of her bright smile, Gavid Lindman shrugged. ¡°That¡¯s not what I was trying to point out. After all, I¡¯ve already known for hundreds of years that you¡¯re someone who¡¯s practically overflowing with narcissism.¡± ¡°Then what exactly could be bothering our dear Duke Lindman?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you fully aware that all the meals served here are just porridge that only barely qualifies as food in terms of providing nutrition, much less taste like anything?¡± ¡°As long as they¡¯re happy when they¡¯re putting it in their mouths, it doesn¡¯t matter if they aren¡¯t actually eating the real thing, right?¡± Noir Giabe said with a smile as her eyes twinkled like a sky full of stars. ¡°Also, since we¡¯ve made sure of its nutritional value, I feel like the point you¡¯re trying to make is out of line. I¡¯m just making sure that they see the things that they want to eat, and they¡¯re actually able to taste those foods while they¡¯re eating the porridge.¡± This was all due to the ability of her Demoneyes of Fantasy. The ability of her Demoneyes had been passed down as a legend even amongst the Night Demons, whose existence trod the lines between reality and dreams. Noir Giabe had already been a powerful Night Demon from the beginning, but a long time ago, she had gotten her hands on the Demoneyes of Fantasy and reced her own natural eyes. Ever since then, Noir Giabe had been titled the ¡®Queen of the Night Demons.¡¯ Now, several hundreds of yearster, she had be the ruler of one of the most powerful greater demonfolk tribes in all of the Devildom of Helmuth. Noir Giabe got to the point, ¡°There¡¯s no way that someone of your stature would reallye here just to ask about an issue with the rations we serve our workers, right? In the first ce, I haven''t done anything that might be considered a vition of our majestic Demon King¡¯sws.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be concerned. There¡¯s no official reason why I¡¯vee to you today. If I had to say why, then it would just be personal curiosity,¡± stated Incarceration¡¯s de. He looked around with a calm gaze and listened to the loud noise resounding as this huge forest was being felled at the order of Noir Giabe. ¡°As I¡¯ve already told you, I went and got permission before doing anything,¡± Noir pouted. ¡°I know. This forest has been yours for some time now, and you¡¯re free to do whatever you wish with it. As long as you can afford the cost, of course.¡± Gavid then turned his head to stare at Noir and asked, ¡°...But just what in the worlddoyou intend to do in this forest?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to build a casino,¡± Noir proudly dered. ¡°...Isn¡¯t this site a bit toorge for just building a casino?¡± Gavid pointed out. ¡°The casino will be pointless if we just keep it isted in a forest. So firstly, I¡¯m going to clear away everything. Then I¡¯ll start with a casino and a hotel¡­ and after that, I n on building all sorts of things,¡± Noir replied with a grin. ¡°To put it simply, I¡¯m nning on creating a huge tourist facility that will serve as my official headquarters, with my Night Demons hired as staff. I might also arrange some y facilities for children and maybe build a museum dedicated to enshrining my exploits? I also want to erect a few statues¡­. Ah, would you like me to put something up for you as well? No matter what I do, it will be difficult for me to decorate the ce all by myself.¡± ¡°...How about something for the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± Gavid eventually asked. ¡°What would be the point of that? Statues of the Demon King of Incarceration have already been erected all across Helmuth, and every public library is packed full of biographiesmemorating the Demon King¡¯s achievements,¡± Noir said doubtfully. Gavid piously dered, ¡°No matter how much worship and reverence for the Lord abound, it will never be enough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I want some for myself,¡± Noir stated jealously. ¡°Since it¡¯s mynd in any case, there¡¯s no problem with me making something to gather some attention for myself, now is there? The ¡®Giabe Park¡¯ will be the best tourist attraction in all of Helmuth. I guarantee it.¡± Had she already decided on the name? Gavid just nodded with a wry smile. ¡°If you¡¯ve made up your mind already, then you should just do as you please. As long as you carefully select the skills of the Night Demons you¡¯ll be employing¡­. Hm, I can¡¯t even imagine how much life-force you¡¯ll end up extracting from the tourists,¡± Gavid sighed in admiration. ¡°I won¡¯t avoid paying my taxes, so you don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Noir promised. ¡°I¡¯m well aware that you keep your hands scrupulously clean when ites to such matters. However, do be careful to keep the greed of the Night Demons serving you under control,¡± Gavid warned. ¡°Have the children under mymand ever been used of viting the standardized intake of life-force?¡± Noir huffed. ¡°I¡¯m talking about a different sort of greed,¡± Gavid said as he stared at Noir with his calm, deep-set eyes. ¡°...Ah,¡± Noir nodded her head with a grin. ¡°I already told you this three years ago, but I won¡¯t make any excuses for Olpher. After rising to the position of baron, he got ahead of himself.¡± Eoin Olpher, an incubus who had once held the title of baron. Three years before, he had tried to make a contract with Eward Lionheart. In fact, a demonfolk making a contract with a human wasn¡¯t a crime. However, the other party just happened to be the eldest son of the Lionheart n¡¯s direct line. Since the Lionheart n was enraged by this matter, the Demon King of Incarceration had personally apologized for causing any offense to his ¡®dear¡¯ Vermouth¡¯s n by beheading Olpher. Noir gasped. ¡°No way, are you suspecting that I was involved in the rebellion that took ce at the ck Lion Castle a while ago?¡± ¡°You have set a precedent for it,¡± Gavid confirmed. ¡°This issodistressing. I never even told Olpher to try and sign a contract with a young master from the Lionheart n.¡± Noir tilted her head to the side in perplexity. ¡°And likewise, I wasn¡¯t involved with the rebellion at the ck Lion Castle this time either.¡± Not everything about the rebellion that had taken ce at the ck Lion Castle had been fully made public yet. Eward Lionheart, the eldest son of the main family; Dominic Lionheart, a Captain of the Knights of the ck Lion; Hector Lionheart, a member of a coteral branch; those three and a secret cabal within the coteral branches, known as the ¡®Pride,¡¯ who harbored resentment toward the main family, had attempted to conduct an evil ritual at the ck Lion Castle. In the process, Deacon Lionheart from a coteral line and the Council Head Doynes Lionheart had been murdered. Eward and Dominic, who had nned this incident, had also perished. Hector Lionheart had escaped, and the families involved in Pride went into hiding. That was all that had been made known to the public. The spirit of darkness and the remnants of the Demon Kings, as well as the attempt to resurrect a Demon King with them, hadn¡¯t been revealed. ¡°In the first ce, what reason would I have for getting involved?¡± Noir continued. However, even if the Lionhearts hadn¡¯t made it public, demonfolk like these two who had lived for such a long time could make a somewhat educated guess as to the aim of the terrible ritual Eward had attempted to perform. Doynes had died, and Dominic had been involved in this scheme. This meant that the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear had been involved in the ritual, but how could three people with a knightly background, who logically had no knowledge of the magic, rules, and sacrifices involved in rituals like these, have performed such a dangerous ritual? Somethinghad helped those three prepare such a ritual. If the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear had both been brought to the ritual site, then it was obvious what kind of existence had nned the ritual. ¡°What reasons could I have for desiring the resurrection of the Demon Kings of Carnage and Cruelty, who died three hundred years ago?¡± Noir asked rhetorically. All demonfolk dreamed of ascending to the throne of a Demon King someday. And as the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe was one of the few among the countless demonfolk who was closest to the position of a Demon King. Noir attempted to cast Gavid¡¯s suspicions elsewhere. ¡°Think about the members of the households of Carnage and Cruelty who have survived these past three hundred years. They might be the only ones who would hope for the sess of such a ritual. As long as they haven¡¯t lost their loyalty to the Demon Kings by now, that is.¡± Gavid Lindman gave another wry smile at these words. It was strange to hear these wordsing from the mouth of none other than Noir Giabe. Like she had said, there were still members of Cruelty and Carnage¡¯s households who survived even now, after three hundred years had passed. However, would they still have the same collective strength as they had shown on the battlefield in the past? The answer was ¡®no.¡¯ Most of them had since lost their strength. Over this long period of three hundred years, they had lost themselves to sweet pleasures, allowing their bodies and minds to fall apart. And it was Noir Giabe who had personally arranged this. She had sent arge number of the Night Demons who served her tofort these surviving war heroes, and by the time Noir Giabe decided to personally intervene, the veteran demonfolk had be degenerate enough that they were even willing to sign contracts that put their strength up as a coteral. ¡°...Indeed, there¡¯s no reason why you would be involved,¡± Gavid eventually agreed. ¡°If you really do need to suspect someone, then instead of me, how about visiting the Dragon Demon Castle?¡± Noir let out a shortugh. ¡°Though¡­ I don¡¯t think that dragon drunk on his own sense of self-importance will actually open the door to you.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to be concerned with the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± Gavid reminded her. ¡°How long do you n on letting them go on like this? Don¡¯t you know just how merciful I¡¯ve been? If I had my way, then I would definitely take a bite out of them as well,¡± Noir admitted greedily. Gavid lectured her, ¡°The title of Helmuth¡¯s Three Princes has meaning because there arethreeof us. You, the Queen of the Night Demons; me, the de of Incarceration; and the First Dragon to Fall. His Majesty does not wish for this bnce to be disturbed.¡± ¡°How disappointing, really¡­. I don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll ever get a better chance to taste a dragon in my lifetime,¡± Noir muttered as she licked her lower lip. ¡°Is swallowing this whole forest not enough for you?¡± Gavid asked as he looked around said forest. Noir scoffed. ¡°There¡¯s no way that you¡¯re actually feeling pity forher, are you?¡± Originally, this forest was the territory of the Rakshasa Princess Iris. For the past three hundred years, she had lived in this forest along with the dark elves under hermand, working hard for the revival of the Fury Independence Army and her inheritance of the throne of the Demon King of Fury. However, not long ago, the Queen of the Night Demons and the Rakshasa Princess had waged a gambling battle for each other¡¯s territories. Noir calmly confessed, ¡°I admit that there was some prodding from my side. However, I had no choice but to do so. That girl, Iris, even though her race has nothing to be proud of¡­ can you believe that she actually looked down on me and mocked me by calling me Queen of the Whores?¡± Conflicts such as territorial disputes and duels meant to establish the pecking order were amon sight in Helmuth. Just going back three hundred years, the demonfolk had been a horde of conquerors indiscriminately seeking to tear the continent into pieces. Certainly, they were now trying to get along with the other races, but the demonfolk still thought that the best and most simple way to get ahead in life was topare their strength against their rivals instead of getting mediation from a third party. That was why Noir Giabe and Iris had also gotten into a territorial battle. Was it because the grievances umted over three hundred years had finally burst open? That was indeed part of it, but a greater part was because of Noir Giabe¡¯s ns for securing her future. Recently, Iris had started to recruit beastfolk as mercenaries, a sign that she had begun to abandon her obsession with solely ruling over the dark elves. In fact, this challenge was also something that Iris had been willing to ept. This forest was all that Iris had imed as her territory. On the other hand, the Duchy of Noir Giabe was considered to be one of thergest and wealthiestnds in all of Helmuth. If Iris were to have won this territorial battle, she would have gained control of Noir¡¯s entire duchy, so it had seemed well worth the risk. ¡°Just for sparing her, she should be thankful to me for the rest of her life,¡± Noir said with a snort. ¡°I heard that it was andslide victory,¡± Gavidmented. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t allow any spectators¡­ if you had asked, I would have allowed you to attend as an exception.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the fun in watching a contest with such an obvious oue?¡± ¡°Still, she wasn¡¯t that weak,¡± Noir conceded. ¡°It seems that she worked pretty hard during these past three hundred years. Not that it would be enough to overtake you, the left hand of the Demon King.¡± ¡°Did you hear what Iris had been up to since leaving Helmuth?¡± Gavid asked. Being defeated in a territorial battle didn¡¯t necessarily mean being forced to leave Helmuth, but Iris had indeed left Helmuth with all of her dark elves. Was it out of humiliation? Perhaps, partly, but it was also likely because she had realized just how difficult life in Helmuth was going to be now that her entire territory had been taken from her. Helmuth didn¡¯t hold such a high opinion of dark elves in the first ce, and the Rakshasa Princess herself had also made many enemies due to her strong self-esteem. Since she had lost her territory, she would have had to go to another demonfolk¡¯s territory for shelter, but with Iris¡¯s personality, she was bound to die rather than bow her head. ¡°I heard that she actually smuggled herself into Kiehl and tried to take one of the Lionhearts hostage,¡± Gavid shared. ¡°She must be insane,¡± Noir snorted inughter as she put the hard hat back on her head. ¡°If she wanted a hostage¡­ did she try to take Eugene Lionheart?¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve also remembered his name,¡± Gavid observed. ¡°It¡¯s not like his name is trivial enough that I would forget it easily, no? It¡¯s said that he is the youngest to have ever been given permission to enter Akron, and he¡¯s even borrowed ownership of Akasha from that Sienna girl.¡± ¡°Sienna Merdein¡­ Do you think that she¡¯s really still alive?¡± ¡°Since ownership of Akasha was finally transferred after being without a master for hundreds of years, then I believe that she should still be alive.¡± Even as she was speaking, Noir picked up the traffic wands that she had set down. ¡°However¡­ she wouldn¡¯t be in great condition, now would she?¡± Noir mused. ¡°If she was in good shape, then she wouldn¡¯t have stayed silent for these past hundreds of years¡­ Instead she might have immediately snuck into Helmuth and tried to assassinate the Demon King.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say something so profane,¡± Gavid protested. ¡°But it¡¯s the truth, isn¡¯t it? Both you and I know through firsthand experience just how strong Sienna Merdein was and how much she hated demonfolk. Especially since there were several times when we faced a crisis due to Sienna Merdein¡¯s magic.¡± As she pulled a safety vest over her work jumpsuit, Noir looked back over her shoulder at Gavid and said with a grin, ¡°But indeed, you probably have a clearer impression of Hamel Dynas than Sienna, right?¡± ¡°Although I have no wish to insult the Lord¡¯s abilities, Hamel¡¯s death truly was fortunate,¡± Gavid admitted as he retraced old memories. Thinking back to his first meeting with Hamel Dynas, Sienna Merdein had also been present at that time. The two had been exploring a site ahead of the party in order to perform some reconnaissance and they happened to meet Gavid by chance. He had thought that it was a great opportunity, so Gavid had tried to kill them both, but he had failed. Fortunately, it hadn¡¯t be a lifelong regret that Gavid hadn¡¯t been able to kill them at that time. Before he could even reach the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ Hamel Dynas had copsed midway. ¡°If that Hamel guy had survived¡­ then the Oath may not have been sworn,¡± Noir hypothesized. ¡°He was the only one among Vermouth¡¯spanions who would actually stand up to Vermouth.¡± ¡°He had a truly terrible personality. That might be why he died so early,¡± Gavid muttered as he took a step back. Noir stared at Gavid with a mischievous smile as he prepared to slip away. ¡°You said that Iris tried to take Eugene Lionheart hostage, right?¡± Noir brought another thing up just as Gavid was about to leave. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gavid confirmed. ¡°If it ended as just an attempt, does that mean Eugene Lionheart was actually able to hold off Iris?¡± ¡°That could arguably be the case.¡± ¡°While I might not have had any real desire for the eldest son of the Lionheart n¡­. Fufu, that Eugene Lionheart sounds quite delectable. Do you think that he mighte to y in Helmuth? Or else stop by one of our subi shops?¡± Noir drooled eagerly. ¡°...Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Gavid said as his face contorted into a grimace. Chapter 167: Extra - Their First Meeting (1)

Chapter 167: Extra - Their First Meeting (1)

¡°Fuck, are you being serious right now?¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­ but I¡¯ve already told you so many times, it¡¯s not something I can arrange just because you insist on it¡ª¡± ¡°There are so many ships in this port, but are you seriously telling me that none of them are willing to set sail!¡± Baaang! The wooden table shook like it was about to break. The receptionist¡¯s body trembled in the face of this violent outburst. Intense pressure was weighing down on him, keeping him from moving. The receptionist knew that it wasn¡¯t that the man in front of him was incapable of breaking the table with that blow just now; it was that he had chosen not to. ¡°...N-no matter how much you push me, I can¡¯t do what I can¡¯t,¡± the poor receptionist insisted. ¡°Push you? Should I show you what it looks like when I really push you?¡± The man cursed, ¡°Fuck, I went through so much to get here. I might as well grab a ship, cut the anchor lines, and set sail by myself.¡± ¡°Please¡­ you need to understand the situation¡ª¡± The reception¡¯s desperate pleas abruptly cut off. The bloodshot eyes ring down at him from the man in front of the receptionist made it feel like a grip was tightening around his heart. Unable to continue speaking, the receptionist desperately diverted his gaze. A voice suddenly rang out, ¡°No matter howcking in manners you might be, you shouldn¡¯t go that far, right?¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s just how terrible this world has be,¡± another voice sighed. The man heard a rattling noise approach from behind him. The receptionist¡¯s face turned pale as the corner of the man¡¯s lips twisted up in a smile. ¡°I was wondering which sons of bitches had started yapping,¡± the man began as he turned around, still smiling. Standing there was a group of young knights whose soft faces didn¡¯t have even a single scar between them. Their armor, which had been diligently polished and even oiled, shone in the sun. ¡°But it turns out that instead of a pair of bitches, it¡¯s just a couple of cute puppies,¡± the man finished with a mocking chuckle. ¡°...What did you just say?¡± Faced with this vulgar mockery, the knights¡¯ expressions darkened. The sigil of their knightly order engraved onto their chest te dered they were members of the Silverwing Knights of Turas. Upon seeing their sigil, the man burst intoughter once more. ¡°Just by looking at you, I can tell that you¡¯re just a couple of scumbags who¡¯ve barely managed to graduate from their apprenticeship, so are you really supposed to be here, doing this? Your boss just had his legs cut off the other day,¡± the man reminded them. ¡°...What do you mean by that¡­?¡± a knight muttered. ¡°I¡¯m saying that you should go and clean up the piss and shit of your captain, who¡¯s been confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life,¡± the man said with a snicker as he plopped his ass on top of the receptionist¡¯s desk. In a battle a few days ago, the entire mercenary guild building had been blown to pieces, so a temporary reception desk had to be set up on the roadside to deal with any mission reports. It was thanks to that that an incident like this urred. One of the knights sputtered furiously, ¡°A mercenary bastard like you dares to act so insane¡ª!¡± Hit by this series of insults, the young knights couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and drew their swords. Seeing this, the receptionist¡¯s face was dyed with despair. Pedestrians who had just been passing by halted their steps and became spectators to this scene. Although arge-scale battle had taken ce here only a few days ago, if it was watching other people fight instead of personally taking part in the terror of the battlefield, they could still find the fun in spectating. ¡°Oh, so you¡¯ve drawn your de? What¡¯s next? Are you going to throw a handkerchief? Or maybe a glove?¡± The man snickered and waved his hand dismissively. Then he grabbed his nose and, with a twisted sneer, went, ¡°Sniff sniff¡­. Ugh, your mouths still smell of breastmilk¡­ do you babies really think that¡¯s how you¡¯re supposed to hold your sword? Huh? Have you ever even cut someone with those knives of yours? In the first ce, are you really nning on taking me down now that you¡¯ve drawn your swords? Hm? Or did you think that just by drawing your swords and striking a knightly pose, you¡¯d be able to make this mercenary bastard sneak away all on his own?¡± ¡°Draw your sword!¡± shouted a young knight, who appeared to be the leader of the group. At this challenge, the man just snickered once more and stood on top of the reception desk. A few mercenaries and knights were mixed among the spectators who had stopped to watch the show. They could recognize who this man was and felt pity for these young knights who seemed to know nothing about the real world. The mercenaries trembled in horror while imagining what would happen next, and even the knights began to take a few steps back, not wanting to get caught up in the fight or get hit by any stray sparks. ¡°My sword?¡± the man repeated with a chuckle as he reached both hands inside the worn-out cloak draped over his shoulders. ¡­Was this guy even a swordsman in the first ce? This question suddenly swirled in the minds of the knights surrounding the man. Clunk. The sound of metal hitting metal rang out from inside his cloak. It was only a small noise, but the knights flinched and stepped back. ¡­It was an unconscious reaction. Instead of retreating, what they really needed to do was step forward and swing their swords. But although they knew that was what they needed to do, their bodies had involuntarily taken a step backward. ¡°Choose,¡± the manmanded. Bang. When the man pped his cloak, various weapons that had been worn on the man¡¯s body fell to the ground. There were about three or four swords of all different lengths and types, a heavy hatchet, a one-handed short spear, a whip, a il¡­ and many more weapons on top of that. So many that it was hard to believe he could even move while carrying all these weapons on his body. The man borated, ¡°As you can see, I can use many weapons apart from just swords. Do you have any weapons that you would prefer me to use?¡± A knight hesitated, ¡°...You, you¡¯re just bluffing¡­!¡± ¡°A bluff? Hmmm, alright. I guess that means you don¡¯t want to make a choice yourself? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll have to choose carefully for you.¡± It appeared that he still had more weapons he hadn¡¯t yet taken out as the man moved his open hands back inside his cloak. The eyes of the knights watching him unconsciously began to tremble with anxiety. For some unknown reason, a tingling sensation was spreading across their skin. ¡°How about this?¡± the man asked with a broad smile that stretched the scars on his cheeks. When he started pulling his hands out from inside the cloak, the knights gasped and took another step backward, only to freeze when the man finished his action. The man¡¯s hands were balled up into fists with his middle fingers raised. The man kept a serious expression on his face as he waved his middle fingers in an eye-catching way. Breaking the silence, the man asked, ¡°...What? Is just a finger on each hand still too much?¡± The knights gaped in shock, ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± As the crowd burst intoughter, the knights¡¯ faces turned red in embarrassment. The humiliation and anger rising from the bottom of their hearts dispelled their mysterious fear. Almost as one, the knights charged forward. ¡°...Is that really the guy you¡¯ve picked?¡± On the rooftop of a distant building, a female wizard who wore arge hat on top of her full-body robes frowned as she asked this question. Although this location was quite a long way away from the site where the fight was taking ce, she was able to observe the scene as if it was taking ce right in front of her nose, and she could even clearly listen to their conversation. ¡°I don¡¯t like him,¡± another voice said. The wizard wasn¡¯t the only one watching the man. A female priest in ck and white priestly robes clicked her tongue and shook her head as she said, ¡°His skill might be second to none, but as a person, he¡¯s far too vulgar. I swear in God¡¯s name, that man has to be one of the rudest and most arrogant mercenaries I¡¯ve ever seen in all my life.¡± ¡°...And in the first ce, even his skill doesn¡¯t seem that great?¡± the wizard said in support of the priest¡¯s words. Then, the giant warrior, who had climbed on top of the rooftop railing and was blocking the breeze from hitting the rest of the party, gave a heavy shake of his head and said, ¡°No, that man¡¯s skills aren¡¯t to be taken lightly.¡± ¡°...And just why are you standing up there?¡± the wizard asked. ¡°The way he moves has excited my body and warmed up my blood. My soul as a warrior is screaming that it wants topete with that man,¡± the warrior exined. ¡°Stop with your bullshit and just get down from there. Don¡¯t you feel sorry for the railing that has to carry your huge bulk?¡± the priest asked as she rolled her eyes and stared daggers into the warrior¡¯s back. But instead of replying, the warrior just nodded his head and murmured in admiration, ¡°...Just what is it that makes his skill so impressive¡­? Mhm¡­ I think I¡¯ve got it.¡± Although he said this, the wizard definitely couldn¡¯t understand what the warrior meant by this. That mercenary did seem quite strong, but with just that level of strength, the wizard couldn¡¯t see what made the man¡¯s skills so out-of-the-ordinary. ¡°It¡¯s still not enough,¡± the priest spoke up. She leaned forward, propping her body against the railing, and opened up the small bottle of holy water hanging from her waist as she continued, ¡°Sir Vermouth, I just can¡¯t tell why you would want to ept that mercenary as one of yourpanions.¡± Vermouth Lionheart was standing a few steps behind the rest of the party. With his gray hair, which was neither ck nor white, and golden eyes, which sparkled as if they had been spun out of gold, his face was so beautiful it was hard to believe that it belonged to a man, but at the same time he didn¡¯t appear fragile. ¡°...I believe he is already perfect for our party as he is,¡± Vermouth confidently stated. After bringing the holy water sk she always carried with her to her lips, Anise Slywood took several gulps of the holy water that seemed strong enough to burn her from throat to stomach with just one sip. She then nced back at Vermouth with her narrowed eyes. ¡°Molon alone is enough to serve as our vanguard. Sir Vermouth, just what is it that you¡¯re expecting from that mercenary? What do you think that mercenary can do for us that makes you so insistent on epting him as a member of our party?¡± Anise questioned sharply. ¡°...I also agree with what Anise is saying.¡± While righting her hat that had started to tilt forward, Sienna Merdein continued speaking, ¡°I don¡¯t have much skill in melee, but that mercenary doesn¡¯t seem stronger than Molon, though he seems even more barbaric than Molon¡­. So what help does it serve to add one more idiot?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± Molon chipped in. ¡°If that mercenary isn¡¯t as good at guarding our front as Molon, what is he supposed to be doing? Getting in close? Since we have you, Vermouth, do we really need another closebatant? Or, could it be that, unlike his appearance, that mercenary is also a devout cleric?¡± Sienna asked with a doubtful snort as she reached her hand out to the holy water sk that Anise had set down on the railing. ¡°If he¡¯s a priest with more faith than our holy water addict here, and who can work more powerful miracles, then¡­ hehe, it should be fine to ept hi¡ª¡± Anise interrupted her, ¡°There¡¯s no way that would be the case, right?¡± p! Anise¡¯s hand fiercely pped away the back of Sienna¡¯s hand as she dered, ¡°I am the Saint of Light. No priest exists in this world whose faith is even slightly close to mine. That is why I am the one who was chosen to apany Sir Vermouth on this journey.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just give me one sip?¡± Sienna pleaded. ¡°No way,¡± Anise rejected firmly. Sienna¡¯s shoulders drooped at this resolute refusal. ¡°...He¡¯s not someone you can look down on,¡± Molon Ruhr insisted as he stepped down from the railing. ¡°That man¡¯s attacks and movements might seem crude, but every action flows as smoothly and flexibly as flowing water. All corners of his martial skills have been polished to the extent that ordinary people can¡¯t even begin to imagine¡­ and it¡¯s not just that.¡± ¡°What do you mean, it¡¯s not just that?¡± Sienna repeated curiously. ¡°I can¡¯t exin it exactly, but some kind of unique temperament is mixed into that guy¡¯s skills,¡± Molon confidently imed. ¡°Molon, you, by any chance, did Vermouth ask you a favor in advance? Hmm? Did Vermouth ask you to back him up a bit?¡± Sienna asked suspiciously. ¡°Vermouth hasn¡¯t asked me to do something like that,¡± Molon denied. Of course, she had known that would be the case. Sienna pouted her lips as she nced back at Vermouth. ¡­It was just that this was the first time that Vermouth had shown such confusing stubbornness. On the way here, they had seen several would-be heroes, and among them, there had also been quite a few who were inspired by Vermouth¡¯s feats and had asked to be epted as apanion. ¡®...But why is he trying to invite someone who¡¯s just a petty mercenary to be ourpanion?¡¯Sienna thought to herself with frustration. She had to admit that this mercenary was also a famous figure among the other mercenaries. A young mercenary who was able to skillfully wield all kinds of weapons and return alive from even the harshest battlefields. A ghost of the battlefield who wasn¡¯t part of any mercenarypany, who didn¡¯t lead any subordinates, and instead of pursuing the highest pay, he wandered solely in search of battlefields full of demonic beasts. That mercenary was Hamel Dynas. ¡°...This is my first time making such a request,¡± Vermouth finally spoke up. He stepped closer to the railing and continued, ¡°But from now on, I won¡¯t be making any simr requests of you.¡± ¡°...Sir Vermouth,¡± Anise hesitantly called out. ¡°Anise,¡± Vermouth responded. ¡°You asked me what that mercenary can do for us and what exactly I¡¯m expecting from him, right?¡± Down there, the fight was already over. All the seven knights who had surrounded Hamel had one of their limbs broken and were now sprawled across the ground. Hamel was gathering the swords that the knights had dropped and examining them. Even though he was stealing their weapons so openly, none of the onlookers attempted to stop him. ¡°...I¡¯m not sure what he¡¯ll be able to do either,¡± Vermouth admitted. ¡°However, he definitely has something that I want.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Anise grunted. ¡°I want him to fight alongside us,¡± Vermouth said with a faint smile. Anise¡¯s eyes widened into circles at this smile. Anise wasn¡¯t the only one showing such a surprised expression. Even Sienna, who had stealthily been creeping closer to Anise¡¯s holy water sk, froze in mid-action, and Molon, who had been traveling with Vermouth for the longest time, felt his jaw drop. ¡°Currently, his skills might not be reliable enough. However, he will be able to catch up to us very quickly,¡± Vermouth promised. ¡°...It¡¯s not enough just to catch up with us. Vermouth, you know that as well, right? We¡¯ll be going to Helmuth soon, and from there, we¡¯re going to y the Demon Kings,¡± Sienna argued once she had calmed down from her surprise and stretched out a finger to point at Hamel. ¡°That guy who just tantly knocks out a bunch of young knights and steals their swords¡­ there¡¯s no way that he¡¯ll be able to fight alongside us¡ª!¡± Vermouth interrupted her, ¡°He¡¯ll fight, and he¡¯ll be able to stand at our side in no time.¡± ¡°...Sir Vermouth, did you receive¡­ an oracle?¡± Anise asked in a trembling voice. At this, Vermouth just shook his head slowly and replied, ¡°It¡¯s not a prediction. It¡¯s just my¡­ stubborn insistence. I intend to make him mypanion somehow, so I¡¯m doing what I can to try and convince you.¡± ¡°...Aaargh!¡± Sienna suddenly groaned and shook her head as she felt her chest constrict in annoyance at Vermouth¡¯s frank admission. ¡°So what? Are we just going to stand here watching him? If you¡¯re going to make him ourpanion, shouldn¡¯t we just go over there and talk with him!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go and say hello, shake hands, and test our strength against each other,¡± Molon proposed. ¡°Then let¡¯s raise a ss to our fallen foes. If we do that, we¡¯re sure to be friends.¡± ¡°...I really didn¡¯t want to make any more barbaric and foolish friends like you,¡± Anise sighed, still unconvinced and appearing dissatisfied. However, since Vermouth had already gone so far to make such a request, she didn¡¯t want to refuse him anymore. The same went for Sienna as well. Among the members of their party, the only one who had epted Vermouth¡¯s insistence from the start without anyints was Molon. ¡®...What exactly does he have?¡¯ That idiot, Molon, had said that he felt something. However, Sienna and Anise didn¡¯t feel anything from Hamel. Was there really something that could only be seen by warriors? A low-ss mercenary with a rough demeanor ¡ª that was all that they could see in Hamel. Nothing more, and nothing less. ¡°And who are you lot?¡± Or at least, that had been Sienna¡¯s impression of him when looking from afar, but would things really change when looking at Hamel from up close? Sienna red down at Hamel with a doubtful expression. ¡°I¡¯m asking you, why the hell did you suddenly fly over just to fucking re at someone?¡± Wasn¡¯t he being too cheeky with people he was meeting for the first time? Sienna¡¯s eyes twitched in irritation as she continued ring at Hamel. He had arge scar on his left cheek. In addition to that, there were several other small scars on his face. His upturned eyes were hostile enough that you could tell he had a dirty personality from just a nce. ¡°Hamel Dynas,¡± Vermouth said as he was the first to float down from the sky andnd in front of Hamel. While pressing down his gray, windswept hair with one hand, he approached Hamel and asked, ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Hamel and everyone else¡¯s faces went nk in surprise at Vermouth¡¯s sudden question. ¡°...What?¡± Hamel just grunted. ¡°It seems like you haven¡¯t eaten yet, so why not have a meal together with us,¡± Vermouth said as he spun around on the spot. Favorite Chapter 168: Extra - Their First Meeting (2)

Chapter 168: Extra - Their First Meeting (2)

Did this guy really just invite him to share a meal? Then, without even waiting for a reply, he just left on his own. Given Hamel¡¯s personality, it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for him to have pped this insolent guy who seemed to be messing with him on the back of the head, but the unique atmosphere that Vermouth gave off suppressed Hamel¡¯s impulse to choose violence. Hamel was well aware of what this feeling was. It was a warning that he shouldn¡¯t touch this guy, that if they fought, he would be the one defeated, and if at all possible, Hamel shouldn¡¯t get involved with this guy. ¡°Fuck,¡± Hamel cursed, as he felt annoyed at allowing himself to be held back by such a feeling. It wasn¡¯t like this guy had shown him any hostility, nor had they met on the battlefield. They had just met on the street. No,e to think about it, this guy had just one-sidedly approached Hamel and then suddenly invited him to share a meal. Wait, no. In the first ce, who the hell were they? They had addressed him as Hamel Dynas, and yeah, that¡¯s right, that was his name. So why the fuck weren¡¯t they introducing themselves? And who the fuck did those two think they were, flying down from the sky and staring at him with those disrespectfully judgmental eyes? Andstly, why was that hulking bastard with bulging muscles looking at him with sparkling eyes that didn¡¯t match the fierce expression on his face? Tap. A stone caught on Hamel¡¯s foot. As if the heavens had arranged it, the stone was in the perfect position for him to kick it. But wasn¡¯t it only natural for there to be stones in a ce like this? Eugene red at the back of Vermouth¡¯s head, who was slowly getting further away and at the backs of Sienna and Anise, who were following Vermouth as they continued to exude an air of disdain for him. Molon was still at Hamel''s side. As he looked down at Hamel with a hearty smile, Molon discovered that Hamel¡¯s body seemed to have been designed and developed solely for conflict. Molon began to imagine just how flexibly and unpredictably such a body would be able to move once a battle began, and this imagined scenario progressed into a full-fledged confrontation inside of his head. ¡®He¡¯s strong, but I still won,¡¯Molon thought. Not ¡®I can win,¡¯ but ¡®I won.¡¯ Their battle had alreadye to a conclusion inside of Molon¡¯s head, and he nodded confidently at the result. As a brave warrior of the northern Bayar tribe, the Son of the Snowfields, he approached Hamel, who was to be his newrade and stretched out his hand. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s go together,¡± Molon offered. Hamel was unresponsive and seemed flustered by Vermouth¡¯s sudden invitation. Wanting to build a wonderful friendship with a man like Hamel, who would be hisrade in the near future, Molon tried to lightly pat Hamel¡¯s shoulder as an early sign of their friendship. But at that moment¡­. Hamel suddenly kicked the stone at his foot. The target of this kick was, of course, the back of Vermouth¡¯s head. He kicked the stone so hard that if it were to hit, the force would be enough to explode an ordinary man¡¯s head. But there was no way that it would hit. Before he had kicked the stone, and afterward as well, Hamel had already had such an expectation. And indeed, that was the case. The stone that Hamel had kicked ¡ª after flying just one step forwards ¡ª disappeared as if it had never existed in the first ce. ¡°...Hoh,¡± Hamle huffed in astonishment. Hamel had a clear view of what had just happened. The flying stone was caught in an borately constructed web of mana and then vanished. But the process was so fast that it had made it seem as if the stone hadn¡¯t even been sent flying in the first ce. ¡°...Hahaha,¡± Hamelughed reluctantly. Even though they had already walked so far ahead, they had been able to prepare such a mana construct without any warning of an attack. It was an extravagant disy of skill to use such a construct just to block a single stone. Although his practical joke had been impeded right away, Hamel found himself more interested than embarrassed. Hamel had always been confident in his skills in mana maniption, but he wasn¡¯t sure that he would be able to do something as stealthy and sophisticated as what Vermouth had just shown him. Though he hadn¡¯t wanted to ept Vermouth¡¯s offer of sharing a meal together, the fact that Vermouth didn¡¯t look back even once after doing something like that made Hamel follow in their steps. ¡°Sienna,¡± Vermouth called out Sienna¡¯s name in a low voice, still not turning around to look backward. ¡°Don¡¯t do it.¡± ¡°Where the hell did you find such a bastard?¡± Sienna cursed with a click of her tongue as she scattered the spell she had just prepared, vanishing the sharp de of mana that had been floating in front of them. ¡°I know mercenaries can be barbaric, but that bastard seems to be one of the most vicious, even amongst his kind. Vermouth, do you realize what he just tried to do? That bastard just tried to crack your head open.¡± ¡°But that didn¡¯t happen,¡± Vermouth pointed out. ¡°You¡¯re right, you¡¯re right. It¡¯s all thanks to how skilled you are,¡± Sienna agreed sarcastically. ¡°You noticed and took care of it quickly before I even needed to do anything. But you know what? I really don¡¯t like that bastard, so I want to first teach him a lesson by making him eat dirt. I should have the right to do so, no?¡± ¡°Sienna.¡± ¡°Fine, I¡¯ve got it.¡± Without any furtherints, Sienna instead just pouted her lips. As she did so, she nced at Anise, who was walking beside them. Anise was looking straight ahead with a calm expression, but Sienna clearly recalled how the corner of Anise¡¯s mouth had twitched slightly in amusement when she sensed the attacking from behind them. ¡®...Like I¡¯ve always said, I¡¯m the only normal person in this party,¡¯Sienna thought. While Anise usually served Vermouth faithfully and always added Sir to his name, deep down, she seemed to have been looking forward to seeing Vermouth get hit by the stone Hamel had just kicked. The ce that Vermouth led Hamel to was an ordinary restaurant that could be found just about anywhere. In this sort of roadside diner, a few mercenaries could always be found drinking at this time of the day. In fact, a weathered group of mercenaries really was sitting together and holding a raucous drinking party in the middle of the restaurant. Perhaps because of the noise, these mercenaries were the sole customers in this restaurant. So why had he chosen this restaurant? Unable to understand the reasoning behind this choice, Sienna shot a nce at Vermouth, but she soon realized why this restaurant had been chosen. The moment that these mercenaries, who had just been catcalling Sienna and Anise with lustful eyes, saw Hamel¡¯s face as he walked in behind the two women, their faces paled in horror like they had just run into a devil. Hamel didn¡¯t even need to say a word or look at them, but the mercenaries quietly set down the bottles of booze they had been drinking and immediately got up from their seats. ¡°Pay the bill before you go,¡± Hamel tossed these words at the mercenaries just as they were about to leave the restaurant. ¡°And make sure to leave a generous tip for the store owner who had to open up his restaurant early in the day because of you.¡± The mercenaries meekly replied, ¡°Y-yes sir¡­.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re going to be paying the man, I¡¯ll also be quite grateful if you leave something to take care of our tab as well,¡± Hamel threw in. ¡°Alright¡­,¡± the mercenaries powerlessly agreed. In the end, the mercenaries were left with no choice but to leave the entire contents of their wallets on the checkout counter before leaving. Before Vermouth had even chosen a seat, Hamel pulled out an empty seat and plopped his ass on it. ¡°You really are a piece of trash, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sienna said with a haughty sniff, still heavily dissatisfied with Hamel. Tilting her head to the side at a crooked angle, she red at Hamel and asked, ¡°You¡¯re a mercenary, and they are mercenaries, so aren¡¯t you both colleagues in the same line of work?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we have a bond from being colleagues in the same line of work that we¡¯re happy to pay for each other''s meals. So isn¡¯t it fine if I just pay for these bastards¡¯ meals some other time?¡± Hamel argued. ¡°As if you¡¯d do something like that,¡± Sienna scoffed. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being too rude for someone I just met today? No, just now, in fact?¡± Hamel pointed out. ¡°And also, I¡¯ve been wondering for a while now¡­ just why have you dyed your hair purple? Is it because you want to be more recognizable on the battlefield?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not dyed!¡± Sienna yelled as she squinted her eyes in anger and pulled off her hat. She abruptly lowered her head to show him the hair roots at the top of her head and said, ¡°I¡¯ve had purple hair ever since I was young! A foolish mercenary like you might not be aware of this, but beings like me, who are loved by mana and magic, their favor can physically affect our constitution!¡± ¡°For the favor of mana to actually turn your hair purple¡­ that¡¯s quite a trivial show of favor,¡± Hamelmented. Should she just kill him? mes sparked in Sienna¡¯s eyes as she red at Hamel. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the sharp tongue,¡± Anise said as she stared at Hamel with narrowed eyes. With his old, worn-out cloak and the scars on his face, his appearance wasn''t anywhere close to ¡®polished,¡¯ and even the way he spoke was abrasive. ¡°Sir Vermouth, must it really be this mercenary in particr?¡± Anise pleaded. ¡°As I¡¯ve said,¡± Vermouth confirmed with a shrug. ¡°Hamel might be weaker than me, but he¡¯s still very strong. We¡¯d be able to prove that to you if wepeted with each other right now, but I don¡¯t want to hurt Hamel¡¯s pride bypeting with him when he¡¯s still not very familiar with me. A warrior must respect his fellow warriors,¡± Molon, who casually took a seat next to Hamel, said seriously as he puffed out his chest proudly. In reaction to these words that seemed to havee out of the blue, everyone turned to look at Molon. ¡°...Why has this savage-looking person suddenly started talking like a fool?¡± Hamel eventually asked. ¡°Hey! Who do you think you are to call Molon a fool?¡± Sienna grabbed hold of the chance to immediately reprimand Hamel. At the same time, she subtly drew on her mana to put pressure on Hamel and even went so far as to draw on her magic staff, Akasha, which was held beneath her robes for extra strength. If Hamel were to suddenly attack her like he had before, she was thinking of correcting this little quirk of his and making him realize the pecking order between them. ¡°What¡¯s the matter with calling him a fool when he acts like one¡­? No, hold on a second. Molon? Vermouth?¡± Hamel btedly realized what those names meant and quickly spun his head between the two men. Although he had heard himself be called a fool several times now, Molon didn¡¯t show any offense and was staring fixedly at the kitchen. His only concern seemed to be when the dishes he had ordered would be served. ¡°...Molon Ruhr, Son of the Snowfields,¡± Hamel finally said. ¡°Have you heard of my bravery?¡± Molon¡¯s head spun back as he responded to Hamel¡¯s muttered words with shining eyes. However, Hamel had already torn his gaze away from Molon and was looking at Vermouth, who was sitting across from them. ¡°...And you, you¡¯re Vermouth¡­ Vermouth Lionheart, right? The master of the Holy Sword, the Hero of Light?¡± Hamel asked in confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s what they call me,¡± Vermouth replied with a gentle expression. By this point, Hamel had no choice but to let out a snort and shake his head in disbelief. Why hadn¡¯t he recognized them immediately? When every one of these four people, even when taken on their own, were all extraordinary individuals with unique appearances? There was the beautiful and voluptuous blonde priest with a benevolent face that always seemed to be smiling. But in contrast to her appearance, a heavy mace was hanging from her waist. In this type of era, it wasn¡¯t umon to see priests carrying arms, but clerics who insisted on wearing clerical robes instead of wearing armor while still proudly carrying a mace weren¡¯t amon sight. ¡®...The Saint of Light, Anise Slywood.¡¯ As for the witch who had been quibbling with him since earlier while clicking her tongue at him ¡ª that cheeky face tantly revealed her internal dislike of him without even the slightest intention of hiding it. Her purple hair wasn¡¯t dyed but was instead altered into that color by her powerful mana. Finally, her green eyes reminded him of a forest. ¡®The Archwizard, Sienna Merdein.¡¯ Every one of them was a famous individual. Molon Ruhr was the son of the war chief of the Bayar tribe, which was famously known as a tribe with an exceptional talent for fighting, even among the other native tribes that lived in that cold, northernnd. Anise Slywood was the Saint of Light that the Holy Empire kept hidden from the rest of the world. It was said that the light Anise could emit all by herself was even more intense and brilliant than the light emitted by dozens of priests working together. The divine magic she could call upon was known as the Realization of Miracles, as it could heal the crippled, open the eyes of the blind, and even reattach fallen limbs in an instant. Sienna Merdein ¡ª a young witch who, despite being a human, was raised by the hands of the elves. One day, she suddenly left the Samar Rainforest and descended onto the battlefields outside the forest, where monsters and demonic beasts ran rampant. There, she acted like the very incarnation of a natural disaster ¡ª lighting, winds, and mes sweeping across the ground with each sh of her staff. ¡­Finally, there was Vermouth Lionheart. A survivor from the Northern Kingdom of Ashal. He had been taken captive by the demonfolk when he was only fifteen. Then, while being transported to Helmuth¡­ he revealed himself to be a monstrous genius when he, along with Molon, annihted the apanying demonfolk and rescued the other ves with the help of a single sword. After that, he headed over to the Holy Empire and received the recognition of the Holy Sword, bing the Hero of Light. ¡°...Well now, isn¡¯t this something,¡± Hamel muttered as his lips twitched into a slight smile. They were all famous heroes that he had heard about more than once. Rumors about them may have abounded, but this was Hamel¡¯s first time meeting any of them in person. ¡°So why have the famous Hero of Light and hispanions¡­e looking for an insignificant mercenary like myself?¡± Hamel asked sarcastically. ¡°It looks like you have a clear understanding of your ce. I really don¡¯t like you very much, but as long as you¡¯re aware of your position and know when to bow your head, I think I can learn to tolerate you,¡± Sienna said with a smile. Should he hit her just once¡­ could he even hit her? While clenching his fists below the table, Hamel red at Sienna. ¡°Let¡¯s stop goading each other,¡± Vermouth spoke up. The sound of his voice instantly calmed the hostile atmosphere that had been starting to simmer at the table as he continued, ¡°The food will being out soon.¡± ¡°Oooh,¡± Molon grunted in excitement as he leaped from his seat. Then he suddenly picked up the entire table and hurriedly ran over to the kitchen. He had decided that rather than having them bring up each te one by one¡­ it would be more convenient to just pick up the entire dining table and use it as a tray. Hamel muttered, ¡°He¡¯s one crazy son-of-a¡ª¡± ¡°Molon is just kind,¡± Anise spoke up, cutting Hamel off. She popped open the lid of her holy water sk, shook it gently, then brought it to her nose to sniff the scent rising from its mouth as she continued, ¡°Do you really think that he¡¯s such a fool that he would foolishly allow you to keep calling him a fool? Even if Molon¡¯s personality isn¡¯t as savage as yours, do you really think that he will just keepughing quietly if he keeps getting mocked for being a fool?¡± ¡°So what? Is he going to try and smash my head in?¡± Hamel challenged. ¡°Why don¡¯t you find out the answer to that yourself,¡± Anise responded. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to tell whether he¡¯s a fool or an idiot by¡ª¡± Craaash! Arge sound rang out from behind. Looking over to see what had happened, they realized that it was the sound of the table being crushed into pieces because it couldn¡¯t withstand the strength of Molon¡¯s grip. The dishes that had already been ced on the table were sent falling because of this, but Molon quickly picked up each of the tes as they fell with an agility that seemed unnatural with hisrge bulk and threw them back up into the air. The tes sent flying through the airnded on the table that had been next to theirs. ¡­Booom! The building shook slightly in reaction to Molon¡¯s violent movements that had left several deep footprints on the floor. ¡°Um¡­ Vermouth will pay the repair fees,¡± Molon announced. ¡°...What a fool¡­!¡± Anise sighed and shook her head. ¡°It seems that he¡¯s alright with being called a fool because he really is one,¡± Hamel snidely pointed out. ¡°...That might be the case, but you, Hamel, have no right to call Molon a fool. The only ones who can say that Molon is a fool are Molon¡¯s friends andrades,¡± Anise dered. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Sienna piped up. ¡°Who do you think you are to keep calling Molon a fool? It¡¯s true that Molon might be a fool, but it¡¯s not okay for you to call Molon a fool, got it?¡± ¡°Just why have you guys brought me here?¡± Hamel asked abruptly, unable to understand the situation he had found himself in no matter how hard he tried. Vermouth¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed as he listened to the entire conversation. But just as Molon stretched his arms wide and started to carry the new table over to where the rest were sitting, Vermouth suddenly asked, ¡°Hamel Dynas, are you willing to be mypanion?¡± Molon showed no intention of paying any attention to their conversation. He ced the new table in the middle of their seats, then immediately stretched his hand towards arge pork leg roast. At this, Sienna, who was sitting beside him, smacked the back of his hand. After a start of surprise, Molon nodded his head agreeably. Then Molon held hisrge hands out in front of him. Once he did this, Sienna shook her finger and drew a circle, casting a spell that covered Molon¡¯s hands in bubbling foam and water. After his hands had been cleaned, Molon reached out for the pork leg once more. aap! This time, Anise smacked the back of Molon¡¯s hand. The sudden blow had Molon looking at her with a confused expression. While ring at Molon through narrowed eyes, Anise snapped open a napkin andid it down on her knees. Then she picked up a knife and fork and held them up for Molon to see. ¡°...Hm¡­!¡± Molon grunted in realization and nodded as he ced a napkin on his knees like Anise had. But because of how thick Molon¡¯s thighs were, the napkin wasn¡¯t even able to cover one of his legs. Molon then picked up a knife and a fork in hisrge hands. They definitely hadn¡¯t been made to be held by suchrge hands, so Molon had to hold them by his fingertips to use them. Creak, creeeeeak¡­. Molon began slicing off pieces of the meat with frustrated eyes. With each stroke of his knife, the old table let out creaking noises. His knife skills didn¡¯t show any traces of refinement, but Sienna and Anise, who were responsible for teaching Molon ¡®manners¡¯, had happy looks on their faces as they exchanged nces. ¡­While those three were doing all this, Hamel was busy thinking about Vermouth¡¯sst words. Vermouth wanted him¡­ to be apanion? Hamel couldn¡¯t understand what these words meant. Vermouth, Sienna, Anise, and Molon were the most famous heroes on the whole continent, and their party had enoughbat force to face off against one of the demonfolk¡¯s many legions. As for Hamel¡­ he had already been nning to take a ship in this port and head over to Helmuth. Most of the wars fought in thends of Turas had ended. The demonfolk and demonic beasts had now withdrawn to Helmuth, and the monsters had been exterminated to such an extent that they could no longer field any armies. There were no longer any battlefields left in thesends for Hamel to participate in. However, that wasn¡¯t enough for Hamel. Hamel wanted to kill even more monsters, demonic beasts, and demonfolk. If possible, he wanted to wipe them out until none were left in this world. Was it for the sake of world peace? No. Hamel¡¯s desire wasn¡¯t born out of such a wonderful sense of duty. He justhatedthem. He wanted to kill all of them. So that he would never have to set eyes on one of them again. As such, he wanted to wipe out all demonic beasts, demonfolk, and even the Demon Kings. It was for such an incredibly personal reason that Hamel had decided to head over to Helmuth. Over there, every day was filled with unending battles. Although reinforcements were being sent to Helmuth from all over the continent, Helmuth¡¯s own forces were still leaving behind mountains of human corpses day after day. Hamel had always attributed his continued survival until now to several factors: the first was that he was strong, the second was that he was a genius, and the third was that he had good luck. But he knew that once he traveled to Helmuth, then perhaps his luck would run out. Even if he was strong and a genius¡­ he would probably still die anyway. But even so, Hamel felt that it didn¡¯t matter. His was a life that should have already been lost long ago in any case. He had been lucky enough to survive so far, but rather than continuing to live out of gratitude for his lucky survival, he would much rather live ording to his desires and keep his eyes on the targets of his hatred to get this revenge. Even if he did end up dying in Helmuth, as long as he could kill at least one more demonfolk or demonic beast before he died, he felt he could be satisfied with that. ¡°...Apanion, you say,¡± Hamel repeated as the corners of his mouth twitched up in a smile. If he were to be apanion of the famous hero, Vermouth, he might be able to survive for a longer period in Helmuth. That fact alone might be enough for Hamel to be willing to be Vermouth¡¯spanion. ¡°I don¡¯t care what you want from me, but I don¡¯t really want to listen to the orders of some scrub who¡¯s weaker than me, alright?¡± Hamel said challengingly. But Hamel really couldn¡¯t stand the attitudes that all four people in front of him had shown so far. It was as if they didn¡¯t really feel they needed to take someone like him with them. Even Molon, for all his friendliness, seemed convinced that he was stronger than Hamel. Sienna and Anise had clearly shown that they couldn¡¯t understand why Hamel was even qualified to be theirrade. Hamel wasn¡¯t satisfied with any of this. No matter how strong they were, just how highly did they think of themselves? Did he really look like some scrub to them? ¡®They¡¯re just asking for a beating,¡¯Hamel thought. ¡°...Puhaha!¡± Sienna, who was in the middle of cutting off a slice of meat for herself, burst intoughter. ¡°What did that bastard just say? D-did he really just say ¡®scrub¡¯? Vermouth, he was talking to you, right? Right? Ha, ahaha, hahaha!¡± In a quavering voice, Anise said, ¡°S-Sienna, don¡¯t, ahem, don¡¯tugh so hard. If you startughing like that, then I¡¯ll¡­ puhu¡­. Puhuhu, puhahaha¡­! Lughing like this is¡ª! A-a big, ahem, a big in-insult¡­.¡± ¡°As expected, you really are a true warrior!¡± Molon said as he looked at Hamel with a big smile. Baaang! Hamel tilted his chair back and then mmed both feet on top of the table. At this action, both Sienna and Anise¡¯sughter was abruptly cut off. Fwooosh. ¡°...Vermouth,¡± Sienna uttered in a dangerous tone as small wisps of me ignited around her. ¡°He¡¯s just a bastard of a mercenary that you could find just about anywhere. Is there really any reason we need to take someone like him with us?¡± ¡°...I wasn¡¯t expecting much, but isn¡¯t he far too crude,¡± Anise chimed in. ¡°Sir Vermouth, rather than a mercenary like this, who¡¯s just a wild dog, there are countless other warriors who would be better to choose from. The only son of the Knight Commander of the Kiehl Empire is said to have a great appearance and personality along with exceptional skills¡­ wouldn¡¯t it be better to go to Kiehl and recruit him instead?¡± Amidst this chilly atmosphere, Molon once again brought up somethingpletely irrelevant, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the warriors of the Sea Kingdom are truly brave men. I¡¯d really like topete with them.¡± ¡°...Well now, everyone else but you really seem to dislike me, don¡¯t they? And I don¡¯t really want to travel with bastards who dislike me, either. So just like that bitchy Saintess over there said, why don¡¯t you go find some other bastard to take with you?¡± Hamel sneered. ¡°No,¡± Vermouth finally spoke up. The sparks Sienna had ignited were extinguished. The light hovering around Anise¡¯s feet also disappeared. As he poured some alcohol into his ss with a graceful gesture, Vermouth continued, ¡°It has to be you.¡± No one was able to understand what he meant by this im. Vermouth then said, ¡°If you really want to check my skills, how about we finish eating first.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Hamel asked in confusion. ¡°Let¡¯s eat and have a drink until we¡¯re full, then once we¡¯re finished digesting¡­.¡± Vermouth swirled the drink in his ss and then finished with a grin, ¡°Let¡¯s have a friendly match.¡± Chapter 169: Extra - Their First Meeting (3)

Chapter 169: Extra - Their First Meeting (3)

When they asked to borrow the restaurant''s backyard, the owner readily agreed. Junk had been piled up in the corners, and the ground was overgrown with weeds, but it was still wide enough for a duel. Hamel and Vermouth stood facing each other. Hamel really didn¡¯t like how calm Vermouth looked as if the hero didn¡¯t have anything to be nervous about. Vermouth was the Hero of Light. Hamel had heard this title many times before, but what did it even mean? Clicking his tongue, Hamel threw off his cloak. Beneath his cloak, Hamel was wearing a set of thin leather armor that wasn¡¯t too heavy and wouldn¡¯t get in the way of his movements. On top of that, he had a chainmail shirt that stopped short of his elbows and had several weapons attached here and there. Hamel took off each weapon, set them down, and even pulled off his chainmail. ¡°Just how much lighter do you think you¡¯ll get just by taking that off?¡± Sienna, who had been watching with her back leaning against a wall,mented sarcastically with a smirk. From her perspective as a wizard, everything that Hamel was doing was crude and ignorant. If her body and equipment felt heavy, all Sienna needed to do was cast a spell to lighten them instead of taking them off. ¡°Can¡¯t you just keep your trap shut for a moment?¡± Hamelined. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Sienna hissed. Hamel sighed, ¡°Apart from you, no one else seems to be annoying me right now, so isn¡¯t it obvious that I''m talking to you?¡± Sienna¡¯s eyes widened at the smirk that Hamel had just shot her, and she turned to Vermouth to ask, ¡°Vermouth, can¡¯t I just fight him in your stead?¡± ¡°Sienna, you were the one who picked a fight with him first, weren¡¯t you?¡± Vermouth pointed out. ¡°Why does it matter who picked a fight first? I just don¡¯t like that bastard, so I want to beat him up,¡± Sienna demanded. ¡°You¡¯ve finallye up with a good idea. Do you know that, during my travels here and there, I¡¯ve had to put up with a lot of people calling me a piece of trash? Want to know why that is? It¡¯s because I won¡¯t hesitate to smack someone down, even if they are a fucking woman. If you have the confidence, get up here, I¡¯ll bury that pretty face of yours into the ground and leave you with a mug that only a mother would love,¡± Hamel threatened with a ferocious expression. He had expected Sienna to explode in rage and charge over, but Sienna didn¡¯t react the way that he had predicted, instead staring at Hamel with wide eyes. Then, after blinking a few times, she cleared her throat and slightly turned her head away to avoid his gaze. Sienna stammered out, ¡°...Well¡­ um¡­ that¡¯s¡­ your face isn¡¯t bad either, I guess.¡± ¡°What are you saying all of a sudden?¡± Hamel responded in confusion. ¡°No¡­ um¡­ thanks for calling me pretty. Despite your appearance, it seems that your eyes are quite¡­ quite sharp. Though I guess you were only pointing out the obvious. A-as such, I choose to forgive you,¡± Sienna dered proudly. ¡®She drank a little bit earlier, but could she already be drunk?¡¯Hamel thought as he shot another nce at Sienna. Of course, Sienna hadn¡¯t actually gotten drunk off the tavern¡¯s wine. She secretly stole sips of Anise¡¯s holy water every day, and sometimes she would train her alcohol tolerance by drinking with Anise all night long. So there was no way that she would get drunk after just a few cups of wine. Sienna was just unused to gettingpliments on her appearance. This couldn¡¯t be helped, as she had been abandoned in the Samar Rainforest and was then raised by the elves. This meant that Sienna¡¯s family and neighbors were all members of a race that was praised as the most beautiful in the world. Beauty was something that the elves just took for granted, so there was no reason for them to praise one another¡¯s beauty. ¡®...As I thought, someone like me really is pretty, right?¡¯Sienna thought to herself as she cleared her throat and unconsciously stroked her face. She had been around hundreds of elves since she was young, so it was hard for Sienna to be confident in her appearance. ¡°Would you like to go first?¡± Vermouth spoke up. Vermouth was standing there casually, his hands empty as he hadn¡¯t even drawn his sword. For him to then say such a thing while looking so rxed, Hamel¡¯s face couldn¡¯t help but contort into a scowl. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to draw the Holy Sword?¡± Hamel demanded. ¡°You¡¯re not a demonfolk or even a demonic beast,¡± Vermouth pointed out. ¡°Then you can just draw a different sword,¡± Hamel growled. ¡°If not a sword, then some other weapon.¡± Hamel recalled all the rumors that he had heard about Vermouth. Vermouth Lionheart¡¯s skill in magic had reached a high enough level that he could also bepared to an Archwizard. He was the master of the Holy Sword, but he could even wield various weapons besides the Holy Sword, and he kept those weapons in a subspace created by his spatial magic. ¡°...Hmmm,¡± Vermouth hummed thoughtfully for a few seconds before stretching out his hand. In response to his gesture, the space in front of him seemed to waver, and the hilt of a sword suddenly protruded from thin air. ¡­But it was just an ordinary sword. Hamel couldn¡¯t feel anything suspiciousing off of it, and its appearance wasn¡¯t anything remarkable either. It was just a long, straight sword. Stomp. Hamel gritted his teeth and lowered his stance. During Vermouth¡¯s momentary hesitation, Hamel could finally tell what exactly was bothering him about Vermouth¡¯s attitude. Vermouth seemed to feel like he didn¡¯t even need a weapon. The man had held such confidence, but he had still drawn a sword out of consideration for his opponent. ¡®How kind of him,¡¯Hamel thought with a sneer. Vermouth wasthehero who was loved by everyone. Of course, he would have such confidence. But that being said, Hamel didn¡¯t allow himself to be intimidated. The mana maniption that Vermouth had shown earlier was indeed amazing. It was impossible for Hamel to manage such borate maniptions of mana while targeting a space so far away from his own body. However, if the target of the mana maniption was inside of his own body, then Hamel still held confidence. Mana flowed out of his core and spread throughout his body in an instant. At the same moment, Hamel had already kicked off the ground and charged into Vermouth¡¯s range. ¡®...Ohoh,¡¯Sienna thought as her eyes sparkled. In that instant, the young Archwizard noticed just how explosively Hamel had elerated the mana under his control, and she realized that his sophisticated mana maniption was actually far from being as crude as she had expected. ¡®His total amount of mana isn¡¯t that impressive. It¡¯s also not that pure. And just by mobilizing that amount of mana, his core is already being pushed to its limits,¡¯Sienna critiqued. What this meant was clear. Hamel¡¯s mana training scripture had surely been of poor quality. Sienna didn¡¯t know when the hell he had started training his mana, but it was obvious that this mercenary¡¯s mana training scripture wasn¡¯t as polished as the skills he had personally developed. ¡®....But how could he have reached this level¡­ with such a poorly developed core?¡¯Sienna marveled. No matter how hard Hamel had trained with his garbage training scripture, he should have still ended up with just a slightly better ss of garbage. However¡­ Sienna couldn¡¯t bring herself to think of this mercenary¡¯s mana maniption as mere garbage. He might only be a mercenary, but his mana maniption and mana control were smoother than any other knight she had seen thus far. Anise also began to concentrate as she stared at the sh between Hamel and Vermouth. She could now understand why Vermouth had stubbornly insisted on epting Hamel as theirrade. ¡®...He has potential,¡¯Anise muttered to herself. Hamel¡¯s potential was different from that of Sienna, Anise, and Molon. He was just a mercenary who had never received proper instruction. But he had slowly trained himself to where he was now by going through countless battlefields and surviving them all. The flow of his mana was irregr, but he had still managed to attune that turbid current with just his innate senses and focussed exclusively on elerating his movements instead of strengthening his sword-force. But what if someone could correct that imperfection for him? Hamel twisted his body violently as he swung his sword. His sh hammered into Vermouth¡¯s side. But the moment that his attack drew close, his sword shook. One sh split into dozens of shes that all surged forward simultaneously to chop Vermouth¡¯s body into pieces. Vermouth¡¯s body finally began to move in response to this sh. His sword flowed as smoothly as water as it approached Hamel¡¯s sword. aang! As their mana collided with each other, a burst of sound was produced. Hamel¡¯s mana recoiled backward. After just one sh, his sword-force had been destroyed in a single moment. Hamel squeezed strength back into his throbbing hands and grabbed hold of his mana, which was in a mess from the bacsh. Then he raised his sword-force once more. The de of mana that returned to cover his sword immediately underwent a conversion. The de burst into mes. Then, as if the sword had been doused in oil, these mes instantly grew to a great size and tried to swallow Vermouth. The moment she saw this, Sienna shook her head and thought,¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ Anise also let out a short sigh. She then prepared a recovery spell just in case of some unforeseen circumstances. As for Molon, he just stood there with hisrge eyes peeled open, watching until the end. ¡®...My mes?¡¯Hamel realized something was off. His extreme concentration lengthened his perception of time. He was forced to watch as pure, white mes wrapped around Vermouth¡¯s body. Embers scattered off of Vermouth¡¯s shoulders like a lion¡¯s mane. Vermouth¡¯s sword hadn¡¯t even moved, but the pure white mes he had summoned consumed Hamel¡¯s ze. Was this the end? Hamel desperately held on to his consciousness. There wasn¡¯t even any bacsh of mana. Instead, all the mana he poured into the mes disappeared. Even so, Hamel forced his body to move. He had gone through hundreds of battlefields, survived numerous close brushes with death, and ovee countless challenges. His body, which had been with Hamel through all these struggles, resisted the inevitable defeat. He still had a dagger hidden beneath his wrist. If he couldn¡¯t win with a sword, then Hamel was desperately nning to get in close and stab Vermouth in the side, but¡­. Boooom! A wall of mes swept across the ground towards him, and Hamel was blown backward by the impact. Unable to even arrest his fall, Hamelnded on the ground face-first. ¡°...Isn¡¯t that¡­ a little too harsh?¡± Sienna muttered with a shake of her head. Should she cast a healing spell? Anise considered the question for a moment before lowering her outstretched hand. Anise justified her decision, ¡°If Vermouth doesn¡¯t show the clear gap that lies between them, that mercenary will just try again and again.¡± ¡°Amazing!¡± Molon shouted in a loud voice. Sienna and Anise both turned to look at Molon, startled by the loud shout that had erupted from beside them. Molon continued shouting, ¡°That spirit of not giving up until the very end, he truly is a warrior!¡± Before being blown away by the approaching wave of mes, Molon saw Hamel throw his dagger. Vermouth had been confident of his victory and hadn¡¯t expected that tiny dagger to pierce through the mes ande flying at him. But in reality, that dagger didn¡¯t do any damage to Vermouth¡¯s body. However, it had managed to slightly brush by Vermouth¡¯s sleeve beforepletely burning up into ash. Vermouth stared at the mark on his sleeve in amazement. To think that Hamel would truly be able tond a blow on him. Although there might not be any wounds left on his body, the fact that his opponent could leave a cut on the hem of his sleeve even when there was such a gap between them was enough to surprise Vermouth. But such a surprise only caused Vermouth tough for a moment before he addressed the fallen Hamel, ¡°...It seems that I¡¯m stronger than you.¡± With a thin smile on his face, Vermouth approached Hamel and stretched out his hand. ¡­Hamel¡¯s face hurt. His nose felt like it had been broken, and the inside of his mouth was filled with dirt. His body, which had been struck by the mes, was also screaming in protest. Hamel had lost. There were no excuses that he could make for such a crushing defeat. He didn¡¯t even know when he hadst lost sopletely. Could a person like Vermouth¡­ truly exist in this world? Just how could it even be possible? ¡°...Shut up,¡± Hamel snarled. The oue of their duel wouldn¡¯t change even if they fought once more. However, Hamel couldn¡¯t just admit defeat. Seizing hold of his dizzied consciousness, Hamel red at Vermouth. Looking up at his gray hair and golden eyes, the bastard was just standing in front of Hamel, still d in his white mes. Vermouth had extended his hand towards him¡­. What? Was this guy offering a handshake? Instead of epting the handshake, Hamel raised his hand and grabbed his nose. Crack! Wrenching his nose straight, Hamel held it in ce until the nosebleed had stopped. Looking down at the sword in his right hand¡­ the de was gone. That white me had shattered his sword into pieces. Was mana really capable of instantly exploding a sword into pieces like that? No, it wasn¡¯t just the mana. It had actually started from the very first time their swords had collided with each other. Vermouth had seen right through Hamel¡¯s sword techniques the moment before their des had met and had used this to destroy Hamel¡¯s de. Vermouth was in a different ss. Hamel wasn¡¯t an idiot. He had known that there would be a massive gap between himself and Vermouth. Even if they fought hundreds or even thousands of matches, Hamel didn¡¯t have any confidence in being able to beat Vermouth even once. But Hamel refused to ept this truth. It felt like the moment he epted this, he would also have to admit that he would never be able to defeat Vermouth. ¡°...Fuck. Again. Let¡¯s fight again. I haven¡¯t lost¡­!¡± Hamel growled. Hamel hated losing. Defeat may have been familiar to him starting from a young age, but it was still a disgusting and unpleasant thing that he refused to get used to, no matter how many times it had happened. He had lost everything at a young age and started living as a mercenary. Over that time, Hamel had gotten better at fighting in order to survive. He wasn¡¯t a good fighter from the very beginning. Hamel had experienced numerous defeats, then, at some point, victories began to outnumber his losses. Hamel couldn¡¯t allow himself to get used to losing. Ever since he was young, Hamel had blindly followed this edict. ¡°If you can¡¯t ept it, then fine,¡± Vermouth agreed with a nod as he withdrew his hand. Vermouth then took a few steps backward as he continued to stare at Hamel. Hamel dropped the broken sword onto the ground and clenched his fists. If a sword wouldn¡¯t work¡­ then maybe he could use his fists? Hamel was confident in his brawling. Even before he had be a mercenary, he had often boxed with the other children in his vige, and after bing a mercenary, he swung his fists all the more often. Up to now, Hamel had always thought of himself as a genius. He had enough talent that it made sense for him to do so. Ever since he was young, he hadn¡¯t felt any real difficulty when it came to learning new things, and his skills had also improved faster than the rest. Even after bing a mercenary, his confidence in himself hadn¡¯t changed. On the contrary, he had built trust in himself, which reinforced his own self-confidence. I¡¯ve never seen a brat who¡¯s as good with a knife as you. Did you just say that you can already sense mana? Is that sword-light? That¡¯s impossible! All of the mercenaries who had met the young Hamel were shocked by him. Some of them grew jealous of Hamel¡¯s talent and had even tried to cripple him for it. When it came to the envy that followed geniuses, Hamel had always been on the side of the ones being envied. Although he had be familiar with the cries of shocking from his surroundings¡­ as well as people calling him a genius, Hamel hadn¡¯t allowed himself to becent in his arrogance. He hadn¡¯t neglected to work hard and train. That was how he had been able to cultivate such a level of skill. But his opponent was the hero, Vermouth Lionheart. So it only made sense for him to lose. The truth was that having any expectation of winning in the first ce was the most absurd thing. However, Hamel couldn¡¯t allow himself to lose like this. Without even having been able tond a proper attack on Vermouth, he couldn¡¯t allow himself to admit defeat, even as he felt this overwhelming gap in their skills. Even if it wasn¡¯t an equal fight, there at least had to be an exchange of blows. Even if it meant fighting hundreds or thousands of times, Hamel had to believe that he would be able to win at least once or twice. ¡°...Hey,¡± Hamel eventually called out. Now, he didn¡¯t even have the strength left to pick his body off the ground. They had already fought twice, and Hamel had lost both times. He hadn¡¯t even been able to brush the hem of Vermouth¡¯s clothes like he had in the first match. It wasn¡¯t just because of those pure white mes either. Hamel had also beenpletely defeated when theypeted solely with their bodies. All of the techniques that Hamel had held such trust and confidence in had done anything to Vermouth. Hamel continued, ¡°...I¡¯m a lot weaker than you. So just why do you want me to be yourrade?¡± Hamel felt like there wasn¡¯t any reason for which he could possibly ept this offer. Having struggled so hard, he had realized just how much of a gap there was between them. Even if he did be one of Vermouth¡¯spanions, it was clear that he would just be a burden holding on to their ankles. Hamel didn¡¯t know how to use magic, and of course, he didn¡¯t know how to use holy magic either. He also wasn¡¯t as barbarically huge as Molon. That was why he definitely couldn¡¯t ept it. Was it because he was strong? No, Hamel was weakpared to them. Was it because he was a genius? Obviously not. So what exactly did they want from him? Why did this monstrous bastarde looking for Hamel to invite him to be hispanion and was even willing to fight with Hamel three times? ¡°Because I need you,¡± Vermouth stated. But Vermouth¡¯s reply just sounded like a joke to him. ¡°...That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking why the fuck you need me¡­?! You¡¯re obviously stronger than me!¡± Hamel let out a roar as he mmed his fist into the ground. He had lost. He had never had any chance at winning. After being defeated by Vermouth in all three fights, all Hamel could feel was rage at himself. ¡°If I won, you would be myrade. Isn¡¯t that what you promised?¡± Vermouth reminded him. ¡°But I just can¡¯t understand it! If you told them you wanted them as yourrade, there aren¡¯t just one or two strong bastards who would be ttered by the offer. So why the hell would youe to me with this?!¡± Hamel demanded as he raised his head to re at Vermouth. Instead of replying immediately, Vermouth gazed at Hamel with calm eyes. In the face of that stare, Hamel unconsciously swallowed a gulp. Those shining gold eyes were unwaveringly calm, but they were also so intense that it was as if they could prate through everything they saw and reveal the truth hidden inside his heart. ¡°You¡¯re thest one,¡± Vermouth¡¯s lips parted. ¡°So let''s go there together, Hamel.¡± Vermouth offered his hand to Hamel once more, but Hamel didn¡¯t grab hold of the hand immediately. Since he had lost, then all he needed to do was follow Vermouth. If he could just think of it like that, then Hamel would be more at ease, but Hamel needed a different reason to agree to go with Vermouth. ¡°...You rotten bastard,¡± Hamel cursed. Picking up the shattered pieces of his pride, Hamel collected himself. He then firmly epted the fact that he wasn¡¯t a genius. After doing this, Hamel looked up at Vermouth. ¡°...You¡­ just what are you nning on doing?¡± Hamel asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to cross the sea and journey to Helmuth,¡± Vermouth answered. ¡°...None of the ships in this port are willing to sail to Helmuth.¡± ¡°If I tell them I¡¯ll be going with them, they¡¯ll set sail.¡± Vermouth was probably right. Hamel let out a hollowugh at this. None of the merchant ships were willing to sail to Helmuth because the sea thaty between was far too dangerous. Beneath the sealine, the waters were filled with violent monsters and demonic beasts, and above the sealine, ck wizards and undead sailed the waters in their ghost ships. If there was a sufficient escort force, the ships might be willing to depart, but a major battle had been fought in this city just a few days before. The only ones still full of energy were the clumsy, young knights who had just been promoted to fill the empty spots left by the dead. Among the surviving knights and mercenaries, the only one volunteering to go to the hellish ce that was Helmuth was Hamel. However, if Vermouth and hispanions said they would be taking a ship there, all of the knights blinded by the legend of the mighty hero would surely flock to board the same ship. Even disregarding their numbers, the merchant ships would be willing to set sail for Helmuth as long as Vermouth agreed to board their ship. ¡°...And what¡­ do you intend to do in Helmuth?¡± Hamel continued. ¡°We¡¯re going to kill the Demon Kings,¡± Vermouth replied without any hesitation. ¡°First, we¡¯re going to kill the Demon King of Carnage. Then we¡¯ll kill the Demon King of Cruelty, and after that, we¡¯ll kill the Demon King of Fury. Once we¡¯ve killed the Demon King of Incarceration, all that¡¯s left is to kill the Demon King of Destruction.¡± Vermouth still hadn¡¯t withdrawn his hand. ¡°In order to kill the Demon Kings, we need your strength,¡± Vermouth earnestly requested. ¡°Hamel Dynas, without you, I¡­ no, we won¡¯t be able to y all of the Demon Kings.¡± It sounded absurd. Did Vermouth really just say that he was going to kill all the Demon Kings? As the hero chosen by the Holy Sword, it sounded usible, but what the hell did Vermouth mean by saying that he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill the Demon Kings without Hamel? ¡°...If that¡¯s the case, then it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Hamel gave in with a sigh. Was Vermouth just soothing the sore feelings of a loser? That was most probably the case. ¡­But did he really have any reason to do so? Hamel didn¡¯t want to spend any more time thinking about it. The more he thought about it, the more his head hurt. ¡°...Well, I was just looking for a way to cross the sea,¡± Hamel admitted as an excuse to take Vermouth¡¯s hand. ¡°What a prideful pretense,¡± Sienna, who had still been leaning with her back against the wall, spat out in an attention-catching voice. Beside her, Molon was looking at Vermouth and Hamel with thick streams of tears pouring from his eyes. Then, with his arms held wide open, Molon approached Vermouth and Hamel to say, ¡°Warriors on different paths have now joined together to work towards the same purpose! Now that we¡¯rerades, we may have been born on different days[1], but the day we achieve our ultimate goal will be the same!¡± While shedding hot-blooded tears, Molon embraced Hamel and Vermouth. ¡°...Are you done?¡± Anise asked as she lifted her empty holy water sk and turned it upside down over her mouth to pour out thest remaining drops of holy water. ¡°Hamel, because we had to deal with your stubbornness, I wasn¡¯t able to hold our evening service. Just how are you going to take responsibility for that?¡± ¡°...What do you expect me to do about that?¡± Hamel asked grumpily. ¡°Allow me to enlighten you. Anise likes to drink. You know what that means, right? She wants you to go buy her something to drink,¡± Sienna advised Hamel with a giggle as she waved her finger. A gust of wind blew away the dust clinging to Hamel''s body. ¡°Hmm, since we¡¯re weing a newpanion today¡­ then even God should forgive me for skipping today¡¯s service,¡± Anise confirmed Sienna¡¯s suggestion. Hamel eyed the two women warily, ¡°...What¡­ is with you two? Why are you acting so friendly all of a sudden? Didn¡¯t you say that you hated me and that I was a piece of shit?¡± ¡°Hamel, I have never said that I hated you or called you a piece of shit. If I had to say it, then I might admit that you are an asshole, but is there anyone in this world who can really swear to love everyone else in existence? As long as you¡¯re human, you can still think that someone else is an asshole; and as a Saint, I am no exception to that,¡± Anise confessed as she stared at Hamel through her narrowed eyes. ¡°As such, while people can still think of each other as assholes and slightly act as assholes to each other, we still need to get along ande to understand each other. As for us in particr, since we¡¯ll have to fight together from now on while cing our lives in each other''s hands, we should get to know each other even more deeply than in an ordinary rtionship.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ a-alright,¡± Hamel stammered, overwhelmed by the sermon. ¡°And there¡¯s nothing like drinking together to get to know each other. The reason alcohol exists is that by making people intoxicated, it allows people to reveal their true selves without any deception; so, by getting drunk together, we cane to understand one another more deeply. That¡¯s why alcohol is actually holy water,¡± Anise concluded. ¡°That¡¯s why you should buy some expensive and good-quality alcohol,¡± Sienna added helpfully from the side. ¡°...Or else, could it be that you don¡¯t want to drink with us? Did you prefer it when we disliked you earlier?¡± Anise used. Hamel defended himself, ¡°It¡¯s just suspicious that your attitude has changed so quickly.¡± ¡°We thought that you were just a slob without any skills who made his living by talking big, but having seen you fight with Vermouth, we¡¯vee to appreciate you,¡± Anise admitted honestly. ¡°Your persistence is also pretty good,¡± Siennaplimented. Molon chimed in, ¡°Your eyes that burned hot until the very end were truly fitting for a warrior.¡± What strange guys. Hamel thought as he freed himself from Molon¡¯s arms. ¡°...Do you like to drink as well?¡± Hamel asked uncertainly, ncing at Vermouth. Something seemed to have amused Vermouth, as he¡¯d kept the smile from earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t dislike it,¡± Vermouth responded. ¡°That¡¯s quite an ambiguous answer,¡± Hamelined. Anise exined, ¡°Although he phrased it like that, Sir Vermouth has never refused a drink.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s go get some drinks,¡± Hamel said, recalling what Vermouth had said earlier. Have you eaten yet? Then let¡¯s have a meal together. Then, just like Vermouth had, he turned around and started leading the way forward. ¡®...That bastard, he won¡¯t kick a rock at me, will he?¡¯ Hamel was suddenly concerned that a stone mighte flying at the back of his head, but Vermouth didn¡¯t suddenly kick a stone at him like Hamel had done before. ¡°...Hahaha.¡± Instead, the sound ofughter rang out from behind him. Chapter 170: The Competition (1)

Chapter 170: The Competition (1)

The Lionheart¡¯s main house had gone through some changes. First, the Patriarch, who had been away from the main house for a few years, had now returned. Just like when he had left the ck Lion Castle, Gilead was still noticeably thin, and Anci cried her eyes out, forgetting about dignity for a moment. Her husband¡¯s return wasn¡¯t the only reason Anci bawled. Her children, who had left her arms for a long time, had also returned. After attending several funerals along with Gilead, Ciel hade back along with Cyan, who had been training with the captains of the ck Lion Castle. Giving up on their original n, the Third Division of the ck Lion Knights led by Carmen didn¡¯t leave the main estate due to a request from Gilead and Klein ¡ª they asked Carmen to help train the White Lion Knights. The White Lion Knights were already among the best knights on the continent, but the rebellion started by Eward was enough to make the loyalty of the White Lion Knights waver, since they were usually very proud of the fact that they served the Lionhearts. Therefore, the Lionhearts needed to make a strong disy in order to regain that respect and reverence. The simplest method to achieve this was bringing in a knight who, on the one hand, was indisputably strong, and on the other hand,cked the elitism normally disyed by pureblood Lionhearts. In other words, they had to be the type to not discriminate between their subordinates, and they had to be enthusiastic about teaching. Carmen Lionheart, the strongest person in the Lionhearts, was naturally considered to be the best fit for this role, so she continued to stay in the main estate and mentor the White Lion Knights instead of returning to the ck Lion Castle. As a result, the White Lion Knights¡¯ quarters beside the main estate¡¯s training area had been extended. Carmen¡¯s office had been set up next to the office of the White Lion Order¡¯s Commander on the first floor. Overall, the facility had be much more elegant than before. All of the renovations were Anci¡¯s n to make the knights grateful and proud. The White Lion Knights¡¯ facility was great in the first ce, but the major renovation led by Anci made thepound outstanding. While extending the White Lion Knights¡¯ quarter, the annex was also demolished. Anci built a new annex in the ce where Eugene had previously lived, right next to the main estate, saying that family should be family even though they did not share all that much blood.The main estate andthe annexwere separate, but every floor was connected with a passageway, enabling people to easily move between the main estate and the annex. Aside from these renovations, various new training equipment was also installed in the training area. Even the Lionheart forest, where the World Tree¡¯s seedlings hadpletely taken roots, also went through a renovation. Some had worried that the elves would be against it, but the elves hadn¡¯t forgotten that they were under the Lionhearts¡¯ protection. Maybe due to that reason, the elves themselves had picked up shovels and axes and helped with the forest¡¯s renovation. ¡°¡­I think it¡¯s a tiny little bit overkill,¡± Carmen awkwardly said. She was in her office, which she had decorated to suit her preference from top to bottom. One wall was fitted with a whiskey disy. Not that Carmen drank whiskey in any shape or form ¡ª she hated both its smell and taste. She liked sweet beverages, warm milk, and tea that calmed her, rather than bitter alcohol that tasted like tree bark washed with soap. There was a wine disy next to the whiskey disy. Just like her whiskey disy, every wine she had put on her disy as ¡®interior decoration¡¯ was a top-ss product. The highest quality wood and metals were used to build the disys, and they were decorated with jewels. The disys even came with artifacts that controlled temperature and humidity, creating a perfect environment for each type of alcohol. This was the kind of disy normally owned by rich habitual drinkers who had far too much money. Therefore, the wines inside the disys were luxury items, some of the highest-priced wines money could buy. Whiskey and wine became more expensive over time, and if Eugene put together the age of the alcohol bottles on Carmen¡¯s shelves, forget about Hamel¡¯s age, it would even surpass the age of most high-ranking demonfolks. Of course, Carmen also didn¡¯t drink wine. Well¡­ no, unlike whiskey, she at least dranksomeof the wine, because she enjoyed both sweet ice wine and cool sparkling wine. Aside from those, however, did she care for any other type? Not in the slightest.Shecouldn¡¯t care less if the wine was red, white, or rainbow; as far as she was concerned, grape juice and apple juice were the better choice. So¡­ why did she even have those massively expensive shelves? Naturally, it was because Carmenthought that disying quality alcohol was essential in order to show dignity. Although she didn¡¯t like wine or whiskey, she certainly liked the way she looked when she held a wine or whiskey ss. Carmen¡¯s thoughts remained the same when it came to cigars. Inside the drawers of her magnificent office desk, cigars that would never see a lighter were neatly organized. It was a given, but all of her cigars were handmade by famous artisans. She even had her cigar case and cigar cutter custom-made, engraved with a ck lion and a silver lion. Apart from those, there were also a bunch of books, which ¡ª obviously ¡ª she didn¡¯t read, filling a third wall. Finally, the wall behind Carmen¡¯s desk was engraved with the big symbols of the Lionhearts and the ck Lion Knights. Armor that she never wore was standing beside her window-like decorations, along with a g¡­. ¡­To sum it up, the room was more overkill than any other room Eugene had ever visited. And Carmen, the very person who had decorated the room and was currently sitting in her chair with her legs on the desk, had the absolute gall to utter the word ¡®overkill.¡¯ Eugene could no longer think properly. ¡°¡­Er¡­ Uh¡­ Is that so?¡± Eugenestuttered. ¡°Yes, there is no reason to also train the elves.¡±Carmen nodded. ¡°Well, Ididn¡¯t tell them to¡­. They volunteered,¡± Eugeneanswered, shrugging. Just like Eugene had said, the elves in the forest had started training by themselves. The incident of Lavera being helplessly kidnapped by Iris had been a wake-up call for the elves and motivated Signard, who had deep grudges against Iris. The elves had volunteered to train, so several training facilities had been installed to grant the elves¡¯ requests during the renovation.Signard himself had begun to teach swordsmanship to the elves, and the White Lion Knights and ck Lion Knights assisted Signard in that endeavor. ¡°¡­What I mean by overkill¡­ is¡­¡±Carmenid her cigar on the ashtray, unable to say much. The beautiful ashtray had never held cigarette ashes and it never would in the future. ¡°¡­Aha.¡±Eugene realized what Carmen wanted to say.¡°You are saying this because of White Tower Master, right?¡± ¡°¡­Hmm.¡±Carmen bitterly nodded. In Eugene¡¯s perspective, they were the same, considering how they both didn¡¯t act their age and werepletely disgraceful. Yet, Carmen and Melkith were surprisingly on bad terms. Eugene thought that they were probably feeling a sense of kinship to each other and self-loathing at the same time. Since they were simr, they became more conscious of each other, but they looked hideous from a third-party perspective¡­. ¡®No¡­ rather than loathing¡­ are they beingpetitive with each other?¡¯Eugene gaped. When Melkith had worn a mink coat, Carmen had worn a fluffier mink jacket. When Carmen had worn a leather jacket, Melkith had worn a shinier leather coat. ¡°I know elves have great aptitude for spirit summoning magic, but since the White Tower Master is an outsider, itisa bit too much for her to teach the Lionhearts¡¯ people.¡± Carmen crossed her legs on her desk. ¡°Well¡­ they wanted to learn it. If they don¡¯t like swordsmanship or hand-to-handbat, it¡¯s for the best that they learn spirit summoning magic. Besides, their teacher is the greatest spirit summoner in history.¡±Eugene nodded. After the Lightning me incident, Melkith could freelye in and out of the Lionheart Forest on some level, but she must have felt the need to prove her worth when her visits became frequent.She had persuaded the elves in the forest and taught them about spirit summoning magic, so Melkith had even stayed in the forest for several days, using the ¡®lesson¡¯ excuse. ¡°¡­It is a great method to make the Lionhearts more powerful but¡­ ummm¡­ she reallycks dignity¡­.¡±Carmen chose her words carefully. ¡°Pardon?¡± Eugene asked with a baffled expression. ¡°Uhmm¡­. Well¡­. When I went on a strollst night, I passed by the artificialke of the forest¡­ hmm¡­,¡±Carmen stuttered, unable to continue speaking. As if she was feeling really awkward, she fidgeted with her fingers and turned her head away a little as she continued. ¡°¡­And the White Tower Master was sitting at the center of theke without any clothes.¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t believe his ears. ¡°There was no person¡ª I mean, no elves who were watching. The White Tower Master must be really thorough about such matters, because she created a magic barrier that prevents peoplefrom recognizingher¡­. Withouteyes that aren¡¯t as sharp as mine, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see the White Tower Master behave strangely.Anyhow, she is really¡­ disgraceful in real life.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­.¡±Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what he was supposed to say. ¡°Of course¡­ Ummm¡­ she didn¡¯t do anything strange. I did get out of the area right after I saw her, but she looked serious and her mana flow was truly beautiful. I assume she was meditating to unite her ego and the outside world¡­ to develop her spirit-summoning magic,¡±Carmen spoke and cleared her throat.¡°¡­But¡­ hmm¡­ ordinary people¡­. Well, the White Tower Master isn¡¯t an ordinary person, but if she knows about shame¡­.¡± Was it morally right for Carmen to speak about shame? ¡°...Shouldn¡¯t she¡­notcultivate while sitting naked¡­ under the night sky with the shining moon?Oram I failing to understand her cultivation method because I¡¯m neither a wizard nor a spirit summoner?¡±Carmen sincerely asked. Eugene had no response for this. ¡°Is such a training methodmonfor wizards and spirit summoners? Eugene, you are a wizard and a spirit summoner, so do you also secretly train by using the same method?¡± [Hamel.] Tempest called Eugene through his head. ¡°If¡­ if so, then are all the elves who learn spirit summoning from the White Tower Master going to go through such training? I don¡¯t mind¡­ if they do that in the Lionheart forest, but if they train while there is a guest in the main estate¡­. Especially¡­ hmm¡­ I do believe you are sensible enough, however, if somebody sees you while you are busy uniting your ego and the outside world as you cultivate¡­,¡± Carmencarefully chose her words. [I suggest that we assassinate Melkith El-Hayah.] Tempest quickly whisperedto Eugene. [She is dragging spirit summoners¡¯ reputation through the mud. Look at this bizarre woman right now. Even she is confused because she can¡¯t understand the White Tower Master.] ¡°¡­¡± Eugene was speechless. [Just like I told youthest time, the story about how a spirit summoner can reach a higher level bymunicating with spirits in a naked state is nothing more than a groundless superstition¡­Iment at the factthat such a superstition maniac is a grand spirit summoner¡­.] ¡°¡­I¡­,¡± Eugene began to speak. [She isa spirit summoner who signed contracts with the Earth and Lightning Spirit Kings, but why is she developing her spirit summoning magic on theke¡¯s surface? Is she following some kind of superstition that a forcedmunication with spirits for which the summoner has no affinity with strengthens their connection with the respective spirits¡­?] ¡°¡­I never trained without clothes, nor did I ever feel any particr desire to train that way.¡± Eugried to speak as calmly as possible. [How could such agrand spirit summoner¡­ No¡­ Every being who has transcended humanity is mad¡­ Like how Carmen Lionheart is¡­ Melkith El-Hayah is also mad¡­] Tempest had just realized something on his own. ¡°The White Tower Master is the weird one. Other wizards and spirit summoners don¡¯t do such crazy stuff. I will make sure to discuss with the elves about this matter, and warn the White Tower Master too.¡± Eugene firmly answered. After hearing Eugene¡¯s answer, Carmen heaved a sigh of relief and suddenly pulled out something from her desk¡¯s drawer. Pong. Carmen flicked open the ck-golden Dupont lighter, with a crisp and clear sound. ¡°¡­¡± Pong. ¡°¡­¡± Pong. ¡°It¡¯s cool.¡± Eugene noddedas he understood Carmen¡¯s intention. Pong. ¡°It sounds clearer than Iris¡¯.¡± Eugenelooked at her lighter. ¡°It¡¯s custom-made.¡± Carmen finally looked satisfied as she nodded. Eugene tried to keep his feet on the ground, because he hadn¡¯t visited Carmen early in the morning to have this kind of conversation. ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for you to pretend that you have no choice and tell me what the hell is up?¡±Eugene cut to the chase. ¡°¡­I¡­ I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡±Carmen looked away. ¡°I will keep asking,even if you pretend to not know anything.¡±Eugene kept looking at her. ¡°Young Blood Lion. Can you handle the truth?¡±Carmen locked her fingers together. ¡°Handleshandle, who gives a damn. I¡¯m already used to the damned title of Blood Lion and don¡¯t care when others call me Blood Lion, so I won¡¯t stand down even if you call me Blood Lion.¡± Eugene smiled only with his mouth. Elves sure as hell had a keen sense of hearing. When Carmen had conferred the title of Blood Lion to Eugene in front of the warp gate, only the ck Lions and Lavera had been present, butall the elves in the forest heard Carmen. That was how the elves ended up calling Eugene ¡®Blood Lion,¡¯ and the title naturally spread to the servants and the White Lion Knights. No matter how much Eugene shivered when he heard the title, all the people in the Lionheart domain now called him ¡®Eugene, the Blood Lion.¡¯ ¡®Well¡­ uh¡­ Blood Lion Eugene is better than Stupid Hamel, I guess?¡¯Eugenebit his lips. ring at Carmen, he clenched his fists to control his goosebumps.¡°Besides,you¡¯re giving off more signals than a lighthouse.¡± ¡°¡­I¡­ I have never done that.¡± Carmentightly grabbed her lighter. ¡°What is the mysterious experience you went through in your childhood dozens of years ago?¡± Eugene went on. ¡°¡­.¡± ¡°When we returned to the main estate, you kept clicking your pocket watch in the carriage every time Sir Alchester mentioned the word dragon.¡±Eugene continued. ¡°¡­Wanting you to notice and you actually noticing are slightly different things,¡± Carmen solemnlysaid. ¡°Ican¡¯t see thatslightdifference, so I have to hear about it directly.¡± ¡°I have told you multiple times, butI can¡¯t tell you my experience myself due to¡­ an important promise.¡±Carmen desperately tried to change the topic, but no new topic came to her mind. ¡®If I knew things were going to turn out this way, I would have pulled out my Dupont lighterter. His head would have been filled with the desire to have a Dupont lighter instead of questions if I let him hear my lighter¡¯s click in this kind of situation¡­.¡¯Carmen thought in regret. ¡°Gosh.¡±Eugene sighed as he leaned against the sofa. For the past couple of days, he had been visiting and following Carmen to ask about the dragon, but Carmen refused to answer. At this point, Eugene had no choice but to believe Carmen. It was certain that Carmen had received the¡­Heaven Genocidefrom the dragon. Judging from how she kept trying to change the subject, unable to say something clear, she had likely made a promise with the dragon using Draconic. ¡°¡­Can you give me a hint, if you can¡¯t directly say it?¡±Eugene calmly asked. ¡°¡­The encounter¡­¡±Carmen hesitated as she fell deep in thought, figuring out if she could speak about what came to her thoughts or not.After trying to saysomething several times, she closed her mouth and frowned. ¡®She can¡¯t speak, in spite of her will,¡¯Eugene observed. [The promise made with a dragon using Draconic is absolute.] Tempest exined. ¡®You call yourself the fucking Wind Spirit King, but how can you know zero dragons?¡¯Eugene growled in his thought. [¡­I know a dragon, however, I can¡¯t talk about the party with whom I signed a contract even though I¡¯m a Spirit King. So don¡¯t count on my help in searching for the dragon, Hamel.] Tempest¡¯s excuse sounded pathetic, but it was understandable. Since wind existed everywhere in the world¡­ Eugene would have been able to obtain all the information if he could use the low-ranking wind spirits with Tempest¡¯s help to search. ¡°¡­I¡­ I stayed with the Dragonic family when I was young.¡±Carmen finally spoke after a long time.¡°I told you about this before, but I was Alchester¡¯s martial arts teacher. I don¡¯t like weapons like swords or spears, so I taught Alchester hand-to-handbat. The Dragonic Patriarch at the time taught me the Dragonic Style¡­ but it wasn¡¯t much help to me.¡± Eugene had heard this in the carriage too. ¡°Alchester was a fast learner. He was a five-year-old kid at the time, but he was unbelievably mature and he never whined about my lessons¡­¡±Carmen reminisced. ¡°You met the Dragon in the Dragonic estate?¡± Eugilted his head. ¡°Although he was mature¡­ he had a childish side, too. The five-year-old Alchester was a horrible child who used to eat his booger¡­.¡±Carmen closed her eyes. All Eugene heard waswayyy too much informationabout the best knight in the empire. ¡°Then will I have to go to the Dragonic estate¡­?¡±Eugene muttered to himself. ¡°Eugene, the Blood Lion, why are you interested in dragons?¡±Carmen looked at Eugene. ¡°Whoisn¡¯tinterested in dragons?¡±Eugene shrugged. Dragons were mythical creatures who hadn¡¯t shown themselves to the world for three hundred years because they had sustained immense damage during the war against the Demon Kings. Half of the great race had been massacred by the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction. No, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the Demon King of Destruction alone had massacred the race. The Demon King of Incarceration had indeed killed several dragons in the first war, but he had stopped fighting with the dragons rather early. Then, as if filling in for the Demon King of Incarceration, the Demon King of Destruction had shown up at the battlefield, killing half of the race. Eugene didn¡¯t know what those battles had been like, but while Hamel had been wandering in Helmuth¡­ he had met a dying dragon who had escaped after sustaining injuries from the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. Unable to escape Helmuth, the dragon had been waiting for his death inside a crudely made dungeon. The dragon pulled out his Dragonheart for Vermouth and hispanions and left them hisst words. ¡®You can¡¯t fight with the Demon King of Destruction.¡¯ When Hamel had seen the Demon King of Destruction from afar, Hamel had realized how true and serious the dragon¡¯s warning was. Even now, Eugene couldn¡¯t recall what thethinghe had seen looked like exactly, because it had been more like a blur of ¡®color.¡¯Although he wasn¡¯t sure that thethingwas the Demon King of Destruction,thethingmadehimask himself¡­what else could be calledif not destruction? Thethingbrought overwhelming fear and despair to its enemy, making its enemies powerless to fight back. The dragons had been the ones who had attempted to fend off the Demon King of Destruction.Perhaps it wasbecause of that event that the dragons who had survived the frontline in the war had gone into seclusion to heal their injuries and the mental trauma, never revealing themselves for three hundred years. ¡®¡­Orix, that bastard, wasn¡¯t remotely half-dragon, so why was there a dragon in the Dragonic estate? Did the dragone to see the maniac who proimed himself to be half dragon and was respected for three hundred years as the heir of a dragon?¡¯ Eugene wondered. It sounded usible. ¡°Can you give me advice on how to enter the Dragonic estate?¡±Eugene cautiously asked. ¡°Alchesterwon¡¯t refuse if you ask him for a tour of the mansion.¡±Carmen nodded. ¡°Will that be enough to meet the dragon?¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes shone. ¡°I¡­ ummm¡­ stayed in Alchester¡¯s house¡­ as his teacher¡­.¡±Carmen repeated. ¡°Okay,I won¡¯t be able to meet the dragon as an ordinary guest. Then what should I do¡­ shall I be a temporary teacher like you¡­ Lady Carmen?¡± Eugene mumbled tohimself, ncing at Carmen. ¡°Alchester has a young son who is ten years old right now.¡±Carmen straightened her posture and stared at Eugene.¡°If you show exceptional ability in front of Alchester, I will ask Gilead to arrange a cultural exchange between the two ns.¡± ¡°Huh.¡±Eugene chuckled as he looked at Carmen.¡°I think I made it pretty clear that I will never participate in today¡¯spetition¡­ Areyouthe one saying this or are you speaking for the Patriarch?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll say I speak for the Lionhearts.¡±Carmen smiled, putting a cigar in her mouth. Thepetition was caused by a squabble. The White Dragon Knights, whosemander was Alchester, had been protecting the Lionheart main estate from the fence for a month, but the White Dragon Knights and the White Lion Knights had gotten into a quarrel regarding the matter. To sum up, low-ranking White Dragon Knights had been caught bad-mouthing the Lionhearts. They gossiped about how the Lionhearts were not high and mighty like before and the n was rotting from inside. The knights had even smirked at the Lionhearts, saying that they always boasted about how they were the great hero¡¯s heirs, but they were now under the imperial knights¡¯ protection because they got scared by whatever Rakshasa Princess who ran away from Helmuth. When the White Lion Knights had heard the White Dragon Knights gossiping, the White Lion Knights had challenged them to a duel, which had ended in a tie. That wasn¡¯t the end of the squabble, however, because some other knights joined in when they heard the story, making the duel bigger. Alchester had tried to cover up the incident, but the White Dragon Knights were loyal to the Kiehl Emperor, not Alchester. As if they had secretly been ordered by the emperor, the White Dragon Knights who weren¡¯t assigned to protect the Lionheart estate came by and challenged the White Lion Knights to a duel. Since the incident had progressed this far, the Patriarch had been unable to just let this slide, so he himself had stepped up and proposed an officialpetition between the White Lion Knights and the White Dragon Knights. Depending on the oue, the loser was going to unreservedly apologize and provide appropriatepensation to the winner. Therefore, ten knights were chosen from each knightly order to fight in today¡¯spetition. ¡°I¡¯m not a White Lion Knight.¡± Eugene reluctantly spoke. ¡°The Patriarch and hischildren are themanders of the White Lion Knights. You know that, don¡¯t you?¡± Carmensmiled. ¡°Still, it is too much for a member of the main family to participate¡­ the White Lion Knights would also be ufortable if they saw their lord meddling in their problem.¡± Eugried really,reallyhard to persuade her. ¡°They would be ufortable if Cyan, the official sessor, stepped up. You aren¡¯t the heir, though, and you¡¯ve even given up the session right, haven¡¯t you? Besides, young White Lion Knights revere you, so their spirits will be lifted if you participate in thepetition.¡±Carmen spoke wlessly, without a pause, so Eugene could tell that she had been nning to persuade him in the first ce. Eugene clicked his tongue and tilted his head.¡°That¡¯s a cheap move.¡± Carmen smiled in satisfaction, swinging the cigar in her hand left and right. ¡°Call it a tactic.¡± Chapter 171: The Competition (2)

Chapter 171: The Competition (2)

As Eugene approached the closed door to open it, he felt muted footsteps move away on the other side. Eugene stood and waited in front of the door for a few moments. Then, seeing how the door remained closed, the sounds of someone slowly sneaking drew closer once more. Eugene immediately pulled the door open. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± ¡°Eeeek!¡± Two foolish-sounding screams rang out. Eugene stared through the open doorway with a sullen face. On the other side of the door, he saw Dezra, who had jumped back a few steps and was now caught in a guilty posture, and Ciel, who was keeping up an impudent expression as if she refused to admit to having just made such an embarrassing sound. The ¡®kyaaah¡¯ hade from Ciel, while the ¡®eeek¡¯ hade from Dezra. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°What do you think I was doing? I was just passing through this hallway,¡± Ciel tantly lied as she quickly calmed her rapidly beating heart from the ensuing shock. Ciel nced sideways at Dezra, who was still shrinking backward, and scolded her, ¡°Stupid Dezra, why did you make such an unsightly noise?¡± ¡°H-huh?¡± Dezra stammered. ¡°You started making noises like an idiot just now,¡± Ciel used. ¡°I¡¯m talking about those ridiculous screams ¡ª ¡®kyaaah¡¯ and ¡®eeek.¡¯ No matter how surprised you were, isn¡¯t it going too far to scream twice in a row?¡± ¡°Wh-what do you mean by that?¡± Dezra protested. ¡°I didn¡¯t scream twice. Also, strictly speaking, the sound I made just now was more of a gasp rather than a screa¡ª¡± ¡°No, you definitely screamed twice. Thanks to that, I also froze out of surprise!¡± Ciel insisted, having no intention of admitting that she had let out any scream. At the same time, a question was brewing in the corner of her heart,¡®I was definitely paying attention to any signs of his presence, so how?¡¯ Eugene had also noticed that Ciel was reading the traces of his presence. So, to tease Ciel, he had hidden all signs of his presence and waited at the door. No matter how keen Ciel¡¯s senses were, it was impossible for Ciel to detect him if Eugene was determined to hide his presence. ¡°I only screamed once!¡± Dezra argued. ¡°Dezra! Do you, a squire, really dare to refute me, your senior officer?¡± Ciel demanded as she red at Dezra with a stern expression. It was just as Ciel had said. As part of the massive recruitment drive enacted by the Knights of the ck Lion, Dezra followed her dreams and joined the Third Division of the ck Lion Knights, led by Carmen Lionheart, whom Dezra so admired. Thanks to that, Dezra had fortunately been able to don the uniform of the ck Lion Knights, but unfortunately, Dezra¡¯s skills were actually quitecking for a member of the ck Lions. In the end, Dezra became an apprentice and an assistant to Carmen¡¯s disciple, Ciel. ¡°...This¡­ this is just absurd. Even if you are my senior officer, Lady Ceil, I can¡¯t ept being used of doing something that I didn¡¯t do,¡± Dezra argued stubbornly. ¡°If you keep this up, then I won¡¯t take care of you the next time we head out together,¡± Ciel warned as she stared at Dezra with narrowed eyes. At these words, Dezra¡¯s pupils began wavering with indecision. Just by listening to their conversation, one might feel like Ciel was a paragon of absurdity for issuing such a threat, but unexpectedly, Ciel had indeed been taking care of Dezra in many ways after she recently joined the ck Lions as her assistant. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Dezra confessed with an embarrassed expression. ¡°The truth is that I did scream twice.¡± ¡°Hear that?¡± Ciel boasted smugly as she nced over at Eugene. ¡°...So what do you want from me?¡± Eugene reminded her. ¡°Why do you keep popping in and out of Lady Carmen¡¯s officetely?¡± Ciel asked as the smile that had just been pasted onto her face disappeared. Gazing at Eugene¡¯s face with a suspicious expression, Ciel demanded, ¡°You can¡¯t be thinking of bing Lady Carmen¡¯s disciple, can you?¡± ¡°Is there something wrong with that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Ciel firmly rejected. ¡°You¡¯re already receiving special guidance from Sir Genos. If you ept instruction from Lady Carmen on top of that, that would just be too greedy and unfair.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ Sir Eugene. Lady Carmen is already very busy with just instructing the Third Division,¡± Dezra backed Ciel up while stumbling to address Eugene as a ¡®Sir.¡¯ However, since she now had to use honorifics whenever she had to address Cyan and Ciel, it would be awkward for her to not use ¡®Sir¡¯ when addressing Eugene as well. So now that she had be a member of the Third Division, she would just have to do her best to get used to addressing those from the main family as ¡®Sir¡¯ or ¡®Lady.¡¯ ¡°It must be nice to keep receiving such affection from all over the ce,¡± Eugenemented as he nced over at Carmen, who had propped her legs up onto the table. Poof, poof. Carmen was idly flicking open and closing her Dupont lighter[1]while she tried to hold back the smile that was threatening to spread across her lips. ¡°It¡¯s slowly getting to the scheduled start of thepetition, so what are you guys doing here? Even if you aren¡¯t going to participate, haven¡¯t all the members of the knights been released to spectate?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± Ciel imed. ¡°We¡¯vee to pick you and Lady Carmen up.¡± ¡°My apologies, but unfortunately, I won¡¯t be able to hang around infort with you,¡± Eugene said regretfully. ¡°Why not?¡± Cielined. ¡°Because I¡¯ve decided to participate in thepetition,¡± Eugene replied without any trace of hesitation or worry. Ciel and Dezra¡¯s eyes widened in amazement. * * * Ever since three hundred years ago, the Lionheart n had taken the entire sprawling forest on the western border of Ceres as their domain, and no other noble estates were located on the outskirts of their family¡¯s territory. In other words, the field thepetition was taking ce in wasn¡¯t actually part of the Lionheart n¡¯s private property. This area belonged to Kiehl as part of thends directly owned by the Emperor. As this whole confrontation had stemmed from some trivial disputes, no more blood than necessary needed to be shed. During thispetition, the participants had to make sure to always respect each other¡¯s honor and keep to the rules of chivalry. While that may have been the original priority of the organizers, none of the spectators who had gathered to watch thepetition cared about that. There were hundreds of eyes watching to ensure that all the participants in thispetition behaved honorably to each other, kept to the rules of chivalry, and restrained themselves from any unnecessary bloodshed. Most of these spectators were aristocrats of at least some individual prestige within Kiehl, and even those who didn¡¯t have their own titles were merchants whose wealth had granted them a status that could not be ignored. Rather than dull things like honor or chivalry, their eyes were full of interest as they anticipated the uing battles between the two knightly orders. The White Dragon Knights, who served directly under the imperial family, and the Lionheart Knights, whose prestigious record had first begun three hundred years ago, would face each other head-on. Until now, there had never once been a direct confrontation between the Imperial Knights and the knightly orders that served the nobility of Kiehl. ¡®Usually, it blows over before an all-out confrontation urs.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t just the case for conflicts between the Imperial Knights and Noble Knights either. The noble knightly orders usually didn¡¯t fight among themselves either, as a direct conflict between the knightly orders could easily lead to a battle for each other¡¯s territory. Therefore, any conflict between knightly orders always adhered to these rules: any dispute must always be founded on just causes, duels should be neatly arranged to not leave any regrets, and both sides were expected to show respect to each other to keep the loser from being overly humiliated. Like this, any conflicts that arose would not exceed the scale of a one-versus-one duel, and the mobilization of the entire knightly order into the field was expressly forbidden without the permission of their noble patrons¡­. ¡°This conflict was caused by the White Dragon Knights in the first ce, so the Lionheart Knights have been in the right from the very start of all this.¡± ¡°However, the White Dragon Knights who serve His Majesty can¡¯t be the first to bow their heads.¡± ¡°That might be the case, but¡­.¡± ¡°This is just a rumor spreading inside the imperial pce, but His majesty might be nning on escting this into an all-out war.¡± ¡°What kind of nonsense¡­?¡± ¡°As you may know, not long ago, there was an internal conflict between family members over in the Us Mountain Range, within the Lionheart n¡¯s domain. There weren¡¯t many casualties, but the prestige of the Lionheart n, which has prided itself on being the strongest martial n in the entire continent, has fallen to the bottom. They have even begun to abolish their old traditions to attempt to rectify this and restore the family¡¯s power.¡± The one leading this conversation was Marquis Blezico, a noble famous for the broad reach of his social circles, which even extended to the various churches. Lowering his voice as low as he could, as if he was telling some great secret, the marquis whispered, ¡°The Lionheart n is a prestigious aristocratic family that can even be called the strongest pir of Kiehl. Their ancestor, the Great Vermouth, was a great hero who will forever leave his name in the history of the continent. ¡­If such a n were to begin to capsize¡­ just how depressed would His Majesty be?¡± His listeners gasped in understanding, ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Blezico further borated, ¡°Through thispetition, His Majesty intends to confirm whether or not the Lionheart n has managed to make even the slightest progress in correcting its slow downfall. That is why he has allowed everyone here to observe thepetition so that they can confirm it for themselves. Even if the Knights of the White Lion were to defeat the White Dragon Knights in thispetition, His Majesty would still be very pleased with this oue.¡± Conversations filled with such content flowed throughout the entire crowd of spectators. ¡°As if it would be so easy to understand His Majesty¡¯s true intentions,¡± Alchester muttered to himself. Only for the man beside him to pick up the topic, ¡°It¡¯s not like we really need to understand His Most Sublime Will.¡± The man changed topics, ¡°It¡¯s true that the Lionheart n has been going through a lot of stormstely, isn¡¯t it? Thispetition might stem from a dispute between our knightly orders, but it isn¡¯t bad to have an all-out confrontation like this in order to confirm the true power of the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°...It was the ck Lion Knights who suffered from thetest incident. The Knights of the White Lion who serve the direct line haven¡¯t suffered any damage,¡± Alchester reminded the man. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m aware of that. However, these knights who have sworn allegiance to a family that has started cracking apart from the inside¡­ will they really be as exceptional as the reputation and tradition that they have inherited¡­?¡± the man questioned doubtfully as he looked towards the opposing side with a thin smile. On the other side of the field, the gs of the Lionheart n were fluttering. Both the White Lion Knights in their gray uniforms and ck Lion Knights in their ck uniforms were present for thepetition. In the center stood the Patriarch, Gilead, riding a ck horse. ¡°Don¡¯t look down on the Lionheart n,¡± Alchester said. ¡°They are the martial n that has reigned at the top of the Empire for the past three hundred years. Among all the knights fascinated by their reputation, only those with exceptional skills are carefully selected to join them and receive further training to be members of the Knights of the White Lion.¡± Alchester was actually offended by the man¡¯s tant disrespect for the Lionheart n. Although he had sworn absolute loyalty to the Emperor as the leader of the White Dragon Knights, as a knight himself, Alchester still respected ¡®the Great Vermouth¡¯ and was fascinated by his legend. ¡°...If I really did look down on them, I wouldn¡¯t have even participated in thispetition,¡± the man eventually responded. This was one of the Captains of the White Dragon Knights, Eboldt Magius. Eboldt continued, ¡°Regardless of whether thispetition ends in our victory or defeat, it¡¯s necessary to get a more urate understanding of the Lionheart n¡¯s strength, even if it¡¯s just for the sake of the Unity Conference being held next year.¡± But that wasn¡¯t the only reason that this conference was being held. The Emperor had also spoken to Alchester privately about his goals for thispetition. No matter how heroic their lineage may be, the Lionheart n was still just a noble family. Wasn¡¯t it excessive for such a family to hold enough power to field two whole knightly orders, with one hundred and sixty knights in one order and sixty knights in the other? Was it really right for a hero from three hundred years ago and his legacy to receive more respect than the current reigning emperor? That was why the Emperor wanted to put pressure on the Lionhearts. Even if they did end up losing thepetition, the White Dragon Knights wouldn¡¯t lose much. Their defeat would also work out as an example of the Emperor¡¯s care. Such an idea had already been sowed throughout the spectators in advance. However, what if they won? Then the whole world would know that the Lionheart n¡¯s fortunes had indeed declined and that the blood of the hero had now thinned out. Should there be any deserters from the White Lion Knights as a result of this, the Emperor would be sure to generously embrace them and provide a ce for them in his knightly order. ¡°Any regrets?¡± Carmen asked. She was also sitting on a ck horse beside Gilead. The hem of her coat swished as she surveyed the open field in front of them. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Gilead asked. ¡°I¡¯m talking about proposing thispetition in the first ce,¡± Carmen rified. Gilead smiled wryly as he admitted, ¡°His Majesty was being a bit too outspoken.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because this peace hassted too long,¡± Carmen sighed. Poof. Carmen flicked open her lighter and ced a cigar in her mouth before continuing, ¡°Although he¡¯s slowly built up more and more power, he doesn¡¯t have anywhere to release it. That said, there are a lot of considerations that need to be made before starting a war. But when even the Sultan of Nahama has started to drip his drool here and there because his belly is full of oil[2], you¡¯d better believe that our Majestic Emperor drools just as much.¡± ¡°...That¡¯s quite the dangerous im to make,¡± Gilead observed. ¡°Is there something wrong with what I¡¯ve just said? Even if you¡¯ve be the emperor of an empire, you should still know how to be content in moderation¡­. If our Ancestor hadn¡¯tid down roots in the Kiehl Empire three hundred years ago, do you really think that Kiehl would have been able to retain its status as an empire during those chaotic times?¡± Carmen observed cynically. ¡°...I expect that the size of their territory would have been reduced by a little,¡± Gilead eventually agreed. Carmen snorted, ¡°That¡¯s right. Kiehl has a lot of enemies. If our n hadn¡¯t immediately blocked the barbarians in the southern rainforest, then the Imperial Knights, whom His Majesty is so proud of, would have needed to take over our duty. Patriarch, you understand what I¡¯m saying, right?¡± Gilead was silent. ¡°The Lionheart n has been protecting Kiehl for the past three hundred years. Without receiving any official titles for doing so! Still, His Majesty, whose belly is so full of oil, does not appreciate our hard work and seeks to target us at our time of weakness, trampling on our family¡¯s name and coveting our power,¡± Carmen delivered these words with cold anger. Although she had retained the appearance of a woman in her twenties, Carmen was still Gilead¡¯s aunt. This was reflected in the way Carmen encouraged him, ¡°So Patriarch, there¡¯s no need to regret proposing thispetition. This is the decision that you have made as the head of the household. The great hero¡¯s blood that flows through our veins has never thinned, and the Lionheart n remains unbroken despite the harsh storms it has weathered. That¡¯s right, we¡¯re just like a pine tree that weathers the roughest storms¡­!¡± But what does a pine tree have to do with anything? Gilead felt the need to ask such a question, but, in the end, he managed to keep it from bursting out. Having experienced this sort of thing throughout his childhood, he knew full well that affirmations and silence were the most effective means ofmunicating with Carmen. ¡°...I don¡¯t regret it,¡± Gilead eventually dered. ¡°As you¡¯ve said, Aunt, someone needed to make a decision. And this decision is something that I, as the Patriarch of the family, chose to make.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call me Aunt,¡± Carmen immediately snapped. ¡°...Yes, Lady Carmen. And why would I have any regrets in the first ce? I believe in the knights who have sworn their loyalty to the Lionheart n. Even if theirst name isn¡¯t Lionheart and the blood of the Lionheart family doesn¡¯t flow through their veins, they are still the Knights of the Lionheart n, the ones who have sworn allegiance to the Lionheart family,¡± Gilead dered proudly. The White Dragon Knights were called the best knights in the Empire. Even Gilead was fully aware of their reputation. However, he didn¡¯t believe that the White Lion Knights were in any way inferior to them. ¡°...Also¡­,¡± Gilead continued as he looked ahead with a wry smile. ¡°...I honestly can¡¯t imagine the sight of that child losing.¡± There were nine Knights of the White Lion who would be participating in thispetition. Eugene was standing at their center. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself too hard,¡± Eugene advised these knights. Crack crack. As Eugene slowly cracked and loosened the knuckles of one hand, his other hand was tucked inside his cloak, inspecting his weapons. ¡°Our opponents are the best knightly order in this empire,¡± Eugene warned them. But his words sounded like they were spoken without any real conviction. Or at least that¡¯s how it seemed to the other knights. The White Lion Knights were well aware of what an absurd and inexplicable monster this young master of theirs was. They were so out-ssed by him that they couldn¡¯t even hold any envy or jealousy toward Eugene. In addition to his innate talents, Eugene had managed to achieve the results by not missing even a single day of training. Their young master, who was only twenty years old this year, had already received the knights¡¯ recognition for both his talent and hard work. ¡°Should I go out there as well?¡± Cyan proposed, hopefully. ¡°It¡¯s obvious that that will just draw unfavorableparisons between you two. Don¡¯t be selfish and just stay here brother,¡± Ciel chided him. Cyan made a sullen expression and red at the back of Eugene¡¯s head as heined, ¡°That bastard has no humanity, absolutely none. Although I know that some people can be extremely talented, isn¡¯t that just going too far?¡± ¡°Your jealousy is ugly,¡± Cielmented. ¡°Have you only been watching us for a day or so? Huh? It¡¯s already been seven years since I first started feeling jealous of that bastard? Why make a fuss about it now?¡± ¡°Even when admitting his faults, brother, you still look so ugly.¡± ¡°In any case, just the fact that he¡¯s so talented is inhumane. Look at me. I¡¯m only moderately talented, so I¡¯m overflowing with humanity. Did you know? I¡¯m actually more popr with the Knights of the White Lion than Eugene,¡± Cyan first shrugged slightly and then proudly boasted in front of Ciel. ¡°...Since he has so many drawbacks, it must make them want to take care of him even more,¡± Ciel muttered to herself. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Cyan asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Ciel denied. Ciel was definitely correct. The attitudes that the knights sworn to the main family held towards Eugene and Cyan were very different but still positive. It was all thanks to Eugene¡¯s repeated derations that he had no desire for the seat of the Patriarch, Anci¡¯s decades-long efforts to win over the members of the household, and Cyan¡¯s own efforts to improve himself without sumbing to his own feelings of inferiority towards Eugene. Eugene checked the rules, ¡°So anyways, if I win, I can just call out my next opponent and continue fighting, right?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Hazard, the Captain of the Second Division of the Knights of the White Lion, replied with a nod. ¡°If you run out of stamina or are left in an injured state, it¡¯s alright if you don¡¯t challenge the next opponent and just leave the ring. This isn¡¯t a fight to the death after all¡­.¡± Hazard paused for a moment and looked around. ¡°...Judging from this atmosphere, it has practically be just a friendly match without any stakes,¡± Hazard observed. ¡°Even though they¡¯re the ones who picked a fight in the first ce,¡± Eugene said with a snort as he unbuckled his cloak. At this action, Mer stuck her head out from inside the cloak to ask, ¡°Are you going to fight without your cloak?¡± ¡°I only need to use a single sword. That means I don¡¯t need to wear my cloak,¡± Eugene exined. Merined, ¡°But that means I can¡¯t help Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to use any magic either. Didn¡¯t I just tell you that all I needed was a sword?¡± Eugene repeated himself. ¡°Really? If that¡¯s the case, is it alright if I stay outside the cloak and watch the duel from the side?¡± Mer requested. ¡°Since when did you need to ask me for permission for something like that?¡± Eugene grumbled as he ced the cloak down beside him. Then Laman, who had been standing behind them, hurriedly ran up and picked up Eugene¡¯s cloak. Laman began, ¡°Instead of the young master going out personally, I can¡ª¡± Eugene cut him off, ¡°What qualifies you to do so? Just go over there and take care of my father.¡± Eugene waved Laman off as he sent a nce toward Gerhard. Sitting on his own horse, Gerhard was looking down at Eugene with eyes full of emotion. This was his first time seeing his son look so impressive on the battlefield, attracting everyone¡¯s attention like he had a spotlight shining down on him. ¡°...If father ends up being so moved that he starts crying, get your handkerchief ready,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°Understood,¡± Laman acquiesced. ¡°If you let him get closer because he can¡¯t see me fighting, then I¡¯ll give you a ride on a wooden horse[3], got it?¡± Eugene threatened. ¡°A wooden horse¡­?¡± Laman repeated in confusion. He didn¡¯t have any real reason to do so, but seeing Gerhard with such an emotional face made Eugene feel that he should just start the fight ahead of schedule. ¡®Well¡­ the purpose of getting involved in this is to attract Lord Alchester¡¯s interest after all, so this should only help with that,¡¯Eugene persuaded himself. Eugene fastened the longsword he had taken out beforehand onto his waist and looked back at the White Lion Knights who would be participating in thepetition. ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll be heading out first,¡± Eugene informed them. ¡°Huh?¡± Hazard and the other knights gaped, unable to hide their bewildered expressions. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need for that¡­?¡± ¡°Allow me to go out first,¡± Hazard offered. ¡°That will give you a chance to figure out the other side¡¯s strength and decide when you want to fight¡ª¡± ¡°Nope, just let me go,¡± Eugene demanded, shaking his head firmly. Then, without waiting for a response, he started walking forward. At first, the spectators didn¡¯t recognize Eugene. As the foster child of the main family, there were a lot of rumors swirling around him. The youngest member to have ever entered Akron and the master of the Wise Sienna¡¯s staff, Akasha¡­. Such unconventional rumors abounded around him, but Eugene had never once shown up to a church service, a ball, or any other type of social gathering. However, he didn¡¯t go unrecognized for too long, as the spectators soon realized who Eugene was. He was wearing the formal dress of the Lionheart n, with the Lionheart sigil on his left chest. That, along with his shaggy gray hair and golden eyes, was enough to reveal who he was. ¡°...Is that Eugene Lionheart?¡± Could he being out to give a public greeting? The spectators let out a muffled roar as they watched Eugene stride forward. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Eugene was currently the most famous young man in the entire Lionheart n. There might be a lot of rumors swirling around him, but Eugene was a mysterious celebrity who had never once appeared at any of the social gatherings regrly attended by the Kiehl nobles. As a result, the spectators couldn¡¯t help but hold a lot of expectations in their eyes as they watched Eugene. The White Dragon Knights had also started to mutter among themselves. As their leader, Alchester, in particr, was greatly flustered as he stared usingly at Carmen and Gilead, who were standing behind Eugene. Perhaps noticing this gaze, Gilead smiled wryly and shrugged his shoulders. Instead ofughing like she wanted to, Carmen proudly held up her Dupont lighter and flicked the lid open and closed in an eye-catching manner. ¡°...Really now¡­,¡± Alchester let out a short sigh and shook his head. The list of participating knights hadn¡¯t been disclosed to each other. But he hadn¡¯t expected that the young master of the main family, Eugene Lionheart specifically, would step forward to represent them. ¡®...I can¡¯t go out and challenge him now,¡¯Alchester thought in worry. While he was busy worrying about this, Eboldt, standing beside Alchester, climbed off his horse. He put one hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist and confidently strode forward. ¡°Eboldt?¡± Alchester called out in question. ¡°Let me go first,¡± Eboldt simply replied without halting his steps. Chapter 172: The Competition (3)

Chapter 172: The Competition (3)

Eboldt Magius was also well aware of the rumors surrounding Eugene. Eugene Lionheart was known to be a genius and had even been called the seconding of the Great Vermouth, the founder of the Lionheart n. He was also a foster child who didn¡¯t share any blood rtions with the main family. In other words, this meant that all the achievements following Eugene Lionheart had been umted in the mere seven years since he had first been initiated into using his mana. ¡®....Not only is he a natural wizard born with genius talent¡­ but his martial arts skills are also exceptional, enough to even convince the inflexible Lionhearts to adopt him as one of their own.¡¯ Eboldt halted in his steps. Then, while measuring the gap between himself and Eugene, he stared into Eugene¡¯s face. Twenty years old¡­ how young. That was far too young an age for someone to already have made their name known throughout the continent. ¡°...You have stepped forward to participate in a match, right?¡± Eboldt checked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene replied with a nod. Eugene didn¡¯t recognize who Eboldt was. However, judging from his looks, Eboldt didn¡¯t seem younger than him, so Eugene took the initiative to bow his head first and introduce himself. ¡°My name is Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°My name is Eboldt Magius. I am the Captain of the Fourth Division of the White Dragon Knights.¡± Eugene had already guessed it from the sense of vigor that Eboldt was giving off, but he really was a captain, after all. Eugene raised his head. Eboldt had no intention of asking if Eugene was qualified to be here. This was because he knew full well that such a question would only provoke the spectators watching this scene with expectant eyes andnd him on their bad side. As such, Eboldt deliberately took a few steps back and tapped on the hilt of his sword. ¡°...To think that I would be able topete with the famous young master of the Lionheart n. It seems that I also have quite the luck today,¡± Eboldt said in self-praise. Well, now, what could he mean by that? Eugene suppressed the desire to burst intoughter. Wasn¡¯t the answer to that question obvious? As a Captain of the White Dragon Knights, Eboldt was in a position that only someone confident in their own skills could reach. He was probably twice as old as Eugene, which meant that he would have umted twice as much experience and done twice as much training as Eugene. As such, Eboldt had swiftly reached the mistaken conclusion of his own inevitable victory. While it was true that Eugene had never made an appearance at one of Kiehl¡¯s social events, enough information had already spread around the world to get a rough idea of his abilities. ¡®He¡¯s not wearing his cloak,¡¯Eboldt noted. What ounted for arge part of the rumors surrounding Eugene Lionheart was his diverse range of abilities, which were so numerous that it was hard to believe that they could all belong to a young man who was only twenty years old. This was because the event that had initially made Eugene famous throughout the world was his duel in Aroth against Jeneric Osman, the Green Tower Master. During that duel, Eugene had shown a tactic where he stored several different types of weapons inside his cloak and changed them ording to the situation. ¡®...The Storm Sword Wynnyd. The Devouring Sword Azphel¡­.¡¯ ording to the information gathered from the Imperial intelligence service, Eugene had used ¡®lightning¡¯ and ¡®bombardments¡¯ to break through the encirclement by the tribespeople of the Samar Rainforest. What this meant was clear. Eugene must also have the Thunderbolt Pernoa and the Dragon Spear Kharbos tucked away inside his cloak. Even among the previous Patriarchs of the Lionheart n, none had dared to monopolize four of the family¡¯s treasures like Eugene had. That was in addition to the Wise Sienna¡¯s staff, Akasha¡­. Each of those treasures was an artifact whose strategic importance was at the national level. But the fact that Eugene had taken off his cloak meant that he wouldn¡¯t be using any of those artifacts for their fight. Currently, Eugene¡¯s only weapon was the sword hanging from his waist. So, wasn¡¯t it only natural that Eboldt would have already started dreaming of his inevitable victory? Eboldt had no intention of underestimating this genius ¡ª Eugene Lionheart. However, he was sure that Eugene¡¯s true ¡®strength¡¯ must have been artificially inted by being able to freely use these amazing artifacts. For Eugene to have chosen to avoid using any of the powerful weapons in his possession and insteade onto the field bearing a single sword, Eboldt could only judge this as the recklessness of a teenager. Shiiing. Eboldt drew the sword at his waist. He had no intention of giving up on this first point. What His Majesty truly hoped for was the victory of the Withe Dragon Knights. If Eugene Lionheart were to be defeated at the start of thepetition, then the morale of the Knights of the White Lion Knights would be sure to fall, and of course, Eboldt would also be able to leave a deep scar on the face of the Lionheart n. Mustering up his resolve, Eboldt cautiously stepped forward. Again, he had no intention of looking down on his opponent. From the moment he had drawn his sword, Eboldt had readied himself for a serious battle. The Core that he had been training for decades immediately sent mana flowing throughout his body. His keenly sharpened senses were sensitive enough to read the flow of the wind and even feel the weight of every thread that made up part of his uniform. Yet, even so, he wasn¡¯t able to see what happened next. The moment that Eboldt took a step forward, Eugene was already standing in front of Eboldt, having instantly closed the gap between them. With such speed, the distance between them had already been rendered meaningless. However, Eugene didn¡¯t draw his sword. He simply stood a few paces in front of Eboldt, just silently staring into Eboldt¡¯s eyes. Btedly, Eboldt realized what had happened. Eboldt slowly registered that calm golden gaze, the wind that followed in his footsteps, the sparks crackling and leaping off of Eugene, the fluttering white embers, and the hand that continued to rest on his sword hilt. ¡°...Ah¡­!¡± Eboldt let out a yelp and skidded backward. At the same time, the space between Eboldt and Eugene was suddenly filled with shes. The flurry of sword blows was so fast that it made the spectators doubt their eyes. However, it was Eboldt who found himself suspecting his own eyes the most. Hadn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s hand been resting on his sword hilt just now? When the hell had Eugene even drawn his sword? Eboldt just couldn¡¯t figure it out. Eugene¡¯s hand had just been seen gripping the hilt, then, in the next moment, the sword had already left its scabbard. There wasn¡¯t any sh of movement between those two images. At first nce, it looked like two freeze frames had just been cropped together. ¡­That was why Eboldt couldn¡¯t help but doubt his own eyes. This scene told him that his eyes had beenpletely outsped by Eugene¡¯s sword leading to the two frames being seemingly disconnected. When Eboldt tried to turn away to get some distance, Eugene¡¯s sword was already on the other side of him, and when Eboldt used his head to try and ¡®out-maneuver¡¯ Eugene¡¯s sword, this time, the sword stabbed at him from apletely different location. Eboldt desperately tried to keep up with Eugene. Although it looked like the frames were skipping between each motion, that wasn¡¯t actually what had happened. The fact that the sword Eboldt was wielding was about to shatter proved that Eugene¡¯s sword had actually met his own de in a way that Eboldt just couldn¡¯tprehend, blocking the path of his sword each time Eboldt tried to sh or thrust, cutting his movements off faster than the eye could see. ¡®...This¡­ just what is this¡­,¡¯Eboldt thought desperately. This wasn¡¯t what Eboldt had been nning on facing. He hadn¡¯t even been able to suspect that something like this might happen. Inevitably, ever so naturally, as if there was no other option but for this to ur, Eboldt¡¯s feet began to slide backward. Even though his eyes weren¡¯t able to follow Eugene¡¯s sword, the senses that Eboldt had sharpened over his lifetime managed to detect a threat from it. He would feel a shing, then the sh would arrive. This continued series of unseen threats made Eboldt unconsciously begin to retreat. When he finally noticed what was happening, Eboldt had already taken ten steps backward. If Eugene hadn¡¯t stopped swinging his sword at this moment, Eboldt probably wouldn¡¯t have noticed until he had taken dozens or even hundreds of steps backward instead of just the ten. ¡°...Urgh¡­,¡± Eboldt choked out a groan. ¡®What is going on? What happened to me just now? My head is spinning, and my hands are throbbing. It feels like I¡¯ve just struck something hundreds of times, but I never even managed to push him back once. Instead, I was the one actually pushed back, and whenever I swung¡­.¡¯ Could this be¡­ a spell? A type of mental attack that showed you illusions and disturbed your senses¡­. But Eboldt was well aware that this couldn¡¯t be the case. ¡®...He¡¯s just fast. And skilled. Much more than I am¡­.¡¯ Eboldt finally admitted the truth to himself. His feet, which had only been able to retreat, bravely stepped forward once more. Boom! The ground shook from a strong impact. The mana spewing from his core covered Eboldt¡¯s entire body, permeating the space around and adding its own density to the preexisting mana in the air. This ¡®weight¡¯ then put pressure on Eugene while also adding power to Eboldt''s sword swing. Eboldt¡¯s sh seemed like it was going to split space itself into two pieces. But Eugene just calmly spun the sword in his grip. Then he waved his sword. Even under such pressure, Eugene¡¯s sword was so unrestrained that it was impossible for the added weight to fully hold on to it. His sword was still fast, but unlike before, it was now possible to grasp the true nature of Eugene¡¯s sh. It was all because Eugene¡¯s mana was flowing through his body at super high speeds. By training his body into a perfect state, he could use the whole force of his perfect body to drastically change the trajectory of his sword multiple times in mid-swing. It was too dazzling for Eboldt. The sh had been created by Eugene swinging his sword just once, but Eboldt couldn¡¯t grasp the myriad changes mixed into that single swing. There weren¡¯t any pauses in his swing either. It was as if countless shes had been connected together into one body from start to finish. Eugene¡¯s sword had started off with a quick sh, but at some point, the flow of the movement had slowed down; and unlike the light feeling that Eugene¡¯s sword gave off, the huge pressure that Eboldt had tried to burden Eugene with seemed to have been returned to Eboldt. It was as if a massive wave of fog was rolling in on Eboldt. There was no way to avoid it. Could he somehow break through? But was there even any meaning in trying to pierce through the fog? Even if he did manage to create a way through the fog, Eboldt¡¯s body would have already been enveloped by the fog. Fwoosh! Eboldt couldn¡¯t advance any further as his body just stopped in ce. Nothing¡­ appeared to have been sliced off. His sword was fine as well. His sword-force hadn¡¯t been destroyed either. But for some reason, he just couldn¡¯t go any further. The ¡®sword¡¯ that seemed like a wave of fog hade to a halt right in front of Eboldt. If he¡­ if he had even dared to put up the slightest resistance to it, the entirety of the fog would have wrapped around his body and turned into des that would mince Eboldt¡¯s body. He would have been broken up into dozens or even hundreds of pieces and scattered across the floor. ¡°...Uwaaargh!¡± Eboldt finally couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and bent over to vomit a mouthful of blood. His body¡­ hadn¡¯t suffered any cuts. However, his heart had been thoroughly mutted. Eugene¡¯s sword had left Eboldt with a feeling of overwhelming despair that he didn¡¯t think he would ever be able to ovee. Eboldt gritted out the words, ¡°...I¡¯ve¡­ lost¡­.¡± ¡°Thank you for your hard work,¡± Eugene said with a smile as he stretched a hand out to Eboldt. Although he had only reached his hand out to offer a handshake, Eboldt¡¯s shoulders trembled unconsciously. It was because of the deep-seated fear that Eugene had just embedded into his heart. ¡°...He really is crazy,¡± Carmenmented with a click of her tongue as she shook her head. Since they had fought together against the Rakshasa Princess just a month ago, she thought she had a good grasp of Eugene¡¯s skills. ¡­But had it really only been a month since then? Eugene¡¯s growth rate was absurd. Carmen had already had a hard time believing that he could have such incredible skills at his age, but now he had even taken a few steps further. ¡°...Haha¡­!¡± Gileadughed, feeling the same sense of astonishment. Unlike Eboldt, he could keep up with Eugene¡¯s sword. However, that was just because he was watching it from the sidelines. If¡­ if he was standing in ce of Eugene¡¯s opponent and Eugene¡¯s sword wasing right at him¡­ would he have been able to see everything without losing track of the de like he had just now? ¡°...How amazing,¡± Alchester muttered to himself unconsciously. Setting aside the fact that this was apetition and a peaceful confrontation between their two knightly orders, the skill that Eugene had just shown fired up Alchester¡¯s warrior spirit. Alchester deliberately let go of the reins he had been holding onto so tightly. Eboldt, the Captain of the Fourth Division, wasn¡¯t some underdog. No matter which opponent hade out to meet him from the Knights of the White Lion, Eboldt was a master swordsman who should have required great skills to ovee. However, Eboldt had been forced to admit defeat without even being able to swing his sword to his heart¡¯s content. ¡­If he had had his own way, Alchester would immediately get down from his horse and step forwards to meet swords with that young man. However, Alchester knew full well why that couldn¡¯t be the case.¡± ¡°...Captain.¡± ¡°I know.¡± Alchester let out a short sigh. He had nted a few decoys amongst the spectators to convince them that it wasn¡¯t important who won or lost today. However, the moment that Alchester, the leader of the White Dragon Knights, stepped forward, the impact of this confrontation would change drastically. Especially when it came to a contest like this, where the ranks of the opponents needed to be kept rtively equal. If Alchester were to step forward, a knight with a corresponding level of authority needed toe out from the other side as well. The leader of the White Lion Knights was a man called Grius Miles. He was a loyal knight who had served the Lionheart n for decades, but he fell slightly short whenpared to Alchester, who was said to be the finest knight in the Empire. Even so, it wasn¡¯t like the Patriarch could step forward to meet him personally. So if Alchester were to emerge onto the field, then Carmen would step forward from the Lionhearts'' side to meet with him, but if that happened¡­ Alchester wouldn¡¯t be able to guarantee his own victory. ¡®...Even if it¡¯s just so that Lady Carmen doesn¡¯t step forward¡­ this isn¡¯t a ce where I, as themander, can go out and fight,¡¯Alchester reminded himself. In the first ce, he at least needed to get permission from the Emperor to participate. Alchester forcefully shook off his feelings of regret and picked up the reins once more. After that, Eugene didn¡¯t step down. He proceeded to defeat three more members of the White Dragon Knights. The visual aspect of their duels wasn¡¯t much different from Eugene¡¯s first match with Eboldt. Among the three defeated knights, there was also a knight who used a spear, but he was overwhelmed by Eugene¡¯s sword without ever being able to take advantage of his spear¡¯s reach. All three knights suffered simr defeats, where they were overwhelmed to such an extent that they were left with no choice but to surrender and without even being able to put up any resistance to their defeats. ¡°Phew, this is hard work.¡± After obtaining four victories, Eugene finally stepped down from the center while pretending to wipe his forehead, despite the fact that not a single drop of sweat was flowing from it. While Eugene could still fight in this condition, if he really did that, someone among the White Dragon Knights might just have a heart attack. In fact, there were already signs of that urring even now. And of the knights by Alchester¡¯s side, only two seemed to be worth noting, and it appeared that they were both Captains like Eboldt. ¡°Whoaaaah!¡± As Eugene stepped down, the spectators ignored their own status and dignity to let out a primitive roar of approval. Gerhard shed streams of tears at the outpouring of apuse, and Laman handed Gerhard a handkerchief while feeling a deep sense of pride in his heart. Eugene responded to his father¡¯s ardent gaze by just waving him off, then he turned to the White Lion Knights and asked theirmander, Grius, ¡°Who are they?¡± ¡°That¡¯s Karian De¡¯Arc, Captain of the First Division of the White Dragon Knights, and Derry De¡¯Arc, Captain of the Second Division,¡± Grius replied. They had the same surname, so while they didn¡¯t look simr, it appeared that they were brothers. Eugene just smiled brightly at the two men who were still ring at him so fiercely that it was as if they wanted to kill him. * * * ¡°My son!¡± On their way back to the mansion, Gerhard cried out to Eugene several times and tried to hug him. Eugene, of course, hadn¡¯t wanted to touch Gerhard¡¯s damp beard, which was drenched in his tears, so he summoned some wind every time to push away his father, who kept trying to get closer with his arms outstretched. This made Gerhard feel aplex sense of distress. Before Eugene had be an adult, Gerhard seemed to have been able to embrace his son quite often¡­. In fact, Eugene had never once allowed himself to be hugged willingly, but like all parents, Gerhard was excessively embellishing his memories of Eugene¡¯s childhood. ¡®Now, he doesn¡¯t even use his hands and just pushes me away with a breeze¡­!¡¯Gerhard sobbed to himself. Fortunately, the wind was at just the right refreshing temperature. ¡°I was hoping for aplete victory,¡± Carmen grumbled around her cigar as she clicked her tongue. The final result of thepetition was seven to three, which meant that the White Lion Knights had won overall, but since Eugene had won four times, the oue of the actual contest between the knightly orders was more like three to three. ¡°Please don¡¯t feel too upset,¡± Gilead assured her. ¡°Our opponents were the White Dragon Knights, after all.¡± ¡°Patriarch, don¡¯t say something so half-hearted. Apart from Eboldt at the start of thepetition, none of the other Captains even made an appearance,¡± Carmenined. ¡°But that goes for the White Lion Knights as well. No Captains participated except Sir Hazard, and Sir Hazard won his match,¡± Gilead reminded her. ¡°Even so, we shouldn''t just lightly ept the defeat of our regr knights,¡± Carmen lectured him. ¡°No matter what, we need to increase their training. Grius, you¡¯re old, so you can sit out the training.¡± Pom. As he heard these words that were punctuated by the sound of Carmen¡¯s Dupont lighter flicking open, Grius couldn¡¯t help but seriously consider how he should respond to this. It was true that after serving the Lionheart n for decades, he was now a white-haired old man. However, he was actually a little younger than Carmen. Grius eventually decided to say, ¡°...Not at all. I¡¯ll take part in the training as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s an impressive decision. Starting tomorrow, breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be eaten in hell,¡± Carmen replied with a smile. The truth was that Carmen wasn¡¯t in too bad a mood. As her behavior thus far had revealed, Carmen was a person who enjoyed the reactions and attention of the people around her. The apuse that had poured forth all throughout thepetition, the affirmation of the Lionheart n¡¯s glory, and the restoration of their honor ¡ª all of these were things that Carmen had enjoyed. Cyan slowly drove his horse over to Eugene¡¯s side and asked him with a grumpy expression, ¡°...Hey, how did you do that earlier?¡± ¡°It was in the book I gave you,¡± Eugene informed Cyan. ¡°You just need to follow the instructions and work hard.¡± Cyan¡¯s face crumpled into an agonized expression at this reply. The training method that was in the book he had received from Eugene¡­ Cyan was still keeping up with the training n. But all the methods recorded in the book were hellish ways to torture the core. Thanks to his constant practice, and since Cyan¡¯s innate talents were also quite excellent, these methods were slowly starting to have an effect. The ultimate goal of his training was to have the Core act like the heart and mana like his blood. To some extent, this was already possible. However, it was still extremely difficult for Cyan to move his body with only the power of mana instead of his muscle strength, and he hadn¡¯t even gotten close to the state where mana would follow his movements without even receiving instructions from the Core. In the first ce, the organ meant to draw on one¡¯s mana was the core, so wasn¡¯t it ridiculous to suppress the usage of one¡¯s Core and try to draw on your mana anyway? ¡°You¡¯ve also been learning this and that from Lord Genos and the other Captains, haven¡¯t you?¡± Eugene reminded him. ¡°I have been learning from them, but¡­ ugh¡­. You¡­ you son of a bitch,¡± Cyan cursed. Eugene raised his eyebrow, ¡°What¡¯s with the swearing all of a sudden?¡± ¡°Even though it feels like I¡¯m working hard, it doesn¡¯t look like I¡¯m doing much whenpared to you, so I can¡¯t help but feel angry¡­,¡± Cyan admitted sulkily. ¡°Mm, well then, you just need to keep working harder,¡± Eugene encouraged him with a chuckle as he pped Cyan on the back. Favorite Chapter 173: The Competition (4)

Chapter 173: The Competition (4)

At the center of the main estate¡¯s forest, the construction of an artificialke hadpleted a few weeks ago. This location was in close proximity to the elven vige and was also close to the saplings of the World Tree. After receiving a warm wee from the elves, Eugene approached theke. ¡°Yo,¡± a casual greeting, along with a smirk, flew over to meet him. It was the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah. Sitting in the middle of theke, she waved at Eugene. Melkith had been staying in this forest for the past three days, using ¡®the need to educate the elves¡¯ as an excuse. In response to this warm greeting from Melkith, Eugene just narrowed his eyes at her. Having heard some news from Carmen earlier, he had readied himself to be rmed, but quite fortunately, Melkith was currently dressed appropriately. ¡°Why is your expression so serious?¡± Melkith inquired. ¡°Could it be that you were beaten up during thepetition?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that would be the case,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s true. So the elves told me you were participating in apetition against the White Dragon Knights, right? There¡¯s a possibility that the Knights of the White Lion might be defeated, but there¡¯s no way that you would have lost,¡± Melkithplimented him flirtatiously as she stood up on top of theke. The surface of theke, which was so clear that it seemed transparent, was disturbed by a small ripple with each step that Melkith took. Melkith continued to chat as she walked over to him, ¡°It seems like you managed to obtain victory during thepetition, so the whole Lionheart n should be full of celebrations¡­ so why does a handsome boy like you have such a sour expression¡ª¡± ¡°Why were you sitting naked in theke?¡± Eugene abruptly spat out. Melkith¡¯s lips naturally snapped shut at this usation. Then she stared straight into Eugene¡¯s eyes for a few moments. She was a bit confused¡­ but she refused to show any shame! The moment one admitted to feeling something like shame and revealed it to others, they would continue to feel so embarrassed until they eventually tore their hair out. ¡°...It was for training,¡± Melkith eventually imed. ¡°Where exactly does such an absurd training method evene from?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. ¡°Hey, you brat. It looks like you don¡¯t know much about spirit summoning, but in order to increase your affinity with spirits¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ve already told me something like that doesn¡¯t have any effect.¡± ¡°...It looks like you really don¡¯t know anything, do you?¡± Melkith stubbornly continued. ¡°There was an interesting paper submitted to Aroth¡¯s Magical Research Society some time ago.¡± ¡°Why bring up something like that suddenly?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. ¡°Just listen till the end. The contents of the paper were as follows. The paper described some clinical trials conducted by an alchemist in the process of developing a new drug. He exined in detail to his test subjects what kind of new drug he had developed and its effect, then he administered the drug,¡± Melkith described. ¡°So what?¡± Eugene prompted impatiently. ¡°After administering the drug over a period of time, the test subjects reported that they could feel a clear effect from taking the drug.¡± ¡°If you take a drug, then, of course, you would feel its effects.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! But in fact, the drug that the alchemist had supposedly administered was really just in water with some subtle voring and coloring added to it to make it look like a magic potion. That shouldn¡¯t have any effect at all on the test subjects,¡± Melkith eagerly exined. Eugene continued to listen in silence. ¡°In other words, even though the supposed drugs didn¡¯t have any actual effects, a clear effect appeared when various psychological factors and influences were introduced. And that effect has been called the cebo effect! Isn¡¯t that amazing? Without making use of any hypnosis spell, clear physical changes urred due to their mental adjustments¡­. Haven¡¯t you also seen the effect that intense autosuggestion can have on a few asions?¡± Melkith demanded. Eugene hesitated, ¡°Yes¡­ well¡­.¡± ¡°When you tell yourself, ¡®I¡¯ll do it. I can do it!¡¯ ¡­Even if it doesn¡¯t have any physical effect, belief is still very important,¡± Melkith nodded sagely. ¡°Alright¡­,¡± Eugene nodded along with a wavering expression. So what Melkith was trying to say was that due to something called a cebo or whatever¡­ she was still sticking to a superstition without any obvious effect¡­ but what effect could something like that have on her when she already knew that it was just a superstition? ¡°...So, have you seen any effect from that training?¡± Eugene eventually decided to just ask. ¡°Before I answer that question, I want you to remember who I am. My name is Melkith El-Hayah, the greatest spirit summoner in history,¡± Melkith proudly announced. ¡°That¡¯s right, the Spirit Princess of the White Tower of Magic.¡± ¡°Kyaaaak!¡± In reaction to Eugene¡¯s reply, which brought up memories of her shameful past, Melkith covered her ears and let out a scream. While she might be able to ignore other things, it was hard for her to bear the shame of the nickname she had used in her youth. ¡°In any case, if you¡¯re going to continue your naked meditation¡­ well¡­ just make sure to do so after checking that no one else is around,¡± Eugene requested. Struggling to collect herself, Melkith stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯ve always kept an eye out, though? So who the hell was it that saw me while I was meditating?¡± ¡°It was Lady Carmen,¡± Eugene replied. Melkith hissed, ¡°So it was her¡­!¡± ¡°It¡¯s better than being spotted by a man,¡± Eugene consoled her. ¡°That woman is definitely going to mock me for this¡­!¡± Melkith growled. ¡°Just what exactly did she say about me?¡± ¡°She didn¡¯t actually say all that much. She just seemed really¡­ um¡­ embarrassed,¡± Eugene reported as he cast a spell that wrapped his body in a transparent bubble of air. Seeing this, Melkith¡¯s eyes narrowed as she muttered, ¡°Reeeally now, how interesting.¡± ¡°What is?¡± ¡°While wandering through this forest, I¡¯ve also been diligently practicing my spirit magic like I did in my energetic youth, but even so, the spirits of the World Tree still haven¡¯t chosen to dwell in me like they have with you,¡± Melkithined. Eugene didn¡¯t bother to reply to Melkith¡¯s regretful mutters. Even he couldn¡¯t exin in detail why the Spirits of the World Tree had chosen to reside in his body. Was the White me Form just special? Or was it because Eugene had been born with a natural talent for mana maniption? Could it be a side-effect of the Ring me Form that was formed by grafting the Eternal Hole onto his Circles? Akasha had been made with a Dragonheart. Could it be thanks to the staff¡¯s ability to detect all magic? Or had he somehow acquired an affinity to spirits after making a contract with the Wind Spirit King, Tempest? Every one of those reasons seemed usible. The fact that the lightning me had be one with the Spirits of the World Tree and melded into Eugene¡¯s mana might actually be a special benefit caused by an interlocking of any number of these different factors. ¡®...Perhaps¡­ it might even be a unique blessing,¡¯Eugene considered as one of the possible factors. He had visited the elven domain thaty deep in the Samar Rainforest. He had entered the empty city of the elves, discovered the World Tree standing tall in the middle of theke, and found the elves that seemed to be sleeping within ¡ª as well as one who was sealed away with wounds that were almost certainly fatal. He had finally reunited with Sienna, who was only being kept alive through her connection to the World Tree. Eugene had experienced a genuine miracle there. Anise, who was somehow connected to Kristina, had spread her eight angelic wings. Thanks to the miracle that Anise had performed there, Eugene had met Sienna in the world of their consciousness. ¡®...If it¡¯s the Protection of a Spirit¡­ was it Anise or the World Tree that bestowed it upon me?¡¯Eugene silently wondered. He might not know the specific cause of the phenomenon, but the fact that the lightning mes had merged with his mana was a pure benefit to him. ¡°Don¡¯t follow me,¡± Eugene instructed. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t follow you. Even if I do, I only end up getting boiled, so why would I needlessly follow you?¡± Melkith fired back in response as she stepped backward. ¡°...I¡¯ve told you this so many times, but that cloak still belongs to me. There are only six years left until I get it back. If you even get it wet, I¡¯ll¡­!¡± Adding a demonstration to her threat, Melkith clenched her fists together tightly and made throat-wringing motions. After scanning his surroundings, Eugene slowly walked onto theke. His feet didn¡¯t make the slightest ripple when they stepped on the surface of the water, and before long, Eugene was standing in the middle of theke. ¡°Do you know how to swim, Sir Eugene?¡± Mer poked her head out from inside the cloak. Eugeneughed at Mer¡¯s wicked expression, knowing exactly what she was thinking. [The sea route leading to Helmuth was extremely rough. The skies over the sea were so smothered with dark clouds that the sun couldn¡¯t be seen, and the hero party thought that the raging waves and storms would never end. Hamel, who had just be a member of the hero party, had a reputation for being mean and ferocious, evenpared to other mercenaries. However, even Hamel couldn¡¯t indulge in his impulses and run wild in those rough seas. The reason for this was simple ¡ª Hamel didn¡¯t know how to swim. Every day, during the fight against the assaults of the demonic beasts ¡ªAaargh!¡ª Hamel would let out a scream and fall into the sea. It couldn¡¯t be helped. At that time, Hamel was so weak and ipetent that it was hard to even consider him a member of the warrior¡¯s party! Help me, Sienna! As he fell into the sea and began to drown, Hamel would call out the Wise Sienna¡¯s name as he struggled¡­.] ¡°I¡¯m very good at swimming,¡± Eugene informed her. ¡°I know you¡¯re just saying that because you¡¯re embarrassed,¡± Mer stated smugly. ¡°No, I mean it truly. The contents of that fairy tale¡­ well¡­ most of it is a clever mix of truth and lies. I wasn¡¯t the one to fall into the sea; it was Sienna,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°...What?¡± Mer gasped as her eyes widened. ¡°While she was chattering away and flying over the sea, she was attacked by the ck wizards hiding beneath the water''s surface and was hit by a mana bacsh. Then, when she ended up falling into the sea¡­,¡± Hamel recollected that moment with a smirk. ¡°¡®Hamel, Hamel! Save me!¡¯ she called out helplessly with a foolish scream.¡± In fact, Sienna hadn¡¯t let out any sort of scream. Sienna had already lost consciousness when she fell into the sea. If Hamel, who happened to be nearby, hadn¡¯t thrown himself overboard, Sienna would have been torn to pieces by the whirlpool raging in the sea below. ¡­The truth may have been like that, but Eugene calmly chose to tell Mer a lie. Since it was Sienna¡¯s fault in the first ce for tarring Hamel with the disgrace that she had suffered, Eugene, as Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, felt he had the right to take revenge on Sienna. ¡°Just think about it. Wouldn¡¯t it be strange for Sienna, who grew up in a forest far away from the sea, to know how to swim?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°...Th-there¡¯s nothing that Lady Sienna can¡¯t do,¡± Mer desperately stammered. ¡°Yeah, no,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°There were so many things that Sienna didn¡¯t know how to do. She couldn¡¯t swim, she couldn¡¯t sew, and she wasn¡¯t even very good at cooking. Did you know? Even Vermouth had times when he had to force himself to eat Sienna¡¯s cooking with a straight face.¡± The truth was that she hadn¡¯t been that bad. It was true that she had been the worst cook in the party, but Sienna¡¯s cooking had still been somewhat edible. However, why should that matter? During the time when Hamel was gone, Sienna had written that fairy tale all of her own volition and sprinkled it around the world, so all of this was just the karmic bacsh that Sienna needed to reap for doing something so embarrassing. Eugene continued, ¡°Want to know how funny Sienna looked when she was finally pulled out of the sea? Her whole body had been drenched in seawater¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± Mer¡¯s lips started to tremble as she quickly stammered, ¡°...D-did you¡­ did you give her artificial respiration?¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°What are you talking about¡­?¡± ¡°Since she fell into the s-sea¡­ th-then, of course, she would have swallowed some water, s-so she must have stopped breathing, right? S-so, then you must have had to give her a-artificial respiration¡­.¡± Mer¡¯s cheeks turned red as she trailed off in embarrassment. Eugene cleared his throat and corrected Mer¡¯s wild imagination, ¡°...I didn¡¯t give her artificial respiration¡­ I just wiped away the blood that was pouring down from both of her nostrils.¡± To think Mer woulde up with the idea of giving Sienna artificial respiration¡­! There was no way that Eugene could go so far with his lies. ¡­After all, just what benefit could he get from telling such an embarrassing lie? In that respect, Eugene couldn¡¯t understand why Sienna had done such a thing. ¡ªSienna, I like you. Why had she written such a gag at the end of the fairy tale¡­? No, perhaps it was Anise who had written that line. Eugene was sure that that damn fairytale had actually been co-authored by both Sienna and Anise. While Mer was letting out squeals, still caught in her own wild imagination, Eugene slowly began to sink into the water while wrapped safely in the air bubble. Soon, Eugene was diving beneath theke¡¯s surface. Thiske had been created with Melkith¡¯s help. They had widened and deepened the small body of water that had already been there. The construction of theke had already been an addition to the main estate¡¯s forest development n, but thanks to the help from Melkith, who had signed a contract with the Earth Spirit King, the development of the forest had beenpleted in a much faster time-frame than expected. That was how this artificialke had been created. Eugene continued diving deeper into the water, passing several fish swimming in the water body. At the bottom of theke was a small underwater cave that led elsewhere. The cave hadn¡¯t been created by Melkith. After the bottom of theke had been dug up and the groundpacted with the help of the Earth Spirit King¡­. ¡­A number of ¡®roots¡¯ had dug down through the forest¡¯s floor and emerged at the bottom of theke, forming this cave. Eugene reached out to touch the intertwined roots at the entrance to the cave. ¡­Crackle! Inside the bubble of air, Eugene¡¯s mana gave off a spark. Without any input from Eugene, the lightning mes that were merged into his mana began to flow out of the air bubble. ¡­The knot of roots slowly wriggled open. The cave entrance that appeared was just wide enough for a person to pass through it. The existence of this ce hadn¡¯t been revealed to anyone, not even to the main family. In the first ce, Eugene was the only one who could open the door to this cave. Melkith had been the first to discover this cave, but even she hadn¡¯t been able to open it. ¡°...Although I¡¯ve already been here several times, this is quite the mysterious ce,¡± Mer muttered as she poked her head out of the cloak and gazed upwards. In this passageway full of water, the ceiling directly above them wasn¡¯t made of soil or rocks but of roots. As they kept traveling down the passageway, they soon left theke behind them and arrived somewhere below the forest. Now that they were standing on the ground instead of floating in the water, Eugene popped the air bubble. Several types of roots and soil had intricately intertwined to form the walls around this ce. This ce had been created by the roots from the World Tree saplings once they had reached the bottom of the forest floor. ¡­This ce also touched upon the Lionheart n¡¯s leyline. As Tempest had once guessed, the roots of the World Tree saplings had also connected themselves to the artificial leyline created by Vermouth. Thanks to this, the Lionheart n¡¯s leyline now had an even greater amount of mana than before, and there was enough thick mana floating above ground to make the whole forest feel like a leyline. But this underground cave was filled with pure mana even thicker than that found in the forest or at the Lionheart n¡¯s old leyline. At the same time, the spirits of the World Tree were most in harmony with the mana here. Eugene could open the door formed by the roots and enter this cave because the spirits of the World Tree that hadbined with the lightning mes and merged into his mana were able tomunicate with these other spirits. ¡°Do you think it will be today?¡± Mer asked. ¡°Probably not,¡± Eugene replied as he sat in the middle of the cave. Even without circting the White me Form, the spirits of the World Tree that were harmonizing the mana here began slowly sneaking up on Eugene. Mischievous and cheeky spirits like these could be seen wandering around the entire forest. Even though they wouldn¡¯te if he stretched out his hand and called to them, they were always lingering in his surroundings as if they couldn''t bear to go too far from him. ¡®Though, as primitive spirits, the spirits of the World Tree shouldn¡¯t even have an ego.¡¯ In other words, the movements of these spirits had nothing to do with yfulness. If that was the case, then¡­. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be trying to control them using my will.¡¯ Since his previous life, Eugene had never encountered an obstacle in his mana maniption skills. Spirits could be considered to be another form of mana. And among these various types of spirits, as the World Tree was spiritually powerful enough that the elves had religiously worshiped it, the spirits of the World Tree were independent beings that not even the other spirit Kings could control. In other words, if even the Spirit Kings weren¡¯t able to control them, it was impossible for Eugene to control these spirits. But what if he asked for their help instead ofmanding them? If he wanted harmony and cooperation, instead of domination¡­. Fwoosh. A warm me enveloped Eugene. He closed his eyes and sensed both the spirits of the World Tree and the mana within this cave. Mana continued to flow out¡­ from the leyline created by Vermouth. The spirits dwelling within the roots of the World Tree saplings also gathered. Currently, Eugene¡¯s progress in the White me Form was at the Fifth Star. ¡®It won¡¯t be today, but¡­.¡¯ Eugene was confident that sooner orter, he would vault over the Fifth Star and reach the Sixth Star. Favorite Chapter 174: Leo Dragonic (1)

Chapter 174: Leo Dragonic (1)

Hyren, the capital Ceres'' central district, was the city''s most advanced district and also the closest to the pce. This district was for the rich. The prestigious noble families and the families who had umted wealth through trades lived in Hyren. Although the Lionheart main estate was on the outskirts of the capital, the Dragonic estate was in the center of Hyren. The Lionhearts¡¯ first ancestor, the Great Vermouth, had naturalized to the Kiehl Empire 300 years ago and worked as an archduke of the Empire. Straut the First, who was the Kiehl emperor at the time, desperately wanted the hero to be his guard and live in proximity to the pce¡­ but Vermouth rejected the emperor¡¯s desperate plea and mostly stayed in the castle on Mountain Us, which was located in the southernmost part of Kiehl. When he had gotten too old, he returned his title of archduke bestowed by the emperor and spent his remaining life in a mansion inside the forest, which was now the Lionheart¡¯s main house. Unlike Vermouth, Orix Dragonic had never gone to Helmuth even though a full-scale war against the Demon Kings was going on. Ever since he had arrived in Kiehl, he continued to protect Straut the First and worked as amander of the White Dragon Knightly Order. For over 300 years, the Dragonics had made their name as the prestigious noble family and the best knight family in Kiehl. Not all Patriarchs had be the emperor¡¯s guard, but the Dragonic family had produced many good knights. Those knights were considered to be one of the best on the continent. Among them, the Dragonic knights, considered the creme of the crop, had enjoyed the honor of guarding the Emperor right by his side. The current Patriarch, Alchester Dragonic, was known to be as talented as Orix Dragonic, their first ancestor. There was no exaggeration to Alchester¡¯s title of the best knight in the empire. Alchester had been able to use sword force even before he became 20. When he won first ce in the Kiehl martial artspetition, he was just 21. Every talented person on the continent had participated in the match, but he had beaten them all. In recognition of his skill, he had immediately joined the White Dragon Knightly Order. He was 30 when he became themander of the White Dragon Knightly Order. The newly crowned emperor, Straut the Second, had designated Alchester as the emperor¡¯s guard. This was the story of Alchester Dragonic, the current Dragonic Patriarch. ¡®Though he ate his booger when he was five¡­.¡¯Eugene bitterly recalled the moment when he had heard too much information. Although he really wasn¡¯t curious, he ended up hearing it. Eugene stared at the front gate of the Dragonic estate after getting off the carriage. The gate was big and tall. Considering just the size of the estate, the Lionheart main estate would be a lot bigger since the Lionhearts had a forest inside theirnd. Still, the Dragonic estate was magnificent and beautiful even though this ce was located in Hyren, the district with the most expensivend values. ¡°It¡¯s shabbypared to the Lionheart estate,¡± A Dragonic Knight, who had guided Eugene to the Dragonic estate, spoke shyly. ¡°I think it is a gorgeous estate.¡± The knight had approached the gate before Eugene did. Thud! The gate began to open wide. Only two people were currently entering the estate, but they were receiving too warm of a wee. Eugene looked at the knights who had lined up beyond the gate. These were the knights who had pledged their allegiance to the Dragonics, but their numbers were far fewer. The Lionhearts had more knights than them. ¡®Only 30, huh?¡¯Eugene thought after he had finished counting. It was because the Lionhearts and the Dragonics were in different situations. The Dragonics were loyal to the empire. They had been working as high-ranking officials for generations. Therefore the number of their knights didn¡¯t matter much to them. After all, the emperor owned the empire. The nobles¡¯ knightly orders were treated like backup armies, which the emperor could use in times of need by issuing a royal decree. The Lionhearts were the only exception to thew. Maybe the emperor could conscript the knights from the Lionheart coteral families, but even if the emperor issued a royal decree, the White Lion Knights and the ck Lion Knights from the Lionheart main family couldn¡¯t be conscripted. All of this was possible because of a contract signed 300 years ago by the Great Vermouth and the Kiehl Emperor. [The Lionhearts will not leave the Kiehl Empire. The Lionhearts will not betray the Kiehl Empire. The Kiehl Empire will respect the Lionhearts. The Kiehl Empire will recognize the Lionhearts¡¯ freedom.] ¡­300 years had passed since then. People were now living in an age where they could feel the end of the peace that hadsted for a long time. The emperor felt overwhelmed and greedy toward the Lionhearts, who were partially free from royal decree even though they were nobles of Kiehl. On top of that, the Lionhearts had recently undergone an internal change, increasing the number of the main family¡¯s knights in the end. They were bing more unpleasant in the emperor¡¯s eyes. ¡®They are looking atme very fiercely,¡¯Eugene thought when he saw the lined-up knights. It was obvious why the knights were acting that way. A week ago, the White Dragon Knightly Order and the White Lion Knightly Order had apetition¡­ and the White Dragon Knights had lost the contest. The main cause of their defeat was Eugene. ¡®I thoughtthepetition ended okay. They admitted their defeat and said ¡®great job¡¯ to White Lion Knights in the end.¡¯Eugene tilted his head in confusion. And, of course, the White Dragon Knights had apologized unreservedly and providedpensation for the altercation they had with the Lionhearts, just like they had promised. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if they hadpensated with the empire¡¯s money or the money that had been deducted from the White Dragon Knightly Order¡¯s budget. Or maybe the Commander of the White Dragon Knightly Order, Alchester, had paid for it with his own money. Regardless of the source, the White Dragon Knights had delivered theirpensation by dozens of carriages. The mistress of the Lionheart n, Anci, had smiled widely and brightly that day. ¡®¡­If this is not about thepetition¡­. Hmm. Ah, they don¡¯t like the fact that I will be teaching the young master of the Dragonics who will be the next Patriarch. I am a stranger, a Lionheart who humiliated their Patriarch several days ago, and just a 20-year-old man.¡¯ Chuckling, Eugene walked through the knights¡¯ ranks. Although they were looking daggers at him, it wasn¡¯t enough to intimidate Eugene. Instead, he looked around at the estate¡¯s wide, beautiful garden, feeling rxed. ¡°The Patriarch is waiting for you inside the mansion.¡± A knight guided Eugene to the inside of the mansion. Meanwhile, as the knight led Eugene to the Dragonic Patriarch, Eugene had to try his best to hold hisughter. A tall, big statue of Orix was in the center of the garden. When the servants opened the front door for them, there was another statue of Orix in the foyer. Orix¡¯s portraits were even hanging on the wall. ¡®¡­The bastard made the drawings more handsome than he actually was. No way. Did Orix have a sense of rivalry with Vermouth or something?¡¯Eugene thought in surprise. His surprise was understandable. Theposition of Orix¡¯s portraits was the same as Vermouth¡¯s portraits in all the Lionheart mansions. ¡°I wanted to greet you from outside the mansion, too,¡± Alchester spoke with a smile. He stood up right away when Eugene entered his office, which was located on the top floor of the mansion. ¡°But too many people ¡ª from my steward, subordinate knights, to my wife ¡ª dissuaded me from doing so¡­. I didn¡¯t think it would be a big problem, but they thought it wasn¡¯t good for me, the Patriarch, toe to meet you,¡± Alchester said as he gestured Eugene to sit. ¡°No wonder the knights looked at me with fiery eyes,¡± Eugene joked, sitting on the chair that Alchester had pointed at. Unlike Carmen¡¯s excessively decorated office, Alchester¡¯s office was very neat, almost to a level that could be called in. ¡°If you felt it that way¡­ they must have behaved rudely to you. You are the Dragonics¡¯ guest. I¡¯ll apologize on their behalf, so please don¡¯t be too upset.¡± ¡°Upset? Not in the slightest.¡± Eugene waved his hands. Keeping his smile, Alchester personally poured Eugene a cup of tea. It didn¡¯t seem like he had designs on Eugene. Alchester¡¯s smile was natural and pleasant, even in Eugene¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t know you would make such a request,¡± Alchester spoke delightedly. Of course, Alchester was having fun. He had received two letters from the Lionhearts four days ago. One was from Gilead, the Lionheart Patriarch. In his letter, Gilead had extended an olive branch, asking Alchester to forget about thepetition¡¯s result since it was over and the altercation, which was the cause of thepetition. Gilead even offered to resumemunication between the two knightly orders and between the two ns. Carmen Lionheart had sent the other letter. After mentioning the time she had stayed at the Dragonic estate in the distant past, she had requested to let Eugene Lionheart train at the Dragonic estate through the letter. Gilead had also made such a request at the end of his letter. ¡°¡­I have a son who turned ten this year.¡± Alchester proceeded to the main issue ¡ª Leo Dragonic. ¡°Yes, I heard about him.¡± ¡°My son¡­ his name is Leo. I¡¯m not just saying this because he is my son, but he is quite talented. Although he began to study mana control four years ago, he can already use a little bit of sword energy,¡± Alchester spoke calmly but was unable to hide his prideful expression. Soon, he looked a little embarrassed when he realized that the most outstanding genius of theLionhearts was sitting in front of him. ¡°Forgive me. I had my son during myter years¡­. I can¡¯t help but brag about my adorable son.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­.¡± Eugene half-heartedly nodded. ¡°Eugene, I have seen your ability with my own eyes a week ago. There are many good knights among the Dragonics family¡­. But I believe Lady Carmen made me who I am today with her lessons dozens of years ago.¡± Alchester closed his eyes as he set a teacup to his lips. It didn¡¯t take long for him to reminisce about the past and recall that moment when he was five. ¡°¡­I was five at the time¡­ but my memory is still clear. When Lady Carmen hade to teach me, she was 17. Well, she wasn¡¯t really different from now.¡± Eugene stayed silent. ¡®Is he saying that in a good way?¡¯he seriously wondered. ¡°¡­During her lessons, Lady Carmen was strict¡­ and unique. Some may use the word ¡®peculiar.¡¯ However, it does not change the fact that her lessons are the basis of my ability. I hope you can be such a teacher for Leo.¡± ¡°I will do my best.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°Of course, I will also try to teach you something new. ¡­Even though I wonder if I have anything new I can teach you right now¡­.¡± Alchester meant what he said. In thepetition that had taken ce a week ago, Eugene had practically yed Eboldt, Captain of the White Dragon Knights. They weren¡¯t using the full extent of their abilities, but their battle was enough for Alchester to see Eugene¡¯s ability. His skills were mature ¡ª no, perfect. When Alchester had studied Eugene¡¯s movements one by one, he couldn¡¯t find a single area where Eugene needed improvement. He used his techniques with versatility. Although he was controlling mana with a rudimentary method, the level of his control was advanced. His body and willpower enabled Eugene to have an extremely high level of mana control. Alchester couldn¡¯t believe a 20-year-old man was able to do so. ¡®¡­Besides, he mustalready be an expert in magic. He is indeed a genius¡­ the genius among geniuses,¡¯Alchester thought as he scanned Eugene. ¡­If he didn¡¯t try his best, Alchester wouldn¡¯t be able to teach anything to Eugene. In order to teach that unfairly smart genius, Alchester had to show Eugene what he got. Alchester was more than willing to do so. The emperor seemed like he had someints against the Lionhearts and Eugene, their rising star. However, Alchester wanted to teach and exchange knowledge with Eugene as a knight and a senior in martial arts. He also hoped his only son idolized Eugene and tried to take after him. ¡°¡­I¡¯m d we were able to confirm that the Rakshasa Princess went out of our country,¡± Alchester mumbled, putting down his teacup. ¡°Although I never thought¡­ she would use a wagon to move around.¡± No one would have thought so. She was the Rakshasa Princess, Iris ¡ª a living legend since 300 years ago, an adopted daughter of the Demon King of Fury, the first dark elf, and the only being able to corrupt elves. ¡­There was no way that anyone thought such a being would hide and move around in the back of the shabby wagon that wasn¡¯t even hers¡­. ¡°¡­She did catch everyone off guard¡­ yes¡­.¡± Eugene was also baffled to hear about Iris¡¯ escape method. He had thought Iris would live up to her title and use elegant ways like¡­ taking over some cities¡¯ warp gates. Regardless of people¡¯s expectations, Iris had hidden in the back of the wagon and tried to sneak into a merchant ship. On top of that, she had gotten caught when the harbor inspectors had checked the ship¡¯s luggage. ¡°¡­But she seeded in the end, right? She seized the ship and set sail.¡± Eugene shrugged. He didn¡¯t know why Iris had put herself out to sea. However, he did hear about what had happened in Helmuth. Before the Kiehl Empire could make a formalint to Helmuth, they had notified Kiehl about how Iris had gotten banished from Helmuth since she had lost in a territorial war. ¡®¡­I don¡¯t know if she was really banished, but they sure don¡¯t want to take responsibility for the trouble Iris caused.¡¯Eugene clicked his tongue mentally. The Queen of Night Demons, Noir Giabe ¡ª the damn subus crossed Eugene¡¯s mind. Since Iris had be stronger over the 300 years, Noir Giabe must have also gotten stronger. Eugene was reaching the level he had achieved in his past life at a rapid pace. However, he knew that wasn¡¯t enough. That was why he had learned abilities that he didn¡¯t have in his past life. Therefore, Eugene didn¡¯t doubt himself. Eugene had sowed seeds, and those seeds were growing. He was certain he would transcend Hamel¡¯s level when those seeds bloomedpletely. * * * Eugene had visited the Dragonics to try to contact the dragon that had approached Carmen dozens of years ago. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure who the dragon was, but dragons were so advanced in magic that they were called the race of magic. Their Draconic ¡®created¡¯ magic that didn¡¯t exist in the world. When dragons spoke using Draconic, they made everythinge true. Since their magic system differed from ordinary magic, dragons did not require forms. Humans were not able to use Draconic. Only dragons could cast this magic. ¡­Then, would non-dragon wizards never be better than dragons? No, Eugene knew a human wizard who was better than dragons ¡ª Sienna Merdein. She had banished ck Dragon Raizakia to the dimensional rift even though she was dying. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t search inside the dimensional rift with my magic.¡¯Eugene tousled his hair. It was too risky to barge into the Dragon Demon Castle in Helmuth and track Raizakia down. Therefore Eugene needed this dragon. Even Lovellian, the Red Tower Master, wasn¡¯t able to search inside the dimensional rift. No magic in the world enabled wizards to do so. However, a dragon might be able to locate Raizakia in the dimensional rift. [Will the dragon cooperate?] Mer asked via their mental connection. She didn¡¯t stick her head out from the cloak this time. She liked to walk with her feet, but she also liked tofortably sit inside the cloak and look at the outside view through the cloak¡¯s gap. Mer fidgeted with Eugene¡¯s fingers as she continued. [Lady Sienna didn¡¯t talk about dragons much, but I know quite a lot about them. They are a greedy, arrogant race, right?] ¡®Dragons arearrogant because they know they are powerful creatures. Well, they are a bunch of lizard bitches if that is the only reason¡­. The main reason why dragons are revered is that they don¡¯t run away in times of need,¡¯Eugene replied. [What does that mean?] ¡®I mean it literally. Do you know what noblesse oblige is?¡¯ [Don¡¯t look down on me. In fact, I¡¯m in real shock because you are using that word, Sir Eugene.] ¡®What do you take me for?¡¯ Eugene pinched the back of Mer¡¯s hand; she had kept fidgeting with his fingers. ¡®I have studied a lot since I was young. Anyhow, dragons usually ignore humans and other races because they think we are inferior to them. However, they always step up first if the world is about to be fucked.¡¯ They had also stepped up 300 years ago. When people had beenpletely at a loss for the sudden invasion, dragons had been the first to fly to Helmuth and begin to fight against the Demon Kings. ¡®¡­Dragons and the Demon Kings¡­are a bad match.¡¯ Simr to how elves could be corrupted by demonic energy, dragons were also negatively influenced by demonic energy. In the end, the dragons had lost to the Demon King of Incarceration and were massacred by the Demon King of Destruction. ¡®That was why they couldn¡¯t y a starring role during the war 300 years ago. Dragons learned that they couldn¡¯t win in fights against the Demon Kings. However, they won¡¯t refuse if I ask for their help in a Demon King-rted problem.¡¯ [¡­But¡­ we don¡¯t know how to contact the dragon, do we?] That was indeed Eugene¡¯s problem right now. Although he could assume that Carmen had met the dragon in the Dragonic estate, Eugene didn¡¯t get to hear how she had met the dragon. Carmen told Eugene two pieces of information in a way that didn¡¯t infringe on the promise that had been made using Draconic: it was somewhere inside the Dragonic mansion, and people couldn¡¯t go in there without permission. Since Carmen had said an ordinary visitor couldn¡¯t enter the ce¡­ maybe the Dragonic mansion had a special ce like the leyline in the Lionheart estate. Eugene was pretty confident in searching for something since he had Akasha. The magic staff revealed hidden magics and made Eugene understand what those spells were. If Eugene used a search spell on top of that, it was a piece of cake for him to find a hidden space in the estate. ¡®¡­Actually, the easiest way to call a dragon is to smash Akasha.¡¯ Dragons had made Akasha with their fellow dragon¡¯s heart after the dragon had passed away. When they had finished making the staff, they visited the elven sanctuary and personally gifted the staff to Sienna. Therefore the angry dragon mighte to visit Eugene if he destroyed Akasha¡¯s Dragonheart. ¡®¡­But it would be a waste to smash Akasha to just summon a dragon¡­. There is no guarantee that a dragon wille and cooperate with me.¡¯ ¡°We are here,¡± Alchester said as he stopped in front of a room. Pointing at a closed door, Alchester turned his head to Eugene. ¡°Leo will be inside the room.¡± ¡°Are you not going in there?¡± ¡°¡­I coddle Leo a lot¡­ so you won¡¯t be able to teach properly if I go in with you.¡± Alchester took a few steps back with an embarrassed face. ¡°So I will return to my office now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking this just in case, but can I scold him?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Leo is so gentle and kind. You wouldn¡¯t need to scold him.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Eugene nodded half-heartedly. ¡°But if you need to scold him¡­ don¡¯t mind me. You can give him a good scolding.¡± ¡®Huh.¡¯Eugene thought. After checking that Alchester had gone far away, Eugene knocked on the door to Leo¡¯s room. No one reacted; the room was quiet. However, Eugene could sense someone was wriggling inside the room. He knocked once more, but still, no one reacted. Clicking his tongue, Eugene opened the door. When he closed the door from inside the room, Eugene could see a clean, big room. The first thing that caught his attention was a bed too big for a ten-year-old boy. From underneath the bed, a stream of water was shot in Eugene¡¯s direction. ¡°He¡¯s a little rascal.¡± Eugene quickly made an assessment of Leo Dragonic. Chapter 175: Leo Dragonic (2)

Chapter 175: Leo Dragonic (2)

Squirt! Eugene was hit full in the face with a spout of water. Drops of water went into his eyes, trickled down his cheeks, and dripped to the floor. The water got Eugene¡¯s cor and the cloak¡¯s fur wet, but Eugene let them be for now since he had allowed the boy to spray water on himself. However, while sitting inside the cloak, Mer didn¡¯t know that, so her jaw dropped. [Sir Eugene?]Mer called Eugene in her mind. Drip, drip. Standing silently, Eugene tasted the water that seeped in through his lips. It was sour¡­. That damn rascal must have mixed vinegar in the water. The sourness inside his mouth and the wetness on his face were so disgusting that Eugene turned his head sideways and spat. ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± Eugene could hear someone bursting intoughter under the bed. Without wiping the water from his face, Eugene looked at the kid that crawled out from under the bed. The ten-year-old kid, Leo Dragonic, had red hair and blue eyes, just like his father. He had a very fit body which was very unusual for a child, but he still had some baby fat on his round face. The boy was smiling mischievously as he pointed his water gun at Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°¡­Hehe.¡± Eugene nodded as he chuckled. Of course, Leo didn¡¯t apologize. If he had enoughmon sense to apologize, he wouldn¡¯t have randomly squirted water ¡ª no, vinegar water with his water gun on a guest. Squirt~. Leoused his squirt gun again. Eugene still didn¡¯t dodge it. Ssh! The stronger spout of water sshed Eugene¡¯s lips. That fucking rascal urately aimed for that little gap between Eugene¡¯s closed lips and put vinegar water in his mouth. ¡°You can¡¯t even dodge that, Mister?¡±Leogiggled as he swung his squirt gun. Eugene could seeLeohad no worries about the aftermath of his action. Sure, this was the Dragonic mansion, the Dragonic Patriarch was Alchester Dragonic, and that damn rascal, who kept squirting water on Eugene¡¯s face, wasLeoDragonic. The only people who could scoldLeoin this mansion were his parents, but Alchester adored his son, whom he had in hister years, so much that he turned into a big softie around him. Still chuckling, Eugene waved his fingers. Pah! The water drops that dripped to the floor after soaking Eugene¡¯s face and clothes began to float in the air one by one. ¡°¡­Woah!¡±Leoinnocently eximed as he watched the sight. ¡°That¡¯s magic, right? I heard, I heard a lot about you too, Mister. You are a great knight, but you are also a powerful wizard, am I right?¡± After shouting so innocently,Leoslowly put down his squirt gun because he was now unsure about the story he had heard before. Then, looking at his squirt gun, then at Eugene, and the water drops floating in front of Eugene in session,Leomumbled, ¡°¡­But why can¡¯t you even dodge an attack from a squirt gun?¡± ¡°Hehe¡­.¡± Grinning, Eugene flicked his fingers inLeo¡¯s direction. ¡°To do this, you son of a bitch.¡± Pop! The water drops instantly flew inLeo¡¯s direction and exploded on his face. However, they didn¡¯t explode in an ordinary way. Eugene had delicately controlled his mana to shove every water drop intoLeo¡¯s nose and mouth. ¡°Urgh!¡±Wriggling,Leokept retching. ¡°rgh! Argh!¡± There was no way a ten-year-old kid could have prepared for this kind of attack. As the water drops flowed from his nose to his mouth, the sourness overwhelmed his nose and mouth, makingLeoroll around the floor in pain. Eugene came up toLeo, who was still wriggling on the floor. After spending a while rubbing his nose and spitting out the water,Leoswiftly raised his head. The young boy was full of anger as he shouted, ¡°Are you crazy, Mister?! What have you done to me?!¡± ¡°Did you use your squirt gun on me because you were crazy?¡± ¡°I¡­ I thought you would avoid my attack¡­!¡± ¡°Does that allow you to use your squirt gun on a stranger? And I didn¡¯t avoid your attack and got sshed with water, so isn¡¯t this self-defense?¡± ¡°You¡­ You¡­ You are an adult¡­!¡± ¡°Age doesn¡¯t matter when ites to taking responsibility for your actions and refraining from doing stupid things. Do you know what I would like to do right now? I want to consider your action as an insult to me and cut you with my sword,¡± Eugene spoke, looking atLeothreateningly. It madeLeo¡¯s face turn pale. Unable to talk back to Eugene anymore,Leojust looked at the floor as he hunched his shoulders. ¡°¡­But I won¡¯t draw my sword since I know your father, Sir Alchester.¡± Eugene tappedLeo¡¯s hunched shoulder. Leodidn¡¯t respond. ¡°Are you not going to answer me?¡± ¡°Ok ¡ª okay¡­,¡±Leosaid haltingly. ¡°What happened to my apology?¡± ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­.¡±Leolowered his head, choking up. ¡­Mer watched everything from inside the cloak. Eugene was intimidating a 10-year-old kid by acting scary¡­. She wasn¡¯t sure what to think of Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel, the great hero from 300 years ago. [¡­You are very¡­ thorough¡­ Sir Eugene,] Mer finally blurted out. ¡®Somebody should teach these rascals some manners when they are still young. Thanks to me harassing them when we were young, Cyan and Ciel have be decent adults.¡¯ [¡­Yeah¡­ you are great¡­.] Mer stayed silent after saying that. After he had pulled up a chair from nearby, Eugene sat in front of the still-frightenedLeo.Leokept his eyes on the floor. His eyes were filled with tears, but he desperately held back from crying. ¡°Did Sir Alchester tell you to use a squirt gun on me?¡± Eugene tilted his head slightly. ¡°¡­No¡­.¡± ¡°Then who did? Did somebody else in this mansion tell you to ssh the annoying Eugene Lionheart¡¯s face with vinegar water?¡± ¡°No, I ¡ª I just wanted to shoot you with water, Mister.¡± ¡°If you call me ¡®mister¡¯ one more time¡­.¡± Not finishing his sentence, Eugene crossed his legs.Leoflinched as he saw Eugene. ¡°¡­I¡¯m going to do something much scarier than you can imagine right now.¡± ¡°Yeah, yes, brother.¡±Leofervently nodded. ¡°So, why did you want to shoot me with water?¡± ¡°¡­People told me you are a great knight¡­ so I thought you would dodge my attack¡­,¡±Leotimidly exined. ¡°Of course, I can avoid your attack. I didn¡¯t do so on purpose,¡± Eugene said as he flicked his fingers, straighteningLeo¡¯s posture. Baffled,Leolooked back and forth between himself and Eugene. ¡°What, what was that? Was it mana? You used mana to move me, right?¡± ¡®Huh.¡¯Eugene stared atLeoas he raised an eyebrow. He hadn¡¯t paid much attention when Alchester bragged about his talented son¡­. It seemed likeLeowas talented enough for the best knight of the empire to be proud of. ¡°¡­Woah¡­ Wow¡­!¡±Leoeximed as he felt a little bit of Eugene¡¯s mana nudging his body. It wasmon for children born in prestigious warrior families to study mana from a young age. Therefore the children often felt mana even though they were young. Even Ciel and Cyan had begun to study mana when they were little children. However,Leosensed mana better than Eugene had thought. He was using a tiny amount of mana to nudgeLeoright now. Most knights wouldn¡¯t be able to feel Eugene¡¯s mana if he used it this way. He wasn¡¯t perfect, butLeowas partially sensing Eugene¡¯s mana as he moved his body around. ¡®He is interesting.¡¯Eugene grinned. He was here to contact the dragon, butLeo¡¯s talent intrigued him. Holding Akasha inside his cloak, Eugene recalled a magic form inside his head. He didn¡¯t even need to chant. His will was enough to cast the spell. Woosh. As he focused onLeo, Eugene¡¯s view changed a bit. He had used a high-level analysis spell to seeLeo¡¯s Core and mana flow. Eugeneusedmagic but couldn¡¯t seeLeo¡¯s Cores or mana flow. [Eh?] Mer tilted her head in confusion too. Showing an aptitude for mana control from a young age wasn¡¯t surprising if the child was born and raised in a prestigious warrior family. However, magic resistance was a different story. Eugene had used a Sixth Circle spell named Detecteye, but the boy, who wasn¡¯t even born from a wizard family, resisted the spell without using resistance magic or an artifact that held the magic. How was this possible? [¡­This¡­ isn¡¯t magic resistance,] Mer deduced. ¡®I know.¡¯ If that were the case,Leowould have resisted when Eugene forced the vinegar water into his mouth and nose. Once again, Eugene recalled the form, and Mer assisted him this time. Zinnng! He focused again, but he still couldn¡¯t seeLeo¡¯s Core. Just like Mer had said before, it didn''t make sense for Eugene to be unable to seeLeo''s state at all, no matter how strongLeo''s magic resistance was. WasLeousing some kind of magic? No. Eugene couldn''t detect any magic right now. ''¡­He is¡­ not doing this on a conscious level. If a ten-year-old kid can nullify magic like this, this bastard would be Vermouth''s reincarnation.¡¯ ¡°Who do you like better, Sir Vermouth or Sir Hamel?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Pardon?¡± ¡°Who do you like better?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°¡­I¡­ like Sir Orix Dragonic.¡± There was no way that Vermouth would say such bullshit. ¡°Come here.¡± Eugene suddenly gestured toLeo, and he approached furtively. WhenLeocame close enough, Eugene swiftly reached out and snatchedLeo''s wrist. ¡°What, what is it?¡± ¡°Stay still. I need to see your physical condition in order to teach you.¡± Squinting atLeo¡¯s face, Eugene made up an excuse as he infused his mana throughLeo¡¯s wrist. Eugene¡¯s mana circted insideLeo¡¯s body without any hindrance. SinceLeohad no idea what Eugene was doing, he just blinked. ¡°¡­Something is crawling up my arm from my wrist¡­. You are doing this now, right?¡± The analysis spell didn¡¯t even work onLeo, but Eugene could infuse his mana intoLeo¡¯s body without a problem. It was hard to believe, but wasLeojust born with great magic resistance? Since Eugene had a hard time believing it, he used Detecteye once again. Just then, Eugene unwittingly let go ofLeo¡¯s hand, because a shiver suddenly ran down his spine, making Eugene put on a solemn face. When had Eugene felt this? He was sure he had felt this before. Brushing his arms full of goosebumps, Eugene took a step back. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who had felt it. Mer, who had been analyzingLeo¡¯s peculiarity with Eugene from inside the cloak, shrieked. An unfamiliar, foreign sense of intense pressure had frightened Mer, so she buried her head in Eugene¡¯s chest. ¡®Fear.¡¯That was the first word that came to Eugene¡¯s mind. Mer had never acted this way when she had met the Demon King¡¯s remnant and Iris, even though they also acted hostile, giving off intense pressure. Eugene finally realized what he had just felt.Leowasn¡¯t being hostile or showing a desire to kill, but he was using a skill that paralyzed and scattered the nearby mana, just like a beast¡¯s howling petrified its prey. ¡®¡­Dragon Fear.¡¯ Raizakia had used this skill which could only be used by dragons. With this skill, those arrogant dragons could scatter magic and petrify mana. ¡°What¡­ what¡¯s wrong?¡±Leolooked at Eugene in a baffled state because he had just seen Eugene¡¯s cloak wiggling and strands of purple hair through the cloak¡¯s gap. AlthoughLeoreally wanted to ask about the small shriek he had just heard, he stayed quiet because Eugene¡¯s face looked solemn. ¡®¡­He subconsciously radiates Dragon Fear, but he can¡¯t sense his own Fear?¡¯Eugene swiftly began to think about what had triggeredLeo¡¯s Dragon Fear. HadLeoinstinctively reacted to the foreign mana inside his body? How in the world had he done that? * * * The Dragonics¡¯ training center was a dome-shaped building located a little bit far from the Dragonic mansion. ¡°What do you think of my son?¡± Alchester asked with twinkling eyes. ¡°I can see why you are so proud of him, Sir Alchester.¡± Watching the spells that filled the building¡¯s walls, Eugene continued, ¡°He especially has an outstanding aptitude in mana control that made me feel like he is indeed a dragon¡¯s heir.¡± While he spoke, Eugene observed Alchester¡¯s reaction to see if he revealed anything, but Alchester just smiled wildly when Eugene praisedLeo. ¡°¡­That made me curious.¡± ¡°What are you curious about?¡± ¡°Every citizen in the Kiehl Empire knows that the first ancestor of the Dragonics, Orix Dragonic, was a half-dragon. Among his descendants, you, the best knight of the Kiehl Empire in this generation¡­ and your son,Leo, inherited the ¡®purest¡¯ dragon blood, right?¡± Eugene spoke as he continued to observe Alchester¡¯s reaction. ¡°¡­I¡¯m so grateful and happy to hear that.¡± Feeling touched, Alchester nodded delightedly. ¡°300 years have passed since my first ancestor established the Dragonic n. The Dragonic n was founded in the same era as the Lionheart n, and we continued to live up to Sir Orix¡¯s name. I am not supposed to say these things myself¡­ but I have tried my best to take after my first ancestor who protected Kiehl in times of war.¡± It wasn¡¯t what Eugene wanted to hear. ¡°However, I can¡¯t say I¡¯m special, considering how every Dragonic Patriarch tried to protect Kiehl. Didn¡¯t the Lionheart Patriarchs also do that? They must have trained themselves to take after the Great Vermouth because they respected him¡­.¡± Eugene listened quietly. ¡°I hope my son chooses the same path as me by following a code of chivalry, serving His Majesty as his lord, and protecting the empire. Someday¡­ when my son inherits my position as His Majesty¡¯s guard¡­ thenLeowill maintain a close rtionship with your Lionheart¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a candidate for the Patriarch position.¡± Eugene interrupted. ¡°¡­Yes, that¡¯s right. My bad, but you¡¯ll still be a Lionheart then, right? So you and my son will be able to protect Kiehlter¡­.¡± ¡°Are you able to use Dragon Fear, Sir Alchester?¡± Eugene simply asked since the conversation was never going to end if Eugene just kept beating around the bush. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Dragon Fear. Can you use it?¡± Eugene repeated. Orix wasn¡¯t a half-dragon. He had luckily obtained a Dragonheart. Orix¡¯s descendants didn¡¯t have the dragon¡¯s blood. So how was it possible forLeoto use Dragon Fear? Even if it were possible, could a ten-year-old kid radiate Dragon Fear? ¡°When you are talking about Dragon Fear¡­. Uh¡­. You are talking about the feeling of intense pressure that a dragon radiates, right?¡± Alchester spoke, baffled. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°How can a person radiate Dragon Fear?¡± Alchester asked innocently. ¡°¡­But¡­ aren¡¯t you the descendant of Sir Orix, the half-dragon?¡± ¡°That is right. However, no Dragonic Patriarch was able to use Dragon Fear, including me.¡± Eugene listened as Alchester continued. ¡°You¡­ umm¡­ are a bit simr to Lady Carmen.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene swiftly raised his head. ¡°No, no. Don¡¯t take this the wrong way. I¡¯m aware that you two don¡¯t share blood and are very far from each other in the Lionheart family tree. It¡¯s just that¡­ you two have a simr personality.¡± ¡°What in the world are you talking about?¡± Eugene asked after managing to stop himself from cursing aloud. How could Alchester say Eugene was simr to a woman who couldn¡¯t act her age and had a hobby and taste that ordinary people would only enjoy during adolescence? ¡°¡­Lady Carmen also asked¡­ simr questions in this mansion a long time ago.¡± ¡°¡­What were the questions?¡± Eugene was almost scared to ask this. ¡°She asked if I could use Dragon Breath.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t know how to respond. ¡°She also asked if I was hiding wings in my back and a tail in my bottom¡­ and whether or not a dark dragon was sealed in my right arm¡­.[1]¡± ¡°I know I am being really rude, but Lady Carmen is insane,¡± Eugene finally said without blinking. ¡°¡­I think she is a very consistent person.¡± Alchester cleared his throat as he stepped back. ¡°And I respect her as a knight and a martial artist.¡± ¡°¡­Anyhow, so are you unable to use Dragon Fear?¡± Eugene bitterly asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to use it.¡± Alchester shrugged. He didn¡¯t look like he was lying. Well, everyone around Alchester would have noticed it if he could really use Dragon Fear. ¡°¡­I think we talked enough about Dragon Fear, so I would like to talk about why I called you here¡­.¡± Alchester cleared his throat again and straightened his posture. ¡°¡­The Lionheart¡¯s White me Form and Red me Form are very popr, but I¡¯m aware of how it is forbidden to teach those forms to outsiders.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s correct.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°Of course, I am not expecting you to teachLeothe White me Form and the Red me Form. Although I wish you could teachLeoyour swordsmanship, which you have shown before, it would be too difficult forLeoto learn that right now.¡± ¡°I will try¡­.¡± ¡°No, what I¡¯m trying to say is that you don¡¯t have to try too hard in teachingLeo. Like I said, I just want you to beLeo''s¡­ and the Dragonics¡¯ friend for a long time.¡± ¡°But I have to teach him something, right?¡± ¡°Trick.¡± Alchester grinned as he spoke of one word. ¡°I want you to teach my son about your trick in controlling mana.¡± Alchester¡¯s request made Eugene see him in a different light. Just like Carmen had said, Alchester may be a timid and well-mannered man, but he was indeed insightful enough to be called the best knight of the empire. ¡°There would be so many examples of tricks, such as the best method to distribute the person¡¯s mana to create sword energy, the method to unite mana to transform sword energy into sword force, the best method to circte mana through the person¡¯s Core, or the first pathway in the person¡¯s body that was supposed to be used while infusing mana.¡± Leowas a genius in controlling mana. Other people would also consider Eugene a genius in mana control.Leoand Eugene had simr talent, but Eugene had mastered mana control, so Alchester wanted Eugene¡¯s trick. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not difficult to teach my trick¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking you to teach it for free,¡± Alchester said as he grabbed the sword on his waist. ¡°In return, I¡¯ll teach you the Dragonic Style.¡± ¡ªI was Alchester¡¯s martial art teacher. I didn¡¯t prefer a sword or a spear since I was a child, so I taught him hand-to-handbat.In return,the Dragonic Patriarch at the time taught me the n¡¯s martial arts¡­.It didn¡¯t help me much. ¡°¡­Uhm¡­.¡± Eugene bowed as he recalled what Carmen had said. ¡°I look forward to our sparring.¡± Alchester¡¯s lesson hadn¡¯t begun, but Eugene felt like he was already suffering a loss¡­ until Alchester pulled out his sword. Chapter 176: Ariartelle (1)

Chapter 176: Ariartelle (1)

Alchester slowly drew his sword. His stance hadn¡¯t changed much, but Eugene felt apletely different sense of presenceing from Alchester. Right now, in Eugene¡¯s eyes, Alchester¡¯s fighting spirit didn¡¯t seem to have been aroused, but the usual sense of foppishness couldn¡¯t be felt at all. Instead, there was an extreme sharpness. Even in his previous life, it was rare for Eugene to have seen someone whose entire sense of presence resonated so closely with their sword. ¡®...If it¡¯s in terms of sharpness alone, then he¡¯s even better than Gilead,¡¯Eugene judged. In terms of swords, such changes in presence should only correspond to a swordman¡¯s inner nature. That was why Alchester¡¯s sharpness came as even more of a surprise. ¡°...The Great Vermouth was able to wield such a wide range of weapons and magic that he was even called the Master-of-All, but Orix Dragonic only ever used a single sword.¡± As he stared down at his drawn sword, Alchester continued, ¡°In the following three hundred years, the Dragonic family has continued to develop the swordsmanship left by our founding ancestor. ¡­Even though I am a distant descendant, I¡¯m fully aware of the serious hardships my ancestors were forced to bear while doing so.¡± ¡°What hardships are you talking about?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Sir Orix Dragonic had the strength of a half-human-half-dragon, but his strength wasn¡¯t passed on to the future generations,¡± Alchester said regretfully as he shook his head with a bitter smile. ¡°It¡¯s said that Sir Orix could emit a sword-force as tall as a mountain peak and as wide as a castle wall, but it was impossible for theter generations to do the same. My ancestors and even I didn¡¯t have a huge reserve of mana like Sir Orix did, nor did we share the same aptitude with mana that all half-human-half-dragons have.¡± That was only natural. After all, Orix wasn¡¯t a real half-human-half-dragon, and he had gained his strength by consuming a Dragonheart all by himself. Eugene had also once shared a Dragonheart with hispanions in his previous life, so he was well aware of how much mana was contained in a single Dragonheart. ¡°...However, my ancestors didn¡¯t give up,¡± Alchester dered proudly as he extended his sword. Fwoosh! The blue light of his sword-force wrapped around the de. There wasn¡¯t anything special up to that point, but the change that urred after this caused even Eugene to feel surprised. The sword-force had suddenly swollen significantly. After examining Alchester¡¯s sword-force without saying a word, Eugene nodded with an exmation, ¡°...Aha.¡± He had figured out the method used to perform such a technique. The sword-force that Alchester had emitted just now could be said to have reached the pinnacle of efficiency. He had emitted his sword-forced with the minimum amount of mana required, thenbined the mana in the air into his sword-force. By doing so, it was possible to amplify the strength of his sword-force by infusing more mana. However, this technique wasn¡¯t necessarily without its disadvantages. Using mana that hadn¡¯t been processed by his Core resulted in a corresponding loss in Alchester¡¯s control over the power and density of his sword-force. In other words, this sword-force wasn¡¯t actually as powerful as it looked. At this moment, if Eugene pulled out his own sword-force, which was generated through the White me Form, and shed with Alchester¡¯s giant sword-force, Eugene would be able to destroy it with just a few collisions. ¡°It¡¯s not as impressive as it looks,¡± Alchester muttered as he waved the sword around. ¡°That¡¯s why it ended up being named the Empty Sword. The biggest problem with the Empty Sword is its sustainability and durability are far too poor. It also can¡¯t be used properly in ces with low levels of mana, and the longer you activate the technique, the weaker it gets.¡± ¡°...I see,¡± Eugene said with a nod. ¡°My ancestors tried various methods to reduce this technique¡¯s shorings, and they managed to seed to some extent,¡± Alchester said. ¡°How so?¡± Eugene asked, feeling intrigued. Being good at mana maniption in his previous life, Eugene had also tried to develop various methods to extract the maximum amount of power from the little mana he had. By doing so, he had managed to create the method of Ignition, which deliberately overloaded the Core in exchange for power. Ignition still proved useful even now that he had managed to umte a muchrger amount of mana through the Cores formed from the White me Form. ¡®Instead, it¡¯s actually even better than when I used it in my previous life.¡¯ Whether in terms of the body or the Core¡¯s performance, the conditions provided by the White me Form were overwhelmingly better than those Eugene had enjoyed in his previous life, so the stability and output of Ignition when used with the White me Form had increased significantly. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, it seemed like this Empty Sword could also be useful when applied with the White me Form. ¡°Like this,¡± Alchester said as he drew on his mana once more. Anotheryer of mana was added on top of his unstable sword-force. The sword-force and this newyer of mana did not mix. Instead, the mana just covered the surface of the sword-force thinly. Thisyer of mana then slowly tightened, condensing the unstable sword-force. Once done, anotheryer of sword-force was added to the surface. The whole process was then repeated. Eugene felt a sense of pure admiration. Alchester was addingyers of mana and sword-force alternatingly on top of the actual de, like adding coats of paint. ¡°...It¡¯s quite the difficult process,¡± Eugene muttered with a nod of amazement. What Alchester was doing was extremely difficult. By repeatedly coating the sword, the power of the sword-force was amplified and stabilized, but this process of coating required an incredibly high ability in mana maniption. ¡°It gets harder the moreyers you add to it,¡± Alchester said as he stared at his sword. The sword-force had now taken on a deep dark-blue color. The shape of the actual de was no longer even visible. ¡°Even for me, stacking eightyers is my limit,¡± Alchester admitted. ¡°¡­I first seeded in stacking ayer when I was twenty-one years old.¡± That was the age at which Alchester had participated and won the Imperial Martial Arts Tournament. Alcester smiled and dissipated his Empty Sword. The condensed mana flowed back into the air. ¡°You¡¯ll probably do even better than me. When I was still your age¡­,¡± Alchester paused in recollection. ¡°Haha. I was so much weaker that I couldn¡¯t even begin topare with you.¡± ¡°...Isn¡¯t the Empty Sword the Dragonic family¡¯s special technique? Is it really alright for you to teach it to a member of the Lionheart n?¡± Eugene asked hesitantly. ¡°The Dragonic¡¯s martial heritage isn¡¯t limited to just the Empty Sword,¡± Alchester proudly dered as he returned his sword to its scabbard. ¡°As the head of the family, it¡¯s my honor to offer one of the Dragonic¡¯s martial techniques to you, who¡¯ll soon be the future center of the Lionheart n. Of course, that¡¯s only if you want to learn it, that is.¡± ¡°Is there any reason for me to refuse such an offer?¡± Eugene asked with a smirk. After he had been reincarnated and learned the White me Form, he had never once felt a shortage of mana. ¡®Except for when using the Moonlight Sword, that savage de, that is.¡¯ Now that the Eternal Hole had been grafted on with the Ring me Form, the power of his Cores had been amplified to their limit. What if the Empty Sword was added on top of that? That meant there wouldn¡¯t be any mana depletion even if he continued to emit his sword-force for days. Being able to superimpose his sword-force like that would also be an interesting trick. * * * A week had passed since Eugene had first arrived at the Dragonic mansion. During the mornings and afternoons, he taughtLeo, and in the evenings, Alchester guided him in using the Empty Sword at the Dragonic family¡¯s training ground. ¡®This is insane,¡¯Alchester thought to himself, unable to hide his astonishment. Currently, Eugene¡¯s sword was wrapped up in some grayish-white mes. This wasn¡¯t a sword-force made purely from the White me Form. With the technique of the Empty Sword, the mana in the air was drawn in as fuel for the sword-force, then anotheryer of sword-force was added to its surface. At first, this caused the sword-force to look like a dark ray of light, but, little by little, the color of the sword-force was lightening up. This is because the White me Form, which burnt high outputs of mana, was burning the impurities out of the unrefined mana. ¡®...This should allow me to form an Empty Sword withoutpromising the power of the White me Form,¡¯Eugene thought to himself in satisfaction. Even if he had already umted a strong foundation to work on in the past, to think that Eugene would actually seed in forming the Empty Sword in just one week. After seeing this with his own eyes, Alchester felt like part of hismon sense was copsing. ¡°...If you were a woman, I would have used everything in my ability to get you engaged toLeo,¡± Alchester confessed wistfully. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so disgusting,¡± Eugene said with a shudder as he stared down at his Empty Sword. It was hard to get the bnce just right. If he reduced the output of the White me Form, then the power would decrease, but if he maintained the high output, then the stability would fall. No matter how much mastery of mana maniption Eugene had carried over from his previous life, he couldn¡¯t get used to performing such a difficult skill right away. This kind of skill required a tremendous level of practice in addition to the sensitivity and talent needed to even start practicing it. ¡®...For now, this bnce is the best I can maintain,¡¯ Eugene admitted. If that¡¯s the case, then how about stacking it? Eugene connected his Cores through the Ring me Form, and the five Stars rotated together, amplifying his mana. Fwoooosh! His Empty Sword shook strongly. ¡®It¡¯s copsi¡­. No, it hasn¡¯t copsed yet. I need to immediately adapt to the increase in mana and adjust it,''Eugene reminded himself. The amount of mana he had first added to the mes had been random. However, Eugene immediately began to reassess and adjust the amounts. With this, he was able to add anotheryer to the Empty Sword. At two stacks, the grayish-white me burned with even more intensity, then gradually began to burn with a blue light. Cracrack! A sound like space itself being crushed began to echo throughout the training ground. Alchester looked around in bewilderment. All the mana in the training ground was being sucked into Eugene¡¯s me. ¡®Is this really just two stacks?¡¯Alchester thought in disbelief. Slowly even lightning began to mix into those increasingly fierce mes. Cold sweat started to drip down Eugene¡¯s forehead, but his eyes unwaveringly focused on his mana. Mer also stuck her head out from within the cloak to stare at the mes. ck spots began to appear on the mes. Pooow! The Empty Sword scattered into thin air. Eugene let out a deep breath and lowered the sword. No, that thing couldn¡¯t be called a sword any longer. Cracks had spread throughout the de, and it shattered the moment it was lowered. ¡°...Hahaha¡­!¡± Alchester let out an incredulousugh and shook his head. He had sensed an unbelievable amount of powering from it, even though it only held two stacks. Theyering failed only because the power was too great. That Empty Sword had contained a pure ¡®power¡¯ that went beyond the limits of the technique. That was why Alchester couldn¡¯t help but feel a chill run down his spine. Among all the great warriors who had made a name for themselves throughout the continent, how many of them would be able to receive a direct attack from that sword? ¡°Phew,¡± Eugene let out a deep sigh and let go of the broken sword hilt. His fingers were trembling slightly. Not much of the mana from his Cores had been used. The recoil when the Empty Sword had dissipated wasn¡¯t all that great either. But his fingers were still trembling because of the pure bliss that he was feeling. ¡®I reached it,¡¯Eugene silently rejoiced. It wasn¡¯t an illusion. The moment when ck dots had been mixed into his Empty Sword, the power that Eugene had held in his hands barely reached the heights that Hamel had held in his heyday. This brought Eugene great joy. He thought he¡¯d be reaching the Sixth Star of the White me Form soon, but for the moment, Eugene was still stuck at the Fifth Star of the White me Form. Even so, he had managed to hold in his hands the same level of power he had once held in his prime. So what if he hadn¡¯t managed to control it properly? He might not be able to control that level of power now, but he would be able to control it in the future. As long as he could improve his proficiency in the technique through hard work, he just needed to keep training until he could easily use theplete version of the technique. ¡®If I lower my standards in terms of the bnce, I can increase the number ofyers. However, the power won¡¯t be as explosively amplified as before. For now, this is the optimal configuration, and I have no choice but to further adjust the details as things progress¡­,¡¯Eugene gathered his thoughts and raised his head. Alchester still had a look of admiration on his face. Eugene had yet to find any clues regarding the dragon, but he had already reaped an excellent reward foring to the Dragonic family just by acquiring this Empty Sword. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Eugene said sincerely. The ck spots he had seen earlier, their intense color, remained stubbornly stuck inside Alchester¡¯s mind. Instead of feeling jealous and resentful of this young genius in front of him, Alchester was wondering whether he could apply what Eugene had shown him to his own swordsmanship. ¡®...How amazing. Even though I¡¯ve been practicing the Empty Sword for decades¡­ to think that my eyes would be opened to its further possibilities,¡¯Alchester marveled. That was why Alchester couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was all the more bizarre. The level of skill that Eugene had just shown was so high that it seemed impossible for him to have reached such heights at the mere age of twenty, even considering the fact that he was a genius. Alchester felt like he could sense the skills of a warrior who had trained for decadesing from Eugene. ¡°...I¡¯m the one who should be grateful instead,¡± Alchester btedly responded with a smile and a bow of his head. ¡°Thanks to you, I feel like I can still learn something new at myte age.¡± Alchester had thought that he had been close to the limit of what could be reached, but it turned out that was just an absurd and delusional arrogance on his part. Without erasing the smile drawn on his face, Alchester continued speaking, ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no longer any need for me to supervise your sword practice.¡± ¡°You¡¯re overpraising me,¡± Eugene humbly denied. ¡°No. I seriously mean it. In the first ce, your sword¡­ it¡¯s already so perfect that I don¡¯t know what to advise you on. The only advice I could give you was tips on how to practice the Empty Sword,¡± Alchester readily admitted. At first, he had thought that he would be able to at least spend a month giving Eugene just such advice, but Eugene had be so proficient in the Empty Sword that he didn¡¯t need any advice in only two days. And now, after a week, Eugene was already able to reach up to the second stack all on his own. ¡°...I¡¯ve heard a lot about you fromLeoas well.Leoseems to enjoy your tutoring a lot,¡± Alcester remarked happily. ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to the fact thatLeolistens well,¡± Eugene prevaricated. After disciplining that brat in their first meeting, Eugene had guidedLeoin his mana training. Since his talent was outstanding,Leoquickly understood Eugene¡¯s instructions. Although it was impossible at the moment, in a year or so, Eugene expectedLeoto be able to develop his own sword-light. ¡°...I have nothing more to teach you, so I¡¯d feel guilty to keep you in our mansion any longer. You may return to the Lionheart n whenever you wish,¡± Alchester said, feeling that this was the right thing to do. After his son had learned the basics of mana from Eugene, starting four days ago, the two had begun holding lessons outside, with Eugene also guidingLeointo learning martial arts. At first, the knights sworn to the household had been dissatisfied with their one and only young master being taught by a member of the Lionheart n, but after seeing Eugene tutorLeo, they no longer expressed such dissatisfaction. Although he was just tutoring a child, they couldn¡¯t help but acknowledge the physical capabilities that Eugene had revealed. No matter how many rumors they might have heard about Eugene, it was much quicker for them to understand what kind of person he was by looking at him with their own eyes instead of just hearing about him. Given his youth,Leohad a lot to learn, but Alchester had nothing more to teach Eugene. It was impossible to teach Eugene any of their other Secret skills, apart from the Empty Sword, and it was also impossible to lecture this child on his basic skills when his basic skills were just as polished as Alchester¡¯s. ¡°If you say so, then I will leave tomorrow,¡± Eugene said after bowing his head. He left the training ground. It waste at night, and the air was cool ¡ª perfect weather for a walk. Eugene went straight across the garden to the mansion without tossing a backward look at the training ground. [You¡¯re leaving? But you haven¡¯t discovered anything specific yet, have you?] Mer asked with a puzzled expression. Only for Eugene to reply with a grin,¡®There are a few things that have caught my eye.¡¯ During the week spent at the Dragonic mansion, Eugene had reduced his sleeping time to look around the mansion in the early mornings. He avoided the eyes of the many servants and knights and didn¡¯t even step close to the floor Alchester was on. That said, he hadn¡¯t neglected to explore that floor. He had just done so in daylight when he was rtively free to act; he had devoted himself to his search while pretending to be looking at the art disyed on the top floor. But he hadn¡¯t found any traces of the dragon. There weren''t even any special locations in this mansion like the Lionheart estate¡¯s leyline. After struggling to find anything, Eugene decided to rethink the matter from the beginning. ¡®Back to the Dragon Fear,¡¯Eugene recalled. If a ten-year-old child was capable of unconsciously exuding Dragon Fear, there was no way that it would have gone unnoticed. But when he had used a perception spell, he hadn¡¯t been able to look insideLeo¡¯s body. It wasn¡¯t because of the magic resistance inLeo¡¯s body that his spell had failed to see throughLeo. IfLeohad that much magic resistance in the first ce, then Eugene wouldn¡¯t have been able to force the stream of water thatLeohad shot at him back into the kid¡¯s own mouth and nose. When Eugene first felt the Dragon Fear, he had been casting a detection spell while holdingLeo¡¯s wrist. So Eugene thought thatLeohad unconsciously resisted his magic and exuded the Dragon Fear in response. But that wasn¡¯t the case now, was it? The Dragon Fear was just a simple warning from somewhere else. But a warning against what? After organizing all the things that he had learned in the past week inside of his head, Eugene stopped walking. He was in front ofLeo¡¯s room. The door was locked. There weren¡¯t any traces of people in his surroundings. From the moment Eugene entered the mansion, he had cast an invisibility spell and hid his presence as much as possible. Eugene ced his hand on the doorknob and immediately cast a spell. The door opened without a sound. Eugene slipped into the room. He sawLeosleeping on top of hisrge bed, dead to the world. Eugene dispelled the invisibility spell and approachedLeo. He cast another detection spell. It still didn¡¯t work. Eugene kept up the spell as he looked around the room. There was nothing special. Eugene checked onLeo, then ced a hand inside his cloak. Eugene pulled out a small dagger and held it close toLeo¡¯s neck. He didn¡¯t release any killing intent. However, his actions showed no signs of hesitation. The moment his sharp de touchedLeo¡¯s neck, however... Whoosh. The same Dragon Fear asst time attacked Eugene. [Sir Eugene¡­!] Mer called out. Eugene didn¡¯t freeze, immediately springing into action. Where had ite from? The feeling was fleeting and light, but now that he was aware, he had enough time to figure out the truth. Eugene¡¯s eyes quickly scanned the room. His eyesnded on the closed windows. Crackle! Lightning shed up from his feet, and Eugene¡¯s body elerated explosively. ¡°...Huh?¡±Leowoke up, rubbing his sleepy eyes. ¡®I thought I heard something just now¡­?¡¯ But there was no one inside his room. * * * Caught up in a floating sensation with his feet being lifted off the ground, Eugene felt like it was being stretched out and then quickly pulled somewhere else. ¡®A Warp?¡¯ The floating sensation ended in an instant. The ground suddenly reappeared, but Eugenended on his own feet without any unsteadiness. Then, without any loss ofposure, he lifted his head. A dangerous feeling pressed down on his whole body. As if to tear his entire existence into pieces, a wave of violent Dragon Fear poured at him from the front. Eugene felt like every hair on his body was standing on end, but even as this feeling of intimidation washed over him, his shoulders remained upright. ¡°...Just who are you?¡± a voice demanded. In front of a firece, a woman with red hair that was even brighter than the mes of the log fire was ring at Eugene. She seemed to have been reading until just recently, as she was sitting in an armchair with a thick book resting on herp. ¡°I¡¯m Eugene Lionheart,¡± Eugene replied without avoiding her gaze. ¡°...Are dragons these days all so voyeuristic?¡± Eugene slowly turned his head and looked behind him. An entire wall on one side was made of ss, and like a piece of stained ss, it was divided into dozens of different screens that each reflected a different scene. Among these screens were some showingLeo¡¯s room, the hallways of the mansion, the garden, and even the training field. ¡°...How did you find out?¡± the dragon spoke up once more. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have been able to find the door with your magic. I changed the entire Draconic incantation so that you wouldn¡¯t be able to peek at it with your irritating detection spell.¡± ¡°But you didn¡¯t do that on your first day, did you?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°...How could I have known that Akasha¡¯s owner woulde to visit and cast a detection spell?¡± the dragon muttered with a click of her tongue. As expected, the Dragon Fear that Eugene had first sensed fromLeowasn¡¯t becauseLeohimself was resisting the detection spell. The dragon who was watching through the ss window had sent him a warning, fearing that her peeping would be exposed by the detection spell. She hadn¡¯t sent a warning again after that because she had changed her Draconic incantations to evade Eugene¡¯s detection magic. ¡°...I know that there¡¯s no actual dragon blood mixed into the blood of the Dragonic family,¡± Eugene spoke up without any concern on his face. ¡°Also, I¡¯ve actually experienced Dragon Fear personally. When you first sent the Dragon Fear as a warning, I was convinced that a dragon was here.¡± ¡°...You say that you¡¯ve felt Dragon Fear before¡­,¡± the dragon muttered as the Dragon Fear that had been oppressing his whole body disappeared. The dragon tilted her head slightly to the side as she tantly stared at Eugene¡¯s face before eventually saying, ¡°...Eugene Lionheart, a descendant of the Lionheart n. Did you hear about me from Carmen Lionheart?¡± ¡°No,¡± Eugene denied. ¡°As it should be,¡± the dragon nodded. ¡°Her meeting with me was idental, and she even swore an oath in Draconic.¡± It seemed that even this dragon hadn¡¯t suspected that Carmen would get the urge to show off whenever a mention of the word ¡®dragon¡¯ came up. ¡°...If you know about Dragon Fear, that means you must have met a dragon. But I can¡¯t believe that. There¡¯s no way that you, Eugene Lionheart, could have met a dragon,¡± the dragon insisted. ¡°I have no reason to lie to you,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°I met a dragon¡ª¡± ¡°No. You definitely have never met a dragon,¡± the dragon interrupted, narrowing her eyes. ¡°My name is Ariartelle, a member of the Red Dragon Flight and the only dragon to still keep her eyes open. Since I have never met you before, when you im to have met a dragon, it must be a li¡ª¡± This time it was Eugene¡¯s turn to interrupt, ¡°I am Hamel.¡± Ariartelle froze with her mouth open. Chapter 177: Ariartelle (2)

Chapter 177: Ariartelle (2)

It was as if time had just stopped. Aiartelle froze with her mouth wide open. Then, after btedly closing her mouth, she began to silently consider Eugene¡¯s words. Hamel ¡ª although it was unexpected for this name to havee up, Ariartelle was immediately able to recall whose name it was. ¡°...The Stupid Hamel?¡± Ariartelle said hesitantly. Eugene sighed, ¡°Why not just leave out the Stupid part?¡± ¡°Eugene Lionheart, you, a descendant of Vermouth Lionheart, are iming that you¡¯retheStupid Hamel?¡± ¡°I told you to leave out the Stupid part.¡± ¡°...Human, are you seriously trying to make fun of me?¡± Ariartelle demanded as she stared at Eugene with slightly furrowed eyes. Although she didn¡¯t release any of that ruthless Dragon Fear, even without that, Eugene could clearly tell that Ariartelle was highly displeased. After wondering what he could do to make her believe him, Eugene thought of a simple method. He immediately stuck his hand inside his cloak. Ariartelle was slightly startled by this sudden move, but she soon resumed watching Eugene with a calm gaze. Eugene couldn¡¯t retrieve his hand from inside his cloak right away. This was because Mer had grabbed onto his hand. She was curled up into a ball and trembling inside the cloak. Eugene frowned as he felt Mer¡¯s trembling conveyed through her grip on his hand. But, instead of frowning because of Mer¡¯s resistance, Eugene red at Ariartelle, who was responsible for attacking them with her Dragon Fear in the first ce. ¡°Hey, she¡¯s terrified because of you,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°...What?¡± Ariartelle asked in a puzzled tone, but instead of answering, Eugene just stroked Mer¡¯s head with his hand that was inside the cloak. However, her trembling refused to abate. Dragon Fear was spread by scattering mana. Thus, as a familiar, Mer was more sensitive to Dragon Fear than a human, especially because she had a sense of self-awareness that allowed her to be scared of being destroyed. Eventually, Eugene managed to pull Mer out of the cloak. ¡°...I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± Mer insisted in a shaky voice, even though her body continued to tremble. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Eugene mumbled infort as he hugged Mer with one arm. Mer sniffed as she buried her face into Eugene¡¯s chest and handed over Wynnyd, which she had carried out of the cloak with her. ¡°...I¡¯m not here because I¡¯m afraid,¡± Mer imed. ¡°Since you are looking for Wynnyd, I decided to bring it to you myself, Sir Eugene. ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Eugene continued to murmur infort. ¡°Since I''d be bored staying in the cloak on my own, I¡¯ve decided to stay with you, Sir Eugene, for now.¡± ¡°Alright, alright.¡± ¡­Just what in the world were they doing? Ariartelle narrowed her eyes as she scanned Mer. Although she looked no different from a human being, this was definitely a familiar that had been created through highly advanced magic. Even for Ariartelle, it would be impossible to create a familiar with such a high level of realism. ¡®...For him to hold that familiar in his arms like she was a child¡­,¡¯Ariartelle thought curiously. ¡°Do you have a problem with keeping your eyes wide open?¡± Eugene asked suddenly. ¡°...Are you talking to me?¡± Ariartelle demanded as her cheeks twitched in irritation. Instead of replying, Eugene drew Wynnyd. The wind immediately enveloped the silver-blue de. Soon the Wind Spirit King, Tempest, arrived in response to Eugene¡¯s summons. It appeared as if he already understood the situation, as Tempest appeared in front of Eugene in the form of a small whirlwind rather than his usual full-scale storm. ¡°...The Wind Spirit King¡­,¡± Ariartelle recognized Tempest. After looking back and forth between Tempest and Eugene, she tilted her head to the side and asked, ¡°...You surely haven¡¯t summoned the Spirit King with the intention of fighting me, have you?¡± ¡°Tempest, tell her about the fact that I¡¯m Hamel,¡± Eugene ordered. Eugene had no intention of doing something like fighting Ariartelle, a dragon, head-on. He just summoned Tempest because he needed a guarantor. [...Young dragon. He really is Hamel Dynas, the one who made a name for himself three hundred years ago. And in the current era, he is known as the Stupid Hamel.] Ariartelle listened silently. [I understand your disbelief, but I, Tempest, guarantee that Eugene Lionheart is the reincarnation of Hamel. As you should know, a Spirit King like me wouldn¡¯t lie to you like this.] ¡°...Did you just say reincarnation?¡± Ariartelle muttered with a nk expression. Even though it had been personally guaranteed by a Spirit King, she stared nkly into Eugene¡¯s face, unable to believe it. A hero from three hundred years ago had been reincarnated into the present age. And as a descendant of a fellow hero at that? Reincarnation of the soul was nothing special. All beings died someday and were reincarnated into other beings. However, being reincarnated with their memories of their past life intact was, in Ariartelle¡¯s opinion, something impossible to be a coincidence. If that was the case, then had someone nned his reincarnation? Was that something even possible to do with magic? ¡°...I¡¯ll believe you for now,¡± Ariartelle conceded, nodding slowly. She had some serious suspicions about Eugene¡¯s reincarnation, but at the same time, she felt curious about why Eugene hade looking for her here. ¡°...If you really are Hamel, then you would, of course, be aware that the founder of the Dragonic family wasn¡¯t a half-man-half-dragon. Since you were living in the same era as him,¡± Ariartelle concluded. ¡°So why is a dragon watching over the Dragonic family?¡± Eugene asked as he turned his head to look behind him. He might not know where exactly this ce was, but it was clear that Ariartelle had been watching over the Dragonic family for quite some time. ¡°...You could consider it a form of entertainment,¡± Ariartelle replied with a wave of her hand. At this gesture, all the screens that filled the wall were turned off simultaneously. Ariartelle continued, ¡°Pasquez, the dragon that the founder of the family, Orix Dragonic, imed as his own ¡®father,¡¯ was actually my father. ¡­Orix absorbed my father¡¯s Dragonheart and then lied to the world, iming that Pasquez was his father and that he was a half-human-half-dragon.¡± ¡°...If you consider that an insult to your father, have you thought of trying to erase the Dragonic Family?¡± Eugene brought up carefully. ¡°No, I don¡¯t really consider that an insult,¡± Ariartelle denied. ¡°My father died while I was still just an egg, and dragons do not feel much affection for their parents in the first ce.¡± Tempest had referred to Ariartelle as ¡®a young dragon.¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t know how long a dragon¡¯s lifespan was nor how old they needed to be to still be called ¡®young.¡¯ ¡°...How old are you?¡± Eugen decided to ask openly. After consideration, Ariartelle eventually decided to answer him, ¡°...I¡¯m over two hundred years¡ª¡± ¡°So you''re younger than me,¡± Eugene interrupted her triumphantly. ¡°Hmm?¡± Tempest turned his head to look at Eugene with a confused expression, and even Mer, whose face was still buried in Eugene¡¯s chest, raised her head to stare at him. Ariartelle appeared just as confused. Her eyes widened into circles as she looked at Eugene, and she tilted her head to the side in question. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°While I¡¯m not sure about the first time you shot your Dragon Fear at me, just earlier, you shot your Dragon Fear at me because you thought that I was about to kill Leo, right? To me, that doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re simply watching them for your own entertainment.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be strange for me to just let him die while I¡¯m watching?¡± Ariartelle said defensively. Eugene let out a snort at this off-bnce answer as he continued to rub Mer¡¯s back. ¡°The truth is that I¡¯m not really interested in your reasons for doing so,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me whether I know or not.¡± While Eugene wasn¡¯t even able to guess what a dragon¡¯s version of family affection might look like, seeing how she was looking over them like this, it was clear that Ariartelle had some form of attachment to the Dragonic Family. However, that was none of Eugene¡¯s business. Although he may have developed some feelings of respect for Alchester after being taught the Empty Sword, the bond between Ariartelle and the Dragonic Family seemed several times deeper and more personal than the bond between Eugene and Alchester. So rather than a mystery like that, Eugene was more concerned with something that Ariartelle had said earlier. ¡°...Did you say that you¡¯re the only dragon whose eyes are still open in the present era?¡± Eugene asked in confirmation. Three hundred years ago, the dragons fought a battle with the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration withdrew from the front line after killing five or six dragons, while the Demon King of Destruction ughtered half of all the dragons. During that battle, Raizakia betrayed his fellow dragons. He killed the Lord of All Dragons, who had been leading them from the front with a surprise attack from behind, took the Lord¡¯s Dragonheart, and then fled from the frontlines. ¡°...Stupid Hamel, you should also be aware of what kind of battle the dragons fought three hundred years ago. In that battle with the Demon King of Destruction, barely half of the dragons managed to survive, but the ones who did weren¡¯t unharmed,¡± Ariartelle said in grave tones. In Helmuth, they had met a dragon who was on the brink of death. ¡°Dragons whose deaths are imminent will devise methods to make their remaining lifespan worthwhile,¡± Ariartelle continued. ¡°¡­¡± Eugene listened in silence. Ariartelle exined, ¡°A deceased dragon will leave no trace of their presence in this world. Their bones, scales, blood, and heart, everything will just return back to mana. Some of the dying dragons decided that they wanted to leave their hearts behind, and my father, Pasquez, was one of them.¡± Pasquez created a dungeon as a test of ability and sealed his own Dragonheart at the end. He hoped that an outstanding adventurer who had managed to break through his dungeon would absorb his Dragonheart and continue to y an active role in saving this terrible world. ¡­Although he wasn¡¯t that outstanding, Oryx Dragonic did manage to break through the dungeon as Pasquez had hoped andid his hands on the Dragonheart. In his previous life, Hamel and hisrades managed to get their hands on a Dragonheart through simr means. ¡°...The dragons whose deaths were unavoidable disappeared from the world like this, while the dragons who were in slightly better states devoted themselves to caring for their own wounds. However, the war ended before the dragons could recover and return to the battlefield,¡± Ariartelle revealed. The Great Vermouth managed to wring out an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the contents of that Oath were,¡± Ariartelle confessed. ¡°However, after the Oath was sworn, the dragons all decided to go into hibernation at the same time. I, who was just a newborn hatchling at that time, was charged with the duty of managing the ¡®cradle¡¯ and remained alone in this world all on my own.¡± At the mention of the Oath, Eugene shot a nce at Tempest. However, Tempest didn¡¯t show any sort of reaction to this. Tempest had probably been aware that the dragons had gone into hibernation, but it seemed that he wasn¡¯t in a position to reveal this without permission. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been possible for them to heal their wounds without going to sleep?¡± Eugene asked in uncertainty. ¡°I don¡¯t know why all the other dragons went into hibernation simultaneously, either. That should be a satisfactory exnation for your question. So, Stupid Hamel, just what business has brought you toe looking for a dragon?¡± Ariartelle asked while at the same time making a disy of her full power. Although it was certainly interesting that the one in front of her was the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago, there wasn¡¯t any reason for Ariartelle to bow her head in front of him. ¡°I want to borrow your strength,¡± Eugene revealed without any hesitation. At these words, Ariartelle let out a snort as if she had been expecting him to say something like that and shook her head, ¡°How regrettable, Stupid Hamel, you seem to want to borrow my power to bring an end to the Demon King subjugation that you weren¡¯t able to fully achieve three hundred years ago, but unfortunately I am not in a position where I can be greatly involved in the affairs of the world¡ª¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Eugene interjected. ¡°How could you expect me to join forces with a dragon who¡¯s only a little over two hundred years old to defeat the Demon Kings?¡± ¡°...If so, just what in the world have youe looking for?¡± Ariartelle demanded. ¡°I need your draconic magic,¡± Eugene revealed. Ariartelle¡¯s brow furrowed as she tilted her head to the other side and asked, ¡°...Just what exactly is it that you want?¡± ¡°I need a spell that searches for a gap between dimensions,¡± Eugene exined as he dragged over a nearby chair without asking for permission and sat down in front of Ariartelle. ¡°I don¡¯t know the exact coordinates of the gap, and I don¡¯t even know which dimension it¡¯s next to. What I do know is that it can¡¯t be in a dimension too far from our own. I¡¯m also a wizard, so speaking from my perspective, I feel that the gap is probably somewhere that straddles our own dimension.¡± ¡°¡­¡± Ariartelle was speechless. ¡°The spell, a Forced Expulsion to an Outer Dimension, was cast in an iplete form, so the subject was only thrown into a gap between the dimensions,¡± Eugene informed her. ¡°Even so, their link to this world has not been severed. It seems that their contract with their subordinates is still being supported in a limited fashion¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on¡­ just hold on a moment,¡± Ariartelle raised her hands and interrupted Eugene, unable to hide how flustered she was. ¡°A Forced Expulsion to an Outer Dimension? So it¡¯s a spell meant to banish a target to an outer dimension through magic?¡± ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s absurd. There¡¯s no way that such a spell exists. Forcibly banishing an existence is impossible, even with a draconic incantation spell. Just who in the world would¡ª¡± ¡°Sienna Merdein.¡± The name that Eugene spat out caused Mer to prick up her ears. If she had her way, she would have shrugged in disdain and even puffed her chest a little to show off, but Mer was still in a state of fear because of the Dragon Fear that Ariartelle had emitted. ¡°The Wise Sienna¡­¡± Ariartelle muttered in realization. ¡°Whether or not such a spell actually exists is none of my business. Sienna cast it, and what I said did happen,¡± Eugene stated confidently. ¡°Just what in the world¡­ would be able to survive going through a dimensional rift?¡± Ariartelle asked in shock. ¡°The ck Dragon Raizakia,¡± Eugene finally revealed. The moment that name passed his lips, Ariartelle shot up out of her seat. Her red hair shook like a wave of mes, and her eyes were filled with strong murderous intent. She even began to ruthlessly emit her Dragon Fear. While hugging the trembling Mer with an even tighter grip, Eugene red at Ariartelle. He cursed, ¡°Fuck, I told you not to do that!¡± Ariartelle roared, ¡°Raizakia¡­! The ck Dragon! You¡¯re talking about the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s Raizakia?! Stupid Hamel! Are you actually trying to save Raizakia from a gap between dimensions?!¡± Did she have to keep using that foolish name and call him the Stupid Hamel? There was no way that she could possibly think that calling him by that title was showing off her draconic dignity, was there? Eugene snorted, ¡°Why would I want to save him? I want to find him to finish him off, but it would be a bit difficult to find him with just my abilities. That¡¯s why I need your help¡ª¡± ¡°You want to kill that Raizakia with your own hands?! Stupid Hamel, I know you were a hero in the past, but you can¡¯t kill Raizakia with your current strength!¡± Ariartelle chastised. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that on my own, so¡­ for now, calm down, retract your Dragon Fear, and take a seat,¡± Eugene calmly instructed. ¡°And stop calling me stupid.¡± ¡°I¡­ I will help you. Raizakia is a traitor to all dragons. His misdeeds must end at the hands of us dragons¡­. Wait, no¡­,¡± Ariartelle trailed off, her eyes widening hugely. She covered her head with both hands, groaned, then sat down with a sigh. ¡°Do I really¡­ no, there¡¯s no way. I already have a different mission¡­.¡± ¡°No, stop. I¡¯ve never even asked you to fight alongside me, so why are you making a fuss all by yourself? I just need you to tell me the method to find the gap between dimensions where Raizakia is trapped,¡± Eugene reminded her. ¡°Such a spell doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Ariartelle said thoughtfully as she tapped her temple. ¡°A dimensional gap¡­ if the contract between the master and his subordinates is still intact¡­ that means that his connection with the world hasn¡¯t been fully severed. However, if such a contract is under the full control of the master, and the contractors cannot go against it or even interfere with it¡­ then¡­.¡± Ariartelle muttered to herself for quite some time. Eugene left Ariartelle alone while she was upied with this and turned to look around the room. Eugene still didn¡¯t know where this ce was exactly. He first decided to approach a window and look outside, only to see the scenery of a secluded rural vige. ¡®This ce seems to be in Kiehl¡­ but where exactly?¡¯Eugene thought curiously. For now, all he knew was that this house wasn¡¯t a mansion for nobles or wealthy merchants. It was just a small, ordinary house that you could find in any vige. And apart from Ariartelle, it didn¡¯t seem like anyone else was living here. ¡°Strengthening a tracking spell¡­ to be able to find its targets beyond this space and in another dimension¡­. No¡­. Once you leave the spatial area and go into the gap between dimensions, things like boundaries and coordinates are meaningless¡­. If we just want to get a rough heading¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± Ariartelle muttered to herself for quite some time before lifting her head. ¡°...Let¡¯s cooperate.¡± ¡°How would you like to do that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯ll ce the draconic magic needed to track down Raizakia in an artifact. However, it¡¯s impossible to find Raizakia with just this. We need something connected to Raizakia,¡± Ariartelle informed him. ¡°Connected?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Something like an item that Raizakia has carried with him for a long time. The longer an item has been carried with him, the more of his spiritual energy it should have absorbed, and such spiritual energy is bound to have the disposition of its owner engraved in it,¡± Ariartelle exined. ¡°An item, you say¡­ what about blood?¡± Eugene asked, his eyes brightening. Blood? When Ariartelle asked him to borate, Eugene informed her about the possibility that the Raizakia who was currently ruling over the Dragon Demon Castle couldn¡¯t be Raizakia himself and might just be his hatchling. ¡°Unlike with a contractor, such blood ties are of equal restraint to both parties. If it really is Raizakia¡¯s hatchling, then we might just be able to find Raizakia through him,¡± Ariartelle confirmed optimistically. Having heard all this, Eugene pulled Akasha out of a pocket. Ariartelle¡¯s eyes shook as she saw the red jewel glowing at the tip of the staff. This was a staff that had been created using a Dragonheart and the branches of the World Tree. Ariartelle gulped, mesmerized by the power of the staff. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Ariartelle asked once she collected herposure. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t such a draconic spell work well when engraved into Akasha? The effect should be amplified as well,¡± Eugene guessed. ¡°That might be the case, but I won¡¯t be able to carve such a spell into it right now,¡± Ariartelle informed him. ¡°Then I¡¯ll just leave it with you for now,¡± Eugene replied to her calmly and handed Akasha over to Ariartelle. ¡°Can Ie back to pick it up in a week¡¯s time?¡± ¡°That much time¡­ should be enough,¡± Ariartelle agreed. Eugene¡¯s attitude confused Ariartelle. Even though she was a dragon, this human wasn¡¯t showing her the respect a dragon deserved. Instead, it felt like he was entrusting this item to her like she was somemon cksmith or a seamstress¡­. ¡°By the way, you and Lady Carmen¡­ why did you make that Heaven Genocide for her?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°What is ¡®Heaven Genocide¡¯?¡± Ariartelle asked in confusion. Was she just pretending not to know? With some embarrassment, Eugene exined, ¡°...It¡¯s that thing. The thing that usually looks like a pocket watch, but if you shout ''form change,'' it goes through a strange transformation¡­.¡± ¡°...Are you talking about the Alchemy Gloves?¡± Ariartelle murmured. ¡°It was all because of an idental meeting.¡± Decades ago, Ariartelle had been doing what she did every day, enjoying her leisure time while watching the scenes of the Dragonic mansion y out across her viewing wall. She was interested in thedy from the Lionheart n who had arrived at the mansion a few days ago. Although her personality was a bit bizarre, Ariartelle admired her good looks and martial arts skills. Alchester had been five years old at the time, but unlike his father, who didn¡¯t have any talent, Alchester was extremely precocious. If that child were to be the next Patriarch, then the Dragonic family would enjoy greater power than ever before. Then, what if they managed to arrange a betrothal to the Lady of the Lionheart n on top of that? ¡°...A dragon¡¯s daily life is quite boring. So dragons soothe the boredom of their life through various amusements. It¡¯s for the same reasons that I watch over the Dragonic family. Watching these humans live their short lives with such passion and even tracking the progress of a family is quite an immersive pastime, even for a dragon. It could be said to be simr to how humans watch creative performances such as operas and ys,¡± Ariartelle exined. Contrary to what Ariartelle had hoped for, Carmen didn¡¯t feel any affection towards Alchester. That was the same for Alchester. In the first ce, Carmen was seventeen years old back then, while Alchester was only five. Although there hadn''t been any progress in terms of a rtionship, Ariartelle never lost interest in watching Carmen Lionheart. This was because Carmen was more bizarre than any human that Ariartelle had seen thus far. ¡°...Carmen Lionheart was a fascinating human. When she was alone in her room, she once drew a strange magic circle on the floor and attempted to cast a spell all on her own. It was just a scribble without any magical influences, and the spell she cast was¡­,¡± Ariartelle hesitated. Eugene groaned, ¡°I don¡¯t think I really want to know what she said¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really want to say it either,¡± Ariartelle agreed. Ariartelle grew sloppy. She couldn¡¯t help but think of it that way. Carmen was so much fun to watch that she ended up watching over Carmen far too closely. No... more than that, it happened because Ariartelle could have never imagined that Carmen would behave like that. ¡°One day, after Carmen Lionheart had returned from her training and finished washing up, she became enamored with her reflection in the mirror,¡± Ariartelle began. ¡°What?¡± Eugene barked in confusion. ¡°Don¡¯t humans sometimes behave like that?¡± Ariartelle asked. ¡°With her hair still drenched, her eyes watering, and her rough panting¡­ Carmen Lionheart seemed to really be appreciating her own appearance, only for her to suddenly m her fist into the mirror.¡± ¡°...No¡­ just what?¡± Eugene asked once more. ¡°Carmen ended up passing through that mirror and arriving here,¡± Ariartelle¡¯s expression crumpled as she recalled that moment. Back then, Ariartelle had actually been punched right in the eye by Carmen¡¯s fist, but she had no desire to allow such an incident to escape her lips. Ariartelle continued, ¡°...The Alchemy Gloves were something from my mother¡¯sir, battle artifacts that could change their appearance in response to their owner¡¯s blood. I gave her those Alchemy Gloves as a reminder to keep our meeting a secret and as a tribute to a human with such outstanding talents.¡± Deep down, she had actually hoped that Carmen would develop a good rtionship with Alchester after receiving such a gift and knowing that a dragon was behind the Dragonic family. Carmen made a promise with Ariartelle not to tell anyone, but that didn¡¯t matter as long as Carmen herself knew. For a family with a dragon watching them from behind the scenes, Ariartelle didn¡¯t think that it would be too unconventional for Carmen to consider marrying a boy twelve years younger than her. Contrary to her wishes, however, Carmen hadn¡¯t married Alchester in the end. Alchester himself didn¡¯t have any romantic interest in Carmen. Ultimately, all that happened was that those precious Alchemy Gloves were reborn as Heaven Genocide in Carmen¡¯s hands. ¡°...Why did she hit the mirror?¡± Eugene asked, still confused. More than a few people would have gotten the feeling that their reflection in the mirror looked quite sexy after having taken a bath. But why would she then hit the mirror? More than anything else, Eugene just couldn¡¯t understand this fact. Favorite Chapter 178: Ariartelle (3)

Chapter 178: Ariartelle (3)

Located in Boyno, the outskirts of the Kiehl Empire, the vige Ariartelle lived in was as rustic as Gidol, Eugene¡¯s hometown. When Eugene arrived in the vige, he finally understood why Cyan and Ciel had said some specific things before. ¡°¡­It smells like cow dung,¡± Eugenemented bitterly. To some level, Cyan and Ciel had spoken the truth. The smell of cow and horse dung wafted around the quiet countryside. ¡°Won¡¯t it be better to live in a city rather than the countryside?¡± Eugene muttered to himself. ¡°I hate the city because it¡¯s noisy there,¡± Ariartelle mumbled, frowning after she had followed Eugene outside. She looked like she had nothing to do aside from watching what was happening in the Dragonic mansion while cooping herself inside her home, so why would she care if the outside of her house was noisy? ¡­However, Eugene decided to not ask Ariartelle the question. ¡°Don¡¯te looking for me on your own,¡± Ariartelle spoke. ¡°This is a quiet vige. If a warp gate connecting to the capital was opened here, the news would shock everyone in the town. If one of the Lionhearts used the warp gate, the vigers would be hellbent on holding a festival.¡± ¡°¡­Are you exaggerating a bit?¡± Eugene asked reluctantly. ¡°This vige held a festival for a neighbor¡¯s dog when it first seeded in using a potty. I don¡¯t want to provide any excuses for the vige to have another festival or attract attention because of you.¡± If she really didn¡¯t want to receive attention, shouldn¡¯t she have lived in a secluded mountain vige instead of a vige like this? And how could she hope to not draw unwanted attention with her fiery red hair? ¡­Eugene didn¡¯t ask those questions too. ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± Eugene tilted his head. ¡°What do you mean? I will just send the magic staff, as I don¡¯t want to be associated with you any further,¡± Ariartelle spoke, ring at Eugene. ¡°¡­Stupid Hamel, I¡¯m telling you this now because I was too distracted, but I¡¯m really not pleased about your sudden visit. If you weren¡¯t a Lionheart and the Stupid Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, I would have made you pay for your rudeness with your life.¡± ¡°What does the fact that I¡¯m a Lionheart have to do with anything?¡± Eugene asked with faint annoyance. ¡°It is true that the world became peaceful after the Great Vermouth swore the Oath. I¡¯m a dragon, but I respect the Great Vermouth.¡± Ariartelle nodded solemnly. ¡°But why aren¡¯t you respecting me? I also fucking cut the heads of three Demon Kings with Vermouth.¡± ¡°¡­I forgave your sudden visit and your rude remarks, so aren¡¯t I respecting you enough?¡± ¡°I think you need to respect me alotmore. To be frank with you, I will kill Raizakia, the motherfucker of the dragons, on your and other dragons¡¯ behalf and finish the task that the solidly sleeping dragons weren¡¯t able to do 300 years ago.¡± ¡°¡­You are going to finish it? How?¡± Ariartelle¡¯s eyes sparkled. ¡°Are you seriously asking that? I¡¯m going to kill Raizakia, the Demon King of Incarceration, and the Demon King of Destruction. In the process, I will probably kill all the other high-ranking demonfolks and wipe out Helmuth that braggingly calls itself an empire,¡± Eugene said nonchntly, but Ariartelle believed none of Eugene¡¯s words woulde true. However, Eugene¡¯s eyes were calm, and his voice didn¡¯t tremble, so he sounded like he was talking about his daily life, just telling her he was hungry or thirsty. If a person was hungry, they needed to eat, and they could just drink if they were thirsty. So yes, everything Eugene said wasn¡¯t difficult toplete because all he had to do was just do it. Killing Raizakia, the Demon King of Incarceration, the Demon King of Destruction, and wiping out Helmuth could nevere true, but Eugene spoke as if he could just do the impossible if he just tried. Therefore Ariartelle was confused. She was a young dragon who had recently graduated from being a hatchling, and she hadn¡¯t even been born 300 years ago, the time when the world was in the heat of war. Only after Vermouth had seeded in wringing out an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration and the world gained peace had she hatched from the egg. She hadn¡¯t experienced the war, but she knew how horrible the war was 300 years ago. Dragons lived for eons, and the dragons, who had barely survived the fight against the Demon King of Destruction, said that the scariest and most horrible being they encountered during their lifespan was the Demon King of Destruction, followed by the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®You can¡¯t fight with the Demon King of Destruction.¡¯The dragon had told Vermouth and his party as hisst words. The dragon¡¯sst words were also the lesson that every dragon learned through extreme pain. Even Ariartelle had heard this from her mother before she had gone dormant. Showing her crushed scales and wounds underneath, her mother warned Ariartelle tonevergo to Helmuth, try to take revenge on Raizakia for the other dragons, or to fight against the Demon King of Incarceration, or stand in front of the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°Hamel.¡± Ariartelle no longer added stupid in front of his name because she could finally realize that the man in front of her wasn¡¯t the 20-year-old Eugene Lionheart. He was the leading star of the war and had journeyed to kill the three Demon Kings alongside the hero Vermouth, who had challenged the Demon Kings. The same Demon Kings who had clipped the wings of all the dragons 300 years ago. ¡°Ariartelle, the cradle¡¯s manager and the only dragon to be awake, would like to ask Hamel Dynas¡­. Are you really going to kill all the Demon Kings?¡± Ariartelle asked solemnly. ¡°Then shall I make pinky swears with the sleeping dragons or something?¡± Eugene snorted as he answered, ¡°I prefer punching and swinging a sword to making promises.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Ariartelle didn¡¯t need to suggest Eugene take a vow because she read Eugene¡¯s hatred and the strong desire to kill, which hadn¡¯t subsided or decreased over time, in his calm golden eyes. Hamel ¡ª no, Eugene Lionheart was going to kill all the Demon Kings. Even if he failed to achieve the goal due to hisck of strength, he would continue to try everything he could to kill the Demon Kings until thest day of his life. ¡°¡­That cloak,¡± Ariartelle observed Eugene¡¯s Cloak of Darkness closely. The cloak was an extraordinary artifact that no longer needed to be improved. The inside of the cloak was carved with the highest-ranking spatial magic, and its outside was filled with appearance-changing spells and defensive spells for physical and magical attacks. ¡°¡­It¡¯s already a great artifact, but it isn''t a good enough armor if I think about the enemies you will face.¡± Ariartelle raised her hand, splitting the air, and put her hand in the split space. ¡°I¡¯m managing the assets of the dormant dragons, but I assume you won¡¯t need jewels or coins since you¡¯re a member of the prestigious Lionhearts,¡± Ariartelle spoke as she pulled out an ordinary-looking golden ring. ¡°I hope this aids your journey.¡± However, Eugene knew that the ring was never an ordinary ring. Unlike its exterior, the inside of the ring was pitch-ck because it was filled with small indecipherable letters, creating magic forms. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s Agaroth¡¯s ring. Do you know who he is?¡± Ariartelle looked at Eugene. ¡°I don¡¯t know. Who is he?¡± ¡°¡­He is one of the ancient gods who had disappeared due to the myth that mainly emphasized the God of Light. You must have received a high level of education since you were born in the prestigious noble house,¡± Ariartelle exined. There was one religion that could be called the biggest religion in this world right now, and it was that of the God of Light served by the Holy Empire Yuras. The religion was not only believed in Yuras, but it was also believed all over the continent. The God of Light wasn¡¯t the only god on the continent. Although Yuras had officially made the God of Light religion a state religion, the other nations guaranteed the freedom of religious beliefs, leading to different countries and tribes believing in various gods. For example, the citizens of Nahama believed in the God of Desert and Sand. The people in Shimuin, who were famous for upholding the code of chivalry, believed in the God of Knights and Honor. There were also various beliefs in the Kiehl Empire, but the most famous god was the God of Light, followed by the God of Abundance and Prosperity. Aside from the gods that people still believed in, it was known that many other deities had existed in ancient times. ¡°Agaroth is an ancient God of War from the old era that even dragons who lived for eons don¡¯t remember. The ring is the remaining artifact from the Age of Myth.¡± The ring flew toward Eugene from Ariartelle¡¯s hand. When Eugene reached out with his left hand, the ring put itself on Eugene¡¯s ring finger even though his fingers weren¡¯t adorned with any essories. ¡°Why did you put it on my ring finger?¡± Eugene tilted his head. ¡°From ancient times, the ring on the ring finger has various meanings, from a contract, a bond, a promise,¡± Ariartelle calmly spoke. After pricking Eugene¡¯s finger, the ring shrunk its size to fit his finger and absorbed his blood. Shortly after, an invisible barrier covered Eugene¡¯s body underneath his uniform. Although Eugene was sure something had covered his skin, he could feel nothing. When he brushed his skin, he could still feel his arm and pull out his arm hair. He could even feel a little pain if he pinched his skin. ¡°The ring will protect you from lethal dangers,¡± Ariartelle continued. ¡°It won¡¯t protect you perfectly, but it will help a lot in fighting against your enemies.¡± ¡°Give me Akasha.¡± Eugene gestured at Ariartelle. After Ariartelle handed him Akasha, he red at the ring and could understand the various spells engraved on it one by one. This was ancient magic ¡ª no, closer to divine magic. ¡®¡­It is impossible to decipher them, and they don¡¯t look like they require mana.¡¯Eugene observed the ring. Though he was observing the spells with Akasha¡¯s aid, he couldn¡¯t replicate them without using the ring itself. This was the case with all divine magic. While it was technically still ssified as magic, it was fundamentally different from regr magic that used mana, for which reason the powers of priests and pdins were called ¡®miracles.¡¯ ¡®¡­A magic barrier. ¡­Is¡­ this healing magic? The healing magic forcefully increases the regenerative abilities of the ring owner to the maximum limit¡­. Luckily, it¡¯s only activated when I want it to,¡¯Eugene thought. He now understood what Agaroth¡¯s ring was. At the cost of forcefully recovering the owner¡¯s fucked-up body, the ring¡¯s healing spell decreased the ring owner¡¯s life span, stealing the owner¡¯s future. Along with figuring out why the ring made a contract with the owner through their ring finger and siphoned their blood, Eugene had alsoprehended why Agaroth, the ring¡¯s original owner, was a God of War. Agaroth wanted the owner to stand up and fight after recovering their half-dead body multiple times through the ring. Eugene chuckled as he clenched his fists. If he inevitably used the healing spell, he would need plenty of rest and recover his vitality that would be drained away by the ring. Moreover, he wouldn¡¯t be able to overuse the ring¡¯s regenerative ability in battles. Although it depended on the severity of the wounds, recovering from one fatal injury with the aid of the ring would make it useless for further consecutive uses. ¡®Using it with Ignition¡­ is impossible. I would rather suffer the rebound.¡¯Eugene clicked his tongue. The idea of using Ignition to the level at which he burst his heart and healing the shattered heart with Agaroth¡¯s ring came to his mind. Not only was it a brainlessly crazy method, but it also wouldn¡¯t give him the efficiency he thought it would give, so it would just make him idiotically self-destruct. ¡®It¡¯ll be for the best to just receive treatments for injuries, so I guess it¡¯s just insurance for an inevitable moment¡­. It¡¯s also lucky that I can choose whether or not to use the ability. I can heal my injuries just enough for my body to survive and recover my lost life span after I survive.¡¯ If he hadn¡¯t understood the ring through Akasha, he would have overused it on battlefields and died a sudden death. Snorting at the God of War¡¯s naughtiness and atrocity, Eugene clenched his fists as he asked, ¡°Are you not going to give me any weapons?¡± ¡°You no longer need any new weapons.¡± Ariartelle shook her head. The Storm Sword Wynnyd alone was one of the strongest weapons on the continent. Aside from the sword, the Lionhearts possessed various weapons, strong enough to even make dragons madly obsessed. Vermouth had found and monopolized the hidden weapons of the Age of Myth from around the continent 300 years ago. Including the dormant dragons¡¯ assets, no stronger weapons existed than the ones the Lionhearts possessed. ¡°I want to decide whether or not I need them though¡­. It looks really bothersome to manage the dragons¡¯ assets, so why don¡¯t you leave that to me? I will put them to good use and return them in one piece, along with some money and jewels¡­.¡± ¡°If you go through the full-length mirror in the living room, you will be able to return to the Dragonic estate.¡± Ariartelle took Akasha away from Eugene without further ado. ¡°I will carve the Draconic spell on the magic staff and send it to the Lionheart estate, so don¡¯te to visit me anymore.¡± It looked like she had no intention of entrusting Eugene with the dragons¡¯ entire assets. * * * Eugene gained more than he had thought he could from the week he had spent in the Dragonic mansion. First, Alchester had taught Eugene the Empty Palm. Then Eugene had met Ariartelle, the dragon, and learned that all the dragons aside from her had gone dormant. Andstly, he had obtained Agaroth¡¯s ring, which would be Eugene¡¯s insurance in a worst-case scenario. But his biggest achievement was that he could now track Raizakia using the Draconic spell that would be carved on Akasha. Although he still needed Raizakia¡¯s personal items that had been used over a long period or the blood of Raizakia¡¯s hatchling, he now had options ¡ª a significant improvement over the time when Eugene had just wandered around without any clues. ¡®I have to go to the Dragon DemonCastle either way.¡¯Eugene came to a conclusion. Although it was a very urate conclusion, he couldn¡¯t depart to the castle immediately as he still needed to decide if he was going to barge into the Dragon Demon Castle or sneak inside. No matter his choice, going to the Dragon Demon Castle meant that Eugene was going to Helmuth. On top of that, the Dragon Demon Castle was filled with beings who hated humans the most in all of Helmuth. ¡®¡­Aside from finding Raizakia¡­.¡¯ The Draconic spell that would be carved on Akasha would haveplicated magic forms, but they had one simple purpose ¡ª tracking. ¡®¡­I might be able to find the Moonlight Sword¡¯s fragment through the spell.¡¯ Eugene had too many strong enemies to kill, so if he could restore the Moonlight Sword to its original state from 300 years ago, it would be of tremendous help to Eugene in killing them. ¡®¡­And¡­. Vermouth.¡¯Eugene thought bitterly. Vermouth had hidden the fact that he hadn¡¯t died for 200 years and put a hole in Sienna¡¯s chest. ¡®He also left the Moonlight Sword inside my coffin.¡¯ After stealing Sienna¡¯s ne to interfere with Eugene¡¯s reincarnation, he had left the ne in the treasure house of the Lionheart family¡¯s main branch. Using the spell, Eugene could perhaps track down the unfathomable bastard. ¡­Sob¡­. ¡®¡­Maybe I can even find Anise or Molon. Anise¡­ umm¡­ became an angel¡­ then will it lead me to heaven?¡¯Eugene wondered. Sob¡­. Sob, sob¡­. ¡®It seems Molon isstill alive, considering how he was healthy and well 100 years ago. Wait, he didn¡¯t die in the meantime, right?Molon¡¯sfavorite items will be there in the Ruhr Kingdom¡¯s castle¡­.¡¯Eugene made a n in his mind. Sob¡­. ¡°Why are you weeping?¡± Eugene frowned and looked forward, seeing the crying Leo as he drooped his shoulders. ¡°¡­Are you not sad?¡± Leo asked with difficulty. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m going die? Huh? Or are you going to die?¡± ¡°Sob¡­.¡± Leo just cried. ¡°Why in the world are you crying? Why are you so sad about me returning to my own home?¡± Eugene genuinely wondered. ¡°I can no longer learn from you¡­.¡± Leo¡¯s shoulders trembled. ¡°I have taught you everything I can, so you don¡¯t need my lessons anymore, Leo Dragonic.¡± Eugene firmly said, thinking this would be a better way to calm Leo down than sloppily pacifying him. Although he had been annoyed just now, Eugene solemnly put his hand on Leo¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Shed sweat instead of tears, boy. The more sweat you shed, the stronger you will be. Don¡¯t forget my lessons during the training.¡± ¡°¡­I will, I will.¡± Leo fervently nodded. ¡°Obey Sir Alchester¡¯s words, and don¡¯t swagger as you just rely on your father¡¯s power. If you swagger without knowing anything about reality, you might get killed by a person who is scarier than me.¡± ¡°Yeah, I will¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve taught you for a week, but don¡¯t mistake yourself and visit the Lionhearts on your own, thinking we have a special bond.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Leo asked back, unable to understand Eugene. After pondering for a moment, Eugene rephrased his words for a ten-year-old to understand clearly and said, ¡°If you want toe, ask me if you cane, but don¡¯te if I say no, got it?¡± ¡°Okay!¡± Leo smiled brightly as he imagined visiting the Lionhearts to meet Eugene. Of course, Eugene would say no to Leo, no matter what he said. ¡®I yed with children seven years ago, so I can¡¯t y with a child again at this age.¡¯ Weren''t the current Cyan and Ciel children if Eugene added the age from his past life to his current age? ¡®Then what about me? Am I old?¡¯ The thought suddenly popped into Eugene¡¯s mind, but he didn¡¯t think about it further. ¡®It¡¯s better to be young than old.¡¯ Including his past life, Eugene was lenient with only himself in many ways. Chapter 179: Ariartelle (4)

Chapter 179: Ariartelle (4)

When Eugene returned to the Lionheart estate, nothing had changed. This was not surprising, though, considering that he had only been away for a week. ¡°How¡¯s Leo Dragonic?¡± Gilead interrupted Eugene¡¯s report in the Patriarch¡¯s office. ¡°He¡¯s young, but he¡¯s a genius,¡± Eugene answered. At the same time, Carmen, who was sitting beside Gilead, flicked open the lid of her Dupont lighter. ¡®How much longer is she nning to do that¡­?¡¯Eugene wondered, avoiding Carmen¡¯s gaze. Well¡­ at least he tried to ignore it. Pong! Carmen flicked her lighter lid once more. Holding back the sigh that was stuck in his throat, Eugene turned his head to look at Carmen¡¯s lighter as he said, ¡°It¡¯s a cool lighter.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like the word genius being used lightly¡­¡± Carmen muttered, creating fire with her finger that flicked the lighter lid. Pzzz. ¡°When you talk about him being a genius, do you mean the next Dragonic Patriarch is as great a genius as you, or maybe even better?¡± Carmen asked. ¡°Not really. If I just take into ount his gifts, Leo is a little bit better than Cyan.¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°That is not good news.¡± Carmen faintly frowned. ¡°I¡¯m saying Leo is better than Cyan if I only take into ount his talent. Otherwise, Cyan and Leo are totally different people. While Leo¡­ umm¡­ feels that he is doing pretty fine, Cyan is never satisfied with himself,¡± Eugene exined. Although he had been with Leo for just a week, it had been more than enough for Eugene to figure out Leo¡¯s personality to some extent. After giving it some serious thought, Eugene hade to a conclusion. Leo Dragonic had exceptional innate talent and was passionate about learning and training himself. He was also proud of his Dragonic blood and the n that he had been born into ¡ª meaning that he was in a good environment, averygood environment. Leo was the only rightful heir of the Dragonics. Within twenty years or so, Leo would be the Dragonic Patriarch no matter what. Leo was well aware of everything: Alchester Dragonic, his father and the best knight of the empire, loved him. Just like the Dragonic Knights werepletely devoted to Alchester, they would swear the same loyalty to him someday. ¡°In order to be truly powerful, talent is not nearly enough. What you need is tenacity that allows you to endure any and all effort and hardships,¡± Eugene continued his exnation. In an environment like Leo¡¯s, it was hard for a person to acquire that tenacity, but what about Cyan? Although he was currently the heir of the prestigious Lionheart n, he hadn¡¯t been designated as the heir from the start, because neither was Anci the first wife, nor he the Patriarch¡¯s first son. ¡°Ever since he was a child, Cyan had to continuously prove himself. Even though he was raised in such a tough environment, and had my shadow continuously looming over him, didn¡¯t he brave through anyway? Cyan has be a fine adult.¡± Eugene faintly smiled. ¡°Not as good as you.¡± Carmen shrugged. ¡°Well, I¡¯m still not going to be the Patriarch. Anyhow, Cyan¡¯s upbringing was much tougher than whatever Leo experienced, and he is by far more tenacious. You are well aware of it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eugene said, making Carmen grin. If they chose the next Patriarch solely based on individual power, then that individual would undoubtedly be Eugene, and Cyan was also well aware of it. However, Cyan hadn¡¯t given up. Since he knew that he wasn¡¯t the perfect heir, then he simply had to be perfect. Considering that hewasgoing to be the next Patriarch if no incident urred, he could afford to loosen up a little, yet he still devoted himself to training every single day. This earned him the respect and support of the Lionheart n members. People usually cheered much more for someone who wasn¡¯t perfect but did their best and never gave up rather than for someone who was just perfect from the get-go. ¡°To put it simply, Leo can¡¯t beat Cyan.¡± Eugene summed up concisely. Carmen was very much into friendship, faith, and the springtime of youth. Feeling goosebumps at Eugene¡¯s inspiring speech, she nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful conclusion.¡± Staring at the me in her hands for a moment, Carmen then snapped shut the lighter lid. Gilead also looked rather pleased. When Gilead had adopted Eugene and brought him to the main estate seven years ago, Gilead had some worries, but those worries no longer existed. In fact, they had been reced by a feeling of his own inadequacy, especially due to having witnessed Eugene¡¯s swordsmanship in the previouspetition. During thepetition, Eugene¡¯s swordsmanship set fire to the hearts of all the Lionhearts. ¡°Shall we stroll together?¡± Carmen randomly asked after she and Eugene had exited Gilead¡¯s office. The reason was obvious. Looking at the mumbling Carmen, Eugene chuckled. It seemed like although she wanted to question him, she wasn¡¯t able to speak properly, so she just opened and closed her mouth several times, looking really frustrated. ¡°Why did you hit the mirror?¡± Eugene just directly asked Carmen the question he really wanted to ask, and she knew what Eugene meant. When other people were forced to recall an embarrassing memory from the distant past, they would pretend that they didn¡¯t know anything or make excuses with a flushed face, but that was not the case with Carmen. Of course, Carmen wasn¡¯t embarrassed about her past one bit, so she proudly answered, ¡°I wanted to shatter myself.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Eugene was more confused by her answer. ¡°The egg is the world.[1]¡± What was she trying to say? ¡° Whoever wants to be born must first destroy a world,¡± Carmen solemnly spoke. ¡°¡­It¡¯s a mirror, not an egg¡­¡± Eugene quietly mumbled, feeling a headacheing. ¡°My reflection in the mirror is myself in the mirror of another, opposite reality, so don¡¯t you find that the wall between us is like the shell of an egg? So what would then happen if I reached out toward my mirror self?¡± Carmen held up her fist. ¡°When I touched the mirror, my fist touched another reality¡­ shattering it. I hoped to be reborn.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­.¡± Eugene half-heartedly nodded. ¡°And Iwasactually reborn because the coincidental encounter led me to another world. Eugene, you know that story¡­ because you met, right?¡± Carmen¡¯s face brightened up. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you.¡± Eugene pretended that he had made a vow, although, unlike Carmen, he hadn¡¯t made a promise in Draconic to keep the meeting with Ariartelle secret. He felt like he would end up losing his mind if he talked with Carmen about this. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no other choice then.¡± Carmen nodded. Although she wanted to talk in detail about the mysterious experience, Carmen understood that it was impossible to break the vow, since she was also under a vow. Looking disappointed, Carmen retreated, so Eugene silently heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Hey.¡± After checking Carmen had gone away far enough, Eugene red downward. ¡°Are you happy?¡± He snorted when he heard a gasp from downstairs. Cyan quickly ran up to Eugene. ¡°What, what do you mean I¡¯m happy?¡± ¡°Why are you ying dumb when you ran your ass off to get here?¡± Eugene tilted his head. ¡°No¡­ well¡­. I was just a bit surprised,¡± Cyan mumbled. ¡°You¡¯ve been sneaky ever since you were a child. It makes you look like a wuss, man,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°You are too harsh on your brother¡­.¡± Cyan trailed off. ¡°If you¡¯ve eavesdropped on apliment, you should also dly take the criticism. So, are you happy?¡± Eugene asked again. Unable to say anything, Cyan cleared his throat because, of course, he felt good. Who would hate it if they eavesdropped on other peopleplimenting them? ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m just saying this so you wouldn¡¯t misunderstand. I didn¡¯t eavesdrop. I could just hear it since as you know, Father¡¯s office is right above my room,¡± Cyan quickly exined. ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Patriarch¡¯s office soundproofed?¡± ¡°Well, the builders finished the estate expansion in such a hurry¡­.¡± Cyan turned his head sideways. ¡°Then I¡¯ve to telldy Anci that the fucking builders did a shit job on the expansion even though they were paid alot,¡± Eugene spoke coldly, causing Cyan¡¯s eyes to widen. ¡°Wait¡­ there¡¯s no need to tell Mother¡­. I could hear Father¡¯s voice and yours, that¡¯s all¡­. My ears just work better than usual¡­.¡± Cyan¡¯s voice was barely audible now. Instead of saying something, Eugene just squinted at Cyan. Thetter could almost physically feel the sting of Eugene¡¯s gaze. After tapping on the floor with his toes several times, Cyan heaved a big sigh as he confessed, ¡°Well, you know¡­ sometimes people get curious¡­ and they listen to things¡­.¡± ¡°Sneaky bastard.¡± Eugene grinned. ¡°Not like I eavesdropped on anything confidential or bad¡­. Hey, what¡¯s your next n?¡± Cyan¡¯s face brightened up. ¡°The same things I always do.¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°I knew it! Then why don¡¯t you check my swordsmanship, since we haven¡¯t done it in a while?¡± Cyan tapped the hilt of his sword as he conveniently changed the topic. It seemed that he was eager to train more after hearing thepliments from upstairs. ¡°Sure.¡± Eugene had no reason to refuse. Although the estate¡¯s training area had been expanded significantly, too many knights were training there. Receiving the knights¡¯ greetings, Eugene and Cyan left the estate and headed to the forest. ¡°Is it because elves live here? I feel like my mana training always goes smoothly in the forest,¡± Cyan brightly spoke. ¡°Idiot, you could always train better in the forest anyway, so what do the elves living here have to do with anything?¡± Eugene tilted his head. ¡°Well¡­ it is said that the elven race originates from a fairy living in the forest, so the presence of the elves makes the forest more special¡­.¡± ¡°Just in case, I¡¯m warning you not to force the elves to cater to your weird preferences, got it?¡± ¡°Who the hell do you think I am?¡± Cyan turned away in shock. Eugene recalled the adult books that Cyan had indulged in ever since he was little and the women wearing suggestive clothing on the covers. ¡°If you dare so much as suggest that¡­.¡± Eugene tantly stared at Cyan¡¯s crotch, and his gaze was so cold that Cyan shivered. Crossing his legs, Cyan frowned. ¡°This is so unfair.¡± The training area in the forest was much quieter than the one in the estate, but there were still some people training in there. Eugene looked at the training area where he could see Dezra, who was busting her ass trying to control the sleek-looking Wyvern. Judging from her intively shaking hands on the reins, she was practicing her Wyvern riding skill. In front of Dezra, Ciel was looking at her with a resigned gaze. Although Ciel was also riding a Wyvern, she wasfortably sitting on top of the Wyvern, and her arms were crossed ¡ª her mount was obedient even though she wasn¡¯t holding the reins. ¡°You are doing it wrong! A Wyvern is totally different from a horse. These guys don¡¯t run, they fly,¡± Ciel exined. ¡°I don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to fly because I don¡¯t have wings.¡± Dezra pouted. ¡°S.O. I.M.A.G.I.N.E! See, your sitting position is also wrong. The Wyvern can¡¯t move his wings if you sit there. Move a little bit forward¡­. It¡¯s important to be one with the Wyvern, be one, Dezra! Your uselessly big butt should stick to the Wyvern¡¯s scales!¡± Ciel shouted. ¡°M-my butt isn¡¯t big¡­!¡± Dezra talked back. ¡°That¡¯s your problem now?! Focus on the important part! Be one! Are you ¡ª are you seriously capable of nothing? Lean closer to the Wyvern and stop pulling the reins! Hold it as if it¡¯s a part of you.¡± Ciel poured out nagging sentence after sentence without stopping once. The more Ciel continued, the more Dezra¡¯s shoulders trembled, but Ciel didn¡¯t stop. ¡°Don¡¯t try to make yourselffortable, think about the Wyvern that is squashed under your big butt right now. And also think of me, who gave up her only day off on this sunny day to teach you, and also think of Draggy, who keeps folding and closing his wings to show you how it¡¯s done!¡± ¡°Sob¡­ sob¡­¡± Dezra¡¯s eyes filled up with tears. ¡°Don¡¯t cry! What are you going to do if you cry? Nothing can be solved by crying! You are doing it again! You are not leaning onto the Wyvern enough again! No matter what you hear, maintain your position! Even if you get stabbed and your guts pour out during your flight, don¡¯t let go of the reins¡­¡± Ciel shouted at the top of her lungs. Just hearing Ciel¡¯s nagging was enough to make Cyan shudder. ¡°Phew¡­.¡± Cyan sympathetically looked at Dezra¡¯s drooping shoulders. During the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony and the hunt in the ck Lion Castle¡¯s forest, she hadn¡¯t hesitated to talk back to everyone, but she now acted like a whining puppy with its tail between its legs in front of Ciel. ¡°Um¡­. Sister, why don¡¯t you cut¡ª¡± Cyan stepped up. ¡°Be quiet, Cyan. I¡¯m not wrong! She must learn the correct way now, otherwise she will only be a nuisance to the other knights in our division,¡± Ciel growled. Although she knew that Cyan and Eugene were watching, who cared? As Dezra¡¯s superior, Ciel had to grasp her subordinate with a firm hand in order to teach her properly. If a cavalryman made a mistake during a battle, they would just fall off their horse and end up with bruises, but a Wyvern rider making a mistake during an air battle would quite literally result in the rider plummeting down from the sky. If so, not only could Dezra die, but she would also cause harm to the other knights because their formation would break. ¡°She¡¯s right.¡± Eugene shrugged. ¡°¡­Well, she can be more gentle¡­¡± Cyan timidly suggested. ¡°I know this from my lessons with you. If the situation demands it, it¡¯s better to scold the student thanfort them,¡± Eugene said. ¡°What did I do now¡­?¡± Cyan pouted as he felt the heat on him. Since Eugene was taking her side, Ciel brightly smiled. ¡°¡­Hmm, hmm. Watch me, Derza. I¡¯ll show you how to make a Wyvern walk.¡± ¡°Okay¡­¡± Dezra answered, sobbing. ¡°Stop crying! Pay attention, my Draggy is known to walk most elegantly and stylishly among all the ck Lion Knight¡¯s wyverns.¡± Ciel raised her chin, looking proud as she pulled the reins little by little. She spurred Draggy toward Eugene as if she were leading a parade, but after walking a few steps forward, Draggy refused to move due to his vivid memory of Eugene beating him up and pulling out his scales. Instead of approaching Eugene, Draggy groaned and shook his head. ¡°Draggy!¡± Ciel¡¯s eyes shone with surprise. She couldn¡¯t believe Draggy was embarrassing her before her subordinate. ¡°Dezra! It¡¯s all your fault.¡± ¡°Pardon?¡± Dezra flinched. ¡°Because you¡¯ve been acting stupid until now, Draggy had to repeat his demonstration several times, making him too tired to move!¡± Ciel shouted. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± Dezra spoke quietly. ¡°Am I wrong? So you haven¡¯t been acting stupid? Then prove it. Fly!¡± Ciel urged. ¡°I c-can¡¯t,¡± Dezra stuttered. ¡°Stupid Dezra,¡± Ciel snapped. She dismounted Draggy, then she approached Eugene. ¡°How was the Dragonic esta¡ª¡± Ciel froze up in the middle of her question, her gentle smile instantly wiped off her face. ¡°Why did you stop?¡± Eugene asked. She couldn¡¯t just say that she had seen the ring on his ring finger¡­ right? ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked again. Ciel¡¯s expression kept changing. Her eyebrows raised and dropped, she looked pensive, and then she frowned¡­. She looked as if she was going to say something, but she stopped herself. She shivered for a moment, then her gaze turned ice cold. It was Cyan¡¯s first time seeing his sister acting like this, but the instinct engraved in his very blood and flesh let him know that he ought to be afraid¡­veryafraid. When he was a child, he had once feared ghosts; however, he now realized how insignificant ghosts were. The real terror was standing right before him. Right now, not only was his sister scarier than a ghost, but unlike ghosts, she was actually real, in front of his eyes. ¡°¡­Urgh¡­.¡± Dezra groaned in fear as she saw Ciel¡¯s triceps and deltoid wriggling from behind. ¡®She¡¯s going to p him,¡¯Dezra thought as she held her breath. Ciel was indeed actively thinking about pping Eugene with her full power, and wondering whether or not she should go ahead and put her thoughts into practice. ¡°¡­What¡­ what?¡± Eugene subconsciously stuttered, something that almost never happened to him. That was how sudden and intense the energy Ciel released was. In the meanwhile, Ciel recalled the Dragonic family tree. The Dragonic Patriarch was Alchester Dragonic, and he had one wife. They only had a ten-year-old son, Leo Dragonic. Therefore, Eugene clearly hadn¡¯t gotten engaged with a Dragonic family member all of a sudden, but romance between a man and a woman could spark rather abruptly. Since the Dragonic n was very prestigious, there had to be many young maids in the estate. ¡­So was Eugene the noble young master in love with a maid? Although she knew that this kind of romance novels were always hits, she couldn¡¯t believe that Eugene ¡ª who only focused on swinging swords, training until he sweated, and eating meat ¡ª would hook up with a maid who wasn¡¯t even a Lionheart. In that case¡­ had Eugene fallen in love with one of the Dragonic Knights? Which of the Dragonic Knights was female? ¡°¡­Hey.¡± Ciel forced herself to calm down. Her face-pping muscles stopped twitching, to Dezra¡¯s relief, but even though she tried to suppress her emotions, her body still tensed up against her will. With a trembling grin, she continued, ¡°...what¡¯s with that ring?¡± She could guess at it all day, but she couldn¡¯te up with an answer. Therefore, she decided to just ask. Chapter 180: Ariartelle (5)

Chapter 180: Ariartelle (5)

When Ciel asked about the ring, Eugene opened his eyes wide, wondering what she meant about a ring. ¡®Wait¡­ a ring?''Eugene realized. ¡°Ah.¡± Eugene held up his left hand and stared at Agaroth¡¯s ring on his ring finger. Although he was wearing a ring, he didn¡¯t really feel it, and it didn¡¯t hinder Eugene from clenching, unclenching, or moving his hand. Looking back and forth between the ring and Ciel, Eugene exined, ¡°¡­It¡¯s a gift¡­.¡± ¡°From who?¡± Ciel asked quickly. It was a difficult question to answer since the ring was from Ariartelle, the dragon. He hadn¡¯t made any vow using Draconic to not talk anything about her to someone else, but Eugene had no intention to speak about Ariartelle unless he really needed to. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you,¡± Eugene answered with an awkward smile. Regretting telling Ciel that the ring was a gift, Eugene saw Ciel¡¯s eyes lose focus. It wasn¡¯t just her eyes because Ciel tightly clenched her fists and bit her previously gaped lips. ¡°You can¡¯t. Tell. Me? Why?¡± Ciel hadn¡¯t been nning on getting enraged about this matter. Her n was to handle the situation rationally and calmly, but a person¡¯s mind and emotions often contradicted the person¡¯s rationality. On top of that, a person often failed to objectively analyze their emotions. For instance, the person obviously looked angry, but they refused to acknowledge that they were angry. It wasn¡¯t that theycked the ability to make such a judgment, but they pretended to do so even while knowing their true feelings, or they didn¡¯t want to admit their emotions because they were embarrassed. It also applied to Ciel because she thought she wasn¡¯t furious and had no reason to be angry. A ring? So what? Even though she believed it was nothing, the thought didn¡¯t naturallye to her mind as it was just a desperate self-justification. Ciel Lionheart was a twenty-year-old human who teased and made others angry rather than getting teased and angry herself. Therefore she didn¡¯t want to admit thisplicated but simple annoyance she was feeling right now. Meanwhile, she shook her fists and chewed her lips, tantly expressing her irritation to Eugene. ¡°¡­Uh¡­. Are you alright?¡± Eugene cautiously asked, feeling a shiver down his spine. Taking a step back, Eugene lowered his left hand, but just then, Ciel snatched Eugene¡¯s wrist. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Ciel raised one of her eyebrows, ring at the ordinary-looking gold ring. The ring didn¡¯t really have an expensive jewel ¡ª no, was it actually made of gold? Maybe the ring had been ted with gold or made from another mineral. When she reached such a conclusion, the ring''s color on Eugene¡¯s ring finger looked faded. ¡°¡­It doesn¡¯t look expensive,¡± Cielmented. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about its price¡­.¡± Eugene looked at his ring. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good for the members of the Lionheart main family to wear a cheap¡­.¡± Ciel trailed off after seeing the old ne on Eugene¡¯s neck through the gap in his shirt. If her memory served her correctly, Eugene had already been wearing that ne for seven years. Although Gilead knew that the ne was from the Lionheart treasure house, Ciel and Cyan didn¡¯t know about that for a simple reason. Seven years ago, Eugene had brought out two things ¡ª the ne and Wynnyd ¡ª from the Lionheart treasure house, and Gilead didn¡¯t want his children to be jealous and give the cold shoulder to Eugene. Therefore Ciel and Cyan had previouslye up with a theory: since Eugene never took off the ne, even when he was sleeping, maybe the ne was from Eugene¡¯s deceased mother. ¡®I¡¯m so stupid¡­!¡¯Ciel screamed in her mind. The ne was so old that it couldn¡¯t be called luxury even as a pleasantry, but that ne was probably from Eugene¡¯s deceased mother, making it the most valuable treasure for Eugene. Ciel hadpletely forgotten about the ne and made ament about how Eugene was wearing a cheap essory¡­. Not knowing what to do, Ciel tiptoed around Eugene. In fact, it was from Hamel''s deceased parents, but it didn¡¯t mean much now. Eugene was wearing it since the ne was from his past life. ¡°¡­Uh¡­.¡± Cyan spoke as he stepped up. Since Ciel was in trouble, he thought he had to help his sister. However, how should he help her? Well, he did make Eugene and Ciel look at him by speaking up. Cyan saw how Ciel¡¯s eyes lost focus. His sister who had been born a few secondster than him always looked mischievous and naughty, but she was feeling lost. ¡°You¡­ you are thrifty, haha,¡± Cyan said as he chuckled. Although he had put some words together¡­ he felt there must be better words to choose from. Looking back and forth between Ciel and Eugene, Cyan continued, ¡°The ring¡­ uh¡­ must have special characteristics¡­ that ordinary people don¡¯t know since you are wearing it¡­.¡± Ciel¡¯s eyes started to focus again little by little, and she awkwardly snorted in a high pitch. However, Ciel was certain that she perfectly controlled her emotions and sessfully hid how she had been shaken up. ¡°¡­So you can¡¯t tell us who gave you that ring?¡± Ciel quietly asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you respect others¡¯ privacy?¡± Eugene answered. Upon hearing the worst answer, Ciel raised her eyebrows, making Cyan break into a cold sweat. Derza never wanted to be involved in the conversation, so she kept her butt close to the saddle as she maintained her unstable position on top of the wyvern¡¯s back. Despite feeling frustrated from the conversation, Mer ate crispy chips inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. ¡°The ring!¡± Cyan hurriedly interrupted. ¡°Wearing the ring on your left ring finger has a special meaning, right? That is why the story about your ring is your private affair, and you can¡¯t tell us, am I correct?¡± ¡°What? Why is everyone so interested in my ring?¡± Eugene raised one of his eyebrows. ¡°Of-of course, I¡¯m curious since you are my brother. Just a week ago, you didn¡¯t wear any ring, so wouldn¡¯t it be natural for us to be curious if you¡¯re suddenly wearing a ring on your ring finger? Of¡­ of course, sharing rings with somebody else is totally your right¡­¡± Cyan spoke dramatically. ¡°No, you are misunderstanding. This isn¡¯t a matching[1]ring.¡± Eugene lightly chuckled, waving his hand. ¡°This is a magic artifact, not a fashion essory. The reason I can¡¯t tell you about who gave me¡ª¡± ¡°Magic!¡± Cyan suddenly yelled and went up to Ciel, putting his arm around her shoulder. ¡°That was it! You have no other choice if it¡¯s a magic artifact. Magic is¡­ really a mysterious and secret study, right?!¡± ¡°¡­What?¡± Eugene asked back in disbelief. ¡°People shouldn¡¯t talk hastily about magic, so you have no choice. Considering your personality, you must have a good reason to not talk about it,¡± Cyan proudly concluded, grinning awkwardly. ¡°You are right, Sir Cyan!¡± Mer stuck her head out from the cloak. Then, wiping the chip crumbs from her mouth, Mer continued, ¡°The ring holds a magical vow. Since you aren¡¯t a wizard, you may not be aware of this, but the left ring finger symbolizes a contract, a promise, and a connection. And such a ritual is very important in magic.¡± ¡°¡­Is that so?¡± Ciel¡¯s face loosened up more. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true! And just like Sir Cyan mentioned, magic should be secretive. That¡¯s why Sir Eugene can¡¯t tell you, yup!¡± Mer backed Cyan up. Although Mer wanted the conversation to continue further, it seemed that things would escte into a disaster if she let the conversation continue on its current track, and that wasn¡¯t what Mer wished. To be honest, watching Ciel¡¯s refreshing reaction from within Eugene¡¯s cloak was quite fun. ¡®Well,her every attempt will be futile once Lady Sienna returns,¡¯Mer thought, already feeling a sense of superiority like a victor. ¡°Is thaaaat soooo?¡± Ciel grinned, shaking Eugene¡¯s hand up and down that she had been holding until now. ¡®I can¡¯t believe I got so worked up,¡¯Ciel thought in disbelief. After calming down very quickly, Ciel spoke pleasantly, ¡°There¡¯s no choice if magic is involved. Why didn¡¯t you tell me sooner?¡± She knew she had gotten enraged about a stupid matter just because it involved Eugene. Her pervert brother had indulged himself in pornographic books he had hidden in his room since he was little, but Eugene hadn¡¯t done it once, not to Ciel¡¯s knowledge. Eugene was stoic and devoted himself to training and improving himself to the extent that Ciel couldn¡¯t believe Cyan and Eugene were the same age. ¡®Did he run into a wandering wizard that had been hiding their identity or something?¡¯Ciel wondered. The Dragonics had Alchester Dragonic, the best knight in the empire, as their Patriarch. Although the Dragonics werecking in several aspectspared to the Lionhearts, there was a possibility of the Dragonics having a secluded wizard with a hidden identity as their n member. ¡°I did it!¡± Dezra eximed from behind. The wyvern that had refused to move in ordance with Dezra¡¯s will now followed her lead and pped its wings. ¡°Lady Ciel, look! My wyvern spread his wings!¡± Dera proudly called out to Ciel. ¡°Shut up, Dezra!¡± Ciel let go of Eugene¡¯s hand and red at Dezra for talking to her when she was having a good conversation. * * * Another week had passed. After Eugene got up from his bed, he blinked in disbelief because Akasha was floating in the middle of his room. Ariartelle had said that she would send Akasha to Eugene¡­ and she literally just sent it over to him. From the rustic Bonyo, Akasha had flown all the way to Eugene¡¯s room in the Lionheart¡¯s main estate. ¡°Well¡­ umm¡­ did she not worry about someone snatching it or birds pooping on it¡­?¡± Eugene frowned. Of course, Ariartelle had cast all sorts of protections on Akasha for possible idents, from an invisible spell to a magic barrier to shield the staff from rain storms and dust. Still, Eugene grumbled as he reached out to Akasha. Akasha looked the same. However, when he grabbed the staff, Eugene¡¯s view flickered once. ¡®She improvedAkasha¡¯s mana cirction system,¡¯Eugene analyzed. 300 years ago was a long time back. Although Akasha was made by a dragon, it had an old-fashioned side from the perspective of a wizard from the current generation. Ariartelle, being a newer generation dragon, had figured that out and updated the cirction system to the current standard. ¡®Well,there was no standardized system of the Circle Magic Form when Akasha was made¡­.¡¯Eugene nodded. This had always resulted in a little bit of dy and a bit of Eugene¡¯s mana getting wasted while using the Circle Magic Form with Akasha. ¡°So the dragon learned Lady Sienna¡¯s Circle Magic Form, right?¡± Mer asked, sticking her head out from within the cloak that Eugene had put aside. During their stay in the Dragonic Estate, Ariartelle had poured out intense Dragon Fear, and Mer had been close by. Although it had been a week since they returned from the Dragonic estate, Mer crawled into the cloak every night, unable to forget the fear she had felt then. ¡°She improved the cirction system in ordance with the Circle Magic Form, so yeah, she probably did so,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°That means Lady Sienna¡¯s Circle Magic Form is so exceptional that even a dragon acknowledges it, right?!¡± Mer squealed in excitement. ¡°Why are you suddenly bringing it up¡­? Aside from dragons, most wizards are already learning the Circle Magic Form.¡± Eugene tilted his head in confusion. ¡°A human learning about the Circle Magic Form is totally different from a dragon learning about it! A dragon ¡ª no, the race of magic is acknowledging Lady Sienna¡¯s ability! That¡¯s my Lady Sienna!¡± Mer crawled out of the cloak, making a fuss. Then she quickly climbed her way up to Eugene¡¯s bed. Despite her excited looks, thinking of a dragon alone made her remember how scared she had been when she had faced Ariartelle¡¯s Dragon Fear in close proximity. Feeling Mer¡¯s slight trembling, Eugene wrapped a nket around her without saying anything. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Eugene concentrated on linking with Akasha. He could understand what had changed and been added right away. ¡®The recoil I experienced while using high-ranking magic has lessened. The formation of forms became neater and faster¡­.¡¯Eugene went through the change one by one. He was currently a Fifth Circle wizard who could use up to Seventh Circle magic with Mer and Akasha¡¯s assistance, but in all fairness, it was risky for him to use high-ranking spells during battles. Through the improved cirction system, high-ranking spells became less burdensome, and Eugene could use his mana more efficiently while using Akasha. Eugene didn¡¯t expect Ariartelle to be generous enough to actually upgrade the staff, so he grinned as he looked at the Dragonheart on top of Akasha. He could see the Draconic spell engraved by Ariartelle. It didn¡¯t include any specific forms; rather, the method to use the engraved Draconic spell was transmitted directly to Eugene¡¯s head through Akasha. After understanding the method, Eugene stood up. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± After looking around at the surroundings, Eugene remembered his ne, so he took it off and made it resonate with Akasha. Woosh! The moment the light inside the Dragonheart flickered, Eugene could see an image of someone in his head. ¡®That¡¯s me.¡¯Eugene realized. It was a vague image of him from his past life, but the image soon ovepped with his current self. Was Akasha showing the memory that was engraved in his soul? Where was this? When Eugene infused more of his mana, he could see the Lionheart estate. ¡®The coordinates are¡­. I can¡¯t read the coordinates, and it seems Akasha can¡¯t show me the exact location of the target.Yeah, Ariartelle told me thata location and the coordinates are useless if I go beyond space and reach a dimension.I need to find aconcrete connection¡­.¡¯Eugene thought as he closed his eyes and understood the concept within the Draconic spell. He now had to find something connected with Raizakia and make it resonate with Akasha. If the object was undoubtedly connected to Raizakia, Eugene could force open a dimensional door and reach the rift where Raizakia was wandering around. ¡®¡­The spatial coordinates aren''t fixed, so it always changes little by little, requiring aplicated calction,¡¯Eugene thought. After giving up on calcting the coordinates, Eugene expanded his search radius to a dimensional level. Looking at a ce where the target belonged from far away was enough, so Eugene grinned as he reached his hand to the Cloak of Darkness, nning to conduct several tests. The first weapon Eugene pulled out was Wynnyd. When he put Akasha before Wynnyd, the sword shook instantly, making Tempest react immediately. [It¡¯s an unpleasant spell,] Tempest grumbled. ¡°Cooperate,¡± Eugene spoke concisely. [Hamel, I can¡¯t refuse if you ask, but keep this in mind. For a long time, countless beings located the spirit world and attempted to enter, including several dragons. However, no one is allowed to enter the spirit world.] ¡°Why don¡¯t you just say I¡¯ll die if I go to the spirit world just because I found it,¡± Eugene grumbled, making Akasha resonate with Wynnyd. The current attempt made Eugene¡¯s head ache. Unlike the previous attempt, he couldn¡¯t see Tempest and the space he belonged to. [So, you can¡¯t force open the spirit world¡¯s door? I guess the spell just enables you to open the door to a ce inside that dimension. Well, there is no way such a young dragon can ignore the strictw of the spirit world and open up a door to another dimension.] Tempest¡¯s voice brightened up a bit. ¡°Then the spell will be useless if Raizakia is in another dimension,¡± Eugene said in annoyance. [Hamel, don¡¯t you already know the answer to your question? If Raizakia were somewhere in another dimension, Sienna Merdein and the elves wouldn¡¯t be affected by his curse anymore.] Tempest reminded Eugene. Knowing Tempest was right, Eugene felt slightly disappointed as he put down Wynnyd and pulled out the Moonlight Sword. [Isn¡¯t it dangerous?] Tempest asked because he also knew the power of the Moonlight Sword very well ¡ª the mysterious sword that had been found in Helmuth¡¯s underground ruins. Although Tempest was the Wind Spirit King who had existed since ancient times, he had never heard of a myth or a legend about the Moonlight Sword on the continent. [Hamel, you may also be aware, but that thing is¡­ destruction in the form of a sword. You might experience an unexpected rebound from the sword.] ¡°The Moonlight Sword has the strongest connection with Vermouth,¡± Eugene spoke, unsheathing the Moonlight Sword without a single hesitation. Woosh¡­! When pale and dim moonlight made up a de of the Moonlight Sword, Mer snuggled into the nket. ¡°Thunderbolt Pernoa, Dragon Spear, Holy Sword¡­. All the weapons had their own histories and previous owners before Vermouth began to use them, but the Moonlight Sword had no history of being used before Vermouth. Although I¡¯m the one who¡¯s holding the Moonlight Sword right now, Vermouth used it way more often, longer, and better than me,¡± Eugene reasoned. [That¡¯s true, but¡­.] ¡°I¡¯m not putting too much hope on this since it¡¯s Vermouth. That thorough bastard even had a funeral to pretend that he died, so he must have erased all the traces that could lead to him. However, there is always that ¡®what if,¡¯ right? Even if I fail in finding Vermouth, I might be able to locate the Moonlight Sword¡¯s fragments.¡± Eugene said, bringing Akasha close to the Moonlight Sword. The moment the Moonlight Sword¡¯s moonlight pushed away Akasha¡¯s magic, Eugene instantly mediated between the two. When he had first found the Moonlight Sword¡¯s fragment three years ago, he had trained his mana control skill using the fragment, and after that, he had obtained the sword¡¯s handle in the desert grave. It was hard to control the fragment of the Moonlight Sword, but he could use the sword¡¯s handle. The process of making it possible had been so freaking hard. While holding the Moonlight Sword, he used magic and released his sword force to tame the Moonlight Sword. Woong¡­! Through Eugene¡¯s mediation, the Draconic spell from Akasha was cast on the Moonlight Sword. ¡®¡­This is¡­¡¯Eugene thought. Something had appeared inside his head. ¡®¡­Whatam I¡­.¡¯Eugene slightly gaped. Something appeared, spread, and stained his mind. ¡®¡­What am I seeing?¡¯ It was now pitch-ck. Was it¡­ the sky? ¡®¡­That¡¯s¡­.¡¯Eugene squinted. However, he had no idea what he was looking at right now. It was so dark¡­ nothing was around ¡ª no, he couldn¡¯t see anything¡­. ¡®Vermouth?¡¯ Rattle. He had heard the sound before¡­ where had he heard it? Rattle. The sound of iron chains being dragged on the floor echoed in the wavering darkness. Two rays of red light showed up in the center. ¡°Don¡¯t look,¡± someone quietly whispered to him. ¡®The Demon King of Incarceration.¡¯Eugene realized who had whispered to him. The darkness took on a shade of scarlet, and Eugene knew what that scarlet light was. ¡­. ¡­¡­. ¡­¡­¡­. [¡­Hamel!] Tempest yelled inside Eugene¡¯s head. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Mer shouted right next to Eugene. The two voices brought Eugene back to reality, but his view was still red. ¡°Fuck,¡± Eugene cursed as he wiped the blood tears running down his cheeks. Chapter 181: Ariartelle (6)

Chapter 181: Ariartelle (6)

Eugene was dizzy and nauseous. Hearing two voices at the same time made his already dizzy head ache. ¡°Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene!¡± Mer made a fuss as she grabbed Eugene¡¯s shoulders. Wondering how long had passed, Eugene raised his head as he wiped the blood tears running down his cheeks. ording to the clock on the wall, a little over ten minutes had passed since he had begun to resonate with the Moonlight Sword. Eugene felt like he had been watching the darkness projected inside his head for a very longmoment, but only ten minutes had passed. ¡°How long are you going to keep shaking me?¡± Eugene asked, groaning. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay?¡± Mer¡¯s voice croaked. ¡°I¡¯m fine. Yeah, I think I¡¯m fine,¡± Eugene answered and got down from the bed. However, his legs gave in for a moment and he almost copsed, making Mer look like she would start to cry. She climbed down the bed and tried her hardest to help Eugene, even though he was way bigger than her. [That was why I warned you¡­!] Tempest yelled inside Eugene¡¯s head. ¡°This isn¡¯t the first time I ignored a warning and got my ass handed to me, right?¡± Eugene shrugged. [Hamel¡­!] Tempest gritted his teeth. ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m sorry. I should have been more careful and checked beforehand.¡± Eugene raised his arms. First, he took a look at Akasha, because he was worried that the Draconic spells had been broken due to the incident just now, but Akasha was luckily intact, as was the Moonlight Sword. The deless sword was still emitting pale moonlight. Well¡­ the sword was emitting light outward, but it projected a pitch-ck darkness in Eugene¡¯s head. The night after sunset, shadow, ink¡­ Eugene could think of many dark things, but the darkness he had just seen was the darkest and the most ominous of them all. There was also the rattling sound of iron chains and the pair of red eyes that had opened in the center of the darkness ¡ª eyes belonging to the Demon King of Incarceration, whom Eugene could never forget, even though he had only met the Demon King once. ¡®¡­Why would he?¡¯Eugene wondered. ¡ªDon¡¯t look. The words the Demon King of Incarceration had just whispered ran through Eugene¡¯s head. Was the Demon King rted to the Moonlight Sword? No¡­ his appearance in Eugene¡¯s vision was due to the Demon King¡¯s own interference, it had nothing to do with Akasha¡¯s new detection spell. When the Demon King told him not to look¡­ was he talking about the darkness? Why? ¡®So¡­ the Demon King of Incarceration is definitely rted to Vermouth¡¯s disappearance.¡¯Eugene nodded. He had no intention of being surprised or getting angry now. Even though Sienna had gotten a hole in her chest and had almost died because of that son of bitch, she had told Eugene that Vermouth had his own reasons as his formerrade and friend. The Oath itself was evidence that Vermouth and the Demon King of Incarceration had done something together. The Demon King of Incarceration could have killed everyone who arrived before him ¡ª no, the Demon Kings could have destroyed the continent. The only reason why a war had taken ce instead of a one-sided massacre three hundred years ago was that the Demon King of Incarceration and the other Demon Kings hadn¡¯t left Helmuth. Although they controlled demonic beasts, demonfolks, and dark wizards, the Demon Kings never left Helmuth. If the Demon Kings themselves had fought in the war, or if even two Demon Kings joined forces¡­ it would have been impossible for the hero party to kill one Demon King, let alone three. ¡®¡­Is the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ holding Vermouth captive?¡¯Eugene wondered. It wasn¡¯t the first time Eugene thought of this. In fact, he had thought about Vermouth multiple times. Why had he taken so many wives and had so many children? Why had he almost killed Sienna, signed a peace treaty with the Demon King, and made Hamel reincarnate? The Vermouth that Eugene remembered hadn¡¯t really expressed what was on his mind. Eugene had felt this when he had first met Vermouth in his past life; he really couldn¡¯t tell what Vermouth was thinking about. ¡ª...And what¡­ do you intend to do in Helmuth? ¡ªWe¡¯re going to kill the Demon Kings. Vermouth had said so. ¡ªFirst, we¡¯re going to kill the Demon King of Carnage. Then we¡¯ll kill the Demon King of Cruelty, and after that we¡¯ll kill the Demon King of Fury. Once we¡¯ve killed the Demon King of Incarceration, all that¡¯s left is to kill the Demon King of Destruction. Vermouth had reached out his hand as he had spoken, and Hamel had never thought that Vermouth was lying. It didn¡¯t only apply to Hamel ¡ª whether Sienna, Anise, or Molon, everyone believed Vermouth¡¯s resolve and had the same resolve as him. Their countries, their genders, their backgrounds, and their abilities were all different, but they all had a twisted side. Rather than following someone¡¯s lead, they would all have worked alone or be a leader themselves. The only reason why these five people could form a group was that they had Vermouth as their leader. Since Vermouth had said that they would kill the Demon Kings, the five had wandered Helmuth without doubting him one bit as they killed the Demon King of Carnage, Demon King of Cruelty, and Demon King of Fury. ¡®¡­But you signed the treaty because you had to,¡¯Eugene thought as he looked at his reflection in the mirror. He did stop shedding blood tears, but there were still traces of blood on his cheeks. ¡ªI just didn¡¯t want to let you go ahead of me, Hamel. ¡ªWere you satisfied with your death? If you really were, then you¡¯re a son of a bitch. What gives you the right to go and get yourself killed out of self-satisfaction? We couldn¡¯t just ept your death, and we didn¡¯t want to let your soul go to its final resting ce ahead of us. ¡ªBut Hamel, you shouldn¡¯t me Vermouth. Eugene thought of Sienna. ¡ªHamel. ¡ªWhy should Vermouth have abandoned hisrades? ¡ªHe didn¡¯t want you to die. ¡ªHe also didn¡¯t want to see Sienna, Anise, or Molon die either. That¡¯s why, when everyone else was defeated, Vermouth held back from delivering the killing blow with the Moonlight Sword. ¡ªIn that moment, the Demon King of Incarceration would still have been able to kill everyone except for Vermouth¡­ However, that didn¡¯t happen, because the Demon King of Incarceration instead was forced to make a promise with Vermouth. ¡ªThat promise wasn¡¯t made for the sake of the world. It was to save therades who had stayed together with him until that final moment, and to reim your soul, which should by all rights have been annihted. Eugene thought of Tempest. ¡ªThank you. ¡ªThank you all¡­ foring with me without dying. Eugene thought of Vermouth, who had pulled out the Holy Sword from the Demon King¡¯s corpse with his back against the daybreak light. ¡°I would rather¡­.¡± Heaving a long sigh, Eugene wiped the stains on his cheeks. ¡°I would prefer the hypothesis of how Vermouth made a promise that he couldn¡¯t avoid, arranged my reincarnation, and got captured alive by the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Tempest stayed silent. ¡°I know how absurd and ridiculous my thoughts are. The Demon King isn¡¯t an idiot, so why would he just hold Vermouth hostage, not kill him? And why would he let me ¡ª someone who reincarnated to kill the Demon Kings ¡ª live?¡± Eugene rubbed his eyes. [¡­The Demon King made a promise.] ¡°For what? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t really see why. Why would the Demon King of Incarceration stop me from seeing Vermouth¡¯s memories on Vermouth¡¯s behalf? ¡­I don¡¯t know.¡± Eugene covered his face with his hands. What would have happened if Eugene had kept staring into the darkness? Eugene looked down at the Moonlight Sword that was still in his hand. The destruction in the shape of a sword emitted pale moonlight, which was beautiful yet ominous. ¡­What was¡­ the darkness that Akasha had gotten from the Moonlight Sword and projected inside Eugene¡¯s head? Was Vermouth beyond the darkness? The voice said¡®don¡¯t look¡­.¡¯ ¡®¡­As if.¡¯Eugene bit his lips. Because of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s interference, Eugene had been able to stop staring at the darkness. If the Demon King hadn¡¯t interfered, how long would Eugene have stared at the darkness ¡ª no, would he have just looked into it? ¡°Fuck,¡± Eugene muttered. When Eugene had met Amelia Merwin at the desert dungeon, he had been unable to beat her. He knew that he would not have been able to escape from Amelia in the deep desert underground dungeon even if he had used Ignition and the Moonlight Sword. Yet, the Demon King of Incarceration had also interfered at the time; he had descended and made Amelia Merwin stand down. ¡®There is nothing beyond.Nothing has happenedhere,¡¯Eugene thought as he returned to his bed, biting his lips. When he copsed on the bed, he could feel Mer, who had been sitting in the corner, furtively approaching. Putting a steamed towel on top of Eugene¡¯s cheeks, Mer carefully wiped the faint blood stains and the blood clots in the corner of his eyes. After that, Tempest¡¯s warm wind dried Eugene¡¯s wet face. Without talking to Eugene any further, they quietly stayed beside Eugene. ¡°Thanks,¡± Eugene quietly spoke. ¡°¡­Shall we sleep together today? I¡¯ll hold your hand.¡± Mer offered. ¡°You can¡¯t sleep anyway,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°But I can stay by your side until you wake up.¡± Mer shrugged. ¡°Aren¡¯t you just scared to stay in the cloak alone?¡± Eugene faintly grinned. ¡°No way, I¡¯m not scared of anything. Well¡­ not exactly anything¡­ I¡¯m scared about something happening to the people who are nice to me, like Lady Sienna, you, and Lady Anci,¡± Mer quietly murmured as she tucked Eugene and crawled into theforter to lie beside him as if it was the most natural thing. ¡°So don¡¯t get mad or be sad, Sir Eugene. Don¡¯t do something dangerous too much or get hurt. Stay healthy until Lady Sienna returns.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Eugene assured Mer. ¡°You¡¯re lying. I saw you shedding blood tears and felt a part of your emotions.¡± Mer pouted, remembering Eugene¡¯s pain, desperateness, loneliness, and¡­angerthat she had sensed. Mer didn¡¯t know what would happen to Eugene if he had to endure the burden of all these emotions at the same time, so she couldn¡¯t just leave him alone. [¡­I can sing you a luby.] ¡°Get lost, Tempest.¡± Eugene growled. He was sure that he would have a horrible nightmare if he listened to the luby sung with Tempest¡¯s husky voice. * * * ¡ªHamel, Anise said. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure when this had happened. How could he know for sure? Although he had fought rather often even before he had gotten to Helmuth, once his group had reached the Demon King country, fights hade their way more often than meals. Enemies hadn¡¯t cared about what time it was and used whatever methods they could think of to attack the hero party. The time in the horrible hell quickly made the hero party stronger, but the party¡¯s fights didn¡¯t get any easier. As they got stronger, the number of strong enemies increased. The hero party was able to fight through endless battles because three people out of the five party members could use healing magic. However, the healing spells that the three used were different from one another. Although Vermouth¡¯s healing magic was very effective on himself, he couldn¡¯t cure other people. Healing magic could only be used by a devout priest in the first ce, so Vermouth¡¯s healing magic was more like a hero¡¯s blessing of sorts. Sienna couldn¡¯t use actual holy magic either, but she knew how to use elven healing magic, having grown up in an elven vige ever since she was a baby. Since Sienna was a very talented wizard to begin with, her healing magic was as strong as most high-ranking clerics¡¯, but it could not hold a candle to Anise ¡ª the Faithful Anise, the Saint of Light. ¡ªAre you okay? Hamel asked. The healing magic cast by Anise Slywood was too extraordinary to be called a mere magic spell; no, her magic was quite literally a miracle. When Anise reconnected amputated limbs to their owner, she didn¡¯t only connect the flesh, but she connected everything, from bones and muscle to nerves and veins. Therefore, whoever was treated with Anise¡¯s magic did not suffer from aftereffects, and neither did they have to go through rehabilitation. When Anise cast her healing spells, theme walked, the lepers were cleansed, and the blind regained sight. Even if every bone in a person¡¯s body was shattered, their intestines were torn out, or the heart ruptured, Anise¡¯s miracles cured any wounds in a sh. She could fix absolutely anything, unless the person was well and truly dead. The only people that she failed to help were the dead¡­ and Hamel, whose very soul was dissipating due to the curse of the Lich, Belial. ¡ªI¡¯m not fine, Anise answered. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure on which battlefield Anise had said that. Was it after they had killed the Demon King of Carnage? Was it after they had killed the Demon King of Cruelty or the Demon King of Fury? When they had been fighting against Kamash and the giants? While they had been avoiding Raizakia¡¯s bombing? When they had been fighting against the suicidal vampires¡­the demonfolk army led by the Incarceration¡¯s de? He had no idea, because he had fought too many battles three hundred years ago. In fact, he could count on his fingers the number of times he had ended a fight unscarred. Hamel had always been busy treating his wounds after battles ¡ª no, he had even treated his injuries during battles. People had died every day on the battlefields three hundred years ago, so of course, there had also been many wounded. Many people who had lost someone to monsters, demonic beasts, or demonfolks had struggled on those battlefields out of hatred and desire for vengeance rather than whatever fancy belief about saving the world. Those people were terribly weak, yet they went from battlefield to battlefield to cool their anger and seek vengeance. Although they wanted to give their everything to achieve those goals on the battlefields, they subconsciously knew that they could never do so, so they just hoped they could die fighting. Anise, the Saint, had never been able to sit by and watch them die. Despite Anise¡¯s normal unsaintly self, she was more devout and saint-like than anyone else when she had to. When the hero party arrived before the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle, all five members were alive and able to fight. They had encountered several crises that had almost rendered them incapable of fighting, but only unerasable scars had been left on their bodies. For years, they had fought battles every day, but they were still in peak shape thanks to Anise¡¯s miracles. ¡ªYou overtaxed yourself, Hamel murmured, looking at Anise. On the battlefield, they could smell the blood¡­and the scent of rotting and burning corpses. ¡ªYou know, I know you¡¯re so damn stubborn that you would never listen to anyone, Hamel said. ¡ªI don¡¯t want to hear that from someone like you, Anise grumbled. ¡ªWhy? Is it because I¡¯m also a stubborn bastard who never listens? Well, you¡¯re right. But unlike you, I choose who to save, Anise. Hamel shrugged. Anise didn¡¯t answer. Click. Instead, she unbuttoned her priest robe, so Hamel sighed and approached Anise. ¡ªThey¡¯re begging to be killed because they really want to die. Letting them die will be their salvation rather than healing them, so why¡­ why are you taking all this suffering upon yourself by going through the trouble of saving them? Hamel asked. ¡ªWhy would a cleric need a reason to save someone? Anise answered without turning back to Hamel. The fact that they don¡¯t want to be saved is none of my business. I just save them because I can save them. Not saving them when I can would mean that I¡¯m turning a blind eye to everything. One by one, she unbuttoned the rest of the buttons on her robe as she continued. ¡ªI can¡¯t ¡ª no, I won¡¯t do that. You asked why I suffer losses, right? No, I¡¯m not suffering losses, Hamel. I¡¯ll¡­ do many good deeds by saving many people so I can go to heaven. Her priest robe dropped down to the floor. ¡ªOf course, I already did enough good deeds to go to heaven. Since God must be watching my good deeds, he¡¯ll bestow with light as bright as the number of my good deeds, Anise calmly exined. When a person died, the good deeds they had done before they had died became light, and their bad deeds became darkness. If their light was bright enough to outshine the darkness, then the person could go to heaven, where there was no darkness. All the sins in this world were created in the darkness, where there was no light, and since there was no darkness in the heaven ruled by the God of Light, there was no sin. Therefore, no one suffered. This was the story that the citizens of the Yuras Empire believed in. ¡ªGod doesn¡¯t bleed on behalf of young sheep. Although God is a bright enough light to outshine all the darkness, he isn¡¯t lighting up the darkness that is now trying to swallow up the world.¡± Anise¡¯s long hair was the only thing covering her bare back. She lifted it up as she continued to speak in a bitter tone. ¡ªI¡¯m the Saint of Light, and as God¡¯s saint, I have to outshine the darkness in this world if He isn¡¯t doing so. I should shed holy blood and brighten up the darkness with my light on His behalf, Hamel. I¡­ think that not everyone who has died after living in this horrible era can go to heaven. Anise¡¯s back was bloody. Because he had seen it multiple times, Hamel had been used to it already. Whenever Anise used too much of her divine power or performed great miracles too many times, Anise¡¯s back always turned bloody. Every time it happened, she called Hamel, but he was sure that she hadn¡¯t nned to do that in the beginning. There had once been a time, a long time ago, when Vermouth, Sienna, and Molon had gone off to take care of nearby remnants of the demonic forces after they had finished a battle, but Hamel and Anise had stayed behind because he had been too injured and she had been too tired. Instead of asking the already tired Anise to use her healing magic on him, Hamel had tried to give himself first aid, but while he had been taking care of his injury, Anise had fainted. ¡ªI¡¯ll be the second brightest light, next to the god I serve. Anise handed Hamel a wet towel. Holding the wet towel, Hamel carefully wiped Anise¡¯s bloody back. ¡ªSo I¡¯ll also light the people¡¯s darkness who couldn¡¯t go to heaven. Not all the people who have died in this generation will be able to go to heaven, but I¡¯ll guide as many people as possible there. When Hamel wiped the blood, her wounds were revealed ¡ª no, not wounds, but divine writing carved into her entire back. Any time Anise performed a great miracle, the divine writing dug deeper into her skin, making her bleed. The writing was thus growing bigger little by little. The first time Hamel had seen Anise¡¯s back, the divine letters had only been carved near her shoulders, but every time she performed a miracle, the divine writing became longer and wider. The divine writing that Hamel could see now had already reached her waist. ¡ªIt¡¯s interesting how you can¡¯t cure your own back when you can use all sorts of miracles. ¡ªThat¡¯s my stigmata, which in and of itself is a miracle, so wouldn¡¯t it be absurd to treat a miracle with another miracle? Putting the holy water bottle on her waist to her lips, Anise sat down, so Hamel could wipe out the blood more easily. Hamel usually aimed for Anise¡¯s holy water, but not in times like these, because he had found out why Anise was drinking the holy water non-stop. ¡ª¡­Tell me if it hurts. ¡ªIt doesn¡¯t. Aniseughed and drank the holy water like usual. Since she was good at hiding her feelings and thoughts, she always said something totally different from what she was thinking, and she always smiled, no matter how grievous her pain. After wiping up all the blood, Hamel applied ointment on her deeply carved tattoos. Since her so-called stigmata couldn¡¯t even be cured by a miracle, the ointment obviously couldn¡¯t cure the wounds, but they bled less if Hamel applied it. ¡ªI¡¯m d you¡¯re the one who found out about my stigmata, Anise mumbled as she put down her holy water. I don¡¯t want to show this to Vermouth, and Molon¡­ would start fighting passively, giving up his strength. As for Sienna¡­ heh, she¡¯d physically restrain me to stop me from doing anything dangerous. ¡ªWhat about me? ¡ªYou try to understand me. Anise chuckled. Although you say ¡®don¡¯t do anything dangerous,¡¯ you understand why I¡¯m being stubborn, so you don¡¯t stop me. You know that the more violently you fight, the more I bleed, but you always fight in the same way. ¡ªThat way¡¯ll be better for you. When Hamel finished wiping up the blood and applying the ointment, he wrapped Anise¡¯s wound in bandages. ¡ªYou won¡¯t listen no matter what I¡¯ll say, but battles will be longer if I fight passively. Then, finishing the battles quickly will bring us less damage overall, even if it¡¯s dangerous. ¡ªHehe, and you¡¯re skilled at treating injuries. You wrap the bandages really well, so I don¡¯t feel ufortable, and you don¡¯t feel any physical lust when you see my naked back. Hamel frowned. ¡ªWhat kind of bastard would feel lust while looking at someone¡¯s bloody, scarred back? ¡ªI appreciate how you consider a fellowrade like arade instead of a woman, but why don¡¯t you think about other matters for a change? Anise giggled. ¡ª¡­About what? ¡ªWell, you know, how I might be painfully bleeding because ofyou. Anise¡¯s tone was yful. ¡ªI told you it¡¯s better to fight aggressively than passively¡­.¡± Anise burst intoughter at Hamel¡¯s remark. ¡ªDon¡¯t we have Molon for that? Hamel, the amount of blood I shed would havehalvedif you and Molon got less injured. ¡ª¡­Umm¡­. Unable to say anything, Hamel just finished wrapping the bandages. ¡ª¡­I¡¯ll try. Recalling this conversation from a long time ago, Eugene thought of Anise, whom he hadst seen with eight sets of wings. ¡°¡­There are fewer wings.¡± Eugene observed Anise¡¯s divine statue in Yurasia, the Holy Empire¡¯s capital. A statue that was sporting only one set of wings Favorite Chapter 182: Yurasia (1)

Chapter 182: Yurasia (1)

The Sacred Empire of Yuras had a long and storied history. After passing through the warp-gate that stood at the south of Yurasia, the capital city of the Empire, one would emerge in the ¡®za of the Sun,¡¯ which had been praised as the most beautiful and sacred ce in Yuras. This square held all the statues of the saints who had been revered in Yuras throughout the ages. The Thirteenth of April happened to be one of Yuras¡¯ anniversaries. ¡®...Anise¡¯s birthday,¡¯Eugene recalled. In Yuras, the Faithful Anise was considered their most famous Saint, her fame exceeding even that of the founder of Yuras, the Incarnation of Light. This was because the people of Yuras felt much closer to the Saintess, who was said to have in three Demon Kings alongside the hero, the Great Vermouth, three hundred years ago than they did to the Incarnation, who founded Yuras so long ago. Perhaps that was why followers of the Light gathered to Yuras from all over the continent on the Thirteenth of April. The same went for this year as well. Although there were still a few days left until Anise¡¯s birthday, the warp-gate and the za of the Sun were already packed with followers of the Church of Light. Mingled in with the crowd, Eugene looked up at Anise¡¯s statue. It was located in the center of the za of the Sun. The statue of Anise was floating in the sky with a pair of outspread wings. It was a truly grand statue made up of various magical minerals, gold, and jewels. The different bright shades of the materials shone even more in the sunlight, and in the dark of the night, when the sun went down, the statue would emit its own light in order to light up the za. In this za, Anise''s statue was the only one that had been made with such effort and cost that it could even float in the sky like this. While the statue floated in the sky, the visitors who came every day could only look up to see it from far below, but on Anise¡¯s birthday, the Thirteenth of April each year, her statue would descend to the ground, giving the believers a chance to get a closer look. Eugene stared up at Anise¡¯s statue for quite a long time. In his previous life, he had never visited the Holy Empire. When he first became a member of the party in his past life, Vermouth had already be the Master of the Holy Sword, and the Saint, Anise, was already at his side. So there was no reason for them to go back. ¡®I also haven¡¯t heard that much about it,¡¯Eugene thought. Anise, who was from Yuras, didn¡¯t say much about the ce where she had been born and raised. Whenever one of them would start talking about their hometown, Anise would just observe from a distance and had never once participated directly in such a discussion. Even a tactless fool like Molon knew that Anise didn¡¯t have any fond feelings for her hometown. Eugene was also aware that Anise¡¯s feelings towards the Holy Empire had been closer to hatred. He just didn¡¯t know the reasons for this. The outstretched wings on the back of Anise¡¯s statue were beautiful. The wings had been made out of stained ss. Hundreds and thousands of differently colored ss feathers had been oveid to form these wings. And whenever the sunlight shone down at them from the skies high above, rays of colored light would scatter out from inside of those winds. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful,¡± Mer muttered, looking up at Anise with dazed eyes from Eugene¡¯s side. It was just as Mer said. Among all the statues in this za, Anise¡¯s was outstandingly beautiful. Seeing it float in the sky, with rays of light pouring out from its wings, it felt like even someone without any belief in the God of Light might start having faith. This statue was one of Yuras¡¯ most resplendent and beautiful tools of propaganda. ¡°Is this what you wanted?¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Huh?¡± Mer tilted her head in question as she heard Eugene¡¯s murmur. Instead of responding, Eugene recalled a conversation that he had had with Anise. Anise had wanted to be a shining light of faith by continuously umting good deeds. By doing so, she hoped to be a sun that would be able to lead all those who had lived and died in that era toward heaven. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if Anise had really been able to be that sort of light after she died, but she had be an angel. She had gotten her just rewards for continuously performing miracles without taking care of her own body, resurrecting people who just wanted to die over and over again. Anise had also left a beautiful statue of herself on this earth, which had served in converting countless nonbelievers to devout followers of the Church of Light. ¡®But it feels like you wouldn¡¯t like that statue very much,¡¯Eugene silently said to Anise. At this point, it was still hard to tell what Anise had thought of Yuras. With a wry smile, Eugene turned around. He hadn¡¯te to this country to celebrate Anise¡¯s birthday or participate in Yurasia¡¯s festivities. ¡®Though it might be another question if this were the anniversary of her death,¡¯Eugene considered thoughtfully. If that had been the case, he would be more than willing to participate in the events. Even if it was for the sake of the memories from his past life, he¡¯d feel obliged to have a drink for himself, pour one out for her, and even shed a few tears depending on what events from their past he could recall. The Holy Sword had shown him a memory of what had happened back then in that grave at the bottom of the desert. Sienna, Anise, and Molon had all shed tears over Hamel¡¯s death. The only one whose tears hadn¡¯t spilled in that grave was Vermouth. Eugene sighed,¡®Since you cried for me, I should be able to cry for you as well.¡¯ Birthday? What about it? It wasn¡¯t like they hadn¡¯t celebrated each others¡¯ birthdays before, but it had been three hundred years since. It would be funny to be celebrating it now. These were Eugene¡¯s thoughts as he started walking towards the za exit. But he wasn¡¯t able to keep walking for very long. Because he met the gaze of someone standing a little ways away from him. Her blue eyes drew a shallow curve beneath the deep shadows of her hooded robe. Eugene let out a sigh as he walked over to the woman dressed in these robes. It appeared that she had no intention of holding a conversation here as she turned around and moved to leave. Eugene leisurely followed behind the woman without being in a hurry to chase after her. ¡°Were you intoxicated by the statue¡¯s beauty?¡± the woman suddenly asked. Once they had left the za, the crowd noticeably thinned. Only after they hade this far, the young woman slowed her steps, allowing Eugene to approach her side. ¡°It was a bit too sparkly for my tastes,¡± Eugene critiqued. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too extravagant?¡± ¡°The Faithful Lady Anise wanted to illuminate the darkness for all eternity. That statue stands as the embodiment of Lady Anise¡¯s wish,¡± Kristina Rogeris replied to Eugene without lifting her deeply drawn hood. The reason for the concealment was understandable. Anise¡¯s birthday anniversary was just around the corner. The believers who had gathered in the vicinity of the za were all people who hade here to take part in the festivities and offer up their worship. Statues of Anise hadn¡¯t just been erected in the za of the Sun; there were more all over Yuras. Since there was no way that the believers who hade here to celebrate Anise¡¯s feast day wouldn¡¯t recognize her appearance if they were to see Kristina, who so resembled Anise, well ¡ª it wouldn¡¯t be strange for a few of the more older and fragile followers to faint on the spot. ¡°How long has it been? Aren¡¯t you going to say that it¡¯s nice to see me again?¡± Eugene teased. Lifting her head at these joking words, Kristina stared unwaveringly at Eugene for a few moments before nodding slightly and saying, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Eugene. I feel it¡¯s quite a blessing to meet you in such an unharmed state.¡± Eugene attempted to bluff, ¡°Unharmed state? And what does that mean? When have I ever been¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard all about what happened at the ck Lion Castle,¡± Kristina interjected as she drew closer to him. She looked up at Eugene, who was taller than herself, and her eyes softened gently as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard quite a huge incident urred. I¡¯m not an expert on ¡®those¡¯ sorts of things, so I wasn¡¯t called to go to the ck Lion Castle, but I was able to hear in detail what transpired there through Inquisitors Atarax and Hemoria.¡± ¡°Well, what else can I say?¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what they told you, but¡­ um¡­. It was quite a huge incident, but I came out of it unharmed without a single scratch¡ª¡± Kristina interrupted again, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that your body hadn¡¯t fully recovered even after a few days of bed rest.¡± Eugene fumbled for a response, ¡°Ummm¡­.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way the ck Lion Caste would becking in healing potions. If you had just requested it, then I, as the Saint, would havee looking for you personally to tend to your wounds. However, there was no such request,¡± Kristina said usingly. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you also be aware that healing potions aren¡¯t all-powerful?¡± Eugene tried to argue. ¡°Even an Elixir has its limits. Also, it wasn¡¯t like I was injured enough to need a priest¡ª¡± ¡°You were bedridden for several days,¡± Kristina pointed out. ¡°So what¡ª¡± ¡°Did you happen to use that? The name¡­ you called it Ignition, didn¡¯t you? That¡¯s basically a suicide method that destroys both your body and your heart while carving away at your lifespan.¡± ¡°I think calling it a suicidal method might be a little harsh.¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t. What¡¯s ¡®harsh¡¯ is how you, Sir Eugene, abuse your body with such reckless techniques.¡± While staring at Eugene through her narrowed eyes, Kristina continued speaking, ¡°I should have already warned you about that technique back in Samar. That technique requires you to lie down for several days after using it just once, and while you¡¯re lying down like that, it would be difficult for you to control your body, so you would need someone to help you.¡± Her voice was gentle, yet it also had a sharp and piercing quality. Eugene didn¡¯t really want to recall what had happened in Samar. It felt good to have been able to use Ignition to kill Barang, but he had shown such an ugly scene during his first time suffering from the recoil of that technique since his reincarnation. Eugene hadn¡¯t even been able to walk on his own feet and was forced to allow himself to be carried on Kristina¡¯s back. Then, for the next three days, he had been forced to eat the food that Kristina scooped up for him and drink the water that she trickled into his mouth¡­. It¡¯s not like¡­ she had done anything to despise him. In fact, she had behaved so respectfully that he had felt like she was going overboard¡­. But for some reason¡­ for some reason, it felt like his pride as a person was being undercut¡­. ¡°It¡¯s alright if I¡¯m at your side. If it was me at that time, I would have been able to respond quickly to your injuries, and I¡¯m familiar with how to take care of your worn-out body. However, it was far too reckless to use such a technique when I wasn¡¯t with you,¡± Kristinained. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­,¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°I was left with no choice but to do so¡­ I didn¡¯t really want to use it either¡­.¡± ¡°I also heard that you fought with the Rakshasa Princess in Kiehl. When I heard that news, do you know what kind of thoughts went through my head?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°How would I know that?¡± Eugene replied. ¡°I regretted the fact that I couldn¡¯t be there with you. As the Saint, if I had been there with you, I might have been able to help you deliver justice to that evil leader of the Dark Elves.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s not talk about something that¡¯s already in the past¡ª¡± Kristina¡¯s steps came to an abrupt halt. While wondering what she wanted, Eugene also came to a stop and turned to look at Kristina. At that moment, her hands reached over to grab Eugene¡¯s own. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina said as she grabbed Eugene¡¯s hands and held them together. She noticed the ring on the ring finger of Eugene¡¯s left hand but chose not to say anything about that for now, instead saying, ¡°Please recognize what a special existence you are. You are a Hero who has been acknowledged by the Holy Sword. As the Saint, I am ready to die for you, Sir Eugene. If you were to be injured, I would do everything in my power to perform a miracle to heal you.¡± Eugene listened to this silently. ¡°As the Hero, you need to fulfill your duties. In this world, the only duty that a Hero absolutely needs to aplish is to y the remaining two Demon Kings. As such, pleas¡ª¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Eugene nced down at Kristina¡¯s hands. They weren¡¯t shaking, and there wasn¡¯t any sweat either. Even the pulse he could subtly sense through their joined hands was calm. However, for some reason, Eugene felt a strange sense of foreboding. Perhaps it was due to the smile that Kristina was currently wearing. Eugene wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with that sort of smile; he had seen it once before. That¡¯s right, it was back when he had first met Kristina, right before they entered Vermouth¡¯s tomb. When he had mentioned Kristina¡¯s resemnce to Anise and had asked about her birth parents. Kristina had worn the same sort of smile at that moment. Even though it looked peaceful, the feelings behind it certainly weren¡¯t. It was a smile that seemed to have been cultivated with great care over a long time so that she could activate it almost unconsciously and not look like a facade even though it was. At first nce, that smile just seemed to be benevolent and befitting her title as the Saint. If this had been Eugene¡¯s first time meeting Kristina, and his rtionship with her had still been shallow, then he wouldn¡¯t have felt any difort from that smile. However, Eugene had spent several months with Kristina within Samar. Together, they had made it into the elven domain that no one had visited in centuries, and Kristina had even been able to calmly face the risk of death with him when they met Barang. It had only been a few months. However, if he added the years from his previous life on top of that, it didn¡¯t feel that short. That was how much Kristina resembled Anise. If you examined each of their features separately, one by one, they might not be exactly alike, but it wouldn¡¯t be much of an exaggeration to say that they appeared to be twins judging from the air they both gave off. As such, Eugene couldn¡¯t read her. Kristina had also given that sort of smile right before they parted ways at the Lionheart mansion. When they had first met, that smile had seemed artificial and pretentious, but after experiencing several crises in Samar, her true feelings had started to slowly emerge. ¡°...What are you talking about?¡± came Kristina¡¯ste reply. After blinking her eyes a few times, Kristina tilted her head to the side and changed her expression. Her smile faded away, and her expression grew doubtful. ¡°You had a strange look on your face,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Are you saying that my face looks strange?¡± Kristina asked. Eugene replied honestly, ¡°It feels like you¡¯re forcing yourself tough.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not the case, but¡­ if you truly feel that way, it may be because I¡¯ve beenughing more forcefully than I realized. It¡¯s been several months since Ist met you like this, so it may be that my expression is a bit awkward,¡± Kristina imed as she let go of Eugene¡¯s hands. Then she immediately diverted her gaze and looked at Mer, who was blinking up at her from Eugene¡¯s side now. ¡°Well now, to think that this small, little girl is the familiar that the Wise Lady Sienna created personally.¡± ¡°My name is Mer Merdein,¡± Mer introduced herself. So Kristina was finally paying attention to her. Although Mer had met many, many different people over the years, Mer felt a certain feeling for the first time upon meeting Kristina, something that felt indescribable and unpleasant. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, Miss Familiar. Ah¡­ would it be rude of me to call you that?¡± Kristina said hesitantly. ¡°Um¡­ No, I¡¯m fine with that. Although I may have been made over two hundred years ago, it¡¯s true that I am a cute and adorable little girl who looks exactly like Lady Sienna,¡± Mer dered proudly. It was impressive that Mer could say something like that with her own mouth. As Eugene thought this, he stared down at the crown of Mer¡¯s head. In fact, Eugene had also said some things about his previous life as Hamel, like that his face wasn¡¯t bad and that he had had the charm of an untamed wild stallion, but that was before he had revealed himself to be Hamel. And it wasn¡¯t like he had spitted out such shameless and daring things about his own current face. ¡°Fufu, that really does seem to be the case. I¡¯ve also seen Lady Sienna¡¯s portrait and statue before, but it seems that Miss Mer really was made in Lady Sienna¡¯s exact image,¡± Kristina said with a faint smile as she stared into Mer¡¯s eyes. Mer didn¡¯t avoid meeting this gaze. She was still feeling this unknown sensation from Kristina and was struggling to figure out what it was. ¡°So, you¡¯re the one who asked me toe here,¡± Eugene spoke up, breaking this short silence. ¡°Why did you tell me toe here? While I did have my own reason for wanting to see you, I didn¡¯t expect that you¡¯d be the one to call me over first.¡± ¡°What are your reasons for wanting to see me, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°The ones who instigated the n to kill you and I weren¡¯t the Pope and his Cardinals,¡± Eugene calmly informed her, as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. However, he still made sure that their surroundings were clear. A theocracy like this was absolutely riddled with religious zealots walking around with normal faces. Let alone their God, it wouldn¡¯t be strange to be stabbed in the eye if anyone was caught ndering the Pope or the Cardinals out on the open streets. ¡°Ah,¡± Kristina made a noise of acknowledgment as she nodded lightly. ¡°Indeed, so that was the case. While I had my suspicions in the beginning, I thought they would have no reason to do something like that¡­ so it really was just like that.¡± Do you trust the Pope and the Cardinals?Eugene had asked Kristina something like that in the past. He could clearly recall the answer that she had given at that time. No. But they wouldn¡¯t want to have the two of them die from something like this. ¡°I hope you will begin to fully trust me after this incident,¡± Kristina earnestly insisted. ¡°I already told you I trusted you,¡± Eugene assured her. ¡°Yes, you did say the same thing to me back then. However, it seemed like you still needed concrete proof rather than just my word. So I was willing to return to the Holy Empire to investigate our suspicions regarding the Pope and Cardinal Rogeris. However, it seems like that didn¡¯t aplish much,¡± Kristina admitted with a chuckle as she resumed walking. ¡°In a situation where even our letters are monitored, I made sure to use ciphers and even conveyed my letters to you through one of my few friends. So, Sir Eugene, I hope you appreciate how much effort I put into earning your trust.¡± ¡°I told you that I trust you,¡± Eugene firmly insisted. ¡°I know. I¡¯m saying this because I hope you would be a little more considerate of me and a little more¡­,¡± Kristina trailed off for a few seconds. In that brief moment, Eugene noticed a slight change in Kristina¡¯s expression. The fake smile disappeared, and the smile he had seen on Anise rose in its ce. Kristina resumed speaking, ¡°A little more¡­ haha¡­ although it might sound strange to you, Sir Eugene, but yes, I hope youe to trust and value me just a little more than you already do.¡± ¡°Value you?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Please don¡¯t misunderstand me. As the Saint, I will surely continue to apany you on your journey, Sir Eugene. However, I believe that a bond of camaraderie has yet to be forged between you and me,¡± Kristina¡¯s genuine smile faded away. ¡°As such, I need to build our bond step by step.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the picky personality. In any case, why did you ask me toe all the way to Yuras?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°In a few days, on Lady Anise¡¯s birthday, I will be confirmed as the Saint,¡± Kristina announced. ¡°Confirmed?¡± Eugene repeated in confusion. ¡°Weren¡¯t you already acknowledged as the formal Saint instead of just the Saint Candidate?¡± ¡°Only a few are aware of that fact,¡± Kristina exined. ¡°Even in Yuras, only the Pope and three of the Cardinals are aware that I have be the formal Saint.¡± Now that she mentioned it, the Heresy Inquisitors belonging to the Maleficarum, Atarax and Hemoria, had also called Kristina the ¡®Saint Candidate.¡¯ ¡°Of course, now that I have formally be the Saint, it will be an enjoyable and honorable affair to be officially confirmed and announced as such. I will also be receiving blessings and a baptism. However, that also means that on Lady Anise¡¯s feast day, I will be asked to recite a prayer in the za of the Sun and right in front of the statue of Lady Anise at that¡­. It makes me feel like there¡¯s a heavy burden weighing down on me. Once that¡¯s done, I may be regarded as the Second Coming of the Faithful Lady Anise,¡± Kristina said with some self-doubt. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene listened to her quietly. ¡°However, I have no ability to veto that decision. It¡¯s not like I can just reject that arrangement because of the burden it ces on me,¡± Kristinained. ¡°Are you saying that I¡¯m needed for your confirmation?¡± Eugene asked as he unfurled his cloak. ¡°Or could it be that what you really need is the Holy Sword?¡± ¡°The fact that Sir Eugene is the Hero won¡¯t be revealed,¡± Kristina promised. ¡°After all, the existence of the Hero is a much more weighty affair than the existence of the Saint. My confirmation as the Saint will take ce in one of the deepest, most secretive locations in the Vatican. If Sir Eugene would be there¡­. Please watch over me as I am confirmed as the Saint,¡± Kristina pleaded. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t really matter,¡± Eugene spoke up as he flourished his cloak outwards. ¡°It¡¯s a bit petty to be so focused on the fact that your identity as the Saint is being announced.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kristina asked in shock. ¡°Not only shouldn¡¯t you worry so much about me, but you also don¡¯t need to be so overly conscious of the fact that the Saintess has to devote herself to aiding the Hero,¡± Eugene informed her. Unable to think of a reply to this, Kristina¡¯s eyes widened in disbelief. Eugene watched as the smile faded from her face and all expression seemed to disappear. ¡°You especially need to stop saying that you will die in my stead,¡± Eugene instructed. Although it was strange for him to be saying something like that considering how he died in his past life. ¡°I really hate those kinds of words,¡± Eugene spat out. But it was because he had died like that, that Eugene, more than anyone else in this world, felt he was qualified to say such a thing. Chapter 183: Yurasia (2) It felt like her heart was being peeled open. Although the heart beating in her chest right now didn¡¯t actually have a shell to peel away, Kristina couldn¡¯t help but feel that way. Her very core, which she had never wanted to show anyone, and the surface of her emotions, which even she couldn¡¯t clearly grasp, felt like they were being rifled through by Eugene. As such, she couldn¡¯t stop her control over her expressions from faltering. It was extremely brief, but that momentary loss of control felt like it hadsted for a lot longer to Kristina. ¡®What kind of expression did I just show?¡¯ Kristina asked herself. She wasn¡¯t sure. It didn¡¯t feel¡­ like she had been smiling. Kristina unconsciously raised her hands to caress her cheeks. She touched the smile that she had always kept on her face and had started to take for granted. ¡®It was different from my current expression, but I¡¯m not sure what it was,¡¯ Kristina continued to ruminate. The Pope was elected from a selection of priests who held the strongest faiths in all of this expansive Holy Empire. After the previous Pope received his final rites and before his soul rose to Heaven, the Pope¡¯s soul would appear in the dreams of all the Church¡¯s bishops. In this way, the pope would look into the souls of all the bishops, examining their faith, and then he would select his potential sessors by engraving a stigmata onto the bodies of those bishops who possessed sufficient faith. The bishops who were marked by this stigmata would enter ¡®the Audience Chamber,¡¯ deep within the Vatican, and one among them would be chosen by the Light. The chosen bishop would then be the Pope, while the bishops who were not chosen would be his cardinals. The current Pope of Yuras, Aeuryus, was also chosen by the Light within that Audience Chamber thirty years ago. The Pope selected through this process was considered in Yuras to be the Emissary of the Light. Saints were different from the Popes and the Cardinals. While thetter two were chosen from among the bishops for their piety, the Saintess was bestowed by the Light. In this generation, Kristina may have been the only candidate for Sainthood, but in the previous generations, there were usually three or four candidates for the next Saint. ¡®The Blessing of the Light,¡¯ the process by which Saint candidates were selected, required certain conditions. They had to be a girl raised in a monastery, someone who had been orphaned or abandoned. Among those girls who fit this background, some would suddenly start to radiate light, and even as children, they would be able to perform miracles that were incredibly powerful. If ¡®the Blessing of the Light¡¯ that was bestowed upon each of these girls gradually diminished as a candidate grew older, this meant that they had been disqualified as a candidate. Among these candidates, the one whose light shown even more brilliantly rather than diminishing would be officially recognized as a Saint. It was through this method that the Saintess became an Apostle of the Light. The Hero. ¡ªLong, long ago, back when the Demon Kings didn¡¯t even exist, and the boundaries between demonfolk, demonic beasts, and monsters hadn¡¯t even been established, the God of Light descended from the heavens and created a sword from his own flesh and blood to illuminate the Darkness. Latest Update on meow novel That sword was the Holy Sword Altair ¡ª the first child of the God of Light, the most brilliant torch that the God left behind for the sake of the world. After the God left the earth once more and ascended to the heavens as a ray of light, no one in the Holy Empire would prove able to pull out Altair and reveal its light. Only the Great Vermouth from three hundred years ago and his descendant, Eugene Lionheart, had ever managed to draw Altair and draw upon its light. It was for this reason that Heroes were special. Heroes were neither an Emissary of the Light nor an Apostle. They were an Incarnation of the Light. So what was so strange about a Saintess sacrificing herself for the Hero? It was only natural for her to do so. Kristina believed in this truth without a doubt. So if a situation arose where it became necessary to do so, and if Kristina was the Saint at that time, she would be willing to give her life for the sake of the Hero ¡ª for the sake of Eugene. Ever since the day she had be a Saint Candidate, that was how Kristina had been taught. How noble and glorious the duty of the Saint was had been engraved into her heart. The face she had been born with, the fact that she was selected by the Cardinal, and the Blessing that was bestowed upon her ¡ª she had worked hard to be a Saint worthy of these gifts. She had worked hard so that she could step forward into her role as the seconding of the Faithful Anise from three hundred years ago. The curves of the corners of her mouth, the position of the corners of her lips, the rise and fall of her voice, the direction of her gaze, and the way she smiled with her eyes ¡ª she had practiced such expressions repeatedly while hiding all her inner thoughts and feelings. Kristina had been taught that things that didn¡¯t need to be revealed shouldn¡¯t be revealed. So for Eugene to tell her that being a Saint didn¡¯t mean that she should be willing to sacrifice herself for the Hero made her question whether he still didn¡¯t want to admit that he was the Hero? ¡®But then, what about me?¡¯ Kristina asked herself. No matter the era, the Saint could always be found in Yuras. But what was so special about Kristina was that, just like the Faithful Anise from three hundred years ago, she had found herself living in the same era as the Hero. Just like Anise, Kristina hoped that she would be able to fulfill her duties alongside the Hero. She felt that being born with an appearance simr to Lady Anise¡¯s and having the Hero be born to the Lionheart family once more were all a part of fate¡¯s design. However, if Eugene were to refuse his role as the Hero and refused to fulfill his duty¡­. Then would there be any meaning to how she had lived to be acknowledged as the Saint? ¡®¡­That ring.¡¯ me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel A thought that she didn¡¯t want to pay any attention to, that she shouldn¡¯t pay any attention to, kept popping up in front of her eyes and rolling around inside her head. Kristina recalled how she had held Eugene¡¯s hands earlier. On the ring finger of his left hand, Eugene was now wearing a gold ring that he hadn¡¯t worn when they were together in Samar. Kristina was also well aware of what wearing a ring on one¡¯s left ring finger meant. Such a ring was an item that the Saintess, a Companion of the Light who was to remain pure for the rest of her life, would never have anything to do with. ¡®Have three whole months¡­ really gone by so quickly? During that time¡­ after all, nobles do often get engaged even before they be adults.¡¯ Furthermore, Eugene had been evaluated as the best talent that had ever been seen in the prestigious Lionheart n since the Founding Ancestor. From Kristina¡¯s point of view, Eugene¡¯s personality had some serious ws, and his mouth was as dirty as a filthy rag, but his appearance was so outstanding that even she couldn¡¯t help but recognize it. As for his skills? Was there any need to even bring them up? If she had to find some kind of w, it would be that Eugene was a foster child, not someone from the main line and that he had already given up the right to seed as the next Patriarch. But considering everything that Eugene had to offer, any number of aristocratic families must be willing to arrange a marriage with him no matter what ws he might have. Eugene was only twenty years old. An age that would be considered not just on the younger side but the very younger side. Even if he couldn¡¯t be the Patriarch of the prestigious Lionheart n, this young Eugene Lionheart had the potential to be anything that he wanted to be. A Tower Master of Aroth? The Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards Division? He could even be a Commander of Kiehl¡¯s Imperial Knights or swear allegiance to apletely different country. ¡®Who could¡­ the other party be? A high-ranking noble on the same level as the Lionheart n¡­ they might even be royalty.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t something that Kristina should care so much about. But, although she tried to tell herself that, her heart wasn¡¯t following her orders. But¡­ wasn¡¯t that ring too modest for an engagement ring? In engagements between high-ranking nobility, it should bemon for the engaged to wear expensive rings, both tomemorate the event and show off to other noble families. Kristina wanted to take another look at it to confirm her suspicions, but she suppressed the urge to do so. Such an impulse was unnecessary. There was no need for her to do so. She didn¡¯t want to feel any more unneeded confusion and was worried about potentially meeting Eugene¡¯s eyes. As such, Kristina just kept walking quickly. Without asking the reason for the sudden rise in pace, Eugene also just kept walking behind her. Then, when Eugene suddenly turned around, he spotted Mer, who was diligently trying to catch up to them with her short gait. ¡°So, Sir Eugene, you are finally paying attention to me,¡± Mer spat angrily. Eugene held his cloak open with an awkward expression, and Mer quickly dived into the cape as if she had just been waiting for the opportunity. ¡®This will be my first time riding a train. Have you ever ridden one before?¡¯ Mer asked excitedly. ¡®This will be my first time riding one as well,¡¯ Eugene admitted. ¡®There wasn¡¯t anything like a train around three hundred years ago.¡¯ You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience There were trains in Kiehl as well. While it wasmon for nobles to use warp-gates for long-distance travel, ordinary people who couldn¡¯t afford the high cost of doing so would use trains when they needed to travel long distances. Because the internal machinery of trains was mainlyposed of magitech, they hadn¡¯tpletely reced horses and carriages yet. However, since trains could run anywhere as long as rails wereid and they were overwhelmingly easier to maintain than warp-gates with far less risk of idents, the introduction of magic trains and the creation of new train routes were slowly spreading. With this increase in demand came a corresponding rise in technological developments. ording to Melkith, the alchemists of the White Tower of Magic were recently working on a ¡®magic car¡¯ that would be able to drive on the roads in ce of horses and carriages. ¡®It¡¯s funny how they¡¯re being so tant,¡¯ Mer giggled as sheyfortably inside the cloak. Befitting of an empire, the Holy Empire of Yuras had a widend mass, and the pration rate of the warp-gates was very low. Divine magic, which was derived from faith, and normal magic, which made use of mana, hadpletely different systems. The high-browed and high-ranking priests of Yuras disapproved of wizards who could perform miraculous acts without even a hint of faith, and there had been a long discrimination against wizards in Yuras. Of course, that was all in the distant past. After the war with the Demon Kings, the world had changed so much that even ck wizards were publicly epted into magical society. Though, in fact, rather than the reason that times had changed, it was more likely because they could no longer ignore the fact that, in many ways, most magic was more convenient than divine magic. ¡®After all, it¡¯s not like all believers can use divine magic,¡¯ Kristina sighed regretfully. ¡®Although the same goes for normal magic, unlike divine magic, ordinary magic can also benefit non-wizards. As long as they have the money for it, that is.¡¯ Ordinary people without the ability to fly in the sky could use one of Aroth¡¯s aerial carriages as long as they had the money for it. Long distances that would require days of travel by horse and carriage or by train could be crossed in an instant through the use of a warp-gate if you just had the money for it. Even in the cold, snowy winter, if you could pay the price for one, you could install a magic boiler and use hot water to your heart¡¯s content. It was also thanks to the magic that the current Eugene didn¡¯t have to carry around a heavy money pouch and identity badge. He had a magical identity card linked to his blood and a magic debit card connected to his bank, which meant he didn¡¯t have to carry any cash with him. All this was the result of the daily-life magic being spread and developed by Aroth, the Kingdom of Magic. While there were miracles designed solely for convenience even in divine magic, unlike ordinary magic that could be sustained by the mana in the air or by mana batteries created through alchemy, such miracles were far less enduring. In addition, divine magic used the imprecise power of ¡®faith¡¯ rather than mana, so the level and power of a holy spell all depended on the level of the caster¡¯s faith. ¡®Yuras is one of the richest countries in the entire continent. They probably have more wealth umted in their treasury than Kiehl does, right?¡¯ Mer asked in confirmation. ¡®Probably,¡¯ Eugene agreed. ¡®Apart from their taxes, the people of this country even have to pay tithes to the churches they attend. These tithes are sent up from the churches to the Vatican¡­ and on top of that, they even receive the money collected from churches in other nations.¡¯ ¡®Even though they have so much money, the pration rate of warp-gates is much lower than in Kiehl. The current Kiehl even has warp-gates installed in your hometown, Gidol, and even in a ce that stinks of cow dung like Bonyo,¡¯ Mer pointed out. Although warp-gates had been installed there, they didn¡¯t see much use. Such warp-gates were only used by nobles or the wealthy who went down to the countryside to recover their health. Themoners living in such rural areas saw more use in horses and carriages or trains. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡®This country is obviously brainwashing its subjects. Don¡¯t indulge in thefort of magic and don¡¯t go too far from home, so if they are free, then they have no choice but to go down to their local church. But even while creating such an environment for their subjects, the high-ranking priests will probably use a hidden set of warp-gates, right?¡¯ Mer remarked cynically. ¡®Do such plotse up in the novels you¡¯ve been reading these past few days?¡¯ Eugene asked. ¡®How did you know? Even though Yuras¡¯s name isn¡¯t specifically mentioned, anyone would be reminded of Yuras when they read about a theocracy like it. In that novel, the high priest is shown to revel in the depths of their city¡¯s underworld,¡¯ Mer chattered in an excited tone that had Eugene tapping his fingers thoughtfully. ¡®I¡¯m sure the high-ranking priests of Yuras must do the same thing. How can a person live so stoically when they have arge amount of money and power? While pretending to be ascetic on the surface, they must surely be indulging in pleasures when on their own and living afortable life.¡¯ ¡®Mm¡­ it feels like it would be better if you didn¡¯t say such things to Kristina,¡¯ Eugene reminded Mer. ¡®I¡¯m also tactful enough not to do something like that, you know? But Sir Eugene, isn¡¯t it quite strange?¡¯ ¡®What is?¡¯ ¡®I resemble Lady Sienna because she made me into a familiar based on her childhood appearance, but Lady Anise wasn¡¯t a wizard, right?¡¯ Mer asked doubtfully. ¡®Kristina isn¡¯t a familiar,¡¯ Eugene corrected her. ¡®She¡¯s probably a distant descendant of Anise.¡¯ Kristina probably wasn¡¯t just an ordinary descendant. Eugene recalled how Anise had risen from Kristina¡¯s back while unfolding her eight wings. The Blessing of Light that was bestowed upon the Saint Candidates¡­ perhaps it had some connection to Anise, allowing her to dwell within the body of her descendants. ¡®¡­Hm¡­ is that so?¡¯ Mer muttered as she tilted her head to the side. Even so, Mer still felt like there was something indescribable about Kristina. ¡°How long does it take to reach Tressia Parish by train?¡± Eugene asked, breaking the silence. ¡°Unless an ident urs mid-journey, we should arrive there by midnight,¡± Kristina replied. Tressia Parish was the home of Cardinal Rogeris. Although Eugene felt like it would only be natural for the parish of a high-ranking priest at the level of a Cardinal to have a warp-gate, neither Cardinal Rogeris nor any other Cardinal had installed warp-gates within their parish. It wasn¡¯t just the cardinals, either. Among the many ancient holy sites and other historical sites within Yuras, it was actually rare to find any with a warp-gate installed nearby. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°It is because the meaning of a pilgrimage will only be lightened if one can easilye and go through a warp-gate,¡± Kristina replied softly as she assuaged Eugene¡¯sints. ¡°A pilgrimage, as a rule, requires a certain amount of hardship. It¡¯s only natural for a person to not want to do difficult and cumbersome things, especially when their bodies are tired. Oveing such hardships, pilgrims will continue to wander and visit other holy sites for a long time. It is only when they manage to ovee their desires with their faith like this that it can be called a true pilgrimage. ¡°So when you insisted on wearing your priestly robes in that sweltering, muddy jungle, it was something like a pilgrimage for you?¡± Eugene asked thoughtfully. ¡°Aaah, so you¡¯ve finally realized!¡± Kristina celebrated excitedly. ¡°But you didn¡¯t really manage to ovee your desires, did you?¡± Eugene continued asking. ¡°You washed your clothes as soon as they got dirty. You also ate a lot.¡± ¡°Meals have nothing to do with a pilgrimage. And what does wanting to keep your priestly robes clean have anything to do with my desires?¡± Refusing to turn around and look at Eugene, Kristina continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯m also aware of how convenient warp-gates are. However, when you pursue thefort of the body, the mind beszy. Especially in Tressia Parish, or the other parishes governed by the Cardinals, which are regrly visited by the faithful of other parishes whoe to offer their prayers.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes, that is indeed the case. Once a month, the Cardinals will personally appear in their churches and preside over a service. On such a day, the train stations will be full of believers from other parishes who want to attend their service, and if they get there toote they won¡¯t even be able to purchase a ticket. Do you know what that means?¡± ¡°No¡­ I can¡¯t really say for sure,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°It means they won¡¯t be able to participate in the service without moving faster than the others. Yet even so, some ardent believers will refuse to take the train and walk there on foot. It is faith that allows them to choose to perform such self-mortification,¡± Kristina dered passionately. Starting in his previous life, Eugene had never had much time for faith. As such, he couldn¡¯t understand why they would put their bodies under such torment for a pilgrimage that would only lead them to pray at a different location. Kristina tried to exin, ¡°You also sweat a lot while training, so you must also feel pain during that practice, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene hesitantly agreed. ¡°Just like how the blood and sweat you have shed has made you stronger, the hardships of the pilgrimage makes the believer¡¯s faith stronger than before,¡± Kristina argued. ¡°Hm¡­ alright¡­,¡± Eugene slowly agreed. Eugene had felt a sense of incongruitying from Kristina¡¯s expression, but he hadn¡¯t felt anything during their conversation just now. Although her logic seemed to be based on her individual arbitrary beliefs, Eugene felt happy seeing Kristina express herself. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Kristina changed the subject, ¡°Sir Eugene, have you ever ridden a train before?¡± ¡°Nope,¡± came the short reply. ¡°Once you ride it, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll love it. Unlike a warp-gate that¡¯s over in a few steps or a shaking carriage, trains are bothfortable and tasteful,¡± Kristin said as she came to a halt. She slowly raised one hand and pointed at the stopped train, ¡°That is Yuras¡¯s Pilgrimage Train. Also known as the Sunnyside Anise Train.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene made a confused sound. ¡°It¡¯s the Sunnyside Anise Train,¡± Kristina repeated. Eugene turned his wavering eyes to the front of the train. Like the figurehead at the bow of a ship, the face of the lotive at the front of the train was adorned with the figure of an angel praying with her eyes closed. Upon closer inspection, the decoration was a miniature version of the statue of Anise that they had seen in the za of the Sun. ¡°Why is Lady Anise¡¯s name included in the name of the train?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°It isn¡¯t just Lady Anise,¡± Kristina exined. ¡°All other pilgrimage trains that travel from parish to parish bear the names of the Saints.¡± Couldn¡¯t that be called a type of sphemy? Eugene considered this question seriously. Although he hadn¡¯t left any descendants¡­ if he had had, and those descendants went on to build a train and name it the Sunnyside Hamel Train, then he felt like he would definitely leap out of his grave and grab his descendants by the throat. ¡°¡­Ha!¡± Mer, who was sticking her head out of the cloak for a better view, let out augh. She couldn¡¯t keep a straight face. Mer wasn¡¯tughing because she thought the Sunnyside Anise Train was funny. Instead, it was all because of what Kristina had said earlier. In fact, Eugene would have felt the same as Mer, had he not been distracted by the name. Even though Kristina had said so much on the subject of not installing warp-gates to not get intoxicated by theforts of magic and to not tarnish the meaning of the pilgrimage, the train in front of them was the crystallization of magic engineering with all kinds of magic incorporated into its construction. The train was fueled by arge number of mana batteries that had been created through alchemy. Judging by the amount of output Eugene could sense, there was no doubt that the batteries were state-of-the-art. All sorts of magic had been incorporated into its design to reduce the train¡¯s weight, increase its speed, suppress vibrations, and secure its stability. ¡°Our tickets have already been prepared for us, so let¡¯s board now,¡± Kristina proposed as she took the lead and headed up into the train. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°Well¡­ it certainly looks spacious andfortable. But it would be hundreds of times easier just to use a warp-gate than to try andpromise like this,¡± Mer critiqued, her head still stuck outside of the cloak and bobbing here and there as she examined the inside of the train. The seats reserved for them were in the special-ss. Muttered prayers and hymns flowed over from the general-ss seats in the carriages behind the special-ss, but once they opened the door and went inside, such misceneous noises could no longer be heard. ¡°The train has a different charm to it than the warp-gates, little Miss Familiar,¡± Kristina said with a smile. While striding through the secluded and luxurious interior to approach their assigned seats, she continued, ¡°It¡¯s especially peaceful and enjoyable to sit by the window and watch the scenery pass by so swiftly.¡± ¡°The windows?¡± Mer immediately showed interest. She put aside her disinterested expression and imed a seat by the window for herself with sparkling eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll sit here.¡± ¡°As you like,¡± Eugene casually agreed. Since all the luggage he had brought with him could be stored inside his cloak, Eugene had no need to store any luggage separately. Eugene sat down on the wide, soft seat next to Mer and looked up at Kristina to ask, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you taking a seat?¡± ¡°¡­Ah¡­,¡± Kristina responded hesitantly and turned her head away from Eugene. When she tried to take a different seat a short distance away, Eugene grabbed Kristina¡¯s wrist with a puzzled look. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Eugene demanded. Kristina blurted out, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You can just sit across from me,¡± Eugene pointed out exasperatedly. He didn¡¯t understand why Kristina wanted to sit at a different seat when they had already picked a spot with four seats facing each other. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Mer eximed. ¡°If you press this button and lean backward, the chair tilts back!¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± Eugene replied absently. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°I checked before we came here, but I was told that a sales trolley regrly goes up and down the train. They sell snacks like sweets and candies, and they even sell lunch boxes. Would you like to try one as well?¡± Mer asked. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Eugene responded in a dry tone as he opened a magazine ced next to his chair. It was no different from a simr one he had seen in Aroth, which had listed all the tourist attractions avable in the country, but this magazine focused on the holy sites of Yuras. They even offered a train pilgrimage package that would take up an entire month¡­. Churches specializing in educating nonbelievers were also listed separately, and prayers to the Light and scripture verses were written on the back page. ¡°How enthusiastic,¡± Eugene muttered as he lifted his gaze to Kristina. However, their eyes didn¡¯t meet. Kristina had lowered her eyes slightly, staring down at Eugene¡¯s fingers. ¡°Do people even buy this pilgrimage package?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. ¡°It¡¯s very popr with the elderly from foreign countries,¡± Kristina informed him. ¡°Really now¡­. So it¡¯s meant to attract the kind of people who want to obtain a ticket to heaven at ate age?¡± Eugene observed. ¡°While I can¡¯t say that their faith is pure, that doesn¡¯t mean you have the right to think lightly of their faith, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina indignantly argued. ¡°Did I make you mad?¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m not angry in the slightest. Because I know full well that you are a young master from a noble n, as well as someone so rude and mischievous that it¡¯s hard to believe that you are the Hero.¡± ¡°But you seem like you¡¯re mad.¡± ¡°What reason would I have for being angry with you? In the first ce, I, as the Saint, can¡¯t rightly do such a thing towards the Hero¡ª¡± Latest Update on meow novel ¡°Compared to a few months ago, you¡¯ve regressed back to how a Saint is supposed to speak to the Hero,¡± Eugene pointed out with a smirk as he closed the magazine. ¡°Could it be that you feel like there¡¯s a need for you to do so?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Kristina asked in denial. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like you want to talk like this,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°Why don¡¯t you just admit that it feels shitty and stop? Or could it be that it doesn¡¯t feel shitty to you?¡± ¡°Please pay attention to your behavior. Such a demeanor will make a person like you feel low-ss,¡± Kristina warned. ¡ªHamel, it¡¯s not just your posture that¡¯s bad. Your demeanor as a whole is just awful. It¡¯s low-ss. Eugene rejected her request, ¡°I don¡¯t care if I give off that feeling.¡± ¡ªWhile correcting your manners is important, as long as you can keep your mouth shut for now, people won¡¯t be able to tell what a filthy rag you have for a tongue. ¡°Rather than forcing myself to do something that doesn¡¯t really suit me, it¡¯s easier and morefortable to just do what I want to do,¡± Eugene said with a grin as he rested his chin on one hand. ¡°But it seems you don¡¯t know how to do that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t even want to know,¡± Kristina sniffed. ¡°So what, until when are you going to keep your eyes lowered like that? What¡¯s the problem?¡± Eugene inquired. Kristina stayed silent. ¡°Are you curious?¡± Eugene asked. He was finding it fun to tease her. It reminded him of the humiliation he had felt in Samar when he was pulled onto Kristina¡¯s back and held up by his hips. ¡°About this ring, that is.¡± Eugene had already felt that her gaze was focused on this ring. Chapter 184: Yurasia (3) Kristina didn¡¯t reply immediately. She quickly grabbed hold of her lips, which had just been about to part unconsciously, and she struggled to maintain her expression. She didn¡¯t know what kind of expression she might make if she lost hold of herself, but she didn¡¯t want to know either, and she also didn¡¯t want to show that kind of expression to anyone. ¡°¡­Ah, now that you mention it, you seem to have acquired a new essory,¡± Kristina replied as if she hadn¡¯t been paying any attention to it and had just now noticed its existence. Hiding her true feelings behind a well-practiced expression was something that Kristina was familiar with. She finally took a good look at Eugene¡¯s finger and said with a bright smile, ¡°It¡¯s on the ring finger of your left hand. Could it be that you¡¯ve gotten engaged to someone? It¡¯s not umon to do so among members of the nobility, and you aren¡¯t too young either. However, if Eugene Lionheart were to have been engaged to someone, then surely rumors would have spread¡­.¡± Kristina said all this in a gentle tone of voice. As the train set off with a rumble, Mer immediately put both of her hands on the window and stuck her face to the ss. As the carriage gently shook, Kristina continued speaking, ¡°Ah, could it be, was the engagement itself meant to be a secret? Indeed, I have heard that among nobles, engagements are often polluted with political intentions and that it is easy for engagements to be broken due to changes in the positions and situations of both families. However, no matter what the case may be, beingbeled as someone who broke their engagement won¡¯t be of much benefit to either party.¡± Kristina had a bright smile that hid the direction of her gaze. However, Eugene was able to tell that those blue eyes behind her thickshes were obviously staring at his fingers. ¡°That¡¯s why you must have kept the secret so tightly,¡± Kristina continued. ¡°Of course, seeing as how they¡¯re so careful of their reputation, they are sure to be a high-ranking aristocratic family, and for them to secure an engagement to someone like you, Sir Eugene, whose stock price is rising by the day¡­ they must be a family whose reputation equals or even exceeds that of the Lionheart n, right? Could it be that you have entered a betrothal contract with royalty?¡± Eugene just smirked instead of replying. Kristina really didn¡¯t like the look of that smile. His expression was definitely meant to annoy her. She just couldn¡¯t understand why Eugene was using the matter of his ring to tease her. No, he wasn¡¯t someone that she could even try to understand in the first ce. In Samar, Kristina had been made painfully aware of the fact that Eugene Lionheart wasn¡¯t the kind of person that could be understood rationally. He was someone so incredibly violent, shameless, irritating, and childish that it was impossible to believe that he was the descendant of the prestigious Lionheart n and a Hero chosen by the God of Light. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that the timing of this engagement is a bit too perfect. Right after we parted ways, you won your duel in Aroth against the Green Tower Master, Jenneric Osman. And recently, in Kiehl, you managed to survive in the face of the Rakshasa Princess, then aplished the splendid feat of winning four consecutive victories against the White Dragon Knights. Since all of these acts have raised your reputation, it¡¯s only natural that the royal families of many different countries may wish to forge ties with you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristinamented. ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene replied idly. ¡°Yes¡­ while I feel like that ring seems a bit too in tomemorate an engagement to royalty, I suppose that an ornate ring that is too eye-catching would be inappropriate for a secret betrothal,¡± Kristina said, having managed to convince herself that Eugene had gotten engaged to a member of royalty. But who could it be? Was it a princess of Kiehl? The Knight-Princess of Shimuin also came to mind. She was said to be of fair looks, and she was the same age as Eugene. Mustering herposure, Kristina promised, ¡°Sir Eugene, if you eventually hold a wedding ceremony, I will be sure to attend and give my blessing in person. However, Sir Eugene, please don¡¯t forget this fact. As much as I would like to respect your freedom in marriage, you are the Hero foretold by the revtion from the God of Light. Please keep that in mind first before¡ª¡± Eugene finally interrupted her. ¡°Thanks for the well-wishes, but¡­ this isn¡¯t an engagement ring, y¡¯know?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Kristina squeezed out. ¡°When did I ever say that it was an engagement ring, now really¡­.¡± Eugene grinned as he lifted up the ring on his finger and showed it to her. ¡°It¡¯s just a magic ring.¡± ¡°¡­Why are you¡­ keeping a ring like that¡­ on your left ring finger?¡± Kristina ground out, trying to contain herself. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°It¡¯s not like I wanted to wear it on this finger, it¡¯s just that the person who gave it to me stuck it on this finger as part of a contract,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°And why are you just telling me that now?¡± ¡°Would you prefer it if I hadn¡¯t told you that?¡± Kristina¡¯s brow scrunched up and started to twitch. She clutched the hem of her skirt tightly, then wiped away the shocked expression on her face. Swallowing the anger welling up inside of her, Kristina put her hands together in front of her chest in prayer. ¡°What I meant was, why didn¡¯t you say that in the first ce instead of waiting until now?¡± Kristina borated. Eugene hesitated, ¡°Well, I mean¡­ isn¡¯t it up to me whether or not to reveal it at the start or at ater point?¡± ¡°But because you were sote in exining yourself, I came to a misunderstanding and made quite a fuss about it,¡± Kristina said through gritted teeth. ¡°I took my time to exin precisely because I found your misunderstanding interesting,¡± Eugene honestly confessed. ¡°Sir Eugene¡­.¡± Kristina paused to collect herself. ¡°You have quite the mischievous personality. What¡¯s so fun about mocking someone right to their face? As a Hero, you should be of such moral character that others can only call you saintly. No matter how talented you may be, and even if you manage to one day subjugate the Demon Kings and save the world if your personality stays this ugly, then no one will be willing to follow you!¡± Eugeneined, ¡°Isn¡¯t it a bit too harsh for you to call me ugly just because I yed a joke on you¡­?¡± Mer, who had been clinging to the window, cut in. ¡°Since you really are a piece of trash, you should just ept the critique honestly.¡± At these words, Kristina nodded in agreement. In the end, instead of saying anything in protest, Eugene just clicked his tongue and turned to look out the window. As he did, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but agree with Kristina¡¯s im that the train had a different charm to itpared to warp-gates. The scenery was passing by at a much faster speed than what could be seen from inside a carriage. This was apanied by an incredibly steady mechanical rumble. Eugene rxed, enjoying therge windows. At some point, the train left the city and began to roll through a quiet field. In the distance, they could see the white city being left behind them. In fact, thendscape didn¡¯t have much to look at, but Mer was mesmerized by the scenery, unable to tear her eyes off the window. By the time the sales trolley had passed by them three or four times, Kristina finally spoke up, ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask what the reason is?¡± Mer, who was now sitting beside them, had already eaten two lunchboxes and was chewing her way through the armful of snacks on herp. ¡°The reason?¡± Eugene repeated questioningly. Kristina closed her scripture book, which was worn out from being read over and over again. Eugene¡¯s eyes were also familiar with that scripture book; he had seen that same book every day in Samar. Kristina especially liked to open up the book and read it early in the morning, when she had just woken up, and before she went to bed at night. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°I didn¡¯t write down the full details in the letter that I sent you, Sir Eugene. While it was because I felt that things like the Confirmation of my Sainthood weren¡¯t worthy of being included in my letter to you, it seems that the letter, along with my current actions, has caused you great displeasure,¡± Kristina said in apology. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene tilted his head to the side with a thoughtful hum and stared at Kristina¡¯s face. ¡°In any case, your Confirmation of Sainthood is meant to take ce at the Holy See, right? Then why do we need to go to Tressia? It would have been more convenient to just stay in Yurasia.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there are several things that need to be prepared,¡± Kristina exined. Although she felt like it was already toote for Eugene toin or ask why, she still replied immediately, ¡°In Tressia Parish, there is a Fount of Light that is said to have been left there by God a long time ago. Starting tomorrow, I will be fasting for three days before soaking myself in the spring.¡± The Fount of Light¡­. Eugene searched his memories for the name. He had definitely heard that name once in his past. At that time, everyone had been a little bit drunk, and they were all talking about the mysterious ces in their respective hometowns. ¡ªWhat¡¯s so mysterious about that? I¡¯m telling you that the elven territory that I lived in had the World Tree. Hey, Hamel! Do you even know what the World Tree is? ¡ªIsn¡¯t it just a really, really big tree? There was a really big apple tree behind the house that I lived in as a child. ¡ªAre you reallyparing an apple tree to the World Tree? I¡¯ve never heard such an ignorant im! It can¡¯t¡­ it can¡¯t be helped, mhm,ter, once all this is over with and we can finally leave this damned ce, I¡¯ll take you to the elven territory and expand your horizons. ¡ªNo¡­ I don¡¯t really want to go¡­. If I go there, I¡¯ll just end up meeting that bastard Signard, and there must be a lot of elves with the same face and shitty personality as that bastard. ¡ªWhat¡¯s your problem with Big Brother Signard? Also¡­ also, you son of a bitch, I¡¯m trying to take you there for your sake, so shouldn¡¯t you just keep quiet and thank me, you ¡ª Ah! So that¡¯s what it was. I get it now! If you stand next to a group of elves, it will make your mug look like the underside of a dented trash can lid. Is that what you¡¯re worried about? ¡ªYou wanna die? ¡ªDon¡¯t worry, because the only ones who can stand amongst the elves and not be embarrassed by their looks are Vermouth, Anise, and¡­ hahumph¡­ myself. ¡ªA hot river flows through the snowfields near the Bayar Tribe. ¡ªHey Molon, I understand what you¡¯re trying to say, but you can¡¯t just make up things that don¡¯t make any fucking sense. Your tribe lives right up there in the far north, right? So how could there be something like a hot river in a ce where the snow piles up like mountains, and there are blizzards every day? ¡ªJust leave it alone, Hamel. Molon is even more of a vige hick than you, so when this kind of talkes up, he¡¯s left with nothing to say. Since there¡¯s snow here, and snow there, and snow wherever you look, Molon must just want to make something up. ¡ªAs a warrior of the Bayar tribe and a son of the snowfields, I do not lie. There really is a hot river that runs near our tribe. ¡ªNo, why would a hot river even flow through a snowfield? What kind of fire could melt the snow enough to cause a river to flow? Does that even sound possible, you bastard? ¡ªAlthough it¡¯s not a fire, there is a ce where smoke and mes flow alongside the river. If you don¡¯t believe me, then just ask Vermouth. Vermouth and I often bathed in that river together. ¡ªThe riveres from a spring that¡¯s being heated by a geothermal vent. The hot water collects in a pool, then flows away into a river. Molon has taken me there a few times, and it¡¯s a pretty nice ce. Just by soaking in it, I could feel that my fatigue was considerably relieved. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡ªIt isn¡¯t just fatigue. The minerals in the water that flows through the river are great for illnesses and wounds, and some of them can even be healed just by soaking in it. It¡¯s especially good for the skin, so our women really like it. ¡ªAnise, did you hear that? If that¡¯s the case, then we¡¯re going, right? I¡¯m definitely going, so you need toe with me, okay? ¡ªWe can all go there together after the war is over. At that time, I will be the Chieftain of the Bayar. If I ask them to keep the river empty for my friends, then the tribe members will dly give way for us. Then all five of us can take a bath together in the wide river¡ª ¡ªYou crazy bastard. What do you mean, bath together?! Anise and I will go there on our own, so you guys can do the same by yourselves. Hamel, if you peek, I¡¯ll murder you. It was just that kind of unimportant conversation. After a battle ended, they would talk about what they all would do after leaving Helmuth. Perhaps because she was in an especially good mood that day, Anise, who rarely contributed when it came to such topics, actually spoke up while taking a drink. ¡ªIf we¡¯re talking about mysterious ces¡­ then Yuras also has a few like that. ¡ªWhat? ¡ªEveryone, everyone, shut up! Molon, you idiot, shut your trap! Anise is trying to say something! Sienna! Fill up Anise¡¯s cup! ¡ª¡­. ¡ªSorry, Anise. I¡¯ll be the first to shut up, so just keep talking. ¡ªThe ce thates to mind right now¡­ is the Fount of Light. ¡ªThe Fount of Light? And what¡¯s that exactly? ¡ªJust like the name suggests, it¡¯s a spring that emits light. At first nce, it actually looks like it¡¯s pouring out light instead of water. The water is¡­ hmm. It¡¯s not quite as hot as the hot river that Molon talked about, but it¡¯s quite warm. ¡ªIs that so? How mysterious. Let¡¯s go and see it together when we¡¯re done with this, okay? If we soak in it, then will our skin get better like the river in Molon¡¯s hometown? ¡ªIf you just enter it normally, then who knows, it might have such an effect. Anise hadn¡¯t talked about it any further. ¡®¡­Though we weren¡¯t able to go there together, I still ended up seeing the World Tree,¡¯ Eugene thought wistfully. Although he hadn¡¯t seen the hot river that Molon had talked about personally, that river had now be a famous tourist attraction in Ruhr. Eugene smiled bitterly as he recalled the past. If he hadn¡¯t died in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, would they have been able to travel together to the various ces that they had talked about back then? At that time, they had already been traveling together for more than ten years, so they had often chatted about what kind of vacations they wanted to go on afterward. Eugene asked Kristina, ¡°Do you even need to do any fasting? It¡¯s not like emptying your stomach will make your body cleaner after you take a bath.¡± meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°It¡¯s not just simply cleansing the body,¡± Kristina exined. ¡°As a Saint¡­ no, as a Saint Candidate, immersing my body in the Fount of Light is a sacred ritual in and of itself. I have already entered that spring several times since I was a child.¡± ¡°You just soak in the spring normally?¡± Eugene asked. Swisssh! Darkness suddenly engulfed the interior of the train. Mer, who was still looking out of the window with fascinated eyes, pulled her hands back from the window in surprise. The train had just entered a tunnel. Spells on the ceiling reacted to the darkness and illuminated the room with a soft light. It wasn¡¯t just a simple set of lights either. Thin lines of light ran all over the ceiling, depicting a religious icon. Perhaps because of the train¡¯s name being what it was, the icon on the ceiling was an image of Anise praying with her eyes closed. This was the mostmonposition amongst the many icons depicting Anise, but the way that Anise¡¯s figure was drawn with lines of light on the dark canvas created by the tunnel made it look like a constetion. Kristina hoped that the darkness had been able to hide the changes in her expression. No, the truth was that her expression hadn¡¯t changed all that much. However, she had indeed been a little shaken. Even now, the corners of her mouth felt a bit stiff. Kristina carefully blinked once. She calmed her shaking and startled heart. Did Eugene know something? There was no way that could be the case. In this period of time, there was no other Saint Candidate but Kristina. As such, in this generation, the baptism that all Saint Candidates needed to periodically receive by going to the Fount of Light had been monopolized by Kristina. This meant that there was no way that the information could have leaked anywhere else. Kristina knew better than anyone just how thoroughly secret the truth behind this baptism was kept. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I quite understand what you are asking, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina said once she had collected herself. ¡°Is there any other special method apart from just entering the spring, just like any other spring?¡± ¡°Well, to start with, its name is the Fount of Light, isn¡¯t it? And you¡¯re the Saint Candidate. So if you¡¯ve been regrly soaking in it like it¡¯s part of some ritual, I was asking if there¡¯s anything special you do to make it more¡­ ritualistic,¡± Eugene borated. So that was what he had meant. Kristina¡¯s agitation quickly subsided. Rumble, rumble. The train continued to roll along in silence for a few moments. Whoosh! Upon exiting the tunnel, the darkness was lifted. ¡°¡­I wear a white robe,¡± Kristina eventually replied. ¡°A white robe?¡± Eugene repeated. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina confirmed. ¡°A different one from my normal priest¡¯s robes. I have to wear a robe that is entirely white from top to bottom before I enter the spring. Once there, I won¡¯t be able to change my clothes or leave the spring for the next three days.¡± ¡°What if you get hungry or thirsty during that time?¡± Eugene asked. Kristina shook her head, ¡°The process of enduring those things is part of the ritual.¡± ¡°But what if you need to go to the bathroom?¡± Mer, who had been looking out the window, snapped around to ask a blunt question. ¡°You don¡¯t just let it out little by little, do you?¡± Eugene¡¯s expression crumpled at these words, and he turned to look at Mer. Kristina didn¡¯t even try to hide the changes in her expression this time. Her eyes widened as she red at Mer, who just shrugged and smiled innocently. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Mer apologized. ¡°In any case, I need to return to Tressia for the sake of this ritual,¡± Kristina changed the subject. ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°You¡¯ve got a good reason for doing that, and it can¡¯t be helped. But¡­ just why did you ask me toe with you today? You could have asked me to juste three dayster when you¡¯re scheduled to enter the Vatican.¡± Kristina took a deep breath to stop her voice from shaking and said, ¡°Cardinal Rogeris has requested to meet with you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Why?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know his exact reason for making this request, but is it really so unusual for a Cardinal to wish to meet with the Hero?¡± Kristina asked rhetorically. Eugene frowned. ¡°It could also have something to do with you.¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Kristina admitted. Eugene probed, ¡°Do you have any ideas?¡± ¡°I honestly don¡¯t. Though¡­ my letters to Rohanna have all been monitored, and their contents checked,¡± Kristina warned him. ¡°The cipher spell I ced on our letters has never been broken,¡± Eugene stated confidently. Even in the Red Tower of Magic, it was a top-level highly-secured spell that only a few others apart from Eugene, Lovellian, and Hera even knew about. This spell was guaranteed to leave traces should anyone have tried to unlock the cipher and then re-encrypt the text. Eugene hadn¡¯t even informed Kristina of the decryption method. So, in order for someone else to have dispelled the spell on the letter, they had to have been able to discover the decryption code by examining the parts of the spell that were revealed on the surface. While figuring out the process was not actually impossible, Eugene would definitely have noticed if they had tried to re-encrypt it using the same code. However, until now, none of the letters that Kristina had sent him had ever shown any signs of someone tampering with the cipher spell. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°¡­However, I can¡¯t be sure whether the Cardinal knows the letters I sent to Rohanna were passed on to you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina muttered with a shake of her hand. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that she was a reliable friend?¡± Eugene asked in concern. ¡°It¡¯s true that she¡¯s the only friend who I have remained in contact with since leaving the monastery, but Cardinal Rogeris may have gone so far as to have kept even Rohanna under watch,¡± Kristina spected. Eugenemented sarcastically, ¡°Your foster father is quite paranoid.¡± ¡°Due to my appearance, I¡¯ve received such special treatment ever since I was young,¡± Kristina said dejectedly. Her resemnce to Anise alone was enough to attract attention, but on top of that, Kristina had even turned out to be a Saint Candidate. No¡­ perhaps the Cardinal had already predicted such a future for her when he had taken Kristina in as his adopted daughter. With the fact that there was only one Saint Candidate in this generation, added to how much Kristina¡¯s appearance resembled Anise, there was no way for Eugene not to have his own suspicions. ¡®Although she didn¡¯t go into the specific details of it, Kristina did say that she knew that I was the Hero due to receiving a revtion,¡¯ Eugene recalled. The Pope or the other Cardinals, who had also received a stigmata, could have received a revtion about the birth of a Saint. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure about other countries, but such a thing was definitely possible in this Holy Empire. ¡°Are you offended?¡± Kristina asked cautiously. ¡°By what?¡± Eugene replied. ¡°By the fact that I didn¡¯t tell you about it beforehand.¡± ¡°If I was really offended by that, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten on the train in the first ce. I¡¯m not an idiot, so I guessed it was something like this from the moment you asked me to go to the Tressia Parish together.¡± Kristina hesitated. ¡°However¡ª¡± ¡°However, what?¡± Eugene interrupted her. ¡°Now that things have alreadye so far, should I jump off the train? Or perhaps I should get off at the next station? Would that be morefortable for you?¡± Kristina didn¡¯t reply immediately as Eugene asked these questions with a grin. ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure,¡± Kristina eventually admitted. She herself wasn¡¯t even sure what would be the best answer to Eugene¡¯s question. Kristina recalled everything that she had seen in Cardinal Rogeris starting from her childhood. ¡°If you say that you want to get off at the next station, then I won¡¯t try to restrain you, Sir Eugene. Because everything that has happened is an insult to you, and it would feel like I was trying to forcefully drag you with me,¡± Kristina confessed. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°You know, I get tired just by looking at you,¡± Eugene sighed. Kristina gaped. ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Did you finally speak up after staying quiet for so long because you thought that I would need such an excuse to avoid meeting the Cardinal?¡± Eugene used. ¡°Because you thought that if I got on this train after having heard the circumstances beforehand, then you wouldn¡¯t be able to give me any further excuses to just refuse the Cardinal¡¯s invitation.¡± Unable to think of a reply, Kristina just stared at Eugene with nk eyes. Eugene assured her, ¡°Also, even if you had told me your reasons for inviting me at the start, and I refused to go with you, it really wouldn¡¯t have been such a big deal. What could they do if I said I didn¡¯t want to? It¡¯s just that the Cardinals might think of me as a rude bastard. As for everyone else, all they would think is that the noble Cardinals wanted to meet someone in person, only for that rude young man to throw away the opportunity by refusing.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s¡­¡± Kristina tried toe up with an argument. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying that you¡¯re so tiresome,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Coming with an excuse was just for your sake, not mine. If you tell them that you made a mistake, insulted me, and forced me to leave in the middle of our journey¡­ you believe that you¡¯ll be able to protect my position as the Hero while only your faults are exposed.¡± Every once in a while, Kristina found it hard to believe that the young man sitting in front of her was actually three years younger than her. ¡°Is there really a need to prepare such an excuse for my sake? Why are you so worried about me meeting your adopted father? Do you think that Cardinal Rogeris is plotting to torture me and force me to give up the Holy Sword?¡± Eugene asked her. ¡°¡­Tha-that¡¯s not it,¡± Kristina stammered. ¡°There¡¯s no way that would be the case, right? It¡¯s just that I¡­ personally, I can¡¯t help but feel a little¡­.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene prompted. Kristina was visibly distressed, her expression twisted. Her trembling hands clutched her knees tightly. ¡°I¡¯m afraid,¡± Kristina admitted. ¡°Of what?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡¯m worried that Cardinal Rogeris¡­ might tell you¡­ some unnecessary information about me,¡± Kristina slowly revealed. What did she mean by that? Eugene blinked in shock, so surprised by Kristina¡¯s answer that he forgot to even ask a follow-up question. ¡°¡­What¡­ are you talking about stuff like¡­ the fact that you wet your sheets when you were little?¡± Eugene cautiously asked. ¡°Of course not. Instead of that, what I¡¯m worried and afraid of is that¡­ Cardinal Rogeris might be trying to forcefully create and twist the bond that I¡¯m trying to forge with you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina finally confessed. ¡°The bond that you want to build with me is the bond between the Hero and the Saint, right?¡± meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°Apart from that, what else is there?¡± ¡°In the end, isn¡¯t the bond that Cardinal Rogeris wants to arrange for us the same sort of bond?¡± ¡°¡­I am the Saint. I¡¯m also the one who should be forging a bond with the Hero, Sir Eugene. I first met with you due to a revtion from God, and that¡¯s also how I became the Saint,¡± Kristina insisted. Kristina herself didn¡¯t fully understand what she was trying to say. The fear and disgust hidden in her subconscious were causing these confusing emotions. She just didn¡¯t want Cardinal Rogeris and Eugene to meet. She didn¡¯t want the bond between them to break because of that. ¡­But was that all? In the end, was it really just that Kristina didn¡¯t want to disappoint Eugene? Kristina had been told stories about the Hero ever since she was a young girl. In the Church of Light, the Hero was called the Incarnation of Light, so wherever the Hero went, there would always be light. Tressia Parish was the ce that Kristina had lived after she had been adopted and left the monastery and until she had be the Auxiliary Bishop of Alcarte ten years ago. It seemed to be a peaceful and quiet ce, as befitting of a parish governed by a Cardinal. However, for Kristina, it was different. Through the revtion, she had felt the presence of her God. She had seen Eugene pull out the Holy Sword right in front of her. With that, she was convinced of the Hero¡¯s existence. That Hero¡­ would be staying in Tressia Parish¡­ while she was immersed in the Fount of Light. ¡°¡­I¡­¡± Kristina trailed off, unable to figure out what to say. Due to the suspicions raised by Eugene, Kristina had carefully monitored the Cardinal¡¯s activities and carefully looked around the parish whenever he had toe and go from the Vatican. All of this had made Kristina feel a twisted sense of fulfillment, even though it was just a petty show of resistance. She had not really aplished much, but she still felt satisfied by doing what little she had. Even now, it was still the same. While preparing the excuse for Eugene, she had truly been hoping that he would get off at the next station. If Eugene really were to leave her, Cardinal Rogeris was sure to be disappointed in Kristina, and that would leave Kristina with a slight sense of satisfaction. Indeed, that was all it was. Kristina ignored the feelings that continued to bubble up in her subconscious. ¡°My apologies. It seems that my reason was clouded for a moment due to the strain of the duties that lie ahead of me. Please don¡¯t worry about it any longer,¡± Kristina requested. Mer nced at Kristina¡¯s face through the reflection in the window. It was obvious that Kristina¡¯s condition was a bit strange. Though Eugene kept staring at Kristina with narrowed eyes, she refused to say anything further. As if to show that she didn¡¯t want to take part in any more conversation, Kristina opened up the scripture book that she had set down earlier and resumed reading it. ¡°A bond, you say,¡± Eugene snorted and rested his chin in his hands. ¡°Rather than a bond between the Hero and the Saint, I would prefer a bond between one person and another.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Kristina remained silent. Eugene continued, ¡°Because such a bond is much deeper and more sincere.¡± Vermouth had been the Hero to everyone else, but to Hamel, he was just the irritating Vermouth. Latest Update on meow novel Sienna had been an Archwizard, but to Hamel, she was just the violent, foul-mouthed Sienna. Molon had been the Chief Warrior of the Bayar Tribe, but to Hamel, he was just the foolish Molon. Anise had been the Saint, but to Hamel, she was just the alcoholic and treacherous-as-a-snake Anise. They had all felt the same way towards Hamel as well. Dunce, son of a bitch, idiot, and several other adjectives on top of that, but in the end, he was just Hamel. The bond that had connected those five people three hundred years ago was precisely such a bond. Eugene ¡ª no, Hamel was sure of that. * * * The train arrived at Tressia Parish just as night was falling. Although it was nighttime and the skies were dark, the street was illuminated. Eugene had already started to notice this before they had even arrived, as he had spotted the city through the window while they were still far away, but¡­ this city really had far too many lights. As most of the buildings were white, the light from the streetmps on every street felt even brighter. ¡°They sure went overboard with the reception,¡± Eugene snorted as he looked out the window. Kristina couldn¡¯t even bring herself to smile. With a stiff face, she also looked out the window. Wearing a ck shako and red robes, along with a red vest, the Inquisitors of the Maleficarum ¡ª the only ones who were allowed to dress this way in Yuras ¡ª were waiting on the tform. These Inquisitors weren¡¯t the only ones that had shown up. In contrast to the Maleficarum, there were also Pdins dressed in pure white uniforms, with a red cross dividing their uniform into two symmetrical sides. These were the Knights of the Blood Cross, who served directly beneath the Holy See. Elites from the two most powerful organizations in all of Yuras were waiting at the station to greet them. The train eventually came to aplete stop. Soon the door opened. One by one, the Inquisitors and Knights who had been charged with this task boarded the train. Eugene began speaking, ¡°I¡¯m just telling you this in advance¡­.¡± The sound of the approaching footsteps drew closer. Eugene turned his head to look down the aisle and crossed his legs. ¡°¡­but if you make that grinding sound, just know that I¡¯ll beat you up,¡± Eugene finished warning one of the Inquisitors. Beneath the ck shako, the Inquisitor¡¯s hair was trimmed in a neat bob cut that framed their metal mask perfectly. Hemoria¡¯s red eyes narrowed as she red at Eugene. Chapter 185: The Cathedral (1) Eugene tilted his head and nced sideways at Hemoria. Hemoria had no intention of avoiding his gaze. Instead, she showed that she had noticed it. Boom! The thick-heeled boots that she was wearing made a loud stomp as she came to a halt. Following this, there wasplete silence. Even the Knight of the Blood Cross, who had apanied Hemoria on board, didn¡¯t say a word. Judging from the way he stood behind Hemoria, it appeared that Hemoria was of higher rank than the knight. ¡®Though they might not be from different branches, perhaps they work together so closely that their two organizations are practically one,¡¯ Eugene suspected. Was Hemoria still in the middle of her Vow of Silence? As Eugene was just thinking this, Kristina stood up. ¡°Inquisitor Hemoria, I didn¡¯t hear that you¡¯d be showing up to receive us,¡± Kristina said suspiciously. It was only then that Hemoria reacted. Instead of voicing anything, her hands moved to form signnguage. Eugene still didn¡¯t know how to read signnguage. He had no intention of learning either. It might be a different story if someone else were the one using it, but even if Eugene learned signnguage right now, the only one he would be able to use it with was the perpetually tooth-grinding Hemoria. He didn¡¯t meet with her that often, nor did they have such a deep rtionship, so what was the point of him spending his precious time learning signnguage? ¡°Do you know how to read signnguage?¡± Eugene asked Kristina. ¡°I do,¡± Kristina slowly admitted. ¡°So what is she saying?¡± ¡°She says that she¡¯s here on Cardinal Rogeris¡¯s orders. This matter was only decided upon today, so she couldn¡¯t inform us in advance and asks for our understanding.¡± Latest Update on meow novel ¡°Hmmm.¡± Kristina was still considered to be the Saint Candidate. While it wasn¡¯t unusual for the Holy Knights toe out and escort Kristina, who would officially be confirmed as the Saint in a few days, it was suspicious for even an Inquisitor to have be involved in this reception. ¡°Fine then,¡± Eugene agreed as he uncrossed his legs and stood up. ¡°I really don¡¯t like the sound of your teeth grinding, andst time you were the one who picked a fight first and pulled quite a bit of annoying shit, but well¡­ didn¡¯t I also punch you in the stomach a few times, box your eyes, and kick your ass? So let¡¯s just let go of all our resentment for the shit we did to each other and get along nicely.¡± What was all this now? Kristina turned to look at Eugene with a surprised expression. She had heard that Eugene had met with the Inquisitors, Hemoria and Atarax, at the ck Lion Castle, but this was Kristina¡¯s first time hearing that they had actually fought. Eugene¡¯s words weren¡¯t pleasant to hear for Hemoria either. In Hemoria¡¯s opinion, she hadn¡¯t been picking a fight with Eugene back then. She was just doing what an Inquisitor should. The Maleficarum was a faithful servant of the Light and a Hammer of God that was stacked with delivering judgment upon all heretics and dark beings. The Maleficarum¡¯s judgment applied equally to everyone. And in the first ce, what the current era¡¯s Inquisitors mainly hunted weren¡¯t ck Wizards, but instead, it was mostly heretics. Even the Hero couldn¡¯t avoid being ced on trial by the Maleficarum. Instead, it was because he was the Hero that he must be held to stricter standards than anyone else. Eugene Lionheart ¡ª was he really qualified to be the master of the Holy Sword? Wasn¡¯t it just because of the special blood he had inherited from the founder of his n that he could currently hold the Holy Sword and call upon its light? Hemoria had tested Eugene because of these doubts. It was only natural for her to do so. But, in the end, she had to acknowledge him. Eugene Lionheart was a monster and deserved to be named the Hero. The moment they stepped out into the passageway, the words Eugene had said just now floated through Hemoria¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t like Hemoria wasn¡¯t making any grinding noises because she was afraid of being hit. Fear? She had already ovee something like that during the apprenticeship she went through before bing an Inquisitor. Hemoria had experienced terrible pain iparable to the beating she had received from Eugene and had seen many horrible things. She hadn¡¯te here with any intentions of picking a fight with him. That was why Hemoria was holding back the urge to grind her teeth. Instead, she just made a few gestures of signnguage in Eugene¡¯s direction. ¡°Don¡¯t interpret those,¡± Eugene instructed. Kristina, standing beside Eugene, had been about to open her mouth, but Eugene was one step ahead of her in asking her to be silent. Then, Eugene stared calmly at the intricate signnguage that Hemoria had just used. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°Fine then,¡± Eugene slowly nodded his head. ¡°Although I¡¯m not too familiar with signnguage, I can at least make a reply.¡± As mentioned before, Eugene didn¡¯t know any signnguage. However, there was one piece of signnguage that Eugene had gotten very familiar with in his previous life and had made good use of. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± ¡°¡­,¡± Hemoria¡¯s eyes twitched as she silently wondered how to react to the two raised middle fingers being shown to her. Under normal circumstances, she would have ground her teeth as she openly expressed how ufortable she felt, but¡­. ¡°This should be enough of an answer, right?¡± Eugene said with a grin and a feeling of satisfaction. This piece of signnguage was a highly versatile gesture that could be used in any situation and during any conversation. As it could be done just by raising one finger, it was very simple and conveyed a lot of meaning. In the end, Hemoria didn¡¯t continue using any signnguage and just nced at Kristina. The look alone was enough to convey her meaning. The Knights of the Blood Cross and the Inquisitors of the Maleficarum were still gathered outside the train. Kristina let out a short breath and nodded her head. ¡°Understood,¡± Kristina crisply acknowledged. After hearing this response, Hemoria and the Pdin turned around. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina continued. ¡°It seems I¡¯ll need to leave first for the Fount of Light.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that you¡¯d be leaving tomorrow?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°With the ritual this time being what it is, it seems that a little more preparation will be required,¡± Kristina said as an excuse. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better to make our preparations and finish early than to take our time and bete?¡± You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°Kristina,¡± Eugene called out her name. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go, you don¡¯t have to. You know that, right?¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Kristina asked with a slight smile. ¡°I, who have only been a Saint Candidate, am finally bing the official Saint. Once I¡¯ve received the proof of that, it will be announced to the world, and I will be able to gain everyone¡¯s recognition as the Saint. The only thing I should be feeling at this moment is a slight pressure. I¡¯ve never once thought I didn¡¯t want to do this.¡± While saying this, Kristina took the first step and bypassed Eugene. Eugene stared at Kristina¡¯s back as she walked ahead of him. Whether her shoulders were trembling or her fists were clenched¡­ he couldn¡¯t see any signs of this. Kristina¡¯s spine seemed firm. Or at least, that¡¯s how it looked. ¡°You must be tired after traveling so far,¡± a voice rang out as soon as they got off the train. It was a voice that Eugene remembered. One of the Inquisitors from the Maleficarum, Hemoria¡¯s teacher, Atarax, took off his shako and approached Eugene and Kristina. Atarax continued, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if my disciple could convey the full story clearly.¡± ¡°If you really wanted to make the full story clear, you shouldn¡¯t have sent someone who can¡¯t speak and can onlymunicate in signnguage,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°Ah¡­ well, that¡¯s true. My apologies. I only considered the fact that Saint Candidate Kristina is known to be skilled in signnguage,¡± Atarax admitted with a bow of his head. ¡°Then allow me to inform you of the situation once more. Saint Candidate Kristina, you are to be escorted by the Knights of the Blood Cross and the Maleficarum to the Fount of Light. As for you, Sir Eugene Lionheart, you will be apanying Hemoria and me to the Tressia Cathedral.¡± ¡°Is there any reason I can¡¯t go to the Fount of Light?¡± Eugene demanded. Atarax hesitated, ¡°Formality and tradition¡­ are the main reasons. Sir Eugene, since you are a member of the Lionhearts, you should be able to ept that.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t really feel like epting this,¡± Eugene shook his head. ¡°Ever since I was young, I¡¯ve always thought that the Lionheart n¡¯s traditions are a bunch of trash.¡± ¡°Haha.¡± Ataraxughed and ced the shako back on top of his head. There was no meaning in saying anything further. As long as a line had been drawn based on formality and tradition, there was no room for Eugene, an outsider, to interfere. The other party was the Holy Empire, which had maintained such a status for a long, long time. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°Allow us to escort you,¡± Atarax requested. The Knights of the Blood Cross approached Kristina. Kristina immediately headed away with the Knights of the Blood Cross without turning to look at Eugene. Eugene could not tear his gaze away from the sight of her receding back. The knights all moved as one. Even though there were twenty of them here, the sound of their footsteps wasn¡¯t scattered at all. Yuras¡¯ Knights of the Blood Cross were a knightly order that was always brought up whenever it came to discussing who were the best knights on this continent. Although none of the Crusaders, the Commanders of their knightly order, hadt made an appearance, the swift movements of the Knights of the Blood Cross revealed a different sort of nobility and steadfastness than that shown by the White Dragon Knights of Kiehl. The Maleficarum¡¯s Inquisitors mixed into the group by forming a circle that enclosed it. The entourage that was formed from thispletely concealed Kristina¡¯s appearance. ¡°Shall we get going as well?¡± Atarax asked with a smile. A carriage was waiting for Eugene outside the station, and past the carriage, he could see a city so brightly lit that it was hard to believe it was already nighttime. As if they wanted to prove that it was truly a parish governed by a Cardinal, religious statues were standing within the station, in the square in front of the station, and throughout the rest of the city. Even from a distance, it was possible to see the Tressia Cathedral¡¯s magnificence and beauty. Eugene looked up at the tall cross on the roof of the cathedral and the spires surrounding it. It looked more like a castle than a cathedral. ¡°Are we heading straight to the cathedral?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Is there somece that you would like to stop by first?¡± Atarax, who was sitting across from him, asked in return. Eugene, Mer, and Atarax were the only ones inside the carriage. Hemoria was sitting outside in the coach box. ¡°Well, it is my first time in Yuras. Could you rmend some of the tourist attractions in this city?¡± Eugene requested. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m at a loss as to which ces I should rmend to you, Sir Eugene, as you¡¯re not a follower of the Light,¡± Atarax admitted in embarrassment. ¡°That¡¯s right. Why don¡¯t you take this chance to convert to the Church of the Light?¡± Latest Update on meow novel ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯ll have to decline.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange for the Hero to not have any religious beliefs¡­?¡± ¡°Unfortunately, the Kiehl Empire where I live has guaranteed our right to freedom of religion. If our great ancestor had founded his n in Yuras, I might have also worshiped the God of Light, but¡­.¡± Tearing his eyes away from the window, Eugene continued, ¡°Ah, please don¡¯t misunderstand me. Even if that is the case, that doesn¡¯t mean I feel any disrespect towards the God of Light.¡± At these words, Mer, sitting beside him, alternated between looking at Eugene and Atarax. She was concerned that a violent incident might break out. Atarax eventually recovered, ¡°Faith does not always have to be expressed outwardly. As long as you read the scriptures, pray, and worship God, everything else apart from those is just an extension of the faith. Sir Eugene, if you recognize the existence of God inside of your heart and are able to trust in Him without any doubts, that alone would be a small show of faith.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯te here to hear things like that,¡± Eugene said clearly, having no intention of keeping an ambiguous attitude. Being forced to listen to lectures about faith and such things would just be tiresome and annoying. The followers of the Light had always been particrly tenacious and persistent, even three hundred years ago, and they were stubborn in their reasoning. ¡°If the only tourist destinations you can rmend to me are rted to your religion, then let¡¯s just keep going. Honestly speaking, I¡¯d rather just stay at an inn on one of these streets than stay in that beautiful cathedral,¡± Eugene confessed. With that, their conversation was cut short. Atarax had no desire to force Eugene to share his faith. The orders given to Atarax and Hemoria were just to take Eugene to meet Cardinal Rogeris in the Tressia Cathedral. Afterward, the two would immediately head to the Fount of Light and join the forces stationed there. Ufortable thoughts were running through Eugene¡¯s mind. He hated situations like these. It wasn¡¯t just the situation either. The Holy Empire had already been quite the overbearing and suspicious ce, even three hundred years ago. In his past life, Hamel had never been directly involved with the Holy Empire, but his situation in this life was different. It was all because of this goddamned Holy Sword and the title of the Hero. Eugene¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl as he thought of the Holy Sword still within his cloak. ¡®¡­No. Perhaps it¡¯ll be useful.¡¯ The Fount of Light was kept secret from the public. However, Eugene had now learned that the Fount of Light was somewhere within Tressia parish, and he also knew that Anise had to be periodically baptized in the Fount of Light three hundred years ago. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel The Tressia Cathedral was an ancient building that had already been standing here three hundred years ago. There could be a few items rted to Anise being kept here. If he managed to find some, he might be able to learn something about Anise by using Akasha¡¯s Draconic Spell. * * * Eugene had tested the Draconic spell on the Holy Sword. But it hadn¡¯t really worked. While the Moonlight Sword had projected a gloom that had engulfed and shaken his consciousness, the Holy Sword had only emitted a dazzling light. He hadn¡¯t felt any distress like his mind was copsing like when he had tested the spell on the Moonlight Sword, nor had someone like the Demon King of Incarceration interfered with his perception. The only oue was his eyes being blinded. Even after Eugene had kept the spell up for quite some time, the feelings he got from it didn¡¯t change. Eugene had hoped that he might see the paradise Anise had always talked about¡­ or the God of Light, or perhaps even Vermouth. If not those, then he had thought that it might show a projection of the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault, where it had been stored for hundreds of years, or the inner parts of the Vatican, where it was said to have been stored before that. But all the Holy Sword had shown Eugene was a bright light. To be honest, Eugene was disappointed but thought it couldn¡¯t be helped. The light he had seen at that time was so bright that not even a single speck of darkness could exist in its vicinity, and even Eugene, who didn¡¯t have the slightest bit of faith, could feel that there was something sacred about it. Now they were arriving at the Tressia Cathedral. This ce was also filled with light, imitating the God that they worshiped. The central nave was wide and magnificent. The front wall was gorgeously covered with an exquisite piece of sswork, and the white light that shone through the wall fell to the floor like huge pirs of light. A white cross was hung high on the wall of ss that the light was pouring through. The radiance of the white cross wasn¡¯t lost even amid the bright light. It wasn¡¯t just the cross. Slightly below it were various shapes that didn¡¯t get lost in the light or create any shadows. There were angels spreading their wings, singing and dancing, then below them were Saints sprouting wings and ascending as angels while devotees prayed below. Eugene stared up at the pirs of light for a few moments. If he had been a sincere believer, he might have felt a sense of overwhelming emotion at the sight of this light and the depiction of believers bing Saints and of Saints sublimating into angels. Eugene didn¡¯t feel excited by this y, but he did feel like it would be very effective at seducing someone who was already a believer. ¡°You don¡¯t have the look of someone who has found their faith,¡± a voice was heard from behind Eugene. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Eugene felt a little surprised at the sound of this voice. His senses were sufficiently sharpened, and there was no reason for them to have dulled. This cathedral wasrge enough for hundreds of people to enter, but Eugene had believed that he was the only one there at the moment. That is, Eugene had believed this until he heard that voice. After calming down from his surprise, Eugene turned around. The man was wearing a white mantle over his ck priest robes. A ne with a white cross hanging around his neck remained firmly affixed to the center of his ck robes, and a crest symbolizing a Cardinal of the Light was embroidered on the red cloth that hung over his left shoulder and extended down his chest. This was Sergio Rogeris. He appeared to be a middle-aged man with a benevolent expression. However, the gentle aura that a priest should have was very faint on him. The body hidden beneath those clerical robes looked lithe and strong, and the gaze between those eyelids that were crinkled into a smile was as clear and piercing as two rays of light. It was only natural for Eugene to feel this way. It was stereotypical to assume that just because someone was a clergyman, they could only offer prayers, chants, or healing magic from the rear. In the first ce, Anise had also been skilled in wielding her mace on the battlefield and cracking open the heads of demonfolks, and Kristina had also said that she knew how to skillfully wield a il. Priests came in all sorts of different forms. While he might not have been ordained as a Pdin, Sergio Rogeris, in particr, had once been a high-ranking Inquisitor belonging to the Maleficarum branch of the Inquisition before bing a Cardinal. If Sergio had not ascended to the rank of a Cardinal, he would currently be seated at the head of the Maleficarum. ¡°Thank you for meeting me like this,¡± Sergio said as he stood at one end of the nave. However, Eugene could hear his voice as clearly as if Sergio had been speaking right next to him. As a Cardinal of Yuras, he had to be in possession of one of the strongest cases of divine power among all of the Empire¡¯s countless priests. On top of that, if it was said that he could have been the next head of the Inquisition, that meant he must also be familiar withbat. ¡®And he should also be familiar with all sorts of dirty business,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. Sergio¡¯s face was covered by a benevolent smile, but setting that aside, Sergio¡¯s past left Eugene with a not particrly great impression. For thistest ritual, not only the Pdins but even the Inquisitors had been mobilized¡­. Was it because this ritual was special? Or was it because Sergio had personally summoned them? ¡°What are you thankful for?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I never imagined I would ever be able to meet the Hero in my lifetime,¡± Sergio confessed. ¡°Sir Eugene Lionheart, before you appeared, thest Hero was the Great Vermouth from three hundred years ago, and before that, there were no other Heroes at all.¡± Ever so slowly, Sergio approached him. Eugene couldn¡¯t feel the pressure typical of a strong personing from him. However, Eugene was well aware that someone whose quiet presence didn¡¯t reveal much could still be strong enough to be a difficult opponent to deal with. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Taking one step after another, it was hard to find any openings to squeeze through, even though Sergio was just walking peacefully. ¡®He¡¯s strong. And if you consider the special characteristics of a monk¡­ he¡¯ll be annoying to fight. Very annoying,¡¯ Eugene calmly assessed. Although he had never fought someone using divine magic, Eugene was very familiar with how tricky such magic could be. It was different from the mana and spells used in ordinary magic. The mysterious powers of faith and divine power were too broad to be predictable. ¡°Would it be alright if I make a request?¡± Sergio eventually asked aftering to a halt withoutpletely closing the distance between himself and Eugene. Then he bowed his head and continued speaking in a respectful tone, ¡°Would it be alright for me to confirm with my own eyes that you truly are the Hero, Sir Eugene?¡± Instead of replying aloud, Eugene just unfurled his cloak. He grabbed the hilt of the Holy Sword Altair that was inside his cloak and slowly drew it. Sergio¡¯s eyes were filled with emotion at the sight of the Holy Sword held firmly in Eugene¡¯s hands. The Cardinal put his hands together as he looked up at the Holy Sword that Eugene held aloft. Eugene suddenly felt like something was being sucked in through his grip on the sword. He flinched and looked down at Altair¡¯s de. Even though he hadn¡¯t willed it, Altair¡¯s de was vibrating slightly. Then it slowly got brighter and brighter. ¡°¡­Ooooh¡­!¡± Sergio¡¯s eyes shook as he fell to his knees on the spot. The pirs of light pouring down from the walls, and the ceilings were drawn to Eugene. Eventually, the light emitted by Altair met the pirs of light that were already within this Cathedral. Fwooosh! Altair¡¯s light abruptly swelled. The two sources of light didn¡¯t just meet and connect. Altair became the new source of the pirs of light. The lighting pouring down from the walls and ceilings was absorbed and then scattered into pieces by Altair¡¯s light. With that, a storm of light raged within the cathedral. The red cloth draped over Sergio¡¯s shoulder fluttered in the waves of light. Without closing his eyes, he watched as Eugene stood in the center of the raging light, Holy Sword in his hand. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to look at Sergio. The light that surrounded and scattered from him was so bright and intense that he couldn¡¯t even see his own body, let alone Sergio¡¯s figure. Latest Update on meow novel In the midst of this light, Eugene detected the inexplicable scent of blood. He saw the back of a young, still immature girl. ¡®¡­Anise?¡¯ As that name popped into Eugene¡¯s head, he took a step forward. At that moment, the light faded away. The smell of blood, as well as the girl, also disappeared. Eugene stood there nkly for a moment before lowering the Holy Sword. ¡°¡­Oh Lord, thank you for this miracle,¡± Sergio raised a prayer to his God, still down on his knees. Unable to say anything, Eugene just stared at the Holy Sword¡¯s de. The de¡¯s vibrations had stopped. It also wasn¡¯t emitting any more light. Even the pirs of light that had been drawn to Eugene had now returned to their original ces. ¡®¡­A miracle?¡¯ The smell of blood. That scarred back. ¡®Something like this?¡¯ Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t ept that what he had just seen was a miracle. Chapter 186: The Cathedral (2) ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will also need to leave in the morning,¡± Sergio informed Eugene. Tressia Cathedral was a historic building that boasted a legacy of hundreds of years. However, let alone the central chapel, which could be said to be the heart of this cathedral, even the surrounding annexes and the corridors they were currently walking through showed no signs of deterioration. ¡°Are you really leaving for somewhere else when you¡¯re the one who called me here?¡± Eugene asked as he stared at Sergio¡¯s back. Sergioughed in a low voice at these words, ¡°My apologies. It¡¯s because I truly wanted to meet with you at least once, Sir Eugene¡­.¡± ¡°I would have met you at the Vatican in five days anyway,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. However, it wouldn¡¯t just be the two of us alone, Sir Eugene. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Sergio said, stillughing. Hisughter, along with the words that he had just uttered, made his intentions quite tant. Eugene silently raised the corner of his mouth in a smirk, ¡°It seems that you just wanted to test me, Cardinal Rogeris.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t deny that,¡± the Cardinal readily admitted, without even a moment¡¯s silence. Eugene looked at Sergio¡¯s shoulders, which showed no signs of shaking, and the red cloth that hung from his left shoulder and flowed down his chest. There was a specific meaning behind Sergio¡¯s priestly garments. The ck robe worn within, yet still visible, represented darkness. The white cross around his neck represented that light still existed in the darkness. The white mantle worn over his robes showed that the light would always ovee the darkness. The red cloth hanging from his left shoulder symbolized his determination to willingly shed his own blood and be a martyr for his faith, the God of Light, the Church of Light, the Pope, and all of the believers of the faith. ¡°How were you nning on testing me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I have already confirmed that you, Sir Eugene, are unmistakably the Hero,¡± Sergio assured him as he recalled the sight of Eugene drawing the Holy Sword. The pirs of light, which usually lit up the cathedral without ever showing any movement, had been drawn to Eugene of their own volition. The Holy Sword had resonated with that light and illuminated the entire cathedral. That brilliant storm of light was unmistakably a miracle, and Eugene, who had held the Holy Sword aloft in the center of that storm, had proved himself to be the Hero of Light. Sergio hesitated. ¡°Well¡­.¡± Latest Update on meow novel For Eugene Lionheart, as the Hero, there was no need to test him any further. Let alone the Cardinals, even if Pope Aeuryus had seen that storm of light from earlier, he would have had no choice but to recognize Eugene as the Hero. Sergio continued, ¡°¡­the Hero is the Incarnation of Light. So how could I, who is only a servant of the Light, continue to test the Hero?¡± ¡°Haha,¡± Eugeneughed and nodded his head. ¡°Cardinal Rogeris, it seems that you didn¡¯t just want to test whether I¡¯m Hero, but you also wanted to know what kind of person I am.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t be too offended by this,¡± Sergio requested. Eugene just said, ¡°I¡¯m also aware that you were once an Inquisitor of the Maleficarum.¡± ¡°It has already been thirty years since that was the case.¡± ¡°But time doesn¡¯t change a person¡¯s true character. Isn¡¯t the reason why arge number of Inquisitors were mobilized for this ritual that your words still hold weight in the Maleficarum?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t deny that,¡± Sergio conceded. ¡°However, I am not using such influence for personal reasons. It¡¯s just because the ritual this time is far more important than ever before¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t the fact that you¡¯re currently using them to monitor me count as a personal reason?¡± Sergio¡¯s steps halted. While calming his surprise, he turned to look back at Eugene. With an innocent smile that seemed appropriate for his age, Eugene was staring at Sergio. ¡°There were two Inquisitors responsible for guiding me here. Atarax the Punisher and Hemoria the Guillotine. But now¡­ it¡¯s quite amazing. The number of Inquisitors currently watching me seems to be far more than just two, right?¡± Eugene asked innocently. Calling it amazing wasn¡¯t just an exaggeration. Even if you rounded up all of the Inquisitors who had left with Kristina, far more were still currently watching Eugene. If he roughly tried to count the number of Inquisitors hiding around them, there were at least a hundred. ¡°¡­Haha,¡± Sergio let out a lowugh and raised his hand. At this gesture, the hidden presences secretly surveilling them left one by one. ¡°As the Hero, Sir Eugene, you are just as important as the ritual for the Saint Candidate,¡± Sergio said as an excuse. ¡°Is that so? But by having some of the Inquisitors leave with Kristina to attract my attention and hiding the rest of the Inquisitors throughout the cathedral, were you hoping I wouldn¡¯t notice?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t wait for Sergio¡¯s reply. The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk as he uttered a cutting usation, ¡°In this situation, I can¡¯t help but hope that¡¯s all a misunderstanding. If I hadn¡¯t been able to prove that I was the Hero, or even if I did but failed to meet your standards¡­ what did you intend to do to me, Cardinal?¡± me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°¡­¡± Sergio remained silent. Eugene continued, ¡°I¡¯m aware that the Inquisitors of the Maleficarum are skilled in all sorts of dirty deeds. So, were you nning for everyone to jump out and try to knife me? If you manage to kill me, were you nning on chopping off one of my arms and taking away the Holy Sword?¡± ¡°Not at all,¡± Sergio shook his head. ¡°Although I have considered whether or not doing so might work, I would never go so far. However, Sir Eugene¡­ as someone in my position, I have no choice but to worry that you aren¡¯t a devout believer and that your belief in the God of Light is weak.¡± ¡°So what? What are you nning to do now?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°I believe it¡¯s possible for people to change for the better. Sir Eugene, even if you currently aren¡¯t a follower of the Light, I believe that one day, thanks to God¡¯s grace, you will be a believer,¡± Sergio stated confidently as his hand reached into a pocket. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t shown me such a brilliant light, I would have done all I could to try to convert you to our faith.¡± But by what methods? Eugene didn¡¯t feel the need to even ask. The Inquisitors¡¯ treatment of nonbelievers, apostates, and pagans had been famous even three hundred years back. Even now, their interrogations were synonymous with torture, and there were several rumors about how they would force people to convert so they could be used as tools for religious propaganda. ¡°But I did see it all happen with my own eyes. There is no way that you, who shone so brilliantly, don¡¯t have faith in your heart. But, Sir Eugene, were you aware of what it means? For the Hero to be the Embodiment of Light. It seems that you already have a vague sense of your true identity, but in my eyes, Sir Eugene, you are the Light itself,¡± Sergio continued as he pulled a thick scripture book out of his pocket. Holding the scripture book in both hands, he politely handed it to Eugene and said, ¡°In order to muster the Light that rises from your heart, you need to have faith. So please, take this scripture book and consider converting to our religion.¡± After gazing nkly at the scripture book, Eugene reached his hand out. Truthfully, in his heart, Eugene wanted to smash this scripture book on top of Sergio¡¯s head, but it was clear that doing so would end up being extremely annoying. ¡°Is that it?¡± Eugene asked after tossing the scripture book into his cloak. Sergio looked at Eugene with a thin smile before turning back and walking forward while replying, ¡°There are several things I would like to speak with you concerning the Saint Candidate.¡± Eugene recalled how Kristina had a suspicious look on her face throughout the train ride. She had seemed wary of Eugene meeting Cardinal Rogeris, her adoptive father. She had even gone so far as to prepare a set of excuses of her own volition to get Eugene to leave the train. ¡°After meeting with you, Sir Eugene, while following the divine revtion and traveling together with you through the Samar Rainforest for several months¡­ it seems that our Saint Candidate has changed a little,¡± Sergio said probingly. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re not too happy with these changes?¡± Eugene challenged. Sergio readily admitted to this, ¡°Yes, isn¡¯t it only natural? I have been responsible for teaching the Saint Candidate ever since she was young. And before she became the Saint Candidate, as her adoptive father, I educated her so that she could grow into a proper follower of the Light. After she became the Saint Candidate, she continued to receive guidance so that she would not be foundcking when the time came for her to be reborn as the true Saint.¡± ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Eugene paused in thought. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t have the faintest idea what you are trying to say, Cardinal. Do you feel like there is something unsatisfactory about the changes that Kristina has gone through?¡± Sergio got to the point, ¡°I¡¯m talking about the letters sent to you via Rohanna Celles.¡± You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience As expected, that was what he was after. Unfazed by this, Eugene justughed and said, ¡°Even though it seems like you haven¡¯t seen their contents?¡± ¡°I just didn¡¯t want tomit such an invasion of your privacy. However, if the contents written within weren¡¯t anything to be ashamed of, there wouldn¡¯t be any need to use a cipher spell and send it through an outsider,¡± Sergio used. Eugene argued back, ¡°But she isn¡¯t really an outsider, now is she?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Rohanna Celles has been given the role of soothing the weary heart of our Saint Candidate,¡± Sergio said without any attempt at hiding this. ¡°It¡¯s not just Rohanna Celles either. All the clergy serving within this cathedral, including myself, the believers who voluntarily handle the various affairs of the cathedral, as well as those who merely live in the parish along with the Archbishop and the other clergy of the Alcarte Diocese where the Saint Candidate served as an Assistant Bishop¡­ so many members of the clergy and our believers have been serving in different roles in rtion to our Saint Candidate.¡± How extreme. No, not just extreme. Abnormal. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think that way. ording to this statement, most people around Kristina were actors and spies assigned to her due to her unique qualities as the Saint Candidate. ¡°For over ten years, I have been teaching the Saint Candidate and hoping that she would grow up in a proper manner to be reborn as the Saint. Most gratifyingly, our Saint Candidate will soon be the Saint, and she will shine her light on the world by assisting the Hero who has reappeared after three hundred years,¡± Sergio paused for a moment. ¡°Please don¡¯t be offended, Sir Eugene Lionheart. While you are unmistakably the Hero, you are markedlycking in the faith that a Hero requires. I hoped that our Saint Candidate would be able to guide the Hero and lead him into bing a devout believer. However¡­ our Saint Candidate seems to have instead been influenced by you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just let yourself go and speak frankly? The way that you keep talking in circles seems like it would be annoying to do. Even listening to it, it¡¯s really quite¡­.¡± Eugeneughed suggestively, then continued speaking, ¡°It feels shitty? Or at least, that¡¯s what I think. Ah, my apologies. Isn¡¯t it unbing for the Hero to curse like this? I don¡¯t want to resort to curses either, but I really think that word is best suited to express how I feel right now¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Sergio forgave him. Eugene had purposely thrown out such a word to ruffle his emotions, but Sergio hadn¡¯t shown even the slightest shiver. Nevertheless, the thought ran through Eugene¡¯s mind, ¡®As expected of a priest who has calmed himself through prayer for decades.¡¯ Sergio confessed, ¡°Our Saint Candidate was unable to convert you, Sir Eugene, and was instead influenced by you because my teachings were insufficient.¡± ¡°I guess you want to see me arriving at a church service while holding hands with Kristina?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°If that had been the case, it would have been quite the happy and fortunate affair. However, since it seems that you, Sir Eugene, aren¡¯t willing to do such a thing¡­ I will ask the Saint Candidate to continue to guide you so that you will at least be willing to pray together,¡± Sergio stated calmly. ¡°I can¡¯t help but think that your behavior is far too excessive in many ways. Shouldn¡¯t faithe from the heart, without anypulsion? And it¡¯s not like Kristina is still a ten-year-old brat. She¡¯s currently graduating from a Candidate into full Sainthood. No matter what you have done as Kristina¡¯s adoptive father, I still think that it would be presumptuous of you to interfere in her duties like that, Cardinal,¡± Eugene criticized. ¡°As long as our Saint Candidate has an unwavering and perfect faith, there won¡¯t be any need for me to interfere,¡± Sergio insisted. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site The end of this long hallway was getting closer. ¡°Sir Eugene. Please do not test our Saint Candidate¡¯s faith. You are already a Hero capable of emitting a great Light all on your own, but the Saint Candidate is an apostle who is bestowed the Light by God. If you keep testing our Saint Candidate¡¯s faith, causing it to shake¡­ then the Saint Candidate may end uppletely doubting her beliefs,¡± Sergio warned as he came to a halt in front of a closed door. ¡°Once that happens, our Lord may confiscate the Light he has bestowed upon our Saint Candidate. If that were to ur, our Saint Candidate would be an ordinary human being and would be unable to stand by the side of the Hero.¡± ¡°The one who decides whether or not someone stands by my side is myself, not God,¡± Eugene dered as he stepped past Sergio and reached for the doorknob. ¡°She doesn¡¯t need to be a Saint to stand by my side. If Kristina were to lose the power of the Saint, and if it was my fault? Then I would just think your God is quite petty, and I will continue to take Kristina with me.¡± ¡°Haha¡­,¡± Sergio burst intoughter. A side nce showed that a smile had appeared on Sergio¡¯s face. Eugene saw an eerie light flowing from the corners of Sergio¡¯s eyes that had been squeezed into curves by hisughter. ¡°Sir Eugene, even if you think that way, our Saint Candidate won¡¯t be able to feel the same way,¡± Sergio pointed out after calming down. ¡°She has gone through a lot of hard work to be the Saint, and if she couldn¡¯t be the Saint¡­. She wouldn¡¯t even be able to imagine herself not being the Saint, especially since¡­ she knows how special this era is proving to be.¡± ¡°Special?¡± Eugene repeated questioningly. ¡°The Hero never appeared during these past three hundred years. All of the Saints who have been born since the Faithful Anise have served as symbols of Yuras and have be canonized Saints following their deaths. That was all that they could do. However, in this era, with the appearance of the Hero, the Saint can finally fulfill her duties as the Saint and apany the Hero,¡± Sergio exined. When the door was opened, a spacious room was revealed. Eugene¡¯s attention was drawn to the cross hanging high on one wall and the religious sculptures decorating both walls and shelves. ¡°You said you were leaving in the morning, didn¡¯t you? I might be a bitte in asking, but where are you going?¡± Eugene asked as he stepped into the room. Sergio, who had drawn a few steps back, didn¡¯t have the same eerie glow in his eyes as he had before. ¡°I¡¯ll be heading to the Fount of Light,¡± Sergio revealed. ¡°Since it is a sacred ritual, it must be conducted by a high-ranking priest.¡± ¡°A sacred ritual, you say!¡± Eugene eximed. ¡°If I am able to observe it at the site, don¡¯t you think that faith will be kindled in my heart?¡± ¡°My apologies, Sir Eugene. The rituals held at the Fount of Light are special, so even among our believers, only those who have been involved in the preparations for these rituals are allowed to observe,¡± Sergio informed Eugene as he began to close the door. Until the veryst moment that the door was closed, Sergio didn¡¯t stop smiling at Eugene. ¡°So until the ritual is over and the Saint Candidate and I have returned, please feel free to embrace the presence of God within our cathedral,¡± Sergio said in farewell just before the door waspletely shut. Sergio sped his hands together, raised them towards the closed door, and said a prayer before turning away. He crossed the hallway at a different speed from when he first came through, and once he stepped out of the Cathedral, the Inquisitors from the Maleficarum fell into order behind Sergio. Latest Update on meow novel Without even looking at Atarax, who had approached his side, Sergio spoke up. ¡°The Fount of Light?¡± ¡°The Blood Cross Knights are guarding the area around the spring. The water has already risen, and the Saint Candidate is currently preparing for the sacrament in the chapel,¡± Atarax reported. ¡°Performing the sacrament by herself will not be enough. The ritual that begins tomorrow must be unique and different from the ones before. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve summoned all of you,¡± Sergio said. ¡°Yes sir,¡± Atarax acquiesced. ¡°Since I¡¯ll have to assist in ensuring that the Sacrament is donepletely and without any defects, it seems that I¡¯ll have to make haste. Since I¡¯ve already made all my preparations, let¡¯s head to the spring immediately,¡± Sergio announced. Atarax asked, ¡°What should we do about Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°He is unmistakably the Hero. While hiscking faith is a w, we can address that in the future. What¡¯s important right now is the Saint Candidate¡¯s ritual. I think we still have enough time, but just in case she needs to spend more time in the light, we should make sure that we have enough time to spare,¡± Sergio said thoughtfully. ¡°Yes, understood,¡± Atarax nodded. ¡°However, shouldn¡¯t we leave someone behind in the cathedral to keep an eye on Sir Eugene¡­?¡± ¡°Of course, we should. Originally, I was going to let one of you stay behind, but¡­ it seems that Sir Eugene is much sharper than I first thought. If I chose one of you, it would be a great offense to Sir Eugene. So let¡¯s just leave that due to one of my servants.¡± ¡°Yes, sir.¡± It was difficult for the Inquisitors to keep pace with the Cardinal. Atarax couldn¡¯t help but feel awed by Sergio, who was slowly pulling ahead. It had been thirty years since Sergio had stepped down from active duty within the Interrogation Bureau. Atarax had heard that from then on, Sergio had not gone out into the field, instead going back and forth between various churches and the Vatican to hold services and devote himself to his studies on scripture¡­ but there still wasn¡¯t a single Inquisitor able to keep up with the Cardinal, who was already well over seventy years old. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped,¡¯ Atarax thought. ¡®Before bing a Cardinal, Sir Sergio was called the Exterminator and was close to bing the next Head of the Department. Since he even received the Stigmata and became a Cardinal¡­ it could be said that he¡¯s still as strong as he was in the heyday of his active service as an Inquisitor.¡¯ Atarax felt deeply grateful to have been called to participate in this sacred and glorious ritual. It wasn¡¯t just Atarax, either. A hundred Inquisitors had all received Sergio¡¯s summons. All of them had been influenced by Sergio in the past, and they considered it a great honor for Sergio to have invited them to take part in this ritual. ¡°What about the door?¡± Sergio asked. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Atarax replied, ¡°It¡¯s already open.¡± The Fount of Light was quite far away from this Cathedral. It would take too much time to ride a carriage or run there directly. These Inquisitors who had escorted Kristina from the station to the distant Fount of Light had been able to return to the cathedral so quickly because there was a warp-gate in the basement of the cathedral that was kept hidden from the world and erased from all records. ¡°Sir Eugene has probably found out about the existence of the door already,¡± Sergio noted. Eugene should have noticed that the Inquisitors who had left with Kristina had returned faster than it took him to arrive at the cathedral and had taken part in the ambush arranged within. ¡°Close the door as soon as we¡¯ve gone through and left the cathedral,¡± Sergio ordered. ¡°Do we really need to go that far?¡± Atarax questioned. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being careful. While I don¡¯t think that Sir Eugene will find this door or even try to reach the Fount of Light on his own¡­ it seems that Sir Eugnee is quite an unpredictable individual,¡± Sergio said as he walked towards the warp-gate. ¡°If, by any chance, Sir Eugene happens to witness the ritual¡­ I don¡¯t think he will try to understand why we¡¯re doing it. He will probably also oppose us. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t help but worry. Because the ritual this time is extremely, extremely important¡­.¡± Yet regardless of the ritual¡¯s importance, Sergio¡¯s eyes narrowed into a calm gaze. Once the Vatican had confirmed the Saint¡¯s authenticity, the new Saint¡¯s existence would be proimed in the za of the Sun, right in time for the feast day of the Faithful Anise. The Saint who had inherited the will of the Faithful Anise would then be formally announced to the world. This era¡¯s Saint would not just be the symbol of Yuras but also a protagonist of the era alongside the Hero. That was why thistest ritual at the Fount of Light was so important. Sergio himself felt immensely honored to be able to preside over this ritual. * * * ¡°I, Rensol, will be serving Sir Eugene during your stay here. If there is anything I can do to make your stay more convenient¡ª¡± ¡°Is there anything like a holy relic in this cathedral?¡± Eugene immediately interrupted Rensol, who had just knocked and entered the room, with a question. He had no intention of building any rtionships or having any unnecessary conversations with this cleric when it was obvious that he was meant to be a guard. ¡°Did you just say¡­ relics?¡± Rensol repeated in confusion. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°Isn¡¯t this Tressia Cathedral one of the oldest ces in Yuras? Since it¡¯s been around for so long, surely there should be one or two holy relics connected to the Saints of the past, right?¡± Eugene demanded. Rensol hesitated, ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­ that¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s not like there isn¡¯t any.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be that outsiders are forbidden from looking at these holy relics, right?¡± Eugene asked coercively. ¡°The holy relics aren¡¯t tourist attractions,¡± Rensol said with a firm expression. At this, Eugene immediately changed his attitude and continued speaking, ¡°My words were poorly chosen. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve recently realized what my destiny is, and I¡¯m currently contemting with a sincere heart whether or not to entrust myself to the Church of the Light. I was just thinking that if Ie into contact with the holy relics belonging to the Saints of old, I might sense their devotion and find my own faith dwelling within me¡­.¡± ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Rensol hummed in confusion. ¡°I have no intention of treating it as some light-hearted tour. It¡¯s fine even if I¡¯m just looking at them from a distance. I only want to see the holy relics in person,¡± Eugene pleaded. Thanks to such persuasion, Eugene was led to the holy relics. There were various different types of relics. The remains of a Saint, the personal belongings of a Saint, and objects that had touched the corpse of a Saint or the body of a Saint while they were still alive. Naturally, among all the various relics, the most valuable were the remains of the Saints. Then came the Saint¡¯s personal belongings. Beneath the altar of the chapel, the jawbone of a Saint from hundreds of years ago was enshrined as a holy relic. Apart from that, several holy relics such as the leg bones and ribs of an ancient Sint, a cross that was said to have been worn around her neck, a cassock, a shroud, and a ring were all stored in the heart of the cathedral. To be honest, it was difficult for Eugene to understand why the remains and the belongings of a deceased Saint were kept as holy relics. However, he made sure not to reveal such disbelief in his facial expressions and kept looking at the relics that Rensol was guiding him to with enthralled eyes. ¡°That is thest of the holy relics kept in Tressia Cathedral. It¡¯s said to be the skull of Saint Theodore, who served as the Pope nine hundred years ago,¡± Rensol dered. Eugene silently contemted how to react as he looked at the white skull enshrined within a ss coffin. The jawbone of the Saint buried beneath the altar and the ribs and legbones of another Saintess had already been extremely shocking¡­ but now it was a whole skull. ¡°Aren¡¯t there any relics belonging to the Faithful Anise?¡± Eugene finally asked. ¡°Huh?¡± Rensol blinked in surprise. ¡°Did you say a holy relic belonging to the Faithful Anise? Since she disappeared on a far-off pilgrimage, not even a fragment of her remains was left behind.¡± ¡°But relics don¡¯t need to be from her corpse, right? Things like Lady Anise¡¯s cassock¡­ or a ne¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°Ah¡­ certainly that may be the case,¡± Rensol agreed. ¡°However, I have never heard of any such relics belonging to Lady Anise. If there are, they wouldn¡¯t be kept in this cathedra either. If Lady Anise¡¯s holy relics do exist¡­ then they would most probably be stored in the Vatican¡¯s special reliquary.¡± ¡°Special reliquary?¡± ¡°Yes. The Faithful Lady Anise was a great Saint who was second only to the Founder of Yuras, the Incarnation of Light. If such relics of Lady Anise did exist, then they must be of exceptional quality, so the Vatican would keep them under direct management.¡± After that, Eugene parted ways with Rensol and returned to his rooms. Rensol would surely report to Sergio that he had gone looking for holy relics, but that didn¡¯t matter to Eugene. ¡®The special reliquary¡­.¡¯ It was certainly possible that Anise¡¯s holy relics were indeed kept there. In a few days, he would be heading to the Vatican with Kristina, so if Eugene were to make good use of his position as the Hero, he might be able to enter the special reliquary. ¡®But that thing earlier¡­ what was that?¡¯ The pirs of light, the smell of blood, and that wounded back. Although Sergio had said that everything that happened back there was a miracle, Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t believe that was the case. Eugene pulled the Holy Sword out of his cloak and set it down beside his bed. ¡°You were the one showing that to me, right?¡± Eugene asked the sword. Back in the Samar Rainforest, the Holy Sword had independently meddled with Eugene¡¯s dreams and showed him a vision of the past. ¡°What were you trying to show me?¡± Eugene asked once more. That girl with her back turned towards him¡­ was it Anise? Or perhaps it was Kristina instead. Either way, he couldn¡¯t just consider it to be a meaningless vision. ¡°Sir Eugene?¡± Mer, who had been hiding inside the cloak, poked her head out with a question. As Eugene felt Mer begin to crawl out of the cloak, he unfurled it slightly. Mer hesitated, ¡°¡­Um, what should I say?¡± Latest Update on meow novel ¡°Just don¡¯t say anything,¡± Eugene told her. ¡°However, I really don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re doing this.¡± ¡°There¡¯s a reason for everything.¡± Mer looked down at Eugene, who had closed his eyes and was trying to sleep while hugging the Holy Sword. ¡°If you intend to sleep like that, I won¡¯t be able to sleep next to you,¡± Merined. ¡°You don¡¯t sleep anyway, so what¡¯s the matter with that?¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°That¡¯s right, Mer, you can stay at my side¡­ and keep watch so that I don¡¯t let go of the Holy Sword in my sleep.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, are you really asking me to watch you sleep all night and listen to what you say in your sleep?¡± Mer asked in disbelief. ¡°How long has it been since you started traveling with me? What are you so surprised about,¡± Eugene grumbled. Mer smiled slightly and got off of the bed. Then she pulled a chair over to the side of the bed and sat down next to Eugene. ¡°Well, fine then,¡± Mer acquiesced. ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to listen to whatever you foolishly mumble in your sleep.¡± ¡°Instead of my face, keep a careful eye on the Holy Sword,¡± Eugene ordered her. Mer assured him, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. But just why are you trying to sleep like that? Is it refreshing if you hug the Holy Sword in your sleep?¡± Eugene exined, ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the dreams.¡± ¡°The dreams?¡± Mer tilted her head in question. Eugene didn¡¯t reply any further and just fell asleep, still paying close attention to the Holy Sword in his arms. Openbookworm & Namu¡¯s Thoughts Hello! This week¡¯s DR chapters exceeded 14,000 words with just 3 chapters, but we are releasing a 4th chapter to thank everyone for their support. Please continue to love and support our tranting team as they are working very hard to share Hamel/Eugene¡¯s adventures (and potty mouth) with us. -Yojj Chapter 187: The Cathedral (3) Within a white room that waspletely empty of anything, Kristina was kneeling down in the center of the room. The room had no windows, nor did it have any lights. Even so, it wasn¡¯t dark. This room was white because the walls themselves were able to emit light. This was the chapel building near the Fount of Light. Kristina was familiar with this room but didn¡¯t find it the least bitfortable. The day that she was bestowed with the Light, and it first began to dwell within her body, was the first day that Kristina hade to the Fount of Light and had entered this room. After ten years of this, the room had be familiar to her, but it was as ufortable as her. The walls shone as softly as ever while she sat in the center of the room and went through the process of preparing for the sacrament. Without doing anything, just sitting there and settling her heart. It was just a repetition of what she had done before. Nothing had changed. Even ten years ago, she had had these sorts of thoughts. Was all this really necessary? Why? Was there any meaning to this ¡ª no, there was definitely some meaning. However¡­ was this the right thing to do? Was this truly God¡¯s will? Could the Saintess really be such an existence? ¡°¡­,¡± Kristina silently repeated such thoughts to herself. She had pondered the same questions dozens, even hundreds of times, but in the end, she had still stayed in this room. Compared to the sess of the sacrament, the fact that she wasn¡¯t able to understand her own role in this was as insignificant as a speck of dust. That was what Kristina had been taught ever since she was a child. That was how she had grown up. She had been told of the role of the Saintess, and she knew how significant bing the Saintess was. That was something that Kristina had never doubted. She lived to be the Saint. Kristina Rogeris¡¯s whole life had been dedicated to earning the name of the Saint. Now, after everything she had endured for the past ten years, her goal hade within her reach. After all, hadn¡¯t a Hero finally appeared in this era? The presence of the Hero added even more value to the price that Kristina had paid her life for. It wasn¡¯t long now. Kristina opened her eyes and looked down. The dagger that had been ced in front of her knees caught her eye. The de had been sharpened to the point where it couldn¡¯t be any sharper. She had already spent enough time in hesitation; now, she had prepared herself and made up her mind. Kristina immediately reached out and grasped the hilt of the dagger and lifted the ghastly de. Just like how this room was familiar yet diforting, the hilt of the dagger that her fingers were wrapped firmly around also felt familiar yet ufortable. Kristina¡¯s face was reflected within the polished de. A face so stiff and lifeless that even she couldn¡¯t recognize herself in it. Without any trace of joy, the corners of her mouth drew a straight line across her face, and her eyes were dull and sunken. Such a face was the true essence of the person called Kristina. Most of the time, Kristina didn¡¯t feel much of an urge to smile. ¡®Did you notice that?¡¯ Kristina silently asked Eugene. Latest Update on meow novel He probably had. Kristina tilted the dagger slightly so that her own face was no longer visible within it. She had sensed that he had seen through her during the months they had wandered through Samar together, and she had also felt it during the short time they had ridden the train together. ¡®Is something wrong?¡¯ ¡®You had a strange look on your face.¡¯ ¡®It feels like you¡¯re forcing yourself tough.¡¯ ¡®Compared to a few months ago, you¡¯ve regressed back to the way that a Saint is supposed to speak to the Hero.¡¯ Kristina saw Eugene¡¯s face in the nted de of her dagger. A face that was full of ill-tempered mischief. A goading smile that could hardly be imagined toe from a Hero. ¡®I don¡¯t care if I give off that feeling.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s voice rang out inside her head. The corners of Kristina¡¯s mouth twitched in a smile. ¡®Rather than a bond between the Hero and the Saint, I would prefer a bond between one person and another.¡¯ ¡®Because such a bond is much deeper and more sincere.¡¯ ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± Kristina muttered as she looked down at the dagger. There was no way that a bond between one person and another could be deeper and stronger than the bond between the Saint and the Hero. Kristina sincerely believed this. She couldn¡¯t help but do so. Kristina Rogeris didn¡¯t know anything about the bond that could exist between two different people. All the bonds she had forged were based on her identity as the Saint Candidate. Kristin was well aware of the fact that everyone around her was an actor in a y that starred her as the Saint Candidate. In her view, the ties that existed between one person and another were so light and thin as to be insignificant. That was what she believed. That was what she had to believe. Kristina no longer saw Eugene¡¯s face in the dagger. The only thing that she could see was herself wearing a pure white shroud. Without any hesitation, Kristina brought the dagger to her wrist. In order for her to be reborn as the Saint¡­. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel In order to build the bond between the Hero and the Saint¡­. The future she had longed for and envisioned for the past ten years would soon be ushered in. With emotionless eyes, Kristina slit her own wrist. * * * Even though Eugene had slept while hugging the sword all night long, he didn¡¯t receive any dreams. In the end, he just ended up greeting the following day. ¡°Fuck,¡± Eugene spat out a curse as he got out of bed. The natural lighting in this damn room was a bit too good for him to fully appreciate. The sunlight pouring in from the window was so bright that it stung his eyes to the point of pain. That alone would have been irritating enough, but there weren¡¯t even any curtains installed on the windows to block out the sunlight. ¡°It seems that you didn¡¯t have a nice dream,¡± Mer said with a giggle as she sat next to the bed and read the scripture book. Eugene squinted his eyes at the scripture book, its denselyyered pages rendering it quite thick, in Mer¡¯s hands. ¡°Is it interesting?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s more interesting than I thought it would be,¡± Mer admitted. ¡°Hm¡­ as long as I just consider it to be a novel, that is.¡± ¡°Is it more interesting than the fairy tale that Sienna wrote?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t try to fool me so sneakily. No matter what you say, I don¡¯t believe that Lady Sienna is the one who wrote that fairy tale.¡± Eugene clicked his tongue at Mer¡¯s exasperated denial. He then shot a re at the Holy Sword that he had ced beside him. Even though it had invaded his dreams of its own volition and showed him a vision of the past, this time, when he had gone so far as to do something crazy like hugging it in his sleep to get it to show him something, it had failed. Even though Eugene had practically set the stage for it to show him whatever it wanted, the Holy Sword had refused to show anything this time. ¡°Should I just break it?¡± Eugene muttered to himself. ¡°If you do that, the zealots of Yuras will be sure to try and capture you for execution,¡± Mer warned Eugene with a forceful stare and a solemn expression as she got down from her chair. Then she brought her hands together in front of her chest and took up a praying posture as she said, ¡°¡®Divine Punishment!¡¯ is what they¡¯ll shout while trying to grab you. I know that you are strong, but wouldn¡¯t it still be scary if hundreds or even thousands of fanatics who are prepared to martyr themselves were to attack you?¡± You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s scary, but it sure sounds annoying,¡± Eugene said as he nced towards the door. He could feel a presenceing from beyond the closed door. ¡°They¡¯ve been waiting there for about two hours now,¡± Mer informed him. ¡°What a uselessly sincere person,¡± Eugenemented sarcastically. Mer shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s probably just to keep an eye on you, Sir Eugene.¡± Rensol was the one waiting outside the door. As soon as Eugene opened the door, Rensol smiled broadly and approached with a greeting, ¡°Sir Eugene, did you have a good night? How would you like to have your breakfast? We can have it delivered to your room if you wish, but if possible, how about having breakfast together in the dining hall?¡± Eugene hummed, ¡°Hm¡­. What¡¯s the difference between having breakfast delivered or eating in the dining hall? Is there a difference in the contents of the menu¡ª¡± ¡°Not at all!¡± Rensol immediately denied. ¡°It¡¯s just that I was hoping that the other clergy who serve in the cathedral would be able to offer their wees to Sir Eugene¡­.¡± ¡°To me? Weren¡¯t the things regarding my identity meant to be kept a secret from the ordinary clergy members?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. ¡°Ah¡­ you don¡¯t need to worry about that. All that the other clergy of this cathedral know is that Sir Eugene from the Lionheart n is currently visiting as the friend of the Saint Candidate Kristina,¡± Rensol revealed as he lowered his voice to a whisper. ¡°It¡¯s just that the name of ¡®Eugene Lionheart¡¯ is so famous. The younger priests seem to want to meet with you, Sir Eugene, and have a talk with you about the gracious light.¡± Although he¡¯d expected this, Eugene feigned a puzzled expression. These priests weren¡¯t really trying to meet with Eugene to evangelize him. The truth was that the church¡¯s finances and the clergy¡¯s pockets were all filled by generous donations from believers and noble patrons. Since the Lionheart n was a prestigious n famous across the continent, the priests must be hoping to secure ample donations by establishing a strong connection with Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ll have my breakfast served in my room,¡± Eugene decided. ¡°Since I don¡¯t have any reason to go out on my own, just bring my meals here whenever it¡¯s mealtime.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ that¡¯s quite a pity,¡± Rensol sighed. ¡°The chapel at noon, when the sun is at its highest, is extremely beautiful¡­.¡± ¡°But wouldn¡¯t that beautiful chapel be crowded with clergy and believers?¡± Eugene grumbled as he looked out of a window. Believers who hade to worship in the cathedral were already lining up outside. Eugene didn¡¯t have the slightest desire to mingle with the other priests or believers. As such, Eugene just shut himself up in his room. He filled himself with the meals Rensol brought him each time for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ever since Eugene had woken up, he had held on to the Holy Sword, focussed his thoughts on it, and tried to get it to respond. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site However, nothing happened. Like before, while it was possible to get the Holy Sword to emit light whenever he used it, the back of the girl he had seen the previous day never reappeared. Time after time, Eugene called upon the Holy Sword¡¯s light, but nothing special happened. So, in the end, he just went to sleep. Still hugging the Holy Sword, Eugene went into a deep sleep thatsted until the following morning. Perhaps because he so desperately wanted to see a dream¡­ he really did end up dreaming. Inside his dream, Eugene ran around on fluffy clouds¡­. He couldn¡¯t figure out why he was running. However, he knew that the cloud he was running on wasn¡¯t actually a real cloud, but one made up of sweet cotton candy. After running around on the cotton candy like this¡­ at some point, the cotton candy became ake of chocte. In the middle of theke, Mer was pedaling a boat in the shape of a duck. With her arms packed full of marshmallows, Mer pedaled across theke. Then she bit off a wet marshmallow and rescued Eugene, who was drowning in the chocteke. Sir Eugene! Sir Eugene has turned into chocte! ¡°¡­What kind of dream was that?¡± Eugene grumbled upon waking. What a shitty dream. Eugene scratched his head, then picked up the Holy Sword and threw it away. The sharp de pierced through the floor, but that didn¡¯t bother Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene, you really have a nasty personality,¡± said Mer, gnawing on a piece of chocte next to the bed. Eugene spotted the skewers from a piece of cotton candy and a marshmallow wrapper next to Mer. ¡°Are you treating my cloak like your storeroom?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Rather than a storeroom, it¡¯s more like my house. So it¡¯s up to me to store whatever I want inside my house,¡± Mer dered proudly. ¡°Strictly speaking, you¡¯re not really the owner of the house. I¡¯m thendlord, while you¡¯re just a tenant. Though you don¡¯t even pay any rent,¡± Eugeneined. Mer argued back, ¡°Of course I pay rent. Aren¡¯t I a great help to you, Sir Eugene? Just imagine, Sir Eugene, what would it be like if I wasn¡¯t at your side? You would surely have been very lonely and bored. Even now, Sir Eugene, I¡¯m at your side and talking with you, aren¡¯t I?¡± ¡°¡­Hm¡­,¡± Eugene hummed, unable to deny Mer¡¯s words. Mer changed the subject, ¡°In any case, Sir Eugene, did you still fail to have a dream?¡± Latest Update on meow novel ¡°I did dream about something.¡± ¡°What kind of dream was it?¡± ¡°A shitty dream,¡± Eugene grumbled as he pulled out the Holy Sword embedded into the floor. Eugene spent the next two days inside the room. His istion wasn¡¯tpletely pointless. Thanks to spending so much time holding to the Holy Sword, he was able toe up with several hypotheses. The revtion he was looking for hadn¡¯t appeared in the summoned light, nor had it interfered with his dreams. Since that was the case, he couldn¡¯t help but think that the chapel might be the vital location. Those pirs of light and the Holy Sword. What if the Holy Sword had managed to touch on something while it was there? After having spent two days verifying his suspicions, Eugene now had no choice but to take a closer look at the cathedral. Thankfully, Cardinal Rogeris had gone away, so there were no Inquisitors there to keep watch. ¡®This is the second day,¡¯ Eugene realized as he thought of Kristina. Since he had been told that the ritual held at the Fount of Light would take three days, the ritual should be over by tomorrow. Eugene still didn¡¯t know what kind of ritual was taking ce at the Fount of Light. Was the ritual that Kristina was taking part in something that needed to be done even if she didn¡¯t want to? Eugene couldn¡¯t help but suspect that. If Kristina had just told him, ¡®I don¡¯t want to go,¡¯ Eugene would have ensured that Kristina didn¡¯t go to the spring. However, Kristina hadn¡¯t said that. The ritual at the spring seemed important, and for Kristina herself, her title of the Saint held a lot of meaning. In the end, Kristina had still decided to head to the Fount of Light. While desperately hiding her expression that openly said she didn¡¯t want to go, she resolutely chose to show her resolve. Then she had left Eugene behind. As for Eugene, he wanted to respect her decision. Kristina hadn¡¯t asked for Eugene¡¯s sympathy. All she wanted was to be the official Saint and build a formal bond with the Hero. The Saint and the Hero¡­. Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t empathize or sympathize with her desire for such a rtionship, but he knew that was what Kristina had desperately wished for. Or at least that¡¯s what he thought. * * * That night, the believers who had filled the cathedral from dawn until sunset had all gone home, and the clergy had returned to their quarters. As midnight approached, the vast cathedral fell silent as not a single person remained within. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel It was rare to find any shadowy ces in this cathedral, but that didn¡¯t matter to Eugene. He was able to use stealth magic and could even suppress his presence. Using these, Eugene snuck out of his room and entered the cathedral. Eugene raised his head to look up at the pirs of light. The light was still pouring in from the ss on the walls and the ceiling. He hadn¡¯t taken the Holy Sword out yet, leaving it inside his cloak. It would be annoying if he were to take it out, only for it to needlessly run while emitting light all on its own like it had the day before yesterday. [Aren¡¯t your eyes dazzled by that?] Mer asked, surprised at the sight of Eugene looking straight at the pirs of light. She definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to look straight into the light like he currently was. It was so bright that Mer wouldn¡¯t even be able to see it properly, and it felt like her vision would be covered in red and white splotches. ¡®I can¡¯t see too clearly,¡¯ Eugene silently admitted. Eugene¡¯s eyes could peer through even the deepest darkness, and no matter how bright the day was, he could even look straight at the sun. But even he couldn¡¯t see through this light. The closer he tried to get a look at the center, the more his eyes began to tingle, and his vision began to shake. But if he couldn¡¯t see it clearly from a distance, he would just need to get close. Eugene leaped up into the sky into the pirs of light. He had been trying to ascend to the ceiling all at once, but his body couldn¡¯t float up as lightly as he had expected. As if the light itself had weight, it was pressing down on Eugene¡¯s body. ¡®So what,¡¯ Eugene snorted and drew on his mana. Using it, he was able to slowly climb up into the light. Although the ceiling had seemed quite high¡­ it wasn¡¯t this high, was it? In the middle of his rise, Eugene realized something was off and looked down at the ground. But he couldn¡¯t see the floor. All he could see was light. Everything below seemed infinitely low, and everything above seemed infinitely high. And the light that had been weighing down on Eugene¡­ at some point, had begun to pull Eugene upwards. Eugene had a sudden thought. Was this what a Divine Ascension felt like? In the scripture book that Sergio had given him, there were many stories of Saints who had ascended to heaven and gone to sit at the side of the God of Light. Perhaps Anise had ascended to heaven like this and became an angel. Eugen spotted something, ¡®That¡¯s¡­.¡¯ The source of the light, which had seemed infinitely far away, had already started approaching him before he knew it. It was so bright that it was hard to see, but by squinting his eyes, Eugene could see whaty on the other side of the light. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡­What he saw there¡­ was arge rice bowl. Three hundred years ago, while the party was traveling together, most nights were spent resting and making their own food. The order of who made the meals always changed, but they each had their own tableware set aside from the others. Molon¡¯s rice bowl was thergest, followed by Vermouth¡¯s. Unexpectedly, Vermouth was quite the big eater. Then Hamel came third. As for Anise, she didn¡¯t actually use her rice bowl for food. She used thatrge bowl to hold her holy water. Whenever the time came to open up the lid of therge keg they kept stocked, Anise was the first to run over and grab a drink using her bowl. Anise called the bowl her Holy Grail. At the other end of the lightid that same rice bowl, no, the Holy Grail. Eugene looked at the Holy Grail, which was tilted crookedly to the side, with nk eyes. There were cracks here and there, and a few chips were missing¡­ but it was unmistakable. That was Anise¡¯s Holy Grail. The light was pouring down from her Holy Grail. ¡®¡­That¡¯s¡­ just why¡­ no, before that,¡¯ Eugene shook himself and approached the Holy Grail. It was clear to see that if he just pulled it out like this, something irreversible would happen. So, instead of reaching for the Holy Grail, Eugene retrieved Akasha from inside his cloak. Then he immediately used the Draconic spell to try and find Anise. A faint light was emitted from Akasha¡¯s Dragonheart. As the Draconic spell unfolded, it forged a connection with Anise¡¯s Holy Grail. A little more¡­ A little deeper¡­ Just a little bit closer¡­. Eugene¡¯s vision was suddenly consumed with light. He saw a young girl standing there absentmindedly, wearing a white dress. Unlike when he saw herst time, she wasn¡¯t standing with her back facing him. Her age seemed¡­ a little over ten years old at most. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. Then came the smell of blood. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Ever so slowly, the smell grew stronger. The stronger the smell got, the more blood began to spread across the girl¡¯s clothes. Blood flowed down from both her wrists to drip on the floor. It wasn¡¯t just her wrists. Her ankles, calves, thighs, stomach, sides, and chest¡­ bloody lines were drawn all over her body with blood dripping down from them. However, the girl¡¯s face was determined. As if she didn¡¯t even know what pain was, the girl stood there resolutely, covered in blood, without a single twitch in her expression. The girl¡¯s spilled blood collected on the floor. Then the pooled blood began to flow away like a river. Now, there was another girl. The new girl was very simr to the girl standing next to her, but there were a few differences. She had a mole under her eye, and then there was her facial expression. Lines of blood were drawn one by one on the new girl¡¯s body, but she couldn¡¯t endure it and stand tall like the girl next to her. She bit her lip as she endured the pain, her eyes furrowed, and in the end, she wasn¡¯t able to take it and burst into tears. The girl¡¯s tears flowed down alongside her blood. The first girl standing next to her didn¡¯t look at the crying girl. But her blood that had pooled on the floor flowed over and collected at the feet of the crying girl. The blood pouring down from the crying girl mixed with the pool of the first girl¡¯s blood. And then¡­ then the blood flowed up in reverse and seeped into the crying girl¡¯s wounds. Eugene watched this happen with a nk look. Naturally, he had recognized the two girls. Anise was the girl with the determined expression, and Kristina was the one crying next to her. What was going on? The moment Eugene thought of this question and reached out with his hand, the distance between Anise and Kristina grew far apart. And then many other girls were suddenly standing in between them. The newly arrived girls didn¡¯t resemble Anise the way that Kristina did. However, standing in the middle of the river of blood that started from Anise, they all shed their blood together, and the long river of blood that was created through this method continued all the way to Kristina¡­. ¡°Look closely, Hamel,¡± the girl, no, Anise, spoke up. Anise was still in her younger form. She didn¡¯t have any wings spreading out from her like when she had appeared in the form of an angel. Instead, she raised her bloody hand and reached out to Eugene. Anise continued speaking, ¡°At this abominable bond.¡± Anise. The moment that Eugene was about to call out her name. Craaaash! The light exploded. The ss walls and ceilings of the cathedral, from which the pirs of light had poured down, were now shattered. Countless shards of ss fell down like rain. In the middle of all this, Eugene reached out his hand to catch the falling Holy Grail. Latest Update on meow novel The moment he caught the Holy Grail, a vivid memory was engraved within Eugene¡¯s mind. It was the traces that Anise had left behind in this holy relic. ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Eugene remained silent, confusion at what had just happened running through his head. ¡°Sir Eugene?!¡± ¡°Oh my god, what on earth¡­!¡± The pirs of light, which had been disying their majesty within the Tressia Cathedral for hundreds of years, had all been destroyed. Shards of ss mixed in with the light as they all poured down. In the midst of this scene, Eugene was staring down at the Holy Grail and Akasha in his hands. He knew what he had just seen. However, he just couldn¡¯t understand what it meant. The Holy Grail was an item with a soul. Among all the holy relics, physical remains were more valuable than any other relics, as they hadn¡¯t just been close to a Saint; they had been part of a Saint. Perhaps that¡¯s why he was able to get a closer look than when he had tried the spell on the ne. The result might be blurred, but it was still recognizable. Within the Tressia Cathedral, the altar thaty beneath the pirs of light. Through Akasha¡¯s Draconic spell, Anise¡¯s Holy Grail was pointing to the holy relic stored beneath the altar. He had been told it was the jawbone of a Saintess from four hundred years ago. So why were Anise¡¯s holy relic and Akasha¡¯s Draconic spell pointing to that jawbone? Eugene couldn¡¯t think of any guesses. But he didn¡¯t even want to guess. Chapter 188: The Cathedral (4) The falling shards of ss crashed into the floor and were further shattered. In the middle of the roaring sound created by this, Eugene was standing absentmindedly. Shards piled up on, or bounced off, his head and shoulders, and the sound was deafeningly loud, but in Eugene¡¯s ears, there was absolute silence. Even though tens of thousands of these ss shards were pouring down on him, they couldn¡¯t pierce his skin or cause him to bleed, but his whole body throbbed in pain as if it was being torn to pieces with a sharp knife. Or at least that¡¯s how it felt. Eugene stared down at Anise¡¯s Holy Grail that he was holding in his left hand. The afterimage of what he had seen was still lingering in his head. He saw the girls standing there with blood flowing down from them. The expressionless Anise, the crying Kristina, and the countless girls who had existed in between them. Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to make out those girls¡¯ expressions clearly. He felt nauseous. The bloody smell he shouldn¡¯t still be sensing lingered beneath his nose and refused to leave. ¡°¡­Sir Eugene?¡± a voice called out as Rensol and several other clerics hesitantly approached Eugene. They were having a hard time understanding the situation. The destruction of the pirs of light, which had been the pride of this cathedral for hundreds of years, had befuddled their minds, and the presence of Eugene Lionheart in the center of this left them in even more confusion. From how things looked¡­ it appeared as though Eugene was the one to destroy the pirs of light. But why in the world would he do that? What reason could there be for him to do so? Even the priests who weren¡¯t aware of Eugene¡¯s identity thought this way, and Rensol, who knew that Eugene was the Hero, was even more certain that Eugene had no reason to do this. ¡°Are you¡­ alright?¡± Rensol asked tentatively. ¡°F-for now, pleasee over here. We don¡¯t know if the walls won¡¯t continue to copse. Staying there is far too dangerous¡ª¡± A voice was babbling nonsense at him, but Eugene could only hear the sound of his heart beating ever faster, like it was about to explode. His empty right hand was clenched tight enough that it seemed like he was trying to crush his bones. His breaths raced alongside the thumping of his heart. Eugene panted for breath as he lifted his head. He saw the altar of the cathedral. Thanks to the shards of ss that had fallen from above, the altar and its surroundings were covered in ss fragments. As Eugene stepped towards the altar, shards of ss cracked beneath his feet. When Eugene began to approach the altar, the bewilderment on the faces of Rensol and the other priests only mounted. They couldn¡¯t tell what Eugene¡¯s intentions were, but they could somewhat read the kind of atmosphere that he was giving off. ¡°Sir Eugene, just what in the world are you trying to do?¡± Rensol asked as he approached Eugene with a stiff expression. However, Rensol could only take a few steps forward before freezing in ce. It wasn¡¯t just Rensol, either. All the priests who were about to try and stop Eugene found themselves unable to move as if they were frozen in ce. [Sir Eugene¡­,] Mer tentatively spoke up from inside his cloak. But Eugene didn¡¯t have the spare focus to answer her. As Eugene absentmindedly did what he could to suppress his overflowing killing intent, he kicked over the altar with one foot. Bang! The altar didn¡¯t topple over, nor was it sent flying. The moment Eugene kicked it, the altar shattered into a cloud of dust. Having removed the altar, Eugene picked up the Saintess¡¯ jawbone that had been emced into the hollow floor beneath. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°S-sir Eugene¡­,¡± Rensol stammered as he called out Eugene¡¯s name. That was the jawbone of the Saintess from four hundred years ago. Among all the holy relics enshrined within the Tressia Cathedral, it was a rare first-ss holy relic that could only bepared to the skull of Saint Theodore. ¡°P-please put it back down,¡± Rensol pleaded. ¡°I really don¡¯t know why you are doing all this, but you can¡¯t just touch that without permission¡­.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t listening to him. He just threw the jawbone into Anise¡¯s Holy Grail and turned around. The priests couldn¡¯t follow Eugene as he left the main cathedral. [¡­Sir Eugene, are you alright? You¡¯re okay, right?] Mer repeated herself in concern. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Eugene responded as he exited the cathedral. This was a lie. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, his current self wasn¡¯t alright at all. But it also wasn¡¯t all that rare for his emotions to get riled up to this extent¡­. When he had discovered the Death Knight made from Hamel¡¯s corpse in the desert grave. When Barang attacked Signard and the other elves in the Samar Rainforest. When Eward had captured his rtives to use as a sacrifice at the ck Lion Castle, and when he had to face the remnants of the Demon Kings. However, the emotions that had rioted during those events had at least been clear and certain. He had felt anger, rage, and other such feelings. However, Eugene was currently uncertain about what he was feeling. These feelings were just as intense as they were back then, but he still wasn¡¯t sure whether this emotion rising within him was anger, rage, or something else. ¡®No.¡¯ The truth was¡­. ¡®I do know.¡¯ Eugene actually did know what he was feeling and what he was thinking. He just didn¡¯t want to admit it. Eugene bit down firmly on his lower lips as he reached inside his cloak to pull out Akasha. Mer grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand. She stuck her face out of the cloak and looked up at Eugene with a concerned expression. Her green eyes, which so resembled Sienna¡¯s, were trembling with anxiety. Although Eugene hadn¡¯t been certain what kind of expression he had on his face, now he knew. The face reflected back at him from within Mer¡¯s eyes looked unfamiliar even to himself. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Eugene repeated once more. Even though he knew he wasn¡¯t fine, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but say he was. Mer also could sense what he was feeling. Mer knew she couldn¡¯t hold Eugene in ce or calm him down, and she also knew that she didn¡¯t have the justification for doing so. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel So, in the end, Mer didn¡¯t say anything and just let go of Eugene¡¯s hand. While epting Mer¡¯s worried gaze, Eugene lifted Akasha. This Saintess¡¯ jawbone was from four hundred years ago. Anise had been born three hundred years ago. Eugene didn¡¯t understand what exactly this gap of one hundred years meant. He didn¡¯t even want to understand. However, in the end, the oue was still the same. Even if he didn¡¯t want to, he needed to understand. Even though Eugene didn¡¯t want to admit the truth, he knew he had no choice but to ept it. He could still hear the sound of his own heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears. Swallowing a heavy breath, Eugene cast Akasha¡¯s Draconic spell. Crack crack. Something flowed into Eugene¡¯s head. The connection between him and this relic from hundreds of years ago was projected into Eugene¡¯s mind. The resulting picture wasn¡¯t clear. Perhaps because it was from so long ago ¡ª or perhaps, because the relic was so damaged? He didn¡¯t know which it was, but Eugene saw a scene, undercut with crackling static, y out inside his head. Once again, Eugene saw the abominable bond thaty between those girls whose feet were soaked in the flowing river of blood. There was Anise, Kristina, and all the other girls apart from them. But this time, Anise wasn¡¯t the one at the head of the line. Even before Anise, there was another girl, no, girls, who were letting their blood flow freely. Their faces were missing. Of all the girls standing there, the only two whose faces were clearly visible were Anise and Kristina. The other girls¡¯ faces were¡­ gone. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t see them clearly. They literally didn¡¯t have faces. Their features weren¡¯t obscured by a haze of fog either. Whether it was their eyes, noses, or lips, they didn¡¯t have any of those features. It was a grotesque and creepy sight to see all these girls with empty faces standing in line, letting out their blood. Eugene¡¯s eyes went to one of the girls standing in front of Anise. Like the others, the girl didn¡¯t have a face, but she wasn¡¯t just missing her eyes, nose, and mouth. She didn¡¯t have a chin, either. So her face looked like the lower half had been cut off. It looked like it would be painful to even breathe. Eugene knew this girl had to be the Saintess from four hundred years ago. If that was the case, what about all the other girls standing in front of her? And what about the girls standing between Anise and Kristina? Eugene had already figured out who they were earlier. But just like these feelings within him, the answer wasn¡¯t something he had wanted to ept. He needed to see more. Bowing his head, Eugene walked forward. The Holy Grail and the jawbone were swallowed up together by the light. ¡®There must be more that you want to show me. I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t have any problems with continuing. I¡¯m prepared to see everything.¡¯ You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience As Eugene muttered these reassurances to himself, Anise, still with an expressionless face, closed her eyes. One by one, all the girls copsed and disappeared. All the Saints standing there copsed like sand castles, bing part of the river that flowed with spilled blood. The red flow of blood became a spiraling whirlpool within the center of Eugene¡¯s field of vision. Crack crack. The noise created a distortion in the image. Finally, the terrifyingly red whirlpool settled down to be a calm body of water. A beautiful and brightly shining¡­ spring. Boom. The sound rang out from below Eugene¡¯s feet. It was the sound of footprints being crushed into the floor and left behind as Eugene¡¯s footstepsnded too heavily for the floor to withstand. While trying to calm the emotions raging within him, Eugene tried to think about the situation, no, about everything that he had just found out. The Fount of Light. He didn¡¯t know where exactly it was. Seeing as it wasn¡¯t made public knowledge, it had to be a ce that was kept secret even within Tressia. From what he had seen in the projection¡­ it didn¡¯t seem to be inside a building. There were ancient pirs¡­ Eugene thought he had seen the remains of a temple that looked so old it could be called a ruin. Where was it? There was no ce like that near the cathedral. As for Kristina. Kristina was currently at that site. Eugene continued walking. He didn¡¯t know what exactly that spring was. He also didn¡¯t know the purpose of the ritual being held there. Kristina had said that ritual was necessary and that she herself was taking part in it willingly. No matter how suspicious the ritual had seemed, Eugene had been willing to respect Kristina¡¯s choice. ¡ªLook closely, Hamel. ¡ªAt this abominable bond. Anise, in the form of a young girl, had raised her hands, which were covered in blood. Kristina, who was also in the form of a young girl, had been crying next to Anise. Ever since they had reunited in Yurasia, her attitude had been strange. Respect, huh? Eugene rubbed his own stiff cheeks. ¡®Since when have I ever been so considerate of others?¡¯ When that thought popped into his head, Eugene didn¡¯t hesitate any longer. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Baaaang! The ground beneath Eugene¡¯s feet shattered and copsed as heunched himself into the air. Eugene turned his back on the purple night sky above the city, which was far too bright. The wind that he had summoned held Eugene¡¯s body aloft. After flying high enough that he was able to view all of the huge Tressia Cathedral in one go, Eugene lifted Akasha. The Dragonheart emitted light. With his eyes wide open, Eugene saw the myriad spells that had beenyered over the cathedral. Most of the spells dealt with maintaining the building and enhancing its aesthetics. These weren¡¯t the spells that he was using Akasha to look for. One by one, Eugene removed these countless spells from his search. Although he had Mer¡¯s assistance, so much magic information was being forced into his field of vision that Eugene¡¯s head was pounding. Still, it felt better for him to have a headache because of this. Instead of distracting Eugene¡¯s thoughts, the throbbing headache was actually sharpening his mind. Going deeper, ever deeper, his eyes grew bloodshot as he forced out even more concentration through gritted teeth. His eyes, which were dyed with a red light, prated deep into the basement of the Cathedral. He had found it. The corners of Eugene¡¯s mouth twisted upwards. He recalled what Mer had said on the first day they had arrived in Yuras. He didn¡¯t know if it was used for convenience, but there really was a hidden warp-gate buried deep beneath the cathedral. Eugene then found the path that led to this basement. So there was no longer any need to stay aloft like this. Eugene immediately flew downward, heading to the clocktower and the door that led underground that was hidden within it. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± a voice interrupted him. It was Rensol. He was blocking the entrance to the clocktower along with a few other priests. ¡°P-please return to your room,¡± Rensol stammered. ¡°Why in the world are you doing this? Why¡­ why would you take those holy relics¡ª¡± ¡°Get out of the way,¡± Eugene spat in an unfamiliar voice. Without stopping, Eugene just kept walking towards them briskly. ¡°Sir Eugene, were you also responsible for shattering the pirs of light? Just why would you do that? P-please give us an exnation,¡± Rensol bravely demanded. It seemed that they didn¡¯t have any intention of backing down from just a warning. Eugene immediately summoned a gust of wind. He had no intention of harming Rensol, who was just trying to block Eugene¡¯s way forward. It was just¡­ Eugene only wanted to move them aside so they wouldn¡¯t bother him any longer. They wanted an exnation? How was he supposed to exin the emotions he was feeling right now and the things that had been projected into his head? In the first ce, Eugene was the one who wanted an exnation. So Eugene just kept his mouth shut and swung the wind towards them. Whoooosh! Frightened by the attack, Rensol and the priests called upon the light and raised a barrier of divine power to block Eugene¡¯s way forward. Just looking at this bright light made Eugene feel like the bloody smell from earlier was wafting around him once more. Latest Update on meow novel Booom! The wind sent the priests flying to the side. Then instead of dispersing, the wind pulled together and smashed open the door of the clocktower. Now that the way ahead had been opened up like this, Eugene¡¯s feet floated into the air once more. Eugene immediately flew into the clocktower without any further dy. Then, searching for the underground door he had discovered earlier, he brandished the wind again. Booom! All of the statues that were standing along the walls werepletely shattered. The secret door leading underground could only be opened by borately manipting these statues, but Eugene didn¡¯t want to waste time on that, so he just smashed the door open. Passing through the stairs that led deep into the basement, he arrived at the cer that held the warp-gate. The magic light of the portal wasn¡¯t lit. This meant that the door wasn¡¯t connected anywhere. A warp-gate always needed a wizard manning it in order to maintain the connection to the coordinates of the linked doors. However, apart from Eugene, there wasn¡¯t anyone else there at the moment. It was clear what had happened without even needing to think about it. After Cardinal Rogeris had left with the Inquisitors, he hadpletely shut down the door of the warp-gate. ¡°¡­Ha,¡± Eugene let out a dryugh as he headed to the warp-gate. Mer, who read his intentions, panicked and pulled herself out of his cloak to grab Eugene by his shoulders. ¡°That n is way too reckless and dangerous!¡± Mer shrieked. ¡°Mer, let go,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°S-sir Eugene, please calm down,¡± Mer begged. ¡°A warp-gate is the highest level of spatial magic! Even though a wizard of the Fifth Circle can maintain the connection between gates, you need to be at least a Sixth Circle wizard to create a new connection.¡± ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t know that?¡± ¡°Of course, you know! That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you not to do this! The fact that you¡¯re trying to do something like this even though you know all that just means that, Sir Eugene, you aren¡¯t in your right mind right now!¡± Mer was right. The warp-gate that maintained a connection over long distances was the highest level of spatial magic. Eugene¡¯s current level as a wizard was at the Fifth Circle. With the help of Akasha and Mer, he could use spells up to the Seventh Circle, but it was still too risky for Eugene to try and forcefully open the door. The warp-gates recorded a unique wavelength for each connected door. The wavelengths on both sides of the door needed to resonate with each other to open the door and maintain a connection. Naturally, only the wizard who managed the warp-gate knew the spell to create these wavelengths. It wasn¡¯t possible for Eugene to open the door unless he knew the spatial coordinates of the Fount of Light and the wavelengths required for the resonance. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Mer desperately tried to persuade him, ¡°If you used a calction device and added Akasha on top of that, you might be able to forcefully match the wavelengths. However, Sir Eugene, you should also be aware that such a connection can¡¯t help but be unstable, right? Spatial magic, especially magic that involves crossing long distances like a warp, is far too risky when it fails. If the connection goes wrong¡ª¡± Eugene cut her off, ¡°I won¡¯t fail.¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± Mer voiced her confusion. ¡°It¡¯ll be fine if I can just roughly forge a connection,¡± Eugene assured her. ¡°After that, I can tune the wavelength while I¡¯m in the middle of the crossing. That way, we won¡¯t get out of sync, and the connection should have no problems.¡± ¡°B-but that¡¯s just absurd,¡± Mer protested. ¡°To adjust the coordinates and tune the wavelengths in real time without first knowing the coordinates of the exit¡­! Even for me, such calctions are impossible! That¡¯s not even in the realm of pure calction anymore!¡± ¡°I have no intention of making you do it for me, so don¡¯t worry,¡± Eugene said as he shrugged off Mer¡¯s hand from his shoulder. Then he firmly pushed down on Mer¡¯s head and shoved her back inside his cloak. ¡°Kyaah!¡± Mer yelped inint. ¡°Stay in there patiently, and don¡¯te out,¡± Eugene ordered. Then he tightly closed the cloak¡¯s opening so that she wouldn¡¯t be able to escape. Eugene waved Akasha and pointed it at the warp-gate. Eugene was at the brink of the Sixth Circle. It had been difficult to understand how far he had yet to go when he first got his hands on Akasha, but after going through the civil strife at the ck Lion Castle and his continued training beneath theke at the main estate, his magic level had also risen. Perhaps because of this, Eugene was able to read the form of the warp-gate immediately. The mana drawn from his White me Form flowed into the warp-gate. Fwoooosh! The space between the two pirs of the warp-gate distorted and began to shine. The spatial connection was ready to be opened, but the wavelength of the door had yet to resonate with the other side. If all that Eugene had avable was the ability to read the form, then he wouldn¡¯t have had any other way from here. However, Akasha didn¡¯t just grant the ability to read spells. It also granted the ability to understand them. Eugene¡¯s eyes throbbed. He licked his lips as he prepared himself for the use of high-speed frequency changing. Mer didn¡¯t want to help him. However, she couldn¡¯t really refuse to do anything. Inside the cloak, Mer let out a deep sigh and began syncing her consciousness with Eugene¡¯s. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Then she realized just what an absurd thing Eugene was about to do. Akasha allowed him toprehend the forms of the warp-gate. In addition, he would use the search magic of the Draconic spell to scan the connection with the other side of the door. The spell itself would make a reverse calction from the minute traces of the other side of the connection that had been left on the closed warp-gate, to predict the spatial coordinates on the other side. Eugene then intended to infuse his mana into the warp-gate for each of the innumerable coordinates that were derived through this method to generate a momentary wavelength and then repeat this until he could match the wavelengths for each coordinate. This was crazy. It was brutal, mindlessbor behind a mask of advanced magic. This wasn¡¯t a task that a single wizard could ever manage. Even an Archwizard couldn¡¯t connect all these different warp-gates over and over again while performing such a huge amount of calctions each time. There was no way that such a n was possible. If anyone were to try to do this, their mana would be depleted immediately. However, Eugene made it possible. Akasha reduced the amount of mana that was needed for the magic. Mer was able to share the work of calcting the coordinates. Operating the Ring me Form would allow Eugene to recover all the mana wasted. His senses, which were sharpened to their limit, would be able to detect the changes in the wavelengths. It didn¡¯t matter if the wavelengths weren¡¯t perfectly resonant. As long as there was one moment when they did resonate, Eugene wouldn¡¯t miss that chance. When tears of blood began to flow down from his wide-open eyes and collect on the tip of his chin, Eugene pushed Akasha forward. A ripple formed in the distorted space. Without sparing any mana, Eugene poured out everything he had. The ripples were getting bigger and bigger. Eugene¡¯s mana was forced into the patch connecting the two sides and hammered on the closed door. Fwoooosh! The distorted space was suddenly filled with light. The warp-gates were sessfully connected. Inside the cloak, Mer sprawled out in exhaustion. At this point, she felt like she would be happy to use the pause function that she had hated so much. ¡®¡­No, I can¡¯t,¡¯ Mer thought to herself as she shook her head. Eugene slowly walked up to the warp-gate. This door was connected to the Fount of Light. He didn¡¯t really want to imagine what he might see there. But he¡¯d be seeing it soon in any case. Eugene closed his strained eyes and passed through the warp-gate. * * * The Fount of Light was a sanctuary where the Grace of God had resided ever since ancient times. Even amongst Yuras¡¯ numerous priests, only a few priests whose faith had been verified beyond doubt were aware of the existence of the Fount of Light. And among these priests, only a few authority figures were allowed to see the Fount of Light in person, but even so, all the Pdins and Inquisitors who had been mobilized for this mission felt a great honor and sense of excitement just from being given the duty to protect the spring and the Saint Candidate staying there. This wasn¡¯t even a difficult test. They were at a temple deep within the mountains. Various miracles and spells were protecting this ce from being seen with the naked eye. It was impossible for wild beasts or anyone else to enter this site, even by chance. Just in case, they had been on guard for several days, but in the two days since the ritual had begun, not even a single rabbit, let alone a person, hade close to the temple. But they still didn¡¯t let their guard down in the slightest. It would be impossible for any of the Pdins or Inquisitors who had been mobilized to protect this holy sacrament from lowering their guards on the grounds that the mission wasn¡¯t strenuous. If any of them had been that bendable, they wouldn¡¯t have been called to this ceremony. The Knights of the Blood Cross were called the Shield of Light. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site The Maleficarum of the Inquisition was called the Hammer of Light. The Pdins and Inquisitors who had been recruited from their respective organizations all felt it at the same time. The warp-gate that was supposed to have been closed was now open. Someone had just passed through the warp-gate and had arrived near the temple. Though they had never expected such a thing to happen, since it had, what they needed to do next was clear. [¡­Honored Cardinal.] [I¡¯m aware.] The call was silently conveyed from inside their heads. Sergio replied to the alert without any signs of amusement on his face. However, he didn¡¯t get up from where he was kneeling. Currently, Sergio couldn¡¯t make a move personally. It wasn¡¯t just Sergio, either. There were two people kneeling together with him, offering up their prayers. There was Giovanni, one of the Captains of the Knights of the Blood Cross, and Inquisitor Atarax. Originally, this ritual was meant to be conducted by Sergio alone, but the ritual taking ce this time was special. So along with the other Pdins and Inquisitors who had been mobilized, these two individuals with strong divine power were assisting Sergio. [¡­Sir Eugene appears to have arrived by warp-gate,] Sergio informed the others. [Should we capture him?] Atarax asked, ncing at Sergio¡¯s expression. [With all due respect,] Sergio agreed to the proposal without immediately revealing his surging emotions. [If possible, try to get him to return on his own ord. If that is impossible¡­ then it can¡¯t be helped. You all should be well aware of just how important this ritual is¡­. Even if it causes Sir Eugene some offense, we have to send him back immediately.] [Yes, sir.] [We will follow your orders.] But how had Eugene shown up here? He had definitely closed the warp-gate. Sergio had heard that Eugene Lionheart¡¯s talent as a wizard was also exceptional, but shouldn¡¯t it have been impossible for even an Archwizard to have connected both sides of a warp-gate by themself? [¡­How surprising,] Sergiomented with a dull expression as he settled his own emotions. It was certainly impossible, unbelievable, and surprising. But that was only when taken within the scope of what humans were capable of. Eugene¡¯s achievement was nothingpared to the miracles caused by God. Sergio once more put his hands together to pray and looked straight ahead. In front of him, a gentle light was shining. The light came from the water rising from a spring deep underground that shone even in the dark. The water had a slight warmth to it, though there wasn¡¯t any particr scent. The water didn¡¯t just shine; it also had a much stronger sacred power than even the holy water blessed by a high-ranking priest like himself. Latest Update on meow novel In the middle of this spring, Kristina, dressed in pure white robes resembling a shroud, was immersed in its light. Blood was flowing from the countless wounds that covered her body. Kristina¡¯s blood mixed with the spring water, but the water of the spring didn¡¯t turn red. Sergio, who had been watching this, slowly stood up. He pulled out a dagger that had been immersed in the spring and approached Kristina. The pure waters of the spring were full of divine power. No matter how many times she was cut, Kristina¡¯s wounds were healed by the divine grace infused into the light of the spring. This sight was truly miraculous. Sergio looked down at Kristina, whose eyes were closed as she recited her prayers. ¡°Saint Candidate,¡± Sergio called out to her with his voice, but Kristina didn¡¯t respond. She wasn¡¯t asleep. Kristina¡¯s consciousness was still awake, but her body couldn¡¯t move ording to her will. Because her eyes were closed, she wasn¡¯t able to see anything. Some of her senses had been suppressed, but other senses were dozens of times more sensitive than usual. ¡°You need to be patient,¡± Sergio advised her. During the previous ritual, Kristina had sat in this spring and cut herself with a knife over the course of several days. Even as the light healed one wound after another, until the end of the ritual, Kristina was forced to cut herself and spill her blood over and over again. Kristina¡¯s sensitivity towards pain, which had been sharpened by dozens of times more than usual, had inflicted enough pain on her that it would have been a relief to just go crazy or die, but this spring was able to keep a supplicant¡¯s mind from going insane. Instead, it actually awakened Kristina¡¯s consciousness to such an extent that she could keep carving open these wounds on her body. For the ritual held this time, it was only on the first day that Kristina had to cut her own body. From the second day onwards, it was Sergio who instead carved these stigmata onto Kristina. Thus there was no way for her to adapt to the pain. The pain was also sharper than before. Kristina never knew exactly where Sergio would start to carve, but she couldn¡¯t allow herself to be afraid of him. The light was warm andforting. She repeated this thought to herself as she continued to recite her prayers inside of her mind. ¡®¡­O omniscient and omnipotent God of Light, please watch over my soul. Illuminate my soul with your light and cleanse my blood. Please burn away my passions with your light and leave your light in its ce.¡¯ The de touched her skin. At that very moment, an eerie anticipation was transmitted to Kristina, but Kristina didn¡¯t tremble. ¡®Allow me to forget this pain and despair so that I bring salvation to your flock. Help them to find rest in your light and allow them to be reborn as light. May you send your light down wherever I am and wherever I walk. As your apostle, I am amp that will light up the darkness, and as your torch, please use this body as a source of fuel to illuminate the world.¡¯ The de pierced Kristina¡¯s skin. The pain, so agonizing that her mind felt like it was about to copse, began to spread throughout her body. However, Kristina¡¯s tightly closed eyes didn¡¯t shake, nor did she let out a groan. ¡®¡­So that your light may illuminate the darkness of the world, have mercy on us. Please hear this prayer. Allow your brilliant and holy light, the spark that first lit up this world, to dwell within me, your servant.¡¯ Nothing could be seen within her tightly closed eyes. Everywhere she looked was full of darkness. Chapter 189: The Fount of Light (1) Eugene slowly straightened his back. He could feel the throbbing in his head slowly receding, but his eyes still felt quite dry and strained. If he could, he wanted to pull them out and rinse them in water. ¡°There are quite a few of them,¡± Eugene muttered while raising his head. He could see about 200 figures moving in the distance. There was no question about it ¡ª these were the Pdins and the Inquisitors. Although the warp-gate had been disconnected, it had now been activated. They hade to discover Eugene¡¯s presence. They wereing fast, and Eugene didn¡¯t want any unnecessary confrontation. However, it was clear that they had no consideration for his wish. Although they wouldn¡¯t attack immediately, they were sure to make annoying remarks and send him back. ¡®Where am I?¡¯ Eugene wondered. He only knew that he was somewhere in the mountains but was oblivious to his exact location. However, it didn¡¯t really matter. The presence of the Pdins and Inquisitors was sufficient to hint at the presence of the Fount of Light in the vicinity. The projection from the Holy Grail and the jawbone had shown¡­ an old temple. However, he did not see such a temple in the vicinity. It was expected. Since rumors regarding the Fount of Light were unknown to the public, even the temple was hidden. Eugene raised Akasha into the air. He could see magic permeating the space around him, though it was impossible to understand most of the spells even with Akasha since they were divine magic. It was aplex barrier thatbined both regr magic and divine magic. It would be difficult to break through with just magic alone. Then couldn¡¯t he simply st through with force? It was an extremely simple, even ignorant way of thinking, but Eugene did not think long. He had broken down Tressia Cathedral¡¯s pir of light and exited with the Holy Grail and the jawbone. Then he reactivated the warp-gate and arrived in this ce, a prohibited area. He had already crossed several lines, so he had no reason to rack his brain over such a simple matter. He did not need to hesitate just because the method was brutish. ¡°What is this?¡± Eugene muttered with confusion as he attempted to unsheathe the Moonlight Sword. But, contrary to his intention, he found his hands wound around a different sword ¡ª the Holy Sword, Altair. It had moved of its own ord and rested itself in Eugene¡¯s hand. Eugene frowned as he spoke, ¡°You never showed me anything when I wished for it most, so what are you up to now?¡± Who was responsible for moving the sword? Was it the God of Light? If so, Eugene wanted to smash Altair into pieces. He cared not how valuable the de was nor what it represented. He didn¡¯t like it, so he wanted to break it. Latest Update on meow novel The things shown to him by the Holy Grail of Anise and the jawbone of the Saintess had been sufficient. Images flitted into his mind: the river of blood that started to flow from a distant, unknown past, the expressionless face of Anise, the tears that drenched Kristina¡¯s face, as well as countless girls who would have been there, those whose existences were faint and flitting. An abominable bond. ¡°God?¡± Eugene unsheathed the Holy Sword while gritting his teeth. In one swift motion, he attempted to break it by smashing it against the ground. If that wasn¡¯t sufficient to shatter it, then¡­. Yes, then he wanted to soak the de with the blood of the fanatics who worshiped the abominable being as their God. However, just as the de was about to crash against the ground, a thin light enveloped its body. Eugene was forced to stop himself in astonishment as the light slowly spread from the de and wrapped around Eugene. The Holy Sword wasn¡¯t the sole object of illumination either. The Holy Grail and the jawbone were also radiating in his other hand. Each of the two holy relics was emitting light as if in response to the glowing sword. Eugene stared at the light for a moment, then proceeded forward with a scoff. There were Pdins and Inquisitors on guard in the warp-gate¡¯s vicinity. They belonged to different organizations, but they shared the same mission. However, they were given different orders and different means to execute their mission. Giovanni, one of the Captains of the Knights of the Blood Cross, had given orders to ¡®politely¡¯ persuade Eugene to return. Atarax of Maleficarum gave different orders. He had served Cardinal Sergio Rogeris for a long time and knew exactly what the man wanted. Moreover, unlike Giovanni, he had experienced Eugene in person. Polite persuasion? There was no way in hell Eugene Lionheart could be persuaded. Although he was perfect when it came to his qualities as a warrior, he couldn¡¯t have been morecking in faith. In addition, he had a rough and violent personality. It was clear to Atarax that he couldn¡¯t be persuaded to return, no matter how polite they were. Thus, Atarax ordered the use of force from the outset. They would either quickly suppress and hold him or send him back through the warp-gate. It was a rough method, but it was the only method usible to Atarax. Just when Eugene resumed his steps with the Holy Sword in hand, six figures jumped out of the bushes ¡ª three Pdins in blood cross uniforms and three Inquisitors in red robes and shakos. None of the faces were familiar to Eugene, but the six naturally recognized him. One of the Pdins initiated the conversation, ¡°Sir Eugene Lionheart.¡± He paused for a moment, feeling a sense of awe towards the glowing sword in Eugene¡¯s hand. The Pdin felt somewhat puzzled when he noticed that the bowl held in Eugene¡¯s other hand was emitting light as well. It wasn¡¯t only him, either. None of the six people imagined that the bowl was, in fact, the Holy Grail of Anise. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, this is not a ce anyone can just stroll into.¡± ¡°Please return¡­.¡± The Pdins were never given a chance to finish their words. The Inquisitors kicked off the ground, and something reflected the light from inside their fluttering red cloaks. Their ambush wasn¡¯t discussed previously and came as a surprise to their associates. Moreover, their movements were far too sharp for their purpose to be considered subjugation. But Eugene did not panic. Instead, he was d that they had initiated the attack. He did not brandish his sword nor stop in his tracks, even when the Inquisitors were almost on him. He had no regard for what abilities they possessed and what they were capable of. Such things meant absolutely nothing to Eugene. Thwack! The Pdins could only call it simple, brute force. There was no technique involved. Eugene wielded extremely dense mana and simply bore down on the attackers. That was all. It was such a simple, straightforward attack, but none of the Inquisitors seeded in resisting. One was swatted to the ground like a fly, another was thrown to the side and helplessly rolled to the ground after smashing against a tree, while the third was hurled back to where they came from. The Pdins shifted their stance as they felt a shiver run down their spines. The prayers they recited in their minds gave rise to divine power. The surroundings were quite dark as midnight approached, but the sacred light emitting from the Pdins drove the darkness away. However, the light they emitted was tiny and insignificantpared to the light worn by Eugene. The Pdins could not move. Was it because their light shone with less intensity? No, such wasn¡¯t the reason for the phenomenon. Rather, they could not dare to move. The very thought, the mere idea of moving, had been wiped clean from their minds. The divine power that filled their bodies bestowed them with courage and allowed them to ovee fear, but all was nil when they saw Eugene¡¯s face. His face wasn¡¯t warped or distorted. On the contrary, he looked frighteningly calm and subdued. However, although his face betrayed no emotions, the Pdins felt terrible anger and murderous intent from Eugene. They could not believe that such emotions wereing from the Hero. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience The curtain of light surrounding their bodies failed to inhibit their basic instincts as humans, instincts that were desperately crying out, warning them not to move even an inch. Simply put, they werecking in determination. The Pdins prioritized persuading Eugene through conversation rather than subduing him by force. They had been too soft. So when they came to face him, their minds and determinations bent like reeds in the wind. Eugene¡¯s murderous intent was truly ferocious and explosive that the Pdins of the Blood Cross Knights, renowned for their unwavering faith, had been forced down and their instincts trampled upon. ¡­Gulp. The three Pdins did not dare move a muscle as if they were prey before their hunter. They gulped, twitched, and felt cold sweat trickle past the pores on their bodies¡­ until Eugene finally passed them. He made his way through the barrier-protected forest. He had intended to blow the barrier away using the Moonlight Sword but had been dissuaded by the light of the Holy Sword paving the way. The two relics in his left hand were still glowing. What blocked his path was an incrediblyplex amalgamation of various barriers, and even Eugene¡¯s senses were ineffective. He could not tell what was right in front of him. It was as if he was wandering through a thick fog¡­. Well, it wasn¡¯t just a feeling. In fact, Eugene was truly walking through a dense fog. He could not tell whether he was walking uphill or downhill nor whether he was really on the right track. Eugene had encountered various types of magic and barriers until now, but never a barrier so powerful. ¡°It really would¡¯ve been the right choice to smash the whole thing,¡± muttered Eugene. However, he did not reach for the Moonlight Sword. He would not have hesitated if the Holy Sword had been alone in its efforts to light the path. However, it wasn¡¯t just the Holy Sword that guided him. The Holy Grail¡­. It¡­. Something felt strange. If the Holy Sword was the torch guiding his path forward, the Holy Grail and the jawbone in his left hand were¡­. It was as if they were pulling his hand forward; as if they were guiding the way. ¡°This¡­¡± whispered Eugene while looking ahead. ¡°Is it a miracle?¡± Eugene hated the word ¡®miracle.¡¯ He had hated it for a long time. People used the word miracle to describe any unconventional, mysterious, and impossible events, things that could not be aplished by human power. Most miracles experienced on the battlefields tended to be simr urrences ¡ª seemingly impossible battles won, defeating an enemy much stronger than oneself, or surviving in impossible situations. Such were the miracles that Eugene, or rather Hamel, experienced in his previous life. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site However, it irked Hamel to call such events miracles. Winning an impossible battle? A result of fighting with one¡¯s life on the line. Knocking down a stronger opponent? Product of a well-fought battle. Surviving a situation where death was inevitable? Either gratitude was warranted to the enemy for being a meathead who failed to confirm the death, or someone had struggled to save your life. ¡ªIn a sense, couldn¡¯t they all be ssified as miracles? ¡ªNo. ¡ªHamel, I am treating you now because I have the power to treat you. The power I have was given to me by the God of Light, so my existence itself could be proof of miracles. ¡ªYou are free to think as you¡¯d like, but I don¡¯t think that way. Fucking hell. We¡¯re the ones who struggle, the ones who fight, and you are the one who treats. Why should we have to take it as a God-given miracle? ¡ªI do not want to argue with you about faith. Hamel, I know you are a persistent, single-minded, stubborn brat, like a worm. ¡ªDid you just call me a brat? ¡ªAll you¡¯re saying is that you don¡¯t want to admit the miracles of the gracious God of Light, right? You think your achievements are a result of your talent and hard work. That is truly an arrogant¡ª ¡ªNot me, but us. ¡ªWhat? ¡ªWe are talented, hard-working, and victorious. We won impossible battles because we fought well, and you are treating me here and now because you¡¯re here. Proof of a miracle? You? What the fuck are you talking about? You¡¯re not a miracle, but a normal, living, breathing human, aren¡¯t you? ¡ª¡­Ha¡­! ¡ªWhat, you got a problem? If you think I¡¯m wrong, go fucking fetch that wonderful almighty god of yours. Hmm? You can¡¯t, right? So why do you keep ranting about some damned miracle and¡ª Latest Update on meow novel ¡ªThen let¡¯s put it like this. He could clearly recall Anise¡¯s expression from that time. ¡ªAll of this, everything here, is not a miracle of God. Hamel, as you say¡­. You, no, we¡­. Haha. No, even that is pretentious. Just¡­. All of us¡­. Right. It¡¯s something that everyone achieved together with a¡­ sprinkle, just a little bit of God¡¯s will¡­ just a small miracle. Anise had said this with a smile. Come to think of it, that was the first time Anise had conceded in any matter regarding faith and miracles. It was the first time she had backed down and acknowledged even a little bit without pushing her own view. A small miracle. Eugene came to a stop. He couldn¡¯t walk anymore. Anise had always spoken about God, Light, and miracles. She had always prayed to her god with an imperishable smile. Anise had truly believed in the existence of God. At least, that¡¯s how it always looked. Anise had been more desperate than anyone else for the existence of God. She had to be. Three hundred years ago, Anise desired to lead everyone who died to heaven. She dered that she would shed blood on behalf of God and light the darkness on behalf of God. She had dered that she would shine as the most brilliant light after God to bring light to the damned and to lead them to heaven. ¡­Sometimes, she questioned the existence of God and heaven. Countless people died. The days were filled with suffering and deaths. Far too many people were buried, andnds wereid to waste. It was impossible to find anything other than battlefields and the grim smell of death. It was an era where demonic creatures killed humans, monsters killed humans, demons killed humans, and humans killed humans. So Anise doubted the existence of God. The omniscient, omnipotent God was nowhere to be found when the world needed his presence the most. God did not shed blood on behalf of hismbs. God, the so-called light to drive away all darkness, did not drive away the evesting night of the dark era. Every day, the sun gave way to twilight, then once again brought light at dawn, but the world greeting the new ray of sun was absolutely no different from the night before. Despair filled the unchanging days, and just when he was at the brink of copse when he no longer had the will to ovee his drunkenness, Hamel acknowledged a miracle of God for the first time in his life. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Vermouth ¡ª his existence was a miracle of God. God wasn¡¯t uncaring and absent. Instead, he was trying to save the world by sending Vermouth. That was how Eugene had convinced himself. ¡°Anise,¡± Eugene called out. The long, intense battles were always decorated with a drink at the end. When the hellish, torturous battles were over, Anise¡¯s back was always soaked with blood. Fortunately, the smell of her blood had been masked by the overwhelming stench of blood from their surroundings. When Anise took off her uniform and showed her blood-soaked back, Hamel saw how her stigmata had spreadpared to before. Anise drank when he wiped the blood from her back and applied ointment. ¡°Should I have brought alcohol?¡± whispered Eugene. But there was no answer. The small, pale hand led Eugene. He could not smell blood from the girl. The once bloodstained clothes were now white and spotless. So Eugene wanted to cry. He could not deny that there was no warmth radiating from the hand that led him. He couldn¡¯t even feel its weight. Although he could see the fluttering blonde hair and the girl¡¯s back as clear as day, he knew well that she wasn¡¯t of the living. He did not want to believe that this¡­ cruel little miracle was a gift from God. ¡°¡­You¡­¡± Eugene called out, but the little girl never turned back. She continued forward and guided Eugene to the right path. Though the fog slowly cleared, Eugene did not want to turn his eyes away. He saw the small hands, arms, back, and hair of the little girl pulling on his left hand. ¡°¡­Would have¡­ gone to heaven, right?¡± Please turn a blind eye to this immorality. If you cannot, please bestow the duties to enter heaven upon the shoulders of your servant. Then, let us reunite one day in the same ce. ¡°You¡­. You¡¯ve be an angel in heaven, right?¡± Before he knew it, Eugene was no longer walking through the forest. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience The dream shown to him by the Holy Sword and the prayer of Anise¡­. ¡ªIf not us, who could go to heaven? It had to be true. More than anyone else, Anise, you deserved to go to heaven. Eugene honestly thought so. He knew exactly the type of life Anise led in his previous life. If not for anything else, heaven had to exist for the sake of Anise. Just as she hoped, she had to have be the second most brilliant light after God to illuminate heaven. ¡ªWe will definitely be able to reunite in paradise. If we do not¡­. ck. The Holy Grail fell from his hand. Both the chalice and the jawbone contained inside rolled across the ground. ¡ªThen God does not exist. He found himself somewhere underground following the little girl¡¯s guidance. What weed him wasn¡¯t a hallucination created by the barrier. But Eugene did not want to look straight at the sight before his eyes. He didn¡¯t know what to think, what to feel, and what expression to make. Plop. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site He heard a drop of water, and Eugene clenched his teeth. He wanted to avoid the smell of blood. Fortunately, the stench of blood that permeated his sense of smell was his own blood. Blood was trickling down from his peering eyes and pursed lips. I have to look. A voice resonated in his head ¡ª his own voice. Eugene slowly raised his head and peered straight ahead. Many pipes that lined the wall were¡­ in contact with a spring of water. The water was drawn into a pipe, traveled through its innards, through the filter¡­ then fell back into the puddle. Thest step of the purification was responsible for the sound of water that filled the space. There were many filters. There were many pipes. The whole process was repeated, over and over and over again. The central pipe drew water from the spring and then directed it elsewhere. The scene was truly horrible and reminded Eugene of a pipe organ ¡ª a sick, abhorrent mischief of an organ. Eugene raised his head and looked up. He saw the ¡®filters¡¯ connected to the pipes, the white spheres hanging like ripe fruits in the air. Inside the spheres were¡­. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡®What am I doing here?¡¯ ¡®What am I holding in my hand?¡¯ ¡®The objects rolling at my feet, the things in front of me, the things hanging above me¡­.¡¯ Plop. Latest Update on meow novel Somewhere from the pipes, the sound of water resonated once more, and Eugene closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes, countless girls were hanging above the spring. It was still difficult to make out the faces of the girls, and¡­ he still couldn¡¯t understand why. However, he could see Anise standing upright and Kristina crying. ¡°Pity,¡± Anise parted her lips. That awful woman ¡ª even now, she didn¡¯t tell Eugene everything. But Eugene did not crave an answer from her either. The answer didn¡¯t matter. ¡°It must have been difficult and painful. Even now,¡± said Anise while slowly approaching Kristina. Countless girls walked by her side, and one by one, they began to disappear. The girls melted away like the snow and became a part of the spring. However, Anise and Kristina still remained. ¡°Hamel,¡± Anise called out after taking her ce behind Kristina, who continued to cry. She opened her arms and embraced Kristina from behind, ¡°What will you do?¡± Leaving behind the dreadful question, the two finally disappeared. Eugene lowered his head¡­. The Holy Grail and jawbone had already crumbled beyond recognition. ¡°¡­..¡± What was he going to do? It was definitely something Anise would ask. Although she was the one who wanted something, she would never say it directly. However, right now, she did not even need to ask. Eugene slowly raised his head, and a deadly me engulfed his eye sockets. Chapter 190: The Fount of Light (2) News quickly spread through the Pdins and the Inquisitors that Eugene Lionheart had crossed through the warp-gate and vited the temple¡¯s barrier. The first three Inquisitors to confront him had been overpowered in an instant, while the three Pdins had stood helplessly as Eugene passed them. With things turning out this way, Giovanni, the Captain of the Blood Cross Knights, could no longer leave things up in the air. The presence of the Blood Cross Knights in the temple wasn¡¯t permitted by the knightmander, but Giovanni believed the ritual to be sacred and holy and felt tremendous joy at being able to abet the ritual as a knight serving God. Giovanni wasn¡¯t alone in the desire to stay true to his faith. All the Pdins who apanied Giovanni considered it an honor and joy to have the opportunity to participate in the sacrament. So why did it matter that they were here without orders from themander? This was the work of God, and nothing was more important for the devotees of Light. Even if the intruder was the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword, his will to cause destruction could not precede God¡¯s will. Indeed, it was an uneptable act of rampage for Eugene Lionheart to have invaded the temple without consent, then hurt the Inquisitors. He needed to be stopped, even if the Hero was injured in the process. The Hero, the Incarnation of Light, could never ruin the Sacrament of Light. Bodily wounds could be healed over time, but sin was irreversible, especially if it involved denying God¡¯s will and insulting the sacrament. It was an even greater transgression if the sinner was the Hero, who was supposed to be nobler than anyone else and obedient to the Will of Light. ¡®He must be stopped.¡¯ Giovanni¡¯s earnest, desperate desire was well conveyed to the Pdins. They sympathized with Giovanni¡¯s wish while sharing his pain. They had to stop the intruder, even if he was the Hero¡­. No, he needed to be stopped because he was the Hero. The ceremony could never be defiled by the Hero. Atarax was of the same mind as Giovanni. From the beginning, he had believed in meeting the intruder with full force. He never should have been allowed to set foot inside the barrier¡­. His regret drove him to give orders to the Inquisitors: they could not afford to hold back. They had to forget the fact that they were up against the Hero. ~ Latest Update on meow novel The Pdins and Inquisitors could move unhindered through the haze that enveloped the temple. Their eyes were not misled by the fog, which meant that their search should have been a breeze, but¡­ they were experiencing difficulties. They could not find Eugene anywhere, though he must have entered the barrier. Hundreds of Pdins and Inquisitors searched the ruins and surrounding forest thoroughly, but none of them managed to catch even a whiff of Eugene¡¯s scent. Eugene had disappeared like a ghost after entering the barrier. ¡®Where the hell did you go? How?¡¯ The groups were naturally divided once orders came down. The Pdins stuck with their colleagues, as did the Inquisitors. In the first ce, they belonged to different organizations, so they weren¡¯t ustomed to working together. A squad of ten Pdins was searching the outskirts of the temple, a ce bordering the barrier. For anyone to gain immunity to the deception of the barrier, they needed to be blessed by Cardinal Rogeris. Without the blessing, it was impossible to approach the temple, let alone the spring. No matter how long anyone ventured in the fog, they would continue to circle the outskirts. For this reason, many Pdins were deployed to the outskirts. Unfortunately for the devotees, Eugene was well aware of this fact as well. ¡°Huh?¡± The Pdins felt something. They were on high alert, and they could feel something slowly creeping up on them. And then, they saw it. The thing encroaching on them was¡­. Their faces stiffened. Their lips fluttered in prayer, and they inched closer to each other. Pdins did not wear armor. The only exception was when the Pope, the Agent of Light, gave orders to prepare for a Holy War. But this ritual wasn¡¯t war. It was a sacred event of Light, so what need was there to wear their armor? At least, that was the idea, but unfortunately, they desperately needed their armor now. All ten Pdins felt as such when faced with the fierce, sinister energy that slowly paralyzed their senses. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Their prayers gave rise to a stronger light, and the light wrapped around the bodies of the Pdins in the form of armor. It was a skill avable to all Pdins of Yuras: Armor of Light. This armament of faith would change in shape and size ording to the depth of the user¡¯s faith, and the Pdins of the Blood Cross Knights could even summon armor capable of defending against sword-force. They could block even stronger attacks and magic if they built a shield of light. It could be said that the Pdins of Yuras were characterized by the strong, unshakable defense they boasted. Ten light-d Pdins donned their helmets in unison. They raised their shields and drew swords, and the light twisted around the des to transform their weapons into long spears. They hid behind their proud shields and connected them in a long line. The spears jutted out of the gaps, and a wall of light waspleted in an instant. They had trained for confrontations againstrge monsters, demonic beasts, and enemies with simr levels of threat, but¡­ what they faced now was neither a monster nor a demonic beast. Did that mean he wasn¡¯t their enemy? They weren¡¯t sure. The Pdins were desperate. They wanted to deny that the young man they faced was the enemy. Was it perhaps because he was recognized by the Holy Sword? Maybe because he was the first Hero in three hundred years? No, that wasn¡¯t it. If they designated him as the enemy, they had no choice but to fight him. But they didn¡¯t want to fight. No, they could not fight. They had trained their will to be unwavering, but now, it was like a burning candle, fragile and easily shaken. The Pdins were afraid of facing this young man, Eugene Lionheart. Eugene observed the Pdins from a distance. He wasing from the source of the Fount of Light. He had contemted destroying it and following it to wherever it led, but it was difficult to discern exactly where theplex mess of pipes led. He also had to think about the consequences of destroying the source, since it would affect the fount. It wasn¡¯t yet time. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Thus, he left the source behind, and after taking a mere few steps, found himself in this ce. He tried to make sense of it from a wizard¡¯s perspective. This barrier divided space into different zones and connected them inplex, contorted ways. The source of the fount would have been the heart, the most secretive location within the barrier, an impossible ce to enter, unless¡­ the miracle¡­ unless the damn miracle guided you. ¡°Are you going to stop me?¡± asked Eugene while ncing at the Holy Sword in his hand. The divine weapon was emitting a subtle glow, and Eugene red at it with a contorted expression. ¡°¡­..¡± The Pdins did not answer. They could not. They couldn¡¯t think of an answer to the obvious question. A fierce battle was taking ce in their minds. ¡®I don¡¯t want to stop him.¡¯ ¡®Just open the way and let him through.¡¯ ¡®No, let¡¯s just run away¡ª¡¯ But they could not. Their lips were chapped, cold sweat drenched their foreheads and spines, and their hearts were pounding like mad. Fear forced silence on the Pdins, but in their silence, they quietly put their spears forward. They shifted closer to each other and tightened the wall of shields. The Pdins were oveing the sinister fear with their faith in God. Eugene could feel it as well ¡ª the Pdins were gradually loosening up. The tighter their shields wove together, the more intense their light became. Finally, the quivering tips of their spears stabilized with faith. Such a sight ignited an explosion in Eugene¡¯s heart, and he felt his ash hair stand on end. He had told them to move, but they seemed set on blocking his path. Didn¡¯t that mean there was only one thing left for him to do? The flickering tongues of the White me Form surrounded his body, and he took a step forward. A step was all it took. The gluttonous hands of the me quickly engulfed the entirety of Eugene¡¯s self. Shatter! meow novel . will be your favorite novel site The light fractured into countless pieces. The mes surrounding Eugene burst forward and greedily devoured the debris of light. Taking a long breath, Eugene continued moving ahead. The Pdins¡¯ wall of shields could not stop Eugene. The wall of light, bound by faith, was shredded by the raging me as if it were nothing more than a sheet of paper. The spears they raised in determination were crushed even before they could be thrust. Their armor of faith only served to barely save their lives as they were crushed and smashed to an unrecognizable form. This was the work of the Holy Sword. Eugene¡¯s mes fluttered bigger than the light emitted by the de, and he used the White me Form to condense the sword-force into a coat surrounding the de of the Holy Sword. In truth, he did not need to use the Holy Sword. The beautiful ceremonial de was, in fact, not practical at all as a weapon. Eugene already knew this. Nevertheless, he swung the Holy Sword because he wanted to. The Holy Sword Altair was an artifact left behind by that old dog ¡®God of Light,¡¯ and they believed in their god unconditionally. So he wanted to destroy their light with the Holy Sword. ¡®¡­It¡¯s hot,¡¯ Eugene thought. His heart was racing, even though he had not used Ignition. The blood raged its course through his body far faster than normal, and his mana was stoking the fire instead of cooling it down. Heavy fog arose from nothingness. The ancient barrier recognized the enemy threatening the temple, and all the believers within the temple were alerted of Eugene¡¯s presence. All but the three conducting the ceremony at the fount began to move toward Eugene. Eugene wasn¡¯t aware of this, but even knowing would have changed nothing. He had no intention of backing down; if anything blocked his way, he would destroy it. If they fell and still attempted to stop him, he would trample them. If they held his ankles, he would cut off their hands. Each of his steps caused the fog to tremble, despite theck of wind. But theughter, screams, groans, and cries of the girls resonated as clear as a bell from a distance. What exactly was so omnipotent and omniscient about this light and whatever god? Latest Update on meow novel The me surrounding the Holy Sword swelled as something leaped at him from beyond the fog. Eugene swung without looking, and the pale light of the sword parted the mist. The me followed shortly after, ripping through the fog with an even stronger light. Screams passed him by, but it was none of Eugene¡¯s business. It didn¡¯t matter how many he had cut down with his strike. He could feel hostility radiating from all sides. Their anger overpowered their fear and amplified their hostility into murderous intent. The Hero was denying the Sacrament of Light. He was attacking the believers, those he was supposed to protect and lead. Most importantly, neither hesitation nor mercy could be found in his strikes. Not just that, he was striking down believers with the Holy Sword. It was truly unimaginable and sacrilegious. The devout Pdins wept, and the Inquisitors, the punishers of pagans, bled from their chewed lips. They charged Eugene without hesitation. The fog continued to pulsate. But since it was too thick, Eugene couldn¡¯t clearly distinguish his opponents. However, he could smell the blood from beyond the white haze. He could hear their chants and sobs. ¡°Why are you the ones crying?¡± he called out. Eugene had many cards up his sleeve. He had Akasha from Sienna, and he had the Lionhearts¡¯ treasures: Storm Sword Wynnyd, Thunderbolt Pernoa, Dragon Spear Kharbos, and Devouring Sword Azphel. He had the Moonlight Sword. However, he did not want to use anything else. Here and now, he would only use the Holy Sword. He would deny their very essence with the sword left by the god they cried and sobbed for. Eugene¡¯s mes continued to ze. He continued forward with a fierce, sinister expression. The sword whipped with every pulse of the fog, then came the screams and blood. Some dodged the sword and rushed in, but they only dyed their deaths by a second. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel It looked almost as if he were swinging without thought, but no one was able to approach him. No one coulde hastily without preparing themselves to be cut. Even if they prepared themselves and approached with caution, they would be cut. Impatience seemed to push them forward, but they were greeted with gut-wrenching blows. The formation of the Pdins was forced to change due to the continued blows ¡ª a thoughtless approach only served to reduce their numbers. Nevertheless, the Pdins could not let Eugene continue down his path. Dozens of Pdins recited the same prayer, and the armor of light protecting their bodies shattered before wrapping around their entire formation. Fwoosh! The gigantic wings of light drove away the fog as they spread in their full glory. Eugene stared straight at them, noticing the umtion of power united by the prayers of dozens of Pdins. Faith gathered with prayers and swelled endlessly. Even though the sun was gone and the sky dark, the light emitting from the Pdins descended like an artificial sun. Therge wings of light soared high into the sky, and the prayer of the Pdins intensified ordingly. Their heightened chants resonated like a hymn. After rising high enough to pierce heaven, the wings came crashing down. Countless feathers of light poured down toward Eugene like a meteor shower. Eugene red at the sight as he raised his sword. Craack! You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience An intangible force started pressing down on Eugene. The Inquisitors had gathered their prayers during the Pdins¡¯ chant in unison. The force that suppressed Eugene was different from the typical use of magic, but he couldn¡¯t feel the unique characteristics of divine magic from it either. It was likely ancient magic, something simr to blood magic. Hundreds of years ago, the Holy Empire had spearheaded the magic hunt, and the Inquisitors of Maleficarum were now monopolizing the very magic they had previouslybeled as heresy. Eugene could feel the suppressing force growing stronger by the second, and it wasn¡¯t simply binding him physically. The bond interfered with the flow of mana inside his body and neutralized himpletely. ¡°Huh,¡± Eugene scoffed before willing his core to spin. The Ring me Form caused his production of mana to increase explosively. Kiieeeng! Agaroth¡¯s Ring reacted to Eugene¡¯s explosive mana from his left ring finger. The ring was a relic left by an ancient, perished war god. Although Agaroth¡¯s will no longer lingered in the ring, it was imbued with a spirit resembling its former master¡¯s temperament. Agaroth¡¯s Ring reminisced about the battlefields of the myths as feathers poured down from the heavens. The Ring knew the duty it needed to perform at times like these. Rumbleeeee! meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Agaroth¡¯s Ring caressed the mana Eugene poured out, and the divine power contained within the ring strengthened the mana further. Lightning me became intertwined with the flow of mana. The torrent of mana surging from Eugene caused the Inquisitors to lose control. Although it would be difficult to find anything superior when it came to binding spells, and dozens of Inquisitors werebining their powers to hold Eugene in ce, the best they could do was to restrict him for a short moment. The moment their bind was broken, the feathers were already in contact with Eugene¡¯s body. However, the feathers failed to hurt Eugene. Instead, the mes surged upwards, burning away the feathers in their rampage. Eugene raised the Holy Sword amid the chaos. Something strange blended with the mana he controlled using the Ring me Form. It was different from the Lightning me. Eugene felt it to be foreign and strange, but it wasn¡¯t impossible to control either. The divine power contained in Agaroth¡¯s Ringbined with Eugene¡¯s mana rather than flowing separately. The White me Form of the Lionheart. Empty Sword of the Dragonic. Crack. Lightning swirled around the mes covering the Holy Sword, and lightning pulled mana from the atmosphere back into the mes. The Empty Sword caused the me of the de to swell, then shrink. The Empty Sword condensed the unstable mana by binding it, then coated the de in a repetitive process. Latest Update on meow novel One. Rumbleeeeee! The materialization of the Pdin¡¯s chants transformed from wings of light into arge sword. It was clear that the Second Form of their gospel could easily sweep away its enemies, as well as anyone in the vicinity. As such, the Inquisitors retreated to the side of the Pdins, then joined in the prayer to provide support with their divine power. The Sword of Judgement exuded an even more brilliant light, and Eugene tightened his grip on the Holy Sword while looking up. Agaroth¡¯s Ring radiated a bleak glow. Crack! Craack! Sharper tongues of lightning permeated the me. Two. Twice refined by The Empty Sword, the white and blue mes of the de spread as ck spots. The Sword of Judgement started its descent toward Eugene, and the me engulfed the light. Chapter 191: The Fount of Light (3) Mer tried her best to wrap herself within the folds of the cloak and block all the soundsing from the outside. The world was falling apart outside, and she did not want to hear it. Screams and sobbing filled the air, all sounds that Mer did not want to hear. The aura and emotions radiating from Eugene made her feel uneasy, so she also squeezed her eyes shut. She knew that she could not try to calm Eugene down; his anger felt more than justified at the moment. ¡®¡­He¡¯s not using magic,¡¯ Mer thought. If Eugene used magic, it would give way for Mer to intervene. If Eugene chose to rampage with magic, Mer would happily take on a supporting role. She could calcte the trajectory of his attacks and make them more precise and merciless, slicing through hearts and heads without mercy. If Eugene¡¯s mana was about to be depleted, Mer would willingly forego her own form and provide him with mana. But¡­. ¡®He¡¯s¡­ looking after me,¡¯ Mer realized. The knowledge only made Mer feel more distressed. He chose not to use magic at all, knowing that it would cause her to intervene. As such, Mer huddled in the deep darkness within the cloak, doing nothing. She only hoped that the storm outside would pass sooner rather thanter. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Hemoria sat up with a groan, her body shaking. She could not understand what had happened. She had arrived a bitte since she had been too far from the location of the battle. On the way to the battle with her subordinates, she had seen the lighting from the Gospel of Punishing Evil. The Gospel of Punishing Evil was a Sacred Formation of the Blood Cross Knights created to oppose count-ranked demons and give Pdins the power to fight such demons head-on. Had they truly deployed even the Gospel of Punishing Evil to suppress one young man, Eugene Lionheart? Her question lingered as she continued running, but then she saw the wings of light being consumed by mes. She saw a dark blue me collide with the Sword of Judgement ¡ª and that was thest she remembered. ¡®Where did my memories go?¡¯ Hemoria thought to herself as she removed the mask from her mouth. She had just been caught in the midst of a fierce storm, and now her memories were scattered. Latest Update on meow novel She groaned as she felt a warm, sticky liquid oozing out of her mouth. It wasn¡¯t as if she had been hit directly, but the aftermath of the storm had nheless caused damage to some of her organs. Hemoria took deep breaths and surveyed her surroundings. None of the other Inquisitors remained standing. In fact, some of them were nowhere to be seen. Hemoria wrapped her disheveled coat around herself as confusion washed over her. She took a few steps forward beforeing to a stop. Whaty in front of her was iprehensible. This had clearly been tnd, or so her memory told her, yet there was no ground in sight. It was as if a deep pit had been there for ages. Below, Hemoria saw the bodies of more than a hundred knights and Inquisitors lying in a tangled mess. It was a gruesome scene. Some of the corpses were no longer recognizable as human, and even those barely clinging to life looked seriously injured. Hemoria could not believe what she was seeing was real. The Knights of Blood Cross were considered one of the greatest knightly orders on the continent. The knights belonging to the order were known across Yuras to be both skilled and devout in their faith. Maleficarum ¡ª these Inquisitors had dedicated themselves to the religion of Light for hundreds of years. In the past, they had fought against demons and wicked wizards, and in the current age, they hunted down traitorous heretics and apostates. The two groups were known as the dual pirs of power in Yuras. Even if there weren¡¯t any high-ranking figures among them right now, for more than a hundred Pdins and Inquisitors to fail to stop a single man¡­. Was this really happening? ¡°¡­¡± Hemoria was at a loss for words. She just closed her mouth, feeling the taste of blood inside, and held her breath. She could feel the tips of her fingers quivering, and the gloves couldn¡¯t hide the shaking. She clenched her fists to try and suppress it in a futile effort. She did not want to avoid his gaze, but she was afraid to look him in the face. She could feel her crimson eyes slowly, ever so slowly, descending. She heard the approaching footsteps. Eugene Lionheart was climbing up from the pit below. He was holding the Holy Sword, which flickered with mes, and slowly walked up the steep slope. His expression was¡­ nk. Clearly, he felt absolutely nothing about what he had done. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Hemoria could not do anything. She just stood there, watching as Eugene approached. The distance between them was slowly diminishing. Hemoria¡¯s gaze kept drifting down toward the deep pit where the disheveled Pdinsy. Several Inquisitor corpses could also be seen nearby, their red cloaks, a symbol of Maleficarum, soaked in blood. Hemoria¡¯s lips slightly parted as a realization hit her. This couldn¡¯t be happening. Had the Hero just killed a devotee? No¡­ Hemoria didn¡¯t think that was the problem. She forced her head up and looked at Eugene. Those eyes. Hemoria could not believe Eugene was the Hero. The Holy Sword in his hand was not radiating its usual divine light. It was just producing a wild bunch of flickering mes. Eugene had no faith. Those eyes did not feel like the eyes of the Incarnation of Light. No¡­ Hemoria knew exactly what those eyes were. They were the eyes of a heretic who rejected the Light. The eyes of an apostate who denied and hated the Light. The eyes of a fallen one who had plummeted to the pits of hell. At that moment, Hemoria¡¯s faith overcame her primal instincts. She conquered her fear and stood up. Her lips parted, and red symbols immediately appeared on both of her cheeks. Hemoria was known as the Guillotine. She had gained this moniker four years ago, when she was just a seventeen-year-old girl. The Holy Empire had been ruled by a religious government for a long time, and the people knew very well how easy and convenient it was to control those who were overly zealous. Therefore, the Holy Empire was constantly giving birth to new religions ¡ª of course, all of them derived from the religion of Light, with only slight modifications to the doctrine. The preachers of these newly born religions would whisper sweet words that catered to the convenience of believers and gradually take away the followers of the Light. Such had been the case four years ago. A new religion hade to light, with a wizard of the upper circles sitting as the head of the church. The wizard would boast about his magic as being a miracle from God, and under this head of the church were rather suspicious figures, including wizards, mercenaries, and knights involved in crime. At that time, the number of apostates who were fooled had been in the hundreds. However, the new religion had disappeared from the world in just one night, all because of a young girl who had been brought in by the Punisher Atarax. She had directly hacked off the heads of all those belonging to the cult. That was how Hemoria had earned her reputation as the Guillotine. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience The symbols on her cheeks started spreading, covering her skin all the way to her ears, and Hemoria felt the heat on her face as she parted her lips. Her eyes were no longer wavering as she red at Eugene. She was a proud Inquisitor, a punisher of apostates and heretics. In her eyes, Eugene was no different from a demon. No ¡ª in fact, he was simply a demon right now. There was no possible way that the Hero¡¯s eyes could harbor such hatred and hostility. The Hero could not possibly deny the Light. Eugene paid no attention to Hemoria. She had not even caught his eyes. He nned to cut her down if she blocked his way and to let her leave if she fled. Something felt strange, however. Eugene¡¯s instinct had been honed through hundreds of battles that put him on the verge of death, and that sharp instinct was currently warning him to move. He obeyed. Hemoria opened her mouth and tore into the air, and simultaneously, Eugene moved. Not knowing exactly what he was pitted against, he only took a few steps to the side. Chomp. Part of the mes wrapped around Eugene¡¯s body disappeared. Though difficult to exin, it was clear what had happened ¡ª Hemoria had actually cut through space from afar. ¡®Her sight,¡¯ Eugene thought, immediately seeing through her power. Was she capable of causing a tear in the space where her sight was aimed? In that respect, it resembled the Demoneye of Darkness that Iris used, but¡­ to be truthful, there was noparison in terms of power. Eugene had battled against Iris in his previous life and also just a few months ago. But even if he had not possessed such experience, it wasn¡¯t difficult for Eugene to fight while taking notice of where the opponent was aiming. He straightened his posture and stared at Hemoria. ¡°Ah.¡± Hemoria started to speak. ¡°You. Stop.¡± She slowly articted the words, one syble at a time. It wasn¡¯t just in speech, but rather amand containing magical power, simr to the Draconguage. Kieeeee! meow novel . will be your favorite novel site The mana in the air resonated with hermand and rushed toward Eugene. Although her power wasn¡¯t as mighty and borate as Draconic, it used a rush of mana to force a simplemand on her opponent. A thick, dense cloud of mana surrounded Eugene, causing him to stop in his tracks exactly as Hemoriamanded, and she immediately followed up with another attack. He came to a new realm of understanding. The strange power she used with her words could be activated instantaneously, but it wasn¡¯t as powerful as proper magic. If the opponent possessed outstanding abilities, they could simply shake it off with force. Hemoria took another bite out of the space around him, but Eugene escaped his bindings and suddenly elerated. He shook off the mana restraining him and rushed toward Hemoria. Hemoria was astonished, but her reaction was immediate. ¡°Fall!¡± Mana pressed down on him from above, but Eugene¡¯s Ring me Form reacted with an even stronger counterforce. ¡°Wring!¡± Mana spiraled around his body, attempting to tear him to pieces. However, a single step was sufficient to dissipate the mana. ¡°Die!¡± Mana gathered around his throat like a noose, but there was no need for him to even attempt to shake it off. The Holy Sword was already on its trajectory toward Hemoria. ¡°Di¡­¡± Hemoria shouted once more, but she was not given a chance to even utter the full word. The Holy Sword removed her legs in one fell swoop, and before she had even fallen to the ground, the sword moved once more and cleaved her arms off as well. Latest Update on meow novel Thud! Hemoria¡¯s limbless torso fell to the ground, and she screamed due to the unbearable pain. However, her pitiful state did not prevent her from ring at Eugene with contempt. The tattoos on her cheeks squirmed, and she repeatedly parted her lips, but none of hermands were effective. Moreover, she had lost her fists before she could ever swing at him, and she had lost her legs without having a chance to move. ¡°Ahhhhh!¡± She screamed while biting at the air, but it was a pointless struggle. Eugene jumped up, nced at her with apathetic eyes, then kicked her in the stomach. Crack! Hemoria couldn¡¯t do much to resist without any of her limbs, and unfortunately, it had not been a simple kick either. As soon as Eugene¡¯s foot made contact, his mana prated her body and crushed all her innards. Hemoria¡¯s body rolled deep into the pit, and Eugene stared down for a moment. He could see some who were still desperately holding onto life and thought to himself, ¡®Should I bury them all?¡¯ He entertained the thought for a moment but did not act on it. Instead, he actually hoped that some of them would narrowly escape death. He wanted them to survive and harbor doubt against their unblemished faith. He wanted the doubts in their hearts to continue growing, he wanted those doubts to make their beliefs rot away. He wanted them to spread their doubts about the existence of God to others. Eugene turned around and moved forward. The dense fog and barrier had vanished, swept away by the storm of mes that he had caused earlier. Thanks to that, he could now clearly see the temple in the distance. He did not encounter any obstacles until he reached the temple. Most of the Pdins and Inquisitors were lying dead or dying in the pit, and the others, like the Inquisitors who had been apanying Hemoria, had been swept away by the aftermath of the Sword of Judgement. The temple looked extremely old, at least three hundred years old. No, it had definitely existed for much longer than that. Eugene remembered the girls from before Anise, the Saintess from four hundred years ago, the Fount, and the devices that should not have existed ¡ª the ones responsible for filling the Fount. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel What had happened here? What was a Saintess? And how was Anise¡¯s Holy Grail connected to the jawbone of the four-hundred-year-old Saintess? Eugene could barely make a connection in his mind, but he did not want to piece it together. More importantly, he could not infer the answer to the fundamental question. Why did they have to go so far? And¡­what about Kristina? ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± He stopped. Passing through the pathid out by the pirs, he arrived at the center of the temple. Instead of the altar that would have been there normally, he saw arge pool emitting a faint light. The Fount of Light. Kristinay sleeping with her eyes closed in the center of the pool as if she were praying. The calm pool of water seemed to wrap around her body like a warm nket. The Fount¡­ the golden pool shimmered and shone brightly, befitting its name. It made it look even more abominable. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Kristina was bleeding while submerged in the pool. Yet, despite shedding so much blood, her expression was incredibly peaceful. Her face ovepped with the face of the little girl who cried out from the pain. Her face ovepped with the smile that he had constantly seen since they had met at the za of the Sun ¡ª the saintly smile that she adorned like a mask. Her face ovepped with the smile she unconsciously had on the train when they were exchanging stories. Kristina had told him that she had been in the pool several times since she was young. When he had asked if she just soaked in the spring normally, she had only replied after a few breaths. She had been wearing a mask to hide her emotions. Exactly how many times had she worn that mask until now? ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± Now, he understood what Kristina had been afraid of. She was obsessed with being the Saintess. She had spoken about the bond between the Saintess and the Hero and how she would willingly give her life for the Hero. It was an abnormal way of thinking, something that could easily be mistaken as the path of ck magic. Eugene knew very well that Kristina would have never wanted him, the Hero, to see her like this. Kristina knew that Eugene only had a very vague sense of heroism and absolutely no faith in the God of Light. Her knowledge would have only made her more averse to being seen like this. This was why she had tried to avoid bringing Eugene to Tressia. In fact, she had even prepared an excuse. However¡­. However, it would have been fine if she had simply told him not toe. If they had not met at the square or taken the train together, Eugene would not havee to Tressia. In his ignorance, he would have done nothing and simply waited for Kristina to return. However, Kristina had made a different choice. Although she had been afraid of revealing anything about herself, the Saintess, the Fount, and the way that she had been raised since young as a Saintess candidate by Cardinal Rogeris, she had still boarded the train with Eugene. She had shown her mask, her difort, and her fear. ¡ªIf you don¡¯t want to go, you don¡¯t have to. You know that, right? Eugene regretted asking the question at that time. He had asked the wrong question. No, rather, he should never even have asked the question. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡ªThe only thing I should be feeling at this moment is a little pressure. ¡ªI¡¯ve never once thought I didn¡¯t want to do this. He had seen right through her lie. Nevertheless, he had left it alone, thinking that he was respecting Kristina¡¯s determination. Wrong. Showing such consideration did not suit Eugene. What was warranted from him on that day on the train was not a question. ¡®Don¡¯t go¡¯ was what he had been supposed to say instead. Was it already toote? No, it wasn¡¯t. Eugene continued to approach the Fount. Saintess, Hero¡­ such things did not concern Eugene in the slightest. Even if Kristina wasn¡¯t the Saintess, he would willingly form a rtionship with her as long as she wanted to. Instead of the abominable bond formed from blood, he would bond with her as human and human, as tworades. ¡ªIf there was a Hero in this world, he certainly wouldn¡¯t hesitate to do what is just and right. If Kristina wanted the Hero Eugene, then he was willing to be a Hero at this moment. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± called out Sergio Rogeris onest time. He let out a long sigh and released his hands from prayer. ¡°Do note any closer. I can overlook this matter if you stop right now.¡± Latest Update on meow novel ¡°¡­..¡± Sergio continued. ¡°Sir Eugene¡­ You¡¯vemitted too many sins. Even if you are the Hero chosen by the Light, it is the greatest possible sphemy to invade a ceremony directly supervised by God. Sir Eugene¡­. You killed those whom you were supposed to lead. You defiled this sacred ritual with blood and dirt on your feet.¡± Sergio clenched his fists. Giovanni, who was shedding tears of blood at the death of his subordinates, also stood up. Atarax looked back at Eugene with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Please return, for it might not be toote. There is a confession room in the cathedral, so¡­ please, go back and wait there. I am willing to listen to your confession and¡ª¡± said Sergio. ¡°Divine retribution, ¡± said Eugene. He raised the Holy Sword to the side, and mes of antipathypletely consumed his eyes. ¡°I. Will. Kill. You. All.¡± His heart pounded as if it were going to burst. ¡°The Hero is supposed to be the Incarnation of Light, right?¡± Ominous, ferocious mes enveloped the Holy Sword. ¡°So I will ughter you with this damned sword, ording to the so-called Will of Light that youud like dogs.¡± He didn¡¯t know if it really was the Will of Light for him to ughter these lunatics, but until now, the light of the Holy Sword had never suppressed Eugene¡¯s intention to kill, not in the slightest. The Light failed to illuminate. Chapter 192: The Fount of Light (4) As soon as the words ¡®divine retribution¡¯ escaped Eugene¡¯s mouth, the three people blocking his way could not hide the change in their expressions. It was only natural for righteous, faithful believers to feel enraged by Eugene¡¯s offensive words. Even if Eugene was the Hero recognized by the Holy Sword, he was not permitted to say such sphemous words. In Yuras, the Hero was officially recognized as the Incarnation of Light. However, even the Incarnation was only an incarnation, not the Light itself. Moreover, Eugene was not a believer of Light and wasn¡¯t like the Great Vermouth of three hundred years ago. He had not saved countless people, nor had he brought forth numerous miracles. Therefore, he needed strict and rigorous verification in order to be considered the true Hero. Under these circumstances, although the three had no choice but to admit that Eugene could wield the Holy Sword, they could not sincerely acknowledge that he was the Hero. And right now, Eugene had interrupted and obstructed the holy and sacred ritual and even ughtered faithful servants of the Light. To add insult to injury, he even dared tobel his atrocious acts as ¡®divine retribution.¡¯ ¡°How dare you!¡± Giovanni¡¯s eyes were consumed with rage as he shouted at Eugene. He took steps forward while calling forth divine power. There was a good reason behind how he could stand as the captain among hundreds of knights belonging to the Blood Cross, and it was that he always pursued the Light with devout, unwavering faith from an early age. He had made a decision to devote all that he had to serve the Light. His noble faith materialized into a brilliant light, and an armor of bright light wrapped around him as he extended his arms to the sides. Fwoosh! A giant hammer leaning against the wall jumped into Giovanni¡¯s hand. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Sergio called out with a cold gleam in his eyes. He shook his head while rolling up the wide sleeves of his habit. ¡°You just said something that you should not have.¡± Instead of answering, Eugene gave a crooked smile. Something he should not have said? It was ironic to hear such bold words from someone caught red-handed. No¡­ he could not apply that logic to these people; they certainly understood the situation differently. They were absolutely convinced that their actions were righteous. These lunatics were fully convinced that their rituals were sacred and their side was in the right. Latest Update on meow novel It was clear that they could not understand how Eugene could be acting like this as the Hero, but the same was true for Eugene ¡ª he could not understand them and had no intention of even attempting to digest their fanatical ideas. He did not care at all what their circumstances were. He could see Kristina lying in the fountain, bleeding, and he recalled the countless images of the young girls projected to him by the Draconic spell. He could almost see Anise in front of him, staring at him with an emotionless, doll-like face and lightless eyes. Eugene took a step forward, exhaling a deep breath filled with countless emotions. Giovanni reacted immediately and kicked off the ground as if he had been waiting for Eugene to make a move. Although the hammer he wielded was heavy, befitting its shape and size, it wasn¡¯t slow by any means. Before anyone could react, Giovanni¡¯s hammer was on a path toward Eugene at an incredible speed. Boom! The deafening sh threw Eugene backward at breakneck speed, and Giovanni felt convinced by the dull impact he felt in both his hands. Eugene had failed to dodge, and he had failed to block. It was clear that he was exhausted from his journey here. The deaths of his subordinates had not been in vain. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± Giovanni charged forward with a loud shout and chased after Eugene. Atarax and Sergio followed suit right behind Giovanni. They could only dy the ceremony for a short time. Since the woundsst engraved on the Saintess Candidate were almost healed, they needed to chisel more wounds in order to allow the water to permeate. Eugene stared at the three with eyes filled with enmity. Although he had been blown back by Giovanni¡¯s hammer, he waspletely uninjured. He had redirected the brunt of the blow in a fine manner unnoticeable to Giovanni, and he had intentionally allowed himself to be flung backward. It was all because he was worried about Kristina. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Thud! Eugene regained his bnce and stomped the ground, leaping even further back. Meanwhile, the three men were fiercely chasing him and were already near Eugene. That giant Pdin ¡ª Eugene did not know who he was, but the aura he exuded was extraordinary. He was likely one of the captains, in any case. As for Atarax¡¯s movements, they were, naturally, excellent. He was hiding his presence like an experienced assassin of Nahama, and he continuously looked for gaps in Eugene¡¯s defense. Sergio stood out even whenpared to the two powerful warriors. It was only natural for his divine power to be outstanding, given that the man had received a stigmata and been appointed as the cardinal, but even his movements hinted that he was not an opponent to be taken lightly. Fwooop! The hammer tore through the air, closing the distance to Eugene. However, Eugene did not follow the weapon¡¯s trajectory with his eyes. Instead, he calcted the distance he had opened between himself and his opponents. He came to a judgment ¡ª at this distance, surely, he could¡­. His arm whipped the air, and the Holy Sword wriggled like a snake and soared up. Compared to Giovanni¡¯s hammer, the Holy Sword was thin and fragile, not unlike a skewer. However, such things were not important. The heights that knights and warriors pursued, Eugene found simplyughable. Having honed his skills and abilities in hundreds and thousands of fights, Eugene was able to parry Giovanni¡¯s attack all too easily. Tunng! Giovanni¡¯s hammer was deflected upward, and blood spurted from the hand gripping it. Giovanni could feel that the hammer would have escaped his grasp had hecked even a little bit of power, and he could not believe it. How could a sword swung from such an unstable position contain so much power and speed? ¡®Oh, holy light¡­!¡¯ As Giovanni recited a prayer in his head, the armor of light surrounding him transformed. Divine magic replenished his courage, and his wounds were healed immediately. The grace granted him strength and reinforced his body. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Giovanni grabbed the hammer securely once more, bringing it down upon Eugene¡¯s head in a swift motion. However, Eugene had no intention of ying along with Giovanni¡¯s offensive. He leaned forward and took a giant step. Crack! An intense burst of light apanied the lightning. It was only one step for Eugene, but Giovanni failed to see it as such. In fact, he had been unable to see anything at all. Before the hammer even touched the ground, Eugene had already passed Giovanni. As for the movement of Eugene¡¯s sword¡­ that was even more so impossible for Giovanni to track. After all, he had failed to grasp Eugene¡¯s steps, so how could he see something even faster? The only evidence of Eugene¡¯s step was a lingering, wobbly line of white fire. The thin string of fire made contact with Giovanni¡¯s armor of light, and with a cracking sound the light surrounding Giovanni was shredded apart. The armor of light, which boasted defense proportionate to the wearer¡¯s faith, was destroyed as if it was made of paper. Atarax raised his arms high while watching the scene unfold. Fwaaaah! The skin covering his wrists ripped, and crimson blood began pouring out. Blood magic ¡ª it was ancient magic that had been considered ck magic and censored during the magic hunt of the Holy Empire. However, after gathering information about various types of magic during the hunt, the Holy Empire had performed a thorough analysis and granted the powers not judged to be actual ck magic to the Inquisitors. Blood magic was specialized forbat. While regr magic invoked mana through the use of Circles or Cores and directed the mana through forms, blood magic involved permeating forms directly into the blood and using the blood as a medium to invoke magic. The blood pouring out of Atarax¡¯s wrists quickly pooled, and soon, an enormous amount of blood soared up from around his feet. It was impossible to believe that so much blood had been spilled by a single person. The wave of blood poured over Eugene, but he did not panic. Instead, the flood of red only served to nourish Eugene¡¯s intense emotions. In response to Atarax¡¯s attack, Eugene¡¯s mes zed with even more intensity around the Holy Sword. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Kwaaaah! The wave was destroyed in an instant, resulting in a torrent of blood sshing on the ground. However, the droplets of blood still in the air aimed to take Eugene¡¯s life, each drop striking him with the power of a crossbow bolt. Meanwhile, Giovanni realized he was without his hammer and attempted to pull himself together. His hammer had been shattered to pieces by the Holy Sword, and Giovanni sped his hands in front of his chest with intense anger. Giovanni¡¯s divine power acted to paint a giant cross on the floor, and Atarax immediately summoned his own divine power upon recognizing Giovanni¡¯s actions and scattered light through the air. Signum Crucis Barrier. Fwoosh! The cross formed from the light in the sky and on earth shone brilliantly, and Eugene stood right in the midst of it. However, he was unimpressed. ¡°Oh¡­ Ohh¡­!¡± Giovanni eximed, trembling. The illuminating particles of light were permeating his body. Eugene was no stranger to this magic. Contrary to the expectations of his three opponents, Eugene was quite knowledgeable about divine magic. In fact, he was even more informed about divine magicpared to many high-rank priests. Three hundred years back, he had fought for a long, long time alongside Anise. All kinds of knights had participated in the chaotic battlefields of the era, and the Pdins of Yuras were among them as well. Signum Crucis Barrier was a barrier that strictly controlled the flow of mana within a designated space and temporarily amplified divine power, the power of priests. However, miracles that transcended reason were always apanied by a corresponding price. Pdins who fought within the barrier paid a hefty price in exchange for gaining great power ¡ª their life. To the best of Eugene¡¯s knowledge, the only one who could perform such a miracle without much burden was Anise. The only price she paid was the deepening of the stigmata on her back and the blood that she had to spill in the process. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°¡­Ha,¡± scoffed Eugene. The relic on his left ring finger was throbbing. Agaroth¡¯s divine power was reacting to the Signum Crucis Barrier and resisting it. As a result, Eugene¡¯s mes were unwavering even though he was within the barrier, where the flow of mana was tightly restricted. Giovanni and Atarax came to a conclusion at this sight. The strange, otherworldly power that allowed Eugene¡¯s mes to remain untouched within the Signum Crucis Barrier was different from the power granted to them by the God of Light. It was¡­. ¡°¡­The power of heretics¡­!¡± As an Inquisitor, Atarax naturally perceived Eugene¡¯s power as belonging to a pagan faith. How¡­? How could this be? Atarax jumped into the barrier without hesitation as tears of blood flowed from his eyes. ¡°Sir Giovanni! Eugene Lionheart is a heretic! He worships the pagan gods!¡± ¡°Ohhhhh!¡± Giovanni was also shedding tears of blood. How could a heretic be the master of the Holy Sword!? The anger and despondency coursing through his body fueled and reinforced him within the Signum Crucis Barrier. However, everything looked like nothing more than a rotten, third-rate skit to Eugene. Giovanni shouted, ¡°Conviction!¡± The Holy Sword had returned to its scabbard in the meantime, and as Atarax shouted ¡°Punishment!¡±, Eugene instantly unsheathed it and held it to the side. The two attacked him in unison. Although the two belonged to different organizations, they were united in their unwavering faith in the Light. They were obligated to punish the terrible pagan who dared to deceive the Light under the pretense of being the Hero. Even if they were martyred in the process, they were willing to sacrifice their lives for the sake of the Light. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Atarax rushed in as blood flowed freely from his arms, and Giovanni charged at Eugene after once more adorning himself in the armor of light. Meanwhile, Eugene¡¯s body appeared to tremble and shimmer. As all of this unfolded, Sergio watched from a few steps outside the barrier. As Eugene¡¯s figure started to shimmer, the Holy Sword was divided into dozens of copies. This was the White me Form, the symbol of the Lionheart family. After being refined through a unique method, mana would be expressed as a white me, then worn over one¡¯s entire body once fully mastered. It gave off an appearance simr to a mane of a lion, befitting the Lionheart name. Indeed, Eugene¡¯s appearance was precisely as expected. Petals of fire surrounded his body like the mane of a lion, and he ran rampant. However, he did not exude the white, beautiful mes that they knew. Instead, after being condensed several times, the color of his mana was painted dark blue, like the color of the sky right before dawn. ¡°How¡­?¡± Sergio took off his hat with a moan. ¡°¡­Could there be such a sinister light?¡± Blood rained, but Atarax could not maintain his blood magic for a prolonged period. Momentster, he found himself staggering backward. All of his blood had evaporated before he had a chance to use his magic, and his outstretched arms had been cut into dozens of thin slices. Moreover, the ink-blue me had carved up his chest and stomach. Giovanni was in an even worse condition. He was no longer standing proud, but rather scattered around, everything below the neck chopped into four distinct morsels. The head fellst, and the only thing that remained behind was the echo of hisst word, ¡®conviction!¡¯. ¡°¡­How in the world¡­?¡± Atarax muttered, shuddering. He had been well aware that Eugene Lionheart was strong. He also knew that Eugene had been responsible for single-handedly suppressing the rebellion of the ck Lion Castle in just one night. He had seen Eugene toy with Hemoria as if she were a child while he was still recuperating from his injuries and not in his peak condition. He knew that Eugene had survived an encounter with the Rakshasa Princess and that Eugene had showcased incredible swordsmanship in thepetition against the White Dragon Knights. However, this was beyond the realm of human understanding. It was simply absurd. There had to be a limit as to how strong someone could be. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t as if he had used magic. It wasn¡¯t as if he used other treasures of the Lionheart family. Instead, he had armed the Holy Sword, which was meant to be used only with and for the light, with an impure power and¡­ simply swung it. That was all. However, Atarax had failed to even see the strikes clearly. The same was true for Giovanni ¡ª the man had been struck down before he could even think to dodge or block the attacks. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience The trials and challenges they had experienced, the countless battles they had fought to be the captain of the Blood Cross Knights, to be a top Inquisitor¡­ all of it had been for nothing. None of it had meant anything in the face of Eugene¡¯s swordy. He was on a different level, in and simple. But how could this be? How could devout servants of the Light be humiliated and teased by a corrupt man with an unknown, pagan faith¡­? ¡°The devil¡­.¡± Even if Eugene was on a different level, the two had clearly felt terrible hatred and killing intent from Eugene¡¯s strikes. The mes of the Holy Sword had evaporated Atarax¡¯s blood magic all too easily, and the de had split his flesh and bones. The eeriness they felt stemmed from the murder and hatred unknown to the Light that Atarax had served all his life. How could this be? Why was the Holy Sword not burning the hands of the pagan? The Holy Sword Altair was a treasure that had been lying dormant in the treasure vault of the Lionheart family since the time of the Great Vermouth three hundred years ago. Since then, none of the heads of the Lionheart family had ever seeded in drawing light from the Holy Sword. However, those bearing the Lionheart name were qualified to hold the Holy Sword, which was why the Holy Empire had failed to retrieve the de from the Lionheart family for more than three hundred years. Nobody had taken it because it was simply impossible for any priests of the Light to even grasp the Holy Sword. But why? Atarax felt useless thoughts littering his head. He gasped for air while retreating. Why wasn¡¯t the Holy Sword burning the devil¡¯s hand? Why was the Holy Sword allowing itself to be used to ughter the believers of Light in the hands of a devil? Why? Atarax¡¯s pupils quivered as questions continued flooding his head. He recalled the many things he had done until now. For the Light, for God, for the sake of being a more faithful servant, for the purpose of hunting heretics more efficiently and effectively¡­ he had hunted apostates, heretics, and put an end to the study of ancient magic and ck magic¡­. He remembered the cultivation room in the basement of the Inquisitors¡¯ headquarters¡­. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡®Divine retribution?¡¯ The words remained in his head, but he could no longer feel the same anger as before. Instead, Atarax felt immense fear. He feared that his entire existence and life were being denied. Had he been unfaithful? How? He had never missed a single service. He had bled for the sake of the Light. Everything he had done was right. God had always looked after him and granted him the warmth of the sun. The sun always paved the way for a clear, blue sky in the capital Yurasia, and that itself was proof of God¡¯s existence and care¡­. That should have been the case, but right now, the sky was much too dark¡­. ¡°Do not deny it.¡± A voice brought him back to reality. Cardinal Sergio Rogeris no longer had a gentle expression. He walked into the barrier with unhesitating steps and cold eyes, his expression ovepping with his past self, the Inquisitor known as the Annihtor. ¡°The Light will open the door to heaven to reward your martyrdom. Both you, Sir Giovanni, and all the believers who perished while resisting the devil ¡ª everyone will be led to the ce of Light.¡± ¡°¡­Your Holiness¡­¡± Atarax called out. ¡°The names of everyone here will be etched into the memorial in Yuras. You will be remembered as the saint who attempted to stop the devil until the very end,¡± Sergio responded. ¡°¡­Ah¡­!¡± ¡°So please,¡± said Sergio, raising his hand. The stigmata on his exposed right arm was glowing softly. Atarax closed his eyes and rejoiced as divine heat started to spread from behind his back and throughout his entire body. Latest Update on meow novel Bang! His fall caused a storm of light, a huge explosion of divine power. The explosion was generated using Atarax as a conduit, and vaporized his body without a trace as it tore through the darkness toward Eugene. Eugene called upon the Empty Sword, and the Holy Sword once again swirled with mes. He stopped the storm of light in its tracks with a single powerful strike. Beyond the intense burst of light stood Sergio. He extended his arm toward Eugene under the backdrop of the brilliant light. The stigmata on Sergio¡¯s forearm was rather familiar. Although thinner and consisting of fewer characters, the stigmata on Sergio¡¯s right forearm was simr to the scar on Anise¡¯s back. ¡°You guys¡­¡± said Eugene. Sergio opened the palm of his right hand. The Signum Crucis Barrier was amplified, and all the divine power scattered by the explosion was absorbed into his hand. Blood dripped down from his scar as it absorbed all the divine power. ¡°¡­What are you?¡± asked Eugene. Instead of answering, Sergio wrapped his left arm in the red cloth draped over his shoulder. Then, he curled his right hand into a fist and red at Eugene. ¡°You are the devil,¡± said Sergio dryly. Eugeneughed silently upon hearing the remark. Chapter 193: The Fount of Light (5) ¡°Bastard, do you have no conscience? Who¡¯s calling who the devil?¡± spat Eugene as he raised the Holy Sword higher. His eyes were fixated on the Fount of Light. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if Sergio knew the truth about the Fount, but even the ceremony itself was highly abnormal. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but wonder at what age Kristina had started being subjected to this cruel ceremony. When had she gotten used to the ritual enough to stop crying? He couldn¡¯t help but think back to the girl crying and bleeding. Sergio had put a de against a girl who was just over ten years old. He had slowly instilled a saintly personality into her, as if to exterminate any semnce of the actual person that she was. Not a minute ago, this man had ordered his loyal subordinate, Atarax, to blow himself up as a bomb of divine power. Sergio no longer reacted to Eugene¡¯s usations. Just like the martyrs before him, he had also designated Eugene as the devil. After all, what other word was fitting to describe the existence before him? This devil could no longer be allowed to vite the Holy Sword. It was a pity, but¡­ the Holy Sword needed to be recovered as quickly as possible, even if it meant killing Eugene. If it was possible to subdue him and stop him from rampaging any further, Sergio could perhaps somehow bring him to the light, but¡­. In all honesty, Sergio wasn¡¯t confident in overpowering the devil before him. So he had to kill him. Boom! A cross of light emerged from behind Sergio, and he held out his fists in front of his chest as he stood in front of the brilliant halo. It was amon boxing stance. However, it was clear at first nce that he was no ordinary fighter. In particr, the halo behind Sergio was much brighter and more intense, evenpared to the Sword of Judgement summoned by the Pdins and the Inquisitors. Eugene focused on the cardinal¡¯s stigmata. Even in his past life, only Anise had been capable of conducting so much divine power. Although Sergio¡¯s divine power was no match for Anise¡¯s, Eugene could definitely sense that Sergio was on apletely different level from the other priests. Eugene riled up the Ring me Form in response to the halo. His Cores rotated even faster, amplifying his mana. Fwooosh! Latest Update on meow novel mes surged with even greater intensity than before. Applying the Empty Sword to the Aura Shield was burdensome. No matter how proficient Eugene was at manipting mana, the best he could do was to borately control and apply multiple coats of mana only on his sword. Therefore, Eugene divided his mes into two: a white-blue me amplified by the Ring me Form, and a dark blue me devoured by the ck spots formed from condensed, ovepping flickers of the former. The maximum output he could achieve with the Ring me Form still paled inparison to his peak power from three hundred years ago. However, once he condensed and ovepped twoyers of the Empty Sword to form ck spots, his sword-force wasparable to the power he possessed in his previous life. Obviously, it would be impossible for even high-quality, famous des to contain such dense and violent mana, but the Holy Sword was no ordinary sword. The Holy Sword was a useless, redundant wall decoration, but the good part about it was that Eugene¡¯s mana would never break the de. Thus, Eugene raised his sword while focusing on the spots of ck spreading along the de. Doubleyers¡­. Was it enough? ¡®Let¡¯s test it.¡¯ Eugene leaned forward just as Sergio punched. The distance between the two disappeared instantly, and the two fighters collided as if they had been relocated to a different time and space. Not even sound could keep up with their outrageous eleration. Sergio¡¯s fist, which was wrapped in a red cloth, was crushed instantly. The densely packed mes burned away even the blood of the enemy. It was clear that Eugene was by far superior in terms of strength, but although he pushed forward with all he had, he failed topletely sever Sergio¡¯s arm as he intended. A bizarre sense of resistance greeted him, and the sword was forced to stop in its tracks. Even more blood dripped down from Sergio¡¯s stigmata, and the brilliant halo radiating from his body pushed back on Eugene¡¯s sword with enormous force. And that was not all, either. Sergio¡¯s wounds started recovering at an unbelievable speed, as if he wasn¡¯t regenerating but actually rewinding time. His forearm had been cleaved in half straight down the fist, but it quickly reattached itself, and his crushed fist reformed. Incredible as it would have been otherwise, it did note as a surprise to Eugene. The ability of the stigmata etched on Sergio¡¯s right arm and the blood that drenched his scar only caused Eugene¡¯s blood to boil more and more. The image of Anise bleeding with a bottle of alcohol by her side throbbed in Eugene¡¯s mind. Sergio leaned to the side, and the fist wrapped in red immediately rocketed upward. His attack was apanied by a trail of light that contained the power of the Signum Crucis Barrier. Mere contact with the light caused mana to dissipate, and under normal circumstances, it was impossible for a normal opponent to maintain sword-force while facing the light. This light would not allow a fair battle to take ce. However, Eugene could still keep his mana under control even while fighting against the divine light. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel No matter how bright Sergio¡¯s light was, it could not overshadow the Moonlight Sword. Since Eugene had practiced his control of mana by using the fragments of the Moonlight Sword, it was no wonder that Sergio¡¯s light could not cause his mana to scatter. On the contrary, thanks to the resistance disyed by Agaroth¡¯s Ring, Eugene¡¯s mana me only burned with even more vigor and intensity as Sergio¡¯s light became brighter. Booom! The me and the fist collided once more. And again, the result was no different from before, and Sergio was pushed backward. Sergio raised his arms as his wounds sealed again. The cross of light shot into the sky and illuminated the dark sky like the morning sun. Laaaaaah! A chant resonated from the source of light, as if celestial voices were intonating an hymn. Eugene took a few steps back and stared at the sky. Three angels with unfolded wings were descending to the ground. These were the same angels that Anise had summoned in his previous life. It was impossible tomunicate with the angels. They were summoned by the call of a believer, and they performed miracles with the faith offered by the believer. Three hundred years back, Anise had performed simr feats to seize the battlefield and create miracles where necessary. However, Sergio did not use the angels in a simr fashion. Instead, he leaped at Eugene while leaving behind the three descended angels. Simultaneously, the angels joined hands and started praying, causing the light in the sky to beam down on Sergio. The highest level of sacred magic now blessed and protected Sergio. It was a battle blessing, and Sergio elerated at a pace iparable to before. His attacks also became heavier ordingly. Although Eugene raised his de in time, he could no longer push Sergio back. Rather, Eugene was the one forced back as his sword was smashed aside. However, he allowed the flow to take control instead of resisting, then twisted his hips, and in one fluid motion, let the sword sh at his foe. The Holy Sword dug into Sergio¡¯s flesh at a speed that left behind afterimages. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Booooom! A fiery explosion engulfed Sergio. Eugene could see Sergio¡¯s body disintegrating, but to his dismay, the high-speed regeneration blessing started to repair Sergio at an equivalent speed. Sergio was at even more of a loss. Even with this degree of protection and blessing¡­ he was still losing in in old close-quartersbat? Closebat had been Sergio¡¯s specialty since his time as an Inquisitor. Even the Pdins who specialized in battle had never been his opponents. Even after resigning as an Inquisitor and stepping up as a cardinal, he had never neglected training. He was a warrior as much as he was a priest. Where he stood now was a result of long years of training and countless battles, and he was even blessed with the highest level of protection from angels. Sergio was ahead of Eugene in terms of physical abilities, yet¡­ he was still being forced back. What was it that he wascking? ¡®We see differently¡­.¡¯ In truth, he already knew, but that knowledge only made it harder for him to ept the fact. If Sergio could see only a few moves ahead, Eugene was calcting dozens. He controlled his movements with eerie precision. He calcted and responded to any and all moves that Sergio made. ¡°¡­Huh.¡± Sergio let out a long sigh. He stopped momentarily and rolled down his sleeves to hide his stigmata. Eugene responded likewise and stood still, holding onto the Holy Sword. ¡°Please go back,¡± asked Sergio as a ttering sound approached the two. Kristina was staggering along the temple, ruined by the fierce battle. She had a dreamy expression, as if she was only half awake, and her eyes were dim. ¡°What¡¯s¡­ going on¡­?¡± stammered Kristina. It was as if she had been drugged, and her tongue wasn¡¯t quite in tune with her brain. She could not understand what was happening before her eyes. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site How long had it been? She wasn¡¯t sure either. The sky was¡­ dark, there was no sun to be seen, but the surroundings were somehow¡­bright? Kristina stumbled in her dizziness and leaned against the wall before asking, ¡°¡­What are you¡­ doing?¡± Kristina saw three angels with stretched wings and Sergio¡¯s back. Her stepfather, whom she kept a respectful distance from, was bleeding. She could not see the two who had been assisting with the ceremony, Atarax and Giovanni, and the temple was in terrible shape. No¡­it could not even be called a temple any longer, but rather a ruin. It wasn¡¯t hard to understand what had happened after looking around. Kristina stared straight ahead, struggling to catch her breath. She saw Eugene holding the Holy Sword. His indifferent eyes were peering straight at her, and she felt as if her heart was struck when she met his gaze. Kristina closed her eyes tight, shuffling backward. ¡°Please return,¡± said Sergio once again. He turned around and red at Kristina with a twisted expression. ¡°What are you doing¡­!? The ceremony is not over yet. Miss Kristina, I¡¯ve told you so many times how important this ritual is to you as the Saintess Candidate, so why have youe out of the Fount¡­!?¡± Every word he uttered was like a dagger piercing through Kristina¡¯s heart. It had been a long time since she hadst seen her foster father so angry. Thest time was¡­ twelve years ago. When Kristina had just turned eleven, she was blessed with the light and became a Saintess Candidate. She first came to this temple, and to her horror, her foster father ced a dagger in her hand with a kind smile. Cut yourself and enter the fount, he said. Kristina had failed to understand hismand, mistaking his words for a cruel idea of a joke. However, he had not been joking. When Kristina remained frozen, not cutting her wrist as ordered, he simply red at her without a word. There was no violence, but a silent prayer instead. She remembered his eyes at that time. His eyes had been colder and sharper than the dagger ced in Kristina¡¯s hand. It had been impossible for an eleven-year-old girl to reject the re. She was afraid of what could happen if she disobeyed. Kristina hated the mere thought of returning to the monastery. For her, it had been God¡¯s grace for Cardinal Rogeris to take her in. It had been God¡¯s grace for her to resemble the face of Anise the Faithful and for her to be illuminated by the Light to be the only Saintess of the era. Her foster father had exined the ceremony as such ¡ª the ritual at the fount allowed her to embody the grace of God. To cut herself with a dagger was to offer her deficient flesh to the Light, and once her blood mixed with the water of the fount, holy blood would flow into her body and cultivate her as the Saintess. She did not think it was a lie. In fact, Kristina¡¯s divine power increased exponentially with every ceremony. However, it was only natural for an eleven-year-old girl to feel scared to slit herself. It wasn¡¯t just once, either. She sliced again, and again, and again, but no matter how many times she slit her wrist, she could not get used to the pain. And despite spilling so much blood, her mind became clearer, and the sense of pain only increased rather than dulling. So she cried. She cried because of her pain and reluctance. She attempted to escape the fount, begging for salvation. However, her foster father always pushed Kristina back with his praying hands, showing no mercy and submerging her in the fount. Then his lips parted, and he ordered her in a cold voice, ¡°Please go back.¡± Just like now. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°Miss Kristina, you are an apostle chosen by the Light, the Saintess Candidate. You are the seconding of Anise the Faithful from three hundred years ago. Only you can seed Anise and be the true Saintess,¡± Sergio said. He was greeted with silence, but he continued. ¡°There has been¡­ quite a bit of trouble during this ceremony. However, we cannot allow it to halt the ceremony. We can still resume the ceremony, so please return. Go back, ce yourself in the fount, and deliver your flesh and blood.¡± Sergio¡¯s deep voice caused Kristina¡¯s heart to tremble. It restricted her thoughts. The faith he had engraved in her for thirteen years acted to bind her thoughts and control her actions. His words were irresistible, and her fear was simply fate. ¡°The Hero Eugene has been corrupted. Although this devil was chosen to be the Hero by the Light, he refused. So he must be exterminated. I will bear the burden, so please return and bear the burden of the Saintess,¡± he said. Kristina opened her mouth only to close it several times. The curse of thirteen years weighed heavier on her heart than the words she truly desired to speak. ¡°Kristina Rogeris,¡± Eugene called out. Sergio scowled, and Kristina slowly raised her head. ¡°Don¡¯t go,¡± Eugene continued. This time, he would say it with certainty. ¡°Just stay there.¡± Kristina¡¯s eyes quivered. Eugene raised the Holy Sword to the side as if to show her. ¡°Hero? Saintess? What does all that matter? You know me, and I know you. That¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°You dare¡­ to even deny the Saintess¡­!?¡± Sergio roared angrily. However, Eugene didn¡¯t spare him even a single nce. ¡°You don¡¯t want to go,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Shut up!¡± shouted Sergio. ¡°Are you worried about the future?¡± Eugene asked, then raised his sword towards Sergio. ¡°That¡¯s a useless worry. If you want, I¡¯ll kill that bastard.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°Actually, it doesn¡¯t matter whether you want me to do it or not. Even if you tell me not to, I will still kill him.¡± Kristina did not doubt his words. Eugene Lionheart was indeed this kind of man, a man whom she could never consider to be the Hero. He had no faith in the Light, yet he freely wielded the Holy Sword. He was aplete non-believer, yet the light radiating from the Holy Sword in his hand was brilliant and warm. Her foster father had never shown her a simr light, despite rising to the rank of cardinal for his upright faith. His light had always been cold. At every service in the cathedral, her foster father had spoken about the grace and love of the Light. He had repeatedly hammered the idea into her as well. However, Kristina had never once felt the grace and love of Light from her foster father¡¯s light. She did not know what it felt like to have a family. Her foster father did not consider her his daughter, only an existence destined to be the Saintess. Likewise, Kristina did not consider him to be her father either. Ironically, the only semnce of a family she had was the very object of her dread and fear. The resistance she attempted to put up was always weak and insignificant, only crude self-satisfaction. In the end, Kristina could not resist her foster father. She had never been allowed to do so, and she had subsequently suffered for thirteen years, the prayers and destiny devouring her like a curse. ¡®Ah¡­¡¯ She came to a realization. She was at a crossroads. She cupped her hands in front of her hands without realizing it. Whenever she found it difficult and unbearable¡­she always prayed like this. She pictured a light in her head, the Light that watched over everyone from somewhere in the high sky. She liked the warmth of the morning sun. Ever since she was a child, she favored the sunlight that peered through the window of an empty room over the pir of light in the Great Cathedral of Tressia. She felt morefort and warmth from the light of a small candle than the great brilliance of divine powering from the Fount. ¡°¡­Sir Eugene,¡± she called out. It was the same now. The angels standing behind Sergio, the pir of light descending from the sky, the cross, and the brilliant halo ¡ª all were magnificent and imposing. However, more than all of them, the me Eugene surrounded himself with felt brighter to her. She felt warmth from the white and blue mes. Instead of praying, Kristina clutched her chest and forced her voice out with a gasp. ¡°Even¡­ if I really am not the Saintess¡­. Are you truly fine with that?¡± You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°Kristina!¡± Sergio roared and turned back towards her. Fierce anger filled him and prevented him from any formalities. ¡°You dare! You dare!? Are you truly denying your nature!?¡± Anger transformed him into a murderous spirit. The horrifying energy caused Kristina to shrink and tremble even more, but she looked straight ahead without turning her eyes. However, she wasn¡¯t facing Sergio¡¯s gaze. Eugene stood behind Sergio. She stared at Eugene¡¯s face in tears. ¡°¡­Sir Eugene,¡± she continued. Sergio took a giant step towards her. ¡°¡­You,¡± she whispered. She had been chosen as the Saintess Candidate by the Light after receiving the name Rogeris. Since then, her life had been marked with pain and despair. But she could never figure out why she had to endure this pain to be the Saintess. She failed toprehend why a Saintess, the Apostle of Light, had to cut their own body with a knife in this bizarre ritual. Why was she prohibited from shedding tears of pain, running away, or screaming? Why did she have to recite the Bible each day, locked in a confession room? Why did she look like Anise the Faithful, and why was she chosen? Why couldn¡¯t she express her pain and despair to the merciful God? Why did she have to always disy a beautiful smile instead of showing her hatred? Why did the light not shine on her in the darkness? ¡°¡­Will you still save me¡­ even if you are not the Hero?¡± she asked. She did not want to doubt the existence of God. She was worried that she could no longer sustain herself if she started harboring doubts. She had no choice but to think that it was a trial¡­ that God showed her no care to temper her as the Saintess. At least, that was the only way Kristina could convince herself. Although she felt only pain and despair now, one day¡­. One day¡­. She was convinced. Pain and despair always existed in the world. Although the light certainly illuminated the world, it could not save everyone. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site However¡­. However, death would lead them to salvation and heaven. Regardless of how gued and hellish one¡¯s life was, one could enter heaven if one lived a good life and served God. She remembered reading the story of the Hero. The Adventures of the Great Vermouth. She indulged in the famous tales of the Hero, the one who was also mentioned in the Bible of Light. The Hero was the Incarnation of Light. The Hero illuminated the darkness of the world, helped people in despair, and saved the world¡­. Kristina liked the story. It allowed her to believe that the absence of light in her life was because the Hero, the Incarnation of Light, had not yet been born in this era. When she first received a revtion about the Hero, she was overjoyed. The Light that failed to bring warmth to her despite her prayers had given her a revtion about the Hero¡¯s birth. ¡ªIf we die like this, will we go to heaven? Kristina knew well that the ritual to be the Saintess was terrible. She knew it was abnormal for her to repeatedly do such things to be the Saintess. ¡°¡­Even if I am not the Saintess¡­. Will you still save me?¡± She was afraid, afraid of everything. She was afraid that the Hero, Eugene, woulde to know about the ceremony in the Fount of Light. She was in pain. She felt despair. Latest Update on meow novel She was afraid of returning to Tressia, afraid of her forced fate, and afraid of her foster father¡¯s gaze. The life she led to be the Saintess had only been a path of darkness. She was afraid that the Hero would not save her. ¡°I¡¯m not the Hero,¡± said Eugene. Sergio jumped at Kristina and reached for her throat, unable to control his anger any longer. He attempted to grab her by the neck and throw her back into the Fount of Light. ¡°Eugene Lionheart¡­¡± The me prated the light. Kristina¡¯s blonde hair fluttered backward. Apanying the gust of wind, Eugene stood in front of her and blocked Sergio. The Holy Sword denied Sergio¡¯s extended hand. ¡°¡­is here for Kristina Rogeris, not the Saintess.¡± Eugene did not look back. ¡°I am here to save you.¡± Tears tumbled down Kristina¡¯s cheeks. Eugene¡¯s broad back was obstructing the light. Chapter 194: The Fount of Light (6) Shuack! Sergio¡¯s hand was once more split into two. However, there was no blood. Instead, his hand got reattached immediately. There was no pain, but Sergio felt like a nail was being hammered against his chest. He wasn¡¯t stupid enough to misunderstand what Kristina¡¯s words meant. ¡°You¡­. How dare you!¡± shouted Sergio. His eyes were deeply colored with the intent to kill. He could not ept Kristina denying her role as the Saintess, even more so than the corruption of the Hero Eugene. She dared to deny the very nature of her existence, as if she were denying her identity as a human. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Sergio shouted angrily while ring at Eugene. Naturally, Eugene had no intention of standing aside. He could sense that Kristina was quivering and recoiling at each of Sergio¡¯s words. However, Kristina did not back down. Instead, she attempted to use divine magic as she tried to collect her breath. Even in her state, she was trying to help Eugene. Eugene simply shook his head as he raised the Holy Sword. Tuk. With a slight gesture of his hand, he pushed behind him, and a gentle force bumped Kristina backward. ¡°Just make sure to protect yourself,¡± he said. ¡°B-but¡­. Sir Eugene¡­!¡± Kristina responded, staring at Eugene with surprise. She wanted to be of assistance, whatever it took, but she also knew that her body¡¯s inability to move was a responseing from long-acquired fear. Although Eugene made it clear that he did not care about her identity as a Saintess, she could not imagine herself as anything else. It was difficult for her to fathom what value she would have without it. Latest Update on meow novel So she wanted to help. She wanted to prove that she wasn¡¯t useless and could somehow be of use to Eugene. But Eugene shook his head. ¡°Don¡¯t push yourself.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± ¡°Just stay there and watch.¡± Kristina ced her hand against her chest to quench the tinglinging from within as she stared at Eugene¡¯s back. As broad as it was, his back was iparably smaller than the light Sergio produced. However, the all-epassing, brilliant light could not extend its reach beyond Eugene. She squeezed her eyes shut when she saw Eugene¡¯s shadow stretch long in the backlight, and when she opened her eyes¡­ Eugene¡¯s me was eroding the light. Boom! The ground gave way under him as Eugene pounced forward, and Sergio extended both his hands with a scream. He intended to stop Eugene in his tracks, but he failed. As a result, he was thrown back with a loud explosion. He red at Eugene and stretched out his left hand, his crushed body already regenerating. Fwooosh! The red cloth sprang forward from his left arm, which was now limp due to the broken arm bones. Upon reaching Eugene, the red cloth wound around the Holy Sword. ¡°Oh, Holy Light!¡± cried Sergio. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel The three angels responded to his call and stretched out their hands. A brilliant light permeated the cloth, quenching the me of the Holy Sword. [Sir Eugene! T-take out the Moonlight Sword!] Mer cried out from within the cloak in fright. She knew that the cloth was an artifact with a powerful suppressive ability, and Sergio was unfolding a powerful divine magic of sealing. But no matter how powerful Sergio¡¯s seal was, the Moonlight Sword could easily destroy the entire seal. There was no way Eugene was ignorant of this. However, he chose not to use the Moonlight Sword. Eugene was well aware that he would receive criticismter on for being stubborn and stupid, but he was adamant. He would use nothing but the Holy Sword in this battle. That was his resolve. He heard Kristina¡¯s scream from far behind, and the me, which had burned bright and intense, was faltering beneath the cloth. Certain that the me had beenpletely suppressed, Sergio jumped at Eugene. The stigmata on his right arm was alreadypletely drenched with blood, and the blood oozing from his abdomen was no longer simply dripping. Sergio curled up his bloody hand into a fist, and a brilliant sh manifested into hundreds of swords and surrounded Eugene. [Sir Eugene!] Mer screamed. Eugene quickly scanned his surroundings, but he could not see a path for escape. The Holy Sword had been subdued by the cloth, and his mes had been sealed. However, Eugene could sense that his mes had not been extinguished. Instead, the sword-force formed from the Ring me Form was squirming under theyer of cloth. His lips pursed as he concentrated, and hundreds of sacred swords closed in on him. It appeared to be more than enough force to end Eugene, but even so¡­ Sergio was hesitant in his conviction of victory. The angels sang hymns, and four huge hands of light appeared from the sky and the ground. After materializing in this way, the four hands followed the barrage of swords and wrapped around Eugene. Crack. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience A faint sound resonated, and although it was pretty soft, Sergio could not ignore it. It was an unthinkable sound, something that should not have been heard. Sergio felt goosebumps rising along with a growing sense of ominous fear. The unexpected stench of death forced Sergio to make a choice. ¡®I will die if I keep moving,¡¯ Sergio thought, and he knew that he could not dismiss that instinct. As soon as he stopped himself, lightning exploded in all directions. Sparks of mes could also be seen mixed in with the bolts of lightning. Sergio was inplete disbelief as he stared beyond the light and mes. It was not an exaggeration to say that his cloth boasted near-absolute power when it came to suppressing and sealing, but it was currently being ripped to shreds. Moreover, the color of the me spouting through the rips was much darker and more ominous than before. The numerous des of light had been captured by the mes and were greedily devouring the light. The four giant hands of light attempted to seize the entire space surrounding Eugene but failed due to the mes and were scattered as the me erupted. Blood started to dribble down Eugene¡¯s pursed lips, and he utilized the suppressive effect of Sergio¡¯s seal to condense the mana that formed his sword-force. Then he superimposed anotheryer of sword-force. Threeyers of sword-force caused more and more ck spots to spread on the de. Eugene could feel his hand quivering under the pressure of the tremendous energy exuding from the Holy Sword. He wrapped his left hand around his right to stabilize himself and raised the Holy Sword over his head. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Kristina gasped, staring at the Holy Sword with a dazed expression. Sergio¡¯s shoulders started to tremble as he faced the me head-on. ¡°How far¡­. How far will you go to desecrate the Holy Sword¡­!?¡± Those hideous mes ¡ª it was unbelievable that the Incarnation of Light was exuding such ominous, sinister mes. The mes were terrible and ugly in Sergio¡¯s eyes. How could it not contain even a shred of the warmth and brilliance that the Holy Sword was supposed to have? Sergio shuddered as he stretched his right arm forward, and the angels took their ce behind him with their wings outstretched. Fwoosh! A beam of light wove around his bloody arm and formed the shape of a giant bow, and a brilliant arrow was formed from his halo. This was the Bow of Light, a spell that boasted the highest attack power among all divine magic. The beam discharged from the bow would simply ignore magical barriers and aura shields, prating through anything in its path. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Sergio saw Eugene and Kristina lined up in his sight. If he shot at this angle, Kristina would be in the arrow¡¯s path ¡ª of course, as long as she did not run away. ring at Kristina, he shouted, ¡°Be cleansed!¡± Rumbleeee! All the light in the surroundings seemed to converge on the arrow rest. Kristina could feel the great power of Sergio¡¯s divine spell, but contrary to his expectations, she did not flee in fear. Instead, she ran toward Eugene with a panicked expression, as if to protect him from the vicious attack. Sergio felt intense anger at the sight and immediately loosed off the arrow. Eugene could hear Kristina running toward him. It was already toote to reassure her, but there was no need for him to speak, anyway. The flood of light apanying the arrow threatened to burn his eyes, but Eugene kept still and allowed the Holy Sword to descend. The threeyers of sword-force and the ck spots exploded simultaneously. For an instant, the mes that formed the sword-force werepletely dyed ck. The arrow was crushed, and the light disappeared without leaving any trace. The resulting explosion washed over Sergio, and the angels wrapped their wings around him to protect him. However, even their wings were charred to nothingness, and the three angels perished one after another. Only a thin line of ck remained engraved in the air. Kristina felt her legs give out before she reached Eugene. It had only taken a moment¡­. For an instant, she had seen the light crashing toward her, but in the next, darkness had already prevailed, and Eugene stood alone in the midst of it. However, despite the scene clearly unfolding in front of her very eyes, Kristina could not fully understand what had happened. Sergio also failed to understand the situation. He had been¡­ swept away by the darkness, and half of his body had disappeared without a trace. He was only left with his upper body, thanks to the miracle of the stigmata. The lighting from the scar was protecting Sergio¡¯s right arm and his upper body. ¡°Kua¡­¡± He could not speak either. Only the sound of air escaped when he opened his mouth. Latest Update on meow novel Sergio struggled to raise his head and looked forward, where he saw Kristina. She waspletely fine and without a single wound. But she looked enchanted. He saw how she could not take her eyes off Eugene. Sergio clenched his teeth. Even though she was blessed with that face, the face of Anise the Faithful, she dared to¡­. He turned his eyes and looked down at his right arm. The light of the stigmata was too faint to illuminate the looming darkness. He saw the lightless Holy Sword in Eugene¡¯s hand. He felt despair, but that despair was apanied by a strong sense of duty. The ceremony was no longer the priority. No, in the first ce, that thing was no longer a Saintess Candidate, so what ceremony could he conduct? He was not sure if he could ever create another candidate with such aptitude, harmony, andpleteness, but it no longer mattered. There was a crucial w in her character, and that was the most important factor. The existence of¡­ miracles. When Kristina was born, Sergio had been convinced that she was a miracle of the Light. But it had been a hasty conviction. Just as the Hero had gotten himself corrupted, the Saintess Candidate had done the same. So he had no choice but to start everything over right from scratch. Kill the fallen Hero, retrieve the Holy Sword, and discard the failed Saintess ¡ª once he fulfilled these duties, the Light would surely bring him another miracle. ¡®They must be purified,¡¯ he thought. He knew that something horrible would befall the world if he failed to stop the devils and they were given freedom. Sergio had not one shred of a doubt. ¡®Holy Spirit¡­.¡¯ Sergio struggled to move his right arm and eventually ced it on his chest with great effort. ¡®Take my spirit and my flesh.¡¯ His bloody fingers prated his chest, and the stigmata on his right arm crawled up his fingers and into his chest. This was the final miracle, a phenomenon that could not be brought forth by simply using the stigmata. Rather, it was a miracle that could only be summoned by devoting one¡¯s existence to the stigmata. Sergio knew that he would be a torch of light without any sense of self, but he epted the martyrdom with boundless joy. A light bloomed in the darkness. The tiny bud of brilliance started to grow in size, and what remained of Sergio¡¯s body was enveloped by the stigmata. Once he was fully covered with the stigmata, his body transformed into pure light. It was as if he himself had be the Incarnation of Light. A stream of light prated the darkness, and Eugene felt pain for the first time. He was sure that he had dodged just before the light made contact, but he saw that his left arm was in tatters. It was clear that his arm would have been torn off orpletely destroyed if Agaroth¡¯s Ring had not been protecting him. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Eugene clicked his tongue, wrapping the Cloak of Darkness around him. The beam of light responsible for taking his left arm now stood as a luminous body in human form, high in the sky. Its mere presence illuminated the sky as if it were day instead of light. ¡°Behold,¡± dered Sergio while looking down at Eugene and Kristina. ¡°This is the Almighty Light, the power of God that illuminates the world. You fallen devils will never be able to tarnish this Light!¡± Eugene didn¡¯t think it was worth feeding his babbles. Instead, he focused on fully grasping Sergio¡¯s light. With threeyers, could Eugene eliminate him in a single strike? Was it sufficient to prate the protection of the stigmata? He could not be sure. Sergio¡¯s rotten miracle was already beyond understanding as far asmon knowledge went. If he applied the same concept of absurdity and used the Moonlight Sword¡­. ¡®Hamel.¡¯ But there was no point if he used the Moonlight Sword. He insisted on using just the Holy Sword. He would not use an ounce of magic, and he would not touch any of his other weapons. He had to do that if he wanted to¡­allow the souls of the dead to rest in peace. ¡®You are too stubborn. Why do you fight like that?¡¯ a voice seemed to whisper in his ear. ¡°Unlike you, I¡¯m capable of recognizing where I am,¡± said Eugene with a smirk. He took his ragged left hand to his chest. ¡°And this is what I have to do now.¡± Eugene¡¯s bloody fingers dug into his chest, just as Sergio¡¯s had. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t praying, relying on faith, or wishing for a miracle. Instead, he was offering himself as tinder for the mes to burn brighter. Ba-dump. Ignition caused his Cores to start revolving madly, and Eugenemanded his mana while listening to his beating heart. The rampaging mana left Eugene¡¯s control and formed the Sixth Star, and Eugeneughed as he felt his entire body quake. He had formed the Sixth Star of the White me Form, but the situation didn¡¯t allow him to observe the resulting changes leisurely. Instead, he directed the rapidly swelling mana on the Holy Sword. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡®What is this?¡¯ thought Sergio. It felt as if the weight of air itself had intensified. Although Sergio was illuminating the sky as the sole source of light, it felt as if he were gradually falling to the ground. No, it was just an illusion, an impossibility. Sergio did not doubt the omnipotence of the spirit permeating his body. The light fell down toward him, and it appeared as if the whole sky was sinking. Eugene could not take his eyes off the phenomenal sight. But strangely, although it was extremely bright, Eugene could see everything with rity. The light, which was too fast for the naked eye, was now visible to him. No¡­if anything, the light seemed a little slow. Indeed, Ignition activated at the Sixth Star of the White me Form was granting Eugene an incredible sense of vision. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± Eugene raised his right arm with a dry smile. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you.¡± The sword encased in dark blue split the sky. It was not an unfamiliar sight. A formidable force disturbed Sergio¡¯s consciousness, but his body wasn¡¯t crushed. He wasn¡¯t even forced backward. Although it was difficult to believe, the enormous power was under Eugene¡¯s strict control. The devastating strike had only erased the light. Thus, only Sergio¡¯s body was left in the sky ¡ª naked, without any light or power. Naturally, he could not understand what had just taken ce. Nevertheless, he saw Eugene kick off the ground. The fast-approaching pair of eyes made Sergio feel enormous fear. He btedly opened his mouth to scream and attempted to create some distance from Eugene. However, he was prevented from doing so. Violent light was blocking his retreat, even though no sun or divine light was surrounding Sergio. The only source of light was Eugene¡¯s mes. Eugene raised the Holy Sword with a grave expression, but surprisingly, there was no me coating the de any longer. What Eugene now held in his hands was simply a beautiful ceremonial sword that appeared impractical. That was all. The de, which was now devoid of any light, pushed into Sergio¡¯s chest. Thud. His heart was pierced, and Sergio started to shake. He could only look down at the sword prating his chest with disbelief. However, he soon realized that his heart was still beating. He was not dead. A smile dawned on his face with the realization, and he took it as a God-given opportunity. Sergio stretched his arms wide toward Eugene and attempted to call upon the light once more topletely purify Eugene. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site A small light came into existence. Fssh. But it did not belong to Sergio. Instead, the light came from the sword prating his heart. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Sergio quickly called out to his stigmata, but it did not respond with the same light as before. Instead, the lighting from the Holy Sword grew stronger and stronger, and Sergio¡¯s body disintegrated ordingly. This was impossible. Why? Why was the stigmata¡­? Why, why, why was the Holy Sword emitting such a beautiful, brilliant light in a devil¡¯s hands? ¡°T-the Light¡­¡± stuttered Sergio, but no one was there to listen. Eugene twisted out the Holy Sword from Sergio¡¯s chest, and Sergio sped his chest while staggering backward. He opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out. He looked at Eugene, then looked at his own chest. Kristina looked toward the sky with herrge eyes. ¡°How could¡­.¡± A clich¨¦d response. The sword took Sergio¡¯s head before he could finish, and the trophy was swallowed up by the light, which quickly spread and devoured Sergio¡¯s body as well. Bangg! Like the fireworks of a festival, Sergio¡¯s body exploded, drawing countless shooting stars across the darkened sky. Leaving behind the downpour of sparks, Eugene slowly dropped to the ground to Kristina¡¯s side. Latest Update on meow novel It was night again. Kristina remained sitting on the ground, unable to move an inch. What had happened before her eyes was ¡ª no, she could not quite understand what it was yet. Everything still felt like a dream to Kristina, but¡­it wasn¡¯t a nightmare. ¡°I told you, right?¡± said Eugene. He approached her while removing his hand from his chest, and Kristina took her eyes off the night sky and looked back at him. ¡°I¡¯m here to save you,¡± continued Eugene with a grin. He wasn¡¯t fine by any means. His left arm was tattered, and he also had a splitting headache. Even his heart was hurting. Still, he could move. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Unable to form any words, Kristina covered her mouth with her hands and sobbed. The sky was dark. It was an obvious statement: it was night, so it was dark. But Kristina felt that the sky was brighter than ever. Kristina lowered her head, sobbing. She wanted to do anything but cry, but even that was impossible. The masks she had worn since she was a child seemed to have vaporized into thin air. So Kristina cried. She shed tears without trying to hide them and let her emotions take over. She cried with a face no different from when she was a child, making it sound shameful even to herself. She cried so much that even someone like Eugene feltpelled to reach out to her. It was somewhat awkward to just watch, so he tried to wipe away her tears, but Kristina suddenly grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand. Then, as if she had been waiting, she buried her face in Eugene¡¯s chest and bawled. ¡°¡­Well¡­¡± Everywhere was hurting¡­. Although he had used it for only a short duration, Ignition took a heavy toll on his body. Every time Kristina rubbed her face against his chest, it felt as if his muscles were being shredded, his ribs hammered, and his heart punched. However, it wasn¡¯t as if he could push her away, not when she was crying so hard. ¡°¡­Hff¡­¡± Eugene clenched his teeth to prevent a groan from escaping his lips. For a while, Eugene silently epted Kristina¡¯s tears. Chapter 195: The Fount of Light (7) ¡°¡­Hmm¡­ Ehem¡­¡± Kristina backed away with an awkward cough. Her eyes were swollen, and her voice was a little off. Kristina stole nces at Eugene¡¯s chest, which was damp while collecting herself. ¡°¡­Uh¡­ How did you manage to get here?¡± Although the question was quite overdue, it wasn¡¯t something that she could hold back from. Kristina still wasn¡¯t sure how everything had happened. The Fount of Light was a ce known only to a select few priests of the Holy Empire. In fact, even Kristina did not know exactly where the Fount of Light was located. She only knew that a warp-gate was used to travel to and from the fount and that the warp-gate was guarded by the henchmen of Cardinal Rogeris. ¡°Miracle,¡± answered Eugene while dusting off his chest. Kristina¡¯s face turned a brighter shade of red with every stroke of Eugene¡¯s hand, and only then did she realize how much and for how long she had been crying on his chest. ¡°¡­M-miracle,¡± stuttered Kristina. But¡­ miracle? She could not help but wonder. Kristina did not hate the word ¡®miracle.¡¯ What she had experienced as the Saintess Candidate was terrible, but she believed in the existence of God. In fact, her faith in God was the only thing that had allowed her to endure until now. For Kristina, a miracle was the work of God. ¡°But¡­. I thought, Sir Eugene, you didn¡¯t believe in things like miracles, right?¡± she asked. She knew well that Eugene didn¡¯t believe in God, and after what he had just experienced, she knew that he would probably never believe for the rest of his life. As such, she felt somewhat puzzled and surprised when Eugene called it a miracle. ¡°I might believe in small miracles,¡± muttered Eugene before turning around. He attempted to take a step forward, but¡­ as soon as he shifted one foot, he felt his legs give out under him. The rebound from Ignition was here. Kristina hurried forward and helped Eugene. ¡°A-are you all right?¡± she asked. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°I don¡¯t know if I would call myself all right. More than anything else, my left arm hurts,¡± said Eugene. His left arm had been swept away by Sergio¡¯s light. The bones were twisted, and his flesh crushed. Eugene had no choice but to think it fortunate that his arm had not beenpletely ripped off. ¡°Ah¡­. L-let me treat it for you,¡± said Kristina before getting ready to pray. However, Eugene shook his head and wobbled forward. ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°The Fount,¡± answered Eugene. His answer caused Kristina¡¯s expression to stiffen. She hesitated for a moment, took a deep breath, then opened her mouth. ¡°The Fount¡­. What are you going to do about it?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy it,¡± answered Eugene. He wasn¡¯t thinking about anything else. Whatever value the Fount had for the Holy Empire of Yuras, it was none of Eugene¡¯s business. In the first ce, he had killed hundreds of Pdins and Inquisitors after forcing his way in. He had killed Cardinal Sergio Rogeris, who was second only to the Pope. It would have been strange if only now he started to care about his rtionship with Yuras, and above all else, Eugene wanted to rid this world of that terrible Fount. No, in fact, getting rid of the Fount was not enough. He would destroy whaty beneath the Fount, the pipes, and everything regarding it. Then he would hold the Pope ountable for everything. ¡®¡­I don¡¯t know what it is,¡¯ thought Eugene while ncing at the sword resting in his hand. It felt as if he wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to destroy the Fount. Even now, the Holy Sword Altair pulled Eugene closer to the Fount. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel It had been like that from the beginning. The Holy Sword had guided him to the source of the Fount of Light, and when he took Sergio¡¯s head at the end, Eugene had not willed the sword to exude light. It had illuminated of its own ord, cut Sergio¡¯s head, then devoured and detonated his body with light. It was almost like¡­ divine retribution. ¡®Is it the God of Light? Or¡­¡¯ mulled Eugene as he arrived in front of the Fount. He could feel minute trembling from the body that supported him. He nced back at Kristina¡¯s rigid face. ¡°If it¡¯s too difficult for you, why don¡¯t you wait in the back?¡± ¡°No matter how hard it is for me, I can move better than you in your condition, Sir Eugene,¡± answered Kristina. She took a short breath, then looked up at Eugene. ¡°And¡­ there¡¯s no reason for me to back down now of all times, is there? Sir Eugene¡­. How much do you think I¡¯ve longed to destroy and eliminate this Fount? How long do you think I desired this?¡± It wasn¡¯t just that, either. Kristina felt a particr desire rising from deep inside her heart, but it wasn¡¯t a desire to destroy the Fount ¡ª instead, it was something else. It was hard to exin exactly what she felt and why she felt this way, but Kristina knew that she could not back down now. Eugene slowly pushed the Holy Sword forward. There were many ways to destroy the Fount. There was no need for him to use the Empty Sword; he was sure that he could destroy it by simply bashing it with sword-force. However, Eugene did not act upon it. Instead, he focused on the Holy Sword, which was vibrating subtly. The sword led Eugene forward as it had led him while he was wandering through the fog. He stared at it for a brief moment, then strode forward under its guidance. Plop. He walked into the Fount of Light, and the quivering of the Holy Sword grew more intense. On the other hand, Kristina had never imagined that she would walk back into the Fount, so she froze on the spot when she saw Eugene enter. However, Eugene continued to wade forward to the center of the Fount without ncing back. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°¡­Ugh!¡± Kristina clutched her trembling chest and let out a few deep breaths. Then, she carefully stretched out her leg to follow Eugene. The moment her bare foot made contact with the Fount, all the pain she had felt in the Fount until now seemed to return. There were no wounds on her body, she had not cut herself with a knife, and there was no blood either. However, the Fount¡¯s mere existence was a huge trauma for Kristina. The one responsible for forcing her to walk the path of the Saintess was dead, but much of her trauma still remained. Kristina knew her weakness and fear well. But instead of continuing to hesitate, she took one step after another. She wasn¡¯t weak by any means. She knew that if she crumbled or became bound by her terrible memories, everything would stay just as before. She had to face everything directly. She raised her head and looked straight ahead. Eugene was already at the center of the Fount, but instead of going any further, he was ncing backward at Kristina. The moment Kristina met his calm golden eyes, she sped the hem of her clothes. She didn¡¯t want him to see her embarrassing self, even though she knew it didn¡¯t matter whether they were the Hero, the Saintess, or whoever else. However, even without the title of the Hero, Eugene Lionheart was a brilliant man. Finally, her heart stopped shaking, and she approached Eugene with a cid face. Eugene felt the light of the Holy Sword grow stronger. Letting the light guide his actions, Eugene turned the Holy Sword upside down, then struck down at the center of the Fount. The surface of the water stirred greatly, and the Fount started to boil. The divine power dissolved in the water swelled as if attracted to the light of the Holy Sword. Kristina squeezed her eyes shut to avoid the sudden, blinding light, and when she opened her eyes, a little girl stood in front of Eugene and Kristina. Kristina jumped back when she saw the girl¡¯s appearance. ¡°Me?¡± she said with astonishment. Kristina was all too familiar with the face of the little girl. She looked exactly like herself when she was young. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°Anise,¡± called out Eugene. He wasn¡¯t very surprised. Instead, a bitter smile adorned his face as he called her name. Kristina flinched when she heard the name and looked back at Eugene. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Then, she turned back to the little girl. After hearing the name ¡®Anise,¡¯ she did feel that the little girl¡¯s face was slightly different from her own past self. However, it really was just slight ¡ª the only difference she could seey in the atmosphere surrounding the girl and her eyes. There were countless statues and portraits of Anise the Faithful in Yuras. Naturally, Kristina had seen portraits of Anise since she was a child. Like everyone else, she was well aware that she looked like Anise. However, there was a massive difference between feeling a simrity byparing herself to a painting or a statue and seeing a live, exact replica of herself right in front of her. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± The girl¡¯s lips parted. She patted her cheeks with an expressionless face, then looked around her surroundings. There was a glimmering fountain, which she observed, then she looked up at Eugene and Kristina. She immediately noticed that they stood at different eye levels. She continued to caress her cheeks with an expressionless face, then smiled. But when Kristina saw the little girl smile, she felt goosebumps running down her back. It was because the little girl¡¯s smile was exactly like the smile Kristina practiced while looking in the mirror when she was young. The ideal smile of the Saintess. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t respond in kind with a smile. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°¡­You are one nasty woman,¡± said Eugene. The little girl was still smiling. Plop! When the girl took a step, the light surrounding the Fount wove around her body. Her appearance changed, or rather, she matured. The result was an appearance that Eugene was quite familiar with. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kristina was speechless. The mature appearance of Anise made her feel as if she were looking in a mirror. As she continued gawking at Anise, Kristina¡¯s face quickly turned pale. They looked simr, too simr¡­ and there was no way it was a simple coincidence. Kristina felt her legs give out, and she covered her mouth, feeling nauseous. Unwanted imaginations forced their way into her mind and disturbed her thoughts. ¡°¡­Please don¡¯t,¡± said Anise. She approached Kristina while spreading her eight wings, then continued. ¡°Please don¡¯t hate yourself.¡± Anise lowered herself and peered into Kristina¡¯s eyes. Although Kristina didn¡¯t think she could cry anymore after pouring out so much before, her eyes were once again filled with tears. The thoughts that pervaded her mind were truly terrible and disgusting. ¡°You are not weak,¡± whispered Anise while taking Kristina into her embrace. Kristina could not find words to say and instead sobbed once again. The eight wings slowly descended and wrapped around Kristina¡¯s body. Then, Anise closed her eyes, putting her forehead against Kristina¡¯s. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Kristina¡¯s ocean-blue eyes quivered. She attempted to understand the clear images she saw, but it was simply impossible to ept. Her eyes dimmed as she felt her consciousness drifting away. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Anise slowly parted her forehead from Kristina¡¯s, then closed the girl¡¯s eyes. After carefullyying Kristina down in the Fount, she straightened herself. ¡°Hamel,¡± she called out with the same smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t think such an expression would suit you, but it looks quite decent on you, perhaps because you have a different face than before.¡± Eugene raised his hands and touched his face. He could feel creases and grooves, as well as his cheeks twitching. He had a warped expression. Eugene forced a smile and shook his head. ¡°What did you do?¡± he asked. ¡°I made her understand,¡± she answered while looking down at Kristina. ¡°This¡­ poor child is the same as me,¡± she continued. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Eugene before giving a long sigh. Then he looked alternatingly at Anise and Kristina before continuing. ¡°I¡­ saw the source of this damned Fount. You must have led me there.¡± ¡°Actually, I didn¡¯t want to show you,¡± said Anise, her smile faltering slightly. ¡°Hamel, you must know, since you¡¯ve seen it, but¡­ that¡­ is not something ordinary people can easily understand.¡± ¡°¡­But we¡¯ve seen countless terrible things since the past,¡± responded Eugene. Such had been the world three hundred years back. ck wizards ran rampant after selling their souls to demons, conducting all kinds of terrible experiments thatpletely threw any idea of morals right out the window. There had been severalboratories belonging to ck wizards near Helmuth, and most of them were conducting human experiments performed on captured ves. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Eugene had seen many such ces in his past life. Naturally, he had wiped them out so thoroughly that they would never be seen again in this world. It was only a matter of course, and Anise had done the same. She had liberated the ves and healed their wounds. She had burned the ck wizards with divine magic and smashed their heads with her mace. But there were always those who could not be saved, those who had been taken too far into experiments. ck wizards were always preupied with creating magical creatures or weapons to be used in war, and such experiments robbed humans of their human selves. Some subjects were made into chimeras bybining them with monsters, demons, and other creatures. Some were used as sacrifices to enhance the power of the ck wizards. Some were used to create and test new magic. Anise always took it upon herself to embellish their passing. She wrapped with light those who were broken and dying, as well as those no longer human, and euthanized them. Each time, she recited the same prayer with a somber expression: I pray that you see heaven after leaving this world of suffering. ¡°¡­The source of the Fount,¡± said Eugene with a long sigh, ¡°was much more terrible than even the workshops of the ck wizards. It wasn¡¯t something¡­ that the priests of the God of Light should have been doing.¡± The filter connected to the pipes contained countless relics. But although they were pompously called ¡®holy relics,¡¯ they were simply bones of the past Saintesses. The water of the Fount was filtered through the remains and forcibly imbued with divine power, then traveled through the central pipe into the actual Fount. ¡°It was a necessity,¡± answered Anise in a somber voice. ¡°That is how the being called Saintess is created, after all. Just like this child, and every candidate before her, and¡­ even me. It was the same with the many Saintesses before me.¡± ¡°But you and Kristina seemed special,¡±mented Eugene. He recalled the vision he saw at the source of the Fount. There were countless girls, girls with¡­ indistinguishable faces. Their presence had been faint in his vision, but he had seen Anise and Kristina with rity. The same was true even now. Anise definitely existed within this miracle. She stood in front of his eyes as if she had descended from the World Tree, and her eight wings truly were spread wide. ¡°Yes.¡± Anise nodded. ¡°This child and I are special. We were born with aptitude, harmony, andpleteness that could be considered overwhelmingly superior to any of the previous candidates.¡± meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Aptitude, harmony, andpleteness. Eugene did not want to ept such words. ¡°You are kind, Hamel,¡± said Anise with a faint smile while gazing at him. ¡°And I know that you are not stupid. I¡¯m sure you already have a vague idea of what the two of us really are. Nevertheless, you are staying silent because you want to be considerate, not wanting to offend me in case you guessed wrong.¡± ¡°I just don¡¯t want to get smacked,¡± replied Eugene while avoiding her gaze. ¡°To be honest¡­. I don¡¯t really want to know, either. I don¡¯t want to confirm anything. Whatever the Saintess truly is, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. You are simply Anise, and she is simply Kristina. What else is important?¡± ¡°¡­Hamel,¡± called out Anise while approaching Eugene. ¡°You don¡¯t have to turn a blind eye. I know you understand both of us without having to hear the whole truth, but I don¡¯t want that kind of sympathy from you. I want you to be yourself, to understand me for what I am. I¡¯m sure that the child thinks the same way.¡± Sympathy? Eugene smiled bitterly. It was an undeniable remark. ¡°¡­What are you?¡± So he asked. Just as Anise wanted, he asked directly. ¡°You and Kristina. No, the Saintess¡­ what is it exactly? Why were there such things taking ce in this Fount?¡± Anise stood in front of Eugene with a faint smile. She exined, ¡°A long time ago, the God of Light first descended on thisnd. He created the Holy Sword Altair out of his own blood and flesh and illuminated the world. Then he created a religion and founded Yuras.¡± It was the founding myth of Yuras, the story of the Holy Emperor responsible for the empire¡¯s creation. Anise continued, ¡°The ancient Incarnation reigned in Yuras for a long time and worked as a beacon in the chaotic era. With him at the forefront, faith was passed on to the world, and various gods were born and disappeared¡­. The Holy Emperor ruled for a long time and protected Yuras and her subjects, but he did not live forever. Since he had descended to the world as an incarnation, he had to return to the sky one day.¡± Anise looked into Eugene¡¯s trembling eyes. ¡°Once the Holy Emperor was gone, many members of the church felt fear. They feared that the world would once again sink into darkness in the light¡¯s absence. They hoped the light would send forth another incarnation, but such a thing never came true.¡± Latest Update on meow novel They had desired light. ¡°They desired a new object of worship. Although light is always present¡­ it was too abstract to serve. They needed a more definite, tangible object of worship. They needed an Incarnation of Light.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Ancient Yuras needed many objects and symbols of worship, not just the Pope. Symbols to feed fanaticism. The stigma on the bodies of the Pope and the Cardinals portrays how the light was taking care of the world. It shows that the light is directly choosing its surrogates. So many members havee to worship the Pope and the Cardinals like gods.¡± ¡°¡­And the Saintess?¡± ¡°A symbol of worship, just like the Pope and the Cardinals,¡± said Anise with a twisted smile. She continued, ¡°The first Saintess was an artificial imitation of the Incarnation of Light created using the remains of the Holy Emperor.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°A sacred weapon capable of bringing down miracles, created by embedding the remains of the Holy Emperor in the body of a young girl, an idol made for worship.¡± And thus, the ancient fanatics hade to make a new Light in their own image. Chapter 196: The Fount of Light (8)

Chapter 196: The Fount of Light (8)

They had been created using the remains of the Holy Emperor. Eugene had a hard timeing to an understanding. It was a statement far removed from any realm of understanding. No¡­. Come to think of it, perhaps it wasn¡¯tthathard toprehend after all. Eugene was a wizard who had learned magic in the Magic Kingdom of Aroth by studying papers and umting magical knowledge. It was widely known that magical experiments performed on humans weremonce three hundred years ago. In those chaotic times, ck wizards conducted experiments on humans without hesitation. But although human experiments were mostmon during the chaotic era, it did not mean that human experiments didn¡¯t exist at other times. Rather, such experiments existed in any era, and the experimenters were not always ck wizards either. There were many crazies among wizards, and such wizards often disregarded morals to satisfy their curiosities or magical inspirations. However, whatevervisionthey had did not warrant lunatic madness, inhumanity, or disregard for ethics. If imagination was all it took, then even Eugene coulde up with many ideas that would be frowned upon in practice. To put it into perspective, magic experiments performed on humans were considered taboo, but the same wasn¡¯t true with experiments on monsters. If one could ignore the hesitation and aversion they felt deep inside their heart, any wizard could simply cut and modify a monster and toy with it. So the idea itself was simple: conduct the exact same experiment, with no changes, and simply rece the monster with a human. When Eugene contemted it as such, he could understand everything Anise mentioned all too easily. The first Saintess had been made using the remains of the Holy Emperor. The oldest and highest-value sacred relic of Yuras had been transnted into the body of a young, immature girl. A rib of the Holy Emperor had been grafted into the first Saintess. The remains of the Holy Emperor contained a massive amount of divine power that no priest could ever hope to epass. Regardless of how faithful a priest was to the light and how devoted they were in their prayers, they could nevere to possess anything close to the divine power directly contained within the sacred relic. Thus, the Saintess was made. The Saintess was most appropriately called an ¡®Imitation Incarnation,¡¯ and at the same time, she was a sacred weapon capable of producing countless miracles. The Saintess alone could keep in check other religions and heretics that opposed Yuras, and many nonbelievers were fascinated by her existence and converted to Yuras. ¡°They never lived long,¡± said Anise. It was expected. The light of God had been imbued into the body of an ordinary girl through the medium of the Holy Emperor¡¯s remains. Although the Saintess could create miracles, she could never live long due to the burden of carrying the light. Anise continued, ¡°But the first Saintess represented something great for the ancient fanatics and their lunatic works. They found joy in having created an Incarnation of Light with their own hands, and they were thrilled that their creation would acquire a stigmata.¡± The Saintess was an imperfect being. Every time she brought a miracle, a scar not engraved by a human hand would appear on her small body. Although the scar was only about a palm¡¯s length in size, the fanatics never doubted that the stigmata was proof of their faith. Through the existence of the stigmata, they believed that the light was looking after them and that their actions had not been immoral. ¡°Many more followed after the first Saintess. They were created, and they died. Their remains became sacred relics to serve as containers for the light and¡­. The remains were transnted into the next generation of candidates,¡± said Anise. The relics of the Holy Emperor were so precious that they had rarely been touched since the creation of the first Saintess. Instead, the remains of the Saintess had taken their ce; stability-wise, it actually worked better to use the remains of one Saintess to create the next. The downside was that a Saintess created from the remains of another could not perform miracles the same way the first Saintess could. As such, their powers were supplemented using other methods. Yuras had acquired many types of magic during the hunt from the past, but their spoils weren¡¯t limited to just magic. In their reckless hunt for ck wizards and normal wizards, the Inquisitors of Yuras acquired the research of the wizards and the corresponding fruits. In addition, many of the captured wizards were tortured and enved rather than killed. With such help, the study of making the Imitation Incarnation made significant progress. In particr, among the trophies obtained from magic hunting, the most valuable was blood magic. Bybining blood magic and the results of other pieces of research, Yuras created a method to impregnate the Saintess with more divine power. The final result was the Fount of Light. As long as new Saintesses continued to be born, the Fount would never dry up. ¡°In the end, everyone is lying,¡± said Anise with a smile. ¡°Even the stigmata of the Pope and the Cardinals aren¡¯t directly bestowed on them by God. They are simply artificial engravings copied from the stigmata that appeared on the Saintess, etched by carefully selected priests who would never divulge the secret because they are fanatical and upright in the light. The artificial stigmata do not actually contain any power. However¡­.¡± Eugene remembered Anise¡¯s bare back from the past. The scar had deepened and spread with every miracle she had caused. Moreover, Anise was a special existence in Yuras. She was unique even among the many Saintesses that had existed since the far past, and the miracles she produced were by far the greatest. ¡°I was special,¡± she continued after a pause. Her voice was clear, but Anise was no longer smiling. ¡°It was like that ever since I was young. During that era, there were other candidates who were unknown to the world, but¡­ I was the most outstanding of them all.¡± It had been inevitable for her to be special. With the creation of the Fount of Light, failures to empower the Saintess became few and far between. However, it was still impossible to artificially expand their limits. In order to create a proper Imitation Incarnation out of a Saintess, it was necessary to use the sacred relic of the Holy Emperor. But although imbuing the power of the Holy Empire¡¯s remains was tried several times since the first Saintess, it never resulted in real sess. So another method was devised. Since it was impossible for the Imitation Incarnation to conceive, an immature fetus was transnted into their womb instead. After experiencing many failures and utilizing all kinds of divine and normal magic, a child was finally born from the Imitation Incarnation. The newborn was subject to all sorts of terrible experiments from an early age. Even before she could walk, she was cradled by the Fount of Light, forced to cling to the flickering me of her life. Then, what little remained of the Holy Emperor¡¯s remains were transnted into the child¡¯s body, little by little. The bones were ground and soaked into the child¡¯s wounds, and blood modified using blood magic was propelled into the child¡¯s heart. Thus, Yuras gave birth to an Imitation Incarnation that was close to perfection. She was born with an incredibly powerful stigmata, evenpared to the first Saintess, and the stigmata grew more powerful andrger with every miracle that was summoned. Moreover, her very existence deserved to be called a proof of divinity because she could transfer and engrave the stigmata on high-ranking priests and allow them to produce lesser miracles as well. ¡°I hated this nation,¡± whispered Anise. ¡°I could never feel any love for it. In fact, I wanted the demons and the Demon Kings to wipe out this country altogether.¡± ¡°.....¡± She continued, ¡°If I had lived only in Yuras, I would have lived with such hatred all my life. However¡­. I was given the opportunity to leave Yuras. Sir Vermouth was chosen by the Holy Sword, and I was chosen to join him on his journey as the Saintess. Hamel, what kinds of things do you think I felt and experienced on that journey?¡± Eugene quietly peered into Anise¡¯s eyes. It was difficult to identify any emotions in those still, blue eyes. It had been like that in his previous life as well. Anise never fully revealed herself. Instead, she always buried her true feelings behind her thick, saintly smile. ¡°...Despite the terrible deeds of Yuras, I felt that God was real. I eventually came to believe that miracles truly existed. I despised my existence and everything about me. Everything was dreadful. But I realized that the world was even more disastrous and pitiful,¡± said Anise. She had seen too much¡­way too much. ¡°I never wanted to admit it, but in those days,wewere the miracles. Sir Vermouth, Sienna, Molon, me, and you, Hamel. We were all miracles. We had the power to save the world, and we did save it, although it was slightlycking. What we failed to save were¡­ those who were already dead. And you, Hamel.¡± Eugene could not find any words to say. ¡°I¡¯m sure it was the same for all of us. On that journey, everyone feltsomething, and¡­ everyone changed. I came to believe in and rely on God. I started to yearn for heaven, and I was possessed with the aspiration to lead everyone to heaven as well,¡± exined Anise. Change. Eugene didn¡¯t deny it. At some point, the purpose of his journey had changed as well. Hamel did not have a grand ambition of saving the world from the beginning. He simply wanted revenge. Since the world was thrown into shit and he along with it, he wanted those who were responsible ¡ª the demons and the Demon Kings ¡ª to suffer the same way he did. But at some point, he began to entertain something more. He began to have thoughts of saving the world. It was inevitable for people to die on the battlefield, but he¡­ wanted fewer people to die. Instead of fixating only on killing the Demon Kings, he began to imagine what the world would be like after the Demon Kings were defeated. ¡°You¡­.¡± Eugene let out a long sigh. ¡°You could not go to heaven.¡± ¡°...It was too early,¡± said Anise with a gentle smile. ¡°In truth, I probably could have gone to heaven. The wings on my back¡­ are proof of that. Hamel, so you don¡¯t have to feel sorry for me, and you don¡¯t have to be sad. I chose not to go to heaven of my own volition.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± asked Eugene. There were certain things he could not understand. Anise was strong. Whatever the Holy Empire tried, it would have been impossible to capture Ainse if she had resisted. ¡°You lived in the Holy Empire for a long time, then suddenly decided to embark on a pilgrimage. So why¡­? What happened to you? Why did you end up like that? And why is Kristina¡­.¡± Eugene asked a barrage of questions. He could not understand. Anise did not give an answer but instead looked up at the sky. The deep darkness of the night was slowly giving way to the faint light of morning. After a moment, her lips parted. ¡°I tried to disappear,¡± she said with a smile. ¡°...I went to your grave for thest time, prayed, and made up my mind to disappear. The Pope and the Cardinals implored me to sacrifice myself for the next Imitation Incarnation, but they could not control me.¡± If Anise had decided to disappear, no one in Yuras could have stopped her. In fact, Anise left Yuras without encountering any problems, and she arrived in the Nahama Desert. ¡°But you¡­.¡± ¡°I just changed my mind,¡± said Anise with a smile while shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of sacrifice, and I did not want to dedicate myself to Yuras, the ce I despised. However¡­. In that desert, on my way to your grave, I was struck with a sudden thought.¡± ¡°....¡± ¡°Hamel, you sacrificed yourself for the world. I know you would not call it a sacrifice, but¡­. Everyone who witnessed your death saw your action as a sacrifice. You sacrificed your life for the world. You were like that before as well. You always stood at the forefront with a determination to kill the Demon Kings, knowing well that your body would be ruined.¡± It was painful for Eugene to listen to her words. He dropped his eyes and clenched his fist, wanting to say something, but his lips refused to part. After a while, he finally managed to speak. ¡°...There was no helping it.¡± The words he finally decided upon after hesitating were unattractive, even in his opinion. ¡°The castle of the Demon King of Incarceration was terrible. It wasn¡¯t a ce suitable for Vermouth to take the lead. The same with Molon, obviously, since he was aplete moron. If someone had to take the lead and open the way¡­. I was most suited to do so. I don¡¯t want to talk about that right now. Everyone agreed then.¡± ¡°Yes. That¡¯s right, Hamel. As you say, someone had to take the lead and open the way, and you¡¯re also right in that you were the right person for the task. And as a result, you died,¡± said Anise. ¡°I never med any of you for my death. All of you said countless times along the way that it would be dangerous to climb any further. Everyone wanted to retreat and reorganize. It was my choice to reject your opinions. It was my choice to continue forward, and I died because of my actions,¡± answered Eugene firmly. ¡°But do you think we wouldn¡¯t be sad about your death?¡± Anise asked. Eugene was staring up ahead. The sun was slowly peeking out from its slumber in the distance. ¡°In the end, you sacrificed yourself, and I ran away because I didn¡¯t want to sacrifice myself. Hamel, I¡¯m quite capricious, and there was no¡­ special reason behind my choice. The sun¡¯s rays in the desert were scorching and bright. To tell you the truth, trying to find your grave was a challenge. Sienna was in seclusion¡­. Or rather, it wasmonly known that she was in seclusion, so I had to wander through the desert, fumbling through my memories.¡± Anise chuckled while reliving her memories. ¡°Many thoughts passed through my mind as I wandered for a long time. What if I disappeared like this? It would have been a nasty gift for Yuras, no doubt. But so what? I was a miracle, but regardless of whether I disappeared, Yuras would have created another Saintess, the same as before. Of course, they couldn¡¯t have created a Saintess as good as me.¡± If only the world had obtainedplete peace, Anise would not have had to contemte a future without her existence. ¡°Above all else, however, the biggest reason for my worry was that I knew I would not live on for much longer. I am indeed close to perfection, but I¡¯m not trulyplete. I was destined to die before long, to disappear and ascend to heaven.¡± If she had not been close to death, Anise would have been without worry, both regarding her own existence and about the future Saintess of Yuras. However, Anise was bound for death before long, and she knew that the Holy Empire needed a new Saintess. But Anise did not want to cooperate with the subject of her contempt. Since three Demon Kings had been taken care of, she wanted to forego the sense of responsibility she had left. Well, that was what she desired, but on her way to the grave of her sole deceasedpanion, she remembered how he had run rampant while threatening to kill all the Demon Kings. She remembered the ignorant, mannerless mercenary. Even at the moment of his death, he had left no will to hisrades. He had not thought it necessary since Hamel truly believed that the rest of hispanions would eliminate all the Demon Kings. He trusted that the world would be brought to peace, just as they had all hoped. But there were still two Demon Kings left in the world, and Anise would soon die. ¡°Priests of Yuras came to persuade me while I was wandering the desert,¡± said Anise. Dawn was ascending, and Anise continued with her back to the light, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ when I decided to be fickle. I returned to Yuras with them and took my own life. I had no desire or intention of conceiving an unwanted child like my mother. Suicide was a choice I was willing to make to rebel against this filthy country.¡± ¡°...So that¡¯s how¡­ you became an angel?¡± asked Eugene while staring at her wings. ¡°Yes,¡± answered Anise with a smile. ¡°My body was dead, but my soul remained. The Light tried to lead me to heaven, but I refused to ascend. Just like that, I remained in this world.¡± She paused, then turned her eyes toward Kristina, continuing, ¡°...And I was able to dwell in that child.¡± Eugene felt a chill run down his back at her nonchnt answer. Before long, a chuckle escaped from his lips. ¡°You¡¯re truly a snake-like woman, do you know that? Sienna and I always talked about you behind your back.¡± ¡°Maybe you don¡¯t know this, Hamel, but snakes are also symbols of regeneration and eternal life,¡± retorted Anise with an unchanged smile. She showed no signs of displeasure. ¡°I actually did not intend for all of this to happen. I chose not to ascend to heaven¡­ because I thought I was still unworthy. And the reason I could dwell in that child was¡­.¡± Kristina was still sound asleep with her eyes closed. Anise approached her and gently stroked Kristina¡¯s cheek, looking at her with a gaze full of meaning. ¡°...Just as I was special, this child was also special.¡± The Holy Empire of Yuras transformed Anise¡¯s corpse into a relic. But rather than transnting it into the Saintess, they sought to clone the one who neared perfection. Over the course of three hundred years, there were numerous failures. It wasn¡¯t a matter of whether the clone had a soul since souls could be extracted and transnted. The deadliest and most difficult problem to ovee was thepatibility between the soul and the cloned body. The failed copies were sent directly to the Fount of Light without even being granted a chance to be a candidate. But the Saintess could not be absent from the world, so Yuras put forth iplete Saintesses who had been transnted with the relics created from other iplete copies. Of course, once they perished, those Saintesses became a part of the Fount as well. After countless failures, a near-perfect replica was born ¡ª a baby abandoned in a monastery. Her soul showed greater aptitude and harmony than the existing experiments. Anise¡¯s relic, which was kept top secret, was given to the replica, and the result wasn¡¯t a failure. The child, a clone of Anise, showed almost perfect harmony with the sacred relic. The clone was named Kristina and was closely monitored in a monastery until she was ten years old. A single seizure or an incident would have resulted in her removal, but Kristina never once experienced an episode. Thus, Kristina was taken in as Cardinal Rogeris¡¯ adopted daughter, and she became the only Saintess Candidate of her time. ¡°In terms ofpleteness, this child is superior to me. This child¡­ won¡¯t have to prepare herself for death, unlike me, and she will be able to live for a really long time, just like Sienna. Although she doesn¡¯t have a stigmata yet, sooner orter, she will be able to perform miracles without bleeding from her scar,¡± exined Anise. ¡°Anise.¡± ¡°The miracle¡¯s end is not far off,¡± continued Anise. ¡°Soon, I will return to this child. Nothing will change. She will still be Kristina Rogeris, and I¡­ will dwell in her as a spiritual being.¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°Hamel, don¡¯t feel regret. This is not heaven, but we were able to reunite like this. Although I won¡¯t be able to help you directly, I¡­. As part of this child, I can bless and protect you on your journey.¡± ¡°...Anise.¡± ¡°I think everything has been under the guidance of the light. The believers of light have gone astray, but He still loves all His believers and provides us with the guidance of light. And through this miracle, I was led to you. For you to have been chosen by the Holy Sword, and for the Holy Sword to have not lost its light here¡­. All of that is the Will of Light. The mission we failed to aplish three hundred years ago, you will¡ª¡± Eugene suddenly interrupted her. ¡°You and Sienna wrote the fairy tale together, didn¡¯t you?¡± Anise stopped talking. She slowly removed her hand from Kristina¡¯s cheek, then looked up at Eugene with eyes of disbelief. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that question was kinda inappropriate, given the conversation we were having, the atmosphere, and the whole situation?¡± ¡°Should I cry then?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I don¡¯t want to see your crying face,¡± answered Anise. ¡°But it¡¯s not like I can get angry either. I did enough of that earlier, and¡­ you said you didn¡¯t want to see me cry. I don¡¯t really want to cry either,¡± said Eugene. He grumbled while walking up to Anise. ¡°I knew since three hundred years ago that there was something fucked up with the Holy Empire, not that I ever expected it to be beyond anymon fuckery. But what can I do about it? That¡¯s just how it was.¡± He stretched out a hand toward Anise. ¡°In the end, you died and became an angel. It was your choice not to go to heaven. There is a God, after all, and heaven is real. That¡¯s¡­ enough. The fact that Kristina is your clone and that you dwell in her¡­. There¡¯s nothing I can do about that either.¡± ¡°.....¡± ¡°All of that¡¯s already in the past,¡± he said while taking Anise by the hand. ¡°However, such things will not happen in the future. Once I kill the two remaining Demon Kings, the Holy Empire will no longer need the Saintess. If they try to create more Saintesses in such a world, I will personally end all believers of light in this world.¡± ¡°...Pff.¡± Eugene continued, ¡°What I have to worry about now is whether to take the heads of the Pope and the other Cardinals. I probably shouldn¡¯t. The Holy Empire is too big, and I can¡¯t ignore its forces. I ultimately need them for the uing wars. However, I will make sure that they won¡¯t be able to do shit like this in the future.¡± Anise giggled while covering her mouth. ¡°That is so like you, Hamel.¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t answered my question yet. It was you and Sienna who wrote the children¡¯s book, right? Hmm? So why was I the only one written like aplete idiot?¡± Eugene grumbled while helping Anise to her feet. He stared directly into her eyes while urging for an answer. ¡°Why did you give me a shitty name like Stupid Hamel? Did you really have to torture me like this even after 300 years? Why am I stupid?¡± ¡°Are you really asking because you don¡¯t know?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Would I be asking if I knew? No matter how much I think about it, it doesn¡¯t make sense. If you really wanted to call anyone stupid, it should have been Molon, not me.¡± Eugene truly thought so. Brave Hamel, Stupid Molon ¡ª it was perfect. ¡°Hmm.¡± The corner of her mouth curled up into a smile as Anise looked up at Eugene. ¡°I see that you¡¯re still the same as before,¡± she said. ¡°What do you mean by¡­¡± but he wasn¡¯t given a chance to finish his retort. Her lips were suddenly before him and pressed against his own. He tried to step back in surprise, but he couldn¡¯t. Before he knew it, her arms had wrapped around his neck and prevented him from moving. A tongue slipped in through his lips, and Eugene stared with incredulous eyes. He could only see Anise smiling with her eyes. ¡°...Phew.¡± Their lips parted after a while. Anise released her shackles and pushed his chest away. ¡°This is why you are stupid.¡± ¡°Uh.¡± ¡°Please apologize to Sienna for me. I don¡¯t know if she will understand, but what¡¯s she going to do? I¡¯m already dead.¡± ¡°Uh¡­huh? Uah¡­.¡± ¡°Stupid Hamel,¡± said Anise while slightly stroking her lips with her tongue. ¡°You are, in a way, even dumber than Molon.¡± Then she started to disappear. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened. She was clearly running away. If she had disappeared normally, he would have shed tears of sadness, but he wasn¡¯t in a state to feel any sorrow. ¡°Hey, hey!¡± he shouted. ¡°This is not goodbye, Hamel. I will be protecting you from inside the child¡­.¡± ¡°I get it, so apologize before you go!¡± roared Eugene, grabbing her hand. ¡°Apologize for calling me a bigger moron than Molon! And¡­ and¡­ that, just now, was my first time with this¡­.¡± ¡°Oh dear¡­¡± muttered Anise while shaking her head with a sincere expression of regret. ¡°Do you think it was a first only for you?¡± ¡°...Uh¡­.¡± ¡°Please make sure to tell Sienna. I¡¯m sorry, but that¡¯s just how things are.¡± Those were thest words Anise uttered. Eugene stood nkly as her figure crumbled into particles of light. But the light didn¡¯t fade away. Rather, it permeated Kristina. It wasn¡¯t just Anise, either. The Fount of Light, the source of the Fount, and everything around them scattered into light. The fading light soared into the morning sky, and the darkness of the night was finallyid to rest. It was truly a beautiful sight, but instead of looking up, Eugene just gently caressed his own lips. ¡°...Huh. Ha¡­ Hahaha¡­¡± After standing still for a long while, he started tough dejectedly. Chapter 197: The Fount of Light (9)

Chapter 197: The Fount of Light (9)

The pipes could no longer draw any more water. The Fount of Light, the filters at the source, everything was gone. It wasn¡¯t just the water either. The spheres connected to the pipes, as well as the relics contained within ¡ª none of it was left behind. Eugene nced back at Kristina. She was being supported by the wind but was still unconscious. But Eugene felt that it was for the better. The things he didn¡¯t want her to see disappeared neatly, but Eugene preferred that she didn¡¯t even see the old pipes left behind. ¡°What?¡± said Eugene. He had ced his hand inside his cape with the intention of doing a clean sweep, but Mer had grabbed his finger as if she had been waiting. She apanied the Moonlight Sword out of his cloak, riding on his finger. ¡°You bastard,¡± said Mer. ¡°What?¡± ¡°You¡­. You are¡­. Sir Eugene, you are a bastard,¡± repeated Mer while pointing her quivering fingers at Eugene. ¡°How, how¡­ shameless! How could you do something so shameless? Right in front of me, to boot!¡± she shouted. ¡°No¡­. Well¡­. If you think about it, it wasn¡¯t technically¡­.¡± Eugene hastily gave his excuse, but Mer wasn¡¯t willing to listen. ¡°Lies! Sir Eugene, you are a liar! You could have avoided it if you wanted to! But! You didn¡¯t! No, it was far from avoiding it. Y-your¡­ lips! The lips touched, and, and¡­ t-tongue. You stayed still even when the tongue slid in!¡± eximed Mer. Eugene continued, ¡°Well¡­. That¡¯s¡­. Uh¡­. Mer. Listen, when a human is faced with a situation that¡¯spletely out of their expectations and iprehensible, their body stiffens, and they lose control. You stop thinking and freeze on the spot. And because of the aftermath of Ignition, my body was¡­.¡± ¡°Lies! You¡¯re moving just fine now!¡± Mer shouted. ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not me that¡¯s moving right now, but Tempest¡¯s wind that¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°Argh!¡± screeched Mer. ¡°Whatever the case! Sir Eugene, you were being so sloppy that even I could have stabbed you to death with a dagger!¡± ¡°Do you think I would have ever imagined something like that happening?¡± Eugene retorted, desperately seeking to soothe Mer¡¯s fury, albeit not very sessfully. Mer stomped her feet with a huff. ¡°I just don¡¯t understand! Sir Eugene, you have a very handsome face right now, but not in your past life! I¡¯ve also seen Sir Hamel¡¯s face every day in Akron, but to bepletely honest, I¡¯ve never thought that he was handsome, not even for a second!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a bit hurtful. I don¡¯t think it was bad enough that I deserved to be called ugly wherever I went¡­¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°I feel this every time we talk about this topic, but Sir Eugene, you are very confident, even arrogant. Your ims arepletely unfounded. How could you possibly have such confidence in your face with the Great Vermouth right next to you?¡± asked Mer. ¡°Well¡­ I admit that I might have been slightly uglier than Vermouth, but I was much better-looking than Molon. And being handsome isn¡¯t necessarily being good-looking. The atmosphere I exuded was very handsome, if you know what I mean,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Completely mad¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that the video in Akron failed to capture my atmosphere. Well, no, even there¡­. My¡­. What is it¡­? Weren¡¯t my proportions pretty good? My face was rather small, I had wide shoulders, and a muscr, chiseled body¡­¡± exined Eugene. ¡°Bastard,¡± muttered Mer. But Eugene didn¡¯t stop there. He kept going. ¡°And the scar on my face was pretty cool too. My confidence isn¡¯t groundless at all. In my previous life, I never met anyone who ever called me ugly to my face.¡± Mer retorted, ¡°That¡¯s because you killed anyone who said such a thing, Sir Eugene. Anyways, you¡¯re still bad, Sir Eugene. I still don¡¯t understand how you could do such a thing in front of me.¡± Thump. Thump. Thump. Mer stormed Eugene, stomping her feet, and it didn¡¯t look like she would stop anytime soon. Feeling unfairly med, Eugene shouted back while drawing the Moonlight Sword out of its sheath. ¡°Oi! DidIdo it? Hmm? I was tricked! I¡¯m also a victim here! So why are you only ming me?¡± ¡°A victim!? How truly, absolutely, positively shameless¡­. Sir Eugene, don¡¯t lie to me! You were enjoying it on the inside!¡± screamed Mer. ¡°I didn¡¯t enjoy it¡­. Really, I just couldn¡¯t move because I was so surprised. And¡­. It was sad as well. After all, Anise, one of myrades, is dead. I won¡¯t ever get to meet her again in this life¡­¡± said Eugene with a gloomy face while cing down the Moonlight Sword on his side. Mer hesitated for a moment when she saw Eugene¡¯s drooping shoulders. She felt a sense of regret. In her moment of anger, she had inadvertently caused Eugene to feel an irreconcble loneliness. ¡®But Lady Sienna is still alive.¡¯ While thinking so, she coughed before saying curtly, ¡°I¡¯m going to tell on you to Lady Siennater.¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± answered Eugene. The Moonlight Sword started to radiate light. The creeping moonlight removed all the machinery underground, and after checking the empty room one more time, Eugene turned around. He strolled through the ruined temple, passing by the corpses without care. He saw that some were still breathing, but whether they lived or died was none of Eugene¡¯s business. He had already rampaged in his fury. After running wild, helping them would be like ying a game of cat and mouse with them. ¡®Did I screw myself over?¡¯He was struck with such worries as well. Now that everything had settled, the intense anger and hatred had died down. Along with it, logical thoughts also slowly returned. What should he do now? He had killed a Cardinal, one of the captains of the Blood Cross Knights, as well as a high-ranking Inquisitor. They weren¡¯t your everyday, ordinary members of the church. Furthermore, apart from the three high-profile figures, he had killed over a hundred people today. It had been slightly excessive. He had gone full ¡®Hamel¡¯ crazy without even thinking about the repercussions of his actions. In his defense, hehadgiven them a warning. It wasn¡¯t like he intended to kill them from the beginning, either. However, they ignored his warning and picked a fight with him¡­ whilepletely convinced that they were in the right. He had been irked that they tried to send him back without seeing reason. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m the only one implicated, but the problem is the Lionheart n.¡¯ The Emperor of Kiehl was greedy for what the Lionhearts possessed, and it was obvious that a conflict would arise between the empires if Yuras held Eugene responsible for the current situation. If that were to happen, the emperor would undoubtedly try to pin the me on the Lionheart n. However, Eugene would make sure that it unfolded differently. He had no intention of keeping quiet about this crazy issue. He could simply silence the Holy Empire¡¯s opinion with the Holy Sword since they would only be denying the light if they chose to disagree. The power that the Lionhearts umted over 300 years was considerable. Thus it was impossible for Kiehl to expel the entirety of the Lionheart family from the empire. If a settlement could be made, then¡­. ¡®They would either throw me in jail or banish me.¡¯ But perhaps they wouldn¡¯t go as far as to banish him. Eugene was simply too talented to be banished for this problem. After all, what would Kiehl gain from expelling Eugene? Absolutely nothing. Moreover, the moment Eugene was deported, all the other nations would go crazy trying to take him in. ¡®I think they might throw me in jail and try to coax me¡­. No, but that¡¯s only the case if Yuras makes a big scene out of this. If the Pope wants to bury the whole issue, then there¡¯s nothing Kiehl can do.¡¯ As long as Eugene could keep the Pope¡¯s mouth shut, the majority of the problems would be solved. But how? Eugene had faced the fanatics of light in this temple, and they hadbeled Eugene¡¯s actions as being corrupt. In their perspective, the Light had not chosen wrong, and Eugene Lionheart¡¯s abilities were fit for the Hero. However, Eugene Lionheart had fallen¡­. It was an invincible logic. The fanatics could im that their actions were based on true faith while cleverly avoiding the true meaning of light. After seeing that the Pdins and Inquisitors had been set on such a mindset, Eugene wondered if he could even hold a proper conversation with their superior, the Pope. ¡®If I reveal that I¡¯m Hamel¡­.¡¯ So far, he had been given a free pass by revealing his identity from the past. However, he was up against the Pope of the Holy Empire this time around. He felt that simply revealing his identity as Hamel wouldn¡¯t be sufficient. What if he got the Holy Sword to emit light? No, that wouldn¡¯t be enough, either. Something more¡­. Something more like¡­ a miracle¡­. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe down if you¡¯ve awakened?¡± grumbled Eugene, ncing backward. Kristina flinched. She had been allowing her limp body to float in the wind. Eugene continued, ¡°Both my body and mind are in a mess right now¡­ so it¡¯s hard for me to keep this up.¡± ¡°Ehem.¡± Kristina descended with a dry cough and didn¡¯t raise her head even after touching the ground. Her clothes were alreadypletely dry from the Fount¡¯s water, but Kristina continued to pull and shake the hem of her clothes as if she felt ufortable. ¡°You¡­¡± Eugene called out while taking a step back. He saw that her expression was ratherplex and her ears red under her disheveled blond hair. ¡°What do you know?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Hmm¡­ Eem¡­ Ehem¡­¡± Kristina coughed a few times before raising her head by an inch. Her face was red, and as soon as she met his gaze, she immediately lowered her head once more. Eugene¡¯s expression grew even moreplex when he noticed her tant response. ¡°Oi¡­¡± he called out. ¡°S-sir Hamel¡­¡± stammered Kristina. ¡°Ah¡­. N-no, that¡¯s the past life, so¡­. I will¡­. I will just call you Sir Eugene. Yes. That¡¯s the right thing for me.¡± ¡°I asked you what you knew,¡± repeated Eugene. ¡°Well¡­. The thing is, L-Lady¡¯s Anise¡¯s memories came to me¡­. Well, not only her memories. It¡¯s like her consciousness became a part of me¡­¡± sputtered Kristina while grabbing her head, not realizing that she was speaking gibberish. It was only natural for her to be confused. Anise¡¯s soul was resting inside her, and although it would have been as such since a long time ago, the incident had awakened Anise¡¯s soul. So they now shared a consciousness, and Kristina also received Anise¡¯s memories. As a result, Kristina came to learn what the Saintess truly was, what kinds of rituals had been held in the Fount of Light, and who she truly was. Everything came to Kristina as a brutal truth, denying most of what she had believed all her life. Although she knew what was true and what was false, it was quite difficult for her to take it all in right away. Not only that, but Eugene Lionheart was supposedly the reincarnation of Stupid Hamel from 300 years ago. ¡°Please understand, Hamel. It will be difficult for this child to ept everything at once, so please be patient and¡­. Huh?¡± Kristina quickly sped her hands over her lips when she started speaking without meaning to. Eugene¡¯s eyebrows twitched as he looked down at Kristina, who had copsed in surprise. ¡°Anise?¡± he called out. ¡°N-no. No, I am not Lady Anise,¡± answered Kristina. But what was that just now? She had spoken without meaning to, and her head¡­ was a mess. It was filled with things that were difficult to understand, things she didn¡¯t want to understand. And at the very end was¡­ a face that was too close forfort, trembling eyes, the soft brush of their lips, and what wrapped around her tongue as¡­. ¡°Ahhhhhhhh!¡± screeched Kristina before sping her hands together and praying. [I didn¡¯t expect that you would receive that memory as well.] ¡°What?¡± Kristina raised her head in surprise as a voice resounded in her head. [I startled you without meaning to. I hope you understand. I did think about leaving you behind and departing for heaven, but for both you and Hamel, I think it would be best for me to remain here for the time being.] Eugene could not hear Anise¡¯s voice, but he had a rough idea of the current situation from Kristina¡¯s expression of shock and from the way she looked around as if she was hearing things. ¡°This voice is¡­¡± muttered Kristina as her expression slowly stiffened. She remembered the first revtion she heard: Eugene Lionheart is the Hero chosen by the Light, and Vermouth¡¯s soul did not enter heaven. It was the same voice, the voice ofthe light. [I was simply acting as the messenger. The message was not a lie. Although the God of Light is not as omnipotent as you or others might think, he is real. However, he cannot intervene directly in the matters of this world,] Anise continued. Kristina¡¯s shaking slowly subsided. [So do not deny the existence of the light. You are¡­. Haha, there¡¯s no helping it if you don¡¯t want to identify yourself as the Saintess, but your existence and power are definitely miracles. If you want to use your miracles for Hamel¡­ for Eugene Lionheart, then I will help you.] ¡®Lady Anise¡­.¡¯ [I know. I have been through the same thing as you, and I have always been watching you ever since you were young. I know what you¡¯ve experienced, and it¡¯s only natural for you to doubt the light after you¡¯ve realized the whole truth. However, Kristina, that doesn¡¯t matter. Even if you distrust the light, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that your existence is a miracle. Nor will the light leave you in disappointment because you distrust it.] Kristina continued to pray silently. She was starting to understand little by little. If the terrible ritual in the Fount of Light had progressed topletion, Kristina¡¯s blood would have been reced by the water from the Fount. If everything had gone ording to schedule afterward, Kristina would have been baptized by the sacred relic of the Holy Emperor in the Audience Chamber. Then, Kristina¡¯s back would have been engraved with a stigma, just like Anise¡¯s. [I do not want that. Even if you were made moreplete than I was, a forcibly engraved stigma will eat away at your life.] ¡°¡­..¡± [That¡¯s why I cannot leave you yet.] Kristina slowly closed her eyes. It was confusing and shocking, but she understood. Anise would remain inside her for the time being and support the miracles Kristina summoned with her own divine power. Anise¡¯s soul would rece the role of the stigma. Anise had perished long ago but had refused to enter heaven. She had remained behind in this world to keep her promise to her deadrade. But even after reuniting with herrade, she still refused to enter heaven. It was to see her mission from 300 years ago topletion. In the future, Anise would work from within Kristina, bearing Kristina¡¯s burden and pain in her stead. One day, when Kristina no longer needed her help, Anise would finally spread her wings and fly to heaven. Tears streamed down Kristina¡¯s face, even though her eyes were closed. It was a truly noble act. Anise refused thefort of death and insisted on feeling the pain of her soul to try to save the world. Although the Saintesses created by the Holy Empire were fake, artificial beings, Kristina could not see her predecessors as fake. Even if they had been created artificially, all of them had been true Saintesses¡­. [Do you not drink the holy water?] ¡®What?¡¯ [It doesn¡¯t seem like you enjoy it, but¡­. If you truly pity me, please enjoy holy water on my behalf from now on. And if you ever feel a difficult, shameful urge towards Hamel, I am willing to do it in your stead¡­.] ¡°What are you talking about!?¡± [I truly enjoy how innocent you are. I think I will have quite the fun from now on teasing you.] Anise giggled inside Kristina¡¯s head, but instead of answering, Kristina recited a short prayer. ¡°Are you done?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°¡­Ehem¡­ Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Tell Anise. It might be impossible right now, but when I see her in heaven after I die, I¡¯m going to beat the crap out of her,¡± said Eugene. Truthfully, he wanted to pummel her right this moment. But if he followed his desire, wouldn¡¯t it be Kristina who suffered instead? Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡ªThis is not goodbye, Hamel. As part of this child, I can bless and protect you on¡­.¡± He had not bothered to listen till the end, but he never imagined that this was what she meant. Eugene felt grateful not to have shed tears when Anise disappeared. He was afraid just to imagine how Anise would have teased him by borrowing Kristina¡¯s words if he had shed tears. ¡°Let¡¯s just make sure we distinguish it, so we don¡¯t get confused. Kristina, you¡­. Uh¡­. Call me Eugene, all right? Anise will call me Hamel anyways,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°¡­Yes, Sir Hagene.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°No¡­. Nothing, Sir Eumel.¡± ¡°What are you doing?¡± Kristina responded after pping herself on the lips a few times. ¡°Lady Anise is very mischievous. ording to the legend, she is supposed to be a warm person, like the morning sun.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t take an old tale word for word. I mean, look at me, right? The stories say that I¡¯m stupid, but how is that even remotely urate?¡± grumbled Eugene. Kristina opened her eyes to a slit and nced at Eugene. For some reason, it felt as if she could hear a giggle in her head. ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to return to the great cathedral,¡± answered Eugene. He didn¡¯t think anything good woulde from returning. The biggest issue now was his condition. It wasn¡¯t so bad that he couldn¡¯t lift a finger, but he would need to restpletely for a few days to recover. ¡°I think it would be best to destroy the warp-gate here and hole up somewhere to recover. After that¡­. Well, if I could, I would just run away without trying to fix anything.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°Would I be lying? I know I lost my cool and ran wild, but you never really think about fixing what you caused when you lose your cool and rampage. But what can I do? If I do really run away, the head of our family might lose what little hair he has left. He¡¯s stressed enough already,¡± mumbled Eugene while staggering forward. Kristina btedly came to his side and supported him. ¡°Anyways. If I n to at least pretend to make things right, I should get back to normal conditions first.¡± ¡°Because of me,¡± said Kristina. ¡°It¡¯s not just because of you, so don¡¯t say things like that. And what if it¡¯s because of you? Why should you feel guilty about it? You¡¯re the one who was thrown into shit,¡± said Eugene. A faint smile spread on her face at his harsh words. Mer red at Kristina. ¡°Don¡¯t get too close.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get too close to him,¡± she repeated. ¡°I¡¯m only supporting¡­. Ah,¡± with a smile, Kristina nodded. She raised Eugene¡¯s feeble body and put him behind her back. ¡°Hey, hey!¡± shouted Mer. ¡°This reminds me of Samar Forest,¡± said Kristina while supporting Eugene¡¯s buttocks with her hands. Eugene¡¯s face crumpled with humiliation, and Mer was struck speechless by Kristina¡¯s bold move. However, Kristina paid them no mind and instead continued forward while patting Eugene¡¯s buttocks. The morning sun was warm. Favorite Chapter 198: The Crusader (1)

Chapter 198: The Crusader (1)

In the vicinity of apletely destroyed temple, there was a huge hole that didn¡¯t fit well with the surrounding terrain. This was the hole that had been made by Eugene a few days ago. A tall woman stood at the entrance of the hole. She tilted her head to the side while looking down into the hole, which was too deep to see the end of. Although a half-moon was shining faintly in the night sky, a wave of darkness began to spread from the woman¡¯s back. The darkness created by the woman enveloped her surroundings like a fog and began to sink deep into the hole. After the darkness spreadpletely, the woman walked down into the hole, her feet utterly bare of any protection. Just a few steps into the hole and she had already found corpses. It looked like they had desperately tried to climb out of the hole. While this was perhaps due to the difficulty of climbing out of a hole this deep with their broken bodies, most of the copsed corpses also had what looked like wounds from a snake¡¯s fangs. Most of these corpses had their fingertips crusted with blood and dirt and looked like they had been crushed. In the days since their deaths, their bodies had already stiffened in rigor mortis, but the looks on their faces, contorted in pain and horror, remained. The woman examined each of these faces one by one as she headed deeper and deeper into the hole. The thin cotton veil covering her lips twitched. With each step she took downwards, an unpleasant stench weighed ever more heavily in the space around her. It was the smell of blood and spilled intestines. The smells of the rot that started days after the death of a body. A stench of death had concentrated in this hole from countless corpses. The woman felt slightly aroused by the smell. In this peaceful era that hadn¡¯t seen any wars break out, it was hard to find a ce like this where so many corpses were buried in one location. Especially corpses like these. These weren¡¯t the worthless corpses of a person with little to no status. The woman scanned the uniforms worn by the corpses. The red cross on their chests was the sigil of the Knights of the Blood Cross, and that red cloak was the symbol of the Inquisition''s Maleficarum. There were well over a hundred corpses. Though not all of them had died instantly. Quite a few of them looked like they could have survived, but they hadn¡¯t been able to escape this pit due to their severe injuries and exhaustion. However, as human lives were very tenacious, a few people could still be seen clinging to theirst breaths. With dying voices, they chanted prayers or called out to their God in a murmur. There were also a few voices begging for help while some hadpletely lost their minds and were just muttering iprehensibly. The woman paid no attention to them. She had no reason to save them. On the contrary, the darkness spreading from her with each step she took was iming their lives. The souls that were collected by this weren¡¯t able to ascend towards the sky, instead dissolving into the darkness. At the very bottom of the hole, the woman¡¯s steps halted. Down here, it was so dark that the woman couldn¡¯t darken it further. The smell of death that had been concentrated to its limits made every breath a joy. The woman lifted her veil slightly and took in the stench. Then she looked a bit further down with delight in her eyes. There wasn¡¯t anynd visible at the bottom of the hole. There weren¡¯t any piled-up bodies either. Instead, crimson blood had pooled up at the bottom like it was rainwater. Within that pool of blood, the debris of corpses could be seen floating around. This made the woman¡¯s lips, which were pressed tight, stretch in a thin smile. Then, her purple eyes glowing, she took a step toward the pool of blood. Boom! A ripple spread across the blood pool as she took that step forward. The surface of the pool turned clear, exposing whaty beneath. There were bodies that looked like they had been chewed upon, but there was still too much of this now-clear blood for it to have all been spilled from these corpses. ¡°Well, now, I just wanted to see what had happened to cause Atarax¡¯s death,¡± the womanmented to herself. In the woman¡¯s opinion, he was a rare, enlightened priest. In this current era, ck magic didn¡¯t receive an unconditional rejection. While it was impossible for a demonfolk to rise to the position of a bishop, if they wished, they really could enter the Church of Light and be a priest. However, it was hard to imagine that an Inquisitor of all people had held a slight desire toprehend ck magic instead of having a huge prejudice against it. In the past, after having secretly been in contact with him for some time, this woman had personally met Atarax. At that time, Atarax had shown an incorruptible attitude even as he asked the nemesis of his organization for advice on ck magic. No, rather than just incorruptible, at that time, Atarax¡¯s attitude was close to intimidating. We, the Inquisition, can hunt you down at any time. As such, if you value your life, you should cooperate with our demands. The woman had immediately realized that Atarax¡¯s request was nothing more than a facade for his true intentions. This was because the advice that Atarax had requested regarding ck magic wasn¡¯t on how to deal with it as an enemy. The woman had expected him to fall one day. She had wanted to see the moment when Atarax¡¯s arrogant delusion that the Light would forgive and condone any injustice that hemitted was shattered. If a cleric who had reached such a level were to fall, what kind of unique vor might permeate his soul. It was curiosity and greed that had led the woman to secretly brand the young Atarax. ¡°There¡¯s not even a trace left of Atarax¡¯s corpse,¡± the woman noted. ¡°His soul isn¡¯t here either. Did he rise to heaven like he so hoped for and was confident about? Or perhaps the soul itself had disappeared¡­. Haha. I really wanted to see his final moments in person.¡± The woman wasn¡¯t talking to herself. She was staring at a being floating in the center of the pool of blood. All of their limbs had been severed, leaving only a torso and a head. Yet, having been left in a condition where death was certain, they had somehow managed to survive. ¡°Depending on the use of blood magic, you really can achieve immortalityparable to one of the undead,¡± the woman whispered. ¡°Were you aware? You may have ssified blood magic as being different from ck magic, but the truth is that isn¡¯t necessarily the case. Blood magic was originally developed from those vampires who like to suck out people¡¯s blood and drink it.¡± Hemoria continued to cling to herst breaths that seemed like they might cut out at any moment. ¡°Even among the demonfolk, vampires possess a particrly high ss of immortality. They can be revived as long as there¡¯s a single drop of blood. Blood magic should be able to do the same, right? Instead of needing to feed on other¡¯s blood like a vampire, you should be able to multiply your own blood with mana and magic¡­. Haha. Though, in your case, it seems like you¡¯ve gone past what ordinary blood magic can heal,¡± the woman observed. ¡°...You¡­,¡± Hemoria¡¯s lips opened. ring at the woman, she squeezed out in a hoarse voice, ¡°...Amelia Merwin¡­.¡± One of the Three Mages of Incarceration. The Desert¡¯s Dungeon-master. The ck Thorn. Death Answerer. Among the ck wizards who had signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Amelia Merwin was known to be particrly entric and powerful, so she had many nicknames. The Ashur Desert, which she ruled over, had been designated a Restricted Zone by the Kingdom of Nahama, and all ess was forbidden. ¡°Why¡­ are you¡­ here?¡± Hemoria squeezed out. ¡°Didn¡¯t I already tell you? I came here to see Atarax¡¯s corpse. It¡¯s unfortunate that I wasn¡¯t able to see him fall while he was still alive, but as long as his corpse remained, I was thinking of making him into an undead. Ah, could it be you don¡¯t know? As long as the corpse remains and it¡¯s only been dead for a few days, it can be used to summon the deceased¡¯s soul,¡± Amelia said as she smiled and raised her hand. A staff made from a goat''s head and several other bones appeared in her hand. Buzzzz! The Dark Power[1]released from her staff evaporated the blood. Amelia continued, ¡°However, Atarax¡¯s corpse is missing. Although there are a lot of other corpses, they are all useless and worthless. But it seems I did well toe all the way down to the bottom of this deep hole. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve found a jewel on the sidewalk.¡± ¡°...Let go¡­!¡± Hemoria hissed. Amelia¡¯s Dark Power had wrapped around Hemoria. Hemoria thrashed her body, trying to somehow escape her grasp, but the only resistance her dismembered body could offer was arching her back and shaking her head. No. The truth was that Hemoria did have other means of resistance avable to her. It was that her blood magic was being suppressed by Amelia¡¯s Dark Power. If she could just get a little closer, Hemoria was confident that she would get a chance¡­. The moment Amelia¡¯s Dark Power dragged Hemoria¡¯s body closer, patterns appeared on each of Hemoria¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Stop!¡± Hemoria roared. The simpler themand, the stronger the power. She didn¡¯t need to keep a hold of Amelia Merwin for long. Hemoria just needed her to stop for a moment. Hemoria¡¯s jaws spread wide, then she tore a bite out of the air. Crack! Amelia¡¯s head tilted to the side. More than half of her neck had been bitten off and disappeared. The blood gushing out stained Amelia¡¯s cotton veil and her clothes red. If she was only human, then she would definitely be dead. However, Amelia Merwin didn¡¯t die. Her tilted head straightened once more. The spray of blood abruptly stopped. While feeling for the missing part of her neck, Amelia chuckled. ¡°Word Arts on top of Blood Magic. Both types of magic were once persecuted by the Holy Empire. And those fangs¡­,¡± Amelia trailed off as she stared at Hemoria¡¯s sharp teeth. They weren¡¯t just simple teeth. Curses that were close to ck magic had been boiled down into the form of a tooth. The idea of inserting teeth made through such a method into one''s gums was insane, but¡­. ¡°You really have been designed to make optimal use of the magic that your body itself possesses,¡± Ameliaplimented. ¡°No matter how much someone is trained in magic from an early age, it would be hard to achieve your level of optimization. In the first ce, if you had such talent, it should be disyed in other ways, but you seem to have specialized solely in blood magic and the word arts, while everything else isn¡¯t that great.¡± Hemoria¡¯s eyes trembled in fright. Amelia continued, ¡°It¡¯s honestly a surprise. To think that the Holy Empire¡­ no, that the Inquisition would show such knowledge of both magic and ck magic.¡± ¡°Sh¡­ Shut up¡­,¡± Hemoria growled weakly. ¡°Ah,¡± Amelia gasped faintly. ¡°It seems that you weren¡¯t aware? It¡¯s not just Atarax. Your Inquisition has made contact with ck wizards in every era. I don¡¯t know who they were in contact with previously, but even before Atarax, I¡¯ve given advice on ck magic to two previous Inquisitors.¡± Hemoria¡¯s face turned pale. ¡°What? Are you disappointed? Do you hate the fact that the Inquisition you serve actually has ties to the ck wizards and to me, Amelia Merwin, at that? Why now, after havinge so far? I actually rather admire them. Even for wizards, it¡¯s rare to see such dedication towards understanding ck magic, all for the sake of their god,¡± Amelia giggled as she probed her own wounds. Wherever her fingers went, new skin grew, and the wounded flesh was reconnected. ¡°Ah, but even among them, Atarax was quite the interesting individual,¡± Amelia sighed. "Even though he knew nothing about the subject, he would still try to threaten me, and he showed such confidence that the light would continue to protect him unconditionally¡ª¡± ¡°M-master¡­! Don¡¯t insult¡­ my father!¡± Hemoria let out a scream as her body twisted futilely. Her father! A big smile spread across Amelia¡¯s face at those words. She strode over and grabbed Hemoria by the hair. After forcefully pulling Hemoria¡¯s head up, Amelia pressed her face close to Hemoria and looked into her eyes. A chill went down Hemoria¡¯s back as her spirits fell. The terror of death seemed to pour forth from the eyes that were locked with hers. Hemoria couldn¡¯t say anything more, and her body trembled in fear. Unable to hold on any longer, the lingering marks of her Word Arts disappeared from her cheeks. ¡°...Your faaather?¡± Amelia drawled out with a snicker as she grabbed Hemoria¡¯s chin with her other hand. With this grip, Amelia forced Hemoria¡¯s mouth open and grabbed onto one of the sharp teeth. Pupuput! Blood spurted from the gap where the tooth had forcefully been pulled out. However, Hemoria wasn¡¯t even able to let out a scream. After turning the pulled-out tooth this way and that as she scanned it, Amelia shrugged her shoulders and asked, ¡°You ate humans, right?¡± Hemoria¡¯s face paled even further. ¡°From the corpses here, as well as those who weren¡¯t quite corpses yet. Weren¡¯t they all yourrades? You actually devoured your ownrades to survive here at the bottom of this hole,¡± Amelia used. Hemoria stammered, ¡°N-no, I didn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°Were you trying to make the excuse that you didn¡¯t eat them yourself? Aren¡¯t you aware of how ridiculous of an excuse that is? You used blood magic to drain the blood from the corpses here as well as those who were only half-dead. You used them to restore your own blood and heal your wounds. If you had a few more days, you would probably have recovered enough to make it out of this hole on your own,¡± Amelia said as she pushed her head down on top of Hemoria¡¯s head. Ssh! As Hemoria¡¯s limbless body fell back into the pool of blood, she saw all the corpses that were submerged in the pool. In fact, the corpses were so severely damaged that it was hard to recognize that they had even once been human. It wasn¡¯t Hemoria that had killed them. Hemoria had just connected her blood to these deceased corpses to draw from them¡­. Or at least, that was what she had thought. ¡°I really like things like this,¡± Amelia admitted cheerfully. ¡°Just the fact that an Inquisitor, who¡¯s meant to show unconditional obedience towards the light, actually secretly contacted a ck wizard and studied ck magic would be amusing enough¡­ but to think that he would even father a child behind closed doors. Then to find out that that daughter would eventually go on to suck the lifeblood of herpanions, both Pdins and Inquisitors, in order to survive.¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s not true,¡± Hemoria desperately denied. ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­.¡± Amelia continued mercilessly, ¡°In the end, I find out that the daughter isn¡¯t even a proper human being, but instead some kind of chimera? I only came all this way to pick up your father¡¯s corpse, but¡­ ahaha! You are a much more entertaining find than your father.¡± Hemoria feebly lifted her head to look up at Amelia. Those purple eyes that were glowing in the midst of the darkness were terrifying. Hemoria unconsciously chewed her bottom lip as she muttered a prayer. ¡°After turning yourself into this, are you really looking for the light to save you?¡± Amelia mocked. ¡°I¡¯m not a believer in the light, but I can still confidently say this. The light might not be a merciless asshole, but do you really think it would still take care of something like you, who¡¯s done the things you¡¯ve done?¡± Hemoria gasped, ¡°I¡­ it was all for the light that I¡­.¡± ¡°Your father said the same thing. He probably even said those words before he died, right? If the light really was looking out for the both of you, then your limbs wouldn¡¯t have been chopped off, and your father wouldn¡¯t have died. No, hold on. If the light really cared about this world in the first ce, your father wouldn¡¯t have dared to make something like you. Your very existence is an insult to the light!¡± Amelia spat. Bam! Her staff swung down onto Hemoria¡¯s back. ¡°It seems that as an idiot, you don¡¯t even know what kind of existence you are, so allow me to inform you. You are not a normal human being. Do you know what that means? You¡¯re a chimera made from mixing a human with various other things,¡± Amelia enlightened her. Hemoria¡¯s trembling came to a halt. ¡°You said that Atarax is your father? That¡¯s probably because part of your genes was copied from Atarax¡¯s semen and blood, but from my perspective, both as a wizard and as a ck wizard, your rtionship with Atarax is nothing more than a handful of sand. Don¡¯t you think so yourself? After having sucked in so much blood to survive these past few days, do you really think that the blood you¡¯ve inherited from Atarax is thicker than the blood you have absorbed into your body?¡± Amelia questioned. ¡°No¡­ I-i-it¡¯s not true¡­,¡± Hemoria weakly denied. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not true? Why deny such an obvious thing? Ah, I guess it doese naturally. You fanatics react to anything other than the light with denial. It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll show some understanding. I would prefer it if your personality and the strength of your beliefs remain very, very strong,¡± Amelia confessed as she used her Dark Power to lift Hemoria¡¯s body into the air. ¡°That¡¯s what will make training you so fun. Don¡¯t worry, I won''t kill you. Instead, I¡¯ll give you what you want. So what if your limbs have been chopped off? It¡¯s just a matter of restoring your limbs, right? Ah¡­ by the way, what exactly is your name?¡± Hemoria didn¡¯t reply. She wasn¡¯t able to. The words that Amelia had let loose with a chuckle, the truths that Amelia had poured out so very casually, as if she were only teasing, had shaken Hemoria¡¯s mind. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to talk? In that case, I¡¯ll have no choice but to hear it from you next time. Now then, from now on, I want you to understand it. The light didn¡¯t protect you. It didn¡¯t care for you while you were dying. Do you think that what you did was unavoidable? Yes, that¡¯s right. If the light really did care for you, then you wouldn¡¯t have had to suck the blood out of yourrades,¡± Amelia said all this in a pleasant voice as she began dragging Hemoria away. ¡°Do you know what that means? The light you serve isn¡¯t as kind as your prayers describe it to be. So, do you know what you should resent from now on?¡± Amelia¡¯s voice sounded like it wasing from far away. In her faltering vision, Hemoria saw a small light. But that light was being held in the hands of a devil. A devil that had approached Hemoria while holding unbelievable and terrifying murderous intent and hatred for all the things that existed in this world. The light that had promised to protect Hemoria and its other believers was outshone by the light in the devil¡¯s hands. Then she began to dance with the devil. ¡°...Grgrk.¡± In her tightly clenched jaws, Hemoria¡¯s teeth began to grind. * * * Two days after the end of the rituals that had been held at the Fount of Light, Eugene and Kristina were staying in a tent that they had set up deep within arge forest. The tent was a magic artifact they had used while wandering the Samar Rainforest. Although the recoil this time was light, Eugene still had to stay in bed for these past two days without straining himself. Kristina had nursed Eugene while he was in this state, only heading out of the tent to hunt small animals and forage for herbs when the time came for their meals. Sometimes, if Mer offered to take over nursing Eugene, Kristina would kneel down and offer her prayers. Although she no longer uttered her prayers out loud, she was still drawn to the light deep within her heart. Whenever this happened, she would hear Anise¡¯s voice inside her head, and while listening to Anise¡¯s voice, a soft light would envelop Kristina¡¯s body. ¡°It seems that there¡¯s no need for us to turn on any lights at night,¡± Mer cheekilymented. The light surrounding Kristina was only moderately bright. Unlike the lights that could be summoned by magic, or the sun in the sky, their eyes wouldn¡¯t hurt even after looking at this light for a long time. Kristina was also quite warm, though not as warm as a campfire. Mer actually liked howfortably warm Kristina was, as it kept her from feeling far too hot no matter how close her hand got to Kristina. ¡°I think it would be really nice to have her around when I want to read. It would also be good to snuggle up to her and sleep together during the cold winter¡­.¡± Mer stopped what she was saying to re at Eugene. ¡°Of course, Sir Eugene, you aren¡¯t allowed to do that.¡± ¡°When did I say that I even wanted to do that?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°If Lady Anise ever takes over that body and tries to hug you, then you need to say it firmly,¡± Mer instructed. ¡°Tell her that you can¡¯t do that. Understand?¡± ¡°What am I, a kid?¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°You sometimes act like a child, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Just stop talking to me and also keep some distance from her. Why do you keep bothering her when she¡¯s trying to pray?¡± As Kristina was kneeling, Mer was lying down with her head resting on Kristina¡¯s thighs. ¡°I like how soft and fluffy this feels,¡± Mer sighed in contentment. ¡°Although this feeling is one you might never experience for the rest of your life. Ah, just because I said this, you¡¯re not allowed to secretly try and find out what it feels like¡ª¡± ¡°Just stop it already,¡± Eugene grumbled as he undid the bandage wrapped around his left hand. Although the hand had been crushed two days ago, thanks to a miracle from Kristina, it was nowpletely healed. Even the bones that had been shattered into pieces had fully healed during the time that the bandages were wrapped around his arm, and no nerves had been severed. ¡®Like I thought, the power of her miracles is stronger than before,¡¯Eugene observed. Although Kristina¡¯s miracles were beyond allparison to those performed by other clergymen even before now, the healing magic that she had used in the Samar Rainforest had yet to have reached this level. This was all thanks to Anise dwelling within Kristina. One day, Kristina would reach the point of being able to regenerate cut-off limbs like Anise had. Even as Eugene anticipated theing of such a day, at the same time, he felt concerned. In the end, wasn¡¯t this like they were holding back Anise, who had already died a long time ago, keeping her in this world to make her suffer? ¡®No¡­ hold on. If we think of it like that, I¡¯m the one you should feel sorry for in the first ce. Why does a person who died three hundred years ago have to be reincarnated and go through such a headache¡­? Vermouth, that fucking bastard,¡¯Eugene silently cursed to himself. Anise hadn¡¯t known anything about Vermouth. Through Eugene, she had learned that Vermouth had pierced a hole through Sienna¡¯s chest, but it didn¡¯t seem like she knew anything apart from that. It couldn¡¯t be helped. After returning from Helmuth, Anise hadn¡¯t had any further contact with Vermouth. It was because of the Oath with the Demon Kings. Sienna wasn¡¯t the only one who had been disappointed that their fight had ended like that. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully as he finished unwrapping the bandage and stood up. Kristina also halted her prayers and opened her eyes. She turned to Eugene with slight concern in her eyes. ¡°What are you so startled for? We were expecting someone toe looking for us,¡± Eugene pointed out. Kristina hesitated, ¡°But¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene said as he opened the entrance to the tent. Someone was approaching them from a distance. If they had wanted to, they could have hidden their presence and tried to sneak up on Eugene and the others, but instead, they were approaching with an obvious disy of their arrival. It was so that they could alert Eugene¡¯s side and give them time to ready a response. ¡°How polite of him,¡± Eugene muttered as he pulled the Holy Sword out from his cloak. Although Eugene didn¡¯t know who it was, it would definitely be a high-ranking priest within Yuras. Perhaps another Cardinal? No¡­ the presence approaching them today felt like something close to a knight. It had to be someone who was at least at the rank of a Captain in the Knights of the Blood Cross. ¡®No, it¡¯s different,¡¯Eugene frowned. It was even greater than that. Although there was still quite a distance between them, Eugene could already tell that the feeling of that person¡¯s presence was extremely heavy. It had to be a warriorparable to Alchester, the Commander of the White Dragon Knights, who was approaching them. ¡®So, is this the Commander of the Blood Cross Knights?¡¯Eugene wondered as the figure drew nearer. It was the Crusader. Eugene stepped forward to meet him. Chapter 199: The Crusader (2)

Chapter 199: The Crusader (2)

The Commander of the Knights of the Blood Cross, sworn to the Yuras Empire, the Crusader, Raphael Martinez. Eugene had also heard several stories about the man. His name was one of the ones that cropped up whenever it came to discussing the continent¡¯s strongest warriors. The Council Head of the ck Lion Castle. The Commander of the White Dragon Knights. Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. The king of Northern Ruhr. And the Commander of the Knights of the Blood Cross. Eugene watched as the man walked towards them from the other side of the forest. The years that this man had seen surpassed those seen by Carmen or Alchester and wereparable to the hundreds of years lived by the now-deceased Doynes Lionheart. However, from his appearance, it was hard to believe that the man who was now approaching them had lived for over a hundred years. Raphael looked like he hadn¡¯t even reached puberty. Calling him a ¡®young man¡¯ would actually be overstating it, as by all appearances, he looked like a boy. A young boy with beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes¡­. However, thoserge blue eyes didn¡¯t carry even the slightest hint of boyish innocence. Instead, the deste and somber look in his eyesbined with his boyish appearance to create a strange atmosphere. ¡®It really is bizarre,¡¯Eugene admitted to himself. Although he had heard about this several times, this was Eugene¡¯s first time seeing it in person. But possessing an appearance that was different from the actual years lived was nothing special for someone who had reached such a level of strength. It was only natural for a younger body to be stronger than an older body. Therefore, as soon as wizards, knights, and other types of warriors reached the point where they could perfectly control their bodies with mana, they would reconstruct their old bodies into younger bodies. After rejuvenating their bodies, what they did with their ¡®looks¡¯ depended on their taste and status. For example, they might put on a dignified appearance that matched their age, or they might just follow the example of their body and make their face younger as well. If they didn¡¯t care about the surrounding opinions or their own position of authority, they might decide to keep a young body, and appearance like Carmen did. On the other hand, if they did care about the looks that their station would draw, they might maintain a dignified middle-aged look like Klein, the current Council Head, or Gilead, the Patriarch of the n. However, Raphael was going too far. Or at least that¡¯s what it looked like in Eugene¡¯s eyes. Not only did he have a young boy¡¯s face, but he also had an immature body to match. Was he about a hundred and sixty centimeters tall? Eugene guessed that it wasn¡¯t that short, but¡­. ¡®They do say that his growth stopped during his childhood.¡¯ Compared with other knights, Raphael was especially small-framed. It didn¡¯t stand out that much when he was younger. But in his mid-teens, the point at which the body¡¯s physical growth elerated, while the other knights all sprouted up like weeds and strapped muscles onto their frames, Raphael¡¯s body hadn¡¯t shown any further growth. Even under such adverse conditions, Raphael was still able to rise to the rank of Commander of the Knights of the Blood Cross. He should already be able to perfectly control his body with his mana, but Raphael¡¯s body remained small. For the past half a century, the Crusader had made a name for himself as the smallest and strongest knight on the continent. ¡°Sir Eugene Lionheart?¡± Raphael cautiously called out to Eugene as he approached with a slow gait. Then Raphael stopped where he was, not approaching any further. Instead of replying immediately, Eugene stared at Raphael. He certainly was small. That boyish facebined with the eyes of an old knight who had seen just about everything didn¡¯t match even in the slightest, so at first nce, it felt like Raphael was wearing a mask. Raphael wore the uniform of the Knights of the Blood Cross, which had a red cross embroidered on the neck and the chest. He wasn¡¯t wearing any armor, but at the same time, he wasn¡¯t unarmed. Behind Raphael¡¯s head stood the hilt of a cross-shaped greatsword that was taller than Raphael¡¯s own height. Raphael¡¯s eyes traveled down from Eugene¡¯s face. Eugene knew what that obvious gaze wanted to see. So he lifted his cloak and showed Raphael the hilt of the Holy Sword in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that you¡¯re alright,¡± Raphael said with a bow of his head. It was difficult for Eugene to guess what this old man was thinking behind his boyish mask. Especially since, as someone who could sit at the head of the Blood Cross Knights, Raphael should be quite a zealot of the Light; and from this incident, Eugene had concluded in his heart that all zealots of the Light were iprehensible existences. ¡°Saint Candidate Kristina is still with you, correct?¡± Raphael asked as his head lifted from his bow. Raphael¡¯s perpetually somber gaze was still fixed on the Holy Sword. Eugene pointed to the tent behind him and said, ¡°She¡¯s over there. But what is your reason for looking for us?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re asking because you¡¯re unaware,¡± Raphael pointed out. ¡°Of course I know,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°But that¡¯s exactly why your attitude seems quite mysterious. After I did such a thing¡­ well¡­ I don¡¯t think you¡¯d ever be able to ept the reasons for it from your point of view. So it¡¯s strange for you toe here alone under such circumstances, and your demeanor is also strangely calm.¡± Raphael¡¯s lips twitched at these words. With a slight smile, he pointed at the Holy Sword that Eugene was currently resting his hand on. ¡°Sir Eugene, you have been recognized by the Holy Sword. So for you to have done something like this, you must have had a reason that left you with no choice but to do so. And Sir Eugene, since you are still able to rest your hand on the Holy Sword, that must mean that the God of Light who created the Holy Sword also approves of your action¡­ or at least I would like to think so,¡± Raphael finished hesitantly. ¡°Hm,¡± Eugene hummed consideringly. ¡°Also, Saint Candidate Kristina is still staying by your side,¡± Raphael added. ¡°Although I haven¡¯t met her too often, I know that the Saint Candidate is a very sincere and kind person.¡± Eugene cocked an eyebrow, ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°If you had somehow forcibly kidnapped her, then I believe the Saint Candidate would have taken her own life.¡± Eugene really didn¡¯t enjoy hearing such words. With a twisted smile, Eugene wrapped his fingers around the hilt of the Holy Sword and said, ¡°I really hate hearing things like that.¡± ¡°The same goes for me,¡± Raphael said with a nod and a returned smile. ¡°However, as someone who has been raised by Cardinal Rogeris, from what I know and have seen, the Saint Candidate is just such a person. ¡­So for that Saint Candidate¡­ to have abandoned the sacred ceremony midway and sought refuge with you, Sir Eugene, it¡¯s still hard for me to believe it.¡± ¡°Did you see the temple before you came here?¡± Eugene asked. Raphael nodded, ¡°It¡¯s in quite a miserable state.¡± Eugene had expected the question to leave a crack in Raphael¡¯s expression, but it seemed to have failed. ¡°Ah, I just realized that I should have checked something. Though, in fact, I wonder if it is something that I really need to confirm¡­ was everything done by you, Sir Eugene?¡± Raphael btedly inquired. ¡°I did kill over a hundred Pdins and Inquisitors, as well as the Punisher Atarax, and¡­ there was also¡­ who was it again?¡± Eugene trailed off uncertainly. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the Captain of the Knights of the Blood Cross, that friend¡¯s name was Giovanni,¡± Raphael answered. ¡°Ah, yes, Lord¡­ Giovanni, as well as Cardinal Rogeris. I killed them all,¡± Eugene confessed honestly. Throughout this whole conversation, Raphael¡¯s expression hadn¡¯t changed. He had maintained the same smile that he had had from the start, and his calm eyes seemed to be treating all of this like an extremely formal and business-as-usual report. ¡°You really did something amazing,¡± Raphaelmented. ¡°Yes, well¡­ things just turned out like that,¡± Eugene replied. Then the two stood there as a brief silence spread between them. Was this really how the conversation was meant to y out? Eugene asked this question deep inside his heart. Wasn¡¯t Raphael¡¯s reaction way too casual? Even though, as a Pdin who served as a symbol of his nation, his loyalty to the empire and the church, and also his faith in the light, must all be strong. Raphael¡¯s expression seemed to truly be calm. However, Eugene still didn¡¯t let his guard down. From what he had experienced in his previous life, the more he couldn¡¯t understand what someone was thinking, and the more bizarre their attitude, the more absurd the madness that person concealed. Raphael perked up, ¡°Ah, Saint Candidate Kristina.¡± Kristina, who had been waiting inside the tent, suddenly emerged. Although he was still standing quite a distance from the tent, Raphael spotted Kristina emerging and greeted her with a smile and wave of his hand, ¡°I¡¯m d to see that you¡¯re unscathed.¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that she¡¯s someone you haven¡¯t met with that often?¡± ¡°I was telling the truth, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m indifferent to her. I¡¯m also the one who taught her how to use the il that she wields,¡± Raphael exined. Kristina began to approach. Eugene tried to keep her from getting closer by raising his hand to stop her, but Raphael held his hand up even faster than Eugene. ¡°Saint Candidate,¡± Raphael called out. ¡°Please don¡¯t get closer just yet.¡± Kristina hesitated, ¡°Lord Raphael¡­.¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t decided what exactly I should do about all this,¡± Raphael informed her. Eugene smirked at these words. Looking down at Raphael, who was shorter than him, Eugene asked, ¡°What else do you have to consider?¡± Raphael refused to ask any further questions, ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to say anything more about the matter that just urred. I don¡¯t really want to do something like that, and I don¡¯t think it would be good for you either, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Why do you not want to ask about it?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s because I took a look at the temple beforeing here. Cardinal Rogeris was strong, and friend Giovanni was a Captain in our knightly order, so his skills were unquestionably good. Atarax from the Maleficarum also wasn¡¯t an opponent to be taken lightly. There were also about one hundred and seventy Pdins and Inquisitors who died there,¡± Raphael said with a shake of his head. ¡°For such a tragedy to take ce within a single day, Sir Eugene, you must be incredibly strong. That¡¯s why I can honestly say I really don¡¯t want to fight with you, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°Then we just don¡¯t need to fight, right?¡± ¡°If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t have even been sent here. You must also be aware of how absurd what you have just said is.¡± ¡°So it really has to be this way?¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Eugene, you have truly done something incredible. If I were to set aside how much I don¡¯t want to fight with you, look at all the facts of the matter, and seriously think about the situation, then I have to conclude that I must fight with and kill you no matter what.¡± ¡°But it would have been easier to do so if you brought a few other Pdins with you instead ofing here all by yourself,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°It couldn¡¯t be helped,¡± Raphael shrugged. ¡°The temple and the Fount of Light located here are meant to be kept secret even within the church¡­ and I only came here to find out what exactly had taken ce.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the case,¡± Eugene nodded in understanding. Raphael sighed, ¡°Honestly speaking, this goes beyond what I could even imagine. I examined the corpses of those that you killed, and what I found was truly¡­ impressive. Such ruthless swordy is hard to see in an era like this one.¡± Silence fell once more. Raphael eventually broke the silence, ¡°It was the Holy Father who sent me here. After confirming what happened here at the Fount, he ordered me topletely subdue you and bring you to the Vatican, or else¡­ behead you and bring your head to them.¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s¡­. Lord Raphael, in your opinion, do you really think that will be possible?¡± ¡°Although I¡¯ll have to try to know for sure, among all the knights under themand of the Holy Father, there is no knight as strong, faithful, trustworthy, and loyal as I am,¡± Raphael dered without any apparent arrogance. ¡°As such, I had no choice but toe here.¡± ¡°So what are you going to do now? Are you going to draw that greatsword of yours?¡± Eugene asked challengingly. ¡°I¡¯m still in the middle of thinking about that, but¡­ Sir Eugene, what if you run away instead?¡± Raphael proposed. Eugene frowned, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just saying this because I think it will be easier for me to muster up some motivation for it, but if at all possible¡­ what if you leave the Saint Candidate here and run away on your own?¡± Raphael exined. ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°I¡¯m only saying this after having given it a lot of thought,¡± Raphael nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t want a swordfight to break out where the Saint Candidate can see it¡­ and after seeing you stand there so imposingly, my faith has also been shaken slightly.¡± ¡°Really now,¡± Eugene said doubtfully. Raphael gasped, ¡°Ah, I forgot to tell you something? That¡¯s¡­ before we turn our swords against each other, may I ask you for a favor?¡± ¡°What kind of favor?¡± Although there wasn¡¯t any anger, hostility, or murderous intent present in their conversation, Eugene could still detect the strange scent of drawn steel. It felt like he was talking to a sword with a mouth. The same was true of Eugene, but Raphael was someone who didn¡¯t need anything like a warm-up routine before springing into a fight. As a Pdin who was wearing the skin of a young boy, once he had made up his mind to do so, Raphael could immediately unleash an insanity-inducing murderous intent. If needed, Raphael could muster up anger and hatred for the deaths of the Pdins, the Cardinals, and the members of the Inquisition. He would then hone all the emotions generated by this into his murderous intent and would infuse this intent into his greatsword. It seemed that Raphael was someone who thought that solving his problems with fighting and killing was unnecessarily messy. From what he had shown through his words, gaze, and attitude so far, he wielded his sword in a highly business-like manner. ¡°Please draw the Holy Sword,¡± Raphael finally spoke up. ¡°And call on the light of the Holy Sword in front of me.¡± Kristina eximed, ¡°Lord Raphael! Sir Eugene really is¡ª¡± ¡°Pardon me for saying this, Saint Candidate Kristina, but I¡¯m afraid I cannot listen to your words. Currently, what I need is to confirm the facts so that I can make my judgment,¡± Raphael said as he took a few steps back. After staring into Raphael¡¯s perpetually clouded eyes, Eugene nodded slowly. This wasn¡¯t the first time he¡¯d received a request to pull out the Holy Sword and show off its light. Whenever Eugene pulled out the Holy Sword and drew upon its light, all the believers of the Light who saw it celebrated the fact that Eugene was the Hero. But even under such circumstances, upon learning that Eugene¡¯s opinions contradicted their own points of view, they changed their evaluation of Eugene as quickly as a flip of the palm. ¡°Is this enough?¡± Eugene asked as the de of the Holy Sword was drawn fully from within his cloak and began to radiate light. Causing light to shine from the Holy Sword wasn¡¯t of any difficulty to Eugene. He just needed to hold the Holy Sword and focus on his desire for light. Eugene himself had many questions about this ¡®light.¡¯ When Eugene was killing the faithful within the temple, the Holy Sword didn¡¯t emit light as Eugene had desired, but it hadn¡¯t burned his hands to try and escape Eugene¡¯s grasp either. Instead, it had actually guided Eugene into finding the right path through the temple¡¯s fog, and at the veryst moment, when he had in Cardinal Rogeris, it had burst into a brilliant light even though Eugene hadn¡¯t called for it to do so. It was as if it was trying to prove that this really was Divine Retribution, as Eugene had imed. Even under such circumstances, the ¡®Light¡¯ had also lent its strength to all of the temple¡¯s clergy. In the end, Sergio had summoned angels using high-level divine magic and even made use of his stigma. In Eugene¡¯s hands, the Holy Sword seemed to show that the God of Light despised this attempt to imitate his Incarnation and the ceremony that was meant toplete Kristina¡¯s transformation into this false Saint, thus delivering Divine Retribution. But at the same time, God had lent his light to his other believers. Anise had said that the God of Light loves all his followers and bestows his light on every one of them. It would have been better if the God of Light had responded to Eugene¡¯s will and had withdrawn his light from the priests that Eugene was facing. Then, given his position as the Hero, Eugene would have been able to act without any restraint. However, the God of Light hadn¡¯t done that. The God of Light seemed more indifferent than benevolent. He had allowed the corpse of his Incarnation to be used to create an imitation of his Incarnation in the form of a Saint, and he had silently bestowed his light to be used in the inhumane experiments that Yuras had been conducting for hundreds of years to perfect their Imitation Incarnation. This had gone on for hundreds of years. While it was true that Eugene was the Hero acknowledged by the Holy Sword, the zealots of Yuras ¡ª especially the Pope and the Cardinals who had known what was going on behind the scenes and had lied that the Stigmata they had carved on themselves were bestowed by the light ¡ª might not show any regret or repentance, even if Eugene were to reveal the truth of this tragedy. The fact that Raphael Martinez hade here on his own today also allowed Eugene to guess what they were thinking. The Pope and the Cardinals intended topletely bury this matter. Raphael silently stared at the shining Holy Sword for a few moments. Then he raised his hand and grasped the hilt behind his head. It was impossible to pull out a greatsword strapped onto his back over his head in one motion, so Raphael pulled the hilt of the greatsword towards his shoulder. The belt wrapped around his chest was moved along with this motion, so the greatsword was now slung over his shoulder. Schiiing. The cross-shaped greatsword slowly slid out of its scabbard. Raphael held the hilt of the drawn greatsword in both hands. Without turning off the light emitted by the Holy Sword, Eugene just stared at Raphael. Fwoosh. A light red out from Raphael¡¯s greatsword. This light that was summoned so casually was iparably more brilliant and deeper than the light summoned by the Pdins that Eugene had seen a few days ago. Raphael silentlypared the two different lights. The light was reflected in Raphael¡¯s deeply shadowed eyes. Without any trace of amusement, he looked at his own greatsword, then nodded slightly. The greatsword spun in a circle. Then, resting the greatsword down beside him and holding it up in support, he knelt down on the spot. ¡°Respect the Hero,¡± Raphael said as he bowed his head. Eugene still couldn¡¯t figure out what Raphael¡¯s intentions were. Raphael then raised the greatsword up into the air above his head using both hands and said, ¡°And worship the Light.¡± Raphael raised his head. Through the brilliant lighting from their swords, Raphael looked up at Eugene, then lowered the greatsword he had raised above his head onto the ground in front of his knees. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eugene finally asked. ¡°The Holy Sword has recognized you. Even though you have killed many believers of the faith, its light hasn¡¯t faded, and even now, it shines so brilliantly,¡± Raphael said by way of exnation as he lowered his head once more. ¡°Since the light remains so bright, even when held in your hands, Sir Eugene, what you did wasn¡¯t a massacre of the faithful, but instead a Divine Retribution delivered from the Light.¡± ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. ¡°As a simple believer, I don¡¯t feel any need to separate the facts from the truth. I just need to follow the will of the Brilliant Light,¡± Raphael stated calmly. Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°Aren¡¯t you suspicious that I¡¯ve fallen?¡± ¡°If a fallen one¡¯s hand was still able to emit such a light, then they were only right to fall,¡± Raphael said with a shrug and augh. ¡°I¡¯ve followed the Light for a long time and have always loyally served the Faith. During that time, I have seen so many things that have nearly shaken my faith. What I¡¯ve found here was a secret temple, traces of a ritual that was no different from abuse, the lost remains of our deceased former Saints, and evidence of a secret coboration between the Pope and the Cardinals.¡± Eugene remained silent. ¡°But the Light has still generously bestowed upon them a light that is more brilliant than most others, and even as I am in pain and doubt, having lost trust in my faith because of all that I¡¯ve just seen, God has still granted his light to me. As such, I eventually decided that ¡®this side¡¯ must be the right one¡­ but Sir Eugene, having seen your light, it¡¯s clear that this side isn¡¯t in the right,¡± Raphael dered firmly as he rose to his feet. ¡°So let us go and behead the Pope.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Eugene gasped. ¡°Pope Aeuryus is awaiting my return in the Audience Chamber of the Vatican,¡± Raphael revealed. ¡°Cardinal Beshara and Cardinal Pietro should also be with Aeuryus.¡± Eugene was struck dumb once more. ¡°Since the three are together, we can take all their heads at once. There are quite a few Pdins assigned to the Vatican, but if I lead the way, it should be easy for us to reach the Audience Chamber,¡± Raphael plotted. ¡°Hold on,¡± Eugene demanded. Caught up in his ns, Raphael continued uninterrupted, ¡°There are Escort Knights directly apanying Aeuryus, but they are only ten in total, and their skills are simr to Giovanni, whom you have killed.¡± ¡°Hold on a second,¡± Eugene attempted once more. ¡°I think the real problem will be with Aeuryus, Beshara, and Pietro. Sir Eugene, you said you killed Sergio, but was he able to use the light?¡± Raphael inquired. Eugene replied, ¡°He was, but¡ª¡± ¡°Indeed, the merciful light illuminates all those who possess faith. Thanks to that, we¡¯ll have a tough time killing the Pope and the Cardinals.¡± As if it was only natural, Raphael had counted himself alongside Eugene and Kristina, tying them together in his ns as ¡®we.¡¯ ¡°So I, of course, rmend a surprise attack, but that will require your help, Sir Eugene. First of all, you pretend to have been subdued by me so that we can enter the Audience Chamber together, then we should be able to kill the Cardinals by surprise. But that still leaves us with Aeuryus¡­. Hm¡­ the problem is, as long as we¡¯re unable to kill Aeuryus in one blow, all the Pdins, Inquisitors, and Priests will be called, so even if we do seed in killing him¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on, just hold on a moment!¡± Eugene hurriedly shouted to cut off Raphael¡¯s words. ¡°I have no intention of killing them.¡± ¡°But don¡¯t they deserve to be killed?¡± Raphael questioned in confusion. ¡°And they¡¯re also nning on killing you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°In my opinion, that¡¯s probably what they¡¯re after. From what I¡¯ve heard, most of the sacred relics stored in the special reliquary have disappeared somewhere,¡± Raphael informed them. ¡°...Huh?¡± Eugene reacted in surprise at this news. Raphael nodded, ¡°While I don¡¯t know the exact reason for their disappearance, it probably has something to do with you, right?¡± Eugene recalled what he had seen of the Fount of Light and the relics that had acted as filters and water purifiers within the temple¡¯s mechanisms. All of those had turned into light and disappeared in front of Eugene¡¯s eyes. ¡®Did he just say that the holy relics in the Vatican have disappeared as well?¡¯Eugene considered the news with a frown. In the end, most of those relics were the remains of former Saints. ¡°Most of the special-ss relics that have been in storage since the founding of Yuras have been lost, and the Fount of Light, which was considered a sacred location, has also disappeared. Cardinal Rogeris has died, and droves of Pdins and Inquisitors have also been killed, so isn¡¯t it only natural for the Pope and the other Cardinals to try to kill you or find you ountable for this, Sir Eugene?¡± Raphael warned. ¡°But in the end, aren¡¯t they also priests. Won¡¯t they convert like you did upon seeing the light of the Holy Sword?¡± Eugene asked hopefully. ¡°I wasn¡¯t converted. I was rescued from my disillusionment,¡± Raphael said with a calm smile. ¡°Since I was disillusioned in the first ce, I just needed a trigger to set me on a different path. But the Pope and the Cardinals are different from me. To them, as the Hero who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, Sir Eugene, you are just a whim of the Light. They might worship you as a miracle, but if they had to, they wouldn¡¯t hesitate to call you a fallen one or a devil.¡± Just like Sergio had done. ¡°Sir Eugene, the best you can hope for is their eptance, not their conversion. Those three have been in too high a position, seen too many things, and have firmed their resolve for too many difficult decisions to be so easily swayed. They will demand you to do something to bnce out all the things they have lost because of you, and ording to my judgment, it will be impossible to fulfill such a request, so it would be better to kill them,¡± Raphael advised. ¡°What do you think they will ask me to do?¡± Eugene checked. ¡°They might ask you to assassinate one of Hemluth¡¯s three Princes to prove that you¡¯re the Hero¡­. Hmm, on second thought, that might be too much of a provocation toward the Demon King of Incarceration. Complete naturalization into a citizen of Yuras would be far too light¡­ ah! I¡¯ve thought of a request with just the right amount of impact. Pope Aeuryus will probably ask you to assassinate the King of Ruhr,¡± Raphael dered loudly. ¡°...Huh?¡± Eugene gaped in disbelief. ¡°The King of Ruhr, the Bestial King, Aman Ruhr. Their country has repeatedly refused to join the Anti-Demon Alliance led by the Holy Empire, and since a few years ago, it has started interacting with Helmuth. King Aman¡¯s personal strength is worthy of being counted as one of the best in the entire continent, so you could call his continued existence a thorn in the Pope¡¯s eye,¡± Raphael exined. ¡°But why would they ask me to do that?¡± Eugene demanded. Raphael continued to extrapte, ¡°No matter how irritating he is, the Pope can¡¯t make a move himself, and Yuras won¡¯t gain anything from waging war against Ruhr. That¡¯s why they would try to use you, Sir Eugene. They would probably ce a seal in your brain in case you fail. That way, even if the attempt did fail, the connection to Yuras wouldn¡¯t be revealed, and Kiehl or the Lionheart n would be forced to take the me.¡± ¡°Hah,¡± Eugene huffed in belief. Raphael thought of another idea, ¡°Or perhaps they might chop off your limbs and make them into relics.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then let¡¯s discuss how to convince them without me having to ept one of their requests,¡± Eugene forcefully changed the subject. ¡°That seems like it would be impossible¡­,¡± Raphael muttered with a grave expression. Eugene ignored these words and turned his head. Kristina was still standing at a distance. Eugene called out to her, ¡°Kristina,e here.¡± Kristina reacted in confusion, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t just walk over here, do that,¡± Eugene instructed her. What did he mean by ¡®that¡¯?¡± Kristina was taken aback for a moment, but she soon understood what Eugene was asking her to do. With a low cough, she ced her hands together in front of her chest. When Kristina next took a step¡­. Fwooosh! Eight wings snapped open from behind her back. ¡°Won¡¯t they be convinced once they see that?¡± Eugene turned to ask Raphael as he pointed to Kristina, who was still approaching with her wings spread wide. Raphael¡¯s stoic mask had shattered. His mouth was wide open in an expression of pure admiration and excitement that finally suited his boyish face. Chapter 200: The Audience Chamber (1)

Chapter 200: The Audience Chamber (1)

If a country had enough national strength to be called a great power, not only would there be a difference in the quality of the troops fielded, but it would also have at least one type of air corps. The Kiehl Empire had its Griffin Corps, and the ck Lions of the Lionheart n each had their own wyvern to carry them. Simrly, the Ruhr Kingdom had trained their own subspecies of wyverns and had formed the Ice Wyvern corps. Among the various different air corps, there were two unique ones. The first was the Magic Kingdom of Aroth¡¯s Magic Corps, which preferred to fly by relying on summoned beasts and their familiars instead of breeding a separate race of flying monsters. The second was found in the Desert Kingdom of Nahama, where their Sphinx, arge breed of flying monster, was operated more as an aerial battleship. Among all the monsters used in air corps, the most ssic choice was the winged horse known as the Pegasus. There were two ces that bred the pegasi and integrated them into their air corps: the Sea Kingdom of Shimuin and the Holy Empire of Yuras. The Commander of the Blood Cross Knights, Raphael Martinez, didn¡¯t just have his massive greatsword in the shape of a cross as his only famous symbol. Even in this huge Holy Empire, there was said to exist only one Divine Horse. The Horse of the Sun, Apollo, that was said to have been bestowed by the Light. ¡°It¡¯s all propaganda,¡± Raphael said dismissively as he gestured towards Apollo. Apollo was a gigantic horse with a golden mane whose sheer size lived up to the im of being a Divine Horse. In terms of its body alone, Apollo looked to be more than twice the size of a regr warhorse, but once the tinum-colored horse armor was donned, the already gigantic size of its body swelled even further. On top of that, unlike an ordinary pegasus, Apollo had two pairs of wings. ¡°...It¡¯s amazinglyrge,¡± Eugenemented. Approaching with a loud clopping of his hooves, Apollo spread his four wings wide. From his appearance, the sleek image that came to mind when one thought of a pegasus couldn¡¯t be seen at all. Quite a few mid-sized monsters like ogres and trolls would be forced to hunch their shoulders in fear in front of Apollo. ¡°It¡¯s only natural for him to be so big. The Vatican propagates the lie that Apollo is a pegasus that was bestowed upon the world by the Light, but this guy is actually a holy hybrid made by a mix of crossbreeding, biological magic, and holy magic,¡± Raphael revealed. ¡°...Holy¡­ what?¡± ¡°A holy hybrid,¡± Raphael repeated. ¡°It¡¯s not just Apollo. All of the pegasi belonging to Yuras¡¯ Holy Steed Cavalry Corps are holy hybrids. Though it¡¯s true that Apollo is the most exceptional example among all of them.¡± Having drawn close, Apollo butted its head against Raphael while letting out a whinny. Raphael blinked his shadowed eyes and stroked Apollo¡¯s head. ¡°But such news shouldn¡¯te as a surprise to you, Sir Eugene. Isn¡¯t that why you broke the fountain and meted out divine punishment?¡± Raphael asked rhetorically. Eugene returned the question, ¡°How much do you know about it, Lord Raphael?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really know much,¡± Raphael admitted. "Because I didn¡¯t want to know. The ugly truths of the Church of Light, which has reigned as the orthodox religion for hundreds of years, well¡­ those aren¡¯t things that I really concern myself with. What is important to me is that no matter how ugly the church may be, the Light still exists. That¡¯s all I need.¡± Before getting on Apollo¡¯s back, Raphael first got down on one knee and bowed his head to Kristina. Kristina hesitated for a moment before stepping onto Raphael¡¯s knee. Raphael then carefully supported Kristina¡¯s back and stood up, lifting her up into the saddle. ¡°Now for you, Sir Eugene,¡± Raphael turned to him. ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Eugene quickly refused. In fact, Kristina didn¡¯t truly need such consideration either. Although it might be difficult for Raphael, who had stopped growing during his childhood, to ept this, but Eugene and Kristina were actually taller than Raphael¡­. ¡°In that case, allow me to take a seat at the front,¡± Raphael readily agreed. Apollo¡¯s back was as broad as he wasrge, and his saddle was equally spacious. Even with the three of them riding him, they could sitfortably together on the saddle, and Apollo¡¯s legs showed no signs of shaking. Raphael took his seat at the front of the saddle and picked up the reins. ¡°Although we¡¯ve already discussed this, once we begin our descent towards the Vatican¡­ please pretend to faint, Sir Eugene,¡± Raphael reminded him. ¡°As a master of your level, Sir Eugene, I¡¯m sure you will also perform excellently while pretending to be unconscious.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to pretend to be dead rather than just unconscious?¡± Eugene asked. The important thing was to avoid being noticed by the Pdins charged with protecting the Holy See. Things would get very cumbersome if they got caught right at the start of their mission. Eugene also understood this fact and was quite confident in his ability to pretend to be dead. When he had first be a mercenary, he used to bury his body in the gap between corpses and hide his breath and presence in order to survive on the toughest battlefields. ¡°How long will it take us to get there? I don¡¯t know exactly where this is, but it seems to be quite far away from Tressia Cathedral?¡± Eugene guessed. ¡°If you were to ride an ordinary horse or carriage¡­ hmm. It would probably take a day just to get to the Tressia train station from this forest. Then it would take about six hours to take a train from Tressia to the capital of Yurasia. But with Apollo¡¯s speed, we can reach the cathedral in four or five hours at the verytest,¡± Raphael paused for a moment and turned to look at Eugene. ¡°Although if you hadn¡¯t destroyed the warp-gate, it would have been much faster and easier to get to the Vatican, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene argued, ¡°But thanks to me destroying it, weren¡¯t we fortunate enough to have youe out to meet us after three days had passed?¡± Raphael easily agreed, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true. If the warp-gate had been left standing, it might have been someone else other than me who was sent here.¡± ¡°So in the end, that means it was fortunate that I was being cautious.¡± ¡°Yes, it was very well done.¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°By the way¡­ Lord Raphael, are you really okay with this? Since I don¡¯t see any other methods to solve our situation, I feel like it can¡¯t be helped that we¡¯re doing this, but you should have many other choices avable to you, and you¡¯ve got a lot to lose by offending the holynd, haven¡¯t you?¡± When this question was tossed at him, Raphael just shrugged his shoulders and said, ¡°When I look at the options avable to me, it seems that the only other option apart from assisting you is to somehow either drag you and the Saint Candidate to the Vatican by force or just kill you. Sir Eugene, as you have said, it¡¯s true that I have a lot to lose, but if I can only protect what I have by doing something that I would hate to do, then I would rather lose it all.¡± ¡°Oh¡­,¡± Eugene murmured. ¡°Also, as a follower of the Light, there is something that I want to confirm: while facing the Hero and the Saint Candidate who has been blessed with four pairs of wings, whether or not the Pope and the Cardinals refuse to bow their heads and continue to insist that their own faith is unquestionably in the right and superior.¡± The corners of Raphael¡¯s mouth twitched as he said. It was only for an instant, but Eugene saw the killing intent of a viper poised to strike behind that boyish face. Raphael continued, ¡°If they do, that would be sphemy, and it must be punished. I possess a body that has seen me revered as the most exceptional Pdin in the church¡¯s services. I pride myself on being the sharpest de of the Light in this era. In front of me¡­ should I catch them in the act of undeniably spheming the Light, how could I just leave them be?¡± Apollo spread his wings. Then a soft light enveloped Apollo, and the horse rapidly soared into the sky. Eugene kept a hand on Akasha as it was stored within his cloak and looked at Apollo¡¯s wings. Eugene understood why Raphael had called the horse a ¡®holy hybrid.¡¯ Apollo¡¯s wings had several spells inscribed on them, like an artifact enchanted with magic. This made the wings look more like the examples of magitech seen in golems or artifacts that had been imnted into the torso rather than natural body parts sprouting from the horse¡¯s body. [How terrible¡­,] Mer muttered. Such experiments were also conducted in Aroth¡¯s Towers of Magic. But at least they didn¡¯t propagandize the results of such an experiment, calling it a grace of the Light or evidence of a miracle like Yuras did. Kristina silently stared at Apollo¡¯s wings with a distressed look. She had also met Apollo once when she was younger. As a young girl, in the face of a Divine Horse with four wings, Kristina had been thrilled by the sight of the light emanating from Apollo, and it had further convinced her of the existence of her God. It had also acted as a source offort for her. She had told herself that, since the Light definitely existed, being chosen as the Saint of this era was a blessed honor. However, the current Kristina had learned the entire truth. Although the process of its creation and the purpose of its existence were different, between Apollo, who had been made as a piece of propaganda for the Light¡­ and herself, the Saint Candidate, who was an Imitation Incarnation, in the end, they weren¡¯t fundamentally all that different, were they? Kristina examined the feathers that made up Apollo¡¯s outstretched wings. Each of the feathers seemed to have been spun out of sunlight¡­ but the light of the feathers was actually artificially created. Even Kristina, with her shallow knowledge of magic, could tell that much. She just needed to look at what was happening now. Apollo¡¯s flight was going fast enough that the scenery on the ground below was zipping by, but no wind was blowing at them from the front. And even though they were flying so fast, their bodies sitting in the saddle weren¡¯t shaking at all¡­. [Stop thinking such useless thoughts, and hug the waist in front of you.] ¡°Huh?¡± A reproachful voice suddenly rang out inside Kristina¡¯s head. Anise¡¯s voice chided, [Kristina Rogeris. Just how many times have I chastised you about this during your prayers in these past few days? While it is true that you¡¯ve suffered a miserable existence, it¡¯s also just as true that your very existence is miraculous.] ¡®...Yes¡­,¡¯Kristina meekly conceded. [Also, you are actually very lucky. The hand that you¡¯ve been dealt could even be considered fortunate enough to be another miracle. You won¡¯t have to spend dozens of years wandering through gruesome battlefields during that terrible era like I did. You also don¡¯t have to feel any worry or doubt about God¡¯s existence. Since you, and I who dwell within you, are proof of the existence of God.] Kristina couldn¡¯t deny the words of the voice in her head. While Kristina was also quite confident in her rhetorical skills, the great Saint from three hundred years ago was extremely good at cornering Kristina without leaving any room for resistance. [No matter what, you¡¯ve found your own salvation. From now on, you won¡¯t need to go through any more of those agonizing rituals, and you don¡¯t need to feel the pain of the stigmata like I did. Because most of the pain you should feel will be borne by me.] ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m alright with that, Lady Anise.¡¯ [Even if you¡¯re not alright with it, I¡¯ll continue to do so, and all you need to do in return is make sure to have a few drinks. Also, Kristina, haven¡¯t I told you to call me Sister[1]?] ¡®How could I dare to¡ª¡¯ [Or else would you rather call me big sis[2]? Although, I think it¡¯s funny that we¡¯re even arguing over the difference between Sister and big sis.] ¡®Wouldn¡¯t it be fine to call you Lady Anise?¡¯ [I don¡¯t want that. You and I are spiritual alter-egos. Although there is a time difference of three hundred years between us, we can still be called sisters because of that. I want to cherish this bond with you, so if you¡¯re not willing to at least call me sister¡­ then I¡¯ll feel so sad and disappointed that I won¡¯t be able to hold back my tears.] Kristina silently ruminated. [This also counts as one of the regrets I couldn¡¯t fulfill during my lifetime. Even though I was older than Sienna, that arrogant Sienna never once called me big sis. When I tried to get her to do so, she would just ignore me and look at me all funny, then she and Hamel would cooperate to steal my precious holy water and drink it themselves.] ¡®They really¡­ did that?¡¯Kristina asked in disbelief. [Yes. As such, I feel a lingering regret at never being called big sis. But since you¡¯re too shy and hesitant to call me big sis, I¡¯llpromise and allow you to call me Sister. Now then, Kristina Rogeris, how could there be any problem with that? Isn¡¯t it only natural for the title of sister to be used between nuns.] ¡®A-alright, Sister Anise,¡¯Kristina finally conceded. [You don¡¯t need to add my name to that.] Kristina hesitated,¡®...Yes¡­ Sister¡­ but¡­ it might be because of my inexperience. I don¡¯t think I really understood your first instruction. Could you please repeat it, Sister?¡¯ [Kristina! I¡¯m not sure who in the world you take after, but you really do have a cunning side to you. You¡¯re obviously pretending that you didn¡¯t hear it properly, but you just want me to give you a push on the back, don¡¯t you? What a shameless woman!] ¡®N-not at all,¡¯Kristina stammered.¡®I really, really didn¡¯t hear you properly.¡¯ [If that¡¯s the case, then listen closely. Kristina, do you know what I regretted most before I died?] In the face of this sudden question, Kristina didn¡¯t respond immediately, instead pondering it for a few moments. Considering the regrets left by the Faithful Anise¡­ in fact, there wasn¡¯t really any need to consider the question. After taking a deep breath, Kristina silently replied with a confident look,¡®It¡¯s that you weren¡¯t able to kill the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction.¡¯ [Nope.] Kristina faltered in the face of this blunt denial,¡®In that case¡­ when you and Hamel¡­ no, with Sir Eugene and the others¡­. Ah! Could it be that you weren¡¯t able to save the world?¡¯ [Again, no. The thing I most regretted was that I couldn¡¯t enjoy life.] Kristina¡¯s thoughts froze at this firm reply. [Listen closely, Kristina Rogeris. We both have been unhappy from the moment that we came into existence. Do you agree with that?] ¡®...Y-yes¡­,¡¯Kristina hesitantly acknowledged. [After our misfortune, we both finally got a chance to be happy. Because we were born like this and have suffered all sorts of hardships, we deserve to be happier than anyone else in the world. Especially me! I wandered around in that horrible Devildom for more than ten years and did my best to save countless people even while suffering from the pain of the stigmata almost daily.] Kristina tried to console her,¡®Sister, your tale is a shining example for all priests of the Light.¡¯ [So what if it was? Even though I did my best to save countless people, I still couldn¡¯t save my own life. How do you think I lived during the peace that the Demon King of Incarceration so mercifully granted us? After returning from the Devildom, it took about seventy years for me to die. During that time, I couldn¡¯t enjoy the peace granted by the Demon King¡¯s pity or find my own satisfaction in life.] Kristina listened silently. [To somehow prepare for the distant future, I shut myself up in a monastery in the countryside and taught a bunch of spoiled brats. It was practically my only pleasure to listen to the Popes and Cardinals who came by from time to time to beg for some blood. During all this, I made sure to keep praying and nurturing the future generation while trying to make myself a perfect Incarnation of the Light. But even that failed! I couldn¡¯t be the perfect Incarnation of the Light during my lifetime. Although I tried to hide my body to flip off the church, I couldn¡¯t even do that because of that damned Hamel.] Was that really Hamel¡¯s fault? Kristina couldn¡¯t be sure of the answer to that question, so she just kept her mouth shut without making any sort of reply. [In the end, my life as a Saint was full of regret and failure. However, the merciful Light didn¡¯t forcefully lead my soul upwards but instead took me in as an angel. That is how I could remain in this world and now dwell within you.] ¡®Ah¡­ yes, that was truly fortunate.¡¯ [Yep, that¡¯s right. It truly is fortunate! But what do you think you¡¯re doing? Even though you¡¯ve been bestowed with so many blessings, you are still sympathizing with the plight of that foal and substituting yourself in its ce. Why should I, who lived so miserably, be forced to deal with such feelings of sadness that don¡¯t even belong to me?] ¡®Th-that¡¯s¡­.¡¯ [Listen carefully, Kristina Rogeris. We may have been unhappy, but we deserve to be happy. In the end, the so-called Saint is nothing more than an illusion, so whether or not our flesh is pure has no effect on the power of our miracles.] ¡®Th-that¡¯s ridiculous¡­! How did you discover such a fact, Sister? Could it be¡ª¡¯ [Don¡¯t get the wrong idea! I lived my whole life as a Saint should. However, after dying like that and bing an angel, I just realized that the body is of little importance or significance when ites to things like the Light and performing miracles.] ¡®But that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s¡­.¡¯ [Why spout such drivel at this point? Kristina, didn¡¯t you molest Hamel¡¯s butt thoroughly because of your furtive lust?] Kristina tried to drown out the voice,¡®Ahh, Ahhh! Sister, it wasn¡¯t like that. It was just all part of taking care of Sir Eugene while he was wounded¡­.¡¯ [Yes, yes, I get it. No matter how furtive you are, once again, I guess I can overlook it¡­. But Kristina! With how unstable your current posture is, being trapped inside of you, I¡¯m even more anxious than you are.] Kristina smoothed out her expression as she checked her posture. She was sitting in the very back of Apollo¡¯s saddle, holding on tightly to the horse¡¯s torso with her legs. Then, she reached down with both hands to hold on to the saddle. It wasn¡¯t even that precarious. There would be no problems for her to continue sitting by herself. The miracles that had been imbued into Apollopletely prevented any chance of his riders falling. Not only that, Kristina was able to summon Anise¡¯s wings, so all she would have to do if she fell was spread those wings and fly. [Nope. My wings are just for show. It¡¯s impossible to actually fly with them.] ¡®Huh?¡¯ [Is that really the important thing right now? Kristina! Hurry up and hold onto Hamel¡¯s waist.] ¡®There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s no real need to¡­.¡¯ [If you say that you don¡¯t want to, then I will have to forcefully try and move your body to do so. Do you know what that means? It means that I will be taking away your initiative, so you won¡¯t be able to do anything but watch what happens from the inside.] ¡®Sister!¡¯ [I¡¯ll do things beyond your wildest imaginations. For a furtive person like you, wouldn¡¯t that actually work out better? So just think of it as something that can¡¯t be helped, and enjoy the view from the inside¡­.] Kristina stopped listening to Anise¡¯s words and lifted her hands from the saddle. Then she hesitated for a few moments before cing her hands on Eugene¡¯s waist. Her hands tightened on his sturdy sides that didn¡¯t have a trace of fat. ¡°...Ahem¡­ ahehem!¡± Kirstina coughed in self-inflicted embarrassment. She had expected Eugene to turn his head and say something suspicious to her, but Eugene didn¡¯t show that type of reaction. Instead, Eugene asked, ¡°Just what have you been pondering for so long?¡± Kristina coughed once before answering, ¡°Ahem¡­ I was just meditating and praying for a while.¡± Since Raphael was sitting in front of them, Kristina felt she couldn¡¯t talk about Anise. While relieved that Eugene didn¡¯t seem to suspect her of anything, Kristina carefully stretched her arms even further. After continuing like that, the moment that she finally tried to lean her body forward while fully wrapping her arms around his waist¡­. p! A hand shot out from inside of Eugene¡¯s cloak and lightly smacked the back of Kristina¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t cross the line,¡± Mer warned. Kristina argued, ¡°Just what line have I crossed? Lady Mer, please don¡¯t make some sort of strange misunderstanding. I was just doing something like this because I don¡¯t want to fall off the pegasus¡­.¡± Mer stuck her head out of the cloak to silently nce at Kristina. Knowing that any further excuse was futile, Kristina slightly averted her gaze and loosed her hands¡¯ grip on Eugene¡¯s waist. ¡°Get that look off your face,¡± Kristina¡¯s lips suddenly began to move by themself. ¡°Because if you don¡¯t, I might just smack it off.¡± As her lips said these words, Kristina didn¡¯t feel any need to try too hard to stop them. Instead, her jaw dropped open. Then, while pursing her lips, Mer stubbornly looked into Kristina¡¯s eyes before she ended up being pulled into Eugene¡¯s arms. ¡°Sir Eu-Eu-Eugene!¡± Mer stammered. ¡°I know¡­ I know, but¡­ it¡¯s still difficult for me to say anything in this sort of situation¡­,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Mer protested once more. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ um¡­ try not to be too mean to this kid¡­,¡± Eugene meekly requested. ¡°If that young familiar makes sure to consider my feelings, then I¡¯ll do the same to her,¡± Anise said with Kristina¡¯s mouth. In the end, Mer couldn¡¯t muster up any more interference for Kristina. Thanks to that, Kristina was able to hold on to Eugene¡¯s waist during the flight, while Mer also spent half the flight embraced in Eugene¡¯s arms. ¡°...Haaah¡­,¡± Eugene let out a long sigh as he was sandwiched between the two women. He missed the peaceful times back at the Lionheart mansion. * * * The capital of Yuras was Yurasia. At the heart of that huge capital cityy a magnificent and beautiful pce. This was the Vatican. In the sky above the pce, a four-winged pegasus was circling with its wings outspread. This was the beloved steed of Raphael Martinez, the Commander of the Knights of the Blood Cross and a Divine Horse bestowed by the Light, Apollo. The knights guarding the Vatican bowed towards thelightthat was circling in the sky. Of the hundreds of Pdins assigned to the Vatican, only the Crusader and his Divine Horse, Apollo, had the privilege of descending directly from the skies over the Vatican to the White Pce that stood at its center. ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of them,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°Just how many are there?¡± ¡°In terms of Pdins alone, there are at least five hundred,¡± Raphael answered. ¡°About two hundred of those are from the Knights of the Blood Cross, while the rest of the Pdins are from other units. If you count the Church Soldiers on top of that, they get into the thousands. Yuras is extremely huge and has done all sorts of things, so¡­ she also has many enemies.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Eugene hummed in agreement. ¡°Well, the truth is, rather than its enemies¡­. Hmm, Sir Eugene, you might find this amusing, but the Vatican has so much security mainly because of all the zealots,¡± Raphael admitted. Eugene burst intoughter, ¡°Bwahaha!¡± ¡°I knew that would amuse you. While the believers who live in Yurasia aren¡¯t like that¡­ but asionally, believers who live in the countrysidee to the Vatican hoping to somehow meet with the Pope and at least touch the hem of his robes,¡± Raphael said as he lowered his gaze. Currently, Eugene was in the saddle in front of Raphael, but he couldn¡¯t sit properly and was instead draped over the saddle. This was to create the illusion that he had been brought here after being overpowered by Raphael. Kristina was also sitting quietly behind Raphael. ording to the setting of their illusion, Kristina had innocently been caught up in the rampage of the fallen Hero. While she was in the midst of being kidnapped like this, she had been rescued by Raphael. ¡°They currently can¡¯t see you, Sir Eugene,¡± Raphael informed him. ¡°In their eyes, Apollo only looks like a huge source of light. That¡¯s part of the reason why Apollo is called a Divine Horse.¡± ¡°Can I have him?¡± Eugene immediately asked, leaving Raphael speechless. ¡°The ceiling of the White Pce has opened. The only ones with the privilege of descending down directly from the sky into the White Pce like this are Apollo and I,¡± Raphael said while ignoring the previous question. Eugene epted the change in subject, ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean that they don¡¯t have the slightest suspicion that you might betray them, Sir Raphael?¡± ¡°Yes. I have served as a loyal knight and follower of the Light for decades. If they thought I would betray them, would they really have sent me to meet with you, Sir Eugene?¡± Raphael asked with a chuckle as he pulled on Apollo¡¯s reins. ¡°Though that doesn¡¯t really bring me much happiness. They¡­ they don¡¯t have the slightest clue that what they are doing ismitting sphemy. They are convinced that they are undeniably in the right and merely fulfilling the will of the Light. They can¡¯t be said to bepletely wrong, as the benevolent light has continued to bless them with its brilliant illumination.¡± The circr ceiling of the White Pce had opened, revealing the entrance to a passageway that led straight down. Apollo furled his four wings and slowly descended down the passageway. From now on, Eugene had to start ying dead. He stopped talking to Raphael and restrained his breath and all traces of his presence. Kristina also adjusted her expression, bringing back the familiar mask and covering her face with it. Eugene didn¡¯tpletely trust Raphael. Although he had agreed to apany Raphael all the way here, Eugene still considered the possibility that everything Raphael had said might be a lie and that this could all be an act. During their nned surprise in the Audience Chamber, Raphael¡¯s sword might be aimed at Eugene¡¯s neck instead of the Cardinals or the Pope. So Eugene still kept his right hand hidden within his cloak. But instead of holding the Holy Sword, his hand was resting on the Moonlight Sword. No matter what the situation might be, Eugene was convinced that he would be able to break through it by releasing the rays of the Moonlight Sword. Eugene trusted Kristina and Anise. Raphael might still betray them, but those two definitely wouldn¡¯t betray him. ¡®It¡¯s a good feeling,¡¯Eugene smiled as he felt something ticklish inside his chest. This sensation was partly the tension of not knowing how things would turn out but also the knowledge that he now hadrades who wouldabsolutelynever betray him. After being reincarnated, it was hard to once again get ustomed to hisrades¡¯ familiar presence, which he had once taken for granted on those battlefields three hundred years ago. Especially since they were in a predicament like this one. They reached the basement of the White Pce, the ce known as the ¡®Audience Chamber.¡¯ This wasn¡¯t part of the Pope¡¯s quarters. This was a ce where believers were said to be able to hold an audience with the Light that resided in the heavens up above. This was where the Light would bestow a revtion and choose the new Pope from among the stigmatized Bishops. Under the original circumstances, Kristina would receive the recognition of some other holy relics that had been stored here, and she would havepletely transitioned from a Saint Candidate into a Saint. After all that was done, Eugene and the Holy Sword would have received the confirmation of being the new Hero in front of the Pope and his Cardinals. But in the end, all these ceremonies were just meant to force the Hero, who had already been ¡®chosen¡¯ by the Light, to prove himself once more to the Pope and the Cardinals. [Kristina Rogeris,] Anise spoke to her from inside Kristina¡¯s anxious mind. [You are not someone who needs to receive their recognition.] Kristina got down from Apollo and stood on her feet. [Instead, they are the ones who will need to prove their faith to you.] Raphael was carrying the limp Eugene in both hands. Like that, he strode over to the door of the Audience Chamber. There was no need for him to knock. The doors to the Audience Chamber opened by themselves. The following room looked just like a courthouse. A long white table stood at the raised head of the room, and three middle-aged men were sitting behind it. The seat where Sergio Rogeris should have sat was vacant. Beside his empty seat were two other Cardinals in clerical robes with red cloths draped over their shoulders. A middle-aged man wearing a threeyered crown on his head, along with a tinum ring and a staff in one hand, sat in the center between them. This was Aeuryus, the Pope who had led the Church of Light for the past few decades. ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job, Lord Raphael,¡± Aeuryus said. He looked down at Raphael, standing below them, and Eugene, who had lost consciousness. Aeuryus requested, ¡°I would like to hear what you saw there and also what you did.¡± ¡°Of course, allow me to inform you of what happened without a single omission, Your Excellency,¡± Raphael said as he bowed his head. ¡°But before that, please instruct me on what needs to be done with this fallen one.¡± ¡°Bring him closer. Even though he has fallen, he is still someone with a certain status, and since he was the Hero chosen by the Light¡­,¡± Aeuryus said as he raised his staff. The tinum ring that the Pope wore on his index finger began to emit a soft light, then, as if resonating with the staff, the light spread and began to emanate from both items. Raphael didn¡¯t raise his bowed head but instead raised both arms that were carrying Eugene into the air. Tap. Raphael didn¡¯t attempt to say something secretly. Instead, he lightly tapped on Eugene¡¯s waist with his fingertips. Then he slowly began walking up to the raised dais at the head of the room. As Raphael approached closer, Aeuryus rose from his chair. The other Cardinals didn¡¯t rise from their seats. Their eyes were on Kristina, not Eugene. One could see their eyes were full of questions. But in those eyes, the only things that could be seen were a concern for the progress of theritualand whether Kristina had beenpletely transformed into the Saint; there was no mourning for the deceased Sergio. As the distance between them grew closer, Aeuryus slowly held out his staff. Raphael lifted Eugene even higher as if he was offering him up as a sacrifice. Raphael¡¯s fingertips tapped on Eugene¡¯s waist once more. This time, the strength of the tap was stronger than before. The moment he felt those fingertips on his back, Eugene¡¯s body floated upwards slightly. Crackle! Moving like a bolt of lightning, Eugene bounced off his back and shot up into the air. Frightened by this, Aeuryus thrust his staff forward. Fwoosh! A burst of light engulfed Eugene¡¯s body, but the Moonlight Sword that Eugene pulled out of his cloak cut that light in two. Having opened up a path forward with that, his left hand drew out the Holy Sword. While drawing the sword, Eugene unleashed a sharp sh. Aeuryus¡¯s right arm, which had been holding the staff, was sliced off and sent flying into the air. ¡°Haagh!¡± a shocked gasp was heard from the Cardinals. The Cardinals, who had been about to respond quickly to this change, found themselves unable to move from their seats. This was because Raphael¡¯s greatsword, which had rushed over in an instant, had stopped right in front of their necks. Raphael had drawn his greatsword so close to their necks that there were slight cuts on their throats. Even though his arm had just been amputated at the elbow, Aeuryus didn¡¯t let out a scream. Instead, he just red at Eugene with cold eyes and demanded, ¡°Just what are you nning to do?¡± The Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword were held crossed over each other. The two swords were squeezing Aeuryus¡¯ neck from both sides like a pair of scissors. Eugene called out, ¡°Kristina.¡± At this call, Kristina nodded her head and stepped forward. Whoosh! Eight wings emitting rays of light covered everything in the Audience Chamber with their light. Chapter 201: The Audience Camber (2)

Chapter 201: The Audience Camber (2)

Kristina¡¯s outspread wings covered the door and the walls of the Audience Chamber. Forgetting to even regenerate his severed hand, Aeuryus stared at Kristina with wide eyes. An angel¡¯s wings were a symbol of their rank. ording to what was recorded in the Scriptures of Light, when the Incarnation of Light, the Son of Heaven[1], descended to this world, the angel whom the Son of Heaven called upon the most and showed the most favor to possessed six wings. Yuras had always been obsessed with reproducing such a miraculous appearance. However, divine magic was only capable of growing a pair of wings. Depending on their strong faith and divine power, a user of divine magic could make their wings bigger and brighter, but no matter how much they wanted to, they wouldn¡¯t be able to increase the number of wings they could grow. Several attempts had been made to artificially increase the number of wings, but they hadn¡¯t worked out. While attaching a few more wings to a pegasus, which possessed a pair of wings from birth, was a simple task that couldn¡¯t really be considered a miracle, it wasn¡¯t so easy to artificially attach a pair of wings to a human who had been born without wings. In fact, if they could be satisfied with ordinary wings, it was actually possible to imnt dozens of wings on a person¡¯s back instead of just six. However, they didn¡¯t want just in and ordinary wings. What they wanted were Wings of Light. Wings that had been made from the Light. Wings, whose very act of being unfurled, would seem miraculous. Even the Pope and the Cardinals, who had artificially imnted themselves with their Stigmata, could only grow two Wings of Light. That was why the three couldn¡¯t take their eyes off Kristina. Just by looking at those eight shining wings, they could tell that these wings hadn¡¯t been artificially created. Those wings were unmistakably a symbol of Divine Majesty that had to have been bestowed by a miracle. Although the three of them could have also spread their own pairs ofrge and shining wings, even if they all spread their wings simultaneously, it seemed like they wouldn¡¯t be able to overwhelm the light emitted by those eight wings. Even though the lighting from Kristina¡¯s wings was shining so brightly¡­ they weren¡¯t being blinded even as they looked right at it. Instead, this light kindly caressed and passed through their eyes, stirring their souls. ¡°...Ahhh¡­!¡± Cardinal Beshara let out a quiet exhtion and closed his eyes. A single tear ran down his cheek. However, Cardinal Pietro, who stood beside him, didn¡¯t shed any tears. Instead, he red at Kristina with his eyes bulging in disbelief. At the same time, he balled up his fists inside his sleeves. Raphael, who was still holding his greatsword to their necks, noticed Pietro¡¯s eyes. The emotion that was slowly bubbling up within the Cardinal¡¯s gaze was neither awe nor worship. As such, Raphael didn¡¯t hesitate. Shick! The de was pushed forward and decapitated Pietro¡¯s head from his neck like a guillotine. Pietro himself could never have imagined that he would ever be beheaded like this. He was someone who bore the mark of the Stigmata on his forearm, one of the three Cardinals of the Holy Empire. Raphael didn¡¯t care about any of that. Even though Pietro had been presented with a miracle that should have forced him to acknowledge the truth of his mistakes, he had refused to do so; thus, Raphael had to punish him. Pietro had his head cut off before he could even call upon the Light. As Pietro¡¯s head rolled down the de of his sword, Raphael grabbed it by the hair. Pwooosh! The blood that gushed out of Pietro¡¯s body after some dy, stained the walls and ceiling of the Audience Chamber red. ¡°...Ah¡­,¡± Beshara, who had been standing right beside the two, gulped as blood spattered onto his cheek. He turned to look at what was happening next to him in bewilderment. Pietro¡¯s body, which had had its head cut off, was left staggering forward. Beshara wasn¡¯t the only one who had been flustered by this. Both Kristina and Eugene were taken aback by the sudden violence. Pope Aeuryus¡¯ jaw gaped soundlessly in shock. Only Raphael was left, lifting Pietro¡¯s head with a calm look on his face. ¡°...Why did you¡­ kill him?¡± Eugene was so dumbfounded that he stuttered his question. In response to this, Raphael shook Pietro¡¯s head from side to side and said, ¡°He won¡¯t die from just this.¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°No, that¡¯s absurd¡­. You¡¯ve beheaded him, so how can he not die? Even someone as strong as Cardinal Rogeris would have died if he was beheaded¡ª¡± ¡°Pietro is the Chancellor of the Department of Divine Magic,¡± Raphael exined. ¡°He¡¯s different from Sergio, abat monk from the Inquisition. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Bam! The head swinging from Raphael¡¯s hand was swung against the wall. At this impact, Pietro¡¯s head opened its mouth and screamed, ¡°Aaargh!¡± Such a sight made Eugene feel dizzy for a few moments. Although he knew that there were a few high-ranking demonfolk who wouldn¡¯t die even after being decapitated, he had never seen a human who could survive having his head cut off. ¡°Ra- Rapha- Raphael! You¡ª How dare you!¡± Petro cried as blood spattered from his lips. Perhaps because his throat had been cutpletely open, his voice had a breathy, hissing sound to it. ¡°Quickly... quickly reattach¡­ my neck¡­ to my body!¡± Pietro demanded. Raphael idlymented, ¡°Even you will probably die if you stay like this for about five minutes, right?¡± Pietro red, ¡°You¡­ you dare¡­!¡± ¡°Although I predicted this, actually seeing you like this in reality is extremely disturbing and disgusting. Could this really be called a miracle? It looks more like evil ck magic to me¡­,¡± Raphael muttered. Pietro growled, ¡°Graargh¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to try and slit your throat for a while now. There¡¯s no need for you to feel so victimized, Pietro. After all, among the newly enlisted recruits into the Church Soldiers, I know that you¡¯ve been enticing a few poor, young chicks who¡¯ve lost their parents and are in need of money to conduct various experiments on them.¡± ¡°You! What do you know? Don¡¯t act like you¡¯re so righteous¡­! All of that is for the sake of developing new Miracles¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t slice your head off just to argue with you,¡± Raphael said as he threw Pietro¡¯s head back behind him. The head crashed into a wall and fell to the ground before rolling around. ¡°Gaaargh!¡± Pietro screamed. Thanks to Raphael having suddenly cut the head off of one of the Cardinals, Eugene was feeling extremely off-bnce. ncing back to the person in front of him, Eugene¡¯s eyes met with Aeuryus, whose neck was still sandwiched between the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. ¡°...Eugene Lionheart, are you going to kill me?¡± Aeuryus eventually demanded. Eugene just warned him, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you add a Sir to that?¡± ¡°Hah?¡± Aeuryus¡¯s eyes shook in disbelief. Eugene continued asking, ¡°Don¡¯t you understand your situation? Could it be that you won¡¯t die right away either if your head gets chopped off like his?¡± Aeuryus stoically remained silent. ¡°Listen closely, I am the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword, and ording to your doctrine, that means I am the Incarnation of the Light. Isn¡¯t that right? Meanwhile, isn¡¯t the Pope just an Agent of the Light? Surely the Incarnation must be closer to God than the Agent, no?¡± ¡°...That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°What, are you going to spout bullshit and im that I¡¯ve fallen like Sergio did?¡± Eugene said with a sneer. Aeuryus didn¡¯t say a word in response to this and just stared at Eugene. After a few moments, he let out a long sigh and nodded. ¡°I understand,¡± Aeuryus conceded. ¡°But please restrain your anger and allow us to treat Pietro¡¯s head.¡± Eugene raised a brow, ¡°And why should I do that?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, you may not be aware, but Pietro has done many things for the Light over the past few decades,¡± Aeuryus tried to argue. ¡°And I guess that one of the results is that he doesn¡¯t die right away even if his head is cut off?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°That is the result of repeatedly performing experimental miracles on his own body. Lord Raphael may have used Pietro of harming the young recruits, but that was all to strengthen the Church Soldiers. And why does the Holy Empire of Yuras require a strong army, and where does it put them to use? Isn¡¯t it all to keep Helmuth in check¡ª¡± ¡°I also didn¡¯te here to listen to shit like that.¡± The Holy Sword began to emit light. Aeuryus¡¯ eyes narrowed as he looked down at the light streaming through the sword held beside his neck. ¡°Then please, let us talk, Sir Eugene,¡± Aeuryus politely requested. Before Eugene could even respond to these words, Pietro¡¯s head, which had rolled into a corner, cried out, ¡°Talk?! Your Holiness, just what kind of talk can you have with these vile and vicious fallen ones!¡± Pietro just couldn¡¯t maintain hisposure. It had already been over a minute since his head had been chopped off. Even with the Stigmata imnted on him, he would surely die if his head was cut off and wasn¡¯t reattached within five minutes. Pietro couldn¡¯t help but feel anxious and enraged at the thought that he had only a few minutes left to live. Pietro demanded, ¡°You need to call the Pdins and the Church Sol¡ª¡± ¡°If I offer his head, would you be willing to talk to me?¡± Aeuryus calmly asked as his eyes gestured towards Pietro. At these words, Pietro¡¯s head, which had already paled from the loss of so much blood, twisted into a grimace, ¡°Aeuryus!¡± Aeuryus apologized, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Pietro. However, I don¡¯t want my name to go down in history like this.¡± Pietro stammered, ¡°Wh-what do you mean!¡± ¡°We might be able to ovee this dangerous situation. However, do you think it will be possible to resolve this crisis without any fuss? No matter what, an uproar will ur, then the Pdins and the Church Soldiers will flock over.¡± Aeuryus let out a long sigh and closed his eyes, ¡°How exactly am I supposed to exin this situation to them? Do I tell them that Eugene Lionheart, the Incarnation of Light, has rebelled and that the ever-loyal Crusader, Lord Raphael, has joined in his rebellion? How am I meant to exin the wings growing from the back of Saint Candidate Kristina?¡± ¡°Th-that''s¡­!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve thought it over several times, but it wouldn¡¯t benefit the Church to ovee or even show any resistance in this situation.¡± ¡°But no matter what¡­! You, are you really going to sacrifice me when we¡¯ve been leading this Church together for decades now?!¡± Pietro roared in disbelief. Aeuryus sighed, ¡°Stifle your anger, Pietro. After all, wasn¡¯t it due to your own undoing that you were beheaded?¡± Eugene, listening to the conversation, let out a snort. As expected of Pope Aeuryus. He was definitely a zealot like the rest, but as befitting someone who has led the Church of Light for the past few decades, he had a cunning side. Eugene spoke up, ¡°If it¡¯s just a conversation, then, of course, I¡¯m willing to participate as long as you desire.¡± ¡°And what should we do about Pietro¡¯s head?¡± Aeuryus asked cautiously. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who chopped it off, so why are you asking me?¡± Eugene said with a shrug and a sly smirk. Now that things had yed out like this, it wouldn¡¯t mean much to the overall situation to subtract a life or two, but Eugene didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily shoulder the responsibility for doing so. Though, Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if Raphael understood his intentions. What was clear was that Raphael didn¡¯t like Pietro. The divine magic developed by the Department of Divine Magic, which Pietro led, often demanded prices that weren''t worth the miracle, most of which involved the destruction of the body. The Knights of the Blood Cross, led by Raphael, didn¡¯t need to rely on such dubious and crude miracles, but there was an overabundance of Pdins in Yuras. Among these other Pdins, there were a few newly appointed knights of the faith who would knock on the door of the Department of Divine Magic, hoping for a stronger and more brilliant Light. ¡°H-hold on,¡± Pietro cried out. Light erupted from Raphael¡¯s greatsword. Beshara, watching this happen right before him, sighed and made the sign of the cross. The sh made no sound. Raphael¡¯s greatsword moved at an unbelievable speed for its size and cut down Pietro¡¯s body. Swoosh! The following stream of shes rained down on Pietro¡¯s head. Like thest time, Pietro couldn¡¯t even let out a scream. A bright light engulfed Pietro¡¯s head, and amid this Light, his head was scattered into dust. ¡°Such light,¡± Beshara muttered. ¡°...To think that the Light emitted by a sword that kills a Cardinal¡­ would be so unbelievably clear.¡± ¡°I know, right,¡± Raphael agreed with augh as he withdrew his greatsword¡¯s Light. Aeuryus questioned Eugene, ¡°What did you do at the Fount of Light?¡± ¡°I just saved a woman who was bleeding profusely,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Are you saying you killed so many believers just to save the Saint Candidate?¡± Aeuryus asked in disbelief. ¡°I didn¡¯t save her because she¡¯s the Saint Candidate,¡± Eugene denied. ¡°Then why?¡± ¡°Because I received a revtion.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. Eugene really had received guidance from the Holy Sword to break through the restrictions surrounding the temples. At the source of the spring, he had even seen the Saints who had given themselves to the Fount starting from long ago. ¡°Since I was shown such a revtion, I couldn¡¯t just stay still,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°A revtion, you say,¡± Aeuryus chuckled and nodded. Before Aeuryus had even realized it, the two swords that had been touching his neck were already withdrawn. Aeuryus picked up his right hand that had fallen onto the table and stuck it back onto the stump of his severed hand. ¡­Ziiiip! Aeuryus¡¯s flesh proceeded to merge with each other. ¡°Did the revtion instruct you to destroy the Fount?¡± Aeuryus asked. ¡°Nope,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°So, Sir Eugene, that means it was your decision to destroy the Fount,¡± Aeuryus concluded. Eugene nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°The fact that the Holy Sword can emit such brilliant light in your hand¡­ in the end, doesn¡¯t that mean the Light was enraged by the ritual being performed at the Fount?¡± Aeuryus asked doubtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the Light, but I was infuriated,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Aeuryus raised his hand to grab the threeyered crown above his head, slowly lifted it off, and set it down in front of him. ¡°Are our beliefs wrong?¡± This question wasn¡¯t one that could be answered lightly. Eugene stared at the Pope of Yuras in front of him. Although only a single Pope was currently standing before him, the entire history of the Holy Empire could be seen within the light flickering in his eyes. So Eugene decided to answer honestly, ¡°How should I know?¡± He hadn¡¯te here with a grandiose intention to argue about the right and wrong of their faith. What Eugene wanted, in the end, was just for nothing at all to have happened. For all the things he had done in Yuras to not be a problem and weigh him down like a ball tied to his ankle. So that the troublesome and grandiose aplishment of turning the whole of Yuras into his enemy didn¡¯t happen. ¡°If you want to hear about whether your beliefs are right or wrong, ask her,¡± Eugene said as he turned his head and looked down. His eyes met with Kristina, whose eight wings were still outspread. [Kristina Rogeris,] the voice in her head spoke to her. The intention wasn¡¯t to give her a push to the back. Kristina was well aware of what she should do in this situation. She didn¡¯t need to muster up any great determination to do it. Kristina herself knew that she deserved to do this. Light scattered from her like falling feathers as Kristina spread her wings and flew up to stand right in front of Aeuryus. ¡°Aaaah¡­!¡± Beshara closed his eyes and raised a prayer at her holy appearance. Aeuryus calmed his trembling breath and blinked his eyes once before speaking, ¡°...Saint Candidate Kristina. No, it¡¯s no longer appropriate to call you tha¡ª¡± Before his words were even finished, Kristina¡¯s right hand pped Aeuryus in the ear. Craaaack! An unbelievably heavy sound of a p echoed through the Audience Chamber. ¡°Let¡¯s start with getting this blow in,¡± Kristina¡¯s lips parted. ¡°I have discovered what I am. I know what the Saints who came before me were like and what became of them when they died. I know the truth of that false name you gave to the Fount of Light.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s true that you have grown wings,¡± Aeuryus tried to argue. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Kristina conceded. ¡°But these wings weren¡¯t grown by me through the miracles and rituals designed by you. These wings are not the products of the false miracles you all have been seeking.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then does that mean everything we¡¯ve done has been meaningless?¡± Aeuryus asked. ¡°Is our faith, no, the faith of all the Popes and Cardinals who have existed in the past wrong?¡± ¡°There are those¡­,¡± Kristina began hesitantly, ¡°who have been saved by this country you have nurtured and by the Light and faith you have untiringly promoted.¡± Kristina recalled a few of her long-distant memories. Before she had even be the adopted daughter of Sergio Rogeris. She remembered living in a secluded and peaceful rural monastery. While she may have been under watch even then, Kristina had no awareness of this in her childhood. All of the children who had been raised in the monastery were from simr circumstances. They were children who had been abandoned by their parents. All from ordinary backgrounds, children who didn¡¯t know anything about their families. The monasteries of the Church of Light regrly took in such orphans. Kristina didn¡¯t have any clue whether the orphans raised by the monastery had grown up in the right way and eventually found their own happiness. However, at that time¡­ when Kristina thought of her life in the monastery, she had felt that the salvation of the Light hade to save her abandoned self. ¡°But there are also those who have been hurt by your obsessions,¡± Kristina concluded. Aeuryus pleaded, ¡°Is it wrong to yearn for the Light?¡± ¡°No, that isn¡¯t wrong. However, you went beyond even yearning for the Light and wanted to own a Light created by your own hands. You all¡­ were meant to serve the God of Light, but instead intruded on his domain,¡± Kristina condemned. ¡°Hahaha¡­!¡± Aeuryusughed and shook his head. ¡°If you really know everything, and have indeed received a ¡®real¡¯ miracle that has given you the ability to spread those wings, then please, answer this question. A long, long time ago, when the Incarnation of the Light, the Son of Heaven, descended onto thisnd, then died and left once more, leaving behind the Holy Sword Altair¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s all true,¡± Kristina nodded impatiently. ¡°However, after the Son of Heaven left us, none of the believers of the Light could hold the Holy Sword. And that wasn¡¯t the end, was it? Even though the believers so fervently longed for the Light, the Light that had returned to the heavens up above never returned. He didn¡¯t even send down a new Apostle to take his ce,¡± Aeuryus said bitterly, his face no longer calm. With passionate eyes, he stared at Kristina and continued speaking, ¡°That was why our predecessors decided to bring the Light back themselves. Is that¡­ is that really such a mistake?¡± ¡°The Light¡­,¡± Kristina paused as she looked through Anise¡¯s memories. Now Kristina no longer had any doubts about the existence of the God of Light. Kristina continued, ¡°No matter what kind of ugly deeds theymitted, the Light was always there for them, bestowing its blessings.¡± They had tried to artificially create a Saint, cloned her, and then used her remains as a holy relic to create the Fount of Light. At that time, the Church felt they had no choice but to do so. The current era might be peaceful, but even going back just three hundred years ago, the world had entered an era of war led by the Demon Kings. In previous eras, wars were even more frequent as nations collided with each other, and even faiths were contested. In such an era, the Saint created to serve as a divine weapon managed to perform admirably. In the battlefields where the Saint could participate, the damage to her allies was overwhelmingly lesser. In return, the Saint¡¯s life was short-lived, but she was able to save the lives of countless soldiers in return. ¡°The crimes that sessive Popes and Cardinals havemitted¡­ the Light had no choice but to sorrowfully ept their deeds,¡± Kristina revealed. If the existence of the Saint was truly a mistake¡­. If Yuras who had created and made use of the Saint was wrong to do so¡­. Then surely, shouldn¡¯t the Light have left them immediately? Kristina exined, ¡°The reason that the Light didn¡¯t return to this world is that he already dwells within the hearts of the believers who serve him, and he shines down upon them from the heavens up above.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± Aeuryus remained silent. ¡°The merciful Light can ept the entire sordid past of this country. However, this does not absolve your transgressions. The Light knows how easily zealotry can destroy someone. That is why they do not allow a citizen of this country to lift the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°How¡­ how could that be!¡± ¡°You should recall the entire history of this country and what all of you have done to propagandize your faith. For example, the Stigmata has been passed down through sessive generations of Popes and Cardinals. For that alone, the Popes and Cardinals have been considered special, and many people became followers of the Light because they were fascinated by the ¡®symbol¡¯ of the Stigmata,¡± Kristina pointed out. Aeuryus hesitated, ¡°...That was to revitalize the church¡­.¡± Kristina agreed, ¡°Yes, they did manage to revitalize the church with their self-drawn Stigmata and self-made Saint. That is how Yuras has been able to reign as a Holy Empire for so long. However, the Light will no longer overlook your transgressions. The Light does not want the Holy Sword, which was forged personally from their own flesh and blood, to be used as a symbol for zealous proselytization.¡± ¡°Ha¡­ hahaha!¡± Aeuryus let out a dejectedugh and lowered his head. ¡°...So if that is why we were not able to carry the Holy Sword¡­ then why¡­ why was the Great Vermouth able to hold the Holy Sword? Why is his descendant, Eugene Lionheart, currently holding the Holy Sword?¡± ¡°Because the era needed a Hero,¡± Kristina replied in an unwavering voice. ¡°The Light wanted the Holy Sword to be used purely to save the world, not to act as a symbol that would lead the era into an age of zealotry. Therefore, a person with the qualifications to do so could pull out the Holy Sword and be the Hero.¡± ¡°...Saint Kristina, you¡­ are you saying that Eugene Lionheart, who isn¡¯t even from Yuras, is the Hero who will save this world?¡± Aeuryus asked doubtfully. Kristina denied this, ¡°I am not the one who chose him to be the Hero. The God of Light personally chose Sir Eugene Lionheart.¡± Aeuryus was struck silent. ¡°I was born as a Saint and made into a Saint. But to me, the life of a Saint has never felt like salvation,¡± Kristina admitted as she turned her head to look at Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene is the one who saved me when I needed it. He looked at me, not as a Saint, but as a person, and reached his hand out to me. Pope Aeuryus, you¡­ have you ever thought about saving any of theSaint Candidates?¡± There was no way that could be the case. The Saint Candidates were just such an existence. Their existence was necessary for the sake of Yuras, the Church, and the World. It was only natural that the mission of a Saint was more important than any individual Saint¡¯s personality or emotions. ¡°Yuras couldn¡¯t even save a single woman who was festering in agony. How can a person from such a country as Yuras be a Hero to save the world?¡± Kristina scoffed bitterly. Unable to say anything more, Aeuryus closed his eyes. Beshara shed tears as he recited a prayer over and over again. ¡°...What shall we do?¡± Aeuryus finally spoke up at the end of a long silence. ¡°...What do you want from us?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t get involved,¡± Kristina replied. ¡°Please don¡¯t hold Sir Eugene ountable for any of this. Please don¡¯tmit any more transgressions. Please don¡¯t repeat any of your sins. ¡­And for the Saints who have been sacrificed so far as well as the candidates who weren¡¯t able to be Saints¡­ please erect a memorial in remembrance of them.¡± Aeuryus silently epted these requests. ¡°There will be no more need for Saints in the ages toe,¡± Kristina promised. ¡°So please don¡¯t try to make any more Saints. If you still have some of the relics stored away¡­ please return them to where they need to go. Please don¡¯t openly acknowledge me as the Saint. You don¡¯t have the right to give such an acknowledgment.¡± ¡°...Our faith¡­,¡± Aeuryus brought up hesitantly. Kristina instructed, ¡°Just serve the Light with pure intentions. Be thankful for the Light that exists everywhere in this world.¡± ¡°...Yes,¡± Aeuryus looked up at the Light with nk eyes. ¡°...I promise I will.¡± Now, everything was over. Kristina tried to withdraw as she felt a slight dizziness. However, at that moment, Anise spoke inside Kristina¡¯s head. [Kristina, may I borrow your body for a few moments?] ¡®Sister, is there anything else you would like me to tell them?¡¯ [This is my own personal business. It won¡¯t take long, so please allow me to use your body for a little while.] ¡®Ah¡­ alright, I understand. I trust you wouldn¡¯t really do so, but please don¡¯t do anything with my body that I would be ashamed of.¡¯ While feeling uneasy, Kristina focussed on Anise¡¯s soul. Then a conversion took ce. Anise was aware, as someone who had already died, it would be uneptable for her to steal or monopolize Kristina¡¯s body for herself. However, there were moments when she couldn¡¯t help but do so. Now was one such moment for Anise. Bam! A sound heavier than the p from earlier shook the Audience Chamber. It was only natural. Anise didn¡¯t p him like Kristina had but instead smashed Aeuryus¡¯ nose with a tightly clenched fist. ¡°Gagh?!¡± Who could have imagined that a fist would be sent flying into his face in such an atmosphere? Aeuryus tumbled backward in his chair. ¡°Open the door to the Special Artifact Vault,¡± Anise ordered. ¡°Ah¡­ huh?¡± Aeuryus stammered painfully. ¡°No, is there even any need for me to tell you to open the door? I¡¯ll open the door myself, so just hand me the key.¡± As she said this, Anise grabbed Aeuryus¡¯ right hand and pulled off the tinum ring from his index finger. Even though she had told him to hand it over, she just took it herself. ¡°After all, even though you¡¯ve said all this, isn¡¯t it possible for you lot to go back on your words behind the scenes?¡± Anise muttered to herself. ¡°So, I¡¯ll go to the Special Artifact Vault and check the remaining relics. By seeing it with my own eyes, I¡¯ll be able to judge what things shouldn¡¯t be allowed to exist and take care of them with the Sacred Rites.¡± ¡°...Ah¡­ un-understood,¡± Aeuryus stammered once more. While the demand was excessive, Aeuryus couldn¡¯t put up any resistance to her words. For some reason, the nature of the Light surrounding Kristina seemed to have changed, and it was impossible to even think of refusing, especially when he was being confronted with those eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll also take out any items I need to carry from the Special Artifacts Vault, so just overlook them if they¡¯re missing.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± Upon hearing this timid reply, Anise smiled contentedly. She massaged her aching wrist and turned, meeting Eugene¡¯s gaze, who was standing beside her with a dazed expression. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Anise asked cheekily. ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­. Oh, that¡¯s right, it is you,¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Anise said as she spread her wings and glided down from the raised dais. Raphael, who had returned the greatsword to his back, bowed his head to Anise even as he inwardly tilted his head in confusion at the strange sense of incongruity and charismaing from Kristina. Before they left the Audience Chamber, Beshara, who had been praying for quite some time, sobbed and called out to Anise, ¡°Lady Saint.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Anise curtly responded. ¡°...We¡­ can we really go to heaven? Is heaven truly real?¡± Beshara pleaded. At this question, Anise snorted and tucked her wings back in, ¡°Heaven exits, but you need to do a lot of good deeds to get in there.¡± ¡°...Ah¡­!¡± Beshara gasped. ¡°You know what that means, right? Just because you¡¯re a Pope or a Cardinal doesn¡¯t mean you necessarily get to go to heaven,¡± as Anise said this, she opened the closed doors to the Audience Chamber. ¡°If you want to go to heaven, go and do good deeds.¡± Chapter 202: The Audience Chamber (3)

Chapter 202: The Audience Chamber (3)

Getting used to switching between different consciousnesses was easier said than done. While feeling a slight dizziness, Kristina shook her head. ¡°...Are you really alright with this, Lord Raphael?¡± Kristina asked as she stared at the back of Raphael, who had taken the lead to guide them to the Special Relics Vault as if it was only natural for him to do so. There wasn¡¯t a single drop of blood still visible on the greatsword slung across his back. Kristina could still vividly recall how that viciously sharp de had just decapitated Cardinal Pietro. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Raphael asked in a tone that seemed genuinely confused. Kristina softly cleared her throat and tacked on an exnation, ¡°Lord Raphael, no matter how things have turned out, there¡¯s still the matter of you killing Cardinal Pietro with your sword, right? While I got the Vatican¡¯s agreement to cooperate regarding the matter with Sir Eugene and me, but as for you¡­.¡± ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need for you to worry about that, Lady Saint,¡± Raphael assured her, no longer addressing Kristina by the titleSaint Candidate. Raphael had seen her spread eight wings right in front of him, and he had also seen her send her fist flying into the side of the Pope¡¯s head. So while it couldn¡¯t be helped that Kristina didn¡¯t really like that, Raphael honestly couldn¡¯t think of a title that was eptable to call her other than ¡®Saint.¡¯ Raphael exined, ¡°If they dismiss me now, the Knights of the Blood Cross don¡¯t currently have any talents who could rece me. Especially if they listen to the Saintess¡¯ scolding immediately, they¡¯re sure to lose a lot of holy relics and rted miracles¡­. Yuras¡¯ power will have diminished quite a bit by the time they''re done with that.¡± ¡°Well¡­ it can¡¯t be helped,¡± Kristina hummed in understanding. ¡°As such, that¡¯s even more reason why the Pope can¡¯t afford to officially discipline me. At the moment, knights from every country are preparing to gather at the ¡®Knight March¡¯ that¡¯s scheduled for next year, but if I were to be dismissed or have to go into seclusion due to a sudden illness or any other unavoidable circumstances, who in the world would be left to lead the Knights of the Blood Cross to make a name for Yuras in the Knight March?¡± The Knight March was the Unity Conference the Emperor of Kiehl had organized to bring the various knightly orders together. The stated purpose was to bring together the mightiest in each country, giving them a stage topare themselves and promoting camaraderie. But the true intention was to respond to the ¡®warning¡¯ given by the Demon King of Incarceration and the demonfolk of Helmuth, the warning intended for the whole world. Even if it didn¡¯t serve as much of a message as the Emperor intended, by gathering the strongest from each country, the Unity Conference or the Knight March would serve as arge show of force. This peaceful era without any wars hadsted for a long time now. Many knights were considered to be among the best of the best, but who exactly was the best and the strongest had yet to be decided. It wasn¡¯t just the hot-blooded younger knights who were excited. Most knights also felt a fire light up inside them at the thought of a ce where they could draw their swords, swing them around, andpare against each other. This would be a ranking contest between the different countries, no, between the different knightly orders. Underneath the surface, headhunting should already be taking ce. Since it was only obvious that such things would take ce, Yuras wouldn¡¯t just throw away their Crusader, the greatest knight in the Holy Empire. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the location of the Knight March has yet to be decided, but have you heard anything new, Lord Raphael?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t it only natural that the Emperor of Kiehl wants to hold the Knight March within his country? The same goes for Yuras as well,¡± Raphael shrugged his shoulders with a smile. ¡°However, it¡¯s almost certain that the event will be set in Ruhr. That is why the Pope wanted to set the Beast King back, even if it meant using despicable tricks.¡± The Vatican¡¯s Special Relics Vault was also located in the basement of the White Pce, just like the Audience Chamber. Bishops and archbishops were allowed to enter the other Relic Vaults as long as they had permission, but only the Pope and the Cardinals from sessive generations were allowed to enter the Special Relics Vault. They arrived in front of the strictly-guarded Special Relics Vault, but there was no one there to keep them from entering. The Pdins responsible for guarding this floor had already bowed their heads and backed away on their own before Raphael could even say anything. Telepathy was one of the highest-leveled spells in divine magic. Even if his Stigmata was artificially imnted, the Pope¡¯s holy power was indisputably unrivaled, so he must have telepathically sent an order to all of the Pdins guarding the White Pce. ¡°Allow me to leave you here,¡± Raphael said as his steps came to a halt. ¡°While I¡¯m also curious about what is contained within the Special Relics Vault¡­ it¡¯s still not appropriate for me to apany you inside and see it myself. I shall bid you farewell and return to the Knights of the Blood Cross.¡± ¡°Thank you for apanying us,¡± Kristina said with a quick prayer of thanks, only for Raphael tough and get down on one knee.¡± ¡°It was an honor to be able to participate in this historic event with you, Lady Saint. Please, I will pray that the Light will shine down upon all of the Saint¡¯s endeavors.¡± With these final words, Raphael turned around and left. They proceeded down an empty hallway, at the end of which stood a circr white door. Kristina moved towards the door, rubbing the tinum ring that she now wore on her finger. Aplex gap spread across the door as she held the ring up. Then the gap split open soundlessly, forming a path wide enough for people to pass through. This was a high-level application of security magic,parable to the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault. Eugene followed Kristina into the Special Relics Vault. ¡°So anyways, what exactly did youe here looking for?¡± Eugene asked as he stared at Kristina¡¯s back. ¡°We¡¯re here to check whether the remains of Sister or the other Saints have been left here as holy relics,¡± Kristina replied. ¡°Sister?¡± Eugene repeated with a doubtful expression, only for Kristina to p a hand across her lips in rmed surprise. Kristina coughed, ¡°Ah¡­ ahem. Lady Anise, you are quite mischievous. It would be nice if you could at least warn me before you borrowed my lips to speak¡­.¡± [I didn¡¯t do anything, so why are you trying to push the me on me?] Aniseined. ¡®Sister, please.¡¯ [Kristina. I can¡¯t help but feel very disappointed in the actions you just showed. It seems like you intend to use me as an excuse to cover up your mistakes, and you can even use me as a scapegoat when you feel the urge to satisfy your shady desires, isn¡¯t that right?] ¡®Shady desires¡­? Just what does that even¡ª¡¯ [What I¡¯m worried about is something like this. Kristina, won¡¯t you be tempted to pretend to be me and kiss Hamel with your own li¡ª] ¡°Ahem! Cough! Ahehem!¡± Kristina burst into a coughing fit, pounding on her chest as if she had got something caught in her throat. At the same time, dozens of prayers were being recited in her head all at once. Since Kristina was going so far as to drown her out, Anise also backed down and stopped speaking about such things to Kristina. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Eugene asked in concern. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m fine,¡± Kristina replied, smiling as if nothing was wrong. ¡°Although they said that the holy relics of the previous generations have already been returned to the Light, if there are any other holy relics that shouldn¡¯t be here, I¡¯ll be sure to perform the sacrament to return them to the Light. Also¡­.¡± Kristina raised her head and looked around the inside of the vault. ¡°There is still the matter of Lady Anise¡¯s belongings,¡± Kristina continued. ¡°Some of them should have been stored here, so we need to retrieve them.¡± While returning any holy remains to the Light was also important, recovering Anise¡¯s belongings was her real purpose for entering the Special Relics Vault. They weren¡¯t just any mere belongings. The belongings of the Faithful Anise were, in a sense, more valuable than the remains of her or any other Saint. [Especially if it¡¯s you,] Anise insisted. [Because my belongings stored here¡­ all saw use during my travels through the Devildom three hundred years ago.] Various relics were stored in the Special Relics Vault. Or rather, they used to be stored there. Most of the ss cabs, which had once held relics inside of them, were now empty. Looking at this sight, Eugene clenched his fist firmly before rxing it. These empty ss cases reminded him of the filter he had seen at the source of the Fount of Light. Apart from the fact that there wasn¡¯t any water flowing here, there wasn¡¯t much difference. Originally, the holy relics of former Saints must have been stored within these ss cases. As for the items that hadn¡¯t disappeared¡­. Starting from thebones, there were various other categories of items. The bones were the remains of ordinary saints rather thantheSaints. In addition to those, apart from the crosses, rosary beads, rosaries, and other such holy items, there were several weapons, such as daggers. ¡°Hoho,¡± Eugene let out a brief huff of admiration as he followed behind Kristina. ¡°Did they also leave this here? How fortunate.¡± Instead of being kept inside one of the ordinary ss cabs, the item that Eugene had noticed was erected on a pir made out of gold. Although it looked well-worn, the mace was subtly stained with a ck and reddish hue. While Anise was making good use of this weapon three hundred years ago, this vicious weapon had shattered the heads of countless demonfolk. Kristina hesitated, ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t have the confidence to wield a mace as well as Lady Anise, but¡­.¡± [If you remove the head and connect it to the handle with a chain, you can use it as a il,] Anise advised. Kristina¡¯s hand reached out as if possessed and lifted the mace. It was heavy. Kristina had also learned how to wield a il from a young age and had confidence in her strength, but Anise¡¯s mace was too heavy for her to hold with one hand. [If it wasn¡¯t this heavy, then it wouldn¡¯t even be able to break a demonfolk¡¯s head,] Anise said. [This artifact was prepared for me when I was still a child, and it was made by carving the whole thing out of a solid block of expensive adamantium. It apanied me into the Fount of Light from the very beginning, and it was smelted using my Sacred Blood and the Light from the Fount.] Kristina listened silently. [Not only that, I learned how to steadily infuse it with my Sacred Blood even when I wasn¡¯t paying attention to it, and I used it as a catalyst for my miracles. In Helmuth, it drank the blood of countless demonfolk and reaped their souls, all while being baptized and purified with my Sacred Blood and the Light every day¡­. I dare say that, in this era, this mace is probably the second-best weapon for killing demonfolk following the Holy Sword.] While Kristina looked down at the mace she was holding, she felt her heart pound. Knowing the true origins of it only made the mace feel even heavier to her. Just as Anise had said, this mace must definitely be the second most lethal sacred artifact for dealing with demonfolk, following the Holy Sword Altair. ¡°Just seeing that makes my side ache for no reason,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°Huh?¡± Kristina questioned in surprise. ¡°When was it again?¡± Eugene muttered to himself. ¡°We weren¡¯t able to restock, so we had run out of liquor, but Anise had stocked up a few bottles from her own quota. So Sienna and I tried to steal some alcohol without Anise knowing about it¡­. We got caught midway through. Sienna cowardly ran away by herself using space magic, and I was the only one to have my ribs shattered by Anise¡¯s mace.¡± While recalling their distant past, Eugene brushed his own side and continued, ¡°No matter how I think about it, Anise definitely went too far at that time. Those shattered ribs tore through my lungs, so I couldn¡¯t breathe, and the pain was truly agonizing. Then, instead of treating me, Anise even broke my leg.¡± [How could they steal from their ownrade? It was that son of a bitch Hamel¡¯s fault for doing so,] Anise cursed. ¡°Sir Eugene, you were the one in the wrong,¡± Kristina dutifully parroted. Eugene retorted, ¡°Who said that I wasn¡¯t in the wrong? I just said she went too far with the punishment, tch¡­.¡± Eugene was also very familiar with the next sacred item. It was the rosary that Anise had worn the whole time they were on their travels. [Just holding it in your hand elerates the recovery of divine power, and it can amplify the power of miracles.] There was also a ss bottle containingrealHoly Water instead of alcohol. [Just like the mace, by entering the Fount of Light with me ever since I was a child, it is a sacred item that has been imbued with its own blessings. Without any cumbersome rituals or chores, you can make Holy Water just by putting ordinary water inside it. The Holy Water created by doing so can dissolve demonic power and even burn the blood and flesh of the demonfolk. If an additional miracle is cast upon it, it can even be used as a potion that, while not as good as an elixir, still has an excellent effect.] Kristina hung the rosary on her neck and ced the ss bottle in a pocket. Then she picked up the mace with both hands and headed towards the final relic. It was a pure white robe with a red cross sewn onto it. Seeing this robe, Eugene smiled unconsciously. In Eugene¡¯s memories, Anise was always wearing that robe. The red cross on her back and the white lining had never once been sttered with blood, but beneath that robe, Anise¡¯s back had always been covered with blood. [Taking that with you will be very convenient,] Anise said. [During the many years I spent drifting around Helmuth, that robe has never once gotten dirty. It also has never had blood stained on it. The cross is always a clear red, and the white background was made to represent purity without any blemishes¡­ it¡¯s quite an ostentatious symbol of the Saint.] ¡®Will that really fit me¡­?¡¯Kristina thought uncertainly. [It fit me, so, of course, it will fit you too. The robe itself can amplify miracles, and I also don¡¯t want to leave even a single piece of my belongings here. So Kristina, go ahead and take all of them for yourself.] Kristina hesitantly wrapped the robe around her body. It was definitely her first time wearing it, but as the robe wrapped snugly around her body, she felt afortable sensation, as if she had worn it for a long time. [Don¡¯t pay too much attention to me,] Anise warned. Kristina was currently wearing Anise¡¯s robe, with Anise¡¯s rosary around her neck, Anise¡¯s Holy Water bottle in one pocket, and she was even carrying Anise¡¯s mace. [You can¡¯t let yourself be me. All of these are just to help you on your journey. They¡¯re not meant to transform yourself into me.] Without replying, Kristina reached up and rubbed the rosary. There was no need for her to even respond to these words. As she felt Anise¡¯s care for her, Kristina smiled faintly. She wasn¡¯t weak enough to feel confused about her identity just because of a slight change in the way she dressed. She was Kristina Rogeris. And the person who had first called her by that name was standing right in front of her. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina spoke up. ¡°Would you please return ahead of me?¡± ¡°Where should I go?¡± Eugene asked without any embarrassment at the request. Kristina hid the heavy mace inside her robe andughed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter which one, but please stay in one of Yurasia¡¯s inns for now.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I¡­ there¡¯s a little something I still have to do.¡± As Kristina looked around the Special Relics Vault, she continued, ¡°Among all the holy relics stored here, none seem to require a special sacrament to be returned to the Light. In the end, there are just a few holy remains stored here because of the miracles contained within them, instead of for other purposes.¡± Eugene nodded, ¡°I see.¡± ¡°However, there are still a few other ces that I want to check out. There are probably a lot more of the relics that we¡¯re concerned about stored within the Inquisition Headquarters or the Department of Divine Magic,¡± Kristina concluded. The Inquisition and the Department of Divine Magic were where the research on ck magic and ancient magic, such as blood magic, had taken ce. ¡°Got it,¡± Eugene acquiesced. It wasn¡¯t too hard for Eugene to offer some more help. However, Eugene didn¡¯t say something like that. Because Kristina hadn¡¯t asked for his help. It wasn¡¯t like she was holding herself back from saying something, so this meant that Kristina clearly didn¡¯t want Eugene¡¯s help. She wanted to finish everything rted to the Saints with her own hands and send her condolences to them along with any of their remains. ¡°Two dayster, there will be an event to celebrate Lady Anise¡¯s birthday at the za of the Sun.¡± Trying to keep her voice from shaking, Kristina continued, ¡°Let¡¯s meet there at noon when the sun is at its highest.¡± Favorite Chapter 203: The Plaza of the Sun (1)

Chapter 203: The za of the Sun (1)

It was now two days after Eugene had left the Vatican. Although Pope Aeuryus and Cardinal Beshara had begged him to stay in the Vatican, Eugene had no intention or desire to do so. As such, Eugene had reserved a room in a luxury inn near the za of the Sun. In this season, with Anise¡¯s birthday drawing nearer, no matter how much money one had or how high one or their family¡¯s status was, finding a vacant room for was difficult. However, if the Holy See were to personally request a room, it was only natural that the owner of the amodations would be willing to offer it up to them. Eugene had locked himself up in his luxurious lodgings for the past two days. In any case, he didn¡¯t have anything that required him to go out, nor did he want to do so. Mer secretly wished to tour the city, but as soon as they entered their quarters, she saw Eugene sitting down in the middle of the living room as if it was the most natural thing for him to do, so she gave up her faint expectations. For the past two days, Eugene operated the Lionheart n¡¯s White me Form and watched as the number of Stars increased to six. With each cirction of the White me Form, the six Stars slowly revolved around his heart. When there were only five Stars, they hadn¡¯t exhibited any signs of rotation around the Core. So had the operating methods of the White me Form changed just because of the addition of one more Core? That was what Eugene had suspected at first, but as a result of having watched the rotation around his Core for the past few days, Eugene hade up with a few more guesses. ¡®Could it be that it changed by itself to better suit me?¡¯ Although the idea seemed absurd, Eugene couldn¡¯t think of any other reason apart from that. Currently, Eugene¡¯s six Stars were spinning as if he had released the Ring me Form, even though he hadn¡¯t started operating the Ring me Form. That said, it didn¡¯t mean that Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to use the Ring me Form if it came down to it. The moment Eugene focussed on it, the slow rotation of his Cores became quicker and more violent. The Ring me Form that was instantaneously activated when this happened generated a much higher output of mana that couldn¡¯t bepared to when he only had five Stars. The Lightning-mes were also perfectly melted into this torrent of mana, and even though they hadn¡¯t been easy to handle when he only had five Stars, the Lightning-mes could now be handled as smoothly as if it was just ordinary mana. ¡®The fact that there¡¯s no need to switch from the White me Form to the Ring me Form¡­ means that the warming up process has disappeared. As a result, the output and the limits of the Cores have also increased.¡¯ If he had to put it simply, the Six-Star White me Form had Cores that kept rotating even if Eugene didn¡¯t bother to operate the form, so Eugene would be able to emit a high output of mana the moment he desired it. Also, thanks to its continuous rotation, his mana capacity was constantly growing. And what did this growth in his mana mean? It meant that his base output was also steadily increasing. High output of mana, no matter how much of it was used to strengthen the body, would inevitably burden the body. In order to keep up with this burden, Eugene wasn¡¯t able to neglect the training of his body. The recoil from using Ignition was the body breaking down because it couldn¡¯t endure the heightened output of mana; even if it wasn¡¯t as much as Ignition, as long as one pushed their mana to its limit, their body would be damaged by it. However, there existed a ¡®line¡¯ at which the body would no longer be damaged by its own strength. The moment the body waspletely united with its mana, it could be reconstructed using mana even without using magic. Rather than a simple rejuvenation, this was closer to metamorphosis, and the reconstructed body would be strong enough not to be damaged by its own mana output. Except for cases like Ignition, that is. ¡®Although I never thought I¡¯d be able to reach that line so quickly,¡¯Eugene thought as he clenched and unclenched his fist. This twenty-year-old body was in such mint condition that it didn¡¯t really need any reconstruction. However, it was a gratifying and pleasant surprise to be able to withstand the burden of his increased mana output. ¡®That said, I still can¡¯t withstand the recoil of Ignition, but¡­ I wasn¡¯t really expecting to, anyway. If I use a Six-Star Ignition, with the Empty Sword on top of that¡­,¡¯Eugene trailed off consideringly as he pictured what he could do at his maximum current limit. When he had previously stacked twoyers of the Empty Sword on top of his Fifth-Star White me Form, the maximum output he had been able to produce momentarily had barely approached what Hamel had achieved in his heyday during his previous life. When Eugene had killed Sergio, he had used Ignition with a Six-Star White me Form, and he had been able to make three stacks of the Empty Sword. The sh he had produced at that moment was about the same as when he used Ignition during the peak of his previous life. ¡®Ignition with the Six-Star White me Form is even stronger than my previous life. If I can stack the Empty Sword to its maximum limit, it should also be simr in strength to my peak Ignition. As expected, the problem still lies in endurance,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. Ignition just came with too much of a burden. On top of that, even if it was Eugene, his current limit with the Empty Sword was three stacks, and it was close to impossible for him to be able to sustain those stacks for a lengthy time. Eugene reminded himself,¡®I don¡¯t reallyhaveto use the Empty Sword. Since I also have the Moonlight Sword, if I use Ignition to support the drain of the Moonlight Sword¡­.¡¯ Would he be able to beat the Demon King of Incarceration? No, even Eugene wasn¡¯t that arrogant. On the contrary, he was realistic and pessimistic enough that he was able to take a good critical look at himself when it came to matters like this. Even if Eugene used everything he had avable to him and pushed himself to his limit, it was likely that the Demon King of Incarceration would still be able to make him disappear with a mere flick of his finger¡­. He had never personally fought with the Demon King of Incarceration, so it was difficult to imagine how their conflict might y out, but that was the probable oue. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t be able to match Noir Giabe or Gavid Lindman either. Still, I should be able to somehow keep up against Iris, right? If I used the Moonlight Sword from the beginning¡­,¡¯Eugene considered it for a moment before shaking his head.¡®No, that won¡¯t work. Just like me, the Moonlight Sword isn¡¯t in perfect condition either, so its light could go out in the middle of a battle. Instead, it would be better for me to keep it hidden throughout the battle, then at the critical moment¡­.¡¯ [Sir Eugene,] a voice called out to him. Ignoring the interruption, Eugene continued thinking,¡®Just what is going on with the White me Form? Does it usually transform like this once you¡¯ve reached the Sixth Star?¡¯ But it didn¡¯t seem like rising to the Sixth Star should have anything to do with the Cores beginning to rotate. What if, as Eugene had already guessed, the White me Form really had modified itself to better suit him? Eugene recalled all those in the Lionheart n who had reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form. With Doynes Lionheart dead¡­ there were currently only three people in the Lionheart n who had ovee the hurdle into the Sixth Star of the White me Form. The Patriarch Gilead¡­ The Captain of the Fifth Division of the ck Lion Knights, Gion¡­ And the Captain of the Third Division of the ck Lion Knights, Carmen. Among these three, Carmen¡¯s White me Form had even reached the Seventh Star, bing one of the few in the history of the Lionheart n to have been able to leap over that infamously devilish hurdle. Eugene added another reminder,¡®When I return to the Lionheart n this time, I have to make sure to ask¡ª¡¯ A voice shouted, ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Eugene¡¯s thoughts halted. Mer had jumped out of his cloak and grabbed Eugene by the cor. Eugene blinked his eyes, stunned by her sudden fiery outburst. ¡°Do you know just how many times I¡¯ve called you?¡± Mer demanded. ¡°...I almost thought you were Sienna¡­,¡± Eugene mumbled to himself as he shook his head and pulled himself free of Mer¡¯s grasp on his cor. Eugene had gotten too lost in his thoughts. A moment ago, when Mer, who looked just like Sienna, had shoved her face into his and grabbed his cor like Sienna always used to, Eugene¡¯s thoughts had frozen for a moment. ¡°Hehehem,¡± Mer smiled proudly and poked Eugene¡¯s chest a few times with her elbow upon hearing Eugene¡¯s mutter. ¡°I was going to get angry with you, but I¡¯ll forgive you for now. Sir Eugene, it looks like you were so busy thinking of Lady Sienna that you actually got confused when you saw me, right?¡± ¡°No¡­ well¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± Eugene gave in. ¡°Even so, Sir Eugene, please keep in mind that I am not Lady Sienna. In the end, I¡¯m Lady Sienna¡¯s daugh¡­,¡± Mer caught herself. ¡°No, wait, I meant familiar.¡± Eugene nodded, ¡°Fine¡­.¡± ¡°However! Even if I don¡¯t get angry at you, I still have to say something. Do you know why? The reason for my shouting is not that you have been ignoring my calls! It¡¯s because you are acting like a dandy, Sir Eugene,¡± Merined. These words only made Eugene even more confused at her interruption. Did she really just say that he was acting like a dandy? What kind of bullshit nonsense was that? Mer protested, ¡°Did you really need to wash your hair and take a bath before heading there?¡± Eugene argued back, ¡°So what, I shouldn¡¯t wash up if I¡¯m heading out?¡± ¡°But you even brushed your teeth.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t brush your teeth, you¡¯ll have bad breath.¡± ¡°What does that matter? You just have to ensure that her face doesn¡¯t get close enough for her to smell your bad breath. No way, Sir Eugene, did you actually brush your teeth just in case your lips get close to hers?¡± Mer demanded. Eugene sighed, ¡°Just what are you even saying¡­.¡± ¡°You also changed your clothes,¡± Mer pointed out. ¡°Why did you have to change? You could have just worn the clothes that you wore the day before. Or else, you could wear the clothes I picked out for you!¡± ¡°You seem to have mistaken my gender when you picked those out,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°When did I do that? Of course, Sir Eugene, you are a man. Just how could I be mistaken about something like that?¡± Mer replied while tilting her head to the side. In response, Eugene just furrowed his brows and flicked Mer on the forehead with his fingertips. Eugene turned the questions back onto Mer, ¡°Then why the fuck did you pick out a skirt for me, especially a skirt that¡¯s such a gaudy red? Huh? And where did you even get those tacky fis stockings from?¡± ¡°Those were a gift from Melkith,¡± Mer exined. ¡°She told me I might want to wear them someday when I be an impressivedy.¡± ¡°Should I just kill her?¡± Eugene mumbled. Tempest agreed immediately, [I think it might be necessary.] ¡°That¡¯s not important. What¡¯s truly important is that Sir Eugene, you have dressed up all fancy for your date with that dual-personality Saint,¡± Mer used. Eugene sighed once more, ¡°Just why do you keep saying such nonsense¡­ who the hell said that it was a date?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not seriously saying that, are you?¡± Mer asked skeptically. ¡°Alright, it is a date,¡± Eugene conceded. ¡°I admit it. However, I didn¡¯t particrly try to dress up for it. I just washed myself up since I was heading out and made sure to change my clothes while I was at it. Does it look like I put something in my hair or sprayed on any perfume? Or else, am I wearing anything fancy or expensive?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, you have good proportions, so along with that face, you look great no matter what you wear,¡± Mer pouted. Eugene hesitated in embarrassment, ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­ thanks for thepliment, but, in any case, I¡¯ve never especially dressed up for¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s even more of a problem. Even though you haven¡¯t done anything particr to dress up, you look like you have. What should we do if that insidious Saintess forms a strange misunderstanding after seeing your current appearance? Lady Sienna, Lady Sienna, what should I do?¡± Mer called out in a panic. ¡°What kind of misunderstanding are you talking about?¡± Fortunately, Eugene didn¡¯t have to keep responding to Mer¡¯s whining. The voiceing from behind him felt like salvation to Eugene. With a grateful sigh, he turned around to look behind him. He saw Kristina standing there wearing a white robe. It was Anise¡¯s robe that they had retrieved from the Vatican¡¯s Special Relics Vault. Kristina pulled the hood of her robe down over her face as she looked at Eugene and Mer. ¡°...Ugh¡­,¡± Mer couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly intimidated by Kristina¡¯s appearance. ¡ªPlease close your eyes. Mer could still clearly recall that voice and her blue eyes. ¡°Have I kept you waiting for long?¡± ¡°No, not really.¡± It was almost noon in the za of the Sun. Right when they had promised to meet after parting ways a few days ago. There was still a little bit of time left before it fully turned noon, but the sun that was already high in the sky was warm and bright. Beneath the vibrant sun, the statue of Anise appeared to be flying with its wings spread wide open. Today was the Thirteenth of April, Anise¡¯s birthday. Yuras¡¯ list of Saints, Saintesses, and Anniversaries was as long as its storied history. Still, the festival of Anise¡¯s birthday was celebrated just as grandly as the Anniversary of the Empire¡¯s founding or any of the other festivals dedicated to things like the harvest that were celebrated in Yuras. Although celebrations for the festival were taking ce all over Yuras, the most crowded location was the capital, Yurasia. During the week-long festival that started from this day, the Sunnyside Anise Train would be free to ride untilte into the night, and any city carriage fees, as well as the prices of restaurants and most of the stores in the city, would be tax and tithe-free. On top of that, a parade would begin to march the streets of the city, and fireworks would be set off at night. The center of the festival was right here, in the za of the Sun. Even now, the za was full of people waving their hands up towards the statue of Anise that was floating in the sky and offering up their prayers. However, even though there were so many people, the space around Eugene was quite vacant. Also, no one else in the za seemed to dare to draw closer to Eugene. This was because of the mana that Eugene intentionally allowed to leak, as well as aplex suggestion spell. As such, while most of the people there recognized Eugene, none of them had attempted to approach him. ¡°Ahem,¡± Kristina quietly cleared her throat and lifted her head. The Icon of Anise was symbolic of the za of the Sun. It was considered one of the best among the various statues, ruins, and religious iconography that could be found throughout Yuras. In the past, whenever she saw the statue, Kristina would also feel her emotions stir deep within her heart and get the urge to offer up a prayer. [They screwed up their historical research. There¡¯s no way that my wings were so shabby. Also, they made the face of my statue too benevolent and caring, like a mother who¡¯s given birth to a child, but my actual face had a slightly sharper feeling to it.] From now on, Kristina wouldn¡¯t be able to feel the same heightened emotions she had in the past. While ignoring Anise grumbling away inside of her head, Kristina reached into her cloak. Her eyes were focused on Mer, who was clinging to Eugene¡¯s chest like a cicada. ¡°Lady Mer,¡± Kristina called out to her. Mer stammered, ¡°Wh-wh-what¡­ is it?¡± As she was replying, Mer grew so nervous that she couldn¡¯t help but lower her gaze. How humiliating¡­! While recalling Sienna, who Mer hadst seen so long ago, the corners of her mouth drooped down. Mer had never missed Sienna, her master and creator, as much as she did now¡­. Kristina continued in a friendly tone, ¡°Do you know? This square is huge.¡± ¡°I guess so,¡± Mer reluctantly mumbled. ¡°Once you exit this za, the surrounding squares and streets are all called the Gourmet Streets,¡± Kristina informed her. Mer¡¯s eyes shook. ¡°Being able to survive the strict management and all of thepetition, the delicacies found in the Gourmet Streets are so delicious that it¡¯s hard to believe they¡¯re just food stalls¡­ especially during a festival like this when both local and foreign businesses are allowed to open stalls as long as they apply for a permit in advance. Do you get what I¡¯m trying to say?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know,¡± Mer resolutely shook her head. ¡°This is a chance to enjoy vors from all across the continent,¡± Kristina exined as she pulled out a wooden rosary that could be worn on the wrist from inside her pocket. ¡°This rosary is only issued to high-ranking priests above the rank of a bishop. In a ce like Yuras, the welfare shown to priests is quite exceptional. Especially in Yurasia, where you can receive the best service provided in any store just by wearing this bracelet on your wrist.¡± Mer silently stared at the rosary. ¡°That goes for the stalls as well,¡± Kristina added. ¡°No matter how long the lines are, if you show them this bracelet, you can ce the next order immediately without having to line up. And of course, with this bracelet, you won¡¯t need to pay for it.¡± Mer¡¯s eyes wavered in temptation. Kristina continued to tempt her, ¡°It¡¯s not just the stalls. You can use this bracelet in any of the restaurants or stores. While ordinary people would have a hard time even getting into just ten of the stores during this whole week-long festival, with this bracelet¡­ if you wear it, you can partake in all of the stalls and shops in just half a day, assuming that your stomach allows for it.¡± As long as her stomach allows for it? Mer didn¡¯t even have a stomach to ask for its permission. These festival street stalls, could they really be as exciting as Kristina was making them sound? ¡°However, it¡¯s a pity,¡± Kristina sighed. ¡°Even though I¡¯ll be staying in the za all day because I don¡¯t have any appetite, I won¡¯t be able to visit any of the street stalls or restaurants.¡± Mer stammered in outrage, ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­!¡± Kristina reeled her in, ¡°But Lady Mer, if you really wish, I can lend you this rosary just for today, but¡­.¡± At these words, Mer couldn¡¯t help but fall into a long silence as she pondered her choice. Even as Mer kept her mouth shut, she could feel that time continued to pass. Dong, dong, dong¡­. From a clocktower nearby, Mer heard the sound of a bell tolling noon. ¡°Ooooh!¡± Gasps erupted from the crowd as a gimmick that was built into Anise¡¯s statue and only revealed at noon on holidays was activated. A sophisticated mechanical device that borrowed the power of magitech sprung into motion and changed the posture of the statue. Anise¡¯s statue, which had been flying in the sky while looking down at the ground, knelt down while still floating in the air and took on a praying posture. After that, her outspread wings pped once, and feathers of light were scattered into the sky. Mer silently gazed up at this scene. The sunlight hit the wings of the statue at just the right time, creating a dazzling array of beautiful colors. At this sight, Mer put her hands together and offered up a prayer,¡®...I¡¯m sorry, Lady Sienna.¡¯ Shouldn¡¯t it be okay if it was just a day or so? Since this was also the birthday of herrade from three hundred years ago, and if it was tomemorate her¡­. In no way was Mer being blinded by the allure of the festival stalls. Come to think of it, she had promised Anci and Gerhard that she would buy souvenirs for them before she returned from Yuras. Since she had received such love and care from them thus far, Mer felt she should at least buy them some souvenirs. Mer thought to herself,¡®There¡¯s no way Sir Eugene will take the time to go and buy souvenirs. So apart from today, there won¡¯t be any better opportunity for me to buy some.¡¯ As such, Mer decided that it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡®Lady Sienna did tell me that if someone did me a favor, I should always repay it,¡¯Mer convinced herself. In other words, this wasn¡¯t Mer sumbing to the temptation of food, but instead just practicing Lady Sienna¡¯s teachings. She might get something to eat if she got hungry along the way, but her primary purpose today was to go and buy souvenirs. Mer calmly let go of Eugene¡¯s chest and walked out of the cloak. No further conversation was necessary. Kristina tied the rosary bracelet around Mer¡¯s wrist with a benevolent smile. Once she received this bracelet, Mer slowly turned to leave. Mer shot a nce at Eugene. She took a step forward, then stopped and looked back. ¡°Can I just ask you something?¡± Mer requested. Kristina agreed, ¡°Yes, whatever you like.¡± ¡°...Right now, are you¡­ Lady Kristina or Lady Anise?¡± Mer asked hesitantly. At these words, Kristina just smiled and tilted her head to the side. ¡°Which one could it be?¡± Kristina teased. Mer didn¡¯t really want to think up a reply to this question. However, if possible, she hoped that this was currently Anise. If that was the case, then it meant this really couldn¡¯t be helped. After Mer bowed her head, she turned around once more. Eugene finally spoke up, ¡°Be careful. Don¡¯t follow any strange people, and even if they tell you they¡¯re going to give you candy, just ignore them¡­.¡± Instead of replying, Mer just raised a fist with the rosary dangling from it to remind Eugene. ¡°Let¡¯s go as well,¡± Kristina said as she walked over, pulling her hood down over her face a little more securely. The za today was the most crowded that it would be all year, and Anise¡¯s statue was right above them. As such, Kristina didn¡¯t dare to reveal her face, which so closely resembled Anise¡¯s. ¡°But where are we going?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I haven''t quite decided that yet, but¡­ since I finally have the opportunity toe out like this, wouldn¡¯t it be fun to just stroll around the festival together?¡± Kristina replied as she took the lead and walked forward for a few steps. Then she suddenly recalled something and turned to look at Eugene, ¡°Hamel, do you recognize who I am?¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Have you decided that you¡¯re going to call me Hamel as well?¡± Kristina just blinked for a few moments at this question before breaking into a smile. ¡°I thought that my acting was pretty good, but it seems that I failed to act like Lady Anise,¡± Kristina said with some relief. ¡°Do you really need to keep acting?¡± Eugene muttered as he lifted a finger. He knew why Kristina was wearing a hood. He could also understand her reasons for doing so. However, Eugene didn¡¯t really like the fact that she was. A gentle breeze blew Kristina¡¯s hood back. Kristina was startled and tried to grab her hood, but the cheeky breeze kept forcing her hood back even as her hair was sent flying. ¡°Kristina Rogeris,¡± Eugene addressed her by her full name. ¡°Since you¡¯re not guilty of any crime, why do you keep hiding your face?¡± ¡°But¡­ someone might recognize me¡­,¡± Kristina weakly protested. ¡°So what? Do you think that something troublesome will ur if someone does recognize you? It might. But you still shouldn¡¯t hide your face. You are you, and Anise is Anise. If someone sees your face and tries to act all pushy, I¡¯ll tell them to get lost,¡± Eugene grumbled in promise as he walked past Kristina. ¡°It¡¯s almost noon, and I¡¯m feeling hungry, so I¡¯d like to get something to eat. But is that still possible? You gave your bracelet to Mer, after all.¡± ¡°...Haha,¡± Kristina, who had been just standing there nkly, let out a shortugh and walked over to Eugene. ¡°I have more than one rosary, so please don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Having her face exposed felt unfamiliar to her for some reason. Kristina needlessly rubbed her own cheeks as she followed behind Eugene. [Kristina,] Anise called out to her. ¡®Yes, Sister,¡¯Kristina meekly responded. [Do you understand my feelings now?] Anise whispered fondly. [I really liked how Hamel was so nonchntly considerate.] What if those words somehow leaked out of her own mouth? Afraid and embarrassed by the mere possibility, Kristina pped her hands over her two lips. Chapter 204: The Plaza of the Sun (2)

Chapter 204: The za of the Sun (2)

¡®Sister,¡¯Kristina silently called out Anise¡¯s name while still walking with Eugene. Though, in fact, there was no need for her to call out like this. Anise was already reading Kristina¡¯s inner thoughts. [I don¡¯t want to,] Anise responded without any hesitation. This was because Anise felt that, as someone in her position, such a response was only natural. Kristina felt Anise¡¯s resolve in her reply and a refusal to back down. [I also admit that I do have quite a lot of regrets left over from my life. From now on, there will be a few times when I will need to borrow your body, but not in a situation like this,] Anise sternly refused. ¡®Why not?¡¯Kristina asked. Anise responded sarcastically, [Why ask such an obvious question? It¡¯s because my lingering regrets might transform into greed for your body. While I¡¯m familiar with enduring my desires, what if I¡¯m unable to continue enduring them? It would be better for both you and me to not do something like this.] ¡®We deserve to be happy. You¡¯re the one who told me that, Sister,¡¯Kristina reminded her. Anise faltered, [...Something like this¡­ isn¡¯t true happiness. It might even turn out to be a curse. Kristina, I really do like you. I don¡¯t know how much longer I can remain in this world in this form, but as long as I¡¯m here, I want to be like a caring sister to you.] Anise fell silent for a few moments. Kristina didn¡¯t rush Anise into concluding her decision, but the pace at which she had been walking with Eugene naturally slowed down a bit. Eugene nced at Kristina, who was walking without saying anything, but he didn¡¯t inquire into the reason for her continued silence. [...If my lingering regrets do transform into greed, then I might gradually want even more and more of your time,] Anise eventually warned Kristina. Kristina promised,¡®I¡¯ll do my best to give you what you want, Sister.¡¯ [What if I end up wanting to take your body for myselfpletely? What if I end up regretting my death and want to fulfill my desire for life by gaining total possession of your body?] ¡®If that is what Sister wants, I will dly yield my body. You deserve happiness more than I do, Sister.¡¯ Anise sighed, [You really are such a sinister person. You can say something like that while believing I would never do such a thing.] Kristina thought innocently,¡®It would be sinister of me to doubt you in the first ce, Sister.¡¯ Anise chuckled at Kristina¡¯s response and said, [You¡­ if you¡¯re really okay with it, then fine, Kristina. I will dly ept your offer. However¡­.] ¡®However?¡¯Kristina repeated curiously. [Until¡­ the sun is about to set, just let me use your body until then. While that brilliant Light from the heavens still illuminates the earth, so that I won¡¯t dare to harbor any sinful desires¡­.] ¡®Alright.¡¯ Kristina smiled faintly at getting her desired answer. She then took a deep breath and closed her eyes. ¡®Sister.¡¯ [Yes?] ¡®Happy Birthday.¡¯ Their consciousness switched. Anise unconsciously burst intoughter at Krisitina¡¯sst words. To think that she would still be able to receive such congrattions. It had already been two hundred years since Anise had died. On this day, three hundred years ago, Anise Slywood was born into the world. Her birth was rather miraculous. The imitation of the Incarnation of Light who conceived her was unable to endure the rigors of childbirth and died prematurely, so in the end, Anise could only emerge into the world after her dead mother¡¯s stomach was sliced open. Naturally, Anise didn¡¯t remember that moment. She didn¡¯t even know what the mother who had given birth to her even looked like. Her mother¡¯s name was also kept a secret. However, ever since she was young, there was one thing that she knew for sure. She was never going to give birth to her own children. Likewise, another thing Anise was sure about was that she wished she hadn¡¯t been born into this world. For the young Anise, her birthday was never a happy asion. On her third birthday, Anise was forced to go to the Fount of Light for the first time and perform the ritual. From that point onwards, her cyclic visits to the Fount grew ever more frequent, but no matter how short the gap in the cycle was, she would be forced to perform the ritual at the fountain on her birthday. Anise was also well aware that one¡¯sbirthdaywas supposed to be a very special day. But while the other kids received something on their birthday, Anise never received a single present. She wasn¡¯t even given a chance to ask for one. However, there was one time¡­ though when exactly was it again? One of the nuns who took care of Anise once gave her a small stuffed toy on her birthday. ¡®Though rather than a shabby doll like this, the Light that surges within you on your birthday is a much more gracious gift for the Saintess.¡¯ Had those words been meant as a constion for the expressionless young girl? Anise smiled wryly and shook her head. So every birthday, she would need to go to the Fount of Light and perform the ritual, absorbing more of the Light into her own body. However, she had never once considered it to be a gift. That stuffed toy was the first andst birthday present that Anise had ever received in her childhood. Then, after meeting Vermouth and leaving Yuras¡ª ¡°Anise,¡± Eugene suddenly spoke up, interrupting Anise¡¯s train of thought. While openly staring at Anise, who had a faint smile on her face, he tilted his head to the side and asked, ¡°What shall we do for lunch?¡± Although Eugene¡¯s voice was as nonchnt as ever, Anise was well aware of the considerationced into his words. So, with a broad smile, Anise skipped past Eugene. ¡°Let¡¯s go to a ce with some great beer,¡± Anise decided. The golden beverage made from fermented barley was one of Yuras¡¯ most famous specialty products. Among the many monasteries scattered throughout Yuras, there were several that specialized in brewing beer, and those whose brews were particrly good would export their beer abroad withbels bearing the name of their monastery. Anise was especially fond of the beer from Corradict Monastery. When she was in Helmuth, she rarely drank any beer, but after returning from Helmuth, she would drink beer every day while living at the Corradict Monastery. Thanks to such a connection, many shops purchased and sold specialty beer from the Corradict Monastery during the festival for Anise¡¯s birthday. Anise walked out into the street and quickly wove her way past all the waiters offering beer mugs. She didn¡¯t even need to try and take a sip from any of them. The aroma of the beer she had drank every day for decades had already permeated her soul. ¡°The quality of those mugs is all bad. It seems like they¡¯ve even watered the beer down a bit. Some of the stores are even selling apletely different beer under the Corradictbel. If I had my way, I¡¯d like to crack their skulls a bit, but there isn¡¯t really any need to. People like them will all die and fall to hell anyway,¡± Anise said gloatingly. The ce that she eventually selected with care was an old pub whose sign hung up in an alleyway. However, the inside of the pub didn¡¯t look aged. Anise immediately liked the orange lighting from therge firece as well as the familiar din found in all pubs. As soon as she took her seat, she ordered two beers along with their meals. Anise began, ¡°Although I¡¯m only saying this now, I never imagined that a day woulde when we¡¯d be able to drink at a store like this with just the two of us.¡± Eugene hummed, ¡°I feel like we¡¯ve been to quite a few pubs even livelier than this one.¡± Anise frowned, ¡°Hamel, I made it obvious, so why are you pretending not to notice? Didn¡¯t you hear me say, ¡®just the two of us¡¯?¡± With a wry smile, Eugene lifted his beer mug. Indeed, this was the first time he and Anise had gone out to drink all by themselves. ¡°Well, if I have to be honest, rather than just the two of us¡­ I¡¯d rather have more people sitting with us like in the past,¡± Eugene confessed. Vermouth, Sienna, and Molon ¡ª Eugene and Anise recalled the three missing members of their party. ¡°We¡¯ll be able toe here someday with Sienna,¡± Anise said optimistically. Their beer mugs were clinked together. ¡°We might be able to bring Molon with us as well,¡± Eugene reminded her. ¡°No matter how much I think about it, I don¡¯t believe that bastard is dead just yet.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be too sure of that. If you get your hopes up like that, and it turns out Molon really is dead, you¡¯ll end up very disappointed,¡± Anise warned Eugene. Eugene denied this, ¡°Not really. If he¡¯s dead, then he¡¯s dead. Even I¡¯m aware of how long three hundred years is.¡± ¡°As for Sir Vermouth¡­ even I¡¯m not too sure about him. But is there any point in talking about this sort of thing now?¡± Anise asked with a smile as she brought her beer mug to her mouth. The ss mug was asrge as her head, but the beer that filled it to its brim was poured down Anise¡¯s throat in one gulp. ¡°Aaaah!¡± Anise trembled with ecstasy as she set down her empty ss and continued speaking, ¡°What¡¯s important right now is that you and I are here drinking our beers.¡± While they waited for their food to be served, they talked about various topics. While Eugene was examining the White me Form while staying at the inn, Anise ¡ª no, Kristina had gone to the Department of the Inquisition and the Department of Divine Magic Research. The Pope and Cardinal Beshara, who had be the sole remaining Cardinal, didn¡¯t dare to stand in Kristina¡¯s way, and Raphael, the leader of the Knights of the Blood Cross, had personally drawn his sword and apanied Kristina. ¡°The two organizations are really quite simr. They¡¯ve grown a lot from what they were like when I was still alive. The Department of Divine Magic was trying to create new sanctuaries and holy relics through the use of Light and miracles,¡± Anise said without feeling the need to go into detail about what methods they might have experimented with. Although their food wasn¡¯t out yet, it was clear that she would lose her appetite if such topics were to leave her lips. Anise continued, ¡°As for the Inquisition¡­ it seems that they might have gained some kind of inspiration from a Saintess who lived quite a long time ago. Apparently, they¡¯ve been trying something for quite a long time, and it seems that Sergio Rogeris, who was once a member of the Inquisition, had been providing them with steady support.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Eugene asked with a frown. Anise exined, ¡°To put it in simple terms, the Inquisition was trying to make its own divine weapon. Rather than a biological weapon that focuses on the use of miracles and the Light like a Saintess, their version was more specialized forbat. Well, in my eyes, it looked no different from a Chimera¡¯s nest¡­.¡± A Chimera¡¯s nest. Eugene knew that such a term was, in fact, an oxymoron. Chimeras didn¡¯ty eggs or give birth to young, let alone build nests. Chimeras were just creatures made by mixing the body parts of different monsters or even humans. ¡°They must be crazy,¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°They really are,¡± Anise agreed. ¡°Thanks to that, the Crusader had to cut the throats of quite a few of them. I¡¯m only saying this now, but I think I quite like that pdin.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think he¡¯s a bit too insane?¡± ¡°Hamel, do you really think you¡¯re in a position to call someone else insane?¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Eugene protested defensively. ¡°I¡¯m also only saying this now, but I think that of all ofus, I was the most normal.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s insane,¡± Anise said with augh as she shook her umpteenth beer mug. ¡°In any case, since we cleanly wiped them out and smashed and burned their research, I feel really relieved. The remains that hadn¡¯t already disappeared were also returned to the Light with a sacrament¡­.¡± Anise lifted her white robe slightly. Then, with a bright smile, Anise showed the il she was wearing at her waist. ¡°The mace that I once used was also modified to make it easier for Kristina to use,¡± Anise revealed. ¡°Though to be honest, I think her skills are still quite immature¡­. Haha, in fact, it should be because my standards are just too high.¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. After all, three hundred years ago, we were the best,¡± Eugene said with an identical smile to Anise¡¯s. At these words, Anise pounded her beer mug on the table and burst into giggles. ¡°Aha, ahahaha! Ahahaha! Ye-yes, that¡¯s right. We¡­ ahaha! We were the best. Though Hamel, I think you were still a bitcking,¡± Anise insisted. Eugene scoffed, ¡°Are you being serious?¡± ¡°Hey now, did I touch your ego? Don¡¯t take it too seriously. I¡¯m talking about you from when we first met,¡± Anise calmly rified. Their food finally came out. As she skewered a sausage on arge fork, Anise chuckled and said, ¡°I can say this with all certainty, we were definitely the best. However, Hamel, when you first met with us, you weren¡¯t all that great. Even now, my memories of that day are still clear. Sienna, Molon, and I were all unable to understand just why Sir Vermouth wanted to ept you as one of hisrades.¡± ¡°Do you think I understood that?¡± Eugene grumbled as he sliced his meat. Eugene was also very familiar with this story. In that port, three hundred years ago, Vermouth had single-handedly tried to recruit Hamel into his party without even receiving the understanding and consent of his other party members. In the end, the other party members also acknowledged Hamel¡¯s potential through his challenge to Vermouth and epted him as a party member. But the Hamel that they had first met definitely did not fit the image of a ¡®Hero¡¯s Companion.¡¯ ¡°In the end, Sir Vermouth was right,¡± Anise sighed. It had been a long time since shest had a drink, and more importantly, Kristina¡¯s body had never partaken in alcohol, so it quickly grew intoxicated. Anise enjoyed thisnguid state of drunkenness. If she wanted to, she could easily shake it off like a cloud of dust, but Anise didn¡¯t bother to do so. She slightly tilted her ruddy face as she stared at Eugene. Anise hesitated, ¡°We were¡­ perfect together. It was because there were all five of us that the party was perfect. So the absence of one of us proved fatal.¡± ¡°Are you also trying to reprimand me for dying first?¡± Eugeneined. ¡°I guess that means Sienna already reprimanded you?¡± ¡°She¡¯s too weak-minded. She couldn¡¯t even muster up a reprimand. Instead, after talking about something like that, she just started crying by herself and begging for my forgiveness.¡± ¡°Aha¡­ I think I know what you mean,¡± Anise nodded. ¡°Sienna couldn¡¯t get over her petnce and said something like this to you, right? That you went and died on your own or something of that.¡± ¡°Something simr,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°It seems that Sienna also hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Anise noted fondly. ¡°Even though she couldn¡¯t bear to say such a thing, she still said it and then burst into tears on her own. Ah¡­ Hamel, do you remember the dream that I showed you? What did you think?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Didn¡¯t it make you sad? Did you feel heartache or longing?¡± Anise asked with a mischievous smile. This smile that made Anise look so cunning was why Eugene and Sienna had called her a ¡®snake¡¯ behind her back during his previous life. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Eugene admitted reluctantly. ¡°It still feels a little unfair,¡± Anise pouted. ¡°At that time, Sienna, Molon, I, and even Sir Vermouth were shedding tears, but I¡¯ve never seen you cry.¡± ¡°It¡¯s better if you don¡¯t see it. My crying face is really fucking ugly.¡± ¡°Ahaha! Is it even possible for you to make an ugly expression with your current face?¡± ¡°Why can¡¯t it be done?¡± Eugene grumbled as he reached out for his beer mug. At that moment, Anise leaped up from her seat. She leaned forward as if she was copsing over the table, then her hands grabbed onto Eugene¡¯s cheeks. Anise¡¯s face suddenly drew closer. ¡°...Fufu,¡± Anise chuckled to herself. Their lips weren¡¯t touching. With only a slight distance between them, Anise stared at Eugene with a smile on her ruddy face. ¡°I really have to hold myself back,¡± Anise whispered. Her hands pressed down on Eugene¡¯s cheeks. Eugene¡¯s face transformed into that of a goldfish as his lips were foolishly pushed forward into a pucker. Anise chucked at this appearance before letting go of Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°If I act on my urges once more, Sienna might really go crazy and try to get rid of me. It would be fine if I intended to stay here, but once I finally ascend¡­ won¡¯t that leave poor Kristina to be harassed by Sienna?¡± Anise reluctantly murmured. ¡°...Really now,¡± Eugene coughed. ¡°Stupid Hamel, what are you going to do now?¡± Anise asked challengingly. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve made it so assertively clear that even a fool like you should be able to understand it, and Sienna must also have conveyed her feelings to you, even if she wasn¡¯t quite straightforward as I was.¡± ¡°She definitely didn¡¯t do what you did. In fact, she didn¡¯t even try to say something directly. Sienna is really the exact same as she was three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene let out a deep sigh and pulled his beer mug over. ¡°Truthfully speaking, I¡¯m flustered and¡­ um¡­ surprised. I never really thought of you two that way¡ª¡± ¡°Are you a eunuch?¡± ¡°Cough!¡± Eugene spat out the beer that had just flowed down his throat. Anise quickly pulled herself back to avoid the spray of beer. Eugene yelped, ¡°H-hey! How could you say something like that¡­! No, wasn¡¯t it only natural? Where did you find the time to think about such things three hundred years ago¡­?¡± ¡°Who wouldn¡¯t think about such things when there was an opportunity to rx? Sienna and I only started thinking about what happened between us after the war had ended. Unfortunately, the war ended in such a way, and you had already died,¡± Anise said with a wry smile as she drank more beer. ¡°Well¡­ at the time, I had no intention of revealing my feelings for you throughout the rest of my life. I was disillusioned with many things, and I knew that my existence wasn¡¯t one that could afford to pursue such happiness. However, since I¡¯ve already died like that, I just want to know if it¡¯s alright for me to pursue it now.¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Eugene cleared his throat instead of answering. ¡°I already know. You¡¯ve never held such feelings for me, right? Hamel, your feelings for me were that of friendship towards a fellowrade and¡­ sympathy. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Anise asked resolutely. ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene didn¡¯t avoid answering this time. ¡°I felt sorry for you. You never once let out a scream of pain, even though your back was drenched in blood. You drank alcohol every day to endure the agony, and you still stubbornly tried to save those bastards who just wanted to die without taking care of your own body, so I did feel sorry for you.¡± ¡°I really liked the way you cared for me,¡± Anise said as she rested her chin in her hand and stared at Eugene. ¡°I liked the way you treated me like a fragile piece of ss. Hamel, you¡¯re usually incredibly rough and violent, but I¡­. Whenever blood was pouring from my Stigmata, and I exposed my back in front of you, your rough hands that were covered in calluses and had ughtered countless demons¡­ they felt very soft and delicate.¡± ¡°In that case, should I dig out a few more wounds for you?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. Anise immediately exposed him, ¡°You¡¯re embarrassed. I also like that side of you. No matter what you might think of me, it doesn¡¯t really matter. Fortunately, thanks to the help of the Light, I am able to remain in the world like this, and Kristina was considerate of me and even gave me this chance to resolve some of my lingering regrets.¡± ¡°Well, about that¡­ I still don¡¯t really know what I feel. You like me? And Sienna¡­ she also likes me?¡± Eugene asked with some disbelief. ¡°In Sienna¡¯s case, you already had a few guesses, right?¡± ¡°Well¡­ maybe a little¡­.¡± ¡°It seems like you also at least feelsomethingtowards Sienna,¡± Anise observed. ¡°You probably have more feelings for Sienna than you do for me, right?¡± Eugeneined, ¡°Can we just drink our beers¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to rush an answer from you.¡± The waiter brought them new beer mugs. Anise raised her ss first, and Eugene responded by raising his beer mug to meet hers. ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to make you love ¡®us,¡¯¡± Anise promised while still conscious of Kristina, who was listening from the other side of their shared consciousness. Their beer mugs clinked together. While Anise was draining her beer mug inrge gulps, Eugene just tilted his head to the side without drinking any of his beer. ¡°...Us? Are you talking about Sienna and yourself?¡± Eugene asked inquisitively. ¡°Stupid bastard,¡± Anise said with a sincere tone of voice. Why did she feel the need to curse at him¡­? Eugene just clicked his tongue instead of asking and reached his hand into his cloak. ¡°Happy Birthday,¡± Eugene said, even as he felt strange for saying those words to Anise, and ced a gift-wrapped package on their table. Anise hesitated, ¡°This¡­ what on earth is this¡­?¡± ¡°Today¡¯s your birthday, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene pointed out awkwardly. ¡°Hamel¡­! Did you really prepare a present for me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing that impressive¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on, don¡¯t tell me what it is. I want to confirm it personally with my eyes,¡± Anise said as she quickly tore the wrapping paper off of her gift. Could there be a letter inside the wrapping along with the present? Anise thought about it for a moment, and Kristina, who was still watching from the other side of their shared consciousness, was also full of expectation, so she also looked into the gift box through Anise¡¯s eyes. ¡°...Tsk.¡± There wasn¡¯t any letter. Anise clicked her tongue at having her expectations betrayed. Hamelined, ¡°No matter how much you dislike it, isn¡¯t it a bit too rude to click your tongue like that¡­?¡± ¡°Hamel! I wasn¡¯t clicking my tongue because of that! I was just hoping that you might have included a letter along with the present¡ª¡± Anise¡¯s expression abruptly changed. She smiled sincerely as she sped her trembling hands in front of her chest. Inside the gift boxy a beautifully crafted ne. There was only a string, without any decorations, so it was for Anise to recognize what this ne was meant for. ¡°Your rosary¡ª¡± Eugene began. Anise currently had a rosary hanging from her neck. It was the rosary that Anise had used in her previous life and that they had since retrieved from the Vatican¡¯s Special Relics Vault. The handcrafted cross still gleamed beautifully, but the ne¡¯s string was only made of leather, so it had since be faded and worn out. ¡°¡ªIts string has gone bad,¡± Eugene finished. ¡°...Fufu.¡± Anise took off her rosary with augh. She changed the string for the one she had just received as a gift and then pulled back her hair so it would be easier to put the rosary back around her neck. Seeing this sight, Eugene got up without thinking much about it and hung the rosary around Anise¡¯s neck. Looking up at Eugene¡¯s face that was titled towards her, Anise felt a strong urge to raise her head to meet his. Should she just lean a little more forward? It is often said that the first time is the hardest and the second time is the easiest, and hadn¡¯t Anise already ovee the challenge of the first kiss? [Sister¡­!] Kristina screamed inside of their head. If Anise had really decided on doing this, it couldn¡¯t be helped, but Kristina felt far too embarrassed watching it happen from here¡­. ¡®I¡¯ll be patient,¡¯Anise assured her. Sure, she really did want to go through with it, but Anise still held herself back. It was for the sake of Sienna and Kristina. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°I¡¯m looking at you,¡± Anise replied with a smile. Eugene just grinned and sat down again. ¡°We¡¯ve finished eating, so is there anywhere else you want to go from here?¡± ¡°I still haven¡¯t finished yet. I want to drink some more beer,¡± Anise answered as she caressed the ne around her neck. Three hundred years ago, even after leaving Yuras, she had never really celebrated her birthday. That went for Vermouth, Molon, Sienna, and Hamel as well. When it was someone¡¯s birthday, they would at least give their congrattions, but they never exchanged presents. This was because they all didn¡¯t have the sort of personality to care about such a thing. However, even if they didn¡¯t exchange gifts¡­ having other people recognize that it was your birthday still made the day quite enjoyable. Even in the terrible Devildom, when the time came for someone¡¯s birthday, they would set up camp early and open up their carefully preserved stores of liquor. Anise had felt that each and every day of her travels with her friends was a gift to her. ¡°Just a little more,¡± Anise muttered to herself. That went for a moment like this as well. Anise smiled as she felt a pleasant drowsiness settle over her. The hustle and bustle of the pub. The sound of firewood burning in the firece. The noise of beer mugs clinking. And with Hamel sitting in front of her. All of these made Anise feel grateful that she was alive. ¡°I want to stay here with you until the sun goes down,¡± Anise said with a smile as she raised her beer mug once more. Chapter 205: The Plaza of the Sun (3)

Chapter 205: The za of the Sun (3)

Chapter 205: The za of the Sun (3) The sun was setting. Anise looked out the window, still holding a half-finished mug of beer. The pub was located deep within an alley, but even here, the light of the sunset was flowing in, albeit dimly. ¡°Well then,¡± Anise sighed. She had drunk a lot of beer today. Though considering that she hadn¡¯t been able to drink for the hundreds of years following her death, no matter how much Anise drank, she still felt like it wouldn¡¯t be enough. Even so, Anise had drunk so much that she didn¡¯t feel like drinking anymore right now. She had also received a gift. As such, Anise didn¡¯t have any lingering regrets for the time being. If Kristina¡¯s body wasn¡¯t so special, and if Anise didn¡¯t have a role to y in the future, then she was confident that she would have been able to fully satisfy her desires with what she had just experienced today. ¡°I¡¯ll just head in now,¡± Anise informed Eugene. ¡°Mm,¡± Eugene hummed as he scanned the area around Anise with tired eyes. The floor was filled with the sses of the beers she had drunk, and arge keg of beer had even been ced beside her. It would have been physically impossible for a normal person ¡ª no, for any human to have drunk that much beer in such a short period of time. It was only made possible because Anise had used divine magic on her own body to enable her to drink a lot of alcohol. ¡°See youter,¡± Eugene said gruffly. He almost subconsciously said, ¡®take care on your way back.¡¯ But since her body was staying still and only the consciousness in charge of the body was changing, wouldn¡¯t it be funny to be told to take care on your way back? After a few moments, Anise¡¯s body froze. Then the eyshes of her closed eyes began to tremble. ¡°...Urrrp¡­,¡± Kristina covered her mouth and released a painful moan. Kristina didn¡¯t really enjoy drinking. If she had to drink, then she preferred a dry wine. As for a mug of beer cold enough to make your head spin? She had never once thought that something like that could taste good. Now, she had ended up drinking more of that beer than was even humanly possible¡­. Although Anise had evaporated most of the beer she had drunk using divine magic, Kristina was still left bothered by a throbbing headache and the smell of alcohol that overwhelmed her senses with each breath. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Eugene asked as he approached her. In response, Kristina rose from her seat in a panic and tried to step back. As her body still hadn¡¯t recovered from its drunkenness, her legs twisted a little as she retreated. Because of this, Kristina was about to fall, only for Eugene to reach out to her without dy, grab her by the arm and support her waist. Eugene frowned, ¡°It seems like you aren¡¯t feeling so good, right?¡± ¡°N-n-no, you can¡¯t,¡± Kristina stammered as she covered her face, which was still reddened from intoxication. ¡°What do you meanyou can¡¯t?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. Kristina stammered, ¡°I-I smell of alcohol. It¡¯s not a pleasant scent, so¡­.¡± ¡°Really now,¡± Eugene scoffed. After wandering around for over a dozen years with a group ofrades who would lose all restraint when it came to alcohol, there was no way that Eugene would feel disgusted by the smell of beer at this point. Or at least that¡¯s what Eugene thought, but he didn¡¯t feel any need to embarrass Kristina any further by spitting such words out of his mouth. Instead, he drew up a spell form inside his head and cast some magic. ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Kristina gasped as she felt the spell wrap around her. The throbbing headache and the smell of alcohol that permeated her bodypletely disappeared. [Tch,] Anise clicked her tongue from inside Kristina¡¯s head. Anise was obviously capable of erasing Kristina¡¯s intoxication, as well as the headache and the smell of beer, yet she hadn¡¯t bothered to do so. She had left just enough intoxication so that Kristina¡¯s head would be left clouded to a certain extent, and her emotions would be slightly intensified¡­. On top of that, Anise had even carefully adjusted the state of her body so that Kristina would stagger a little when she got up. Why did she do all this? She was thinking of watching the fun that might result from this exquisitely bnced state of intoxication¡­. So Anise was genuinely annoyed that Eugene had mastered such a spell. [It really dide as a surprise that he would learn to use magic¡­ he could have just relied on his body like he did in his previous life,] Anise whined. Kristina pretended to not hear Anise¡¯s murmur as she hurriedly corrected her posture. She ran a hand through her disheveled hair and coughed, ¡°...My apologies for showing such a shameful appearance. U-unlike Lady Anise, I¡¯m not that used to drinking, so¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that she¡¯s used to drinking; she¡¯s just a monster,¡± Eugene grumbled as he pointed at the closed door of the pub. ¡°So what are you going to do? Would you like to stay here as well? Or else, shall we head out?¡± Kristina hesitated, ¡°Let¡¯s¡­ go out. That¡¯s right. I¡¯ve already eaten far too much, so I want to take a bit of a walk.¡± It wasn¡¯t like Kristina had any ns. In the first ce, Kristina had intended to yield the entire day to Anise. It was Anise who had ced the limit on her time in Kristina¡¯s body till sunset. Most festivals were more fun at night than they were during the day. The same went for Anise¡¯s birthday festivities. While the parade had started during the day, the parade at night was especially splendid. Entertainers would march along while dancing and wearing fancy clothes and essories, and an orchestra would follow behind them, singing hymns with cheerful lyrics. Kristina wasn¡¯t able to lead the way out of the alley where the pub was located because the night parade was passing through the main street in front of the alleyway. While there had already been a lot of people attending the festival, the street in front of them was so full that it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that there was no space left to take a single step. ¡°It seems that it would be better to head back in,¡± Kristina said in a resigned tone. ¡°Really?¡± Eugene questioned. Kristina remained silent. ¡°I want to stay and watch,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°Don¡¯t you?¡± There probably wasn¡¯t any hidden meaning to his words. However, Kristina couldn¡¯te up with a light-hearted response to his casual question. This was because the question that had been asked so off-handedly had set off ripples in the depths of her heart. There was silence for a few moments as Kristina couldn¡¯t think of what to say. Eugene asked another question without waiting for a response, ¡°Have you ever watched it before?¡± That question also shook Kristina¡¯s heart. She had seen something like this once. There had also¡­ been a time when she had wanted to watch. When they were young, almost everyone would have done the same. There were many orphans in the monastery where Kristina spent her childhood. That meant that there were many children who all needed a lot to eat, which also meant that they needed to keep just as many ingredients in storage. As a result, there were many rats and various other pests in the monastery. If they were left alone, such harmful pests would increase in number to an extent where nothing more could be done about it, so periodic fumigation was required. Once a month, the monastery¡¯s clergy would gather the children in the yground and cover their mouths and noses with cloths. Then the priests would carry in small stovepipes that would produce thick smoke and disinfect the entire facility. They would be told to stay where they were, but the children wouldn¡¯t listen to such an order. Where was the fun and excitement in that¡­? Although it was hard for her to remember at this point what kind of feelings she had felt at that time, when she was young, before she was adopted, Kristina had also chased the smokeing from the stovepipes. That was Kristina''s closest memory of participating in a parade. Presently, there were a lot of children in the street in front of them. The children, ignorant of the unpleasant truths behind the Yuras¡¯ religion, were chasing after the parade while giggling in the way that children do. As for Kristina, she had never really experienced anything like a festival. Even when she was living in the monastery, she had never been allowed outside. Thinking back on it now, all those restrictions were probably part of the attempt to monitor and control the carefully constructed Saint Candidate, the Imitation Incarnation. For Kristina, the festivals were just days when meat pies orrge hunks of meats were served during the shared lunches from time to time, and the closest thing to a parade was chasing the smokeing from the fumigation stovepipes. Even after she was adopted by Sergio, her situation hadn¡¯t improved. Instead, it had be even crueler. While the meals were iparably better than her days in the monastery, no matter how delicious the food she ate was, she just couldn¡¯t feel like those days were anything to celebrate. In Sergio¡¯s mansion and Tressia Cathedral, there wasn¡¯t anything like the smoke which Kristina and the other children would chase after whileughing. Kristina¡¯s childhood was crushed and torn apart by despair and hatred before being covered up by a slim pretense of normalcy. It was only after her childhood had ended that she was finally allowed to go to the festival, but by then, Kristina was no longer a child. She stood at the forefront of the Tressia Festival as aSaint Candidate, but to Krstina, the festival was just a propaganda tform for the Saint Candidate, while the person known as ¡®her¡¯ was executed. ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina eventually muttered. ¡°So you don¡¯t want to watch this?¡± Eugene asked in confirmation. ¡°...I¡¯m not sure,¡± Kristina responded weakly. But this was a lie. She wasn¡¯t unsure. She truly didn¡¯t want to continue watching. Wouldn¡¯t her memories of the past, where she suffered such despair and hatred while hiding under a thin veil of normalcy, ovep with today¡¯s happy memories if she needlessly watched the festival? While Kristina had already received the salvation she needed, she was afraid that the girl she used to be would be fueled by the despair from her past, which had already passed but could never be forgotten. ¡°Do you really need to consider the question of whether or not to watch something like a parade so seriously?¡± Eugene muttered as he scratched at his head in confusion. Without replying, Kristina just turned to stare at all the people filling the street in front of them. Eugene suddenly reached out and grabbed Kristina¡¯s wrist as she stood there nkly. Kristina gasped, ¡°Ah¡ª!¡± ¡°Kristina Rogeris,¡± Eugene called out her name. Eugene didn¡¯t know what Kristina was thinking. However, he did not know that most of her life had been full of misery. She was stuck here, hesitating at a time like this, probably because the painful memories of her childhood had ovepped with the colorful and joyful festival taking ce in front of them. ¡°I¡¯ve already saved you,¡± Eugene said as he pulled on Kristina¡¯s wrist and slowly strode forward. Kristina couldn¡¯t think of what to say, nor could she find the will to resist. Not knowing what to do, she just allowed herself to be dragged along by Eugene. ¡°Since I¡¯ve saved you, I won¡¯t ask you to do something like repay the favor. I was the one who decided to save you on my own, and it was my choice to do so. As such, all you need to do is to make your own decision,¡± Eugene said as he walked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kristina asked in confusion. ¡°Whether or not you want to keep following me,¡± Eugene rified. Kristina was honestly dumbfounded. Was there even a need to make a choice? Kristina¡¯s intentions were clear. She had no thoughts of remaining in Yuras. Even if Eugene said that he hated her and wanted her to get lost, Kristina would still follow behind Eugene. Was it in order to repay the favor of saving her? No, Krstina was well aware that Eugene would despise such a reason. It was just¡­. Kristina wanted to follow him. Eugene was the Hero, and the truth was, he was also the Stupid Hamel from three hundred years ago. But those sorts of things weren¡¯t important to the current Kristina. Eugene hadn¡¯t saved the Saintess; he had saved Kristina Rogeris. As such, Kristina just wanted to apany him, not as the Hero or as Hamel, but simply as Eugene Lionheart. ¡°I will follow you,¡± Kristina stated firmly. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you can¡¯t be afraid or hesitant when ites to just watching something like this,¡± Eugene scolded. There were a lot of people on this street. However, wherever Eugene walked, the people would move slightly to open up a path. They weren¡¯t even conscious of why they were moving the way they did, nor of their stuttering steps backward and the way that their bodies secretly trembled. All of this was the unavoidable result of their instinctive behavior. Having opened up a path, Eugene dragged Kristina behind him. Eugene continued, ¡°Because from now on, this kind of thing should just be an insignificant part of the scenery to you.¡± Kristina stayed silent. ¡°Aren¡¯t you here now?¡± Eugene reminded her. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you were thinking of, what you were focussed on, or what you might have remembered. I don¡¯t even want to know, and I won¡¯t even bother asking.¡± Eugene''s steps suddenly came to a halt. He let go of Kristina¡¯s hand and pointed to whaty in front of them. It was sparkling, colorful, fun, and noisy. The festival parade Kristina had imagined as a child was marching past right in front of her. Eugene instructed her, ¡°So no matter what, just keep looking.¡± Kristina stood there dumbfounded as she stared straight ahead of her. She hadn¡¯t spent all her time imagining watching this parade. Once she became a Saint Candidate, there were many times when she saw the parade in person. She had even stood at the head of the parade herself on many asions. However, her feelings now werepletely different from what she had felt at those times. The agony, hatred, and rage that she had felt in the past, the sense of ridicule she felt for those who praised and admired her as the Saint Candidate without knowing anything about her, and the sense of shame that she had felt for herself and the unnatural nature of the Saint Candidate ¡ª she wasn¡¯t feeling any of thoseplex feelings at this moment. Just like Eugene had said, the memories and emotions of back then, as well as the scenery in front of her, all looked insignificant. Kristina felt a huge divide between how she was feeling now and the view she was looking at. There was upbeat music, colorful costumes and decorations, theughter of children, and the admiration of the spectators. All of it felt a little far away from her, but at the same time, Eugene, who was right in front of her, felt a little too close. ¡°See, it¡¯s really nothing,¡± Eugene said with life as he turned his head to look at her. Even though she should have already shaken off the remaining intoxication¡­ Kristina¡¯s face felt strangely hot. Kristina¡¯s lips moved soundlessly for a moment before she stopped and ducked her head. She stepped back as if to run away, but Eugene wouldn¡¯t allow Kristina to run from him. ¡°Isn¡¯t that so?¡± Eugene pressed her. Kristina stammered, ¡°I-It¡¯s different. This is¡­ really something different. I just¡­.¡± At this moment, Kristina couldn¡¯t help but feel like she was facing a huge dilemma. Her heart wanted to turn around and run away. It wasn¡¯t because the trivial sights in front of her had made her feel emotions that she didn¡¯t want to recall, but in fact, it was simply because she felt too embarrassed to keep looking at Eugene¡¯s high-spirited face. However, Kristina absolutely, definitely, couldn¡¯t confide such a feeling to Eugene. She would much rather leave everything to Anise and hide by switching their consciousness, but her mischievous Sister had no intention of giving her even a word of advice even though she was listening to everything that they were saying right now. What if she really did run away? Unless Kristina exined things properly, then Eugene would definitelye to a misunderstanding. Kristina would rather die than allow Eugene to have such a misunderstanding of her. If she ran away after he had dragged her all the way here and said such things to her, wouldn¡¯t Eugene feel like everything he had done had been in vain? Kristina was afraid that, in such a case, Eugene would feel disappointed in himself. ¡®...Although there¡¯s no reason for him to feel that way, but¡­,¡¯Kristina was stuck in turmoil. ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡± Eugene asked. It was time for her to reach a decision on her dilemma. Kristina took a deep breath, then undoing her step backward, she took a step forward. ¡°L-let¡¯s follow it,¡± Kristina nervously proposed. Eugene was taken aback, ¡°What?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ w-wouldn¡¯t it be fun to follow the parade?¡± Kristina quickly stammered out before pushing herself into the procession following the parade. After staring at Kristina for a few moments, Eugene smirked and began walking beside her. Why can¡¯t this night be as dark as it should be? That was Kristina¡¯s sincere desire. Merciful Light, please don¡¯t illuminate this night. That was what she prayed for, but it was hopeless. Nighttime in the Capital City, Yurasia, was always illuminated by soft lights, and at this moment, in particr, their surroundings were overly brightened by the shining parade. Kristina felt like these bright lights were clearly illuminating her face, so she couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. She didn¡¯t want to show such a heavy blush to Eugene. At the same time, she also didn¡¯t want the crowd to notice that her face so closely resembled Anise. Right now¡­ there were too many people surrounding them. Was it because of the mood? It felt as if their eyes were getting drawn to her face. ¡®Ah,¡¯ Kristina btedly realized something. She was currently wearing a robe with her hood pulled down behind her. Kristina quickly pulled the hood up deep over her head, covering her face. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eugene asked from beside her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that someone might recognize me,¡± Kristina admitted. Eugene sighed, ¡°You¡¯re doing that again.¡± ¡°Please understand my concerns,¡± Kristina pleaded. ¡°There were already a lot of people in the za earlier, but unlike then, we are actually taking part in a procession now. If anyone finds out I¡¯m here, it might end up ruining the parade.¡± Eugene nced at Kristina through narrowed eyes. He still wasn¡¯t really satisfied with her excuse, but unlike before, he didn¡¯t forcefully remove Kristina¡¯s hood. They continued walking together like this for quite some time. Even with all the cheerful music, Kristina could clearly hear the beating of her own heart. Even though she continued walking along with the procession while pretending nothing was wrong, her face was still steaming. ¡®...Holy Light, please¡­.¡¯ Even with her hood pulled down low, their surroundings were so bright it felt like a spotlight was shining on her face. So Kristina tried praying once more. Had her earnest prayer managed to reach its target? All of the lights that had been brightening up the parade went out at the same moment. The same went for all the lights that had been illuminating the street. The parade came to a stop with the sudden arrival of the darkness. The procession that had been following the parade looked around their darkened surroundings and murmured to themselves. Boooom! The darkness was lifted. Fireworks shot up from a tall clock tower nearby and lit up the sky. These fireworks wereunched to mark the end of the festival. The muttering of the crowd turned into cheers. Everyone lifted their heads to watch as flowers bloomed and lights fluttered in the sky. Only Kristina didn¡¯t. She pulled her hood further down with both hands and kept her head bowed. ¡°Kristina Rogeris,¡± Eugene called out her name. Kristina¡¯s shoulders trembled at his call. His hands slowly approached her and covered both of Kristina¡¯s hands. Eugene told her, ¡°Right now, the only one looking at you is me.¡± His rough hands, which were covered in calluses, pulled off Kristina¡¯s hood. Kristina quietly gasped, ¡°...Ah¡­!¡± High up in the sky, the fireworks exploded. Kristina looked up to see Eugene staring down at her and the fireworks shooting up from behind him. ¡°Because of that, you shouldn¡¯t hide yourself,¡± Eugene insisted. Kristina was well aware that these words weren¡¯t addressed to her as the Saintess. Instead, they were addressed to ¡®Kristina Rogeris.¡¯ Eugene continued, ¡°If you have decided to follow me, then you need to be looking at the same things as me.¡± Without being too conscious of her role as the Saint¡­. Without hiding herself from the gazes and mutters of her surroundings¡­. ¡­No. All of that simply felt insignificant and distant now, just like she had felt before. Everything around her was insignificant and distant, but only Eugene felt close. Was what she currently feeling admiration or worship? Or else¡­. Kristina tried not to think too deeply about it. Everything just, it just felt beautiful. Fireworks soared up into the sky, and below them stood Eugene. Eugene, who had stretched out his hand to her while she was trapped in her fate as the Saint, which was more like a curse. It was Eugene Lionheart, not the Hero, who had saved not the Saint but Kristina Rogeris. It felt like there was a miracle so close to her that all she needed to do was to stretch out one hand to touch it. It was so beautiful and lovely that her eyes were dazzled by it. ¡°...Yes,¡± Kristina swallowed a trembling breath as she closed her eyes. Her eyes were so dazzled that it felt like she would go blind if she kept looking. For Kristina, all of this was a miracle. As such, Kristina burst intoughter. Without opening her closed eyes, without putting off any sort of pretense to mask her true feelings, she just focussed on this miracle that was so close, so bright, and so beautiful. ¡°Yes, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina repeated with a smile. Chapter 206: Babel (1)

Chapter 206: Babel (1)

¡°...Hm¡­.¡± On the day he was preparing to leave the inn where he had been staying for the past three days, Eugene had to blink for a few moments when he saw how Kristina had arrived at his door. It wasn¡¯t an unannounced visit. Since Eugene had decided to leave Yuras and return to the Lionheart estate today, he had told Kristina toe to his lodgings before noon. ¡°But don¡¯t you have a little too much luggage?¡± After pondering what he should say for a few moments, Eugene eventually spat out these words. He wasn¡¯t just saying this for no reason. Kristina¡¯s luggage really was quite a lot. She had one, two, three¡­ four travel suitcases asrge as her. Eugene let out a sigh and shook his head, ¡°Why have you packed so much junk?¡± ¡°They¡¯re all things that I need,¡± Kristina responded seriously. Eugene nced at an open slit in one of her suitcases. Through the gap, he saw clerical robes and misceneous items that seemed to have been crammed in randomly. It didn¡¯t look like she had bought anything new; instead, she seemed to have packed everything that she had already been using. ¡°When did you even get the time to pack them all?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°Two days ago, I hired someone to go to Tressia Cathedral, pack all my personal belongings, and retrieve them for me,¡± Kristina revealed. Eugene argued, ¡°Was there really a need for you to take all the items you had used there with you? You could just buy new items when we get there¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to have to owe any more favors to you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina responded with a determined face. ¡°As of today, I will bepletely independent of Yuras. Previously, I used the Bishop¡¯s card issued by the Holy See and Sergio Rogeris¡¯ card, but from now on, I will no longer make use of them.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ why not?¡± ¡°Because if I continue to be financially dependent on them, that wouldn¡¯t be true independence. In other words, I am currently penniless and jobless.¡± ¡°Well, fine¡­ both the Lionheart n and I have a lot of money, so if you need anything¡ª¡± ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina interrupted him once more as she stared at Eugene through narrowed eyes. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it just now? I don¡¯t want to be in any further debt to you, Sir Eugene. As such, I need to take all of this luggage with me.¡± ¡°In that case, does that mean you don¡¯t want a room in the Lionheart mansion?¡± Eugene teased. ¡°Sir Eugene, if you want me to camp out in the garden and be covered by the cold morning dew, then I will dly do so,¡± Kristina stated confidently. In the end, doesn¡¯t that mean that she did want a room? ¡°Isn¡¯t all this luggage you brought with you things that were purchased with the Bishop¡¯s and Rogeris'' cards?¡± Eugene pointed out. Kristina argued back, ¡°Strictly speaking, rather than being purchased by me, most of these items were handed over to me. And judging from what I¡¯ve been through in the past, I¡¯ve more than paid what these are worth.¡± ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Eugene casually conceded as he opened his cloak. Mer, who was sitting within the opening, pouted as she saw Krisitna¡¯s luggage. Since it couldn¡¯t be helped, Mer had decided to ept it. However, when she considered that this sinister dual-personality Saintess would be entering the Lionheart mansion and hovering by Eugene¡¯s side, Mer felt as if ck clouds of ash were erupting from deep within her heart. Mer sighed, ¡°Haaah, you really are a two-faced person[1]. Why even say that you don¡¯t want to be further indebted when you¡¯re showing up at his mansion penniless and looking for a ce to live?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any money on me right now, but if I use my abilities, I can make as much money as I want, no?¡± Kristina said challengingly as she stared back at Mer, her eyes slightly parted in amusement. ¡°I¡¯m aware that there aren¡¯t any priests staying at the Lionheart n¡¯s estate. While you do have excellent healers and a good supply of potions to rece them, a High Priest¡¯s healing magic is a miracle that goes beyond the limits of medicine and ordinary magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± Mer trailed off, unable to deny this. ¡°I dare say that there is no other priest in this current era who is more skilled in healing magic than I am. If someone like me is willing to entrust myself to the Lionheart n in exchange for my abilities, then the Lionheart¡¯s Patriarch would definitely be willing to pay the price,¡± Kristina stated confidently. Mer groaned in dismay, ¡°Ughhh¡­.¡± Kristina sniffed, ¡°Although it¡¯s true that I am penniless at the moment, I have no intention of acting like a certain someone who uses their small body as a weapon to brazenly beg for food and sweets.¡± ¡°Wh-what did you say?¡± Mer stammered as twin mes lit up in her eyes. ¡°I-I¡¯ve never done something like that. In fact, I¡¯ve always been helpful. Although it seems that Lady Kristina doesn¡¯t know me very well, I¡¯ve always been assisting Sir Eugene¡¯s magic¡ª¡± Kristina interrupted her, ¡°I¡¯ve never said that you were the one who performed such shameless behavior, so why are you reacting so violently?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene¡­! I really hate this woman!¡± Mer cried out as she climbed onto Eugene¡¯s chest with a tearful expression. Eugene took a few deep breaths as he thought about what might lie ahead in his future. He sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t fight¡­.¡± Kristina acted innocent, ¡°Oh my, what fight? I was just answering Lady Mer¡¯s questions.¡± Mer quickly tattled on her, ¡°That woman looked at me and called me a shameless parasite!¡± ¡°Just try to get along¡­,¡± Eugene absentmindedly persuaded as he patted Mer on the back and stored Kristina¡¯s luggage inside his cloak. ¡°What about Lord Raphael? Isn¡¯t heing to see you off?¡± ¡°I begged him not to do that. Because useless rumors are already floating around, nothing good woulde of it if he did,¡± Kristina revealed. So it was happening already. ¡°Well, rumors would start flying in any case,¡± Eugene said with a shrug. Initially, on Anise¡¯s feast day, it was meant to be announced that Kristina had graduated from being the Saint Candidate to bing a full Saint. However, Kristina had rejected any papal recognition, and the Pope and Cardinal Beshara had epted this. So, in the end, Kristina Rogeris was still a ¡®Saint Candidate¡¯ as far as the world was concerned. However¡­. In this current era, Kristina was the only Saint Candidate in Yuras. Even if she had yet to be officially dered a Saint, all of the citizens of Yuras considered Kristina to be the Saint. So for Kristina to even be suspected of leaving Yuras and swearing herself to the Lionheart n of Kiehl, a foreign country, would result in hugely impactful rumors that would be impossible to hide. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s certainly true,¡± Kristina slowly nodded. A carriage they had booked in advance was waiting for them outside the inn. Their next destination was the warp-gate on the outskirts of Yurasia. They should be able to arrive at the Lionheart mansion by this evening at the verytest. ¡°I¡¯ve prepared a pretext,¡± Kristina reported. ¡°What kind of pretext?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I can im that I¡¯m apanying you to treat the elves who are under the Lionheart¡¯s protection,¡± Kristina exined. ¡°Aren¡¯t many of them suffering from the Demonic Disease?¡± That would only serve as a pretext to a certain extent. Eugene was also well aware that the elves¡¯ Demonic Disease was incurable. Even Saint Anise was unable to purify the elves of the Demonic Disease. The only thing that could halt and alleviate the Demonic Disease was the spiritual influence of the World Tree. All kinds of concerns began popping up in Eugene¡¯s mind. Although this might seem obvious, Eugene had yet to inform the Lionhearts that he would be bringing Kristina with him. Trying to exin things through a letter would be difficult and awkward, so he was just nning to bring her with him and set her up in an empty room. ¡®I don¡¯t think the Patriarch will have anyints, but¡­.¡¯ Kristina had evene up with a usible reason for her presence. The problem was that this hadn¡¯t happened just once or twice. He had brought Laman Schulhov with him from Nahama. He had brought over a hundred elves back with him from Samar. Then he had brought Mer back with him from Aroth. And now he had ended up bringing Kristina back with him from Yuras¡­. Gilead might not say anything much about it, but Anci might just try to grab him by the cor. ¡®No¡­ on second thought, she might just overlook it without any protest.¡¯ Eugene was well aware that Anci was surprisingly humane and soft-hearted. When Eugene had brought a hundred elves back with him from Samar without giving them any prior warning, Anci had been furious enough to crush her own fan in her hands. However, in the end, she had still offered up the estate¡¯s forest out of pity for the elves. After a few months of this, thanks to the saplings of the World Tree that Eugene had transnted, rather than worsening, their Demonic Disease was showing signs of improvement. Still, Anci, who was unaware of this fact, sometimes used her walks as an excuse to stop by the elves¡¯ vige and ask Signard about the state of their illness. ¡®If we tell her that Kristina hade to help treat the elves¡­.¡¯ Although healing was healing, this wasn¡¯t just anyone they were talking about; this was the Saintess of the Holy Empire, who Anci would entrust with the treatment of her family. How could Anci, who was obsessed with raising the Lionheart name to greater heights, refuse such an offer? Or at least, that was what Eugene had thought up so far. * * * The Devildom[2]¡­. That was what thend to the north had been called since ancient times. Even now, most people on this continent still called it the Devildom. Even the people who lived on thisnd did not deny the fact that this ce was the Devildom. As the meaning of the name suggests, this was where the countless demonfolk and Demon Kings resided. However, that meaning had undergone significant changes from what it was hundreds of years ago. For the human citizens of the Devildom of Helmuth, the demonfolk were their friendly neighbors. They didn¡¯t hunt and eat humans indiscriminately like they were said to in the old stories, nor did they ce chains on their souls. The Demon King wasn¡¯t a war criminal who sought to trample the entire world beneath their feet and cause mass ughter, but instead a gentleman who was kinder and wiser than the king of any ordinary country. The Demon King listened to the requests of his human citizens, protected them, and made their lives richer and happier. This was the new Devildom, and of opportunity. Although the cost of purchasing citizenship was quite high, if one earnestly desired it, it wasn¡¯tpletely unaffordable. In addition to that, Helmuth¡¯s immigration support system was very humane, and depending on the number of years ofbor you agreed to upon your death, the cost could be significantly reduced. Thanks to this, people living in the poorer countries of the north would often knock on the door of Helmuth¡¯s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, caught up in the Helmuth Dream[3]. The City of Skyscrapers, the Land of Opportunity, the Capital of the Helmuth Empire, Pandemonium. The buildings in this city were taller than any other city on this continent. Rather than castle towers, the city was full of high-rise buildings with dozens of floors. These tall skyscrapers that couldn¡¯t have been raised by any human strength were proof of the greatness of the Demon King. Amongst these skyscrapers was a sleek, ck building standing tall at the very center of Pandemonium. This was Babel. At ny-nine floors, this building wasn¡¯t just the tallest in Pandemonium but also the tallest in all of Helmuth. Without anything to hide, Babel was the Demon King¡¯s Castle, where the Demon King of Incarceration, who ruled over all of Helmuth personally resided. ¡°Is the master of the Demon Dragon Castle absent this time as well?¡± On the nieth floor of Babel, the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, stood with his hands behind his back as he looked down through the ss walls of the building. Far below, he could see the forest of buildings that, while iparable to Babel, were still tall enough to be called high-rises. Dozens of fish,rge and small, were floating between the buildings. These were the Air-Fish. The Air-Fish that swam through the skies of Pandemonium were part of the security system that kept the crime rate of Pandemonium under perfect control. The Air-Fishes were able to monitor this entire city of skyscrapers without any blindspots while transmitting all that they observed to Babel¡¯s Control Centre. Even at this very moment, in the Control Center dozens of floors below, thousands of souls that had contracted themselves into post-mortembor, and the hundreds of demonfolk, who controlled these souls, were working hard to protect the city¡¯s security by digging through the monitoring images sent by the Air-Fish. The door of the spacious conference room opened as a middle-aged man walked in and answered Gavid¡¯s question with a smile, ¡°It looks to be that way. I wish he would have at least sent a message¡­.¡± The man took the top hat he was wearing off his head, ced it on the table, and then rested the staff he was holding across hisp. This staff had a color simr to that of congealed blood, and the veins that covered it writhed as if they were alive. This staff was calleddmir, and along with the Wise Sienna¡¯s Akasha, it was one of the only two staves on this continent that had been made with a Dragonheart. This man was the only one of the Three Mages of Incarceration who resided in Helmuth, a ck wizard with the title of a Count, Edmond Codreth. He stroked his mustache as he smiled. ¡°Your Grace, are we the only two members of Loyalty attending this meeting this time as well? If it¡¯s like this, we can¡¯t even call it a proper meeting,¡± Edmond sighed. ¡°In fact, there¡¯s no real need to call it a meeting,¡± Gavid corrected him. ¡°My only intention was to casually discuss our opinions on the current situation. Demonfolk and humans have very different senses of time, so if we don¡¯t have appointments like this, it might be decades before we all see each other again.¡± Edmond shrugged, ¡°If it¡¯s just a few decades, that would be fine with me as well. Perhaps even longer than that might still be eptable.¡± Gavid asked, ¡°Are you still searching for eternal life? You should already be close to it.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ the eternal life that I have currently obtained is nothing more than extending my own human lifespan,¡± Edmond said dismissively. ¡°Can that really bepared to the demonfolk, who are truly eternal beings?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that different even for us. Just as strong humans can live for a long time, strong demonfolk live longer than the rest,¡± Gavid muttered softly, but Edmond just smiled broadly without saying anything in response. Gavid was well aware of his reasons for this. The Three Mages of Incarceration, the three ck wizards who had signed a personal contract with the Demon King, were all entrics¡­. No, they were all people who, while human, possessed an insanity that was inhuman. The Tower Master of Aroth¡¯s ck Tower of Magic, Balzac Ludbeth, wanted to see the very peak of all magic. He wanted to go far beyond the limits of what humans had managed to reach and was obsessed with thepeakof magic that any human should surely be unable to touch ¡ª no, the question was whether such apeakeven existed in the first ce. dmir¡¯s owner, Edmond Codreth, wanted to improve hisgenusas a human and be an entirely new species. He aspired to be a new breed of human by abandoning everything that made him humanlike, such as his thoughts and behaviors. By refining his demonic power to the extreme limits of what mana could reach, he nned on undergoingmetamorphosisand bing a new breed of human. As for the Dungeon Master of the Desert, Amelia Merwin¡­. ¡°Hm,¡± Gavid¡¯s eyes, which had beenpletely still, suddenly trembled. He stared at an object in the night sky that was flying toward them from a distance. For a moment, Gavid wondered if he was hallucinating. He even suspected whether or not he might be dreaming right now. This was the first time he had been so astonished since he wasst pushed back by the Stupid Hamel¡¯s rampage three hundred years ago. ¡°Edmond,¡± Gavid called out. ¡°Yes, Your Grace?¡± Edmond responded. ¡°Come here¡­ and take a look at that,¡± Gavid instructed. ¡°Just what on earth does that look like to you?¡± Edmond tilted his head to the side in curiosity at the sudden summons. He got up from his chair and walked over to Gavid¡¯s side. He then stood there with his face pressed against the ss wall as he looked up into the distant night sky. Whatever it was, it was fast. Even at this very moment, the flying object was quickly drawing closer to them. The closer it got, the better the view they had of the flying object¡¯s appearance. Edmond gasped in surprise and took a few steps backward. Had he made a mistake with the spell? No, it couldn¡¯t be. Edmond shook his head, rubbed his eyes, and then gazed out the window once more. Now the flying object was so close that he didn¡¯t even need to use a spell to see it very clearly. But that¡­. It was a gigantic head. How else to describe it? Made from expensive and rare metals such as Orihalcum, Mithril, and Adamanitum, a marvel of magical engineering that had been made into a flying airship¡­ no, a flying head. With that head alone, you would have enough money to buy ten of the buildings in Helmuth and still have some left over. ¡°It appears¡­ to be a head,¡± Edmond choked out in disbelief. It wasn¡¯t just a simple head. Curly hair sprouted from the head, writhing like tentacles and pping like wings. A red horn also sprouted from the top of the head. The huge eyes were just asrge as the head they were set in and twinkled as if stars had been embedded within them. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± The forehead split open. The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, raised her arms in glee from where she sat on her velvet throne. Noir cried out, ¡°What do you think of my Giabe-Face?!¡± Her cry was met with silence. ¡°It was originally nned to be shown during thepletion ceremony of Giabe Park! But it waspleted much sooner than I expected, so what else could I do? That¡¯s why I¡¯ve decided to show it to you first. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± Noir asked excitedly. Edmond and Gavid stayed dumbstruck. Unimpeded by their silence, Noir continued, ¡°The Giabe-Face will be the mascot of the Giabe Park! The Giabe-Face will float above in the skies during the mornings, noons, evenings, and nights¡­ at all times, the guests of Giabe Park will be able to look up at this face and be filled with love and awe. Tormented by their lust for me, they will squander their savings at the casino and even spend their life-force¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m ashamed just looking at it,¡± Gavid muttered to himself with a shake of his head. Edmond, who was keeping to the rear, also looked like he felt the urge to say some things that he really couldn¡¯t afford to be saying. But Noir didn¡¯t feel the slightest offense at their dry reactions. Click. With a snap of her fingers, the metallic expression of the Giabe-Face slowly began to change. Gavid and Edmond kept their silence as they watched the Giabe-Face smile. Gavid was slightly afraid that the citizens of Pandemonium, who lived far below, might still be able to see this shameful disy. ¡°Smile,¡± Noir sang cheerfully as she lifted the corners of her lips with both index fingers in a smile of her own. Then she stood up from her velvet throne and walked out of the cockpit. ck ck ck! The carpet on the floor of the cockpit extended forward on its own. Noir walked gracefully down the red carpet and approached the ss wall. Then she casually passed through the ss and entered the inside of the room. Noticing the empty seats, the corners of Noir¡¯s lips curled upwards in a sneer. ¡°So the master of the Dragon Demon Castle is absent this time as well?¡± Noir unknowingly repeated. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Gavid replied. ¡°Humph, I¡¯m really, really curious. Just how much longer are you going to allow the problem of the Dragon Demon Castle to fester? Isn¡¯t it enough that you overlooked them for the past two hundred years?¡± Noir demanded. ¡°Two hundred years might be considered a long time, but it isn¡¯t that long for a dragon,¡± Gavid argued. ¡°Even if theyoung masterof the Dragon Demon Castle is unsuitable for his position, we still need to wait another hundred years.¡± ¡°And why exactly should we wait any longer?¡± Noir insisted. ¡°Because of how rare Demonic Dragons are? See here, Gavid, three hundred years ago, fallen dragons were rare and worthy of being used as a symbol of our strength. But aren¡¯t things a bit different now?¡± Gavid reminded her, ¡°No matter what the era, dragons have always been seen as great and noble existences. It¡¯s difficult to give up on the symbolic importance thates from having had such an existence fall and be bestowed a title from the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± ¡°Three hundred years ago, dragons were indeed such an existence,¡± Noir readily agreed. ¡°But now? It has been three hundred years since the dragons disappeared into hiding. Are there even any dragons still active in modern times? In any case, dragons are like beings from their distant myths to the people of this era. Don¡¯t you think that, instead of such an obsolete symbol, it would be a better symbol to have someone who has sessfully be a Duke while still being a human?¡± As Noir said this, she turned to Edmond and addressed him, ¡°What do you think, Edmond? If you so wish, I will dly lend you my strength. You understand what I''m trying to say, right? I¡¯m telling you that I will dly rip apart the young dragon of the Dragon Demon Castle with my own hands.¡± Edmond awkwardlyughed, ¡°Haha¡­. I¡¯m quite grateful for the offer, but¡­.¡± ¡°Hmph, why are you acting so innocent,¡± Noir said poutily. ¡°I like you so much because you¡¯re a freak. What if the master of the Dragon Demon Castle does end up being defeated, and we need to choose a new Duke? Rather than one of those fucking marquises who snoop around me, trying to keep me in check even as they dream above their station, I think it would be better to raise a Count like you in to be a Duke.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know that you thought of me so highly,¡± Edmond humbly prevaricated. ¡°If you didn¡¯t know it before, then keep it in mind from now on,¡± Noir insisted. ¡°If you want, I can personally send a message to the Demon King of Incarceration. In exchange for my help, I¡¯ll take the corpse of the young dragon for myself. After all, you already have dmir, right?¡± Gavid, who had been silently listening to this conversation take ce, sighed and waved his hand in dismissal, ¡°Don¡¯t bring up such things to our Demon King of Incarceration when he¡¯s sure to disallow it. Also, Noir, just what would you even do with a dragon¡¯s corpse that makes you want it so?¡± ¡°Every piece of a dragon has its uses, no? First of all, I n to process its scales, leather, and bones to make weapons and put them on disy as prizes for the Giabe Park Casino,¡± Noir revealed, her reply exceeding all imagination. Gavid stared at Noir, unable to think of what to even say to this. Noir just smiled happily in the face of his surprise. ¡°The Giabe Park¡¯s Casino will be the best casino in all of the past, present, and future,¡± Noir proudly dered. ¡°There is surely no other ce in the world where weapons made from a dragon can be exchanged for casino tokens.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sure to be a shocking facility in many ways,¡± Gavid eventually said drily. ¡°Also, the Dragonheart will be transnted into the Giabe-Face. The magic generator I currently have installed in it is great, but if I can transnt a Dragonheart into it, wouldn¡¯t it be even more amazing?¡± Noir said with greed in her eyes. Edmond stared at the Giabe-Face floating outside the window with narrowed eyes. At first nce, that flying object practically drowning in narcissism looked ridiculous, but as an Archiwizard, Edmond realized that it wasn¡¯t simply a head given the ability to fly. ¡®For her to have even thought up the idea of linking the eyes of her flying vehicle to her own Demon-Eyes, regardless of whether it is even magically possible, I¡¯m forced to acknowledge just how absurd Duke Giabe¡¯s mana truly is,¡¯Edmond thought. Demon-Eyes, which could be activated with just a nce, all consumedrge amounts of mana. The Demon-Eye of Fantasy possessed by Noir Giabe was one of the strongest among all the Demon-Eyes that were said to have existed in the world. Her Demon-Eye, as its name suggested, had the power to turn reality into fantasy and fantasy into reality. Noir was nning for this gigantic Giabe-Face to float in the skies above the facility that also bore her name, Giabe Park. When it was eventuallypleted, numerous tourists would being to Giabe Park every day. If a floating object as bizarre as the Giabe-Face was hovering around in the sky, one would have no choice but to look at it at least once, even if one didn¡¯t want to see it. At that moment, the tourists would be captured by the Demon-Eye of Fantasy and fall into the illusion crafted by Noir Giabe. ¡°I know that I am repeating myself, but the Demon King of Incarceration will not rescind the title of the young master of the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± Gavid reminded Noir. ¡°Then what about a hunt? I don¡¯t like that young dragon, so if it¡¯s for my desires, then the Demon King of Incarceration won¡¯t stop me from hunting it, will he?¡± Noir asked. ¡°If you do that, I will be the one to stop you,¡± Gavid said in a calm tone. However, deep within his eyes, a red light was shimmering. It was the light emitted by Gavid¡¯s Demon-Eye of Divine Glory, a Demon-Eye on the same level as Iris¡¯s Demon-Eye of Darkness and Noir¡¯s Demon-Eye of Fantasy. ¡°I guess a lot of time really has flown by. You, who were once called a yer, are instead acting as the guardian of a young dragon,¡± Noirmented sarcastically. Gavid told the truth, ¡°It¡¯s not about protecting the young master of the Dragon Demon Castle. It¡¯s to keep you in check. Even if they aren¡¯t fully grown yet, a dragon is still a dragon. For someone like you, who¡¯s already powerful enough as it is, I don¡¯t want you to be intoxicated by the power of the Dragonheart.¡± This was just a light warning of Gavid¡¯s power. Noir was also only acting tough. She probably didn¡¯t have any intention of seriously hunting the young master of the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡°Fiiiine, I got it. So can you stop with that creepy gaze of yours?¡± Noir whined as she brushed back her thick, wavy locks of hair with a smile. At this, Gavid also shrugged and deactivated his Demon-Eyes of Divine Glory. Edmond, who had just been watching the two of them, alsoughed politely and returned to his seat. ¡°Once the two Dukes start ying mischievous pranks and pretending to be angry with each other, it¡¯s hard for me to even breathe properly. So please, let us talk about something else,¡± Edmond proposed. ¡°Has there been anything interesting going ontely?¡± Noir inquired. ¡°I think it depends on your opinion of what counts as interesting,¡± Edmond said as he pulled a hand out of his coat and held it up. When his hand lightly stirred in the air, a whitish orb the size of two fists appeared above it. This was the soul of a human. ¡°I¡¯m not fully certain of this, but¡­,¡± Edmond touched the soul with his fingertips as he spoke. ¡°It seems that a Hero and a Saint have appeared.¡± Gavid narrowed his eyes. Chapter 207: Babel (2)

Chapter 207: Babel (2)

The Hero and the Saint. Edmond could not fullyprehend the weight that these two titles held. He was a monstrous ck wizard who had survived for over a hundred years, but he had never met atrueHero or Saint. ¡°A Saint, you say,¡± Gavid repeated consideringly. However, the de of Incarceration and the Queen of the Night Demons had both met a true Hero and a true Saint. In that era from three hundred years ago, both the Hero and the Saint were active in the world. Since then, the Hero hadn¡¯t reappeared, but the Holy Empire of Yuras had appointed a new ¡®Saint¡¯ several times and made them the symbol of their holy kingdom. ¡°I think there is a possibility,¡± Edmond confirmed. Noir moved with a leisurely gait and sat on top of an empty table. She then crossed her legs with a bewitching smile and said, ¡°The Saint Candidate for this generation, her name was Kristina Rogeris, right? That woman looks just like Anise Slywood, doesn¡¯t she? It took those fanatics two hundred years, but they finally managed to clone Anise Slywood.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t know if they have truly seeded quite yet,¡± Gaivd corrected her. ¡°After all, they may have simply managed to recreate her face. Though, in fact, wouldn¡¯t that make it easier for the Holy See to control her? After all, they actually made Anise sowellthat they couldn¡¯t control her in herter years.¡± Noir and Gavid knew the truth about Anise Slywood. These two were demonfolk who had lived for hundreds of years and were familiar with the Saints who hade before Anise. Although they had been grandiosely called Saints, the Saints who came before Anise were imperfect creations who could not live up to their name. The same went for the Saints who came after Anise as well. It was still unknown what method Yuras used to create the Saints, but it seemed that their method of producing Saints was imperfect. So far, there had been numerous Saint Candidates and full Saints, but among all of them, only Anise deserved to be called a Saint. ¡°If she¡¯s just a crude doll that was made to resemble Anise only in her face, then¡­ hehe,¡± Noir finished with a snicker. ¡°As you said, it would make it easier for the Holy See to use her. Because just by resembling Anise, she could act as a symbol for their zealotry.¡± ¡°But as for the Hero,¡± Gavid muttered, still not sitting down. Instead, he stood with his back to the window and stared at Edmond as he gravely said, ¡°Count Edmond, I am also quite appreciative of you, but the wordHeroisn¡¯t something that you should so easily bring up, even as a joke, as I hate just hearing that word.¡± ¡°The same goes for me as well,¡± Noir agreed. ¡°The word Hero¡­ fufu. Just mentioning it reminds me of Vermouth of Despair.¡± The two still vividly remembered what had happened three hundred years ago. Among all of the countless demonfolk in Helmuth, these two were considered greater demonfolk who held supreme power. The two of them held the titles of Duke, so they were known as the Three Dukes along with Raizakia of the Dragon Demon Castle. After the war ended three hundred years ago, Noir Giabe and Gavid Lindman became the closest beings to the seat of Helmuth¡¯sthirdDemon King. After the war had ended, numerous demonfolk had started scrambling to establish a new pecking order while proudly boasting of their battle merits, but not a single person had ever challenged Gavid and Noir. The two of them held a different status than the rest of the demonfolk. Even in the most recent territory war between Noir and Iris, Iris must have been desperately fighting to win, but to Noir, it was nothing more than light amusement to soothe the boredom of this long peace. The only thing that could make these two monsters sense the possibility ofdeathwas the battlefield from three hundred years ago. When the Great¡­. No. Vermouth of Despair. Hamel of Extermination. Sienna of Cmity. Molon of Terror. Anise of Hell. Only their battle with these five individuals, who were so strong that they didn¡¯t seem human, could make Gavid and Noir sense the possibility of death. The other high-ranking demons who had lived in that era, who had held a simr status to Gavid and Noir, had all been killed by the five of them. Vermouth Lionheart. He literally was Despair incarnate. Without even having to bring up the destruction in the shape of a sword that was the Moonlight Sword, Vermouth had made countless demonfolk feel despair just by existing. Hamel Dynas: he was the only one who could stand beside Vermouth and keep pace with him in battle, and in a certain sense, he caused the demonfolk to feel even more despair than Vermouth. While Vermouth¡¯s sword would erase everything, Hamel¡¯s sword would flood the battlefield with blood and gore. Sienna Merdien was the embodiment of Cmity itself. Her magic would create natural disasters that swept the entire battlefield. In the present, the magic of humans had developed so much that it was even possible for them topete with the demonfolk, but that hadn¡¯t been the case three hundred years ago. The high-ranking demonfolk had always regarded the magic of humans as insignificant and weak. However, Sienna¡¯s magic was beyond the understanding of the demonfolk. Even in the current era, the reason human magic could nowpete with the demonfolk was all thanks to Sienna having taken the magic of humans andpletely reworking it. Molon Ruhr: he was a man who would refuse to retreat no matter how dire the battle got. The human who was more like an undead than the undead¡­ even if his body was covered in blood and his limbs were blown off, he would always, always open up a way forward. Then he would prate his way into the center of the battlefield and turn the tide of the battle. The sight of him swinging his ax with one arm while his severed arm was held between his teeth had caused countless demonfolk to run away in terror. Anise Slywood was called a Saint by the humans, but to the demonfolk, her very existence was a living hell that could move on its own. Just like how ck magic could be used to raise the undead, her miracles would forcibly resurrect any dying humans. If they had lost their will to fight through the pain and the fear, her miracles would quell those emotions and forcefully fill them with the energy to keep advancing. Her outstretched wings and the light pouring froth from her would purify any dark power and extinguish the demonfolk¡¯s souls. Gavid and Noir were two of the rare few demons who had managed to survive facing those terrible humans. During the final stages of the war, Noir had repeatedly tried to break their spirits by infiltrating their dreams, but she had failed every time and had almost even died several times. Gavid had confronted Hamel and Sienna, who were out conducting reconnaissance, and had engaged them in battle. However, Gavid had actually ended up suffering an almost-fatal sword blow from Hamel and had been left with no choice but to retreat. ¡°Do you really think I would say something like this just to upset the two of you?¡± Edmond asked with a wry smile as he stared at the soul in his hand. ¡°This is the soul of a ck wizard who had been invited to serve as an expert in magical techniques by the Divine Magic Department of the Holy See in Yuras. As Your Graces may already know, the Department of Divine Magic not only researches the repurposing and creation of miracles, but it also dabbles in ck magic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The world really has changed a lot. I never thought that a day woulde when ck wizards would be invited to the Vatican to serve as magic experts,¡± Gavid said with a sigh. Edmond nodded proudly, ¡°That just shows how much the rights of ck wizards have risen.¡± The Department of Divine Magic had been studying Soul Separation Magic. This magic involved transferring the soul of an individual into another body for quite some time, but such magic fell into the field of ck magic. Since the Bishops involved in this research didn¡¯t want to dabble in ck magic themselves, they had no choice but to invite a ck wizard from outside the country. Although there were a lot of ck wizards in Aroth, most of the ck wizards who lived there were members of the ck Tower of Magic. This might be stating the obvious, but the Bishops of the Faculty of Divine Magic didn¡¯t want anyone to discover that they were inviting ck wizards to coborate in their research. As a result, the Bishops had to first search for frence ck wizards who didn¡¯t belong to any group, then choose a ck wizard from among the countless ck wizards in Helmuth known to have both skills and a good reputation. Then after signing a confidentiality contract, they would finally bring him to their Department of Divine Magic. ¡°Were you the one who sent him to infiltrate them?¡± Gavid asked curiously. ¡°Yes,¡± Edmund confirmed. ¡°Even a confidentiality contract could only serve as a guarantee while he was alive.¡± In fact, this wasn¡¯t really the case. Usually, even if he died and his soul was harvested, he would still be bound by the contract as he was during his lifetime. However, if it was a ck wizard of Edmond¡¯s level, they could destroy a soul that was bound by a contract and read their past memories. Edmond revealed, ¡°This guy was killed by the Commander of the Knights of the Blood Cross, Raphael Martinex.¡± ¡°Haha¡­ that bratty pdin?¡± Noir giggled with a smile. Edmond shrugged and continued talking, ¡°ording to the memories that I read, it wasn¡¯t just this guy. Most priests belonging to the Forbidden Department of the Department of Divine Magic were decapitated by the Crusader¡¯s sword. All of the ck magic that was being stored away and studied there was also obliteratedpletely.¡± ¡°And so?¡± Gavid prompted. ¡°The Crusader threw the head of Pietro, the Chief of the Department of Divine Magic, at their feet. He told them that Pietro¡¯s execution was punishment for the crime of sphemy. All the priests of the Forbidden Department were beheaded for the same crime,¡± Edmond calmly reported. After hearing that even a Cardinal had died, Noir¡¯sughter faded away. Gavid¡¯s eyes also settled into a freezing cold gaze as he stared at Edmond. ¡°As Your Graces may be aware, every generation of Popes and Cardinals have faked being Agents of the Light by having their Stigmata engraved onto their bodies. Even though the Cardinal was executed forsphemy, there have been no announcements from the Vatican. And the Saint Candidate, Kristina Rogeris, was seen observing the situation at the execution site of the members of the Forbidden Department. The circumstances suggest that Saint Candidate Kristina was also present during Pietro¡¯s execution,¡± Edmond surmised. ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Gavid was lost in thought as he stroked his chin. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like Pope Aeuryus was the one who ordered the execution.¡± ¡°There¡¯s another interesting fact,¡± Edmond added with a bright grin. ¡°Eugene Lionheart entered Yuras a few days before the executions took ce. It¡¯s already widely known that the Young Lion was also apanied by the Saint Candidate when he went to Samar.¡± ¡°Their search for Sienna Merdein,¡± Noir said with another giggle ofughter. ¡°So it seems that the target of their search wasn¡¯t the only reason the Saint Candidate was hanging around him. The Holy Sword that had been buried in the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault must have finally chosen a new owner after three hundred years¡­. Ahahaha! Indeed, this really is interesting news. So this means that kid wasn¡¯t just entrusted with Akasha by Sienna; he¡¯s also the master of the Holy Sword?¡± Gavid began speaking, ¡°In the present, Kristina Rogeris is Yuras¡¯ sole Saint Candidate¡­ and yesterday was even Anise Slywood¡¯s feast day. With Eugene Lionheart also arriving in Yuras at such a time, I don¡¯t believe it was a mere coincidence that there would be such an outbreak of bloodshed, starting with Pietro, in the Holy See.¡± ¡°So what does this mean for us?¡± Noir asked as she turned to look at Gavid with a bright smile. Gavid silently stood there with his back to the window. Seeing such a sight, Noir felt a thrill run down her spine. It had been three hundred years since the war ended. Even Gavid Lindman, who was once called the de of Incarceration and the yer, had been extremely softened by this peace. However¡­. For demonfolk, three hundred years wasn¡¯t necessarily all that long a timeframe. The fundamental nature of demonfolk would never change. Nevertheless, the era had changed, and the Demon King no longer desired a war, so Gavid had simply created a mask that was more suitable for this peaceful era and had disguised himself behind it. And Noir had just seen the mask worn by her old friend andrade shake. ¡°It seems that he really can¡¯t be underestimated,¡± Gavid eventually murmured. Cracrack. As his thumb tightened over his index finger, there was the sound of knuckles cracking. ¡°From what the people are saying, Eugene Lionheart is so exceptional that he¡¯s been called the Second Coming of Vermouth,¡± Edmond spoke up. ¡°I don¡¯t know if he really has the raw potential to bepared to Vermouth, but¡­ fufu, he certainly is exceptional, isn¡¯t he?¡± Noir remarked with a giggle. ¡°Without even needing to talk about his skill in martial arts, even if it was with a handicap, he was still able to defeat the Eighth-Circle Green Tower Master in a duel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s even more reason why we can¡¯t underestimate him,¡± insisted Gavid. ¡°If even the Holy Sword has recognized the Young Lion, then he can truly be considered the Second Coming of Vermouth.¡± ¡°So what?¡± Noir asked challengingly. ¡°What do you propose to do, Duke Gavid? Will you make a move yourself and step on the head of a young man who¡¯s rapidly climbing to the top? Or perhaps you intend to send one of the sword-demons in your service?¡± ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Gavid asked with a twisted smile. ¡°If he really is a Hero who has been recognized by the Holy Sword¡­ if he performs the duty of a Hero like his ancestor did, that wouldn¡¯t be such a bad thing, right?¡± Noir burst intoughter, ¡°Ahahaha¡­!¡± ¡°Though, of course, the Demon King of Incarceration might decide to erase thisHerowho threatens the Oath and the peace it brings,¡± Gavid added cautiously. ¡°In fact, in Nahama, the Demon King did warn the Young Lion and the kingdoms of the Continent to be wary of destroying the Oath and this era of peace. So if the Demon King of Incarceration does want to preserve this peace, then as his sword, I will dly take the Young Lion¡¯s throat. However, if he should remain silent¡­.¡± Gavid slowly raised his head to look up at the ceiling. The conference room they were now in was located on the nieth floor of Babel. This entire floor, not just this meeting room, served as Gavid¡¯s office. Yet even as a Duke, Gavid was restricted from entering the higher floors, starting from the ny-first floor, as he pleased. The floors from the ny-first to the ny-ninth existed solely for the purposes of the Demon King, and it was only possible to ascend to these upper floors when they were summoned by the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°As for me, I will dly respect whatever decision he makes. And you, Duke Noir, will that satisfy you as well?¡± Gavid addressed Noir seriously. ¡°Well, so-so,¡± Noir muttered with a frustrated sigh. ¡°I hope that the Young Lion doesn¡¯t run amok due to the hotbloodedness of youth. But, in order to aplish what his ancestor failed to do, I hope he does manage to start a war by raising the Holy Sword.¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s a tragedy for this peace to end, but¡­ if war truly does break out, the Demon King of Incarceration will never show the humans the same mercy as he did three hundred years ago,¡± Gavid said as his head turned to the side. ¡°Edmond, has Eugene Lionheart ever had any interactions with Balzac Ludbeth while he was studying abroad in Aroth? You¡¯re close friends with Balzac, so I just thought you might have heard some interesting news.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he was born with a genius talent for wizardry as well. Also¡­ it¡¯s said that he hates ck wizards to the point where it¡¯s almost abnormal,¡± Edmond reported. ¡°And what have you heard from Amelia?¡± Gavid asked once more. ¡°She said that that brat broke her pet, so one day, she¡¯s going to tear him to pieces. Unfortunately, I wasn¡¯t able to hear the full details of what transpired from her,¡± Edmond confessed. ¡°Is that so,¡± Gavid mused, then rxed his clenched hands and continued speaking. ¡°Before deciding on how we should treat Eugene Lionheart, I think it would be worthwhile to take a closer look at him.¡± Noir cocked an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re not intending to head to the Lionheart n by yourself, are you?¡± ¡°I will not,¡± Gavid firmly denied. ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that the nations of the continent intend to unite and hold a festival called the Knight March in the Ruhr territory next year.¡± Noir giggled, ¡°Heehee¡­. But they¡¯re not going to allow just anyone to participate, are they?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that as long as they¡¯re on the list of approved knightly orders and mercenarypanies, they will allow anyone to participate. Of course, the humans intended to limit these qualifications to the countries on theircontinent, but¡­ who knows. If I, the Duke of Helmuth, lead my knightly order to go looking for them¡­ let¡¯s see if they dare to chase me out,¡± Gavid snorted. Naturally, Gavid was also aware of the purpose behind organizing this Knight March. It was all because of the warning that the Demon King of Incarceration had delivered through Eugene Lionheart. But these arrogant and rude humans, instead of heeding the warning and taking care not to cross them, had decided to gather the knights and mercenaries from all over the world to stand in Helmuth¡¯s way. ¡®How foolishly arrogant,¡¯was Gavid¡¯s sincere opinion of them. ¡°To think that Eugene Lionheart is the hero¡­ fufu,¡± Noir chuckled. ¡°What kind of expression would Iris make if she knew the truth? That stupid woman. The Hero she so resents as having been her father¡¯s enemy was right in front of her eyes, but she didn¡¯t even recognize him and even failed at taking him hostage.¡± ¡°Have you heard the rumors about her?¡± Edmond inquired. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve heard them. They say she¡¯s engaging in piracy within Shimuin¡¯s territorial waters, right? With a pirate g of a ck skull that has pointy ears sticking out of it, they¡¯re plundering trade ships while iming to be the Pirates of Fury, aren¡¯t they?¡± Noir licked her lips as she said this, recalling how Iris had kicked and struggled while she held her down. ¡°See, didn¡¯t I do well not to kill her? Does that idiot truly believe that by raising funds as a pirate, she will really be able to increase her own strength?¡± ¡°You seem to be investing a lot of time in her,¡± Edmond responded with a smile. Noir suddenly recalled something, ¡°Oooh, that¡¯s right? You¡¯ve been interacting with the Kochi tribe in Samar, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Even they have been victimized by Lady Iris¡¯ pirate ship several times,¡± Edmond confirmed. ¡°In the process, even the elves who were being transported as sacrifices were stolen away.¡± ¡°Really?¡± Noir reacted with surprise. ¡°Are you saying that Iris¡¯ piracy isn¡¯t entirely pointless? What about your search for the Word Tree and Sienna? Has there been any progress?¡± ¡°Unfortunately¡­ there has been no progress,¡± Edmond admitted. Noir just nodded, ¡°As expected. Since we couldn¡¯t find anything after searching for two hundred years, there¡¯s no way we would find something at this point.¡± Edmond gave an excuse, ¡°There have also been several difficulties that cropped up during the search. It seems that the other Great Tribes, like the Zoran tribe, have been strongly suppressing the Kochi.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you just get rid of that?¡± Noir said dismissively. ¡°How much of a problem can they even be? No matter how many of the natives of the Samar are killed, it won¡¯t matter to the peace of the continent.¡± Edmond hesitated, ¡°Well, even if it is annoying, it¡¯s still at a level that can be ignored.¡± ¡°Heehee,¡± Noir giggled as she stared at Edmond with eyes sparkling like stars. ¡°Edmond, though I¡¯m curious to see what it is that you¡¯re plotting, I won¡¯t ask. If I find out in advance, it won¡¯t be as entertaining when the fun actually starts.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not actually trying to hide it, but¡­,¡± Edmond trailed off. ¡°I know, I know. That¡¯s why I¡¯ve said that I won¡¯t ask any more questions,¡± Noir said, waving her hands to silence him as she hopped off the table. ¡°More importantly, Duke Gavid, doesn¡¯t our Loyalty need to increase the number of members as well? The young master of the Dragon Demon Castle isn¡¯t in a position to attend our meetings, let alone have the intention to do so. Balzac Ludbeth and Amelia Merwin aren¡¯t even in Helmuth either.¡± ¡°Are there any nobles who you would like to rmend?¡± Gavid asked her in response. ¡°Are you familiar with Count Karad, the lord of the Ruol fief right next to the Dragon Demon Castle?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he¡¯s a young demonfolk with quite decent skills and resourcefulness. What¡¯s his race?¡± ¡°He¡¯s a Giant Demon who has the mixed blood of the Giant. But well, I¡¯ll take care of his size, so he won¡¯t bang his head on the ceiling if hees here,¡± Noir generously offered. ¡°I was wondering why you mentioned his name¡­. You¡¯re trying to tempt Count Karad into invading the territory of the Dragon Demon Castle, aren¡¯t you?¡± Gavid asked suspiciously. ¡°No way. How could I do that? He¡¯s just someone I remember because I thought it was cute to see how much attention and ambition he¡¯s showing towards the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she walked over to Gavid¡¯s side. ¡°If not him, then how about Jagon? That maniac killed his own father, Oberon, by tearing his throat out with his teeth. He might not have any ss, but at least his strength is certain, right?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s Jagon, we can consider making him a member,¡± Gavid agreed. ¡°Though that means we¡¯ll need to instill some etiquette into him.¡± ¡°Your sights really are set far too high, Duke Gavid¡­. Hmmm, then what about them?¡± Noir asked with a broad smile as she pointed out the ss window. The two men¡¯s eyes turned to see the night sky of Pandemonium, where hundreds of Air-Fish were floating around. Slightly below their level,rge holographic screens were also floating in the air. Among all these screens, the one that Noir pointed to showed a cutely dressed subus idol group in the middle of a dance. Noir introduced them, ¡°Those are the Dream Girls who¡¯ve recently debuted under Giabe Celebrity Management. In just the first week of their debut, they¡¯ve already reached the number-one slot in Pandemonium¡¯s album sales. They¡¯re cute, aren¡¯t they? Those are the children I¡¯ve raised.¡± Gavid kept his silence. Noir tilted her head, ¡°Could it be that Duke Gavid prefers sexy over cute? There¡¯s also a senior group to theirs that¡¯s called the Dream Rose. They¡¯re in the third ce on Pandemonium¡¯s cumtive album sales¡ª¡± ¡°Stop,¡± Gavid interrupted her. ¡°Perhaps you prefer incubi over subi? We also have boy groups¡ª¡± ¡°I said stop talking.¡± While holding back his distraught emotions, Gavid looked away from the holograms and raised his head. However, through the window, the Giabe-Face was smiling mechanically at him¡­. Ignoring Gavid¡¯s request, Noir continued, ¡°I¡¯m also thinking of releasing an album.¡± Gavid squeezed his eyes shut, unwilling to keep listening any longer. Chapter 208: The Dark Room(1)

Chapter 208: The Dark Room(1)

Ciel Lionheart red at the corner of the drill hall with dull eyes. There stood Auxiliary Bishop Kristina, who had arrived several days ago as a guest of the Lionheart family. Since thepetition against the White Dragon Knights, the Knights of the ck Lion were brimming with motivation and training nearly every single day. While sparring, it wasmon to hold back one¡¯s skills in consideration of the opponent, such that they weren¡¯t injured. While this method worked to diminish the injuries, it didn¡¯t serve the actual purpose of the spars ¡ª to improve one¡¯s skills and techniques. Thus, the Knights of the ck Lion held mock battles while allowing the knights to barely skim over their opponents with their weapons. As a result, quite a few knights were injured each day. Although most knights managed to avoid fatal injuries due to their excellent skills, it was prettymon for des to leave light grazes on the skin. Naturally, the Lionheart family possessed a variety of treatment methods befitting their family name. Even without a high-ranking priest, they had numerous types of potions they provided to their knights, and academically qualified medical staff with a plethora of experience were always on standby to treat anyone. In addition, the Lionheart family made sure to always giverge donations to the temple in the capital in case of any emergencies. It ensured that a high-ranking priest could always be mobilized if any idents urred that required divine magic. In truth, little cuts did not warrant doctors, priests, or any potions. Those belonging to the Knights of ck Lion were as resilient as they were strong. They would recover from most wounds unless their organs were crushed or their bones were broken. The knights themselves knew this, so they did not care about minor, surface-level injuries. Even so, the same knights were lined up in front of Kristina with their extremely minor injuries. It wasn¡¯t that Ciel failed to understand their train of thought. It wasn¡¯t as if the healer was a simple priest. She was the only Saint Candidate in the Holy Empire of Yuras. ¡®If there is only one candidate, couldn¡¯t they just call her the Saintess?¡¯ Whatever the case, she wasn¡¯t an ordinary priest, and although none of Lionheart¡¯s knights were devout believers baptized in the Religion of Light, it wasn¡¯t as if they were skeptics who doubted the existence of the God of Light. It was undeniable that the God of Light was an existence that granted the believers the power to create miracles and was revered by countless people. Therefore, it was only natural for the knights to want to personally experience the miracle of the Saintess Candidate at least once. ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± grumbled Ciel. ¡°Neither do I,¡± agreed Mer. She fervently licked the lollipop she obtained from Anci¡¯s room earlier, but her cutting gaze never left Kristina. So what exactly did they not like? On the one hand, Mer knew the truth about Kristina, so she knew it couldn¡¯t be helped, while on the other hand, Ciel did not know the truth about Kristina. So she wasn¡¯t aware that Kristina¡¯s smile, which looked unshakeable, was only a mask and that all her pretense was a result derived from a miserable past. She didn¡¯t know what Eugene had been up to in the Holy Empire thest few days, nor did she know anything about the Fount of Light or that inside Kristina Rogeris resided the soul of Anise the Faithful from 300 years ago. But there was one thing she did know. Eugene had departed for Yuras immediately after receiving a letter. And although she didn¡¯t know exactly what he had done there, it just so happened that the most spectacr and magnificent festival celebrating the birth of Anise the Faithful had ovepped with the days of his absence. Also, Eugene had returned with Auxry Bishop Kristina promptly after the festival ended. And what was the reason he gave? To cure an incurable disease inflicting the elves. Ciel liked the elves of the forest, and she felt truly sorry for those who were running out of time due to the Demonic Disease. Hence, it was convincing enough that Kristian Rogeris, the Auxry Bishop of rte and the sole Saintess Candidate, was staying at the Lionheart family¡¯s main house to treat the elves. However¡­ something about her just didn¡¯t appeal to Ciel. She noticed that Kristina spent her days treating the knights when they had finished their training, then headed straight into the forest at sunset. Was it really to treat the elves? It certainly looked like it, but¡­ strangely enough, Ciel saw Kristina spending more time with Eugene than with the elves. It wasn¡¯t as though the two were doing something special together. From her time sneaking, no, observing the two people, Ciel noticed that when Eugene was meditating in the middle of the forest, Kristina would sit a few steps away and stare at Eugene with a faint smile. That was all. Even when Eugene finished meditating and proceeded to train his body, Kristina would watch from a distance so she wouldn¡¯t interfere with his training, but still with the same faint smile. Ciel red at Kristina in the distance with squinting eyes. Kristina had a faint smile as she treated the knights with divine magic.However,her smile differed from the one that hung on her lips when she was with Eugene in the forest. Kristina¡¯s smile wasdefinitelydifferent from when she ran into Eugene earlier in the hallway of the mansion, when she greeted him, saying,¡®Sir Eugene, do you have anything special nned for today?¡¯and when she asked,¡®Sir Eugene, why don¡¯t we eat together today?¡¯. Her current smile was also different from when she asked,¡®Sir Eugene, how did you sleep? What will you do for breakfast? Ahh¡­ at the family table with the rest of the Lionheart family? Then I guess I will have to sit at a different table. Please eat with me next time.¡¯ ¡°Lady Ciel?¡± Dezra called out while returning from training in the forest, spotting the backsides of Ciel and Mer. The two had never seemed to get along well, so what were they doing hiding behind the pir together? What on earth was responsible for the sparks in their eyes? Dezra approached Ciel out of pure curiosity. ¡°Oi, oi, Dezra, don¡¯t do it. Just go¡­!¡± The voice belonged to Cyan. He had called out from the third-floor window of the mansion as quietly as possible. He had been looking down at the drill hall while hunching behind the window. However, he failed to stray Dezra from her path. But it wasn¡¯t because she had not heard his voice. Rather, she had heard him but couldn¡¯t understand why she had to stop walking. She was approaching the two out of curiosity, so what was wrong with that? ¡°Lady Ciel, what are you doing over there? Are you spying on Auxry Bishop Kristina?¡± said Dezra. Cyan¡¯s face turned a shade whiter when he heard the question. He quickly closed the window and even drew the curtains, losing all courage to continue watching. ¡°You stupid pig¡­!¡± Thus began Ciel¡¯s curses. *** Four people were seated in the spacious office of the family head: Gilead Lionheart, Gion Lionheart, Carmen Lionheart, and Eugene Lionheart. Of the three seated across Eugene, Gion looked the most shocked. It took him quite some time to realize that his jaw was practically touching the floor as he stared in astonishment, and when he dide to the realization, he promptly closed his mouth. He then took a moment to digest what he had just heard. It wasn¡¯t that he failed toprehend the literal words, but it was hard for him to fully understand. ¡°Hahaha!¡± So Gion chose tough instead. Heughed briefly, then shrugged with a sigh. ¡°This makes me look crummy,¡± said Gion. He was born the youngest of three brothers. The eldest brother had cared for his younger brothers since childhood, and he was born with the character and qualities suitable for the eldest son. His second brother was warm and generous. He neither possessed the ambition topete with his older brother nor the characteristics that qualified him to do so. The youngest brother, Gion, was born with all his brothers'' advantageous and disadvantageous qualities. He was endowed with talent sufficient topete with his eldest brother, and he was a man of unblemished character. Simultaneously, he was humble and generous. In short, he was a genius. Just like Gilead, Gion had been praised as a genius since he was a young child, though he never acted arrogant. Moreover, after forfeiting his im to the spot of the family head, he was given the opportunity to live freely. So he wielded his sword as he wished, wandering around many different countries. He first swung a sword at the age of seven, and after training for thirty years, he barely managed to reach the Sixth Star of the White me Form. It was simr for Gilead and Carmen as well. Both had dedicated a good portion of their lives to the sword. ¡°When you suddenly called for me, I naturally assumed it was to celebrate me bing the captain of the Fifth Division,¡± said Gion. ¡°That is definitely something to celebrate, Gion, but it was only a matter of course. It wasn¡¯t a surprise either,¡± answered Carmen with a dry cigar in her mouth. The thick cigar hung at an exquisite angle on Carmen¡¯s lips, neither too tilted nor pronounced. Now, this was a truly remarkable feat, thought Eugene. Gilead chimed in, ¡°However, it¡¯s certainly surprising that he managed to reach the Sixth Star of the White me Form at the age of twenty.¡± ¡°You say twenty,¡± said Gion while shaking his head with a bbergasted expression. ¡°Eugene has only been training in the White me Form for seven years.¡± Even now, he still remembered the events as clearly as daylight. After the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, when Eugene was adopted into the main family, Gion had guided Eugene to the Leyline deep within the forest. Eugene first resonated with mana there and was guided in the White me Form. Who could believe it? Thirteen years old was already slightlyte to learn to control mana. Even though the Leyline¡¯s mana was incredibly dense, Eugene had immediately sensed mana upon sitting down and seeded in manipting it. Then, as soon as he was taught the White me Form by Gion, he seeded in wielding it without any help. ¡°I thought everyone was well aware that he¡¯s a monstrous genius,¡± snorted Carmen while cing down her cigar. She and Gilead had been informed of Eugene¡¯s aplishment a few days ago. She had been sufficiently surprised then, so she could maintain herposure now. ¡°Of course, but it¡¯s still hard to believe,¡± responded Gion before clearing his throat. Presently, there were only three people in the Lionheart family who had managed to reach the Sixth Star of the White me Form: the family head, Gilead, the captain of the Fifth Division of the ck Lion Knights, Gion, and Eugene. Carmen was the only one who had broken through the ceiling and reached the Seventh Star. The entry to the Sixth Star of the White me Form was an incredibly difficult feat. Even Klein, Carmen¡¯s younger brother and elder of the family, was stuck at five Stars. ¡°Have you already exined the changes thate after reaching the Sixth Star?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± answered Gilead in a calm voice before raising his head. Fwoosh. A white me enveloped Gilead¡¯s body. He operated the White me Form and directed the me with the tip of his finger. However, the appearance of the me was slightly different from what wasmonly seen with the White me Form. The tip of the flickering me was sharp like an awl, but it also red like a curved de. The White me Form underwent a tremendous change after the Sixth Star. Just as Eugene had guessed, the White me Form synchronized with one¡¯s numerous experiences and battles. No, to be more precise, the White me Form assimted with the user himself. Gilead¡¯s White me Form gave off the appearance of many des surrounding his body rather than actual mes. Although the mes were created from mana that was refined to the limit, as soon as Gilead willed it, the sharp me would immediately transform into des of white me. ¡°This is wholly my own me,¡± muttered Gilead with a bitter grin. Come to think of it, Eugene had never been taught anything special or grandiose by Gilead. The same was true for Cyan and Ciel. Although Carmen always took Ciel around and watched over her training, she had never taught her any special skills. The only thing the seniors taught the children in terms of being a Lionheart was the White me Form. Although the children were taught how to utilize their weapons, how to fight, and many other things, such lessons could be learned from outside the Lionheart family as well. Eugene was taught the secret art of the Empty Sword by Alchester, someone from outside the family. Unfortunately, however, the Lionheart family had no such secret arts¡­. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Gion said with a sigh before activating his own White me Form. His me possessed the opposite temperament to Gilead. If Gilead¡¯s me was a sharp de, Gion¡¯s me felt like a flowing wave. The me was clearly optimized only for Gion and incorporated his tendencies and habits. To put it really simply, they were all changing the nature of the mana that was forming their me. It was possible for Eugene to imitate their mes, but even he could not replicate the possibilities contained within their mes. Thus, the Lionheart family couldn''t possess a special art or a technique like the Empty Sword. ¡°The sword will always reflect the nature of its wielder. The White me Form melts and integrates one¡¯s nature into the me. When one reaches the Sixth Star, their me will change ordingly. But if anyone bes aware of this truth before they reach the Sixth Star, they will be conscious of this fact from a young age.¡± ¡°It cannot be said to be unconditionally bad, but one may end up insisting on clothes that don¡¯t fit their body while pursuing false images of themselves,¡± continued Carmen, striking the air with her gloved fist. Her me wasn¡¯t big, but the mana that constituted her me was incredibly dense. It was clear that the power contained within her me was much greater than what appeared on the surface. ¡°That is why the truth is hidden. It allows one to pursue their own art while growing stronger, without being conscious of it.¡± Eugene silently watched the mes of the three people for a while, then activated his own White me Form. The Stars in his heart started to spin, and his me spurred fiercely. However, his me was much bigger and brighter than the mes of the three. At the same time, it threatened to devour anyone who dared to venture too close to it. ¡°As expected,¡±mented Gion with a bitter smile. Fwoosh. He extinguished his own me before shaking his head. ¡°Now I understand why you summoned me as well, brother.¡± ¡°It¡¯s impossible to eyeball it,¡± murmured Carmen. Eugene extinguished his own me as well while listening to their conversation. ¡°I haven¡¯t really heard all the details yet,¡± said Eugene. He had been half-expecting them to throw a celebratory party now that he reached the Sixth Star. Still, after hearing the news and seeing his me, Gilead and Carmen revealed an unprovoked tension instead of celebrating. ¡°Do you know about the basement of the main house?¡± asked Gilead. ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a food storage in the basement, right? The servants¡¯ quarters are also there, and deeper down¡­ is the treasure room,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Even deeper than that,¡± asked Gilead. It was difficult for Eugene to understand what he was talking about. As such, he remained silent while staring at Gilead. After a while, Gilead continued. ¡°In the deep underground of the main house, there is a room known as the Dark Room.¡± ¡°The Dark Room?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Like the Leyline of the forest, it is a legacy left by the Great Founder for future generations. It is also one of the reasons why the direct line had to stay in the same location for 300 years¡­¡± said Gilead. ¡°To put it simply, it¡¯s like this,¡± Carmen interrupted Gilead and continued on his behalf. ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he answered. ¡°Today, you must destroy a world,¡± she said. ¡°What?¡± ¡°To be born anew.¡± Was this conversation really necessary? Eugene seriously pondered. Wasn¡¯t Carmen just talking to herself? But that didn¡¯t seem to be the case, judging by the solemn expressions on Gilead and Gion¡¯s faces. ¡°Um¡­. So¡­. I will break a mirror¡­ or an egg?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°What on earth are you talking about? This is not the time to be joking around,¡± Carmen rebuked Eugene with a grave expression. ¡®Motherf¡­.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s eyebrows immediately scrunched up with irritation. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to think hard about,¡± said Carmen before raising her finger toward Eugene. ¡°You will enter the Dark Room, reflect on yourself, kill yourself, and be born anew.¡± What was therenotto think hard about¡­? Eugene couldn¡¯t understand what Carmen was saying at all. Favorite Chapter 209: The Dark Room (2)

Chapter 209: The Dark Room (2)

Located in the deep underground of the Lionheart mansion was a secret room open only to descendants of the Lionheart family who had reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form. It was a ce known as the Dark Room. Carmen had called it a ce to destroy a world, to reflect on oneself, and to be born anew after killing oneself. Eugene had to wonder what kind of nonsense she was spouting, but he came to a better understanding after hearing Gion and Gilead¡¯s following words. ¡°Are you saying this is a ce where I face my apparition?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°To put it simply, yes,¡± answered Gion, scratching his chin. ¡°Though I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s¡­ appropriate to call it an apparition.¡± ¡°It¡¯s like looking in the mirror, right?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it was quite the same as looking at a mirror. In a sense, the phantom I faced in the Dark Room was ahead of me.¡± Gion, Carmen, and Gilead all gave slightly different exnations since what one saw in the Dark Room was purely dependent on oneself. ¡°Even their¡­ appearance was different. So even though the projection was my own, I didn¡¯t necessarily think it was me of the present moment.¡± ¡°They felt immature at first,¡± muttered Gilead. ¡°But that was only true at the beginning. Once you begin to understand your opponent and attempt to cross des with them, the undeveloped version ofmein the Dark Room changes. It changes to the current version of yourself, followed by an improved version.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s not only true for warriors,¡± Carmen said while crossing her legs and grabbing the cigar between her fingers. ¡°No matter how good a person is at objectifying him or herself, everyone imagines anideal versionof themselves. Someone who is slightly faster and slightly stronger. Someone capable of doing something impossible for your current self.¡± The Dark Room projected the ideal self. Although it didn¡¯t imbue anyone with any actual significant changes, it would project a superior version of oneself. ¡°The Dark Room is a ce where you face such a version of yourself to train. In a way, it¡¯s a very harsh ce,¡± said Gilead with a wry smile before looking back at Carmen. ¡°Neither Gion nor I seeded in oveing the ordeal of the Dark Room at first. As a result, we ended up causing a lot of trouble for Lady Carmen and the elder of the former generation.¡± If one fell to the phantom of the Dark Room, their body would be taken over by the phantom. However, the phantom possessed no ego, nor would one lose control of their body for life. ording to previous cases, the phantom would only have possession of one¡¯s body for half a day at most. However, losing control of one¡¯s body for half a day could still result in catastrophic results, so it was required for those who had already ovee the trial of the Dark Room to keep watch at the entrance. ¡°It was pretty tough back then, and I think it¡¯ll be even worse this time around,¡± said Carmen. It was understandable. Gilead, Gion, and Carmen were well aware of Eugene¡¯s strength. He couldn¡¯t be thought of only in terms of the White me Form. The image of Eugene fighting against Iris was still vivid in Carmen¡¯s memories. Gion and Gilead also knew well how powerful Eugene was. They had seen Eugene since he was young and had acknowledged from the bottom of their hearts that Eugene might even exceed them in some ways. Moreover, now that he had reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form, if, by chance, Eugene lost to his phantom, it would be an arduous task to subdue him. ¡°An ideal version of me,¡± whispered Eugene before sinking deep into thought. Indeed, the phantom of the Dark Room presented a troubling issue for Eugene as well. It was very simple for Eugene to imagine an ideal version of himself. Since he had memories of his past life, he knew he had yet to catch up to his past as Hamel, though he was quickly growing stronger after being reborn. ¡®Can I beat it?¡¯He contemted it with only logic and reason.¡®If I use Ignition and the Empty Sword, for a moment, I should be able to overpower it since this body is capable of handling their use. However, if I fail to win at that moment, then I will lose.¡¯ Aftering to a conclusion, Eugene raised his head. ¡°Can I bring in weapons?¡± he asked. ¡°No,¡± Carmen answered immediately. ¡°You will enter the Dark Room with your bare body, but you won¡¯t need to worry about not having a weapon. The moment your phantom appears, your weapons will already be in your hands.¡± He had been hoping to cover his shortfall with the weapons he had never possessed in his past life, but it had been a futile thought. ¡°What if I conjure up a version of myself so strong that it¡¯s impossible for me to win?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°The Great Founder has left us, his descendants, with an ordeal that is definitely possible to ovee,¡± answered Carmen. She secretly winked at Eugene before continuing. ¡°I imagined myself as a dragon before entering the Dark Room, but I didn¡¯t actuallye to face a dragon. The phantom I saw then¡­ was just slightly stronger than I was back then.¡± It made sense. If the phantom was as strong as one¡¯s imagination, it would definitely be impossible to ovee for some. Eugene noticed that Carmen had emphasized the worddragonand continued to wink at him, but he simply ignored her. ¡°And you don¡¯t onlye to face your phantom in the Dark Room,¡± said Gilead with a smirk. ¡°I¡¯ve yet toe that close to dying, but¡­ once you enter the Dark Room, what you experience before you face your phantom¡­. I think it is simr to how your life might sh before your eyes before you die.¡± ¡°How your life¡­ might sh before you?¡± asked Eugene in confusion. ¡°That¡¯s right. The things you experienced while living as a man will sh before your eyes. Perhaps that is also the magic of the Great Founder. Your phantom emerges from the past you have experienced,¡± Gilead exined in more detail. The Great Vermouth had been both a brilliant warrior and a distinguished wizard. In some ways, his magic had been on par with Sienna, and even Sienna had recognized this fact. ¡°What happens if I defeat the phantom?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°The White me Form will change,¡± muttered Gion. ¡°Not to say that your current White me Form is unstable, but once you defeat your phantom in the Dark Room¡­. You should feel a remarkable change.¡± But none of the three could give an exact exnation of the changes Eugene would undergo with his White me Form. The Sixth Star of the White me Form formed a me that was different from before, a me that waspletely tailored to oneself. It was impossible to imagine what kind of changes the me would bring after oveing the Dark Room. ¡°I understand,¡± said Eugene before standing up. ¡°I have nothing else to prepare. In that case, may I head there right now?¡± ¡°It sure is good to be young,¡±mented Gion before following suit. ¡°If you happen to lose, I will definitely make sure to stop you, so don¡¯t worry too much.¡± ¡°Even if you lose, you can try again until you win. Well, as long as you don¡¯t be disheartened and lose the will to fight along the way,¡± said Carmen while stealing a nce at Gion. Gion cleared his throat with an embarrassed expression before responding. ¡°But it¡¯s definitely possible to be disheartened if you find yourself helpless against your opponent.¡± ¡°The more familiar you are with victory and are far from defeat, the easier it is to break your heart¡­. Eugene, the Blood Lion, that¡¯s why I am slightly worried about you. You are a genius ignorant of defeat since a young age,¡± said Carmen. ¡°Can I be honest with you? I feel more bothered that you call me the Blood Lion than defeat, Lady Carmen,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Howe? Don¡¯t you feel more motivated? I didn¡¯t have a cool nickname like that when I was your age. Of course, now I¡¯m known as the Silver Lion, which is much, much cooler than Blood Lion,¡± said Carmen with a satisfied smile. She looked genuinely proud of her nickname. Eugene disregarded her and took off the Cloak of Darkness. He contemted for a moment whether it would be better to let Mer or Kristina know before heading to the Dark Room, but he didn¡¯te to find it necessary. He didn¡¯t know how long it would take for him to ovee the Dark Room. Eugene wasn¡¯t arrogant. He didn¡¯t dare assume he would clear the Dark Room in a single attempt. ¡®It¡¯s good that it doesn¡¯t matter how many times I fail. It means that I can attempt it over and over again.¡¯ He had no idea how the trial would change the White me Form, but apart from that, Eugene liked the idea of reflecting and oveing himself. The phantom he woulde to face in the Dark Room would be stronger than his current self, but not to an absurd degree. Carmen had imagined herself as a dragon, but she had not faced such a creature. As such, Eugene imagined that the phantom was a realization of a possibility. In other words, it was probable that the phantom would be himself in the future, a form embodying the possibilities and ideals derived from his current self. Eugene¡¯s heart fluttered at the thought of facing such an opponent, even if it was simply an illusion. ¡®Perhaps¡­.¡¯ Why had Vermouth created such a bothersome thing for his descendants? Was it to train future generations? Perhaps, but¡­. No, Eugene stopped himself from thinking useless things. Gilead, Gion, and Carmen took the lead and headed to the treasure vault underground. Eugene followed them while holding his cloak. It was the first time he was visiting the treasure vault since he pulled out the Holy Sword. Once the lion on the doorknob of the room devoured Gilead¡¯s blood, the door opened. The weapons that Vermouth once used were no longer here. The Holy Sword Altair, the Storm Sword Wynnd, the Devouring Sword Azphel, Thunderbolt Pernoa, and the Dragon Spear Kharbos were with Eugene, while Gedon¡¯s Shield was with Cyan and the Phantom Rain Sword Javel with Ciel. Deep inside the treasure room was arge, nk canvas in an antique frame. The canvas was as big as a person, and Gilead stopped once he arrived in front of it. ¡°Show your respect,¡± said Gilead before taking out the seal of the family head from his inner pocket. Eugene looked around with a puzzled expression, but he followed suit once he saw Carmen and Gion bow after getting on one knee. Finally, Gilead went down on one knee as well. He had the seal carefully cupped in both hands and brought it closer to the canvas. Suddenly, the white canvas began to ripple. Delicate lines started appearing on the nk page, and colors bloomed as well. Soon, they were kneeling in front of a portrait of the Great Vermouth, the founder of the Lionheart n. The drawing was quite familiar to Eugene. During his childhood, he had seen simr portraits in his parents¡¯ house in the Gidol mansion. This was the original, a portrait of Vermouth first painted three hundred years ago. It was protected with magic to prevent the colors from fading, but apart from that, the original painting exuded a different atmospherepared to the copies. It was graceful. Eugene gazed at the portrait in a daze. It was the same portrait he had seen many times since he was young. Vermouth¡¯s face was no different from the memories of his previous life, and his expression and emotions were portrayed the same as well. However, the original portrait presented Eugene with a stronger sense of recollection of Vermouth from his past life. ¡°The door to the Dark Room is connected to this portrait,¡± said Gilead before carefully cing the seal on the portrait. Fwoosh! Vermouth¡¯s portrait suddenly disappeared, and apainting of a stairwayleading to the basement took its ce. After confirming the change, Gilead stood up and stretched his feet towards the canvas. Although the stairway existed inside the canvas, it wasn¡¯t actually a painting. Gilead started making his way down the steps of the canvas, and the other two followed behind him. Eugene btedly stood up before walking into the canvas. ¡®¡­Completely ridiculous.¡¯ A fucking monster ¡ª Eugene genuinely thought. He reached into the cloak and grabbed Akasha, but thisspace magicmade absolutely no sense even then. No, in the first ce, was this truly magic? He could understand that it was a world created by isting space, but¡­. ¡®Is this truly magic?¡¯ He headed down the dark stairs. Although he could see through the dark in most cases, this wasn¡¯t one such time. Although he was holding Akasha, he could not see the magic that formed this space ¡ª or rather, this world. Eugene had studied most of the magic books in the Hall of Space in Akron. The authors of the books had all been renowned masters of space magic in their own era, but he did not recall any magic even remotely simr to what he was seeing now. Was it perhaps just magic on a higher level? Or perhaps it was something else entirely. He could not figure it out, but there was one thing Eugene was confident about. No archwizard could possiblyprehend this space with magic. Eugene was also a wizard, and although he wasn¡¯t quite at the level of an archwizard, he dared to define this world with his knowledge. This wasn¡¯t magic. ¡°This is as far as we can go,¡± said Gilead. After climbing down the stairway for a while, the group of four had arrived at the bottom. On the far side of the darkness was a door with a subtle glow. He continued as he pointed at the door, ¡°Open that door and walk along the road. You will eventually reach a ce riddled withplex magic circles.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t need to sit down. The moment you get there, the Dark Room willshowyou,¡± said Gion before patting Eugene on the shoulder. ¡°Again, it¡¯s fine to lose. Rather, it would be strange not to suffer a single defeat. To be honest, I¡­ feel the same way as Lady Carmen. You¡¯re not used to being defeated, so¡­.¡± ¡°No,¡± said Eugene while shaking his head with a smile. He ced his cloak on the floor. ¡°I¡¯ve been defeated many times, so I¡¯m familiar with it.¡± ¡°What?¡± Gion wasn¡¯t sure about what Eugene said out of the blue. ¡°It¡¯s not just well known,¡± Eugene replied with a shrug. Hamel Dynas, not Eugen Lionheart, had suffered countless defeats, and most of them were at the hands of Vermouth. Being discouraged by defeat? What was there to say? He had been discouraged as much as his many defeats, but he had simply dusted himself and stood up again. So Eugene strode forward without hesitation. After crossing the darkness, he arrived at the door, which opened on its own to wee Eugene. When he took a step forward, the world changed. The door had opened the way to a seemingly imprable darkness, but once he walked in, a bright space greeted him. To be more precise, it was a white space, an area where nothing existed. This space somewhat resembled Vermouth¡¯s tomb in the ck Lion Castle. However, Eugene could see nothing like the temple that existed in the tomb. ¡°I thought this was supposed to be a dark room,¡± muttered Eugene. The space outside the door had been dark enough to befit the name, but this ce waspletely white. However, the whiteness of the space made him feel even more out of ce. The mana in Eugene¡¯s Core fluctuated violently contrary to Eugene¡¯s will, so he quenched it before walking through the Dark Room. Then, he saw the magic circle that Gilead mentioned. It was aplicated array of strange patterns on the floor. Eugene stared at the magic circle before he walked in. It looked as if the letters and symbols belonged to an ancientnguage, but unfortunately, he could not decipher the magic circle. In fact, he couldn¡¯t even read any of it. ¡°Where the hell did you learn this kind of magic?¡± Eugene gave up trying to read the magic circle and walked inside. Contrary to his expectations, however, nothing happened. There was no activation of magic even though he had walked into the circle. ¡°What the hell?¡± grumbled Eugene while continuing forward straight out of the magic circle. The moment his foot left the circle, Eugene felt slightly dizzy. ¡°Huh?¡± He looked ahead as he stood fixated in his spot. He saw a boy he knew well. The boy wore sandbags that weighed more than himself and even wore heavy armor while swinging a long spear. It was Eugene from the past. But that was only the beginning. After that, the past of Eugene Lionheart started to unfold in front of his eyes. He grabbed Wynnyd. He lit the spark of mana for the first time in his body. He studied magic in Aroth. He drew light from the Moonlight Sword in a desert tomb. He drew the Holy Sword from the treasure vault of the Lionheart family¡¯s main house¡­. Eugene watched as the events yed out one after another. The boy became a young man with the current of time, and the appearance of the young man ¡ª his current self ¡ª scattered and disappeared. What greeted him afterward was a scene of his previous life, the death of Hamel. Eugene watched with an expressionless face as Hamel died with a gaping hole in his chest. Time started flowing backward from the end. The life of Hamel was longer than Eugene¡¯s, and although Eugene had not yet met an end, Hamel¡¯s life was given both a beginning and an end. Eugene was shown many things starting with his own death. It was a life he missed but could never return to. He saw many things, including Hamel at his prime, during his immature days, when he worked as a mercenary before bing Vermouth¡¯spanion, and times far before that, when he was much more immature and weaker. A boy from a small vige came to hate demons after losing everything. He did not want to live idly like the many other orphans who kept a low profile while living their pathetic lives. He never possessed a grand sense of justice. Rather, he wanted to pay back the demons in the exact same way they had taken from him. It was an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. So the boy grasped a dull de and became a mercenary with a single goal in mind. Finally, even the boy disappeared. ¡®Is it starting now?¡¯ The ideal version of himself would now appear as a phantom, and the phantom would be stronger than him. Eugene prepared himself for the trial and corrected his posture. He felt nothing in his grasp yet, and he saw no phantom. However, it woulde soon¡­. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Suddenly, the space became distorted. Eugene felt the space around him twist, then felt something starting to permeate the void of the white space. There was a smell of blood. He saw a man staggering through a battlefield littered with hundreds, thousands ¡ª no, even more corpses than that. The man had been walking for a while already, and the only thing Eugene could see was his drooping shoulders in the distance. Crack. The scene changed once more, but the stench of blood remained. However, the man was no longer stumbling across the battlefield anymore. Instead, he sat on top of a mountain formed from corpses. A sword stained with flesh and bloody on his shoulder. But even now, Eugene could not see the man¡¯s face. The man was sitting with his back to Eugene, staring at a battlefield located in the far distance. ¡®Who is this?¡¯ Eugene looked up at the man with surprise. Although he couldn¡¯t be sure, it was entirely possible that the man sitting on the mountain of corpses was the same man who had been staggering on the battlefield. Perhaps Eugene could see his face if he got closer. He felt his ne burn. Fwoosh! A strong, sudden gust of wind swept everything away. Eugene stared ahead while pressing down on his hair. He could no longer see the corpse-ridden battlefield or the man. However, there were countless weapons. Weapons that Eugene had used since his previous life were strewn, stabbing into the ground. Before he knew it, amon, long sword was in his hand. ¡°What?¡± It wasn¡¯t just the weapons that appeared. A man with as many scars as Hamel on his face and body was looking his way.Eugene Lionheart,with a rougher appearance, was staring straight at Eugene. Chapter 210: The Dark Room (3)

Chapter 210: The Dark Room (3)

Eugene could no longer spare any thought about the corpse-ridden battlefield and the man present in it. That man had already disappeared, and another existence had suddenly appeared in front of Eugene. The first thought that came to mind was that the neer was an amalgamation of his past and present. The man standing in front of Eugene was Hamel from 300 years ago, but at the same time, he was also Eugene. Eugene stared at the man as he stood still, and indeed, the man did not feel like an apparition at all. Although there was some distance between him and the man, Eugene felt his senses bing alert and sharp due to the man¡¯s presence. Both of them were breathing in the same way ¡ª slowly and deeply. Neither of them was consumed by excitement and tension, and both of them were objectively observing the situation as if they were simply bystanders watching from a few steps away. Both men were holding their swords, but their grip was loose. In fact, their entire bodies were rxed. Eugene didn¡¯t know if the man had an ego ¡ª but if the man truly was a projection of Eugene, then he would be assessing Eugene, just like Eugene was assessing him right now. ¡®Looks like Hamel has been melted into Eugene Lionheart,¡¯Eugene thought. At least, that¡¯s what it looked like to Eugene. Although the man¡¯s hair was cut short, the gray color of the hair was symbolic of the Lionheart family. Moreover, his golden eyes were sharp like that of a beast. In terms of physique¡­ he looked slightly bigger than Eugene. ¡®Am I going to grow more¡­? No, that¡¯s not it. That¡¯s not my future. It¡¯s simply a projection of my ideal self.¡¯ Eugene had noints about his current body. Rather, it was iparably better than his body from his previous life. However, he had lived a longer, more eventful life as Hamel than as Eugene. As such, Eugene still clearly remembered his previous body. Furthermore, Eugene Lionheart had yet to surpass Hamel Dynas. Yes, it was true that he was capable of outputting a greater power for an instant if various conditions were met, but his previous self was still ahead in terms of overall bnce. Hamel was a little taller than Eugene as well. It wasn¡¯t a huge difference, but¡­ Eugene felt both longing and ridicule when he saw the phantom¡¯s appearance and the scars on his face. ¡°I never imagined my ideal self as having those dirty scars,¡± said Eugene. He wondered if the phantom could talk but received no answer to his soliloquy. Well, he hadn¡¯t been expecting a response in the first ce. ¡°On the contrary, those scars are proof of my immaturity.¡± Crack. Eugene¡¯s fingers tightened around the handle of his sword. Although it was a subtle motion, the atmosphere surrounding Eugenepletely transformed in an instant. He lowered his gaze to the weapons jutting out of the ground. All of them looked familiar. They were just ordinary weapons with no special abilities, unlike the ones Vermouth had used¡­. Eugene¡¯s heart was pounding with excitement. Boom. Eugene instantly evoked the Ring me Form and aroused the Lightning me. In an instant, his body blurred, and he elerated over space. He was moving so fast that it appeared as if he were using Blink. In the blink of an eye, Eugene arrived in front of the phantom and swung the sword from his waist. However, there was no contact. In fact, Eugene¡¯s de had not even grazed anything. The phantom had evaded Eugene¡¯s blow cleanly and perfectly. Even Eugene felt awe at the phantom¡¯s wless movement. It was almost as if Eugene had intentionally missed his strike. The phantom¡¯s body flickered. His presence, which was intense in the beginning, was thin when they were closer together. In other words, Eugene was having difficulty reading his opponent¡¯s intent and actions. Feeling a chill run down his spine, Eugene hastily jumped backward. However, the phantom¡¯s sword was slightly faster than Eugene. The phantom¡¯s strike never dug into Eugene¡¯s flesh. Instead, Eugene¡¯s Aura Shield stopped the attack. However, that wasn¡¯t the end. The phantom¡¯s left arm had been hidden behind his body during the previous attack. With one swift motion, the phantom raised his free hand, and in his grasp was another sword. ¡°Huh,¡± Eugene let out a surprised gasp. Cuts were made in space one after another, but the phantom remained eerily silent while attacking. Each of his strikes gave the illusion of the des moving as if they were alive. At least, that¡¯s how it looked to Eugene. Eugene couldn''t create an adequate distance between himself and the phantom. In fact, he wasn¡¯t even given a chance to think as the strikes came pouring down like heavy rain. Eugene felt himself being pushed back little by little as he defended and deflected the attacks. Eugene knew how to use many different weapons from his previous life. To be more precise, he handled all sorts of weapons with incredible proficiency. Then what about the sword? Well, among the many weapons he had mastered, Eugene was particrly confident in his skills with the sword. However, wielding one sword waspletely different from wielding two swords simultaneously. Even in his previous life, Eugene was skilled with using dual swords, and during the revolt of the ck Lion Castle, he had overpowered Hector Lionheart using dual swords. However, Eugene held very high standards for himself, and he had always considered himselfcking when it came to wielding dual swords. As such, he had rarely resorted to using dual swords in his previous life, and the same held true after his reincarnation. ¡®How is this just slightly stronger?¡¯Eugene wondered. The phantom definitely didn¡¯t feel only slightly stronger. In fact, Eugene found it impossible to find any gaps in the phantom¡¯s defense, at least not with a single sword. So what if he matched the phantom and started wielding dual swords instead? It was clear that he would bepletely ughtered due to the difference in proficiency between him and the phantom. Crack! Cracks began to appear and spread on Eugene¡¯s de as the two continued to exchange blows, even though Eugene¡¯s sword was coated with sword-force. Eugene took a step back, and the phantom advanced forward while swinging his dual swords. The two people shed once more, and Eugene pushed his sword forward as if he had been waiting. But instead of allowing the sword-force surrounding the de to explode, Eugene condensed it even further. Boom! The sword-force caused the de of the sword to explode, and hundreds of sharp fragments wereunched toward the phantom. Without waiting to check the results of the explosion, Eugene released the pommel of his sword and jumped backward. He had confirmed the locations of the other weapons in advance. The moment he grabbed a metal whip, the mana he allowed to flow freely into the weapon caused it to thrash. The thong of the whip transformed into a strip of fire once it was imbued with mana from the White me Form. The dust from the explosion fluttered silently, and the thong of the whip was suddenly stopped while seeking to prate deeper within the veil. It was a spear. The phantom was holding a long spear, and he thrust silently, forcibly wrapping the whip around the spear like a thread. Eugene found that the mana he injected was at a deadlock. Just as Eugene could freely wield mana, the phantom was also capable of doing the same. It was a struggle of strength. Booom! The streams of mana collided right in the middle and caused the ground beneath to copse. Eugene pulled the whip back as he felt a numbness in his hand. He knew that in a struggle of pure strength, the phantom was likely to win. Knowing this, Eugene had nned to y tug-of-war while checking if he could over power the phantom with strength¡­. His n never came to fruition. Instead of meeting Eugene in a battle of strength, the phantom kicked off the ground and charged toward Eugene. The distance between the two narrowed in an instant. Eugene immediately discarded the whip and jumped back, but the phantom¡¯s spear hit the ground beneath Eugene just slightly faster. There was an explosion, and Eugene¡¯s body was thrown higher into the air than he had anticipated. Fortunately, he had not suffered any damage, and he allowed the explosion to push him without putting up any resistance. Eugene stared at the ground. There was arge hole, and the phantom stood within it with the spear in his hand, looking up at Eugene. He stared at Eugene with his golden eyes thatcked any luster or life. Although the phantom¡¯s face waspletely different, the color of the eyes and their vacant expression reminded Eugene of Vermouth. The moment he came to this realization, Eugene felt a shiver run down his spine. But at the same time, an eerie, destructive will to kill was aroused from deep within his heart. He allowed the six Stars of the White me Form to rotate, and Eugene¡¯s me soared high into the sky of the Dark Room. The phantom did not jump to intercept Eugene. Instead, the remaining mana from the explosion that swept the ground returned to the phantom at once. Soon, a huge, overwhelming me bloomed. Eugenepared his own me with the me fluttering around the phantom. He felt something strange. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ His conjenctures felt pretty spot-on and there was no need for any more confirmation. By now, Eugene was fully convinced and had no doubts. Therefore, Eugene dropped straight down with the me wrapped around him. The two mes became intertwined, and the unrestricted mana encroached on the space of the Dark Room. Even then, the Dark Room, which was created from a power unlike mana, withstood the creation and collision of such an enormous force. Boom! The two wielded no weapons and only used simple punches and kicks instead. However,plemented with an absurd output of mana, even simple kicks were destroying space itself. So Eugene was thrown backward by an attack heavy enough to nullify his defenses. Was his arm crushed? Perhaps he could have attempted to recover if he had brought Agaroth¡¯s ring. But unfortunately, that wasn¡¯t an avable option at the moment. ¡®Left arm¡­.¡¯ It was crushed, but he could still use it if he wanted to. Eugene fixed his limp arm with mana while falling to the ground. He raised his head, only to see that the phantom was already very close. Eugene was confident in fighting with his bare hands but could not gain the upper hand against the phantom. He punched, kicked, tackled, and tried many different things, but all of his attacks were blocked or nullified at the beginning itself. ¡®Now I¡¯m starting to get it.¡¯ But in the process, he took four attacks. As a result, Eugene had a limp in one of his legs, blood regurgitated from the inside of his throat every time he breathed, and his left arm waspletely broken downwards from his forearm. ¡®He¡¯s adjusting to me.¡¯ Eugene understood why it was said to be like a mirror. Although Eugene deliberately chose to fight with his bare hands, there was no reason for the phantom to do the same. Even so, the phantom fought with his bare hands, just like Eugene. The same had been true at the beginning as well. When Eugene attacked with a sword in hand, the phantom had responded in kind. ¡®The difference¡­ is just a little bit.¡¯ The phantom was just slightly faster and stronger than Eugene. The same was true of his mana as well. His me was just a little stronger than Eugene¡¯s, so it was impossible to defeat the phantom using normal methods. What then? Should he mix in unexpected attacks and aim for a break? No, that didn¡¯t seem to work either. He had already tried simr things a few times but was humiliated on every attempt. ¡®If I want to ovee this barrier¡­.¡¯ Eugene came to understand this ce, the Dark Room, even more clearly. It was due to his conviction that he had torn off his arm without hesitation. Would magic make a difference? No, it wouldn¡¯t. Eugene had to quickly give up on this idea. If the phantom really wasslightly betterthan Eugene in every way, then the same would also be true for magic. Moreover, it was incredibly difficult to ovee power differences in magic. If the phantom¡¯s level of magic was slightly greater than Eugene¡¯s, then it would be near impossible for Eugene to win, regardless of how well he handled magic. He had to make a choice, a direction he wanted to pursue. What about his techniques in wielding weapons? To be honest, Eugene wasn¡¯t confident in breaking through his limits when it came to his techniques. However, he didn¡¯t have to best the phantom in technique, or rather, he couldn¡¯t. After all, the phantom was a better version of himself. In order to thoroughly best the phantom, he would have to¡­. ¡®Create something that I don¡¯t have right now.¡¯ Rather than blindly aiming to surpass his own limits, it made sense for him to obtain something new. And such was the purpose of the Dark Room. If you were faced with an opponent who was slightly better than you in every way, and if your opponent was, in fact, an improved version of yourself, then the only solution to best the opponent was to grasp something new. ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done,¡± grumbled Eugene while ncing at what was left of his left arm. It hurt. It had been quite a while since he had been pushed back this far, but even though it had been a long time, he was familiar with the pain. As such, the pain didn¡¯t adversely affect him. The tattered arm was only an obstruction, so Eugene tore off his ragged, useless arm. A blinding pain immediately followed, but he held back a groan by biting his lips. Then, he ignited his me and seared the bleeding mess of his left arm. ¡®Am I supposed to create a special move or something?¡¯Eugene continued his line of thought. Eugene spat out the blood pooling in his mouth. Although he felt reluctant to call upon this particr memory¡­ he thought of theHamel-Style Technique.It was an embarrassing memory, but it was the closest thing he ever had to aspecial move. ¡®Parrying, Lightning Counter, Poltergeist Aegis¡­. I used these every time I fought¡­.¡¯ He had used Thousand Thunderps, Dragon Burst, and Cyclone quite often as well. But above all else, there were a few techniques that were quite powerful in his repertoire, those he deemed suitable as hisspecial moves, including ¡ª Hamel-Style Secret Technique, Ignition, Seventh Hamel-Style Technique, Dead End, and Ninth Hamel-Style Technique, Infinite Purgatory. ¡®I¡¯m always using Lightning sh, so that¡¯s not really a secret, special technique¡­. So I guess the only new addition would be the Empty Sword.¡¯ It couldn¡¯t hurt to try. Eugene thought it fortunate that he didn¡¯t have the Cloak of Darkness with him right now and that Mer wasn¡¯t here so she could snicker at himter. He ced his right hand on his chest. He was full of openings, but the phantom did not attack. As his fingers dug into his chest, he felt the palpitations of his heart elerating. It activated Ignition, causing the dying mes to burn with even greater intensity than before. With a sigh, Eugene kicked a sword upwards off the ground into his hand. He lowered his posture while tightening his grasp on the sword with his remaining hand. The phantom followed suit and grabbed a sword. Although it didn¡¯t look like the phantom was using Ignition, if it truly was a phantom, then it wouldn¡¯t need to activate Ignition like Eugene. Eugene concentrated on condensing the sword-force and started coating his de¡­ oneyer, twoyers, then threeyers. This was Eugene¡¯s current limit. ck spots began to appear on the dark blue me. Simply maintaining three superimposedyers of the Empty Sword was suffocating and made him feel as if his heart was about to explode. Therefore, Eugene no longer attempted to maintain it but instead took a step forward and swung his sword. A dark blue me split the world, and at the center stood Eugene¡¯s phantom. He raised his own de before being swept away by Eugene¡¯s blow. His movement appeared very simple. In fact, it wasn¡¯t very difficult or esoteric. Just as Eugene used the Empty Sword, the phantom also used the Empty Sword. He raised his sword high, then cut straight down. Eugene¡¯s attack disappeared ¡ª a truly disheartening and astounding sight. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t surprised. Instead, the result convinced Eugene regarding his inference about the Dark Room and the phantom. He understood why Carmen, Gilead, and Gion had not exined anything in detail. Knowing in advance could have caused him to approach the challenge with less determination, which could have taken away from the meaning of the trial. ¡®Doesn¡¯t really apply to me, though.¡¯Eugene gave a mental shrug. Simply wielding his triple-coated sword once ced an enormous strain on his body. Eugene forced his creaking body forward, and the phantom charged at Eugene in response. Eugene¡¯s sword practically skimmed the ground as it advanced, and the condensed Empty Sword exploded as he shed upwards. This was Dragon Burst, but it wasn¡¯t very effective. The phantom had suppressed the blow by shing downwards just moments before the explosion. Eugene reacted immediately. He pulled out his sword to the side to avoid being crushed by the phantom¡¯s blow, and even though his shoulders and arms screamed in unbearable pain, he allowed his sword to follow a path he had created in his mind. Asura Rampage caused lines of devastation to wreck through the space. The phantom took a few steps back, then began carving up Eugene¡¯s attack from the outer edge without being caught up. Craaaack! Metal shed against metal, and the Empty Sword was broken. Bright embers bloomed into existence, and Eugene¡¯s eyes shed just behind the re. He followed up with Dead End. The lines of devastation created by Asura Rampage were thinly unraveled threads of the Empty Sword. Once Eugene pulled his de back, the threads of the Empty Sword moved in unison and bound the phantom. Initially, simple contact with the threads would have resulted in the opponent¡¯s body being cut like morsels of meat, but the phantom¡¯s Aura Shield, or rather ¡ª Poltergeist Aegis, was restraining Dead End. Even so, Eugene did not hesitate to link more techniques. It was a pattern he favored in his previous life; he would drive the enemy to the edge using Asura Rampage, confine them using Dead End, and finally, he would pull back his sword with his steps before driving it forward. But it wasn¡¯t a simple stab. A small bead of the Empty Sword condensed to its limit was formed at the end of the de. The moment he stabbed, the condensed bead started to swell ¡ª and exploded upon making contact. This was the finale, Infinite Purgatory, a devastating bomb formed from fine-tuning the Empty Sword to its limit. All of Eugene¡¯s energy was gathered at a single point, exploded, gathered again, and exploded over and over again. Eugene had been quite unsatisfied with it when he had shown it to Genos at the ck Lion Castle, but the Infinite Purgatory performed using the six Stars of the White me Form, and Ignition literally wiped out anything within its radius, or at least, he hoped. ¡°Ha,¡± Eugene scoffed while drawing his sword back. He had seen how the phantom destroyed Infinite Purgatory by using Hamel-Style Parrying and Lightning Counter. The phantom had cleared the space of all the indiscriminate attacks. However, he wasn¡¯t unscathed since an attack of that scale was too powerful for someone who was onlyslightly stronger and fasterthan Eugene¡¯s current self to perfectly nullify. However, even though the phantom was covered in blood, he fared much better than Eugene. Eugene couldn¡¯t muster the strength to lift a single finger. His left arm was gone, and he was limping. The pain that apanied every breath was now out of control, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. ¡°Good,¡± said Eugene while throwing away his sword without hesitation. The bloody phantom walked up to Eugene withrge strides. ¡°I¡¯lle back soon,¡± Eugene promised as the phantom cut off Eugene¡¯s head with a swift strike. Chapter 211: The Dark Room (4) Chapter 211: The Dark Room (4) ¡°No matter how great he is, he couldn¡¯te back victorious from the first encounter,¡± muttered Carmen while repeatedly opening and closing the lid of her lighter. Gilead and Gion felt dizzy from hearing the annoying ping, ping, over and over again, but they didn¡¯t say anything. Although Carmen looked the youngest out of the three, she was still an aunt to Gilead and Gion. ¡°No one¡¯s ever broken through the Dark Room on their first attempt in the Lionheart¡¯s history, right?¡± ¡°In the first ce, those who reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form aren¡¯tmon,¡± answered Carmen with a shrug. ¡°And it¡¯s even rarer for anyone to reach seven Stars. In that sense, our generation has been greatly blessed. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the Great Founder is looking after us personally.¡± ¡°I think so too.¡± Gilead nodded with a faint smile. Indeed, this truly was a blessed generation. The previous elder, who had reached seven Stars of the White me Form, was dead, but Carmen was still alive and well. Moreover, Gilead and Gion were still active, and in their prime, so it was entirely possible for them to someday cross over to the next level. But more than anything else, it was a true miracle for the Lionheart family. Moreover, Cyan and Ciel had reached the Fourth Star of the White me Form, so the current generation of the Lionhearts was strong enough to be counted in the entire history of the family. ¡°Hmm.¡± Carmen was the first to sense the change. She stopped flicking the lid of her lighter and pulled herself up. Gion and Gilead immediately felt it as well, and they stood up from their seats with stiff expressions. The door to the Dark Room was tightly closed, but the three could feel a presence approaching the door from beyond. Gion whispered with a deep sigh, ¡°Was it the right decision to leave my sword behind¡­?¡± Gilead gave a bitter grin in response. Carmen did not use a sword, but both Gilead and Gion did. It was true that they were powerful individuals who would fare just fine even in the absence of their weapons, but considering the situation and their opponent, not having their weapons was disappointing. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want to identally cut off a limb or kill him outright.¡± It was harder to subdue than to kill an enemy. In particr, they were aiming to suppress and contain Eugene while avoiding inflicting injuries as much as possible. That was why the three of them ¡ª Carmen, Gilead, and Gion ¡ª were here together. ¡°It would be better to worry about us rather than him,¡± said Carmen while spitting out her cigar. She knew exactly how well Eugene fought, and although the three of them had to fight so that Eugene didn¡¯t get hurt, their opponent would rampage without any considerations at all. ¡°I wonder if it would be better to endure for half a day or try to subdue it as quickly as possible.¡± ¡°Whatever the case, we won¡¯t find out until we try it.¡± Latest Update on meow novel Carmen pulled back her gloves, Gilead tied his long hair back, and Gion unbuttoned his sleeves. The door to the Dark Room opened. Eugene walked out, but it wasn¡¯t actually Eugene. His dim eyes showed no signs of intelligence. The moment Eugene died and lost consciousness, the phantom had taken his ce, and although the phantom existed to test those who entered the Dark Room, once it possessed the subject, it would obey its destructive instincts and run wild without attempting to try anything. ¡°As expected,¡± said Carmen as Eugene stepped out of the Dark Room. A huge me erupted from Eugene¡¯s feet and wrapped around his body. Carmen¡¯s gaze and expression hardened when she saw the size and intensity of his mes. Then, while clicking her tongue, she took off her coat from her shoulders. ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to subdue him quickly.¡± *** How long had he been asleep? Eugene opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling without getting up. He noticed his left arm was back where it was supposed to be and no longer severed. However, it wasn¡¯t as if he felt well. Eugene felt each of his joints and muscles throb and ache. He tried to wiggle his fingers. ¡®It¡¯s not the aftermath of Ignition,¡¯ Eugene realized in an instant. It also wasn¡¯t Anise who restored his left arm either. Eugene¡¯s lips curled up into a twisted smile. It was just as he expected. The phantom of the Dark Room was a powerful type of magic affecting the mind. The moment Eugene entered the magic circle in the Dark Room, a hidden spell had taken hold of his mind without him noticing. ¡®In the end, everything was happening inside my mind,¡¯ Eugene concluded. The room had not copsed even though the battle resulted in many explosive shes that would have torn it apart. Moreover, the phantom had unmistakably utilized physical force, which Eugene had been slightly suspicious about. As it turned out, Eugene was right in his assumption. However, having his suspicions confirmed didn¡¯t mean that he was unsurprised. Rather, he was shocked that it had been mind magic. He clearly remembered how he suffered from Giabe¡¯s Demoneye of Fantasy in his previous life. But as a result, Eugene had gained immunity to most magic affecting the mind. Nevertheless, he had failed to even notice the activation of the Dark Room¡¯s magic. ¡®It wasn¡¯t like I let my guard down either.¡¯ Eugene turned his head from side to side, feeling how stiff his neck was. The sensation of having his head cut off was still vivid in his mind. In fact, it was an even clearer memory than his death as Hamel, so the death he experienced from the phantom felt more realistic to him. ¡°You¡¯re not mad, are you?¡± asked Eugene, clearing his throat and looking sideways. Quite a few people were sitting next to his bed. Mer was bobbing her legs in a chair with a pout, and next to her was Kristina ring at Eugene with squinty eyes. Ciel sat with her head tilted sideways and her arms crossed. Cyan and Gerhard were¡­ sandwiched between the girls with droopy shoulders. Thankfully, but sadly, the two were the only ones who expressed pure concern for Eugene without any anger. me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel ¡°Why would I be angry?¡± spat Mer. Kristina¡¯s lips twitched, and she said, ¡°She¡¯s right. Why on earth would we be angry? It¡¯s not a big deal that you decided to do something without telling us anything, which resulted in you losing consciousness, Sir Eugene.¡± Ciel couldn¡¯t lose out, either. She nodded vigorously while chiming in. ¡°Right. Why would we be angry?¡± However, Cyan couldn¡¯t bear to just listen to his sister¡¯s words. He gave a cough before tapping on her shoulders. ¡°No, but¡­. We should be angry. The adults got hurt because they got caught up in Eugene¡¯s mess.¡± ¡°So Father and Uncle got hurt because they got caught up. So what?¡± retorted Ciel. ¡°Well, you should be angry¡­,¡± muttered Cyan. ¡°No. I will not get angry. I have no reason to get angry, and neither our Father nor Uncle would want me to get angry over this. Not to mention Lady Carmen. And speak for yourself. You¡¯re not getting angry either,¡± said Ciel. ¡°Well¡­. That¡¯s true, but¡­.¡± ¡°Their injuries weren¡¯t light, and they were exhausted, but all of them remained conscious. Auxiliary Bishop Kristina treated their wounds, right? But what about Eugene? He was out all night,¡± said Ciel. ¡°Uh¡­. Well¡­,¡± Cyan stuttered. ¡°And aren¡¯t we here right now. Why? It¡¯s because we are worried about Eugene. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying? I¡¯m not angry; just worried about him. I¡¯m only angry because I¡¯m worried about Eugene,¡± exined Ciel. Cyan truly had a difficult time understanding his sister¡¯s words. It felt like his head was spinning because of how fast she was spewing out her words. Why was she contradicting herself like that? Why was she getting angry right after saying she wasn¡¯t angry? Was there actually a difference between getting angry out of worry and simply getting angry? ¡°Are you feeling okay?¡± asked Ciel with a worried expression while grabbing a wet towel and wiping Eugene¡¯s cheek, as if she had never been frowning in the first ce. ¡°Do you know how worried I was about you? You weren¡¯t even tossing and turning all night as if you were dead.¡± ¡°Though I was responsible for treating him,¡± said Kristina, directing her re toward Ciel. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience Ciel snorted in response to the harsh gaze and tapped Eugene¡¯s cheek with the wet towel. ¡°Thank you, Sister. I¡¯ve known Eugene for nearly ten years while we lived in the same house. So every time he gets injured, I feel as if I am injured instead of him.¡± It wasn¡¯tpletely true, strictly speaking. They had not seen each other every day for ten years since Eugene had entered the main house at the age of thirteen before leaving for Aroth at the age of seventeen. Ciel had also left for the ck Lion Castle around the same time, so the two of them had only been around each other for four years at the longest. However, such minor details weren¡¯t important to Ciel. ¡°The rtionship I share with Eugene is special. Although we don¡¯t share a drop of blood, our rtionship is deep, just like that of siblings. No, allow me to correct myself. Our rtionship runs even deeper. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say he¡¯s my other half,¡± continued Ciel. She had always excelled at whatever she did ever since she was a child. In this regard, being rted to Eugene without sharing a drop of blood was a fact that was more than sufficient for her to use as a weapon. [Pathetic little girl,] mumbled Anise, listening to Ciel¡¯s proud monologue. She coined a mere ten years as a deep rtionship? And although Kristina didn¡¯t voice it, she had simr thoughts as Anise. Weren¡¯t bonds formed between people who went through life and death situations thicker and truer than a bond shared between family members who didn¡¯t even share a drop of blood? ¡°¡­Ehem.¡± Gerhard finally cleared his throat as he listened to the drawn-out conversation. He could not understand why he was currently here. Was it because he was worried about his only son? That much was a given, but the sharp atmosphere and the hidden struggle between the girls were too much for him to endure. ¡°¡­Son,¡± he called out. ¡°Yes, father,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°I won¡¯t scold you because of your recklessness or the worry it has caused me. I know you would not want to hear it anyways¡­,¡± Gerhard said softly. ¡°I didn¡¯t get hurt because I wanted to get hurt¡­,¡± mumbled Eugene. Gerhard continued, ¡°But I am very proud of who you are now. I was afraid to imagine how you would mature when you were a kid¡­.¡± ¡°What was there to be afraid of?¡± ¡°Try to understand the feelings of a parent who had a son beat up all the children in the neighborhood¡­.¡± meow novel . will be your favorite novel site Gerhard was an easygoing person, and the children of Gidol had not cared about the authority apanying the name of Lionheart. Therefore, Eugene had taken it upon himself to teach the cheeky neighborhood boys that authority came from the fist, not the family name. ¡°But you grew up very well. I cannot believe so many people besides me would worry about you¡­,¡± Gerhard continued as he looked at his son. ¡°How did you imagine your son to be like, Father?¡± asked Eugene with genuine curiosity. ¡°Someone like a yahoo. Well, mostly from when you were young,¡± said Gerhard before rising to his feet. ¡°Since there are so many people to worry about you, I¡¯ll get going. I¡¯m sure that the family head might want apanion to talk to while he¡¯s bedbound.¡± ¡°I¡¯lle as well,¡± said Ciel, quickly standing up from her seat. She then grabbed hold of Gerhard¡¯s hands while ncing sideways at Kristina. Kristina¡¯s eyebrows twitched in annoyance at the provocative gaze. ¡°Fa-ther,¡± said Ciel. ¡°¡­Eh? W-what?¡± asked the confused Gerhard. ¡°Let¡¯s go, fa-ther,¡± Ciel said once more. Gerhard had never heard Ciel call him father. So far, she had only ever referred to him as Sir Gerhard. Cyan nced at the ridiculous sight of his sister dragging Gerhard away, then said to Eugene with a deep sigh, ¡°You look fine, so I¡¯ll get going too.¡± ¡°Are you sure about that? Aren¡¯t you curious how I ended up like this?¡± Eugene asked with a mischievous smile. Cyan knew the meaning behind Eugene¡¯s smile all too well, so he red at Eugene with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯m curious, but I¡¯m not going to ask. I will reach the Sixth Star of the White me Form like you and then see with my own eyes what you experienced,¡± responded Cyan. ¡°Hitting six Stars by forty sounds usible,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Bastard, you just wait. Once I¡¯m thirty years old¡­. No! I¡¯ll attain six Stars when¡­ I¡¯m¡­ twenty-five years old,¡± shouted Cyan. ¡°Good luck,¡± said Eugene, raising his fist, and Cyan responded by lifting his middle finger. Once Cyan, Ciel, and Gerhard left the room, Mer jumped up on Eugene¡¯s bed. Latest Update on meow novel ¡°Why did you leave me behind?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s not a ce I can take you to,¡± Eugene answered simply. ¡°You¡¯re not lying, are you?¡± ¡°Why would I lie to you?¡± After hearing Eugene¡¯s answer, Mer took her ce next to him with a pout. Kristina looked at Mer with a strange gaze, then grabbed Ciel¡¯s wet towel before throwing it behind her. ¡°What did you go through?¡± asked Kristina curiously. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about what the others experienced rather than what I went through. Are they all right?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Well, they didn¡¯t fare too badly,¡± responded Kristina. Last night, Gilead, Gion, and Carmen had knocked on Kristina¡¯s door while covered in blood. They had multiple broken bones, torn skin, and damaged organs. None of their wounds were light enough to be brushed apart. ¡°But oddly, your injuries weren¡¯t very severe when you arrived on their back, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina stated. ¡°Considering that, I feel really stiff,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°Since you ran wild, it¡¯s entirely possible that your muscles were contused, right? I was going to treat all four of you to the fullest, but Lady Anise convinced me otherwise,¡± responded Kristina. ¡°Why?¡± Eugene asked, perplexed. ¡°ording to Lady Anise, if I started treating all your small wounds, you would get spoiled.¡± me ow no vel is updating your favorite novel Spoiled? What kind of nonsense was she spouting? Eugene grumbled while massaging his stiff shoulders, then he began exining the events of the Dark Room. ¡°So, doesn¡¯t that mean you failed the test in the end, Sir Eugene?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Then won¡¯t the same thing happen again next time?¡± ¡°If that really happens again, Lady Anci will definitely try to poison you, Sir Eugene,¡± Mer said while recalling how Anci had sobbed her eyes out when she saw Gilead all bandaged up. Eugene felt uneasy and ufortable as well. Even if it had been unintentional and inevitable, he did not want to hurt Carmen, Gion, and Gilead. ¡°Do you know where everyone is?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Sir Gilead and Sir Gion are resting in their rooms. Lady Carmen is¡­.¡± ¡°She¡¯s taking a walk in the garden.¡± ¡°A walk?¡± asked Eugene in confusion. Why would she be taking a stroll out of the blue? At least, that¡¯s what he thought at first, but he came to an understanding after seeing her in person. Carmen had her arms wrapped in a bandage with a strap across her shoulder and held a crutch with her other hand. She even had arge bandage stered across her cheek. It was hard to describe exactly what she looked like, but¡­ it was very close to an ostentatious realization of a pubescent, fifteen-year-old teenager¡¯s secret aspiration. In fact, Carmen had not suffered a leg injury that warranted a crutch nor a wound that required her arm to be wrapped and fixated by a strap. Moreover, she was not injured enough to have arge bandage on her cheek. Instead, her leg had been scuffed, her wrist sprained, and her cheek lightly scratched. But Carmen insisted on her look as she walked through the Lionheart¡¯s garden with a rebellious expression that screamed, ¡®I have a story to tell!¡¯ ¡°You¡¯re awake,¡± said Carmen, looking back at Eugene. She leaned on her crutch, and Eugene stared at her dumbfounded for a moment before bowing his head. He couldn¡¯t think of any words to say. ¡°Uh¡­. Well¡­. I¡¯m sorry,¡± Eugene finally said after a while. You can read this novel at m eow no vel for better experience ¡°What¡¯s there to apologize for?¡± asked Carmen. She waspletely serious. ¡°You resisted a bit stronger than expected, but it was a pleasant experience. A nasty, close battle allows me to experience what living and breathing as a warrior means.¡± ¡°Yes¡­.¡± ¡°And neither Gilead nor Gion have had any activebat in recent years either, so this should have been a good experience for them. Kid, don¡¯t tell me you feel guilty about hurting us, do you?¡± ¡°A little bit,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°A useless thought. We were injured because we were inadequate. To tell the truth, if I had decided to kill you instead of subduing you, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten injured at all,¡± Carmen said smugly. She was a proud warrior. She looked up and down at Eugene with a rxed smile. ¡°So, kid. How do you feel after experiencing the Dark Room?¡± she asked. ¡°It was an interesting ce,¡± Eugene answered honestly. ¡°I guess you weren¡¯t thrown into despair by defeat,¡±mented Carmen. ¡°I want to enjoy it as much as possible. But I don¡¯t know if you or any of the others will enjoy it as much as I do¡­,¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°¡­What are you talking about?¡± asked Carmen with narrowed eyes. The Dark Room was special, and Eugene couldn¡¯t think of an immediate solution to defeat the phantom. Therefore, he wanted to take this as an opportunity to train and improve himself while challenging the phantom a few more times. However, in that case, Eugene would need someone to restrain him every time the phantom possessed him, and naturally, Carmen, Gilead, and Gion would need to step up to the task. ¡°If anyone is reluctant because it would be difficult, then I will not rechallenge the Dark Room until I am fully confident,¡± said Eugene, intentionally mixing in some provocation. ¡°Do not underestimate the Silver Lion of the Lionhearts.¡± Fortunately, Carmen immediately fell for it. No¡­ rather than falling for the provocation, her pride as a warrior had been ignited. ¡°If you challenge the Dark Room repeatedly, it will be a good, rare opportunity to train for Gilead, Gion, and me. Although the three of us worked together to overpower you, we were immature due to our inexperience in fighting together. However, it will be less difficult next time since we will be used to working together. Once I get used to it, I alone will suffice.¡± ¡°As expected of Lady Carmen,¡± said Eugene, pping appreciatively. He stole a nce at Kristina. Misunderstanding his intention, she imitated Eugene and started pping as well. meow novel . will be your favorite novel site ¡°¡­Why are you pping, Auxiliary Bishop Kristina?¡± Carmen asked, bewildered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure either,¡± Kristina answered truthfully. ¡°What?¡± Eugene hastily intervened. ¡°No, well¡­. I just thought that maybe you could also wait in the Dark Room alongside Lady Carmen and the others and assist with divine magic.¡± ¡°Ah. Oh, ah¡­ I see.¡± Kristina nodded in understanding. ¡°Although I¡¯m not sure if you would be allowed¡­.¡± Eugene trailed off while ncing at Carmen. Instead of giving an answer right away, Carmen sank into thought. The Dark Room could be considered a top secret within the Lionheart family. However, Carmen understood that Kristina was special, so she had not hesitated to talk about the Dark Room in front of her. ¡°The Saintess of Yuras has maintained a close rtionship with the Lionhearts for three hundred years. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that the Saintess is a member of the Lionheart family,¡± said Carmen. Though Eugene thought that it was slightly far-fetched. ¡°Traditionally, outsiders are prohibited from entering the Dark Room, but the Lionheart n has been striving to break away from fed-up, useless traditions of the past. So, the Saintess, who could be said to be a member of the Lionheart family¡­.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still a candidate,¡± Kristina interjected. ¡°¡­I think it would be fine for the Saint Candidate to enter the Dark Room. I won¡¯t need treatment, but it would be troublesome if you end up injured because I couldn¡¯t hold myself back adequately. In that case, it would be for the good of the family to have the Saint Candidate on standby to treat you,¡± Carmen addressed Eugene as if there hadn¡¯t been any interruption. ¡°As expected of Lady Carmen,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Leave it to me to convince Gilead and Gion,¡± said Carmen, flicking her hair to the side with her bandaged hand. ¡°By the way, Lady Carmen. I have a question about the vision you see before the phantom appears,¡± Eugene asked suddenly. ¡°Is that the term you decided to use? Isn¡¯t it cooler to call it the event horizon?¡± she responded. ¡°Would you also see things like your past life there?¡± Eugene asked, trying to ignore Carmen¡¯sment with a straight face. Carmen¡¯s expression changed the moment she heard the words past life. ¡°Eugene Lionheart. Do you believe in past lives?¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s impossible¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re still young. I don¡¯t believe in things like past lives. The only thing that¡¯s real for me is me, living and breathing here and now. My existence alone is proof for me,¡± Carmen said. Hearing Carmen deny his previous life and calling him young felt rather insulting. ¡°I thought you were precocious, but it seems you are still an unawakened boy.¡± Eugene decided to stay quiet in the face of these insults. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you want to say, but I have never seen anything like a past life in the Dark Room. I haven¡¯t heard such a thing from Gilead, Gion, or even thete Sir Doynes.¡± Carmen approached Eugene while clicking her tongue, then patted his shoulder. ¡°So, Eugene. Don¡¯t be disappointed that you didn¡¯t catch a glimpse of your past life in the Dark Room. I understand how you must feel since your belief in a past life was denied, but it¡¯s something that doesn¡¯t exist in the first ce.¡± Eugene barely managed to contain his anger. Simultaneously, he recalled the previous life he saw in the Dark Room. Something had followed after the images of Hamel¡¯s life. ¡®What was it¡­?¡¯ Eugene tried to recollect the scene. It had been an obscured battlefield of blood. There had been a man and a mountain of corpses. The man had been sitting on the hill. Eugene grabbed his ne. Chapter 212: The Dark Room (5)

Chapter 212: The Dark Room (5)

Gion and Gilead gave simr answers as well. Neither of them had ever seen anything simr to a past life in the Dark Room. Of course, it was impossible to know if the same held true for all those who were already deceased, but Eugene became certain that seeing one¡¯spast lifein the Dark Room wasn¡¯t amon urrence. It was something out of the ordinary. ¡°Maybe you were so immersed in the illusion that you confused it with a memory. It could be, right? Of course, I don¡¯t know exactly what you saw in your vision, but from my experience¡­. Well¡­ the phantom is a little different from your current self, right?¡± No, that wasn¡¯t it at all. What Eugene saw after tracing back the life he led as Hamel, all the way to the beginning, was a man other than Hamel. But Eugene didn¡¯t know why the Dark Room had projected the unknown man. ¡®I don¡¯t have any memories like that.¡¯ He thought long and hard but always reached the same conclusion. Neither Eugene nor Hamel possessed such a memory. Had he ever walked through a battlefield full of corpses or killed enough people to make a mountain out of their bodies? Well¡­ perhaps,buthe had never wandered around the battlefield with drooping shoulders full of despair. Hamel had been a venomous man during his mercenary days, and he had never felt despair during his time with Vermouth either. Nor had he ever sat alone on a mountain of stacked bodies either. He knew that some of the mercenaries he had been acquainted with had distasteful hobbies simr to it, but Hamel preferred to simply ughter his enemies before moving on instead of bothering to make a mound of their corpses. In particr, what if he had done such a thing while traveling with Vermouth? It would have definitely warranted a barrage of harsh words from Sienna, followed by a p from Anise, and perhaps even a scolding from Molon¡­. ¡®A life¡­ before my previous life?¡¯ Eugeneughed at the thought. It was ridiculous. Well, since he had led a previous life as Hamel, it wasn¡¯t out of the question that he had lived a life before that. However¡­whydid the Dark Room show him that life as well? After returning to his room, Eugene called for Kristina. ¡°Kristina, I would like to talk to Anise for a moment.¡± ¡°Yes, understood,¡± Kristina answered before yielding her body without any hesitation or reluctance. On the contrary, Anise seemed more uneasy at his request. As soon as she took control of Kristina¡¯s body, she approached Eugene before pping him on the arm. ¡°Why are you bothering someone who is taking a well-deserved break?¡± Anise scolded in disapproval. ¡°For a good reason, obviously. Do you think I would have called you because I was bored?¡± Thwack! Eugene¡¯s brilliant response was greeted with another p on the arm. ¡°That¡¯s exactly why you deserve another hit. If you¡¯re going to call me like this, why wouldn¡¯t you just call me once or twice for the sake of it? Why is it that you only call me when you have a reason? How inhuman,¡±ined Anise. ¡°No, well¡­. I thought you didn¡¯t like it when I called you out for no reason¡­?¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s right. I don¡¯t. I do not want to take Kristina¡¯s ce,¡± jabbed Anise before flunking down on Eugene¡¯s bed. Immediately afterward, an expression of realization dawned on Anise¡¯s face. Her eyes sparkled, and she gave a mischievous smile as she slowly looked around Eugene¡¯s clean room. ¡°Tempting a mature woman into your room. Isn¡¯t your faith in Kristina¡¯s virtues too blinded? Don¡¯t you know that a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing lives inside her?¡± ¡°Are you talking about yourself?¡± ¡°Well, how about that? Hamel, what do you think? Do you think that I am a wolf?¡± Anise asked with a seductive smile while crossing her legs. Eugene took on a dismal expression and gave a long sigh before waving his hands. ¡°Do you want me to look at you as a wolf?¡± he asked. ¡°Are you saying you want to be devoured by me as a wolf? How brazen and insidious. I guess it¡¯s your specialty to seduce women by acting like an innocent, clueless idiot, just like now.¡± Anise replied with a click of her tongue. ¡°Seduce? What on earth¡­?¡± ¡°Be honest, Hamel. How many women have you brought into this room so far?¡± ¡°Stop saying such weird things. What women? The only ones who ever came into my room are Ciel and Nina.¡± Ciel and Nina¡­ the two names were clearly imprinted in Anise¡¯s memory. Nina was the servant girl in charge of taking care of the floor. Normally, older, more mature, and experienced servants would take on such positions, but Nina¡¯s age was the same as Kristina''s ¡ª twenty-three. However, she was given such an important role despite her young age because she had served Eugene as his personal attendant from the very beginning. As such, Anise had been on the constant lookout for Nina from inside Kristina. ¡°Hmm¡­. There shouldn¡¯t be any problems with that girl,¡± said Anise. ¡°What does that even mean?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°She is thoroughly capable of distinguishing between public and private affairs. Hamel, the only thing she feels for you personally is something simr to a sisterly affection, very much unlike Ciel, that sassydy,¡± answered Anise. Kristina quietly agreed with Anise. The sight of Ciel acting cute toward Gerhard while leaving the room earlier that day was still fresh in her mind. The way she had said ¡®Fa-ther¡¯ wasn¡¯t something Kristina could ever envision herself doing. ¡®I can do it in your stead.¡¯Anise volunteered slyly, hearing Kristina¡¯s thoughts. [Sister¡­ Please¡­!] Anise gave an impish smile while enjoying Kristina¡¯s horrified scream. ¡°Hamel, I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a good reason why you called me, instead of Kristina, in your room, right? I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Anise said teasingly. ¡°What do you think about past lives?¡± Eugene asked without beating around the bush. Anise stayed silent for a moment while ring at Eugene. Although she said she was looking forward to it, to tell the truth, she held no expectations for Eugene. She remembered Hamel all too well. He had a dirty mouth and acted ordingly, but at the same time, he had been aplete moron and a blockhead who never crossed the line. ¡°¡­I might understand if it were anyone else¡­. But isn¡¯t it funny that you, of all people, are asking me about past lives? Haven¡¯t you already reincarnated?¡± Anise finally answered. ¡°It¡¯s a special case for me. I¡¯m asking about others,¡± Eugene continued earnestly. ¡°Well, I¡¯m also a special case since¡­ I¡¯m a created being. But I¡¯m sure your question isn¡¯t about me, so I will give you a perspective of the general poption,¡± replied Anise. Her expression changed, and she continued in a calm voice while slowly caressing the rosary around her neck. ¡°ording to the Doctrine of Light, the deceased are sent to either heaven or hell ording to the lives they have led. And only those who paid the price of their sins in hell are reincarnated and reborn in this world. In other words, in the Doctrine of Light, the Cycle of Light is a journey to reach a painless heaven. So past lives, present lives, future lives, all of them are just struggles for those unable to enter heaven.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not telling me to take that word-for-word, right?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°How could I? I¡¯m only exining the Doctrine of Light. From what I¡¯ve experienced, heaven does exist, but you don¡¯t have to go there unconditionally. Just like how I remained in this world,¡± answered Anise. ¡°Then what about hell?¡± ¡°Hell¡­. I¡¯m not sure. I felt heaven, but I have never felt hell. Hamel, I won¡¯t say that the Doctrine of Light ispletely correct, but the teachings of the old Bible aren¡¯t all works of fiction,¡± Anise continued with her exnation. If it had been anyone else¡¯s words, Eugene would have disregarded them with a snort. However, Anise had been born into the Church of Light, then experienced many things before bing an angel after her death. ¡°I don¡¯t know if hell exists, but heaven does exist. Souls who are undeserving of entering heaven or choose not to enter, remain behind and reincarnate into this world.¡± Anise paused, then continued with a twisted smile and a deeper tone, ¡°Then Hamel, hell may not actually be a separate world. This world itself could be hell. It would be the punishment of hell to die and be reborn into this world without obtaining peace, right?¡± Her words didn¡¯t sound like a joke at all. Eugene stood silent while slowly digesting her words. Their lives were a struggle to enter heaven. Eugene¡¯s case was special, but others didn¡¯t remember their previous lives. Of course, they would have past lives, but in the process of dying and being reborn, their memories were wiped. ¡°¡­Then that means Vermouth dragged me back down to hell,¡± said Eugene with a bitter smile while taking a seat. Originally, Hamel¡¯s soul would have been wiped out by the lich¡¯s curse. However, Hamel¡¯s soul was returned when Vermouth made an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration. As a result, his soul did not leave this world but was ced in a ne, a relic, by Sienna¡¯s magic. ¡°All of us together dragged you back down to hell,¡± murmured Anise. Sienna had not made the decision to imbue his soul into the ne by herself. Everyone had agreed. Anise had been doubtful regarding the existence of heaven at the time, but she had longed to enter heaven with all her colleagues after killing all the remaining demon kings. ¡°And Sir Vermouth himself chose hell.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t know what to say at this point. ¡°The same is true for Sienna and me. I don¡¯t know about Molon, but all of us were qualified to enter heaven. But, even so, we chose to remain in this hellish world.¡± ¡°For the world?¡± Eugene finally asked. ¡°For you.¡± Aniseughed. ¡°And for us, although that ended being for the sake of the world. We wanted to kill all the demon kings. I don¡¯t know why¡­ Sir Vermouth denied heaven and disguised his death.¡± ¡°You saw Vermouth¡¯s body, right?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes.¡± Two hundred years ago, the Great Vermouth, founder of the Lionheart n and the Hero, died. The Kiehl Empire held a grand funeral for the Hero, and processions tomemorate his death followed throughout the continent. Vermouth had cut off allmunication with hisrades after returning from Helmuth. Anise, Sienna, and Molon had all attended his funeral. At the time, Sienna had cleared the sky of the pouring rain to deny it of mourning his death, and Molon, the Founding King of Ruhr, took off his crown and personally moved Vermouth¡¯s coffin. Anise, the Saintess of the Holy Empire, had recited a tribute. ¡°Yes, I saw it,¡± Anise said once again. Eugene had heard the story as well. There had been a body inside Vermouth¡¯s coffin at the time. If it had been a fake, Anise and Sienna would have noticed, even if it deceived Molon. ¡°At that time, Sir Vermouth definitely was a dead corpse, and his soul was already gone. Naturally, I assumed he had ascended to heaven,¡± said Anise. However, that had not been the case. Thus, Anise remained until this era and gave a revtion to Kristina to check Vermouth¡¯s coffin in the ck Lion Castle. ¡°It may be possible that¡­ Vermouth¡¯s soul is being held by the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Eugene spected. ¡°If the Demon King of Incarceration promised peace in exchange for Sir Vermouth¡¯s soul¡­,¡± whispered Anise. ¡°It¡¯s just a wild guess, but if that were true, then I have no choice but to admit that this world itself is hell, just as you said,¡± spat Eugene in a tone full of resentment. Vermouth had saved the world, albeit not in a way Eugene liked. He deserved heaven more than anyone else in the world, but Vermouth had still failed to ascend. Even when Eugene tried to track Vermouth by using the Draconic spell contained in Akasha, crimson eyes and the sound of dragging chains had obscured his path. Demonfolks and Demon Kings received souls in exchange for their services and promises. Helmuth urged humans to make contracts of the soul, and countless people became shackled to the demonfolks and Demon Kings of Helmuth. Such humans could not ascend to heaven, nor could they reincarnate. They could only live out their fruitless lives ording to the contents of their contracts, ving away for the demonfolks and the Demon Kings. An empire of shadows robbed of their chance to reincarnate ¡ª that was Helmuth. If this world truly was a hell of repeated reincarnations for souls that failed to reach heaven, Helmuth would be the greatest hell. ¡°Hamel. I don¡¯t know how you were projected a past life you didn¡¯t recognize by the Dark Room. Ordinary people don¡¯t even remember their previous life, but you remember your life as Hamel,¡± said Anise. Perhaps his specialty had affected the Dark Room? Eugene tightened his grasp on the ne. ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t see it through.¡± The Dark Room had projected Eugene¡¯s life leading up to the current moment, starting from when he was a child until who he currently was as Eugene Lionheart. The projection of Hamel¡¯s life began from the moment he died at the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle, then yed backward. The unknown man¡¯s life had been disyed afterward, but Eugene had not seen how the man met his end. Did he die of exhaustion while wandering in despair on the battlefield of corpses? Was he the same man as the one who had been sitting on the mountain of bodies? Eugene wasn¡¯t certain of anything. After all, the man¡¯s life had been projected for only a short moment. ¡°Hamel. A past life unknown to you isn¡¯t that important, is it?¡± asked Anise with a worried expression. She stretched out her hand, then stroked his clenched fist before continuing. ¡°I do not know the method to remember one¡¯s past life, and I don¡¯t want to know either. Because it¡¯s not important. You are both Hamel and Eugene, but I won¡¯t differentiate either.¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m just me,¡± said Eugene firmly. ¡°Yes. It¡¯s the same for me as well. Just as Kristina is Kristina, I am just Anise¡­. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± asked Anise. ¡°It just bothers me a little, that¡¯s all,¡± grumbled Eugene, shaking his head. ¡°Vermouth was the one who made the Dark Room. I don¡¯t know when he started to n my reincarnation, but that son of a bitch was very meticulous in making sure I was born as his descendant. He nted the ne in anticipation that I wouldnaturallyenter the treasure vault after getting to the main house.¡± ¡°Now, that wasn¡¯t very hard to predict, was it? Hamel, knowing your personality, you would have definitely tried to break in to empty the treasure room,¡± Anise stated naturally. ¡°I didn¡¯t, but I probably would have once I was old enough and strong enough.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but agree. ¡°But I don¡¯t know if the White me Form was made for me too¡­.¡± ¡°But you would have mastered it regardless. You felt a great sense of inferiority and aspiration towards Sir Vermouth during your past life, didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Inferio-rity? As-piration?¡± Eugene sounded shocked. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend that you didn¡¯t. Even if you deny it, everyone knows that you did. Fortunately, the current head of the Lionheart n dly epted you into the main house since he is a generous man, but what if that had not been the case? Do you think you could have given up on the White me Form?¡± asked Anise. Instead of answering, Eugene took on a stupid expression. If he had never been taken in and never given the opportunity to learn the White me Form¡­ then he would have trained in the Red me Form or the mana training method from his previous life. But would he have been satisfied? Once he grew strong enough, wouldn¡¯t he have attacked the main house under the pretext of curiosity? Then he would have robbed the White me Form¡­. No, even for him, that was too brainless. ¡®I could have convinced them that I was a friend of their founder to have them hand over the form.¡¯ Anise grabbed Eugene by the wrist with a chuckle. ¡°I can see exactly what you¡¯re thinking. The Dark Room was created by Sir Vermouth. Do you think he might have left you a message or something simr?¡± ¡°¡­Only because I saw something strange,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Do you think the past life you saw in there is a message from Sir Vermouth?¡± asked Anise. ¡°I don¡¯t know about that, but I do know that the Dark Room is a gift for me,¡± said Eugene, raising himself out of his chair. The phantom of the Dark Room wasn¡¯t as strong as he had been in his prime, but it was close. Moreover, the phantom fought well, ording to how Eugene imagined himself fighting. He remembered Gion exining how the White me Form changed once one overcame the phantom of the Dark Room. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure exactly how the White me Form would change for him, but for now, he was focusing on the battle with the phantom itself rather than any changes to the White me Form. The phantom of the Dark Room was a little stronger and faster than Eugene, so the standard strategy for oveing the Dark Room was to create something new that the phantom could not duplicate. As long as he fixated on that, Eugene was certain he could ovee the Dark Room within three or four days at thetest. But that wasn¡¯t enough. ¡°¡­If I want to defeat Raizakia, I must at least be as strong as I was in my previous life.¡± Raizakia was roaming somewhere between dimensions, and Eugene couldn¡¯t count on Anise¡¯s help in killing the dragon. Although Anise resided within Kristina, Kristina could not yet create miracles on the same level as Anise from three hundred years ago. Moreover, if she entered the gap between dimensions, in the worst-case scenario, Anise¡¯s soul could well be expelled from Kristina¡¯s body. So Eugene had no intention of taking Anise along to hunt Raizakia. The same was true for Kristina. He knew that the girls weren¡¯t convinced by his decision, but he had no intention of changing his mind. ¡®Bing as strong as Hamel isn¡¯t enough.¡¯ Hamel from three hundred years ago had been strong. But had he been strong enough to kill the Demon Kings by himself? Clearly not. Even the Demon King of Carnage, the weakest of the Demon Kings, required all five members of the Hero¡¯s party to fight for several days before finally dying. In fact, there was no need to even discuss the Demon Kings. Kamash, the chief of the giants, one of Fury¡¯s four heavenly kings, had presented a challenge for both Vermouth and Hamel working together. Incarceration¡¯s de, Gavid Lindman, was forced only to retreat even though Hamel and Sienna had ced their lives on the line. Even though Hamel had been incredibly strong, he had not been strong enough to hunt high-ranking demonfolks and the Demon Kings by himself. If he had to give a purely objective judgment regarding the power of Hamel from three hundred years ago, Hamel could ughter Iris by himself but would fare badly against demonfolks stronger than her. It was difficult to gauge exactly how strong Raizakia was. Sienna had expelled Raizaki to another dimension while suffering from fatal injuries. Although she failed and only managed to stick him in a ce between dimensions, it was clear that she had performed great magic that the ck Dragon Raizakia failed to resist. But such a feat had been impossible considering how strong Sienna had been three hundred years ago. Had it been possible because shepleted the Eternal Hole? No, ording to what Anise saw at the time ¡ª Sienna had not been alone in expelling Raizakia. Hundreds of elves present had protected Sienna, and the roots of the World Tree had protected Sienna and the elves while also giving strength to Sienna. ¡®But I can¡¯t do it like Sienna.¡¯ Hamel had never been strong enough to kill Raizakia by himself, so he had to be stronger than Hamel in every way. Two dayster, Eugene once again descended to the Dark Room. He was apanied by Gilead, Gion, and Carmen. [Great timing. The injuries of the knights were so light that it wasn¡¯t worth treating them. Let¡¯s practice your miracles on their bodies.] Anise chimed in. Kristina apanied the four people as well. Naturally, she wasn¡¯t allowed into the Dark Room but could wait by the entrance. If Eugene ran rampant likest time, Carmen, Gilead, and Gion would stop him, while Kristina would assist and heal them. ¡®Sister¡­ Are you being serious?¡¯ [Of course, Kristina. In fact, the best ce to train divine magic is the battlefield, but there is no war in this era, right? So you shouldn¡¯t miss this rare opportunity to practice.] ¡®But¡­. I¡¯m not confident in miracles that allow reattaching and regenerating of severed limbs.¡¯ [Don¡¯t worry. Who would me you even if you can¡¯t grow their arms and legs? They will resent Hamel instead for having cut off their arms and legs.] Of course, Eugene had no intention of cutting off anyone¡¯s limbs. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be back,¡± said Eugene cheerfully while walking to the door of the Dark Room. Gion looked at Eugene with wonder. Even if the battle was only taking ce inside one¡¯s mind, the battle against the phantom would likely result in a tragic defeat and death, a death that would feel as real as possible. So how could heugh and be so happy? ¡°Since we have Auxiliary Bishop Kristina¡¯s divine magic, it wouldn¡¯t be bad for us to fight one by one,¡± Carmen suggested. ¡°Then I will go first.¡± Gilead was the first one to step up. Although Carmen and Gilead didn¡¯t seem as enthusiastic as Eugene, they were also motivated. ¡°¡­Wouldn¡¯t it be better for me to go first? I am the youngest here¡­,¡± Gion chimed in. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll be considerate because I¡¯m old?¡± asked Carmen. ¡°Auntie, I didn¡¯t mean it like that¡­.¡± ¡°I thought I told you not to call me that,¡± Carmen cut in with a re. [How cute.] ¡®What?¡¯ [They are descendants of myrade, after all, right? Since it¡¯s cumbersome to count the generations that passed by, I just think of them all as Sir Vermouth¡¯s grandchildren¡­. They are very cute,] Anise said with a giggle. Kristina hurriedly raised her hand to her mouth, afraid Anise¡¯s thoughts would identally slip from her tongue. Eugene walked across the white space and soon saw the magic circle on the floor. He walked up to the magic circle, hoping to see his previous lives once more, but nothing of the sort happened. Instead, the phantom appeared straight away. It wasn¡¯t any different from two days ago. Eugene nced at the phantom, the weapons surrounding them, and then at the sword in his hand. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± After a moment of pondering, heughed. Then he proceeded to discard the sword in his hand. He clenched his fists and raised them to his chest. ¡°Should we go with our bare hands today?¡± Chapter 213: The Dark Room (6)

Chapter 213: The Dark Room (6)

Anci Caines was a woman who always maintained her dignity as the mistress of the prestigious Lionheart family, but she wasn¡¯t insistent on keeping her dignity even in front of her beloved husband. She raised herself out of bed while rubbing her sleepy eyes. ¡°Are you going again today?¡± she asked. ¡°As you can see,¡± answered Gilead in a feeble voice. Anci¡¯s heart ached when she saw her husband¡¯s sagging shoulders. Upon a closer examination, she noticed that his face was slightly slimmerpared to before. It was all because of that child, Eugene. More than half a year had passed since the child first challenged the secret ordeal of the Lionheart family. At first, he would attempt the challenge every ten days or so, but¡­ his resting period continued to lessen as time passed. The problem was that the ordeal ced a burden not only on Eugene but on Gilead, Gion, and Carmen as well. Although Gilead himself had never called it a burden or a challenge, from Anci¡¯s perspective, it was no different from a challenge for Gilead. ¡°I am the Lionheart¡¯s mistress, and I also remember when you went through this trial, which is why I haven¡¯t said much so far, but¡­ that child, Eugene, isn¡¯t he taking this too far?¡± asked Anci. ¡°I can¡¯t deny that,¡± answered Gilead. He had no choice but to admit it. After tying back his ash-colored hair with a string, he started to wrap bandages around each of his fingers. ¡°But I cannot me him for his passion. Even I have been inspired by the child¡¯s passion.¡± ¡°Gilead.¡± ¡°You must have felt it as well, but the child¡¯s trial is not entirely for him alone. Gion and I, and even Carmen, are reaping benefits from the trial,¡± continued Gilead. But was it really true? Anci squinted while gazing at her husband¡¯s back. After giving a long sigh, she climbed out of bed and fixed his disheveled hair and knot. ¡°I don¡¯t think Lady Carmen¡¯s in the stage of enjoying this any longer. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if Sir Gion ran away anytime,¡± said Anci. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ I agree. If I wasn¡¯t the family head, I would have fled with Gion about a month ago,¡± replied Gilead. ¡°As expected, that child is truly strange. No matter how young he is¡­. How could he keep this up?¡± asked Anci. It was beyond understanding for Gilead as well. The trial of the Dark Room ced a heavy burden on one¡¯s mind. Although dying at the hands of the phantom didn¡¯t actually result in death, the intense and realistic experience was more than enough to cause one to go mad. Gilead had also suffered death about four times when he first challenged the Dark Room. It had taken him quite a long time topletely shake off the lingering horror of having his heart pierced, his head decapitated, and his body diced up. But Eugene had already repeated the trial dozens of times. He had advised Eugene to receive counseling or Mind Cleaning from a priest since the numerous attempts would have ced a heavy burden on his mind, but Eugene had been unwilling. Gilead couldn¡¯t help but imagine that Eugene¡¯s attempts would have been further separated if Auxiry Bishop Kristina wasn¡¯t here since Eugene would be physically exhausted after every attempt. However, Kristina¡¯s healing magic was far too wonderful¡­. ¡°I¡¯ll be back then.¡± Gilead forced himself out of the room with a wooden sword after barely motivating himself. Of course, it had not been like this from the beginning. Just a few months ago, Eugene had been attempting the trial of the Dark Room every week at the earliest. But since then, his attempts had be far too close forfort ¡ª for Gilead¡¯sfort, at least. Eugene was challenging the Dark Room every single day without a break. It wasn¡¯t as if Carmen, Gilead, and Gion hated training. Rather, they were fond of it, just that they weren¡¯t given as many opportunities to train due to their roles and responsibilities in the family. The road to reaching seven Stars of the White me Form was long and arduous. Even though he was burdened with many responsibilities as the current head of the Lionheart family, Gilead had not abandoned his ambition as a warrior. Both Gilead and Gion longed to cross the tall wall to reach the Seventh Star one day. Carmen was also eager to reach eight Stars for the first time in the Lionheart¡¯s history since the founder. If hardships and trials were the required steps to cross the barrier that blocked their path to the level beyond, the battles with the phantom-eroded Eugene served as great nutrients. The three had to hold themselves back while the phantom held back nothing. It only aimed to kill its opponents using whatever means possible. Without Kristina¡¯s help, it was entirely possible that they would have suffered fatal wounds multiple times. At least, that¡¯s how it was in the beginning. It wasn¡¯t only Eugene who gained experience from the repeated trials. Each time, those who subdued Eugene also gained new insights and experiences. It couldn¡¯t be helped that they were mentally drained, but now, they could overpower Eugene without experiencing any danger or injuries. It was impossible for them to subdue Eugene one-on-one as Carmen had stubbornly hoped, but it was possible for them to deal with Eugene one-on-one for a short amount of time, though not topletely overpower him. ¡®Maybe I will reach seven Stars before the Knight March,¡¯Gilead thought optimistically. The dawn sky was still dark blue, and the air was chilly. It was already nearing the end of autumn. About half a year remained until Knight March, and the Northern Kingdom of Ruhr was a ce covered with snow all year round. He wouldn¡¯t get to experience the heat next summer. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± The others were already present at the entrance to the treasure room. Eugene¡¯s eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, but the same didn¡¯t hold true for the others. Even though their bodies were in pristine condition and their fatigue washed away with divine magic, it couldn¡¯t be helped that they were less motivated than before. The previous day, as well as for three days straight before that, they had arrived here at dawn before getting to return to their rooms only at midnight. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that maybe¡­ going at it every day for three days is a little too much?¡± asked Carmen with a deep sigh. Gion nodded in agreement next to her while crouching. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to return to the ck Lion Castle for over half a year already. Sir Genos is taking care of the knights under mymand for now, but¡­. This isn¡¯t right, is it? I came here only a month after I was made the Captain of the Fifth Division, but I haven¡¯t been able to return for half a year.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ fatal. Gion, even if you return now, the knights belonging to the Fifth Division will think Sir Genos as more of their captain than you. It¡¯s definitely a problem,¡± said Carmen. Kristina remained silent as the two conversed. Although she didn¡¯t verbalize it, it wasn¡¯t as if she was without anyints either. Sure, her divine magic had made remarkable progress over thest six months. However, had the six months been faithful to Kristina Rogeris in return? [In the end, aren¡¯t you just disappointed and sad that you couldn¡¯t spend time alone with Hamel, taking care of him and licking his wounds?] Anise reproached her. ¡®Sister¡­! Licking his wounds? What dirty absurdity is that?¡¯ [You fail to take metaphors as metaphors. Or maybe, Kristina, did I unknowinglye to discover your shady fetishes and crooked desires?] Kristina didn¡¯t respond. In fact, she stopped thinking altogether. ¡°Now, now. Come on, everyone, don¡¯t be so angry,¡± said Eugene. He was well-rested and full. His condition was as good as it could be, and so was his motivation. He continued with a cheerfulugh. ¡°Today will be thest day.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°I just told you. Today is thest day. I was debating whether to just not call anyone, but it¡¯s not a ce that I can enter alone, right?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Really? Is today really thest day?¡± asked Gion with a desperate expression. Carmen didn¡¯t say anything, but her eyes were glowing with simr emotion. Eugene shrugged while enjoying their reaction. ¡°Yes.¡± There was nothing more he could gain in the Dark Room. He had felt it over thest few days. Even though there was no need for him to die, he allowed the phantom to take his life in order to make sure he wasn¡¯t missing even the smallest thing so that he would not leave a trace of regret. Yesterday, he becamepletely certain. The Dark Room was no longer a challenge for Eugene. He walked the exact same path he came to know over thest six months. He started at the portrait of Vermouth located deep in the treasure room. The inexplicable magic began there. He descended further down, opened the door, entered the Dark Room, then came to stand on the magic circle. ¡°If you could talk, I might have be attached to you.¡± He came to face the phantom. Half a year was enough time for one¡¯s appearance to change, but Eugene mostly remained the same. His hair was still gray and shaggy, and his eyes were clear and full of motivation despite countless defeats and deaths. He was never given a chance to allow his facial hair any freedom since Mer had made it clear that she didn¡¯t want to see even a single stub of hair on his face. The only thing that changed was his height. In the beginning, he had to look up at the phantom, but there was no longer any need. The phantom was unchanged. He still looked like a mix of Hamel and Eugene, and he held a sword in his hand. ¡°Hmm.¡± Eugene twirled the sword in his hand. ¡°I wonder if there¡¯s a need to swing this.¡± The phantom did not respond. However, it clearly recognized the murderous intent exuding from Eugene and began to react. ¡°I¡¯ve fought with you too many times.¡± The two figures elerated, and they came face-to-face in an instant. The phantom charged while swinging at Eugene¡¯s neck. It was a deadly strike that left no room to respond. When Eugene first entered the Dark Room, he had been hard-pressed to respond to this very strike, which was onlyslightlyfast. But that was no longer the case. Eugene took a half step back and slightly tilted his head backward, allowing the deadly strike to only graze the air by a narrow margin. But that wasn¡¯t the end. The phantom¡¯s strike suddenly changed trajectory midair and aimed to take Eugene¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t a simple strike, either. The tip of the de vibrated ever-so-slightly, showcasing the phantom¡¯s fine mana control and creating countless projections of sword-force. ¡°And I can see as much as I¡¯ve fought.¡± It didn¡¯t take him much to prate the many strikes. In fact, it only took a single stab. He didn¡¯t even need to use a sword. His hand, which was covered with his me, pierced straight through the dizzying barrage and grabbed the phantom¡¯s sword. ¡°So we don¡¯t have to fight anymore.¡± Crack. The phantom¡¯s de broke under his grasp, and the phantom immediately discarded the weapon before throwing a fist. Eugene once again took a half step back and swung the sword in his other hand. There was no sound. However, dozens of lines appeared in the space upied by the phantom¡¯s fist. Even though the phantom was protecting itself with a dark me, Eugene¡¯s strikes cut through the protective ze like tofu and carved the phantom¡¯s hand and arm into hundreds of pieces. The phantom jumped back after losing an arm. Although it wasn¡¯t a conscious being, the phantom possessed an excellent sense of battle. He came to realize that he could never beat Eugene from the short exchange. As such, instead of charging once more, the phantom began to grow its me using the White me Form. After six months '' worth of battles, Eugene was extremely familiar with the phantom. The phantom did not inherit memories of their previous encounters, so as the trial continued, Eugene became familiar with it but not vice versa. As such, it was inevitable that Eugene woulde to win even after suffering a vain loss at the beginning. The Dark Room wasn¡¯t a ce to only test one¡¯sbat senses and their utilization of the White me Form. It was also a ce to train one¡¯s mental fortitude as they were forced to battle again and again while experiencing death. Such mental fortitude was something Eugene already possessed, but many of Vermouth¡¯s descendants had not been trained in this aspect. Being born into a prestigious family and growing up pampered added to their weakness, in addition to the fact that they were living in an era of unprecedented peace. ¡°Apetition of firepower is good, too,¡± murmured Eugene with a grin. He had long reached the level required to defeat the phantom. Nevertheless, he had repeatedly attempted the trial, and it was for a simple reason ¡ª this was the perfect ce to train. Eugene was strong. If he did not restrict the output of the White me Form, he couldpletely devastate arge area surrounding him simply by summoning his mes. Although the Lionheart family¡¯s mansion was equipped with all kinds of imaginable training facilities, including a ce to train mana, they were unsuitable for anyone with more than five Stars in the White me Form to wield their mana freely. But what about this world? Even if Eugene used Ignition, he didn¡¯t have to worry about any aftereffects on his body. He didn¡¯t have to worry about his surroundings when he allowed his mana to flow freely. As such, he had utilized the Dark Room for several months, though it also came to involve several others having to narrowly escape death each day from early dawn untilte night. It had been worth it, and he had definitely gained something. The phantom allowed his me to grow, and his White me Form was spinning rapidly with the integration of the Ring me Form. The growing me shuddered for a moment, then exploded. The phantom had used Ignition. In response, Eugene raised his hand while keeping his eye on the phantom. He then turned his palm face up towards the sky. Unlike the phantom¡¯s explosive mana, Eugene¡¯s mana slowly seeped out from his hand. The six Stars swirling around his heart were elerating furiously, and in their rotation came explosions of mana, and countless Cores were created in the explosions. But Eugene didn¡¯t emit the fierce mana right away. Instead, he continued topress the mana until it formed a small dot of fierce, destructive, uncontroble mana. Fwoosh. A round sphere rose from Eugene¡¯s palm. It was a blinding white sun, and the moment it appeared, the space around it began to distort. This was a limited space created within Eugene¡¯s mind, but the sun, which Eugene wasimagining, was close to breaking thew of this space. It was a sun made from mana that waspressed to the limit. However, this was only the limit of what the Ring me Form could create. Eugene¡¯s lips curled up into a crooked smile. The sun was the culmination of sword-force, and Eugene drew new mana and covered the surface of the sphere. The Empty Sword was formed and applied to the sun. Eugene coated severalyers of mana on the surface of the sun, and the sphere of ultra-dense mana continued to fuse and explode within. Slowly but surely, the white sun was dyed ck. The phantom was already ready. He was slightly more adept at utilizing all the original techniques that Eugene Lionheart possessed. The phantom had already used Ignition, and the sword in his hand was amplified by the Empty Sword. But he could not attack. Although the phantom was without ego, it possessed battle instincts. He knew that only certain death awaited him if he attacked, and it was impossible for him to survive, even by chance. He couldn¡¯t give his flesh and take the enemy¡¯s bone either. Simply, there was nothing he could do to prevent his eradication. ¡°Eclipse,¡± whispered Eugene before throwing the ck sun. The phantom could no longer stand still. As such, he concentrated all of his mana on his attack and charged toward Eugene. There was an explosion of light, which made it impossible to see even an inch. Eugene didn¡¯t resist but rather just gave into his instincts and shut his eyes close. He saw nothing but could hear the sound of the world copsing around him. One, two, three, he counted before opening his eyes. ¡°So this is how it is,¡± grumbled Eugene before touching the floor with his hands. This was the first time he actually killed the phantom, so it was also the first time he got to see how he had been sprawled on the ground before being transferred to the mental world. It appeared that he had passed out the moment he walked into the magic circle. After raising himself up, Eugene looked around his surroundings. He took cautious steps just in case, but he wasn¡¯t dragged off to the mental world again. ¡°It should be a pass, right?¡± whispered Eugene before striding forward. During thest six months, he had heard from Gilead, Gion, and Carmen about what came after oveing the Dark Room. Once he defeated the phantom and went forward¡­ a me would appear. Once the challenger took the me into their body, the Sixth Star of the White me Form would bepleted and transformed. ¡°A me.¡± He walked for a while, leaving the magic circle far behind. He could see nothing in his surroundings. ¡®The power of Eclipse couldn¡¯t have been so strong that it broke the magicalposition of the Dark Room, right?¡¯He worried for a second and couldn¡¯t shake off the concern. Eclipse had been far too strong, even by Eugene¡¯s standards. In terms of pure power, it exceeded any technique Eugene had possessed in his previous life. ¡°What if I really did break it? What if I don¡¯t get to meet this me? Is my White me Form going to be forever iplete? Fuck, is it really my fault for being too strong¡­.¡± Eugene cursed with a frown. However, he came to a sudden stop. Before he knew it, something had appeared in front of Eugene, but it wasn¡¯t themehe was expecting. Instead, it was a man sitting in a ck chair. ¡°Vermouth?¡± The name that slipped his tongue belonged to his friend from three hundred years ago. Chapter 214: The Dark Room (7)

Chapter 214: The Dark Room (7)

Eugene took a few steps forward but made sure not to get too close to the figure. Instead, he stopped himself only a moment after he started walking. He could feel his startled heart thumping rapidly. He felt as if the world was swirling around him, and only a single phrase managed to find its way out of his lips. ¡°Hey, you little bastard.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t hold himself back. In fact, he had no reason to do so. Vermouth deserved much worse, and not just curses either. Even if Eugene decided to p and strike him, Vermouth only deserved to ept whatever he was given. But Eugene couldn¡¯t grab him by the cor. It wasn¡¯t that he had grown a soft spot for Vermouth after parting for three hundred years but because what appeared in front of him was only a vision of Vermouth. ¡°¡­You, who stand before me now,¡± said Vermouth. It was unmistakably only a vision, but he looked vivid as if Vermouth really was sitting before Eugene¡¯s eyes. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t sense Vermouth¡¯s presence. Eugene wondered which time period the vision belonged to. His hair looked tidier, and his attire was cleaner than when they had entered the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. Was it when he became known as the Great Vermouth, or during the time he served as the Grand Duke of Kiehl? Or¡­ was it after he faked his own death? ¡°Is it you, Hamel?¡± It was a simple question. Eugene clenched his fists and red at Vermouth. ¡°It must be so since this vision won¡¯t make an appearance unless it¡¯s you. How long has it been? It¡¯s impossible for me to get it exactly right, but I presume about three hundred years would have passed,¡± Vermouth continued. Vermouth had rarely donned a smile since three hundred years ago. He wasn¡¯t always as apathetic as a wooden doll, but he was expressionless during most situations, just like he was now. Vermouth sat in an upright position, and he looked calm without any other expressions. Vermouth looked exactly as Eugene remembered, which arousedplicated emotions in Eugene¡¯s heart. Like the portrait from three hundred years ago, the vision in front of him wasn¡¯t actually Vermouth, but Eugene could feel Vermouth deeply from this vision. ¡°Hamel, you must be throwing some awful curses at me right now. I¡¯ve never thought it pleasant to hear you curse, but now¡­. I miss it. That¡¯s why I feel slightly regretful. I¡¯m curious as to what kinds of curses you¡¯re throwing at me right now,¡± continued Vermouth. ¡°Motherfucker.¡± ¡°You must have noticed by now. The one in front of you now is me from hundreds of years ago. I cannot see you, and I cannot hear you. I can only speak to you unterally. But don¡¯t be so angry.¡± ¡®Don¡¯t be so angry?¡¯ Eugene felt absolutely bbergasted. He couldn¡¯t help but scoff. ¡®At least you recognize that I should be angry at you, right?¡¯ He knew it would do no good, but Eugene flipped his middle finger at Vermouth¡¯s vision anyways. ¡°What should I talk about? Where should I start? Knowing how impatient you are, I¡¯m a little afraid that you might just walk away without listening to what I have to say,¡± said Vermouth in a quiet voice before sping his hands and cing them on his knees. He closed his eyes, then took a moment before continuing. ¡°I have¡­ many secrets, Hamel. And I cannot confide you with everything. I have no intention of doing so, and I shouldn¡¯t either. So this conversation won¡¯t answer all of your questions.¡± ¡°Everyone but you knew how suspicious you were,¡± grumbled Eugene before flopping to the ground. ¡°Right. Let¡¯s talk about your reincarnation first. Hamel, I¡¯m sure this is the biggest question you have.¡± ¡°Shoot,¡± said Eugene while nodding, knowing well that there was actually no need for him to engage. ¡°You should not have died in that ce,¡± said Vermouth. His answer annoyed Eugene, which caused his eyebrows to wriggle. But Eugene held back the spewing curses and kept his emotions under control. Vermouth continued, ¡°But it¡¯s impossible to reverse it. Hamel, you¡­ probably thought it was better for you to die in that ce. In fact, your body was being destroyed each moment you were climbing the Demon King¡¯s castle. You probably med it on your recklessness.¡± ¡°Why are you saying such obvious things?¡± grumbled Eugene, clicking his tongue. He had already contemted it more than a dozen times, but his conclusion never changed. Hamel had died in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration because he had been reckless and weak. Sienna and Anise had warned him about the dangers of Ignition, but it had been impossible to clear the way in the hellish castle without using Ignition. ¡°And I know you¡¯re not going to like my next words, but I¡¯m just going to tell you what I think. Hamel, you died because I failed to protect you,¡± said Vermouth without a single change in his expression. Unwilling to let hisment pass, Eugene jumped up and red at Vermouth. ¡°You son of a bitch, what are you saying?¡± Eugene¡¯s expression distorted, and anger red from deep within his heart. It was a different type of anger than what he experienced at the Fount of Light. This was the feeling of humiliation. He died because Vermouth failed to protect him? ¡®Who are you to say you had to protect me?¡¯ They had not shared such a rtionship, and Eugene had not wanted such a rtionship either. It wasn¡¯t just Eugene, either. Everyone who fought alongside Vermouth three hundred years ago would have been the same. Indeed, Vermouth had been strong. He had been so incredibly strong that it was hard to believe he was human, just like everyone else. However, none of the four who fought alongside Vermouth would have ever wanted protection from Vermouth. No one wanted to be a burden to Vermouth, and on the battlefield, all five of them were equal. Everyone stood at the forefront, and if someone took the lead, the others took their sides and back. ¡°Hamel, are you angry?¡± asked Vermouth. Eugene red at him in return. He knew that Vermouth wasn¡¯t actually there and that the vision was simply a recording from a long time ago. Even so, Vermouth was staring directly at Eugene after raising his head. Eugene could tell from his eyes that Vermouth had beenpletely convinced that hisment would have made Eugene jump out of his seat in anger. ¡°I was also angry at that time,¡± continued Vermouth. His mouth curled up into a smile. ¡°Knowing how proud you are, you must be angry that I said I had to protect you. But do you remember how you died, Hamel? You died to protect me, even though there was no need to do so at all.¡± Eugene was struck dumb. ¡°You must have known at that moment. You didn¡¯t have to throw yourself away for me, Hamel. You just¡­ needed a ce to fall. You threw yourself away because you thought you would only be a burden for the rest of us if you carried on. So you tried to save me when I wasn¡¯t in any danger. Was that a satisfactory reason for your death?¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t respond. He knew that Vermouth was speaking an undeniable fact. ¡°You were selfish, Hamel. You used me as an excuse to fall, even though you didn¡¯t have to protect me. You only needed to protect yourself, but you chose not to. You died instead. So it can¡¯t be helped that I have regrets, regrets that I couldn¡¯t protect you,¡± continued Vermouth. ¡°¡­Bitch,¡± grunted Eugene before settling back into his seat. After a brief silence, Vermouth shook his head before lowering his gaze and staring straight ahead. Although his gaze wasn¡¯tpletely in line with where Eugene was, neither of them cared very much. ¡°Let¡¯s continue. Hamel, you ended up dead, and our journey came to an end at that point. I¡¯m sure you are familiar with the state of matters in your current era. I made an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration, and the war came to an end.¡± ¡°What was the Oath?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°For the battle itself¡­. It was hard. It was impossible to win.¡± ¡°Would it have changed anything even if I were there? I waspletely broken. You know that it was impossible for me to fight properly. It wouldn¡¯t have changed anything even if I were there. I wouldn¡¯t have been any help in the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Eugene tried to justify his actions. ¡°I can¡¯t tell you anything regarding the contents of the Oath, but at that time, it was the best I could do.¡± Vermouth paused, then stared into the air with empty eyes before chuckling. ¡°If you were there with us, there would have been no need for us to fight the Demon King of Incarceration after we reached the top.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene was bbergasted. ¡°That was the most important thing for me ¡ª to climb to the top of Babel, the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. If we came to face the true body of the Demon King of Incarceration, that would have done it. It would have significantly changed the contents of the Oath as well.¡± ¡°What¡­ are you saying?¡± Eugene truly couldn¡¯t understand. His gaze started to quiver as he stared at Vermouth. He knew who the Demon King of Incarceration was. The Demon King of Incarceration was the sound of chains slithering across the ground and the bright crimson eyes peering through the darkness. At least, that¡¯s the Demon King of Incarceration that Eugene knew of since his previous life. Had he ever encountered the Demon Kings? Yes, several times. The Demon King of Destruction had struck despair into the hearts of everyone by simply moving across a field from a far distance. He had seen the Demon King of Incarceration as well. When the five of them first entered Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration had personally greeted them as the tter of chains and crimson eyes within a storm of darkness. ¡®I will be waiting at the top.¡¯ Though they had not battled against the Demon King of Incarceration at the time, Eugene came to realize that the second Demon King was on a different level from the Demon Kings they had faced and killed previously. So what was he talking about? They didn¡¯t have to fight against the horrible monster? If all five of them climbed to the top of Babel without dying and came to face the true body of the Demon King of Incarceration, then that would have been¡­ enough? ¡°It was impossible to turn back what had already happened,¡± said Vermouth. ¡°So I had no choice but to search for a different way. I bought some time with the Oath, and I received your soul. The ne containing your soul is still with Sienna, but¡­ one day, I intend to convince her and get it from her.¡± Convince her? Is that how he defined overturning someone¡¯s grave and drilling a hole through Sienna¡¯s heart after she came there in shock? ¡°Hamel. You are here now, which means everything went ording to my n. You were born as my descendant and learned the White me Form. You may not be pleased, but I had you reincarnated.¡± ¡°I know, you bastard.¡± ¡°And I had no option but to make this choice because you¡­ are most like the Hero out of everyone I know.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°The best I could do was to climb the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle, Babel, but you should be able to go further. Hamel, if it¡¯s you, you should be able to achieve what I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Vermouth, you little bitch. Say it in a way I can understand. What? I¡¯m most like the Hero out of everyone you know? You crazy little bastard. Have you finally gone mad?¡± ¡°You won¡¯t want to admit it, but my mind won¡¯t change. The fact that you are here now proves that I didn¡¯t change my mind,¡± said Vermouth with a faint smile. ¡°In the end, I wasn¡¯t enough.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re not good enough, then who¡­!¡± Eugene shouted, no longer able to hold himself back. The only reason they could defeat three of the Demon Kings ¡ª the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Demon King of Fury ¡ª was that Vermouth had been there. Simrly, the only reason the Demon King of Incarnation agreed to the Oath and stepped down was that Vermouth had been there. That was who Vermouth was, someone who turned an impossible situation into a victory, someone whose very presence acted as a beacon of light to boost the morale of any allies. He was the shining Hero. It was only because he managed to draw the Holy Sword that the Demon Kings had been defeated. It was only because he wielded the Moonlight Sword that the Demon Kings had been killed. ¡°Hamel, you are strong.¡± Eugene could no longer find words to say. Instead, he clutched his chest as Vermouth continued. ¡°You were strong in your previous life, but I¡¯m sure you are stronger now. Of course, it should be inevitable. I don¡¯t know exactly when you will be reborn to which family, but in order for your reincarnation to be as fast as possible, I had to have as many descendants as possible. To make sure that my descendants don¡¯t fight, I created an invible rule.¡± ¡°Crazy bastard.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t care if you agree with this or not. But, Hamel, just like how you died doing whatever you wanted, I¡¯m going to do whatever I want. Anyways, the families that take myst name will continue to prosper in the future, and the main branch of the family will look down on the other branches from a high ce. Although I won¡¯t be able to see it happen with my own eyes, I¡¯m certain that¡¯s how things will turn out.¡± Vermouth was right. The Lionheart family continued strong for three hundred years, and the ck Lion, the watchdog of the family, made sure that the branches of the family did not enter into struggles. The Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, the Leyline, and the White me Form ensured that the coteral lines could not rise up against the main branch of the family. ¡°And one day, you will be born as one of the countless Lionheart descendants. The body you wille to possess will be iparably better than the body of your previous life. It¡¯s inevitable since I intended for the body to be thoroughly designed for the soul.¡± Eugene Lionheart¡¯s body truly was great. It moved exceptionally well even since he was a child before he learned how to use mana. It never broke, regardless of how hard Eugene trained. Was that all? The talents Eugene had in his previous life blossomed even more splendidly in his new body. ¡°There will be an enormous difference between what you were given in your previous life and what you have now, Hamel. You will definitely stand out in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, and it¡¯s possible that my descendants will envy you. Even so, I¡¯m certain that you will rise to the challenge. In fact, that¡¯s probably how you are here in this ce.¡± Eugene was speechless. ¡°How old are you now? The White me Form might be tricky to learn, but with your talents¡­ you shouldn¡¯t be over your mid-twenties at the most. Have you seen the weapons in the treasure room? Some of them are probably already in your hands. But the Holy Sword¡­. To be honest, I¡¯m not sure. Would you have been recognized by the Light?¡± Vermouth chuckled. ¡°You might be disappointed that the Moonlight Sword is not in the treasure room. But it¡¯s simply too dangerous. It¡¯s dangerous in many ways.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. It¡¯s an ignorant, strong, horrible weapon,¡± Eugene sympathized. ¡°I intend to destroy the Moonlight Sword and rid the world of its existence. However, I probably will fail. This sword isn¡¯t something you can destroy just because you want to. If I¡­. If I can manage this sword somehow, and arrange it for you, and Hamel, if you have a lingering attachment to the Moonlight Sword¡­.¡± Vermouth drew his hand across the air, and a few shining letters appeared in the air. It was a unique formtion of magic. ¡°I¡¯ve made your grave somewhere underground in the Kazitan Desert in Nahama. If you draw a spell ording to this form, you should be able to locate your grave. It might be that you can¡¯t use magic, but¡­ if that¡¯s the case, take this opportunity to learn it. Sienna recently established a new branch of magic in Aroth. With your talent, it shouldn¡¯t be too difficult.¡± ¡°I already learned it, ¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Of course, the Moonlight Sword might not be there even if you visit your tomb. But don¡¯t be too disappointed. If the Moonlight Sword is there and I still have the Moonlight Sword, then it would mean I couldn¡¯t destroy it. Still, I hope you don¡¯tugh at me since I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seeded in getting it under control somehow.¡± Vermouth raised himself out of his chair. ¡°Hamel, I don¡¯t think you would be convinced by the reason I had you reincarnated. However, I am convinced. I¡¯m convinced you will be able to do what I couldn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What can I say? I¡¯ve already fucking reincarnated. And even if I want toin, you¡¯re not here, Vermouth.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t force you to live your life a certain way after you reincarnate. Perhaps¡­ you¡¯ve changed. Maybe your hatred towards the demonfolks and the Demon Kings has faded. Maybe you no longer have the thought of saving the world like before.¡± ¡°But you know me.¡± ¡°However, I don¡¯t think that will be the case. Hamel, you¡¯re not one to be like that. Regardless of who you are reborn as, as long as you keep the memories of your life as Hamel, there¡¯s no way your convictions from your past life will change.¡± Eugeneughed instead of answering. ¡°So you wille to resent me. You might feel like I betrayed you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that narrow-minded.¡± ¡°Hamel, if you are the same as before and want to rid the world of demonfolks and Demon Kings, if you want to save the world,¡± Vermouth paused, then closed his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t fight¡­ with the Demon King of Destruction. Keep away from him. I¡¯m sure you know since you saw it too, but¡­ it¡¯s bizarre. It¡¯s not an existence you can fight.¡± Eugene had seen the Demon King of Destruction moving from afar. But both then and now, he couldn¡¯t say for sure what exactly he had seen.Somethinghad been moving across the vast in, and if what he saw wasn¡¯t destruction, then what in the world was qualified to be called so? If what he saw had not been the strongest Demon King, then what else could be called the Demon King? Such thoughts convinced him that what he had seen then had been the Demon King of Destruction. No one who had been there with him talked about fighting against the Demon King of Destruction. The best they could do was to hold onto their quivering bodies and hold themselves together. ¡°¡­But the Demon King of Destruction must die one day,¡± Eugene whispered. Vermouth didn¡¯t hear Eugene¡¯s answer. ¡°But one day, the Demon King of Destruction must be in.¡± Even so, he gave the same answer as Eugene. ¡°Before that, try to reach the top of Babel.¡± Vermouth opened his eyes. ¡°Just as I did, stand before the Demon King of Incarceration and meet with his true body. The Demon King of Incarceration will not let you climb Babel in peace since that¡¯s the kind of being he is.¡± ¡°Of course, I have to climb Babel. I¡¯ve never been up there in any case,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°What will happen after that are things you will have to experience yourself.¡± Vermouth did not sit back again. Instead, he stood in ce for a moment while caressing the armrest of his chair. After a moment, he murmured with a bitter smile, ¡°This is it.¡± He looked straight ahead at Eugene. ¡°It has to be you.¡± Three hundred years ago, Vermouth had found and chosen Eugene as his colleague despite the disapproval of hisrades. It has to be you. He had reached out his hand to Hamel while speaking these very words. He spoke the same words once again while reaching forward. ¡°I miss saying this too,¡± muttered Vermouth before lowering his outstretched hand. However, before his hand fellpletely, Eugene reached out with his own hand while clicking his tongue. Eugene¡¯s hand passed straight through the air, but that was still enough for Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s still bullshit,¡± grumbled Eugene. Chapter 215: The Dark Room (8)

Chapter 215: The Dark Room (8)

The image of Vermouth started to tremble, but it didn¡¯t immediately disappear. Rather, the image of the human named Vermouth Lionheart from three hundred years ago scattered as particles, and as the particles dispersed, they transformed into myriad sparks. Eugene¡¯s hand slowly fell. He did not speak parting words to Vermouth¡¯s image as it disappeared. He knew it wouldn¡¯t reach Vermouth anyways. Eugene knew that most people would know Hamel as being unruly, but in his opinion, Vermouth was unrulier than anyone else. ¡°The biggest difference between you and me is that whatever you do will always be packaged in a way that seems usible,¡± grumbled Eugene. He was so ustomed to hearing things like ¡ªthere must be a reason, after all, it¡¯s Vermouth,orthere must be a reason, it was probably inevitable ¡ªevery time Vermouth did anything. But when Hamel designed a meticulous n and put it into action, he was greeted withments like: ¡ªHey, you crazy bastard. Why are you going ballistic again? ¡ªHamel, what is it that you want to do? ¡ªAs expected from Hamel. At least, that¡¯s how it was in the past. Eugene chuckled while reminiscing about his past, his hands outstretched toward the fluttering sparks. Of course, Vermouth would have a reason for doing what he was doing. But this time around, he hadn¡¯t informed anyone in advance and acted of his own ord, and Eugene, or rather, Hamel, got caught up in it. But Eugene did not resent him. ¡°For now.¡± Hamel believed in Vermouth. Although Eugene didn¡¯t know why ithad to be himor why Vermouth had done such a thing, he still trusted Vermouth. Hisrade¡¯s words were spreading deep within his heart. The words fluttered through his veins, spreading sentiment and etching deep into his mind. ¡ªHamel, if you want to kill all the demonfolks and the Demon Kings, if you want to save the world. Vermouth had nned Hamel¡¯s reincarnation for the purpose of killing the demonfolks and the Demon Kings, which they had failed to achieve three hundred years ago. Vermouth had nned everything to finally allow everyone¡¯s wishes from three hundred years ago toe to fruition. For that alone, Eugene could forgive Vermouth for having him reincarnated. ¡®The Vermouth I just saw¡­ is from before he punctured a hole in Sienna¡¯s heart.¡¯ It just made it harder for Eugene to harbor any resentment against him. Even Sienna herself had asked him not to hold it against Vermouth. Vermouth was still hiding many secrets. He never revealed everything about himself, always saying that he couldn¡¯t, that he had no choice. He had always looked lonely. He hadughed a few times during Eugene¡¯s interaction with him just now, but his smiles were much drier than what Eugene remembered. The whirling sparks finally settled down, and only a zing me remained in ce of Vermouth¡¯s vision. Eugene stared at the me without bing flustered. The me didn¡¯t look special in terms of appearance. It was white, just like any me created with the White me Form. Eugene couldn¡¯t feel any actual heat emanating from it either. It was a me created from pure mana. Eugene slowly stretched out his hand toward the me. He wondered if he was supposed to evoke the White me Form in response, but the me moved before he could act on his thoughts. The me surged and wrapped around Eugene¡¯s hand in one swift motion. There was no way it could be hot, but Eugene felt heating from the me as it wound around his hand. However, the fire did not burn his clothes or his skin. Instead, the heat slowly permeated into his body. The me entered through his fingertips, then flowed through his vessels and heated his bones, and caused his mana to boil. Eugene¡¯s lips arced up into a smile. He immediately closed his eyes and sat down on the spot, focusing on the me rampaging inside his body. The six Stars hovering around his heart elerated at Eugene¡¯s will, and the Ring me Form amplified his mana while holding it in ce and preventing it from leaking out. As he concentrated, the Lightning me residing in his body also responded to the Ring me Form. While staying at the main house, Eugene had trained the White me Form in the Root Cave of the World Tree located at the bottom of theke. Each time, the spirits of the World Tree approached Eugene as he trained, but instead of trying to force them into obedience, Eugene approached the spirits while hoping for harmony and rapport. In the end, his efforts had paid off. The Lightning me imbued within Eugene¡¯s mana was a result of a meeting between his mana and a spirit of the World Tree. Like the primal spirits and spirits of the World Tree, it did not possess an ego, but it was also impossible to train or raise it at Eugene¡¯s will since it was fundamentally a spirit. However, while training at the root of the World Tree, Eugene seeded in fusing the spirits of the World Tree with the Lightning me while training the White me Form. But this resulted in another problem ¡ª dealing with the bigger Lightning me proved difficult. The damned Lightning sh was slightly different from mana, making it difficult for Eugene to control. So Eugene ultimately sealed the matured Lightning me deep in his Core, though he released it partially whenever the need arose. Craaaack! The Lightning me erupted freely, causing Eugene to feel dizzy for a moment. But Eugene maintained an iron grip over his consciousness and guided his mana. The eruption of the Lightning me caused Eugene¡¯s own me to re greatly, which, in turn, caused the newly acquired me connected to Eugene to explode as well. Although this me did not belong to Eugene by nature, at this moment, it resonated and breathed with him as if it were born to him. The me continued to seep inside Eugene. Eugene had no use for his sight at the current moment, so he closed his eyes and contemted the events that he was currently experiencing. Even though he had not activated Ignition, he found that his Cores were moving in an unusual fashion. They were rotating faster and faster without an end, and the mana contained within also continued to st without an end in sight. The me that seeped inside caressed his Cores and refined them, changing the nature of the explosions held within. It hurt like hell. The newly acquired me and the explosions stimted the six Cores, and the Lightning me exploded at random intervals while attempting to permeate the me of Eugene¡¯s White me Form. Was this what he was supposed to be experiencing? Eugene couldn¡¯t tell. What if the wild fire and the lightning crippled him instead? However, his doubt and worrysted for only a moment. In the end, everything was happening inside his body, so even if he became crippled, it was because he had failed. Even though he was faced with an unexpected, tense situation, Eugene still burdened himself further with such thoughts. Nevertheless, he could rest easier thinking it was up to him because although it was slightly cliched, Eugene believed in himself. Crack. He was awakened from his semiatose state due to a strange sounding from inside his body. ¡®How long was I doing this for?¡¯ He remembered staring at the mes, then closing his eyes once he found it unnecessary. He remembered handling the me that permeated his body, then sitting down on the spot to concentrate better. That was where his thoughts trailed off. There had been no need to think afterward. He had been wholly concentrated, but for what¡­? Had he been trying to control the me? Or had he been trying to stop himself frompletely zing like tinder? ¡®Well, that¡¯s not important.¡¯ He had been concentrating, though he didn¡¯t know to what extent. Then he had been jolted from his concentrated state by a sound. The sound of a joint cracking, or¡­. No, that wasn¡¯t it. It had been the sound of something crushing and breaking. ¡®What broke?¡¯ His Cores, the six Cores that had been spinning and elerating around his heart, had broken. Cores acted as the source of mana produced in the body. When one¡¯s Cores were broken, it would result in them losing all of their mana and never being able to handle mana ever again. However, Eugene¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t scattered at all, even though his Cores had been smashed. It was because they had reformed. Although his Cores weren¡¯t as distinct in shape as before, they shone brighter and rotated quicker in response to Eugene¡¯s mana. The Lionheart family¡¯s White me Form allowed the user to express their mana in the unique form of a me, and its method of distinguishing between achievements was differentpared to other mana training methods as well. The White me Form used the ssification of Stars, counting the dividing Cores around one¡¯s heart as Stars. Currently, there really were six Stars around Eugene¡¯s heart. His original Cores had broken, and new ones had risen asStars. His me subsided. ¡°Phew.¡± Eugene opened his eyes while exhaling a long breath. There was a strange smell¡­. Eugene sniffed around while looking down at himself. He was appalled by what he found. His whole body was damp. Was it sweat? No, it wasn¡¯t just sweat. There were some dark impurities mixed in with the sweat¡­. Eugene jumped up from the ground while freaking out. ¡®No way. Did I¡­ lose control because I was so tired?¡¯ Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t quite that. Eugene gave a deep sigh before throwing off his clothes. He noticed that something simr to dead skin fell to the ground whenever he moved his body. ¡°Huh?¡± He paused in the midst of taking off his clothes and rubbed his skin with his hands. His pale skin peeled off like scales, and the newly exposed skin was as white and bouncy as a child¡¯s. ¡°Restructuring of the body¡­. It¡¯s not what I was aiming for, and not something I need at my age either. Nevertheless, it must have turned out like this because my body must have judged it was necessary.¡± He couldn¡¯t figure out the exact reason for the restructuring, but Eugene gave a joyful smile. It wasn¡¯t just his skin. No matter how skillful Eugene was in manipting mana, he couldn¡¯t rid his body of all the impurities. There had been impurities deep within his body that could not be burnt away by mana, and such impurities had been most heavily umted in his Cores. ¡®All the existing Cores were smashed apart. I guess all the impurities were expelled in the process.¡¯ Eugene stood up and moved around. His body had originally been light and powerful, but he felt like a stranger in his own newly structured body. He almost doubted if his body really had been light and powerful before the transformation, and the sense of ipatibility he felt proved that his body had improved. ¡°¡­It¡¯s nice,¡± muttered Eugene before taking note of his Cores. The six Stars of the White me Form had rotated at all times, and the same was true now. Eugene¡¯s Stars were still spinning. When Eugene willed it, the sixStarsshone brilliantly and chased after their tails. Within their rotations, new Stars exploded and created a neb. The Lightning me was roused along with his mana. Instead of circting separately, the me was embracing the lightning. Eugene silently observed the phenomenon. The White me Form was given its name because it formed a white me of mana. But if it was called the White me Form solely based on the appearance of the me it produced, then what Eugene produced now could not be called the White me Form. ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Eugene muttered sincerely. The me Eugene created now was close to a dark purple, which wasn¡¯t white at all¡­. To be honest, Eugene didn¡¯t care much for such a change. The color of the me? What did that matter? As long as it was stronger than before, it was a matter of celebration. However, the problem was Carmen Lionheart. She would definitely get excited when she saw the unique color Eugene¡¯s me produced. Perhaps she would even give a terrible nickname to Eugene¡¯s purple me and even attempt to change the name from the White me Form. ¡®It¡¯s purple, so is she going to call it the Purple me Form? No¡­. I¡­. I don¡¯t like that¡­.¡¯ Eugene shuddered as he finished undressing. The smell was too pungent, so he decided to clean his clothes with magic before going out. After cleaning his clothes and putting them on, Eugene looked around for thest time. Of course, there was no trace of the me after it waspletely absorbed by Eugene. He could not see Vermouth¡¯s vision anywhere either. ¡°Goodbye.¡± He had not nned to say such a thing, but it just came out of his mouth. It was a farewell to Vermouth¡¯s vision, who would have been waiting for Hamel for three hundred years, even though it had been pre-recorded and not sentient. Eugene remembered Vermouth¡¯s dry smile. Eugene turned around with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s a ce that hosted me for half a year, after all.¡± He crossed the magic circle and saw the door located not too far away. How long had it been? It felt as if it had been quite a while, and judging from how hungry he felt, it seemed as if a whole day had passed. ¡®I feel kind of sorry. Everyone¡¯s waiting for me toe out at the entrance to the Dark Room.¡¯ He had been feeling under pressure from Anci¡¯s gazetely. He had heard from Cyan that since there was only half a year left until the Knight March, Gilead, the head, would need to depart for the ck Lion Castle with the elites of the White Lion Knights. It was so that they could hold joint training with the ck Lion Knights to prepare for the Knight March. Anci seemed to understand, but she also seemed depressed about the thought of being separated from her husband. Therefore, it was obvious that she would want to spend as much time as possible while her husband was still here, but Gilead was being dragged down to the Dark Room almost every day because of Eugene. Mother might try to poison you,Cyan had stated in a matter-of-fact voice. Of course, Eugene wouldn¡¯t die from just any poison. However, the mistress of the Lionheart family wouldn¡¯t conjure up just any regr poison, would she? ¡®Should I just send her on vacation to a scenic resort?¡¯Eugene wondered. He could send her away, just her and Gilead. Anci wouldn¡¯t openly show how happy she was, but she would certainly ept the trip as a gift if he insisted. Eugene felt no filial piety toward the two, but he still considered Gilead and Anci as close rtives. Eugene opened the door. ¡®So the least I can do for them is to¡­.¡¯ His train of thought was suddenly interrupted by something lunging at him. It was Carmen Lionheart throwing her fist at Eugene¡¯s face without any hesitation. It wasn¡¯t just her, either. Gilead and Gion came at Eugene from both sides, seeking topletely subdue him. The three were bound to be skillful and in sync. After all, they had been working together repeatedly to overpower him for thest half a year. There was a simple reason why they attacked immediately ¡ª Eugene had been in the Dark Room for too long. Eugene had mistakenly thought it to be a day, but in fact, three days had already passed since he entered the Dark Room. The three had taken turns guarding the entrance for the past three days. The physical and mental burdens weren¡¯t significant, but they had been worried about Eugene. After confidently dering his intent to ovee the Dark Room, he had note out for three days¡­ so they couldn¡¯t help but think something had gone wrong. However, it had been impossible for them to check since only one person could enter the Dark Room at a time. But the door had opened suddenly, and the three judged that it would be better to suppress rather than try to gauge the situation. It was unprecedented for anyone to stay in the Dark Room for three days, so it was reasonable to think that Eugene would rampage. Eugene did not know all these details, but thebined attack of the three was too fierce. He could not find an escape, and the attacks were too fast for him to try to speak out. So Eugene was forced to evoke his me instead. When he stomped his feet on the ground, purple mes erupted around him. Then he elerated using Lightning sh and escaped through a fine crack in their formation. ¡°It¡¯s me. It¡¯s not the phantom, it¡¯s Eugene¡­.¡± ¡°This me¡­!?¡± A glimmer appeared in Carmen¡¯s eyes, and Eugene¡¯s face distorted. Favorite Chapter 216: The Dark Room (9)

Chapter 216: The Dark Room (9)

Eugene took a moment to cate Carmen. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and Eugene found her face too close forfort as she demanded that he showed her his me. After some nagging, Eugeneplied with her demands and showed her his me. ¡°How amazing!¡± Carmen eximed, staring at the purple me with admiration. Noticing how she was creeping forward and twitching her fingers, Eugene pushed the me forward for her to see. It wasn¡¯t just a differently colored me. In the first ce, the me created by the White me Form bloomed from the essence of mana that was refined to the extreme. As such, as long as one stayed faithful to the White me Form to refine their me, it was extremely difficult and rare for their me to transform. However, Eugene¡¯s me wasdifferent. Eugene himself could feel that his White me Form had transformed after his Cores were reformed anew. The me he created using the same refinement process produced apletely different color and power. ¡°Ahahaha.¡± Carmen burst intoughter as she closely examined the me resting on her palm. As someone with seven Stars in the White me Form and the strongest member of the Lionheart family in the current generation, she immediately noticed the change in Eugene¡¯s me. Since Eugene held no hostility towards Carmen, his me did not bring any harm to her. But for some reason, Eugene felt as if his me were being devoured, and in fact, Carmen was holding his me firmly in ce using her White me Form. Eugene felt as if his me would ze using his mana as firewood if she wasn¡¯t holding it in ce. ¡°This is truly amazing. Many of our ancestors have entered the Dark Room, but none have experienced a change in their White me Form like yours,¡± Gilead said with astonishment. It almost made sense that Eugene was stuck in the Dark Room for three days after he saw how Eugene¡¯s me had transformed. ¡°What happened in there?¡± Gion asked in the middle of his admiration. He could see with his eyes that Eugene¡¯s me had transformed, but he felt another change in Eugene apart from that. As far as he knew, Eugene¡¯s skin had always been clean and firm, but now, it was practically glowing. He wasn¡¯t the only one who noticed this change. Rather, the ones who were most affected by the change were the two Saints. [Kristina! Kristina! Give me control of the body for a moment,] Anise said urgently. ¡®W-what?¡¯Kristina was shocked at Anise¡¯s intense earnestness. [Kristina! What are you looking at right now? Raise your head immediately, fix your gaze ahead, and look at Hamel,] Anise reprimanded. Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t. She really, really wanted to, but she could not bear to raise her head to see Eugene¡¯s face. What was it? It didn¡¯t seem like he had changed much, but¡­. No, he had changed a lot. For some reason, his eyes felt calmer, deeper, and cooler, and his skin was smooth as if it were coated with honey. His hair, which was usually messy, was still messy, but it looked glossy and even sexy. ¡®S-s-sexy¡­,¡¯Kristina thought involuntarily. [How vulgar!] Kristina¡¯s ears flushed bright red. Anise screamed inside her mind, [Kristina! Come on. If you¡¯re too shy to look at Hamel properly, immediately give me control of your body. I will take a close look at Hamel¡¯s face on your behalf and caress that glossy hair and firm skin.] ¡®W-what are you saying? Sister, didn¡¯t you say you left behind all material desires and regrets?¡¯ [This is neither of those! As a priestess responsible for Hamel¡¯s injuries and his colleague, I have an obligation to identify the mysterious changes he experienced and to prepare for future events.] ¡®That¡¯s¡­ something I can do myself.¡¯ [Kristina! Are you saying you won¡¯t surrender the opportunity to be first because you are blinded by your vulgar desires?] ¡®W-what do you mean, vulgar desires? I¡¯m just¡­. I¡¯m just worried you might be taken over by lingering feelings, Sister,¡¯Kristina protested weakly. [If you are truly worried about me, raise your head and look straight at Hamel this second. Then approach Hamel, grab his face with your hands, and look straight into his eyes after getting so close that your lips almost brush against his.] Anise was also adamant in her requests. ¡®I-I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a reason to go that far¡­.¡¯ [This is as much as I¡¯m willing to give! Quickly,e on.] Anise was being sincere. She was truly disappointed that she could not feel his skin,b his hair, and look into his eyes herself. Even so, Anise was more than capable of linking her senses with Kristina¡¯s, so she was willing to surrender the opportunity as long as Kristina gave her this much. In the end, Kristina obeyed and hesitatingly approached Eugene. Carmen, Gion, and Gilead were staring at Eugene with questioning eyes, and Eugene briefly pondered how he would exin the events of the Dark Room. Naturally, he had no intention of talking about Vermouth. ¡°Nothing much happened. Just like you all told me, a me appeared in front of me, and then it went inside¡­. What is it?¡± Eugene stopped his exnation and turned towards Kristina, who was slowly shuffling towards him. Kristina¡¯s head was kept low until this point. Anise found this frustrating and decided to prompt her again. However, Kristina whipped her head upwards before Anise could call her name. She stared directly at Eugene¡¯s face with a light flush. ¡°¡­Haa.¡± She took a deep breath, then courageously stretched out her hands and grabbed Eugene¡¯s cheeks. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what Kristina was doing or if it was even Kristina who was in control of her body. ¡°¡­.What are you doing?¡± he asked since he couldn¡¯t call out Anise¡¯s name. Kristina mustered a little more courage and pushed her face closer to Eugene. Her hands conveyed the soft sensation from their target, and Eugene¡¯s transformation was made even more apparent at such a close distance. Kristina gulped and stared right into Eugene¡¯s eyes. His brilliant golden eyes would shine even in the darkness. [His hair!] cried Anise, sounding desperate. There was no helping it. Kristina had been reluctant because of her embarrassment, but she could not disobey the Sister¡¯smand. While thinking so, Kristina carefully repositioned her left hand behind Eugene¡¯s head. Then, she gently scratched Eugene¡¯s scalp while sweeping through his hair. ¡°¡­..¡± Everyone was left speechless by her sudden action, and Eugene felt more shocked than anyone else. He felt goosebumps rising on his skin. Was this how a prey felt after being captured by a predator? Eugene immediately took several steps back from Kristina. ¡°W-w-what is it?¡± he stammered. ¡°¡­Ehem.¡± Btedlying to her senses, Kristina cleared her throat before shaking her head. ¡°It¡¯s a relief.¡± She gave a saintly smile while sweeping her hair with her fingers. ¡°There might have been something wrong with your body after not ingesting any food and water for three days, right? But from what I can tell from checking, Sir Eugene, you arepletely fine.¡± Kristina gave a convincing reason, and it was also true that she had checked his condition by touching him. This wasn¡¯t something to be ashamed of, and when she thought of it that way, it felt as if her flush was fading away. [You should have touched his lips, too¡­] muttered Anise in disappointment. The image of Eugene¡¯s lips fluttered like a mirage in Kristina¡¯s mind when she heard Anise¡¯s words. It had been half a year already, but the texture of the kiss deeply engraved in her mind resurfaced and caused Kristina¡¯s lips to tingle. ¡°L-let¡¯s pray,¡± Kristina said suddenly. Kristina found it impossible to raise her head anymore, so she bowed deeply and knelt on the spot. ¡°L-let¡¯s pray to the Light for allowing Sir Eugene¡¯s safe return a-and¡­ allowing him to ovee the trial of the Dark Room.¡± No one kneeled in response to her sudden prayer, but Kristina continued to pray until the heat of her face cooledpletely. *** ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± As soon as the group left the Lionheart family¡¯s treasure vault and came up from the basement, Mer shouted while running down the red-carpeted stairs from the main hall, where arge portrait of Vermouth was hanging. ¡°Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene!¡± Mer looked tearful, and it was obvious why. She had clearly been worried that Eugene had note out of the Dark Room for three whole days. Eugene tookrge steps forward and opened his arms wide without saying a word. Mer floundered down and jumped when there were a few steps remaining. She did not use magic at that moment, and Eugene knew well that she was making a silent request with her teary eyes. A thin gust of wind enveloped her, and Mer¡¯s small body was guided to Eugene under its care. Mer wrapped her little arms around Eugene before he could. ¡°Doesn¡¯t it smell?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°It smells like you, Sir Eugene,¡± answered Mer. ¡°Not that, like a stinky smell,¡± said Eugene. ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± responded Mer with her face buried in his chest. Eugene had worried that the smell of sweat and the impurities would remain even after he washed his clothes with magic, but he sighed with relief after hearing Mer¡¯s answer. ¡°By the way, Sir Eugene. You¡¯ve changed a bit. Your chest is softer than usual,¡±mented Mer. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Your chest was always hard because of your muscles, but now, it¡¯s soft. Well, it¡¯s not super soft, but¡­.¡± Mer paused, then raised her head. Then, after poking Eugene¡¯s chest a few times, she buried her face once more. ¡°It¡¯s more stic than soft. It¡¯s addictive.¡± Eugene had been aware of this fact somewhat. His joints were much stronger than before, and the muscles surrounding them felt more flexible and stic. His previous bones and muscles had been good enough, but his current body was just perfect. It was better than anything Eugene could have imagined. ¡°¡­..¡± Mer wasn¡¯t the only one who came running. This was the home of the Lionheart family¡¯s main branch, so it naturally housed members of the Lionheart family. Cyan crept backward after stopping himself in the middle of the stairs. Behind him was arge portrait of the Great Founder, Vermouth. It was definitely a shameful thing to be retreating in front of the founder¡¯s portrait, but Cyan could not continue forward, for he felt chills as he stared at his sister¡¯s back. Cyan didn¡¯t even want to imagine his sister¡¯s expression. ¡®I want to touch him too.¡¯ Ciel¡¯s thoughts were quite simple. However, the various ideas derived from this single thought were quiteplex. Mer Merdein, the wicked summon. Had they not gotten along well thest six months? They had shared amon enemy in Auxiliary Bishop Kristina. Kristina was granted ess to the entrance of the Dark Room because she was good at healing magic, while Ciel and Mer were ignored. Mer had needed someone to gossip about the two-faced Saint, who dared tomand her, a personal creation of Sienna the Wise, and Eugene, who dared to turn his eyes elsewhere. Ciel had needed information about what exactly Eugene did in Yuras, as well as information about the Saint Candidate who tried to act so cutely with her smile. So naturally, she did not mind ying nice and going along with Mer¡¯s gossip in the process. However, their rtionship had always been shallow, weak enough to break with just a little emotion. Just look. Mer Merdein ¡ª a 200-year-old summon who only looked like a child on the surface. Wasn¡¯t she just an old hag with the skin of a child? ¡®How insidious,¡¯Ciel thought. Mer was practically digging into Eugene¡¯s chest with her face buried, and Ciel could only see her action as a tant disy of flirtation and a challenge to herself. She wanted to do the same to Eugene if she only had the chance. ¡®stic chest? Addiction? What the hell is that?¡¯ Ciel was a child of the prestigious Lionheart family, which meant that she had been educated in mannerisms ever since she was a child. It wasn¡¯t like she was still an ignorant teenager. How could she do such a clueless, shameful thing as a 20-year-old, especially in the presence of her beloved father, uncle, and respected Lady Carmen? ¡°Oh, dear. Sir Eugene.¡± Kristina Rogeris called out. She turned her gaze towards Ciel, standing frozen on the stairs. Then, keeping her gaze fixed, she took a step and sped Eugene¡¯s arm. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t overdo it. You haven¡¯t eaten or drank in three days, right?¡± Her words were nothing special, only spoken out of concern. She was only helping him for fear of him stumbling. However, Ciel did not see it as such. To her, it felt as if time had slowed down. In Ciel¡¯s eyes, Kristina was the opposite of a Saint, a wicked woman frolicking with Eugene¡¯s arm as she wished. ¡®¡­Wait. He hasn¡¯t eaten or drank for three days?¡¯ A glimmer appeared in Ciel¡¯s eyes, and her fists stopped quivering. ¡°Let¡¯s get you back to your room first. Lie downfortably, and I will bring soft food that won¡¯t burden your stomach,¡± Kristina continued. ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± However, she was interrupted by Ciel¡¯sugh. Time resumed flowing at a normal pace, and Ciel continued down the rest of the steps with an elegant gait and approached Eugene. ¡°Lady Ciel, why are youughing?¡± asked Kristina with a slight frown. ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything, do you? You want to feed him soft food when he¡¯s starved for three days?¡± Ciel asked in a mocking tone. ¡°He has fasted for too long. Anything else would burden his stomach,¡± retorted Kristina. ¡°Maybe for a normal person. But that¡¯s probably not true for him,¡± Ciel said, smiling at Eugene. ¡®¡­Ah.¡¯ Anci understood that her only daughter was a ck lion, but she did not want her daughter¡¯s precious, green youth to be exhausted by hard training. As such, she regrly sent expensive hard-procured cosmetics to Ciel to protect her daughter¡¯s beauty. So Ciel was beautiful and appealing, a fact she was well aware of. But¡­. ¡®¡­This brat. Was his skin always this clear?¡¯ Although Ciel¡¯s skin was spotless and bouncy despite her daily training, she felt insecure when she saw Eugene¡¯s skin up close. But she could not hesitate here. Ciel smiled as usual and pulled Eugene¡¯s wrist. ¡°Y-you like meat, right? Thick slices of meat. You¡¯re lucky. Older sis hasn¡¯t eaten anything either.¡± ¡°Why are you calling yourself older sis all of a sudden?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Why not? Doesn¡¯t it remind you of our childhood? Lady Carmen, Father, and Uncle. None of you have had anything to eat yet either, right?¡± asked Ciel. ¡°I had something to eat earlier¡­.¡± Gion stopped himself in the middle of his sentence. He saw Cyan desperately mouthing something at the top of the stairs, as well as a chilling light in Ciel¡¯s eyes. ¡°¡­but my stomach must be working harder than usual. I¡¯m hungry again, all because of you.¡± Gion quickly grasped the situation, having taught Ciel and Cyan when they were kids. As such, he patted Eugene on the shoulder before continuing. ¡°Why don¡¯t we all go together? Brother, I mean, family head, would that be all right with you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no reason to refuse, is there?¡± answered Gilead. In the end, it was decided that they would eat together at the family dining room, or the Lionheart¡¯s dining table, to be precise. Kristina stopped in her ce, knowing that she was a foreigner. [You were toocent, Kristina.] Anise mumbled while clicking her tongue. An ordinary person? Both Anise and Kristina knew well that Eugene was by no means an ordinary person. It was just that they had wanted to be in his room alone, just them together, and to feed him food. ¡®I won.¡¯ Ciel smiled triumphantly while taking the lead. But instead of following her, Eugene turned to look at Kristina. ¡°Can''t she just eat with us as well?¡± he asked. ¡°What!?¡± Ciel asked, looking back with disbelief. ¡°Of course, she can. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m rather worried that the Saint Candidate might feel ufortable,¡± answered Gilead. He wasn¡¯t someone who would forbid her from eating with them because she wasn¡¯t a part of the family. Just as he said, he had simply been worried that she would feel burdened and ufortable eating with the family. ¡°Then why don¡¯t we ask her? What do you want to do?¡± Eugene directed the second question at Kristina. ¡°What¡­ what?¡± Kristina had not been expecting an invitation. Over the past half a year, Kristina had always dined in the dining room prepared for guests. But if she set a precedent today, she could continue to sit at the Lionheart family¡¯s table in the future as well. [Kristina!] shouted Anise urgently. ¡°Thank you for inviting me,¡± said Kristina before bowing her head. Ciel¡¯s shoulders trembled with anger. Favorite Chapter 217: A Signature (1)

Chapter 217: A Signature (1)

In Sienna¡¯s Mansion, within the Magic Kingdom of Aroth. This mansion, which the Wise Sienna had actually lived in hundreds of years ago, was treated like a holynd by the many wizards who lived in or were visiting Aroth. As a result, the mansion was opened daily as a tourist attraction for twelve hours, from noon until midnight, and was closed to visitors during the early hours of the day. However, even among Aroth¡¯s countless tourist attractions, this mansion overflowed with tourists every day, so there was no guarantee that one would be able to enter the mansion even if one waited patiently for the entire twelve hours. So the young wizards who could visit the Wise Sienna¡¯s mansion had usually started waiting in front of the mansion gates from the dawn of the previous day. Even now, that was still the case. If one looked out the window, one would see that the wide square outside of the mansion¡¯s front courtyard was packed full of wizards'' heads. ¡°Was that chick Sienna, really all that much?¡± Anise muttered to herself in a grumbling tone. She shook her head as she closed the slight gap in the curtains, ¡°No matter how much I think about it, I can¡¯t help but feel that Sienna¡¯s reputation among the future generation is overblown[1].¡± ¡°It¡¯s not overblown,¡± Mer denied sulkily. ¡°Lady Sienna is such a great person who deserves this much respect. The Circle Magic Form that Lady Sienna created is said to have advanced the field of magic by five hundred years.¡± ¡°Little Miss Familiar, if you mumble like that, we won¡¯t be able to hear anything. If you want to say something to me, speak louder. Look me straight in the eyes when you speak,¡± Anise instructed as she tilted her head consideringly and stared down at Mer. Mer¡¯s shoulders trembled under her cool blue eyes. Mer began crossing her legs and fiddling with her fingers unconsciously¡­ while instead lowering her head even further. Anise snorted at this sight and sat down on the window sill. ¡°Could you really be that upset that I insulted the mother who gave birth to you?¡± Anise asked in disbelief. ¡°I know that Sienna is your mother, but before that, Sienna and I were very close friends.¡± ¡°...Lady Sienna¡­ isn¡¯t my mother¡­,¡± Mer mumbled hesitantly. Anise scoffed, ¡°Since she created you, what else can you call her but your mother? In any case, whatever I say about my friend is just my personal opinion, so please don¡¯t feel the need to argue with me.¡± ¡°Uw¡­,¡± Mer just pointed instead of saying anything further. Though she had used the wordoverblown, Anise didn¡¯t seriously think that was the case. It was just that Anise found itical that these young wizards, who were waiting outside her mansion even when it was this early in the morning, were giving such blind respect to Sienna, whom Anise clearly remembered as a bit of a punk. Of course, Anise had also received such respect in Yuras. But unlike Sienna, Anise hadn¡¯t left behind any teaching materials for her posterity. In the first ce, faith was the most important foundation for divine magic, so it was difficult to leave behind any teaching materials for future generations like you could with ordinary magic. So all Anise could do was write down a few lines or passages of scripture for her posterity. Naturally, Anise didn¡¯t enjoy having to write down any passages to be recorded in the scriptures. Although the Pope and the Cardinals of that time had begged her to write down a few lines, what she had written were really just a few empty lines whose contents were vague and airy without any true intentions or sincerity. The words filled with Anise¡¯s sincerity and the truth were actually written down into a children¡¯s tale instead of a scripture. ¡°Although this is my first timeing here¡­ I feel the same sense of nostalgia as if long ago I visited this ce several times,¡± Anise observed. ¡°Nostalgia?¡± Mer repeated. ¡°Yep.¡± Anise sighed, ¡°Back then, Sienna was busy with her magic research while I was busy drinking alcohol.¡± ¡°...Drinking alcohol¡­,¡± Mer mumbled in disappointment. Aniseughed, ¡°It¡¯s just a joke. Though admittedly, not much of one. In any case, both she and I had a lot of eyes on us, and I also had to serve as a Symbol of Peace and Light during that post-war era, so it was hard for me to get away from Yuras. As such, it was rare for me to be able to meet Sienna in person, so most of ourmunication was done through magic.¡± The distance between Aroth and Yuras wasrge enough that it would take an exceedingly long journey to cross it, and in that era, with the chaos that followed the sudden end of the war, the peace between countries was still unstable. Warp-gates had now been opened, connecting different countries and cities, but warp-gates didn¡¯t exist in that post-war era. That made it even more difficult for them to meet each other. As such, Sienna had presented Anise with a crystal ball that she had personally enchanted. Though it had the w of requiringrge amounts of mana, such a drawback was meaningless for Sienna and Anise. Although it wasn¡¯t as often as seeing each other every day, this still allowed them to chat often. They exchanged insignificant gossip and whined to each other. They also shared all the stories they hadn¡¯t shared or couldn¡¯t share when the five of them wandered around the devildom together. ¡ªThat Hamel was a real asshole. One day, Sienna had called Anise while drunk. There was no need to even ask what was going on. Her face was dyed red with intoxication, and she continued to chug huge gulps of alcohol even in the middle of the call. Thinking back on it now, it seemed quite creepy, but Sienna had been crying while rubbing her cheek against the ne that held Hamel¡¯s soul sealed within. She then proceeded to talk a lot about their sole deceasedrade. Hamel didn¡¯t have any family, nor did he have any descendants. Although he might still be remembered in the current time, it was clear that as things stood, he would surely be forgotten someday. Anise and Sienna didn¡¯t like the thought of that. They considered themselves failures. Although they had sworn to y all of the Demon Kings, they couldn¡¯t kill them all. Sienna and Anise were well aware that the current peace had been obtained due to the whims and mercy of the Demon King of Incarceration. The world was praising the four people who had returned from the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Caste as heroes. There were many questions about what had happened in the devildom, what kind of hardships and adversity they had gone through in order to reach the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle ¡ª no, in order to save the world. But the four survivors had never once properly answered such questions. The whole world had praised their journey and its ending as some glorious feat, but for them, their journey and its ending were a disgraceful failure. ¡ªI don¡¯t want to write an autobiography. It¡¯s condescending and feels like I¡¯m trying to put a nice spin on it. I also don¡¯t want to leave the story of my failure for the future generations to read. Anise, how about you? ¡ªThey¡¯re preparing a new version of the Scriptures of the Light, and they keep saying they want to put my biography into it, calling it the Gospel of Anise. They even want me to include a lot of good words for the future generations. ¡ªDid you agree to it? ¡ªAre you insane? They even knelt down in front of me and begged, so I just poured my beer on him and boxed him in the ear. As they were exchanging such stories¡­. ¡ªHow about a fairy tale? Without revealing who wrote it, let¡¯s secretly spread it into the world. We¡¯ll talk about just how much bullshit we went through in Helmuth. ¡ªIs this for Hamel¡¯s sake? ¡ª...Well¡­ he¡¯s already dead, but¡­ if we continue to remain silent about it, the people of the world won¡¯t even know how he died, right? I¡­ I don¡¯t want Hamel to be forgotten. From then on, Sienna started writing the fairy tale as her hobby and would ask Anise to review the draft for support. Naturally, Anise didn¡¯t just read it but instead added more words of her own ord. Then she would return the manuscript to Sienna, who would read it and add even more words¡­. Obviously, the initial purpose of it was to prevent Hamel from being forgotten. It was also to put out their answer to the world of what the Hero and hispanions had gone through in the Devildom of Helmuth. However¡­. Somewhere in the middle of all that, a lot of selfish interests and other such rubbish got mixed into it. ¡®Thanks to that, he is still remembered as the Stupid Hamel even after three hundred years have passed, so wasn¡¯t it a good thing in the end?¡¯Anise thought to herself as she looked around the room. It was a familiar sight. Sienna¡¯s room looked just as she had seen it through the crystal ball hundreds of years ago. Sienna had used to study magic or continue writing the fairy tale untilte at night with their crystal balls still connected. The ce where Sienna had been sitting during those times¡­ was where Eugene was currently sitting. Eugene was presently deep in thought as he had Akasha slung over his shoulder. The reason he had left the Lionheart estate ande here to Aroth was to seek advice from Lovellian and the other Tower Masters regarding aSignature. A Signature was a spell that could be used as a symbol of an Archwizard who had reached the Eighth Circle. It needed to be an original spell created by the Archwizard themself. It was a realization of all the magic they had learned and what they had been pursuing their whole life. A Signature was a great spell that the Archwizard themself must be proud of and not something to be used lightly, but if and when it was used, it must be able to create a phenomenon that corresponded to its importance. In the present, the standard for anArchwizardwas reaching the Eighth Circle, and Eugene had yet to have reached the Eighth Circle. However, the Ring me Form that had been conceived by incorporating Witchcraft¡¯s Eternal Hole allowed Eugene to perform magic of a much higher rank than his current one. Then there was Akasha. With this extravagant staff that had been created using an entire Dragonheart, and along with Mer¡¯s assistance, he was able to cast spells up to the Seventh Circle without any burden. ¡®Although Eighth Circle spells are impossible,¡¯Eugene thought. In the first ce, a catalog of Eighth Circle spells hadn¡¯t been clearly established. This was because wizards who had reached such a high level preferred to invent fun spells that were more suitable for themselves rather than casting any generic spells. That was why Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to cast any Eighth Circle spells, no matter how useful the Ring me Form and Akasha were. It was a simple enough reason. Eighth Circle spells couldn¡¯t be used without first reaching that stage yourself. So no matter how deeply and intricately Akasha enabled him to understand the spell, the Circles he created inside his body weren¡¯t able to cast such magic. ¡°...Ugggghhh¡­.¡± He had lost count of how many moans he had let out. Not long after Eugene had ovee the Dark Room, a letter had arrived from the Red Tower Master in Aroth, Lovellian. The letter had been sent as a polite inquiry to check if he was doing well, and Eugene had included in his reply the news that he had reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form. Then after a few days, another letter arrived in return. The letter started with congrattions for his phenomenal achievement and proceeded to ask if he had any spare time to visit Aroth and work on creating his Signature. When they received this news from Aroth, Anise had been even happier than Mer to ept the invitation. Her reason was that she wanted to visit Sienna¡¯s mansion. This wasn¡¯t a very difficult request for Eugene to fulfill. He had been recognized by the Royal Family of Aroth as the heir of the Wise Sienna, so with just a word, he could enter the mansion in the early hours of the morning when it was supposed to be closed. While Anise[2]and Mer were taking a look around the empty mansion and reminiscing, Eugene took a seat and started thinking about his Signature. ¡®....A Signature, huh¡­.¡¯ Almost all of the spells that Eugene had used so far had been learned from Akron, and Eugene himself had never once created a spell of his own. Also, Eugene didn¡¯t think he had the kind of ir or talent that was needed for such a creation. What about the fact that he was able to learn magic so quickly? That was just because Eugene had been born with the ability to perfectly sense, control, and manipte mana. It was easy for him to learn the already established spells with this talent, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t so easy for him to get the hang of creating a new spell that hadn¡¯t existed before. ¡®But that doesn¡¯t mean I can just give up,¡¯Eugene continued pondering. He wouldn''t have been so ambitious if he didn¡¯t have any talent for magic or had never learned any magic in the first ce. However, Eugene had already reached the rank just below an Archwizard in terms of magic, and because of that, he couldn¡¯t give up on creating a Signature. Naturally, what Eugene wanted wasn¡¯t the recognition of being called an Archwizard. Eugene was focused on a Signature¡¯s uniqueness and surprise factor. Although he had heard what the phantasm of Vermouth had to say, Eugene still wanted to kill all of the Demon Kings. Especially the Demon King of Incarceration. In order to get to him, Eugene would first have to reach the Demon King¡¯s castle, Babel, and he would then need to climb to the top to enter Incarceration¡¯s royal chambers. And like Vermouth had warned him, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t just watch quietly as Eugene climbed Babel. ¡®But the biggest obstacle to climbing Babel will, of course, be that bastard, the de of Incarceration,¡¯grumbled Eugene. In his previous life, Hamel had been weaker than the de of Incarceration. That was an undeniable fact. But if he could create a viable Signature, it would definitely be able to serve as a wild card during his fight against the de of Incarceration. ¡®And Raizakia. It shoulde in handy when the timees to catch that viper bastard as well.¡¯ The chair that he had been leaning back in tilted upright again. ording to Mer, Sienna hadid the foundations of Witchcraft and the Eternal Hole while sitting at this desk and chair in this mansion. Although it wasn¡¯t often that he believed in things like superstitions, Eugene had hoped that something might light up inside his head like a sudden stroke of inspiration if he sat here and thought deeply about it¡­. ¡°...Hey, Anise,¡± Eugene called out as he shook his head, which was aching from concentrating too hard. ¡°What is it?¡± Anise, who had been sitting on a nearby window sill, replied as she turned to look at Eugene. ¡°About the portrait of Sienna that¡¯s hanging over there. Don¡¯t you think that it looks a bit cheeky?¡± Arge portrait of Sienna was hanging on the opposite wall. It depicted Sienna with an uncharacteristically benevolent smile. Perhaps because his head was crammed full of thoughts about his Signature, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel that that smile was very provocative. ¡°Sienna always looked cheeky,¡± Anise pointed out. ¡°That might be true, but seeing her smile like that feels a bit more unpleasant,¡± Eugene grumbled as he got up from the chair. Since Anise and Mer had already finished looking around the mansion, there was no longer any need to stay here. Before they left the room, Eugene took one more nce at the portrait hanging on the wall. Although this was a sentiment he had already felt many times before, the smile depicted in the portrait felt awkward to Eugene. Although it was true that a benevolent smile like that didn¡¯t seem to suit Sienna, Eugene also felt a sorrowful and empty emotion that was uncharacteristic of Sienna in that smile. Eugene¡¯s mood worsened whenever he saw this. It made him recall the sight of Sienna¡¯s face when Hamel was dying, her tears falling down as she begged him not to die. And it resembled her crying face when they met inside the World Tree when she kept apologizing even though she had nothing to apologize for. ¡°...Next time,¡± Eugene muttered to himself in a low voice as he ced Akasha back inside his cloak. He didn¡¯t know when it might be, but when they next met¡­ Eugene had the idea that once Sienna was released from the seal, he wanted toe to this mansion with her. He would stand Sienna in front of that portrait and point to it. Eugene wanted to tease her as they looked at that stupid smile together. ¡°Where are you going now?¡± Anise asked. ¡°To the Red Tower of Magic,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°But since there¡¯s no reason for us to go there together, you can go find another inn to¡ª¡± Anise interrupted him, ¡°But there¡¯s no real reason for us to separate, now, is there? Could it be that Aroth¡¯s Towers of Magic are so miserly that they don¡¯t even have a single room they can lend to foreign guests?¡± ¡°If we ask, then he should lend us one, but¡­,¡± Eugene stopped grumbling as he saw something ahead of them. They had left the mansion and started walking down the street while it was still mostly night. Pentagon was the Capital City of Aroth, which was called the Magic Kingdom. The view of these streets illuminated at night was beautiful enough to be called a tourist attraction in and of themselves, but currently, it was early in the morning, so the only light that was illuminating the street was a pale streetlight. Below that streetlight, a woman was standing there wearing a coat that was sorge that its hem touched the ground. Her eyes were covered by a butterfly-shaped mask, and then she had worn a mask below it to make for an even more suspicious appearance. Eugene stood there dumbfounded as he stared at the woman. Mer, who had been walking beside him instead of getting into his cloak, tugged on Eugene¡¯s sleeve. ¡°What on earth could she be doing standing there?¡± Mer asked him. ¡°Pretend you don¡¯t know her,¡± Eugene instructed as he immediately turned around. In order to get to the Red Tower of Magic, they needed to go in the direction of where the woman was standing, but Eugene thought it would be less of a bother to just go around her than to be caught by that half-witted, crazy woman. ¡°Why are you ignoring me?!¡± the woman suddenly cried out as she ran out from beneath the streetlight. The identity of this woman was Melkith El-Hayah, the White Tower Master. Melkith continued, ¡°Lionheart brat, I¡¯m talking to you. Of course, I knew you wouldn¡¯t be surprised by my identity. You¡¯re extremely sharp, so I knew that you would recognize me no matter what disguise I had on. But don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going too far by just ignoring me?¡± ¡°Then how on earth were you expecting me to react to you?¡± Eugene demanded exasperatedly. ¡°White Tower Master, what in the world are you doing here? Couldn¡¯t you have asked me something like that? Then I could haveughed, taken off my mask, and shown you the joke I had prepared,¡± Melkith said as she lifted her butterfly mask up slightly and nced at Eugene. She still hadn¡¯t lowered the mask that she was wearing on the bottom half of her face as she asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what kind of joke I had prepared?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m not curious at all,¡± Eugene easily denied. ¡°Can¡¯t you at least pretend to be curious?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to.¡± Eugene continued to stride forward without even looking at Melkith. Melkith felt like her insides burning up at his callous reaction, but she didn¡¯t give up and even used a spell to block Eugene¡¯s way forward. ¡°Am I pretty?¡± Melkith asked as she tilted her head to the side and lowered her mask. Her lips were torn open on both sides. No, they just looked like they had been torn. It was truly an unnecessarily realistic illusion. Neither Eugene nor Mer nor Anise showed any reaction to Melkith¡¯s face. In this early morning, under the pale streetlights, it had been boring to just wait there silently, so Melkith had prepared a joke that she thought matched well with this dreary autumn atmosphere, but¡­. Melkith just stood there silently for a few moments before she erased the illusion on her cheeks with a light flick of her finger. She then changed her expression as if to pretend that nothing had happened. ¡°I am the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah,¡± Melkith introduced herself with a confident smile as she offered a hand to Kristina. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot about you as Yuras¡¯ Saint Candidate. It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you.¡± Currently, the one controlling Kristina¡¯s body was Ansie. She just stared at Melkith without a single trace of amusement on her face. Anise didn¡¯t have the slightest desire to understand what kind of joke Melkith had just attempted to pull. However, she was wary of the fact that Melkith¡¯s appearance was quite beautiful and that Melkith had openly approached Eugene and tried to pull a joke on him. But while Anise might be wary of Melkith, she wouldn¡¯t immediately expose this fact. Anise¡¯s personality wasn¡¯t that shallow. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you too,¡± Anice responded to Melkith¡¯s greeting with a broad smile on her previously expressionless face. Eugene finally asked, ¡°What are you doing here? With that look, it doesn¡¯t seem like you¡¯re just out taking a walk at night.¡± ¡°Why would you ask something so obvious?¡± Melkith scoffed. ¡°I was waiting for you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I was asking. Why are you waiting for us here?¡± Eugene insisted exasperatedly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the news from the Red Tower Master. You, you¡¯re trying to create a Signature, right?¡± Melkith asked with a proud smile as she leaned over to Eugene. ¡°But a Signature isn¡¯t something you can create just because you¡¯ve decided you want one, right? So ¡ª that ¡ª is ¡ª why, this Archwizard and Super Spirit Summoner, you big sis Melkith, will help you¡ª¡± ¡°No need,¡± Eugene cut her off before she could finish. ¡°Hey, how stubborn¡­. What¡¯s so bad about getting some help from an adult?¡± Melkith pouted. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Eugene said with a shrug. ¡°There¡¯s no way you would offer me a gift without any strings attached, Lady Melkith[3], so what is it that you want from me now?¡± ¡°Just what in the world do you see me as, huh? I just, I really wanted to help you out of the goodness of my heart,¡± Melkith righteously imed. ¡°Liar. You¡¯re going to request something from meter on the pretext that you helped me now, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯ve already used the excuse of teaching the elves magic to visit the forest in our estate regrly, so what else do you want?¡± Eugene demanded as he narrowed his eyes and red at Melkith. ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that it¡¯s not that?¡± Melkith fired back. ¡°I just want to help you. Do you really think I¡¯m always trying to get something from you? As your distant senior, I just want to help out a junior wizard.¡± Eugene still insisted doubtfully, ¡°There¡¯s no way, it¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°If I had to say something, then I can¡¯t deny that I have the slight desire to dye your Signature with my color. Won¡¯t that make it easier for me to get some benefits from your reputation in the future? As the kind senior wizard who helped the Archwizard Eugene Lionheart develop his Signature, is what I mean,¡± Melkith said with a sly smile as she poked Eugene in the side with her elbow. Her personality and behavior might be a bit strange, but Melkith herself wasn¡¯t fundamentally a bad person¡­ or at least that¡¯s what Eugene thought. [Her behavior isn¡¯t just strange. It¡¯s crazy. Aside from her talent as a Spirit Summoner, this human named Melkith El-Hayah is the shame of all Spirit Summoners,] Tempest grumbled his opinion inside Eugene¡¯s head. Chapter 218: A Signature (2)

Chapter 218: A Signature (2)

Most wizards¡¯ biological clocks were broken, with the days and nights reversed. As such, most Towers of Magic, including the Red Tower of Magic, didn¡¯t impose any curfews. Of course, there was a strict security system for entering the tower, but Eugene, as a disciple of the Tower Master, wasn¡¯t impeded by this security system. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± asked the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis. While he was happy to reunite with his disciple after such a long time, Lovellian was still taken aback by the sight of Melkith standing beside Eugene without any apparentpunctions. tantly furrowing his brow, Lovellian scanned Melkith from head to toe. ¡°Did you drink too much during the night? But no matter how much you drank, you must have confused the Red Tower of Magic with the White Tower of Magic¡­. I¡¯ll immediately contact the White Tower of Magic and summon a wizard to take you home,¡± Lovellian offered. ¡°Red Tower Master, why are you acting like that when it¡¯s just us?¡± Melkith said with a pout. ¡°No way. Are you joking with me right now? Sorry, since it¡¯s so rare to see you joking around, it seems that I¡¯m having trouble understanding¡ª¡± Lovellian quickly rified, ¡°I¡¯m telling you to go back home.¡± ¡°Oh,e on¡­ not again. There¡¯s no need for such harsh words between friends, hm?¡± Melkith said in a cutesy tone as she shot Lovellian a yful wink. At this wink, Lovellian staggered a few steps backward with a disgusted look on his face. Still, the fact that he didn¡¯t deny the words ¡®between friends¡¯ was proof that Lovellian was also one of the few wizards with unusual personalities. After clearing the disgust from his expression, he turned to Kristina and introduced himself with a weing smile, ¡°Ah¡­ I¡¯m sorry for thete greeting. My name is Lovellian Sophis, the current Master of the Red Tower of Magic.¡± Then Kristina also replied to his greeting with a faint smile and a slight bow of her head, ¡°My name is Kristina Rogeris.¡± Lovellian politely inquired, ¡°How would you like me to address you? As far as I¡¯m aware, you still hold the position of Auxiliary Bishop of the Alcarte Parish. So shall I call you by your title as the Auxiliary Bishop? Or else, would you prefer for me to call you the Saint Candidate?¡± ¡°It should be announced soon, but I have already stepped down from my position as the Auxiliary Bishop of Alcarte,¡± Kristina informed him. ¡°Also, the title of Saint Candidate sounds a bit overly polite for casual conversation.¡± ¡°In that case, would it be alright with you if I called you Lady Kristina?¡± ¡°It would be my honor for the Red Tower Master of Aroth to address me by my name, and I would be very thankful for it.¡± Melkith, who had been quietly listening to their conversation, waved her hand in front of her face and tilted her head towards Eugene, ¡°Phew, don¡¯t you think such a conversation is a bittoopolite?¡± ¡°I think it might be that Lady Melkith is the one who¡¯s a bit toocking in respect for others,¡± Eugene opined. ¡°I am a person who prefers to show her respect through actions instead of words,¡± Melkith defended herself as she threw her head back with augh. There was no way that Lovellian wouldn¡¯t hear her mutters. He red at Melkith with open irritation in his narrowed eyes, only for Melkith to pretend not to notice and point at the floor with her finger. ¡°Red Tower Master, I heard that your disciple is nning to start creating his own Signature? As a wizard and his senior, I also n to provide some support, so let¡¯s head straight down to thebs right away,¡± Melkith suggested. ¡°What are you saying now aftering here so early in the morning,¡± Lovellianined. ¡°In any case, it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going to sleep right now, is it? Is there any reason for us to procrastinate? The underground researchboratories of the Red Tower of Magic are said to be especially sturdy, so let¡¯s go take a look,¡± Melkith proposed eagerly, but Eugene had no intention of granting her wishes. Although he wouldn¡¯t be tired out even if he stayed up all night, Eugene felt that that wasn¡¯t any reason not to get some sleep. Melkith squawked in protest, but Eugene and Kristina just went to their allocated rooms and got somete rest. ¡°As I¡¯ve always said, young people these days don¡¯t know how to cherish their time. They don¡¯t even need to rest, so why go and get some sleep? It¡¯s just a waste of time,¡± Melkith scolded. Eugene yawned, ¡°You really do speak like an old-timer.¡± Melkith yelped, ¡°An old¡ª! As your senior wizard, I will give you some advice that you should make sure sticks in your head[1].¡± ¡°Talking like that just makes you sound even more of an old-timer.¡± When Eugene teased her like this, Melkith had to grit her teeth as her two fists trembled in anger. ¡®Who are you to call someone old-timer¡­?¡¯ Mer, whose head was the only thing sticking out from a hole in Eugene¡¯s cloak, resisted the urge to roast Eugene with these words rolling around inside her head and could only pout her lips instead. In Mer¡¯s view, the way Eugene looked during the times he regrly motivated Cyan back at the main estate more than qualified him to be called an old-timer, and the things that Anise would sometimes say after arbitrarily controlling Krisitna¡¯s mouth didn¡¯t leave her far behind. ¡°Do you have any preliminary ideas for your Signature?¡± Lovellian asked as he led them somewhere that wasn¡¯t deep underground. As Melkith had said, the Red Tower of Magic¡¯s basementboratories were extremely sturdy, and in the past, when Eugnee was still living in the Red Tower of Magic, he had also made use of them several times. However, no matter how sturdy a Tower of Magic¡¯s researchboratories were, if Eugene decided to fully unleash his mana, they would be destroyed even if he didn¡¯t cast a spell or use any sword-force. As Lovellian was also well aware of this fact, he instead led Eugene to the rooftop of the Red Tower of Magic instead of the underground researchboratories, which held the risk of copsing. This open rooftop area served as Lovellian¡¯s research area and practice room. ¡°Truthfully speaking, I¡¯m not sure where to even start thinking about it,¡± Eugene admitted. He had given it a lot of thought, but nothing, in particr, came to mind. Lovellian grinned and pulled a staff out from within his robe. With a light swing of his staff, he raised something like a transparent curtain that encircled the rooftop. He had cast a spell so that no one would be able to observe what was happening on the rooftop from the outside. ¡°Sir Eugene, due to your special circumstances, I felt that it would be even more likely for you to face such a problem,¡± Lovellian readily admitted. ¡°Special circumstances?¡± Eugene repeated. Lovellian nodded, ¡°Yes, there have been several warriors in this continent¡¯s history who could also use magic, but most of them have been prettyckluster, both in their skills as a warrior and as a wizard. Although they got some use from mixing the two skill sets, even speaking generously, they could hardly be called first-ss. That is, except for the ancestor of the Lionheart n, the Great Vermouth.¡± Lovellian was telling the truth. All of the Archwizards who had existed throughout history had been people who had solely walked on the path of magic with a single-minded focus. Simrly, those who had made a name for themselves as knights or warriors were the ones who had devoted their whole lives to eitherbat or martial arts. ¡°The people of the world are currently pointing to you, Sir Eugene, and calling you the Second Coming of the Great Vermouth. I also agree with them. In fact, though you just reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form at this young age, this only means that you¡¯ve reached the level of being able to freely cast the spells of the Seventh Circle, correct?¡± Lovellian urately assessed. ¡°Well, yes¡­,¡± Eugene humbly confirmed it. Lovelian nodded, ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re having such a hard timeing up with something, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene tilted his head to the side, unable to understand what Lovellian meant by these words. It was Lovellian who had taught Eugene the basics of magic and had broadened his foundation. While he couldn¡¯t bepared to Sienna, no one could deny that Lovellian was an exceptional wizard. So when such an Archwizard directly said that Eugene would have a ¡®hard time¡¯ with something like this, he couldn''t just take those words lightly. ¡°Where would you say the difficultyes from?¡± Eugene asked politely. ¡°The essence of magic is finding ways of doing things that you¡¯re unable to do,¡± Lovellian replied with a smile. As he thrust his staff forward, a whirlwind of mes began to churn out of the end of his staff. ¡°People can¡¯t just spray fire out of their hands without using a tool. However, if they use magic, they can start a fire all by themselves. In the end, that¡¯s what magic is all about. It¡¯s a skill that enables a person, no, enables you to do what you cannot do.¡± Eugene listened to Lovellian without interrupting him. Ending the demonstration, Lovellian continued, ¡°If I had to put it in simpler terms, I¡¯m not able to fly in the sky. However, if I use magic, I am able to fly up into the sky. If I just run normally, I¡¯ll be slower than a dog, let alone a horse, but if I use magic, I can move faster than anyone else.¡± ¡°I wondered what you were trying to say,¡± Melkith, who had been listening quietly, suddenly spoke up with a chuckle and raised a finger. ¡°Now then, take a look at this, kid. I¡¯m not a warrior, and I don¡¯t even have a Core. Although I¡¯m able to manipte the mana inside my body, I can¡¯t manifest a sword-force like warriors or knights can. However, if I use magic, I can make a de of mana that¡¯s simr to sword-force even if it¡¯s based on slightly different principles, no?¡± While her lips were moving, Melkith cast a spell, and her light blue mana coalesced ording to the spell form, bing a sharp de. That was definitely something different from sword-force, a de made of magic. ¡°This isn¡¯t sword-force,¡± Melkith unknowingly agreed. ¡°However, it¡¯s as sharp and as strong as sword-force. While I might still lose to you, I¡¯m sure I¡¯d at least be able to fake a sword fight with an ordinary knight.¡± ¡°...Ahah,¡± Eugene understood what the two were trying to say. Eugene wasn¡¯t an ordinary wizard. If he needed a sharp de or a powerful attack, he didn¡¯t need to wring out a new form and cast a spell. He could just manifest his sword-force. If he wanted to run fast, he didn¡¯t need to use any speed-rted spells; he just needed to start operating the White me Form and run. His distinction between what could be done and what could not be done was different from ordinary wizards. ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯re having such a hard time with it,¡± Lovellian emphasized. ¡°Sir Eugene, for an Archwizard, the Signature is the essence of all the magic they¡¯ve umted over a lifetime of practice and research. Usually, after studying magic for decades, they specially tailor a spell that best suits themselves¡ª¡± Melkith interrupted him impatiently, ¡°In conclusion, brat, it¡¯s true that you¡¯re a strong wizard, but as a wizard, you¡¯re also really wed. So far, you¡¯ve never once properly conceived your own spells, and you¡¯ve never even felt the need to do so, right?¡± The answer was undeniable. Even in his previous life, Eugene had been a warrior. The same went for the life he had led after being reincarnated. He knew that magic was both convenient and strong, but his magic had never once been the main focus in the battles that Eugene had fought thus far. Seeing as this was the case, he had never researched any new spells, nor had he felt the need to do so. ¡°...Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Eugene eventually admitted. ¡°To be honest, I find it morefortable to fight directly with my body than to use spells.¡± ¡°However, it¡¯s not like you don¡¯t use any magic at all, right?¡± Melkith prompted him. ¡°At the very least, it¡¯s overwhelmingly more efficient to use a spell when you need to fly through the air.¡± Eugene nodded thoughtfully, ¡°Yes¡­ and apart from that¡­ um¡­ when I need to attack my enemies from a distance¡­ and I also often use Blink to mix up my movements. I also like to use spatial magic to create diversions¡­.¡± The more he talked, the more Eugene¡¯s expression twisted into a grimace. No matter what angle he considered it from, Eugene thought that wasn¡¯t something that he should admit to in front of Lovellian, who had helped him a lot ever since he was young, who had epted him as a disciple, taught him magic, and had always been on his side. Although he couldn¡¯t tell what his master¡¯s inner thoughts were, didn¡¯t most teachers want their teachings to be valued by their disciples? ¡°That means to you, Sir Eugene, magic is only really used as an aid in battle,¡± Lovellian assessed thoughtfully. Eugene meekly responded, ¡°Yes¡­ I¡¯m sorry¡­.¡± ¡°Why are you apologizing?¡± Lovellian asked as he tilted his head with a puzzled expression. Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat and snuck a peek at Lovellian¡¯s reaction before replying, ¡°Well, you¡¯re the one who taught me most of the magic I know, Master. But doesn¡¯t this feel like I¡¯m neglecting the magic you taught me¡­?¡± Anise, who was watching through Kristina¡¯s eyes, felt quite pleased by this current situation. Hamel, who always seemed so violent and rambunctious, was filled with a curious concern in front of this neatly-trimmed wizard. On top of that, Hamel had even called him master? Though it was only natural for a disciple to be respectful towards his teacher, it was something that Anise couldn¡¯t imagine Hamel doing in his mercenary days. [I¡¯m the one who raised him into this,] Anise whispered to Kristina with a sense of pride and fulfillment. She wasn¡¯t lying. From the moment that Hamel had joined them as arade, Anise had spent a long time correcting his behavior and thoughts. His dirty mouth, which was the most problematic, had always resisted being corrected in the end, but since it seemed like he was worried about insulting his master, this could be called a sessful result. ¡°Sir Eugene, how one uses one¡¯s magic is entirely up to the wizard in question,¡± Lovellian said with a grin after understanding what Eugene was trying to say. ¡°While it¡¯s clear that I¡¯m the one who taught you magic, that doesn¡¯t mean I need you to be a pure wizard, Sir Eugene. In fact, I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t be such an ordinary wizard. Because it would be a waste of your talents if you were to solely be a wizard, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene coughed in embarrassment, ¡°Ahem¡­.¡± Noticing his embarrassment, Lovellian changed the subject, ¡°Sir Eugene, I¡¯ve already said this earlier, but a Signature is the essence of all the magic that a wizard has umted through practice and research. What¡¯s most important is what ¡®type¡¯ of magic the wizard himself has mainly been dealing with.¡± In Eugene¡¯s case, that was spells that assisted him inbat. ¡°Sir Eugene, you don¡¯t need to use magic for your attacks. Because rather than needing to use spells to attack, you are capable of creating stronger attacks without them. Ifbat assistance is all that you require, that is more than enough. That¡¯s all you need to determine the direction of your Signature,¡± Lovellian advised. ¡°Once you¡¯ve decided on a direction, you just have to work out a basic technique and then build it up. Magic is used to create a phenomenon that doesn¡¯t happen naturally, like lighting a spark in heavy rain or causing a blizzard in midsummer. So all you need to do ise up with a technique that can create such unnatural phenomena,¡± Melkith picked up the topic with a chuckle as she took off the coat that she was wearing. ¡°Since you won¡¯t get a good understanding if we just keep talking about it, allow this Archwizard and Great Spirit Summoner, Lady Melkith El-Hayah, to show you my Signature. You should be honored to know that, of all the people who have seen my Signature, only a few have survived.¡± Lovellian punctured her pretense, ¡°But it¡¯s not to the extent that it¡¯s all that rare. The other Tower Masters and Lord Trempel have also seen your Signature.¡± ¡°Stop saying such useless things and ruining the atmosphere when I¡¯m trying to show off!¡± Melkith shot a re at Lovellian before firming up her expression. ¡°Kid, as you may already know, I am the greatest Spirit Summoner in the history of this continent. I¡¯ve made contracts with the Spirit King of Lightning and the Spirit King of Earth. So in my case, my Signature naturally has something to do with my spirits. The name of this technique is¡­.¡± As Lovellian already knew what Melkith¡¯s Signature was, he quickly withdrew backward. He also gestured to Eugene and Kristina to follow his example. While Eugene followed the order and retreated, he kept looking at Melkith curiously as she stood proudly in the center of the tower¡¯s rooftop. Melkith called out the name of her technique, ¡°...Elemental Fusion, Trinity Force.¡± A light shed from Melkith¡¯s eyes. Boooom! In an instant, ck thunderclouds had formed in the skies above the Red Tower of Magic. Formidable amounts of mana engulfed Melkith¡¯s body. Then, the entirend surrounding the Red Tower of Magic began to rise. Melkith¡¯s body rose up until she was standing high in the sky. The earth that rose up from below wrapped around Melkith¡¯s body and began to form a particr shape. Boooom! Sparks flew as lightning from the thunderclouds coiled around the shape being formed from the earth. Eugene, Mer, and Kristina were all at a loss for words as they watched this scene. Melkith¡¯s figure could no longer be seen. No, could it really be called unseen? The shape that appeared in the skies above the Red Tower of Magic¡­ was a giant Melkith El-Hayah that had been made out of the soil. If someone had to describe it¡­ it looked like someone had sculpted a giant doll of her out of y. Although it was made up of earth, it didn¡¯t really have the color of dirt. This was the Elemental Fusion, Trinity Force. It looked as if Melkith had just be a giant. Of course, this wasn¡¯t the body of the real Melkith. Melkith stayed in the center of this gigantic earthen doll, and by linking her mind to the earthen doll¡¯s body, she was able to control it perfectly. Crouching in the air, Trinity Force, the giant Melkith, opened its mouth and asked¡­ ¡°Well, how is it?¡± Its smile was exactly the same as that of the smaller, human version of Melkith. ¡°I¡¯m talking about this voluptuous body made of dirt. It¡¯s a perfect recreation of my body¡¯s three sizes. I can also freely change its outfit to whatever I wish,¡± Melkith revealed. The three spectators on the rooftop couldn¡¯t say anything in response to Melkith¡¯s proud statements. ¡°Those aren¡¯t the only great things about my Signature!¡± Melkith continued excitedly. ¡°This body is no different from an incarnation of the Earth Spirit King, so while in this state, I can control the earth to my heart¡¯s content. And all the energy required to move this gigantic body is supplied by the power of the Lightning Spirit King!¡± Melkith stretched out one giant hand in a demonstration. As she snapped its index finger and thumb, a formidable force of lightning gathered at the fingertips. ¡°Fufufu! In the form of Trinity Force, I might be able to crush the Abram Royal Pce with just one gesture of my finger, no¡­?¡± Melkith trailed off thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that Lord Trempel isn¡¯t here to hear that,¡± Lovellianmented dryly. Melkith defended herself, ¡°Not even I would say something like that in front of the old man who¡¯s extremely loyal to the royal family, you know?¡± ¡°Then stop talking nonsense and get down here,¡± Lovellian impatiently instructed. ¡°White Tower Master, I¡¯ve already said this in the past, but while it¡¯s undeniable that your Signature is outstanding and impressive¡­ its outer appearance is disturbing.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my face you¡¯re talking about!¡± Melkith roared back. ¡°But there¡¯s no need to make it in your own image, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to love myself,¡± Melkith dered. The huge Melkith formed a cradle with her hands and rested her chin on it in a cute pose. Lovellian just made a disgusted expression and turned his gaze away from the sky. ¡°...Its outer appearance might be disturbing, but I think the White Tower Master¡¯s Signature will serve as a good example for you,¡± Lovellian reluctantly admitted. ¡°It is the essence of all the magic she has umted over the years and the embodiment of her ideals.¡± As Eugene scanned Trinity Force while holding Akasha, he found himself agreeing with Lovellian¡¯s words. An Elemental Fusion, this definitely wasn¡¯t a wrong description. Melkith had used herself as the center of the fusion tobine the Spirit King of Earth with the Spirit King of Lightning. It was close to impossible to create such an existence with just mana, so she had formed a body out of soil with the power of the Earth Spirit King and then used the lightning of the Lightning Spirit King as its power source. With that, Melkith was able to fully deploy the strength of both Spirit Kings while also supplementing them with her own magic. ¡°It¡¯s unfair that I¡¯m the only one showing off my secrets, Red Tower Master. Aren¡¯t you going to show yours as well?¡± Melkith goaded. Lovellian huffed, ¡°I was going to show them even without you pressing me.¡± After drawing a sufficient distance away from Eugene, he formed a hand sign with both hands. ¡°Pantheon,¡± Lovellian called out. There was no need for any long incantations ofplex spell forms with his Signature. The Red Tower Master, Lovellian¡¯s specialty was summoning magic. So his Signature, Pantheon, wasn¡¯t a spell that caused any phenomena, like the Signatures of other Archwizards, but instead was a spell that summoned creatures. Thanks to that, Lovellian¡¯s Pantheon had the advantage of overwhelming speed. In contrast, Melkith¡¯s Trinity Force couldn¡¯t help but require a lot more time for chanting and application. The same went for the Signatures of other Archwizards as well. However, Lovellioan¡¯s Signature could summon a ¡®door¡¯ from a different dimension just by forming a hand sign and calling out the namePantheon. Booom! A huge door fell from the sky. The door was covered inplex engravings. In the past, after Eugene¡¯s duel with Jeneric had ended, Jeneric, who had refused to ept the oue of the duel, restrained his hostility the moment that Lovellian descended onto the scene with Pantheon. That was just how unorthodox and terrifying Pantheon was. While overwhelming speed was one of its strengths, another strength that Pantheon had whenpared to other Signatures was its randomness and unpredictability. ¡°This door itself is a Summoning Object that I¡¯ve spent my whole life creating,¡± Lovellian said as he stroked the iron gate posts of Pantheon, which was towering beside him. ¡°And contained within the secondary dimension that¡¯s connected to this door are all the Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects that I¡¯ve either collected or created throughout my life.¡± This included everything from an ancient monster that had been lurking in a dungeon deep underground to a supreme hybrid that was created by cross-breeding several different monsters ¡ª the chimera, or even a curse whose true form had been sealed away within a magic book, etcetera. It wasn¡¯t just living things either. Summoning Objects, like the golems created by Lovellian and other wizards of the Red Tower of Magic, and other non-living monsters that could move on their own were also kept dormant within Pantheon. ¡°Only I know what Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects will emerge from this door. By opening this door, I can create arge army by freely summoning all of my Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects. However, that alone isn¡¯t enough to exin the pride I have in my Signature,¡± Lovellian said with a bright smile as he turned to look at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m able to freelybine the Summoning Creatures and Summoning Objects stored within this door. To put it simply, I can create a chimera from any of the materials stored within the door. Depending on whatbination Ie up with, the purpose it¡¯s meant to be used for will change, along with the power of the Summoning Creature itself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why the Red Tower Master¡¯s Pantheon is so hard to deal with. You never know what mighte out of that door, but the power of the synthesized creatures made bybining his existing Summons ispletely unpredictable,¡± Melkith said as she dispelled Trinity Force and leaped down from the sky. ¡°The most terrible thing about it is that there are really no restrictions on thebination of the objects stored within Patheon. So, that means he could mix a hundred different Summoning Objects with a hundred different Summoning Creatures in order to create a single creature that has all of theirbined strengths.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never done something like that. I¡¯ve never wanted to do so, nor have I ever desired an opportunity that would require me to do so,¡± Lovellian said with a wry smile as he banished Pantheon back. ¡°As you can see, my Pantheon is the pursuit of my heights as a Summoner. I hope my Signature will be of use to you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°...Pantheon and Trinity Force¡­,¡± Eugene mumbled to himself as he considered these spells. ¡°...Um¡­ do you have toe up with the name of our Signature yourself?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Lovellian grunted. Eugene borated, ¡°I was wondering if you might be willing toe up with a name for me, Master¡ª¡± ¡°What are you talking about, kid? The Signature is the crystallization of a wizard¡¯s knowledge and the realization of their ideals! Of course, it should be named by yourself!¡± Melkith fired off an objection with a confused expression. That¡­ that was something Eugene also understood. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t very confident in his ability to name things. ¡°Ignition,¡± Mer whispered. ¡°And Asura Rampage.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Eugene immediately threatened. ¡°Eclipse,¡± Mer continued unabated. Eugene¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl as he pinched Mer¡¯s cheeks. ¡°It hurts,¡± Mer whined. ¡°Don¡¯t lie. You can¡¯t feel pain,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°It hurts in my heart.¡± After saying something like that, how could anyone who called themselves a human, bear to keep pinching her? Eugene quietly let go of Mer¡¯s cheeks. Mer continued to give her opinion, ¡°However, Sir Eugene, I think that the name Eclipse is pretty cool. Didn¡¯t youe up with that name after giving it a lot of thought? It¡¯s also simr to the real thing. Dying the sun ck like a sr eclipse¡ª¡± Unable to endure listening to any more of this, Eugene stuffed Mer¡¯s head back into his cloak. ¡°What¡¯s Eclipse?¡± Melkith tilted her head to the side and asked, but Eugene mped his lips shut tightly. ¡®...Still, it seems that Eclipse is better than Asura Rampage or Dead End¡­,¡¯Eugene admitted to himself in his heart of hearts. Chapter 219: A Signature (3)

Chapter 219: A Signature (3)

For Eugene, he had spent these past few months with a singr focus on studying magic, even more than when he had first started learning magic. He re-read the magic books kept within the Red Tower of Magic, even though he had already finished reading all of them a long time ago, while also working his way through Akron once again from the first floor to the top floor. He had even cajoled and threatened Melkith into lending him the rarer magic books that were kept in the White Tower of Magic. Seeing as he was so focussed on this, it was only natural that rumors would start to spread. In fact, even if Eugene hadn¡¯t been so enthusiastic in his pursuit of magic, rumors would still have no choice but to start flying. It was because the name Eugene Lionheart was just that famous. Aside from being associated with the Lionheart n, Eugene was the master of Akasha and the sessor of the Wise Sienna. With someone like Eugene already beginning to research his Signature and preparing to rise to the ranks of an Archwizard, it was only natural and inevitable that Eugene would be Aroth¡¯s eye of the storm. The very first person toe looking for him was Aroth¡¯s Crown Prince. Honein Abram, the Crown Prince who had been interested in Eugene since he first started studying in Aroth, visited the Red Tower of Magic apanied by Trempel Vizardo, the head of the Court Wizards Division. Under the pretext ofrentingthem out, Honein loaned Eugene several books from the Royal Pce¡¯s Library of Magic. The next person toe looking for Eugene was Hiridus Euznd, the Blue Tower Master. Since he was worried that, as someone who was not a member of the Red Tower of Magic, it would be rude of him to give advice and instruction to Lovellian¡¯s disciple, he had onlye looking for Eugene after first seeking permission from Lovellian. Like Trempel, Hiridus had heard the news that Eugene was conceiving his own Signature and hade to give advice from an Archwizard¡¯s point of view. The Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman, hadn¡¯te looking for Eugene. Perhaps it was because he had yet to shake off the humiliation and rage from losing that duel he had had with Eugene back then? From what Eugene had heard, it appeared that Jeneric had been cooped up on the top floor of the Green Tower of Magic ever since the day their duel had ended. It didn¡¯t really matter much to Eugene. He didn¡¯t know what kind of advice the Green Tower Master might be able to give from his perspective, but Eugene had already listened to advice from three Tower Masters and the Head of the Court Wizards Division. Also, he had already seen the Green Tower Master¡¯s Signature, Yggdrasil, and thanks toprehending the previous level of the spell, the Divine Tree, through Akasha, Eugene was even able to cast the spell himself. ¡°If possible, you shouldn¡¯t visit Merdein Square,¡± Melkith advised him. ¡°You also shouldn¡¯t go to any of the stores in town that have green letters or patterns on their signs.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Eugene asked. Melkith scoffed, ¡°Are you really that ignorant? Merdein Square is the front yard of the Green Tower of Magic. The stores with green letters or patterns on their signboards are stores that support the Green Tower of Magic. So naturally, those stores are filled with wizards from the Green Tower of Magic.¡± Eugene argued back, ¡°And why should I be so afraid as to avoid them?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not saying this because I am worried about you. No, I¡¯m just worried about the wizards from the Green Tower of Magic who¡¯ll pointlessly pick a fight with you and get beaten up. It¡¯s already a pity and a shame that their Tower Master got beaten up and humiliated in public, but if they also get beaten up, they might just explode from the overwhelming shame andmit suicide.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t ignore this advice that Melkith gave while clicking her tongue in feigned concern. In any case, Eugene didn¡¯t have any reason to go to Merdein Square or to any of the taverns, restaurants, or shops selling magical items in the city. But for this reason, it was convenient for Eugene that Kristina and Anise had apanied him here. As long as Kristina was in charge of Mer, who had been begging him to be allowed to go to the restaurants in the city whenever they had free time, Eugene couldfortably concentrate on his ideas for a Signature. But then there was the ck Tower Master. Balzac Ludbeth had sent several letters to the Red Tower of Magic and Eugene. While congratting him on starting on climbing to the half-step before bing an Archwizard, his letter had also offered to provide whatever help Eugene needed if he wanted advice on designing his own Signature. However, the Red Tower Master, Lovellian, had a deep hatred for ck wizards, and Eugene was no different in this regard. While the world may have changed drastically over the past three hundred years, and the position of ck wizards had shifted drastically, to Eugene, ck wizards were just ck wizards. Of course, having recently returned from visiting the Holy Empire, he could perhaps acknowledge the fact that the ck wizards these days might actually be pretty decent guys¡­. Eugene had even had the thought that Aroth¡¯s ck Tower of Magic, in particr, might be an extremely humane and sensible magic research facilitypared to what he had seen in Yuras. Even so, ck wizards were still ck wizards. The fact that he wasn¡¯t cursing in their faces or trying to blindly kill them was already proof that Eugene was holding back a lot and that he had managed to adapt to this era in his own way. ¡°You¡¯ve finally made time for me,¡± Balzac greeted Eugene with a smile. In the end, Eugene had still agreed to meet with the ck Tower Master. It was Lovellian, not Eugene, who had first given in to Balzac¡¯s fervent requests. While Lovellian might not like Balzac, he did respect the man. He might still hate all ck wizards, but Lovellian had to admit that Balzac himself and the ck Tower of Magic that the man controlled hadn¡¯t caused anyrge problems. A fellow Tower Master and Archwizard, whose name would undoubtedly leave its mark in the continent¡¯s history, was sending them a letter every few days so even Lovellian could no longer ignore him. So Lovellian subtly entreated Eugene to meet with the ck Tower Master, and Eugene also pretended to give in and epted Balzac¡¯s invitation. ¡°I was also curious about the ck Tower of Magic,¡± Eugene replied as he looked up at the ck Tower of Magic. The ck Tower of Magic was located in a ce that was considered remote, even if it was still within the Capital City of Pentagon, and like its name, the tower appeared pitch-ck, as if it had been carved out of obsidian. The square beneath the tower was also packed with ck roses that were in full bloom, and the atmosphere of this whole ce felt somber and dreary. ¡°Those roses.¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Did you intentionally design them that color and nt them there?¡± Balzac readily admitted, ¡°Yes, we did.¡± Eugene gave his opinion, ¡°Why did you do something like that? Aesthetically speaking, I don¡¯t think it looks all that good.¡± ¡°Honestly, they were nted to give off that impression,¡± Balzac confessed. ¡°This goes for me as well, but the wizards belonging to the ck Tower of Magic don¡¯t often attract friendly gazes from their surroundings, so instead of having to deal with such unfriendly looks, we would much rather avoid them altogether. So if we nted a lot of roses in that ominous color, people wouldn¡¯te here as it would just ruin their mood¡­ or at least that¡¯s what we thought.¡± Balzac looked around their surroundings with a grin. The square beneath the ck Tower of Magic was extremely crowded. Most of the people here were lovers having fun on dates. Although a flower garden with a variety of colors wasmon, a flower garden filled with nothing but ck roses was rare in this world. As a result, the ck Square had inevitably be famous as a dating spot for lovers living in Aroth. Balzac shrugged, ¡°Although we couldn¡¯t have expected this to happen, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s all that bad. It¡¯s also quite enjoyable to look down on the ck rose gardens from the tower.¡± Could it be that he really hadn¡¯t predicted this? Eugene shot a nce at Balzac¡¯s grin, then looked up at the ck Tower of Magic once more. The only thing different was the color; the shape of the ck Tower of Magic wasn¡¯t that much different from the Red Tower of Magic or any of the other Towers of Magic. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what you might be expecting, the inside of the ck Tower of Magic won¡¯t be that much different from the Red Tower of Magic,¡± Balzac revealed. ¡°Naturally, that also means you won¡¯t find things like human corpses lying around.¡± Eugene responded, ¡°ording to the rumors, thend that the ck Tower of Magic was built on was once a cemetery long ago. Even now, it''s said that unidentified corpses of those who died or went missing in the back alleys of the city are piled up in the basement of the ck Tower of Magic.¡± ¡°Aroth is a developed country. As such a country, our security is exceptional, and magic has infiltrated our lives to such an extent that most daily activities are dependent on magic. How many unidentified corpses could there really be in a country like this?¡± Balzac asked rhetorically. ¡°Did I put you in a bad mood?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve heard of such misunderstandings so many times that I¡¯m fine with it. In fact, I¡¯m actually happy to hear that your suspicions are only the traditional ones, Sir Eugene.¡± Balzac chuckled as he opened the doors to the ck Tower of Magic. As Eugene followed him in, he sharpened his senses but didn¡¯t smell the scent of rotting corpses like he¡¯d been expecting. Just like Balzac had said, the scene inside the ck Tower of Magic wasn¡¯t that much different from the Red Tower of Magic. Balzac smirked, ¡°I admit that necromancy is the most typical example of ck magic, but necromancy isn¡¯t all there is to ck magic.¡± Balzac knew that Eugene had been looking for the smell of corpses. While maintaining a rxed smile, he led Eugene forward. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t really like necromancy myself,¡± Balzac continued speaking. ¡°After all, the only thing that necromancy can do is raise the corpses of the deceased or summon souls and manipte them, but isn¡¯t that such a crude use of magic?¡± ¡°It seems like your dislike doesn¡¯t stem from moral reasons,¡± Eugene said usatively as he stared holes into Balzac¡¯s back. Balzac was silenced by this statement for a few moments, but he soon burst intoughter and nodded. Balzac readily admitted, ¡°Yes. If I have to be honest, that¡¯s correct. I refrain from necromancy because the crude spells of necromancy simply don¡¯t appeal to me as a wizard. What fascinates me about ck magic¡­ is the fact that by receiving power from aDemon King, whose existence is verifiably proven, you can achieve things that are beyond what is capable through ordinary magic. Just like divine magic, you can use spells that are almost miraculous by relying on a Demon King for support.¡± The ck Tower of Magic also had an elevator that was driven by magic. Balzac got into the elevator first and pressed the button for the top floor, while Eugene boarded the elevator just a step behind him. ¡°I might say this, but I don¡¯t look down on necromancy,¡± Balzac added. ¡°While it doesn¡¯t suit my tastes in certain ways, necromancy is also an impressive field of magic. For example, Amelia Merwin, who is currently one of the Three Mages of Incarceration like me, also happens to be a necromancer with extremely formidable abilities. The moment Amelia Merwin¡¯s name was mentioned, Eugene¡¯s lips twitched in disgust. That name was carved in a ce deep within Eugene¡¯s heart. Amelia had trampled on Hamel¡¯s grave with her dirty feet and had even turned Hamel¡¯s corpse into a Death Knight. At that time, Eugene wasn¡¯t strong enough to kill Amelia. But what about now? Honestly speaking, he couldn¡¯t be sure of that. The presence that Amelia had given off in that underground tomb was so strong that even someone like Eugene had no choice but to be cautious. ¡°ck Tower Master, if you were to fight with Amelia Merwin, who would win?¡± Eugene suddenly asked. The elevator arrived at the top floor. Once again, Balzac took the first step off the elevator. While walking down the ck carpeted hallway and leading Eugene to their destination, at this sudden question, Balzac turned to look back at Eugene. ¡°You really are asking me quite the unexpected question,¡± Balzac observed. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the sort of question everyone likes to ask and think about?¡± Eugene argued back. Balzac conceded, ¡°That might be the case, but they wouldn¡¯t ask the person directly involved.¡± ¡°Heh, if someone were to ask me something like that, I would just feel happy and give them an honest reply,¡± Eugene encouraged. ¡°If your answer was that you would have the upper hand, then, of course, that would be the case. But if we were to fight, I would lose to Amelia Merwin,¡± Balzac admitted with a wry smile as he turned to face forward again. Eugene fired off more questions, ¡°Would you really lose? You¡¯re the ck Tower Master, an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle, aren¡¯t you? I¡¯ve even heard that before you became a ck wizard, you were a genius wizard who had already been selected as the next Master of the Blue Tower of Magic?¡± ¡°A genius wizard, you say. Do you really think there is a wizard among the current Tower Masters who wasn¡¯t called something like that before they became Tower Masters? In the world of wizards, the word genius holds very little weight,¡± Balzac stated deprecatingly. Both the question and the topic that Eugene had brought up were quite offensive. Perhaps deep down in his chest, annoyance and anger were stirring, but Balzac didn¡¯t show any sign of it. Balzac continued, ¡°Just like me, Amelia Merwin is also a genius. On top of that, she and I are fundamentally different.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the difference between you?¡± Eugene inquired. Balzac exined, ¡°Edmond Codreth and I were originally wizards, and we signed contracts with the Demon King of Incarceration for our personal goals. Most, no, almost all ck wizards are created that way. They were all originally wizards, but they didn¡¯t think they¡¯d be able to seed in their goals as wizards, so they would sign a contract with demonfolk¡­ in order to pursue magic beyond all ordinary magic, they turn their gazes to bing a ck wizard.¡± Balzac''s officey at the end of the corridor decked in ck on the top floor of the ck Tower of Magic. The door was just a clean ck door without any fancy trimmings. Without Balzac even reaching out to open it, the door opened by itself and weed Balzac and Eugene in. ¡°Long ago, when you told me that you were going to the desert Sir Eugene, I warned you about Amelia Merwin,¡± Balzac reminded him. ¡ªShe¡¯s special. ¡ªEven before she made a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, she was already an amazing ck wizard. ¡°Amelia Merwin was also originally a wizard, but she¡¯s a unique individual who became a ck wizard all by herself without making acontract. Do you know what that means? Amelia Merwin is a human being, but she was able toprehend demonic power by herself without any contracts and refined it into her own Dark Power, enabling her to cast ck magic,¡± Balzac concluded. There was no way that Eugene wouldn¡¯t understand what this meant. Demonic Power was an ominous power that originally only belonged to demonfolk and demonic beasts. For humans to freely use demonic power, a contract with a demonfolk was essential. However, in extremely rare cases among humans¡­ a very small number of people would learn how to control demonic power all by themselves. Even three hundred years ago, there were a few such cases. Eugene was well aware of what these ck wizards who were reborn this way could be. Such people would be the masters of a terrible and heinous fate. Although they were human, they did things no human would do, and even though they were born as humans, they essentially became something like a demonfolk. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, in this current era and in all of Helmuth, no one else was able to master demonic power and learn ck magic all on their own like Amelia Merwin did. In other words, Amelia Merwin and I are different in terms of our capabilities in ck magic. That is why the Demon King of Incarceration gives Amelia Merwin special treatment and offers her a lot of freedom,¡± Balzac finally exined. Eugene had always thought of Amelia as someone very important, but this meant that she was an even bigger deal than he had first thought. Yet instead of panicking, hearing such news actually calmed Eugene¡¯s racing heart. If Amelia Merwin was just that strong and special, then there was no need for him to rush. He just needed to kill her once he was confident that he had made all the necessary preparations. ¡°I hope that you don¡¯t think my room is too humble. It¡¯s because I just don¡¯t like things that are too messy and disorderly,¡± Balzac said as he casually changed the topic. Just like he had said, Balzac¡¯s office was so humble that it was hard to believe that this was the office of a Tower Master. No, rather than humble, it would be better to describe it as empty. Other than arge desk and chair, as well as a couch to receive guests¡­ there were no bookshelves or magic tools of unknown purposes that should have beenmon in a room like this. ¡°I think it¡¯s rather neat and tidy,¡± Eugeneplimented. ¡°Please don¡¯t just stand there and take a seat. What would you like to drink?¡± Balzac offered. ¡°Just tea is fine. It doesn¡¯t matter what kind.¡± After hearing Eugene¡¯s reply, Balzac flicked his finger. Then, something like a small puppet rose up from the shadow beneath the sofa. A few momentster, the shadow puppet climbed onto the table, took out arge teapot and cups from inside its body, and started setting them down on the table. ¡°It¡¯s just an ordinary familiar,¡± Balzac assured him. ¡°Does it really make the tea in its own body?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. Balzacughed, ¡°Of course not. The shadows in the ck Tower of Magic are all connected. Once I¡¯ve sent an order to the kitchens downstairs, the food or drinks are sent back up through the shadows.¡± Although he listened to this exnation, Eugene still didn¡¯t want to drink the tea that had emerged from the shadow puppet¡¯s body. As such, Eugene just ced the teacup in front of him and stared silently at Balzac. Even with the tant stare weighing down on him, Balzac leisurely asked with his teacup hanging off his finger, ¡°How is the conception of your Signature going?¡± ¡°The conception is done, and now I¡¯m building up the form,¡± Eugene reported. ¡°It might not be easy to connect all the fundamental forms of your Signature, but that step is actually the most enjoyable part of concocting your own Signature,¡± Balzac informed him. The creation of a spell was like solving a form with a predetermined answer. One could either disassemble the forms of other spells and insert them into one¡¯s own as needed, or one could start by creating the form from scratch all by themself. Whichever way they chose, it would be a sess once the answer they eventually came to was able to trigger a phenomenon. If it was a spell deserving the title of a Signature, then the answer that one decided upon should be able to trigger an unbelievable and seemingly impossible fantasy. Though Eugene had already decided on how the phenomenon would manifest and what actually would happen¡­ creating a form that satisfied the ¡®why¡¯ and ¡®how¡¯ of how such a spell manifests was a taskplicated enough to make his head explode. However, like Balzac had said, it was true that the stage Eugene was currently in was the most enjoyable for a wizard. Right now, he needed to umte all types of spell forms and try to connect various different spells together. By doing so, the magic form of the initial spell would inevitably beplex and lengthy, but once the form of the spell had been established to a certain extent, the work of shaving it down could begin. He would need to filter out the unnecessary forms and smooth the whole thing out so that the desired phenomenon could still ur even without that part. ¡°Asking about the form of your Signature and its form would be going beyond my station, so I won¡¯t do that,¡± Balzac assured him. ¡°But could I at least ask what its name might be?¡± ¡°Its name¡­,¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Balzac asked in concern. Eugene finally admitted, ¡°I still haven¡¯t decided yet.¡± This was a lie. It had already been decided, but Eugene felt embarrassed about revealing the name before it waspleted. Also, as with most such creation processes, the result he was imagining would be forced to change little by little as hepromised with reality. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, the name that he had decided on now was made with the assumption that it would resemble what he had imagined when he first conceived his Signature, but what if he was forced topromise the looks midway? What if he had to change courses because something wasn¡¯t working? Then the name he had decided on wouldn¡¯t suit the inevitable oue, so if Eugene told someone his Signature¡¯s name in advance, wouldn¡¯t it be very embarrassingter on? Such thoughts were why he had yet to tell the name to even Lovellian and Melkith. But he had unintentionally ended up revealing the name to Mer, and as soon as Mer had heard it, she had pped her hands and said¡­.. ¡ªIt¡¯s better than Dragon Burst. ¡°...What is the name of your Signature, ck Tower Master?¡± Eugene asked eventually. ¡°It¡¯s Blind,¡± Balzac easily revealed. The name was simple and sounded nice. Eugene guessed, ¡°Does it cover up people¡¯s eyes?¡± ¡°It¡¯s simr, but I can¡¯t really go into details. Though if you were willing to tell me about the Signature that you¡¯re currently conceiving, Sir Eugene, I¡¯d also be happy to tell you what kind of spell Blind is,¡± Balzac offered in exchange. ¡°My Signature hasn¡¯t beenpleted yet, but ck Tower Master, your Blind must already bepleted, right? So wouldn¡¯t you lose out if we were to exchange information with each other?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. Balzac dismissed his concerns, ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. Even if you know what my Signature is, it¡¯s still hard to deal with it. Although that¡¯s pretty much the case with all the other Archwizards¡¯ Signatures as well.¡± Balzac might be saying this in a casual tone as if he was only joking, but his words were full of the pride of an Archwizard. Eugene was curious to see just what could make Balzac show such confidence in his Signature, but he still didn¡¯t want to reveal his own unfinished Signature to Balzac, who was contracted to the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°First, let¡¯s start with this,¡± Balzac said as he raised his hand. At his gesture, the shadow cast on the floor wriggled and rose up. Eugene stared at the old notebooks and other books the shadow had strewn across Balzac¡¯s desk. All of the books appeared to have been personally hand-written instead of printed. ¡°What are all these?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°They¡¯re from before I became a ck wizard,¡± Balzac revealed. ¡°This is the research material that I used for the Signature that I came up with when I was selected as the next Tower Master for the Blue Tower of Magic.¡± Balzac said this casually as if it wasn¡¯t significant, but if he was telling the truth, then those old notes held an astronomical value. Balzac may not have been an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle at that time, but those were still the research notes of a top-level wizard on the verge of bing an Archwizard who had devoted his life to reaching his ideal magic. If this was ced in Aroth¡¯s ck market as an auction item, it was obvious that an absurd amount of money would start moving. ¡°Are you really going to give this to me?¡± Eugene asked in shock. ¡°Since it¡¯s all research that I¡¯ve since discarded, it doesn¡¯t matter to me. Also, Sir Eugene, it¡¯s not like you would have any intention of trying to imitate the Signature that I designed from this research material, right?¡± Balzac pushed the research notes over to Eugene with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m giving this research to you because I hope it will help you learn the tricks of building, refining, and finally honing your own spells.¡± Eugene confessed, ¡°This is so generous it actually feels burdensome. Would you at least be willing to ept some money?¡± ¡°Allow me to decline. In any case, I don¡¯t have any disciples, and at my current level, it¡¯s actually embarrassing to look at these research materials from my past. Ah, please don¡¯t get the wrong idea. I¡¯m not ashamed because they¡¯recking in quality. It¡¯s just¡­,¡± Balzac pushed up his sses and stared at the research notes. Behind his sses, Balzac¡¯s dark blue eyes wrinkled in a frown as he continued, ¡°It¡¯s embarrassing to look back on those days when I was so innocent and overzealous. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t just leave these research notes in the library of the ck Tower of Magic. Since the ck wizards in this tower truly respect me, I don¡¯t want to show them my shameful past.¡± Eugene raised a brow, ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re alright with showing it to me?¡± ¡°After all, you dislike me, don''t you, Sir Eugene? So instead, I hope these research notes will make you reconsider your opinion of me, even if it¡¯s just a little,¡± Balzac said hopefully. ¡°I do currently suspect that you might be one of the few honest people among all the ck wizards. Another thing that I¡¯m sure of is that you are the one who¡¯s been the friendliest to me among all the ck wizards I¡¯ve met, ck Tower Master,¡± Eugene stated confidently. This was the truth. The ck wizards he had seen in his previous life had all either tried to kill Hamel or run away in fear, and the same went for those that Eugene had met in this life as well. However, Balzac hadn¡¯t tried to kill Eugene, nor did he seem to want to. Balzac seemed to be showing the same sort of favor that the other Tower Masters, except for the Green Tower Master, had shown to a talented young junior. But it was difficult for Eugene to tell whether Balzac¡¯s kindness was genuine or whether it was meant to lure him into bing a ck wizard. ¡®He did say that he wasn¡¯t gay, but¡­.¡¯ Was that really the truth or a lie? The moment Eugene started seriously considering that question, Balzac spoke up once more. Balzac confessed, ¡°I asked for a meeting like this because there¡¯s something else that I need to speak to you about, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I knew that would be the case,¡± Eugene said with a nod. Balzac raised an eyebrow, ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t that always been the case up until now?¡± Eugene responded. ¡°When I was about to leave Aroth, you warned me about Amelia Merwin being in Nahama, and you even handed me a personal letter to give to her in order to save my life. Also, when Ist came to Aroth for the hearing, you warned me that the Rakshasa Princess woulde looking for me.¡± After quietly listening to these words from Eugene, Balzac burst intoughter, ¡°Now that you mention that, it really does seem that way. In fact, I would prefer if I could meet with you for a casual matter, but Sir Eugene, since it seems that you wouldn¡¯t appreciate it¡­. However, since I¡¯ve forcefully insisted on meeting with you whenever I feel it''s necessary, it seems that things have just turned out this way.¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°Um¡­ ck Tower Master, you¡¯re not married, are you?¡± Balzac immediately straightened unnaturally and forcefully insisted, ¡°Please don¡¯te to any strange misunderstandings.¡± As such, Eugene swallowed the words he was about to say and shrugged. ¡°So, is there something you would like to warn me about this time as well, ck Tower Master? Does it seem like the Rakshasa Princess is nning a return?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Rakshasa Princess has been up to since shest turned her back on Helmuth,¡± Balzac admitted as he took a sip from the teacup that he hadn¡¯t even touched so far and then set the cup down. ¡°First of all, I would like to ask you a question. I heard there was an internal conflict at the Lionheart¡¯s ck Lion Castle a while back. What exactly did Eward Lionheart try to do?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t you already heard the rumors?¡± Eugene asked. Balzac answered, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that he instigated a rebellion andmitted a serious crime. Something about performing a sinister ritual. I was quite amused to hear what people have guessed Eward Lionheart was getting up to. Rumor has it that Eward Lionheart was attempting tomit treason in order to be the Patriarch, but¡­ haha! He surely must have had some other purpose, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what that was.¡± Eugene scratched his head, ¡°It¡¯s a bit difficult for me to tell you that.¡± ¡°The evil ritual that Eward Lionheart attempted to perform must have been ck magic, correct? If that¡¯s the case, I might be able to provide some more clues from a ck wizard¡¯s point of view,¡± Balzac offered. This was a pretty tempting proposition. They had already managed to figure out what Eward had been attempting to do back then. The diary he had written because he was full of the desire to show off his crimes was packed with details about what Eward had been going through and why he did what he did. It was all for the Remnants of the Demon Kings that resided within the Demonic Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. Those ominous existences had transformed into a Spirit of Darkness and had enticed Eward, who had the blood of the main family, into performing an evil ritual. If the ritual had been sessful, those Remnants would have been reborn into a new body and be the Spirit King of Darkness, and if it wasn¡¯t at that time, it could even have be a new Demon King. That was what they had managed to figure out from the perspective offered by the Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master. Eugene still had a perfect recollection of what the magic circle had looked like back then, so he was a little curious to see what the ck Tower Master could decipher from it. But Eugene was only a little curious. He had no intention of truly enlightening Balzac. If it was a ck wizard like Balzac, he might be able to perfectly reproduce the spell once he was taught itsplete form. Eugene recalled something,¡®...Apart from the form¡­.¡¯ ¡­There was also the matter of Hector Lionheart. While Hector wasn¡¯t strong enough for Eugene to be unduly concerned about him, he was quite curious about how Hector had managed to escape from that spot without dying. ¡°So you wanted to meet with me to ask about that?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°There¡¯s also another reason. And, of course, I¡¯m not talking about the research materials,¡± Balzac said jokingly as he lowered his sses and smiled. ¡°Helmuth has begun to pay attention to you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Eugene btedly responded. ¡°To be more precise, apart from Duke Raizakia of the Dragon Demon Castle, it¡¯s the other Dukes who are interested in you,¡± Balzac rified. The de of Incarceration and the Queen of the Night Demons. Chapter 220: A Signature (4)

Chapter 220: A Signature (4)

Along with regret, the mention of those two existences brought up many old emotions within Eugene. The regret, of course, stemmed from his guilt at not killing them three hundred years ago. Though, in fact, he had never had a good chance to do so. When they had first confronted the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, Hamel and Sienna had been on their own. At that time, Sienna was already an amazing wizard, and Hamel¡¯s skills could also be described as having been in his prime, but¡­. They still almost died. Hamel had gone so far as to use Ignition to buy time for Sienna to escape. To be honest, Hamel had been prepared to die. ording to Hamel at that time, if he considered the value of their respective lives now that they were challenging the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, then, of course, Sienna was the one who needed to survive and return to theirrades. Fortunately, Gavid had been the one to retreat first, but if their battle had continued, Hamel would have lost his life without even reaching the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. Then there was the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. Likewise, he had never gotten a good chance to kill her. From the middle of their journey through Helmuth, whenever Noir spotted an opening, she would invade their dreams and use her Demon-Eye of Fantasy to turn their dreams into reality. Whenever this happened, it was only with the help of Anise and Sienna that they managed to escape from their dreams within a dream and their dreams in reality. Even three hundred years ago, these two demonfolk had been strong and difficult to deal with, but they had still managed to survive until now. As such, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel regret. If the Hamel from three hundred years ago had just been stronger, he could have killed Noir Giabe and Gavid Lindman. ¡°...You¡¯re saying I¡¯ve drawn their attention,¡± Eugene murmured. Currently, Eugene wasn¡¯t just feeling regret. He was also feeling some concern. And there was part of him that thought this was inevitable. Three hundred years ago, Hamel was weaker than Gavid Lindman. He had never been in a fight with Noir Giabe, but honestly speaking, it would have been impossible for the Hamel in his prime to fight with and defeat the Queen of the Night Demons all by himself. Even Iris had be stronger by training herself over these past three hundred years. In an empire of demonfolk ruled by the Demon Kings, Eugene was well aware of just how much the demonfolk valued rank. For more than three hundred years now, Gavid and Noir had been sitting in their positions as Dukes, reigning over the heads of countless demonfolk. Eugene recalled,¡®Iris did say that she left Helmuth after being defeated in a territory war with Noir, didn''t she?¡¯ But that didn¡¯t mean Noir was just a few steps ahead of Iris. While it was obvious that Noir was stronger, it was even more apparent that the gap between Noir and Iris was far greater than just a few steps. This meant that the current Eugene wasn¡¯t able to handle her strength. ¡°It seems that the Dukes of Helmuth are extremely idle,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°To think they¡¯d have the time to pay attention to someone in a distant country from theirs.¡± ¡°You¡¯re far from ordinary, Sir Eugene,¡± Balzac pointed out. ¡°As a descendant of the prestigious Lionheart n¡­ and especially since you have even been called the Second Coming of the Great Vermouth after all.¡± Eugene conceded, ¡°Well, that might be true. Unfortunately, it¡¯s not like we can do anything about those rumors.¡± ¡°The problem is that the Dukes aren¡¯t just paying attention to you because of the rumors alone, Sir Eugene,¡± Balzac warned as he stared at Eugene through narrowed eyes. ¡°The Dukes are aware that you have been acknowledged by the Holy Sword.¡± Instead of replying immediately to these words, Eugene searched his memory. Had there been any asions where he pulled out the Holy Sword in public? No, there weren¡¯t any. He had never once pulled it out in the Rainforest of Samar. It was only when Eward had attempted that ritual at the ck Lion Castle that Eugene was forced to draw the Holy Sword. Afterward, he had to prove to the Inquisitors that he was the new master of the Holy Sword. Then came the Fount of Light. ¡°The reason I¡¯m saying this isn¡¯t to confirm whether or not you really are the master of the Holy Sword. I don¡¯t really have much interest in that. However, since I honestly do favor you, Sir Eugene, I felt that I just needed to give you a warning.¡± After silently exchanging looks with Eugene, Balzac continued speaking, ¡°In fact, you can¡¯t really call this a warning. If the two Dukes really were to make a move, how could we even stop them? Also, if they wished to meet with you, Sir Eugene, how would you be able to avoid them?¡± Eugene posed a question back, ¡°Could they really be intending to kill me?¡± Balzac assured him, ¡°As long as the Demon King of Incarceration hasn¡¯t changed his mind about preserving the peace, the Dukes won¡¯t be able to do anything to kill you, Sir Eugene. However, isn¡¯t it a burden just to be noticed by existences such as theirs?¡± ¡°That might be true, but it¡¯s not like I can do anything to avoid it. If I really didn¡¯t want to draw any attention, I would need to lie down and pretend to be dead, but I have no desire to do so,¡± Eugene dered firmly. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, it was only a matter of time before this urred. Although if they hadn¡¯t found out that he was the master of the Holy Sword and thus the Hero, the Dukes who lived far away in Helmuth wouldn¡¯t have been so quick to notice him. ¡°By the way, just how did they find out?¡± Eugene asked. Although Eugene was confirming that he was the master of the Holy Sword by even asking this question, since he had already drawn their attention, what was the point of hiding now? So Eugene decided to just ask this question confidently. Balzac revealed, ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t know how he did it either, but it seems that it was the Staff of Incarceration, Edmond Codreth, who informed the dukes about you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve never even met that person,¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Of course, you wouldn¡¯t have. After all, Edmond never leaves Helmuth. However, the facts are that Edmond truly is the one who informed the Dukes about you, Sir Eugene, and as a result, the attention of the Dukes has now been drawn to you,¡± Balzac said with a wry smile. As Balzac was one of Incarceration¡¯s Three Mages, he was also a member of Loyalty, a secret group with ties to Helmuth¡¯s Three Dukes. Having be the ck Tower Master of Aroth, he was unable to attend Loyalty¡¯s regr gatherings, but he still asionally exchanged letters with his fellow ck wizard, Edmund Codreth. However, in Balzac¡¯s opinion, such a rtionship wasn¡¯t close enough to be called a friendship. To put it bluntly, it was more of a business rtionship than camaraderie between fellow partners. While their rtionship was by no means casual, if you wanted something from the other party, you would need to pay for it. As such, Edmond didn¡¯t ask Balzac for much information regarding Eugene. Even now, after having leaked the information that news about Eugene had been brought up during Loyalty¡¯s regr meeting, Edmond hadn¡¯t asked Balzac for anything in return. Balzac knew the reason for this. It was because he had no interest in what had been discussed at the meeting of the Loyalty. Nevertheless, Edmond had still bothered to inform him in advance about the contents of the meeting because he knew that Balzac had already established a rtionship with Eugene during his earlier stay in Aroth, and Edmond wished to intentionally spill this information. ¡°Have you sold them any information about me?¡± Eugene asked bluntly. Balzac pointed out, ¡°It¡¯s not like I really have any information to sell, no?¡± ¡°And if you did?¡± Eugene countered. Balzac paused, ¡°Hm, I¡¯d have to consider the question at that time, but from my point of view, I don¡¯t really have any desires or expectations for the price Edmond would be willing to pay for such information. Moreover, my interests and expectations are actually greater of you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°You really are quite a strange person,¡± Eugene rudelymented. ¡°Although I have quite the fondness and curiosity regarding your exploits, Sir Eugene, it isn¡¯t purely out of such fondness and curiosity that I would be willing to reject such a deal should Edmond offer one,¡± Balzac admitted. ¡°To a certain extent, my greed would factor into such a decision.¡± Eugene repeated, ¡°Your greed?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid I¡¯m not quite willing to reveal the desires I harbor deep within my heart. What I can say for certain is that I have often warned you, Sir Eugene, and shown you such favor is not just because I approve of you,¡± Balzac said with a smile as he took another sip of his tea. Eugene couldn¡¯t read the emotions hidden behind those calm eyes, but he could sense that Balzac was only hovering on the edges of Helmuth¡¯s true power center. ¡®Well, if that wasn¡¯t the case, then he wouldn¡¯t have had any reason to return to Aroth and be the ck Tower Master.¡¯ Eugene was lost in thought for a few moments. Balzac seemed to have his own goals, and because of that, he had chosen to warn Eugene about the danger approaching him several times now. At least for now, the current Balzac was not Eugene¡¯s enemy. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Earlier, you asked about the internal conflict that took ce at the ck Lion Castle, didn¡¯t you?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t go so far as to show Balzac the spell form. Instead, he told Balzac what Eward had been hoping to do and what he had done. He abbreviated anything that didn¡¯t need to be said, so the whole story didn¡¯t take very long. ¡°Hah,¡± Balzac, who had been silent throughout Eugene¡¯s story, suddenly gasped. ¡°To think that they attempted to reconstruct the soul and create a new body¡­. Although it¡¯s regarded as a taboo in the world of magic, many ck wizards have pursued those goals as the direction of their research.¡± Eugene asked, ¡°Does that also go for you, Sir Balzac?¡± Balzac shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not a topic that interests me all that much. In the end, reconstruction of the soul is transforming your soul into something else, and creating a new body requires recing the vessel you have lived in ever since you were born. In other words, it changes the very essence of who you are, doesn''t it? I have no desire for such magic.¡± After answering the question, Balzac was silent for a few moments. The more he focussed, the more furrowed Balzac¡¯s eyebrows grew. Eventually, Balzac resumed speaking, ¡°So the Remnants of the Demon Kings were the ones who motivated and manipted Eward Lionheart. That certainly seems reasonable. After all, the Demonic Spear and the Annihtion Hammer that the Lionhearts have inherited were once the favored weapons of their respective Demon Kings. I also think that it is possible that those Remnants naturally transformed into a Spirit of Darkness. After all, Primal Spirits aren¡¯t that much different from mana, and they can transform depending on their environments.¡± Balzac¡¯s opinion was the same as Lovellian and Melkith. Without personally seeing the spell circle that Eward had drawn and inferring from what Eugene had managed to piece together, it was obvious that Balzac couldn''t help bute up with such a response. ¡°It¡¯s surprising that Hector Lionheart managed to escape,¡± Balzac muttered. It might have been because of Eugene¡¯s subconscious emphasis, but Balzac was also interested in Hector¡¯s escape. Though, in fact, it couldn¡¯t be helped. After carefully examining the forest, Lovellian and Melkith hadn¡¯t been able toe up with any guesses as to how Hector had managed to escape. The same was true for Inquisitor Atarax, who was the one who had figured out that Hector had managed to escape in the first ce. He had been able to see through Hector¡¯s escape, but he hadn¡¯t figured out the method. ¡°You said he had a rare artifact on him, but do you remember what kind of artifact it was?¡± Balzac asked. ¡°Yep,¡± Eugene nodded. It was a ne enchanted with seventeen different spells. Eugene¡¯s memory didn¡¯t go so far as to recall the ne¡¯s appearance, but he definitely remembered how the enchantments had been arranged. He had already reproduced the array of spell forms that had been built into the artifact once previously for Lovellian and Melkith. It was virtually impossible to engrave that many spells into a single artifact, especially onto a ne that wasn¡¯t all thatrge. However, since the capacity of engraved spells varied depending on how such artifacts were crafted, there was no way to say that it was absolutely impossible. There were many excellent alchemists in Melkith El-Hayah¡¯s White Tower of Magic. So Melkith had shown the alchemists the diagram of the artifact¡¯s spell forms that Eugene had given her, but the only response that came back was that those alchemists couldn¡¯t reproduce it. ¡°...Hm¡­,¡± Balzac rubbed his chin as he gazed to the side. One wall of this spacious room was covered by the spell forms that Eugene had drawn in the air. ¡°Are you saying that theseplex, convoluted, and lengthy spell forms were all contained within a single ne?¡± Balzac asked in disbelief. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Since I used Akasha to examine it, I¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°However, there are no spells rted to spatial movement within these forms,¡± Balzac stated. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s so curious. In the first ce, setting aside Blink, is it even possible for humans to use ultra-long-distance teleportation magic? Even if that is possible, just how could they have embedded such a spell into the artifact?¡± asked Eugene, revealing the source of his confusion. Lovellian and Melkith shared a simr opinion to him. Even an Archwizard would need to use a warp gate to travel long distances, as it was impossible to warp one¡¯s body when casting the spell yourself. However, in a forest shaking from the conflict between the Moonlight Sword and Dark Power, Hector evaded all their eyes and sessfully escaped. If Hector had been an amazing wizard, this might have been possible on his own, but from what Eugene had sensed when he fought Hector, Hector wasn¡¯t a wizard. ¡°How interesting,¡± Balzac, who had been examining the forms for quite some time, suddenly burst intoughter. ¡°Well now, Sir Eugene, I¡¯m just speaking from an Archwizard¡¯s point of view, but no matter how amazing of a wizard you are, it¡¯s impossible to achieve such long-range teleportation. The warp gates can manage such long-range teleportation because the connection between the two gates fixes the coordinates. However, it¡¯s impossible to do that when personally casting Warp. The only thing in this world that could allow such a teleportation is a dragon¡¯s Teleport.¡± ¡°I already know that,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Of course you do. But that means Hector didn¡¯t escape through teleportation,¡± Balzac concluded. Eugene frowned, ¡°What does that mean?¡± Balzac teased, ¡°Didn¡¯t the Inquisitor who was there already tell you the answer? There was indeed a long-distance teleport without going through a gate. But the Inquisitor wouldn¡¯t have been able to exin the precise spell Hector used to escape, and that¡¯s only natural. So while it''s true that Hector may have attempted to escape by using a spatial movement spell, that wasn''t really a teleportation.¡± As he said all this, Balzac tantly stared at Eugene¡¯s frustrated expression as if he had found it interesting. When Eugene couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and was about to say something, Balzac suddenly struck. ¡°Hector is dead,¡± he dered. Eugene gaped, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m not sure what kind of fight was taking ce there, Hector didn¡¯t actually manage to escape. Even the artifact he possessed wasn¡¯t able to protect Hector,¡± exined Balzac. By this point, even Eugene could guess what Balzac was trying to say. Eugene¡¯s expression grew cold as he considered the implications. Balzac finally rified, ¡°Hector¡¯s body died, but his soul remained intact. Normally, his soul would have left this ne, but if he happened to be bound by contract, then the ownership of his soul would fall to themasterwho created the contract, not himself.¡± ¡°...A demonfolk?¡± Eugene guessed. ¡°It could also be a ck wizard,¡± Balzac corrected with augh. ¡°Either way, it seems that someone from Helmuth instigated Hector. Such teleportation is possible if the target is only a soul instead of a body. And if that soul was subject to a contract, the master of the contract could summon it from anywhere in the world. Though I can¡¯t actually say for certain without having seen the scene myself, but after looking at the diagram of this artifact, I am sure of it.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Sir Eugene, Helmuth¡¯s skill in magical artifice is beyond your imagination. I admit that the alchemists of the White Tower of Magic are excellent craftsmen, but in terms oftechniquerather than alchemy, they fall shortpared to Helmuth,¡± Balzac stated confidently. Eugene listened silently. ¡°It¡¯s a pity for the dwarves who are forced tobor in the mining district of the Dragon Demon Castle, but as they are the property of Duke Raizakia, it can¡¯t be helped. Yet even setting them aside, Helmuth is the country with thergest numbers of dwarves on the continent,¡± Balzac reminded Eugene. If the handicraft skill of the dextrous dwarven artisans werebined with Helmuth¡¯s techniques, it would indeed be possible to create an artifact with such apact design. Eugene asked, ¡°Do you have any guesses about who might be involved?¡± Balzac shrugged, ¡°Helmuth has many demonfolk, as well as ck wizards. It¡¯s hard to point out who exactly it could have been. Also¡­ wasn¡¯t Hector Lionheart previously an honorary knight of the Royal Knights of Ruhr, the White Fangs?¡± Originally, Ruhr strictly prohibited all demonfolk and inhabitants of Helmuth from entering their country, but ever since five years ago, they had opened their gates, and numerous demonfolk had entered Ruhr. Therefore, it was a high possibility that one of those demonfolk had contacted Hector and signed a contract with him. ¡°I can¡¯t be certain of this, but if Hector saw the spell form drawn by Eward Lionheart, he may have informed his owner about the ritual once his soul was harvested,¡± Balzac warned Eugene. Eugene silently absorbed this information. ¡°Of course, those spell forms use the characteristics of the Remnants of the Demon Kings, as well as their new form of a Spirit of Darkness, so it shouldn¡¯t be possible to reproduce it exactly; but it might still be possible to imitate the ritual if they follow the basic foundation of the spell circle,¡± Balzac hypothesized. ¡°I don¡¯t really care about that,¡± Eugene said, as a corner of his mouth twisted in a smirk before folding his arms together. ¡°As you just said, without the Remnants of the Demon Kings or a Spirit of Darkness, the spell forms won¡¯t function properly. Even if they do take the basic outline and imitate it, it can¡¯t be any more dangerous than reviving the Remnants of the Demon Kings.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Balzac agreed. ¡°Since we don¡¯t know who Hector¡¯s master is and we don¡¯t have any guesses, him getting his hands on the spell form and what he intends to do with it isn¡¯t any of my business. If he ends up blocking my way or pissing me off, I can just slice his throat open then,¡± Eugene said menacingly. ¡°Don¡¯t you need any more help from me?¡± Balzac asked as he tilted his head to the side with a faint smile. ¡°Sir Eugene, if you would be willing to share with me the spell forms you saw, I might be able to guess how those spells might be imitated with ck magic. Also, since I have an established status in Helmuth, I may also be able to help you search for Hector¡¯s master.¡± ¡°That sounds like quite the generous offer, ck Tower Master, but as it happens, the ones who I most suspect of being Hector¡¯s master are the Three Mages of Incarceration. Of course, you¡¯re also included in these suspicions, ck Tower Master. You might be telling me all these things now, but all of this could actually be a tactic you have devised to avoid suspicion, right?¡± Eugene used suspiciously. Balzac was taken aback, ¡°Are you really using me?¡± ¡°I might just be overthinking it, but in any case, I still need to be careful. I can¡¯t really call you a good ck wizard, ck Tower Master, but I still think of you as a decent ck wizard. However, even so, I have no intention ofpletely trusting you and cooperating together with you,¡± Eugene said as he stood up from the sofa. ¡°By the way, ck Tower Master, just because I rejected your offer, you wouldn¡¯t say something like I¡¯m no longer allowed to take these research notes, would you?¡± ¡°Please, take them,¡± Balzac insisted. ¡°As expected, you truly are the most decent person I have seen among all ck wizards,¡± Eugeneplimented with a smile as he opened his cloak. After he had finished storing the research books within, he bowed his head to Balzac and continued speaking, ¡°Thank you again for the warning. In fact, even after receiving this warning, I might not be able to do anything to prepare for it, but I¡¯ll still try to be cautious.¡± ¡°Can I ask you one more question?¡± Balzac asked with a curious tilt of his head as he got up to see Eugene off. ¡°What¡¯s the difference betweenthe most decent ck wizardanda good ck wizard?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the difference between a human and a corpse.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°ording to my standards, the only good back wizards are dead back wizards,¡± Eugene stated seriously. ¡°Ah, and liches aren¡¯t included in the category ofdead ck wizards. Liches are fucking bastards who need to be torn limb from limb.¡± In his previous life, Hamel was killed by a lich. That was why Eugene hated liches. No, he hated all undead. While being killed by a lich had already pissed him off, this hatred was also because Hamel¡¯s corpse had been turned into a Death Knight. ¡°There¡¯s no need to see me off,¡± Eugene said as he strode towards the window. By the time Balzac, who had been momentarily lost in thought due to Eugene¡¯s words, btedly came to his senses and turned to look at the window, Eugene had already thrown the window wide open and climbed onto the windowsill. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again sometime in the future, but hopefully not too soon. And if we don¡¯t end up meeting again, that¡¯s fine with me as well,¡± Eugene still spat out such a rejoinder, even after epting Balzac¡¯s gift, listening to his warning, and hearing his expert opinion of Hector¡¯s fate. Then, without even waiting for Balzac¡¯s goodbye, Eugene leaped out of the window. ¡°...Hah,¡± Balzac huffed in exasperation. He could hear screamsing from the lovers who had been touring the rose garden outside the tower. When Balzac poked his head out the window, he saw Eugene silentlynding on the ground below and striding calmly out of the garden. While staring at Eugene¡¯s back, Balzac let out a snort of amusement. ¡°Like I thought, he¡¯s quite the interesting individual,¡± Balzac muttered as he returned to his chair. Then, for a few moments, Balzac was lost in thought. During this conversation with Eugene, Balzac had mostly spoken the truth, but he had told one lie. Balzac had already guessed who Hector¡¯s master was. ¡®So that¡¯s how it is,¡¯Balzac mused as he soon drew a conclusion. While sorting out the thoughts that had popped into his head, Balzac grinned. Favorite Chapter 221: Ruhr (1)

Chapter 221: Ruhr (1)

Although he had expected this to be the case, the creation of Eugene¡¯s Signature took quite a long time. Eugene turned twenty-one while living in Aroth. He spent his days in a familiar, monotonous pattern. He practically lived in the researchboratories within the Red Tower of Magic, with asional visits to Akron. He received a lot of help with his Signature. His master, Lovellian, had put aside all personal matters to stick close to Eugene, and Melkith, who came to visit asionally ¡ª no ¡ª very often would actively examine Eugene¡¯s Signature and advise on the spell¡¯sposition. Eugene still couldn¡¯t go so far as to ask for advice on the structure of his spell form from Hiridus and Trempel. No matter how friendly the two were, the spell forms that made up his Signature still had to be kept a secret. Balzac¡¯s research notes were also very helpful. But before he even dug into the research, Eugene first showed it to his master, Lovellian, to verify its safety. The notes were probably from Balzac¡¯s own research before he became an Archwizard, and since Balzac¡¯s personality was frighteningly meticulous when it came to magic, Eugene was able to draw many inspirations from reading it. As for Mer Merdein, she had yet to have many opportunities to actively contribute, but Mer was originally the one in charge of Sienna¡¯s Hall within Akron. She could use various spells, but her most useful help, in this case, was her assistance in interpreting and analyzing multiple forms. Without even needing to cast the different spells, Mer was able to calcte what kind ofbined magic would result from linking different spells together and how the different variables introduced into the spell form as a result ofbining the different spells would affect the main spell. ¡°Did you think that I was created to be an administrator of Akron from the very beginning? As a familiar, I was created to assist Lady Sienna in her magic calctions,¡± Mer dered proudly, both delighted and ttered that she could perform her designated duties for the first time in a long time. Eugene even had Akasha in his possession. This staff was able to assist inmagic. When he first held Akasha, all of the various skills that Eugene had already learned and knew were naturally reconstructed into their most optimal form through Akasha. Akasha¡¯s power was also useful when it came to creating his own Signature. Even spells that refused to be linked at first could be linked after modifying them this way or that way a few times with Akasha. Since even magic that didn¡¯t mesh very well could be smoothly connected by using Akasha, the range of choices for Eugene was greatly expanded. The form that was put together in this way would then be reviewed by Mer. In the summer of Eugene¡¯s twenty-first year, it might still be imperfect, but he sessfully created his own Signature. There were problems when it came to drawing out the spell form and casting the intended phenomenon. This meant there wasn¡¯t any possibility of failure due to leftover variables. However, the Signature still wasn¡¯tplete, so thescopeof the spell was much smaller than Eugene¡¯s initial idea for it. Even so, there weren¡¯t any problems with using it. Eugene closed his eyes as he gleefully felt pride surge within him. ¡°Whoa¡­,¡± came a quiet gasp. Mer, who was watching from a distance, had a dissatisfied expression. But the expression of Kristina, who was standing beside Mer, was theplete opposite. Deeply moved by the sight, Kristina sped her hands in front of her chest and sighed, ¡°What a beautiful and noble appearance¡­!¡± [Kristina, I can¡¯t help but have these thoughts sometimes. You weren¡¯t able to receive much love during your childhood. So your unfortunate childhood and repressed innocence seemed to have left you with some wed preconceptions,] Anise said while clicking her tongue. Kristina didn¡¯t say anything in response. In her eyes, the current Eugene truly looked beautiful and noble. Lovellian, who was watching from another side, also had a happy expression. When he had first heard Eugene¡¯s concept for his Signature, Lovellian honestly didn¡¯t think it would work. Eugene¡¯s Signature was different from the Signatures of the other Archwizards. Although it was still a type of magic, it wasn¡¯t magic for magic¡¯s sake. Instead, the spell was only meant to focus on assisting Eugene¡¯s innate abilities. That being said, Eugene¡¯s Signature wasn¡¯t a low-level sort of spell. By creatingyers uponyers of magic, Eugene was able to create apletely different type of phenomenon. Even for Lovellian, it was impossible to imitate such an intricate technique. ¡°But this feels different from magic, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Melkith murmured as she looked at Eugene with her brows furrowed. ¡°You¡¯re the one who taught him that magic is meant to make you be able to do what you couldn¡¯t before,¡± Lovellian reminded her with a smirk as he turned to look at Melkith. Melkith was also aware of the spell form for Eugene¡¯s Signature. However, she hadn¡¯t been told of the original concept thaty at the core of the idea. No, even if she knew it, Melkith still wouldn¡¯t be able toe up with an answer as to how the spell form she had seen could create such a phenomenon. ¡°Also, a Signature is meant to be mixed in with an Archwizard¡¯s unique abilities,¡± Lovellian continued. ¡°Pantheon is able to serve as by Signature because of all of my Summons that I have created or collected, and your Trinity Force requires contracts with the Earth Spirit King and the Lightning Spirit King. They have set a precedent for being impossible to imitate and for requiring our own unique abilities.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true,¡± Melkith reluctantly conceded. ¡°The same goes for his Signature. That is what makes it so difficult to deal with,¡± Lovellian assessed. The particrly troublesome thing about Eugene¡¯s Signature was that it couldn¡¯t fully be treated as a magic spell. Since it was meant to assist Eugene, its power would continue to grow ording to Eugene¡¯s own limits. This meant there was no guarantee that what you managed to figure out about the spell now would be the same when you next saw it. ¡°I feel like Lady Carmen will find it even more interesting than I expected,¡± Mermented to Eugene with aplicated look. Purple sparks scattered, then, as if they were really made of mes, they died down and disappeared. ¡°Be quiet,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°Do you really think I made it this way because I wanted to? This is the optimal form for the spell, so what am I supposed to do about it?¡± ¡°Is it really the most optimal form?¡± Mer asked skeptically. ¡°If you really wanted to do it, I feel like it would be possible to find other forms for it¡­.¡± ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re trying to use me of something strange, aren¡¯t you? It¡¯s not like this form is really anything special, no? When you consider it in terms of magic, just how many spells are there that have a simr form to this?¡± Eugene stubbornly insisted. Mer shrugged, ¡°That might be the case, but you have already set a precedent in the past.¡± Eugene snapped, ¡°Be quiet, Mer-Mer.¡± ¡°My name is not Mer-Mer,¡± Mer huffed. ¡°It¡¯s Mer Merdein. By making fun of my name like that, Sir Eugene, you just want to draw attention to your bizarre naming sense, right?¡± ¡°If you keep that up, I really will kill you, Mer-Mer-Mer-Merdein.¡± ¡°Really, how childish.¡± Clicking her tongue, Mer threw herself into Eugene¡¯s arms as if they hadn¡¯t just been arguing. After lightly squeezing Mer¡¯s head as punishment, Eugene opened his cloak so that she could go inside. The final checks were over. Even if Eugene¡¯s Signature was still iplete, it wasn¡¯t to the point where anything was left undone, and thecking parts could still be supplemented even after he left Aroth. Honestly speaking, Eugene didn¡¯t have any more time to waste. The Knight March would be opening in the territory of the Ruhr Kingdom this very next month. The site of the Knight March was on the very outskirts of the Ruhr frontier, where there weren¡¯t any warp gates, so factoring in the travel time, Eugene would need to leave Aroth right away if he wanted to make it in time; right now, in fact. As such, Eugene had decided to leave today. ¡°Although there shouldn¡¯t be any problems, you should still be careful,¡± Lovellian warned him. The rest of the people who had helped Eugene create his Signature had already sent their greetings the previous day, so only Lovellian and Melkith had ventured out to see them off at the warp gate. The Head of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizard Division, Trempel Vizardo, would be participating in the Knight March along with Crown Prince Honein, but the Tower Masters weren¡¯t members of Aroth¡¯s Wizard Army, so they had no reason to participate in the Knight March. ¡°Is there really anything that he needs to be careful of?¡± Melkith scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that the ce where the Knight March is taking ce is in Lehain. Even for Ruhr, that ce is famous for its hot springs. No matter what price you offer, it¡¯s difficult to book a reservation there.¡± ¡°Of course, it would be difficult to purchase a trip there. Its reputation might be famous, but that ce is located right beneath the monster-infested Leheinjar Snowy Mountains,¡± Lovellian reminded them. Melkith still argued, ¡°But it¡¯s true that the hot spring facilities there are top-notch!¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­ the facilities there are meant for the Snowy Mountain Rangers who keep watch over the Leheinjar, as well as the knights who regrly go there to train. If you truly want to have fun in Lehain, you should also apply to join Ruhr¡¯s White Fangs, White Tower Master. They¡¯ll probably wee you with open arms,¡± Lovellian teased. Melkith huffed, ¡°Do you think I¡¯m crazy? As if I¡¯d join the White Fangs¡­. Hmmm, if I ask that old guy, Trempel, maybe he¡¯ll take me with him¡­.¡± Lovellian snorted, ¡°If you agree to transfer to the Wizard Army, he¡¯ll dly take you along.¡± ¡°Fine then, I won¡¯t go. If it¡¯s a hot spring, I can just make one myself to have fun in. As long as you heat up the groundwater, then it¡¯s a hot spring, right?¡± Melkith asked jokingly as she approached Eugene with her arms held wide. ¡°In any case, congrattions, kid. Don¡¯t forget that the help of Melkith El-Hayah went into your Signature. Later, when you write your autobiography, be sure to jot down what a good and kind person I am.¡± ¡°I probably won¡¯t write an autobiography, but sure,¡± Eugene easily agreed. Melkith added another request, ¡°Also, bring me back some souvenirs from Lehain. I don¡¯t know if they actually sell souvenirs there, but I¡¯ve heard that you might be able to mine a stone called a fire crystal from around the hot springs? Since they¡¯re also sometimes found at the bottom of hot springs, just bring one of those with you when youe back.¡± ¡°Those are just stones that can give off sparks, aren¡¯t they? Where are you going to use them, Lady Melkith?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Where else would I use them? Of course, I will use them as a bribe to seduce the Spirit King of Fire,¡± Melkith revealed proudly. Even though she had already signed a contract with two Spirit Kings, it seemed that Melkith still wasn¡¯t satisfied. Turning his back on Melkith, who was cackling wickedly, Eugene exchanged goodbyes with Lovellian. ¡°But we don¡¯tallreally need to go theretogether, do we?¡± Kristina stealthily snuck in an attempt to sabotage a certain reunion. Eugene, of course, didn¡¯t manage to recognize the sabotage attempt for what it was and instead calmly replied, ¡°They told me that everyone else has already left, and they¡¯re already waiting for us there.¡± ¡°I can understand if it¡¯s Sir Cyan, but isn¡¯t Lady Ciel a member of the ck Lion Knights¡¯ Third Division? Why didn¡¯t she go with Lady Carmen and her fellow knights instead of waiting to go with you, Sir Eugene?¡± Kristinained. ¡°Because we¡¯re siblings.¡± ¡°Siblings¡ª! Why should that matter?¡± ¡°It can¡¯t be helped that the Lionheart n will be drawing a lot of attention during this Knight March. After all, we¡¯ve been through so many thingstely. And all that attention will be focused on the sessors of the Lionheart n, Cyan, Ciel, and myself,¡± Eugene exined with an emotionless expression as he paid the fee for the warp gate. ¡°Our journey from the capital of Ruhr to Lehain won¡¯t be easy. At best, it will take a month, and the snowfields on the Ruhr frontier are infested with monsters. They may have received constant training to be knights, but isn¡¯t it a rare opportunity to build up the bond between siblings by oveing such rough terrain together? Especially since, as well as being their brother, I¡¯ve also reached a high level in the White me Form, so by asking me to apany them across the snowfields together, they must be hoping to be positively stimted and influenced by me.¡± Now that Eugene had said all this, Kristina couldn¡¯t say anything back to him. Instead, she felt like what Eugene said was correct, and she felt ashamed of herself for having such pointless thoughts. As such, while feeling a need for self-reflection, she took a moment to recite a prayer for repentance. Only for Anise to snort, [What positive stimtion? I don¡¯t know about that young master Cyan, but that cunning bitch, Ciel¡¯s insistence on traveling together with Hamel, must definitely be full of her own greedy desires.] Kristina was too stunned to respond. [Kristina, if you''re having trouble dealing with that chick, then just leave it to me, your Sister,] Anise offered. [I¡¯ll fix those bad habits of hers so that she won¡¯t think to do anything so cunning again.] ¡®...It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t need to do that¡­,¡¯Kristina hesitantly declined. Although Kristina couldn¡¯t help but feel tempted, she still didn¡¯t want to make such a request of Anise. ¡°Don¡¯t we need to change clothes before we go?¡± Mer stuck her head out from under Eugene¡¯s cloak and asked. ¡°The Kingdom of Ruhr is a ce where it¡¯s winter all year round. I didn¡¯t ask, but Lady Anci sent me some new winter clothes. Do you want to see them, Sir Eugene? I¡¯ve already changed into them.¡± ¡°What¡¯s there to even look at that?¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°You showed them to me as soon as you received them and also once yesterday.¡± ¡°Truthfully speaking, even I have to admit that I look cute in my fur-lined coat. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s cute no matter how often you¡¯ve seen it?¡± Mer argued. Kristina couldn¡¯t deny those words, but the way Mer¡¯s face looked back up at her with a smug and challenging smile was really annoying. Eugene shook his head as he pulled on Mer¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Don¡¯t pinch my cheeks,¡± Merined. ¡°So, Sir Eugene, are you going to change clothes?¡± Eugene rejected her persuasion, ¡°I¡¯m fine. After all, this cloak is meant to be worn in winter.¡± Mer turned to Kristina, ¡°How about you, Lady Kristina?¡± Kristina also waved her off, ¡°My robes also have a function to protect from the cold.¡± ¡°Really now!¡± Mer huffed. ¡°How can you all be like this? Do you really only wear clothes to keep yourself from getting cold? It¡¯s also a lot of fun to wear new clothes you¡¯ve never worn before!¡± ¡°As long as they¡¯re warm when it''s cold and cool and easy to move around in when it''s hot, any clothes are fine,¡± Eugene grumbled. Anise also agreed, [This little familiar is so spoiled because she¡¯s never had to wander around Helmuth.] However, Kristina could somewhat agree with Mer, and she felt a slight impulse to try Mer¡¯s idea. Come to think of it, until now, she had yet to wear anything other than a nun¡¯s habit or a priest¡¯s robes. ¡°...Ahem¡­ this robe will keep out the cold, but it won¡¯t be able to protect me from the flying snow. So I think it should be alright for me to buy at least one set of coats,¡± as Kristina finished convincing herself like this, she walked through the warp gate. While following behind Krisitna, Eugene recalled his memories of Molon. This wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s first time in the northern snowfields. To enter Helmuth, one needed to cross these snowfields. At that time, because most of the northernnd had been upied by demonfolk and demonic beasts, while not as much as Helmuth, these frozennds had been filled with a hellish amount of demonic beasts and demonfolk. Molon had been enraged by the state of these snowfields. Although he and the Bayar tribe that he had been born and raised in had never once been to these northernmost snowfields where the ancestors of their tribe were once based, the Bayar tribe had always called themselves the Children of the North, Children of the Snowfields. Even if the snowfields that Hamel and the others had walked across three hundred years ago weren¡¯t the territory of the Bayar Tribe, thatnd was still the snowfields of the constant blizzards. Molon used a great hammer and an ax as his weapons. Whenever Molon struck with his hammer, an avnche was raised, and when he swung his ax, even a blizzard could be split in two. Whenever such ferociously barbaric attacks were directed at the demonfolk and demonic beasts, none of Molon¡¯s enemies were left with intact corpses, either being crushed or exploded, staining the snowfields with their various colors of blood. The blizzards never stopped. The snow poured down in a perpetual shower. So even if these mangled corpses were strewn about and the entire snowfield was stained in blood, after a while, all the corpses and the blood-stainednd would return to a pure-white state once more. Molon had loved these snowfields. ¡®There¡¯s also the heated river,¡¯Eugene recalled. A heated river flowed near the territory of the Bayar tribe. When Anise had first told them about the Fount of Light three hundred years ago, Molon had also spoken about that heated river. At that, Hamel and Sienna hadn¡¯t believed Molon¡¯s ims and had justughed at them. How could there be an entire river that was steaming hot? Especially since the Bayar tribe lived in the northernmost part of the continent, where it snowed heavily. They had thought that it was ridiculous for there to be a heated river in and where it was so cold that even a normal river would have frozen over and stopped flowing. But Eugene now knew,¡®It was actually a hot spring.¡¯ Molon hadn¡¯t been lying. For a kingdom founded in the middle of these snowfields, the hot springs had be a famous tourist attraction for the Kingdom of Ruhr. ¡ªOnce this war is over, we can all go there together. At that time, I will be the Chieftain of the Bayar Tribe. If I ask them to keep the river empty for my friends, our tribe members will dly give up the opportunity for us. Back then, Molon had said this with a broad smile. However, that promise hadn¡¯te true. The war came to an unsatisfactory conclusion, and Hamel had died. So it was impossible for everyone to go to the heated river together. But Molon had still be the Chieftain of the Bayar Tribe, and he had founded a kingdom that now bore his name. ¡°So Molon ended up being the most sessful of all of us,¡± Eugene marveled with a wry smile as he passed through the warp gate. Sienna may have received a lot of acim while serving as a Tower Master in Aroth, but she was still fatally wounded when Vermouth had attacked her for unknown reasons. After that, she was crushed by Raizakia¡¯s attack and had to be sealed within the World Tree. Anise had tried to retire by going on a pilgrimage, but in her very final moments, she was overtaken by a whim and took her own life. Her body was unable to receive its eternal rest and was instead used as a sacrifice so that Yuras could raise the next candidate for Sainthood. Vermouth had served as an Archduke of Kiehl and founded the Lionheart n, one of the most prestigious lineages on the continent. However, Vermouth also couldn¡¯t find a ce to rest in hister years and instead disappeared after faking his death. However, Molon had lived happily for a very, very long time. This was a widely known fact. He had founded the Kingdom of Ruhr in the snow fields that had once been stomped on by Helmuth. He rallied the countess refugees who had lost their own countries and took them in as subjects of his kingdom. In the three hundred years since its founding, the Kingdom of Ruhr had be the most powerful country in the north. It alone exerted more influence than the entire Anti-Demon Alliance, a coalition of the small and medium-sized countries near Helmuth. The Kingdom of Ruhr had been able to show such drastic growth because theBrave Molonthat stood behind Ruhr hadst been seen one hundred years ago. After founding the kingdom and serving as its king for the next fifty years, he had passed the throne to his son, but Molon hadn¡¯t chosen to live in seclusion and had kept a watch over the Kingdom of Ruhr as its former king. However, even Molon had suddenly disappeared about a hundred years ago. Eugene cursed,¡®These bastards are really all the same. Molon went into seclusion, Sienna also went into seclusion, and Anise went on a pilgrimage. Everyone just disappeared suddenly without properly revealing where they were going. Then there¡¯s that bastard Vermouth, who¡¯s pretending to be dead.¡¯ Eugene raised his hand to look at the scene in front of him. He had already passed through the warp gate, but the temperature hadn¡¯t changed drastically. Instead, the air actually felt quite warm. The capital of the Kingdom of Ruhr was called¡­. ¡°Hamelon!¡± Mer cried out cheerfully as she looked up at Eugene from inside his cloak. ¡°You knew that as well, right, Sir Eugene? That the reason why this city is called Hamelon is that it was meant tomemorate the deceasedrade of Molon Ruhr, the first king of Ruhr.¡± ¡°I knew that,¡± Eugene reluctantly acknowledged. ¡°In the square in front of the pce are statues depicting Sir Molon and Sir Hamel together. We¡¯re definitely going to see them, right?¡± Mer chirped excitedly. Eugene refused, ¡°Don¡¯t want to.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you want to go?¡± Merined. ¡°It¡¯s said that they¡¯re so well-made that they look magnificent.¡± ¡°I think it would feel weird seeing them,¡± Eugene admitted. Kristina hesitantly spoke up, ¡°I really want to see them, but¡­.¡± Inside her head, Anise giggled and said, [I¡¯ve seen them once, but I rmend not looking at them too closely.] ¡®Why is that, Sister?¡¯Kristina asked her silently. Anise exined, [Molon was a bit too aggrieved about his deceasedrade. How should I describe the statue of Hamel that¡¯s stood there¡­? It might be a statue of Hamel, but it doesn¡¯t really look like Hamel. They made it a lot more¡­ noble-looking. Just like my statues in Yuras.] ¡®More noble-looking, you say¡­. I¡¯m not sure I get what you mean by that.¡¯ [Molonmissioned and erected a statue of the moment when Hamel died. He intended for the people of Ruhr to mourn Hamel¡¯s noble sacrifice¡­. So the statue depicts Hamel copsed with a hole through his chest, and Molon is holding his corpse. I can remember it clearly. After retrieving Hamel¡¯s corpse from the Demon King of Incarceration, Molon¡¯s appearance as he carried Hamel¡¯s body in his arms¡­.] While recalling the distant past, Anise let out a sadugh. Eugene might not be able to hear the conversation between Kristina and Anise, but he meant it when he said that he didn¡¯t want to go and take a look at the statue in that square. The reason for it was simple. If he saw it, he might end up feeling depressed and unable to hold back his tears, and Eugene didn¡¯t want to show such an appearance to Anise. ¡°Still, Sir Eugene, wouldn¡¯t it be better to look at it at least once?¡± Kristina cautiously suggested to Eugene. But at the moment when Eugene was about to open his mouth and reply¡ª ¡°Eugene!¡± Someone called out to Eugene in a loud voice. When Eugene turned his head, he spotted Ciel running at him from somewhere nearby and throwing herself at him in a hug without losing any of her momentum. ¡°It¡¯s been so long!¡± Ciel cried out. Since it had been almost half a year since theyst saw each other, saying it had been so long wasn¡¯t inurate. Ciel threw back the hood of her coat, which was bristling with fur, and smiled at Eugene. ¡°Didn¡¯t you miss me?¡± Ciel asked. Eugene asked in return, ¡°Were you waiting for us here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that you¡¯d be arriving today. That¡¯s why my brother and I came out early to meet you,¡± Ciel exined with a bright smile while also exchanging a side nce with Kristina. [Kristina, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to change ces with me?] Anise whispered to her like a demon on her shoulder. Kristina¡¯s lips just twitched silently. Chapter 222: Ruhr (2)

Chapter 222: Ruhr (2)

Eugene hadplicated feelings about the statue that had been erected by Molon. To be honest, he wanted to see it, but if he did see it, he felt like he would be pointlessly overwhelmed by emotions. If he hade to the Kingdom of Ruhr alone, he would have snuck over to take a look at it, but he couldn¡¯t do that now. An elbow started poking into Eugene¡¯s side. A strangely out-of-ce smile hovering on her face, Kristina subtly tilted her head towards Eugene and whispered, ¡°How is it?¡± From just that expression alone, Eugene could tell who was currently in control of Kristina¡¯s body. It was still Kristina, but it seemed that she had given in to the impulse from Anise¡¯s urgings from inside her head due to her own interest in the question. Eugene cleared his throat and lifted his gaze before finally saying, ¡°...It¡¯s well-made.¡± That was Eugene¡¯s honest impression. He had seen quite a few statues like this thus far. Right now, a statue of Hamel that Eugene had brought from the Nahama Desert stood in the Lionheart n¡¯s garden. There were statues of Vermouth in Kiehl¡¯s Capital and the ck Lion Castle, as well as a statue of Sienna in Aroth¡¯s Merdein Square. Then, in the za of the Sun in Yuras, he saw a statue of Anise that floated in the sky. Among all these, the best one by far was the statue right in front of him. The statues that Eugene had seen before now had definitely looked impressive. Anise¡¯s statue, in particr, had been beautifully decorated with precious jewels. But this one¡­. Eugene dered, ¡°It¡¯s majestic.¡± The statue that was currently before them was enormous. In that way, it definitely felt like Molon. The statue was even taller than an ordinary building. And all of Molon¡¯s bulging muscles had been reproduced exactly as they were. The statue depicted a wounded Molon holding the deceased Hamel in his arms. Although it hadn¡¯t included their otherrades, the ruined scenery created during a tough battle had been precisely recreated around the statue. ¡°...And a bit sorrowful,¡± Eugene added. Eugene wasn¡¯t shedding any tears. He was enduring the urge to do so. He had already shed many tears in a simr situation, and it was obvious that if he did cry, Anise would tease him so much that it would make him want to kill someone, so Eugene was suppressing his emotions. ¡°Sob.¡± Eugene might have been able to endure, but Mer chose not to. With only her face still sticking out of an opening in his cloak, Mer was weeping openly. Kristina was awkwardly donning a mischievous smile as if she meant to imitate Anise, but her eyes were filled with tears. Cyan broke the silence, ¡°Is there really a scene like this in the fairy tale?¡± Ciel shrugged, ¡°The fairy tale is just a fairy tale, after all. We don¡¯t even know who wrote it, so maybe it was altered quite a bit?¡± ¡°Even so, I quite liked the romance between the Stupid Hamel and the Wise Sienna,¡± Cyan murmured. Both Ciel and Cyan were impressed by the statue. Cielughed at her brother¡¯s muttered confession and shook her head, ¡°What do you know, brother. What the fairy tale was trying to subtly touch your heart with wasn¡¯t the romance between the Stupid Hamel and the Wise Sienna.¡± ¡°Then what was it trying to promote?¡± Cyan asked. ¡°The friendship betweenrades?¡± ¡°That¡¯s also a great motif, but I liked the rtionship between the Faithful Anise and the Stupid Hamel,¡± Ciel dered. Cyan paused in disbelief, ¡°Why those two? In the fairytale, the one that Hamel liked was Sienna.¡± ¡°Although that¡¯s what he confessed in his final moments, the subtle mood between Hamel and Anise revealed throughout the fairy tale is very interesting. Should I describe it as very imagination-provoking? There were also a few things that allude to something more,¡± Ciel exined excitedly. Cyan frowned, ¡°I never saw anything like that¡­.¡± ¡°Sienna and Hamel feel more like close friends than lovers, but Anise and Hamel have a mutual respect for each other, so¡­. Haaah, what¡¯s the point of talking to you about this?¡± Ciel shook her head as if mocking Cyan. Eugene, who had been listening to this talk in silence, felt as if his clothes had been stripped off in public, so he kept his mouth shut firmly. [That little cutie really knows something,] Anisemented. ¡®...Is that really in the fairy tale?¡¯Kristina asked doubtfully. [It¡¯s not like I could write the details about my stigmata in the fairy tale. That selfish Sienna showed her ugliness by wilfully unveiling her selfish desires, but I couldn¡¯t do that. I was supposed to be innocent and pure, after all. So I told the story of Hamel and myself in a way that only a few who have great sensitivity, like that cutie, would sense something.] Just earlier, Anise had called Ciel a cunning bitch, but at some point, she had changed Ciel¡¯sbel to acutie. ¡°...But in the end, Sir Hamel was the only one who died,¡± Cyan muttered. ¡°Sir Hamel didn¡¯t die because he was weak. He bravely and beautifully sacrificed his own life for the sake of his fellowrades,¡± Eugene was the one who replied to him. ¡°Three hundred years ago, because of Sir Hamel¡¯s sacrifice, our ancestor and hisrades could climb all the way to the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. Although theter generations ridicule Sir Hamel as being stupid because of that bullshi ¡ª no, that ridiculous fairy tale, as someone who sacrificed himself for the sake of hisrades and for the sake of a world that left him with no choice but to do so, Sir Hamel can truly be called a hero.¡± Ciel and Cyan both blinked in surprise at Eugene¡¯s long speech. Mer, who had been looking at the statue with a moved expression, couldn¡¯t bear to listen any longer, so she hid her head back inside the cloak. Kristina¡¯s hooded eyes suddenly widened in shock as she stared at Eugene. [Isn¡¯t he embarrassed to say all that?] Eugene might be unable to hear Anise¡¯s murmurs, but he could easily imagine what Anise might be muttering to herself¡­. As such, Eugene cleared his throat and shook his head, ¡°In any case, about Sir Hamel¡­ I¡¯m just trying to say that he¡¯s a very underrated hero by theter generations.¡± ¡°Uh¡­ oh, right,¡± Cyan gaped with a confused expression before suddenly nodding. ¡°That was the case, wasn¡¯t it? Eugene, you¡¯re the one who personally discovered Sir Hamel¡¯s grave, so¡­ ah¡­ because you¡¯re the sessor to his legacy, it makes sense that you would have different feelings toward this statue than we do.¡± Quite kindly, Cyan showed a great sense of understanding towards this non-blood-rted brother of his, who seemed to have gotten overly immersed in a fairy tale. Snow was starting to fall. ¡°We never even said a word about Sir Hamel being weak,¡± Ciel pouted as she pulled her hood back over her head. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t know how strong Sir Hamel was? But, of course, among the heroes from three hundred years ago, the strongest was our ancestor.¡± ¡°Of course, he was,¡± Cyan also affirmed as he looked back up at the statue with a proud expression. As he was staring up at Molon''s statue, which seemed as huge as a mountain, Cyan grew lost in thought for a few moments. Eventually, Cyan asked, ¡°...Just how strong was Sir Molon?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± Ciel hummed curiously. ¡°Just look at those muscles,¡± Cyan pointed out. ¡°It might just be a statue, but it¡¯s not like they¡¯d make it bulkier than the real thing, right? Sir Hamel looks like a child when he¡¯s being held in Sir Molon¡¯s arms.¡± Who was the strongest among the heroes from three hundred years ago? There was no real need to think about such a question. The answer was the master of the Holy Sword and the Hero, the Great Vermouth. Everyone in the world considered Vermouth to be the peak of all the heroes. But among the remaining four, while the Wise Sienna and the Faithful Anise were out of contention because they weren¡¯t warriors, the Stupid Hamel and the Brave Molonwerewarriors. As such, the question of which of the two was stronger was a topic of debate that was brought up all the time. Ciel chided, ¡°Are you an idiot, brother? Just because your muscles are bigger, that doesn¡¯t make you stronger. Just look at that pig, Gargith. His forearms are thicker, and his muscles are more bulging, but he¡¯s no better than Eugene ¡ª no, he¡¯s even weaker than me.¡± ¡°That might be true,¡± Cyan conceded. ¡°However, I still think that Sir Molon might have been stronger than Sir Hamel.¡± Ciel considered this, ¡°Hmmm¡­ maybe. After all, three hundred years ago, Sir Hamel was the only one who died.¡± Kristina, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, nced at Eugene nervously. As she had expected, Eugene¡¯s brows were twitching in anger. ¡°What kind of bullshit is that,¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°Sir Hamel was stronger than Sir Molon.¡± ¡°And how would you know that?¡± Cyan challenged. ¡°How else would I know!¡± Eugene shouted, only to hesitate. ¡°I¡­ Sir Hamel¡­ look, just from his face, you can tell he¡¯s stronger than Sir Molon. Don¡¯t you see that scar over there? Of course, Sir Hamel died first, and he might have been smaller than Sir Molon, but do you really think that fights are just decided based on fucking size? Sir Hamel was a better fighter than Sir Molon¡ª¡± Eugene stopped talking mid-sentence and turned his head. He had suddenly felt a piercing gaze directed at him. The ce from which he had felt that gaze was quite far from this square, but he sensed the presence narrowing the distance in an instant. ¡®From the pce?¡¯ Behind the statue, on the other side of the square, stood a huge castle surrounded by tall walls. This was the Royal Pce of Ruhr. It was from the pce¡¯s lofty spire, through the fluttering snow, that Eugene had first felt that gaze. However, now it was right on top of them. Eugene reflexively took a few steps backward, pulling Kristina, Ciel, and Cyan along with his magic. But there didn¡¯t seem to have been any need for that. The approaching presence showed no signs of hostility, and even though he was falling here from a great height, no one was in any danger. A thick cloak fluttered behind the descending figure. Everyone looked up with shocked eyes. The one who hade flying from the tall spire tond in front of the statue in a crouch was a giant of a man. Straightening up from his crouch, the man roughly brushed back the hair that had fallen over his eyes. ¡°Humph!¡± The man appeared to be middle-aged, with windswept hair, a roughly-shaven beard, and darkly-tanned skin. Eugene noticed a crown on top of the man¡¯s head that was tilted to the side as if it could fall off at any moment. ¡°Nice to see you, young ones,¡± the man began speaking. Then, with a wide grin that showed off his gums, the man spread his arms wide, baring his chest. ¡°Wehope that you¡¯re not too offended byOurintrusion. I was having fun listening to the cute conversation between you young ones, but as a descendant of the Bold King, I couldn¡¯t continue to just listen silently.¡± The Bold King was a term used to refer to the founding king of Ruhr, Molon. But in fact, aside from Molon, there was one other person in Ruhr who was entitled to address himself by the pronoun,We. Cyan was so startled that his hair stood on end, and he immediately knelt on the spot, ¡°Th-the descendant of the Lionheart n, Cyan Lionheart, is honored to meet His Royal Highness, the King of Ruhr.¡± Ciel and Kristina also hurriedly knelt down and curtseyed. For now, Eugene also decided to get on one knee, as the reaction from their surroundings seemed unusual. Even though this was the sudden appearance of the King of Ruhr, the people in the za only spared a nce towards him, not showing any particr reverence. ¡°Ahahaha! You young ones are embarrassingUs. SinceWewere the one to jump in on you in the first ce, there¡¯s no need to be so polite. Aren¡¯t your knees getting wet from the snow on the ground? If you want to kneel down and pay your courtesies toUs, instead of doing it in a ce like this, why don¡¯t you visitUsinOurcastle,¡± the king invited them. This was the current king of the Ruhr Kingdom. The Beast King Aman Ruhr. Letting out a heartyugh, he straightened his tilted crown and continued speaking. ¡°Furthermore,Wedidn¡¯te here just to hear the greetings from you young ones. Look here, young Lionheart,¡± Aman¡¯s grinning eyes turned to Eugene, ¡°You¡¯re the one who said that the Bold King was weaker than Sir Hamel, right? I can¡¯t ept those words. While, of course, the Great Vermouth must have been the strongest, still, among the heroes from that era, the strongest besides Sir Vermouth was the Bold King!¡± ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­ yeah,¡± Eugene eventually responded with a puzzled expression. While everyone was still down on one knee, Aman strode over to grab them by the arms and lift them up from their bent positions one by one. ¡°Cyan Lionheart!¡± Aman roared cheerfully. ¡°A descendant of the Great Vermouth. I¡¯m well aware that you are the next in line for the Patriarch of the Lionheart n. Though it hasn¡¯t been confirmed yet,Ourdaughter may soon be engaged to you.¡± Cyan was simrly hesitant, ¡°Uh¡­ yeees¡­?¡± ¡°In fact,Wehave no desire to decide onOurdaughter¡¯s marriage for political reasons,¡± Aman confessed. ¡°The most important thing will be whetherOurdaughter wants to marry you or not! Ah, though, of course,Ourdaughter isn¡¯t yet old enough for such things.¡± Cyan frantically scoured his memory, ¡°Princess A¡¯s current age is¡­ um¡­ I recall that she¡¯s eleven, but¡­.¡± ¡°If you do wish to marryOurdaughter, you will need to work hard starting now to sway her heart. Alright, since we happen to have met like this, allowUsto tell you a secret.Ourdaughter, A, prefers rare weapons and armor over dolls and bouquets. If you wish to impress A, it would be better for you to gift her with a small dagger,¡± Aman advised with a chuckle and patted Cyan on the shoulder. They may have just been intended as friendly taps, but each time Aman¡¯srge handnded on his shoulder with abang, bangsound, Cyan¡¯s whole body shook. Aman turned to Ciel, ¡°Ciel Lionheart!Wehave also heard about you. Indeed, you are just as fair and beautiful as a snowke! I¡¯ve heard that Carmen Lionheart, a heroine who has receivedOurrecognition for her strength, is your teacher, correct?¡± ¡°You tter me, your Majesty,¡± Ciel responded politely. ¡°ttery? Are you referring toOurWedo not worship the God of Light, butWeare still in awe of the miracles that can be performed by the Followers of the Light. Among all those we have seen, the miracles performed by your adoptive father, Cardinal Sergio Rogeris, were particrly impressive,¡± Amanplimented. Kristina greeted him stiffly, ¡°It¡¯s an honor to meet you like this.¡± Aman noticed her difort, ¡°It seems thatWeshouldn¡¯t have carelessly brought up the unfortunate death of your adoptive father. May the Light protect you.¡± Aman didn¡¯t pound on Krisitna¡¯s shoulders. He instead reached out with his ownrge hand to shake her hand, and with a bow of her head, Kristina took his hand with both of hers. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± Aman finally turned to Eugene. Striding over with a hearty smile, Aman looked down at Eugene and said, ¡°The foster child of the main family. The Second Coming of the Great Vermouth. The Wise Sienna¡¯s Sessor¡­. But it seems that those aren¡¯t the end of it.¡± ¡°Were you eavesdropping on our conversation from such a long distance away?¡± Eugene used. ¡°Please don¡¯t think thatWewere intentionally eavesdropping.Ourears are extremely sharp, soWecan hear all sorts of things without even intending to. However,Wemust still offer our apologies for something else,¡± Aman lifted the crown that he was wearing on his head with one hand as he slightly lowered his head in apology. ¡°From the moment you entered this square,Wehave been watching you with great interest.Wewere merely confirming the news that the younger generation of the Lionheart n had arrived in Ruhr through the warp-gate.¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not offended by that information. After all, Your Majesty is the king of this country, right?¡± ¡°Ahaha! There is now saying that it¡¯s alright to observe and spy on others just because you¡¯re the king. At least there isn¡¯t such aw in this country,¡± Aman stated proudly as hisrge hand patted Eugene¡¯s shoulder. Bang, bang. The sound might have been just as loud, but Eugene¡¯s body didn¡¯t shake like Cyan and Ciel¡¯s had. Aman¡¯s eyes grew cheerful at this sight. ¡°So then, Eugene Lionheart, what is your opinion?¡± Aman asked seriously. Eugene frowned, ¡°What opinion are you talking about?¡± ¡°Do you really not know whatWeare asking, or are you just pretending? You said that Sir Hamel is stronger than the Bold King. However,Wechoose to disagree,¡± Aman lowered his body to bring himself close to Eugene. Eugene realized why Aman was called the Beast King. He also saw the proof that Molon was indeed Aman¡¯s ancestor. As they stared piercingly at Eugene, Aman¡¯s eyes were just as clear as Molon¡¯s, and the same intense desire for conflict that had once swum in Molon¡¯s eyes could also be seen in his. However, unlike Molon, Aman wouldn¡¯t restrain his desires on the grounds that they were. In Aman¡¯s eyes, a wild, bestial spirit was stirring apart from the dignity that came from being the king of a country. ¡°If you continue to insist on Sir Hamel¡¯s superiority, thenWe, as the descendant of the Bold King, must strive to convince you. Don¡¯t you think that it would be fun to cross swords for the sake of our friendly rtions?¡± Aman proposed. ¡°How dare I cross swords with you, Your Majesty?¡± Eugene tried to evade. ¡°Ahaha! It seems that there is aw in Kiehl that states you must not draw your sword against the Emperor, right? But something like that has no relevance here. No matter who it is, if they so desire,Wewill dly exchange des with them,¡± Aman dered with loudughter as he straightened up his lowered body. As if to demonstrate, Aman looked around the square, and indeed, the people of Ruhr who were out in the square were looking in this direction with eyes full of amusement and curiosity instead of anger and concern. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I will have to decline,¡± Eugene politely rejected. To be honest, Eugene did want topete with Molon¡¯s descendants. However, Eugene didn¡¯t want to face Aman in the middle of a square full of watching eyes on the very day he had entered Ruhr. ¡°Is that so? Then it can¡¯t be helped. It¡¯s not like today will be the only chance we will get for it,¡± Aman sighed. Now that Eugene had refused, Aman also didn¡¯t continue to insist. He patted Eugene on the shoulder once more and said with a grin, ¡°It¡¯s fine even if it¡¯s in the middle of the Knight March, so if you ever wish topete withUs,e visitUsat any time. These words aren¡¯t just for you, Eugene. Cyan Lionheart and Ciel Lionheart as well. If you two so desire, you cane toUsanytime.Wewill be happy to show you the martial arts that have been passed down to us from the Bold King.¡± ¡°Would it be alright for me to ask you something?¡± Eugene asked after clearing his throat and looking back up at Aman. ¡°Sir Molon¡­ no, did the Bold King himself ever say something like that directly? That he was stronger than Sir Hamel.¡± ¡°Ahaha! He never said anything like that. He didn¡¯t leave such words in any of the historical records either. Of course, he did often mention Sir Hamel in those while calling him a dearrade and friend. Although he said that he really wanted to seriouslypete with Hamel at least once, they never actually managed topete because they never got the chance to¡­,¡± Aman trailed off with a grin. He then leaned over slightly towards Eugene and whispered, ¡°However, this information is written down in the Annals of Ruhr. ording to the words of the Bold King, three hundred years ago, the person with the most physical strength next to the Great Vermouth was Molon himself. If that¡¯s the case, then doesn¡¯t this naturally mean that the Bold King was stronger than Sir Hamel?¡± Was this a provocation? Eugene smiled stiffly and nodded. ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡± Amanughed smugly, ¡°Ahaha! Well, it¡¯s only natural. Just by looking at this statue, you can tell that the Bold King was stronger than Sir Hamel. But what will you all be doing now? I¡¯ve heard reports that you¡¯re not traveling with the Lionheart n¡¯s main force but are instead heading to Lehain independently.¡± ¡°Yes, we n on heading to Lehain right away,¡± Eugene revealed. ¡°It seems that you¡¯re in a hurry,¡± Aman observed. ¡°If your preparations are inadequate or you¡¯re anxious about the journey, how about apanyingUs? You can rest well in the pce and leave for Lehain whenWeand the Knights of Ruhr do.¡± ¡°Although I¡¯m grateful for your words¡­ I¡¯m afraid I¡¯ll have to decline. However, why haven¡¯t you departed yet, your Majesty?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°It is becauseWehaven¡¯t yet finished dealing with the affairs of state,¡± Aman admitted. ¡°Weand our Knights of Ruhr will most likely be able to depart next week.¡± Aman blinked for a few moments. Then he made anoopssound and smacked his own forehead. ¡°Wereally should be more careful with our words,¡± Aman chided himself. ¡°Hector Lionheart, the one who participated in that upheaval at the ck Lion Castlest year¡­ he was an honorary knight of the White Fangs, wasn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°As far as I know, all discussions considering that issue have already been concluded. Even though Hector was an honorary knight of the White Fangs, the White Fangs cannot be held ountable for what he did at the ck Lion Castle,¡± Eugene assured him. ¡°However, wasn¡¯t it stillOurmistake to make such a deplorable man an honorary knight? As such,Wefeel thatWemust do something to aid you on your journey,¡± Aman insisted. Eugene didn¡¯t really think it was necessary, but Aman just stood there absentmindedly, lost in thought for a few moments. Then he suddenly smiled and looked down at Eugene with a nod. ¡°Just wait here for a few moments.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Booom! Aman kicked off the ground and leaped into the air. With just one leap, he flew through the air and crossed therge distance between the square and the pce spire that he had first flown from. ¡°...Just what on earth?¡± Cyan questioned dumbfoundedly, still having yet toe to his senses. Just as Aman had said, it couldn¡¯t have been more than a few moments before he returned. Just like when he first arrived, he leaped over from the pce andnded in the square, but unlike thatst time, he wasn¡¯t alone. ¡°We shall allow our pet dog to go with you,¡± Aman stated generously. The pet dog wasn¡¯t the kind of cute puppy that the words brought to mind. Though Aman was a giant of a man, the body of the wolf he had brought with him on his shoulders was even bigger than Aman was. ¡°His name is Abel. He¡¯s a descendant of the Snowfield Wolves, which have been bred by the Bayar Tribe since long ago and have been raised within the Royal Pce since the founding of this kingdom. This guy won¡¯t get lost in a blizzard or even in the t, featureless, white snowfields. If you¡¯re apanied by Abel, you should be able to reach Lehain without getting lost,¡± Aman stated. The Snowfield Wolf that Aman lowered to the ground was as big as an ox, but it didn¡¯t seem anywhere as dull-witted as an ox. Aman grinned as he stroked Abel¡¯s gray fur. ¡°Abel,¡± Aman instructed. ¡°Guide these young lions to the training grounds at Lehain.¡± ¡°Woof!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, there¡¯s a good boy.¡± Abel let out a loud howl. Turning back to the group, Aman exined, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about Abel¡¯s food because this clever guy can hunt down his own food. If one of you injures your leg on the way there, it¡¯s fine if you need to ride on Abel¡¯s back.¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°Uh, yes¡­.¡± ¡°As long as you stick to the path that Abel leads you on, you should have more than enough time to cross the snowfields. Young ones, are you interested in sightseeing?¡± Aman suddenly asked. ¡°Did you say¡­ sightseeing?¡± Eugene repeated. Aman nodded, ¡°Lehainjar might be dangerous, but it¡¯s a fascinating ce.¡± It was the most dangerous mountain in Ruhr, a ce where the Snowy Mountain Rangers and knights would asionally visit for training. ¡°If you feel the urge, you should go take a look at the Grand Hammer Canyon,¡± Aman rmended. ¡°And where is that exactly?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°If you want to go, Abel can lead you there. You don¡¯t need to be able to speak wolf, this clever guy¡­ if you tell him that you want to go to the Grand Hammer Canyon, he will guide you there immediately,¡± Aman said with a wide smile that showed off his gums. ¡°That¡¯s where the legends of the royal family are passed down.¡± ¡°Legends?¡± Eugene repeated curiously. ¡°It¡¯s also the ce where the descendants of the royal family are reborn as warriors,¡± Aman said without any further exnation as he turned away. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s up to you whether to go or not.¡± With thosest words, Aman kicked off the ground once again. Booom! With a loud roar, Aman flew back to the pce. ¡°...What an extremely¡­ free-spirited king,¡± Cyan muttered as he watched Aman¡¯s back disappear within mere moments. Chapter 223: Ruhr (3)

Chapter 223: Ruhr (3)

Eugene had felt the need to find a guide. Most of the Ruhr Kingdom¡¯s territory was snowfields covered in blizzards, but if one considered it simply in terms ofnd mass, it wasrge enough to beparable to the Kiehl Empire. But since most of the kingdom¡¯s poption lived in the cities, the vast snowfields were the home of the natives who refused to mix into the cities. They weren¡¯t as savage as the natives of the Samar Rainforest, but Eugene had heard that they were entric enough to reject civilization and insist on surviving out in the harsh snowfields. The snowfields were an even harsher locale than the Rainforest. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t easy to forage for food, and if you were to fall into a crevasse while walking carelessly, a pointless death was a real possibility. There were also the blizzards that swirled up from time to time, and one needed to be careful of avnches in the mountainous areas. In the Rainforest, all one needed to worry about were things like attacks from the savage natives or monsters, but in the snowfields, one needed to be more cautious of the immensity of nature. There were fields of white snow everywhere you looked, so losing your sense of direction was easy. Even if you used a map, apass, or an enchanted guidebook, it was still easy to lose your way in the snowfields. That was why people who wanted to cross the snowfields often hired the natives living in thosends as guides. But thanks to the King of Ruhr¡¯s consideration, there was no longer any need for them to hire a guide. ¡°Woof-woof.¡± Having emerged from the cloak, Mer approached Abel with her eyes shining brightly. ¡°Woof-woof.¡± Mer tried to imitate a dog¡¯s bark once more, but Abel just stared at Mer,zily blinking his golden eyes. Unable to get him to show the reaction she had hoped for, Mer pouted her lips and crept closer to Abel. ¡°Hand,¡± Mer instructed when she finally stood in front of therge wolf and stretched out her own hand. And as expected, Abel proved to be just as smart as Aman had said. Mer smiled broadly as she looked down to see Abel¡¯srge front paw draped lightly over her tiny hand. ¡°It¡¯s okay if I ride on his back, right?¡± Mer pleaded. Eugene pointed out, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be morefortable to travel inside my cloak than on the back of a wolf¡ª¡± ¡°Either way, it¡¯s morefortable than walking on my own. Also, it¡¯s no fun to be stuck inside your cloak, Sir Eugene, and I¡¯ve gotten sick of it after standing inside there for so long,¡± Merined as she quickly climbed onto Abel¡¯s back. Mer might have been a young girl, but she was also a familiar, so she didn¡¯t actually weigh much. On top of that, perhaps because of Abel¡¯s huge size and excellent strength, he showed no signs of difficulty at having Mer ride on his back as he looked to Eugene for instruction. Eugene considered Mer silently. It¡¯s no fun, and she was bored of it ¡ª Mer may have said those words without giving them much thought, but Eugene felt a little sullen because of it. However, if he acknowledged and expressed this feeling, he felt like he would be admitting that he had lost to this mutt, so Eugene kept his mouth shut. Anise suddenly remarked, ¡°As Molon¡¯s descendant, he really does resemble Molon.¡± ¡°But he doesn¡¯t look like the same sort of fool that Molon was. Though it makes sense, there¡¯s no way that a fool would be a king,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Molon was also a fool, but he was actually pretty good at handling state affairs,¡± Anise revealed. Eugene scoffed, ¡°That¡¯s just because Molon was strong. Three hundred years ago, during all that mess, didn¡¯t he manage to build a kingdom through strength alone? When a strong man like him said he would be king of this pr region where it¡¯s always snowing heavily, who would dare to say anything against that?¡± Anise argued, ¡°Although it¡¯s true that Molon¡¯s strength was helpful in the founding of the Ruhr Kingdom, the kingdom wasn¡¯t established and governed solely by force. Hamel, you should know this as well, right? Molon may have been a fool, but he was also kind, and despite being a fool, he did have a wise side to him. Now that three hundred years have passed, he is still called by and praised with the prestigious title of the Bold King because Molon was more of a proper king than the one who ruled your hometown.¡± ¡°Fine, I admit it. Molon is great. And I¡¯m worthless. I fucking died first for no reason, and because of that, I keep getting called weaker than Molon¡­.¡± As Eugene trailed off into grumbles and repeatedly sighed, Anise, who was still borrowing Kristina¡¯s body,ughed mockingly. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just a fact that you were weaker than Molon? You also had a weaker body than he did. Hamel, no one else might be able to tell, but boasting like you were stronger and tougher than Molon in front of me is¡­. Hehe. It feels a little cute of you,¡± Anise said with a smirk. ¡°What did you just say?¡± Eugene growled. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it just like I said it was? Whenever a battle was over, you always had more injuries than Molon. And who was the one who had to heal those wounds?¡± Anise asked rhetorically. ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene answered sarcastically. ¡°Nope, it was me,¡± Anise insisted. ¡°Please don¡¯t try to act cute with that useless pride of yours. Without me, Hamel, all your limbs would have been cut off at the roots, and you would have been left with only your torso, forced to roll around like a ball.¡± Eugene coughed guiltily, ¡°Ahem¡­. But it¡¯s not like I was the only one whose limbs were cut off. Molon also lost his legs¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because Molon always stupidly ran off like a colt with its tail on fire.¡± Anise snorted, then continued, ¡°Though indeed, you were the same in that regard.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t bear to refute Anise¡¯s ridicule. If it hadn¡¯t been for Anise¡¯s miracles, even if all his limbs hadn¡¯t been amputated, he felt like he would have at least lost an arm or a leg. A voice suddenly intruded, ¡°Just what are you two talking about so secretly?¡± The ongoing conversation between Eugene and Anise couldn¡¯t be heard by anyone else. This was because Eugene had concealed each of their voices using magic in order to talk about Molon. The sight of this was very, very,veryannoying to Ciel. As Ciel approached them with her eyes staring piercingly, Eugene replied with a calm expression, ¡°We¡¯re talking about the Signature that I came up with in Aroth.¡± ¡°Why talk about that in secret?¡± Ciel argued. ¡°I¡¯m also curious about your Signature.¡± ¡°Um¡­ something like this needs to be seen as a surprise to look cooler and more shocking,¡± Eugene said as an excuse. ¡°So you¡¯re keeping it a secret because you want to show it off to me?¡± Ciel asked happily. ¡°Well, something like that,¡± Eugene agreed vaguely. Although Ciel didn¡¯t like this situation, Eugene¡¯s response made her very happy. She withdrew once more with a look that said it couldn¡¯t be helped. Eugene turned to Anise, ¡°So, Lehainjar, what do you think about it?¡± ¡°Molon¡¯s descendant didn¡¯t exin anything properly, but wasn¡¯t he quite explicit in suggesting you go there? No way, Hamel. Do you actually think he might have set a trap for you?¡± Anise asked in disbelief. ¡°Isn¡¯t that still a possibility?¡± ¡°How could a descendant of Molon use such petty tricks asying a trap¡ª¡± ¡°Even among Vermouth¡¯s descendants, there are idiots,¡± Eugene pointed out. Anise conceded the point, ¡°That might be the case, but if we really fall into a trap set by a descendant of Molon¡­ I¡¯d be so ashamed that I would never be able to ascend to the heavens and instead be an evil spirit.¡± Eugene also readily agreed, ¡°I¡¯d also be just as ashamed, enough to kill myself by burying my nose in a saucer of water.¡± For now, they would just keep their guard up, but what reason would the Beast King have forying such a trap? As far as Eugene was aware, the Lionhearts and the Royal Family of Ruhr had quite an amicable rtionship. Since the war ended three hundred years ago, Vermouth had strangely distanced himself from his formerrades. Molon was no exception to this. But after Molon had abdicated the throne and a funeral had officially been held for Vermouth, the kings who seeded the throne of Ruhr sought to establish a good rtionship with the Lionheart n, even if they still weren¡¯t that close. Every year, on the Patriarch¡¯s birthday, letters and gifts would be sent from Ruhr, and currently, there were even talks about marrying the next Patriarch, Cyan, to the Princess of Ruhr. ¡°Perhaps Molon might have gone into seclusion in that ce called the Great Hammer Canyon?¡± Anise proposed. Anise was also well aware of why it had been decided that the Knight March would be held in the Kingdom of Ruhr. It was all because of the Brave Molon, who had gone into seclusion one hundred years ago. By holding it here, they hoped to rouse him from his solitude. ¡°Hamel, you¡­ hehe. Though it seems that you don¡¯t really like to be called as such, at least for now, aren¡¯t you called the Second Coming of Vermouth? Also, Kristina happens to look exactly like I did,¡± Anise pointed out with a giggle. Eugene couldn¡¯t respond to this. ¡°It¡¯s unknown whether Molon is still secretly in contact with the Royal Family of Ruhr even after going into seclusion. And if he really did go to the Great Hammer Canyon for his seclusion¡­ he should be able to notice us once we arrive there, even if he¡¯s far away,¡± Anise spected. Eugene snorted, ¡°That fool will probably be surprised ande over running like crazy.¡± If it was Molon, that definitely felt like what he would do; as Eugene grinned while imagining such a sight, Anise also nodded slightly on the side. However, her smile wasn¡¯t as cheerful as Eugene¡¯s. ¡°That¡¯s if Molon hasn¡¯t changed from how we remember him to be,¡± Anise brought up cautiously. Eugene didn¡¯t respond to those words right away. Instead, he stared at Anise with a calm, assessing gaze. That face might still be Kristina¡¯s, but even so, Eugene could sense Anise¡¯s sorrowful mncholy. There was a slight pause before Eugene responded. He couldn¡¯t be entirely sure of what he was saying, but Eugene still tried to project confidence when he assured her, ¡°That fool won¡¯t have changed even a tiny bit.¡± They once again made use of the warp-gate in Hamelon, the Capital of Ruhr, and arrived at the city of Rosrok, which was in the north of Ruhr. Unfortunately, from this point on, they wouldn¡¯t be able to use a warp-gate to travel any further and would instead have to traverse the endlessly sprawling snowfields all by themselves. ¡°You¡¯re going all the way to Lehainjar by foot? You¡¯re crazy.¡± Every merchant they met while purchasing supplies for the journey had said the same thing while shaking their heads and clicking their tongues in sympathy. However, even though they called it reckless and foolish, they didn¡¯t try to stop Eugene and the others. This was because of the Lionheart sigil embroidered on the chests of the Lionheart trio ¡ª Eugene, Ciel, and Cyan. ¡°I¡¯ve heard something about that. Apparently, a festival called the Knight March is being held at the distant Lehain¡¯s training grounds, right?¡± a merchant inquired. ¡°I don¡¯t know if it can really be called a festival, but yes,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°A bunch of people from all over the world are gathering to enjoy some loud and boisterous fun, so what else can it be called other than a festival?¡± the merchant pointed out. ¡°In any case, thanks to you lot, we merchants are also enjoying ourselves due to this event.¡± Eugene pricked his ears, ¡°It seems quite a few people have passed through here already?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious[1]? Three knightly orders and four mercenarypanies have already passed through here, and that¡¯s just Rosrok alone.¡± The path through Rosrok wasn¡¯t the only way to reach Lehain. If you included the troops departing from other cities, the number of troops that would soon be arriving in Lehain would be staggering. The merchant generously offered, ¡°Since you¡¯ve bought a lot of goods, I¡¯ll tell you this for free. Two of the knightly orders were just from small countries belonging to the Anti-Demon Alliance, but thest one was a very famous knightly order, Shimuin¡¯s Knights of the Violent Tide. As the young master of the Lionheart n, you should naturally know of them, right?¡± Of course, Eugene knew. Theirs was a name that was always brought up whenever the topic of the best knightly orders on the continent was discussed. As Shimuin was a country that imed to be aLand of Knights, there were several knightly orders that were sworn to the royal family. Among these knightly orders, the Violent Tide Knights were made up of the elites who were carefully selected from only the most exceptional knights. The Commander of their knightly order was the First Knight of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest[2]. Just like the Knights of the Violent Tide, his name was always brought up whenever someone discussed picking the best knights of the entire continent. ¡°How should I describe the First Knight¡­? He¡¯s a man so sharp that you can almost feel a ghostly auraing from him. As such, he looked like even more of a contrast when standing next to the Princess Knight. As for her, she looked as clean and pure as a solitary flower¡­,¡± the merchant trailed off in reminiscence. Cyan gave a low cough as the merchant continued muttering. His attention had been drawn to the mention of Shimuin¡¯s Princess Knight. Among all of the children of the King of Shimuin, Princess Scalia was said to be uniquely gifted with the sword. ¡°Sneaky bastard,¡± Eugene scoffed at Cyan¡¯s obvious interest in her gossip. Cyan stammered in protest, ¡°Wh-what?!¡± Along with Princess A of Ruhr, Princess Scalia had also been brought up as one of Cyan¡¯s potential fiancees. The merchant continued, ¡°As for the mercenarypanies, well¡­ they were all fairlyrgepanies, but¡­. Hah. Although I hope nothing dangerous happens, you never know what people might get up to, so allow me to give you a warning.¡± ¡°A warning?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Among the mercenarypanies that passed through Rosrok a few days ago, there was one group called the ck Dog Mercenaries. Though they call themselves a mercenarypany, they¡¯re dragging around merchant caravans from other snowfields and extorting them under the pretext of escorting them. They¡¯re just robbers wearing the mask of a mercenarypany,¡± the merchant sniffed. This news didn¡¯te as a surprise to Eugene, who used to work as a mercenary three hundred years ago. Merchant caravans were amon customer of mercenaries. As long as a mercenarypany had both ack of conscience and enough ability, after killing or crippling the original escort warriors hired by the merchant caravans, they could force the merchants to sign an unfair contract while iming to be the ones who would escort them from now on. Naturally, the contracts that were signed like this weren¡¯t anything like proper contracts, and most of them made the merchant caravans pay an additional fee for the amount of time they were dragged around by the mercenarypany. ¡°Those ck Dogs probably won¡¯t dare to y tricks on the young masters from the Lionheart n, but¡­ the snowfields are wide, and you never know what might happen,¡± the merchant earnestly cautioned them. ¡°The best solution would be to avoid getting entangled with them in the first ce. If you see the g of the ck Dogs from a distance, don¡¯t needlessly try to confront them and just go your own way.¡± Eugene epted the warning, ¡°Thank you for your advice.¡± ¡°By the way, have you considered borrowing a few more wolves?¡± the merchant rmended. ¡°It seems that there aren¡¯t too many of you, and if it¡¯s a group of about five people, it would be better to use a wolf sled¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene assured him. He actually had thought about hiring a sleigh to ride, but after considering it several times, he realized that they didn¡¯t really have a need for it. ¡°After all, wouldn¡¯t it be more convenient just to use magic?¡± Eugene said mostly to himself. ¡°Well, it should be easier for you,¡± the merchant agreed. The spell that was used to keep one¡¯s feet from sliding in the snow wasn¡¯t a very advanced spell, and whilesting for a long time, it didn¡¯t even consume much mana. However, Eugene had no intention of allowing the use of such a convenient spell. Eugene turned to Ciel and Cyan, ¡°You two, your White me Forms are still on the Fourth Star, right?¡± ¡°At our age, the Fourth Star is still very high,¡± Cyan insisted sulkily. Eugene argued back, ¡°But even though I¡¯m the same age as you, I¡¯m already on the Sixth Star, no?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because you''re a monster, you bastard,¡± Cyan growled, his brow furrowing as he tried to hold back his hurt pride. Eugene got to the point, ¡°You weren¡¯t waiting for me to go with you just because you thought that would make the trip easier and pain-free, right?¡± Cyan knew that he wasn¡¯t as talented as Eugene. As a result, he probably wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass Eugene for the rest of his life. Cyan had be painfully aware of this fact early on, and he was well aware that no matter how jealous he became, it wouldn¡¯t be able to change the reality of this situation. Anci was the one who taught Cyanhowto use his brother, Eugene, from an early age. Cyan could be jealous, but he shouldn¡¯t be envious. Even though Cyan knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to surpass Eugene, he should still strive to do so. Even if they weren¡¯t real brothers, Cyan should treat him like a real brother and learn to depend on each other. He needed to build up such a friendship between them so that Cyan would never need to betray him or be betrayed. ¡°Will this really help?¡± Cyan reluctantly asked. ¡°Have I ever made you do anything that wouldn¡¯t be helpful to you?¡± Eugene said with a grin as he patted Cyan on the shoulder. This was the truth. Cyan¡¯s White me Form had been able to rise up to the Fourth Star in the first ce because he had received various bits of advice from Eugene about how to train in the White me Form. That advice had also been applied equally to Ciel. ¡°Fine,¡± Cyan huffed as he made up his mind and immediately took off his shoes. As this left him standing barefoot in the snow, the icy chill sent shocks up and down his spine. While precisely operating the White me Form, Cyan warmed himself up with a minimal amount of mana. With that, he slowly began to walk, taking careful steps forwards. For the purpose of this training, Cyan wasn¡¯t allowed to sink into the snow. There shouldn¡¯t even be any footprints left. It seemed simple at first nce, but this actually required meticulous and continuous maniption of his mana. Excessively outputting their mana would be meaningless. So what Eugene had asked Ciel and Cyan to do was to walk on the snow while using the minimal amount of mana so that their White me Form wouldn¡¯t release any sparks. ¡°Ugh¡­,¡± Ciel was disgusted by the need to be barefoot, but she still listened to Eugene¡¯s instructions. Carefully cradling her boots, she walked over the snow cautiously. When Eugene casually approached her to try and hold on to her boots, Ciel leaped back away from Eugene in fright. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Ciel yelped. ¡°No¡­ it seemed that it would be inconvenient for you to carry your shoes with you¡­ so I was just going to put them in my cloak,¡± Eugene said hesitantly. Ciel firmly rejected this offer, ¡°No way, there¡¯s no way that I¡¯m letting you do that. I¡¯ll take care of my boots on my own, so don¡¯t even think about it.¡± Eugene cocked an eyebrow, ¡°Are you worried they¡¯ll smell?¡± Ciel''s face turned pale at Eugene¡¯s question. Eugene sighed, ¡°You¡¯ve been like that since you were young. I¡¯ve never once thought there was a weird smelling from your body, but a few years ago, you refused to even do any training outside because you didn¡¯t want to give off the smell of sweat.¡± ¡°Why are you bringing up something from the distant past?!¡± Ciel shrieked. Eugene just grumbled, ¡°It wasn¡¯t even that long ago¡­ maybe four years or so¡­? In any case, you won¡¯t give off any strange odors, so don¡¯t pointlessly hold on to those shoes and give them to me.¡± ¡°...You¡­ you son of a bitch. I knew you werecking in consideration, but this is going too far. Do you really think I truly believed that some kind of strange smell wasing from my body? It¡¯s just that I was too shy and embarrassed! Get lost!¡± Ciel screeched like a banshee as she swung her boots threateningly. Due to her strong resistance, Eugene couldn¡¯t keep persuading her and had to back off. ¡°Sir Eugene, you are the one in the wrong,¡± Kristina muttered from deep within the thick fur coat that she was wearing. At these words, Eugene turned his gaze towards her with a look that spoke of his feelings of unjust, ¡°Just what did I do wrong?¡± ¡°You¡¯recking in consideration for a girl¡¯s heart,¡± Kristina said as she clicked her tongue and shook her head. Mer also stared at Eugene with narrowed eyes as she apanied Kristina in clicking her tongue. Mer seemed to be quite happy sitting on Abel¡¯s back, so they had even bought a saddle she could sit on while riding him. A young girl wearing a fluffy-looking hat was sitting on the back of a wolf as big as an ox. That wolf was also responsible for determining their party¡¯s direction and leading them. The twin siblings were following behind the wolf on bare feet, and a man wearing an oversized cloak was watching over the siblings with a stern look in his eye. A woman wearing a coat was also sticking to that man¡¯s side. Several parties were leaving the gates of Rosrok at the same time, but none were as unique as Eugene¡¯s. Ciel¡¯s face flushed red as she felt the gazes staring at her as if enjoying the show. ¡°If you keep mincing along like that, just when do you think we¡¯ll get there? Run!¡± Eugene roared. ¡°Haoyay!¡± Mer also shouted as she patted Abel¡¯s nape. Abel started running across the snowfield. As a result, Cyan and Ciel had no choice but to begin running diligently while barefoot. ¡°There¡¯s¡­ there¡¯s no need for us to run like this!¡± Ciel gasped. ¡°You need to run if we n on arriving quickly,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°But I bet you didn¡¯t run like this in Samar!¡± Ciel cried out in a sorrowful voice. Just why had Ciel decided to split off from the Lionheart n¡¯s main force to wait for Eugene? It was because she didn¡¯t want Kristina and Eugene to travel alone together, all buddy-buddy like they had in Samar! It was all because Ciel couldn¡¯t bear the thought of allowing them to just leisurely make their way to Lehain on their own. Because there had been an increase in their training ahead of the Knight March, Ciel hadn¡¯t been able to follow Eugene to Aroth, but this time, she would finally be able to travel together with him. But just what was going on now? They should be riding around in arge, rented sleigh while using magic to circte warm air around them¡­. Ciel had been hoping for a chance to chat with each other while they built a bonfire at night and made memories while looking at the stars! So why was she currently barefoot, chasing that huge wolf¡¯s ass? ¡°Didn¡¯t I run around a lot in Samar?¡± Eugene asked as he tilted his head, unable to understand what Ciel meant by her miserable cry. ¡°Sir Eugene did run while I flew behind him,¡± Kristina affirmed before spreading her own wings in a demonstration. Of course, she hadn¡¯t unfurled all eight of her wings. It was the divine spell that she had used while they were traveling through Samar, the Wings of Light. But with Kristina¡¯s current strength, even if she flew for several days while using the Wings of Light, she wouldn¡¯t run out of divine power. ¡°Lady Ciel, it seems that you misunderstand something. Sir Eugene and I faithfully carried out our mission while we were in Samar. Every day, we were busy traveling while also being on guard for surprise attacks. I¡¯m actually more rxed now than I was back then,¡± Kristina whispered softly as she flew over to Ciel at a low height. However, Ciel couldn¡¯t afford to respond to her. Although she hadn¡¯t had any problems while walking slowly, she was currently limiting the output of the White me Form, protecting her feet from getting frostbite, and manipting her mana so that she didn¡¯t sink into the snow, all while running. So while Ciel had to keep focused on just maintaining her breathing, all she could do was re at Kristina. Of course, Kristina wasn¡¯t as burdened or as busy as Ciel. She fluttered her wings proudly as shey down in mid-air. The wind and the flurries of snow which came flying toward her were irritating, but she could cover her eyes with a leisurely wave of her hands. ¡°Although, Lady Ciel, it seems that you aren¡¯t having as easy of a time as I am,¡± Kristina calmly observed. While swallowing the swear words that threatened to erupt, Ciel resumed ring ahead of her. The sight of Mer, who was giggling away while sitting on the wolf¡¯s back, was the most annoying thing of all. * * * Above Rosrok, a man who looked so beautiful that it was hard to believe that he was a man was holding his coat closed. While staring in the direction of Eugene¡¯s back, which had at some point receded into the distance, the man licked his lips. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± the man muttered. This whisper wasn¡¯t directed at anyone here but instead to the territory of his Queen far away from here. ¡°Eugene Lionheart has departed from here,¡± he reported. In the Devildom of Helmuth, the ck Shadow Forest, which just until a year ago, had been the territory of the Rakshasa Prince and home to the dark elves who followed her. It was a gigantic forest that had retained its primordial appearance. However, almost nothing remained of the appearance that the ck Shadow Forest had at that time. Trees had been cut down in swathes, and neat roads had beenid down on top of the soil. Buildings that might be seen in the capital city of Pandemonium were being erected in ones and twos by the undead, human, and demonfolk workers that had been hired by the Dreaming Construction Company. In the middle of all this, a statue of Noir Giabe that reproduced her alluring figure had beenpleted. ¡°Ahahaha.¡± Noir Giabe, who had been sitting on top of her own giant statue¡¯s head, bared her teeth inughter. Chapter 224: Scalia (1)

Chapter 224: Scalia (1)

The unnamed merchant of Rosrok had advised staying away from any gs depicting ck Dogs. It was perhaps a valid word of caution for any merchants. However, the mercenaries in question were only rtively famous in the region of Ruhr, which meant that they were nothing for Eugene to worry about. What would he do if he chanced upon the gs in the distance during his journey? He probably wouldn¡¯t go out of his way to avoid them. It wasn¡¯t that he wanted to ignore the merchant¡¯s advice, but he also couldn¡¯t be bothered to avoid a group he did not fear. ¡°Hmm.¡± Indeed, it just so happened that Eugene came across the gs of the ck Dog Mercenaries. However, the g of the ck Dogs was cemented in the snow instead of pping in the wind. It wasn¡¯t just their g, either. Debris from their carts and sleds wasden across the snow, and even frozen bodies were buried in the snow. Eugene observed the scattered corpses and identified bodies of snow wolves, reindeer, horses, and other domesticated animals that would have pulled the carts and sleds, as well as the mercenaries themselves. ¡°It wasn¡¯t a monster attack,¡± Cyan remarked after observing the mess from Eugene¡¯s side. A week had already passed since they departed from Rosrok, and Cyan was standing barefoot on the snowfield as if this was the most natural thing to do. That wasn¡¯t all, either. A fierce snowstorm was raging on even at this moment, but the flurries never touched his body. He was manipting fine mana that was almost invisible to the eye with extreme precision to push the snow away. ¡°They ughtered them as if it were a joke,¡± Cielmented. She was more ustomed to inspecting such eventspared to Cyan since the ck Lion Knights performed many different tasks for the Lionheart family, which included examining and handling corpses as basic fundamental knowledge. ¡°It looks like it was done by¡­ a single person. Of course, there could have been more, but for this incident, only a single person was responsible for ughtering the mercenaries here,¡± Ciel continued with her analysis after pondering for a moment. She didn¡¯t appear unaffected. Nevertheless, Ciel continued to closely examine the bodies for wounds and other hints. Eugene agreed with Ciel¡¯s assessment. Just as she said, only one person was responsible for killing the mercenaries. But they had not been alone. Although the snow had wiped out most of the traces, it was possible to deduce the formation the assaulter¡¯s group had taken in the beginning, as well as the patterns of the battle, from the locations and the conditions of the corpses, sleds, and carts. ¡°There was at least one other person who was keeping watch,¡± Eugene added while kicking over the corpse in front of him. Ciel had also been correct in her initial statement; they had been killed in a nonchnt, joking manner as if the perpetrator had not been concerned at all. The one responsible had not swung their de with the intent to kill. Instead, they had stayed faithful to their desire to cut their opponents. The wounds indicated that the one responsible had wielded their de not because they wanted to kill the mercenaries but because they wanted to cut them. As such, the cuts on the bodies were promiscuous and shallow. The mercenaries had been hurt, allowed to run, then¡­ cut down from behind. In a field as open and wide as this, one could escape in any direction if one wanted to. However, all of the mercenaries had fallen while fleeing in a specific direction. In other words, their choice had been limited in their path of escape, indicating another presence besides the killer who had been blocking their retreat. But the one tasked with preventing their escape had not wielded their de but only herded the mercenary. ¡°Who could it be?¡± muttered Cyan. At first, he thought it could have been infighting between the mercenaries. Since they were said to be vile, it wouldn¡¯t havee as a surprise if any internal strife immediately led to stabbings. But judging from the traces left behind, what had urred here was neither a battle due to internal conflict nor an execution between the mercenaries. Instead, it was a yful game of ughter and execution. ¡°I get that they¡¯ve done bad things here and there, but this isn¡¯t a result of resentment,¡± Cyan remarked grimly. The ck Dog Mercenaries had been en route to Lehain to participate in the Knight March, but in their bad fortune, they had encountered a killer who ughtered for pleasure. The corpses weren¡¯t old either. Although it was difficult to determine their exact time of death due to how frozen they were, it was always snowing in this field. It was snowing right now as well, and it had been snowing earlier too. It snowed in the morning, at dawn, and at night. Nevertheless, the bodies and the various debris weren¡¯tpletely buried. ¡°What will you do?¡± Kristina asked after standing up once she was done praying for the dead. She continued while looking back at Eugene with worried eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t know the identity of the attacker, but if they are targeting those who are participating in the Knight March¡­. Isn¡¯t there the possibility that they will attack us as well?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just ask them,¡± said Eugene with a shrug before gesturing to Abel. Mer was pinching her nose with a frown while riding on Abel¡¯s back. She pouted while looking alternatingly at the corpses and the candy in her hand. ¡°My candy is as red as blood. I lost my appetite; I don¡¯t want to eat it anymore.¡± ¡°Then don¡¯t. It¡¯ll make your teeth rot anyways,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°My teeth will never rot, no matter how many candies I eat. And you telling me not to eat them made me want to eat them again, Sir Eugene.¡± Mer stuck out her tongue, which was red from eating the candy. After ncing over at Mer, Eugene approached Abel and stroked his forehead. ¡°Smell it and follow it.¡± ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± asked Mer. ¡°It¡¯s better to find this unknown crazy killer than to be wary,¡± Eugene answered simply. ¡°But what if it¡¯s someone really strong?¡± Mer questioned back. ¡°They¡¯re not that strong. You can tell from how they used their sword. The person who was watching might be stronger, but that¡¯s more the reason we should find them first,¡± responded Eugene. Snow wolves possessed an excellent sense of smell, and the wolves, as well as monsters, could track their prey even during a powerful snowstorm. Moreover, Abel was quite intelligent, just as the Beast King had promised, so he understood exactly what Eugene wanted. ¡°Sniff sniff sniff¡­.¡± Abel sniffed the ground while walking between the bodies, then gave a low cry. He then raised his head and turned back before ncing at Mer. Mer gave him a smile, then patted Abel¡¯s rump. She had developed a good rtionship with him during the week they spent together. Abel charged forward, followed by Ciel and Cyan. Kristina also unfolded her Wings of Light and soared into the sky. Eugene took his ce at the party''s rear to prepare for any unexpected situations. He expanded his senses to monitor the surrounding area and prepared himself to intervene immediately if something unexpected happened. Not long after, they encountered more corpses belonging to the ck Dog Mercenaries. The bodies belonged to those who had escaped¡­ or rather, had been let go. It was as if the killer had yed a game of tag, allowing the mercenaries to run before chasing them down. It wasn¡¯t one or two bodies either. These were less than the dozens of bodies they initially encountered, but there were still five or six corpses at each encounter. The scent Abel pursued grew stronger as they saw more and more corpses. The distance between the killings grew further apart, but Abel dashed forward with even more confidence as he continued. The snow wolf traveled quite fast when it was locked onto its target, so fast that ordinary knights would have difficulty chasing after it. However, Ciel and Cyan managed to keep up with Abel while staying faithful to Eugene¡¯s instructions from the first day. Eugene felt rather proud of their growth. Hamel had never had any sessors, and although Cyan and Ciel weren¡¯t technically Hamel¡¯s sessors, it pleased him to see them following instructions and growing stronger. Although the habit he instilled in them of finely manipting mana wouldn¡¯t immediately push them to five Stars of the White me Form, it would certainly serve as a cornerstone for their growth in the future. The twins weren¡¯t the only ones who were presented with the opportunity to grow through Eugene. After suffering because of Eugene¡¯s constant visits to the Dark Room, Gilead and Gion were on the cusp of stepping into the Seventh Star of the White me Form. Unfortunately, Carmen did not experience the same growth that pushed her to the boundary, but she was still satisfied with her achievements. ¡ªBlood Lion, thanks to you, I was able to create a new technique besides Destiny Breaker. I call it¡­ Gungnir. I think it will be a good match against your secret technique, Eclipse. Why don¡¯t we have a go? ¡ªHow did you find out about Eclipse, Lady Carmen? ¡ªMer told me. Eclipse¡­ that¡¯s a nice name. Blood Lion, how did you manage to cken the sun to create an eclipse? Thecharmingfamiliar had been hiding the fact that she had sneakily engaged with Eugene¡¯s mind during the time he developed Eclipse. Then she had gone on to bber the name, which Eugene didn¡¯t want anyone to know, to none other than Carmen¡­. Eugene trembled as he reflected on the anger, shame, and self-loathing he had felt then. He had thought that the good smack he gave Mer on her head had been sufficient at the time, but he felt a rising desire to run forward and give her another smack as he recalled the memory. After ring at the back of Mer¡¯s head for a moment, he suddenly spoke. ¡°Stop.¡± His words reached all the way to the front, and Abel stopped even before Mer could give the order. It was a suddenmand, but Ciel and Cyan immediately stopped in their tracks in an unusually neat motion as if someone had grabbed them from behind. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± asked Kristina as she approached Eugene, who felt pretty satisfied. Instead of answering, Eugene raised his right hand. He formed signs with just one hand. Kristina¡¯s eyes glimmered when she saw it, and Mer also gave a small burst of exmation while riding on Abel¡¯s back. Fwoosh. A small spark formed into existence in front of Eugene¡¯s right hand. It was a purple me created from Eugene¡¯s White me Form, and with a flick of his finger, the me soared into the sky. ¡°What did you just do?¡± asked Cyan with a confused expression. Mer burst outughing as if she had been waiting. ¡°Well, let me exin. That is something Sir Eugene has been working hard on in Aroth. His Signature¡­.¡± ¡°Mer Mer, be quiet,¡± Eugene growled with a re. Mer grumbled while pouting, ¡°You don¡¯t even bother to finish the word Merdein anymore?¡± Eugene ignored her. His view connected with the me and expanded, even without having to close his eyes. There was a limit to how far a human could expand their mana to scout their surroundings. However, if you used mana to cast magic, the radius could be increased significantly depending on the level of the wizard. The me itself wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s Signature. Just as Jeneric Osman had gone through several stages while developing his Signature, Yggdrasil, this me was just one of the steps Eugene had taken in creating his Signature. He spotted the things that had been bothering his senses and saw the sight clearly through his me. Two people were standing in front of three dead bodies. In addition, one person was kneeling on the snow as a sword carved his neck like a saw de. ¡°This is crazy,¡± grumbled Eugene as he extinguished the me. Although he had not bothered to guess who the attacker would be, the person he saw was someone truly unexpected, and in all honesty, he didn¡¯t really want to proceed any further if it entailed meeting this person. No matter how he looked at it, they weren¡¯t normal. However, the two of them had met gazes right before Eugene extinguished the me, and he didn¡¯t know if the attacker would try to head toward his group. As far as Eugene could tell, the attacker was still unmoving. If they had not sensed Eugene¡¯s presence, there would be no need for the two groups to meet. However, Eugene judged there was a need to take the initiative to meet them if they had sensed him and would try to target him and his group. The opponent was someone in a position of power. Eugene and the others were no longer in a rush to advance, and both Mer and Abel backed up as well. None of them wanted to provoke their opponents, regardless of the power disparity that might exist between them. Would they take the initiative? Or would they leave without caring? Thetter was unlikely, and from the trail of blood they had left in their path, the former would probablye true, but¡­ the attackers remained in their spot. The two of them remained unmoving from where Eugene had spotted them. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Ciel frowned. It was hardly snowing where they were, which meant that the ground was still vividly colored crimson with blood. The heat of the red liquid had already dissipated, but the unique, fishy smell of the expunged filth from the dead heavily stained the nearby area. There was more blood and odor than usualing from a simple corpse because they had been killed in such a gruesome way. Eugene spread his cloak without a word. Mer wasn¡¯t afraid of the sight, but she still thought it was terrible. As such, she didn¡¯t protest against Eugene¡¯s invitation and unhesitatingly entered her haven. In the meantime, Kristina recited prayers for the dead after giving a small sigh. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me,¡± Cyan said after hesitating for a while. His hand remained on the pommel of the sword hanging from his waist. ¡°¡­Princess Scalia Animus?¡± The two people standing up ahead adorned armor emitting a pale purple light but forwent any sort of thick winter coats suitable for the freezingnd. Although their armor looked to be made of metal, it did not stick to the flesh in the cold. Mithril was famous for being capable of embracing mana on its own, but their armor was made of something even more valuable ¡ª oirhalcon. An armor made of this rare metal protected its owner¡¯s body from all kinds of harm, even without a separate inscription or enchantment of magic. The armor was known as Exid, and it belonged to the Sea Kingdom of Shimuin. In particr, Exid, created usingrge amounts of oirhalcon, was the symbol of the kingdom¡¯s royal knights. The bloodstained knight raised their head. It was the same knight who had been sawing the head off the body in front of them like a maniac. It was hard to tell their gender due to the Exid covering their chest, but they were rather petite, which indicated they were likely a girl. In addition, inscribed on their chest te was a depiction of waves and a whirlpool, which was the symbol of the Violent Tide Knights, and the eagle soaring above it represented the royal family. ck. The helmet flipped open, and once it reclined like a hood, red hair poured out like a waterfall. ¡°How impudent.¡± It was Princess Scalia, Vice Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, nicknamed thePrincess Knight. ¡°How is it that you don¡¯t lower your heads, bend your backs, and kneel, knowing well who I am?¡± Her orange eyes glimmered between her messy bangs. It was difficult to tell why her eyes had lost focus and why there were deep, dark bags under her eyes. ¡°Your vulgar actions have insulted me. Or are you the colleagues or family of the rascals I just punished? I thought I had disciplined everyone, but could it be that traces of the muddy filth still remained?¡± she continued. ¡°What?¡± Cyan asked, confused. ¡°Shut your mouth, you lowlife. I, Princess Scalia, have not given you permission to open your dirty mouth,¡± Scalia retorted immediately with a re after hearing Cyan¡¯s flustered question. She flicked away the blood staining her sword. ¡°I mistakenly thought that I had killed enough, but clearly, this whitend is still filled with filth. Fine. I, Princess Scalia, will act on behalf of the Barbarian King[1]and grace your filth with enlightenment. Only a painful hell awaits those who are unscrupulous.¡± ¡°Wait, Princess Scalia¡­!¡± Cyan called out. ¡°Do not taint my name with that filthy, vulgar mouth of yours, you trash! The stench oozing from your maw makes me sick!¡± shouted Scalia, and Cyan quickly sped his hand over his mouth in surprise. A stench? That couldn¡¯t be true¡­? Cyan¡¯s eyes quivered with shock as Scalia strode toward them with heavy breaths. ¡°Hey, hey¡­. What do we do?¡± asked Ciel while looking back at Eugene in surprise. They were up against the Princess of Shimuin. No matter what she said, they couldn¡¯t simply retort in kind. Moreover, Scalia¡¯s current condition was bizarre. Eugene, Ciel, and Cyan were all wearing uniforms engraved with the symbol of the Lionhearts. But instead of showing any sign of recognition, Scalia was openly expressing anger and disgust toward them, mistaking them as the colleagues or family of the dead mercenaries. ¡°¡­Princess.¡± The other knight spoke up when they saw Scalia striding forward. He was also armed in Exid, and his face was covered with a helmet. However, it was clear from his voice that the knight was a young man. ¡°They are neither colleagues nor family of the mercenaries you punished, Princess.¡± ¡°Then why are they acting so impudent towards my royal self? Why are they still not showing respect to me?¡± asked Scalia. ¡°This is not Shimuin, and they aren¡¯t ones with status low enough to kneel unconditionally out of respect for you, Princess,¡± the knight answered. ¡°Dior! It is difficult for my royal self to understand what you are saying. I¡­ feel very dizzy. I can¡¯t see very well, either. Who in the world are they?¡± asked Scalia. ¡°They are the young lions of the Lionhearts, the descendants of the Great Vermouth,¡± answered Dior. ¡°What?¡± eximed Scalia beforeing to a stop. She looked straight ahead, then down at the sword in her hand before shaking her head vigorously. ¡°¡­That cannot be. I do not see them as the lions of Lionhearts¡­.¡± ¡°It must be because you are so tired, Princess. Please listen to me¡­.¡± ¡°Stop! I will not listen! How¡­! How could I, Scalia Animus, not attend the gathering of famous knights from all over the world!?¡± shouted Scalia before copsing on the spot. ¡°If it¡¯s because of fatigue, I can just rest right away. Dior, prepare to rest immediately.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± The man, Dior, bowed his head. His helmet was still obscuring his face, and when he raised his head again, his gaze remained on Eugene for a moment. ¡°All of you. Come over here and sit,¡± said Scalia. ¡°Come and speak. Why were you lot wandering in the snowy field, and why did you stand in the way of my royal self?¡± ¡°We were on our way to the Knight March as members of the Lionheart family,¡± answered Cyan, his hand still sped over his mouth. Scalia snorted before shaking her head. ¡°Do not lie, you lowly peasant. If you really are members of the Lionheart family, then why are your manners so shabby? Where are the brave knights of Lionheart?¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°I have seen straight through your lies! How dare you try to deceive me. I will have you executed immediately and¡ª¡± shouted Scalia. ¡°Then why were you wandering the snowy fields with only a single knight apanying you, Princess?¡± Eugene asked after quietly listening to the conversation for a while. ¡°I saw the people you killed, Princess. The ck Dog Mercenaries. I¡¯ve heard that they were a rotten bunch, but the method of their execution was excessive for the nature of the crimes they¡ª¡± ¡°How dare you try to judge the nature of their crime? You are not qualified!¡± roared Scalia, interrupting Eugene. ¡°Then what qualifications do you possess to judge them, Princess?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°My royal self has only responded to the cries of the poor, asking for their punishment. You ask why I was wandering the snowfields with only one knight? It was one week ago. My royal self and the Violent Tide Knights stopped by a vige of the natives to rest. However, the vige had already been looted to the point of starvation! To the extent that they couldn¡¯t find the means to survive the immediate cold!¡± thundered Scalia. ¡°It was a terrible crimemitted by those scum mercenaries who looted the vige before the before the Violent Tide Knights stopped by. My royal self found the people of the vige pitiful and released the supplies of the Violent Tide Knights and distributed them to the vige. Then I decided to punish the scum myself since it was the right thing to do. However, it was clearly too much to mobilize all the knights just to punish a simple group of mercenaries.¡± While Scalia talked, Dior finished setting up camp. He set up a tent against the snowstorm andid a wide cloth over the ground. Once he rolled a small sphere in the middle, the object swelled up greatly and started emitting heat and light. Princess Scalia continued. ¡°So I decided to chase and punish them alone, and themander of the Violent Tide Knights willingly allowed me to carry out this righteous task. That is why my royal self was wandering around with Dior, my aide, to clean up the trash. So, did you say that my method of execution was excessive? They were sinners who deserved to die writhing in pain! The vigers might have died in the freezing cold if I had not taken care of them. Isn¡¯t it only right for the sinners who caused such pain and suffering to suffer before they die?¡± While she continued, Dior climbed into the tent and sat down. Instead of taking off her Exid, Scalia grabbed and embraced the warm sphere with both hands. ¡°So I¡­. They¡­.¡± ¡°Princess.¡± ¡°No, no. Dior. I am fine¡­. I do not need to rest.¡± Scalia felt her tired eyes threatening to close. After grinding her teeth while staying still, she threw the sphere out of the tent. ¡°I don¡¯t need this. I don¡¯t need anything like this. My sword¡­. No, no¡­. I need to rest a little¡­.¡± She was contradicting herself over and over. Indeed, Scalia¡¯s condition was beyond understanding. ¡°¡­Pleasee and sit down,¡± said Dior. Scalia said no more and sat before embracing her knees while chewing on her lips. Chapter 225: Scalia (2)

Chapter 225: Scalia (2)

¡°Sorry for thete introduction,¡± Dior said with a deep sigh after taking off his helmet once Eugene and the others entered the tent and sat down. The face that was revealed belonged to a young, beautiful man, and he looked as young as he sounded. ¡°My name is Dior Hyman. I am a member of the Violent Tide Knights and an aide to Princess Scalia,¡± continued Dior. ¡°Hyman?¡± Cyan was the first to respond. After blurting out the name, he stared intently at Dior¡¯s face for a while. ¡°Are you perhaps Sir Ortus Hyman¡¯s¡­.[1]¡± ¡°I¡¯m his son,¡± answered Dior. Ortus Hyman was the name of the First Knight, the Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, and the one who stood at the peak of the Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. Eugene also searched his memory after hearing Dior¡¯s introduction. He recalled hearing the name while receiving education at the house of the Lionheart n¡¯s main branch. If his memory served correctly, Dior was the same age as thete Eward, two years older than Eugene and the twins. The Hyman family was one of the most prestigious, skilled families of knights in Shimuin, and Ortus Hyman was a name that was always brought up when discussing the continent¡¯s finest warriors. As a result, the children of the Lionheart n were cautioned to be wary of the one named Dior ever since they were young. ¡®They said he was heads and shoulders above the others ever since he was young,¡¯Eugene recalled. With their interests piqued, simr to Cyan, Ciel and Eugene also observed Dior. He was clearly outstanding for his age, but it only seemed so because Eugene¡¯s standards were too high. Truthfully, the aura he emitted was great enough for him to be considered a member of the Violent Tide Knights. However, he felt a littlecking, considering that he was the son of Shimuin¡¯s First Knight. Leo, Alchester¡¯s son, was a genius even by Eugene¡¯s standards, and even Cyan and Ciel were top talents of the Lionheart family, though they were overshadowed by Eugene. But what about Dior? Indeed, he seemed strong and talented, but¡­ it wasn¡¯t astoundingly so. ¡®Well, I¡¯m sure what¡¯s on the surface isn¡¯t everything.¡¯ When Eugene had seen the Shimuin duo through his me, Dior had noticed his presence, while Scalia failed to do so. Their gazes had even met, so Eugene did not want to judge Dior¡¯s skills hastily. ¡°I ask for your understanding regarding Princess Scalia¡¯s attitude,¡± said Dior. Scalia had acted violently while leaning on her royal authority, but Dior, her aide, did not attempt to follow her example. But he wasn¡¯t dismissing Scalia either. Instead, he continued taking nces at Scalia to check her condition. As evidenced by earlier conversation, Scalia didn¡¯t seem to be in her right mind. She was chewing on her chapped lips while pulling on her hair, wrapping it around her finger. Dior gave a deep sigh before parting his lips, ¡°Princess.¡± ¡°Stop, Dior. I know what you are trying to say. So don¡¯t bother saying it. My royal self will not do as you say,¡± responded Scalia. ¡°But Princess, don¡¯t you feel that the symptoms of your disease are quite serious?¡± asked Dior, trying to sound rational. ¡°Symptoms? Disease? I am just tired from ack of sleep. How could you call this a disease?¡± asked Scalia, ring at Dior with bloodshot eyes. ¡°I ampletely fine. The climate of thisnd is vastly different from that of Shimuin, which is why I haven¡¯tpletely adapted yet. Once I rest, I will be well in a few days at thetest. So, Dior, stop yourself from speaking any words that I don¡¯t want to hear.¡± In the face of Scalia''s stubbornness, Dior couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. ¡°My royal self will walk around for a while. You, young lions of the Lionheart n, if you wish to go with me, you may stay. But if you are nning to disturb me, leave quickly,¡± saying so, Scalia leaped up from her seat. The hood of her helmet fell and covered her face. Dior quickly stood up and attempted to follow her, but she turned her head and red at him in response. ¡°Do not follow me. My royal self will not go far. I feel distracted and dizzy, so I just want to walk around by myself for a little while.¡± ¡°But¡­.¡± ¡°I know that you are concerned, but I will not listen to you,¡± said Scalia in a sharp voice before jerking away. Dior stood in ce for a moment, staring at Scalia¡¯s back with worry. ¡°She¡­ must be very sensitive,¡± said Cyan after a moment. He was trying his best to keep his expression under control, but a mark had already been left on Cyan¡¯s tender heart. Even though it had been well over a year since talk of marriage between him and Princess Scalia began, he had been called all sorts of mean names instead of a kind greeting. ¡®Even the King of Ruhr recognized me and patted me on the shoulder,¡¯Cyan mused, dejected. It felt as if his heart had been broken before he even got to meet her properly. The wound in Cyan¡¯s heart only widened with each passing moment, causing his shoulders to droop. ¡°The princess suffered from mild insomnia even when we were back in Shimuin,¡± said Dior with a bitter smile after taking a seat once more. ¡°As is the case with these kinds of illnesses, the princess¡¯ insomnia is a disease of the heart. Still, she managed to sleep, albeit very lightly, when she was in Shimuin. However, she has barely slept at all after we¡¯ve arrived in this snowy field.¡± ¡°I can help with that,¡± Kristina spoke up for the first time. ¡°I apologize for not introducing myself earlier. My name is Kristina Rogeris of the Holy Empire.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ the Saint Candidate?¡± asked Dior. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You said you could help, but what exactly do you mean by that?¡± asked Dior. ¡°Of the divine magic I know, one of the spells calms the uneasy mind and leads the restless mind to a peaceful sleep. Sir Dior, as you said, most cases of insomnia are diseases of the heart that are hard to cure, but I¡¯m sure my divine magic could help to alleviate some of the princess¡¯ burdens,¡± answered Kristina. She wasn¡¯t thinking of the benefits that woulde from helping the princess. Although she had received coercive education, Kristina was still a priestess. It was her duty to lead the suffering to the peace of Light. Even Anise had been extremely delinquent, especially considering her role as the Saint, but had never hesitated to help others in need. ¡°It didn¡¯t seem like insomnia was the problem,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s what she said just now. The princess said she could fall asleep whenever she wanted.¡± Indeed, Princess Scalia had brought up the topic of taking a break. But immediately after taking a seat and feelingnguid, she resisted. She had chewed on her lips, ripped her hair, and forced her eyes open. Moreover, she had gone for a walk ¡ª which Eugene suspected was to shake off the feeling of drowsiness. ¡°I dare not speak easily of the princess¡¯ situation,¡± said Dior, looking out the tent with an awkward expression. The snow and the wind were getting stronger, and Scalia could no longer be seen. The Princess Knight was a nickname that acted as the symbol representing the Kingdom of Knights, Shimuin, and its royal family. Although it was true that Scalia rose to the position of the Vice Commander of the Violent Tide Knights partially because of her status, it was also undeniable that she was skilled enough to be recognized within the Violent Tide Knights as well. Even if there were monsters that could threaten her in the depths of the Lehainjar Snowy Mountains, she certainly would not run into any problems in the snowy field they were currently traversing. ¡°I must go find the princess,¡± Dior said after a brief silence. He knew better than anyone how skilled she was, but that didn¡¯t mean he could simply leave her alone. Scalia had been acting strangetely, and this, too, was something Dior knew all too well. ¡°We will get going then,¡± said Eugene before quickly rising from his seat. But he realized btedly that everyone except Dior was staring at him with surprise. ¡°Yes. I look forward to seeing you in Lehain,¡± Dior responded calmly. He was the only one who seemed unfazed by Eugene¡¯s response. Dior exited through the tent¡¯s p, and Cyan stared at Eugene with a dumbfounded expression. ¡°We¡¯re leaving? Why?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? Why not, you punk? What else would we do besides leave?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Well¡­. Sir Dior looked a little troubled, so we could help them out and¡­¡± mumbled Cyan. ¡°What is there to help him with? It¡¯s not like Princess Scalia is a child. She only went out for a short walk, so why should we help search for someone we have nothing to do with?¡± Eugene asked, exasperated. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­¡± muttered Cyan with drooping shoulders. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t Princess Scalia be in need of my help?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°I told you earlier, right? It¡¯s not that Princess Scalia can¡¯t sleep; it¡¯s that she¡¯s not sleeping on purpose. I don¡¯t know exactly what it is, but she¡¯s not normal.¡± ¡°Eugene is right,¡± Ciel piped in, nodding. ¡°Princess Scalia is not normal. Even now, she almost attacked us, right? It means she¡¯s incapable of distinguishing what¡¯s right in front of her eyes. She¡¯s not in the right state of mind. However, it¡¯s even more annoying because she¡¯s Shimuin¡¯s princess. So even if we are the Lionhearts, there¡¯s nothing we can do against her.¡± Kristina and Cyan did not argue any further after hearing Ciel and Eugene¡¯s opinions. [Can Ie out now?] Mer asked from inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. Instead of answering, however, Eugene tightened the cloak around him. But it wasn¡¯t out of spite. Mer realized Eugene¡¯s intent and let out a small, surprised sound. ¡°¡­Ah,¡± Kristina eximed as well. Although she could not read Eugene¡¯s mind, Anise had spoken from inside her mind. Kristina ced her hand on the il on her waist with a stiff expression. They found themselves in an even stronger snowstorm once they exited the tent. Abel took the lead once more, and the group began cutting through the blizzard. ¡°Don¡¯t get too far from the group,¡± Eugene cautioned. It wasn¡¯t their first time traveling through a snowstorm, but the warning felt quite unusual for Cyan and Ciel. However, they didn¡¯t ask any questions. Eugene¡¯s voice was as cold as the swirling snow; the finality in it meant the table wasn¡¯t open for any discussions or questions. The following silence only intensified the tension. Cyan took off Gedon¡¯s Shield from his back and ced it on his left arm, though he couldn¡¯t give an exact reason for his behavior. Ciel grabbed the pommel of the Phantom Rain Sword, which was hidden inside her cloak. Eugene was the first to sense the change. But instead of speaking out, he activated the White me Form. Cyan and Ciel halted their steps at the sudden activation of mana. Fwoosh! Kristina called on the Light and pushed the blizzard away. Wings of Light unfolded brilliantly to epass their surroundings, and arge cross enveloped in a circle appeared beneath their feet. Eugene turned around. The snow did not invade the holy formation, and he could see that someone stood on the far side of the blizzard outside the circle. It was none other than Princess Scalia. ¡°Something¡¯s¡­¡± mumbled Cyan. He stared at Scalia while holding Gedon¡¯s Shield. Although the blizzard was raging quite strongly, he could make out her face if he focused hard enough. Something was wrong. It was simr to what he had felt before, but Scalia was even stranger now. Her eyes were rather dim and out of focus earlier, but now, they had no focus at all. Even though Scalia¡¯s eyes were open, they were utterly devoid of any light, as if they belonged to the dead. ¡°Where is Sir Dior¡­?¡± ¡°Pay for your sins with death!¡± Scalia roared before Cyan could finish. Her face was disyed inside her helmet, and dark blue mana wrapped and soared from her figure. Boom! The snow around her scattered and evaporated in an instant. Scalia charged forward through the blizzard. ¡°Princess!¡± However, Dior ran forward and blocked her path before anything else happened. He opened his arms wide in front of Scalia and shouted in a bewildered voice. ¡°P-please stop! They are from the Lionheart¡ª¡± ¡°Do you dare to stand in the way of my royal self!? You are not worthy!¡± roared Sca before swinging down at Dior without hesitation. She wasn¡¯t attacking to threaten him but rather trying to cleave his body in half. Dior btedly drew his own sword in surprise. ng! Although he had beente to draw his de, Dior managed to deflect Scalia¡¯s blow without any difficulty. Moreover, his posture wasn¡¯t disturbed even the slightest, even though he had received her blow from the bottom. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Cyan stepped forward to help, but Eugene raised his arm and blocked his path. Cyan looked at Eugene with shock. ¡°What!? Why?¡± ¡°Hold on a second,¡± said Eugene without any further exnation. Boom! Another explosion resounded. Scalia had swung down her sword like an axe with a grimace, and Dior received her blow once more without backing down. He was quite skilled. Eugene had assumed that Dior had been hiding his skills earlier, and as expected, Dior showed prowess befitting or even greater than what was expected from the son of Shimuin¡¯s First Knight to block Scalia¡¯s fierce offensive. It was difficult to estimate exactly how much mana he was outputting, but it was pretty clear that Dior had an advantage over the Vice Commander of the Violent Tide Knights when it came to sword-light. Scalia was out of her mind, but her de was not dulled by the influence on her mind. Instead, Scalia was wielding her sword with all her might precisely because she was not in her right mind. But, even so, she could not best Dior. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± Dior was genuinely at a loss. Although he had intervened in a hurry, he had no idea why Princess Scalia was running rampant. The only thing that was clear was that Princess Scalia did not recognize the Lionhearts or him. ¡°You dirty, scumbag pirates. Have you followed my royal self out of the sea all the way to this whitend? You, aren¡¯t you the mercenary I killed earlier? How is it that you¡¯re still alive? Aha! That¡¯s right! You must have sold your soul to an evil demon!¡± shouted Scalia. It was impossible to understand what she was saying at all. That wasn¡¯t the only problem either. Dior didn¡¯t want to expose himself to the young lions of the Lionheart n. However, it wasn¡¯t as if he could leave Princess Scalia to turn her sword against them either. ¡®Let¡¯s focus on subduing her¡­¡¯Dior thought fast. There would be no end in sight if he only focused on defending. As such, Dior was left with no choice but toe to apromise. He would properly subdue Princess Scalia. After making up his mind, he tightened his grip on his sword. He made onest eye contact with Princess Scalia as if to ask for her understanding. He could see her dull eyes nesting inside her helmet, her lifeless, dim eyes¡­. ¡°Princess Scal¡ª¡± Dior was never given an opportunity to finish. The distance between him and Princess Scalia was short enough for proper eye contact, and as soon as he peered into her eyes, it felt as if the distance between them had shortened. Had it, really? No, the only thing that had approached him was the gaze. ¡®Her eyes.¡¯ Dior stiffened up like a stone statue. He found himself unable to control his body, let alone wield his sword. ¡°This body is too weak.¡± He heard a voiceing from inside Scalia¡¯s helmet. The voice belonged to her, but the one speaking wasn¡¯t Princess Scalia. ¡°Or is the host too weak? Well, there¡¯s nothing to be expected from a low-ranking incubus.¡± Scalia¡¯s Exid helmet opened wide, and she raised her head as her coral hair spilled out like a waterfall. Countless stars were born in her lightless eyes. This was Forced Slumber, Oneric Cascade. There were no warning signs nor any wavering mana. As soon as the target was captured in sight, they could be forced to slumber at will. It was a power that any high-ranking Night Demon could use, andshewas stronger than any of the Night Demons. In her case, she could force almost anyone to sleep. The activation of the ability signaled the end. Just like its name, Oneric Cascade, the one afflicted would be led to a world of endless, cascading dreams the moment they fell asleep. ¡°Oh my,¡± said Scalia with surprise. She had nned to put everyone to sleep but had clearly failed. Only two people had fallen asleep, and her skill had been interrupted as well. The two people on their knees were simply sleeping, not affected by Oneric Cascade. ¡°Divine barrier¡­. It sure is amazing, but I didn¡¯t think something made quick and dirty could block me like this.¡± The one speaking was the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. She painted a smile on Scalia¡¯s face while tilting her head. Although she gave a rxed smile, Noir¡¯s mind was turning nonstop. Her main body was in the Forest of Dark Shadows, located far from here in Helmuth. She could be here solely because she was using the body of a low-ranking incubus, one active in Rosrok, as a vessel. As a result, Noir wasn¡¯t capable of using the full extent of her power nor her Demoneye of Fantasy. But she had never imagined she would need it in the first ce. Bullying Scalia in her dreams had only been a mischievous prank, though she had eventually taken control of Scalia¡¯s body after she fell asleep. ¡®I was going to lead them to their dreams and have a taste¡­.¡¯ Noir¡¯s smile grew deeper. ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± she said. Even at this moment, she was continuing to use Forced Slumber. However, Kristina and Eugene were unaffected. ¡°What are you?¡± asked Noir with curiosity. Chapter 226: Scalia (3)

Chapter 226: Scalia (3)

It felt as if his head had frozen over. Eugene strained his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. Forced Slumber, the power of the Night Demons, allowed the Night Demons to put to sleep any targets in their sight. It was closer to an intense suggestion rather than magic, and it was a power that every Night Demon possessed. Naturally, the actual strength of the skill varied depending on the level of the Night Demon themself. Low-level Night Demons would need to stare into the eyes of their target for quite some time before they could put them to sleep, so the inferior subus of Bolero Street abetted their attempts with additional things like drugs and alcohol. However, when it came to Night Demons that were mid-level or stronger, they could push their target into sleep with nothing but sharing a gaze and holding a conversation. As their name suggested, Night Demons dug into the dreams of their opponents, so it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that what distinguished them from each other was how fast they could put their opponents to sleep. The opponent Eugene was faced with at this moment was powerful enough to immediately force sleep with a simple eye contact, and on several people as well. It was from quite a distance as well, and with not even proper eye contact with everyone. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t as if Eugene¡¯s group had been unprepared and defenseless either. Kristina¡¯s divine power had grown exponentially after Anise¡¯s awakening, and the variety and power of divine magic she could wield had also increased. Even so, she had failed topletely prevent Forced Slumber. It was partially because Kristina wasn¡¯t as strong as Anise in her prime, but also because the existence in control of Scalia¡¯s body was of a differentssaltogether ¡ª Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. ¡®Compared to three hundred years ago, she¡¯s more¡­.¡¯ Eugene could feel the inside of his fist throbbing. His fingertips were digging into his palm and causing it to bleed, but it couldn¡¯t be helped. He felt as if he would instantly copse into sleep if he didn¡¯t force himself to focus like this. Noir¡¯s Forced Slumber had not been this strong three hundred years ago. In fact, Noir¡¯s Forced Slumber had never seeded in prating through Anise¡¯s barrier. As such, Noir had resorted to other methods to harass Hamel and hisrades in the past. The mostmon tactic had been to ambush them. First, she would attempt to overpower Hamel¡¯s party with sheer numbers of Night Demons. Then she would use her Demoneye of Fantasy to change their realities and dreams. But what about now? Eugene red at Scalia, or rather, Noir. Her eyes were filled with countless stars. Her eyes were representative of Noir, but this wasn¡¯t the Demoneye of Fantasy. Recalling how she had grumbled about having to use a low-level vessel, it could be deduced that it wasn¡¯t even Noir¡¯s true body that had taken control of Scalia. And yet, her Forced Slumber was so powerful¡­. There was an obvious exnation. Three hundred years was a long time, and Noir had not been sleeping around. Noir Giabe had grown powerful to even surpass her nickname as the Queen of the Night Demons. She was now as strong as the Demon Kings from before. ¡®I should have killed her three hundred years ago,¡¯thought Eugene regretfully. [We should have killed her three hundred years ago.] The same thought was going through Anise¡¯s mind as well. Noir had stood at the peak of the demonfolk three hundred years ago. No one had expected her to have pursued greater strength and achieved it. Sure, there had not been many suitable opportunities to kill her, but still, both Anise and Eugene regretted that they had not pushed themselves further to eliminate her. ¡°You¡¯re being vignt? How cute,¡± Noir said with a wide smile. She was still leaning her head to the side like a curious cat and continued speaking while twirling Scalia¡¯s red hair with her fingers. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so scared. What I did just now was¡­. Well, it was just a small prank. You guys are considered young, even among humans, right? For me, all of you are nothing more than just babbling babies.¡± While Noir continued in an entertained voice, Eugene and Kristina shared a silent gaze. They weren¡¯t up against Noir¡¯s true body, which was quite fortunate. If Noir were here in person, they would never stand a chance with their current strength. They could attempt to tackle a battle against Noir¡¯s true body in many different ways, but only one conclusion was to be made: it was impossible for them to kill Noir right now. Even three hundred years ago, this had been impossible for Hamel to aplish alone, so it was only natural for this oue to ur, especially since Noir had grown stronger since then. ¡®We could kill her if it¡¯s not her true body, but¡­ what¡¯s the point if we don¡¯t kill her true body?¡¯ Eugene cooled his head and suppressed his murderous intent. [Don¡¯t spread your wings.] Anise thought simrly. The only silver lining was that she wouldn¡¯t be affected by Forced Slumber or Oneric Cascade. Anise currently resided in Kristina, and Anise was more than ustomed to Noir¡¯s attacks. Anise wasn¡¯t an ordinary existence by any means, and her mental strength far exceeded that of any normal human¡¯s. The same was true for Kristina as well. With the two of them together, it was impossible for Noir to dig into Kristina¡¯s dream. In fact, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the Hero¡¯s party from three hundred years ago had sessfully resisted Noir¡¯s attempts thanks to the presence of the Saint. If Noir were allowed to break into Kristina, she would realize the presence of Anise. Naturally, Anise did not want such things to happen, which was why she warned Kristina to keep her wings folded. Eight wings would draw too much attention from anyone, including Noir. ¡°You¡¯re not scared,¡± said Noir with a cheerful smile. ¡°Babies these days are very brave. Far from being intimidated by me, you feel anger and murderous will instead. Moreover, you''re holding them in instead of expressing your emotions like a baby?¡± ¡°Then,¡± Eugene questioned, ¡°Should I not feel anything after you¡¯ve suddenly pulled your sword and attacked us?¡± ¡°Come on. I told you, right? That was just a small prank. It¡¯s¡­ think of it as a cultural difference. Think of it as a difference between humans and demonfolk. Besides, I wasn¡¯t really trying to kill you lot,¡± answered Noir with a giggle. She pointed at Dior, who was buried half in the snow. ¡°Even this young knight, right? I could have easily killed him when he got in the way of my surprise attack. I could kill him even now if I wanted. He¡¯s sleeping without a care in the world, so if I took my sword and just¡­!¡± Noir suddenly raised her voice and swung her sword. ¡°I could just kill him! But I didn¡¯t, right? That¡¯s why I¡¯m saying it¡¯s only a prank, a joke. I guess humans might think it¡¯s a bit extreme, but it¡¯s nothing more than a harmless prank for me.¡± Her sword had stopped millimeters in front of Dior¡¯s neck. Noir giggled before tossing her sword behind her. ¡°Were you offended?¡± she asked. Eugene didn¡¯t respond but instead focused on keeping alert while ring at Noir. After a brief moment of silence, Noir shrugged. ¡°My, my. Kids these daysck a sense of humor. In this age of peace, there¡¯s no reason for me to ambush and kill the children of the Lionheart n, is there? If I did that, it would be disastrous.¡± ¡°And is the Princess of Shimuin okay?¡± Eugene rebuked. ¡°I didn¡¯t kill her, did I? This princess tried too hard to live up to the expectations of others. She trained hard without even sleeping, but honestly, her skills are only so-so. I wouldn¡¯t go so far as to say she¡¯s bad, but she¡¯s honestly not talented enough to be revered as the Princess Knight,¡± said Noir. She raised her limp hand and touched her cheek. ¡°What a waste of her youth and appearance. I wish she could live in moderation and enjoy her life instead of obsessing so much about the sword. Do you understand what I¡¯m talking about? I didn¡¯t attack this princess. I helped her. I guess it can¡¯t be helped since she¡¯s like this by nature, but¡­ isn¡¯t it sad that she can¡¯t even sleep properly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that she can¡¯t sleep. She didn¡¯t seem to like it,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°It¡¯s because she has so much fear. Well, did I go too far with my joke? I simply showed her a few dreams, but she freaked out and didn¡¯t want to sleep. It wasn¡¯t even that bad of a nightmare either,¡± Noir replied cheerfully. ¡°You¡¯re quite the foul one, aren¡¯t you?¡± said Eugene with a twisted smile. ¡°You dug into Princess Scalia¡¯s dream and took control of it because you knew we couldn¡¯t act carelessly against the Princess of Shimuin.¡± ¡°Jokes are only fun when they¡¯re foul. It would have been even more entertaining if you had hurt this princess with your sword¡­. Ahahaha. I¡¯m only kidding, only kidding. Just a joke. Please don¡¯t re at me like that,¡± Noir said with a wave of her hand. She then asked suddenly, ¡°Do you know who I am?¡± ¡°The Queen of Night Demons,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°How did you know? This is no fun! I was going to introduce myself with a solemn expression, but now you¡¯ve ruined it for me.¡± ¡°I had a rough idea when I saw Princess Scalia not wanting to sleep. Not that I expected it to be the Queen of the Night Demons herself,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Should I say you have good intuition? Or a rich imagination? Or¡­ is it as expected of a Lionheart?¡± Noir stared at Eugene with glowing eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯m Noir Giabe, the Queen of Night Demons. Do you know what this name represents? Do you really know who I am? I can do anything. Targeting Princess Scalia? It¡¯s just a joke. Attacking you lot? Another joke. I couldn¡¯t really consider this an attack. What about the fact I didn¡¯t dig into your dreams?¡± Noir¡¯s smile disappeared in an instant. ¡°It¡¯s because the name of Lionheart is more respectable than Shimuin, that puny country on the far side of the sea. The founder of the Lionheart n, Vermouth Lionheart, was a horrible man to me but also someone deserving of awe. So I respect his descendants. Likewise, I respect you who continue Anise Slywood¡¯s, haha, theSaint¡¯slegacy.¡± Even without a smile, Noir¡¯s eyes were still glistening as if they were the countless stars in the sky, and when her gaze turned to Kristina, Kristina unknowingly grabbed the il on her waist. Disregarding Kristina¡¯s action, Noir continued with her self-righteous exnation, ¡°Well, it¡¯s really just a joke and a greeting for me. Why did I target Princess Scalia? Well, unfortunately, my true body is in Helmuth. I¡¯m here now using a low-level incubus, but¡­. Wouldn¡¯t it be embarrassing to show myself in such a pitiful body? That¡¯s why I dug into the princess¡¯ dreams. The queen and the princess. If I concede quite a bit, it¡¯s just about right, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°A greeting?¡± asked Eugene while cocking his head to the side. Noir once again wore a bright smile and pped. ¡°That¡¯s right, a greeting! Why? Don¡¯t you like it?¡± ¡°Whatever your intention was, it¡¯s still true that you tried to force us to sleep and harass us in our dreams,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Oh, what do you mean, harass? Look around. Nothing but white and wind everywhere. Isn¡¯t it more fun to enjoy ourselves in a nice ce made in our dreams instead of this deste ce? That¡¯s what I wanted to do,¡± Noir said cheerfully. ¡°You attacked the Princess of Shimuin, the Lionheart family, and the Saint Candidate of Yuras,¡± Eugene said bluntly. ¡°Aha. So you want to make this a political issue? Don¡¯t be so fastidious. Do you really think you can threaten me, a Duke of Helmuth, with something like this? It would do you no good to offend me.¡± Noir¡¯s smile remained unshakeable. She was right. There was nothing to be gained, and Eugene did not want to create an enemy out of Noir Giabe just yet. The same was true for Anise, who was watching the situation unfold through Kristina. ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Eugene agreed. It felt like thorns were growing in his mouth, and he had swallowed pieces of a de. Even so, he forced himself to nod in agreement. ¡°I have no intention of making this a political issue, though I can¡¯t say the same for Shimuin¡¯s Princess.¡± ¡°Ahaha. You don¡¯t have to worry about that. This princess and that knight will think of everything as a dream. Nothing will happen as long as you can convince those cute sleeping babies behind you. By the way, are you going to keep upsetting me?¡± Noir asked with a pout. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°You really don¡¯t know? Do you not know how much your blunt attitude is hurting me?¡± said Noir in a dejected tone. Her expression changed once more. Tears filled her eyes as if she were genuinely sad, and after a few blinks, tears started streaming down Scalia¡¯s cheeks. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me your name?¡± Eugene just continued staring at Noir. ¡°Ah, of course, I know who you are. But even if I know who you are, I want to hear it from you directly. I told you my name, didn¡¯t I?¡± Rather than answering, Eugene made a slight movement with his hand inside the cape. But that was it. He did not pull his hand out. This was one of the greatest advantages of the Cloak of Darkness. As long as he kept his hand inside the cloak, even the Queen of the Night Demons would not know which weapons Eugene would take out. ¡°Are you going to take out Altair?¡± Noir guessed. ¡°Don¡¯t think about hiding it. I know that you are the master of Altair, the Holy Sword. It¡¯s one of the reasons why I came all the way to this coldnd.¡± ¡°So? Is there any reason to keep talking to me?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Wow, you¡¯re really blunt. Is it because you¡¯re Vermouth¡¯s descendant? You really are simr to him in how blunt you are. A need to continue our conversation, you say? Of course, there is! I still haven¡¯t heard you say your name¡ª¡± ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± spat Eugene before Noir could finish. Noir did not react immediately and simply stared at Eugene. After blinking a few times, she giggled. ¡°Do you hate me that much? I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve done much to be hated by you¡­. Hehe, do you know that your hatred and determination only stimte me more?¡± Noir began walking towards Eugene at a leisurely pace. ¡°From a long time ago, I was attracted to strong-willed people who show contempt for me. I want to dig into their dreams and see their bare bottom. I want to drive them crazy with pleasure that only I can give. Of course, I can do that in real life, too, since I¡¯m a Night Demon.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such disgusting things,¡± Eugene spat. ¡°Ahaha, that¡¯s a good reaction. It¡¯s fresh and cute. You¡¯re said to be Vermouth¡¯s seconding¡­ but it was Hamel who hated me this much rather than Vermouth. Ah, you know who he is, right? The Stupid Hamel,¡± said Noir. As if he wouldn¡¯t know. Eugene quietly activated the White me Form, and as a purple me began to rise around him, Noir stopped in her tracks. ¡°Hmm, this is beyond what I had imagined. I don¡¯t think I could have fun with you in this shoddy vessel and body,¡±mented Noir. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to have fun with you,¡± Eugene responded tly. ¡°How cute.¡± The light in her eyes snuffed out, and the eyes lost focus before closing. Scalia¡¯s body fell straight forward, but Eugene¡¯s gazey elsewhere. Pssssss¡­. A substance resembling ck fog emanated from Scalia¡¯s body. The fog mashed into a single point, and the Night Demon formed into existence before raising herself. Her face wasn¡¯t much different from what Eugene remembered from three hundred years ago. Her rich hair came down to her ankles, her eyes twinkled like the stars in the sky, and a red horn grew from her forehead. ¡°I like you,¡± Noir told Eugene with a smile. She raised her finger and pointed at Kristina. ¡°The same goes for you, Kristina Rogeris. With that robe and rosary around your neck, it really feels like I¡¯m seeing Anise Slywood from three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to hear such an assessment from you,¡± Kristina answered. ¡°Right? My evaluation is a sure guarantee since I have known Anise since three hundred years ago. You should take it as an honor and rejoice,¡± Noir proimed. She wriggled her fingers and formed a small circle. ck mana clumped together to form two coins. ¡°It¡¯s a gift,¡± she said. The coins flew toward Eugene and Kristina and hovered in front of them. Naturally, they did not reach out. ¡°Soon, Giabe Park will bepleted in Helmuth. With these coins¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Eugene spat abruptly. ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that. Come visit, it¡¯ll be so much fun. No, no, actually, it hurts my pride to beg so much. Hmph, if you don¡¯t want to, then don¡¯te,¡± Noir said sulkily. The coins fell from the air and dropped into the snow. ¡°I¡¯m really going to go no, so I¡¯ll give you onest chance. If you ask me not to go¡ª¡± ¡°Go,¡± Eugene cut in. ¡°Fine, fine. I¡¯m really going. But it feels a little disappointing now that I¡¯m going to leave. Would you like to sleep with me before I go?¡± Noir asked. Eugene¡¯s expression crumpled at her sudden suggestion. Kristina red at her with a pale face as well. [That crazy wench,] Anise also spat out harsh words without hiding her anger. Noir shrugged calmly despite the piercing, murderous eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t take it the wrong way. I¡¯m asking in apletely formal way, as a Night Demon. I¡¯m just offering to show you your desires.¡± ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene growled. ¡°All right, all right. I¡¯ll really get going. Oh, but¡­. It seems you didn¡¯t take so kindly to my joke and greeting, so I¡¯ll apologize in a way before I go.¡± Noir¡¯s nails elongated like a sharp de, and she ced her nails on her neck while giggling. ¡°This head may not be enough of an apology, but sincerity is the most important thing anyways, right?¡± She sliced her own throat with a swipe of her fingertips. Fwoosh! A torrent of crimson poured from the wound, and her halfcerated head leaned sideways under its own weight. But Noir continued tough as blood flowed from her lips. She grabbed her head with her other hand and ripped it to the side. ¡°I hope to see you all in Helmuth one day,¡± she whispered just before her head waspletely torn off. The headless body thumped to the ground, and it wasn¡¯t long before the body changed. It was returning to its original appearance after Noir¡¯s departure. Eugene stared at the body without saying anything, and soon, the incubus¡¯ body scattered and disappeared into the fog. Kristina¡¯s lips moved busily in the silence, and a bright light swept their surroundings. ¡°She¡¯s gone,¡± Kristina dered. There was no sign of Noir in the vicinity. Kristina crumpled to the ground with a long sigh, and her heart was beating rapidly. Her fear had won, and she was shaking uncontrobly. ¡°You did well holding yourself back.¡± It was Anise who spoke after a moment of silence. She raised her head and looked at Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°I think it was fortunate in many ways that Noir Giabe did note with her true body. Thanks to that, we realized how strong she has be in this era.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene easily agreed. ¡°I was nervous. I thought you might lose control and attack Noir Giabe.¡± ¡°I know how to distinguish between when I should and shouldn¡¯t do that. I was like that three hundred years ago as well.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t like that at first, Hamel. You were only able to develop self-control because of my education,¡± Anise chastised. ¡°Maybe a little,¡± Eugene agreed before looking down. He saw a ck casino coin buried in the snow. In the center of the coin was the smiling face of Noir Giabe. ¡°You¡¯re right, Anise. It really was fortunate that we had the opportunity to see the gap between us and Noir Giabe.¡± Eugene reached for the coin, and the me of the White me Form ejected from his fingertips and burned the coin without a trace. In the end, it was only a matter of time. Eugene would one day kill Noir Giabe. ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Eugeneughed as he shook the blood from his palm. Chapter 227: Scalia (4)

Chapter 227: Scalia (4)

The first thing Ciel saw when she opened her eyes was Eugene¡¯s face. She simply blinked a few times when she saw how his eyes, which appeared indifferent at first nce, contained subtle concern. ¡°Was I in the way?¡± She spoke without thinking. She didn¡¯t know why she had been sleeping until now. Her memory had cut off at a strange ce. She remembered how Princess Scalia attacked in a frenzy, how Dior blocked her, and¡­ how they had exchanged fierce blows with each other. Afterward, Dior had copsed for reasons unknown, even though he had not suffered any cuts. Then, Princess Scalia had raised her head and¡­. She didn¡¯t remember what happened afterward. Nothing. She tried her best to remember, but it just wouldn¡¯te to her. ¡°No, you weren¡¯t,¡± Eugene answered calmly. ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± Ciel used. She could see Cyan standing a little distance away when she turned her head. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was staring at the far side of the snowfield. She could see how his jaw and neck muscles were flexed because of how hard he was clenching his teeth. Ciel knew exactly what her brother was feeling right now, and she could sympathize with it. The two of them were twins, and they had been born into the prestigious Lionheart family. The two were quite talented and skilled. The only problem was that they had been born into an era together with a monstrous talent. If they had been brought up normally without rushing and had never been caught up in unexpected, impossible events¡­. ¡°You don¡¯t need to be considerate,¡± said Ciel as she stood up. The Phantom Rain Sword Javel, which she had been holding right before she fell asleep, was resting in its sheath and hanging on her waist. Ciel couldn¡¯t help butugh at the sight. ¡°Showing that kind of consideration only hurts me more. It¡¯s fine. I already know how ridiculously strong you are.¡± She had stubbornly insisted on crossing the snowfield with Eugene, never imagining that something dangerous would take ce. After all, what could possibly threaten them? An ambush of monsters? That couldn¡¯t be considered a threat, could it? Ciel and Cyan were sitting at Four Stars of the White me Form, and even throughout the Lionheart¡¯s long history, not many had reached Four Stars at the age of twenty-one. This was an undeniable fact. It meant that they could pride themselves on how strong they were. So they mistakenly presumed their safety. Even forgetting the fact that Eugene was a literal monster, this journey couldn¡¯t pose much of a threat to them. If a monster stood in their way, Ciel could simply swing her sword in his stead. She had been looking forward to hearing obviouspliments from Eugene, like, ¡®Wow, you¡¯ve improved a lot.¡¯ ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Eugene called out. Ciel felt disgusted by herself. She knew exactly what kind of expression she was adorning now, but she couldn¡¯t possibly predict her next change in facial expression. She wasn¡¯t familiar with what she was feeling, and the same was true for her expression as well. So Ciel jerked around and turned her back to Eugene. ¡®I¡¯m pathetic.¡¯ It had been sudden and unavoidable. It had been inevitable that Ciel was absolutely useless and helpless in that situation, that she had copsed too quickly, serving only as an obstruction or a hindrance to Eugene. However, the prouddy of the Lionheart n did not want to ept the inevitable fact. Her pride was hurt, and she felt absolutely humiliated. She knew it was impossible for her to get ahead of Eugene, but she didn¡¯t want to get in his way. Even if she couldn¡¯t stand proudly by his side, she wanted to keep pace with him from behind. But what was this? This was far from keeping pace with him. Instead, she had only gotten in his way. She couldn¡¯t stand herself for being so pathetic and weak. ¡°Ciel,¡± Eugene called out. Unfortunately, Ciel wasn¡¯t in a position to respond. She was so desperately trying to keep her wobbly lips under control that she didn¡¯t even want to answer him. She felt her eyes quivering and her vision blurring, as well as her nose tingling. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me. Don¡¯t evene near me,¡± Ciel managed to say while suppressing her sniffles. The more she thought about it, the more pathetic she felt. In fact, it was the first time in her life that she felt this miserable and helpless. Ciel approached Cyan while snuffing the shivering of her shoulders. Cyan had opened his eyes a little earlier than her. He had already moved past the stage of despairing in humiliation and now was feeling enraged at his own weakness. Cyan removed his gaze from the other side of the snowfield and nced at Ciel¡¯s face. His sister was shedding tears with pursued lips. As her older brother, he wanted to say something to cool orfort her heart, but¡­ he couldn¡¯t. He was the same as her, unable to part his lips. He knew that he would only cry out in anger if he relinquished control of his mouth. In the end, Cyan only patted his sister¡¯s shoulder without saying anything, but that was enough for his baby sister. Ciel sobbed silently for a while, and Cyan quenched his sadness and anger while clenching his teeth. Eugene didn¡¯t say anything to the twins. Had they held him back? He didn¡¯t think so. It was essential to be mindful of who they had been against ¡ª Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. She wasn¡¯t an opponent with whom a battle could be fought in the first ce, and even Eugene himself had not attempted to fight against her. However, if they had been forced into a fight, Eugene couldn¡¯t have left Ciel and Cyan unprotected, and Eugene didn¡¯t try to deny this fact either. Even if they did not share any blood, they were siblings who had known each other for nearly ten years. Once the two of them somewhat regained theirposure, Eugene exined what had happened. When the two heard about theQueen of the Night Demons, they couldn¡¯t do much but stare with their jaws wide agape. ¡°So¡­ Duke Noir Giabe¡­ of Helmuth took control of Princess Scalia¡¯s body to say hello?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But it was all a joke?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she said, anyway. Well¡­ it feels like¡­ shit, but no one died, right? So it means that this really was just a joke for that crazy woman, nothing that could be considered significant.¡± Eugene felt neither the heart to defend Noir Giabe nor the right reason. But he had to state the facts. Yes, it had been an offensive, iprehensible act, but for Noir, this had been nothing more than a yful greeting. ¡°¡­She must have been quite curious about us. Why, the founder fought directly with the Queen of the Night Demons, and¡­ you two are set to be the next head of the Lionheart family as the direct descendants,¡± said Eugene. ¡°You don¡¯t have to say such words to make me feel better. The Queen of the Night Demons was here to see you,¡± Cyan said with a snort. The world knew Eugene as the seconding of the Great Vermouth, and there was no way Cyan was oblivious to this fact. He chewed on his lips while experiencingplicated emotions. ¡°So¡­¡± Cyan said after taking a moment to cool himself off. ¡°Was Duke Giabe satisfied after seeing you?¡± ¡°What?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I asked if she was satisfied with you,¡± repeated Cyan. He was staring at Eugene with calm eyes. Hidden deep beneath his gaze was a mixture of immaturity, humiliation from being disregarded, as well as resentment towards his own deficiencies. However, he was managing to hide his true, squirming emotions by taking on a dignified look. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if she was satisfied, per se, but she did say she liked me,¡± Eugene answered smoothly. ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± said Cyan with a nod. ¡°It¡¯s better to gain recognition than to be ignored by an enemy of our great founder.¡± ¡°That¡¯s amendable thing to say,¡± Eugeneplimented in a rare fashion. ¡°Did I say something strange?¡± asked Cyan. ¡°No, you didn¡¯t say anything strange. Anyways, this event¡­ well¡­ I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a reason to tell anyone. No one was hurt, and there¡¯s no need to let things grow out of our control, right?¡± said Eugene. Both Cyan and Ciel nodded in agreement. They both were convinced that Noir Giabe was a maniac and that they could not possibly understand her withmon sense. ¡°What about Princess Scalia?¡± asked Cyan. They had moved Princess Scalia and Dior to the side after they fell to the snow, but neither had yet to regain consciousness. ¡°We can¡¯t possibly leave them like this, right? They¡¯ll freeze to death if we do nothing.¡± ¡°Then are you going to take them with us?¡± asked Ciel. ¡°Why would we?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°We can let them get to Lehain on their own while we go our own way and¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Ciel shook her head, interrupting Eugene. ¡°My brother and I will go with Princess Scalia.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene was dumbfounded. ¡°You¡¯re going to the Grand Hammer Canyon of Lehainjar anyways,¡± continued Ciel. Her eyes were still red, but her voice was back to normal. She continued with a brave smile as if she had never cried in the first ce. ¡°In the first ce, it was you, not us, that His Majesty Aman Ruhr rmended going to the Grand Hammer Canyon. To be honest, I¡¯m already sick of this snowfield. I don¡¯t want to climb any more mountains without reason, nor do I want to go to this canyon. And training with you on the road¡­.¡± Unfortunately, she couldn¡¯t bear to lie about that as well and trailed off. After a moment of hesitation, she shrugged andughed. ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t too bad. But I would rather be rxing my body and mind. Sleds and wagons¡­ sound quite nice. I wanted to travel like that while sipping on hot chocte or coffee with you, but now I don¡¯t even care about that. I just can¡¯t wait to get to Lehain and get into that famous hot spring.¡± ¡°Hey, you¡­.¡± Before Eugene could start reprimanding her, Ciel continued in a firm tone, ¡°I won¡¯t change my mind no matter what you say, and the same goes for my brother. So, just tell me to do what I want. Ah, you¡¯re not worried about us, are you? It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. Even if Princess Scalia wasn¡¯t in her right mind, Sir Dior was alright, right? They must have been wandering the snowfield knowing the way to Lehain.¡± Not knowing what to say, Eugene just stayed quiet. ¡°And you know, even if something dangerous happens, it will be while we climb Lehainjar, not in this snowfield. I don¡¯t want to get caught up in something like this again, and I don¡¯t want to get in your way either.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say stupid things,¡± rebuked Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m saying these thingsbecauseI¡¯m not stupid. I know my ce. Why? Do you feel sorry for me after hearing what I said? If that¡¯s the case, I hate it. I don¡¯t want to be pitied by you.¡± Ciel jumped off the ground with a snort. Then she approached Princess Scalia and Dior, who were still lying unconscious on the ground. ¡°How long are they going to sleep for? Shouldn¡¯t they get up on their own since we¡¯ve waited this long?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s carry them on our backs,¡± Cyan said, standing up after Ciel. Before Eugene could stop him, Cyan approached Dior and ced him on his back. Ciel naturally followed suit and carried Scalia on her back. ¡°They¡¯ll eventually wake up once we get going.¡± Eugene tried to dissuade them. ¡°Hey, why are you guys in such a hurry? Just wait until they wake up and¡­.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be with you anymore because I feel embarrassed and humiliated,¡± said Ciel. ¡°When I see your face, I feel like pulling all of my hair out because of anger.¡± Cyan chimed in, nodding. ¡°If you hold me back, I¡¯ll hate you for the rest of my life,¡± spat Ciel with bloodshot eyes. Eugene could find no words to speak. ¡°See you in Lehain,¡± said Cyan before taking off. In the end, the two of them departed carrying Dior and Scalia. Eugene stood in ce for a while, staring at their shrinking backs. ¡°Are you worried?¡± The voice that interrupted him was in a rather sarcastic tone. Eugene turned to look at Kristina. Judging from the crescent shape her eyes took and her smile, it was Anise. ¡°Of course I¡¯m worried,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Is it because you experienced childhood once again after being reincarnated? Hamel, it seems to me that you are more humane than you were in our past life,¡± said Anise. ¡°I was filled withpassion since my previous life,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny it. Anyways, I think it¡¯s a relief. Those twins¡­ don¡¯t hate you. They envy you, but they aren¡¯t jealous. Rather, they are there for you and want to be of help,¡± said Anise. ¡°I know. I found that very cute and proud, so I taught them this and that, which is unlike me. However, Cyan and Ciel are still too young.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think age matters much. All of us were quite young three hundred years ago.¡± With a faint smile, Anise traced the holy symbol in the air. ¡°¡­Of course, those twins are different from us. We were just as young as them, but we were born different and experienced different things. But Hamel, surprisingly, humans are quick to adapt and change. If a few non-trivial opportunities present themselves, and if they have the will to move forward, then¡­ humans can cause miracles. Just like we did.¡± Eugene listened silently as Anise continued. ¡°Hamel. You spent your childhood with those twins, but with the memories of your past life, you couldn¡¯t have shared the same experiences with the twins at the same young age. That is why you have been treating them like children all along,¡± said Anise. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°No, but they are no longer children. They want to stand on their own, and they don¡¯t want to rely on others. Those twins possess the will to do so, and they clearly felt angry at failing to help today. They despise themselves for being weak. What they experienced today, and what they¡¯ve experienced thus far, the emotions they feel with each event will act as a turning point for them,¡± Anise concluded her exnation. She wasn¡¯t only talking about Ciel and Cyan either. It was also meant for Kristina, who was quietly listening on the other side of consciousness. It was the same for Kristina. She also was forced toe to terms with her bitter weakness, and she also desired to use it as a spring to ovee further hardships. ¡°If you cross the river of death,¡± Eugene said after a long sigh. He stood up before continuing. ¡°If you survive at the brink of death, if you continue to struggle to survive, even at the cost of having to kill others, then yes. It¡¯ll temper a person and make them stronger. Anise, you and I know this fact all too well because we lived in those times.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s true.¡± ¡°But the time we live in now is peaceful. I¡­. If it¡¯s possible¡­. No, you¡¯re right. I am still treating Cyan and Ciel like children. But if possible, I would like them to live out their lives in this peaceful era without having to dance with death,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s your selfish desire,¡± replied Anise. She was adamant in this respect. ¡°We do not choose the era we live in, and it¡¯s not something we can change as we wish. As humans, we are weak and light. We have no choice but to go with the grand scheme of things, the bigger flow. In particr, those twins are the descendants of Sir Vermouth. As long as they bear the name Lionheart, they have no choice but to stand at the forefront of the turbulent times.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t deny her words. ¡°Whether they choose to walk the tightrope with death, or¡­ whether they choose to abandon everything and run away, is not a matter for you to decide, Hamel. The fate of man must be his own and his alone,¡± said Anise. ¡°They might cry out because they don¡¯t want to but still get caught up in things they didn¡¯t want,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°If they don¡¯t want to get caught up in things, they can simply run away. If they choose to get caught up inpromises and their own stubbornness, it¡¯s also something they need to deal with on their own,¡± answered Anise. ¡°What you say sounds like self-torture,¡±mented Eugene. ¡°Then you heard right. Three hundred years ago, I did not take my destiny as my own. I did not run away, but I didn¡¯t want to go forward either. I was stupid, and I couldn¡¯t disobey the orders of the Holy Empire, which was cleverly disguised as the Will of Light. I was stupid. I saw countless deaths, thoroughly experienced my own weakness and unspeakable horrors, and despised myself for not running away,¡± Anise said before rising to her feet. She smiled while looking down at Hamel, who remained seated. ¡°But in the end, I was the one to make the final decision. I chose to follow Sir Vermouth of my own volition. By my will, I crossed the Devildom with you, Sienna, Molon, and Sir Vermouth. And by my will, I took my life. I was able to change like that because¡­. Haha, because of meaningful events and the will to act. It was because of these things.¡± ¡°And you walked the shore of the river of death many times as well,¡± Eugene reminded her. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Anyways, what I want to tell you is simple. If you really care for your siblings, do not treat them like children. Please respect their willingness to act,¡± concluded Anise. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since Ist heard one of your lectures.¡± Eugene stood up with a bitter smile. He turned his head but could no longer see Cyan and Ciel. ¡°But Anise. When you dance with death too many times, you be strange. You break.¡± ¡°When that happens, you take care of them as much as you love them, the same way we did three hundred years ago. Do you remember Hamel? When we crossed the sea and defeated demonic beasts and a legion of demonfolk, you¡­ could not sleep at night with so many corpses and the stench of blood.¡± ¡°That wasn¡¯t just me. All of us were the same back then, except for Vermouth, that bastard.¡± ¡°We could calm our quaking hearts because Sir Vermouth remained resolute. We relied on each other and held each other in ce to ensure no one broke down. Hamel, don¡¯t think too hard about this.¡± There was a slight change in Anise¡¯s smile. She grinned at Eugene with both her lips and eyes before continuing. ¡°You just have to be a figure like Sir Vermouth for the twins.¡± ¡°Fuck, don¡¯t say such disgusting things,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°You don¡¯t have to be shy. You secretly admired Sir Vermouth, didn¡¯t you?¡± teased Anise. ¡°When have I ever!?¡± shouted Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t deny it now. It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, is it? It wasn¡¯t just you but all of us who admired Sir Vermouth,¡± said Anise. ¡°No, no¡­. Not me. I never admired that bastard. To me, Vermouth was¡ª¡± ¡°A rival you wanted to ovee one day? Isn¡¯t it more embarrassing to say such things with your own mouth?¡± interrupted Anise. ¡°I¡¯m not embarrassed. For me, Vermouth was¡­. I didn¡¯t like that he was so¡­ much better than me at everything¡­. So¡­. I was furious¡­ that I wanted to knock him down a peg or¡ª¡± ¡°Stop, stop! I feel like my hands and feet are shriveling up just listening to you. How can you say such cringey things without having anything to drink?¡± Anise interrupted him once more. ¡°Shut up¡­. I¡¯m¡­ not ashamed.¡± It was a lie. His face and stomach were burning as if he had downed an entire bottle of strong alcohol, and to be honest, he wanted to rip off his snout. ¡°Are you really not embarrassed? Well, then, how about this?¡± said Anise with a grin before approaching Eugene. Then she stretched out her hand and caressed Eugene¡¯s chest. ¡°By my will, I followed Sir Vermouth. By my will, I crossed the Devildom with you, Sienna, Molon, and Sir Vermouth. By my will, I took my life at the end.¡± ¡°What are you doing? You¡¯re repeating what you said earlier¡ª¡± ¡°And by my will, Hamel, I loved you.¡± Eugene felt his face reddening. It felt as if his head was going to explode. He panicked and jumped back, and Anise giggled after seeing Eugene¡¯s tomato-red face. [S-s-sister!] ¡®What about it? I¡¯m saying this on my own will. Or, Kristina, would you like to take advantage of this moment and take the courage to speak your heart?¡¯ [I¡­ I¡¯m not¡­.] ¡®As if.¡¯ Anise enjoyed teasing Kristina more than anything. ¡°I also like Sir Eugene by my own will,¡± said Mer after poking her head out of the Cloak of Darkness and peering up at Eugene. ¡°But I love Lady Sienna. And Lady Sienna¡ª¡± continued Mer. ¡°Stop, littledy. You shouldn¡¯t say such things in her ce. It will be more enjoyable to see Hamel¡¯s reaction when Sienna says it herself,¡± Anise said with a giggle. ¡°Shut up.¡± Eugene suddenly raised his hand and pped hisburningcheek. Mer¡¯s jaws dropped at this sight. ¡°Have you gone crazy?¡± she shouted. ¡°Abel!¡± Eugene called. ¡°Woof!¡± Eugene ignored the tingling pain in his cheek and ran forward. Abel responded in kind and barked vigorously before charging forward. ¡°To the Grand Hammer Canyon!¡± He could hear Anise giggling behind him. Chapter 228: Canyon (1)

Chapter 228: Canyon (1)

A lot changed once they entered Lehainjar. Firstly, the weather was god awful. It wasn¡¯t eternally snowing in the snowfield, though more than often, it was, but there were times when the sun sent down its warm rays. But it was quite difficult to even see the sun in Lehainjar. Of course, the sun would be busily going about its day somewhere high in the sky, but the insane blizzard made it impossible to even make out the color of the sky. With it snowing nonstop like this, it was hard to think of the never-ending crystal of white as anything other than simple trash. It didn¡¯t just snow, either. asionally, or rather quite often, chunks of ice that wererger than pebbles but smaller than boulders would hail down from the sky, and these chunks were hard enough to crack open a normal man¡¯s head with a single blow. ¡°What the fuck is wrong with this mountain? It¡¯s like Sienna cast a spell on it,¡± grumbled Eugene while ring at the onught of snow and ice. Sienna had always been the definition ofall brawn, no brains, so she would always cause natural disasters right before arge-scale battle. Among the many spells in her repertoire, Sienna had always favored casting murderous snowstorms and hail over arge area. Of course, the snow and hail of Lehainjar were no match for Sienna¡¯s blizzard, and it certainly wasn¡¯t strong enough to break Eugene¡¯s skull or bones, even if he stood out in the open for several days. Even so, he had no intention of suffering a perpetual beating, so he cast a spell around him to block the snow and hail. However, wasn¡¯t it natural to feel crappy after being pummeled for an extended period of time? ¡°Kieeng.¡± Abel cried out in discontent. Since entering Lehainjar, Abel suddenly became more obedient to Eugene. He clearly understood that Eugene protected him from the snow and hail. ¡°It¡¯s getting more difficult the higher we climb,¡±mented Kristina. As patient as she was, she also felt quite tired of this mountain. Apart from Noir Giabe¡¯s attack, or rather mischievous greeting, they had not encountered any difficulties. Most monsters had avoided them due to Eugene¡¯s presence, and the blizzard had also been bearable. But Lehainjar was different. Even though the mountain was connected to the snowfield, it felt like a deste areapletely separate from the snowfield. It was to the extent that the Samar Forest seemed like a nice ce for a strollpared to here. Moreover, the monsters of the mountain were fearless and fierce. Even without Eugene hiding his presence, the monsters rushed in, bearing their fangs and ws. [This is the northernmost part of the continent, after all,] Anisemented. The vast snowfield they crossed was at the northern end of the Northern Kingdom of Ruhr, and Lehainjar was a snowy mountain that stood tall at the northernmost tip of the snowfield. This was the edge of Ruhr. ¡ªThe Bayar Tribe protects the continent¡¯s end. Molon would say such things with a proud expression whenever he talked about his home. ¡ªThe monsters and demonic beasts of the devildom are fierce, but the monsters living at the northern end of the continent, which is protected by our tribe, are just as fierce. I¡¯ve hunted such monsters since I was a child, so the demonic beasts and monsters here feel like gentle sheep. ¡ªBullshit. You almost diedst time when you were surrounded by demonic beasts. ¡ªEven gentle sheep can kill a man if hundreds gather and trap him. ¡ªWhy would a gentle sheep want to kill someone in the first ce? Molon had kept his mouth shut for hours after being asked the question. ¡ªThe name of thend guarded by the Bayar Tribe is Lehain. It is my home, and as terrible as it is, I also miss it. Climbing further north from Lehain, you will find a mountain range of snow and ice tall enough to pierce the sky, Lehainjar. Lehain means north in thenguage of the snowfield, and Jar means mountain. In other words, Lehainjar means the northern mountain in ournguage. ¡ªWell¡­. Is there a reason you have to be so arrogant while exining the name¡­? ¡ªBayar means valor in thenguage of the snowfield. So a warrior of Bayar means a valiant warrior. I am Molon of Bayar, Brave Molon. ¡ªRight¡­. ¡ªBut neither Lehain nor Lehainjar can be called the true end of the world. Beyond Lehainjar lies Raguyaran. A destend of nothingness, and that must not be crossed, the end of the world. The Tribe of Bayar resides in Lehain and Lehainjar to prevent anyone from crossing into Raguyaran. As well as to protect anything from crossing over from Raguyaran. ¡ªWhat do you mean by that? ¡ªThere is an old legend of Bayar. Perhaps it is only a story to scare the children. I heard such stories from my mother and father when I was young. In the deepness of the night, the Nur rises in Raguyaran. The Nur treads the wide stretch ofnd and crosses over into Lehainjar. Any children who refuse to sleep would be devoured by the Nur¡­. ¡ªWhat¡¯s the Nur? ¡ªJust a monster. I just told you, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s an old legend, a story to scare any misbehaved children. I was no longer a child very early on, and as a warrior of Bayar, brave. Very brave indeed. So to prove my courage, I have crossed Lehainjar before. ¡ªSo, did you get to see Raguyaran. ¡ªIt was a vastnd, a ce where the sky was furious. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. The sky was foggy and dirty, just like snow trampled on by muddy feet. It was like that as far as the eyes could see. Standing on the tallest mountain peak of Lehainjar, I could see the wide sea at the end of Raguyaran. It was a frozen sea. There was no Nur. In fact, there was not a single living soul on thatnd. It was a ce incapable of hosting any life. Three hundred years ago, Hamel and Molon had shared such a conversation by the bonfire, and when Molon spoke of Bayar and the snowfield, his eyes had glistened like a child. Such sparkling, clear eyes did not match Molon¡¯srge figure at all, but at the time, Hamel had listened to his story without making fun. ¡ªBut instead of telling me these stories, you can just take me there someday, right? ¡ªWill you go to the snowfield with me? ¡ªI don¡¯t know when this damn war will end, if ever, but when it does end¡­. Well, I¡¯ll be bored and rxed in many ways, so wandering around new ces wouldn¡¯t be bad. ¡ªHamel, if you go to the snowfield with me, I will help you get with the second most beautiful female warrior of our tribe. ¡ªWhat are you saying, you moron? ¡ªSienna, don¡¯t worry. If you wish, I will make sure you get with the second bravest warrior of our tribe¡­. ¡ªStop with your nonsense. ¡ªBut why the second best? ¡ªYou¡¯re asking the most obvious question. It¡¯s because I am the bravest warrior in the Bayar Tribe. Do you want to marry me, Sienna? ¡ªGo kill yourself. ¡ªI knew you wouldn¡¯t like it. And the most beautiful female warrior in my tribe is bound to get together with me. So, Hamel, I will let you have the second most beautiful female warrior¡­. ¡ªGet lost! Eugene recalled how Sienna had howled at Molon as he looked up at the tall, snowy mountain. Lehainjar stood as the gatekeeper of Raguyaran. It was tall and wide. Although Eugene was climbing the mountain under Abel¡¯s guidance, he couldn¡¯t tell exactly how much longer he would have to climb to reach the Grand Hammer Canyon. ¡°Woof.¡± Abel suddenly came to a stop. After sniffing around, he stared into the blizzard with his ears pointed. However, he didn¡¯t re or emit threatening cries like when he sensed a monster. Eugene followed suit and stopped in ce without passing Abel. It wasn¡¯t until Kristina, who was following closely behind the two, came to a stop that a bright orange light illuminated from the far side of the blizzard. The light came from the Rangers of Lehainjar. They wore thick winter jackets and held magterns that emitted an orange glow in their hands. It had been pretty noticeable even from a distance, but theirrge stature became even clearer when they approached. The three rangers stopped at a distance from Eugene and the others. Each of them was well over two meters tall. ¡°Abel.¡± It was the ranger at the lead who called out. His eyes glowed in recognition behind his thick goggles. The ranger nced at Abel¡¯s wagging tail and Eugene before asking, ¡°¡­Lionheart?¡± ¡°I¡¯m Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°I am Kristina Rogeris.¡± The two introduced themselves. ¡°Why are you with Abel?¡± the ranger asked. His voice was husky and indistinct. He appeared proficient at listening and speaking themonnguage, but his pronunciation wasn¡¯tpletely urate. It was difficult to make out their faces because of their thick clothes, hats, and goggles, but Eugene assumed them to be the descendants of the Bayar Tribe. ¡°His Majesty, the King of Ruhr, allowed us to borrow Abel. He said Abel would show us the way to Lehain,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°It is not this mountain where the Knight March will be held. So please go down,¡± the ranger responded. ¡°His Majesty, the King, suggested we go to the Grand Hammer Canyon of Lehainjar. I came here following Abel as His Majesty wished, so will I really have to climb back down?¡± asked Eugene. Instead of answering immediately, the rangers exchanged a nce. Finally, the leading ranger answered after a moment, ¡°We will allow you passage if His Majesty has given permission, but know that the two of you may be in danger.¡± ¡°We came all this way with just the two of us, but I didn¡¯t feel any danger,¡± said Eugene. ¡°The Grand Hammer Canyon is the border of Lehainjar. The closer you get to it, the more dangerous it will be,¡± the ranger exined. ¡°Are there more monsters, and do they be more ferocious? Or does the weather get even worse than it is now?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°No. The Nure out in the Grand Hammer Canyon,¡± said the ranger. Nur ¡ª it was the monster Molon spoke of three hundred years ago. When Eugene took on a curious expression, the ranger continued, ¡°The Nur is a monster, but it¡¯s different from other monsters. It¡¯s not a demonic beast, either. I¡¯m sure you will feel it when you see it, but exining it with words is impossible.¡± ¡°What does that mean?¡± Eugene inquired in surprise. ¡°I said it was impossible to exin with words. If you are not afraid of the Nur, please continue following Abel up the mountain. If you two insist on climbing the mountain with His Majesty¡¯s permission, the rangers will not block your path. However, we rangers will not be able to guide your path. If you are not fond of the danger, please return down the way you came,¡± the ranger made things very clear. The rangers didn¡¯t attempt to actively block Eugene¡¯s way, perhaps thanks to the king¡¯s permission. However, they didn¡¯t allow easy passage for them either. It was because Eugene belonged to the Lionheart family and Kristina Rogeris was the Saint Candidate of the Holy Empire. The two of them hade to the Grand Hammer Canyon at the rmendation of King Ruhr, and if they happened to die on their way to the Grand Hammer Canyon, the responsibility for their demise would ultimately fall on the King of Ruhr. ¡°We already came all this way,¡± said Eugene with a smirk. He took a step forward. He wasn¡¯t thinking of any political issues, real or potential. He could just climb, then descend. The Beast King Aman Ruhr, the King of Ruhr, had said that the legend of the royal family was handed down in the Grand Hammer Canyon. He hadbeled it as the ce where descendants of the royal family were reborn as warriors. And what about the Nur? Molon had said that such a thing did not exist three hundred years ago. Was the legend of the royal family referring to the Nur? The Kingdom of Ruhr was founded by Molon. Didn¡¯t that mean the legend of the Grand Hammer Canyon also originated from Molon? ¡°Please be careful,¡± the rangers warned after moving aside once they saw that Eugene wasn¡¯t about to stop. ¡°Nur?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°Apparently, it¡¯s a monster that lives on this mountain. Molon told me about it three hundred years ago,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Lady Anise said she¡¯s never heard of it,¡± said Kristina. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure she hasn¡¯t. When Molon told me about the Nur, Anise was drinking in the corner like a crazy woman, saying that it wasn¡¯t interesting,¡± said Eugene. [Well, it wasn¡¯t. What else did you expect?] grumbled Anise. Kristina involuntarily burst outughing in response. After the encounter with the rangers, the two climbed Lehainjar for two full days. They never slowed down and never rested except for when it was necessary. The only obstacle was the mountain¡¯s freaky weather, its steepness, and how fast Abel could travel. Abel had been rtively fast through the snowfield but had slowed down significantly after entering Lehainjar and climbing the mountain. He continued to sniff while warily looking around and changed directions while finding the way. Lehainjar was as big as the Us Mountain, where the ck Lion Castle was located. So it was inevitable that it would take quite some time to locate the Grand Hammer Canyon. The rangers had warned of the dangers of the Grand Hammer Canyon, but Eugene had not experienced anything over the past two days that exined the warning. Indeed, the number of monsters and their ferocity had increased, but Eugene didn¡¯t think it was worth the warning. On the second night, they set up arge tent and a barrier to block the blizzard. The tent was the same one they had used since their journey through the snowfield. Just as they did in Samar, Eugene and Kristina took turns taking the watch. The only difference was that the time they spent on the lookout wasn¡¯t as dull as before, thanks to the presence of Mer and Anise. Mer would entertain Eugene while he took on the watch, and Anise recounted stories from three hundred years ago during Kristina¡¯s turn. ¡°The hot springs in Lehain. Am I going in with you, Sir Eugene?¡± asked Mer. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I brought my swimsuit. Sir Eugene, don¡¯t you have yours?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of whether I have it or not. We won¡¯t be the only ones going in.¡± ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re embarrassed because of what others might think? I¡¯mpletely fine with it. I¡¯m a familiar. Did you forget?¡± ¡°Stop spouting nonsense. You¡¯re going in with Kristina, or you can go in with Ciel.¡± ¡°But what if you miss me? Right? You might want to see me.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± ¡°Then what do you think about Lady Sienna? A mixed bath¡­ with Lady Sienna¡­ swimsuits¡­ hehe¡­.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t bother to respond. He didn¡¯t want to imagine a mixed bath with Sienna, nor Sienna in a swimsuit. But the image kept circling in his head¡­. [Kristina, did you hear that? That nasty familiar is trying to seduce Hamel,] Anise said in irritation. ¡®Sister¡­! I need to sleep.¡¯ [Why do you always lie like this? Kristina, I can clearly feel a burning, evil me ring deep inside your heart, just like mesing straight from hell.] ¡®Sister! I know we¡¯ve been through a lot, but I am still a priestess, a worshiper of the Light! How could you say that mes of hell are burning deep inside my heart? Even if it¡¯s you, Sister, please refrain from saying such things.¡¯ [Oh, my¡­. I¡¯m not speaking to the Saint of Light. I¡¯m speaking to Kristina Rogeris. Why do you keep trying to hide it, Kristina Rogeris? The only one who sees you now is¡­ hehe, it¡¯s just me.] ¡®Uah¡­.¡¯The exasperation in Kristina¡¯s thoughts was evident. [So you don¡¯t have to hide or lie to yourself¡­. Uhehehe¡­] Anise continued with her teasing. ¡°Kyaaaaahk!¡± Kristina suddenly burst out screaming while covering her ears. The memories of the fireworks had suddenlye flooding in. Anise¡¯s mean teasing was marring a miraculous, dreamy moment. A memory that was as beautiful and sweet as a dream, a memory she wanted to cherish for the rest of her life, was being warped by Anise¡­. ¡°That scared me.¡± ¡°Why are you screaming all of a sudden?¡± Both Eugene and Mer were staring at her after the sudden scream. Kristina jumped to her feet, opened and closed her lips, then pped her burning cheeks with both her hands. ¡°Ah¡­. I had a nightmare,¡± she lied. ¡°A nightmare?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes. An ominous, vicious¡­ devil appeared in my dream and whispered in my ears,¡± she said. ¡°Could it be¡­. Was it Noir Giabe? Did that dirty old slut dig into your dream?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes¡­. No, what? N-no, that¡¯s not it. It wasn¡¯t the Queen of the Night Demons. It was¡­ just a devil¡­. Yes, just a devil,¡± responded Kristina. [I was the most brilliant Saint of Light in the history of Yuras. How could you call me a devil¡­? This is sacrilegious. sphemy!] grumbled Anise, but Kristina ignored her. Kristina calmed her quivering heart and turned her gaze outside the tent. The ground was littered with corpses of monsters that had dared to approach during the night and at dawn. About half of them had their heads smashed in by Kristina¡¯s il, while the other half had been mutted by Eugene¡¯s magic. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just get going?¡± said Kristina after a pause. ¡°Did you get enough sleep?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°The devil¡¯s whisper blew away all my fatigue,¡± Kristina answered with a sigh. She opened the tent¡¯s p. The inside of the tent was dark enough to sleepfortably, but the same wasn¡¯t true outside. Although everything looked obscure and foggy because of the intense blizzard, the sun sat unmoving high in the sky. It was a familiar sight. Strangely enough, the sun never set after they entered Lehainjar. ¡°If you say so,¡± said Eugene. Abel also rose from the ground while wagging his tail. Eugene patted his head, then started dismantling the tent. They did not need to rush anymore since tall, rugged cliffs were visible on the far side of the blizzard. From this distance, the soaring cliffs appeared simr to the head of a giant hammer. Eugene and Kristina were currently in the valley leading up to the cliffs of the Grand Hammer Canyon. If they had decided not to spend the night here, they would have already arrived at the Grand Hammer Canyon by now. However, taking into ount the warning of the rangers and minding their conditions, they had decided to rest for the night before continuing on. ¡°I¡¯m fine with going on, but why don¡¯t we have breakfast first? You¡¯re on duty today,¡± said Eugene. ¡°¡­To be precise, it¡¯s not me but Lady Anise,¡± answered Kristina. ¡°I don¡¯t want that porridge that Anise makes. It¡¯s like swine feed. Can¡¯t you do it instead¡­?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Lady Anise asked me to tell you not to get ahead of yourself. Her porridge is aplete diet focused on efficient absorption and recovering stamina. And why are you saying that you don¡¯t want to eat her food when you ate it just fine in your past life?¡± said Kristina. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s because we had no other choice. And there was Sienna, who was even worse at cooking than Anise¡­.¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°Lady Sienna¡¯s cooking is excellent,¡± said Kristina. ¡°You¡¯ve never even tried it,¡± said Eugene. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped. And you just said it, Sir Eugene. At that time, there wasn¡¯t enough supply for proper meals. Lady Sienna was the one who made a meal out of such terrible ingredients. Which means! Maybe Lady Sienna¡¯s cooking skills weren¡¯t so bad, right?¡± said Kristina. ¡°Yeah, no. Sienna was the worst cook among us all. But next was Anise. Even Molon was better off than those two at cooking up something edible. The best cook was Vermouth,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Lady Anise says that Sir Vermouth was better at everything than Sir Hamel,¡± said Kristina. ¡°Switch with Anise right now. I¡¯m going to hit her once. Can I?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°No, you cannot. This is my body,¡± replied Kristina with a firm expression. Eventually, the preparation of breakfast began. However, Anise wasn¡¯t actually the one who was cooking, but rather Kristina. Anise only gave instructions inside her head, while Kristina obeyed and used her hands. [Let¡¯s add wine.] ¡®What?¡¯ [Don¡¯t you know? Wine helps to eliminate any pungent smell of meat and enhances the vor of the dish.] ¡®But this is porridge¡­.¡¯ [If you add red wine, it enhances the color of the porridge as well.] There was no shortage of ingredients, thanks to Eugene¡¯s thorough preparation. Kristina poured wine into the boiling pot, as per Anise¡¯s instruction, and while the horrendous breakfast was being prepared, Eugene cleared the bodies in their vicinity. Although it snowed all night, there had been simply too many monsters, and they had been so big that the corpses weren¡¯tpletely buried in white. Eugene had no intention of looking at such a horrible scene while eating. After all, he was stuck with eating something that was less than desirable, to say the least. Sure, it wasn¡¯t a big deal three hundred years ago, but¡­ there was no reason to do the same as in the past when they were living in a different era. Eugene suddenly froze while in the process of tossing the bodies of monsters. Kristina stiffened as well in the process of emptying the contents of an entire bottle of wine into the porridge, watching the wine color the ingredients. Abel, who had been hovering around her, curled up into a ball and held his breath. Mer had it worse. She didn¡¯t simply stiffen up but rather copsed on the spot. As a familiar, Mer was very sensitive to any changes in mana. Eugene immediately embraced her and took her inside his cloak. No matter what happened here, she would be fine in the isted space inside the cloak. Mer finally managed to breathe after entering the Cloak of Darkness. [S-s-sir Eugene.] [Hamel.] Mer called out in a panicked voice, and Tempest spoke from inside Wynnyd as well. Before he knew it, Kristina was at his side. Likewise, she was looking at Eugene with a pale expression. ¡°Hamel,¡± she called out, but it wasn¡¯t Kristina. Simr to Mer, Kristina had lost consciousness in the moment, transferring control of the body to Anise. ¡°Yeah.¡± Eugene nodded. Fwoosh! Eight wings unfolded behind Anise¡¯s back, and Eugene utilized the White me Form to robe himself with purple mes. The two did not hesitate as they ran out of the barrier. It was no longer snowing, unnaturally so. There was simply no snow falling from the sky, as if the phenomenon had been artificially stopped. Nevertheless, the world still looked as hazy as before. The two ran and flew toward their destination, but the distance to their target did not seem to change at all. Eugene was unfamiliar with the things he was feeling now. He felt disgust and fear¡­ as well as other simr negative emotions. He instinctively felt repulsed by the Grand Hammer Canyon. He did not want to get near it. In fact, he wanted to get as far away from it as possible. However, though it was an unfamiliar feeling, it wasn¡¯t exactly the first time he was experiencing such emotions. He had experienced it once, three hundred years ago. ¡®Why?¡¯ Eugene and Anise shared the same question. They had experienced the same, irresistible fear once before, a fear that was seen but could not be understood. It belonged to one of their targets of elimination, an existence beyondprehension. ¡®Why here?¡¯ The Demon King of Destruction. The mysterious, unexinable existence had existed in Helmuth three hundred years ago. As was the case with the other Demon Kings, the Demon King of Destruction had never left Helmuth, and it rarely showed itself. The first time its existence was witnessed was in Ravesta, where most of the dragons were killed off. It was a ce located far from the capital of Helmuth, Pandemonium, and also the territory of the Demon King of Destruction. After the first spotting, the Demon King of Destruction started roaming Helmuth like a natural disaster, and any armies unfortunate enough to stand in the way of its ruin were eliminated without exception. Three hundred years ago, when Hamel and hispanions saw the Demon King of Destruction from afar, fifty thousand troops belonging to Nahama had disappeared without leaving a single body. It was just as Vermouth had warned ¡ª don¡¯t fight with the Demon King of Destruction. It was such an existence, a presence impossible to battle against. Yes, it was true that all Demon Kings were like natural disasters, but the Demon King of Destruction was a living destruction in itself. The only sce was that the Demon King of Destruction no longer wandered Helmuth after the war but returned to Ravesta and remained silent for hundreds of years. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand. This wasn¡¯t Helmuth. Instead, this was Lehainjar, a mountain acting as a barrier blocking passage into Raguyaran, which was the end of the world. So what reason did the Demon King of Destruction have to leave its territory, Ravesta, after hundreds of years of silence just toe all the way to Lehainjar? ¡®¡­No, this is different.¡¯ Eugene contemted the situation once more. It wasn¡¯t as if he could see the Demon King of Destruction with his eyes, just that he was struck with the same, or rather, a simr feeling as when he encountered the Demon King of Destruction in the past. ¡®This is not the same. Just look at me now; even though I feel it, I¡¯m not running away. I¡¯m heading towards it. It¡¯s not the Demon King of Destruction up ahead,¡¯Eugene surmised. Then what was it? The first exnation that came to his mind was¡­ Oberon, one of Fury¡¯s four heavenly kings. After the death of the Demon King of Fury, Oberon had submitted to the Demon King of Destruction. In the end, he was killed by his son, but Jagon still resided in Ravesta, the territory of the Demon King of Destruction. ¡®Ackey of Destruction? Is that why I feel this way? It¡¯s not the Demon King of Destruction, but someone who¡¯s received its power¡­.¡¯ He couldn¡¯t tell. Eugene couldn''t possibly make an urate judgment, so he decided to forego more analysis until he saw what was responsible for causing him to feel such things. Anise came to the same conclusion. Neither of them was struck with an irresistible urge to flee as they did three hundred years ago. Something moved on the cliff of the Grand Hammer Canyon. ¡°Jagon¡­¡± muttered Eugene aftering to a stop. It felt as if he had not been getting close at all, but before he knew it, the two of them were already at the bottom of the cliff. ¡°¡­No, it doesn¡¯t seem like him.¡± Jagon¡¯s father, the Depraved Oberon, had been a bear, so Jagon would also be a bear. But what stood atop the cliff wasn¡¯t a bear. Instead, it was a¡­ monkey? It was either a monkey or a gori the size of a giant. Although vicious horns jutted from its head, the creature definitely resembled a monkey. It was a huge two-legged, two-armed monster with white fur. No, was it a demonic beast¡­? The ominous aura emanating from the creature was simr to a demonic beast, but it wasn¡¯t quite the same. Moreover, the repulsive feeling it struck into Eugene¡¯s heart was different from demonic beasts. ~ ¡ªThe Nur is a monster, but it¡¯s different from other monsters. It¡¯s not a demonic beast, either. I¡¯m sure you will feel it when you see it, but exining it with words is impossible. ~ Eugene remembered the ranger¡¯s warning from two days ago. ¡°Nur?¡± muttered Eugene while looking up at the monster. He saw hideous eyes peering back down at him. The creature¡¯s mouth opened wide to make way for a grotesquely long tongue. ck saliva dripped from its sharp teeth and slithering tongue. ¡°Krrr.¡± The creature lowered its posture as if readying itself to jump off the cliff. Eugene ced his hand inside the cloak to grab a weapon. Fwoosh. But before Eugene could take out a weapon, the monster¡¯s head fell to the ground. The snow began falling once again, and in the flurry of white, a giant slung a clean, shiny axe over his shoulder. Eugene stared up at the cliff, unable to say anything. He could see someone stepping on the decapitated head. ¡°¡­Molon.¡± Eugene spoke the name of his friend from three hundred years ago. Chapter 229: Canyon (2) There stood a giant man. The rangers of Lehainjar and Aman Ruhr, the Beast King, were all well over two meters, but the man towering on top of the cliff looked to be a head taller than them. He wore fur over his shoulders, though it was hard to tell whether it had once belonged to an animal or a monster. In addition, his left arm was covered in what seemed like a bracer made of an unknown material, and that was all the armor he had. Even in such harsh, freezing weather, the man was without any thick winter clothes, and hisrge, firm chest and arm muscles were exposed. Yet, despite the freezing weather, he seemedpletely unfazed, his breathsing slow and steady though his chest was bare. His thick, enormous muscles made the man appear even taller and bigger than he already was. The man also had an axe slung over his shoulder; appearance-wise, the rugged weapon resembled a woodcutter''s axe. Moreover, it lookedrge enough to fell a giant tree with one strike. In fact, the man had decapitated the head of the Nur, a giant monster, with a single swing, and there remained not a single drop of blood staining its de. The wind scattered the man¡¯s hair in front of his face, and his gaze slowly fell downwards through the curtain of hair. There was no way Eugene and Anise would fail to recognize the man ¡ª Molon Ruhr. Although he adorned a shaggy beard, unlike three hundred years ago, it didn¡¯t matter. Even if Molon grew a beard, he was still Molon. At least, that¡¯s how it was supposed to be. Eugene and Anise stood frozen on their spot for a moment. The two stood there in ce, staring up at him. Although Eugene had called out his name, he couldn¡¯t follow up with anything else. Was it because Molon was taller than he had been three hundred years ago? Or was it because he was bigger andrger? Was it because he was covering his left arm with a strange bracer, or was it because he had grown a shaggy beard? Even so, Molon was still Molon, right? Eugene and Anise saw the eyes that peered down at them. The eyes belonging to their old friend were frigid, and they contained no emotion. It was almost impossible to think such eyes belonged to Molon. Was it because he had not heard Eugene call out his name? It was definitely possible since Eugene had barely shouted loud enough due to his immense shock. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand why Molon was exuding such an atmosphere. Eugene could perhaps understand if he were the only one here since it wouldn¡¯t be strange for Molon to be wary of unknown outsiders. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t alone. He was with Kristina, who looked exactly like Anise. Even if Molon failed to recognize Eugene as Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, he couldn¡¯t possibly fail to recognize Kristina, or rather Anise. To boot, Anise was even spreading all of her eight wings. ¡°Hey, Molon,¡± Eugene called out once more after quenching his emotions. There were too many things he couldn¡¯t understand. He wasn¡¯tpletely certain whether that monster had been the Nur, the subject of the rangers¡¯ warning and the main character of Bayar¡¯s old legends. What Eugene and Anise had felt from the monster was the same ominous, repulsive sensation they had felt from the Demon King of Destruction, and it had not been a simple illusion either. They had felt the visceral ominosity right down to their bones, and it was something they had felt only from the Demon King of Destruction among all the Demon Kings and demonfolks they had encountered. Of course, this sensation had paledpared to one given off by the Demon King of Destruction, but the monster had sessfully evoked the memory of three hundred years ago with its presence alone. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand why such a monster was on this mountain and why Molon was here after entering seclusion 100 years ago. There was so much he didn¡¯t understand. ¡°You moron,¡± Eugene breathed out. But truth be told, what did such things matter? Hisrade from three hundred years ago was alive and well. He didn¡¯t know what Molon had experienced, but he appeared just fine standing on the cliff. He had not faked his own death like Vermouth, nor been sealed with a hole in his chest like Sienna, or killed himself like Anise. So Eugene kicked off the ground and jumped high. The cliff was tall, but Eugene managed to reach its end with a single leap. Molon¡¯s gaze followed him upwards, and their gazes met in the air. But what Eugene saw were cold, distant eyes. Eugene did not remember Molon¡¯s eyes as being like this. They were dull and murky, as if Molon had been weathered and destroyed by the three hundred years he had experienced, and Eugene couldn¡¯t help but wonder what Molon had been through in the past three hundred years after Hamel¡¯s death. He looked tired and exhausted, just as Vermouth had appeared in the chair in the Lionheart¡¯s Dark Room. Eugene was about to set foot on the cliff when Molon shook his head, and just before hended, Molon waved his hand. Although it was a gentle wave of his hand, it caused a strong gust of wind like a storm. The snow lining the cliff soared under the huge pressure and scattered. Not expecting this development, Eugene was immediately thrown backward, never having imagined that Molon would push him away. He was carried back quite a distance by the wind. ¡°Oi!¡± Eugene shouted. He was dumbfounded and immediately gave orders to the spirits of the wind and stopped himself. Then, he pushed himself forward with an even stronger gust of wind and approached the cliff. ¡°Go back.¡± The lips centered between the shaggy beard parted, and Molon continued while staring directly at Eugene¡¯s face, ¡°Hamel.¡± It seemed Molon recognized Eugene, even though he lookedpletely different from his past life. Was it because of how Eugene had addressed him? Go back? Eugene¡¯s expression contorted with annoyance. He was reunited with Molon after three hundred years, after climbing this damned mountain. There was so much he wanted to ask Molon, but the moron was telling him to go back? ¡°Fuck off.¡± Eugene had no intention ofplying with Molon¡¯s words. Eugene once again descended to the cliff after returning, and Molon¡¯s beard twitched as he grinned. He raised his axe above his shoulder, then grabbed it with one hand before swinging it into the air. The strike contained absolutely no hostility, but it created a tremendous force that was impossible to resist from the front. Eugene reflexively grabbed Wynnyd from inside his cloak and called Tempest¡¯s wind. Kwaaaaahh! A storm erupted behind Wynnyd¡¯s trajectory. Even though the sword and the axe never shed directly, the full brunt of their strikes collided midair. Eugene immediately realized the massive difference in their power, even though he was sure they both had swung without any preparation. Molon¡¯s brute force was extremely powerful, just like three hundred years ago. Although his eyes and appearance had taken the full brunt of the passage of time, the strength contained in his grosslyrge muscles had not faded at all. ¡®No, in fact, he¡¯s even stronger than three hundred years ago¡­.¡¯ The sh of storms copsed, and Eugene was thrown backward. The power contained in the force pushing him back was massive, and Eugene couldn¡¯t tell how far he would be sent flying if he didn¡¯t resist. As such, Eugene once again called upon the wind and stopped himself in midair, then descended. ¡°That moron,¡± spat Eugene while pushing against the blizzard. He saw Anise¡¯s back when he returned to the bottom of the cliff. She was standing in ce after putting her eight wings away. ¡°Anise, are you all right?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she answered without looking back. Instead, she slowly raised her finger to where her gaze was headed ¡ª the top of the cliff. Eugene followed suit and looked up at the cliff once more. ¡°Where did that moron go?¡± Eugene asked with a deep frown. He couldn¡¯t see Molon or the corpse of the monster. Anise shrugged and looked back. ¡°I don¡¯t know. He suddenly disappeared in the snowstorm.¡± ¡°That stupid idiot disappeared with that stupidly big corpse? What, did he grab the corpse and hop away?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°No. Although I don¡¯t know much about magic, Molon disappeared with the body like it was magic. They disappeared in the blink of an eye,¡± said Anise. ¡°I¡¯ll take a look myself,¡± grumbled Eugene, approaching Anise. ¡°I¡¯ve already put away my wings,¡± said Anise. ¡°Well, you can take them out again. And since when did you have to take out your wings to fly? I know you can do it without your wings. Or you can just jump. You can jump that much, can¡¯t you?¡± Eugene continued with his grumbling. Although the cliff was rtively high, Eugene had no doubt that Anise was more than capable of hopping to the top. ¡°Kristinacks the physical abilities. And I need my wings to look sacred, don¡¯t I?¡± replied Anise. ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone is watching right now.¡± ¡°Oh, right. I guess it¡¯s just you and me right now, Hamel,¡± Anise said with a smile. Kristina would have screamed out of embarrassment if she were awake, but unfortunately, she was still unconscious inside her mind. Anise had hoped for Eugene to blush with embarrassment, but he looked nonchnt. In the first ce, Eugene wasn¡¯t embarrassed by what he had said during the fireworks, so why would he feel embarrassed now? ¡°Then I guess there¡¯s no helping it,¡± Eugene said before taking giant strides up to Anise. After stopping in front of her, he suddenly ced his hand on her waist. Anise¡¯s brain short-circuited by Eugene¡¯s unexpected, sudden action. However, Eugene brought her into his embrace and carried her without caring for how she had stiffened. ¡°Stay still,¡± said Eugene. It was a reasonable choice by Eugene¡¯s standards. Although he couldn¡¯t see Molon on the cliff now, wasn¡¯t it possible that he was hiding somewhere? Moreover, Molon could well swing his axe once more like before. Of course, Eugene knew Anise was strong enough to protect herself, but he judged it would be safer to carry her as he flew up. ¡®P-p-princess carry¡­.¡¯ In fact, Anise had been secretly looking forward to something like this happening. However, she had hoped Eugene¡¯s face would be dyed red, and he would hesitate when she suggested he do this rather than him taking the initiative. In other words, Anise had not been prepared for Eugene to carry her like this. So she could not poke fun at him but quietly allowed him to carry her in his arms instead. She was certain she could regain herposure and tease him if she were in his arms for a while, but¡­ unfortunately, the tall cliff took only one simple leap for Eugene to climb. ¡°He¡¯s not here,¡± grumbled Eugene afternding on the cliff as he put Anise down. No, to be exact, he attempted to put her down. After btedlying to her senses, Anise wrapped her arms tightly around Eugene¡¯s neck. Even though he had already released her from his arms, she held on to his neck by squeezing her arms tightly. The strength Eugene felt in her arms made it quite hard to believe she was physicallycking. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Hmm.¡± Anise didn¡¯t have a good answer, so she cleared her throat instead while slowly loosening her grip. She descended, then looked around beforementing, ¡°It¡¯s clean.¡± ¡°I know,¡± replied Eugene. The Nur had been a monster as big as a giant. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange for its ck blood to dye all the snow on the cliff, but strangely enough, the ground was spotless and white. Moreover, there were no traces of a body being dragged away. ¡°You¡¯re right. It¡¯s like magic,¡± muttered Eugene with a scoff. Was it possible that Molon had learned magic during the three hundred years? It wasn¡¯t an impossibility. Eugene turned his head and looked at Anise. She had said that Molon had disappeared with the monster¡¯s body like magic. Yes, it was true that Anise didn¡¯t know much about magic. But just because Anise herself didn¡¯t know how to use magic didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t recognize it. This phenomenon had not been caused by magic but by something simr to magic. Eugene looked around once more. Even while holding Akasha in his cloak, he couldn¡¯t figure out how Molon had disappeared with the body. ¡°Did Molon not say anything to you?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°He said nothing, Hamel. He just looked at me for a moment before you came back,¡± answered Anise. ¡°How did Molon disappear?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Suddenly. Just like magic. I don¡¯t know exactly how, and although I said¡­ he disappeared in the blink of an eye, I didn¡¯t actually close my eyes, just that he disappeared that quickly and suddenly. He disappeared in the snowstorm as if¡­ he had never been there, to begin with,¡± replied Anise. ¡°There¡¯s only one exnation I can infer from what you¡¯re saying and the traces here,¡± said Eugene. ¡°A barrier,¡± said Anise, nodding. It was likely that the cliff itself straddled a boundary as a barrier. Molon and the Nur¡¯s body had been on a different cliff that paralleled this one. For barriers like these, there was bound to be a totem that powered it. However, no matter how he tried, Eugene could not see through the barrier, even with Akasha, and he couldn¡¯t blindly search for the totem, not knowing whaty beyond the cliff and the barrier. ¡°Let¡¯s go down,¡± Eugene said with a deep frown. ¡°That¡¯s what Molon said. To go back.¡± ¡°And since when were you so obedient to what Molon said?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Molon is older than me,¡± replied Eugene. ¡°He was also older than you three hundred years ago,¡± countered Anise. ¡°At that time, Molon was older than me by only three or four years,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Five years,¡± Anise corrected. ¡°In those days, a difference of five years was nothing. We were all just friends anyways. If we¡¯re talking about specifics, Anise, you were two years older than me,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Three years,¡± she corrected once more. ¡°At that time, we were all equal regardless of our ages and when we were born. But it¡¯s been three hundred years, and that bastard Molon had aged by three hundred years. I¡¯m sure he didn¡¯t tell me to get lost just because he doesn¡¯t like me, so let¡¯s go back down and figure things out,¡± said Eugene. ¡°How cute,¡±mented Anise. ¡°What?¡± ¡°Regardless of your reason, you¡¯re showing respect for Molon¡¯s will. Hamel, are you afraid of being pushed back by Molon again while stubbornly searching this ce¡­?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Stop saying weird things. Molon is alive, and I¡¯m sure he has his reasons.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what we call respect,¡± sniggered Anise before turning away. She jumped down from the cliff, thinking that Hamel looked incredibly cute with his shy face, mumbling like an idiot. ¡°Ah.¡± It wasn¡¯t until she reached the ground that she btedly came to a realization. She could have asked him to help her down, saying it was too high. If she had, she could have made him carry her like a princess once more¡­! Anise hurriedly turned her eyes upward with regret. Eugene was looking down at her with narrowed eyes and an absurd expression. ¡°Ehem.¡± Anise cleared her throat while soothing her disappointment. Abel was waiting for them with droopy ears when they returned to the tent. The ominous feeling simr to the Demon King of Destruction had disappeared with the death of the Nur, or the unknown monster. Thanks to that, Abel didn¡¯t appear as scared as before. A little whileter, Mer gently poked her head out of Eugene¡¯s cloak, and Kristina also came to her senses. Kristina felt ashamed of herself for fainting without managing to put up any resistance and med herself. [It¡¯s only natural for you to have fainted, Kristina. After all, you¡¯ve never experienced anything like that before, right?] Anise consoled her. Eugene did the same. ¡°We almost fainted three hundred years ago, even though we had been through all sorts of things.¡± ¡°But that wasn¡¯t the Demon King of Destruction,¡± Kristina said, gathering her breath. ¡°But it was simr. Don¡¯t let it weigh too heavily on your heart. It¡¯s like an instinctive fear, something you can¡¯t really resist without experience,¡± Eugene reassured her as they finished their meal from before. The porridge had gone cold, so they boiled it again. The taste was worse than usual. Two dayster, Eugene and Kristina crossed the boundary of Lehainjar and arrived at Lehain¡¯s training grounds. It was a fortress protected by high walls but shaped like a vige attached to a castle. The knights of the Kingdom of Ruhr mainly used the training grounds, but the people of the Bayar Tribes resided in the vige. The ones who had not left the snowfield had been managing the fortress since it was built while living in the vige. Most of Lehainjar¡¯s rangers were natives of Bayar who were born in the vige, and many young warriors dreamt of someday going to Hamelon, the capital, to be chosen knights of the king. ¡°It¡¯s big,¡± mumbled Eugene after entering the fortress. He wasn¡¯t just referring to the fortress, either. The native residents of the vige were tall and big, just like Molon, the King of Ruhr, and the rangers of the snowy mountain. Eugene was also quite tall, but he couldn¡¯t see any men in the fortress who were shorter than him. In any case, the fortress itself was enormous as well. It was for the Knight March. As soon as the site of Knight March had been confirmed, the Beast King had ordered for the Lehain¡¯s fortress to be expanded extensively. Eugene didn¡¯t know exactly how many knights and mercenaries wereing to the Knight March, but the expanded fortress looked big enough to amodate all visitors. ¡°The Burning River,¡± said Eugene. A hot, steam-breathing river flowed through the outskirts of the vige. Perhaps thanks to it, it didn¡¯t feel very cold despite the snow. ¡°You are not allowed to enter without washing up and not allowed to enter wearing anything other than a bathing suit,¡± answered the viger responsible for showing them around. ¡°I¡¯m not going in.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t see many visitors here normally, and many outsiders who are here seem quite mistaken. This is the end of the northern snowfield, and the natives of Bayar have resided in this ce for a long time. Unfortunately, that means they like to think we are ignorant and barbaric,¡± continued the viger with a shrug. Like the other natives, he was tall, an entire head taller than Eugene. ¡°But we are not as ignorant or barbaric as they think us to be. The Burning River¡­. Indeed, it feels great to go in there when it snows, but that doesn¡¯t mean we enter it without first washing up. If you really want to do something like that, you can use the private hot spring at your own house. The river belongs to the vige, so you shouldn¡¯t make your neighbors ufortable. Everyone here respects the rule,¡± said the viger. ¡°Is that so?¡± said Eugene. ¡°But the Lionheart n is a friend of our founder. Although three hundred long years have passed, the Lionheart n is still a friend to the Ruhr family. So, Sir Eugene Lionheart, if you would like to jump into that river right now,¡± the viger said hesitantly. ¡°Has someone already jumped in?¡± asked Eugene. He felt his heart drop slightly. ¡°No, they didn¡¯t jump in. Rather, they walked on the hot spring saying it was amazing, without even removing their shoes,¡± the viger answered. ¡°It must have been Lady Carmen,¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°How did you know?¡± the viger asked with surprise. ¡°Lady Carmen is the only one who enjoys such¡­ entric behavior in the Lionheart family. I apologize on her behalf as a member of the family,¡± said Eugene. ¡°We have already heard enough apologies,¡± the viger answered. The other members of the Lionheart family had departed a few days ahead of Eugene and had arrived in Lehain earlier. However, Cyan, Ciel, Dior, and Princess Scalia had yet to arrive. Eugene felt inwardly worried, but he did not rush to search for them, partially because of what Anise had said to him before. He couldn¡¯t continue to treat them like they were children. ¡°The guests from the Lionheart n are staying at this mansion,¡± the viger said as they arrived at arge mansion close to the castle. ¡°It is the mansion with thergest hot spring, except for the castle and the town¡¯s public baths.¡± The kings and royal knights of different nations were staying at the castle. There were still four days until the beginning of the Knight March, but the kings of each country, except Ruhr¡¯s own king, had already arrived. Aeuryus, the Pope of the Holy Empire. Straut the Second, the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire. bur, the Sultan of Nahama. Daindolf, the King of Aroth. The leaders of the empires and the equivalent nations were present, as well as King Rigos, King of the yvour Kingdom and the Director of the Anti-Demon Alliance, and other kings belonging to the alliance. Most of the continent¡¯s rulers, apart from those of Helmuth, were currently staying in this fortress. ¡°Well, please enjoy your stay,¡± the viger said before returning. Eugene stared up at the castle for a while. He could already feel a few gazes, gazes belonging to arrogant people who had no desire nor reason to hide their eyes. Eugene could feel the gazesing from different heights. It was quite obvious. Not all kings stood on equal ground, and empires were superior to kingdoms, while kingdoms could be divided intorge and small kingdoms. He was the seconding of the Great Vermouth. Even though he wasn¡¯t set to be the next head of the family, he was a young lion of the main family of the Lionheart n who would surely lead the next generation. The rulers of royal authority were paying keen attention to Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to be rude. I¡¯m just looking up, that¡¯s all,¡± said Eugene with a smirk. He then turned his head before walking into the mansion with light steps. ¡°They can look all they want from up there.¡± Chapter 230: Lehain (1) The Lionheart family mobilized a hundred knights for the Knight March, apart from the members of the family. There were forty White Lions and sixty ck Lions. The Knights of the White Lion protected the main family, and there were quite a few of them. As such, it wasn¡¯t a big problem even if forty of them were absent. However, the same wasn¡¯t true of the ck Lion Knights. The ck Lion Castle was located at the Us Mountains at the border of Kiehl, and beyond ity the Great Forest of Samar. The natives of the forest were always trying to sneak past the border into Kiehl at every opportunity, and there were criminals of Kiehl and other nations trying to sneak past the border to avoid punishment. The main duty of the ck Lions was to serve as guardians of the border at the Us Mountains, and they were recognized by the Kiehl Empire for their strength and valor. Since Eward¡¯s uprising a year ago, the ck Lion Knights had greatly increased their power, but most of the knights that they had recruited were youngsters from the countryside. If the elite knights were mobilized to participate in the Knight March, the castle would be left with rookie knights. Thus, half of themanders and elite knights of the ck Lion stayed back at the castle, and as a result, in the mansion, there were quite a few new faces among the ck Lion Knights that Eugene didn¡¯t recognize. Of course, he knew that they were all there to participate in the Knight March, a grueling ritual that would bring even the strongest of warriors to their limit. As he made his way to the center of the room, he couldn''t shake the feeling that all eyes were on him, watching his every move. ¡°¡­..¡± But not all of them were unfamiliar faces. Eugene stared at Gargith, who was intently peering at him while proudly sticking out his chest. Just like Dezra, Gargith had decided to join the ck Lion Knights. Eugene didn¡¯t say a word and looked at the man standing next to Gargith ¡ª Genos, the captain. Originally, he had been in charge of the Second Division. However, after Dominic had passed, his division had gone up one rank. ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± Eugene cleared his throat when he felt the heat of their gazes. It had been quite a while since he hadst met with Genos or Gargith, but¡­ Eugene felt rather embarrassed seeing how Genos¡¯ eyes were filled with tears. ¡®What an achievement.¡¯ Thest time Genos had seen Eugene was at the ck Lion Castle one year ago. At that time, Eugene had been unbelievably strong, and he had shown an insane rate of growth. It had been a year since then, and Eugene¡¯s growth was sufficient to astonish Genos. With that said, Genos didn¡¯t take the shock all that hard. In a way, he thought it was only natural. Genos knew that Eugene was actually Hamel, a member of the Hero¡¯s party from three hundred years ago. Although his body belonged to a twenty-one-year-old, his soul was much older, which made his explosive growth only natural. With that said¡­ Hamel had not learned the Lionhearts¡¯ White me Form in his past life. In other words, his current training method waspletely different from his previous one. And even though he also practiced magic at the same time, he was the first in the Lionhearts¡¯ history that managed to reach the Sixth Star of the White me Form at the age of twenty-one. Genos thought it regrettable that there were other Lionhearts around him right now. If he had been alone, he would have allowed his tears to flow freely in praise of Hamel¡¯s greatness. He still had a deep desire to do so, but he couldn¡¯t ¡ª not here, not now. He took a sideways nce at Gargith¡¯s face. It was impossible to believe that¡­ it belonged to a twenty-three-year-old. ¡°Was there anything you wanted to say to me¡­?¡± asked Eugene while ncing at Genos. He had a lot to say, but he couldn¡¯t speak his mind with Gargith standing right there. ¡°Well¡­ Great jobing all this way,¡± answered Genos. ¡°Where is the family head?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°With the elders. They went to the castle to discuss the schedule while we¡¯re here,¡± said Genos. Eugene nodded before shuffling his gaze towards Gargith, who was still sticking out his chest proudly. ¡°¡­Why are you doing that?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a bath,¡± responded Gargith. It was quite out of the blue, but there was no reason for Eugene to refuse. He nced back and saw Kristina¡¯s eyes twinkling. Of course, it wasn¡¯t as if she were looking forward to a mixed bath or anything. The two of them had traversed the snowfield for almost a month. Although they had kept themselves clean and kept their hygiene with magic, their desire to soak in a hot bath wasn¡¯t something that could be soothed by magic. In the end, Eugene and Kristina ended up following Gargith to the bath. It was an open-air bath that covered the entirety of the mansion¡¯s backyard. ¡°Do I go in with you?¡± asked Mer. ¡°Cut the nonsense and go with Kristina,¡± replied Eugene. He ignored how the familiar pouted and handed her over to Kristina before entering the men¡¯s bath with Gargith. ¡°Have you seen the inhabitants of Bayar?¡± asked Gargith. ¡°I did,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°All of them had beautiful muscles. It is said that the hot springs here are very helpful for muscle growth,¡± said Gargith. ¡°I see¡­¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Congrattions on reaching the Sixth Star of the White me Form,¡± continued Gargith. ¡°Thank you,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Are you not going to congratte me in response?¡± asked Gargith. ¡°Well¡­ Um¡­ Congrattions on bing a ck Lion¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯te here to take a bath with you because I wanted to hear those words,¡± said Gargith. The hot spring was truly wonderful, and it reminded Eugene of how Molon used to speak about the ¡®hot river¡¯ of his hometown. Vermouth had also said a few things about the hot springs as well. Was it that simply soaking in it relieved your fatigue? Well, it was true. ¡ª It¡¯s not just fatigue. The hot river is filled with medicinal water that heals diseases and wounds, so just soaking in it for a bit works quite great. It¡¯s especially good for the skin, so women love it. Indeed, when Eugene took a better look at the hot spring water, he could see that it had dense mana. ¡­The water suddenly bubbled, and when Eugene looked to the side to find the source of themotion, he could see Gargith wiggling his muscles¡­ ¡°Your¡­ body¡¯s¡­ gotten¡­ better,¡± stuttered Eugene with a sour face. He felt an unspoken pressure, and only then did Gargith nod with a satisfied expression. ¡°There seems to be a lot of debate about the joint training,¡± said Gargith. ¡°Is it because of the danger?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s right. No matter how careful you are, a blind knife can easily take a man¡¯s life. And it¡¯s not like we¡¯re training with a single organization either. The knights who have gathered in Lehain all belong to different orders and groups. If there¡¯s even a little bit of political agenda involved, it could easily lead to deliberate maiming,¡± answered Gargith. The purpose of the Knight March was to unite the nations and knightly orders of the continent. But even children suffered injuries and even died if they were unlucky during war games, so it was practically impossible for there to be no idents during training for the knights. ¡°The Knight March is supposed to be a bunch of friendly matches held between knight orders for the purpose of training. And wasn¡¯t it decided that it would take the form of a war of upation this time around?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s what was decided, but apparently Nahama¡¯s Sultan isining. He¡¯s saying that the desert warriors and the assassins won¡¯t be able to disy their full abilities since the snowfield ispletely different from the desert,¡± answered Gargith. ¡°So what does he want them to do?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°He¡¯s asked to summon arge number of monsters in Lehainjar instead and go on an expedition. Although it¡¯s a sudden proposal, quite a few nations are supporting it,¡± said Gargith. ¡°Well, well.¡± Eugene knew exactly why the Sultan had made such a proposal. Since ancient times, Nahama¡¯s desert was riddled with many dungeons of wizards, since the desert was a perfect ce to set up dungeons underground. Just like the factions in Aroth were divided into magic towers, desert factions were split among a number of dungeons. The sandmancers of Nahama belonged to one such faction. However, it didn¡¯t mean that the dungeons stood on equal ground with the magic towers. If the two had really been equal, Aroth could never have taken its title of the Magic Kingdom. There was a crucial difference between Nahama and Aroth, apart from the quality and number of wizards. The royal family of Aroth did not demandplete obedience and deference from the magic towers, but the Sultan of Nahama very much did demand that from the dungeons. If Nahama¡¯s Sultan suggested summoning monsters, it meant that he was apanied by dungeon wizards specializing in that kind of magic. ¡®It seems he doesn¡¯t want to be transparent about his forces.¡¯ The Sultan had made such a suggestion, while other kings supported it, and it was quite obvious why. If two powers collided, they would each acquire a clear picture of the other¡¯s forces. In addition, it wasn¡¯t like this was a simple bar fight or anything like that. The Knight March was a gathering of knights from all over the world, and even if the matches hosted were friendly and only for the sake of training, the honor of each nation and knightly order was at stake. One was free to hide their true power if they so wished, but they would be forced to suffer defeat as a consequence, which would lead to a loss of honor. However, if they were faced against monsters, they didn¡¯t have to worry about having their hidden aces revealed. As such, the Sultan¡¯s proposal was a refreshing scratch for the itch that many leaders had been feeling. They had been inwardly dissatisfied about the Knight March. Why was the Knight March being held in the first ce? It was because of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s warning to the world ¡ª a hint that the Demon Kings of Helmuth might once again threaten the world after three hundred years of silence and peace. And who had first heard the warning? It had been Eugene. However, the Emperor of Kiehl had never once summoned Eugene even after being briefed by the Lionheart family. The same had been true in Aroth. During Eugene¡¯s hearing, Daindolf, the King of Aroth, had delegated authority to his son, Honein, instead of attending the meeting himself. Eugene was the sessor of Sienna the Wise, the seconding of the Great Vermouth, and the one warned directly by the Demon King of Incarceration. There had been more than enough reasons for Daindolf to desire a meeting with Eugene, to talk to him. Even so, Daindolf had not met with Eugene and kept his distance instead. ¡®Idiots.¡¯ Eugene frowned. In the end, the Knight March was only a half-baked meeting that appeared reasonable on the surface. The leaders of the nations didn¡¯t actually believe that the Demon King of Incarceration was going to break peace. It was somewhat understandable; if the Demon King of Incarceration had wanted to, there had been more than enough opportunities for him to do so from the beginning. ¡ª During these past three hundred years, I feel like I have continued to show a sufficient amount of goodwill and respect to Vermouth¡¯s descendants. ¡ª I have respected their freedom to not show me any goodwill or respect in return. However I am concerned that you may be taking my continued goodwill for granted. ¡ª With freedomes responsibility. Freedom without responsibility is just indulgence. Descendant of Vermouth, tell this to everyone in the Lionheart n. Do not take the goodwill that I have granted you as an incentive to go too far. If you will not give me my due regard, then I shall no longer respect you either. The Demon King of Incarceration had warned him thus in the desert tomb. It had been a very direct, tant warning, and the Knight March was no different than a show of force against the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s warning, but¡­ Eugene couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether thebined forces of the continent was enough to shock the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®I don¡¯t know if it would be enough if everyone waspletely united. But that¡¯s not even the case. Everyone¡¯s busy trying to hide what¡¯s on their tes.¡¯ In Eugene¡¯s opinion, the current predicament was a result of how tant, yetx the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s warning had been. Couldn¡¯t the guy have warned them that he would destroy the continent in a few years instead? The Demon King of Incarceration had left considerable room for interpretation in his warning. He wouldn¡¯t show any respect if they did not respect him in turn¡­ Didn¡¯t that mean he would show respect as long as they showed him due regard? It was easy to interpret it as a conditional deration of war. ¡ª Your ancestor may have made an Oath in exchange for his freedom, but now, the end of that promise is drawing near. The time ising for the wheel that has stalled to resume moving forward once more. ¡ª Someday¡­ we may have to make a new Oath. I wonder who will be able to make a new promise in Vermouth¡¯s stead, and stop this wheel once more. ¡°Little bastard,¡± muttered Eugene under his breath. With the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s warning being so ambiguous, wasn¡¯t it natural for the leaders of the nations to be cautious in their response? Thest three hundred years had been an era of unprecedented peace, so which king would really hope and prepare for war? At least, it was quite obvious that no one wanted war to afflict their own country. If Knight March fizzled out like this, would there really be any changes? Perhaps. Firstly, the Anti-Demon Alliance would have their troops pull back, deciding that it would act as a show of respect to the Demon Kings and allow them to avoid war. The only reason the Anti-Demon Alliance would wait until after the Knight March would be for the sake of saving face. In fact, the Knight March itself ultimately served for the nations to try and one-up each other. ¡®A good beating would get some sense into them.¡¯ Eugene propped himself out of the bath. Perhaps because of how hot the spring water was, it felt as if heat was coursing to his head faster than usual. He felt rather irritated and annoyed. Why was it Nahama¡¯s Sultan, of all people, issuing aint now, just days before the beginning of Knight March? Nahama had invaded Turas over the course of hundreds of years. Helmuth looked the other way each time, and there was suspicion that the Demon King of Incarceration was responsible for instigating them. Eugene hadn¡¯t been a fan of Nahama three hundred years ago and didn¡¯t like them very much now, either. Even the damned assassins of Nahama were just pieces of shit who only prioritized their own interests, even if it meant backstabbing their allies in the battlefield. ¡®The sultan of such trash is naturally a piece of crap himself. Maybe he¡¯sining like a little baby on the orders of the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± ¡­But would the Demon King of Incarceration really do that? For what reason? What could he be scared of? Eugene¡¯s rational mind gave him usible answers, but he decided to ignore them. In fact, it didn¡¯t matter to Eugene how the Knight March ended. It was none of his business. Regardless of how hard the kings tried to hide what was on their tes, Eugene had his own business to attend to. He didn¡¯t care what they were trying to do, since it was clear to him what he had to do. True, it would be helpful if he had more numerous, powerful allies. However, recalling his experiences from three hundred years ago, Eugene knew that having more soldiers in a war against existences like the Demon Kings didn¡¯t make a big difference. It was because of the damned necromancers. As the scale of the battles increased, the number of corpses increased ordingly, which allowed the necromancers to raise more corpses as soldiers of the armies of the Demon Kings. ¡®I¡¯m not a huge fan of huge wars either. If I could, I would invade the castle alone and kill the Demon King of Incarceration.¡¯ [That is an arrogant thought, Hamel.] ¡®You bastard, how can you talk to me when I don¡¯t even have Wynnyd in my hand?¡¯ [Don¡¯t act so surprised, Wynnyd is just a catalyst. You signed a contract with me.] Eugene already knew this. However, he was surprised that Tempest had initiated a conversation, since Tempest rarely spoke with Eugene when he wasn¡¯t holding Wynnyd. [Hamel. How could I keep my mouth shut when you sincerely dream of the northern expedition, when you¡¯re so near?] ¡®Northern expedition this, northern expedition that¡­¡¯ [You and I share the same lingering feelings. Three hundred years ago, we failed to conquer the Northern Devildom. Miraculously, we were given another chance, so this time around, we must sessfully conquer it.] ¡®Right.¡¯ [However, Hamel, that will be impossible with just the two of us. Even though Anise miraculously empowered the new Saintess, that still isn¡¯t enough. That was the case three hundred years ago, and that is the case now as well. Although the key people responsible for taking the heads of the Demon Kings were a small number of elites, you were given the room to focus on the Demon Kings because the powers of the continent grappled with and impeded the armies of the Demon Kings.] Eugene didn¡¯t deny it. It was true that Vermouth and the rest of them were key to battles against the Demon Kings and the high-ranking demons of Helmuth, but the allied armies also yed a key role in several battles across Helmuth. [We need military power to conquer the north. Hamel, let me make a suggestion.] ¡®What, you want me to be the head of the Lionheart family? Well, is there really a need for that? This family values their identity as Vermouth¡¯s descendants to their cores. If there is a need, the whole family will immediately rise up and prepare for war¡­¡¯ [I am not talking about Lionheart, Hamel. I am talking about you bing the Emperor of Kiehl.] ¡°Pfffff.¡± Eugene spat out the cold water he had been drinking after exiting the bath. He couldn¡¯t believe what he had just heard. ¡®What did you just say?¡¯ [It¡¯s not impossible. Even Molon became the king of a country, so why couldn¡¯t you be a king as well, Hamel?] ¡®No, but¡­ This is¡­¡¯ [And if it is impossible for you to ascend the throne as the Emperor of Kiehl, how about as the Pope of the Holy Empire of Yuras? I don¡¯t think it is impossible for you to be the Pope. If anything, it should be easier than bing the Emperor of Kiehl. Eugene, you have the Holy Sword with you. Moreover, Anise, the Saintess from three hundred years ago, as well as Kristina Rogeris, the current Saintess, are fully supporting you] ¡®¡­¡¯ [Imagine this. Imagine you holding the shining Holy Sword and the Saintess following behind you with all her eight wings unfolded. If you wanted to be the Pope, who would question your legitimacy in that country of fanatics?] Tempest¡­ had a point. Eugene briefly imagined himself as the Pope. He would wear a robe of pure white, a gold crown on his head, and pray with a saintly smile¡­ ¡°Wow.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but want to barf. He couldn¡¯t even think about it, no matter how hard he tried. Of course, it was a possibility, but Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think that he would drive far too many subjects of Yuras down to hell as the Pope. ¡®I can¡¯t. I won¡¯t.¡¯ [Why!?] ¡®I¡¯m sure I could if I wanted to, but¡­ But¡­ I don¡¯t want to.¡¯ [Do you not want the power and authority of a king?] ¡®Yeah, nope. I don¡¯t need it.¡¯ Eugene dressed himself, disregarding Tempest¡¯s rambling. Looking back, he could see Gargith pouring hot spring water on his arm muscles. Eugene left the bath while shaking his head at his mysterious behavior. Kristina and Mer didn¡¯t seem to be out of the bath yet, and Eugene momentarily contemted heading up to his room to rest, but he still felt rather heated from earlier. Eventually, he put on his cloak and left the mansion. It was still snowing. Although it wasn¡¯t optimal weather to take a walk, it was perfect to cool down after taking a dip in the hot spring. Eugene started walking without a particr destination in mind. There were many people, or rather knights on the street, though they didn¡¯t bother to put on their armor while in the fortress. The knights were dressed in different uniforms, and after walking for a little while, Eugene realized that he was striding through the zone assigned to Kiehl. As if wanting to show off the power of the empire, the emperor of Kiehl had brought the elites of three different knightly orders. The White Dragon Knights, headed by Alchester, were by far the best of the three, but the ck Eagle Knights and the Silver Sword Knights weren¡¯t to be taken lightly either. Those with the ck wings engraved on their chest were members of the ck Eagle. They looked at Eugene with curious, alert eyes, but did not bother approaching him or speaking to him. The same was true for Eugene ¡ª he had no reason to approach them. Although their gazes were slightly annoying, he ignored them and walked past. After walking for a little longer, he saw people dressed in colorful clothes, much unlike the knights¡¯. ¡®Mercenaries.¡¯ He knew that several mercenary groupsparable to knightly orders hade to Lehain as well. Seeing as they were situated near the knights of Kiehl, they appeared to be mercenaries operating out of Kiehl. Eugene was worried that some of the mercenaries would forget their ce and pick a fight, but fortunately, such things didn¡¯t happen. In a way, it was only natural. Mercenaries weren¡¯t all idiots, and those belonging torge groups were strictly disciplined, in some ways even more than knightly orders. After a while, Eugene had walked halfway around the castle. ¡®This is¡­¡¯ It was quite obvious. Just as the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire stayed high in the castle, the people of the empire were assigned a section close to the castle. On the other side of Kiehl was the zone belonging to Yuras. Eugene turned his head when he felt gazes peering at him. He could see fear in their eyes, and he knew why. Those hiding in the alley vigntly watching Eugene were the Inquisitors of Maleficarum. Eugene didn¡¯t recognize the faces of those d in red cloaks, but he could guess from their gazes who they were. ¡®They must be survivors from the Fount of Light.¡¯ He had killed quite a few, but not all. The lucky ones probably still lived with the injuries, while the really lucky ones had somehow managed not to meet Eugene at all. ¡°What are you looking at, bastard?¡± Eugene had felt many gazes on his way here, but he had never found it necessary to speak. This time, however, it was different. He took the initiative, and when he red at them, the Inquisitors jumped back in surprise and disappeared somewhere along the alley. ¡°What are you staring at me like that for?¡± grumbled Eugene before turning around and leaving. After taking a few steps forward, however, he suddenly felt a strange presence behind him. Bang! Just as he turned his head to check the source of this odd feeling, a crunchy sound startled him. He jerked around to find one of the Inquisitors from earlier sprawled on the ground, with his head smashed in. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Eugene nced at the alley where the Inquisitors had fled, but the person he saw there was not at all someone that he could have expected. Eugene remembered quite well that he had chopped off all her limbs, but that did not stop Hemoria from holding an Inquisitor by the throat, using an arm she had gained from god knew where. Chapter 231: Lehain (2) Eugene failed to recognize Hemoria for a moment. Her face was covered with an iron mask, just as before, but the covering wasn¡¯t as clean or neat as before. Rather, the iron te appeared as if it had been forcibly bent into shape, then fixed in ce with a piece of torn cloth. ¡°Uh¡­¡± However, the iron mask wasn¡¯t the only reason Eugene failed to recognize her. Rather, it was because it had never urred to him that she might be alive. He had cut off all her limbs at the Fount of Light when she had charged at him despite his warning. The wounds he had inflicted at the time were undoubtedly fatal. Eugene had then kicked her limbless stump of a body into the depths of the pit. There were a few who survived the incident at the Fount of Light, but none hade back alive from the pit. Even Raphael had not mentioned anything about anyone surviving from the pit after checking out the aftermath. ¡°You¡¯re still alive?¡± asked Eugene with a stupefied expression, btedly realizing who she was. He was quite surprised that Hemoria was alive, but that was all he felt. He just assumed that she had been lucky. After a moment of thought, however, he realized that something was off. No matter how lucky you were, it was impossible to grow new limbs. He stared at Hemoria¡¯s arms and legs. Those were definitely limbs where he had only left stumps. They didn¡¯t look quite normal, and all four were tightly wrapped in dark bandages, but they were arms and legs alright. ¡°¡­Fwoo.¡± The sound of herbored breathing reached his ears. There was no other emotion than surprise in Eugene¡¯s eyes, but the same couldn¡¯t be said for Hemoria¡¯s eyes. Her eyes had always been red, but now, they were dyed a deeper, bloodshot shade of crimson. The veins on her neck bulged and her chest heaved as her breathing intensified. ¡°Hwuah¡­ Fwoo.¡± In the past, she would have gnashed her teeth or even growled, but she was incapable of doing so anymore. The only way she could express herself was through a series ofbored breaths. Eugene took on a curious expression in response. ¡°What do you want?¡± Eugene had pushed Hemoria to the brink of death at the Fount of Light, and he didn¡¯t know how she felt about it. As far as he was concerned, their interaction had been neither a fight, nor a battle. It had been nothing more than¡­ removing an annoying obstacle, a pebble or an insect, out of his way. Perhaps he had been more forceful than he could have been, but in the end, he thought little of it. Did he hold a grudge? No, not against Hemoria as a person. Eugene had been extremely furious at the Fount of Light, and he had been determined to obliterate anyone and anything that blocked his path. True, there might have been some personal feelings involved when he had cut off all her limbs, but he had not directed his de at Hemoria because he hated her. It was the same now. His anger had been resolved at the Fount of Light. As for now¡­. As long as Hemoria didn¡¯t suddenly attack him with the same resolve to kill as before, Eugene had no intention of killing her either. ¡®It¡¯s not like I can do that here and now, can I?¡¯ Killing her would put him in a rather difficult situation. If he had met her somewhere else, at another time, he could have exterminated her without any hesitation. However, this was neither the time nor the ce, not during the Knight March. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to grind your teeth?¡± asked Eugene with a tilt of his head. ¡­Craaack! The sound of something grinding inside the iron covering could be heard, but it wasn¡¯t the sound of her grinding her teeth. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Someone moaned from inside the alley. The Inquisitor from earlier was unconscious in Hemoria¡¯s grasp, so it was clear that someone else had suffered at her hands. Eugene calmly took a few steps closer so that he could see deep inside the alley, but there was no need for him to go farther than that. A stench of blood suddenly attacked his sense of smell. ¡®She must have been hiding it with magic¡­.¡¯ Earlier, when Eugene had first encountered the ring Inquisitors, there had been nothing inside the alley. It was only possible for him to see inside the alley and smell the blood now because the Inquisitor responsible for performing the magic had been beaten to a pulp. It wasn¡¯t just one or two of them either. Almost a dozen Inquisitors were lying on the floor covered in blood inside the alley, and it was obvious who was the one responsible. Eugene grinned, staring at Hemoria¡¯s bloody hands. ¡°Is it alright for you to do that kind of stuff?¡± he asked. Hemoria¡¯s eyebrows wriggled in irritation. Throwing the man in her grasp against the floor, she raised her index finger toward Eugene, ring at him with bloodshot eyes. Eugene thought that she would attack him right away, but instead¡­ Hemoria wiggled her finger, gesturing for him toe at her. Eugene burst intoughter in response. Where was this confidenceing from? Was it the strange new limbs she had attached? Well, he couldn¡¯t just ignore her when she was pleading for him toe to her, could he? With a wide grin, Eugene obliged and took a few steps into the alley, toward Hemoria. As Eugene moved forward, Hemoria stepped back. It was clear that she cared for the gazes of passers-by, which Eugene found hrious. ¡°Why do you care about what other people think? What can you even do? Wouldn¡¯t it be better for you if we stepped out of the alley?¡± asked Eugene with a smile. ¡°In fact, maybe someone will be there to stop me if I start beating you up in the middle of the street.¡± Hemoria immediately fell for the obvious provocation. ¡°Uooo!¡± As soon as Eugene entered the alley, she howled and rushed at him with intense hatred and obvious intent to kill. She was faster than she had been at the Fount of Light, but that was all. Even before Hemoria could do anything, Eugene had already reached out and taken a firm hold of her throat. She wasn¡¯t even allowed the time to groan before Eugene threw her straight down to the ground. The power she had mustered had been nullified all too easily. ¡°Uwoooo!¡± Hemoria struggled on the ground. Eugene snatched her iling arm, then wondered if he should pull it out or twist it off. In the end, he decided to postpone his decision until after he broke it first. However, the moment he twisted it, he frowned. ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± Even though he had forced her arm into an abnormal position, what he felt wasn¡¯t the cracking of a bone. He soon came to realize the reason for the abnormal texture ¡ª what was covered in the dark bandage wasn¡¯t an arm made of flesh and bones, but rather darkness in the shape of an arm. ¡°¡­.Fucking hell,¡± cursed Eugene as darkness freely flowed out from under the bandages. He immediately decided to crush Hemoria¡¯s head, but a momentter, he froze. The sudden appearance of a ferocious presence made him shivered involuntarily, but he continued to analyze the situation. ¡®It¡¯s worth a try.¡¯ There were numerous variables in every fight, so it was impossible to predict how he would fare if one did break out. Even so, he was apletely different manpared to two years ago. At that time, he didn¡¯t think he had a chance even if he used everything in his arsenal. But now, after only two years, he felt that he had a decent chance. A woman stepped out of the alley¡¯s shadow, as if she had been there from the very beginning. Her mouth was covered with a cotton veil, and she adorned a bright red robe. She looked exactly like she had two years before. Amelia Merwin. ¡°Has my pet¡­been disrespectful toward you?¡± Amelia¡¯s lips twisted into a smile as she pulled back her hood. However, her lips were the only thing smiling. Her purple eyes were incredibly calm, hiding a terrible hostility deep, deep down in her gaze. Staring into her eyes felt like staring into the abyss ¡ª a terrible chasm that threatened to rob people of their sanity. ¡°You still have a thing for messy pets, do you¡­ Originally, you had a different pet, didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°You mean¡­ the pet you broke? That child is doing well, though I didn¡¯t bring him here,¡± answered Amelia. Eugene didn¡¯t quite understand how Hemoria had be Amelia¡¯s underling. He nced down at Hemoria, who was still squirming on the ground. ¡°Since when was an Inquisitor of Yuras a pet of yours?¡± ¡°And what does that matter to you?¡± responded Amelia. ¡°I¡¯m just curious,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite simple, really. You threw the girl into the hole after you cut off her arms and legs, and I picked her up,¡± answered Amelia. She then pulled out a staff topped by the head of a mountain goat from inside her robe. She lightly waved the staff, and darkness spread under Eugene¡¯s feet. Eugene stared at the darkness without moving. He thought about making a move, but he held off for now. Amelia was his enemy, and Eugene had every reason to kill her, even if he hadn¡¯t been hostile to ck wizards. Thus, he judged that there was no reason to show his cards just yet. ¡°Krrr¡­!¡± Hemoria squirmed under Eugene¡¯s foot as if she were having a seizure. It was only for a moment, but Eugene saw a glimpse of desperation in her eyes. Naturally, Eugene did not respond to her plea. The darkness consumed Hemoria, and a momentter, she emerged from Amelia¡¯s shadow. Amelia smiled, looking back at Hemoria. ¡°¡­So, who was being disrespectful here?¡± ¡°What do you think?¡± said Eugene. ¡°I have no intention of fooling around with you. I still remember it very clearly. You killed my pet in the desert. You didn¡¯t forget, did you? At that time¡­ I would have killed you had the Demon King not shown you mercy,¡± responded Amelia. ¡°I know that very well. It was quite unfortunate that you weren¡¯t able to kill me then,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Damned burr.¡± Amelia snarled with a deep frown. Eugene responded to her anger with a smile. ¡°Who is calling whom a thief?¡± ¡°You robbed a grave that was in my territory,¡± spat out Amelia. ¡°The statue of Hamel? The tombstone? I guess you considered those valuable treasures, didn¡¯t you?¡± said Eugene. ¡°It was a piece of history that had not been revealed to the world, something that was only known to me and only belonged to me,¡± retorted Amelia. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me. You had absolutely no rights to own those,¡± said Eugene. ¡°And you¡¯re entitled to them? Ah, well, I guess you do, since you are a descendant of Vermouth and Sienna¡¯s heir,¡± responded Amelia. Woooooo¡­! An ominous sound echoed from Amelia¡¯s staff, and her charcoal hair began to reverberate with the darkness. ¡°But so what? The tomb had been abandoned for three hundred years, and no one managed to find it. Except for me! I was the one who found it. So everything in that tomb belonged to me, including the statue, the tombstone, and the body!¡± shouted Amelia. ¡°Let¡¯s not y dirty here,¡± responded Eugene. He did not back down even when Amelia put on a disy of her strength. Instead, mana drawn in by the White me Form formed into a purple me and wrapped around Eugene. Amelia flinched at the enormous power. ¡®¡­Is that really possible?¡¯ It had only been two years since they hadst met. At that time, Eugene had been no more than an insignificant insect Amelia could squash with her foot. He had only been allowed to continue his miserable life because of the damned Balzac Ludbeth¡¯s letter, and he had been allowed escape because of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s show of mercy. ¡®¡­With what I have prepared right now¡­ there¡¯s no guarantee I can kill him.¡¯ Amelia carefully considered Eugene¡¯s strength and her own preparations. She didn¡¯t think she was underprepared, but shecked confidence to kill him. And even if she did manage to kill him, what came afterward would trouble her a great deal. In the end, Amelia judged that she wasn¡¯t prepared to make a clean escape after killing him, if she did manage to kill him in the first ce. ¡°Fine.¡± The seething darkness quickly subsided. Although Amelia wanted to tear Eugene to pieces, she had to suppress her desire. There would definitely be more opportunities in the future. She could feel Eugene¡¯s murderous intent and hatred on her skin. She couldn¡¯t understand why he felt such pure hatred, but she understood that his feelings toward her would not change in the future. One day, without fail, Eugene Lionheart woulde to kill Amelia Merwin. ¡®I¡¯ll kill him then.¡¯ Amelia ced her staff back into her cloak, and she shuddered with joy while imaging the future. Eugene Lionheart would definitely make a wonderful pet as a corpse¡­ Amelia licked her lips with a smile. ¡°There are many things I want to say to you, and many things I would like to do to you. However, I will hold myself back here.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine with you not holding back,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Do not provoke me. Isn¡¯t it the same for you? Fighting with me here will only be troublesome for you. Don¡¯t tell me, you think Lionheart will protect you? If that¡¯s the case, then¡­ Haha, let me just tell you this. No matter how strong you are, if I try to kill you, then no one here will be able to interfere. Either I will die or you will die. If the Lionhearts finally manage to reach this ce, it will only be to recover a body that belongs to one of us," said Amelia. Was she hinting at erecting a barrier? Eugene remembered the warning of Balzac Ludbeth. ording to him, Amelia Merwin was the strongest of the Three Mages of Incarceration. In other words, Amelia Merwin was the strongest ck wizard in the present era. It was hard enough to imagine how sturdy and powerful a barrier erected by an archwizard would be, so if the strongest ck wizard alive ced a barrier, no one would be able to interfere before one of them ended up as a corpse. ¡°Fine. I will put up with it for now,¡± said Eugene after ring at Amelia for a moment. ¡°So, Amelia Merwin, what are you doing here?¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking such an obvious question. I am supporting the Sultan of Nahama. I do not take orders from him, but I am advising him,¡± answered Amelia. ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re a part of Nahama¡¯s forces?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m not a fan of the phrase ¡®part of¡¯, but I will let it slide for now. What, is it so incredible that I, who has signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, am supporting Nahama rather than Helmuth?¡± asked Amelia. ¡°It¡¯s nothing new that the Demon King of Incarceration is allowing his ck wizards to roam as freely as they want,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Still arrogant, I see. It was the same back then. At the tomb, you were arrogant even in the face of clear death. I enjoy that about you, though I don¡¯t like it at the same time,¡± said Amelia. ¡°You enjoy it?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes.¡± Amelia leaned her head to the side and smiled. ¡°One day, when you are truly on the verge of death, if I have the pleasure of being the executioner, I¡­ I wonder what kind of face you will make. I wonder what you will say, and I wonder what kind of expression you will have as life fades away. Will you be as arrogant then as you are now? Will you show me that same hatred and killing intent even as I caress your soul? It gives me chills just imagining it.¡± ¡°Crazy wench.¡± Eugene scoffed and gave her the finger. ¡°Stop daydreaming impossible situations and keep your new pet in check.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a good, helpful piece of advice. She seemed to want to go for a walk, so I let her leash loose for a while¡­ I didn¡¯t expect her to do something like this,¡± said Amelia before turning her gaze. Looking around at the bloody rags that were once Inquisitors, she clicked her tongue. ¡°I thought I had hammered it out of you already, but did you still have lingering feelings about that religion? Did you think your fellow Inquisitors would save you? They didn¡¯t, did they? They called you dirty, fallen, and tried to arrest you, didn¡¯t they? That¡¯s why you had to put them down.¡± Amelia was no longer looking at Eugene. Instead, she directed her eyes, which were curved like crescent moons, toward Hemoria. Hemoria shuddered in the darkness when she felt Amelia¡¯s gaze, but she did not avoid her eyes. Instead, she red back at Amelia. ¡°Why are you wearing something like that on your mouth?¡± whispered Amelia. She stretched out one of her long fingers and caressed the iron te covering Hemoria¡¯s face. p! Her gentle touch immediately transformed into a fierce p. Hemoria shuddered, and her head was jolted to the side. As a result, the iron te covering her mouth fell to the ground as well. What was revealed was a bit in Hemoria¡¯s mouth. It wasn¡¯t a normal mouthpiece ¡ª rather, what she held tight in her mouth was a bone, very much like one that a dog would chew. Blood dribbled down Hemoria¡¯s chin as she red at Amelia. ¡°Ah¡­ Excuse me. I should have waited until it was just the two of us before I disciplined my pet,¡± said Amelia, lowering her hand to Hemoria¡¯s neck. She looked back at Eugene and smiled eerily. ¡°Let¡¯s get along while we are here. I will greet you with a smile when I see you, and I hope you will do the same.¡± Those were Amelia¡¯s departing words. She grabbed a handful of Hemoria¡¯s hair, then dragged her along deeper into the alley as if she were pulling a dog¡¯s leash. Hemoria only managed to breath out forcefully through her mouthpiece, and soon, the two of them disappeared into the darkness. ¡°Crazy bitch,¡± muttered Eugene, shaking his head. Amelia had said she picked up Hemoria at the Fount of Light. He didn¡¯t understand exactly what she meant, but he wasn¡¯t curious enough to look into it either. Thus, he left the alley without giving it any more thought. The Knight March was bringing him so many unexpected encounters. He had met Noir Giabe in the snowfield, Molon in Lehainjar, Amelia Merwin in Lehain¡­. ¡®It¡¯s giving me bad vibes from the beginning.¡¯ He was in a dirty mood, perhaps because he had met with someone he wanted to kill. Eugene turned his head back toward the alley and spat on the ground. He was no longer in any mood to continue strolling around, but he had already achieved his goal of cooling his head. As such, Eugene returned back to the mansion with a frown. ¡°Where have you been?¡± asked Ciel as she approached him. She looked crummy and disheveled. It seemed she had arrived with the others during the little while he had strolled around Lehain. ¡°Well¡­ Uh¡­ Just a walk,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Why is your expression so rotten if you only went for a walk?¡± asked Ciel. Eugene stuttered, but Ciel looked extremely calm. In spite of her temper, however, her face was rather messy and her clothes were dirty, perhaps because she had not washed for thest few days. It was inevitable. When they traveled with Eugene, they could wash up even without hot water, thanks to Eugene¡¯s magic. Yet, Cyan and Ciel had decided to travel separately from Eugene in the middle of the snowfield. Thinking back on it, it had been a sudden, reckless decision. Most of the amenities they had brought for the journey had been with Eugene, inside the Cloak of Darkness. Although Cyan and Ciel possessed backpacks with magically amplified storage, all they had brought were a few days¡¯ worth of emergency rations. Moreover, even knights capable of handling mana weren¡¯t immune to the cold. It would have been horrible if they happened to catch a bad cold because they had washed themselves in the snowfield, and therefore¡­ they had not washed up for over ten days. They had wandered through the snowfield searching for food, and melted the snow to quench their thirst. Even after having experienced such a rough journey, Ciel looked calm. Not that she was actually calm at all, by any means, but she was doing a good job holding it in. It wasn¡¯t as if they had been separated for a long time, but she still wanted to show Eugene how mature she was. ¡°¡­Are you all right?¡± asked Eugene after a moment. ¡°What? I¡¯m fine. I¡¯mpletely fine,¡± said Ciel. ¡°No¡­ You don¡¯t look all right. I think you¡¯ve lost some more weight¡­¡± said Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so rude. I never had any weight to lose from the beginning,¡± retorted Ciel. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying you were fat. I¡¯m just saying that you¡¯ve lost some weightpared to thest time I saw you,¡± said Eugene. And he wasn¡¯t just saying it for the sake of it. Ciel¡¯s cheeks were definitely sunken. ¡°It¡¯s because I had a bit of a rough time,¡± admitted Ciel, but in spite of her words, she maintained her nonchnt look. ¡°See? So you did have a rough time. What¡¯s all right about that?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Youth is the time to experience hardships,¡± said Ciel. ¡°Uh¡­what? Anyway, where¡¯s Cyan?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°He went to take a bath as soon as we arrived. And I¡¯m telling you this in advance¡­ don¡¯t say anything unnecessary to my brother,¡± said Ciel. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°We came the entire way with Princess Scalia, right? Well, she put him through the wringer the entire way. Speaking of which, Princess Scalia is a total punk. Her personality¡¯s just¡­ Well¡­ turns out it wasn¡¯t the insomnia that was making her weird. That¡¯s just who she is, she has a really weird personality,¡± said Ciel. Her eyebrows crumpled into a frown as she recalled Scalia¡¯s rampages during their journey. ¡°To be honest, even I wanted to just, oomph, her a few times on our way. Since even I felt that way, I¡¯m sure Cyan felt it ten times more.¡± ¡°But Cyan was so happy when he heard he might be engaged to the Princess of Shimuin¡­¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°He liked it because he didn¡¯t know what was in store for him. Cyan won¡¯t get engaged to Princess Scalia unless he¡¯spletely out of his mind,¡± responded Ciel. ¡°By the way, aren¡¯t you going to take a bath?¡± asked Eugene. Ciel¡¯s expression stiffened at his question. ¡°Why are you asking me that? Are you saying I smell?¡± ¡°No, no. I don¡¯t smell anything. I was just wondering why you weren¡¯t washing up, since Cyan is,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m going to wash up. I was going to anyway. I was just¡­ waiting to see where you went. Don¡¯t you have anything you want to say to me?¡± asked Ciel. ¡°Anything¡­ to say?¡± Eugene hesitated for a moment. He contemted. He could feel Ciel¡¯s fiery gaze, which was only intensifying as time passed. He felt pressured to¡­ give a good answer. ¡°¡­Um¡­ Good work,¡± stuttered Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t say the obvious,¡± answered Ciel. ¡°Well done,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the same,¡± responded Ciel. ¡°I¡¯m d you got here safe,¡± said Eugene onest time. ¡°That¡¯s it.¡± Ciel finally smiled after hearing hisst answer. It wasn¡¯t anything special, but it kindled a fire inside her. Ciel stood up from her seat and looked up at Eugene. ¡°Did you worry about me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have been worried about only me. Weren¡¯t you worried about my brother?¡± she asked. ¡°Naturally, I was worried about both of you,¡± said Eugene. ¡°But if you¡¯re being honest, you were a little bit more worried about me, right? You can be honest with me. I¡¯ll keep it a secret from Cyan,¡± whispered Ciel. ¡°I was equally worried about the two of you,¡± said Eugene. ¡°At times like this, you should say that you were more worried about me, even if they¡¯re only empty words.¡± In spite of her words, however, Ciel was satisfied with Eugene¡¯s answer. If anything, it was a very Eugene-like attitude. Ciel giggled and put her hand inside her cloak. ¡°I brought you a present on the way here. Give me your hand.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Eugene, stretching out his hand without much thought. Ciel brought out a snowball and ced it on his palm. ¡°¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s cold, right?¡± she asked. Eugene looked alternatingly at Ciel¡¯s yful smile and the cold, wet snowball on his palm. ¡°If we were a little younger, we would have gone outside and had a snowball fight. Did you know? When we were young, my brother and I would put rocks inside our snowballs when we yed with you.¡± ¡°Did you think I wouldn¡¯t know?¡± ¡°Well, you never got hit by any of the snowballs we threw, so how was I to know?¡± ¡°I avoided all of them because I knew there were rocks in them... If you want, we can have a snowball fight. Of course, I¡¯ll win just like when we were kids,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Nope. I don¡¯t want to. None of us are children anymore,¡± responded Ciel. ¡°Hey, snowball fights are still fun even when you¡¯re older,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m sure, but I still don¡¯t want to,¡± said Ciel. She stuck out her tongue at Eugene, then turned around and left. Eugene shrugged as he watched her go. The snowball on his palm was already melting. Suddenly, Eugene chucked it backward without even looking. ¡°Kyaaahk!¡± The scream came from Mer, who had been creeping up to surprise Eugene. Chapter 232: Lehain (3) ¡°Hmm.¡± Eugene stared forward with an awkward expression. He was currently standing in the castle of Fort Lehain. ¡°His Majesty is waiting for you in the bath,¡± said a knight of Ruhr¡¯s White Fang Knights with a bow. Eugene nodded without any change in his expression. Ruhr¡¯s knights, led by the Beast King, had arrived in the dead of night. Eugene was not interested in the power bnce between the nations represented by those staying in the castle. However, now that he was already here, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but notice how the different powers were positioned in the castle. Outside the window, on the other side of the snow in the spire, was the Emperor of Kiehl, his royal guards of Kiehl, and the elite, chosen members of the White Dragon Knights. The Pope of Yuras, his escorting knights, and the archbishops were on a nearby spire. Beneath the two spires resided the kings of various nations who weren¡¯t given their own spire and their royal guards. Finally, even though Ruhr wasn¡¯t an empire, the tallest amodation was given to the Beast King, given that the fort belonged to Ruhr. That¡¯s where Eugene currently stood, and he resumed walking while clicking his tongue. ¡®Why is he inviting me to a bath?¡¯ Late at night, the Beast King had suddenly sent a messenger to the mansion where the Lionheart family was staying. ¡ªWe want to continue the conversation we were having with Eugene Lionheart in Hamelon. Eugene had been unable toe up with an excuse to refuse a request from a king, and it wasn¡¯t like he had a reason to refuse either. Plus, Eugene also wanted to converse with the Beast King. However, if there was one thing, it was that Eugene had been looking forward to a conversation at a fancy table, with bountiful meats and delicious drinks, not to strip naked and share a hot bath with a bulky, muscr man. ¡®And I already had a bath in the daytime.¡¯ And it had been with Gargith as well, who was essentially a ball of muscle. Eugene sighed while crossing the hall. ¡°This is the ce.¡± One of the doors suddenly opened, and a female servant in a swimsuit greeted Eugene in a rxed voice. Eugene unknowingly froze on the spot when the servant greeted him. ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°This is the bath,¡± said the servant with a smile. Eugene calmed himself down before entering through the door. When he thought about it, it was quite natural. After all, wasn¡¯t it natural that a king of a nation would have servants taking care of him when he took a bath? ¡°Whoa.¡± Even so, Eugene felt that this was a little too much. The room inside was practically filled with female servants, and they greeted him in swimsuits of different colors. Eugene knew how big the Beast King was from his previous encounter, but even so, did he really need so many servants just for himself? ¡°Please, let me help you,¡± one of the servants said. ¡°Help me with what?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I will help you disrobe,¡± said the servant. ¡°No, I will be fine. It¡¯s just my clothes, and I do just fine taking them off myself. Why would I need any help?¡± grumbled Eugene, taking off his cloak. He could see Mer¡¯s eyes gleaming within the cloak. Eugene cleared his throat while waving away the approaching servants. ¡°I take off my clothes on my own when I¡¯m at home, take a bath alone, and also dress on my own. I would prefer not to change how I¡¯ve been living, so please leave me alone.¡± ¡°All right.¡± ¡°But, is everyone just going to keep staring like that? I don¡¯t really like taking my clothes off in front of others. If you have any respect for me, could you turn your head¡­? No, could you all just turn around?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°However, Sir Eugene, His Majesty has instructed us to serve you with all our hearts,¡± said one of the servants. ¡°Serve me? How would you serve me? This is just a bath. Where is His Majesty? He¡¯s right up there, isn¡¯t he? I¡¯ll get there myself. Gown. Please, just give me a gown.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t very familiar with such situations. It wasn¡¯t that he had no experience with women, but he had never bathed with near-naked female servants on both sides. He had no desire for such an experience either. After almost snatching a gown that a servant was holding, Eugene waited until the servants turned around before quickly changing into the robe. Arge terrace greeted him when he walked forward. The entire structure was an open bath designed to pump up the hot spring water from the ground all the way up to the top of the tall tower to allow anyone to enjoy the sight. In fact, it felt more appropriate to call it a swimming pool rather than a bath. ¡°Well, aren¡¯t you quite shy, young man!¡± Aman Ruhr chuckled. He was immersed in hot water with his arms on the railing. Behind him was Lehainjar, riddled with falling snowkes. ¡°It¡¯s a little unexpected. You didn¡¯t seem like the one to indulge in luxuries,¡±mented Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s just a bath. What¡¯s luxurious about it?¡± asked Aman. ¡°Aren¡¯t there too many servants?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Is that so? We are not too sure about that. Kiehl¡¯s Emperor brought dozens of servants. Compared to him, don¡¯t you find us rather modest? Or do you find it unpleasant that we wouldpare ourselves to the Emperor of Kiehl?¡± responded Aman. ¡°I¡¯m not that loyal to His Majesty the Emperor,¡± answered Eugene with an aloof expression. He didn¡¯t even think it had been a witty answer, but Aman burst into heartyughter while pping his hands. ¡°Uhahahaha! We see, We see. But Eugene, how long do you n to stand there?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve not had a chance to tell you, but I already had a bath in the hot springs earlier in the day,¡± said Eugene. ¡°What¡¯s the harm in taking another one? Please don¡¯t embarrass us. We are already soaking in here without any clothes,¡± said Aman. ¡°Phew.¡± Eugene took off his gown with a sigh, then wadded into the hot spring. He had to admit¡­ the scenery was quite nice. ¡°Is there anything you need? Food or alcohol? Feel free to let us know whenever. That¡¯s why we have servants here,¡± said Aman. ¡°I should be fine,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Do you know why we called you here?¡± asked Aman. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it so we could finish our conversation from Hamelon?¡± responded Eugene. Eugene did not immediately ask about Molon. Although it had been Aman who rmended Eugene go to the Grand Hammer Canyon, Eugene wasn¡¯t sure if Aman knew of Molon¡¯s presence there. ¡°That would be a fun conversation to continue, but besides that. What do you think about this?¡± asked Aman. ¡°What?¡± ¡°The Knight March,¡± said Aman. What kind of answer was he seeking? Eugene narrowed his eyes and stared at Aman. Noticing Eugene¡¯s cautionary approach, Aman chuckled before shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s just a simple question,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand why you are asking me this question,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Because we judged that you are the leading figure in the Lionheart n. Don¡¯t deny it. We also have eyes and ears. Although you are not in line to be the next head of the family, the next generation of the Lionhearts is bound to revolve around you. That is why we came to the judgment that you are the leading figure,¡± said Aman. ¡°The family head is still healthy and strong. The same is true of Lady Carmen and the elder,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Of course they are. But we don¡¯t think that really matters, Eugene Lionheart. You¡¯re a key figure in the Lionheart family because you are overwhelmingly younger than them, yet you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the elders of your family. And that¡¯s not all either. You have quite the connections as well,¡± said Aman. He chuckled while jumping up from the bath. Eugene stared in shock as Aman strode across the bath towards him. It would be quite intimidating if someone asrge and muscr as Aman approached with their clothes on, and when Eugene saw him approaching with nothing on, he felt a physiological need to retreat. ¡°You are continuing Sir Hamel¡¯s legacy and are also the sessor of Lady Sienna. You are a disciple of the head of Aroth¡¯s Red Tower of Magic and an object of interest and favor of Aroth¡¯s crown prince. Moreover, Alchester Dragonic, the Commander of the White Dragon Knights, is deeply favorable of you. His son received your teachings for a little while as well,¡± said Aman. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°The only Saint Candidate of the Holy Empire also shares a close rtionship with you. We judged it was something rather intimate, but we won¡¯t say any more since it would be unbefitting of us to ramble on about the things between men and women,¡± continued Aman. ¡°But you¡¯ve already said everything,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Uhahaha. We guess so. Then shall we talk about something else? Although the Kingdom of Ruhr is located at the northern end, as is with us, it doesn¡¯t mean we are blind and deaf to the situation on the continent. You are the guardian of the elves, and you have a rtionship with the next chief of the Zoran Tribe,¡± said Aman. ¡°What kind of answer would you like to hear from me?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Your honest opinion of the Knight March. Although nothing has begun yet, we are sure you¡¯ve already heard about the current situation with the Knight March, right?¡± asked Aman. ¡°I heard that they are asking that we summon monsters and frolic with them instead,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Ssh! Aman took a seat right next to Eugene, causingrge waves of hot spring water to ripple. ¡°As you probably know already, the Knight March isn¡¯t held for us to do something. It¡¯s the gathering of the greatest knights and mercenaries of the continent. This is the first time since three hundred years ago that such a force has gathered, so the gathering itself has meaning. However! Wouldn¡¯t it beical if we don¡¯t do anything when we have such arge gathering of power?¡± ¡°Yes, well,¡± answered Eugene. Aman continued, ¡°We want a battle. Power, honor, chivalry, faith! A battle with everything on the line. Of course, battles aren¡¯t gentle, and many will die or get injured. But so what? What¡¯s the big deal? If they win, they will achieve great honor. If you worry about getting hurt and dying because you are weaker than your opponent, can you really call yourself a warrior?¡± Aman¡¯s voice grew in intensity. ¡°Of course! We have also tried to understand the thoughts of the emperor and the other kings. If there is an enemy on the continent, it¡¯s Helmuth and the Demon Kings. It would be ludicrous for us to bleed on our own before we deal with them. However, we think we need to bleed if it''s necessary.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I understand the purpose of the Knight March, but excessive bleeding in training¡­.¡± said Eugene. ¡°It would be overwhelmingly less than the bloodshed in wars between nations,¡± Aman continued. ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is what we think. The knights here don¡¯t represent the full power of their countries, but they could be called the symbols of their nations. If they battle against each other ¡ª couldn¡¯t you call that, say, a little war?¡± said Aman. Could it be? ¡°We think that what we need the most to confront our adversary, Helmuth, is ¡ª unity. The continent is wide, and there are many countries. There are many kings as well! That¡¯s why not everyone can see eye to eye, and everyone¡¯s only focused on their own profits. What do you think?¡± Aman asked. ¡°Um¡­. Why do you keep asking for my opinion?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Because we think your opinion is important, young man,¡± answered Aman. ¡°You spoke about unity, Your Majesty. Are you¡­ uh¡­ wanting to unite the continent?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Uhahaha! It would be impossible to unify the continent with a real war. And it¡¯s not like we and Ruhr have the power to unify the continent either,¡± responded Aman Ruhr with augh while pping Eugene on the shoulder. ¡°However, if the knights participating in the Knight March sh properly, and we gain the upper hand, great honor will follow. We could humble the other knightly orders, and if we get a little rougher and more radical, it should be possible to threaten the kings who are here.¡± What Aman was saying didn¡¯t seem appropriate to be said while soaking in a hot bath. Eugene stared in bewilderment, and he finally understood why Aman Ruhr was known as the Beast King. ¡°Ah, we hope you don¡¯t misunderstand. We are only saying that this could be possible. We don¡¯t actually intend to do something like that. However¡­ well, we are only thinking, shouldn¡¯t it be possible to achieve unification through coercion? At least, if we do achieve unification through that method, wouldn¡¯t we move more hand-in-hand against our enemy?¡± continued Aman. ¡°Huh¡­.¡± Eugene shook his head with a baffledugh. ¡°Your Majesty¡¯s words are so sudden and extreme that I do not know how to react. However, Your Majesty, you called Helmuth the enemy¡­ but didn¡¯t you open entry into Ruhr and allow the demons of Helmuth to enter your kingdom?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Ruhr was the only ce on the continent with closed doors to Helmuth. We thought of Helmuth as the enemy, but at the same time, we acknowledged that the civilization they built was great. So we opened the doors of Ruhr for an exchange,¡± answered Aman. He grinned and stared at Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°You didn¡¯t think we opened the doors of Ruhr because we were instigated by them, did you?¡± ¡°I only considered it a possibility. After all, Your Majesty refused to join the Anti-Demon Alliance all this while,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Anti-Demon Alliance! Uhahaha! Are you referring to the bunch of rabbits? And what do we have to gain from joining their group? What are wecking? They will proudly boast of bing my allies, but we have nothing to gain but shame at being allied with those petty rabbits! How can we, a descendant of the Bold King, hold hands with Helmuth and act as the captain of a bunch of rabbits?¡± Amanughed boisterously before patting Eugene on the shoulder once more. After a while, hisughter died down. ¡°You are prudent.¡± Aman slowly turned and looked beyond the drifting snow at Lehainjar. ¡°We think you have something else you want to ask us about, but you are not saying a word about it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you are talking about, Your Majesty,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Did you meet His Majesty the Bold King?¡± It was a sudden question. A calm light appeared in his eyes, and Aman continued. ¡°We have heard reports that you went to the Great Hammer Canyon of Lehainjar. Eugene Lionheart, did you see His Majesty, the Bold King, there?¡± ¡°Why do you think so?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Well, because we wanted you to meet him,¡± responded Aman. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t hesitate to answer.¡± ¡°Why did you want that?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°You are called the seconding of the Great Vermouth, but you don¡¯t have the face of the Great Hero,¡± said Aman, looking back at Eugene with augh. ¡°However, we thought His Majesty would recognize the talent of a young Lionheart. And by your side was Kristina Rogeris, the only Saint Candidate, who is the spitting image of Anise the Faithful. We wondered if His Majesty would show some curiosity if the two of you went to the Great Hammer Canyon. We were hopeful.¡± ¡°¡­The decision to hold the Knight March here, in Lehain. I may be making a hasty judgment, but I believe the Knight March itself is a method to summon His Majesty out of seclusion,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s not all, but it¡¯s one of the reasons,¡± admitted Aman. ¡°What on earth is His Majesty the Bold King doing in the Great Hammer Canyon?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°As the world says,¡± answered Aman. ¡°That canyon was not a suitable ce for a peaceful seclusion,¡± said Eugene. ¡°You must have seen something else besides His Majesty,¡± asked Aman. ¡°Yes.¡± Aman did not respond immediately after hearing Eugene¡¯s answer. Instead, he crossed his arms, then fell into contemtion for a while. After a while, Aman sshed the hot water over his face before speaking. ¡°Bayar calls the monster ¡ª Nur.¡± ¡°What is it exactly?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°We do not know. We do not know what the Nur is. His Majesty, the Bold King, is the only one who knows exactly what that is,¡± said Aman. ¡°Your Majesty said that the Great Hammer Canyon is where the legend of the royal family is handed down,¡± said Eugene. ¡°And we told you that it was a ce where descendants of the royal family were reborn as warriors. Isn¡¯t it all true? The Great Hammer Canyon is the hermitage of His Majesty, the Bold King. It¡¯s true that the legend of the royal family is handed down there since the founder of Ruhr is there. And the bit about the descendants being reborn as warriors. Uhahaha! That is true as well. To seed the throne, one must climb up the damn mountain naked, then meet His Majesty, the Bold King,¡± Aman continued while stirring old memories. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ a ce that houses extremely ominous beings, a ce that couldn¡¯t be considered the hiding ce of a hero. You would have felt it when you saw the Nur, but the ominous feeling it emanates¡­. It stimtes a fundamental fear that is difficult for humans to ovee. But to be the King of Ruhr, you have to face that fear straight on and move on. You have to climb the cliff and meet His Majesty, the Bold King. We also encountered His Majesty twenty years ago, and one day, our son will go see His Majesty as well.¡± Aman clearly remembered the events from twenty years ago. As a young man, he had no doubt that he was the bravest warrior of Ruhr. He received amand from his father to climb Lehainjar to reach the Great Hammer Canyon to prove himself as a warrior. Aman had not been allowed any preparation, not even a weapon. He had to climb the harsh mountain with just his bare body. But Aman had no fear. He knew that all kinds of monsters lurked in Lehainjar, but he was young and powerful, strong enough to beat monsters to death with nothing but his bare hands. He climbed the snow mountain, feeding on the raw flesh of monsters he killed and eating the falling snow. During the ordeal, all nearby rangers withdrew as well. There was no one to show Aman the way up to the Great Hammer Canyon. After wandering through the snow for a long time, he felt an irresistible fear for the first time in his life. Even without actually seeing the Nur, Aman had been scared stiff. But running away because of his fear and descending the mountain would have resulted in his failure. If he gave into his fear, he couldn¡¯t be the King of Ruhr, and he could not im himself a warrior. So Aman endured his fear on the spot for a few days, then resumed climbing. Atst, he reached the Great Hammer Canyon and saw¡­ the Nur. ¡°What did the Nur look like to your eyes?¡± asked Aman. ¡°It was a giant monkey with horns,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°The Nur we saw looked to be a giant snake. Although what we saw looked different on the surface, it should have been the same in nature. And we copsed on the spot in fear before we even saw the giant snake in person. For three or four days, we were engulfed by fear, shame, and anger,¡± said Aman. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Now that we think about it, the first Nur responsible for instilling that fear in us¡­ wouldn¡¯t have been the snake. No, it would have been killed way earlier by His Majesty, the Bold King. We were frozen terrified by a dead Nur, a monster that wasn¡¯t even in front of me. But we guess you didn¡¯t falter on your way,¡± said Aman. ¡°¡­Yes.¡± ¡°We think we made the right choice in directing you to the Great Hammer Canyon. You are much braver than we were in my youth. Perhaps even braver than we are now¡­. Did His Majesty say anything else to you?¡± he asked. ¡°He told me to go down,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Aman nodded with a bitter smile. He once again reached out and patted Eugene¡¯s shoulder, but the hand didn¡¯t contain too much power like before. ¡°So, how was it? How was His Majesty, the Bold King, when you saw him in person? Wasn¡¯t he exactly, as the stories described, a brave, great warrior?¡± ¡°I think so,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Hahaha! What an ambiguous thing to say. But we will forgive you. Even if His Majesty told you to back down, he would have made an appearance because he acknowledged you,¡± said Aman before raising himself. ¡°This was a pleasant conversation.¡± ¡°What are you going to do about the Knight March?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Didn¡¯t we say it before? We were only entertaining the idea. We have no intention of actually running wild. Take what we talked about here as one of my bad jokes,¡± answered Aman. ¡°Are you sure?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Of course.¡± Aman walked out of the hot spring while shaking off the water from his beard. ¡°We will take our leave first. Enjoy this bath as you please,¡± said Aman. ¡°I will go out as well,¡± said Eugene. ¡°We haven¡¯t had the chance to say this, but you have a very good body. Although they¡¯re a bit older, we do have a female warrior rtive who is not married yet. What do you think¡­?¡± asked Aman. ¡°I¡¯ll pretend I heard nothing,¡± Eugene replied in a firm voice immediately. Chapter 233: Lehain (4) The various knightly orders of the many countries gathered on the fortress wall, including the Lionheart family. Although they had been summoned rather suddenly, no one was dissatisfied with the decision. A ck mist was slowly rolling in toward them from the far side of the snowfield. The fog remained unaffected by the snowstorm and slowly eroded the white, simr to how dusk pushed back the light. The fog came closer and closer, gradually turning the snowfield into the night, despite the sun still residing high in the sky. Eugene, or rather Hamel, knew exactly what the fog was, and he knew the identity of the fog¡¯s herald as well. The man was on the back of a horse, colored ck like the darkness, and he held a ck g inscribed with a crimson reverse pentagram. Despite the freezing cold, the man only wore a tidy, ck uniform, and his hair was neatlybed back and undisturbed even in the strong wind. ¡°Incarceration¡¯s de,¡± muttered Kristina while standing next to Eugene. The unwee guest wasn¡¯t showing any signs of hostility, and although he was approaching the fortress, he wasn¡¯t putting on a disy of his presence either. As such, none among the gathered knights had lost consciousness. Even so, the priests of Yuras held each other¡¯s hands and busily recited their prayers, and though the light they emitted did not push back the approaching darkness, it reinforced the surroundings to prevent the darkness from encroaching any further. At the center of the light stood Pope Aeuryus, supervising the miracle while feeling the throbbing of the stigmata. Raphael Martinez, the Commander of the Blood Cross Knights, also rested his hand on the pommel of the greatsword on his back. ¡°Gavid Lindman,¡± Eugene quietly muttered the name. It was a name he could never forget, just like Noir Giabe. But the presence he felt now was much more terrible and greater than what Eugene had experienced during his encounter with Noir Giabe in the snowfield. It couldn¡¯t be helped since Noir Giabe had been using the body of a low-ranking incubus as a medium while Gavid was here in person. Gavid Lindman had been the strongest demon under the reign of the Demon King of Incarceration three hundred years ago, and he was currently approaching the fortress. ¡°He¡¯s not alone either,¡± said Gilead with a frown. He also stood near Eugene. The fog following behind Gavid was the descendant of a legend from three hundred years ago. ¡®The ck Fog.¡¯ It was a nightmare that once existed in the territory of the Demon King of Incarceration. Numerous knightly orders set path for the Demon Castle of Incarceration, all for the honor of conquering it, but all other than Vermouth¡¯s party had been wiped out on the outskirts of the territory, and the ck Fog had been responsible for carrying out the massacres. However, the infamous ck Fog had been exterminated three hundred years ago, a feat achieved by the Great Vermouth and hisrades at the forefront. Eugene remembered the day as if it were yesterday. In Pandemonium, the territory of the Demon King of Incarceration, Hamel had wielded his de without rest by Vermouth¡¯s side. It had been impossible to determine whether it was day or night in the crimson in, and Molon had opened the way even while bathing in his own blood. Sienna had unleashed her magic with desperate screams, and Anise had illuminated the darkness while vomiting blood. Numerous knights had followed behind them. The knights, who survived many encounters with death and harbored great hatred for the demons, rushed into the fog while putting their lives on the line. They had only recognized the battle¡¯s end when they realized their surroundings were no longer dark. The nightmarish ck Fog was no longer lingering in their vicinity, and the legend of the ck Fog, known as the Nightmare of Pandemonium, was put to rest that day. However, what Eugene saw now was the ck Fog, the same as three hundred years ago. ¡®¡­About a hundred of them.¡¯ Eugene peered through the fog while squinting. There were about a hundred demonfolks dressed in ck uniforms like Gavid and riding horses. The ck Fog of the current generation was a group of demon knights trained personally by Gavid after the war. As promised, Helmuth never invaded other nations nor demonstrated their military prowess since the war. As a result, it was impossible to know how the ck Fogpared to the other knightly orders on the continent. This was the first encounter with the ck Fog for the continent¡¯s knights, but none of them had the desire topete with the knights in the fog. It was mostly due to the presence of Gavid Lindman, who stood at the forefront of the fog. He still showed no hostility or killing intent, and he wasn¡¯t showing off his presence either. Even so, the knights of the fortress could not remove their eyes from Gavid. Indeed, the ck Fog was the descendant of a legend, but Gavid Lindman was a legend itself. Even without having to unsheathe his sword, the presence he exuded proved him well deserving of his title as the de of Incarceration. ¡°Hmm.¡± The horse leading the fog stopped, and Gavid looked up at the fort from its saddle. The ck Fog had reached a ce not far from the fortress before anyone knew it. Gavid stared at the knights on the wall for a while, then descended from his horse with a faint smile. After taking a few steps forward, he lowered the g from his shoulder and nted it on the ground. The crimson reverse pentagram popped against the ck background. This was the symbol that the Demon King of Incarceration had used since three hundred years ago, and now the symbol of the Helmuth Empire. After putting down the g for everyone in the fortress to see, Gavid politely lowered his head. ¡°I apologize for visiting without asking for permission or giving prior notice. However, I hope this won¡¯t cause too much anger. After all, it was you who did not invite Helmuth to this event,¡± said Gavid. The purpose of the Knight March was to raise caution against the Demon Kings of Helmuth. Naturally, an invitation had not been sent out to Helmuth. But who could have imagined that the Incarceration¡¯s de would barge into Fort Lehain and that too with the ck Fog in tow? ¡°Will you open the gates?¡± said Gavid. He did not seem to care much for the silence of the kings. He still emitted a calm energy, but his words contained immeasurable weight, threatening to crush the entire fortress. Some of the weaker knights on the wall felt their heartbeat pause for a moment after hearing his words. ¡°We cannot.¡± The first to answer was Aeuryus, the Pope of Yuras. He red at Gavid while maintaining the light around him. ¡°You are the de of Incarceration, a Duke of Helmuth. You are an uninvited guest at this banquet. The Light that protects this ce rejects you and that ck Fog.¡± ¡°Pope Aeuryus. Unfortunately, unlike you, I cannot hear the voice of the Light. However, if the Light really does reject me, and if it isn¡¯t because I am a demon but because of the presence of the ck Fog, I am more than willing to withdraw the fog,¡± replied Gavid. ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you are nning to refuse us unconditionally, simply because I and the knights behind me are demonfolks? If that is the case, I find it verymentable. After all, it was three hundred years ago that the Believers of Light argued the demonfolks as being enemies unconditionally,¡± continued Gavid. ¡°I think he¡¯s already said that you are an uninvited guest.¡± The one who spoke up this time was Straut the Second, Emperor of Kiehl. He ced his hands on the railings of the wall with a frown. ¡°Duke Lindman. Your visit is both sudden and disrespectful. For you, having lived three hundred years, or rather, even longer, we must seem like children. After all, our lives are short, not even a hundred years. That¡¯s a given. However, the one you serve, the Demon King of Incarceration, has said this in the past. He, who lived a long time and reigns as the king of the demonfolks, is equal as a leader to the kings who reigned for less than a hundred years.¡± ¡°A personal letter sent out one hundred and eighty years ago to the friendly nations of Helmuth. I am quite familiar with the contents of that letter. The personal letters were delivered to each nation and contained the mercy and respect of His Majesty Incarceration,¡± answered Gavid with a pause. ¡°I am d to know that you are familiar with it, Duke Lindman. So, we have no reason to agree to your request and open the door when you weren¡¯t invited. Unless you are here by the will of the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± said Straut the Second. ¡°That¡¯s not it. I am here of my own will,¡± said Gavid. ¡°I see. Then¡­ are you saying that you do not respect me, the Emperor of Kiehl, as well as the other kings, unlike the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± asked Straut the Second. ¡°Respect, is it?¡± said Gavid with a grin. ¡°I never thought I would hear that worde out of your mouth. Yes, it¡¯s just as you said. His Majesty, the Demon King, showed respect to you all. But what about you?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I know why all of you are here and why this event, the Knight March, is being held. All of this may not be considered a problem for His Majesty, but I have a different opinion as his loyal subject. This can very well develop into a problem,¡± continued Gavid. ¡°What is it that you want to say?¡± asked Straut the Second. ¡°Kings of the continent. Do you desire to go to war with Helmuth?¡± said Gavid. Boom. Gavid raised the g before nting it into the ground once more. ¡°This event itself is a disturbing thing that shows absolute disrespect towards Helmuth and to His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. As I im myself to be his de, I only came here to examine if there exists any hostility towards His Majesty. Do I need any other reason?¡± said Gavid. ¡°Uhahaha!¡± Aman, the Beast King of Ruhr, burst intoughter. ¡°Hostility! Howughable. Look here, Duke Lindman. It is we who are concerned about the hostility of Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration. We gathered here to prepare for a future that we fear. Do we want to go to war with Helmuth? Let us ask you instead, Duke Lindman. Does Helmuth want a war, just like three hundred years ago?¡± ¡°I do not know the intentions of His Majesty,¡± answered Gavid. ¡°Then what about you? Do you want a war between humans and demonfolks, just like three hundred years ago?¡± asked Aman. ¡°My wishes do not matter. My allegiance is to His Majesty the Demon King, and I only obey his will. Beast King, I think you have a big misunderstanding.¡± Gavid shook his head with a smile. ¡°Certainly, it waspletely rude of me toe here uninvited. I am aware of that. However, His Majesty did notmand me to act, and I came here of my own ord. Then what about the fact that you do not respect Helmuth and His Majesty? What about the fact that you might be preparing for a war with Helmuth?¡± Gavid paused for a moment. His gaze headed somewhere else as he continued. ¡°None of that is my business. If you want a war, you can start a war. That is why I am calling it a misunderstanding. I am not here to punish you as His Majesty¡¯s de for not showing respect.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Aman. ¡°If another war breaks out, His Majesty the Demon King will be truly sad that the promise of three hundred years ago has been broken. As his faithful servant, I do not wish for the sorrow of my lord. So I dare to interpret the will of my lord and act as an envoy of peace. The reason I want to participate in this event, the reason I ask you to open this door, is that I wish to connect with the heroes here as a knight representing Helmuth and themander of the ck Fog,¡± answered Gavid. ¡°Connect?¡± ¡°Many heroes are gathered in front of me now. I would like to praise each and every one by name, but I won¡¯t go the length, seeing as it looks like it won¡¯t be taken kindly,¡± said Gavid with a smile before saluting with a small bow of his head. However, the moment he bowed his head, Eugene heard a murmur nearby: ¡°It¡¯s fine with me, so tell me.¡± It was¡­ Carmen. She gleamed with anticipation while staring at Gavid¡¯s neat, glossy hair. ¡°The Silver Lion of Lionheart. Give some praise for Carmen Lionheart.¡± Eugene could somewhat understand. He had lived in the same era as Gavid and almost died at his hands, so he had no favorable impression of Gavid at all. But it was different for Carmen. For her, Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration, was a legend and powerhouse from three hundred years ago. So Eugene managed to convince himself that it was reasonable for her to want an evaluation from him. ¡°Among the many heroes,¡± continued Gavid after raising his head. Was it possible that he had heard Carmen¡¯s voice? It was definitely possible. Although the distance between Gavid and the wall was quiterge, if he so wished, he would be able to hear even the footsteps of an ant climbing the wall. ¡°Descendant of the Great Vermouth,¡± said Gavid. Carmen¡¯s lips twitched, and she prepared a reaction while waiting for his following words. She definitely couldn¡¯tugh like a fool. Carmen did not admire Gavid Lindman, though she felt awe towards his transcendent power. She felt a sense ofpetition, as well as hostility. Still, wouldn¡¯t it be nice to be recognized by such a powerful existence? ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± When the name was called, Carmen jerked her head around at Eugene with a betrayed expression. She had pondered the possibility but had never imagined it woulde to fruition. Eugene stared at Gavid with a grimace. ¡°Rumors about you have spread all the way to Helmuth. ording to the world, this young man is the seconding of the Great Vermouth, as well as the heir to Sienna the Wise,¡± continued Gavid. Eugene felt countless eyes turning towards him as he waited for Gavid¡¯s next words. Naturally, Eugene did not feel any joy at being acknowledged by Gavid. ¡°Are you also not the master of Altair, the Holy Sword of Light? You are the first to be recognized since Vermouth. What that represents¡­. Haha, I¡¯m sure he knows better than anyone else. The Hero who seeds Vermouth,¡± said Gavid. ¡°He was acknowledged by the Holy Sword?¡± Questioning words could be heard from all over the ce as soon as Gavid finished speaking. Only a few people in the Lionheart n knew that Eugene was the master of the Holy Sword, and a few others, including the Pope of Yuras and Raphael. ¡°And Kristina Rogeris. This is the first time I am seeing her in person, but¡­ what a curiously urate resemnce to Anise the Faithful. It¡¯s enough to make me believe that she is the reincarnation of the one who caused all those ridiculous miracles, the Saint of Light,¡± continued Gavid. Kristina¡¯s face turned pale at hisment. He continued with a smile. ¡°It seems Yuras wanted to keep it a secret for now, but I can almost feel it in my bones. I have to acknowledge that Kristina Rogeris is the Saint of Light. There were many Saints before Anise the Faithful, but I thought only Anise deserved to call herself the Saint. But now it seems I have to change my mind. Kristina Rogeris, you are definitely a Saint, just like Anise.¡± What Gavid spoke of were facts Eugene had heard earlier from Balzac Ludbeth, the Head of the ck Tower. The Dukes of Helmuth knew that Eugene was the master of the Holy Sword. Moreover, as Gavid said, he had faced Anise directly in the past. Demonfolks were especially susceptible to divine power, which would allow him to gauge Kristina against Anise. ¡°I am very interested in the Hero and the Saint among the many heroes here but don¡¯t get me wrong. I am not here to harm those young people just because they are the Hero and the Saint. However, as I look back to three hundred years ago¡­ I only wonder if I can foster a friendship that I could not with your predecessors,¡± said Gavid. ¡®That little bastard,¡¯ Eugene cursed mentally. Eugene gritted his teeth while ring at Gavid. He felt the need to shove his fist into Gavid¡¯s bbering mouth. Anise also uttered harsh curses, unbefitting her status inside Kristina¡¯s mind. ¡°So please, heroes, kings. Open the gate. Give me an opportunity to interact with you and make rtionships with you,¡± said Gavid while taking a step forward. Although his words made it seem like a request, the fog behind him wriggled as if it would force the gates open. The kings shared a gaze in response. Although no one directly expressed their opinion, everyone¡¯s gazes were firm. Even if they were only putting on a show with the Knight March, they could not allow the de of Incarceration into the fortress. ¡°The gate¡ª¡± said Aman, as the representative of the kings and the master of the fortress. ¡°Open it.¡± But he was never allowed to finish. A deafening voice dwarfed his words. It was hard to believe that the voice belonged to a human. Eugene jumped in surprise and turned in the direction of the voice. It wasn¡¯t just him, either. Everyone on the wall turned their heads in shock, and the same was true for Gavid. However, he wasn¡¯t just surprised but appalled. The voice came from the direction of Lehainjar, the mountain of the blizzard. A man was walking towards the fortress on the snowfield leading to Lehainjar. At first nce, the man was far enough to be considered only a tiny dot. Although the man was giant, he wasn¡¯t ridiculously big like an actual giant. But somehow, the man quickly narrowed the distance to the fortress with his steps, as if his steps were like a giant¡¯s. His ck hair fluttered in the blizzard. The man was without any weapons, but it didn¡¯t seem necessary. His body, which looked sturdy and robust to be considered extreme, was his weapon and armor. ¡°Molon of Terror,¡± muttered Gavid. He was inplete shock and disbelief as he muttered the symbol of terror for the demonfolks of three hundred years ago. Molon was among the five inhuman existences who had allowed Gavid to sense death. It was the name of the man who always took the lead on battlefields where numerous demonfolks were ughtered, a man who always opened the path even when he was thered in blood and his limbs were sliced off. It was the name of the man who pierced through the center of the battle to turn the tide, the man who was more like an undead than actual undead, the man who did not know fear and drove pain and terror into the hearts of demons. It was Molon the Brave. The founder of Ruhr had returned from his seclusion. Chapter 234: Lehain (5) Eugene stood in ce with his jaw agape, staring at Molon¡¯s approaching figure. The moron was exactly the same as Eugene had seen him a few days ago in the Great Hammer Canyon, except he wasn¡¯t holding an ax. However, what Molon was holding was none of Eugene¡¯s business. ¡°That bas¡­.¡± Eugene barely managed to swallow the words before they could escape his mouth. Instead, he uttered a curse in his mind ¡ª bastard. When Eugene had gone through the trouble to see him, the moron had chased him out without even sharing a proper conversation. Molon had acted all solemn and shit as if he couldn¡¯te down from the cliff for a profound reason. ¡®You swung your ax at a friend you met after three hundred years with an expression as if we wouldn¡¯t see each other again. Son of a bitch. You should have at least said that you would beingter.¡¯ Eugene kept his expression under control while soothing the simmering heat boiling in his heart. He had never imagined Molon would descend from the Grand Hammer Canyon ande directly to Fort Lehain. It was the same with Aman, Molon¡¯s descendant. As far as he knew, the founder had nevere down from the Grand Hammer Canyon after suddenly going into seclusion hundred years ago. Since then, a new tradition had been made that the descendants of the royal family had to go to the Grand Hammer Canyon to have their qualifications for the throne tested, even though no one, not even those from the royal family, knew why the founder had gone into seclusion. ¡°As expected,¡± muttered Aman, looking around. His gaze found Eugene and Kristina. Aman couldn¡¯t think of any other reason than the two for the founder¡¯s sudden descent from the mountain. ¡°Molon Ruhr,¡± muttered Gavid. His anxious heart was reflected in the ck Fog as it suddenly wriggled and squirmed. The demon knights brought their hands to the pommels of their swords in the fog in preparation for a possible battle. Gavid immediately raised his hand and dissuaded them. ¡°So you were alive?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°As you can see,¡± answered Molon. ¡°A reunion after three hundred years. Though I¡¯m sure we¡¯ve had plenty of chances to see each other in the meantime, neither of us wanted a meeting,¡± continued Gavid. ¡°Obviously. Gavid Lindman. I¡¯ve hated you since three hundred years ago. Don¡¯t tell me you don¡¯t share the same sentiment?¡± said Molon. ¡°Rather than ssifying it as like or hate, I would say it¡¯s more of a reluctant feeling. After all, it was without a doubt that you were my enemy,¡± responded Gavid. ¡°I¡¯m d you do not like me since I still hate you,¡± retorted Molon. ¡°Then why did youmand them to open the door? If you hate me, you shouldn¡¯t have a reason to allow me inside,¡± asked Gavid. ¡°Because I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll just walk away,¡± answered Molon. He stopped walking, then stared at Gavid and the ck Fog behind him. ¡°If I do not open the gate of the fortress, will you go back quietly? Can you swear that you won¡¯t spread that sinister mist to turn the night terrible in the snowfield?¡± ¡°The only one who can have me dere an oath is His Majesty the Demon King,¡± said Gavid. ¡°I thought so. So you won¡¯t back down,¡± said Molon. ¡°Do you perhaps think I¡¯llunch a cowardly ambush at night? Molon Ruhr, I am not fond of such perverse actions,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Maybe, maybe not. You said you would not swear an oath, so I cannot trust your words,¡± answered Molon. ¡°It is still difficult for me to fathom your words. You are saying you do not trust me, yet you are willing to allow me and the ck Fog inside the fortress. Why is that?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°The snowfield is wide,¡± said Molon while spreading his arms. ¡°If you hide in the vast snowfield and plot dirty, cowardly schemes, there is no way for me to see through it. You will sully the white of the snowfield. But if I let you into the fortress, I can watch you, and not just me either. Everyone else in the fortress will keep their eyes on you.¡± ¡°Me, hiding¡­ plotting dirty, cowardly schemes. Haha! What a funny yet unpleasant thing to say,¡± said Gavid with a grimace. He took great pride in being called the Sword of Incarceration and had strictly abided by his chivalry for more than three hundred years. Regardless of what his enemies considered him, Gavid considered himself to be the only knight of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°If someone else had spoken those words, I would not have held back my anger. But Molon Ruhr, since it¡¯s you¡­ I will forgive it. I¡¯m sure humans and demonfolks have different definitions for dirty, cowardly schemes,¡± said Gavid. ¡°You frequently plotted dirty, cowardly things since three hundred years ago. The ck Fog spread throughout Pandemonium, interrupted resting warriors, and ambushed them. You ambushed Hamel and Sienna, who were on a reconnaissance mission. Although you had the skills and the power, you only sat waiting high in the Demon King¡¯s castle while ordering around yourckeys,¡± said Molon with a re. But Gavid couldn¡¯t do anything but blink with confusion after hearing Molon¡¯s words. What was so dirty and cowardly about that? After a while, he gave a response, ¡°There was a considerable number of troops that made it all the way to Pandemonium three hundred years ago. The Army of Incarceration was strong, but we numbered far less than the humans. Therefore, in order for a small number of elite troops to effectively face a great army, ambushes were the right choice.¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t fought openly and squarely,¡± responded Molon. ¡°I only encountered Hamel and Sienna coincidentally. Just as they were on a reconnaissance mission, I, too, was on a reconnaissance mission,¡± continued Gavid. ¡°I know that.¡± Gavid¡¯s eyebrows wriggled with annoyance at Molon¡¯s answer. He continued while feeling his frustration grow. ¡°Putting my subordinates at the forefront in the castle? What a bewildering thing to point out. It is my role to guard the side of His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, under any circumstances. When you lot broke into Babel, I¡­. It may be problematic for me to say this in this age of peace, but I wanted to be the first to stop you. I wanted to ughter all of you, but I could not.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± asked Molon.¡± ¡°Because I knew how strong all of you were. If I came rushing out to meet you first in the heat of the moment, and if I died in the struggle, who would have guarded the side of His Majesty, the Demon King?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°So is it also due to loyalty you ran away at the end?¡± asked Molon. Gavid¡¯s face became devoid of an expression at Molon¡¯s question. He red at Molon with a bloodless, pale face. ¡°You¡¯re reminding me of a shameful past,¡± said Gavid. ¡°It is true that you ran away. You who blocked the door to the pce were destined to lose your head by Vermouth¡¯s sword,¡± said Molon. ¡°It was the will of His Majesty. Hemanded me to hide without blocking you any further. My merciful and generous lord prioritized the preservation of the life of a knight who fought until the end over his faith,¡± continued Gavid. ¡°It does not change the fact that you ran away. You were lucky. If¡­. If Hamel had been there, you never would have had the chance to escape,¡± said Molon. ¡°Molon Ruhr. This conversation has no meaning unless your intention is to anger me,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Are you going to fight me?¡± asked Molon. ¡°I am warning you because I have no intention of fighting,¡± responded Gavid. ¡°I do not intend to fight you either, as long as you keep away from plotting dirty, cowardly things.¡± Molon scoffed while pointing at the closed gate. ¡°Gavid Lindman. I do not know what you are up to, but if you do want to form a rtionship with the heroes of this generation, as you said, then prove your words with your actions.¡± ¡°I do not scheme,¡± said Gavid while raising his hand. The looming fog scattered, and the demon knights were revealed. ¡°And there was no lie in what I said. I¡­ am quite interested in the heroes of this era. In particr, I am interested in Eugene Lionheart, Vermouth¡¯s descendant and the one chosen by the Holy Sword, as well as Kristina Rogeris, the Saint who looks just like Anise.¡± ¡°I am interested in those two as well,¡± said Molon. ¡°What are your thoughts? Molon Ruhr, I have yet to speak a single word with them, but¡­.¡± Gavid raised his head and stared directly at Eugene and Kristina before continuing. ¡°I can feel Vermouth from Eugene Lionheart and Anise from Kristina Rogeris.¡± ¡°It is distasteful of you to speak their names when you weren¡¯t a friend of theirs. Moreover, Vermouth was more handsome than Eugene Lionheart, and Anise was more like a warrior than Kristina Rogeris,¡± retorted Molon. Eugene did not know how to react to Molon¡¯s remark. Indeed, it was true that Vermouth had been handsome. However, objectively speaking, wasn¡¯t Eugene¡¯s face more handsome than Vermouth''s? ¡®Sister, what does he mean by being more like a warrior?¡¯ asked Kristina. [Molon must be talking about cracking open the heads of demonfolks with a mace when he talks about being more like a warrior. You don¡¯t need to take that idiot¡¯s words seriously,] Anise replied. Thump, thump, thump. Molon resumed walking towards the castle, then stopped once he arrived right in front of the gate. ¡°Gavid Lindman. Let me tell you one thing. If you want to speak with Eugene Lionheart and Kristina Rogeris and wish to form a rtionship with them, you will have to ask me for my permission first,¡± said Molon. ¡°Is it your desire to cherish and protect the descendants of your old friends?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°Already, I don¡¯t like what you are saying. Protect them? From what? From something. From you? Then that means¡­.¡± Crack. Molon clenched his fist, nothing more. But to Gavid, Molon was currentlyrger than the gate, the fortress, and even the Snowy Mountain Lehainjar in the distance. It had been truly a long time since he felt such intense pressure. ¡®He did not even feel like a human being back then. Is this¡­ what happens when such an existence lives for three hundred years?¡¯ thought Gavid, feeling his skin go numb. ¡°Does that mean you are nning to harm Eugene Lionheart and Kristina Rogeris?¡± asked Molon. The instant Molon asked the question, he looked even bigger than before in Gavid¡¯s eyes. He was a man of marvelously disciplined and refined power. After staring at Molon in silence for a moment, Gavid shook his head. ¡°No.¡± He had no intention of harming them. Gavid wanted the humans to wage war. It was contrary to the will of his great lord, but if a war was inevitable ¡ª then the Demon King of Incarceration would no longer be in a position to show mercy to the continent. The Hero and the Saint would need to be at the forefront of the war, and their very existence would be the cause of war. So Gavid had no intention of hurting the two. He simply wanted to gauge his enemies of the future, and his heart was unmistakably sincere. Moreover, he really wanted to connect with and form a rtionship with the heroes of the current era. It was all true, though it was for the sake of getting to know those whom he would enjoy ughtering one day. ¡°I do not have such thoughts. I only¡­ want to form rtionships with them. And if they do not want such a thing as a rtionship, I will be satisfied watching them from a distance,¡± said Gavid, taking a few steps back. Then, he raised his hand and fixed his attire. Not even a small wrinkle could be found on his ck uniform. There was not a single flurry of snow nor a speck of dust. Even so, Gavid calmly dusted the top of his uniform and checked that his buttons were fastened correctly. After doing so, Gavid politely bowed his head. ¡°Please, will you open the door to the fort?¡± Molon stared at him for a moment before nodding. The intense pressure he had been emitting hadpletely disappeared. Turning back towards the fortress, Molon reached for the gate. ¡°T-the door!¡± Aman shouted after btedlying to his senses. Then without waiting for the gatekeepers to act, he personally jumped down from the wall. He had not dared to intervene in the conversation below, a conversation between living legends. But now that the conversation was over, Aman did not want the Founder of Ruhr, the Bold King, to have to open the door with his own hands. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Aman,¡± said Molon. ¡°It is an honor¡­ to have you remember me,¡± responded Aman. ¡°I remember all my descendants. I am not so stupid as to forget the name of my descendant who visited mest,¡± said Molon with a grin while patting Aman¡¯s shoulder. Aman was quite big, but standing next to Molon, he looked smaller than he actually was. It was due to the differences in their presence. Aman peered at Molon with eyes of admiration before bowing deeply. Then he pushed open the gate of the fortress. The door wasrge and heavy, but Aman pushed it open as easily as any regr door. Aman did not head straight in but rather bowed once more towards Molon. The knights of Ruhr fought to be the first ones toe down from the fortress wall, and the tribesmen of Bayar had already lined the street in front of the gate. The Emperor of Kiehl and the Pope of Yuras were the leaders of only two empires on the continent besides Helmuth. Although they did not hurry, they did not dare to remain standing on the walls either. They descended a bitter than the others and greeted the returning hero with their knights. Soon, countless knights lined the streets and made way for Molon. So the march began. Molon returned the wee and the greeting of the kings with a smile and strode ahead while receiving respectful gazes from the knights as if it were natural. ¡°Are you not going to head in?¡± Gavid was still standing in front of the gate. A Knight of the ck Fog standing behind him asked politely, and Gavid shook his head with a smile. ¡°We¡¯ll go in after a little while.¡± That road wasn¡¯t meant for Gavid and the ck Fog, and he was willing to show respect for such a thing. *** Eugene wasn¡¯t given a chance to talk to Molon alone, but it was the most natural thing. He was the Founder of Ruhr, and he had gone into seclusion about a hundred years ago. He had suddenly returned when many had thought him dead. Immediately after the march, Molon headed to the castle where the kings were staying. Naturally, Aman apanied him along with the other kings. It was none of Eugene¡¯s business what they would talk about there, but¡­ wasn¡¯t it quite obvious? They would ask why he had gone into seclusion and why he had returned. Eventually, they would discuss what to do with Gavid Lindman and the ck Fog. Gavid Lindman and the ck Fog were residing on the outskirts close to the fortress wall. There was room for them in the buildings inside the fortress, but Gavid refused the offer and insisted on using an empty space on the outskirts as a campsite. Although Gavid had explicitly stated his interest in Eugene several times, he did not attempt to make any contact. The only interaction they shared was making eye contact a few times on the fortress wall. Gavid was probably showing respect to Molon¡¯s warning. ¡®That¡¯s better for me.¡¯ Eugene did not want to be involved with Gavid already. Simr to Noir Giabe, Gavid Lindman was an existence Eugene was incapable of facing in his current state. Interest and curiosity? Probably. But a rtionship? ¡®That¡¯s bullshit.¡¯ Eugene snorted with disdain while walking. Kristina, who was walking by his side, looked quite nervous. She continued to fidget with the hem of her robe, fixed her hair with her hands, took deep breaths, and adjusted her expression. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I-I am fine. I am just a little flustered,¡± answered Kristina. Anise had insisted on not taking control of Kristina¡¯s body for now. The body belonged to Kristina, and Anise was just sharing the space, so she insisted it was only proper for Kristina to be the one to face and greet Molon first. It was even more important since she wasn¡¯t given the opportunity in Lehainjar. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so nervous. He¡¯s just¡­ well¡­ he¡¯s just an idiot,¡± said Eugene. ¡°To me¡­. Hmm¡­. He wasn¡¯t the kind of person to be called so,¡± answered Kristina. Though they weren¡¯t given a chance to speak to him alone before, Molon invited the two of them. Beast King Aman personally came to the Lionheart¡¯s mansion and delivered Molon¡¯s invitation. So Eugene and Anise were walking down the hallway after climbing to the top floor of the castle tower. It was the same corridor that Eugene had walked in the previous day. Aman had only guided them downstairs, then remained behind in ordance with Molon¡¯s wish to speak to the two alone. As a result, there was no sign of any other life in the hallway, and although it was prudent to always be careful with words, regardless of where you were, as the king¡¯s residence, the top floor was covered by a high-level defensive spell. As such, there was no reason for them to not speak their minds. ¡°Not the kind of person to be¡­? You heard him talking to Gavid Lindman earlier, didn¡¯t you?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°He was filled with majesty, befitting a great hero of three hundred years ago,¡± responded Kristina. ¡°But what he said was still stupid. Maybe he sounds a bit more convincing now that he¡¯s gotten a bit older,¡± muttered Eugene while staring up ahead. He could see a door at the corridor¡¯s end. After taking a deep breath, Eugene approached the door. ¡®That idiot. He couldn¡¯t possibly think of swinging an ax again after calling me here, right?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t possible, right? Eugene snorted and grabbed the doorknob. But before he could even turn the doorknob, the door burst open, or rather, it was hinged off. With it, Eugene was also flung into the air with the door with his hand on the knob. ¡°Hamel!¡± shouted Molon. He stared straight ahead and blinked a few times. Kristina gasped, even forgetting to give her greetings. ¡°Where is Hamel?¡± he asked once more. ¡°Hey, you idiot.¡± Eugene was still hanging in the air while holding the doorknob. He frowned, bewildered, and kicked Molon in the shoulder. ¡°Why did you break the door for no¡­.¡± ¡°Hamel!¡± roared Molon once more. Boom! Eugene fell to the ground along with the door, and Molon stretched out his arms and tightly embraced Eugene. ¡°I can¡¯t believe my eyes. Hamel! I didn¡¯t expect to see you again like this!¡± It was suffocating. Eugene struggled for his life buried in Molon¡¯s stiff and humongous chest muscles. Chapter 235: Lehain (6) ¡®I might die.¡¯ Eugene truly thought so from the bottom of his heart. Molon¡¯s chest muscles were tightly inted, and they just so happened to press down on Eugene¡¯s airway. Eugene struggled to escape, but the force that held him in ce was beyond his imagination. Molon¡¯s arms were wrapped around Eugene¡¯s back, and it restricted Eugene to the point he couldn¡¯t raise his head. Slowly but surely, Eugene¡¯s body slowly molded into the shape that fit into Molon¡¯s muscles. ¡®I¡­ I¡¯m going to die¡­.¡¯ Not to mention that he couldn¡¯t breathe, the force that weighed down on him was too strong¡­. Eugene started to convulse, and his mind began to dim, but even at that moment, Molon continued to cry out Hamel¡¯s name. Eugene¡¯s head felt hot and damp. It was because of the thick, gooey tears flowing down onto Eugene¡¯s head. [Kristina, if this goes on, Hamel might really die,] said Anise. She could no longer stand idly as life withered from Eugene. [Do you think you can really stop him with your skinny hands? Kristina, the il hanging on your waist looks like the perfect tool to smack that idiot¡¯s head. Don¡¯t worry. Even if you swing the il with all your might, it won¡¯t even leave a scratch on that blockhead.] ¡®But sister, how could I be so disrespectful to him when it¡¯s my first time seeing him¡­?¡¯ [Look, Kristina. Hamel is about to die!] Anise eximed urgently. Kristina made up her mind at Anise¡¯s urgent words. She unfurled her robes before drawing the il, which had been fixed to her waist and thigh. After whirling the weight at the end of the chain once in the air, she directed it to Molon¡¯s head. Thuck! The impact of adamantium meeting flesh was an unsettling collision, but the resulting sound that echoed in the air was incongruous with the reality of the situation. Kristina felt slightly nervous after delivering the blow, but contrary to her expectations, she was shocked to see not even a single scratch left on Molon¡¯s forehead, let alone a drop of blood. ¡°Huh?¡± Even so, the attack produced the desired effect. Molon came to his senses and turned his tearful eyes toward Kristina. ¡°Ohhhh!¡± cried Molon once more while shedding tears once more. His arms opened wide, and Eugene¡¯s limp body fell to the ground. After walking past Eugene¡¯s sprawling figure, Molon approached Kristina. ¡°Ah¡­. Hello, Sir Molon Ruhr. I am,¡± started Kristina. ¡°Kristina Rogeris! You really look just like Anise. I wasn¡¯t able to greet you properly thest time because of the situation,¡± said Molon. ¡°Ah¡­. Yes,¡± responded Kristina while staring at Molon¡¯s broad chest with fear in her eyes. When she saw him approaching with his squirming muscles, she couldn¡¯t help but think of how Molon had squeezed the life out of Eugene. It looked as if he was approaching her with the same idea. ¡°Hey, you idiot¡­!¡± called out Eugene while staggering to his feet. Eugene coughed a few times before conjuring a ball of mana, which he then hurled at the back of Molon¡¯s head. Boom! It was a powerful projectile containing quite a bit of power, but it didn¡¯t even cause Molon¡¯s head to budge. ¡°Why the fuck did you hug me like that all of a sudden!? I almost died because of you!¡± shouted Eugene. ¡°Hamel!¡± eximed Molon before stopping in his tracks. With a broad smile, he shifted his gaze between Eugene and Kristina. Then he burst intoughter while shedding thick tears. ¡°I never thought I would get to meet you two like this. So I-I¡¯m so d to see you two like this again.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t possibly keepining when Molon seemed so d to see them,ughing at the same time he cried. Eugene took on a bitter expression while massaging his stiff back. ¡°Is Anise inside of you?¡± Molon directed the question to Kristina. Kristina had been standing, stunned speechless. His question startled her, but she quicklyposed herself and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I¡¯m d to meet you, and this is fun and mysterious, but if you don¡¯t mind, would you allow me to say hello to Anise?¡± asked Molon. ¡°Of course, I will.¡± Kristina bowed before closing her eyes. After a moment, Kristina¡¯s shoulders shuddered. ¡°Have you be a little wiser after living for three hundred years? Or have you just gotten faster at picking up clues?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Anise!¡± shouted Molon. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. I am Anise Slywood. But Molon, how did you recognize me? As I remember, you were neither wise nor tactful enough to recognize me from the top of that cliff just from my wings,¡± asked Anise. ¡°It¡¯s because I became able to see,¡± said Molon while wiping away the stream of tears. ¡°My eyes have be very bright since hundred years ago. It was a change that came because I lived where it was needed. Anise, I can see that there are two souls inside that body. The souls of the two of you are alike and connected like twins, or rather as if they are originally from the same soul. I can¡¯t see the distinct form of your soul, but I can feel the familiarity.¡± ¡°You came to see the soul? What kind of¡ª¡± said Anise. ¡°And Hamel. The same goes for your soul. It¡¯s familiar, nostalgic, and intimate. Even if your body has changed, you are definitely still Hamel,¡± continued Molon. Even though he was wiping away his tears, it didn¡¯t look like he was about to stop crying anytime soon. Eugene felt sorry to see Molon crying like a baby with arge, rough face. He was reminded of the dream shown to him by Anise in the Samar Forest when Molon had been bawling in front of Hamel¡¯s tomb. ¡°Hey, stop crying. Why do you keep crying like an idiot when we¡¯re right here?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°These are noble tears. Tears fit to be shed by true warriors,¡± said Molon. ¡°Leave him alone, Hamel. Molon will not stop crying, no matter what you say. You may not know this, but three hundred years ago, Molon was more stubborn than anyone else when it came to crying,¡± said Anise. Everyone had wept when Hamel died in the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. However, in terms of the number of tears shed, Molon had taken the lead by a significant amount. Sienna had wept, Anise had cried quietly in despair, Vermouth had turned his gaze upwards and red at the next floor while shedding tears, and Molon pounded his fists against the floor and bawled, creating a pool of tears on the ground. ¡°When Molon cries, it¡¯s better to leave him alone. If you let him cry for an hour, he should¡ª¡± said Anise. ¡°No, you should not leave me alone. " Anise, Hamel,e closer,¡± interrupted Molon, spreading his arms wide and widening his tear-filled eyes. Both Eugene and Anise stiffened at his terrifying invitation. But Molon didn¡¯t seem to care how they reacted. He started takingrge steps toward them without waiting for them to acknowledge his words. Large, thick arms wrapped around Eugene and Anise. Although the two looked rather reluctant, they made no effort to escape their friend¡¯s grasp. They allowed themselves to be brought into his embrace side-by-side as if they were one. The only things that bothered them were that¡­ Molon was way too big, and he cried way too much. ¡®My hair is all wet¡­.¡¯ The streams that rolled down Molon¡¯s eyespletely soaked the top of Eugene and Anise¡¯s heads. They stood still in his arms for quite a while. There wasn¡¯t much talking, just the silent gratification of each other¡¯s presence and warmth. They simply stood there, feeling each other¡¯s presence. Although he had already died and was reincarnated, Hamel was here as Eugene. Anise had also died, but she was here sharing Kristina¡¯s body. Molon was here as well. The three perceived, touched, and felt each other¡¯s presence. Although it was a simple gesture, a hug, the time they spent in silence was precious and invaluable. And¡­ although Eugene dismissed it as not a big deal, he strangely felt his tears threatening to fall. He had never felt emotions this strong so often when he had been Hamel. ¡®It¡¯s because of Vermouth.¡¯ The ancestor of his current body was Vermouth, so if there was anything unsatisfactory or wrong with him, it was all because of Vermouth. At least, that¡¯s what Eugene told himself as he held back his tears. When he stole a nce at Anise, he saw her weeping silently. Seeing that, he no longer felt a need to hold back his tears. So Eugene cried. Even though he didn¡¯t cry as much as Molon, he allowed his tears to flow for a little while, just long enough for his emotions to quench. After a while, the hugging and the crying concluded. Anise immediately stepped away from Molon as if she had been waiting for this moment, then urgently washed her hair in the bathroom next door. Eugene also washed his hair next to Anise, and although Molon did not join them, he wiped his wet face and beard using arge bedsheet as a towel. ¡°Are you not going to ask us anything?¡± said Anise while taking a seat on an empty sofa. Eugene had summoned the wind to dry their hair, and she wasbing her silky hair with her hands. ¡°Molon, I¡¯m sure you are having difficulties understanding our presence in this era.¡± ¡°That is true, but that¡¯s not what¡¯s most important to me. You two are in front of me now, and I am still alive. For me, that is the most important thing that makes me the happiest,¡± responded Molon. ¡°I envy you for being able to think so simply. But Molon, you need to know what happened for us to be here now. That way, you will be able to share what you experienced until now as well, right?¡± said Anise. Molon gazed at her with a hint of confusion, his eyes narrowing ever so slightly as he processed her words. For a moment, he remained still, his expression inscrutable. Then he blinked in an almost mechanical fashion. It seemed he had not grown any wiser after all. Anise clicked her tongue while crossing her legs. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not saying anythingplicated, am I? It¡¯s been hundreds of years since we¡¯vest seen each other, so let¡¯s share stories and talk. It just so happens that Hamel has quite a bit of alcohol in his cloak to help us enjoy the stories.¡± Eugene¡¯s cloak unfurled at her words, and Mer poked out her head. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I would also like to give my greetings to Sir Molon, Lady Sienna¡¯srade,¡± said Mer. ¡°Oh, by the gods!¡± shouted Molon with shock. He approached Eugene withrge strides, then lowered his imposing stature and locked gazes with Mer. ¡°H-hello there, Sir Molon. My name is Mer Merdein. I am a familiar created by Lady Sienna¡ª¡± ¡°You look just like Sienna!¡± eximed Molon without bothering to let her finish. ¡°Yes¡­. Eh¡­ I was created in the image of Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood.¡± ¡°I see! A little Sienna created by Sienna, so that would make you Sienna¡¯s daughter, right?¡± asked Molon with a wide grin. He then stroked her head. ¡°Nice to meet you. I am Molon Ruhr, arade, and friend of Sienna.¡± After exchanging pleasantries, the four settled around a sturdy wooden table. Anise¡¯s eyes silently bore into Eugene, who fidgeted before producing an array of bottles from the depths of his cloak. The clink of ss and liquid echoed throughout the room as he arranged them meticulously on the floor. Molon excused himself briefly before re-entering the room with an armful of his own prized bottles. Each one gleamed with an expensive sheen, theirbels announcing their rarity and refinement. It was evident that he intended to spare no expense for their reunion. ¡°What about snacks?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°A true drinker takes alcohol as their snack,¡± responded Anise. ¡°But I don¡¯t want to,¡± muttered Eugene. But it wasn¡¯t as if he could ask to have snacks delivered from downstairs. He longed for something to apany their alcohol, and at the very least, he wished for sses to drink out of. But before he could voice his desires, Anise began to chug down entire bottles of liquor. Molon followed suit, and their actions ignited apetitive me within Eugene¡¯s heart. He quickly seized his own bottle, determined not to be outdone, and started chugging it down as well. With a quizzical expression, Mer observed the trio through squinted eyes while sipping on her juice. Despite having been created two centuries ago, she wanted to consider herself an eternal child. To her, the idea of growing up and bing an adult, like the three before her, was an unappealing prospect. Despite being way older than her appearance, she clung to her childlike wonder and refused to relinquish it. ¡°I see.¡± However, drinking was not the only thing on the agenda. Amidst the clinking of sses, they delved into deep conversation, touching upon a plethora of topics. Anise, in particr, shared her story calmly, detailing how she hade to be the way she was. She spoke with an air of nonchnce, her words flowing easily from her lips as if they were of no consequence. ¡°Molon. Do you remember the letter I sent you?¡± asked Anise. ¡°I kept it forever. Once it got so old that the paper started to break apart, I chewed it up and swallowed it,¡± answered Molon. ¡°I think I asked something I should not have. Frankly, it¡¯s quite unpleasant to hear what you did to it,¡± said Anise with a grimace. To the world atrge, Anise¡¯s departure on a pilgrimage had marked her disappearance from public view. The truth, however, was known only to the upper echelons of Yuras. They alone had been privy to the details of her demise, and they made use of her remains as a relic for three hundred years. Though Molon had not been privy to the full extent of the truth, he knew that Anise''s supposed departure on a pilgrimage had been a ruse to conceal her untimely demise. The truth had been revealed to him through a letter that Anise had penned before taking her own life within the Audience Chamber of the pope. It had been her final wish. ¡°It wasn¡¯t really a will, just a letter. I told you that my body had reached its limit, that it was impossible to forcibly prolong my life any longer. I told you that I was going to die and that I wasn¡¯t going to reveal my death to the world, so you should not express your condolences and keep it to yourself. You weren¡¯t toe to Yuras either. We would once again reunite in heaven after you lived your life.¡± She lifted the bottle to her lips and downed its contents in a single, impressive gulp. Then she wiped her lips with the back of her hand before grinning widely, the satisfaction of the feat apparent in her expression. ¡°It was that kind of letter. Thankfully, Molon understood my letter and did what I asked him to,¡± she continued. Molon¡¯s eyes grew red and teary again, the emotional turmoil resurfacing despite having cried his eyes out earlier. The depth of his emotion was evident in the way his chest heaved with each breath. ¡°There was no reason not to. Anise, you asked me in the letter, didn¡¯t you? You asked me as a friend, and I do not ignore the requests of my friends,¡± said Molon. ¡°I wrote that letter because I knew you were that kind of person. If I had disappeared without writing a letter, Molon, you would definitely have stormed Yuras,¡± said Anise. ¡°I would have,¡± said Molon. It was true. He would have, and he did not deny it. Eugene shared his own story of death and rebirth, detailing the circumstances that led to his reincarnation. As he spoke, Sienna''s name naturally arose, inextricably linked to his own tale of resurrection. Molon remained silent, listening intently to Eugene''s words as he downed another bottle of alcohol. He understood the gravity of the situation, recognizing the need for the story to be told in its entirety without interruption. ¡°I¡­.¡± After listening to the fairly long story, Molon put down his bottle of alcohol. ¡°I once tried to find Sienna a long time ago.¡± The fact that Aroth had sent numerous search teams across the continent in a desperate bid to locate Sienna was well-known, as well as Molon¡¯s participation. However, despite Ruhr''s support and the tireless efforts of the search teams, no trace of her had been found, even after wandering the vast expanse of the continent for an extended period of time. ¡°After stepping down from the throne, I also headed personally to Samar. But I could not find it. The territory of the World Tree and the elves did not open its doors to me,¡± said Molon. Even for Molon, entering the territory of the elves had been an impossible feat, as it was protected by the World Tree. While it might have been feasible in the past, the World Tree had sealed off its territory after Raizakia''s attack, rendering it virtually impregnable. The barrier was so effective that it was impossible to even perceive its existence without possessing a leaf from the World Tree, leaving many would-be intruders thwarted in their attempts to enter. ¡°Sienna is strong. I lived for hundreds of years, so I naturally assumed that Sienna would as well. When Sienna disappeared, I thought it was because she had gone into seclusion to train so that she could achieve her wish,¡± continued Molon. ¡°Wish?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Are you really asking me because you don¡¯t know, Hamel? As with the rest of us, Sienna wanted to avenge you. No, she was obsessed with getting your revenge. After bing the head of one of Aroth¡¯s magic towers, she holed herself up and immersed herself in creating magic,¡± responded Molon. He closed his eyes, paused, then continued. ¡°But I never imagined¡­ she was attacked by Vermouth. And Raizkia¡­. Honestly, all of this is hard to believe. But since you¡¯re telling me it¡¯s true, I will absolutely believe it.¡± Molon¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he fixed his unwavering gaze upon Eugene and Anise. ¡°And just as I believe in you two, I also believe in Vermouth. The Vermouth I know would not have attacked Sienna. Hamel, if Vermouth needed the ne Sienna had for your reincarnation, he would have talked to her about it. There was no reason Sienna would have refused your reincarnation, right?¡± said Molon. Eugene agreed with Molon, and Vermouth¡¯s vision had said something simr in the Dark Room. ¡ªSienna still has the ne containing your soul, but I¡¯m nning on convincing her one day to get it. However, Vermouth''s actions were in contrast to his words. He faked his own death and lured Sienna out in a deceitful manner. He trespassed into Hamel''s tomb and attacked Sienna''s familiar, which had been guarding the tomb. The reason behind his choices was unknown to Eugene, but Vermouth had then unsealed Hamel''s coffin, taken his corpse, then sealed the Moonlight Sword inside the coffin. When Sienna arrived at the tomb btedly, Vermouth attacked her, leaving a gaping hole in her chest. If¡­ Sienna had not used the leaf of the World Tree that she had with her, she would have died at Vermouth¡¯s hands right then and there. As a result, Vermouth sessfully stole the ne from Sienna, and Hamel was ultimately reincarnated as Vermouth¡¯s descendant. The ne ended up in the Lionheart family¡¯s treasury. Eugene was puzzled by Vermouth''s actions. When he considered each action individually, some of it made sense. However, when he tried to put them together as a whole, it didn''t add up. There were three actions that were all typical of Vermouth ¡ª sealing the Moonlight Sword, causing Hamel''s reincarnation, and hiding the ne in the Lionheart family''s treasury. But leaving Hamel''s body outside the door and attacking Sienna for the ne didn''t make sense. These weren¡¯t things that Vermouth would have done. ¡°We trust Sir Vermouth as well,¡± Anise said firmly, refusing to entertain any doubts about his actions. Her bond with Vermouth Lionheart and herrades, forged through their travels in Helmuth, was too strong to be shaken. Sienna, too, had expressed her trust andck of resentment towards Vermouth even after being attacked by him. ¡°But I am certain something must have happened to Sir Vermouth. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to have done such things.¡± ¡°I¡¯m notpletely sure what, but something must have happened between Vermouth and the Demon King of Incarceration. Perhaps it was something he had to give in exchange for the promise of peace. If Vermouth had been threatened or coerced by the Demon King of Incarceration, he could have easily attacked Sienna. Even now, Vermouth¡¯s soul may be in possession of the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± said Anise. Molon listened in silence for a while. Anise continued while tossing back the bottle she had finished. ¡°Molon, now it¡¯s your turn. Why did you suddenly dere seclusion a hundred years ago? And why were you in the Great Hammer Canyon?¡± ¡°Why did you drive us out a few days ago? And the Nur. What was that monster? I¡­. I don¡¯t think the energy I felt was just an illusion. Both Anise and I felt a simr energy from the Nur as the Demon King of Destruction,¡± Eugene continued with Anise¡¯s questions. Eugene had pondered over this thought repeatedly, but the answer eluded him. He couldn''t wrap his head around the fact that a creature living in the remote nortnds could emit the same ominous aura as the Demon King of Destruction, who had never left Ravesta in centuries. It didn''t make sense. He rubbed his chin, lost in thought. The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. He struggled to understand how the Nur, located in Lehainjar, could emit the same ominous feeling as the Demon King of Destruction, who had not left Ravesta in three hundred years. ¡°Hamel, Anise.¡± After a brief silence, Molon called out. ¡°Three hundred years ago, I was the first one to meet Vermouth among us.¡± ¡°Right.¡± The story was well-known to Eugene, one he had heard many times before from Molon in his past life. Vermouth hade from the Kingdom of Ashal, which had been situated next to Helmuth. However, the only noteworthy aplishment attributed to Ashal in history was the rise of Vermouth Lionheart, as it was the first kingdom to fall during Helmuth¡¯s conquest three hundred years ago. The few survivors of the kingdom had been captured by the demonfolks and taken as prisoners. They were transported to Helmuth, where they became experimental subjects for ck wizards, toys of the demonfolks, or worse, sacrifices. Back then, those enved by Helmuth were never allowed a peaceful death. The horrors that took ce within the dark walls of Helmuth had been too ghastly to imagine. Vermouth had been one such ve, and he had been in the process of being brought back to Helmuth after being captured by demonfolks and ck wizards. To survive. That was what Vermouth had said. He had stolen a demon¡¯s de with only that one thought. That was the first time he ever wielded a sword, but he managed to kill dozens of demons and ck wizards. Afterward, he escaped Helmuth with the other ves who had been captured. In the process, he killed hundreds of demonic beasts and rescued other ves. After escaping Helmuth, he reached the snowfield the Bayar Tribe had taken as their home. That was where he had met Molon. ¡°I met Vermouth before any of you, and I fought together with him. I was a brave warrior already, but Vermouth was already a Hero. At first, none of us were heroes, none except Vermouth. We became heroes after spending time and fighting alongside Vermouth,¡± said Molon. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Yes, we were definitely heroes. Although not in satisfactory form or shape, we saved the world. And yet, Hamel and Anise, your ends were unfortunate. Hamel, you died in a battle against the Staff of Incarceration. Anise, you informed me of your death through a letter. Sienna hid without telling anyone the truth, and Vermouth¡­ died,¡± continued Molon. ¡°He didn¡¯t die,¡± muttered Eugene. In response, Molon emptied another bottle. ¡°That may be the truth, but I thought Vermouth was dead. I saw the body myself, and I moved his coffin. In the end, I was left alone. Alone, I lived for a long time. Until now,¡± he said while cing an empty bottle upright on the table. ¡°I thought of myself as a hero, a warrior. So I hoped for an ending befitting a hero and a warrior. As the King of Ruhr, I didn¡¯t want to die with all the people mourning for me,¡± said Molon. ¡°Contemte?¡± ¡°My body did not grow old, and I remained strong. Even after the age of a hundred, I was still in my prime as a warrior. How could I use this power? Everyone was calling me a hero, but the heroes I called my friends were no longer with me in this world.¡± Molon¡¯s lips squirmed, and he continued with an unbing bitter smile. ¡°I wondered if I should challenge Helmuth once again. But after thinking about it over and over, I decided not to. This peace was something Vermouth earned because of the Oath. If I challenged Helmuth again, it would break the peace. I was sure of it. And I knew well that I could never kill the Demon King of Incarceration, let alone the Demon King of Destruction, on my own.¡± Molon¡¯s solitude had been long, and his worries had not been something that time could solve. ¡°It was Vermouth who gave me a new mission,¡± said Molon. ¡°What?¡± ¡°One hundred and fifty years ago, when Anise and Sienna were gone, when I was the only one alive, Vermouth appeared in my dream and said this,¡± Climb Lehainjar. See Raguyaran. Watch out for whates from beneath. ¡°Vermouth,¡± said Molon. ¡°Said he would leave it to me.¡± Molon, a hero and a warrior who longed for a befitting death, had encountered Vermouth in his dreams. Vermouth had asked him for a favor. ¡°One hundred years ago, as Vermouth warned, they began toe from the end of Raguyaran,¡± continued Molon. The old legend of the Bayar Tribe Molon mentioned before. Beyond Lehainjar lies Raguyaran. A destend of nothingness, and that must not be crossed, the end of the world. The Tribe of Bayar resides in Lehain and Lehainjar to prevent anyone from crossing into Raguyaran. As well as to protect anything from crossing over from Raguyaran. In the deepness of the night, the Nur rises in Raguyaran. The Nur treads the wide stretch ofnd and crosses over into Lehainjar. Any children who refuse to sleep would be devoured by the Nur¡­. ¡°I believe in Vermouth.¡± So Molon never doubted Vermouth. Chapter 236: Lehain (7) In the past, Molon had failed toe up with a solution to his concerns. As the sole survivor of the Hero''s party, he had faced the difficult decision of whether to maintain the fragile peace they had achieved with Vermouth or take up the mission his fallenrades had failed to achieve. During the time of his dilemma, Vermouth had appeared in Molon''s dreams, providing the answer to his reality. With this revtion, Molon was able to find peace in his decision and no longer had to agonize over the choice he was faced with. Furthermore, his body, which had not aged for hundreds of years, was in the perfect condition toplete Vermouth¡¯s request. Had Vermouth''s prediction of the End note to fruition, Molon would not have had such unwavering trust in him. However, the End did indeed cross over from Raguyaran, just as Vermouth had warned. Molon''s dream, which had urred one hundred and fifty years prior, was no mere figment of his imagination but a forewarning of the impending doom that started a hundred years ago. ¡°After I had that dream, I lived in Lehainjar. I saw Raguyaran every single day,¡± Molon exined. Lehainjar towered over the surroundingndscape with its rugged, imposing form, but to Molon, it was a ce offort and familiarity. Every day, as the sun sank below the horizon, he did the arduous climb to the summit and gazed out at Raguyaran in the distance. And each morning, he descended the mountain. ¡°Each day was busy and fulfilling, and at that time, I was no longer the King of Ruhr. There was no one toin even if I lived in Lehainjar,¡± continued Molon. But that didn¡¯t mean Molon confined himself to Lehinajar. He would asionally attend important events in Ruhr. This was before he retreated into seclusion. ¡°Raguyaran was not even a little bit different from what I saw when I was young. Even so, I trusted Vermouth. He had warned me even after his death, and I knew he wasn¡¯t a man to make pointless warnings and requests.¡± "I agree," Eugene whispered softly, with Anise nodding in agreement beside him. Vermouth Lionheart, they knew, was not one to rely on others for assistance or favors. He was a man who preferred to take on challenges himself, and if he deemed a task impossible, then it was unlikely that anyone else could aplish it either. Vermouth was simr in his approach to giving warnings. He preferred to avoid situations where he was forced to do so. If there was a warning that he feltpelled to give, it meant that the situation was unavoidable, and he had no other recourse. Such situations definitely warranted careful attention and vignce. Molon spoke with conviction, "As Vermouth had warned, the End dide. So, it could only mean that the person who appeared in my dream was indeed Vermouth. Thus, I believe all his requests and warnings hold true and should be taken seriously." "What exactly do you mean by the End?" asked Eugene, giving the bottle in his hand a little shake. "Do you mean the Nur?" he continued, recalling the giant horned monkey and the monster that emitted the same ominous energy as the Demon King of Destruction. Aman, the Beast King, had mentioned that the Nur he had seen had taken the form of a giant snake. ¡°In thenguage of the snowfield, the word Nur means the end and death. The End and the Nur don¡¯t mean different things. The end of life is death, and this truth applies to everything,¡± responded Molon. ¡°The Nur I saw was just arge monkey. It didn¡¯t really fit the definition of death and the end,¡± said Eugene. ¡°But Hamel, you said you felt something ominous from the Nur. Anise, you must have felt the same way as well,¡± said Molon. He turned his head and peered out the window, looking towards Lehainjar over the fluttering snow. ¡°Three hundred years ago, we felt the end just by seeing that existence from a distance. More than anything else we saw in Helmuth, that existence made us realize the end.¡± Molon was speaking of the Demon King of Destruction. Molon clenched his fist as he spoke, "I don''t know why the Nur emits the same ominous energy as the Demon King of Destruction. Vermouth never mentioned anything like that, either. But to me, it''s not extremely important. The Endes no matter what we do. Ites from Raguyaran and crosses over Lehainjar at will. It must be stopped; it cannot be allowed to cross over. When I first saw the Nur a hundred years ago, those were the thoughts that came to my mind." There had been no warning. Molon ascended the peak of Lehainjar, a routine he had followed for decades. He gazed upon Raguyaran, a sight he had grown ustomed to over time. However, on this particr day, there was an absence of familiarity. He couldn''t pinpoint exactly when or where the shift began, but he knew that everything was different. As Molon climbed up the mountain, his feelings of unease continued to intensify. He pushed his body forward, struggling to reach the summit, where he could finallyy eyes on Raguyaran. However, once he reached the top, there was nothing to see but a barren wastnd devoid of any signs of life. After seeing the deadnd, he turned his head at a sudden, unknown sense of fear. The Nur had been standing behind Molon. ¡°Do you remember when we saw the Demon King of Destruction?¡± asked Molon. ¡°How could I ever forget?¡± said Eugene. ¡°I will never forget the sense of urgency and the emotions I felt, no matter how many times I die,¡± said Anise. The mere presence of the Demon King of Destruction had instilled a deep sense of hopelessness, causing a strong impulse to end one''s life, regardless of their past, present, or future. It had evoked an overwhelming feeling of terror, a fear so intense that it could not be faced without resorting to self-harm. No one had even entertained the thought of fighting against it. Rather, their only thought was to never approach the fearsome existence. ¡°The Demon King suddenly appeared in a ce where we could see it. We know how many people the Demon King of Destruction killed in that ce, but we do not know why and how such an existence appeared there,¡± said Molon. The Demon King of Destruction was such an existence. It was a living, moving disaster beyond humanprehension. Although Ravesta was the territory of the Demon King of Destruction, it had wandered through Helmuth three hundred years ago. It was impossible to even guess where the Demon King of Destruction would appear at any given time. Three hundred years ago, it had suddenly appeared without any prior warnings or signs. It brought along destruction with its presence. It had been the same then. When they looked up, they saw the Demon King of Destruction beyond the mountain. It had been impossible to make out its exact appearance. The Demon King of Destruction had appeared like a giant inexplicable phenomenon, a mixture or a mass of color. That was what they had seen. ¡°It brings me painful humiliation to say this, but we ran at that time. I was and still am a brave warrior, but I wanted to never face that existence. I knew that I would face unconditional death if I fought it. I felt that my existence would disappear,¡± continued Molon. Molon wasn''t the only one who had felt that way. Hamel had also felt the same sense of fear and urgency, and ultimately, everyone there had turned to flee. It was Vermouth who had taken the lead, shouting that they needed to run. ¡°We ran far, but that existence was simply too big. We could see it with our eyes no matter how far we ran,¡± said Molon. ¡°Right,¡± agreed Eugene after a moment. They had only stopped fleeing when they no longer saw the Demon King of Destruction. To be precise, the Demon King of Destruction had disappeared. ¡°The Nur is iparably weaker than the Demon King of Destruction, but they are simr to the Demon King of Destruction,¡± continued Molon. They suddenly appeared before one¡¯s eyes and exuded an unpleasant, ominous energy. They spread death and brought the end, as their name suggested. ¡°The first day I saw the Nur, I killed the Nur. Then I dered seclusion to the royal family.¡± Things had changed from before, and since then, Molon never came down from Lehainjar. There were no patterns in the emergence of the Nur. They appeared during the day one day and during the night another. There were times when dozens would appear on the same day and times when none appeared for days. ¡°On the first day I saw the Nur, Vermouth appeared in my dream again. He apologized in my dream, but what was there to be sorry about? Rather, I felt sorry for Vermouth. I felt joy, sadness, and even gratitude for his words. I knew Vermouth would not have wanted to ask me for this favor, but there must have been no one else. He asked me because it was something he could not do.¡± So Molon had told him, ¡°I will continue to stay on this mountain and kill the Nur. It doesn¡¯t matter to me what the Nur is. But no one will want the End to cross over, and I don¡¯t want it either.¡± ¡°What did Vermouth say after hearing your words?¡± asked Eugene a beatter. ¡°He said nothing. Vermouth took on an expression that was unbing for him. Then he disappeared. Although that was thest day I dreamt of Vermouth, I felt the power he gave me,¡± said Molon. ¡°Power?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°My eyes became very bright. Wherever the Nur appears in the wide Lehainjar, I can spot it right away. I can see how those evil creatures are born and how they move. I can see Kristina Rogeris inside Anise right now,¡± responded Molon. He continued while staring outside at Lehainjar, ¡°The Nur is an ominous existence that terrifies people even without them having to see it in person. And it is big. The corpse of the Nur exhales and bleeds poison even after dying. The blood of the Nur stains the snow and deprives the mountain of life.¡± Eugene was astounded by Molon''s dedication to blocking the path of the Nur for a hundred years. He couldn''t even begin to imagine the number of Nur that Molon must have killed during that time. If what Molon said was true and the Nur emitted a poisonous aura, then the poison from the Nur he had in over the years would have spread throughout Lehainjar, covering the mountain in a deadly haze. However, although Lehainjar was a hell of a mountain with endless snow, it wasn¡¯t covered with an ominous energy powerful enough to cause suicidal thoughts. Eugene remembered the incident in the Great Hammer Canyon vividly. Molon had fought fiercely with the giant Nur, killed it, and in the end, both he and the Nur had disappeared in an instant. Eugene had climbed up the cliff to investigate, but there was no trace of Molon or the Nur left behind, not even a drop of blood. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. Eugene also remembered the Lionheart family¡¯s treasure room and the Dark Room deep in the basement. It had utilized magic that was unlike any other magic he had seen. If it had to be ssified, it could be called spatial magic, but it had been impossible for Eugene toprehend the magic even using Akasha. ¡°Vermouth did not exin to me about the ability, but I knew how to use it. Kill the Nur and toss it in. It¡¯s an excellent ability,¡± exined Molon. The idea was not difficult to fathom. On the other side of Lehainjar, there must have been an unseen world, even beyond the reach of archwizards. Molon had likely stored the Nur''s corpses in that realm, building a mountain of the monstrous creatures that bled ck blood so as not to defile his beloved mountain. ¡°Molon, you¡­¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but speak. ¡°Are you living on because of Vermouth¡¯s request?¡± He had to ask. ¡°I¡¯m not dying because I want to,¡± responded Molon with a smile. ¡°I am living a valuable life as a warrior. By following the request of an old friend, I am protecting my beloved snow mountain, the snow field, the nation I raised with my own hands, and the world.¡± ¡°¡­For a hundred years,¡± Eugene finished Molon¡¯s unsaid words. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you, Hamel? This is a worthy life as a warrior. I do not want to die ugly of old age. I want to die a warrior, die a Hero. Although death is a long way off for me now, if I die because Ick power, then the bodies of the Nur will prove the life I lived as a warrior and a hero,¡± continued Molon. Eugene didn¡¯t have anything to say to this. ¡°And the descendants who continue my legacy will stop the Nur on my behalf. This is only natural for a warrior of Bayar and the King of Ruhr.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you resent Vermouth? He exined nothing to you. He didn¡¯t say why the Nur suddenly appeared or why he had to ask you to do this,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Hamel. Do you really think such things are important?¡± asked Molon. Eugene couldn¡¯t find any response. Molon continued with a chuckle upon seeing Eugene hesitate. ¡°I was the only person Vermouth could rely on. Three hundred years ago, if I had died instead of you, and Vermouth had to ask someone else the same favor, he would have asked you. Then, Hamel, would you have refused Vermouth¡¯s request?¡± ¡°I¡­.¡± ¡°Would not have refused. It¡¯s not just you and me, either. Even if it were Sienna and Anise, they would have never refused. Hamel, Anise, what did you two first feel when you first saw the Nur?¡± asked Molon. They had to kill it ¡ª that was the first thought that came to mind. An existence that exuded the same ominous energy as the Demon King of Destruction could not be allowed to exist, so they had to kill it. ¡°I thought the same. Even if Vermouth had not asked, I would have killed the Nur if I had seen it. Even if Vermouth did not ask me to, I would have made it my mission to live in Lehainjar to block and kill the Nur,¡± said Molon. ¡°Of course, you would have,¡± said Anise with a chuckle. She buried herself deeper into the sofa and rested her chin on her hand. ¡°We made¡­ various excuses, but we were all sincere about saving the world. Even if we weren¡¯t all like that from the beginning, after fighting together for decades, all of us eventually epted the mission to save the world. That was our desire.¡± Heroes. ¡°The war is over, and the world has be peaceful. We know how desperately the world needed this and how desperate we were. Although what we achieved was different from our ideal world, we dedicated everything for this peace¡­. If any existence threatened this peace, we would have killed it regardless of whether Sir Vermouth asked for it or not. If that existence continued to appear, I would have devoted the rest of my life to exterminating it without hesitation,¡± continued Anise. Anise had been given another option at the end. She could have chosen to disregard the future of the world. She could have abandoned what had shackled her for her whole life, the Holy Empire and her faith. She could have taken her life quietly in a ce with no one without benefiting the Holy Empire. However, she had not chosen to do so. She had suddenly changed her mind in the desert where Hamel¡¯s tomb was located. She found herself unable to abandon the world. She remembered the stupid man whom she loved, the man who fought until his body was broken and moved no more. So she gave the body of the Imitation Incarnation to the Holy Empire. She chose not to ascend to heaven but to remain behind in this world. She watched as her body was made into sacred relics and future generations of Saints were created. She hoped for her sessors to save the world. Eugene closed his eyes. He couldn¡¯t say anything. Molon was an idiot, and that was an undeniable fact. But it wasn¡¯t just Molon. Everyone was an idiot. Although it wasn¡¯t exactly what they had wished for, didn¡¯t they save the world in the end? Had they not achieved peace, even if it were temporary? Then, they could have lived happily for the rest of their lives, just as much as they had suffered. All they had to do was to live out their lives before dying before ascending to heaven. But no one had chosen to do so. This applied to Hamel as well. He died, then reincarnated. Who cared if it was what Vermouth had intended? Hamel had been given a choice. He could have lived his second life in peace, but he had never considered it an option in the first ce. He made the decision to see through the iplete mission from his past life as if it were the most natural thing. He decided to devote his life to the mission of killing all the Demon Kings. It was just as Anise said. This was simply who they were. ¡°Show it to me next time,¡± grumbled Eugene, pulling the cork from a new bottle. ¡°I¡¯m talking about how many Nur you killed in the past hundred years, Molon. Where you stacked all of them.¡± ¡°I do not want to show you. If I wanted to, I could have shown you thest time,¡± responded Molon. ¡°Why not?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Because the poison is too strong. I am used to it, but Hamel, your mind might break if you go there. You might be sick,¡± answered Molon. Was that why Molon had told him to go back down? Eugene snorted at the idiotic kindness. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m some kind of a fucking pushover? I won¡¯t go weird, no matter how many bodies there are. I won¡¯t get sick.¡± Eugene held himself back from asking a question. He remembered how Molon¡¯s eyes had been. They had been simr to how Vermouth¡¯s had been in the Dark Room ¡ª different, cold, emotionless, tired, and muddy. ¡°Promise me,¡± said Eugene. He couldn¡¯t bear to leave Molon alone. ¡°Promise me that you will take me there after the Knight March. Show me what you have seen in thest hundred years.¡± ¡°Are you nning on leaving me behind?¡± asked Anise with a smile. ¡°If Hamel goes, I am going as well. I have to stand where you two stand.¡± ¡°Anise, you¡­¡± muttered Molon. ¡°Molon. You have absolutely no talent for lying. You are worried about us? That¡¯s a lie, is it not? The only truth from what you¡¯ve said is that you don¡¯t want to show us.¡± Anise wasn¡¯t considerate of Molon like Eugene. She was a malicious woman with a talent for hurting people¡¯s feelings since three hundred years ago. ¡°What you do not want to show us¡­ it¡¯s not simply the bodies of monsters.¡± Molon couldn¡¯t refute Anise. ¡°And whatever it is that you do not want us to see, I want to see it no matter what,¡± said Anise. After a moment of dazed blinking, Molon burst intoughter, his booming chuckles echoing off the walls. He then nodded to himself and gave his own head a light tap before speaking. "You two haven''t changed a bit," he said with a grin. ¡°Have you changed?¡± asked Anise. ¡°I tried not to,¡± answered Molon. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Now that we¡¯ve roughly understood your situation, let¡¯s enjoy our drinks,¡± said Anise before bringing her liquor to her lips. That alone changed the mood. Eugene parted his lips while patting Mer¡¯s wiggling head. ¡°By the way, Molon, is it fine for you to be here now?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say it earlier? I can see Lehainjar from here as well. The Nur has not appeared yet. If ites out, I will go and kill it,¡± responded Molon. He had remained in Lehainjar for a hundred years when he could do such a thing. ¡°Idiot,¡± murmured Eugene while sipping his own bottle. ¡°I do not like that word, but I don¡¯t hate it when you call me an idiot,¡± said Molon with a smile, tipping his own bottle as well. Chapter 237: Lehain (8) Glory was a Demonic Sword granted to Gavid Lindman by the Demon King of Incarceration himself, earning him the title of Sword of Incarceration. It was said to be the only sword capable of withstanding the power of Vermouth''s Moonlight Sword, which could emit a blinding light that could obliterate anything in its path. Gavid Lindman had hardly used Glory for the past three hundred years. However, despite being left untouched for a long time, the de never lost its sharp edge. Even so, Gavid would clean and sharpen the de of his favorite sword every night, always desiring to maintain it in its perfect condition. This particr night was no exception, and in fact, he had a greater desire to sharpen his de tonight. As Gavid sat in his room, he thought back to his encounter with Molon just a few hours ago. The intense fighting spirit that Molon exuded sent a pleasant chill down Gavid''s back as he recalled the events. It brought to mind memories of the battles he had fought three hundred years ago, and Gavid couldn''t help but feel a sense of nostalgia wash over him. ¡®Just a little bit,¡¯ thought Gavid while straightening his pitch-ck sword. He remembered the dull glow of Molon¡¯s eyes. Three hundred years was not short, even by the standards of the demonfolks, and it was an extremely long period of time for humans. Gavid couldn''t help but reflect on how time wore down even the strongest of humans. Just as rocks erode under the forces of nature, humans, too, are incapable of escaping the ravages of time. No matter how strong and excellent a human was, they would be worn out by the passage of time, even Molon. ¡®I had been looking forward to it.¡¯ Gavid recalled the disappointment he felt when Molon did not immediately engage him in battle despite his manic demeanor. After three hundred years of istion, Gavid had expected Molon''s madness to manifest as violent aggression, but he had been proven wrong. Instead, Molon hurled insults and taunts at Gavid but made no move to draw his weapon. It was a far cry from their past battles, where they had shed in a frenzied dance of death. ¡°He¡¯s human, but he is unlike the other humans.¡± Gavid Lindman stared at the ck de that devoured all light, muttering to himself about Molon Ruhr. Unlike other humans, there was something special about him. Molon''s energy had ignited Gavid''s fighting spirit, and he had eagerly anticipated a battle with him. But it had been for naught; Molon had insulted him but hadn''t unsheathed his weapon. Disappointed, Gavid had no choice but to take out his sword and appease his desire for a fight. The Demonic Sword Glory was a gift from the Demon King of Incarceration, and Gavid honored it by taking care of it. Whenever he felt the urge to let loose, he would sharpen and wipe his de, as he did now. Glory had a calming effect on Gavid Lindman''s inner turmoil, and he couldn''t help but wonder if Molon had something simr. It wasn''t quite a sense of kinship, but Gavid couldn''t shake off the memory of Molon''s fierce eyes as he approached the fortress from across the snowfield. They had burned with the fury of a wild beast ready to tear apart its prey. But as soon as Molon had arrived at the gate, his aggression had dissipated like a gust of wind. It was a strange shift, and Gavid couldn''t help but feel disappointed that the anticipated battle with Molon hadn''te to fruition. ¡®Was it because his descendants were watching? Or¡­ was it because he saw an Imitation Incarnation that looked exactly like Anise Slywood? If not that either, is it because he felt the blood of Vermouth Lionheart?¡¯ Gavid continued to muse. Despite not sharing a physical resemnce, Eugene Lionheart possessed a brilliance and talent that was reminiscent of his ancestor, Vermouth Lionheart. It was a gift few humans could boast about and one that had propelled Vermouth to great heights, enabling him to be a Hero and reach the Demon Kings. Even Eugene knew that he had inherited this gift from his ancestor, and he would one day reach simr heights. The same blood that had flowed in Vermouth''s veins now coursed through Eugene''s, and he knew that it was only a matter of time before he, too, would rise to be the Hero. Molon would have also felt the blood flowing in Eugene Lionheart¡¯s veins. After all, he had fought together with Vermouth in the past. Either way, Gavid felt it was a pity. If Molon had caved into his madness and attacked him, it would have given Gavid the justification to fight against him. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there. Come in,¡± said Gavid while putting Glory back into its sheath. The p unfurled, and Amelia Merwin smiled on the other side of the entrance. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bit too shabby to be the quarters of Helmuth¡¯s Duke?¡± asked Amelia. ¡°This is not my territory, is it?¡± countered Gavid. ¡°If you wish, they will give you a castle. Or would you prefer I build a castle for you?¡± said Amelia. ¡°You¡¯re still as rude as always.¡± Gavid couldn''t help but smile at Amelia''s usual rudeness. She had a habit of referring to everyone as you, regardless of their rank or status, except for the Demon King of Incarceration, whom she addressed with the proper title. Gavid had always found it amusing, but he knew better than to let his guard down with her. After all, if Amelia had dared to disrespect the Demon King, Gavid would have been the first to strike her down. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasant and grateful offer, but I will have to refuse. I am feelingfortable enough in this tent,¡± Gavid refused with a smile. Amelia let out a soft snort as she heard Gavid''s response. Without a word, a dark shadow rose up from beneath her and took the shape of a chair. She gracefully took a seat in front of Gavid and crossed her legs, her sharp gaze fixed on him. ¡°I see you still have poor taste,¡± Gavid said snidely. Hemoria, who stood behind Amelia with a bone in her mouth, red at the back of Amelia''s head with a murderous look and let out ragged breaths. However, when she made eye contact with Gavid, she flinched and shrank back as if afraid of something. ¡°A mixture of many things,¡± Gavid continued as he took a closer look at Hemoria, noticing the crimson shade of her eyes and the sharpness of her teeth. She was holding a bone in her mouth, and there was something about her that didn''t seem quite human. Despite her outward appearance, there was an otherworldly quality to her existence that set her apart. He knew that she wasn¡¯t human. ¡°Do you still obsess over those kinds of existences?¡± Gavid asked Amelia. ¡°Did you forget I hate that question?¡± retorted Amelia. ¡°Ah, how rude of me. It¡¯s just been so long since I¡¯vest seen you. Has it been seventy years since west met?¡± asked Gavid. Amelia''s words carried a mysterious tone as she smiled at Gavid. Her gaze swept over Hemoria''s legs, seemingly finding amusement in her presence. "I may have forgotten the distant past," she said, "but why don''t you ask me why I''vee?" ¡°I have known you for two hundred years. Although I have not seen you as often as I have known you, I know you are a very vicious wizard. If I may guess based on this fact, I think you are here to ask me to join you in a malicious n,¡± responded Gavid. Amelia nonchntly ryed the purpose of her visit, her shoulders lifting and dropping in a shrug. "They''re nning to incorporate monsters into their joint training. Aroth and Nahama''s wizards will be handling the summoning, but I figured I''d lend a hand and summon a few myself." ¡°Is that so?¡± said Gavid. ¡°If you invest just a little bit of mana, I can create a very enjoyable, entertaining mess here. What do you think? I think you might have fun with it,¡± said Amelia. Gavid gave a slight chuckle and nodded his head in agreement. "That''s certainly an interesting proposition, Amelia," he said, looking at her with a curious expression. "But I''m afraid I have to decline. While I''m personally intrigued by the idea of the chaos you n to create, I know that His Majesty the Demon King would not approve of such a venture." ¡°Aftering all this way?¡± said Amelia. ¡°I did note to the north to lend you strength. I simply wanted to see the Hero and the Saint in person. Didn¡¯t you expect me to give you such an answer?¡± responded Gavid. Amelia did not deny his usation, and her smile did not falter at Gavid''s rejection. She had expected it, after all. Her proposition was not made earnestly. Even if she were to summon a legion of savage monsters, thebined might of the Knight March would easily overpower them. ¡®If you¡¯re unwilling to help, there¡¯s no reason for me to go ahead with the n.¡¯ She immediately gave up on her lingering feelings. Amelia leaned forward, her eyes focused intently on Gavid. "Let me ask you something else," she said. "I''m sure you may have expected this somewhat, but there''s something I''ve wanted to do for a long time. The same reason why I was stuck in that sandy desert." Her tone was serious, and it was clear that whatever she was about to say was important to her. ¡°Are you worried that I might intervene?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°No other duke would intervene except you. Noir Giabe will have a lot of fun watching, and so will Raizakia, that dragon. But you¡¯re the Sword of Incarceration, right? If I do something to break the peace that the Demon King of Incarceration wants¡­¡± said Amelia. ¡°His Majesty respects the freedom of his servants,¡± responded Gavid. He did not know exactly what Amelia was up to, but he knew she had prepared for a long time. He also knew that the Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t irrelevant to the matter. Amelia Merwin wasn¡¯t the only one like this. All three Mages of Incarceration had directly signed contracts with the Demon King of Incarceration. Edmund Codreth and Balzac Ludbeth also shared simr desires as wizards, which Gavid considered highly presumptuous and arrogant. Despite this, the Demon King of Incarceration did not restrict the mages in their aspirations. On the contrary, he granted them unrestricted freedom to pursue their goals and even provided material assistance to achieve them. ¡°I do not know what you are trying to achieve. His Majesty would know, but he has not ordered me to stop you,¡± said Gavid. ¡°I would like you to tell me for sure that you won¡¯te to kill me no matter what I do,¡± said Amelia. ¡°That¡¯s not something for me to decide. If¡­ whatever you do goes overboard and His Majesty bes heartbroken and orders me to bring your head, I will have no other choice but to obey his order.¡± It wasn¡¯t the answer Amelia was hoping for, but she understood it was the best answer she could hope for from the Sword of Incarceration. As such, she pursued it no further and nodded in understanding. ¡°I will not be giving such an order.¡± Amelia had been ready to depart from the tent, as there was nothing more to discuss. But just as she was about to leave, a voice emanated from the shadows under the light, stopping her in her tracks. The voice contained no significant presence or weight. It was simply a voice. However, Gavid and Amelia knew very well who the voice belonged to. The two immediately jumped from their seats with pale expressions while Hemoria tilted her head with confusion, unable to understand why they were acting so flustered. ¡°I do not want to trample on your efforts and hard work,¡± the voice continued. An eye opened in the darkness. There was still no presence to be felt, but unlike the voice, the eye caused Hemoria to fall to the floor unconscious with just a gaze. However, Amelia could not turn her eyes away from the eye. ¡°Your Majesty! Why have youe to such a shabby ce¡­!?¡± said Gavid, bowing deeply and respectfully. He was used to hearing the voice of the Demon King of Incarcerationing down from the top floor of Babel. However, it had been a very long time since Gavidst felt the existence of the Demon King of Incarceration and was faced with his eye. It made Gavid tremble with ecstasy. ¡°I am not here to scold you,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. His eye was the only thing visible in the darkness. Amelia clenched her fist while trembling. ¡°Then¡­. Are you here to rebuke me?¡± she asked. ¡°I have told you already. I do not wish to trample on your hard work and effort,¡± responded the Demon King. Gavid and Amelia stayed silent at this confirmation. ¡°If your long-cherished wishes true, you will have great honor. But if you fail, you will have to pay the price. Amelia Merwin, all of my servants have signed the same contract, including you. Have you forgotten?¡± asked the Demon King. ¡°How could I have forgotten? After all, you are providing me with as much mana as I want,¡± responded Amelia. The contract she had with the Demon King of Incarceration was simple but powerful. Amelia could receive as much mana from the Demon King of Incarceration as she desired. However, this power was not something to be taken lightly, as even those who had a contract with the Demon King could easily be destroyed by his immense power. Thankfully, Amelia was able to adjust the amount of power she received, allowing her to obtain just the right amount at the right time without overwhelming her. She wasn''t the only one with this ability, as all three Mages of Incarceration were capable of doing the same. When one made a pact with a demon, there was always a price to be paid. The mostmon currency for such deals was one''s soul in exchange for power. As soon as the contractee perished, their soul would be the property of the demon they made a pact with. The contract between Amelia and the Demon King of Incarceration was no different. Amelia was aware that when her time came to pass, her soul would be surrendered to the Demon King. That wasn¡¯t all. The Demon Kings were unique beings whose power thrived on worship. Just as faith and worship in a god made them divine, simrly, the awe and worship of the Demon Kings increased their power and made them who they were. It was this fundamental difference that set the Demon Kings apart from other demonfolks. The Demon King of Incarceration thrived on fear. The very mention of his name was enough to strike terror in the hearts of people, and their reverence towards his existence only increased his power. For the Demon King, fear was a sweet nectar, a different kind of worship that only served to strengthen his hold on the Devildom of Helmuth. As such, if Amelia ran wild to fulfill her long-cherished goal, the world woulde to know of her name and her identity as the ck wizard who was contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. The fear it would strike into the hearts of the humans would be transformed into the power of the Demon King of Incarceration. And once Amelia died, the soul of the ck wizard who struck fear into the hearts of many would be added to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s collection. He would gain the great power she umted and the fear she represented. Amelia shuddered at the mere thought of such a fate befalling her. The image of her soul being owned by the Demon King, as was the case with all ck wizards who had made contracts with demons, was enough to make her blood run cold. She was not alone in her fear; every ck wizard knew the horror of having their soul taken away. Death offered nofort to those who had made such pacts, and that was why so many of them desperately sought to change their fate. Amelia was no exception to this rule. ¡°Is Molon here?¡± muttered the Demon King. Boooom! As soon as he finished speaking, a great force blew away Gavid¡¯s tent. But the only thing that flew away was the tent. It was the result of Gavid immediately erecting a spell to protect the space. "Unthinkable!" Gavid bellowed, his hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword. His rage was palpable, a seething, simmering force that threatened to spill over at any moment. Yet, he did not draw his de. The Demon King of Incarceration had not given the order, and Gavid knew better than to act without his ruler''smand. Still, the sheer weight of his fury was enough to fill the air, suffocating all those present. Before anyone knew it, the ck Fog flocked behind Gavid, and once the fog lifted, the demon knights were kneeling in unison. Located within a tendril of darkness was a crimson eye. None of the ck Fog Knights had ever encountered the Demon King of Incarceration, but they instinctively knew who the eye and the darkness belonged to. ¡°Molon Ruhr,¡± said the voice from within the darkness. The eye rolled, and Molon raised himself straight. He hade straight from the top of the fortress castle. He had been drinking happily with Eugene and Anise until just seconds ago, but his mind waspletely clear right now. The only things upying him were great hatred and the will to kill. ¡°Incarceration...!" Molon spat out the Demon King''s name as if it were poison, his lips twisted in a snarl of hatred and fury. He was the first to arrive, but others soon followed, drawn by his fierce determination and unwavering resolve. Eugenended behind Molon, wreathed in purple mes that danced and flickered around him like a living thing. His eyes zed with a fierce intensity, matching Molon''s own in their unwavering focus. Anisended gracefully behind the two men, her Wings of Light unfurled behind her like a halo of pure radiance. ¡°I do not wish to cause a disturbance,¡± the voice spoke, and the darkness writhed in response. Soon, others began to gather. The first to arrive were the Blood Cross Knights of the Yuras Empire, their armor nging and their weapons at the ready. Raphael was in the lead, and he drew his greatsword upon seeing the darkness and the red eye before springing into the air as if ready to strike. ¡°Stop!¡± shouted Anise. The cry contained a great deal of divine power, and it caused Raphael to stop in midair. Raphael looked up at Anise with an astonished expression, then gave a slight nod before putting down his greatsword. The Blood Cross Knights faced off against the ck Fog, and soon, members of the Lionheart family and Kiehl¡¯s White Dragon Knights arrived. The knights, who were continuing to increase in number, surrounded the ck Fog to prevent them from escaping. But that¡¯s only what it looked like on the surface. Eugene red at the darkness while clenching his fists. Soon, the kings of the continent began to arrive, each with their own unique reactions. The Pope of Yuras gasped in pain as he clutched his chest, blood seeping from his Stigmata, despite not having summoned any miracles. The Emperor of Kiehl''s bloodshot eyes remained fixed on the darkness, but his body betrayed him, his legs trembling uncontrobly as his instincts kicked in. Despite this, he stood tall, refusing to let his fear show, but only barely. Even though the opponent was his equal, the emperor of an empire, he was also the Demon King who reigned for an extremely long period. In particr, the Demon King of Incarceration was special and more powerful, even among the Demon Kings. The authorities of the emperors were meaningless in the face of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s overwhelming power. ¡°I do not want to be misunderstood,¡± murmured the Demon King of Incarceration. The darkness suddenly wriggled. Ahhhh! Gavid shouted in a voice filled with awe and kneeled on the spot. Amelia could not stand any longer as well. As arrogant as she was, she could not help but kneel. ¡°I am not here to break my promise.¡± The Demon King''s voice echoed in the air, and the darkness took the shape of a human form, revealing the Demon King of Incarceration. His bloodless pale skin and ruby-red eyes were striking, and his beauty was undeniable. The Demon King of Incarceration continued while caressing the horn on his head, ¡°If you are misunderstanding my visit and are wary towards me, I hope to resolve the misunderstanding.¡± Molon red at the Demon King of Incarceration with bloodshot eyes and spoke, "I heard you warned the world." The appearance of the Demon King reminded him of the encounter he had three hundred years ago on the top floor of Babel, which had left him in despair. The Demon King of Incarceration nodded and responded, "Yes, I did." As he moved his hands, the chains wrapped around his wrists produced a metallic sound. ¡°But I gave another choice. If you humans show me awe, then I will return it with respect. As long as the goodwill I show is not vited, I will not take the initiative to end the peace.¡± Suddenly, a voice interrupted the tense silence. It was not one of the kings, but Gilead Lionheart, the head of the Lionheart family. His legs trembled under the weight of the Demon King''s pressure, but he gritted his teeth and stood his ground. "Demon King of Incarceration," he said, his voice steady but filled with determination. "I am Gilead Lionheart, head of the Lionheart family." ¡°I know your name. Dear descendant of Vermouth, what would you like to ask me?¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°I would like to ask you¡­ about the warning. You made my adopted son the receiver of your warning, and you said that the end of the Oath wasing,¡± continued Gilead. The Demon King of Incarceration responded, tilting his head. ¡°The Oath wasn¡¯t made tost forever.¡± His crimson gaze looked past Gilead towards Eugene. ¡°Three hundred years ago, your forefather, my dear Vermouth, made a promise with me, a promise for peace.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°I will not speak details of the Oath since that is not what Vermouth wanted. But descendants of Vermouth, do not misunderstand the end of the Oath. The end of the Oath is inevitable. You may show respect and awe, and I may return the favor, but regardless, someday, the peace obtained by the Oath will end,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°Then¡­! Could we not renew the Oath? If needed, then I can¡ª¡± ¡°Who could rece Vermouth?¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration with a smile. His words weren¡¯t only directed at Gilead. It was a message to everyone who was standing in this ce. He continued while staring directly at Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°No one can rece Vermouth. The Oath was made, and it was only possible because it was Vermouth Lionheart.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration suddenly stopped, then turned his gaze from Eugene and stared at Molon. The Demon King of Incarceration''s voice rang out with amanding tone, cutting through the tense silence. Molon Ruhr was struggling to control his breathing, his muscles tense and ready to spring into action. But the Demon King''s words seemed to reach him, and he hesitated. "Don''t be a fool, Molon. Stop with the reckless bravado," the Demon King of Incarceration continued, his eyes fixed on the agitated man. "Killing me here and now will not bring you what you seek. It will only bring you more suffering." ¡°Krr¡­!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you have something else to do than kill me?¡± asked the Demon King of Incarceration. Crack! Molon¡¯s teeth broke, and he stared at the Demon King of Incarceration with bloodshot eyes for a while, then took a deep breath. ¡°I see,¡± muttered Molon, nodding. He blinked a few times, then took a step back with a scoff. ¡°I want to kill you right now. I want to finish what I couldn¡¯t three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Do you really believe you can achieve what you failed to do three hundred years ago when you were with Vermouth, Sienna, and Anise?¡± asked the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think so. I wanted to attack you, and I wanted to die,¡± answered Molon frankly. ¡°But I cannot die like that, at least not now. So I will not attack you.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s smile changed slightly at Molon¡¯s answer. He gazed at Molon with the same smile before nodding. ¡°I respect your decision.¡± Then he wiped the smile off his face. ¡°Molon Ruhr, I don¡¯t mean just you, either. Kings of the continent, knights who serve them, mercenaries who wander the battlefield, and other warriors. I respect all of your wills. I know why all of you have gathered here.¡± He continued after lowering his voice to almost a whisper, ¡°So I will take my leave now. If you want war,e to my territory. Just as your forefathers did three hundred years ago,e to Pandemonium, climb Babel, and point your des at me.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s body began to scatter into darkness. ¡°If you wish to do so, I will dly wait there. Have I shown enough grace, Eugene Lionheart?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration suddenly called Eugene¡¯s name, then stared at him with narrowed eyes as he disappeared. ¡°Master of the Holy Sword, descendant of Vermouth.¡± Eugene red back at the Demon King of Incarceration without answering. ¡°Will you climb Babel?¡± asked the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene recalled the vision of Vermouth from the Dark Room. ¡ªJust as I did, stand before the Demon King of Incarceration and meet with his true body. What will happen after that are things you will have to experience yourself. ¡°Yes,¡± said Eugene as his lips twisted into a smile. He raised his middle finger towards the disappearing figure of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°I don¡¯t know when, but I¡¯ll make sure to go.¡± ¡°You!¡± shouted Gavid angrily. He had never imagined that anyone would be mad enough to show such a disrespectful gesture towards the Demon King of Incarceration. However, the Demon King of Incarceration onlyughed in response as if he found it entertaining. Heid his hand on Gavid¡¯s shoulder and stopped him from running forward. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡± ¡°But Your Majesty¡­!¡± ¡°He is my guest,¡± whispered the Demon King of Incarceration, and Gavid bowed with a grimace. Just before he disappeared, the Demon King of Incarceration looked at Eugene with smiling eyes and spoke, ¡°I look forward to the day youe to Babel.¡± Then he disappearedpletely. Until the moment there were absolutely no traces of the Demon King of Incarceration, Gavid kept his head bowed and his knees touching the ground. The Demon King of Incarceration had called Eugene a guest, and Gavid had noints. The profanity that Eugene Lionheart showed deserved a thousand grueling deaths, but his lord hadmanded him not to be rude. ¡®Until youe to Babel, that is,¡¯ Gavid thought. Gavid soothed his mind while chewing on his lips, then stood up from the ground. Or, at least, he attempted to rise up. But just before he could do so, Eugene Lionheart¡¯s de suddenly fell towards his head. Chapter 238: Lehain (9) The de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, could never be unaware of Eugene''s sword nearing his head. Yet, although he had sensed the sword''s approach early on, he failed to respond. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Gavid thought, shocked. And the reason for his dyed reaction was simple. He just didn¡¯t understand why the sword wasing toward him. They had been in the presence of the Demon King of Incarceration until just a moment ago. Although he had not materialized in his true form, the Demon King of Incarceration had taken a physical body of darkness out of respect for the insignificant humans gathered here. His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, had graced himself in this ce until just seconds ago. Gavid Lindman was a Duke of Helmuth, the de of Incarceration, and the only knight of the Demon King of Incarceration. Although there had been countless eyes surrounding them, Gavid had not been ashamed to kneel and bow before his lord. As such, he had maintained his kneeling and bowing posture until the moment his lord had disappearedpletely. The sword had fallen towards his head at that moment as if to behead a sinner. As the sword fell towards Gavid, a brilliant light wrapped around it, pushing back the darkness that had surrounded them. Gavid, who had hoped to consume the light with his dark powers, found himself retreating instead, his expression flustered and unsure. He raised his head and saw Eugene standing before him, holding Altair, the Holy Sword. The two locked eyes. It had been an iprehensible ambush, and Gavid was taken back. But Eugene was utterly calm. In fact, he stared at Gavid while slightly tilting his head to the side. The confusion in the area was palpable, and Gavid was not the only one struggling toprehend the sudden turn of events. Amelia, who had been kneeling beside him in a simr fashion, red at Eugene with a mixture of irritation and a hint of murderous intent. She knew that divine power was critical against ck magic, and though she had managed to retreat and avoid getting caught up in the fray, she couldn''t help but wonder how much damage she would have sustained if she had been caught off guard. ¡°You. What are you doing?¡± asked Amelia as her lips twitched. She was holding her pet, Hemoria, by the scruff of her neck. Although Hemoria was a rather disobedient pet, she couldn¡¯t let her die in such a ridiculous fashion. "That... I am very curious¡­ about as well," Gavid spat out, his tone tinged with bitterness. Gavid''s voice was filled with barely-contained anger, and he struggled to keep his emotions in check. He red at Eugene with suspicion and confusion, struggling toprehend the young man''s actions. Behind him, the Knights of the ck Fog rose to their feet in unison, their sharp gazes fixed on Eugene like the edge of a de. Though they had not yet drawn their swords, the tension in the air was palpable, and it was clear that they were ready for whatever maye. The intense res and the almost tangible killing intent emanating from Gavid and his knights were like a tidal wave, threatening to overwhelm Eugene. However, Eugene had experienced too much in his short life to be intimidated by such things. He kept his expression cool and collected, even as he threw the Holy Sword up into the air with a swift motion. Gavid couldn''t help but furrow his brow in confusion as he watched Eugene toss the Holy Sword into the air. What was the purpose of such a strange action? However, it didn¡¯t take long for him to realize the reason behind Eugene¡¯s seemingly bizarre action. The moment the Holy Sword had left his hand, Eugene immediately retrieved a huge bow out of his cape. The bow was an unusual sight to behold. Its shape was unlike any other bow. Strangely, there was no visible bowstring, yet the bow itself stood as tall as Eugene. Moreover, it appeared to be more of a decorative item than a practical weapon. However, beneath its ornamental appearance, Gavid knew the true identity of the bow ¡ª Thunderbolt Pernoa. It was one of the ancient weapons once possessed by Vermouth Lionheart, a weapon whose origin and whereabouts werergely unknown. ¡°You¡­. Crazy bastard¡­!¡± shouted Gavid with a grimace. His expression contorted in a mix of anger and confusion as he watched Eugene release the non-existent bowstring. Meanwhile, Eugene seemed to relish the effect his actions were having on Gavid. He allowed a small smile to y on his lips as he watched Gavid''s reaction. Crack! Eugene''s mana coursed through his body and transformed into the bowstring of Thunderbolt Pernoa, drawing it back with ease. Thebination of Lightning me and the ancient weapon was powerful, with the former enhancing thetter''s abilities. Normally, the bow would have devoured as much mana as it needed to fire an arrow, but the mana imbued with Lightning me allowed for the formation of Pernoa''s bowstring without much consumption. Eugene couldn''t help but feel a thrill of excitement at the name that popped into his head for his new technique ¡ª sh of the Violet Thunderbolt. However, he knew it was better to keep it to himself. It was a name meant only for him to know, a secret that he could never allow anyone else to know. As Eugene drew the bow, a purple bolt of thunder was unleashed, causing the surrounding air to tremble. The power of the arrow was iparably greater than before, leaving everyone shocked and amazed at what Eugene was about to unleash. Gavid reflexively ced his hand on Glory, ready to draw his sword at a moment''s notice. ¡ªDon¡¯t be rude. ¡ªHe is my guest. But as he reached for the pommel of his sword, the voice of his lord resounded in Gavid¡¯s head. How could he forget? The Demon King of Incarceration had told him just moments ago. His lord had voiced that he was looking forward to seeing that human arrive at Babel. His lord hadmanded him to not be rude towards that human. His lord had called that human a guest. All of this stifled Gavid¡¯s impulse. For the de of Incarceration, each word of the Demon King of Incarceration was an absolutemand that he needed to obey. As such, Gavid did not unsheathe Glory. Rumbleee! The purple bolt of lightning shot into the air, but Gavid did not flinch or try to dodge the attack. He also did not draw his sword, Glory. Instead, Gavid swung his right hand as if it were a sword and redirected the trajectory of the attack upwards. Astonishingly, Gavid did not even receive a scratch from the powerful attack. He shed not a single drop of blood. Gavid''s sleeve was torn, and he clenched his teeth in frustration as he red at the ragged fabric. He was about to express his irritation but had no time for such trivial matters. As the electric current from the thunderbolt faded away, another powerful attack mmed into Gavid, sending him hurtling through the air. Eugene unleashed the Dragon Spear Kharbos, gathering an enormous amount of mana into a single point and unleashing it in a powerful blow. It wasparable to a dragon''s breath in its ferocity, and while Eugene couldn''t attack multiple times at once, the single blow was enough to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies. In the past, Eugene had struggled to utilize the Dragon Spear to its fullest due to hisck of mana, but now, he could unleash its full power without much effort. ¡°You flew quite far,¡± Eugene remarked. Eugene''s lips curled upwards in a grin as he withdrew the Dragon Spear Kharbos back into his cloak after Gavid had been flung a great distance away. However, he knew using the Demon Spear Luentos, Annihtion Hammer Jigoth, or the Moonlight Sword would provoke Gavid into unsheathing Glory. Despite Gavid beingpletely subservient to the Demon King of Incarceration''s will, Eugene was well aware that Gavid would not hesitate to draw the sword if he was pushed into it. Gavid''s loyalty to the Demon King of Incarceration was unwavering, and Eugene knew that as long as he refrained from pushing Gavid too far, he would not unsheathe Glory or use the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Instead, Gavid would obediently follow the Demon King''smands to the best of his ability. Eugene would not use his Signature. An ace up his sleeve only increased in value as long as it was kept a secret, so Eugene only relied on the Holy Sword as he charged forward. Straut the Second''s face twisted in anger as he shouted, "S-stop that madman!" He couldn''t fathom why Eugene would suddenly attack a Duke of Helmuth, especially after the Demon King of Incarceration had just departed. What was the reason behind provoking Gavid Lindman in such a manner? The thought made Straut''s blood boil with confusion and frustration. ¡°Sir Alchester! We need to¡­.¡± Alchester''s eyes narrowed as he considered the situation before him. Though he was not entirely sure what was going on, he had enough faith in Eugene''s abilities to believe that the young genius would not act without reason. "I do not think that will be necessary," Alchested replied, his voice calm and measured. Despite the urgency of the situation, he was determined to maintain hisposure. ¡ªHero of the Holy Sword¡­ Eugene Lionheart, if you wish to continue the legacy of your progenitor, then you will one day head to Helmuth as the Hero. Alchester held Eugene in great esteem, so much so that he entrusted him with his family''s secret technique, the Empty Sword. And Eugene didn''t disappoint him; he had quickly mastered the technique and even created severalyers of it in a short time. Eugene Lionheart was not just a prodigious swordsman; he possessed a multitude of admirable qualities that made him stand out from the rest. His talent for the sword and sense for battle were unrivaled, but there was more to him than that. Eugene was also incredibly generous and thoughtful, going above and beyond to help those around him. He even took the time to teach Alchester''s young son, Leo, techniques to better handle mana. Eugene was also humble in nature. Despite his prodigious talent, he never once showed any arrogance during his time with the Dragonic family. It was no wonder that Alchester held him in such high regard. ¡®For you, the opportunity to sh against the de of Incarceration should be something that cannot be bought with any amount of money. Moreover, since the Demon King of Incarceration called you a guest and promised to treat you ordingly, his loyal knight will not be able to act recklessly toward you¡­.¡¯ As Alchester pondered over Eugene''s unexpected attack on Gavid, he realized the daring and cleverness behind Eugene''s actions. With a pleased smile and a newfound me in his heart, Alchester nodded in agreement. Alchester couldn''t help but feel a sense of pride and admiration for Eugene''s character and believed that one day, he would rise as the Hero, standing tall and proud as he dered his mission to kill the Demon Kings. Alchester Dragonic held his ancestors in high regard, and none more so than Orix Dragonic, who had made the noble decision to stay behind and protect the Kiehl Empire during the war three centuries ago instead of joining the battle in Helmuth. Alchester admired his forefather''s sense of duty and honor, but at times, he couldn''t help but wonder about the possibilities of what could have been. Alchester Dragonic often pondered what could have been if his ancestor, Orix Dragonic, had chosen to apany the Great Vermouth and hisrades ¡ª the Stupid Hamel, Wise Sienna, Faithful Anise, and the Brave Molon ¡ª instead of remaining behind to guard the Kiehl Empire during the war three hundred years ago. He wondered what it would have been like if his ancestor had be one of the legendary heroes etched into history and often found himself lost in thought, imagining what that reality would have been like. ¡®I am fortunate.¡¯ Alchester maintained a thin smile even though Straut the Second was fuming by his side. Alchester was lost in thought, considering the possibility that one day Eugene Lionheart might search forpanions to challenge Babel. In that event, Alchester knew he would give up everything he had, his status as a Duke of Kiehl, his ce in the Dragonic family, just to be a part of that heroic quest that would go down in history. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t engaging Gavid in a battle to get a better grasp of the de of Incarceration to better prepare himself for the future. ¡®This is perfect for venting my anger.¡¯ That was all. Eugene was releasing all the emotions he had bottled up from his past life, knowing that Gavid could not retaliate or wield his sword freely. This was the only reason behind his relentless attack. Anise couldn''t help but whisper to herself, "That crazy bastard," as she watched Eugene unleash his fury on Gavid. While others may not have understood the reason for Eugene''s sudden outburst, Anise knew the truth. Eugene would have made careful and calcted judgments in his own way, but at that moment, his emotions had gotten the best of him. Hamel''s unpredictable personality had likely caused Eugene to lose control. ¡°Ohhh,¡± Molon let out a loud cry and clenched his fists in an attempt to join the fray. However, Anise quickly clung to his arm and snapped at him in a quiet voice, preventing him from interfering, ¡°You idiot. What would we do if you attacked him too?¡± ¡°I¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t answer me. Your voice is so stupidly loud that everyone will hear your words, even if you whisper. So just shut your mouth and listen to me carefully. Don¡¯t do anything, and stand right here,¡± said Anise. The Demon King of Incarceration had only extended hospitality to Eugene, leaving everyone else as potential targets for the de of Incarceration. Any interference could result in deadly consequences, and Anise was not willing to risk anyone else''s safety. As Gilead pondered the situation, he came to the same realization as Alchester. The de of Incarceration wasn''t interested in attacking Eugene and was content to simply block his frenzied assault. However, Gilead knew that the battle couldn''t continue indefinitely. He drew his own de and charged forward, determined to put a stop to the fight. Carmen also joined in, getting her weapon, Heaven Genocide. ¡°P-please wait a moment.¡± Anise tried to stop the members of the Lionheart family, but she couldn¡¯t figure out what to say. She hesitated for a moment, then closed her eyes tight. ¡°A-Ahhhh!¡± Anise let out a scream, despite feeling embarrassed and humiliated. With determination, she unfurled her Wings of Light and tightly grasped onto her hair. Feeling that two wings were not enough, she summoned two more and spread them out, now proudly disying four wings in total. ¡°The revtion of light!¡± she shouted. [Sister!] Kristina couldn¡¯t help but exim. ¡®Please stay still. This embarrasses me more than it does you.¡¯ Kristina''s mind echoed with screams as she watched Anise''s frenzied behavior. Her body trembled uncontrobly as if possessed by a divine force while she tore at her own hair to add to the dramatic scene. Anise''s wings unfurled and glowed like the sun, leaving the Knights of Lionheart no choice but to halt in their tracks and turn their attention to her. As Anise continued to feign her divine possession, Eugene relentlessly pushed Gavid until he was backed against the wall. The Demoneye of Divine Glory was still not utilized, and Glory remained in its sheath. Gavid''s eyes red at Eugene with fierce killing intent. ¡°Are you sure you should be ring like that at your master¡¯s guest?¡± said Eugene tauntingly. ¡°You¡­ little bastard. You knew I would not fight back¡­!¡± responded Gavid, gritting his teeth. Booom! Eugene''s attack was intercepted by Gavid, who used his forearm as a shield. Despite his previously immacte appearance, Gavid¡¯s uniform was now tattered and dirty, and his perfectly styled hair was now disheveled. ¡°Who told you not to fight back? If you want to, go right ahead,¡± taunted Eugene. ¡°Are you confident you can handle it¡­!? Engrave this into your mind, you damn thing. The only reason you are allowed to breathe and keep your life is that His Majesty called you his guest because he said he was looking forward to seeing you in Babel¡­!¡± shouted Gavid. ¡°Speaking of which, when Ie to Babel, are you going to make way for me so I can climb to the top in peace?¡± asked Eugene mockingly. Gavid shot back, his eyes glimmering with murderous intent. ¡°Utter nonsense! His Majesty did not say a word about opening the doors for you.¡± It had been three hundred long years. Had there been no demonfolk who challenged the Demon King without knowing their ce in the meantime? Countless young and ambitious aristocrats had risen to challenge the Demon King, confident in their own strength. But none of them had truly known their ce. Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle in Pandemonium, stood tall with ny-nine floors, each staffed with officials and workers who managed the castle''s security during peaceful times. But when someone dared to challenge the Demon King''s throne, the castle transformed into a demonic fortress just like it did three hundred years ago. Countless traps, demonfolks, and beasts lurked in every corner, blocking the challenger''s path to the top. Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration, guarded the floor just beneath the pce, and despite numerous attempts by challengers, none had ever made it past him except for the Great Vermouth and hisrades. ¡°If youe to Babel, I will personally reap your head, and I will present it to His Majesty with my own hands,¡± dered Gavid. ¡ªThe Demon King of Incarceration will not let you climb Babel in peace since that¡¯s the kind of being he is. Was that so? Eugene snorted while recalling Vermouth¡¯s words. ¡°So if I never go to Babel, you won¡¯t ever get to kill me.¡± ¡°¡­You bastard¡­!¡± ¡°No? Will youe to kill me yourself if I don¡¯t make the trip? If you do that, won¡¯t you be viting the wishes of the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± taunted Eugene. Gavid¡¯s expression contorted after hearing Eugene¡¯s words. Some things had not changed over the course of three hundred years, and this was one of them. Gavid, the honest-to-god fellow, was still absolutely obedient to his master¡¯s orders. ¡°If¡­ you do note¡­! If you hole yourself in the Lionheart n like a little rat, then I wille to get you myself. His Majesty will give me the orders to do so¡­!¡± shouted Gavid fiercely. The two exchanged another blow. Boom! Gavid redirected Eugene¡¯s attack, which resulted in a huge crack in the walls of Fort Lehain. ¡°Ah, you don¡¯t have to worry about that. I¡¯ll definitely be heading to the Demon King¡¯s Castle,¡± said Eugene mockingly. Heughed while pointing to Gavid¡¯s ragged sleeves. Gavid¡¯s brows shot up at the mockery. ¡°Do not test me, human¡­! Even if you were recognized by the Holy Sword, and even if the blood of Vermouth flows thickly in your veins¡­! You are not Vermouth. Do you really believe you can reach his level?¡± ¡°Do you take me for an idiot? I¡¯m Eugene Lionheart, not Vermouth Lionheart. Isn¡¯t that obvious?¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Even Vermouth wasn¡¯t as arrogant as you are!¡± roared Gavid. ¡°Well, of course, since I¡¯m not Vermouth Lionheart,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Your arrogance knows no bounds¡­! Where does your baseless confidencee from?¡± asked Gavid. Eugene was about to give a random answer when he heard Anise¡¯s scream, ¡°The revtion of Light!¡± He stole a sideway nce and saw Anise glowing with four of her wings unfurled. Eugene couldn¡¯t help butugh at the sight. ¡°Revtion,¡± said Eugene. ¡°¡­What?¡± Gavid said, confused. ¡°Did you not hear? It¡¯s a revtion. The Holy Sword, which acknowledged me, and the Light, said that I could be arrogant,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Complete nonsense!¡± cried Gavid. Eugene ignored his words and concentrated the power of the White me Form on the Holy Sword. Craaack! It was just like the time he was in the Fount of Light; the sword devoured his mana greedily. Despite being a non-believer with absolutely no faith, he couldn''t help but marvel at the sword''s ability to emit a radiant light that could dispel all the darkness in the surrounding area. It wasn¡¯t just the Holy Sword either. As Eugene wielded the Holy Sword, he felt a hot, throbbing sensationing from his left hand''s ring finger. The Ring of Agaroth from the ancient god of war, bestowed upon him by the Red Dragon, was reacting to his mana and the sword''s radiance. The light of the Holy Sword grew brighter. It was brilliant enough to dispel the darkness, but it didn¡¯t exude a feeling of holiness. Rather, it was brutal, like the mes of war that threatened to destroy everything. ¡®Revtion?¡¯ Gavid stood still, frozen in ce by the threatening light emanating from Eugene''s Holy Sword. As the Light descended towards him, Gavid could feel the power of the strike bearing down on him. This attack was different from the ones before. The moment the Light washed over him, Gavid instinctively drew Glory. Rumbleee! The wall shattered into rubble, but Gavid remained unscathed. However, his attention was fixed on the sword in his grip. He had acted on pure instinct, unable to resist the urge to draw his de. He should have just taken the hit and let his body regenerate, but he had failed to control his impulses. ¡®But I judged that I could not. Why? Was it because of the Holy Sword¡¯s divine power? Even so¡­.¡¯ Gavid¡¯s lips quivered. ¡°So you finally drew your de after acting like you wouldn¡¯t all this time,¡± ridiculed Eugene while lowering the dimming Holy Sword. Gavid¡¯s eyes quivered when he saw Eugene¡¯s smile. Eugene ced the Holy Sword back inside his cloak before turning around. ¡°Where are you going?¡± asked Gavid when he saw Eugene walking away. The Demonic Sword was still in his hand, but the human who had made him unleash the de was walking away as if he didn¡¯t care. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop since you pulled out your sword,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t have a reason to keep going anymore,¡± continued Eugene. He never looked back, not even once, and Gavid stood silently while gazing at Eugene¡¯s back. Then he looked down at the Demonic Sword in his hand, then the leftover rag he once called his uniform. ¡°¡­..¡± Gavid swallowed the anger that seethed from deep inside his heart. He wanted to cut down that human this instant, but he knew he could not. Themand of his lord was absolute. Even so¡­ he had drawn Glory. It felt disgraceful and humiliating to have drawn Glory without orders from the Demon King of Incarceration. Crunch¡­! Gavid turned around while gnawing on his lower lip. He sheathed Glory, then jumped over the fallen wall. He no longer wanted to stay in the fortress. He didn¡¯t know whether he could maintain his reason if he saw Eugene Lionheart¡¯s face again because of the humiliation. The demon knights were flustered by his actions, but they quickly grouped up and followed Gavid over the fallen wall and out of the fortress after covering themselves with fog. ¡°Well, that was a surprise,¡± grumbled Eugene, shaking his left hand. He had only intended to power up his attack slightly, but Agaroth¡¯s Ring had grown it out of proportion on its own. The war god¡¯s ring was usually calm, but it seemed to act of its own ord whenever Eugene wielded the Holy Sword. Once Eugene trotted back, the Emperor of Kiehl roared. ¡°Eugene Lionheart!¡± he said, ¡°What have you done!? How could you attack the Duke of Helmuth?¡± ¡°The revtion!¡± shouted Eugene while raising his hands. His loud, dramatic cry left the emperor speechless. ¡°And that¡¯s what happened.¡± The emperor turned his stupefied gaze toward the pope. ¡°What a¡­ ridiculous excuse¡­! Look here, Pope Aeuryus. Are you going to let him use the God of Light, the brilliant Almighty, as an excuse like this?¡± ¡°The master of the Holy Sword could not help it,¡± muttered the pope after a slight pause while recalling the events that took ce in the Audience Chamber. No one had ever imagined that such words woulde out from the stubborn fanatic¡¯s lips. ¡°Uhahahahaha!¡± roared Molon. It was a suddenugh and untimely as well. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for Molon. He was simply delighted that Hamel was no different from three hundred years ago, that he had not changed. ¡°Uhahahahahaha!¡± Aman Ruhr followed along and burst intoughter simply because his ancestor hadughed. Anise, however, did notugh. She quietly retracted her wings and red at Eugene with eyes that could kill. [Sister¡­] Kristina called out. ¡®God will forgive us even if we smash his head with a mace.¡¯ [I cannot cast a miracle to fix a broken head yet.] ¡®Then we¡¯ll make do with breaking a few bones.¡¯ thought Anise while grabbing her il. Chapter 239: Lehain (10) ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Eugene hung his head in contrition and made no move to defend himself. He was all too aware that when Anise was in this state, there was no use in attempting to excuse his behavior. Any other person might have tried to offer some feeble justifications, but Eugene knew better than to waste his breath. Instead, he knew his only option was to apologize immediately and without reservation. Anise''s voice wasced with incredulity as she asked Eugene, "Do you evenprehend what you have done wrong?" Despite the three distinct curves on her face ¡ª the upturned corners of her lips and the crinkles that were her eyes ¡ª an unmistakable aura of menace emanated from her. Eugene couldn''t help but tremble with fear, even though he couldn''t see her eyes clearly, which were narrowed into a crescent shape. He was intimately familiar with the frigid and piercing re thaty concealed behind those half-closed lids. ¡°Ehem¡­¡± Molon cleared his throat suddenly, with no particr reason other than to break the tension in the room. As a fellow man and a warrior, he felt a sense of obligation toe to Eugene''s defense and cate Anise''s ire. But as soon as Anise turned her beaming gaze towards him, with a slight tilt of her head, Molon found himself holding his breath, uncertain of what to say next. Molon had endured the full brunt of Anise''s wrath for far longer than Hamel had three centuries ago. Or rather, it was more urate to say that Anise had borne the greatest suffering on ount of Molon''s recklessness. Every time Molon charged forward like an ignorant buffoon, heedless of the danger behind him, Anise would bepelled to follow in his footsteps, all the while unleashing a torrent of curses that could make even the most hardened warrior flinch. Whenever Molon wielded his axe and hammer wildly, Anise was left with no choice but to immediately perform her miraculous healing abilities to mend Molon''s injuries. Molon''s remarkable bravery and unwavering fearlessness had enabled him to lead countless battles to triumph. Yet, it was only through Anise''s repeated acts of divine intervention that Molon had managed to survive each battle, always fighting at the frontlines. Anise''s miraculous abilities had prevented Molon from sustaining fatal injuries or bing permanently disabled, allowing him to continue fighting and leading their troops to victory time and time again. Whenever the pain from her stigmata, frustration, and anger reached their pinnacle, Anise would unleash her emotions without restraint, directing her lethal barrage almost exclusively at Molon and Hamel. Despite this, Molon felt a sense of joy to see Anise finally venting her emotions after such a long time. However, he did not approach her with a smile or attempt to hug her, even though he was known for his foolishness. He had enough sense to know better than to provoke her further. Molon turned his gaze away, still holding his breath, and remained silent. It was an unspoken deration that he wanted no part in the ongoing situation. Eugene couldn''t help but feel a sense of disappointment and betrayal from Molon''sck of support. ¡®You shouldn¡¯t have tried to intervene in the first ce. Why did you provoke her further by clearing your throat? You pathetic moron,¡¯ Eugene berated Molon mentally. Eugene hesitated, wondering if he should go as far as getting down on his knees to appease Anise''s anger. He stole a quick nce at her, and the sight of her furious expression made him even more uncertain. The three of them were standing atop the tower''s highest floor, where the chilling winds of the snowfield were blowing in from the shattered windows and walls, adding to the tense atmosphere. Molon was responsible for the icy chill that filled the air. When the Demon King of Incarceration had invaded the fortress, Molon had charged toward him by smashing through the windows and walls, which ultimately caused the frigid winds of the snowfield that filled the room. Eugene had been inwardly worried about the consequences of his attack on Gavid Lindman. However, Gavid ended up leaving the fortress with the ck Fog. Meanwhile, Anise had yed her part by pretending to receive a divine message, while the Pope of Yuras had recognized the Holy Sword and the supposed divine message. Molon had also shown his support for Eugene''s actions by patting him on the shoulder and embracing him. Thanks to their help, the other people could not question Eugene¡¯s sudden, unexpected actions. Although Kiehl¡¯s Emperor looked absolutely unconvinced, he could no longer press Eugene when even his guardian knight, Alchester Dragonic, also stepped up to protect the young Lionheart. ¡®Judging by that bastard¡¯s eyes, he¡¯s definitely going to find something to question me about. Well, it¡¯s none of my business for now¡­.¡¯ Eugene did some quick mental calctions to gauge the situation. Not only the Emperor of Kiehl but also the Sultan of Nahama had expressed their dissatisfaction with Eugene, ring at him openly. It came as no surprise, given that Amelia Merwin, one of the Three Mages of Incarceration, was openly colluding with the Sultan. The director of the Anti-Demon Alliance and the King of Shimuin had also been staring at Eugene with intense gazes, but Eugene had no way of knowing what their intentions were. Anise tilted her head slightly and turned her gaze towards Eugene, her eyes still hidden behind a smile. Her voice was soft and curious when she spoke, "What are you thinking about?" Suddenly, her smile faded slightly, and her eyes opened ever-so-slightly, revealing a cold, frightening re that made Eugene shiver. It was even scarier than what he remembered. He held his breath, unable toe up with an appropriate answer, feeling as if he were under intense scrutiny. ¡°Hamel. Why should I suffer because of your reckless,cking, idiotic acts?¡± continued Anise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± repeated Eugene. ¡°Why are you apologizing? Do you really know what you¡¯ve done wrong? Hamel, I know you¡¯re not sincerely remorseful about your actions. You and I have known each other for a very long time, and I know you better than you might think,¡± said Anise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± echoed Eugene. ¡°So what did you do wrong?¡± asked Anise. ¡°The attack on Gavid¡­¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°Exin to me why that was wrong,¡± said Anise. Eugene knew deep down why he had attacked Gavid Lindman, but expressing it in words proved to be an arduous task. As he hesitated, Anise let out a derisive snort and scoffed at him. "You can''t even articte the reason behind your attack, can you?" she said with a tilt of her head. "It''s because your actions were driven by raw emotion, Hamel. That¡¯s why you can¡¯t coherently exin to anyone the reason behind your actions.¡± ¡°That bastard was asking for it,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Hamel! You¡¯re asking for a thrashing right now with what you¡¯re saying,¡± said Anise. ¡°Isn¡¯t it a little inappropriate for you to say something like that? You¡¯re very educated, unlike me, so you should¡ª¡± As Eugene stumbled over his words, attempting to express his disapproval, Anise''s sudden attack caught him off guard. Before he could even finish his sentence, her weapon, the il with a dangerous adamantium attachment, hurtled toward him with deadly force. It threatened to split open Eugene¡¯s skull. ¡°Why are you avoiding it!?¡± shouted Anise. ¡°I¡¯ll die if I get hit!¡± Eugene shouted back. ¡°Don¡¯t be a baby. I know well that your current body is much healthier and sturdier than the frail body of your previous life,¡± responded Anise. ¡°Hamel was not frail,¡± Molon suddenly interjected. ¡°Molon, you just shut up and stay still. And what wasn¡¯t frail about him? Hamel bled and copsed at the drop of a hat, making life difficult for me,¡± said Anise. ¡°Hamel pushed himself until he was in such a condition. Hamel was a great warrior,¡± retorted Molon. ¡°Just shut up.¡± Anise red with fire in her eyes, and Molon obediently and quietly closed his lips. ¡°Hamel. I know it wasn¡¯t unusual for you to act so emotionally before, so I could look over that. It was fine for you to act like that three hundred years ago. If I were to say shit like it is¡ª¡± ¡°Say shit like it is¡­. Isn¡¯t that a bit¡­¡± interrupted Eugene. ¡°Stop cutting me off unless you really do want to get yourself killed,¡± said Anise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± said Eugene. Anise cleared her throat and continued, "Anyways... to be honest, three hundred years ago, we had Sir Vermouth, even if you had died." Eugene''s lips drooped into a frown at her words. He couldn''t help but feel a pang of distress. Even if it were true, wasn¡¯t it hurtful to say such things directly to his face? ¡°We had Sir Vermouth, so it was fine for you to act recklessly in moderation. Even if you got into trouble while fooling around, we had Sir Vermouth to take care of it. Well, I was there as well, as well as Sienna and Molon. But you cannot continue behaving like that. Hamel, I thought I told youst time. In this era, you must be like Sir Vermouth,¡± exined Anise. ¡°You¡¯re so mean,¡± mumbled Eugene. ¡°I think your thoughtless behavior is even worse! What if Gavid Lindman went against the will of the Demon King of Incarceration and attempted to kill you instead?¡± asked Anise. ¡°He¡¯s a child who takes pride in being a knight and the de of Incarceration. He would never do that,¡± retorted Eugene. Anise twirled her il above her head while speaking. "That''s something we can never be sure about," she said. "So, tell me, what did you gain from attacking Gavid?" The adamantium sparkled with a dangerous glint, and Eugene gulped, never allowing his eyes to miss the trajectory of the deadly weapon. ¡°I gained confidence in many things. Firstly, Gavid and the Demon King of Incarceration will never interfere with what I do unless I go to Babel. The Demon King of Incarceration won¡¯te out of Babel to crush me, nor will he force me to Bable using Gavid,¡± said Eugene. ¡°But it wasn¡¯t your intention to find out in the beginning, was it?¡± said Anise. ¡°No, well, Anise, you saw that bastard kneeling on the ground, right? There¡¯s something about how his greasy, angled hair reflected the light. Just looking at it made me want to give it a good kick¡­. But I thought cutting it off with a sword would be better than kicking it¡­,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°So it was because of your emotions in the end! Hamel! What¡¯s the difference between a man who can¡¯t control his impulses and a bitch?¡± snarled Anise. ¡°Now you¡¯re calling me and treating me like a dog¡­,¡± grumbled Eugene. Anise''s lips curved into a thin smile, her voice smooth and unwavering. "No, Hamel. You''re not a mere mutt. You''re just a step above that." She gestured with her hands, beckoning Eugene to join her in prayer. Her hands were sped in front of her chest, and she closed her eyes with a pious expression. "Let''s pray together, shall we? Repent for your wrongdoing, and promise me that you won''t act on your emotions again. Repeat after me: From this moment on, I promise to never act recklessly like this, and I vow to never trouble my beloved Anise." [Sister!] Kristina protested. ¡®If you want, I will have him add your name as well,¡¯ Anise promised. [I-I don¡¯t want such a thing.] ¡®Really? Do you really not want it? Kristina Rogeris, she who deceives herself cannot obtain salvation by the Light and ascend to heaven.¡¯ [I¡¯ve already been saved, so it¡¯s fine.] ¡®Is that really true? Kristina, is your salvation so meager that you would be satisfied with simply watching the fireworks with Hamel? Well, it¡¯s not the same for me. I¡¯m greedy, so I will only think that I¡¯ve been saved after I write new history with Eugene, things that you haven¡¯t done with him.¡¯ [Sister! What you¡¯re saying is a lot different from what you said before,] Kristina shouted, but Anise did not answer. ¡°¡­Do I really have to include the beloved part?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t bother if you have that much hatred and resentment for me,¡± responded Anise. ¡°I love Anise and Hamel,¡± interjected Molon. ¡°If you run your mouth one more time, I swear¡­!¡± growled Anise. ¡°Anise, tell me the truth. You¡¯re more upset about how you embarrassed yourself in front of others than worried about me, right?¡± asked Eugene. "You already know the answer, so why are you even bothering to ask me, Hamel? I am over three hundred years old, and yet, because of you, I had to go through so much trouble, spread my wings, dance, and even tear my hair out in frustration. You were too busy quarreling with Gavid to notice, but the way the priests of Yuras treated me¡­. Do you have any idea how those children, who once revered me as the Saint and followed my every word and action, looked at me? Do you know what kind of expressions they had on their faces?¡± The thought alone caused Anise''s face to flush with heat, making her cheeks feel as though they were on fire. She quickly brought her hands up to cover her face, sping them together in prayer. Eugene acquiesced without a word at Anise''s statement, sping his hands together in front of his chest. As he considered the situation, he realized that Anise had been pushed too far. It was also true that he had attacked Gavdi without any prior warning. Eugene recited, ¡°''From this moment on, I won¡¯t ever act so recklessly. I vow to never trouble my¡­ be-beloved Anise ever again.¡± ¡°You said beloved twice. Does that mean you love me twice as much? Or are you suggesting that you love Kristina equally as much? She¡¯s listening from inside me,¡± said Anise. ¡°I just stuttered¡­,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Hamel, you seem to have sincerely repented, so I will also forgive my beloved Hamel,¡± said Anise with a pleased smile before putting down her il. Emerging from beneath his cloak, Mer muttered under her breath, "Sir Eugene is nothing but an infidel bastard." Her dull, lifeless eyes were fixed on Eugene, causing a heavy sense of guilt to wash over him. ¡°I¡¯m going to remember everything. One day, when Lady Sienna is released from her seal, I¡¯ll make sure to tell her everything I heard and experienced.¡± ¡°Do as you please. If Sienna has a conscience, she will not me me,¡± said Anise. ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t she me you?¡± said Mer. Anise gave a sardonicugh in response to Mer''s question. "Why wouldn''t Sienna me me?" she repeated. "Think about it, child. It''s quite obvious, isn''t it? Sienna may have been injured, but she survived. She''s sealed away, yes, but she''s still breathing. But what about me? My body was broken, my bones were turned to dust, and my flesh was reduced to fertilizer for the next generation of Anises¡­." Anise put on a brooding expression as she spoke about her terrible past. Mer''s lips parted and closed repeatedly, a silent indication of her inability to form a response. "With my current residence being inside of Kristina, who I ampatible with in many ways, it cannot be denied that I am nothing but an unfulfilled spirit. I am like a candle flickering in the wind, liable to vanish at any moment. Furthermore, if Kristina rejects me because of her unwillingness to ept my existence¡­." [Sister, sister! I would never do something like that. So please don¡¯t say something so sad,] Kristina interjected with a shout. Anise secretly enjoyed Kristina¡¯s screams. ¡°I¡­. Just like when I took my life in the past, I will disappear in vain without having achieved anything I hoped for. Even so, I will not me anyone. Not you, Mer Merdein, who treated me like a burr cat, nor Sienna, who may criticize my deeds, nor you, Hamel, for not holding on to me. Just as soil returns to the earth, and dust to dust, I will return to the soil and dust and pray for the happiness andfortable rest for those I loved in heaven,¡± said Anise before deliberately taking a pause. She took a deep breath, then gave the most benevolent smile she could muster. ¡°Even though I may be nothing more than a faint reminder, a ghost, I love all of you.¡± Large drops formed on Molon¡¯s eyes, and Mer sniffled as well. Even Eugene approached Anise with a sad expression and stretched out his arms before taking her into his embrace. Mer also poked out of the cape and joined in the embrace. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Lady Anise might be mean, but you¡¯re still a good person. I also¡­ love you, Lady Anise,¡± said Mer. ¡°I love Anise as well.¡± Molon took Eugene, Anise, and Mer all into his embrace while crying. Anise gave a satisfied smile, sandwiched between the people she loved. *** The following day, Eugene woke up in the mansion''s room that had been allocated to him. The discussion with Anise ¡ª or rather, Kristina ¡ª and Molon had persisted until the early hours, but no one had raised an eyebrow. It was, after all, perfectly normal for Molon the Brave, the legendary hero who had confronted the Demon Kings three centuries ago, to advise the current Hero and Saint. Nothing seemed out of ce. Furthermore, despite not having had any rest, Molon extended an invitation to all the members of the Lionheart family from the crack of dawn. His purpose was to impart guidance and offer words of benediction to the heirs of the Great Vermouth. ¡®I hope that idiot doesn¡¯t say anything out of ce¡­.¡¯ Molon had been advised since dawn. Not many people knew that Eugene was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, so Molon was to watch what he would say. Gavid Lindman and the ck Fog had not returned since their departure the previous night. Molon felt a sense of unease brewing within him. As he had mentioned by the gate, he couldn''t help but ponder whether Gavid was hatching some sort of scheme out in the vast snowfield. However, Eugene was adamant that Gavid was not capable of such treachery. Despite his earlier disgraceful exit, Eugene believed Gavid was a proud individual loyal to the Demon King of Incarceration. The idea of him seeking revenge was preposterous in Eugene''s mind. Additionally, Eugene dismissed any concerns of Gavidunching an attack on the fort with the ck Fog. To him, it was an unnecessary worry. Eugene couldn''t contain his amusement as he strolled near the fortress wall. "Oh, my," he chuckled vainly to himself. Kristina was not walking alongside him at the moment. Her allegiance was to the Holy Empire, and as the Bishop of Light, she was affiliated with the Luminous Covenant, as was the case with all bishops. Hence, she was currently in theirpany. Training was underway outside the fortress. It was a coboration between Aroth¡¯s Magic Corps and wizards belonging to Nahama¡¯s School of Dungeons. The knights were currently fighting against a summoned army of monsters. The knights engaged in the ongoing battle belonged to the Anti-Demon Alliance. Standing behind them were healers and priests from the Alliance and Yuras, ready to tend to any injuries that may arise. While they were all giving their best effort, it didn''t particrly impress Eugene. He knew that demonic beasts were far more formidable opponents than ordinary monsters. Furthermore, monsters tainted with demonic energy were significantly more vicious and dangerous than their uncorrupted counterparts. To Eugene, it appeared that the training they had received only scratched the surface of what was necessary to deal with such threats. But there was no avoiding it. As Aman Ruhr had stated, the true value of the Knight Marchy in the gathering of the continent''s most influential figures. In fact, even the Demon King of Incarceration had made an appearance just the day before, which meant that the kings were currently upied with discussions on future preparations within the castle. However, leaving the knights unattended during this time was not an option. Therefore, the knights would continue with their training, even though it was dull and somewhat impractical. Nevertheless, the knights found some satisfaction inparing their skills to those of their peers, which gave them a sense of superiority. It was also an opportunity for headhunting, as many knights and mercenaries were gathered at the Knight March. Some mercenaries would receive exclusive contracts, and others would even be knighted. ¡°You¡¯re watching something quite boring.¡± The owner of the voice approached without hiding his presence, and once he noticed Eugene¡¯sck of response, he spoke first. ¡°It¡¯s not that bad once you watch for a while,¡± Eugene said, turning his head. A tall man was staring at Eugene. It was the Commander of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, the First Knight ¡ª Ortus Neumann. Chapter 240: Lehain (11) Exid was an extravagant magic armor unique to the Kingdom of Shimuin, crafted from orihalcon. Although Eugene had seen Dior and Princess Scalia wearing Exid in the snowfield, the one that themander of the Violent Tide Knights adorned was truly befitting his status. Ortus¡¯ Exid was quite different from the armor that the two had been wearing. Arge engraving caught Eugene''s attention, situated in the center of Ortus'' chest te. The emblem symbolized the Violent Tide Knights, characterized by swirling waves and a whirlpool. Unlike Princess Scalia''s armor, the royal family''s symbol was not engraved on Ortus'' armor. However, Eugene noticed something far more precious at the vortex''s center ¡ª a red jewel the size of a thumb. But it wasn¡¯t as if Eugene had recognized it because he was keen. Rather, the jewel''s fame was undeniable, as well as Ortus¡¯ armor. The revtion that the jewel was, in fact, a Dragon Heart was nothing short of astounding. Despite not being fashioned from an entire Dragon Heart like the renowned artifacts dmir or Akasha, it still contained the essence of the legendary creature, making it an object of immense power and mythical significance. Naturally, Ortus cherished his Exid, recognizing it as an invaluable treasure. Yet, he knew that it was not his to im alone. Instead, it was one of the national treasures of Shimuin, a source of pride and strength for their people. In addition to the prized armor, there were numerous weapons and Exids crafted using parts of the Dragon Heart. The Dragon Heart was a sacred artifact with a storied past. Its origins were tied to the Sea Dragon, the fabled protector of the South Sea and Shimuin. For many years, the Sea Dragon had kept watch over the nation and the sea, defending it against all manner of threats. However, in the epic battle against the Demon Kings that had taken ce three centuries ago, the creature had sustained mortal injuries. Despite his incredible power, the Sea Dragon had ultimately been unable to ovee the overwhelming forces arrayed against him. Hisst act had been to return to the sea he had guarded for so long before passing away. In his wake, he left behind his remains, including the precious Dragon Heart, as a gift to the royal family of Shimuin. ¡®Dragon bones, scales, and heart, albeit only a fragment, were said to be used in crafting this armor. It was reputed to be the finest armor in the entire continent, and its looks certainly live up to its reputation,¡¯ Eugene concluded. Eugene was filled with awe as he gazed upon the armor up close for the first time. He couldn''t help but imagine the immense strength a skilled knight would possess if they were to wear such a magnificent suit of armor. Of course, that wasn¡¯t to say that Ortus didn¡¯t deserve such a magnificent suit of armor. Although Eugene couldn¡¯t be entirely certain until they crossed des, from the atmosphere he exuded, Ortus seemed strong enough to be called one of the best knights of the continent. Ortus asked, "Are you attempting to gauge my abilities?" Despite his tall height, Ortus had a lean build that exuded a sense of precision and sharpness, like a finely crafted de. His hair was neatly parted down the middle, hisplexion was fair, and there were noticeable dark circles under his eyes. Apart from his skills, he looked rather depressed. Eugene quickly apologized, saying, "I''m sorry if I came across as disrespectful. It wasn''t my intention. I suppose it was an instinctive reaction to being in the presence of the renowned Sir Ortus Hyman." "Not at all. It''s only natural for someone to be judged when they are well known. So, what is your opinion of me?" Ortus asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know. I think I would have a better idea after crossing swords than from someone¡¯s first impression,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That sounds like a provocation. Ah, don¡¯t get me wrong. I¡¯m not offended. I felt it yesterday too, but this just seems like your personality,¡± responded Ortus with a straight face. Was he truly not offended? Eugene stared Ortus straight in the face. ¡°¡­Ah. You must have been surprised since I came so suddenly,¡±mented Ortus. ¡°Honestly, yes,¡± answered Eugene. "I understand that my son and Princess Scalia were indebted to you." Eugene remembered what he had learned from Cyan and Ciel. It was entirely due to the mischievous actions of the Queen of the Night Demons that Princess Scalia was in a confused state and rampaged. Unfortunately, they couldn''t inform Scalia of this fact. Eugene knew he could let the matter slide, but it was a different matter for Scalia. As a princess of Shimuin, if shebeled Noir Giabe''s prank as an ambush, it could be a major nuisance. Cyan and Ciel had spent considerable time pondering how to exin the situation to Princess Scalia. However, to their relief, they didn''t have toe up with an excuse. Upon waking up, Princess Scalia and Dior convinced themselves that they had been poisoned during their pursuit of the ck Dog Mercenaries. The poison had caused them to experience a temporary state of delirium and rage, likely of a magical nature. Luckily, their Exids had neutralized the poison after a while, but in the interim, they had briefly lost their minds and attacked Eugene''s group. Ultimately, they were overpowered and lost consciousness. The truth behind the incident with Princess Scalia and Dior was quite different from what they believed. In fact, their delusion was a trick of Noir Giabe, who had used her hypnosis to manipte their memories. With her Demoneye of Fantasy, she could easily manipte the human mind and make them believe anything she wanted. Thanks to her abilities, Princess Scalia and Dior didn''t even remember meeting Eugene. Despite the strange turn of events, Eugene was relieved that he didn''t have to devise an excuse for their behavior. ¡°I heard from the princess and my son that they were subdued without being injured whilst in their delirium thanks to your talents,¡± said Ortus. Eugene quickly came up with an excuse. ¡°Well¡­ it could have been due to their confusion, but I don¡¯t think they were able to disy their true capabilities¡­.¡± Ortus didn''t seem to buy Eugene''s attempt to downy his skills in subduing Princess Scalia and Dior. "You don''t have to try to protect my son''s pride," he said. "I saw the fight yesterday. Even if Dior was in his right mind and giving it his all, he wouldn''t have been able to beat you, even if there were ten of him." Ortus spoke swiftly. Eugene noticed a fleeting crease between Ortus'' eyebrows when he mentioned his son¡¯s name. Eugene was no strange to this expression. ¡®I guess all extreme parents are simr.¡¯ Tanis had worn a simr expression when she talked about Eward. Eugene had a rough idea of the situation with Dior, but he couldn''t help feeling curious. Even if Ortus was talking about his own son, he seemed to extremely undervalue Dior. However, Eugene knew that Dior was no slouch ¡ª he had managed to receive Princess Scalia''s sword and, while not on par with Eugene, was still a talented individual in his own right. ¡®Or is his father¡¯s standards just too high?¡¯ Eugene couldn''t help but wonder if Ortus had set the bar too high for his son. Dior was only two years older than Eugene, and while age didn''t necessarily equate to strength, it was possible that Ortus had ced high expectations on his son to be a knight who could represent their country. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about mycking son,¡± said Ortus, even though he had been the one to bring up the topic. ¡°Regarding the¡­ ident with Princess Scalia and my son. I did not report it to His Majesty. Princess Scalia did not want it either.¡± When Noir Giabe had possessed Princess Scalia, she had talked with Eugene using Scalia as a medium. Princell Scalia was the Vice-Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, known as the Princess Knight, and she was considered to be one of the symbols of Shimuin, the Kingdom of Knights. Scalia had realized early on that her skills were inadequate to represent the Kingdom of Knights. Despite this realization, she pushed herself to the limits, training tirelessly and striving to meet the expectations of those around her. However, a sense of despair gradually crept into her heart when she failed to see any significant improvement. It was this weakness that Noir Giabe was able to exploit, and she easily gained control over Scalia. That¡¯s why Night Demons were so horrible. If one had darkness in their heart and wasn¡¯t satisfied with their reality, they would naturally fall into a dream. Night Demons invaded their dreams andced them with malice and greed. Acting on her own ord, Princess Scalia had made the decision to eliminate the ck Dog Mercenaries, and Dior had no choice but to follow as her subordinate. Her brutal tactics in killing them had been a release for the anger and stress that had built up inside her over time. The cause of this stress was her fear of insomnia, which prevented her from getting any rest at night, leading to a natural inclination towards cruelty. Everything had been fine until then. However, things took a different turn when Scalia''s identity was brought into the mix. As the Vice-Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, an organization renowned as one of the strongest on the continent, how could it be that the Princess Knight had been poisoned during a mission to kill mercenaries, lost control of herself, and ended up indiscriminately swinging her sword? If this incident was exposed to the public, it would bring immense shame to her, the knights, and the Kingdom of Shimuin. Therefore, it was natural for Princess Scalia to want to cover it up and Ortus to want to investigate the matter after allowing her unexpected actions. ¡°I understand what you are asking, Sir Ortus. However, I split up with Princess Scalia in the middle of our journey,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I heard from the Lionheart¡¯s twins that the princess asked for their understanding already. And if I ask you once again, won¡¯t you ry to them what I¡¯ve told you as well?¡± responded Ortus before ncing outside the walls. A small army of monsters was persisting against a group of knights. Ortus clicked his tongue while looking at the scene with disapproving eyes. ¡°Even if you gather a bunch of rabbits, they¡¯ll still be rabbits.¡± ¡°What?¡± said Eugene. "You should already know. The knights fighting over there are the Guardian Knights of the Anti-Demon Alliance. They¡¯re a group made up of knights who have earned some reputation in their respective small countries. Though they may number many, only a handful are truly skilled,¡± said Ortus before pointing his finger at one of the knights. ¡°Do you see that man standing over there? Regs, the Commander of the Guardian Knights. What do you think about his skills? I assure you that he couldn¡¯t be confident in overwhelming any of the knights belonging to the White Lion Knights.¡± ¡°Well¡­.¡± "Honestly, I don''t see why you''re hesitant. The White Lion Knights are a prestigious group that''s recognized all across the continent. Skilled knights from every corner of the world aspire to join our ranks. But what about the Guardian Knights? Their skills are meager at best. They may seem impressive in their small nations, but they''re nothing more than a hodgepodge of mediocre knights." Ortus'' disdainful words hung in the air, and Eugene remained silent, taking in his words. After a moment, Ortus cleared his throat and continued, his expression softening slightly. ¡°I¡¯ve shown you a disgraceful appearance. I hope you understand. It¡¯s not like I dislike them as knights. However, I am annoyed by their crudity.¡± ¡°What do you mean by crudity?¡± asked Eugene. Ortus asked a question in response. ¡°What is the reason to hold this Knight March? Why did Ie to this northernmostnd from the warm south with the Violent Tide Knights and His Majesty the King? Is it not because the Anti-Demon Alliance tried to show off what little power it had at Helmuth¡¯s border?¡± Indeed. Eugene nodded. Ortus wasn¡¯t wrong at all, and the Demon King of Incarceration had also warned about this very thing. However, the responsibility could not be ced entirely on the Anti-Demon Alliance. The Anti-Demon Alliance had acted so boldly because the Pdins of Yuras had always acted with the Guardian Knights. For a long time, they remained stationed near Helmuth¡¯s border, calling for the conquest of Helmuth and the death of the Demon Kings. ¡°What makes me dislike them even more is that even though we¡¯ve gone through the trouble of gathering here because of them¡­ they aren¡¯t showing any remorse at all. They are weak but shameless as well. I despise that. And once the Knight March ends, they will bite back the troops stationed near the border as if nothing ever happened, hiding behind the Holy Empire. I understand the reason since the Anti-Demon Alliance is practically a tributary to the Holy Empire, but that doesn¡¯t change my contempt for them,¡± exined Ortus. ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene yed along. Ortus seemed incredibly proud, perhaps because he was the representative figure from the Kingdom of Knights. ¡®I don¡¯t like these types.¡¯ Eugene clicked his tongue mentally. Since his past life, Eugene had never harbored any fondness for those knights who acted condescendingly. So he took on a crooked tone in his next question. ¡°Did youe to me to talk about strong and excellent knights?¡± Ortus stared at Eugene in silence for a moment, then shook his head. ¡°I came here to make a proposal.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know this already, but the participants of the Knight March are concealing various goals derived from self-interest apart from its original purpose. Of course, I don¡¯t mean to disparage the original goal of the Knight March. The Demon King of Incarceration came for a visit, and Sir Molon Ruhr, the great hero, is currently staying in this fortress,¡± said Ortus while turning his gaze toward the castle. ¡°Sir Molon is currently speaking with the Knights of the Lionheart family, but during the Knight March, knights from other nations will also have their chances. The leaders of the continent will also discuss the future of the world with Sir Molon as well. I believe the training will be fruitless, but there is value in discovering the will of the Demon King of Incarceration and conversing with Sir Molon.¡± Ortus paused for a moment, then continued. ¡°Let me cut to the chase. My goal here was to propose that youe to Shimuin.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any intention of doing so now,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°If you had not been chosen by the Holy Sword, I would have promised you many things as the envoy of His Majesty the King. No, even without me having to do so, His Majesty would have stepped up personally,¡± said Ortus. This was nothing new for Eugene. During his time in Aroth, Eugene had received a simr proposal from Honein Abram, the crown prince of Aroth, and Trempel Vizardo, Commander of Aroth¡¯s court wizards. As the adopted son of the head of the Lionheart family, it was impossible for Eugene to seed as the next head, especially in a family that ced great emphasis on legitimacy. Nevertheless, Eugene had all the qualities and abilities necessary to lead the family with distinction. Because of this, some who were unfamiliar with him assumed that he was unhappy with his current position and offered him attractive incentives to renounce his affiliation with the Lionheart family. ¡°Since you were chosen by the Holy Sword, I don''t think the riches we can offer you would interest you greatly. So I want to make another proposal. No, rather, I think it would be more appropriate to call it a request instead,¡± asked Ortus. ¡°And what would that be?¡± said Eugene. ¡°The Abyssal Princess, Iris,¡± answered Ortus with a frown. ¡°I think this name should be familiar.¡± "You''re not suggesting that Iris turned to piracy because Lady Carmen and I failed to eliminate her back then, are you?" retorted Eugene, his expression turning into a scowl. Eugene had respected Ortus thus far, but if he continued to spout such nonsense, he would quickly lose any shred of respect he had left. ¡°Would I say such a shameless thing?¡± said Ortus. Fortunately, he wasn¡¯t a shameless bastard. He shook his head violently, genuinely flustered by Eugene¡¯s usation. ¡°It is no one¡¯s responsibility that the Abyssal Princess escaped from Kiehl. Although she doesn¡¯tpare to the likes of the de of Incarceration, the Queen of the Night Demons, or the ck Dragon, she is still one of the monsters who survived the war from three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Well, yes, even though she¡¯s resorted to shabby pirating now,¡± said Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­ shabby.¡± Ortus¡¯ frown deepened a notch. ¡°She¡¯s a powerful monster. The sea is wide, and there are many pirates, but she managed to gain control over most of the pirates in the South Sea in just one year. At first, she only had a single, shabby pirate ship, but now, she has dozens of pirate organizations under her wing. They call themselves the Pirates of Fury.¡± Was it really to that extent? Eugene was left in a state of bewilderment as he gazed at Ortus. Ortus went on to exin, "As she gained more power, the Abyssal Princess became more daring in her piracy. She began to targetrger merchant groups and took over numerous trade ships. It''s be a significant problem. We''ve tried sending multiple expeditions to stop her, but it''s been futile. Her Demoneye allows her to easily evade us." ¡°As someone who¡¯s faced her before, I can tell you she¡¯s running away when she doesn¡¯t need to. If the Rakshasa Princess decided to face off against the expedition, the entire fleet would have been buried at the bottom of the ocean,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I think so too. I don¡¯t think the Abyssal Princess wants to openly be hostile with the Kingdom of Shimuin.¡± ¡°Has she not already done that by attacking the merchants and the trading ships?¡± asked Eugene. Ortus replied with a contemtive expression, "Not necessarily. The Abyssal Princess has shown¡­ flexibility in her actions. While she does attack and upy ships, she doesn''t plunder everything. She takes a hefty toll and often lets the ships go. Only in the case of elves being transported as ves would she rob them. This kind of behavior is not umon among powerful pirates in the South Sea. It''s considered customary." ¡°I know a bit. They take tolls and offer some of it as bribes. Isn¡¯t that right? To be honest, the royal family must also be receiving the Rakshasa Princess¡¯ bribes,¡± said Eugene. Ortus was speechless. After ring at Eugene for a moment, he nodded with a long sigh. ¡°You are right. Even before she became as powerful as she is now, she bribed the higher-ups of the Navy. Of course, even greater riches ended up in the hands of the royal family.¡± In addition to imposing taxes and tariffs on the goods transported by the trade ships, they took bribes as well. It was a cruel and heart-wrenching reality for the victims of these attacks, but those epting the bribes turned a blind eye to their suffering. ¡°But the Abyssal Princess wasn¡¯t left unattended just for the sake of the bribes. She is strong, and there¡¯s nothing we can do about her with the forces of Shimuin. Moreover, the sea is wide, and there are many pirates. We thought that she might be able to maintain control of the pirates if she seeded in uniting them,¡± exined Ortus. Was that truly the whole story? Eugene didn¡¯t buy it. He wasn''t naive and could see the possibility that Shimuin may have wanted to harness the power of the Abyssal Princess for their own gain. It was possible that they had allowed her piracy and bribery as a means of indirect power and to establish a trading rtionship with her. Iris, the Rakshasa Princess, also known as the Abyssal Princess, was certainly a power to be greedy for. She had already turned her back on Helmuth after losing her territory to Noir Giabe. So Shimuin would have wanted to coax the Abyssal Princess into fostering a rtionship with them so the royal family could have her act on their requests. ¡®It must not have worked out. Well, of course. That madwoman is hoping for the revival of the dark elves and the resurrection of the Demon King of Fury.¡¯ Thinking so, Eugene asked, ¡°So, what happened that ruined the friendly rtionship between Shimuin and the Rakshasa Princess?¡± ¡°That monster has grown out of proportion,¡± responded Ortus. ¡°She must have started to cut down on the bribes,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Let¡¯s stop talking about the bribes. It won¡¯t do any good for anyone else to hear about it,¡± said Ortus. ¡°So why are you telling me all this?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you already? I want to ask you for a favor.¡± Ortus started to be a little irritated, with Eugene continuing to tease him. ¡°You are the Hero who has been chosen by the Holy Sword. Also, isn¡¯t the Abyssal Princess your enemy? So I would like to ask for your help until we take down the Abyssal Princess.¡± ¡°The Hero is not a volunteer,¡± stated Eugene. ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Ortus. ¡°It is entirely in your liberty to ask me for help. However, I am saying that there is no reason for me to agree to your request unconditionally, all but for the sake of burning justice,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Even at this moment, the Abyssal Princess is performing evil deeds while throwing the sea into chaos,¡± said Ortus. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it Shimuin that allowed the crazy woman to roam free without attempting to catch her earlier?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I know that we have a responsibility. So I will be joining the conquest for the Abyssal Princess. His Majesty has also expressed his intention of bringing the elite of the Violent Tide Knights and the proud Navy of Shimuin will¡ª¡± ¡°We won¡¯t need an entire fleet for this operation. If need be, I could cross the ocean with a single small boat. If I had the power, I could kill the Abyssal Princess alone without being apanied by the Violent Tide Knights,¡± Eugene cut in. Ortus¡¯ lips twitched upon hearing Eugene¡¯s answer. ¡°Are you saying that you possess such power? Even I am not confident that I could face the Abyssal Princess.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not necessarily what I¡¯m getting at, but anyways, I understand what you wanted to say,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Then¡­.¡± ¡°I understand, but that doesn¡¯t mean I will do it. I told you, didn¡¯t I? The Hero doesn''t volunteer,¡± said Eugene, punctuating his words by raising his finger in front of his chest. He formed a circle by joining his index finger and thumb, causing Ortus to feel a shiver down his spine. What was that vulgar and materialistic gesture? Then it dawned on him that Eugene was the same person who had flipped off the Demon King of Incarceration just yesterday. ¡°That¡­. Well¡­. Um¡­. Exactly how much would you like?¡± asked Ortus. ¡°I know I made a coin with my fingers, but I already have a lot of money, so I have no need for more. What about an Exid?¡± said Eugene. ¡°That, we can¡ª¡± ¡°One with a Dragon Heart. As far as I know, there are two more Exids embedded with the Dragon Heart in the treasury of Shimuin,¡± Eugene interrupted. ¡°That¡¯s¡­!¡± cried Ortus. Then he took a look around beforeposing himself. ¡°Is the national treasure of Shimuim. We cannot hand it out to a foreigner.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll just borrow it for about fifty years and return it afterward. If you decline, then there¡¯s no helping it. If the Rakshasa Princess brings her fleet and ends up attacking Shimuin¡­. Maybe, just maybe, she will take down the capital and the castle, open up the treasury, and im the precious treasures as her own. I¡¯m very worried indeed,¡± teased Eugene with a look of sincere regret. Ortus ground his teeth without realizing it. Even a toddler could know that Eugene was mocking him. The valley between Ortus¡¯ eyebrows deepened, and his clenched fists started to tremble. He had many things he wanted to say, but he couldn¡¯t possibly allow them to escape through his lips. Ortus couldn''t deny that he needed Eugene''s help. The Abyssal Princess, Iris, was a formidable opponent, a hybrid with a direct lineage to the Demon King of Fury and a pure-blooded dark elf. He knew he would require the Holy Sword to stand a chance against such a monster. Additionally, if he managed to convince Eugene to join him, Kristina Rogeris would follow suit. It was a gamble, but Ortus had no other choice. He took a deep breath and tried topose himself. ¡°I understand¡­ your request¡­ very well. I will discuss it with His Majesty,¡± said Ortus. ¡°If fifty years is too long, I¡¯m willing to go for half. Let¡¯s say twenty-five years.¡± ¡°Let me¡­! S-speak with His Majesty. We can negotiate afterward,¡± spat Ortus. ¡°I don¡¯t intend to go for anything less than twenty-five years, so there won¡¯t be a need for a negotiation,¡± said Eugene. Ortus could no longer stand it. He jerked around, then jumped down from the wall without saying anything. ¡°Oh, this feels so good.¡± Eugene smiled in satisfaction. He waved at Ortus as he grew farther and farther away, emitting a fierce momentum. Chapter 241: The Brave Molon (1) Four days had passed since their meeting, but Orthrus still had yet to revisit Eugene. ¡®It seems that they aren¡¯t in any hurry yet,¡¯ Eugene mused. Perhaps it would be less of a shocking offer to shorten the fifty years to just twenty-five? Eugene also had the intention of one day finding Iris, who was sailing around the southern seas, and killing her. However, honestly speaking, that was far down on his list of priorities. The very first thing that Eugene needed to do was to visit Helmuth¡¯s Dragon Demon Castle. He would find Raizakia¡¯s hatching there and, if it was possible, he would kill it. Of course, before that, he would use the hatchling to find Raizakia in the gap between dimensions. Iris and any other unfinished business woulde after that. Judging from how Orthrus had phrased his request it seemed that the Shimuin side still thought of Iris as just a nuisance, and hadn¡¯t yet decided to take care of her as soon as possible. Also, the biggest problem with capturing Iris was that the seas were just too wide. In addition to that, Iris¡¯ Demon Eye of Darkness was formidable not only inbat, but also when it came to fleeing. In the middle of those wide open seas, what were they supposed to do if Iris used the Demoneye of Darkness to escape? Not only Eugene, but any other wizard in the world wouldn''t be able to stop Iris from leaving. ¡®Well,pared to Noir Giabe, Iris is pretty crazy,¡¯ Eugene thought idly as he brushed the snow off his cheek. Two days before, Molon had suddenly left the fort. Leaving behind the words ¡®I¡¯ll be back¡¯ on the wall of a hallway, the idiot had left without saying anything to Eugene or Anise. Out of the blue, he had just suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night. They could guess the reason for this. What other reason could Molon have for suddenly disappearing? Wasn¡¯t it obvious? In Lehainjar, beyond the Great Hammer Canyon, the Nur had probably reappeared. ¡°Idiot,¡± Eugene grumbled as he thought of Molon. After arriving at the fort, Molon had been extremely busy. On that first night, he, Eugene, and Anise drank and chatted away until dawn. After the Demon King of Incarceration left, Molon spoke with knights from all around the world, starting with the Lionhearts, and attended several meetings with the other kings. He briefly observed the knights during their training and gave them simr sorts of advice, and he held a small banquet with the other Bayar tribesmen living in the fort. He also spent some time with Aman Ruhr and the White Fangs. Then, even though he had already talked to most of them, he still came to visit the Lionhearts in their mansion so that he could personally meet all those who bore thest name Lionheart and tell them various stories. Molon was especially fond of Gilead and his twins. Although there wasn¡¯t much of a facial resemnce, Gilead¡¯s long hair seemed to remind Molon of Vermouth. The twins found it difficult to get over their jitters when they first met Molon, but even though it didn¡¯t really suit him, Molon acted like a kind grandfather to them and even gave them tips as the twins sparred. While at the fort, Molon hadn¡¯t gotten an ounce of sleep. It was all because of the Nur. Even though the two days he had spent at the fort had been so busy, Molon had continuously kept an eye on Lehainjar. No one knew when the Nur might reappear. Two days before, it had seemed that the Nur had finally reappeared. But if that was all there was to it, then Eugene and Anise would have just epted it as something that couldn¡¯t be helped. If Molon hade back that very morning, they would have just found him and cursed at him a few times. However, it had been two full days and Molon had yet to return to the fort. So in order to find Molon, Eugene and Anise had left to climb Lehainjar. In order to prevent anyone from worrying needlessly, Eugene had given some vague exnation to the Patriarch ¡ª he told Gilead that they were going to receive a test from the Brave Molon at Lehainjar. It was a hastily made-up excuse, but being given a test by the great hero had held enough weight to convince the others. ¡°In fact, it¡¯s all because Molon is such an idiot,¡± Eugene spat out as he red down at the light flickering in the palm of his hand. ¡°Because that bastard put up such a tough act when all the knights were gathered together, everyone thinks that doing stuff like this is just Molon being Molon.¡± ¡°You¡¯re being too harsh on Molon,¡± Anise¡¯s eyes widened as she stared at Eugene. ¡°Molon definitely acts like a fool when he¡¯s together with us, but in front of his descendants and the people from this era, he got his act together pretty fine, no?¡± ¡°Yeah, and he looked way too serious. They say that ¡®the position makes the person,¡¯ and it seems like that really is the case,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°Hamel, you were already dead at the time, so you might not be clear about this, but three hundred years ago, Molon really was quite amazing,¡± Anise lectured him. ¡°Molon was the one who first settled in this unexplored, frozennd at the northern end of the continent with just his own personal strength. At that time, the people of the continent were calling him the Pioneering King of the North.¡± ¡°But factually speaking, it¡¯s not like Molon did it all on his own, right?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you also helped the founding of Ruhr by cing pressure on the Pope of Yuras, no?¡± Anise acknowledged his point. ¡°Sienna helped as well, and Sir Vermouth also provided a significant portion of Molon¡¯s pioneering funds. However, it was still all because of Molon¡¯s personal strength and firm will that he was able to settle in thisnd and establish a kingdom.¡± This was just in fact, without any exaggeration. Eugene clicked his tongue as he red at the flickering mes. ¡°In any case, they only allowed the two of us toe here and look for Molon without protesting because they thought that it was very much like Molon to give people this kind of task,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°It¡¯s a pretty reasonable pretext,¡± Anise reminded him. ¡°The founder of Ruhr, the great hero from three hundred years ago, has reappeared for the first time in a hundred years; the living legend decides to test the Hero and the Saint of the present era¡­ doesn¡¯t it sound like something from a myth or a legend?¡± ¡°And yet, here we are, actually looking for Molon after he disappeared on his own,¡± Eugene grumbled. Unlikest time, they didn¡¯t require Abel¡¯s guidance. As they were leaving the Great Hammer Canyonst time, Eugene had left behind a magical beacon for the next time they came looking for Molon. The me that Eugene was holding in the palm of his hand was leading the way as they searched for the magical beacon. Thanks to all of this, their movement speed had increased significantly. This was becausest time they hade here, they had been forced to keep pace with Abel¡¯s speed, but now there wasn¡¯t any need for that. Eugene held his head high as he extinguished the me held in his palm. At the very limits of his field of vision, the Great Hammer Canyon was wavering in the distance. There was still quite a distance before they could reach it, but if they kept up their current pace, they would probably get there in half a day. ¡°The problem will be the barrier, what are we going to do about it?¡± Anise asked. ¡°If I had taken the time to think about that, we wouldn¡¯t have gotten here this fast, no?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°In that case, while we were making our way through that blizzard, we might have even crossed paths and not noticed as Molon returned to the fort ahead of us.¡± ¡°If that really happened, then I¡¯m going to sock Molon right in the kisser when I see him,¡± Anise threatened. Eugene agreed. ¡°You go ahead and smash the front of his head, I¡¯ll take care of the back.¡± ¡°Sounds good. Hamel, I¡¯m going to head in for a bit, so take good care of Kristina and keep her out of danger,¡± Anise requested as she swapped ces with Kristina. Now standing in herspot, Kristina blinked in surprise a few times before her brows furrowed and she shivered in the cold. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re going too far?¡± Kristinained. ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked. Kristina rified, ¡°I¡¯m talking about Sis¡ªI mean, Lady Anise!¡± When it was just the two of them talking, Kristina would always address Anise as ¡®Sister,¡¯but using that form of address in front of other people was somehow embarrassing. [What¡¯s the difference? I¡¯ve already said this before, but between nuns, there¡¯s nothing special about calling each other ¡®sister,¡¯ is there?] There was certainly nothing unusual about nuns calling each other ¡®sister¡¯, but when Kristina used that word, Anise always interpreted it as Kristina calling her ¡®big sis.¡¯ Kristina was well aware of this, so it made her embarrassed to call Anise ¡®sister¡¯ in front of others. Kristina aired her grievances. ¡°I can understand why she would ask to swap ces with me when she has a lot that she wants to say. I can also understand why she left most of the walk through this cold and inhospitablend to me. But Lady Anise is being quite ill-mannered by removing all the miracles that prevent the cold from affecting us the moment that she swaps ces with me.¡± Anise admitted, [It¡¯s fun for me to see you shivering in the cold. Also, this is all for your sake, Kristina] Krisitna muttered, ¡°Just how in the world could this be for my sake¡­.¡± [When you suddenly noticed how cold it was, wouldn¡¯t it have been nice if you had thrown yourself into Hamel¡¯s arms to escape the cold?] Kristina¡¯s lips, which had just been about to vent her overflowing displeasure, were left pping soundlessly. [That¡¯s what I was expecting you to do without even thinking about it, but now that we¡¯ve said all this, you¡¯ve missed the chance to do so. While this opportunity has turned out to be a failure, next time, you should focus on embracing Hamel. If you¡¯re hugging him because you¡¯re cold, then even if he¡¯s embarrassed, Hamel won¡¯t reject it.] ¡°Why have you suddenly stopped talking when you were just about to say something?¡± Eugene asked in concern. Kristina¡¯s whole face blushed red as she stammered, ¡°A-a-a devil, a devil is whispering to me inside of my head.¡± * * * Though it had already passed the time when the sun would normally set, there was no night in Lehainjar. Eugene red at the blizzard-strewn sky and the distant sunlight, as well as the towering, hammer-shaped cliffs below. Thest time they came here, they pitched a tent nearby and camped here. However, there was no need to do so now. Neither Eugene nor Kristina felt any need to rest. Seeing the Great Hammer Canyon from here, it gave off apletely different atmosphere from what they had felt thest time they were here. No¡­rather, it was better said that the Great Hammer Canyon had been like this from the very beginning. The atmosphere at that time had been unusual¡ªit had undergone a sudden transformation due to the appearance of the Nur. Currently, there was no feeling in the air like what they had felt thest time the Nur had appeared. They couldn¡¯t see any signs of that hideous monster, nor did they feel the ominous aura that so resembled the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene clicked his tongue and carried on walking from where he had paused. Already down by the cliffs, Eugene turned back to Kristina and asked, ¡°Do you need me to carry you down?¡± Kristina hesitated for a moment, unable to give an immediate answer. During that pause, her eyes met the glowering stare of Mer through an opening in Eugene¡¯s cloak. Mer¡¯s gaze was so scornful and suspicious that, for a few moments, Kristina seriously considered epting the offer to be carried, but¡­. Eventually, she rejected the offer. ¡°Ahem¡­ I¡¯ll be fine.¡± It was not that she wasn¡¯t fond of the idea, but she felt like she wouldn¡¯t be able to bear the embarrassment of being carried by Eugene. Especially since it was clear that the voice of Anise in her head would tease her enough to make her want to die, so Krisitina didn¡¯t have the confidence that she would be able to handle the teasing while keeping herposure. [What would be so embarrassing about that?] Aniseined. [If you keep hesitating like this, you¡¯ll end up having a lot of things stolen from you.] ¡®...St-stolen from me?¡¯ Kristina repeated questioningly. [I can think of dozens of things that might be stolen away from you, but it would be far too embarrassing for me to have to say them with my own lips, one by one.] Anise was teasing Kristina again. However, this kind of teasing was causing Kristina¡¯s imagination to run wild. As the snow continued to fall, the wind was freezing cold, but in spite of the chill breeze blowing into her face, Kristina¡¯s face was burning hot. After she calmed her racing breath with a cough, she spread her wings of light. The top of the cliffs looked the same asst time. The only thing that could be seen was a lot of snow, there were no other traces. Eugene, who had been expecting at least a few bloodstains, was unable to hide his disappointment. What if they really had crossed paths with Molon without even noticing it? Apart from being pissed off, in that case, Eugene and Anise would be forced to wait until Molon returned toe find them. ¡®He did say that he would be able to see Lehainjar even from a distance,¡¯ Eugene recalled. For a few moments, Eugene was lost in thought as he paced the top of the cliffs. This ce, the Great Hammer Canyon, acted as a kind of border ¡ª the frontier zone to which the Nur was limited when making its appearance into this world. The other side of the Lehainjar, where Molon had piled the corpses of the Nur, was also essible from this point. ¡®This is too well hidden,¡¯ Eugene judged. Akasha, which granted its wielderprehension of all magic, was already in Eugene¡¯s hands. However, it still wasn¡¯t easy for him to find the spells that had been hidden within this cliff. It reminded him of the Darkroom. The spells there had been impossible for him to understand, but Eugene still remembered some of the magic forms that had been used to create the Darkroom. ¡°Mer,¡± Eugene called out. [I¡¯m concentrating,] came Mer¡¯s immediate reply from inside of the cloak. By linking her consciousness with Akasha, Mer was trying to interpret what spells there were in this location. Without any clues, it would have taken her a tremendous amount of time to interpret the spells in this whole area, but thankfully, she wasn¡¯tpletely clueless, as she had obtained some information from their time in the Darkroom. ¡°He really did hide it very deeply,¡± Eugene muttered. Mer agreed. [Yep, that¡¯s right. I don¡¯t really know what the Nur is, but you remember what Sir Molon said, right?] The Nur emitted an ominous aura, like a kind of poison. Even if it died, that ominous aura wouldn¡¯t disappear. Even an ordinary corpse could be the source of infectious diseases when it rotted, but if a mass of ominous miasma like the Nur¡¯s corpse were to rot¡­ and if those corpses had been piled up for a hundred years, then Lehainjar would definitely have been unable to maintain its current appearance. [The space here has been severed. Or perhaps ¡®quarantined¡¯ is a better word¡­. You also know what these spells are mostly used for, right?] Mer reminded him. ¡®They¡¯re meant to keep things secret,¡¯ Eugene silently replied. [Yes, and it also has to bepletely secure. It must bepletely unnoticeable and imprable from both within and without. Thanks to the clues that we found, between me and Akasha¡­ I think we can find it. However, I¡¯m not sure if it''s even possible for us to break into it,] Mer said doubtfully. Eugene disagreed. ¡®It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t have any methods at all.¡¯ [...Do you want to try and use that absurd sword?] Mer asked in concern. They were talking about the Moonlight Sword. [Well, if you use that thing, then I¡¯m not really sure¡­ it really might be possible to create an opening in this magical barrier that doesn¡¯t quite feel like ordinary magic,] Mer mused. [However, Sir Eugene, what are you going to do after that? Sir Molon isn¡¯t a wizard. If this barrier is the result of the power that was granted to him by Sir Vermouth, that means it''s one-of-a-kind. Once the barrier is broken by the Moonlight Sword, it might be impossible to repair the opening.] ¡®I have no intention of actually breaking it,¡¯ Eugene responded asid his hands on the Moonlight Sword inside of his cloak. ¡®I¡¯m just going to knock on the door a bit. If he¡¯s still on the inside, he¡¯ll see that there¡¯s something going on outside the barrier. If nothing happens and nobody reacts, that means Molon is not inside. Or perhaps that idiot is just too dense to notice.¡¯ Of course, there was also another possibility¡­but Eugene didn¡¯t really want to follow that train of thought. ¡°We¡¯ve alreadye this far, but to be honest, I¡¯m not sure about this,¡± Kristina suddenly confessed as she followed behind Eugene, who was still circling the tops of the tops of the cliffs. The sound of her voice came as a surprise, but Eugene immediately noticed that Anise had once again resumed control of their shared body. Because the two had swapped ces in front of him so many times, Eugene had learned how to tell the subtle difference in ent between Anise and Kristina. ¡°What are you so caught up on?¡± Eugene questioned. Anise reminded him, ¡°Molon said that he didn¡¯t want to show us what was on the other side, because the poisonous aura there is so thick and because it might make your head strange. Then he said that it might even make us sick. He kept making up more excuses like that to keep us from looking.¡± Molon, that Molon, had kept trying to make up excuses despite absolutely sucking at it. ¡°That means there is something Molon doesn¡¯t want us to see on the other side,¡± Anise concluded. ¡°So what about it?¡± Eugene snorted dismissively. Anise red at him. ¡°Hamel, I knew that you would say something like that. You¡¯re really just as inconsiderate as you were three hundred years ago.¡± Eugene repolied, ¡°Anise, you also saw that look in Molon¡¯s eyes. Right here, when we first met Molon, did you really forget what Molon looked like at that moment?¡± ¡°Molon at that time really wasn¡¯t like the usual Molon,¡± Anise recalled. ¡°That¡¯s right, Molon wasn¡¯t like himself,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°He drove us away with a ferocious swing of his ax. But after all that debacle, only a few dayster, he shows up smiling like a fool, dragging us into hugs, and sobbing like a baby.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t want to ept that the situation was suspicious, but at this point, he had no other choice but to acknowledge it. He thus voiced his fears. ¡°It isn¡¯t that Molon couldn¡¯t have changed over the past three hundred years. He has definitely changed, but when he¡¯s in front of us, he seems as if he hasn¡¯t changed at all. Perhaps he¡¯s hiding those changes for some reason. I don¡¯t know the reason, and it seems that Molon doesn¡¯t want to talk about it, but since I¡¯m a son of a bitch, I don¡¯t need to be considerate of Molon. I need to see why Molon is doing this with my own two eyes.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t call yourself a son of a bitch,¡± Anise protested. ¡°But you called me a son of a bitch earlier,¡± Eugene argued back. ¡°I said that you¡¯re no different from a son of a bitch, I didn¡¯t say that you were a son of a bitch,¡± Anise corrected him. ¡°Also Hamel, if even you think that what you¡¯re currently trying to do makes you into a son of a bitch, even if it¡¯s just for your own sake, shouldn''t you try not to be a son of a bitch?¡± Eugene just smirked in response to this. In the end, Anise was spouting all these words and arguing that they should be considerate of Molon¡¯s feelings, but she was still standing here and she hadn¡¯t actually refused to go over to the other side. After all, wasn¡¯t it Anise who had first pointed out the incongruity in Molon¡¯s words a few days ago? ¡ªThe thing that you don''t want us to see over there isn¡¯t just random stuff like some monster corpses. ¡ªAlso, I am still the same old me. The more you don¡¯t want to show me something, the more I want to see it, regardless of the cost. Anise Slywood really was this kind of terrible person. In fact, Anise wasn¡¯t the only one. Eugene was the same type of person, and if Sienna had been here as well, Sienna would have also behaved in the same fashion. The party had gone through all sorts of things together. They had almost died over and over again. They had spent dozens of years wandering around together like that. Their journey through Helmuth had changed each of them in various ways. However, there were some things that hadn¡¯t changed. If Molon really had changed, if he had been left with no choice but to change during these long three hundred years, and if Molon had been forced to change during the hundred years he had spent blocking the Nur¡¯s escape, then¡­. Hamel and Anise needed to find out the reason for this. ¡°It¡¯s here,¡± Eugene called out as his steps halted. Within the cloak, Mer was gasping for breath. It was only natural for her to do so, as she almost had to overload herself in order to interpret the spellsyered over this space. Eugene stuck his hand into his cloak and patted Mer on the head a few times. [Don¡¯t think that you can end things with just that,] Mer warned him. [Next time, you need to take me to ride on the merry-go-round.] ¡°Merry-go-round¡­?¡± Eugene repeated in confusion. Mer pouted. [Sir Eugene, you often show a strange reaction to the words merry-go-round. Could it be that you¡¯re embarrassed of riding on a merry-go-round with me?] ¡°It¡¯s not embarrassing, but¡­ something is a bit off¡­,¡± Eugene muttered awkwardly as he removed his hand from Mer¡¯s head and pulled out the Moonlight Sword. ¡°...The Moonlight Sword¡­¡± Anise¡¯s expression stiffened slightly as she said its name. The sword had kept the same appearance as it had three hundred years ago, but just by looking at it, Anise could feel her heart begin to pound. Even though it had been shattered, leaving behind only the hilt and fragments of the de, the strangely ominous aura that the sword emitted still remained. At first nce, it seemed to be just a part of an ordinary sword, something that could have been sold by just about any cksmith¡¯s workshop. Eugene held the sword by its scabbard and slowly pulled the hilt as if drawing the de out. Fwooosh¡­! Pale moonlight flickered, forming the de. As ever, Anise just couldn¡¯t get used to the sight of that light. Eugene was simrly unable to get used to the light of the Moonlight Sword. Its ominous aura was different from that of the Demon King of Destruction¡­ it was refined, yet somehow still turbulent. Destruction in the form of a sword. The de of light flickered within Eugene¡¯s grasp. He had no intention of breaking the barrier; all he wanted to do was knock on it slightly. It was possible for him to adjust the power of the sword to that extent. With that thought in mind, Eugene lifted the Moonlight Sword. However, it turned out that there was no need for him to knock. The moment that the Moonlight Sword fell toward the barrier, as if responding to its light, the barrier opened up wide. Though opening up the way to the dimension on the other side wasn¡¯t like opening an actual physical door. There wasn¡¯t any floating feeling either. As if the world around them had just decided to change on its own, Eugene and Anise were suddenly standing in a different location. ¡°...What¡­ what did you do?¡± Anise asked hesitantly. Eugene denied his involvement. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t do anything. The barrier just opened up on its own¡­.¡± Could it be that Molon had felt something in advance? Or perhaps Vermouth¡¯s barrier had responded to the Moonlight Sword and opened up the door? Right now, Eugene didn¡¯t know the answer to these questions. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± Anise suddenly gagged and sped her hand across her mouth. Three hundred years ago, they had seen so many terrible sights that they had almost gotten bored of them. However, no matter how experienced Anise herself was, in Kristina¡¯s body, which had no tolerance for such things, her first reaction to the sight in front of them was a violent rejection. The same went for Eugene as well. He felt dizzy and had to grab hold of his own knees to stop himself from falling over. This ce was still in Lehainjar, the other side of the Great Hammer Canyon. However, there were no simrities to the world beyond. There wasn¡¯t even any snow on the ground and no snow was falling from the sky either. Whether it was the ground beneath their feet or the eye-stingingndscape around them, everything seemed bizarrely distorted. This scenery reminded Eugene of Helmuth from three hundred years ago. In the Devildom, it was nothing strange for just about anything to ur. It was a hideous and grotesquend that, to any of the humans caught there, was no different from hell. Boom, boom. They could see the winding and twisting peaks of the mountains above. The churned-up ground, that seemed to have been created asva boiled up from below the surface and then cooled down, was covered in blood and bits of flesh. Boom, boom. A corpse was on the ground not far from where they stood. The body was familiar to Eugene ¡ª just like the one he had seen a few days ago, it was a corpse of the monkey-like the Nur. But this corpse was a far more ghastly sight. At that time, the corpse of the Nur that they found had been killed cleanly andy on the ground with its throat slit. By contrast, this corpse was not lying on the ground, but rather strewn across the ground, ripped into pieces. Boom! Boom! From somewhere in the distance and far above, loud and heavy crashing sounds echoed. Chapter 242: The Brave Molon (2) Eugene and Anise stood quietly in front of the Nur¡¯s corpse for a few moments. Just why had the body been left in this state? The two had the same suspicion in their heads, but they couldn¡¯t bear to voice their thoughts out loud. Instead, they just took a few moments to sort out their emotions. The crashing sound could still be heard intermittently. Afraid to stick her head out of the cloak, Mer just curled up inside of the cloak. Under the usual circumstances, Eugene would have patted Mer on the head or held her hand so that she wouldn¡¯t be so anxious, but right now, he simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to do it. He was feeling anxious himself, and he really didn¡¯t have the attention to spare forforting her. After standing there absentmindedly for some time, Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°Idiot,¡± he cursed. He didn¡¯t want to think about it, but he couldn¡¯t help it. Eugene walked past the Nur¡¯s corpse. Anise also let out a quiet sigh and followed behind him. It was difficult to walk across the ground that rose and fell in waves as if flowingva had seemingly hardened in ce. Some ces were hard enough to walk over, but other ces were not as sturdy, and their feet would sink into the ground when they crossed those areas. In addition, Lehainjar was a snowy mountain, and snow was naturally falling on its other side, but here, there was not even a trace of snow, much less a wintryndscape. Instead, everything here looked like a toddler¡¯s haphazard finger painting. Bizarre shapes with no coherent patterns formed thendscape. Eugene and Anise were very familiar with this kind of environment. At this point in time, Helmuth was considered one of the empires. It was a normal country that epted immigrants from all over the continent, and had lost all traces of its former appearance from three hundred years ago. The Helmuth of the past, however, had been a terrible sight worthy of being called ¡®Hell.¡¯ ¡°This reminds me of the old days,¡± Eugene muttered as he climbed up the curved slope. ¡°Do you miss those days?¡± Anise asked from behind him. ¡°To be honest, it would be a lie to say that I didn¡¯t miss them,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°Back then, I was still alive and hadn¡¯t died yet, and you were also alive at that time.¡± Aniseughed wryly and nodded. She nced down at the lump of flesh by her feet. It was a fragment of a corpse that had been shredded to such minute bits that it was impossible to imagine what it originally looked like. Simr bits of flesh were scattered all across their field of view. Someone had dragged the corpse here, randomly knocking it against whatever was in the way, then had torn it apart with grip strength alone before throwing the pieces away. While it was impossible to imagine the original appearance of the corpse, it was possible for them to picture why the corpse had be like this. Eugene looked at the intestines hanging from a twisted tree. Were they already rotten? He couldn¡¯t really tell. The smell was foul and the colors were odd, so they definitely seemed to be rotten¡­ or perhaps it was that the Nur¡¯s internal organs looked like that to begin with. Eugene wondered if that was even important. This ce was more like a garbage dump than a grave, so it was more urate to say that the shredded corpses here had been thrown away like garbage instead of being ¡®enshrined¡¯ within a tomb. Besides the lumps of flesh, guts, blood, and bones, there were several other traces visible. There were clear scratch marks on the cliffs and rocks ¡ª at least, it was clear that they had been intentionally made, though it was hard to tell if they were meant to be pictures or words. Among all these traces, the ones that were mostmon and most prominent¡­ were the traces of violence seemingly left by something thrashing about and randomly destroying whatever was around them. Eugene and Anise walked past these traces, continuing to climb upward. The higher they got, the more violent, obvious, and frequent these traces grew. It was as if the one who left them behind wanted to make sure that no one would climb up this mountain. Or, perhaps, they didn¡¯t want anything up there toe back down. ¡°Idiot.¡± This time it was Anise, not Eugene, who muttered this word. She stepped forward herself and swung her il to topple the rubble blocking them. Boom, boom! The sound was no longering from so far away. Eugene tucked the Moonlight Sword, which he had been holding in his hand, back into his cloak. For a moment, he hesitated. Should he pull something else out and keep it at the ready? He thought about it for a second. Was there really a reason for why he needed to have a weapon in his hand? In the end, he decided not to worry about it. He didn¡¯t pull out another weapon, and he didn¡¯t even clench his fists. Anise, who now followed behind him once more, also hung the il that she was holding back at her waist. Instead, both of her hands reached up to clutch the rosary hanging around her neck. In a low voice, Anise began to recite a prayer. Boom, boom! The sound was nowing from right ahead of them. A few momentster, Molon came into view. He looked just like what they had imagined he would from the moment that they had entered this side of the Lehainjar and had first heard those thunderous sts. Molon was sitting on his knees, with both hands gripping the ground, and he was smashing his own head into the ground. Every time this happened, the ground shook as if an earthquake had urred. Inside the cloak, Mer swallowed back a gasp. Eugene and Anise didn¡¯t show any immediate reaction. While they were climbing up here ¡ª no, from the moment Molon had revealed that there was something here that he didn¡¯t want to show them¡­ they had suspected that they might see something like this. Eugene and Anise were all too familiar with Molon. From three hundred years ago until now, Molon had always been a brave warrior who would never back down from a challenge. Someone else instead would have entertained the thought of just copsing and giving in to despair when faced with such a duty, but they couldn¡¯t even imagine the sight of Molon quitting like that. Molon had always stood at the forefront of the battlefield. He took that as his duty, and everyone entrusted the vanguard to Molon as if it was only natural. And truly, in those days, it was the natural thing to do. Because Molon was brave and he never backed down; he was a true warrior who was strong and would never falter. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene called out to Molon in a quiet voice. Eugene hadn¡¯t directly experienced the three hundred years that had passed since they hadst met. The same went for Anise. Anise had died and be an angel, but following her death, she had spent most of that time asleep. Thus, the two had never experienced what a long and terrible period of time three hundred years could be for a human being. However, it was different for Molon. He had lived for those whole three hundred years. Apart from himself, all of hisrades had died, and after they had disappeared, he had endured all that time alone. He had the opportunity to choose to die in peace and happiness, with everyone¡¯s blessings for all that he had done. Yet, Molon hadn¡¯t made that choice. It was not that he was unwilling to die. No, Molon wanted to die, but he wanted a warrior¡¯s death. In his view, all of his friends had died as warriors, and he desired the same for himself. Then, Vermouth had entrusted this mission to Molon just as thetter was caught in this distress. Naturally, Molon had happily epted the mission. For over a hundred years, he alone had blocked the appearance of this race of ominous monsters whose origin was impossible to confirm. He had issued an edict to prevent anyone from crossing the Great Hamer Canyon and climbing to the peak of the snowy mountain. This was out of concern that people would encounter the Nur, as it was practically impossible to predict when and where they would reappear. Thus, Molon had to keep permanent watch over this barren wastnd at the end of the world. Molon was strong. He was brave. He never backed down, and he never despaired. He would never copse. But he could still be worn down. The weight of his hundreds of years had ground away at Molon¡¯s mental strength. His body was still as strong as ever, but there were hundreds and thousands of corpses piled up in this ce and all of the corpses were emitting poisonous aura. In addition, having to watch from the side as all of his beloved and dependablerades, as well as his descendants, left this world, leaving him all alone, had gnawed away at Molon from the inside. Now, his deceasedrades had reappeared in front of Molon. Their appearances were different from what they had looked like hundreds of years before, but Molon was still able to recognize them. Eugene didn¡¯t know if Molon still personally thought of himself as the same ¡®Brave Molon¡¯ that he had been three hundred years before. However, now that he was able to reunite with his deceasedrades, Molon had probably decided that he wanted everyone to be able to address him the same as they had back in the day, and see him as the same great figure that they remembered rather than as a pitiful, ruined version of himself. The Molon that Eugene remembered was just that type of fool. An idiot who didn¡¯t know how to use tricks andplicated things like that, and could only think in a barbaric and simple way. As such, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but call Molon a fool once more. ¡°Hey, idiot.¡± The booming noises suddenly stopped. The figure of Molon, who had been pounding his head against the ground like a machine, froze in ce. Molon raised his head from the deep crater that it had ugh. He didn¡¯t turn to look behind him immediately. Instead, he stayed like that for a few moments, then slowly turned his head. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to show you this side of me,¡± Molon said as he stood up. His back was still turned toward them. Eugene stared at the bulging muscles that lined Molon¡¯s back ¡ª his skin was wless, with not a single scar. Molon¡¯s back, so tall and broad usually, looked strangely small now. ¡°So what,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°It was only a question of sooner orter. Eventually, we would have found you like this. Have you forgotten about it? You agreed to show us this ce once the Knight March was over.¡± Molon argued back. ¡°What I promised to show you was this ce, not me acting like this.¡± ¡°Have you forgotten what I said?¡± Anise spoke up, her voice trembling slightly at first. However, she soon caught hold of her emotions and forced out her usual smile. ¡°Molon, didn¡¯t I say that if there''s something that you definitely didn''t want to show me, that would only make me want to see it all the more, no matter what the cost may be? From the time that I was born to the time that I died, I haven¡¯t had many wishes that came true, but thanks to you, I¡¯ve been able to enjoy such a rare experience.¡± It wasn¡¯t that Anise couldn¡¯t imagine Molon being in such a state. As the Saint, she had healed and saved countless people. In the process, she had seen countless people die in front of her without being able to do anything, and right at the very end, she hadn¡¯t even been able to save herself. Thus, Anise was well aware of how people could break down and copse. She had faced the option of giving in to despair and running away from everything. But in the end, she had been unable to run away. Things like her beliefs and her duty had held her back like a curse at her veryst moment. Anise didn¡¯t regret dying like that, however. In the end, she had been able to choose death rather than being forced into it. However, Molon was different. He wasn¡¯t able to choose death. No one else could help him, nor could they save him. ¡°If your head¡­ was injured even a little, then I could at least heal you. But your head is so damn tough, Molon. I know you don¡¯t even have a scratch. Well, it¡¯s kinda nice not having anything to do.¡± Anise sympathized with Molon. Her heart ached for him, and it felt like she might even cry. However, she definitely couldn¡¯t allow herself to reveal these feelings. She felt like Molon wouldn¡¯t want to see her like that, and Anise herself didn¡¯t want to behave like that. ¡°...You two,¡± Molon said as he chuckled. After staring nkly up at the sky for a few moments, Molon slowly turned around, and they were finally able to see his face. It was just as Anise had said. Even though he had mmed his face into the ground hard enough that the very mountain itself had been shaken by the force, Molon¡¯s forehead bore not a single scratch, let alone any injury or blood. While he was physically intact, however, his expression said somethingpletely different about his mental state. The impression that Molon had given off when they had seen him just a few days before was that he was the same Molon that they had known in the old days, but the man they were seeing in front of their eyes¡­ This man was the same as he had been when they had first reunited in the Great Hammer Canyon. His eyes were cold, without any trace of emotion. Eyes that seemed to have been hollowed out by the years. Just like the eyes of Vermouth in the Darkroom ¡ª tired, cloudy, dull. ¡°You¡­ you haven¡¯t changed. You¡¯re just like you were in the old days,¡± Molon muttered at Eugene and Anise, looking at them with those lifeless eyes. At these words, Eugene snorted and shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s because we¡¯ve both died once. That goes for me especially, since I died the earliest. It¡¯s only natural that I haven¡¯t changed.¡± ¡°That goes for me as well,¡± Anise agreed. ¡°My life was also quite tragic, but I was still able to take my life after doing all the things that I wanted to do and drinking to my heart¡¯s content.¡± ¡°I¡­,¡± Molon trailed off with a light. ¡°I tried my best not to change. I thought that I couldn¡¯t allow myself to do so. However, against my own will, I couldn¡¯t help but to change slowly.¡± Eugene pointed out, ¡°Three hundred years is a long time for a human being.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Molon sighed. ¡°Three hundred years is a really long time. However, I still didn¡¯t want to change. I told myself that I couldn¡¯t, and I believed that I would only be able to fulfill my mission by maintaining a clear state of self. A few days ago¡­. ¡ªIs it because of Vermouth¡¯s request that you are unable to die? When Eugene had asked that question, Molon had replied with a smile. ¡ªI won¡¯t die because I don¡¯t want to. ¡ªAs a warrior, I need to live a worthy life. While following the request of an old friend, I am protecting the snowy mountains and the snowfield that I love, the country that I created with my own hand, and even the whole world. ¡ªI don¡¯t want to die an unsightly death from old age. I want to die as a warrior, as a hero. Currently, death seems like a distant thing to me, but if I eventually lose strength and end up dying¡­. ¡°I must not fall,¡± Molon stated. ¡ªThe corpses of the Nur that I have piled up until this point will act as proof of my life as a warrior and a hero. Molon proudly dered, ¡°This is the mission that Vermouth entrusted to me. As the only one of us left alive, I epted his request.¡± Vermouth had made the request, and Molon had chosen to ept it. Because this was what Molon wanted. Molon did not resent Vermouth. Vermouth hadn¡¯t given him any exnation. He hadn¡¯t said what the Nur were, nor why they kept reappearing. He hadn¡¯t even exined why he was asking for this favor. Yet, Molon still didn¡¯t resent Vermouth. It was because he knew full well that the only one Vermouth could trust with this sort of task was the Brave Molon. ¡°...I¡¯m fine,¡± Molon said after a vigorous shake of his head. ¡°I¡¯m just a little dizzy. As you may have already sensed, the Nur¡¯s miasma is hellish. It¡¯s impossible to get used to it. Especially for me, since I¡¯ve killed so many of them over such a long period of time. As such, there are times when I can¡¯t control all of the things inside me.¡± ¡°So what? Since you can¡¯t control yourself, you¡¯re trying to solve your problems like that?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°I know that it''s embarrassing and ugly. I¡¯m all too aware that such behavior does not befit a warrior, so I didn¡¯t want to show you this. The more I thought about it, the angrier I grew with myself. That¡¯s why I was smashing my own head into the ground,¡± Moon shamefacedly confessed. ¡°Idiot. Do you really think that you can let go of your anger by smashing your head into the ground,¡± Eugene muttered as he clenched and unclenched his fists. At these words, Molon could only grin. ¡°Hamel, Anise,¡± Molon spoke up after a short silence. Like his weary eyes, his voice sounded just as worn out as he continued, ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough now?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Hamel, you said that you wanted to see this ce. Anise, you also said that you wanted to see the thing that I didn¡¯t want to show anyone. In the end, you¡¯ve seen all that you wanted to see,¡± Molon reminded them. Eugene noticed that Molon¡¯s fingertips were trembling slightly. Molon attempted to persuade them. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you got in here. Even if I make you leave, you might be able toe back in. But please, don¡¯t. I still¡­need some time to calm down properly. I don¡¯t want you to see me in that state any longer.¡± Molon could feel Eugene¡¯s gaze. He cupped his trembling hands together to hide the shaking and turned back around. ¡°Go back to Fort Lehain. There¡¯s a chance that the Nur might reappear once more. I¡­ I will return in two days,¡± Molon promised. ¡°And what if the Nur doesn¡¯t reappear during those two days,¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°Will you keep banging your head on the floor like you were before?¡± Molon defended himself, ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s really all that painful for me to do so.¡± ¡°I suppose so,¡± Eugene agreed sarcastically.¡± Your body is uselessly tough, and if your body breaks down because of excessive self-injury, then you won¡¯t be able to continue fulfilling Vermouth¡¯s request.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not just doing this because of Vermouth¡¯s request, Hamel. Like I said before, any one of us would do the same thing that I am,¡± Molon argued back. ¡°I know. There¡¯s no way that you can just leave a monster like the Nur or whatever to its own devices, so even if it were me in your ce, I would have lived here in order to keep killing the Nur. Then, when I finally thought that I couldn¡¯t continue doing this any longer, I would have killed myself,¡± Eugene stated without any hesitation. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t have happened, Hamel. You weren¡¯t such a weak warrior. None of us would have evermitted suicide without fulfilling our mission.¡± ¡°Then I would just gone crazy and broken down,¡± Eugene muttered as he stared at Molon. ¡°Just like you have.¡± ¡°...I¡¯m not crazy,¡± Molon denied it. ¡°I¡¯m not broken either. I¡¯m just having trouble keeping calm.¡± ¡°I hope that is the case. For you, it must have been a very long time ago, but the battlefield that we fought on¡­,¡± Eugene smirked as he kicked something in front of him. Pow! A crumpled Nur¡¯s head was sent flying by Eugene¡¯s kick. ¡°...It was full of monsters that were much worse than this one. If you were caught up with dealing with a guy like this for over a hundred years, then someone like you, who¡¯s barbaric by nature and overflowing with strength, would never be satisfied with just that. It might get your blood boiling, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough to calm you back down.¡± Anise attempted to intervene, ¡°Hamel, Molon is¡ª¡± ¡°Be quiet, Anise,¡± Eugene cut her off. In the face of Eugene¡¯s sharp gaze, Anise just sighed and took a few steps back. ¡°Idiots,¡± Anise muttered. ¡°Don¡¯t include me in that,¡± Eugene replied with augh. Eugene put his right hand inside of his cloak and raised his gaze to look up the mountain. There was still some more distance that they could climb. ¡°Hey, Molon, I want to take a look at the peak of this mountain,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°There¡¯s nothing there,¡± Molon informed him. ¡°The view isn¡¯t worth much either.¡± ¡°That¡¯s for me to judge.¡± ¡°Hamel.¡± Eugene changed the subject. ¡°Come to think of it, your descendant told me quite an interesting story.¡± Back in Hamelon, the capital of Ruhr, Aman Ruhr had dropped them in front of the statue of Hamel and Molon, then said something to Eugene with a smirk. Recalling that moment, Eugene said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you said it yourself. That three hundred years ago, you were the strongest of Vermouth¡¯srades. In other words, you were saying that you were stronger than me.¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Molon called out calmly. Eugene continued unimpeded, ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯m also very curious. While traveling around with Vermouth, I faced him a few times, but I¡¯ve never had a proper match with you.¡± Molon turned his head around once more to look at Eugene. ¡°Also, Anise showed me something interesting,¡± Eugene added. He was talking about the dream that he had been shown through the Holy Sword in the Samar Rainforest. ¡°You, you said something while weeping on my grave, didn¡¯t you? You said that you wanted to fight with me someday. You wanted to know, between you and me, who was the greater warrior, right?¡± Eugene pressed Molon. Molon hesitantly tried to defuse the situation. ¡°...I, I don¡¯t need to fight with you, Hamel. I know you very well. I recognize your ability. You¡¯re greater, braver, and stronger¡ª¡± ¡°Do you really think that?¡± Eugene asked while tilting his head to the side. Unable to reply, Molon just red at Eugene. Seeing this gaze, Eugene smiled and nodded. ¡°Your eyes tell me that you don¡¯t really think that,¡± Eugene observed as his hand inside of his cloak grabbed onto Akasha. Molon warned him, ¡°Don¡¯t do anything foolish, Hamel.¡± ¡°He would have thought that such words would evere from your lips,¡± Eugene sarcastically marveled as his White me Form emitted sparks of purple mes. As Molon saw this appearance, he clenched his fists. Eugene saw a faint light beginning to flicker within Molon¡¯s eyes. He promised, ¡°I won¡¯t use any weapons, because you¡¯re a friend, after all.¡± ¡°Hamel!¡± Molon shouted in rm. ¡°However, I will use magic. Since your skills aren¡¯t the same as they were in my past life, it should be fine for me to use the magic that I wasn¡¯t able to use back then,¡± Eugene justified himself. With Akasha, Eugene began to prepare his Signature. Anise, who had already backed off into the distance, shook her head. ¡°Idiots.¡± Chapter 243: The Brave Molon (3) Eugene was going to fight with Molon. He was going to fight, and he was going to win. ¡®Though there¡¯s no way that¡¯s possible,¡¯ Eugene admitted to himself. From the very beginning, Eugene didn¡¯t really think he had any possibility of winning. Even if he poured out all that he had into this fight, his chances of victory would be slim, so it would be far too arrogant of Eugene to believe that he might be able to seize victory when fighting Molon without any weapons. ¡®As for Ignition¡­ I don¡¯t really want to use it. But depending on the circumstances, it should be fine.¡¯ Winning this fight wasn¡¯t all that important. Molon might disagree with him, but at least that was what Eugene thought. In fact, if he had the opportunity, Eugene really did want to fight with Molon and win. It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t had such thoughts in his previous life when he was still Hamel. Just like how Molon had wanted to fight with Hamel, Hamel had also wanted to fight with Molon. However, so many things had changed since then. Hamel had be Eugene, and Molon had stayed alive over these past three hundred years. All that time had worn out Molon¡¯s spirit, but his barbarically limitless strength must have reached new heights. As for Eugene? He currently had unlimited potential. However, that potential had yet to fully bloom. ording to Eugene¡¯s own estimation, if he gave it his all, he felt like he wouldn¡¯t be any weaker than he was in his previous life. If one just looked at all the options he had inbat, he had a lot more in his repertoire than what he had had in his previous life. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t really evaluate himself as being indisputably stronger than he was in his past life. In those days, at his peak, Hamel might not have had a diverse range of abilities, but when it came to killing his enemies, Hamel was as efficient as a grim reaper. Also, even if the peak Hamel was present today, he wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat the current Molon. ¡°Hamel,¡± Molon said. He looked at Eugene with eyes that betrayed his confusion. He didn¡¯t know why Eugene was insisting on a fight all of a sudden. What would change if they did fight? Nothing would change. Perhaps Hamel thought that after defeating Molon in a fight, he would be able to make Molon listen to him. ¡®Since I¡¯ve won, obey my orders.¡¯ When it came to Hamel, such words and actions really suited him. However, wouldn¡¯t that only work if Hamel actually won? Was he so excited that he couldn¡¯t grasp the difference between their strengths? ¡°There¡¯s no meaning in doing this,¡± Molon tried to persuade him. ¡°You and I¡ª¡± Eugene refused to keep listening until Molon was finished speaking. Instead, he pulled Akasha out of his cloak. Then, since he had decided not to use a weapon, he also took off his cloak and threw it behind him. ¡°S-Sir Eugene!¡± a voice called out. Mer, who had finally gotten used to the miasma on this side, btedly stuck her head out of the cloak. Simr to Molon, Mer was also having trouble understanding why this was happening. She wriggled her body out from beneath the cloak in order to climb out, only to hesitate, not havingpletely gotten over her fears. She had only been able to adapt to the extent that she didn¡¯t lose consciousness, and even that was only possible because more than half of her body was still hidden within the Cloak of Darkness¡¯s subspace. She was afraid that if she came out like this, her existence as a familiar would be corrupted by that ominous aura. ¡°Just leave those fools alone,¡± Anise said as she picked up the cloak. After ncing down at Mer, who was poking her head out of a gap in the cloak, Anise threw the cloak over her own shoulders. Fwoosh! Anise¡¯s divine power transformed into light and enveloped her whole body. It was only then that Mer felt secure. Mer stammered, ¡°Th-thank you¡­.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Mer, you and I are both having a hard time because of these fools,¡± Anise said sympathetically. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to stop Sir Eugene, Lady Anise?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just you. Kristina keeps asking me the same thing. Why aren¡¯t I stopping them already? But those fools won¡¯t listen to me even if I do tell them to stop. Since they won¡¯t listen to my words, I¡¯d have to step in between them if I wanted to make them stop. But why should I do such an exhausting thing?¡± Anise asked as her face crumpled into a scowl. ¡°Just leave those two idiots alone. They don¡¯t listen to people when they talk. Because fools like them have their own foolish ways of sorting things out.¡± Mer hesitated, ¡°But what if¡­.¡± ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about,¡± Anise nodded. ¡°However, Mer, just who do you think I am? Even if those two get into a reckless fight, I can heal them as long as they don¡¯t die. That idiot Hamel should be taking that into ount while picking a fight like this. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so annoyed. Because in the end, aren¡¯t they still counting on me to provide a miracle for the fools that they are?¡± [Sister, if you hate the thought of that so much, wouldn¡¯t it be better for you to step forward now and mediate between the two?] Kristina prompted. Anise thought back, ¡®Silly Kristina! As I thought, you only have a shallow grasp of this situation. If you leave them alone, Hamel will end up half-crippled and in need of a miracle from me. Don¡¯t you want to be able to look down at a Hamel who¡¯s as weak as he can be? Don¡¯t you want to see him being healed by the miracle that you¡¯ve called upon?¡¯ These thoughts were so shady that it was hard to believe that a Saintess had even thought of them. As such, Kristina was left shocked, yet she just couldn¡¯t answer no to the questions that Anise sent flying at her. [Sister. When the timees, please switch ces with me,] Kristina eventually requested. ¡®Don¡¯t worry about it. Kristina, you should be sure to remember. It¡¯s not just moments like these. Both of us have to make sure that we share any enjoyable situations thate up fairly between us,¡¯ Anise replied to her. The bond between Kristina and Anise thus grew even deeper. While this conversation was going on behind the scenes, Eugene prepared to activate the form for his Signature that he had built up within Akasha. This was a Signature that had been created with the help of several of Aroth¡¯s Archwizards. It was still iplete, but that didn¡¯t mean there was too much of a dy when it came to casting it. In a confrontation between wizards, speed was more important than the scale, power, or sophistication of their magic. The Signature that was known to be the fastest of them all was the Pantheon of the Red Tower Master Lovellian, the man who happened to be Eugene¡¯s master in magic. As Lovellian¡¯s student, it was guaranteed that the speed of Eugene¡¯s Signature wouldn¡¯t be low. The immense magical form of Eugene¡¯s Signature, which was characteristic of all great spells, wasn¡¯t just being built up within Akasha. The purpose of Eugene¡¯s Ring me Form wasn¡¯t merely to explosively elerate his mana output. Its original foundation was based on Sienna¡¯s Eternal Hole, and Eugene had simply reced the Circles of the Circle Magic Form with the Stars from the White me Form. The Ring me Form that was created in this fashion still retained the ability to record spell forms like the Eternal Hole did, and this made it possible for him to cast most spells without any incantations. After he had reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form, Eugene¡¯s Stars wouldn¡¯t stop spinning. The White me Form had beenpletely integrated into the Ring me Form and evolved. The Stars in his heart began to brighten. The starlight resonated with Akasha. His Signature¡¯s form was shared between Akasha and his Ring me Form, because it was necessary to imprint the spell itself onto Eugene. Thanks to that, this spell didn¡¯t require any incantations. Just by making Akasha resonate with the Ring me Form, Eugene could immediately cast the spell. Fwoosh! Purple me rose from Eugeen¡¯s left shoulder de. The flickering trail of mes appeared to create a fiery wing. The single wing of purple mes rose higher and higher before spreading wide open. ¡°Hamel, what in the world is that?¡± Molon asked in surprise, without even backing away as he saw this single wing of me spreading out from behind Eugene. He had lived for hundreds of years, but he was still virtually a stranger to magic. However, he could still tell that the spell Eugene was currently casting was unusual. At first nce, that wing seemed to be made of mes, but the heat he felt from them wasn¡¯t as high as the heating from a real me. Instead, Molon sensed an indescribably vast yetplex mass of mana. No, not sensed¡­he saw it. Even with Molon¡¯s shining eyes, it was impossible for him to read the true form of this spell, but he could still see that the mes that made up Eugene¡¯s wings contained a huge amount of mana that was arranged in a sophisticated pattern. ¡°Prominence,¡± Eugene called out. Though he hadn¡¯t meant to say it, when Molon asked that question, Eugene still answered him with a curt expression. At this reply, Molon blinked his eyes, then let out a loudugh, ¡°What a wonderful name.¡± From this me, Molon felt something simr to what he had felt from Vermouth three hundred years ago. At that time, the White me Form didn¡¯t even have a name, but the pure white mes summoned by Vermouth were just as huge and bright as Eugene¡¯s were. Although Molon also had a vast quantity of mana, it still couldn¡¯tpare to the amount held within Vermouth¡¯s mes. Apart from Vermouth, Molon also sensed something simr to the Hamel from three hundred years ago. Hamel¡¯s mana hadn¡¯t been as massive or intense as Vermouth''s mes. However, Hamel¡¯s mana had been soplex that there weren¡¯t any openings for Molon to see through, so Molon couldn¡¯t even begin to imitate it. The moment that he had this thought, the fogginess inside of Molon¡¯s head cleared a little. Molon took off the fur pelt that was draped over his shoulders. Then he threw it behind him, just like Eugene had. ¡°Hamel, I truly don¡¯t want to fight with you,¡± Molon repeated as his muscles began to writhe. Badump, badump, badump. His muscles swelled as if they had been pumped full of air, and the already massive frame of Molon¡¯s body slowly began to grow evenrger. Molon continued speaking, ¡°However, you must have a reason to want to fight with me. I don¡¯t know what that might be, but I do know one thing.¡± This was the Brave Molon. With his hair wildly twisting in the wind, he looked down at Eugene. His eyes didn¡¯t look as dull and tired as they did before. Eugene saw a bright light shining within Molon¡¯s pupils. ¡°Hamel, you can¡¯t beat me,¡± Molon dered. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to see about that,¡± Eugene replied with a smile. Embers began to spread from the mes on his back. With each p of the wing, feathers flew into the sky. ¡°If you have the confidence to beat me¡­,¡± Eugene began saying as he unbuttoned his sleeves. In fact, there wasn¡¯t any point in unbuttoning even a single button on his clothes. There was a good chance that, before long, all of his clothes would be turned into rags. ¡°...Then don¡¯t dodge or block this blow of mine and let it hit you,¡± Eugene finished his challenge. It was obviously a shameless statement. But Molon¡¯s reaction was unexpected. ¡°Fine,¡± Molon readily agreed. Well¡­Molon was just that type of guy. Molon spread his arms and left his chest wide open in a challenge of his own. While ring at Molon¡¯s face, Eugene clenched his fist. Purple mes engulfed Eugene¡¯s body. Now that things had finally reached this step, Eugene wouldn¡¯t take this opportunity lightly. Molon had agreed that he wouldn¡¯t block or dodge the first blow. If so, this blow would probably be the biggest andst chance for Eugene. Even if Eugene managed to beat Molon and knock him down, he knew that wouldn¡¯t solve the problem. However, Eugene still wanted to defeat Molon if at all possible. Was it because he wanted to prove that Hamel had been stronger than Molon? No, that wasn¡¯t the problem. It was just¡­. He just didn¡¯t like the excuses given by his friend, who had gotten worn down and tired after living for hundreds of years. No matter how much someone tried not to change, people still changed little by little. If they had lived for hundreds of years, they were bound to have changed even more. However, Molon hadn¡¯t epted that fact. As the Brave Molon, he didn¡¯t want to show therades that he had reunited with what he looked like after breaking down over these past hundreds of years. Eugene really didn¡¯t like that. In fact, he hated it. That was why he wanted to beat up Molon. Because Molon had, of his own ord, taken on the request that the son-of-a-bitch Vermouth had given him and made it his mission in life, then proceeded to fight those mysterious monsters in this hellish ce until he finally broke down and copsed. Eugene¡¯s foot kicked off the ground. He elerated with all his might, and his fist was so packed full of strength that sparks of mana were overflowing from it. This was far too strong a force to use against a human being who had promised not to dodge or block the blow. However, Eugene didn¡¯t hesitate. His opponent wasn¡¯t weak enough to be called a human. This was Molon Ruhr. There was no way that Eugene didn¡¯t know just how tough and strong that idiot was. ¡®Even so,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself cautiously. Just in case, he considered where exactly to hit so that he could finish this fight in a single blow. The heart? Eugene didn¡¯t have the confidence that he would be able to prate those thick chest muscles. So it had to be the head. Or should he aim for the shin? Or else, should Eugene honestly try to nt his fist in the center of Molon¡¯s face. No. Eugene decided to just hit Molon where he wanted to hit him. As he swung his fist through the air with all his might, he punched Molon in the cheek. But it didn¡¯t feel even remotely like he had just hit a person. Eugene had pushed his fist forward with all his strength, but Molon¡¯s head hadn¡¯t turned even slightly. Naturally, there wasn¡¯t even the sound of his cheekbones being crushed. Fizzzle! The sound followed btedly. The mes around his fist that couldn¡¯t break Molon¡¯s body scattered into the air. ¡®You absolute fucking monster,¡¯ Eugene silently thought as he immediately sted up his mana. A series of explosions engulfed Molon¡¯s body. Using the recoil from the explosion, Eugene threw himself backward. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say it would just be one hit, Hamel?¡± Molon asked, standing tall in the center of the mes. His ck hair fluttered in the wind, and a light shone from his wide-open eyes. Whoosh! With a single shake of his head, Molon was able topletely scatter all of the mes covering his body. Booom! Molon began walking forward. His muscles still writhing, his right arm rose from his side. His thick fingers curled up to form a fist. That was all that he did, but in Eugene¡¯s eyes, Molon became the center of his entire world. Apart from Molon, he couldn¡¯t see anything else. That was just how immense Molon¡¯s current presence was. ¡°You can dodge if you want,¡± Molon said. If this was the usual Eugene, once he had heard such words, he would instead choose not to dodge it. Because his pride wouldn¡¯t allow him to obey. However, currently, Eugene couldn¡¯t even imagine entertaining such pride. If he tried to block it, he would be crushed along with his defenses. So he had no choice but to try and dodge it. But how, where to, and at what moment? All of Eugene¡¯s thoughts were upied with these concerns. Molon threw his fist forward. Like Eugene¡¯s intuition had told him, the force behind that fist was unparalleled. Eugene shuddered as he sensed the immense strength crushing its way toward him. Boooooom! The force of the blow swept over the ground. It didn¡¯t just end there. Without weakening even slightly, the shockwave pierced through the air andpletely annihted the mountain peak that fell into its path. [I-if he¡¯s hit by that, he¡¯ll die¡­!] Kristina screamed. However, Anise just let out a snort and grumbled, ¡°Still, it seems like Molon hasn¡¯tpletely lost his mind.¡± Mer stammered, ¡°Wh-wh-what do you mean by that? Sir Molon just tried to kill Sir Eugene!¡± ¡°If he wanted to kill Eugene, then he would have swung his fist even harder than that,¡± Anise corrected her. ¡°If he couldn¡¯t even dodge a fist that¡¯s being held back, then Hamel would just be an idiot.¡± A mountain peak had been erased with just one punch, but that was just Molon holding back? Unable toprehend it, Mer just stared up at where the mountain peak had vanished. To her shock, after she blinked a few times, she found that the mountain peak that had unmistakably vanished moments before had now suddenly reappeared, looking perfectly intact. This wasn¡¯t reality, but instead, a separate space created by Vermouth¡¯s magic. Molon had yet to lower his outstretched fist. He tilted his head to the side as if confused. Eugene hadn¡¯t been swept away by the force of his fist. He had sessfully managed to dodge. However, Molon couldn¡¯t tell just how Eugene had managed to dodge it. Had he moved his body? But if that was the case, there was no way that Molon would have missed it. Was it magic¡­? Eugene had said that he was going to use it. Molon was also aware of what kind of spell Blink was. So right before Eugene could have been swept away by the punch, had he managed to get away using Blink? ¡®It¡¯s strange,¡¯ Molon thought as he retracted his outstretched fist. Molon couldn¡¯t see anything in front of him. However, he could detect something. Hamel¡¯s presence was continuously on the move within this wide space. Yet his speed was so fast and his movement soplex that Molon waspletely incapable of grasping his position. Each of the feathers generated by Prominence could be used as a spatial coordinate to reposition Eugene. Thanks to that, Blink¡¯s requirements for vision and spatial coordinates were no longer necessary. Even the spatial distortion, which could be seen at the moment of Blinking, was hidden by the mes of mana that erupted from the feathers. The wider the space, the more Prominence¡¯s jump-off points increased in number ¡ª an exponential increase, to boot. And that wasn¡¯t all. The fluttering feathers would continue to drift, so Eugene¡¯s opponents couldn¡¯t predict the jumping-off points used. Prominence created an infinitely intricate path for attacking Eugene¡¯s opponents. But Eugene¡¯s eyes were strained, and his head was throbbing. This couldn¡¯t be helped. Currently, Eugene¡¯s mind was linked to each of the countless feathers. Thanks to that, Eugene was able to spy on Molon from any direction. Even from behind Molon¡¯s back, he could see Molon¡¯s front. Unlike seeing something with one¡¯s own two eyes, the information was directly engraved into Eugene¡¯s head. It wasn¡¯t simply seeing how Molon¡¯s body was moving; he could see how the mana itself moved and reached. Molon¡¯s barbaric and immense strength suddenly went into motion. He had given up on pursuing or predicting Eugene. In the first ce, that wasn¡¯t Molon¡¯s specialty, nor was it his preference. He didn¡¯t know where Eugene might reappear? He didn¡¯t know when the attack might being? So what if he didn¡¯t? Molon could just sweep it all away. Molon raised both of his fists into the air. Realizing what he was about to do, Anise¡¯s expression twisted into a grimace, and she pursed her lips. Then, a barrier of dazzling light was summoned to protect Anise. Molon¡¯s raised fists fell to the ground. At that moment, Eugene was in the sky a short distance away. The feathers that had flown there were acting as stepping stones for Eugene. As Molon¡¯s fists smashed the ground, the sheer force created an explosion. The shockwaves swept across the ground and surged into the air. By doing this, Molon could cover a massive area, whatever was within reach of his strength. In the middle of this gigantic storm, Prominence¡¯s feathers floated about as if they would be swept away at any moment. However, they never really disappeared. Getting rid of all the feathers was an obvious strategy for dealing with Prominence, so Eugene had prepared for that right from the conception phase of his Signature¡¯s design. Yet, seeing how strong the shockwaves were, it would be difficult to keep this up for very long. It would be enough if they could just hold on for a little longer. The countless feathers were moving ording to Eugene¡¯s will. Right before the shockwaves soaring into the sky could reach Eugene, the feathers made up of embers began burning intensely. These purple mes then clumped together. Through this, a sun that seemed to have been dyed ck was born. This was Eclipse. Once again, Molon wasn¡¯t able to understand what had happened to him. He had mmed his fists down and set off an explosion¡­ up until that point, Molon had been in control, but the sunspot that had appeared within this makeshift arena was out of his control. It was small. A very small, ck spot. So with that size, what the hell was up with its power? Molon was flying through the air, having been caught up in the explosion set off by Eclipse. ¡°...Ha!¡± Molon burst intoughter as he looked up at the dingy sky. Instead of trying to turn his body upright in midair, he spread his arms out wide and just keptughing like an idiot. ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± Within the feathers of me that were left floating, lightning struck. With each sessive leap through space, the lightning bolt¡¯s eleration increased. Purple embers and sparks lit up the sky. Trailing all of this behind him, Eugene appeared right in front of Molon. Cracracrackle! Molon¡¯s body plummeted to the ground. Chapter 244: The Brave Molon (4) Eclipse condensed Eugene¡¯s mana into an ultra-high density mass, then induced an endless chain of explosions within that mass, just like how his Ring me Form worked. The small sun that was created through this method then had the Empty Sword grafted onto it. As more and more coatings ovepped, the explosions within the center of the sun grew ever more intense. As the explosive force umted, the power bound within this sun-shaped spell increased exponentially. As this happened, sunspots would spread across the surface of the false sun, gradually turning it ck. The sun turningpletely ck was the signal that Eclipse was alsoplete and ready to fire. The countless feathers generated by Prominence held several different functions. The most important and central feature was their ability to act as coordinates. These coordinates would only respond to Eugene¡¯s mana. The Leap that Eugene could activate by using this method was much faster than a Blink. The single wing of Prominence acted as themand tower. The numerous feathers scattered from it responded to Prominence¡¯s every signal. The moment that he wished for it, Eugene was able to move the scattered feathers wherever he liked. Serving as coordinates was one thing the feathers did, but not the only. They were also acting in ce of Eugene¡¯s eyes and other senses to observe a certain zone. Even if an opponent was too fast to follow with two human eyes, dozens or even hundreds of magic eyes were enough to keep up with pretty much anyone. Even if the enemy numbers were overwhelmingly huge, by casting Prominence, Eugene was able to keep an eye on all of them. The reason why various functions had been added to Prominence was that these wings, feathers, and the spell itself were thoroughly researched and designed in order to support Eugene¡¯s existingbat abilities. On top of that, Eugene¡¯s mana itself possessed a certain quality that made it markedly different from ordinary mana. This quality was due to the lightning-mes and the spirits of the World Tree that were dissolved into the mana. Thanks to these, Eugene¡¯s mana was like a single giant organism, and due to this property, Eugene¡¯s control and maniption of his mana was simply outstanding, which made it possible for him to Leap at such high speeds. The feathers were essentially just Eugene¡¯s mana given form. They were what made the situation in front of Eugene possible. Looking down at Molon, who had been mmed into the ground, Eugene raised his arms. Fwooosh! The feathers that had been scattered by Prominence moved ording to Eugene¡¯s will. As the feathersbined with each other, countless stars were created. No, these weren¡¯t exactly stars, but rather miniature suns. Although there was arge difference in power from Eugene¡¯s directly casting Eclipse, casting Eclipse through Prominence took far less time. Dozens of sunspots[1] poured down onto Molon. Molon, who had been buried deep into the ground, didn¡¯t even have enough time to pull himself out. Bangbangbang! The whole mountain shook, on the verge of copsing into crumbles. ¡®If it could just end with this,¡¯ Eugene thought wistfully. Eugene¡¯s eyes were peeled wide open as he continued manipting his mana. Every time that his Prominence wing fluttered, feathers were created and shot out into the air, and these feathers immediately clumped together to form more and more sunspots in a never-ending rain. But that alone wasn¡¯t enough. Sparks began coalescing between Eugene¡¯s raised hands. Instead of continuing this bombardment of sunspots through Prominence, Eugene was attempting to create a sunspot through his operation of the White me Form. But before the sun he had created had a chance to turn ck, the mana storm set off by the continuous bombardment disappeared as if it had been washed away by a massive wave. This was because Molon, who had fallen even deeper as the mountain around him copsed, had gotten back up. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Molon¡¯s peals ofughter seemed to rock the world. Getting goosebumps, Eugene stopped the formation of the Eclipse. He could no longer afford to dy things this way. If he was even a little bitte, he could get caught by that barbaric idiot. ¡°Haha, hahaha! Uhahaha!¡± Molon continuedughing. He waspletely unscathed, but because he had been buried so deeply into the ground, he was covered in dirt. Molon leapt up and swung his fist once more, but unfortunately, he was unable to catch even Eugene¡¯s shadow. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange for anyone in his position to be angry that he hadn¡¯t even managed to brush the hem of Eugene¡¯s clothes aftering this far, but for some reason, Molon was so happy that he couldn¡¯t stop himself fromughing. ¡°You really are fast, Hamel!¡± Molonplimented cheerfully. Bangbang! A sunspot exploded right in front of Molon¡¯s nose. However, Molon didn¡¯t even turn his head or retreat. Instead, he stretched his head out with his hands spread wide open as if he was trying to headbutt the st. ¡°You¡¯re probably not even using Ignition currently. If that¡¯s the case, does that mean you can go even faster than this?¡± Molon spected. Bang, bang, bang! Explosions erupted one after another. Molon didn¡¯t stop. The hundreds and thousands of feathers scattered by Prominence served as Eugene¡¯s eyes as he watched Molon¡¯s body. As Molon¡¯s arm muscles swelled and his blood vessels squirmed, Eugene wondered what he was trying to do with this immense strength that threatened to tear his gigantic body apart from the inside out. Eugene checked where Molon¡¯s eyes were looking. ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to even catch up to you,¡± Molon readily admitted. Hard. In other words, not impossible. Ever since his childhood, Molon had climbed up and down huge mountains like this and run through the snowfields. Even back when his feet were slow, he had still been able to catch beasts and monsters. Molon¡¯s way of hunting was to persistently pursue his prey until he managed to capture it. This man, who once boasted the title of Chieftain, was the best hunter among the Bayar. No matter how fast his prey¡¯s feet were, Molon would still seed in taking it down. When he set out on a hunt, he was ruthless and knew no fatigue. Of course, given the circumstances and the ¡®prey,¡¯ it was clearly not the time for that sort of hunt. With that, Molon simply gave up on chasing after Eugene. ¡°So I¡¯ll catch you without chasing you,¡± Molon warned. The smile disappeared from Molon¡¯s face. His wriggling fingers gripped the empty air itself. This wasn¡¯t some kind of magic. Whether it was three hundred years ago or now, Molon had never learned how to use magic. This wasn¡¯t some kind of special gift that Vermouth had granted him along with this mission, like this whole separate space, either. This was just¡­a phenomenon infinitely close to magic that was caused by Molon¡¯s barbaric and absurd strength. Molon¡¯s fingers were actually gripping not the air, but space itself. Punching a hole into space wasn¡¯t particrly difficultpared to this. If enough force was focused on one point and let loose, it was simple to pierce through space. Yet what Molon was doing now was iparable to that. Molon¡¯s grip moved the entire spatial axis. With force alone, he held this whole space in the palm of his hand, and he was able to pull it wherever he wanted. ¡°This is crazy,¡± Eugene grumbled as an irresistible force wrapped around him. Unfortunately, he simply couldn¡¯t think of a suitable way to deal with something like this. No matter how fast Eugene flew, jumped, crawled, or otherwise hastened to move, all of his movements were still taking ce within this space. It wasn¡¯t just him that was ¡®caught,¡¯ either; even the fluttering feathers had all frozen in ce. Then everything was dragged toward Molon. The giant¡¯s strength had be something akin to aw of physics ¡ª just like the pull of gravity, he was pulling everything within his grasp toward himself. At first it was slow, but it slowly grew faster. The pulling force itself didn¡¯t change, but it was so strong that it was impossible to escape from it; naturally, as things approached the source of the force, they only moved faster. Molon didn¡¯t move from that spot. He continued to pull the whole space toward him, and pointed his fist at Eugene as if he wanted Eugene to clearly see iting. As for Eugene, he was certain that the fist would fly right at him the moment Molon was certain that he would be unable to avoid it. ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Eugene spat out a curse as he drove his White me Form at full force. In response to this, Prominence burst out with light. It was a bit of a pity. This space was on the other side of the Lehainjar. As a result, the mana in the air was scarce, and there were no primal spirits at all. Because of that, he couldn¡¯t draw out the full power of Prominence as he had originally nned. ¡®...Well, even if I was fighting under the optimal conditions for me, the odds of me winning would have still been slim,¡¯ Eugene admitted to himself. He thought that it was a shame that some of the paths and methods he could have pursued under normal conditions had been blocked. With that being the case, he had no choice but to use something different. Embers and sparks of electricity began to intertwine between Eugene¡¯s fingers. At first, the center of it all was just a little speck of light. But just like how an ember consumed oxygen and grew in size, just like how different electric currents gathered into one and became a huge lightning bolt, the sun held between Eugene¡¯s palms began to swell. The Eclipse that Eugene slowly fostered this way was simply in a different ss whenpared to the one that he had used in the Darkroom. That wasn¡¯t all. The sunspots created from Prominence¡¯s feathers also floated around Eugene. ¡°Hmm,¡± Molon hummed in concern. There was no way that Molon would be able to measure the power being readied. His hair floated into the air and twisted like mes. Strength began to be infused into his tightly clenched fist. It was to the point where the same fist, which Eugene had judged earlier as being unavoidable, felt more like a casual greeting. The gap between Eugene and Molo continued to draw ever closer. Now, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if Molon¡¯s fist was swung at any moment. The desire to attack first felt like there was a chimney about to erupt within him, but Eugene desperately suppressed that urge. When the distance between them had narrowed to just the right length¡­. Molonughed and swung his fist. A fist that looked big enough to cover the entire world approached Eugene. At the same time, Eugene finished preparing the Eclipse without any errors. The Eclipse thrown forward by Eugene collided with Molon¡¯s fist before the blow couldnd. It must have only been a fleeting moment, but to Eugene¡¯s eyes, everything seemed to be going slowly. The enormous power that had been infused into Eclipse was sublimated in an explosion. Molon¡¯s fist was able to engulf the entire explosion, but for a moment, Molon¡¯s fist was pushed back. In that moment, the sunspots that had been floating around as if escorting Eugene were also shot out. Having seized the momentum for the moment, Eugene intended to keep pushing until he finally defeated Molon. Cracrack. Eugene heard a sound. The sound wasing from Molon; from the tips of his fingers to his knuckles, then all the way up his arms and to the torso and the rest of his body. His posture as he was swinging his fist had just shifted slightly. To a viewer, it was nothing more than that ¡ª a minor shift in stance. Molon had just pushed his foot slightly further forward, shifted his weight onto it, and stretched out his muscles. All that he had done was change his posture from a sloppy swing of his fist to a full-fledged punching motion. Changing one¡¯s posture, however, meant that the weight behind one¡¯s fist would change drastically, and this time was no exception. If Molon had just been swinging his fist forward a moment before, now he had actually taken a proper stance and was throwing a good punch. Eclipse exploded. Then, it was wiped away in the blink of an eye. It was undoubtedly aplex and densely bound mass of mana, but it still couldn¡¯t withstand Molon¡¯s barbaric, limitless power. Whoooosh! ¡®I am going to die.¡¯ Right as Eugene was about to feel once more that sensation he had felt once before, the fist, which seemed like it was guaranteed to st his body into tiny pieces, stopped right in front of his nose. The enormous strength was gone in an instant, leaving behind only a breeze that sent Eugene¡¯s hair into a flutter. ¡°Is this enough, Hamel?¡± Molon said with his fist still outstretched. ¡°That idiot,¡± Anise, who was still watching from a distance, cursed as her expression twisted terribly. Eugene didn¡¯t say anything and just looked between Molon¡¯s fist and Molon¡¯s face, which could be seen past it. Because of the emotional shock, the burst of wind, and other such reasons, Eugene couldn¡¯t even think to close his lips that were parted in a daze. ¡°You¡¯re strong,¡± Molonplimented him. ¡°However, I¡¯m stronger. I am even stronger than I was three hundred years ago. So you can¡¯t beat me.¡± Eugene was silent. ¡°Hamel, I¡¯m notpletely sure why you wanted to fight with me. Were you angry because I¡¯ve changed? Even in the old days, you were rough, but kind-hearted. Because of that, I think that the reason why you¡¯re doing this is for my sake.¡± Eugene remained silent. ¡°While I was fighting you, I recalled the memories from my past. It allowed me to ruminate on the mission that was given to me. My hundreds of years spent doing this were meaningful. I was able to reunite with you and Anise. That alone would make me¡ª¡± ¡°Hey.¡± Btedly, Eugene¡¯s lips fell shut. His hair, which had been blown back by the wind, slowly settled back down. Eugene ced a hand on his restlessly thumping chest. His head was dizzy and his eyes were throbbing. Still, Eugene forcefully demanded, ¡°Are you crazy?¡± Just now, Molon had stopped his fistpletely. He hadn¡¯t even hit Eugene. Had he thought that Eugene would die if the hitnded? Although he knew he was supposed to be grateful for the consideration, Eugene¡¯s stomach felt like it was being twisted into knots. Eugene wouldn¡¯t have felt like this if Molon had just reduced the power of the blow to the extent where he wouldn¡¯t die from it. Indeed¡­what really, truly made Eugene angry was that Molon hadpletely withdrawn all the strength from his fist. Eugene was weaker than Molon. If Molon wanted to verify this, the method wasn¡¯t that difficult. All that Molon needed to do was beat Eugene up until he wasn¡¯t able to fight any longer. Eugene had thought that, since his opponent was Molon, that was what was going to happen. No matter who the opponent was, Molon would never sympathize with them. Warriors should always be clearly convinced of their victory or defeat. That was what Molon always said about a fight between warriors. ¡°Were you taking it easy on me?¡± If his opponent had been someone else, Eugene wouldn¡¯t have been feeling this intensely agitated. It was because his opponent was Molon that Eugene¡­. ¡°On me?¡± Eugene repeated. In fact, Eugene wasn¡¯t necessarily enraged because this was Molon. Even if they died once and had been reincarnated, it seemed that someone¡¯s fundamental nature never changed, and Eugene had always truly hated this sort of thing. Once fists had started flying, even if you couldn¡¯t finish the fight, there should at least be nosebleeds, but to actually stop your fist right in front of your foe¡ª ¡®What? You¡¯re asking if this is enough? You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s no need to continue? You say that there¡¯s no way that I can win?¡¯ Molon cautiously addressed him, ¡°Hamel, you seem to have misunderstood something¡­.¡± Misunderstanding? There wasn¡¯t anything to misunderstand about it. Even though he hadn¡¯t intended to go this far, Eugene still clutched at his frantically pounding heart. His heart, which had already been throbbing with displeasure, irritation, and anger, began beating even more violently. Anise, who was watching this scene from a distance, let out a deep sigh. Molon also reacted by flinching and taking a step back. There was no way that these two people, who had fought together with Hamel three hundred years ago, couldn¡¯t tell what Eugene was doing now. As his fingers massaged his heart, the spinning Cores began to run wild. This was Ignition. However, it was different from before. Even Eugene himself couldn¡¯t begin to guess how much more explosive the Ignition of the Sixth-Star White me Form would be. Hadn¡¯t things actually worked out for the better? Usually, he wasn¡¯t able to pour out all his strength, but if his opponent was Molon, then Eugene wouldn¡¯t need to worry about killing him. Purple mes began to swirl around Eugene. The single wing of Prominence soared even higher as it grewrger. Molon didn¡¯t say anything more and just stood there silently. The mes of Eugene¡¯s mana were burning fiercely, but the glow in Eugene¡¯s eyes was even more intense than that. Molon btedly lowered his fist, which had still been outstretched in front of him, but he did not unclench his fists. Heughed, seemingly unaware that he wasughing, then raised his clenched fists back up into a fighting stance. Eugene charged forward, his body so full of strength that it was about to explode. Now that he thought about it, Eugene had made a mistake from the very beginning. Against an idiot like Molon, why had he fought with a skill-oriented battle-style that made use of Prominence¡¯s Spatial Leap and the sunspot bombardment? Molon wasn¡¯t even skilled at that sort of fight, nor was he foolish enough to have any openings that Eugene could dig into. Therefore, whether it was three hundred years ago or now, when fighting against Molon, the approach to fighting that he was taking right now was the most suitable. Prominence¡¯s feathers all burned up at once. Eugene¡¯s body shot forward in a ridiculously fast sh of lightning. Even if it wasn¡¯t asplex as that of Eclipse,yers of sword-force oveid with the Empty Sword covered Eugene¡¯s fist. Crackle! Eugene¡¯s fistnded on Molon¡¯s cheek. The previous attack hadn¡¯t been able to move Molon in the slightest, but with Ignition activated¡­Molon¡¯s head turned slightly to the side. ¡°Ptew,¡± Molon reflexively spat out some blood from a wound inside of his mouth, then froze for a few moments. How long had it been since hest shed blood? Once he started thinking about this, Molon¡¯s head no longer felt cloudy. In fact, he felt the same way he had three hundred years ago, and his weary eyes lit up with the same light that they had had in his youth. Grgrgrk! Molon ground his teeth, which had just tasted blood after so many years, and threw out his fist. This fist was intended to hit Eugene. It didn¡¯t miss. Eugene sharpened his concentration to its limit as he prepared to receive Molon¡¯s fist. The force behind it wasn¡¯t something that he could take head-on. Diverting the flow of an attack was something that Eugene had been good at ever since his previous life, but no matter how good he was at deflecting, a force of this level would still leave his bones tingling. ¡®However, I can still take this,¡¯ Eugene encouraged himself. It didn¡¯t go as far as the earlier blow, which had made Eugene feel his impending death. While this blow felt like it would shatter his body if itnded, as long as he didn¡¯t get hit by it directly, Eugene could still endure it. And thus, the slugfest began. How long had it been since Molon hadst swung his fist so vigorously? He hadn¡¯t had to punch like this in hundreds of years. The Nur was certainly an ominous existence, but it had never been the kind of opponent that required Molon to give it his all. Just a punch or a swing of his ax, that was all that was needed to kill it. Whenever his lust for battle boiled over, Molon would punch himself in the face. He would scratch the ground and m his head into it. Yet, all of these measures were futile. But now? Molon knew that even now, he still couldn¡¯t put his full power into the fist that he was swinging. No matter how much he wanted to, Molon couldn¡¯t afford to strike his opponent with all his might. No matter how strong Hamel had be after casting Ignition, irreversible consequences would ur if he was forced to face Molon¡¯s full power. But strangely enough¡­ Molon¡¯s fist felt heavy. Even without pouring all his might into it, his chest didn¡¯t feel like it was being constrained. This was because something other than pure strength was being infused into his fist. Within his fist, there was a variety ofplex emotions that even Molon himself couldn¡¯t fully describe. However, among all these emotions, Molon knew which one was the most important. It was loneliness. His hundreds of years of solitude were being packed into his fist and sent flying at an old friend from a time when he hadn¡¯t been so lonely. Their fists continued to swing at each other. Yet, even with just that, Molon felt a satisfaction within his chest like never before. ¡° Pft,¡± Molon snorted. As one blow after anothernded on his nose, blood began to spurt. Without wiping away his nosebleed, Molon just smiled. Booom! Molon heard a panting breath, then Eugene¡¯s fist met with his abdomen at full speed. The only effect was that Molon was a little shaken. ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Hamel?!¡± Molon shouted in a voice filled with glee. Even though Eugene had urately aimed for the pit of his stomach, Molon¡¯s breathing was fine. However, Eugene¡¯s breathing was a mess. His mes, which had burned so intensely at first, had died down to a point even lower than they were at the start. ¡°I can still keep fighting!¡± Eugene stubbornly insisted. Bam! Molon swung his palm and pped Eugene on the shoulder. This time, he was only holding back a bare minimum. Eugene summoned a me shield, but it waspletely shattered, and his bones also couldn¡¯t escape the fate of being crushed. With this, Eugene¡¯s left arm was no longer usable. ¡°Look out, Hamel!¡± Molon warned Eugene with a chuckle as he raised his fist. Molon¡¯s fist fell toward Eugene¡¯s head. Eugene was still off-bnce from his injuries, but he quickly responded to the attack. All of Prominence¡¯s feathers moved to cover the top of his head, and he raised his right arm in preparation to block Molon¡¯s fist. Craracrack! The feathers were obliterated and Eugene¡¯s right arm was also broken. The rest of the force from the blow that hadn¡¯t been dispersed hammered down onto Eugene¡¯s body, forcing him to his knees. ¡°I win!¡± Molon gloated. The victory that Molon was currently celebrating waspletely different from his previous one. He wasughing sincerely, and he had dered this win with a prideful shout. Eugene was burning up on the inside. He wanted to say something to refute Molon¡¯s victory, but unlike earlier, he didn¡¯t have any grounds to argue against it. Both of his arms were broken. He had also lost control of his legs. Apart from that, his internal organs were also damaged on top of all his minor fractures. And if that wasn¡¯t enough¡­Ignition was slowlying to an end. This had been a reckless slugfest. There was no way in hell that Eugene could defeat Molon in one of those. Even in his previous life as Hamel, if he had gotten into a slugfest with Molon, he would have lost every time. ¡°That¡¯s right, you son of a bitch,¡± Eugene conceded with a sigh, holding back his anger and the pain coursing through his whole body. ¡°As a three hundred year old, does it feel good to defeat a twenty-one year old?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Molon grunted. Eugene repeated himself, but with a curse on top. ¡°I said, does it fucking feel good?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that, Hamel. You¡¯re the one who started the fight, no?¡± Molon logically pointed out. Eugene just screamed loudly in response, ¡°I asked you if it feels good!!!¡± 1. The author has started to use ¡®sunspots¡¯ to refer to thepletely ckened suns of a fully charged Eclipse. ? Chapter 245: The Brave Molon (5) ¡°If you¡¯re asking if it feels good, hmmm¡­,¡± Molon blinked a few times as he pondered his answer. He was currently feeling a mix of specific emotions, but he wasn¡¯t sure how to express them in words. While Molon was lost in such concerns, Anise widened her slitted eyes and red at Eugene, ¡°What a pathetic, shameless, and ugly sight¡­!¡± Mer originally wanted to take Eugene¡¯s side, but she couldn¡¯t help but empathize passionately with Anise''s words. Who was the one who barged in here of his own ord? It was Eugene. Who was the one who begged for a fight with Molon, even when Molon had said that he didn¡¯t want to fight? It was Eugene. Who was the one who got all agitated and decided to restart a fight that was already over? It was Eugene. All of this happened because of Eugene. He had even gone so far as to use Ignition, only to lose. Having lost sopletely, shouldn¡¯t Eugene at least keep his mouth shut out of shame or embarrassment? So why on earth was Eugene screaming like he had anything to be proud about? As such, Mer just nodded her head in agreement with Anise. Even Kristina slightly agreed with them. Having fallen in love with Eugene ever since the Fount of Light incident, Kristina tended to view everything that Eugene did as meaningful, noble, morous, and cool. But at this moment, she honestly felt that the current Eugene, who was kneeling on the ground with a spurting nosebleed, shouting whether it felt good to win, looked a bit unsightly. ¡°...Hm¡­,¡± Molon continued to hesitate, unable to answer right away. He was slowlying to understand the true nature of his feelings. Did it feel good? Of course, it did. Even if he might be different from his previous life, the opponent was none other than Hamel. It had been fun to fight with Hamel like this, and it was also fun to have been able to defeat him with an overwhelming gap in their strengths, even with Hamel using Ignition. However, Molon couldn¡¯t just say, ¡®It was really fun.¡¯ Now that the madness had been driven from his head and Molon was able to think clearly, he realized that if he answered positively, the one afflicted with madness this time would be Hamel. During the moment when Molon was hesitating, unable to give an immediate reply, Prominence, which had yet to disappear, burst into me. Embers of mana ignited in the air around Eugene. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to move his limbs as he wished, but if he used his mana in ce of his muscles and nerves, it was still possible for him to move like this. With as much speed as he could currently muster, Eugene¡¯s body transformed into a sh of lightning. He raised his broken arm and readied a warhead of mes in his fist. Like this, Eugene aimed for Molon¡¯s chin, but¡ª Baaam! Their two fists crossed. If both of their arm lengths had been simr, their fight could have ended in a beautiful cross-counter, but there was actually an extreme difference in Eugene and Molon¡¯s arm lengths. This meant that Eugene alone was struck by Molon¡¯s fist. Fortunately, Molon didn¡¯t intend to strike Eugene with his fist, instead only seeking to block Eugene¡¯s forward movement. In contrast, Eugene had swung his fist with all his might as he aimed for Molon¡¯s chin, but because of the unavoidable difference in their arm lengths, he couldn¡¯t even touch Molon. ¡°...Argh,¡± Eugene choked out a groan. Molon¡¯s fist was asrge as Eugene¡¯s whole skull. As such, rather than looking like he had been blocked by Molon¡¯s fist, it looked more like Eugene had mmed into a huge boulder face-first. ¡°Oh my god¡­,¡± Mer gasped. A surprise attack right as Molon was thinking of a reply. And it didn¡¯t even manage to seed. Eugene¡¯s speed just made him m his face even harder into the counter. Perhaps because Eugene was in such an exhausted state, he was too tired to even dodge it. Eugene fell back, his nosebleed spewing blood like a fountain. Seeing his miserable appearance, Mer unconsciously let out a deep sigh, ¡°How ugly¡­!¡± Thankfully, Eugene wasn¡¯t able to hear Mer¡¯s regretful sigh. This was because the moment his head fell backward, the lights turned off in Eugene¡¯s head, and he fell unconscious. How long had he been out? Eugene finally came to his senses, but he wasn¡¯t able to open his eyes right away. This was because the things that had happened right before he fainted were messily ying out inside his head¡­. The blood had gotten to his head, and he had lost control. Now that his agitation had subsided, Eugene clearly realized just how ugly his behavior had been. Eugene silently writhed in shame. He was afraid of what kind of teasing and stares awaited him when he opened his eyes. But that wasn¡¯t the only reason he couldn¡¯t open his eyes. His eyelids were simply too heavy. His body didn¡¯t have any strength¡­ and it really hurt! He literally couldn¡¯t lift a single finger. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve regained consciousness. So why are you still pretending to be asleep?¡± A devil¡¯s whisper tickled his ears. Eugene tried not to react to it. However, the devil wouldn¡¯t allow Eugene to just ignore her. Poke. The devil¡¯s finger gently pressed down on Eugene¡¯s pectoral muscles. Eugene groaned, ¡°Gaaaagh¡­!¡± Eugene usually was quite skilled at oveing pain. However, right now, he wasn¡¯t in a situation where he especially needed to endure pain, and her fingertips were able to urately pinpoint the ces where his muscles had ruptured and poked down into the sensitive inneryers and were far too merciless. ¡°Open your eyes,¡± Anise instructed, her usually slitted eyes opened wide as she stared down at Eugene. Seeing Eugene like this, with his forehead furrowed to its limits, as he let out a groan from between tightly clenched teeth, Anise felt a kind of exhrating ecstasy. Eugene eked out a growl, ¡°You¡­.¡± ¡°No way, Hamel. Did you really expect me to havepletely treated your body while you werefortably passed out?¡± Anise sarcastically scoffed. That was what Eugene had been hoping for. However, currently, if he answered in the affirmative, Anise would surely have scolded him. As such, Eugene could only spit out the right thing to say in this sort of situation: ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Usually, Anise¡¯s anger couldn¡¯t be resolved with just a single apology. However, the current Anise wasn¡¯t really all that angry. Hamel¡¯s body had already paid the full price for going on a rampage on his own. Also, Hamel¡¯s action had been for Molon¡¯s sake. Anise caved in, ¡°Where would you like me to treat you first?¡± Anise had fallen in love with Hamel¡¯s kindness. She might have felt a thrill of excitement at seeing him in pain, but in addition to that, she had also felt some heartache. With a bright grin, Anise tilted her head closer to Eugene. ¡°Tell me directly with your own lips, Hamel. Where is the most painful area on your body? What type of pain do you want me to help you with first?¡± Anise asked excitedly. ¡°Could you start by putting away the finger poking my chest¡­?¡± Eugene ground out. Ah, she hadpletely forgotten. Anise quickly removed her finger and wiped away her embarrassed expression. She had asked him where it hurt the most, but that was a tricky question to answer for the current Eugene. It felt like he had more broken bones than unbroken bones. All his muscles were torn, and even his internal organs had been damaged. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he had died from this, but the fact that he hadn¡¯t died¡­ was all because Anise wouldn¡¯t allow Eugene to die. ¡®If she was going to prolong my suffering, she should have at least treated me. Like I¡¯ve always thought, she has a terrible personality¡­,¡¯ Eugene silentlyined before requesting, ¡°Do something about my insides first.¡± ¡°Your¡­ insides?¡± Anise questioned. ¡°I¡¯m talking about my internal organs,¡± Eugene rified. ¡°Whether they¡¯re in the chest or the stomach¡­.¡± Anise seemed embarrassed, ¡°By those words, Hamel, are you asking me to take a good look deep within you?¡± Eugene gaped in confusion, ¡°Uh¡­.¡± Anise scolded him, ¡°What a shameless and vulgar person¡­!¡± What in the world was Anise even talking about? Eugene absolutely couldn¡¯t understand what was going on inside Anise¡¯s head. As Anise¡¯s cheeks flushed red, she carefully caressed Eugene¡¯s body. The one currently taking the lead to examine Eugene¡¯s body wasn¡¯t Anise but Kristina. Anise hadn¡¯t forgotten the promise that she had made to Kristina earlier. With the Light infused into her fingertips, Kristina carefully ran her fingers over Eugene¡¯s pectoral muscles. The shredded and torn muscle fibers began to heal. Kristina coughed, ¡°...Ahem¡­ where¡­ would you like to be treated next?¡± ¡°Why did Anise change ces with you?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°Hah?¡± Kristina gasped in surprise. Was there really that much of a difference in the way that they spoke? Kristina turned to look at Eugene with a startled expression. Eugene answered her unspoken question, ¡°There¡¯s a difference in your touch.¡± ¡°Really¡­?¡± Kristina asked doubtfully. ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin exactly, but¡­ it¡¯s simr to someone¡¯s aura,¡± Eugene attempted to exin. ¡°Your touch and Anise¡¯s are different. Your body may be the same, but there¡¯s something about the way you move your fingers¡­.¡± The truth was, Eugene hadn¡¯t received much treatment from Kristina, not enough to remember each and every detail of her touch. However, he definitely remembered what Anise¡¯s touch felt like. Even though they shared the same body while only their consciousness swapped, Eugene could immediately tell the difference between Kristina and Anise whenever they did so. Eugene said all this with a casual expression as if it wasn¡¯t anything much, but these nonchnt words of his caused the innocent Kristina¡¯s heart to pound. This was because it felt like Eugene was validating who she was as Kristina Rogeris. Eugene returned to the main topic, ¡°So why have you two swapped ces? Wasn¡¯t Anise the one healing me?¡± Kristina faltered, ¡°Ahhh¡­ um¡­ that is¡­.¡± Eugene suddenly realized something, ¡°Ah¡­ is this some kind of test of your divine magic? Like I¡¯ve always said, Anise also has quite a nasty personality. Why does she have to treat me as a test subject at a time like this¡­?¡± ¡°Ahem. We can¡¯t always leave your treatment up to Lady Anise, Sir Eugene. Just like Lady Anise, I, too, am a Saint. As such, I need to get familiar with taking care of your wounds,¡± as she finished giving an exnation that she herself knew wasplete nonsense, Kristina began treating Eugene¡¯s wounds. His cloak, which had been lying on the floor, began to crawl over to Eugene. Once the cloak was stuck to his side, Mer poked her head out of it. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to understand why the re that Mer had in her eyes as she looked at him felt so cold. Even so, as if it was only natural, Mer rested her chin on Eugene¡¯s stomach so that he could stroke Mer¡¯s hair with his trembling fingers. ¡°Please stay still. The treatment for your hands isn¡¯t finished yet,¡± Anise, who had swapped with Kristina, instructed. As Anise¡¯s hand was enveloped in Light, Eugene¡¯s broken bones glued themselves together, and his torn muscles and nerves were reconnected. Eugene twisted Mer¡¯s hair into coils with his now much morefortable hand. ¡°Where has Molon gone off to?¡± Eugene btedly asked. Although he didn¡¯t know how long he had been unconscious, Eugene felt like not too long had passed. They hadn¡¯t even left this space yet; they were still on the other side of Lehainjar. ¡°He¡¯s left to catch the Nur,¡± Anise replied. Eugene gave a surprised, ¡°What?¡± Anise exined, ¡°Before you woke up, Nur seemingly reappeared on the outside.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Eugene replied in a low voice. Anise blinked at this muted response. She then put on an ill-natured smile as she leaned her head over Eugene, ¡°Aren''t you worried about Molon? That idiot might have lost his mind again after catching the Nur, so he might be out there somewhere, causing harm to himself.¡± Eugene scoffed, ¡°If it was earlier, I would be worried. I¡¯d have also said something to you as well, asking why you allowed Molon to go on his own and why you didn¡¯t go with him. However, there¡¯s no longer any need for that now.¡± There wasn¡¯t a single speck of doubt or worry in the words that Eugene had just uttered. He had said it all drily as if he was only stating the very obvious. Though their brawl hadn¡¯tsted very long, by crossing fists with Molon¡¯s barbarically limitless strength, Eugene had gotten a feel of Molon. Booom! The ground started rocking up and down. Molon had fallen from the sky, holding the carcass of a huge wild boar over his head. Although the monster was already dead, Eugene could instinctively sense that that wasn¡¯t just some huge beast, monster, or demonic beast. ¡°Eeek¡ª¡± Mer¡¯s shoulders trembled in fright, and she fled back into the cloak. Eugene wrapped the cloak around his body, and while barely being able to raise his head off of the ground, he stared at Molon. Molon, who was holding a Nur the size of an entire house with just one hand, bared his row of shining teeth in a smile as he met Eugene¡¯s gaze. ¡°Hamel!¡± Molon greeted him. ¡°You¡¯ve woken up!¡± There was none of the madness that Molon had shown when he had decapitated the Nur in the Great Hammer Canyon or when they had seen him smashing his head against the ground. Molon continued speaking, ¡°Anise said that you would be okay, but I was truly worried. After all, the wounds you had when you fainted were so terrible.¡± ¡°Those were all your fault,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°My fault? You¡¯re wrong, Hamel. You¡¯re the one who attacked me even though I didn¡¯t want to fight,¡± Molon corrected him. Although this was the undeniable truth¡­ Eugene still wanted to refute him somehow. While chewing on his bottom lip, Eugene thought about what he could say in response. However, no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t think of anything other than resorting to personal attacks. Just as Eugene was about to seriously consider choosing his swear words, Molon grinned and called out to him, ¡°Hamel, I¡¯m going to get rid of this corpse up there. Would you like to go with me?¡± Eugene grunted, ¡°Hah?¡± He hadn¡¯t expected that Molon would say such a thing first. As such, Eugene honestly let out a noise of surprise. After staring at Molon for a few moments, Eugene smirked and nodded his head. ¡°Of course, I want to go with you, but right now, my body isn¡¯t moving the way I want it to,¡± said Eugene. Although she had already healed all of his injuries, even Anise¡¯s divine magic couldn¡¯t take care of Ignition¡¯s recoil as well. As such, Eugene currently wasn¡¯t able to move his body as he pleased. Naturally, Molon was also aware of Ignition¡¯s recoil. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just have to give you a hand like I did in the past,¡± Molon proposed as he tossed the gigantic Nur all the way to the mountain''s peak. Watching as the Nur¡¯s corpse flew into the distance, Eugene gaped for a few moments before finally asking, ¡°If you can just throw them like that, why do you insist on carrying the corpse all the way up to the peak?¡± ¡°No real reason. Usually, I¡¯m not in my right mind, so I just throw them away wherever. Whenever I start thinking there are too many of them, I just copse the mountain on top of that. If I do that, then everything bes neat and tidy in no time,¡± Molon exined with a chuckle as he gestured to their surroundings in exnation. Due to the fight between Eugene and Molon, the whole mountain had seemingly copsed, but now there weren¡¯t any traces of their battle left. There still wasn¡¯t any snow, but the bizarre scenery that had reminded them of their time in the Devildom those hundreds of years ago had also changed to a rather ordinary-looking scenery of a regr mountain. This was because the mountain that had previously been eroded by the miasma had copsed and had been remade anew. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go together!¡± Molon dered with a cheerful expression. It seemed like there weren¡¯t any traces of his previous insanity left in his heart. However, they didn¡¯t know if or when Molon¡¯s heart might be corrupted with madness once more. Something that already copsed once could one day copse again. But for now, at least, it didn¡¯t seem like it would copse. Molon pulled Eugene up and supported him. Then he also extended an arm to Anise. Anise grinned and clung onto Molon¡¯s arm. Molon¡¯s feet kicked off the ground. In a single leap, they flew up high into the sky. Eugene and Anise gazed down below as they clung to Molon¡¯s arms. What they saw was the enclosed scenery of a mountain. This was the other side of the Lehainjar. The mountain where Eugene had just been had copsed and had been restored, so it looked like an ordinary mountain, but the rest of the scenery hadn¡¯t undergone the same process. Their environments were still simr to the Devildom. The corpses of the Nur could be seen here and there. Traces of Molon¡¯s self-harm could also be seen. ¡°There it is,¡± Molon whispered. Eugene and Anise raised their heads. They had already climbed higher than the peak of the mountain. In the north, they could see Raguyaran, the End of the World. Thendscape they could see from here should be different from what they would see outside. However, Eugene couldprehend why the Raguyaran he could see from here was called the Land that Should Not Be Crossed and the End of the World. There really was nothing there. All there was, was graynd, gray skies, and gray air. Everything was gray and empty. However, it wasn¡¯t actually empty here. At the base of the mountain, in the outskirts connected to the Raguyaran, countless corpses of Nur had been piled up there. ¡°In the past, I always threw the Nur¡¯s corpse over there,¡± Molon exined. Boom. Molon¡¯s feetnded on the ground. He put Anise and Eugene down for the moment, then picked up the boar-type Nur that he had thrown here earlier. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the Nure from. I don¡¯t even know what the Nur are. However, Vermouth said that the Nure from the End. Because of that, I thought the deceased Nur should also be thrown back to the End,¡± Molon further borated. The Nur¡¯s corpse flew into the sky. The huge corpse flew over several mountain peaks and fell into the Raguyaran. Molon said absent-mindedly, ¡°At some point, I just stopped doing this.¡± Anise was supporting Eugene. Without looking back at them, Molon just stared into the Raguyaran. ¡°Hamel. Anise. I hateding to the peak for this moment. At some point, I became afraid of climbing up to this peak. I didn¡¯t want to see Raguyaran. The Raguyaran that can be seen from here is different from the Raguyaran that can be seen outside. But in some ces, it¡¯s the same. I didn¡¯t want to see Raguyaran. I didn¡¯t want to see the End,¡± Molon confessed. ¡°Molon,¡± Eugene called out. Molon continued speaking, ¡°I might be strong, but I was lonely. The years have weakened my warrior¡¯s spirit. However, Hamel, it¡¯s fine now. You didn¡¯t tell me your reasons for it in detail, but from your fist, I felt that it was for my sake¡ª¡± ¡°That fight doesn¡¯t count,¡± Eugene suddenly spat out, cutting Molon¡¯s words short. ¡°Just think back to three hundred years ago, Molon. You had an exceptional physique, so you were also skilled in bare-handed fighting, but I honestly wasn¡¯t that skilled with my bare fists. So even when we were both in our primes, if we had only fought with our fists, I still wouldn¡¯t have been able to beat you.¡± He needed to acknowledge what couldn¡¯t be denied. As such, Eugene continued speaking quickly. He had no intention of giving Molon any room for rebuttal. ¡°However, what do you think would happen if I had a real weapon in my hands? Starting from my previous life, I¡¯ve always been an expert in all kinds of weapons. There¡¯s noparison between me fighting with a weapon and me fighting with my bare hands. So which do you think is the real me? It¡¯s only when I¡¯m holding a weapon that I¡¯m really fighting seriously. Especially since I currently have the Holy Sword, the Moonlight Sword, the Demonic Spear, and the Annihtion Hammer. I also have Vermouth¡¯s Storm Sword, Devouring Sword, Thunderbolt Pernoa, and the Dragon Spear. It¡¯s only when I¡¯m able to use all of them that you can see my real skills. Although you might be able to show your skills off with just a single, crude ax, I can''t show my real skills without the right weapon.¡± It wasn¡¯t a lie. ¡°If I had just a single crudely-made knife in my hand, the oue wouldn¡¯t have been so obvious. After all, facing your barbaric fists with just my bare body and parrying them with a sword would cepletely different burdens on me. With my refined techniques, I would have been able to divert all of your attacks without even damaging the edge of my de, and in the end, I would have been able to slice open your body. You understand what I¡¯m trying to say, right? Our fight just now wasn¡¯t fair. I haven¡¯t really lost to you. So that fight doesn¡¯t cou¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true, Hamel,¡± Molon replied with a rarely-seen serious expression. Chapter 246: The Brave Molon (6) The three stared at Raguyaran from the mountain''s peak for quite some time. Although he had been standing there for so long, Eugene still couldn¡¯t sense the presence of the Ending from Raguyaran. To Eugene¡¯s eyes, Raguyaran just seemed to be covered by a dull and misty fog. As for the Raguyaran on the outside, not the one on this side, it wasn¡¯t all that special or mysterious a ce either. It was just a huge snowfield with abysmal weather. A harshnd without anything of particr value, such as underground resources buried beneath its surface. And where even mana itself was scarce, making it difficult to use any magic. No one lived in Raguyaran because it was a ce full of factors that were inimical to life. Beyond thisnd was the vast Arctic Sea. Since all seas were connected with each other in the end, it was said that if you crossed Raguyaran¡¯s Arctic Sea, you would be able to reach the far-off Southern seas¡­ but what reason was there to do something so pointless? In any case, the Raguyaran that Eugene knew wasn¡¯t as bizarre and terrifying a ce as Vermouth had warned them about. However, it was true that the Nur had started appearing here a hundred years ago. Molon had blocked any of the Nur from leaving here for the past one hundred years. Molon was using his own body as a barrier so the Ending from Raguyaran wouldn¡¯t be able to cross the Lehainjar and attack the rest of the world. ¡°Molon,¡± Eugene eventually spoke up. Even after staring at it for such a long time, nothing seemed to be approaching them from the other side of the Raguyaran. Like with Lehainjar itself, on this side, the sun never rose in this world. This was the world that Molon had been watching over for the past one hundred years. No matter how much you tried to break it, it would always reform intact. And as the corpses of Nur piled up, the scenery would turn grotesque. Those were the only two changes that ever took ce here. Eugene continued, ¡°What are you going to do from now on?¡± This question needed to be asked. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, his fight with Molon couldn¡¯t really be called a fight. Even he himself thought of it as an embarrassing and ugly struggle on his part. But it was because his opponent was Molon that Eugene had struggled so fiercely. If his opponent hadn¡¯t been Molon, there would be no reason for him to do such a thing. ¡°Are you going to keep staying here?¡± Eugene followed up with another question. These questions, this whole conversation, all of it could only take ce because of Eugene¡¯s futile struggle. If it were the previous Molon, having a conversation like this would have been impossible. Though less than half a day had passed from then until now, Eugene was certain that Molon had changed. ¡°I,¡± Molon hesitantly began without turning his head to look at Eugene. His sunken eyes were still staring firmly at Raguyaran, at the hazy and distant End of the World. ¡°I will wait here,¡± Molon dered. His answer hadn¡¯t changed from before. Even if Eugene had asked the earlier Molon, he would have given the same answer as he did now. Eugene was also aware of this fact. In the first ce, Eugene had no intention of changing Molon¡¯s answer. What on earth could he do to change it? The hundred years he had spent here because of Vermouth¡¯s request, all of that was proof of Molon¡¯s conviction andmitment to this mission. Eugene didn¡¯t want to deny his friend¡¯s conviction andmitment. ¡°It¡¯s not just because of Vermouth¡¯s request,¡± Molon exined. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯ve seen the Nur myself. It¡¯s because I know what an ominous existence the Nur are. I am the founder of Ruhr, and I am the Brave Molon who once saved the world. As such, I have to keep watch over this ce.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Molon. If Eugene hadn¡¯t died and been put in Molon¡¯s position, he would have acted the same as Molon. Even Sienna and Anise, they all would have done the same. ¡°For how long?¡± Eugene asked as he stared at Molon. ¡°Until now, you¡¯ve been waiting for a hundred years. For just how many more years are you going to keep watch over this ce?¡± ¡°I guess I¡¯ll just keep doing so until I die,¡± Molon replied calmly. ¡°What an idiotic answer,¡± Eugene grumbled, only for Molon to chuckle in response. Molon tore his gaze away from the Raguyaran and looked down at Eugene, ¡°Hamel. It seems that you¡¯re worried about me.¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m worried about you.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t want to show you my weakness,¡± Molon sighed. ¡°Molon, listen closely to what I¡¯m saying,¡± Eugene growled as he forced his still clumsy fingers to clench into a fist. ¡°Just in case, if you do be a little strange once more, I¡¯lle back to fight with you.¡± Molon¡¯s eyes widened into circles as he looked at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ll definitelye here to beat you up,¡± Eugene promised sincerely. This time, Eugene had fought Molon in an embarrassing and ugly manner, then he had lost messily. ¡°I¡¯lle here to fight with you and defeat you,¡± Eugene vowed. If he lost next time as well, then Eugene would just have to try the next time again. No matter how many times he was defeated, Eugene would keep on challenging Molon. Eugene continued speaking firmly, ¡°Whenever you grow strange, whenever you get bored and start going crazy, I¡¯lle here to beat you up while calling you an idiot.¡± There was no way to know where the Nur came from or why they wereing here. Vermouth hadn¡¯t said anything about how long Molon would have to keep doing this. Without even a promise of when he could rest, he had made Molon watch over this ce for over a hundred years. ¡°Molon, you weren¡¯t lonely, and you didn¡¯t get any weaker. Do you want to know why? You beat me half to death, after all. That alone would be proof of your strength. You¡¯re still the brave and strong warrior you always were,¡± Eugene assured him. It was a clumsy and awkward attempt at constion. Even Molon could sense that. The same went for Eugene himself as the one who said it. However, Eugene didn¡¯t know how else to offer his constion. If he had won his fight with Molon, the lines Eugene had used just now would have been slightly different. You really are weak, idiot. However, I was just a lousy opponent for you. Even in my previous life, I was already stronger than you. So, just because you lost to me, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re weak. It just means that I¡¯m way too strong. Don¡¯t be too heartbroken. Your opponent was me, after all. Therefore, you should keep watch for just a little longer. As the one who is stronger than you¡­. ¡°Neither you nor I know when this duty of yours will end,¡± Eugene said as he raised his still-clenched fist from his side. ¡°That¡¯s why you were lonely and in pain. Because you don¡¯t know when this damn mission will be over. That¡¯s why you felt like your mind was slowly getting weaker. As the people you knew died one by one, but only you remained.¡± Molon couldn¡¯t think of what to say to this. With nk eyes, he stared at Eugene¡¯s fist. Compared to Molon¡¯s, that fist was childishly small. It was a light fist that wouldn¡¯t be able to hurt Molon even if it struck him several times. ¡°However, I¡¯m here now, and so is Anise,¡± Eugene continued. ¡°There¡¯s also Sienna. As such, you don¡¯t need to be lonely. We will remember what it is you¡¯re doing here and why. If you¡¯re in distress because you don¡¯t know how much longer you have to stay here, then I¡¯ll go and ask him for you myself.¡± ¡°Who are you going to ask?¡± Molon questioned after a beat. Eugene scoffed, ¡°Idiot, why ask such an obvious question? The one who made such a shitty request of you is Vermouth, right? Coincidentally, I also have a lot of things I want to ask that bastard Vermouth. So while I¡¯m at it, I¡¯ll also ask about your mission.¡± Molon wasn¡¯t smiling, but Eugene still grinned. ¡°In that case,¡± Eugene said as he thrust his raised fist toward Molon. ¡°...In that case, just for a little longer, keep protecting this ce for just a bit more.¡± In the end, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but say something like this. After all, who in the world, apart from Molon, would be able to guard this ce? Apart from him, who in the hell would have been able to block those ominous monsters from invading for over a hundred years? ¡°...Haha!¡± Molon burst intoughter. ¡°You really are cruel, Hamel.¡± Molon shook his head as he keptughing. ¡°Vermouth¡¯s request alone has forced me to endure all this for the past one hundred and fifty years. Now, with your request on top of that, I¡¯m being forced to ept both of your requests,¡± Molon said with amusement. ¡°And just why are you ignoring me?¡± Anise, who had been silently standing beside them listening to all this, suddenly spoke up. ¡°Did you think that I wouldn¡¯t make a request of you when even Hamel has done so? Molon, in my opinion, the only one who can handle this sort of mission is you. Even if all of us had survived, if we had had to request one of us to take up this duty, then all of us, not just Sir Vermouth, would have asked you to do it.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Molon muttered as he lifted his head. ¡°Hamel, Anise. With the addition of you two, it seems like I have three people counting on me. Also, Anise, you said I¡¯m the only one who could have done something like this. Hamel, you said that I am still the same brave and strong warrior that I used to be.¡± Just like Eugene had, Molon also clenched his fist. He lifted his tightly clenched fist up to Eugene¡¯s. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then it seems that I have no choice but to do so,¡± Molon said with renewed confidence. Tap. Their fists lightly knocked against each other. ¡°Hamel,¡± Molon said as he stared straight at Eugene. His body may have changed, but on the inside, he was still unmistakably Hamel. ¡®Isn¡¯t that the same for me as well?¡¯ Molon thought with a grin. No matter how weatherbeaten he had be over the past three hundred years, even with all the rust, Molon was still Molon. He was still strong. He was still brave. ¡°You said that you would kill the Demon Kings,¡± Molon recalled. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene confirmed this. Molon continued hesitantly, ¡°I probably¡­ won¡¯t be able to go with you to kill the remaining Demon Kings. Since I have a mission to continue guarding this ce.¡± Perhaps, if they managed to kill all of the Demon Kings, there might no longer be any need to worry about the Ending from Raguyaran. ¡°If one day you put an end to everything and find out that I no longer have to be bound to this mission, if you reunite with the missing Vermouth, then¡­ at that time,e here and tell me about it,¡± Molon requested. He would be fine. Molon added, ¡°Just in case, if I¡¯ve turned strange once more, then give me a beating with your own hands and tell me that my mission is over. Tell me that I am free.¡± After today, Molon believed that he would no longer lose his mind. The fists that he exchanged with Hamel, along with their conversation ¡ª no ¡ª the memories that he had made with both Hamel and Anise, theserades from his past, over the past few days. These few days of memories were weightier and clearer than the hundred years Molon had spent guarding this ce. Molon had said those sorts of things to show them that he was prepared to wait even if he didn¡¯t know just how long it would take them to return here. He was expressing his determination to protect this ce without taking his own life or allowing anyone else to kill him. ¡°Alright,¡± Eugene agreed with a smile as he lowered his fist. ¡°At that time, I¡¯ll also bring Vermouth with me. ¡­Maybe even Sienna as well.¡± To think that Eugene would get embarrassed at this point. Anise, who had been listening quietly, swallowed augh inside of Kristina¡¯s head. Hamel wasn¡¯tfortable with sensitive topics and wasn¡¯t very good at expressing himself. ¡®...The gap is pretty nice,¡¯ Kristina thought to herself. [Huh?] Anise questioned. ¡®Sir Eugene¡¯s usual behavior is extremely rough,¡¯ Kristina pointed out. ¡®His tongue is so sharp that it¡¯s hard to believe he¡¯s a great hero, and he also curses a lot.¡¯ [This is actually after he¡¯s improved a little, Kristina. At first, Hamel¡¯s mouth was truly filthy[1]. So in order to clean his tongue, whenever Hamel cursed, I would stuff an actual rag into his mouth.] Just how low could Hamel¡¯s position have been when he first joined the party three hundred years ago? Kristina considered this question for a moment. Kristina defended him, ¡®...Although Sir Eugene may be rough, at times, he unconsciously shows his inner nature. Like the fact that he¡¯s able to distinguish between you and me, Sister. When we eat together, he puts my tableware in front of me first, as if it¡¯s instinctual. Or when we walk down a street together, he lets me walk on the inside where it¡¯s safer; and whenever a monster appears, he steps forward in front of me as if it¡¯s only natural for him to do so¡­.¡¯ [Do you really remember all of those moments?] Anise asked in disbelief. Flustered, Kristina stammered, ¡®A-anyways, Sister, isn¡¯t that the case? While his mouth may spit out harsh words, in his heart, he¡¯s worried about his friend andrade-in-arms, Molon¡­. But even after he was covered in blood and half-dead, he still didn¡¯t change tactics and went up against Sir Molon with all his strength¡­! Just like when he saved me¡­.¡¯ [Indeed, Kristina, perhaps because we¡¯re soul sisters, but you¡¯re attracted to the same points as me. You¡¯re right. Hamel has always been like that since three hundred years ago. He¡¯s all spiky on the outside while soft on the inside¡­. It was that sort of gap that captivated both Sienna and me.] ¡®Lady Sienna as well¡­!¡¯ Although Kristina had yet to meet Sienna personally, she had be familiar with Sienna by hearing Eugene and Anise talk about her numerous times. In addition to that, after hearing these words from Anise, for some reason, Kristina felt herself sympathizing with Sienna, even though they hadn¡¯t even met yet. [There¡¯s just one thing that you should remember, Kristina. In the end, Sienna, that shy little chick, will be your and my enemy. Mer Merdein, that cheeky brat, might be willing to tter us now, but once Sienna is released from her seal, she will surely stick to Sienna¡¯s side as if she had never gotten close to us and report everything that has happened until then.] ¡®If that¡¯s the case, then what are we supposed to do? Sister, I don¡¯t think that we¡¯ve done anything wrong.¡¯ [Sienna is a savage girl who speaks before she thinks and whose fists speak louder than her words. Even if we don¡¯tmit any crimes, Sienna might rain fireballs down on our heads just because she¡¯s in a bad mood. If you want to counter her, Krisitna, you must make sure to not neglect your divine magic. The two of us should hold hands andbine forces.] ¡®I¡¯ve always been holding your hand, Sister, ever since the very beginning.¡¯ Anise and Kristina¡¯s sisterly affection grew even stronger. ¡°Well then, shall we head back now,¡± Molon proposed. Bang! Molon¡¯s huge hand smacked Eugene on the back. Eugene was almost sent flying to Raguyaran. The only reason he didn¡¯t fly away was thanks to Eugene hastily casting a spell on himself to hold his body in ce. However, even if Eugene wasn¡¯t sent flying, his whole body hurt as if it had been shattered into pieces. While under the effects of Ignition¡¯s recoil, the sensitivity of his whole body, especially towards pain, would be very intense. While still in this state, Molon¡¯s huge hand had just struck him on the back. Eugene gasped in pain, ¡°Gaaagh¡­!¡± Anise chided Molon, ¡°Idiot, have you forgotten that Hamel¡¯s Ignition is a suicide device that destroys his own body?¡± ¡°Won¡¯t the recoil be less painful because his body became stronger?¡± Molon asked curiously. Anise replied, ¡°His days spent moaning in bed might have reduced from his previous life, but it seems like it still hurts. Even though I¡¯ve warned him several times since his previous life¡­ to think he would use a suicide device in a mere scuffle with you, Molon. No matter how much I think about it, Hamel, you¡¯re an even bigger idiot than Molon.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just how strong I am,¡± Molon dered proudly. ¡°Hamel tried with all his might to defeat me, but in the end, he still couldn¡¯t win.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve said this once already, but it wasn¡¯t a defeat,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°I didn¡¯t even use any weapons or any of my techniques, so how can it be called a defeat¡­!¡± Molon curiously pointed out, ¡°Isn¡¯t Ignition one of your techniques? And that Prominence as well¡­.¡± Eugene faltered, ¡°No, that¡¯s¡­ the techniques I¡¯m talking about are¡­ um¡­.¡± While trying to endure the tingling sensation running down his back, Eugene struggled to decide whether or not to spit out the words he was thinking of. Molon¡¯s eyes lit up, ¡°Asura Rampage! That¡¯s right, Hamel, you didn¡¯t use your Asura Rampage. But it¡¯s strange, even though you didn¡¯t use Asura Rampage when you fought me, you really were like an Asura¡­. Once you¡¯ve reached the limits of your Asura Rampage, do you actually be an Asura yourself?¡± Molon didn¡¯t have any malice. Even during Eugene¡¯s previous life, Molon had just been that sort of a guy. Even though he knew this, hearing that nameing from someone else''s lips made Eugene want to jump down from the mountain peak and end his life that instant. ¡°Even so, Molon, about this barrier, were you the one who opened it when we arrived?¡± Eugene asked as he desperately tried to change the topic. Having said all that he wanted to without any malice intended, Molon immediately showed a surprised reaction to Eugene¡¯s words, ¡°Weren¡¯t you the ones who opened it when you came in?¡± ¡°As expected, it must have opened because of the Moonlight Sword,¡± Eugene reasoned. In a natural manner, Eugene managed topletely change the topic. Anise, who was looking in his direction, and Mer, who was peeking from inside his cloak, seemed to beughing at him. Eugene did his best not to pay them any attention. ¡°The Moonlight Sword was Vermouth¡¯s favorite sword,¡± Molon observed. ¡°Since he didn¡¯t leave it with the Lionhearts and evenpletely erased it from their records, Vermouth must have been holding on to it until the very end. Your reincarnation was nned by Vermouth, and my mission was also because of Vermouth¡¯s request.¡± Also, the Moonlight Sword had been found in Hamel¡¯s grave. In the Darkroom, Vermouth had taught him how to find the grave hidden in the desert. So, in the end, this meant that Eugene would have eventually been led to the Moonlight Sword no matter what happened. ¡®Did he arrange for the Moonlight Sword to be used as a key, just in case Molon ended up trapped within this barrier¡­?¡¯ As he considered this idea, Eugene touched the Moonlight Sword within his cloak. ¡®...But in fact, the Darkroom¡¯s Vermouth didn¡¯t say anything about Molon.¡¯ When one considered it, this was only natural. When Vermouth left his recording in the Darkroom, both Sienna and Anise had been alive and well. It was about one hundred and fifty years ago that Vermouth had appeared in Molon¡¯s dream to convey his request. That was fifty years after Vermouth¡¯s apparent death. During those fifty years, what exactly did Vermouth go through? With a bitter feeling, Eugene let go of the Moonlight Sword. 1. The original Korean idiom used for this says that Hamel went around biting on a rag. ? Chapter 247: The Brave Molon (7) Eugene, who had left for Lehainjar to take a test, returned after a full day in a state where he couldn¡¯t even control his own body. His injuries had beenpletely treated. Only the recoil from Ignition remained. But no matter what, it was just a fact that Eugene had no choice but to receive Molon and Anise¡¯s support to walk because he couldn¡¯t keep himself steady, and seeing Eugene looking like this caused many of the fort¡¯s inhabitants to nod their heads. Eugene Lionheart had been recognized as one of the heroes of the present age. All the famed warriors who met him acknowledged Eugene¡¯s genius potential. He was still only twenty-one years old, but the strength he had managed to achieve at such a young age didn¡¯t fall shortpared to those famed warriors who stood at the forefront of the times. However, he still couldn¡¯t match up to the great hero from three hundred years ago. This was only natural. Although he had been in seclusion for over a hundred years, Molon Ruhr was still the Brave Molon. Several people hade looking for Eugene while he was confined to his bed. ¡°Even if it¡¯s you, it seems that you can only be treated as a child by Sir Molon, huh?¡± The corners of Cyan¡¯s mouth culled upwards subtly, no, tantly, as he ced some medicine on a bedside table. ¡°Well, it can¡¯t be helped, can it?¡± Cyan continued. ¡°Sir Molon is a great hero who fought alongside our ancestor, and you, well¡­ while it might be true that you¡¯re an amazing genius, it¡¯s not like you were able to fight during that era, right?¡± ¡®I did fight back then, you son of a bitch.¡¯ Eugene barely managed to swallow the reply that rose to his throat. ¡°Sir Molon has obtained victory after standing on countless battlefields after all, so don¡¯t let it get you down too much,¡± Cyan encouraged Eugene. ¡°No matter how talented you may be, in Sir Molon¡¯s eyes, you''re just a distant descendant of his friend, so it¡¯s only natural for him to treat you like he would a child.¡± ¡°Are you really going to keep yapping?¡± Eugene growled. Cyan acted innocent as he said, ¡°Can¡¯t you understand my feelings of concern for you as my brother? But you really are quite impressive. What was it again¡­ Ignition? Is that what you called it? Your body is in such pain because you used that technique again. Even without having seen it, it¡¯s clear what happened. Did you stubbornly insist on trying to somehow defeat Sir Molon? Because of your own hurt pride, no?¡± Eugene snapped, ¡°Shut up!¡± ¡°No, I really am worried about you,¡± Cyan insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t let it get to you. Just lie down and have a good rest¡ª¡± Not willing to listen to him any further, Eugene grabbed an apple from the fruit basket next to his bed. He was intent on throwing it at Cyan, but at that moment, he put too much strength into his grip force, crushing the apple and turning it into juice. ¡°I think it¡¯s pretty cool that you refused to admit defeat and showed off everything that you had,¡± Cyan immediately reversed his opinion and rose from his seat. Ciel was the one who came looking for him next. Having just finished bathing, with a freshly dried appearance, she sat close to Eugene. ¡°Do you know?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°The hot springs here are said to relieve fatigue and help with muscle recovery. If the recoil from your barbaric technique is anything close to severe muscle pain, won¡¯t your recovery be faster if you take a dip in the hot springs?¡± ¡°It¡¯s hard for me to even control my body, so how do you expect me to get into the hot springs?¡± Eugeneined. ¡°Shall I help you with that?¡± Ciel offered. Eugene scoffed, ¡°Are you crazy?¡± ¡°No way. Could it be that you have some strange thoughts?¡± Ciel smirked. ¡°There¡¯s also such a thing as a family bath. It¡¯s not like you need to go in there naked, and it¡¯s for the sake of treatment and recovery. It doesn¡¯t really matter to me, but if you say please,I might consider helping you.¡± Although Ciel gave this proposal with a grin, she was certain that Eugene wouldn¡¯t really ept her offer. But what would she do if he did ept it? She would need a lot of time to mentally prepare herself, but¡­ Ciel suddenly gulped and nced down at Eugene. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m just joking,¡± Ciel nervously corrected herself. ¡°You know that, right?¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m crazy enough to take those words seriously?¡± Eugene asked in offense. Although she had only asked that question to take a peek at Eugene¡¯s opinion, Ciel was a bit disappointed by his immediate response. She changed the subject, ¡°You don¡¯t seem to have any wounds, so I can¡¯t really get a clear picture. Just how many times were you beaten by Molon?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t get hit all that much,¡± Eugene refuted her. ¡°Really?¡± Ciel questioned in disbelief. Eugene reminded her, ¡°You already know the facts. I¡¯m not lying here because I was beaten by Mo¡­ Sir Molon but because of the recoil from my technique.¡± One year ago, when Eward had run wild at the ck Lion Castle, Eugene had used Ignition while fighting the Remnants of the Demon Kings, who had used Eward¡¯s body as their host. Back then, Eugene had also needed to stay in bed for several days, like he was doing now, so Ciel was well aware of the reason for Eugene¡¯s convalescence. ¡°If you used that skill, that means you were backed so far into a corner that you had no choice but to use it,¡± Ciel surmised. Eugene attempted to deny it, ¡°...Not really? Why would I be cornered? I just used it because I wanted to use it, so what?¡± Ciel silently narrowed her eyes and stared at Eugene. Eugene couldn¡¯t bear to meet her gaze, so he awkwardly looked elsewhere. ¡°Well, even so, it¡¯s not like you¡¯re the only one going through this,¡± Ciel generously conceded. ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Eugene asked. Ciel informed him, ¡°Sir Molon has said that if anyone wishes to challenge him or engage in a spar, they can feel free to find him at any time. Just today, my father, Lady Carmen, and the other Captains from the ck Lion Castle have said that they will be challenging Sir Molon.¡± To be honest, Eugene had nothing to be ashamed of. For now, at least, he thought that it was only natural that he would lose to Molon. However¡­ however, wasn¡¯t it a much different matter when it came to Eugene epting it himselfpared to others bringing it up in front of him? So you lost to Sir Molon? For Eugene, who was both Eugene and, at the same time, Hamel, upon hearing these words from other people, he would inevitably get angry. ¡®If I had known it would be like this, I would have only returned after the recoil was over,¡¯ Eugene thought regretfully. But it was toote for such regrets. Hopefully, Molon wouldn¡¯t hold back just because they were his juniors and would instead beat them up with all his strength. So that they knew they had absolutely no chance of winning. Eugene hoped that Molon showed there was enough of a difference between him and them that they couldn¡¯t help but feel that way¡­. ¡°As expected, Sir Molon really is Sir Molon.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene responded ¡°Yes. I gave it my all while fighting him, but I couldn¡¯t even leave a single wound on Sir Molon.¡± ¡°How about the others?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Even Sir Molon expressed admiration for Lord Carmen¡¯s skills. However, Lord Carmen¡¯s Deadliest Combination was only able to make Sir Molon take a few steps back. Sir Molon wasn¡¯t injured in the slightest. The same goes for the Patriarch¡¯s sword.¡± Eugene held firmly onto the corners of his lips that were about to start twitching on their own. Genos Lionheart, the Captain of the First Division of the ck Lion Knights and the sessor to the Hamel style passed down by Vermouth, was someone who knew the truth that Eugene was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. He was currently sitting in front of Eugene with bandages wrapped around all four of his limbs. The fact that he only needed bandages was all thanks to being treated with divine magic, as originally, all his limbs had been broken. ¡°However, Molon was weaker than me,¡± Eugene dered proudly. ¡°As expected of Sir Hamel,¡± Genosplimented. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve barely reached the peak of my current life, it¡¯s only natural that I would lose¡­.¡± Eugene trailed off, only to quickly make his excuses, ¡°Ah, don¡¯t get me wrong. Three hundred years ago, when we were both in our prime, I was stronger than Molon, but unlike me, Molon didn¡¯t die and continued training. So it¡¯s only natural for Molon to be stronger than the current me.¡± ¡°I felt Sir Molon¡¯s transcendent strength with my own body,¡± Genos said in agreement, his sincere respect for Hamel shining through. ¡°Sir Molon is worthy of being a great hero not just because of his strength but also because of his character. After all my limbs were broken, he personally carried me¡ª¡± ¡°Are you saying that my strength and character aren¡¯t worthy of being a great hero?¡± Eugene used defensively. Genos gave a startled, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°If Molon really had a character worthy of a great hero, he wouldn¡¯t have broken your limbs in the first ce, now would he?¡± Eugene pointed out triumphantly. Genos hesitated, ¡°Yes¡­ now that you say that, it does seem so.¡± ¡°Instead, I recognized you as my sessor and supplemented your understanding of the Hamel style, even though I didn¡¯t really want to recall it. I also improved your Red me Form to suit the Hamel Style. I am definitely in possession of a character worthy of a great hero, don¡¯t you think so?¡± ¡°Indeed, Sir Hamel truly is a great hero.¡± Because of his respect for Hamel, Genos didn¡¯t refute Eugene¡¯s words. Also, it was true that he had received a lot of help from Eugene. Following the death of the previous Council Head, Doynes, the Lionhearts went through many changes. However, the White me Form was still the sole property of the main family, while the coteral lines could only learn the Red me Form. This was the basis for maintaining the bnce of the huge Lionheart n, so it wasn¡¯t something that could hastily be changed. No matter how impulsive Eugene could be, he couldn¡¯t just teach Genos, who was from a coteral line, the White me Form. As such, besides the White me Form, Eugene had taught Genos various other things. The Hamel style and the version of the Red me Form that had been passed down through Genos¡¯s family had been harmonized, and the insufficient aspects of the Red me Form had been supplemented by Eugene. So having received such favor, it was only natural for Genos to respect Hamel even more than he already did. Getting back to the point, Eugene asked, ¡°So what, after breaking your limbs, what did Molon say to you?¡± ¡°He said that he could feel Sir Hamel from the fighting spirit and swordsmanship incorporated into my fighting style,¡± Genos said with a proud expression. For someone like him, who deeply respected Hamel, Molon saying such words to him was the highest praise and evaluation. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel a subtle sense of incongruity¡­. Even though Eugene himself acknowledged that Genos¡¯s skills were quite excellent, no matter how much he rolled the idea through his head, he didn¡¯t feel like Genos really resembled Hamel all that much. Being tactful enough to notice that he shouldn¡¯t let such thoughts escape his mouth, Eugene didn¡¯t express his opinions and just kept his mouth shut. * * * It was only after five days had passed that Eugene¡¯s body felt better. Just in case, he had been worried that the likes of Amelia Merwin or Hemoria might take advantage of the opening left by the weakening of his body to attack him. While it was something that couldn¡¯t be done if you thought about it rationally, among all the idiots that Eugene had met in his entire life, those two ranked quite highly on the list of the most idiotic. Fortunately, nothing like that had happened. ¡°Vermouth¡¯s descendants are strong,¡± up in the fort¡¯s tower, Molon spoke up as the winds blew against him. ¡°But as descendants of Vermouth, they¡¯re still too weak,¡± Eugene, who was wrapped up in a cloak beside Molon, replied with a snort. It wasn¡¯t that the Lionhearts were all that weak. On the contrary, they were strong enough that they could easily im to be the best martial n on the continent. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, Carmen, who represented the highest tier of elders, could even boast about being the best in the continent. With her skills, except for the Three Dukes, she would be able to fight single-handedly against any of the highest-ranking demonfolks in Helmuth. That alone was already impressive enough. Usually, high-ranking demonfolks weren¡¯t opponents that humans could face all on their own. Then there was the Patriarch, Gilead, and his youngest brother, Gion. Since the second brother, Gilford, had alreadyid down the sword, following Carmen, the next strongest master from the main family portion of the Lionheart n needed to be picked from those two. To put things bluntly, both of their skills were several steps behind Carmen¡¯s. However, like Carmen, there was plenty of room for growth. Eugene justified his position, ¡°As I recall, Vermouth was much younger than those three when he reached his prime. Yet even so, he was overwhelmingly stronger than they are now.¡± The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, and the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman; even back three hundred years ago, those two were considered the strongest of the demonfolks, apart from the Demon Kings. In that era, Vermouth was the only one who could stand against those two demonfolks all on his own. Molon defended them, ¡°Just because they¡¯re Vermouth¡¯s descendants, that doesn¡¯t mean they have to be just as strong as Vermouth, Hamel. After all, the same goes for my descendants as well.¡± ¡°They resemble you in how big they are,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°However, there¡¯s a big difference in their strength. I consider Aman as the descendant who has most strongly inherited my blood, but even his strength is much weaker than I was when you first met me,¡± Molon said as he puffed out his chest proudly. ¡°However, Aman does have the potential to grow stronger. I think that goes for all who have inherited my blood, no, for everyone who is living in this era. And all of Vermouth¡¯s Lionheart n have the same gray hair and golden eyes that Vermouth had.¡± It was the only gic trait that hadn¡¯t thinned over time. Even after being passed down through dozens of generations and mixing with other bloodlines, all the Lionhearts still inherited the same gray hair and golden eyes. Even the most distant coteral lines were born with the golden eyes and gray hair that served as Vermouth¡¯s symbols. It was as if a strong will had been dissolved into the blood. No matter how much it was mixed and diluted, it felt like this blood seemed to insist on maintaining its identity as the Lionheart¡¯s, no, as Vermouth¡¯s blood. Was it because Vermouth¡¯s blood was special? Or perhaps, Vermouth had made his bloodline special? But for what purpose? Eugene silently pondered these questions. He felt that this had something to do with Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. Of course, it was only a hunch, but Eugene shook his head as he felt a slightly creepy sensation running down his back. ¡°There¡¯s also you, isn¡¯t there, Hamel?¡± Molon spoke up, hisrge fist approaching Eugene. Molon seemed to have developed a liking for greeting people with fist bumps. Last time, Eugene was being supported by Anise, but this time a healthy Eugene was standing on his own two feet. So he proudly spread his shoulders wide and held his fist up to Molon¡¯s. Molon continued, ¡°You were born as Vermouth¡¯s descendant and have be a member of the Lionhearts. If that¡¯s the case, doesn¡¯t that guarantee that one of Vermouth¡¯s descendants will be as strong as Vermouth?¡± At these words, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel a subtle sense of joy. Honestly speaking, he was embarrassed to have been born a descendant of Vermouth as part of that bastard¡¯s n. However, when Molon said, will be as strong as Vermouth, Eugene¡¯s cheeks couldn¡¯t help but twitch in an aborted smile. In the end, didn¡¯t those words mean that, in Molon¡¯s opinion, Hamel was just as strong as Vermouth? ¡°I¡¯m guessing he means, ¡®might be as strong as Vermouth,¡¯¡± said Anise, who had been sitting on the balcony railing while gulping down beer. Although her expression wasn¡¯t visible as her head was turned away, Eugene could easily imagine Anise''s expression. She would definitely have on a sullen look with pouting lips. It couldn¡¯t be helped. She had been recognized as a Saint after pping her wings and shouting that she had received a divine revtion. Because of that, Anise kept receiving envious nces from Yuras¡¯ priests, and her busy days were spent providing instructions on miracles and conducting worship services. Of course, all of that had been conducted by Kristina, not Anise. Anise would only give a few words of advice from a corner of their shared consciousness while grumbling about when all this would end. Even so, it was true that she wasn¡¯t able to hang out with Eugene or Molon because she was so busy during the day, making it only natural that Anise was upset. Molon was also just as busy. In these past few days, he had already finished sparring with most of the knights in the fort and had even taken up the role of serving as the knights¡¯ training partner. When Nur would asionally appear, Molon would quickly return to the Lehainjar. In two days, the Knight March would being to an end. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me,¡± Anise said in a sulky voice. ¡°But I¡¯m a little worried about Molon. Currently, we¡¯ve all been able to reunite like this, and you, Molon, have also gotten acquainted with your descendants and the other knights here, but¡­ in the end, you¡¯ll just be returning to the Lehainjar, won¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Molon confirmed. ¡°Going there and back while staying here is just cumbersome, and it will only feel dull to me in the long run.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not worried about you going crazy again, but¡­,¡± Anise trailed off. Would Molon really be okay? As this thought came to her mind, Anise stopped speaking for a few moments. She didn¡¯t really want to express her concerns. It was just that the feelings buried deep within her heart were drawing her attention to them of their own ord. Anise was all too familiar with the feelings of loss. That might be the case, but Molon knew loss even better than Anise. After all, the only one who had survived until the present day was Molon. ¡°Are you worried that we won¡¯t be able to meet each other once more?¡± Molon asked with augh. Anise couldn¡¯t bear to easily admit to those words. She just didn¡¯t want to. Although she had tried to twist her words this way and that, Anise¡¯s true feelings were just as Molon had described. She was afraid that this meeting might just be theirst. She was afraid that next time, they wouldn¡¯t be able to meet like this. The reason she had been so groundlessly irritated ever since earlier, and why she wasn¡¯t able to enjoy the alcohol that she was drinking, was all due to her inability to ept that she was upset and afraid of their uing parting. The moment she epted her true feelings, she was afraid and concerned that she would be unable to ignore these feelings from then on. ¡°Haven¡¯t we already made a promise regarding that?¡± Molon reminded her. ¡°A promise?¡± Anise repeated. Molon replied, ¡°If I turn strange, Hamel said he woulde back to beat me up.¡± Anise gasped in realization, ¡°...Ah.¡± ¡°Hamel, Anise, the both of you have requested something from me: that I should keep a watch over this ce for just a little longer. I will never forget your request for the rest of my life. Until you two return with Vermouth and Sienna, I won¡¯t change, and I will keep guarding this ce,¡± Molon promised. ¡°This idiot. When did I ever make such a request? I just casually agreed with Hamel when he started persuading you all on his own,¡± Anise said as she put down her drink and turned her head away from them. She had always been strong. She strived to never show a weak appearance. This was because Anise Slywood was the Saint. Because she existed to protect and heal all those who were weak, she couldn¡¯t afford to reveal her own weakness to anyone else. That was what she was like at first. But after bing Vermouth¡¯srade and meeting Molon, Sienna, and Hamel, the Saint had be a human being named Anise. She gainedrades to whom she wasn¡¯t afraid to show her weaknesses. Even so, Anise didn¡¯t always reveal her true feelings. She hid those behind a smiling expression, with sarcasm and teasing. Only on a very few asions, when she felt like she had to cry a little, would Anise honestly let her tears fall. Because she knew that it would be alright if she did. ¡°It will be over much sooner than the one hundred years you have already been waiting for,¡± Anise promised in return. Anise didn¡¯t shed too many tears. Only a single streak of tears trickled down her cheek. However, those tears were enough to make Eugene and Molon flustered. What Anise had told him of her own demise just a few days ago was still clearly at the forefront of Eugene¡¯s memories. ¡°Y-you¡¯ll definitely also be with us at that time, Anise,¡± Eugene said as he leaped out of his seat to stand beside Anise. ¡°Anise, if you aren¡¯t there, I won¡¯t leave the Great Hammer Canyon,¡± Molon said, spreading his thick arms wide. His intention was to hold her in his arms and allow Anise to cry to her heart¡¯s content, but Anise had no desire to do so. She couldn¡¯t understand why Eugene and Molon were making a fuss all of a sudden. Anise asked Kristina for help, ¡®Kristina, why are these two idiots acting up all of a sudden?¡¯ [Because that¡¯s how much they love you, Sister,] Kristina replied in a happy tone. Chapter 248: The Brave Molon (8) The Knight March was over. Just like how there hadn¡¯t been an opening ceremony, there wasn¡¯t a closing ceremony either. The gates of Fort Lehain were thrown wide open at dawn, and the kings and the knights from their respective countries began to leave the fort. The first to exit those gates in the early hours of the morning was the Sultan of the Nahama. He departed into the snowfields escorted by the warriors of Nahama, the Sand Scorpions, and the Dungeon Wizards. Amelia Merwin was also part of this procession. As she looked back behind her, she silently promised herself, ¡®One day,¡¯ and pulled on the chain wrapped around Hemoria¡¯s neck. If only she could harvest his corpse. This was a thought that had passed through Amelia¡¯s mind dozens or even hundreds of times during the ten or so days she had spent within the fort, but she couldn¡¯t afford to put those thoughts into practice. Her eyes were fixed on the sight of the Brave Molon standing on top of the high castle walls. His body, so strong that it didn¡¯t seem human, caused Amelia¡¯s heart to flutter with desire. However, she still promised herself that she would one day get what she wanted. As she imagined the distant, no, not-too-distant future, Amelia licked her lips. Amelia¡¯s coborator, the Sultan, was having conniptions due to the appearance of a Hero and a Saint, along with the reclusive Molon, during the Knight March, but ¡ª Amelia didn¡¯t care about that. Instead, Amelia felt that it was something like destiny that Eugene Lionheart, whom she had promised to definitely kill the next time they met, would turn out to be the Hero. She didn¡¯t see any problems with this. If the Hero and the Saint were beings who had inherited the legacy of legends, then the Brave Molon himself was a living legend. But Amelia happened to be in possession of a legend that had already died yet hadn¡¯t fully disappeared. She had the corpse of the Stupid Hamel, the prize among all of Amelia¡¯s most treasured possessions. Although she didn¡¯t have a suitable soul to infuse into it, it wasn¡¯t that big of a problem. Also, Hamel¡¯s corpse wasn¡¯t the only treasure Amelia possessed. ¡®The Brave Molon and Eugene Lionheart¡­ if I can get the Saint¡¯s corpse as well, that would be perfect, but it would be difficult,¡¯ Amelia thought as she turned her head away, hiding herugh. With a bone stuck between her jaws, Hemoria was no longer even able to make the sound of grinding her teeth. Even after being severely disciplined, Hemoria hadn¡¯t abandoned her enmity towards Amelia. It was impossible for her to do so. The only thing sustaining the current Hemoria was her hatred. Her hatred of Amelia Merwin and her hatred of Eugene Lionheart. As well as a hatred for the god who did not save her who had believed in him. Hemoria red at Amelia¡¯s back with her dull, dead eyes. After Nahama, the procession of countries continued. Some of the processions had decreased in size from when they first came, while others had increased. Most of the mercenarypanies that had arrived on their own had been contracted by the attending countries. Any transfers between knightly orders would only be carried out after they had returned to their own country and cleared things up. As for the Lionhearts¡­. They hadn¡¯t recruited any mercenaries or knights. The Lionhearts only needed the Lionhearts. They had managed to do well enough during this Knight March with just that. They had seen the de of Incarceration. They had even seen the Demon King. They hadpeted with the Brave Molon. All these alone had served to make the Lionhearts stronger. All of the knights who bore the name Lionheart were the descendants of the Great Vermouth. Even the White Lion Knights, who hadn¡¯t inherited the Lionheart bloodline, were all devoted to the legend that originated from their name. As for the Lionhearts themselves, they naturally also felt the same way. They wanted to be part of that legendary experience. They hoped to continue the legend. Bypeting with Molon, they were able to satisfy this longing. Eugene could strongly sense the changes that had resulted from this. The fighting spirits of the hundreds of knights belonging to the Lionheart n were stoked higher instead of cooling down from their defeats at Molon¡¯s hands. There was also a sense of longing. The one-sided defeats that they had suffered ignited a fiery desire for self-improvement in each of them. When seeing off the other nations, Molon hadn¡¯te down from his perch on top of the walls. However, when the time came to see off the Lionheart n, he leaped down from the battlements. ¡°The descendants of Vermouth,¡± Molon said with augh as he patted each of the knights on the shoulder. ¡°You will be even stronger. I, Molon, who was once Vermouth¡¯srade, guarantee it.¡± Molon didn¡¯t exin exactly just how they were going to be stronger. Instead, he just uttered these words with a confident gaze and steady voice. However, that was already enough to start triggering a change. Hadn¡¯t Anise herself said so while they were traveling through the snowfields? People can adapt and change surprisingly quickly. Because they had the willingness to improve themselves, from just a few opportunities that couldn¡¯t be considered all that significant, it was enough to transform their spars with Molon into an opportunity for their own growth. And Molon¡¯s words guaranteeing they would be stronger had bolstered their confidence. Molon slowly turned and addressed him, ¡°...Eugene Lionheart.¡± Eugene had been worried that Molon might actually call him Hamel. Fortunately, Molon wasn¡¯t that much of a fool, but judging by the momentary hesitation shown before uttering his name, Molon was close to being such a fool. ¡°I definitely won¡¯t forget our promise,¡± Molon assured him seriously. Unlike what he had done with the other vassals of the Lionheart n, Molon didn¡¯t pat him on the shoulder. Instead, Molon grinned and held his huge fist up to Eugene. After staring at his fist for a few moments, Eugene smirked and reached out with his own fist. ¡°I also won¡¯t forget our promise either,¡± Eugene said in return. Since many people were watching them, they couldn¡¯t speakfortably. Feeling an unavoidable embarrassment due to his fact, Eugene opened up his outstretched fist. Changing to a more polite tone, Eugene followed by saying, ¡°Please take care until we next meet.¡± Molon, who still had his fist outstretched, burst intoughter as he saw Eugene¡¯s open hand. His huge fist also opened up. Molon''s giant hand then gripped Eugene¡¯s own hand. They had already unburdened themselves to each other the night before. That said, it wasn¡¯t like they didn¡¯t have anything they wanted to do or say to each other right now. For example, didn¡¯t Molon realize just how big his palm was? Why was he secretly trying topete with Eugene by increasing his grip strength? Eugene felt the urge to ask just such an irreverent question about such a foolish topic. But Eugene didn¡¯t say anything directly to Molon. He didn¡¯t think it was necessary. If there was something that they couldn¡¯t talk about now, they could just bring it up the next time they met. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Molon agreed, having the same thoughts. He let go of Eugene¡¯s hand. However, his current thoughts and the desires in his heart didn¡¯t match. Molon spread his arms wide open and pulled Eugene into a tight embrace. ¡°See you next time,¡± Molon said. Unlike the first time Molon had hugged him, Eugene wasn¡¯t faced with the threat of suffocation. After struggling futilely with both feet dangling in the air, Eugene sighed and returned Molon¡¯s hug. Then Eugene whispered in a low voice, ¡°Let go of me, you bastard.¡± Having received such a curse, Molonughed loudly and set Eugene down. The farewell ended with that. Molon stood by the gates until the tail of the Lionheart¡¯s procession passed through the gates and receded into the snowfields. Unlike when they had first traveled to the fort, they were all riding inrge sleighs on their way back. Although it was called a sleigh, its shape was closer to a carriage without wheels. Every time the domesticated monsters crashed through the snow, the sleigh shot forwards. Eugene stuck his head out of the window and watched as Molon slowly grew further and further away. The bright-eyed Molon noticed that Eugene had turned his head to look back at him, so he waved his hand. Eugene let out a snort and stuck his own hand out of the window. After casually waving it a few times, he shook it off as if to shoo Molon away. ¡°It seems that Sir Molon really likes you,¡± Cyan murmured from the opposite seat. ¡°In Sir Molon¡¯s eyes, we must feel like the grandchildren of a friend. He must be showing you such fondness because you resemble our ancestor.¡± ¡°But he also showed you a lot of fondness, brother,¡± Ciel reminded him. ¡°Why are you pretending like you didn¡¯t receive any? When Sir Molon even let you ride on his shoulders.¡± Ciel was sitting next to Eugene as if it was only natural. When his younger sister teased him with an amused squint in her eyes, Cyan couldn¡¯te up with a reply immediately and just pouted. Eventually, Cyan rallied, ¡°...H-hey! Why are you saying such nonsense? You rode on Sir Molon¡¯s shoulders as well¡­!¡± Ciel just sighed, ¡°Brother, like I¡¯ve always said, you get flustered about the weirdest things. Why is that? Is it because you¡¯re the next Patriarch of the Lionheart n and no longer a child that you¡¯re so embarrassed about riding on Sir Molon¡¯s shoulders?¡± ¡°I-I didn¡¯t really want to ride him in the first ce,¡± Cyan tried to argue. ¡°Sir Molon just forcibly lifted me up and¡ª¡± ¡°So what? Isn¡¯t it better to be cared for by Sir Molon than to be shown no interest at all,¡± Ciel said with a giggle as she nced at Eugene. Currently, Ceil was the only one sitting next to Eugene. That dubious and sometimes frighteningly creepy Assistant Bishop¡­ no, the Saint, wasn¡¯t here with them. She wasn¡¯t sitting on another seat in the carriage either. Although Ciel didn¡¯t know what in the world might be going on with her, but¡­. ¡®No, isn¡¯t this only the natural result? Saint Kristina is someone from Yuras, after all,¡¯ Ciel reminded herself. Kristina Rogeris had apanied the Priesthood of Yuras on their return. For some reason, even Mer, who usually fluttered around here and there while squeaking away like a bat, was staying put inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. Thanks to that, Ciel was casually upying the seat next to Eugene. Of course, even if Mer and Kristina had been in this carriage with them, Ciel would have insisted that she had the freedom and the right to sit wherever she wanted. Ciel still felt the urge to ask, ¡°About Saint Kristina, why did she have to go back so suddenly?¡± She was curious about Kristina¡¯s reason for doing so. Ciel also felt a little worried. She didn¡¯t hate Kristina to the point where she would just giggle in glee no matter what happened to her. Ciel was just, ever so slightly, in a good mood because of Kristina¡¯s absence. ¡°She said she had something she needed to do,¡± Eugene answered. Ciel probed, ¡°So you don¡¯t know the reason for it either?¡± ¡°She said that the core of Yuras hade to some sort of decision during the Knight March conference,¡± Eugene said as he nced over to Ciel, who was giggling strangely to herself., Naturally, Eugene knew the reason why Kristina needed to return to Yuras. Among the members of Yuras¡¯ Priests of the Light, priests with particrly strong divine power and miracles were carefully being selected so that a unit ofbat priests centered around Kristina could be organized. When they had first heard about this from the Pope, Kristina and Anise had vehemently refused to have any part in it. However, when the Pope swore that as the Saint, she would have full authority over any of the troops mustered by the Pope, Kristna and Anise eventually gave up on their stubborn refusal. Ansie said that they might someday serve as insurance. Kristina also said that it might be of some help to Eugene. The newly musteredbat division was to be developed in Yuras with the concept of serving as Kristina and Anise¡¯s personal guard. If the priests weren¡¯t able to prioritize her order as the Saint over the Pope¡¯s, Anise had said that she would make sure to put them back in the right frame of mind. Perhaps wanting to make sure that the newly formed organization was made along those lines from the outset, Anise had left the fort earlier along with the priests of Yuras, saying that she would carefully pick them out after examining them with her own eyes. After returning to the Lionheart estate, Eugene nned on making preparations and then leaving for Helmuth. He had also shared his ns with Anise. So although Anise had decided to return to Yuras first, they had arranged to meet up again in Helmuth. Their final destination was naturally the Dragon Demon Castle. Before that, Eugene also nned to visit the Kazaard Hills, where the Moonlight Sword had been first discovered and where a fragment had been excavated. That was probably where Vermouth had shattered the Moonlight Sword. ¡®If I can find some more fragments, the Moonlight Sword¡¯s strength should increase,¡¯ Eugene thought hopefully. But wasn¡¯t it dangerous for them to go to Helmuth? Until recently, that was what Eugene had thought, so he had acted cautiously. However, ironically, the Demon King of Incarceration had ended up guaranteeing Eugene¡¯s protection. Of course, not all of the demonfolks would showplete obedience to the Demon King¡¯s words like Gavid Lindman did. Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master, had also said something to Eugene regarding this several years ago. Being a Demon King didn¡¯t mean that they had perfect control over all of the demonfolks. The Demon King of Incarceration left most demonfolks to their own devices. Among the countless demonfolks, there were also some demonfolks who actively defied the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s will. However, Eugene didn¡¯t think that this threat really mattered to him. The first time he heard that warning, he was iparably weaker than now, so he had to carefully assess all possible oues when he considered going to Helmuth. But now? ¡®Gavid won¡¯ty a hand on me. That means the ck Fog under Gavid¡¯smand won¡¯t do anything to me, either. As for Noir Giabe¡­,¡¯ Eugene trailed off consideringly. Although Eugene was worried about that psycho, he would never get anything done if he just procrastinated by worrying over every uncertain possibility. Eugene recalled Sienna, who was still sealed inside the World Tree. He remembered how she looked with a hole pierced through her chest, entangled in roots, barely being kept alive through the power of the World Tree. He recalled Sienna¡¯sughter as she tried to tease him with a ¡®knock knock¡¯ joke. Two years had already passed since then. Sienna might not feel like it was a very long time, but Eugene felt it was more than long enough. He didn¡¯t want there to be any further dys. [Hehe¡­ hehehe¡­.] Information about the Dragon Demon Castle was very scarce. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to break into it, either. The Dragon Demon Castle continuously wandered through the skies above Karabloom, Raizakia¡¯s fief. Since the Dragon Demon Castle was asrge as a decent-sized fortress, it wouldn¡¯t be a problem to spot it in the skies above, but the problemy in how to break into the Dragon Demon Castle. As a terrible hater of all humans, Raizakia hadn¡¯t allowed any humans to enter his fief. Thisw hadn¡¯t changed over the hundreds of years since Raizakia had disappeared. Karabloom, the surface level of Raizakia¡¯s fief, was still inhabited solely by demonfolks and demi-humans. The citizens of Karabloom were only allowed to enter the Dragon Demon Castle if they had been summoned to do so. In order to receive such a summons, they had to either have a formal title, have raised their level as a demonfolk, or be in possession of arge amount of wealth. In other words, Raizakia¡¯s fief was no different from its own small nation. Those who received such a summons and were allowed to ascend to the Dragon Demon Castle and live there made up the aristocratic ss called the Noblesse. In contrast, the citizens who lived on the surface level of the Karabloom fief were themoners. Eugene assessed his situation, ¡®As a human, it will be difficult for me to enter Karabloom. It will also be impossible for me to be summoned to the Dragon Demon Castle. If it was any country on this continent, it might be a different story, but in Helmuth¡­ and in the fief of a human-hater at that, it will be impossible for me to rely on the Lionheart name as leverage.¡¯ In the first ce, Eugene had no intention of informing his family that he was leaving for Helmuth. Eugene didn¡¯t have the confidence to state that everything would be fine and that there would be no problems, and even if he did his best to persuade them, his elders in the Lionheart n wouldn¡¯t ept it. If Eugene told them that he was leaving for Helmuth, his father, Gerhard, would be sure to faint in shock[1]. Eugene mused, ¡®Would I be able to find a way in by bribing someone to open up a backdoor somewhere¡­? No, there¡¯s no need for that. Since I¡¯m going there to cause a ruckus anyway, I can just break in from the very start¡­.¡¯ [Hehehe¡­ heh¡­.] While Eugene was diligently working out a way to break into the Dragon Demon Castle, the sound ofughter kept ringing in his head. The subspace in his cloak contained a mix of various items, and among these was a cushioned chair. The chair hadn¡¯t been ced inside so Eugene could take it out and sit on it when needed. Instead, it was one of the several pieces of furniture that had been ced inside the cloak for Mer¡¯s convenience. Mer Merdein was currently sitting curled up in that wide, cushioned chair, her shoulders shaking as sheughed. [Finally, we¡¯re finally making headway into saving Lady Sienna. We¡¯re finally going to resurrect Lady Sienna,] Mer celebrated. ¡®Are you really that happy?¡¯ Eugene asked. Mer responded, [Of course I¡¯m happy. I¡¯ll finally be able to meet Lady Sienna again after two hundred years. Also, also¡­ once Lady Sienna wakes up and returns, this prolonged humiliation and persecution will alsoe to an end.] ¡®Since when have you been humiliated and persecuted¡­,¡¯ Eugene grumbled in disbelief. However, Mer didn¡¯t bother to argue with him. Relishing the feeling of celebrating her victory in advance, Mer peered out from an opening in his cloak. Mer saw Ciel ask with a bright smile, ¡°What are you going to do once we return to the n?¡± Since he couldn¡¯t tell them he¡¯d be visiting Hemluth, Eugene vaguely replied, ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll just keep doing what I¡¯ve been doing since the old days¡­.¡± It might sound like an insincere response from Eugene, but Ciel and Cyan didn¡¯t pay it any attention. Since the only thing Eugene had kept doing since the old days was training, this felt like a very Eugene-like answer. ¡®Hehe¡­ look at her smiling when she doesn¡¯t even know the truth¡­. Sir Eugene and I are going to go and save Lady Sienna,¡¯ Mer gloated to herself as she mocked Ciel¡¯s pouty smile. This was why Mer wasn¡¯ting out of the cloak. For the short amount of time left until Lady Sienna returned, Mer had decided to show mercy to Ciel by allowing her to take the seat next to Eugene. That said, while Mer had only been staying inside the cloak for an hour or two now, when she thought about how she would need to stay inside the cloak day after day, Mer¡¯s chest felt like it was being squeezed. In the end, Mer wriggled her way out of the cloak and sat on Eugene¡¯sp. ¡°Why don¡¯t you take a seat?¡± Ciel suggested in annoyance. ¡°Don¡¯t want to,¡± Mer rejected her. ¡°I like staying next to Sir Eugene.¡± ¡®This cheeky ancient brat. Since you can¡¯t steal the seat next to him from me, you¡¯ve decided to just sit on hisp? She should keep in mind how long she¡¯s been in existence, to think she would still have such a childish look and attitude after being alive for over two hundred years¡­,¡¯ Ciel thought scornfully while ring at Mer, who was sitting in Eugene¡¯sp. Even so, Ciel thought she could at least allow Mer this much. After all, hadn¡¯t Ciel already imed the seat next to Eugene? Cyan silently stared at Eugene, who was sitting across from him. Ciel was sitting next to Eugene, with Mer sitting in hisp. The sight of his younger sister ring at the little girl made Cyan feel a bit distressed. However, Cyan felt like he wasn¡¯t in a position to say anything about it. While they were all heading back to the Lionheart estate, Cyan wouldn¡¯t be returning directly. Instead, he would be apanying Patriarch Gilead to the royal castle of Hamelon to meet with Aman Ruhr¡¯s eleven-year-old daughter, A Ruhr. It wasn¡¯t likely that they would be married right away, but perhaps¡­ just perhaps¡­ if he did end up getting married to her¡­. ¡®With an eleven-year-old princess¡­,¡¯ Cyan thought to himself in distress. If she was eleven years old, didn¡¯t that mean she was even younger than Mer¡¯s apparent age? On top of this thought, he recalled how both Aman and Molon were enormously muscr giants. The other people of the Bayar tribe he had seen at the fort were all giants as well. So perhaps the eleven-year-old Princess A was also¡­. Cyan found himself unable to finish that thought. Still, wouldn''t she at least be better than that Princess Scalia of Shimuin, who seemed half-insane even when in the right state of mind? Cyan tried tofort himself with this thought, but the mncholy in his heart wouldn¡¯t go away¡­. 1. The original Korean idiom trantes literally to grabbing the back of his neck and passing out. Grabbing the back of the neck is a physical response to immense stress or anger in Korean culture. It¡¯s amon trope seen in Korean dramas. ? Chapter 249: Alcarte (1) Even in the early hours of the morning, the lights of the Lionheart¡¯s main estate weren¡¯t fully extinguished. The mansion, its gardens, the forest, and all the rest of the estate were guarded by knights. In addition to that, various spells protected the interior of the mansion, so breaking in from outside was close to impossible. Of course, the people inside the mansion could still move freely. Whether it waste at night or early in the morning, anyone belonging to the main family was allowed to venture anywhere on the grounds of the estate. Apanied by Laman, Gerhard had gone to their estate in Gidol, while Cyan and Gilead had yet to return from Ruhr. The Third Division of the ck Lion Knights, which wasmanded by Carmen, was conducting nighttime training in the depths of the forest. Since no exceptions were allowed during training, even Ciel, who should currently be wrapped up in a nket, was somewhere in the forest. Eugene had decided that today was the perfect time to leave the mansion. He had decided that he wouldn¡¯t be using the Lionheart¡¯s warp-gate that stood within their forest and would instead use the warp-gate of the capital city of Ceres. Eugene would be using the fake ID that he had used back in Samar on the way to Helmuth, and once entering Helmuth, he would decide what to do next ording to the situation. Eugene had even written a letter for the rest of the Lionhearts, hoping that it would keep them from getting too worried. However, he hadn¡¯t written down where exactly he was going and had just said that he would return after taking a look around the world. After thinking that it might not be enough, Eugene had then added on a few more lines. [I¡¯m leaving in order to find myself. Please don¡¯t worry too much. I¡¯ll definitely return.] Eugene had added these lines after some careful consideration. Although he didn¡¯t know how the others might react, he knew how Carmen would respond to that first line. If someone from the main family snapped and made a fuss about finding Eugene, Carmen would definitely stop them from looking for him. Eugene knew Carmen well enough to be sure of this. Eugene silently considered this fact. This definitely wasn¡¯t because they were the same type of people. While Eugene desperately tried to convince himself of this, he ced the carefully-written letter on his desk. All of the items he had prepared for the trip were already inside the Cloak of Darkness, so everything that Eugene needed to take with him was on his body. After leaving his room, while making his way down the hallway, Eugene ran into his elven maids, Narissa and Lavera. ¡°Sir Eugene? Where are you going?¡± Nina, who was originally Eugene¡¯s personal maid, had be the chief maid in charge of the entire annex, so Lavera and Narissa were currently serving as his personal maids together. While their careers as servants of the Lionheart n weren¡¯t that long, the serving experience they had umted during their past lives as ves, along with their sincerity and loyalty towards Eugene, worked as additional points in their favor. In other words, they were a special case. This couldn¡¯t be helped. While Eugene didn¡¯t really care about it, he had be the person with the strongest influence in the main family. Laman Schulhov, who Eugene had brought back from Nahama, had joined the Knights of the White Lion and was currently serving as Gerhard¡¯s personal escort. It was all thanks to Eugene having gotten tired of Laman following him around shouting, ¡®My lord, my lord.¡¯ ¡ªI¡¯ll be fine, so just go and escort my father. Narissa and Lavera had be his personal servants right out of their apprenticeships because Eugene, after seeing how enthusiastic these two were, had said something to Nina in passing. ¡ªIsn¡¯t it enough to graduate them from their apprenticeship if they''ve learned that much? It will be inconvenient for them to be used by anyone else, so just have them serve me. In the first ce, Nina herself had be Eugene¡¯s personal attendant as soon as she had graduated from her apprenticeship, and she had risen to the rank of the annex¡¯s chambein in just a few years. Nina felt that she needed more of an education, but over the past eight years, she had learned to follow Eugene¡¯s orders unquestioningly. That was how Narissa and Lavera became Eugene¡¯s personal attendants. Currently, the two of them were each walking while carrying arge basket ofundry. The contents of the basket were all Eugene¡¯s training clothes, towels, and innerwear. ¡°A walk,¡± Eugene brusquely answered their question. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, allow me to wait on you,¡± Narissa quickly responded. At this, Lavera nced at Narissa with her lone eye and muttered, ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be difficult to match Sir Eugene¡¯s stride with your prosthetic leg?¡± ¡°E-even with my prosthetic, I can still walk quickly, so it will be fine,¡± Narissa insisted. Thud, thud. As a demonstration, Narissa took a step up and down the stairs with her false leg. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand why these two were arguing like this when he hadn¡¯t even epted their offer. Also, why would he need an attendant to serve him when he was just going for a walk? ¡°I¡¯m just going to go by myself. Theundry I left out for you earlier was thest of it, so don¡¯t go into my room while I¡¯m gone,¡± Eugene instructed. Narissa nodded, ¡°Yes sir, understood.¡± ¡°How would you like to eat your breakfast?¡± Lavera asked. Eugene waved her off, ¡°I¡¯ll call you if I¡¯m hungry, so don¡¯t knock on my door in the morning.¡± This was because it would be better theter the letter was found. Leaving Narissa and Lavera behind, Eugene headed out of the mansion. From then on, he didn¡¯t run into anyone else. He had memorized the patrol routes of the knights charged with guarding the mansion. Even if they did cross paths, Eugene suppressed his presence so that he wouldn¡¯t be noticed, and he also used a spell to hide his appearance. Once he was far away from the mansion, Eugene no longer needed to be so careful with his movements. As he soared up into the night sky, Mer poked her head out from within the cloak. While looking at the Lionheart mansion that was getting farther away by the second, Mer grinned. ¡°The next time we return here, it¡¯ll be with Lady Sienna, right?¡± Mer asked. ¡°As long as things go well, then probably,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Of course, things will go well,¡± Mer said confidently. ¡°Sir Eugene, if you were on your own, then I couldn¡¯t help but be anxious, but Lady Anise is going with you as well, right?¡± On the contrary, wouldn¡¯t that actually make things more likely to go wrong? Eugene was sincerely worried about this possibility. If it were in the past, things might have been different. But currently, it had been revealed that Eugene was the Hero and Anise was the Saint. Looking at themselves from Hemuth¡¯s point of view, they should be seen as intruders entering the country to someday attempt to y the Demon Kings, so¡­ Eugene was worried about whether or not they would even be able to enter the country through normal means. For now, he would try to enter with his fake ID, and if that didn¡¯t work, he would have to see about smuggling himself in¡­. ¡°Sir Eugene, instead of thinking up something stupid, why don¡¯t you just leave it up to Lady Kristina?¡± Mer suggested. Eugene repeated her words back to her, ¡°Something stupid? Me?¡± ¡°You just thought about smuggling yourself in, didn¡¯t you, Sir Eugene? The Devildom of Helmuth isn¡¯t just some local hole-in-the-wall shop, so do you really think that it¡¯s possible for you to smuggle yourself in?¡± Mer asked skeptically. Eugene snorted, ¡°You¡¯ve never even been to Helmuth, so why are you acting like such a know-it-all?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve spent most of my life in Akron, and the only other ces I¡¯ve been to are the ces that I¡¯ve gone with you, Sir Eugene, so of course, I haven¡¯t been to Helmuth. However, I do know that Helmuth is a country that¡¯s impossible to smuggle yourself into,¡± Mer insisted. ¡°Do you really think I don¡¯t know that?¡± Eugene tried to bluff. ¡°The fact that you¡¯re still thinking about smuggling yourself in despite knowing that proves that you¡¯reing up with a stupid idea,¡± Mer said. Delighted by her own clear reasoning, she puffed out her chest. Annoyed by her triumphant smile, Eugene flicked Mer right in the middle of her forehead. ¡°Ouchie!¡± Mer yelped. Although she had suffered for it, Mer was right. It was impossible to smuggle anything into Helmuth. The Demon King¡¯s Empire was governed by apletely different set ofwspared to those which governed the rest of the kingdoms on this continent. If one were a citizen of Helmuth, as long as one paid their regr monthly tax in life-force, their livelihood was guaranteed without them having to work even a day for the rest of their life. The only consequence of paying the tax in life-force was that one would have no energy for the rest of the day. Furthermore, if one signed a contract to be an undead worker after one died, one could even be a quasi-nobleman and live a luxurious life. In this empire where you could lounge around without having to work, the cost of immigrating into the empire was quite expensive, but it didn¡¯t seem like too much when one considered being able to live like that for the rest of their life. However, there weren¡¯t just one or two people in the world who wanted to enjoyforts and luxuries without paying the price that they needed to pay. The sorts of people who were even unwilling to ept the offer to be put to work after they were dead would attempt to secretly cross the borders of Helmuth without any assistance from Helmuth¡¯s immigration support service and without purchasing permanent residency. Such people would surely die. Helmuth was an empire entirely ruled by the Demon King, so it was unbelievably generous to humans, but it showed no mercy to smugglers or illegal residents. This was only natural. Night Demons, like the subus, could forcibly drain a person¡¯s life-force through their dreams. But that said, Night Demons weren¡¯t the only ones who coveted a human¡¯s life-force. life-force, a human¡¯s vitality, had the power to nourish demonfolks. Helmuth¡¯s humans didn''t have to work because they donated their life-force to the demonfolks of the aristocratic ss and the Demon Kings who stood at the very top. Smugglers and illegal immigrants who attempted to receive the same preferential treatment while not providing regr payments of their life-force were killed by hunting packs of demonic beasts without even giving them a chance to defend themselves in court. ¡°Of course, with your skills, you should be able to outwit the hunting packs of demonic beasts. However, what are you going to do after that? Sir Eugene, you will still be an illegal immigrant, and under Helmuth¡¯sws, all illegal immigrants are executed unconditionally,¡± Mer lectured as she clicked her tongue. ¡°Therefore, please don¡¯t think of anything strange and just trust in Lady Kristina. After all, isn''t Alcarte Parish, which we¡¯ve nned to use as our route into Helmuth, the ce where Lady Kristina originally resided?¡± Her reasoning was impossible to refute. As such, Eugene flicked Mer on the forehead once more. The Alcarte Parish in the Devildom of Helmuth was where the borders of Yuras and Helmuth met. Originally, Kristina had served as the Assistant Bishop of the Alcarte Parish, where she had been in charge of spreading the faith and enlightening the immigrants of Helmuth and the asional freak demonfolk. As a ce thaty on the border with Yuras, it was possible to enter Helmuth through the Alcarte Parish. They would still have to go through immigration, but Kristina should be able to make things more convenient by relying on old connections. ¡°The world really has changed a lot,¡± Eugene sighed. The Bishop of Alcarte ¡ª Eugene frowned as he thought of what to expect from that person. * * * Although he could use his fake ID when leaving Kiehl, Eugene couldn¡¯t use it to secretly enter Yuras, as it was sure to be discovered. The Vatican had been the ones to issue his fake ID, and the immigration inspector was a Bishop who belonged to the Vatican. Since he was fully aware that his fraudulent use of the fake ID card would be discovered, Eugene took a stand close to the inspection checkpoint. Upon noticing the forgery, the bishop called out to him, ¡°Excuse me¡­!¡± The fake ID was discovered, but ultimately there weren''t any issues. When he was dragged into the interrogation room to be questioned about the ID, Eugene subtly released the spell that had been concealing his original appearance, handed them an identity card with the name Eugene Lionheart on it, and showed them the Holy Sword. That was all that Eugene needed to do to solve any problems he might face within the Holy Empire. He proceeded to make use of a few more warp gates. The ce where he had arranged to meet with Kristina was Neran, a city at the northern end of Yuras. Once they departed from there, they would need to cross several days'' worth of ins to arrive at the Alcarte Parish. ¡°It has been a while,¡± Kristina said in greeting. She had already arrived in Neran the day before and had been waiting for Eugene. Thanks to that, Eugene immediately reunited with Kristina upon arriving through Neran¡¯s warp gate. ¡°It hasn¡¯t really been that long,¡± Eugene argued. It had been about a month and a half since they had parted ways at Fort Lehain. It had already been four days since Eugene had secretly left the Lionheart estate in the middle of the night. Eugeneined, ¡°Although this is only my second time visiting this country, I¡¯ve reallye to dislike it. The warp gates are so sparsely distributed between the cities that moving around is so cumbersome and time-consuming¡ª¡± Kristina interrupted him, ¡°Lady Anise says there weren¡¯t any warp gates around three hundred years ago, so did you still think it was frustrating back then?¡± Eugene grumbled, ¡°Hey, do you really need to ask that? We didn¡¯t even know how convenient warp gates were back then because they didn¡¯t exist three hundred years ago. But now that I¡¯ve be used to warp gates¡ª¡± Kristina interjected once more, ¡°Lady Anise says to stopining and just shut up?¡± ¡°You¡¯re actually Anise, who¡¯s only impersonating Kristina, aren¡¯t you?¡± Eugene said suspiciously. ¡°Or perhaps you¡¯re Kristina, who¡¯s only pretending to be Anise and telling me to shut up.¡± Kristina covered her mouth as she giggled. Then, with a cough to clear her throat, she started leading them away. ¡°I¡¯ve already been in touch with the priest of this parish,¡± Kristina said once her giggles had subsided. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t like that we¡¯re relying on the Bishop of Alcarte in the first ce,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Fortunately, the Bishop has promised us her cooperation,¡± Kristina reported. Eugene asked suspiciously, ¡°Can she be trusted?¡± Kristina nodded, ¡°As far as I can tell, yes, she can; she¡¯s an honest and faithful person.¡± There was an unavoidable difference in themon sense of Eugene, Kristina, and Anise. Eugene and Anise were people from three hundred years ago. Anise did have the experience of having lived in the era of peace that rapidly followed the swearing of the Oath. However, Eugene or Hamel had no such experience. ording to Hamel¡¯smon sense, demonfolks were enemies who had to be killed no matter what. Such an unwavering hatred had only been tempered slightly after he had reincarnated and lived the life of Eugene Lionheart. Though, very slightly. Although he believed ck wizards should definitely be killed, Eugene hade to feel that, ording to the situation, it should be okay to let them live. But in the case of demonfolks¡­ Eugene honestly wasn¡¯t too sure. The Queen of the Night Demons, the de of Incarceration, and the Rakshasa Princess ¡ª these notorious names who had run rampant through the world three hundred years ago definitely needed to be killed. But what about the other demonfolks? The demonfolks who had been born in a peaceful world and knew nothing about war? Should even those who had never known war nor wished for it be defined as enemies and summarily executed just because they were born as demonfolks? Eugene didn¡¯t know the answer to that. Nor did he want to seriously consider the question. He just felt that, as long as there was a reason to kill someone, it was fine to kill them. Eugene wasn¡¯t a saint or a sage, so he didn¡¯t have a set moralpass on whether to kill someone. Eugene voiced his suspicions, ¡°She¡¯s not human, is she?¡± Apart from the question of whether or not demonfolks should be killed no matter what, there was another matter that caused Eugene to question hismon sense, whether or not demonfolks could have faith? Could they really believe in and worship the God of Light, whose mission was to purify all demonfolks? Eugene epted that since the world had changed, there were bound to be differences in what passed formon sense, but let alone epting it, he couldn¡¯t even understand this. ¡°...She¡¯s half-human,¡± Kristina replied with a wry smile. If two people¡¯s races were different, they usually couldn''t have children. But it wasn¡¯t like offspring were never born. Very rarely, two different races could join to create a child. The leastmon urrence of this was the half-elf, born between a human and an elf. Besides them, there were a few cases where children were born between demi-humans belonging to different races. Alcarte Parish was founded for the purpose of converting both the humans and demonfolks of Helmuth. Eileen Flora, who served as the vicar here, was born from a union between a demonfolk and a human, and so was the rarest of all mixed races, a half-human half-demonfolk. This fact wasn¡¯t widely known to the public. The Bishop of Alcarte always wore a pure white robe that went up to her head and covered her face with a mask. So her parishioners didn¡¯t know what their vicar¡¯s appearance actually looked like. However, Kristina, who had served as the Assistant Bishop of Alcarte, knew the Bishop¡¯s secret. She was born with the mixed blood of a demonfolk and a human. But because she had such a special bloodline, Bishop Eileen¡¯s faith was all the more sincere, earnest, and faithful. ¡°It¡¯s only natural for Sir Eugene to be suspicious of her, but Vicar Eileen is the right person for this. I have never once had cause to doubt her faith,¡± Kristina stated confidently. [It seems you feel a sense of kinship with her. The more pitiful and terrible your fates were, the more you relied on faith,] Anise said with a smirk. ¡°As both the Vicar and a Bishop, she is a prominent figure in Alcarte and holds a diplomatically important position. In particr, she helps to maintain a close rtionship with the demonfolk nobles of Alcarte,¡± Kristina defended her. ¡°A close rtionship?¡± Eugene repeated. Kristina nodded, ¡°Yes, to the extent where they evene to observe the services officiated by the Vicar.¡± So when they didn¡¯t have even a single speck of faith, they still came to watch the church service solely out of affection. Kristina continued speaking, ¡°While she said that she wouldn¡¯t be able to help us with attempting to forge our identities or smuggling us in, she would be able to provide assistance by helping us get a visa immediately, ignoring the waiting line.¡± ¡°A visa?¡± Eugene said as he blinked, not knowing what that word meant. Kristina began to exin, ¡°Helmuth is also extremely famous as a tourist destination. To the extent where, if you¡¯re rich, you hope to see Helmuth at least once before you die. Have you heard about Helmuth¡¯s Demonic World[1], Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°What is that?¡± Eugene asked hesitantly. ¡°It¡¯s a huge amusement park in Helmuth,¡± Kristina replied. ¡°They say that it¡¯s full of rides that will drive children crazy. Apart from that, Helmuth also has numerous resorts with tourist attractions, so countless people visit Helmuth every day for sightseeing. However, Helmuth strictly manages the number of humans within the empire. They restrict entry to keep the tourists from overflowing so that they can keep things under control.¡± To think that a country ruled by the Demon Kings would be a famous tourist destination¡­. Eugene suddenly realized the gap between hismon sense and the present day. Kristina got to the point, ¡°A visa is the proof of permission to enter that all foreigners must have. We can apply to the immigration office in Helmuth to obtain tourist visas, but¡­ ording to the message from the Bishop, there are too many tourists currently visiting the empire, so we would have to wait at least a year.¡± Eugene silently processed these facts. Kristina added, ¡°A tourist visa also needs to be renewed once a month by paying arge amount of money. The citizens of the Helmuth Empire with permanent residency regrly pay their taxes in life-force, but tourists are not allowed to pay in life-force.¡± While originally, the Demon Kings already had a wastefullyrge amount of gold, Eugene had been wondering where the financial power needed to provide welfare for the enormous number of imperial citizens hade from. The tourism business seemed to be making them enough money to break their banks[2]. ¡°However, Bishop Eileen has said that she would be able to lend a hand so that we can obtain a residency visa without any costs. She can bypass the years-long waiting line and get them to us by today,¡± Kristina informed him. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t we still be rejected at the immigration screening stage? What if they don¡¯t allow the Hero and the Saint to enter the country?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°I was also worried about that fact, but Bishop Eileen has said that won¡¯t be a problem. I don¡¯t know if she did anything to persuade them personally, but¡­,¡± Kristina¡¯s words trailed off absentmindedly as she opened the door to a waiting carriage. The continent¡¯s greatest tourist destination? A Demonic World that drives kids crazy? Resorts? Was this still the evil empire ruled by the Demon Kings? ¡°The world has gone insane,¡± Eugene sighed as he shook his head. 1. The original text uses the English for Demonic, making it an obvious reference to Disney World ? 2. The original Korean idiom uses ¡®to make their guts explode.¡¯ ? Chapter 250: Alcarte (2) Eugene and Kristina were sitting in a drawing room within the Alcarte Cathedral, waiting for the vicar to arrive. Had they been waiting for ten minutes already? Knock-knock. They heard a quiet knocking sound. Kristina got up and opened the door. Eugene decided to also get up from his seat for the moment. The vicar, Eileen Flora, entered the drawing room. As Eugene had been told, she was wearing a pure white robe, which was a robe usually worn by the priests of the Light, and she also had the pure-white mask covering up her face that was mentioned in her description. With a slight smile, Kristina bowed her head to Eileeen. ¡°It has been quite a while, Bishop Eileen,¡± Kristina said in greeting. ¡°Have you been well, Saint Kristina?¡± Eileen said in return. Having exchanged casual greetings, they sat down, with Eileen facing Eugene. Eugene titled his head curiously as he stared at the pure white mask beneath her hood. ck lenses had been inserted into the eye sockets of the mask that Eileen was wearing, so not only her visage, but even her eyes were covered. ¡®Ahah,¡¯ Eugene thought as he realized something. He had been wondering why she was so obsessed with covering herself up. As he figured out Eileen¡¯s true identity, Eugene smirked. Eileen watched silently as he went through this thought process. She then bowed and said, ¡°It is an honor to meet the master of the Holy Sword, Sir Eugene Lionheart. I am Eileen Flora, the vicar of Alcarte.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you,¡± said Eugene politely as he also returned the bow in eptance of her greetings. Then, immediately after they were done exchanging greetings, Eugene asked, ¡°Are you a vampire?¡± Eugene was well aware that this was a rude question, but he felt that there was a need to confirm his suspicions. ¡°Yes,¡± Eileen admitted without any attempt to conceal her identity. Even after revealing her true nature, however, she still didn¡¯t take off her mask. Eugene also didn¡¯t feel the need to go so far as to force her to do so. She wore long robes with the hoodpletely covering her head, and she had a mask that covered her face and even her eyes. Eugene didn¡¯t know if half-vampires had the same problem, but the sun had long been the natural enemy of all vampires. Clearly, Eileen¡¯s costume was designed to protect her body from the sunlight. ¡®Perhaps it might also be to hide her ¡°charm,¡±¡¯ Eugene guessed. Vampires sucked out blood by sticking their fangs into their prey¡¯s neck. They had thus evolved over the years to make such a hunting style more convenient and effective. While it was not quite as strong as a Demoneye, being able to seduce and charm an opponent by using their eyes was one of the basic abilities of all vampires. ¡®Or perhaps it¡¯s simply just to cover up her paleplexion. Or else¡­ it might be something like scars or a burn,¡¯ Eugene silently pondered. For a half-vampire to have be a bishop, there had to be a really bleak life story behind it, but Eugene didn¡¯t really care to find out more about that. Eugene coughed. ¡°Ahem¡­. So I heard that we need something called a visa if we want to enter Helmuth? And that we need to get them issued¡­.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Eileen confirmed. Eugene continued awkwardly, ¡°I¡¯ve also heard that you¡¯ll be able to help us obtain the visas, Vicar Eileen¡­.¡± ¡°To be more precise, I can arrange a meeting with the head of the Alcarte Immigration Office for you,¡± Eileen rified. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°The guy who¡¯s the head of the immigration office¡­ is he a human?¡± Eileen shook her head. ¡°He is one of the demonfolk.¡± ¡°...So we need to meet with that demonfolk, have some kind of conversation, and we¡¯ll be able to get our visas issued?¡± Eugene asked warily. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eileen nodded. ¡°I am just the Bishop of Alcarte, so I do not possess the authority to issue visas.¡± Her response to his question had Eugene¡¯s face twisting into a scowl. Although he hadn¡¯t quite managed to fully grasp the concept of a visa yet, he had figured that it would be something simr to an entry pass. He had also thought that they would be able to pass through the gates of Alcarte right away after Eileen gave them their two passes right here and now. But why had she arranged for them to meet with the demonfolk who was working as the head of the immigration office? Did that mean she intended for them to greet each other, have a chat, then make a personal request that the demonfolk issue him and Kristina visas just because they needed visas? ¡­Well, if it needed to be done, then he would do it. Obviously, though, Eugene felt ufortable, as if something was weighing down his chest. ¡°When will they be able to issue the visas?¡± Eugene asked. After he had finished saying these words, Eugene¡¯s expression changed. The sharp hostility that he released flickered through the air in the drawing room. He immediately attempted to get up from his seat, but Kristina, who was sitting beside him, quickly grabbed onto Eugene by the sleeve. ¡°...Phew,¡± a voice came from inside a wall. A man dressed in a neat suit stuck his head through said wall. Well, the word ¡®man¡¯ only fit him in a very loose sense ¡ª he didn¡¯t have the appearance of a normal human. He was a demonfolk with four eyes, four arms, and a sharp, de-like tail. ¡°As expected of a Lionheart¡­ no, should that be ¡°as expected of a hero¡±? To think that the hostility you mustered up in an instant would be so sharp,¡± the demonfolk said with a shudder as he finished phasing through the wall. Each of his four eyes was looking in a different direction. One was focused on Eileen, another was fixed on Eugene¡¯s face, one rested on Kristina¡¯s face, and thest was aimed at Eugene¡¯s hand, which had reached into his cloak for a weapon. ¡°My apologies for the sudden intrusion. My name is Drunbos Freed. As a viscount of Helmuth, I am in charge of the Immigration Office at the gates of Acarte.¡± Although he sported a bizarre appearance, the demonfolk bowed his head with an amiable smile and introduced himself politely. As soon as he heard the name ¡®Drunnos Freed,¡¯ Eugene began to search his memory. He brought up the past from three hundred years ago and all the demonfolk that he had met back then ¡ª the ones he hadn¡¯t been able to kill, at least. He thus ran down the list of names of the guys that he had been nning to kill. But where was Drunnos Freed? His name wasn¡¯t on the list. Including those that Hamel had killed, was there anyone with thest name Freed? No, there weren¡¯t any. That meant this demonfolk hadn¡¯t been significant enough for Hamel to have remembered his name three hundred years ago. Or perhaps he wasn¡¯t even born during that era. ¡°...What do you want?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. ¡°Well now, it¡¯s all because of who you two are that I really wanted to meet personally. That said, inviting you both to visit my mansion or my workce would cause quite the publicmotion, don¡¯t you agree? So I just thought, wouldn¡¯t it be for the best if I came to meet you here, in person?¡± Drunus said as he raised his head to stare at Eileen. ¡°But I¡¯m afraid that I may have ced the Madame in some trouble. Please understand my position. While I can skip several of the procedures required when issuing visas, the final interview is ultimately something that I need to conduct face-to-face.¡± Drunnos chucked and pointed to an empty seat. ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, may I take a seat?¡± Drunns politely requested. ¡°Alright,¡± Eugene replied with barely restrained hostility. From the moment that he had decided to return to the Devildom of Helmuth, Eugene had prepared himself to face many demonfolk in the future, whether he liked it or not. He couldn¡¯t keep having to suppress his desire to run amok and kill them all, while also having to endure an ufortable and shitty feeling, every time it happened. That meant he would just have to get used to them. After three hundred years, the world had really changed so much that it felt like it had gone insane. This was a feeling that Eugene had experienced several times before now. With that thought in mind, after taking a couple of breaths, he calmed down. ¡°So about the visas. I¡¯ve heard that it takes a special effort to get them issued quickly, so how much will that cost us?¡± Eugene asked, his head tilting crookedly to the side as his tone grew sharp. His tone, however, was the only sharp thing that he used. He even pulled out the hand that was reaching inside of his cloak and sped his fingers together. ¡®It feels like he¡¯s turned his hostility into mere irritation. Is that an ancestral¡­ a Lionheart n trait? Perhaps it¡¯s because they both hold such a hatred for demonfolk that they were recognized by the Holy Sword?¡¯ Drunnos thought to himself as he felt a keen interest in Eugene. Out loud, however, his words were ¡°I don¡¯t need any money. I just want to have a short conversation with you.¡± ¡°Does that mean if I do give you money, we don¡¯t need to talk?¡± Eugene counter-offered. Drunnosughed. ¡°Ahaha. I¡¯m afraid that I can¡¯t ept that, so it seems like we might as well just talk.¡± This interest in Eugene wasn¡¯t a feeling unique to Drunnos. As a whole, the demonfolk held a great interest in Eugene. Not only had Eugene stood up to Gavid Lindman, the great Duke of Helmuth, but he was also the one who had managed the performance of having the Demon King of Incarceration, who almost never left his pce in Babel, go to thends of the far north. ¡°Sir Eugene and Lady Kristina, are you two seeking entry into the country in order to assassinate the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± Drunnos asked bluntly. This was a very direct question. Kristina¡¯s lips pped soundlessly in shock, while Eugene¡¯s eyebrows twitched. Just what kind of answer was this guy expecting? After considering this question for a few moments, Eugene opened his mouth to answer, only for Drunnos to chuckle and wave his hand dismissively.. ¡°Ahem¡­ there¡¯s no need to be so nervous about answering the question. No matter what your response may be, I have no interest in obstructing you, Sir Eugene. Instead, my personal hope is that you truly are here in order to assassinate the Demon King,¡± Drunnos said with a calm smile. Unable to understand what Drunnos meant by those words, Eugene blinked in confusion and demanded, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that what the Demon King of Incarceration himself is hoping for? I hold absolute respect for the desires of the Demon King,¡± Drunnos professed as he pulled out arge seal from one of his pockets. ¡°It¡¯s also because I am certain that no matter how hard Sir Eugene and the Lady Saint may try, they will not be able to kill our Demon King. Though perhaps¡­ your efforts may end up being recorded in history as the most exciting thing to happen to Helmuth in three hundred years? That¡¯s my opinion at the very least.¡± After a slight pause, Drunnos suddenlyughed and added, ¡°Ah, please take out your IDs.¡± While staring at Drunnos with a solemn expression, Eugene pulled out his identity card from one of his pockets. Drunnos continued chattering, ¡°In my opinion, it seems like you haven¡¯te here to get started on preparing for your assassination already¡­ so are you really here for tourism? Though, now that I think of it, it might be for reconnaissance. Haha, I feel like it would be very funny if you two end up falling for Helmuth¡¯s charm during your reconnaissance and you decide to just settle down in Helmuth¡ª¡± Booom! The table where they had ced down their ID cards suddenly shattered. Sitting across from them, Eileen¡¯s shoulders flinched in surprise. Kristina, in the meantime, didn¡¯t show any reaction. She felt the same sort of annoyance that Eugene did. Tap. Tap. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene said quietly as he brushed off the fragments of table that had stuck to his ID card. ¡°If I kill you right here and now, and stamp our IDs myself, do you think I¡¯ll be able to pass through Alcarte¡¯s gates?¡± Eugene¡¯s hostility had transformed into full-on killing intent. Unsure of how to respond, Drunnos just stared straight into Eugene¡¯s face. For a moment, he tried to gauge the difference in level between him and Eugene. Then, he rose from his seat in one decisive motion, took a few steps back and bowed his head, ¡°I have shown you great disrespect. My apologies.¡± Eugene clicked his tongue and then snapped his fingers. At this gesture, the fragments of the shattered table gathered back together into the form of a crudely made table. Eugene ced his ID back on it and crossed his arms. The stamps were ced on the backs of their ID cards. The seal was invisible to the naked eye because it had been engraved into the magic of the ID card itself. ¡°We¡¯re all finished now. I don¡¯t know how long you two n on staying in Helmuth, but your visas are valid for the next five years,¡± Drunnos informed them. They wouldn''t need five years. Eugene took his ID and ced it back in his pocket. ¡°Also, this¡­ this is the mandatory travel guidebook to Helmuth that is provided to everyone who enters the country. Since Helmuth is different from the rest of the continent in many ways, it ought to be helpful to you if you give it a read,¡± Drunnos suggested with a bow of his head as he handed over a thick booklet. ¡°Well then, please enjoy your trip.¡± Drunnos had been interested in Eugene, and had wanted to find out what the man¡¯s intentions were, so he had decided to prod Eugene a little, but the reaction that he had received in return was far more intense than expected. The killing intent had been so thick that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for his head to have been sent flying at any moment. ¡®A killing intent that could cause even a mid-ss demonfolk to feel like a worm about to be stepped on¡­. If this had been an actual battle, it would have felt even stronger,¡¯ Drunnos thought to himself in fear. Drunnos no longer had any desire to provoke Eugene. ¡°My apologies.¡± As soon as Drunnos left the room, Eileen, who had been shifting restlessly, stood up and repeatedly bowed her head. ¡°I had no idea that Viscount Drunnos would behave so rudely,¡± Eileen confessed. ¡°It¡¯s fine. It¡¯s not like this is the first or even second time that people have tried to aggravate me on their first meeting with me¡­. Ah, but he¡¯s not even a person, is he, he¡¯s a demonfolk,¡± Eugene said with a dismissive shrug as he opened up the travel booklet. ¡­The very first page of the book contained a picture of Babel, the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Eugene thought to himself, ¡®To think that this thin and tall building is Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle¡­.¡¯ Although he had heard about this while digging for information on Helmuth, Eugene was still just as dumbfounded no matter how many times he saw it. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle that Hamel had died in three hundred years ago still had the appearance befitting of its name as a ¡®castle,¡¯ but the current Babel was just a ¡®high-rise¡¯[1]. In all of the continent, Helmuth was the only country who made use of the building style known as a high-rise. The culture there was so different that you couldn¡¯t even think of them as being from the same era. The Demon Kings and demonfolk of Helmuth had single-handedly revolutionized magical engineering over the past three hundred years, and the capital city of Pandemonium was built with state-of-the-art infrastructure that the rest of the continent had no hope of catching up to. What made this possible was the existence of Babel, which stood tall as the center of Pandemonium, and the being known as the Demon King, who watched over the entire city from the top of the high-rise. The Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t just an idle presence either. His very existence supplied unlimited demonic power to the entire city, and Babel processed the Demon King¡¯s demonic power to use it as the energy that powered the entire city. In other words, it was by the grace of His Majesty, the Great Demon King, that the capital city of Pandemonium had be the most developed city with the highest living standards not just in Helmuth, but also throughout the entire continent¡­. ¡­Or at least that was what was written in the guidebook. ¡®The only city that they¡¯ve developed to such a unique extent is Pandemonium¡­ I¡¯ve heard that most of the other high-ranking demonfolk also live in the capital,¡¯ Eugene recalled. Although the guidebook hadn¡¯t gone so far as to record the names of these aristocrats, Eugene had already investigated them in advance. Duke Gavid Lindman hadn¡¯t epted a separate fief for himself and just lived in Babel. Besides him, among the demonfolk that Eugene still ¡®remembered¡¯, there were quite a few living leisurely lives in Pandemonium. ¡®Though there are also a lot of guys who have lost their lives after trying to climb in rank,¡¯ Eugene noted. Three hundred years had passed and the world had changed a lot. However the reason why Eugene could still feel that the nature of demonfolk, at the very least, hadn¡¯t changed that much was because there was still the existence of a ranking system amongst them. The ranks amongst demonfolk were decided by title or reputation. A lower order could challenge a higher order, and the higher order was unable to refuse the challenge. Thus, a battle wouldmence. Usually, the loser was killed. Regardless of the difference in ranks between them, the winner took everything that the loser had. The bigger the return, the bigger the risk, of course, so challenges to the ranking didn¡¯t take ce all that regrly. As for the humans in Helmuth, those among them who had sworn an oath to serve as post-mortemborers were able to live luxurious lives because the contract they had signed ced a high-ranking demon as their sponsor. Naturally, the ranking of humans was decided by which demonfolk they had behind them. Because rank was so important to the demonfolk, this information was also written in the travel guide. [There is also a demonfolk matching service provided for all travelers. Are you concerned about getting into a sudden conflict during your trip or getting caught in a fight between delinquents? Have no fear. If you visit the Helmuth Tourist Center that is located in every city and request the use of our matching service, we can arrange for a brief contract with a demonfolk of at least intermediate-level! *The above contract is guaranteed to be a contract that only charges the standard amount that is agreed upon, and the soul of the contractor is never taken as coteral.* However, you may encounter situations where the rank of the demonfolk matched with you is not high enough. If any unavoidable situation arises, please present your ID card before any violence takes ce or reveal the name of the demonfolk who you are matched with! ¡°These must be the end times,¡± Eugene muttered. He shook his head and turned to the next page. [Giabe Celebrity Entertainment, the Giabe Construction Company, the Giabe Fashion Group, etc. Led by Duke Noir Giabe, an invincible and beautiful businesswoman who has found sess in all of the businesses that she has put her name on for the past three hundred years. It would not be an exaggeration to say that she leads all of Helmuth¡¯stest trends. Duke Noir¡­.] Eugene¡¯s face crumpled into a scowl. [...Boasting three times the scale of Demonic World, transcending all theme parks to be a theme city, GiabeCity will finally open doors next month¡­.] Seeing how so many s had been added into it, Noir Giabe¡¯s influence perspired from every word of this guidebook. [The Demon Kings Tour for Tourists.] You can go back through the history of Helmuth and experience the era from three hundred years ago. Starting with the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castle, we will also tour the ruins of the castles formerly belonging to the Demon King of Cruelty and the Demon King of Fury!] ¡°Hah¡­¡± Eugene sighed. The Demon Kings Tour. Its very name caused Eugene to feel extremely disturbed. ¡°The world really has gone insane,¡± Eugene said as he shook his head and closed the guidebook. 1. The original term uses the English word ¡®building.¡¯ In Korea, ¡®building¡¯ is used as their term for high-rises. ? Chapter 251: Alcarte (3) Although Aroth was also in the middle of actively developing its own brand of magic cars, the ones already racing at the forefront of this field were Helmuth¡¯s dark-power cars. These mechanical contraptions were a product of the magic engineering that Helmuth was so proud of, and they were also fueled by the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration. Babel, the ny-nine-story building that stood tall at the center of Pandemonium, served as a transmission tower, rying the infinite dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration to the various sectors of Helmuth. The ck Towers, which served asndmarks in the sectors of Helmuth, received and amplified the dark power sent to them by Babel, and ryed it throughout the entire city via magic cables buried underground. The dark-power roads that were built like this, as the name suggested, had dark power flowing through them. The reason why Helmuth had been able to surpass all other countries on the continent in sessfullymercializing automobiles was because the need for a magic engine to run their automobiles had been reced by these dark-power roads. Thanks to that, the dark-power cars didn¡¯t need any fuel, and even humans without any knowledge of magic or mana were able to drive them. ¡°An essential course of tourism in Helmuth, the flower of all vacation trips! To all the tourists who havee to take part in the Demon King Tour, I bid you wee!¡± The wealthy and rxed-appearing tourists who alighted from a huge tour bus were greeted by this grandiose wee. The neatly dressed demonfolk guide who had gotten off before them wasn¡¯t using anything like a microphone, but his magically amplified voice was still able to clearly reach the ears of all these tourists. ¡°The ce where we have now arrived is the castle of the Demon King of Carnage. Among the five Demon Kings who lived three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Carnage was particrly tyrannical and ruthless. As his name suggests, this Demon King particrly enjoyed carnage¡­,¡± the guide paused to raise his finger and point to the hideous Demon King¡¯s Castle behind him. ¡°Three hundred years ago, the heroes of the continent, led by the Great Vermouth, infiltrated the Castle. While the knights from the continent faced the Demon King¡¯s army, Vermouth and the other heroes climbed up to the top floor of the castle and battled the Demon King of Carnage. Their battlested for three days and three nights¡­.¡± Even now, Eugene could still vividly recall the memories from back then. That was the first Demon King they fought, and the first they defeated, but it wasn¡¯t just the Demon King of Carnage who came close to death. An existence on the level of a Demon King wouldn¡¯t die even if you killed them over and over again. They had cut off the head of the Demon King of Carnage dozens of times over those three days, but he still refused to die and kept on getting back up, driving Vermouth and hispanions close to death. If it wasn¡¯t for Anise¡¯s holy magic, let alone three days, they wouldn¡¯t have evensted a day. Although his body carried none of the scars from back then, when Eugene looked up at the Demon King¡¯s Castle, his perfectly healthy left shoulder started to ache. This was due to an injury that had been inflicted on him by the Annihtion Hammer Jigth. If Hamel had been hit directly by the blow, half of his body would have disintegrated, but in a desperation-powered move, Hamel had barely managed to deflect the blow. However, just from that slight brush, a scar that could never be erased had been left on his body. ¡°All of you may already know this, but three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castlepletely copsed into a ruin. However, our Demon King of Incarceration said that there is no future for the demonfolk if they forget their past, so he rebuilt the three Demon King Castles that had been turned into ruins¡­,¡± the tour guide paused. ¡°Three hundred years ago, the demonfolk were the one to start the war. Everyone, whether it''s as a race or as individuals, we demonfolk havemitted enough crimes that it will take us hundred or even thousands of years to redeem ourselves. This reconstructed Demon King¡¯s Castle is a symbol of the unjust war that was started by our race, and it serves to remind us of our long legacy of sin¡­.¡± As the guide¡¯s speech continued in that vein, Eugene lost any desire to continue listening. While fiercely grinding his teeth, he lowered the sunsses that had been resting on top of his head. ¡°How dare they advertise it as a tourist attraction if they imed to have rebuilt it in order to never forget their sins,¡± Eugene growled inint. ¡°Why are you making such a fuss? Don¡¯t the people on the continent do something simr? When I heard about the entrance fee they were charging for Sienna¡¯s mansion, I felt disgusted by my fellow humans. And I¡¯ve always hated Yuras¡¯s hypocrisy even before they dared to create an icon of my image,¡± Anise said with a derisive snort as she got down from the driver¡¯s seat of their car. In Helmuth, where carriages had beenpletely abandoned, even tourists were able to purchase dark-power cars if they had money and a license. Surprisingly, Kristina ¡ª who had served as the Assistant Bishop of the Alcarte Parish, which was adjacent to Helmuth ¡ª actually had a driver¡¯s license for a dark-power car. So they had gone ahead and bought one, a massive off-road dark-power car. Warp gates were used for long-distance travel, while the dark-power car was used within the cities. Anise really liked this mode of transportation, which waspletely different from riding a horse, and during their trip she had started alternating driving duties with Kristina, until they finally arrived at the parking lot of the Demon King of Carnage''s Castle. Eugene grumbled, ¡°Seeing this terrible Demon King¡¯s Castle restored to perfect condition gives me a stomach ache.¡± ¡°The Demon King Castles were rebuilt about one hundred years ago. At that time, it was said that there was intense resistance to the restoration of the Demon King¡¯s Castles from various parts of the continent, but the Demon King of Incarceration stepped forward personally and persuaded the continent. He imed that they weren¡¯t doing it to glorify the war from three hundred years ago, but instead to prevent themselves from forgetting the sins that theymitted back then,¡± Kristina exined, having exchanged ces with Anise once more. With a wry smile, Kristina took off her own sunsses. Currently, Kristina was dressed in a fashion that made it difficult to imagine that she was even a priest, much less the Saintess herself. The same went for Eugene. The Cloak of Darkness, which originally had thick fur, would have stood out no matter where they went on the continent; in Helmuth, where the culture was so different from the continent that it felt like a whole other world, it would have been even more noticeable. Thus, the Cloak of Darkness currently looked like an ordinary,rge coat. Eugene¡¯s gray hair, which could even serve as a form of identification for the Lionhearts, had also been dyed ck. This was because, while they were not able to use fake IDs, he still didn¡¯t want to advertise the fact that he was indeed Eugene Lionheart. ¡°The Demon King¡¯s Castle and its nearby facilities are all ssified as tourist attractions, but the Kazard Hills aren¡¯t included within those tourist attractions,¡± Eugene reminded Kristina, having done his research and investigation in advance. Three hundred years ago, this whole in copsed in the aftermath of their battle with the Demon King of Carnage. It was also then that they found the ruins where the Moonlight Sword had been sealed. Although they turned the ruins upside down, apart from the single Moonlight Sword, nothing else, ancient artifacts or otherwise, was found. They weren''t able to find out the origins of the Moonlight Sword or of the ruins, either. At that time, they just left the ruins as they were, but¡­ in the current era, no ancient ruins remained at the Kazard hills. ¡®It must have been Vermouth,¡¯ Eugene guessed. The fragment of the Moonlight Sword that Eugene had obtained from Aroth¡¯s auction house was said to have been found at the Kazard Hills. In the process of shattering the Moonlight Sword, Vermouth had probably also destroyed the ruins and buried some of the shattered fragments underground during the process¡­. ¡°...As expected, are you really nning to sneak in?¡± Kristina asked with a stiff expression. ¡°That¡¯s the cleanest way to handle things,¡± Eugene argued. The Kazard Hills weren¡¯t included in the list of tourist attractions, but they also weren¡¯t just left open for anyone to easily enter. From decades back, the Kazard Hills had been made the private property of a tribe of demonfolk. Those demonfolk had carried out major construction work on the entire hillside and developed it into a huge mine. The master of the Kazard Mine was Rhode Lonick, a demonfolk who had served under the Demon King of Carnage three hundred years before. Eugene also had a vague recollection of him. He was one of the daemons[1], and they had met on the battlefield several times. At those times, Eugene¡¯s¡ªno, Hamel¡¯s skills couldn¡¯t be described as having been in their prime. Especially since it was before he had fully familiarized himself with fighting the demonfolk, who didn¡¯t die easily even when dealt an otherwise killing blow; Eugene had still thought that as long as he cut off their limbs, stabbed them through the heart, and cut their throat, they would definitely die. Of course, most demonfolk would die once all that was done to them. However, Rhode was a demonfolk who had just barely crawled beyond the standard set by the majority of demonfolk, so he hadn¡¯t died from all of that. But that was all he ever managed to achieve. He was as durable as a cockroach, but he only posed about the same level of a threat. Rhode took part in their battle against the Demon King of Carnage three hundred years ago, but he couldn¡¯t even follow them up to the top floor of the castle, and after lurking around the battle going on below, he ran away as soon as Carnage was killed. ¡®It really has been a long time,¡¯ Eugene thought nostalgically. ¡®To think that guy is now a businessman, in name at least¡­.¡¯ The Kazard Mine was still called a mine, but no mining was actually taking ce there. At the very least, in recent years, the Kazard Mine had failed to produce any ores. Even so, there were still plenty of demonfolk going in and out of the Kazard Mine, and it was an open secret of how this supposed mine was really being used. Helmuth really was a two-faced ce, or at least that was what Eugene thought. It was considered the most developed country on the continent; a human-friendly empire that promised so many welfare benefits to humans that it was hard to believe that it was and of demonfolk. Such standards of welfare were also applied to the demonfolk. The demonfolk and humans of Helmuth lived a far more stable life than the inhabitants of any other country on the continent. However, at the same time, Helmuth still hadn¡¯tpletely broken out of the mold of the ¡®Devildom¡¯ that it had been just three hundred years before. Just like how a beast was still a beast even after it pulled out its own fangs and ws, in the end, a demonfolk was still a demonfolk in nature. In Helmuth, the original demonfolk culture was still on open disy. ¡®...But are humans really any different?¡¯ Eugene thought with a click of his tongue. Deep within the mine was hidden an arena where low-level demonfolk participated in fights. The demonfolk who fought there sought to increase their own strength by killing their opponents. Life-force was used as a prize for these fights. If any of the fighters managed to stand out, they could even end up being recruited by Rhode, who portrayed himself as an ¡®old hand[2]¡¯ in the business world. If not, they could at least earn a rmendation from Rhode and be a member of a different demon tribe. For gutter-rat members of a low-ss demonfolk tribe with no future ahead of them, it could be quite worthwhile to lurk around the arena. Of course, such an arena wouldn¡¯t be open every day, and today was one of the days that the arena was closed. Eugene had no desire of doing the tiresome thing of trying to sneak into the arena along with the crowds, so he nned on infiltrating the mine tonight. ¡°Even if you try to persuade me, I have no intention of changing my mind,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Since we¡¯ve managed to enter Helmuth, there¡¯s no reason for me not to do it.¡± There was a possibility that fragments of the Moonlight Sword were still there. If he managed to find even one more fragment and added it to the rest of the Moonlight Sword, well¡­ it still wouldn¡¯t be as strong as it had been in the past. Yet, even so, the power of the Moonlight Sword was too attractive to just give up. Kristina began worriedly, ¡°If you get caught¡ª¡± Eugene interrupted her. ¡°If I get caught, I just need to run away.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t have any great concerns regarding that possibility. No matter how the situation might turn out, he had the confidence that he would be able to escape, and in the unlikely event that he couldn¡¯t escape¡­. Eugene brought up the faint memories that he still had of Rhode Lonick and went over them again. ¡­.All of the demonfolk who had lived during that era of war had definitely grown stronger over these past three hundred years. Eugene had gone through enough encounters to realize that these three hundred years were far from a short period of time. After all, he had received a one-sided beating from Molon. Then there were Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabe. Those two monsters who had been close to the Demon King level in the first ce had gotten even stronger over the years. Even someone like Iris was stronger than she had been three hundred years before. Eugene was silent as he pondered the risk. Yet when he considered the risks soberly, Eugene realized that, the way he was now, he was fully capable of putting up a fight against Iris. Inparison, when they met just a year ago, there was still such a difference between them that it wouldn¡¯t have even counted as a fight. However, Eugene¡¯s White me Form had risen all the way up to the Sixth Star and he had even developed his own Signature. In his current condition, as long as he was prepared and gave it his best shot, Eugene felt that it wouldn¡¯t be impossible for him to even kill Iris. Of course, there was no way to tell that without trying it, but this meant that they were now close enough that Eugene could make an estimate of his chances of victory. As for Rhode¡­ Rhode Lonick? The Rhode whose head Hamel had been able to send flying three hundred years before, when Hamel wasn¡¯t even in his prime and still unfamiliar with fighting demonfolk? ¡®How strong could that shitty bastard have be even after staying alive for three hundred years?¡¯ Eugene scoffed silently. After considering how Rhodepared with Iris, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel dismissive. He smirked at Kristina, who still had a worried expression on her face. ¡°Don¡¯t make that face. It won¡¯t be dangerous and it won¡¯t even take that long,¡± Eugene assured her. Kristina hesitated. ¡°...However¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and just wait for me here at the inn,¡± Eugene instructed. The Bishop of Alcarte, Eileen, was indeed somehow immune to it, but ordinary demonfolk were allergic to divine power. As such, back three hundred years back, any missions involving infiltration and reconnaissance were left exclusively to Hamel and Sienna, with Anise being left behind. The same was true this time as well. While Kristina epted their circumstances, it was instead Anise who expressed her displeasure. [In my past life, it was at times like these that I really hated Sienna,] Anise confessed. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Kristina responded in confusion. Anise exined, [Molon was an idiot, so infiltration and reconnaissance were impossible for him, and Sir Vermouth needed to stay with the main group in case of an emergency. As someone who isn¡¯t much different from a civilian if I¡¯m not able to use divine power, I was, of course, excluded from taking such missions.] Not much different from a civilian? Kristina wasn¡¯t sure about everything else Anise had said, but she was having difficulty epting that im in particr. [That¡¯s why Sienna and Hamel were always the ones who went out on patrol,] Anise continued. [Whenever that happened, that bitch Sienna always seemed so happy that she could die, but she would forcefully keep her cheeks from moving and hold her lips together so that they couldn¡¯t twitch in order to act like it was nothing to her. Her tantly pleased expression seemed intended to piss me off. You don¡¯t know how many times I had to hold back the urge to give her a few good ps¡­.] Eugene had already decided to try and infiltrate the Kazard Mine after dark, and he had also done his reconnaissance. Even so, they still had quite a lot of time left, so he decided to remind himself of the old days. That was why they hade here, to the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castle. It was forbidden to ride a dark-power car within the castle walls. As such, all dark-power vehicles had to be parked in the parking lot outside of the castle walls. ¡°So this is the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castle¡­ where their legend first began¡­,¡± Mer said slowly, her mouth hanging open as she looked up at the castle. The group of tourists led by their tour guide had already entered through the gates of the castle ahead of them, but Eugene and hispanions weren¡¯t members of the tour group in the first ce. Eugene and Anise were living witnesses of what had happened here three hundred years ago, so why would they even need a guide? ¡°This really reminds me of the old days,¡± Eugene said as he patted Mer on the head and approached the castle gates. Although he had been indignant that this castle was being advertised as a tourist attraction, it seemed like there wasn¡¯t any entrance fee needed to enter the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castle. ¡°In that aspect, they¡¯re actually better than Yuras or Aroth,¡± Eugene muttered with a smirk as he led them forward. The first thing they saw after passing through the castle¡¯s walls was a memorial stone that was as tall and sturdy as the castle itself. ¡°This memorial stone records the names of the heroes who lost their lives here during their challenge to bring peace to the world three hundred years ago. While we can¡¯t guarantee that the names of every hero who perished here has been recorded, the Demon King of Incarceration swears to honor all those who gave their lives for peace¡­.¡± The guide who had entered ahead of them was giving an exnation for the memorial stone in front of the tourist group. Kristina turned her head, concerned that Eugene might just go crazy after hearing such words, but Eugene¡¯s expression was as calm as ever. ¡°What a load of bullshit,¡± Eugene spat out a curse with that same calm expression. In this Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castle that the Demon King of Incarceration had personally rebuilt, Eugene recalled thest time that he had left this ce, three hundred years before. The day after they had killed the Demon King. Everyone had worked together to destroy the castle. Molon had sted apart the walls with a swing of his giant hammer, while Hamel had focussed on tearing down the castle towers. Sienna had also let loose with her spells, and even Vermouth had fired off his Thunderbolt Pernoa and the Dragon Spear with a heartyughter. It wasn¡¯t just them either. Everyone who had fought and survived in the taking of this Demon King¡¯s Castle had participated in the destruction of the castle. All of the bodies of theirrades whose names had been ced on this memorial stone had been carried outside beforehand. While everyone else united together to demolish the castle, Anise and the other priests were reciting prayers to honor the souls of those who had passed away. [I thought that I would never see this castle again,] Anise muttered inside Kristina''s head. [...I¡¯m only saying this now, Kristina, and I¡¯ve always kept this a secret from Hamel, but I¡­ I really thought that all of us would die here in this castle.] At these words, Kristina unconsciously halted her steps. Fortunately, they had already entered the castle and were now waiting for the elevator that led up to the roof. [Right now, this ce might have elevators installed for the sake of convenience, but three hundred years ago, there wasn¡¯t anything like that in here. At that time, we¡­ we felt like we were facing our certain deaths. We were a suicide squad with the sole mission of killing the Demon King. In order to send the five of us up, more than a hundred times our number were fighting to buy us time outside of the castle.] Kristina listened silently. [However, that didn¡¯t mean that the Demon King of Carnages Castle was leftpletely empty. High-rank demonfolk serving as royal guards were stationed within the castle. But even that meant that we had sessfully aplished the preliminary part of our n, and that we had made enough preparations. Since his army had been led outside, we only had to defeat a small number of high-rank demonfolk before facing the Demon King of Carnage.] The elevator arrived on the first floor. [Our battle against the high-ranking demonfolk¡­ wasn¡¯t all that difficult. At that time we were still inexperienced, but even so, the enemy was well within our capabilities to face. Since the Demon King of Carnage was ranked fifth among Demon Kings, that meant his followers were also weaker than those who served the higher-ranking Demon Kings.] ¡®Sister¡­¡¯ Kristina quietly called out. [That¡¯s right. It was just for a short moment, but we really were being overly arrogant. That was why the shock that followed so easily sent us into despair. As the fifth-ranked Demon King, the Demon King of Carnage was indeed the weakest of the five Demon Kings. However, upon meeting such an existence for the first time, the entity known as a Demon King made me fear for my life from the very moment that I first encountered him,] Anise confessed., Kristina hesitated. ¡®...However¡­ Sister, you and the others ¡ª no, all of you heroes from three hundred years ago, didn¡¯t you eventually seed in killing the Demon King of Carnage?¡¯ [Yes. In the end, we did seed in killing him. After fighting for three whole days and nights and going through countless life and death crises, that is.] The elevator climbed upward. Inside of the spacious elevator, there were many other tourists besides Eugene, Kristina, and Mer. They were all humans. With excited expressions, they chatted about the Demon King Castle¡¯s scenery as well as the legends of this ce. [I¡¯m having a lot of mixed feelings,] Anise whispered. [We killed the Demon King and destroyed his Castle. Now, three hundred years have passed and the fragile peace that we managed to achieve still continues undisturbed. In that era, blood and corpses piled up like small hills in the Demon King¡¯s Castle, but now, what was destroyed back then has been rebuilt and has be a tourist destination. I died, leaving behind just my soul, and Hamel has been reincarnated¡­ but we¡¯re now back here.] ¡®...Is all this situation causing you distress?¡¯ Kristina asked cautiously. [I think it¡¯s only natural for me to feel displeased. The very existence of this ce is offensive to both Hamel and myself. After all, doesn¡¯t it seem like the battle site where we all fought so desperately is being treated inappropriately? However¡­apart from that, there are many other emotions. I¡¯m also feeling proud. Because we fought here¡­and we won. It¡¯s because of that, that we can be here now.] At these words, Kristina unconsciously burst intoughter. She nodded her head in agreement as she clutched the rosary that was hidden inside her jacket. The elevator soon arrived on the top floor and the doors opened to reveal a rooftop that was spacious and fully open to the sky. Mer unconsciously let out an awed exmation at the sight thaty in front of her. ¡°Whoaaah¡­.¡± This was thendmark of the Demon King of Carnage¡¯s Castle. The Death List. Three hundred years ago, everyone worked together to destroy the Demon King¡¯s Castle. However, one of the walls was left standing. This was because everyone was instantly convinced by the idea shouted by one of the knights who had fought at the castle ¡ª that something should be left behind so that no one would forget this day. ¡ªLet¡¯s write down our names. Molon was the one who proposed this idea. At first, his intention was to write down all of their names, but themander of the allied forces at the time shook his head. Themander insisted that only the names of the five people who had managed to kill the Demon King should be written down, because the fewer names there were, the easier it would be for those names to serve as role models. Vermouth, who wasn¡¯t very eager to y along with this idea, was still the very first to get pushed forward. In the end, with a bothered yet helpless expression on his face, Vermouth wrote his name on the wall. Vermouth Lionheart. Hamel Dynas. Sienna Merdein. Anise Slywood. Molon Ruhr. Their five names were written on the wall. Then in red, the names of the Demon Kings were also written down. The Demon King of Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Fury. The Demon King of Cruelty. The Demon King of Carnage. Next to the name of the Demon King of Carnage, which was written down at the very bottom, a cross was drawn. The list was thus engraved into the only bit left standing of the castle, and everyone chuckled as they looked at it. Thinking back on it now, it was childish of them to have done something like that, but at that time, everyone had been full ofughter. Wasn¡¯t it only natural? That was the first time a Demon King had been defeated. This was the first time that the humans, who had been one-sidedly trampled by the Demon Kings and their armies, had managed to kill a Demon King. At that moment, everyone held hope for the future. Hope that one day, they would be able to defeat all of the Demon Kings. Eugene didn¡¯t get close to the Death List. Just why had they moved it up to the rooftop from its original resting ce down below? With a wry smile, Eugene turned to look around at the top of the castle walls. It wasn¡¯t hard to find what he was looking for. It seemed that Anise had also felt the same urge. Kristina was currently looking in the same direction as Eugene. Following the battle that hadsted three days and three nights, when Vermouth¡¯s Holy Sword finally pierced through the Demon King¡¯s heart¡­ At that time, Hamel had been standing right next to Vermouth. Hamel was piercing the Demon King¡¯s throat with the spear that he was holding in both hands. Molon was blocking the Demon King¡¯s Annihtion Hammer that was attempting to crush Vermouth with his bare hands. Sienna was holding the Demon King immobile with her magic, and Anise was utilizing her divine power to keep the Demon King from regenerating, while also keeping everyone alive. This scene had repeated itself dozens of times over the past three days and nights. Finally, at dawn, when the sun had just begun to rise, they seeded in killing the Demon King of Carnage. Eugene could clearly remember what Vermouth had looked like at that moment, when he had pulled out the Holy Sword that he had stuck through the chest of the Demon King of Carnage. At that time, Vermouth¡¯s light was as bright as the dawn itself. Everyone was excited about defeating the Demon King, but Vermouth¡¯s appearance with his back to the light had appeared sacred enough to suppress everyone¡¯s sense of excitement. It was rare to see Vermouthugh. However, at that moment, he was smiling so brightly that it was hard to believe that this was still the usual Vermouth. ¡ªThank you. ¡ªFor apanying me here¡­and for not dying¡­thank you. Eugene and Anise were both looking at the ce where Vermouth had been standing back then. The sun was floating high in the sky. Today, it didn¡¯t seem particrly dazzling. However, the two of them felt like they were now looking at the dawn that they had seen back then. ¡°On that day, this is where the legend began,¡± said the guide who was standing in front of the Death List At these words, Eugeneughed unconsciously. Although he felt that the word ¡®legend¡¯ was too grand of a description, it was true that, on that day, something truly had begun here. A promise to kill all the Demon Kings. The resolve to save the world. A hope that they would be able to achieve the seemingly impossible. It all started here, three hundred years ago. 1. The demonfolk race that all known Demon Kings are said to be members of. ? 2. The original Korean text uses OB, which is short for ¡®old boy¡¯ and is used in much the same way as English uses ¡®old hand¡¯. ? Chapter 252: Alcarte (4) ¡°...¡± Eugene waited in silence. This might seem obvious, but Kristina really resembled Anise. From the first time that Eugene saw her face, he had already sensed a strong resemnce, but after Anise had woken up, perhaps because of her influence, even Kristina¡¯s aura had begun to resemble that of Anise in the past. Especially when she was sitting in a chair like this, her legs crossed, her head tilted to one side, her eyes narrowed into slits, her forced smile dripping with barely constrained emotions ¡ª a tide of irritation and anger that she was struggling to hold back. Except for the teardrop mole at the corner of one eye, Kristina looked so simr to Anise that it was enough to give him goosebumps. Eugene remained silent. It could even be Anise, for all he knew, the one who was currently in possession of the body that was sitting in front of him like this. Up until now, Eugene had never once confused Kristina with Anise, but right now, he honestly couldn¡¯t tell them apart¡­. It was a different story once they actually said something, but so far, whether it was Anise or Kristina sitting in front of him, they had just kept ring at Eugene with that same forced smile. ¡°...¡± Eugene could only stay the course. In fact, whether it was Kristina or Anise who was currently in front of him, Eugene had no intention of changing his behavior. Currently, Eugene was kneeling down in front of them without feeling any shame for doing so. It wasn¡¯t just Eugene. Right next to him, Mer was also kneeling down, the corners of her mouth drooping as far as they could go. The prolonged silence finally ended as Kristina opened her mouth and asked, ¡°Why did you do it?¡± They were currently in a family room of a downtown hotel. They had tried to get separate rooms, but Anise had insisted on the family room, arguing that in a dangerous ce like Helmuth, it would be difficult for them to deal with any unexpected situations if they were in separate rooms. Fortunately for them, this family room only had a shared living room and separate bedrooms. Deep down, Anise wasn¡¯t very satisfied with this fact, but to prevent Kristina from overheating, she had to agree to settle for something like this. This had all happened just yesterday. Until now, no, until the night before, there hadn¡¯t been any problems. But then Eugene and Mer had left for the Kazard Hills ¡ª no, the Kazard Mine ¡ª leaving Kristina in the room on her own. It was all for the purpose of potentially collecting more fragments of the Moonlight Sword. ¡°...That¡¯s¡­ ummm¡­,¡± as Eugene tried to figure out what to say, he recalled the conversation that they had just had before the silence began. ¡ªWee back, Sir Eugene¡­. ¡ªAhem¡­. ¡ª...Hamel, why aren¡¯t you looking me straight in the eyes? ¡ªCough¡­. ¡ªYou look too clean for a trip to a mine. Your skin, your hair, and even the coat you¡¯re wearing look clean and fresh. Your shoes aren¡¯t even stained with dirt, let alone any coal dust¡­. Your body even smells like it¡¯s fresh out of the shower. ¡ªThat¡¯s¡­ my body odor is usually like this¡­. ¡ªWhy don¡¯t you look me straight in the eyes and try to say that again? I should have warned you about this several times already. If you lie, there¡¯s no way that you can go to heaven. That¡¯s just another way for me to say, I can and will personally send you straight to hell. ¡ª...That¡¯s¡­ um¡­. ¡ªMer Merdein, the same goes for you as well. Why aren¡¯t you looking me straight in the eyes? I can detect a faint sweet smelling from your lips. Ah, and please don¡¯t make any foolish excuses, Mer Merdein. Did Hamel bribe you to keep your mouth shut by stuffing you with sweet treats? ¡ªI¡­ please let me exin. ¡ªJust how many people have you killed? At that point, Eugene had just meekly gotten down on his knees. He didn¡¯t really think that there was anything humiliating about doing so. Even in his previous life, Anise was the most bothersome person to deal with when she got angry, and that was still the case even now. Even someone like Sienna would just pout pitifully and fall to her knees when Anise got angry. Hesitantly, Eugene tried to defend himself, ¡°...I¡¯ve already said this before, but I really couldn¡¯t help it¡­.¡± When he had tried to exin himself earlier, Anise hadn¡¯t bothered to listen to their story until the end and had just dragged them inside. Then, Kristina had kept looking at Eugene with that forced smile. Up until now, Eugene had thought that Kristina was gentler than Anise. In fact, when the two of them went to the Samar Rainforest together, Eugene had been able to use that fact to tease Kristina several times. As far as he could see now, however¡­what had been back then was just back then and what was now was now. The Kristina in front of didn¡¯t look in any way gentler than Anise had ever been¡­. Eugene began retelling his story, ¡°So we seeded in seeing through the spell at the entrance and sessfully managed to enter the tunnel, right? Up until that point, we really didn¡¯t face any problems.¡± Eugene had been able to get through the spell covering the entrance with Akasha. Since the dark power of demonfolk was destructive at its core, it was impossible to use it to create various different phenomena like ordinary magic could. So ck magic had to follow the same framework as ordinary magic, but instead used a mixture of mana and dark power to fuel its spells. In other words, ck magic was also just a different type of magic in the end. It had various limitationspared to ordinary magic and it was a bit moreplicated, but depending on the skill of the caster, it wasn¡¯t impossible to interfere with a ck wizard¡¯s spells. And in terms of skills? As someone who had created a Signature, which could be considered a symbol of all Archwizards, there was no way that Eugene¡¯s skills would becking. ¡°Ahem.¡± Mer, who was kneeling right beside him, cleared her throat to draw attention to herself. ¡°...I did get quite a bit of help from Mer,¡± Eugene admitted. Eugene clearly acknowledged these facts. However, he still felt that the fact Mer had enough trust in him to lend her help, the fact that he was able to handle Akasha freely, and the fact that he was able to sessfully interfere with the barrier spell under all these conditions should still be considered as being part of his own skill set. ¡°Sometimes, you can really be disgusting, Sir Eugene,¡± Merined. ¡°Shut up,¡± Eugene growled in response. ¡°Why have you two started arguing on your own? That is not what you should be talking about right now, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina said, her eyes shing dangerously. Mer, who had subtly shifted her legs so that she was lying down on one side, was startled by this gaze and quickly straightened her posture. ¡°...Well¡­ after that, a problem urred,¡± Eugene continued. They got through the barrier spell at the entrance to the mine. That kind of spell would never be there just like that, by itself; it was inevitable that a series of spells would beid out in front of them, but from his experience in his previous life, Eugene was ustomed to breaking through dungeons lined with such spells even back when he hadn¡¯t learned any magic. He manipted his own mana to suppress all of his life signs to their very limit, and on top of that he added a spell. Having thus reached a state that was no different fromplete invisibility, Eugene walked into the tunnel. This wasn¡¯t some ce where rare treasures had been hidden, nor was it a ck wizard¡¯s dungeon. It was an open secret that the Kazard Mine was an arena frequented by low-leveled demonfolk. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then they could have just changed the name of the ce to Kazard Arena. Don¡¯t you agree, Kristina? But they actually had their own reasons for not doing that,¡± Eugene proudly revealed. ¡°What was the reason?¡± Kristina asked, briskly getting to the point. Eugene trembled as if he had been caught in an earthquake as he stammered, ¡°Ah-ah¡­ well, that¡¯s¡­.¡± Were they just trying to emphasize to their visitors that this was a secret, shadowy location? That was Eugene¡¯s first thought upon entering the mine and taking a look around. Dented ore carts were lying around here and there, some even with wheels missing. The rails were rusty and crooked because they hadn¡¯t received any maintenance. However, as Eugene slowly crept further down the tunnel, he realized that a lot of things seemed to have been purposefully altered. He had initially thought that it was a mine in name only, but the inside of the mineshaft was surprisingly well-maintained and in good condition. At some point in the middle, there were no more ck magic barriers, so from then on, Eugene was able to focus on figuring out whether there were any fragments of the Moonlight Sword and what the true purpose of this mine was. ¡°So did you get caught by the demonfolk during all this?¡± Kristina questioned. Eugene took offense to this. ¡°Hey, who do you think I am? Even in my previous life, when I hadn¡¯t learned any magic, I was a master of infiltration and reconnaissance¡ª¡± Kristina cut him off. ¡°I heard that whenever you needed to do any infiltration or reconnaissance, you always went together with Lady Sienna. So in your past, you probably never needed to use any magic yourself, am I wrong?¡± ¡°Aargh!¡± Eugene unconsciously groaned in pain and clutched at his chest. Krisitna¡¯s irrefutable statement of fact had transformed into a dagger and stabbed into Eugene¡¯s chest. ¡°I¡­ I wasn¡¯t¡­ caught!¡± Eugene gasped out through the pain. He wasn¡¯t lying. While in stealth, he hadn¡¯t been discovered by any of the demonfolk. ¡°Then what happened?¡± Kristina asked, her brow furrowing in a frown. In the underground tunnel of the Kazard Mine, in the depths of darkness, Eugene pulled out the Moonlight Sword. The gray de shone even in the dark, but that ominous and mysterious sword wasn¡¯t bright enough to thoroughly illuminate the darkness. The hilt of the Moonlight Sword was able to resonate with its fragments. That was something Eugene had been able to confirm when he had first gotten his hands on the hilt. If there were more fragments of the Moonlight Sword left somewhere within this mine, he knew that he would be able to find them using the hilt. While Eugene had wondered if it might be more reliable to try and find them using Akasha¡¯s Draconic Spell, he decided that the risk was too great. He recalled the first time that he used the Draconic Spell that had been engraved onto Akasha, when Eugene had attempted to find Vermouth¡¯s location through the Moonlight Sword. It had been a failure. He had suffered a blow to his psyche from the unbearable strain of that ominous feeling. If the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t pushed him away in the middle of his vision, Eugene¡¯s mind might have been eroded by the ominous abyss within the Moonlight Sword and copsedpletely. Even thinking back on it was a shitty experience, so Eugene didn¡¯t feel any regrets in clearly tabling that option. While he was in the middle of going down the tunnel, solely based on the expectation of some resonance from the Moonlight Sword, the light of the sword suddenly trembled. Without Eugene even telling it to do so, the light that formed the de of the sword began to point in a certain direction, and the vibration of the hilt helped him to determine the location. ¡°The Colosseum was at the very bottom of the mineshaft,¡± Eugene reported. ¡°It was just as the rumors described it. An arena where low-ranking demons would fight.¡± Thanks to him deliberately picking a day when there weren¡¯t any fights, the arena was silent. The only ones there were a manager and the guard demonfolk who were on patrol. ¡°The Moonlight Sword was pointing below the arena,¡± Eugene borated. There weren''t any apparent paths or doors in the direction that it was pointing to. Eugene checked again using magic. He immediately found a door leading to a basement that had been hidden using magic and various contraptions. Eugene emphasized the importance of his finding. ¡°Wasn''t it extremely suspicious, even just by itself? But I didn¡¯t just head in blindly either. I searched underground by using a spell first. There were more demonfolk swarming below than all of the demonfolk that I had passed while making my way down the tunnel.¡± As long as he sent in the feathers from Prominence ahead of him, Eugene would have been able to clearly grasp the situation down there, but as a high-level spell, its mana fluctuations were too strong. As such, he had no choice but to use an ordinary detection spell, which only gave him iplete results but was less likely to be discovered. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but consider the situation seriously. No matter how much he thought about it, if he wanted to break open this hidden door and head down further, he would need to give up his stealth. But was that really all that big a deal? Both the hilt and the light from the Moonlight Sword were still pointing downward. Eugene continued his story. ¡°So I went down further. I¡¯m just telling you this in advance, while I might have used a brute-force method to open the door and head down deeper, I didn¡¯t kill anyone immediately after intruding. To start off with, I attempted to follow the resonance of the hilt at top speed, so that I wouldn¡¯t even have time to run into anyone.¡± The final destination of his search was the lowest floor of this underground area. Unlike the upper floors, this floor had the appearance of a proper mine. There were carts containing mounds of dirt and various ores, and the rails were also in neat condition. ¡°While they might not take anything out to sell it, they were still digging for something deep underground. So that¡¯s why they must have stuck to calling it a mine,¡± Eugene finally dered. ¡°What exactly were they mining for?¡± Kristina inquired. Eugene''s face twisted in a scowl as he replied, ¡°Silent Darkness Ore.¡± Kristina couldn¡¯t tell why he was making such an expression, but Anise immediately understood why Eugene would be making such a face. [As expected from someone who used to serve the Demon King of Carnage,] Anisemented. ¡®Sister, what do you mean by that?¡¯ Kristina asked. [The Silent Darkness Ore is just a whitish-colored ore. It isn¡¯t mined anywhere on the continent and has no magical value. The only ce where that ore is mined is in the territory of the Demon King of ughter in Helmuth,] Anise exined. ¡°This is a matter from three hundred years ago. The followers of the Demon King of Carnage used to shove the souls and dark power of their subordinates, or any other demonfolk, into the Silent Darkness Ore. They could make use of the stored power whenever it was needed,¡± Eugene informed her. The Demoneye of Divine Glory possessed by the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, was bestowed on him by the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon Eye of Darkness that Rakshasa Princess Iris had was a power bestowed upon her by the Demon King of Fury. It wasn¡¯t just Demoneyes either. Each of the Demon Kings had their own different powers and abilities that they could then bestow upon their followers. Eugene continued, ¡°To put it in simple terms, they ground up the low-level demonfolk and infused their strength and essence into the Dark Silence Ore.¡± [However, wasn¡¯t that an authority granted by the Demon King of Carnage? All of the Dark Silence Ore used by the followers of the Demon King of ughter was directly gifted to them by the Demon King,] Anise muttered, with Kristina rying these words to Eugene. Eugene scoffed. ¡°There¡¯s no way that bastard Rhode could have reached the same level as a Demon King. He was just lurking underground, hoarding a lot of the Dark Silence Ore, and getting up to all sorts of nonsense. It seems that he was secretly dragging the low-ss demonfolk who were defeated in the area into his secret mine below so that they could dig up more of the Dark Silence Ore for him; those who proved rebellious were ground up and chopped into pieces while he tried to somehow imitate his deceased master¡¯s ability.¡± ¡°...Is that just your spection?¡± Kristina asked as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Unable to reply, Eugene averted her gaze. Kristina rose up from her seat. She strode over and stopped right where Eugene was staring. At this move, Eugene quickly turned his head to the side. Kristina¡¯s steps followed along with the movement of his head. Eugene tried to turn his head once more, only for Kristina to outright grab Eugene¡¯s cheeks with both hands. ¡°Sir Eugene, please look me in my eyes when you¡¯re talking to me,¡± Kristina requested. Reluctantly, Eugene confessed, ¡°Well, after tearing off both his legs, he started to cry and spilled everything out¡­.¡± ¡°Did you really just tear off his legs?¡± Kristina pressed. ¡°Hold on, it feels like you see me as some kind of madman who willsh out at someone just because they meet my eyes, but you should listen to me first before youe to some kind of misunderstanding. I really wasn¡¯t going to do anything,¡± Eugene protested. This wasn¡¯t just an excuse, it was the truth. He had discovered huge piles of the Dark Silence Ore and a facility that didn¡¯t appear to have anything to do with mining. Some of the equipment there did remind him of the Fount of Light, and that had indeed made Eugene feel very ufortable. Even so, Eugene hadn¡¯t gone on a rampage. Whether it was dozens or even hundreds of demonfolk being ground up and chopped into pieces, it didn¡¯t matter to Eugene. He intended to focus on his sole purpose of recovering the fragments of the Moonlight Sword. However, what else was he supposed to do if he ran right into them? At the bottom of the underground mine, the excavated soil and misceneous minerals had been piled up inrge mounds within a huge underground cavity, the center of which was filled with crude magic circles that had been oveid to appearplex. Eugene had wondered what Rhode Lonick had been up to over the past three hundred years. Now that he was seeing this¡­had Rhode btedly decided to learn some magic? But if that was the case, the results were far too appalling. It was at a level where Rhode didn¡¯t seem to have any talent for magic, nor the persistence to train diligently. In fact, the strength of the Rhode that Eugene finally found in that underground cavern wasn¡¯t much different from what it had been three hundred years ago. Instead of having improved, his strength even seemed to have shriveled from thest time that he had seen Rhode on the battlefield. Eugene recalled, ¡°When I found him underground, he was squeezing the blood out of the corpse of a low-level demonfolk¡­.¡± Kristina hesitated, ¡°When you say squeezed, what do you mean exactly¡­?¡± Instead of replying, Eugene raised both hands up and twisted them in the air like he was wringing out a rag. Kristina¡¯s lips twitched in disbelief, but Rhode really had been wringing out low-level demonfolk like rags and pouring their blood onto a pile of Dark Silence Ore. The fragments of the Moonlight Sword were buried in a crevice filled with silt and other minerals. Not much was actually known about Vermouth¡¯s Moonlight Sword. There was nothing about it in any of the historical records, which was nothing strange ¡ª after all, it was a weapon that hadn¡¯t been used outside of the most important battles, so most opponents who had seen the Moonlight Sword were dead. It was only natural that Rhode, who had fled from the battlefield in fear for his life, had no idea about it, especially since Vermouth had only acquired the Moonlight Sword after defeating the Demon King of Carnage. Eugene revealed his presence and tried to quickly retrieve the fragments of the Moonlight Sword. Rhode, who was in the middle of wringing out some more demonfolk, was naturally able to notice Eugene running past him. Naturally, he had been shocked. How could a human randomly end up in that ce? In Helmuth, it wasn¡¯t against thew for a demonfolk to kill another demonfolk. But that said, everything that Rhode was getting up to down here wasn¡¯t anything to be proud about. After a brief and casual conversation, Rhode naturally tried to kill Eugene in order to silence him. Helmuth¡¯sws were merciful to humans, but that didn¡¯t mean they one-sidedly sheltered and protected humanity. So what if one tourist went missing? Rhode was confident in being able to handle the aftermath of an incident of that scale. ¡°That bastard was the one who tried to kill me first,¡± Eugene burst out. ¡°So what was I supposed to do, just stay still? If you really look at it, this is a case of self-defense. So if we could all just pretend that nothing even happened and move on from this, that might be for the be¡ª¡± Kristina cut him short. ¡°Please don¡¯t say such nonsense.¡± Sulkily, Eugene resumed his argument. ¡°In any case, it was Rhode who tried to kill me first. I didn¡¯t want to die, so I resisted.¡± Rhode¡¯s hands were reaching out to grab him, so Eugene took care of them first by cutting said hands off at the wrists. Rhode backed off in a panic. His severed wrists began to regenerate, only for Eugene to slice them off again a little further down from the line of regeneration. Repeating this process, he pared Rhode¡¯s arms down with hundreds of slices. In a battle against demonfolk who were skilled in regenerating their bodies, the most effective and efficient way to attack was to shatter their minds. Continuous pain that included slight changes with every repetition showed the best effect when it came to breaking their spirits. That was why Eugene just kept slicing. Rhode tried to run away, but Eugene refused to let him. After slicing one arm down just past the point of regeneration, Eugene did the same with the other arm before alternating once more. Even a demnoflk¡¯s ability to regenerate wasn¡¯t unlimited. Once their minds were shaken by continuous pain, it would slow down their regeneration. Also, the process of regeneration naturally consumed mana. So once all of their mana was consumed, it was no longer possible for them to regenerate. In other words, by slicing enough bits of his arms, Eugene could render Rhode unable to regenerate any longer. Eugene had then torn off the fallen Rhode¡¯s legs. There wasn¡¯t really any need to, as Rhode wasn¡¯t in any state to escape, but Eugene just tore them off anyway. Rhode must have also realized that Eugene had torn his legs without any particr reason, as from then on he eagerly answered all of Eugene¡¯s questions. ¡°I asked him why he was doing this, and he said it was to get revenge on Noir Giabe,¡± Eugene ryed. ¡°Huh?¡± Kristina grunted questioningly. Why had the name of the Queen of the Night Demons popped up here? Both Kristina and Anise felt rather puzzled. Back then, Eugene had also felt the same sense of bewilderment. Thinking that it was some made-up nonsense, Eugene had pped Rhode a couple of times for good measure. Then, while shedding tears of sorrow, Rhode exined the reason why he was looking for revenge on her. After the war ended three hundred years ago, three of the Demon Kings may have died, but some of their retinue still survived. However, most suffered a decline in fortune. A lot of the remaining followers of the deceased Demon Kings lost themselves to pleasure over the following long years, eventually falling into decrepitude and copsing, never to rise again. This was all due to the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. Rhode lost a hundred years in vain after being caught in the dreams of the high-level night demons who came to him and offered himfort. Most of the power that he had once boasted, back when he had been in his prime, had been lost during that period when reality and his dreams seemed to have gotten all mixed up. At the very least, Rhode ended up with one of the better oues. Amongst the other servants of the fallen Demon Kings, there were many who were forced to pledge allegiance to Noir Giabe, and had their souls taken as coteral. After draining most of his strength and life-force, the night demons threw Rhode away. It took him decades toplete his rehabilitation after bing a cripple, and well over a hundred years just to rebuild some strength. However, no matter how hard he worked, it seemed like it would be impossible for him to try and defeat the Queen of the Night Demons through force, so Rhode instead tried to reproduce one of the authorities of thete Demon King whom he had once served. Of course, that was also a failure. There was no way that Rhode, who wasn¡¯t all that impressive in the first ce, would be able to reproduce one of the abilities of the Demon King of Carnage. Eugene continued, ¡°Setting Rhode aside for the moment, I went to retrieve the fragments, but¡­ um¡­ while reabsorbing the fragments, something unexpected urred¡­.¡± ¡°Something unexpected?¡± Kristina repeated curiously. ¡°The cave began to copse,¡± Eugene admitted. Regarding this, Eugene felt it waspletely unfair to ce the me on him. He had no intention of demolishing the mine. He had only nned on killing Rhode and casually making his escape. Unfortunately, as the fragments were rbining, their power momentarily went out of control. Once it had begun, Eugene couldn¡¯t do anything about the copse, so he didn¡¯t even bother to try and stop it. Instead, he decided it would be better off to just bury everything cleanly. Eugene annihted Rhode with a swing of the Moonlight Sword. Then, before the tunnel couldpletely copse, he managed to escape outside. His whole body was covered in dirt, so Eugene washed the dust off with magic. Mer then made a fuss about what they were supposed to do given the events that had just transpired. She also conveniently recalled a high-ss dessert being sold in the cafe on the first floor of their hotel that she had been eyeing. Thus, after feeding Mer some sweets to seal her mouth, they returned to their hotel room. ¡­And now they were here, kneeling in front of Kristina and Anise. [...It¡¯s fine as long as he managed to retrieve the fragments of the Moonlight Sword,] Anise eventually conceded. Kristina hesitated. ¡®But¡­Sister¡­.¡¯ [It might have been dangerous and reckless, butpared to the recovery of the fragments of the Moonlight Sword, it was just barely worth it,] Anise decided after some serious consideration. Had Eugene¡¯s retrieval failed, then she would have also dly agreed to raise their il in punishment. However, since his retrieval had been sessful, Anise no longer had any desire to scold Eugene, so she returned full control of their body back to Kristina. ¡°...Ahem.¡± Kristina also carefully sorted through her feelings. At first, she had been just as enraged as Anise. This was the Devildom of Helmuth. It might be an empire with incredible levels of civilization, but this was still enemy territory for both Eugene and Kristina. As such, they needed to be cautious with each action that they took, so Eugene¡¯s behavior had been far too reckless. ¡°...I¡¯m begging you,¡± Kristina said after a long sigh as she allowed Eugene to get up. ¡°Please don¡¯t make me worry so much.¡± Even she didn¡¯t really know why, but out of nowhere, Kristina pulled Eugene into a hug. Eugene stiffened at this sudden action. He had been about to tell her how many fragments of the Moonlight Sword he had been able to retrieve, but Kristina¡¯s sudden move had left him speechless. [Oh my god¡­!] Anise also let out a scream. This scream finally served to snap Kristina¡¯s mind out of her frozen state. This¡­ This was definitely just her pure concern. Like a mother hugging her child when they were about to go out ¡ª no, not like that¡­. Like a woman¡¯s concern for her lover who was about to go to the battlefield¡­. [How unscrupulous!] Anise chided her. Kristina stammered, ¡®I-it wasn¡¯t me. S-s-sister, it was you wasn¡¯t it, you¡¯re the one who made my body¡ª¡¯ [I beg your pardon! If I really had taken control of your body, I would have kissed the idiot instead of just ending it with a hug,] Anise corrected her. Kristina squeaked, ¡®Eeeek¡­.¡¯ The words echoing inside of Kristina¡¯s head were so cheeky that she hurriedly let go of Eugene. Mer, who was looking at Kristina with scornful eyes, refused to sit on her knees any longer. She switched to sitting cross-legged in a huff and red at Eugene and Kristina. ¡°Stop ying around, when exactly are we going to the Dragon-Demon Castle?¡± Mer demanded. However, there wasn¡¯t any reply. Eugene just shut his jaw that was hanging open, and Kristina spun around, pping her own steaming-red face. ¡°I said, when are we going to the Dragon-Demon Castle?!¡± Mer screeched loudly. Chapter 253: Alcarte (5) Eugene Lionheart hade to Helmuth. Noir Giabe smiled brightly when she heard the news. For an incident of this scale, a meeting of the Loyalty should have been held, but Babel was staying silent. It was easy to guess the reason for this. During the Knight March held at the Lehain Fortress, the Brave Molon had made an appearance and even the Demon King of Incarceration had descended upon the scene. Gavid Lindman, who had visited the event in order to gauge the strength of the continent, had been forced to withdraw in humiliation. ¡°An important guest has arrived,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she swirled her wine ss. The Demon King of Incarceration had said that he was looking forward to the Hero visiting him in his castle. As such Gavid, who was unwaveringly loyal to the Demon King, had no way of touching Eugene currently. It wasn¡¯t just Gavid either. There was also the Demon King of Destruction who had been silently biding his time within his fief of Lavista for hundreds of years. Even if the servants who were sworn to the silent Demon King of Destruction and the Demon King of Destruction himself were still alive and well, it was the Demon King of Incarceration who had been ruling Helmuth for the past three hundred years. The Demon King of Incarceration was the emperor of Helmuth. There were none among the demonfolk who could deny this fact, and most of the high-ranking demonfolk were members of the vassal households who had sworn their allegiance to the Demon King of Incarceration. As long as Duke Gavid Lindman, who could be considered as the pinnacle of these loyal subjects as the de of Incarceration, remained silent, the other demonfolk who were under hismand wouldn¡¯t rush forward to make a move. In other words, Eugene Lionheart was surprisingly able to walk quite safely through Helmuth. If he chose only to travel to the ¡®safe¡¯ cities, any casual manifestations of violence on behalf of the demonfolk would pose no threat to him. [What do you intend to do?] a man¡¯s voice inquired. Noir replied with augh, ¡°What else can someone like me do? I¡¯m not sure how Gavid considers me, but I personally think that he and I are friends. Also, I too have sworn allegiance to the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± At these words, the man on the screen in front of Noir could only smile wryly. ¡°All that considered, I have no intention of stirring things up needlessly from my side,¡± Noir imed. She took a sip of her wine, then puffed her chest out proudly. The man kept the same wry smile on his face as he stared at Noir. If the innate nature of all demonfolk was chaos, then the Queen of the Night Demons was the most chaotic existence amongst all of the chaotic demonfolk that the man had met. Yet, what the Queen of the Night Demons wanted wasn¡¯t just chaos. What she desired was the seconding of that nightmarish era from over three hundred years ago. While she said that she had no intention of being the first to provoke Eugene, if it was what she had to do in order to further her goals, then she would be sure to step in without any hesitation. Rather, the question was, would she move against Eugene Lionheart? No, that sort of action didn¡¯t suit the nature of the Queen of the Night Demons. Given the situation she was in, she would much rather provide some help to Eugene rather than hurt him. This was the Hero who had been recognized by the Holy Sword, the descendant of the great Vermouth, and that wasn¡¯t even all there was to him. Eugene Lionheart held an intense hatred for all demonfolk, a hatred that stemmed from his very soul. Thus, he was clearly destined to be an enemy of the demonfolk, and with his innate talents, background, and rapidly umting strength, he was steadily growing closer to being able to aim for the neck of the Demon King. That was why the Queen of the Night Demons held such high hopes for Eugene Lionheart. She actually wished for him to be the spark for a war that would finally break these three hundred years of peace. She sincerely hoped that he would someday challenge the Demon King of Incarceration. Once that was achieved, they would be able to once again wage war against the Hero, an existenceparable to Vermouth, and they would finally be able to fight once more. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Noirughed and her body shuddered in ecstasy just from imagining it. She could even die in such a war. But would she really? Just the thought of it alone was amusing. Noir had the Demoneye of Fantasy, which had the power to rece reality with her dreams. The dreams that the Queen of the Night Demons could create were sophisticated enough to be indistinguishable from reality, so she could perfectly realize all of her desires even if she couldn¡¯t obtain them in reality. However, there was one dream that not even Noir Giabe could recreate. Despite her countless attempts, up until now, Noir had never been able to y out the scene of her own death within her dreams. It was very simple of her to show someone else a dream that would lead to their death, but Noir couldn¡¯t create such a death dream for herself. Noir herself knew the reason for this. It was because she found it impossible to imagine her own death. Would it be a sleep from which she would never wake up? Or perhaps it would be agony intense enough to tear her soul into shreds? Would there be just an empty void waiting for her? Or¡­ Noir had tried several things. She had even summoned the souls of those who had already died and questioned them on their deaths. However, Noir had still failed to picture her own death within her dreams. This was only natural. When you died, everything woulde to a true, unquestionable end. So in a dream controlled by herself, which guaranteed that she would someday wake up from it, how could it even be possible for Noir to create such an end? She was the master of the Demoneye of Fantasy, which enabled her to rece reality with dreams of her own creation, but in the end, her own death was an unimaginable scene that she couldn¡¯t even dream of. ¡°Ah!¡± Noir suddenly gasped in recollection. ¡°No, there is one thing that ever so slightly disappointed me. It¡¯s about the other day, when I personally ¡ª well, no, not personally, but when I met him in the snowfield. Did you know? I even gave him a special coin and I invited him toe and visit my Giabe City!¡± [He must have thrown it away,] the man instantly surmised. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened! He really just threw it away, right on the spot, as soon as he received it. Wasn¡¯t that just going too far? After all, I was honestly hoping that he would stop by at least once,¡± Noir said with a pout. [He shouldn¡¯t have any real reason to go there, would he?] the man pointed out. ¡°But he doesn¡¯t have any reason not to go there,¡± Noir objected. ¡°You might not know this, but my Giabe City has been overcrowded with people ever since the first day it was opened. All of the rooms in our amodations are always sold out, and there are days-long waiting lines to enter even the most low-ss casinos and other types of stores. It¡¯s so crowded that they¡¯re even having to impose traffic control.¡± [Congrattions,] the man said, his voice filled with sincerity. Giabe City, which had boasted of bing a newndmark of Helmuth, was proving to be a sess that surpassed all expectations. Well, it was only natural for it to seed. The person in charge of the whole city¡¯s construction was the Queen of the Night Demons, who was not only a perfectly bewitching existence, but also had a shocking talent for this kind of business. Even if the entertainment provided by the city fell short of expectations, Noir Giabe still had the Demoneye of Fantasy on top of that. The countless humans and demonfolk who had already entered the city were sure to have be prisoners of the dreams that Noir Giabe had shown them. Just the amount of money earned in a day alone was definitely astronomical, but what was truly valuable for the demonfolk was the regrity with which the visitors¡¯ life-force could be harvested. ¡°Why don¡¯t youe and have some fun as well?¡± Noir offered. ¡°If you doe to visit¡­ hehe, though I might not take care of you myself, I can appear to you in your dreams.¡± The man shook his head. [Allow me to decline your offer.] At his polite refusal, Noir shook her nowpletely empty wine ss and giggled. ¡°You¡¯re an interesting man, Balzac Ludbeth, but you¡¯re also pretty damn boring.¡± Aroth¡¯s ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth was smiling wryly from the screen in front of Noir. [Is that so?] ¡°However, I actually quite like that side of you. Yes¡­ haha, the ultimate goal of your wizardry truly is quite fun and interesting, but in reality, men like you, who are so obsessed with their goals, are blind to everything else, so they¡¯re quite boring,¡± Noirined. [I also quite admire you, Your Grace. After all, you do donate a huge sum of money to the ck Tower of Magic every year. Also, it¡¯s not just with the ck Tower of Magic, you¡¯ve also provided me with plenty of personal support,] Balzac said appreciatively. ¡°Is that right?¡± Noir cocked an eyebrow. ¡°However, I¡¯m actually quite dissatisfied with you. Why didn¡¯t you entice Eugene Lionheart toe visit Giabe City?¡± Balzac confessed, [I¡¯m actually not all that close to him. Sir Eugene, in fact, rather dislikes me.] ¡°If that truly is the case, then Eugene Lionheart must be quite hard-hearted. After all, haven¡¯t you shown Eugene Lionheart all sorts of kindness, Balzac? I thought that I heard that you warned him of several dangers and helped him develop his Signature? Does he still dislike you even with all that?¡± Noir asked. [As you already know, he holds great hatred and prejudice against all ck wizards. It¡¯s a pity, but I feel like it can¡¯t be helped,] Balzac admitted with a shrug. Noir hummed. ¡°Hmmm¡­. Even though I¡¯ve seen many ck wizards over the course of my very long life, I¡¯ve never seen a ck wizard as peculiar as you. If you knew you were going to be on the receiving end of all this hatred, why didn¡¯t you just sell information about Eugene Lionheart from the very start?¡± Balzac excused himself. [I¡¯ve never obtained any information worth selling.] ¡°Are you really not going to sell it even to me?¡± Noir asked with a coquettishugh as she crossed her legs. [No chance,] Balzac replied without any hesitation. Noir was actually very pleased with this answer, ¡°You really are a freak, Balzac. Well, if you were just a wizard, then you would be just another guy, but since you¡¯re a ck wizard, you¡¯re pretty damn unusual. That¡¯s why you¡¯re so interesting,¡± Noirplimented him. She tilted her head and chuckled. Balzac Ludbeth, Edmund Codreth and Amelia Merwin ¡ª these three ck wizards were called the Three Mages of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration had signed the same contract with each of these three ck wizards, but the power held by each of them was a different matter altogether. If one simply looked at them in terms of strength, then Amelia Merwin, who had lived for over two hundred years, was undoubtedly at the top. Edmund Codreth, who had been bestowed with dmir, was at the top in terms of his capabilities as a ck wizard. So¡­what about Balzac Ludbeth? There wasn¡¯t really anything that particrly stood out about him. Although he was known to be a genius in magic, to the extent that he had once been considered for the position of Tower Master of the Blue Tower of Magic, whenpared to Amelia or Edmund, Balzac didn¡¯t really have any advantages. Nevertheless, the Demon King of Incarceration had signed a contract with Balzac Ludbeth. In addition, Noir Giabe also supported him. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s true intentions for signing Balzac were unknown, but Noir was amused by Balzac¡¯s aspirations. ¡°Since that¡¯s the case, allow me to tell you something that you will be interested in. Edmund Codreth left for Samar ten days ago,¡± Noir informed him. [As expected,] Balzac muttered. ¡°You know of them as well right? Among the tribes of Samar¡­ were they called the Kochi? The ones who are humans but eat their own kind and act like demonfolk. The tribe that Edmund has been dealing with. He said that he would be going to Samar for something to do with them¡­¡± Noir stopped speaking for a few moments, and her eyes widened, her face taking on an innocent expression. ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me his exact reasons. Well, not that I ever asked him for them. Balzac, do you know why Edmund is going to Samar?¡± [What a nasty question to ask. After all, you already know the answer to that,] Balzac used her. Noir didn¡¯t deny it. ¡°I have no intention of stopping him. The same goes for Gavid, and probably even the Demon King of Incarceration as well. Although we don¡¯t know what exactly Edmund might be nning to do there, he¡¯ll probably seed in it. If he didn¡¯t have the confidence to seed, a prudent ck wizard like him wouldn¡¯t have gone there in the first ce.¡± [That should probably be the case,] Balzac replied calmly Noir was curious as to the basis for Balzac¡¯s calmness. However, she didn¡¯t pursue any details. Rather than knowing what would happen in advance, it was definitely more enjoyable for her to maintain a certain degree of ignorance and receive a surprise. ¡°...My body is itching,¡± Noir muttered in a low voice as her toes curled giddily. The itching sensation rose from her toes and caused her chest to pound in excitement. ¡°Hey Balzac, I¡¯m currently considering something,¡± Noir idly mentioned. [What could you be considering?] Balzac politely inquired. ¡°I¡¯m just saying, aren¡¯t I the Queen of the Night Demons? That means I have countless Night Demons serving under me. I¡¯m also a Duke of Helmuth, the Lord of Vaniris, the Master of the ck Duskwoods, and now, the mayor of Giabe City,¡± Noir listed her titles. Balzac nodded. [Yes, I know all that.] ¡°So wouldn¡¯t it be inappropriate of me to move without an entourage[1]? However, since I¡¯m used to moving around without arge entourage, shouldn¡¯t it be alright for me to move around as I please?¡± [Who would dare to judge you for doing what you want to do, Your Grace.] ¡°It¡¯s about Eugene Lionheart,¡± Noir¡¯s voice lowered as she said his name. Shooting nces at Balzac like a shy little girl, she continued speaking in that same low voice. ¡°This is against the rules, but let me just tell you a secret. Do you want to know what I discovered about Eugene Lionheart¡¯s use of the warp gates today?¡± [...] ¡°What¡¯s with that silence?¡± Noir demanded. ¡°I am a Duke of Helmuth. It¡¯s alright for me to bend the rules a little, no? In any case, I took a look¡­ he arrived at the Malera Fief today. Do you know where that is?¡± Balzac paused. [The Malera Fief¡­. Yes, I do know it. It¡¯s in the southwest of Helmuth.] ¡°It¡¯s right next to Karabloom,¡± Noir rified. Karabloom was the fief ruled by the ck Dragon Raizakia. The Dragon-Demon Castle floated in the skies above the fief. Balzac forgot to respond for the moment as he searched his memories. He couldn¡¯t understand why Eugene Lionheart had arrived at the Malera Fief. ¡°It seems you don¡¯t know the reason either?¡± Noir assessed. Balzac admitted, [That¡¯s right.] ¡°I have a slight hunch, but¡­ since I haven¡¯t heard Eugene¡¯s intentions from him personally, I can¡¯t be sure. That¡¯s why I¡¯m so curious. That¡¯s also why I keep considering my earlier question,¡± Noir said as her smile changed. Her expression no longer had the shyness of a bashful girl; instead, it was the wicked grin of a rascal who had discovered the opportunity for a funny prank. ¡°The master of the Dragon-Demon Castle has already changed, but that fact hasn¡¯t been announced to the world. That¡¯s why the Dragon-Demon Castle, Karabloom, and all thews set by that damned Raizakia have remained as they are,¡± Noir grumbled. Raizakia was a terrible hater of all humans. It wasn¡¯t just the Dragon-Demon Castle; humans weren¡¯t even allowed to cross the borders of the Karabloom territory. ¡°If Eugene Lionheart is going to Karabloom¡­ does that mean he wants to enter the Dragon-Demon Castle? If so, then I should be able to help with that. If I were to make a move, I could send Eugene Lionheart into the Dragon-Demon Castle very easily,¡± Noir mused. [...If it¡¯s Your Grace, then it¡¯s certainly possible. However, there¡¯s no real need for you to provide any assistance, is there? As far as I¡¯m aware, the atmosphere in Karabloom has been rather unusual as ofte.] The Malera Fief wasn¡¯t the only territory next to Karabloom, where the Dragon-Demon Castle was situated. The lord of the nearby Ruol Fief, Count Karrad, was from the Giant Demon line, and although he was young, he was a talented and strong nobleman. In recent years, Count Krrad had been in a feud with the Dragon-Demon Castle, which had been keeping silent for hundreds of years. Perhaps it was out of fear for the name of Duke Raizakia, but he had yet to directly apply for a rank challenge or a territory war. However Count Karrad continued to intrude into Karabloom¡¯s borders. If the trend continued, then a territory war was bound to break sooner rather thanter. [I don¡¯t know why Sir Eugene wants to enter Karabloom. After all, it¡¯s not even certain yet that there is something that he wants to see in Karabloom. However, from the rumors floating around, there is a little something that I know for sure,] Balzac revealed. ¡°What is it?¡± [From what I¡¯ve heard, Count Karrad has hired Lavista¡¯s Devil Beast in preparation for his war against the ck Dragon Raizakia.] ¡°It seems that you can hear rumors about Helmuth even in Aroth?¡± [It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have my own eyes and ears in Helmuth, just like you do.] The Devil Beast from Lavista, the fief of the Demon King of Destruction. There was only one existence that name could be referring to. Three hundred years ago, there were four demonfolk who were called the ¡®Children of Fury.¡¯ Among them, alongside the leader of the dark elves ¡ª the Rakshasa Princess Iris ¡ª was the Depraved Oberon, who ruled over his pack of beastfolk as the alpha predator. The sinner who ripped Oberon¡¯s throat and killed him, the predator who had seeded Oberon to be the new leader of his pack of beastfolk, was the one and only Jagon. ¡°...Other demonfolk wouldn¡¯t want to face the uncertain risk of fighting with Raizakia, but Jagon¡­he¡¯s just a beast without any ability to reason. I don¡¯t know how much Count Karrad needed to pay to hire him, but Jagon has to be the strongest amongst all the forces that can be recruited for money within Helmuth,¡± Noir recalled. [There are also a few other rumors. They say that the ck Dragon is dealing with a huge personal problem. He might even be dying. Apparently, this is the reason why the ck Dragon hasn¡¯t been seen in the past two hundred years¡­. Has the ck Dragon truly died?] Balzac asked tentatively. ¡°He¡¯s probably not dead¡­yet?¡± Noir said in an uncertain tone. [So you¡¯re saying that even you don¡¯t know for sure, Your Grace?] Noir didn¡¯t reply and just grinned brightly. Staring at her smile, Balzac continued speaking, [...If Jagon really has been hired by Count Karrad, Karabloom will be far too dangerous for Sir Eugene. If Jagon truly is the madman that the rumors paint him as, he will definitely pick a fight with Sir Eugene, who¡¯s said to be the seconding of the Great Vermouth.] Noir nodded. ¡°That could also prove quite interesting.¡± [...Huh?] ¡°Don¡¯t you agree? Jagon is Oberon¡¯s descendant. He¡¯s also a vassal of the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene Lionheart is Vermouth¡¯s descendant and the hero¡­.¡¯ For a few moments, Noir pictured the two of them in her head. Then she leapt up from her chair. She couldn¡¯t stand it any longer. ¡°I want to go see Eugene Lionheart,¡± Noir dered. ¡°Even if he disagrees, I¡¯m sending him to the Dragon-Demon Castle.¡± [Huh?] Balzac repeated himself. Noir said optimistically, ¡°Perhaps this opportunity might even spark off a friendship between Eugene Lionheart and myself. I¡¯m helping him, after all! In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be possible for me to request an immature Dragonheart in exchange for my help? Also, I could make these small buds of friendship eventually blossom into love, leading to the forbidden love between a Hero and a demonfolk¡­. Mhm, that¡¯s also quite nice in its immorality.¡± Balzac picked up on something she had mentioned. [Did you just say an immature Dragonheart¡­?] ¡°Ah, that was meant to be a secret¡­ you can¡¯t tell anyone, okay?¡± Noir warned him with a smile as she shook her finger in Balzac¡¯s face. Balzac changed the subject. [Are you heading there now?] ¡°There¡¯s no reason why I should go anyter, right? I also happen to be free at the moment. Well then, bye-bye, Balzac,¡± Noir said as her eyes curled up in a smile. ¡°Dead or alive, see you next time~¡± 1. The original text uses a funny idiom to describe moving without an entourage as ¡®moving her butt lightly¡¯. ? Chapter 254: Alcarte (6) The Malera fief was a secluded ce without any particr tourist attractions. It had been like this in the past as well. Since it was in a ce far away from any of the five Demon King Castles, Eugene had never visited this ce in the past. Leaning on the railing of the hotel terrace, Eugene looked down at the street with idle eyes. He suddenly felt that the world really had gotten a lot better. He was staring down at the street from dozens of floors above. The ck road had dark-power cables running beneath it. The paved road had been made using a special material with a high conductivity for dark power. On a road like this, various dark-power vehicles were racing along at high speeds. [Unlike yesterday, when it rained, the sky today will be very clear and blue. It will be warm during the day, but please be careful of temperature variations. A bit past noon, you should be able to see the view of the Dragon-Demon Castle passing through the sky to our east¡­.] The weather forecast was being broadcast from a screen in the living room. Even in the Magic Kingdom of Aroth, magic wasn¡¯t as thoroughly blended into daily life as it was in Helmuth. ¡­Though now that he¡¯d be used to it, it wasn¡¯t all that surprising. ¡®Three hundred years ago, it would have taken five years just to travel this far,¡¯ Eugene thought. They hadn¡¯t had anything like a warp gate, and of course there hadn¡¯t been any dark-power vehicles either. Ordinary horses weren¡¯t very useful for traveling through thesends because of their fear of demonic beasts, and only trained war horses were calm enough to be used as mounts. There had also been many demonic beasts and demonfolk who were blocking the way forward back then. In this day and age, there weren¡¯t any issues like that. Were there still demonic beasts? They had seen a few of them while traveling. In the vast grainfields of Helmuth, Eugene had spotted giant demonic beasts plowing out new fields, and he had also seen a few being used as exotic vehicles, much like the new dark-power cars. Even the street cleaning done in the deserted hours of the morning was done by demonic beasts. ¡°Can you see it?¡± Kristina asked as she emerged from the room and walked out onto the terrace. It was currently a little past noon. ¡°Not yet,¡± Eugene replied. Raizakia¡¯s Dragon-Demon Castle flew through the sky and didn¡¯t move at a particrly high speed. On days when the weather was clear and visibility was good, people could see the Dragon-Demon Castle flying around. About ten minutester, Mer let out an exmation, ¡°Ah!¡± From over in the distant skies, she had spotted something approaching. It was the Dragon-Demon Castle. This castle was different from Helmuth¡¯s high-rises, and it was also different from the castles found in the other countries on the continent. After the war had ended, Raizakia, who possessed a strong desire to show off, wanted to make clear his own uniqueness and distinction from Helmuth¡¯s other demonfolk. So right from the start, the fact that the Dragon-Demon Castle was even capable of flying through the sky was all because of Raizakia¡¯s desire to show off and his elitism. The dwarves enved by Raizakia had done their best to satisfy their master¡¯s desires. The castle was built by selecting an architectural standard that wasn¡¯t used by any country in the present era; it dated all the way back to an ancient civilization that had copsed a long time ago. The distance between them and the castle was not close by any means, but in Eugene and Kristina¡¯s eyes, they could see Dragon-Demon Castle as if it was up close. Kristina, her brow furrowed in worry, nced over to the focused Eugene. ¡°What do you think?¡± By now, Eugene had taken out Akasha so that he could examine the wards of the Dragon-Demon Castle. ¡°It will be difficult to infiltrate,¡± Eugene gave his honest observation. Although it was too far away for him to see through all the differentyers of magic, even at this distance, Eugene could examine the barrier surrounding the Dragon-Demon Castle. The barrier wasn¡¯t just made with magic alone either. Since the Dragon-Demon Castle presented an enormous and obvious target with how it floated through the sky, it was only natural that they had prepared a physical barrier to ensure their own safety. ¡®Even without Raizakia, the spells are still being refreshed. It shouldn¡¯t be enough to maintain and repair the barrier with just the mana that they can absorb through the air¡­.¡¯ In the middle of his considerations, Eugene immediately came to a conclusion. As expected, it was clear that Raizakia¡¯s hatchling had to be in this castle. It was probably still young, but even a young dragon was still a dragon. The level of its Draconic Incantations and other magic was likely still low, but maintaining the barrier was not impossible even with just the strength of its Dragonheart. ¡®Like we thought, infiltration will be difficult.¡¯ Although it was true that Eugene was an exceptional wizard, it was impossible for him to slip through a barrier that had been constructed by using a Draconic spell. However, while infiltrating might be impossible, breaking in was still a viable option. If he first destroyed the Dragon-Demon¡¯s Castle barrier, he could then just charge right on in. But even thinking to himself, Eugene had to admit that was being too reckless. The copse of the Kazard Mine hadn¡¯t managed to draw any attention to Eugene. It was partly because what had been going down in those underground caverns wasn¡¯t something that could be publicized. It was also because the owner of the mine ¡ª Rhode Lonick ¡ª had been, to put it in vulgar terms, used as a scapegoat. On top of that, the arena wasn¡¯t a ce where any humans or tourists would have reason to go. The demonfolk who came and went there were those that belonged to the lowest of all demonfolk sses, and the demonfolk that were in the mine at that time ended up literally being squeezed into paste. Since the mine copsed cleanly, burying everything in it deep below, it somewhat made sense that there was no sign of anyone investigating things. However, there was no way that Eugene would have the same luck when infiltrating the Demon-Dragon Castle. Regardless of Raizakia¡¯s current status, he was still one of Helmuth¡¯s Three Dukes. Invading the Dragon-Demon Castle was a challenge to the prestige of all the Dukes, so it wasn¡¯t something that could be done lightly. Though, in fact, Eugene¡¯s intended purpose was precisely to challenge a Duke¡¯s authority. ¡®Well, even if that¡¯s the case, to invade the Dragon-Demon Castle when we don¡¯t have any idea of who Raizakia¡¯s bastard even is¡­.¡¯ Eugene shook his head as his thoughts grew distressed. No matter how long he kept ring at the Demon-Dragon Castle from here, he wouldn¡¯t be able to find an answer. For now, he would first need to infiltrate Karabloom, the fief below¡ª Brrring. Eugene¡¯s thoughts halted for a moment as he turned to look behind him. The room¡¯s phone, yet another product of Helmuth¡¯s magical technology, was ringing. Eugene was about to go and pick it up himself, but Mer, who was standing beside him, hurriedly skipped over to pick up the phone. ¡°Hello? Ah, yes¡­?¡± Mer had been grinning with delight as she answered the phone, only for her expression to quickly change. Mer tilted her head to the side and turned to look at Eugene, ¡°Sir Eugene, apparently a guest has arrived?¡± ¡°A guest?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Why would someonee looking for me here? Ask who it is.¡± There was no way that someone woulde looking for Eugene in Helmuth of all ces. Mer nodded her head at Eugene¡¯s instructions and held the phone to her ear once more, only to report, ¡°They¡¯ve hung up.¡± ¡°What is going on?¡± Eugene muttered, his expression furrowing as he returned from the terrace into the living room. He thought about phoning the lobby on the first floor, but just as he was about to grab the phone, he froze in ce. The same went for Kristina, who was still out on the terrace. The room¡¯s door, which should have been tightly closed, had suddenly been thrown open. Standing on the other side was Noir Giabe, who was wearing sunsses and a mask. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m famous,¡± Noir said in exnation for her disguise. Beyond the dark lenses of her sunsses, her eyes were curled up in a smile. As she took off the mask that even covered her nose, the big smile on her face became even more dazzling. ¡°Although I feel like I may have overdone it with the disguise, it can¡¯t be helped, no? Recently, due to the great sess of Giabe City, I¡¯ve been appearing so often on the TV and in newspapers that even small children in the countryside should be able to recognize my face¡ª¡± There was no reason for him to keep listening until she was done talking. Eugene immediately drew the Holy Sword from his cloak and aimed it at Noir. He didn¡¯t try to charge in for a sudden surprise attack to slice open her throat as he had done before. This wasn¡¯t an opponent that such a surprise attack would work on, and the circumstances this time were different from when he had faced Gavid Lindman a while back. ¡°...Ah, how magnificent,¡± Noir muttered as she looked at the Holy Sword with wistful eyes. When they hadst met in the snowfields, Eugene hadn¡¯t pulled out the Holy Sword. Noir felt thrilled to be able to see the light from the Holy Sword for the first time in three hundred years. Noir calmlymented, ¡°Although it was impressive even when it was being held in Vermouth¡¯s hands, I think that the current Holy Sword seems even more magnificent. Do you know why that is? Because back then, Vermouth¡¯s killing intent wasn¡¯t as tant. After all, having in three of the Demon Kings, Vermouth¡¯s killing intent had grown extremely faint.¡± There was no way that Eugene wouldn¡¯t be aware of that fact. Vermouth was originally just that type of guy. It wasn¡¯t just his killing intent, that guy was someone with very little emotional expression in general. ¡­But what about when Noir said that Vermouth¡¯s killing intent hadn¡¯t been so tant? The only reason she could say those words was precisely because she didn¡¯t know Vermouth all that well. When he needed it, Vermouth¡¯s killing intent was stronger and more ring than anyone else¡¯s in the party. ¡°What are your intentions? Why have youe here?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Please don¡¯t be so naive, dear Eugene,¡± Noir said in a soft tone. ¡®Dear Eugene?¡¯ Those words sent goosebumps rising across Eugene¡¯s whole body. A crazy burst of rampaging killing intent washed over Noir. Fwoooosh! Noir¡¯s hair was blown backward. Her whole body went numb as if she had been electrocuted. Yet, Noir continued speaking in a soft, unperturbed voice, ¡°This is Helmuth. Thend of the demonfolk. In this country, there is no ce that I cannot go. Could it be that you really haven¡¯t thought this might happen? You didn¡¯t expect that I would miss you so much I couldn¡¯t help bute looking for you?¡± Of course, Eugene had considered this. He hadn¡¯t even donned a disguise, and had instead entered Helmuth with official permission to do so. So in regards to the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, Eugene had thought that there was a chance this insane demonfolk might try to contact them for no particr reason. Eugene demanded once more, ¡°Why have youe here?¡± Noir Giabe was certainly insane, but even so, it wasn¡¯t like she was incapable of holding a conversation. At the very least, Eugene couldn¡¯t sense any killing intenting from Noir at the moment. Of course, the fact that Noir wasn¡¯t showing any killing intent was by far not a good enough reason for Eugene to put away the Holy Sword. But instead of taking offense at his demands, Noir seemed to have fallen in love with Eugene¡¯s show of blind hostility. With a grin, Noir peered over the drawn de to look around their room. Her gaze first went to Mer, who was openly ring at her. Although Noir hadn¡¯t seen Mer in the snowfields, she had heard the rumors. Originally from Aroth¡¯s vaunted Royal Library of Akron, it was said that the custody of this familiar that had been personally crafted by the Wise Sienna herself was transferred over to Eugene along with Akasha. ¡°I¡¯ve always said that Sienna Merdein is quite the mystery. Why did she create a familiar that so closely resembled herself?¡± Noir winked at Mer. ¡°Perhaps she wanted to have children? If that was the case, then it¡¯s even more inexplicable. Why would she need to create a familiar for that? Sienna¡¯s looks were quite beautiful, so she could get any number of men if she only wanted to¡ª¡± Noir wasn¡¯t able to finish her words. The Holy Word sliced through Noir¡¯s neck, sending her head flying up in the sky. Grit. Yet, instead of the sound of the head rolling on the floor, the only thing that could be heard in the aftermath of the attack was the sound of Eugene grinding his teeth. Plop. Noir¡¯s hands reach out to catch her head as it fell back down. ¡°Haha¡ª¡± Noir still attempted to let out augh, but even that was choked off as her head fell apart. It wasn¡¯t just her neck that had been severed, even her head had been split into two pieces by the blow. Noir held her bisected head back together with both hands until everything reconnected. ¡®It seems like it¡¯s only natural that she wouldn¡¯t die from having her throat cut. Her regeneration is also very fast. So slicing her to pieces faster than she can regenerate¡­ probably won¡¯t work,¡¯ Eugene assessed his target. Even though he had just chopped her head in half with the Holy Sword, Eugene parted his tightly clenched jaws and said, ¡°I asked you, why have youe here?¡± Without showing any distress from her injuries, Noir said with apparent contrition, ¡°It seems I¡¯ve made a mistake. I¡¯m sorry, please don¡¯t get angry, dear Eugene. I forgot that you are Sienna Merdein¡¯s disciple.¡± ¡°You, don¡¯t call me that,¡± Eugene growled through gritted teeth. ¡°Are you offended by me calling you ¡®dear Eugene¡¯? I don¡¯t know about anything else, but the way I address you, at least, is entirely up to me,¡± Noir insisted. Eugene didn¡¯t want to discuss anything more to her. The door that Noir had wilfully thrown open began to close by itself. Of course, Noir wouldn¡¯t just let the door close in front of her. She quickly raised a hand to stop the door, then thrust her head toward Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m not here to y pranks like I didst time,¡± Noir quickly exined. ¡°Really. I¡¯vee here in order to help you.¡± Eugene coldly rejected her. ¡°If you want to help me then you can get out of my sight, and just stay there until Ie to kill you.¡± ¡°You really are saying such ridiculously selfish things with a calm face. When exactly are you going toe to kill me?¡± Noir asked, her eyes widening into circles as she stared at Eugene. Without saying anything more, Eugene immediately grabbed the doorknob in order to pull the door closed himself. As for Noir, she felt a strong sense of fateing from Eugene¡¯s words. Thrusting the tip of her foot between the door and the frame to stop the door from closing, Noir grabbed Eugene¡¯s wrist. Or rather, she tried to grab onto him. Eugene naturally had no desire to be held by Noir. The moment that her fingers were about to close on his wrist, he instantly pulled his hand back. ¡°Are you really going to kill me?¡± Noir asked excitedly. Neither of them was moving from where they were standing; only their hands were shing quickly through the air as they stood in ce. Noir tried to grab Eugene, while he tried not to get caught. ¡­.Instead of annoyance, Noir actually felt a tingling sense of excitement rising in her heart just from their childish game. In these three hundred years since the war had ended, Noir had never once failed in getting what she wanted. ¡°So what, do you want me to not try and kill you?¡± Eugene challenged. ¡°No, no, I would be quite happy if you dide to kill me. When that timees, I will also happily and enjoyably do my best to kill you,¡± Noir dered cheerfully. If this wasn¡¯t a bond of fate, then what else could you call this? Perhaps a grievous tragedy? Noir tried to imagine how one day Eugene, the hero, woulde to kill her. There was no way that Noir could just die easily. Honestly speaking, her own defeat and death was something unimaginable to her. If they were to try and kill each other, Noir felt that the only one to survive it would be herself. She would be left cradling the bloodstained Eugene, or else she might end up hugging his severed head in her arms. When she kissed his still-warm lips, the smell of his blood would wash over her¡ª Just imagining it caused Noir¡¯s body to heat up. Noir suddenly asked, ¡°You want to enter the Dragon-Demon Castle, don¡¯t you?¡± Their hand-to-hand game of tag froze immediately. Eugene pulled his hand back with one clear motion, and Noir stopped trying to grab onto him. The fun would just have to be postponed untilter. ¡°If you want to enter the Dragon-Demon Castle, I can help you,¡± Noir offered. Eugene hesitantly asked, ¡°...Why the hell would you do that?¡± ¡°There are several reasons, actually. First of all, I like you. The fact that you¡¯re Vermouth¡¯s descendant, as well as the Hero who¡¯s been recognized by the Holy Sword, are nice enough, but¡­ it¡¯s also good to see that you¡¯re apletely different, far more greedy person than Vermouth. You know what I mean by that, right?¡± Noir said as she pulled her sunsses down the bridge of her nose and showed Eugene her eyes. Her eyes that were filled with the light of countless stars stared right into Eugene¡¯s. The Demoneyes of Fantasy. Although he risked being enthralled by those eyes, Eugene refused to back down. If he really wanted to be safe from her Demoneyes of Fantasy, then he had to avoid even standing in front of Noir Giabe in the first ce. Her strong dark power and those absurd Demoneyes weren¡¯t abilities that could be blocked by mere sunsses. ¡°You really are a fascinating existence for me, dear Eugene,¡± Noir said seductively. Her voice was horrible, disgusting, and even gave him goosebumps.However, even greater than those sensations was Eugene¡¯s intrigue in Noir¡¯s offer to help him enter the Dragon-Demon Castle. ¡°...How am I supposed to trust you?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. Noir posed her own question in return, ¡°As a Duke of Helmuth and Queen of the Night Demons, what reason would I, Noir Giabe, have to lie to you like this?¡± Noir nced down at her shoe that was stuck in between the cracked-open doorway and smiled. ¡°Please, open this door and invite me in,¡± Noir politely requested. ¡°I prefer alcohol over tea, but since it seems like you would rather not have drinks with me¡­ why don¡¯t we have a chat over some nice tea?¡± Boom. Eugene gave the door a light kick before turning around. Noir walked through the now-opened door and followed him inside. After meeting eyes with Mer, who looked frightened, and Kristina, who was ring right back at her, Noir smiled. ¡°Ah, how nice¡­.¡± The murmur unconsciously escaped Noir¡¯s lips. A descendant of Vermouth who resembled Hamel, the Saint of this current era who resembled Anise, a familiar who resembled Sienna¡­. There were some slight differences, but right now, this ce reminded Noir of back then, three hundred years ago. ¡°Your beds are quite wide,¡± Noirmented with a nce at therge beds as she walked through their living room. As a hotel suite in Helmuth, the beds here were tailored to amodate demonfolk of all different physiques, so they were mostly quiterge. ¡°There¡¯s enough room for three¡­ no, for four people to roll around on. How about it? Before we talk, why don¡¯t we share a nice dream together¡ª¡± ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene barked sharply. ¡°Even your cold rejection is sexy,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she sat down on their sofa. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s start our discussion about the young master of the Dragon-Demon Castle¡­ the Dragon Princess.¡± Chapter 255: The Dragon Duchess (1)

Chapter 255: The Dragon Duchess (1)

¡°The Dragon Duchess?¡± This was the first time Eugene had heard of her. However, he immediately recognized that Noir was referring to the young master of the Dragon Demon Castle, whom he¡¯d had a suspicion about for some time. Noir''s confirmation regarding the young master made Eugene all the more certain. ¡®As expected, the one in the Dragon Demon Castle must be Raizakia¡¯s hatchling.¡¯ However, due to his wariness toward Noir, he didn¡¯t show any indication of this on his face. The offer was certainly tempting, but he couldn''t fathom why the entric woman was willing to provide assistance in infiltrating the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡°Well, only those who know of her existence call her the Dragon Duchess. Her real name is¡­ Right, it¡¯s Ramira. Yes, I know. It''s quite a dead giveaway, isn''t it?" Noir quipped, with her eyes twinkling mischievously. ¡°¡­Wasn¡¯t the master of the Dragon Demon Castle the ck Dragon, one of Helmuth¡¯s three dukes?¡± said Eugene. "There¡¯s no need to pretend, my dear," Noir replied with a sly grin as she crossed her legs seductively. Although Noir¡¯s appearance was alluring, Eugene remained unfazed. In fact, he always felt an intense urge to chop off her head and crush her heart whenever she behaved in such a manner. Noir leaned forward. Her eyes were glinting with amusement as she addressed Eugene directly. "Eugene Lionheart," she said with her voice taking on a yful lilt, "you came here because you knew that Raizakia was absent from the Dragon Demon Castle, didn''t you?" Eugene pulled his features into a nk mask, feigning ignorance. "I don''t know what you''re talking about," he replied coolly. Noir giggled at his response, tilting her head to the side. In a sudden burst of magic, her clothing vanished, leaving her in nothing but her underwear. The sudden disy of skin was clearly intended to distract Eugene, but he remained resolute, and his expression was unchanged. Eugene''s response was sharp and to the point. "Fuck off," he said curtly, clearly unimpressed by Noir''s attempts to manipte him. He knew all too well what she was doing; she was using the Demoneye of Fantasy to create illusions and y with his mind. Eugene felt a sense of disdain toward her fraudulent ability, but at the same time, a chill ran down his spine as well. In her true form, Noir could conjure illusions that left no room for predictions or foresight. There seemed to be no limitations to her power, making her a dangerous adversary to face. In contrast, the Demoneye of Darkness¡ªwhich belonged to Iris, the Abyssal Princess¡ªcould only be utilized under certain conditions. Iris could only create dark matter within her line of sight, and the moment she produced it, her eyes would glimmer. The stark difference in limitations between the two Demoneyes was not lost on Eugene. However, Eugene had learned that the limitations of Iris''s abilities were not absolute. He had observed her create dark matter without disying any indicators, suggesting that her powers were more versatile than previously thought. It was evident to Eugene that if Iris had been capable of generating dark matter without showing any signs right from the start, she would have done so. This realization gave him an idea of the extent of her powers. It was no easy feat to produce dark matter without disying any telltale signs. In contrast, Noir Giabe was able to do precisely that while using her Demoneye of Fantasy with ease. This was a clear indication of the power disparity between Noir and Iris. ¡°Is this not to your liking? Or is your heart unshaken because you know this is just an illusion?¡± asked Noir. ¡°I told you to fuck off,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Well, what¡¯s wrong with this? I was just trying to be fun because I thought you might get bored during our conversation. If you have any preferences, then¡­ Ah, how about this?¡± Noir smiled mischievously and pointed at her face, turning her dark hair purple. ¡°Did I go too far?¡± Thud. Noir¡¯s head rolled off her shoulders and fell onto herp, but she simply adjusted the position of her head and shed a smile. Fwoosh! Noir''s appearance changed once again, marking the end of the illusion. She had not actually been standing there in her underwear, and her head was still securely attached to her body. Giggling to herself, she pushed her sunsses higher up on her nose. "I get it, I get it. I''ll stop. Don''t be upset. Let''s continue our conversation," Noir said. "As I was saying, Eugene Lionheart, you came here with the knowledge that Raizakia was not present at the Dragon Demon Castle, right?" ¡°And I thought I told you that I don¡¯t know what you are talking about,¡± retorted Eugene. Noir Giabe''s words were dripping with honeyed sarcasm as she spoke to Eugene. He could see the amusement dancing in her eyes as she continued to question him. "Really, it''s very adorable that you keep trying to feign ignorance," Noir said with a bright smile on her lips. "Eugene Lionheart, if you really met Siena Merdein and became her sessor, then she must have told you about Raizakia. Am I wrong?" Eugene knew that Noir was right. Sienna had indeed informed him about Raizakia, but he was not willing to give Noir any information. He kept his face stoic and asked her, "Why do you think that?" Noir cackled in response. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t want to talk about it. That¡¯s okay. Are you wondering why I¡¯m talking about this? Well, Raizakia¡¯s a dragon who¡¯s gone bad, right? The dragon who betrayed his kind. Everyone knows that he killed the former Dragon Lord and swallowed his heart whole.¡± Eugene''s eyes narrowed as he shot back, "So what?" He was growing tired of Noir''s teasing and wanted to cut straight to the point. Nevertheless, Noir simply chuckled, undeterred by Eugene¡¯s sharp tone. "Raizakia was very, very obsessed with power," she said in a contemtive tone. "However, there wasn''t really a good way for him to build up strength. Even though he is a fallen dragon, a dragon is still a dragon regardless." Raizakia, the fallen dragon, was just as haughty and headstrong as any of his kind. He refused to enter into contracts with demons to bolster his influence and might, and given his contempt for humans, he also declined to collect their life force or make deals with them. His refusal to seek out alternative avenues for power meant that he was left with limited options for building up his strength. Noir began to divulge the information that Eugene was seeking. "Then what would he have been left with? What would he have been obsessed with? Dragon Hearts. That arrogant lizard always said¡ªand he was quite sincere¡ªthat the only thing that could fatten him was the precious hearts of other dragons. He was also greedy for the Dragon Heart in dmir, but at that time, His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration was managing dmir... Moreover, most dragons had gone into hiding as well, so it was quite difficult to find them," she exined. ¡°¡­So?¡± ¡°In the end, Raizakia turned his attention to Sienna Merdein¡¯s Akasha. Raizakia even created a Draconic spell for the purposes of searching for and getting responses from Dragon Hearts. He pondered if there were any ways for him to take Akasha away from Sienna,¡± Noir revealed. ¡°Then why didn¡¯t he try to kill Lady Sienna and take it from her earlier on?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°He obviously could not have done such a thing. Do you know how sensitive everyone was during that era? Even though Raizakia waspletely out of his mind, he realized that he could not hit Sienna Merdein at a time when peace was just blossoming,¡± answered Noir. With a grin, she nced at Mer, who was standing behind Eugene with Kristina. Nheless, Mer simply stood still due to her fear of and hatred toward Noir. ¡°Now, it¡¯s only my spection from here on. The three Dukes of Helmuth¡ªGavid, Razakia, and myself¡ªare always keeping each other in check. In particr, Raizakia is a greedy dragon, so Gavid and I have no choice but to pay particr attention to him. We never know when he might do something crazy,¡± continued Noir. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, Noir Giabe was equally as crazy, and Gavid Lindman wasn¡¯t far behind them either. Obviously, the same was true of Raizakia. That crazy dragon was the first traitor of the dragons. ¡°When Raizakia left the Dragon Demon Castle, I knew that he had left, though I wasn¡¯t sure of the reason. But what¡¯s this? Sienna Merdein just so happened to go into seclusion at the same time! So, let¡¯s let our imaginations run wild. Raizakia attacked Sienna Merdein to take away Akasha, even though he had sat still before. Why, you ask? Because Sienna Merdein had been staying in Aroth until then.¡± Noir¡¯s eyes curved into a smile. ¡°The Samar Forest¡ªa ce away from any spying eyes of the continent, the forest of elves. It¡¯s a ce that is difficult to enter unless you¡¯re an elf. Raizakia would have searched for Akasha and realized Sienna Merdein had entered the elves¡¯ forest. He must have thought it would be worth a shot in the elves¡¯ forest, away from all the crowd in Aroth.¡± Noir was only voicing her spection, but it was quite close to the truth. Raizakia had headed to the elves¡¯ forest to rob Sienna of Akasha. He came to realize that Sienna had sustained a fatal injury, then he made the decision to kill her to take Akasha away. ¡°But Raizakia has not returned for two hundred years. The same goes for Sienna Merdein. The two must have fought, and¡­ Raizakia failed. Well, at least, that¡¯s what I imagine happened. Honestly, I¡¯m not convinced that the ck Dragon was defeated by a human wizard, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s out of the question since he was up against Sienna Merdein,¡± concluded Noir. She had initially thought that Sienna Merdein was dead, but seeing that Akasha was now in Eugene¡¯s hands, it was clear to her that Sienna Merdein was still alive. ¡°If you really met Sienna Merdein and personally received Akasha from her, then you should have heard about Raizakia. Are you continuing to y dumb for Sienna Merdein¡¯s sake? Or is it just pride?¡± asked Noir. ¡°This is the first time I¡¯m hearing that Raizakia had a hatchling,¡± Eugene said nonchntly, ignoring Noir¡¯s questions despite the fact that she had spoken in a lordly manner with her chest all puffed out. Noir puffed up her cheeks as well for Eugene to see and stared at him. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s the first time you¡¯ve heard of it. It¡¯s not something that¡¯s known to the public.¡± Even a dragon wasn¡¯t capable of reproducing without a partner. They could noty an egg alone. ¡°Raizakia already had an egg when he surrendered to Helmuth. Well, this is, of course, quite obvious. Where could you find a dragon who would be willing to sleep with andy an egg for the one that had betrayed their entire race?¡± said Noir. Dragons possessed long lifespans, but this also meant it took them hundreds of years to fully mature. Even hatching from an egg would take a hundred years, give or take a dozen. Raizakia had been revered as an Ancient Dragon long before he betrayed his own kind. He had mated with another dragon, and together they had fought alongside their brethren against the Demon King of Destruction and the Demon King of Incarceration. However, in the midst of battle, Raizakia¡¯s mate perished at the hands of the Demon King of Destruction. Seizing the opportunity, Raizakia consumed the lord¡¯s heart before turning traitor, taking his egg with him. ¡°¡­So, I guess even that traitor has paternal love. I can¡¯t believe he bothered to take the egg when he turned sides,¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°What did you just say?¡± asked Noir with a curious expression. ¡°Even that traitor has paternal¡ª¡± ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± Noir couldn''t contain herughter as Eugene attempted to finish his sentence. Her amusement was overwhelming her even though Eugene had gone through the trouble of repeating himself. Noir clutched her stomach and let out a roaringugh, not even bothering to hide her mirth. ¡°Paternal love? Raizakia? Ah, I understand. Eugene Lionheart, in the end, you¡¯re still a human, so it may seem like that from a human¡¯s perspective. Raizakia loving his children¡­? We¡¯re talking about the crazy ck Dragon, right? There¡¯s no way he could have such emotions.¡± ¡°Then what is it?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s obvious, right? He brought the egg so that he could raise his child before eating them,¡± responded Noir. Just as Noir couldn¡¯t understand the concept of paternal love, Eugene couldn¡¯t understand her words either. He stared at Noir with a look of disbelief. Noir couldn''t help but chuckle as she recounted Raizakia''s depraved ns to Eugene. "Ah, to be exact," she said, "he nned to raise his child, have them give birth, and then eat them. Ah, and this isn''t my spection. As I said before, Raizakia was arrogant and ostentatious. He would tell me all about his ns when we sometimes met in Pandemonium." The gathering of the Loyalty at Babel in Pandemonium was a longstanding tradition, initially conceived as a means for the three Dukes to keep each other in line. Over time, the meetings evolved into a more rxed and social affair, spanning centuries. ¡°It¡¯s not a pleasant thing to talk about, but Raizakia nned to raise his hatchling, have themy eggs, and have the new hatchlings breed to give birth to more dragons¡­ Well, that¡¯s how he nned to raise his descendants.¡± ¡°¡­¡± ¡°He would devour the descendants who werecking, and instead of demons, he would make dragons into his subjects. Usually, inbreeding results in odd results, but I wonder if it¡¯s the same for dragons. I was curious about that, but since Raizakia disappeared, I have no way of confirming it.¡± ¡°Crazy bastard.¡± Eugene had never imagined that the ck Dragon would be so depraved. No, in the first ce, was doing such a thing as he¡¯d nned even possible? ¡°His n wasn¡¯t an impossible one. Even though Raizakia was crazy, he wasn¡¯tcking in ability.¡± In the moments leading up to Raizakia''s sudden disappearance, his hatchling had just emerged from its egg. Raizakia wasted no time in taking a piece of his own Dragon Heart and imnting it into the newborn''s forehead. With this act, he ensured absolute control over the hatchling, whose sole purpose was toy eggs indefinitely. ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been Raizakia¡¯s intention, but the Dragon Duchess is able to rule over the Dragon Demon Castle thanks to the dragon heart that he gave her when she hatched,¡± said Noir. Raizakia¡¯s few subjects were bound to the ck Dragon by contract and, in turn, also to the hatchling who possessed a portion of his Dragon Heart. ¡°It would¡¯ve been useless if Raizakia had died though. So, my dear Eugene, are you going to continue ying dumb? I know you heard the story about Raizakia from Sienna Merdein. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s dead, considering that the contracts and the Draconic spell of the Dragon Demon Castle are still intact,¡± said Noir. ¡°I told you, I don¡¯t know,¡± repeated Eugene. ¡°You just keep telling tant lies, don¡¯t you? I guess you don¡¯t have any intention of telling me the truth. Then, let me ask you something else. My dear Eugene, why are you trying to infiltrate the Dragon Demon Castle?¡± asked Noir. ¡°I want the Dragon Heart,¡± said Eugene. It was an excuse, but it was a convincing one. ¡°Ah, as expected. Are you the same as the rest? Dragon Heart¡­ It really is a rare treasure. If I knew that the world would turn out like this, I would have killed some dragons and taken their hearts three hundred years ago,¡± Noir said with genuine regret while licking her lips. Then, she turned her gaze to Eugene with a deep smile. ¡°So, I was right about what you said after all. You came because you knew Raizakia wasn¡¯t at the Dragon Demon Castle. You weren¡¯t sure about the existence of the Dragon Duchess, but you had spected about a hatchling.¡± ¡°Think as you please,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Hehehe, it¡¯s truly adorable how you so desperately pretend. My dear Eugene, I can also guess why you are greedy for the Dragon Heart. It¡¯s because you¡¯re anxious, right? You want to build up your strength as fast as possible. Then that leaves me no choice but to cooperate,¡± said Noir. ¡°¡­I don¡¯t understand that. Noir Giabe, why are you cooperating with me? I am your enemy,¡± said Eugene. He needed to know for sure, which was why he asked, but his words made Noir hug her chest with an erotic moan. ¡°Enemy¡­ You said ¡®enemy.¡¯ Ah, I love it. Why am I cooperating with you? Because I want you to be strong like Vermouth and run rampant like Hamel,¡± exined Noir. ¡®What nonsense is this?¡¯Eugene felt startled, but he desperately kept a straight face. ¡°That¡¯s all?¡± he asked. ¡°I guess you don¡¯t like my answer? Then I¡¯ll give you another reason. I don¡¯t like Raizakia, and I don¡¯t like the Dragon Demon Castle. I¡¯ve always wanted to kill him myself, but I was never in a position to do that. Why? Because Duke Gavid, the wonderful de of Incarceration, is always wary of me reigning solo.¡± In fact, Noir had never been fond of the name ¡®Three Dukes.¡¯ Rather than having Raizakia, who wasn¡¯t even here, she sincerely believed it would be better for someone else, like Edmund or other new demons, to ascend to the title. In other words, what Noir wanted was a break in the status quo, and this fueled her desire to help Eugene. Eugene Lionheart, the Hero, would cause the Dragon Demon Castle to sink. She couldn¡¯t help but be excited about what further changes it would bring. ¡°Firstly, you will need to figure out how things are in Karabloom. Do you know the current situation?¡± asked Noir. ¡°¡­I heard that the lord of Ruol, who is located next to it, is picking a fight,¡± answered Eugene. He hade to an understanding of the situation from the news he gathered after arriving. ¡°It was simple provocations until now, but Count Karad seems to be wanting something more. He¡¯s preparing for a real war,¡± exined Noir. ¡°I thought he was unaware of Raizakia''s situation,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Well, they are located adjacent to each other. He must have gotten a hint about it after two hundred years of silence, but that¡¯s not his only reason,¡± continued Noir. The mining district of Karabloom was under the jurisdiction of the Dragon Demon Castle, and the dwarves there were being spotted in the ck market. ¡°Count Karad is tantly preparing for a territorial war, but the Dragon Demon Castle isn¡¯t showing any response at all. On the contrary, the inhabitants of Karabloom are hoping for Count Karad to be their new lord. That¡¯s how bad the public opinion is right now.¡± The lord of the Dragon Demon Castle had not appeared in public for two hundred years. He was a lord who neglected his territory and its residents. The only reason they could not openly me him was that they feared him as he was a dragon. ¡°The more scared and anxious the people are, the more desperate they will be to find peace of mind,¡± said Noir with a grin. ¡°Obviously, there are many Night Demons in Karabloom. Firstly, I will let you into Karabloom using my children. That will be very easy.¡± ¡°And then? The ce I want to go to is the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Well, that won¡¯t be very difficult either. The easiest way would be for me to use the Demoneye of Fantasy, but¡­ I have no intention of getting involved. I don¡¯t want to be forced to take responsibilityter,¡± said Noir. ¡°Aren¡¯t you already involved?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°This is different. I¡¯m only helping through my children. That way, if it ever bes a problem, I could resolve the problem by giving them the heads of my children,¡± answered Noir without hesitation. Even though she was referring to them as her ¡®children,¡¯ she didn¡¯t seem to possess any feelings toward them. ¡°Only the chosen aristocrats live in the Dragon Demon Castle, and because of Raizakia¡¯s stupid idea, I never got any of the Night Demons into the castle. However, bothmoners and nobles wish to have pleasant dreams, right? Among my diligent children in Karabloom, there are high-ranking Night Demons who deal with the nobles of the Dragon Demon Castle. I should be able to get inside using them as a connection.¡± ¡°¡­It can¡¯t be that easy. I¡¯m a human after all,¡± Eugene expressed his doubts. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be, but that¡¯s only if Raizakia were still present. My dear Eugene, there¡¯s no need to think too hard about this. In these two hundred years of his absence, Raizakia¡¯s territory has rotted. Ah, of course, it would be impossible for you to infiltrate the castle by yourself,¡± Noir stated, making sure to emphasize the significance of her help. ¡°Additionally, even though it¡¯s me, there¡¯s one thing I can¡¯t do. Kristina Rogeris, you will not be able to enter Karabloom. You should know why, right?¡± ¡°I knew from the beginning,¡± responded Kristina while maintaining a calm expression. With her divine power, she would stand out like a sore thumb among the demons. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯re quick to understand. Now then, should we start with a stage name?¡± said Noir with a brilliant smile. Neither Eugene, Kristina, nor Anise understood what Noir was talking about. Faced with their questioning gazes, Noir looked confused too. ¡°Why are you looking at me like that? I just told you, right? My dear Eugene, you will infiltrate Karabloom with the Night Demons under my rule,¡± said Noir. ¡°¡­Right.¡± ¡°So, that means you¡¯ll have to pretend to be a Night Demon as well, right? Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be fun. You¡¯re too big to be a subus, so that would be¡­ No, maybe it doesn¡¯t really matter since they¡¯re demons anyways. Some like the muscr ones, and you have a pretty facepared to your body, so if we put on makeup and get a wig¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ fuck with me.¡± ¡°Ah, then shall we go with an incubus? That shouldn¡¯t be too hard.¡± Noir¡¯s earlier words, ¡®Otherwise, it wouldn¡¯t be fun,¡¯ indicated there was no reason for Eugene to pretend to be a Night Demon. In other words, the disguise was just a fun activity for that lunatic. ¡°You can¡¯t use the name Eugene, so we will need something else. A stage name¡­ What would be good? What about Terius? It¡¯s a favorite for the incubi.¡± ¡°Get out,¡± spat Eugene with contempt. Chapter 256: The Dragon Duchess (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 256: The Dragon Duchess (2) [Bonus Image]

Two days after Noir Giabe''s unexpected visit, Eugene sat in his room, lost in thought. Suddenly, the door to his room burst open, and Noir Giabe strode in without warning, just as she had done before. "It''s settled, my dear Eugene," she dered without preamble. Eugene''s blood boiled as Noir Giabe referred to him asmy dear Eugene. It was the one thing that irked him more than anything else. He couldn''t fathom why Noir Giabe was so fixated on him. In fact, he didn''t care to understand, nor did he think he couldprehend her motives. He had learned about her many business ventures in Helmuth, and in his opinion, the subus before him was clearly out of her mind. How could he possibly even attempt to understand a lunatic like her? ¡°You will enter the Dragon Demon Castle as a gourmet product,¡± continued Noir. ¡°A gourmet product?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes!¡± Noir''s smile brightened as she nodded enthusiastically. Eugene had been curious about what she meant, but it appeared to be precisely what he had suspected. Among the nobles who lived in the Dragon Demon Castle, there was a demonfolk with an insatiable interest in human flesh. It wasn''t something to brag about in the present era, but it wasn''t a secret in Raizakia''s domain either, given the ck Dragon''s notorious animosity toward humans. That particr demonfolk in the Dragon Demon Castle was a client of one of the Night Demons under Noir Giabe''smand. "My dear Eugene, I''m sure you''re aware that Helmuth is unforgiving when ites to those who trespass illegally. Should the hunting demonic beasts catch you, they will devour you on the spot," Noir warned. Even if one were to evade the beasts'' gaze, it would only exacerbate the problem. The demonfolk hunters were far more intelligent and relentless than the beasts, and they held no regard for the rights of those that they captured. Noir added, ¡°And this isn¡¯t something to be talked about openly, but the only thing Helmuth respects are the humans who enter the country legally and thew-abiding citizens. Other than that¡ª¡± ¡°You demonfolk sons of bitches. I knew it. Youugh and act nice on the surface, but you secretly extort human life force, eat humans alive, and enve their souls. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Eugene said, having finally gotten an admission of the demonfolks¡¯ misdeeds. Eugene pointed his finger at Noir while opening his eyes wide. ¡°No matter how much you pretend not to be, demonfolks are demonfolks, after all. What is it that you say? Helmuth is a good ce for humans to live. You¡¯re obviously deceiving humans with your glib tongues to feast on them after fattening them up like pigs for ughter¡ª¡± ¡°My dear Eugene, calm down,¡± Noir interrupted Eugene in the middle of his sentence and raised her hand toward him. ¡°The only human beings who are not shown respect in Helmuth are the illegal immigrants, those who disobeyed thew. My dear Eugene, as you should know very well, Helmuth¡¯sws are very favorable toward humans, but Helmuth is just as harsh on those who break thews.¡± ¡°Even so, eating humans? Fucking demons¡ª¡± Eugene began to protest. However, Noir cut him off mid-sentence, raising a hand to silence him. "Dear Eugene, do try to remain calm," she said, her voice measured and cool. "In Helmuth, the only ones who are denied respect are the illegal immigrants, those who have broken ourws. Ourws, as you know, are designed to benefit humans, and we are quite protective of those who abide by them. But we do not take kindly to those who do not obey thews. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you are so angry. In the end, our species are different, right? And my dear Eugene, as far as I know, the Lionheart family acts as the guardian of Us Mountain, right?¡± ¡°So what?¡± spat Eugene. "Doesn¡¯t that share a border with the Samar Forest?" Noir asked, her eyes narrowing. "I''ve heard that many desperate souls attempt to cross it illegally. The ck Lion Knights are tasked with guarding the border. And if they catch anyone breaking thew, they have the authority to execute them, do they not?" She knew the answer already ¡ª they did. "It''s only natural for a country to punish and deter illegal immigration," Noir continued, with her voice still as measured and cool as before. "And as for the demonfolks¡­ Well, it''s hardly surprising that some still have a taste for human flesh. This is nothing new. Moreover, isn''t cannibalism still practiced among humans? Are cannibals not a greater threat since they feast upon their own kind?" Eugene attempted to deny Noir¡¯s words, but he recalled the natives of the Samar Forest. Quite a few tribes among the barbarians still practiced cannibalism. "As different species, we can never truly understand one another," Noir mused softly. "But we can try. Nevertheless, my dear Eugene, surely there are more pressing matters at hand than criticizing the demons and Helmuth?" She raised her ck sses with the tip of her fingers. The eye ornament had appeared out of thin air, evidence of the Demoneye of Fantasy. She used the Demoneye of Fantasy just for the sake of wanting to give herself the appearance of an intellectual. Yet, when Eugene recoiled with a look of disgust, the sses disappeared as if they had never existed in the first ce. ¡°My dear Eugene, as I said earlier, you will enter Karabloom as an offering for a demon of the Dragon Demon Castle.¡± This wasn¡¯t anything for Eugene to worry about. The Night Demons of Karabloom carried out the orders of their queen perfectly. They had already managed to persuade the gate examiner, who happened to be one of their clients. Sneaking a single human ¡ª a mere product ¡ª into Karabloom was no issue, particrly given the current state of chaos. Count Karad of the Ruol Fief was gearing up for a territorial war, and though no formal deration had been made, rumors alone had plunged the Karabloom Fief into disarray. Their lord, the ck Dragon, had been absent for two centuries, and there was no response to the ongoing provocations from Count Karad. Consequently, the atmosphere within the Karabloom Fief had hit rock bottom, and countless demonfolks were even fleeing the territory. "And, of course, my dear Eugene," said Noir, "you must conceal your identity. We''ll need to find a way to cover your distinctive gray hair, and you must never draw the Holy Sword. Even if the gatekeeper, intoxicated in their sweet dream¡­ is kind and receptive to our requests, they would never let the Hero pass.¡± ¡°And after I climb to the Dragon Demon Castle?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°You are free to do as you wish from then on. My dear Eugene, your purpose is the Dragon Heart of the Dragon Duchess, right?¡± Noir said. She grinned before continuing, ¡°You¡¯re lucky in that aspect.¡± ¡°I¡¯m lucky?¡± ¡°Yes. Sooner orter, a war will break out in the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± Noir stated with a nonchnt expression. Eugene blinked dazedly at her words. ¡°War?¡± ¡°Yes. In the near future, Count Karad will dere war and carry out a bold invasion of the Dragon Demon Castle, probably in a few days.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this too sudden?¡± ¡°Not necessarily. Count Karad has been preparing for this war since quite a long time ago¡­. He¡¯s prepared an ace up his sleeve, something that¡¯s guaranteed to win him this war. Maybe you¡¯ve heard of the name? The Beast of Ravesta ¡ª the head of the Beastfolk, Jagon.¡± Eugene''s countenance stiffened involuntarily. He couldn''t possibly be unaware of the nameJagon. Noir''s voice was calm and collected as she delivered the news. "A group of Beastfolk mercenaries, led by none other than Jagon himself, has made their way into the Ruol Fief," she exined. "Count Karad won''t be able to keep Jagon in check," Noir continued, her tone turning grave. "He''ll have no choice but to dere war andunch his attack on the Dragon Demon Castle. That lunatic Jagon must havee to Ruol with the sole intention of hunting a dragon." Count Karad had managed to lure Jagon all the way from Ravesta, a distantnd, by tempting him with the prospect of a territorial war with the Dragon Demon Castle. Noir calmly expanded on the situation to Eugene, "It''s likely that Count Karad and his army, along with Jagon and his mercenaries, are already en route to Karabloom and the Dragon Demon Castle. They must be feeling confident in their chances of victory, and with no civilians to worry about, they have no reason to hesitate. In fact, they may have already left Ruol by now." In the realm of Helmuth, only humans were deemed worthy of the title ofciviliansin ordance with thew. Battles and wars between demonfolks were frequent urrences. They were often fought to gain territory or establish dominance, but the safety of civilians had to be the topmost priority in all such situations. However, when it came to demonfolks killing other demonfolks during a war, there were no restrictions imposed by Helmuth''sws. In fact, such conflicts were actively encouraged as a means of enhancing the power and prestige of the demonfolks. After all, if even this were sanctioned as well, the demonfolks would have likely gone insane long ago. ¡°That¡¯s whytimingis important. Eugene, aren¡¯t you also worried about how to escape from the Dragon Demon Castle after killing the Dragon Duchess?¡± Noir asked. Eugene''s true intention was not to take the heart of the Dragon Duchess but to use her to find Raizakia in the elusive gap between dimensions. Though he couldn''t be certain, he held little hope that even encountering the Dragon Duchess would help him locate the rift. ¡®Maybe it¡¯ll be simr to a kidnapping,¡¯Eugene thought. Moreover, it would be a difficult feat for him to escape the Dragon Demon Castle after subduing the Dragon Duchess. ¡°I see what you mean.¡± Eugene furrowed his brows as he listened to Noir''s exnation. He finally understood the true importance of timing in their n. As soon as Count Karad and his forces initiated the invasion of the Dragon Demon Castle, their defenses would be at their weakest point. It was at that critical moment that Eugene¡¯s party would have the best opportunity to make their escape. ¡°The Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s defenses will be destroyed during the course of the invasion. Jagon will lead the invasion into the castle with the beasts, and my dear Eugene, that¡¯s when you can escape during all of that chaos,¡± said Noir with a mischievous smile. Of course, it was easier said than done. The first problem would be the assassination of the Dragon Duchess. Even though she was a hatchling around only two hundred years old, a dragon was still a dragon ¡ª a creature with the hardest scales and bones in the world. Moreover, it would be impossible to assassinate a dragon that was protected with all kinds of magic. ¡®If you get lucky, you should be able to escape in the chaos of the invasion after killing the Dragon Duchess¡­. But if you¡¯re unlucky, you¡¯ll be captured by Jagon before you escape.¡¯ Noir grinned while imagining the various possible oues. *** Eugene passed through the gate without encountering any problems. The two of them were nowfortably seated in a luxurious car with the Night Demon behind the wheel. As they drove, the Night Demon spoke up. "We are headed to the mining town," the Night Demon said with a smile. "It''s quite a ce. Did you know it has the highest concentration of dwarves in all of Helmuth? Once a month, they present their crafts and goods to the Dragon Demon Castle." The Night Demon leaned in toward Eugene and continued in a hushed tone, "My client is responsible for inspecting the crafts and goods. You will be apanying the goods on your journey to the Dragon Demon Castle. My role is simply to escort you and the goods." After that, the Night Demon inquired, "Is there anything else I can assist you with, Sir Human?" ¡°No,¡± replied Eugene without even ncing at the Night Demon. Upon hearing the mention of an inspector, Eugene recalled the information he had looked into regarding the Dragon Demon Castle during an information search in the past. Eugene knew that the works of the dwarves had been siphoned off. Knowing that the dwarves were bound by Raizakia and thus couldn''t have been the ones responsible, he had assumed that there was someone else involved in the process. Now, it seemed that the culprit was the demonfolk inspector, who acted as the middleman in the scheme. ¡®The inspector is pilfering the goods and daring to sneak in a human in the territory of Raizakia, who had always harbored animosity toward humans¡­ So this is how far it¡¯s fallen,¡¯Eugene thought. The inspector¡¯s audacious actions indicated clearly that the demonfolks within the Dragon Demon Castle were convinced that Raizakia was absent, and their loyalty to the hatchling was questionable at best. This realization painted a bleak picture of the uing war; it seemed that it would be a sloppy one-sided battle. As the invasion loomed, it was evident that the nobles residing in the Dragon Demon Castle would quickly surrender en masse. They wouldn''t stand a chance against the overwhelming forces of Count Karad''s army. With little resistance expected, Jagon would effortlessly lead his beasts to the castle, ready to tear apart the Dragon Duchess limb by limb. ¡®They won¡¯t even be able to buy time,¡¯Eugene thought. It was unfortunate since a fierce resistance from the Dragon Demon Castle and a ferocious battle between the two groups would allow Eugene to escape with ease. ¡°And how will you send me to the Dragon Demon Castle? Will it be through a warp-gate?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Yes. The inspector wille down to the mining town through the warp-gate. You can stay with the other goods on the cart and head up through the warp-gate with the inspector,¡± answered the Night Demon. ¡°And what if that demonfolk bastard wants to eat me on the spot?¡± The Night Demon chuckled, her eyes glinting mischievously as she spoke. "Hahaha, that will never happen. Have you not heard from the Queen? That demon prides himself on being a gourmet." She paused, shooting her listener a sly wink, and then added, "I was the one who informed the Queen about this. Bhud ¡ª ah, Bhud is the name of that demon. I memorized his name because he kept asking me to call out his name whenever he was dreaming." The Night Demon leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Anyway, when I told him that I would give him a human as a gift, Bhud was really happy and responded to me, saying that he would cook you using many different methods and hold a secret feast with his friends." ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene clenched his fists and clicked his tongue, feeling frustrated. The thought of what he would do with the demonfolk who had helped him make his way up to the Dragon Demon Castle had never really crossed his mind. However, after hearing what the Night Demon had to say, Eugene had now made up his mind. He would take the demonfolk''s head as soon as he arrived at the castle. Karabloom was a small dukedom, and it was Helmuth''s finest jewelry mine. Rizakia, the Duke of Karabloom, had been uninterested in expanding his rule unnecessarily, so instead of taking arge territory of uselessnd, Raizakia had chosen Karabloom, Helmuth¡¯s finest jewelry mine, as his dukedom. In terms of the size of the estate, Karabloom was smaller than even the Gidol Province, Eugene¡¯s hometown. Thanks to this, he was able to arrive at the mining town after traveling about five hours from the gate. He exited the car with arge hood covering his head and headed for the mining town¡¯s warp-gate. The jewelry mine in Karabloom was the best in all of Helmuth. For three centuries, the mine had been worked tirelessly by the dwarves, who had no choice but to offer up their precious findings to their absentee lord. Despite the passage of time and the deaths of the original dwarves who had been bound by contracts to work in the mine, those contracts that had been made generations ago continued to apply to the dwarves¡¯ descendants. They toiled away in the mines, processing the jewels that were then handed over to the ck Dragon. It was a fate that seemed impossible to escape as Raizakia''s binding magic ensured that the current generation of dwarves would continue to work there until they, too, passed away. ¡°Poor dwarves. They won¡¯t ever be able to leave this area for the rest of their lives,¡±mented the Night Demon. ¡°Why?¡± asked Eugene. "The dwarves are bound by contracts with the ck Dragon, and they cannot leave this area without permission," exined the Night Demon. These contracts had been made under the threat of the ck Dragon''s power, and as a result, the dwarves were trapped in their mining town. Despite their captivity, the dwarves continued to work tirelessly, their eyes dull and lifeless from the effects of their permanent restraint. Nevertheless, even in their captivity, the dwarves'' skills as craftsmen could not be denied. Eugene could see the fruits of theirbor in the loaded carts that were being transported through the warp-gate. Each item was expertly crafted, and even Eugene, who was not particrly knowledgeable about such things, could recognize their exceptional quality. This was a matter of course, though. The items were being dedicated to a ferocious and greedy dragon, and if they were of poor quality, they would have to face the full wrath of the dragon. ¡°Bhud should be here in a minute,¡± said the Night Demon. Eugene followed her instruction and entered an empty box loaded on top of a cart. ¡°You have to stay calm until you arrive at the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± warned the Night Demon. A lid was ced on top of the box, and Eugene observed the surroundings through a keyhole in the box. After a while, the warp-gate was activated. ¡°Aris!¡± The sound of the Night Demon¡¯s name echoed through the air, causing her to turn her head. A demonfolk had just walked out of the warp-gate, and Eugene could see him through the keyhole in the box. The demon''s appearance was grotesque, with the features of both an orc and a pig. He waddled over to the Night Demon, hisrge belly heaving up and down with each step. ¡°It feels different to see you outside the store. Does this mean I¡¯ll have the chance to see you outside in the future as well?¡± Bhud openly flirted with the Night Demon before picking up a ne from the cart. After looking around, he ced the ne into the Night Demon¡¯s cleavage. ¡°Oh, my¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine, it¡¯s fine. This is nothingpared to the present I¡¯m going to receive today. So, Aris, is it that box?¡± asked Bhud as the corners of his mouth twitched. The Night Demon nodded with a smile, and Bhud approached the box with a gulp. Thud. Bhud tapped the box once with hisrge hand. Eugene curled up into a ball with a frown. After a few more taps, Bhud turned around with a satisfied smile. He let out a pleased hum as he pushed the cart containing his gift toward the warp-gate, which was activated once more. "This is a wonderful gift," Bhud said with a grin, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. The warp-gate ceased glowing, and the movement of the cart beneath Eugene came to a stop. Through the keyhole, he saw that the scene outside had changed drastically. Instead of the dull and dreary mines of Karabloom, the keyhole of the box now revealed a grand view of the Dragon Demon Castle. Eugene had no time to appreciate the sight. He had arrived at his destination, and it was time to take action. His n was to burst out of the box and eliminate Bhud without dy, just like he had already resolved to do. Eugene took a deep breath, preparing himself for the task ahead. He was ready to make his move. ¡°W-Who are you!?¡± However, Bhud yelled in surprise before Eugene could jump out of the box. Eugene was surprised as well. A girl dressed in clothes the color of sky blue was standing outside the warp-gate. The girl''s voice rang out loud and clear, echoing through the corridors of the Dragon Demon Castle as she said, "Inspector Bhud! Your wrongdoings are known by heaven, by earth, and by me!" Bhud''s eyes widened in shock, and he stumbled back a few steps. He opened his mouth to say something, but the words got caught in his throat. Before he could even begin to form a coherent response, he felt an overwhelming pressure bearing down on him. Without even realizing what he was doing, he sank to his knees on the cold stone floor. ¡°Are you kneeling in acknowledgment of your sin?! But know that simply kneeling will not absolve you of the crimes youmitted!¡± continued the girl. ¡°W-Who might you be?¡± asked Bhud. He didn''t understand why he was kneeling, and he didn¡¯t know who this girl was. However, his body had responded instinctively the moment he saw the red jewel embedded in the girl¡¯s forehead. ¡°Do you not recognize who I am? Well, rightly so! However, know that everyone in the Dragon Demon Castle wille to know the name of thisdy today! Thisdy is the legitimate master of the Dragon Demon Castle and the only flesh and blood of the ck Dragon!¡± the girl dered. She waved her hand, which caused her sleeves to p, and extended her palm toward Bhud. ¡°My name is Raimira! You wicked soul who dared to touch the offerings to the Dragon Demon Castle! As the master of the Dragon Demon Castle, thisdymands you! Immediately end your own life¡ª¡± The girl wasn¡¯t given a chance to finish her words. The lid of the box was smashed open, and Eugene jumped out. Chapter 257: The Dragon Duchess (3) Eugene had not nned to run into anyone as soon as he arrived at the Dragon Demon Castle, but it had been inevitable in some ways. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, the n to infiltrate the Dragon Demon Castle was unpolished and full of holes. As such, he had made preparations for the possibility of running into unexpected situations. He was prepared to respond immediately to whatever the situation called for, but when someone started shouting at Bhud, Eugene cursed inwardly, ¡®Fuck.¡¯ It hadn¡¯t been within his expectations to run into a problem immediately after arriving. So, what could he do? Well, what was there to do, really? There was only one thing he could do. He would kill Bhud as well as the unknown demon. Then he would infiltrate the Dragon Demon Castle as if nothing had ever happened. After making up his mind, Eugene inspected his opponent through the keyhole. The ostentatious woman referred to herself in third-person and spoke in a ridiculous manner. As he studied her appearance, he noticed that she looked only a few years older than Mer. Her hair was parted in the middle. It revealed her forehead, which had a horn sticking out from the center as well as a glinting red jewel embedded in it. ¡®No way.¡¯ Eugene was astonished. ording to Noir''s information, the Dragon Duchess had not made an appearance in two hundred years. Yet, there she was, standing right in front of him at this very moment. ¡°Thisdy is the legitimate master of the Dragon Demon Castle and the only flesh and blood of the ck Dragon!¡± the girl shouted valiantly while extending her palm toward Bhud. Upon hearing this, Eugene no longer harbored any doubts. ¡°My name is Raimira! You wicked soul who dared to touch the offerings to the Dragon Demon Castle! As the master of the Dragon Demon Castle, thisdymands you! Immediately end your own life¡ª¡± Eugene didn''t require any further exnation. Raimira had imed to be the true heir of the ck Dragon and the rightful master of the Dragon Demon Castle. Considering the absurdity of the situation, he couldn''t help but question the veracity of her im, but he resolved to kill her regardless. ¡°W-What?!¡± Bhud eximed. The pig-faced demonfolk had not been cautious of the human enclosed in the box, as Eugene had skillfully concealed his mana and abilities while inside. Eugene''s sudden emergence caused Bhud to turn around, his face twisted with a mixture of shock and terror. Bhud''s eyes followed Eugene''s ascent into the air. Although this was a development that differed significantly from Eugene''s original ns, he doggedly executed the part of his strategy that concerned Bhud just as he had nned. The moment Eugene burst out of the box, he seized Bhud''s head and yanked it clean off his body. ¡°Kyaaaaah!?¡± Raimira''s piercing shriek reverberated through the space. Bhud''s head was detached from his body, with his spine still attached. Despite this, Bhud did not sumb to death immediately, possibly due to his umted mana. Instead, he opened his mouth wide and emitted a high-pitched, pig-like squeal, ¡°Kyweeeeeek!¡± The deafening screams were abruptly silenced as a ze erupted from Eugene''s fingertips and consumed Bhud''s body. This was no ordinary me; it was infused with the power of the sword-force. The power manifested as a sphere of intertwined and razor-sharp emissions that relentlessly tore apart Bhud, who was trapped at the heart of the tempestuous vortex. Bhud desperately tried to regenerate his body time and time again. Nevertheless, stuck within the confines of the Infinite Purgatory, his efforts were in vain. Each time his body began to take form again, it was immediately ground to dust by the relentless onught of the skill. Eugene had honed Infinite Purgatory to perfection in his previous life, making it the perfect weapon for eliminating demons with powerful regenerative abilities. Bhud''s body continued to be torn apart by Infinite Purgatory, reducing him to unidentifiable pieces. Despite still being alive, his regeneration abilities were failing rapidly, and it was only a matter of time before he met his final demise. The screams that had once echoed throughout the chamber were now silenced, and the only sounds that remained were the crackling of the mes and the swirling of the Sword-force. Eugene looked away from Bhud and stared straight ahead. ¡°Hiek¡­!¡± Raimira was retreating with a pale expression, herrge eyes quivering with fear. Eugene looked around to make sure there were no other demons lurking nearby before turning his attention to her. He examined her carefully, taking note of her appearance. As Eugene took a closer look at Raimira, he realized that while she didn''t bear an exact resemnce to Raizakia, there were certain simrities. Of course, this was to be expected. Raimira''s current form was the result of Polymorph, an abilitymonly used by dragons. While her human-like appearance differed from her true form, some traits remained. For instance, dragons using Polymorph often retained their true eye and hair color to distinguish themselves. Raimira''s ck hair and purple eyes were a clear nod to her lineage as the ck Dragon. Raimira eximed in a panicked voice, "Y-You! What are¡­. Who are you!?" The word Intruder! came to her mind, causing her legs to tremble and her heart to race faster. Meanwhile, Inspector Bhud''s body was being ripped apart into a shapeless mass behind the intruder, and the intricate and robust flow of mana used to disintegrate Bhud''s body only added to Raimira''s shock and unease. Her expression stiffened. Truth be told, Raimira was afraid. However, she did not express her fear ¡ª or at least, she thought she wasn¡¯t letting it show. Contrary to her belief, both her legs were trembling. Unfortunately, Raimira was too nervous and frightened to recognize this truth. ¡°You dare¡­. How dare you! How could you bring harm to a servant of the castle in front of thisdy, the master of the Dragon Demon Castle!? You will not be able to pay for this, even with dozens ¡ª no, hundreds of deaths!¡± Raimira cried loudly. Although she was a hatchling, a dragon was still a dragon. As such, her cry carried the weight of her heritage, Dragon Fear. Nheless, her Dragon Fear was so weak that it couldn¡¯t even hold a candle to the Dragon Fear that Ariartel had exuded. [What is she doing?] Mer wondered. In fact, Raimira¡¯s Dragon Fear was so weak that not even Mer felt threatened. Obviously, Raimira¡¯s Dragon Fear failed to affect Eugene¡¯s body and mana, so Eugene didn¡¯t hesitate and jumped at Raimira. ¡®Attack!¡¯ Raimira was struck with shock, but she swung her hand reactively. It was a sloppy attack, but the power contained in the blow could not be ignored. Eugene had no intention of allowing Raimira to hit him, so he took the Strom Sword Wynnyd out of his cloak. [It is I, Tempest, the Wind Spirit King! I havee to Helmuth!] Eugene had been relying on the Holy Sword most of the time in recent battles, so he had rarely used Wynnyd ofte. In fact, today was his first time finally drawing the de once again ever since his arrival in Helmuth. So, Tempest screamed as if he had been waiting an eternity for this moment. Wynnd was only used as a conduit in the beginning. Ever since he signed the contract with Tempest, it could talk to Eugene whenever it wanted... so Tempest screaming like this every time he held Wynnyd was Tempest being strange and stubbornly insisting on making his presence known. ¡®Be quiet,¡¯ Eugene told Tempest in his mind. [Hamel! My shouts can only be heard in your head anyways.] ¡®I know, I know, but just be quiet.¡¯ Eugene''s cold response seemed to have an effect on Tempest''s winds, as they ckened slightly. It was almost as if Tempest was trying to convey his displeasure by sulking. However, not all the winds weakened. Only the winds surrounding Eugene weakened, while the winds opposing Raimira''s attack intensified into a violent storm. Booom! The air shook with a loud explosion, but the noise didn''t reach far beyond its point of origin. Instead, the sound reverberated as if Eugene and Raimira were standing in the depths of a cave. The magic Eugene had cast was muffling any sounds from escaping the area. If Raimira had been more level-headed, she might have noticed the magic enveloping the space and attempted to dispel it. Unfortunately, she was far from being calm and collected at the moment. Raimira''s voice shook with fear as she stumbled backward several steps. She stuttered with a pale face and quivering lips, "W-W-What is it!?" Raimira was in utter shock and unable topose herself. "Y-Y-You, intruder! H-How dare you attack thisdy!? If you stop now¡­. R-Right! If you stop immediately, thisdy will forgive you, so¡­" Raimira spoke frantically without taking a single breath. Eugene did not push her further but paused instead. He had sensed it after colliding with her. No, he had, in fact, sensed it before exchanging a blow with her, but he became certain after. ¡®This isn¡¯t Dark Power.¡¯ Dark Energy was a powerful force that was harnessed by the demons, including the Demon Kings. It was a type of mana that had been infused with the dark essence of demons, and when purified, it became known as Dark Power. Raizakia, the fallen ck Dragon, had channeled the boundless mana of his Dragon Heart into Dark Power. When Eugene shed with Raimira, he discovered that, despite being his offspring, Raimira did not possess Dark Power. Rather, her mana was as pure as that of any other dragon. [Hamel. She¡¯s¡ª] ¡®I know.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s expression crumpled. He knew what Tempest had been about to say. There was no way Eugene was unaware since he had been the one to actually exchange a blow with Raimira. Nevertheless, given the present circumstances, he couldn''t afford to divert his attention toward this unexpected detail about Raimira. Despite everything, the fact remained that she was a dragon, and he could not afford to lose vignce. ¡°Kyah!¡± Even though Raimira fumbled as if she had never fought in her life and even though her screams contained not a shred of dignity that belonged to dragons, Eugene did not let his guard down. ¡°Kyaahhh¡­.¡± Apart from her personality, tone, and endless screams, it was clear that Raimira wasn¡¯t an opponent to be taken easily. It was being proven to him right now. Eugene carefully calcted each strike of his sword, aiming not to deliver a lethal blow to Raimira but to subdue her and use her to find Raizakia through Akasha''s Draconic spell. He had to hold back his full strength and limit his strikes to only cut what they touched. His n was not to end Raimira¡¯s life but to sever her limbs to immobilize her. ¡°Ah¡­?¡± Despite that, things weren¡¯t going as Eugene wished. Even though his de made contact with Raimira¡¯s body several times, the only things that the fierce me and the sword-force severed were parts of her clothes. His sword and Sword-force had definitely made contact with her skin, but there weren¡¯t any scratches on it, let alone a cut. Raimira was also surprised by the oue. She couldn''t believe it herself, and her eyes filled with wonder as she looked down at her unscathed skin. ¡°Ah¡­. Ahahahaha! Ahahahahaha! Look! You lowly human intruder! Your weak de couldn¡¯t even pierce thisdy¡¯s skin! You won¡¯t even get me to shed a single drop of blood!¡± Raimira immediately changed her attitude and proudly puffed out her chest. Then she reached out her hand toward Eugene, allowing her sleeve to p as if to show off. ¡°Repent for your sins, beg for forgiveness and your life! T-Thisdy is merciful, and if you sincerely beg for mercy¡­ she will reconsider forgiving you!¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Eugene''s disappointment was palpable as he frowned at Wynnyd and the sword-force, paying no attention to Raimira''s nonsensical words. Instead, he stared at Wynnyd and the sword-force with a frown. Wynnyd¡¯s wind intensified as if responding to Eugene¡¯s disappointed gaze. Tempest was conveying that his pride had been hurt. Then Eugene''s expression darkened as he shifted his stare to Raimira, who was quivering in fear. He had been holding back during their fight, but it was clear to him that he would have to use lethal force to subdue her. "It won''t do unless we intend to kill her," Eugene said with a steely resolve. Raimira''s jaw dropped in shock, and she stumbled back a few steps. Her legs were still shaking, and she could feel the cold sweat on her forehead. ¡°Intend¡­. Intend to kill? S-S-So, you came here with the intention of assassinating me! Do you know who thisdy is? D-Do you know what you¡¯re saying when¡ª¡± Eugene disregarded Raimira¡¯s stuttering words. He ced Wynnyd back in his cloak and stretched his fingers, making a chilling crackling sound that sent shivers down Raimira''s spine. Raimira felt the urge to flee, but her pride as a dragon forbade her from turning her back to the enemy and showing a sign of weakness. Even in the absence of witnesses, she couldn''t allow herself to run away from a mere human invader. Meanwhile, Eugene lowered his posture without any knowledge or consideration of Raimira¡¯s conflicted thoughts. A sh of purple lightning from Lightning sh blinded Raimira¡¯s line of sight, and her nervous, frightened mind reacted with a dy. ¡°Kuagh!¡± Raimira was winded. Her enemy had charged at her from the front. Eugene had ced everything into speed without trying to use anyplicated techniques. Even if Raimira had not been nervous and scared, she could not have reacted in time. Eugene had barreled toward her in a straight line and mmed his shoulder into her sr plexus while wrapping both his arms around her waist. Now, Eugene''s feet lifted off the ground, and his body floated in midair, sustained by the mana coursing through him. He wrapped his arms tighter around Raimira''s waist and drove her toward the ground. With a loud rumble, he mmed her back against the ground and continued to push her down. Eugene had learned from his previous attacks that sword-force couldn''t harm a dragon, even in human form using Polymorph. However, he could use sheer force to restrain her and rob her of her freedom. Struggling under Eugene¡¯s weight, Raimira shrieked, ¡°Kyaaah! Kyah! L-Let go! Let go! G-Geroff!¡± Raimira found herself in a situation she had never experienced before. Despite theck of physical pain, the weight of Eugene''s body pressing down on hers was overwhelming, and it filled her with fear. Eugene, on the other hand, waspletely unaware of the turmoil inside Raimira¡¯s mind. He couldn''t decipher the meaning of her frantic screams and the word ¡®geroff,¡¯ but he did recognize that shecked proper etiquette and training. Crack! Craaack! A manifestation of mana appeared behind Eugene, taking shape and adding even more weight to Raimira''s already restrained limbs. ¡°Y-You! Thisdy is¡­ the child of the ck Dragon! I-If you so much as harm a single hair on thisdy¡¯s body¡ª! The ck Dragon will not forgive you. Y-You will be vaporized without a trace by his Dragon Breath! A-A-And your soul will suffer forever in¡­.¡± ¡°Just be quiet,¡± Eugenemanded. His fist connected with Raimira''s cheek Although the blow didn''t cause her any pain, she abruptly stopped screaming as her head jerked to the side. After a moment of silence, Raimira''s eyes began to fill with tears. With her head still turned to the side, she slowly shifted her gaze toward Eugene. "Y-You.. h-hit me?" Her voice shook with disbelief and anger. "You... hit me?!" Eugene lifted his fist again, and Raimira recoiled with a stifled cry. She tightly shut her eyes while tears streamed down her face. However, instead of striking her again, Eugene took hold of her cheeks with one of his hands. ¡°Bwegh¡­.¡± Raimira¡¯s lips pursed like those of a carp between Eugene¡¯s fingers. Eugene red indifferently at that idiotic face. The dragon''s eyes met the human''s, and she felt a wave of fear wash over her. His golden eyes were cold and unfeeling, like those of a beast that was about to strike its prey. Raimira¡¯s quivering eyes watched Eugene¡¯s hand. She couldn''t help but wonder what he was nning to do. When his thumb and index finger approached her forehead like a pair of tongs, Raimira''s heart raced with apprehension. ¡°W-Wait, not that! Stop!¡± Raimira shouted hastily. However, with her cheeks being squeezed, her words came out smooshed, and all Eugene heard was gibberish. Crack! As Eugene¡¯s fingers approached the jewel in the center of her forehead, a streak of ck lightning crackled. ¡°Kieeeeeeeeek!¡± Raimira let out a piercing scream unlike any she had emitted before. Her previous screams had been out of fear and panic, but this one was a result of real pain, and it ripped through the air. ¡®I guess I shouldn¡¯t pluck it out,¡¯ Eugene thought. The resistance he felt was significant and unusual. So, instead of trying to pull the jewel out, Eugene flicked his fingertip against it. ¡°Kiyaaeeeeeehh!¡± Raimira''s eyes rolled back, and she stopped screaming, eventually fainting with foaming out of her mouth. Eugene felt relieved as this made things easier for him. He stood up, took Akasha out of his cloak, and looked down at Raimira''s unconscious form. ¡°I got lucky,¡± he said. Eugene had not expected to encounter the Dragon Duchess immediately after entering the Dragon Demon Castle. With a pleased smile, he pointed Akasha¡¯s Dragon Heart at Raimira¡¯s forehead. The power of Akasha¡¯s Draconic spell began to unfold. Chapter 258: The Dragon Duchess (4) Akasha''s Dragon Heart emitted a transparent magical thread that intertwined with the magical thread from Raimira''s Dragon Heart, which was embedded in her forehead. Eugene shut his eyes, focusing all his attention on the task at hand. The necessary conditions had been met, so he knew without a doubt that he could find Raizakia. Raizakia was somewhere in the gap between dimensions, and now with the blood of Raimira, Eugene could track Raizakia down. Ariartel had assured Eugene of this fact and exined that blood ties were the strongest and most primal of all contracts between beings. Furthermore, a fragment of Raizakia''s Dragon Heart was lodged in Raimira''s forehead, ensuring that Eugene could not possibly fail in his quest to locate Raizakia under these circumstances. Fwoosh! As Eugene closed his eyes, the darkness that consumed his vision flickered momentarily. However, he remained calm and collected, for he was no stranger to the art of the Draconic spell. He was well-versed in the intricacies of the tracking process and knew precisely how it worked. ¡®¡­No.¡¯ Yet, he couldn''t help but notice that something was amiss this time around. There was a stark contrast between his present experience and his previous encounters with the Draconic spell. In the past, he had experimented with Akasha''s Draconic spell using inanimate objects such as Wynnyd, the ne, and the Moonlight Sword. This time, he had employed the Draconic spell on a living being, Raimira, and the Dragon Heart on her forehead. This fundamental difference meant that the current oue of the Draconic spell was vastly distinct from his previous attempts. The room was vast but deste, more like a secluded pce than anything else. It contained everything one could need, but there was no warmth to be found. Conversations were few and far between, and when they did ur, they were limited to the topics of meals for the day and the day toe. Was there anything she needed? Was there anything she wished for? Regardless of what she gave as an answer, she would always be denied what she truly wished for. Emotions that did not belong to Eugene slowly started to erupt from deep inside his heart. Eugene pressed and probed further. Akasha¡¯s Draconic spell responded to his desire, and he traveled deeper and deeper into Raimira¡¯s memories. The emotions that filled the surroundings slowly faded away, and in time, another memory materialized in front of Eugene¡¯s eyes. The man before Raimira wore an antique ornate robe that suggested a bygone era. His hand extended toward her with outstretched fingers. The man¡¯s skin was smooth, and his long ck hair lustrous. His bright red eyes were unsettling, and a distorted smile yed on his lips. She watched as a small red jewel hovered in the air, suspended by an unseen force in front of the man¡¯s fingertips. Its magical aura seemed to pulse and dance, casting an otherworldly glow on the room. ¡°You exist for me,¡± a voice, cold and eerie, resonated within Eugene''s mind. It was the voice of Raizakia, the ck Dragon. He had taken on the human form he had grown so fond of during the time of Eugene''s past life. Eugene watched as Raizakia reached forward and embedded the small red jewel into the forehead of the newborn. ¡®More.¡¯ Eugene pressed on once more. What he was seeking wasn¡¯t Raimira¡¯s memories and origin. He wanted to find the Dragon Heart and Raizakia through the bloodline that Raimira possessed. As Eugene focused on his goal, the scenes in his mind began to crumble and copse. The tracking magic was optimized to be used in this fashion, and it reached a space beyond space ¡ª the realm of dimensions. The realm of dimensions was iprehensibly vast, far beyond the recognition of mere mortals. Nevertheless, Raizakia¡¯s blood and Dragon Heart paved the way. They were like beacons, leading Eugene through thebyrinthine corridors of the dimension and toward their ultimate master. ¡®More.¡¯ Eugene''s forehead was beaded with cold droplets of sweat. If everything went ording to n, locating Raizakia would trigger the opening of a dimensional door that would lead him straight to the ck Dragon. Once through the gate, Eugene would have the opportunity to vanquish Raizakia and release Sienna from her sealed state in the World Tree. He steeled himself for the challenges ahead. The gap between dimensions felt like a night sky of utterly immeasurable heights. Eugene felt like he was staring into an endless night. The darkness he encountered was different from anything he had experienced before. It ebbed and flowed around him, mixing with strange shapes that were indistinguishable from stars and clouds. As Eugene''s consciousness delved deeper into the unknown, he caught sight of something colossal. His brows furrowed with his eyes still shut. The immense entity appeared to be curled up into a tight ball, with its serpentine tail coiled tightly around its form. The creature¡¯s massive wings enveloped its body, almost like a shield protecting it from the outside world. Right in front of Eugene was the ck Dragon himself, Raizakia. His once majestic scales were now marred by deep gashes and tears as if they had been buffeted by a fierce storm. The flesh of his wings was likewise tattered and torn, revealing raw muscle and bone. ¡®I found him.¡¯ Eugene felt a chill run down his back, and a deep sense of joy bloomed within his heart. He reflexively stretched out his hand toward Raizakia. Wooooo! Although the ck Dragon was asleep with his eyes closed shut, the powerful barrier wrapped around his figure pushed away the interference from Eugene and the Draconic spell. ¡®It¡¯s impossible to force my way through.¡¯ Eugene''s mind raced as he tried to think of a new n. He pushed himself to the limit, feeling as if his brain would overheat. Nevertheless, he continued to resonate with Akasha, unwilling to give up. The ease with which he had found Raizakia had surprised him, but now he needed toe up with another way to achieve his goal. Eugene had seeded in finding Raizakia, and he had made contact with the barrier surrounding the ck Dragon as well. Now, he focused his mind and delved deeper into the nature of the barrier surrounding Raizakia. Despite the ck Dragon not being a Demon King, the barrier seemed to be imprable. Even so, Eugene refused to give up so easily. While resonating with Akasha, Eugene sought to unravel the magic of the dragons and see through the barrier. It was a difficult task, but not impossible. He had to find a way to break through the barrier if he wanted to have any hope of defeating Raizakia and saving Sienna. Once Eugene¡¯s understanding deepened and he gained insight into the nature of the barrier, thendscape around him began to change. He was no longer floating in the gap between dimensions, and the sleeping figure of Raizakia disappeared into the distance. It was a pity that he could not give the dragon the middle finger in person. In no time, Eugene¡¯s consciousness had left the gap between dimensions entirely and was now looking down at a ce somewhere on the continent instead. He recognized thendscape easily because of the location¡¯s peculiar characteristics. Furthermore, there was only one ce like it on the continent. It was the Samar Forest. Eugene looked down at the Samar Forest from high in the sky as a consciousness. Raizakia¡¯s barrier was carved throughout the forest ¡ª or, to be more precise, on the earth itself. Seeing this, Eugene came to an understanding of what had happened. Sienna had attempted to expel Raizakia into another dimension using a spell that had been impossible for her to cast even in perfect condition, but the world tree and the elves had lent her their power, turning an impossibility into reality. However, the expelling had not gone ording to n. Instead of being transported to a different dimension, Raizakia had fallen into a gap between worlds. Sienna''s critical state had yed a part in the failed spell, but Raizakia''s strong resistance had also contributed to its failure. The thing that protected Raizakia was a powerful spell that tied his being to thend of the Samar Forest, preventing him from being banished to another dimension. He had to sacrifice his dignity as a dragon and exist as a ghost bound to thend, but by doing so, he managed to save his life. This was how he had been able to survive for so long. ¡®It¡¯s magic that¡¯s been kept alive and well for two hundred years,¡¯ Eugene surmised. The magic protecting Raizakia was an all-epassing force that saturated the ck Dragon. Among the dragons, who had been heralded as the pioneers of magic, Raizakia was the most formidable. As a result, tampering with the magic that was keeping Raizakia anchored to thend was an insurmountable task for Eugene. To alter or nullify the spell, Eugene would need to demolish the Samar Forest and obliterate the ground below it. There couldn''t be even a mote of dirt remaining. However, it was still possible for him to open a dimensional door in the Samar Forest using Raimira and the Dragon Heart as the key. If Eugene could do that, then he could re-attempt his initial n. He would kill Raizakia in the gap between dimensions. It seemed more realistic to do something about Raizakia than to attempt topletely destroy a piece ofnd that was evenrger than the empire. In the first ce, destroying the forest meant destroying the territory of the elves, which was where Sienna was sealed. So, there was no point in even trying. Eugene cursed under his breath, muttering, "Fucking lizard bastard," as he put away his sword and Akasha. Though it wasn''t as bad as when he targeted the Moonlight Sword, he still felt a headache from observing a faraway ce. While lowering his gaze, he pressed his fingers against his temple in an attempt to alleviate the pain. Eugene checked on Raimira, who was still unconscious. He poked her with his foot just to make sure she wasn''t faking it, but there was no response. Then he sighed in relief, as he preferred it this way. Eugene lifted Raimira and slung her over his shoulder, nning to take her with him. Though he hadn''t been able to kill Raizakia right away, he felt somewhat satisfied as he had managed to catch a glimpse of Raizakia as well ase up with a n to achieve his goal. In the first ce, Eugene had not been expecting to kill Raizakia during his time in the Dragon Demon Castle. Moreover, Eugene hadid his hands on the key ¡ª Raimira, the Dragon Duchess. It would have proven difficult to escape had a disturbance broken out in the Dragon Demon Castle, but fortunately, it was still quiet. ¡®That means I just need to take this kid with me right now.¡¯ Eugene approached the warp-gate with a grin. The warp-gate was still operational. All he needed to do was to warp back down to the mining vige and then get out of Karabloom somehow¡­ ¡°What the hell?¡± Eugene climbed onto the warp-gate with Raimira over his shoulder, but the connection was immediately cut off. He checked the status of the warp-gate with Akasha, and when he realized the reason for the disconnection, a frown appeared on his face. ¡°Dammit.¡± Eugene descended from the warp-gate and gently set Raimira down on the ground. He tried to rouse her by giving a few light ps on her cheek, but she remained unresponsive. ¡°Sir Eugene, try giving her a flick on the forehead,¡± suggested Mer while poking her head out of his cloak. Mer¡¯srge eyes sparkled with curiosity and yfulness as she smiled mischievously. Thinking that it was a good idea, Eugene gave a nod before putting it into action. Thuck! Eugene flicked his finger against Raimira¡¯s forehead. The thumb-sized Dragon Heart trembled with shock, and Raimira¡¯s limp body suddenly convulsed. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Raimira screamed. Eugene immediately reacted by seizing her neck and pressing against it. Then he positioned his fingers for another flick and ced them right in front of her eyes for her to see. ¡°Truthfully answer all of the questions I¡¯m about to ask you,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Y-Y-You! You intruder! What are you doing to¡ª?!¡± stuttered Raimira. Thuck! ¡°Hyaaahhk!¡± Eugene made sure not to put too much force behind the flicks since he couldn¡¯t have her fainting repeatedly. The sharpness of her scream wasn¡¯t as bad as before since he flicked with less force, but her body still convulsed with pain. ¡°Is it impossible to use the warp-gate with you?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°W-What¡­. What are you talking about?¡± Raimira responded. However, it wasn¡¯t the answer Eugene wanted. Thuck! Silence reced the scream that had erupted from Raimira earlier, but her jaw remained open, a sign of the intense pain she was experiencing. Tears streamed down her face and slowly pooled around the corners of her eyes. ¡°Are there any other ways for you to get out of here?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°D-Do not¡­ i-insult me¡­ any longer¡­. Thisdy is the child of the ck Dragon¡­. T-The rightful master¡­ of the Dragon Demon Castle¡­.¡± Thuck! Eugene flicked his finger against Raimira''s forehead with a gentle touch, and streams of tears started flowing down her eyes again. Despite her efforts to hold them back, the tears poured out one after another, eroding away any shred of her dignity as a dragon. Eugene had always been a steely man, indifferent to the tears of his opponents. Yet, seeing Raimira cry so bitterly, Eugene¡¯s heart couldn''t help but soften a little. It wasn''t just her tears that made her seem vulnerable; her small size and the way she curled up in pain made her look no different from Mer. ¡°Get it together, Sir Eugene. This girl with a wide forehead only looks young on the outside. She¡¯s lived for more than two hundred years,¡± Mer reminded Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s even more difficult because she¡¯s simr to you,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°She¡¯s not like me,¡± said Mer. ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± asked Eugene. Eugene''s inquiry pierced the heavy silence that hung in the air. His gazended on his shamelesspanion, and Mer stared back at him as if not wanting to be defeated. The unspoken challenge between them was palpable. Mer''s expression betrayed her reluctance to lose, but that was it. She could not deny the fact that she had been in existence for aparable amount of time. Eugene''s struggle with Raimira wasn''t solely due to Mer''s presence. It was also because Raimira, unlike her father Raizakia, was untainted by Dark Energy. Additionally, when Eugene used the Draconic spell earlier, he had glimpsed into her past. The scenes he had witnessed reminded him of Molon, so he couldn''t simply brush them aside. Eugene''s expression was stoic as he gazed down at Raimira with his hand hovering over her forehead. Despite the fleeting empathy he felt, he had no desire to take care of her. His fingers tightened into a fist before slowly rxing, and he pressed them against her skin. Veins bulged on his forehead while he summoned his power in his middle finger, curling it back as far as it could go. ¡°T-Thisdy cannot leave the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± Raimira uttered in a hurry. ¡°The red jewel in my forehead and my heart are connected to the core of the Dragon Demon Castle¡­. It would be no exaggeration to say that my existence is maintaining the Dragon Demon Castle, so t-thisdy cannot leave this ce.¡± Eugene''s brow furrowed as he pondered the situation before him. The enormousndmass had remained suspended in the sky for the entire two hundred years of Raizakia''s absence, but was that truly all there was to it? The Dragon Demon Castle''s barrier, which could withstand all external attacks, had been maintained for the same length of time. All of this had been possible due to the existence of Raimira, the hatchling. Therefore, Raimira simply could not leave the Dragon Demon Castle. Although Raimira was not yet fully mature, the red jewel embedded in her forehead was still a fragment of Raizakia''s Dragon Heart. This small but powerful jewel acted as the heart of the Dragon Demon Castle, keeping the magic of the massive fortress alive and functioning. Gulp¡­. Raimira''s chapped lips quivered as she stole a nce at Eugene, who was currently still deep in thought with furrowed brows. How many times had he struck her forehead? Fear churned in her stomach as she tried to remember. The pain had been so excruciating that Raimira struggled to recall precisely how many times she had endured the torment. It was understandable. After being born into this world, no one had ever treated Raimira like this. Today, she experienced physical pain, rather than pain of the heart, for the first time ever. ¡®Is he really even human?¡¯ As Raimira looked into Eugene''s eyes, she could sense anger and irritation emanating from them. This was enough to make her shrink back even further. She felt a chill run down her spine. Despite the fact that he had done nothing more than reveal his emotions through his gaze, Raimira was overwhelmed by his intensity¡­ ¡°You. Why are you here?¡± Eugene suddenly shot her a question. Raimira bent her toes with surprise upon hearing the sudden question. ¡°W-What did you say?¡± she asked. Eugene repeated his question, "Why are you here?" Despite having used Akasha''s Draconic spell to see Raimira''s memories, the images had not been clear. It wasn''t because Eugene didn''t care about the details but because that Draconic spell wasn''t meant for reading other people''s memories. However, he had still managed to catch a glimpse of the life Raimira had led in the Dragon Demon Castle. Raimira was Raizakia¡¯s daughter ¡ª the hatchling of the ck Dragon ¡ª and the Dragon Duchess. Despite her noble lineage, Raimira''s existence was shrouded in secrecy and unknown to the public. Only existences on the level of the other three Dukes of Helmuth were aware of Raimira. It had been inevitable. The vassals of the Dragon Demon Castle had never revealed Raimira¡¯s existence to the outside world, and during Raizakia¡¯s absence, Raimira had been confined to the deepest pce in the fortress. The garden and the pce had been Raimira¡¯s entire world. When Eugene used Draconic, he had felt the full extent of her solitude and sorrow. Even so, Eugene red at Raimira with apathetic eyes. Raimira squirmed and wriggled her fingers in response. ¡°T-Thisdy¡­ does not know what you are talking about. I am the rightful master of the Dragon Demon Castle¡­. This castle is rightfully mine, so I can go wherever I wish to. Do not say there¡¯s anything w-w-wrong with me being here!¡± Raimira once again attempted to win back her dignity and pride as a dragon. Yet, when Eugene brought his finger closer to her forehead, Raimira reflexively flinched and shrank back while shaking her head. ¡°Stop with the bullshit, and answer me honestly. Dragon Duchess Raimira, I know you¡¯ve lived your life confined to the secluded pce of the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± said Eugene. ¡°W-What¡­? How did you know¡­? Uh¡­ Uhahaha! You are trying to mock me and discredit me with a lie. No one knows of my existence except for the Four Divine Generals, who are the most loyal and favored by the ck Dragon!¡± shouted Raimira. ¡°Well, I know about it, you little brat. If you don¡¯t want to die, just answer my question,¡± said Eugene, opting to showcase his killing intent instead of giving her another flick. Raimira burst into hups while replying, ¡°I-I-I came out of the pce f-for the s-sake of the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s future. T-The Four Divine Generals said I needed to b-be the new master of the D-Dragon Demon Castle¡­. T-That¡¯s why¡­. That¡¯s how it happened. I seeded the B-ck Dragon a-and¡­ became the new ma-master of the Dragon Demon Castle, a-and¡­ and¡­.¡± ¡°I asked you how you came out,¡± repeated Eugene. ¡°¡­The Four Divine Generals opened the door. T-Thisdy had never been able to g-get out before, but¡­ they told me it was time for me to step forward¡­,¡± answered Raimira. Upon hearing that, Eugene let out a derisive snort. While he wasn''t particrly familiar with the Four Divine Generals, he could discern from their actions that they were not the most loyal of followers of the ck Dragon. Although, it was possible that they had been more devoted in the past. The passage of two hundred years had to have changed them. ¡®It was probably thanks to them turning a blind eye that some of the dwarven goods could be sneaked away. They could always put the me on the inspectorter if they got caught,¡¯ Eugene thought. In addition, it was unpleasantly obvious why they had chosen to release Raimira after locking her up for two hundred years. Sooner orter, Count Karad would dere war against the Dragon Demon Castle, but the Four Divine Generals would not want a war. Therefore, they would want to reveal Raizakia¡¯s absence by putting forth Raimira. Afterward, they could have Raimira acknowledge defeat to avoid suffering any damage. ¡®If Count Karad asked for the head of the lord, they could simply give Raimira¡¯s head since she¡¯s technically the acting lord.¡¯ Eugene could also guess why she was in this ce as well. ¡ªDo you not recognize who I am? Well, rightly so! However, know that everyone in the Dragon Demon Castle wille to know my name today! I am the legitimate master of the Dragon Demon Castle and the only flesh and blood of the ck Dragon! Raimira had shouted such words from the beginning because she no longer had to hide her existence. No, rather, the Four Divine Generals wanted her to unt her existence to the fullest. ¡°H-Human intruder, how long are you nning to keep me captive for? I-If you let thisdy go and then kneel and beg for forgiveness¡­. I will show you forgiveness as a merciful lord¡­,¡± muttered Raimira. The Four Divine Generals had skillfully manipted the situation, using the young girl''s naivety to their advantage. They had pushed her to punish a corrupt inspector, and she had unwittingly yed right into their hands. Now, she was here, proiming herself as the new master of the Dragon Demon Castle. It was a foolish move and one that would not go unpunished. Eugene shook his head in disbelief, marveling at the audacity of these supposed loyalists. ¡°R-Right. Then what do you think about this instead? Intruder, as far as I can tell, your skills are excellent ¡ª perhaps notcking evenpared to the Four Divine Generals. So, I will show you mercy and take you in. I could even make you my personal guard, to have you protect me by my side. I can dub you¡­,¡± Raimira hastily continued. ¡°Poor thing.¡± Eugene shook his head while clicking his tongue. He was saying it intentionally, but he was somewhat sincere as well. ¡°P-P-Poor thing? Intruder! H-How could you, a human, say that to me, a dragon!? Did you just pity me? Thisdy cannot stand this insult!¡± roared Raimira. Yet, contrary to her loud cry, she was still being subdued by Eugene. ¡°Intruder! I am not a poor thing! Take that back right now and¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I am not to be pitied!¡± shouted Raimira. ¡°You¡¯re going to die in a few days,¡± said Eugene while clicking his tongue once more. Raimira¡¯s eyes widened with shock as she stared at Eugene. Chapter 259: The Dragon Duchess (5) Raimira blinked dazedly as she struggled to make sense of Eugene''s rambling. What on earth was he talking about? Today was meant to be a joyous asion for her ¡ª a day she had longed for. At least, that had been the n. The pce doors that had confined her for centuries had finally flung wide open, granting her freedom. The Four Divine Generals, who had seldom paid her a visit over the years, had unlocked the door and allowed her to step out into the world once more. From now on, she would no longer need to bide her time in the secluded pce, and she would no longer have to stay lonely or sleep for long periods of time just to kill time. Raimira did not know the whereabouts of the ck Dragon, who would one day return, but the Dragon Demon Castle was now hers to rule. Even the Four Divine Generals had acknowledged this fact. With their lord away, it was up to Raimira, his daughter, to safeguard the castle. Yet, what was it that had happened next? To her surprise, the Four Divine Generals hade to herining about a petty inspector who had absconded with treasures meant for their lord. How absurd! Still, that had been fine. Tomemorate bing the deputy castle lord, she had decided to make the name Raimira known to all the subjects and the people of the Dragon Demon Castle. So, she came to this ce to take care of the corruption with her own hands. However, her ns hade to an abrupt halt when she stumbled upon a human intruder that she didn¡¯t know. Despite her efforts to resist, he had overpowered her, knocking her to the ground and striking her precious red jewel. She had been confused from the beginning to the end, and now, he was suddenly expressing sympathy toward her, saying that she would die in a few days. ¡°¡­Thisdy did not properly hear what you said. So, what did you say?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°You¡¯ll die in a few days,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°N-Nonsense. Stop spouting nonsense. Why would thisdy die out of the blue?¡± asked Raimira. "They''ll most likely chop off your head and mount it on the Dragon Demon Castle''s gate. Or perhaps they''ll impale you with a spike through your crotch and put you on disy in front of the gate. Or maybe they''ll opt to dismember you, one limb at a time," Eugene went on and on. ¡°W-W-W-What are you¡­.¡± "Ah, and let''s not forget this one," Eugene remarked. "It''s a brutal execution method favored by the dark elves. They force their victims to kneel, cut open their stomachs, and pull out their intestines while they''re still alive." "How absurd! Y-You''re just trying to frighten thisdy with your macabre tale! Your w-words hold no sway over me. Thisdy feels nothing!" Raimira retorted, determined not to be intimidated. "Do you know what all those execution methods have inmon?" Eugene asked, his expression remaining indifferent. Of course, Raimira had no idea. Her knowledge of executions was limited to what she had seen in historical dramas and movies during her time in the secluded pce, and even then, the methods were typically limited to stabbing or poisoning. ¡°It¡¯s that all of them are symbolic in nature,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°S-Symbolic? What do you mean by that?¡± asked Raimira. "A war is imminent in the Dragon Demon Castle. The enemy could invade within hours or a few days at most," Eugene announced. Raimira was taken aback; this was the first she had heard of such news. She gazed at Eugene with her mouth agape and an expression filled with confusion. Eugene had suspected as much. Raimira truly was clueless about the impending threat. He clicked his tongue in frustration before delving into an exnation of the impending war that loomed over the Dragon Demon Castle. There was simply no way Raimira could have been aware of the situation. Throughout her time in the pce, Raimira had been provided with various forms of entertainment to keep her upied. Books of all kinds, including fairy tales, novels, and historical tomes, were at her disposal. She even hadic books to help her pass the time. After ck towers were established throughout Helmuth and a television-watching culture was developed there, she had also been able to indulge in video media such as television dramas and movies. These things had helped her endure the long years of istion. However, despite all the entertainment avable to her, Raimira had never been granted ess to the news. As a result, she waspletely ignorant of the situation outside the Dragon Demon Castle. Raimira burst outughing at Eugene¡¯s words. ¡°A¡­ war? Ahahahaha! What a stupid lowlife you are, human intruder! This is the Dragon Demon Castle, an imprable fortress ruled by the ck Dragon himself! Thisdy does not know this Count Karad of the Ruol fief, but how could a mere count dare to invade the dukedom of the ck Dragon!?¡± ¡°Then why do you suppose I invaded this ce, even though I have no such title?¡± asked Eugene with a sigh. Raimira hesitated for a moment before responding, "That''s because¡­ you are a rude human being who¡­ does not know how to value his life." Although she had initially mocked Eugene, Raimira wasn''tpletely thoughtless or stupid. At the human¡¯s mention of an impending war, Raimira''s mind raced with memories of recent events that had seemed out of ce. The inside of the Dragon Demon Castle had been bustling, and the faces of the Four Divine Generals had appeared full of worries when they opened the door for her. Was that all? She had imagined the streets to be full of life and noise, but instead, she had only found a dark, gloomy ce waiting for her. Moreover, many people had been packing their things for some reason¡­ ¡°If¡­ what you say is true¡­ why would you say that thisdy will die?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because the subjects of the Dragon Demon Castle have no intention of going to war. If Raizakia were alive and well, there wouldn¡¯t even be a need to worry about war, just like you said. But Raizakia isn¡¯t here right now,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°But! I am here! Thisdy is the only child, the only blood of the ck Dragon!¡± eximed Raimira. "That''s why they want to end the war with your head. Do you, by chance, think that Count Karad would back down after invading the Dragon Demon Castle just because he saw your face?" Frankly, that was exactly what Raimira had been thinking. She had to admit that she had been foolish in hoping that her presence alone would be enough to quell the conflict. As Eugene''s words sunk in, Raimira realized the absurdity of her way of thinking and remained silent while her lips pursed with worry. Raimira found herselfpletely swayed by Eugene''s words, and her own observations only reinforced his argument. Her eyes darted around with anxiety, and after a moment, she parted her lips. ¡°Surely¡­ there is no guarantee that they will kill me?¡± she asked with a trembling voice. ¡°Right, there is no guarantee. There¡¯s no guarantee that they won¡¯t kill you either,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Why¡­ Why are you saying something so scary? I-In the first ce, who are you? Why are you here? Why did you invade the Dragon Demon Castle, and why are you tormenting and frightening thisdy?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°I came here to kill you,¡± said Eugene, causing Raimira¡¯s face to turnpletely pale. ¡°But now, I don¡¯t think that will be necessary.¡± Eugene wasn''t entirely certain if he could kill Raimira. He pondered over the red jewel on her forehead and wondered if it would maintain its form even after her death. Would her blood and Dragon Heart be enough to open the dimensional door to Raizakia? Eugene couldn''t afford to risk failure by attempting something uncertain. As such, he decided to take Raimira alive instead of killing her. There were other minor reasons behind his decision as well. To be honest, he felt a little sorry for her because of how she had lived an isted life like Molon and Mer. More importantly, Raimira wasn¡¯t tainted. She was the biological child of Raizakia, but she was just a regr dragon ¡ª a daughter that had been born toy more eggs as well as a meal to be feasted on one day. Raimira was just like Anise and the previous Saints. ¡®She has all the features that I fucking hated.¡¯Eugene¡¯s expression crumpled when he thought about it. However, Raimira did not properly understand Eugene¡¯s sympathy, and her teeth ttered with fear. ¡°Y-You mean to say you¡¯ve changed your mind. W-What a wonderful thing. T-Thisdy is the child of the ck Dragon and a dragon, s-so she should not be so easily killed,¡± said Raimira. ¡°Where did you learn to speak like such an idiot?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°From books and TV,¡± answered Raimira. Eugene¡¯s desire to spare her lessened as he spoke with her further. ¡°Intruder, you said you changed your mind about killing thisdy, so don¡¯t you think it¡¯s time you let me go now¡­?¡± ¡°I said I wouldn¡¯t kill you, not that I would let you go,¡± said Eugene. ¡°How difficult. Then what do you n to do with me¡­?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°I¡¯m going to take you out of the Dragon Demon Castle. I¡¯m just thinking how best to do it,¡± responded Eugene. Raimira became wide-eyed at his answer. ¡°Did you say you would take thisdy with you?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Raimira regarded Eugene with a serious expression. "Are you nning to kidnap thisdy and demand a ransom from the Dragon Demon Castle?" she asked, hoping to catch him off guard with her sharpness. However, Eugene simply regarded her with a nk expression, not bothering to answer what he considered a stupid question. Instead, he changed the topic. ¡°Don¡¯t you want to run away?¡± he asked, staring at her with squinted eyes. ¡°Everything I said is true. Seeing that you aren¡¯t mindlessly insisting that I¡¯m lying, you must have some idea about the war.¡± ¡°O-Of course. Thisdy is a dragon. Dragons are the greatest and the wisest race in the world,¡± answered Raimira. ¡°So, I¡¯m asking if you want to run away,¡± said Eugene once more. Raimira didn¡¯t answer right away. If it had been a question of whether she wanted to die or not, she could have given an answer very easily. Naturally, Raimira did not want to die. She had finally been freed from her prison for the first time in two hundred years, so there was no way she was willing to die. ¡°If you don¡¯t run away, you will die,¡± said Eugene. It wasn¡¯t like he could read her thoughts, though. He was simply pressing her for an answer since she had remained silent for a while. Raimira finally responded, ¡°T-Thisdy does not want to die. However, she is the ck Dragon¡¯s blood¡­ destined to be the master of the Dragon Demon Castle. How could a lord abandon their castle and¡­.¡± Eugene furrowed his brows and asked, "Do you have any obligation or loyalty to save these bastards?" Raimira''s mouth opened and closed repeatedly, but she couldn''t give a definitive answer. Loyalty? She had known them for two centuries, but it wasn''t as if those long years had been filled with affection and friendship. The only ones who knew of her existence in the Dragon Demon Castle were the Four Divine Generals, and they had kept her locked up in the secluded pce after Raizakia¡¯s disappearance. Since the Four Divine Generals had signed a direct contract with Raizakia, Raimira had been unable tomand them even with the red jewel. None of them had ever shown affection to her even once. Did Raimira have an obligation to save them? She didn¡¯t. She cared little for the Four Divine Generals, who had never served her. In the end, she was a dragon after all. Raimira didn¡¯t care whether the Four Divine Generals, who were neither her vassals nor friendly toward her, lived or died. ¡°But the Dragon Demon Castle¡­,¡± Raimira''s thoughts were consumed with the Dragon Demon Castle and her father, Raizakia, causing her to hesitate. The red jewel on her forehead was proof of Raizakia''s madness and fixation. She knew this because as a dragon, her memories were vivid from birth. Raimira could never forget the intense gaze of her father, the ck Dragon, when she first emerged from her egg. He knew that her existence was solely for him. Although she didn''t know why Raizakia had allowed her birth and raised her, she knew that her purpose and future were tied to her father''s obsessions. Therefore, leaving the Dragon Demon Castle was not even a possibility for Raimira. Despite being appointed as the castle''s lord, she believed it was only temporary until her father, the ck Dragon, returned. Her entire existence had been for her father, and she was convinced that as soon as he returned, she would willingly give up her position and all her power to him without hesitation. In the end, Raimira couldn¡¯t agree with Eugene. It was not because she didn¡¯t want to run away but because she couldn¡¯t possibly imagine going against Raizakia¡¯smands. ¡®But¡­ what¡¯s actually important for the ck Dragon shouldn¡¯t be the Dragon Demon Castle but thisdy¡¯s existence, right?¡¯ A thought urred to Raimira. She realized that the Dragon Demon Castle, despite having existed for hundreds of years, was not irreceable. The ck Dragon was powerful enough to create dozens of simr castles if he wished. Raimira also acknowledged that the lives of those who lived in the castle were insignificantpared to the life of a single dragon. Ultimately, she did not want to die. ¡®Thisdy cannot die this fast, not in this way. Thisdy exists for the ck Dragon, so she cannot die without the permission of the ck Dragon.¡¯ Raimira clenched her fists and renewed her resolve. ¡°Hmm¡­. Intruder, I understand what you are saying. Since you want to take thisdy out, I will especially grant you the opportunity to save me,¡° said Raimira. [Why don¡¯t you just kill her instead, Sir Eugene?] grumbled Mer while pinching Eugene¡¯s waist from inside the cloak. ¡°But¡­ as I said before, thisdy is connected to the Dragon Demon Castle. As long as the central core of the Dragon Demon Castle is strong and intact, she cannot escape from the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± exined Raimira. ¡°Then I will just have to destroy that core,¡± said Eugene with an uncaring expression. Raimira started to have hups. Contrary to Eugene¡¯s expression, his answer was brazen. ¡°If you destroy the core, the Dragon Demon Castle will fall to the ground!¡± Raimira eximed with shock. ¡°Of course, it will,¡± replied Eugene. As long as Raimira was tied to the core, it was impossible to sneak her out. In that case, wasn¡¯t it better to just bulldoze through everything? In the first ce, Count Karad would soon be invading the Dragon Demon Castle with Jagon leading the way. Eugene didn¡¯t know exactly how they nned tounch the invasion, but when the time came, the chaos in the Dragon Demon Castle would reach its peak. If the castle were to be engulfed as a battlefield, who would really care whether the Dragon Demon Castle started to crash before or after the destruction of its core? [No, Sir Eugene. Who would not care? Of course, they would care. Who wouldn¡¯t when such a big castle starts to fall?] said Mer. ¡®Things just happen in war.¡¯ [Be honest. You just want to break it because you dislike the Dragon Demon Castle.] Eugene didn¡¯t deny that. It was true that he had the desire to drive this forsaken castle into the ground. Meanwhile, Raimira was in disbelief and stared at Eugene silently, at a loss for words. She couldn''t help but question whether this was all a dream. However, the pain from earlier was still fresh, and the throbbing on her forehead was a constant reminder that this was, in fact, reality. After acknowledging it, Raimira felt her pulse start to speed up. The intruder would crash the castle, the Dragon Demon Castle of the ck Dragon, by destroying the core of the Dragon Demon Castle¡­? It was a vicious act that Raimira had never imagined, even in her wildest dreams. Her lips suddenly felt dry, a side effect of her excitement. ¡°E¡­hem. If there is no other choice, then I guess you must. Will you be heading there right away to destroy the core?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°Do you know where it is?¡± questioned Eugene. ¡°It is located in the basement of the castle. If you¡­. If you want to destroy it right away, thisdy can guide you there personally. The castle is far too vast for amoner like you to imagine, so you won¡¯t be able to find your¡ª Waaaaghh!¡± Raimira¡¯s words ended with a scream of pain. Eugene had flicked her red jewel. He didn¡¯t like how she tried to show off, even though there was nothing to unt. Raimira flopped left and right while screaming. ¡°I¡¯m not going to break it right now,¡± stated Eugene. He could, but it would be much too noticeable. After hearing Eugene¡¯s answer, Raimira suddenly stopped screaming and returned a look of disappointment. ¡°Then how long do you n to keep thisdy for? If she doesn¡¯t return, the Four Divine Generals will send a group to find me,¡± said Raimira. ¡°Well, I¡¯m sure they will.¡± The Four Divine Generals needed Raimira for the uing war. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t simply release and send her back to the Dragon Demon Castle after making contact with her. ¡°I will send you back if you make a few promises with me,¡± said Eugene. ¡°What?¡± ¡°If you do not, I will keep hitting your forehead,¡± threatened Eugene. Dragons could not break promises made with Draconic. Although it was just a childish threat, to Raimira, it was more horrifying than anything else in the world. Chapter 260: The Dragon Duchess (6) It was only after Raimira promised in Draonic not to tell anyone about the intruder and the n of escape from the Dragon Demon Castle that she was finally allowed to return to the castle. ¡°You¡¯re here.¡± All of the Four Divine Generals had gathered to greet her at the wide-open gates. They, who had been vassals of the ck Dragon since three hundred years ago, were among the most loyal of the ck Dragon¡¯s vassals. Two hundred years had already passed since the disappearance of the ck Dragon from the castle, and the Four Divine Generals had led the Dragon Demon Castle together by acting as the deputy lord of the Dragon Demon Castle. Raimira''s brows furrowed with confusion as she surveyed the crowd of subjects lined up inside the gate. "What is going on?" she asked. Though she recognized the Four Divine Generals among the throngs of people, the rest were strangers to her. It was clear that all the retainers of the Dragon Demon Castle had gathered on the road leading to there, but for what purpose, she could not fathom it. As she took in the scene before her, Raimira''s expression remained inscrutable, betraying nothing of her inner thoughts. "The arrival of a new lord must be announced to all the vassals of the castle," replied one of the Four Divine Generals, a hulking demonfolk with a thickyer of fat around his abdomen. Despite his size, he spoke with a polite, measured tone. "Now that you have taken your rightful ce as lord of the castle, it is only proper that all know of your noble existence." Raimira regarded the demon thoughtfully, weighing his words with caution. This demon¡¯s role as one of the Four Divine Generals marked him as a formidable warrior and leader. In fact, he was considered the strongest of the four. Nevertheless, two hundred years of peace had clearly taken a toll on his physique. The hulking demonfolk added, ¡°It¡¯s not just the vassals either. Everyone living in the city wille to know today that Your Grace has be the new lord of the castle.¡± "The preparations for your arrival have been meticulously nned," announced one of the other Four Divine Generals. "We have even provided a splendid mount for you so that all may behold your grace and beauty." His fellow generals nodded in agreement, adding their own praise for the preparations made in Raimira¡¯s honor. Raimira could not help but feel a sense of pleasure at their words, despite the lingering doubts she felt about what she had heard from the intruder. She had made a promise in Draconic, but a nagging voice in her mind continued to question whether she could trust the stranger''s motives. "I have heard rumors of an impending war," said Raimira, her tone measured as she addressed the Four Divine Generals. "Is that why I have been chosen as the new lord of the castle? To prepare for battle?" She knew that her question was not an audacious one, as the atmosphere in the city outside the castle made it clear that something was amiss. Furthermore, if the Four Divine Generals had truly intended to keep the looming conflict a secret from her, they would not have allowed her to leave the castle in the first ce. ¡°Have youe from personally inspecting the city? As expected of Your Grace!¡± replied one of the Four Divine Generals. ¡°Why did you not inform thisdy about the war? I¡­. I am not able to understand this situation very well,¡± said Raimira. "Your Grace," began one of the Four Divine Generals who had yet to speak to Raimira directly, addressing her with a deep bow. "For three hundred years, the ck Dragon has been the master of this castle, and all who dwell within, including ourselves, are his loyal vassals. However, it has been two hundred long years since the ck Dragon vanished without a trace. "During that time, as the Four Divine Generals, we took it upon ourselves to lead the Dragon Demon Castle while we waited for the return of our lord. Yet, due tocking the proper qualifications, we were only able to maintain the castle by the skin of our teeth." "Your father, the ck Dragon, was a great and powerful demon, and for the past two hundred years, we have been able to preserve the peace in the Dragon Demon Castle in his name. However¡­," the General trailed off, his expression grave. "Two centuries is no small span of time, even for demons. As such, the demonfolks of neighboring territories havee to realize the absence of the ck Dragon, and they see it as an opportunity to invade our castle and im it as their own." The Four Divine Generals surrounded Raimira and spoke without rest. They did not n to give her any time to think or respond to their words. ¡°As Your Grace saw, war clouds are currently approaching the Dragon Demon Castle.¡± ¡°The one responsible is Count Karad ¡ª the lord of the Ruol Fief, which is located adjacent to the Dragon Demon Castle. He is an abominable demon who knows not how to show respect and honor to his predecessors, a child who was barely babbling during the time of the ck Dragon¡¯s reign.¡± ¡°Count Karad is nning a war, knowing that the ck Dragon is currently absent from the Dragon Demon Castle. However, if Your Grace is crowned as the new lord of the castle, Count Karad will have no reason to dere war.¡± ¡°Your Grace is the only flesh and blood of the ck Dragon, one of the two dragons in the vast Empire of Helmuth and the sessor to the lineage of the Demonic Dragon. Even if Count Karad is crazed for war, he will not dare to wage war if Your Grace bes the new lord.¡± Their words finally stopped for a moment. Raimira was finally given a chance to take a breather, and she nodded in response. ¡°If peacees to the Dragon Demon Castle once again, His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration will personally bestow a title upon Your Grace.¡± ¡°You might even get to seed the ck Dragon and be the Duke.¡° Raimira''s heart was still swaying as she listened intently to the words of the Four Divine Generals. She carefully considered their words, wondering if they could be telling the truth. Their argument was certainly usible. What if they were right? Raimira didn''t have much experience with wars, but she knew that starting one was no small feat. She couldn''t help but consider the possibility that Count Karad might be using the absence of the ck Dragon to his advantage. Maybe bing the new lord of the Dragon Demon Castle could indeed prevent a war. ¡°Hmm. Indeed, all of you speak the truth. Thisdy does not know who this Count Karad is, but he will not dare to wage war if hees to know about thisdy¡¯s existence, the blood of the ck Dragon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡± ¡°Now, Your Grace, please enter the pce. We have a splendid banquet and march prepared to wee you tonight.¡± Raimira entered the Dragon Demon Castle confidently with her shoulders wide. She didn¡¯t need to really worry about that terrible intruder, and with the promise in ce, she couldn¡¯t talk about him anyway. ¡®I will leave you as insurance, just in case.¡¯ The intruder had been violent and rude, but there was no need to get rid of him right now. She could simply find him and have him pay for his sins once it became certain the war would be avoided. However, if it turned out that war was unavoidable, she could still escape the Dragon Demon Castle with his help. ¡°Thisdy is truly smart.¡± Raimira wore a pleased smile at her own worldly wisdom. *** As the sun began to rise, word of the Raizakia''s hatchling taking temporary rule spread through the kingdom. The news originated from the pce and reached far and wide. Count Karad, a keen observer of the Dragon Demon Castle''s affairs, was among those who heard the rumor. From a distance, he gazed upon the looming castle with a troubled expression, his brow furrowed with concern. Count Karad was a formidable creature, a mix of Giant and Daemon, making him a Giant Daemon. However, his true form brought with it a host of inconveniences, so he had opted to reduce his size to a mere two meters for the time being. Despite his smaller stature, there was no denying the sheer power he possessed. While he couldn''t quite measure up to the legendary Earthshaker, Kammash, in terms of size, Count Karad''s true form towered over most creatures at well over five meters tall. The man who stood by Count Karad¡¯s side was neither a Giant nor a Giant Daemon. Nevertheless, the man wasrger than Count Karad, and the grayish-brown fur that covered his whole body was thick and sharp. Rather than fur, it looked more like sharp iron needles. Despite the thick fur that covered the man¡¯s body, every muscle in his body was well-defined. His arms and legs resembled ancient trees, thick and knotty with power. However, it was his hands that were truly intimidating. They wererge enough to crush the head of Count Karad, a powerful Giant Daemon, with ease. A putrid odor of stale blood emanated from the man, evidence of his routine of killing and devouring others. He was a predator in every sense of the word. In fact, he had been feasting upon the flesh of four demonic beasts and two demonfolks just a few hours ago. The man¡¯s name was Jagon ¡ª the Beast of Ravesta. Truth be told, Count Karad was afraid of him. The stakes were high in the impending battle against the Dragon Demon Castle, including the fate of Count Karad¡¯s fief and his very life. That''s why he had spared no expense in hiring Jagon and his subordinate Beastfolks as mercenaries. Count Karad had brought Jagon here and offered the demons from his own territory to him every day as a meal. Despite being the one who had hired Jagon with his money, Count Karad couldn''t truly consider himself an employer. Jagon had no official title, but he was the vassal of the infamous Demon King of Incarceration ¡ª an unfilial son who had even killed his own father, the Depraved Oberon. Even as they stood together, Count Karad was acutely aware that if Jagon suddenly decided to turn on him, Jagon could easily rip his head from his shoulders. ¡®He¡¯s dangerous¡­ but also sharp.¡¯ A smile yed on Count Karad¡¯s lips as he shot a quick nce at Jagon. He knew that the ck Dragon was the biggest wildcard in the uing war, and he had long suspected that the powerful dragon was nowhere to be found. Now, with the confirmation of the ck Dragon¡¯s absence, Count Karad felt a surge of confidence. He pondered over the fate of the ck Dragon, but what he knew for sure was that the current lord of the Dragon Demon Castle was not Raizakia but rather his offspring, who had lived for approximately two hundred years. ¡°Jagon, I wanted to mention that a letter arrived from the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± said Count Karad. Jagon had been standing in ce for a while, staring at the Dragon Demon Castle. Even though Count Karad came to stand right next to him, Jagon did not spare him a single nce. After clearing his throat, Count Karad continued, ¡°There are four old demons in the Dragon Demon Castle. They call themselves the Four Divine Generals. They were quite famous three hundred years ago, but they were bred intocency by the ck Dragon, likened to pigs because of peace andfort. They say that they have no intention of fighting this war.¡± Jagon listened to the situation silently. ¡°They are willing to surrender unconditionally. To prove that, they are going to give us the ck Dragon¡¯s daughter, who has just ascended as the castle¡¯s lord¡­. If they are willing to forfeit that much, I think this might be a good proposal. Rather than going to war¡­.¡± Jagon''s expression remained impassive as he turned his head to face Count Karad. His face consisted of a blend of bear and human features, and his ck eyes gave no indication of the thoughts racing through his mind. "I came all this way to go to war," Jagon dered in a low voice, his words almost a growl. No emotions could be found in his ck eyes as he stared at Count Karad. ¡°If you are not willing to wage war, I have no choice but to go to war with you instead.¡± ¡°Wait, wait! Calm down, Jagon. A war with me¡ª¡± ¡°I will kill as many people of your fief as the number of people residing in that floating castle,¡± dered Jagon. ¡®Crazy bastard!¡¯ Count Karad thought before forcing a smile onto his face. He said, ¡°Calm down, Jagon. I said¡­ that it was a good offer, but I have no intention of epting it. The purpose of this war is also to wipe out those old pigs who sent me this letter.¡± Count Karad wasn¡¯t saying this just to appease Jagon, as he had his own ambitions and beliefs. He was considered a young demon in Helmuth, and he had not participated in the war three hundred years ago. However, he knew from stories that the massive war had been terrible. Almost all of the high-ranking demons of Helmuth were those who had actively participated in the war, and the Three Dukes were heroes from the war who had survived for three hundred years after it. Count Karad didn''t believe that everyone who had survived the war had be obsolete. Nevertheless, he knew that there were certainly demons among Helmuth¡¯s upper echelons who had grown weak and entitled over centuries of peace. These OBs [1] had no real qualifications or authority, yet they demanded respect and special treatment. The opulence of the ostentatious Noblesse was hard to ignore. They resided in a grand castle and enjoyed their privileges while the non-privileged inhabitantsbored in Karabloom, working for the benefit of those who lived in the sky. In this structure, the hierarchy waspletely corrupted, starting from the top. It was probable that the ck Dragon had been absent for more than a century, but what had the Four Divine Generals aplished during his absence? They had been tasked to manage the territory in the lord''s absence, but they had done nothing at all. Instead, they had indulged in luxury like fat,zy pigs. The war against the Dragon Demon Castle would be a significant step toward Count Karad''s ambitious future. He could not rob the ck Dragon¡¯s title in his absence. However, if Count Karad could use this war to cause the Dragon Demon Castle to fall, he would receive the attention of all of Helmuth. ¡®Then I will be able to achieve a higher rank and title.¡¯ His ambitious n would start there. Count Karad''s mind trailed off to another train of thought as he envisioned himself standing among the highest echelons of Helmuth''s demon society. He knew he had the cunning and ambition to climb the ranks, and defeating the Dragon Demon Castle would be the first step. Count Karad was determined to show the other demonfolks that he was not to be underestimated ¡ª that he was capable of greatness. One day, he would stand at the highest peaks of Pandemonium, the capital city of Helmuth, alongside the Three Dukes. ¡°This is different from what you said initially,¡± Jagon muttered, causing Count Karad''s daydreams of ambitious ns to quickly dissipate. "Count, you promised me a war against the dragon," Jagon reminded him, his tone unwavering. ¡°Raimira, the Dragon Duchess. She is also a dragon¡ª¡± Jagon interrupted him, saying, ¡°The dragon I wanted was Raizakia, the ck Dragon. The Demonic Dragon from the era of war.¡± ¡°Even a dragon¡­ will have affection toward their child. Don¡¯t you think so? Who would have imagined that the ck Dragon would have had a child? Moreover, he made sure to hide his one and only flesh and blood deep in the castle, away from the prying eyes of Helmuth,¡± Count Karad continued while stealing a nce at Jagon. ¡°If you kill the Dragon Duchess and make it known to the world, the ck Dragon wille out of hiding. And even if the Dragon Duchess is a hatchling, a dragon is still a dragon. She may becking for your full enjoyment, but she will indulge you with a rare taste of what you¡¯re seeking.¡± ¡°Tomorrow,¡± said Jagon, ¡°we will attack the Dragon Demon Castle.¡± Count Karad felt a jolt of surprise at Jagon''s sudden deration. They were close enough to the Dragon Demon Castle tounch an attack tomorrow, but Count Karad knew that there were protocols to be followed. He needed to respond to the letter in a way that would show his disdain and report to Babel about the ongoing territorial war. Additionally, there were many other preparations that had to be made before they couldunch a full-scale attack. ¡°An ambush is quick and fast,¡± said Jagon in an almost indifferent voice. He was dismissive of Count Karad''s caution. Ravesta, where Jagon was from, was awless ce, unlike the rest of Helmuth, where rules and orders held sway. This was why Jagon believed in taking swift action without worrying about rules like territorial wars or hierarchical rankings. In Ravesta, everyone did as they pleased; they killed if they wanted to kill and ate if they wanted to eat. ¡°If we give them time after dering war, the prey of the Dragon Demon Castle will run away. Count, you hired me and my subordinates to go to war. You will have the honor of the victory, but I will have the war,¡± said Jagon while tilting his head. The scent of blood around Jagon overwhelmed Count Karad¡¯s sense of smell. Jargon dered, ¡°Tomorrow, I will attack the Dragon Demon Castle with my subordinates. I will leap up to the sky and smash that barrier. I will kill and eat everyone in the castle without giving them time to run away.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± Jargon continued, ¡°As promised, I will have the blood, flesh, and heart of the Dragon Duchess. I will destroy the city after killing everyone inside. Then, I will hang the g of your family. That will conclude my contract with you.¡± Jagon could not be persuaded, and Count Karad did not want to peer into Jagon¡¯s eyes at such a close distance. Count Karad took a few steps back and nodded. ¡°I understand. However, if you want to invade this quickly, I will go with you. I was the one who started this war, and it will be a historic moment for me. So, I should be present.¡± ¡°As long as you don¡¯t get in my way,¡± said Jagon, his lips curling up into a twisted smile. He turned his head once more toward the Dragon Demon Castle. To him, the floating castle was no different than a dish with a lid waiting to be enjoyed and devoured. 1. The raw gives this word in English as ¡°OB.¡± The most reasonable guess would be Old Boys, which refers to a long-standing, influential clique. Obviously, in this context, it¡¯s used with a negative connotation. See for more info. ? Chapter 261: Jagon (1) After sending Raimira back, Eugene hid in the shadows of the Dragon Demon Castle. He was unable to secure legitimate amodations, so he decided to hide in the shadows of the Dragon Demon Castle, keeping a watchful eye on the situation as it developed. As Eugene settled into his hiding spot, he realized that this was his chance to gather more information. He had already conducted a thorough investigation on the Dragon Demon Castle, so he knew that only a select few from Karabloom were privileged enough to call it home. With this in mind, Eugene kept a keen eye out for any signs of activity. He wanted to gather as much intel as possible to better understand the situation at hand and determine the best course of action moving forward. Eugene was well aware that only the elite of Karabloom''s demonfolk poption was granted the privilege of living within the walls of the Dragon Demon Castle. That arrogant lizard Raizakia was known to be obsessed with privilege and exclusivity, and Eugene suspected that the group Raizakia had handpicked to call themselves the Noblesse were even more distinguished than the average resident of the castle. ¡®Huh?¡¯ Eugene''s observations of the Dragon Demon Castle''s residents came as a surprise to him. Despite their privileged status, they seemed far from the elite group he had expected. In fact, they appeared much like Inspector Bhud ¡ªzy and content in their peaceful surroundings. Without Raizakia''s iron-fisted rule to keep them in check, the demons of the Dragon Demon Castle had becent and lethargic over the centuries. Eugene could sense that they had grown fat and corrupt, relying on their status and istion to shield them from any potential threats. The demonfolks residing here did not have to worry about experiencing any inconveniences or having to struggle to maintain their livelihood. In their stead, the demonfolks of Karabloom wereboring hard, and they dared not rebel because of Raizakia¡¯s lingering shadow. As Eugene continued observing the castle¡¯s residents, he realized that the corrupt andzy state of the Dragon Demon Castle was not entirely their own doing. A significant factor that contributed to their downfall was the fact that it was a dukedom with no human poption to provide life-force for tax collection. However, Raizakia was still one of the Three Dukes, so Pandemonium sent more than enough life-force to the Dragon Demon Castle on a regr basis. Although Raizakia hated humans, he didn¡¯t hate killing and eating humans. He understood that he could not reject the life-force of humans if he wanted to develop his strength as a demon and a demonic dragon. Nevertheless, Raizakia had a greater n in mind. He sought to strengthen himself through his descendants,promising his pride and aesthetics for the sake of his future goals. Meanwhile, even though the mad dragon had long disappeared, Babel continued to send human life-force, which fattened up the demons of the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡®Their Dark Power is great, but that¡¯s about it¡­. They¡¯re literally nothing more than fattened pigs.¡¯ It had been the same with Bhud. Even though he had been quite absurdly weak, his regenerative power had been formidable, allowing him to survive for quite a long time in the Infinite Purgatory. It meant that Bhud had possessed quite a bit of Dark Power, but he had been limited to using it only for regeneration. Dark Power wasn¡¯t an absolute measure of a demon¡¯s strength. In the end, what was more important was how they could handle the power and apply it. In this respect, the demonfolks of the Dragon Demon Castle were pigs practically waiting to be devoured by other demonfolks, if not for the protection that Raizakia¡¯s name granted them. "Behold!" eximed Raimira. "Thisdy is the only blood of the ck Dragon! Her name is Raimira! You humble and meek demons of the Dragon Demon Castle! Show your admiration and praise for thisdy!" So, the parade began at the gates, with Raimira standing tall on a fancy carriage and dering her majestic presence to all. The demons on the streets cheered and pped for Raimira. Their voices rose in a chorus of praise for the descendant of their great and powerful ruler, the ck Dragon. Eugene''s expression was one of disbelief as he watched this scene unfold from the rooftop of a nearby building. What the hell were these idiots doing? He couldn''t fathom why these individuals were acting so recklessly, given the imminent threat of war looming over them. Furthermore, why was Raimira, that demented little girl, screaming like an idiot now even though it had seemed like she understood what he had been saying earlier? Mer let out a disgruntled sigh. Her pouty lips gave away her irritation when she poked her head out from under Eugene''s cloak. "I knew it," she grumbled. "We should''ve just killed her when we had the chance." Mer found Raimira to be quite vexing and unbearable, albeit for reasons that she herself couldn''t quite exin. Was it because Raimira was the daughter of the ck Dragon, the creature responsible for attempting to kill Mer¡¯s beloved Lady Sienna? Partially. Mer knew it wasn¡¯t right to hold the ck Dragon¡¯s daughter ountable for her father¡¯s sins, but it was hard to always remain rational. Still¡­ that wasn¡¯t the only reason. Mer was conscious of the fact that Raimira was simr to her in age, as well as the fact that both resembled a child in appearance. Moreover, Raimira had been confined to her pce, just like how Mer had been trapped in Akron. Even though Eugene acted like a bully and cursed at every chance he got, Mer knew that he wasn¡¯t a bad person at heart. That was why he was going to take Raimira without killing her. ¡®An enemy.¡¯ Mer had been convinced that Raimira would be her enemy ¡ª her rival ¡ª since their first encounter. ¡°Mer, didn¡¯t I tell you not to say bad things?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the one to talk. After all, you¡¯re the one who¡¯s always saying fuck this, bitch that. And when did I say something bad?¡± retorted Mer. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t recklessly say that we should kill someone. That¡¯s bad,¡± said Eugene. ¡°But you always say things like that, Sir Eugene,¡± retorted Mer. ¡°It¡¯s fine for me since I¡¯m a bad person by nature,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are a bad person, but what I do know is that you are a shameless person who doesn¡¯t want to even yield a single inch to a child in an argument.¡± A hundred different rebuttals came to mind, but Eugene didn¡¯t bother to voice any of them. Regardless of what he said, he would only be someone who refused to lose to a child, just as Mer said. Eugene couldn¡¯t have that. Even so, he had to say one thing in response, ¡°But you¡¯re older than me.¡± As Eugene''s words sank in, Mer fell silent, and her previously grumbling demeanor became subdued. The two of them sat in quiet contemtion, watching the noisy parade below with solemn expressions. Hours passed by, and the march continued well into the dawn when the raucous parade finally came to a halt. As the child made her way back to the Dragon Demon Castle, the gates closed shut behind her. The once-energetic demons who had been waving and shouting with great enthusiasm fell silent at the sudden closure of the gates. Now, with expressionless faces, they dispersed and went about their own business. Eugene saw everything from the rooftop. It seemed that most of the demonfolks who were returning to their respective homes were preparing to leave ¡ª or rather, escape. He couldn''t help but sneer in contempt as he watched the scene below. The parade had given the impression that the entire Dragon Demon Castle was united in their loyalty to their new leader, but now it was evident that they were allplicit in the conspiracy against Raimira. ¡°It is a little pitiful,¡± murmured Mer as she watched the streets undergo a rapid change. She couldn¡¯t help but feel a little sorry for Raimira even though she harbored a dislike for the hatchling. Eugene silently ruffled Mer¡¯s hair and then turned around. ¡°Where are we going to sleep?¡± asked Mer. ¡°The backstreet,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Well, I actually don¡¯t care where we sleep. After all, it¡¯ll be you who has to sleep on the bare ground, Sir Eugene. I¡¯ll be sleepingfortably in your arms.¡± ¡°You mean the bed inside the cloak.¡± ¡°You got it.¡± Mer jumped back into the cloak with a giggle. Eugene proceeded to find a ce to sit in a deserted alley. He knew he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about getting caught, but he wanted to be prepared for any unexpected situations before he could find any rest. The following day arrived, and much to Eugene''s mixed emotions, he remained unseen by anyone. The Helmuth he had known from three centuries ago had been a living nightmare, a ce of unspeakable terror and death. Inparison, the Dragon Demon Castle seemed like a mere pigsty with no real concerns or worries. Eugene felt both relieved and disappointed by this realization. ¡®Couldn¡¯t they just break into the castle and smash the core without even having to go to war¡­? I don¡¯t think anything will happen even if I kidnap Raimira right now.¡¯ It was to the extent that Eugene seriously pondered if he should just take Raimira away. Of course, he would encounter many problems if he wanted to implement his n right away. So, he decided to survey the situation for about a day and look for an opportunity to infiltrate the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡®And if it looks like it could be easily infiltrated? Well, then I¡¯ll give it a try. And if I manage to sneak in without anyone noticing, then¡­ should I look for the core first? She said it was in the basement, so¡­. Or I could go straight to those Four Divine General bastards and fuck them up,¡¯ Eugene pondered many possibilities while proceeding with gathering intel once again. After some time, it was past noon, but still quite a few hours before the sun would set. ¡°¡­¡± Eugene remained alert, never dropping his guard for even a moment. Despite being in a pigpen surrounded by individuals who posed no real threat to him, he knew better than to let his guard down in enemy territory. His past experiences had taught him to be cautious and not make foolish mistakes. Consequently, he became aware of an overwhelming sense of malice looming in the distance ¡ª an intent to kill so fierce that it left no room for negotiation or diplomacy. This wasn''t just hostility but an unadulterated desire to snuff out all life in its path. It was a monstrous and all-epassing force, not born of any specific enmity or grudge but rather a pure and simple thirst for blood. Eugene couldn''t ignore it, not for a moment. He was unfamiliar with such a feeling. At least, he had never felt such a great and unconditional murderous intent during his life as Eugene Lionheart. As soon as Eugene noticed the feeling, he unknowingly turned his gaze toward the source of the murderous intent. The sky seen from inside the Dragon Demon Castle wasn¡¯t murky even though the castle was covered by a giant barrier. However, the barrier was definitely there. It allowed the Dragon Demon Castle to stand as an invible, imprable fortress while controlling the climate and temperature inside the barrier to make it as pleasant as possible for the castle¡¯s residents. The Draconic barrier had been designed and manifested by Raizakia himself, and it was maintained by the mana in the atmosphere, the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s core, and Raimira¡¯s red jewel and Dragon Heart. The barrier also drew from the mana of the castle¡¯s demons. It could well be considered one of the most formidable barriers Eugene had ever seen. Eugene sensed the ever-increasing presence of a murderous force drawing closer, and he didn''t turn a blind eye to it. Instead, he focused his attention on the direction from which the threat approached. Despite the distance between him and the source of the malevolence, Eugene could see a blurry figure hurtling through the air toward the castle. Seeing this, Eugene remained vignt and unflinching in the face of danger. It was an unfamiliar figure, someone Eugene was seeing for the first time. Nevertheless, Eugene recognized the figure upon seeing him ¡ª or rather, the moment Eugene felt the figure¡¯s killing intent. There was only one existence who wouldunch an ambush against the Dragon Demon Castle. More importantly, Eugene could feel a barbaric, beastly energy emanating from the invader¡¯s malice. It was Jagon. Jagon had effortlesslyunched himself from the ground below, soaring high into the air. He didn''t need to rely on tforms or wings to aplish such a feat; his strength was enough. To him, the jump was nothing out of the ordinary ¡ª a simple flex of his legs followed by a powerfulunch into the sky. He quickly reached a height overlooking the entirety of the Dragon Demon Castle. Even the residents of the Dragon Demon Castle ¡ª who were fattened pigs just waiting to be ughtered and whose minds were blurred by the years of peace ¡ª couldn¡¯t help but notice the overwhelming malice nearing the castle. As such, numerous demons looked up at the sky with surprised expressions. Meanwhile, Jagon¡¯s dark eyes only saw countless morsels of meat. He was disappointed that his prey did not reek of meat and blood, but his heart was filled with joy at the thought of the ughter and feast that would soon take ce. Now was the time to remove the lid from the te. It was time to unleash the full extent of his power. Jagon drew back like a taut bow, ready to unleash a devastating attack. Craaack! His arms swelled up greatly. Although Jagon was still tinypared to the size of the Dragon Demon Castle, he looked like a giant in the eyes of those looking up at him. It seemed as if Jagon would swallow the castle in one bite. Jagon struck the barrier with both his fists. Boooooom! As soon as he made contact, the Dragon Demon Castle rumbled, and the powerful barrier failed to stand up to Jagon¡¯s blow. The transparent appearance of the barrier became murky, and a crack began to spread from where Jagon¡¯s fists had made contact. ¡°Hehe,¡± Jagonughed, his lips twitching. Then he raised his arms once more. Since the barrier was already broken, he no longer needed to concentrate all of his strength on one ce. If left as it was, the barrier would surely copse on its own. Nevertheless, Jagon did not want to wait any longer, so he struck down with all his might. Rumbleeee! His two fists broke the barrier, and the Dragon Demon Castle lost a bit of altitude. However, it did not crash to the ground. Even though the barrier had shattered, the core of the Dragon Demon Castle was still intact. ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± Eugenemented. He had expected Jagon toe charging in like an idiot, but he had not expected Jagon toe rushing in only a day after the beginning of the war. Eugene was astonished and dumbfounded, but he wasn¡¯t overwhelmed by Jagon¡¯s malice and presence. On the contrary, Eugene was d Jagon had chosen to invade like an idiot. The whole of the Dragon Demon Castle was instantly thrown into chaos, and everyone started running for their lives while screaming. The first to invade was Jagon, but he wasn¡¯t alone. The Beastfolk mercenaries, subordinate to Jagon, and the soldiers of Count Karad appeared above the Dragon Demon Castle as well. Since they could not leap such a height like Jagon, all of them were on the backs of flying demonic beasts. There were quite a few kinds of flying demonic beasts that Eugene recognized. A giant demon, who looked to be Count Karad, raised his hand, and the demonic beasts, who resembled clumps of bumpy flesh, spread their jaws wide. Boooom! A beam of light was released from the maws of the demonic beasts, and their attacknded exactly on their target. The tightly shut gates of the Dragon Demon Castle copsed under the bombardment of the demonic beasts. The creatures then proceeded to descend to the city, and the Beastfolk, who were just as short-tempered as their leader, leaped off the creatures and charged into the city on foot. Meanwhile, Jagon had already caused several buildings to copse. He was tearing all the demons in his vicinity to shreds and shoving their flesh, bones, and blood into his mouth. It didn¡¯t matter whether they were trying to retaliate, running away screaming in terror, or pathetically copsing on the spot; they were all prey. Eugene ignored all of this. It was none of his business whether all the demons in the Dragon Demon Castle died. Moreover, he didn¡¯t feel a need to fight against Jagon right now. His priority at the moment was to secure Raimira, the Dragon Duchess. [Y-Y-You! What¡­ What is going on? The Dragon Demon Castle¡­. What has happened to thisdy¡¯s castle?] Raimira¡¯s voice resonated from inside Eugene¡¯s pocket. It wasing from the portalmunication device that Eugene had given the girl yesterday. Eugene ced themunicator in his ear before responding, ¡°Where are you?¡± [W-What¡­ did you say?] ¡°Where are you? Don¡¯t move a muscle, and wait for me there.¡± Wings of mes erupted from Eugene¡¯s back. He was using Prominence to elerate to his limit. [Thisdy¡­ is currently at the throne of the Dragon Demon Castle, which¡­.] ¡®Should be the highest, most splendid ce.¡¯ [Waa¡­. Waaaaah¡­.] Raimira began to sniffle. Not wanting to hear her sobs, Eugene turned off the device. Then a purple bolt of lightning weaved over the ruins of the gate. Chapter 262: Jagon (2) Raimira had been looking forward to ending today as a perfect, beautiful, and historical day. Last night, Raimira had imprinted her noble figure on the people of the Dragon Demon Castle with a splendid march, one that was as great as the greatest of carnivals. Then today, she began her first day as the deputy lord of the Dragon Demon Castle. She spent her day sitting on the throne at the top of the top floor of the Dragon Demon Castle, receiving the vassals of the castle one by one and epting their wee. After epting the vassals'' greetings, Raimira turned her attention to the reports on the happenings of Dragon Demon Castle. Although she didn''t fullyprehend their contents, it was evident to her that they were mere formalities,cking any significant importance. Left with little to do, Raimira sat on the throne, nodding along as she listened to the formal reports. Even this small gesture filled her with joy and pride, as she had relished the opportunity to sit on the throne and leave behind her secluded life in the pce. Throughout the day, Raimira received vassals, listened to reports, and ate her meals. She even took a stroll around the castle. As the day wore on, she nned to once again ride through the streets in her flowery carriage, simr to the previous day. Raimira wanted to ensure that everyone in the castle had the opportunity to witness her splendid march, in case anyone had missed it the day before due to unavoidable circumstances. As the deputy lord, it was crucial for Raimira to make her presence known to everyone in Dragon Demon Castle. In fact, it was imperative that she left an ineffaceable mark as the Dragon Duchess. To achieve this, she knew that she had to stage a march that was even more magnificent and livelier than that of the previous day. It was absolutely necessary, no questions asked. Spreading her name far and wide was of utmost importance to her, and Raimira was determined to achieve it. However, it was right at the very moment when she was talking about another march that the barrier of the Dragon Demon Castle was shattered. A unit of flying demonic beasts led by Count Karad smashed open the gates of the castle, and a number of Beastfolk mercenaries were running rampant in the city, causing chaos and destruction in their wake. ¡°W-What should thisdy do?¡± asked Raimira while clutching the armrest of the throne and shrinking back. From the throne, she could clearly make out the confusion and agitation in the expressions of the vassals. ¡°No way¡­. T-This cannot be¡­,¡± The one who muttered with a look of disbelief was one of the Four Divine Generals, the one responsible for foreign affairs. He waved his hand in the air, and the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s system showed a view of the streets. It was truly awful. Buildingsy in ruins, and the streets were destroyed beyond recognition. Though no intact bodies were visible, the scattered bloodstains and fragmented bones hinted at the gruesome fate suffered by the castle''s inhabitants. ¡°W-What happened to the barrier?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°It¡¯s beenpletely destroyed¡­. I-It should take at least an hour for it to restore itself,¡± responded one of the other Four Divine Generals. ¡°What is the point of restoring the barrier when the enemy has already invaded? D-Do we not have an intercept system in ce?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°We do not have such magic,¡± muttered the war general. The Secretary General''s voice was the next to echo through the chamber. It was evident he felt frustrated as he turned to the War General and spat, "The protection of the Dragon Demon Castle falls to you. So, why are you sitting here while our soldiers and demonic beasts are out there facing the enemy? What kind of leader are you?" The two men were both members of the Four Divine Generals, and they had some mutual loyalty to each other. Nevertheless, their loyalty to each other meant little at this moment; all that mattered was their own survival. The War General''s face twisted into a scowl at the words of the other general. It was an undeniable fact that the war general had once been the strongest among the Four Divine Generals, but three hundred years of peace had dulled his skills. He couldn''t even recall thest time he had fought in a real battle orpetition, and the memories continued to fade with each passing year. In fact, he couldn¡¯t even remember how he had fought in the past. ¡°This¡­ ambush is too sudden, too unexpected. Our army is not prepared at all. So, it would be best for our lord to step forward and persuade the enemymander,¡± suggested the war general. ¡°What on earth are you talking about? They have already destroyed the barrier, and they are ughtering everyone in the city! They¡¯ve already broken through the gates!¡± shouted the secretary-general, his voice urgent and filled with panic. ¡®Isn¡¯t he getting too into it?¡¯ The war general couldn¡¯t help but take on a dumbfounded expression upon hearing the secretary-general¡¯s frantic words. The original n had been to offer all the riches of the Dragon Demon Castle and the Dragon Duchess to Count Karad. The Four Divine Generals had been nning to leave for Helmuth¡¯s resorts under the tacit protection of Count Karad, with the guarantee that their possessions would remain untouched. ¡°Finance General, what is going on here? Didn¡¯t you say that you showed enough sincerity to Count Karad?¡± ¡°That¡­. I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t heard anything about an ambush¡­.¡± ¡°Are you sure our lives are guaranteed?¡± The Foreign Affairs General and Finance General spoke to each other in hushed tones. Their conversation was at a volume too low for the vassals in the lower seats to overhear. With voices now silenced by fear, the Foreign Affairs General and Finance General trembled in their seats. Raimira found herself in the same predicament as the rest of them. The unidentified human intruder had been correct in his predictions, and Raimira was at a loss as to how to proceed. She had never been trained to deal with such an unexpected situation. The intruder''s words echoed in her mind, "Stay still." But for how long? How could she trust his words when she knew nothing about him? Raimira was helpless as she watched the chaos unfolding on the streets, distressing scenes illuminated by the castle''s surveince system. The enemies¡¯ Beastfolk mercenaries were drawing closer, piging the city as they advanced, while Count Karad''s forces rained down artillery fire from above. Raimira could only bear witness to the destruction, unable to do anything to stop it. ¡°Mydy.¡± ¡°Now is the time for you to make a decision like a lord.¡± ¡°Please make an honorable decision befitting the ck Dragon¡¯s blood.¡± An honorable decision? What the hell was considered an honorable decision to be made at this moment, especially when she would die in a few days? The human intruder had said her death would be in a few days, but it had only been a day since he had warned her. ¡ªThey¡¯ll most likely chop off your head and mount it on the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s gate. That was no longer physically possible since the gates had already fallen, but Raimira couldn¡¯t help but bring her hand to her neck while breathing heavily. ¡ªOr perhaps they¡¯ll impale you with a spoke through your crotch and put you on disy in front of the gate. Was it¡­ even possible to die in such a gruesome way? Raimira scrunched her legs closer together while biting her lips. ¡ªMaybe they¡¯ll opt to dismember you, one limb at a time. Her teeth began to tter. ¡ªIt¡¯s a brutal execution method favored by the dark elves. They force their victims to kneel, cut open their stomachs, and pull out their intestines while they¡¯re still alive¡­. ¡°Ugh¡­.¡± Raimira¡¯s stomach started to throb with pain, and she whimpered with her hand cupped over her mouth. It was an undignified sight, truly unbefitting a dragon. Yet, while she did so, the Four Divine Generals and the other vassals had their eyes fixed on her. Conscious of their gazes, Raimira cleared her throat and hurriedly stammered, ¡°T-Thisdy is the lord of the Dragon Demon Castle. S-So, she will do her due obligation and¡­ fulfill her duties.¡± In spite of what she said, Raimira had no intention of actually fulfilling her lordly duties, of course. Eugene was inplete agreement with Raimira''s n. His intention was to take her out of the Dragon Demon Castle and bring her to the Samar Forest, not let her be involved in something stupid like her lordly duties. So, he stormed in. It did not take long at all. Lightning sh and Prominence made a great pair when it came to speed. In fact, this was the fastest Eugene could elerate without using Ignition. The vassals of the castle were caught off guard by Eugene''s lightning-fast movements. Before anyone could even react, he had already appeared right in front of Raimira, standing in in sight for all to see. ¡°¡­Ah,¡± Raimira uttered. She had also failed to notice Eugene¡¯s presence until he was standing right in front of her. Raimira had been so preupied with her own despair and fear of death, but as soon as Eugene appeared before her, everything changed. She jumped up from her throne, and her hand stretched out toward the nk-faced vassals, with her sleeves fluttering in the sudden movement. Raimiraughed and said, ¡°Ahahaha! You disloyal vassals! Thisdy has no intention of dying with you pigs! Naturally! She will not give up her precious life for you disloyal morons!¡± ¡°M-Mydy?¡± Raimira''s emotions boiled. With a crazed look in her eyes, she let out piercingughter while shouting insults and curses. "Oh, you cursed castle that dared to restrain thisdy! You pigs who call yourselves the Four Divine Generals, you who tried to use me! Fall with this castle and return to the soil where you came from! Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!" Herughter continued as she suddenly jumped up and clung onto Eugene''s arm. Eugene was taken aback by Raimira''s sudden clinginess, unsure of what to make of it. He instinctively shook her off, causing her to fall to the ground. Raimira looked up at him with a mix of fear and confusion. Her eyes trembled as she tried to process what had just happened. Had he changed his mind? Was he nning to leave her behind to die? It was only for a short moment, but all kinds of horrible thoughts and despair crossed Raimira¡¯s mind. ¡°Get up,¡± said Eugene. He wasn¡¯t feeling sympathetic toward Raimira because of her quivering eyes. After all, he just didn¡¯t want her to hang on his arm. Eugene stretched out his hand toward Raimira, and that alone brought focus back into her eyes. She took his hand with a sigh of relief. ¡°M-Mydy!¡± The Four Divine Generals btedly came to their senses and rushed toward Eugene and Raimira. Fwoosh! Eugene created a circle of fire using his ability, Prominence. The Four Divine Generals were unable to break through the intense surge of mana ¡ª the mes and currents of hot air that surrounded him. Eugene seized the opportunity to pull Raimira into his embrace, holding her close to his chest. At the next moment, the vassals of the Dragon Demon Castle stared at the throne with stunned expressions. Although the current of hot air remained, they could no longer see the intruder and the Dragon Duchess anywhere. ¡°They couldn¡¯t have gotten far. We must go after them right now and¡­.¡± ¡°Wait, wait! Let¡¯s leave the two of them and go to Count Karad,¡± said the Foreign Affairs General while raising both his hands. He hade to this decision since it seemed impossible to take the Dragon Duchess back from the intruder. The Foreign Affairs General knew that he and the other generals were fat and old, while the intruder seemed extremely skilled. Therefore, he thought it would be better to head to Count Karad, inform him of the Dragon Duchess¡¯ kidnapping, and ask him for a guarantee of their protection and rights. ¡°That is a good idea indeed.¡± Even the Secretary General, who had been busy pretending to be loyal to the Dragon Duchess, nodded in agreement. ¡°What are you all looking at? If you care at all about your lives, you¡¯d better run away!¡± shouted the War General when the other vassals looked at the four generals with resentful eyes. The survival of the other vassals and the residents of the Dragon Demon Castle was none of the generals¡¯ business. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Raimira let out a high-pitched scream as she felt her body being jolted by the sudden eleration. It was a sudden eleration that would have been intolerable for humans. In fact, the rate of eleration was something that would be unbearable for most non-humans as well. Even Raimira, a dragon hatchling, felt as if her whole body was being pummeled. ¡°Agh¡­.¡± As Raimira¡¯s brief screams died off, Raimira and Eugene came to a stop and were now standing in a hallway located far away from the throne room. Raimira closed her mouth and looked up at Eugene, murmuring, ¡°Uh¡­.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to the basement,¡± said Eugene with a calm expression before taking the lead. He let go of Raimira¡¯s hand, and Raimira followed behind him while caressing her stiff wrist. ¡°Y-You, why did youe sote? If you came even a little bitter, thisdy would have been made into a sacrifice by those pigs,¡± whined Raimira. It wasn¡¯t anything worth responding to, so Eugene didn¡¯t even bother to nce back. However, Raimira continued to speak while trailing his footsteps. She said, ¡°Thisdy was¡­ was scared because of your insensitive and ignorant behavior! Thisdy, the Dragon Duchess, is a dragon! To think that such a disgraceful thing happened¡­. Y-You! Tell thisdy how sorry you are for beingte¡­.¡± Hearing Raimira¡¯s continued whines annoyed Eugene, so he turned his head to re at her. His fierce gaze made Raimira instantly cup both of her hands over her mouth, and she broke out into a cold sweat while forcing an obsequious smile with her eyes. ¡°¡­The core is at the bottom of the Dragon Demon Castle. Thisdy will guide you there personally,¡± said Raimira. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to. Just make sure you keep up,¡± responded Eugene. He was approaching his destination so quickly wasn¡¯t simply because he had flown at full speed. During his reconnaissance of the castle, Eugene had made sure to spread the feathers of Prominence everywhere. As a result, he was familiar with all the hallways and corridors of the Dragon Demon Castle, even though it was his first time here. If he were alone, Eugene could leap to the locations of the feathers. However, it was impossible to do so since he was with Raimira. As such, Eugene located the path and gradually made his way down to the basement. The core of the Dragon Demon Castle wasn¡¯t particrly hidden since it was necessary to check for any abnormalities in the case of unexpected urrences. However, it was quite a long distance down to the core. This was perhaps because it supported the huge castle and itsnd mass. It would take a long time to reach the core if he were to walk down the stairs. Nevertheless, Eugene didn¡¯t need to. He suddenly grabbed Raimira¡¯s wrist and then jumped straight down to the bottom of the stairs. ¡°Argggh!¡± Raimira shrieked. Eugene maintained his relentless speed, propelling him and Raimira through the air. Raimira hung limply in his grasp, her body swaying like a lifeless puppet. Crash! As soon as the two of them arrived at the bottom, Eugene mercilessly let go of her wrist, and Raimira rolled on the floor several times due to the momentum of the fall. ¡°Arm! Thisdy¡¯s arm!¡± she screamed. There was nothing wrong with her arm, though. It wasn¡¯t broken, pulled, or dislocated. Her skin, flesh, muscles, and bones were still those of a dragon, even though she was in a human form. Nheless, her arm still hurt so much that Raimira couldn¡¯t help but think it was broken or dislocated. ¡°I really didn¡¯t want to say this, but kid, are you really a dragon?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Are you doubting the blood of thisdy? Thisdy is the only flesh and blood of the ck Dragon¡­.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying. Why do you act like this when you¡¯re a proud dragon? You have no dignity, and all you do is exaggerate,¡± rebuked Eugene. Raimira¡¯s lips curled down in displeasure as Eugene¡¯s words hit a nerve. She huffed and puffed while silently massaging her throbbing wrist. ¡°You were too mean, Sir Eugene,¡± said Mer after poking her head outside. ¡°What do you mean I was too mean?¡± grumbled Eugene. ¡°Unlike me, she never received any love or education from her creator. That¡¯s why she¡¯s so stupid and undignified. That¡¯s why she exaggerates so much, too,¡± responded Mer. ¡°You little rat-like creature. Are you daring to make fun of thisdy, the only child of the ck Dragon? Thisdy, who is a dragon ¡ª the progenitor of magic?!¡± argued Raimira. "I don''t know what there is to be proud of in being the child of the ck Dragon," Mer sneered. "But you seem so d to be the daughter of that crazy ck Dragon. I don''t know why you feel so proud when you''re being grown to be eaten like a chicken." ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Raimira with a confused look. Eugene had been nning to ignore their childish argument, but he shot a nce at Mer when she mentioned thetter part. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± grumbled Mer while pouting. Eugene gave her a slight nod and then turned his attention to the core in front of him. The object in front of them was a massive sphere made entirely of pure gold. Its surface was smooth and polished, almost like a mirror, with very little impurities visible. The sphere was easily as big as a mansion. ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± muttered Eugene. Gold was a highly conductive metal for mana. However, it was inefficientpared to materials like mithril and orihalcon, and it was too malleable to be used in making weapons or armor. Yet, it seemed that such things had not mattered to Raizakia. Since ancient times, dragons had been known for their love of shiny gold. Naturally, as a dragon, Raizakia was naturally drawn to gold as well. He was also known to enjoy unting his wealth. Eugene could easily envision how therge and smooth sphere had been constructed, given that Raizakia had a substantial number of dwarves under hismand. The ck Dragon had likely devoured some of the dwarves to set an example. Then the remaining dwarves would have given into his demands for their fear of death, creating a perfect sphere of gold that would brilliantly capture Raizakia¡¯s magic. The sphere was tightly engraved with the inscriptions of Raizakia¡¯s magic. Eugene slowly reached for the core. It was an awe-inspiring object of magic. If he could bring it back to Aroth, it would surely earn him a spot on the high floors of Akron. Nevertheless, he had no intention of doing so. ¡°Um¡­¡± Before Eugene knew it, the argument between the two children was over, and Raimira hesitated before speaking to Eugene from behind him. She eventually asked, ¡°How long are you going to stay like that?¡± Boom¡­. Boom¡­. The vibrations from above were bing gradually stronger, indicating that the battles that had begun in the distance were now nearing the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡°As thisdy said yesterday, unless you break the core, it will be impossible for thisdy to leave the Dragon Demon Castle¡­. Y-You must destroy the core right now and get us out of here,¡± said Raimira. Eugene didn¡¯t answer and continued to gaze at the core. Boooooom¡­! Dust began to fall from the ceiling, apanying a heavy explosion. Wooooo¡­! Raimira felt as if the blood circting through her body was vibrating in unison with the explosions. She parted her lips while shivering and spoke again, ¡°Look¡­ intruder. T-Thisdy is starting to get a little scared. Why are you standing so still¡­? D-Don¡¯t tell me¡­. Is it impossible for you to break the core? D-D-Did you decide to run away by yourself and abandon thisdy?¡± Was it impossible to break the core? No, it was entirely possible. The sphere was exquisite and well crafted, but it wasn¡¯t something that Eugene couldn¡¯t destroy with the Moonlight Sword. The reason Eugene was standing still was that he was seriously contemting something. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± called out Mer after recognizing Eugene¡¯s concerns. She shook her head with a discontent expression. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t take into consideration the trouble you¡¯ll get intoter, should you be doing something like that?¡± ¡°Noir Giabe won¡¯t kill me right away. Rather, she would be even more joyous if shees to know who I am. She will try to make things convenient for me for the sake of the future,¡± Eugene replied with a subtle change in tone. Hearing that, Mer knew well that the current Eugene was closer to Hamel Dynas, the Stupid Hamel. This meant she couldn¡¯t hope to persuade him in his current state. ¡°I only saw him for a moment, but Jagon sure is a dangerous bastard,¡± muttered Eugene with a nod. Fwooosh! His mana burst into form as a purple me. ¡°So, I¡¯m going to kill him before I leave.¡± Chapter 263: Jagon (3) There was a faint disturbance in the air; it was a presence that unsettled Jagon. Yet, he hesitated. It piqued his curiosity slightly, but he did not bother immediately rushing toward it. After all, it was probably just the hatchling. Although he had no personal experience with dragons, Jagon knew that dragons emitted a unique, daunting energy called Fear. So, Jagon presumed the bothersome energy was just Dragon Fear. Even so, he took his sweet time heading to the Dragon Demon Castle. After all, there were many pleasures to enjoy on the way there. Jagon reveled in the thrill of the hunt, showing no mercy to his prey. Some tried to fight back, others ran for their lives, and a few simply copsed, wailing in terror. He relished every moment of the ughter, giving each of his victims the attention they deserved. Each demonfolk was different, and their taste varied, but Jagon enjoyed them all the same. He ate and drank to his heart''s content, but no matter how much he consumed, his hunger and thirst were never satiated. Nevertheless, it was fine as long as the hatchling didn¡¯t run away. No, on second thought, it would be fine as well, even if she did run away. A wicked grin spread across Jagon¡¯s face as he considered his next move. He had been eagerly awaiting this moment, the chance to kill Raimira ¡ª the Dragon Duchess and the blood of Raizakia, the ck Dragon. Jagon knew that a fierce struggle was not in the cards, as it was clear that a two-hundred-year-old hatchling would not provide him with the entertainment he craved. However, an idea struck him then. What if he let her run? The thought of chasing her down and relishing in the hunt twice over sent a shiver of excitement down his spine. Yes, he decided that it would be rather special and fun. Suddenly, Jagon came to an abrupt halt. Up until that moment, he had been strolling along at a leisurely pace without a care in the world, but something had just caught his attention, causing him to freeze in his tracks. The energy he felting from the Dragon Demon Castle had suddenly changed. When he felt a sliver of it before, he had presumed it to be Dragon Fear. Yet, upon feeling it intensify now, it became clear to Jagon that his spection had been incorrect. This wasn¡¯t anything like Dragon Fear. It was a simpler yet purer form of malice and killing intent that sent shivers down Jagon¡¯s spine. Who or what could be responsible for emitting such a potent aura? The hatchling, who was only two hundred years old and had been confined to the castle all her life, couldn''t possibly be the source of this intense energy. It was simply impossible. Then, who was responsible for it? Could it be the Four Divine Generals, the closest known aides of the ck Dragon? As far as Jagon knew, they had devolved into fat pigs during the two hundred years of peace. Was it possible that the remnants of the past had not yet be entirely dull? ¡®No.¡¯ Jagon shook his head as he hastened his steps toward the Dragon Demon Castle. He traveled a great distance with each step he took, causing the ground the quake. ¡®It¡¯s not a demonfolk.¡¯ Jagon knew that if his opponent were a demonfolk, the aura they emitted would be infused with a temperament and Dark Power unique to their kind. It was how demonfolks shed; they used their energies to force their opponents to submit before the actual fight even began. The intensity of the energy and killing intent Jagon was sensing thrilled him greatly, indicating that it should contain a significant amount of Dark Power. However, Jagon could not feel even the slightest bit of Dark Power from the intense malice and energy. It was rather refreshing and provided Jagon with a different type of ecstasy. Was it really possible for such an immense and strong energy to be this pure? Such a thing was impossible for demons, so this meant that Jagon wouldn¡¯t be going against a demon. ¡°S-Stop!¡± Jagon''s joyful contemtion was abruptly interrupted by a sudden voice. Looking beyond the fallen gates, Jagon saw the vassals kowtowing on the road leading to the castle. White gs pped above the castle, signaling the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s surrender. Jagon could see four demons on the upper railing of the castle. "The Dragon Demon Castle will surrender unconditionally against this invasion. In other words, everything in the castle will be in the possession of the victor, Count Karad," dered the Finance General, emphasizing the word possession. In a duel between demonfolks, the winner took ownership of everything belonging to the loser. Nheless, this was not a duel between two individual demons but a territorial war between two regions. Despite this, the demonfolks of the Dragon Demon Castle dered unconditional surrender, signaling the end of the invasion. It was a clear indication that everything in the castle now belonged to Count Karad. However, the Beastfolk standing before the vassals of the Dragon Demon Castle right now wasn¡¯t Count Karad; he appeared to be simply a soldier under Count Karad¡¯smand. In other words, this Beastfolk had no right to arbitrarily determine the treatment of the demons of the Dragon Demon Castle, who were already prisoners and property of Count Karad. ¡°We already had a discussion with Count Karad regarding how the war will proceed and how it will end. A-And¡­ there is something else you really should be focusing on right now.¡± ¡°The deputy lord¡­. The Dragon Duchess has fled the castle. I-It was a mishap that had nothing to do with us. That sly girl secretly recruited a coborator from the outside, prepared, and implemented an escape without us knowing.¡± ¡°She could not have gotten very far. You should hurry and¡­.¡± The generals scrambled to talk over each other, causing Jagon¡¯s lips to twitch upwards. Jagon leaned forward without bothering to listen any further. Booom! Then he simply leaped forward. However, even such a simple gesture was sufficient to create a shockwave that caused the bodies of the kneeling vassals to explode like water balloons. ¡°W-Wait¡­.¡± The Four Divine Generals attempted to flee in a hurry, but Jagon had already decided to kill them before they even had a chance to run away. None of them managed to escape from Jagon, just like the vassals who had died before them. They all perished without even putting up a fight or letting out a scream. Rumbleee! Jagon moved past the railing where the generals had been standing and began climbing the roof of the castle. This caused the massive structure to copse, but Jagon remained stable and unmoved even as the roof creaked and shook. He stood firmly on the copsing roof, gazing out at the castle''s back garden. In the back garden, a figure stood gazing up at Jagon, meeting his stare. The man had ck hair and ck eyes, but Jagon saw through the disguise immediately. Regardless, Eugene had no reason to maintain his disguise any longer, as he intended to kill anyone whoid eyes on him that day. With a few scruffles of his hand, his ck hair transformed back into its natural gray hue, and his eyes regained their original golden color. Eugene knew the Beastfolk staring at him was the son of Oberon. He had felt it upon seeing the Beastfolk from a distance, but Oberon¡¯s son had a lot inmon with his father. It was mostly his appearance, which was a mix of a bear and a human, as well as his grayish-brown fur, which was as stiff and sharp as iron needles. That wasn''t the end of it, though. Oberon had been known for his violent tendencies, earning him the infamous title of The Depraved Oberon. However, as Eugene looked at Jagon and felt the intense killing intent emanating from him, Eugene couldn''t help but feel that his father''s nature paled inparison. ¡°Eugene Lionheart?¡± muttered Jagon while slightly tilting his head. Gray hair and golden eyes were unchanged characteristics of the Lionheart family over three hundred years of lineage. There were numerous families on the continent, but only one family with such prominent characteristics ¡ª the Lionheart family of Kiehl. Even the farthest rtives of the family were born with distinct gray hair and golden eyes. ¡°Do you know who Barang is?¡± asked Eugene. He had left Raimira back underground and leaped to a feather he had spread beforehand with Prominence. Jagon''s voice was low as he responded, "I haven''t heard that name in years." He paused for a moment, trying to remember thest time he had heard it. It had been a few years ago, but he couldn''t recall any details. The name simply held no significance for him, and he felt nothing toward it. ¡°That bastard said that you were his sworn brother,¡± said Eugene. "We were," Jagon answered simply. The title of a sworn brother held little value for him, considering that he had killed his own father with his own hands. To Jagon, being a sworn brother was merely a recognition of one''s strength and ferocity ¡ª a recognition of one¡¯s sharp fangs and ws, but nothing more. ¡°Was Barang proud of it?¡± Jagon asked. Since a certain point in time, Jagon had no longer considered others to be his brothers. He had abandoned any sense of brotherhood around the time when he no longer considered his father to be his father. The Depraved Oberon was considered a madman, and while Jagon had respected his father¡¯s strength, respect was only given to those who were stronger. With the passage of time, Oberon grew old and frail while Jagon grew strong and youthful. Once it became clear that Jagon¡¯s fangs and ws could reach the nape of his father¡¯s neck, he decided to no longer respect his father. The same was true for Jagon¡¯s sworn brothers. Since their fangs and ws did not grow as sharp as he had hoped, he lost all interest in them. Barang? Indeed, he had once been Jagon¡¯s sworn brother. Jagon¡¯s memories returned as he thought about it. He recalled that among his brothers, Barang had lived the longest and always imed he would stand by Jagon''s side, but that was all Jagon could remember. ¡°No, he wasn¡¯t very proud of it. Anyways, it¡¯s amazing that you actually were sworn brothers with him,¡±mented Eugene. ¡°What¡¯s amazing about it?¡± asked Jagon. ¡°I thought he was selling your name because he didn¡¯t want to die,¡± said Eugene with a grin. However, Eugene¡¯s words elicited no response from Jagon. Instead, Jagon simply stood motionless while staring down at him. ¡°Are you done?¡± asked Jagon. "I have nothing more to say," Eugene replied shortly. With that, he brushed off his coat and transformed it back into the Cloak of Darkness. Though he had beenpelled to wear the ck coat with the fur lining, he had never feltfortable in it. The cloak, on the other hand, was a familiar and reassuring garment. While Eugene was transforming his coat, Jagon didn''t waste any time and quicklyunched an attack toward him. He aimed his hand directly at Eugene''s head with lightning-fast speed, ready to strike him down. Jagon was not one to show any consideration for his prey during a hunt. He typically wouldn''t even bother conversing with them. However, in the case of Eugene, Jagon had a hunch that this battle would be enjoyable and exciting. So, he waited patiently and engaged in a short conversation with the human, answering his questions. It was a level of consideration that Jagon wouldn''t have given to most of his prey, but this hunt was different. The prospect of a challenging fight was too tempting to resist. Consequently, Jagon did not bother asking any of the important questions. Was Eugene the Dragon Duchess¡¯ coborator? If so, where was she right now? Such questions were for Count Karad to wonder about. Instead, Jagon had other questions of his own. How had Eugene dodged his attack just now? Eugene had definitely been right under Jagon, and he had remained motionless until the moment Jagon struck. Jagon wasn¡¯t arrogant enough to think his attack had beenpletely unavoidable. In fact, he was sure that there had been a gap. Yet, he had failed to grasp Eugene¡¯s movements. It was strange. Jagon did not understand exactly how Eugene had suddenly appeared behind his back. Boom! With a small ck dot on the end of his fingertip, Eugeneunched an attack that consumed Jagon in an explosion, and the brilliant light burned the surroundings a blinding white. Then the explosion of mana condensed into a single point, and blinked ck , leaving nothing but darkness in its wake. Eugene took a step back from the great storm of mana. He hadn¡¯t been expecting his attack to leave a scratch on Jagon, so he wasn''t disappointed when it didn''t. After all, Eugene had known from his encounter with Oberon, Jagon''s father, over three centuries ago that Oberon had been as tough as Molon, though not as strong as the Molon of today. So, it came as no surprise that Jagon was just as tough, if not tougher, than his father. Then Eugene activated the Wings of Prominence, and the zing me underneath them caused a multitude of feathers to sprout forth. Fwoosh! In an instant, a burst of light emitted from beneath the wings and propelled Eugene forward with such speed that he became a blur in Jagon''s vision. Regardless, Jagon stretched out his hand, and a curved w shot out of his muscr hand. He then wed at the space in front of him. Eugene reached for a weapon concealed within his cloak, but he didn''t choose his usual sword. Instead, he drew out Jigth, the Annihtion Hammer. This was the weapon he had acquired from ck Lion Castle, and it had once been wielded by the Demon King of Carnage himself. The hammer towered over Eugene''s height, but he expected nothing less, considering its previous owner''s stature was much greater than that of humans. Yet, despite the hammer¡¯srge size and great weight, Eugene was strong enough to wield it with only one hand. Indeed, it was true that it was rather hard for Eugene to put all of his strength into wielding the weapon with one hand, but the Annihtion Hammer was not a weapon meant to be swung with as much strength as possible. The Annihtion Hammer, Jigth, was a straightforward weaponpared to the Demon Spear. The Demon Spear had aplex mechanism that involved attacking specific coordinates through space, but the Annihtion Hammer simply broke down anything it hit and caused the target to explode. Boom! Propelled by the force of the impact produced by Eugene¡¯s attack, Jagon''s body moved forward. Nevertheless, he quickly regained his bnce and lunged toward Eugene with his wed hand outstretched. Yet, as he tried to grab Eugene, Eugene disappeared once again. Jagon didn''t grab empty air, though. Instead, he found a swelling ck dot that had been left behind where Eugene had just been. Jagon reacted quickly, immediately closing his fist around the ck dot. He squeezed it tightly, extinguishing it before it could explode. The dot still exploded anyway, but it was only a partial explosion, which caused Jagon''s hand to jerk once. Right after that, Eugene materialized high up in the sky and brought down the Annihtion Hammer with great force, hitting Jagon hard. Nevertheless, Jagon didn''t move. Instead, he faced the full impact of Jigth''s strike and raised his head to look at Eugene. A gleam sparkled in Jagon¡¯s ck eyes. Eugeneughed as he felt a shiver run down his spine. Though Jagon was powerful, his strength couldn''t bepared to that of Molon. Eugene knew he had boasted to Molon before about how their battle would have gone differently if he had weapons, but deep down¡­ Eugene knew that he would still have lost even if he had been allowed his weapons. ¡®But you¡­¡¯ Eugene¡¯s left hand was still tightly wrapped around the Annihtion Hammer. He ced his right hand, which was empty, into his cloak. ¡®...aren¡¯t Molon.¡¯ Jagon had bitten his father to death, but so what? Oberon had not been stronger than Molon from three hundred years ago. Eugene didn¡¯t deny that Oberon had been strong, but it was a fact that Molon had been stronger. Yes, it was true that Jagon was a powerful warrior, strong enough to earn him the nickname the Beast of Ravesta. However, Jagon wasn¡¯t Molon, he wasn¡¯t Gavid Lindman, and he wasn¡¯t Noir Giabe either. Still, it was also true that one day, Jagon would grow strong enough to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with those monsters. Eugene was convinced of this after seeing Jagon run rampant. That was why he had bothered to make his presence known to Jagon. Eugene could have chosen to destroy the core of the Dragon Demon Castle and make his escape with Raimira during the chaos of the castle¡¯s descent. A demon like Jagon wouldn¡¯t die from the crash, but the crash would still result in the deaths of many demonfolks. Despite that, Eugene had pushed back this very exciting and cool opportunity for a while and decided to kill Jagon first. The first time Eugene put Prominence to the test had been on the other side of Lehainjar, but that had not been the most optimal location to use Prominence. Moreover, the only abilities he had utilized in the battle against Molon had been leaping from feather to feather and bombarding him with ck spots. The other side of Lehainjar had been almost devoid of any mana, and there had been no primal spirits either. It was true that the ability to simply leap from feather to feather was an invaluable ability that made Prominence worthwhile as Eugene¡¯s Signature, but leaping wasn¡¯t the only thing he wanted to achieve with Prominence. The feathers Eugene had scattered with Prominence were imbued with his mana, which contained the spirit of the World Tree. In turn, this attracted the primal spirits in the surroundings. Ultimately, Eugene¡¯s me of mana gradually increased in size and intensity by devouring the mana in the atmosphere. Eugene¡¯s mind resonated with the mana and took fine control of the primal spirits as well. This was different from Ignition in that doing this didn¡¯t cause his cores and heart to re up. However, it did allow Eugene to control an enormous amount of dense mana that he would not normally be able to control. Consuming such a huge amount of mana would cause Eugene to be extremely fatigued, even though he had not neglected a single day in training. Nevertheless, that was fine. Since he wasn¡¯t using Ignition and therefore not straining his heart and his Core, he was only putting his body in physical pain. That, he could endure. Eugene''s left ring finger lit up with a red glow from the Ring of Agaroth, the War God. Its ability was straightforward ¡ª to forcibly enhance the body''s regenerative power. Although it consumed the user''s life force, Eugene''s exceptional physicality and rigorous training meant it would only cause mild fatigue after usage. The feeling of omnipotence began to spread throughout Eugene¡¯s body. It felt simr to using Ignition but without the apanying strain on his heart and Core. With a smile, Eugene pulled out his right hand from inside the cloak. The Demon Spear Luentos pierced through the air, and hundreds ¡ª no, thousands of spears bloomed from under Jagon¡¯s feet. Chapter 264: Jagon (4) Rumblee! The underground trembled with a series of repeated vibrations that rattled the space. Startled, Raimira quickly curled up into a tight ball, and she let out a surprised yelp as dust began to cascade down from the ceiling above. With both hands firmly wrapped around her head, Raimira waited anxiously for the tremors to subside. Even if the ceiling copsed and buried Raimira underground, she would not die. Such a thing would obviously kill humans, and regr demonfolks would be buried alive as well, but Raimira was a dragon. She could easily escape if she canceled the polymorph transformation and returned to her regr appearance. Naturally, escaping by reverting to her original form would be an extremely foolish and ignorant approach though. Moreover, although it was impossible for her to useplicated Draconic spells as a hatchling, escaping from the underground with magic was something that should not pose any difficulty for her. Yet, the thought of escape never even urred to Raimira. She was consumed by fear ¡ª fear of the reverberations she felt and the sound of waring from above. Such thoughts left her unable to think clearly or devise an escape n, simply filling her mind with dread. Raimira¡¯s already sensitive senses allowed her to have full awareness of the happenings above ground, even from a distance. In particr, as a dragon, Raimira was especially sensitive to the temperament of mana unique to different existences. This gave her a profound awareness of her surroundings. The Four Divine Generals were already dead, and it was probable that they had perished without a chance to even resist. In all honesty, Raimira felt absolutely no pity for the Four Divine Generals who had died; in fact, she found their deaths rather pleasant and enjoyable. However, what truly frightened her was the fragility of life. It had taken only a few seconds for the Four Divine Generals, who had lived for centuries, to perish, reminding her that life was fleeting and delicate. ¡°Father¡­. Father¡­,¡± Raimira whimpered, searching for her absent father. She barely had any memories of him. Raizakia, the ck Dragon, was imprinted in Raimira''s mind more as the lord of the Dragon Demon Castle than as a father figure. Raimira had not spent enough time with her father to form any other ideas about him. Even so, Raimira desperately sought out her father, the ck Dragon. At the time of Raimira¡¯s birth, the ck Dragon had ced a fragment of his Dragon Heart inside his daughter¡¯s forehead. He had done so to ensure that she remained his possession as well as prevent her from resisting when the day came that he would force her toy eggs and be his meal. Little did Raimira know that the ck Dragon''s true intentions were far from what she perceived them to be. She believed the red jewel inside her forehead was a symbol of his affection, but in reality, it was a mark of ownership. Raimira couldn¡¯t help but think that a disaster like this could have been avoided if the ck Dragon had been present. Her thoughts were clouded by a sense of longing and desperation as she yearned for the ck Dragon''s protection. If he had been present, she, the Dragon Duchess, would never have had to suffer humiliation like this. Raimira sniffled while thinking such thoughts. ¡®Maybe¡­ if I wish for it hard enough, the ck Dragon will hear my voice and return.¡¯ It seemed like a very possible thing at the moment. Consequently, Raimira gently caressed the red jewel on her forehead with continued sniffling. The agony that had ripped through her body when the intruder mercilessly struck her jewel had been almost unbearable. However, as she tentatively reached up to touch the jewel now, she found that there was almost no pain. ¡°Oh, ck Dragon¡­ if you can hear my voice, then please return to the Dragon Demon Castle as soon as possible¡­¡± whispered Raimira. Naturally, there was no response. Nevertheless, she continued to pray, her fingers caressing the red jewel on her forehead in a ritualistic manner. After a moment, she rose to her feet with a deep sigh. It wasn''t a sudden surge of dignity or courage that propelled her upwards; it was simply the fact that the tremors from above had ceased. ¡®Thisdy cannot run away by herself¡­.¡¯ Raimira''s gaze drifted toward the core with a sense of despondency. It wasn''t as though she felt any sense of loyalty toward the intruder who had struck her down, but she knew that she was trapped within the Dragon Demon Castle as long as the nucleus remained intact¡­. Booooom! ¡°Hieeeek!¡± The underground shook with even greater ferocity than before. This caused Raimira to curl up into a ball once again, and her body quivered uncontrobly. The intruder had promised to return, but Raimira couldn''t help but wonder when exactly that would be. She knew he hadn''t run away, for he was currently engaged in battle with Count Karad''s vanguard aboveground. ¡®The intruder is quite strong, but the enemy should be equally as strong,¡¯ she thought whileparing the two. Raimira was acutely aware of the fact that Count Karad''s vanguard would stop at nothing to kill her, while the intruder had promised to take her away from the Dragon Demon Castle unharmed. It was clear to her that she had to side with the intruder. She knew that her father, the ck Dragon, would want nothing more than to see his daughter survive, even if it meant the fall of the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡®That means thisdy doesn¡¯t need to head up there.¡¯ As the tremors continued to rumble through the ground, Raimira''s anxious mind and racing heart began to calm. She knew that she couldn''t risk heading to the surface while the battles raged on; it was simply too dangerous. Yet, even as she shuddered with each new tremor, she couldn''t help but feel a strange sense of safety. After all, the very fact that she was experiencing these tremors meant that she was deep underground, far from harm''s way. Raimira knew that she would be safe until the chaos aboveground subsided as long as she stayed put. ¡°Thisdy is extremely smart!¡± With her decision made, Raimira began to recite a Draconic incantation. As her voice echoed through the underground space, a secure and unbreakable barrier began to form around her, enveloping her body in a protective cocoon. Upon feeling a sense of relief, Raimira settled back into a morefortable position, content to wait out the storm in rtive safety. *** Spear Forest was a devastating technique that could be used while wielding the Demon Spear Luentos. The user of this technique could call forth a deadly forest of living ck thorns to impale their enemies. Furthermore, these thorns were no ordinary nt matter but were imbued with the same demonic power as the Demon Spear itself, making them nearly impossible to defend against. Creaaak. Creaaaaaak¡­. Jagon stood unwavering amid the thick thorns. His body bristled with anticipation as he watched them sprout up from the ground. Even as the countless deadly spikes converged upon him, his fur remained sharp and unyielding, deflecting their piercing blows with ease. Though the thorns were powerful enough to pierce through steel and stone, Jagon''s defenses proved to be more than a match for them and kept him unharmed by redirecting their trajectory. ¡°Heh¡­¡± Jagon¡¯s lips parted. ¡°Huhahaha¡­. Hahahaha! Hahaha!¡± Jagonughed maniacally while spreading his arms. Craaack! In an instant, the dense forest of spears that surrounded Jagon broke, and he jumped up. Jagon reached Eugene at once and then swung his fist. Eugene vanished once more, leaving Jagon to face an empty space. Nevertheless, this peculiar phenomenon was not new to Jagon because he had witnessed it on several asions before. As a seasoned fighter, Jagon possessed a keen sense of awareness and an extensive field of vision. He also had the instincts of a predator, enabling him to detect even the slightest movements. With his sharp senses, Jagon could discern that Eugene''s inexplicable movements were a form of magic, allowing him to traverse through space at an elerated pace. Furthermore, Eugene seemed to have the ability to hop from one of the many feathers floating in the area to another, further adding to his elusiveness. Jagon knew he couldn''t keep track of all the floating feathers and Eugene''s possible destinations. However, he kept most of them in his sight and relied on his keen senses, including his unique hunting sense, to chase Eugene¡¯s scent at the moment of his leap. Despite not being able to track every one of Eugene''s movements, Jagon remained on the offensive and utilized his incredible speed to chase after Eugene. He made his way toward the general area where Eugene might appear and kept a keen eye out for any movement. As soon as Eugene disappeared, Jagon sprang into action. Fwoosh! Eugene scattered more feathers using Prominence. Then as Jagon threw his fist at Eugene, he kept an eye on the leap that Eugene had just made. Eugene was satisfied with merely diverting Jagon¡¯s attention, though. After all, Eugene was still holding Luentos, and just holding the spear was sufficient for him to activate the weapon¡¯s ability. Eugene knew that to use Spear Forest to its full potential, he needed to have aplete understanding and calction of the space around him. Luckily, Mer was already helping him with these matters. However, in the heat of the moment, he didn''t have to worry about such things while using Prominence. Jagon was suddenly attacked by a barrage of spears erupting from the feathers that had been scattered around him. Eugene had used the feathers as coordinates for his Spear Forest technique. This allowed spears to shoot out from multiple directions, overwhelming Jagon and causing him to fall to the ground. Then Eugene materialized above Jagon, wielding the Annihtion Hammer high. The weapon held a raw and brutal strength, which originally belonged to a Demon King. After the events at the ck Lion Castle, both the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear came under Eugene''s control, and their source of power was reced by Eugene''s mana. Eugene was currently substituting Ignition with Prominence. His Core and heart were in stable condition, but his mana was runningpletely rampant, further strengthening the Annihtion Hammer. He swung down with the Annihtion Hammer. Rumbleee! The blow caused the Dragon Demon Castle to tilt to one side. The force of the hammer had caused the entire castle to sink. It was clear that a piece of the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s hugend mass would have disappeared altogether if Jagon had not held out as a buffer in the middle, absorbing the brute force contained in the blow. St! Jagon''s arm was now dripping with a stream of blood that gushed out like a fountain. He had used his arms to block Eugene¡¯s attack, and the amount of power in the blow he had received was tremendous. Yet, the sight of his blood was a novelty to Jagon. It had been hundreds of years since he hadst seen his own blood. The transformation of his gray-brown fur into a deep red was a curious sight, and he found himself captivated by it. He watched with intrigue as the blood slowly soaked into his fur. Boooom! However, Eugene did not leave Jagon to revel in sentiment. He struck down once more with the Annihtion Hammer,pletely destroying Jagon¡¯s arm. Boom! Jagon lurched forward with his legs bent. Booom! Now, Jagon waspletely pushed against the ground, and Eugene nned topletely pulverize him. Eugene struck down once more with the Annihtion Hammer, intending topletely finish Jagon. He surrounded Jagon with his feathers as well. At this moment, nothing alerted his sense of hearing. Eugene''s Prominence feathers served as both his coordinates and his eyes. As he spread his single wing, his senses surpassed those of any normal human, exceeding even the sixth sense. It was a new realm of perception that transcended mere senses. Yet, despite the unfamiliarity of these sensations, Eugene''s innate war-hardened intuition, born from a lifetime of training, remained steadfast and unswayed. Eugene was intimately familiar with the sensation that apanied the moment when a de was about to pierce his skin. In his earlier and less experienced days, he had been slow to react or unable to keep up with the speed of his opponents, resulting in numerous scars scattered across his body. Nevertheless, this was a story from three hundred years ago. Eugene was no longer the same. After countless battles and rigorous training, his body had developed a keen sensitivity to danger, and his reflexes had been honed to a razor''s edge. The sensation of a de about to pierce his skin no longer caught him off guard, but rather, it triggered an almost instinctual response that allowed him to dodge or deflect attacks with deadly efficiency. In any case, Eugene didn''t allow that sensation to distract him from the battle at hand. Instead, he pushed forward with all his might, channeling his mana into the Annihtion Hammer while summoning an army of spears from the feathers scattered around him. With a mighty leap, he disappeared through space, leaving Jagon behind to face the onught of weapons raining down upon him. The Dark Power that Eugene had felt was incredibly ominous, but he was no stranger to it. It was the same ominous feeling he had felt three hundred years ago. He had also felt it from the Nur at Lehainjar. Jagon was known throughout thend as the Beast of Ravesta, a fierce and powerful creature feared by all who crossed his path. Ravesta itself was a deste and dangerous territory, home to the reclusive Demon King of Destruction. Jagon had long been a loyal vassal of the Demon King, whom Jagon was bound to through a contract that had been passed down through his family for generations. Even Jagon¡¯s father, Oberon, had served the Demon King under the same agreement. As if to serve as a reminder of this, Jagon¡¯s gray-brown fur quickly becamepletely ck, but it wasn¡¯t just his fur that had been dyed ck with Dark Power. The color of his face had changed to a shade of ck too, and even his eyes had transformed into a dark crimson color like that of blood. The full power of the Annihtion Hammer fell onto Jagon. Yet, Jagon, who had been lying t on the ground, instantaneously stood on his two feet and reached over his head. There was no resulting sound, and nothing was even visible to the naked eye. However, an invisible force pierced through the power of the Annihtion Hammer and dissipated it. Even the numerous spears shot from the feathers could not prate theyer of Dark Power coated around Jagon. Rather, once the projectiles made contact with the invisible barrier, they corroded and scattered as dust. This was the fundamental property and power of the vassals of destruction. Eugene was familiar with the nature of the Dark Power that Jagon utilized. That ominous power would not only eat away at a person¡¯s mind but also destroy anything it came into contact with, dissipating it into nothingness. There had not been many vassals of the Demon King of Destruction during the era of three hundred years ago, and none of them had been famous or special. The reason for this was simple. The Demon King of Destruction was indifferent to his vassals. He provided them with power, but nothing more, not even basic protection. This was despite the fact that his ominous energy would even threaten the user, the vassal. The Vassals of Destruction were renowned for their strength, but their time in the world was often short-lived. The constant battles and wars they fought took a toll on their bodies. The very power they wielded gradually ate away at them until they finally sumbed and died through self-destruction. Eugene had been hoping to defeat Jagon before he could tap into the destructive Dark Power, but Jagon proved to be much more resilient than Eugene had anticipated. The battle had not gone ording to Eugene''s n, and this left him in a precarious position. Jagon turned his head. His face and mouth were no longer in view due to the darkness that covered his body. However, his eyes were gazing at Eugene, and they were twisted into a smile. ¡°What an outrageous bastard,¡± muttered Eugene with all sincerity. The stench of blood was getting thicker by the second. Eugene understood the reason behind the phenomenon he was witnessing. Jagon had enveloped himself in the Dark Power of Destruction, a force that relentlessly ate away at his body. Nevertheless, Jagon was a Beastfolk, so he possessed an incredible regenerative ability, which he was using to counteract the destruction that the ominous energy wrought on his body. Despite the constant onught, Jagon''s body was healing itself at a remarkable pace, allowing him to continue fighting with seemingly little regard for the damage he was sustaining. Still, there was a limit to Jagon''s incredible regenerative ability. As the battle wore on and the Dark Power of Destruction continued to consume his body, his regenerative power would gradually be less effective. Eventually, Jagon would reach a point of no return, unable to heal himself any longer. He would ultimately self-destruct under the weight of the destructive power that he wielded. ¡®But if it were that easy, he wouldn¡¯t have been called a beast,¡¯ Eugene remarked inwardly. In addition, he had no intention of fighting a drawn-out battle. As they both charged toward each other, neither Eugene nor Jagon seemed to hold a clear advantage in terms of speed. Jagon unleashed his full power, but it did not result in any explosive increase in his velocity. Nheless, the battle grew increasingly challenging for Eugene. Jagon was no longer fighting like an idiot with just his bare body. He was now covered with the Dark Power of Destruction, which destroyed anything it came into contact with. With Ignition having been reced by Prominence, Eugene was able to handle the burden ced on his body with rtive ease thanks to the restorative properties of the Ring of Agaroth. Though he had been cautious of Jagon''s attacks before, he now had to be doubly careful to avoiding into contact with the ominous aura that surrounded Jagon as well. However, it wasn¡¯t a huge deal. In the past, it had been a given that Eugene could die if he came into contact with the enemy. After all, demons had always been stronger and craftier than humans. Demons had to be killed over and over again, whereas humans were only given a single life. In other words, Eugene was ustomed to this process. He escaped the cage of Dark Power that threatened him from all sides by creating a path to liberty using the feathers of Prominence. As he leaped over and over again, the single wing of purple me emitted a brilliant light. Booom! Eugene struck Jagon with the Annihtion Hammer, sending him flying backward. Then Eugene healed his tattered hands while storing the Annihtion Hammer in his cloak. The thorns of the Demon Spear emerged from thin air, holding Jagon suspended in midair. In that short moment, Eugene let go of the Demon Spear and took out the Dragon Spear Kharbos and Thunderbolt Pernoa. Using the feathers of Prominence that were equipped with ck spots, Eugene fired off a barrage of attacks. The space shook with the force of an eruption as a bolt of thunder exploded from Pernoa, and the Dragon Spear unleashed a mighty Breath. Meanwhile, the ck spots rained down upon Jagon like a meteor shower. Eugene felt an eerie sensation, and he stopped his barrage without hesitation and stored his weapons. A burst of Dark Power suddenly cut through the barrage of mana and came at him. To avoid contact with the ominous energy, Eugene leaped to a feather. However, he chose to leap to a location that was closer to Jagon, instead of creating distance between them. Eugene followed up by drawing the Holy Sword and Wynnyd from his cloak. He unleashed a flurry of strikes with the two des, and ck blood gushed from Jagon¡¯s chest. Nheless, Jagon did not back down and instead threw his fist. With a seemingly simple punch, Jagon unleashed a tremendous force that almost seemed to rival even the powerful strikes of Molon. The Dark Power that apanied the attack was equally devastating, sweeping through everything in its path with a destructive force. Despite the fact that Eugene had imbued durability into the feathers that he unleashed with Prominence, they were still no match for the full power of the Dark Power of Destruction. The feathers that Eugene had scattered earlier werepletely destroyed in a single blow. Regardless, this was nothing for him to worry about. Eugene could simply scatter more feathers. Consequently, he carried out his n with a p of his single wing. The embers of his purple me transformed into feathers before scattering into the surroundings. When Jagon threw another punch, Eugene retreated and used the scattered feathers of Prominence to create distance between them. Jagon was quick to follow, though, and he roared as he closed in on Eugene. Boom! Boom! Booom! Before long, the two of them had moved all the way to the city from the castle. The cityy in ruins, with its tall buildings reduced to rubble. Demonfolks and demonic beasts roamed the streets, feeding on their own kind amid the carnage. The sight was horrific, but it only served to fuel Eugene''s determination. Eugene turned around, no longer lengthening his distance from Jagon. Instead, he charged at Jagon with a sh of lightning that elerated him further. Jagon stopped and stared intently as Eugene flew toward him. He had already identified the locations of the feathers, and there were no more feathers behind and around Jagon that Eugene could use as points of teleportation. However, Jagon didn¡¯t believe that the human was simply charging at him from the front like an idiot. He could see that Eugene was scattering more feathers as he elerated, so Jagon had to prepare himself to chase after the disappearing prey. Eugene knew that he would die if a blownded. He had a strong hunch regarding this. It was rather fortunate that he¡¯d had a chance to fight with Molon before this battle against Jagon. Perhaps it was because Eugene had experienced the ridiculous power of hisrade through a beating, but¡­ he felt that Jagon¡¯s absurd power was rather meek. Due to being quite ustomed to facing such ridiculous power, Eugene did not panic, and he wasn¡¯t nervous either. When Jagonunched his attack, Eugene remained unfazed, moving exactly as he had intended at that moment. Rather than leaping to a feather as he had done before, Eugene coordinated the eleration of the thunderbolt and twisted his body to evade Jagon''s strike. Shing! Shing! Eugene swiftly and deftly executed a series of blows on Jagon''s arm with the Holy Sword and Wynnyd as he passed by Jagon. In the blink of an eye, Eugene spun around and used both of his swords to decapitate his enemy. Jagon''s head was severed from his body and sent flying into the air. His eyes were wide open with a look of shock and disbelief as he stared at Eugene. ¡°I cut off your father¡¯s head several times, too,¡± said Eugene with a smirk as he moved past Jagon. Jagon did not understand Eugene¡¯s words, but he didn¡¯t care to do so. Rather, he raged, as this was the first time he had been decapitated. ¡°Kugh¡­!¡± Jagon didn¡¯t return the smug smile. He didn¡¯t have the mood to do so. Jagon was getting frustrated and annoyed that the hunt wasn¡¯t going his way, and he was furious that his head had been cut off. His pure intent to kill was now contaminated with hatred and malice, producing an evil energy. The power of destruction bent to Jagon¡¯s malice, creating what seemed like a huge tidal wave. Even though Jagon remained motionless, an endless wave of Dark Power swept through the space. Meanwhile, the Holy Sword in Eugene¡¯s hand emitted a brilliant light to protect its wielder. Fwaaaaah¡­. The remains of the Dragon Demon Castle disappearedpletely. No, rather, the entirety of the castle ground was gone. Eugene stopped in midair, staring dumbfoundedly at the scene before him while taking note of the Ring of Agaroth. His minor injuries began to quickly regenerate. ¡°My god,¡± said Eugene with an astonished smile. What remained after the tornado of ck Power engulfed almost everything was simply wriggling chunks of meat, and those wriggling chunks were Jagon. The explosion of Dark Power hadpletely destroyed his body, and it was now in the process of regeneration. However, Jagon wasn¡¯t being regenerated in his original form. Rather, the result of the regeneration was a body that was much bigger and more vicious than before. With it, the ominous feeling of destruction grew even stronger. Eugene shook his head while stifling a nauseous feeling. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± He suddenly heard a shrill screaming from below at this moment. Raimira had not been intending to exit the underground until everything had concluded. She had nned to stay inside her safe sanctuary and wait for the storm to pass, and indeed, that was what she had done. Raimira had done nothing else, but even so, thend above her had casually disappeared. Chapter 265: Jagon (5) The castle ground had entirely disappeared, and the ceiling of the underground space had vanished as well. Raimira had been worried that the ceiling would cave in, but this was worse than anything she had imagined. It wasn¡¯t at all moreforting to see the whole ceiling disappear, and Raimira continued to scream with panic. Raimira''s panicked cries were suddenly cut off when she spotted Eugene hovering high above her in the air. For a moment, she just stood there, clutching her chest while trying to catch her breath. She had no idea what was happening or how it was possible, but she knew one thing for certain ¡ª this was the most dire crisis she had ever faced in her two hundred years of life. Her lips moved soundlessly as she struggled to make sense of the situation and figure out what to do next. Eugene stole a nce down at the now exposed core of the Dragon Demon Castle. He had been thinking that Raimira would be safe underground, but it seemed he had underestimated the raw power that Jagon possessed. ¡°H-Have youe to rescue thisdy?¡± asked Raimira after a moment. Seeing that Raimira was about to fly out of the hole, Eugene extended his palm instead of answering her question. ¡°Stay there,¡± said Eugene. ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°It will be much safer there than here,¡± responded Eugene. ¡®Or so he says.¡¯ Raimira lowered her posture once more without arguing. ¡°Wait¡­ isn¡¯t it better for you to destroy the core right now? Then thisdy will be able to get away from the Dragon Demon Castle, and we won¡¯t have to worry about me getting caught up¡­¡± Raimira¡¯s words were very valid, but Eugene didn¡¯t even bother hearing them through. ¡®There¡¯s no way a dragon would die that easily.¡¯ The worst oue that Eugene could imagine was Raimira getting caught up in the battle and ultimately dying. However, as a dragon, Raimira was very sturdy, and she even knew how to utilize a little bit of Draconic. She was capable enough to keep herself safe. Eugene couldn¡¯t afford to think about Raimira anymore, at least not when was Jagon approaching him from afar now. With malice and an aura of destruction surrounding him, Jagon finally broke away from being an unrecognizable lump of meat. He wasn¡¯t much different from before in terms of appearance. The only noticeable difference was that he was slightly bigger than before. Yet, the ominous energy surrounding him was much greater in intensitypared to before. No matter how sturdy Raimira was, she would surely die if she were struck by Jagon¡¯s terrible energy. This wasn¡¯t just spection; it was a fact proven by history. Dragons were vulnerable to the Dark Power of Demon Kings. In particr, almost half of all dragons had been wiped out at the hands of the Demon King of Destruction. It was much safer to prevent Jagon from approaching Raimira at all. ¡°Stay there, and don¡¯t move,¡± warned Eugene once more before slowly flying forward. He had no reason to rush, as Jagon was standing motionlessly, for unknown reasons, in the middle of the Dark Power, ¡°Oh, dear¡­.¡± Count Karad stood tall on the back of a flying demonic beast, taking in the delightful scenery of the Dragon Demon Castle turning into ruins. The dukedom had been safeguarded by the ck Dragon''s name for three centuries, but it was now being ruthlessly destroyed. Furthermore, the individual ountable for this was none other than him ¡ª a nobleman from the fringes who had demonstrated his remarkable skills and proved himself time and time again to be an outstanding demon. Count Karad was ecstatic at the sight before him. He relished in the destruction and chaos that spread all over like wildfire. In fact, he was so enraptured that he could have watched for days on end. However, his euphoria was short-lived because he caught sight of Jagon hurtling an unrelenting storm of malice and energy toward them. The flying troops, including Count Karad, were rooted to the spot, unable to move or make a decision on whether to advance or retreat. ¡°Jagon?¡± Count Karad called out. There were always demons whose names were mentioned in discussions about those who were the most famous, aside from the Three Dukes of Helmuth. One of them had been the Depraved Oberon, who had shown absolute domination while living in the same era as the three dukes. So, Jagon had proven himself to be powerful just with the feat of defeating his father. This very Jagon was currently engaged in a battle with someone, and shockingly, he was being forced back. Jagon had always been a horrible and hideous creature by nature, and his body had always reeked of blood. However, right now, there was a different type of energy emanating from Jagon. It was an instinctive and ominous feeling. Count Karad knew the origin of the ominous feeling. It was the Demon King of Destruction. Consequently, the aura emanating from Jagon conveyed a sense of despair even to other demonfolks. Moreover, Jagon did not distinguish between allies and enemies. Unlike the elves, the Beastfolk did not receive the love of spirits during their lives, nor did they have a vast knowledge of mana or an incredible ability to have offspring like humans. Instead, Beastfolks were blessed with a strong body. Although theycked control over mana, their robust constitution made them capable of enduring most attacks, and their incredible regenerative powers allowed them to recover from even the most severe injuries. Count Karad had been taught about the history of the Beastfolk when he was a child. ording to legend, the Beastfolk had sumbed to their primal instincts and be ruthless predators during the reign of the Depraved Oberon. They had indulged in flesh and blood during years of war, with an insatiable hunger for ughter and carnage that seemed to never be satiated. However, the Beastfolk needed more power to continue their campaign of bloodshed, so they turned to the demon kings for aid. By making contracts with the demon kings, even the Beastfolk could learn to control Dark Power, and they chose to align themselves with the Demon King of Fury. Then when Fury fell, they turned their allegiance to the Demon King of Destruction. The Beastfolk of previous generations had betrayed their own kind, shifting their allegiance twice to satisfy their craving for ughter and predation. It was natural that such habits had been passed down to Jagon. Jagon was hungry, and the reason for Jagon''s hunger was evident. He had lost an excessive amount of blood and regenerated at an rming rate. Eating was the only solution to satiate his hunger. Jagon did not fight against his instincts; instead, he followed in the footsteps of his predecessors. The ball of flesh squirmed in the rippling darkness. Count Karad had not earned his title through mere luck or chance; he had be the man he was today by winning numerous battles of all kinds. From territorial disputes to ranking battles and other forms ofbat, he had honed his skills as a seasoned veteran. As such, his instincts were sharp and keen, warning him of the quiet and malevolent energy radiating from the ball of malice. He had no time to shout a warning or to order his flying steed. Instead, Count Karad immediately jumped off the back of his flying demonic beast. There were others by his side ¡ª demonfolks who had guarded his side as his escorts for a long time. Even so, Count Karad did not hesitate to jump alone. Count Karad understood the gravity of the situation. A single moment of hesitation could mean his demise, and his intuition proved him right. Almost instantaneously, the mass of flesh and darkness ¡ª Jagon ¡ª morphed into a colossal mouth and devoured both the demonic beast and Count Karad''s guards in one swift motion. Their deaths were swift and dreadful, leaving them no time to even cry out in terror before their demise. The Dark Power of Destruction obliterated and consumed its victims, erasing them entirely from existence. However, Jagon still wasn¡¯t full yet. Fwoosh! Jagon unleashed dozens of tendrils of darkness, each one apanied by writhing tentacles of flesh that thrashed toward the crumbling city. The fleshy appendages searched their surroundings with gaping jaws, akin to a pack of snakes on the hunt for their next meal. Cannibalism among demonfolks wasn¡¯t a rare thing, and it had been typical in the past. Humans did not grow stronger by eating their own kind unless it was apanied by ck magic or sorcery. However, it was different from demonfolks. For them, the strongest path to power was to cannibalize other demonfolks. Although there were risks involved, many were willing to take them during times of war and strife, as murder and violence weremonce for demonfolks. In the demon world, the strongest path to power was often paved with the flesh and blood of their own kind. ¡®He¡¯sing,¡¯ Jagon thought. Although Jagon was faithful to his instincts, his sense of reason remained unshakeable. As such, he calmly reviewed his previous battle, and he couldn¡¯t deny that it had been one-sided. Jagon had been strong since birth, a natural predator. He had never lost a battle, and he had never failed to kill after setting his target on his prey. He ate when he was hungry, and he drank when he was thirsty. Yet, it wasn¡¯t working out as usual against his current prey. Jagon had fought, yet he failed to win. He had wanted to kill, yet he failed to kill. He was hungry and thirsty, yet he failed to eat and failed to drink. Jagon had never experienced such shackles until today. Eugene Lionheart was approaching him now. Jagon had never imagined such a scenario, even in his wildest dreams. He had known that the ck Dragon wouldn¡¯t be present for the invasion. So, he had thought he would simply eat his fill; he had not expected a battle that could give him pleasure. So, he couldn¡¯t deny that the current situation had caught himpletely unaware. The ck Dragon wasn¡¯t here, but Eugene Lionheart was, and Jagon had suffered a totally one-sided humiliation from the human. Jargon had been decapitated, and his head had been sent flying away. After preying on some demonfolks and devouring them, Jagon withdrew the Dark Power. He was receiving incredible power by using it, but he knew that the Dark Power would continue to eat away at his body in exchange, so he couldn¡¯t keep using it. There was a sudden roar, and Jagon had to struggle toe to his senses. The collision sent Jagon flying far back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. It was truly unbelievable, but this was the truth. Rubble copsed on top of Jagon and threatened to bury him alive, but the Dark Power of Destruction surrounding him simply annihted the wreckage. Eugene suppressed his nausea and red at Jagon while raising Wynnyd. The wind suddenly intensified, and a storm began to build with Eugene at its center. Moreover, this wasn¡¯t regr wind but rather waves and waves of mana crafted into a storm conducted by the Storm Sword. With a downward sh of the sword, Eugene directed the full force of the storm toward Jagon. The blow brought the entire city down, engulfing the demonfolks who had failed to escape, as well as the demonfolks ransacking the city and ughtering its residents. Nevertheless, their fate was none of Eugene¡¯s business. Rather, he was focused on Jagon and only Jagon. Eugene red at Jagon as the Beastfolk raised himself within the storm. All the feathers scattered in the surroundings were capturing Jagon¡¯s minute movements. The Dark Power of Destruction showed off its presence even while Jagon was caught up in the storm of mana. Booom! Jagon stomped his feet, causing the ground to sink and the storm to dissipate. Then Eugene quickly switched out the Wynnyd for the Holy Sword before diving toward the ground. Just before Eugene¡¯s sword and Jagon¡¯s ws made contact, a collision of light and Dark Power erupted. The Holy Sword emitted a powerful light and resisted the Dark Power of Destruction, but despite its efforts, it failed to gain any advantage. Jagon''s power, which belonged to the strongest Demon King, was simply too great. If the Light and the Dark Power were to collide head-on, the Light would be devoured, and the Holy Sword would wither away. However, Eugene was twisting and turning the de at just the right moments to deflect Jagon¡¯s blows and chip away at his Dark Power. Meanwhile, Count Karad was muttering under his breath during his struggle to maintain his footing as the two monsters shed. "Monsters," he whispered to himself while taking in the sight of the destruction around him. Hundreds of demonfolks had formed an army to invade the city, but now most of them ¡ª as well as the city¡¯s residents numbering several times that of the demonfolks ¡ªy dead. The majority of them had been caught in the crossfire between the two powerful beings. The shing of the two opposing forces was a deadly bane for the demons, leaving them exposed and vulnerable. The Dark Power of Destruction was indiscriminate in its destruction, mercilessly devouring anything that crossed its path. On the other hand, the radiant glow emanating from the Holy Sword was a death sentence for the demonfolks, for it had the power to purify and vanquish them. To survive, the demonfolks had to flee and create as much distance from the two monstrous powers as possible. ¡®I¡¯m not being pushed back, but I can¡¯t grab the upper hand either,¡¯ Eugene remarked inwardly. Eugene had swung the Holy Sword hundreds of times in a short moment. He had shed the coat of Dark Power surrounding Jagon multiple times but had never managed to reach the Beastfolk¡¯s fur. Even the light of the Holy Sword, which typically purged the Dark Power of demons with ease, was ineffective against Jagon. ¡®It must be because of the Demon King,¡¯ Eugene surmised. The Demon King whose power Jagon was using was not just any Demon King but the strongest Demon King. So, even though the Holy Sword wasn¡¯tcking in any way, it simply wasn¡¯t powerful enough to blow away the Dark Power of Destruction. However, the Holy Sword allowed Eugene to hold his own against Jagon. Simply holding the Holy Sword allowed Eugene¡¯s sanity to be protected against the ominous and insane power of darkness. Moreover, the light of the Holy Sword repelled the Dark Power and prevented it from eroding Eugene¡¯s mana. Nevertheless, what Eugene needed wasn¡¯t a protective Light. He needed destruction in the shape of a sword, an object that annihted everything it reflected ¡ª the Moonlight Sword. Eugene stepped back from the rampaging malice and ced his hand inside his cloak. He had never taken out the Moonlight Sword ever since recovering one of its pieces from the mine. Eugene had judged it to be too dangerous, and if truth be told, he wasn¡¯t confident in havingplete control over the Moonlight Sword. Yes, he could swing it, but once he did, he wasn¡¯t sure he could control the power to specify exactly how much power it would contain and how much it would destroy. It had been the same in the mine. When he gathered the fragments together, Eugene had definitely been holding the Moonlight Sword, and he had not been intending to destroy the mine at all. Rather, he had been trying to keep the situation under control. Yet, he had failed miserably. Eugene had done his best to suppress the light, but it had gone out of control, sweeping everything around him andpletely destroying the mine. Fortunately, he had not needed to use the Moonlight Sword during his time in Helmuth, so he had been intending on grasping control over the weaponter, in a safer ce. ¡®Control?¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t bother hindering his lips from twitching into a smile. Rather, he grinned while pulling out the pommel of the Moonlight Sword. This was an opportunity. Truth be told, Eugene was curious. He wondered how powerful the Moonlight Sword had be after it was restored partially. Three hundred years ago, the Moonlight Sword¡¯s power had not been inferior to the Dark Power of the Demon Kings. ¡®I don¡¯t expect the same power from the current form, though.¡¯ Eugene unveiled the sword from its ordinary sheath. Before recovering a fragment at the mine, the Moonlight Sword had been a sword of light erupting from a small fragment of its de, but it was different now. With the addition of the fragment recovered from the mine, the Moonlight Sword¡¯s de had been restored to about a third of its original form. The missing piece of the de had been reced by pale moonlight. Before recovering an additional fragment, the light of the Moonlight Sword had rampaged of its own will, but now, it extended straight like a polished de. Nheless, that was only on the surface. The outrageous power contained in the sword still craved to run wild, and the hand holding the pommel of the sword throbbed. An eerie feeling washed over Eugene as he raised the Moonlight Sword to his side. Gwoooo¡­. The moonlight flickered. There was no need to use the Empty Sword or sword-force. In the first ce, it was impossible to imbue such techniques with the Moonlight Sword. In its essence, the Moonlight Sword was destruction in the form of a sword. It could not be used with anything else, as it ripped, destroyed, and exterminated everything in its path. Even Vermouth had failed to utilize any of his techniques with the Moonlight Sword, and in fact, there had been no need to do so. Simply swinging the Moonlight Sword proved sufficient for Eugene¡¯s situation. The malicious Dark Power was engulfed by moonlight, and the malicious energy, which destroyed and devoured everything, failed to ovee the moonlight. Rather, the Dark Power of Destruction seemingly struggled in the moonlight before melting away. Jagon instinctively leaped back as the Moonlight Sword drew a crescent through the air. Nothing was left where the wave of crescent had passed through. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Jagon felt his hair stand on end. His lips felt dry, he felt goosebumps rising on his skin, and his heart was thumping rapidly. He felt confused by the strange emotions that grasped his heart. Jagon stared at Eugene and the moonlight contained in his hand. What exactly was the light Eugene held? Was it sword-force? Was it magic? Divine power? No, it was nothing. That light was nothing, but at the same time, it was a power that destroyed everything. Jagon instinctivelyprehended the nature of the light, and he felt a strange sense of foreboding about it. Jagon let rip a roar before bursting into the air. Fleeing with his tail tucked behind his back wasn¡¯t an option, so he attempted to alleviate his fear with a mighty roar. Rumblee! Pale moonlight and the Dark Power collided. Eugene wielded his sword to the best of his ability without using any techniques. He shed through the Dark Power that threatened to destroy him and stabbed in what he deemed to be the right directions. Even though the Moonlight Sword was an absurdly powerful tool, it didn¡¯t mean Eugene could swing it recklessly. A sword was only good as its user, and it would better reach its target with sophisticated swings. He swung the sword with precision and care, directing it toward his opponent in calcted movements. The city ¡ª or rather, the world ¡ª began to copse. This ce was no longer the Dragon Demon Castle from before. The ruins were quickly transformed into an empty wastnd, and the ground was turned upside down. The Moonlight Sword left nothing but destruction in its wake, obliterating even the ground it passed over as Jagon sprinted tirelessly within its glow. The castle was slowly being cut down with each powerful sh of the absurd weapon. The ground was sinking slowly, or so Jagon thought. He realized that he had been mistaken about that when he leaped high into the sky. It wasn¡¯t only that the ground beneath the Dragon Demon Castle was being shed to nothingness; rather, the castle was crashing to the ground beneath. The castle¡¯s core had been overloaded due to the unceasing waves of destruction. The Dragon Demon Castle wasn¡¯t plummeting, but it was gradually descending in altitude. Eugene wasn¡¯t fond of the slow descent. He wished that the castle would go crashing down on the territory of Karabloom instead. Then Eugene shed a wicked grin as he extended his fiery wing, causing Jagon to instinctively retreat with a flinch. Nevertheless, as Jagon observed the situation, he found that something was different this time. Every time Eugene unleashed his wing of fire in the past, there had been disastrous consequences. Yet, as Jagon watched warily now, nothing seemed to be happening. ¡°What did you do?¡± asked Jagon. ¡°I destroyed it,¡± answered Eugene with a smile. Booooooom! The Dragon Demon Castle started to quake, even though Eugene had not swung the Moonlight Sword. The earthquake divided thend beneath Eugene and Jagon into several pieces, signaling the eleration of the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s descent. Eugene had done a simple thing. He had left behind a few feathers with Prominence near the core to keep an eye on Raimira. So, he created ck spots with those feathers and shattered the core. With its control mechanismpletely destroyed, the Dragon Demon Castle was now plummeting in earnest. ¡°Do you want to die together?¡± asked Jagon, noticing the eleration in their fall. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Eugene with a smile. ¡°You¡¯re going to die before this lump ofnd crashes below.¡± Chapter 266: Jagon (6) As if to prove his words, Eugene wielded his de while twisting his waist. A burst of moonlight swept through the air, but Jagon chose to jump to invade the blow instead of engaging it head-on. Triggered by the destruction of its core, the fall of the Dragon Demon Castle had begun. The massive structure, which had been suspended in the air for centuries, was now disintegrating into countless fragments that rained down on the ground below. Jagon, moving with incredible speed, navigated through the chaos with his kicks shattering the debris that threatened to impede his progress. Furthermore, he wasn¡¯t simply jumping. The Dark Power surrounding him bent to his will and formed into the same shape as before when he had been devouring countless demons. The same tendrils that had allowed him to consume the multitudes of demons earlier sprouted from his back andshed out at Eugene with deadly force. It looked as if there were dozens of snakes attached to the back of a giant bear, but it wasn¡¯t a charming appearance by any means. Eugene clicked his tongue in annoyance and activated his Prominence ability to augment his speed even further. Though his Lightning sh ability had already granted him incredible swiftness, the added boost from Prominence''s wings allowed him to move with even greater velocity. Despite the breakneck pace, Eugene maintained absolute control over his movements, ensuring that he didn''t losemand over his own speed like before. Was Jagon moving too fast for Eugene¡¯s eyes? The very notion of that was preposterous. Eugene had absolute control over the space around him, and he was fully aware of Jagon''s every move, even those beyond his line of sight. While he gazed beyond the writhing mass of serpents, he watched Jagon gather the Dark Power onto his massive ws. A smile spread across Eugene¡¯s face as he deftly gripped the hilt of his Moonlight Sword in reverse. Craaack! A sudden burst of purple lightning illuminated the dim glow of the moonlight, shattering the umtion of Dark Power that Jagon had been assembling. Reacting swiftly, Jagon severed the portion of his power that was being eroded. He was still unable to discern the identity of the ominous light. The Demon King of Destruction was the strongest Demon King and even more powerful than the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet, the power granted to him by the Demon King of Destruction was being overpowered by the pale light. "Boss?" one of Jagon''s subordinates called out with a voice barely audible over the cacophony of destruction. Despite the devastation that had befallen them, including the aftermath of the fierce battle between Eugene and Jagon, not all of the demons had perished, and this subordinate of Jagon¡¯s that had managed to survive was struggling amid the debris. In lieu of a verbal response, Jagon simply gestured with one of his tendrils, signaling his intent. Jagon''s decision to employ one of his subordinates as a shield had nothing to do with hunger; it was a strategic maneuver to block the oing onught of moonlight. The unfortunate demon had been a skilled and powerful fighter, yet he perished instantaneously under the intensity of the attack, unable to even utter a final cry before being consumed by the moonlit energy. Jagon was convinced once more after seeing his subordinate die. The only thing that allowed him to stay on an equal footing with Eugene was the Dark Power of Destruction covering his body. Without it, it was abundantly clear that Jagon would have met the same ill-fated demise as hisrade long before now due to being unable to withstand the full brunt of Eugene''s deadly strikes. ¡°You¡ª¡± Jagon called out. Booom! Jagon took arge step back. Though the massive structure was hurtling toward the ground at an elerated pace, Jagon had more pressing matters to attend to. It was clear that Karabloom would be devastated once thergendmass crashed onto the ground. However, the fate of Karabloom was of no concern to him; a mere fall would not be sufficient to end his life. The only thing he cared about was what Eugene had said. The human had threatened to that he would have Jagon dead before the castle reached the ground, and Jagon could not help but feel that it had not been simply an arrogant provocation. Perhaps¡­ ¡°What are you?¡± asked Jagon. He was indifferent to others and faithful to his own instincts. However, be that as it may, Jagon could not help but wonder about Eugene. There were too many unanswered questions and too many curiosities. Eugene Lionheart was hailed as the descendant of the legendary Great Vermouth and the Hero and recognized by the Holy Sword as well¡­ but was that truly all that made him so formidable? Jagon couldn''t fathom how a mere lineage and a holy relic could confer such immense strength. After all, Jagon himself was a force to be reckoned with, and few demons in Helmuth, aside from the Three Dukes, could boast of having umted as much power as he had. Despite his considerable power, Jagon had been unable tond a single effective strike against Eugene in their fierce battle. He had tried everything in his arsenal in an attempt to overwhelm Eugene with his destructive might, but it had all been to no avail. Not even a drop of blood had spilled from Eugene. Even after invoking the power of destruction, all Jagon had managed to do in the battle was physically push Eugene back, and even then, he had failed to prate Eugene¡¯s defenses. Was it because of that mysterious sword? Still, Jagon could not entirely attribute the situation to the sword. The bnce of their battle had been consistent from the beginning until now; Jagon had failed to overwhelm Eugene even before he had taken out the Moonlight Sword. So what was it then? It was¡­ the strange way Eugene moved. He moved in an almost¡­ otherworldly way. Every step he took was precise, skilled, and calcted. It made his opponent seem like a child, and indeed, Jagon felt like a child in Eugene''s hands. Eugene''sposure only added to the effect. He had been showing a leisurely attitude for the entire duration of the battle. It was as if he had been born for this moment, and nothing could shake his resolve. Jagon expressed his disbelief, "I find it hard to believe that you are Eugene Lionheart." It was true that he had never met Eugene before, nor had he taken any interest in Eugene despite having heard his name in the past. The reason was that Jagon never looked down, only up. He gazed at the Three Dukes of Helmuth, the Three Mages of Incarceration, and perhaps the knights who were reputed to be the best of the best across the continent ¡ª if he bothered to turn his gaze in that direction. Eugene Lionheart was simply¡­ too young. ¡°Are you¡­ the Great Vermouth?¡± asked Jagon. He knew it was ridiculous, but he couldn¡¯t help but ask. There were simply too many simrities between Eugene and the Great Vermouth. No, to bepletely honest, it boiled down to a matter of pride. Jagon could not believe that he could be overwhelmed unless his opponent was hiding a secret like that. ¡ªI cut off your father¡¯s head several times too. Eugene¡¯s words had not really registered during Jagon¡¯s bout of anger earlier, but now, they resurfaced. It provided Jagon with some certainty of his suspicions. ¡°Hamel,¡± answered Eugene truthfully. ¡°Hamel Dynas.¡± It was inconsequential for Eugene to reveal his true identity now as only Jagon would be aware of it, and Jagon was destined to meet his demise soon. Jagon¡¯s eyes trembled after hearing Eugene¡¯s answer. There was no way he didn¡¯t know the name ¡®Hamel Dynas.¡¯ ¡°Hamel of Massacre.¡± A distorted smile hung around Jagon¡¯s mouth. However, he did not fall into denial, and he did not sigh in resignation either. Rather, his opponent¡¯s identity relieved him and gave him joy. Although Jagon¡¯s dead father had never indulged him with any old stories, Hamel¡¯s name was more renowned in Helmuth than it was in the continent. Nevertheless, Jagon didn''t bother expressing any sense of honor toward Eugene. Instead, he kicked off from the wreckage and propelled himself toward Eugene like a meteorite. Eugene anticipated Jagon''s movements and adjusted his stance ordingly. ck blood sshed, and Jagon''s severed arm fell to the ground with a thud as the sh between the Dark Power and the moonlight created a gory spectacle. Jagon was both surprised and amazed that his arm had been severed in a single blow. Despite this, he quickly regained hisposure and focused on his remaining arm, channeling all the Dark Power he could muster into it. The explosion of Dark Power engulfed Eugene, and in that short moment, Jagon regenerated his lost arm. With each swing of his arms, Jagon¡¯s sharp ws sent forth deadly attacks toward Eugene, and the debris surrounding them was sliced into minuscule pieces. As Jagon searched for his opponent, a sense of unease crept up on him. Suddenly, he looked up to see a building hurtling down toward him. A sign disying the name of the establishment was clearly visible. It read ¡®Giabe Steak House.¡¯ Booom! Jagon thrust his fist at the plummeting building and caused it to shatter, forming a cloud of dust and concrete. Roaaaar! He howled as he stood in the middle of the hazy dust and wiped away the obscuring dust particles from his surroundings. However, although there was no more dust, small ck dots materialized in their ce. The dots started to merge into a bigger form, and even though the result was only a ck lump the size of a fist, Jagon could feel a formidable power emanating from it. ¡°Holy shit.¡± Jagon had always been the one to shock others with his power and strength, but this time, it was different. He was appalled by Eugene. As Jagon faced the oing violence from Eugene, he couldn''t help butugh in disbelief. Rumbleee! Myriads of ck spots washed over Jagon. ¡°Krrr¡­!¡± Jagon¡¯s body was covered in wounds, and his mouth was filled with blood. He had focused all his energy on defending himself, but it was still not enough. The Dark Power of Destruction was poison for demons. Despite this, Jagon had constantly relied on it to fight while relying on his ability to regenerate, and in the process, he had sustained injuries all over his body, including his neck and arms. Additionally, some of his Dark Power had been nullified by the Moonlight Sword. Jagon stabilized his stumbling body and raised his fist. However, he still could not see Eugene. Had Eugene hidden his presence with that damned leap once more? Or were Jagon¡¯s senses bing dull and his vision blurry? Jagon swallowed a mouthful of blood before swinging his fists recklessly. Death wasing for him. Despite his doubts, Jagon''s senses were still fully operational, and his intuition was sending out a warning. However, he chose to trust his instincts, and he attempted to counter the oing attack by reaching out. It turned out to be a mistake as he should have avoided the attack entirely instead of defending or retaliating against it. Jagon''s attempt to block the Moonlight Sword with his Dark Power was in vain as the crescent sh passed through him, slicing off his right hand in the process. Nevertheless, he realized his mistake toote and was left with no choice but to suffer the consequences. Jagon hurriedly reached out for his severed right hand, but the crescent light descended rapidly, slicing off the rest of his right arm from the shoulder. ¡®I can still regenerate.¡¯ It would just regenerate a little slower, but it was entirely possible. Jagon extended his remaining hand. In the end, his opponent was still human. No matter how strong his opponent was and even if he was the infamous Hamel, he was human. Just once ¡ª all he needed was to make contact just once. As soon as Jagon made contact, he could crush the human¡¯s body. Regardless of whatever methods of defense the human had, whether it was an Aura Shield or something else, Jagon could crush it using his own brute strength and the Dark Power of Destruction. Feeling hopeful, Jagon lunged with his fist. However, Jagon¡¯s ploy was obvious, but Eugene wasn¡¯t heartless enough to ignore Jagon¡¯s desperate move. Eugene¡¯s lips curled up into a twisted smile, and he responded in kind with his own fist. As the two fists neared each other, Eugene slowly opened his fist. Jagon saw a white light blooming from Eugene¡¯s hand. The glistening figures of light clung to one another, and within the round sphere, ck spots began to appear. ¡°Eclipse,¡± Eugene¡¯s mocking whisper dug into Jagon¡¯s ears. As Eugene hurled the miniature sun toward him, it promptly turnedpletely ck. Booooom! It was as if the sun had descended into the atmosphere. Jagon had taken Eclipse head-on. This wasn¡¯t a weaker version conjured by Prominence but the skill in its full brilliance. The skill¡¯s enormous powerpletely blew Jagon away, along with his consciousness. Jagon tumbled through the air and crashed into the ground with tremendous force. When he finally came to, he was coughing up dirt and debris, still feeling disoriented from the impact. Looking up from the hole he had created, his vision was limited to a narrow view of the sky above. Eugene''s figure loomed overhead, and Jagon braced himself as a swarm of ck sunspots descended upon him. With a burst of energy, Jagon shielded his head and arms from the iing attack. His movements were restricted by the unrelenting explosions that eradicated the ground around him. Yet, despite having more space to move, his freedom waspletely robbed by the constant explosions. ¡®I¡¯m going to die.¡¯ This realization struck Jagon once more. His death felt near and so much more real than before. Jagon coughed up blood while forcing his eyes open. His vision was red and ck. Nevertheless, Jagon believed that he still had one more chance remaining to fight back as soon as the bombing ended, or rather¡­ when his opponent attempted to confirm his death. He imagined that moment. The battle had been one-sided, a fight that had pushed him to the brink of death, but he would survive in the end. Jagon would remember it as the toughest battle in his life. Today would be etched as a monumental day, a day when he neared death for the first time in his life ¡ª a day that would allow him to leap to greater heights. He would relish his victory after devouring Eugene¡¯s ¡ª or rather, the terrible Hamel¡¯s heart. Jagon¡¯s line of vision was now illuminated. The red color from his blood and the darkness from the blindness were gone from his vision. Jagon¡¯s eyes were filled with only the eerie and murky moonlight. It was as if he were gazing upon the full moon. He had been gunning for the opportunity to fight back and win this battle, but he had not imagined how he would actually do it. In the end, it turned out to be a greedy and hopeful thought. Jagon chuckled and dipped his head. He was finally forced into resignation; he knew he could not win this battle. Now, he was going to die today. Eugene had been right. The Dragon Demon Castle was still in descent, far from crashing down into thend below. Meanwhile, Jagon had been trapped in the ground, and he would soon die. ¡°Hamel of Massacre,¡± Jagon called out. His gaze was fixed on the Moonlight Sword piercing through his chest. He had never been able to get a proper look at it before, as the intense and ominous light that surrounded the de was too blinding. Nheless, now, with the sword lodged in his heart, he had no choice but to study it. ¡°What is this sword?¡± Jagon asked. The moonlight permeated his body, causing it to gradually disappear into nothingness. He had long exhausted the Dark Power surrounding him. ¡°The Moonlight Sword,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°As expected,¡± responded Jagon with a chuckle. He had heard about it from Oberon during his childhood. It was the most horrible yet powerful sword that Vermouth had used; it was an ominous sword that was unfit to be called the Hero¡¯s sword. The Moonlight Sword was a sword that threatened to destroy everything in existence, and it had disappeared from the Lionheart family. ¡°What kind of existence is the Demon King of Destruction?¡± asked Eugene without pulling out the sword. Jagon was the most prominent of the few vassals that the Demon King of Destruction had, so there was a chance that he knew something about the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°The Demon King of Destruction is an unfathomable being,¡± said Jagon. His lips curved into a smile as blood filled his mouth and dripped down his chin. He had encountered the Demon King of Destruction once, in a deserted temple, and knelt before him to sign a contract with him. However, he had never truly seen the Demon King''s face, convinced that he couldn''t bring himself to look up at thetter. ¡°So, even you don¡¯t know anything about him?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I am not a special existence to the Demon King of Destruction,¡± answered Jagon. The Demon King of Destruction did not care about the deaths of his vassals. In fact, most Demon Kings were simr in this regard, except for the Demon King of Fury. Nevertheless, if a Demon King had a liking for one of their vassals, they could well provide them with enough power to keep them alive. However, the Demon King of Destruction had done no such thing, and Jagon had not expected anything either. ¡°I wonder if even the other Demon Kings would understand Destruction,¡± muttered Jagon while vomiting blood. ¡°Hamel of Massacre. You¡­ knew my father, Oberon.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Was I stronger than my father?¡± asked Jagon. It was his final question, and he was sincerely curious. He had killed his father with his own hands, and he was convinced that he was stronger. Still, he wanted to hear the answer from Hamel, who had battled against him as well as his father in his prime. ¡°I think you might be a little bit stronger,¡± said Eugene with a grin while pulling out his sword. ¡°But I can¡¯t say for sure. I¡¯m much stronger than I was back then.¡± It wasn¡¯t a satisfactory answer. However, Jagon did not have the energy to ask another question. Even if he did, he would not be able to ask it anyway, as Eugene proceeded to slit his throat with the Moonlight Sword. Chapter 267: My Hamel (1) Raimira stood frozen in fear, her body trembling with anxiety as she stood before the Dragon Demon Castle''s core. The core had been obliterated in a sudden and violent explosion, but she remained rooted to the spot, unable to flee. Despite her overwhelming desire to escape, something held her there, an unexinable force that kept her in ce. It was true that the core had been shattered, but it was notpletely destroyed. Instead, the explosion seemed almost controlled, as only about half of the core had been blown away, leaving the rest intact. The backbone of the system had beenpletely wrecked, leaving the Dragon Demon Castle falling at breakneck speed toward the ground below. Despite this, Raimira was not able to breathe a sigh of relief. The core, though barely functioning, still existed and was bound to her in some way. Its presence ensured she could not simply walk away from the disaster unfolding before her eyes. Her bondage meant that Raizakia had been much more obsessed with keeping Raimira contained than with the safety of the Dragon Demon Castle. Even if the core was partially destroyed and could no longer perform its functions, Raizakia had been determined not to liberate Raimira until the end. In a way, it was a curse. A curse to ensure that Raimira would meet her end with the Dragon Demon Castle if the situation ever went out of his control. Raimira was oblivious to her father''s malicious intentions, and she had no desire to entertain such thoughts. Instead, she remained rooted to the spot, trembling with fear as the castle hurtled towards its inevitable copse. Explosions echoed through the city, not far from where she stood, adding to the chaos and fear that gripped her heart. The once-great city of the Dragon Demon Castle was disintegrating before her eyes. The sprawling metropolis and the massivendmass on which it stood was breaking apart like brittle crackers, their fragments scattering before exploding into nothing more than dust. Gulp. Raimira swallowed her saliva unknowingly, and she could see the fleeting image of the intruder in the chain of explosions and destruction. Although Raimira wasn¡¯t familiar with battles, she understood that what she saw was nothing more than one-sided violence. Raimira''s draconic instincts screamed at her, warning her that the creature was not one she should ever engage in battle. And yet, she watched in astonishment as the monster was being pummeled into submission, thrown into the air, having its arm severed, bleeding profusely before being hurled into the rubble of a towering building, and finally¡­. ¡®He¡¯s dead!¡¯ The monster¡¯s presence disappeared. She could no longer feel the ominous power responsible for raising goosebumps on her entire body. Raimira took several steps back with a pale expression. She knew the unknown intruder was strong, but she had never imagined he was this powerful! ¡°I-It¡¯s falling¡­.¡± Boom! The wreckage of the Dragon Demon Castle shook violently. Raimira embraced the remainder of the core with a tearful face. The inevitable was now only seconds away. Within a dozen heartbeats, the shattered remains of the once-mighty castle would collide with the Fief of Karabloom, unleashing a catastrophic event of immense proportions. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Fwoosh! Lightning mes crackled, and Eugene appeared out of thin air, having leaped to a feather, before asking a question with a tired expression. He had reced Ignition with Prominence, but the strain left him depleted even with the Agaroth¡¯s Ring taking on the resulting burden. So he was exhausted and fatigued, albeit notparable to the aftermath of using Ignition. Raimira let out a whimper, her voice trembling with fear as she spoke. "T-thisdy¡­ can''t run away," she said, her words barely audible. Eugene shifted his gaze towards the broken core and let out a vainugh. With a burst of sword-force, he sted away the remaining fragments of the core in a deafening boom. ¡°Hiek!¡± The resulting explosion startled Raimira, and she shrunk back while covering her head with her arms. ¡°Kiyaa!¡± But instead offorting her or giving an exnation, Eugene made a move. He took the iling body of Raimira in one arm, then unfolded the burning Wing of Prominence. In a sh, Eugene made his escape from the Dragon Demon Castle, soaring high into the sky. Raimira clung to his arm with a vice-like grip, her screams piercing the air as the incredible eleration threatened to overwhelm her with terror. After the two of them rose to a suitable height, Eugene looked down at the falling debris of the castle. ¡°Wow,¡± he eximed with a smile of unspeakable satisfaction and happiness. Boooooooom! What came next was a spectacle of unimaginable proportions ¡ª a colossal explosion that shook the very foundations of reality. The tremors were so violent that they seemed to make the sky above quiver in response. The Dragon Demon Castle had fallen from a great height, and upon impact, it unleashed a catastrophic st that was akin to a Meteor Shower conjured by an Archwizard, tearing through the heart of Karabloom. Karabloom was utterly defenseless against an attack from above, with no means to protect itself against the catastrophic impact of the falling Dragon Demon Castle. It was impossible to say whether the demonfolks had managed to evacuate in time, but the ensuing chaos was swift and merciless. The remains of the castle rained down upon the city with brutal force, obliterating everything in its path. The sheer impact of the collisions from the castle remains was enough to cause the very ground beneath to vanish while the ensuing shockwaves rippled outwards and destroyed everything in their wake. Booooooom! The explosions and the tremors continued without stopping, just as Eugene had intended. He had carved out thergendmass into pieces for a reason ¡ª to maximize the damage it would cause when it crashed down below. ¡°I should have brought snacks,¡±mented Eugene. ¡°I have some,¡± responded Mer while poking her head out of the cloak. She handed Eugene a box of popcorn while taking a nce at the disaster taking ce below. As Karabloom burned and crumbled into nothingness before their very eyes, they floated and watched, casually munching on popcorn. Despite theck of refreshments, Eugene had no trouble stuffing his face with the savory kernels, washing them down with hearty gulps of air. ¡°Ahh¡­. Ah¡­. T-thisdy¡¯s¡­ territory¡­,¡± called out Raimira with despair. ¡°Your territory? Where?¡± mocked Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s right. How is it your territory? It was you who decided to abandon your territory and run away in the first ce,¡± said Mer. ¡°Ah¡­. I-it was because the situation could not have been avoided. Thisdy wanted to fulfill her duties as the lord, but she could not help it with the power she held. Thisdy did not run away but took a step back for the sake of the future,¡± retorted Raimira, making excuses while stealing nces at the popcorn. She was a dragon, a creature close to the gods. Dragons did not need to eat since they could maintain their existence with mana. Even so, they ate for the sake of enjoyment. Raimira had also tasted many dishes over the two hundred years she lived in the secluded pce. However, as a dragon and the daughter of the ck Dragon, Raimira was a proud, dignified creature. The popcorn that Eugene and Mer so casually enjoyed appeared to her as something insignificant and unptable, fit only formoners and peasants. Under normal circumstances, she would not have even given it a second nce. However¡­ she couldn¡¯t help but notice that Eugene and Mer appeared to be really enjoying themselves with the popcorn. The savory and salty aroma and the crisp crunches drew her curiosity. ¡°That¡­ looks quite good. If you offer it to thisdy as a tribute, thisdy will be very satisfied,¡± Raimira finally spoke up after some contemtion. ¡°What are you saying?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not getting any since your attitude is horrible.¡± Despair fell in Raimira¡¯s eyes at the firm refusal. She felt more sadness to be denied popcorn than to see thend being destroyed. After all, she had never been attached to the flyingndmass anyways. ¡°Tsk.¡± Eugene squinted while watching the destruction take ce. The dust and the destruction from the initial crash were being halted in an unnatural fashion at a certain boundary. Looking down at the scene from such a height, it was clear that there was a clear boundary restricting further spread. Eugene observed that the destruction caused by the collision of the Dragon Demon Castle with the Fief of Karabloom was contained within a specific boundary. While the city was wiped outpletely, the surrounding area remained unscathed. The ground shook violently, but not a single tree fell or a crack appeared outside the boundary. He could guess the reason. Someone had purposely set up a barrier to prevent the destruction from crossing the boundary. *** ¡°Huff¡­. huff¡­.¡± He was alive. That was the only thing he could think of. Although his left arm had been swept away by the explosion, he was still alive. In fact, an arm was a cheap price to pay to have survived that ridiculous fight. Even though his arm wasn¡¯t regenerating instantly after being consumed by the strange and sinister power Jagon had used, it would regenerate sometime soon. In other words, he had suffered no physical damage. However, he had lost other things, and this made Count Karad despair. He had waged so much on the war, and most of the wealth he had collected over his lifetime had been used to hire Jagon and the mercenaries. In addition, he had invested all of the elite soldiers under hismand, including his personal guards. A brilliant future would have been waiting for him if he had won. He would have gotten possession of the Dragon Demon Castle, which was created by the ck Dragon himself, as well as the giant mine in Karabloom and the tribute offered by the dwarves working the mine. However, everything was gone. Jagon was dead, so he had no one to fight with the ck Dragon in case he returned. He had never even gotten a glimpse of the Dragon Duchess¡¯ face. Everything, including the Dragon Demon Castle, Karabloom, and the mine, was gone¡­. ¡°This¡­. This is different from what you said¡­!¡± Count Karad sobbed while clutching the dirt with his enormous hand. But he wasn¡¯t talking to himself. A short distance from the count, right in front of the boundary preventing the spread of destruction, stood a woman in a bright dress,pletely out of step with the devastation a few steps ahead of her. ¡°Weren¡¯t you the one who got the wrong idea?¡± said the woman. Noir Giabe did not bother ncing back at the count. Instead, she observed the continuing destruction with interest, as if she were possessed. ¡°Count. I am not your patron. The reason I told you that Raizakia would not be involved in this war was¡­ a tiny favor I showed you, as someone who stands in a very high ce, looking down at you eagerly trying to climb.¡± In the early hours of the morning, Noir Giabe had reached out to Count Karad through a dream. The count had been feeling uneasy after failing to persuade Jagon to join his cause, and the sudden attack on the Dragon Demon Castle had only added to his worries. Despite it being just a hatchling in the castle, he couldn''t shake off the fear of the ck Dragon appearing, turning the tides of the battle, and destroying hisnd. Noir Giabe had dispelled his worries. After making a sudden appearance in his dream, Noir informed Count Karad that Raizakia would not be intervening in the war. Thanks to the information, the count was able to shake off his anxiety and hesitation and ended up joining the daring ambush that Jagon had nned. ¡°I never promised your victory, and I did not lie. Raizakia did not intervene in this war,¡± said Noir. She turned her enchanted gaze upward, staring at Eugene Lionheart standing high in the sky. ¡°The ck Dragon did not appear, but¡­ E-Eugene Lionheart¡­ The Hero was there. Your Excellency¡­! D-didn¡¯t you know that Eugene Lionheart would intervene in the war?¡± asked Count Karad. Noir did not give an answer. She still stood with her back to the count, and she never bothered sparing him even a nce. Count Karad felt deceived and angry. ¡°You are a Duke of Helmuth! Even so, you stayed silent, knowing that the Hero, the enemy of Helmuth, had be involved in a war between the territory of demons. This¡­ this is going to cause a huge ruckus. I do not intend to stay silent about this matter,¡± said Count Karad. ¡°You¡¯re a fool, aren¡¯t you?¡± Noir Giabe burst outughing. ¡°Even if you think so, you shouldn¡¯t say such things right in front of me. Are you so desperate and frustrated that your brain isn''t functioning properly?¡± She was right, and Count Karad hurriedly covered his mouth with shock. ¡°Ah, you shouldn¡¯t regret having said that. Even if you didn¡¯t say it, and even if you didn¡¯t mean it, I would have done the same thing to you,¡± said Noir. ¡°What¡­?¡± "I''m saying that nothing important happened," Noir replied without bothering to turn around. "This is what wars are usually like. Two sides collide, and one side ends up losing everything. These days, demonfolks want a clean, calcted war, calling it territorial wars, ranking disputes, or whatnot. They want a clean trophy from a rank-and-file war. It wasn''t like this in the past, you know. The only trophies to be gained were intangible honor, a decapitated head, a permanent scar¡­ things like that." Count Karad faltered and took several steps back. ¡°Ah, did I sound too old-fashioned? Well, what can I do? I am an old demon. Of course, I think that a territory would make a great trophy. Buuut¡­. I don¡¯t really like your mentality of ¡®get something for nothing.¡¯ Count, you wanted the Dragon Demon Castle and Karabloom in perfect condition, right? You can¡¯t want something like that. The Dragon Demon Castle, Karabloom, the city, and the mine, everything was created by Raizakia. They are all fundamentally dyed in Raizakia¡¯s color¡­.¡± The count turned around and started sprinting away at full speed. ¡°Did you really think that you could own all of it? Even though everyone would be reminded of Raizakia when they heard about the Dragon Demon Castle? No, that¡¯s just not right. You should have nned to wipe everything out and imed the wastnd as yours. Then you would have a nk canvas to color to your liking, something that belongs to you fundamentally, your territory. That would have be your territory. I did that, too, right?¡± After winning a battle against Iris, the Abyssal Princess, Noir imed Iris¡¯s territory, the Forest of Dark Shadows, as her own. The first thing she did was to uproot all the trees. She then turned the forest into a jungle of concrete. As a result, people no longer thought of the Forest of ck Shadows when referring to that territory. Instead, the things that upied thend included the giant Giabe Face, a beautiful statue of Giabe in the center of the city, and colorful neon signs. It was now known as Giabe City, the biggestndmark in Helmuth. ¡°There was such a war here today. Count Karad, unlike the nobles these days, you wiped away all of your enemy¡¯s territory and proved your power by bringing down the Dragon Demon Castle. However¡­. Unfortunately, you failed to survive. You won the war, but you ran out of strength. But it wasn¡¯t in vain, right? The young noble who brought down Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Demon Castle.¡± Count Karad continued running without turning back. Although he had created quite a distance, Noir¡¯s whispers rang clearly in his ears as if she were right beside him. ¡°That¡¯s how your name will go down in history.¡± ¡°Uwaaaaghh!¡± Count Karad screamed. Boom! Arge lump of Dark Power fell from the sky and crushed the count¡¯srge stature. That was it. All that remained of the Giant Daemon were blood, flesh, and guts. ¡°That¡¯s the end,¡± muttered Noir with a bright smile. Indeed, that was all that happened here today. If there were survivors, and even if they witnessed something else, the Queen of the Night Demons would ensure that not a single word would get out. Everything would be forgotten like a dream. No one would remember that Eugene Lionheart had intervened in the war, that the Beast of Ravesta had been unterally humiliated and killed, that it wasn¡¯t the Holy Sword that finished him, but rather a sword emitting an ominous, gray light. No one would remember that the wielder had not been Eugene Lionheart but a ghost from three hundred years ago. Noir giggled while clutching her trembling chest with excitement. Everything made sense now. It felt as if all the cogs had aligned in the right ce. She finally understood how Eugene Lionheart could be so powerful at only twenty-one years of age, why he hated demonfolks so much, and how he possessed such mental fortitude. ¡®And why he hates me.¡¯ She understood everything. There was no way she could have forgotten the horrible, sinister weapon, and there was no way she could have forgotten his movements. ¡°You must have changed during the three hundred years,¡± Noir muttered in a small voice while spreading her bat wings. ¡°It¡¯s a little upsetting that you don¡¯t call it Asura Rampage anymore.¡± The gazes of Noir and Eugene met. ¡°My Hamel.¡± Hamel of Massacre. Noir grinned while speaking the name of her first love from three hundred years ago. Chapter 268: My Hamel (2) ¡°Kids these days just have no romance.¡± The voice was mixed with giggles as they approached. ¡°Don¡¯t you think so? They¡¯re always trying to weigh the gains and losses, fighting only the battles they are certain to win. They¡¯re so weak-minded, but they mourize their selfish ideals as generosity with conviction.¡± Eugene red at Noir GIabe with cold, subdued eyes. ¡°Did I sound like an old woman whining?¡± asked Noir. ¡°Well, you are old,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°My, my. You shouldn¡¯t say such things to ady. However, I¡¯ll let it go since it¡¯s you. And you, of all people, should understand how I feel, right?¡± asked Noir,ing to stand on equal footing with Eugene. She smiled brightly while pressing down on her chest to help with her overflowing emotions. ¡°My Hamel.¡± Eugene had prepared himself to be caught. However, hearing the words My Hameling from the lips of the Queen of the Night Demons was truly awful, causing his expression to be distorted. Mer immediately hid in the crevice of Eugene¡¯s cloak when she felt the rising tension. Raimira, who was still clinging to Eugene¡¯s arm, trembled as soon as she met Noir¡¯s gaze. The demon''s identity was not lost on her, and she recognized the face instantly from countless appearances on the pce''s television screens. Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, was a well-known celebrity and noble who had captured the public''s attention for centuries. She was a shining star among stars. In addition, she was the demon Raimira most admired. In fact, she had imagined asking for a picture and an autograph if she had the chance to meet Noir Giabe through her connection to the ck Dragon. Yet, seeing Duke Giabe in person was an entirely different experience. Her beauty and terror were magnified tenfold. Raimira couldn''t bring herself to look up, let alone ask for an autograph or photo, as an overwhelming sense of instinctual fear gripped her. ¡°W-where¡­ are you going by yourself? T-thisdy wants toe in, too¡­,¡± stuttered Raimira. ¡°What are you talking about? You couldn¡¯te in even if you wanted to. This is Mer¡¯s room,¡± responded Mer, pping the back of Raimira¡¯s hand without showing any mercy and preventing the hatchling from attempting to follow her inside the cloak. But it was inevitable. Mer could only take shelter in the cloak because the familiar magic was engraved on Eugene. Even if she wanted to, Raimira could not enter the space inside the cloak. ¡°You didn¡¯t really think that I wouldn¡¯t recognize you, right? Ah, actually, I think I would be prouder if you did think that since it would mean that I know you even better than you imagined,¡± said Noir. ¡°I did think you would notice,¡± responded Eugene. He had no intention of going along with Noir¡¯s theatrics. He suppressed his killing intention before spitting out his following words. ¡°As long as you weren¡¯t aplete idiot.¡± ¡°Hmph. Maybe I should have pretended not to notice then. I think it would have been quite ttering to be treated like a dummy by you,¡± responded Noir, intentionally tying herself in knots and blushing. ¡°A dummy blinded by love. Isn¡¯t it quite romantic?¡± ¡°Crazy bitch,¡± Eugene said curtly. "Why did you fight with Jagon?" Noir inquired, ignoring his earlier outburst. After three hundred long years, she was atst reunited with Hamel. The encounter kindled a me within her heart, yet at the same time, she couldn''t help but feel perplexed. Until just a few days prior, Hamel had concealed his true identity, masquerading as Eugene Lionheart. ¡°Because I thought I needed to kill him today,¡± answered Eugene. He had not been surprised by Noir Giabe¡¯s intervention. Eugene had stepped in, fully intent on engaging inbat with Jagon. He had seeded in killing Jagon and sending the Dragon Demon Castle hurtling toward Karabloom. Eugene knew he couldn''t im that he hadn''t foreseen Noir''s arrival since he had not left the castle quietly but instead had be embroiled in the heated battle. Right from the start, Eugene had braced himself for Noir Giabe''s attention. He understood on a logical level that his decision was a mistake, but neither he nor Noir were very rational beings, to begin with. Eugene''s actions had not been solely driven by his emotions. He had assessed Jagon as a menacing creature, recognizing the genuine danger that such a talented and belligerent demon posed. Eugene knew that Jagon''s strength had the potential to escte rapidly, potentially bing extremely difficult to contain in a short period of time. Eugene had lost count of the number of times he regretted not having dealt a fatal blow to his enemies when he had the opportunity. Even after being reborn into this era, he still felt pangs of remorse when facing foes from three hundred years ago. So Eugene had resolved to end Jagon¡¯s life and followed through with his decision. ¡°Aha.¡± His answer had been curt, but Noir understood what Eugene was saying. ¡°So that¡¯s what it was. Jagon was the weakest today, so today was the best day to kill him.¡± The battle had been Count Karad¡¯s to take, and in the end, he would have taken the Dragon Demon Castle and Karabloom as trophies of his victory. As a result, most of the demonfolks residing in the Dragon Demon Castle would have be food for Jagon. Afterward, the honor of having struck down the Dragon Demon Castle would have allowed Count Karad to advance to the capital, Pandemonium. Moreover, since the contract between Count Karad and Jagon was valid until the appearance of Raizakia, the ck Dragon, Jagon would have remained at the side of Count Karad. It was obvious that a new, young, emerging noble would have gathered the unwanted attention of many demonfolks. The count could have used Jagon as a hitman, and Jagon would have used Count Karad as justification for fighting against numerous high-ranking demons. These skirmishes would only have served to strengthen Jagon and pave the way for a bright future. As such, today had been the right time to kill Jagon. ¡°Aha¡­.¡± Noir boasted having great insight into Eugene Lionheart ¡ª or rather ¡ª Hamel Dynas. Among thepanions of the Hero, the Great Vermouth, she had been the most conscious of and interested in Hamel Dynas. In contrast to hispanions, Eugene''s background was unremarkable and ordinary. The one who had fought closest alongside the chosen Hero was not the Archwizard reared by elves, nor the mighty warrior of a northern war tribe, nor an artificial incarnation crafted by a group of fanatics. No, the individual who had fought closest by the Great Vermouth''s side was simply a mercenary with no notable past. Noir was privy to the reason behind this. Three hundred years ago, she had invaded deep into Hamel''s dreams at a time when the Hero''s party was unustomed to such attacks. It was also the reason why Hamel harbored such deep-seated animosity towards Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. ¡°It¡¯s already been three hundred years, but some things never change,¡±mented Noir. Hamel was a genius. Of course, the same applied to all of Vermouth¡¯spanions. However, even though Hamel was a genius, his limits were made more distinct due to his greatness. He was born weakpared to his talents. Even so, he fought closest with Vermouth because he harbored the greatest hatred against the demonfolks, more so than any of hisrades. Vermouth had been chosen as the Hero. Sienna had been tasked with killing the Demon Kings for the sake of the elves'' future since it was imperative that the Demon Kings be eliminated. As long as they remained alive, the elves would continue to suffer from the Demonic Disease, and the World Tree would wither away. The massacre of arge number of elves by Iris had further fuelled Sienna''s determination. Molon had been the next tribal chief of the Bayar Tribe and a great warrior. His tribe had been located adjacent to Helmuth, and demonic beasts had trampled over his hometown. As such, Molon had made up his mind to subjugate the Demon Kings for the sake of the future of his tribe and the snowfields. As the Imitation Incarnation, Anise had been designed from the very beginning as an existence to fight against the Demon Kings to save the world. Regardless of her own will, everything had guided her to the fate of the Saint. On the other hand, Hamel had not been tasked with the fate of his tribe. He had not been carrying the future of a race on his shoulders, and he had not been chosen by the Holy Sword. He had never been forced into anything as his birthright. If he had wanted, Hamel could have chosen a different life. Yes, he had lost his family and vige, but there were countless people who shared his fate during a war. It was natural for some to crave revenge, while others gave up. In that aspect, Hamel had been special. He never gave up on achieving revenge and eventually climbed to a position where he could enact his vengeance. He had killed three Demon Kings in a life he chose. He had chosen his fate of wielding his de against the Demon Kings and the demons and proved himself by massacring them. Hamel¡¯s wishes had not been grand. He wasn¡¯t out to save his tribe, to save a race, or to save the world. He had wanted nothing more than simple revenge, to kill the Demon Kings. ¡°In the end, you did what you wanted,¡± said Noir. Eugene had wanted to kill all the demons of the Dragon Demon Castle. He had wanted to cause a catastrophe in Karabloom. He had wanted to kill Jagon. Such desires had been the essence of the Hamel Dynas that Noir saw. Although his pure will to kill had been transformed into the desire to save the worldter on, the process did not change. He had to kill all the Demon Kings to save the world. All of Vermouth¡¯spanions had shared the same thought, but only Hamel had taken the lead by burning himself like firewood without care for his own life. Hamel Dynas had been the most suited to be called the enemy of the demonfolks, more so than the Great Vermouth. ¡°Still so lovely,¡±mented Noir. She had encountered Hamel at the bottom of his dream. Despite being an absolute presence in dreams, Noir had been overwhelmed by the curses and hatred Hamel had disyed, resulting in the dream''s destruction. Though Noir had alternated between showing hope and despair with her Demoneye of Fantasy, Hamel''s unwavering killing intent had remained resolute. She could not help but fall in love. ¡°I have so much I want to ask you,¡± said Noir. Her body was hot, and she wanted to take him into her embrace. She longed to express her love for him in every physical way possible, share every intimate moment with him, and explore the depths of his dreams to share the most profound connection. ¡°Why are you alive when you died three hundred years ago? Why do you have the name Lionheart? A reincarnation? By whom? How? Is the Imitation Incarnation apanying you really Kristina Rogeris?¡± Eugene red at Noir while remaining silent. But she found the profane, reckless, and spiteful gaze even more lovely. ¡°Why do you have the Moonlight Sword, which has no records in history? Why is the Dragon Duchess alive and in your hands, and what are you nning to do from now on?¡± Noir suddenly stopped. The pieces ¡ª the Lionheart family, the vanished Moonlight Sword, the death of the Great Vermouth two hundred years ago, and the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas ¡ª all seemed to click together. ¡°Vermouth Lionheart. Indeed, he had a good eye. Indeed, if he had to choose someone to achieve what he couldn¡¯t¡­. Hoho, you would have been the right person, my Hamel. I¡¯m sure that the Demon King of Incarceration knows your identity since the two of you even met in person.¡± ¡°What is it that you want to say?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Nothing much. But can you just answer this one thing? My Hamel, did Gavid Lindman recognize your true identity?¡± whispered Noir while leaning forward. Eugene felt contempt for her passionate gaze. ¡°No,¡± he answered. ¡°Wonderful¡­! Then that means only the Demon King of Incarceration and I know who you are in Helmuth, right? Ah, I love it. I won¡¯t ask you anything else. Having some secrets makes it more exciting, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving Helmuth,¡± Eugene said while tucking away the Moonlight Sword into his cloak with a deliberate movement. ¡°Right now, there is nothing more for me to do in Helmuth.¡± ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to leave. My Hamel, you crashed the Dragon Demon Castle, killed countless demonfolks, and kidnapped Raizakia¡¯s only daughter,¡± responded Noir. ¡°Then what? Will I be judged ording to Helmuth¡¯sw? I guess I reincarnated for nothing since I¡¯m going to die in vain,¡± spat Eugene. ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Noir moaned, feeling a heartache. How shameless! ¡°My Hamel. There¡¯s no way I would let you die like that. If you really have to die one day, your death must be more valuable and noble than it was three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°How?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Either you die while challenging the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± she paused, then tilted her head. ¡°Or die while challenging a demon equivalent to a Demon King.¡± Her words were extremely tant. With a smile, she flicked her fingers toward Eugene, causing a ck casino coin to hurl toward him. It was the same coin she had given him in the snowfield. Although he had tossed it away then, he had no choice but to ept it now. ¡°Hamel, you will be free from all inspections in Helmuth just by having that coin. Moreover, you should present that coin instead of your identity card at the warp-gate. Even if you¡¯re bringing along hundreds of demonfolks and not just the Dragon Duchess, as long as you have that coin, you should be able to use the warp-gates without any problem.¡± ¡°All is good,¡± said Eugene while tucking the coin away in his pocket. ¡°But don¡¯t call me Hamel.¡± ¡°Ah¡­. Right. This can be our little¡­ secret. I understand. Ah, but the Dragon Duchess has already heard everything. What should we do about that?¡± asked Noir. ¡°What else? I¡¯m going to make sure she doesn¡¯t talk,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°That would be extremely easy for me. I could even modify her memory such that she will cooperate with you,¡± said Noir, turning her glistening eyes toward Raimira. Even though she was a dragon, as a hatchling, there was no way she could resist the Demoneye of Fantasy. However, Eugene shook his head and stepped in front of Raimira. ¡°Don¡¯t do something so useless,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Have you be a little more gentle? That¡¯s attractive as well. I understand, my Hamel. I won¡¯t since you told me not to,¡± responded Noir, withdrawing her Demoneye of Fantasy. ¡°But when the momentes when I really shouldn¡¯t, I won¡¯t listen, no matter how much you beg.¡± ¡°Do you think that only applies to you?¡± scoffed Eugene. Noir gently brushed over her lower lips with her tongue. Before parting ways, couldn¡¯t they have a light hug or a simple kiss? It would surely quench her excitement somewhat, and Hamel¡¯s hatred, anger, and malice would be intensified. Wouldn¡¯t it make things much more fun for their next meeting? ¡®Hold it in,¡¯ she told herself sternly. Noir desperately held herself back. This was a fateful reunion with her first love, and the meeting alone greatly excited her. If they happened to touch, she knew she would fail to hold back her urges rather than save them forter. She could not. This wastnd was too shabby for the climax of their romance. ¡°Let¡¯s celebrate our end in Giabe City,¡± whispered Noir with a wink. Giabe City was already perfect and beautiful, but it would be even more beautiful after today. The moment before the Dragon Demon Castle¡¯s fall, Noir had conjured a curtain of magic to contain the destruction. Moreover, she had evacuated all the night demons in the city, as well as the dwarves in the mine. The destruction of the mine couldn¡¯t have been prevented, but she had robbed Raizakia of the contracts he had with all the dwarves and saved their lives. Instead ofboring away making goods for Raizakia from generation to generation, the dwarves would now live as architects of Giabe City for Noir. ¡°It has to be there. Both where you will kill me and where I will kill you,¡± said Noir. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m crazy enough to fight you in your territory?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°But you are crazy. Hamel, three hundred years ago, you and yourpanions invaded the territories of the Demon Kings and killed them in their own castles,¡± said Noir. ¡°But you¡¯re not a Demon King,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Do you really think so?¡± asked Noir with a mischievous smile, spreading her wings wide. ¡°Well, my Hamel, if you really wish for it, I¡¯ll try to build a demon castle in Giabe City.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say such gloomy things.¡± Her bat-like wings fluttered, and her body was pushed back, up into the air. ¡°That¡¯s what romance is.¡± Chapter 269: My Hamel (3) Noir Giae disappeared, and Eugene floated down to the ground while snorting. ¡°I know you¡¯re nervous,¡± said Mer. ¡°No, I don¡¯t think I am,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°You were nervous that the Queen of the Night Demons mighte at you,¡± said Mer. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t,¡± said Eugene once more. ¡°You¡¯re a liar, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I think you¡¯re mistaking something here. Everything went ording to my calctions. I knew from the very beginning that Noir Giabe would never try to kill me here,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Right, right. You¡¯re so amazing, Sir Eugene,¡± Mer giggled. After ruffling her hair, Eugene finally came down to the ground. What remained after the dust settled was a wastnd devoid of any trace of civilization. ¡°This is¡­,¡± Raimira muttered in disbelief as she took in her surroundings, finallying to her senses. She found herself still clinging to Eugene''s arm, recoiling in shock at the deste wastnd before her. Alternating between staring at the barrenndscape and looking up at Eugene''s face, she parted her lips in doubt. ¡°¡­Is this a prank?¡± ¡°What is she saying?¡± ¡°A very¡­ very well made¡­ prank, a hidden camera. This could be a blockbuster¡­. M-maybe I¡¯m only in a dream made by Duke Giabe¡­. A crazy, hidden camera prank set in thisdy¡¯s dream¡­. Is it being transmitted across Helmuth¡­?¡± stuttered Raimira. Eugene found it absurd, but Raimira felt she was being very reasonable. Wasn¡¯t that right? Duke Noir Giabe, the master of the Demoneye of Fantasy and the creator of all dreams imaginable, the Queen of the Night Demons, had appeared before her eyes as well¡­. The things Raimira had experienced this previous day were beyond anything she could have ever imagined,pletely removed from what she thought was possible. Firstly, the doors to her secluded pce had been opened without any warning, and she had been given freedom. Then, she suffered humiliation from an unknown intruder. A sudden war descended on the city, and the barrier surrounding the castle had been shattered. After a fierce battle, the Dragon Demon Castle crashed down to Karabloom, causing unimaginable destruction. That wasn¡¯t all, either. Who was this unknown intruder? Hamel Dynas ¡ª Stupid Hamel, who had died three hundred years ago? No, was he Eugene Lionheart instead? ¡°I¡­. I see. A-all of this is just a prank to surprise thisdy¡­. There are no other possible exnations. Otherwise, it would not make any sense. How on earth could any of this have happened?¡± stuttered Raimira, sessfully convincing herself that this was all but a dream. ¡°Soon, thisdy will wake up from her dreams¡­. Farewell, dream intruder. I can say this only now, but even though this was but a dream, you were incredibly ruuude!¡± Her previously calm words suddenly turned into a scream, but Eugene had no intention of entertaining her nonsensical behavior. So he flicked the red jewel on her forehead with the intention of waking her up from her delusion. Although he had held himself back, Raimira ended up rolling around on the ground once more with both her hands wrapped around the jewel. ¡°Listen to me carefully,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Y-yes, yes,¡± Raimira answered hurriedly. ¡°What I did today, who I am, and the other things ¡ª you will tell no one.¡± Eugene calmly exined while bringing his cocked finger closer to the red jewel. Raimira nodded quickly while hupping. ¡°And don¡¯t even think about running away from me.¡± ¡°W-where¡­ do you n on taking thisdy? C-couldn¡¯t¡­ you tell me that at least¡­?¡± Raimira whimpered with fear. Eugene answered while helping her up. ¡°I¡¯m going to find your father.¡± ¡°What¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you in advance just in case you misunderstand. I will use you to find your father,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°Thisdy¡¯s father¡­. Y-you want to find the ck Dragon? What are you nning to do after finding the ck Dragon?¡± asked Raimira in a trembling voice. Mer gently tugged on Eugene¡¯s shirt. Although she wasn¡¯t very fond of Raimira, the two of them had developed a rtionship, albeit shallow. It had been natural since the two of them had spent some time together. She was hoping that Eugene would show a little consideration for the stupidly innocent hatchling, hence her tug. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill your father.¡± Eugene was aware of what Mer was thinking, but he didn''t believe that lying out of pity was necessary. He knew that a lie was a lie, whether it was for the greater good or not, and that such lies would only breed more resentment and hatred. Therefore, he chose to be truthful with Raimira. Mer''s jaw dropped in surprise while Raimira''s eyes widened at the revtion. ¡°I honestly do not know if I will take you hostage or not in that situation. I prefer not to take someone hostage, so I probably won¡¯t end up doing that,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°I-I-I thought you were the Hero, the one chosen by the Holy Sword¡­. H-how could the Hero do something so cowardly as taking a hostage¡­?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°That¡¯s why I said I probably wouldn¡¯t take you hostage,¡± answered Eugene with a detached expression while dragging Raimira by her hand. ¡°Think of it as a shared interest. You want to meet your dad, and I want to meet your dad. Of course, I want to meet him so I can kill him, but he¡¯s not going to just roll over for me, is he?¡± ¡°O-of course not¡­. Thisdy¡¯s father, the ck Dragon, is a Duke of Helmuth¡­. He is equivalent to Duke Giabe.¡± Raimira hurriedly answered. She quickly racked her brain. Earlier, she had found herself struggling to even breathe properly in the presence of Duke Giabe. She knew that the intruder¡­ Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel, was incredibly strong, but she didn¡¯t think he was stronger than any Duke of Helmuth. ¡°You¡¯d better give up on that vain dream¡­! Y-you will never be able to beat the ck Dragon. So let thisdy go, and¡­.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s none of your business, so shut up and listen to me. No matter what you say, I¡¯m going to take you to find your dad. I want to kill him, and he will want to kill me. Who will win? We won¡¯t know until then, so stop trying stupid things and quietly follow me,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Does thisdy have no say in the matter¡­?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°Why are you asking me something so obvious? Are you trying to piss me off? Do you want me to give you a good beating?¡± responded Eugene. ¡°T-thisdy has been calm since earlier¡­.¡± Raimira hurriedly raised both hands to cover her mouth when she saw Eugene¡¯s re. It became a lot easier for Eugene to think once she shut her trap. ¡®What should I do¡­?¡¯ He had done it again. Of course, things had turned out better than he had expected. Jagon was dead, and the Dragon Demon Castle had crashed, killing a huge number of demonfolks as a result. Moreover, he had secured Raimira, who would lead him to Raizakia, and Noir Giabe would take responsibility for the whole thing¡­. ¡®But Anise and Kristina will be angry¡­.¡¯ And it made Eugene nervous. He had experienced the full brunt of Anise¡¯s anger three hundred years ago, so just thinking about it caused him to flinch. Moreover¡­ perhaps because they were sharing the same body, it felt as if Kristina was being influenced by Anise. Eugene always knew she had a talent for sophistry and spite, but she was growing sharper under Anise¡¯s influence. Eugene shuddered as he remembered thest time he had fallen on his knees. ¡ªPlease¡­. After kneeling, ¡ªDo not make me worry too much. Her eyes had been moist, and her voice shaky. Eugene remembered how her hands had trembled, how she had embraced his arm, and how something gently pressed against¡­. ¡°Ahhhhhh.¡± Eugene shook off the useless memory that was struggling to resurface. It was unfortunate that his memory was wless and could store the exact sensations he had felt. Eugene shut his eyes closed and pped himself on the cheek. But weirdly enough, he felt additional, more powerful blows mixed in with the self-inflicted ps. Wondering what it was, he squinted open his eyes to find Mer peeking out from the cloak, pping Eugene on the cheeks as well. ¡°What are you doing?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I was beating up the pervert,¡± responded Mer. How could he dare to think such thoughts? This was all because the ck-hearted Saints duo had inflicted critical blows that were impossible for Lady Sienna to imitate at the current moment. Mer knew it was imperative for her to set things straight at moments like these. ¡°Don¡¯t have weird thoughts, Sir Eugene. Once Lady Sienna is resurrected, her skin will be just as soft as Lady Kristina¡¯s,¡± said Mer. ¡°What are you saying¡­!?¡± Eugene shoved her head back into the cloak. As he fussed, Raimira followed behind him, her mouth still covered with both hands. *** Kristina and Anise were still at the hotel in Malera. [Breaking news. The Dragon Demon Castle¡­ the airborne territory of His Excellency Duke Raizakia is falling!] They saw the Dragon Demon Castle falling from the terrace. [It¡¯s a war dered unterally by Count Karad of the Ruol Fief. It had been expected that they would start negotiations after a light prelude, but¡­. Haha! What an unexpected surprise. I never thought there remained any tough demonfolks like Count Karad in this day and age.] [And they didn¡¯t stop at upation. They crashed the Dragon Demon Castle, which reigned as the symbol of the ck Dragon for three hundred years. And believe it or not, that wasn¡¯t the end of it. There was no evacuation advisory at all for Karabloom. Do you know what this means? It means that the leaders of the Dragon Demon Castle were wiped out before they could issue any orders!] [There have been numerous territorial disputes and ranking battles even after Helmuth became an empire, but this is the first time someone haspletely wiped out their opponent¡¯s territory and the residents as well¡­. Count Karad. I thought he was just another noble from the backwater, but he truly was a tiger hiding his fangs.] [Had he survived, he definitely could have advanced to the capital and brought along fresh wind¡­ It is truly unfortunate that he did not survive.] [But in a way, you could call it an honorable death. The count kindled his own life to lead the war to victory. I guess it was inevitable.] [Also, did you hear that he employed the Beast of Ravesta for this war? But Jagon and his subordinates died during the battle as well¡­. We lost too many promising young demonfolks, the future leaders of Helmuth, in this war.] [Yes, and it is truly regretful. However, couldn¡¯t you think of it like this? Even though the ck Dragon wasn¡¯t there, the Dragon Demon Castle stood strong. The Four Divine Generals, who were taking care of the Dragon Demon Castle on behalf of the ck Dragon ¡ª ah, I guess they would be quite the elders for the young demons these days. The OBs!] [Ah, well, I wanted to avoid saying this, but it''s kind of refreshing, right? Well, that¡¯s how it is these days. The youngsters show no respect to the OBs andin about how they¡¯re just old and ipetent, but I think the demonfolks of the Dragon Demon Castle really showed everyone the truth. We¡¯re not washed up just yet! Something like that.] [Ahhh, I understand what you¡¯re saying. But I think it¡¯s inevitable. It can¡¯t be helped, can it? Times have really changed. Us OBs were running wild three hundred years ago, during the age of war, and we¡¯re now living in peaceful times¡­. It¡¯s not like we don¡¯t fight because we¡¯re weak, right? It¡¯s all for the sake of peace. Ah, let¡¯s continue after themercials.] Beep. The TV turned off. Anise turned her head while clicking her tongue. ¡°OB or whatever, how ridiculous. Well, it¡¯s pretty entertaining to see that there¡¯s a generational conflict between the old and young demonfolks. It would be even better if the younger generation of demonfolks started a coup d¡¯etat or something.¡± ¡°Ahaha¡­. Right, right¡­.¡± ¡°If the guy who died in the Dragon Demon Castle, Karad, or whatever, if he survived, do you think he would have be the center of a coup d¡¯etat? Maybe that¡¯s why Noir Giabe intervened. After all, she¡¯s a demon from the past as well.¡± ¡°Haha¡­. Maybe¡­.¡± ¡°How can youugh?¡± Kristina was scary when she was angry, but Anise was even scarier. At least Kristina didn¡¯t resort to physical violence when she was angry. Anise would beat one half to death before healing them back to normal. ¡°There is no way that Noir Giabe interfered to prevent the generational conflict from worsening. Knowing you, you couldn¡¯t have escaped without causing a scene. The Dragon Demon Castle¡­.¡± ¡°That was me.¡± ¡°To be honest, Imend you for doing that. Hamel, thanks to your ignorant and bold decision, tens of thousands of demonfolks were exterminated.¡± Anise nodded while pping. ¡°You were lucky as well. Even though you caused such a scene, you weren¡¯t spotted by anyone. At least I didn¡¯t see your name on the news,¡± said Anise. ¡°Haha¡­.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t tell me the truth, I¡¯ll smash that head of yours¡­,¡± Anise said threateningly while grabbing her il. Eugene immediately knelt on the ground and told her the whole story. He told her about Jagon, why he chose to bring the Dragon Demon Castle down, and about his meeting with Noir Giabe. ¡°Are you saying that the crazy whore noticed your reincarnation!?¡± asked Anise. ¡°A child is listening, so maybe a whore isn¡¯t¡­,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Shut up, Hamel. How can you be so calm? That whore vites dreams. She might not have done so until now, but now that she knows you¡¯re Hamel, this whore might actively go after your dreams,¡± continued Anise, recalling the terrible nightmares of three hundred years ago. The onught of dreams had sometimes presented them with terrible nightmares, sometimes nasty dreams. Noir Giabe was very good at making such dreams, probably because she was the queen of whores. ¡°What do I have to worry about when you¡¯re here?¡± said Eugene with a nonchnt expression. ¡°Ahh¡­.¡± Anise unknowingly took a step back when she saw the trust in Eugene¡¯s eyes. She had found herself easing up when she saw the same eyes in the past as well. ¡°¡­Even so, Noir Giabe, the Queen of Whores, is a powerful enemy. Did you forget, Hamel? We failed to kill Noir Giabe three hundred years ago, even though there were five of us,¡± said Anise. ¡°It¡¯s because that damned thing didn¡¯t give us a fight where we could kill her. It¡¯s not like we could afford to spare the time either,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°¡­It¡¯s because we put too much priority on killing the Demon Kings.¡± Anise gave a short sigh before caressing the handle of her il. Eugene felt slightly nervous, stealing a nce and noticing that she was still holding onto her weapon. ¡°¡­The finale in Giabe City, was it?¡± It wasn¡¯t a promise or anything, just something she had said with a smile. ¡°Romance, is it?¡± Noir Giabe was a demon who was many centuries old, the master of the Demoneye of Fantasy, and a powerful existence close to the Demon Kings. No, rather, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that she had surpassed the lower-ranking Demon Kings in terms of power. She was an incredibly powerful foe to be reckoned with and had been the one to say such words. ¡°She had plenty of chances to kill me. This time as well,¡± said Eugene. But she chose not to. Eugene was convinced that the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, would not kill him unless he challenged her in Giabe City. ¡°¡­Fine. I¡¯ll ept it.¡± Anise nodded while clicking her tongue. Eugene finally sighed with relief. ¡°But Hamel, who exactly is that child?¡± Unfortunately, the conversation wasn¡¯t over. Anise pointed to Raimira, who was standing quietly behind Eugene. As soon as Raimira saw the finger, she cried out while shaking back her oversized sleeves. ¡°Thisdy is Raimira, the Dragon Duchess! Flesh and blood of the ck Dragon¡­.¡± Boom! Anise¡¯s il shot forward and demolished the wall right next to Raimira¡¯s head. ck. The chain drooped down and hung over Raimira¡¯s shoulders. The hatchling immediately fell to the ground with weak legs. She couldn¡¯t see the eyes of Anise due to the way they curled up into a smile. However, Raimira could feel a terrible murderous intent behind Anise¡¯s smile. ¡°Why is Raizakia¡¯s daughter alive, and why is she here?¡± asked Anise. ¡°I-it¡¯s because¡­ I need that kid to save Sienna,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Not because you felt bad for her?¡± said Anise. ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­. Well¡­. Look, Anise. It¡¯s true that she¡¯s Raizakia¡¯s daughter, but she¡¯s not a demonic dragon. Just a dragon,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°Oh.¡± The killing intent vanished like a lie. Anise retrieved her il with a pure smile. ¡°My mistake. I must not have noticed because I was too agitated. Ah, I hope you understand. It¡¯s my first time seeing a hatchling¡­.¡± ¡°Hup¡­.¡± ¡°Now, you don¡¯t have to be afraid. I¡¯ve been called the Saint for three hundred years. I¡¯m used to taking care of young, scared sheep. Come into my arms.¡± Anise put down her il, opened her arms wide, then approached Raimira. Instantly, the void that followed the malice was reced with benevolence and warmth. What Anise showed was very much like the motherhood that Raimira had longed for since childhood. ¡°U-uwah¡­.¡± Raimira felt the pent-up emotions from her recent suffering emerge. She whimpered as she ced herself into Anise¡¯s embrace. ¡®A hostage.¡¯ Anise smiled while gently caressing Raimira¡¯s back. Chapter 270: Side Story – Interlude (1) They gnawed on the meat. It was perhaps a bit undercooked. Each chew resulted in a trickle of deep crimson blood running down their chins, and the meat was so tough that it made their jaws ache just to eat it. The meat wasn¡¯t that of ordinary animals; it was demon meat. Although it wasn¡¯t something anyone in their right mind would enjoy, it wasn¡¯t entirely unptable. Over the years, such meals had bemonce. By purging the Dark Power, which was lethal to regr humans, from the meat, the demon meat became edible, though still unappetizing. They had learned various methods to improve the taste of demon meat, but this time they had opted not to use any special recipes. With limited time and resources, they couldn''t indulge in borate cooking processes. Be that as it may, this didn¡¯t mean they had to settle for nd meat, so they had added some simple spices like salt, pepper, and others to enhance the vor of their meal. Most of their spices had been taken from the demons. It wasn¡¯t as if thend here waspletely devoid of things for human consumption. In fact, demons had a culture of their own when it came to gourmet dining. Although the ingredients they utilized were vastly different, there were some ingredients and spices that were fit for human taste in the mix ¡ª plenty for humans to use. ¡°Is it good?¡± ¡°No. It¡¯s quite disgusting, not really suitable to drink.¡± ¡°In spite of that, you¡¯re continuing to drink it.¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a long time since we¡¯vee across human alcohol, rather than the ones for demons. Well, you couldn¡¯t really call this alcohol. It¡¯s basically garbage, and it has no depth. Just strong water¡­. Even so, we were given it as a gift, so shouldn¡¯t I have a proper taste of it?¡± the person grumbled while refilling their ss. Despite their unfavorable circumstances, there were five extravagantly ornate drinking sses on the ground. These were mementos from a previous adventure, repurposed for special asions. The sses were filled to the brim with a thick murky liquid. ¡°Well, then, let¡¯s make a toast,¡± said Anise Slywood. As an avid drinker, she took the lead and raised her ss high into the air. Despite being only a ss, it felt weighty, probably due to the dense liquid filling it. They had acquired the alcohol from a trio of knights they had stumbled upon a few days prior. It was clear that they had been part of arger group, but they had encountered the ck Fog. Only three members of their group had survived the battle¡­ or rather, the massacre. They had been devoid of any spirit and utterly drained as they tried to escape from the area and make their way back home. They had clearly expressed their will to flee from the Devildom and return to their hometowns, far away from this hellish ce. Unfortunately, their wishes would likely nevere true. Although the trio had been treated, there had been nothing that could be done about their broken spirits. If three defeated and despairing knights could make their way out of this ce, it wouldn¡¯t have been called the Devildom in the first ce. ¡ª I pray for your safe return to your hometown. It was at moments like these that Anise really felt like the Saint. She had prayed for the defeated knights with a benevolent smile and mourned their deadpanions. Moreover, she had healed their wounds as well. The alcohol hade from these three knights, and while they hadn''t explicitly said why they carried it, it had been easy to deduce their intentions. It had been clear that the defeated soldiers had nned to end their lives by drinking the strong liquor once fear and despair had be too much to bear. That was how the knights hade across their group. To be frank, it wasn''t an umon encounter. Their group had experienced too many simr situations. It was to the extent where it was bing difficult to keep track of the encounters. They were already in far too deep to make their escape, but for some reason¡­ people had made up their minds to flee. Some were survivors mourning their deadpanions, and there were entire armies turning around at the decision of their wisemander. They had seen knights and soldiers who had on old dented armor and were armed with cracked and edgeless weapons. Some had been wearing numerous battle tags ¡ª of which some were relics of theirrades and others self-made medals ¡ª on their wrists or around their necks. In the end, they had failed to see their mission through to the end and chosen to retreat. Overwhelmed by fear and despair, they had made the decision to abandon their quest to save the world and instead return to their former lives. It was not fair to me them though. In fact, no one could really me them for their decision¡­ However, many of the defeated warriors they came across felt ashamed of themselves and feared being med. Yet, they also held onto hope when they encountered the group. When faced with such people, the group had to manage their facial expressions and ensure their postures were straight. They had to show a resolute and rxed appearance ¡ª one that screamed, ¡®We¡¯re fine, and we have no fear or despair.¡¯ They had to present a front of absolute confidence. The group of five had be the symbol of hope for everyone they encountered. The earnest gazes of those they met and the respect they received made them feel like they were carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders. The repeated requests they heard were always the same: "Please defeat the Demon Kings,¡± and ¡°Please save the world." ¡®It¡¯s heavy.¡¯ As the group journeyed closer to the heart of the Devildom, the burden they bore became increasingly oppressive. Every encounter they had with those who were fleeing or had been vanquished added weight to their already heavy load. Sienna Merdein parted her frowning lips and brought the ss to her mouth. The strong alcohol slid down her throat with surprising ease but left a sticky residue in its wake. The meat she had been chewing for what felt like an eternity seemed to have lost all vor despite the spices that adorned it. The same was true for the liquor. It was strong, but it tasted like nothing. Sienna knew why ¡ª she was probably messed up in the head. Sienna put down her ss while chewing on her lips. ¡°Tastes like shit, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Sienna heard a voice and clenched her fists before turning her gaze to the source. It was Hamel Dynas, the bandaged man, waving his ss while lying on the ground. ¡°The taste has no consideration for patients. Anise, everyone knows you like alcohol, but you can¡¯t really call this alcohol, can you?¡± continued Hamel. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier, Hamel? This is not alcohol. Borrowing your words, it¡¯s water that tastes like shit,¡± responded Anise. ¡°How nice of you to say so. For a moment there, I thought you had lost your mind and were offering this as alcohol,¡± said Hamel jokingly. He met Sienna''s eyes and gave her a yful wink with the eye that was visible through his bandage. Siennaughed without realizing it and thought, ¡®What an idiot.¡¯ She knew how attentive Hamel was. It appeared he had noticed the frown on her face, even though it had been there only for a moment. ¡°I offered it to you so that we could taste it together, but it looks like you don¡¯t need any consideration, Hamel,¡± said Anise. ¡°On the contrary, I would say that you are the one whocks consideration. It¡¯s not just this alcohol but this porridge as well,¡± retorted Hamel. ¡°Didn¡¯t you lick the te clean?¡± said Anise. ¡°Well, you gave it to me, so I should eat it, right? I already knew how disastrous your cooking skills are anyway,¡± said Hamel. ¡°Judging by how glib your tongue seems to be, you must be better now, right?¡± asked Anise. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Hamel propped himself up,ughing as he unwrapped the bandage from his face. ¡°I was going to pretend and rest, but I couldn¡¯t because of how shitty the alcohol and porridge tasted. As you said, I¡¯m all better, so let¡¯s stop with the needless consideration.¡± The bandage fell to the ground, revealing Hamel¡¯s face. Only about half of his tattered left ear remained, and there were numerous scars on his face, including one particrly deep mark. Sienna''s gazended on the diagonal scar that stretched from the tip of Hamel''s right jaw to his left eye, continuing up to his forehead. The scar looked fresh, and she knew it had been inflicted only a few days ago. As soon as her eyes caught sight of the wound, Sienna felt her heart begin to race tensely, and she helplessly let out a stifled moan as she pressed down on her chest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± said Hamel, looking at Sienna. He had only narrowly avoided losing his eye to the attack that had caused the diagonal scar, which now adorned his face, but as he had reacted quickly, he managed to avoid a more serious injury. Looking back on it, he realized that they had been fortunate that the injury had not been worse. Gavid Lindman, the Captain of the ck Fog, had been incredibly strong, befitting his title as the ¡®de of Incarceration.¡¯ ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, and this isn¡¯t the first time I¡¯ve been injured, right? Sienna, you and I were just unlucky. Who could have imagined that we would run into the de of Incarceration during reconnaissance?¡± Hamel said reassuringly. ¡°¡­I should have taken you and run away in time,¡± Sienna responded in a quivering voice while continuing to press down on her chest. Her voice was teary and shaking as much as her pounding heart. ¡°We fought because we couldn¡¯t run away. Let¡¯s not talk about useless details. Both of us survived with our lives, right?¡± said Hamel. Sienna was uninjured. Hamel had taken the vanguard, as always. She was never assigned to take the lead in their group of warriors. That role always fell to Hamel, Molon, or Vermouth; they would fight bravely at the forefront while Sienna unleashed her powerful spells from behind. It had been the same when they encountered the de of Incarceration, but unfortunately, it had been just Sienna and Hamel ¡ª the two of them, without Vermouth, Molon, or Anise. As always, Sienna had assumed that nothing would happen. It had been routine reconnaissance with just the two of them, a time reserved only for Sienna and Hamel. Sienna liked scouting with just Hamel. Even though they only sharedme conversations, she liked walking alone with him. She especially liked it when she could have his undivided attention. ¡°I told you not to worry about it,¡± said Hamel with a frown. He didn¡¯t like the way Sienna¡¯s shoulders were drooped and how she chewed on her lips. Their encounter with the de of Incarceration had really been an inevitable ident. Had they been careless? No, not at all. As usual, Sienna had been on her guard, especially considering where they were. The same had been true of Hamel. He had not considered it a leisurely walk, simply because it was a routine mission. They had both understood the dangers of their routine mission and never let their guard down, even for a moment. Nevertheless, they had still been caught off guard by their encounter with Gavid. The Demoneye of Divine Glory, which they had heard about only in rumors, had allowed Gavid to sneak up on them. Despite Hamel¡¯s acute senses and Sienna¡¯s powerful magic, their precautions hadpletely failed to prepare them for Gavid¡¯s approach. ¡°On the contrary, we got off with just this much because it was you and me, Sienna. If it were Molon, he would have definitely lost his head while fighting like an idiot,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°Was the de of Incarceration so sharp?¡± asked Molon. ¡°Of course, you idiot. That bastard¡¯s called a de for a reason. If he weren¡¯t sharp, he would have been called something else to begin with. But I¡¯m d to have experienced it. I roughly know the gap between us. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to win by myself,¡± responded Hamel. Hamel gave Sienna''s shoulder aforting pat. She wanted to respond, but her throat felt scratchy and dry from the alcohol. Her heart was still racing tensely, and her eyes were sore, making her vision blurry. Despite this, she could see Hamel clearly. ¡°Vermouth, if we fight together, it¡¯s winnable. While I take the front¡­. Well, what¡¯s the point of saying this now. You¡¯ll know what to do better than anyone else,¡± said Hamel. It was a familiar process. Throughout their journey so far, Hamel had always fought together with Vermouth. This was the case when they killed the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Children of Fury. This was the same when they yed Kamash ¡ª the chief of the giants and the biggest and strongest of the heavenly kings. ¡°And I¡¯m fine too. I can do fine on my own.¡± Hamel said with a shrug. However, Sienna could see that the tips of Hamel¡¯s fingers were shaking, and on closer examination, she noticed it wasn¡¯t just his fingertips. It was almost unnoticeable, but his whole body was shaking. Even though he was rambling on with his usual overconfident expression, she could see a glint of cold sweat on his forehead. The bandages wrapped around his body came loose, revealing a scarred body. There was arge scar on his right shoulder from when the Annihtion Hammer had grazed him, as well as a dozen others. He had too many wounds that had resisted even Anise¡¯s divine magic and scarred over. Sienna knew about every one of them, so she knew that he had gotten about a dozen of them while he had been protecting her. She understood that casting powerful magic spells required more time and concentration, leaving her vulnerable to attacks. Nevertheless, Hamel had always been there, shielding her with his own body and taking the brunt of the blows that were meant for her. ¡®Because I¡¯m weak.¡¯ That wasn¡¯t true. Sienna was strong. In fact, she was the strongest wizard in the present, and even among all the wizards of the past, there was no one else as great and powerful as her. Sienna¡¯s magic wasparable to that of the dragons, and she was powerful enough to aim for the heads of the Demon Kings. That¡¯s how powerful she was now. She had reached her current level after wandering the Devildom for sixteen years and killing numerous demons, including three Demon Kings. Nheless, she had indeed been weak sixteen years ago. Being weak meant she made many fatal mistakes during battles back then. Her mistakes had always brought Sienna closer to death, but Hamel had always been there to intervene, preventing death from drawing any closer. The scars on his body would never disappear, and they were the marks of his battles, things that Sienna would never be ustomed to. However, today in particr, the scars distressed her even more. ¡°So when are we leaving?¡± asked Hamel. He paid no attention to the tremors. His heart hurt, and he couldn¡¯t put strength into his muscles, despite having gotten plenty of rest. He knew why though ¡ª his body was begging him to stop after being overworked for sixteen years. ¡°I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m good to fight,¡± said Hamel in annoyance when no one gave a response. He had been expecting Anise and Sienna to stay silent since they had warned him countless times. However, it really bothered him that the idiot, Molon, was staring at him without saying a word as well. ¡°Hamel.¡± It was Vermouth who broke the silence. Even though they had raised their sses, Vermouth had yet to empty his liquor. He had been quiet the entire time while staring intently at his ss, not touching his drink. Vermouth raised his gaze. His gray hair was reminiscent of a mane, befitting hisst name of ¡®Lionheart.¡¯ Below his fringe, his golden eyes glistened with a dull light. ¡°You stay behind,¡± said Vermouth. Hamel¡¯s expression stiffened, and Sienna looked at Vermouth with surprise. Anise gave a short sigh and nodded. ¡®That¡¯s the right thing.¡¯ Anise knew Hamel¡¯s condition better than anyone else since she was in charge of treating the injured. It was true that Molon had just as many scars as Hamel, but their bodies were fundamentally different. Molon possessed an unbelievably strong body, enough for it to be called the miracle of the gods. Even repeated reckless battles dealt no permanent damage to his body. As for Vermouth, he rarely got injured in battle, and his body was able to withstand long periods of fighting without needing rest. Hamel was not blessed with a body as strong as hispanions Molon and Vermouth. Despite his sturdiness, he was nowhere near their level. Nevertheless, what hecked in physical strength, he made up for with his skill in battle. It was his fighting ability that had allowed him to survive this long and be one of the group''s most valuable members, second only to Vermouth. However, Ignition ced too much of a burden on his heart and core. It was a technique that pushed his body far beyond what it was capable of. Moreover, as they headed deeper into the Devildom, the enemies they faced only became stronger. Even though Hamel¡¯s skills improved as well, it hadn¡¯t been enough. The number of times he had to resort to Ignition increased as they ventured deeper into the Devildom. They had been wandering the territory of the demons for sixteen years. Yet, after entering the territory of the Demon King of Incarceration three years ago, Hamel had resorted to using Ignition more times than he had in the previous thirteen yearsbined. As a result, Hamel¡¯s body was almostpletely broken. It wouldn¡¯t be strange if he died at any moment due to his heart stopping or his veins bursting. In the worst-case scenario, his core would explodepletely, causing his body to explode along with the mana circting his body. ¡°¡­I agree with Sir Vermouth,¡± stated Anise. She knew she couldn¡¯t push too strongly, knowing Hamel. She knew that Hamel would take this rmendation as a humiliation. In the first ce, Anise knew that Hamel had a tendency to neglect his own well-being. He would not have pushed himself to the point of breaking if he had taken better care of himself from the beginning. ¡°Don¡¯t fuck with me,¡± said Hamel. As expected, Hamel was outraged. He jumped from his seat while clutching the sword next to him. Surprised, Sienna tried to grab him, but Molon reached out with hisrge hand and grabbed her by the shoulder to stop her. ¡°What did you say, you idiot!?¡± shouted Sienna. ¡°Hamel¡¯s anger is reasonable,¡± Molon uttered in a low voice. He knew well that Hamel¡¯s body was on the brink, but he could not agreepletely with Vermouth¡¯s words. Hamel was a warrior. If he desired to fight, he should be allowed to fight. If Hamel were to die in battle, Molon knew that he would regret his choice not to send Hamel back with tears, but he also felt that Hamel¡¯s wishes had to be respected. Sienna didn¡¯t know anything about that, and she didn¡¯t care either. Hamel¡¯s condition was abnormal; she wasn¡¯t thinking about the state of his body but his mind. She didn¡¯t understand why he insisted on being so stubborn when he was broken. Had they not talked whileughing? Had they not shared what they would do after saving the world and returning? Nothing had been set in stone. After all, no one had truly believed that they could save the world back then. However, it was different now. They had already killed three Demon Kings, and there were only two remaining. What had once seemed so vague and distant was starting to be visible over the horizon. They had to be happy. They had to spend the rest of their lives happier than anyone else in the world. As Heroes who saved the world, they deserved it more than anyone else. ¡°Sit down, Hamel.¡± Sienna wasn¡¯t happy now. In fact, she was scared and desperate. Nothing she shoved down her throat had any taste, and she didn¡¯t get drunk no matter how many sses she had. She was more afraid of her own nightmares than the ones drawn by the Queen of the Night Demons. Sleep didn¡¯te to her, and she was afraid to sleep. Sienna resorted to developing a spell to cleanse and stabilize one¡¯s mind, and she even tried to shake off her fear with Anise¡¯s divine magic. Nevertheless, it was only a vicious cycle. Even if she cleansed her mind and quenched her emotions, as soon as she looked up at the gray sky and saw the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, fear washed over her once more. She didn¡¯t want to die. The others had fled after leaving all of their responsibilities behind. Some had left behind their lingering desires as wills before passing, and they had all ced their hope in her and herpanions. Why had they sought the sess of their failures from Sienna and her group? Sienna knew she could not me them, but she felt a sense of hatred toward them. She even felt jealous. If it were possible, she wanted to give up and return. They had already killed three Demon Kings. They had done well. Even if they were to return here to y the remaining two Demon Kings one day¡­ for now, they could go back ¡ª just until Hamel¡¯s body was healed. ¡°You can¡¯t even fight properly,¡± said Sienna. She knew better than anyone else that it was just a pipe dream. She could not act upon her selfish dreams. There were still two Demon Kings remaining, and as long as they remained alive, the world would continue its plunge into chaos. Demons and demonic beasts would kill humans, and the Demonic Disease would kill the elves. Sienna needed to get revenge for the dead elves. ¡°You¡¯ll only get in the way if youe along,¡± she continued. Sienna didn¡¯t want to die, so she wouldn¡¯t. She wasn¡¯t happy, so she would one day find happiness. Why didn¡¯t food taste like anything? It was because they were tasteless, like dog shit. It was also because the stress was getting to her head. In the end, everything would resolve itself once they killed all the Demon Kings. ¡°So, Hamel, you wait here,¡± Sienna concluded. All five of them needed to survive. Hamel was the one closest to death right now, and his body wasn¡¯t in good condition. It was only natural for him to stay behind. Even if Hamel didn¡¯t agree to do this, Sienna knew it had to be done. The happiness she dreamed of was for everyone to survive. ¡ª I don¡¯t like small houses. On sleepless nights, she used to paint a vague picture of the future. ¡ª I would prefer arge mansion. She believed that they would one day find it. ¡ª A ce surrounded by lots of trees. A ce with fresh air, where the sky is high and blue. A ce filled to the brim with stars at night. And with a gentle stream rather than salty wind. It had been an embarrassing thought, a scenery she could never tell others. ¡ª I want an entire annex to use as a study. When the sun goes down, I¡¯ll light up the firece, lighting the study with a warm, orange light. I¡¯ll sit in a rocking chair reading a book, or maybe I¡¯ll be writing something down. She had wondered how old she would be. ¡ª You¡¯ll be the same as ever. After sweating buckets and buckets training with all sorts of weapons, you¡¯re going toe into the study after washing up, shaking your wet hair. I¡¯ll take issue with your attitude but end upughing at your jokes. While Hamel stood on watch duty, Sienna would steal nces at Hamel and then jump to her feet whenever their eyes met. ¡ª Sometimes, we¡¯ll sink into our memories while camping outside. We¡¯ll call Anise, Molon, and Molon, talking andughing all night. She couldn¡¯t sleep so she nned on staying awake since it would be her shift soon anyways. ¡ª When that timees, Hamel, you¡¯ll be right next to me, in my closest ce. At present, Sienna held her breath as she gazed at Hamel. She couldn¡¯t imagine what kind of expression she had now. ¡ª I can¡¯t imagine my future, my happiness, without you. It was probably an unsightly expression. Chapter 271: Side Story – Interlude (2) Chapter 271: Side Story ¨C Interlude (2) ¡°You son of a bitch. Everyone¡¯s worried about you, so why areyoufreaking out like that? Why should I cry because of you?¡± Sienna shouted before kicking Hamel. She hoped that Hamel would fall over. Then she could prove that he was broken, that he couldn¡¯t even withstand her kick. Just stay here. We¡¯ll definitelye back, so believe in us and pray for us. That¡¯s all she wanted. ¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, Sienna.¡± However, Hamel did not fall. He did not even falter. Rather, he tookrge strides toward Sienna before grabbing her shoulders. ¡°Do you think you can kill the Demon King of Incarceration without me? Who¡¯s going to buy us time without me? Who¡¯s going to keep Molon in check without me? Who¡¯s going to stand in front of Anise? Without me, who will fight by Vermouth¡¯s side?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stubborn, Hamel¡­! You know best that it¡¯s impossible for you right now!¡± shouted Sienna. ¡°Yeah, I know my body well. I know where you¡¯reing from. I know that I¡¯m bing a cripple. Even so, I can fight. I won¡¯t be able to fight any longer one day, but today¡¯s not that day. You want me to wait here after letting you go on?¡± Hamel scoffed before letting go of her shoulders. ¡°I¡ª Do you really think that¡¯s going to work? Sienna, Anise, Vermouth. You guys know me. I¡­. Do you think I¡¯m going to ept that? I¡¯m going to be a burden? So what? If I start holding you back, leave me behind. Fuck, I¡¯ll crawl after you if I have to.¡± ¡°¡­Hamel.¡± Vermouth gave a long sigh. Hamel passed Sienna, and she instinctively reached out to take him by the wrist. Instead, he brushed her hand away roughly, causing her to flinch. ¡°If you choose to leave me behind, I¡¯ll ept it, even though it¡¯ll feel like shit. I¡¯ll choose to follow you anyways. But¡­ you want me to wait here? You wantmeto waithere? No, you shithead,¡± Hamel said before grabbing Vermouth by the cor. ¡°¡­We will take down the Demon King with you.¡± However, Vermouth did not shy away from Hamel¡¯s gaze. ¡°I said this is for you. We don¡¯t know how long it will take for us to reach the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s pce. We don¡¯t know what kinds of dangers we will face. So we will pave the road. You should rest here until then. Once we face the Demon King of Incarceration¡ª¡± ¡°Do you hear yourself?¡± Hamel scoffed before releasing Vermouth. ¡°If you want to throw me away, then do it. What? You¡¯lle to get me when you fight the Demon King of Incarceration? Do you think I¡¯ve been doing this shit for sixteen years because I want that fucking honor?¡± ¡°Hamel, that¡¯s not what I meant. I just¡­,¡± responded Vermouth. ¡°If,¡± said Hamel. ¡°I be so crippled that I can¡¯t even crawl; then I will die there and then.¡± ¡°Hamel¡­!¡± ¡°If it came to that, there would be no point in living. But, as long as I can crawl¡­. I¡¯ming with you.¡± Hamel knew that he was being stupid and stubborn. He knew that everyone was speaking for his sake. Even so, he could not ept it. He still had a few fights left in him, and he still had control over his broken body. If the day came when he could no longer move, even then, he could make himself useful. But if he stayed behind, there would be nothing he could do except kill himself in misery. ¡°You all know how stupidly stubborn I am,¡± Hamel said before returning to his spot and sitting down. ¡°If you told me to stay here, did you all think I would be grateful and listen? I would rather die. As I said, if I¡¯m getting in the way, then leave me behind. Go first since I¡¯ll follow on my own.¡± Sienna screamed, "You idiot!" and tried to p Hamel in the face. Normally, he would have let the blownd as he had done in simr situations, but this time he dodged it with a slight tilt of his head. ¡°Look. My body¡¯s still working fine. I even dodged a p from Sienna Merdein, the great Archwizard,¡± said Hamel. ¡°Y-you idiot¡­!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s let him do whatever he wants,¡± Anise spoke up. Half of the liquor still remained in the bottle in front of her, but Anise took a swig and chugged it all down. ¡°We all know this bastard doesn¡¯t listen to what anyone says, right? If we really want to leave Hamel behind, we¡¯ll have to crush his legs first.¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll crawl along,¡± retorted Hamel. ¡°Then we can smash both of your arms as well. If we do that, will you flop along behind us like a worm? Oh my, I just imagined it, and I think it¡¯ll suit you quite well, Hamel. Why don¡¯t you start practicing now in preparation, you insect?¡± mocked Anise. Hamel approached Anise with a frown and began to say, "Oi, Anise. You''re going a bit too far...," but before he could finish, Anise swung a bottle and smashed it over his head, sending pieces flying in all directions. Sienna and Molon¡¯s jaws opened agape with shock. Hamel was the most surprised. He had never expected her to hit him in the head with a bottle. As he rubbed the sore spot on his head, he couldn''t help but wonder why Anise had the right to hit him when he was the one who had been insulted. Hamel stared at Anise in astonishment. The scorn disappeared, her face softened, and her long eyshes quivered as she spoke, "Does it hurt to listen when we say it nicely?" Despite her bloodshot eyes, Anise managed to hold back her emotions, unlike Sienna, who ended up in tears. Anise was skilled at hiding her feelings, which allowed her to maintain herposure. ¡°Hamel, we¡¯re not telling you to stay because you¡¯ll actually get in the way. Sienna and I¡­. No, all of us here are asking you to stay back because we don¡¯t want you to die.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°The castle of the Demon King of Incarceration will be more dangerous than anything we¡¯ve encountered until now. All of us have managed to survive until now, but it¡¯s possible that this time¡­ some of us may die,¡± continued Anise. ¡°Maybe so,¡± Hamel acknowledged it. For three years, they had been wandering through the treacherous territory of Incarceration, which was akin to hell. Despite encountering those who were much weaker than Hamel and hisrades, they had seen glimpses of hope in the territories of other Demon Kings, where some still struggled forward with determination. They had believed that they could do something to help save the world, even though they had been weak. However, not even a hint of such hope remained in the territory of Incarceration. There was only death, survival, and running. It was only the five of them who moved forward with the aim of defeating the Demon King of Incarceration. All the other Demon Kings had died while uttering ridicule and curses, mentioning the second Demon King. ¡ªYou will perish at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration, and the Castle of Incarceration will be your tomb¡­. Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury had all spoken the name of Incarceration rather than Destruction. ¡°If one of us were to die¡­¡± ¡°Then that would be me.¡± ¡°¡­Yes. So, you¡¯re better off¡­.¡± ¡°I have to die on your behalf,¡± said Hamel while shaking off the ss shards from his head. ¡°¡­No matter what you say, I¡¯ming. I can still fight. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°You idiot!¡± Sienna screamed even louder. She didn¡¯t bother wiping away her tears as she red at Hamel. What could she say? She had a headache. She needed to make him understand, but that moron simply wouldn¡¯t listen. Would ite to the point where they needed to subdue him? If she did, could she ever face Hamel again? Vermouth let out a chuckle as he shook his head, muttering, "What a mess." This unexpected reaction surprised everyone present. Vermouth was known for being serious and rarelyughed, especially in a situation like this, which was far from humorous. ¡°Hamel. Your words are contradictory and illogical. You¡¯re only relying on your emotions to be stubborn.¡± ¡°Do you hate it?¡± ¡°No. I think this is rather like you.¡± Vermouth raised his half-filled ss. ¡°I understand where you¡¯reing from¡­. Let¡¯s go together. The Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration will be terrible, far beyond anything we¡¯ve seen until now. But we won¡¯t die. No one will die.¡± Vermouth''s words were truly incredible, filling the listeners with a sense of faith and relief as if his words were guaranteed toe true. Everyone called Vermouth the Hero, and the same was true of Hamel. Even though he did not want to admit it, Hamel was left with no other choice. If there was any hope in this hell, it had to be Vermouth. No matter how strong the Demon King of Incarceration was, and regardless of how impossible it seemed to fight against the Demon King of Destruction, it seemed like it might work out if Vermouth was with them. ¡®That¡¯s why I have to go with them.¡¯ Hamel chewed on his lips. ¡°Vermouth is right,¡± said Molon. ¡°None of us will die. Just as we survived until now, all of us will survive. After the fight is over, everyone will drink together in front of the corpse of the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Vermouth emptied his liquor andid down the ss with a rare frown. ¡°Hamel was right. This drink is horrid.¡± ¡°¡­Sir Vermouth,¡± Anise began. ¡°Keeping morale high is important for challenging a difficult ce like this. It won¡¯t be fun to talk about anything with a drink like this,¡± said Vermouth before waving his finger in the air. Boom! A keg asrge as a human fell to the floor. Anise sprang up from her seat with wide eyes and said in an using tone, ¡°Sir Vermouth! You said that we had run out of alcohol!¡± ¡°It was a lie. I apologize,¡± responded Vermouth. ¡°Why did you lie like that!?¡± shouted Anise. ¡°I thought it was important to leave some alcohol for a moment that is really important and happy.¡± Vermouth opened the keg with a smile. Anise was already standing in front of the container holding the holy grail. The atmosphere changed in an instant. Sienna did not like it. They couldn¡¯t simply gloss over the issue like this. ¡°Well, what can we do?¡± said Anise after returning from filling her grail. She took her seat next to Sienna and ced a small ss before her. ¡°Hamel will not give in. We cannot change his mind.¡± ¡°Why not? We can cripple him and¡­.¡± ¡°Stop talking about things you won¡¯t do, Sienna. If you did that, Hamel would me you for the rest of his life. Can you live with that?¡± said Anise while narrowing her eyes. Sienna couldn¡¯t find words to speak. She stayed silent and turned her gaze to find Hamel sitting and grumbling between Molon and Vermouth. ¡°¡­None of us will die,¡± said Anise, bringing the Holy Grail to her lips. ¡°The Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration will be difficult to clear, but we will survive as we have done so far. Even if we fall and get injured, none of you will die as long as I¡¯m here.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Moreover, we have you, don¡¯t we, Sienna? The most worrisome things about Hamel are his heart and his Core. But if you¡¯re around when his Core is about to burst and explode, you might be able to stabilize it. So, it might be safer for Hamel toe with us,¡± continued Anise. ¡°¡­Right.¡± ¡°Hamel is not going to be fighting alone. Things will be a lot different from¡­ when you faced the de of Incarceration. I¡¯m here, you¡¯re here, Molon¡¯s here, and Sir Vermouth is here too. There will be no need for Hamel to stand alone at the front. So¡­,¡± Anise paused for a moment. ¡°I don¡¯t know why I¡¯m rambling on. I¡¯m just saying that the idiot will survive all on his own even if we leave him alone¡­.¡± ¡°You¡¯re trying to convince yourself, too,¡± muttered Sienna. ¡°You want to leave Hamel behind, but he won¡¯t stay. That¡¯s why you¡¯re telling yourself that Hamel won¡¯t die. You don¡¯t want to be med by Hamel. You want to feel that you understand him, and that¡¯s why you¡¯re verbalizing it andforting me.¡± ¡°¡­It is only natural since I am yourrade and the Saint,¡± responded Anise. ¡°Is that really all?¡± asked Sienna. Aniseid down the Holy Grail. The sound of conversation seemed very far away, and she unknowingly turned her gaze toward Hamel. Hamel wasughing while bumping his ss with Molon. His injuries were healed, and he was fine, good enough to drink. He was making a racket while thumping his scarred chest. ¡®Needless consideration.¡¯ ¡­She met Vermouth¡¯s gaze. He nodded with a slight smile with his golden eyes. It was thanks to his consideration that she couldfortably talk with Sienna. ¡°Did you know?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be strange if I didn¡¯t? I¡¯m sure everyone knows except for that moron and that idiot¡­. I¡¯m sure Vermouth knows, too, since he¡¯s used magic for us,¡± responded Sienna. ¡°I thought I was pretty good at hiding it,¡± said Anise. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are skilled. But Anise, you had no intention of hiding it, did you? You were pretty tant with Hamel,¡± said Sienna. "Ah, I suppose my desire just slipped out without me realizing it. Or perhaps I wanted to provoke a reaction from you, Sienna, as it was frustrating to see you so passive¡­. Or maybe I simply wanted to taunt the foolish Hamel." Anise yfully lifted her cup and rattled it as if to show Sienna something before leaning in to whisper, "My feelings aren¡¯t as sincere as yours. It¡¯s just¡­. Well, I don¡¯t have any experience in these things since I lived in purity.¡± ¡°And I didn¡¯t?¡± retorted Sienna. ¡°That¡¯s just fate, isn¡¯t it? I¡¯m the Saint. It¡¯s just a light¡­ right, just a yful joke, something like that. I have no intention of stealing him from you¡­.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± asked Sienna with a wry smile. ¡°Can you be satisfied with that?¡± ¡°¡­Well, what other choice do I have, even if I¡¯m not satisfied? Like I said, I am the Saint. My body belongs to the Light¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be stupid. If we return¡­ alive, we have the right to do anything we want. We deserve to be happy. If the Holy Empire tells you not to love a man, but you don¡¯t like it, I can help you. Do you think the two of us couldn¡¯t possibly take the Pope¡¯s head?¡± said Sienna. ¡°¡­That¡¯s an ignorant thing to say. It¡¯s easy for you to say since you¡¯re not religious, but I cannot do something like that. My existence itself is based on faith. If I betray my faith, I will go to hell when I die,¡± said Anise. ¡°Were you really hoping to go to heaven after living in hell? That doesn¡¯t add up.¡± Siennaughed while sipping on her drink. ¡°We¡¯re already living in hell, and we¡¯re going to save the world from this hell with our hands¡­. We deserve happiness after this and Anise, I don¡¯t want you to be the only one left behind in hell.¡± Anise didn¡¯t know how to respond to this. ¡°We did many things, especially you. You saved countless people. Even though I¡­ don¡¯t believe in the God of Light, I don¡¯t think God is cheap enough to me you for marrying a man and drop you into hell,¡± said Sienna. ¡°How could man know the Will of God?¡± said Anise with augh before looking back at Sienna. Her eyes were still wet with tears. Anise stretched out her finger and wiped her tears away. ¡°¡­As you said, we¡¯re living in hell, so the least we can do is dream happy dreams. I¡¯ll think about it again when¡­. Yes, when everything is over.¡± ¡°It¡¯s all a mess,¡± Sienna said with a sigh before shaking her head. ¡°I can¡¯t get my feelings straight. I was crying, angry, and going crazy just now, but now¡­ I feel rather at ease.¡± ¡°It¡¯s because you have faith,¡± answered Anise. ¡°¡­Faith?¡± ¡°You have faith that none of us will die. You have faith that Hamel will be okay.¡± Anise clinked her grail against Sienna¡¯s ss. ¡°It¡¯s easier to believe than to not believe.¡± Faith, was it? Sienna emptied her ss before putting it down. The liquor was something Vermouth had saved for a special asion. Maybe that¡¯s why she could clearlytasteit. ¡°¡­Maybe it¡¯s just because the alcohol tastes good.¡± She was fine now. It was all alright. So sheughed while cing down her ss. She saw Akasha next to it. ¡®It¡¯s fine.¡¯ It was just as Anise said. Things were different from when they encountered the de of Incarceration. Vermouth was with them, as well as Molon and Anise. ¡®No one dies.¡¯ Sienna raised her head while caressing Akasha with her fingers. She happened to meet Hamel¡¯s eyes. He was drinking on the other side. The bastard raised his middle finger as soon as their gazes locked. Sienna scoffed, then mimicked his action. ¡®Hamel won¡¯t die.¡¯ She wouldn¡¯t let him die. Chapter 272: Side Story – Interlude (3) She opened her eyes. Despite having slept for only a brief period, she couldn''t shake off the drowsiness. Shey still for a few moments, hoping to drift back into slumber, but her efforts were in vain. Once awake, she found it hard to return to thend of dreams. In the end, Sienna let out a deep sigh of frustration as she opened her eyes. Anise had cast divine magic to stabilize her mind before she had fallen asleep, and Sienna had even resorted to a sleeping spell. But in this ce, so close to the gates of hell, such methods seemed futile. The Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration exuded a palpable aura of Dark Power that surrounded them. Noir Giabe and her army of Night Demons relentlessly attacked the heroes in their dreams, attempting to prate their minds. Despite their failed attempts, each attack eroded the divine power and dispersed the magic that protected the heroes and polluted their minds. Sienna had always believed that wizards had a predisposition towards being sensitive psychopaths, even if others denied it. The recent events had given her a lot to worry about, and the constant stress had taken a toll on her. So it was no surprise that she suffered from insomnia and found it difficult to get a good night''s sleep. ¡°Are you having trouble falling asleep?¡± asked Vermouth. ¡°Yeah,¡± Sienna answered while rubbing her eyes. She turned her head and found Vermouth sitting in front of the bonfire. His golden eyes were calm before the swaying mes, and Sienna waved her fingers while receiving his gaze. ¡°You should sleep, even if you have to force it,¡± said Vermouth. With a Saint and an Archwizard among their ranks, the party didn''t urgently require rest. Even if they managed to get only the bare minimum of sleep, they could rely on their reserves of magic and divine power to supplement their energy. "I''ll manage for now. No need to worry," Sienna replied with a grin. Just because they weren''t in desperate need of rest didn''t mean it was unnecessary. Using magic and divine power to counteract mental and physical fatigue was only a temporary solution. Prolonged sleep deprivation could have long-term consequences, including a reduced life expectancy. "Are you pushing yourself too hard?" Vermouth asked with a note of concern in his voice. Sienna didn''t respond immediately, instead fixing her gaze on Vermouth''s face beyond the flickering mes of the bonfire. The light from the fire illuminated Vermouth''s pale skin and gray hair, casting an orange hue upon him. Only his eyes remained a striking shade of gold. Even after traveling together for sixteen years, Sienna still felt a sense of unease when she met his gaze. ¡°Who among us isn¡¯t pushing ourselves? Vermouth, you¡¯re overdoing it too, don¡¯t you think so?¡± said Sienna with a nonchnt smile. Vermouth Lionheart had remained unchanged since the day they had first met. Sienna, Anise, Molon, and Hamel had all undergone some transformation during their journey, but Vermouth seemed to have remained the same. At least, that was what Sienna thought. Right from the start, Vermouth had been perfect and transcendent. Sienna couldn''t deny that he had grown even more perfect and transcendent over time, but that didn''t mean he wasn''t perfect to begin with. Then and now, he was mysterious and heroic. It was as if he was a human, or rather, an existence who was born this way. ¡°I¡¯m fine, so there¡¯s no need to worry about me,¡± answered Vermouth. Sienna couldn¡¯t fathom what was going on inside the mind of the great Hero, and she knew the others would agree. Vermouth Lionheart never revealed his true feelings and thoughts. Nevertheless, none of them had ever doubted Vermouth¡¯s true intentions. Simr to everyone else, Vermouth waspletely sincere about killing the Demon Kings and saving the world. Vermouth was a perfect and transcendent being, a mysterious and enigmatic warrior, which was why the world called him the Hero. Even after spending sixteen years with him, Sienna and the others still saw Vermouth as the Hero. Vermouth became the core and support for everyone in the group, and even Hamel, who often grumbled, acknowledged this fact. Without Vermouth, they would never have made it this far. They would have failed to defeat even the first Demon King, the Demon King of Carnage, let alone three of them. ¡®It¡¯s far¡­.¡¯ Even though only a bonfire separated the two of them, Sienna couldn¡¯t help but feel a great distance from Vermouth. They fought, talked, ate, and drank together, and in the small moments of their daily lives, she felt close to Vermouth. He was a warrior and the Hero, but also herrade and friend. However, at moments like these, when Vermouth stared at her with such serene eyes, Vermouth felt so far away. Perhaps it was only possible she had absolute trust in his words because of how distant he felt sometimes. Sienna shook her head, trying to dispel the throbbing pain in her head. She nced around at herpanions, finding Molon sprawled out on the ground and Anise curled up in a ball, sound asleep. She could not see Hamel. ¡°Is it for us? Or is it for Hamel?¡± asked Sienna, unknowingly giving a wry smile. Vermouth did not answer immediately but instead gave a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are talking about.¡± ¡°Vermouth, I think you¡¯re particrly soft when ites to Hamel. You¡¯ve always been,¡± said Sienna. ¡°It¡¯s unfair of you to make it sound like I¡¯m the only one. Aren¡¯t we all particrly soft when ites to Hamel?¡± responded Vermouth with an awkward smile. They were in the depths of hell, a ce where they had to always remain on guard. Even the smallest of sounds had to be taken seriously and sensitively. Even though Sienna and Vermouth were talking in hushed tones, despite their conversation, Anise and Molon weren¡¯t being disturbed from their sleep. Moreover, Sienna could not hear any sounding from beyond the darkness. It was all thanks to Vermouth¡¯s magic. ¡°I know I¡¯ve already said it a dozen times, but I¡¯m going to say it again. Vermouth, when we finally leave this forsaken ce and return to the continent¡­.¡± ¡°You want to study my magic, don¡¯t you? Although to be honest, I¡¯m not a fan of the idea,¡± responded Vermouth. ¡°Why not? The world will be at peace by then, and it¡¯s not like I will do anything bad by researching your magic. It¡¯s all for the sake of developing magic¡­,¡± Sienna said. ¡°Isn¡¯t your curiosity a bigger factor?¡± asked Vermouth. ¡°Satisfying my curiosity and getting answers is equivalent to the development of magic.¡± It was an arrogant thing to say, but Sienna meant it from the bottom of her heart. She raised herself up with a smile without any sign of embarrassment. ¡°There¡¯s some time left until I take the watch, right? I¡¯ll go see Hamel, just in case.¡± ¡°Sienna, if you¡¯d like, we don¡¯t have to switch,¡± said Vermouth. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°I¡¯m saying you should have a bit more courage,¡± Vermouth responded with a faint smile. Sienna simply blinked with confusion, not immediately understanding his words. She was the next person on duty, but¡­ they didn¡¯t need to switch? Was Vermouth suggesting that he would take two shifts in a row? Why? ¡®Courage?¡¯ The moment she came to understand, Sienna became wide-eyed, and her jaw dropped. Although the throbbing headache was gone, she felt her cheeks flushing with heat. ¡°W-w-what are you saying!?¡± Sienna hissed fiercely. ¡°Did I say something weird?¡± Vermouth said with a nonchnt expression while tilting his head. Sienna waved her arms for no reason before pping herself on her cheeks. ¡°Y-you¡¯re saying something so weird¡­ out of the blue! W-what do you mean by courage¡­?¡± ¡°Your reaction seems even more strange to me. Can you still be so embarrassed after having feelings for sixteen years?¡± asked Vermouth. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ not¡­ sixteen years¡­!¡± ¡°That can¡¯t be true.¡± Vermouth didn¡¯t have a teasing expression. He looked as calm as ever, which drove Sienna even more crazy. She tore at her sinless hair, groped her memories, and counted the years. ¡°Strictly¡­ speaking¡­. About fifteen and a half years¡­.¡± ¡°If you¡¯re still so embarrassed about it, it¡¯ll be hard for you to take courage. Do you need help?¡± asked Vermouth. ¡°Don¡¯t do¡­ something so useless¡­! I-I¡¯ll take care of it myself. And¡­ and, you know, it¡¯s not like we can afford to worry about those things right now, right?¡± said Sienna, desperately trying to maintain a calm expression. But it wasn¡¯t just an excuse. Regardless of how long she had been harboring her feelings or how great they were, their current priority was to kill the Demon Kings to save the world. It was only right¡­ to put aside her feelings untilter. ¡°Someday, then,¡± Vermouth said with a faint smile. He stared at Sienna while continuing. ¡°¡­On a day when everything will be finished, a day where we can enjoy the future we oftenughed and talked about.¡± They frequently discussed their aspirations for the future. Molon yearned to be a king, while Anise dreamt of a tranquil and freeing journey. Although Hamel was usually reluctant to speak, he had asionally brought up the idea of teaching swordsmanship to war orphans. Sienna had her own aspirations for the future. She longed for a simple life, to get married, have children, and grow old and be a grandmother. While she acknowledged that this kind of life wasn''t the only way to live an ordinary life, it was what she desired. During their conversations about their future ns, Vermouth would asionally grace them with a rare smile. It wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar smile. ¡°¡­Hmph, you don¡¯t know how a human heart might change, Vermouth. Even if I¡­. Right now, uh, well¡­. Hamel¡­. Right. Even though that¡¯s how it is, you don¡¯t know how it might change in the future, right? When we return to the continent¡­.¡± Unfortunately, Sienna could not continue her words. She could not possibly imagine herself loving any man other than Hamel. Even if it were just words, she didn¡¯t want to say something she didn¡¯t believe in. It felt as if she would bemitting a crime by voicing it. In the end, she pouted without continuing her words. Vermouth gave a smile and chuckled at her reaction. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be the subject of your magic research, but I would not mind¡­. Right, I wouldn¡¯t mind officiating at Hamel and your wedding. If I can, that is,¡± said Vermouth. ¡°D-d-don¡¯t say such crazy things. Wedding!? As I said, you never know how things will turn out! I-I¡¯m going, Vermouth. I can¡¯t bear listening to this nonsense. This isn¡¯t like you!¡± stuttered Sienna before jerking around. It felt as if her face would explode from all the heat. Sienna was taken aback by Vermouth''s unexpected remark. Her emotions fluctuated even more, knowing that Vermouth wasn¡¯t one to normally joke around. But contrary to her emotions, delusions were freely developing in her head. She had already imagined something like this several times, a shameful fantasy she could never tell anyone about. ¡®You shameful bitch,¡¯ Sienna chided herself. But in fact, there was one existence who already knew about her shameful delusions. Her delusions had only taken shape in detail when she was attacked by Noir Giabe¡­. She had dreamed because of the damned wench. Sienna didn¡¯t want a simple wedding. After all, it was a once-in-a-lifetime event. If she were to have a wedding, she wanted a big wedding that would go down in history, a wedding that everyone on the continent would know about. It was only befitting that the wedding of two Heroes, those who saved the world, would be grand. They would hold the wedding at thergest and most splendid castle on the continent. Regardless of who it belonged to, whether it was a king or an emperor, they would dly empty the castle at Sienna¡¯s request. The event would be grander and more morous than any coronation but also magnificent and beautiful. All the kings of the continent would be required to attend the wedding as guests. What if they didn¡¯t? Then they would be subject to the petty anger of the Archwizard, the defeater of the Demon Kings. Any highly regarded noble would also need to attend and offer the riches they umted while the Heroes saved the world. ¡­Vermouth would officiate. Could Molon host it? No, it would be too heavy a burden for the idiot. Then¡­ Anise? ¡®No. That would be too cruel.¡¯ She could just leave it to any king. She wanted Anise¡¯s blessing, but now she knew she couldn¡¯t ask for it. What if they held a joint wedding? She was sure it would surprise everyone, but who cared? They had saved the world. They could do anything they wanted. ¡®Hamel must have saved the world in his previous life.¡¯ No, perhaps he could enjoy the luxury because he would save the world in this life. It was quite a delightful sight to imagine. ¡®¡­You would look extremely awkward in your tuxedo, and Anise and I will be in pure white dresses at your sides. When Vermouth calls us, the three of us will enter together. That idiot Molon will burst into tears when he sees us walk in.¡¯ This was even better. Both of them would be holding a bouquet, and in the end, they could throw one to Vermouth and Molon each. ¡®I don¡¯t think either of them would be married by then. For some reason, I think Vermouth will be single for the rest of his life, and Molon¡­. Well¡­.¡¯ On second thought, she could imagine Molon getting married very quickly. ¡®Then would I be worse than Molon? I¡­ I guess I can¡¯t help it. If I lose to Molon, I¡¯ll be teased for the rest of my life¡­. I-I should try harder and get married faster than Molon¡­.¡¯ Was it possible that she was currently under attack from Noir Giabe? Unless the whorish queen was attacking her mind, how could she be entertaining such shameful thoughts? Otherwise, there was no way she would be sinking so deep into these crazy imaginations, was there? ¡°¡­Hmm.¡± But that was impossible. She knew that she couldn¡¯t be dreaming when she saw Hamel in the distance. She knew that the delusions floating in her mind and the emotions causing her heart to race couldn¡¯t be caused by Noir¡¯s hypnosis. They were sincere. It wasn¡¯t difficult to admit to her own feelings. As Vermouth had said, she had been harboring these feelings for sixteen¡­ or rather, fifteen and a half years. She had cleared up the confusion and acknowledged her own feelings about ten years ago, or nine years and a few months to be exact. However, she was still embarrassed, and her heart still fluttered, just because that¡¯s who Sienna was as a person. She had epted her feelings long ago, but she still couldn¡¯t express them directly. Indeed, she would need to properly confirm her feelings with Hamel, but before it ever came to that, she hoped that the stupid, idiotic moron would notice it first. Rather than having to convey her feelings with a red face, she hoped Hamel would be the first to confess with a bouquet¡­ or even a single wildflower. Sienna had been inducing Hamel to fall in love with her until now. The problem was that he was an incredibly dense, stupid, idiotic moron. So she switched things up. Every once in a while, when it was inevitable and necessary, Sienna revealed a tiny portion of her feelings to Hamel, just enough that no one but Hamel would notice. It was perfect for Sienna to look back on. ¡®¡­..¡¯ Vermouth and Anise had noticed, but that was only because both of them were more quick-witted than necessary. Unfortunately, Hamel, on the other hand, seemed to be even denser than Molon when it came to these things. ¡°Why are you sitting there like that?¡± Sienna cleared her face before speaking to Hamel. Was her face still red? But wouldn¡¯t it be better flushed to appeal to the idiot? No, she didn¡¯t like it. She didn''t want to show her flushed face to him, even if it might appeal to him. It was embarrassing, and she wanted to maintain herposure. ¡°And why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± Hamel said after raising his head and looking back at Sienna. He was sitting on the ground. Sienna smirked without meaning to. This is just how it was. Her emotions had aged for fifteen years, but she was still embarrassed, and her heart fluttered when she saw Hamel. ¡°I¡¯m on watch after Vermouth, stupid,¡± said Sienna. ¡°There¡¯s more than an hour left,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°It¡¯s only polite to wake up earlier and get ready,¡± said Sienna. ¡°As if. At least put a little effort into your lie. It¡¯s obvious. You can¡¯t fall asleep, can you?¡± Hamel said with a smile while wiping the sweat off his forehead. Instead of answering, Sienna snorted. As Hamel said, it was quite obvious and quite amon urrence. ¡°Sleep, even if you have to force it. It¡¯s been a while since you slept properly, right? You¡¯re going to hurt yourself.¡± ¡°Would you mind not worrying about me? Speak for yourself. Who¡¯s worried about who?¡± retorted Sienna while clearing her face. She was sincere and meant every word. But instead of answering, Hamel shrugged. His scarred upper body was soaked with sweat, and sprawled around him were the many weapons he liked to use. This was also an obvious, everyday urrence. Hamel did not allow his body to rest, even at dawn when everyone else was asleep. He trained himself and wielded his weapons like an obsession. ¡°It¡¯s not like this is the first time you¡¯ve seen me,¡± said Hamel. ¡°Did you already forget what we talked about earlier? Your body is a wreck, so take a break,¡± responded Sienna. ¡°I be dull if I rest. I need to keep adjusting it so it¡¯ll move well when needed,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so stupid. Do you want to get beaten up by Anise again? Or I can just beat you up right now myself,¡± said Sienna. ¡°I didn¡¯tt overdo it.¡± Hamel raised himself, dusted his hands, then picked up the towel at his feet. ¡°I¡¯m just figuring out how far I can push myself and how much I can move.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s really serious if you have to figure that out,¡± answered Sienna. ¡°Who in the world would want to die?¡± said Hamel with augh while wiping himself down with rough movements. ¡°All I¡¯m doing is to make sure I don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°¡­Just¡ª¡± ¡°Yeah, no, I¡¯m not going back, and I¡¯m not going to wait by myself either. I¡¯m going toe with you guys no matter what. If you¡¯re really that worried about me, protect me so that I don¡¯t die.¡± Hamel shot back before Sienna could speak. Sienna opened her mouth a few times, then frowned before hitting Hamel¡¯s chest. ¡°Bastard.¡± She made sure to use quite a bit of force, seeing how annoying he was. However, Hamel appeared unfazed and gave a smile in response. ¡°¡­No matter how much I think about it, it¡¯s weird how soft Vermouth is when ites to you. Why did he let an injured moron train?¡± said Sienna. ¡°Because he knows me well,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°Same as before. If Vermouth pushed you, then¡­.¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same as you,¡±mented Hamel. He kicked arge sword off the ground, then snatched it out of the air before cing it over his shoulder. ¡°Sienna, in the end, you couldn¡¯t push me either. It¡¯s the same with Vermouth. He knows I¡¯m not going to listen, regardless of whether he pushes me or not. If so, it¡¯s better for him to keep an eye on me, right?¡± ¡°¡­You have a talent for sugarcoating your words. You¡¯re basically saying that you¡¯re a stubborn moron who runs wild without any regard for your life,¡± said Sienna. ¡°See? You know me well, Sienna,¡± said Hamel. ¡°Every time you act like that, I feel like an idiot for worrying about you,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Then don¡¯t worry about me.¡± Hamel grinned, then pushed his thumb against his chest. ¡°I won¡¯t die.¡± It was a funny thing to say. Anyone in the world could say that they wouldn¡¯t die, and there were countless people who would die after spouting such words. Could Hamel be an unconditional exception? Sienna just couldn¡¯t bring herself to believe it, but she had no choice. There were no other eptable oues. Everyone, including Sienna, had survived until now by dedicating themselves to keeping each other from dying. ¡°¡­Moron,¡± Sienna murmured in a small voice before giving a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m going to be careful on my own, and I won¡¯t overdo it. So, Hamel, you have to do the same. Be careful, don¡¯t push yourself, and¡­ if you don¡¯t want to kill me, you have to protect me. Because I¡¯ll protect you, too.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just us too. Everyone¡¯s the same, aren¡¯t they? I think, if any of us ends up dying¡­ wouldn¡¯t it end up being Molon? That bastard¡¯s always rushing in without thinking.¡± Hamel¡¯s words were insincere, and heughed yfully. He had alreadye to a conclusion to his question a long time ago. If any one of them had to die, then¡­. ¡°As long as you survive, there¡¯s always a next time, Hamel,¡± Sienna said before smiling for him to see. It felt as if he had been caught red-handed. After blinking a few times, Hamel swung his sword with a smile. ¡®I don¡¯t want to have this conversation.¡¯ Sienna sat down while thinking so. This was a familiar situation. Whenever Hamel trained himself with his weapons, Sienna could usually be found seated somewhere nearby. At times like these, there wasn¡¯t a big need for conversation, and today was the same. Sienna watched Hamel wield his sword without saying a word. ¡°¡­Childish brat.¡± But she had to say what she had to say. ¡°What?¡± asked Hamel. ¡°You¡¯re doing that on purpose for me to see. You¡¯re only using your bare body without any mana. Are you protesting to me that your body is fine? Is that it?¡± continued Sienna. ¡°No, I¡¯m just training my body. This is what¡¯s wrong with wizards. They¡¯re obsessed with mana. Mana this, mana that. It¡¯s not a good thing to train only mana, you know? You need to train your body as well if you want to¡­,¡± exined Hamel. ¡°I get it, so take it easy. Everyone knows you train at night, but if you really do get hurt, Anise won¡¯t leave you in one piece when she wakes up,¡± said Sienna. Hamel¡¯s expression stiffened at her words as if he were genuinely concerned about being the recipient of Anise¡¯s violence. Sienna giggled as Hamel sneakily released his mana. ¡°¡­What did you talk about with Vermouth?¡± asked Hamel while clearing his throat as if he were embarrassed by Sienna¡¯s giggle. ¡°What else would we talk about? Badmouthing you,¡± responded Sienna. ¡°You already do that every day,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°Right, well¡­. We just talked about the usual,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Ah, I see. Talking about what we would be doingter?¡± asked Hamel. Sienna smiled. Maybe they did know each other too well. ¡°Yeah. But now¡­ we can start to take it more seriously. There are only two Demon Kings left.¡± ¡°But it¡¯ll be harder to kill the remaining two than the three we got already,¡± said Hamel. ¡°You¡¯ve been so stubborn until now, so why are you acting so weak? Hamel, are you really nning to teach orphans how to use the sword? You want to build an orphanage after yourself or something?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it, but what if I build an academy instead of an orphanage? I¡¯ll gather orphans from all over the country and teach them this and that,¡± answered Hamel. ¡°Ah, yes. You¡¯ll name it after yourself and call it the Hamel Academy, won¡¯t you? If you build an academy, there will be lines of people who will want to join, not just orphans,¡± said Sienna. ¡°You don¡¯t think they would kill their parents just to¡ª¡± ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot.¡± Sienna cut off his words while straightening her face. ¡°¡­I think an academy will be nice.¡± Apart from his nonsensicalment, Sienna empathized with his n. Regardless of what he wanted, it was nice to n the future after saving the world from its terrible fate. ¡°I¡¯m going to continue my magic research, so¡­. Right. Hamel, if you build an academy, I¡¯ll grace you with my presence as the professor of magic,¡± said Sienna. ¡°But Aroth already has the magic academy. They have the towers, too,¡±mented Hamel. ¡°Ha! The wizards of Aroth are old men who want to be served on a silver tter even though they¡¯re inferior to me. I guarantee that I¡¯ll be better than all the heads of the magic towers and the professorsbined when ites to developing magic and passing it on to future generations,¡± said Sienna confidently. The future was a topic of discussion for them, but it was never a fixed notion. Every time they talked about it, the vision they had would shift and transform, sometimes only slightly and sometimes drastically. This was because their dreams and aspirations evolved over time. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll help you. Such a future¡­. I think it¡¯s pretty good,¡± muttered Sienna with a faint smile. As if embarrassed, Hamel turned his headpletely while swinging his sword. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you being the headmaster of an academy,¡±mented Sienna. ¡°On second thought, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll build it. I¡¯ll just go somewhere airy and peaceful and farm,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°Embarrassed, are you?¡± Sienna giggled while hugging her knees. Their visions changed every time they talked, but some things remained the same. Sienna hoped for a happy life, and since some time ago, Hamel was always by her side in the future she drew. That was how it had to be. Chapter 273: Side Story – Interlude (3) The formidable fortress of the Demon King of Incarceration was nestled within the Giant Centipede Mountains, whose twisting peaks resembled the slithering body of a monstrous insect. Moreover, the mountains actually wriggled like living creatures. Like a watchful sentinel, the mountain range served as a natural barrier, guarding the Demon King''s stronghold and imprisoning anyone who dared to cross its treacherous terrain. Not only did the high walls that encircled the castle protect the Demon King, but they also ensured that any intruders who braved the mountain''s deadly embrace would meet with a swift and merciless death. As soon as one crossed the immense and dreadful Giant Centipede Mountains, the sky above would appear different, transformed by the overwhelming presence of the Demon King of Incarceration. His formidable power gradually spread through the world around him, painting it in his own colors and announcing his terrifying strength to any who approached. Beyond the Giant Centipede Mountains, there existed no discernible day or night. The zing sun could not prate the veil of darkness that enveloped the sky above the Demon King of Incarceration, and even the ckest of nights could not rival the oppressive shadows cast by the Demon King''s Dark Power. Neither bright nor dark existed under the gray sky. There was just red earth, the Red ins, and the only other thing that could be found was a dull ck mist. The ck Fog was a knightly order of demonfolks headed by Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration and the henchman of the Demon King of Incarceration. In order to reach the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, one needed to cross the Red ins, the garrison of the ck Fog. The might of the ck Fog was unmatched. Its knights numbered three hundred, and they had earned the moniker of the Nightmare of Helmuth. Countless armies and orders that had dared to challenge the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration had met their end at the hands of the fearsome ck Fog, leaving no survivors to tell the tale. Despite the seemingly endless stream of despairing reports, there were those who refused to give up hope. While some were driven to flee in fear, others remained steadfast, convinced that their sacrifice would inspire others to take up arms and continue the fight ¡ª even if it meant they themselves would fall on the battlefield with swords embedded in their bodies. These brave souls chose to turn back from their fleeing steps andy down their lives for the sake of a glimmer of hope. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Among the sea of lifeless bodies, one face stood out ¡ª the face of a knight that the group had encountered before crossing the mountains. He was one of the three broken knights they had chanced upon, the very same one who had tearfully implored them to defeat the Demon King and offered them the tasteless alcohol. The upper body of the knighty amid the corpses, separated from the rest of his body. However, the expression on his face was not one of anguish or resentment. It seemed as though his life had been cut short before he even had the chance to react. Nevertheless, Sienna couldn''t bear to entertain the thought of such a bleak and dreadful end. She wondered why this knight had met his end here after having expressed his desire to leave the Devildom and return to his hometown. Where were the other two knights whom the group had encountered with him? Had they changed their minds, or had this knight acted alone in his decision to confront the Demon King? There was a crude symbol engraved on the crumpled chest te of the knight, a coat of arms depicting a lion. It was a symbol that hade to represent Vermouth Lionheart at some point. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Loud shouts filled Sienna¡¯s surroundings. There were now more than a thousand knights and soldiers marching on the Red ins, and the symbol of the lion was engraved on the chests of all those charging forward. Upon hearing that Vermouth, the Hero, was leading a group to the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, the warriors had rallied to their cause. Despite their armor being rusty and dented, they had adorned it with the emblem of a lion and joined forces with Vermouth and hisrades to cross the treacherous Centipede Mountains. Now, they were charging headlong toward the ck Fog, which stood in their way on the Red ins. The vanguard rushed to their deaths. The ck Fog was as strong as or even stronger than the rumors had imed. The human knights weren¡¯t even properly armed, and they could do little more than serve as meat shields, absorbing a blow from the demons before falling to their deaths. However, the ck Fog was not the only obstacle the warriors faced. Countless demonic beasts emerged from the castle and chased after the ck Fog, adding to the forces of the already overwhelming opposition. Nevertheless, despite the inevitable and irreparable losses they suffered, the deaths of their fellow warriors only fueled the survivors'' determination and spirit. They became even more frenzied and resolved to fight on. The knights and soldiers were undeterred because they knew their sacrifices would not be in vain. The Hero, Vermouth Lionheart, was among them, leading the charge and rallying their spirits as he raised the brilliant Holy Sword high above his head. Moreover, it was not just Vermouth whom they followed. In fact, all four of hispanions were by his side, fighting alongside the knights and soldiers as they pressed forward. Molon charged forth, his body impervious to the sharp des of the ck Fog. His howls echoed across the battlefield as he swung his axe and hammer, crushing the bodies of demonfolks and dispersing the fog. His determination to protect hisrades fueled his actions even as those around him fell. Hamel followed right behind. Just as he had done in all the battles prior, Hamel stood by Vermouth and kept pace. Even in the midst of the chaotic battle, both Hamel and Vermouth participated in the unrestrained one-sided ughter. ¡®He didn¡¯t use Ignition¡­. What a relief,¡¯ Sienna thought. She found momentary relief in the fact that with so many people fighting by their sides, the burden ced on Hamel was greatly reduced. This was one of the wishes of those knights apanying the heroes. They hade toy down their lives for the Hero, Vermouth, and hispanions to ensure they would not suffer much damage on their way to knocking down the Demon King of Incarceration. The warriors would help the Hero and his group be in the best condition possible, even if doing so would ultimately cost the knights and soldiers their lives. Above them, a brilliant ray of Light shone in the sky, despite the absence of the sun. Sienna looked up and saw Anise praying while surrounded by injured priests. Their divine power was channeled to Anise, who unleashed miraculous abilities impossible for others to replicate. The pouring light quickly healed the injuries of the group¡¯s allies and transformed the fear glistening in their eyes, which reflected the des of their enemies, into courage. The light energized the tired bodies and pushed back the ck Fog along with the Holy Sword while offsetting the Dark Power of the demonfolks. In addition, the demonfolks whose Dark Power was dispersed were purified just by bing exposed to the Light. ¡°Lady Sienna! It¡¯s ready!¡± a shout came from behind Sienna. Sienna nced back and nodded while clutching Akasha with both her hands. After rising high off the ground, Sienna looked down. She saw, at best, dozens of survivors from Aroth¡¯s magic corps as well as the war wizards of various nations¡­ but Sienna could not consider any of them as true Archwizards. Nevertheless, it didn¡¯t matter. She had already weaved the spell beforehand and was taking care of everything, from the development of the spell to coordination. What did it matter even if there were only dozens of wizards and if none of them were Archwizards? Sienna alone was an Archwizard greater than hundreds of wizardsbined. The recitation began, and each time her lips moved, huge amounts of mana formed rings in Sienna¡¯s body. Soon, nine rings had formed in total, and they ovepped into onerge ring. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± The wizards on the ground looked up at Sienna with reverential gazes. They did not know exactly how Sienna formed her spells, but they knew that none of them could ever hope to reach the transcendental state she was in. The wizards did not know when the war with the demonfolks woulde to an end, but one thing was clear regarding Sienna. Her name would be engraved as the biggest and clearest presence in the history of magic, and the name Sienna Merdein would serve as the turning point for wizards as a whole. Even if the demonfolks ended up winning the war and all other existences were wiped out, the demonfolks would not be able to leave out the name Sienna Merdein when they referred back to the study of magic in the future. If the continent were to win the war, then the future wizards of the continent ¡ª or rather, all wizards in the future ¡ª would aim to be like Sienna Merdein. The magic waspleted, and the rain of death began to fall. Hundreds of small bullets poured down like a meteor shower. The bullets weren¡¯t simple though. Each droplet of death was carefully constructed with high concentrations of mana, condensed to its limit. The projectiles of mana would prate the Dark Power protecting the demons, as well as their armor, before taking root inside their hearts and exploding. Although the battlefield was aplete mess, Sienna¡¯s onught of magic moved urately and only struck the demon knights. The weaker demons of the ck Fog were ughtered by dozens after being struck by the magical bullets, and the blood of over a hundred demonic beasts soaked the ins as they were ground into unrecognizable shapes. ¡°Sienna of Disaster¡ª!¡± Gavid¡¯s expression became distorted as hemanded the ck Fog. His eyes glowed a crimson red, and the series of magical bullets exploded and disappeared. Nheless, Sienna wasn¡¯t finished yet. She elerated her recitations as her bloodshot eyes glimmered. Akasha responded to her by emitting a brilliant light, and the wizards on the ground desperately kept pace in spite of the blood flowing freely from all of their facial orifices. The sky started to distort, and an artificially formed sphere of overwhelming mass and weight began its descent to the ground, crushing the cloudy sky beneath it. It was a meteor. This wasn¡¯t a meteorite drawn from outer space, but a mass of gigantic proportions, sufficient to wipe a country or even an entire civilization off the map. Kwaaaaaah! As the meteor started its descent, Gavid Lindman and the ck Fog looked up at the sky in horror. Even though Sienna of Disaster and Anise of Hell were here, it would be impossible for anyone to survive if a meteor of such a size crashed to the ground. Everyone, both the allies and the enemies, would be wiped out. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± shouted Gavid. However, the giant projectile wasn¡¯t aimed at the Red in but at the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. If it were an attack formed by mana, there was always a high possibility that the Demon King of Incarceration would easily block it. Demon Kings had such power ¡ª the power to destroy human magic with a snort. That¡¯s why Sienna had insisted onunching a physical bombardment using a meteor. The gigantic mass, which had been created a few days prior, wasrge enough to crush the entirety of the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. Blood flowed freely from the lips of those reciting the incantations. They were guiding the meteor while adding dozens of attack magic to the surface of the meteor. ¡®Die¡­!¡¯ Sienna truly wished that the meteor would crush the terrible castle and that the Demon King of Incarceration would be buried alive without ever having the chance to put up any resistance. Woooooooo¡ª! Darkness spewed from the towering fortress of the Demon King of Incarceration. The darkness seemed to form into a veil surrounding the castle, then it gathered into a single point at the top of one of the spires. The darkness wove into a chain before wrapping around the falling meteor. There was no sound. There was no explosion, no roar, nothing. Just like that, the huge meteor disappeared. Sienna stumbled in the air, unable to believe what had just happened. ¡®¡­The Demon King of Incarceration.¡¯ Sienna red at the castle. She could see a man standing at the top of the castle¡¯s spire, where the chain had originated from. The Demon King of Incarceration was unlike any of the Demon Kings she had encountered until now. Although the horns on his head betrayed his identity, he looked very human. His appearance was strangely calm and smallpared to the Demon King of Destruction, who took on no tangible form, or the other Demon Kings, who had been rather fierce andrge in appearance. As if having sensed Sienna¡¯s gaze, the Demon King of Incarceration turned his gaze with a slight tilt of his head toward where Sienna stood in the sky. Zing! Simply meeting the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s gaze made Sienna feel as if her mind would copse. A sharp headache threatened to knock her unconscious, and her body went crashing down. ¡°Hey. Are you okay?¡± Fwoosh! The wind brought forth a familiar smell. Sienna opened her eyes and turned her head to find Hamel, who had leaped to catch her from afar, before her. She gasped when she realized she was in Hamel¡¯s arms. ¡°You smell like blood,¡±mented Sienna. ¡°Of course, I do,¡± responded Hamel with a nonchnt gaze while licking a stream of blood running down his cheek. He was covered with the blood of the demonfolks he had ughtered as well as the blood flowing from his own wounds. Sienna felt the blood soaking her robe as she tightened her grasp on Hamel¡¯s clothes. ¡°¡­You didn¡¯t use Ignition, did you?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°You¡¯re lying,¡± said Sienna. ¡°It was only for a brief moment, so I basically didn¡¯t. There¡¯s barely any recoil,¡± grumbled Hamel, flicking her forehead with his finger. ¡°Why don¡¯t you worry about yourself instead of me, huh? I told you yesterday, didn¡¯t I? Don¡¯t aim for the castle. The Demon King of Incarceration isn¡¯t an idiot, so how could he fail to deal with a magic attack right on top of his castle?¡± ¡°¡­But it was worth trying,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Right, right. Thanks to you, we were able to discover that your magic doesn¡¯t have much of an impact on the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± said Hamel. Sienna released Hamel¡¯s cor while muttering in a small voice, ¡°I can just use other types of magic.¡± Thud. Hamel ced Sienna on the ground before shaking his head. ¡°Don¡¯t use anything big, and just maintain your condition. I¡¯m going.¡± ¡°Are you going to Vermouth?¡± asked Sienna hesitantly. ¡°Who else would I go to besides that bastard? I came here because I was surprised to see you fall, but Vermouth isn¡¯t having it easy either. I¡¯d like to take the head of that bastard, Gavid, today.¡± Hamel turned his head while clicking his tongue. Booom! An explosion resounded from the far side of the battlefield, and a murky moonlight soared into the sky. Vermouth had resorted to using the Moonlight Sword. ¡°¡­But that seems to be out of the question,¡± concluded Hamel. Immediately afterward, he saw Gavid jump into the sky to escape the consecutive bursts of moonlight. His eyes glowed ck, and Dark Power rose like a me from the sword that he held with one hand. Inbination with the power of the Demoneye of Divine Glory, the Demonic Sword Glory was preventing the moonlight from destroying everything in its path. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a brief moment,¡± muttered Sienna while pressing down on her throbbing chest with her hand. Hamel crossed the battlefield and joined Vermouth. He had no choice but to use Ignition to keep pace with Vermouth, who had taken out the Moonlight Sword. ¡°Liar,¡± Sienna spate usingly. Hamel had promised not to use Ignition in this battle, but¡­ Sienna had not expected him to keep his promise. In order to enter the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, it was necessary to conquer the Red ins and exterminate the ck Fog, and that was why everyone was so desperate. Despite being inferior in number, the scales of the battle were tipping in their favor because Sienna, Anise, Molon, Vermouth, and Hamel were dominating the battlefield. In spite of this, there were simply too many enemies. Each ally had to kill dozens of demonfolkss and demonic beasts topletely eliminate the enemy forces. However, the knights and soldiers participating in the battlefield were iparably weaker than Sienna and herrades. Even so, they stabbed their enemies without hesitation despite losing their limbs. There were even people who triggered the mana in their body to explode along with their enemies. Everyone was desperate because they knew the significance of today¡¯s battle, and that¡¯s why Sienna could notin about Hamel¡¯s lies. She took out a potion from the subspace inside her robe and gulped it down. Afterwards, Sienna repeated the same actions from her sixteen years of battles. She chugged down potions like water to keep her mana stores up while unleashing bombardments of magic. She supported herself with Anise¡¯s Light and took the path that Molon had carved. Meanwhile, Sienna continued to observe Hamel and Vermouth as they pushed the enemy¡¯smander. Whenever she saw there was a chance, she threatened Gavid with her magic. They fought for a long time. Even though day and night weren¡¯t distinguished here, it felt as if they had battled for an entire day. The seemingly endless shouts slowly faded, and silence surfaced from time to time. The ins were colored red with blood, rather befitting of its name, and the stench of the corpses and blood was pungent. Sienna recited incantations with lifeless eyes. Her lips were extremely dry and torn, causing blood to drip from her lips, but she still recited incantations while stumbling forward. ¡°¡­Sienna, Sienna!¡± Arms clutched around Sienna¡¯s waist from behind, and she came to a stop. Sienna jumped up and looked back. She saw a pale and lifeless face. Anise was taking ragged breaths. She too reeked of blood. ¡°It¡¯s over,¡± Anise stated. ¡°¡­Anise?¡± Sienna uttered. ¡°It¡¯s over. Stupid Sienna! Even though you always berate Molon and Hamel, you¡¯re no different from them. Have you been consumed by your magic again?¡± asked Anise. It had been inevitable. In order to urately distinguish between friend and foe while continuously casting spells, she needed topletely merge her consciousness with magic. However, doing so transformed her into a mobilized magic cannon optimized for battles. ¡°¡­I wasn¡¯t consumed. This is¡­,¡± Sienna tried to refute. ¡°Yes, I know very well what you are trying to say. Anyways, it¡¯s over,¡± said Anise while enduring her pain. She clicked her tongue as she looked over Sienna¡¯s torn lips, ragged hands, and dragging feet. ¡°At least you¡¯re better off than Molon. That¡¯s a relief.¡± ¡°How is Molon?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know where to start¡­. Both of his arms were severed about four times, and he lost his entire lower body once. Ah, that¡¯s not including the injuries to his legs,¡± exined Anise. ¡°¡­..¡± ¡°Our damages¡­. In short, about two hundred people survived. Less than a hundred, if we¡¯re excluding those who survived through the skin of their teeth, but yes, what¡¯s important is that they are still alive,¡± continued Anise. ¡°What about Hamel and Vermouth?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°They¡¯re fine,¡± answered Anise. She let out a long sigh before stretching her hand toward Sienna. Fwoosh¡­! The Lighting from Anise¡¯s hand was dimpared to the beginning of the battle, but the miracle quickly healed Sienna¡¯s injuries. ¡°¡­But they missed the de of Incarceration.¡± ¡°Ah¡­.¡± ¡°We couldn¡¯t catch him once he made up his mind to run. Noir Giabe¡¯s Demoneye of Fantasy was hard to deal with, but Gavid Lindman¡¯s Demoneye of Divine Gory was¡­. To bepletely honest, we would have been wiped out way earlier if Sir Vermouth had not been here,¡± said Anise. She looked frustrated as she pursed her lips. It was known that Gavid Lindman¡¯s Demoneye of Divine Glory had been directly bestowed to him by the Demon King of Incarceration. Who did Gavid Lindman treat as his god? It was the Demon King of Incarceration. As the name suggested, the Demoneye of Divine Glory allowed Gavid Lindman to borrow the power of his god. In other words, he could use the power of the Demon King of Incarceration. Sienna silently clenched her trembling hand and turned her head. She looked around the battlefield with stiff eyes. The number of corpses outnumbered the survivors by far. ¡®Hamel.¡¯ Then Sienna saw Vermouth supporting Hamel, who was rubbing off the blood around his mouth. Sensing Sienna¡¯s gaze on him, Hamel raised his head to look at her. Hamel waved his hand while speaking in a husky voice, ¡°That bastard was pretty good at running.¡± *** They gave up on recovering the corpses of allies, but they did not abandon the funeral. Anise and the few surviving clergies knelt on the bloodstained ins and prayed to their god to deliver the souls of the dead warriors to heaven. ¡°I decided to leave our back to them,¡± said Vermouth while staring at the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°The forces of the ck Fog and the demonic beasts have been wiped out. The five of us will break through the remaining troops in the castle. The Shield, Staff, and de should be remaining in the caste, but¡­ we five should be able to break through.¡± ¡°Yes, five,¡± Hamel muttered while sitting on the body of a demonic beast. He looked rather calm despite having used Ignition. It was almost as if he were experiencing no aftereffects from using Ignition. ¡°¡­It will be better for us to go alone than for everyone to go. We can fight in any situation if it¡¯s the five of us, and we¡¯ll be able to take care of each other as well.¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we also keep in mind that demons and demonic beasts might join forces from outside the Centipede Mountains?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re leaving our backs to them,¡± answered Molon. Although they had won the battle, the remaining troops looked as miserable as defeated soldiers. However, their eyes still glowed with a brilliant light. He added, ¡°They are warriors. They will protect us, even if it cost them their lives.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll leave tomorrow,¡± said Hamel. Anise flinched and stared at Hamel with astonishment. ¡°Don¡¯t be a fool. You, of all people, need to rest and¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m not experiencing any rebound,¡± Hamel cut in, raising himself up for everyone to see. ¡°On the contrary, my body feels very light. Besides, if we stay here for a few days because of me, there would have been no point in targeting the ins.¡± ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± asserted Hamel with a smile. Vermouth stared at Hamel for a while and then nodded. ¡°¡­You are right. We¡¯ve alreadye this far, so we cannot wait any longer. However, Hamel, promise me this. Just as I¡­. Just as we will not leave you behind, you cannot leave us behind,¡± Vermouth stated. ¡°Why are you making it sound soplicated? You¡¯re just telling me not to die,¡± responded Hamel. ¡°We must go together from beginning to end. If you feel like you¡¯re going to copse in the middle, don¡¯t force yourself and lean on us,¡± said Vermouth. ¡°Right, right.¡± Hamel waved his hand before springing down from the corpse of the demonic beast. Sienna observed Hamel¡¯s movements closely. Before, he had been unable to even move properly due to the rebound of Ignition. It appeared that he wasn¡¯t lying about not experiencing any rebound. ¡®The flow of mana¡­ is stable as well. He¡¯s fine.¡¯ Sienna nodded while giving a sigh of relief. Tomorrow, they would climb the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. Chapter 274: Side Story – Interlude (4) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 274: Side Story ¨C Interlude (4) [Bonus Image]

Among the Demon Kings they had killed until now, the Demon King of Fury, who had been ranked third, had four trusted subordinates under hismand. They were the Children of Fury, also known as the Four Heavenly Kings, and had been extremely powerful demons. The four had received great favor from the Demon King of Fury and had been given tremendous power after bing his children. Kamash the Earthquaker, the Bloodshedder Sein, the Depraved Oberon, and the Abyssal Princess Iris ¡ª all four of them had been iparably stronger than the other demonfolks, but they had been kible. The five Heroes who were challenging the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration had already killed Kamash and Sein and defeated Iris and Oberon many years ago. However, there was a marked difference between the Four Heavenly Kings and the three subordinates of Incarceration. Little was known about the true strength of Incarceration''s Shield and Staff, apart from the rumors that had circted when they first emerged on the battlefield at the outset of the war. The five Heroes had never personally confronted either of them in battle. Nevertheless, they had already confronted Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration, two times before. Through these encounters, they had gained knowledge of the immense strength that Incarceration''s subordinates possessed and that it far exceeded that of the Children of Fury. With this understanding in mind, the five Heroes had made thorough preparations to face Incarceration¡¯s subordinates once again. ¡°Keugh.¡± Hamel''s head jerked up as he spat out a mouthful of blood. He couldn''t recall what had happened after he had gotten hit with a shield. It appeared he had been knocked out for a brief moment. ¡°Hamel! Are you okay!?¡± a shrieking cry came from somewhere in front of him and caught his attention. Hamel saw Anise¡¯s back as her brilliant wings emitted light. The blow Hamel had received had contained a massive force, easily sufficient to cause him to burst into bits and pieces. If it had not been for Anise¡¯s divine magic, he knew he would have died on the spot. ¡®¡­It shouldn¡¯t havended,¡¯Hamel thought, swallowing a mouthful of blood as he raised himself. Urogos, the Shield of Incarceration, was a huge demon. Although not as tall as a giant, he was twice the size of Molon and covered in imprable armor. In his left hand, he wielded a shield that resembled a castle gate in terms of size, and held in his right hand was a monstrous spear that seemed capable of piercing the thickest dragon hide. There were many spots for Hamel to target, though, since Urogos was sorge. Even if his thick and imprable armor and shield were disregarded, Urogos himself was tough. But that just meant that Hamel had to attack him until he broke through. So, what if the demon counterattacked? Urogos was definitely not slow, and in fact, he was incredibly fast despite hisrge size and the weight of his armor. However, he wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid Hamel¡¯s detection, and it was easy for Hamel to predict Urogos¡¯ movements due to hisrge stature. Even so, Hamel had failed to avoid Urogos¡¯ attack. Hamel had been prepared but had momentarily lost control of his body. So, he ended up taking the blow, resulting in his current state. Hamel chuckled while rubbing the blood off from around his mouth. ¡®I¡¯m still fine.¡¯ The blow would have crushed all the bones in his body, but Anise¡¯s divine power had glued his body back together. It¡­ wasn¡¯tpletely healed, though. He could still feel his bones creaking and his organs aching. Regardless, it couldn¡¯t be helped since they were in the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration. The Dark Power that weighed down on them was burdensome, and the Staff of Incarceration ¡ª the withered lich ¡ª was unfolding ck magic from the castle gate, dampening the effects of divine magic. Despite that, it wasn¡¯t to the point of rendering Hamel immobile. So, he stumbled forward while looking ahead. The first thing he saw was Anise¡¯s wings. Although her back was obscured by her robe, he could imagine that her back and the stigmata werepletely soaked and drenched in blood. Hamel then met Sienna¡¯s gaze. She stood to his side, a little distance away. Sienna could only steal worried nces at Hamel as she couldn¡¯t voice her concerns. It couldn¡¯t be helped since she was currently devoting most of her attention to controlling her magic while verbalizing the incantations of her spells. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± said Hamel with a grin, shaking his hands for her to see. Then he strode forward. Beyond the swirling storm of divine power and magic, he could see Molon and Vermouth. Molon was directly facing off against Urogos, who was twice his size. The moron had thrown away his weapons, and he was pushing against Urogos¡¯ shield with both of his hands. The roar of the challenger and the defender resonated throughout the hall, and Urogos pushed forward with all his might. Each time, Molon¡¯s feet were forced to drag backward while his muscles swelled and his veins burst. Even so, Molon managed to stand his ground somewhat. So what if he was being pushed back slightly? Molon wasn¡¯t alone in his fight against Urogos. While he held Urogos in ce, Vermouth dug into the openings in Urogos¡¯ defense. He swung both the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, causing a wave of light to crash over Urogos. Rumblee! Urogos was pushed back further than the ground he had covered. There were visible cracks on his solid armor, and ck blood gushed from inside his helmet. ¡°Hamel!¡± shouted Vermouth. It was an uncharacteristically passionate cry. Vermouth always shouted for Hamel on the battlefield. Hamel was the only one who could keep pace with him in closebat, and the two always worked in harmony. Once Vermouthnded a blow, Hamel would immediately follow up with an attack of his own, leading the way for Vermouth to take over again. The two had always fought the same way in the battles against the demonfolks and the Demon Kings. Hamel¡¯s lips curved up into a smile when he felt the worry contained in Vermouth¡¯s cry. While cing a hand on his left chest, Hamel whispered under his breath, ¡°I told you that I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± Sienna shouted once again while looking at him anxiously. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± whispered Hamel once more as he grabbed at his heart and his Core. Hamel was once again struck with a realization, and the same truth was yet again made clear to him. He could not use divine power like Anise, and he could not use magic like Sienna. All he could do was to charge forward and fight at the front. Hamel was strong, but he wasn¡¯t stronger than Vermouth. He could not wield the Moonlight Sword, let alone the Holy Sword. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t proficient in everything like Vermouth. Hamel was tough, but he wasn¡¯t tougher than Molon. Unlike Hamel, who had been almost killed by a single blow from Urogos, Molon was still tanking Urogos¡¯ attacks from the front. ¡ªIf someone has to die¡­. ¡®I will,¡¯Hamel resolved. Even if Hamel died, Molon would persist and fight. Even if Hamel could no longer fight, Vermouth would fight in his ce. ¡®Ignition.¡¯ The dying embers began to burn once more. There was a brief moment before sunset when the world was filled with light. Fires always burned the brightest before they werepletely snuffed out. Hamel used what little remained of his life and his body as fuel to rekindle his fire. He cared little about what he gave to it. The me swelled exponentially as it devoured Hamel¡¯s offerings, and his shriveled Core emitted an incredibly dense burst of mana. Hamel bent his knees while taking arge gulp of air. Boooom! His first step was apanied by an explosion of mana. Hamel used the torrent of mana to elerate his body and took his ce beside Vermouth in an instant. Vermouth flinched when he saw the huge aura of mana surrounding Hamel as well as thetter¡¯s glistening eyes. However, Vermouth held his tongue, and the battle resumed. It waspletely one-sided. Hamel and Vermouth attacked together to break Urogos¡¯ spear and armor. Molon robbed Urogos of his shield and swung it like a blunt weapon, driving Urogos against the wall. Urogos was also bombarded by a barrage of magic and divine power, whichpletely broke his armor and ripped him to shreds. Then Vermouth took off Urogos¡¯ head with the Moonlight Sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Hamel said. Hamel was the first to jump step over Urogos¡¯ body. He calmed his rampaging Core and rubbed off the dried blood from his chin. ¡°Are you out of your mind!?¡± shouted Sienna as she rushed forward without a care for her own injuries. She reached out and grabbed Hamel¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go where!? Your body is¡ª¡± ¡°Moving just fine,¡± responded Hamel with a faint smile. It was the same as before, during the battle on the Red ins. Even though he had used Ignition, he felt no rebound. Hamel was well aware of why he wasn¡¯t experiencing any aftereffects. A small spark remained in his Core, which was on the brink of copsingpletely. Once the fire was snuffed out, it would be impossible for him to fight anymore. No, in fact, his life would be extinguished along with the spark. Nevertheless, as long as the spark remained, he could still move, and he could still fight. He had faced numerous obstacles and difficulties throughout his life, and his body was putting up one final fight, ast act of defiance. Hamel was determined not to back down and let his spirit fade away. He knew that if he could still move and fight, he would push forward with all his might and refuse to let his me go out. At present, they were only on the lower level of the castle, and they still had to face the other subordinates of Incarceration as well as the Demon King of Incarceration himself. Hamel was determined to keep his spark burning brightly, no matter what challengesy ahead. ¡°We¡¯re going up,¡± Vermouth said. Although he couldn''t help but second-guess Hamel¡¯s judgment, Vermouth pushed those thoughts away. He did not want to think about it anymore. Vermouth had seen the¡­ light in Hamel¡¯s eyes, and he had been unable to ignore it. He wanted to believe in the light. ¡°Since we¡¯ve already infiltrated the castle, we can¡¯t afford to rx. We might have bought some time, but I¡¯m notpletely sure we¡¯ll be able to dispel the curse and the dark power of the entire castle,¡± said Anise. She desperately attempted to shake off her anxiety, but she couldn¡¯t help but bite her lip worriedly when she looked back at the tightly shut gates. The Demon King of Incarceration had no intention of allowing any intruders to retreat. As soon as they entered the castle, the gates had shut tight. In order to open the gates again, they would either have to kill the Demon King of Incarceration or negotiate with him. However, who among the five of them would ever try to negotiate with the Demon King? ¡°The Demon King won¡¯t let us rest,¡±mented Molon while tightening the grip of his trembling hands. He strode up to Hamel and lifted his friend. Hamel became dumbfounded and attempted to escape Molon¡¯s grasp, but Molon ignored him and ced Hamel on his shoulder. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go like this, Hamel. Try to rest as much as possible on my shoulder.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Hamel scoffed, but he did not jump off Molon¡¯s shoulder. Sienna couldn¡¯t say anything as she anxiously tugged at her robe. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no helping it.¡± She forced a smile onto her face while shaking off her uneasy thoughts. ¡°Hamel, you stay back a little so that you don¡¯t get caught up in the magic of Archwizard Sienna.¡± It was a joke she often made. Sienna raised Akasha and tapped Hamel¡¯s leg, which dropped to the side of Molon¡¯s shoulder. ¡®¡­It¡¯ll be fine,¡¯Sienna thought to herself for the hundredth time. Hamel looked fine even after using Ignition, and everyone was still in decent condition. It wasn¡¯t as if they were strangers to the struggles that greeted them whenever they entered the castle of a Demon King. The castle of the Demon King of Incarceration would be no different. The castles of the other Demon Kings had been impossible to escape as well. They had climbed up to the top floor and battled the castle¡¯s master without taking any breaks. The five of them had always fought such unfavorable and seemingly hopeless battles. ¡®It will be the same.¡¯ Sienna imagined the scene that woulde after the battle ¡ª after they had killed the Demon King of Incarceration and conquered the castle. Simply thinking such thoughts helped ease the anxiety in her heart slightly. Rather than being weighed down by the all-epassing despair and letting it drive her insane, she filled her mind with hope. The unreachable was close. ¡®Hope.¡¯ Sienna pressed down on her hat while chewing on her lips. *** Belial was the Staff of Incarceration ¡ª the lich and the master of dmir. The party of Heroes overcame numerous terrible traps that Belial had set, as well as repeated ambushes. After climbing to the middle floors of the castle, they finally encountered him. The entire floor was Belial¡¯s dungeon, and he summoned numerous familiars to greet the intruders. Belial wielded the power of the Demon King that he served, and his magic was dark and menacing. Despite this, Sienna and Vermouth''s magic was not inferior. Moreover, Sienna had a deep-seated hatred for necromancers and their ability to raise an unending army of undead. The form of the battle wasn¡¯t important. Sienna tried her best. Everyone tried their best. It was as if time had stopped. Everyone saw the same thing. Belial¡¯s life vessel had been smashed. Although liches were close to being immortal, their lives were tied together with their life vessels. Once it was destroyed, they would be vanquished as well. While being swept away by the Moonlight Sword, Belial used hisst resort ¡ª an attack containing thest bit of his power before death. This was quite an obvious attempt at an attack. It was aimed at Vermouth, but he was more than capable of dodging it. No one doubted him. It should have been the same for Hamel. Hamel was thest one to ever doubt Vermouth. Hamel knew how Vermouth fought, and he knew how strong Vermouth was. Such an attack could never hope to kill Vermouth. ¡°Why?¡± uttered Sienna with utter shock. It had been an unexpected and sudden act, which made it even more unbelievable. For a reason unknown to them, Hamel had jumped in front of Vermouth. Even before Vermouth could avoid the curse, Hamel had used himself as a shield against it. ¡°Why?¡± Sienna couldn¡¯t understand the reason why. Hamel wasn¡¯t supposed to be there. There was not much for Hamel and Molon, the warriors, to do in a battle of magic against Belial. Their role in a battle like this was to protect Sienna and Anise. They had carried out their roles with perfection this time as well. Despite his struggles, Hamel had fulfilled his duty anyway, and that was where it was supposed to have ended. ¡°Hamel.¡± Sienna staggered up to Hamel. Vermouth stood dazedly, looking down at Hamel. ¡°Please,¡± uttered Sienna. Molon screamed, ¡°Hamel!¡± He lifted Hamel¡¯s body. It was light. Molon¡¯s eyes quivered, and he looked around, not knowing what to do. He walked over to a wall nearby and sat Hamel down. Molon said, ¡°A-Anise. Come over here, quickly. Hamel¡­ Hamel is¡­.¡± Anise¡¯s legs gave out beneath her as she covered her mouth with both her hands. Her role as a priestess was to ensure the safety of herrades, but she couldn¡¯t fulfill her role right now. ¡®A curse.¡¯ This was no ordinary curse. It was a curse conjured by Belial, the worst ck wizard and lich in history, in exchange for his life. Even brushing against it would have caused a fatal curse to permeate one¡¯s body. ¡°¡­Ha,¡± Hamel chuckled, tilting his head back, but ck blood poured out as soon as he opened his mouth. Tears fell from Anise¡¯s eyes at the sight. Anise knew what would follow. The curse, which utilized the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration, would slowly destroy Hamel¡¯s body from the inside out. Even though Anise was the Saintess and the Imitation Incarnation of Light, it was impossible for her to purify all of the dark power of a Demon King. In the end, Eugene¡¯s body wouldpletely break down, and he would perish. Unfortunately, that would not be his end. A soul inflicted with the curse of the Demon King could not go to heaven or hell. At the moment of death, it would be the possession of the Demon King. This truth devastated Anise. Hamel would not be able to go to heaven. ¡°Hamel¡­. Hamel, Hamel¡­!¡± Sienna howled. She attempted to approach Hamel but stumbled over her steps, and her legs gave out beneath her. Sienna tried to get back on her feet, but she could give no strength to her legs. In the end, she was forced to crawl toward Hamel. ¡°What are you crying about?¡± said Hamel with a grin. Why was he smiling? Sienna just couldn¡¯t understand why Hamel was smiling. She shook her head as tears dripped down her cheeks. She gazed at the hazy figure of Hamel through her blurred vision. Sienna could see a¡­ hole in the center of his body, but she couldn¡¯t see Hamel¡¯s insides through the hole. The hole was filled with the curse, and only darkness was visible inside it. As the curse spread, it ate away at Hamel¡¯s body. ¡°Anise¡­. W-What are you doing? Come quickly. The wound¡­ the wound is getting bigger,¡± Sienna stuttered. There wasn¡¯t even any blooding from the hole. Sienna tucked her trembling hand inside her robe. Right, she still had the elixir. It was a precious remedy crafted with holy water and infused with divine power and magic. The concoction served as an all-purpose medicine for emergencies when magic or divine magic couldn''t be employed. They had several doses left in reserve since Anise''s presence meant they didn¡¯t really need it. ¡°¡­It¡¯s fine,¡± Sienna muttered to herself once more. Everything was fine. It had to be. Sienna repeatedly muttered such words while pulling out a bottle. She popped the cap of the elixir and poured the concoction over Hamel¡¯s wound. Unfortunately, even though she finished pouring an entire bottle, the wound showed no signs of healing. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± There were more bottles, and Anise was here as well. Anise seemed to have copsed from the shock, but she would quickly regain her senses ande running over. She would reprimand Hamel for being an idiot before healing him and making him whole again. ¡°It''s fine,¡± Sienna murmured yet again. She emptied several bottles. Hamel only coughed up blood in the meantime, and the light in his eyes dimmed every time he blinked. ¡°Get lost,¡± said Hamel. His voice was weak; it was as if his life was slipping away. ¡°Please,¡± Sienna begged while crying. She had a headache, there was a terrible taste in her mouth, and her heart was pounding. She was cold, hot, and trembling. ¡°That¡¯s¡­. That¡¯s why I told you to go back. Why did you have to be so stubborn and¡ª¡± Sienna said without meaning to. Feeling disgusted at herself, she quickly sped her hand over her mouth. ¡°Sienna. Put that away first.¡± Hamel gave a weak smile while staring at Sienna. He could see her figure as his vision dimmed. ¡°The elixirs are precious. Why are you trying to use such precious things here? Don¡¯t waste them,¡± said Hamel. ¡°But¡ª!¡± Sienna shook her head with tears streaming down her face. How could the elixirs be considered precious when they were unable to heal Hamel''s wounds in the most dire of times? At this moment, Anise joined Sienna. She sat down and held her rosary as she recited a prayer. Tears flowed down Anise¡¯s cheeks as she summoned a glowing light at the tip of her fingers and directed it toward Hamel''s wound. However, the Light failed to illuminate the darkness. ¡°That¡¯s enough. I know my body best. I can¡¯t survive. I¡¯m about to die,¡± Hamel stated calmly while vomiting blood. Sienna did not want to hear such words. She didn¡¯t want to ept them either. She lowered her head, taking ragged breaths. ¡°I could have avoided it,¡± muttered Vermouth, stumbling toward Hamel. ¡°There was no need for you to do this.¡± Belial¡¯s curse had been directed at Vermouth, but Hamel had intercepted it at will. Sienna could not bring herself to look at Vermouth¡¯s face. ¡°Get out of here,¡± Hamel said with augh. ¡°You should have known¡­.¡± Vermouth grabbed his pale face. ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to die like this.¡± Sienna sobbed silently. She did not want to ept it, and she did not want to believe it. However, in the end, she had no choice but to face reality. The warmth of Hamel¡¯s hand was fading away, and the light in his eyes was dimming. ¡°This is enough to be an honorable death,¡± Hamel said. Why did that matter? Sienna raised Hamel¡¯s hand and ced it on her cheek. The tears that streamed down her face were so hot. She wanted to add warmth to his hand. ¡°It was obvious that I would only be a burden if we continued, and I didn¡¯t want to go back either,¡± exined Hamel. In the end, Hamel proved himself to be a stubborn fool. Sienna had known that his physical condition had been abnormal. In fact, she knew that she had been fooling herself by her own constions that Hamel was fine. She had seen Hamel¡¯s body be slow as they battled their way up the castle, and he had not stood at the center of the battles. If he apanied them further, he would only get in their way. Yet, now that he was here, he could no longer return. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be so fucking cool, so I shouldn¡¯t need to console you,¡± Hamel¡¯s voice was slowly dying. Sienna repeatedly muttered to herself that it was fine as she sped his hands. ¡°¡­I¡¯m getting sleepy, so go,¡± Hamel murmured. He said nothing more after that, and the light disappeared from his eyes. Vermouth lowered his head and knelt down, muttering in a small voice, ¡°Thank you.¡± This was the end. Hamel spoke no more, and he did not open his eyes again. The hand that Sienna held went limp in her grasp. Sienna hated how Hamel had acted. It pained her, and she resented him for leaving nothing behind. She had hoped for something more, even if it turned out to be a lifelong curse for everyone who survived. She had been hoping for something clich¨¦, something likeMake sure you kill the Demon Kings,Save the world, orBe happy. But Hamel, that bastard, had left no such wishes. Was it because he had trusted hisrades? Perhaps. Even so¡­. ¡°I¡­. I need it,¡± Sienna muttered. Sienna had never imagined a future without Hamel, and even though it was happening in front of her eyes, she could not believe it. Hamel had always been there in the future that Sienna painted. ¡°I need¡­ it,¡± Sienna repeated. Even if his will turned into a curse, she needed a reason to continue. If Hamel had asked her to kill the Demon Kings and save the world, Sienna would have lived her life to fulfill his wishes. If Hamel had asked them to be happy, then¡­ ¡°Please¡­,¡± Sienna begged. The curse would have caused her to be unhappy for the rest of her life, but she would have forced herself to be happy for the sake of Hamel. ¡°God of Light, Almighty, please¡­. Please protect and watch over this stupidmb. The rough journey he will experience¡­ after¡­ rest¡­ Sniff¡­. With love and mercy¡­,¡± Anise failed to see her prayer through to the end. She fell sobbing, and Molon broke out screaming. He rampaged like a madman, smashing the walls and the floor with his fists. Boom! Boom! While Anise and Sienna wept and Molon roared and screamed, Vermouth remained kneeling on the ground with his head bowed. ¡°N-No.¡± Sienna raised her hand after sobbing for some time. The hand she held was bing too light. The curse that prated Hamel¡¯s body was eating away at his body, causing him to disappear. Sienna shook her head while desperately grabbing hold of his body. ¡°No, no, no¡­! D-Don¡¯t go. Don¡¯t¡­ leave me behind!¡± Sienna howled while putting her cheek against Hamel¡¯s face. Anise stared at the two of them with bloodshot eyes. ¡°Please¡­ tell me,¡± Sienna moaned tearfully. She could no longer feel Hamel¡¯s body in her embrace. His body was gone, vaporized by the Demon King¡¯s curse. ¡°Anise. Please. Hamel¡­. Did Hamel go to heaven? Huh? Heaven¡­. He had to have gone there, right?¡± said Sienna while looking back at Anise. More than anyone else in the world, the five of them deserved to be happy. It was a given. And if they could not be happy in this life¡­ then at least they deserved to be happy after they died. ¡°He¡­ could not¡­,¡± Anise said while sobbing. Sienna screamed and took Anise by her cor. ¡°Why not!? Y-You always said that there is a god, that heaven is real¡­! You said¡­ that everyone would go to heaven after we died! You said that!¡± howled Sienna. ¡°Hamel¡¯s soul¡­ naturally¡­ he should have gone to heaven¡­. But right now, his soul is¡­ in the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration. As long as the Demon King chooses not to let him go, Hamel¡­.¡± ¡°Ahhhhh!!!¡± Sienna screamed as she didn¡¯t want to hear anymore. She fell down to the ground and screamed even more while banging her forehead against the floor. Hamel wouldn¡¯t be able to see the end of the war and live a happy life, and he wouldn¡¯t even be able to go to heaven¡­? After spending sixteen years wandering the battlefield and doing nothing but fighting¡­ he would have to spend an eternity in the hands of the Demon King? ¡°¡­Not yet,¡± Vermouth broke the silence. He raised his head, and Sienna finally got a glimpse of his face. Vermouth¡¯s face, which had always been calm and emotionless, was crumpled, and there were tear marks under his empty eyes. ¡°It¡¯s not the end yet,¡± he stated. ¡°The end¡­?¡± ¡°We are still here,¡± Vermouth said, staggering to his feet. Molon stopped short at his words, and Anise looked up at Vermouth with nk eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ right,¡± muttered Sienna. She saw her hands were bloody, but she couldn¡¯t tell whether the blood was hers or Hamel¡¯s. Sienna slowly spread her hands and saw the ne Hamel had left behind. ¡°We just have to kill the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± said Vermouth. The quivering in Sienna¡¯s eyes subsided. ¡°We just have to rescue Hamel¡¯s soul after killing the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± continued Vermouth. Vermouth was right. It wasn¡¯t over yet. They were still here.Shewas still here. Sienna took Akasha from the ground and tightened her grasp. ¡°One day,¡± Sienna murmured as she ced Hamel¡¯s ne against her cheek. It almost felt as if Hamel¡¯s warmth remained on the ornament. Her tears continued to flow without stopping, and the terrible taste in her mouth still lingered. Sienna chewed the inside of her mouth and tasted blood. ¡®I¡¯m¡­ alive.¡¯ She put on the ne whileing to face the terrible reality. ¡°Someday¡­ may we meet in the world you wished for,¡± she said. Sienna took her own words as a lifelong curse. She red at the ceiling with eyespletely devoid of any light. Vermouth was the first to start walking, stumbling forward as if he could fall any moment. Molon followed behind him with drooping shoulders. Meanwhile, Anise opened the bottle in her hands. She tried to pour holy water ¡ª or rather, alcohol ¡ª into her mouth, but there wasn¡¯t even a single drop remaining. Sienna dragged her feet while holding Akasha, looking back several times along the way. She gazed at the wall where Hamel died. There was no body remaining, but she still saw Hamel leaning against the wall. ¡°Just wait, Hamel.¡± She tightly sped her hand around the ne. ¡°I¡¯lle to save your soul.¡± Chapter 275: Ivatar Jahav (1)

Chapter 275: Ivatar Jahav (1)

It went just as Noir had promised. Eugene wasn¡¯t investigated for his involvement in the fall of the Dragon Demon Castle or the eradication of Karabloom, nor was there any investigation into the identity of Raimira, someone without any apparent rtions to the rest of their group. They were able to check out of the hotel and leave for Pandemonium without any problems whatsoever. They needed to go to Pandemonium to use the international warp-gate that was located in the capital city in order to leave Helmuth. Because they had first entered Helmuth through its border at the Alcarte Parish, this would be Eugene¡¯s first time seeing Pandemonium in this life. Eugenepared Pandemonium, which he hadst seen three hundred years ago, with the current Pandemonium that he was standing in front of now. ¡°It really has changed a lot,¡± Eugene observed. Even within this concrete jungle, the ny-nine-storied building stood out. A towering Demon King¡¯s Castle that seemed like it could even touch the sky, this was Babel. Eugene clicked his tongue as hepared the current Babel with the Babel from his previous life. There had once been a red in in front of the castle, which had somewhat served as the front courtyard of Babel. The horrors of the ck fog that had once shrouded thisnd finally ended only after the ground had beenyered with the corpses of humans, demonfolks, and demonic beasts. Now, countless high-rises had been erected here, and at the center of it all stood a memorial park dedicated in remembrance to all those who had died during the war. ¡®Where did the Centipede Mountains go?¡¯Eugene wondered. Three hundred years ago, the Centipede Mountains had once surrounded the borders of this fief, but now those disgusting, hideous, and capable-of-crawling mountains were nowhere to be seen. Had they really cleared away the entire mountain range while they were building the city? ¡®Or perhaps they just stuffed them away somewhere,¡¯spected Eugene. The notorious Centipede Mountains from his previous life had been closer to gigantic demonic beasts than to any normal terrain. Those giant centipedes might even still be buried beneath those neatly paved roads. As his thoughts continued in this direction, Eugene let out a bemused snort at his own bewilderment. The changes he had witnessed throughout Helmuth were remarkable, but the changes that had urred here in Pandemonium were particrly startling. Why had the Demon King¡¯s Castle transformed into a ny-nine-storied high-rise, and what were those things floating through the sky¡­ those hundreds of small fish? ¡°They¡¯re watching us¡­,¡± Mer reported with a worried expression as she grabbed onto Eugene¡¯s cor. These were the Air Fish, Pandemonium''s prided perfect security system that had been introduced in the tourist booklet that they were provided with before they had entered Helmuth. ¡°Look at all those fish up there, Sir Eugene. It¡¯s said that they keep an eye over this vast city 24/7, covering every square inch ofnd. Everything they see is then sent to the control office in Babel, the Demon King¡¯s Castle,¡± Mer recalled from the brochure. ¡°Hehehe, it seems that you¡¯re well-informed, Mer. As you¡¯ve just said, those Air Fish are the perfect security system that Pandemonium is so proud of. If anything illegal is spotted inside of the city, Babel¡¯s Bureau of Control will immediately dispatch their security forces,¡± Raimira, whose head was covered by an oversized hood,ughed with a proud lift of her chin. Although her forehead was usually crowned by her winding golden antlers, currently, her horns weren¡¯t out on disy. This was because Eugene had told her to hide them due to the fact that they were far too eye-catching. Naturally, Raimira had protested this order. Because to her, as the daughter of a Duke, the ck Dragon, and as a dragon herself, the red jewel and horns on her forehead were part of her identity as a dragon. However, after being told that if she didn¡¯t get rid of her horns right away, he would sh her red jewel with his sword, Raimira had agreed to set aside her dignity as a dragon, at least for a little while. ¡°However, Mer and Sir Eugene, this Lady insists that you be more tactful in your treatment of this Lady. Should this Lady be subject to unjust violence and harassment, I will be sure to raise a high-pitched cry that everyone in Pandemonium will hear¡­.¡± Raimira¡¯s voice gradually sank as she kept talking. This was because Eugene¡¯s eyes had widened, and he was ring at Raimira. Although her red jewel hadn¡¯t even been struck yet, his savage gaze alone was enough to fill Raimira with fear. ¡°Of¡­ of course¡­ of course I won¡¯t scream.¡± Raimira stammered, ¡°Th-there¡¯s no way I would do something like that.¡± Squeeze. ¡°Why do you have to keep scaring her?¡± Kristinained with a nce towards Eugene as she wrapped her handsfortingly around Raimira¡¯s own. At this sight, Raimira felt deeply moved, and she looked up at Kristina. Although Raimira had never known her mother, she wondered if this was what it would feel like to have a mother. ¡°She¡¯s the one spouting nonsense,¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Even if that is the case, it¡¯s still not right for you to resort to violence,¡± Kristina chided. ¡°Children are sensitive and special care needs to be taken when disciplining them.¡± Eugene scoffed, ¡°You¡¯re calling her a child¡­? Her age should be around four times older than yours and minebined¡­.¡± ¡°Since her personality hasn¡¯t properly developed and she still thinks in a childish fashion, that means she is a child,¡± Kristina insisted. Kristina hadn¡¯t denied that Raimira had been spouting nonsense just now. She had also admitted in a roundabout way that, even for a dragon, Raimira acted in a childish manner that didn¡¯t match her age. However, Raimira wasn¡¯t able to see through the meaning behind Kristina¡¯s words. Instead, she gently returned Kristina¡¯s grip on her hands and pulled them close to her chest with a giggle. ¡°I kind of want to call her mother,¡± Raimira muttered to herself. Kristina responded distractedly, ¡°Huh?¡± Raimira¡¯s face reddened as she stammered, ¡°N-no¡­ I¡­ I didn¡¯t say anything¡­.¡± In fact, this was all due to conscious guidance on Anise¡¯s part. Although she didn¡¯t think it was possible for the ck Dragon Raizakia to have any fatherly love for his daughter, even so, the Dragon Duchess still had some value as a hostage. Because, setting aside any fatherly affection, Anise was sure that Raizakia did feel a possessiveness over Raimira, though because of her value as a sacrifice first and as his daughter second. Apart from that, Anise had also decided that she could use Raimira as a counterforce to Mer. It had been a clever move on that chick Sienna¡¯s part to leave behind a familiar that closely resembled her childhood self. It should have been because of her obsession and longing for thehappy endingthat they had talked about during their journey, and Sienna herself couldn¡¯t have imagined that her familiar would end up getting close to Eugene, but¡­. In any case, hadn¡¯t Mer still ended up apanying Eugene? That cunning and cheeky familiar that so resembled her owner, Mer had managed to establish her character by acting like a child that had been born to both Hamel and Sienna. Even now, Mer was stuck to Eugene¡¯s side as if that position naturally belonged to her, so what would happen when Sienna was someday resurrected? How destructive would the actions of two people acting like a mother and a daughter be? Kristina hesitated,¡®...No matter what, Sister, pretending to be a mother and daughter with a Dragon Duchess who has no rtion to us is a little¡ª¡¯ Anise snapped at her, [Kristina! There¡¯s no need to go so far as to pretend to be mother and daughter. You just need to fake ying house enough that we can fight back against Sienna and Mer. You should know by now that Hamel has a soft heart, so there¡¯s no way he¡¯ll get rid of this Dragon Duchess with such a tragic backstory.] ¡®That might be the case, but¡­.¡¯ Kristina and Anise had slightly different perspectives when it came to the Dragon Duchess. While Anise saw her as a valuable hostage and a counterforce to Mer, Kristina instead felt only pity for the situation that the Dragon Duchess was in. Anise continued to persuade her, [Isn¡¯t that more reason why you should take care of her? In fact, if at all possible, I want you to have a child with Hamel before Sienna returns¡ª] ¡°Huh?¡± Kristina yelped. She was so surprised and embarrassed that she unconsciously spoke out loud. [What are you so surprised about?] Anise asked. [Kristina, don¡¯t you secretly want that as well¡ª?] ¡®When did I ever say that?!¡¯Kristina protested. [One of the cute things about you is that you can still panic and try to lie to me even though we share the same consciousness. Or perhaps, Kristina, how about you y Mer¡¯s role instead?] Anise proposed. ¡®P-p-please don¡¯t say something so ridiculous¡­!¡¯ [Yeah, I thought you would respond like that. Since you don¡¯t want to call Hamel your daddy¡­ hmm¡­ I guess it wouldn¡¯t be too bad if I tried it out myself¡­. Kristina, I just thought of a really great idea. What if I pretend to be you and act like a child to Hamel¡­ then I¡¯ll make kissing noises and¡ª] ¡°Aaargh!¡± Kristina let out a shriek, unable to keep listening to Anise, her face flushed with embarrassment and shame. What unbelievable shadiness for someone who was once called a Saint! ¡°There she goes again,¡± Eugene sighed. He had seen this sight so often that it didn¡¯t surprise him anymore. Eugene pondered what in hell Anise was saying inside her head to cause Kristina to go into such a seizure, but Eugene held back the urge to ask as he didn¡¯t feel confident that he was ready to face the truth. ¡°I-if you shout like that, we¡¯ll get caught¡­!¡± Mer panicked and clutched at Eugene¡¯s arms, but Eugene just clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°We won¡¯t get caught,¡± Eugene reassured her. This was thanks to the ck casino coin he had received from Noir. Because it came from such a suspicious source, Eugene had done a lot of research on the coin. There was no magic infused into this coin. Instead, it had been embedded with Noir¡¯s immense dark power and fused with her authority. Just holding the coin alone was enough to influence any outside ability to perceive their group. ¡®The Demoneye of Fantasy,¡¯Eugene thought silently. While it couldn¡¯t cause such a drastic change in perception as when Noir herself opened her Demoneye, the coin could still easily fool Helmuth¡¯s strict background checks. Even now, it was still at work. Pandemonium¡¯s Air-fish were designed to continuously examine the identities of every target that they observed. The fall of the Dragon Demon Castle and the eradication of Karabloom were at this very moment being reported on the news being broadcast from Pandemonium¡¯s billboards and holograms. However, even though the Dragon Duchess, the only survivor of the Dragon Demon Castle, was right in front of them, none of the Air-fish had been drawn to her. In other words, the ck coin that Noir had given him was even able to fool the Air-fish¡¯s detection. ¡®The power of her Demoneye is far too strong,¡¯Eugene observed.¡®If I¡¯m going to fight Noir, then I need to prepare some countermeasures for her Demoneye¡­.¡¯ Right now, he didn¡¯t have any solutions avable to him. Just the other day, when Noir came looking for them at their hotel, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to resist when the power of her Demoneye of Fantasy was released right in front of his nose. [Lla~ Lla~][1] [Happy happy happy Giabe~] [Everyday~ Giabe~] [Wee to the Giabe Park~] [Dreamse true~~] Eugene was struck dumb as he watched the demonfolk idols dance on the hologram screens. This group was the Dream Girls, who had just debuted under the Giabe Entertainment Agency. In front of their five-member girl group, who seemed to embody the concept of liveliness, Noir Giabe was promoting her Giabe Park while wearing a costume identical to the idols¡­. ¡°Th-that¡­ that shameless hussy¡­ how could she wear such an outrageous outfit¡­,¡± as a priest, Kristina stammered violently as she experienced a sense of acute culture shock. Eugene was also feeling a simr sort of shock. After ring at the perfect choreography being disyed on the holographic screen, in the end, he just turned his head away and left. ¡°...Let¡¯s go.¡± Thanks to the coin, he didn¡¯t have to worry about being caught by an inspection, but even so, he couldn¡¯t afford to let his guard downpletely. This was the Capital City of Pandemonium. As the ce where the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle was located, this was also where his loyal henchman, Gavid Lindman, could usually be found. Especially since Gavid was the Grand Duke and the Chief of Security here in Helmuth. If they needlessly lurked around in Pandemonium and got caught by Gavid or his ck Fog, then it could be a pain in the ass. Because no matter how strong Noir Giabe¡¯s authority was, it still wouldn¡¯t be enough to fool Gavid¡¯s eyes. ¡°You were nning on returning to the Lionheart Estate, right?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°It won¡¯t take too long. I¡¯m just going to stop by shortly to borrow something,¡± Eugene exined. They had headed to the Dragon Demon Castle in such a hurry because they needed to investigate the identity of Raizakia¡¯s hatchling. Fortunately, things had worked out well, and they had even managed to kidnap the Dragon Duchess, and they had also confirmed that Raizakia was still connected to thend within the Rainforest. Although he had considered just heading to the Samar Rainforest like this, Eugene decided to make a few more preparations in order to be sure of defeating Raizakia. ¡°I¡¯ll return by myself, so you should keep an eye on this brat, Kristina,¡± Eugene instructed. Kristina nodded, ¡°Yes, understood.¡± They had already discussed this beforehand. In terms of purebat power, Kristina might still becking, but Anise could add her own strength onto Kristina¡¯s. On top of that, since they had already received a Draconic Promise from Raimira, it was impossible for her to escape. ¡®Well, in the first ce, I don¡¯t think that this hatchling with such a low mental age will even think of running away,¡¯Eugene thought as he headed towards the warp-gate. Raimira, who was holding on to the hem of Kristina¡¯s robe as they walked, pouted her lips. ¡°This Lady also wants to see what the Lionheart Estate is like,¡± Raimira demanded. ¡°From what this Lady has heard, the Lionhearts are the strongest martial n on the continent, and their estate is quite magnificent. I have also heard that there are a lot of rarely-seen elves living there.¡± ¡°You¡¯re really well-informed,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°This Lady has perused a lot of information while resting in my vi,¡± Raimira dered proudly. By that, she meant that she had usually watched TV all day. Raimira was acting smug while puffing out her chest, but Eugene didn¡¯t even bother to expose her. ¡°The Lionhearts will hate you,¡± Eugene stated bluntly. ¡°There¡¯s no ce for you there.¡± Raimira protested, ¡°What are you talking about? What has this Lady done for the Lionhearts to hate me so?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it only natural when you consider who your father is?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Uh¡­ um¡­ th-this Lady might be the daughter of the ck Dragon, but I don¡¯t think that any dislike of my father should really reflect on me¡­,¡± Raimira said in a tearful voice. However, no matter how pitifully she begged, Eugene had no intention of taking Raimira home with him for the moment. The reason for this was simple. It was because Eugene was trying to be tactful. Although it had never been his intention to do so, whenever Eugene left the main house and traveled somewhere, he had always ended up bringing guests with him on his return. There was Laman from Nahama, over a hundred elves from Samar, and Kristina from the Holy Empire. What if he brought the Dragon Duchess home with him this time? Anci¡¯s fan might just end up flying out of her hands in anger. ¡®...Though maybe she¡¯ll actually be pleased¡­,¡¯Eugene considered hopefully. Now that she was the maindy of the Lionheart house, Anci had lost much of her poisonous thorns. This meant that her personality had be much more flexible. Judging by her attitude towards Mer, she seemed to be particrly fond of children. As such, she might find Raimira quite cute as well. But for Eugene, that would just make things even more stressful. Although Eugene didn¡¯t go so far as to think of Raimira as a hostage, that didn¡¯t mean he was going to treat her with any sort of affection. He still hadn¡¯te up with an answer of what to do with her once they killed Raizakia, but ording tomon sense, there was no way that she would feelfortable with her father¡¯s killers. ¡°Mer, how dare you act so unpleasantly towards this Lady. If you keep that up, this Lady shall be forced to discipline you by informing the ck Dragon,¡± Raimira threatened. Mer scoffed, ¡°What are you talking about? Sir Eugene is going to kill your father.¡± ¡°There is no way that Duke ck Dragon will be in by humans. If you choose to submit to this Lady now, even if that human dies, this Lady can spare your life by taking you in as my personal maidservant,¡± Raimira generously offered. The back-and-forth conversation between the two was causing Eugene to clench his fist in irritation¡­. * * * Eugene¡¯s purpose for dropping by the Lionheart Estate was to borrow Geddon¡¯s Shield, which was currently in Cyan¡¯s possession. When he left for Helmuth, Cyan had yet to return from Ruhr, so he hadn¡¯t been able to borrow the shield back then. Geddon¡¯s Shield was able to redirect all the attacks that it blocked into empty space. This meant that as long as the wielder¡¯s mana held up, it could block any attack. While its ability was absurdly powerful, the mana consumption was just as significant. Anytime the shield was used in defense, the stronger the attack that it blocked, the exponentially greater the amount of mana that was required. So much so that even someone like Vermouth wasn¡¯t able to use Geddon¡¯s Shield repeatedly. ¡®Though his opponentswerethe Demon Kings,¡¯Eugene admitted. Raizakia, who was trapped within a dimensional rift, couldn¡¯t be in his normal condition. However, Eugene still didn¡¯t think it was definite that Raizakia would be any weaker than he was in his prime. As such, he needed to prepare as thoroughly as he could. If he used Geddon¡¯s Shield, he would be able to block Raizakia¡¯s breath attack a few times. ¡®The dimensional rift won¡¯t be an advantageous battlefield for me either.¡¯ In a ce like that, there was no mana or primal spirits. It would be an environment simr to the other side of the Lehainjar, where Eugene had his fight with Molon. ¡®That means I won¡¯t be able to use Prominence to its full potential.¡¯ It would be impossible for Eugene to use it in recement for Ignition like he had in the Dragon Demon Castle. ¡®Any Spatial Leap using the feathers¡­ might also be impossible.¡¯ Even if the feathers could still be used as a recement for the spatial coordinates, it was unlikely that a Spatial Leap would work properly within a dimensional rift. What if he made a mistake and identally jumped from one rift to another? [If that happens, even if it is you, Sir Eugene, you¡¯ll be sure to perish if you can¡¯t get any help. Or perhaps you¡¯ll get stuck in a rift somewhere just like Raizakia,] Mer chipped in. ¡®Hmph,¡¯Eugene snorted mentally. It was too early to make any precise assessments, but there was a high possibility of just such a danger. Eugene assessed the situation gravely,¡®If Prominence is sealed, the battle will be extremely difficult. No matter how much mana I might have, it''s impossible for me to match a dragon in terms of firepower.¡¯ [That dragon has been trapped there for hundreds of years,] Mer pointed out. ¡®But Raizakia is an Ancient Dragon,¡¯Eugene argued back.¡®His Dragonheart should be able to emit a near-infinite flow of mana, and if he managed to endure those hundreds of years of being trapped by going into hibernation, then his mana consumption wouldn¡¯t be too great.¡¯ If Eugene couldn¡¯t use Prominence to its fullest, then he could still try a head-on challenge by releasing his full firepower. Still, Eugene felt that under the current conditions, a head-on confrontation should be avoided if at all possible. If he could ovee any unavoidable attacks with Geddon¡¯s Shield, then he could use other weapons, such as the Moonlight Sword to¡ª A voice interrupted his thoughts, ¡°Sir Eugene?¡± While he was in the middle of his contemtion, Eugene had arrived at the Lionheart estate. Eugene raised his head in response to the startled cry that came from in front of him. The Knights of the White Lion, who were standing guard at the front gate, approached him with surprised expressions. ¡°Are you back from your journey to find yourself?¡± one of the knights inquired. Another added, ¡°If you had sent us a message in advance, we could have opened the warp-gate within the estate for you¡­ no, more importantly, why have you arrived on foot? Without riding a carriage or even a horse¡­.¡± After safely leaving Pandemonium, their group had arrived at the capital of Kiehl. Leaving Raimira in Kristina¡¯s care for a short while, Eugene had headed to the Lionheart¡¯s Estate on foot. This was because Eugene could travel much faster on foot than if riding in a carriage. While it might be more efficient, traveling like this stillcked in noble dignity. Of course, Eugene really didn¡¯t care about something like that. So he casually came up with the excuse, ¡°I needed some time to think.¡± He thought it was just a simple answer, but the knights¡¯ expressions grew strange for some reason. ¡°Is that¡­ so,¡± they slowly replied. Was this a sign of dyed puberty? Or perhaps Eugene really did take after Carmen Lionheart. After recalling Eugene¡¯s nicknames of the Lightning sh and the Blood Lion, the knights felt even more convinced of their suspicions. ¡°You can¡¯t imagine how fervently the Patriarch and the Lady of the House searched for you, Sir Eugene¡­,¡± the knights said, changing the subject. ¡°It¡¯s a blessing that you have returned safely.¡± Eugene tilted his head in curiosity at these words. ¡°The two of them were looking for me? Didn¡¯t they read the letter I left behind for them?¡± Eugene inquired. The knights hesitated, ¡°Ah¡­ they did. However, a guest came looking for you a few days ago, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°A guest?¡± Eugene repeated. Another guest hade looking for him? When he tried to think of who it might be, no one immediately came to mind. Eugene decided to ask straightforwardly, ¡°Who on earth came looking for me?¡± ¡°He says that he is the next chieftain of the Zoran Tribe from the Samar Rainforest,¡± the knights replied. ¡°He gave his name as Ivatar Jahav. He came looking for us four days ago on his own, saying that Sir Eugene had left him an invitation.¡± Eugene remembered who this was. Two years ago, when he brought the elves back with him from the Samar Rainforest, he had received protection from the warriors of the Zoran Tribe, who were led by Ivatar. ¡ªI don¡¯t want any materialpensation from you. Just someday, if I evere looking for you at the Lionheart Estate, I want you to wee me as your guest. ¡ªI can at least do that much. After they parted ways with that, they hadn¡¯t exchanged any contact over the past two years. ¡°I told him to at least send me a letter before he came over,¡± Eugene grumbled. The knights informed him, ¡°Several letters dide for you, Sir Eugene, before Ivatar Jahav himself arrived here.¡± ¡°Seeing how he came looking for me right away without even waiting for a reply, there must be something urgent,¡± Eugene muttered as he furrowed his brow. ¡®What could it be?¡¯he silently asked himself. It didn¡¯t seem like a simple coincidence that Ivatar woulde looking for him just as he was preparing to leave for the Samar Rainforest. Chapter 276: Ivatar Jahav (2) ¡°Where have you been¡ª¡± Gerhard, who had rushed out to meet his returning son, unconsciously swallowed the remaining words he was about to say. He btedly remembered that the family had held a discussion and decided that they would just ept Eugene¡¯s excuse for leaving without asking for any details once Eugene returned. Eventually, Gerhard just said, ¡°...That¡¯s a good expression on you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene cocked an eyebrow. ¡°Eugene,¡± Gerhard said seriously. ¡°As your father, I am weaker than you and am a man of little importance. The only special thing I have done with my life is have you as my son.¡± Eugene asked in confusion, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°When I first heard that you had run away¡­ I was extremely worried, but as your father, I trust you, my son. To think you were going in order to find yourself¡­ haha. You might have already had your Coming-of-Age Ceremony, but it seems you¡¯ve finally be a true adult,¡± Gerhard said proudly. Although he hadn¡¯t nned on saying these words, once he was finally done speaking, Gerhard¡¯s heart felt like it was aching with pride. Tears welled up in his eyes as he looked into his son''s face, who was now a full-grown man. Glomp! Eugene had an embarrassed expression, but he didn¡¯t attempt to avoid his father¡¯s sudden embrace. p, p, p. Laman and Nina, who had been standing behind Gerhard, started pping as they were carried away by the atmosphere. During this brief return to the mansion, Eugene was most concerned about running into Carmen Lionheart, but fortunately, it seemed that Carmen was currently away. Although no one knew for sure if she had been stimted by the letter that Eugene left behind, Carmen had left the mansion with her apprentice, Ciel, and her squire, Dezra, to apany her knights on a trip. ¡®That¡¯s fortunate,¡¯ Eugene thought with some relief. He might have left the letter behind, trusting that Carmen would believe his excuse, but Eugene had no desire to have a long conversation with Carmen about his journey and the new self that he had supposedly found¡­. ¡°In my opinion, Sir Eugene, you are extremely simr to Sir Carmen. You are reluctant to associate with Sir Carmen because you feel a strong sense of kinship with her. However, you strongly resist admitting this fact, so instead, you disy such a ssic case of self-hatred,¡± Mer contributed with her totally unrequired psycho-analysis. ¡°Are you fucking crazy?¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°It is said that two negatives make a positive,¡± Mer responded sagely. ¡°The fact that you are actually flinging curses at me and getting angry just means that my words have hit the point, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene growled, ¡°What do you know?¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, I know that you actually give a lot of effort to try and think up cool names for your techniques. I also know that whenever you create a new technique, you have to think long and hard about whether or not to name it. Although you actually really like the technique names that you¡¯ve put a lot of thought into, I know that you don¡¯t dare to say them out loud because you fear being mocked by everyone else.¡± As Mer continued to speak, Eugene¡¯s eyebrows began to tremble in rage. ¡°However, sometimes, you unconsciously say your technique names out loud, Sir Eugene. Whenever that happens, you act surprised, but you still take the time to examine the reactions to the name from your surroundings. You might dislike Sir Carmen because you think she doesn¡¯t act her age, but you still feel good whenever you hear Sir Carmen praise your techniques for being cool.¡± Eugene weakly stuttered, ¡°Sh-shut up.¡± ¡°I have a very good understanding of you, Sir Eugene. That means only I understand the dilemmas you are going through,¡± Mer said with a shrug of her shoulders and a triumphant smile. Although this sight made Eugene¡¯s fists tremble in anger, he still held himself back from conking Mer on the head. ¡°Your fists are trembling, Sir Eugene. Since you can¡¯t properly refute my words, are you considering suppressing me with an unreasonable act of violence?¡± Mer used with a pout. Why was he even trying to hold himself back? Eugene quickly changed his mind and bonked Mer on the head. ¡°Ow ow! See what I mean! This violence is just proof that my words are urate!¡± Mer yelped. Without saying anything more, Eugene just started walking away. Ivatar, who had been informed of Eugene¡¯s return, was already waiting for him in the parlor, but Eugene didn¡¯t head to the parlor right away. Since he had returned a month after an abrupt disappearance, Eugene felt it was only right for him to first greet Patriarch Gilead. ¡°That¡¯s a good expression on you.¡± Could they have arranged to say the same thing in advance? Gilead said the exact same thing as Gerhard and patted Eugene on the shoulder, ¡°Did you return all by yourself?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°What about Bishop Kristina?¡± ¡°She had something to attend to, so we partedpany for a brief time.¡± Anci stared at Eugene with a half-suspicious and half-wary look in her eyes. Since Eugene had brought someone back home with him every time he left the estate and returned, it seemed that Anci thought that it was strange he hade back alone this time. ¡°Have you heard the reason why Ivatar Jahav hase looking for me?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°We¡¯ve asked him, but he hasn¡¯t given us the answer,¡± Gilead replied. ¡°He said that it¡¯s something that he needs to discuss with you, not the Lionheart n.¡± Gilead¡¯s expression was suspicious, but Eugene wasn¡¯t surprised by Ivatar¡¯s words. In the first ce, when he was leaving the Samar Rainforest, Ivatar had shown a great interest in Eugene personally, not the Lionheart n. ¡®There¡¯s no way that he would havee this far just to have a chat¡­ could it be that he needs to ask a favor of me personally?¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. He had received some help from Ivatar when he had left Samar. It might have been a different story if it were just Eugene and Kristina on their own. But when they were trying to safely escape from the depths of the rainforest with more than a hundred elves in tow, if Ivatar and the Zoran tribe hadn¡¯t volunteered to serve as their escorts, it would have been a pain in the ass in many ways. Eugene arrived at the parlor room of the main house. When Eugene opened the door and stepped in, Ivatar Jahav, heir to the Zoran tribe, stood up to greet him, ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± As Ivatar stood, Eugene¡¯s head and gaze kept climbing upwards to follow him. ¡°...Huh¡­,¡± Eugene breathed out in surprise. Eugene wasn¡¯t a short man either, but Ivatar¡¯s physique was beyond all normal standards. He was even taller than the bulked-up Beast King, Aman Ruhr. ¡®He seems simr to Molon¡­. Since he¡¯s a king, that bastard Molon must have had several concubines as well,¡¯ Eugene viciously concluded. Molon¡¯s bloodline might have somehow spread to Samar and served as the root of the Zoran tribe. Eugene seriously considered the possibility of this happening as he eyed the giant Ivatar. Even so, there was a crucial difference between Ivatar and Molon. It seemed that Ivatar still cared about things likemon sense and manners. He was dressed in the neat formal clothes worn by nobles from the cities, not the dress of his tribespeople, but his body was so hulkingly muscr that Eugene felt a strong sense of incongruity when seeing him in these formal clothes. ¡°It¡¯s been two years. I¡¯ve heard the news about you even in the Rainforest,¡± Ivatar politely began. ¡°Have the rumors really spread so far?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°The Zoran is not a closed tribe,¡± Ivatar exined. ¡°Instead, we actively ept and exchange contact with the outside world.¡± Ivatar¡¯s face had the color of burnt copper, but white teeth glistened from between his curved lips as he smiled. ¡°I sent a letter in advance, but even though I waited for a while, a reply didn¡¯te. I know this isn¡¯t too polite, but I have my own circumstances, so I couldn¡¯t afford to wait any longer for a reply. My apologies,¡± the heir to a great tribe easily bowed his head and apologized. Seeing this disy ofmon sense and manners, Eugene was forced to reconsider his earlier conclusions about Ivatar¡¯s lineage. ¡®It seems like he really isn¡¯t from Molon¡¯s bloodline.¡¯ Eugene shook his head slowly as he took a seat on the sofa, ¡°Since I was away from the mansion, it couldn¡¯t be helped. There¡¯s no need to apologize.¡± ¡°Thank you for saying that,¡± Ivatar said with another broad smile as he sat across from Eugene. Eugene got to the point, ¡°So, why on earth are you looking for me? Well¡­ I did say that I would wee you as a guest if you ever came to visit. But there should be another reason for you toe looking for me after two whole years, right? There¡¯s no way that you woulde here just because you wanted to be treated as a guest.¡± ¡°If it were possible, I really wish that could be the reason why I hade here. On my part, I wanted to slowly build up a friendship between us so that we could develop a long-term amicable rtionship.¡± Ivatar wiped away his smile and stared at Eugene seriously as he continued, ¡°Allow me to say this in advance. Strictly speaking, what I¡¯m going to tell you from now on, doesn¡¯t have anything to do with my request.¡± Eugene nodded, ¡°As I thought, you really havee looking for me since you have a request to make of me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true, but I have no intention of forcefully making you ept my request,¡± Ivatar assured him. ¡°There¡¯s no problem if you reject my request after you¡¯ve finished listening to the whole story. Two years ago, I did give you some little help, but the weight of that incident and what I have to talk to you about now are very different.¡± Seeing how Ivatar would go so far as to say all that, it didn¡¯t seem like this was some trivial matter. Without saying anything, Eugene just casually raised one hand and gestured at Ivatar to continue his story. Ivatar acquiesced to the request, ¡°Among the many tribes of the Rainforest, there is one tribe known for having the greatest numbers and being the most ferocious of all tribes. That tribe is the Kochi Tribe.¡± Eugene was also familiar with that name. Just like Ivatar had said, the Kochis were thergest tribe in all of the Rainforest. At the same time, theirs was a tribe that received various forms of support from Helmuth. The Kochis were settled in the deepest depths of the Rainforest, and they heldplete dominion over the surrounding tribes. They were also an extremely insr tribe. They didn¡¯t interact with any tribes other than those that they controlled. ¡°Recently, the Kochi Tribe¡¯s movements have been strange. They invaded and conquered five other tribes in just a few months. The Kochis have conquered other tribes several times before now, but this time they¡¯re strangely determined. But that¡¯s not all.¡± Ivatar¡¯s voice lowered as he continued, ¡°The souls of the in warriors are being stolen. None of their souls have returned to the earth.¡± Eugene gave a startled cry, ¡°What?¡± ¡°My father, the chief of the Zoran Tribe, decided that he could not stay idle while the Kochi Tribe was behaving so strangely. And the Zoran Tribe wasn¡¯t the only tribe to think that way. Several tribes have rallied alongside the Zoran Tribe, and we have already confronted Kochi Tribe¡¯s forces,¡± Ivatar reported. Samar and its people had their own culture and beliefs. Starting from the distant past, their religion had been influenced by the elves and the World Tree. The tribespeople believed that spirits or souls dwelled within everything and that when a person died, their spirit returned to thend and then went through a cycle of reincarnation. Originating from such a culture and faith came Samar¡¯s unique style of magic ¡ª shamanism. Eugene had also gotten a chance to take a look at it two years ago. The warriors of Samar were able to receive the help of the spirits even though they weren¡¯t spirit summoners, and some could even use the souls of monsters or deceased warriors to strengthen themselves. Ivatar continued his tale, ¡°In our first sh with the Kochis, we neither won nor lost. No one was able to advance, so we stood at a stalemate.¡± It was then that they had noticed the abnormality. Traditionally, a warrior¡¯s burial would be performed by the tribal shaman after a battle. ¡°But all the corpses were the same,¡± Ivatar said gravely. ¡°Whether they were strong or weak, none of the warriors had their souls connected to their corpses.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t they have just entered the cycle of reincarnation?¡± Eugene cautiously proposed after a moment. Ivatar shook his head, ¡°Even after the Zoran Tribe¡¯s shaman turned to necromancy, he wasn¡¯t able to summon back any of their souls. Instead, the soul of the shaman who was doing the summoning was almost stolen away.¡± Eugene was also a wizard. At first, he hadn¡¯t been listening too closely, but as Ivatar continued his story, Eugene¡¯s expression grew increasingly serious. ¡°This was brought to us by a spy who managed to infiltrate the Kochi Tribe¡¯s territory,¡± Ivatar said as he pulled out a torn piece of paper from a pocket. Instead of a picture engraved through a spell, someone had personally drawn what they had seen onto this piece of paper. Upon being handed the paper, Eugene¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl. Someone had drawn what looked like a tower made out of human bones. Ivatar revealed a disturbing fact, ¡°Even amongst the tribes of Samar, the Kochis are unique in being cannibals. They prefer to prey on the ves raised within the tribe, and they also receive sacrifices from the subordinate tribes under their control. Then, whenever they hold a tribal event, many innocent people are sacrificed to the god of their tribe.¡± ¡°Their god?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°The God of the Land. Most of the tribes in Samar regard the God of the Land as their patron deity. However, the form that their faith takes is often different. For example, the Zorans don¡¯t do human sacrifice, while the Kochis do.¡± Perhaps disturbed by something, Ivatar¡¯s expression twisted as he continued, ¡°However, I can¡¯t help but think that constructing a tower of human bones is going too far. In the past as well, we¡¯ve always kept an eye on the Kochi Tribe¡¯s territory, but it¡¯s only recently that they¡¯ve managed to build a human bone tower of such size. And it¡¯s not the only one. The spy said that new human bone towers are continuously being built within the Kochi Tribe¡¯s domain, requiring a constant offering of prisoners as sacrifices.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Eugene nodded slightly and got up from his seat. Then he threw the window in the wall next to them wide open, calling out, ¡°Lady Melkith?¡± In the garden below stood Melkith El-Hayah, who immediately protested, ¡°I wasn¡¯t eavesdropping. This big sis isn¡¯t such a rude person.¡± Eugene red down at Melkith with narrowed eyes, only for Melkith to raise her arms wide open with a truly aggrieved expression. ¡°I¡¯m telling the truth, you know?¡± Melkith insisted. ¡°Honestly, I was curious, so I did want to eavesdrop, but no matter what, actually doing so would be far too rude. As such, I refused to eavesdrop. So all I¡¯ve done is just stand here.¡± It wasn¡¯t surprising to find Melkith, the White Tower Master, at the Lionheart Estate. Through a constant flow of presents and other such exchanges with Anci, she had risen from the status of a guest to Anci¡¯s friend. But was that really all there was to it? Melkith had also taken advantage of Anci¡¯s weak point, the pity that Anci felt in her heart for the forest elves. After rmending that she personally teach the elves how to use spirit magic, thus increasing both the elve¡¯s ability to stand on their own and the Lionhearts¡¯bat strength, in the end, Melkith had even gotten permission to freely make use of the warp-gate within the forest. Inside Eugene¡¯s cloak, Wynnyd vibrated. [She truly is a vicious woman. To deceive thedy of the house and even take advantage of the elves¡¯ circumstances for her own ambitions and greed,] Tempest raised his voice out of dislike for Melkith. [One day, that vicious and disgraceful spirit summoner will pay the price for her sins.] ¡®Why do you dislike Melkith so much?¡¯ Eugene silently asked. [Hamel, why are you asking such an obvious question? Even though that woman has already made a contract with a Spirit King, she still insists on believing in unfounded superstition. It¡¯s quite ironic. To think that a believer in such folktales[1] is the best spirit summoner of this era¡­. Right now, her shamefulness may not be widely known to the world, but someday, everyone in this world might find out about Melkith El-Hayah¡¯s ugly side,] Tempest said, clicking his tongue. Her ugly side¡­. Eugene scanned Melkith¡¯s attire with narrowed eyes. Melkith was wearing leather boots that came up to her knees and a bright red jacket. However, for some reason, perhaps because he had juste back from seeing Noir Giabe, Eugene still felt that a strong entricity like Melkith¡¯s was still within the eptable range. ¡°So why were you standing there?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°What do you mean by why?¡± Melkith scoffed. ¡°I just wanted to hear the story about you leaving to find yourself, and I was also curious about the story behind this tribesman who came all the way from far-off Samar to meet you¡­ hee hee, doesn¡¯t this just give you the feeling that something exciting is going to happen? Just letting you know, this big sis has been very freetely, so I¡¯ve been getting the urge to get out of the daily rut¡ª¡± Eugene sighed and interrupted, ¡°What are you trying to say¡­?¡± ¡°In any case, that¡¯s why I¡¯m standing here. I definitely wasn¡¯t going to eavesdrop, but by standing here, won¡¯t youe over to talk to me anyway?¡± Melkithughed as she winked in an exaggerated manner. ¡°Then it worked out exactly as I thought it would!¡± ¡°Enough. Just get up here,¡± Eugene gave in reluctantly. ¡°Do you need help from your big sis?¡± Melkith said teasingly. ¡°Now, now¡­ you can¡¯t have forgotten, can you? This big sis is the Tower Master of Aroth¡¯s White Tower. You usually can¡¯t even buy a single word from me, no matter how much money you¡¯re willing to pay.¡± ¡°Then just stay there,¡± Eugene huffed. Melkith instantly backtracked, ¡°However, Eugene, you and I don¡¯t just have an ordinary rtionship, now do we? If you need my help, I can go anywhere you need me to. So, of course, I can climb up a few floors.¡± In a single leap, Melkith hopped over the window sill. Clicking his tongue in exasperation, Eugene closed the window. ¡°Oh my¡­ I did take a nce at him in passing yesterday, but he really is huge. I¡¯d believe it if you said he was a cross between a human and an ogre,¡± Melkithmented. Eugeneined, ¡°You¡¯re being quite rude.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just because you¡¯re from a different cultural background. In Aroth, this sort of thing is said very casually¡­ such a joke can even be said between people who aren¡¯t all that close to each other. Could it be that you really haven¡¯t heard jokes like this in Kiehl or Samar?¡± Melkith asked as she sat across from Ivatar with a smirk. Far from being angry, Ivatar chuckled and introduced himself, ¡°From the Zoran Tribe, my name is Ivatar Jahav.¡± Could it be that he hadn¡¯t learned how to use honorifics when learning themonnguage? Or perhaps he was trying to y to Melkith¡¯s sympathies by appearing unrefined¡­? Sitting down a little further away from Melkith, Eugene exined the conversation that he had been having with Ivatar so far. ¡°Just as expected,¡± Melkith nodded with a bright smile after hearing the whole story. ¡°Do you know? For Spirit Summoners, the Samar Rainforest is treated as a holy site. As you may already know, thend there is full of spirits. Do you know what¡¯s one of the mostmon subjects discussed amongst Aroth¡¯s schools of magic? What is the origin of magic? Although it¡¯s epted that the ancient magic that was used in the mythical age when the gods still existed was modernized to be the magic of today, among all those various different types of ancient magic, the origins of spirit summoning are said to be rooted in the animism that was practiced by Samar¡¯s primitive religions¡ª¡± Eugene cut her short, ¡°Can¡¯t you just get to the point?¡± Melkith acquiesced, ¡°This means the shamanism used by Samar is a kind of primitive spirit summoning. Though whether or not human souls can be regarded as just another kind of spirit isn¡¯t a debate that I¡¯d really like to get into. To consider humans as a type of spirit ¡ª isn¡¯t that just an insult to all spirits? Spirits aren¡¯t filthy like humans can be.¡± ¡°So what does that mean?¡± Eugene pressed. ¡°Well, regardless of my opinion on that matter, Samar¡¯s shamanism¡­ particrly its necromantic side, is a type of magic with its own strong foundation of beliefs. Ah, I still think that shamanism is, in the end, just another type of magic, not ck magic. After all, when ites down to it, necromancy is simply tying another person¡¯s soul to someone else''s body for some time, right? While necromancy might be one of the more advanced arts within shamanism¡¯s array of abilities, what I was talking about just now has many differences when ites to how the necromancy of ck magic deals with souls.¡± The corners of Melkith¡¯s mouth rose slightly, ¡°I¡¯m aware that there are many types of spells within Samar¡¯s shamanism that make use of souls and spirits as catalysts or sacrifices. However, when ites to specializing in the control of souls, shamanism isn¡¯t the best type of magic for it. Eugene, you know what that means, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got a good guess, but I can¡¯t be certain. After all, I still don¡¯t know much about shamanism,¡± Eugene admitted. Melkith chuckled, ¡°Fufu, if that¡¯s the case, then allow this big sis to be confident for you. Human-bone towers? Mass human sacrifices? While I would like to dismiss those as just being part of their barbaric culture, if the souls of those who died during the battle are being stolen, then what other kind of magic could be responsible for it other than ck magic?¡± Ivatar made no response. He quietly folded his arms as he listened to Melkith speak, while Eugene also kept his mouth shut, even as his expression twisted into a scowl. ¡°Although I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯re nning to do with so many souls¡­ I can be sure of one thing,¡± Melkith stated confidently. ¡°Any ck magic that requires so many souls to be used as a sacrifice must be some terrible act of heresy. This might not have been the case during the war three hundred years ago, but that kind of ck magic is not tolerated among the ck magic of today. In the first ce, following that era of war, it has been strictly forbidden for any human practitioners to use the human soul when practicing ck magic.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°So you¡¯re saying that Helmuth is behind all of this?¡± ¡°I heard that the Demon King of Incarceration came to the Knight March in person? I¡¯ve already heard the story myself, but don¡¯t you think that what the Demon King of Incarceration said¡­ was terribly ambiguous? The Demon King of Incarceration specifically said that he wouldn¡¯t be the one to end this peace first.¡± Melkith giggled and crossed her legs. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason for the Demon King to show up in person just to lie. Because, as something like him, every word he says is reinforced by the weight of his own existence. In that case, doesn¡¯t that mean the ck magic that is about to be cast in Samar won¡¯t threaten the peace of the current era? After all, the Demon King himself doesn¡¯t seem to be intervening in it¡­.¡± ¡°Are you trying to say that this is all just some trivial matter that will only y out within the bounds of the Samar Rainforest?¡± Eugene said doubtfully. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what exactly is going to happen, but, hmm, shouldn¡¯t that be the case?¡± Melkith hummed thoughtfully. ¡°From the perspective of the Demon Kings of Helmuth, it might just be a small affair happening in some forest out in the country.¡± At these words, Ivatar¡¯s clenched fists let out a cracking sound. ¡°Well, I think there¡¯s no doubt that someone in the Kochi tribe is preparing to cast some ck magic on a huge scale,¡± Melkith conceded. ¡°Ah, Eugene, have you heard about that?¡± ¡°Heard about what?¡± Eugene replied. Melkith turned to Eugene with a smile, ¡°Balzac Ludbeth has disappeared from Aroth.¡± 1. The word that Tempest actually uses here is the Korean word for fake, as in a believer of fake facts or religions. ? Chapter 277: Ivatar Jahav (3)

Chapter 277: Ivatar Jahav (3)

Aroth¡¯s ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth ¡ª this name brought forth a memory of ck-rimmed sses, short hair with a neat parting, a thin face, and sharp eyes. After having met him so many times, Eugene could easily recall Balzac Ludbeth¡¯s face. Although they had exchanged several conversations, Eugene still didn¡¯t have a clear understanding of what ¡°kind¡± of a person Balzac was. Eugene himself knew the reason for this. Three hundred years had indeed passed since Hamel died. While it was only natural for the world to have changed, it still seemed like there had been far too many changes. However, Eugene was still the same Hamel as ever. However, from the moment he was born, he had known that he was Hamel, and even though he had lived up until now as Eugene, he couldn¡¯tpletely shake off the remnants of the time when he had lived as Hamel. Even though the Helmuth he had personally visited had be quitefortable, no, a veryfortable empire for humans to live in; for Eugene, Helmuth was still and always would be that same hellish Devildom. Likewise, the Demon King of Incarceration might currently be viewed as a sage who enacted wise policies for the benefit of the continent and all humans, but to Eugene, the Demon King of Incarceration was still that same terrible Demon King who swatted humans like insects; and the same went for the demonfolk. Then there were the ck wizards. In this current era, ck magic had been recognized as just another school of magic, and ck wizards were now a respected ss of wizards. However, to Eugene, ck wizards were still just the pawns of the Demon King and his demonfolk, traitorous bastards who had betrayed their fellow human beings. The times really had changedpletely. Eugene had also tried topromise to some extent with all of these changes. However, Eugene could still only view Balzac through the tinted lenses of his identity as a ck wizard. In the end, he didn¡¯t know what kind of person Balzac was because of his own prejudice against ck wizards. Until now, Balzac had never once shown any ill will towards Eugene. Instead, he would always try to provide help to Eugene. Balzac would warn Eugene of any dangers and had even given Eugene advice on the creation of his Signature that Balzac hadn¡¯t even offered to his own disciples. Yet even with all that, Eugene still couldn¡¯t ept that there were innocent intentions behind Balzac¡¯s assistance. There had to be a reason behind all of Balzac¡¯s actions. Having been so kind, wasn¡¯t Balzac inevitably nning some kind of betrayal? ¡°I knew that bastard would do something like this,¡± Eugene snarled. As expected, all ck wizards were sons of bitches that you couldn¡¯t show any trust. After staring at Eugene, who had immediately burst into rage, Mer clutched at her stomach andughed, ¡°As expected from the disciple of just such a master, you also show the same extreme hatred of ck wizards!¡± Eugene scowled, ¡°From the very beginning, I was suspicious of Balzac Ludbeth. After all, he obviously kept trying to get close to me by pretending to be friendly; he kept telling me things and providing me with help. I was curious as to the reason why he did so, and now I know.¡± ¡°What are you saying?¡± Melkith asked. ¡°That bastard was kind to me because he wanted me to take it easy on him when I¡¯m eventually forced to beat him up,¡± Eugene used. This firm response left Melkith bbergasted. For a few moments, Melkith stared at Eugene, her eyes blinking in disbelief, then she coughed and nodded as she said, ¡°...Ahem, well, that might be the case. However, I have to point out it¡¯s still not certain that Balzac is the ringleader behind all this.¡± Eugene argued back, ¡°Aren¡¯t ck wizards capable of casting ck magic on such a scale rare? And you¡¯ve already said that Balzac is missing from Aroth, right?¡± ¡°Um¡­ while it was definitely a sudden affair, he did apply for an official leave from the ck Tower of Magic,¡± Melkith corrected while trying to ignore the stinging pangs of her conscience. Originally, the Tower Masters were the sort of personage who wouldn¡¯t lightly leave the Tower of Magic that they governed. Although it wasn¡¯t very inconvenient if they had to do so, they were still expected to give notice to the Tower of Magic and the royal court whenever they needed to go to a ce outside of Aroth. However, Melkith had never done so. She felt it was a pain to fill out a leave request, and she was just going somewhere she wanted to go, so why even bother making a report? The same went for today as well. Melkith had just arrived at the Lionheart estate without giving any word to the White Tower of Magic or Aroth¡¯s royal court. However,pared to Melkith acting on her own whims, it still gave off a very different feeling when Balzac decided to go off on his own. During the decades since he had risen to the seat of the ck Tower Master, Balzac was someone who had never once seen fit to leave Aroth. ¡°What did he put down on his leave request?¡± Eugene inquired. Melkith took a moment to recall, ¡°Hm¡­. I think he said that he wanted to take leave to go on a short trip. It doesn¡¯t look like he specified his destination.¡± ¡°As Lady Melkith may well know, I¡¯ve been suspicious of Balzac Ludbeth from the very beginning. He was always pretending to be a very kind person, so I couldn¡¯t prove anything even though he is a ck wizard. Balzac always seemed like an out-of-ce existence whenpared to other ck wizards. He even said that he signed a contract with the Demon King out of practical interests,¡± Eugene revealed. Since ages past, most people who wore a friendly smile and said things that sounded nice and seemed to make sense had been scammers. Ivatar, who had been listening silently, slowly spoke up, ¡°...I haven¡¯t heard much about this guy named Balzac, but I do know that among the various forms of support that Helmuth has sent to the Kochi Tribe, it has included wizards and demonic beasts. The wizards of Helmuth have served in the role of shamans for the Kochi Tribe and have trained the younger generation of the tribe¡¯s shamans. The demonic beasts have also provided other services to the Kochi Tribe.¡± ¡°That means there¡¯ll be other ck wizards apart from Balzac,¡± Eugene surmised. Melkith cocked an eyebrow, ¡°It seems you¡¯re absolutely convinced that Balzac is the ringleader behind all this?¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°Not at all. I can¡¯t be certain of anything yet. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been suspicious of that bastard from the very start, so I can¡¯t help but think that it¡¯s very likely.¡± In fact, Eugene was more suspicious of Amelia Merwin¡¯s involvement in all of this. Yet why would she leave the desert, a battlefield where she would possess an overwhelming advantage? With just one word from her, she could mobilize Nahama¡¯s entire army and also muster up all the wizards whose dungeons were located within her desert. ¡®Still, if at all possible, I¡¯d prefer it if Amelia Merwin was the one behind all this,¡¯Eugene admitted to himself. If Amelia had left the desert and was up to something in the Samar Rainforest, that would actually be of great benefit to Eugene. He wasn¡¯t happy with how their first meeting in the desert had turned out, and he¡¯d been waiting for the chance to confront Amelia Merwin ever since. If they happened to run into each other in the Samar Rainforest, Eugene would definitely tear Amelia limb from limb and then slit her throat. ¡®Or else¡­ it might just be Edmond Codreth, but there¡¯s too little information when ites to him,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. Edmond Codreth was the master of dmir and the current Staff of Incarceration. It might not even be one of the Three Mages, but instead, apletely different ck wizard. ¡­For example, the ck wizard or demonfolk who had instigated Hector¡¯s rebellion. What Eugene knew for sure was that the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t be the instigating force behind all of this. As Melkith had said, there was no way that an existence on the level of the Demon King of Incarceration would be involved in something as petty as this. If itwerethe Demon King of Incarceration, there would be no need for something like a sacrifice when it came to casting ck magic. If he really did require a sacrifice, then he could just start another war. So what was currently happening within the Samar Rainforest was something that could be confined solely to the Rainforest. Something like a struggle between the native tribes. Such struggles had always beenmonce throughout the history of the Samar Rainforest, and it wasn¡¯t something for the rest of the kingdoms on the continent to get involved in. ¡°I¡¯ll go with you,¡± Eugene said with a nod once he finished sorting out his thoughts. ¡°I also happen to have business in Samar.¡± Melkith¡¯s ears pricked up, ¡°Business? What kind of business?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a secret,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°I want to go with you as well,¡± Melkith whined as she clung to Eugene¡¯s arms. Her behavior held none of the dignity that the White Tower Master should have. ¡°I am going with you,¡± Melkith said firmly. ¡°It sounds like it¡¯ll be fun! I¡¯m also curious about what¡¯s going on in the Rainforest, and more importantly, there¡¯s something that I just can¡¯t forgive.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Eugene asked. Melkith passionately shouted, ¡°The Samar Rainforest is like a holy site for all Spirit Summoners! So how dare some ck wizard carry out their evil plot within the Rainforest? I, the greatest Spirit Summoner of this era, Melkith El-Hayah, have my eyes set on them!¡± ¡°As expected of the Spirit Princess of the White Tower of Magic,¡± Eugene said sarcastically. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Melkith let out a shriek of fright and threw Eugene¡¯s arm away. In the face of such a chaotic sight, it was difficult for Ivatar to continue maintaining hisposure. That said, he couldn¡¯t bring himself to make a disgusted expression either. Ivatar hade here without even being sure that he would be able to get any help from Eugene, but weren¡¯t things working out exceptionally well for him? To think that he wouldn¡¯t just get Eugene¡¯s help, but he would even end up receiving assistance from Melkith El-Hayah. ¡°Thank you,¡± Ivatar said, getting up from his seat and bowing his head to Eugene. ¡°When this is all over, I will prepare a reward that will be sure to satisfy you. And apart from that, I will also never forget your help.¡± ¡°What about me?¡± Melkith, who had been plugging her ears to try and shake off the embarrassing nickname from her childhood, raised her head. ¡°I¡¯m going to help you as well, you know?¡± ¡°I will also prepare a reward for you, White Tower Master,¡± promised Ivatar. Melkith nodded proudly, ¡°Mhm, as you should. Also, Eugene! Don¡¯t you have anything to say to me?¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene curtly demanded. ¡°You were supposed to bring back a souvenir for me from Lehain!¡± Melkith said with a rarely-seen straight expression. After staring at Melkith¡¯s sullen face for a few moments, Eugene slid open his cloak and pulled out arge stone. ¡°I was going to give it to you anyway, but you sure do have an impatient personality,¡± Eugene grumbled. This was a Firestone, a stone infused with mes that could rarely be found in Lehain. That alone would be enough to make it a material with a high value, but the Firestone that Eugene pulled out was the highest grade of Firestone that wasn¡¯t easy to buy even if you had the money for it. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Melkith¡¯s eyes shot wide open as she gazed at the bright red colors of the Firestone. Rubbing the Firestone she had taken from Eugene¡¯s hands against her cheek, she smiled happily. ¡°It¡¯s hot! Like as if it was just taken out of the fire¡ª!¡± While shouting this, Melkith pulled on her cor and thrust the Firestone into her cleavage. Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a scowl at this sight as Tempest shouted inside his head, [Hamel, ask that lunatic why she¡¯s doing that.] Eugeneplied, ¡°Why on earth did you just do that?¡± ¡°Do you really not know? It¡¯s to increase my sensitivity toward the catalyst. By transferring its heat to my skin and increasing my own body temperature¡ª¡± [Such ridiculous superstitions! Unless Ifrit isn¡¯t in his right mind, there¡¯s no way he would sign a contract with someone who still believes in such folktales,] Tempest exploded. While ignoring Tempest, who kept roaring in outrage inside his head, Eugene leaped up from his seat. ¡°There¡¯s no need to leave for the Rainforest immediately, right? Let¡¯s leave in a few days'' time,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°Yep, I need some time to prepare as well,¡± Melkith said as she also stood up. While smiling brightly at the heating from between her breasts, she wrapped both arms around her chest. ¡°Why don¡¯t you send word to Lovellian as well?¡± Melkith called out to Eugene just as they were leaving the parlor. ¡°Your master hates ck wizards even more than you do. He should fly over right away, especially since you¡¯re caught up in this issue as well.¡± Eugene informed her, ¡°I was nning to contact him even if you didn¡¯t remind me.¡± Lovellian was also aware that Sienna was currently sealed away due to Raizakia¡¯s curse. While Eugene didn¡¯t expect him to be of much help in killing Raizakia, Lovellian should be able to provide a lot of help when it came to solving the issue in the Samar Rainforest. ¡°Well then, I¡¯m going to go and sign a contract with Ifrit!¡± Melkith said cheerfully. Eugene kindly reminded her, ¡°You can¡¯t be certain you¡¯ll be able to sign a contract with him, right?¡± ¡°If it¡¯s me, then I can do it. For some reason, I just have that feeling,¡± Melkith said before leaping out of the window in the hallway with a confident smile. Eugene really couldn¡¯t tell why she felt the need to jump out of the window. * * * Cyan was at the training grounds. To think that he hadn¡¯t even considered showing his face, even though his brother had just returned from a trip¡­. Eugene thought about giving Cyan a punch out of anger, but after seeing Cyan focused on swinging his sword while sweating profusely, Eugene changed his mind. ¡®He¡¯s improved a lot.¡¯ There had been a tremendous improvement in Cyan¡¯s skills since thest time Eugene had seen him. His body movements were also impable, and his mana control was particrly impressive. He had fully mastered everything that Eugene had taught him a few years ago. ¡®In the end, it¡¯s all thanks to my good teaching.¡¯ Eugene felt a sense of pride stir within his chest. He felt like he understood why people decided to raise disciples as they grew older. Feeling a tant gaze resting on him, Cyan halted his sword and demanded, ¡°Why do you keep staring at me?¡± While taking deep breaths, Cyan spun around to face Eugene. Seeing Cyan¡¯s cocky appearance, Eugene changed his mind once more. Eugene strode over to Cyan andnded a low kick on Cyan¡¯s thigh. Cyan let out a cry, ¡°Aaargh!¡± Eugene cursed, ¡°You bastard, how dare you not greet your brother on his return!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s been just once or twice that you¡¯ve gone and left the mansion on your own!¡± Cyan argued. ¡°No matter what the case might be, if you saw that I¡¯ve returned, you should at least say that you¡¯re d to see me back!¡± Eugene lectured. Cyan felt like he was about to go crazy from frustration. After all, how could Eugene still bear to act so proud when he had left behind such an embarrassing letter about how he was going to find himself? Cyan had thought that Eugene would be too embarrassed to meet his eye, so he had acted out of consideration and just greeted Eugene like he usually would, but now¡­. ¡°Hand over Geddon¡¯s Shield,¡± Eugene demanded. Cyan yelped, ¡°What?¡± Eugene repeated himself, ¡°I said, hand over the shield. In any case, you¡¯re not even using it currently.¡± ¡°What the hell are you saying after returning home all of a sudden?!¡± Cyan demanded. Bam! Eugene kicked Cyan in the thigh once more. Cyan let out a single cry as he fell before rolling around on the floor. Eugene growled, ¡°If I say hand it over, then just hand it over!¡± Cyan cursed at him, ¡°You crazy bastard, you should at least give me a reason before asking me to hand it over!¡± ¡°I need to use it for something,¡± Eugene exined curtly. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking you; where are you going to use it?!¡± Cyan screamed. Eugene didn¡¯t want to make everyone worry by saying something unnecessary, so he had intended to be recklessly forward and rob the shield. However, seeing as how it wasn¡¯t just some ordinary item, Cyan¡¯s resistance was as strong as expected. In the end, Eugene gave Cyan a rough exnation of why he needed the shield. Without saying anything about Raizakia, Eugene said he needed it to solve a problem that had cropped up in the Samar Rainforest. ¡°Are you insane?¡± asked a dumbfounded Cyan. ¡°Why would you get involved in a fight between the natives who live in that forest?¡± Eugene shrugged, ¡°A ck wizard is up to something, and I¡¯m the Hero, after all.¡± After hearing this reply, Cyan was left speechless. Seeing Cyan¡¯s expression crumple, Eugene continued talking, ¡°Also, it¡¯s not like it doesn''t have absolutely anything to do with us.¡± Cyan frowned, ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eugene exined about the ck magic that Eward had cast at the ck Lion Castle and how Hector¡¯s soul had been retrieved by someone. As he listened to the story, Cyan¡¯s face gradually stiffened. ¡°So what you¡¯re saying is, the ck wizard who Hector was contracted to might be reproducing the same ck magic that Eward used?¡± Cyan confirmed once Eugene was finished. ¡°It¡¯s just a suspicion. Nothing is certain as of yet,¡± warned Eugene. Eugene actually thought that this was impossible. Eward was able to do something like that because the Remnants of the Demon Kings were acting together with him. ¡°Even if it¡¯s just a spection, that means there¡¯s still a possibility,¡± Cyan muttered. ¡°Hector was from a coteral bloodline of the Lionhearts, and Eward¡­ was from the main line.¡± This was why Eugene hadn¡¯t wanted to say anything. Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head. ¡°That¡¯s why I said it¡¯s not like we aren¡¯tpletely uninvolved. I¡¯m going to go and check it out, so you don¡¯t have to give it any more thought,¡± Eugene assured him. ¡°We need to report this to the Patriarch,¡± Cyan insisted. Eugene immediately refused, ¡°If you do that, things will be way too big, you bastard. With the Patriarch¡¯s personality, he will definitely feel a sense of responsibility and mobilize the Lionheart n¡¯s full power.¡± Cyan snorted, ¡°And so what if he does? Isn¡¯t it only natural for him to do so?¡± ¡°It¡¯s still uncertain, and it¡¯s something that I¡¯ve decided on my own,¡± Eugene argued. ¡°Right now, it¡¯sstilljust my personal problem, so I don¡¯t want to go so far as to mobilize the power of the n.¡± Eugene thought that adding the full power of the n to their efforts might be a bit too much. For now, he had already arranged to get the help of two Archwizards of the Eighth Circle, and then there was Eugene himself. There was also an army of the Samar tribes led by the Zoran Tribe. Since the war was something that the tribespeople would be handling in any case, Eugene was determined to target the ringleader and thoroughly destroy any chance of the ck magic being sessfully cast. However, if the Lionheart n¡¯s knightly orders were sent as well, Eugene would no longer be able to do so. When dealing with ck magic cast on such a wide range, the knightly orders wouldn¡¯t be able to help but suffer some damage. Eugene didn¡¯t want the Lionheart n to shed any of their blood in this war. ¡°Are you being considerate of the Patriarch¡¯s feelings?¡± Cyan, who had been silent for a few moments, suddenly spoke up. Cyan¡¯s words had hit the mark. Eugene admitted the truth, ¡°When that bastard, Eward, went crazy and died, the Patriarch suffered greatly.¡± It couldn¡¯t be helped, Eward had still been Gilead¡¯s eldest son. Eward may have smeared the n¡¯s name by conspiring to do something that a descendant of the main line should never do and had even actually attempted to overthrow the Lionheart n. However, no matter what Eward may have thought of his father, Gilead had loved Eward. The death of his son had caused Gilead much grief. He med himself for what Eward had done on the grounds that he had failed to raise his son properly. The ck magic being cast in Samar might or might not have something to do with Eward. However, Eugene didn¡¯t want to force Gilead to face his own son¡¯s death once more by informing him of something that he wasn¡¯t even sure about. ¡°I¡¯ll lend you Geddon¡¯s Shield,¡± Cyan said after letting out a long sigh. ¡°But in return, let me go with you as well.¡± Eugene cursed, ¡°What did you just say, you bastard?¡± ¡°I said that I¡¯m going with you,¡± Cyan insisted. ¡°Since I think you might be lying, I also want to check things out and see for myself what¡¯s going on in Samar. ¡­If you¡¯re right, then you¡¯re not the only one involved in this matter.¡± Cyan had also been in the forest of the ck Lion Castle at that time. After being ambushed by Hector, he was defeated and captured by Eward. ¡°I am the next Patriarch of the Lionheart n. If this is an issue that the current Patriarch can¡¯t step forward to deal with, then I¡¯ll check it out in his stead,¡± Cyan dered. Eugene warned him, ¡°It might be dangerous.¡± Cyan snorted, ¡°So what if it is? Do you not want to take me with you because you think I¡¯ll hold you back likest time? Do what you want because if you don¡¯t take me with you, then I can just go and check it out by myself.¡± Cyan was spouting nonsense without any semnce of logic, just one-sided stubbornness. Eugene felt like his own heart was being pricked. ¡°That¡¯s right, this is how it must have felt,¡± Eugene muttered as his expression twisted into a scowl. To think that Eugene would actually end up sympathizing with the feelings that hisrades must have felt back then, three hundred years ago¡­. He honestly didn¡¯t want to bring Cyan with him. However, he thought that Cyan¡¯s words also had some truth to them, but at the same time, Eugene also felt that he didn¡¯t want to bring Cyan to such a dangerous battlefield. ¡®But that¡¯s just my own selfish desire.¡¯ Back in the snowfields, when Cyan and Ciel had been ordered to retreat first after they were attacked by Noir Giabe, Anise had said this to Eugene, who was feeling sympathy for the twins who were suffering from a sense of shame. ¡ªThe times do not flow as we wish. The humans that live through these times are weak and light, so they have no choice but to get carried away in this huge flow. That goes especially for those twins, who are Vermouth¡¯s descendants. As long as they still bear the Lionheart name, they have no choice but to stand at the forefront of the upheaval in this era. ¡ªWhen that timees, will they walk into the light of fire? Or perhaps¡­ will they eventually decide to abandon everything and run away? Hamel, that isn¡¯t something that you can decide for them. A man¡¯s destiny is something that he must decide for himself. ¡ªIf you really do care for your siblings, then don¡¯t treat them like children. Respect their decisions. There was no real need for Cyan to insist on following them. He could have just left it up to Eugene. However, Cyan had dared to say something like this because he felt a clear sense of responsibility. ¡°Alright, I get it,¡± Eugene sighed, unwilling to break Cyan¡¯s spirit. Within Cyan¡¯s stubbornness and pushy attitude, Eugene saw his own appearance from three hundred years ago. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Cyan said with augh as he started getting up. ¡°If you weren¡¯t willing to bring me with you, I would have reported this matter to the Patriarch.¡± ¡°This son of a bitch,¡± Eugene cursed andnded another low kick on Cyan¡¯s thigh just as thetter got to his feet. Hamel from three hundred years ago hadn¡¯t been that petty. Or at least that¡¯s what Eugene sincerely thought. aa7b5e4a913f698f2f85f05ec8699ff27ff166e6180b5f8174783372ff054901f34831ffd5b59843d16ea0df996db42bd2f13f37036ef729667a56e7f5 Chapter 278: Ivatar Jahav (4) ¡°So, did you really sign a contract with Ifrit?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Call him by his full name, the Spirit King of mes, Ifrit,¡± Melkith demanded. Eugene repeated, ¡°I asked if you really managed to sign a contract with him?¡± Melkith refused to answer, ¡°It¡¯s a secret.¡± ¡°But it seems to me like you may have failed to sign the contract, no?¡± Eugene said teasingly. ¡°If you really did manage to sign the contract, Lady Melkith, with your personality, there¡¯s no way you would stay silent about it, right?¡± Melkith¡¯s eyes darkened gloomily at this teasing that Eugene delivered with a snicker. However, Eugene didn¡¯t stop at that and kept on talking, ¡°Even though you said that you had a feeling that you would definitely be able to sign a contract, in the end, you didn¡¯t manage to sign a contract with Ifrit, did you?¡± Melkith responded coldly, ¡°I said to call him the Spirit King of mes, Ifrit.¡± ¡°Why do I have to say his name like that?¡± Eugene asked. Finally losing patience, Melkith let out a loud roar, ¡°Because he might be listening to our conversation right now!¡± She took out the Firestone, which she had carefully tucked between her breasts, and ced it on top of the table. ¡°Let me just be clear, I didn¡¯t fail to contract him,¡± Melkith insisted. ¡°Failure does not exist for one such as I, Melkith El-Hayah. It was just that, ever so slightly, it seems that our opinions of each other aren¡¯t quite coordinated? But that¡¯s just how contracts are. We need to keep fine-tuning the terms and adjusting to each other until we both finally reach a desired point where we then decide, ¡®Fine, let¡¯s make a contract!¡¯¡± ¡°Well, that just means you really did fail,¡± Eugene said dismissively. ¡°Like I said, I didn¡¯t! I¡¯m telling you, we¡¯re just currently reconciling a difference of opinions. As such, Eugene, be careful with the way you speak. Right now, this conversation is being overheard by the great and passionate Spirit King of mes, Lord Ifrit. Lord Ifrit, this is how dearly I adore you,¡± Melkith said as she held up the Firestone with both hands and rubbed it against her cheek. Seeing this scene, Tempest loudly ground his teeth inside Eugene¡¯s head. ¡°Just how long are you going to keep straining your eyes like that?¡± Eugene asked, tilting his chair back and looking to the side. From this angle, he could see Cyan, who appeared to be furrowing his brow. ¡°I¡¯m not doing anything,¡± Cyan grunted. Eugene pointed out, ¡°Even now, you¡¯re still ring daggers.¡± ¡°Those bastards have been ncing at us since earlier,¡± Cyan finally spat out as he suddenly unbuttoned his cuffs and started rolling up his sleeves. When Cyan clenched his fists, the tight muscles on his forearms twitched menacingly. And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, Cyan even unfastened the sword from his waist and leaned it against the table so that it could easily catch others¡¯ eyes. ¡°You¡¯re really overdoing it,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°The natives of Samar are known to kidnap foreigners to either eat them or sell them. I¡¯ve heard that trading cities like this one, in particr, serve as hunting grounds for the natives,¡± Cyan muttered cautiously. It had been two days since they had left the Lionheart mansion. Since there were no warp-gates in Samar, they had arrived at the southern border of Kiehl before moving directly across the border to the trade city located just at the entrance to the Rainforest. Cyan¡¯s words weren¡¯t entirely wrong. Samar was awless zone where none of thews of the continent applied, so there were many criminals who had fled here from other kingdoms. Such criminals would oftenmit crimes in collusion with the aggressive and violent natives, and the wealthy and thoughtless tourists who would recklessly venture all the way into this dangerous ce were some of their favorite prey. Eugene scoffed, ¡°They wouldn¡¯t target us unless they''ve lost their minds.¡± Eugene and hispanions were sitting at an outdoor table at a street bar. Although he had made eye contact with a few of those passing them on the street, most immediately turned their gazes away from him and quickly scurried past. The same went for the guys who were watching their party from the shadows. People always unconsciously let out a specific type of aura. Although he wasn¡¯t wearing the formal clothes of the Lionheart n, the aura emitted from Eugene was aggressive enough that no one else dared to make eye contact with him. In contrast, the atmosphere at their table was quite cozy. ¡®This is pretty delicious,¡± Raimira said with a big smile as she indulged in the exotic stir-fries that had beendled onto their tes and served to them. ¡°You¡¯ve got something on your cheek,¡± Kristina, sitting across from Raimira, chided gently as she wiped Raimira¡¯s cheek with a napkin. ¡°Mother¡­,¡± Raimira unconsciously muttered. She had already been receiving this sort of care for several days now. On their first meeting, Raimira had nearly been killed when a il had been mercilessly swung at her, but ever since then, this blonde priest had been very kind and gentle to her. Raimira sincerely wished that Kristina could be her actual mother. ¡®When I talk to Lord Father, ck Dragon, I can ask him to let me take that human as my nanny,¡¯ Raimira seriously thought to herself. From what she had overheard, the only one who would be taking on the challenge to y the ck Dragon was Eugene Lionheart. Although Raimira couldn¡¯t do anything to stop him from getting himself killed like that, she would at least be able to save the priest. ¡°Me too, Sir Eugene, something¡¯s on my cheek as well,¡± Mer, who had been eating in the seat next to Raimira, whined for help. Without any sign of annoyance, Eugene wiped Mer¡¯s face clean. ¡°Is that really a dragon?¡± Cyan asked skeptically. Raimira demanded, ¡°Call me the Dragon Duchess, you insignificant human.¡± ¡°Is she really a dragon, one of the masters of all magic¡­?¡± Melkith muttered with an expression of disbelief. Now that they had apanied him to Samar, Eugene had been forced to share some of the details of their other mission with Cyan and Melkith. He didn¡¯t tell them about how they had been involved in the fall of the Dragon Demon Castle and the eradication of Karabloom. Instead, Eugene just told them that he broke into the Dragon Demon Castle during a battle and kidnapped the Dragon Duchess. That was all he had to say. ¡°All my illusions about the dragons have been shattered,¡± Cyan muttered as he shook his head. The reason Cyan was constantly nervous and continuously surveyed their surroundings wasn¡¯t just thewless ce that was Samar. Cyan had thought that all they were here for was to investigate the truth behind the ck magic that was being prepared in the Samar Rainforest, but now he had discovered that they were here for even more important matters. They were going to save the Wise Sienna, but Cyan seemed to feel burdened by the weight of their purpose. ¡°Can¡¯t we interfere with the magic from here?¡± Cyan asked agitatedly. Eugene shook his head, ¡°I feel like we¡¯ll need to go in deeper.¡± As soon as they had arrived at the trade city, Eugene had attempted to use the Draconic Spell on Raimira. However, it seemed like they couldn¡¯t yet reach the dimensional rift where Raizakia was located from here. Even after getting trapped within a dimensional rift, Raizakia had somehow managed to tie his existence to thend of the Samar Rainforest. Seemingly abandoning the dignity of a dragon, he had fallen into an existence that was no different from a spirit of thend. Thanks to that, Raizakia hadn¡¯t just disappeared over the past two hundred years and had managed to survive while within the dimensional rift. In order to reach the space where Raizakia was located, they needed to open the doorway by using Raimira as the key, and the doorway was rooted somewhere deep within the Rainforest. ¡®Or else, we would need to erase the entire Rainforest,¡¯ Eugene considered thoughtfully. This was, of course, impossible. Erasing the entirety of the Samar Rainforest would mean wiping away the World Tree in which Sienna was sealed and the entire elven territory as well. They needed to kill Raizakia, then save Sienna. In order to aplish both these tasks, they had no choice but to first open the dimensional doorway hidden deep within the Rainforest. ¡®If only something like this wasn¡¯t going on, it wouldn¡¯t be that difficult to infiltrate the Rainforest,¡¯ Eugene thought with a frown as he scanned the outside of the bar. There had been a huge change in the atmosphere of the trade city since thest time they hade here. Eugene was very familiar with atmospheres like that. He couldn¡¯t help but get used to them after spending so long in them. The trade city was either embroiled in a war or preparing for one. The goods being traded were mostly war materials such as weapons, and tourists were rare. You could also see a few merchants of death and other hyenas who had been drawn to the scent of war. Even the natives could often be seen hiring mercenaries. ¡®But I¡¯ve heard that the Fury Independence Army has withdrawn,¡¯ Eugene recalled. ¡®It seems that Iris doesn¡¯t want to get involved in this war.¡¯ The Fury Independence Army was a group of dark elves led by Iris. Thest time Eugene had passed through, those knife-ears were in the middle of setting down roots within this trade city. But now their leader, Iris, had been defeated in a territorial war against Noir Giabe and had fallen into the role of ying pirate. That said, this didn¡¯t mean that their ultimate goal had changed. Iris still hoped to raise her own races and eventually achieve the recognition of being crowned as the next Demon King. It seemed that rather than looking for some fun in this war, Iris had decided to retreat her forces early in order to avoid any losses to her already-paltry numbers and focus on plundering the seas. ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Melkith said with a smile. She had spotted a man dressed in dark-red robes, with his blonde hair tied back,ing this way. This was the Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis. As he had immediately departed from Aroth when he got their message, they had been waiting to meet him here today. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± the approaching Lovellian said with a faint smile. Ivatar had decided to stay outside the city gates, so now that Lovellian, thest person they had been waiting for, had arrived, they did not need to keep sitting here any longer. After exchanging some casual greetings, Eugene and the others began walking down the street. Eugene cautioned Lovellian, ¡°This is all a secret from the Patriarch.¡± ¡°Yes, I know,¡± Lovellian responded with a slight nod before ncing toward Cyan. Seeing them together like this, the contrast between the siblings was clear. Both at twenty-one years old, they might be the same age, but Eugene had enoughposure that he could afford to appear calm. However, Cyan had had to calm his racing breaths several times since they had started walking. ¡®...Though that¡¯s the normal reaction to all this,¡¯ Lovellian thought as, unbeknownst to himself, he smiled wryly. He had watched over Cyan, Ciel, and Eugene since their childhood. The twins from the main family were extraordinary enough to be rightfully called geniuses, but they were still nothingpared to Eugene. Wasn¡¯t that the case even now? In the depths of the Rainforest, an unknown plot was being hatched. Countless natives were gathering to wage war. And finally¡­ they were about to attempt the rescue of the Wise Sienna, who had disappeared for over two hundred years. Even Lovellian, who had seen many years, couldn¡¯t help but feel the pressure. It was understandable that Melkith, who had only apanied them on a whim, could still appear calm. However, Lovellian couldn¡¯t do the same. They first had to deal with his hated ck magic, and if that was all there was to deal with, then Lovellian would have been able to draw upon his bloodthirst to keep his cool; but whenever he thought about the Wise Sienna, whom he respected as his Grandmaster, Lovellian¡¯s heart felt heavy and his mouth felt dry. How could Cyan, a twenty-one-year-old young man, do any better? Moreover, there was also the fact that Cyan hade along due to his sense of duty as the Lionheart n¡¯s next Patriarch. The only one who could be feeling an even greater burden than Cyan would be Eugene. As the Hero who had been recognized by the Holy Sword and the Wise Sienna¡¯s sessor, Eugene was also the one who would be forced to fight Raizakia within the dimensional rift alone. Lovellian wouldn¡¯t even be able to do anything to intervene in their fight. Even with all that, Eugene¡¯s face was still calm. Although this sense of incongruity was a feeling that Lovellian had gotten many times up until now, the sensation this time was particrly intense. Lovellian asked cautiously, ¡°Are you alright, Sir Eugene?¡± Eugene started, ¡°Huh? Why are you asking me that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that you don¡¯t seem worried at all¡­,¡± Lovellian trailed off. ¡°It only looks like that. I¡¯m actually extremely nervous,¡± Eugene confessed. But it really didn¡¯t look like he was. Lovellian got a sudden suspicion, ¡®...What if¡­?¡¯ Although it was an absurd idea, Lovellian was a wizard. He believed that there wasn¡¯t anything that was truly absurd in this world. From the moment that Eugene created his Signature, he had be Lovellian¡¯s equal as a wizard. It didn¡¯t matter that they had differences in the types of magic they were and weren¡¯t able to cast. In a magic battle, as long as they both used their Signatures, Lovellian would no longer be able to gain an advantage over Eugene. That alone was already impressive enough, but what if Eugene used everything in his power to fight? If so, Lovellian didn¡¯t have the confidence to beat Eugene. Yet this was still just a young twenty-one-year-old man that they were talking about. ¡­But what if he was¡­? Lovellian considered his previous suspicion once more as he gazed at Eugene¡¯s back. The back of the young man walking in front of him looked so reliable and experienced that it was hard to believe he was only twenty-one. ¡®Perhaps Sir Eugene is¡ª¡¯ ¡°Aaagh!¡± Lovellian¡¯s thoughts were suddenly cut off by Cyan¡¯s shrill screech. Eugene had suddenly struck Cyan, who was walking right next to him, with a low kick. Eugene lectured Cyan, ¡°Rx that face of yours, you bastard. Then, while you loosen up that expression, stretch out your shoulders as well. Why are you acting so stiff when you¡¯re the one who stubbornly insisted on following along?¡± Cyan protested, ¡°Why on earth would you hit me¡­?!¡± ¡°To get you to rx,¡± Eugene replied with a shrug. ¡­Perhaps he was just overthinking things? Lovellian had a puzzled expression on his face as he tried to ovep the suspicion that had risen in his head with Eugene¡¯s current appearance. Deep down, Lovellian suspected that Eugene Lionheart had to be the reincarnation of the Great Vermouth. Yet when he saw Eugene like this¡­ he felt that that couldn¡¯t be the case. The Great Vermouth, whose tales had been passed down through legends, just didn¡¯t seem to ovep with this image of Eugene Lionheart. Instead, his casual and smirking appearance more closely resembled that of Stupid Hamel. ¡®But that would truly be impossible,¡¯ Lovellian thought dismissively. For the Great Vermouth to be reincarnated as a descendant of his own bloodline would be hard to believe, but it still seemed somewhat usible. However, how on earth could the Stupid Hamel have been reincarnated as a Lionheart, a family to whom he had no connection whatsoever? The souls of the deceased were supposed to flow into the afterlife ording to the naturalws of the world. ¡®Unless some lunatic were to go against the natural order of things and forcibly retrieve the soul of the Stupid Hamel¡­,¡¯ Lovellian gave it some more thought, but it still seemed absolutely ridiculous. Lovellian tried hard to ignore the eerie shivers running down his back. Eugene turned and asked, ¡°Has there been any further news regarding Balzac Ludbeth?¡± Lovellina btedly responded, ¡°Ah¡­ no, there hasn¡¯t been any news. He simply followed procedure and submitted a leave of absence fifteen days ago before leaving the ck Tower of Magic.¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t know where he went, right?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°We can be sure that he did leave Aroth. But honestly speaking, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s Balzac who devised this scheme. While I do agree with you that Balzac is a suspicious individual, if he were toe up with a scheme like this¡­ he wouldn¡¯t be acting so tantly as he is,¡± Lovellian surmised. ¡°That does make sense. For some reason, I get the image of Balzac conducting human experimentation in his secret, undisclosedboratory somewhere,¡± Melkith said with a chuckle. [How frustrating. Kristina, go and give Hamel a pat on the butt,] Anise suddenly instructed. Kristina gave a startled, ¡®Huh?¡¯ [When it was just the two of us traveling with Hamel, I was able toe out as I pleased, but since our party has grown, I¡¯m no longer able toe out freely,] Anise exined. ¡®Since when did you care about something like that?¡¯ Kristina asked. ¡®It¡¯s alright for you toe out if you want to, Sister. As long as you¡¯re careful to not call Sir Eugene, Hamel, that is.¡¯ Anise refused, [No, I won¡¯te out. If there¡¯s a situation where I have to step in, I¡¯ll have no choice but toe out¡­ yet if at all possible, I n to leave it up to you this time.] Anise¡¯s words were sincere. Just like how Eugene had caught the scent of war, Anise had also detected the smell of the battlefield. Anise was familiar with war. However, Kristina was still a stranger to war. [...You¡¯ll have to see a lot of corpses in this forest. You¡¯ll be learning how brutal war is, what you, as a single cleric, can do on the battlefield, and how small of an existence you really are when facing the ruthlessness of war,] Anise warned. Kristina remained silent. [I hope you won¡¯t get broken by the first war you see. Instead, I hope it will be an experience that will help you grow. Kristina, my immediate advice for you is¡­ get rid of your arrogant desire to save everyone.] ¡®Yes, Sister,¡¯ Kristina responded inside her head as she kept staring at Eugene¡¯s back. Kristina had vowed that she would follow him. She had decided that she would always see the same things that Eugene saw. It wasn¡¯t the same as a Saint¡¯s duty to follow the Hero. It was Kristina Rogeris who had decided to follow Eugene Lionheart. When she recalled these memories, Kristina¡¯s face seemed to heat up a little. While fanning her hands to cool down her flushed face, Kristina hastened her steps. * * * ¡°If at all possible, I wish I could look a little more human,¡± Hector muttered with a twisted expression. It was a validint. Even in the most polite terms, Hector¡¯s current appearance couldn¡¯t be described as anything close to human. The number of Hector¡¯s arms that should have stopped at two had been increased to six, and of those added arms, two seemed to have once belonged to some kind of vicious monster. The lower half of his body also had monster legs instead of human legs. In order to bnce his increased number of arms, Hector¡¯s torso had to berger and thicker, and on top of all that, the face was also ugly. A voice asked, ¡°Does your body not feel right?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve gotten somewhat used to it. I just don¡¯t like the way it looks,¡± Hectorined. ¡°Don¡¯t be too dissatisfied. After all, I created it to fit the shape of your soul, so it is the ideal body for you,¡± the voice revealed. Hector Lionheart¡¯s body had died and disintegrated. Right at that moment, Hector¡¯s soul had been summoned by the ck wizard he was contracted to, Edmond Codreth. It had already been a year since that had happened. The shape of his soul, huh? Hector clicked his tongue in disappointment as he red down at his body. He had only recently obtained this body after being forced to exist solely as a soul. This hideous body may have given up all resemnce to humanity, but it was all the stronger for it, and he could also move easily in it. At first, it had been awkward and strange to learn how to handle having six arms, but now he had gottenpletely used to it. Hector lightly shook his six arms around as he turned to look at their surroundings. He was currently within a spacious arena, but there were no opponents to be seen. Edmond was the only one sitting in the spectator stands. Usually, this was where the Kochi Tribe¡¯s ves were forced to kill each other in order to survive. Perhaps because this was a tribe whose culture was based on a hierarchy of cruelty, there were traces of that cruelty everywhere. Each grain of soil gave off the smell of blood. A fence made up of human bones had been erected in front of the walls of the arena. The bodies of those who had died here yesterday were hanging from the ends of long skewers that had been erected like decorations. Hector didn¡¯t really feel any revulsion to this. His calm reaction to everything actually surprised even himself. ¡°Ugh,¡± a raspy voice suddenly broke the silence. A man who had just entered the spectator stands scowled down at Hector and said, ¡°You really do look awful. It makes me want to kill you.¡± Edmond interjected, ¡°I thought I told you the time beforehand, so just where did you go?¡± ¡°Out for a walk,¡± the man said curtly. Though his hands may have been wiped clean, there was a strong scent of blood wafting from the man. Edmond gave a wry smile and shrugged his shoulders. ¡°If you wanted to take a walk, it can¡¯t be helped. Thank you foring regardless.¡± ¡°So what now? Is it okay if I kill that thing?¡± the man asked, raising one finger and pointing at Hector. ¡°No, you can¡¯t kill him,¡± Edmond denied. ¡°I will still need to test the performance and stress limits of that body afterward.¡± ¡°But you wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call me for something like this, right? Don¡¯t make such an obvious excuse. You just want to take a look at my skills,¡± the man said with a sneer. ¡°Of course, that is one of my reasons for calling you here,¡± Edmond readily admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t really want to y along. If it wasn¡¯t for my Master¡¯s request, I would kill you too,¡± the man spat out, his lips twisting into a scowl, but Edmond just grinned in response. ¡°Please understand my feelings,¡± Edmond politely requested. ¡°Isn¡¯t it only natural that I would want to see the famed skills of the Stupid Ham¡ª¡± Before Edmond had even finished speaking, the man ¡ª no, Hamel had closed the distance in an instant and thrust his sword toward Edmond¡¯s throat. ¡°Don¡¯t call me that,¡± the man hissed, his eyes glinting dully. The de was touching his Adam¡¯s apple, but Edmond¡¯splexion was still as calm as ever. ¡°I know you¡¯ve provided a lot of help in my creation. However, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re my master. Do you get what I¡¯m saying? If not, let me spell it out for you. Watch your mouth,¡± the man growled. Edmond shrugged his shoulders slightly and nodded, ¡°Understood, I¡¯ll be more careful.¡± The man snorted and lowered his sword. He then jumped down in front of Hector, who was still standing in the arena and threw the sword he was holding behind him. ¡°Your sword?¡± Hector said questioningly. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll need to use a sword to deal with a bastard like you?¡± the man sneered. Without making any further response, Hector took up a stance. The man chuckled as he scanned Hector, who was now holding a sword in each of his six hands, from head to toe, and said, ¡°This reminds me of the old days.¡± Chapter 279: Ivatar Jahav (5)

Chapter 279: Ivatar Jahav (5)

One of the great heroes from three hundred years ago ¡ª Hamel Dynas. Among the demonfolk of Helmuth, those high-ranking demons who had lived through that era called him Hamel the Exterminator. However, instead of the nickname Hamel the Exterminator, Edmond, who wasn¡¯t a demonfolk, was more familiar with the nickname the Stupid Hamel. ¡®As I¡¯d expected,¡¯Edmond thought as he stood with his hands behind his back and looked down into the arena. This wasn¡¯t really the Stupid Hamel himself. Hamel¡¯s tomb had been discovered in the desert by Amelia Merwin. Excavating that site, she found a corpse that hadn¡¯t rotted even after hundreds of years and made it into a Death Knight. ¡®She¡¯s still the same,¡¯Edmond judged. Amelia Merwin had a particr stubborn tendency. Perhaps because she herself was just such an existence, Amelia was obsessed with aberrant existences. The Inquisitor from the Maleficarum she was currently toying with was just hertest obsession. Outwardly, the Inquisitor possessed a human appearance, but her body was actually a chimera that had been cultivated using a vampire as its base. Amelia had also told him that the soul hadn¡¯t even originally been born into that body but was instead a soul that had been inserted into it during the cultivation process. Edmond had also heard about this Death Knight from a while back. After being lucky enough to dig up the perfect material with which to make a Death Knight, Amelia had made several attempts at using it. At first, she had even infused it with the soul of a beastfolk, which was more aggressive than a human¡¯s and possessed stronger fighting instincts. But the rejection from using a soul of apletely different race from the body had proven too strong, so from then on, she began using a lycanthrope¡¯s soul. Lycanthropes were a species that had mutated from humans, and thanks to that, she was able to get some decent results. Amelia herself wasn¡¯t really satisfied with the ultimate oue, but she had still grown attached to it over the years and called it herPet. Yet after all that, it had been ruined. Eugene Lionheart, who had suddenly barged into the tomb, destroyed Amelia¡¯s cherished Death Knight. During the process, the soul was destroyed, but fortunately, Hamel¡¯s corpse remained intact. Amelia decided to change her methods. In the process of doing so, Edmond, a fellow member of the so-called Three Mages of Incarceration, and the current Staff of Incarceration, provided her with a lot of help. If Amelia could just give up on her stubborn insistence, she could have infused the corpse with a human soul that possessed a high level of conformity with the body. If she felt like her Death Knight¡¯s skills werecking, she could have just killed one of the most skilled knights on the continent and stolen their soul. However, Amelia hadn¡¯t wanted to use such a method. She still clung to the idea of creating an aberrant, twisted existence, one that the world would never ept ¡ª a being that should never have been born. After many experiments and failed attempts, Amelia finally created the Death Knight below. She used a demonic beast that could reflect and imitate its prey¡¯s appearance, thenbined that with the soul of a doppelganger. By doing so, the perfectly preserved, dposing brain of Hamel¡¯s corpse was copied onto the doppelganger¡¯s soul. So this thing wasn¡¯t really the Stupid Hamel, the great hero from three hundred years ago. Strictly speaking, it was just a lunatic that believed it was Hamel. However, this Death Knight actually deserved to call itself Hamel. Possessing Hamel¡¯s body, it was able to copy all of Hamel¡¯s own experiences and memories. Of course, for the sake ofplete obedience, Hamel¡¯s desire for vengeance against all demonfolk had been pruned. By inscribing new memories in a way that was no different from forceful brainwashing, Amelia even made the Death Knight ept her as its Master wholeheartedly. That was how this Death Knight had been created. A puppet warrior who was loyal to its master, Amelia Merwin, and followed her everymand, having lost the original¡¯s unrelenting desire to kill all demonfolks. ¡°Shall I continue?¡± the Death Knight asked, turning his head to look up at Edmond. It was only wearing a simple set of armor. Because it had copied its body¡¯s former habits, the Death Knight had a dislike of heavy and cumbersome armor. As for its weapons, rather than having any special set of weapons, it preferred weapons that it didn¡¯t have to worry about keeping intact and having a variety of weapons on hand. This variety of weapons avable to the Death Knight included its own bare hands. It had taken less than ten minutes for the Death Knight topletely dismantle Hector¡¯s monstrous body. Although Hector¡¯s body, which had been endowed with a powerful regenerative ability, had continued to regenerate even after pieces were plucked off, torn apart, and crushed, each time Hector healed himself, the Death Knight would justugh happily and repeat its previous efforts of destroying and dismantling his opponent. ¡°You¡¯ve done enough,¡± Edmond responded with a smile. Hector was strewn across the ground, unable to regenerate any longer, but that wasn¡¯t anything to worry about. His soul hadn¡¯t been damaged; his mind was just slightly frayed from the repeated bouts of pain and shock. If the damage was just that much, Edmond could easily fix it with just one lift of his finger. Still, since Hector was a subordinate he quite valued, he should at least say something for form¡¯s sake. ¡°I think you may have been a bit excessive,¡± Edmond added. At this, the Death Knight let out a snort and crushed Hector¡¯s head, which it had ripped from his body beneath its foot. The Death Knight gave a feeble excuse, ¡°I tried to swat him around lightly, but before I knew it, my hands grew a bit too heavy. It can¡¯t be helped. This bastard, he¡¯s a Lionheart, isn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Edmond nodded. ¡°Although he¡¯s not from the main line.¡± ¡°As long as even one drop of blood from that son of a bitch, Vermouth flowed through his veins, then I have a problem with him,¡± the Death Knight sneered. ~ You died after being betrayed by yourrades. In yourst moments, Vermouth¡¯s sword pierced your heart. Your colleagues all betrayed you. After three hundred years have passed, you, who once fought against the Demon Kings, and your death are now being treated as a joke. No one knows about yourrades¡¯ ugly betrayal of you or the fact that they didn¡¯t even fight the Demon King of Incarceration. Instead, yourrades struck a deal with the Demon King of Incarceration for their own safety. The Demon King of Incarceration took pity on you and preserved your body and soul. Then, your new existence was bestowed upon you by Amelia Merwin. ~ These were the memories that Amelia had imnted. The Death Knight, who believed himself to be Hamel, had not the slightest doubt about his memories. He was grateful to the Demon King and also to his master, Amelia Merwin. He also hated his formerrades and held an especially strong grudge against the Lionhearts. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for the fact that you betrayed your family, I would have ended youpletely,¡± the Death Knight whispered to Hector, who was writhing on the ground as he slowly regenerated. Brushing off his blood-soaked hands, the Death Knight climbed back into the stands. ¡°It¡¯s aggravating to have ones such as you who doubt my skills, but since you¡¯re a friend of my Master, I¡¯ve put up with it for now. But there is no next time. Don¡¯t bother to call me if there isn¡¯t a battle,¡± the Death Knight warned. ¡°I¡¯ll be careful to do so,¡± Edmond promised. ¡°The world really has gotten so much more peaceful. To think that a petty ck wizard like you would dare to snicker to himself in front of me,¡± the Death Knight snorted as he walked past Edmond. Edmond also had to swallow hisughter as he watched the Death Knight leave. Although that might just have been how it was created¡­ honestly speaking, it was hard for Edmond to hold back augh whenever it said such things. With its twisted memories and one-sided hatred, even though it wasn¡¯t Hamel himself, it still believed it was Hamel. It talked as if it still held a hatred for ck wizards and demonfolks, but the Death Knight didn''t really possess those sorts of feelings. Even so, the Death Knight still ranted about his hatred for ck wizards and demonfolks. The Death Knight was faithfully acting ording to its own copied memories. ¡°Worthy of Amelia¡¯s love,¡± Edmond mumbled. Such an incongruity was exactly the kind of thing that Amelia stubbornly insisted on clinging to. Could it be that even a terrifying witch like her couldn¡¯t resist her own innate nature? Edmond snickered to himself as he shook a finger. Hector¡¯s body, which had been torn to pieces and scattered, melted into liquid all at once. Then the liquid all gathered together before reforming back into an intact figure. ¡°How was it?¡± Edmond asked with a wide smile. As Hector stood there stiffly, the light slowly returned to his eyes. Eventually, Hector asked, ¡°Can you really control that thing?¡± There wasn¡¯t any pain remaining in his body. However, just recalling what had happened was enough to make Hector tremble in fear. That thing was demonic. No other words came to mind to describe that Death Knight. Hector was someone who had confidence in his skills. In the first ce, he had once been evaluated as the most talented individual in all of the Lionheart¡¯s coteral lines. In Ruhr, where he trained as a knight, he had been appointed as an honorary knight of the White Fangs, who were indispensable whenever it came to discussing the strongest knightly orders on the continent. That was how his skills had been evaluated in hisprevious life. Yet Hector hadn¡¯t ever revealed his true talent. And now, he had even been given a body that was overwhelmingly superior and stronger than any human¡¯s, but he was still no match for the Death Knight. No matter what methods Hector used to attack, they were blocked with a sneer and then ruthlessly trampled upon. ¡°It¡¯s very well-made, isn¡¯t it?¡± Edmond said with augh. ¡°It has perfectly reproduced the fighting ability of the great hero, the Stupid Hamel. Now that his dead body has been made into a Death Knight, it should even be iparably stronger than when he was alive. In exchange for not being able to use any mana, it now has free use of dark power. But is that really it? What makes that Death Knight especially exceptional is that it still has a lot of room for growth.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking. Are you really able to control that?¡± Hector repeated his doubts. Edmond sneered, ¡°Since it¡¯s me you¡¯re asking, the answer to that seemed so obvious that I didn¡¯t even bother replying¡­. Haha, I¡¯m now certain that you really don¡¯t know anything about magic. You¡¯re asking if I can control him? Of course, I can. In the end, that thing is just a Death Knight and such a being can never go against the Master and Servant Contract.¡± ¡°However, Sir Edmond, the owner of that Death Knight, isn¡¯t you, but Amelia Merwin, right?¡± Hector brought up cautiously. The ritual being prepared in the Rainforest was an important ritual thathadto seed, not just for Edmond¡¯s sake but for Hector¡¯s as well. Hector had be fascinated with the current Staff of Incarceration¡¯s secret desire. He may have already died as a human, but if it was for the sake of Edmond¡¯s ambition, Hector was so determined to guarantee its sess that he was even prepared to die a few more times. But, there were too many uncertainties about the sess of this ritual. For example, the ck Dragon¡¯s sinister intent that had polluted the entirend within the Rainforest. Edmond was confident that he would actually be able to make use of it and keep it under control, but Hector, who was ignorant of magic, had difficulties sympathizing with his confidence. And was that all? It was also hard to believe that the dubious Dungeon Master of the Desert was being transparent in her cooperation with Edmond. ¡°Amelia and I are not enemies,¡± Edmon said reassuringly as he stroked his beard andughed. ¡°Instead¡­ we¡¯re actually in a position to cooperate with each other for the sake of our respective desires. Listen carefully, Hector. For a magician, their secret desire is an ideal that must be achieved, even if it means putting their entire life¡¯s work into fulfilling it. Still, it doesn¡¯t necessarily have to be something that requires them topete with other wizards for it.¡± ¡°Is that the case?¡± Hector said with a frown. ¡°After all, the direction that our respective desires take us isn¡¯t necessarily the same. That¡¯s why Amelia and I are able to cooperate so amicably. After fulfilling my secret desire with Amelia¡¯s help, I have made a promise to help Amelia with fulfilling hers,¡± Edmond revealed. He and Amelia had known each other for a very long time. The two were well aware of how vastly different the aims of their respective desires were. There was no reason for either of them to betray the other when it came to this matter. ¡°I helped her in the creation of that Death Knight,¡± Edmond added. ¡°I¡¯ve only borrowed it temporarily to reinforce our forces here. Once everything is over, that Death Knight will be returned to Amelia once more. Also, when Amelia wishes for it, I will offer her my help.¡± Eventually, Hector said, ¡°I know what your secret desire is. However, I don¡¯t know what Amelia Merwin¡¯s secret desire is.¡± Edmond replied, ¡°Her secret desire is quiteplex, but¡­ to put it simply, Amelia wants strength.¡± ¡°Strength?¡± Hector repeated in confusion. Even if Edmond was trying to abbreviate his exnation, wasn¡¯t that a bittooshort? As such, Hector couldn¡¯t understand what Edmond meant by those words. In the first ce, it was questionable that a wizard on the same level as Amelia Merwin would desire even more strength. ¡°A great amount of strength,¡± Edmond rified with a smile as he stood up. ¡°As I¡¯m not her, it would be impolite for me to borate any further on the nature of her secret desire. However, you should also be able to see why we are working together. Once everything in this forest ispleted, I will¡­ haha, I will be a helper who can provide the great strength that Amelia requires.¡± ¡°Can you really seed?¡± Hector asked with a worried expression. Edmond¡¯s smile deepened, and his voice grew more forceful, ¡°Of course. All variables have been taken into ount.¡± Eward Lionheart had obtained a spell from the Remnants of the Demon Kings. It could reconstruct the soul and create a new body. Eward had almost seeded in bing a beingparable to a Demon King by taking in the Remnants of the Demon Kings and transcending into a Spirit King of Darkness. However, he had failed. Eward himself was the biggest variable. It was all because a snot-nosed brat like him had gotten his hands on far more power than he could control. The evil intent of the Demon Kings that had decayed into those Remnants had desired the blood and soul of the Lionheart n¡¯s main line as a sacrifice due to their hatred for the hero, Vermouth. Yes, something likethatwas all that they needed. If you thought about it differently, it actually would be surprising if Eward could havepleted the transformation of the Remnants of the Demon Kings and be a new Demon King with just that number of sacrifices. To a certain extent, it was because Eward had had the Remnants of the Demon Kings working with him. However, Edmond had neither a Spirit of Darkness nor any Remnant of the Demon Kings. Even so, Edmond would not fail. He knew the function of the spell. He had repurposed and supplemented the entire ritual. Therge scale of the spell itself was an indication of just how special Edmond¡¯s ns for it were¡­. Arge number of sacrifices would be required, but even if thest remaining seeds of the natives in this forest were to dry up, the eyes of the continent wouldn¡¯t be drawn to this ce immediately. ¡®What great luck,¡¯Edmond had celebrated when he copied the spell from Hector¡¯s memory. While feeling like he had been blessed by the God that he didn¡¯t even believe in, Edmond was delighted by the results of that night. This was a spell that Edmond himself hadn¡¯t been able toplete even after decades of research spent pursuing it. He never thought that he would actually be able to receive assistance from the Remnants of the Demon Kings who had died three hundred years ago. His luck didn¡¯t stop there. Edmond had always wondered where the ck Dragon Raizakia, one of the Three Dukes, a powerful existence of such caliber, could have disappeared to. He would never have thought that all traces of Raizakia¡¯s presence would have been embedded into thisnd. ¡®It was also a huge turn of luck that the grave of that stupid lizard happened to be here,¡¯Edmond thought with satisfaction. Raizakia¡¯s evil intent had thoroughly polluted thisnd. In actuality, it seemed that instead of dying, Raizakia was wandering around in a dimensional rift somewhere, but happily, that just made it easier for Edmond to make use of these circumstances. When thend of the Rainforest was used as the base for his spell, it would draw in Raizakia¡¯s dark power as well as the power of the leylines below. Countless souls would also be offered as sacrifices, and Edmond had be the Staff of Incarceration due to being valued for his magical power. He could also draw on the dark power stored within dmir, which had been crafted using a whole Dragonheart. On top of that, he would even be drawing on the dark power of Raizakia, an Ancient Dragon turned Demon Dragon! There was no way he could fail with all these on his side. That said, Edmond wasn¡¯t going to rush anything. For the sake of perfect sess, human bone towers were still being built throughout the Rainforest, even now, to serve as catalysts for the ritual. They would create streams of blood with the ability to bind souls that would flow through the whole forest. ¡®Theoretically, I¡¯ll even be able to absorb the power of the World Tree and make it my own,¡¯Edmond thought greedily. If Eward¡¯s ritual had seeded, he could have be a Demon King, but it still would have been pretty close. For Eward to actually be a Demon King, it would have required the best-case scenario. Once this ritual was sessful, Edmond would be reborn as a being even greater than a Demon King. He would obtain the power of a true greater Demon King, not one of the lower-ranking Demon Kings. Edmond would abandon his existence as a weak, mediocre, and grossly overpopted human being and be a greater Demon King, one that waspletely in tune with its nature. He had no regrets about leaving behind his life as a human. Should he be reborn as a greater Demon King or remain a human? Was there even a need to consider the question? Edmond was confident in his sess, and he had the ability to make it happen. ¡°If it¡¯s me, then I can surely do it,¡± Edmond muttered with a self-assured smile. This was a deration of his confidence. Hector quietly followed behind Edmond, keeping his head bowed. ¡®This will change everything,¡¯Hector silently thought to himself. He would no longer be forced to live the life of a coteral bloodline whose abilities would never receive the full recognition they deserved. Hector had never been one to rest on hisurels, but he hadn¡¯t had the ability needed to overturn the Lionhearts, an immense and prestigious n of warriors, so he had restrained himself. Even though he was praised as the best among all the coteral bloodlines, his heart had always felt empty. No matter how much acknowledgment he received, Hector felt that, in the end, he was just a member of a coteral bloodline. Someone who would never be in a position to learn the White me Form that their great ancestor had passed down. While he was wandering around with this aching hole in his heart, Hector was contacted by Edmond. Edmond had recognized Hector¡¯s ability and had shown him a future that he would never be able to achieve by himself. Edmond told Hector that if he couldn¡¯t receive the recognition he craved from his n, he should just abandon them. Instead of the Lionhearts of the continent, Hector could proudly erect a new Lionheart n in Helmuth. The history of the Lionheart n, which was over three hundred years old, would be insignificant tales in the era of the new Demon King. Even as these two were dreaming up pictures of their future, full of confidence, battles were taking ce all throughout the forest. Warriors of the Kochi Tribe, who were wearing masks made from human skin, were raiding the lesser tribes. Whenever these raiding parties had too many hostages to bring back to the tribe, they reduced the number of their prisoners with impromptu massacres. These warriors followed the practices that Edmond had thoroughly trained in them. They would cut the hostages¡¯ chests open with ck magic daggers that they had been given and pull out the hearts while their victims were still alive. Then, without needing anyone to draw the blood, the dagger would guide the blood from the sacrifices and use the harvested blood as another cog of the ritual. The blood would seep down into the soil. Gathering deep underground, the blood would start flowing like an underground water vein. After that, the warriors would chop up the corpses whose souls had been stripped from them, dig out the bones, and use them to build a tower¡­. ¡°As I thought,¡± a man muttered as he crouched down on a site where such a massacre had taken ce. In a vige that was overflowing with blood, the man wearing a hooded robe stood up. He approached the tall human bone tower that had been erected at the center of the vige and examined it while rubbing his chin. ¡°I¡¯ve got a good idea of how you reinterpreted the spell. Edmond, as your friend, I can¡¯t help but admire your sense of magic,¡± the man distractedlyplimented. It was Balzac Ludbeth. He knew what the purpose of these human bone towers was. These towers weren¡¯t just totems that the natives from the Kochi Tribe had constructed out of cruelty. These human bone towers would connect to the rivers of blood flowing underground and guide them to flow in the right direction. ¡°This is a spell that I would never dare to think of, let alone actually attempt,¡± Balzac admitted to himself with a wry smile. Although they might be called by the shared title of the Three Mages of Incarceration, it was Edmond Codreth who possessed the greatest ability as awizard. That was why Edmond had been named the Staff of Incarceration and had been bestowed with dmir. Balzac was aware that he fell far short of Edmond as a wizard. He had managed to reconfirm that just now. In the first ce, as a ck wizard, Balzac Ludbeth didn¡¯t have any particr advantage or strength whenpared to Amelia and Edmond. Nevertheless, the Demon King of Incarceration had still signed a contract with Balzac. In other words, Balzac had to have a talent that was worthy of catching the great Demon King¡¯s eyes. Balzac himself was well aware of what this talent was. He had been aware of it for a long time now, from back when he was still a member of the Blue Tower of Magic. Balzac Ludbeth was good at deception. Chapter 280: Ivatar Jahav (6)

Chapter 280: Ivatar Jahav (6)

A few years ago, when Kristina and Eugene crossed the Samar Rainforest by themselves, Eugene had many things that he needed to be cautious of. At that time, their purpose had been to search for Sienna, who had gone into seclusion, by investigating the elven territory. Along the way, they had even managed to discover a vige of wandering elves. In order to avoid any unnecessary disputes, they had circled around any of the native tribes, and it had also taken them a long time to search here and there. This time, however, there wasn¡¯t any need for all that caution. The one leading the way for them was Ivatar, who was familiar with the paths leading through this incredibly vast forest. Though rather than being familiar with the paths, it would be more urate to say that the forest itself was opening up a path for Ivatar. Ivatar was simply walking forward, but the densely packed trees would move their trunks aside as if they were alive and open a new path for him. The rough, muddy ground that was hard to walk on would also be t and hard as soon as Ivatar raised his foot above it. Not only that, but the ground itself pulled his feet forward, and the wind pushed against his back. ¡°This is the Blessing of the Forest that is passed down through the Chieftains of the Zoran Tribe,¡± Ivatar exined. The natives of Samar were loved by the forest and its primal spirits. Yet among all the signs of affection the forest showed to the natives, its Blessing was the most tant and strongest expression of its love. It was a power that could be described as the ancestor of all spirit magic and had been passed down since time immemorial. Ivatar hadn¡¯t yet been ready to inherit this power when they first met a few years ago, but as the situation in this forest became increasingly unstable, and Ivatar came of age, the Divine Blessing had been passed down to him. This time, there was no need for their party to circle around the other tribes. The natives were extremely sensitive to any vitions of their tribe¡¯s territories, but Ivatar was able to simply lead them straight through the other tribes¡¯nds without paying any attention to all that. This was because the Zorans were one of thergest tribes in the forest, and Ivatar had already been confirmed as the next Chieftain of the tribe after participating in a ceremonial duel. Lovellian¡¯s summoned creatures were also of great help. The horses he summoned were able to move swiftly without slowing down, even in theplex terrain of this forest. Thanks to that, in the mere week since they had left the trade city, their party had already been able to arrive at the territory of the Zoran Tribe thaty deep within the forest. Among all the tribes that Eugene had seen in this forest, the Zoran Tribe held thergest territory. This was partly thanks to the fact that the Rainforest itself was so vast, but this tribe¡¯s territory was indeedrger than most noble territories Eugene had seen. After entering the outskirts of the tribe¡¯s territory, they walked for another day and a half. Even in the outskirts, there were already warriors standing guard, and after passing through dozens of viges, they were finally close to the capital city of the Zoran Tribe. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Mer, who was riding one of the summoned beasts, turned to look back at Eugene with a worried expression on her face. ¡°She keeps acting weird.¡± Raimira was riding in front of Mer on the same saddle. Even though Mer kept tantly bullying Raimira, perhaps because they had so many things inmon, they kept getting closer to each other by the day. While they usually followed a pattern where Raimira would arrogantly say something that revealed how ignorant she was of the world, only for Mer to poke holes in her pride, they actually got along quite well and had even ridden on the same summoned beast the whole time that the party traveled through the forest. Raimira immediately tried to reply, ¡°This Lady is fine¡­,¡± but her voice didn¡¯t have its usual strength. Eugene stared at Raimira¡¯s face, which had paled drastically. Her condition had started to turn strange from the previous night. While she was sleeping, Raimira had suddenly woken up with a scream, and after that, she wasn¡¯t able to resume her calm rest and kept suffering from nightmares[1]. Even after waking up, she couldn¡¯t muster the strength needed to take a drink of water properly, let alone eat, and her body kept shivering while letting out so much cold sweat it was as if she had been caught in the rain. That was still the case even now. Raimira was sitting with her head resting against Mer¡¯s chest as Mer gently supported her shoulders. Raimira¡¯s lips, which she kept chewing, weren¡¯t split open, but the teeth marks left on them were deep and swollen red. Her bangs were also drenched in sweat and hanging limply down her forehead. Raimira tried to make an excuse, ¡°This Lady¡­ ever since this Lady was born, I have never left my pce. That means I was like a flower that had grown inside a greenhouse. As such, for one such as this Lady to have left my vi and trekked across this hot and sticky forest, it is like I am being subjected to severe torture¡­, so it is only natural for my body to be in such a poor state.¡± ¡°A dragon like you?¡± Eugene pointed out skeptically. ¡°This Lady doesn¡¯t see this as an issue that has anything to do with whether or not I am a dragon,¡± Raimira sniffed. ¡°This is¡­ this is not a physical issue; it is a mental one.¡± She wasn¡¯t entirely wrong. Kristina and Anise were also among the members of the party. When Raimira¡¯s condition had turned strangest night, the two had immediately checked her status, but Raimira¡¯s abnormality seemed to have nothing to do with her body. Eugene sighed, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any idea what is causing this.¡± Raimira was startled, ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± ¡°Your father is watching you,¡± Eugene revealed with a smirk. If he had toe up with a reason for Raimira¡¯s condition to suddenly turn strange, then that was the only reason he could think of. After entering the Rainforest, Euguene kept periodically checking with the Draconic spell. As he had initially thought, he concluded that it would be impossible to open a doorway to Raizakia from the outskirts of the forest. From the moment he was banished to an external dimension, even someone like Raizakia couldn¡¯t help but be desperate. Out of a tenacious desire to save his life and someday return to this world, Raizakia had somehow tied his own existence to the Rainforest. Eugene had confirmed that the deeper they went into the forest, the stronger the connection that was detected, but it seemed that they would still have to go all the way to the center of the forest in order to open the doorway. As they got closer, close enough to check Raiziakia¡¯s current condition from this side of the dimensional wall, that tenacious ck dragon should also be able to extend his senses towards them from the other direction. Especially since they had brought Raimira with them; the ruby embedded in her forehead was once part of Raizakia¡¯s Dragonheart. Eugene prodded, ¡°If it¡¯s a psychological factor that is causing these abnormalities in your condition, you must have a vague sense ofwhythat is, right?¡± Raimira whimpered, ¡°Uwuuuuu¡­.¡± Eugene kept pressing, ¡°When I asked you yesterday, didn¡¯t you say you just had a bad dream? But was that really all that it was? Do you really not remember what you saw in your dream?¡± Raimira¡¯s eyes shook with anxiety. Eugene¡¯s words were correct. Although Raimira had said that she didn¡¯t remember, in fact, she could vaguely recall the contents of her dream. Raimira thought back to that dark gloom. It had been so dark that she couldn¡¯t even see her own body, and the darkness she was in had a sticky and unpleasant quality to it. She had thought that she was just standing there nkly, all by herself, but that wasn¡¯t the case. Something had been staring at Raimira from the other side of that dark space. She had tried to escape due to instinctive misgiving and fear, but in Raimira¡¯s dream, it had been impossible for her to escape. Your existence is all to serve me. Raimiria heard these words in the voice of the ck Dragon ¡ª her own father¡ª a voice that had been deeply engraved into her memories. The darkness that slowly encroached, no, the darkness that had already engulfed Raimira in the first ce grew increasingly heavier with an added sense of hostility and greed. At that moment, the darkness around her seemed to have changed. This change wasn¡¯t something that she had ever experienced in her life, so Raimira couldn¡¯t really tell whatthatfeeling had been. Nevertheless, this had led Raimira to understand what her current situation in the dream had been. Raimira was actually trapped in the mouth ofsomething. She was still alive and in good condition, but she had somehow entered the mouth of a gigantic creature¡­ and she was now sitting on its frigid tongue. The mouth¡¯s sharp fangs didn¡¯t chew her up, nor did the mouth try to swallow her. Yet instead of reassuring her, this filled Raimira with even greater fear. She was about to be swallowed alive in just a single gulp. ¡°Heeeeek¡­,¡± Raimira squeaked. She really didn¡¯t want to recall that nightmare. After waking up once, Raimira had tried to go back to sleep. That nightmare hadn¡¯t repeated itself; instead, she had nightmares that left her feeling even worse and had worn out her consciousness. From a ce outside of this world, someone was ring at Raimira. Although he wasn¡¯t able to reach out to her directly, it felt like her soul was getting pulled to him from the touch of his gaze alone¡­. Mer felt sorry for the trembling and shaking Raimira. As such, she gently reached out and patted the crown of Raimira¡¯s head. At some point, Kristina had also approached Raimira while mounted on her own summoned beast. As Kristina gently rubbed the back of Raimira¡¯s hands and Mer patted the top of her head, Raimira¡¯s trembling gradually eased. ¡°I-I know what¡¯s going on,¡± Raimira sobbed once she had reopened her eyes and started ring at Eugene. ¡°You wicked human. You¡¯re definitely the one who¡¯s invading this Lady¡¯s head.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°What are you talking about now?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way that the nightmare I saw can be anything but a lie,¡± Raimira insisted. ¡°The only one who would benefit from showing me such a dream is you, Eugene Lionheart.¡± Raimira¡¯s words weren¡¯t just spouted at random. What reason would the ck Dragon have for swallowing his daughter whole? So it must be that this sinister hero had an evil n to create a rift between her and her father, the ck Dragon. Seeing Eugene¡¯s fists begin to tremble, Lovellian and Kristina quickly chimed in. ¡°Sir Eugene, please hold it in.¡± ¡°You have to hold on to your temper.¡± Anise disagreed, [Why should he hold back? Even if she¡¯s right, after saying such unpleasant things about you, you should still give her a taste of discipline.] Melkith and Cyan also gave their different opinions. ¡°After all, isn¡¯t it rare to get the opportunity to smack a dragon on its head?¡± ¡°If I behaved like that, would you hold back?¡± Bam! Before Eugene could even step forward to do so, Mer had struck Raimira on top of her head. ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Ivatar announced. This was the capital of the Zoran Tribe, a city that had been built within the forest. Even from this distance, the temple constructed from piled-up stones could be seen. It was a temple dedicated to the God of the Land, the dominant religion in Samar. Their pyramid-shaped temple was thergest and tallest structure in their capital. The other buildings were all low, square, and monotonous, much like those homes they had seen on their way here. The capital of the Zoran Tribe was huge. Of course, it couldn¡¯tpare to Kiehl¡¯s capital, but it was at least bigger than Eugene¡¯s hometown of Gidol. Eugene sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve only just now realized, but my hometown really is out in the country.¡± ¡°Are you able to admit that now?¡± Cyan asked as he turned back to look at Eugene with an aggrieved expression. ¡°Even though you insisted that it wasn¡¯t so when we were young, your body truly did smell like cow dung. When even a city like this, that¡¯s located inside of a forest, doesn¡¯t give off the smell of cow dung like you did.¡± ¡°Be quiet before I shove your face into a pile of dung,¡± Eugene threatened. Cyan was well aware that this wasn¡¯t just a verbal threat on Eugene¡¯s part. He quietly kept his mouth shut as he stared at the capital¡¯s walls with narrowed eyes. ¡°The mood feels strange,¡± Cyan observed. It wasn¡¯t a very weing atmosphere. The gates were closed, and the vignce of the guards on the walls was strong. The warriors guarding the walls, who had even put on their war paint, were ring down at them with fierce eyes. ¡°Are you going to make a move?¡± Eugene asked as he looked at Ivatar, who was standing in front of them. Eugene knew why the atmosphere was like this. Before they had even started traveling to Samar, he had heard the whole story from Ivatar. The air around Ivatar was also unusual. The muscles of his body were flexing hard enough to be seen with the naked eye, and his obvious disy of rage and killing intent was making the space around him seem to vibrate. ¡°Of course, I have to take action,¡± Ivatar ground out. Climbing off his summoned steed, Ivatar steadily strode forwards. ¡°Ivatar Jahav!¡± shouted a man loudly who was standing on top of the wall. Although he was slightly shorter than Ivatar, his especially rough-looking face made it seem like he could possibly be a crossbreed of a human and a gori. The man continued shouting, ¡°Even if you are the next chieftain, your actions cannot be tolerated!¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Ivatar calmly responded. ¡°This is a war that must be decided by the Zorans and our allies alone. However, you¡ª! You took advantage of the Patriarch¡¯s infirmity to act on your own volition!¡± the man used. ¡°Have you abandoned your pride as a Zoran!¡± All this shouting was getting annoying. It had been Ivatar¡¯s personal decision toe to the Lionhearts looking for help. During that first battle, in which both sides had retreated without being able to determine a victor or a loser, Ivatar¡¯s father, the Chieftain of the Zoran Tribe, had been mortally wounded and left on the brink of death. Ivatar had also participated in that first battle. They neither won nor lost, and no one managed to advance or retreat¡­. At the very least, that¡¯s what Ivatar insisted, but ¡ª the difference in strength could be felt right from the beginning. Kochis still had enough ck to keep forces in reserve. They didn¡¯t use any of the demonic beasts they had received as support from Helmuth, nor did they mobilize any of their wicked shamans. However, the Zorans also had cards that they hadn¡¯t yed yet. The battle had started all too quickly, so the gathering of their tribal alliance hadn¡¯t yet been fully finished. They also hadn¡¯t been able to perform their ceremonial prayer for victory to the God of the Land. Just like how the Kochis had yet to mobilize their shamans, the Zorans and their allied tribes were also keeping their shamans in reserve. The Zoran Tribe¡¯s elders and Ivatar¡¯s rtives, all warriors with strong senses of pride, as well as the chieftains of the allied tribes, had all insisted that they still had a chance of seizing victory. However, Ivatar couldn¡¯t agree with their point of view. During that first battle against the Kochi Tribe, Ivatar had foreseen the eventual destruction of the Zoran Tribe and the eradication of his fellow tribesmen. ¡°I received permission from my father,¡± Ivatar spat out. He had been certain that the Zorans and their allied tribes would not be able to defeat the Kochis alone. With faint hope, Ivatar had thought about getting help from Eugene, so after receiving the Chieftain¡¯s permission, he had left the forest. ¡°You dare speak of the Chieftain! My brother has already passed away. While you, his own son, were gallivanting away from the tribe! After suffering from the agony of his injuries, he finally entered the Land¡¯s embrace! When you weren¡¯t even here to take your ce at my brother¡¯s deathbed!¡± The man who revealed this tragedy was the same man who had first yelled at Ivatar. He was thete Chieftain¡¯s brother, as well as Ivatar¡¯s uncle. As his face contorted into a scowl, he usingly pointed his finger at his nephew, ¡°You say that you got permission from brother? There is no way that my brother, who always prioritized the honor and pride of the tribe, would allow these people from the outside to enter our sacred battlefield.¡± Eugene, who had been silently listening to all the shouting, suddenly spoke up, ¡°This is something that has been on my mind ever since the old days, but most bastards who spout on about things being sacred as a justification tend to be idiots.¡± ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± Kristina opened her lidded eyes and stared piercingly at Eugene. In the face of that, Eugene could only avoid Kristina¡¯s gaze and shut his mouth. ¡°Ivatar Jahav,¡± the uncle continued. ¡°You must have taken advantage of the Chieftain whose mind was clouded as hey dying.¡± ¡°What reason would I have to do something like that?¡± Ivatar responded. The man scoffed, ¡°There¡¯s no need to know your reason for doing so. Just by trying to involve outsiders in our war, you have single-handedly abandoned the honor entrusted to you by the Chieftain.¡± ¡°The Kochis are the ones who first drew in outsiders,¡± Ivatar pointed out. ¡°The Kochis are different than us. They may ept aid from Helmuth, but the Zoran Tribe has always rejected any help from outside the forest,¡± the uncle dered self-righteously. ¡°What if that leads us to lose the battle?¡± Ivatar tried to argue. ¡°We will not be defeated,¡± the uncle insisted. The arguments he was roaring were specious without a single trace of logic. Ivatar just shook his head with a vicious smile on his face. ¡°What do you want me to do?¡± Ivatar demanded. ¡°Leave the Zoran Tribe and never return,¡± his unclemanded. ¡°Did you really hate the fact you lost the position of the next Chieftain to your own nephew that much?¡± Ivatar asked mockingly. The uncle sneered, ¡°Do you really think that I am being blinded by such ambition? I am doing this for the honor and pride of our tribe.¡± Naturally, Ivatar didn¡¯t believe those words. Eugene and the other people standing behind Ivatar didn¡¯t believe them either. Even the expressions of the warriors lined up on the walls shook with disbelief. However, Ivatar¡¯s uncle, as well as the alliance¡¯s chiefs, who were acting as representatives of their tribes, kept up their stern expressions. This sight caused Eugene toe up with a clear and despicable image of what was going on here. It seemed that they were just pretending to go to war, and they must have made a secret agreement to be sheltered underneath the umbre of the Kochi Tribe once they admitted their defeat. However, Eugene didn¡¯t really care all that much about the power struggles between the natives living here. The uncle scoffed, ¡°And look at who you have behind you, Ivatar. Are those seven people really all the reinforcements you¡¯ve brought with you even after abandoning your ce at your father¡¯s deathbed?¡± ¡°There are only three men among them, and none of them seem to have the courageous demeanor of a warrior,¡± one of the other tribal chiefs observed mockingly. ¡®Are those guys talking about us?¡¯ Eugene asked himself as he nced over at Cyan and Lovellian, who were standing at his side. He could understand why they would say so after looking at Lovellian, who was a wizard, and Cyan, who didn¡¯t seem all that strong based on his appearance¡­. ¡°But me?¡± Eugene muttered in disbelief. Did they really just say that he didn¡¯t seem to have the courageous demeanor of a warrior? ¡°And why on earth did you even bring two women with you? Were you hoping to offer them up in exchange for forgiving your filial impiety?¡± ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t you be my wife.¡± ¡°And the remaining two are children who aren¡¯t even old enough to be cut off from their mother¡¯s apron strings!¡± The chieftainsughed as they pointed at Ivatar and Eugene¡¯s party mockingly. Melkith, who had just been standing there idly, let out a snort, ¡°Hey, about what those guys were just saying, I¡¯m hoping that I just heard them wrong, but did one of those old guys up there really look at me and ask me to be his wife?¡± Eugene cated her, ¡°They were probably saying that to Kristina, not you, Lady Melkith.¡± Melkith reacted defensively, ¡°Hmm? What? Why would you think that? I think that they were definitely talking to me just now? After all, that old man is still looking at me right now.¡± ¡°As long as they¡¯re normal, they would rather marry Kristina than you, Lady Melkith,¡± Eugene dered. Those words settled the irritation and anger that had been bubbling inside Kristina¡¯s chest since earlier. ¡®Doesn¡¯t that mean Sir Eugene would also prefer me to be his wife?¡¯Kristina thought giddily. [Hamel isn¡¯t a normal person, but Kristina, I think it¡¯s safe to take what he said just now as an actual proposal,] Anise also excitedly encouraged. Melkith red at Eugene with a nk expression, ¡°No way? Why? Both Saint Kristina and I are plenty pretty, no?¡± Eugene calmly responded, ¡°Because your age is three times that of Kristina, Lady Melkith.¡± Melkith¡¯s eyshes fluttered in shock at this blunt reply. Yet even as they were having this leisurely conversation, the mockerying from the top of the walls continued. Ivatar¡¯s face was contorted into a vicious scowl as he red up at the city walls. Then, after taking a deep breath, Ivatar spun around to face everyone. ¡°My apologies to all of you,¡± Ivatar bowed his head deeply as he offered his apology. ¡°Although I did say that you might not receive a warm wee, I never imagined that they would actually offer you such a lowly insult.¡± ¡°Ivatar Jahav! How dare you, who ims to be the next Chieftain, bow your head to someone else!¡± a man shouted. Ivatar simply ignored these words and continued speaking, ¡°It seems that I was too short-sighted. I never imagined that warriors like them, who are also going on about their honor and pride, would actually show such ugly behavior. Since I don¡¯t dare to burden or offend you with this matter any longer, if you so desire, I can lead you back out of the forest immediately.¡± Eugene waved off the offer, ¡°Haaah, there¡¯s no need for that. Like I¡¯ve already said, I also have something that I need to deal with in this forest.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then please wait here for just a moment,¡± Ivatar requested as he raised his bowed head. There was no need for him to ask for any help. While grinding his teeth in anger, Ivatar turned around. Although insults continued to pour down from the city walls, Ivatar had no intention of responding or even listening to them any longer. Without holding any weapons, he simply clenched his bare fists tightly and strode over to the walls. It happened in an instant. The ground below appeared to bounce Ivatar''s feet upward like a spring. Having been sent flying, Ivatar rose to the top of the walls in a single leap. The Zoran Tribe¡¯s Deputy-Chieftain, Ivatar¡¯s uncle, wasn¡¯t rmed by this. Since this was Ivatar they were dealing with, he naturally knew that Ivatar was capable of such actions. No, rather than being surprised, it had been his intention in the first ce to provoke Ivatar into attacking in a rage, as he had also been nning to deal with Ivatar once and for all by killing him. Ivatar wasn¡¯t a warrior who merely relied on an overblown reputation. There were few warriors in the entire tribe who were as strong as he was. Ivatar¡¯s uncle raised the spear he had been hiding behind his back. The Deputy-Chieftain then gave a mighty roar and threw the spear down at Ivatar. Wrapped in a tremendous amount of mana, the spear pierced through the air with a roar. Then ever so easily, the fiercely flying spear was caught in Ivatar''s hand. Ivatar twisted his body in midair and threw the spear straight back. Spluuuurt! Without even consuming any mana, the spear that was thrown using body strength alone pierced through the Deputy-Chieftain. Booooom! Then, without losing any of its power from prating into a human body, the spear proceeded to copse the city walls. ¡°Haaaah!¡± the other tribal chiefs who had been standing nearby let out roars. They leaped off the copsing wall and threw themselves at the now-falling Ivatar. It didn¡¯t take long for Ivatar to tear each of their arms off, one by one, with his bare hands alone. ¡°Gaaaaah¡­,¡± the Deputy-Chieftain, who was buried within the rubble of the copsed wall, let out a cry as he was picked up by the spear that was still stuck in him. While shaking the spear that his uncle was impaled upon, Ivatar snarled, ¡°You are no warrior.¡± Ivatar hadn¡¯t spat out these words while expecting any sort of coherent response from the man. Ivatar mmed the raised spear down into the ground. St! When the body of the Deputy-Chieftain was smashed into the ground, it exploded, and his blood sttered in all directions. The other tribal chieftains, who had been reduced to being one-handed in mere moments,cked the courage to order their warriors to kill Ivatar and could only clutch at their wounds. ¡°Order the gates to be opened,¡± Ivatarmanded without wiping away the blood that had spattered onto his face. The gates of the city soon swung open. Chapter 281: Balzac Ludbeth (1)

Chapter 281: Balzac Ludbeth (1)

The Deputy-Chieftain had died, and the chieftains of the other tribes who had been conspiring with him had all had their left arms torn off in a show of camaraderie. A section of the city walls had also copsed, and some of the warriors who had been lining the walls nearby were also caught up in the copse and had been injured. Even with all that, none of the warriors of the tribes thought to rebel against Ivatar. Even the elders of the tribe, who had most likely sided with the Deputy-Chieftain in his absence, politely greeted Ivatar and the rest of the party. This was all because Ivatar had crushed the Deputy-Chieftain in a head-on duel before killing him, as well as tearing off the arms of the other chieftains. While this might not have been the case if this were any other country on the continent, the tribes of this forest valued strength above all else. So once Ivatar, who had earned the right to be the Chieftain¡¯s sessor, showed his strength by killing the Deputy-Chieftain, who possessed a simr level of legitimacy, it was only natural that there wouldn¡¯t be any bacsh against his rule. ¡®He¡¯s strong,¡¯Cyan thought as he reconsidered Ivatar. Though in the first ce, Cyan had never thought of Ivatar as just a simple native with only his huge size going for him. Cyan possessed a skilled enough eyesight that he could evaluate an opponent¡¯s ability. So he had recognized that Ivatar possessed enough skill that, even whenpared to the Lionheart Knights, he would be able to rank as one of the Captains ¡ª no, not just an ordinary Captain, but one of the strongest among them. However, now that Cyan had seen a true disy of Ivatar''s skills, he felt he needed to rate Ivatar even higher than he already had. Even among all of the knights of the continent that Cyan had seen during the Knight March, how many of them would be able to say that they were stronger than Ivatar? Even the tribal chieftains who had conspired with the Zoran Tribe¡¯s Deputy-Chieftain would have been able to earn a ce as the Commander of a country¡¯s knightly order if they were to move to the continent¡­. ¡®He might be built like a brick shithouse[1], but he¡¯s actually the same age as Eugene and I,¡¯ Cyan recalled. When he also took Ivatar''s age into consideration, Cyan felt like even more of a waste inparison. Yet the reality of this was unavoidable. After all, Eugene was a monster who had been evaluated as the most talented individual in all of the Lionheart n¡¯s history, and this Ivatar Jahav was also someone who could arguably be counted as one of the strongest tribal warriors, not just within the confines the Zoran Tribe, but in all of this vast Rainforest. ¡°Once again, you¡¯re getting all mopey,¡± Eugene said with a sigh as he saw Cyan¡¯s expression stiffen unnaturally. At thisment, Cyan turned to face Eugene while feeling a re of anger, ¡°What did I do?¡± Eugene replied calmly, ¡°It¡¯s obvious. After seeing Ivatar''s skills, you must have thought,why am I so weak, right?¡± ¡®Is my expression really that easy to read?¡¯Cyan thought as he contorted his expression and touched his own face. Eugene continued, ¡°Do you know just how many people there are in the whole wide world? If you were to line up everyone among the humans with a talent for fighting, then the ones who would be close to the top of the list, well¡­ they would most likely be the famous knights you¡¯re already familiar with. From the Lionheart n, that would probably be the Patriarch, Lady Carmen, and myself?¡± Cyan silently waited for him to get to his point. ¡°Ivatar has the same level of talent and skill. To put it clinically, while you and Ciel can get close to the top, reaching the peak will be difficult for you,¡± Eugene stated bluntly. ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡± Cyan huffed. Eugene coughed, ¡°Ah, of course, while this is just the in and simple reality of the situation, reality doesn¡¯t always work out the way it seems it should. What I mean is, I¡­ among the great heroes who I admire and venerate¡ª¡± ¡°Ahem¡­.¡± Just as Eugene was about to finish speaking, Mer, who was standing beside them, cleared her throat loudly and turned to stare at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Eugene hesitated before continuing, ¡°...I¡¯m talking about Sir Hamel. You know, he seemed surprisingly ordinary at the very beginning, right? Compared to the heroic feats that he eventually aplished, that is. He might have made quite an impressive name for himself as a mercenary, but in fact, Sir Hamel at that time was far from being a great hero¡ª¡± ¡°I already know this story. Sir Hamel, who wasn¡¯t really all that strong, quickly became stronger after bing a member of the Great Vermouth¡¯s party,¡± Cyan said with a snort. ¡°However, Sir Hamel was only able to be stronger because Sir Vermouth was at his side. Sir Vermouth guided Sir Hamel and¡ª¡± This time, it was Eugene¡¯s turn to interrupt, ¡°Who the fuck said that? It wasn¡¯t like that, though? Sir Hamel never received any guidance from Sir Vermouth. Sir Hamel got stronger because he worked hard all by himself.¡± Raimira, who was standing with Mer, also turned to stare at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Simrly, Eugene chose to ignore her gaze. ¡°It¡¯s also¡­ um¡­ thanks to the fact that he went through so many battles. Sir Hamel¡¯s innate talent, ah, at first, it was like¡­ um¡­ like a flower that had yet to bloom. After experiencing many battlefields, the flower fully bloomed from the repeated battles.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t just speaking randomly. Even in Eugene¡¯s own esteemed opinion, that was just how his past self had been. He might have already made quite a name for himself as a mercenary¡­ but there was noparison between the battlefields on the continent and the battlefields within the Devildom. Yet if he had gone to Helmuth without meeting Vermouth and bing a member of his party¡­. ¡®...I would probably have been dead within a few years,¡¯Eugene silently admitted to himself. As for whether he had received any guidance from Vermouth¡­ he had to admit there had been a few times. However, in Hamel¡¯s opinion, rather than the guidance, it was more the fact that there was a monster like Vermouth standing right next to him that stimted his growth. He hadn¡¯t wanted to lose to Vermouth. He had always wanted to be stronger than Vermouth. All along, that was what Hamel had been most obsessed with. ¡°I think I get what you¡¯re trying to say, but just what on earth do you see me as?¡± Cyan asked, his face still fixed in a frown. However, seeing how his slumped shoulders had straightened out at some point during their talk, it was clear that Eugene¡¯s encouragement had helped him. ¡°I might have been made keenly aware of how strong you and Ivatar are, but that doesn¡¯t mean my spirit has died,¡± Cyan proudly insisted. ¡°I¡¯ve already experienced that kind of frustration back in the snowfields. It hasn¡¯t had any effect on me.¡± Because of his pride, Cyan couldn¡¯t bear to honestly thank Eugene for his encouragement. And as he had just admitted, Cyan had already felt how thoroughly weak he actually was back in the snowfields. He also knew that continuing to obsess over that fact wouldn¡¯t be of any help to his growth. Eugene and Ivatar were strong. Cyan was weaker. However, what did it matter? Cyan didn¡¯t think his future self would also be weaker than them. ¡°Really, even though your brother is doing his best to encourage you, what¡¯s with the attitude,¡± Eugene said, feeling a needless sense of embarrassment as he kicked Cyan in the leg. It was around sunset when Ivatar finally returned from the battle nning. When he opened the door of the room and walked in, Ivatar''s appearance hadpletely changed from how he had looked earlier. He was now wearing a helmet made from the whole skull of some beast, and he was also wearing an ornate, clinking array of nes and bracelets. Lovellian was the first to greet him, ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve officially be the Chieftain. Congrattions.¡± With a wry smile, Ivatar bowed his head as he stepped into the room. Among all the changes in his appearance, the most eye-catching was therge tattoo that had been newly applied onto his chest. Even though it couldn¡¯t have been that long since it had been tattooed, Ivatar¡¯s skin looked perfectly healthy instead of red and swollen, but there was still a strong smell of blood. But the bloody odor wasn¡¯ting from the tattoo. ncing down at Ivatar¡¯srge hands, Eugene asked, ¡°Did youe here after killing someone?¡± ¡°I came here after killing some pathetic, old men,¡± Ivatar admitted. Eugene snorted, ¡°To think you would start with a purge right after bing the Chieftain.¡± Ivatar shook his head, ¡°Even if I didn¡¯t be the Chieftain, I still would have had to kill those fools.¡± It was just as Eugene had guessed earlier. The young warriors were looking forward to the battle. However, thete Deputy-Chieftain, the chieftains of the allied tribes, and even some of the elders of the Zoran Tribe had already given up on winning this war. While they might also have once been warriors who bravely raced through the forest and yearned for battle, now that they had grown older and had gotten their hands on more than they could hold, rather than risking death on the battlefield, they would rather die at afortable old age. ¡°It was something they decided on while I was away,¡± Ivatar exined. ¡°They had agreed to lead their forces into repeated defeats, sacrificing enough blood and souls until the Kochi Tribe was satisfied. After that, they would surrender and be part of the Kochi Tribe.¡± Naturally, Ivatar didn¡¯t agree with any of this. As a young and belligerent man, Ivatar wanted to win this war. Most of the tribal warriors felt the same way. ¡°I¡¯ve been told that a few more battles took ce while I was away. Four tribes have already been destroyed, and the Kochis have trampled all the way into the forest to the north of the Zoran Tribe,¡± Ivatar reported as he unfolded therge animal pelt that he had been holding in one hand and hung it on the wall. Eugene had been wondering what Ivatar was holding, but it turned out to be a map of the forest. Ivatar narrowed his eyes as he stared at the map. ¡°If my memories are still correct, then the location of the World Tree and the elven territory should be around here,¡± Ivatar said as he stuck a huge awl into the map. It might be called the World Tree, but that didn¡¯t mean the tree itself was located in the exact center of the Rainforest. Instead, it was actually located quite far west of the approximate center. Of course, it wasn¡¯t like the World Tree was truly at that site. To be more precise, the World Tree existed within a separate dimension that ovepped that location. ¡°Then, from this point outwards, this is the territory of the Koch Tribe,¡± Ivatar exined as he stuck another awl in a ce that was far away from the World Tree. Eugene felt a little relieved by this. While it would be impossible to open the barrier that had been ced over the site unless you had the leaves from the World Tree with you, Eugene still felt the need to be cautious. ¡°These are the ces that have been conquered,¡± Ivatar resumed speaking as several more awls were stuck into the map. Eugene, who watched silently until Ivatar was done sticking awls in all of the locations, nodded and said, ¡°This isn¡¯t just a simple war of conquest.¡± If the Kochis had just wanted to expand their territory, they could have just swallowed thend of the tribes surrounding them first. In fact, several of the awls had indeed been inserted around the Kochi Tribe¡¯s main territory, but many other awls had also been inserted far from their tribal grounds. ¡°I also agree with that opinion,¡± Ivatar said, nodding. Lovein and, surprisingly, Melkith both had serious expressions as they examined the map together. The two Archwizards were certain that this war was simply a precursor to the casting of a huge ck magic spell. ¡°Allow me to put forward a certain assumption,¡± Lovellian eventually spoke up. ¡°As a wizard, you need to be able to distinguish between spells that you can control and spells that you can¡¯t. However, all wizards will eventually dream of casting greater feats of magic that they, no, that no individual would actually be able to control. In those cases, the caster needs to look for other means in order to fulfill their own shorings.¡± ¡°Those means aren¡¯t necessarily limited to providing sacrifices or making contracts with higher-ranked beings,¡± Melkith took over the exnation. ¡°There¡¯s this thing known as the Earth Veins. The term refers to the circting flow of the mana within thend itself. Wherever the mana in the Earth Veins is particrly abundant, those cese to be known as leylines, but such leylines are extremely rare¡­.¡± Lovellian resumed speaking, ¡°I believe that most of thends that the Kochis have conquered are located over branches of the Earth Veins. The ck wizard behind all this must be nning to use some tricks so that they can make use of the mana flowing through the Earth Veins.¡± ¡°That son of a bitch, Balzac,¡± Eugene spat. Lovellian blinked in surprise at this sudden curse before hesitantly giving his opinion, ¡°...I personally believe that Balzac isn¡¯t the one behind this¡ª¡± ¡°We can¡¯t be sure of that yet. So for now, let¡¯s assume that Balzac is the one behind all this,¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°Um¡­,¡± Lovellian couldn¡¯t quite bear to curse Balzac without any justification whatsoever like Eugene had just done. With a cough, Lovellian changed the subject, ¡°...Of course¡­ this is all just spection for now. In my opinion, I would like to leave here immediately and check what is going on at those sites with my own eyes.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve finished our preparations for the march ahead,¡± Ivatar reported. ¡°As long as I give the order, all assembled warriors will march on the Kochi Tribe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s quite the quick and easy solution. While pushing them back from thend that they¡¯ve captured, step by step, it will all be over once we strike at the heart of the Kochi Tribe,¡± Eugene said optimistically. ¡°As for the ck magic, it might be possible for us to purify it on our own once we¡¯re done,¡± Lovellian agreed. As this conversation went on around him, Cyan clenched his fists nervously as he felt the reality of the war dawning on him. Mer didn¡¯t really have an interest in this talk that had nothing to do with her, so she was engrossed in ying rock-paper-scissors with Raimira in a corner of the room. Someone suddenly knocked on the door. ¡°One moment, please,¡± Ivatar said, begging everyone¡¯s pardon, as he turned towards the door. After exiting the room for a few moments, Ivatar returned with a puzzled expression. Ivatar then dered, ¡°Balzac Ludbeth has turned himself in.¡± ¡°What did you just say?¡± Eugene demanded. Ivatar repeated himself, ¡°Balzac Ludbeth has turned himself in.¡± Everyone assumed the same confused expression that Ivatar already sported. Even after hearing the news directly, they still couldn¡¯t believe it. However, once they saw him with their own eyes, they were left with no choice but to ept the truth. This was one of the Three Mages of Incarceration, Aroth¡¯s ck Tower Master, a ck wizard whose intentions were unknown and whose very behavior was suspicious, as well as the prime suspect for being the ck wizard behind all of this. Yet having been tied up, Balzac Ludbeth was led into the room by a few warriors. Even the robe Balzac had initially been wearing upon his surrender had been taken off, and all his weapons had also been confiscated. A longsword with a ck de, four daggers, a pocket artifact that was enchanted with spatial magic, and his magic staff. Even the sses that Balzac was always wearing had been taken from him, and his shoes were also stripped, leaving him barefoot. Both hands had been bound so they couldn¡¯t move, and his mouth had also been gagged to prevent him from casting any incantations. It was quite a pathetic appearance. Upon being led into the room, Balzac¡¯s first action was to bow his head to everyone. Thanks to the gag between his lips, he couldn¡¯t say anything to greet them. Still flustered by this surprise, Eugene pointed at Balzac and demanded, ¡°What the hell are you up to?¡± Unable to reply, Balzac could only smile wryly. After sending the warriors who had led Balzac here back out of the room, Ivatar turned to look back at Eugene and hesitantly asked, ¡°...Do we need to torture him?¡± Balzac shook his head at this. Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed, and he raised a finger. A sharp de of wind tore out the gag between Balzac¡¯s lips. ¡°Long time no see,¡± Balzac said in greeting as soon as his mouth was freed. Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed once more. For a moment, he considered whether he should slice apart the restraints binding Balzac¡¯s hand or if he should just aim for Balzac¡¯s throat. ¡°Why have youe here?¡± Lovellian asked after he had recovered from his surprise. To think that Balzac would suddenly turn himself in. Since Balzac was someone whose true intentions were difficult to scry, even this action might be part of a scheme leading up to something else. Melkith had already made preparations to summon one of her Spirit Kings, and Kristina had also grabbed the handle of her il. ¡°The one manipting the Kochi Tribe is Edmond Codreth,¡± Balzac confessed. That didn¡¯t answer why he was here. Even though Lovellian had been prepared to cast a spell that would incinerate Balzac¡¯s body as soon as he said something that wasn¡¯t an answer to Lovellian¡¯s question, in the end, Lovellian couldn¡¯t cast the spell that he had prepared and was left gaping open-mouthed. ¡°Edmond has dispatched his elite forces to upy Samar¡¯s Earth Veins, and the goal of this war is to interfere with the flow of mana below,¡± Balzac continued to reveal. ¡°Hold on¡­,¡± Lovellian tried to pause for thought. Balzac hastily continued, ¡°Edmond has already made quite a lot of progress towards his goal. Once the spell isplete, Edmond will be a Demon King.¡± This news left everyone speechless. Kristina also unconsciously leaped to her feet, and Eugene¡¯s eyes darkened coldly. A Demon King. They had had their suspicions. However, deep down, they had thought that it was impossible. Eward was just a special case. The Remnants of the Demon Kings lingering within the Demonic Spear and the Annihtion Hammer were only able to prepare such a ritual by focusing their attentions on whispering into Eward¡¯s ear and corrupting him. On that day, the Remnants of the Demon Kings that had appeared at the ck Lion Castle had beenpletely annihted. Even if the spell had been leaked by the now-deceased Hector, it should still be impossible to be a Demon King by casting that spell unless there were still some remaining Remnants of the Demon Kings. Eugene expressed his doubts, ¡°That should be impossible.¡± ¡°It would be impossible for someone like myself,¡± Balzac corrected. ¡°It would be impossible even for Amelia Merwin. However, if it¡¯s Edmond, then it¡¯s very much possible. Because he possesses the dmir and is making use of the many advantages that he has prepared within this forest.¡± Lovellianposed himself, ¡°For now, ck Tower Master, please answer the question. Why have youe here? Why did you surrender yourself?¡± ¡°In regards to my surrender, it¡¯s just as you can see. I gave myself up in order to cooperate with Sir Eugene and the rest of you,¡± Balzac stopped speaking for a few moments to examine everyone¡¯s expressions. ¡°...This might offend you all, but I was personally keeping an eye on you as you approached the capital of the Zoran Tribe. That was due to the fact that I was keeping an eye on the Zorans because of their war with the Kochis.¡± Balzac had familiars assigned to perform surveince duties hidden all over the Zoran Tribe. He had also witnessed themotion that had urred earlier at the city walls. ¡°Cooperation?¡± Eugene repeated as he red into Balzac¡¯s face with narrowed eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can trust that offer. After all, how do I know that anything you¡¯ve said is the truth?¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then how about just listening to me for now? Then you can go and check out the truth for yourself once I¡¯m done telling you everything. If it¡¯s the Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master, they should be able to tell whether I am telling the truth just by examining the Earth Veins that have been upied by the Kochi Tribe,¡± Balzac counter-offered. Eugene frowned, ¡°What reason would you have for betraying Edmond?¡± ¡°Hah¡­ Sir Eugene, that usation is mistaken,¡± Balzac shook his head with a sigh. ¡°Edmond and I aren¡¯t in a rtionship close enough for there to be any betrayal. After all, I have never been all that supportive of Edmond¡¯s goals from the very beginning. In the first ce, Edmond doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯vee to this forest.¡± Balzac stopped speaking for a few moments as he was lost in thought. He eventually continued, ¡°However, he should have found out by now. Aftering to this forest, I¡¯ve been making sure to move extremely carefully, but I probably exposed my presence when I surrendered to the Zoran Tribe.¡± ¡°Are you saying that the Kochis have eyes within the tribe?¡± Ivatar growled. Without showing any signs of shrinking back as Ivatar¡¯s massive frame stomped over to his side and red down at him, Balzac calmly replied, ¡°It would be strange if there weren¡¯t any. Please don¡¯t worry too much. After this conversation is over, I can reveal all of the eyes that Edmond has stationed within your capital.¡± ¡°If it¡¯s a problem for you to have been seen by those eyes, you should have approached us secretly. So why did you choose to surrender yourself publicly?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°I thought that if I tried to approach you secretly, there would be a high probability of getting killed by a blind stroke of Sir Eugene¡¯s sword,¡± Balzac honestly confessed. ¡°Also, I believe that it would be much better for me to surrender myself and cooperate with you, Sir Eugene, than it would be for me to stay undercover.¡± ¡°Better for who exactly?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s for all of us. Once he knows that you are here, Sir Eugene, and he finds out that I¡¯ve joined you as well¡­ then even Edmond, who¡¯s known for always being cool andposed, will start to get nervous. Especially since that guy¡­ ah¡­ despite how I¡¯m describing him, we really aren¡¯t that close. It¡¯s just that I don¡¯t really have anything else to say, so I was just speaking as I normally do,¡± Balzac quickly excused himself. ¡°That¡¯s enough, so why would Edmond be nervous because of this?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°It¡¯s because the two of us have both signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Balzac said in a serious tone. ¡°Edmond will be sure that I am up to something. He has to be wary about the possibility that the spell he has worked so hard to prepare might be usurped by me, so he will try toplete the ritual in a hurry even if his preparations don¡¯t quite measure up yet.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°You say that like it would be a misunderstanding on Edmond¡¯s part, but that might just be your true intention.¡± ¡°If that was really the case, then why would I havee here?¡± Balzac pointed out. Eugene felt that Balzac was telling the truth. If he truly did intend to usurp control of Edmond¡¯s ck magic, there would be no reason for him toe here. Instead, it would make more sense for him to stay hidden the whole time, only revealing himself at the moment that Eugene shed with Edmond, stealing control of the spell for himself. ¡°I can swear on my very being and my soul,¡± Balzac¡¯s voice resonated with the heavy tones of a magical oath. ¡°I have no intention of bing a Demon King. I would rather remain as the existence known as Balzac Ludbeth, a human being. I long to live as a human and die as a human.¡± Eugene fell silent. ¡°As to the reason I¡¯vee here, it¡¯s for the sake of stopping Edmond from bing a Demon King,¡± Balzac said with a smile as he faced Eugene. ¡°And to do that, I intend to help the Hero, Sir Eugene.¡± These didn¡¯t feel like the words that a ck wizard should say. Chapter 282: Balzac Ludbeth (2)

Chapter 282: Balzac Ludbeth (2)

With a wary look still in his eyes, Eugene stared at Balzac. Although the words that Balzac had said just now didn¡¯t seem like something a ck wizard should say, Balzac was still ultimately a ck wizard. There was no way that Eugene could trust a ck wizard such as Balzac, especially in a situation like this. However, Balzac had sworn a magical oath. While you couldn¡¯t say itneverhappened, it was still extremely rare for a wizard to make such an oath. This was because from the moment such an oath left their lips, strong restrictions would be ced on any actions that they took from then on. There was no way that a ck Archwizard like Balzac wouldn¡¯t be aware of this. Nevertheless, Balzac had still spat out such an oath casually and without any second thoughts. Was he that certain that all his future behavior wouldn¡¯t go against this oath? While this might be the case, with how suspicious of Balzac he was, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think that it had to be something else. For example, the oath was fake. As a ck wizard, Balzac might just have some secret n that would allow him to ignore the consequences of a magical oath¡­. ¡°You look like you don¡¯t believe me,¡± Balzac said with a wry smile. Eugene snorted and replied, ¡°I¡¯ve already said this to you many times, but I believe that the only good ck wizard in the world is a dead ck wizard.¡± Balzac cocked an eyebrow, ¡°Could it be that meeting me here like this is so unpleasant that you¡¯re abandoning all pleasantries?¡± ¡°What¡¯s the point of being careful with my words when speaking to a bastard who might stab me in the back?¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°I¡¯m only being so polite with you because you haven¡¯t stabbed me in the back yet. If you had, I¡¯d probably be calling you a son of a bitch.¡± ¡°I would prefer it if you didn¡¯t,¡± Balzac requested. ¡°I hold great pride in myself as a human being.¡± Eugene recalled the conversation that he had had with Balzac in Aroth. At that time, Balzac had been curious about the ritual that had taken ce at the ck Lion Castle, but Eugene hadn¡¯t revealed anything about the spell itself. Instead, he had only informed Balzac about the purpose of the ritual. ¡ªReconstructing the soul and creating a new body¡­. Something like that might be regarded as taboo in the field of magic, but it is a research direction that has been pursued by many ck wizards. ¡ªIt¡¯s not a topic that interests me all that much. Reconstruction of the soul eventually leads to transforming your soul into something else, and the creation of a new body would also require me to change the vessel I have been living in ever since I was born¡­. In other words, wouldn¡¯t that be changing the very essence of who I am? I have no interest in that type of magic. Eugene wasn¡¯t quite ready to say that he had believed Balzac, but at the very least, Balzac had seemed sincere at that moment. That said, could Eugene really bring himself to trust Balzac unconditionally? Should he trust Balzac¡¯s information and keep the surrendered Balzac at his side? When he might still betray them at the crucial moment? On top of that, in the end, wasn¡¯t the Demon King of Incarceration Balzac¡¯s master? ¡°What does the Demon King of Incarceration think about this matter?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°He doesn¡¯t care at all,¡± Balzac replied with an expression that read,Isn¡¯t it only natural?¡°This whole incident is being orchestrated by Edmond alone. Edmond is the Kochi Tribe¡¯s greatest protector ¡ª no, in fact, he¡¯s closer to being theLordof the Kochis.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you consider the tribal territories of Samar as part of the Devildom of Helmuth?¡± Ivatar said with an expression of disbelief. Balzac nodded and continued, ¡°I¡¯m aware that the tribes have shared a long history with the Rainforest itself. However, honestly speaking, if the countries of the continent had been allowed to exert a stronger influence on the Rainforest, the history of the tribes in this Rainforest would have been cut short long ago.¡± Reluctantly, Ivatar nodded, ¡°I hate to admit it, but you are correct. The powerhouses of the continent have always held ambitions for our vast forest. If the Demon King of Helmuth hadn¡¯t spoken out about preserving the forest and our freedom, this forest would have already been converted into cities hundreds of years ago.¡± Eugene had also heard this story before. At some point in the past, Helmuth had begun to support the independence of the Rainforest¡¯s tribes. This was in order to prevent the countries of the continent from conquering the forest and exploiting its natives. The biggest beneficiary of this support had been the Kochi Tribe, a great tribe that lived in the depths of the forest. The savage, cruel, and istionist Kochi Tribe had grown evenrger with Helmuth¡¯s support. Eugene was silent for a few moments as he recalled something. Although he didn¡¯t really want to admit it, it was true that because the Demon King of Incarceration had taken such a position that the Rainforest hadn¡¯t gone through any drastic changes for the past three hundred years. Even though three hundred years had passed, the forest still retained its original form, and the natives continued to upy the forest. Eugene recalled how Raizakia had managed to tie his existence to thend of the Rainforest. If the forest were to disappear, that connection would be lost. However, even if that did happen, it wouldn¡¯t mean that Raizakia would somehow disappear from the dimensional rift he was in. But it would mean that Raizakia wouldn¡¯t be able to return to this world so easily. Conversely, it would also make it hard for anyone in this world to find a way to reach Raizakia. ¡®This is all just spection for now,¡¯Eugene reminded himself. Because the forest had remained in its untouched state, its connection with Raizakia had been maintained. As long as someone found the right method, they would be able to reach Raizakia through that connection. Eugene looked down at Akasha with narrowed eyes. Eugene would be able to find Raizakia rtively easily due to the Draconic Spell that Ariartelle had given him. However, even without that Draconic Spell, Eugene was sure he would have been able to find a way to reach Raizakia somehow. After all, hadn¡¯t Sienna already said as much? Sienna had told him that once he reached a ce that had a connection with the dimensional rift, Akasha would show a reaction. In other words, as long as the forest had remained intact and the condition of getting his hands on Akasha was met, Eugene would have been able to find Raizakia somehow. Yet if the forest had no longer existed, even if he had gotten his hands on Akasha, Eugene wouldn¡¯t have been able to find Raizakia. That would mean he couldn¡¯t save Sienna. ¡°Just what does the Demon King of Incarceration want?¡± Eugene muttered as he rubbed his stiff cheeks in confusion. This wasn¡¯t the first time something so suspiciously helpful had urred to him. Yet the Demon King of Incarceration was a Demon King. This was an undeniable fact. Eugene knew all too well what kind of terrible things the Demon King of Incarceration had gotten up to three hundred years ago. The Demon King of Incarceration had ughtered the dragons alongside the Demon King of Destruction, and together with the other Demon Kings, he had started the war. ck wizards following the orders of the Demon King had overthrown nations, and his armies of demonfolks and demonic beasts had flooded the continent. While the Demon Kings themselves didn¡¯t move from Helmuth, the power of the Demon Kings had steadily eaten away at the continent. But what about the current era? The Demon King of Incarceration had the opportunity to achieve aplete victory in the war. He had defeated all the heroes who hade to challenge him and had been on the brink of extinguishing the world¡¯s hope. Yet he hadn¡¯t done so. Was it really because of the Oath? Had a promise whose contents weren¡¯t even publicly known really opened up an era of peace? The Devildom had simply be just another empire, and the Demon King its emperor. And that wasn¡¯t all. The Demon King of Incarceration was aware that Eugene was Hamel. He also knew that Kristina was Anise. He had even seen Molon personally. Yet when meeting with the enemies who hade the closest to defeating him in the past, the Demon King had shown them kindness instead of hostility. ¡°I can¡¯t go so far as to say that I know what my lord, the Demon King, desires,¡± Balzac added. ¡°However, I do know this much. Because of the existence of the Demon King of Incarceration, all those countries apart from Helmuth¡­ are nothing more than pieces ofnd that can be conquered at any time. In fact, the Demon King of Incarceration most likely doesn¡¯t have much interest in protecting the peace of the continent. Apart from Helmuth, which he directly rules over, that is.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that¡¯s why he¡¯s ignoring this situation?¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow. ¡°Well, for now, let¡¯s assume that what you¡¯re saying is the truth, that Edmond really is the ck wizard behind this scheme, and he wants to be a Demon King. If he were to seed, that would mean that the Demon King of Incarceration would obtain a Demon King who was bound to serve him. In the end, Helmuth¡¯s strength will grow even¡ª¡± Balzac interrupted to correct Eugene, ¡°There¡¯s a slight difference in the situation. If Edmond manages toplete the ritual, his body and soul ¡ª his entire being, will cease to beEdmond Codreth. A Demon King¡­ no, if you look at the scale of the ritual, the value of his sacrifices, and the power used to fuel it, he will be a Greater Demon King.¡± ¡°...So the Demon King of Incarceration¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off in hesitation. Balzac shrugged, ¡°Well, who knows¡­? While I do think your suspicions raise a good point, Sir Eugene, I still have to ask, does the Demon King of Incarceration really need to do anything? I have a hunch that, regarding the Demon King of Incarceration, he just¡­ he doesn¡¯t really care whether or not Edmond Codreth seeds in bing a Demon King.¡± Eugene found it extremely hard to believe those words. Simrly, he also found it impossible to trust Balzac. Lovellian, aware of Eugene¡¯s suspicion, took a step forward and addressed Balzac, ¡°...ck Tower Master, if you really are innocent, would you be willing to ept restraints?¡± ¡°If they¡¯re within reason,¡± Balzac confirmed with a nod. Lovellian uttered a short incantation and raised his hand. Fwooosh! A small dagger formed out of mana manifested above Lovellian¡¯s palm. ¡°I will imnt this dagger into your heart,¡± Lovellian exined. ¡°You won¡¯t feel any difort when this magic dagger goes in, but the moment you feel any hostility towards us or try to harm us, your heart will be ripped to shreds.¡± ¡°How vicious,¡± Balzac muttered. Lovellian continued, ¡°I hope you understand the need to do so. Once Edmond¡¯s ritual has failed, the dagger will be pulled out. Though now that I think about it, I think that the condition of feeling any hostility might be a bit ambiguous. There is a possibility that you could betray us without harming us directly and without even feeling the slightest trace of hostility. Because of that, let¡¯s add another insurance.¡± The dagger floating above Lovellian¡¯s palm split into two. ¡°I will give these twin daggers to Sir Eugene instead of myself,¡± Lovellian exined. ¡°So even if you don¡¯t feel any hostility towards us, the moment that Sir Eugene infuses any mana into the dagger, your heart¡ª¡± ¡°Go ahead and imnt it,¡± Balzac insisted without showing any signs of distress. Lovellian also found it difficult to understand how Balzac could show such calmness and confidence. ¡°I feel like I have never once been able to see through to your true intentions,¡± Lovellian said, shaking his head as he approached Balzac. When the magic dagger was embedded in Balzac¡¯s heart, there was no blood, let alone any pain. Lovellian then handed the dagger¡¯s twin to Eugene. ¡°I could tear your heart into pieces right now,¡± Eugene stated calmly. ¡°If that¡¯s what you wish, Sir Eugene, then by all means, go ahead,¡± Balzac invited. Eugene frowned, ¡°How can you say such a thing?¡± Balzac stated confidently, ¡°Because I know that even if I die here, Sir Eugene, you will stop Edmond.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t know why you have such faith in me,¡± Eugene sighed. Balzac just smiled, ¡°As the Hero, aren¡¯t you the only one who can stop Edmond from bing a Demon King?¡± You could hear the unconditional trust within these words. Eugene clicked his tongue and put away the dagger. A de of wind then cut apart the restraints binding Balzac¡¯s limbs. ¡°I forgot to ask you an important question,¡± Eugene suddenly recalled. ¡°What is your secret desire?¡± ¡°Although it¡¯s not really a big deal, I hope you can wait until we¡¯ve seeded in our mission. Please allow me to tell you then,¡± Balzac sincerely requested. Eugene grumbled, ¡°The fact that you don¡¯t want to tell me right now only makes me more curious about what it is.¡± Instead of responding, Balzac just put on his sses with a wry smile. * * * The next day, ahead of the huge advancing army, Eugene¡¯s party left the capital of the Zoran Tribe early in the day. They were leaving in order to inspect the Zoran Tribe¡¯s northern frontier, which had been encroached on by the Kochis while Ivatar was away from the tribe. Balzac was the one to propose this n. Even though he had sworn an oath and had a dagger embedded into his heart, the party still didn¡¯t fully trust Balzac. As such, they needed to see the Earth Vein that had been encroached on by the Kochis with their own eyes in order to confirm the truth of Edmond¡¯s ritual. ¡°As I told you yesterday, they¡¯re taking advantage of the Earth Veins that flow throughout this forest. By twisting and redirecting the mana flowing through the Earth Veins, Edmond is collecting the souls of those who have died in this war as sacrifices. The blood and souls that sink into thend are being led to Edmond by the twisted flow of the Earth Veins,¡± Balzac exined on the way there. The previous day, Balzac had fully described the contents of the ritual to them. Balzac continued, ¡°During their conquests, the Kochis have been erecting bone towers made up of human bones. These human bone towers are devices that fuel the ritual. However, now that things havee to this point, it would be pointless to destroy the human bone towers. From the moment the human bone towers were built, the flow of the Earth Veins was already twisted.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, can¡¯t we just correct the flow by destroying them?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Even if we managed to destroy a few of the devices, that will only stop the blood and souls of a few dozen of the deceased from being used as sacrifices. Moreover, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s dark power is being used to fuel this part of the spell, so no matter what we do, we cannot reverse the flow of the Earth Veins.¡± With a nce at Eugene, Balzac slowly continued speaking, ¡°Of course, I do have ess to the same channels as Edmond. If I were to do the same as Edmond, as long as I used dozens¡­ no, considering the difference in our capabilities, as long as I offered twice as many sacrifices as Edmond is offering, then yes, I should be able to shut down the flow.¡± Eugene asked sarcastically, ¡°You¡¯re not saying that because you really think I¡¯ll give you permission to do so, are you?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± Balzac denied. ¡°I believe there is no way you would permit such a thing, Sir Eugene, and I would also prefer not to use live sacrifices. Haven¡¯t I said as much to you before? Not all ck wizards are focussed on necromancy and willing to use human sacrifices.¡± However, it was important to note that Balzac had saidhe could do it. For this entire morning, Balzac had searched for the eyes that Edmond had hidden within the capital. Balzac had pointed out those individuals who had obtained strength or affluence by using their souls as coteral, following which, Ivatar had executed them without showing even a shadow of a doubt. In addition to those, they had also found the familiars hiding on the outskirts of the capital. There were no longer any of Edmond¡¯s eyes remaining in the capital. But that alone wouldn¡¯t have any influence on the oue of their mission. Edmond had already found out that Eugene¡¯s party hade to the aid of the Zoran Tribe and that Balzac Ludbeth, his fellow Mage of Incarceration, was cooperating with them. This meant that Edmond would be left with no choice but to make haste. As the Hero, Eugene might still be able to foil his ritual. Or perhaps Balzac might try to seize control of the ritual by offering up his own sacrifices. ¡°To destroy the ritual, we will need to destroy the central location where the twisted Earth Veins are sending their flow of mana, but¡­ at that site, Edmond, along with dmir, will be the one maintaining the ritual,¡± Balzac warned. A ck wizard who had signed a contract with a Demon King and a magic staff that, just like Akasha, had been created using a whole Dragonheart. ¡°In other words, we won¡¯t be able to disrupt the ritual unless we canpletely destroy either Edmond or dmir, one of the two. Since he can no longer afford to continue making slow and steady preparations for the ritual, Edmond should also be hurrying toplete the ritual,¡± Balzac surmised. ¡°That means we¡¯ll need to confront them head-on,¡± Eugene grunted. ¡°Yes,¡± Balzac nodded. ¡°Since they¡¯ve already secured enough Earth Veins, losing a few won¡¯t hurt them, but what they really need are the blood and souls. If we confront them head-on, Edmond should alsoe out to meet us.¡± Edmond no longer had any reason to stay in the background. After dispersing the rest of Kochi Tribe¡¯s grand army to secure the remaining Earth Veins, Edmond himself would be able to take part in the war. He could appear in person, quickly clear an entire battlefield, and obtain some of the necessary blood and souls. ¡°What about destroying the Earth Veins first, then advancing on the central location?¡± Cyan, who had been silently listening, proposed this suggestion, only for Eugene to shake his head and exin. ¡°If this ritual simply relied on draining thend, that might work, but with Edmond now taking action himself, seizing control of the Earth Veins is no longer that important. The more that they have secured, the better, but if ites down to it, they can still proceed with the ritual without any of that.¡± Cyanined. ¡°Like I thought, shouldn''t we have brought the knights from the Lionheart n with us? In the end, it turned out just as we had initially guessed. Hector, that traitorous bastard, was also in cahoots with Edmond Codreth. The mess Eward left was leaked, and now Edmond is making use of a modified version.¡± Eugene sighed, ¡°Really now. At that time, how could I know that things would turn out like this? Also, now that things have gotten to this point, can¡¯t you consider how long it would take to go and bring back the Knights of the Lionheart n?¡± Cyan put on a puzzled expression after hearing Eugene¡¯s response. He might be saying this and that as an excuse, but in the end, didn¡¯t this mean he just didn¡¯t want to get the n involved? Cyan could also understand why Eugene might have that opinion. Cyan himself didn¡¯t want to see the sight of someone from their n shedding their blood and copsing¡­. ¡®...However, the Lionhearts are a martial n,¡¯Cyan thought. They were a n of knights. So when the time came for it, none of them should hesitate to go to war. If their blood must be shed to do what is right, the Lionhearts should be the first to bleed before anyone else could. That was the sort of chivalry that had been instilled into Cyan by Anci and Gilead ever since he was a child, and it was also part of the Family Commandments that had been passed down from their ancestor, the Great Vermouth. ¡®...But still¡­,¡¯Cyan nced at Eugene, who was riding on the back of a summoned beast. This might be stating the obvious, but thespilled bloodthat Cyan didn¡¯t want to see included the blood from his siblings. Whether it was Ciel, who wasn¡¯t here with them, or Eugene, who was right next to him, he didn¡¯t want to see either of them bleeding out in front of him. Instead of the two losing any blood, he would rather it be¡­. ¡®...Hold on,¡¯Cyan suddenly had a thought. He didn¡¯t know about Ciel, but Cyan found it impossible to imagine the sight of Eugene losing any blood. ¡®Also, the next Patriarch isn¡¯t Eugene. It¡¯s me,¡¯Cyan reminded himself. If Eugene was the one who had been selected as the next Patriarch, Cyan would certainly have been prepared to shed his blood for Eugene. However, wasn¡¯t Cyan the next Patriarch rather than Eugene? Even though he had suggested to Eugene that he be the Patriarch several times before now, hadn¡¯t he just been met with refusals that were apanied by acts of violence? Cyan thought with some relief,¡®Although I might be willing to shed blood for you, as the one who will be the next Patriarch, I can¡¯t allow myself to bleed so easily.¡¯ In his opinion, this was only natural. Without Ivatar there, the trees of the forest weren¡¯t opening a path for them, but thanks to Lovellian¡¯s summoned mounts and Melkith calling upon the spirits of thend, they were able to travel plenty fast. They soon reached the northern frontier of the Zoran Tribe, where the battle had taken ce. All the corpses had been retrieved right after the battle, so there wasn¡¯t any remaining scent of blood. The human bone towers, which had been built after the battle was over, had also been knocked over by the Zorans in the process of collecting the bodies. However, just like Balzac had said, it was pointless to copse the human bone towers after they were erected. The blood and souls of the retrieved corpses had already sunk into the ground and been sent to Edmond by the twisted flow of the Earth Veins. ¡°I really hate ck magic,¡± Melkith grumbled. Even in this jungle, she was still wearing high heels and tight denim jeans that were also fashionably ripped. ¡°The ground here doesn¡¯t have any remaining spirits of thend. The moment that the Earth Veins were twisted, the spirits all left this ce. Janos is also feeling extremely enraged by all this,¡± Melkith said as she stroked the ground with a stern expression. ¡°So you can¡¯t correct the flow of the Earth Veins, even with a Spirit King¡¯s power?¡± Eugene asked. Melkith shook her head, ¡°It¡¯s impossible. Just like Balzac said, the Earth Veins have already been irreversibly twisted, with its flow leading to an entirely different direction. Do you know what that means? Unless we can destroy the ritual, thend here will die.¡± In fact, they could already sense that the trees and grasses here were dry enough for there to be a noticeable differencepared to other areas of the forest, and the soil here was so parched it was as if there had been a drought. ¡°Although they¡¯re all currently trying to hold on with the remains of their original vitality¡­ it won¡¯t be long before everything here dries up. The grass will wither[1], the leaves will leave, and this forest will slowly die¡­. Hold on, the leaves will leave? My amazing sense for puns surprises even me,¡± Melkith dered proudly. Eugene tightly gritted his teeth in anger. Since when did Melkith be such an airhead? Damn it! Eugene had suddenly been reminded of a simr conversation he had had with Ciel a few years ago. Even thinking about it now, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed and ashamed. He had spouted such a pun at that time only because he had felt the urge to saysomething. What was even more embarrassing for Eugene was that the moment Melkith had said those words, Eugene actually had the same pun running through his head. So when Melkith finally said that pun out loud, he had almost burst outughing unconsciously¡­. ¡°The techniques that were used here are no different from what Balzac described,¡± Lovellian, who had been carefully examining the ground, reported after he was finished with his inspection. Melkith also agreed with his opinion. Kristina silently thought,¡®What do you think, Sister?¡¯ Anise also shared her conclusions, [There are still traces of ck magic and dark powers here. Although it¡¯s possible to purify what¡¯s here, it would be futile to try and correct the twisting of the Earth Veins with divine magic.] Having confirmed these facts personally, they couldn¡¯t help but feel their suspicions towards Balzac lessening. Eugene started to say, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s head ba¡ª¡± Only for the ground to shake lightly, but the vibrations weren¡¯t strong enough to be called an earthquake. Eugene was surprised as he looked over to the site where the shaking had begun. The soil was rising up and clumping together. In mere moments, a pir of soil the same size as a human body had been created. Before the party could even react to this sudden strange phenomenon, the pir of soil split apart. From within this newly-opened gap, a pair of ring eyes met with Eugene¡¯s. aa7b5e4a913f698f2f85f05ec8699ff287d581d1fb0678555d462be31d6cebaaf407bdcb4ae5b1fa3331e8a73783496dce85cf9804f60995416bc8690d9107dea5b68684cbb778c32a991c1b75d9bfd0 Chapter 283: Balzac Ludbeth (3) The pair of eyes gazing out from between the gap shifted. After having stopped on Eugene for a few seconds, the eyes turned to look at the rest of the people there. Then the eyes stopped once more on Kristina. Eugene¡¯s instinctive response to this unexpected appearance was to think, ¡®What the hell is this?¡¯ He had only met those eyes for a few moments, but Eugene could still feel a chill running down his spine. Unconsciously, Eugene took a step forward. Even though that was all he had done, the prickling sensationing from his skin in response to that movement was the first sign of the threat lying in front of him. He sensed a terrifyingly sinister dark powering from those eyes. So he was sure that this person was involved with ck magic, but there was something else familiar about it. Right at that moment, the pir of soil that had risen up from the ground suddenly shattered apart as something leaped out from inside. The explosion threw Eugene off guard for a few moments. No, rather than throwing him off guard ¡ª Eugene had actually been overwhelmed by the pressure, even if it was only for a few seconds. Was it due to the figure¡¯s strength? No, it wasn¡¯t anything like that. Instead, what had overwhelmed Eugene was the figure¡¯s terrible hatred and killing intent. This hatred and killing intent were so intense it felt like it wouldn¡¯t stop even after killing everyone in this world, and it shot past Eugene before rushing at Kristina. Kristina was neither a knight nor a warrior. Having been personally instructed by Raphael, she did possess a certain level ofbat capability, but her role as a cleric meant she was someone who assisted the knights and the warriors from the rear. However, the truth was, even if she had been an exceptional knight or a warrior, she still wouldn¡¯t have been able to react in time to this situation she was faced with. Struck by a tide of bewilderment and distress, Kristina¡¯s body was frozen stiff. It wasn¡¯t just Kristina. Even Anise, who also shared her body, was astonished and at a loss when she saw the same thing as Kristina. The rage and killing intent of the figure were directed at Kristina¡¯s neck. Its hand, which was swung like a de, was about to tear out Kristina¡¯s throat, but just then, Eugene barely managed to intervene. ng! The collision took ce right in front of Kristina. Instead of pulling Kristina away in order to protect her, Eugene had hastily pushed her backward. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± As she staggered backward, Kristina let out a slightly bted scream. Had Eugene been even the slightest bitte with his intervention, that hand would have torn apart Kristina¡¯s throat. Eugene red at the hand that he had just barely managed to catch. The hand he was holding was so cold it didn¡¯t seem human. Eugene felt like he was holding onto a block of ice. ¡­So that was why the figure had seemed familiar. This hand had calluses from the rough work it had been put to. The fingers were thick and knotted. And the back of the hand was crisscrossed with all kinds of scars. ¡°I had heard that she looked simr,¡± the owner of the hand said without looking at Eugene, who was blocking his way forward. His piercing eyes, in a face that had been twisted into a grimace, were fixed on Kristina, who was standing behind Eugene with her hands sped over her mouth. ¡°But they look so much alike that I couldn¡¯t help throwing myself at her. You¡¯re Kristina Rogeris, aren¡¯t you? Could you truly be her?¡± Eugene looked at the twisted grimace on the figure¡¯s face. He noted the ferocious eyes, the scar that ran diagonally across the face, and another one that cut across the bridge of his nose. There were also several other minor scars. Then came those eyes that were filled with the man¡¯s murderous intent and hatred, his twisted smile, his shaggy bangs, and his hair at the back that had been casually tied up into a ponytail because it was too annoying to take care of. ¡°But that¡­ would make no sense. No matter how you think about it, it shouldn¡¯t be possible. It¡¯s been three hundred years. That¡¯s a whole three hundred years, after all. But now, after three hundred years have passed, how could you, Kristina Rogeris, the Saint of this era, have that face¡­? Why does your face so resemble Anise, that bitch who deserves to be torn to pieces over and over again?¡± the man said with a snark. Eugene and Anise were very familiar with this man¡¯s face. Kristina, who had seen Anise¡¯s memories, also recognized his face. The appearances of Sienna¡¯s formerrades had been recorded in Aroth¡¯s Royal Library of Akron, on the top floor, within Sienna¡¯s Hall. Mer, who had been stationed there as Sienna¡¯s familiar, and Lovellian, Melkith, and Balzac, who were all Tower Masters, also recognized who that face belonged to. Even Cyan, who had seen the statue of the man now erected at the Lionheart main estate, recognized who this man was. ¡°Could you actually be Anise?¡± the Death Knight that had been raised from Hamel¡¯s corpse asked with augh. Having realized who this was, Anise screamed from within Kristina¡¯s head, [The Death Knight¡­!] She had heard the story from Eugene some time ago. However, now that Anise saw him in person, she couldn¡¯t help but let out such a cry. This Death Knight that had been raised from a corpse; three hundred years ago, Anise had seen countless such undead. The wars of that era had been so terrible because even death could not guarantee one¡¯s eternal rest. Many knights and warriors who had lost all hope of victory and had feared death had sold their dignity and souls to the ck wizards and demonfolks. Those with poorer skills had be lowly undead once they had died, while those who had been publicly renowned as strong individuals became Death Knights after they died. Death Knights were made by resurrecting a deceased body using ck magic and tying the soul, which was being called to leave this world, back into the body. Anise had heard that a Death Knight had been created from Haeml¡¯s corpse. However, since Hamel¡¯s soul had already been reincarnated and was here in a different body, just who on earth was the soul that had been imnted into the body of this Death Knight? ¡°...You¡­,¡± Eugene squeezed out as he tried to swallow back his nausea. He had already seen a Death Knight that had been made from his own corpse a few years back, so it was easier to regain hisposure this time, ¡°Who the hell are you?¡± The Death Knight Eugene had met at that time had imed himself to be the Stupid Hamel, but it was actually an imperfect imitation that had been made after settling on the soul of an unknown lycanthrope. Although it had been able to at least partially imitate the muscle memories that had been left in Hamel¡¯s body, it had actually been apletely different being with none of Hamel¡¯s personality from his previous life. ¡°Hamel Dynas,¡± the Death Knight replied. It seemed that the Death Knight this time wouldn¡¯t introduce himself as the Stupid Hamel. He finally turned his re away from Kristina to stare at Eugene, who was standing in front of him. ¡°...That gray hair, those golden eyes, you look like that son of a bitch Vermouth,¡± the Death Knight muttered. ¡°I have to say, it¡¯s quite amazing to still see such a sight, even after three hundred years. That bastard really did give birth to litters of pups like an actual bitch, but how did all of the many brats that he spawned manage to inherit his gray hair and golden eyes?¡± Eugene¡¯s nausea deepened. Although he really didn¡¯t want to admit this fact, unlike the Death Knight fromst time, the Death Knight that was in front of him now ¡ª he really did manage to imitate Hamel extremely well. ¡°So then, your name is¡­ Eugene Lionheart, correct? The one who, like Vermouth, was acknowledged by the Holy Sword. Although this is my first time seeing you, I¡¯ve heard a bit about you from my Master,¡± the Death Knight revealed. His Master? ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re pretty strong?¡± the Death Knight continued. ¡°The world has even been calling you the Second Coming of Vermouth. Do you know what was my first thought when I came back to life like this was?¡± Clench. The Death Knight¡¯s hand flexed. His hand, which was as hard and as cold as a block of ice, began to exert heavy pressure on Eugene¡¯s own hand. ¡°I decided that I needed to wipe out all the seeds that were left behind by that bastard, Vermouth,¡± the Death Knight hissed. ¡°Thenes Molon, who, surprisingly for him, went ahead and founded his own kingdom. I¡¯ll eradicate that fool¡¯s royal family as well.¡± The increasing pressure began to push Eugene¡¯s hand backward. With each sinister curse that the Death Knight spat, the expression on Eugene¡¯s face slowly disappeared. One by one, with each word that it uttered, the Death Knight¡¯s rage and killing intent seemed to continuously grow as it attempted to swallow Eugene. ¡°What¡¯s slightly unfortunate is that Anise and Sienna didn¡¯t give birth to any brats,¡± the Death Knight sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t know about Anise, but I thought for sure that Sienna would leave something behind.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t consumed by the pressure; even in the face of the Death Knight¡¯s rage and killing intent, he managed to persist. By now, his face didn¡¯t have any trace of emotion or the slightest expression left on it. The Death Knight suddenly recalled something, ¡°Come to think of it, I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯re Sienna¡¯s heir, right? Would you happen to know something about her? Sienna, that yappy bitch, secretly took advantage of me[1]¡ª¡± ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene¡¯s lips finally parted. The hand that was blocking the Death Knight¡¯s own was no longer getting pushed back. As all emotion seemed to disappear from them, an eerie light began to shine in Eugene¡¯s eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say another word,¡± Eugene hissed. Eugene didn¡¯t spout any curses back at the Death Knight. He felt like his breath was getting caught in his chest, and it was painful to even try and say anything. It felt like a knife had been lodged in his throat. His head was burning as if it had been dipped in hellfire, and a high-pitched squeal was ringing in his ears. As for his chest and heart ¡ª Eugene refused to give it any more thought. Letting out a gasp of air, Eugene lowered the hand he had raised up in a block in front of him. aaang! The moment Eugene lowered his hand, his other fist was sent flying forward. The Death Knight reacted immediately and blocked Eugene¡¯s fist with his own hands, but his whole body was still blown backward by the blow. Eugene¡¯s outstretched fist tingled. While shaking his wrist lightly, Eugene marched forwards. But Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who was furious after hearing what the Death Knight had to say. Kristina grabbed onto her rosary as she cried out, ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± At some point, Lovellian, who had been forced to listen to such insults being leveled against his Grandmaster, had also pulled out his staff and was holding it in his hands. Melkith and Balzac were also finishing up their own preparations to attack the Death Knight, and even Cyan had drawn his sword. ¡°Please stay out of this,¡± Eugene snarled out without even turning back to look at them. Eugene didn¡¯t want to try and understand what the Death Knight meant by those words he had just said, nor did he have any intention of replying to them. This fight ¡ª no, executing this son of a bitch ¡ª was something that Eugene needed to do on his own. After all, that body had once belonged to Eugene in the past. He didn¡¯t know whose soul now dwelled in his corpse that had been raised as a Death Knight, but that guy ¡ª he was actually talking about himself as if he were Hamel. Yet although he was referring to himself as Hamel, he was saying things that the real Hamel would never say. But why? Looking at its personality, the Death Knight¡¯s persona seemed to be a projection of the body¡¯s memories, so why was it saying such things? Eugene didn¡¯t bother to ask any questions. His own rage and killing intent were stronger than any desire to look into these questions. Eugene was no longer expressionless or emotionless. His eyes had lit up like those of a mad beast, and indiscriminate killing intent was surging forth from his body. ¡°Hoh,¡± the Death Knight, who had been pushed back quite a distance, muttered in surprise as he shook his hand. Even though he hadn¡¯t had much room for eleration, Eugene¡¯s fist had been quite heavy. And now look at what Eugene was doing. Could a child born in a peaceful era like this truly be as vicious as Eugene currently seemed? ¡°You¡¯re nothing like the rest of the brats born these days,¡± the Death Knight said with a chuckle as he clenched and unclenched his fist. ¡®Since the Lionhearts and the Tower Masters from Aroth have interfered, please intercept them.¡¯ That had been the request the Death Knight received from Edmond. The capital of the Kohci Tribe, which was where the Death Knight and Edmond had been located at that time, was far from here, but as this was a site where the Earth Veins had been twisted, the Kochis had kept a record of these coordinates. As long as he had the coordinates, Edmond was able to send the Death Knight here, as it could be considered a type of undead summons. The Death Knight, who was burning with an artificially induced hatred and desire for vengeance, hadn¡¯t refused Edmond¡¯s request. As he believed that he himself was Hamel, the Death Knight held a desire to get his revenge on all those who had betrayed him. And that included Vermouth¡¯s descendants, the Lionheart n. Their presence here alone would have been enough to arouse the Death Knight¡¯s thirst for blood, but then he had seen the Saint of this era, who closely resembled that disgusting serpent Anise. The Death Knight licked his lower lip as he grabbed the hilt of the sword at his waist. This brat from the Lionheart n¡­ might have only recently be an adult, but he was already being called the Second Coming of Vermouth. The Death Knight could still clearly recall the memories from when he was alive. Although Vermouth had also juste of age when the two of them had first met, the hero had already possessed such strength that it was hard to believe his apparent age. The Death Knight hated Vermouth for having betrayed him and stabbed him through the back with his sword. However, that aside, he still couldn¡¯t help but recognize Vermouth¡¯s strength. So, for this Eugene Lionheart, the Death Knight wanted to check for himself whether this guy deserved to be called the Second Coming of Vermouth. And he also desired to take the life of the person who was being showered with such praise with his own hands. The Death Knight drew his sword. When Eugene had told the others not to interfere, the emotions that were contained in those words were so bloodthirsty and dire that everyone remained standing where they were, staring at Eugene¡¯s back. Of course, none of them allowed themselves to rxpletely. Everyone was ready to provide Eugene with support in case of an emergency. Eugene didn¡¯t look back. He kept to a walk rather than a run. As he slowly approached the Death Knight, Eugene also slipped a hand into his cloak. Eugene¡¯s fingertips brushed over the handles of the countless weapons within. They skimmed over the Demon Spear Luentos. They slid over the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth. They brushed over the Devouring Sword Azphel, the Thunderbolt Pernoa, and the Dragon Spear Kharbos. Eugene¡¯s hand hovered over the Holy Sword Altair for a few moments, but eventually, it was drawn to another weapon. As Eugene¡¯s fingertips were about to wrap around the hilt of the Moonlight Sword, right at that moment, Wynnyd moved of its own volition and shoved itself into Eugene¡¯s hand. [Hamel¡­!] A cry rang out inside Eugene¡¯s head. In the face of Tempest¡¯s expression of his pure and heartfelt rage, Eugene¡¯s lips arced into a smile. ¡°Fine then,¡± Eugene agreed. His fingers wrapped around Wynnyd¡¯s hilt. The moment its silverish blue de was drawn from his cloak, the gust of wind summoned by the sword of its own volition sent Eugene¡¯s hair and the hem of his cloak fluttering. Eugene quietly muttered, ¡°If it¡¯s you, then you should have a pretty good idea of what I¡¯m feeling right now.¡± A huge gust of wind proceeded to wash over Eugene¡¯s back. Through this violent storm, Tempest was letting out his own roar of rage. Eugene lifted Wynnyd high and red at the Death Knight. ¡°Wynnyd¡­! Tempest, you¡¯re also on the list of people I want to kill!¡± the Death Knight let out his own roar as he returned Eugene¡¯s grin. Screeeech! As the Death Knight¡¯s sword was drawn from its scabbard, ck mes wrapped around the de. As this me-like aura around the sword proceeded to swell up to a huge size, it was dark power, not mana, that fueled this growth. While continuing to expand his ominous and dark-colored sword-force, the Death Knight charged at Eugene. Purple mes engulfed Eugene¡¯s body. The sparks that flew out from him looked like a lion¡¯s mane. aang! Dark power collided against these mes. A storm of wind swept forward over Eugene¡¯s back. The Death Knight swung his sword at this storm that he shouldn¡¯t even be able to cut, and the chopping sh tore straight through the storm of wind. [Hamel!] Tempest shouted. [This thing doesn¡¯t have the soul of a human! It¡¯s just a monster made by mixing together the souls of demonic beasts!] ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Eugene muttered to himself from within the torn-apart storm. Eugene was convinced of Tempest¡¯s words by the swordy that the Death Knight had disyed just now. The Death Knight that had been created using a lycanthrope¡¯s soul hadn¡¯t been able to reproduce Hamel¡¯s swordsmanship. However, the current Death Knight was able to perfectly reproduce his swordsmanship. Among the countless varieties of demonic beasts, the Doppelgangers were the only ones that could perfectly reproduce their opponent¡¯s movements. However, in the end, their copying skills were just at the level of imitating what could be seen. They weren¡¯t able to copy whaty below the surface. Yet this Death Knight was even able to perfectly recreate his Asura Rampage. ¡®It seems they managed to perfectly reproduce the memories left within my corpse by amplifying a doppelganger¡¯s mimicry.¡¯ But who was the one who had made this version of Death Knight? Was it Amelia Merwin? Had that fucking bitch left her desert ande to this Rainforest? The Death Knight had said something about his Master. So he was probably talking about Amelia. ¡­But after havingpletely reproduced his memories, had this Death Knight really decided to take a ck wizard as their master? ¡°This son of a bitch dares,¡± Eugen growled as he spun Wynnyd in his hand. Bammmm! Eugene blocked the sword-force that had shed at his body. Then, without being pushed back, Eugene drove his sword forward instead. The instant their two shes collided, Eugene¡¯s sword wove around the Death Knight¡¯s de and slipped past. While appearing to follow the flow of force, Wynnyd was thrust into an opening. Yet the Death Knight also refused to be pushed back. While parrying each probing sh that came at him, he carefully watched Eugene¡¯s movements. He noticed that the position of Eugene¡¯s feet was constantly changing. It seemed that his opponent was also good at shifting his weight. Being able to fire off a sh from a posture where you usually wouldn¡¯t be able to swing a sword allowed Eugene to create numerous opportunities to attack. ¡®What¡¯s with this bastard?¡¯ the Death Knight thought with a twitch of his brow. He admitted that Eugene deserved to be called the Second Coming of Vermouth. However¡­ he could feel a strong sense of incongruitying from Eugene¡¯s sword techniques. They weren¡¯t just at the level of being excellent. They seemed to have already reached perfection. A perfection that was evenparable to the Death Knight¡¯s own skills, which he had inherited from Hamel. ¡®But how?¡¯ He had heard all about the Lionheart n from the traitor of their family, Hector Lionheart. He had been told that among the Knights of the ck Lion, the knightly order that Vermouth had created, there was someone who had inherited Hamel¡¯s secret techniques. Eugene Lionheart had also managed to discover Hamel¡¯s grave and imed to have inherited Hamel¡¯s secret techniques from there. But that only made the Death Knight want to kill Eugene even more. How dare the detestable Vermouth steal what he himself had failed to leave behind and even dare to teach it to his descendants. ¡®No matter what the case may be¡­ to think that he can actually use my skills at this level? Without even having learned from me personally¡­. No, could it just be because Vermouth managed to pass them down well?¡¯ Even though the Death Knight had already guessed the usible reason for Eugene¡¯s swordsmanship, the sense of incongruity refused to disappear. Eugene¡¯s swordsmanship wasn¡¯t just at the level of having epted his inheritance. It was like looking into a mirror. ¡®A mirror?¡¯ Such a thought only made the Death Knight¡¯s hatred grow even stronger. To think that Eugene would still dare to imitate someone when standing right in front of them. Even though the Death Knight had already gone so far as to admit that he was Hamel. For Eugene to still insist on using Hamel¡¯s swordsmanship even with that¡ª Grrrrk. ¡°There should be a limit as to how much you can insult someone,¡± the Death Knight spat out through gritted teeth, a twisted scowl on his face. ¡®Let¡¯s just see if he can continue copying me,¡¯ the Death Knight thought. The Death Knight¡¯s sword shook. His overflowing dark power began to condense and cling to his sword. Hamel¡¯s swordsmanship didn¡¯t possess a clear form. While there was a guiding flow to it, in order to use his sword style, you needed to know how to make alterations when needed. The Death Knight was currently making just such a change to his swordy. The sword in his hand had be a killing sword designed solely for the sake of executing Eugene. All of his power was being condensed into a single sh. Just as Eugene had borrowed the strength of the storm, the Death Knight was amplifying the strength of his sh with his own dark power. Yet if it was simply dark power alone, his efforts might just add up to a forceful push, but the Death Knight wasn¡¯t using just any ordinary dark power. The Death Knight was making use of the dark power that reinforced his own dead body. By concentrating that dark power into one ce, the Death Knight could generate an explosive force. Crackle. Lightning began to mix in with the mes surrounding Eugene. The moment the Death Knight¡¯s concentrated sh was about to be released at Eugene, Eugene¡¯s sword, which was elerated by the lightning, pierced through the center of the Dark Knight¡¯s sh. ¡°...What on earth?¡± the Death Knight gasped. He had had no choice but to retreat. If the Death Knight had insisted on taking the blow, one side of his chest would have been pierced through. As a raised corpse, his body wouldn¡¯t die even if his chest was pierced, but the Death Knight, having retained all the memories from his previous life, couldn¡¯t allow himself to be pierced by that sword. He had no intention of allowing himself to be injured by Vermouth¡¯s descendants. The Death Knight felt forced to ask, ¡°Are you truly a descendant of Vermouth?¡± Eugene¡¯s sword and how he had perfectly grasped where the Death Knight was swinging his sword, what he was aiming at, and how he intended to attack ¡ª the Death Knight couldn¡¯t understand how Eugene could know all these, so he couldn¡¯t help but ask. Eugene didn¡¯t respond to the question. Instead, his sword and the storm danced together once more. 1. Just in case this doesn¡¯t seem clear, the fake Hamel is referring to the false confession in the fairy tale. ? Chapter 284: Balzac Ludbeth (4)

Chapter 284: Balzac Ludbeth (4)

Whenever the Death Knight tried to swing his sword, it felt like something kept getting tangled up in his movements. As a result, he wasn¡¯t able to wield his sword the way he wanted to. It was as if this kid, Vermouth¡¯s descendant, was reading his mind and preemptively blocking the trajectory of his sword. ¡®He must be good at prediction,¡¯the Death Knight guessed.¡®Just how¡­ far ahead is he looking?¡¯ This couldn¡¯t be just an innate sense he had been born with. Instead, Eugene¡¯s prediction was based on experience that had been umted and tested over time. The Death Knight had never expected that, in this era of peace, there would be someone as adept at fighting as he himself was. He had heard from his Master that barely any wars had been fought during these past three hundred years. ¡®This isn¡¯t good,¡¯the Death Knight assessed soberly. It wouldn¡¯t matter if the only opponent he had to deal with was just Eugene Lionheart, but there were still the three Tower Masters of Aroth standing behind him. The Saint of this current era, who so closely resembled Anise, wasn¡¯t an existence that could be ignored either. The Death Knight carefully considered his options,¡®If I use Ignition¡­ will I be able to kill them all?¡¯ His corpse, which had been made into a Death Knight, no longer possessed a beating heart. However, there was still a Core in his chest. Although this Core wasposed of dark power instead of mana, it was still possible to amplify his own strength by deliberately overclocking his Core. If he used Ignition, he would be able to generate so much dark power that even an undead body like his wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it. So he would still have to deal with the recoil. However, it wouldn¡¯t just be the kind of recoil that would leave him unable to move his body after using Ignition like it had been while he was alive, nor would it reduce his lifespan. Instead, the more dark power he explosively generated, the more this undead body of his would deteriorate. ¡°Tch,¡± the Death Knight clicked his tongue and furrowed his brow. The sword he was using tobat Tempest¡¯s windstorm was crumbling right before him. The Death Knight threw away the sword that was no longer usable and covered his hands with dark power. He then condensed this dark power between his palms to create a ck ball of explosive force. Boooom! The explosion managed to briefly blow away the windstorm. In that short opening, the Death Knight¡¯s right hand had been covered by his sword-force. Unlike Eugene, the Death Knight didn¡¯t have any friends to guard his back. Things were different from his previous life. He didn¡¯t have anyrades who could fight at his side, shield him from the front, support him from behind, or take care of his wounds. Yet he didn¡¯t feel disappointed by this realization. On the contrary, this undead body of his, which had been revived after already dying once, was capable of performing much bolder feats than what he could have dared to attempt while he was still alive. The Death Knight first protected his whole body with a shield of dark power, then plunged straight through the sh now flying at him. He might have been able to block the windstorm with the previous explosion, but that hadn¡¯t done anything to block Eugene¡¯s sword. Purple mes danced along with the movement of Eugene¡¯s hands, tracing the trajectory of his sh in a fiery ze. Rooooar! The armor of dark power covering the Death Knight was shredded by the mes. A line was also drawn across its undead body. At that moment, the Death Knight¡¯s hand disappeared as a de of dark power struck Eugene from outside his field of view. Eugene wasn¡¯t surprised by this. Attacking from outside the opponent¡¯s field of view while sticking close to the body was a tricky technique that Eugene had made good use of during his previous life. So Wynnyd easily blocked the de that was flying out of his blind spot. At the same time, his other hand reached out in a different direction. ¡°Tsk,¡± the Death Knight clicked his tongue in disappointment as he stepped backward. Eugene¡¯s other hand had caught the dagger that the Death Knight had thrown when he thought that Eugene was distracted. The target of the dagger had been Kristina. The Death Knight had wanted to take the chance to kill the owner of that disgusting appearance. ¡°This bastard, you really are seeing right through me,¡± the Death Knightined. Since his attacks kept getting blocked before they could reach their target, the Death Knight couldn¡¯t help but feel annoyed. Was it because his body was still a bit stiff? After all, he had just opened his eyes after three hundred years of lying dead, and it had been a long time since he had experienced a battle of this level. The difference in the quality of their weapons couldn¡¯t be denied either. ¡®If he wasn¡¯t a Lionheart, I might have even praised him with a pat on the head,¡¯the Death Knight thought regretfully. To be honest, this fight left him with veryplicated feelings. The Death Knight had left no heirs during his lifetime. He had never taught anyone how to use the sword. Even though he had died before he could pass them down personally, after three hundred years had passed, he had still managed to meet a sessor to his techniques. The problem was that his sessor¡­ was Vermouth¡¯s descendant, and the things that had been passed down to this kid were the skills that Vermouth had stolen without his permission. Because of how Vermouth had betrayed his trust when he was alive, this whole situation caused the Death Knight to feel even more furious and enraged. These emotions led his steps, which had been drifting backward, to advance once more. The Death Knight felt regret that he had only brought one de to this battle. If this were the battlefield, he would have been able to find usable weapons from his surroundings, but all that was present here were dirt, gravel, and trees. The fortunate thing was that this body, which had been revived as an undead, was extremely tough. The Death Knight spread both his hands in a loose stance and lowered his body. There was no sound from the Death Knight¡¯s feet when he started charging forward. His fully lowered stance seemed to slide across the ground effortlessly. Then his loosely spread hands swung forward like whips. Eugene hadn¡¯t moved a step. He was standing in the same spot as before, with Wynnyd being the only thing showing slight movement as it rose in defense. The Death Knight didn¡¯t choose to sh with Eugene directly. The moment he reached the defense Eugene had erected with Wynnyd, the Death Knight twisted his body to the side. His swinging hands avoided the de and struck at Eugene¡¯s neck. Even now, Eugene still didn¡¯t move. Instead, the ground that the Death Knight was stepping on began to churn. In mere moments, the distance between them abruptly expanded. Yet instead of pulling back his swinging arms, the Death Knight spun his entire body around. During this spin, his nails, which had been lengthened with dark power, swiped at Eugene. In response to this attack, Eugene finally took a step forward, even though the distance between them wasn¡¯t all thatrge in the first ce. Yet this current arm¡¯s length between them wasn¡¯t a gap that either Eugene or the Death Knight were ufortable with fighting in. Cyan watched the battle between Eugene and the Death Knight with an expression of undisguisable astonishment. Both kept firing off attacks without showing any signs of retreating. Without being able to touch each other, the two of themunched continuous waves of assaults. There was no way to tell just how many moves either of them were predicting in advance. The moment that one of them was forced to be distracted by an attacking at them would be when the other seized the flow of battle. Both Eugene and the Death Knight kept pressing forth with their attacks to seize an advantageous flow in their battle. Before too long, the gap between them began to emerge. Eugene¡¯s sword was lighter than the Death Knight¡¯s fists. As a result, he was ever so slightly faster than the Death Knight. So, at some point, the flow of the battle began leaning towards Eugene. There was no way that the Death Knight wouldn¡¯t be able to sense this happening, but his head was throbbing in frustration. The battle techniques herecalledweren¡¯t working as well as he expected. ¡®It feels like my body isn¡¯t moving as well as it should,¡¯the Death Knight thought in distress. But that had to be an illusion. His body, which had been raised as an undead, was actually moving better than it had when he was alive. After all, that body had been damaged by the frequent battles and extreme overuse of Ignition to the point of self-abuse. His body may have once disintegrated, but it had been restored out of nothing through the authority of the Demon King of Incarceration. Although it had been perfectly restored in its final damaged state, Amelia Merwin had remodeled the broken body to have higher specifications than Hamel had once had in his prime. ¡®...My head¡­,¡¯the Death Knight thought with a wince. Could it be because of an ipatibility between his body and soul? No, that couldn¡¯t be it. Edmond himself had lent his own expertise to fine-tuning the Death Knight. While his existence as a whole might not be natural, that didn¡¯t mean that the rate ofpatibility between the body and the soul was low. But if they fought in theexact same way, there was no way that the Death Knight, who was relying on memories from three hundred years ago, could win against Eugene. After all, Eugene was all too aware of how the Death Knight would move and how he wouldunch his attacks. Yet, at the same time, Eugene no longer thought and fought the same way he had three hundred years ago. It had been twenty-one years since he had been reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart. He had first set his sights on reaching the heights of his previous life, which had seemed far into the distance at that time. Now, those heights were no longer so high nor so distant. So the movements of the Death Knight couldn¡¯t escape Eugene¡¯s eyes. It was only the Death Knight himself who refused to admit to this fact. His head kept throbbing in pain as he tried to think of a way to win, but the memories being drawn from his body were already flowing into its head all too perfectly. There was no way to improve his absorption of Hamel¡¯s skills. Rather than that, the memories associated with those skills were practically forcing themselves onto him. So there was no shortage of techniques at his disposal. As for his former strength and speed from when he was alive? That was just a matter of recing his usage of mana with dark power. In the end, this still meant that he wascking something decisive needed to win this battle, and whenever it came down to situations like this, ¡°Hamel¡± would always¡­. The Death Knight¡¯s right hand, which had just been blown back from a parried strike, twisted back downwards. The bent fingers of the Death Knight¡¯s hand headed straight for his chest. He had to use Ignition. If he was the slightest bit careless, his undead body would break down, but things such as the recoil seemed insignificant for the Death Knight at this moment. The Death Knight was filled with hatred for the Lionheart name. Eugene¡¯s fiery mane reminded him strongly of Vermouth, and he also imed to be Sienna¡¯s sessor. Then there was the Saint who looked exactly like Anise. The Death Knight didn¡¯t want to admit to their strength. Instead, he wanted to squash them in a head-on conflict. Only by killing all of them would he be able to resolve this suffocating and terrible hatred in his heart. His dead fingers dug into his unbeating chest. The Death Knight¡¯s own rage was injected into the dark power of the Core thaty there. Eugene naturally recognized what this gesture signified. He just never thought that the Death Knight would still be able to use Ignition with its undead body. If Eugene had his way, he wanted to defeat the Death Knight while using the same technique of Ignition. But it seemed like there wasn¡¯t any need for that. Fwooosh! Purple mes began to gather behind Eugene¡¯s back. Cracracrack! Then came the sound of something shattering. Kristina, who was standing behind Eugene, covered her mouth with one hand, but she couldn¡¯t seal it offpletely, and blood soon flowed out from between her fingers. Melkith turned to look at Kristina in rm. Lovellian immediately made a gesture with his hands and started casting a spell. Balzac also ttened his body and ced one palm on the ground. But it was useless. They couldn¡¯t do anything to stop the intrusion of Edmond, who was drawing on the mana from the Earth Veins, dimir, and even the dark power granted to him by the Demon King. Through sheer force, Edmond broke through the barrier of divine power that had been erected around this location, and he also immediately tore through the barrier spell that Lovellian had just cast. ¡®Balzac Ludbeth,¡¯Edmond thought with a twitch of his brow. To think that his fellow ck Mage would actually interfere in his ns like this. Balzac¡¯s clever pration of his own defenses was more irritating than the solid barrier of divine power he had just destroyed. However, it seemed that he wasn¡¯t toote. ¡°...What is this?¡± the Death Knight spat out as it suddenly fell from mid-air. Tearing his eyes away from his hand that had been set on fire by his own enmed dark power, the Death Knight looked around at his new surroundings. Whether it was the descendants of Vermouth, the Saintess who so resembled Anise or the Archwizards who followed Sienna¡¯s tradition, none of them could be seen. He had been on the battlefield just moments ago ¡ª but in an instant, he had returned to the capital of the Kochi Tribe. ¡°That wasn¡¯t something you could ovee with force,¡± Edmond lectured. When Eugene had just been about to cast his Signature and the Death Knight was on the verge of activating Ignition, Edmond had used the summoning spell he had obtained from Amelia to pull the Death Knight back here. ¡°But doesn''t that just give you a little more motivation to grow stronger?¡± Edmond said as he turned to face the Death Knight, his furrowed brow rxing. He had been surprised to see a Saint whose magic was lethal to the undead. There had also been Three Tower Masters from Aroth. Then there was Eugene Lionheart. He had known that Eugene was strong, but¡­ to think that it was to such an extent. Edmond clicked his tongue and shook his head. aaang! The attack that came flying at him was blocked by Edmond¡¯s defensive spells. As he gazed through the hazy barrier, Edmond narrowed his eyes. ¡°Motivation?¡± the Death Knight growled, his expression twisted into a demonic grimace. As his body shook with rage, the Death Knight spat out, ¡°So what? Are you saying you sent me there to motivate me?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t just that,¡± Edmond replied. ¡°If at all possible, I hoped that you would be able to kill everyone there. But, regretfully, it seems that was impossible.¡± ¡°Impossible? Don¡¯t spout such bullshit. If you hadn¡¯t summoned me, I would have been able to kill them all!¡± the Death Knight insisted. ¡°Would that really have been the case?¡± Edmond questioned in a calm voice. The Death Knight immediately opened its mouth to give a response, but, unsure of what to say, he remained silent. Instead, the Death Knight eventually restrained his current surge of rage and closed his mouth. ¡°...I can¡¯t say that for sure,¡± the Death Knight admitted once he had finished calming his raging emotions. When it came tobat, the Death Knight knew that one needed to be rational. He shouldn¡¯t allow his emotions to take precedence. Even though this was already something that he should know all too well¡­ this time, he hadn¡¯t been able to put it into practice. After considering the matter, he felt that it couldn¡¯t be helped. Eugene Lionheart was Vermouth¡¯s descendant, a sessor to Hamel and Sienna¡¯s legacy, and the Hero. While chewing on that list of eye-catching titles running through his mind, the Death Knight shook his head. ¡°If I had kept on fighting, I might have been able to kill a few of them. However, killing them all would have been impossible,¡± the Death Knight conceded. ¡°That wasn¡¯t a situation wherein I felt I could afford to lose you.¡± Edmond continued speaking, ¡°After all, you don¡¯t want to be defeated without getting your revenge on all those who wronged you, do you? It¡¯s just that the battlefield this time wasn¡¯t advantageous for you. Now, your motivation has been strengthened, and I¡¯ve also confirmed who our opponents are¡­. Next time, I will also be able to provide you with my assistance.¡± The Death Knight just listened silently. ¡°How do you feel now?¡± Edmond asked. The Death Knight was no longer nning to attack Edmond. He stood there,pletely still, while reliving the battle that had just taken ce. ¡°Is the current me truly in the right condition?¡± the Death Knight asked. ¡°I know that my body is healthier than it was before. Probably¡­ if it¡¯s with my current undead body, I¡¯d likely be able to keep up in a slugfest with that fool, Molon. However, I still couldn¡¯t manage to gain the slightest advantage over that brat.¡± ¡°Hm¡­.¡± Instead of replying immediately, Edmond was lost in thought for a few moments. He knew the reason why the Death Knight felt that way. The Death Knight firmly believed that he was Hamel. He didn¡¯t have the slightest hesitation or doubt about calling himself Hamel. However, even with that, this didn¡¯t mean that the Death Knight was thetrueStupid Hamel. He was just a doppelganger who was perfectly mimicking Hamel after being imnted with Hamel¡¯s memories from when he was alive. Amelia Merwin believed that once the doppelganger could fully adjust to these memories, it would be able to recreate everything about Hamel, including his personality. To do so, the doppelganger needed to go beyond simply relying on those memories and instead needed to digest them. Amelia predicted that only then would an independent sense of self be born, and a new soul woulde to dwell within the Death Knight¡¯s body. Amelia had loaned the Death Knight to Edmond, partly because she expected a favor in returnter¡­ but also because she hoped that experiencing the battlefield might allow the Death Knight to go beyond being a simple mass of memories and sublimate a true self. ¡®But such a possibility¡­ while there might still be some hope for it, it doesn¡¯t seem too likely. I¡¯m skeptical as to whether it can truly go beyond the limited nature of its existence,¡¯Edmond thought doubtfully. Unlike Amelia, Edmond didn¡¯t really trust such uncertain possibilities. The only thing Edmond believed in was the things he had perfectly designed. From that perspective, the Death Knight had plenty of room for growth. However, truthfully speaking, Edmond was skeptical about whether a doppelganger, who was just a mass of copied memories, could truly be reborn as a higher ss of being like Amelia hoped it would. Of course, it was impossible for him to confess such thoughts to the Death Knight. Once Edmond had finished his contemtions, he spoke up. ¡°It seems that you are being overly influenced by your memories from your past life.¡± He decided to give the Death Knight a bit of encouragement while keeping his words moderate, ¡°It¡¯s something that cannot be helped. You were once a human and died as one three hundred years ago. Now you have returned to life, but you were not resurrected as a human being.¡± The Death Knight silently processed this. Edmond reassured him, ¡°Since you have been dead for hundreds of years, your soul and memories may be iplete. However, there¡¯s no need to be too concerned about it. To my best knowledge, Amelia Merwin, the one who resurrected you, stands at the peak of all necromancers. She is also an existence iparable to the necromancers you may have encountered three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°Your words leave me with aplicated feeling,¡± the Death Knightined. Edmondughed, ¡°Haha¡­. Your instinctive disgust towards ck magic may also be contributing to your current difort. You asked if you were in the right condition. Well, if I had to be honest, you¡¯re not.¡± The Death Knight red at Edmond without responding to his revtion. Without averting his gaze, Edmond smiled and continued, ¡°You could describe it as a characteristic that all ancient undead experience. They are repulsed by their current form of existence and be obsessed with the memories left from their former lives¡­. Ah, but that said, that doesn¡¯t mean you need to give up on all of your past attachments. Because for the undead, their obsessions can be said to be the foundation of their very existence.¡± The more Edmond talked, the calmer the Death Knight¡¯s expression grew. ¡°However, you should focus on the motions instead of your memories,¡± Edmond advised. ¡°Instead of relying on the countless battles you went through during your life, you might find the answer to your current distress bying up with new ideas.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± the Death Knight slowly nodded his head. ¡°That¡¯s certainly true. Perhaps it¡¯s because I¡¯ve been revived after dying once that my head doesn¡¯t seem to be working too well. Now that I think about it¡­ I¡­ I was fighting the way that I always did during my previous life. My past experiences¡­ take over¡­ whenever ites to fighting for my life. However, the battles I face now are different. I can¡¯t allow myself to be swayed by my memories.¡± It seemed that the Death Knight¡¯s pounding head was gradually clearing up. ¡°I should have been thinking¡­ about how I should fight¡­ instead of letting habit take over. The fact that none of my tricks worked on Eugene Lionheart¡­ means that he must know me all too well. So my defeat is because I couldn¡¯t go beyond his expectations¡­,¡± the Death Knight continued to mutter as he turned around. In the end, wouldn¡¯t that also just be acting ording to the habits from his past? That was what Edmond thought as he looked at the Death Knight¡¯s receding back. But it was clear that his conflict with Eugene Lionheart, who was much stronger than either of them had suspected, had managed to motivate the Death Knight. Although the Death Knight couldn¡¯t gain the upper hand on Eugene in this battle¡­ if the Death Knight had been able to use Ignition like he had said, the results might have been different. ¡®However, this still isn¡¯t a good turn of events,¡¯Edmond thought as his expression reverted back into a frown. He had been nning to finish his preparations at a leisurely pace, but he could never have imagined that the Lionhearts and the Tower Masters of Aroth would actually arrive to interfere with his ns. Though the truth was, more than anything else, it was Balzac Ludbeth¡¯s presence that caused Edmond the most aggravation. ¡®What does he want? Could it be¡­ he ns on stealing control of my ritual?¡¯There was also one other thing,¡®They also had Raizakia¡¯shatchlingwith them. ¡­Did she manage to escape when the Dragon Demon Castle fell? Was Eugene Lionheart involved in that fall?¡¯ Edmond kept thinking about what the hatchling¡¯s presence could mean. He knew that the Rainforest retained a connection to the dimensional rift Raizakia was trapped in. ¡­The Wise Sienna must truly be secreted away in the elven territory hidden somewhere within the Rainforest. Eugene bringing the hatchling here must have something to do with that. The fact that the Wise Sienna hadn¡¯t been seen in over two hundred years meant that she had to be in a state where she had no choice but to stay unseen. Edmond had dared to use the Rainforest as the stage for his ritual because he was confident that Sienna had been sealed away. While he had failed to find the World Tree himself, he was hopeful that once the ritual was sessfullypleted, he would be able to devour both the World Tree and Sienna¡¯s power for himself. That was why he had wanted to make asplete preparations for the ritual as he could, but¡­ having confirmed the presence of the hatchling, Eugene, and Balzac, Edmond could no longer afford to be so rxed. Edmond was afraid of two possibilities. One was that he would lose control of the ritual to Balzac. The other was for the Wise Sienna to be resurrected before he was finished. Whichever way things went, Edmond would only end up with the worst possible oues. ¡°It seems that I can¡¯t afford to rx,¡± Edmond breathed out with a groan. Chapter 285: Balzac Ludbeth (5)

Chapter 285: Balzac Ludbeth (5)

The mana Eugene gathered to activate Prominence dispersed. Eugene red at the sky for a moment, then cleared his expression and regained hisposure before turning around. He noticed Kristina wiping blood from her mouth with the back of her hand and asked, "Are you okay?" The barrier she formed using divine power had not been weak by any means, but it had been no match for the sheer power of Edmund''s attack. Kristina had endured the brunt of the destruction, her barrier shattered by the force of the onught. ¡°I am¡­ fine,¡± Kristina said while catching her breath and calling on the Light. The throbbing pain she felt was washed away by her divine power. But even though she was relieved of the physical pain, she could not find peace. ¡°I apologize, Sir Eugene. I wascking¡­.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that.¡± Eugene interrupted her with a nonchnt expression. He didn¡¯t want to betray his true emotions to Kristina, especially when she had such clear blood stains around her face. However, his answer only caused Kristina more distress. Kristina lowered her head while chewing on her lips. Eugene clicked his tongue at the sight and pulled out a handkerchief before approaching her. ¡°He¡¯s called the current generation¡¯s Staff of Incarceration. In addition, he was drawing power from all sorts of sources. Even if you are the Saint, you couldn¡¯t possibly maintain the barrier under those conditions.¡± ¡°¡­Right.¡± [Hamel is correct, Kristina. Even for me, it was impossible to suppress the Staff of Incarceration by myself three hundred years ago.] It felt as if the curses and hatred they felt from the Death Knight were haunting them. However, Anise could pull herself together, knowing that the Death Knight wasn¡¯t really Hamel. [How dare they,] spat Anise. But it did not mean she had dispelled her anger. On the contrary, her anger simmered beneath the surface, sharpening into a fine edge. Anise could not bring herself to forgive the Death Knight and the ck wizard who had created it. The mere thought of their actions made her blood boil. They had taken Hamel''s body and turned it into a twisted puppet, a mockery of the man he had once been. But that was not enough for them. They had gone a step further, imbuing the Death Knight with false memories and forcing him to pretend to be Hamel. The insult was unbearable, not only to Anise but to everyone who had known Hamel three centuries ago. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Lovellian raised his head, revealing his pale expression. The Red Tower was known to be specialized in summoning magic, and as the Master of the Red Tower, he could im to be the greatest summoner of the era. And yet, he had failed. Lovellian had attempted to cancel the Death Knight¡¯s reverse summoning, but he had failed to interfere with the enormous power Edmund utilized. ¡°Please take a look at this.¡± However, it wasn¡¯t as if he had failed to produce any results. Although Lovellian had beencking in mana to directly interfere with the summoning, he had seeded in tracking the flow of the mana in the brief moment. Lovellian raised his staff, causing the fabric of space to distort and ripple around him. Then, with a wave of his hand, he projected a scene before him. It was not a powerful familiar he had summoned but an "eye" that would allow him to observe Edmund''s actions from afar. Though the distance made it impossible to conjure a more powerful entity, observation was possible. All eyes were drawn to the projection as it flickered to life before them. The image disyed the capital city of the Kochi Tribe, a ce thaty far beyond their current location. Despite the distance, the view was clear, offering a panoramic vista of the city from high above. The sight that greeted them was brutal and cruel. Before them stood a massive pyramid-shaped altar, its size looming over the countless prisoners that climbed its sides. At the pinnacle of the altar, a group of sorcerers stood, their masks and clothing made from human skin. In their hands were long, winding knives, which they plunged mercilessly into the chests of those who reached the summit. It was a brutal ceremony, one that involved the live extraction of the prisoners'' beating hearts. The prisoners stumbled and rolled down the pyramid after being robbed of their hearts into arge pit located below. Within the pit were piles of bodies easily numbering in the thousands. Even after the hearts were removed from the bodies of the prisoners, they continued beating. Nearby, warriors stood at the ready, adjacent to the sorcerers, poised to receive the still-beating hearts. They carefully carried the organs to the back of the pyramid, where arge cauldron waited. The cauldron was woven from the bones of the dead and contained a boiling, sticky, crimson liquid. When the beating hearts were thrown into the pot, they instantly dissolved, the crimson liquid turning even darker as it mixed with the organs. ¡°How terrible¡­,¡± Melkith muttered with horror at the sight. Cyan chewed on his lips to stop himself from throwing up. He wasn¡¯t too ustomed to seeing so many dead bodies. But there wasn¡¯t just one altar in which such a ritual was taking ce. In fact, there were five such altars in the capital of the Kochi Tribe, and the shape they formed was clearly visible looking down from a great height above the capital. It was an inverted pentagram, a symbol favored in ck magic since ancient times. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s rude to peek?¡± A voice came from the scene. Lovellian moved his magical eye with a stiff expression. A man was flying towards them, dressed in a fedora and a short cloak that seemed entirely out of ce in the hellishndscape below. Edmund Codreth smiled while caressing his beard. ¡°It¡¯s not Balzac¡¯s Dark Power. The Head Wizard of the Red Tower¡­ Lovellian Sophis? It must be. I saw the Head of the White Tower, Melkith El-Hayah, as well, but she¡¯s not proficient in this kind of magic,¡± continued Edmund. ¡°And what do you know about me?¡± Melkith grumbled, but it was true. Melkith was proficient in many different types of magic as an Archwizard, but as Edmund said, she wasn¡¯t a master of summoning magic, which required one to be both spontaneous and delicate. ¡°First of all, as someone who walks the same path of magic¡­ I would like to offer you mypliment. It¡¯s amazing that you managed to detect the flow of magic in that short moment and even summon a familiar despite the difference in our powers,¡± said Edmund. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear yourpliments,¡± retorted Lovellian. ¡°Is it because I am a ck wizard? I know your childhood was ruined by a ck wizard, but¡­ Well, let¡¯s stop talking about this. You all will never see eye to eye with me anyways.¡± Edmund paused, then turned his gaze away from Lovellian. ¡°However, I think we are more than capable of understanding each other. What do you think, Balzac Ludbeth?¡± Naturally, Edmund¡¯s gaze was directed at Balzac. Although the two locations were separated by a great distance, the cold anger contained in Edmund¡¯s eyes was thick enough to protrude through the projecting images. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you feel the same way, but I always thought of us as friends. We¡¯ve known each other for a long time, and we¡¯ve talked about many things,¡± said Edmund. ¡°Think it over, Edmund. We¡¯ve certainly talked a lot, but¡­ wasn¡¯t it mostly useless chatter? I think most of it was perfunctory,¡± retorted Balzac. ¡°That¡¯s upsetting to hear. So, are you betraying me since most of our exchanges were useless?¡± asked Edmund. ¡°I think you have the wrong choice of words. It¡¯s not betrayal since I was never on your side, to begin with. Just as you move only for your own benefit, I also move for my own benefit,¡± Balzac responded softly. His nonchnce caused Edmund¡¯s eyebrows to wriggle with discontent. ¡°Are you nning to rob me of my ritual?¡± asked Edmund. ¡°Perhaps,¡± answered Balzac. ¡°I know you well, Balzac Ludbeth. You don¡¯t have the capacity,¡± retorted Edmund. ¡°Do you really think so?¡± Balzac asked, a smile ying at the corners of his lips. Edmund did not respond. He couldn¡¯t find anything to say. In truth, he barely knew Balzac at all. Edmund couldn¡¯t describe the type of wizard Balzac was. He was confident in describing Amelia Merwin, but he couldn¡¯t say the same for Balzac. Before signing a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Balzac had been an excellent wizard, hailed as a possible sessor to the position of the Blue Tower Master. Then one day, he suddenly left the Blue Tower and headed to Helmuth. Countless wizards had attempted to gain an audience with the Demon King of Incarceration, but few had seeded in even entering the imposing tower of Babel, let aloneying eyes on the Demon King himself. However, Balzac was different. His reputation as a talented and respected wizard had preceded him, and it was this that had granted him ess to the Demon King''s inner sanctum. However, it would have been difficult for him to obtain a contract with the Demon King with nothing more than his abilities as a wizard. Rather, it would have been impossible if only his capabilities had been taken into consideration. At that time, the Demon King of Incarceration already had Amelia Merwin and Edmund Codreth. Even so, Balzac seeded in signing a contract with the Demon King. What he desired through the contract had caught the interest of the Demon King of Incarceration, but Edmund did not know what it was. That¡¯s how the Three Mages of Incarceration came to be. There were¡­ exchanges. However, their interactions had been limited to surface-level talks, with little insight into each other''s thoughts and intentions. Balzac''s magical abilities appeared unremarkable on the surface, but it was clear that he had hidden depths. To truly understand each other, they would have to engage in magicalpetition. However, they had never taken this step. ¡°How utterly unpleasant,¡± spat Edmund, all traces of a smile disappearing from his face. ¡°Since you¡¯re saying so, let me make it absolutely clear for you, Balzac. The ritual I preside over is perfect and not pathetic enough to be taken away by the likes of you.¡± Balzac did not give an answer but shrugged instead. Edmund¡¯s glistening eyes headed to Eugene. ¡°It will not break, and I will not fail. Eugene Lionheart, I know that you are the Hero and have caught the attention of His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. However, if you think I won¡¯t kill you just because of that, you¡¯re sorely mistaken.¡± ¡°And you think you can kill me?¡± asked Eugene as his lips curled into a twisted smile. ¡°The de you sent was dull and old. Do you really think you can kill me with such a weapon?¡± ¡°Your anger and disgust are tant. Is it because you¡¯re not just a Lionheart but also Stupid Hamel¡¯s sessor? Let me correct you first. It does not matter to me whether the sword is blunt or sharp. I am not so weak as a ck wizard to be desperate for a de,¡± retorted Edmund. Should he induce them to march all the way to the capital of the Kochi Tribe? Edmund could not be defeated if he set this ce as the battlefield. Therge and cruel city had long been Edmund¡¯s territory, and it currently contained a great concentration of power as the epicenter of the ritual. But his opponent would surely be aware of this fact as well. Edmund wasn¡¯t in a position to rx since he was ignorant of Balzac¡¯s true purpose. Edmund would have plenty of time to make preparations while he waited for his enemies to march. Likewise, his opponents would also have time to prepare. He didn¡¯t know what kinds of tricks Balzac had hidden up his sleeves, and the two Tower Masters bothered him as well. To make matters worse, the two in question were wizards who specialized inwaramong the Archwizards of Aroth. The Red Tower Master could fight a war of numbers with his summons, while the White Tower Master could make use of numerous spirits with her contracts to two spirit kings. ¡®Even if I make this the battlefield¡­. If the Wise Sienna also joins the fray¡­.¡¯ However, what worried Edmund the most was the possible resurrection of Sienna. Although he never had the chance topare himself to Sienna as a wizard, Sienna Merdein was an Archwizard who even threatened the Demon Kings. He was confident in beating her in a one-on-one battle of magic on an advantageous battlefield, but if the Wise Sienna joined the group of his powerful enemies¡­ he judged that his odds were slim. ¡°¡­So I will kill you all with my own hands.¡± Finally, he came to a decision. He would leave the capital and march, raising a decisive battle to supplement the remaining offering required for the ritual. He did not know how much time the opponents would need, but one major war would be enough to satisfy the requirements for the ritual. ¡°I will march the barbarians to the Footprint of the God of the Land right away. If you want to run away, feel free to do so. I¡¯m willing to show that much mercy,¡± said Edmund. The group had pinpointed the location of the Footprint of the God of the Land by studying the map the previous day. The valley was situated between the Kochi Tribe and Zoran Tribe and was the only ce in the dense forest thatcked trees. ording to the beliefs of the native Samar people, the hollow valley was a footprint left by the God of the Land and was considered a site for the great tribes to engage inrge-scale battles. In fact, it had been the site of a fierce battle a few months ago when the Kochis and Zorans first shed. Edmund¡¯s words were a tant inducement. A pagoda of bones had also been erected in the Footprint of the Earth God, and the Earth Veins were also twisted. Even so, facing him in the Footprint of the God of the Land was still better than marching all the way to the Kochi Tribe¡¯s capital to face him there. Crack. The images became blurred, a consequence of the magical eye being destroyed. Lovellian clicked his tongue while shaking his head. ¡°¡­It¡¯s as you said, ck Tower Master. Edmund¡¯s hurrying to finish his ritual.¡± He had dered his intention to march even though there was no need. Edmund''s eagerness to provoke his enemies into marching to the Footprint of the God of the Land was a clear indication of his desperation toplete the ritual at any cost. He seemed unwilling to tolerate any hindrances or unforeseen circumstances, and the group sensed this from his bold deration to march toward them. Balzac observed Eugene''s expression closely while muttering to himself, "He''s trying to hurry it more than I expected, but I can guess why. He''s wary of Sir Eugene''s existence... as well as Lady Sienna''s resurrection." Although Balzac had not heard directly about Sienna''s resurrection, he could deduce from their current situation that it was rted to her whereabouts. ¡®If Lady Sienna is free, there is no reason for her not to have joined us¡­ It seems that other conditions need to be met for her resurrection.¡¯ Balzac turned his attention to Raimira. Although he was never told her identity, it was tantly clear that the little girl was a hatchling. ¡°¡­That Death Knight from before. Was it really Sir Hamel?¡± Cyan asked while massaging his pale face with his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he would have said any of those things. He wants to wipe out the Lionheart n? Why would Sir Hamel say such¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Eugene spat out. ¡°That Death Knight¡­. The body belonged to¡­ Sir Hamel, but the person wasn¡¯t Sir Hamel.¡± ¡°And how would you know that?¡± asked Cyan. I would because I¡¯m Hamel, you punk.Eugene barely stopped himself from retorting. Well, now that he hade this far, it wouldn¡¯t be problematic for him to reveal his true identity. However, on a separate note, Eugene thought he might kill himself out of shame. He had always spoken of ¡°Sir¡± Hamel¡¯s greatness to Cyan, but if Cyan ever found out that Eugene was Hamel¡­. ¡°Well¡­. Spirits can see the souls of humans. Tempest told me that the Death Knight wasn¡¯t Sir Hamel,¡± Eugene hurriedly exined. ¡°Are you sure? He kept saying that he was Sir Hamel,¡± said Cyan. ¡°Why would I lie to you about this? And I¡¯m sure you wouldn¡¯t know, but Sir Hamel¡¯s not an idiot like that Death Knight. And, like you said, why would Sir Hamel want to massacre the Lionheart n? What reason would he have to curse Sir¡­ Molon, Lady Sienna, and Lady Anise?¡± continued Eugene. ¡°Maybe he got angry after discovering the contents of the fairy tale?¡± Melkith whispered under her breath while listening to their conversation. Kristina¡¯s shoulders suddenly trembled ¡ª a result of Anise suddenly clearing her throat. ¡°That¡¯s a valid argument.¡± Even Eugene had to acknowledge it. Sienna and Anise were co-authors of the fairy tale, and they had never imagined that Hamel would reincarnate when they wrote the story. In fact, when Eugene first read the fairy tale after reincarnating, he had ground his teeth. However, he would never curse Sienna and Anise over a fairy tale. How could he? Now that he had the opportunity to mull over it, with the luxury of hindsight, he had to admit that his death in the Castle of the Demon King of Incarnation had been¡­ a selfish suicide. He had chosen his own death after realizing his body was broken, and he could no longer fight. In truth, it was a way to preserve his pride while going out on his own terms. He had hoped that hisrades would be furious at his death and topple the Demon King of Incarceration. Despite whatever excuses he coulde up with, in the end, his death had been ugly and selfish, and Eugene had to admit it as a fact. What Sienna and Anise did with the fairy tale could be considered trivialpared to what he had done to them. ¡®¡­Though I wish they had seasoned it a bit less with their own self-interest.¡¯ Eugene shook his head, recalling the way in which the fairy tale ended. ¡°¡­Hmm, Sir Hamel isn¡¯t so shallow as to curse hisrades for the contents of a fairy tale,¡± said Eugene. ¡°How would you know?¡± asked Melkith. ¡°How would I know? I-I just know it. After all, I am the heir of Sir Hamel, sessor of Lady Sienna, and uh, I met Sir Molon as well¡­ Uh¡­ I heard from them exactly how heroic Sir Hamel was,¡± exined Eugene. [Kristina. How can Hamel say such embarrassing things with his own mouth?] ¡®I.. think that Sir Eugene is¡­ great at self-objectification.¡¯ [My goodness¡­! Kristina, you¡¯re clearly blinded by something here!] Anise screamed, causing Kristina to blush slightly. ¡°Honestly, that Death Knight isn¡¯t worth worrying about. I can handle it just fine on my own. Rather, I find it more annoying that Amelia Merwin, the master of the Death Knight, is colluding with Edmund¡­,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Edmund only borrowed the Death Knight. Amelia will not being to the forest,¡± replied Balzac. ¡°How can you be sure?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Just as Edmund is wary of me, he will also be wary of Amelia. In the first ce, Edmund is using the warriors and sorcerers of the Kochi Tribe as a tool without receiving any help from other ck wizards or demons. Pulling off such arge ritual without receiving any help is a great feat, but he¡¯s not doing so to show off his abilities, but rather¡­ to eliminate all possible variables,¡± Balzak said with a bitter smile. ¡°If Amelia had cooperated with Edmund, this ritual would have beenpleted already. If Edmund is a well-bnced ck wizard, Amelia is a necromancer who stands at the pinnacle. An army of undead would not have needed any supplies or rest.¡± ¡°I hate ck wizards, but I hate necromancers the most among them.¡± Eugene spat out, recalling the face of the Death Knight. Favorite Chapter 286: Balzac Ludbeth (6) News of the deration of an all-out war at the Footprint of the God of the Land was ryed back to the Zoran Tribe. The elders of the tribe took on stiffened expressions at the news, but the young warriors seemed rather weing. It was because the location held significant meaning for them. ¡°It seems that the Kochis know honor,¡± said Ivatar with a grin. The Footprint of the God of the Land had long been used as a stage for wars to decide the fates of the great tribes. Although it was true that the God of the Land would guide the spirit of the warriors, regardless of where they perished, it was also true that a warrior who died in the Footprint of the God of the Land would lie in the Cradle of the Warrior in their death, in the arms of the God of the Land. Ivatar''s father, the former chief of Zoran, had fallen in battle against the Kochis, sumbing to injuries sustained during their conflict. The battleground for their fateful encounter was the Footprint of the God of the Land, a sacred ce that held great significance to the natives of Samar. Ivatar, fueled by his warrior spirit and driven by a desire to avenge his father''s death and reim the souls of their fallen warriors, was determined to emerge victorious in this uing battle. At the dawn of departure, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe and their allies gathered together for a solemn ceremony. At the heart of the capital, a temple was set aze, its mes reaching for the sky and spreading heat upon all those gathered. As the warriors readied themselves to depart, they each cast their personal belongings into the fiery inferno, apanied by the sorcerers who added a mixture of potent herbs to the mes. As the herbs incinerated, they produced smoke. The warriors who inhaled the smoke screamed or danced. Although the hallucinogenic herbs used were treated as a drug in many parts of the continent, for the natives of the Rainforest it was amon and epted practice, a vital part of their preparation for battle. The preparation for the uing battle wasn''t limited to just burning herbs. The warriors were also provided with alcohol, although the taste was unpleasant. The liquor had been infused with psychedelic substances, which would allow the warriors to forget their pain and fear. Eugene¡¯s group did not participate in the raucous ceremony. Each of them was busy with preparations of their own. Kristina was at the water reservoir of the city, unleashing her divine power. It wasn¡¯t anything new or special for Eugene. He had seen Anise do the same thing many times, three hundred years ago. She was making holy water on the spot. If the psychedelic nts would rob the warriors of their pain and promote madness, the holy water would treat their wounds and clear their minds to bolster their courage. Eugene himself had relied on the holy water many times in his past life. ¡°If I knew this was going to happen, we should have brought some priests from Yuras,¡± grumbled Anise. Mass-producing holy water was her specialty, and she was sharing Kristina¡¯s body while providing guidance. In Yuras, there was a group of priests known as the Luminous Covenant, a group of battle clerics. After the Knight March, the pope had formed a special force within the Luminous Covenant with Kristina as their leader. The special forces group, known as the Graceful Radiance, was formed from priests personally selected by Anise and Kristina. Although the group wasn¡¯t yet officially established, the battle priests of the Graceful Radiance had begun their training under Raphael Martinez. ¡°Although I had my standards, they are still brats who don¡¯t know anything about war. Even so, they could have lent me their divine power, so if we brought them here, it would have saved me a lot of trouble,¡± said Anise. She knew that even with her vast array of miracles, there was a limit to what she could do for her allies. The Saint''s divine power was powerful but not limitless. If she could borrow power from other priests, however, the possibilities for miracles were endless. Anise had earned the moniker of hell among the demons, for the mere presence of her on the battlefield made it almost impossible to y humans. Her divine powers were unparalleled, allowing her to perform miracles beyond the capabilities of other priests. The radiance of her Light was all-epassing, and wherever it reached, the wounds of her allies would miraculously heal, and they would be invincible. It was ironic, in a sense, that she could transform humans into living undead with her powers. However, this time around, she would not y as big of a role. The natives here did not believe in the God of Light. As a result, Anise looked pale and exhausted. It was because she had poured out her divine power by repeating her prayers with minimum rest. ¡°I won¡¯t care about the death of the natives,¡± Anise said while taking arge swig of alcohol. But contrary to her words, Eugene knew Anise wasn¡¯t one to let anyone die. ¡°Yeah, yeah. Why bother saving them? It¡¯ll only be burdensome for you. Just let them die,¡± responded Eugene. Anise nced at Eugene after hearing his response, slowly massaging her stiff temple. ¡°¡­What a horrible thing to say, Hamel. I guess that¡¯s the kind of person you thought of me as?¡± said Anise. ¡°On the contrary, I know you too well, and I trust you too much. Anise, we both know it¡¯ll be the same this time as well. I can¡¯t even imagine you being indifferent to someone¡¯s¡­ anyone¡¯s death,¡± responded Eugene. His words were evidenced by her actions. Even though she wasining and grumbling, Anise continued to make holy water. She was doing so on behalf of Kristina, who was exhausted. Anise Slywood hoped to save all humans. She sympathized with those who died in the terrible times of the past. ¡°The dead will be a sacrifice for the ritual in this war. If too many of them die, it mightplete the ritual, so I should make sure that doesn¡¯t happen.¡± Anise whispered under her breath while standing up. She felt slightly dizzy, possibly from exerting too much divine power in a short period. But she wasn¡¯t tired to the point of copsing. Her legs felt slightly weak, and she was a bit light-headed, but that was it. She could maintain her bnce, but she chose not to. ¡°Are you okay?¡± asked Eugene after immediatelying to her aid. Instead of giving an answer, Anise allowed Eugene to help her. However, she didn¡¯t feel that it was sufficient. Anise wasn¡¯t the only one who thought so, either. She felt Kristina¡¯s emotions, then, with a wry smile, slightly retreated back, allowing Kristina to take over. ¡°Ehem¡­¡± ¡°Anise¡± leaned her head against Eugene''s chest, wordlessly seekingfort in his embrace. Eugene felt his cheeks flush with embarrassment, knowing full well that Anise enjoyed this kind of physical contact. Though she had not acted like this in their previous lives, her current mischievous and greedy behavior was likely influenced by the fact that she had already experienced death once before. Eugene knew why she acted like this. ¡°¡­I think this much is fine,¡± muttered ¡°Anise.¡± ¡­Was it really Anise? For a moment, Eugene couldn¡¯t be sure. It had never been difficult for him to differentiate between Anise and Kristina. Even if they shared the same face and the same voice, there were minor differences. But it was hard to tell right now. ¡°When this war is over, you will go to rescue Lady Sienna. I believe you will be able to save her, Sir Eugene.¡± It was Kristina. ¡°I am grateful that Sienna is not dead. I would like to see Sienna. However¡­. I can¡¯t help but think that I can be by your side Hamel, right here, right now, because Sienna is not here.¡± It was Anise. ¡°¡­I know it¡¯s not right for me to think this way. I know I should not be having such thoughts. However, I can¡¯t help myself, and I get absorbed in it. Then I end up feeling guilty and miserable.¡± ¡°Hamel, I know you were more conscious of Sienna than me. From a long time ago, I was nothing but a piteousrade.¡± ¡°You saved me, Sir Eugene. I wanted to believe that I would have been special to you. It was¡­. The reality made me miserable. I knew the truth but didn¡¯t want to admit it. Even so, I was happy because it felt like I was chosen by you, Sir Eugene. I tried not to be greedy as I stayed by your side¡­. No, I tried to settle by following behind you.¡± Kristina¡¯s and Anise¡¯s voices quivered. ¡°I could not be satisfied. Hamel, I do not know what you saw me as, but I am a selfish woman. I cannot be satisfied by simply looking at you by your side.¡± ¡°I am afraid. I am frightened. When Lady Sienna is resurrected and returns to your side, Sir Eugene. At that time¡­ c-could I still stay by your side like now? Can I still look at you as I do now?¡± ¡°I did not want to leave behind any regrets. At first, I tried to settle for a first kiss. I thought I was used to holding myself back. But I wasn¡¯t. My heart and greed only grew bigger, and it¡¯s slipping out of my hands.¡± ¡°When Lady Sienna returns¡­ I¡­.¡± The quivering voice trailed off. Kristina felt disgusted and ashamed. Anise could not bring herself to look up, thinking that her sincerity was simply ingratitude. ¡°¡­There¡¯s no way that anything will change with you two just because Siennaes back.¡± Eugene felt pity at her trembling shoulders. At the same time, he also felt confused. Anise¡¯s heart? He knew about it since she could not have made it more obvious. He had also guessed the same about Kristina. However, he had never imagined that the two of them were conscious of Sienna in this way. ¡°To be honest, I don¡¯t know what Sienna will be like. However, there¡¯s no way I would look at you differently just because Sienna returns,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That means¡­.¡± She raised her head. It was clearly Anise. Although he did not doubt the tears that brimmed in her eyes, Eugene could also feel a crafty snake behind her eyes. ¡°Sir Eugene, can I take that as a sign that you have me in your heart as well?¡± But before Eugene could respond, Kristina added her tearful plea, making the weight of her words heavier than even Molon¡¯s fists. Eugene felt overwhelmed and tried to take a step back unconsciously, but a hand firmly held onto the hem of his clothing, preventing him from moving away. He couldn''t tell whether it was Kristina or Anise who held him in ce. ¡°Even if Siennaes back, I can keep doing this, right?¡± ¡°If Lady Sienna treats me like a thief and tries to harm me, will you stand in the way and protect me?¡± ¡°Wait¡­ wait. Anise, even if Sienna returns, you¡­ uh, you¡¯re free to do as you please. Well, actually, I don¡¯t think you would change just because Sienna returns¡­,¡± Eugene scuttled on. ¡°And¡­. Kristina¡­. I¡­ don¡¯t think Sienna would¡­ treat you like a thief¡­ and she probably won¡¯t try to harm you either¡­. Well, if she does try, then, of course, I will protect you, but¡­. Umm¡­ shouldn¡¯t we talk more about this after Sienna returns¡­?¡± ¡°What a trashy thing to say with a handsome face.¡± ¡°Hamel, you are trash.¡± The same usation came from the same face and same voice. Eugene trembled with a red face. ¡°What the fuck do you want me to do!?¡± Eugene felt that their words were unjustified. Both Kristina and Anise stared at Eugene, embarrassed and helpless, with narrowed, thin eyes. It caused stagnant tears to flow from her eyes once more. ¡°Hmm¡­. I¡¯m saying this in case you misunderstand, Sir Eugene, but these tears are real. I¡¯m not the only one who cried, either. Lady Anise cried first.¡± ¡°Kristina!¡± ¡°It¡¯s better to admit these things, Sister.¡± After saying so, Kristina leaned against Eugene once more, embracing him. ¡°¡­If you don¡¯t know what to do, just don¡¯t say anything and hug me.¡± Eugene lowered his awkwardly positioned arms around Kristina¡¯s back. He had thought Kristina¡¯s personality had be rather loose because of Anise, but he could no longer think so. Come to think of it, Kristina had shown a subtle, insidious madness from their first meeting that set her apart from Anise. ¡°I can feel you shivering. I often thought about this, but you are quite cute.¡± ¡°Is it you, Anise¡­?¡± ¡°I wonder who it is?¡± The Saint smiled without giving a proper answer. Afraid of discovering the truth, Eugene quietly patted her back. *** Cyan had drank only alcohol, not wanting to use the hallucinogen. However, he was having difficulties falling asleep. After tossing and turning for a long time, he eventually sat up with a long sigh. The scene he saw earlier kept on ying in his head. There had been too many dead bodies and beating hearts being removed as sacrifices. Such things were too terrible for Cyan to ept. ¡°If you¡¯re scared, you can just stay here.¡± A voice came from his side. It was Eugene. He was busily fiddling with Akasha, absorbed in something. Cyan pressed his fingers against his temple as he turned his gaze toward Eugene. Eugene was sitting on the floor, and next to him was Raimira. She was curled into a ball, sleeping. She had been struggling to stay awake due to a nightmare that gued her mind, but Kristina¡¯s divine magic had managed to lull her into slumber. ¡°Are you still doing that?¡± grumbled Cyan instead of answering Eugene¡¯s question. He knew what Eugene was up to. He was trying to create space inside the Cloak of Darkness that could house Raimira. Since dragons could survive on mana alone, Eugene was attempting to iste a subspace inside the cloak to create a ce where Raimira could stay. It wasn¡¯t an easy feat by any means. He had to meddle with the Cloak of Darkness, which was already a finished artifact, and alter the existing magic imbued into the object. Since Raimira could not utilize high-level Draconic as a hatchling, Eugene had toplete the task himself. ¡°You could just ask Sir Lovellian or Lady Melkith for help,¡± said Cyan. ¡°They¡¯re both busy. And this is mine, so I should do it on my own,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Didn¡¯t you technically borrow it from Lady Melkith?¡± said Cyan. ¡°Technically, yes, but it¡¯s essentially mine,¡± Eugene answered with a shameless expression. It was true that both wizards were busy. Lovellian was working on abination of summons for the uing war while Melkith was away from the capital. It was so she could attempt to make a contract with Ifrit in the spirit-filled, mana-dense forest. Eugene was trying to modify the cloak so that he could protect Raimira. He couldn¡¯t leave her here or anywhere else. Since Edmund had discovered her existence, it was entirely possible that he would try to take her if she were left alone. ¡°I¡¯m telling you. If you¡¯re scared, you can just stay back.¡± Eugene repeated himself while looking up at Cyan. He was almost done with the cloak. Cyan hesitated without giving an answer. Although he was born into the Lionheart family, a family of warriors, he did not know war. It wasn¡¯t just him, either. For the people of this era, war was only a vague concept. It wasn¡¯t just war either. Cyan had always been a skilled fighter, able to take down monsters and demons with ease. But he had never killed a human before, and the thought of it weighed heavily on him. He had never been fond of the Samar natives, but seeing their lifeless bodies scattered around him had shaken him to his core. He would see many more corpses in the uing war, and he knew he would be responsible for some of it as well. ¡°Killing people isn¡¯t a good experience,¡± Eugene said. Cyan remained silent. Eugene had such experiences. Eward had died at Eugene¡¯s hands as well. ¡°If possible, it¡¯ll be better to never experience such things for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°How did you feel when you first killed someone?¡± asked Cyan. ¡°It didn¡¯t really feel like anything,¡± Eugene answered with a nonchnt expression. ¡°It was a situation where I had to kill them, and it was someone I had to kill. If I didn¡¯t, they would have killed me. What was I supposed to feel? Guilt? There was nothing like that. I guess I was thinking along the lines of, that¡¯s what you get, bastard, or something simr.¡± Cyanughed after hearing Eugene¡¯s answer. ¡°That¡¯s just like you,¡± hemented. ¡°What about you? How do you think you¡¯ll feel?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be something simr? It¡¯s a war, so it¡¯s natural that I have to kill someone to live. Those bastards will be trying to kill me as well, right?¡± said Cyan. ¡°Well, I suppose so, but there¡¯s still no need to have to experience something like that.¡± ¡°I¡¯m the next head of the Lionheart family,¡± answered Cyan. ¡°Now that I know about the ritual, I won¡¯t step down. This all stemmed from the Lionhearts¡­ from Eward. As the next head of the family, I will take responsibility. I¡¯m obliged to get involved. I have no intention of putting you in charge as well.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve matured, brat.¡± ¡°I get that you might be a little bit more mature than me, but I¡¯m still your brother. I¡¯m not much younger than you,¡± said Cyan, shaking his head. His words weren¡¯t addressed only to Eugene but to himself as well. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to say this because I thought it might put you on a pedestal, but I think you¡¯ll make a better head than I thought,¡± said Eugene. ¡°¡­Ha. Don¡¯t say the obvious. I have been trained for this ever since I was young. I was faithful to the training, too,¡± replied Cyan. ¡°I think you have me to thank more than Lady Anci,¡± said Eugene. ¡°And what did you ever do for me besides beating me up and cursing at me?¡± Cyan spat with embarrassment, preparing himself for a smack from Eugene. But contrary to his expectation, Eugene only smirked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t die with your skills but try to be careful. Don¡¯t get hurt,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Speak for yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m being serious. Be careful. Lady Anci will try to kill me if you get hurt anywhere.¡± ¡°Like I said, worry about yourself,¡± grumbled Cyan before lying down. There were many things he could not understand. He didn¡¯t know how Eugene could be so calm. Regardless of how strong he was, this would be Eugene¡¯s first time participating in a war of this size. ¡®¡­But that¡¯s more like you.¡¯ Cyan felt reassured that Eugene would be fine, even in a war of this size. Cyan could not imagine Eugene getting hurt or falling down. He knew that he needed to be careful, knowing that he could be a burden to his brother. Even so, he wanted to be Eugene¡¯s equal. That¡¯s what it meant to be brothers. ¡®If you think about it, I¡¯m the older brother.¡¯ But he knew voicing theint would only result in a smack. Such thoughts helped calm his mind. He remembered how Eugene had faced the Death Knight with malice and killing intent. No matter how scary the war was, he didn¡¯t think it would be as scary as angry Eugene. Chapter 287: The Footprint of the God of the Land (1) The altar''s me burned for a long time, extinguishing only at sunrise. The warriors left the capital, leaving behind a lingering scent of herbs and ashes. While the warriors of the Zoran Tribe were the majority, their allies were also numerous. Thousands of natives began their march forward. Despite theirrge numbers, the warriors'' equipment wascking in quality. Iron armor was absent, and many relied on leather armor. While some warriors didn''t have any armor at all, instead using tattoos orbat makeup to invoke the protection of spirits. Zoran Tribe''s leader, Ivatar, alsocked protective armor as he rode atop a trained monster while leading the army. His upper body was adorned with numerous tattoos, which multiplied as they approached the Footprint of the God of the Land, a result of the sorcerers blessing him with the protection of spirits. [Amazing,] Tempest remarked. The warriors of Samar were deeply loved by the primal spirits, and their strong affinity with these spirits was a defining characteristic of their talent as warriors. The primal spiritscked clear egos and were more akin to a natural form of energy, such as mana, with their own unique characteristics. Receiving their favor and blessing and borrowing their power was a separate power from the Spirit Magic utilized by those on the continent. [That barbarian is receiving a simple yet powerful blessing. He is loved by many primal spirits. The power of the primal spirit that is blessing Ivatar Jahav is no less than the other Spirit Kings or me.] Countless primal spirits empowered Ivatar, lending him power as he dashed over the ground. The spirits of thend would aid him, while the wind would allow him to fly. At his request, mes would appear, lightning would strike, or rain would fall, all at the whim of the powerful spirits. The Magic Tower Masters and Kristina were busy even during the march. Kristina was upied receiving Anise¡¯s teachings regarding divine magic suited for wars. This would be Kristina¡¯s first war, and frankly, she would be ced in an extremely harsh condition. Not only was she solely responsible for the production and distribution of holy water, but she would also be the sole caster of divine magic in this war. She would have to tackle everything alone without the assistance of any other priests. The same was true for the Tower Masters of the Magic Towers. The Kochi Tribe used demonic beasts. It was difficult to estimate their numbers, but in order to counter the demonic beasts they used, Lovellian would have to put in a lot of effort as a summoner. The group found a silver lining when they discovered that the sorcerers of the Zoran Tribe were more skilled than initially expected. Although sorcery was quite different from traditional magic, both trades relied on the use of mana. Once taught a few tricks, the sorcerers were able to provide valuable magical assistance. Naturally, the Tower Masters had to provide the form for the magic. Lovellian worked on defensive magical forms, even reducing the number of hours he slept. It was in preparation for Edmund¡¯s bombing magic from the skies above. On the other hand, Balzac devoted himself to preparing defensive ck magic. In addition, he revealed his Signature, Blind, to everyone as well. ¡°Hehe. Hmmmm~¡± Melkith seemed rxed, and she kept grinning like an idiot. Whenever someone asked her why she was so happy, she would reply that it was a secret with a stern expression, but everyone could guess what had happened from her tant attitude. [I can¡¯t¡­ understand¡­.] Tempest would mutter so from time to time, but Eugene ignored the voice. With Ivatar taking the lead, the group managed to reach the Footprint of the God of the Land in only a week. They had wanted to upy the battlefield in advance and had truly believed that they would beat their enemies to it. They had taken the shortest routes with the blessing of the forest, and the spirits had been pushing their back to speed them up. It had been natural to think that they would arrive before their enemies. It had been a miscalction. The enemies would have never set the scene of their battle in a ce that they could not upy first. Even though the allied forces had yet to arrive at the location, everyone could tell through their skin that the Kochis had already set up camp. The forest had taken on a strange and eerie quality. Silence hung in the air like a thick nket, without even the sound of insects or birds breaking it. The trees and foliage were lifeless, and the usually vibrant colors had faded away. The only nts and trees with color were artificial, and the fragrance of the forest had been reced by the stench of death. It was as if the life force of the forest had been drained away, leaving behind a barren wastnd. Anxiety settled on the expressions of the warriors as they marched. They broke cold sweat, not because of the hot and humid weather, but because of fear. Boom! A loud noise erupted from the front. It wasn¡¯t an ambush or anything, but rather Ivatar suddenly thumping his fist against his chest. ¡°Woo! Woo! Woo!¡± Ivatar roared while thumping his chest and stomping his feet. The short, curt cry pushed away the fear of death from his troops and regenerated their morale. ¡°He¡¯s like a gori,¡± Melkithmented from not too far away with a grin. Eugene felt rather puzzled. Melkith wasn¡¯t showing any trace of fear. ¡°Isn¡¯t it your first time participating in a war of this size, Lady Melkith? Are you fine?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°You¡¯re saying something so innocent, little bro.¡± Melkith chuckled and responded after lowering her voice. ¡°It¡¯s natural for geniuses to be hated by others. Geniuses are usually lonely, and normies form groups. What about me? I¡¯m not just a regr genius but one of the greatest geniuses in history. How often do you think they tried to keep me, Melkith El-Hayah, in check before I got to where I am? I can easily count dozens of assassins who came to kill me before I was even an adult.¡± Lovellian did notment, but he nodded after hearing her words. Although they had never experienced a war like this, every day had been no different from a war until they stabilized their position and power with the overwhelming talent they possessed. ¡°I see. You¡¯re bound to be experienced with how old you are,¡± said Eugene. ¡°And what about you? Are you okay, little bro? Aren¡¯t you just pretending to be strong? If you¡¯re scared and tired, you can hide behind my back as much as you want,¡± said Melkith. ¡°Well, I¡¯m used to it, so it¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene said. The forest came to an end. Ivatar looked down with ring eyes. This was the only ce in Samar that was not forested, a valley reaching down dozens of meters. A few months ago, Ivatar fought against the warriors of the Kochi Tribe in this ce, the Footprint of the God of the Land. However, the scenery he saw back then could not be found. The Footprint of the God of the Land was pitch ck, as if someone had painted it with the night sky, and the vastnd was filled with the warriors of the Kochi Tribe. It wasn¡¯t only humans who lined the valley either. There were heinous creatures different from regr monsters. Helmuth had given control of demonic beasts for the Kochi Tribe to use in the war, and they stood at the front line. Boom! Boom! Boom! The sound of the beating drum began to reverberate from the depths of the valley. The drum, which was made from human skin, vomited a dull, gloomy sound. Kiiiii! There were other instruments as well. A whistle created from drilling holes in a human skull created a terrible harmony with the drum. Looking at the scene unfolding before him, Ivatar grimaced, leaving his smile distorted. He then took the horn from the warrior next to him and took a deep breath before blowing into it. Woooooooo! With a mighty st, the horn shattered into pieces, unable to withstand the force of Ivatar''s breath. However, its sound had drowned out the drums and whistles of the Kochi Tribe, silencing them momentarily. As the warriors at the rear of the Kochis raised their tribe''s ck and red gs, Ivatar grabbed Zoran Tribe''s g from his shoulder. But instead of waving or raising the g, he reared back and hurled it down the valley like a spear. ¡°Ahhhhhhh!¡± As soon as he hurled the g, Ivatar galloped down the cliff with a roar. The g of the Zorans was nted in thend, and as if on cue, Ivatar kicked off the ground. Craaack! The blessing of the young forest that enveloped Ivatar caused the earth to shift. The spirits that apanied him seeped into the deadnd, causing the steep slope to soften for the warriors to descend. The warriors of the Zoran Tribe and the allied tribes echoed Ivatar¡¯s roar when they saw his charge. Then, following this brave warrior, they charged down the slope into the Footprint of the God of the Land. Edmund was there, at the rear of the Kochi Tribe¡¯s army. He adorned a graceful purple robe instead of a ck one, a favorite of many ck wizards, and held dmir in one hand. Around him stood the sorcerers of the Kochis, who had been educated in ck magic from an early age. Hector and the Death Knight stood in front of them. The Death Knight would move ording to his own will, and they would not need Hector to stand guard either. The two entities would move around the battlefield and kill of their own ord. ¡°So you didn¡¯t run away,¡± muttered Edmund while caressing his trimmed beard. Even though he stood far away, Edmund had installed magical eyes on all sides of the battlefield, identifying his enemies in detail. Although he had shown them mercy, warning them to run away¡­ none of them had chosen to do so. ¡®They have quite a formidable force, but¡­. It is not the victory or defeat of the battle that matters to me.¡¯ Edmund smirked while channeling Dark Power into dmir. He had twisted the Earth Veins in the region in advance and connected it to himself and dmir. Thend was already prepared for the ritual. Regardless of whether the warriors of the Kochi Tribe or the enemies died, the blood and soul spilled in thend would be sacrificed for the ritual. It would allow Edmund toplete his ritual before the oue of the battle could be decided. ¡®I¡¯m sure they know this as well. That must be why they chose not to run.¡¯ Instead of running, they had foolishly chosen to attempt to hinder his ritual. Edmund chuckled as he raised dmir high. Maybe Eugene had made this choice because he was the Hero. In a battle between wizards, and between Archwizards in particr, taking the initiative with one¡¯s Signature was the most important in determining the oue of the battle, as well as the inherent advantage of certain magic over others. In that respect, Edmund¡¯s Signature ¡ª Cube ¡ª was almost absent from any weaknesses, exuding the arrogance of the Archwizard who had created this magic. There were ck lines all around Edmund, connecting to form the shape of a cube. What Edmund¡¯s Signature pursued was simple ¡ª absolute defense and immortality. It was nigh impossible to magically pierce through the cube once activated. It would be impossible for anyone to leave even a scratch on the cube without far exceeding Edmund¡¯s reservoir of power, which included his use of dmir and the Demon King¡¯s Dark Power. In addition, Edmund possessed immortality far exceeding that of high-ranking demons while he was inside the cube. Even if an attack prated the cube and damaged Edmund¡¯s body, the Dark Power filling the cube would instantly heal his wounds. Edmund¡¯s Signature was arrogant. It was near perfect, offering him an invincible shield against any and all attacks. But while it provided him with immortality, it offered him nothing in terms of offense. This was by design, for Edmund considered himself the embodiment of the ultimate attack. But even though he was arrogant in his creation, he wasn¡¯t mistaken. Edmund did, in fact, possess an absolute level of attack. dmir was brimming with Dark Power, and the sorcerers of the Kochi Tribe chanted and synchronized with the Dark Power in a formation around Edmund. ¡°I''d be happy to just sit around like this,¡± Edmondmented. No one could break through Cube anyway. Edmund could simply rest and watch everything unfold from inside the cube until enough offerings were gathered. But why would he? He already possessed an overwhelming advantage, so why would he remain inactive and watch? A fierce smile appeared on his lips. Arge gathering of Dark Power stretched long and sharp in the sky, transforming into spears of death that would extinguish everything in their paths. Kristina Rogeris was capable of engaging in direct battle. She was apetent wielder of the il reworked from Anise¡¯s mace, and even if she wasn¡¯t against demonic creatures, she could intercept them with divine magic. However, Kristina remained behind on the cliff instead of heading down into the Footprint of the God of the Land. She was the sole priest on the battlefield, and she needed to be more rational and objective than anyone else on the chaotic battlefield before she intervened. The battle was already underway, with the two opposing sides locked in a fierce struggle. Ivatar was a fearsome sight to behold, wielding two massive axes with incredible strength and precision. He charged into the fray without hesitation, tearing through the Kochi Tribe¡¯s front lines with ease. The warriors and the demonic beasts became entangled, and the Kochi Tribe¡¯s warriors followed behind the demonic beasts. Far up in the sky, spears of death took form. The death spears aimed for the rear of the allied army, attempting to destroy them with a single blow. [Kristina.] ¡®Yes, Sister.¡¯ Kristina took a breath, then grabbed the rosary hanging around her neck. She started to shine brilliantly with divine power, and Anise further fueled the fire, providing Kristina with her own divine power unsparingly. Even though three hundred years had passed, the word Saint still reminded everyone of Anise the Faithful. However, once this little war in the forest came to an end, the natives of the forest, the surviving warriors, would think of someone else when they heard the word, Saint. Anise herself was determined to make it so. Fwoosh! Eight wings unfolded behind Kristina. Anise¡¯s consciousness merged with Kristina''s. When Kristina raised her hand, the light swirling around her concentrated on her fingertips. A brilliant cross appeared in the sky, acting as a huge shield that blocked the rushing spear of death. Boooom! Light and darkness became entangled before dispersing into nothingness. There were no other priests to assist Kristina in this ce, but Anise the Faithful was providing her with power. Edmund¡¯s spear of death was purified without prating the Cross of Light. ¡®The Saint.¡¯ Kristina wasn¡¯t the only one who remained behind on the cliff. Lovellian stood not far from her, and he could not help but show awe for Kristina¡¯s brilliant miracle. He had heard in advance regarding the Signature of the Staff of Incarceration, Edmund Cordeth. Absolute defense and immortality were powers that any wizard vulnerable to closebat would die for. ¡®The Green Tower Master¡¯s Signature, Yggdrasil, pursues the same goals, but¡­ theirpleteness is iparable.¡¯ Although Yggdrasil was an ability that focused on defense and immortality, it was somewhat ambiguous in nature. The user had the power to transform their body into a massive tree, providing protection from harm. However, the ability set too many goals beyond the user''s capacity, and the tree itself was too massive. Its defenses were easily prable, and although the tree could regenerate, it did not grant the wizard immortality. But what about the Cube? It formed the perfect size cube around Edmund, justrge enough to epass Edmund. It was simple and neat, pursuing only absolute defense and immortality with its small size. It did well to demonstrate Edmund¡¯s abilities as a great wizard. Well, Lovellian couldn''t help but express his amazement as a wizard, impressed by Edmund¡¯s remarkable ability. As an Archwizard himself, he knew that creating a Signature of that level was beyond his capabilities. Yet, he didn''t feel any hint of jealousy towards him. Magic was an endless study, something that couldn''t be confined to any specific framework. The Cube, while impressive, wasn''t the kind of magic that he personally pursued. Without saying a word, Lovellian joined his hands together. ¡®If all he needed were sacrifices, he would not have had to cause such a big war. He could have simply ughtered the Kochi Tribe¡¯s warriors or ordered them to kill themselves. He came to war because¡­ he doesn¡¯t need only blood and souls. Right, he¡¯s in need of Ecstasy.¡¯ Archwizards would only experience it a few times in their lives, usually when they made a breakthrough from the seventh to the eighth circle. When they managed to ovee an apparently imprable wall and ascend to the next level, their consciousness would be lost in the union of mana, Circles, and magic. This wasn¡¯t a phenomenon that affected only wizards, either. Knights and warriors would also experience Ecstasy when they gained profound enlightenment that allowed them to reach the next level. The same was likely true of this war. The state that Edmund would reach in a bloody war, granted to him by the excitement and madness born at the moment when life, blood, and soul became insignificant, was what he pursued. Only in that moment would the souls gain their superior value as sacrifices. Once such saturated souls died on the battlefield, Edmund would assert his dominance over blood and soul. That was thew Edmund imposed on the ritual, and it was impossible for nearly anyone to interfere with a ritual of such scale andpleteness. But if that were the case, you simply needed to bring anotherw into coexistence. If death was a preemptive condition to be met, then one simply needed to take befitting countermeasures. ¡°Pantheon.¡± Lovellian¡¯s Signature did not require anyplicated techniques or chanting. It simply allowed him to call his summons created beforehand. Boom! A huge door was summoned from a different dimension and stood tall on the ground. The red door, which was etched withplex patterns, began to vibrate. Lovellian disentangled his hands and grabbed his staff. Pantheon¡¯s doors opened. Lovellian¡¯s consciousness was already synchronized with Pantheon, and countless summons subdued or created by Lovellian cried from inside the door. The creatures mixed and synthesized at amand from Lovellian. He did not botherbining all the creatures into one but instead formed them into the bestbinations for this particr battlefield. He focused on predation. He did not n on allowing any corpse to touch the ground or their blood to soak into the soil. He would not allow their souls to spill. Thebination of his creatures would devour corpses and trap souls in their stomachs. It would be impossible topletely prevent Edmund¡¯s ritual from progressing, but he could still dy it by slowing the collection of offerings. The ¡°cleaners¡± poured out of Pantheon. ¡°Yaaaaaaaahh!¡± Melkith uttered a near-screaming cry. She was already ted as if she were in a state of Ecstasy. It was only natural. She was more absorbed in her greatness than she cared about the war, the corpses, and the sacrifices. In truth, she had been lucky. She had tried all sorts of things with the Fire Spirit Stone to no avail, ultimately failing to sign a contract with Ifrit at first. The Samar Forest was renowned as the paradise of spirits, a ce teeming with mana and spirits. But now, darkness had descended upon the forest as ck magic seeped into its core, twisting the Earth Veins and polluting the natural bnce. A dark ritual was underway, one that sought to create a Demon King and unleash untold horrors upon the world. Levin, the Spirit King of Lightning, and Yhanos, the Spirit King of Earth, were infuriated with the situation. The same was true for Ifrit, the Spirit King of Fire. As a result, Melkith seeded in contracting with Ifrit on the condition of saving the forest and stopping Edmund¡¯s atrocities. ¡°Spirit Combination! Infinity Force!¡± shouted Melkith. Her Signature had been called Trinity Force when she merged with two Spirit Kings. But now that she had three of them, she could no longer use the same name. That¡¯s why she had changed the name to infinity, a representation of her endless potential! Melkith¡¯s eyes glimmered, and the soaring earth engulfed her. A bolt of lightning descended and struck the giant body of soil, then Ifrit¡¯s fires covered the entire body of the giant. ¡°This is perfect!¡± Melkith shivered with ecstasy. The Earth Spirit King had imbued the form with a striking likeness of Melkith''s alluring body and beautiful face. But that was just the beginning ¡ª lightning crackled and surged through the giant''s body while mes danced and roared with enthusiastic fervor. The intense heat of the mes transformed into a garment that draped the giant''s immense frame, while lightning gathered in the giant''s left hand and mes zed in its right. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Melkith advanced while screaming with joy, trampling on the army of demonic beasts. Balzac stood behind Melkith¡¯s tumultuous advance, his palms resting against the ground. His Signature had many shorings. It took a long time to prepare, and the activation was slow. It was usually difficult for him to grasp any advantages in a battle between Signatures, but his Signature was a reflection of his character as a wizard. Balzac did not prefer to fight on the front lines. He enjoyed creating and observing situations rather than fighting directly. In that respect, his Signature truly reflected his personality. ¡°Blind.¡± A curtain of darkness descended from high in the sky. Chapter 288: The Footprint of the God of the Land (2)

Chapter 288: The Footprint of the God of the Land (2)

The Footprint of the God of the Land became obscured by a curtain of darkness. The all-epassing curtain seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, blotting out the sky and plunging thend into a bleak and deste state devoid of any illumination. Blind ¡ª Balzac Ludbeth¡¯s Signature ¡ª initially robbed those affected of their sight, as its name suggested. No matter where they looked, those affected by Blind were plunged into an endless darkness, unable to see themselves or anyone else around them. It was a Signature with absolute power in this kind of war, but it was true that the spell was absurdly simple. However, Blind did not simply rob the targets of their vision. Instead, ¡°sight¡± was only the first sense that Blind took away. The longer one remained inside Blind, their other senses would start to be obscured as well. The hearing came after sight, and the targets would be deaf. Next was the sense of smell and then touch. Even if you cut yourself with a knife, you would fail to feel the pain. But it didn¡¯t end there. After losing one¡¯s sight, hearing, smell, and touch, one would lose their sense of spirit, which could be called the sixth sense. Regardless of whether they were wizards, knights, or warriors, they would no longer be able to sense mana. Even then, after having extorted all five senses, except taste, as well as one¡¯s sense of spirit, Blind¡¯s effects would not lessen. Slowly, very slowly, Blind would rob its targets of their consciousness. Inplete darkness, where you could feel nothing except taste, they would even end up losing a sense of self. It was purposely set up in this way as a gradual extortion of senses because it was impossible to rob someone of all their senses all at once, even if Blind was a Signature of an Archwizard. The veil of darkness was a darkness created by Balzac¡¯s magic, and it was simr to a type of poison. Simply being inside the curtain would intoxicate someone, and the effects of the poison would only get stronger over time. ¡®As I expected. Edmund¡¯s Cube is invible.¡¯ Balzac stood on the ckened ground. Kochi¡¯s forces had fallen into a state of panic, and they were starting to run rampant. On the other hand, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe and the allied tribes were unaffected by Blind¡¯s restrictions. They marched and attacked as if there was no darkness at all, pushing back the Kochis. ¡®This range and number¡­.¡¯ Balzac joined hands and began to make calctions. Although there would be differences between individuals, generally, it would take about ten minutes for Blind to take away the enemies¡¯ sense of hearing. In another ten minutes, their sense of smell would disappear, and it would take a bit longer to rob them of touch, fifteen minutes at most. Twenty minutes after that, their sense of spirit would disappear. Thest thing would be robbing them of their sense of self, but¡­ in truth, Balzac was uncertain about the exact timing of the final stage of Blind. It was a gradual process and varied depending on the strength of one''s willpower. However, there was no need to take it that far in the first ce. In the next hour, the enemies would lose all their senses and be rendered useless in the battle. If the conditions were met, Balzac¡¯s Blind could neutralize and exterminate even tens of thousands of troops. ¡®But I do not need to shoulder the burden right now.¡¯ With a bitter smile, Balzac reached down and ced his palms against the ground once more. It wasn¡¯t particrly difficult to escape the effects of Blind. One could simply walk out of it. However, the terrain of the valley, the pushing allies, and the presence of Edmund standing behind the warriors of the Kochi Tribe made it impossible for them to flee from the curtain. ¡°But I guess it¡¯s the same for me.¡± Balzac turned his head with a grin. He saw Lovellianmanding the summons of Pantheon from the cliff. The great summoner kept an eye on the battlefield while issuing amand in perfect order to well over a hundred creatures and, at the same time, monitoring Balzac¡¯s every move. Balzac was conscious of the magical dagger in his heart. Although he considered himself quite skilled in trickery, Balzac knew it was impossible to escape the existence of the dagger. He could not deceive it. ¡®I could have if it were a magical oath instead.¡¯ Balzac had signed a contract of the soul with the Demon King of Incarceration, which meant that his oath to the Demon King took precedence over any other oaths, including magical oaths. As such, Lovellian had chosen to make use of a dagger to threaten the destruction of Balzac¡¯s heart. Moreover, he continued to surveil Balzac, which showed his distrust of the ck wizard. ¡®I don¡¯t want to be misunderstood.¡¯Balzac touched the ground with a bitter smile. He had no intention of betraying Eugene or Lovellian in this war. His purpose had been clear and straightforward from the start, and it was himself, not anyone else, that he was trying to deceive in this darkness. ¡°Blind.¡± Edmund gritted his teeth. He had a rough idea about Balzac¡¯s Signature. It was a curtain of darkness that exterminated the target¡¯s senses one by one, starting with sight. However, he had never seen or experienced it in person since the two of them had never been at odds with each other. ¡°Magical poison. Impossible for me to detoxify. I won¡¯t be able to interfere with it either,¡± Edmund muttered. As a wizard, Edmund had absolute confidence in his abilities. However, it was still impossible to destroy a Signature of an Archwizard on the spot. But Edmund had made preparations. He had been reluctant to use it if possible, but it seemed he had no other choice. Edmund raised dmir while chanting. Blind¡¯s darkness could not invade Edmund¡¯s Cube. Even amidst the deep darkness, Edmund¡¯s vision was preserved. Moreover, fortunately, the magical eye he nted earlier in the Footprint of the God of the Land was still in good shape as well. Edmund¡¯s original n had been to reflect the field of vision on everyone¡¯s retina. However, this was no longer feasible since the warriors were alreadypletely robbed of their sight. ¡®The other senses will be taken away sequentially after sight. It will take dozens of minutes at the earliest until shutdown since it¡¯s a type of poison. How long will it take to take away their sense of spirit?¡¯ It was impossible to infer precisely. All he could do was to respond the best he could at the moment. dmir¡¯s Dark Power started seeping into the space around him. ¡°Ugggh¡­.¡± The sorcerers near Edmund groaned. Wanting to preserve his strength as much as possible, Edmund took the life-force of the sorcerers as fuel for ck magic. Dark Power became finely dispersed throughout the battlefield and pervaded the warriors of the Kochi Tribe. Their confusion quickly subsided, and the warriors rapidly reorganized. Although they were still unable to see, they could now distinguishDark Powerthrough their sense of spirit. ¡®Maybe Balzac saw through it. But our Dark Power is not exactly the same.¡¯ Just as Edmund did, it was also possible for Balzac to disperse his Dark Power throughout the battlefield to induce confusion. Of course, Edmund was aware of this fact and had made adequate preparations for it as well. ¡°It¡¯s your failure, Balzac Ludbeth. You could not cover my eyes after all.¡± His Cube remained untouched. It was clear to Edmund what his next course of action should be. First, he would find Balzac and kill him. With a wicked grin, Edmund raised dmir in an attempt to locate Balzac¡¯s presence on the battlefield. However, after a brief moment, his eyes quivered with confusion. Although he was exploring the battlefield extensively with his Dark Power, he could not identify Balzac anywhere. Edmund was unconvinced. His Cube was intact and untouched, as was everything else of his. So why couldn¡¯t he find Balzac? ¡°You damned¡­!¡± Fwoooosh! From beyond the curtain of darkness, a piercing beam of light shone through. Though the blind warriors could not see it, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe and the allied tribes watched in awe as the light cascaded down like a healing rain. The Light''s touch revived the fallen allies, pulling them back from the brink of death. Although the Light did notpletely heal all wounds, it brought back those on the brink of death, allowing them to stagger to their feet and seize their weapons once more. ¡°Kyaaaaaah!¡± Melkith charged while screaming. Lightning shed, and mes burst with each of her footsteps. Craack. Edmund gritted his teeth when he saw her. He truly could not believe his eyes. How had a single wizard signed a contract with three Spirit Kings? ¡®Firstly, the Saint¡­. No, it might be better to leave her alone for now.¡¯ Edmund quickly regained hisposure. Although the battlefield was obscured by Blind, it wasn¡¯t disadvantageous for him. His purpose wasn¡¯t to win the war but toplete the ritual. As their vision faded, the warriors'' other senses sharpened. Edmund knew this well and seized the opportunity. He breathed the Dark Power into them, a force that heightened their spirit and transformed their fear into frenzied madness. It was no different for his enemies either. They held an advantage on the battlefield and were filled with the excitement of prospective victory. The Light, which continued to bring them back to life, wasn¡¯t necessarily only helpful to Edmund¡¯s enemies. The me of life that bloomed as the warriors collided would fatten the consciousness and souls of the warriors, which would be sacrifices for the ritual. ¡®I¡¯ll have to kill the White Tower Master first.¡¯ A master of Spirit Magic who was contracted with three Spirit Kings¡­. There had never been such a wizard in the history of the continent, and there would not be one in the future as well. It was no exaggeration to say that she was a walking disaster, and her presence alone could change the oue of the war. That¡¯s why he needed to exterminate her now. Ominous Dark Power flowed from dmir. Rumbleeee! The ground around Melkith started to shake. [Contractor,] Yhanos, the Spirit King of Earth, gave a warning. ¡°I know!¡± Melkith muttered. Rumbleee! Thick chains sprang up from the ckened ground. ¡°I guess you want to kill thisdy!¡± The chains were about to wrap around her limbs, but Melkith scoffed and stamped her foot. The ground responded, fists rising and grabbing onto the chains. And then, with mes wrapped around her fist, Melkith struck with a fiery punch. "Fire punch!" The spear of death collided with the fist of me. However, Edmund had more attacks in store. Large demonic beasts hiding deep in the ground ambushed Melkith at hismand. ¡°Thunderbolt kick!¡± Her posture waspletely disastrous, but lightning apanied her kick and decimated the demonic beasts. Edmund¡¯s shoulders heaved at the sight. ¡°How could someone with so much power be so undignified¡­!?¡± He felt genuine contempt. *** ¡®This is troublesome.¡¯ Hector let out a frustrated click of his tongue and blinked, his four eyes scanning the darkness around him in vain. Despite his best efforts, he couldn''t discern anything in the inky ckness. Still, he had an understanding of the current situation. His soul was directly connected to Edmund, so he could hear the wizard¡¯s messages. His body was filled with Edmund¡¯s Dark Power, and it was reinforced in many ways. At first, blindness was hard to get used to, but after some time, he was able to get a sense of his surroundings. He still had his sense of hearing and smell, as well as the sense of touch and the keen sense of spirit. Once he was actively immersed in the remaining senses, he was able to ¡°see¡± his surroundings quite well. It felt as if he were observing the space from someone else¡¯s eyes. Hector moved with confidence as he engaged in battle with his new body. Yet, he remained level-headed, never allowing himself to get carried away. He understood his own abilities and limitations all too well. Despite the tremendous strength of his new form, he had learned a valuable lesson from his humiliating defeat at the hands of the Death Knight, one that had stripped him of any sense of arrogance. He had abandoned his pride¡­ in his skills at the ck Lion Castle. Hector knew that Eugene Lionheart was a man of monstrous talent, someone he could not best even after a thousand battles. ¡®Nothing would have changed.¡¯ Hector knew the difference between himself and Eugene, and yet, he searched for Eugene. He knew well the reason for his search. It was longing, or rather, jealousy disguised as longing. He knew he had no chance against Eugene, but he wanted to see Eugene fight, and if possible, he wanted to see Eugene die. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one Hector searched for. He was also looking for Cyan Lionheart, the next head of the family. Hector knew that Cyan was on the battlefield somewhere. Eugene wasn¡¯t his only target of jealousy. Hector had known from an early age that he was talented. However, he had been forced to concede just because he was born into the coteral line of the family. But what about the twins of the main family? Were they truly more talented than Hector? He didn¡¯t think so. In fact, the twins had failed to stop him in the forest at the ck Lion Castle. ¡®But I couldn¡¯t kill them with my hands at the time.¡¯ The twins had been needed as a living sacrifice for Eward¡¯s ritual. However, that was no longer the case. There was no reason to keep Cyan Lionheart alive any longer. Despite the special treatment they received for being born into the main line of the family, Cyan Lionheart was no different from any other corpses on this battlefield. Hector moved, shaking off the blood from his six hands. After setting a clear goal, he felt a drive, a murderous intent blooming from deep inside his heart. He could not kill Eugene, but he could kill Cyan. Rather, for Hector, there was greater significance in killing the next head of the Lionheart family. After a while, Hector found him. Cyan''s initial reaction was one of disgust, but as he continued to take more lives, he grew numb. He had steeled himself beforehand, convincing himself that he had no other choice. But when he actually plunged his sword into another person, there was no time for rationalization. Chaos and death reigned around him, the sound of screams filling his ears. The only thing Cyan could focus on was not to forget himself. He was destined to be the next head of the Lionheart family, and he could not die here. ¡°Fwoo.¡± He was no longer trembling either. He learned that cutting people felt hellish. He learned how it felt to cut through a person with a sharp de and what kind of noises someone made just before they died. Whenever he learned something new, Cyan¡¯s heart thumped, and his head wailed. Nevertheless, his body continued to move like a well-oiled machine. His vision was wide and clear, and he continued to n without interruption. ¡°¡­You.¡± He couldn¡¯t see Eugene anywhere. They had parted ways a while ago. To be exact, Cyan had left Eugene, not wanting to get in his way. ¡°Are you Hector?¡± Cyan looked forward while pulling out his de from the heart of a native. Blood sprayed over his face, but he simply wiped it away with the back of his hand. He gazed at the abomination approaching him, its monstrous form slithering toward him. Unlike anything he had ever seen, it was a grotesque amalgamation of mismatched limbs and body parts that defied all human understanding. With six heterogenous arms, a body made up of a grotesque patchwork of creatures, and a hideous face, it was as far from human as anything could be. But despite the creature¡¯s horrible appearance, and even though they weren¡¯t the creature¡¯s original eyes, Cyan could feel Hector from the creature¡¯s four eyes. ¡°It is said that the eyes reflect the soul.¡± Hectorughed, his four blind eyes contorting as he spoke. Cyan spat at his words, ¡°You should have disappeared quietly after dying. I didn¡¯t expect you to return as a monster.¡± ¡°Are you going to fight me?¡± asked Hector. ¡°Then should I run? Why should I? Hector, you betrayed the Lionheart n. If nothing else, I¡¯ll make sure to kill you with my own hands,¡± responded Cyan. Even though he was facing a hideous monster, he didn¡¯t feel scared. It was quite fascinating and amazing. Even though Hector was easily three times asrge as him, the thought of retreating didn¡¯t even ur to Cyan. Instead, he knew he had to move forward. For Cyan, it was a mission. It would be dishonorable to run when a traitor, one who disgraced the Lionheart¡¯s name, stood in front of him. He couldn¡¯t possibly do so as the next head of the Lionheart family. Cyan gripped his sword in his right hand and held Gedon''s Shield in his left. He wore the uniform of the Lionheart¡¯s main family to stave off any feelings of shame, and he felt a warmth emanating from the left side of his chest. It was as though the symbol of his family was aglow with energy. Naturally, Hector could not see Cyan¡¯s uniform or the symbol of the Lionheart family. However, he could feel the vivid maliceing from Cyan. With his other senses serving as hiseyes, he could see the mes of white mana winding around Cyan¡¯s body. The mes began to flutter like a Lion¡¯s mane. *** Purple mes red in the form of wings. It was Eugene¡¯s Signature ¡ª Prominence ¡ª and the magnificent wings left feathers of fire floating in the darkness. A few feathers drifted towards the outskirt of the curtain of darkness, near Kristina and Lovellian. It was so that he could respond in case anyone attacked the two. ¡®¡­I can¡¯t see Balzac.¡¯ It did not catch Eugene off guard. The quickest way to undo Blind was to kill Balzac. As such, they had discussed in advance that Balzac would hide while maintaining Blind to devote himself to interfering with and obstructing Edmund¡¯s ritual. Of course, Eugene did not fully trust Balzac¡¯s words. As such, he focused on the magical dagger. If he sensed any progress in the ritual and could attribute it as being Balzac¡¯s work, Eugene would shred his heart without any hesitation. And in order to urately grasp the current situation, Eugene distributed Prominence¡¯s feathers all over the battlefield. ¡®¡­Cyan.¡¯ Eugene frowned. He had left a few feathers near Cyan so that he could intervene if Cyan were in danger. Currently, Cyan was engaged in a battle with an unknown monster. ¡®Should I go kill him?¡¯ Apparently, the monster was Hector. He had never expected Hector to return in such a shape. Despite his strength, Eugene believed Hector was too formidable for Cyan to handle. However, to his surprise, Cyan was holding his own in the battle. He expertly wielded Gedon''s Shield to block Hector''s attacks and took advantage of any openings to strike with his sword. Cyan''s white mes burned fiercely, growing more intense as the fight raged on. In the end, Eugene decided not to intervene. He judged that the battle against Hector was necessary for Cyan. Moreover, there were other things Eugene needed to worry about. He needed to kill Edmund to stop the ritual. Even though Edmund¡¯s Cube boasted absolute defense, Eugene was certain he could crush the cube with the Light of the Holy Sword or the Moonlight Sword. In addition¡­. ¡°I knew you woulde,¡± Eugene muttered, reaching into his cloak. He could see the Death Knight approaching him through the darkness. ¡°Trivial tricks,¡± the Death Knight scoffed. He was undead, and his body had died a long time ago. His heart was not beating, and he had always been blind. It meant that he was unaffected by the altercations to his senses. The Death Knight lost nothing in Blind, and he red at Eugene with a frown. ¡°Little boy, I couldn¡¯t fight wellst time because¡ª¡± ¡°That¡¯s a long excuse,¡± Eugene interrupted with a snort while shaking his head. It was an undisguised mockery. The Death Knight¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°Certainly.¡± He drew his de. aa7b5e4a913f698f2f85f05ec8699ff287d581d1fb0678555d462be31d6cebaaf407bdcb4ae5b1fa3331e8a73783496dfc50c1070381432ac2ac65e1c3f0a2308e63bf04afd09f48b7006535aefea024c307b9f99c13a501f8d9db9c9e11dc48 Chapter 289: The Footprint of the God of the Land (3)

Chapter 289: The Footprint of the God of the Land (3)

Although he was incapable of using mana, the Death Knight still had an urate grasp over its flow. He stared at Eugene with slightly open eyes. Vermouth¡¯s mes wove around Eugene like the mane of a lion. Three hundred years ago, this me had no name. However, after the establishment of the Lionheart family, it was given a name ¡ª the White me Form. From what he knew, the White me Form consisted of Cores called ¡°Stars¡± that determined one¡¯s skill level. ¡®Purple mes¡­. Has he developed his mana in a different way than Vermouth? Or did he independently develop Vermouth¡¯s mana training method?¡¯ The Death Knight couldn¡¯t be sure, but he could feel that Eugene¡¯s me was special. Each of the scattering embers was an absurdly highly concentrated petal of mana. Moreover, a me wasn¡¯t the only thing surrounding Eugene. There were also shes of living lightning mixed in with the fire of pure mana¡­ and unlike the fire, the lightning felt as if it were alive. ¡®¡­And what¡¯s that behind his back? Is it wings?¡¯ What bothered him the most was the wing of fire stretching behind Eugene¡¯s back. It looked like a wing on the surface¡­ but¡­ it bothered him that only a single wing existed. The wing definitely wasn¡¯t for flying. It meant the wing would serve another purpose, but the Death Knight could not guess its use. He could tell that the wing wasn¡¯t a simple manifestation of mana. It was a type of magic, but unfortunately, the Death Knight waspletely ignorant of magic. Three hundred years ago, during his life, it had been fine for him to be ignorant. Even if the Death Knight ignored magic, he hadrades who would respond to it. ¡­Though, now, he didn¡¯t want to think about them. The Death Knight leaned forward while grinding his teeth. It would be different fromst time. At that time, his body, no, rather, he had not been thinking straight. Three centuries had passed, and no one born in this generation could defeat him, Hamel. He knew that it would not be an easy fight. Even so, he was confident in his victory. He would win. He had to win. The Death Knight couldn''t fathom losing to a distant descendant of Vermouth, not even to Vermouth himself. With a push off the ground, he set his sights on reaching his enemy in an instant, ready to strike him down without hesitation. Eugene vanished, causing the Death Knight to panic briefly. It was ironic, given that he was already dead, but his sharp senses picked up on the slight mana disturbance. Without hesitation, he flung himself to the side. Eugene was using Kharbos, the Dragon Spear, but unlike when Vermouth had used it in the Death Knight¡¯s memories, it didn¡¯t make any loud noises. ¡°Unpleasant bastard,¡± muttered the Death Knight. Last time, the brat had wielded Wynnyd, yet now he opted for a spear? The Death Knight felt annoyed at how his adversary seemed to underestimate him. The Death Knight wielded his sword with irritation and anger. Like Eugene¡¯s spear, the Death Knight¡¯s weapon made no noise as it moved. The Dark Power swirling around his de was calm and subdued. The de moved sluggishly, then suddenly shed. ¡°Asura Rampage,¡± Eugene whispered under his breath. He was no stranger to the disorienting whirlwind of attacks. Eugene had already battled against ¡°Hamel¡± in the Dark Room in the Lionheart mansion¡¯s basement. But if he had topare the two, the Hamel from back then had wielded a sharper and faster sword. Perhaps it was a matter of course. The Hamel in the Dark Room represented Eugene''s reflection, an existence that was a few steps ahead, embodying what Eugene had strived for as Hamel. He had died horribly at his ¡°own¡± hands, experiencing deaths numbering well over a dozen in just half a year. Eugene¡¯s memories were surfacing with heightened rity. There was no weakness in Asura Rampage, and it¡¯s not like Hamel had any habits he could exploit, either. Since there was no weakness, there was nothing to target. Nevertheless, Eugene possessed the knowledge of how to counter such a situation. Confronted with a relentless barrage of attacks, he merely needed to reciprocate in kind. Stepping back, Eugene firmly grasped the Dragon Spear with both hands. Asura Rampage was not limited to swordy alone. The spear trembled and split into numerous mirrored forms. The wavering mes coalesced into spear-like shapes. The Death Knight''s sword shed, the spear thrust, the sword stabbed, and the spear crushed. The frenzy of two distinct weapons intertwined in a chaotic dance. Naturally, the Death Knight was pushed back. It was impossible to overwhelm Eugene with a technique based on shadows of the past. The moment the Death Knight was forced to pull out, light gathered at the tip of the Dragon Spear. Boooom! While the Death Knight hadn''t anticipated his defeat in the exchange, he had foreseen the impending st from the Dragon Spear. His face tensed, and he narrowly evaded the strike by swiftly contorting his body. Anticipating the st had granted him an opportunity to seamlessly transition his movement into a counterattack. The Dark Power coating his hands started to swell, and he unleashed Infinite Purgatory with sword-force derived from Dark Power. It threatened to rip everything in its path to pieces. But Eugene was already prepared with a different weapon. It was Azphel, the Devouring Sword, with jagged, fang-like protrusions on its edge. Craaack! Azphel effortlessly cleaved through the sword-force of Dark Power. Undeterred, Eugene advanced, taking another step forward and delivering a powerful swing of Azphel aimed at the Death Knight''s chest. Theyer of Dark Power acting as the Death Knight¡¯s defense was torn apart. Not wanting to take another step back, the Death Knight thrust his de into Azphel¡¯s orbit, attempting to stop the attack in its path. ng! A metallic thud reverberated through the air as Eugene swiftly withdrew Azphel without any hesitation. He switched weapons once more. It was the Annihtion Hammer. The Death Knight¡¯s eyes quivered with shock. There was no possible way he was unaware of the hammer¡¯s existence. ¡®Wynnyd, Kharbos, Azphel, and now the Annihtion Hammer?¡¯ Only Vermouth had been capable of handling the equipment of the Demon Kings. How was it possible that his descendant was capable of doing so as well? No, that wasn¡¯t important right now. It didn¡¯t matter how the kid was able to use the Annihtion Hammer. The spear, sword, and hammer were vastly distinct weapons, each requiring a unique handling approach. Yet, Eugene effortlessly transitioned between them, showcasing a remarkable fluidity in his weapon changes. The unsettling sensation from their previous encounter intensified, leaving the Death Knight perplexed. He was just too simr. He was supposed to be Vermouth¡¯s descendant, so why¡­? ¡®Why are you simr to me and not Vermouth?¡¯ Crunch! The Annihtion Hammer flung the Death Knight into the sky. Although the Death Knight had defended against the attack with Dark Power, the power contained in the blow caused his body to throb. Fwoosh. Eugene instantly closed in on the Death Knight. He was simply too fast. How many enemies had been so fast in the past? No, in the first ce, had he ever faced such a fast opponent? And it wasn¡¯t as if he were only fast. Boom! The following attack pushed the Death Knight even further away. It was Wynnyd again, and a storm devoured him. The Death Knight swung his sword while tracking the storm with his eyes. He performed the seemingly impossible, cutting through the wind. The wind swirled around his de and changed its course. Parrying ¡ª redirecting an attack like such ¡ª was Hamel¡¯s specialty. Eugene¡¯s lips twitched as he approached the Death Knight. Clearly, Eugene felt a deep sense of annoyance and dissatisfaction with the present circumstances. However, he couldn''t afford to unveil his true identity, aware that Amelia Merwin might be listening. Unable to express his sentiments directly, Eugene yearned to vehemently deny the existence of the bastard and everything associated with them. The two des shed once more. The Death Knight attempted to deflect Eugene¡¯s sword once more, just as before, but failed. On the contrary, Wynnyd teased the Death Knight by slipping away from the Death Knight¡¯s intended flow. Again, he was being pushed back. The Death Knight¡¯s expression crumpled. Fwoosh! A surge of Dark Power emanated from the Death Knight''s body and sword, attempting to seize Wynnyd. Yet, Eugene swiftly countered by twisting Wynnyd, resulting in a fusion of storm and me. The grip of Dark Power faltered, overpowered by Eugene''s formidable strength. The Death Knight¡¯s sword was held in its ce. He hurriedly extended his left hand towards Eugene, causing Dark Power to shoot toward his chest. However, it was blocked by Eugene once more, a wall of me rising to stop the Death Knight. Beyond the wall of mes, Eugene¡¯s cloak fluttered. Boooom! An arrow of thunder shot from inside his cape. It was an attack from Thunderbolt Pernoa. The arrow failed to prate through the Death Knight since it wasn¡¯t shot directly; it instead propelled him skyward once again, leaving him airborne. ¡°Kugh¡­!¡± The Death Knight raised his sword while chewing on his lips. A ¡°door¡± opened from inside his unbeating heart. Deep underground in a desert far from here, the magic of the Demon King under Amelia Merwin¡¯s control transcended the distance. An endless burst of Dark Power surged out from the door. Kwaaaah! The Death Knight¡¯s sword became engulfed in Dark Power. The overwhelming power caused the sword¡¯s pommel and the de to disintegrate. Even so, the Death Knight was still holding onto asword. It was a weapon formed from crystals that were formed from the pure, destructive waves of Dark power. The weapon emanated a pressure iparable to before. Eugene¡¯s lips twisted into a sneer as he stored the Annihtion Hammer into the cloak. He chose Altair, the brilliant Holy Sword. Even though the curtain of darkness covered the Footprint of the God of the Land, the Death Knight¡¯s Dark Power dyed his surroundings a deeper shade of darkness. The sword of Dark Power was ck, while Eugene¡¯s Holy Sword shone brilliantly. Eugene slowly raised the sword while activating the White me Form. The six Stars shone brilliantly, and a purple me enveloped the light of the Holy Sword. Once again, Eugene concentrated his efforts, tapping into the Dragonic family''s ndestine technique, the Empty Sword. Sword-force converged, graduallyyering upon itself. As Eugene achieved the ovepping of threeyers, dark spots emerged within the undting waves enveloping the Holy Sword. The Holy Sword trembled as if on the verge of splintering, a testament to the immense power amassed within its very being. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Shock filled the Death Knight¡¯s eyes as he stared down. That technique did not belong to Hamel, so did ite from Vermouth or the Lionheart family? He couldn¡¯t clearly identify it, but he knew it was incredibly dangerous. The Death Knight wasn¡¯t certain if he would be capable of containing such massive power, but it was currently flowing in an incredibly sophisticated path throughout the sword. He couldn¡¯t spot any wastage of power either. It was a perfect technique. ¡°¡­Haha!¡± The Death Knight couldn¡¯t help butugh when he saw the Empty Sword. The hatred he harbored for Vermouth¡¯s descendants, the anger he felt for having his techniques stolen, as well as the resulting malice he felt for Eugene ¡ª all of it became rather faint. Joy filled him for the first time after bing a Death Knight, causing him tough. A Hamel-like smile graced the Death Knight''s face as he let out a chuckle, simultaneously bringing his sword down with force. A sinister ck line materialized from the heavens, descending upon Eugene with the potential to cleave the world in two. The Holy Sword was raised shoulder-high, and the superimposedyers had stabilized. All Eugene had to do was swing the sword, and he had no reason not to. He didn¡¯t like how the Death Knight was giggling. He hated that the bastard dared to utter hatred for Anise, Sienna, Molon, and Vermouth with his face, his body, and his voice. Eugene felt malice towards the fact that the Death Knightughed as if really believing that it was Hamel. ¡®Once more.¡¯ Eugene''s scowl intensified as he channeled his mana into the Empty Sword. Previously, ck spots had burst forth, enveloping the me and turning it entirely ck with three oveppingyers. However, the current situation diverged. With the addition of anotheryer to the Empty Sword, the ck spots spread rather than erupt. The transformation rendered the me wholly ck, surpassing mere coloration. The Holy Sword became shrouded in mes that possessed a menacing aura capable of captivating one''s soul with a single nce. Moments before the Death Knight''s sword connected with Eugene, he swiftly swung his own de. In the past, his strike would have decapitated the enemy before it even reached them. But circumstances had changed. Since Eugene had achieved fouryers of the Empty Sword, all the surrounding "power" began to decelerate. Even the Death Knight''s sword, forged from Dark Power, sumbed to the influence exerted by Eugene''s technique. Since the Empty Sword slowed down the sword of Dark Power, its swing wasn¡¯t toote. The force contained within it exploded, and darkness quivered. The Death Knight¡¯s sword dispersed and disappeared upon making contact with the Empty Sword. It was Eugene¡¯s sword, not the Death Knight¡¯s sword, that ended up cleaving the world into two. ¡®Death.¡¯ It was the only thought that dominated his mind. The ck me did not dwindle despite having extinguished his Dark Power. The Death Knight immediately pushed himself backward while cing his left hand over his heart. He could not afford to hesitate. ¡®I¡¯m going to die.¡¯ What could he do in this situation? Could he beat his opponent even if he used Ignition? Could he be allowed to die here? His artificial memories became infused with the reality of the current situation. The artificial personality he was given developed a will. He could not find a way to ovee the current crisis in his memories. Right now, the Death Knight did not have Anise, Sienna, Molon, or Vermouth by his side. He had to get through this on his own. Although he had already died once, he could not afford to die again. He still had so much he had to achieve. He bent his fingers and dug into his heart. He felt his unbeating heart with the tip of his fingers. The door of Dark Power existed instead of Cores, and although it was already open, it wasn¡¯t enough. The Death Knight twisted and tore open the gate with his own hands. Ignition. As the door expanded, an outpouring of Dark Power surged forth. In that precise instant, a burst of illumination pierced through the Death Knight''s mind. His sense of self expanded in tandem with the erged door. The Death Knight¡¯s movements changed. He forced into existence another sword formed from Dark Power. Although his power had been great before, it could notpare to the power he exuded now after using Ignition. The violent surge of Dark Power gave him a weapon, and at this moment, he threw away his pride asHamel. He only had one desire ¡ª and it was to survive. He could not die. The fortified sword of Dark Power intercepted the advance of the Empty Sword. The Death Knight''s heart, though devoid of a pulse, trembled as if on the verge of shattering into fragments. The Dark Power, gushing forth from the shattered door, consumed the Death Knight''s body in its scorching mes. Amidst the crimson and ebony inferno, the Death Knight locked eyes with Eugene, the two adversaries meeting in a riveting gaze. Eugene¡¯s lips twisted into a scowl. He whispered under his breath while staring at his old face, ¡°Bastard.¡± The Wing of Prominence zed fiercely behind his back. Since their initial encounter, he had refrained from leaping through space. It was to ensure that he could kill the bastard by beating him in his perceived area of expertise.Ignition? A bastard like you?The simmering anger caused Eugene to ce his hand on his heart, but he quickly regained hisposure. He didn¡¯t need to use Ignition.Against that bastard? What for?He had no intention of using Ignition to kill the Death Knight. He synchronized himself with the fluttering feathers. Instead of causing his heart and Cores to run rampant, he chose to rece Ignition with Prominence. He was being pushed back. For a slight moment, the enormous pool of Dark Power, which threatened to disintegrate the Death Knight¡¯s body, had prevented the advance of the Empty Sword, providing the Death Knight with a slight advantage. ¡®I won.¡¯ The Death Knight thought momentarily, but it never turned into a conviction. Instead, his optimistic thought was immediately denied. Eugene¡¯s power was amplified by Prominence, and itpletely wasted the Death Knight¡¯s Dark Power. The curtain of darkness was lifted for a moment. Eugene¡¯s sword hadcerated the entire space upied by the curtain. The Death Knight could think no thoughts at that moment. It was only aware of the harsh reality. Devoid of Dark Power and with his sword shattered, the Death Knight faced a grim reality. Eugene''s de had pierced through his body, rendering him not just wounded but utterly extinguished. The lower half of the Death Knight''s form was no more, consumed by the devouring mes of the very same inferno that brought about his demise. The wound inflicted upon him was undeniably fatal. ¡°¡­..¡± The Death Knight opened his mouth unknowingly. However, no words came. He could not say anything, even though numerous thoughts swirled around in his mind. ¡°I¡­.¡± He was left with a series of questions. The Death Knight barely managed to speak, ¡°I¡­ lost? To you?¡± Eugene stood in front of him. The Death Knight reached for Eugene while bleeding Dark Power. The gesture felt almost desperate, and Eugene reached out in the same way as if to respond. Unlike the Death Knight¡¯s helplessly floundering hand, a me of mana burned inside Eugene¡¯s steady palm. Prominence¡¯s featherbined with the me, creating a miniature sun. ck spots spread on the surface of the sun and turned it ck. ¡®Ah.¡¯ Eclipse swallowed the Death Knight¡¯s hand. At the same time, the Holy Sword pierced his heart. ¡°This is¡­.¡± His heart was destroyed, and Eclipse started to devour what was left of him. The Death Knight couldn¡¯t help butugh at the sight. ¡°I can¡¯t beat you.¡± Such were hisst words before Eclipse made an ash of his remaining flesh. Eugene muttered while ring at the dispersing ashes. ¡°Of course you can¡¯t, you bastard.¡± The Death Knight had been a ghost of the past and a fake one to boot. If Eugene struggled to vanquish such an opponent, then all the moments he had invested in this existence would have amounted to naught. Eugene lowered the Holy Sword with a snort. Chapter 290: The Footprint of the God of the Land (4) Melkith found herself ensnared in a web of Chains of Dark Power. The weight of their grasp threatened to shatter her fragile form, yet she discovered sce in knowing that the limbs ensnared in the chains were but an illusion. As the earthly appendages crumbled under the strain of the chains, she surrendered, understanding the futility of attempting to break free from the oppressive clutches of Dark Power. Melkith''s actions were not fraught with peril. Without hesitation, the limbs that had retreated into the earth swiftly reemerged, seamlessly reattaching to her body and transforming into new appendages that adhered firmly. ¡®How persistent, you obnoxious bastard¡­!¡± At the heart of the Infinity Force, Melkith stood her ground. A frown etched across her face as she focused her attention. From the distant reaches of the battlefield, a relentless barrage of ck magic cascaded down upon her. Edmund Codreth, the son of a bitch, was seeking to im her life, cunningly concealed from sight and ensuring his own safety. The darkness that covered the ground suppressed Melkith and severed her from her connection to the Earth Spirit King. Furthermore, the Dark Power that targeted her from the darkness ensured that she could not move and, in turn, rooted Infinity Force in ce as well. Melkith, being a formidable adversary by nature, was far from an easy opponent. In all honesty, had she merely forged a pact with the Spirit King of Earth and Thunder, it would have demanded her utmost strength just to maintain her position. However, considering the sheer force and destructive power Edmund disyed, it was evident that she would have sumbed to defeat long before. However, she could stand her ground with Infinity Force and even fight back when there were opportunities. ¡­Craaack! Emerging from the apex of the Infinity Force, a lengthy rod materialized, pulsating with immense energy at its tip. A fusion of lightning and mes intertwined, gathering in a potent amalgamation. With Edmund Codreth''s Cube squarely in its sights, the concentrated energy surged forth, unleashed in the form of a formidableser beam. Rumbleeee! Within the beam resided an extraordinary energy, prompting Edmund Codreth to swiftly invoke a defensive spell, his annoyance evident in the clicking of his tongue. However, before he couldplete the incantation, luminous radiance descended upon him from beyond the concealment of the veil. As if conjured by some mythical giants, numerous swords of light descended upon Edmund Codreth, their count easily reaching dozens. Towering in size, these majestic des effortlessly cleaved through his defensive enchantments, rending them asunder. The conjurer of the brilliant des was none other than Kristina Rogeris, the hideous doll made by mixing the bones and flesh of the previous Saints. Beyond the curtain, Edmund could see Kristina levitating above the cliff, showcasing all her eight wings. How was it possible that such a crudely formed doll had reached such a level of performance? ¡°You¡¯re nothing but an imitation¡­!¡± Edmund roared with anger and irritation. Kwaaaaah! At longst, theser beam unleashed by Melkith reached its intended destination. A multitude of sorcerers stood in Edmund''s proximity, devoid of the protective shield offered by the Cube. Furthermore, the majority among them were already fatigued, having served as magical batteries for Edmund''s magic. But their presence would have made little difference even if they had been in pristine condition. None among them mustered the strength to mount any form of defense against the oingser beam, which left nothing in its wake as lightning and me engulfed the area. However, despite confronting such a formidable onught directly, not even a single blemish marred the surface of the Cube. ¡®This isn¡¯t good,¡¯ Edmund thought as he raised dmir. The conflict raged on within the realm of Blind, extending the duration of the battle. The effects of Balzac''s Signature had stripped the warriors of their sight, hearing, and sense of smell. Though they could still discern allies from enemies through their spiritual senses, their morale had plummeted into the depths of despair. ¡®The summons of the Red Tower Master¡­. They¡¯re devouring the bodies and trapping the souls.¡¯ It wouldn¡¯t change the overall course of the ritual, but it still bothered Edmund. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if he should have targeted the Red Tower Master and the Saint first. Though he wanted to take care of them personally, he could not step out of the Footprint of the God of the Land, given that he was the centerpiece of the ritual. Then he had no choice but to borrow someone else¡¯s hands. First, Edmund divided his consciousness. He allocated a part of it to the ritual while focusing the rest on necromancy. Although he wasn¡¯t fond of it, he was still capable of using necromancy. Corpses began to rise, and the dead warriors of the Kochi Tribe weren¡¯t the only ones affected by the magic. The corpses of warriors belonging to the Zorans and the allied tribes were also reanimated as undead and dead demonic beasts began to rampage aftering back to life. But he didn¡¯t think this was sufficient. So, after conjuring a necromancy spell, he targeted the living warriors with ck magic. He had wanted to avoid lowering the purity of their souls by using ck magic, but¡­ given the dire circumstances unfolding before him, he found himself devoid of the luxury of hesitation. The Dark Power he had imnted in the warriors clouded their reason and strengthened their bodies, leading them to a state of madness. The warriors began to run rampant while roaring like animals. Their nails and ws became reinforced like sharp des, and their swollen muscles did not burst or break even in the face of their enemies¡¯ attacks. ¡°To think it woulde this far¡­!¡± Edmund spat in anger, quivering. He had made Samar his destination to filter and avoid unexpected variables as much as possible, but everything was running wild beyond his imagination. What irked him greatly was the frustrating fact that he could not dispatch Melkith El-Hayah as swiftly as he had nned. It was not feasible for him to devote his undivided attention to her demise, and eliminating a master of Spirit Magic, who held pacts with three Spirit Kings, proved to be an arduous task indeed. Furthermore, the limited resources he could allocate for her assault were being thwarted by a formidable divine power. With a pallid and fatigued countenance, Kristina Rogeris tightly clutched her rosary, exerting her own influence over the situation. Every time he attacked, Kristina¡¯s divine power interfered. She could notpletely nullify his attacks, but she did well in reducing his power. ¡®There are too many bugs to kill.¡¯ There were too many things for him to care about. He was bothered that Balzac had disappeared for such a long time as well¡­. What was he up to? Was he hiding so that he could maintain Blind? Or was he waiting for the critical moment to try and rob the ritual from Edmund? ¡®Hamel.¡¯ Edmund searched for the Death Knight on the battlefield. Firstly, he would borrow the Death Knight¡¯s hands to kill the Saint and the Red Tower Master. Since he imed to be Hamel, that much wouldn¡¯t be difficult for him. ¡®Hamel. I need your help. Go to the cliff immediately and take the Saint and the Red Tower Master¡ª¡¯ Boooooom! An explosion resonated, assaulting Edmund''s eardrums with a deafening impact. The veil of darkness trembled, and in the wake of the thunderous noise, a fleeting but brilliant sh illuminated the world for a mere moment. After the brief moment, Blind once again threw the world into darkness. However, Edmund understood what had transpired in that brief instance. An incredibly powerful force had split the world just for a moment. ¡®Hamel?¡¯ Edmund hastily called out once more, but he received no response. It wasn¡¯t that the Death Knight had ignored his message, but rather that there wasn¡¯t anyone to receive his message. This could only mean one thing. The Death Knight, who had been created by improving on the body of the hero from three hundred years ago, had been annihted on this battlefield. ¡°How could this be¡­!?¡± Edmund spat out in shock and astonishment. He knew that Eugene Lionheart was strong. In theirst skirmish, the Death Knight had been pushed back by Eugene rather than taking the upper hand. However, both sides had been reserving their true power. Edmund had believed that the results would be different if both of them had fought with everything they had. Had he considered the possibility of the Death Knight¡¯s defeat? It had not been out of the question, but he had been doubtful. It was only natural, given that the Death Knight was formed from the body of the Stupid Hamel. In addition to possessing Hamel¡¯s body, the Death Knight had been created whilst maximizing Hamel¡¯s ability to fight based on his memories. So how had he lost in such a short period? How could he have lost? Indeed, Eugene Lionheart was strong and was the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword, but he was still only twenty-one years old. Dizziness overcame Edmund, his head swirling with a disorienting sensation. In his endeavors within Helmuth, he had received no assistance save for Amelia Merwin, from whom he had borrowed the formidable Death Knight. The Death Knight was supposed to have yed a pivotal role within his forces, yet its swift annihtion left him reeling. ¡®I don¡¯t even expect you to take him with you. A fatal wound, at least¡­.¡¯ Edmund immediately used a search spell. He hoped that Eugene was fatally wounded and unable to battle. However, the reality was too cruel. Far from being fatally wounded, there wasn¡¯t even a scratch on Eugene. He didn¡¯t even look tired, either. Eugene¡¯s cold, calcting golden eyes darted, and he made eye contact with Edmund, who was observing him through the spell. Edmund unwittingly tightened his grasp on dmir. ¡®Hector!¡¯ Although Hector was iparably insignificantpared to the Death Knight, it was better than nothing. However, even Hector did not respond right away. He wasn¡¯t in a situation where he coulde to Edmund¡¯s aide right away. Edmund became enraged after identifying the opponent Hector was engaged with. ¡°Cyan Lionheart? I even went to the trouble of building you a new body, and you¡¯re stuck with a brat like that?¡± He mobilized all of his divided consciousness to get an urate understanding of the current situation and toe up with a solution. Soon, he came to a decision. He had to let go of his lingering feelings and greed. It was already impossible to reach the ideal, perfect ritual he had nned toplete in an all-out war, but he didn¡¯t have the time. He had dispersed too much power in the ritual, and it was all because he had been pursuing perfection. ording to his original n, he would have had more than enough time, but the enemy was much stronger than his expectations. If things continued his way, everything would fail, and he could not afford that. Edmund tightened his grasp on dmir while focusing on and manipting his Dark Power. He interfered with the ritual and made changes. He had been pursuing quality over quantity with the blood and soul sacrifices for the ritual, but he could no longer care about the quality of the offerings. As such, he would quickly increase the number of sacrifices. Edmund¡¯s lips moved quickly. The frenzied warriors underwent yet another transformation in their relentless rampage. Stripped of all vestiges of humanity, their wild state intensified to an rming degree. They became single-minded, driven by a singr purpose ¡ª to procure an ever-growing supply of living sacrifices, then to offer themselves as sacrifices at the end. The change wasn¡¯t only prevalent in the warriors fighting in the Footprint of the God of the Land. Edmund¡¯s ck magic refluxed through the Earth Vein back to the capital of the Kochi Tribe, which was located far from here. There weren¡¯t any warriors remaining in the capital. Most of them were elders, women, and children who could not fight. ck magic permeated their minds, and the lunatics started cutting out each other¡¯s hearts after losing their reason. In no time, carnage unfolded in the heart of the Kochi Tribe. So the ritual elerated. Blood and souls from the ughtered in the capital would be transported to the Footprint of the God of the Land through the Earth Veins. Edmund did not need much more time. He would be less than the ideal version of the Demon King he pursued, but there was no helping it. ¡®At the end of the day, I will still transcend humanity.¡¯ It¡¯s what Edmund desperately wished for ¡ª to be a transcendental being beyond humans. Even if he could not be the strongest and greatest Demon King, a Demon King was still a transcendental existence. Even though he was forced topromise, he would still be achieving his wish. ¡®Ten minutes at most before the conditions are fulfilled. I can definitely hold on for that long.¡¯ Now that he had changed the contents of the ritual, he no longer needed to suppress Melkith. Rather, he hoped that she would run rampant and speed up the process of his ritual. Lovellian¡¯s summons were still hindering the process of the ritual, but it was as if he were trying to cover the entire sky with his palms. How did he n on stopping the overwhelming amounts of blood and soulsing from the Kochi Tribe¡¯s capital? ¡®I won.¡¯ He had already made apromise, so he had to win. Edmund raised dmir with a convinced smile. Having simplified the ritual, he now had a greater reserve of power to tap into. Moreover, Edmund had given up on suppressing Melkith, so the full might of his magic was at his disposal. Edmund¡¯s Dark Power rose from the ground as a giant ck hand. The Hand of Death, which destroyed everything it touched, lurched forward. If there was any chance of the ritual failing, it was because of one person. Edmund was wary of the power that Eugene Lionheart had used in killing the Death Knight earlier. Edmund was still quite certain that the Cube¡¯s defenses were imprable, but he couldn¡¯t simply ignore Eugene¡¯s enormous power either. In truth, Edmund harbored a desire to offer Eugene as a sacrifice. Despite having already relinquished numerous concessions in his ritual, the notion of sacrificing such a potent and extraordinary soul ignited within him the possibility of elevating his ritual to a realm of higher dimensions, a chance for its evolution. Fwoosh! Eugene suddenly appeared out of thin air from embers. ¡®Magic¡­. I don¡¯t know that kind of magic. Is that his Signature? Is he taking his feathers as coordinates and¡­ I see.¡¯ Despite studying magic for a mere span of less than five years, the young child had achieved the remarkable level of an Archwizard. His mastery of the arcane arts exceeded expectations, with his Signature disying exceptional qualities and demonstrating a great level of sophistication. ¡°His existence itself is unreasonable,¡± Edmund muttered. He had never felt jealousy toward humans, but this was the sole exception. He felt jealous of that unreasonably talented youngster. It only fueled his desire to take Eugene Lionheart as a sacrifice. It wasn¡¯t based on his theories as a wizard, but Edmund was convinced. If he could take Eugene Lionheart as a sacrifice, he had a hunch that he could obtain the status of a Great Demon King despite the concessions he made. ¡°Come,¡± Edmund said while maintaining the Hand of Death. Rumbleeee! The hand approached Eugene while growing in size, and by the time it was near Eugene, it was as big as the side of a cliff. But despite the advance of the threatening attack, Eugene seemed unfazed. He reacted with a simple move. The Holy Sword was already in his hand, and he was maintaining Prominence in ce of Ignition. His mana was burning around him as mes. The lion¡¯s mane fluttered, and the mes coating the Holy Sword became riddled with ck spots. Boooom! A horizontal sh easily split the Hand of Death into two. However, it was only the loss of a single spell. It meant nothing to Edmund. With a disdainful snort, Edmund summoned his Dark Power once again. The domain surrounding him, centered around the Cube, was firmly under his control. He possessed the ability to unleash hundreds of spells in one breath, each infused with lethal potency capable of effortlessly extinguishing a human life. As if to prove this, his magic materialized. Eugene grabbed Akasha from inside his cloak. The spells Edmund unleashed weren¡¯t randomly created. All the spells were connected, and no exit existed to escape the barrage. [Sir Eugene!] Mer arrived at the same conclusion. Even though she specialized in magical support, she could not find any gaps in Edmund¡¯s magic. She had no choice but to admit it. As a wizard, Edmund was superior in every way to Eugene. Eugene could never hope to win in a battle of magic. However, this fact wasn¡¯t despairing for Eugene. He had other weapons at his disposal besides magic. The moment Edmund¡¯s spells descended, Eugene let go of Akasha and grabbed onto a pommel. ¡®That¡¯s¡­.¡¯ From within his cloak, Eugene produced an object, and a dull gray radiance diffused through the epassing darkness. Despite the onught of spells relentlessly assailing Eugene, Edmund''s incantations dissolved into nothingness as the ethereal gray light interwove in front of him. The moonlight voraciously devoured the magic, eroding its very essence. ¡®What is it?¡¯ Edmund unknowingly moved the Cube backward. Eugene wielded the moonlight and painted a crescent moon. Dark Power could not block the moonlight. How could it when the moonlight simply devoured anything and everything it touched? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­.¡± Edmund¡¯s face turned pale. He had read about a simr sword in the special archives of Babel. But that couldn¡¯t be. The sword had not been seen for three hundred years, so how could it be here? ¡°The Moonlight Sword¡­?¡± Edmund spat out in disbelief. Eugene stared at Edmund for a moment before bursting out inughter. ¡°So you know about this?¡± Edmund¡¯s expression crumpled after hearing Eugene¡¯s answer. Chapter 291: The Footprint of the God of the Land (5)

Chapter 291: The Footprint of the God of the Land (5)

The Moonlight Sword of Vermouth Lionheart remained absent from the annals of history, void of any recorded mention. Its elusive nature was further entuated by the fact that Vermouth never exhibited the sword nor employed it in any manner after returning from Helmuth. Nor did he opt to entrust the Moonlight Sword to the guardianship of the esteemed Lionheart lineage. It seemed as though the Moonlight Sword had never been, as if it had been wiped from the collective memory. However, within the special archives of Babel, there existed a record acknowledging the sword''s existence. It was a record left by Gavid Lindman, the Sword of Incarceration. But rather than a record, it was more urate to call it a personal obsession. Gavid Lindman had been afraid of the Moonlight Sword, and he had been obsessed with it as well. Edmund understood the driving force behind Gavid''s relentless fixation. Gavid''s own sword, Glory, had fallen short of surpassing the legendary Moonlight Sword wielded by Vermouth Lionheart. When the Moonlight Sword vanished without a trace in the annals of history, Gavid conjectured that Vermouth had either destroyed or concealed the enigmatic de. For countless years, Gavid persevered in his quest to uncover the materials of the Moonlight Sword. However, at some point in time, Gavid stopped his search. It wasn¡¯t clear whether he wanted to escape from the sense of defeat he felt towards Vermouth or because of his faith in Glory, but Gavid gave up on the Moonlight Sword. Nevertheless, traces of Gavid''s fervent search persisted within the hallowed confines of the special archives. The Moonlight Sword, a cmity incarnate within the form of a weapon, possessed a malevolent radiance that cast an eerie glow. Its ominous aura remained unparalleled, rendering even the mighty Dark Power of the Demon Kings unable to im a definitive advantage against the sheer might emanating from the Moonlight Sword. ¡®How could this be¡­!?¡¯Edmund¡¯s shock was even greater because he knew the identity of the Moonlight Sword. Despite Eugene''s formidable strength, be it with or without the Holy Sword, Edmund remained resolute in his unwavering faith in the Cube''s imprable defense. The divine power bestowed upon the Holy Sword was but the authority of an absent deity. Edmund harbored doubts regarding the absolute potency of this enigmatic divinity, perceiving it as an ambiguous force. However, the Moonlight Sword was a different story. The power contained within the weapon wasn¡¯t something vague like divine power. It contained destructive power of unknown origin. Moreover, as foretold in the records, the sword exuded an overwhelming aura of foreboding. Even casting a mere nce upon its dull gray radiance suffused Edmund with an instinctive apprehension, a visceral awareness of impending peril. He could not allow it toe near. Edmund immediately invoked his magic. Layers uponyers of defensive magic formed a wall in front of the Cube. The magic he had allowed to seep into the space surrounding them was activated and targeted Eugene¡¯s life. Moonlight expanded. Eugene moved forward, extinguishing the bombardment of magic. It was true that the Moonlight Sword held a great advantage over magic, but such an overwhelming power also stressed the user with a great burden. Even Vermouth had been unable to swing the Moonlight Sword freely at will. The Moonlight Sword wasn¡¯tplete. It was only about a third of its full form, which decreased the burden on Eugene, but also its power. It was impossible for Eugene topletely vanquish the magic of such a powerful ck wizard. However, Akasha granted Eugene a profound understanding of magic. With this newfound insight, Eugene possessed the ability to perceive the impending attacks even before they were set into motion. Utilizing this foresight, he swiftly closed the gap between himself and Edmund, deftly severing the intricate connections underlying the magic spells. dmir glowed with a wicked light. It was a staff that made use of a whole dragon heart, just like Akasha. However, it possessed a different power. Akasha¡¯s power allowed the user an understanding of magic. It allowed the user toprehend magic they had never learned, and throughprehension, it allowed the optimization of existing magic into a more powerful form. dmir''s power diverged from Akasha''s in its essence, emphasizing a more forceful and aggressive approach. Instead of bestowing a heightened understanding, it bestowed upon its wielder the capacity to overpower adversaries through sheer, unbridled might. Even when casting the same spell, the magic channeled through dmir would beheavier. Booom! The st of moonlight came to an abrupt halt; its advance halted in its tracks. Spells that had previously been easily disrupted now resisted attempts to break through once they were infused with the power of dmir. Eugene¡¯s lips twisted into a smile. He was reminded of the past when he saw dmir. Belial, the lich better known as the Staff of Incarceration, had once been the master of dmir. At that time, all five of them, including Vermouth, had attacked together to break through his magic. ¡®But you¡¯re not Belial,¡¯Eugene thought. Indeed, Edmund was the current Staff of Incarceration. However, Eugene didn¡¯t think he was as strong or stronger than Belial. Their present state proved it. Even though the Moonlight Sword was in a weakened state, it wasn¡¯t far behind Edmund¡¯s magic in power. Eugene scattered feathers of Prominence, then continuously leaped through space while brandishing the Moonlight Sword. The waves of moonlight seemed to form a circle reminiscent of a full moon. Quaaash! The moment Eugene¡¯s mes were extinguished by ck magic, he focused his power on the Holy Sword, which he held in the opposite hand. Although he could not use the Empty Sword with the Moonlight Sword, there were no such restrictions with the Holy Sword. A burst of light once again illuminated the darkness. The Cube¡¯s surface reverberated, but it remained intact. Edmund felt relieved, then instantly felt mortified he had done so. His body filled with the Dark Power of the Demon King of Incarceration. Four hands rose from the ground in front of the Cube, and a ck me bloomed between the palms. Simultaneously, numerous eyes appeared around the Cube. The Eye of Curse possessed the ability to bind the target''s body, essence, and very soul with but a single gaze. As countless eyes fixed their gazes upon Eugene, he felt an immediate rigidity seizing his being. Edmund did not miss the opportunity and immediately unleashed Hellfire. Just before the ck fire struck, a beam of light descended from the sky and wrapped around Eugene. The power belonged to Kristina and Anise. The curse that paralyzed Eugene¡¯s body was dispelled, and the fire was deflected for a short moment. The Holy Sword reacted to the fallen Light, and Eugene immediately cut through the Hellfire. Instead of jumping straight through the gap, Eugene leaped through space using Prominence. Kwaaaaa! The luminescence of the Moonlight Sword zed against the Cube. Beyond the shattering and scattering moonlight, it was possible to see the surface of the Cube trembling. But as expected, it was impossible to crush the cube with just a single strike. Edmund¡¯s eyes filled with shock. Although the Cube had resisted, the magical incantation thatposed his magic had been damaged. At this rate, it would surely copse, and a crack would appear on the Cube. Edmund hurriedly used his Dark Power to repair the damage. ¡®It wasn¡¯t as if there was no damage.¡¯ Eugene observed Edmund using Dark Power to reinforce the Cube. He knew what he had to do. He just needed to unleash a barrage of attacks faster than Edmund could repair and reinforce the Cube. Naturally, Edmund did not n on allowing this to happen. He could not allow Eugene to narrow the distance. dmir filled with Dark Power once more. Rumbleeee! From the depths of the gathering Dark Power, five colossal figures materialized, taking on the imposing form of giants. Forged from a fusion of potent magic and the enigmatic essence of Dark Power, these giants set their sights on Eugene,unching a ferocious assault. Yet, they existed only to serve as a mere diversion, buying Edmund precious moments. Edmund immediately shifted his focus away from the towering giants, redirecting his energies toward the resumption of his own spellcasting. The numerous eyes were still capturing Eugene. However, they weren¡¯t nearly as effective as before, with the shining Light protecting Eugene from beyond the curtain of darkness. Aplex magic circle appeared on the surface of the Cube, and the object started to float upwards. Boooom! An explosion emanated from Eugene, separate from Edmund''s own actions. Edmund stared at Eugene in astonishment as the giants formed from Dark Power were systematically destroyed, vanishing one by one. Eugene exerted his will, propelling the sun that hovered in his palm toward Edmund. The sunspots expanded rapidly, gradually engulfing the radiant sphere until it waspletely obscured, marking the culmination of Eclipse. A sense of trepidation gripped Edmund,pelling him to hastily ovey additionalyers upon the magic circle suspended in the air. A barrage of magic was unleashed from the magic circle, and it collided with Eclipse. At first, it seemed as if the two attacks would offset each other, but the sinister moonlight severed the intertwining forces. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Edmund did not want to acknowledge the ominous feeling that crept up from the depths of his heart. He continued to cast his spells without a break. Craaack! The upturned earth surged towards Eugene, seemingly driven by an unseen volition. While the earth itself posed no immediate grave danger, each grain of soil bore the mark of Edmund''s Dark Power. As the energies intermingled and intertwined, a transformative alchemy took ce, birthing a novel form of magic. The amalgamation of connected energies weaved a chain formed from Dark Power, and it expanded to envelop Eugene and the space around him. A chain of darkness intertwined the fragmentedndmasses, its ebony links stretching outward to epass Eugene and the surrounding space. Gradually tightening, the constricting chain caused the once expansive area to shrink, creating an ominous convergence that loomed over Eugene, menacingly poised to crush him under its relentless pressure. Booom¡­! Eugene could no longer be seen, and Edmund hoped that Eugene had been crushed along with the space. He willed the chain to wrap around the lump ofnd, then burned it whole using Hellfire. Unfortunately, once again, moonlight emerged. Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Eugene escaped the prison of ck magic while swinging the Moonlight Sword. Edmund shouted unknowingly while causing Hellfire to erupt once more, ¡°Just die!¡± How many times had it been? He had used a series of magic that could unconditionally kill his enemy, but for the umpteenth time in a row, Eugene waspletely unscathed. The damned Moonlight Sword continued to destroy his ck magic. It was the same now. The Hellfire, which was supposed to burn and devour everything it touched, was instead being blocked and devoured by the dreary moonlight. Edmund roared while once again unfolding his magic circle. He unleashed Spears of Death one after another, and lightning fell from the space distorted by magic. The Wing of Prominence quivered, and a diminished manifestation of Eclipse erupted, intercepting the oing bolt. The spears were thwarted as Eugene brandished the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword in unison. ¡°Just die!¡± Edmund shouted once more. Boom! Boom! Boom! With a forceful strike of dmir against the earth, a multitude of des, thorns, and chains erupted from the ground, soaring through the air with lethal intent. The chains would ensnare, the des cleave, and the thorns pierce. However, the chain was the first to sumb, and its hold shattered. The thorns shed against one another, their piercing ends rendered ineffective. Even the des encountered resistance, blocked from their intended path. ¡°The Demon Spear!¡± shouted Edmund. Eugene ignored his cry and struck the ground with the Demon Spear. The spears he summoned struck the Cube, but it endured. Next was the Annihtion Hammer. After storing the spear away, he took out the Annihtion Hammer and struck the Cube with all his might. Booom! Though unable to breach the surface, the impact of the strike disturbed the magic circle forming on the Cube''s exterior. Eugene withdrew the hammer without any regret. As he prepared to retrieve another weapon, Edmund held his breath, his grip on dmir tightening. This time, a silver-blue sword emerged ¡ª a familiar sight to Edmund. It was none other than Wynnyd, the very sword he had witnessed before. However, instead of wielding Wynnyd, Eugene tossed it behind his back. One of the floating feathers disappeared together with the sword. ¡°¡­What did you do?¡± asked Edmund, wary of Wynnyd¡¯s disappearance. Eugene shook his head before answering, ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about it.¡± He dismissed Tempest¡¯sints, and after confirming that Cyan had received Wynnyd, Eugene once again wrapped his hands around the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. Edmund¡¯s eyes quivered at the sight. ¡°Why are you doing this to me?¡± Edmund asked sincerely. ¡°If you had note here and had notplicated my ns, then I would have achieved my long-cherished wish. I would have achieved something no one had ever achieved, no, something no one will ever achieve in the future! I, a human, could have ascended to a Demon King through magic.¡± Edmund¡¯s cries were bitter and desperate. He used magic while willing the Cube backward. The space between Eugene and Edmund became distorted. Even though Eugene moved forward, the distance didn¡¯t seem to decrease. ¡°Eugene Lionheart! What the hell did I ever do to you? I have never blocked your path, gotten in your way, or threatened you. So why are you interfering with my n and threatening me!?¡± Edmund¡¯s shouts reverberated in the distorted space. It was quite a powerful hallucination magic, but it had almost no effect on Eugene. There was no way he would sumb to mere tricks when he had already experienced Noir Giabe¡¯s fantasies. ¡°Why are you doing this to me? Even if I be a Demon King, I would not do anything to you. My purpose isn¡¯t to achieve something by bing a Demon King but to transcend my existence by bing a Demon King! If the ritual seeds and I be a Demon King, I will do nothing.¡± Edmund continued to shout. His screams caught Eugene off guard.Did that bastard truly think that way? Wasn¡¯t it natural to stop a ck wizard from trying to be a Demon King?Moreover, it wasn¡¯t like he was trying to be a Demon King from the corner of a room without bothering anyone. He was holding a ritual that required countless sacrifices. Did he really think that he would be left alone? ¡°What the fuck is this bastard saying?¡± Eugene spat with a scowl, raising the Moonlight Sword. There was no need to hear any more of the nonsense. Edmund truly felt wronged. No one cared about the wars that the natives of Samar waged. It was precisely this reason that led him to select Samar as the location for his ritual. He believed, and rightly so, that if it hadn''t been for Eugene''s interference, his ritual would have proceeded smoothly, unhindered by anyplications. ¡°Don¡¯te any closer!¡± Edmund screamed while swinging dmir when Eugene raised the Moonlight Sword. Dark Power turned into a wave of ck and washed over Eugene. Booom! Eugene blocked the wave with Eclipse, then severed the Dark Power with the Moonlight Sword. "Again!" Edmund eximed, his hand instinctively clutching his chest. Feelings of injustice and sorrow surged within him, intensified by the sickening presence of the Moonlight Sword. Though he had encountered it in the records, witnessing it firsthand made him acutely aware of the sheer absurdity of this weapon. How could a sword, a mere sword, possess the power to effortlessly sever the Dark Power of Demon Kings and dmir? ¡°I dedicated my entire life to my magic! It¡¯s just a sword!¡± Edmund screamed. Eugene remained silent in response to Edmund''s outcry, yet he felt a bit bummed. The Moonlight Sword was far from deserving thebel of a mere sword. Edmund had dedicated his entire existence to the pursuit of magic, but Eugene had devoted his entire life to the art of swordy. In fact, if he were to ount for his previous life, Eugene had spent two lifetimes immersed in the study and mastery of the sword. ¡°Don¡¯te near me!¡± Edmund shouted while striking the ground with dmir. The Cube moved, and the cube of absolute defense rose into the sky. Time ¡ª he needed time. How much longer? Had he not bought enough time already? Edmund meticulously monitored his divided consciousness, his gaze unwavering as he scrutinized Eugene''s every move. The ongoing conflict within the Footprint of the God of the Land had exacted a heavy toll, iming the lives of innumerable native inhabitants. The blood spilled, and the souls harvested had already surpassed the minimum requirements Edmund had established for his ritual. Moreover, he had to take into ount the blood and soulsing from the capital of the Kochi Tribe. Was it sufficient to attempt the ritual? He wanted to make the calctions, but he could not afford to. Crunch! Eugene broke through the obstruction and swung the Moonlight Sword. Gray light scratched the surface of the Cube. ¡°You bastard!¡± Edmund shouted with sincerity. It was impossible for him to attempt the ritual and repair the Cube at the same time. Was he truly left with no option but to gamble? Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t given the time to contemte his options. Craaaack! Eugene repeatedly shed with the Moonlight Sword, leaving cracks on the surface of the Cube. ¡®I should¡­!¡¯ In the eleventh hour, Edmund found sce in his unwavering self-belief. The culmination of the ritual''s intricacies left no room for doubt ¡ª it stood resolute in itspleteness. Edmund had made the calcted choice to prioritize quantity over quality, ensuring an abundance of sacrifices at his disposal. The sacrifices he had amassed thus far ranged from those offered by the capital to those acquired from the battlefield. He had ensured his connection to the twisted Earth Veins as well. It would be impossible for him to take Raizakia¡¯s Dark Power and the power of the World Tree as he originally intended, but¡­ he knew his greed could well cost him his life. Edmund gave up repairing the Cube and turned his full attention to the ritual. All of his existence was channeled through dmir and connected to the Earth Veins. Rumbleeee! The Footprint of the God of the Land began to quake. The ritual inscriptions engraved beneath the ground starteding to life. ¡®I did it.¡¯ The ritual sessfully linked to Edmund¡¯s existence. The magic nearedpletion as the sacrifices were made. His body and soul would soon be reconstructed as a transcendental being, a Demon King. Eugene frowned as he struck down with the Moonlight Sword. However, Edmund was no longer afraid of the Moonlight Sword. He burst intoughter. ¡°It¡¯s a sess!¡± The light of the Moonlight Sword caused arge crack to form on the surface of the Cube. But it all seemed so slow to Edmund¡¯s eyes. His perception underwent a profound metamorphosis. He transcended the boundaries of ordinary existence, assuming a vantage point from which he looked down upon those deemed inferior. His feeble form underwent a remarkable transfiguration, assuming the imposing stature of a Demon King, possessing an invincible and superior corporeal vessel. ¡°I won¡­.¡± He was interrupted midway through his victorious deration. The ritual, which was nearpletion, started to copse. The magic, which was woven around Edmund, started to be tangled. What was going on? Edmund could not understand the current situation. There was no reason for the ritual to fail. He had gathered enough sacrifices, and the ritual had been perfected. ¡°¡­Uaaaah!¡± Edmund turned his head with a scream of despair. He hade to a bted understanding of why the ritual had failed. The insufficiency of the sacrifices was undeniable. It was an oversight he couldn''t have overlooked, yet he had been deceived. The blood and souls meant to be wholly consecrated to the ritual had been uwfully usurped by another party, leaving him bereft in the midst of his endeavor. ¡°Balzaaaac!¡± Edmund had failed to keep Balzac in sight because he had been upied with Eugene, a monster who kepting at him, unscathed by attacks that should have killed him. How?He could not figure it out, despite his mind having gone through a half-transformation. Had Balzac predicted that he would change the ritual midway? Since when had he been nning to steal the offerings from the capital? Edmund''s eyes widened as he scanned the surrounding darkness, desperately searching for any trace of Balzac. Yet, to his dismay, Balzac remained elusive and concealed within the shrouded depths of Blind, blending seamlessly with the inky ckness, erasing any semnce of his presence. ¡®Is his objective to take the ritual away from me?¡¯ A portion of the ritual was flowing to Balzac, but it was a weak connection in Edmund¡¯s eyes. It was impossible to transcend into a Demon King with something like that. Edmund came to a new conclusion. Balzac¡¯s purpose wasn¡¯t to be a Demon King. He had stolen the offerings and connected himself to the ritual to destroy Edmund at a critical moment when he became sure of his sess and attempted the ritual. Balzac had forced Edmund¡¯s impatience. Despite the imprability of Blind''s darkness within the Cube, Edmund''s wariness of Balzac had been ignited from the very moment heid eyes upon him. The presence of Balzac and the other adversaries hadpelled him to expedite the ritual, driven by the shifting tides of battle and the urgent need to secure sacrifices from the capital, forcing him to hastily modify the intricate process he had meticulously crafted. ¡°You¡­ bastard¡­!¡± Edmund felt an even greater disgust toward Balzac. If Balzac harbored intentions of usurping the ritual in order to ascend as a Demon King, Edmund found himself begrudgingly capable of acknowledging it. Despite his anger and the potential failure to attain his own desires, there was a begrudging understanding within Edmund that perhaps such an oue, though unwee, held a certain validity. However, Balzac wanted no such thing. He only took a small portion of the ritual and only a part of the offerings. Edmund¡¯s ritual had failed because of such a small thing. ¡°Uwaaaaahhhh!¡± Edmund roared frantically with anger and frustration. That was when the moonlight smashed apart the cube and devoured his body. Chapter 292: The Footprint of the God of the Land (6)

Chapter 292: The Footprint of the God of the Land (6)

Edmund''s physical vessel was gradually sumbing to destruction. Consumed by overwhelming desperation, he fervently scoured his surroundings, yearning for an escape route from this grim predicament. Yet, even with his consciousness elevated to a state of partial transcendence, Edmund was unable to unearth any means to persevere amidst the harrowing circumstances that engulfed him. However, if he were to ask for help and were granted assistance, then¡­. ¡®Your Majesty, the Demon King.¡¯ Edmund begged desperately. Wouldn¡¯t the Demon King of Incarceration hate to lose an outstanding subordinate? Edmund held an unwavering conviction in his own worthiness. Rather than being collected as a soul after death, he preferred to live his life for the Demon King to fulfill his loyalty. ¡®Please, please¡­,¡¯Edmond begged. Unfortunately, his plea went unanswered, and the harsh reality he faced caused Edmund to be even more desperate. The Demon King of Incarceration had allowed Edmund to pursue a transformation into bing a Demon King. In fact, the Demon King had fulfilled Edmund¡¯s request and granted him Dark Power. Nheless, the Demon King of Incarceration maintained a peculiar stance, refraining from any direct assistance or interference in Edmund''s endeavors. Even if Edmund had seeded in bing a Demon King, the Demon King of Incarceration would not have interfered. However, if Edmund failed and died¡­ the Demon King of Incarceration would still remain entirely unaffected, devoid of even the slightest trace of regret. That was what the Demon King of Incarceration was like, and despite wanting to tell himself otherwise, Edmund knew this truth as well. Edmund clung to the fervent desire to perceive himself as exceptional, fostering the hope that the Demon King of Incarceration would extend a guiding hand to him in his time of need. Yet, his desperate plea echoed through the void and was met with nothing but a deafening silence. As the final assault of the Moonlight Sword crashed upon him, Edmund''s cherished physical form was utterly obliterated, reduced to naught. However, amidst the wreckage, dmir was left behind. dmir, a being birthed by the very hands of the Demon King of Incarceration, ascended in solitary grandeur in the scattering moonlight. Eugene swung his sword once more to destroy the terrible object. Yet, in a breathtaking turn of events, moments before the moonlight''s radiant touch could envelop the staff, an unsettling phenomenon unfurled. Crimson-hued Dark Power surged forth from its very core, the dragon heart. The sinister energy materialized into intricate chains that coiled around dmir, forming an impregnable barrier that defied the moonlight''s destructive intent. In an instant, the chains enshrouding dmir vanished into thin air, whisking away the enigmatic entity along with them. Frustration etched deep lines upon Eugene''s visage as he touched down on the solid ground, his teeth grinding in vexation. Despite withholding intervention in Edmund''s demise, the Demon King of Incarceration had managed to reim dmir. ¡°Fucking bastard,¡± Eugene spat while taking out a dagger from his cloak. Edmund had shouted Balzac¡¯s name before his death. It was clear that the ritual had failed because of Balzac¡¯s gimmick. Eugene remained shrouded in uncertainty regarding Balzac''s actions, yet an underlying wariness persisted within him. Suspicion cast its shadow upon his thoughts, contemting the possibility that Balzac had cunningly sought to usurp the coveted position of the Demon King by depriving Edmund of his ritual. ¡®But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s true¡­.¡¯ If Balzac had seeded in bing the Demon King, the Dark Power channeling Blind would have undergone a change. However, Balzac¡¯s Signature remained the same as before. Eugene raised the dagger while looking around his surroundings. ¡°Please let me live.¡± Eugene heard a voiceing from behind him. He found Balzac raising himself up from the ground. ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything for you to be wary of.¡± Balzac appeared genuinely wronged. Eugene peered at his face without loosening his grip on the dagger. ¡°Since when have you been here?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been here since you started attacking Edmund,¡± responded Balzac. ¡°Why were you lying down without saying anything?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because I knew Edmund would be impatient if he didn¡¯t know where I was,¡± answered Balzac. ¡°You should have still said you were here,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°I couldn¡¯t have done that with how I was hiding myself,¡± Balzac responded with a bitter smile. ¡°What did you do?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I diverted a portion of the sacrifices that were being sourced externally and interfered with a part of the ritual as well,¡± Balzac answered. ¡°Interfered?¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything big. I just changed the ritual slightly so Edmund would make a mistake after losing his cool,¡± Balzac said while bowing toward Eugene. ¡°It was all thanks to you pushing him so hard, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t have to interfere with the ritual,¡± Eugene said, pointing the dagger at Balzac. ¡°If your aim was to disturb the ritual, then it would have been sufficient to divert the sacrifices, right? In any case, it would have dyed the ritual, and I could have killed Edmund.¡± ¡°Perhaps so,¡± Balzac agreed with a bow, despite Eugene¡¯s words being too far-fetched. Eugene stared at Balzac with a sullen expression, then withdrew his dagger. ¡°¡­Can you withdraw Blind now?¡± His gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the somber scene as the war neared its bitter conclusion. With Edmund''s demise, the wellspring of Dark Power that fueled the Kochi Tribe¡¯s warriors had been extinguished, leaving them bereft of their formidable strength. The surviving warriors, wearied to their very cores, struggled to stay upright, their bodies wracked with exhaustion and torment, their anguished cries silenced by their overwhelming suffering. ¡°Kyahahahahah!¡± Eugene could see Melkith shrieking withughter in the distance. She disyed an overwhelming presence on the battlefield,unching bolts of lightning and clouds of fire all around her. Behind her followed the summons of Lovellian, and on the other side, Ivatar swung his axe without any hint of exhaustion. Eugene withdrew his gaze, then searched for Cyan. *** Hector possessed unparalleled swiftness, his colossal form exuding power and might, while his multitude of arms bestowed upon him a distinct advantage over the limitations of the human physique. It was undeniable that Hector surpassed Cyan in strength and prowess in every aspect. The undeniable truth of Hector''s overwhelming superiority was not lost on Cyan; he, too, acknowledged the vast gap that separated them. Nevertheless, despite the difference in power, Cyan found himself unable to yield. He understood that to retreat would mean surrendering something of profound significance to him as Cyan Lionheart. That something, he thought, was probably pride. Hector stood among the ranks of the ignominious traitors who had betrayed the Lionheart lineage, tarnishing their honor. Yet, Cyan had not brought any of these traitors to justice with his own hands. Eward and Dominic had met their demise at the hands of Eugene, while Cyan, rendered unconscious and defenseless during that fateful moment, had been utterly powerless to intervene. He could not allow a repeat of the past. Even if he were forced into defeat because of his weakness, Cyan did not want to turn his back on Hector, a traitor to the family. Undeterred, Cyan pressed onward, each step charged with a profound purpose. Pride, unwavering belief, a sacred mission, and a myriad of other crucial elements propelled him forward. Gripping his sword with a fierce determination, he unleashed its might with all the strength and seething malice coursing through his veins. In a profound sense, the battle before him became a crucible through which Cyan sought to validate himself. The significancey not in the eyes of others but in the act of personally vanquishing Hector. By ending the formidable adversary''s life with his own hands, Cyan yearned to witness a tangible realization of his progress. His memories slipped away like a fleeting breeze, leaving him unable to recollect the precise manner in which he countered Hector''s relentless onught. The specifics of his defense, the art of parrying, deflecting,unching counterattacks, thrusting his de, evading with agile grace, leaping with precision, and executing seamless maneuvers ¡ª all remained shrouded in the fog of forgotten recollection. Nheless, he persisted in the fiercebat, his actions driven by instinct alone, no longer conscious of his own fluid motions in the heat of battle. At a certain point, a fiery heat surged from the depths of Cyan''s being, suffusing his body with renewed vitality. Remarkably, despite the ceaseless movement devoid of respite, weariness eluded him. On the contrary, his form grew increasingly weightless with each motion, buoyed by a surge of invigorating energy. In an extraordinary moment, it appeared as though time itself had decelerated, bestowing upon him the ability to anticipate and narrowly evade Hector''s imminent strike, the threat to his very throat narrowly averted. No matter how many times Cyan''s de cleaved through Hector''s flesh, the traitorous foe remained impervious to death''s grip. His wounds closed instantly, allowing him to persist in an unyielding onught, relentless and unceasing. Hector''s shouts reverberated through the air, yet Cyan found himself deaf to his words. The utterances of a turncoat, a wretched creature who had forsaken his very humanity, held no value or significance to Cyan. In stark contrast to Hector''s enduring resilience, Cyan, bound by his human limitations, bore the burden of mortality. Each strike inflicted upon him drew forth crimson blood, and his limbs gradually faltered in their function. Though he skillfully employed his shield to avert fatal blows, a multitude of minor wounds umted, their weight burdening him. Yet, at a pivotal juncture, he perceived a remarkable phenomenon ¡ª his injuries miraculously mended, as if washed away by the benevolent touch of divine magic. It became evident that Kristina had bestowed her healing powers upon him. Overwhelmed by gratitude, Cyan''s heart swelled with appreciation for this divine intervention. His sword broke. He reced his de with sword-force, but the destruction of his weapon caused his attacks to be shallow. Hector¡¯s Dark Power offset and weakened Cyan¡¯s sword-force. There were many swords in his surroundings, once belonging to warriors who were now deceased. However, Cyan did not have time to fetch a new weapon. To his astonishment, the need for aid dissipated as if by a stroke of fate. Swiftly, a sword materialized before him, its gleaming presence undeniable. It was none other than Wynnyd, the Storm Sword ¡ª the very weapon Eugene had wielded for the first time within the confines of the Lionheart mansion. Without a moment''s hesitation, Cyan''s hand instinctively closed around the hilt of the sword. ¡°Hey,¡± Cyan spoke while standing still like a statue, bewildered. Hector was dead. The details of Hector''s demise eluded Cyan''s recollection, obscured by a veil of uncertainty. From the moment his hand sped the hilt of Wynnyd, his memories grew hazy. He just knew that he had foughtwell. Even prior to Wynnyd''s unexpected arrival, hisbat skills had shown remarkable improvement. However, when the moment arrived, when he dealt the fatal blow to Hector, a peculiar sensation enveloped him. It was as if¡­ he had not been himself at the end. He was still faintly in touch with reality. Although his memory was faint, he had been the one to kill Hector. Cyan thought that he had broken past his limits during the fight. He had be stronger. He could be even stronger. Cyan looked down at Hector¡¯s corpse. Hector had shouted something at the moment of death, but as before, his words had fallen deaf on Cyan¡¯s ears. He had no intention of listening to a monster¡¯s will. After a moment, Cyan redirected his gaze to Wynnyd, which was still in his grasp. He attempted to hide the smile that threatened to surface and turned his head. ¡°Did you see that?¡± However, his attempt was futile. The moment he turned his head, he ended up smiling immediately. Cyan continued with a grin while staring at Eugene. ¡°You saw it, right? That¡¯s why you sent me Wynnyd because you saw it.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°You know, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to say, but I fought really well. Really. I felt like I wasn¡¯t myself when I was swinging my sword¡­. That bastard Hector was swinging his arms like this, but none of it touched me,¡± continued Cyan. ¡°I think they touched you quite a bit,¡± responded Eugene. Cyan¡¯s uniform was covered in blood. After hearing Eugene¡¯sment, Cyan iled his arms. ¡°It¡¯s not my blood. It¡¯s Hector¡¯s and¡­. Uh¡­. It¡¯s the blood of the other guys I killed. Look, I don¡¯t have a scratch on my body,¡± said Cyan. ¡°There were, but you were treated,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Whatever the case, there aren¡¯t any wounds now, right? So, how was it?¡± asked Cyan. ¡°You fought well,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s all? Can¡¯t you say something more? Look here; I killed Hector!¡± shouted Cyan. ¡°Well done.¡± ¡°I think something¡¯s changed about the White me Form as well¡­. How can I put it¡­? It feels like I¡¯m right in the middle of four and five Stars¡­ No, I feel like I¡¯m closer to five Stars¡­. I can feel it. I think I¡¯ll reach five Stars if I go just a bit further,¡± Cyan said with great excitement. Eugene nodded, feeling a little satisfied with what he saw. ¡°You¡¯ve grown a lot.¡± ¡°¡­What are you saying? I was always grown up.¡± Cyan cleared his throat before responding. He felt rather embarrassed after hearing Eugene¡¯spliment. The two were the same age, and technically, Cyan was slightly older than Eugene by a few months. Even so, there were moments when Eugene acted like an old man. Usually, it was when he acted old-fashioned and nagging, but¡­ it didn¡¯t feel all too bad to hearpliments like this. ¡°Here.¡± Cyan smacked his lips with regret while returning Wynnyd. ¡°It was a good sword. The winds¡­ would shoot out like sword-force.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not giving it to you,¡± Eugene said tly. ¡°Did I ask?¡± Although Cyan was inwardly hoping to wield the sword once more in the future, he made sure to hide his thoughts. [¡­I can¡¯t believe you allowed someone without a contract to wield Wynnyd.] As soon as Eugene received Wynnyd, he heard Tempestining. ¡®Considering that, you helped him quite a bit.¡¯ [Cyan might have died if I didn¡¯t. Had he died, Hamel, do you think you would¡¯ve left me alone?] ¡®Of course not.¡¯ He didn¡¯t want to think about it, but if Cyan had died¡­ Eugene would have made it his priority to snap Wynnyd in two. As if reading Eugene¡¯s thoughts, Wynnyd quivered minutely. [Ehem¡­. Still¡­. I don¡¯t think it was half-bad. He falls short of you or Vermouth, but I could feel some potential in Cyan.] ¡®It¡¯s like he¡¯s molted, right?¡¯ [It¡¯s not enough to call an awakening, but yes, he¡¯s grown strong enough to shatter the wall. If he can embody the state of trance he¡¯s reached in the battle, then I think he will gain dignity and power befitting the name of the family¡¯s next head.] Tempest muttered, then suddenly sighed. It was because of Melkith. She was continuing to rampage, despite the curtain of darkness slowly lifting. Kochi Tribe¡¯s warriors were no longer putting up any resistance, but her mes and lightning destroyed them without any mercy. [¡­I can¡¯t believe that the human who¡¯s signed a contract with three Spirit Kings is¡­ someone like that¡­] ¡®Aren¡¯t you the weird one by now?¡¯ [What did you say?] ¡®You detest her, but look. The Spirit King of Fire, Lightning, and Earth all signed a contract with her.¡¯ [Are you saying that they are right and I am wrong?] Tempest eximed in a fury. [How could someone who interacts with spirits naked be sound in mind!? me, Lightning, and Earth are out of their minds to sign a contract with such a crazy human!] It wasn¡¯t any of Eugene¡¯s business, but teasing Tempest with Melkith always gave him a goodugh. ¡°Are you going to stay here?¡± asked Cyan. He stole nces at the battlefield while caressing his chest. It appeared as if he wasn¡¯tpletely cated from the heat of the battle. ¡°I think it¡¯s almost over, but it¡¯s notpletely finished yet.¡± ¡°What would I do here? You can stay if you want,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Cyan contemted for a moment without answering. It wasn¡¯t that he was attracted to the notion of killing people. However, he wanted to experience what he felt in his battle against Hector once more. "When you''re faced with a difficult decision, sometimes it''s best to go through it firsthand rather than overthinking it. Dying it without any valid reason might cause you to lose touch with the true essence of the experience," Eugene advised. ¡°Hmmm¡­.¡± Cyan nodded, then picked up a sword. Eugene smirked as he watched Cyan walk away. He had been worried about bringing Cyan, but now, he felt convinced he had made the right choice. Cyan¡¯s back looked slightly wider than before. ¡®I¡¯m the problem.¡¯ Eugene sat down while massaging his stiff wrist. He had not used Ignition, but that did not mean he wasn¡¯t tired. ¡®This is the important part.¡¯ He had stopped the ritual, and Edmund was dead. The war would soon end as well. However, for Eugene, nothing was done yet. Instead, he was about to be faced with a critical, desperate situation. ¡®Sienna.¡¯ Her name surfaced in his mind as he grabbed his ne. Chapter 293: The Footprint of the God of the Land (7)

Chapter 293: The Footprint of the God of the Land (7)

They did not take any prisoners. The notion ofplete extermination might have struck some as undeniably severe, but not a single hint of hesitation crossed the minds of Ivatar, the Zoran Tribe¡¯s chief, and the chiefs of the allied tribes. Eugene, an outsider unfamiliar with the ways of the forest, refrained from interfering in their affairs, much like the rest of the group. The Kochi Tribe had long embraced cannibalism and human sacrifices as customary to their existence. As such, even from an outsider perspective, they were barbarians who could not be kept alive. ¡°You were a big help.¡± Havingpleted the arduous task of tidying up the battlefield, the remnants of destruction were evident to all. Despite the formidable might of Kristina''s divine magic, the allies had not emerged unscathed. The toll was substantial, with a considerable number of lives lost and numerous individuals left wounded and in pain. Everyst warrior of the Kochi Tribe met their demise, leaving no survivors in their wake. It was an unequivocal triumph for the Zorans and their forces. Ivatar, overwhelmed with a sense of satisfaction, beamed a smile and offered a gracious bow of gratitude to Eugene''s group. ¡°If you had not helped, we would have never stood a chance in the war.¡± Although the conflict within the sacred grounds of the Footprint of the God of the Land hade to an end, Ivatar''s forces opted against an immediate return to Zoran. Instead, they chose to press forward, steadfast in their march toward the heart of Kochi Tribe''s capital. The elite troops of the Kochis had been vanquished, leaving a path devoid of formidable opposition. Moreover, the pervasive influence of Edmund''s sinister ck magic within the capital ensured that the number of survivors would be scarce. Ivatar nned to make use of the momentum topletely conquer the Kochi Tribe. With such andslide victory, the leaders of the allied tribes fully supported his decision. A chuckle escaped Eugene''s lips as he observed the chiefs gazing at Ivatar with a mixture of admiration and reverence. He found the situation rather amusing, considering that not too long ago, most of these same chiefs had suffered the loss of an arm at the hands of Ivatar. ¡°Eugene, my respected friend. Thank you. I am still wondering how I can repay what you did for us, but know this one thing. I will give you all the spoils obtained by conquering the Kochi Tribe,¡± Ivatar said. ¡°Everything is too much. Half will be fine. You should be gaining something from the war as well,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°What about me?¡± Melkith wasted no time in interjecting. However, as she approached, a pungent, burning odor emanated from her, causing Eugene to instinctively recoil, a frown etched across his face. ¡°You sure are greedy. Thanks to this war, you seeded in signing a contract with the Spirit King of Fire. What else do you want?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Technically speaking, I got the contract with Ifrit because I was great,¡± Melkith spoke, proudly holding out her chest, her hands sped at her waist. However, she almost immediately shrank back with a servile expression. ¡°Ah¡­. All right, all right. I won¡¯t take anything else, so let¡¯s keep the contract, hmm? Come on, you were inwardly happy after signing that contract with me¡­.¡± Her words weren¡¯t addressed to Eugene. It seemed that Ifrit was rather displeased at how Melkith was being greedy. She continued to creep backward while begging Ifrit. ¡°And the contract of a Spirit King isn¡¯t something that can be withdrawn so easily, right¡­? I¡¯ll¡­ I¡¯ll do better. What do you say? Right, what if I changed the name of my Signature? Instead of Infinity Force, I can do something that makes you pop out a little more. What about Ifrit Force¡­? I can even make a Signature just for you¡­. A-and I¡¯ll give special treatments to the wizards of the White Tower who have contracts with fire spirits¡­.¡± Her words were trulyme and obsequious, causing Tempest to cough with disapproval. Eugene also turned away from Melkith. ¡°¡­Ehem. Anyways, Eugene, I owe you too much. First, as you said, I will give you half of the spoils, and how about we discuss the rest after the conquest is over?¡± asked Ivatar. ¡°Sure.¡± Ivatar made no request for Eugene to apany him, recognizing that Eugene''s role in the war had reached its conclusion. Simrly, he refrained from seeking assistance from any of Eugene''srades. The corpses of the Kochi Tribe¡¯s warriors were stacked into a hill, then doused with oil before being lit on fire. Ivatar and the other warriors did not mourn the many bodies, and they cared not whether the God of the Land would embrace their souls. However, they mourned for their dead allies. With a solemn countenance, Kristina knelt down, her face marked with exhaustion, and offered prayers for the departed souls. Witnessing this sight, Ivatar was deeply moved and found himselfpelled to join her on his knees. He was touched by the sight of a priest, who hailed from and foreign to Samar and did not worship the God of the Land, earnestly praying for the fallen warriors. Following Ivatar''s lead, every warrior present, ovee by a profound sense of emotion, knelt down in unison. The impact of Kristina''s actions had touched them all deeply, for she had not only offered prayers but had also been instrumental in saving many of their lives, pulling them back from the precipice of death. Kristina was shocked when she opened her eyes after intently praying. It wasn¡¯t surprising, given that she found thousands of rugged natives kneeling before her as if worshiping her. Ivatar and the warriors were the first to leave the Footprint of the God of the Land. Eugene''s group chose not to depart immediately, opting instead to linger a while longer and conduct a thorough magical inspection. With Edmund''s demise, the intricatework of Earth Veins would gradually regain its inherent rhythm, reverting back to the natural course it had long been denied. Yet, despite this shift, the cruel reality remained ¡ª rescuing the souls sacrificed during the ritual was an insurmountable task, as the majority had already vanished in the ritual. [It cannot be helped. There is nothing we can do,] Anise spoke after feeling Kristina¡¯s sorrow. [Did I not tell you, Kristina? Even if we are the Saint, saving everyone is impossible.] Kristina lowered her head, a heavy sigh escaping her lips. Anise, keenly observant, recognized the weight etched upon Kristina''s countenance. Anise, too, was no stranger to that familiar sorrow, having experienced it countless times in her distant past, three centuries ago. [We could not save everyone, but we did save many people. I don¡¯t know how you might take this, but¡­ I have to say this right now.] ¡®What, Sister?¡¯ [You did a good job.] A gentle glow emanated from the rosary suspended around Kristina''s neck, its faint illumination ascending into the air. Anise was responsible for the radiance. Gradually, the ethereal light grew beyond the rosary and enveloped Kristina, enfolding her form in a warm embrace. [You did your best in this cruel war, Kristina. You saved those who would have died, as well as many others. You protected those who you hold most dear.] ¡®¡­It¡¯s because you helped me, Sister.¡¯ [Even so, despite having died centuries ago, I could only see Hamel¡¯s back and shine my light on him because of you, Kristina.] Anise''s heart swelled with gratitude, for she realized that even in death, she could bring sce to Kristina''s weary spirit. Reflecting upon her own tumultuous existence three centuries past, Anise recalled the profound absence of affirmation or sce bestowed upon her by the God of Light. ¡°Good work,¡± Eugene said. Nevertheless, while the God of Light had never uttered suchforting words to Anise, she found sce in the fact that herrades, her steadfast allies, had bestowed upon her such words. Eugene approached Kristina and reached out with his hand. [He¡¯s only quick-witted at times like these.] Anise muttered while feeling loved. Simrly, Kristina''s cheeks flushed with a tender emotion, intertwining with Anise''s sentiment. Yet, beneath the blossoming affection, she was struck with worry. Eugene was a truly precious person to her. Kristina¡¯s eyes had always been glued to Eugene during the battle. Though Eugene proved his mettle and required little assistance, Kristina, attuned to his every move, guided the radiant light to his aid whenever he faced the perilous onught of ck magic or other imminent dangers. It had been possible for her to help him in this battle. However, Kristina knew it would be an insurmountable task to shield Eugene from harm in the future. Anise shared Kristina¡¯s worries. Like Kristina, Anise truly treasured Eugene. The identical sentiment resonated within Anise''s heart when it came to Sienna. An overwhelming desire surged through her, yearning to rescue Sienna. She could envision the joyous reunion, the spirited conversations, and the shared libations they could once again indulge in. Yet, Anise confronted the grim reality that venturing forth to save Sienna was beyond her reach. Her mortal existence had been extinguished three centuries prior, and Kristina could not apany Eugene either. [Faith,] Anise muttered after a long sigh. Kristina nodded while tightening her grasp on the rosary. ¡°Dagger,¡± Eugene said, staring at Balzac, who stood with a crooked posture. The magic dagger was still poised at Balzac¡¯s heart. If Eugene wanted to, he could rip Balzac¡¯s heart in a heartbeat. ¡°Can I keep it in?¡± Eugene inquired, his gaze shifting between the dagger clenched in his hand and Balzac standing before him. Lovellian, the one who had been responsible for actually inserting the dagger, stood looking flustered by Eugene¡¯s brazenness. Lovellian was pragmatic and discerning and had indeed nned on extracting the dagger from its deadly position after the demise of Edmund. Logically speaking, there appeared to be nopelling reason to refrain from doing so. After all, Balzac had not exhibited any overtly suspicious behavior, nor had he incited any disruptions during the war. On the contrary, his efforts had yed a significant role in the downfall of Edmund Codreth. ¡°If that is what you want, Sir Eugene, I will not object,¡± Balzac answered with a broad smile, even though what Eugene said was nothing short of violence. ¡°That is, if you will continue to trust me because of this dagger, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°I won¡¯t take it out because I don¡¯t trust you,¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°But while this dagger is in me, you will be less wary of me, won¡¯t you?¡± said Balzac. His words could not be refuted, but Eugene found it more suspicious that Balzac was saying such words. How could anyone be so nonchnt with a magical dagger pointed at their heart, threatening to end their life in the blink of an eye? ¡®¡­No, maybe he¡¯s trying to make me think this way.¡¯ Undoubtedly, Balzac''s expertise in psychological warfare shone through, skillfully subverting Edmund''s ns. Nevertheless, an alternative perspective began to take shape in Eugene''s mind. What if the magical dagger held little sway over Balzac, serving as a mere fa?ade to lull Eugene into a false sense of security? The unsettling notion arose that perhaps Balzac aimed to lower Eugene''s guard through the dagger, setting the stage for a treacherous betrayal at ater point. Eugene couldn''t shake the grim realization that being betrayed after fostering even a modicum of trust would prove far deadlier than facing an overt threat from the outset. ¡°Let¡¯s take it out,¡± Eugene spat with a scowl. He grappled with the enigma before him, unsure of the true answer. While the simplest solution would be to employ the dagger to mercilessly extract Balzac''s heart, even Eugene, for all his resolve, hesitated tomit such a brazen act. For one, it was true that Balzac had not betrayed them in any way in this matter, and it was also true that he had always acted friendly towards Eugene, helping him. It was unclear where he would stand in the future, but so far, Balzac was never Eugene¡¯s enemy. It was still undeniable that Balzac was a ck wizard contracted to the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene¡¯s nemesis. Someday, Balzac could well be Eugene¡¯s enemy. But that wasn¡¯t the case for now, and not yet. Therefore, Eugene decided not to take Balzac as the enemy. ¡°Hmm. I understand.¡± Lovellian immediately reached for Balzac¡¯s chest. He, for one, had thought it a natural course of action. Fwoosh! The magical dagger escaped from his chest. When the dagger dissipated into light, Balzac smiled while caressing his chest. ¡°Thank you for trusting me,¡± Balzac said. ¡°I took it out because I don¡¯t trust you,¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°Well, I guess you could kill me any time you wanted, Sir Eugene,¡± Balzac said with a shrug. Eugene had pondered the possibility of Balzac attacking or fleeing immediately after having the dagger withdrawn, but to his disappointment, Balzac did nothing. ¡°Now that Edmund is dead, it¡¯s no longer fit to be called the Three Mages of Incarceration, right? Or will someone else be recing Edmund¡¯s seat?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s a ck wizard that His Majesty¡¯s been eyeing, he may sign a new contract. However¡­. I know nothing about such a ck wizard,¡± answered Balzac. ¡°But the title of the Staff of Incarceration can¡¯t be unupied, right? dmir was retrieved as well.¡± Eugene said, then red at Balzac. ¡°¡­Don¡¯t tell me you were chosen as the next Staff of Incarceration?¡± ¡°Do you think I cooperated in killing Edmund for that title?¡± asked Balzac. ¡°It¡¯s not out of the question,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Haha¡­. It seems difficult for me to prove my innocence from your suspicions¡­.¡± Balzac briefly fell into thought while rubbing his sses. ¡°If I can talk a bit about myself, I have no interest in the name of the Staff of Incarceration. dmir is definitely an attractive staff, and the authority I¡¯ll gain from possessing it will be great, but¡­ rather than the Staff of Incarceration, I am obsessed with being the Head of the ck Tower. No, rather, I am obsessed with the name of Balzac Ludbeth.¡± ¡°Are you saying you¡¯re not interested in status?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m saying that the fame I seek is different from bing the Staff of Incarceration. The Staff of Incarceration is a title that represents the most brilliant ck wizard of the time. In other words, the moment you be the Staff of Incarceration, you no longer have anameto pursue.¡± Balzac exined. Eugene could not immediately understand his words. Balzac continued while staring into Eugene¡¯s eyes. ¡°Think about Edmund. Even though he was a human, Edmund was dissatisfied with his existence as a human. He attempted to be a Demon King because he was convinced he had nothing more to pursue as a human and ck wizard. But that is not true for me. What I pursue isn¡¯t to be something not human, nor is it to stand at the pinnacle of ck wizards. So I do not want to be a Demon King, and I do not want to be the Staff of Incarceration either.¡± ¡°So what is it that you chase then?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Hmm.¡± Balzac grinned. ¡°Come to think of it, I promised to tell you after achieving our purpose. My goal is¡­. Haha, it¡¯s a little embarrassing to say it in person. It¡¯s to be a legend,¡± Balzac answered. ¡°A legend?¡± ¡°It¡¯s absurd, but to be a little more specific¡­. Right, it¡¯s to be a wizard like the Wise Sienna. I want to be a wizard whose name will be engraved in magical history for hundreds of years,¡± Balzac continued. It was an unexpected answer, and it wasn¡¯t only Eugene who was caught off guard by Balzac¡¯s answer. Both Lovellia and Melkith stared at Balzac with astonished expressions. ¡°Are you serious?¡± asked Melkith. ¡°You want to be a legend? The greatest wizard¡­ in the world? Balzac, how old are you to be saying such a thing?¡± ¡°It definitely is a childhood dream for every wizard¡­,¡± Lovellian muttered with an awkward expression. A subtle chuckle escaped Balzac¡¯s lips as he nodded, resonating with a low tone. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. In particr, any wizard who studied in Aroth would have dreamed of bing a wizard like Lady Sienna. It¡¯s the same for me.¡± ¡°Then why did you be a ck wizard when you took her as your wish?¡± asked Melkith. ¡°White Tower Master. Didn¡¯t you sign contracts with three Spirit Kings?¡± asked Balzac. ¡°That¡¯s because¡­ I¡¯m a master of Spirit Magic. My ambition wasn¡¯t to be the greatest wizard but the greatest master of Spirit Magic, though you could say I¡¯ve already achieved my wish.¡± Melkith snorted with a smug smile. ¡°Yes, and for that, I think very highly of you. Why did I sign a contract with the Demon King¡­? Hmm, since you aren¡¯t ck wizards, you may think otherwise, but I don¡¯t see much difference between signing a contract with the Demon King and a spirit King,¡± Balzac said. ¡°You¡¯re actually saying that in my face?¡± said Melkith. ¡°On the contrary, I think you can actively sympathize with my view. Isn¡¯t it too self-righteous to say that forming a contract with an existence that can grant me the power I would never achieve and the possibility of changing my future is unconditionally wrong?¡± asked Balzac. Balzac''s words echoed in Eugene''s memory, for he had indeed expressed a simr sentiment in the past. Balzac had conveyed his preference for a tangible existence, aligning himself with the Demon King rather than embracing the ephemeral and elusive nature of a deity. In Balzac''s perspective, the act of forging a contract, even if it meant pledging his soul as coteral, appeared more worthwhile than relying on miracles fueled by faith, belief, and other intangible forces. ¡ªck wizards are utilitarians who seek extreme efficiency. As you know, Sir Eugene, magic is a harsh, mischievous, and absurd study. No matter how hard you try and crave it, bing a wizard without talent is impossible. ¡ªFor such people, the idea of forming a contract with demons is bound to be very attractive. They can sell their souls in exchange for the magic they want¡­. They would be the only ones facing the burden of the contract. It doesn¡¯t hurt others. The only reason they end upmitting crimes is that they can¡¯t be satisfied with themselves. Edmund had proven him right, as well as Hector. They had craved a power greater than what they received from their contracts. So they harmed others, made sacrifices, andmitted sins. Such was the case with most ck wizards. ¡ªIf the benefits of betraying human principles were clear, they might pursue practical benefits bymitting. But it wasn¡¯t just ck wizards either. There were many wizards whomitted simr crimes for their own goals. ¡°Are you saying you signed a contract with the Demon King to be a great wizard?¡± Eugene asked while recalling his conversation with Balzac in the past. Balzac nodded with a smile. ¡°I hoped for more than what I could naturally gain.¡± It was the same answer as before. ¡°I am not Sienna the Wise. She was loved by magic. She was a wizard who could threaten the Demon Kings, and not a single such wizard was born after her. As you said, Sir Eugene¡­ I signed a contract with the Demon King to be a great wizard. My strength alone was insufficient, so I paved a path that was originally impossible for me by signing a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± After saying so, Balzac shook his head as if he were embarrassed. ¡°Well, in the end, I was caught up in my childish ambitions, so I tried my best toe up with an answer as I got older. But even so, I am pure and desperate for my wish. That is why I don¡¯t want to be the Staff of Incarceration or an existence other than a human. What I want to be, the great wizard, must be thoroughly human.¡± ¡°Do you have to be human?¡± ¡°Because I¡¯m human now. Also, I want to leave my name in the magic of humans. It will be meaningless if I be something else. Isn¡¯t that so? Don''t you agree? Suppose I were to transform into a long-lived elf, a dragon wielding magic effortlessly, or a demon or a Demon King wielding the power of ck magic through Dark Power. Would I truly leave asting mark upon history as a great wizard?" Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think that he was a strange man. Balzac Ludbeth was a human who was twisted and pure at the same time. Even so, there was no falsehood in the ideals he spoke of. Instead, Eugene could feel a strong passion and belief. ¡°His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, knows what I seek, so he will not take me as the Staff of Incarceration. It¡¯s likely that dmir will fall to Amelia Merwin,¡± Balzac said before stealing a nce at Eugene. ¡°And¡­. Well¡­ it¡¯s likely that the Death Knight you killed is still alive, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°What the fuck?¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°Even if the body waspletely destroyed, the soul would have returned to Amelia. Strictly speaking, that wasn¡¯t a proper Death Knight. The body was a moving corpse, and the soul was synthesized¡­. There may be a life vessel that resonated with the soul in Amelia¡¯s possession,¡± Balzac continued. ¡°That¡¯s fine.¡± Eugene felt a rush of anger, but he quickly calmed himself. ¡°¡­At least I got the body.¡± He felt sick and tired. He had destroyed Hamel¡¯s body. It was possible for the bastard to appear once again with a new body, but the body would no longer be Hamel¡¯s. Eugene could be satisfied with that for now. ¡®¡­Maybe next time, I won¡¯t have to dirty my hands.¡¯ The image of Sienna, consumed by wrath, rampaging in a fury, shed vividly through Eugene''s mind. He couldn''t fathom Sienna ever forgiving a parasite who had inhabited Hamel''s body, masquerading as Hamel himself and uttering nonsensical words. The mere thought sent an involuntary shiver down Eugene''s spine. Favorite Chapter 294: The Footprint of the God of the Land (8)

Chapter 294: The Footprint of the God of the Land (8)

Having bid farewell to Balzac, Eugene and hispanions embarked on a diligent journey of preparation for what woulde next. The subjugation of Raizakia, however, would unfold not within this world but in the ethereal void thaty between dimensions. Eugene had long observed the scant concentration of mana permeating this peculiar space. Wizards faced heightened limitations and constraints within its confinements, unlike those they encountered elsewhere. Compounding the challenge was Eugene''s adversary, a formidable dragon and a true master of arcane arts. Yet, this was no ordinary dragon; it was the ck Dragon Raizakia, known to be the most powerful of the dragons. Raizakia¡¯s very existence could be considered the bane of wizards. Moreover, the environment that entrapped him imposed additional burdens upon spellcasters, further constraining their abilities and limiting their powers. But that was not the end of their challenges. There existed a significant likelihood of disruptedmunication with the Spirit Kings within the interdimensional void. Likewise, the summoning abilities of Lovellian, who drew upon creatures from alternate dimensions, faced the risk of failure. In other words, Eugene could not hope to rely on receiving help from others. Lovellian and Melkith were deeply disappointed and saddened by the fact. Lovellian''s unwavering determination to rescue the Wise Sienna, who could be considered his great mentor, was an endeavor he deemed worthy of sacrificing his very life for. Simrly, Melkith harbored a deep desire to lend her aid in the quest to save Lady Sienna. After all, Sienna was an object of admiration and reverence among all wizards. However, there was a good chance they would die a dog¡¯s death. So faced with this daunting prospect, Eugene made a fateful decision. Rather than seeking the assistance of hispanions, he resolved to confront Raizakia alone. ¡°And do you stand a chance?¡± asked Melkith. After parting ways with Balzac, the group moved closer to the World Tree rather than heading to the Kochi Tribe¡¯s capital. Through the discerning abilities of Akasha and Raimira, they had detected a "door" in proximity to the World Tree ¡ª an entrance that connected to none other than Raizakia himself. ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t,¡± Eugene responded. It wasn¡¯t as if Raizakia would be in perfect condition either. The ck Dragon had been trapped in the space between dimensions for three hundred years. Dragons possessed the remarkable ability to endure without the need for sustenance, neither food nor drink. However, the sparse concentration of mana in the interdimensional gap would have been woefully insufficient to sustain Raizakia in any semnce offort. Thus, the formidable dragon had no alternative but to rely on his own reserves of mana to survive. There were many things to worry about. First, how much of the mana stored in his Dragon Heart had Raizakia consumed? Moreover, Eugene couldn¡¯t forget that Raizakia was no ordinary dragon. He was a special existence ¡ª the Demonic Dragon. Raizakia stood as an unprecedented figure among fallen dragons, a singr existence unlike any that came before. Unlike ck wizards who forged contracts with the Demon King, Raizakia had not chosen that path. Instead, he willingly embraced the corrupting influence of Helmuth''s Dark Power, allowing himself to be tainted by its malevolence. There were many uncertainties regarding Raizakia. However, Eugene was clearly aware of the disadvantages he possessed in the battle against the ck Dragon. First of all, he could not use Prominence in the uing battle. Prominence amplified Eugene¡¯s power by taking control of mana and the primal spirits in the surroundings, so it would be difficult to fully utilize the ability to the fullest in a ce devoid of primal spirits and sparse in mana. ¡°Hmm. I think I might be able to provide some assistance in regard to that matter,¡± Lovellian said. Eugene had received help from both Lovellian and Melkith in creating Prominence, so they were well aware of the disadvantages Eugene faced. ¡°White Tower Master and I can lend you our mana, which you can store in Akasha. If we can give you as much mana as possible, you will be able to make use of Prominence in the dimensional rift,¡± continued Lovellian. ¡°Will that be fine?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me. Even if I am unable to use magic for a while, I want to be of strength to you and Lady Sienna,¡± responded Lovellian. Mana would naturally regenerate over time, but it was still fatal for wizards to runpletely empty. ¡°¡­Why me as well?¡± asked Melkith. ¡°Even if you run out of mana, you can get help from the Spirit Kings anyways,¡± answered Lovellian. ¡°That¡¯s true, but¡­. Hmph. Now that you brought up the idea, it would be a little unseemly if I said no, right?¡± asked Melkith. ¡°Know that it¡¯s already unseemly for you to ask that question,¡± Lovellian countered. Naturally, Melkith felt no shame at all. Without anypelling reason to decline Lovellian''s proposition, Eugene weed his offer with open arms. Thus, Lovellian and Melkith spared no effort, tirelessly gathering every minuscule trace of mana they could find along their journey toward the World Tree and meticulously storing it within the vessel of Akasha. Although Akasha already had a huge reservoir of mana, it was unavable to Eugene to use freely. This was because the mana held within the Dragon Heart was allocated for the manifestation of Akasha''s diverse powers, as well as for the actualization of Eugene''s magic. ¡®It would be suicide for me to engage Raizakia in a battle of magic.¡¯ He would not use magic except Prominence. In the uing battle against Raizakia, Eugene would need to fight thoroughly as a warrior. He could not help but wonder if he could do it. He didn¡¯t want to think about it, but the questions kept appearing in his mind the closer he got to the World Tree. Was it possible for him with who he was now? He was definitely stronger than he was in his previous life. Indeed, such a conviction had long settled in. But was that enough? This, he could not answer. The Three Dukes of Helmuth ¡ª the de of Incarceration, the Queen of the Night Demons, and the Demon Dragon ¡ª all three had been opponents he could not defeat alone in his previous life. Instead, they had been opponents he could only kill with all five of the Hero party present. But he had no one to help him this time around. Molon was upied defending the North against the Nur, and Eugene didn¡¯t know if Vermouth was alive or dead or why he had asked Molon of such a thing. Eugene silently analyzed the situation and theck of help from his formerarades. Unfortunately, Kristina could not join him on this perilous expedition. The uncharted expanse between dimensions held inherent risks, and there was a distinct possibility that Anise, as a soul form, might vanish during their arduous journey. Both Kristina and Anise were acutely aware of these perils. Thus, every day, the two of them fervently offered their prayers for Eugene''s well-being. They would sit together, cradling Altair, the Holy Sword, upon theirps, channeling their heartfelt devotion into imbuing it with as many miraculous blessings as theirbined abilities could muster. ¡°Oh, Holy Light¡­.¡± The two of them called God over and over again. They prayed that Eugene would achieve his will, that he would seed in eliminating the corrupted ck Dragon, and that he would not die or suffer any irreparable wounds. They prayed that he would return to them with a bright smile. ¡°Haha,¡± Eugeneughed while looking at the bonfire. To have so many people worrying about him was¡­. No, apart from that, his gaze drifted towards his fingers lying on his knee. Despite his best efforts to remain calm, an involuntary quiver coursed through them, betraying the underlying tension that gripped his very being. Had he ever been this nervous after being reborn as Eugene? Apart from the instance when he was suddenly confronted by the Demon King of Incarceration, had he ever felt this anxious and¡­ afraid before a fight with an enemy? ¡®If I had more time to prepare¡­.¡¯ His White me Form was still at the Sixth Star. He still had room to improve. Alternatively, he contemted embarking on a quest to search the realms of Helmuth for additional fragments of the Moonlight Sword. He also entertained the possibility that the Lionheart family, with their vast resources and influence, could potentially uncover more fragments imbued with the sword''s power. But whatever the case, he needed more time¡­. But did he have time to spare? He didn¡¯t know. Could he even search for the fragments of the Moonlight Sword with money and influence? No, it would be impossible. Older demons knew about the Moonlight Sword. In particr, Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabe knew how troublesome the Moonlight Sword was. Noir knew that Eugene was in possession of the Moonlight Sword. On the other hand, Gavid remained oblivious to this crucial detail. The ramifications of Gavid discovering that fragments of the Moonlight Sword were being sought and that the sword itself resided within another''s grasp were uncertain and unpredictable. It was a delicate matter, and the reaction Gavid would exhibit upon learning this truth remained an enigma. In addition, what about the Demon King of Incarceration? How long would the mysterious Demon King wait for Eugene? How long would he be willing to wait for Eugene at Babel, as he had proimed? ¡®Raizakia is a problem as well. He¡¯s notpletely incapacitated. He¡¯s bidding for his time while protecting himself in the gap between dimensions, waiting for a chance to escape¡­.¡¯ Eugene turned to the side. He could see Raimira curled up under the covers. Her nightmares were worsening as they got closer to the World Tree. Despite her efforts to conceal it, a noticeable change came over Raimira. Gradually, she ceased partaking in meals and suppressing the sounds of her distressing nightmares that haunted her every night. Kristina, ever caring, did her utmost to assist Raimira in finding sce, using her divine magic to bring respite to her troubled sleep and holding her in aforting embrace. However, in those moments when Kristina was immersed in her prayers, there was no one to provide a soothing embrace. ¡®Raizakia¡¯s evil influence is bing stronger, and it¡¯s affecting her.¡¯ It made Eugene nervous to know that Raizakia was capable of such interference. What if Raizakia escaped while Eugene was building up hisconfidenceto kill the ck Dragon? Sienna had been able to survive for centuries because of the World Tree¡¯s miracle and the absence of Raizakia, the source of her curse, from this world. Could the World Tree¡¯s miracle continue to protect Sienna even when Raizakia escaped from his prison and returned to this world? ¡®There¡¯s no way that lizard will leave Sienna untouched.¡¯ Raizakia was an arrogant creature, and he would not leave Sienna untouched after she had banished him for hundreds of years. Eugene stared at the bonfire for a moment before rising. Whenever he wanted to clear his mind from the guing thoughts, moving his body was better than sleeping it off. ¡°Are you going somewhere?¡± Cyan inquired, his gaze lifting to meet Eugene''s face. His voice trailed off as he beheld Eugene''s countenance, frozen in an uncharacteristic rigidity, while his damp hair clung to his forehead, moistened by perspiration. Cyan couldn''t help but feel a surge of concern; his breath momentarily caught in his throat at the sight before him. Eugene was always rxed in Cyan¡¯s memories. It was the first time he had seen Eugene so nervous and agitated. ¡°Are you¡­ okay?¡± Cyan asked. ¡°I just couldn¡¯t sleep,¡± Eugene replied, offering a smile to Cyan, though his eyes betrayed a weariness that lingered. He pointed at the back of the campsite. ¡°I¡¯m just going to swing my sword for a bit, so don¡¯t worry about it, and go to sleep. It¡¯s useless to worry about me.¡± But how could such simple words quench Cyan¡¯s worry? He stood up to follow Eugene, but Eugene firmly shook his head. ¡°I want to concentrate by myself.¡± Eventually, Cyan settled himself back into his seat, his hand tightly clenched into a fist as he watched his brother''s retreating figure. He did not sumb to a sense of helplessness or any simr sentiment. Instead, his heart brimmed solely with a deep concern for Eugene. While Cyan could notpletely empathize with the burdens weighing upon Eugene, his worry for his brother remained. For Cyan, dragons were only creatures of legend. Moreover, Raizakia was not just a simple dragon but a real legend from the time of his forefather, Vermouth. It was an unimaginable feat for Cyan to fight and kill such an existence. ¡®But if it¡¯s you¡­.¡¯ Did he really think so? Cyan could no longer see Eugene¡¯s figure. He wanted to think that Eugene would be fine, as always. Even if Eugene was faced with an unimaginable challenge, Cyan wanted to believe in Eugene. No, rather, hehadto believe in Eugene. Eugene did not wander too far from the campsite. He didn¡¯t think taking a long walk would help calm his heart. As such, after walking a good distance, Eugene drew his sword. It was a simple, ordinary sword. It wasn¡¯t the sword he would wield against Raizakia in the uing battle. He would likely rely on the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword in the battle. Ultimately, it fell upon Eugene to grasp the sword firmly in his hand. In contrast to his previous existence, where his arsenal had been meager, he now possessed a multitude of exceptional weapons at his disposal. However, an undercurrent of concern tugged at his thoughts, cautioning him againstcency. ¡°I¡¯m having all sorts of thoughts,¡± Eugene snorted before beginning to swing his sword. Naturally, he berated himself for entertaining such a foolish notion. It was true that the weapons he now wielded surpassed anything he had possessed in his previous life, surpassing them in every aspect. However, contrary to his baseless worry, his own skills had not dulled but instead grown sharper and more refined. The journey of honing his abilities had been a relentless pursuit of perfection, aligning his mastery with the exquisite weapons bestowed upon him. He tried his best to gain confidence. It was so that he could win in every situation. It was because his enemies were too strong. That¡¯s why he desperately honed himself. He continued to train, learn magic, and create new skills. He tried his best. He never wasted even a second after his reincarnation, and each moment had been a crucial part of allowing him to be who he was now. ¡®I can kill him.¡¯ Eugene concentrated, his entire being attuned to the sensations coursing through his body. Devoid of mana, he embraced the sword in his grip, intimately feeling its weight and texture as though it were an extension of his arm. This heightened awareness granted him the ability to engage in battle without sumbing to the sway of any circumstance. ¡®I can save her.¡¯ Thoughts of Sienna, the hapless and naive girl, upied Eugene''s mind. Her delicate form bore a profound wound, a sizable cavity in her chest, her very existence sustained solely by the miraculous powers of the World Tree. Each passing moment intensified the trepidation surrounding her fragile state, leaving uncertainty hanging over her future, her life poised on a precipice, with the looming threat of imminent demise. He wanted to save Sienna. In the end, this was why he was pushing ahead with Raizakia¡¯s subjugation. He wanted to see her, to save her as quickly as possible. He would not be able to ept it if something happened, and he could no longer save her if she died. He had raged and rampaged at the Fount of Light for Anise. It was for Kristina, who was created just like Anise, a being made into a ything of fate. Eugene saved the two of them. He destroyed the Fount of Light and saved Anise¡¯s soul. He destroyed the chains of fate that imprisoned Kristina and gave her liberty. Eugene had picked a fight with Molon at Lehainjar because he could not leave Molon alone, who was going crazy after hundreds of exhausting battles. Eugene had failed toe up with an ordinary solution to Molon¡¯s situation. Regardless of what Eugene did, Molon had to continue to fight against the Nur at Lehainjar, as he had done so far. But even if he failed toe up with an answer, he did not leave Molon alone. Eugene had attempted to bring Molon back to his senses by beating him up, although it ended up with his own beating. It was the same now. He was pushing ahead because he wanted to save Sienna and could not leave her alone. It was because he had shared conversations with Sienna and also because he knew her situation. The stupid girl had cried her eyes out in front of him. He had made a promise to save her while acting bravely like an idiot. ¡°Let¡¯s not act unseemly,¡± Eugene whispered under his breath after suddenly stopping his sword mid-swing. ¡°It would be ridiculous if I saved her toote after saying such things.¡± His words were directed at himself, knowing full well that he was nervous and anxious. ¡°This is nothing new. I¡¯ve always picked a fight with bastards that were impossible to beat.¡± Such situations had beenmonce in Eugene''s previous life, so why did unease grip him now? He chuckled softly, self-deprecatingly, as he brushed away the beads of sweat forming on his forehead. The act of swinging his sword had brought him a peculiar sense of sce, a peculiarfort that he weed wholeheartedly. While cold perspiration had caused him to tremble in the presence of the crackling bonfire, the heat that now coursed through his veins matched the intensity of his racing heart. Suddenly, Mer''s voice broke the silence as she poked her head from beneath Eugene''s cloak. She had deliberated on finding words offort to assuage his fears and anxieties but ultimately chose to remain silent, allowing him the space to find his own footing. As she expected, Eugene ended up regainingposure on his own. Mer believed that this was the time to speak out to help Eugene cheer up. ¡°You will kill Raizakia and save Lady Sienna, Sir Eugene. Afterward, you¡¯ll return healthy, and we¡¯ll go y while holding hands. You, me, and Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°Where would we go?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°We¡¯ll be able to go anywhere. The most important thing is this ¡ª you will hold my right hand, and Lady Sienna will hold my left hand.¡± After saying so, Mer closed her lips for a moment. Then she tilted her head with serious contemtion. ¡°¡­Or you can just hold hands with Lady Sienna, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°Why would I hold her hand?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Are you not going to? You can always hold my hand every day, and even now, but Lady Sienna¡¯s hand won¡¯t be as easy to hold as mine,¡± retorted Mer. ¡°Not easy to hold? That¡¯s¡­.¡± ¡°Are you saying that you can hold Lady Sienna¡¯s hand whenever you want to, Sir Eugene?¡± shouted Mer, not missing a single word Eugene whispered. She jumped up and down with a bright smile. ¡°Well, of course! After all, you and Lady Sienna didthattogether.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°You know, you didthat.You were the one who said it, Sir Eugene.¡± Mer said. ¡°When did I ever say that!?¡± Eugene roared. ¡°You must have forgotten, but I can read your surface thoughts. I already know that whenever you think of Lady Sienna, you always think about your memory of doingthatwith her,¡± continued Mer teasingly. Eugene¡¯s face glowed bright red. Mer''s mischievous nature tempted her to further tease Eugene, but her past encounters had taught her the consequences of pushing her luck too far ¡ª a noogie was a fate she wished to avoid. Hastily, she retreated back into the sanctuary of his cloak, well aware of the seething frustration that simmered within him. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± Eugene quenched his anger. He heard a cough from behind a tree. Someone¡¯s head poked out from behind it. ¡°This Lady was going to help you because you looked scared, but did you get better?¡± It was Raimira. Emerging from behind the tree, Raimira presented herself with an air of resilience, despite the telltale signs of reddened eyes. She stood tall, her chest held high. ¡°Why did youe here without sleeping? What about Kristina?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Mother¡­. Ehem, the¡­ holy woman is deep in prayer. Though this Lady would prefer she hugs me instead,¡± Raimira muttered. ¡°You never fail to utter unnecessary words that earn you a smack,¡± Eugene retorted, a hint of exasperation tinging his voice. ¡°Hiek.¡± Raimira quickly recoiled. ¡°Hmm¡­. This Lady is d you are feeling better, but if you are really scared, is there a reason to go fight the ck Dragon¡­?¡± ¡°Are you going to keep spouting nonsense?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Hmm¡­. This Lady is only saying this because I am worried about you. And¡­ well, thisdy might not be quite ready to meet the ck Dragon.¡± Raimira stole nces at Eugene while hesitating. She wasn¡¯t lying when she said that she had been worried about Eugene. Although the scoundrel had a trashy personality, he had been quite good to Raimira during their journey. He had allowed her inside his cloak so she wouldn¡¯t get hurt, and he sometimes held her hand inside the cloak when she was trembling too much¡­. ¡°This Lady does not want the ck Dragon to kill you.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know who¡¯s worrying about who. I¡¯m going to kill your father,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Hmm¡­. Ehem. This Lady believes that the ck Dragon will not die at your hands. Evil human, I know you are strong enough to be the strongest among humans, but there is no way you are powerful enough to reach the ck Dragon, the strongest of dragons,¡± retorted Raimira. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s good for you. If I die, your father will take excellent care of you,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Well, as I just said¡­. This Lady is not quite ready for the reunion¡­.¡± Raimira''s shoulders slumped once more, weighed down by the burden of her fear. The looming presence of the ck Dragon had intensified her nightmares, tormenting her with increasing intensity as their journey brought them closer to the ck Dragon. Restlessness gued her heart and mind, exacerbating the unease that gripped her being. Raimira questioned her fear. Why was she so afraid of getting closer to her father, the ck Dragon? ¡°So¡­. Thisdy thinks it might be better for us to return now. Well, I am worried about you and¡ª¡± ¡°Stop with the nonsense and go to sleep,¡± Eugene cut in. ¡°Eek¡­ This Lady is being considerate of you¡­!¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s because you¡¯re scared.¡± ¡°W-why would this Lady be scared? There is no reason for me to be afraid of the ck Dragon. I-if I had to pick something I am scared of¡­. T-this Lady is scared that the ck Dragon might swallow you whole.¡± A haunting nightmare resurfaced within Raimira''s consciousness, vividly recalling the sensation of being swallowed whole. The harrowing memory sent shivers down her spine, causing her to instinctively curl into a tighter, protective ball, seeking sce from the tremors that coursed through her body. ¡°Hmm¡­ I-if the ck Dragon tries to swallow you whole, this Lady will muster up my courage and¡­ well¡­ request the ck Dragon not to swallow you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying something weird again.¡± ¡°Keep listening¡­! So, well, I will plead directly with the ck Dragon so that he will spare you, the human who is trying to kill him. And if possible, I will let you keep your life as this Lady¡¯s servant.¡± Normally, he would have weed her nonsense with a knock on the red jewel on her forehead. However, Eugene allowed her to continue and listened silently when he saw how her voice quivered and her eyes reddened. ¡°And¡­ if t-this Lady is swallowed by something¡­.¡± ¡°Then I will take you out of this ¡°something¡¯s¡± jaws,¡± Eugene said with a snort. ¡°Although I don¡¯t know what the hell thissomethingmight be.¡± ¡°T-this Lady does not know either.¡± ¡°And what if you get chewed up and die?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Don¡¯t say something so horrible!¡± Raimira cried. ¡°In any case, this is a promise between you and me. Understand?¡± asked Raimira. ¡°Fine, fine,¡± Eugene grunted. Eugene''s response, though brief, held a soothing power that gradually calmed the tremors within Raimira. With a relieved sigh, she lifted her head, meeting Mer¡¯s gaze, who beckoned to her from the shelter of Eugene''s cloak. ¡°Hmph. This Lady has no other choice if you call me like that.¡± Raimira hopped towards Eugene, then squeezed into his cloak. ¡°Agh!¡± As soon as she entered, Raimira screamed. ¡°You arrogant little brat. Who are you to tell Sir Eugene not to go?¡± ¡°Agh! It hurts! It hurts!¡± Mer¡¯s retribution caused the cloak to wobble. Chapter 295: Raizakia (1) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 295: Raizakia (1) [Bonus Image]

There was no need to head all the way into the territory of the elves, where the World Tree was located. It was because they could open the ¡°door¡± from the vicinity of the World Tree. "Considering the distance we''ve traveled, shouldn''t we pay our respects and visit the World Tree and Lady Sienna?" Melkith voiced her disappointment at not being able to witness the majestic World Tree and explore the elves'' realm firsthand. However, Eugene''s response was resolute as he firmly shook his head. ¡°She¡¯s in no condition to meet anyone. Lady Sienna would not want to either,¡± Eugene said. In addition, it would be difficult for him to exin the hole in her chest. His greatest concern, deep down,y in the possibility of his tears streaming uncontrobly upon seeing Sienna. Despite possessing a physically appealing and robust reincarnated body, he was burdened by an unusualdisorder. At times, tears would well up in his eyes without any volition on his part. [That¡¯s not a disorder. I think you¡¯re just a sentimental person, Sir Eugene. You have a lot of tears,] Mer piped in with her opinion. ¡®Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous. I have a lot of tears? I could probably count the number of times I cried in my previous life with my hands.¡¯ [Are you sure you could count it with your hands? At the minimum, wouldn¡¯t you need all your fingers and toes to count how many times you cried?] ¡®What would you know?¡¯ [How strange. I¡¯m pretty sure I¡¯ve said thisst time as well. I know a great deal about you, Sir Eugene. I know you act fierce and obnoxious on the surface, but you are surprisingly gentle and kind on the inside, Sir Eugene.] ¡°Shut up,¡± Eugene verbalized his thoughts identally. Melkith had been on the verge of proposing another visit to the World Tree, but her words were abruptly stifled, and her mouth hung open in astonishment as she fixated her gaze upon Eugene. ¡°Hey, Eugene¡­ I¡¯m still your senior and quite a bit older than you, so isn¡¯t it a bit too much to tell me to shut up?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t speaking to you, Lady Melkith,¡± Eugene responded, but Melkith did not seem convinced. She leaned closer to Eugene with an expression of being wronged. ¡°Is that really so? Little bro, have you never told this older sis to shut up? At least, you must have imagined it, though, right?¡± ¡°I entertained the thought many times, and right now, my imagination is about to be a reality,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°I knew it! And since my little bro¡¯s basically told me to shut up, I can be depressed, right? And I think it might be best to go and see the World Tree to help relieve this older sis of her depression,¡± Melkith muttered. ¡°Stop talking nonsense. If you keep doing that, I won¡¯t take you along next time,¡± said Eugene, giving her a side nce, causing Melkith¡¯s jaw to drop in shock. Melkith grabbed Eugene by the shoulders and jumped up and down with excitement. ¡°Little bro! You¡¯re saying you will definitely take me to the World Tree next time, right?!¡± ¡°Ah, yes¡­. Well, that¡¯s¡­. I guess you did help me this time around, and¡ª¡± ¡°Right! Right!? That¡¯s a given. You can¡¯t possibly think of enjoying free help from Melkith El-Hayah, the darling of the world and a spirit magic genius with contracts with three Spirit Kings. Pleasure without responsibility doesn¡¯t make sense, right?¡± Melkith eximed. ¡°But if you think about it, didn¡¯t you get to sign a contract with Ifrit because of me? I gave you the Fire Spirit Stone, and you would have never gotten the chance toe here if it weren¡¯t for me,¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°That¡¯s! True, but¡­ I still helped you out, and¡­. Hngh¡­. I used a lot of mana so you could do well¡­,¡± whined Melkith. ¡°Fine, fine. I understand. I¡¯ll take you next time, so stop acting so silly,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°When did I ever act silly?¡± Melkith took a step back, a mischievous grin adorning her face. Eugene acknowledged that she wasn''t a bad person, yet¡­. He couldn''t help but express his disapproval with an exasperated click of his tongue as he fixated his gaze upon her. In truth, Eugene had contemted presenting Melkith with a leaf from the World Tree once their mission concluded. He deemed it rather troublesome to return all the way to Samar solely for the purpose of allowing her to witness the magnificence of the revered World Tree. ¡®She¡¯ll be able to enter the territory of the elves with that.¡¯ Even now, the leaves of the World Tree quivered within the confines of his pockets, indicating their proximity to the elven territory. But the leaves weren¡¯t the only things trembling. Nestled within Eugene''s cloak, tightly ensconced within Mer''s protective embrace, Raimira quivered incessantly. "Sir Eugene." Lovellian approached Eugene with a weary sigh, signaling thepletion of thest-minute preparations. With utmost care, he presented Akasha, cradling it with both hands, before speaking further, "I¡¯ve done everything I can.¡± In the preceding days, both Lovellian and Melkith had expended their mana, channeling it into Akasha. However, their contributions extended beyond a mere infusion of mana ¡ª they had meticulously purified it, ensuring its readiness for immediate utilization by Eugene. Eugene humbly lowered his head as he epted Akasha. The moment Akasha nestled within his grasp, Eugene could discern its presence keenly. A tremendous reservoir of mana resided within the artifact, emanating an overwhelming magnitude and potency that lent it a palpable weight in his hands. Such a phenomenon was only to be expected, given the circumstances. Two eminent figures, the Heads of Aroth''s Magic Towers and aplished Archwizards boasting mastery over Eight Circles of Magic, had channeled their mana into Akasha until their reserves were nearly depleted. Their collective efforts had infused the artifact with an abundance of raw power. ¡°Thank you,¡± Eugene said as he raised his head. Kristina approached him. Her face was a little thin, evidence of hardly sleeping over thest few days. ¡°Are you okay?¡± Eugene asked. She tottered helplessly, and Eugene supported her with a worried expression. ¡®How could that be the Saint? She¡¯s more like a sly fox in disguise¡­,¡¯Melkith couldn¡¯t help but think as she stole nces at Kristina. She was kept from speaking out because of the heavy, deadly il hanging from Kristina¡¯s waist and thigh. ¡°Yes, I¡¯m okay,¡± answered Kristina. In fact, she wasn¡¯t acting. It was true that she had gotten barely any sleep over thest few days, and she was weak and dizzy from using so much divine power in the battle. Kristina barely managed a smile as she handed Eugene the Holy Sword. "I''ve stored as much power as possible," she conveyed. Remarkably, the Holy Sword emitted a gentle radiance, effortlessly illuminating their surroundings without Eugene needing to exert any effort. As Eugene took hold of the Holy Sword, Kristina cautiously positioned her hands behind her neck, deftly unfastening the knot of the rosary that adorned her. ¡°And¡­ this contains our wishes and prayers. I dare ask, may I ce it on Sir Eugene¡¯s neck?¡± "Yes," Eugene acknowledged with a nod, slightly lowering his posture to facilitate Kristina''s reach. ncing down at Eugene''s head, Kristina experienced a fleeting, inexplicable urge. It was a ndestine impulse to run her fingers through his lustrous gray hair, a longing to gently caress his head¡­. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± Eugene asked. "Hmm," Kristina believed she had managed to suppress her impulses, yet reality challenged her self-control. With audacity, Anise seized the initiative, guiding Kristina''s hand and tenderly stroking the crown of Eugene''s head. ¡°May the care of the Light be with you¡­.¡± Kristina dealt with the unexpected situation without a change in her expression. ¡®Ah, she must be offering a prayer on my behalf,¡¯Eugene surmised. He reverently shut his eyes without uttering a single inquiry, allowing himself to receive Kristina''s prayer in profound silence. In that instant, an air of solemnity and sanctity enveloped them, permeating the atmosphere with an ethereal presence. With a serious expression, Kristina leaned forward to hang the rosary around Eugene¡¯s neck. [Kristina. I have to be the one to do this,] Anise suddenly interjected. ¡®What? Why is that the case?¡¯asked Kristina. [Because this rosary was a birthday gift from Hamel, and he hung it around my neck. So it¡¯s only natural that I should use my own hands to hang it around Hamel¡¯s neck.] ¡®I cannot ept that, Sister. If Sir Eugene hung the rosary around your neck, that means you¡¯ve already experienced the pleasure, right? So you must concede this to me.¡¯ [Hamel is going to rescue Sienna, an old colleague and friend of mine. It¡¯s a blessing to be given on his way to save her, so I cannot give this up.] In that brief instant when Kristina stooped down, the collision of disparate viewpoints urred between the two of them. [Then let¡¯s do this. Kristina, I will put the rosary around Hamel¡¯s neck now, so when he returns it, you can receive it from him. You can enjoy that moment.] ¡®My goodness¡­! Sister, are you a genius?¡¯ The two came to a quickpromise, and Kristina calmly retreated, imagining the moment when she would receive the ne from Eugene. [Don¡¯t be surprised by every little thing, Kristina. I¡¯ll show you now what it really means to be a genius.] Seizingplete dominion over the physical vessel, Anise concealed a malicious smirk as she leisurely stretched her waist. With calcted intent, she subtly lowered her knee and brazenly leaned forward, causing her ample bosom to press against Eugene''s head. ¡®Detail is the key.¡¯ [My God!] Kristina screamed. [H-how shameless! How, how could you think of such a thing?] ¡®Remember, Kristina. Sienna can¡¯t do anything like this, but we can. This will be our powerful weapon.¡¯ Anise hung the rosary around Eugene¡¯s neck, feeling proud of her sly, ingenious idea. Eugene didn¡¯t want to imagine the identity of the soft, fluffy, and heavy objects weighing down on his head, and he deliberately allowed his awareness to fade by half. Mer''s piercing cries echoed within his mind, yet he found a peculiar sense of gratitude towards them at that moment. ¡°It is done.¡± The weight slowly lifted, and Eugene looked up in surprise. He saw a familiar smile. Anise looked down at Eugene and moved her lips,¡®Hamel. Please take care of Sienna.¡¯ Constrained by the presence of others, she refrained from speaking aloud and instead silently mouthed the words. Nheless, Eugeneprehended the unspoken message and responded with a nod of understanding. ¡°Of course.¡± Eugene had received Akasha, the Holy Sword, and the rosary. He rose and took a deep breath. ¡°Here I go,¡± he said. ¡°Uh¡­. Right.¡± In the eyes of those who weren¡¯t privy to the details, Kristina¡¯s behavior had been extremely sudden and unconventional, especially considering that she was the Saint. Even Melkith, who boasted unparalleled expertise in such matters, couldn''t conceal her astonishment as her mouth fell open in surprise. Cyan was particrly surprised as well. What had he just seen? After a moment, he closed his mouth, cleared his throat, then approached Eugene. ¡°¡­Be careful,¡± he warned. Unlike the others, Cyan could not assist Eugene by storing his powers in a vessel. Instead, he took out Gedon''s Shield and handed it to Eugene. The shield was what Eugene had needed the most. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll be careful. Don¡¯t get into trouble while you wait here. You know, protect your elders,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Even if they¡¯re exhausted, I don¡¯t think there will be any need for me to protect the Tower Masters,¡± answered Cyan. ¡°You should still have your de at the ready. What else would you be doing among tired people?¡± Eugene said, mounting Gedon¡¯s Shield on his left arm. Afterward, he ced his hand into his cloak and tapped on the back of Raimira¡¯s hand. ¡°Hieek¡­.¡± Raimira squealed while instinctively grabbing Eugene¡¯s hand. She was trembling incessantly with fear. Eugene gave a deep sigh and dragged Raimira out of the cloak. ¡°N-no¡­. I don¡¯t want to go. T-this Lady is not fully prepared yet¡­. O-oh, w-why don¡¯t we go tomorrow instead of today¡­?¡± she begged. ¡°Tomorrow? After we came all the way here? The mood is already set on us leaving, so stay calm,¡± said Eugene. "No¡­. This Lady is not¡­.Sniff, sniff. W-what''s the matter with the ambiance? If this Lady were to grace you lowly peasants with a dance, can we postpone it until tomorrow?" Raimira whimpered, her voice tinged with reluctance. She contorted her shoulders and even swayed her hips, attempting to demonstrate her resistance. However, her awkward movements fell far short of being ssified as a dance. Eugene stared at Raimira with a horrified expression, then shook his head. ¡°Stop¡­. And you just need toe out for a moment. After we enter, you can hide inside the cloak.¡± ¡°But¡­. But¡­ as his daughter, how could I not give my greetings to the ck Dragon¡­?¡± whimpered Raimira. ¡°What kind of a daughter makes a fuss like this because she¡¯s scared of her dad? Don¡¯t worry. Everything¡¯s going to be fine. I made a promise, remember?¡± said Eugene. ¡°Really¡­. Are you sure it¡¯s going to be okay?¡± Raimira looked up at Eugene with tears in her eyes. Eugene stared at the red jewel on her forehead before nodding. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eugene''s words appeared to resonate with Raimira as she inhaled deeply and retreated a few steps. Eugene slowly extended Akasha towards the hatchling. It was the Draconic spell that he had performed several times. Raimira closed her eyes while taking a breath, and Akasha emitted a red light. Wooooo¡­. Akasha''s Draconic spell intertwined with Raimira, forging a profound connection. Utilizing the hatchling as a catalyst, the spell harnessed its energy to unveil the gateway to the interdimensional realm where Raizakia awaited. As the space surrounding them warped and twisted, Eugene cautiously advanced towards Raimira, firmly grasping her shoulders. In an instant, they were enveloped by the engulfing grip of the distorted realm, disappearing from sight. Her head pulsed with a disorienting ache, and a wave of dizziness washed over her. She struggled to discern whether she stood firmly on her own two feet or if she was sprawled on the ground, her senses tangled in a haze of confusion. The sensation resembled her distant recollection of that initial encounter with alcohol ages ago. In a manner akin to severe intoxication, she found herself unable to regain her faculties. The current state of her being eluded her, slipping through her grasp like an elusive mirage. ¡°Hieeeeeek.¡± She shook his head, attempting to shake off the disorientation. Raimiray sprawled on the ground. Her legs had faltered beneath her, and she clung tightly to Eugene''s hand. Eugene slowly caught his breath and raised Raimira off the ground. ¡°Come inside,¡± he said. Sniff¡­. An overwhelming sense of madness seized Raimira as if her sanity teetered on the edge. The red jewel embedded in her forehead throbbed relentlessly as if struck repeatedly by an invisible hammer. Suppressing the rising nausea, Raimira swiftly covered her mouth with her hand, determined to quell the unsettling sensation. Seeking sce, she sought refuge within the confines of the space concealed within Eugene''s cloak. Only then did Eugene look around. Darkness¡­ was drifting around him. Within this ethereal darkness, myriad shades and densities intermingled, resembling an amalgamation of countless night skies woven together. Simply looking at it threatened to confuse his mind. He had seeded in entering through the door. Eugene gulped before moving on. Within a few steps, the darkness drifting around him was lifted. Eugene found himself immersed in an epassing darkness, devoid of solid ground beneath his feet. However, a subtle incline loomed just a short distance ahead, sloping downwards. With vignce, Eugene directed his gaze downward, refusing to let his guard waver. He saw a big, truly enormous ck dragon. It was Raizakia. Just like when Eugene had first seen him, the ck Dragon was curled up inside hisrge tail; the ck, sharp-scaled tail covered his face. ¡®¡­Is he sleeping?¡¯ He hoped so. Eugene slowly raised the Moonlight Sword towards Raizakia. At that moment, Raizakia¡¯s head suddenly tilted upwards.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 296: Raizakia (2)

Chapter 296: Raizakia (2)

The whole process seemed very slow to Eugene. The tail, adorned with a formidable array of sharp and rugged scales, made the initial descent. Subsequently, the dragon''s head emerged, gradually rising upward. With a marked sluggishness, the dragon reclined, fixing its gaze skyward in a deliberate and measured manner. His eyes remained closed, veiled in darkness. Slowly, very slowly, his eyelids began to part. Like a delicate curtain unfurling, the white veil lifted, revealing the eyes beneath that had been inverted but now found their proper alignment. The pupils were vertically slitted, reminiscent of the serpentine gaze of a colossal snake. Those intense, menacing eyes fixated upon Eugene, radiating an aura of primal danger. Yet, it was not a mere meeting of gazes; instead, it felt as if the dragon''s vast, all-epassing eyes were ensnaring Eugene, capturing his very essence within their powerful gaze. It was Dragon Fear. Mer lost consciousness inside the cloak, and simrly overwhelmed by a profound sense of fear, Raimira''s voice erupted in a piercing scream. Eugene yearned to sumb to the same urges ¡ª to lose consciousness or release a primal scream ¡ª yet he quelled those impulses. He couldn''t afford to yield. How could he allow himself to be a thering fool after merely glimpsing the ck Dragon? Gritting his teeth, Eugene summoned every ounce of his willpower and activated the White me Form. Its purpose was to withstand the relentless, intangible pressure that threatened to pulverize his very bones and organs. Eugene had once experienced Dragon Fear from Ariartel, the Red Dragon. However, it could notpare to what he was feeling now. It was a matter of course. Although Ariartel had been quite maturepared to the child, Raimira, the Red Dragon had been three centuries old at most. But what about Raizakia, the ck Dragon? Raizakia was an Ancient Dragon who had lived for more than a millennium. Even prior to his fall, he had been revered as one of the mightiest beings among the dragonkind. Consuming the heart of the Dragon Lord after betraying his own kind had solidified his fearsome reputation. Moreover, as thest surviving Ancient Dragon following the demise of his brethren, Raizakia stood as the oldest, most powerful, and most malevolent dragon to ever exist. Throughout his past life, Eugene had encountered Raizakia on multiple asions, and each encounter brought him perilously close to the brink of death. He had be intimately acquainted with Raizakia''s devastating Dragon Fear, having faced it time and again. However, strangely enough, Eugene did not feel a sense of familiarity with the current situation. Raizakia''s Dragon Fear seemed more intensepared to his previous encounters, surpassing anything he had experienced before. Dragon Fear was a malevolent aura of death and destruction emitted by dragons. In the case of Raizakia, his Dragon Fear had matched the intensity of his twisted personality three centuries ago. However, it became apparent that his madness had expanded exponentially during his entrapment within the interdimensional void. Raizakia''s Dragon Fear froze Eugene in ce, his body stiffening like ice. Despite invoking the power of the White me Form to resist, his trembling could not be suppressed. ¡­Fwoosh! The rosary adorning his neck emanated a radiant,forting glow, enveloping Eugene in its warm embrace. The divine power infused within it, a testament to Kristina and Anise''s contribution, manifested as a miraculous presence. Though he understood it to be an illusion, it felt as if both Kristina and Anise stood steadfastly behind him at that moment. Their ethereal forms seemed to wrap around him, their arms and wings serving as a protective shield, ensuring Eugene''s resolve remained unyielding and preventing his copse. His tremors stopped, and the cold, frozen spirit melted in the warm light. After taking a few deep breaths, Eugene took a step forward. Then he stared directly into Raizakia¡¯s eyes. ¡°Vermouth?¡± A voice resounded in the darkness, although Raizakia didn¡¯t speak directly. ¡°No. You look like Vermouth, but you are not him. Are you his descendant?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Hamel,¡± responded Eugene without hiding himself. As if taken back by the answer, Raizakia remained silent for a moment as he stared at Eugene. ¡°¡­Kuhaha! Reincarnation, is it? Someonemitted a taboo that even dragons avoid. Who was it? Was it that girl, Sienna Merdein? Or was it Vermouth himself?¡± asked Raizakia. ¡°Shut your mouth,¡± said Eugene. ¡°If you really are Hamel, then it exins why you¡¯vee here and¡­ why you are angry at my words. It must be because I turned Sienna Merdein, that cheeky girl, into a walking corpse,¡± jeered Raizakia. Rumbleee! The darkness roared. Raizakia slowly unfurled his body from a ball, then spread his wings. ¡°I remember everything. I never forget anything. Sienna Merdein, the wench who drove me into this miserable ce. Among the pathetic, arrogant humans, I want to chew and swallow that girl foremost.¡± The Dragon Fear emanating from Raizakia intensified, apanied by a surge of killing intent. His eyes brimmed with malevolent darkness, seething with a potent mix of malice and madness. Eugene counted himself lucky when he saw those eyes. Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, and Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration ¡ª neither of them was inferior to Raizakia when it came to their power. Eugene had survived several encounters with the two. Noir had never shown any hostility towards Eugene, and Gavid could not kill Eugene because of his loyalty to the Demon King of Incarceration. However, Raizakia wasn¡¯t bound by such things. There was no reason for the insane dragon to refrain from killing Eugene, no reason for him to suppress his killing intent. ¡®There¡¯s noparison,¡¯thought Eugene. Jagon, the Beast of Ravesta, was one of the strongest among the younger demons. The atmosphere he exuded had been sufficient to make Eugene nervous, but it was nothingpared to Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Fear. ¡°Where did you hide my daughter?¡± Raizakia growled, causing Eugene¡¯s hair to flutter in the wind. Eugene looked upwards without stepping back. Raizakia was looking down at Eugene with his ragged wings unfurled. ¡°I know you¡¯ve taken my daughter as the key to getting here. That cloak¡­ is a space-magic artifact. You must have hidden my daughter in there.¡± Raimira stifled a gasp, her hand instinctively covering her mouth within the confines of the cloak. The words of the ck Dragon echoed in her ears, referring to her as his daughter. It was a title she had envisioned countless times, imagining the immense emotions and overwhelming joy that would apany such a moment. However, the harsh reality shattered her expectations. The mere utterance of the worddaughterfrom Raizakia intensified her trembling. Though not focused directly on her, the icy, malevolent gaze of the ck Dragon constricted her breath, leaving her gasping for air. ¡°Hamel, I will take back my daughter after killing you,¡± Raizakia dered before opening his jaw. A ck tornado of Dark Power swirled and gathered in front of him. Eugene braced himself for what he knew was imminent. The ck Dragon was preparing to unleash its devastating Breath. However, the sheer density of the Dark Power coalescing before Raizakia was beyond Eugene''sprehension, leaving him astounded by its immense potency. ¡®Did he really get weaker?¡¯Eugene doubted his presupposition. Being trapped in the dimensional rift for centuries, Eugene had expected the ck Dragon''s power to have diminished. However, Raizakia disyed no signs of weakening. In fact, his presence exuded a formidable strength that defied Eugene''s assumptions. Eugene raised Akasha high into the air. Fwoosh! All the mana stored in Akasha poured out, and at the same time, Eugene activated Prominence. Purple mes erupted around him before forming a wing behind him. Prominence greedily devoured all the mana that poured out of Akasha and formed numerous feathers. ¡±Haha! Akasha. It¡¯s nice to see that cursed staff after such a long time. Did Sienna give you Akasha? I¡¯ve been eyeing it for centuries.¡± Raizakiaughed insidiously. The Breath was still growing in size and power. Eugene red at Raizakia while attempting to measure the power of the ck Dragon¡¯s Dark Power. ¡°You bastard. What did you do?¡± Eugene shouted. He was appalled after discovering that Raizakia possessed Dark Power that did not belong to him. Instead, what he felting from Raizakia was Edmund¡¯s Dark Power from the Footprint of the God of the Land. No, to be exact, it was the Dark Power he gathered for the ritual by sacrificing thousands of lives. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Raizakia burst outughing. ¡°That arrogant human ck wizard. He did not know his ce and dared to covet my Dark Power! A mere human dared to greed after my power.Me, the ck Dragon Raizakia!¡± he roared. The Dark Power continued to swell. Eugene activated Ignition through Prominence, then allowed Akasha to levitate behind him before grabbing the Holy Sword with his left hand. ¡°It was quite an interesting trick, only if it had worked! Did you think it would be difficult for me to reap the failing, dispersing Dark Power? Both you and that ck wizard took me, Raizakia, way too lightly. Did you really think I had grown weak and frail after being stuck in this ce for centuries?¡± roared Raizakia. The ball of Dark Power was no longer expanding. Instead, it was causing their surroundings to vibrate as if they were on the verge of exploding. ¡°You will die here, Hamel. I will kill you and eat you. I will take back my daughter from you. Afterward, it won¡¯t take me long to escape from this ce!¡± Raizakia¡¯s voice grew more and more heated. Dragons were known for their longevity and resilience against the ravages of time. It was a trait that kept their minds sharp and their sanity intact, regardless of the years they umted. However, Raizakia stood apart from his noble brethren. The ck Dragon had descended into madness three centuries ago. There was truly nothing in the gap between dimensions, nothing except the patches of different darkness. But the darkness contained no mana, Dark Power, or spirits. One could not even feel the passage of time in this ce. The mad dragon had been isted in this space for two hundred years, and since he had nothing, he had turned his mind to his madness. Why had he failed?He had isted the master of Akasha. The human wizard had been on the verge of death. She wouldn¡¯t have been a threat even if she had been in perfect condition. There had been no reason for him to fail. The elves were no hindrance. He was going to kill Sienna, kill the elves, take Akasha, and burn down the World Tree just because. But he had failed. A miracle.Right, it really had been a miracle. The World Tree had protected the elves and Sienna. The human wizard had moved it to her will while on the verge of death. As a result, he had been in this miserable state for hundreds of years. The thought of wanting to die never crossed his mind. The Demonic Dragon always survived, even when things looked grim. Even on the battlefield where the Demon King of Destruction and the Demon King of Incarceration had massacred half of all dragons, where all the Ancient Dragons perished, Raizakia survived by betraying the Lord, devouring his heart, and corrupting himself. It would be no different this time. He didn¡¯t know how many years had passed, but Raizakia had survived. After persisting, he was finally given another chance. ¡°Die,¡± Raizkia spat with joy, eagerness, and madness. sh! The orb of Dark Power exploded, and the ck Dragon¡¯s Breath fired toward Eugene. The Dragon Spear Kharbos could unleash the power of a dragon¡¯s breath with a single thrust. But Eugene realized just how arrogant he had been in thinking so. He knew he couldn¡¯t counter Raizakia¡¯s breath even if he possessed a dozen Dragon Spears. Craack! The light emitting from the Holy Sword was sheathed with the Empty Sword. Four oveppingyers werepleted in an instant, and Eugene wielded the sword while feeling the massive weight in his grasp. The power contained in fouryers of the Empty Sword was overwhelming enough to decelerate all other forces. However, it failed to show the same influence in the face of Raizakia¡¯s breath. The Dark Power and mes dispersed upon making contact. Eugene saw the Holy Sword rattling. He clenched his teeth and hurriedly ced his right hand into the cloak. Drawing forth the Moonlight Sword, Eugene infused his strike with ethereal moonlight, intertwining its radiance with his attack. Thebined might of the Moonlight Sword and the fouryers of the Empty Sword proved sufficient to neutralize the oing breath. Yet, despite this feat, a trace of unease crept over Eugene''s features, draining the color from his face. For before him, he beheld the sight of ten additional spheres of Dark Power, exact replicas of the breath, poised ominously in front of Raizakia. ¡°The Moonlight Sword?¡± The Demonic Dragon recognized the weapon. He pped his wings while chuckling. ¡°How ironic, Hamel. You were the most human out of anyone, unlike Vermouth, who didn¡¯t even seem like a human. And you hated demonfolks and the Demon Kings more than any of yourpanions.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t figure out where Raizakia was getting at. He had more important tasks at hand ¡ª calcting how he could kill the ck Dragon. Even if chances were slim, Eugene could not hesitate. After releasing the Holy Sword, Eugene clutched his chest with his left hand. ¡°Yet, you use the sword of a Demon King, and of Destruction no less. Can you really call yourself human while using a power that is not permitted to humans, a power that humans cannot handle?¡± What was he talking about?Overwhelmed by the shocking revtion, Eugene''s mind raced with questions, a torrent of confusion and disbelief flooding his thoughts. However, before he could voice his questions, a jolt of indescribable agony tore through his being. His hand instinctively pressed against his chest, desperately seeking sce amidst the chaos within. The ensuing explosion that erupted from deep within him was unlike anything he had ever experienced. Eugene''s body convulsed with the immense strain of his unprecedented feat. Through the convergence of Prominence and the Ignition of his mana and Cores, he had unleashed a power beyondprehension. Every fiber of his being trembled under the overwhelming force coursing through his veins. His teeth clenched together, threatening to shatter, as he fought to contain the explosive energy surging within him. The sheer intensity of the internal turmoil left him incapable of uttering a single word, fearing that the slightest release of his tightly sealed lips would result in his very being fracturing apart. ¡°This is truly amazing! The Sword of Destruction alone surprised me, but your current power has already exceeded the boundaries of man!¡± Raizakiaughed maniacally. ¡­The Sword of Destruction? Was he referring to the Moonlight Sword? Was it the power of the Demon King of Destruction? The revtion struck Eugene with a mixture of shock and usibility. It seemed to offer an exnation for the unfathomable power emanating from the Moonlight Sword. In his past life, even the mere act of wielding the Moonlight Sword had threatened to unhinge his sanity. Yet, it wasn''t just the Moonlight Sword that possessed such an effect. The Annihtion Hammer of Carnage and the Demonic Spear of Cruelty had also driven humans to madness; only Vermouth had been able to handle them. Eugene recalled the haunting image of Molon, his hands clutching his head in agony, while Vermouth had somehow withstood the onught without flinching. Upon discovering an enigmatic ruin near the Castle of the Demon King of Carnage following their victory, Vermouth hade across the Moonlight Sword. Astonishingly, he had taken the finding as a matter of course. Eugene struggled to recall Vermouth''s exact expression when he first stumbled upon the Moonlight Sword in the enigmatic ruin. Though the memory eluded him, he reasoned it must have been a serene andposed countenance. Had his expression been anything but calm, it would surely have left asting imprint in Eugene''s recollections. "Gray hair, golden eyes, burning mes...! Hamel, you''ve been reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth. It is his blood that now courses through your veins, granting you the ability to wield the Moonlight Sword. Just as that human, who transcended the bounds of humanity, possessed such power, so do you, with his blood flowing within you,¡± said Raizakia. The blood of Vermouth did not seem to fade even after hundreds of years. Everyone who took on the Lionheart name, with even a single drop of the Lionheart blood flowing in their veins, was born with the characteristic gray hair and golden eyes of Vermouth. And even though hundreds of years had passed, Vermouth¡¯s descendants were somewhat capable of handling the equipment of the Demon Kings. Even though Hamel and Molon had failed, Dominic and Doynes had seeded just because the blood of the Lionhearts flowed in their veins. ¡°Amazing. It¡¯s truly amazing.¡± The ten spheres began to tremble as Raizakia eximed. Eugene¡¯s body stopped trembling. The power that threatened to destroy his body was now calm, and it filled Eugenepletely. The me in Eugene was burning hotter and fiercer than Hellfire, and the me erupted all over Eugene, taking the shape of a lion¡¯s mane fluttering furiously. ¡°I am greedy for that blood,¡± whispered Raizakia with a smile. All ten breaths fired in unison, and Eugene shouted with a passion that filled his body. Boooom! The simultaneous activation of Ignition elerated Eugene''s body, propelling him forward with incredible speed. As he unleashed Lightning sh, a trail of ckened ashes marked his path. Chapter 297: Raizakia (3)

Chapter 297: Raizakia (3)

The bolt from the Thunderbolt Pernoa surged through the onught of Breath, undeterred by its immense power. It maintained its course, piercing through the chaotic tempest. Meanwhile, Eugene shielded himself from the residual shockwave of the Breath using Gedon''s Shield. The shield possessed the ability to nullify anything it intercepted, but Eugene remained uncertain about directly blocking the breath attack, even with Gedon''s Shield. Furthermore, he doubted his ability to withstand the tremendous mana depletion that would apany such a feat. He strategically evaded direct hits, prioritizing blocking the attacks that threatened to pull him closer. Eugene cleared his mind of any unnecessary thoughts, including those concerning Vermouth, the Moonlight Sword, and the Demon King of Destruction. Dwelling on such matters was futile. His sole objective now was to eliminate the Demonic Dragon. Eugene pressed forward, defying the relentless onught of Raizakia''s attacks. Amidst the chaos, he caught sight of the ck Dragon suspended in the midst of the enveloping darkness. To his surprise, Raizakia showed no signs of astonishment at Eugene''s unscathed advancement. Instead, a twisted smile curved upon the dragon''s lips, his eyes gleaming with sinister delight. Fwoosh! Raizakia''s tattered and ragged wings unfurled, unleashing a tempestuous flurry of Dark Energy. The destructive force cascaded down upon Eugene like a torrential storm. Eugene could not hear Tempest¡¯s voice. As he feared, the Spirit Kings seemed to have no influence in this space. But even if he had Tempest¡¯s help, Eugene knew it would have been impossible to counter the storm with one of his own. It was impossible for him to break through from the front. He could block the dragon¡¯s attacks with Gedon¡¯s Shield, but he didn¡¯t want to unnecessarily consume his mana. What about leaping through space? Was it possible?In the short moment he had, he calcted the possibility. It wasn¡¯t impossible. The coordinates were set up, and although a small error would throw him outside to a distant dimension, Eugene couldn''t possibly make any errors. The feathers of Prominence shone brilliantly, and Eugene passed through the storm of Dark Power through a series of leaps. He came tond right next to Raizakia¡¯s head, and when he nced sideways, he saw Raizakia¡¯s unmoving eyes fixated on him. Eugene stabbed the Moonlight Sword into Raizakia¡¯s eye with a loud shout. Craaaack! The sh between the radiant light of the Moonlight Sword and the malevolent Dark Power emanating from Raizakia created a dazzling spectacle. The ominous moonlight started to erode and consume the corrupting influence of the Dark Power. Sensing the opportune moment, Eugene swiftly sheathed the Moonlight Sword within the protectiveyers of the Empty Sword, channeling his focus and determination into a decisive counterattack. But Raizakia had no intention of standing still. Boom! A massive force pushed Eugene. It wasn¡¯t simply Dark Power, but magic. ¡®Draconic.¡¯ To Eugene''s relief, thebined effects of the ovepping Ignition, the protective properties of the Holy Sword, and the divine blessing of the rosary shielded him from any physical harm. The tremendous power he had harnessed through Ignition granted him a heightened resilience, allowing him to withstand the brunt of Raizakia''s assault. ¡°You y petty tricks,¡± said Raizakia with a smile. Wooooooo! The darkness surrounding Raizakia pulsated with eerie energy. Without uttering a word, the ck Dragonmenced a silent invocation of a Draconic spell, seeking to manipte and disrupt the very fabric of space that enveloped them. ¡°Did you really think that a mundane spell cast by a human would work against a dragon, the progenitor of magic? I¡¯ve never seen any magic like yours before, but I¡¯ve already figured it out. You¡¯re using the feathers as coordinates,¡± continued Raizakia. The feathers of Prominence began to vibrate along with the space. ¡°Now, try your little trick again, that is, if you can.¡± ¡°Fucking bastard,¡± Eugene spat while straightening his posture. He discerned Raizakia''s nefarious scheme. The ck Dragon''s maniption of space was causing a disruption, a deliberate attempt to destabilize the coordinates of Prominence. Eugene realized the perilous predicament he would face if he dared to employ his feathered leap once more. It would only lead him straight into Raizakia''s treacherous snare, casting him into an uncharted dimension. ¡°You must find it difficult to deal with, hmm?¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Hahaha! Difficult to deal with? Me? Hamel, you¡¯re trying to provoke me. Don¡¯t be mistaken. I just don¡¯t want you to run away,¡± Raizakia chuckled, his voiceced with sinister amusement. He exhaled with a chilling demeanor, no longer disying the overwhelming surge of Dark Power as before. Instead, his breath condensed swiftly into a formidable attack, piercing through the fabric of space with precision. Eugene could not leap through space. So instead, he escaped the attack while elerating himself using Lightning sh. Raizakia unleashed a consecutive series of Breaths, clearly seeking to limit Eugene¡¯s movements and deliberately lead him in a particr direction. It was an obvious trick. Eugene narrowly avoided the attacks while recharging the Empty Sword with mana. He didn¡¯t bother dodging all the attacks likest time since the weakened versions of Breath did not possess the same power as before. Eugene moved forward while cutting through the attacks. Unfortunately, the breath attack was considered a basic and straightforward weapon for a dragon. Raizakia, being a battle-tested veteran, possessed the knowledge and skill to manipte Draconic magic, enabling him to manifest entirely new forms of magical attacks. The oppressive darkness enveloping Eugene intensified as if the weight of the entire world was bearing down upon him. Sensing the immense pressure, Eugene swiftly pivoted his body and swung the Moonlight Sword with precision. In the midst of his maneuver, Raizakia''s attacks closed in, encircling Eugene within their menacing reach. Fwoosh! A sudden burst of light aimed for Eugene¡¯s blind spot. Eugene held his breath and swung his arm. Instead of countering with an attack of his own, he had chosen to block the light with Gedon¡¯s Shield. As soon as it came into contact, the light disappeared. However, Raizakia wasn¡¯t quite finished yet. Hundreds, or rather, thousands of tiny dots, materialized in the darkness. The dots moved shrewdly, scattering throughout the space. ¡°Will you dodge this, or will you block it?¡± taunted the ck Dragon as beams of light erupted from the scattered points. The beams of lights were highly condensed Dark Power. Although it was an attack that couldn¡¯t be seen through with the naked eye, Eugene¡¯s senses were extended with the feathers of Prominence. He was processing everything he saw through the feathers. His mind raced, and he entrusted the necessary calctions for his movements to magic to Mer. She had regained herposure and swiftly assumed her crucial role in the calctions with a gasp. The thunderbolt swerved chaotically, getting entangled in a haphazard path. Meanwhile, Eugene summoned his mana as he skillfully maneuvered through the maze of lights. Eclipse wasn¡¯tparable to Raizakia¡¯s attack in number, but the feathers of Prominence created numerous ck spots. A portion of them blocked the beams of light, while the remaining sunspots blocked the movement of the dots. Boooom! The dots shed, but Eugene''s retaliatory strike fell short. His bloodshot eyes darted frantically as he raised both the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. The dance of the two swordsmenced. The ck mes of the Empty Sword intertwined with the lethal strikes of moonlight, creating a spectacle of destruction. Asura Rampage unleashed its fury, slicing through the beams of light and reducing them to nothingness. Yet, despite his relentless efforts, Eugene found himself still distant from the ck Dragon, with the gap between them seemingly unbridgeable. Even if he managed to close the distance, what could he hope to achieve? Even the Moonlight Sword, in itsplete form, had proven ineffective against Raizakia. Now, Eugene possessed only half of the weapon, and he wasn''t Vermouth. Recognizing the futility of such thoughts, he swiftly dismissed them from his mind. They served no purpose and offered no solutions. Instead, he focused his thoughts on Sienna and the others awaiting his return outside the battle. How much despair would Anise and Kristina feel when he failed to return? He had posed in front of Cyan, guaranteeing his safety, had he not? Lovellian would curse himself for being helpless about his disciple¡¯s death. Melkith would scream as well. Ciel, that sly little girl, would bawl uncharacteristically if Eugene died. Gilead ¡ª he didn¡¯t want Gilead to lose yet another son. Gerhard. His father. ¡°Ahhhhhhhhh!¡± Eugene roared while raising the Moonlight Sword. He didn''t even possess half of the Moonlight Sword in itsplete form, and the Empty Sword couldn''t be used to enhance its power. The Moonlight Sword had the unique property of repelling and extinguishing mana. But ironically, creating the strikes of moonlight with the Moonlight Sword required a tremendous amount of mana. In the past, it had been overwhelming for Eugene to handle, but now things were different. He channeled all of the surplus mana from Superimposed Ignition into the Moonlight Sword. Fwoosh! The moonlight surged, expanding in size and radiating an ominous glow. With a resounding cry, Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword with all his might. The crescent-shaped strike cleaved through the darkness, engulfing and obliterating every beam of light in its path. The strike extended far into the distance, ultimately reaching Raizakia. The barrier of Dark Power encasing Raizakia was sundered by the moonlight, causing the strike to weaken. However, undeterred, the radiant moonlight pressed forward, persevering until it finally reached Raizakia. Craaaack! The scales that covered Raizakia¡¯s long neck were broken apart and devoured by the moonlight. "Kuaaagh!" Raizakia''s head recoiled with a piercing scream. His neck had minimal injuries thanks to his thick, strong scales. The moonlight had managed to shatter only the outermostyer of the dragon''s scales. Yet, even with such superficial damage, Raizakia let out a resounding cry of agony. He was enraged. He had allowed his scales to be destroyed by an inferior, lowly human. The Moonlight Sword reminded Raizakia of a humiliating and terrifying memory. Three centuries ago, a critical moment arose when the dragons, renowned for their greatness and nobility, made a unified decision to intervene in the affairs of lesser beings. Despite their perception of humans as feeble creatures, they recognized the need to rescue the world from impending doom. Gathering the dragons who possessed the strength to battle, they took to the skies and soared toward the domain of the Demon King. Most of the dragons died. Each ominous and devastating burst of light imed the lives of these majestic creatures one by one. The dragons, once revered for their grandeur and nobility, met a futile end in the face of the destructive radiance. ¡°You dare. You dare, you dare!¡± He had been afraid of the light and had no desire to die for unworthy, weak beings. So he took the Lord¡¯s heart and devoured it, corrupting himself in the process. So he survived. Even now, Raizakia did not think of his actions as being humiliating or degrading. Instead, in his eyes, it was humiliating and degrading for great dragons to die for humans and other insignificant creatures. Raizakia seethed with anger and humiliation as he realized that a mere human wielding the terrifying power of the Demon King had managed to sever his formidable scales. The ck Dragon''s pride and dignity were wounded, leaving him seething with rage. Rumbleee--! The darkness began to shake, and the giant figure of Raizakia started moving. A mere p of his wings sent darkness into the surroundings. Eugene took a moment to catch his breath, his body feeling the strain from wielding the Moonlight Sword with such intensity. He nced at his hand gripping the weapon, noticing a slight sluggishness in his arm from the exertion. However, the fatigue didn''t linger for long. Gradually, his senses began to return. ¡®I can¡¯t believe simply swinging it put this much pressure on it.¡¯ A whirlpool of Dark Power began to form in front of Raizakia, signaling another imminent attack. But it wasn''t just the centralized power that troubled Eugene. The surrounding Dark Power began to take tangible form, manifesting into various assaults directed at him, guided by Raizakia''s will and the ancientnguage of the dragons. The scenery looked like an embodiment of hell. All kinds of weapons imaginable began to take form in the darkness, and the weapons floated and moved freely without a wielder. Hundreds of thousands of weapons formed from Raizakia¡¯s Dark Power were aimed at Eugene. ¡°Ha.¡± Eugene could not help but scoff at the ridiculous sight. The movements of the weapons in the darkness weren¡¯t simple at all. They weren¡¯t poised to simply stab or swing, but rather, the weapons were firmly linked as a collective unit and moved in unison to take Eugene¡¯s life. The weapons began their charge toward Eugene. Eugene responded by rotating like a cyclone and swinging the Holy Sword. Kwaaaaa! The ck mes created by fouryers of the Empty Sword destroyed the weapons. ¡®Is there any point in wasting his Dark Power?¡¯ Using spells of this size would exhaust one¡¯s reservoir of mana, regardless of how great a wizard was. However, that was only by human standards, so the same could not be said for Raizakia, an Ancient Dragon. Even so, Eugene had no other choice. It wasn¡¯t as if he could simply ignore Raizakia¡¯s attacks. Eugene allocated his reserves of mana while dispersing the volley of attacks that continued toward him. The White me Form underwent a fundamental change after he reached the Sixth Star, and it allowed him to use mana with excellent efficiency. As long as he didn¡¯tpletely exhaust his stores, he could immediately recircte the mana he used in his attacks. The same held true for Ignition. In particr, the superimposed me, which was created by using Ignition in conjunction with Prominence, conjured a me that would not easily be extinguished. As long as Eugene¡¯s body could hold out, the me would continue to burn. ¡®My body¡­ is fine.¡¯ In his previous life, it had been impossible for him to sustain Ignition for too long. But it was different now. He was still fine. Eugene took a big gulp of air and willed the me to burn brighter. Crack! Lightning shed into existence with the me. The soaring Wing of Prominence became a weapon and swept away the weapons aimed at Eugene¡¯s back. Raizakia roared while looking down from the sky. The Breath he summoned was of a different nature than before. If the previous Breaths had been attacks of pure Dark Power, the Breath he summoned now seemed to ooze darkness. Eugene instinctively recognized what it was. It was the Poison Breath of the ck Dragon, the same attack he had used in his attempt to kill Sienna. It was a discharge of poison formed inside his body from his reserves of Dark Power. Eugene attempted to swing the Moonlight Sword in retaliation but was interrupted when the Holy Sword started emitting a brilliant light. The light emitting from the beautiful body of the sword pierced through the ck me of the Empty Sword and covered Eugene¡¯s body. ¡®Divine power?¡¯ Once again, Eugene found himself in a familiar phenomenon reminiscent of his encounters at the Fount of Light and his confrontation with Gavid Lindman. The Holy Sword emanated a brilliant radiance, seemingly acting of its own ord as if driven by an innate desire to safeguard Eugene and offer its unwavering support. The luminous aura emanating from the Holy Sword fulfilled its purpose, creating a protective barrier that prevented the poison from breaching Eugene''s defenses. In perfect harmony with the sword''s radiance, the rosary pendant adorning his neck glimmered in response, invoking a divine power that began purifying the malevolent poison, gradually neutralizing its harmful effects. Yet, Eugene couldn''t afford to let his guard down simply because the divine power was neutralizing the poison. The luminous Light had pierced through the me, but the presence of the Empty Sword persisted. Instead of extinguishing the me, the divine power intertwined with it, creating a symbiotic rtionship that fortified and intensified its potency. Kwaawaaaah! The me expanded and devoured the dragon¡¯s breath, causing Raizakia to frown. He had unleashed numerous Breaths and performed magic over and over again, but all of it was being neutralized by the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to do this because it¡¯s undignified,¡± spat Raizakia with a voice filled with irritation. ¡°But I have no choice.¡± Boom! A loud, heavy sound resounded. It wasn¡¯t an attack of magic or Dark Power. Rather, Raizakia swung his tail. However, the speed of the attack far exceeded Eugene¡¯s expectations. He had taken therge stature of the dragon to be nothing more than a big target, but he had been mistaken. The tail, which had been hidden in the darkness, was fast enough for him to lose track of it, even with the feathers of Prominence heightening his senses. It was because Raizakia had strengthened his attack with a Draconic spell. Momentarily losing consciousness, Eugene felt the tremendous impact inflicted upon his body by the ignorant physical attack. Despite the protection afforded by the divine power and the me of the White me Form, the force of the blow surpassed even the formidable strikes of Molon. ¡°Keugh!¡± It felt like his body had been shattered into pieces, even though it had not. Eugene was thrown far after being struck by the tail. [Sir Eugene!] Mer shouted. ¡®It¡¯s fine,¡¯Eugene answered while vomiting blood. ¡°It¡¯s doable,¡± said Eugene as his lips twisted into a smile. ¡°I can take a few more.¡± In truth, he was lying. Chapter 298: Raizakia (4) [Bonus Image] It felt as if his bones had cracks all over, but fortunately, nothing was broken. In addition, his organs were slightly damaged from the tail strike. The violent encounter had induced the expulsion of blood through his mouth, but that was the extent of his afflictions. These injuries paled inparison to the grievous wounds he had endured in his previous life. But he could not allow any more attacks. Eugene was certain after suffering the single blow from Raizakia¡¯s tail. Propelled by a forceful strike from the tail, he was sent hurtling backward, a significant distance away. Were it not for the safeguarding influence of mana and divine power enveloping him, his very being would have been torn asunder the instant he collided with the tail. Eugene stopped himself from flying further and corrected his stance. Naturally, Raizakia had no ns of giving Eugene time to rest. Boom! Boom! Boom! A resounding explosion echoed through the air, apanied by the sight of numerous orbs of Dark Power hurtling toward Eugene. Rather than unleashing it as a beam, Raizakia had concentrated his Breath into condensed spheres. Eugene''s rigid arms swung into motion, swiftly intercepting the hurtling spheres by crossing the Holy Sword with the Moonlight Sword. Without hesitation, he propelled himself forward, venturing beneath the explosive aftermath as stray feathers coalesced around him. Meanwhile, the remaining plumes surged toward Raizakia, converging into multiple Eclipse. Eugene harnessed his mana in tandem, focusing it intensely to shape Eclipse in front of him. Raizakia observed the unfolding events with a measured gaze. Initially, he beheld a multitude of sunspots hurtling in his direction. Though possessing a formidable strength, they amounted to nothing more than a mere human''s assault. The necessity of employing defensive magic was rendered unnecessary, as the protective prowess of his scales, fortified by the enveloping shroud of Dark Power, would prove more than sufficient. However, the sunspot forming in front of Eugene was different. Even Raizakia had to be wary of the attack. Numerous obstructing weapons sought to impede Eugene''s advance, their purpose being to merely buy a fleeting moment. However, as the mes enveloping Eugene intensified, growing fiercer, a surge of lightning surged forth in a sprawling arc, obliterating the barriers in its path. Reacting swiftly, Eugene raised Gedon''s Shield, using it as a defense against the ensuing explosion of mes and magic that erupted before him. Fwaaaaah! The inky torrent promptly divided upon making contact with Gedon¡¯s Shield, creating a clear pathway for Eugene to advance. Pressing forward with determination, he maneuvered his way within striking distance, stopping just below Raizakia. The ck Dragon skillfully brushed the ck spots aside, leaving a temporary respite. Then, Razakia parted his maw towards Eugene. Rumbleeee! A ck torrent of power poured out of Raizakia¡¯s mouth. It was Poison Breath, the same as before, but it was mixed with not only venom but formidable Dark Power as well. Although the attack left the surroundings unaffected, Eugene knew it would havepletely devastated the entirety of the Samar Rainforest if it were unleashed in the outside world. But he didn¡¯t have to worry about such things in this space. All Eugene had to do was protect himself. The Holy Sword and the rosary began to glow, and Akasha began to exude mana along with the Wing of Prominence in ordance with Eugene¡¯s will. Eugene had already summoned Eclipse before him, a formidable skill merging the Ring me Form, an offshoot of the White me Form, with the prowess of the Draconic Family''s secret technique, the Empty Sword. This technique harnessed the profound power of mana,pressing and channeling it to its utmost limits to conjure a miniature sun. Much like the Ring me Form, at the core of Eclipse resided a swirling, explosive vortex of mana, spawning an intricatework of countless additional cores as it spun and surged. With a final stroke, Eugene enveloped the sun''s surface in the ethereal essence of the Empty Sword, bringing forth the creation known as Eclipse. Layer uponyer of the Empty Sword was imposed upon the miniature sun, each addition infusing the ultra-dense mana thatprised it. The resulting fusion and subsequent explosions echoed in a cascading cycle as theyers multiplied, imbuing Eclipse with an ever-increasing intensity. One, two, then three. Initially, threeyers had been the limit of Eclipse. But just as Eugene had broken through to superimposing fouryers of the Empty Sword, Eclipse evolved further as well. Fwoosh. After meticulous effort, Eugene managed to manifest four distinctyers within Eclipse. The potency of this celestial creation surpassed even that of the Empty Sword, a power Eugene was ustomed to wielding firsthand. However, the process of forming Eclipse proved to be more time-consumingpared to the deployment of the Empty Sword. Thepletion of Eclipse hung precariously in the bnce, unfolding just as Raizakia''s Poison Breath breached the shield of divine light shielding Eugene. Eugene hurled Eclipse forward, and it came into contact with Raizakia¡¯s Poison Breath. Mana and Dark Power mixed in front of his eyes, and at first, it formed into a small whirlwind, but after a moment, the collision transformed into a tornado that threatened to devour everything around it. Rumbleeee! The breath started being pushed back. ¡®It¡¯s getting caught up?¡¯ Raizakia could not believe it. He, the Demon Dragon, had unleashed a torrent of poisonous breath infused with Dark Power. Any ordinary being, demon or human, unfortunate enough to be touched by such an assault would swiftly dissolve into nothing more than shapeless puddles. Nay, even before the opportunity for dissolution arose, they would be instantaneously vaporized, utterly eradicated from existence. But to his dismay, the breath was caught up in the¡­ sun of mana, which seemed to form an eclipse. No, it wasn¡¯t simply caught up. The breath was being devoured, and its power was being wound around the sun. Unwilling to surrender, Raizakia intensified the potency of his Breath, hoping to overpower the growing sun. Yet, to his dismay, the oue remained unaltered. With each surge in the breath''s intensity, Eclipse, with its ability to reverse and absorb the breath''s power, responded in kind, expanding its dimensions. ¡®Is that so?¡¯ Eugene witnessed the phenomenon as well. Eclipse was cutting through Raizakia¡¯s Breath, then using some of the dissipating Dark Power to fuel itself. It wasn¡¯t something Eugene had been expecting. But he could understand the reason behind the unexpected oue. The four oveppingyers of the Empty Sword extended their dominion, exerting an amplified influence over the surrounding power. While the Empty Sword had previously been employed on the Holy Sword and other conventional weapons, Eclipse, beingposed solely of mana, possessed a distinct advantage. Thebined might of fouryered Empty Sword-powered Eclipse exhibited the extraordinary ability to breach the very essence of Raizakia''s Dark Power, absorbing and assimting it as its own source of strength. In the end, the Breath waspletely torn into two. Raizakia stepped back with shock and formed a strong barrier using his Dark Power and Draconic Magic. Craaack! Eclipse came into contact with the barrier. In the end, his Breath was nothing more than him literally breathing out Dark Power and poison. Yet, the conjuration in Draconic bestowed upon him the ability to weave spells of absolute magic. The spell woven with such prowess proved to be an imprable challenge even for the might of Eclipse. "You dare!" bellowed Raizakia, his fury resounding through the air. The fact that he waspelled to employ the formidable defenses of Draconic against an attack from a mere human, and not even with the Sword of Destruction in hand, intensified his indignation. Adding to his frustration was the realization that he faced only a single adversary. "You dare, you dare, you dare!" Raizakia''s furious roars echoed once more. In a relentless advance, Eclipse gradually began to breach his supposedly imprable barrier. Though Eclipse no longer expanded in size and strength by assimting his Breath, the formidable barrier forged by the Draconic spell was sumbing to its unyielding assault. Raizakia once again invoked the power of Draconic to counter the relentless onught, or at least attempted to. Just before he could invoke a spell, Eugene began to move and immediately jumped to Eclipse, which had almost broken through Raizakia¡¯s barrier. ¡®What is he trying to do?¡¯ Raizakia was momentarily confused. Eugene had let go of his sword. He had released the Holy Sword, which was sheathed with ck mes and Light, as well as the Moonlight Sword, which was emitting ominous light. He let go of everything. Eugene¡¯s cloak fluttered, and a handle protruded from the crevice of the cloak along with Eugene¡¯s long veiny arm. It was a handle that Raizakia was familiar with. ¡®The Annihtion Hammer?¡¯ The Annihtion Hammer Jigth was the weapon of the Demon King of Carnage. Boooooooom! Eugene struck Eclipse with the Annihtion Hammer. The power of the Annihtion Hammer was simple. Anything the hammer hit would break, and anything the hammer hit would explode. But in this case, it felt like the Annihtion Hammer would explode instead. An incredible surge of power threatened to rip Eugene¡¯s hands apart. Nevertheless, Eugene maintained an unwavering grip on the hammer, refusing to relinquish it. Despite the slippery, scalding blood that saturated the handle, he clung to it with desperate determination. The sinewy vessels adorning the hammer''s grip writhed and pulsated, greedily consuming Eugene''s blood. And so, fueled by this macabre exchange, the Annihtion Hammer inched forward. Craaaack! In its relentless advance, the Annihtion Hammer shattered the densely concentrated sphere of mana that stood in its way. The consequence was an explosive eruption, borne of the hammer''s power, which washed over Raizakia''s protective barrier. ¡®It broke.¡¯ Raizakia watched his barrier being destroyed with ring eyes. ¡°Ahhhhhh!¡± Eugene roared as he jumped at Raizakia. The Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword were in his hands again. Raizakia¡¯s eyes were filled with shock as he watched Eugene. What had happened? Despite having lived such a long life, Raizakia could notprehend the current situation. In his perception, humans were inconsequential, minuscule creatures, feeble in their existence. It mattered little whether they amassed in the hundreds or thousands; a single exhtion from him would be more than enough to eradicate them all. However, a peculiar exception existed¡­. Three centuries prior, there had been four exceptional humans. They had gathered around an even more execptional man, a man who couldn¡¯t have been human. Without Vermouth Lionheart, it would have been impossible for the remaining four to kill a dragon, even if they were the strongest humans. Sienna Merdein ¡ª that human girl, had inflicted a profound humiliation upon him. It had been an utterly aberrant and preposterous turn of events. How could a dragon, a being of his magnitude, be vanquished by a mere human wizard? It defied all logic and reason. Had it not been for the miraculous intervention of the World Tree, such a cmitous oue would never have transpired. Hamel Dynas? He was the only one who died three centuries ago. He was incapable of using magic like Sienna, he wasn¡¯t strong like Vermouth, he couldn¡¯t use divine power like Anise, and he was smaller than Molon. But this human had repelled his Breath, then broken through a barrier formed with Draconic with the Holy Sword and the Sword of Destruction in his hands. ¡®And he¡¯s going to cut my throat?¡¯ It felt unreal. It wasn¡¯t as if Raizakia had lost his sense of reason during the centuries of banishment. Rather, it was that the arrogant ck Dragon abhorred and despised humans to that degree. The Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword bit deeply into the very roots of Raizakia''s neck. Having reached the dragon''s formidable neck with his strike, Eugene could ill afford a superficial blow. While he had never personally in a dragon, he had once chanced upon a dying dragon within the depths of the Devildom. He knew from then where the Dragon Heart was located. It was precisely in the joint between the chest and the neck. If he wanted to kill Raizakia, Eugene needed to aim for his Dragon Heart. ¡°Ahhhh!¡± With resolute force, the swords pierced through the formidable scales, cleaving into the very flesh of the dragon. Although the powers wielded by the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword remained distinct, they harmoniously synchronized to enact Eugene''s unwavering intent ¡ª to "cut." In a swift and decisive motion, the colossal head of Raizakia was sundered from his body. [Sir Eugene!] Raizakia¡¯s head fell, and ck blood started gushing from the stump. Eugene stared at the dragon¡¯s head, trembling. He saw the head fall into the darkness and the blood that spewed from the stump in the dragon¡¯s neck. Simr to the breath of the dragon, Raizakia¡¯s ck blood was also a poison that melted everything it came into contact with. [You did it! Y-you killed Raizakia! You killed the Demon Dragon!] Mer¡¯s cheers resounded distantly. Eugene¡­ looked down at the two swords he held. It was the first time he had decapitated a dragon, but he had made a clean cut with precise aim. The attack, which had been aimed at the center of the Dragon¡¯s Heart, had not missed its mark. [Sir¡­ Eugene?] The flowing blood suddenly stopped in space before falling on Eugene¡¯s head. Then, the blood began to flow in reverse as if someone were reversing time. Eugene immediately swung the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword topletely destroy what remained of Raizakia¡¯s body. Stab. Eugene froze, his body as rigid as a sculpted statue. From the depths of Raizakia''s stomach, a slender beam of light surged forth, piercing Eugene''s abdomen with unyielding precision. And yet, the assault did not cease there, for another beam of light found its mark, piercing through Eugene''s shoulder. ¡°Ugh.¡± Blood gushed from Eugene¡¯s mouth, and the fierce me of mana surrounding him smoldered. The beam of light had been strong, but also uncharacteristically stealthy for a dragon. ¡°I!¡± Riiiip! Something pierced through Raizakia¡¯s stomach. It was a pair of hands, but they belonged to a human rather than a dragon. ¡°I thought of this appearance as a game¡­!¡± The ck scales covering Raizakia¡¯s body started to peel off, and the hands that protruded from the dragon¡¯s stomach became covered with the same scales. ¡°Dragons! Must look like dragons¡­! Though the body of weak insects is small and convenient¡­! I don¡¯t hate it, since it¡¯s just a costume, just a game! Just because I look like an insect doesn¡¯t mean I am one!¡± Craaack! The scale-covered handspletely tore open the dragon¡¯s stomach. ¡°But! When I¡¯m not ying, I can¡¯t be morphed. After all, I¡¯m a dragon! I¡¯m not an insect! How could I morph into a human in a battle of dragons¡­!? How humiliating would that be!?¡± Emerging from the torn depths of Raizakia''s stomach was a figure, a man with a cascade of dark, flowing hair. His locks, silky and ck, contrasted starkly against his crimson eyes. Eugene recognized this visage all too well. It was the very form that Raizakia assumed when polymorphed into a human. ¡°You! You dared to humiliate me like this.¡± Raizakia stumbled to his feet, then walked out of the dragon¡¯s corpse. With each step he took, more of the scales covering the dragon¡¯s body transferred to Raizakia. The ck blood also flowed back into his human form. Eventually, the dragon¡¯s body shrank smaller and smaller until it disappearedpletely. ¡°You. Caused me, Raizakia¡­! To abandon my dignity and pride to live! You turned me into an insect¡­ so that I could live!¡± Death had been at hand. If Raizakia had insisted on maintaining the appearance of a dragon, Eugene¡¯s des would have sliced his Dragon Heart in two. But at thest minute, Raizakia gave up the dragon¡¯s body. He narrowly conjured Polymorph and formed a human body inside him, then transferred the Dragon Heart into the human body. It had been an instant of brilliance, but for Raizakia, it was more humiliating than death. A great and dignified dragon had to survive by transforming into an insect because he did not want to die. "Do not dare entertain the notion of an easy death...!" Raizakia snarled, his voiceced with venom. With a swift motion, he raised his arm, disying a form that, despite polymorphing, did not fully resemble that of a human. His bare physique remained adorned with the ominous sheen of ck scales, while the pulsating might of the Dragon Heart''s Dark Power coursed through his being. However, the fury and malevolence that marred Raizakia''s eyes eclipsed his immense power, radiating with an intensity hundreds of times greater. ¡°I will give you pain and despair worse than a hundred deaths.¡± Whiiip! His arm changed in an instant as he swung. He had transformed it into a dragon¡¯s tail by partially polymorphing himself. The tail cracked like a whip as it approached Eugene. ¡°¡­Fuck.¡± ¡®It had seemed too easy.¡¯ Eugene raised his arm with hollowughter. There was a clean hole in his stomach, and both his shoulders had been pierced as well. The dragon had said that Eugene would not be granted an easy death and would be forced to suffer despair and pain greater than a hundred deaths. Perhaps for that reason, the hole in his stomach wasn¡¯t fatal, and neither of his arms waspletely broken. Then he could fight. Eugene blocked the tail just in time by moving his swords. Booom! Eugene was hurled into the darkness. He couldn¡¯t even scream as pain washed over him. It felt as if his very existence had been smashed. "Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene...!" Mer stammered, her voice choked with tears as she peered out from beneath her cloak. The sight of Eugene''s blood-streaked countenance nearly drove her to screams, but she managed to restrain herself. Instead, she swiftly retrieved the assortment of potions concealed within the cloak and began pouring them into Eugene''s wounds. She spared no expense, ensuring that every precious drop of holy water ¡ª a creation of Anise and Kristina ¡ª and the potent elixir from the esteemed Lionheart n was used to mend his injuries. ¡°Good work,¡± whispered Eugene when he saw his injuries closing. Moving his arm became a little easier, and he stroked Mer¡¯s head. He could see Raizakia striding towards him from a distance. Eugene red at the ck Dragon while pressing down on Mer¡¯s head. ¡°¡­Go back in.¡± ¡°But¡­ Sir Eugene¡­!¡± ¡°You will die,¡± whispered Eugene after lowering his head. ¡°You will die before I die. I can¡¯t¡­ let that happen. Get back inside.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather die. You are¡­!¡± stammered Mer. ¡°If you die, I die,¡± responded Eugene, causing Mer¡¯s shoulders to tremble. ¡°¡­And I¡¯m not going to die. As long as you don¡¯t die.¡± ¡°What¡­ what are you talking about? T-this is a mess. Nothing you¡¯re talking about is making sense¡­,¡± cried Mer. ¡°I said I would save Sienna.¡± Eugene stroked Mer¡¯s head with a little more force. ¡°So stay inside. Sienna will want to see you too.¡± Mer could not say anything as she burst into tears. Raimira seized Mer¡¯s hand, then pulled her inside the cloak while breathing heavily. Simultaneously, she attempted to exit the safety of the cloak. ¡°T-this Lady will¡­ try to talk to him. This Lady will beg the ck Dragon¡ª¡± she stuttered. ¡°Go in.¡± Eugene forced a smile as she pushed Raimira¡¯s forehead. ¡°You¡¯ll only get in the way.¡± His wounds were healing rather slowly. Eugene turned his gaze to the ring on his left ring finger. Agaroth¡¯s Ring forcibly activated and amplified the body¡¯s regenerative powers, allowing the user to fight at the cost of their lifespan. It was dangerous to use Agaroth¡¯s Ring while also using Ignition. In fact, it was akin to suicide. Causing the heart tobust with mana ced a huge burden on the body, but if he were to forcibly amplify his regenerative abilities with Agaroth¡¯s Ring, then¡­. ¡®But it¡¯ll still be better than dying after doing nothing.¡¯ Eugene focused on Agaroth¡¯s Ring without hesitation. Craaack! His left hand crumpled into ce, and veins popped out. Crack, crack, craaack! Blood began to flow in greater volumes, and it spread throughout his body, starting with his left hand. His heart¡¯sbustion, which threatened his heart to burst at any moment, intensified. He felt a strong taste of blood and death in his mouth. But he was familiar with it. At this moment, he felt rather grateful to have experienced death. He knew that he had not yet pushed himself into the realm of death. Eugene ced his trembling hand on the left of his chest. Chapter 299: Raizakia (5) He could have killed Raizakia. Had Raizakia clung stubbornly to his draconic form, the battle would have culminated in Eugene''s triumph. However, driven by the primal instinct of self-preservation, Raizakia relinquished his pride and dignity, assuming a human guise as he advanced toward Eugene. Eugene had exhausted every avable resource in his sh against Raizakia. Ignition had been unleashed, harnessing the full extent of his capabilities. Prominence, the Moonlight Sword, the Holy Sword, the Empty Sword, Eclipse, and various other weapons and techniques had all been brought to bear. The fiery aura enveloping Eugene continued to burn fiercely, its fervor mirrored by the unwavering resolve within his very being. It would continue to burn as long as Eugene¡¯s body could hold out. But that wasn¡¯t enough. Raizakia had abandoned his form as a dragon. He had polymorphed into a human form, and the scales that once covered his colossal form were now concentrated on his smaller figure. If Eugene wanted to crush his enemy, he needed greater power. The vessels in his hand were entuated above the skin, and his trembling fingers pushed deeper into his chest. Thump. A resounding thump echoed within his consciousness. Eugene held his breath, gritting his teeth in determination. He could feel a sense of resistance. Could he really go forward with this? His instincts resisted his conscious decision. He knew that there was a possibility that this was an inevitable choice. The specter of death loomed over him, and he knew his decision could very well lead to his death. ¡®But if I keep going like this, I¡¯ll die anyways.¡¯ He kept his thoughts calm andposed. He knew that even if he kept battling in his current state, he would likely die at Raizakia¡¯s hands. If that were the case, he would bet and burn his life until the limit. Even if he had to step one foot across the boundary of life and death, as long as he survived, and as long as he could kill Raizakia¡­. Craaack. Without hesitation, his powerful fingers dug into the skin. Thump! Another resounding thump reverberated, his heart elerating its rhythm. The organ beat with such fervor as if it threatened to burst, causing his body to rise and fall with each breath. His mind went nk, but it was inevitable. He was trying his hand at something he had never attempted in his past life, one rife with all manners of audacity. Simultaneously activating Prominence and Ignition already ced an enormous burden on his body, but he had even activated Agaroth¡¯s Ring to hasten the healing of his wounds. That alone had brought Eugene ever so close to death. Yet, as if such burdens were insufficient, Eugene dared to stoke the mes further, goading his heart and Cores to surge, adding additional fuel to the inferno already aze. Raizakia, who had been striding purposefully toward Eugene, unknowingly froze in his tracks. ¡®What is it?¡¯ A frown marred the visage of the arrogant being as he discerned the reason for his abrupt halt ¡ª an unsettling emotion, an alien sensation. A feeling coursed through his being, an emotion he vehemently denied, no matter how many times it assailed him. It was fear. "You!" Raizakia bellowed, his hand iling in protest. Whiiiiip! Once again, a colossal tail cleaved through the darkness. Eugene had barely managed to rise to his feet when the surrounding darkness momentarily stalled, the tail halting mid-swing. Fwooooosh! A surge of me engulfed the void, reducing Raizakia''s tail to ashen remnants in its fiery path. ¡°Kuagh!¡± Raizakia screamed while pulling back his tail. He could see Eugene staggering to his feet in the zing mes. He could distinctly make out Eugene¡¯s appearance even in the clear ck me. His gray hair soared and fluttered like a fire. His golden eyes gleamed brilliantly in the center of the fire. He looked as if he would copse at any moment. Eugene looked to be in a precarious position, and his steps were staggering. Each step he took threatened to betray him. Yet, Raizakia dared not act rashly. With centuries of existence etched upon him, the Demon Dragon waspelled to admit what he had long resisted ¡ª the human standing before him was no trifling insect. Eugene ceased his faltering, his steps no longer unsteady. He stood firm, no longer swaying as if poised to crumble. The incredible and vtile power surging within him, threatening to unleash chaos, had finally steadied. The mes that once soared, yearning to consume the heavens, abruptly receded. The immense potency they contained coalesced within Eugene. Lifting his left hand, Eugene beckoned the Holy Sword, and it soared into his grasp. In that instant, the Holy Sword and the rosary radiated a resplendent glow. His heart, nay, his entire being, throbbed with an agonizing ache. Eugene struggled to prevent his body from fragmenting under the divine power coursing through him along with the power of Agaroth''s Ring. He could not fight long. Eugene knew that he had already ced one foot into the realm of death. Failure to maintain control over his power would swiftly deliver him to the waiting embrace of death. Yet, his lips curled up into a crooked smile. In an instant, Eugene vanished from sight, and without a moment''s hesitation, Raizakia raised both his arms. Kwaaaaaaaaa! The arms, now resembling the massive, scaled limbs of a dragon, swept through the darkness. However, the result was the shedding of his protective scales. They were torn asunder, and ck blood sprayed in all directions. Despite Raizakiaunching the attack with initiative, Eugene broke through, cleaving and crushing everything that stood in his path. "Hamel...!" Raizakia bellowed, his voice filled with fury as he pressed forward. Pride was no longer a concern; dignity had been forsaken the moment he assumed this form. Raizakia made alterations to his usual Draconic magic, aware that magical assaults posed little threat to his adversary. Thus, he sought to exploit the advantages he possessed as a dragon: imprable scales, a formidable physique, and an almost limitless reserve of Dark Power. The Draconic words he uttered transformed into numerous augmentation spells, unlocking the full potential of Raizakia''s body. Crack! Craack! Craaaaack! Each scale that protected his body became imbued with defensive magic. Raizakia¡¯s thoughts elerated, and his perception increased. Countless spells broadened Raizakia''s horizons, granting him a newfound rity to perceive Eugene''s movements. Only then did he finally see through Eugene¡¯s previously unfathomable movements. And there, right before him, stood the human. Raizakia was taken aback, his body propelled into motion as he kicked off the ground. The darkness cleaved along the path of the Holy Sword, instantly followed by the engulfing me of the Empty Sword, inundating Raizakia. "Kuaagh!" he screamed, waving his hand to counter the me. His arm underwent another partial transformation. The scales seemingly melted away in the fire, yet he seeded in severing the me. However, Raizakia was immediately faced with an onught from the Moonlight Sword. He did not retreat. Instead, Raizakia transformed his left arm, attempting to grasp the Moonlight Sword. s, his efforts were in vain. The strike carried outrageous power, and the Moonlight Sword cut through unhindered, severing Raizakia''s left arm in its entirety. Yet, there was no blood. The Moonlight Sword had merely cleaved through an empty bundle of scales. Raizakia opened his mouth wide, unleashing a Breath attack that shot forth in a thin beam. Eugene narrowly evaded the breath, his hand outstretched. Instead of wielding the Holy Sword or the Moonlight Sword, he struck Raizakia''s chin with the hand holding the sword sheath. Crack! The mouth, filled with Breath, snapped shut, and Raizakia''s head went flying. Though his body was flung backward alongside his detached head, Raizakia did not perish. Instead, a new head emerged atop his neck. Rather than uttering words, Raizakia leaped toward Eugene. Raizakia knew that he couldn¡¯t allow any distance between him and Eugene. He was afraid of what monstrosity Eugene was capable of with his current power, given the ck spot he had summoned before. Closebat? It was abnormal for a dragon. However, it did not mean that he wasn¡¯t confident. He had reinforced his body through Draconic magic. He possessed the scales of a dragon and superior regenerative powers. But what about the human? True, the force that filled his body was incredible. However, his power was by no means permanent. The human was burning his own life in exchange for this tremendous power. As long as Raizakia could hold out for a few hours, the zing me would dwindle and die on its own, along with the life of the human. So should he flee until then, biding his time? No. Raizakia had no intention of entertaining the notion. He would kill the human. He would kill the human before his me was snuffed out. He would devour the human alive. me and Dark Power collided. The two forces clung to each other and tangled, neither ceding to the other. Eugene danced with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, and Raizakia swung with both hands while protecting his body with scales. The result was a shower of scales and blood. However, Raizakia¡¯s injuries healed and were mended immediately. Heshed out with his leg, but this time, it did not transform into a colossal tail. Instead, the transformation was more cunning and maniptive. Thin, snake-like appendages adorned with dragon scales and emanating malevolent Dark Power coiled around Eugene''s body. Yet, just as the viper-like whips attempted to ensnare Eugene, a ck me erupted around him, reducing the serpentine projections to ashes. Fwaaah! The snakes vomited ck blood as they burnt to a crisp by the mana me. Raizakia¡¯s blood ¡ª the Poison Fog ¡ª invaded Eugene¡¯s body. The Holy Sword trembled in response, and the protection of the divine power resisted the poisonous fog. Fwooosh! A white sphere of mes rose from behind Eugene¡¯s Wing of Prominence. It was Eclipse. Raizakia¡¯s eyes filled with shock when he saw the sun. The attack Eugene had conjured before required some time, but he was now much faster than before. Eclipse turned ck in an instant, then hurled towards Raizakia. The ck Dragon conjured a protective barrier before jumping back. Craaack! Unfortunately, the barrier did notst long. After prating through the boundary, Eclipse devoured Raizakia¡¯s left arm. ¡°Kuaaghh!¡± The me ate away at his arm, and Raizakia severed his left arm with a pained scream. However, despite having cut off his arm, Eclipse continued to burn through Raizakia¡¯s left arm before exploding. Raizakia was barely able to make his escape, but a sharp pair of eyes appeared right behind him. It was Eugene. He wielded the Holy Sword at Raizakia¡¯s waist, which was left vulnerable while stabbing at his chest with the Moonlight Sword. Raizakia was more wary against the blow aimed at his chest rather than the Holy Sword. In an instant, the scales protecting his body became concentrated on his chest. The Holy Sword managed to sever Raizakia¡¯s body in two, and the Moonlight Sword fully prated through the denseyer of scales. The upper half of Raizakia¡¯s body rolled on the ground as a stump. However, the ck Dragon was whole once more in the blink of an eye. Raizakia shot one Breath after another, stabilizing himself by pressing against the ground with his hands. Booooom! The bombardment was upon Eugene before he couldplete the second Eclipse, and he was left with no choice but to hurl the iplete sphere. The resulting explosion of mana and his me soared into a tall barrier that blocked the barrage of Raizakia¡¯s Breaths. Wasting no time, Eugene jumped into the me. The Holy Sword cut the me, or rather, the me clung to the de. Eugene was weaving the me around the Empty Sword that covered the Holy Sword. Raizakia¡¯s eyes quivered with shock when he witnessed the sight. The dragon had been isted in this space for two centuries, and he couldn¡¯t deny the fact that he had weakened during that time. Although he had taken a portion of the ck Wizard¡¯s Dark Power, he was still lesser than his prime. But even if that were the case¡­ how could this make any sense? He had even abandoned his draconic form to engage the human, but he was failing to overwhelm him. On the contrary¡­. ¡°Kuaaaah!¡± Raizakia did not want to admit it, and he did not want to think about it. He howled while reaching for the Holy Sword. Therge arm of a dragon blocked the Holy Sword¡¯s path, but it was crushed, not cut, under Eugene¡¯s overwhelming force. However, Raizakia did not retreat even when his arm exploded. The tail he had conjured behind him dug underneath the ground, aimed at Eugene. Naturally, Eugene did not miss Raizakia¡¯s attack. The Wing of Prominence fluttered open and raised more mes. Arge wall of mes blocked the tail, and Eugene used the momentum of the explosion to elerate further toward Raizakia. Eugene could see very well in front of him, but he could also see faint darkness encroaching at the edge of his field of view. An ominous, foreboding feeling continued to circte through his body, and it was more intense than ever before. It was a foreboding of death. Either he would die, or Raizakia would die. There was no other possible oue. Eugene danced precariously between life and dance and poured out everything he had to offer. Things continued to block his way, but his body reacted before he could even register the obstacles in front of him. It was because there was no other way. He cut, smashed, and destroyed beforeing to a realization that what blocked his path was a lump of scales ¡ª the best defense that Raizakia could conjure. However, going on the defensive was only useful when you seeded in blocking and preventing an attack. In that respect, Raizakia¡¯s defense was meaningless. Eugene was destroying everything that Raizakia was conjuring. He could run away and stall for time. It was a thought that Raizakia briefly entertained only a few minutes ago before dismissing it instantly. But even now, he wasn¡¯t willing to bear such humiliation, so he advanced. He would kill the human with his own hands, then chew and devour him. At least, that¡¯s what he was hoping for. But before he knew it, Raizakia was retreating. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder how Eugene could continue in his state. It wasn¡¯t that Eugene had avoided all injuries in the skirmish. Although Raizakia had died an overwhelming number of times already, Eugene was injured as well. Look at him. He was aplete mess. His torn sides were dyed red, and even his organs were sticking out of his body. As he swung his arms without hesitation, it was clearly visible that his muscles and skin were already torn. Broken bones jutted out of his body like thorns. His legs, which continued to propel him forward, were broken beyond movement. Even so, Eugene did not stop. If Raizakia attacked, he destroyed the attack. If Raizakia conjured a barrier, he broke through it. He continued forward in pace with Raizakia¡¯s retreat. No matter how many breaths Raizakia fired, the result was the same. Even after injuring Eugene to that degree, Raizakia just couldn¡¯t kill him. The ck Dragon saw the man¡¯s hair, which fluttered like a me. He could see his eyes, which twinkled like a madman¡¯s. Raizakia felt fear at this sight. It wasn¡¯t just fear, either. This was a terror that went beyond simple fear. Raizakia stumbled back while barely managing to stammer. ¡°You¡­. Are you really¡­ human?¡± For Raizakia, humans were insignificant beings. They weren¡¯t worthy of remembering or acknowledging, nothing more than mere insects. Humans were small, weak, and numerous, like trifling insects. Like insects? No, humans were insects. However, that one human being, Hamel, was not like a human at all. Raizakia could not possibly regard that existence as being small, weak, and insignificant. Every breath Eugene exhaled reeked of death and blood. Even at this moment, the monster was slowly dying¡­. But when? When was he going to die? The many injuries that riddled the human¡¯s body weren¡¯t being healed. The human had no regenerative powers. Crack., crack. Cracks echoed as Eugene felt his organs spilling out from his side. Annoyed, he pushed them back into the wound while gripping his sword. He tore and mashed the wound, cauterizing it with burning pain to staunch the bleeding. The bones in his legs cracked with each step, so he relied on his arms, slightly lifting himself off the ground. His arm bones were misaligned, but he forcibly readjusted them, refusing to yield. The whole thing frightened Raizakia. The ck Dragon was still faltering and backing away. ¡°Come on,¡± Eugene uttered in a cracked voice. ¡°Don¡¯t run away.¡± Run¡­? It was a humiliating thing, but Raizakia could not roar in response. Boom! Boom Boom! As Eugene approached him, the sounding from his body grew louder and louder. It was impossible to believe that such a loud, powerful beat was resounding from a broken body. It was the sound of Eugene¡¯s heart beating. For Raizakia, the beats felt like the footsteps of death approaching him. Chapter 301: Raizakia (7)

Chapter 301: Raizakia (7)

It had been hard to see. His line of sight, which had been eroded by ck and red, was suddenly illuminated by the light. Eugene looked up at Sienna¡¯s face without saying a word. ¡®Is this¡­ a dream?¡¯ He could not understand. Sienna was sealed in the World Tree, and there was no way for her toe here in the gap between dimensions. Eugene had failed to kill Raizakia. He had pushed the ck Dragon to the brink of death, but he had run out of energy first. So how was it possible for Sienna to be here? She didn¡¯t have a single wound on her, and her expression was one that Eugene knew all too well ¡ª a face that made it hard for him to discern whether she wasughing or crying. How was it that she was here, staring at him? ¡°Are you surprised?¡± she asked with a bright smile. When she pointed her finger towards him, the light that surrounded her was redirected towards Eugene. Fwoosh¡­! The light enveloped Eugene. It was a warm, gentle light, and it prated deep into Eugene¡¯s twisted, broken, scarred, and dying body. Eugene could feel precisely how the light permeated deep into his vessels, rejuvenating them as blood, how it glued each fragment of bone, and how it wove the torn muscle fibers. Kyahahahaha¡ª A burst of clearughter resonated in Eugene¡¯s head, or rather, throughout his entire being. He could clearly see the light that once again illuminated his sight. The light that permeated Eugene wasn¡¯t the light of the divine power but rather the light of the pure spirits. It was the light of the World Tree, the same light that prevented Sienna¡¯s death and protected her and the elves for hundreds of years. His body began to heal, and it wasn¡¯t just limited to external injuries either. His broken organs, including his heart and his Cores, which were utterly destroyed as a result of using Ignition twice in a row, were restored by the light of the World Tree. Eugene could no longer taste death in his mouth, and he no longer stood on the boundary between life and death. The irresistible despair had already disappeared, and the ck and red that filled his sight waspletely dispelled by the light. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± stammered Eugene. Although his body was healed, he still couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Sienna wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then passed Eugene with a brisk step. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?¡± she asked. Eugene could see Raizakia behind the veil of light, unable to advance any further. He was attempting to break through the light with disbelief on his face but failing to advance even a step further. His path was blocked by the spirits of the World Tree, as well as Sienna¡¯s magic. ¡°It¡¯s me, Hamel. Sienna Merdein.¡± Her voice quivered ever-so-slightly. She continued forward after passing Eugene, then stopped right in front of Mer. The familiar was on the ground, broken. Her small, frail body had been broken by Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Fear and the magic he used to intentionally break her. Sienna lowered herself and brought Mer¡¯s small figure into her embrace. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m not toote,¡± Sienna muttered while quietly restoring Mer¡¯s magic, imbuing mana into the helpless familiar. ¡°Lady¡­ Sienna¡­?¡± Mer was still conscious. Although she couldn¡¯t move properly and could not speak, she opened her eyes and saw a miracle. Sienna smiled in response and stroked her cheek. ¡°You worked hard.¡± ¡°Lady Sienna¡­. Lady Sienna¡­!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Mer buried her face in Sienna¡¯s chest and bawled. Sienna raised herself and returned to Eugene, holding Mer tightly in her arms. Eugene¡¯s fully recovered vision allowed him to see Sienna clearly and urately. It was¡­ truly a miracle. Her existence in this ce could not be called anything else but a miracle. Sienna''s current form did not possess a body. This Sienna in front of him was a spiritual existence created by her soul and the light of the World Tree. ¡°It was destiny created from the conditions,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°Raizakia connected this space with the forest in which the World Tree resides, creating a path. And right now, Hamel, you are here with Akasha.¡± The ne Eugene wore was a relic of his previous life, and it contained Sienna¡¯s magic. In addition, Akasha was originally an artifact created for Sienna to use. ¡°It was I who found you again, Hamel. Hamel, you¡­ did it for me. You, stupid, dumb fool. It was because you were running wild without thinking about your life and pushing that dumb, shitty lizard against the corner. And it was because you were about to die again,¡± said Sienna. She slowly stretched out her hand and helped Eugene to his feet. Eugene staggered up, then looked down at Sienna. Sienna took a deep breath, then raised her fist and gently tapped it against Eugene¡¯s chest. ¡°I couldn¡¯t just watch. That¡¯s why I, Lady Sienna, came here to save you, just in time,¡± continued Sienna. Technically speaking, the ¡®light¡¯ that rescued Eugene wasn¡¯t Sienna¡¯s power but rather the power of the World Tree. But was that really important? It was Sienna¡¯s soul that brought the light of the world tree upon this darkness, and it was only possible because Sienna had longed to save Eugene. Thinking so, Sienna gave a confident smile. Then, she turned her head to the side. Raizakia, the Demon Dragon, her adversary of centuries, was ring at her with bloodshot eyes while shouting something. His Breath and Dark Power were causing the light that separated the two sides to quiver. ¡°It¡¯s too dark here for us to celebrate our reunion,¡± grumbled Sienna, then lifted Mer, who was still buried in her arms. ¡°Mer, I am notplete enough to fight while holding you, so¡­.¡± Smack. She gave a light kiss on Mer¡¯s cheek before continuing, ¡°Go to Hamel.¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Mer barely managed to ck her jaws together, then wriggled into Eugene¡¯s cloak. Sienna fixed her hat, then turned and faced Raizakia. ¡°¡­Ehem,¡± with a small cough, she reached out to Eugene. ¡°What is it¡­?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Staff!¡± she responded. Sienna was still unstable in her form. Her body was still sealed in the World Tree, and most of her mana was contained within it. Although she had manifested herself in this ce by a miracle, she had already consumed most of her power to block Raizakia¡¯s advance and heal Eugene. However, if she could use Akasha, she could still fight, even in her iplete form. Recognizing this, Eugene handed Akasha to Sienna. ¡°It¡¯s been long,¡± muttered Sienna with a bright smile. Her words were directed to Akasha, which she had touched for the first time in hundreds of years, and to her friend, whom she was fighting along with for the first time in centuries. ¡°How¡¯s your body? Can you move?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s a lot better than before, but honestly, it¡¯s not moving great,¡± answered Eugene. He had been brought back from the brink of death. His heart had been made whole, his broken limbs mended, and his organs restored. However, even after the miraculous recovery, his body did not move as well as he expected. ¡°But it moves, right? That¡¯s enough for now. Ah, and I¡¯m only going to say this once, but don¡¯t use Ignition. If you do, I¡¯ll make sure to prioritize beating you up,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Do you think I used it because I wanted to? I used it because I had no other choice,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you not to use it from now,¡± said Sienna, raising Akasha in front of her. Rumble! Raizakia¡¯s Breath prated the light that was separating the space. But the scattering light gathered in front of Akasha ording to Sienna¡¯s will, forming a magical shield and blocking the Breath. ¡°I¡¯m by your side, Hamel.¡± He wasn¡¯t alone. Right now, he was by the side of Sienna Merdein, the only wizard capable of fighting a dragon or a Demon King. Sienna smiled, revealing her white teeth, and Eugene gave a hollowugh in response. ¡°You¡¯re not even in perfect shape,¡± said Eugene. He could feel the tip of his fingers quivering finely. However, he could dispel such things by slightly tightening his grip. Once again, Eugene took the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword in each hand. With his mind clearing up, he could once again make the connections between the blurs of his memories. He remembered how Raimira, the Dragon Duchess, had chosen to walk out of the cloak, tears in her eyes, and stood in Raizakia¡¯s way. ~ ¡ªAnd¡­ if t-this Lady is swallowed by something¡­. ¡ªThen I will take you out of this ¡°something¡¯s¡± jaws. ~ It was a conversation they had shared only a few days prior. Even until that moment, Ramira had refused to admit that the somethin¡¯ was Raizakia. However, it was clear that Raimira would have had a hunch. She would have known that her nightmares were foreshadowing a definite future, as well as what the source of her nightmares was. The red jewel embedded in her forehead would have shown her a glimpse of Raizakia¡¯s thoughts, engraving into her mind and body how she would be used by Raizakia. Even so, Raimira had voluntarily stepped out of the cloak, standing between her father and Eugene. She had refused to let Eugene and Mer die. [She¡¯s¡­. She¡¯s still alive, Sir Eugene,] said Mer. ¡°I know,¡± responded Eugene. Raizakia had given birth to Raimira only to use her for breeding. He had nned to make hery eggs continuously after allowing her to mature. As such, Raizakia had swallowed her whole instead of chewing. Raimira was still alive inside Raizakia¡¯s stomach. ¡°That was a promise,¡± said Eugene, ring at Raizakia. Everything had been over. Hamel¡¯s frightening mes had died, and his body had met the rightful fate of an insignificant human. Raizakia could have finished everything if he had taken just one more step forward. Unfortunately, he had failed to take that one step. He first prioritized swallowing his child, whom he felt not even an ounce of warmth towards. He prioritized destroying the insignificant familiar, an existence even inferior to humans, who dared to stand in his way. ¡°Sienna Merdein!¡± roared Raizakia in anger. Sienna had been given a chance to materialize because of the dy in his single step. ¡°Are you attempting to unleash your magic before a dragon? In your iplete form¡­!?¡± He could clearly see that Sienna¡¯s existence was iplete. The power of the World Tree was allowing her to materialize in this ce, but what could she do with that less-than-perfect power? There was nothing she could do. There could be nothing she could do. Raizakia raised his hand as he ground his teeth. ¡°You should not havee to this ce. You should not have shown your iplete self before me. Do you really dare to think you can stop me in your current state? You cannot. It is impossible!¡± This was only a matter of course as well. Hamel¡¯s wounds had recovered, but he would not be able to fight like before. Raizakia saw that Hamel¡¯s mana was not flowing like before. In his current state, it would be impossible for him to explode the mana in his heart and his Core. Indeed, whether he failed to take a single step made no difference. It had simply been dyed. Raizakia was not out of strength yet. The Lord¡¯s Dragon Heart he consumed three centuries ago had empowered him with more Dark Power. Moreover, if necessary, he could deprive his hatchling of her power. ¡°You must be scared, right?¡± whispered Sienna. ¡°My existence must be a nightmare to you.¡± ¡°Do not get ahead of yourself, human¡­!¡± snarled Raizakia. ¡°I have the right to act arrogant in front of you, don¡¯t I? I was the one who imprisoned you in this pitch-ck darkness. Raizakia, you¡¯re no dragon. You¡¯re just a cowardly bastard. You tried to kill me and rob me of Akasha when I was mortally wounded,¡± retorted Sienna. Even Eugene had been unable to use Akasha until he was granted ownership by Sienna. However, Sienna could use Akasha even after giving ownership to Eugene because Akasha was a staff that was exclusively created for her. Raizakia had coveted Akasha. He had desired to kill Sienna to take Akasha as his own. ¡°You could not tolerate my existence,¡± Sienna said with a sneer. ¡°Akasha wasn¡¯t the only thing you were obsessed with. You were obsessed with me. I, a human, was a greater wizard than you. You could not tolerate my existence, which was why you came to kill me at my weakest moment, right?¡± When Sienna came to the Samar Rainforest, she had not been in possession of Akasha. At that point in time, Akasha had been enshrined in Akron. Even so, Raizakia searched for Sienna, and he came to thend of the elves to kill her. Sienna smiled and wiggled her finger. ¡°Raizakia, do you know what I thought when I discovered your name? You¡¯re a coward. A coward who didn¡¯t want to die, a coward who was so afraid of the Demon King that he betrayed the dragons. A coward who iscent with being a duke, a coward who is too afraid to challenge the Demon King even after being corrupted from a great existence.¡± A light appeared from her wriggling finger. A storm of mana began to form around her ethereal form. It was Eternal Hole, the epitome of the Circles Magic Form. The mana that poured out of Akasha drew an infinite trajectory in Sienna¡¯s Eternal Hole. ¡°I admit it, Raizakia. You can kill me anytime. You have the power. Even so, you cannot best me when ites to magic. You didn¡¯te to me because you knew this truth, did you? That¡¯s why I call you a coward,¡± said Sienna. It was a remark not worth refuting. And yet, how did it find its mark deep inside his heart¡­? Raizakia shook with anger and humiliation. He stared at the infinite trajectory of the whirlwind in Sienna¡¯s chest. He had heard of the Eternal Hole. After the war, the human wizard was said to have settled in Aroth, inventing the Circles Magic Form to greatly develop human magic. The epitome of magic she developed after studying for only decades¡­ was that. He could not admit it. Raizakia attempted to understand and grasp the Eternal Hole, but even he, a dragon, could notprehend the infinite trajectory formed inside it. ¡°Kuaaagh!¡± Raizakia kicked off the ground with a roar. If he could not understand it, he would destroy it. There would be no need forprehension once he destroyed all traces of it. ¡°I must have had it right on the dot for you to get this angry,¡± giggled Sienna before turning to Eugene. Eugene mimicked her smile while raising the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamel.¡± A whirlwind of magic appeared around Sienna. Chapter 302: Raizakia (8)

Chapter 302: Raizakia (8)

Sienna¡¯s wind enveloped Eugene. It was a familiar, nostalgic sensation. Three centuries ago, Sienna would often wrap her wind around Hamel during battles. The wind served to protect Hamel from the magic of the enemies while allowing him to fight more freely. Hundreds of years had passed since then. He had experienced death once already, and he now lived in a new body after reincarnation. However, at this moment, Eugene thought that nothing had changed. He was now Eugene Lionheart, and also Hamel Dynas, and now ¡ª Sienna Merdein was by his side. ¡°Right.¡± He raised both the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The power that allowed him to push Raizakia was already gone, and he could not use Ignition again. Moreover, he had to be cautious, ensuring that Prominence would not go out of control. Given that the flow and the output of mana in his body were unstable, using the Empty Sword or Eclipse didn¡¯t seem like viable options either. Raizakia looked to be in better condition. Although Eugene had cut and crushed the dragon¡¯s scales, Raizakia had recovered from most of the damage during the brief respite he was given. While he might be weaker than before due to the expended Dark Power, it was evident that Raizakia was in a much better statepared to Eugene. As such, Eugene wasn¡¯t in a particrly advantageous situation. Even so, Eugene felt no foreboding sensation of defeat. Raizakia could feel the shift in atmosphere as well. The change was quite palpable. Just a moment ago, Hamel¡¯s eyes and expression had betrayed the despair he felt. Throughout their extended battle, the despair had never once left Hamel¡¯s side, even during moments when he held the advantage. It was because Hamel had sensed that the tides of the battle could turn at any moment and that death was an inevitable end for him. But now, there was not even a remnant of the despair from earlier. ¡®This changes nothing,¡¯ Raizakia thought. ¡®Absolutely nothing,¡¯?he reminded himself once more. Woooooo! The Dark Power surrounding Raizakia began to boil and erupt, giving birth to a sh of light in the midst of the powerful energy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the magic,¡± reassured Sienna, raising Akasha in front of her. Countless Circles appeared in the infinite, intertwining loops of Eternal Hole. The Circles divided, intertwined, scattered, and divided repeatedly. The most optimal operation of mana for the Circles Form. A resulting amplification of magical powers. An efficient simplification of forms. An omission of incantations. Division of consciousness to allow for multiple castings. Storing magic in the unconscious forter use. Those were the advantages of the Eternal Hole that Mer had outlined in the past in Akron. And although Eugene had created the Ring me Form bybining the White me Form and the Eternal Hole, even now, he could not fullyprehend the Eternal Hole. It was even more difficult to understand now that he saw it in person. The mana that Sienna emitted in her iplete, spiritual state was faint and weak. However, the magic she conjured wasn¡¯t weak at all. Fwoosh! A sphere of fire appeared in front of Akasha. It was simple magic, a spell of the First Circle that was widely used ¡ª Fireball. However, the Fireball that Sienna conjured exuded an absurd level of heat. It simply could not be considered an attack of the First Circle. Dozens more Fireballs appeared in front of Akasha, and they formed into a huge wheel of mes as if they were one entity. The fire wheel began to rotate, and the raging heat started to umte within the wheel instead of spilling outward. Booom! Dark Power poured out of the darkness that surrounded Raizakia. Countless magic attacks swept through the space, attempting to devour Eugene and Sienna. At that precise moment, the heat contained in the wheel of mes was released, blocking the dragon¡¯s magic. The spinning, ming wheel began advancing towards Raizakia. Eugene kicked off the ground without hesitation. As the wheel of fire ripped through the Dark Power, it created a gap for him to exploit. Eugene charged into the space, then swung both his swords. However, he was slower than before. It was easily avoidable. Raizakia raised his hand while stepping away from the trajectory of the twin des. The arm of the dragon grew in size and dropped towards Eugene¡¯s head as a giant, blunt instrument of death. However, his attack was caught midway. Sienna had secretly conjured a magical restraint that seized the scales covering Raizakia¡¯s arm. Before he could shake off the restraint, the Holy Sword severed his arm, and the Moonlight Sword dug into his chest. ¡°Kuaagh!¡± Raizakia roared while forcing his body to warp with Dark Power. He hastily underwent a transformation using Polymorph. Craaack! The Moonlight Sword¡¯s light was fainter than before with Eugene¡¯s decrease in power. Eugene had failed to pierce all the way with the Moonlight Sword. However, he did not attempt to drive the sword further into the dragon¡¯s chest but instead pulled it out without any hesitation. He could fight confidently and with surety because he wasn¡¯t alone. Dozens of lights sparkled behind Eugene. The sparkles of light passed Eugene like fireflies and reached Raizakia. Were they fireflies? Insects? Unfortunately, the figures of light that prated Raizakia¡¯s chest weren¡¯t as trivial as fireflies. Rumble! The sparkles of light exploded after settling down, sending Raizakia flying backward. ¡°Keugh¡­!¡± A dragon¡¯s scale was immune and protective against most magic. However, the bullets of magic had found their mark in the gap between the scales and struck their roots. Even if Sienna¡¯s magic was superior to Raizakia¡¯s, the inherent advantages he possessed as a dragon made it impossible for him to die from a magical strike. As such, Sienna could not kill Raizakia. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem right now since she wasn¡¯t alone. Three centuries ago, the five of them had been powerful because their powers were in perfect harmony. If it was impossible to kill something with magic, they would cut it down with a sword. If they could not cut it down, they would beat it to death. If it was impossible to beat it to death, they could purify it with light. If they could not purify it, they would find another way. In this regard, Eugene and Sienna were capable of producing almost a simr level of harmony as they did with all five of their group present three centuries ago. Although neither of them was an expert in divine magic, they had the Holy Sword. What theycked in power with the Holy Sword could be made up with the Moonlight Sword. Moreover, they even had an Archwizard who could look down at even a dragon. Raizakia was experiencing first-hand what this represented. It was difficult for him to fight, and the battle wasn¡¯t going the way he wanted. He could not dictate the fight. If Eugene had pushed him with overwhelming force earlier, now, the two humans were literally dismantling Raizakia. It was hard to pierce a dragon¡¯s scales with magic. As such, Eugene would first cut down the scales with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. Sienna would follow up with her magic, prating into thecerations and causing the scales to explode from their roots, tearing the dragon¡¯s flesh and causing blood to spill. Then the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword would take over once more. Raizakia did not stop resisting. However, his defensive magic was weakened by the continued barrage of attacks. On top of that, his attacks were cut short by magic. He felt appalled by the devastation surrounding him on all sides. The two swords blocked the close-ranged Breaths he unleashed before they could even cause any damage, and he was reduced to a iling fool when both his arms were blocked and deflected repeatedly. Each and every one of his actions was being met with restraint. He could neither advance nor retreat as he wished. What could he do? Before he could think of an answer, Raizakia was flung backward. The left side of his body felt empty. In the blink of an eye, more than ten different spells had impacted him, robbing him of his left arm. This was impossible. Raizakia¡¯s eyes quivered. It took too long for his arm to regenerate.?The Sword of Destruction was upon him even faster than his arm could regenerate. With a desperate scream, Raizakia swung his right arm. Kakakaka! The scales of his right arm were wiped clean by the moonlight. Sienna knew that the light of the Moonlight Sword inherently rejected magic. As such, she didn¡¯t ce her magic right behind the Moonlight Sword but instead ensured that it hovered around Eugene, keeping pace and protecting him. ¡°I missed this,¡± Sienna whispered wistfully. The various spells circling around Eugene simultaneously fired toward Raizakia. His left arm, which was in the process of forming with new flesh, scales, and bones, was destroyed again. However, Sienna¡¯s magic did not stop there but proceeded to infiltrate into the stump of Raizakia¡¯s left arm. Impurities formed in the ck Dragon¡¯s blood. Clumps of Sienna¡¯s mana had transformed and reduced to minuscule sizes like invisible parasites, poking their heads into Raizakia¡¯s vessels. She dares. She dares. She dares! Raizakia gnashed his teeth while unleashing his Dark Power. Did the wench think she could taint a dragon¡¯s blood with such meager magic? In response to the Dark Power, the impurities in his blood were burnt away. Boooom! However, the action resulted in an explosion beginning from Raizakia¡¯s left shoulder. More explosions followed, causing the ck Dragon¡¯s scales to scatter from the inside out. The moment Raizakia had unleashed his Dark Power, the conditions for Sienna¡¯s magic had bepleted, sticking to the Dark Power and causing an explosion. The power of the explosions wasn¡¯t great. Even though the explosions had taken ce inside Raizakia¡¯s body, every aspect of a dragon was resistant to magic, including their blood, bones, flesh, and scales. But it didn¡¯t matter if Raizakia was still alive. Sienna had achieved her purpose of creating a gap. Raizakia knew this as well since the internal shock caused him to stiffen. For a brief moment, he was unable to move his body as he wished. Although it was a very short moment, it was more than enough time for a seasoned warrior to wield his sword dozens of times. It wasn¡¯t as if Eugene had been told to swing his swords at this moment. The two of them had not even shared a nce. But this was something they had aplished thousands of times. As such, Eugene stabbed the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword toward Raizakia without hesitation with an instinctual tacit understanding. Noooo. He couldn¡¯t dodge it. This could kill him. Nooo. Would he really die? What about his body? It still wasn¡¯t responding to his will. Defensive magic, no, it would be toote. There was only one thing he could do. The ancient Demon Dragon found the only choice he could make in this critical moment. Craaack! The moment the two swords pierced his chest, Raizakia¡¯s body started swelling up. As a result, despite the two swords havingpletely prated his chest, the strikes ended up being too shallow. Raizakia had chosen to abandon his human form. He had released Polymorph and returned to his draconic form at thest moment. Even so, he had failed topletely avoid the attack. Although shallow, the two swords had still prated his chest, and the strike resulted in damage to his Dragon Heart. ¡°Kuaaaaaghhhh!¡± Raizakia released a bellowing scream. He attempted to rise into the air by pping his tattered,rge wings. Eugene pulled the swords out of the dragon¡¯s chest. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the right choice?¡± he scoffed before kicking Raizakia in the chest. Fwoosh! A storm of Dark Power was unleashed from Raizakia¡¯s wings, but there was no need for Eugene to defend. Sienna¡¯s magic protected him in the violent storm. ¡°I know, right?¡± Siennaughed in the same way from behind. The wound on Raizakia¡¯s chest was recovering slowly, and the storm of Dark Power was clearly much weaker than before. It was because of the injury to his Dragon Heart. Raizakia had narrowly avoided death by releasing Polymorph, but the wound he sustained was fatal. To make matters worse, Raizakia knew all too well that his enormous, draconic form held almost no advantage over the two small humans. But he had been left with no choice. Raizakia looked down before spreading his jaws wide. Kwaaaahh! A Breath of ck poison poured down toward Eugene and Sienna. ¡°Go, Hamel,¡± whispered Sienna. Crack! The Wing of Prominence soared from Eugene¡¯s back. The scattering feathers were empowered with Sienna¡¯s magic, and Eugene felt Raizakia¡¯s magic, which had been dominating the space around them, being destroyed by Sienna. Swoosh! His feathers were allowed to scatter, and simultaneously, Eugene disappeared. Dozens of fluttering feathersid a path for him, and he transformed into a bolt of ck lightning, dodging Raizakia¡¯s poisonous Breath and shooting into the sky. Sienna was left alone, faced with the ck Dragon¡¯s Poison Breath. It was the same attack that had driven her to the brink of death two centuries ago. However, Sienna did not fear this breath attack. Her green eyes did not reflect the pouring darkness; instead, they captured the light cutting through the darkness. ¡®That¡¯s right. Light.¡¯ Sienna Merdein had departed from hell after the war, but her life continued to be hell. Without any light to illuminate her life, it was always dark for her, regardless of where she was. She had trudged on, using memories from a distant past as a candlelight to motivate her. For decades after returning from hell, she had longed for the very light she saw now. That light was the midday sun, the moon in the lightless night, and her guiding stars. It was a light that she had never hoped to see again during her life, a light that was wholly hers. ¡°You can¡¯t swallow it,¡± whispered Sienna. The poison, darkness, and the Dark Power of Raizakia were too weak to devour the light. She raised Akasha. Fwoosh! A giant magic circle appeared in front of her. The same was true for her. The dragon could not swallow her. Raizakia¡¯s desperate barrage of Breaths could not bypass Sienna¡¯s defensive magic. The ck Dragon hurriedly twisted his head to change the trajectory of the Breaths because he could feel death approaching him. However, no matter how many breath attacks he fired, the looming death did not retreat. Raizakia desperately squeezed out everyst bit of his Dark Power in an attempt to stop the impending doom in its path. However, it was a futile attempt. The ck mes broke through his defenses effortlessly. Raizakia couldn¡¯t even try to Polymorph. He couldn¡¯t afford the time. Surprisingly, what he first felt was a warm sensation. The light of destruction that pierced his neck was¡­ warm, unlike before, and contrary to the ominous color it emitted. He felt the passing of warmth, followed by a sudden coldness. Even the heat of the spewing blood could do nothing against the frigid chill. His vision began to tilt, and he had no say. The enormous pool of Dark Power residing within him began to ebb out uncontrobly. He failed to hold onto even a handful of the dissipating power. ¡°Keuh¡­.¡± Everything was disappearing. What had he longed for? What had he craved so badly, so much that he chose to be a Demon Dragon? ¡­Was there even such a thing from the beginning? All Raizakia had desired, even at the cost of corrupting himself, was life. He had already lost honor and glory the moment he fell. He had obsessed over the very things because he had lost them. He had attempted to renew what he had lost and all to protect his arrogant self. Despite his corruption, he had convinced himself to be great, absolute, and noble. Anyone who failed to understand him was insignificant. But now, everything lost meaning. He felt everything to have been in vain. ¡°Was it like this from the very beginning?¡± He felt no seething anger, and he didn¡¯t feel any doubt towards himself either. He had defied his fate by means of corruption once before, but he no longer had the means to resist it anymore. It was already over. The Demon Dragon had finally reached a dragon-like conclusion the moment his head was cut, and his Dragon Heart destroyed. ¡°You¡¯re not insignificant,¡± Raizakia acknowledged. ¡°Rather, I was the insignificant existence.¡± If he had survived, he could have continued his arrogant life. But now that he was dying, he could no longer be arrogant. The Dragon Lord, whom he had killed with his own hands, and the others who died at the hands of the Demon Kings, had died a dragon. They had died for the world. However, Raizakia¡¯s death wasn¡¯t one of such honor or glory. The fallen Demon Dragon was only paying what he owed. His death was ate atonement for his sins. Raizakiaughed without feeling pity at his own pathetic, miserable death. ¡°Could my death be any uglier¡­?¡± Raizakia gave a long sigh while moving his eyes. He saw Eugene as his vision darkened. He saw the Sword of Destruction held in Eugene¡¯s hand. If only he had died by that light three centuries ago¡­. Raizakia closed his eyes with regret. Chapter 300: Raizakia (6) [Bonus Image] Eugene felt death drawing closer and closer, but it was still okay. He could still move, and he could still fight. Eugene ignored the darkness and the redness encroaching on the edge of his vision and moved forward. [¡­..! ¡­.. ¡­..!] He was already quite dizzy, and the unintelligible screams and begging resounding inside his head only worsened it. ¡®It¡¯s fine,¡¯ he grumbled as if intending for them to hear it. In truth, he wasn¡¯t fine. It was quite obvious. The bones of his arms and legs were broken. Even so, he could rece his legs with levitating magic, and he was still capable of holding his sword with his hands. He had already forced the dislocated bones back into ce as well. He knew he risked severe aftermath without proper first aid, but what did that matter when his life was at stake? He knew that even serious residues would disappear like a lie with a few good smacks on his back from Kristina and Anise. The wound on his waist was quite deep. He had already stuffed his intestines back into the wound and sizzled the area, but the pain still remained. But that didn¡¯t matter either. It wasn¡¯t as if the paining from his side was the only pain he felt. In any case, his body still moved well, and his me was unwavering, burning as bright as ever. He was filled with power, and he was capable of swinging his swords. His mana red violently, and tried to devour everything in his surroundings, even without Eugene¡¯s consciousmands. That¡¯s why he couldn¡¯t waste a minute or even a second of his precious time right now. Eugene saw the fear in the ck Dragon¡¯s eyes. It felt surreal. He couldn¡¯t believe that even the arrogant, maniac ck Dragon could show such an expression of fear. Was it because of the Moonlight Sword? Because it was a sword belonging to Destruction? Or was Raizakia just afraid of him? Eugene wasn¡¯t particrly curious. On the contrary, Eugene felt rather flustered to see the ck Dragon with such an expression. He wanted the ck Dragon¡¯s arrogance and insanity to persist. Eugene wanted Raizakia to despise humans without reason. Eugene had in countless demons and strong adversaries with the same mindset in his previous life. Those who believed themselves to be superior and special tended to rely wholly on their own strengths. They were bound to slip and show weakness because they were unwavering in their superiority over their enemies. Such enemies were easy to hunt. Even if their attacks failed, and even when they were driven into a corner, they raged in dismissing it all as being mere coincidence or attacked in anger over having their pride shattered. Thankfully, Raizakia had acted simrly earlier. But now, uncharacteristically, there was fear in his expression. It was difficult and troublesome to hunt such an enemy. It was because they had abandoned the arrogance of the strong and epted the slyness of the weak. It was quite evident. Earlier, Raizakia denied his emotions and attacked Eugene with all his might to protect his pride. But now, Raizakia no longer denied what he felt. He was taking steps back¡­ retreating. ¡°Don¡¯t run away,¡± spat Eugene once more. It was meant to provoke Raizakia. Eugene hoped that the ck Dragon would once again resort to attacking in hopes of protecting his self-esteem. Had his voice been inaudible? Raizakia continued to step back¡­.No, it couldn¡¯t have been. Even if it had been quiet, there was no way that Raizakia missed it with the heightened senses of a dragon. ¡°Are you afraid of me?¡± Eugeneughed, his lips curling into a twisted smile. Raizakia¡¯s eyes quivered at Eugene¡¯s words. ¡°A millennium-old Ancient Dragon. The ck Dragon, the strongest of them all and the first to fall. One of Helmuth¡¯s Three Dukes. Raizakia, you, who consider humans to be pathetic insects ¡ª are you afraid of me?¡± Raizakia could not find the words to respond. He wanted to deny Eugene¡¯s words with a scoff, but even at this moment, he was continuing to take steps backward. ¡°Keep running if you are afraid,¡± said Eugene, his bloody smile distorted. ¡°Kuaaagh!¡± Raizakia roared, along with an eruption of Dark Power. Running away never suited him in the first ce. Raizakia attempted to deny Eugene¡¯s words as he stomped forward. Craaack! The scales covering his arms were the first to undergo transformation. Raizakia blocked Eugene¡¯s advance by swinging his arms, which had transformed into sharp des. However, Eugene did not bother to swing his swords in response. Craaack! Craaaack! The me surrounding Eugene¡¯s body became mixed with lightning, and the bolt of ck lightning easily crossed over the obstacle. It was a speed far beyond imagination. Raizakia attempted to erect a defensive barrier in shock, but the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword cut down the barrier with ease. Just before the swords reached Raizakia, the ck Dragon retreated into the air. Draconic was a power that allowed the transformation of anything into magic. ¡ªI think it¡¯s a littleughable to discuss the depths of magic with you, a dragon, but Raizakia, how should I say this? Well, your Draconic is¡­. Should I say it¡¯s a little inadequate? Well, I¡¯m talking about your imagination. After all, Draconic or not, it¡¯s still trapped within a cast of magic. The mockingughter and words of the profligate, vulgar Night Demon circled his head. There was nothing special about her except her oh, so wonderful, great eyes. In fact, if the two of them battled with their lives on the line, there was no way he would lose to the Night Demon. But what? Someone like you, who only relies on dreams to attack, dares? He was on a different level than her. His scales would sprout anew when broken, no matter how many times, and they could neutralize most attacks. He was immortal. He could destroy an entire nation with a single Poison Breath. He possessed power superior to any living thing or being. ¡ªIn the end, you betrayed your own kind out of fear. The only thing you obtained from corruption was lengthening your life¡­. And even if you devoured the Dragon Heart of the Lord, aren¡¯t dragons a race filled to the brim with mana in the first ce? What else? You transformed your mana into Dark Power? Unfortunately, Raizakia, the power you gained from the fall isn¡¯t so greatpared to your days as a dragon. Instead, you have lost your honor. I can¡¯t believe you speak of bing the greatest of the Three Dukes¡­. I will pretend I didn¡¯t hear you. Raizakia remembered the emotionless gaze that peered down at him. Did the small creature really think he was a sword just because he held the title of ¡®de¡¯? He wasn¡¯t a great existence but a worm from birth. He was just a parasite who relied on the Demon King. Just a traitor? Do you really think that you can look down on my power? And¡­ The Demon King of Destruction, who had always looked down from his throne. He had in countless dragons without a single change in his expression. Even after a dragon corrupted himself and bowed before him, the Demon King had always remained indifferent without betraying any emotions. The Demon King of Destruction was no more than a collection of mysterious materialization of ominousness. Even though Raizakia had fought against him, it was impossible to even know what the Demon King looked like. The Demon King of Destruction had been an existence seemingly created by shaping menace into reality. They were the only ones who could stand on equal footing as himself and look down on him. If he were ever afraid of something, it would be¡­. ¡°Gasp¡­!¡± The weapons were stopped before his neck by an indiscernible distance. Eugene¡¯s weapons were swords of definite length, but the radiant mes and moonlight made it impossible to measure their reach. Although the thick, ovepping scales covering his neck had been destroyed, his head was still intact. Raizakia knew that there was no significance in losing his head. He knew that he could regenerate his head as many times as he wanted, but still, he did not want to get cut. Even if he survived, the memories would umte, as would his fear. He was afraid he would never open his eyes again when he lost his head and thoughts. Dark Power collided with Eugene¡¯s me, but a burst of moonlight quickly severed the two forces. Raizakia desperately resisted all the attacks that came at him and attacked Eugene. However, Gedon¡¯s Shield rerouted all of the dragon¡¯s attacks into nothing, and Eugene boldly redirected the attacks that he failed to block with the shield. His body became riddled with many more shallow wounds. Even so, he did not stop. The collision was never equal, for Raizkia was always the one who was forced to retreat with each meeting. It was the same now. No, rather, it was slightly different. This time, he could not retreat. The rampaging strikes restricted his movements, and his arms had beencerated to shreds. His scales, which were supposed to be harder than anything else in the world, had been torn like paper. Just a little bit more. Raizakia thought as he saw Eugene beyond the broken, fluttering scales and the ck, poisonous blood. Eugene¡¯s lips were bloody, and even at this moment, he was vomitingrge amounts of blood. The bones of both his arms were sticking out once more from overexerting them. Just a little bit more. Surely, he could sever the human¡¯s armspletely if he pressed him a bit further. Or perhaps he could kill the human entirely. Just a little bit more. Eugene shared the same thought. He continued to shred the scales off the dragon and cut down everything in his way, including the dragon¡¯s arms, legs, tail, and Dark Power. Eugene could see the terrible state his body was in. His arms were tattered and were close to ripping apart, unable to withstand his power. But strangely enough, Eugene felt no pain. From a certain point on, he could no longer feel pain. He didn¡¯t know if his mind had broken or if he had numbed himself to pain to keep himself from breaking. ¡®Just a little bit more,¡¯ he thought once more. He was driving the Demon Dragon into a corner. A little more. If he took one more step, he could kill Raizakia. There were no unexpected variables like before, and he wasn¡¯t going to make a mistake either. Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Heart would be located somewhere inside his body, and if he cut the dragon¡¯s entire body into pieces and destroyed itpletely, he would crush the Dragon Heart in the process as well. Then, everything would be over. ¡°Keugh!¡± Blood spewed out of Raizakia¡¯s mouth. He had suffered arge wound, a cut to his chest that reached far too deep. Raizakia hurriedly created a tail and wrapped it around his chest. However, it was useless. A flurry of deadly strikes ripped his tail to pieces, and the fluttering me grew closer to him. He lost his hands as he raised them to block the moonlight and the me, and they regenerated too slowly! Raizakia opened his mouth wide in response to the devastating blow that was already upon his chest. He squeezed out a Breath, and it worked as a shield. The devastating blow was briefly interrupted by his breath, and Raizakia jumped back in fear. He knew his Breath had been insufficient to offset Eugene¡¯s attackpletely. See? After the very brief interruption, the strike continued on its path after splitting apart Raizakia¡¯s Breath. In addition, a sphere the size of a fist rose into the air where the Breath had been split. Rumbleee! The scattering remnants of Dark Power were absorbed into the sphere. Eclipse. Raizakia didn¡¯t know the name of the horrific attack, but he knew how terrible it was from experiencing it several times. He recited Draconic spells, causing Dark Power to bind under a powerful, firm will. Dark Power that was controlled and bound by magic could not be absorbed by Eclipse. Block, tear, break, burst, and disappear. Raizakia¡¯s words caused an eruption of Dark Power. Craaack! Magic blocked the explosion of Eclipse. Raizakia was exhausted, and he was swept back by the remnants of the st. What was this disgrace¡­!? Raizakia braced himself after rolling several times on the ground. He didn¡¯t even have time to roar in anger since the monster wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. ¡°¡­..?¡± However, the attack he expected never came. There was no ominous light of destruction, no ck mes, and no hypocritical, brilliant light. Nothing came for him. ¡°¡­What¡¯s happening?¡± Raizakia staggered to his feet and looked ahead to where he had unleashed his Breath, where Eclipse hade from. He saw Eugene lying there. What¡­ was happening? Raizakia couldn¡¯t immediatelyprehend what was happening in front of him. He could not believe his eyes. The human who had been attacking him like a demon, the ghost from three centuries past, was on the ground in front of him. Was he ying a dirty trick? Perhaps the human was pretending so that Raizakia would let his guard down¡­. Perhaps he would attack the moment Raizakia approached him. It was entirely possible. Raizakia gulped as he red at Eugene. He heard a sound. He heard the sound of a heart beating and the sound of death¡¯s approaching footsteps. The clear, loud sound of the human¡¯s beating heart¡­ he could hardly hear it now. It was extremely quiet as if it would stop at any moment. ¡°Ha¡­.¡± Raizakia¡¯s lips twitched into a smile. ¡°Hahahahaha! Kuhaha! Hahahaha!¡± The human had run out of strength. The inhuman power, which had been too great for humans to handle, had finally run out. This was only a matter of course. In fact, it should have happened earlier. With his broken body, the human should have fallen earlier. Raizakiaughed maniacally while shaking his head. Eugene could hear neither theughter nor the screaminging from inside his cloak. The only thing he could hear was the words ying over and over inside his head: More. Just a little bit more. [Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene¡­! W-wake up. You must wake up¡­!] It sounded like Mer, but Eugene couldn¡¯t quite understand what she was talking about. Why was she being so loud? If he knew this would happen, he would have chosen to leave her behind¡­. Where was Raizakia? Was he dead? It felt as if Raizakia had been on the brink of death. Had he killed him? Was it¡­ over? ¡®¡­Sienna.¡¯ He ced his bloody palms against the ground. He didn¡¯t remember when he had copsed, but he could not fall yet. However, his body wasn¡¯t moving very well. He couldn¡¯t feel the blood circting through his body¡­. Was it because he had bled too much? Was it because his arms and legs were like rags? Or was it because his Cores were broken? Raizakia flinched and froze when Eugene attempted to stand up. However, Eugene ended up falling back to the ground in his attempt. Raizakia¡¯s lips slowly twitched into a smile once more, and he started approaching Eugene. ¡®I-I have to protect him.¡¯ Mer was still connected to Eugene. Unfortunately, unlike when she was in Akron, she didn¡¯t have many tools at her disposal. In her current state, there wasn¡¯t muchbat magic avable to Mer. She saw Raizakia approaching Eugene, and she opened the cloak with a gasp. Even if there was nothing she could do, she couldn¡¯t let Raizakia continue approaching Eugene. It would have been over with just a little bit more. No, but it wasn¡¯t over yet. If she could persist for a little while, then Sir Eugene would rise once more. Mer believed so. A terrifying, appalling wave of Dragon Fear washed over Mer. Even though she was formed from magic, it felt like her body would be torn to shreds. Even so, Mer did not lose grip on her consciousness. She desperately resisted and attempted to leave the cloak. However, something grabbed her wrist, then pulled her back. It was Raimira. Her face was white, and her eyes red from all the tears she shed, but she vigorously shook her head towards Mer. ¡°W-what are you doing? Don¡¯t stop me!¡± shouted Mer. ¡°N-no. W-what can you do?¡± asked Raimira. Before Mer could express her anger, Raimira crawled out of the crevice of the cloak. ¡°H-hiek¡­.¡± The first thing Raimira noticed was the stench of blood. Then, she saw Eugene, who was as broken as he could be. Raimira cupped her hand over her mouth to stifle her scream, then staggered to her feet. She wanted to check Eugene¡¯s wound and help him, but Raimira quickly realized that that wasn¡¯t an option for her. She turned her head towards the source of her frantic fear. ¡°I-i-i¡­ I-it¡¯s been a long time, f-father¡­ N-no, the ck Dragon¡­.¡± Raimira did her best to smile, but her lips didn¡¯t move as she wanted them to. The best she could do was to quietly stammer her words. Her head hurt. It felt as if the red jewel in her forehead was squeezing and crushing her brain. She couldn¡¯t remain standing, so Raimira copsed while clutching the jewel. Even so, she did not close her eyes, and she did not turn her head. Raimira stared at Raizakia while shedding tears of pain and fear. ¡°P-p-please, oh ck Dragon. C-could you not spare this human¡­? This human can no longer threaten you¡­.¡± ¡°Raimira,¡± called out Raizakia, his eyes bent into a smile shaped like a crescent moon. However, his smile did nothing to reassure Raimira. Instead, her trembling only intensified. ¡°Y-yes¡­. It¡¯s me, Raimira¡­. T-the only flesh of the ck Dragon¡­. I-I did my best to protect the Dragon Demon Castle i-in your absence¡­. A-and¡­. A-and¡­. I came here to s-save you. P-please, spare the life of this human¡­ for me. L-let me brand him myself and t-take him as a ve¡­,¡± stammered Raimira. ¡°Come here,¡± Raizakia said with a chuckle. ¡°My daughter. Your voice is too small. I cannot hear it.¡± ¡°Hiek¡­.¡± It was a mean, frightening remark. Unable to stand up, Raimira got on her knees, crawled, and pushed herself forward with both hands. ¡°P-please¡­ oh ck Dragon¡­. Please, spare that human¡­.¡± Raizakia reached out to Raimira with a smile in response. Fwoosh! His outstretched hand changed in appearance. His arms became arge, long neck, and his hand became a huge head. The dragon opened his maw wide and attacked Raimira. She did not have time to scream or run away. The dragon¡¯s head was upon her in a moment, and it swallowed her whole. ¡°You exist for me.¡± Raizakia raised his arm with a bright smile. Gulp. The dragon¡¯s neck wobbled, and it returned to a hand and an arm. ¡°Do not worry, my daughter, I will not digest you here. I¡­ have been looking forward to something else from even before your birth,¡± said Raizakia. After escaping from this sickening ce, he would have his daughter birth an army for him. He would have hery as many eggs as possible, then devour her when she was no longer useful. With a smile, Raizakia turned his head towards Eugene once more. However, the smile disappeared from his face immediately. It was because of a truly insignificant being standing in front of Eugene. She was a familiar created with magic, but her face and appearance were truly unpleasant and abhorrent for Raizakia to look at. The familiar looked just like Sienna Merdein. ¡°G¡­ give her back,¡± Mer squeaked. Eugene had not gotten to his feet yet. ¡°The stupid kid¡­ you swallowed¡­. Spit her out right now¡­!¡± What was that pathetic familiar talking about? Spit her out? Was shemanding him? Raizakia stopped in his ce, but only because he was dumbfounded. ¡°And¡­ and, don¡¯te any closer. If youe any closer¡­. If youe any closer¡­.¡± ¡°And what,¡± said Raizakia. He slowly raised his finger and pointed at Mer. ¡°What on earth can you possibly do?¡± Rumbleee! A storm of Dark Power washed over Mer. She stretched out her hands with a scream. The defensive barrier she prepared could not stop the storm of power even for a moment. The barrier was shattered, and Mer was thrown back. ¡°You¡¯re just a pathetic familiar in imitation of your master, a true insect inferior even to humans. Yet, you stand in my way and dare tomand me? Indeed, it¡¯s hard tough when something is so ridiculous,¡± spat Raizakia, ring at Mer with his crimson eyes. He had not killed her, for he had a better idea. It would be far more entertaining to rip off the familiar¡¯s arms and legs and throw it in front of Sienna Merdein. But he would kill Hamel. Right, he didn¡¯t know if the wench would recognize his new face, but he would chew it all up and devour everything apart from his head. ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ don¡¯te any closer¡­!¡± cried Mer, attempting to stagger to her feet. But she could not. Her legs had beenpletely torn off. She didn¡¯t feel any pain. As a familiar, she felt no pain. However, it felt as if her heart was breaking. Mer crawled on the ground while swallowing her tears. Raizakia approached Eugene with joy. He wasn¡¯t dead yet, but¡­ he would die soon. He could hear the human¡¯s heart growing fainter. He needed to hurry up. He would devour the human before he waspletely unconscious. Raizakia reached for Eugene with a grin. Suddenly, a ray of light descended, parting the darkness and dividing the space into two. Raizakia was blocked by the light and unable to advance any further. ¡°This is¡­?¡± His eyes filled with shock. He had experienced one unbelievable thing after another, but now, something truly unbelievable was taking ce. A figure slowly descended in the light that pierced the darkness, and the light pushed away the darkness after making contact with the ground. Eugene felt the warm light with his fingers. A little bit of energy returned to his body, and he raised his head. ¡°I thought you were going toe to save me. So what¡¯s with your current look?¡± Her mauve hair fluttered. Thud. The archwizard ced her hands on her waist and looked down at Eugene after stepping on the ground. ¡°So I came to save you first, Hamel.¡± It was Sienna Merdein, and she smiled with eyes moistened with tears. Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts Chapter 301: Raizakia (7)

Chapter 301: Raizakia (7)

It had been hard to see. His line of sight, which had been eroded by ck and red, was suddenly illuminated by the light. Eugene looked up at Sienna¡¯s face without saying a word. ¡®Is this¡­ a dream?¡¯ He could not understand. Sienna was sealed in the World Tree, and there was no way for her toe here in the gap between dimensions. Eugene had failed to kill Raizakia. He had pushed the ck Dragon to the brink of death, but he had run out of energy first. So how was it possible for Sienna to be here? She didn¡¯t have a single wound on her, and her expression was one that Eugene knew all too well ¡ª a face that made it hard for him to discern whether she wasughing or crying. How was it that she was here, staring at him? ¡°Are you surprised?¡± she asked with a bright smile. When she pointed her finger towards him, the light that surrounded her was redirected towards Eugene. Fwoosh¡­! The light enveloped Eugene. It was a warm, gentle light, and it prated deep into Eugene¡¯s twisted, broken, scarred, and dying body. Eugene could feel precisely how the light permeated deep into his vessels, rejuvenating them as blood, how it glued each fragment of bone, and how it wove the torn muscle fibers. Kyahahahaha¡ª A burst of clearughter resonated in Eugene¡¯s head, or rather, throughout his entire being. He could clearly see the light that once again illuminated his sight. The light that permeated Eugene wasn¡¯t the light of the divine power but rather the light of the pure spirits. It was the light of the World Tree, the same light that prevented Sienna¡¯s death and protected her and the elves for hundreds of years. His body began to heal, and it wasn¡¯t just limited to external injuries either. His broken organs, including his heart and his Cores, which were utterly destroyed as a result of using Ignition twice in a row, were restored by the light of the World Tree. Eugene could no longer taste death in his mouth, and he no longer stood on the boundary between life and death. The irresistible despair had already disappeared, and the ck and red that filled his sight waspletely dispelled by the light. ¡°What¡¯s happening¡­?¡± stammered Eugene. Although his body was healed, he still couldn¡¯t understand what was going on. Sienna wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then passed Eugene with a brisk step. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell?¡± she asked. Eugene could see Raizakia behind the veil of light, unable to advance any further. He was attempting to break through the light with disbelief on his face but failing to advance even a step further. His path was blocked by the spirits of the World Tree, as well as Sienna¡¯s magic. ¡°It¡¯s me, Hamel. Sienna Merdein.¡± Her voice quivered ever-so-slightly. She continued forward after passing Eugene, then stopped right in front of Mer. The familiar was on the ground, broken. Her small, frail body had been broken by Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Fear and the magic he used to intentionally break her. Sienna lowered herself and brought Mer¡¯s small figure into her embrace. ¡°Fortunately, I¡¯m not toote,¡± Sienna muttered while quietly restoring Mer¡¯s magic, imbuing mana into the helpless familiar. ¡°Lady¡­ Sienna¡­?¡± Mer was still conscious. Although she couldn¡¯t move properly and could not speak, she opened her eyes and saw amiracle. Sienna smiled in response and stroked her cheek. ¡°You worked hard.¡± ¡°Lady Sienna¡­. Lady Sienna¡­!¡± ¡°Yes, yes.¡± Mer buried her face in Sienna¡¯s chest and bawled. Sienna raised herself and returned to Eugene, holding Mer tightly in her arms. Eugene¡¯s fully recovered vision allowed him to see Sienna clearly and urately. It was¡­ truly a miracle. Her existence in this ce could not be called anything else but a miracle. Sienna''s current form did not possess a body. This Sienna in front of him was a spiritual existence created by her soul and the light of the World Tree. ¡°It was destiny created from the conditions,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°Raizakia connected this space with the forest in which the World Tree resides, creating apath. And right now, Hamel, you are here with Akasha.¡± The ne Eugene wore was a relic of his previous life, and it contained Sienna¡¯s magic. In addition, Akasha was originally an artifact created for Sienna to use. ¡°It was I who found you again, Hamel. Hamel, you¡­ did it for me. You, stupid, dumb fool. It was because you were running wild without thinking about your life and pushing that dumb, shitty lizard against the corner. And it was because you were about to die again,¡± said Sienna. She slowly stretched out her hand and helped Eugene to his feet. Eugene staggered up, then looked down at Sienna. Sienna took a deep breath, then raised her fist and gently tapped it against Eugene¡¯s chest. ¡°I couldn¡¯t just watch. That¡¯s why I, Lady Sienna, came here to save you, just in time,¡± continued Sienna. Technically speaking, the ¡®light¡¯ that rescued Eugene wasn¡¯t Sienna¡¯s power but rather the power of the World Tree. But was that really important? It was Sienna¡¯s soul that brought the light of the world tree upon this darkness, and it was only possible because Sienna had longed to save Eugene. Thinking so, Sienna gave a confident smile. Then, she turned her head to the side. Raizakia, the Demon Dragon, her adversary of centuries, was ring at her with bloodshot eyes while shouting something. His Breath and Dark Power were causing the light that separated the two sides to quiver. ¡°It¡¯s too dark here for us to celebrate our reunion,¡± grumbled Sienna, then lifted Mer, who was still buried in her arms. ¡°Mer, I am notplete enough to fight while holding you, so¡­.¡± Smack. She gave a light kiss on Mer¡¯s cheek before continuing, ¡°Go to Hamel.¡± ¡°Y-yes.¡± Mer barely managed to ck her jaws together, then wriggled into Eugene¡¯s cloak. Sienna fixed her hat, then turned and faced Raizakia. ¡°¡­Ehem,¡± with a small cough, she reached out to Eugene. ¡°What is it¡­?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Staff!¡± she responded. Sienna was still unstable in her form. Her body was still sealed in the World Tree, and most of her mana was contained within it. Although she had manifested herself in this ce by a miracle, she had already consumed most of her power to block Raizakia¡¯s advance and heal Eugene. However, if she could use Akasha, she could still fight, even in her iplete form. Recognizing this, Eugene handed Akasha to Sienna. ¡°It¡¯s been long,¡± muttered Sienna with a bright smile. Her words were directed to Akasha, which she had touched for the first time in hundreds of years, and to her friend, whom she was fighting along with for the first time in centuries. ¡°How¡¯s your body? Can you move?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s a lot better than before, but honestly, it¡¯s not moving great,¡± answered Eugene. He had been brought back from the brink of death. His heart had been made whole, his broken limbs mended, and his organs restored. However, even after the miraculous recovery, his body did not move as well as he expected. ¡°But it moves, right? That¡¯s enough for now. Ah, and I¡¯m only going to say this once, but don¡¯t use Ignition. If you do, I¡¯ll make sure to prioritize beating you up,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Do you think I used it because I wanted to? I used it because I had no other choice,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m telling you not to use it from now,¡± said Sienna, raising Akasha in front of her. Rumble! Raizakia¡¯s Breath prated the light that was separating the space. But the scattering light gathered in front of Akasha ording to Sienna¡¯s will, forming a magical shield and blocking the Breath. ¡°I¡¯m by your side, Hamel.¡± He wasn¡¯t alone. Right now, he was by the side of Sienna Merdein, the only wizard capable of fighting a dragon or a Demon King. Sienna smiled, revealing her white teeth, and Eugene gave a hollowugh in response. ¡°You¡¯re not even in perfect shape,¡± said Eugene. He could feel the tip of his fingers quivering finely. However, he could dispel such things by slightly tightening his grip. Once again, Eugene took the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword in each hand. With his mind clearing up, he could once again make the connections between the blurs of his memories. He remembered how Raimira, the Dragon Duchess, had chosen to walk out of the cloak, tears in her eyes, and stood in Raizakia¡¯s way. ~ ¡ªAnd¡­ if t-this Lady is swallowed by something¡­. ¡ªThen I will take you out of this ¡°something¡¯s¡± jaws. ~ It was a conversation they had shared only a few days prior. Even until that moment, Ramira had refused to admit that thesomethin¡¯ was Raizakia. However, it was clear that Raimira would have had a hunch. She would have known that her nightmares were foreshadowing a definite future, as well as what the source of her nightmares was. The red jewel embedded in her forehead would have shown her a glimpse of Raizakia¡¯s thoughts, engraving into her mind and body how she would be used by Raizakia. Even so, Raimira had voluntarily stepped out of the cloak, standing between her father and Eugene. She had refused to let Eugene and Mer die. [She¡¯s¡­. She¡¯s still alive, Sir Eugene,] said Mer. ¡°I know,¡± responded Eugene. Raizakia had given birth to Raimira only to use her for breeding. He had nned to make hery eggs continuously after allowing her to mature. As such, Raizakia had swallowed her whole instead of chewing. Raimira was still alive inside Raizakia¡¯s stomach. ¡°That was a promise,¡± said Eugene, ring at Raizakia. Everything had been over. Hamel¡¯s frightening mes had died, and his body had met the rightful fate of an insignificant human. Raizakia could have finished everything if he had taken just one more step forward. Unfortunately, he had failed to take that one step. He first prioritized swallowing his child, whom he felt not even an ounce of warmth towards. He prioritized destroying the insignificant familiar, an existence even inferior to humans, who dared to stand in his way. ¡°Sienna Merdein!¡± roared Raizakia in anger. Sienna had been given a chance to materialize because of the dy in his single step. ¡°Are you attempting to unleash your magic before a dragon? In your iplete form¡­!?¡± He could clearly see that Sienna¡¯s existence was iplete. The power of the World Tree was allowing her to materialize in this ce, but what could she do with that less-than-perfect power? There was nothing she could do. There could be nothing she could do. Raizakia raised his hand as he ground his teeth. ¡°You should not havee to this ce. You should not have shown your iplete self before me. Do you really dare to think you can stop me in your current state? You cannot. It is impossible!¡± This was only a matter of course as well. Hamel¡¯s wounds had recovered, but he would not be able to fight like before. Raizakia saw that Hamel¡¯s mana was not flowing like before. In his current state, it would be impossible for him to explode the mana in his heart and his Core. Indeed, whether he failed to take a single step made no difference. It had simply been dyed. Raizakia was not out of strength yet. The Lord¡¯s Dragon Heart he consumed three centuries ago had empowered him with more Dark Power. Moreover, if necessary, he could deprive his hatchling of her power. ¡°You must be scared, right?¡± whispered Sienna. ¡°My existence must be a nightmare to you.¡± ¡°Do not get ahead of yourself, human¡­!¡± snarled Raizakia. ¡°I have the right to act arrogant in front of you, don¡¯t I? I was the one who imprisoned you in this pitch-ck darkness. Raizakia, you¡¯re no dragon. You¡¯re just a cowardly bastard. You tried to kill me and rob me of Akasha when I was mortally wounded,¡± retorted Sienna. Even Eugene had been unable to use Akasha until he was granted ownership by Sienna. However, Sienna could use Akasha even after giving ownership to Eugene because Akasha was a staff that was exclusively created for her. Raizakia had coveted Akasha. He had desired to kill Sienna to take Akasha as his own. ¡°You could not tolerate my existence,¡± Sienna said with a sneer. ¡°Akasha wasn¡¯t the only thing you were obsessed with. You were obsessed with me. I, a human, was a greater wizard than you. You could not tolerate my existence, which was why you came to kill me at my weakest moment, right?¡± When Sienna came to the Samar Rainforest, she had not been in possession of Akasha. At that point in time, Akasha had been enshrined in Akron. Even so, Raizakia searched for Sienna, and he came to thend of the elves to kill her. Sienna smiled and wiggled her finger. ¡°Raizakia, do you know what I thought when I discovered your name? You¡¯re a coward. A coward who didn¡¯t want to die, a coward who was so afraid of the Demon King that he betrayed the dragons. A coward who iscent with being a duke, a coward who is too afraid to challenge the Demon King even after being corrupted from a great existence.¡± A light appeared from her wriggling finger. A storm of mana began to form around her ethereal form. It was Eternal Hole, the epitome of the Circles Magic Form. The mana that poured out of Akasha drew an infinite trajectory in Sienna¡¯s Eternal Hole. ¡°I admit it, Raizakia. You can kill me anytime. You have the power. Even so, you cannot best me when ites to magic. You didn¡¯te to me because you knew this truth, did you? That¡¯s why I call you a coward,¡± said Sienna. It was a remark not worth refuting.And yet, how did it find its mark deep inside his heart¡­? Raizakia shook with anger and humiliation. He stared at the infinite trajectory of the whirlwind in Sienna¡¯s chest. He had heard of the Eternal Hole. After the war, the human wizard was said to have settled in Aroth, inventing the Circles Magic Form to greatly develop human magic. The epitome of magic she developed after studying for only decades¡­ was that. He could not admit it. Raizakia attempted to understand and grasp the Eternal Hole, but even he, a dragon, could notprehend the infinite trajectory formed inside it. ¡°Kuaaagh!¡± Raizakia kicked off the ground with a roar. If he could not understand it, he would destroy it. There would be no need forprehension once he destroyed all traces of it. ¡°I must have had it right on the dot for you to get this angry,¡± giggled Sienna before turning to Eugene. Eugene mimicked her smile while raising the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. ¡°Let¡¯s go, Hamel.¡± A whirlwind of magic appeared around Sienna. Chapter 302: Raizakia (8)

Chapter 302: Raizakia (8)

Sienna¡¯s wind enveloped Eugene. It was a familiar, nostalgic sensation. Three centuries ago, Sienna would often wrap her wind around Hamel during battles. The wind served to protect Hamel from the magic of the enemies while allowing him to fight more freely. Hundreds of years had passed since then. He had experienced death once already, and he now lived in a new body after reincarnation. However, at this moment, Eugene thought that nothing had changed. He was now Eugene Lionheart, and also Hamel Dynas, and now ¡ª Sienna Merdein was by his side. ¡°Right.¡± He raised both the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword in front of him. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± The power that allowed him to push Raizakia was already gone, and he could not use Ignition again. Moreover, he had to be cautious, ensuring that Prominence would not go out of control. Given that the flow and the output of mana in his body were unstable, using the Empty Sword or Eclipse didn¡¯t seem like viable options either. Raizakia looked to be in better condition. Although Eugene had cut and crushed the dragon¡¯s scales, Raizakia had recovered from most of the damage during the brief respite he was given. While he might be weaker than before due to the expended Dark Power, it was evident that Raizakia was in a much better statepared to Eugene. As such, Eugene wasn¡¯t in a particrly advantageous situation. Even so, Eugene felt no foreboding sensation of defeat. Raizakia could feel the shift in atmosphere as well. The change was quite palpable. Just a moment ago, Hamel¡¯s eyes and expression had betrayed the despair he felt. Throughout their extended battle, the despair had never once left Hamel¡¯s side, even during moments when he held the advantage. It was because Hamel had sensed that the tides of the battle could turn at any moment and that death was an inevitable end for him. But now, there was not even a remnant of the despair from earlier. ¡®This changes nothing,¡¯Raizakia thought.¡®Absolutely nothing,¡¯he reminded himself once more. Woooooo! The Dark Power surrounding Raizakia began to boil and erupt, giving birth to a sh of light in the midst of the powerful energy. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about the magic,¡± reassured Sienna, raising Akasha in front of her. Countless Circles appeared in the infinite, intertwining loops of Eternal Hole. The Circles divided, intertwined, scattered, and divided repeatedly. The most optimal operation of mana for the Circles Form. A resulting amplification of magical powers. An efficient simplification of forms. An omission of incantations. Division of consciousness to allow for multiple castings. Storing magic in the unconscious forter use. Those were the advantages of the Eternal Hole that Mer had outlined in the past in Akron. And although Eugene had created the Ring me Form bybining the White me Form and the Eternal Hole, even now, he could not fullyprehend the Eternal Hole. It was even more difficult to understand now that he saw it in person. The mana that Sienna emitted in her iplete, spiritual state was faint and weak. However, the magic she conjured wasn¡¯t weak at all. Fwoosh! A sphere of fire appeared in front of Akasha. It was simple magic, a spell of the First Circle that was widely used ¡ª Fireball. However, the Fireball that Sienna conjured exuded an absurd level of heat. It simply could not be considered an attack of the First Circle. Dozens more Fireballs appeared in front of Akasha, and they formed into a huge wheel of mes as if they were one entity. The fire wheel began to rotate, and the raging heat started to umte within the wheel instead of spilling outward. Booom! Dark Power poured out of the darkness that surrounded Raizakia. Countless magic attacks swept through the space, attempting to devour Eugene and Sienna. At that precise moment, the heat contained in the wheel of mes was released, blocking the dragon¡¯s magic. The spinning, ming wheel began advancing towards Raizakia. Eugene kicked off the ground without hesitation. As the wheel of fire ripped through the Dark Power, it created a gap for him to exploit. Eugene charged into the space, then swung both his swords. However, he was slower than before. It was easily avoidable. Raizakia raised his hand while stepping away from the trajectory of the twin des. The arm of the dragon grew in size and dropped towards Eugene¡¯s head as a giant, blunt instrument of death. However, his attack was caught midway. Sienna had secretly conjured a magical restraint that seized the scales covering Raizakia¡¯s arm. Before he could shake off the restraint, the Holy Sword severed his arm, and the Moonlight Sword dug into his chest. ¡°Kuaagh!¡± Raizakia roared while forcing his body to warp with Dark Power. He hastily underwent a transformation using Polymorph. Craaack! The Moonlight Sword¡¯s light was fainter than before with Eugene¡¯s decrease in power. Eugene had failed to pierce all the way with the Moonlight Sword. However, he did not attempt to drive the sword further into the dragon¡¯s chest but instead pulled it out without any hesitation. He could fight confidently and with surety because he wasn¡¯t alone. Dozens of lights sparkled behind Eugene. The sparkles of light passed Eugene like fireflies and reached Raizakia. Were they fireflies? Insects? Unfortunately, the figures of light that prated Raizakia¡¯s chest weren¡¯t as trivial as fireflies. Rumble! The sparkles of light exploded after settling down, sending Raizakia flying backward. ¡°Keugh¡­!¡± A dragon¡¯s scale was immune and protective against most magic. However, the bullets of magic had found their mark in the gap between the scales and struck their roots. Even if Sienna¡¯s magic was superior to Raizakia¡¯s, the inherent advantages he possessed as a dragon made it impossible for him to die from a magical strike. As such, Sienna could not kill Raizakia. However, this wasn¡¯t a problem right now since she wasn¡¯t alone. Three centuries ago, the five of them had been powerful because their powers were in perfect harmony. If it was impossible to kill something with magic, they would cut it down with a sword. If they could not cut it down, they would beat it to death. If it was impossible to beat it to death, they could purify it with light. If they could not purify it, they would find another way. In this regard, Eugene and Sienna were capable of producing almost a simr level of harmony as they did with all five of their group present three centuries ago. Although neither of them was an expert in divine magic, they had the Holy Sword. What theycked in power with the Holy Sword could be made up with the Moonlight Sword. Moreover, they even had an Archwizard who could look down at even a dragon. Raizakia was experiencing first-hand what this represented. It was difficult for him to fight, and the battle wasn¡¯t going the way he wanted. He could not dictate the fight. If Eugene had pushed him with overwhelming force earlier, now, the two humans were literally dismantling Raizakia. It was hard to pierce a dragon¡¯s scales with magic. As such, Eugene would first cut down the scales with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. Sienna would follow up with her magic, prating into thecerations and causing the scales to explode from their roots, tearing the dragon¡¯s flesh and causing blood to spill. Then the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword would take over once more. Raizakia did not stop resisting. However, his defensive magic was weakened by the continued barrage of attacks. On top of that, his attacks were cut short by magic. He felt appalled by the devastation surrounding him on all sides. The two swords blocked the close-ranged Breaths he unleashed before they could even cause any damage, and he was reduced to a iling fool when both his arms were blocked and deflected repeatedly. Each and every one of his actions was being met with restraint. He could neither advance nor retreat as he wished. What could he do? Before he could think of an answer, Raizakia was flung backward. The left side of his body felt empty. In the blink of an eye, more than ten different spells had impacted him, robbing him of his left arm. This was impossible.Raizakia¡¯s eyes quivered.It took too long forhis arm to regenerate.The Sword of Destruction was upon him even faster than his arm could regenerate. With a desperate scream, Raizakia swung his right arm. Kakakaka! The scales of his right arm were wiped clean by the moonlight. Sienna knew that the light of the Moonlight Sword inherently rejected magic. As such, she didn¡¯t ce her magic right behind the Moonlight Sword but instead ensured that it hovered around Eugene, keeping pace and protecting him. ¡°I missed this,¡± Sienna whispered wistfully. The various spells circling around Eugene simultaneously fired toward Raizakia. His left arm, which was in the process of forming with new flesh, scales, and bones, was destroyed again. However, Sienna¡¯s magic did not stop there but proceeded to infiltrate into the stump of Raizakia¡¯s left arm. Impurities formed in the ck Dragon¡¯s blood. Clumps of Sienna¡¯s mana had transformed and reduced to minuscule sizes like invisible parasites, poking their heads into Raizakia¡¯s vessels. She dares. She dares. She dares!Raizakia gnashed his teeth while unleashing his Dark Power.Did the wench think she could taint a dragon¡¯s blood with such meager magic?In response to the Dark Power, the impurities in his blood were burnt away. Boooom! However, the action resulted in an explosion beginning from Raizakia¡¯s left shoulder. More explosions followed, causing the ck Dragon¡¯s scales to scatter from the inside out. The moment Raizakia had unleashed his Dark Power, the conditions for Sienna¡¯s magic had bepleted, sticking to the Dark Power and causing an explosion. The power of the explosions wasn¡¯t great. Even though the explosions had taken ce inside Raizakia¡¯s body, every aspect of a dragon was resistant to magic, including their blood, bones, flesh, and scales. But it didn¡¯t matter if Raizakia was still alive. Sienna had achieved her purpose of creating a gap. Raizakia knew this as well since the internal shock caused him to stiffen. For a brief moment, he was unable to move his body as he wished. Although it was a very short moment, it was more than enough time for a seasoned warrior to wield his sword dozens of times. It wasn¡¯t as if Eugene had been told to swing his swords at this moment. The two of them had not even shared a nce. But this was something they had aplished thousands of times. As such, Eugene stabbed the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword toward Raizakia without hesitation with an instinctual tacit understanding. Noooo. He couldn¡¯t dodge it. This could kill him. Nooo. Would he really die? What about his body? It still wasn¡¯t responding to his will. Defensive magic, no, it would be toote. There was only one thing he could do. The ancient Demon Dragon found the only choice he could make in this critical moment. Craaack! The moment the two swords pierced his chest, Raizakia¡¯s body started swelling up. As a result, despite the two swords havingpletely prated his chest, the strikes ended up being too shallow. Raizakia had chosen to abandon his human form. He had released Polymorph and returned to his draconic form at thest moment. Even so, he had failed topletely avoid the attack. Although shallow, the two swords had still prated his chest, and the strike resulted in damage to his Dragon Heart. ¡°Kuaaaaaghhhh!¡± Raizakia released a bellowing scream. He attempted to rise into the air by pping his tattered,rge wings. Eugene pulled the swords out of the dragon¡¯s chest. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s the right choice?¡± he scoffed before kicking Raizakia in the chest. Fwoosh! A storm of Dark Power was unleashed from Raizakia¡¯s wings, but there was no need for Eugene to defend. Sienna¡¯s magic protected him in the violent storm. ¡°I know, right?¡± Siennaughed in the same way from behind. The wound on Raizakia¡¯s chest was recovering slowly, and the storm of Dark Power was clearly much weaker than before. It was because of the injury to his Dragon Heart. Raizakia had narrowly avoided death by releasing Polymorph, but the wound he sustained was fatal. To make matters worse, Raizakia knew all too well that his enormous, draconic form held almost no advantage over the two small humans. But he had been left with no choice. Raizakia looked down before spreading his jaws wide. Kwaaaahh! A Breath of ck poison poured down toward Eugene and Sienna. ¡°Go, Hamel,¡± whispered Sienna. Crack! The Wing of Prominence soared from Eugene¡¯s back. The scattering feathers were empowered with Sienna¡¯s magic, and Eugene felt Raizakia¡¯s magic, which had been dominating the space around them, being destroyed by Sienna. Swoosh! His feathers were allowed to scatter, and simultaneously, Eugene disappeared. Dozens of fluttering feathersid a path for him, and he transformed into a bolt of ck lightning, dodging Raizakia¡¯s poisonous Breath and shooting into the sky. Sienna was left alone, faced with the ck Dragon¡¯s Poison Breath. It was the same attack that had driven her to the brink of death two centuries ago. However, Sienna did not fear this breath attack. Her green eyes did not reflect the pouring darkness; instead, they captured the light cutting through the darkness. ¡®That¡¯s right. Light.¡¯ Sienna Merdein had departed from hell after the war, but her life continued to be hell. Without any light to illuminate her life, it was always dark for her, regardless of where she was. She had trudged on, using memories from a distant past as a candlelight to motivate her. For decades after returning from hell, she had longed for the very light she saw now. That light was the midday sun, the moon in the lightless night, and her guiding stars. It was a light that she had never hoped to see again during her life, a light that was wholly hers. ¡°You can¡¯t swallow it,¡± whispered Sienna. The poison, darkness, and the Dark Power of Raizakia were too weak to devour the light. She raised Akasha. Fwoosh! A giant magic circle appeared in front of her. The same was true for her. The dragon could not swallow her. Raizakia¡¯s desperate barrage of Breaths could not bypass Sienna¡¯s defensive magic. The ck Dragon hurriedly twisted his head to change the trajectory of the Breaths because he could feel death approaching him. However, no matter how many breath attacks he fired, the looming death did not retreat. Raizakia desperately squeezed out everyst bit of his Dark Power in an attempt to stop the impending doom in its path. However, it was a futile attempt. The ck mes broke through his defenses effortlessly. Raizakia couldn¡¯t even try to Polymorph. He couldn¡¯t afford the time. Surprisingly, what he first felt was a warm sensation. The light of destruction that pierced his neck was¡­ warm, unlike before, and contrary to the ominous color it emitted. He felt the passing of warmth, followed by a sudden coldness. Even the heat of the spewing blood could do nothing against the frigid chill. His vision began to tilt, and he had no say. The enormous pool of Dark Power residing within him began to ebb out uncontrobly. He failed to hold onto even a handful of the dissipating power. ¡°Keuh¡­.¡± Everything was disappearing.What had he longed for? What had he craved so badly, so much that he chose to be a Demon Dragon? ¡­Was there even such a thing from the beginning? All Raizakia had desired, even at the cost of corrupting himself, was life. He had already lost honor and glory the moment he fell. He had obsessed over the very things because he had lost them. He had attempted to renew what he had lost and all to protect his arrogant self. Despite his corruption, he had convinced himself to be great, absolute, and noble. Anyone who failed to understand him was insignificant. But now, everything lost meaning. He felt everything to have been in vain. ¡°Was it like this from the very beginning?¡± He felt no seething anger, and he didn¡¯t feel any doubt towards himself either. He had defied his fate by means of corruption once before, but he no longer had the means to resist it anymore. It was already over. The Demon Dragon had finally reached a dragon-like conclusion the moment his head was cut, and his Dragon Heart destroyed. ¡°You¡¯re not insignificant,¡± Raizakia acknowledged. ¡°Rather, I was the insignificant existence.¡± If he had survived, he could have continued his arrogant life. But now that he was dying, he could no longer be arrogant. The Dragon Lord, whom he had killed with his own hands, and the others who died at the hands of the Demon Kings, had died a dragon. They had died for the world. However, Raizakia¡¯s death wasn¡¯t one of such honor or glory. The fallen Demon Dragon was only paying what he owed. His death was ate atonement for his sins. Raizakiaughed without feeling pity at his own pathetic, miserable death. ¡°Could my death be any uglier¡­?¡± Raizakia gave a long sigh while moving his eyes. He saw Eugene as his vision darkened. He saw the Sword of Destruction held in Eugene¡¯s hand. If only he had died by that light three centuries ago¡­. Raizakia closed his eyes with regret. Chapter 303: Raizakia (9)

Chapter 303: Raizakia (9)

¡°Motherfucker, getting all sentimental and shit just because he¡¯s dying,¡± Eugene grumbled, spitting blood on the ground. Raizakia was dead. The ck Dragon wasn¡¯t an undead like a lich or a Death Knight with a separate life vessel, and Eugene had severed his Dragon Heart in half. Even if Raizakia was the Demon Dragon, he could never survive such a blow. Did Eugene¡¯s heart sink at the thought of being denied the coveted prize of the Ancient Dragon''s heart? No, there was no room for disappointment within him. Raizakia''s Dragon Heart had been marred and contaminated by the sinister forces of Dark Power for centuries. While it held immense value for ck wizards and other demonfolks, for Eugene, it remained a worthless and venomous artifact devoid of any worth. Eugene slowly descended to the ground, cracking his stiff neck. The headless,rge body of the dragon was slowly tilting to the side. The Holy Sword was easier to handle and usepared to the Moonlight Sword when it came to simplycutting. As such, Eugene raised the Holy Sword after eyeballing the location of his target. Ripppp! The Holy Sword cut through the dragon¡¯s stomach. The Light of the sword cut through the scales and flesh of the dragon, as well as the dragon¡¯srge belly. The only thing Raizakia had consumed for hundreds of years was Raimira, whom he had swallowed whole just a while ago. Eugene had been expecting a spige of gastric juices, but unexpectedly, he found Raimira in an unexpectedly clean state. Raimira was unconscious, curled up into a ball inside the ck Dragon¡¯s stomach. Eugene pulled her out. Her clothes were fully intact, and there wasn¡¯t a single injury on her either. However, she didn¡¯t appear to be in the best condition, probably due to the cold sweats and tears she had shed. Eugene clicked his tongue when he saw that only the whites of Raimira¡¯s eyes were visible in her fainted state. ¡®She shouldn¡¯t say anything about me killing her father since she was swallowed whole and almost killed,¡¯Eugene thought. In the first ce, Raizakia could not be called her father. There was no paternal love and filial piety between the two, to begin with. Eugene could not be bothered to wake Raimira and exin the situation to her, so he ced her inside his cloak in her fainted state. Mer would do the exining in his stead once she came to her sensester. Mer was delighted with Raimira¡¯s survival, but she didn¡¯t rush to wake the hatchling. Right now, Sienna was more important to her than Raimira. ¡°Lady Sienna!¡± Mer shouted as she ran out of the cloak. Now that Raizakia was dead, she finally wanted to share a moment of reunion with Sienna. However, Mer halted on the spot instead of running to Sienna. It was because Sienna¡¯s body was slowly dispersing. Mer sniffled with great anxiety. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± asked Sienna with a mischievous smile. Mer simply swallowed her tears without being able to respond. Sienna watched Mer with loving eyes, then clicked her tongue and wiggled her finger. ¡°This is an inevitable thing. Just as it was an impossible but inevitable miracle that brought me to this ce.¡± ¡°Lady Sienna¡­. Are you going to disappear, Lady Sienna?¡± asked Mer. ¡°Huh? Well, I¡¯m disappearing now,¡± answered Sienna. In truth, Eugene was slightly nervous as well. He had gone through so much trouble to kill Raizakia. But¡­ what if Sienna had risked her own existence in exchange for the miracle that allowed her to save Eugene? What if she had sacrificed herself for Eugene? ¡°I¡¯m asking this just in case, but are you going to die?¡± asked Eugene, his voice trembling with sadness and anxiety. ¡°Are you crazy?¡± retorted Sienna with an incredulous expression. ¡°Do you want me to die and disappear like this?¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°Then why are you saying something so crazy? Why would I die!?¡± shouted Sienna. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­. Well¡­. I thought you might have been prepared to die to save me¡­.¡± Eugene trailed off. ¡°I was prepared but not to die,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Prepared for what?¡± asked Eugene. Prepared to give you my lips without resisting when you were ovee with your emotions and rushed towards me, you bastard. Sienna barely managed to keep the words from spilling out of her mouth.Right, today wasn¡¯t the only day she had left.She thought to herself as she watched her disappearing hand. ¡°¡­Ehem, that seems to be none of your business. Everything turned out fine, didn¡¯t it?¡± said Sienna. ¡°It did,¡± agreed Eugene. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me, Hamel. I did overexert myself slightly, but well, I¡¯m going to return to my body and,¡± Sienna paused, then peered at Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m telling you in advance, but don¡¯te to the World Tree to greet me for no reason. I¡¯m going to get really mad.¡± ¡°Why?¡± asked Eugene. He couldn¡¯t understand why she was demanding such a thing. They had met, and she had helped him. More importantly, the territory of the World Tree wasn¡¯t even far off. It would take Eugene only a day, or half a day, to reach the World Tree. Then wasn¡¯t it better for him to meet Sienna there? Wouldn¡¯t it be a beautiful sight for him to greet Sienna as she was released from her seal and resurrected? Eugene sincerely thought so, but Sienna was resolute. ¡°No is a no. I¡¯ll really kill you,¡± said Sienna curtly. Her reasoning was simple. The poison that tainted her body would have been purified with Raizakia¡¯s death, so she could regenerate her body away from the protection of the World Tree. But Sienna did not want to show Eugene the process. Eugene had already seen Sienna with a hole in her chest before, but it had been an inevitable, unexpected urrence. Sienna still had to restore the hole in her chest, reconstruct her broken body, and prepare for this and that. She didn¡¯t want to show Eugene what she didn¡¯t have to. ¡°Then what do you want me to do?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°What do you mean? Well¡­ we can just promise to meet somewhere. Right, how about in a month?¡± suggested Sienna. ¡°Where?¡± Eugene asked with a frown. Sienna took a deep breath. ¡­Where?There was only one ce she could think of ¡ª a ce where she had spent most of her life, a ce where she had transcribed her happy, brilliant memories to escape solitude. It was a ce close to the forest with good air, a ce with tall, sapphire skies, and a ce crowded with stars at night. It was a ce with gentle streams instead of the salty, windy sea. ¡°My house. It should be there, right?¡± said Sienna. She had built her ideal house, leaving a detached house to use as a study and arge firece to illuminate it. She had even furnished it with soft, rocking chairs. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you there.¡± However, there was a crucial issue. Sienna¡¯s mansion had been located in such a ce three centuries ago, but too much time had passed. To be precise, thend around her mansion had undergone development. The forest had been cleared into Merdein Square, and the streams filled. Fortunately, the mansion remained intact, but the house that Sienna was envisioning had already disappeared three hundred years ago. Of course, Sienna remained ignorant of this fact. ¡°I only managed to keep half of my promise. I said I would call you by your current name instead of Hamel the next time I saw you,¡± Siennaughed while rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. ¡°Do you remember? I told you not toe for me. I told you to wait so that I coulde to you.¡± ¡°I remember,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°¡­I¡¯m d that I wasn¡¯tte. I¡¯m d I could find you and save you.¡± Despite having wiped her eyes, tears still found passage down her cheeks. Sienna turned towards Mer without bothering to wipe away her tears. ¡°Mer.¡± ¡°Y-yes, Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°Come here. I¡¯ll be disappearing soon, but I want to hold you while I¡¯m still here,¡± continued Sienna. Mer ran into Sienna¡¯s embrace with tears running down her cheeks. Sienna smiled while taking Mer into her arms and stroked her head. ¡°I heard that things were tough while I was gone,¡± said Sienna. ¡°I¡¯m¡­. I¡¯m fine,¡± answered Mer. ¡°Even if you¡¯re fine, I¡¯m not fine with it. It¡¯s funny for me to say this after I¡¯ve disappeared so irresponsibly, but¡­ you must¡¯ve been very lonely. It must have been very hard,¡± said Sienna. Tears continued to fall as Mer remained silent. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m really, really sorry. I should have given you a reason before leaving,¡± Sienna apologized sincerely. ¡°I¡­ heard about it from Sir Eugene. Lady Sienna, you couldn¡¯te back because of an unexpected ident. I don¡¯t me you, Lady Sienna,¡± answered Mer. She meant it. She had only worried about Sienna but never once med her. Feeling Mer¡¯s sincerity, Sienna took her tighter into her embrace. ¡°Thank you for helping Hamel in my stead,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Sniff¡­.¡± ¡°I am very proud of you, Mer Merdein.¡± Mer felt her heart filling with joy at Sienna¡¯s words. However, she couldn¡¯t remain fixated on her happiness. Mer whispered into Sienna¡¯s ear, conscious that Sienna was disappearing. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you hug Sir Eugene as well?¡± ¡°¡­Huh?¡± ¡°Lady Sienna, if possible, I would like you and Sir Eugene to hug, with me in the middle,¡± said Mer. It was an unexpectedment. Sienna felt her head turn nk and could only open and close her mouth with a dazed expression. Mer squinted when she looked up and saw Sienna¡¯s expression. ¡®Tsk¡­.¡¯ She had never expected Sienna to be this embarrassed! Mer decided that she needed to use some shock therapy. ¡°You¡¯ll get in trouble if you get embarrassed like this, Lady Sienna,¡± said Mer. ¡°W-what? What are you talking about? Me, embarrassed?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°You have to steel yourself, Lady Sienna. These days, foxes are circling around Sir Eugene¡­. No, it¡¯d be more appropriate to call them starved wolves,¡± warned Mer. Wolves? What wolves?Sienna shook her head with shame and confusion. Mer drew back from Sienna with a deep sigh. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll be faster for you to see it in person than hearing it from me,¡± said Mer. ¡°Wait¡­. Mer, wait, youe back here. Speak so I can understand!¡± shouted Sienna, attempting to catch Mer. However, she could not move her disappearing form with ease. Her body was already half gone, and her soul was returning back to the World Tree. Eugene had heard the conversation between the two. Not foxes, but starved wolves¡­.Eugene recalled the fluffy but hefty weight that had rested on his head just before he entered this ce. He remembered how thetwohad courted him with tearful eyes. Certainly, they were more like wolves than foxes. ¡°Ehem¡­.¡± Eugene could only clear his throat. There was not enough time for him to exin everything to Sienna. As such, Eugene decided to pass the catastrophic task to his future self. ¡°Then, a month from today, let¡¯s meet at your mansion in Aroth,¡± said Eugene. ¡°¡­Set the exact time and date. I don¡¯t want to wait, and I don¡¯t want you to wait, either. Thirty days from now, noon. Got it?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°Yeah,¡± answered Eugene with a smile, raising his hand towards Sienna. ¡°See you then, Hamel. No,¡± said Sienna, staring at Eugene. She felt a flutter that reached all the way down to her soul. Unlike Hamel, his hair was gray, his clean skin was without a single scar, and he had golden eyes like a pair of jewels. Although there was absolutely no resemnce, the man in front of her was Hamel, whom Sienna had missed and loved. ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± She opted to use his current name. What name he had in his past life wasn¡¯t important. What was important was that the soul residing in his body was the man Sienna loved, even if his body hadpletely changed. Sienna giggled shyly with embarrassment. ¡°Let¡¯s meet in a¡ª¡± Just before she disappearedpletely, she was cut short when she saw Eugene raising his hand. It was his left hand. His ring finger? What? Why? A ring? Why? What?Sienna¡¯s eyes started quivering, and the light glimmering in her green eyes snuffed out.Wolves? Starving? ¡°Hey, you little¡ª¡± Sienna¡¯s desperate cry was cut short. Fwoosh! She disappeared, scattering into particles of light. Eugene tilted his head with confusion as he watched the scattering light. Sienna was gone, and only Akasha was left floating in the air. Eugene grumbled as he took Akasha into his hand, ¡°What was she trying to say?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± answered Mer. ¡°Her expression was unusual¡­,¡± muttered Eugene. ¡°I couldn¡¯t see it well because it was so bright and shiny. Maybe she was sad that she had so little time to say goodbye to you, Sir Eugene?¡± suggested Mer. It was true that Mer had not seen Sienna¡¯s face at the end. She had only seen Sienna¡¯s face turn red and shy like an adolescent girl. Naturally, she assumed that Sienna could have been overwhelmed with emotion before disappearing. ¡°Is that so¡­?¡± Eugene wasn¡¯tpletely convinced, but he decided to go with it for now. He looked back. Although Raizakia¡¯s Dragon Heart had been destroyed, his body remained. Originally, dragons did not leave behind their bodies unless they wished. Most dragons chose not to leave behind their remains but return everything they had and were to the world as mana before bing ashes. But this was a ce between dimensions, and Raizakia was a fallen Demon Dragon. Even if Raizakia wished, the world would not take his body. ¡°I have a present to take home with me,¡± said Eugene. Although the corpse belonged to the Demon Dragon, with the Dragon Heart destroyed, it could be used as material if purified properly. With all the bones, leather, and scales that remained, such arge corpse could be used to arm all of the Lionheart¡¯s knights. With a grin, Eugene ced his hand on Raizakia¡¯s body, then opened the dimensional door with Akasha. Chapter 304: Raizakia (10)

Chapter 304: Raizakia (10)

After Eugene stepped into the gap between dimensions, Kristina knelt on the ground and started praying. She beseeched the God of Light for Eugene¡¯s safe return. Cyan had also knelt beside Kristina. Though he wasn¡¯t a follower of the God of Light, he, too, offered prayers for his brother¡¯s safety. After all, faith wasn¡¯t a prerequisite for such a plea. ¡°Ah.¡± Lovellian was the first to detect the anomaly. He had been wandering aimlessly in the vicinity with a face full of worry when he noticed a distortion spreading across the clear sky. ¡°What is that?¡± Melkith, who had been seated on a bouldermunicating with the spirits, stood up abruptly when she noticed the disruption. Kristina and Cyan raised their heads, and suddenly, the distortion grewrger, turning into a fracture in the sky. Soon after, the fracture silently split open, and Eugene dropped out from its center. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Kristina cried out in surprise. She had not been expecting him to return so quickly. Barely an hour had passed since Eugene had entered the dimensional rift.Could he have in Raizakia in such a short time? Her questions were immediately answered. A gigantic corpse of a dragon fell right behind Eugene. It belonged to Raizakia, the Demon Dragon. The deep wound on his neck made it appear as if his head was on the verge of separatingpletely, but not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± Melkith burst out into a high-pitched scream. Her eyes flipped to show their whites as she flung her arms toward Raizakia¡¯s falling corpse. It was almost as if she wished to be crushed under the falling corpse. Naturally, Melkith had no intention of meeting her demise by being crushed with the enormous weight. However, the graceful curves of its massive form, the smooth ck scales, and the near-metallic bones visible in the cross-section of the deep wound on its neck were incredibly alluring to her. Melkith¡¯s White Tower was not only a hub for spirit magic but also alchemy. Thus, Melkith possessed a fair knowledge of alchemy, despite being the master of spirit magic. But no! Even a wizard, not just an alchemist, would be thrilled to see such a well-preserved corpse of an Ancient Dragon. ¡°Are you just going to stand there?¡± said Eugene, shooting Melkith a reproachful nce. Lovellian hurried over and attempted to drag her away, but Melkith stubbornly resisted, clinging to Lovellian. ¡°Y-You can have me! I¡¯ll give you¡­ everything I have! Just give me that!¡± she shouted with excitement. ¡°Stop talking nonsense and go,¡± Eugene grumbled, stretching his hand toward the sky. Krrrr! The mana Eugene conjured suspended Raizakia¡¯s gigantic corpse in mid-air momentarily. He let out a long sigh while slowlyying the massive body onto the barrennd. ¡°It¡¯s so damn big,¡± heined. The dimensional rift had been a dark, empty space, which made it hard to estimate Raizakia¡¯s true size. But now, with the surrounding scenery forparison, the enormity of the dragon¡¯s size could be fully appreciated. The corpse of Raizakia wasrge enough to rival a sizable castle. ¡®I must have been out of my mind,¡¯Eugene grumbled inwardly. He had engaged in closebat with that enormous beast. Eugene shivered as he nced at Raizakia¡¯s gigantic tail, recalling the blow he had taken from it. He knew that the force of that single hit could have easily killed him. ¡®My body¡­ hasn¡¯t fully recovered.¡¯ Eugene realized and examined his body with a grimace. He had barely managed to survive, thanks to the World Tree and the light of the spirits. He would have been dead if their timely intervention had been just a momentter. It truly had been a miracle. It was as Sienna had said. Eugene could not find any other words to describe it. His broken heart and Core had healed, and even his bones, flesh, and internal organs had mended together. However, he could not consider himself fully healed. Judging from how his flow of mana felt obstructed, he would need to rest for a good while to recover fully. Given that he had used Ignition twice in a row ¡ª a technique that usually caused him to be bedridden for days after a single use ¡ª it was nothing short of a miracle that he was able to stand on his own. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± The examination of his condition was cut short by a shout. Kristina had flung herself onto him from behind. Eugene tried his best to ignore the soft, malleable sensation pressing into his back and coughed awkwardly. ¡°Are you safe? You¡¯re really safe? You¡¯re not hurt at all?¡± Kristina¡¯s barrage of questions gave away her anxiety. ¡°Well¡­ I did almost die, but I somehow managed to survive,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°What? What do you mean by that?¡± Kristina asked urgently. Eugene managed to squirm away from her, then turned to see that she was already in tears. ¡°Hold on, just hold on. I¡¯ll exin everything,¡± he said hurriedly. Cyan was also approaching him, and Lovellian had a look of immense curiosity. And Melkith? She was stealthily approaching Raizakia¡¯s corpse. ¡°If you want even a single scale, you better behave yourself,¡± said Eugene. ¡°You¡¯re getting more and more insolent, aren¡¯t you?¡± retorted Melkith. ¡°That¡¯s because, Lady Melkith, you are bing less and less respectable,¡± said Eugene. Or had she been like that from the very beginning?Eugene cast Melkith a sideways nce, who disyed none of the dignity expected of an Archwizard. Melkith turned elegantly before returning to Lovellian¡¯s side, acting as if nothing had happened. ¡°So¡­ what happened was¡­.¡± Eugene had no intention of discussing the true nature of the Moonlight Sword, his suspicions about Vermouth, and any such matters. These topics were for him to discuss with Anise and Sienna. Instead, he delved into the battle with Raizakia, the Dark Power Raizakia had stolen from the power Edmund had gathered for the ritual and the help he received from Sienna during the battle. ¡°Are you saying Lady Sienna helped you?¡± Lovellian asked with surprise. ¡°Apparently, she received the help of the World Tree. Honestly, if Lady Sienna had not helped, I would have died,¡± Eugene responded. If Raizakia had been weakened as he had initially thought, victory would not have been impossible. ¡®Though difficult,¡¯ Eugene thought. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if Balzac had something to do with this. Maybe he was behind all this,¡± Eugene grumbled while grimacing. Lovellian shook his head after a moment¡¯s thought. ¡°I don¡¯t think so. You said it yourself that the Demon Dragon was the first to speak. Edmund had coveted the dragon¡¯s power, and his ritual and magic fell apart with his death. For a dragon such as Raizakia, it would not have been a difficult task to seize the scattering power before his connection to Edmund was severed.¡± ¡°You seem surprisingly defensive of Balzac,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°I simply don¡¯t support unfounded usations and suspicions. To be honest, I don¡¯t particrly like the ck Tower Master, but¡­ his wish was quite touching,¡± said Lovellian with a bitter smile. There was one thing Eugene was sure of. Throughout his past and present life, Lovellian was the most honorable mage he had met. [What¡¯s wrong with Lady Sienna¡¯s character?] Merined. ¡®Frankly, she¡¯s not an outstanding citizen.¡¯ [I¡¯m going to tell Lady Sienna.] ¡®Do tell, tattletale,¡¯Eugene mocked before clearing his face. ¡°Anyways, everything ended well. We almost died, but we didn''t. Instead, we killed Raizakia and even saved Lady Sienna. She won¡¯t be able to return immediately, but she did say she woulde to Aroth after recovering her strength,¡± said Eugene. ¡°T-To Aroth?¡± asked Lovellian, his face turning a shade paler. In the past, when Eugene revealed his ownership of Akasha, the Kingdom of Aroth held a hearing on whether to officially recognize Eugene as the master of Akasha. ¡ªAnd she said to me that she will return to the Aroth and knock over the whole country. ¡ªLady Sienna is not only alive but also furious with Aroth. ¡ªI am not sure how she will vent her wrath¡­. Hmm¡­. As far as I know, the Abram pce was a gift from Lady Sienna¡­ Theke that surrounds the pce was also made by Lady Sienna. Isn¡¯t the pce¡¯s devil-seal circle also the work of Lady Sienna? So¡­ she might drown the whole pce¡­. ¡ªOr else¡­ she might pour a meteor shower on the pce. It¡¯s none of my business, though¡­. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Eugene assured with a wink. ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you during the hearing? Neither you nor the Red Tower will suffer any harm from Lady Sienna¡¯s wrath.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s not what¡¯s important. Aroth is not prepared for Lady Sienna¡¯s return. We need to make contact immediately and¡­.¡± mumbled Lovellian. ¡°I don¡¯t think Lady Sienna would appreciate that. Perhaps it would be better for us all to stay quiet and avoid her wrath,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°What about me? What should I do, Eugene? I helped you a lot this time around, right? Don¡¯t just worry about the Red Tower. Take care of the White Tower as well, will you?¡± Melkith asked, immediately changing her stance and attempting to butter him up. Eugene stopped her advance and pushed her away with mana as he continued to speak. ¡°Anyway, I think it would be better not to inform Aroth about Lady Sienna¡¯s return. If word gets out prematurely¡­.¡± ¡°Hmm, we certainly need to be cautious about that,¡± Lovellian had no choice but to agree. Eugene had a valid point. ¡°What are you going to do about this?¡± he asked, pointing at Raizakia¡¯s corpse. The dragon¡¯s corpse was as big as a castle, but what was important wasn¡¯t its size. It wasn¡¯t just the corpse of any random creature or monster, but the body of Raizakia, a millennium-old dragon considered the best, strongest, and also the worst. Cyan was overwhelmed by the sight and barely managed to speak up. ¡°Are¡­ are we going to bury it here and hold a funeral?¡± he asked tentatively. ¡°Are you out of your mind? Why would we bury such a valuable thing? It¡¯s a trophy. Lady Anci will be thrilled if we bring it back to the Lionheart family,¡± exined Eugene. A trophy? The corpse of a dragon?Cyan looked alternatingly at Eugene and the corpse with disbelief. ¡°There¡¯s nothing to waste in the corpse of a dragon, but that¡¯s only the case with normal dragons. But now¡­. We¡¯ll have to throw away quite a bit of it. Especially the blood, we absolutely cannot use it. The flesh¡­ meat? Maybe we could cook and eat it, but I¡¯m afraid it might do more harm than good,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°There is a rumor that you can gain immortality by eating dragon meat,¡± said Melkith with gleaming eyes. ¡°Of course, no one¡¯s ever verified it. They say that if you eat dragon meat, other dragons will definitely find out ande to kill you. But couldn¡¯t that be proof? The dragonse to kill, and you end up dead. It means that it¡¯s just a ridiculous myth, after all. I mean, who would believe such things in this day and age?¡± ¡°Then Lady Melkith, why are you bent on so many myths?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Myths? What are you talking about? I don¡¯t believe in myths. Everything I do is based on truths that I have personally verified.¡± Melkith was quite confident on this matter, and in fact, she had seeded in forming contracts with three Spirit Kings. ¡°The meat will probably be inedible,¡± said Kristina after collecting herself enough to speak. ¡°It¡¯s like you said, Sir Eugene. Like its blood, the flesh of the Demon Dragon is likely to be extremely toxic to humans.¡± ¡°The bones, scales, skin, and teeth could be useful, though,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°Purified, they might be, but given their size and scale, it will take quite a bit of time,¡± responded Kristina. ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush. I will just seal it for now, store it in my cloak, and take it around with me,¡± said Eugene. But as he spoke, he realized his mistake. It wasn¡¯t only Mer who resided in his cloak now, but Raimira as well. Raimira had recentlye to her senses and was being briefed by Mer on what had taken ce.Even so, would it not be insensitive to store Raizakia¡¯s corpse right next to Raimira? ¡®Well, I¡¯ll just have theme out of the cloak,¡¯Eugene thought. It wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°First, let me return this to you,¡± Eugene said, taking off the rosary from his neck. His action caused Kristina¡¯s expression to suddenly change. [Kristina¡­,] Anise called out urgently. ¡®No, Sister. We already have an agreement. This grace is for me to enjoy and for me alone.¡¯ [How cruel¡­. Don¡¯t you pity me? I¡¯m already dead.] ¡®No, I don¡¯t.¡¯ She gave a curt, unwavering answer, unwilling to cede even an inch. Even Anise, who was usually sly, was at a loss for words at her cold response. Kristina took off her hat, pushed back her lush, blonde hair with both hands, then slowly made her way in front of Eugene before kneeling on one knee. ¡°Please,¡± she whispered in a sweet, gentle voice. It wasn¡¯t anything important, but Eugene couldn¡¯t help but gulp as he looked down at her. Having brushed her golden hair aside, Kristina had exposed her neck, which was as smooth as ivory and gleamed with sweat. ¡°¡­Ah, ehem.¡± Eugene cleared his throat, then bent down to ce the rosary around Kristina¡¯s neck. His mouth felt dry when he caught a whiff of a fragrance emanating from Kristina. [Just die,] Mer shrieked inside his head while holding onto Raimira. Thankfully, her words brought Eugene back to his senses. He immediately linked the rosary around her neck with a click. He was about to quickly retreat when Kristina suddenly grabbed his hands. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± she called out as she intertwined her hands with Eugene¡¯s into praying hands. ¡°I am d you returned safely.¡± She peered upwards with moist eyes. Eugene could clearly feel the warmth permeating the back of his hands. Eugene could only remain silent as he gulped loudly. Seeing his reaction, Kristina released her hands with a small smile. ¡®He¡¯s reacting, Sister.¡¯ [Indeed¡­. It seems that conveying our heart to Hamelst time was effective.] ¡®Yes, undoubtedly.¡¯ [That foolish man doesn¡¯t understand anything that isn¡¯t direct. In that sense, we possess an advantage over Sienna. That girl is quite shy, so she won¡¯t easily confess to Hamel even after reuniting.] After traveling with Sienna for over a dozen years, Anise had a perfect grasp of her character. Within the fairy tale that the two had co-authored, the single line Sienna had carved at the end had been the bravest, boldest move she had made in her life. ¡ªSienna, I liked you. ¡°So, are we taking this back to the Lionheart mansion?¡± asked Cyan, stealing a nce at Raizakia¡¯s corpse. They had no more business in the Samar Rainforest. Although they had not yet imed half of the spoils after defeating the Kochi Tribe, Ivatar would ensure it was delivered to the Lionheart family. ¡°You go back first,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Why?¡± Cyan asked with a surprised face. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop by Aroth,¡± proimed Eugene. He had thirty days remaining. It was already a tight schedule even if he were to return directly from the center of the Rainforest, so what if he were to be dyed by one or two days because he had stopped by his family? Eugene shuddered as he imagined Sienna¡¯s wrath. Favorite Chapter 305: Sienna Merdein (1) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 305: Sienna Merdein (1) [Bonus Image]

After passing through the Trade City in Samar, they reached the border of Kiehl, where Eugene would part ways with Cyan. ¡°Make sure to exin things properly to the Patriarch and Lady Anci,¡± Eugene instructed Cyan. Before leaving, they hadn¡¯t told the Lionhearts anything about the war in Samar. However, with howrge the scale of the battle had been, and since the eyes of the Lionheart n weren¡¯tpletely blind, news of the war in the Rainforest should have already reached them by now. Anci¡¯s eyes might just roll back into her head in a faint once she heard that the next Patriarch of the family, her son whom she cherished so terribly, had been to such a dangerous battlefield. So Eugene had requested that Cyan make his way back to the Lionhearts before that could happen and tell them about thespoilsfrom their victory in advance. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve been sent back with any injuries, and I¡¯m returning with plenty of spoils, so Mother and the Patriarch should be overjoyed instead of concerned,¡± Cyan scoffed. After Eward had left for Aroth and Eugene was adopted into the main family, Anci had turned into a very soft-hearted mother. However, before that, during the days when Cyan¡¯s rights of session had been at stake, Anci was just as overbearing a mother as Tanis had been. Cyan still had clear memories of that time, and even now that he had be an adult, his body still froze up whenever he imagined the sight of an enraged Anci. Honestly speaking, Cyan was still afraid of her. So even though his earlier words might have been said with a calm expression, on the inside, Cyan was still worried that Anci might be angry with him. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid, man,¡± Eugene encouraged him. ¡°Just the spoils you¡¯ve received from Ivatar alone could exceed the Lionheart n¡¯s budget over the next several years, and the corpse of an Ancient Dragon is something that an emperor wouldn¡¯t be able to purchase even if he sold off his entire empire.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s right,¡± Cyan said hesitantly. Eugene continued his persuasion, ¡°Then there¡¯s the other thing, you know, apart from all of the material stuff. You¡¯ve also received a different kind of benefit, haven¡¯t you? After all, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯d reach the Fifth Star soon? I¡¯m sure the Patriarch and Lady Anci will be more excited about your achievements than anything else.¡± ¡°That¡­ makes sense,¡± Cyan said slowly as his stiff face rxed under Eugene¡¯s encouragement. Soon, Cyan nodded with a broad smile overflowing with confidence, ¡°You can count on me. I¡¯ll take care of everything such that none of the sparks from us going off without permission willnd on you.¡± There was an old saying that enough praise could even make a bear dance. As Cyan walked off at a brisk pace, Eugene sent him away while waving his hand, thinking of that proverb. Well, it wasn¡¯t like Eugene had lied about anything. It was true that Cyan had grown greatly over the course of this war, so even Anci couldn¡¯t be too angry if he returned home while carrying plenty of loot. After seeing off Cyan, the rest of the party traveled through the warp-gate that took them straight to Aroth. After that, Eugene¡¯s party of four naturally partedpany with Lovellian and Melkith. The two Tower Masters had promised that they wouldn¡¯t inform Aroth¡¯s Royal Family, or anyone else, about Sienna¡¯s recovery in advance. Eugene saw them off as they both returned to their respective towers, then he headed to the downtown area of Aroth along with Kristina. ¡°Let me ask you this just in case, Hamel,¡± Anise suddenly spoke up, using Kristina¡¯s mouth. While handing a lollipop to Raimira, who was holding on tightly to her other hand, Anise turned to look at Eugene and asked, ¡°When you leave for your meeting with Sienna, I hope you don¡¯t intend to go there looking like that.¡± Thanks to making haste on their return journey, they arrived a day earlier than the thirty days Sienna had promised. While scanning Eugene¡¯s appearance from head to toe, Anise continued, ¡°No matter what you might look like, that chick Sienna is sure to greet you with a happy smile, but if at all possible, I would prefer it if you try to dress up a bit fancier before you meet with her, Hamel.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s so wrong with my current appearance?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯mcking anything, no matter what angle you might look at me from.¡± ¡°Hamel, I¡¯m well aware that your face is a lot more handsome than it was in your previous life, but it¡¯s also a disadvantage because you tend to evaluate yourself too generously. Ah, but then again, you were just like that in your previous life, weren¡¯t you,¡± Anise said, cocking an eyebrow with a smirk. Then she sighed, ¡°Though the truth is, the most frustrating thing about this argument we¡¯re having is that even I can¡¯t really think up a reasonable response to refute those arrogant words of yours. However, the important thing right now isn¡¯t my mood and opinion on the matter; it¡¯s what Sienna¡¯s will be.¡± Anise narrowed her eyes as she scanned Eugene from head to toe once more. Unfortunately, it was just as Eugene had said. Even though they had been traveling at a brisk pace for nearly a month, there still wasn¡¯t the slightest w in Eugene¡¯s appearance. If she really had to pick one thing, it might be that Eugene¡¯s disheveled hair looked a bit shaggy? However, even with shaggy hair like that, as long as one had a handsome face, it woulde off looking like a wild style instead of feeling unkempt. His clothes, which had been cleaned every day with magic, also looked a bit frayed, but instead of looking slightly shabby, they instead seemed vintage¡­. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Anise let out a low cough as she shook her head. With how cool Eugene looked in her eyes, he should also look the same in Sienna¡¯s, but since they had the opportunity¡­ Anise wanted to do something special for their reunion, which was taking ce after three hundred years, that would make Sienna even happier. [Sister, strictly speaking, it¡¯s not like this is really their first time meeting each other after so long, right?] Kristina pointed out. ¡®That might be the case, but the previous encounters between Sienna and Hamel were always coincidental, miraculous, sudden, and unusual. However, this time, aren¡¯t they finally meeting each other after actually setting a date?¡¯Anise argued back. Kristina hesitated, [That¡­ what you¡¯re saying is¡­ this means¡­ that Sir Eugene and Lady Sienna¡¯s next meeting is going to be a d-d-date¡­.] ¡®Even if it is, it definitely won¡¯t be as fun as the date we enjoyed together,¡¯Anise reassured her.¡®ording to my research, Aroth doesn¡¯t have anything like a fireworks festival scheduled for tomorrow.¡¯ [Thank goodness that¡¯s the case,] Kristina said with a heartfelt sigh of relief. ¡°First of all, Hamel, let¡¯s start by tidying up that messy hair of yours. It might look pretty good currently, but with just a little overall trimming, it will look much better,¡± Anise proposed. Eugene wasn¡¯t given any right to veto her decision. And when it came to things like this, Anise was as deliberate and thorough as ever. Anise had approached Melkith for help even before they had arrived at the city, so she had her pick of the most skilled hair salons in all of Pentagon. Under the usual circumstances, it would have been impossible for them to enter one of these salons without a reservation. But with Melkith¡¯s letter of introduction, Eugene found himself in one of the salons¡¯ chairs without going through anyplicated procedures. In his entire life, this was Eugene¡¯s first timeing to a ce like this. So what did he usually do to take care of his hair? Nina took care of his hair whenever he was at the main estate, and while he was studying abroad in Aroth, Eugene had just haphazardly cut it by himself. ¡°Here, cut it right here. But don¡¯t cut anything over there. We have to retain a bit of that wild feeling,¡± Anise instructed. Although Anise was just as much of a stranger when it came to hair styling, she insisted on clinging to the hairdresser¡¯s side and kept interfering throughout the haircut. Even so, a pro was still a pro. The hairstylist managed to amodate all of Anise¡¯s requests without ever revealing any trace of displeasure. After Eugene¡¯s hair was cut, his eyebrows were trimmed, and even his scalp and face received attention. The cosmetic essence that was created through abination of magic and alchemy gave a soft glow to Eugene¡¯s already naturally clear skin. Seeing his new appearance, Anise unconsciously clutched at her chest while Kristina had to swallow back a gulp. Before leaving the hair salon, they were also given a single-use magicb that would allow Eugene to recreate his current hairstyle by brushing theb through his hair. The next ce they headed to was a tailor that was also rmended by Melkith. This time, Anise and Kristina watched, chewing their fingernails in intense focus, as Eugene tried on various outfits. After he had tried on several different clothes, Anise and Kristina jointly decided that the one that fit Eugene perfectly was a neat-looking tuxedo. Anise hummed thoughtfully, ¡°With this tuxedo¡­ you should slightly reduce the size of your cloak and reshape it to look like a coat ¡ª yes, that¡¯s it! Perfect, let¡¯s go with that.¡± But was there really a need to go this far? At some point in the middle of the chaos, Eugene had lost track of why they were doing all of this, but even so, he didn¡¯t reject any of Anise¡¯s suggestions. This was because he knew full well that, at times like this, it would just be easier on his mind and body to quietly go along with her orders. By the time they had finished all their preparations, night had already fallen. When they arrived at the hotel they had booked for their amodation, Anise nced at Eugene right as she was about to enter her room and asked, ¡°What are you going to do for the present?¡± ¡°What present?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. Anise gasped, ¡°No way! Hamel, were you really intending on showing up empty-handed?!¡± Mer also chimed in, ¡°Sir Eugene, really?! Were you really going to go there without bringing anything? Even though you gave Lady Anise a ne as a gift!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s because it was Anise¡¯s birthday¡­,¡± Eugene defended himself weakly. ¡°It¡¯s true that it was my birthday at that time, but your meeting tomorrow will be just as important and exciting to Sienna as if it were her birthday,¡± Anise lectured. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Mer chimed in. This time, even Mer couldn¡¯t help but feel grateful to Anise. Standing by Raimira¡¯s side, Mer stopped eating her ice cream to re at Eugene. ¡°How about a bouquet?¡± Eugene awkwardly proposed. ¡°You should think about it yourself, Hamel,¡± Anise ordered. ¡°After all, you dide up with the idea of giving me my ne all on your own.¡± She had already given him more than enough help. Or at least that was what Anise thought as she headed into her room. ¡°What do you think about giving her ice cream as a present?¡± Raimira, who had entered Eugene¡¯s room along with Mer, suggested. Just as Eugene had expected, Raimira didn¡¯t feel depressed or resentful of Eugene due to Raizakia¡¯s death. This was because there hadn¡¯t been anything like fatherly affection between them, and it had been a great shock to Raimira when she was swallowed whole by Raizakia. Raimira cheerfully continued, ¡°Ice cream is sweet, refreshing, and delicious, don¡¯t you think? No matter who it is, if they receive a lot of ice cream as a present, they¡¯re sure to be happy.¡± ¡°Do you really think Lady Sienna is a simple little girl like you?¡± Mer scoffed. Raimira retorted, ¡°Even though you say that, Mer, you¡¯re the one who stole and ate more than half of the ice cream that originally belonged to this Lady.¡± ¡°Food that you¡¯ve stolen from someone else always tastes more delicious,¡± Mer professed without feeling an ounce of guilt. There was no point in listening any closer to the conversation between those two. As Eugene sat down in a chair, he pondered what kind of gift he should prepare for Sienna. The first thing that came to mind was a bouquet of flowers. He had thought that was a perfectly fine present to give. However, was it really a bit too simple? Then next up was¡­ since Sienna was a wizard¡­ how about a staff? But she already had Akasha, didn¡¯t she? ¡°Ah,¡± Eugene gasped as he suddenly recalled something. * * * Her first reaction was anger. Sienna had just arrived at her mansion in Aroth. The mansion had been erected on a site personally chosen by Sienna and had been built to reflect Sienna¡¯s ideal vision for her future. Since two hundred years had passed, she had thought that it might have changed a bit. However, even though she had expected some changes, hadn¡¯t things changed a bit too much? The peaceful and quiet forest had be a bustling za, and the river that glistened in the sunlight and was filled with the stars at night had beenpletely filled in. As for the mansion? Fortunately, the building itself remained intact. ¡®But what¡¯s with that statue?¡¯ At the center of the Merdein Square, which had been named after her, stood a statue of Sienna holding up a staff. When Sienna saw this statue, her whole body shuddered as she cringed. It was certainly an urate depiction of her. However, when she thought about the countless people who came looking for her statue every day to stand and pray in front of it, Sienna couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. ¡°Just how much money have they made from selling my image?¡± Sienna grumbled Admission prices for entry to Merdein Square and Sienna¡¯s mansion were exorbitant. Even so, there was an endless flow of tourists and examinees taking the Public Recruitment Exams of the Towers of Magic, streaming in, so much so that there were even lines. ¡°Do they really think I picked this country to research magic just so they could make money off of me and fill their own treasuries?¡± Sienna growled, clenching her fists in anger before turning her head to one side. Focusing her gaze on the center of the Capital City of Pentagon, she could see the Royal Pce of Abram, which had been built in the middle of ake. Even without witnessing all of this, Sienna had been thinking of visiting them sooner orter in order to discuss the issue of their treatment of Mer, but seeing as she had finally returned to Aroth, Sienna felt that it wouldn¡¯t be enough to just rely on her words alone. But she couldn¡¯t allow herself to go there and pick a fight right away, as now wasn¡¯t the right time. Sienna took a deep breath and turned her head back once more. Looking at a clocktower erected nearby, the time was a little past 11:30. ¡®Everything is fine,¡¯Sienna tried to tell herself. Her heart, which had just been pounding in rage, was now racing for a different reason. Sienna spun around while covering her own burning cheeks. She tried to calm herself,¡®I¡¯vepletely reconstructed my body and my clothes¡­. I¡¯ve made sure to put on new clothes.¡¯ The clothes she had worn before being sealed within the World Tree were already all worn out. As such, Sienna had made new clothes for herself to wear. Just in case he might think that she looked strange, as soon as Sienna had arrived in Aroth early this morning, she had looked around the city and taken references from the clothes of the passersby. Everything was fine. With all her preparations, she had done enough research to blend in nicely with the current era without giving off the feeling of someone from the past. Although she had already confirmed this, why was her heart still pounding so fast? While taking a few more deep breaths, Sienna headed towards her mansion. Her mansion was swarming with people. There were some people who couldn¡¯t get in in time and were now standing in line outside. Then there were all the employees who guarded and maintained the mansion. These were far too many people. In her heart, Sienna really wanted to kick everyone out, but¡­. she just let out a sigh and shook her head. ¡®Still, these people came all the way here because they truly respect me and want to pray to me. They¡¯ve even had to pay a lot of money to do so.¡¯ Such thoughts softened Sienna¡¯s heart. In the end, Sienna didn¡¯t drive any tourists away and entered her mansion without raising any sort of fuss. Naturally, she didn¡¯t pay the entrance fee. The guards and the tourists weren¡¯t able to pick up on Sienna¡¯s presence even as she passed right in front of their noses. There was still a bit of time left before their promised meeting time. Sienna was going to take a look around the mansion in an attempt to calm her loudly racing heart. Although all of the scenery surrounding her mansion had undergone changes, the structure of the mansion and the furniture inside had been preserved to look just as they had been two hundred years ago; nothing had changed. After taking a walk through the halls, Sienna headed for her study in the annex. There were two study rooms in her mansion. The study in the annex, where Sienna had often dreamt up ns for the future, only stored books meant for casual reading. Books that were rted to magic had deliberately been excluded from this library. Thanks to that, there were fewer tourists in the annex study. That being said, it still wasn¡¯t anything close to quiet, but Sienna was able to tolerate at least this level of noise. Sienna¡¯s footsteps came to a stop in front of her rocking chair by the firece. This firece had never seen much use. Especially in the two hundred years since Sienna had disappeared, this firece had never once been used, so it was perfectly clean without any trace of ashes. Upon seeing this sight, Sienna let out a snicker. Even the rocking chair in front of the firece ¡ª seeing how tidy it was without any sign of wear, it seemed that no one had dared to sit in it. ¡®There¡¯s an rm spell on top of the preservation spell,¡¯Sienna observed.¡®I guess it¡¯s meant to stop tourists from sitting on it.¡¯ Such spells had been ced all over the mansion. Sienna snickered as she stretched her fingers out towards the firece. Fwooosh! Inside the clean and tidy firece, a me suddenly erupted. ¡°Ah!¡± ¡°Wh-what the?¡± The tourists let out cries of surprise as the guards came rushing over. They immediately tried to extinguish the fire in the firece, but it was impossible for them to extinguish the mes ignited by Sienna¡¯s magic. Sienna giggled as she left the annex in an uproar. The ce in this mansion that attracted the most tourists was the magic study room in the basement of the mansion. Sienna had spent most of her life researching magic within that study. Perhaps because of that, she didn¡¯t really feel like going there right now. ¡®Isn¡¯t it noon yet?¡¯Sienna thought impatiently. Why does time have to pass so slowly? While rubbing her still-pounding chest, Sienna climbed the stairs in the hallway. This ce was the second-most crowded ce within the mansion ¡ª thending on the stairs connecting the main hall to the second floor. Thisnding was ced right in front of the portrait of the ¡°Wise Sienna¡± that was hung on the wall in the middle of the hall. ¡°I need you all to be quiet for now,¡± Sienna muttered as she lifted a finger. She didn¡¯t have Akasha or any other staff on her, but that didn¡¯t pose any problems for Sienna. The spell she cast was activated without alerting any security spells in the mansion. The people gathered in front of the portrait began to leave one by one. Without even thinking about why they were doing it, they either headed down to the hall on the first floor or went up to the second floor. Finally, thending in front of the portrait was leftpletely empty and silent. Standing in front of her own portrait, Sienna stared right into it. It had been two hundred years ago¡­ that this portrait was painted. The king of Aroth at the time had personally requested that it be made, saying that it should be left as a record for future generations. When she refused to do so, even her disciples were driven toe to her and beg her to reconsider. Left with no choice, Sienna reluctantly agreed. Wearing her formal robes, Sienna had sat down in a chair in front of the painter. She hadn¡¯t even wanted this portrait to be taken, and she ¡ª no, the Sienna from two hundred years ago ¡ª usually found it difficult to smile. The rare times that she felt able to smile were when she was talking to Anise or her otherrades. Apart from that, the few other times she found herself smiling came after she had created Mer. The painter responsible for painting her portrait had banged his head against the ground, begging Sienna to smile, even if it was ever so slightly. Since the portrait was meant to be left for future generations, he said they shouldn¡¯t leave behind a cold expression like the one Sienna had on at that moment. This request just made Sienna feel tired and annoyed. Since she found herself incapable of smiling, Sienna just told him that if he really wanted to leave behind a portrait of her with a smile, he should just draw it on his own. That was how this portrait had been created. She had a soft smile that was different from her usual expression. The painter had done his best to infuse a sense ofbenevolenceinto Sienna¡¯s expression. A Living Legend, an Archwizard who had left her name in Myth, and a Goddess of Magic; these were the titles that had been attached to Sienna in that era. He had wanted the future generations to be able to see Sienna, look up to her, and respect her, just as they did. So the painter had drawn a portrait of the Wise Sienna with a benevolent smile. ¡°It really doesn¡¯t suit me,¡± Sienna said as she chuckled at her own portrait. She had had the exact same thought when she first saw this portrait two hundred years ago. Sienna tried to smile like how her face in the portrait was smiling, but she couldn¡¯t make it work. As her awkwardly raised lips returned to their usual position, she stretched her hand toward her portrait. A gust of wind suddenly blew in. There were no open windows, but the wind that blew through the mansion was as fresh as if it had juste from a forest. Sienna turned her head, surprised by the sudden gust of wind. At that moment, the wind picked up ever so slightly and blew past Sienna. Her hat was blown away. Sienna lifted her head as she pressed down her fluttering hair with both hands. She saw her hat, which had flown away in the wind, was caught in somebody¡¯s hands. The hairstyle and clothes worn by the man who caught her hat were so stylish that they captured her attention with just a nce. Sienna¡¯s eyes widened into circles as she took in his appearance. ¡°I¡¯ve found you,¡± Eugene said with a grin as he waved the hat that he had caught in his hands. Chapter 306: Sienna Merdein (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 306: Sienna Merdein (2) [Bonus Image]

As her fluttering hair slowly settled down, Sienna stared into Eugene¡¯s face, unable to say a word. This wasn¡¯t the first time that they¡¯d been reunited. Many years ago, Sienna hade to Aroth in the form of a mental projection. That time had been thanks to her detecting that Hamel¡¯s heirloom, his old ne, had appeared in her mansion. So Sienna had scraped up what little magic power she had left to create her mental projection and had searched Aroth to find the ne. As a mental projection that couldn¡¯t move as she wished, touch anything, or even say anything, Sienna had wandered through the za. But the magic energy infused into the ne was far too weak to detect. At that time, Sienna had no choice but to choose the most difficult option of blindly searching for the ne within thatrge and crowded square, but then¡­. ¡®I found you.¡¯ She hadn¡¯t been able to hear his voice directly with her own ears. Just like how Sienna wasn¡¯t able to transmit her voice to anyone, she also wasn¡¯t able to hear anyone else¡¯s voice. Even so, Sienna had sensed hisvoice. It was a voice that she hadst heard three hundred years ago. A voice that she had fondly recalled and imagined speaking to her over and over again. Just the movement of his lips was enough for her to hear his voice. From Eugene, Sienna had heard Hamel say,¡®I found you.¡¯ ¡°...Ahaha¡­,¡± Sienna chuckled. Their second reunion had happened inside the World Tree when a miracle that couldn¡¯t normally have happened took ce. Because of abination of Sienna¡¯s sealed consciousness, a miracle from Anise, who had turned into an angel, and a miracle from the World Tree, the center of the elven religion and the same World Tree that Sienna had been ying in since she was a child, a miraculous dream had been created. ¡­And in that dream, she was reunited with Hamel. There were tears. There wasughter. Then they parted ways after making the following promises. Hamel had said that he would save Sienna. Sienna had said that she would go looking for Hamel. During their third reunion, both their promises were fulfilled. ¡°...Haha¡­.¡± This was their fourth reunion. A reunion that had been long-awaited. She had spent countless times wondering what they would talk about when they met. But even though she had given it so much thought, Sienna still couldn¡¯t scrounge up a single topic inside her head to spark a conversation. Unable to recall what to say, Sienna just stared at Eugene, who was standing in front of her. To think that they would both be able to survive like this, being in the same ce as each other once more. While breathing the same air, seeing the same sights, able to approach each other whenever they pleased, able to touch each other, and able to hear each other¡¯s voices. Her concerns about whether this dreamlike moment was, in fact, actual reality were enough to make Sienna¡¯s hair turn white. ¡°Ha¡­,¡± Sienna¡¯sughter faded. She didn¡¯t want to let out any tears, so Sienna had to purposely force herself tough. Even if they were tears of joy, she didn¡¯t want to show him such an ugly and shameful expression. However, she wasn¡¯t able to control her surging emotions as she wanted to. Her eyes kept involuntarily blinking, the tip of her nose was twitching, and her heart was pounding like it had been clenched in some sort of vise. Sienna tried to say something, ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± She was still trying not to cry. Sienna ced a hand on her chest as she tried to control her breathing. Getting a firm grip on her dampening eyes, Sienna looked straight at Eugene and asked, ¡°What¡¯s... what¡¯s with that look?¡± Why did he look so much different from what he had looked like during their previous reunions? It was causing her heart to race even faster. His smooth cheeks, without a single scar, seemed to be glowing, and his shaggy bangs had been tidied up to give a clearer view of his eyes. He was wearing a spotless tuxedo without any wrinkles and a coat draped over his shoulders¡­. Seeing him dressed like this was enough to make Sienna wonder¡­. Sienna stammered, ¡°It-it looks like you dressed up for my sake. A-ahem, s-so it looks like you really do secretly have quite a cute side, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Is that really something you should say?¡± Eugene replied with a grin on his face as he approached Sienna. Eugene also felt the same sense of excitement stirring in his chest. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who had put a lot of effort into dressing up for today. He had thought that the outfit he had seen her inst time already looked good enough, but Sienna had also changed into a new set of clothes. ¡°I-I didn¡¯t change my outfit for your sake,¡± Sienna denied. Eugene was slowly getting closer. Wouldn¡¯t he soon be able to hear the sound of her loudly racing heart? While having such concerns, Sienna pressed down firmly on her chest. Sienna hesitated, ¡°This is just¡­ uh¡­ ahem, about my clothes, it¡¯s just that too much time had passed, so they were all worn out¡­. Mhm¡­. I¡¯ve also noticed that a lot of things have changed between then and now, so I was just trying to wear some clothes that fit in with the current era¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Eugene said with a grin as his steps came to a halt. While staring directly into Sienna¡¯s face from the now closed distance, he said, ¡°It looks good on you.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Sienna said, taken aback. Eugene repeated himself, ¡°I said that it looks good on you. What about it?¡± ¡°You¡­ a-a-are you crazy?¡± Sienna stammered, her face having turned bright red. While trying to cover her overheated face with both hands, Sienna staggered back a few paces. What did he say just now? It, it looks good on you? He said that to me? Something like that? That stupid, idiot, bastard Hamel? ¡°What¡¯s with your reaction?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°I put a lot of thought into those words, you know.¡± Sienna stuttered in shock, ¡°Uh¡­ u-u-um, no, th-th-that¡¯s just, you¡­ could it be that you drank a little beforeing here?¡± ¡°Why would I have a drink beforeing here to meet with you?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. Sienna protested, ¡°It¡¯s because you¡¯re saying things that aren¡¯t like you, things that really don¡¯t suit you¡ª!¡± ¡°Really now. It¡¯s not like I said anything strange,¡± Eugene grumbled as one hand started rummaging through the pockets of his coat for some reason. When she said that those words weren¡¯t like him and didn¡¯t really suit him, Eugene naturally was already fully aware of that. Whether it was in his previous life or after he had been reincarnated, Eugene wasn¡¯t the sort of person to say such words. So it wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t felt strange saying them, but even though he had felt strange, he had still spat out those words. A lot of time had passed since they hadst met in real life, and he knew just how desperately they had each longed for this meeting, just as he knew that they no longer needed to cling to their old regrets ¡ª not anymore. That was why he had uttered such apliment that didn¡¯t really suit him, but now, Eugene was embarrassed because Sienna¡¯s reaction to it wasn¡¯t all that positive. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Eugene awkwardly coughed as he nced at Sienna¡¯s current outfit once more. Then he swallowed a sigh of relief that he had listened to Anise. Should he give the present to her now? No, it should be a bitter. If he gave it to her now, Sienna might just kick up another fuss about how such an action really didn¡¯t suit him, and Eugene might really die from embarrassment. ¡°...Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Eugene changed the subject. ¡°There was something that I wanted to ask you.¡± ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± Sienna stammered. What do you think of me? Do you like me? In that short moment, questions like these repeatedly popped up inside Sienna¡¯s head. However, Eugene asked somethingpletely different from the list of questions Sienna had imagined, ¡°It¡¯s about thest time after we killed Raizakia. Before you disappeared, what were you trying to say to me?¡± She had hastily gotten her hopes up, but it still hurt to have her expectations betrayed¡­. Sienna¡¯s lips parted in a daze, and she blinked repeatedly as she registered the question. Soon, Sienna regained herposure as she let out a sharp shriek, ¡°Ah!¡± Then she stomped over to Eugene. Although Eugene flinched back in the face of Sienna¡¯s sudden advance and tried to take a few steps back, Sienna wasn¡¯t going to allow Eugene to escape. A furious thrust of her hand stabbed deeply into Eugene¡¯s coat, grabbing hold of his left hand that had just been rummaging within and pulling it out. ¡°You!¡± Sienna growled as her eyes lit up with a bloodthirsty light. She was ring at the ring finger on his left hand that she had spotted a month ago, just before she had disappeared. While she was in the middle of reconstituting and repairing her body inside the World Three, Sienna had made some lengthy deductions about this ring¡¯s true identity. She had soone to an initial conclusion. ¡®No, I must have just seen it wrong.¡¯ Her eyes must have been mistaken since she had been on the verge of disappearing. Although this was a rather forced conclusion, Sienna had decided to embrace it for now. She had assured herself that she would just need to take a closer look and confirm it with her own eyes when they met one monthter. She, who had been called theWise Sienna, hade to such a forced conclusion because there was a month left before they could meet, a month in which she wouldn¡¯t be able to go and check it for herself, and she really didn¡¯t want to deal with that mental stress. In fact, she already knew that she hadn¡¯t seen it wrongly but was deliberately ignoring the truth. And now, the thing she had been ignoring had transformed into an undeniable reality and was now being etched into Sienna¡¯s eyes. Eugene did have a ring on his left ring finger! Sienna¡¯s hair slowly began to float upward as she stammered, ¡°You¡­. Y-y-You! You¡¯re¡­ married? Engaged? Wh-what¡¯s with this? To whom?!¡± She suddenly recalled the warning that she had heard from Mer. There are a lot of foxes, no, starving wolves prowling around Sir Eugene. She had also been trying to ignore those words, but now, there was no longer any need for her to do so. As for why that was? It was because Hamel, no, Eugene, was currently right in front of Sienna. Sienna stuttered, ¡°I-i-is it¡­ Anise?!¡± Anise Slywood. If it was Anise, a woman who had such a snakelike side to her, then she could definitely be described as a starving wolf. Sienna was also well aware of what kind of feelings Anise had for Hamel. ¡®And her fate was iparably more pitiful than mine,¡¯ Sienna recalled. Although she could have somehow escaped her fate if she had truly wanted to, Anise had chosen not to do so and had epted her fate. While remaining pure her entire life, Anise had lived the life of a religious idol as the Saint. The fate that Anise had epted would steal from her the happiness she deserved and would make it impossible for her to rest even in death. Anise had been fully aware of these facts, yet she had still decided to ept her fate. For the sake of the future, for the sake of the world, and because their future generations would need the Saint. But what if Hamel hadn¡¯t died¡­. What if all five of them had survived, in the Demon Kings, and saved the world? Anise wouldn¡¯t have needed to ept such a fate. What was so good about being the Saint? Even if it meant going up against the Pope and the entire church, even if Anise herself were to refuse, Sienna would still have chosen to carry Anise off so they could have a future together with Hamel. However, she hadn¡¯t been able to do so. Hamel had died, and they hadn¡¯t managed to y all of the Demon Kings.Theywere defeated. So they had needed to make contingencies for the future. That future was now. Anise had sacrificed herself and be an angel. The immoral and blood-soakedmiracleof the Holy Empire of Yuras had created aSaintwho looked just like Anise for the current era, while Anise, who had be an angel, now dwelled within the Saint of this era. Sienna had sincerely wished for Anise¡¯s salvation. As such, if it was Anise who was now with Eugene, then she would be able to ept it to some extent. However! ¡®She made a move before me?¡¯ That couldn¡¯t be allowed. ¡®If they¡¯ve only just exchanged rings, then that¡¯s still alright, but¡­ just how far have they really gone?¡¯ Sienna¡¯s eyes kept shaking. While she knew that thinking about precedence in an issue like this was strange, still¡­ if at all possible, Sienna had hoped toe before Anise! ¡°...No way¡­,¡± Sienna muttered to herself. Sienna¡¯s shoulders shook as she suddenly thought of another scenario. What if¡­? ¡°I-is it the one who looks like Anise, the Saint of this era¡­?¡± Sienna asked, thinking that it was definitely possible. Rather than Anise, who had be an angel, the Saint of the current era, who was alive and well, was more suspicious. That Saint could have been influenced by Anise, who dwelled within her, to exchange rings with Hamel¡­ and perhaps¡­ it was also possible that the Saint herself could have fallen in love with Hamel. ¡°Calm down,¡± Eugene tried to tell her. What crazy idea was she having now? Letting out a snort, Eugene shook his head. He had experienced a simr reaction before, so he was now used to it. Naturally, Sienna wasn¡¯t able to immediately calm down just because Eugene said to. With eyes that were rapidly growing colder, she red into Eugene¡¯s face. ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Sienna cursed. Eugene sighed, ¡°I¡¯m telling you to calm down.¡± Sienna refused, ¡°You motherfucker.¡± ¡°Hey, hey. Stop cursing and take a good look at it. Shouldn¡¯t you be able to tell that this isn¡¯t an ordinary ring?¡± Eugene persuaded her. He wanted her to calm down and take a good look? Huffing angrily, Sienna red at Eugene¡¯s ring. ¡­The fact that the ring was being worn on the ring finger of Eugene¡¯s left hand had clouded Sienna¡¯s judgment, but indeed, now that she was looking at it properly, she could tell that it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary ring. ¡°...Ah¡­ ahem,¡± Sienna let out an awkward cough as she brought Eugene¡¯s hand, which she was still holding tightly, up for a closer look. Then she opened her eyes wide as she stared into the ring on his finger, ¡°...Your left ring finger¡­ if it¡¯sbined with a magical contract, that means this ring is the symbol of a promise. That¡¯s right, each finger does have its own different meaning, but the ring finger of the left hand has always held that sort of symbolism ever since ancient times. Both in the fields of sorcery and in magic¡­ ah¡ª!¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Yeah, go on.¡± Sienna coughed once more, ¡°Ahem¡­. In fact, I have to say, I was actually already aware of this, Hamel, no, I mean, Eugene. I really was aware of it already. Why wouldn¡¯t I be able to tell what it was right away? There¡¯s no way that I, Sienna Merdein, the greatest and wisest wizard in the continent¡¯s history, wouldn¡¯t have noticed the truth. I was just, I was just ying a practical joke on you.¡± The light had now returned to her cold, dead eyes. Unaware of how red her own face had be, Sienna kept rambling. ¡°This is¡­ ahem¡­ it¡¯s definitely a magic ring. Not just any ordinary magic either; it¡¯s been enchanted with ancient divine magic¡­,¡± Sienna muttered as her face moved closer and closer to Eugene¡¯s left hand. What arge hand¡­. There were raised veins on the back with calluses as hard as steel on the inside of his palm. He had long, rugged fingers, and, this close, she could smell the slight scent of his body. All of these factors caused Sienna¡¯s face to grow even hotter. She had gotten too close. If Eugene tilted his hand even slightly, it felt like the back of his hand would be able to rub against her cheek. ¡°I-I¡¯ve gotten a good look at it,¡± Sienna stammered as she btedly came to her senses and let go of Eugene¡¯s hand. Then Sienna stepped back, cooling off her face by fanning her cheeks with both hands. Eugene stared at Sienna with a smile on his face. ¡°...What are you looking at?¡± Sienna grumbled, pouting in response to his gaze and obvious amusement. ¡°It¡¯s just strange to see you like this,¡± Eugene said as he pointed his finger at something behind Sienna¡¯s back. He was pointing at the smile that had been drawn onto Sienna¡¯s portrait by the artist. That benevolent expression on the portrait gave off apletely different feeling to the real Sienna¡¯s face. Sienna huffed sulkily, ¡°...Hmph, it seems you like that expression? I¡¯m sorry, but even if I wanted to, I just can¡¯t make that sort of smile work for me. Even at that time, I had the same expression as I do now. The person who painted the portrait did it all on his own¡ª¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me either way. Rather than a portrait you can¡¯t even touch or talk to, I prefer the real you who keeps grumbling and clicking her tongue,¡± Eugene confessed. He was doing it again! Sienna¡¯s jaw dropped as she stared at Eugene. ¡°Y-you¡¯re doing this on purpose, aren¡¯t you?¡± Sienna used once she had regained herposure. ¡°Doing what?¡± Eugene responded innocently. Sienna cried out, ¡°You keep saying things that aren¡¯t like you¡ª! ¡°Really now, you¡¯re making such a fuss even though I¡¯m giving youpliments,¡± Eugeneined as he tucked Sienna¡¯s hat, which he had still been holding on to, inside of his cloak. ¡°Why are you putting my hat inside there?¡± Sienna demanded. Eugene shrugged, ¡°Just cause.¡± If she wore this huge hat, it would be hard to see Sienna¡¯s face. In fact, from now on, he would be able to see her face every day, but just for today, Eugene wanted to see Sienna¡¯s face clearly. Of course, he wasn¡¯t going to say such thoughts out loud. Moreover, Eugene didn¡¯t want to admit that he had such thoughts, even to himself. Clearing his throat, Eugene turned and nced out the window before asking, ¡°...Are you just going to keep staying here?¡± Sienna blushed, ¡°W-well¡­ it¡¯s just been so long since Ist returned home, so I was taking a little look around. In fact, there¡¯s no need to stay here any longer. Since the insides haven¡¯t changed a bit, what is there to even see?¡± ¡°Alright then, do you have anywhere that you want to go?¡± Eugene asked. Sienna retorted, ¡°Wh-why do you have to keep asking me? Huh? What about you? Don¡¯t you have anywhere you want to go?¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Eugene cleared his throat once more as he sauntered over to Sienna. ¡°For now, shall we head outside?¡± ¡°If-if you want to,¡± Sienna acquiesced. ¡°Well then, why don¡¯t you get a bit closer to me,¡± Eugene requested as he inserted both hands into his cloak. Sienna didn¡¯t try to understand what Eugene was going to do and instead just drew closer to Eugene with a deepening blush on her face. ¡°It might be a bit cold outside for you,¡± Eugenemented out of consideration for Sienna. It wasn¡¯t strange for Eugene to say so. While it was always warm in the Rainforest to the south, currently, it was early winter in Aroth. So naturally, there was no reason for Sienna to mock him for saying this. After all, thement was meant to show consideration rather than prompt a response. Eugene took a cloak he had purchased after wandering through the city in the early morning hours and draped it around Sienna¡¯s shoulders. It had a vintage purple color. A short cape rested on her shoulders while the rest of the gold-embroidered cloak continued below the cape and red out at Sienna¡¯s thighs. Eugene had picked this cloak because he thought its color would go well with Sienna¡¯s purple hair, and it had worked out just as he had thought. Sienna was struck dumb. What was she going to say? Would she call him crazy? Would she ask him, why a cloak? What if she said that it was tacky? Eugene felt nervous that Sienna might make such a provocativement, so he kept ncing at her face. However, Sienna wasn¡¯t able to say anything, and it seemed like she was even having some trouble breathing properly. What was this cloak? A gift. To whom? To her. Sienna¡¯s thoughts went through a cycle of these questions beforeing to a standstill. Chapter 307: Sienna Merdein (3)

Chapter 307: Sienna Merdein (3)

Flutter. The hem of the cloak wrapped around her shoulders tickled Sienna¡¯s calves. While enduring his embarrassment, Eugene adjusted the fit of the cloak for her. The cloak was feather-lined. It didn¡¯t have any sort of essories attached, but Eugene thought it might look quite pretty if she pinned on a brooch as well. Should he have bought a brooch separately? For a moment, such a thought ran through Eugene¡¯s head, but even if he regretted it now, it wasn¡¯t like he could just magically make a brooch appear, could he? But truthfully, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have any on him right now. Even though it had been transformed into the shape of a coat, the Cloak of Darkness could still faithfully perform its usual functions. There was a multitude of things stored inside Eugene¡¯s coat, and among these, there were also various essories. They were intended to be used as goods that could be exchanged for actual currency in remote areas where the Lionheart n¡¯s ck card wasn¡¯t able to work. Among his essories, there were also several ornate brooches worthy of being attached to the cor of this cloak. However, Eugene felt thatpersonallyattaching a brooch to Sienna¡¯s cor with his own hands would be too much embarrassment for him to bear. Apart from a brooch, wasn¡¯t there anything else he could give her to wear? The moment that he thought of this question, something came to mind. In other words, Eugene had already thought of theanswerto that question. The Lionheart badge. A family sigil that could be worn on a formal dress or cloak. ¡®Are you insane?¡¯Eugene reprimanded himself. Even though Eugene already knew the answer to the question of what he wanted to pin to her cor, he couldn¡¯t do so because of hisst remaining strand of rationality. Attaching the Lionheart badge to the cor of Sienna¡¯s cloak was an act that could cause a truly immense amount of misunderstandings. ¡®She could at least say something,¡¯Eugene thought desperately as he erased all thoughts of brooches and badges from his head. Eugene lifted Sienna¡¯s cor slightly while ncing up into her face. Even though the raised cor was now touching her cheeks, Sienna still didn¡¯t say anything. She was staring right at Eugene with wide eyes, but not a single sound was escaping her half-opened lips. The distance between them was very close. He could smell the fresh scent wafting off of her lightly fluttering purple hair. Eugene didn¡¯t think that this was the first time he had seen Sienna¡¯s face from such a short distance, but perhaps because it had been so long ago, or perhaps because of a change in perspective¡­ there were a lot of things that he felt like he was finding out all over again. Like how Sienna had long eyshes or how her pupils looked so bright. Like the subtle heat of her body temperature emanating from her and the not-too-dark shade of her pink lips. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Eugene coughed as he shook his head to clear a momentary dizziness. Then, while trying not to reveal the feelings that had juste over him, Eugene gave Sienna a light pat on the shoulders. It was only after this slight shaking of her body that Sienna came to her senses. She took a deep breath and skipped a few steps backward. Then she snapped her fingers and cast a spell. Creating a magical mirror that floated right next to her, Sienna looked at herself in the mirror andmented, ¡°I don¡¯t know who picked it out for you, but it looks good on me.¡± She moved her body this way and that and even spun around on the spot. The hem of her cloak swayed in sync with each of Sienna¡¯s movements. Perhaps because it had been purchased in the capital city of Aroth, which was called the Magic Kingdom, even a cloak like this had been enchanted. Though there weren¡¯t any impressive applications of magic by Sienna¡¯s standards. The hem of the cloak had been enchanted to move on its own so as to not interfere with its wearer¡¯s movements, and magic had also been applied to keep it clean, preserve its shape, and retain its wearer¡¯s body temperature. There weren¡¯t any enchantments that would provide a defense against physical attacks, resistance to magical attacks, or any type of aid in casting spells. In other words, these enchantments meant that this cloak was neither aweaponnorarmor. The spells to keep it clean, preserve its form, and help maintain body temperature weren¡¯t exceptional examples of such enchantments either. They were only on the level of making it slightly cooler in the summer and slightly warmer in the winter. It was just a piece of clothing whose designers had attempted to provide a certain level of convenience. But it was precisely because of that, that Sienna felt so overwhelmed with emotions upon receiving this cloak. The reason why a guy like Hamel had given her this cloak that couldn¡¯t be used as either a weapon or a piece of armor¡­. ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± Sienna muttered as she looked at her reflection in the magic mirror. She didn¡¯t feel any shame or embarrassment from saying these words. Sienna was already so full of those emotions that they were causing her face to be about as red as a well-ripened apple. And thanks to her head being so overheated and her heart racing so fast, she had found it difficult to say anything. However, now that she had finally said something, she felt like she wouldn¡¯t stutter or stop the next flow of words either. With a bright smile, Sienna looked at her reflection in the mirror once more. This was the cloak that Hamel, no, Eugene, had specifically picked out as a gift for her. Sienna spun around to look at Eugene. ¡°How is it? Does it look good on me?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°It really looks good on you,¡± Eugeneplimented. Sienna asked suspiciously, ¡°I¡¯m asking this just in case, but this cloak, did you really pick it out yourself? Or did someone else pick it out for you? Someone such as Mer or Anise.¡± Eugene grumbled, ¡°I chose it myself. What about it?¡± Sienna giggled smugly, ¡°Hehehe, to think you would actually show some fashion sense. I don¡¯t believe you had such good instincts for it in your previous life, did you?¡± ¡°What do you know?¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°The only type of clothes that we ever wore in our previous lives were our armor, cloaks, and robes.¡± Sienna corrected him, ¡°We wore a lot of clothes apart from those. There were several times when we followed Vermouth to a party he had been invited to, and we also wore formal attire whenever we had an audience with a prominent high-ranking aristocrat or king.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I, or really any of us were allowed to pick what clothes we would wear at those times. In any case, even in my previous life, my fashion sense when it came to picking clothes was pretty amazing. So¡­ um¡­ I made sure to pick this cloak out for you¡­ ahem,¡± Eugene¡¯s words trailed off with an awkward cough. Sienna giggled as she got rid of the magic mirror and turned to look out the window. ¡°Like you said, it really does look cold outside,¡± Sienna assessed. ¡°Although I don¡¯t think this cloak is actually meant to be worn in winter.¡± Eugene huffed in exasperation, ¡°Hah, in that case, just take it off then.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t want to. I¡¯m definitely never taking it off,¡± Sienna refused as she walked past Eugene with a mischievous smile. ¡°Since I¡¯m wearing some new clothes, shall we take a walk outside? Ah, let me tell you this in advance, Eugene, I may have lived in Aroth for quite a long time, but that was two hundred years ago, alright? This country has changed so much from when Ist lived in it. So I¡¯m not really familiar with this country, much less this city.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not too familiar with it either,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°I might have lived here for about two years in the past, but back then, most of my time was spent confined to the Towers of Magic or Akron.¡± ¡°Even so, you should know a lot more than I do at the moment, right?¡± Sienna pointed out. ¡°I have to say, this is a really strange feeling. It¡¯s like I¡¯ve traveled through time¡­ though it¡¯s not like I need to tell you how that feels.¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Shall we get something to eat?¡± ¡°Are there any stores that you would rmend?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°There¡¯s one that sells crab,¡± Eugene said as he recalled the restaurant he had visited with Lovellian a few years ago. They had gone to that restaurant because Eugene had happened to casually mention the dish, but the ice crabs, which were a specialty of Ruhr, that he had eaten there were quite delicious. Sienna looked doubtful, ¡°Crab? You¡¯re talking about that crab? The thing that looks like an insect of the sea with ws and a hard shell?¡± Eugene sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too harsh on crabs?¡± ¡°There¡¯s really no difference between them. Prawns and crabs are exactly like the insects of the sea. Eugene, do you find insects delicious?¡± Sienna asked mockingly. ¡°No, like I said, they aren¡¯t insects,¡± Eugene tried to argue. ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t want to eat them,¡± Sienna said as she nced over to check Eugene¡¯s expression. In fact, Sienna was the type to dislike seafood in general, not just things like crabs and shrimp in particr. This was because Sienna had lived in the center of the Rainforest, which was far away from the sea, from her childhood to adulthood. It was also because of her memories from when she fell into the sea while having to deal with an attack by sea monsters and ck wizards ¡ª back when they were crossing the sea to Helmuth after Hamel had first joined the party. It was Hamel who had saved Sienna when she was about to be sucked into a whirlpool. Hamel had barely managed to keep hold of Sienna, who had lost consciousness, and the two had drifted along with the ocean currents that had been churned into a frenzy by a spell. This was back when they were both strangers to each other. The two of them eventuallynded on a small ind far from their ship. Sienna came to her senses shortly after they reached the shore, but because of the injuries from her mana reflux, she wasn¡¯t able to use any of her magic right away. ¡°Ahaha,¡± Eugene smiled and made a noise of realization as he recalled back to that time. The ind that they had arrived at those three hundred years ago hadn¡¯t been a deserted ind. ck wizards who served the Demon King had been hiding in the interior of the ind. These ck wizards sent demonic beasts to kill the intruders who had washed up on their shores ¡ª ugly and blood-stained, crab-shaped demonic beasts with huge ws and shrimp-shaped demonic beasts with horns as sharp as awls, whose bodies writhed in the air as they galloped. This might be stating the obvious, but Hamel and Sienna were able to survive on that ind without any problems. Hamel was able to eradicate the demonic beasts while protecting Sienna, who was temporarily unable to use any magic, and he even managed to ughter the ck wizards who were gathered at the center of the ind. Then a few hourster, they rode on a rescue boat that had arrived at the ind and returned to their ship. ¡°So you¡¯re acting like this because you remembered what happened in the past, back when you had to hide behind me while trembling in fear, right?¡± Eugene said with a smirk. ¡°That¡¯s not it at all, though?¡± Sienna denied it with feigned nonchnce. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°Back then, you said that you couldn¡¯t fully trust me, so you almost got killed by the demonic beasts while trying to explore the ind on your own.¡± To tell the truth, it wasn¡¯t really because Sienna hadn¡¯t trusted Hamel but because of aplex mix of several different sources of embarrassment. So you can¡¯t even fly in the sky, huh? While teasing Hamel with those words, Sienna had streaked through the skies over the sea while shooting out her spells, only to shamefully be hit by a counterattack and crash into the sea. She was extremely grateful that Hamel had leaped into the sea to save her, but Sienna was also ashamed of the embarrassing sight that she couldn¡¯t help but pose due to her soaking wet clothes. She had just intended to take a moment to quickly dry her clothes before moving on, but she ended up being even more ashamed when she was forced to cry out ¡®Kyaaah!¡¯ at the sight of the invading demonic beasts¡­. ¡°I said that it¡¯s not,¡± Sienna insisted sulkily. Setting everything else aside, Eugene was correct that this was where Sienna¡¯s dislike of shrimps and crabs came from. Stuck in a situation where she wasn¡¯t able to use her magic, Sienna had faced those demonic beasts, those creepily giant crabs and shrimps with their rolling eyes and red froth at their mouth that looked like bubbles of blood, and she could still clearly recall the helplessness and terror that she had felt back then. ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t want us to go and get some crabs,¡± Sienna insisted. Come to think of it, it was starting from that ind that Sienna began to pay close attention to Hamel. ¡®Because you helped me. Because you leaped into the sea to save me and protected me when I was unable to use my magic,¡¯Sienna thought fondly. ¡ªHey, you can stop shaking now. You¡¯re fine, aren¡¯t you? Your magic? You¡¯re saying that you can¡¯t use your magic right now? Really now, it just never ends, does it? No, like I said, you¡¯re still fine, aren¡¯t you? So what if you can¡¯t use your magic right away. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re on your own. With me here, there won¡¯t be any problems, okay? ¡ªWhat? You say that you can¡¯t trust me? Haaah, you really are ridiculous. Hey, don¡¯t do anything stupid and just stick close behind me, got it? Again, don¡¯t do anything strange, and instead of screaming your lungs out if you get scared, just pinch my side. ¡ªWe¡¯re going to be okay. There¡¯s nothing to worry about. ¡ªI promise I¡¯ll protect you. ¡°You¡¯re still a dense, stupid asshole,¡± Sienna reluctantly muttered. ¡°Why are you insulting me all of a sudden?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. ¡°Hey!¡± Sienna chided. ¡°Just think about it carefully. How exactly do you go about eating crabs? Huh? You tear off their legs, suck out the meat, and chew on the shell, right? Do you really think I want to show such a sloppy appearance in front of you?¡± Eugene sighed, ¡°Really now? I was wondering what you were trying to say. When we were in the Devildom, whether it was crabs or what, we ate all kinds of things, from bugs to demonic beasts. You had no problems eating with your bare hands back then.¡± ¡°That was the Devildom, and this is this!¡± Sienna retorted. ¡°Also, since this current era has gotten a lot more convenient, you don¡¯t even need to use your hands when eating crab,¡± Eugene informed her. ¡°The meat is sucked out nicely for you with magic.¡± ¡°If I say that I don¡¯t want to eat it, you should just ept that I don¡¯t want to eat it,¡± Sienna huffed. Eugene smiled, ¡°I know you¡¯re just being stubborn because you¡¯re embarrassed for no reason.¡± ¡°I said that I don¡¯t want to eat it! Let¡¯s just head out and walk around a bit. Do you have a beggar in your stomach[1]? Are you really that hungry? In fact, I¡¯m not hungry at all. I just want to walk around with you and take a look at¡ª¡± Sienna¡¯s voice, which had been spitting out words in a fit of pique, came to an abrupt stop. Sienna¡¯s lips pped soundlessly for a few moments before she abruptly sprinted past Eugene and raced down the stairs. Was she crazy? What did she say just now? ¡®Well, if it¡¯s now, I think it should be alright to say those kinds of words to him¡­,¡¯Sienna may have thought this to herself, but it didn¡¯t work out so well when she tried to put it into practice. As expected, Sienna Merdein¡¯s personality was the same as it had always been. Eugene clicked his tone in disappointment as he watched Sienna¡¯s back burst through the doors of the mansion as if she was running away from something. ¡°She¡¯s still just as troublesome as ever,¡± Eugene muttered. But that was exactly why he had missed her so much, wanted to see her, and was happy now that she was here. Eugene grinned as he followed Sienna out of the mansion. ¡°It¡¯s not like either of us is so busy that we don¡¯t even have the time to get something to eat,¡± Eugene said as he approached Sienna, who was standing with her back turned to him. ¡°That¡¯s not the issue.¡± Sienna hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s just that I, with you¡­ since we were able tosurvivelike this and meet once again after so long¡­.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re just feeling impatient?¡± Eugene asked bluntly. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Sienna hissed. ¡°Whether it¡¯s going on a walk with you, taking a look around, or sightseeing¡­ from now on, we¡¯ll be able to do all of that forever¡­,¡± Eugene promised her before turning away slightly and letting out an embarrassed cough. At these words, Sienna flinched and turned to look at Eugene in surprise. ¡°Did I say anything strange? Why are you looking at me with such a surprised look?¡± Eugene asked defensively. ¡°Hmmm¡­,¡± Sienna hummed thoughtfully. ¡°Or else what? Should we stop meeting each other from today onwards? Now that everyone has been able to return safely and we¡¯ve shown our faces to each other, we should go our own ways from now on. Is that what you want?¡± Eugene asked sarcastically. ¡°How could I!¡± Sienna shouted while shaking her head violently. Then, in a softer tone, ¡°There¡¯s no way that¡¯s the case. We can¡¯t do that, and I don¡¯t want us to do that. It¡¯s just¡­ it¡¯s been three hundred years, Eugene. It¡¯s been so long, and so much time has passed. Both for you and for me.¡± Sienna¡¯s face was still heated from earlier. Even though she had been just fine when she first came to Aroth. Sienna hesitantly continued, ¡°You¡­ were reincarnated, and I¡¯ve managed to recover after almost dying. During those long three hundred years, a lot of things have changed. One of those things is your new name, Eugene Lionheart. Honestly speaking, I still feel awkward saying yourcurrentname. I feel like I¡¯ll just keep calling you Hamel without even realizing it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you call me. No matter what my name is now or how much the world has changed, I¡¯m still the same me that you¡¯ve always known,¡± Eugene reassured her. ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s true,¡± Sienna agreed before insisting, ¡°But even so, I want to call you by your current name. If I had to say why, it¡¯s because it¡¯s your name in the present day. The fact that you are the same you that I¡¯ve always known just makes it even more important for me to confirm that you¡¯re still here in the present as yourself.¡± After stopping and starting a few times, Sienna finally managed toplete her exnation. From the moment she had met Eugene until now, Sienna¡¯s face had been flushed red. The emotions that Sienna admitted to but was unable to confess were exactly the same now as they had been three hundred years ago, even though so much time had passed. Even though Eugene¡¯s scarred visage had changed and he had be apletely different person, Sienna¡¯s feelings for him hadn¡¯t changed at all. Sienna rested a hand on her chest as she tried to calm her breath. There was no need for her to try and deny her feelings. ¡®But I still can¡¯t help but feel embarrassed,¡¯Sienna thought. She was still just as excited and embarrassed as she ever was by everything that this man in front of her said and did. ¡°Eugene,¡± Sienna poured all her emotions into her voice as she called out his name. ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± This name would be dropping from Sienna¡¯s lips over and over again from now on. Sometimes with the feelings left over from hundreds of years ago and sometimes with the feelings created at that very moment. With all of her annoyance, her anger, her joy, her amusement, and her love. She might be smiling, she might be crying, or she might even be hugging him when she said it. This name would be more special to Sienna than any other word while alsoing more frequently to her lips than any other word. Sienna firmly stated, ¡°Today absolutely cannot be allowed to be thest time we meet. We¡­ since we weren¡¯t able to meet for the past hundreds of years, then, no matter what, we need to be together for hundreds of years more.¡± As Sienna said this, her voice was still embarrassed as ever, but even more than that, it was earnest and sincere. ¡°Today is the first day of the rest of our lives,¡± Sienna whispered in a quiet yet clear voice. Then Sienna spun around and started walking away. The emotions that Sienna had just managed to calm down were about to begin rampaging once more. The words that she had spoken just now kept running through her head. ¡®Good work, me,¡¯Sienna thought happily, giving herself a mental pat. Sienna felt proud of herself for finally managing to put her feelings into words. Since she had said so much, even that stupid, dense idiot shouldn¡¯t be able to doubt Sienna¡¯s feelings for him. And naturally, that was precisely the case. In the first ce, Eugene had managed to vaguely sense Sienna¡¯s feelings for him, even during his previous life. But with the era and their situation being what they were, he just couldn¡¯t do anything about them. If all of the Demon Kings had been in and the world had be peaceful ¡ª Eugene would also have been able to properly respond to Sienna¡¯s feelings. ¡°Even though I wasn¡¯t able to save the country in my previous life[2],¡± Eugene muttered to himself with a smile as he started following behind Sienna. Though since he had taken part in killing three of the Demon Kings, if you really thought about it, Hamel could be said to have savedseveralcountries. ¡°Why are you going off by yourself even though you said we should stay together?¡± Eugene asked once he had caught up with Sienna. ¡°Wait a few moments before following me,¡± Sienna ordered. ¡°Why?¡± Eugene insisted on asking. What did he meanwhy? It¡¯s because my face is so hot. Sienna swallowed the words just as they were about to rise up her throat, and instead, she patted her cheeks with her hands. Chapter 308: Sienna Merdein (4) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 308: Sienna Merdein (4) [Bonus Image]

¡°I woke up immediately afterward, though I wasn¡¯t actually able to move my body just yet,¡± Sienna said as she described what had happened to her after Raizakia was killed. Once her soul had left the dimensional rift, it returned to her body that was sealed within the World Tree. It was all because of Raizakia¡¯s poison that Sienna had been sealed away for the past two hundred years. That poison hadn¡¯t just affected Sienna but had invaded all the elves who had stood in Raizakia¡¯s way at that time. But the World Tree wasn¡¯t simply thergest and oldest Fairy Tree. The World Tree was a sacred tree that had existed long before the race of elves had even been born into this world. That was why the elves regarded the World Tree as the center of their religion. Whether it was their deceased ancestors or their own future deceased selves, all elves believed their souls would be guided to the World Tree after dying to safeguard their race. It was unknown whether this was truly the case, but it was an indisputable fact that the World Tree was able to perform miracles simr to those of the God of Light. ¡°You might have experienced this as well, but such a miracle was only able to be performed by working through the spirits dwelling within the World Tree,¡± Sienna revealed. Controlling those spirits with summoning magic was impossible. This meant that such miracles couldn¡¯t be performed at will like they could be with divine magic. Sienna continued, ¡°The elves and I could survive for those two hundred years because the Spirits of the World Tree were actively neutralizing the poison in our bodies. However, with Raizakia dead, that annoying poisonpletely vanished.¡± Thanks to that, Sienna and the elves regained consciousness, but it was still impossible for them to start moving on their own right away. Sienna needed to restore her broken body, and she also needed to arrange meetings with the elves who were waking up in ones and twos. ¡°The power of the World Tree has been greatly weakened because it had to do so many things in these two hundred years. It must have consumed a lot of power by just lending me the strength needed to drive away Raizakia while protecting both me and the other elves, but then it needed to send my soul to your side and even bring you back from the brink of death,¡± Sienna reminded Eugene. The elves, who had now awoken from being sealed, had decided to concentrate on taking care of the World Tree for the time being. Located somewhere in the depths of the Samar Rainforest, it seemed that the elven territory would continue to reject any visitations from outsiders, just as it had been doing so far. ¡°There are also quite a lot of elves in the Lionheart estate,¡± Eugene informed her. Three years ago, Eugene had brought back around a hundred elves to live in the forest within the Lionheart estate. He had also made sure to publicize this fact. This was done to publicly assert the Lionheart¡¯s position as the greatest source of support for the elves and also spread the word that they would provide unconditional protection to any wandering or escaped elves. Since then, the number of elves living with the Lionhearts had increased little by little as escaped elven ves and elves that either wandered around or lived in hiding to avoid being enved arrived at their gates. There were also a few owners of elven ves and ve traders themselves who had knocked on the Lionhearts¡¯ doors. This was because of the offer that the Lionhearts had attached to their promation. The Lionhearts would pay a bounty for any elf brought to them. However, a few of those visitors had also been hoping to use this as an opportunity to open up a rtionship with the Lionheart n. Eugene didn¡¯t know the full details regarding this issue. This was because of Gilead and Anci, who were in charge of the family and were responsible for dealing with this kind of matter. In any case, the number of elves living within the Lionheart¡¯s forest had increased considerably, their number having already surpassed a hundred and fifty. ¡°There are also three saplings from the World Tree,¡± Eugene added. Thanks to the elves¡¯ diligent care, the saplings had also shown tremendous growth. The Lionheart forest also benefited a lot from the saplings. The current Lionheart forest was as rich in mana as an ordinary leyline, and there was an abundance of spirits as well. This naturally led to the strengthening of the Lionheart n¡¯s knightly orders. The rich mana helped elerate the advancements of the Knights, and the ones who were considered particrly outstanding among their number had even managed to sign a contract with the spirits. ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± Sienna said with a cheerfulugh. ¡°After we all woke up, the Elven Elders¡¯ first concern was about the elves who hadn¡¯t been in the territory at that time.¡± Eugene suddenly thought to inform her, ¡°Signard is also at the Lionheart estate.¡± At these words, Sienna¡¯s steps came to a halt. It had been Signard¡¯s parents who had picked up and raised Sienna after she was abandoned in the Rainforest. Although Sienna and Signard were of different races, they regarded each other as siblings. ¡°...Elder brother¡­ is he well?¡± Sienna asked cautiously. ¡°He did catch the disease, but he looks healthy enough,¡± Eugene reassured her. In regards to the Demonic Disease that had killed many elves, Sienna was also well-acquainted with that disease. Three hundred years ago, the Demonic Disease had begun to spread among the elves from the moment that the Demon Kings of Helmuth had aimed their des at the continent, causing the deaths of countless elves and the corruption of many others as they became dark elves to escape their deaths. ¡°Thank goodness,¡± Sienna said with a sincere sigh of relief. Seeing Sienna¡¯s eyes grow damp with unshed tears, Eugene quickly added, ¡°No, I¡¯m telling you, he really is very healthy. He eats well every day and even goes out on walks. And I don¡¯t know where he keeps getting them from, but he keeps giving Mer candies and sweets while saying she really resembles you. Do you want to know what he did when I told him that he shouldn¡¯t feed that kind of thing to Mer since it wasn¡¯t good for her body?¡± ¡°What did my elder brother do?¡± Sienna asked. Eugene answered, ¡°He tried to give her the roots of some kind of nt or tree while saying they were good for the body and tasted sweet when chewed. Can you believe that?¡± Sienna smiled, ¡°Did Mer really chew on those?¡± ¡°Would you?¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°She epted it with a grateful attitude, then threw it awayter.¡± Sienna giggled as Eugene spoke. Two hundred years was a long time, even for the elves. During the short period after they had barely managed to survive Raizakia¡¯s attack, the souls of the ancestral elves dwelling within the World Tree had given Sienna the knowledge of how to ovee her current crisis. That was how Sienna managed to conceal their territory to protect the World Tree and the elves within while also interfering with the memories of all the elves who had been left outside. ¡°At that time, I was already dying,¡± Sienna recalled. So how had she been able to cast such a spell all on her own? Her memories of that time were faint. It was the same case when she tried to recall how she had managed to block Raizakia¡¯s breath attack. Even in perfect condition, it would have been impossible for Sienna to defeat Raizakia all by herself, but at that time, Sienna had actually been on the verge of death from the huge hole in her chest. At that moment, Siennaabsolutelyshouldn¡¯t have been able to stop Raizakia. If the World Tree and the other elves hadn¡¯t lent their power to Sienna, Raizakia¡¯s Breath would have melted away the World Tree, those hundreds of elves, and Sienna as well. Sienna thought back to that moment, ¡°I just¡­ I had to do it. I had no choice but to do it. That was the thought running through my head. Honestly speaking, the current me is incapable of using the same spell that I used back then.¡± Although Sienna herself had cast that spell, the will that had enabled her to do so wasn¡¯t Sienna¡¯s own. She had cast an ancient spell that came from an era that had been forgotten even among the long-lived elves. In Aroth, research on ancient spells that were simr to what Sienna had managed to cast was steadily progressing, but from the very beginning, there were many mysterious points about this so-called ¡°ancient¡± era. This was because there were hardly anyplete remnants or materials left from that time. All the schrs had managed to figure out was that the ancient era of the distant past had literally been an Age of Myth. This Age of Myth was the era in which theGod of Light, who currently possessed the most widely worshiped and widespread religion on the whole continent, had actually walked the earth, and many other gods were said to have also been present during that period. The ring that Eugene was currently wearing on his left ring finger was a holy relic of Agaroth, who had been worshiped as a God of War during that ancient era. Sienna paused before saying, ¡°...Vermouth, he¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk about him right now,¡± Eugene interrupted what Sienna was about to say. ¡°That isn¡¯t something I should listen to all on my own¡­ and I think you would also have a hard time talking about it right now.¡± Don¡¯t me Vermouth. Back when Eugene had first met with Sienna¡¯s mental projection within the World Tree, that was what Sienna had said. Eugene hesitated, ¡°I¡¯ve already said this earlier; regarding Anise¡­ she might have died, but it¡¯s actually like she¡¯s still alive.¡± Eugene told Sienna everything about Anise and Kristina. He told her of how Anise, who had be an angel, now dwelled within the Saintess of the current era, so she was still around, even if it was only in the form of her soul. ¡°It might be a bit strange to say this, but she¡¯s actually doing quite well. Even now, she¡¯s taking care of Mer so that you and I can meet like this. As such, while we do need to talk about Vermouth¡­ let¡¯s do itter, once we¡¯ve met up with Anise,¡± Eugene proposed. Mer was currently staying with Anise, but this was something that Mer had actually proposed in the first ce. Instead of following Eugene, Mer had said that she would rather stay behind with Anise and Raimira. But, to tell the truth, this was all a cunning ruse on Mer¡¯s part. She was worried that if she went with him, Eugene might be distracted by the fact that Mer was observing from inside his cloak and would be a bit too careful with his behavior. It would also allow Mer to keep an eye on the cunning Saint sisters so that they wouldn¡¯t be able to interfere with Eugene and Sienna¡¯s date. ¡°Hm, alright,¡± Sienna finally agreed with Eugene after giving it some thought. Unaware of the truth behind Mer¡¯s absence, Sienna resumed walking together with Eugene once more. She had tried to talk with Eugene about Vermouth thest time they had met. However, they hadn¡¯t had all that much time back then, and Sienna had also thought that she needed to be careful about what she said to Eugene. The five heroes from three hundred years ago were all tied together by strong bonds. However, Sienna thought that, even among their five, the bond between Vermouth and Hamel had to be the strongest. Among all of their party, Vermouth was the one who Hamel was most strongly focussed on, and throughout their journey, Hamel had always been trying to surpass Vermouth. Hamel was the only one who saw Vermouth in that way. To the others, Vermouth was the perfect hero who none could surpass. To save the lives of hisrades and preserve Hamel¡¯s soul, Vermouth had even managed to drag the Demon King into making an oath that had ended the war, and he had aplished this all by himself. Then Vermouth had gone and tricked everyone by faking his own death and had even struck Sienna with a deadly wound that could have killed her. To think that the reason Vermouth would go so far had something to do with him arranging for Hamel to be reincarnated as his own descendant. Even now, Sienna couldn¡¯t understand it. If Vermouth had desired Hamel¡¯s reincarnation and enacted a n to arrange it, and if he had just told Sienna about his n, then Sienna would have naturally cooperated with Vermouth. Because Sienna had desperately desired the return of Hamel just as much as Vermouth had. However, Vermouth hadn¡¯t done so. At that time, Vermouth didn¡¯t say anything to Sienna. ¡®But was that really Vermouth?¡¯Sienna asked herself. Sienna had felt a strong sense of incongruity from the moment Vermouth had attacked her. His eyes felt so cold it was as if Sienna was staring into something lifeless. But Sienna had yet to confide all her suspicions about Vermouth to Eugene. ~ Hey! Hamel, listen closely. Although the one who tried to kill me seemed like Vermouth, he didn¡¯t really seem like Vermouth. Got it? ~ With an expression that seemed to dismiss the significance of her own wounds, that was all Sienna had said to him when they had met in the World Tree. Sienna had felt it would be best to leave things at that for now. Even though she had been left in a state where she was still barely alive, practically dead, Sienna had thought that Hamel, who was nowall alone, might drive himself into a torturous frenzy if she told him the truth with a teary and miserable expression. Sienna had no desire to see Hamel go on a rampage while filled with fury and rage toward Vermouth. ¡°But now, you¡¯re no longer alone,¡± Sienna quietly said to herself. Anise was now at Eugene¡¯s side, and so too was Sienna. More than anything else, Sienna just felt that it was fortunate that Eugene was no longer alone. ¡°What are you muttering all of a sudden?¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Sienna said with a giggle as she shot a sideways nce. She kept taking glimpses of Eugene¡¯s face as he walked right beside her. After leaving the mansion, the two had walked through Merdein Square and were now walking down the city streets. They didn¡¯t go into any of the restaurants or cafes nearby. Sienna was perfectly happy and satisfied with just walking with Eugene as they watched people duck in and out of shops before continuing down the street. ¡°So much has changed,¡± Siennamented. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve changed,¡± Eugene said defensively. ¡°I died and was reincarnated into apletely different body, after all.¡± Sienna corrected him, ¡°I wasn¡¯t talking about you.¡± ¡°Then why were you looking at my face when you said it?¡± Eugene responded. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking at your face, though?¡± Sienna weakly tried to deny it. ¡°I mean, I really wasn¡¯t looking at your face. I was¡­ looking at the scenery of the city past your face.¡± This wasn¡¯t aplete lie. When Sienna said, ¡®so much has changed,¡¯ she really wasn''t talking about how much Eugene¡¯s face had changed from Hamel¡¯s; instead, Sienna was talking about the city of Aroth, which had changed so much from how it had once looked in her memories. However, it was true that, while looking at the city, Sienna had also been staring at Eugene¡¯s face. Sienna changed the subject, ¡°Did you know? See those Floating Stations up in the sky. I¡¯m the one who made all of them.¡± Eugene nodded, ¡°I heard about that when I first arrived in Aroth.¡± The guide that Eugene had hired back then had boasted about it. It was said that the fifteen Floating Stations that floated in the sky above the capital city of Pentagon were all created by the Wise Sienna herself. ¡°Making those things was honestly quite time-consuming, but it was actually a pretty fun pastime. The King of Aroth at that time provided all the materials needed to make them and even supplied the budget that I requested,¡± Sienna revealed as she narrowed her eyes and gazed up at the stations floating in the sky. Even now, after three hundred years, the Floating Stations created by Sienna were still operating without any issues. ¡°In fact, there wasn¡¯t really any need for me to do so, but perhaps, at that time, I¡­ I wanted to somehow leave something like a trace of my presence in this world,¡± Sienna confessed. ¡°Although I didn¡¯t have any intention of establishing a kingdom like Molon did. For this country¡­ I wanted to leave behind an imprint of the name ¡®the Wise Sienna¡¯ so that it would still be remembered even hundreds of yearster.¡± So that someday, when the time came to release Hamel¡¯s soul that had been preserved inside her ne¡­ if she was then able to reunite with Hamel in Paradise, Sienna wanted to be able to say proudly just how much a single wizard had managed to develop and change a country. ¡°Now that I think back on it, I think I did a good job. I constructed them so perfectly that they¡¯re still working just as well as ever, and now¡­ you and I are both able to look up at them together,¡± Sienna dered proudly. After having said that, Sienna suddenly thought up a fun and exciting idea. She took a quick nce at their surroundings before grinning slyly. Eugene was all too familiar with that smile on her face. He saw it whenever she was about to y a cheeky prank on someone. For example, the time when the two of them secretly stole Anise¡¯s holy water and drank it by themselves. With that smile on her face, Sienna would always giggle and then whisper her idea to him. ¡°I¡¯m getting a bit bored of walking, so how about we go up there?¡± Sienna asked with a bright smile as she raised her finger to point at the sky. As had often been the case in the past, Sienna didn¡¯t wait for Eugene to reply. After going up onto her tiptoes, she slowly began floating upwards. Eugene tried to argue, ¡°But I¡¯ve heard that you need a permit to fly above the capital?¡± ¡°Who says?¡± Sienna sniffed. ¡°Thews of this country,¡± Eugene replied bluntly. ¡°Hah! Do you really think that thews of Aroth apply to me?¡± Sienna snorted as she slowly rose up into the sky. Then she turned to Eugene, who was still standing on the ground, and reached out her hand with an offer, ¡°If you don¡¯t have the confidence to fly in the sky by yourself, would you prefer to hold my hand?¡± Eugene was also able to fly in the sky on his own. However, instead of flying by himself, Eugene just grabbed onto Sienna¡¯s hand with a defeated smile. But when he did so, it was Sienna who showed an rmed expression at his eptance of her offer. ¡°Stupid idiot,¡± Sienna averted her eyes slightly and grumbled to herself with a blush before pulling on Eugene¡¯s hand. If she was just going to be embarrassed by it, then she shouldn¡¯t have offered it in the first ce. Although Sienna and Eugene had just flown up into the sky from the middle of the city, none of the people walking the city streets paid any attention to them. It was because of Sienna¡¯s magic. She didn¡¯t want to receive any annoying attention while she and Eugene were walking around by themselves, so she had spread a wide-ranged perception-nullifying spell around them. ¡®I don¡¯t want anything to disturb this moment,¡¯Sienna thought as she felt Eugene¡¯s warmth and presenceing from the hand holding on to hers. While relishing in the loud sound of her pounding heart, Sienna flew higher and higher. Even though she was dragging him along by his hand, she couldn¡¯t feel any burdening from Eugene. After all, Eugene also knew how to fly in the sky. Right now, he was just allowing himself to get pulled along by Sienna¡¯s hand like a balloon. Naturally, Sienna was also aware of this fact. But she didn¡¯t feel the need to make anyints about it. Instead, she just enjoyed the touch of his hand. ¡°Hmm,¡± Sienna hummed in thought as she suddenly stopped rising any higher and came to a halt. When she nced back over her shoulder, she saw they were far above the city. From up here, Sienna could see theke she had made three hundred years ago and the royal pce of Abram standing proudly in the center of thatke. She could also see all five of the Towers of Magic. She could also see Eugene¡¯s face. His body heat that she could senseing from his hand seemed to have risen slightly from what it had been earlier, but Eugene¡¯s expression wasn¡¯t any different from how it usually was. Seeing his face like this, for some reason, Sienna felt like she had lost to him, so Sienna put a little more force into her grip on Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Just hold on a moment,¡± Sienna said as she stretched out one hand. At this gesture, a staff made from a tree branch appeared in Sienna¡¯s hand. Although it was nothingpared to Akasha, Sienna had personally made this staff from one of the World Tree¡¯s branches. Sienna slowly waved the staff in the air. If one were an Archwizard, one of the most powerful of all wizards, it was possible to cause a temporary downpour or blizzard. Of course, it was difficult to spread this phenomenon over a wide range. Making it rain over a single vige was one thing, but making it rain over a city was apletely different matter. Sienna turned her head once more to look upwards. The Floating Stations of the capital city Pentagon didn¡¯t just y the role of housing warp gates. Every factor of the climate in this city was controlled by a spell that had been created by linking all fifteen Floating Stations together. This spell not only kept the summer from being too hot and the winter from being too cold, but it could also control the weather. It was set so that it never rained too much or snowed too much; these weren¡¯t particrlyrge examples of interfering with the weather, but this minimal amount of tampering ensured the peaceful daily life of the citizens who lived in the capital as well as a pleasant journey for the countless tourists who visited each day. Thanks to this spell, the weather forecast in the capital was never wrong. Today, the weather in the capital was forecast to be a clear sky with a slight winter chill. The forecast had also said that there wouldn¡¯t be much wind. ¡°Keep watching the sky,¡± Sienna whispered in a low voice as she lifted her staff high. There hadn¡¯t been any ns to make it snow over the capital city, but Sienna had decided to make it snow today. And not only did she have the desire, but she also had the ability to make it snow whenever she wanted. Although the Floating Stations were protected by hundreds of security spells, the one who had created the core of these spells was the Wise Sienna herself. Thanks to that, Sienna could easily interfere with the Floating Stations¡¯ weather control spell. These fifteen Floating Stations worked together to control the entire sky above Pentagon. So Sienna¡¯s spell was also able to cover that whole range. Clouds began to gather in the skies above the Floating Stations. Realizing what Sienna was trying to do, Eugene put on a puzzled expression and asked, ¡°What are you up to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s tomemorate today,¡± Sienna said with a grin. ¡°Although we saw and experienced a lot of things during our long travels together in the past, you and I of thepresentwill also see and experience a lot of things from now on.¡± White snowkes began to fall. ¡°Eugene, it doesn¡¯t matter if you saw any other snowfall this year. What¡¯s important to me is that, here and now, the snow you¡¯re seeing¡­ will be the first snow you¡¯ve seen with me since you were reincarnated,¡± Sienna dered. Huge snowkes were now falling around them. Billowing drifts of snow floated past Eugene and Sienna, falling onto the city below. ¡°That city, which wasn¡¯t supposed to see any snow today, is now turning white because of you and me,¡± Sienna said as she grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand and pulled him close. While standing right next to Eugene, she took a deep breath before saying, ¡°What you¡¯re seeing right now, the feelings that you¡¯re experiencing right now, as well as what I¡¯m seeing and the feelings that I¡¯m experiencing, all of that¡­ will be the first time for you and me. Just like this snow is the first snow we¡¯ve seen.¡± Sienna tilted her head slightly to the side as she stared at Eugene. She could feel her pounding heart, the blush on her face, the heat from their sped hands, and the various other sensationsing from their entwined fingers. Sienna breathed out a white cloud of mist as sheughed and said, ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little romantic?¡± Eugene stared down into Sienna¡¯s face without saying anything. A light breeze was fluttering through Sienna¡¯s hair. The red blush on her ears and cheeks probably wasn¡¯t because of the winter chill. Although heavy drifts of snow were falling from the sky, dyeing both their vision and the city below white, not a single snowke had umted on Sienna¡¯s head and shoulders. In this world that was covered in white, Sienna¡¯s appearance hadn¡¯t changed at all, and Eugene could still see her ever so clearly. ¡°It is,¡± Eugene replied in a low voice as he pulled on Sienna¡¯s hand. It happened in an instant. Before Sienna couldn¡¯t even think of resisting the force of Eugene¡¯s pull, without even being able to let out a notice of surprise, she found herself drawn close to Eugene. At that moment, no snowkes could be seen falling in between them. Not a single trace of that pure whiteness was visible to either of them. In Eugene¡¯s eyes, there was only Sienna, and in Sienna¡¯s eyes, there was only Eugene. A gentle heat that seemed uncharacteristic of winter passed through the contact of their lips. ¡®Ah,¡¯Sienna gasped silently. All thought had disappeared. Sienna looked at Eugene with wavering eyes before closing them tightly. Her hand, which she had let go of at some point, was now resting on Eugene¡¯s waist. Eugene¡¯s hands were also now holding onto Sienna¡¯s back so that she couldn¡¯t pull away and for him to hold her up if she let go of her spell out of surprise. ¡°...Ha-ah¡­,¡± they both soon gasped. The moment their lips had met, it felt as if time had stopped or lengthened into infinity. Yet when their lips fell apart, they both felt regret that the time had been far too short. As Sienna breathed out another white cloud of mist from her red face, she lowered her head shyly. ¡°...Th-this is a-another fi-first, I guess,¡± Sienna stammered with a blush. ¡°Al-although that¡¯s only natural.¡± The first snow that they had seen together, and now their first kiss. It was perfect. It couldn¡¯t be more perfect than this. Although the snow hadn¡¯t fallen naturally, with Sienna instead making it snow on purpose, was that really all that important? The important thing was that the one who had initiated their first kiss, who had stolen her lips like a thief, was Eugene! ¡°...He, heheh, to think you would have the guts to do something like that. S-so how was it? Eugene, what¡¯s your reaction to your first kiss?¡± Sienna tried to ask as nonchntly as she could to shake off her embarrassment. She reopened her closed eyes to stare up at Eugene¡¯s face that was right in front of her. Eugene remained silent, unable to look back at Sienna, and instead averted his gaze by slightly turning it to the side. He felt that he had no choice but to do so. ¡°...Huh?¡± Sienna grunted as she saw the tremor in Eugene¡¯s eyes and the way cold sweat was running down his forehead. She felt a tremblinging from the hands resting on her back. Sienna repeated herself, ¡°I said, how was it? Your first kiss.¡± Eugene remained mute, not daring to utter a single word. ¡°Well,¡± Sienna hissed as her pupils slowly widened. ¡°How was it!¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s just¡­,¡± Eugene hesitated. At a time like this, Eugene really couldn¡¯t muster up the will to lie about it. Eugene tried to say something to somehow convince Sienna to keep calm, yet the words weren¡¯ting to him like he wanted them to. Before he could even say anything, the p that came in response had sent Eugene flying. Chapter 309: Sienna Merdein (5)

Chapter 309: Sienna Merdein (5)

In one of Pentagon¡¯s hotels, Kristina was looking down from a window in a luxurious top-floor suite as the whole city below her was dyed white. Although the people of the city had been confused by the unannounced snowfall, everyone was now out on the streets, enjoying the surprise event. ¡°I really want to see what a snowball fight is like,¡± Raimira muttered from her seat on arge sofa. Sitting across from her, Mer red down at the cards spread out in front of Raimira and hissed, ¡°You can have as many snowball fights as you like afterward.¡± ¡°Snow never fell at the Dragon-Demon Castle,¡± Raimira continued to mutter. ¡°Ever since this Lady was born, I have never once seen it snow.¡± ¡°If you really want to see it, you can just look out the window, can¡¯t you?¡± Mer impatiently rmended. ¡°This Lady cannot be satisfied with just seeing the snow from here,¡± Raimira insisted. ¡°I wish to have a snowball fight.¡± Mer sighed, ¡°Hah, really now, if you want to do it, then just go down there on your own and have a go at it.¡± Raimira retorted, ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in trying to have a snowball fight by myself? Mer, this Lady wants to have a snowball fight with you.¡± ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯m afraid I can¡¯t do that. Sir Eugene and Lady Sienna might be returning any moment now,¡± Mer grumbled as she slowly stretched her hand toward the cardsid out in front of Raimira. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me where you put the joker?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re expecting this Lady to reveal something like that,¡± Raimira sniffed. ¡°It¡¯s because I don¡¯t want to pick the joker,¡± Mer honestly replied. The two had been focussing on their card game for a while now. In fact, Mer would also prefer to go out with Raimira and have a snowball fight or build a snowman instead of staying in this room and ying cards or fidgeting by herself. However, like she had just said, Mer felt there was no way she could go outside right now, especially with all her anticipation. The sun was slowly starting to set. Eugene and Sienna might be back at any moment. Mer wanted to wait patiently in this room so that she could wee Sienna and Eugene once they were back. Although having a snowball fight or building a snowman with Raimira might be fun, if she allowed herself to get too absorbed in those sorts of activities, wouldn¡¯t her best clothes that she had specially prepared be drenched by the snow? ¡°You never know. They might not be back today,¡± Kristina, who had been looking out of the window, suddenly spoke up. It was actually Anise. ¡°Hmm, indeed. Since they finally had a proper reunion after hundreds of years, they¡¯ll have so much to talk about that even spending an entire night together might not be enough for them,¡± Mer voiced her agreement with a nod as she drew one of Raimira¡¯s cards. It was the joker. ¡°¡®So much to talk about¡¯ hmm¡­ well, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be some talking,¡± Anise muttered with a sullen expression as she plopped down on the sofa in front of the window. She guessed thatmunicating with your body[1]wasone way to have a conversation. [Sister!] Kristina protested. Anise scoffed,¡®What are you freaking out about? It¡¯s not like they¡¯re children. Technically speaking, Sienna is three hundred years old.¡¯ [Please refrain from picturing something so shameless. Your outrageous imagination is making me terribly embarrassed, Sister,] Kristinained. ¡®Kristina. You might say that, but I know full well that you quite enjoy such wild fantasies,¡¯Anise used. Kristina whined, [Please, Sister. Please don¡¯t insult me with such absurd ims.] ¡®You might lie with your words, but your body at least is honest,¡¯Anise thought with a snort as she opened a bottle of whiskey that had been ced on top of a table. Glug glug glug. Anise poured the whiskey into arge ss until it was just on the brink of overflowing when Kristina let out a short groan. ¡°Stop with the nagging and just look the other way for a bit, Kristina. If I don¡¯t drink on a day like today, when else can I drink?¡± Anise said as she raised her ss up to the now-lightening snowfall. Anise had thought that she would be fine with this, that it wouldn¡¯t mean anything much to her. But now that it was actually happening, she didn¡¯t feel so good. ¡°I would have never guessed that I could be such a greedy woman,¡± Anise muttered as she brought her winess to her lips. Kristina also couldn¡¯t help but let out a short sigh at these words. Greed, hmm, so this was greed? As a Saint and a priest, Kristina felt that she shouldn¡¯t be allowed to have such desires. Sensing Kristina¡¯s feelings, Anise held back a wry smile as she persuaded Kristina,¡®Since we¡¯re only human, in the end, we can¡¯t help but feel such things. Where in the world could you find someone truly devoid of all desires and emotions?¡¯ However, if you solely listened to your desires and emotions, you would turn from a human into a beast. This was simr to the current Anise and Kristina as they patiently waited in the room, drinking by themselves, as they took on the chore of babysitting these two ancient brats who were now screeching and pulling at each other¡¯s hair. Still, Anise and Kristina forced themselves to persevere because they were human, not beasts. ¡®Sienna has definitely mustered up all of her determination. I let my guard down since there weren¡¯t any fireworks nned for this city, but I never imagined that she would actually make it snow,¡¯Anise thought regretfully. Kristina tried to think optimistically, [I don¡¯t think snow is all that special. After all, didn¡¯t we and Sir Eugene see so much snow in Ruhr that we got tired of it?] ¡®The snow that we saw then and the snow that¡¯s falling now hold very different meanings,¡¯Anise argued.¡®First of all, right now, aren¡¯t Eugene and Sienna watching this snowfall alone? Also, this isn¡¯t like the heavy blizzards that crazily bombarded us when we were in Ruhr; this light sprinkling of snow actually looks quite pretty.¡¯ Kristina tried to defend her point, [No matter how you look at it, it¡¯s still the same snow¡ª] But Anise angrily cut her off,¡®No, it¡¯s not the same. As someone from this era, can¡¯t you tell such a simple thing? After three hundred years, a man and a woman have finally been reunited properly! They look at each other as the white snow heavily falls around them!¡¯ Kristina stuttered, [H-however, Lady Sienna is the one who called down this snow¡­.] Anise sighed,¡®Yes, I never would have imagined that Sienna could think up such an borate and cunning n. Think about it carefully, Kristina. What happens when you get caught in the snow?¡¯ Kristina didn¡¯t know what was the right answer to such a seemingly obvious question. So she didn¡¯t put too much thought into it and just replied with whatever came to mind. [If you get caught in the snow¡­ your clothes will get wet. Your body will also grow cold¡­,] Kristina slowly answered. ¡®That¡¯s right!¡¯Anise dered.¡®Whether you¡¯re a human or a beast, you¡¯ll get wet when you¡¯re out in the snow. The air is cold, and when the wind blows, it feels even colder. You might even catch a cold if you get too chilly while wearing wet clothes.¡¯ [Th-that¡¯s¡­ a cold isn¡¯t an illness that should be taken lightly¡­,] Kristina thought as her inner voice began to shake. Ever so slowly, Kristina was beginning to notice what Anise was trying to get at. Anise grew increasingly agitated as she spoke,¡®If your protective covering is wet and you¡¯re feeling cold, then whether you¡¯re a human or an animal, you would do your best to get out of that situation! That means you would need to find some warmth and heat! One way to do that is to get out of the wind and into a nice hot room. Then you remove your wet clothes and do something to heat up your body! And what difference is there between people who¡¯ve taken off their clothes and beasts who walk around naked?!¡¯ Crack! The wine ss in Anise¡¯s hand shattered. [Shameless, how shameless!] Kristina screamed inside their head, unable to hold it in any longer. When Anise shattered the ss in her bare hands, and her shoulders began to tremble, Mer and Raimira, who had been fighting and pulling at each other¡¯s hair while using each other of cheating by secretly swapping the cards around, began to cling to each other instead as they shook in fear. The closed door of the room suddenly burst open. Anise, who hadn¡¯t even had time to think about cleaning her hand that was drenched with wine, turned her head towards it. The door had been locked, of course, and only Anise and Eugene had the key to their rooms. ¡°Hmm?¡± Anise hummed curiously. With half of his face swollen painfully, Eugene was the one who had opened the door and was now entering the room. It wasn¡¯t just his cheek that was swollen. The area around his eye was also bruised, and his lips were cracked. When it came to methods of violence, Anise was an expert. She easily guessed what kind of attack was the reason for Eugene¡¯s face being so messed up. It had to have been an immensely strong p to his left cheek. A palm, which had a wider area than a fist, had impacted the whole left side of his face. ¡°Benefactor[2]!¡± Raimira screamed. After Eugene had pulled her out of Raizakia¡¯s stomach, Raimira had taken to calling Eugene her benefactor. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Mer also let out a surprised scream at the same time. ¡°Lady Sienna!¡± Her screams quickly turned from rm to joy. This was because Sienna had just followed the slump-shouldered Eugene into the room. Mer leaped up off the sofa and raced towards Sienna. ¡°It¡¯s alright, it¡¯s alright[3],¡± Sienna murmured as she looked down at Mer with loving eyes and stroked her head as Mer hugged Sienna¡¯s waist. Sienna then lifted her head slightly to look around the room. A woman who looked rmingly simr to Anise was rising from the sofa with a surprised expression. If Sienna was forced to pick out the differences, the only ones she noticed were in the shape of Kristina¡¯s eyes and a teardrop mole. But the gaze transmitted from those wide eyes didn¡¯t feel unfamiliar to her. Sienna cautiously asked, ¡°Anise?¡± ¡°...Sienna¡­,¡± Anise called out Sienna¡¯s name in a trembling voice. Sienna¡¯s eyes were wet with tears. When she had called out Anise¡¯s name, she also had to suppress a strong tremor in her voice. In fact, just before she arrived here, Sienna had intended to pick faults with Anise. She had a big grievance against this cunning and snake-like woman who had taken advantage of a certain someone being half-dead and trapped inside a seal. No matter how much Sienna had thought about it, Anise¡¯s actions had still felt cowardly and dishonest to her. However, now that she was seeing Anise in person, with that expression on her face, and hearing her voice, let alone picking a fight, Sienna¡¯s eyes were also welling up with tears. ¡°Aniseeee¡­.¡± ¡°Siennaaaa¡­.¡± In the end, the two women burst out in tears as they called out each other¡¯s names. Sienna abruptly picked up Mer, who had still been hanging from her waist and walked past Eugene. Anise also stepped forward to meet her while wiping off the wine that had drenched her hand. Sienna and Anise came to a momentary stop once they were in front of each other. Then, without anyone being able to tell who had initiated it first, they embraced each other tightly. Unable to escape in time, Mer was buried between Sienna and Anise. Mer agonizingly struggled to escape the pressure that was bearing down on her from both sides, but Sienna and Anise didn¡¯t pay any attention to her as they sobbed and embraced each other. ¡°You, are you really Anise?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°Yes, I am. The body might be different, but it¡¯s really me,¡± Anise confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s just like a dream¡­ to be able to meet with the deceased you, like this, once more,¡± Sienna sobbed. ¡°It¡¯s not a dream, Sienna,¡± Anise corrected her. ¡°This is definitely a reality. If you had to say it, then you could call it a fortunate miracle bestowed upon us by God.¡± Still stuck in between them, Mer¡¯s struggles slowly began to die down. Anise caressed Sienna¡¯s cheeks with both hands as she smiled and said, ¡°...I¡¯m not the only one who surprisingly managed to return. You¡¯ve also survived, and now I get to meet you like this. Even though hundreds of years have passed since west met¡­.¡± Anise had just said what was on her mind without any other hidden intentions. However, upon hearing these words, Sienna¡¯s cheeks twitched. ¡°It¡¯s true that hundreds of years may have passed, but my body is no different from how it was hundreds of years ago,¡± Sienna imed. ¡°Huh?¡± Anise responded in confusion. ¡°Ipletely reconstructed my body using magic,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°I¡¯m in the prime of my life, with the same youthful appearance I have in your memories. Even though hundreds of years may have passed, that still means I haven¡¯t aged at all.¡± For a moment, Anise couldn¡¯t understand what Sienna meant by these words and could only blink in confusion. But soon, Anise realized what Sienna was insinuating. A thin smile spread across Anise¡¯s face as she nodded slowly. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anise agreed. ¡°Unlike myself, who has died and lost my body, you still have your own body, Sienna.¡± ¡°It¡¯s sad, but that¡¯s just how it is,¡± Sienna said smugly. Anise disagreed, ¡°No, there¡¯s no need to be sad about it. Because the body that I¡¯m dwelling in now is almost exactly the same as the body that I had when I was alive. Also, this is a genuine twenty-three-year-old body that hasn¡¯t had any need for magical reconstruction.¡± ¡°Twenty-three-years-old? So you¡¯re older than Eugene,¡± Sienna pointed out. ¡°Now that you mention it, there is a two-year difference. But if you really had to ssify it, we¡¯re both in our early twenties,¡± Anise argued back. ¡°Is the body''s age really that important when, at our core, we¡¯re both hundreds of years old?¡± Sienna insisted. ¡°Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s strange to count the years when I was dead as part of my age?¡± Anise refuted. ¡°Also, regardless of what¡¯s at the core, I still think it¡¯s better for the shell to not be hundreds of years old, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say that I¡¯ve magically reconstructed my body?¡± Sienna repeated herself impatiently. Anise acted innocent, ¡°Oh my, I didn¡¯t mean to target you in particr when I said that, Sienna, but it seems I¡¯ve poked a sore point?¡± Sienna and Anise weren¡¯t crying any longer. The two were now exchanging looks through narrowed eyes. They had just been embracing each other but soon parted as they both took a step back. Flop! Mer, who had been trapped in between them, sprawled on the ground. ¡°You cheeky bitch!¡± Sienna suddenly let out a scream as she grabbed Anise by the hair. Not to be outdone, Anise also grabbed Sienna¡¯s hair, ¡°You ancient tree bitch!¡± Sienna was undaunted, ¡°How dare you get a headstart on me?! I-I¡¯ve heard all about it! You stole Hamel¡¯s ¡ª Eugene¡¯s lips!¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a child anymore, so why are you pulling on your friend¡¯s hair just because she got a kiss in before you did?!¡± Anise yelped. Sienna stammered, ¡°It-it wasn¡¯t just any kiss! I-I heard the whole story! When you stole Eugene¡¯s lips, you stole his first kiss!¡± Anise scoffed, ¡°Could it be that you actually are a child? Don¡¯t you know that that bastard Hamel was the type of guy who did everything and anything during his time as a mercenary!¡± ¡°Why should that matter?¡± Sienna stubbornly insisted. ¡°Th-that¡¯s all in his past life! Also, all mercenaries were like that! At least he never did that sort of thing once he met up with us! The past isn¡¯t important; it¡¯s the present! The vital fact of the matter is that you took the present Hamel¡¯s first kiss!¡± ¡°Is the fact that it was Hamel¡¯s first kiss really the only important thing to consider?! That was my first kiss too. And that means it was also the first kiss for the owner of this body, Kristina!¡± Anise confessed. At these words, Sienna¡¯s brows shot up. Then she even started using her other hand to pull on Anise¡¯s hair. ¡°That means you all exchanged your first kisses together! I-I¡¯m the only one who had hers stolen!¡± Siennained. ¡°Sto¡­ len? Did you say that it was stolen?! Does that mean Hamel was the one who personally initiated the kiss?!¡± Anise¡¯s eyes widened angrily as she also started grabbing onto Sienna¡¯s hair with both hands. ¡°That¡¯s right, it was stolen!¡± Sienna confirmed proudly. ¡°Does that make you jealous? Hah!¡± Anise sneered, ¡°I¡¯m not the slightest bit jealous! It¡¯s better to steal a kiss than to have it stolen. That¡¯s why I¡¯m the one who did the stealing! Before you could!¡± Sienna cursed, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just ascend[4]already, you ghost!¡± ¡°Shut your mouth. Your breath smells like rotten tree roots!¡± Anise yelled back. Eugene slowly began edging closer to the two women who were still tearing at each other¡¯s hair. He hesitantly tried to intercede, ¡°Um¡­ no matter how angry you are, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too harsh with your words¡­?¡± They both hissed angrily, ¡°Whaaat?¡± Eugene winced, ¡°I mean, telling her to ¡®ascend already,¡¯ isn¡¯t that a little¡ª¡± ¡°Eugene! Are you really siding with Anise right in front of me?!¡± Sienna used. ¡°Hold on, please, just listen until I¡¯m done talking!¡± Eugene pleaded. ¡°This goes for you, too, Anise. What you said to Sienna was far too rude. Sienna doesn¡¯t smell of rotten tree roots at all.¡± In the first ce, what would tree roots even smell like? Anise defended herself, ¡°Sienna was the one who insulted me first! Sienna is also the one who started pulling on my hair first. Hamel, just think about it clearly. The hair that Sienna pulled out just now isn¡¯t mine but Kristina¡¯s. What crime has Kristina done to deserve such humiliation!¡± [Sister, let¡¯s make that Wicked Witch into a baldie,] Kristina responded to Anise¡¯s anger with a bloodthirsty warcry. ¡°Stop, stop!¡± Eugene yelled, and he thrust his head between them as Anise and Sienna started tearing at each other¡¯s hair again. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do this. Why don¡¯t you just rip out my hair instead! Just take my life instead!¡± ¡°Fine, you son of a bitch! You¡¯ve finallye up with a good idea,¡± Sienna growled, and as if she had just been waiting for the opportunity, she let go of Anise¡¯s hair and started pulling on Eugene¡¯s hair instead. ¡°Hamel! If you say something like that, do you really think I wouldn¡¯t do it?¡± Anise screeched as she also immediately began to pull on Eugene¡¯s hair. Four hands started to simultaneously tear away patches of Eugene¡¯s hair. ¡°Die, you crazy bastard!¡± ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Torn-off gray hair scattered across the ceiling. At this sight, Raimira curled into a ball on the sofa and began to shake in fear. Mer, who had regained consciousness at some point, seemed to have be enraged as well as she also started to pinch and bite Eugene¡¯s leg. While receiving this assault, Eugene didn¡¯t put up any form of resistance. Instead, his expression seemed as peaceful as if he was just taking a walk under the warm sunlight. ¡®That¡¯s right, this is fine,¡¯Eugene thought. After all, the torn-off hair would just grow back. Ignoring the agony he could feel on his scalp, Eugene closed his eyes. Chapter 310: Sienna Merdein (6) Anise and Sienna were now sitting together with much more modest attitudes, opposite Eugene, who was sitting down on a sofa. Even though the two of them still seemed distracted by continuously shooting res at each other, they were still sitting fairly close to each other, and Eugene felt a burst of pride at this sight. The floor around the sofa was strewn with torn-off strands of gray hair. In the small distance between Sienna and Anise, the hopes for peace and friendship lying there had been won through Eugene¡¯s sacrifice of his own hair. ¡°What are you smiling so proudly for?¡± ¡°I can still smack your other cheek, you know.¡± Eugene quickly corrected his expression as these threats were shot at him along with Anise and Sienna¡¯s piercing gazes. Although their words sounded hostile, neither Sienna nor Anise felt at ease with saying such things. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but keep ncing at Eugene¡¯s hair, which she had so recently been tearing out. But could the perfection of Eugene¡¯s new body really have extended to his hair roots as well? Even with the two of them plucking away at it, not much of Eugene¡¯s hair had actually been pulled out. At that time, Sienna had been intent on rendering Eugenepletely bald, or at least creating a few bald patches, but Eugene¡¯s hair was still so thick and full that it didn¡¯t look like any of it had been pulled out at all. Although things had worked out for the best, Sienna still felt a pang of guilt when she saw how swollen Eugene¡¯s cheek remained. Sienna believed that she had been left with no choice but to p him at that moment, but the thought that she might have struck him a bit too hard now ran through Sienna¡¯s mind. Sienna hesitantly offered, ¡°Come here, let me treat your face¡ª¡± Before Sienna had even finished speaking, Anise shot up and strode over to Eugene. Then she casually sat beside Eugene and ced her hand on his swollen cheek. ¡°Hey! I said that I was going to treat it!¡± Siennained. Anise snorted, ¡°Just think about it, Sienna. Even three hundred years ago, you might have already known how to use the elven healing spells, but have your healing spells ever once been more effective than my own?¡± Sienna argued, ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s lost an arm or a leg, so what¡¯s the point of using such a high level of healing magic when his face is just swolle¡ª¡± Anise cut her short once more, ¡°This isn¡¯t an injury you can dismiss by saying it¡¯s ¡®just swollen.¡¯ It¡¯s only thanks to the fact that Hamel is so inhumanely strong that it¡¯s only swollen to this extent; if a normal person had been struck by your p, their head would have exploded like a water balloon.¡± Her words were irrefutable. Sienna¡¯s lips twitched as she shot up from her seat, then she sat down next to Eugene just like Anise had done. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for hitting you,¡± Sienna said after she managed to muster up her courage and ced her hand on the back of Eugene¡¯s own. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for tearing your hair out,¡± Anise chimed in as she casually ced her hand on Eugene¡¯s thigh. Sienna¡¯s eyes widened into circles at the sight of this bold and outrageous gesture. However, Sienna still couldn¡¯t bear to ce her hand on Eugene¡¯s thigh like Anise had. The best that Sienna could do was swallow a gulp and caress the back of Eugene¡¯s muscled and veiny hand. Sienna stammered, ¡°Uh¡­ um, I¡¯m also sorry.¡± Caught between Sienna rubbing the back of his hand and Anise caressing his thigh like she was stroking the head of a dog, Eugene decided to start off with an apology. Eugene cleared his throat, ¡°About this, I¡­ well, I don¡¯t have any experience with this, but seeing that this situation is the way it is, I feel¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Sienna quickly spoke up. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you this in advance, Eugene, but you do know that I have no intention of forcing you to choose between me and Anise, right?¡± Although three hundred years was an extremely long time for all of them, what Sienna was especially afraid of was just how deep the feelings that Anise and Eugene had developed during the time she had been sealed away. Three hundred years ago, the feelings that Sienna and Anise had built up with Hamel should have been on an equal level, but the problem was that Anise had managed to reunite with Eugene before Sienna had. She might not know just how tightly that snake-like woman had managed to wrap her coils around Eugene[1] during her absence. In fact, even after setting that concern aside, from three hundred years ago until now, Sienna had always had the intention of respecting Anise¡¯s feelings. Anise¡¯s lips suddenly parted as she said, ¡°It¡¯s not just the two of you.¡± ¡­No, was this really Anise? The sense of presenceing from behind those blue eyes had changed. Kristina addressed Sienna, ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you, the Wise Lady Sienna. My name is Kristina Rogeris. I am the original owner of this body that was created due to Lady Anise¡¯s noble sacrifice. I am the Saint of this current era and a woman who is embarrassed to confess that she also loves Sir Eugene.¡± Sienna stammered, ¡°Wh-what did you just say¡­?¡± ¡°I, who was about to be imprisoned by the chains of faith for the rest of my life, was freed by Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina dered. ¡°Sir Eugene gave me salvation. Just like how Lady Sienna and Lady Anise both hold Sir Eugene in their hearts, I, too, havee to hold Sir Eugene in a special ce in my heart.¡± Eugene¡¯s face blushed bright red. Even though, from his previous life up until now, he¡¯d received so much praise and awe about his fighting abilities that he¡¯d grown tired of hearing them, Eugene had never once heard anything like this¡­ so he couldn¡¯t help but want to escape from this embarrassing and heavy sense of devotion that was being directed his way. That being said, just because he had the thought didn¡¯t mean that he was really about to try and escape. If he did run away, it wouldn¡¯t end with just his hair being pulled out like it had before¡­. ¡°Lady Anise and I both agree with what you said earlier, Lady Sienna. Making him choose like this will only lead to me and loss, and such a choice would be cruel and painful for all of us,¡± Kristina said as she stared at Eugene. ¡°Another thing we need to consider is that we can¡¯t afford to be focussed on such peaceful concerns right now. From three hundred years ago up until now, Sir Eugene is a hero who has dedicated himself to saving the world, and now that he has been reincarnated into this era, he has even been chosen by the Holy Sword and taken up the role of the Hero.¡± Swish. Kristina¡¯s hand, which had still been caressing Eugene¡¯s thigh, rose up slightly. Then, with outstretched fingers, Kristina slowly traced the lines of Eugene¡¯s thigh as she kept talking, ¡°Of course, even if he wasn¡¯t chosen by the Holy Sword, Sir Eugene, who is filled with such a noble sense of justice, would have dedicated his life to saving the world and destroying the Demon Kings in any case.¡± ¡°Noble¡­ sense of¡­ justice¡­?¡± Sienna repeated doubtfully. Was it really possible to describe Hamel with such words? For a moment, this question ran through Sienna¡¯s head. No, in fact, such a description was undeniable. After all, three hundred years ago, all five of them had held the belief that they needed to y all of the Demon Kings in order to save the world. It was just that Sienna felt a strong sense of incongruity when it came to Kristina¡¯s choice of words. To think that she would describe Hamel, who lived his whole life with curses permanently dripping from his lips, as having a noble sense of justice! Did she really have the courage to express her affection in such a tant way? Sienna stared at Kristina¡¯s face in bewilderment. She could practically see drops of honey dripping from Kristina¡¯s eyes[2]¡­ these were definitely the eyes of a maiden in love. Sienna corrected her sitting posture. She had finally realized that Kristina Rogeris, who was hundreds of years younger than herself, wasn¡¯t apetitor that she could look upon lightly. Sienna cleared her throat, ¡°Ahem. Fine, you are correct. But before we continue talking about this, how exactly would you prefer I address you?¡± ¡°Please, just call me by whatever is most convenient to you, Lady Sienna. How dare I presumptuously make demands of Lady Sienna''s means of address?¡± Kristina politely declined. Could Kristina mean something else by saying all that¡­? Sienna decided not to think about it too deeply. Kristina resumed speaking, ¡°Although I¡¯ve already said this before, in this current era and with the situation that we are in, I believe that we can¡¯t afford to take the time to seriously consider such idle concerns. But if I had to frame it in more extreme terms¡­. Lady Sienna, hypothetically, and I truly do mean hypothetically, what if Sir Eugene chooses someone other than Lady Sienna?¡± ¡°That¡¯s absurd!¡± Sienna snapped. ¡°That¡¯s why I said that it¡¯s just hypothetical,¡± Kristina said as she stared at Sienna with a slight smile. ¡°Would Lady Sienna be able to stay at Sir Eugene¡¯s side even after he made such a choice? Would you really be able to devote all your strength to our mission to y the Demon Kings?¡± ¡°Wh-what are you saying? It¡¯s obvious what my answer is. When ites to ying the Demon Kings and saving the world, y-you can¡¯t bring such pr-private feelings into it,¡± Sienna insisted. Although she said this, Sienna¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t help but tremble in consternation. After staring at Sienna with a calm gaze for a few moments, Kristina grinned brightly. ¡°Indeed,¡± Kristina nodded. ¡°You really do have the noble character befitting one of the great heroes whost saved our world. However, I don¡¯t think that I would be able to do the same. Lady Anise¡¯s thoughts might be different from my own, but if Sir Eugene didn¡¯t choose me, I feel like I would be unable to ovee my sorrow and would instead lock myself away in a monastery for the rest of my life.¡± Not only did Sienna¡¯s jaw drop, but Eugene¡¯s lips also parted in shock as they heard these radical words. Kristina changed the subject, ¡°Well, in the first ce, I don¡¯t feel like there is really a need to make a choice. Lady Anise and I are already getting along quite well, and we can manage while being considerate of each other''s feelings. I believe that Lady Sienna and I can also have a simr rtionship. If a person is one of the nobility, as long as they have exceptional abilities and can afford to do so, isn¡¯t it still considered morally eptable for a single woman to have many husbands? Thinking about it now, I do recall that the Great Sir Vermouth also had dozens of wives.¡± Flustered, Sienna kept stammering, ¡°Ah-uh-um, well, that¡¯s true, but, uh¡­ uuum¡­ I-I have no intention of having several husbands, you know?¡± ¡°The same goes for me as well,¡± Kristina agreed. ¡°In my case, apart from Eugene, there is no one I would consider taking as my husband.¡± ¡°Please stop¡­,¡± Eugene whined as he leaped out of his seat, unable to continue listening to this any longer. ¡°D-do you two intend to make memit suicide out of shame?¡± ¡°Please sit down, Sir Eugene. This is a talk that we definitely need to have,¡± Kristina said as she looked at Eugene. Then Kristina paused for a moment before nodding. Kristina turned to Sienna, ¡°Lady Sienna, Lady Anise would like to continue this conversation tonight over some drinks. Without Sir Eugene, just the three of us.¡± ¡°A-alright,¡± Sienna stammered a reply while sweating profusely. As the two of them set up a time to meetter for their drinks, Eugene, who had just leaped up from his seat, was the only one left, still standing in an awkward position. Then casually, as if trying to make it like he had never stood up in the first ce, Eugene sat down again. ¡°By the way, Sienna,¡± Anise, who had swapped back with Kristina, said as she stared straight into Sienna¡¯s eyes with a worried expression. ¡°I¡¯m still concerned about your current state. You did say that you were able to leave the seal right after Raizakia was killed, but are there really no other problems with your body?¡± This was something that Eugene was also concerned about. Three hundred years ago, Sienna had been struck with a fatal blow and was left in a state where it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she died at any moment. Eugene still felt like it was a dream to have Sienna at his side right now. ¡°It¡¯s not like there aren''t any problems,¡± Sienna muttered as her brows furrowed. ¡°After all, the fact is that I was afflicted with a wound that brought me close to death, and I was barely hanging on to my life for the past two hundred years. So I have be a little weaker.¡± ¡°How much weaker?¡± Anise prompted. ¡°If it¡¯s ordinary magic, I can use it as much as I want, but I can¡¯t use the Eternal Hole for too long,¡± Sienna admitted. ¡°Though that¡¯s only the case for now, at least.¡± Raizakia¡¯s poison had been purifiedpletely. However, there was still the problem of the wound that Vermouth had inflicted on her. Even two hundred years ago, that wound hadn¡¯t been just any ordinary injury. Sienna had been able to escape to the elven domain by using the leaves of the World Tree, but even after she was in a safe ce, she had struggled to treat the wound. ¡°My current body doesn¡¯t carry the injury from back then because I had topletely reconstruct that dying body. However, the injury still remains in my soul,¡± Sienna revealed. Eugene frowned, ¡°But when I saw your spirit body, you didn¡¯t have any holes in you?¡± As Eugene said this, Sienna turned to look at Eugene with a terrifying expression, ¡°Hey, you idiot. Do you really think that there would be a hole running right through my soul just because I said it¡¯s injured? If there really was a hole like that, I would already be dead!¡± ¡°Why are you getting so angry,¡± Eugene mumbled sulkily. ¡°Because you keep saying such stupid things. If you really have learned magic properly, then you should refrain from sounding like an idiot,¡± Sienna lectured pointedly as she poked Eugene in the cheek. ¡°Injuries of the soul aren¡¯t something that can be seen with the naked eye. Still, it¡¯s not as serious as it was two hundred years ago. Because the World Tree went so far as to drain all its reserves to heal my soul.¡± However, the wound still hadn¡¯t healedpletely. ¡°I¡¯ve tried experimenting with it a few times, but every time I try to activate the Eternal Hole, I get distracted by the wound in my soul. If I use it too much or for too long, the injury could reverse its current progress and even worsen,¡± Sienna said calmly. ¡°Can¡¯t anything be done with Anise¡¯s holy magic?¡± Eugene asked hopefully. Anise answered him, ¡°I¡¯ll have to take a closer look to be sure, but I feel like it¡¯s probably impossible. Although holy magic can restore a damaged body, it can¡¯t be used to heal the wounds of the soul.¡± Even without being able to use the Eternal Hole, Sienna was still one of the best wizards in the world. That had been the case even back then, three hundred years ago. However, these long three hundred years had allowed Eugene¡¯s enemies to grow far too strong. Especially the greater demonfolks, Incarceration¡¯s de, and the Queen of the Night Demons, who, even in the past, had required all five of them to work together to achieve victory. Then there was the Demon King of Incarceration, who they hadn¡¯t managed to defeat in battle. ¡­Finally, there was the Demon King of Destruction, who had caused them all to feel despair. Eugene had been able to kill Raizakia because the dragon had been arrogant. Raizakia hadn¡¯t attempted to increase his forces like Gavid or Noir had, nor did he harvest any life-force from humans. The way that Raizakia had chosen to increase his strength was to use Raimira as a seedbed, but even that hadn¡¯t worked out for him. In such a state, he had been trapped within a dimensional rift. While Gavid and Noir were increasing their strength and training their abilities, Raizakia¡¯s strength had instead been slowly draining away. By absorbing Edmond¡¯s dark power, he had managed to regain some measure of his full strength, but it was still easy to see that Raizakia¡¯s power couldn¡¯t bepared to that of the other Dukes. That only made the scope of the problem that they were facing even bigger. Although he hade close several times, Eugene had still failed to kill Raizakia all on his own. Well, almost killing an opponent that would have required all five of them to attack together in his previous life to have the same effect was a rather impressive feat, but if he considered the enemies that he would have to face in the future, Eugene felt that taking pride in such a thing was pointless. ¡®Relying on Ignition Overstacking would be insane,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. The strength that Eugene had reached at that moment had managed to overwhelm Raizakia, but so what. If he had had a minute, no, even with just a few more seconds, he might have been able to tear out Raizakia¡¯s throat ¡ª but in the end, a defeat was a defeat. If Sienna hadn¡¯t arrived, Eugene¡¯s heart might have shattered from the price of using Agaroth¡¯s ring and stacking Ignition twice. ¡°There¡¯s no need to think about it so seriously,¡± Sienna said with a smile as she turned to look at Eugene. ¡°The World Tree in the elven territory may have lost its power, and it will need a long time to regain the majesty that it once had, but Eugene, haven¡¯t I heard that there are a few saplings of the World Tree in your family¡¯s estate? If I recuperate there, it should allow me to slowly heal this wound. Even if it doesn¡¯t, at least it won¡¯t get any worse.¡± ¡®That means she also intends to stay at our home,¡¯ Eugene realized. Although she had naturally been expecting Sienna to do this, Anise still gave a sideways look at Sienna through narrowed eyes. ¡°Sienna, having heard all this, I can¡¯t help but feel great sorrow. Why on earth would Sir Vermouth¡­ inflict such a wound on you?¡± Anise said while letting out a long sigh. Vermouth¡¯s attack hadn¡¯t just damaged Sienna¡¯s body; it had even pierced her soul. Wasn¡¯t it easy to figure out what that meant? Vermouth had been fully intent on killing Sienna. ¡°I don¡¯t know why Vermouth would do that either,¡± Sienna murmured in a low voice as she raised a finger and drew a circle on one side of her head. At this gesture, a transparent ray of light flowed out from Sienna¡¯s head and coiled around her finger. ¡°This is a memory from two hundred years ago,¡± Sienna said as she stretched her finger forward. ¡°The memory from when Vermouth attacked me.¡± 1. The original Korean idiom that is used here actually trantes to just how far Anise has managed to cook him up, but I felt that this made more sense and yed along better with Sienna¡¯s description of Anise. ? 2. A simr idiom in English would be rose-tinted sses. ? Chapter 311: Sienna Merdein (7) Sienna¡¯s memory was extracted using magic and yed out in front of them as a video. Two centuries ago, Sienna had spent decades creating the Circles Magic Form. Afterward, she created the Eternal Hole to surpass the limit one could reach using the Circles Form ¡ª the Ninth Circle. Then, Sienna started preparing to enter seclusion. After creating the Eternal Hole, Sienna no longer needed Akasha, so she donated the magical device containing the principles of the Eternal Hole and Akasha to Akron. She hoped that someday, a wizard would seed inprehending the Eternal Hole and materializing it in their body. If they had enough skill, they would be able to even interfere with Akasha and be its new master. All of this had been in preparation for Sienna to sever her ties with the mortal world. Since donating the Eternal Hole and Akasha, Sienna severed all contact with the monarchy, the towers of magic, and the magic guild. She maintained some level ofmunication with her disciples, but even that dwindled as she passed on her position as the head of the Green Tower to one of her disciples. Kazitan, where Hamel¡¯s tomb was located, was a desert and a territory of Nahama, but until one hundred years ago, it belonged to Turas rather than Nahama. Vermouth, Molon, Sienna, and Anise had created Hamel¡¯s tomb deep underground on the outskirts of Turas, in Hamel¡¯s hometown. They had erected statues and memorials before cing Hamel¡¯s body in a sanctum sealed from intrusion. The tomb was a forbidden ce, inessible to those who desired entry and immune to an idental discovery. Furthermore, as a final safeguard, Sienna and herrades had enshrouded the entire tomb in a seal. Magic was cast over the tomb to preserve it in its original state even with the passage of time, and powerful familiars were stationed to protect it. Sienna had discovered that Hamel¡¯s tomb had been defiled at the same time she had been preparing to enter seclusion. The indomitable seal had been shattered, and the familiars had been obliterated. It had been an inconceivable catastrophe. Dozens of years had passed since the tomb¡¯s creation. Vermouth had ascended as the patriarch of the newly founded Lionheart family, and his attention had been consumed by the education of his offspring. Molon had established a new kingdom, Ruhr, and ascended its throne. Anise had found it increasingly difficult to abandon Yuras after being venerated as the Saint. Sienna had been no different. She had been consumed by her position as the Head of the Green Tower and her relentless pursuit of magical research to develop weapons against the Demon King of Incarceration. Thesemitments had cost her the time to pay annual respects at the memorial, but her absence could not have been the root of the issue with the tomb¡¯s guardians and the seal. Sienna had ensured that the safeguards were potent enough to endure centuries without needing maintenance. Yet, the seal had been broken, and the familiars were killed. Such an oue could only mean one thing: someone had intentionally wreaked havoc in the tomb. ¡ªBut who? An entric wizard hellbent on carving out an undergroundir? A dragon seeking a cozy slumber spot? Demons nursing a grudge against Hamel? The identity of the perpetrator was irrelevant as their transgressions were unforgivable. To defile Hammel¡¯s tomb with their soiled footsteps was a sacrilege in itself, but their obliteration of the seals and guardians marked them as a clear enemy. The scene ying from Sienna¡¯s memories grew darker, then slowly gave way to light. What appeared was an ancient scene yed out from Sienna¡¯s gaze. While the tomb that Eugene discovered had been a mere husk of ruins, the tomb, as seen from Sienna¡¯s eyes, wasn¡¯t yet destroyed. The towering statue stood tall with not even a speck of dust on it. The memorial stone beneath it gleamed white, and the inscriptions etched into the walls were crisp, with not even a single letter faded. Soon, Sienna¡¯s gaze fell upon the desecrated ¡ª the familiars responsible for managing and protecting the tomb. ¡°How dare¡­!¡± She roared, and the scene warped and wavered. It was a result of an uncontrolled release of her mana. Though the vision did not show Sienna¡¯s face, everyone could feel the extent of her rage and her contorted expression. Sienna began moving towards the deepest part of the tomb, where Hamel¡¯s body was located. She sensed movement in that area. An intruder. How had they managed to open the door to the room? She didn¡¯t bother voicing her concern aloud. At that moment, Sienna¡¯s mind was filled with thoughts of tearing apart the unknown intruder, this grave robber, in the most painful way possible. The corridor leading to the burial room was a sight familiar to Eugene. Years ago, he, too, had traversed that same hallway. He had seen his own corpse, d in dark armor, sitting in front of the firmly closed door. Naturally, there was no Death Knight in Sienna¡¯s memory. The door wasn¡¯t closed either, but rather wide open. Sienna¡¯s stride halted in the corridor. Eugene held his breath as he watched her memory y out. Anise covered her mouth with her hands, and Sienna closed her eyes, not wanting to see her memory y out once more. A man, cloaked in a dark robe, stood in the room. The coffin was already open, and hovering above it was a sword hilt without a de, enveloped in light. A dull gray hue shrouded the sword hilt, making it appear as though it floated amidst a full moon. ¡°¡­Vermouth?¡± Sienna called out incredulously. There was no way Sienna could mistake that light. Even so, her trembling voice carried strong disbelief. Vermouth had died years ago. Although it had seemed impossible, Vermouth, who seemed less bound by mortality than anyone else, had died sooner than any of his survivingrades. ¡°Vermouth¡­. Is that you, Vermouth?¡± Sienna stuttered as she staggered forward towards the man. The man turned his gaze away from the sword floating above the coffin, revealing golden eyes that shimmered under his hood. His eyes were reminiscent of a lion. The vision shook violently. Sienna¡¯s gaze descended beneath Vermouth. She saw a sagging body. It was Hamel¡¯s corpse. Although decades had passed, it showed no signs of decay due to being magically preserved. Vermouth held Hamel¡¯s corpse in his arms. ¡°What are you doing over there?¡± asked Sienna. Confusion outweighed her hostility. However, Vermouth remained silent. He raised his hands slightly, and Hamel¡¯s corpse began to rise into the air. Sienna squinted her eyes as she anticipated his next move. Hamel¡¯s body was flung toward her, or rather, shot toward her. The thought of evasion never crossed Sienna¡¯s mind. Instead, she quickly unfurled a spell in an attempt to halt Hamel¡¯s body and keep it unscathed mid-air. However, Vermouth¡¯s magic, which Sienna had found strange since their journey through the Devildom, prevented Hamel¡¯s body from stopping mid-flight. As the body rapidly approached, Sienna reflexively stretched out her arms to catch Hamel¡¯s body. ¡°Keugh!¡± The moment she made contact with the body, the force propelling it was fully transferred to Sienna. The corpse remained undamaged, but Sienna was thrown backward by the impact. Even as she was sent flying to the end of the corridor, Sienna¡¯s eyes remained fixated on Hamel¡¯s corpse. The bodyy copsed on the ground, and beyond it loomed the golden eyes of a beast. ¡°Vermouth!¡± Sienna yelled, filled with immense rage. Vermouth had thrown Hamel¡¯s corpse as a weapon. Vermouth had thrown Hamel¡¯s corpse? Though she still could not understand, Vermouth did not seek Sienna¡¯s understanding. Without saying a single word, he red at Sienna with his cold, golden eyes. Vermouth disappeared from Sienna¡¯s sight. Without hesitation, she activated the Eternal Hole. A giant storm of mana materialized in front of her. But she could not fight here. After making that decision, Sienna escaped from the corridor. She intended to leave the tomb, but Vermouth did not allow her to. After disappearing from her sight, Vermouth was already standing with his back against the statue and the memorial stone. ¡°Why are you¡­!?¡± Decades ago, all of them had shed tears in front of that very statue. Vermouth himself had inscribed the names on the memorial stone. Vermouth had seldom shown his emotions during their journey. To Sienna¡¯s knowledge, the first tears he shed throughout their decade-long journey had been when Hamel died. After bing the head of the Lionheart family, Vermouth acted as if he had severed ties with hispanions. Sienna believed she had no right to resent his choice. They had failed in keeping Hamel¡¯s legacy and everyone¡¯s wish. They had failed in killing the Demon Kings. They had failed. Theycked power. Sienna had been fine with that. She didn¡¯t want to live in a world without Hamel, so she thought dying in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, like Hamel, would be an eptable death. But she did not die. By the time she regained her senses, everything had been over. Without consulting anyone, Vermouth had made an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration on his own. In that way, he saved hisrades, retrieved Hamel¡¯s corpse and soul, and restored peace to the world. It wasn¡¯t as if she didn¡¯t understand Vermouth¡¯s heart. However¡­. However, only Hamel had died among their party of five. Her emotions were discordant with her heart. As such, Sienna resented Vermouth for a while. She just wanted someone to me, and Vermouth was a perfect candidate. Then everyone got busy living their own lives. It was a selfish excuse. No matter how busy everyone was, she could have always visited if she wanted to. But she did not want to face her trauma, and she did not want her sad, angry memories to resurface. She regretted her choice many times. When Sienna heard that Vermouth had died suddenly, she had sobbed in the room where she had gotten the news, in Vermouth¡¯s family home, in front of Vermouth¡¯s coffin, and at his tomb in the ck Lion Castle. She had thought they had all the time in the world. If they wanted, they could indefinitely extend their lifespan. So, someday, when they could no longer make excuses and were ready to face the Demon King once more¡­. She thought they would get together again. ¡°I cried at your death,¡± Sienna shouted at Vermouth. She was bombarded with attacks from all sides. The numerous spells she cast offset Vermouth¡¯s attacks and chased after him. The whole tomb shook, and cracks began appearing in the walls. ¡°Why? Why you! Why here of all ces¡­!¡± The walls and the ceiling were copsing. Sienna desperately altered the trajectory of the attacks to prevent the memorial stone and the statue from being swept away. But Vermouth did not care. The attacks ¡ª both physical and magical ¡ª came at Sienna without any care for the surroundings. He was serious. Vermouth was attacking for real. The vision shook violently. Sienna could not track Vermouth¡¯s movements properly. Red stters appeared at the edge of her vision. Eugene watched the video with bloodshot eyes. Sienna¡¯s sight was gradually dyed red. She coughed and spat blood onto the ground while looking down. ¡°Please¡­.¡± She barely managed to raise her head to look forward. Her robe was already torn. Ash-gray hair spilled out behind his hood like a lion¡¯s mane. A white me was seemingly burning around him, engulfing everything it touched and dyeing it in its color. ¡°Say¡­. Say something, Vermouth¡­!¡± Sienna beseech. Vermouth raised his hand in response and pointed at Sienna. She felt no killing intent from him. In fact, she could not sense any emotions in his eyes. However, the power gathering in his hand, though devoid of any hostility, presented Sienna with a sense of absolute death. Sienna vomited blood while stretching both hands forward. The Eternal Hole released numerous spells ording to Sienna¡¯s will. The me collided with magic. Sienna did not bother waiting for the oue. Instead, she immediately flew towards the corridor. She knew it was impossible to defeat Vermouth, even if she used the Eternal Hole. At this rate, she would die at the hands of Vermouth without knowing the reason. ¡°Hamel.¡± She possessed a leaf of the World Tree she had brought from her homnd. As a family member of the elves, Sienna could use the leaf of the World Tree to teleport there at any time. She would take Hamel¡¯s body and take refuge in her homnd for now. Since killing Vermouth was impossible, this was the only option left for her. Sienna returned to the corridor while spitting blood. Booom! She heard the world copsing from behind her, but Sienna did not look back. She came to a stop in front of Hamel¡¯s body as she panted for breath. Thankfully, it was still whole and intact. Sienna felt sincerely relieved. She then took out and held the leaf of the World Tree, and as she bent down to lift Hamel¡¯s body¡­. St! It was when she had made contact with Hamel¡¯s corpse with her hand. Her vision shook greatly, and her body was instantly stripped of its strength. She saw a hand soaked in blood with her trembling eyes. It was Vermouth¡¯s hand, and it had pierced through her chest. ¡°Ver¡­ mouth¡­ ¡± Her gaze swung upwards. Vermouth, his arm still buried in her chest, lifted her frail form from the ground. From her vantage point, she could not catch sight of Vermouth¡¯s face. It was hidden behind the wound that pierced her back and chest. Her body refused to respond, and she was terrified of seeing Vermouth¡¯s expression. A gentle tremor. Then, a hand reached for her, slowly, until it found her throat. With a sharp snap, the ne she wore around her neck was ripped out. ¡°Ah¡­.¡± Sienna attempted to form words, but her vision swayed once again before she could speak. Her limp form was hurled across the room, and she crashed onto the misshapen lid of the casket. ¡°Kuah.¡± With a strenuous effort, Sienna lifted her head, a stream of blood spilling from her lips. She saw Vermouth standing motionless with his blood-stained hand still extended. His face remained indistinct. With his head bowed, Vermouth stared at the ne he had wrested from Sienna. Hamel''s corpse was strewn at Vermouth''s feet. He did not spare a nce for his dyingpanion, whose heart he had pierced with his own hand. Her vision, awash with crimson, was growing dim. She noticed Vermouth''s shoulders trembling. His downcast gaze slowly rose, revealing a contorted expression and quivering eyes. ¡°¡­..¡± That was thest image Sienna saw of Vermouth. Fwoosh. The video dissipated into thin air. ¡°You all know what happened afterward,¡± said Sienna. Although it was healed, it felt as if the wound in her chest was fresh as she recalled the painful memory. ¡°I sessfully teleported to the World Tree, but the injury remained. Then, I was ambushed by Raizakia,¡± exined Sienna. ¡°Sir Vermouth,¡± Anise muttered in a daze as she pressed her hand against her head. The man she witnessed in Sienna¡¯s memory was unmistakably Vermouth. Eugene unclenched his fist while grinding his teeth in frustration. Blood dripped from his fist as a result of gripping it too harshly. ¡°It¡¯s as you said,¡± Eugene broke the silence. ¡°It definitely was Vermouth. Yet, something felt off, as if it weren¡¯t him.¡± Chapter 312: Sienna Merdein (8) Eugene¡¯s assertion wasn¡¯t baseless. It was true that he didn¡¯t have sufficient evidence for absolute certainty, yet he could not sense ¡°Vermouth¡± in the Vermouth he saw portrayed in the projection. The relentless pressure Vermouth put on Sienna, his attacks, his movements, all of it had overwhelmed Sienna, yet Eugene could not sense the Vermouth he remembered from three hundred years ago. And Eugene couldn''t help but put great trust in his own perception. Hamel, who had fought closest to Vermouth three centuries ago, was the only one among hispanions who had repeatedly engaged Vermouth inbat. ¡°Right?¡± said Sienna, turning to Eugene with a bright expression. ¡°I believe it was Sir Vermouth at the end¡­.¡± Anise gave a slight nod in agreement. ¡°Initially, he intended to kill her,¡± said Eugene. The battle had been one-sided from the moment Vermouth lured Sienna and confronted her in the corridor. He had manipted Sienna¡¯s actions by throwing Hamel¡¯s corpse and persistently aiming for her neck. When Sienna made the decision to flee with the corpse and returned to the corridor, Vermouth had been lurking behind her and could have easily killed Sienna if he wanted to. He could have chosen to crush her skull or slit her throat. However, Vermouth did not do any of those things. During the battle, he persistently aimed for her vital points. However, when he was presented with the opportunity to kill her with certainty, he merely pierced through her body. ¡°Well¡­. Technically speaking, a person usually dies when their chest is pierced,¡± muttered Sienna. ¡°Yes. If the heart bursts, one dies,¡± Anise concurred. Eugene nodded as well while coughing awkwardly. ¡°Well, that is true, but if he truly wanted to kill her, he had other surefire methods. Look at the end. Vermouth reached out to your neck, Sienna, but¡­ he didn¡¯t snap it or strangle you. He just tore off your ne,¡± said Eugene. Vermouth¡¯s following actions also seemed strange. Vermouth had flung Sienna¡¯s body into the room. There had been no reason he could not move, but he had left Sienna to escape using the World Tree''s leaf. He had trembling shoulders, a twisted expression, and quivering eyes. Eugene had seen Vermouth when he wore that expression. After seeing Vermouth''s final expression, Eugene understood Sienna¡¯s words ¡ª that it had felt like Vermouth, but also not Vermouth. ¡°Did he grow old and get dementia?¡± grumbled Eugene with a scowl. Anise scoffed and shook her head before saying, ¡°People older than him have not developed dementia, so there¡¯s no way Sir Vermouth would have.¡± ¡°Oi, are you referring to me?¡± Sienna immediately reacted, turning her head. But Anise shrugged nonchntly. ¡°Don¡¯t project your baseless spections onto me and bare your fangs, Sienna. Why would I talk about you in such a way?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t lie! You were talking about me!¡± shouted Sienna. ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t. What? Did it hit a nerve?¡± mocked Anise. ¡°Why are you two fighting again?¡± asked Eugene after releasing a deep sigh. ¡°Because Sienna keeps picking fights with me,¡± Aniseined immediately. ¡°When did I ever!?¡± "Engaging in needless dispute then denying the act is not a disy of maturity.¡± Eugene grappled with his growing headache. To his sides sat Sienna and Anise, locked in a petty squabble. Eugene steadied himself, standing tall as a barrier to prevent them from tugging each other''s hair. "As for certain, we don''t know much, but it''s clear that Vermouth has not died," he said, recounting his encounter with Molon to Sienna. The fact that Molon still lived did not seem to surprise Sienna. She nodded in eptance right away. ¡°That imbecile would never die of old age,¡± she muttered. Though her expression progressively worsened as the story unfolded. Though he was pushed to the brink of insanity, Molon was heeding the request of Vermouth from his dream. Even at this moment, Molon stood at the chilly frontier of the North, warding off an indescribable beast known as the Nur. He had done so every day for one hundred and fifty relentless years. ¡°¡­I wondered why he had not returned if he wasn¡¯t dead,¡± Sienna mumbled under her breath while sniffling. The Molon she remembered was a fool of a man, never screaming in pain, charging forward even when his limbs flew. He may have been simpler and more obtuse than Hamel, but it was because Molon always zed the trail that everyone else could follow. She could not believe that such a man was driven to madness by unending solitude and burden, that he''d been self-geting in a world void of all but his thoughts. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad that you should cry. A good thrashing straightened him out,¡± Eugene interjected. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it the opposite? Hamel, weren¡¯t you the one who was given a proper beating,¡± said Anise. ¡°To be precise, both Molon and I were merrily beating each other,¡± Eugene corrected in all seriousness. ¡°Molon did not even shed a single drop of blood,¡± retorted Anise. ¡°If I had a proper weapon with me, then what do you think would have happened? If I had even a worthless iron sword, Molon wouldn¡¯t simply have gotten a nosebleed. He would have lost an arm,¡± Eugene stubbornly replied while folding his arms. ¡°I simply didn¡¯t want to make my oldrade a cripple. And at that time, I needed to take some hits from Molon. By getting the opportunity to exchange blows with me, Molon could shed some of his madness, relieve some stress¡ª¡± ¡°Yes, yes. I understand. Please, Hamel, stop there,¡± Anise interrupted with a sigh while ncing at Eugene with ridicule. Sienna had been listening to the conversation. She chuckled in response as she wiped away her tears. ¡°So he is no longer alone then,¡± said Sienna. Eugene and Anise stopped their bickering and focused on Sienna. ¡°I can understand how Molon was feeling. Hamel, you died like an idiot. Vermouth was dead, Anise was dead, and I, the only one who was somewhat alive, disappeared into seclusion. While Molon was left alone in the world,¡± continued Sienna. The only thing that kept Molon standing had been Vermouth¡¯s request. Sienna wiped away all her tears before closing her eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the Nur is. A legend from the northern tribes? There¡¯s no way I could know. So I¡¯ll have to see it for myself next time. I¡¯ll say hi to Molon as well,¡± said Sienna. ¡°I told Molon that I would bring Vermouth with me,¡± Eugene murmured with a smirk. ¡°We¡¯ll drag that bastard by the scruff of his neck when the timees. But we should meet Molon together before that, Sienna. It¡¯s quite a distance, though.¡± It was impossible to ascertain why Vermouth ended up the way he did. All Eugene, Sienna, and Anise could do was make vague guesses. ¡°We don¡¯t even know the contents of the Oath ¡ª the promise Vermouth made with Incarceration.¡± Five became four after Hamel¡¯s death. However, retreating had not been an option. Once inside, escaping the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle was impossible. So they had vanquished the demonic monsters and the demonfolks blocking their way. Vermouth¡¯s sword had been imbued with an intensity not seen in any of their previous battles. Molon rampaged while roaring in his grief, a wailing echo that shook the halls of the castle. Anise¡¯s back had been drenched with sweat as she fervently chanted prayers. Sienna had raised her staff while crying, her voice so hoarse with sorrow that she could barely speak. Higher and higher they climbed until they reached the zenith of the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, the highest floor of Babel. They had swiftly defeated the de, who blocked the entrance. Afterward, they busted down the door before charging into the court. Sienna grumbled with a scowl, ¡°It¡¯s impossible to extract the memories from then like we just did.¡± They had already tried multiple times in the past, aiming to understand who the Demon King of Incarceration was, how he had dominated the battlefield, and why they had been doomed to defeat. They wished to scrutinize everything from the start to the end, but it had proven impossible. They had an inkling of the cause. When they had engaged in battle, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s iron chains had upied the space. The chains had interfered with Sienna¡¯s magic and Anise¡¯s divine power. The chains, like the moniker of the Demon King, had imed the entire battlefield and disrupted their powers. Even now, hundreds of yearster, the chains bound Sienna¡¯s memory, preventing her from visualizing what they had witnessed and experienced with magic. ¡°The battle was one-sided,¡± she continued, her voice barely a whisper. ¡°With the Demon King¡¯s chains binding us, Anise and I could not fight properly. The space, which was sealed off by the chains, seemed to exist solely for the Demon King. I couldn¡¯t unleash my magic freely, and Anise¡¯s divine power was robbed of its usual radiant light.¡± Anise¡¯s weakened divine power meant that she could not heal Molon as she typically would. Thus, Molon had been unable to fight as recklessly as he had against the other Demon Kings. ¡°In the natural course of things, all of us should have perished inside Babel,¡± said Sienna. ¡°That is, had Vermouth not made his pact,¡± Anise interjected. The specifics of the promise remained a mystery, but the Demon King of Incarceration had withdrawn as a result. This allowed Sienna, Anise, and Molon to escape Babel with their lives while even reiming Hamel¡¯s body and soul. With that, peace was restored. The Demon King of Incarceration no longer encroached on the continent, and the demons, monsters, and dark wizards that once ravaged thends retreated to Helmuth. Even the Demon King of Destruction, who had roamed Helmuth, returned to his domain, Ravesta, and thus stayed silent for hundreds of years. ¡°Judging by that, the Demon King of Incarceration only suffered losses. He spared those he could have killed and returned your body and soul, which he had captured. He even ended a war that had spanned decades. His act of transforming Helmuth into an empire? Had he simply continued the war, the entire continent would have been his territory,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Vermouth,¡± Eugene uttered the name softly. ¡°Perhaps Vermouth offered himself as the price for the Oath.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the only exnation thates to mind right away. If Vermouth became a ve to the Demon King of Incarceration¡­. Well, that would somewhat exin everything,¡± Sienna answered. ¡°Somewhat, indeed,¡±mented Anise. Then they all fell silent. Even if their spection were true, there were still many questions that were left unanswered. The Demon King of Incarceration knew many things. He knew that Eugene was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation and that Anise resided within Kristina. In addition, he was seemingly aware of Molon¡¯s current situation as well. It was also possible that he knew Sienna had been kept alive, sealed away in the World Tree. Despite knowing all this, the Demon King of Incarceration remained inactive. Was it possible that he had only pretended to be a pacifist on the surface while sabotaging them from behind the scenes? Had he used Vermouth? There was no need for him to do so. After all, Vermouth had nned to resurrect Hamel from the start. Yet, Vermouth had ¡°died¡± before he could implement his n. At least, that¡¯s what the world was told. Afterward, the Demon King of Incarceration manipted Vermouth into inflicting a fatal blow to Sienna. It was clear that her death had been intended, but Vermouth had regained control of himself and stopped himself from delivering the killing blow. Before striking Sienna, Vermouth had sealed the Moonlight Sword¡¯s hilt in Hamel¡¯s grave. After wounding Sienna, he stole the ne in which Hamel¡¯s soul was sealed before hiding it in the Lionheart¡¯s treasure vault to prepare for Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. Decadester, he appeared in Molon¡¯s dreams to deliver a warning about the Nur. It was all extremely puzzling. Vermouth¡¯s actions were mysterious and chaotic, even if the Demon King of Incarceration was actually involved. ¡°There¡¯s no doubt. That bastard Vermouth¡¯s lost his marbles,¡± Eugene dered stubbornly. No sane person would do such things. Vermouth was likely, or rather, undoubtedly alive, but his mind seemed to be swinging wildly. Whether this was due to his pact with the Demon King of Incarceration or something else, one thing was clear ¡ª Vermouth was still alive. ¡°We just need to give him a good beating,¡± said Anise. As long as he was alive, there were things they could try. If he was dead, there would be nothing they could do, but since he was alive, they could at least make an attempt. ¡°If we punch a hole in his chest, he might regain his senses from the pain,¡± Eugene suggested. There was no way Vermouth could be of sound mind if he was pulling stunts like this. Eugene, Sienna, and Anise all believed so. Vermouth from their memories would never do things without reason. The man that the world revered as the Great Vermouth was just Vermouth to them. ¡°Once we reach the Demon King¡¯s castle, Babel, we might find some answers,¡± Eugene said with a bitterugh. ¡ªJust as I did, stand before the Demon King of Incarceration and meet with his true body. The Demon King of Incarceration will not let you climb Babel in peace since that¡¯s the kind of being he is. It was what Vermouth had said in the Dark Room. ¡ªWhat will happen after that are things you will have to experience yourself. ¡®Although I still think it¡¯s nonsense.¡¯ Regardless, they had to climb Babel to kill the Demon King of Incarceration and to learn more about Vermouth. Sienna nodded after hearing Eugene¡¯s story about the Dark Room. ¡°Vermouth was obsessed with you,¡± she said with a bitter smile. ¡°Hamel Dynas. Three hundred years ago, before we met you¡­. You were just a somewhat famous mercenary. That time, I didn¡¯t understand when Vermouth insisted on having you join us.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure. I didn¡¯t understand it either,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°But eventually, I started to think that Vermouth was right. You, who were the weakest among us, became strong enough to stand by Vermouth¡¯s side within a few years¡­. If Vermouth decided to resurrect you, there must have been a reason for it,¡± continued Sienna. ¡°Truth be told, I was the only viable option,¡± Eugene grumbled with a snort. ¡°Sienna, you were still alive, and so was Molon. Anise turned into an angel. I was the only one who died quietly and had my soul sealed¡­.¡± ¡°Are you trying to brag about that?¡± questioned Anise. ¡°That¡¯s right, you bastard. Are you proud that you died like a stupid fool?¡± Sienna chimed in as well. ¡°Can we not talk about the time I died, please? After being reincarnated, I dide to realize that my death was rather idiotic,¡± Eugene mumbled. ¡°It would have been nice if you had realized that when you were still alive,¡± said Sienna. ¡°But I suppose we should be relieved. If Hamel¡¯s soul had fully ascended, reincarnation would have been much more difficult,¡± Anise interjected, a sly smile ying on her lips as she nced at Sienna. ¡°Now that we¡¯re on the subject, Sienna, when you decided to seal Hamel¡¯s soul in a ne instead of allowing him to ascend to heaven¡­ I honestly thought, despite our grief, that it was a bit too much.¡± ¡°What, what, what about it!? Huh? Anise, you agreed to it, too! I-it wasn¡¯t just me! Huh? None of you wanted Eugene to be reborn in a world with the Demon Kings, did you?¡± retorted Sienna. ¡°Well, yes, but after thinking it over several times, I felt that you wearing the ne containing his sealed soul constantly was a bit¡­ excessive. Especially as a woman of faith¡ª¡± ¡°What, what then! What else would I do with a ne except hang it around my neck?¡± Sienna questioned. ¡°There were other methods, surely. The soul could have been sealed anywhere.¡± ¡°My neck was the safest ce.¡± ¡°You really only kept it around your neck?¡± ¡°You hang a ne around your neck. What else would I have done with it?¡± Sienna asked while turning her head. Anise peered at Sienna¡¯s face, her eyes narrowing into a questioning gaze. ¡°For example, rubbing it against your face and calling out Hamel¡¯s name when you felt overwhelmed by your emotions¡­.¡± ¡°W-what are you saying!?¡± ¡°My ears really hurt from the two of you screaming like this,¡± Eugene, no longer able to bear the racket, slowly rose from his seat. ¡°Weren¡¯t you going to drink together? Shouldn¡¯t you get to it?¡± ¡°This is my room,¡± answered Anise. ¡°Ah¡­. Right. Well, have fun. I¡¯m off to my room to sleep.¡± With those words, Eugene turned his gaze towards Mer, who was sitting on the bed. Mer gave a firm shake of her head. ¡°I will be attending to Lady Sienna with drinks here.¡± Raimira quickly jumped down from the bed at Mer¡¯s words. She was somewhat scared of Sienna from the earlier fight when she had been fighting and pulling out Eugene¡¯s hair. ¡°I guess I have no choice. This Lady will go with the benefactor¡ª¡± ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going?¡± Anise called out before Raimira could finish her sentence. ¡°That one there, she¡¯s Raizakia¡¯s daughter, right? I have a bit of a score to settle with your dad. Ah, but don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s nothing to be scared of.¡± Raimira began to tremble after being singled out by Sienna. She looked at Eugene with pleading eyes, but he was already halfway out of the room. ¡®If I stay in there any longer, I¡¯m really going to lose all my hair.¡¯ Even if his hair would regrow one day, he had no desire to go bald either. Chapter 313: Sienna Merdein (9) The mor of the drunken revelry next door did not prate the peace of Eugene¡¯s room. The soundproofing in this exorbitantly expensive hotel was remarkable, and Eugene had cast an additional spell to ensure an undisturbed slumber. Was he missing out on the boisterous camaraderie? Nope, he was not bothered in the slightest. After all, he had shared his fill of drinks in the past life, and he knew there would be countless opportunities to do so in the future. Moreover, he was well aware that his presence wouldn¡¯t do much to enhance the revelries. In fact, he didn¡¯t know what kind of fate might have awaited him had he joined in the drinking. He awoke in his plush bed, finding the hour to be about 4 AM. He sensed a lingering presence outside his firmly shut door. He remained still and silent as he opened his eyes. In thevish suite of this high-end hotel in the capital of Aroth, Pentagon, who could be pacing outside his door at this ungodly hour? Eugene suppressed a rising sigh and forced his eyes shut, pulling the duvet higher. As if on cue, the door burst open, piercing through the barrier of his soundproofing spell. The raucousughter of drunken fools shattered the tranquility of Eugene''s predawn. "Hameeael, are you asleep?" "Hey, hey! You''re not sleeping!" Eugene pulled the nket over his head pleadingly while maintaining silence. But the drunkards persisted relentlessly, theirughterced with the stench of alcohol. They snickered at each other, hupping, seeming to find the whole situation immensely amusing. "Help¡­." "Mercy¡­." The voices of Mer and Raimira, who had been serving the pair drinks until thiste hour, sounded pitifully desperate. While Eugene couldn''t see them from under his nket, he could tell they would be a miserable sight. Their faces were marked with haphazard scribbles, and their hair was styled in the most bizarre fashion imaginable. Mer''s hair was gathered at the top of her head like a pineapple, while Raimira¡¯s ck hair was braided into numerous strands. The two drunkards approached Eugene''s bed, moaning like the undead. "Hey!" Sienna reached out and snatched the nket. Eugene didn''t want to surrender hisst line of defense. He held onto the nket tightly, but Anise''s fist found its way to Eugene''s ribs with a pop. "Ugh." It was an unexpected blow. Eugene had trained his body since he could barely walk, and it was backed by the mana he had cultivated through the White me Form. His body was trained to withstand any ordinary blow, but this sharp and powerful punch was more than what one would expect from a drunkard. As a result, his grip on the duvet loosened, and the hawk-eyed Sienna didn''t miss the opportunity and swiftly pulled the nket away. "Why¡­? Why are you doing this to me?" Eugene questioned them pitifully while sping his sore ribs. He could rte to Edmund, whom he had killed in the forest. "I didn''t do anything, so why are you tormenting me¡­!?" Sienna draped the stolen nket over her shoulders like a cloak,ughing wickedly. Anise apuded as she joined in theughter. To Eugene, they appeared like demons that had crawled up from hell. Behind the drunken devils, Raimira and Mer, dressed inpletely ridiculous outfits, shivered and clung to each other. "Let me tell you¡­," Sienna huped, slurring her words. Baffled by this disy, Eugene let out a desperate cry. "Why are you drunk?!" For an ordinary person, intoxication was the expected consequence of imbibing spirits. Yet, upon reaching a certain level of mastery, one could cast off the effects of drunkenness at will, or so it should be. Then what about shaking oneself clear of alcohol after bing drunk to the point of oblivion? It was an improbable scenario for the average individual, but it was more usible for the likes of Sienna and Anise. They had safeguards imnted in their subconscious to shake off the inebriation and awaken their senses when needed. Yet, no such signs were evident in the pair now. They were like two dogs who had lost themselves entirely to alcohol. "You drink to get drunk." "It¡¯s our first meeting in hundreds of years. It''s only natural to drink until we''re drunk." Sienna and Anise reasoned in unison, their faces meeting in fits of giggles. Then, Sienna turned to Eugene, wiping away tears ofughter. "Hold on. Hold on! I''m¡­. I''m not finished. I was... talking... about Kristina." Sienna swayed closer to Eugene and began to pat his shoulder. "When we first spoke, I thought, what a cocky... bastard! But¡­. But when we spoke again¡­. She''s bold and cocky! Yep, that¡¯s for sure! But she''s not bad." "Hold on!" Anise barked. She pped her lips, straightened her posture, and sat at the edge of the bed. "Kristina Rogeris!" At Anise''s loud call of her name, the control of the body instantly shifted to Kristina. "Yes!" Kristina responded enthusiastically, raising her hand in acknowledgment. Eugene had hoped that Kristina might put an end to this farce, but seeing her face, he knew that his hopes were dashed. She appeared even more drunk than Anise. "So, we all had a good talk, and¡­ and it¡¯s so unfair to Kristina!" shouted Sienna. "What... what was?" asked Eugene. "Anise kissed you... right? And I kissed you too! But Kristina, you haven''t... haven''t kissed him. Right?" "Yes!" Kristina nodded enthusiastically. Eugene was dumbstruck, unable to utter a word, his eyes blinking in confusion. He tried to reason with thedies, "Everyone... aren''t you all a little too drunk?" "It''s unfair and sad!" shouted Sienna, ignoring Eugene¡¯s desperate attempts at persuasion. "Yes!" Kristina agreed even more fervently. "So, we talked a lot about it, right? If you kissed her secretly, I''d, I¡¯d be furious. So¡­." Sienna trailed off. "Right here!" Kristina thrust her hands into the air, shouting. "W-we will do it right here, where Sienna can see us!¡± "Kyaaa!" Sienna pped her hands as a jubnt roar escaped her lips. Eugene quickly closed his mouth and hesitantly inched backward, "I think you''ve all had too much to drink. How are you going to cope when morninges, and the effects of the alcohol wear off¡­?" "Do not flee!" "Stay put!" Sienna shouted, and Kristina raised her hands high as though wielding an axe andtched onto Eugene¡¯s shoulder. This was when fear jittered in Eugene¡¯s eyes. "We''ve decided what to do!" Sienna dered. "Yes!" Kristina¡¯s blue eyes bore into Eugene. "T-think about it, Sir Eugene! When Lady Anise stole a kiss from you, I was unconscious!" "What does it matter¡­?" "Of course! I shared Sister¡¯s memory after waking up, but the touch and emotions of that moment belonged to Sister, not me!" Kristina shouted to make her point. "You refer to Anise as Sister?" Eugene had heard it a few times before, clearly a slip of her tongue, but when she was sober had tried to hide it. Clearly, Kristina was far from sober now. "So, what I want to say is... it''s not fair, and it''s lonely! Lady Anise and Lady Sienna have had their kiss, and yet I''ve been left out!" shouted Kristina. "Kiss¡­." Eugene was stupefied. "Yes, a kiss! Smooch, smooch!" Kristina¡¯s face was rmingly close now. "Sister stole a kiss, and Lady Sienna had hers stolen, so it is only logical... that you and I... together... should have a kiss!" "Kiss him!" Sienna¡¯s cheering sent ripples of courage through the alcohol-fogged room. Kristina swallowed hard and, with a sh of realization, turned her head away. "......Phew, hoo, phew......" She huffed, exhaling strongly. For hours they had drunk wildly. They had indulged in alcohol as if there was no tomorrow. Now, she was worried that the smell of alcohol would be off-putting to Eugene. It wasn''t that bad, but it wasn''t appropriate for this monumental moment, either. Without a word, Kristina swiftly pulled out a tiny ss bottle from her possession. It was the breath freshener she always carried, ready to use at any moment. She sprayed a small amount inside her mouth, swished it around a few times, and then took a few more breaths to check the smell. "Are you sure you''re drunk?" Eugene asked tentatively. "Kiss!" Eugene¡¯s desperate, hasty inquiry was cut off by Sienna¡¯s sudden shout. Kristina had no intention of responding to Eugene¡¯s question either. Her mind was filled with the symphony of Anise¡¯s screams, Sienna¡¯s cries of ''smooch, smooch,'' and the pounding of her own heart. Kristina closed her lips, then puckered up and slowly moved towards Eugene. Eugene, however, did not offer his lips but only trembled in response. What in the world was happening? Eugene thought, reeling from the impossible and preposterous circumstances unfolding before him. Should he staunchly reject what was happening? Was it permissible? How would they face each other afterward? Love? It wasn''t absent. Yet the affection Eugene harbored for Kristina was not intense enough to warrant a kiss, and he still possessed a lucid human heart. ¡ªI will try to make you fall in love with us. Anise had once dered this in Yuras. At the time, Eugene assumed the ¡°us¡± referred to her and Sienna, butter, he also came to feel Kristina¡¯s emotions. Anise and Kristina both acted true to their word. Their attempts to win Eugene''s heart differed; Anise chose a more sly and assertive approach while Kristina pursued him, transforming her admiration into longing and longing into desire. And now, Kristina was drawing near Eugene with an intense desire. It was¡­ tempting. Kristina and Anise had taken advantage of Sienna¡¯s absence to carefully infiltrate his heart, and eventually, they seeded. Thus, Eugene found himself unable to firmly push Kristina away. But he was also unable to lean forward and offer his lips as she had. Kristina slightly opened her eyes, staring at Eugene. She saw that his face, which was close enough for their breaths to mingle, was dabbled with sweat. He had an awkward expression. Her expectations had been wrong. Even though she had bravely taken the plunge, fueled by alcohol and encouragement, she had considered the odds of sess to be slim. If Eugene gently pushed her away, she resolved to smile it off without issue. She had been prepared. After all, there was no rush. If not now, she believed she could slowly open her heart and approach himter. But contrary to her expectation, Eugene did not push Kristina away. He was clearly ufortable, not knowing what to do, but he didn''t let go of her hands either. It was now time to proceed further. Once hazy, Kristina was now fully alert. She let go of Eugene''s shoulders, and her hands snuck upward. Her palms gently pressed against his cheeks. Eugene made a slight noise as the pressure pushed his lips outward. Now was the time! Kristina seized the opportunity like a predator snatching its prey, leaning in to initiate a kiss. Smooch. Their lips met. Eugene''s wide eyes trembled in surprise. Kristina kept the pressure on, holding the kiss. [Tongue!!] Anise eximed in the background, but Kristina ignored the suggestion. She didn''t want that kind of kiss yet. She wanted to savor the anticipation of slowly progressing toward thatter. ¡°Heuk¡­¡± Sienna gasped. Although she had been enthusiastically cheering and waving her arms around, she was still taken aback by the unexpected disy of affection in front of her. She bit her lip, her emotions roiling in confusion. This unfamiliar sensation was indescribable. It was just a kiss, after all. That had been her initial thought, and since she was drunk, she had confidently permitted it. But now... what was this feeling? Anger? Annoyance? No, it was slightly different¡­. It was an emotion that wasn''t entirely wholesome. It was a thrill tilted towards guilty pleasure. Why? Her Hamel, Eugene, was being kissed by another woman right in front of her. There was certainly jealousy about the loss, but it was notpletely displeasing. Instead, it made her heart pound. What was this peculiar emotion? The root of theseplex feelingsy in the fact that this kiss was happening with Sienna¡¯s ¡°permission.¡± Thus, Sienna was incapable of experiencing pure rage or irritation at the spectacle. Instead, she felt something else¡­. A dark, addictive me that threatened to consume her. This ck fire made her senses reel as if merely watching it was intoxicating. If she approached... if she ventured any closer, it felt as if she would be drawn into the dance with those mes¡­. "Whew¡­." The lips finally broke apart. Kristina took a deep breath, her gaze locking onto Eugene''s face. Sienna¡¯s hands were soaked with sweat as she clenched the hem of her dress tightly while swallowing hard. Eugene felt as if his mind had be numb. What was this... what was this spectacle supposed to mean? Dignity? Pride? Fundamental questions and shame about himself painted Eugene''s face a deep crimson. "Heh... hehe..." Kristina let out a chuckle while observing Eugene''s state. Kristina gently squeezed Eugene''s cheeks once before hopping off the bed, feeling invigorated. "Let''s go back to bed." "Huh... what?" "I am... satisfied. I feel as if I could ascend to heaven right now." With a reverent expression, Kristina traced the holy symbol once before turning around and walking away without any hesitation. Sienna watched Kristina''s retreating back in a daze, then, swallowing hard, she rose to her feet. "Sleep... sleep well!" Though Sienna was trying her best not to acknowledge the ck me still flickering inside her, she was afraid that she would eventually be fascinated by it. But now was not the time. This me should only ze upon her ¡°permission,¡± and Sienna would always remain ahead of it. So, Sienna quickly followed Kristina. "Uh¡­?" Eugene was left sitting on the bed in a daze. The door that had been left open slowly closed. [Ahem¡­.] A low grumble came from within the cloak. It was Wynnyd. Not knowing what to say to Eugene at this moment, Tempest simply emitted a dry cough. "Sir Eugene¡­." ¡°Benefactor¡­." Raimira and Mer, who had been discarded in their disarray, slowly crawled up to Eugene''s bed. Blinking his eyes in a daze, Eugene silently embraced the approaching pair. "You''ve had it tough,¡± he said. In a few hours, the sun would rise. Eugene feared theing of the morning. Chapter 314: Abram (1) Morning came. After preparing his heart, Eugene opened the door to Kristina''s room. Sienna and Kristina sat opposite each other at the dining table. They were enjoying a steaming, bright red stew, or perhaps it was a soup, but they ceased their activity upon seeing Eugene. "Are you two feeling alright?" Eugene asked after a pause. "Hmm." Sienna set down her spoon and patted her chest while coughing. She had fallen asleep in her drunken state, not wanting to regain full consciousness. Upon waking and shaking off the intoxication, she found herself almost without a hangover. She remembered everything that had happened at dawn. Alcohol was the enemy. After clearing her throat a few times, she looked at Eugene calmly. However, her carefully controlled breath and expression crumbled like sand as soon as her eyes met Eugene''s. Sienna opened and closed her mouth a few times like a goldfish before swiftly turning her head away. Her spoon sat innocently within her sight. She took hold of it, stirring the unfortunate stew unnecessarily harshly. While Sienna was doing so, Kristina picked up a napkin. With graceful hand movements, she shook the napkin and gently wiped her mouth. "Did you sleep well?" Kristina inquired before setting down the napkin and giving Eugene a warm smile. The memories of dawn were clear to her as well. Feelings of embarrassment lingered, but a much greater sense of contentment eclipsed them. ''Such a scary, formidable child¡­.'' Sienna realized Kristina was not an opponent to be underestimated. She looked at Kristina, who was smiling as if nothing was amiss, and, grinning slightly, she pulled out the chair next to her as she addressed Eugene, "If you''re hungry, why don''t you eat with us?" Although he wasn''t particrly hungry, Eugene took the suggested seat ¡ª between Sienna and Kristina. As if she had been waiting, Kristina scooped some food onto a fresh te for him. "It''ll take at least a decade, won''t it?" asked Kristina. "What will?" asked Eugene. "To defeat the Demon King and hold a wedding,¡± Kristina stated casually. Eugene nearly choked on the food he had been spooning absent-mindedly. Clutching his throat, he coughed and spluttered. Next to him, Sienna dropped her spoon on the table in shock. "Wa-wait, a wedding?" Eugene asked, looking stunned. "Why are you surprised? Isn''t it natural that the end of a rtionship is marriage?" Kristina asked calmly. "Wa¡­. We¡­. Wedding¡­." All Sienna could do was stutter. "We are not in a situation to hold a ceremony immediately, and nobody is mentally prepared yet. Sir Eugene, you, Lady Sienna, and even Lady Anise have been wishing for the death of the Demon Kings for hundreds of years. To save the world perfectly. After achieving all that, it won¡¯t be toote to think about everything else. We can approach everything step by step,¡± exined Kristina. p, p, p. The sound of apuse echoed in Kristina¡¯s mind. "Uh, uhm¡­. Uh, yes." After a moment of fluster, even Sienna nodded firmly. It was indeed the future they had dreamed of centuries ago. After ying all Demon Kings and saving the world, she had nned to hold a grand wedding ceremony. They would rent out an entire majestic castle, inviting every notable person from across the continent to fill the guest seats. Sienna had once dreamed of such avish wedding, one unparalleled in history and unlikely to be surpassed in the future. If it were possible, she was even willing to don a wedding gown alongside Anise. ¡®Later,ter. Not right now¡­.¡¯ Eugene managed to steady his trembling expression. He was relieved that it wasn''t an immediate prospect. If they had insisted on a wedding ceremony right away, Eugene would have had no choice but to steadfastly refuse. However, if it was in the future, wasn¡¯t it possible they would have had a change of heart? "So, what should we do next?" Eugene finally asked after collecting his thoughts. Before considering the peaceful future, he pondered the ones who needed to be vanquished immediately. The Abyssal Princess, Iris, who had turned into a great pirate in the South, was a thorn in the side of the Sea Kingdom Shimuin. Initially, Shimuin had ndestinely supported Iris in a bid to control the southern sea. However, it was simply inconceivable for a single kingdom to control a dark elf who had been famous since the era of war centuries ago. Iris¡¯ exploits had now expanded beyond control, and her band of frenzied pirates was not only preying onmercial ships but also military vessels. The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, was another monstrous figure. Defeating a weakened Raizakia had been quite challenging, almost impossible. However, Noir Giabe of this era was on a whole different level. The demon race fed on human energy and souls. Among them, the Night Demons were a race specifically specialized in draining human energy and their spirit. Noir was a duke with absolute authority within Helmuth, and the two territories she governed, Giabe City and Dreamea, were particrly densely popted by humans within Helmuth. And that wasn¡¯t all. Under Noir¡¯smand were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Night Demons. Moreover, the Night Demons under her rule weren¡¯t active just in her two territories but had also spread across the continent. Whether through legal or illegal means, they sold dreams desired by humans and gathered energy, which, of course, was surrendered to Noir. In other words, Noir had been growing stronger every single day for the past three hundred years. A demon on par with the Demon King ¡ª Noir referred to herself as such. It was not an exaggeration. The Queen of the Night Demons, who had been surpassing her prime every day for three hundred years, had now achieved a power worthy of being called a Demon King. The de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman ¡ª Eugene was unable to urately gauge his power. They had shed swords in Ruhr, but Gavid had restrained his attacks then. Gavid didn''t possess any territory. Although he was themander of the ck Mist, that was strictly in the capacity of a Commander rather than having the ck Mist as his subjects. Gavid had no subjects. Having subjects was incredibly important in increasing one''s power as a demon, but Gavid was an exception. The reason was the Demonic Sword, Glory, and the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Why would he need to increase his power as a demon when he could freely use the power of the Demon King of Incarceration? If the Demon King of Incarceration had grown stronger over thest few centuries, Gavid could also revel in his master¡¯s growth. But there were other enemies to kill besides these three. There was an enemy Eugene needed to kill, no matter what. ¡°You said it was Amelia Merwin, right?¡± asked Sienna with a scowl. "That despicable wench, she desecrated your grave and turned your corpse into a Death Knight." Amelia Merwin was one of the Three Mages of Incarceration, the dungeon master of the desert. Although she was a wizard of this era, she was not to be taken lightly. Even Balzac had said so. Of the three mages, Edmond was likely the most skilled wizard, but the strongest was Amelia. And Amelia had likely be the new master of dmir. She was already irritating and shady, but now, she had likely be the Staff of Incarceration after bing the master of dmir. "I don''t know how powerful the wizards of this era are. Do you think they are stronger than me?" asked Sienna. "They might becking in magicpared to you. However, it won''t be easy to kill them either," Eugene answered honestly. They would have to wage war against the desert kingdom of Nahama to kill Amelia. To make matters worse, all the wizards and dark wizards of the desert dungeon were imed to be under Amelia''smand. "What about an assassination attempt?" "We could try, but to assassinate that damned woman, we''d have to infiltrate the desert dungeon." The desert where Amelia had established herself was famous even in Nahama. It was the Ashur Desert, the death desert, a ce where not even the locals dared tread. This entire desert was Amelia''s domain. "The best option would be to lure Amelia out of the desert... but that won''t be easy,¡± said Eugene. "Should we strike the desert with a meteor shower?" Sienna mumbled. If they were willing to wage war, it was worth considering. "Even if they don''t want to, they would have to crawl out if a meteor shower fell on them. It wouldn''t matter how deep underground they were hiding. We just need to evaporate the umted sand, overturn the ground, and drag them out." Sienna strongly expressed her killing intent. The grave and the body were the things she had failed to protect from Vermouth. But then somebody, not even Vermouth, but another dark wizard, created a Death Knight from her beloved Hamel''s corpse? It was unforgivable. "It will be better to take care of Iris first," Anise spoke up. "The death of Edmund didn''t prompt any reaction from the Demon King of Incarceration. But it''s uncertain whether they will remain silent even after Amelia''s death. Plus, there are many issues we''d have to consider before killing Amelia." But there would be no such issues with Iris. She had lost her territory and left Helmuth. Moreover, Iris had no connections with the Demon King of Incarceration. In addition, if Eugene decided to kill Iris, Shimuin would dly lend their power. Killing Iris first would surely provoke reactions from the others. Amelia was aware of Eugene''s intention to kill. Amelia herself also harbored the intent to kill Eugene. Noir wouldn''te to kill Eugene. She was waiting for Eugene toe and kill her. Gavid wouldn''t draw his sword until Eugene came to Babel. "Alright," Sienna nodded. It was still uncertain how much of a ripple effect Iris''s death would create. Regardless, Sienna also wanted to kill Iris. She had killed and corrupted countless elves during the war, and Sienna considered her a personal enemy. That said, they couldn''t just go right away. Given how formidable Iris was, they had to make sufficient preparations. ''We have to go home and deal with Raizakia¡¯s corpse as well.'' Eugene thought. He would need to inform Ariartel. The red dragon had been hoping for Raizakia¡¯s death. "Let''s get moving," Sienna stood up, pulling her chair back. Eugene stared at her with wide eyes. "Where to?" Sienna snorted before pointing outside the window. Eugene followed her hand and gave a hollowugh upon seeing their destination. She was pointing towards the heart of the capital, Abram, the royal castle of Aroth. ~ Trempel Vizardo was an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle and the most prominent battle mage in Aroth. In Aroth, his position was that of themander of the court wizards, but in these peaceful times devoid of war, he had to perform more duties advising the royal family on magic than actual battle mage activities. Like right now. Trempel scrunched up his face in displeasure, scratching his head in frustration. It was because of yesterday¡¯s sudden weather change. He had inspected the magic system of the floating station, but there had been no n for snow yesterday. There was no error in the magic system either. ¡®Who on earth could it be?¡¯ The snowfall from yesterday was the work of a mysterious wizard. This unidentified wizard had breached the floating station''s magic system, causing snow to fall over the entire capital. It was truly an unbelievable thing. The floating station, which controlled the capital¡¯s weather and even performed the role of a warp-gate, was under strict security and control. Even within the royal family, only Trempel and a handful of high-ranking court wizards had the ability to interfere with it. Moreover, the interference spell could only be executed here, in the royal castle of Abram. Additionally, the spell could not be activated without the king''s approval. The natural suspects that came to mind were the tower heads of Aroth. It was definitely possible for archwizards in the Eighth Circle to somehow interfere with the floating station. In fact, interference would be impossible for anyone who wasn¡¯t an archwizard. If he could narrow down the suspects to the tower masters¡­. Trempel squinted and turned his head. "Why not be honest at this point?" he asked. The White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, was the only suspect among the tower masters. Why would the other tower masters do such a thing? Of course, following a simr logic, there was no reason for Melkith to change the weather either. But Trempel knew all too well that the White Tower Master was not a person who could be understood withmon sense. "White Tower Master. You just returned to Aroth yesterday," Trempel continued with his inquiry. "No, it wasn''t me." "Who else would do such a thing? Furthermore, the incident urred on the very day you returned!" "Why would I do such a thing?!" Melkith yelled out in frustration. She had just returned the previous day from a lengthy trip. Once back at the White Tower, she had been in the middle of throwing a celebratory party with the other wizards and spirit wizards for her sessful contract with Ifrit. That was when Trempel and the court wizards stormed in and arrested her, bringing her all the way here. "I won''t forget this, you old coot. I''ve told you countless times I''m innocent. Why won''t you listen?" Melkith shouted again. "There are no traces left of interference with the floating station. Only an Archwizard with exceptional and meticulous skills could achieve that." "Well, I guess I am an Archwizard with exceptional and meticulous skills." "Should I take that as a confession then?" Trempel asked. He squinted at Melkith. Although he had brought her in, she was a tower master, and there wasn¡¯t clear evidence. He couldn''t use strong interrogation methods, either. "But I didn''t do it! Why would I make it snow!?" "There''s a precedent. White Tower Master, no, Melkith El-Hayah. You created thunderstorms in the past when you wanted to form a pact with the Spirit King of Lightning." Trempel tried exining patiently. "I''ve already paid for that! The royal family of Aroth confiscated all my wealth at the time! Do you know how miserable and hard it was for me? I was penniless and even had to sell my mansion! I was living in the White Tower!" Melkith sounded indignant. Furthermore, this had happened decades ago. Melkith shivered when she recalled the unpleasant memory. She wished she could summon the Spirit Kings and raise a storm, but it was impossible to cast even the simplest magic in Abram. The only ones who could use magic in this white pce were the royal family and the court magicians who had sworn loyalty to the royal family. "And! The thunderstorm I conjured! I conjured it such that it only covered my mansion, didn¡¯t I?" "I don''t understand why you are upset. Of course, the thunderstorm only urred over your property. But didn''t dozens of lightning bolts scatter in all directions?" Trempel asked after a pause. "There were no casualties!" Melkith argued back. "That was a divine providence. If there were any casualties, not only would your assets have been confiscated, but you would also have been on the gallows!" "Hmm... let''s not talk about the past. I was immature¡­ and... in the end, didn''t my pact with the Spirit King of Lightning significantly raise the prestige of the Magic Kingdom of Aroth? I did it for Aroth!" Melkith proimed while puffing up her chest. Trempel gritted his teeth, feeling his fist clenching. He had to take a deep breath to collect himself. "Fortunately, no idents urred due to yesterday''s snow. There were no casualties. It wasn''t as dangerous as lightning. If you admit your crime now, I will ensure that it ends with a fine, not the confiscation of all your assets. What do you say?" "Ah, no, I didn''t do it. Why won''t you listen to me? Why would I make it snow, huh?" said Melkith, exasperated. "You might have made it snow to contract with the Spirit King of Snow." "That¡¯s... hmm, I''ll try that somewhere other than Aroth in the future. Anyway, I didn''t do it." Melkith crossed her arms and cocked her head. "I admit. I do look suspicious. But I really didn''t do it, okay? And it wasn''t just me who returned to Aroth yesterday. What about the Red Tower Master! Lovellian Sophis! Why didn''t you arrest that guy?" "The Red Tower Master would not do such a thing," Trempel stated tly. "That''s what you call prejudice! Why do you think I would do it and the Red Tower Master wouldn''t? He may have been building his image to take advantage of such a crucial moment!" "Nonsense¡­." "Or Balzac Ludbeth! That bastard is super suspicious. He hasn¡¯t returned to Aroth yet, has he? It could all be a show! He may be sneaking around plotting something." "Are you implying Balzac is your aplice?" "Look, Trempel, you seem to have no talent for leading an investigation," Melkith dered. Trempel scowled even more and checked the system of the floating station. "Or... it could be the work of a spy from another country who has infiltrated Aroth. Yesterday''s snow could have been a test for arger terrorist attack...! Trempel! We don''t have time for you to detain me and talk nonsense. Someone might be nning a catastrophic attack on the capital or a coup against the royal family!" Normally, Trempel would dismiss such words as nonsense, but he could not afford to right now. In the first ce, he had detained Melkith because he had simr suspicions. Interfering with the magic system of the floating station meant being able to create meteorological changes in the capital at will. Normally, the floating station was sure to prevent weather disasters, but what if someone could freely unlock the limits? And if, by chance, they could interfere with the warp-gate, it could truly result in a catastrophic loss of life. "....We¡¯re already investigating that. You are the likeliest of the suspects, which is why I''m interrogating you myself." ¡°Don¡¯t you have any video records?¡± ¡°If we had such things, I would not be questioning you right now. The culprit left no traces. Not even a shadow.¡± ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll cooperate. We¡¯ll catch the culprit together. We don¡¯t have time! A devastating n that threatens Aroth might be closing in! Even Abram might be under direct¡ª¡± Rumbleeee! Before she could finish, the ground began to shake under their feet. Trempel jumped up from his seat and red at Melkith. ¡°Melkith El-Haya! You are under arrest for treason against the royal family!¡± ¡°Y-you¡¯ve already arrested me, so what are you saying!? Y-you, you do not think that an aplice is here to rescue me or something, right?¡± Even Melkith had to admit that the timing had been immacte. Chapter 315: Abram (2)
Chapter 315: Abram (2) Eugene couldn''t help but wear a half-dazed expression. Presently, he was floating above the Royal Castle of Aroth, Abram itself. The magic sealing formation embedded in the entire massive fortress rendered all wizards powerless except the royal family and the court magicians. Moreover, its power extended not just inside the fortress but also outside. Other wizards couldn''t fly above Abram. All magical attacks from outside were also nullified by the magic sealing formation. But despite that, Eugene was hovering in the airspace above Abram effortlessly. The reason he could do so was simple. It was Sienna who had created the magic sealing formation and the surroundingke. Sienna extended Akasha forward and closed her eyes. The Eternal Hole activated, and the boundless mana contained within Akasha was guided into it. Ignoring the sealing magic circle, Sienna captured the chunk ofnd known as Abram with her spell. Kugugung...! The entire fortress ¡°jumped¡± and moved. Massive ripples began to form on the previously calm surface of theke. The ripples soon became waves, which started to swash against the fortress. "Hey, hey. You''re still recovering, don''t push yourself," Eugene reminded. "This isn''t straining at all," Sienna chuckled, lifting Akasha a little higher. It would have taken a definite toll if she were to use apletely new spell. However, moving Abram was not particrly difficult for Sienna. The magic she had cast hundreds of years ago was still intact. The same was true for the magic sealing formation, as well as the magic that allowed the fortress to float above theke. This was all the magic Sienna had cast and engraved in the past. The forme she had inscribed hundreds of years ago had barely changed. Future generations of wizards hade toprehend and develop the magic sealing formation to a certain extent, but no one had directly interfered with the dense inscriptions etched onto the huge fortress. It was a daunting, dangerous task even for Archwizards. What if they inadvertently triggered a fatal error??A mistake like that would cost even an Archwizard their life. Abram began to sink, though very, very slowly. This was precisely why she had said it wouldn¡¯t be straining for her. Lifting an object of such weight into the air would definitely have been strenuous, but subtly altering the preexisting magic that made the object float to make it sink into theke wasn¡¯t a huge task. As Abram slowly sank, the waves of theke became more violent. The overflowing waves battered the pristine white castle walls and the open castle gates connected to the river. It was literally a water burial. It was a joke that had been made in the past during a hearing. But clearly, Sienna actually intended to bury Abram underwater. Shouldn''t he stop her at this point?Eugene thought as he nced at Sienna''s face. If Sienna was wearing an emotional expression, he would have tried to stop her, verbally at least. But on the contrary, Sienna''s face was incredibly calm. She looked nonchnt, almost as if she were just carrying out an ordinary chore. She wasn''t doing this out of shallow excitement or anger. Sienna was extremely calm andposed. She had first heard about it from Eugene a few years ago. Then she had contemted once more after being released from her seal a month ago. However, the conclusion was unchanged. Converting her mansion into a tourist site? Clearing the small forest and filling up the river?Such things were annoying, but it was somewhat inevitable, considering that two hundred years had passed since she went into seclusion without a word. Merdein?Square and the statue??They were embarrassing, indeed... but not a cause for anger. However¡­. Having persecuted Mer was something to be angered about. It was an unforgivable act. What Sienna could not tolerate the most was that despite proiming her as the Wise Sienna and making her the idol of wizards over hundreds of years, they had not treated Mer, the familiar she personally created, with the respect she deserved. Of course, Sienna was not meless in this matter either. She had linked Mer with Witch Craft in Akron. So ultimately, it was technically Sienna¡¯s fault that Mer had been trapped in Akron for hundreds of years. ''Even so, dissecting her?'' The least they could have done was to modify the hall for Mer¡¯s convenience, but instead, they had dared to dissect the small familiar to uncover the secrets of Witch Craft! That was something Sienna simply could not forgive. "Oh, I''m fine¡­. Hehe¡­," Mer said from Sienna¡¯s side half-heartedly. The one who had led the dissection of Mer was the former master of the green tower. It was a past she didn''t particrly wish to recall. Though, thinking about it didn''t cause her any significant distress. That was because Mer had not felt any physical pain during the dissection. Even so, she had still suffered a fair amount of psychological damage. She recalled feelings of humiliation and anger. It had happened over a hundred years ago, but being dissected while fully conscious and alive was not an experience one could easily endure. "It¡¯s not fine with me," Sienna spat grimly. "The former Head of the Green Tower? That bastard should be grateful he''s already dead." Sienna had taken three disciples in the past during her time in Aroth: Theodore Throne, Vice Osman, and Fri Helen. Among them, Theodore became the Head of the Red Tower, while Vice and Fri married. After Sienna retired as the Green Tower Master, Vice seeded her. The child of the pair was Rnd Osman, the father of the current Head of the Green Tower, Jeneric Osman, and the one responsible for carrying out Mer¡¯s dissection. Sienna had never even heard of his name, but she was still filled with fierce anger. How had Vice and Fri educated their child? How could he have even entertained the insane idea of dissecting a familiar belonging to his grandmaster? The royal family of Aroth wasn¡¯t meless in this matter either since such a thing could not have taken ce without their permission. "Stop immediately!" By the time the pce gardens had be submerged in water, someone had shot up into the sky from a building within the castle walls. It was themander of Aroth¡¯s court magicians, Trempel Vizardo, and Melkith El-Hayah. Melkith was currently bound. "Stop right now, I said!" Trying to submerge the royal pce of Abram??This was an unprecedented act of terrorism in the history of Aroth. Trempel''s hair stood on end due to his immense anger. ¡°How dare you!" Trempel stared at the terrorists, no, the rebels, with wide, furious eyes. Despite not wearing a hood, their faces were not visible. It was a very high-level spell that was interfering with his perception. Trempel concentrated mana in his eyes and cast a spell. "Impossible¡­. I never imagined I would encounter such a ridiculous situation during my time...!" shouted Trempel. He could see three adversaries at the moment, but there were bound to be more. It was impossible that a mere group of three wasunching an attack against Aroth.Was this a rebellion? Or was it an attack from another nation??Trempel was leaning towards thetter possibility. "Your spy, Melkith El-Hayah, has already been captured. Halt your attacks immediately, and¡ª¡± "What are you saying? I''ve already told you I''m not a spy! I have no idea about any of this!" Melkith screamed while squirming in the air. Eugene sighed at the sight. Trempel''s rage and misunderstanding were understandable, but still, he couldn''tprehend why he had captured Melkith and deemed her a spy. Trempel wasn''t the only one who had flown up into the sky. Among the court wizards, hundred elite,bat-specialized wizards rose into the air to block Sienna¡¯s path. Moreover, other wizards and knights were lining up on the ground, which was slowly being submerged in water. "Well, well." It wasn¡¯t only their front and the ground that was slowly being lined with opposition. Wizards were beginning to gather in the back as well. They consisted of wizards of the capital, the Heads of the Towers, excluding Melkith and Balzac, as well as wizards belonging to the guild. They didn''t rashly approach due to the magic sealing formation around Abram, but they blocked Sienna''s retreat path with determined resolve. "Is the king noting out?" Sienna asked. The king in her memories would be long dead, but she still asked. To summon a nation''s king like amon dog...!Trempel felt a surge of anger and lifted his hand high. The staff that appeared with a sh absorbed Trempel''s rage and mana. With a rumble, a whirlwind of intense mana began to form in the sky above Trempel''s head. "It seems the Crown Prince is here, though¡­ Lady Sienna," Eugene whispered to Sienna, tilting his head slightly. It was Crown Prince Honein Abram. His face was distorted by confusion and anger as he approached Trempel. "Why are you suddenly being formal¡­. Ah, um, hmm, well¡­. I see." Sienna stopped herself and cleared her throat awkwardly with understanding. It wasn''t yet known to the world that Eugene Lionheart was the reincarnation of Hamel. Hence, Sienna could not treat Eugene as Hamel in a public space. ''This might be nice. It¡¯ll be like a secret romance,''Sienna entertained the thought for a moment but quicklyposed her expression, reminding herself that this wasn''t the time for such feelings. "You all,¡± said Sienna. Her voice carried mana. A powerful vibration resonated through the air as her voice echoed, amplified by Akasha and the Eternal Hole. Trempel stiffened when he saw how easily his spell was deflected. ¡®A voice capable of unsettling the very foundations of magic?¡¯ Was it possible? Was this a realization of Draconic, the legendary magic of the dragons¡­? ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯ Dragon. How had he missed it??What other existence was capable of ignoring the magic sealing formation which the Wise Sienna had left behind? What other existence was capable of causing the mana in the air to fluctuate with just their voice? After all, why did they assume that such an entity had to be human? Were they against a dragon, an entity who had vanished since the era of the wars? Trempel swallowed hard, his voice hardly above a whisper, "Are you... a dragon?" Those words sent a significant shockwave throughout the crowd. The court wizards, headed by Trempel, hardened their faces in shared suspicion. Crown Prince Honein also appeared as if he had been struck hard from behind, his mouth hanging open. Even the beleaguered ground forces echoed with groans of difort. "Hmm¡­." The tower heads responsible for the rear defense had also heard Trempel¡¯s words. Like Trempel, the Green Tower Master and the Blue Tower Master suspected the mysterious entity to be a dragon. Yet, the face of Lovellian, the Red Tower Master, was locked with a different emotion. "Could it be¡­?" The interference from the perception-altering magic was too strong. Moreover, the magic sealing formation made direct intervention difficult. With narrowed eyes, Lovellian stared at the trio sinking Abram into the water. A single possibility spun in Lovellian¡¯s mind, growing steadily into a conviction. But the terrifying truth was something Lovellian couldn''t bring himself to voice. "A dragon, what nonsense." Sienna furrowed her eyebrows and shook Akasha. The perception-altering magic disappeared, and the obscured figures now appeared more distinct. Too much surprise could render one incapable of even being shocked, unable to utter even a groan or a cry of surprise. This was the state of the hundreds of people now looking at Sienna. Their eyes were wide and jaws agape as they stared at her. They knew from portraits that captured the past, as well as statues across Pentagon. The unmistakable image from three hundred years ago was still hanging in Akron. Her attire had changed. The clothes and the cloak were different. But her violet hair and Akasha, which she held in one hand, were identical to the image from three hundred years ago. "Sir¡­ Eugene¡­?¡± Trempel managed to stutter out a few words, barely squeezing out his voice. Thanks to the disappearance of the perception-altering magic, Eugene''s figure was also visible now. He had called Eugene''s name because he felt morefortable calling him than calling out ¡®Sienna Merdein.¡¯ "Th¡­ at... umm¡­." But uttering Eugene''s name did not change the situation or what they saw. Trempel couldn¡¯t even think to calm himself. He could barely move his eyes. ¡°The Wise Lady Sienna... is it really you?" he called out. "Can''t you tell?" Sienna retorted while raising a finger high. All one hundred court wizards stepped back in unison at her simple movement. Prince Honein was no different. Unsure of what to do, he alternated between staring at the sinking Abram and Sienna. "Are you not going to dismiss it?" said Sienna. "Ex¡­ cuse me?" responded Trempel. "I said, aren''t you going to dismiss it, kid!" Sienna yelled angrily while pointing at the magical vortex that Trempel had conjured. Without a moment''s hesitation, Trempel instantly dispelled the magic and lowered his staff. No, thinking that it would be rude to hold a staff in her presence, he also dispelled the staff and respectfully held his hands at the navel. "I-It¡¯s¡­ an honor to meet you¡­. My, my name is Trempel Vizardo. I currently serve as the Chief Court Magician of Arot¡­.¡± Trempel found it difficult to steady his trembling voice. To all wizards after the age of war,The Wise Siennawas practically a religion. Almost all wizards used the Circles Form. The form established by Sienna was the backbone of the basics for the wizards of this age, the maxims she left were sacred scriptures, and Sienna herself was an idol akin to a god. "Eugene!" Melkith screamed. She was still confined, wriggling like a caterpir, squealing. "Help me! L-Lady Sienna! My name is Melkith El-Hayah! I also yed a big role in finding you!¡± Melkith respected the Wise Sienna as well. But unlike Trempel, she was not nervous or terrified. Rather, she was very confident. Who had freed Sienna sealed in the World Tree? Eugene Lionheart? No. It was everyone who fought alongside Eugene in the forest at the time. In fact, if Melkith hadn''t supplied her mana, the battle with Raizakia would have ended with Eugene''s death long ago. Sienna didn''t immediately turn her attention to Melkith¡¯s desperate cry. With a grimace, Sienna listened to Mer''s whispering. "Lady Sienna, that''s the guy. The bastard with the beard and the green robe.¡± "Uh-huh." "That guy is Jeneric Osman, the current Head of the Green Tower. The guy who dissected me was his father, but he died decades ago." "Uh-huh." "But you know, Lady Sienna. As I told you yesterday, that Jeneric bastard also tortured me a lot. Whenever he came to your hall, he would tell me that I was useless. He said he couldn''t interpret Witch Craft because I was useless.¡± "That''s a bastard talking nonsense," Sienna said furiously. "Yes, really. He couldn''t understand Witch Craft because he was stupid and ipetent, so why did he scold me? I''m really curious about that." "I''m very curious too." Sienna nodded while stroking Mer''s head. "So, I''ll ask him directly." "Ehe... You don''t have to go that far." "No, I really want to." With that, Sienna turned towards Trempel and Honein. "Stay there." "Ye¡­ yes?" "Don''t interfere and mess things up; just stay there." She didn''t wait for an answer. Sienna raised Mer in her arms, then handed her over to Eugene. Mer giggled the entire time. "Ehem¡­ Eugene, you too. Just stand there holding Mer¡­ be still¡­ won¡¯t you?" It was a simple sentence, but it seemed to tickle her throat. Sienna coughed a few times and turned around. "Hey." She turned her fierce gaze towards Jeneric. Jeneric was still floating in the air without any understanding of his current predicament. "Come here. No, never mind. Just stay there." "Ye¡­ yes?" "Stay there, you bastard." Anger and desire for ughter turned into magic. Chapter 316: Abram (3) Chapter 316: Abram (3) Jeneric''s lips and eyes twitched uneasily. The Wise Sienna. The legendary wizard was manifesting clear hostility as she slowly approached him. ''But why?'' Though the answer to his question seemed quite obvious, Jeneric still mulled over the question again and again. The reason¡­. The reason? The biggest thing had been his father''s mistake. So to Jeneric, this felt incredibly unfair. His father and predecessor, the previous Green Tower Master, had been a stubborn and radical man. His father had insisted that interpreting Witch Craft, the heritage of Wise Sienna, was an absolute necessity they could waste no time with. Witch Craft, known as the grimoire of fantasy, was more of a concept in Akron than a book itself. What deserved attention was that Akron''s Witch Craft was divided into three parts. One volume was in Akron, and the second, albeit a copy, was held by the royal family of Aroth. In reality, the remaining two volumes of Witch Craft did not exist, and the magical book possessed by the royal family was nothing more than something Sienna had casually made to boost the royal family and Aroth¡¯s value. But since only Sienna knew this truth, future wizards had no choice but to be obsessed with the illusion of finding and deciphering the remainder of Witch Craft. The previous Green Tower Master had harbored a strong desire for honor. He longed to interpret Akron''s Witch Craft, to get permission to study the remaining volume of Witch Craft from the royal family, and to leap beyond the Eighth Circle. So he had insisted on dissecting Mer, a familiar who couldn''t feel pain. It wasn''t like they werepletely breaking Mer apart, simply opening and closing her body a few times. In fact, there had been others who had entertained the thought before him. High-ranking wizards essing Akron, the Tower Masters, and even the royalty of Aroth had thought that if some secret was hidden in Witch Craft, dissecting the familiar that managed it would be more efficient. Dissecting the familiar was overwhelmingly easier than prying open Witch Craft, which reproduced the concept of the Eternal Hole. But they had only entertained the thought without ever attempting to put it into action. Like Witch Craft, the familiar Mer was also a legacy left by Sienna. They had been stuck at this impasse when the Green Tower Master of the generation imed that he would take all the responsibility and requested to perform the dissection. Justification? He had plenty. The Green Tower Master had been the child of two disciples of the Wise Sienna, and he had imed himself to be Sienna''s sessor. The Red Tower Master of the generation, who had also seeded Sienna, vehemently opposed, but the royal family of Aroth had epted the Green Tower Master''s proposal. All of this happened one hundred years ago. So they dissected Mer, but there wasn''t much gain. They wouldn''t dare touch the fully sealed memories, and even the structural form of the familiar was iprehensible. From the start, there was no secret about Witch Craft imnted in Mer. No matter how many times they performed the dissection, they couldn¡¯t have possibly gained anything. "Lady¡­ Lady Sienna, there seems to be a misunderstanding," Jeneric stuttered. But Sienna didn''t give an answer. Jeneric thought her silence was a blessing. He had blurted out what he could, but even upon reflection, there was nothing for her to misunderstand. "The act that angered you, Lady Sienna, was something my fathermitted. I... I have no connection to that incident." Changing his tone, Jeneric vehemently protested his unfair treatment. Of course, Sienna paid no mind to his pleas. Crack! A magical spear materialized beside Sienna''s head. Without warning, the spear shot forward. Startled, Jeneric blinked away. If he hadn''t, the spear would have skewered his head. "Did I not." The spear came to a halt right where Jeneric had been standing, and Sienna sneered, "Tell you not to move?" "W-what¡­. What?" "I told you just now, didn¡¯t I? Would I have really killed you? I was going to stop it myself, but you got scared and moved on your own. Isn''t that right?" "L-Lady Sienna, about that¡ª" "Don''t get me wrong. I have no intention of punishing you for the sins your fathermitted." That was a lie. "But that doesn''t mean I have a reason to think well of you. You tortured Mer, didn''t you?" "That... that is¡­." "And you''ve been parading around iming to be my sessor? I heard your name for the first time today, yet you''ve been profiting off mine over and over again." There was rage concerning Mer. However, it was irrational to direct it at Jeneric, so a different reason was necessary. Fortunately, there were plenty of reasons for Sienna to discipline Jeneric. "And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, what about when you opposed Eugene''s inheritance of Akasha? You were the most outspoken about it, weren¡¯t you?" shot Sienna. "W-well, that was so abrupt that¡­." "Abrupt? And who are you to judge that? Ah, of course. You can oppose it. That¡¯s fine. But! Not only that, but you imed to be my rightful sessor and tried to take Akasha from Eugene. You tried to test Eugene, didn''t you?" she continued. Jeneric swallowed hard. Sienna raised Akasha high with a show of force. "So. This time, I will test you. To see if you''re truly a worthy wizard to im my session." "H-how could I possibly stand against you, Lady Sienna? This is too cruel." "Cruel? Then I''ll make you a clear bet. If your magic so much as grazes my clothes! I swear on everything to acknowledge you as my sessor. I''ll forgive yourte, unknown father for using my name for his benefit. I''ll even forgive you for tormenting my beloved familiar. And right, Akasha? I''ll give it to you too." Sienna grinned, her lips curling in amusement. As sheid out her terms, Jeneric''s expression began to shift. He was still shocked and bewildered, yet avarice gradually filled his eyes. To merely graze her clothing?It didn''t seem a difficult condition. The opponent was the legendary wizard, the wise Sienna, but she was still a human wizard. ''Just a graze....'' If he could aplish that, Jeneric would gain a great deal. He would be recognized as the sessor to the Wise Sienna and master of Akasha. He would receive all honor and glory. Even the Wise Sienna could not renege on her words after dering it in front of so many people. Jeneric slowly nodded while calming his heart and took up the challenge after a prolonged silence. "Understood. If it means being recognized as Lady Sienna''s sessor, I, Jeneric Osman, will undertake the trial. As the current Master of the Green Tower and a wizard who carries on Lady Sienna''s legacy,¡± dered Jeneric. "You talk a lot," Sienna tilted her head with a chuckle. "Well, are you not going to use magic? You''re not nning on letting me attack first, are you?" Jeneric¡¯s expression hardened at her words, and he drew his staff. Perhaps it was because he''d decided to challenge her with magic, despite calling it a test. Sienna''s outspoken words were beginning to grate on him. ''Let''s put her in her ce.'' Jeneric''s body plummeted downwards. He had no need to ponder which magic to use. Out of all the magic he could perform, he opted for his most outstanding spell. His Signature, the symbol of an Archwizard ¡ª Yggdrasil. Light surged from Jeneric''s staff, and the enormous glow engulfed his form. Sienna watched from above, her feet nted firmly in mid-air. "What a fucking stupid spell," she criticized with narrowed brows. The concept of a Signature spell had existed centuries ago as well. Today, the standard for an Archwizard was set at the Eighth Circle, but before the Circle Magic Form was properly developed, anyone and everyone had imed to be an Archwizard. From long ago, wizards were obsessed with unique spells that only they could perform. In that era, to distinguish a real Archwizard, one had to disy such unique magic ¡ª their Signature. "Times sure have changed. To think that one could im to be an Archwizard with such a mediocre Signature,¡± said Sienna. She was sincere. In some ways, it could be considered the downside of the Circle Magic Form. Since the Eighth Circle had be the definitive standard, even those casting such mediocre spells could im to be an Archwizard as long as they were at the Eighth Circle. So what was so mediocre about it? First off, its activation was too slow. Something was earnestly being formed within the light, but the process was sluggish and full of gaps. The light itself served as a protective barrier, but Sienna could shatter it and tear Jeneric apart right this moment if she wished. She couldn''t help but admire his judgment for opting to use such a slow Signature without a second thought. Was he taking the test too lightly? Or did he believe his signature would bepleted before his defenses were broken? Either way, it was shallow and unworthy. ''An unnecessarilyrge tree. The constituting forms are¡­. Hmm, quite interesting, actually.''? The spells used to form Yggdrasil were mostly original magics from Jeneric and the Osman family. Sienna narrowed her eyes, intently observing the light spreading below. Akasha wouldy out the forms constituting Jeneric¡¯s magic and allowprehension by the user. However, Sienna seeded in perfectly deciphering and understanding Yggdrasil without even needing to rely on Akasha. ?''eleration and simultaneous casting of magic. This is a pathetic attempt at mimicking Eternal Hole.''? It was insignificant. ''Every single bark of the tree is imbued with a defensive spell. He¡¯s half merged his physical form with the tree to enhance his regeneration. He can escape by shifting to other roots as well.''? It was insignificant. ''He has dominion over the earth where roots are nted¡­. The range is stupidly wide. But the assistance for precise calction is severelycking. Are you nning topensate for theck of precision with an inted size and numbers?''? It was insignificant. ''Blossom buds on every branch. They¡¯re meant to gather mana from the air. The petals then burst to release the artillery. It¡¯s a wide-area magic reflecting artillery off the petals.'' It was genuinely insignificant. It was truly trivial. He had just pped on everything that wassupposed?to be great, but none of it wasplete. This magic is just a coward''s attempt to look brave. There was no real defense, evasion, or attack to present. How should she crush this, then?? Zzzraaahhh! The light vanished, signaling thepletion of Yggdrasil. A magical tree, as gigantic as the spire of the castle, had sprung up from theke. From deep within the tree, Jeneric opened his eyes. How long had it been since he''d been given the opportunity to fully unleash Yggdrasil like this? Delighted in his sense of omnipotence, Jeneric turned his attention towards Sienna. There was no need to look up at the sky since the tall and massive structure of Yggdrasil allowed him a wide field of view. [Thank you for waiting.] She must have failed to break through.Jeneric chuckled lightly while moving Yggdrasil. Kwaaarrr! Countless tree roots and trunks sprung upwards from underneath theke. With every movement of Yggdrasil¡¯s tendrils, giant waves rolled across theke. [I regret that I cannot concede the first attack to you, Lady Sienna. So, I shall initiate the attack.] "Absolutely insane," Sienna muttered. Sienna scoffed and shook her head. The arrogance in that voice, confidently boasting about a not-so-impressive, insignificant magic, was too intolerable. "Fine. Come at me, kid." Sienna expressed her intense annoyance. Yggdrasil invoked its magic. High-speed offensive spells poured onto Sienna in swarms, but Sienna stood still. There was no value or need to evade such magic. The attacks she was bombarded with consisted of different types of offensive magic, yet when they reached Sienna, they all met the same fate ¡ª annihtion.Pure annihtion.The attacks, the magic, faded into nothingness. [What on earth¡­?!] A wide-range dispel?It was the magic-sealing spell. It was well-known that the Wise Sienna had indulged in magic-sealing spells, which nullified an opponent''s magic and stripped them of their magical ability. It was her specialty. "Next," Sienna uttered. What kind of magic was it?Jeneric could only feel confusion and doubt. Kwaaarrr! Dozens of roots, no less thick than the tail of Raizakia, pounced on Sienna all at once. The Eternal Hole was activated. Sienna bent her finger slightly and extended her left hand forward. The space around Sienna began to distort and shake. Crash! The trajectories of the roots aiming for Sienna were forcibly altered. ''What''s this?''? The twisted trajectory wasn¡¯t the end of it. The roots that had entered the distorted space tangled with each other and twisted themselves into a knot. Jeneric was taken aback and tried to retract the roots, but even that didn¡¯t go as nned. Crack, crack...! The entangled roots pressed against each other and ttened. Thud! Eventually, the agglutinated mass broke and fell down below. Jeneric could notprehend the spectacle before his eyes. The scene before his eyes wasn¡¯t the result of any magic-sealing spell. Jeneric had full control of Yggdrasil, yet the control slipped away immediately when the tendrils entered the space around Sienna. ¡°Next,¡± repeated Sienna. An idea arose in Jeneric''s mind. There was a faint possibility¡­. No, it was impossible. No matter how great the Wise Sienna might be, there was no way such a thing could be possible. The expansive branches shuddered in unison. Hundreds of buds turned their heads towards Sienna. He had not yet gathered sufficient power, but Jeneric wanted to verify the idea he had conceived. Buds yet to bloom burst open, and as many petals embroidered the surrounding space. Thin threads were drawn between the fluttering petals, and thesers pierced everything they touched as they reflected between the petals. It was impossible to predict their trajectories. No matter how fast they moved, the repeated reflections would inevitably impale their target in the end. Sienna chuckled and flicked her finger. Whoosh! The distortion spread even further, eating away as it expanded its sphere of influence. The moment the reflectedsers entered the space, their trajectory changed, simr to the tendrils from before. Boom! The redirectedsers collided with other beams and caused an explosion. But it wasn''t over yet. Sienna entered the space she had created, then pointed her finger toward the scattering petals. A beam of light shot from her fingertip and made contact with a petal. Just as with Yggdrasil, the beam of light was reflected by the petals. Hundreds of petals floating in the special space were redirected as the path of the reflected beam. The petals were destroyed the moment they reflected the light. A single beam of light had destroyed hundreds of petals in the blink of an eye. By the time it had destroyed all the petals, the beam of light was no longer thin. It had grownrge enough to st a gaping hole in Yggdrasil. It was too fast, and its power was incalcble. In shock, Jeneric shifted his position. Crack! The colossal tree crumbled. Jeneric, who had moved to another root, hid silently in theke without erecting a new tree. He simply could not understand. The light that had just pierced the tree had been guided by Yggdrasil''s petals. Was she making use of another wizard¡¯s magic as she pleased? The beam of light had easily prated through theyers of protective spells he had cast. No¡­ instead, it felt as if his defenses had voluntarily thinned. It was as if Sienna was dominating his magic. "Your Signature is shoddy,¡± said Sienna as she looked down at theke. Finding Jeneric among the many roots spread out at the bottom of theke wasn''t difficult for her. "There were plenty of ways to break it, but this seemed the best way to trample on your petty pride." [What¡­. What did you do exactly?] "You think I don''t have a Signature of my own? Don''t tell me you thought the Eternal Hole was my Signature?" No one would dispute it if the Eternal Hole was imed to be a Signature, but it wasn¡¯t Sienna¡¯s Signature. Her Signature was named ¡ª Empress Rule. This magic worked in a space defined by Sienna, taking control of any other spell in that space. In simple terms, if the magic being cast was inferior to Sienna''s, it was easy for her to take, and she could control it at will. Yggdrasil? Signature?Such an ambiguous, vague magic. She had even figured out the forms through Akasha, so what couldn''t she control? Sienna chuckled and moved her finger. It drew a line through the air, and magic bullets as small as grains of sand appeared in the air. What followed was a one-sided onught. The sand-sized bullets tore through Yggdrasil. She allowed him to flee here and there, gave him a little time to recover, and then repeated the process. She gave him opportunities to resist before trampling on him repeatedly. Later, she even wrapped the roots of Yggdrasil in streams ofke water and threw him into the air. She didn''t allow him to escape. She cut off his retreat, broke his shell, and dragged Jeneric out. "Arrgh!" Jeneric''s body was propelled high into the air before falling back into theke. Ssh, ssh, ssh. Waves of water continued to raise a cloud of spray until Jeneric finally lost consciousness. Chapter 317: Abram (4) Chapter 317: Abram (4) A thoroughly soaked-through Jeneric was hoisted into the air. His limp form resembled the freshlyundered clothes hanging on a line. He was an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle. He was the patriarch of the Osman family, which was renowned even in Aroth as a noble house of magic, a family that had produced three generations of the Green Tower Masters. Such a wizard had been treated like a child. He had been humiliated through and through. Although Jeneric wasn¡¯t highly regarded among the Archwizards of Aroth, there was not a single wizard who could boast that they were strong enough to toy with Jeneric as Sienna had done. "Hey." Sienna''s demeanor did not change in the slightestpared to the beginning. The magic that Jeneric repeatedly used had failed to even brush against Sienna''s clothes, let alone leave a scratch on her. With a sour face, Sienna looked at Jeneric and flicked her finger. Snap! A magic bullet as small as a bean burrowed into Jeneric''s body. "Bwegh!" As soon as he regained consciousness, Jeneric vomited arge volume of water. He had ingested too muchke water while repeatedly falling into and being pulled out of theke. Vomiting in front of so many people.It would have been an impossible sight for the Jeneric under normal circumstances, but now he was in no state to worry about such things. Jeneric looked easily ten years older after regurgitating water for a while. He raised his headboriously, gasping for breath, and looked at Sienna. "Do you want to continue?" Sienna asked. It was a chilling question. Jeneric immediately shook his head, hupping. He had never felt such dreadful pain and helplessness in the eighty years of his life as he had today. His body, plunged into theke more than a dozen times, ached and throbbed all over, and it felt as if his bones and organs were also bruised and injured. He was dizzy from drinking too much water, and in particr, his eyes hurt as if they were about to burst. His ears were stuffed and ringing. However, it wasn¡¯t only the physical pain that had been inflicted on him. His heart had also been shattered into pieces. He was left with not even a grain of confidence in him. The Wise Sienna¡­. He had assumed she would be powerful, but how could the difference between them be so great? All of his confidence as a wizard, which he had polished and gained after half a century of training and studying, crumbled like sand. ¡°Alright,¡± Sienna stared at Jeneric with half-closed eyes as she spoke. "I do not acknowledge you or your family as my sessors. In the future, if you and your descendants im to be the sessors of Sienna Merdein, I will exterminate your family with my own hands." "Yes¡­." "Who knows, maybe I''ll be dead in that distant future. But if I die, well, my descendants will take care of your family, won''t they?" With these words, Sienna turned her gaze to Eugene. Sienna Lionheart. Or Eugene Merdein.Either way was fine. She thought that both names held a thrilling allure¡­. "Hmm. Well, that''s a matter for the future. For now¡­." Sienna''s gaze fell upon Eugene and Mer. Though she hadn''t beckoned them verbally, the intent in her eyes was clear. Eugene approached Sienna while cradling Mer. "I believe you owe an apology to my formal sessor and my adorable familiar,¡± said Sienna. The wrinkles on Jeneric''s face quivered violently. An apology concerning Mer?He had already given one several years prior. But back then, the apology had been made in a secluded space, far from prying eyes. Jeneric btedly realized how considerate Eugene had been of him at that time. But now, there were many, many spectators. The court wizards, knights, and officials from the pce were also present. Behind him were the tower masters, wizards belonging to the towers, as well as those belonging to the guilds. A crowd of curious onlookers was also present on the far side of theke. He did not want to do this. He was to lower his head and apologize in front of the vast crowd, in front of his rival tower masters, and in front of the wizards from the Green Tower? Though the idea felt revolting to him, Jeneric wasn¡¯t given a choice. He was too terrified of Sienna to offer any resistance or negotiation. "I apologize for the harm¡­ my deceased father¡­ caused to Lady Sienna¡¯s familiar.¡± "You''ve also inflicted harm,¡± retorted Sienna. "Yes... I apologize for that as well." "Why are you apologizing to me? You should apologize to her,¡± said Sienna while receiving Mer into her arms from Eugene. She red at Jeneric with wide eyes, and Mer mirrored her. "I am... sorry¡­." "And to my sessor as well." Standing beside them, Eugene was taken aback by Sienna''s relentless and harsh demeanor. Jeneric was on the brink of tears, and it was a pitiful sight. Jeneric¡¯s breaths grew rough as if he was hyperventting. Clutching his chest, he managed to utter the words stutteringly. "Eugene... Eugene Lionheart. I sincerely apologize for refusing to recognize you as Lady Sienna¡¯s sessor and for daring to test you¡­." "Yes... I understand." Eugene nodded in eptance of the apology, and Jeneric released a long sigh. Being drenched in water, Jeneric felt incredibly cold. Inside his chest was a deep chill and sorrow that may or may not be rted to his being drenched. Keeping an eye on Sienna, Jeneric cautiously asked, "May I... depart now...?" "Yes, yes. As of today, there should be no dissatisfaction or issue between you, me, and your family, correct?" said Sienna. "Yes." "Going forward, behave appropriately. As I mentioned earlier, if you ever misuse my name by iming to be my sessor, you''ll truly meet your end." Jeneric gave a deep bow, then turned away. As he lifted his gaze, he was met with an overwhelming number of eyes on him. The eyes that fell upon him werergely full of pity but not without their share of mockery. The wizards from the Green Tower, in particr, looked utterly despondent. Their eyes were filled with destion and doubt. Some wept openly as if the reality of the situation was too shameful and humiliating to bear. ''Should I retire...?''Jeneric wondered. He felt as if he couldn''t face the world anymore. His original n had been to remain as the head of the tower for at least another decade before passing the position to his son, but now it seemed utterly impossible. "In a few days, I will be visiting the Green Tower. After all, even though it¡¯s been some time, it is the tower where I once resided," Sienna dered, causing a ripple of reactions among the wizards. Jeneric was hunched in despair, and she didn¡¯t care about him. Moreover, she wouldn''t have usually cared about the wizards¡¯ reactions, but she couldn¡¯t help but soften her heart after seeing the expressions of the Green Tower wizards. Upon hearing Sienna''s words, the wizards of the Green Tower seemed relieved. Their Tower Master might have been humiliated, but the prospect of meeting the wise and revered Sienna was an exciting event for any wizard. "Excuse me... Lady Sienna," Eugene began, tilting his head towards Sienna. "The Red Tower Master has been a great help to me. I learned magic from him, and his assistance was crucial during our previous endeavor." This seemed like the perfect moment to lend a helping hand to Lovellian. "Hmm¡­." Sienna nodded, hearing Eugene''s words. "The Head of the Red Tower... his name is...?" "Yes, yes. It''s Lovellian Sophis," Lovellian stepped forward in surprise after suddenly being singled out. He alternated between looking at Eugene and Sienna with a confused expression. Although Eugene had pre-arranged a meeting with Sienna on the thirtieth day since the battle with the ck Dragon, Lovellian had not been privy to the exact date. Even so, he had still been somewhat expectant. Apart from the sudden snow, there was no other wizard capable of submerging Abram in water except the Wise Sienna. "You are from the lineage of Theodore Thorne?" Sienna inquired. Theodore Thorne was one of Sienna''s disciples and had been the Head of the Red Tower centuries ago. The one who taught magic to Lovellian was a disciple of Theodore, so in essence, this traced back all the way to Sienna. As such, Lovellian had imed to be a sessor of Sienna until now. "Yes¡­. That is correct," Lovellian confirmed. He couldn¡¯t help but tremble when he recalled how Jeneric had been humiliated. He trembled at the thought of being put through the same brutal ¡°test.¡± However, his fears were quickly assuaged when, unlike before, Sienna gave a gentle smile. "You have amendable lineage," she said, not caring that, technically speaking, Jeneric had a more prestigious bloodline. "So, you have been of great help to my rightful sessor, and given theplex web of rtions, you are both my sessor''s master and my sessor yourself?" "It¡¯s something I simply rambled on about. I don''t believe I can im to be your sessor¡­," Lovellian began to protest. "What does it matter?" Sienna interjected. "Let''s have a proper discussion about this when I visit the Red Tower." Lovellian''s face brightened significantly. He bowed deeply while the wizards from the Red Tower behind him cheered joyously. "Let''s go, my adorable sessor," said Sienna. She quite enjoyed referring to Eugene as her sessor in front of the crowd. While it was a tad disappointing that she couldn¡¯t publicly dere her rtionship with the simpleton Hamel, she found the secret and the thrill of this current superficial rtionship quite enticing. With a smug grin, Sienna patted Eugene''s back. "Yes, Lady Sienna," Eugene responded before obediently following behind Sienna. Sienna levitated through the air, heading towards the court wizards who had beenmanded to stay put. "Now, let''s see how much of it¡¯s under," said Sienna as she observed Abram. She simply ignored Trempel and Honein. Even while she had been disciplining Jeneric, Abram had continued to sink slowly. Now, the pce gardens had already turned into ake. "L-Lady Sienna," Honein stuttered, beads of sweat dripping down his face as he watched the garden slowly fill with water. "Please¡­. Please quell your anger¡­." "Where¡¯s your father?" Sienna asked. Although she was casually referring to the king, neither Honein nor Trempel had anyints. Even three centuries ago, the King of Aroth had always treated Sienna with the utmost respect. Aroth had developed into a powerful kingdom of wizards because Sienna had made her residence there. But even putting that aside, they had to be mindful of Sienna. Abram was sinking, and the Green Tower Master, Jeneric, had been pummeled mercilessly. Aroth wasn¡¯t meless in his crime. The royal family had given permission for the dissection of the familiar, and they had freely made use of Sienna¡¯s name until now. The royal family of Aroth was to me. "His Majesty... His Majesty is waiting for you in the pce," reported Honein. "Is he too scared toe out and is instead asking me to pay him a royal visit?" spat Sienna. "Lady Sienna¡­. Please¡­." Honein fell to his knees without caring for dignity. Sienna shook her head in disbelief. "What are you doing? You¡¯re not even kneeling on the ground, but kneeling in the air? What does that aplish?" she asked. "Please, withdraw your wrath. No¡­. You don''t have to do it immediately, but... pleasee with me to visit His Majesty first," pleaded Honein, lowering his head to the point where it almost touched the ground. In front of the numerous onlookers, this was a sight to behold: the Prince of Aroth kneeling. Sienna grimaced as she stared at Honein. Why wasn¡¯t the king showing himself?It was pretty obvious, really. Being publicly rebuked was not something a king could afford to disy in front of his people. However, he couldn''t risk offending Sienna either, so he had likely sent the Crown Prince ahead while he anxiously waited in the pce. "Since the Crown Prince is going to such lengths, why don¡¯t we head inside," suggested Eugene while looking at Honein. It wasn¡¯t as if they didn''t know each other. Honein had provided all sorts of assistance to Eugene since his time in Aroth. When Eugene was caught up in the issue of Akron¡¯s ess, Honein had personally vouched for his credentials. "If my esteemed sessor requests it," Sienna nodded as her lips twitched. Honein''s expression brightened at her response. He felt deep gratitude for Eugene''s help but made sure to keep his head bowed. "Raise your head, Crown Prince. I¡¯ll show you some respect, and Aroth too, as it was my adorable sessor''s request. Let''s go meet the pompous king,¡± said Sienna. "Yes, yes. Thank you." Honein slowly raised himself, careful not to make any abrupt movements. "Me too!" Melkith shouted. She was still bound in shackles. Trempel, who had been restraining Melkith until now, was gaping at her. This outrageously boisterous woman dared to assert herself even with this atmosphere?? "Release me too! Lady Sienna! I admire and adore you!" shouted Melkith. "Lady Sienna, the White Tower Master also... provided a lot of help," Eugene said somewhat reluctantly. "If it is a request from my brave and kind-hearted sessor," Sienna responded. Trempel instantly freed Melkith. He felt slightly ufortable as he nced at Sienna and Eugene. So, he was her adorable, esteemed, brave, and kind-hearted sessor??It did feel like he was being toyed with, but at the same time, it wasn¡¯t entirely outrageous, either. ''Well... if it''s Eugene Lionheart.''? Trempel would have undoubtedly unted his disciple with pride if he had been like Eugene. He nkly gazed at Sienna and Eugene as they headed towards Abram with Honein, then hastily followed behind. He had no idea what would transpire at the pce and was terrified to imagine it. Unfortunately, he couldn¡¯t foresee anything good happening. The person who wanted to sink Abram entirely was still in a fury, despite having taken out her anger on the Green Tower Master earlier on. ''If¡­. If she attacks His Majesty¡­.'' Trempel had always admired and looked up to Sienna, but if she attempted to harm the king... he would stand against her, even if it cost him his life. Trempel quietly resolved himself to his potential death. ''What did I just say?''? Contrasting with Trempel¡¯s dire situation and his resolve, Sienna was engaging in a moment of introspection while trying to keep her expression under control. Adorable, esteemed, brave, and kind-hearted sessor??She had spoken with the desire to unt, but now that she thought about it, every word she had blurted out had been quite embarrassing. [It¡¯s alright.] Mer¡¯s voice resonated within Sienna¡¯s mind. The familiar had sensed her embarrassment. [There''s no reason for you to feel embarrassed over such trivial words.] ''But still!''Sienna protested. [Really.] Mer assured her. ¡®If you knew what horrendous acts Lady Anise and Lady Kristinamitted in your absence, your remarks would seem child''s y.¡¯ Mer kept her thoughts to herself, unable to bring herself to voice them out aloud. They were far too disgraceful for Mer to articte. Moreover, she honestlycked confidence in urately portraying the extent of their atrocities. And if she were to reveal them, she feared Sienna would obliterate the royal castle in her wrath. ''They... they ced their bosoms on his head and wore a victorious smile.'' How could she possibly put such a spectacle into words? "Who currently wears the crown?" Sienna asked. "King Daindolf Abram," Eugene answered, to which Sienna scoffed and shook her head. "Thest King of Aroth I met was the twenty-fifth, Lucard." "The current king is the thirty-first in line." "Thirty-first? Ah, time flies. Isn''t it about time for the kingdom to be on the brink of copse? Or for the royal line to be usurped?" said Sienna. The fear gripping Honein was palpable as he stiffened, and Trempel seriously contemted whether an assassination attempt was in order. "Please, Lady Sienna. Let''s keep things peaceful and not be too harsh," Eugene pleaded. "My sessor! So, you must have quite an attachment to this kingdom! You¡¯re even worrying for its fate,¡± responded Sienna. "Well, I am more concerned about you, Lady Sienna,¡± said Eugene. "Me? Why so?" asked Sienna, her eyes widening with surprise. "If you act too brutally, history may tarnish your name. Instead of the Wise Sienna, you could be remembered as the Brutal Sienna. As someone who admires Sir Hamel, I believe that anything is better than being called the Stupid Hamel like him¡­." She had wondered what he was about to say. Her expression changed as she eyed Eugene. ¡°My dear sessor, you may say such things because you know nothing about the old days. Hamel wasn¡¯tjust?stupid; he was aplete idiot. Aplete moron. I''ve... I''ve read? The fairy tale! ¡®Stupid Hamel¡¯ seems quite tasteful and appropriate." "Ah, right, I see! However, don¡¯t you think Sir Hamel would cry in heaven if he found out about this?" retorted Eugene. "Why would he cry? Dead men tell no tales,¡± said Sienna. That cunning smile!Eugene trembled with clenched fists. Trempel and Honein fell silent at the sudden change in topics. They yearned to inquire about the legends and glory of three centuries past, but unfortunately, this was not the time for leisurely questions. "We are here," said Honein, swallowing hard. They had flown through the waterlogged corridor into the pce and halted before the door to the throne room. "His Majesty is inside¡­." "You haven''t stashed an assassin or royal guards in there to get rid of me, have you?" said Sienna. "Absolutely not!" Honein cried out in surprise. Even so, he anxiously examined the area beyond the door. He detected no signs of the royal guards Sienna had mentioned. This unsettled him considerably. Normally, the royal guards and ministers lingered in the throne room, but aside from the king, there were no other discernible presences. "Hmm." Sienna noticed his confusion. Before Honein could cautiously knock, she stretched out her hand, and the door swung open with a bang. "We''reing in." She breezed past Honein into the room. This was Eugene''s first time in the throne room of Aroth as well. However, he found no opportunity for admiration. King Daindolf Abram, the thirty-first King of Aroth, anxiously circled around his throne while nervously gnawing at his fingernails. He stopped in ce at the abrupt opening of the door. "What an honor to meet you, Wise Lady Sienna!" he cried out, his voice resonating throughout the room. It became clear why there were neither royal guards, ministers, nor even servants in the throne room. King Daindolf Abram shouted in a booming voice before dropping to his knees, prostrating himself on the floor. Chapter 318: Abram (5) Chapter 318: Abram (5) It was a scene thatpelled absolute astonishment. Upon seeing Sienna''s face, the thirty-first King of Aroth, Daindolf Abram, had fallen to his knees and pressed his forehead to the ground. He had been waiting for her while pacing around the room. Honein, the Crown Prince, was horrified to see his father in such a state. He knew well how his father upheld his dignity and authority. Years ago, when the issue of Eugene Lionheart''s entry to Akron was being debated, Daindolf had sent his son, Prince Honein, instead of participating in person. The reason was simple. Kiehl''s Lionhearts were descendants of the Great Vermouth, and they were so prestigious that not even the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire could easily deal with them. Daindolf had been hesitant to confront these heirs of Vermouth. In particr, despite being born from a coteral line, Eugene Lionheart was the only child to have be adopted into the main family in the history of Lionhearts. He had found it difficult to maintain the authority and dignity of a king towards a seventeen-year-old boy with such a background. Even during the hearings rted to Akasha that followed, Daindolf did not attend in person. Despite it being a matter far more significant than the entry to Akron, he had sent his son as his proxy. He had wanted to avoid any dealings with Eugene Lionheart. He had not wanted to take any responsibility as a king while maintaining friendly rtions with the Archwizards opposing Eugene. Aroth was a constitutional monarchy. The royal family had been in power for a long time, but they did not hold a stronger influence than Aroth¡¯s council. That was why King Daindolf had been highly conscious of his external image and authority and why Honein, as the Crown Prince, had been sent as a stand-in since childhood. "Your Majesty...!" The royal guards, ministers, and servants had been previously dismissed. The only ones in the room were the Lionheart child Daindolf had long feared, Prince Honein, and Trempel, the head of the court wizards. Yet, even in their presence, the King, who had been forever obsessed with image and authority, was on his knees, his forehead pressed against the cold stone floor. Honein was deeply shocked. Even so, he quickly dismissed the shocking sight from his mind, then joined his father by kneeling beside him. With both the King and the Crown Prince kneeling, Trempel had no choice but to do the same. Once Trempel also kneeled, a heavy silence fell across the throne room. Eugene felt awkward just standing there. It reminded him of his infiltration of the Yuras Papacy about a year ago. The atmosphere then and now was different, naturally. Had Anise descended in person, the Pope and Cardinals would have also knelt. "Why are you kneeling without being asked?" Sienna asked, seemingly unfazed by the scene. To her, this situation was utterly natural. Even hundreds of years ago, when Sienna lived in Aroth, the royal family revered her greatly. They had no choice but to do so. Aroth was renowned as the magic kingdomrgely because of Sienna¡¯s influence and achievements. In fact, the yearly influx of tourists and aspiring wizards to the capital city was a testament to Sienna''s renown and aplishments. "How could I dare to look down upon Lady Sienna!" King Daindolf eximed in a gruff voice. After the hearings rted to Akasha... he had prepared himself for a day like this. Yet, yet¡­ how he had wished for it to be after the royal session¡­. ¡°Why not? Surely you can look down upon me,¡± retorted Sienna. ¡°Please, do not test me¡­. Rather, reprimand me severely for my transgressions,¡± confessed the King. ¡°Do you even know what you have done wrong?¡± Sienna inquired, narrowing her eyes. ¡°There are too many to list, but if you permit, Lady Sienna, I will dare to express them,¡± responded Daindolf. ¡°Proceed,¡± answered Sienna. ¡°The greatest failure, I believe, is not treating you, who could be considered Aroth''s great matron, with proper respect,¡± confessed Daindolf. ¡°The mansion I left behind seems to have changed significantly,¡± said Sienna. ¡°I, too,mented the destructive effects of our ancestors'' greedy tourism policies,¡± answered Daindolf. ¡°And yet, why did you let it be?¡± inquired Sienna. ¡°Even if we were to restore the mansion site immediately, I believed that the numerous tourists and aspiring wizards who visit Lady Sienna''s mansion would have been greatly disappointed. Although I understand that this sounds like an excuse, please, I beg for your forgiveness,¡± answered Daindolf. ¡°Any other wrongs?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°Not taking proper care of the familiar you cherished is also a grave sin.¡± Thump! Daindolf bashed his head on the ground with force, and droplets of blood sprinkled within the rippling impact. ¡°I think there is no room for excuses regarding this. The dissection of the familiar was a betrayal to you, Lady Sienna. But there is no doubt that our gravest, greatest sin took ce just a few years ago when we had doubts about your sessor and held hearings and trials.¡± Thump, thump! Daindolf continued to bash his head. ¡°I was blind, not believing in your resurrection, Lady Sienna. Please¡­ vent all your wrath upon this old man. Spare the royal family of Aroth, I beg you.¡± His plea was desperate. Honein, who was also bashing his head against the ground, wept at the sight of the painful struggle of the King, the thumping sounds, and the small pool of blood forming on the floor. The King had always worked hard to maintain his authority and dignity. He had never openly expressed any desire for power or directly opposed the council.How many years had Honein resented the King for his fa?ade?Now, Honein felt heartbroken when he saw the King forsaking his honor to plead for the survival of the royal family. ¡°Hmm.¡± Sienna crossed her arms while squinting her eyes. It would take no effort for her to bury Abram at the bottom of theke. It wouldn¡¯t be difficult for her to kill the elderly court wizard, the young Crown Prince, and the current King right now. Even Eugene was nearby. Even if they thought about resisting now, the right to life and death in this space already rested in Sienna''s hands. But the problem was what came after the killing. Even though the King was willingly offering his head, Aroth was an influential, powerful nation. Assassinating its king would surely bring about dangerous consequences. The council and the royal family were keeping each other in check, but they were not enemies. No matter how great Sienna''s reputation was in Aroth, if she killed the king, Aroth would have no choice but to judge her byw for the sake of the kingdom. She didn''t want such problems. Since three hundred years ago, her enemies had always been the Demon Kings and the Demon race. Her enemies were still living in this era and possessed power iparable to the old times. Helmuth, the Devildom, was Sienna¡¯s enemy. She wascking in power. Like three hundred years ago, the entire continent had to unite to face the Demon King. Sienna steeled her expression before speaking, "The thirty-first King of Aroth, raise your head." Daindolf did not lift his head. Looking at the spreading pool of blood, Sienna spoke further, "You, as the King, did not leverage your royal authority. You knelt down and begged for forgiveness. And you have received it." Daindolf slowly raised his head. Sienna continued, gazing at the blood-stained face of the aged king. "Why did I go so far? You answered this question yourself, as the Crown Prince. I was enraged at the numerous problems that urred while I was gone. With today''s events, Aroth and the world will surely realize that the Wise Sienna is alive and well. I can thrust Abram to the bottom of theke right this moment, take the life of themander of the court wizards, the strongest wizard Aroth has to offer, and extinguish the seed of the royal family that hassted for several generations." As she spoke, Sienna held up Akasha. "As you have said, I may be considered Aroth''s great matron. The honor this country enjoys in this era could be said to be my work. I can shatter and steal that honor at any time." Rumble¡­! The castle began to slowly rise again. "Please do not forget this fact. If the royal family and this country love me, I will love this country too. But if you use my name for your gain, I will not love this country." "Oh... yes, yes, I will remember." "One more thing." Sienna looked at Eugene and spoke. "Eugene Lionheart is my sessor. I''ve said it many times outside, but I would like the royal family to officially dere it too." "We will certainly do that,¡± answered the Crown Prince. "And another thing,¡± said Sienna once more. She had more to say? Everyone''s gaze turned to Sienna. Sienna cleared her throat to those gazes and continued speaking, "I have been living in seclusion for hundreds of years. I lived a simple life and left most of my property in Aroth... uh¡­." How should she say it to sound usible and imposing?Even Sienna faltered in her words. "Aroth has been filling the national treasury in the name of Sienna for hundreds of years,¡± she said. Fortunately, Daindolf was not so foolish as to not understand what she was implying. . "If you give me a few days, I will prepare a solution for you, Lady Sienna, to use the assets of Aroth freely. And I will open the royal treasury to you immediately." She didn''t need the money, but it was true that she didn''t have any at the moment.The royal treasury?While it might not have anything spectacr¡­. She was interested in the treasures and magic they would have umted over hundreds of years. Traditionally, products of Aroth¡¯s magical research were stored in the royal treasury. "I wille to see the treasury tomorrow,¡± said Sienna, putting down Akasha with a satisfied smile. She coveted a staff as well. The staff she was currently using was a temporary weapon made from the branches of the World Tree. It was an excellent item, but it was possible that a better staff waited for her in the treasury. Of course, She had Akasha, but ideally, Sienna wanted Eugene to use it. ¡°There won¡¯t be any need for formal reception; it would be too burdensome,¡± said Sienna. She had unleashed her fiery temper, taught a lesson to an arrogant Archwizard of the current generation, and made the King of Aroth kneel with his forehead bleeding. A satisfied grin curled up her lips as she gave a friendly pat on Eugene''s shoulder. "Let''s return, my heir!" "Yes, Lady Sienna," replied Eugene. There was no question about it. Sienna relished calling Eugene her heir or sessor. He couldn''tprehend what joy she found in it as they exited the grand hall together. Even after a while had passed since their departure, King Daindolf remained kneeling, his face streaked with blood. He made no attempt to clean the flow of blood from his ruptured forehead. Honein and Trempel remained kneeling beside him as they studied the Crown Prince''s expression carefully. However, they could only find relief in Daindolf''s face. "Haa¡­." After a good while, Daindolf rose from the ground while heaving a sigh of relief. His expression shifted slightly, yet there was no sign of humiliation in his eyes, despite having had to kneel and bleed from his forehead. He calmly returned to his throne and took a seat. "Your Highness...!" Honein and Tremphel called out while remaining on their knees. While wiping the blood from his forehead with his wet sleeve, Daindolf began to speak, "Honein." "Yes...?" "Come closer." Honein approached the throne after jolting from his spot. With a calm and settled gaze, Daindolf studied the prince. "Can a single Archwizard annihte a nation?" he asked. Honein didn¡¯t know how to answer. "Maybe not annihte, but they can easily make a king kneel. An Archwizard, particrly the Wise Sienna, is such an existence." "Yes¡­." "You already know this, but Aroth is a unique kingdom." Daindolf wiped off the blood and gave a bitter smile. "For centuries, it has been so. This Kingdom of Magic houses too many wizards. In particr, we have an abundance of exceptional talents. Most of the respected wizards in the continent reside in Aroth, along with young talents who could someday be Archwizards." Honein wasn¡¯t sure where his father was going with this. "In this kingdom, the royal family cannot possibly possess absolute power. It''s designed this way. Even now, observe how a single Archwizard, with determination, could threaten to submerge the royal pce, make the king kneel, and cut off the royal lineage." "It was because of my ipetence...!" Trempel bashed his head against the ground while weeping. Daindolf shook his head and responded, "Lord Trempel, it wasn¡¯t because of your ipetence. Every wizard of Aroth is equal in the presence of the Wise Sienna. My point is that an absolute monarchy is impossible as long as such a wizard exists." Honein clutched his chest, stricken. His father, whom he had thought of as incapable and merely a figurehead, was now offering advice that made Honein revisit the dreams he had long cherished. The young prince had harbored a disillusionment towards the royalty that existed merely in name. He had often contemted the purpose of a throne that was constantly wary of the council, the tower heads, and the guild of wizards. He thought the council, driven by various interests, should be dismantled and the royal family put in charge to lead the kingdom. He had yearned to change the symbolic nature of the royalty. He had yearned for a reformation of Aroth. "If you desire to reshape this kingdom ording to your vision, there is a straightforward way, Honein. You must be a wizard as formidable as the Wise Sienna,¡± advised Daindolf. ¡°Yes¡­." "I have always regarded your talent as exceptional,¡± continued Daindolf. The royal blood of Aroth had produced remarkable wizards generation after generation. They could be described as lineages refined over centuries for the betterment of magic. Even the current king, Daindolf, was a wizard of the Seventh Circle. Honein had reached the Sixth Circle as a wizard at the young age of twenty-five. It was indeed an incredible achievement for his age, yet¡­ it left something to be desired. Despite reaching the Fifth Circle before adulthood, Honein still lingered in the sixth. Even the King had been stuck in the seventh for decades. "I believed your talent to be worthy of pride, but no longer¡­. You know the reason as well as I do." Honein immediately thought of Eugene. He had heard the rumors that the young man had created his own Signature. Even though he had the aid of Akasha, Eugene Lionheart had ascended to the rank of an Archwizard ¡ª at the mere age of twenty-one. "I am aware of your favorable rtionship with the heir of Wise Sienna. You have shown interest and kindness to Eugene Lionheart since he first arrived in Aroth." "Yes¡­." "I also know you wished to retain him in Aroth. But¡­ the young man is extraordinarily talented. Can you keep a lion, a wild beast, within your walls¡­? Can you leash it and tame it?" "I-I never thought to leash Sir Eugene¡­." "Oh, you merely wished to stand by its side and borrow its fangs and ws? When you can''t handle a lion''s fangs and ws yourself, how can you borrow them? And what did you n to offer in exchange?" King Daindolf chuckled while looking at his heir. It wasn''t a derisiveughter nor a reprimanding gaze. He was earnestly advising the prince on his dreams. "Themander of the court wizards? Ha¡­. Will that young lion be content with merely that? He could wield the greatest power in any kingdom, should he wish." Honein stayed quiet as he mulled over these words. "Honein, Aroth can offer the lion nothing. With the Wise Sienna at his side, even the promise of all of Aroth''s magic won''t turn the lion''s head. However¡­. If you build a rtionship, perhaps you can borrow his fangs and ws without offering anything in return. If the lion is merciful, that is." "Ah¡­!" Prince Honein lowered his head in realization. Only now did he understand why his father had sent him, the Crown Prince, every time there was an opportunity to show favor to Eugene. "But that alone isn''t enough, Honein. Do you think you can, as you are now, be an Archwizard equal to the Wise Sienna someday?" "I¡­ I don''t know." "That''s not the answer. There are endless possibilities in magic, and to reach any corner of those possibilities, you must have an unwavering belief that you will reach them. Your answer shouldn''t be that you don''t know. It should be that you will someday. Even if it is just that." Prince Honein''s eyes welled up, and he shed silent tears as he nodded fervently in acknowledgment. "If you truly desire to change this kingdom, you must be an Archwizard worthy of such a task. Depend not on the lion''s mercy but be a force so powerful that the lion would willingly lend you his fangs and ws," instructed King Daindolf, turning his gaze to the tapestry hung behind his throne. The royal banner of Aroth hung in full disy, bearing beneath it the emblem of the royal family of Abram. An eagle gripping a staff in its talons, its wings spread wide in flight. "The reason I chose you as the Crown Prince was my belief that you possessed wings of your own," the Crown Prince confessed, his voice resonating with conviction. "Your Majesty...!" stammered Honein, ovee with emotion. "Even so, today''s events should stir the council''s pot nicely," Daindolf reclined further into his throne, an amused chuckle rumbling in his chest. "The management of the kingdom''s budget lies in the hands of the council. I will greatly enjoy it if Lady Sienna takes it upon herself to splurge with the treasury." Even the aged members of the council wouldn''t dare challenge the fury of the Wise Sienna. Hence they wouldn''t dare to contest the king''s decision. Listening to his father''sughter, Honein bowed his head deeply. After reaching the Sixth Circle, he had not dedicated himself to the practice of magic as he had in the past. Preparations for seeding the throne were there, but truth be told, he had thought,''This much is enough.''He did not feel a particr allure to bing an Archwizard. But he could no longer entertain such thoughts. He had witnessed the immense power one Archwizard could wield¡­. ''Magic, is it¡­?'' Honein felt a burning desire ignite deep within his heart. Chapter 319: Abram (6)

Chapter 319: Abram (6)

The pce grounds remained teeming with onlookers as if it was all but natural. The court wizards and knights had retreated inside, but citizens from the city, the wizards from the towers, and members of the wizard¡¯s guild still lingered in droves on the other side of theke. "The Wise Sienna!" "Sienna Merdein!" "Lady Sienna!" Voices cried out, hailing Sienna''s name in a raucous cacophony. The most fervent were the students who one day dreamt of being enlisted in the towers. No one knew from whence they acquired them, but they waved glowing cheer sticks and, disregarding thew, sent celebratory spells exploding into the sky. Boom, boom, boom! The lights painted the sky. Eugene checked Sienna''s expression with a sideways nce. He had thought the girl would be embarrassed, but it was not so. Sienna had been used to such cheers for centuries. Having returned after a long absence, she considered such a wee only natural. "Eugene Lionheart!" "Sessor of Lady Sienna!" "The seconding of the Great Vermouth!" "Hero of the Holy Sword!" Among the chants for Sienna, Eugene''s name also echoed. Eugene was¡­ familiar with such ovations too, but unlike Sienna, he could not enjoy it. His face twisting in difort, Eugene attempted to retreat, but Sienna would not allow it. With bold familiarity, Sienna snatched Eugene''s hand and yanked him to her side. She then shot their hands into the sky for all to see. The crowd erupted in cheers, their enthusiasm confounding Eugene. He could not fathom the reason behind the fervor. Sienna then began to ascend slowly into the sky with Eugene. They could have shot up swiftly, but Sienna rose as if she was ascending to heaven, gradually, ever so slowly. The altitude kept increasing, but the cheers did not recede, instead growing louder with their slow ascent. ¡°Kyaaaahhh!¡± Among the screaming, cheering crowd was Melkith, her dignity as a tower master cast aside like a discarded bone as she flung her arms into the air, dancing and cawing like a crow. "Lady Sienna¡­. Sienna, Sister Sienna! Take me too, please!" Melkith pleaded while gasping for breath. The expressions of Hiridus, the Blue Tower Master, and Lovellian, the Red Tower Master, crumpled at her wild behavior. "Please, White Tower Master. The juniors are watching...!" Melkith ignored the reprimand and pped her arms to attempt to fly, leading the surrounding White Tower wizards to grab her legs in rm. They tugged her down, barely managing to keep her grounded. "Calm down, Tower Lord!" "You can''t do this!" "Let me go, let me go! Send me to my older sis. Let me go!" Despite their restraining efforts, Melkith continued her struggle. High above the sky, Eugene gazed down at the spectacle and felt dizzy. He had mentally prepared himself to some degree, but the sight of such craziness made him fear whaty ahead. Not just in Aroth, but wherever he went, Sienna¡¯s presence would attract the gazes of the public, and he knew returning to the Lionheart mansion in just a few days would cause a greatmotion as well. "Did you see?" Sienna tilted her head slightly towards Eugene and gave a snide smile. "This is me." "Do you like it?¡± asked Eugene. "What''s not to like?" responded Sienna. "Seeing this makes me feel so wronged. If my name hadn''t been left behind as someone stupid for the next generation¡­,¡± grumbled Eugene. "It''s even more ridiculous that you feel wronged. You should be thankful that they described you as stupid." Sienna chuckled, shrugging off thement. "Well, I don''t know who wrote the fairy tale book, but¡­." "You and Anise were already caught writing it together. Why do you keep denying it?"ined Eugene. "Because it''s not true! I didn''t write it. Anise must have lost some memories after her death. She lied about us writing it together when she did it alone...." "I''ve already heard all about it." "Anyway, it wasn''t me. Why would I¡­. Why would I write a fairy tale?" Even if he already knew, she could not admit it. After all, the wishes she had casually added at the end¡­. ''No. It wasn''t a wish. It''s a fact that the idiot liked me.'' Still, Sienna did not want to admit that she was the author of the fairy tale. She could at least make an excuse if she denied it, but there was no chance to justify the ensuing mockery once she admitted it. "Hmm. And you know what? Even if your name was passed down as Stupid Hamel, if you were to dere in front of everyone that you''re actually the reincarnation of Hamel, wouldn''t you hear cheers louder than what I''ve heard today?¡± retorted Sienna. It was fun to gather people and boast about their rtionship as master and sessor, but she also had the desire to reveal Eugene''s true identity as Hamel and openly engage in a loving rtionship. Maybe she could openly show their affection for each other. "Are you out of your mind? Don''t say such dreadful things." "Why are you reacting so strongly?" "I... I can''t do that." Eugene replied, breaking into a cold sweat on top of his grimacing expression. Although several people knew, Eugene did not want to increase the number of people who knew his true identity, especially not in the Lionheart family. He had made too many statements. How many times had he praised the greatness of Hamel in front of Gilead, Cyan, and Ciel? He had said many times, even in front of Lovellian, that Hamel was a great hero who should be admired by all. What if everyone found out all that had been him stoking his own fire? Eugene was terrified to imagine what kinds of stares he would receive. ''It would be better tomit suicide.'' Eugene shivered and gritted his teeth. Unaware of his predicament, Sienna tilted her head, but she did not attempt to pry further as they rose higher into the air. Among the crowd, there were those who were chasing after Sienna and Eugene. They included reporters from Aroth, foreign intelligence agents, as well as wizards who admired Sienna. However, neither the overt nor covert pursuit resulted in any sess. The figures of Sienna and Eugene disappeared during the flight. "We lost them." "It was impossible for us to follow them in the first ce." ck wizards in pristine clothing were gathered in an alleyway for a meeting. "What should we do next?" "In the distant past, the Wise Sienna did not tolerate the existence of ck wizards in Aroth." There had only been four Towers of Magic in Aroth three centuries ago. After the war, the ck wizards of Helmuth had longed to expand into the Magic Kingdom of Aroth. However, the Wise Sienna had not permitted the ck wizards to settle in Aroth. But after she suddenly went into seclusion, Helmuth hadunched fierce lobbying to erect a ck Tower of Magic in Aroth. "The Wise Sienna¡­. She is an Archwizard one cannot help but admire. It would be one thing if she only existed in legends from the distant past. Seeing the legending into reality should send shivers down the spine of any wizard. But... it doesn''t seem like the Wise Sienna will tolerate ck wizards in this era either." A ck mage scoffed and shook his head. "The ck Star Faction leaves Aroth today. Finish up your affairs as quickly as possible and get moving." "Yes." "Let us reconvene at Helmuth." It wasn''t just the ck Star Faction that was holding such a meeting and deciding to leave Aroth. Several groups of ck mages in the Mage Guild, not just the ck Tower of Magic, were also on the move. Their factions differed, and hierarchies diverged depending on the demon they had contracted with, but the ck wizards made the same decision regardless of their status. Even the demons of Bolero Street came to the same decision. Some chose to set a route for Helmuth, while others settled on alternate destinations. ''If the ck Tower Master was still here, we might have had some chance of observing the situation for a while.'' The contracted demon of the ck Star Faction was a close coborator of Amelia Merwin. As such, they had taken on the role of monitoring the ck Tower Master of the time, Balzac Ludbeth, while exerting efforts for the study and development of ck magic in Aroth. It wasn''t just the ck Star Faction that harbored such secret intentions. Several factions of ck wizards belonging to the ck Tower of Magic or the Wizard Guild had the intention to monitor, check, and possibly capture Balzac. However, even after several decades of contact, capturing Balzac Ludbeth had proved impossible. They had failed to see any results from their task of monitoring and keeping him in check. Balzac was faultless and meticulous. ''He''s just like a textbook example of a ck wizard.'' He was an inscrutable wizard, and knowing what he was thinking was impossible. He hadn''t actually done anything with a purpose until now, nor was he at the center of any conspiracy. Even so, his mere existence was suspicious. For decades, this mysterious man had been treated as ''such'' without affiliating with any faction. He had no interest in politics and lived quietly in the ck Tower of Magic for decades, despite being one of the Three Mages of Incarceration. That was why the demons of Helmuth and Amelia Merwin were keen to monitor and check on Balzac''s movements and attempted to capture him. He was suspiciously too suspicious. But even that had lost its meaning. After Balzac suddenly left the ck Tower of Magic for a vacation, they tried to track him down¡­ but even that failed. Even after a few months, Balzac had not returned to the ck Tower. Having lost their target to monitor and now faced with a threat to their own safety, many of the ck wizards could no longer stay in Aroth. While the ck wizards and demons were holding their meeting, the intelligence agents were also busy after losing track of Sienna. The Wise Sienna had returned after breaking hundreds of years of seclusion. What did this represent? What they needed to consider first and foremost was the Knight March, which had taken ce just a few months ago at the northernmost point of the continent, Lehain. The de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, and the ck Mist attended. In addition, the progenitor of Ruhr, the Brave Molon, had returned. Moreover, the Demon King of Incarceration had descended in person after not showing himself for centuries. That Demon King mentioned the holy sword and the Hero. He spoke of the promise¡¯s end and the war, the current master of the holy sword, the descendant of Vermouth. Would they ascend Babel? That night, the words of the Demon King of Incarceration shook the entirety of the continent. Peace was ending. It was possible that a brutal war simr to the one three hundred years ago was on the horizon. The Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t afraid of the continent turning its sword on him. Instead, he was joyfully waiting for that day. If a war truly broke out, it would not be the kings of the continent who dered it, nor would it be the Demon King who waited for the end of the promise. The one who would shatter the peace and directly end the Oath would be the young Hero who had gained recognition and attention from the Demon King of Incarceration himself. The Archwizard Sienna, who had lived since the era of war, had returned. Moreover, Eugene Lionheart had dered that he would ascend Babel. The Brave Molon was confirmed to be alive, and in just a few months, the Archwizard who secluded herself for centuries had returned to Aroth. The spies rying the news to their respective nations couldn''t help but look gloomy. Even though they tried not to entertain negative thoughts, they could hardly avoid them, considering what had transpired. ''War ising¡­.'' The spies could not help but tremble when they envisioned the fearful future. After returning to the hotel, Eugene and Sienna quietly took their seats in front of Anise and listened to her scolding. "Are you out of your mind? We should beying low right now, but instead, you decide to start a fight with the royal family of Aroth!?" shouted Anise. "I didn''t start a fight. I simply exercised my legitimate right,¡± retorted Sienna. "Legitimate right? Is that what you call sinking an entire castle underwater!?¡± countered Anise. "That''s an exaggeration. I didn''t sink it. I simply dipped it slightly into water.¡± "Are you trying to make excuses now?" "It''s not an excuse! Anise, you saw it too! This nation made my mansion a tourist attraction and sold my likeness as a statue. They even sold portraits with my initials, fountain pens, cloaks, robes, and staves in souvenir shops!" "You should be grateful for the love of future generations," Eugene, who was also being scolded along with her, chimed in with a small voice. Sienna¡¯s eyes widened, and she pped Eugene''s shoulder, saying, "Don''t side with Anise in front of me!" "Should I side with you then?" "Well... that would be nice." "If I side with you, Anise will blow off my jaw." "My goodness, Hamel. I feel like I''m going to cry with joy. When did you be so cunning?" said Sienna while ring at Anise with her eyes wide. Anise red back at Sienna, her eyes sharp. "Strictly speaking, I''m not on either of your sides. Sienna, if you do something to be scolded for, I will scold you with Anise. And if Anise or Kristina did something worthy of scorn, I will scorn them with you," said Eugene. "You little brat!" "Unprincipled bastard." "Well, if you both want to scold me, I will humbly ept it," said Eugene, nodding. Boiling with anger, Sienna tried to grab Eugene''s hair. However, unlike thest time, he quickly pulled his head back and escaped her grasp. "Don''t do it,¡± warned Eugene. "Why?" "The hair you pulled outst time hasn''t even grown back. My hair is thick, so it doesn''t show, but if you look here, there''s a small empty patch. Do you want me to go bald?" "No." Sienna had to imagine Eugene¡¯s bald head for a moment before shaking her head. "Sienna. Your actions are totally disrespectful and violent. Hamel''s impulsive behavior was enough to trouble and exhaust me. What am I supposed to do if you start acting the same way?" asked Anise. "It ended well, so what''s the problem?" answered Sienna. "I am saying that such incidents should not happen in the future. I have been dered dead to the world, so I am fine, and Molon is not operating with us. But Sienna, you will continue to be with us, won''t you?" "I''m pissed that you''re treating me the same as Hamel. Do you think I acted thoughtlessly like Hamel? What I did, I did it to evaluate the impact of my existence¡­." "Hamel could make the same excuse,¡± countered Anise. "I''ve done simr things many times before." Eugene nodded with a smug smile. Being scolded together like this brought back memories, and in fact, it was quite enjoyable. It had always ended up like this when they stole Anise''s liquor¡­. Sienna, however, pouted without a hint ofughter. She was unhappy that Eugene was subtly, or rather, tantly siding with Anise when he was supposed to be on the same boat as her. Suddenly, something crossed Sienna¡¯s mind. "Anise! Do you really have any right to scold me so confidently?" said Sienna. "Why are you changing the topic so suddenly?" responded Anise. "I heard it from Eugene and Mer. Last time, you barged into the papacy, killed a cardinal, and even pped the Pope, didn¡¯t you?" used Sienna. "To be precise, I wasn¡¯t the one who killed the cardinal, and it wasn¡¯t me who pped the Pope. It was Kristina,¡± Anise answered smugly.. [Sister!] Kristina shouted with surprise at Anise¡¯s words, but Anise casually ignored it. "Moreover, all those things are not known to the world. We did crazy things in secret. But you, Sienna, did it openly for the whole world to see¡ª" "Oh, I don¡¯t care," Sienna interrupted her, then plopped on the spot without listening to the rest of Anise¡¯s words. Anise¡¯s eyebrows twitched with annoyance as she gave a long sigh. "....You lived for three hundred years, but why are you so childish..." Anise grumbled. "Can you be precise? I was sealed for two hundred years,¡± responded Sienna. "You were alive, not dead, so you are indeed three hundred years old," Anise clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Speaking of which, Sienna, you need to be careful in the future." "What do I need to be careful of now?" asked Sienna. "You''ve dered Hamel as your sessor in public, haven''t you?" Anise pointed at Eugene. "Now, think about it, Sienna. The world knows you as the Wise Sienna, the grand, elderly wizard who has lived for three hundred years." "Take out the ¡°elderly¡± part!" shouted Sienna. "Fine. Let¡¯spromise with ¡®experienced wizard.¡¯ Anyway, you need to be wary of the public eye,¡± continued Anise. "What do you mean?" "If you treat Hamel purely as your sessor, there won¡¯t be any problem. But you won''t, right, Sienna? Even if you call him your sessor, you will hold his hand, lock arms with him, or do other things which might seem subtle to you but would be perceived as extremely obvious flirtations by everyone else,¡± said Anise. "Fli...flirtation...?!" "Yes, flirtation!" Anise nodded with emphasis as a victorious smile spread across her face. "A three-hundred-year-old wizard flirting with a young man who is just in his twenties! What would the world think when they saw this?" It felt as if a bolt of lightning struck Sienna''s brain. With a dazed expression, her eyes widened in understanding. "Sienna, for your own sake and for Hamel''s sake, you must be very, very careful in your actions. That is unless you want to be mocked andughed at by the world." ¡°You¡­ you. Then what about you?¡± said Sienna with a trembling voice. ¡°Me? I see no issue here. After all, the vessel I inhabit, Kristina, is only twenty-three years old,¡± said Anise. ¡°But you¡¯re a Saint, right¡­?¡± ¡°What of it? The Saint and the Hero ¡ª such a romantic and sweet resonance, wouldn¡¯t you say? Isn¡¯t that right, Kristina?" asked Anise. ¡°Yes, Sister,¡± Kristina chimed in while cupping her hands together, a swift smile recing the previous expression. Sienna¡¯s shoulders shook in response to their banter. ¡°Eugene! Dere your identity to the world now! Reveal that you are not the twenty-one-year-old Eugene Lionheart, but Hamel from three hundred years ago!¡± shouted Sienna. ¡°Do you think I¡¯m crazy?¡± Eugene dashed away from Sienna, clearly taken aback. Despair contorted Sienna¡¯s face as she clutched her head. ¡°But what the world might think isn¡¯t relevant, is it?¡± At this point, Mer decided to interject to bolster Sienna¡¯s spirits. Clearing her throat, she spoke from her ce on the bed. ¡°If someone were tough at you, Lady Sienna, for being lovesick, I would be the first tond a punch on that person''s face.¡± ¡°Right! Mer, you''re correct. Who would dare to mock me unless they wish to forfeit their life?¡± said Sienna. Sienna shot up from her ce while spreading her arms towards Mer. Thetter leaped from the bed into Sienna¡¯s embrace as if she had been waiting for the moment. ¡°If you and Sir Eugene hold my hands and we walk together, we will appear just like a perfect family,¡± said Mer. ¡°Yes, that would be the case! I made you resemble me for such¡ª¡± Sienna halted mid-sentence and froze. The long-held desire she had harbored when she created Mer in her solitude had now be a desire too shaming and sinister to voice. ¡°Ah!¡± However, it was already toote Mer gazed up at Sienna, her eyes shining. ¡°Does this mean that when you created me¡­. You didn''t simply make me as a familiar, but with the thought of me as your daughter!¡± ¡°Could it be¡­? You¡¯ve been indulging in some family y fantasy at your age? Imagining a daughter between you and the deceased Hamel, creating her as a familiar?¡± Anise joined in with a forced chuckle, prompting the question. Eugene looked silently shocked as he turned his gaze between Mer and Sienna. ¡°Ehem, don¡¯t misunderstand,¡± said Sienna. ¡°Yes, of course, it must be a misunderstanding. After all, while Mer resembles you, there¡¯s no part of her that resembles Hamel,¡± said Anise. ¡°There was nothing that could be done about that. While I have not seen Sir Eugene''s previous face directly, Sir Hamel I saw in Akron was not particrly handsome. Lady Sienna wouldn''t want to imprint the face of the not-so-handsome Hamel on me, her perfect creation over that of Eugene, who is¡ª" ¡°That''s not it,¡± Eugene cut Mer off, his face serious. ¡°My past self wasn¡¯t ugly at all. I was quite charming and good-looking.¡± ¡°No wonder. I can see why you don¡¯t want to reveal your true identity.¡± Sienna nced at Eugene, a grimace twisting her face. However, she did not refute his im of being charmingly handsome. Chapter 320: The Red Tower of Magic (1) Sienna, who had left early in the morning to visit the royal treasury, returned to their hotel sometime after noon. ¡°Do you guys know what this is?¡± Sienna asked with a smirk as she strutted over to them, her chest puffed up in pride. She reached into an inside pocket of her cloak and drew out a card that shone with a tinum sheen. Waving it in front of them, she answered her own question, ¡°This is something called a card.¡± ¡°...Uh-huh.¡± ¡°Um, yes¡­?¡± Eugene and Kristina just nodded in response with bewildered expressions on their faces. Sienna was slightly taken aback by their reactions, but she soon smoothed out her expression. Having returned to civilization after hundreds of years of istion, Sienna was unfamiliar with the modern conveniences used in this era, for example, things like this card. ¡°Ahem¡­. I had noticed that kids these days weren¡¯t carrying around pouches filled with coins. I had thought that they might just be using pockets lined with spatial magic instead, but it seems that they¡¯re using small cards like this in ce of money,¡± Sienna said, only to stop and shoot a nce at Eugene and Kristina through narrowed eyes. ¡°You two aren¡¯t, by any chance, feeling like there¡¯s something like a generational gap between you and me, are you?¡± Eugene hesitated before changing the subject, ¡°Um¡­ when I first saw those cards, I was also quite surprised. It made me think that the world really has gotten a lot better.¡± ¡°Right?¡± Sienna nodded excitedly. ¡°You felt the same thing, didn¡¯t you? Really now, the world has seen a lot of improvement. From what I¡¯ve heard, it isn¡¯t just their money pouches; did you know that kids these days don¡¯t even need to bring a cart to carry their equipment when traveling? They say that every cat and dog[1] goes around carrying spatial magic artifacts.¡± Eugene tried to rein her in, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like spatial magic is really that widespread¡­.¡± ¡°I know, I know, but setting that aside,¡± Sienna waved him off with a proud look, ¡°If you really look at it, isn¡¯t all this progress a result of my achievements as the Wise Lady Sienna? Just think about it. Do you know what you had to do to learn magic in the old days? You needed to apprentice yourself to an elderly wizard who might pass away at any moment, follow them around while brownnosing them, doing all sorts of chores in return for a worthless mental training method¡ª¡± ¡°But you learned your magic from the elves,¡± Eugene pointed out. Sienna snapped, ¡°Of course, I¡¯m not talking about myself right now! I¡¯m talking about the wizards of the past. Do you know just how much of a mess the magical education in this country was when I first arrived in Aroth?¡± In that era, while it was still being taught, magic wasn¡¯t really a proper field of study. In fact, thergest problem was that most of the exceptional wizards born in that era had died during the decades of war. ¡°The one who ripped that mess apart and stitched it back together was me, Lady Sienna,¡± Sienna dered proudly. ¡°Fine, fine, you did great.¡± ¡°As expected of Lady Sienna.¡± Eugene and Kristina both yed along. ¡°Lady Sienna is amazing.¡± ¡°Indeed, Lady Sienna does deserve her reputation.¡± p, p, p. Mer and Raimira even went so far as to follow theirpliments with apuse. But even in the face of this overly enthusiastic response, Sienna was confident and unashamed. Plopping down on the sofa, she spun the card around between her fingers and said, ¡°They told me that there is only one card like this in the entire world, and it was created especially for me. They said something about it having a direct and unlimited connection to Aroth¡¯s treasury? It doesn¡¯t have¡­ what was that word¡­ a credit limit? That means I can buy anything with it.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± Eugene reacted insincerely. Ignoring the sarcasm, Sienna mused, ¡°Shall we buy a castle in preparation for our old age? Hm?¡± Kristina gave her opinion, ¡°I think that Sir Eugene and I are still too young to already be preparing our retirement ns.¡± ¡®Why does she keep having to chime in? How annoying,¡¯ Sienna thought with narrowed eyes as she red at Kristina. Sienna didn¡¯t dare to say anything out loud. If she kept talking under such circumstances, and the conversation carried along in this vein, Sienna was sure she would just end up receiving a one-sided beating of words. ¡°Didn¡¯t you bring anything else back from the treasury?¡± Mer asked, her eyes widening with excitement. In response, Sienna just grabbed the hem of her cloak with one hand. This was the same cloak she had received as her ¡°first¡± gift from Eugene. Although it hadn¡¯t been enchanted with many spells when she first received it, Sienna had stayed up the entire previous night to inscribe various spells into the cloak. ¡°Take a look at this,¡± Sienna said with a smile as she pulled out a long staff from inside her cloak. It was a luxurious staff that definitely didn¡¯t look like any ordinary item. The white staff was made out of an unknown material that emitted a faint light. ¡°The legendary staff that has been passed down through Aroth¡¯s royal lineage, Frost!¡± Sienna proudly presented as she gently waved the staff she was now holding with both hands. Then, just as the staff¡¯s name suggested it could, Frost began to let out a spray of white, snow-like particles. This wasn¡¯t just a simple visual effect. Each of the particles that Frost was emitting was a physical mana crystal. Sienna exined, ¡°They had several other staffs, but this one was the most versatile and suited me the best. Well, after I make some adjustments here and there, it will be.¡± It was an amazing item that was iparably better than the staff that Sienna had made back in the elven territory. However, it was still nothingpared to Akasha. ¡®I was hoping that they might at least have a Dragonheart hidden somewhere in there,¡¯ Sienna thought in disappointment. Since it was called the Kingdom of Magic, Sienna had thought they might have a few artifacts made from dragon materials hidden deep within the treasury. However, no matter how much she had rummaged through the ce, she still hadn¡¯t been able to find a staff that was better than Frost. ¡°...Hm¡­,¡± Sienna hummed thoughtfully as she stared at Raimira through narrowed eyes. Although Sienna didn¡¯t say anything directly, the intent behind her gaze was so tant that Raimira started trembling in fear. Instinctively covering up the ruby on her forehead, Raimira staggered backward. Raimira stammered, ¡°...L-Lady Sienna, why are you looking at thisdy like that?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t there any way we can pull that thing off your forehead?¡± Sienna asked thoughtfully. Raimira whimpered, ¡°That will surely kill thisdy¡­.¡± The ruby had been personally iid by Raizakia himself. Although Raizakia was already dead, the ruby hadn¡¯t disappeared. After growing up with Raimira for hundreds of years, the ruby hadpletely transformed into a part of her. Although it seemed that it could possibly be extracted somehow, the risk of Raimira dying from doing so seemed quiterge. ¡°Well, if it¡¯s not possible, then forget it,¡± Sienna said dismissively as she let go of her current lingering feelings of greed and returned to rummaging inside her cloak. Although she would be able to re-enter the treasury whenever she wanted to from now on, since she happened to be there, Sienna had taken with her everything that had caught her interest. One by one, Sienna ced down several magic books on the desk that anyone could tell were ancient from just a single nce. ¡°These are all books of ancient magic,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°I¡¯ve looked through them a few times before but gave up because I couldn¡¯t understand them, even with Akasha.¡± The reason why she was digging into these books of ancient magic once more was¡­. ¡®Vermouth,¡¯ they all thought. ¡­definitely that bastard. There was the Darkroom, the barrier at Leheinjar, and even Hamel¡¯s reincarnation to top it all off. In addition to all of that, even back then, three hundred years ago, Vermouth had often used strange spells of unknown origins. Sienna had asked Vermouth about the true nature of those spells several times, but she had never once been able to wring out a proper response from him. Although they couldn¡¯t be sure whether or not the magic that Vermouth had used was ancient magic, for now, that was their only usible guess. ¡®The Demon Kings¡­,¡¯ Eugene considered a different train of thought. Upon seeing the Moonlight Sword, Raizakia had called it the Sword of Destruction. He had said that the reason Vermouth and his descendants in the Lionheart n could wield the weapons of the Demon Kings was¡­ that Vermouth¡¯s blood was special. But the reason why it was special? They had no idea. What was Vermouth¡¯s true identity? They had wondered about that question even back then, three hundred years ago. Even when everyone else was talking about their own personal matters, Vermouth, who rarely had anything to say regarding most topics, would be even more reserved than usual. ¡®Though the same went for Anise,¡¯ Eugene recalled. Eugene now knew why Anise wouldn¡¯t say anything under such circumstances. ¡­Vermouth should also have had his reasons for doing so. While feeling distressed, Eugene tried to jolt his thoughts back into motion. Three hundred years ago, Vermouth had been captured by a group of ck wizards and demonfolk. In that era, there were many cases of people being captured by demonfolk and ck wizards. Among these victims, it wasmon for them to be test subjects for ck magic experiments or to be used as living sacrifices by both the ck wizards and the demonfolk. While being transported somewhere, Vermouth wrested a knife from one of his guards and ughtered the demonfolk and ck wizards. This had happened when he was only in his mid-teens. Although anyone who heard this story might say that it sounded absurd, everyone who had ever met with Vermouth personally was able to ept it. Even though it sounded ridiculous, if it was Vermouth Lionheart you were talking about, it was definitely usible. ¡®...Was he really a test subject for a ck magic experiment?¡¯ It wasn¡¯t something that Eugene had ever given any thought to before, but considering the various suspicions that revolved around Vermouth, Eugene suspected that this guess might just be the truth. If Vermouth was originally the result of a ck magic experiment, then, while he was being transported, he could have awakened the power granted to him and thus been able to make his escape by killing all of the demonfolk and ck wizards¡­. Anise and Kristina were incarnations of the ancient God of Light. To be more precise, they were mock incarnations created by using the ashes of the Holy Emperor. And it wasn¡¯t just the two of them; all of the Saints and the Saint Candidates in Yuras¡¯ past had been such existences. Vermouth might also be something simr. By using the blood, flesh, or something along those lines of a demonfolk¡­ or perhaps even a Demon King¡­ he could have been an artificial creation. Thanks to that, he could have been able to use the Demon Kings¡¯ weapons and even control the Moonlight Sword¡­. ¡®Damn it,¡¯ Eugene cursed silently. That meant that the Lionheart blood within this body of his might just be mixed with the blood of demons. But Eugene himself had never felt anything like that, and Anise had also never noticed any warning signs regarding this possibility. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t just the Demon Kings¡¯ weapons. Vermouth had also been able to use the Holy Sword of the God of Light, and currently, Eugene could also freely wield the Holy Sword. In the end, these spections about the suspicions revolving around Vermouth were all just sudden leaps of logic. However, if Eugene really did consider the situation from this direction, a lot of things would suddenly make sense. For example, why had the Remnants of the Demon King been so attracted to that foolish and weak Eward? Why had they been so obsessed with using those who shared Eward Lionheart¡¯s bloodline as living sacrifices, basically Vermouth¡¯s bloodline, which had been most strongly inherited through the lineage of the main family? Why hadn¡¯t Vermouth¡¯s bloodline thinned even slightly after being passed down over hundreds of years? Last night, Eugene talked with Sienna and Anise about the suspicions regarding Vermouth. It¡¯s not really that surprising. Instead, without such a secret behind it, an existence like Sir Vermouth wouldn¡¯t make any sense. Although they did show an appropriate level of surprise, eventually, Sienna and Anise overcame their shock just to say this. Eugene had also empathized with the feelings behind their words. From then on, there were no further discussions of this theory. Eugene had also been able to sense why that was. Sienna trusted Vermouth. Even though he didn¡¯t seem to be in his right mind, they couldn¡¯t be sure whether that was truly the case¡­. Even though Vermouth, in such a state, had pierced a hole through her chest and left her on the verge of death¡­. Even though her very soul was now wounded¡­. Even with all of that, Sienna still trusted Vermouth. For Anise, Vermouth was the one who had flipped the course of her life, the Hero who had given meaning to her role as the Saint when she herself had been despising her fate as the Saint. As such, Anise practically worshiped Vermouth, and even now, she still referred to Vermouth as Sir Vermouth. But was that really all there was to it? No, it wasn¡¯t. The reason why Sienna believed in Vermouth despite having been mortally wounded by him¡­ The reason why Anise believed in Vermouth, beyond the sense of worship that she had for him¡­. And the reason why Eugene, whether consciously or unconsciously, had stopped his spections about Vermouth¡­. It was that, to them, Vermouth was just Vermouth. No matter what Vermouth¡¯s true identity might be, it didn¡¯t change what that bastard, Vermouth Lionheart, meant to them. A ck magic experiment? Or a test subject that had a connection to the Demon Kings? So what if he was? Sienna, Anise, Hamel, Molon, and Vermouth had journeyed together throughout the Devildom for over a dozen years. They had spent more time together than they ever had with their own families. There had been times when they were close to death and times when they barely managed to kill their enemies, along with all of the other times that they had spent together. They had experienced joy and sorrow and all sorts of other emotions together. That was why they all trusted Vermouth. So whether it was Vermouth¡¯s past, his inscrutable behavior, or his current unknown status, if it was for Vermouth¡¯s sake, they could ept all of that. Because of him, they didn¡¯t doubt the things that should really be considered suspicious. They blindly, one-sidedly, were able toe up with justifications for Vermouth. Eugene didn¡¯t think that there was anything irrational about this. The same went for Sienna, as well as Anise. Even Molon, who had been going mad while unable to take his own life for over a hundred and fifty years because of a promise he had made with Vermouth, would have also done the same. Because this wasn¡¯t just anyone else, this was Vermouth. Because this was thepanion who they had worked alongside to y the Demon Kings. Because this was the Hero who had somehow managed to save the world. So when their thoughts turned to Vermouth, they naturally had no choice but to put their emotions ahead of their own reason. * * * In Aroth¡¯s Red Tower of Magic, the Tower Master Lovellian had been deep in thought since the day before. He was wondering what could have happened at the Royal Pce. Just what kind of conversation might have taken ce during their audience with the king? Everyone in Aroth might have been curious about this topic, but it wasn¡¯t something that they could talk about openly. In the end, word of what had happened yesterday within Abram hadn¡¯t been spread to anyone. Trempel Vizardo, who had also been present during their audience with the king, had, of course, kept his mouth shut; and the Crown Prince, Honein Abram, had also kept his silence, and starting fromst night, Honein had secluded himself within Akron. This meant that things should have been wrapped up neatly. Because if things hadn¡¯t been wrapped up neatly, Abram might no longer exist. But what was truly preupying Lovellian¡¯s attention wasn¡¯t what might have happened within Abram. It had something to do with the surprising return of the Wise Sienna. Well, it wasn¡¯t really that big of a surprise for Lovellian. He had apanied Eugene to the Samar Rainforest and had helped to stop Edmond¡¯s plot. He had also seen the corpse of the Demon Dragon Raizakia, the one responsible for trapping Sienna in a slumber for such a long time. The fact that Sienna would eventually return to Aroth had already been known to Lovellian. He just hadn¡¯t known that she would return so quickly. ¡®...Perhaps¡­ could she really¡­,¡¯ Lovellian was lost in thought as he idly massaged his temples. Currently, many irrational and mostly spective thoughts were running through his head. But Lovellian¡¯s suspicions weren¡¯t directed at the Wise Sienna; they instead concerned Eugene Lionheart. During the battle in Samar, Lovellian had gotten a good look at Eugene¡¯s full strength. Eugene had been able to overwhelm the Death Knight created from the corpse of the Stupid Hamel. Even after seeing such skill with his own eyes, Lovellian still had difficulty believing it. But then Eugene had gone and torn apart Edmond Codreth, the Staff of Incarceration, with his own hands. And it didn¡¯t just end there, did it? Eugene had even managed to behead and y the highly notorious ck Dragon Raizakia. Although Lovellian hadn¡¯t been able to view the battle in person, and Eugene had said that he did receive Sienna¡¯s help¡­. There was no doubt that Eugene Lionheart was skilled enough that he could be discussed on the same level as the strongest human beings in all of history. Moreover, his talent for magic was also exceptional, and he had even created a Signature, which could be said to serve as a symbol for all Archwizards. ¡®It¡¯s practically impossible for someone like that to exist,¡¯ Lovellian concluded. There had been several times in Samar when Lovellian had had such thoughts. At first, he had dismissed his own suspicions as absurd, but the more that he thought about it, the more he began to believe that it might just be possible. Perhaps Eugene Lionheart really was the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago. Otherwise, it was impossible to ept that someone like him could exist in real life. The thing that had especially aroused Lovellian¡¯s suspicions was how Eugene, upon seeing Hamel¡¯s Death Knight, had dered, ¡®That¡¯s not Hamel.¡¯ Eugene might have given several reasons for why that was the case. But even so, Eugene¡¯s rage, and the denial of the Death Knight¡¯s identity that he had spat out at that time, hadn¡¯t sounded like something that could so easily be said by someone from ater generation. It was as if¡­ as if he had personally known Hamel three hundred years ago. Then there was the previous day. The Wise Lady Sienna had shown a lot of affection towards Eugene. Was it just because Eugene was her hundreds of years younger sessor? That might be enough for Sienna to consider him a cute junior. However, her gaze had felt like it was practically dripping with sweet drops of honey¡­. It hadn¡¯t seemed like the casual tolerance of a Grandmaster for her grand-disciple or how one might treat a young and cute sessor. Instead¡­ instead it was as if Lady Sienna had been looking at him like a man she was interested in¡­. Lovellian muttered, ¡°Could it¡­ could it really be, no¡­ perhaps¡­.¡± Lovellian was afraid of the incredible ramifications if the suspicions running through his head turned out to be the truth. At the same time, as a devoted researcher, he felt a strong sense of curiosity. ¡®His talent for both martial arts and magic. Historically, there was only one person who has ever been born with such limit-breaking talent¡­.¡¯ That was the ancestor of the Lionheart n, the Great Vermouth. ¡®However¡­ Sir Eugene¡¯s personality just doesn¡¯t strike me as that of the Great Vermouth¡­.¡¯ Considering Eugene¡¯s intense dislike, murderous intent, and rage towards Hamel¡¯s Death Knight¡­. His low-ss mannerisms that seemed unthinkable whening from an offspring of the prestigious Lionheart n¡­. His fighting technique that seemed both fierce yet delicate. Sienna. I¡¯ve always liked you. A stroke of lightning seemed to explode inside Lovellian¡¯s head. Unconsciously, he leaped up from his seat. Then, while focusing on the sudden stroke of inspiration that had run through his head, Lovellian reconstructed his flow of thought. From the way that the Great Vermouth had explosively grown the Lionheart n by taking more than ten wives¡­. To thest words that the Stupid Hamel had left at the end of his life¡­. And how the Wise Sienna had stayed single for her entire life. ¡°Oh my god!¡± Lovellian cried out, only to p his hands over his mouth as an idea sharply clicked into ce. Knock knock. Someone reported through the door of his office, ¡°Sir Tower Master! Ldy Sienna and Sir Eugene are heading into our Tower of Magic right at this moment!¡± ¡°What?!¡± Lovellian eximed in shock. He had heard them say they would visit the Red Tower of Magic when they next had the time, but today? Even though only a single day had passed since they said it? Lovellian ordered, ¡°Escort them up here immediately. No, that¡¯s not right. I¡¯ll go down and¡ª¡± The voice interrupted him, ¡°They¡¯re already on their way up!¡± Even though he was greatly flustered, Lovellian quickly made his preparations for their visit. He threw open his closet, took out the most luxurious and elegant robe in his possession, and pulled it on. Then he hurriedly tidied up his hair and also neatly sorted the mess on his desk with a wave of his staff. ¡®This might actually be for the best,¡¯ Lovellian tried to reassure himself as he swallowed a gulp. With this surprising truth that he seemed to have arrived at, there was no way that he could just keep it buried in his chest. A wizard was someone who sought the truth. So Lovellian was determined to face this issue head-on. Before he had even heard another knock, Lovellian threw open the door to his Tower Master¡¯s office. There, he saw Hera repeatedly shifting from one foot to the other, not knowing what to do. ¡°Head back down,¡± Lovellian instructed. ¡°Y-yes sir,¡± Hera stammered. Lovellian continued, ¡°Also, spread the word to all of the wizards currently in the tower. Tell them to keep their heads cool and stay where they¡¯re supposed to be.¡± ¡°Yes, sir!¡± Hera shouted with a deep nod as she started to run back down the hallway. But on her way down, she came to an abrupt stop. It was because the elevator that was located at the end of the hallway was just about to arrive here, on the top floor. If Hera continued to run forward like this, it was clear that she would run into Sienna and Eugene when the elevator doors opened. That¡­ that was meant to be a happy event that would fill any wizard with honor and pride. However, Hera realized that she herself still wasn¡¯t ready for this just yet. If she ran into Lady Sienna like this, Hera felt like she would either pass out on the spot or scream joyfully. Hera didn¡¯t want either Sienna or Eugene to see her like that¡­. In the end, Hera quickly made her decision. She flung open the hallway window, then threw herself out of the window without hesitation. Even in that instant, Hera was thorough in her clean-up. The moment her whole body passed through the window, she quietly closed the window behind herself with a swing of her staff. Ding-dong. Right at the very moment when Lovellian¡¯s jaw was dropping open in shock at Hera¡¯s decisive behavior, the elevator arrived on the top floor. Lovellian picked his jaw back up and quickly straightened his posture. No, this still wasn¡¯t polite enough. Faster than he had ever been before, Lovellian cast a spell that instantly transported him across the length of the hallway so that he was now standing in front of the elevator. The elevator doors opened up. Eugene and Sienna flinched when they saw Lovellian standing politely on the other side of the doors. ¡°Thank you for taking the time to visit,¡± Lovellian said with a deep bow of his head. While continuing to speak, he didn¡¯t forget to take a few steps back so that Eugene and Sienna could exit the elevatorfortably, ¡°O¡¯ greatest and wisest Archwizard in the history of the continent, she who is the most respected and envied of all wizards, Lady Sienna Merdein.¡± After he had finished saying all this, Lovellian took a moment to catch his breath and then added, ¡°Also¡­ it is my honor to greet Lady Sienna¡¯s old friend, Sir Hamel Dynas. 1. The original Korean version of this idiom uses ¡®dog and cow¡¯ instead of cat and dog. ? Chapter 321: The Red Tower of Magic (2) The moment that he heard those words, the wheels in Eugene¡¯s head quickly began to spin. Why had Lovellian suddenly said something like that? What on earth could have made him so certain about Eugene¡¯s true identity? There was no way to tell. Genos of the Knights of the ck Lions had been able to discover Eugene¡¯s true identity because Genos was exceedingly familiar with Hamel¡¯s techniques. Having shown such an understanding and mastery of those techniques that could only have belonged to Hamel himself in front of someone like Genos, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Eugene had revealed his identity. However, Lovellian was a different case. Unlike Genos, Lovellian wasn¡¯t familiar with Hamel¡¯s techniques. Also, Eugene had always been careful with his mannerisms when he was in front of Lovellian. No, it wasn¡¯t just Lovellian. With the sole exception of Genos, after having been reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart, he had never once said or done anything that might arouse the suspicion of the people in his vicinity. [I really don¡¯t feel like that¡¯s the truth¡­,] Mer muttered to herself inside his cloak, but Eugene didn¡¯t feel the slightest bit of embarrassment from thinking something so tantly false. Sienna, who had been wide-eyed in shock, suddenly blinked. Just like Eugene, the cogs in her head were also spinning quickly. How had Lovellian found out? In fact, that wasn¡¯t the most important thing to Sienna. What was important to her was that it was the Red Tower Master, in particr, who had discovered Eugene¡¯s identity. This was the heir to Theodore Thorne, one of the disciples Sienna had epted so long ago, the head of the magic school that imed to be the sessors to Sienna¡¯s inheritance, the master of the Red Tower of Magic, and Eugene¡¯s magic teacher. ¡ªA three-hundred-year-old wizard flirting with a young man who is just in his twenties! What would the world think when they saw this? Anise¡¯s cutting words echoed inside Sienna¡¯s head. Although Sienna had dismissed Anise¡¯s concerns at the time, saying, ¡®What of it?¡¯,¡­ in fact, what people said often didn¡¯t reflect what was in their hearts. Sienna was well aware of the fact that she was an extremely famous and respected wizard. She felt that it was only natural that she had be an object of admiration and emtion for all future generations of wizards. As such, even if it was just for the sake of preserving the dignity of her title as the Wise Sienna... she had made up her mind to be careful of how she treated Eugene when in front of others. In particr, Sienna had reminded herself that she needed to take even more care when in front of the Red Tower Master since they had so manyyers of rtionships tying them together. Because Sienna didn¡¯t want to show an embarrassing and shameful appearance in front of her direct sessors. ¡®However¡­ what if the Red Tower Master finds out about everything? Doesn¡¯t that mean I no longer need to be so careful?¡¯ Sienna suddenly came to this conclusion. Without lifting his bowed head, Lovellian carefully examined the situation. Lovellian knew that he was taking a considerable risk with this. The only basis for his suspicion was a hunch. Even so, he had felt certain of the truth, but¡­ what if he was wrong? Lovellian thought worriedly, ¡®Now that it hase to this, it¡¯s not like I can just say that it was a joke¡­.¡¯ He might still be able to pass it off as if nothing had happened, but¡­ Lovellian had to swallow back a gulp of fear. Honestly speaking, Lovellian was afraid of the Wise Sienna¡¯s personality. Just yesterday, that great wizard had threatened to sink the entire Royal Pce of Abram beneath theke and had beaten the Green Tower Master into a mess in front of countless witnesses. Considering the Green Tower Master¡¯s pride, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he decided to retreat from the world of magic for the rest of his life, all because of the previous day¡¯s incident. Most wizards had slightly twisted personalities. Putting it in extremely polite terms, they were often entric while putting it bluntly, they were ill-tempered, and putting it insultingly, they could all be said to have the temperaments of easily offended nerds. So specting on the personality of a wizard who had lived for over three hundred years, if the fact that it was twisted was taken for granted, just how much more twisted could it have gotten over the years? ¡®What if Lady Sienna bes angry at me for saying such absurd nonsense?¡¯ Lovellian couldn¡¯t help having this thought. If she decided to punish Lovellian for taking out the name of her long-lostrade to spout off a joke, she might even copse the entire Red Tower of Magic around him. Cold sweat began to pour down Lovellian¡¯s forehead. It would have been great if he had just made a quick follow-up, but now¡­ this silence had already stretched on for far too long. That being said, Lovellian thought it would be too disrespectful of him to raise his head without first obtaining his grandmaster¡¯s permission. ¡°Ahem¡­,¡± Sienna was the first to break the silence with a cough. She did nothing to hide the twitching of her cheeks or the upward curve of her lips. Meanwhile, the wheels in Eugene¡¯s head were still spinning. No matter how much he thought about it, there seemed to be no clear basis for Lovellian¡¯s remarks. So why had the name of Hamel Dynas dropped from Lovellian¡¯s lips so suddenly? Eugene stared at Lovellian with his eyes wide open. Since Lovellian¡¯s head was bowed, Eugene couldn¡¯t see his expression. However, as his senses had been sharpened due to his training, Eugene could hear the sound of Lovellian¡¯s rapidly beating heart. ¡°Just how did you find¡ª¡± ¡°Whaaaaaat!¡± Just when Sienna was about to ask her question with a grin, Eugene let out a loud roar, covering it up. To stop Sienna from saying anything more, Eugene yanked Sienna over to him and pped his hand over her mouth. Eugene continued in a panic, ¡°What! Just what are you saying?! Sir Lovellian, no, I mean Master!¡± What was this bastard ying at now? Sienna nced at Eugene dumbfoundedly. Ignoring Sienna¡¯s gaze, Eugene said quickly, ¡°You¡¯re saying I am Sir Hamel? Haha! Really now, Master, that¡¯s too much even for a joke. How could I be Sir Hamel? After all, Sir Hamel already passed away three hundred years ago!¡± With one hand, Eugene repeatedly poked a finger into Sienna¡¯s side. Sienna, whose mouth was still covered by Eugene¡¯s other hand, silently twisted her body as she tried to escape his tickling. ¡°I, um, I really don¡¯t know why you would say such a thing, Master. However! I am definitely not Sir Hamel. After all, Master, didn¡¯t you first meet me when I was only thirteen and participating in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony? I am born in Gidol, and I am the son of Gerhard Lionheart. I am Eugene Lionheart! I am not Sir Hamel!¡± Eugene tried desperately to convince Lovellian. There was a simple reason why Eugene didn¡¯t want to reveal the fact that he was Hamel in front of Lovellian. He had known Lovellian for far too long. Eugene first met Lovellian when he was only thirteen years old. At that time, he was mixed in with the other children who were participating in the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, so, not wanting to attract any annoyingly suspicious gazes, Eugene had acted like a child. He had yed with the thirteen-years-old Cyan and Ciel, and he had even hung out with Gargith, who even back then was an idiot, and Dezra. Eugene had always acted in a manner befitting of a supposed thirteen-year-old. This was on the day before the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony when he had first shared a meal with Lovellian and also on the very day of the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony itself! This meant that when the other children were watching with sparkling eyes during Lovellian¡¯s presentation and disy of magic, he had done the same. If it was revealed that all of that was a lie and that he, a hero from three hundred years ago, was deliberately pretending to be a child¡­ and was actually ying around with the other kids¡­! From beating up the thirteen-year-old Cyan to proudly showing off his strength in front of the other children during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, then there were the times when Eugene had been asked, which of the heroes from three hundred years ago did he most respect? Whenever Eugene had received such a question, he had always said, ¡®It¡¯s Sir Hamel!¡¯ without any hesitation¡­. ¡ªI¡¯m just saying this because you don¡¯t know any better, but Sir Hamel is definitely not an idiot like that Death Knight. ¡ªSir Hamel wasn¡¯t someone so shallow that he would curse hisrades just because of the contents of a fairy tale. There was no way. Whether it was in front of Lovellian, or anyone else who had known him from a young age, Eugene definitely couldn¡¯t bear to reveal his true identity. Eugene¡¯s voice and expression were so desperate that Sienna also decided to back down for now. She escaped Eugene¡¯s grasp and loudly cleared her throat, ¡°Ahem, my sessor is correct. Hamel¡­ well¡­ he already died a long time ago. He died in a particrly stupid fashion, at that.¡± ¡°It was a heroic death,¡± Eugene tried to correct her. Sienna argued, ¡°How is throwing himself into the path of danger while in a situation where he really didn¡¯t need to die a heroic death?¡± ¡°Sir Hamel sacrificed himself for the sake of hisrades,¡± Eugene insisted. Sienna frowned, ¡°It seems that suicide is actually called sacrifice in this day and age?¡± Eugene¡¯s eyebrows rose as he was forced to listen to Sienna¡¯s mockery. If only they weren¡¯t in front of Lovellian, he would definitely break her out of this bad habit of hers. But for now, the only thing that Eugene could do was re at Sienna as his shoulders shook with suppressed anger. Eugene reluctantly responded, ¡°Even if¡­ even if the death was a suicide! If you say such a thing, Lady Sienna, then I¡¯m sure that Sir Hamel will be sad in the afterlife.¡± Sienna waved it off, ¡°No way, it¡¯s fine for me to say such a thing. I was Hamel¡¯s friend after all, and also, ahem, Hamel, he¡­ didn¡¯t he say that he loved me? So that¡¯s why it¡¯s fine for me to say such things.¡± Even though she was just saying this to make fun of him, after Sienna finished speaking, it was her face instead of his that ended up blushing. While ring into Sienna¡¯s face, Eugene snorted, ¡°Did Sir Hamel really love Lady Sienna? I¡¯ve also read the fairy tale a few times, but¡­ how should I say this¡­ it feels like the author put in too much of their personal feelings¡ª¡± Sienna snapped, ¡°Hey! What do you know? Also, you¡­ how dare you say that Hamel didn¡¯t love me? Do you really mean that?¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°No, well¡­. I¡¯m not Sir Hamel, but¡­ even so, as Sir Hamel¡¯s sessor, and his many times distant junior, uh, I don¡¯t really feel like Sir Hamel would confess that he loved Lady Sienna with hisst words on his deathbed¡­ well, at least that¡¯s just my opinion on it¡­.¡± Sienna and Eugene¡¯s res shed in mid-air. Even at this moment, Lovellian still kept his head bowed in silence. Btedly noticing this, Sienna cleared her throat once more and turned to Lovellian to say, ¡°You may raise your head, Red Tower Master.¡± Having finally received his Grandmaster¡¯s permission, Lovellian slowly raised his head, only to reveal that there wasn¡¯t even a trace of the earlier nervousness on his face. Instead, Lovellian¡¯s eyes appeared victorious, as if he had confirmed the truth, and his expression was peaceful and calm. ¡°My thanks,¡± Lovellian said politely. His suspicions had solidified into certainty. Even though Eugene had burst out with denials, through the series of conversations that followed, Lovellian had confirmed that Eugene¡¯s real identity was that of Hamel Dynas, the hero from three hundred years ago. Otherwise, everything would cease to make sense. ¡°Allow me to show you inside,¡± Lovellian said as he turned around, luxuriating in the relief now coursing through him. As Lovellian walked off with a light step, Eugene followed behind with a confused expression. Hesitantly, Eugene called out, ¡°Um, Sir Lovellian, Master? You do understand what I was trying to tell you, right?¡± Without turning back, Lovellian replied, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite, Sir Hamel¡­ no, I mean Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°But it seems like you haven¡¯t gotten the point, though? I¡¯m telling you, I¡¯m not Sir Hamel,¡± Eugene stubbornly insisted. ¡°My apologies. It seems that I unintentionally made a slip of the tongue. I will be sure to be more careful from now on,¡± Lovellian promised. Eugene must have a good reason for refusing to reveal his true identity. Right away, Lovellian could think of several reasons why that might be. Most likely, he was worried about the threat posed by Helmuth¡¯s Demon Kings and demonfolks. Even after hundreds of years had passed and he was reincarnated in this era, that great hero still seemed to be pursuing the long-cherished wish that he hadn¡¯t been able to fulfill during his previous life. Lovellian realized, ¡®Come to think of it¡­ ever since he was young, Sir Eugene has always hated ck magic and demonfolks.¡¯ This had been unusual to see in a child of this era, but Lovellian had thought it wasn¡¯t that strange for a child of that Lionheart n to hate ck magic and demonfolk. However! As the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel, Eugene would naturally have no choice but to hate the fact that the demonfolk still remained alive in this era. The more he thought about it, the more the puzzle pieces inside Lovelian¡¯s head seemed toe together. As for Eugene¡¯s excessive admiration of the Sutpid Hamel¡­ well¡­ Lovellian thought that was also a natural consequence. From Lovellian¡¯s perspective, if he were to be called the Stupid Lovellian three hundred years after he had died, he felt he would also be furious and desperate to somehow defend himself. Of course, he didn¡¯t think he would be as tant about it as Eugene, but¡­. ¡°You came to visit us so suddenly, so I¡¯m afraid that we weren¡¯t able to prepare a proper wee for you,¡± Lovellian apologized. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I don¡¯t really enjoy it when it gets too noisy in any case,¡± Sienna said as she plopped down on a sofa. Lovellian politely sat down in front of her and then turned to look at Eugene. Eugene still had an uncertain expression on his face. Sienna reminded him, ¡°My heir, what are you doing? Hurry up and sit down next to me.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Eugene said as he sat down next to Sienna as instructed. This sight caused Lovellian to show a bright smile. Witnessing in person the reunion of a couple that had been separated for hundreds of years, Lovellian, who had never once been in love with anyone, felt as if a flower was blooming in the deste wastnd of his heart. ¡°This is quite the beautiful sight,¡± Lovellianmented. ¡°You¡¯re talking about our master-student rtionship, right?¡± Eugene asked ufortably. Lovellian hesitated, ¡°Yes, well, that¡¯s right.¡± Eugene¡¯s expression crumpled as he forcefully turned his gaze away. Noticing how the atmosphere of the room had changed, Sienna donned a whimsical smile. Even in this situation, Sienna felt a deep sense of amusement. Sienna changed the subject, ¡°We weren¡¯t in a good mood yesterday, so it seems that we couldn¡¯t have a proper conversation with you, no? So anyways, you¡¯re Theodore Thorne¡¯s sessor?¡± ¡°You are indeed my former Master¡¯s Master,¡± Lovellian confirmed. Sienna sneered, ¡°That cheeky Green Tower Master¡­ I definitely don¡¯t want to recognize that Osman guy as one of my sessors. ording to what I¡¯ve heard from this cute sessor sitting next to me, you, the Red Tower Master, and the White Tower Master were of great help during my rescue. Not only that, I¡¯ve also heard a lot about you from Mer. She said that you¡¯ve always shown her special attention. Is that right?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t done anything impressive enough to deserve such praise,¡± Lovellian deflected. ¡°As one of Aroth¡¯s Tower Masters, I¡¯ve always had to stand in a neutral position, and it was impossible for me to take Mer, who was bound to Witch Craft, away from Akron.¡± ¡°However, you did pay attention to her. I¡¯ve heard that you always made sure to politely greet Mer whenever you visited Akron, and that wasn¡¯t nothing, now was it?¡± Sienna said as she rested her hands in herp. Without any of her previous yfulness, she stared at Lovellian with a serious look in her eyes, ¡°I might not be able to properly reveal the full details to Aroth, but you, the Red Tower Master, know a bit about why I was forced to go into seclusion. That unexpected seclusion left Mer in a depressing state. Since you showed Mer even the slightest bit of care when she was in dire straits, I should also show you the same level of friendship.¡± Lovellian shook with suppressed emotion. He had never imagined that he would actually hear something like that from the Wise Sienna¡­. Sienna added, ¡°Not only that, but you also took very good care of my heir ¡ª Eugene Lionheart. The fact that Eugene was able to grow into a proper wizard is all because of your teaching and care.¡± Lovellian was overwhelmed, ¡°I¡­ I have never truly been all that great of a teacher for Sir Eugene. Even if it wasn¡¯t me, any other wizard who first met Sir Eugene would surely have been eager to take him in as their disciple.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that matters all that much. Red Tower Master, my sessor has recognized you as his master, and you have treated my sessor as your disciple. You taught him magic, advised him on any problems he might have, and assisted him in his goals, and in the end, you became someone my sessor trusted enough to ask for help when he was attempting to rescue me. Although there are a lot of people who have been drawn to my sessor, leaving him far from on his own, you, Red Tower Master, have be a special and strong presence even among all of them,¡± Sienna assured him as she stretched her hand to one side. Fwoosh. A magic staff covered in a white light, Frost, appeared in Sienna¡¯s hand. ¡°Theodore Thorne¡¯s sessor, the Master of the Red Tower of Magic, Lovellian Sophis. I, Sienna Merdein, do recognize you as one of my heirs. I will also stake my name and reputation behind the Red Tower of Magic by officially sponsoring it,¡± Sienna formally announced. Light bloomed from the tip of Frost. Thwiiiip! Strands of white, magical light flew over to one corner of Lovellian¡¯s room and wound around each other to form a sphere. Upon seeing this sphere, Lovellian unconsciously leaped up from his seat. Lovellian gasped, ¡°Witch Craft¡­!¡± A copy that appeared identical to the first volume of Witch Craft that was stored on the uppermost floor of Akron, within Sienna¡¯s Hall, had just been freshly created inside Lovellian¡¯s office. Though it wasn¡¯tpletely identical. Instead, this version of Witch Craft was slightly smaller than the one in Akron. ¡°It doesn¡¯t just hold the forms behind the Eternal Hole; I¡¯ve also stored within it some of the other magic that I use,¡± Sienna informed him. Just like the Witch Craft in Akron, it would be impossible to try and understand its contents after only a few attempts. However, if a desperate and exceptionally talented wizard were willing to devote himself to examining it dozens or even hundreds of times, they would definitely be able to surpass their own limits. ¡°To tell you the truth, Akron¡¯s Witch Craft isn¡¯t actually iplete. It wasn¡¯t even divided into three actual volumes in the first ce. Witch Craft was solely created so that future generations of wizards would be able to ess the papers for the Eternal Hole. However ¡ª I can assure you ¡ª I am much greater than I was when I first created Witch Craft. So this Witch Craft is a better and moreplete version than the Witch Craft sealed within Akron.¡± Sienna grinned as she lowered Frost and continued, ¡°I will donate this Witch Craft to the Red Tower of Magic. Whether you wish to make it your sole focus of study or choose to use it as a different perspective for your personal research¡­ I leave this to you, the current Red Tower Master, and all future generations of Red Tower Masters.¡± ¡°Th-thank you so much¡­!¡± Lovein stammered as he bowed his head while crying. Sienna wasn¡¯t done just yet, ¡°Also! I may have acknowledged you as one of my heirs, you don¡¯t need to call me your Grandmaster or even Master. Just call me Lady Sienna. Got it?¡± Lovellian nodded, ¡°Yes, understood.¡± Sienna turned away from Lovellian, ¡°As for my sessor, Eugene. You¡­ it¡¯s alright if you want to call me Master. But don¡¯t call me Grandmaster.¡± Eugene asked, ¡°What exactly is the difference between the two?¡± ¡°Because Grandmaster makes me sound a bit older than Master¡­!¡± Siennained. ¡°So what,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°I¡¯m supposed to call Sir Lovellian my Master, who in turn calls you Lady Sienna despite acknowledging you as his Master. But you ask me to call you Master, as well?¡± ¡°Just why do you have to put it in such aplex and irritating way? You can just address the Red Tower Master and me as your Master ¡ª ah¡­ hmm, it should be okay, right? Or else¡­ is this just because you also want to call me Lady Sienna?¡± Sienna asked, her lips twitching as she tried to stop herself from smiling. That way of addressing her also seemed pretty satisfactory to Sienna. However, Eugene just shook his head in exasperation. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll call you Lady Sienna,¡± Eugene agreed. Lovellian chimed in, ¡°Sir Eugene, there¡¯s no need to address me as Master. In fact, up until now, apart from when you were asking for me for something or were feeling apologetic for some reason, you have never once called me Master¡­ so just feel free to address me more casually.¡± Eugene nodded, ¡°Alright, L-Sir Lovellian.¡± Eugene managed to avoid the slip of the tongue that Lovellian had been waiting for. Sienna hesitated, ¡°Also¡­ there¡¯s still the White Tower Master, right? Her name is¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s Melkith El-Hayah! Big Siiiiis!¡± Melkith cried out through the office window. Sobbing, Melkith rubbed her face against the tightly closed window as if trying to squeeze through it. Melkith had actually been waiting outside of the window since earlier. She had been hoping to somehow sneak inside, but because Lovellian¡¯s magical barrier was so sturdy, Melkith hadn¡¯t been able to get through it, so she had just kept rubbing her face against the window like she was now. Sienna hesitantly observed, ¡°She doesn¡¯t seem to have any of the dignity of a Tower Master¡­ let alone an Archwizard¡­.¡± Lovellian sighed, ¡°Lady Sienna, please don¡¯t judge the characters of the other wizards of this era by what you might see from the White Tower Master. In return for being born with overflowing talent, the White Tower Master has a lot of ws in her character.¡± ¡°She also has a habit of eavesdropping,¡± Eugene added as he nodded in support of Lovellian¡¯s words. With an uncertain expression, Sienna flicked a finger at the window. At this gesture, the window was thrown open, and as if she had been waiting for this, Melkith somersaulted into the room. ¡°Lady Sienna, big Sis!¡± Melkith shouted tteringly. ¡°I also did my best to save you, Sis! I¡¯ve also done a lot to take care of big Sis¡¯ cherished heir, Eugene. In fact, the cloak he¡¯s wearing right now, which he wears everywhere he goes, every single day for the past few years, actually belongs to me!¡± ¡°Did you give him that cloak as a gift?¡± Sienna asked as her eyes narrowed dangerously. A ck me of jealousy flickered into life deep within Sienna¡¯s heart. Eugene shook his head, ¡°It¡¯s not a present. We made a bet, and after I won, I took it from her.¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t really given it to you,¡± Melkith refuted. ¡°I¡¯m just lending it! Do you know how many years you have left? When you were seventeen, I agreed to lend it to you for nine years, so there are only five years left!¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t the time extended at all during the past few years?¡± Eugene reminded her, ¡°As far I know, I¡¯ve given you all sorts of help, Lady Melkith.¡± ¡°Who knows? I don¡¯t remember any of that,¡± Melkith scoffed. ¡°If you have a contract that says so, then bring it right here! Huh? You don¡¯t have one, do you? You can¡¯t trust verbal contracts; because neither you nor I, and not even God, knows whether or not you or I might be lying about something. In any case, you only have five years left!¡± After unleashing that torrent of words, Melkith crawled up to Sienna on her knees. ¡°Big Sis, I also have a whole lot of respect for you. If it wasn¡¯t for you, the world¡¯s greatest wizard, I wouldn¡¯t have be a wizard myself,¡± Melkith said tteringly. Eugene ruthlessly exposed her, ¡°Lady Sienna, that¡¯s a lie. From what the White Tower Master has told me, she became a wizard not because of you, Lady Sienna, but because she respected Ver¡­ Sir Vermouth.¡± ¡°I respect them both!¡± Melkith shouted. ¡°And I love you, big Sis! There¡¯s still a difference between respect and love, right? So because I love you, can¡¯t you please give me o-o-one of those W-w-witch Crafts as well? Pleeease?¡± Sienna looked between Eugene and Melkith with narrowed eyes. So this was the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah. From what she had heard from Eugene, she was an outrageous Spirit Summoner who had managed to make contracts with three Spirit Kings. ¡®But why do they look so friendly?¡¯ Sienna thought suspiciously. There didn¡¯t seem to be any of the normal feelings that might exist between a man and a woman, but even so, Sienna didn¡¯t really like Melkith, so¡­. ¡°No, I don¡¯t want to,¡± Sienna forcefully dered. ¡°White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, I¡¯m aware that you have given a lot of help to my sessor and that you also contributed to my rescue. Even so, I cannot give you a copy of Witch Craft. After all, you¡¯re not one of my sessors!¡± ¡°Big Siiiis!¡± Melkith whined. Sienna sniffed, ¡°I¡¯ll permit you to call me big Sis. But nothing more than that.¡± ¡°Please!¡± Melkith grabbed onto Sienna¡¯s leg and begged. As her face crumpled into a scowl, Sienna red down at Melkith, ¡°Is this¡­ truly¡­ the greatest and most powerful Spirit Summoner of this era, no, of all eras?¡± Three hundred years ago, during that age of war, Spirit Summoners who had managed to contract one of the Spirit Kings were rare. Even when you looked throughout all of the ages, there was no other Spirit Summoner who had managed to contract multiple Spirit Kings. But this¡­ was this really that one-of-a-kind Spirit Summoner? Completely unable to believe this, Sienna¡¯s body shuddered in disgust. [See that, Hamel,] Tempest shouted inside Eugene¡¯s head. [I¡¯m not the one who¡¯s wrong. It¡¯s the Spirit Kings of Lightning, Earth, and Fire who are wrong. Just look at Sienna¡¯s expression! If you¡¯re a wizard, if you¡¯re a human, if you¡¯re any sort of being with intelligence! You wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything other than despise Melkith El-Hayah¡¯s very existence!] ¡®Tsk¡­.¡¯ Eugene felt the same way, so he couldn¡¯t really say anything in response to Tempest. But deep down, he thought he would someday like to see Tempest, who was so repulsed by her, sign a contract with Melkith. Chapter 322: Return (1) Upon her return from the Red Tower, Sienna remained in Aroth for three more days. As the Archwizard had broken her long hibernation and returned to Aroth, she faced a flurry of tasks that required her attention. Within these few days, Sienna briefly delivered lectures on the arcane in both the Red and Green Towers, attended meetings with the Tower Masters, and even visited the Wizard Guild, where she gave a lecture. Just the previous day, she had strolled through the city with the leading figures of the Aroth council, the King, and the Crown Prince and interacted with the citizens. Her public appearances culminated in a casual speech she delivered at Merdein Square, which had been named after her. To tackle all these tasks in merely three days was quite the undertaking, yet Sienna managed them effortlessly, and these were only a fraction of her supposed duties. Being a legendary Archwizard who had returned after centuries, she was Aroth''s living catchphrase. Many coveted an audience with Sienna. The rich and influential desired even just a ten-minute conversation, while every wizard yearned to catch even a glimpse of her robes. Sienna was firm and stern as she dealt with these matters. Although she felt attached to Aroth, she had no intention of staying longer than necessary. "What did the royal family and council say?" Eugene asked her. "They weren''t happy, of course. ''Must you leave for the Lionheart family?'' they questioned, but why should I care about their opinions?" Sienna responded with a chuckle. Of course, Aroth was loath to let Sienna leave. Even if she did not attend any events, merely having the Wise Sienna in Aroth brought the kingdom tremendous benefits. In fact, they had seen an increased influx of tourists and wizards from other countries in recent days. Yet, with the increase, there were also those who left. "I wish I could just obliterate that bleak tower," Sienna muttered. She was referring to the ck Tower of Magic. Droves of wizards belonging to the ck Tower had left Aroth after her return. ording to Lovellian and Melkith, only about a third of the original number of wizards remained in the ck Tower. Moreover, Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master, had left the Samar Forest after dealing with Edmund Codreth, but he had yet to return. "I can really tell how much time has passed when I¡¯m looking at that grim tower. I did hear some whispers about raising a tower for ck wizards before my seclusion, but most people in Aroth, including me, strongly opposed the idea,¡±mented Sienna. "I heard Helmuth made arge donation for Aroth to build the ck Tower,¡± said Eugene. "I felt this when I saw him in Babel, but I still can''t understand what that sted Demon King of Incarceration was thinking," Sienna said after a pause. While grumbling, Sienna hauled her luggage-filled carrier. She didn''t need to pull the carrier herself; everything could have been stored in her cape. But she insisted on the carrier, and the reason was simple. It made her heart flutter. It gave her the sense of leaving her long-time home in Aroth and moving to a new ¡°home.¡± ¡°Can you even believe how Helmuth has¡­ uh¡­ developed now? I¡¯ve read books and watched videos about Helmuth, and it''s entirely different from what I remember,¡± said Sienna. "I can assure you it''s more surreal when you actually go there." Eugene empathized with Sienna''s remark. The Helmuth he remembered from three hundred years ago was a ruthlessnd, a withered ce impossible for human habitation. It had been a ce where everything was topsy-turvy. Even the weather had been unpredictable. It had been and that sapped one''s mental and physical strength just by dwelling in it. After a peace agreement concluded the war, the Demon King of Incarceration dered Helmuth as an empire and pronounced himself its emperor. Following this announcement, he unlocked the treasure stores of Babel andpensated the war-affected nations enormously. Until then, the continent had not acknowledged Helmuth as an empire, though the fear of the Demon King of Incarceration deterred them from openly rebelling. And not a single person had expressed the intent to emigrate to Helmuth until then. Yet, with a pace that could hardly be described as slow, Helmuth had truly transformed from a Devildom into an Empire. Creatures incapable ofplex thoughts were made into something like livestock, and the Demon King of Incarceration himself reshaped thend and changed the sky. Countless demonfolks became workers andborers under themand of the Demon King. Sienna''s memory of Helmuth stopped at that point. What about now? In just two hundred years, Helmuth had be the most habitable and developed empire on the continent. It enjoyed such a unique culture that it was truly baffling how it was achieved. "¡­And what''s this Giabe Park?¡± Sienna mumbled, ncing at the newspaper on the stand. The front page of the arrayed newspapers featured news about Giabe Park in Helmuth. "It''s Noir Giabe''s breeding ground,¡± answered Eugene. "It does look like that. That lunatic Night Demon always had a knack for crazy stuff,"mented Sienna. "I fail to understand the mindset of people who visit this park for the sole purpose of recreation. Why on earth would they spend money and even donate life force in such a ce?¡± Anise chimed in as well. Eugene, Sienna, Anise, and even Kristina shared the same sentiment on this topic. Listening to the conversation from inside the cloak, Mer and Raimira exchanged nces and sighed heavily. ''I wanted to visit at least once.'' ''Before we y the Queen of Night Demons... or even after, we can still ride the attractions, can''t we?'' After sharing their loathing for Noir Giabe, Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina moved to the warp-gate at the Pentagon Floating Station. Sienna wasn''t keen on a noisy farewell, so she had sternly warned the royal family, council, and tower masters not toe for a send-off the day before. She had even threatened that if they came, she would make sure they would regret ever being born. "Big sister!" Melkith would have surely heard those words¡­. Yet, she brazenly ignored Sienna''s warning and hid near the warp-gate. Upon seeing Sienna, she ran forth, crying out as if her heart was breaking. "Take me with you too!" Sienna''s expression twisted at the sight of Melkith. Using a spell, she flung the charging Melkith away and hastily grabbed her carry-on. Ignoring the screaming Melkith, Eugene and Kristina followed Sienna into the warp-gate. They had pre-arranged the meeting point to be devoid of people. This was a warp-gate located in a quiet area, and their destination was already set. It was to Kiehl''s vige, Bonyo, a ce rural enough to provide fairpetition to Eugene''s hometown of Gidol. It was the current residence of the one who self-imed to be the only dragon remaining awake, the Red Dragon Ariartel. *** They had a simple reason for visiting Ariartel before making the trip back to the Lionheart family. It would have been impossible to find Raizakia and rescue Sienna without the help of Ariartel¡¯s Draconic magic. Ariartel, having a deep resentment towards Raizakia, the traitor of their species, was entitled to know about Raizakia''s death. In addition, they also wanted to ask about Raimira. "I haven''t met any other dragon except for the ck Dragon," Raimira peeked out from within the cloak and stated. Her face was taut with tension, visible to all. "You surely don''t mean... Benefactor, you want to entrust me to a dragon I''ve never met before?" "That would be too cruel, in my opinion," Kristina chimed in, moving closer to Eugene and stroking Raimira''s head as she peeked out from inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. "We can''t just leave her clueless like this,¡± countered Eugene. "What¡­ what did you just say? Benefactor! Even if you are this Lady¡¯s benefactor, calling this Lady a fool is too harsh, considering that this Lady is a revered member of the great race!" Whack! Raimira retracted her head back into the cloak after a good smack on the red jewel. "A dragon should have some dragon-like qualities. She''s just clueless and weak,¡± said Eugene. There couldn¡¯t be more than a hundred-year difference between Ariartel and Raimira. Yet, despite such a small age difference, the disparity between Ariartel and Raimira was far too great. Despite being a magic-controlling dragon, Raimira had no significant magic prowess, her Dragon Fear was mediocre, and her Draconked power. "That''s probably because of the ruby on her forehead," Sienna spected. She was still fixated on obtaining the red jewel on Raimira¡¯s forehead. After researching the red jewel for several days, they discovered that the curse and binding of Raizakia still remained in the ruby, despite his death. Raizakia had not treated his only kin as family. The crimson gemstone lodged within her was a safeguard, an anchor sunk deep into the core of her being. It ensured that she could never defy or resist him. Its oppressive presence was the reason for herckluster magic, subpar Dragon Fear, and inadequate Draconic. The gem restrained the mighty dragon''s powers that should reside within her. "To meddle with that kind of magic, particrly that of a dragon, would be a burden even for me. And quite the nuisance. That... Ariartel, despite just having surpassed her hatchling phase, should be able to intervene with her Draconic. After all, Raizakia is dead," said Sienna. If she became more like a dragon, it was possible Raimira could be utilized to their advantage in some capacity. ''But she''s still just a fledgling, after all,'' Sienna thought, keeping her expectations modest. To the ancient demons that had lived since the age of wars, even a dragon hatchling might be no more intimidating than arge lizard. "B-benefactor, you can''t abandon this Lady. I do not wish to leave the warm embrace of my mother¡­." Hopefully, he would no longer have to deal with her usual frivolous antics with Mer and muffled sobbing from inside the cloak once they resolved this issue. Hoping so, Eugene ignored Raimira. They made their way through the quiet rural streets of Bonyo to the vicinity of the home where Ariartel had chosen her solitude. Sienna''s perception-obscuring magic kept them from the vigers'' prying eyes, but the gate to the property was already open. Ariartel could be seen at the window, her fiery red hair twisted around her fingers and a vexed expression on her face. Sienna and Ariartel''s eyes met. Instantaneously, Ariartel''s expression transformed. She took several steps back from the window with wide eyes that reflected disbelief. "It seems she recognized you,¡±mented Eugene. "I''ve never seen that dragon before,¡± answered Sienna. "In this day and age, how many wizards with purple hair are wandering about?" "Do you know how many followed my trend and dyed their hair purple back in the day?" "There has been a trend among the priests since olden times to revere Lady Anise, and so they grew their blond hair long,¡±mented Kristina. "Then why is no one trying to copy me?" Eugene asked in confusion. "Who would deliberately scar their face to imitate you?" "And blow off one of their ears, no less." Eugene pouted at their response as he approached the house. The door opened without any prompt. "The Wise Sienna?" Ariartel questioned, standing at the entrance. "Do you not hear any news from Aroth in this rural ce?" asked Eugene. "What are you talking about?" Ariartel asked, confused. "Apparently, you haven''t." Sienna had returned to Aroth just a few days ago, but the rumor should have already spread across the continent. It seemed the news of Sienna''s return had yet to reach Bonyo, which was located on the outskirts of Kiehl. ''I guess in this sense, Gidol is better off.'' Eugene smiled nostalgically with appreciation for his hometown. Ariartel watched Eugene''s smile with a sour expression before rearranging her face and turning back to Sienna. ¡°This powerful magic¡­. It is certainly the Wise Sienna herself. And you¡­ you must be Kristina Rogeris, the Saint of our age?" asked Ariartel. "It is an honor to meet a member of the great race," Kristina replied with a radiant smile, her hands folded in prayer over her chest. Ariartel felt a slight shiver and took a step back. An Archwizard who could be called a legend, the Saint, who could be called the embodiment of the Light, and the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago ¡ª although the three figures standing before her were unmistakably human, Ariartel couldn¡¯t possibly bring herself to regard them as such. "This way," she said after a brief pause, swallowing nervously and turning. She had not anticipated visitors, but Ariartel felt no further annoyance towards them. She weed her three guests into the drawing room, willingly served tea, and ced a cup before each of them. "Wise Sienna, I heard about your misfortune from the Stupid Hamel. Your presence before me in the world implies... as the Stupid Hamel foretold, you have in the ck Dragon Raizakia, the disgrace to dragonkind,¡± said Ariartel "Stop saying Stupid Hamel," Eugene was quick to correct her. Even Jagon, whom he had killed at the Dragon Demon Castle, had addressed him with the magnificent title of Hamel of Annihtion. So why did humans and dragons insist on referring to him as the Stupid Hamel? Eugene found himself unfairly irritated with Sienna and Anise. "Your name?" Sienna asked. "Ariartel. The Red Dragon Ariartel." "Ah, so it¡¯s Ariartel. I''ve heard that you''ve been instrumental in my rescue." Sienna showed caution in her demeanor. She was conscious of the fact that she was dealing with a dragon. She gave a gentle bow toward the Red Dragon. "If it hadn''t been for your aid, it would have taken me an impossibly long time to return to the world. I, Sienna Merdein, a descendant of the Samar Forest¡¯s elven tribe and the World Tree, could awaken from my long slumber because of your help.¡± "Ah¡­ grand wizard, a pearl of magic both human and not. Lift your head. Though I am a dragon, I am but an immature being, certainly not greater than you. Please, do not bow to me." Ariartel''s expression was a mix of perplexity and joy. Even as a dragon, sitting face-to-face with figures she''d known only from ancient fairy tales was stirring. Hearing such words from the Wise Sienna kindled the remnants of childhood innocence deep within her heart. ''Indeed, heroes from legends¡­ from fairy tales should possess such dignity,'' she thought while stealing a nce at Eugene. Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel... He was boorish, brash, andcked manners, much like how it was told in the fairy tale. But what about the Wise Sienna? Behold her measured speech and sagacious gaze! And Kristina Rogeris, the Saint of their time. Each of her actions radiated a sanctity truly befitting her status and name. She seemed capable of embracing all beings in the world withpassion and love. ¡®Dragons usually hoard treasures in mountainous piles¡­.¡¯ While keeping her expression steady, Sienna surveyed the room with hawk-like eyes. The dwelling was too dpidated to be perceived as a dragon''sir, as she had also observed from the outside before entering the house. ''Isn''t there a single piece of treasure I can get my hands on?'' In this regard, Sienna and Eugene were quite simr. Sienna pondered how she might coax some treasures out of Ariartel. Chapter 323: Return (2) The story of how the Demon Dragon Raizakia met his end left Ariartel''s expression rigid with shock. "So... you''re saying the two of you vanquished that Demonic Dragon?" Ariartel found it hard to believe. Regardless of his weakened state, a dragon was still a dragon. Furthermore, Raizakia had been no ordinary dragon. Yet, the two of them had in it? Without an army? "With a bit more luck, I could have killed it alone,¡± said Eugene. "As if. Even if you''d managed to kill Raizakia by yourself, you''d have died in the aftermath," said Sienna. "You don¡¯t know that." "No? If I hadn''te to rescue you, you would have died alone, even without Raizakia having to lift a w." Eugene could only pout, unable to find any words of rebuttal. Sienna''s words held truth. Even if he had managed to hold a bit longer and destroy Raizakia''s dragon heart, his physical body would have copsed as a consequence of the strain. Ariartel''s initial surprise ebbed as she watched their bickering. Sheposed her expression before speaking. "Hmm¡­. For all the dragons in their long slumber, excluding me, of course, we all wanted Raizakia¡¯s death. The Demonic Dragon was a disgrace to the dragons.¡± Ariartel herself had desired to participate in Raizakia''s extermination. However, as the guardian of the sleeping dragons, she couldn''t risk joining a potentially dangerous battle. Thus, she had allied with Eugene, the Stupid Hamel. She had engraved the Draconic spell onto the Akasha as requested, improved Akasha itself, and even loaned him Agaroth''s ring. "On behalf of all slumbering dragons, I, Ariartel the Red Dragon, bow to you heroes. Wise Sienna, Stupid Hamel, thank you both for vanquishing the Demon Dragon Raizakia." "Stop calling me Stupid Hamel," Eugene muttered, his eyebrows furrowing. Sienna had remained silent until now. She swiftly raised her gaze to meet Ariartel¡¯s. "May I make a request then?" she asked. "Wise Sienna, I consider myself greatly indebted to you. Feel free to ask anything of me,¡± answered Ariartel. Sienna hadn''t hoped for gratitude only in words. She took several breaths to gather her thoughts beforeunching into a detailed story. She spoke of the grievous wounds inflicted by Raizakia that had led to her being sealed for hundreds of years. During this time, she had be weakened and iplete. Even though she had miraculously been released from her seal following the vanquishing of Raizakia, her wounds were far from fully healed. She spoke of the world''s fragile peace, the prophecy of the Demon King of Incarceration, and the story of the Demon King of Destruction, who had driven countless dragons to death during the era of war. Ariartel''s face darkened progressively with each grim, grave, and urgent tale. Even from her perspective, this era''s situation and future were bleak and despairing. Even though they''d felled the Demon Dragon Raizakia, the other Dukes of Helmuth were on a different level altogether ¡ª they had grown stronger and more formidable over the centuries. Observing the world from the towering Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration was dispensing peace like divine grace. Moreover, even though he had been silent in his own domain of Ravesta for centuries, there was an unsettling uncertainty about when the Demon King of Destruction might suddenly stir. In contrast, the adversaries were still quite feeble. Apart from Ariartel, all the other dragonsy sleeping. Ariartel, though proud of her draconic heritage, didn''t overestimate her strength. The pride and power of her magnificent race had already been brutally crushed three hundred years ago. Gathering dozens of dragons would still not be enough to oppose the Demon Kings, particrly the Demon King of Incarceration and Destruction. The two demon kings had been the primary perpetrator of the dragon massacre. Ariartel was still young and inexperienced in battle. The Red Dragon had realized very early that she could not be a worthy adversary to the Demon Kings in this era. ¡°The favor I wish to ask of you is," Sienna paused, noting the shadow that crossed Ariartel''s face. Her words were verbose, but the gist was straightforward: did Ariartel have any remaining dragon hearts? ¡°¡­Hmmm.¡± Ariartel hesitated, lips moving soundlessly. Why did they need a dragon heart? Why was Sienna asking for one? The Red Dragon had heard the reasons. Though Raizakia''s wounds were no longer visible, scars remained in the astute Sienna''s soul. Healing those wounds, and fighting against the demon race and the Demon Kings in the future, required the power of a dragon heart. Yes, Ariartel understood that and hadn''t thought to question Sienna''s motives. ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± If the request hade from the Stupid Hamel, the Red Dragon might have hesitated more. But the Wise Sienna asked directly meant the need was indeed dire. After a moment''s pause, Ariartel nodded. "If it''s truly a desperate need, Wise Sienna, I can spare a dragon heart." "Ah! Really?!" Sienna¡¯s excitement was understandable. "But... well¡­. No, I should not hesitate. This is all for the sake of the world¡­." Ariartel shook her head a few times before raising her hand high. With a loud crack, the air warped slightly, and a dragon heart pulsing with red light fell from the gap. ¡°This is¡­,¡± Sienna muttered. Ariartel ced the object, which was slightlyrger than her head, onto her palm and gave a sad smile. The dragon heart on her palm vibrated and emitted light before shrinking to the size of a fist. "It¡¯s my mother''s dragon heart. She barely survived the battle with Destruction and Incarceration but could not fully recover from her wounds and passed away centuries ago. This dragon heart... is the keepsake she left me,¡± said Ariartel. "Ahh¡­." "I believe it would be better for the world if the Wise Sienna uses it for a righteous cause rather than me holding onto it. Thus, I will transfer this dragon heart to you. I hope that it can restore some of your strength and heal the wound inflicted by the traitor of our race, Raizakia,¡± continued Ariartel. Although it was a lie that the wound from Raizakia remained, it was toote to deny it now, wasn''t it? Even so, Sienna felt sincere gratitude as she bowed her head. "Indeed, Ariartel. What we failed to aplish three centuries ago, we shall achieve this time around. Your support, or rather, the support of the dragons, will not be forgotten." Sienna gently epted the dragon heart. It was impossible to imnt the dragon heart into Frost here, so for now, she tucked it into her cloak. Having handed over the dragon heart, Ariartel seemed somewhat relieved and satisfied. Yet their business was not quite finished. Eugene studied Ariartel''s expression while she surreptitiously grasped the hem of her cloak. "Are you not going to inquire about Raizakia''s hatchling?" he asked. "She must have perished, no?" Ariartel responded with a look of puzzlement. Surely the Demon Dragon¡¯s hatchling would also have been a Demonic Dragon. It would have definitely perished at the hands of the Stupid Hamel. She hadn''t even considered questioning it. "Come out,¡± said Eugene. "I... I refuse." "I said,e out." Eugene reached into his cloak and seized Raimira¡¯s horn. Ariartel¡¯s eyes widened at the sight of Raimira being drawn from the cloak. "The Demon Dragon''s hatchling!" Shock quickly turned to enmity. Ariartel stood up abruptly and unleashed a fierce wave of Dragon Fear. "So, this is it! Stupid Hamel! You''ve been considerate enough to spare me the task of punishing this hatchling myself. Good! Imposing the sins of the father onto the child may be cruel, but it is my duty as a dragon to burn the seed that will one day be the Demon Dragon¡ª" "She''s just a dragon,¡± Eugene interrupted. "What did you say?" asked Ariartel. "A bit simple and stupid, yes... but still¡­. No, besides that, I told you before! Stop unleashing your Dragon Fear like that! It scares the little one!" shouted Eugene. As Eugene scolded her, heforted the shivering Mer in his cloak. At his angry words, Ariartel recoiled while Raimira red resentfully at Eugene. "Benefactor, why do you discriminate like this between Mer and this Lady?" asked Raimira. "What discrimination...?" "Is it not? Youfort and worry about Mer when she''s scared, yet you dismiss this Lady¡¯s fears and drag me out?" Raimira used. "All of this is for your own good. It''s all to help you." Eugene gently stroked Raimira''s head a few times, feeling a bit guilty at her usation. Kristina, who had been silently watching this exchange, had a fervent conversation with Anise in her mind. ''See, Sister, Sir Eugene is indeed kind.'' [Even if you consider their actual ages, Raimira is at least five times older than Hamel, but that''s not important. The fact that Raimira acts like a child makes it easier for us to show her maternal affection and to restrain Mer.] ¡®It feels like we¡¯re practicing for parenthood.¡¯ Anise was caught off guard by Kristina¡¯s thoughts. Kristina watched the interaction between Raimira and Eugene with a fond gaze, no more words spilling from her lips. A vivid image of a bustling family life took shape in her mind, extending even to a future where Raimira acted as an older sister or aunt to her own yet-unborn child. ¡°... Not a Demonic Dragon?¡± It took Ariartel a moment topose her emotions and scrutinize Raimira. Raimira shrank back and avoided eye contact, unable to meet Ariartel''s gaze. ¡°She is indeed a spawn of Raizakia, but she hasn''t fallen like him. Though she isn''t exactly unscathed either,¡± exined Eugene. ¡°That crimson gem in her head. It''s a fragment of a dragon heart,¡± said Ariartel, narrowing her eyes and studying Raimira. Despite her entricity, Ariartel was still a true dragon. She recognized the powerful constraint imposed on Raimira by the gem ¡ª a magic seal ced by Draconic. ¡°Do you wish for me to remove this seal?¡± asked Ariartel. ¡°If it is within your power.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­. Do not test me, Stupid Hamel. While the seal is potent, Raizakia is dead. My Draconic can indeed interfere with it,¡± Ariartel said before looking at Eugene. ¡°However¡­ I must be cautious with this. Stupid Hamel, do you seek to release the seal on this hatchling to control her? Or to free her?¡± ¡°What kind of answer do you desire?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°She has not fallen like her father. This hatchling is a dragon. She has no obligation to atone for her father''s sins. I believe, as a fellow dragon, I must guarantee her freedom,¡± answered Ariartel. ¡°This Lady is already sufficiently free,¡± Raimira jumped into the conversation before Eugene could say anything. In that short moment, she had thought about what would be of her. From what she gathered, the stern-looking Red Dragon seemed to be on her side, advocating for her as fellow kin. But freedom? Where exactly? Here, in this run-down house in the countryside with the smell of animal dung, alone with this Red Dragon? Or perhaps living in a cave deep in a mountain surrounded only by flora and fauna, just like in numerous legends and fairy tales. Was that the freedom this Red Dragon advocates for? ¡®I refuse.¡¯ The mere thought of it was horrifying. Raimira had spent two hundred years imprisoned in the secluded pce of the Demon Dragon Castle! Regardless of this, Raimira was very much aware of her identity as a dragon. Even as a young hatchling, she knew how tempting a prey she was to greedy humans and other races. Eugene Lionheart was strong. Raimira had seen the evidence of Eugene''s strength many times. She had seen him crush the terrifying beastfolk monster, making a fool out of the Staff of Incarceration and even overpowering the Demon Dragon, if only for a brief moment! That wasn¡¯t all, either. She enjoyed a sense of safety and more by Eugene¡¯s side. Being cared for by the Saint with the dual personality wasforting, and she had to admit that even bickering with Mer over trivial conversations was fun. She would be safe inside Eugene¡¯s cloak, and she would never be in any danger. Raimira had heard tales of the Dukes of Helmuth and the Demon Kings, but if she really thought about it, aside from two dukes and two Demon Kings, who else posed a threat to Eugene Lionheart? She found her own conclusion to be profoundly illuminating. ¡®In truth, should this Lady venture alone, I must remain vignt of hundreds, thousands of foes. But with benefactor Eugene by her side, who exists as a threat, save for the dukes and Demon Kings?¡¯ What of the Demon King''s army? She had not considered it. Instead, Raimira reveled in the brilliance of her own deduction. "This Lady¡­ This Lady will continue traveling with Benefactor even after the restrictions ced on me are gone.¡± Eugene felt a stir of emotion upon hearing her response. Who could have expected such brave words? Discrimination against Mer? That was... unavoidable. Yet, it spurred in him a resolve to treat Raimira slightly better in the future. "Scion of the Demonic Dragon... no, descendant of the ck Dragon. I, Ariartel, the Red Dragon, will respect your will." With those words, Ariartel approached Raimira. In a moment of flurry, Raimira attempted to retreat, but Ariartel reached out and grasped her shoulder. "Ugh¡­." Ariartel''s face drew near Raimira''s forehead toward the embedded red jewel. She examined the red jewel with wide, intent eyes. "This is dreadful. Truly dreadful. Raizakia... how could that lunatic view dragons, his own kin, in such a way?" The constraint suppressed so many aspects of her growth. In fact, Raimira would never be a dragon of merit even in centuries under the constraint. Raizakia had desired this. He wanted neither a splendid daughter nor a proper dragon from Raimira. Instead, he had wished for an existence he could control and y with,y eggs with, and then ultimately consume. Ariartel did not discern his true, horrific intentions but still felt genuine sympathy for Raimira''s restriction. "We shall begin now,¡± Ariartel said after observing the red gem. "How long will it take?" asked Eugene. "We will only know once it ispleted. But even at the earliest, it will take at least four days,¡± answered Ariartel. "I wille back to fetch you then," Eugene told Raimira. Raimira looked at Eugene, startled by his response. "Are you leaving me here alone?" "What can we do even if we stay? We''lle backter, so behave well." "Don''t cry out of loneliness without me," Mer added her piece, sticking her head out of the cloak. Raimira gazed at Kristina with trembling eyes. Her look tugged at Kristina''s heartstrings, but still, she had no intention of separating from Eugene to stay there. What if Sienna crossed a daring line in her absence? Kristina and Anise were determined to prevent such an event at all costs. Thus, Raimira ended up staying in that house for several days. The desperate cries of "Benefactor, Benefactor" echoed from the door as it closed, but Eugene did not even give a second nce. "Time to finally make our return,¡± murmured Eugene with his back against the weathered house. Their destination was the capital of Kiehl, Ceres, where the Lionheart¡¯s main estate was located. Cyan, who had returned first, must have exined the circumstances somewhat, but¡­. He nced at Sienna, her smile beaming by his side. How should he exin returning with the Wise Sienna...? What words would convince Patriarch Gillead, Anci, and the rest of the household? "Speaking of which, Eugene, your biological father¡­ he''s still alive, isn''t he?" asked Sienna. "Yes." "Then, on this visit, I should greet your father, shouldn''t I?" she said, her voice quickening. She twisted a lock of her hair nervously as she continued. "I should bring a gift or¡ª" "Lord Gerhard enjoys fine food and drink," Kristina interjected casually. "Of course, I have met him in advance. We even shared a meal together before." There was no taunting tone in her voice. Still, her unmistakable disy of familiarity caused Sienna''s eyes to quiver. "...I''ll go ahead." Eugene had no desire to be caught in the crossfire of whatever was igniting between them. With a deep sigh, he quickly hurried his steps as if fleeing the scene. Chapter 324: Return (3) The Kiehl Empire. The Lionheart estate buzzed with activity from the early morning, thanks to the news that arrived the day prior from Aroth. Their son, Eugene Lionheart, was finally returning today after being away from the estate for several months. Now, his wanderlust was nothing unusual, which meant his sudden departures and arrivals were usually met with little concern... but this time was different. Cyan had returned a week earlier and had briefed them on the situation as requested by Eugene. In Samar, Eugene had participated in a war between the indigenous tribes within the vast rainforest. During that conflict, Edmund Codreth, who was deemed the greatest ck wizard of their time and the Staff of Incarceration, fell to Eugene. In addition, the Demon Dragon Raizakia, a Duke of Helmuth, had also met his end at Eugene¡¯s hand. Anci''s eyes rolled back in shock, and Gilead copsed in disbelief upon hearing the news. War? Edmund Codreth? Raizakia? Such were not things befitting a young man of only twenty-one years. Unfortunately, the surprises didn''t stop there. The Wise Sienna had returned to Aroth. "Shouldn''t we have gone to meet them?" asked Gion, the captain of the Third Division of the ck Lion Knights. He was biting his nails anxiously. Underneath the fluttering Lionheart g, the head of the family, Gilead, stood in his uniform. Beside him, his wife, Anci, was all dressed up and desperately trying to cool her cold sweat with a fan. "He asked us to wait at the mansion and not to go out to see him," Gilead answered. Sienna''s return to Aroth and the subsequent announcement of Eugene as the sessor had happened a week ago. Subsequently, the news spread across the continent in less than half a day. Gilead wanted to visit Aroth as soon as he heard the news since it seemed like the right thing to do. The Lionheart family were descendants of the Great Vermouth, and the return of the Wise Sienna, a figure of legend, was reason enough for Gilead to pay his respects. But just as he was about to depart, a letter had arrived from Eugene in Aroth. The message was verbose, but it could be summarized as follows: Eugene understood how surprised he might be but asked Gilead not to rush to Aroth and to wait at the Lionheart estate instead. [In a few days, we''ll return to the Lionheart mansion together. Wouldn''t it be better to host an event within the family at that time?] Gilead agreed that it seemed like a better idea. Preparing in haste and going to Aroth for a rushed formal greeting seemed less desirable than properly preparing to wee Lady Sienna. As a result, the Lionheart estate was now busier than ever. The ck Lion Knights, tasked with guarding the Us Mountains, left only a small garrison at the castle while the rest rallied at the estate. Moreover, the scions of powerful coteral lines within the family had also flocked to the estate. As a result of the influx, the estate was filled with hundreds of people, not to mention over a hundred elves currently residing there. The elves had also emerged from the forest in their finest attire. Never in the history of the Lionheart family, spanning hundreds of years since their founding ancestor, had so many people gathered at the main estate. Indeed, they could have scaled the gathering to even grander proportions if they wished. News of such a grand convergence of their family had even drawn the eye of the Emperor of Kiehl. Emperor Straut II had indicated his intention to personally partake in the event, yet, Gilead had strived to respectfully convey his refusal. Although it couldn¡¯t be called an affair of the family, he argued, wouldn''t the Wise Sienna be startled if His Majesty were to make a personal appearance? Thankfully, the emperor did not seem too displeased with the refusal, perhaps thanks to the rumors that Sienna had almost submerged the royal pce of Aroth underwater. ¡ªThen, do send Eugene Lionheart to the pce in a few days. ¡ªIf possible, along with the Wise Sienna. Gilead pressed on his throbbing temples. The royal family of Kiehl had always paid particr attention to the Lionhearts, and Emperor Straut II was no exception. It was understandable; though the Lionhearts were a family belonging to the Kiehl Empire, it didn''t mean the imperial family could freely manipte them at will. For centuries, the Lionhearts had maintained a knightly order that was as formidable as, if not more than, the empire''s elite. There was no chance that they would dream of rebellion as the descendants of the Great Vermouth, but even still, the Lionhearts were simply too overwhelming and formidable in their military for the imperial family. Thus, for centuries, the Lionhearts had contributed to the defense of Kiehl independently. The duty of guarding the southernmost Us Mountains was an age-old obligation of the Lionhearts, with all associated costs being funded not by the Empire''s military budget but from the Lionheart''s own coffers. So far, this had been the nature of the rtionship between the imperial family and the Lionhearts, but Emperor Straut II desired more. His ambitions were to im the Lionhearts entirely for the imperial family, with the turbulent circumstances of the continent subtly bringing his desires to the fore. During a previous disturbance at the ck Lion Castle, Gilead had been detained for several days for an inquiry at the imperial pce. He had also received overt criticism that the problems arose due to the excessive size of the Lionheart family. The emperor had demanded that all the Lionheart knights be incorporated directly under the imperial pce, and Gilead had spent days politely refusing¡­. ''...Of course, they would covet. It¡¯s only a matter of course.'' Gilead thought of his adopted son, Eugene Lionheart. He had known it since Eugene was but a child, but the boy was exceptionally talented. He was such a remarkable boy that Gilead, for the first time in the family''s history, had taken him in as an adopted son. It had been more than worth it. The child had been born with too many gifts. He received recognition from the Holy Sword and became the sessor to the Wise Sienna. Even the reclusive Demon King of Incarceration of Helmut was paying close attention to Eugene. Even if Eugene himself rejected the role of the patriarch, his name now represented the Lionhearts of the current age. ¡®While one might covet, one cannot simply possess. That child is not one to be tamed.¡¯ Regardless of whatever promises the emperor of the Kiehl Empire might make, Eugene wouldn''t pay them heed. It was this steadfastness that made Gilead anxious. While he, Gilead, could appease the emperor, he feared Eugene would not. A wrong move could definitely turn the emperor into an adversary. Gilead fretted not only for the future of the Lionheart family but also for the potential hindrance the emperor might be to Eugene''s future. ¡°Family head, are you not well?¡± Cyan cautiously asked from the side. Anci, who had stopped fanning herself, turned her worried eyes towards Gilead. Noticing how stiff his own expression was, Gilead quickly shook his head, replying, ¡°I¡¯m fine. Seems like I was too nervous.¡± "If Ciel were here, she could have lightened the mood,¡± Anci sighed, reminiscing about her daughter, who was not currently at the manor. Carmen had left the manor with her disciple, Ciel, and her aide, Dezra, over six months ago. While Anci heard from them every month via letters, as a mother, she missed her daughter dearly. Perhaps her age was making her grow more sentimental. ¡°Thest letter mentioned they are staying in Shimuin. It¡¯s¡­ a nation I''ve visited in the past. It¡¯s an ideal ce for a knight to undergo training,¡± said Gilead. Just as Aroth was known as the Kingdom of Wizards, Shimuin was called the Knight Kingdom. In this country, located in the middle of the southern sea, numerous fightingpetitions were held every few months, drawing in countless frence knights and mercenaries to test their skills. ¡°Patriarch! Sir Eugene Lionheart is approaching!¡± A knight near the front gate announced in a loud voice. Gileadposed his stiff expression and straightened his posture. Anci also took a deep breath, making sure topose herself with the grace and dignity befitting a noblewoman. ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ I can''t¡­ catch my breath....¡± Gerhard, who had been standing in the shadow due to nervousness and dizziness, leaned on Laman for support and came to stand beside Gilead. Despite having taken several medications, his heart refused to calm down. ¡°Calm down, Gerhard." "You wouldn''t want to embarrass yourself in front of your aplished son, would you? Start with some deep breaths." ¡°I''ve done that several times already¡­.¡± Gerhard continued his deep breathing while beating his chest. In the meantime, the manor''s main gate began to slowly open. Gilead raised his hand high. Following his gesture, the main gate began to open in unison with the motion of the knights of the White Lion, who raised the g of Lionheart. Thump, thump, thump. The knights rolled their feet in rhythm. The music yed by the family¡¯s band harmonized with the knights'' footsteps. Hiding the overwhelming excitement in his heart, Gilead walked through the ranks of the knights. The figures of Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina appeared through the wide-open main gate. Instead of approaching them immediately, Gilead halted midway, bowing his head towards Sienna. ¡°I thank you for gracing the Lionheart family with your presence, Wise Lady Sienna.¡± Waah! The knights of Lionheart, the members of the main and the coteral lines, the servants of the main house, and even the elves united their voices into a triumphant cheer. "The Saint of Light, Lady Kristina Rogeris," Gilead continued. Waah! A roar of apuse ripped through the air once more. Kristina had previously been a guest at the Lionheart''s banquet, but her presence incited just as much excitement as before. "And ¡ª the Blood Lion of Lionheart." An even greater cheer erupted, surpassing that for Sienna. "The singr... Dragon yer of our time." Had Carmen been present today, she would have been the one to speak these words. However, s, she was absent. As such, Gilead had to swallow his embarrassment and announce the title himself. It was necessary, after all. The Wise Sienna was a living legend. Kristina Rogeris was the Saint, a figure deserving of universal praise. However ¡ª this was the territory of the Lionhearts. In this ce, and at this moment, the one who deserved the most praise and attention was not the Wise Sienna or the Saint. It was the young Hero who was leading the Lionheart n into the future ¡ª or rather, the present. Carmen had bestowed upon him the title of Blood Lion. The world hailed him as the Hero. From today onwards, he would bear another title. ''Dragon yer.'' Oooooh! Everyone bearing the Lionheart''s name cried out in awe. A Dragon yer! What a resounding title! Even during the war three hundred years ago, no human had ever been dubbed a Dragon yer. Throughout history, the title of Dragon yer was only ever used to describe the Demon King of Destruction and Demon King of Incarceration, who had ughtered numerous dragons during the warring era. It was a given that humans could not y dragons. Dragons were not beings that could be hunted by humans. This was an absolute truth epted by all. However, a human had managed to kill a dragon. And not just any dragon, either. The only corrupted dragon ¡ª the infamous Demon Dragon Raizakia, a monster that even their great ancestor Vermouth had failed to y. A descendant of Lionheart living in this era had seeded in vanquishing the fiend. "The Dragon... yer...!" Eugene stuttered while quivering. The death of Raizakia was not a secret kept within the Lionheart n. He never had any intention of hiding it. In fact, he had even contemted making use of Raizakia''s corpse as a trophy. Consequently, news of Raizakia''s death had spread beyond the Lionheart family and into the world. But¡­. But! To be called a Dragon yer! What about the Blood Lion? Eugene doubted his ears and eyes. The fact that Lord Gilead, and not Carmen Lionheart, had uttered those words filled him with disbelief. ¡°Blood Lion!¡± ¡°Dragon yer!¡± Echoing cries of hundreds filled the air. Eugene felt a faint ripple of dizziness. Blood Lion and Dragon yer ¡ª both were titles Eugene didn¡¯t want to hear. Why did he need such petrifying, cringy titles? [It¡¯s still better than the Stupid Hamel, no?] Mer teased while suppressing a chuckle from within the cloak. Eugene yearned to grab and ce a good smack on the annoying creature¡¯s head right then, but he refrained... because he somewhat agreed with Mer''s jest. The Stupid Hamel. Eugene, the Blood Lion. Eugene, the Dragon yer. Upon reflection, they didn''t seem all that bad. Somewhat prestigious, even. With a smirk, Eugene stood tall and proud amidst the booming apuse. Before arriving at the family manor, Sienna had been briefed by Eugene and Mer about the current state of the Lionheart family. The man standing proudly at the front would be the head of the family, Gilead Lionheart. He was Eugene''s adopted father. Thedy by his side would be his wife, Anci. ¡®And that man... is Eugene''s biological father, Gerhard?¡¯ She saw a middle-aged man with beads of cold sweat cascading down his face. Save for his ash-colored hair and golden eyes, he bore little resemnce to Eugene. There was no hint of vigor on his creased face, and despite being a descendant of Vermouth, his physique did not reflect any martial prowess. ¡®This is even better.'' She could tell that the family head was formidable just by his visage. But on the other hand, what about Gerhard? He was sweating profusely from nervousness, and he seemed rtively approachable. Perhaps he was someone she could bond with over a single round of drinks. ¡°Thank you for your grand wee, head of the Lionhearts," Sienna began with a warm smile. She slowly surveyed her surroundings. Indeed, the hundreds of knights were worthy descendants of Vermouth. The Lionheart banner fluttered in the high winds, and looking at it, Sienna was reminded of a long-ago memory. This was not her first visit to the Lionheart estate. Hundreds of years ago, when Vermouth... had passed away, Sienna had paid a visit in a ck mourning dress. She had stood in front of Vermouth¡¯s coffin alongside Molon and Anise. She had seen Vermouth¡¯s lifeless face through the opening in the coffin, and together with Molon, she had wept. After the service, they carried the coffin and moved to the ck Lion Castle in the Us Mountains. They hadid Vermouth''s coffin in a tomb he had prepared in advance within the sanctuary there. "Who would''ve thought I''d return like this?" Sienna chuckled bitterly as she stirred her distant memories. A bit further off, in the middle of the garden, stood a statue of Vermouth. A little distance away stood a statue of Hamel ¡ª the one she had taken care of to avoid breaking during the underground tomb battle in the desert. It stood next to Vermouth''s statue. Without realizing it, Sienna found herself clutching her chest at the sight. Her nose twitched, and her heart pounded. She barely managed to hold back the tears. "Sienna." The quiet murmur of a small voice. Away from the knights, among the elves, stood an elf with dull green hair and a scar on his cheek ¡ª Signard. Upon seeing him, Sienna could no longer hold back her tears. Stumbling slightly, she walked toward Signard. The knights of Lionheart didn''t obstruct her path. They stepped aside and allowed her passage. Signard, too, with a face on the brink of tears, moved toward Sienna. "Elder brother." Weeping, Sienna embraced Signard. Chapter 325: Return (4) Sienna and Signard became caught up in a tearful reunion, and Eugene felt numerous, tant gazes fixed on him. No one had spoken yet, but Eugene was well aware of what these stares demanded from him. "Ahem¡­," Eugene cleared his throat while stepping forward. Eugene locked eyes with Gilead briefly, and he understood Eugene''s intentions and made way. Even Gilead, who maintained a stern expression, had to swallow hard in anticipation of what was about to be revealed. His eyes were sparkling. "Alright, alright. I know what you''re all expecting, so please step back a bit. This is ratherrge and needs enough room,¡± said Eugene. As soon as enough space was made, Eugene made rough calctions in his head before flying up into the sky. Then, he removed his cloak and shook it lightly toward the ground. Kwoooong! The massive corpse of a dragon fell out from within the fluttering cloak. People screamed in terror and astonishment at the sight of the dragon''s body, which was evenrger than the manor. "Wait, wait. Don''te close. It''s dead and won''t suddenlye back to life, as you all know! However, this is the body of the Demon Dragon Raizakia, right? It hasn''t been fully purified yet, so if you touch it carelessly, you might catch a strange disease,¡± said Eugene. All he did was seal it so it wouldn''t smell from within the cloak. Because of Raizakia''s enormous size, Eugene had not been able to proceed with the purification during his return journey from Samar. "A dragon!" "It''s a real dragon!" The Lionheart n was the most famous family of warriors on the continent. Even if they weren¡¯t descended from the lineage of the main family, nearly all who grew up with the Lionheart name became knights or military officers. Consequently, people of the Lionheart n had been exposed to monsters from a young age, and those who joined the ck Lion Knights typically received a wyvern each. Of all the monsters they had seen so far, the wyvern was the closest they had ever known to a dragon. However, they now realized how ludicrous and disrespectful such aparison was to the race of dragons. Everyone who saw Raizakia''s corpse felt the overwhelming presence, even from a dead body; the creature was something that couldn''t be simply dismissed as a monster. "When the purification isplete," Eugene began his exnation, sitting atop Raizakia''s head, "this enormous trophy will, of course, be the property of the main house of the Lionheart n. It''s far too big for me to monopolize." The dragon heart was smashed, and Raizakia¡¯s blood was unusable. Nheless, plenty of things could be used as materials from a dragon''s corpse, including its scales, leather, bones, and teeth. Given Raizakia''s enormous size, the corpse would provide enough materials to arm all of the White Lion and ck Lion Knights. ''Armor and weapons... it should be just enough. If there''s a shortage, they can use the materials only on the crucial parts.'' This should be ample penance for themotion he has caused so far, not to mention any future ones he might stir up. As Eugene contemted the situation, his gaze naturally drifted toward Anci. Anci, always a picture of noble grace, had a habit of hiding her face behind her fan when her emotions threatened to betray her. However, today, she stood agape, her eyes locked onto the corpse of Raizakia. It was clear that she was unable to make any attempt atposure. The towering mountain of financial worries she held for her estate ¡ª the cost of elves'' living, taxes, and more ¡ª was now melting like snow in her mind. Unfortunately, however, it wasn''t as simple as it seemed. Even if one were to search the entire continent at that moment, would they find a craftsman capable of working with materials from a dragon? If such a craftsman existed, they would likely be a dwarf, but even a dwarf would not have experience working with a dragon. Of course, these concerns were not immediately Eugene''s to ponder. Arranging for a suitable craftsman would be a task for Gilead and Anci. All Eugene needed to do was present the spoils and bask in the praises of the family''s blessing. "Eugene Lionheart!" "The Blood Lion!" "Dragon yer!" "The Reincarnation of the Great Vermouth!" "Hero!" Praises such as these, which had been embarrassing and diforting only moments ago, were starting to warm his spirits. It was said that ttery could make even a bear dance, and Eugene was no simpleton like a bear. He tried to suppress the grin that was beginning to form on his face. Should he raise his fist in triumph? No, he thought it best to avoid any grand, cringy gestures that mightter fill him with regret. And so, Eugene did nothing. He simply let the cheers wash over him, and when the time felt right, he descended from atop Raizakia''s head. ¡®Ah¡­ Sister, did you see Sir Eugene''s smile just now? It was truly befitting of a world-saving hero,¡¯ Kristina thought with her hands sped over her heart. However, unbefitting her character, Anise remained silent at Kristina¡¯s remark. Anise never denied her infatuation for Hamel, just as Kristina did not hide hers. But as ofte, Anise had begun to notice a concerning intensification in Kristina''s adoration. Due to their upbringing, Kristina inherently possessed a certain cynicism. Having shared a simr environment, Anise could rte to this aspect of Kristina''s personality. However, ever since their salvation at the hands of Eugene, Kristina''s mind had bloomed like a flower garden when it came to any thoughts regarding him. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t a garden of merely bright and pretty flowers, but a murky, sinister one, influenced by her cohabitant, Anise. It seemed this was an inherent trait of Kristina''s and something she shared with Anise. The problem was Kristina''s ominous desires and views started to surpass even Anise''s imaginings, which made Anise fear that she might have awakened these monstrous desires in her counterpart. "To be of such an age... and to have no sense of shame," grumbled Signard quietly. He knew that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel from three hundred years ago. Thus, as Eugene reveled in the cheers of the multitude, Signard could not help but find the spectacle of delight rather pitiful in its tant disy. "Sienna, you do see that Hamel appears a bit too intoxicated by the thrill... why such a face?" said Signard. "It''s nothing, nothing at all, brother." Sienna had indulged in even greater exhration than Eugene in Aroth. She had relished the cheers of tens of thousands in a crowd while even soaring into the sky in enjoyment. During her tours of the towers and the guild, she had proudly disyed herself to the wizards of the present age as if it had been a matter of course. So, when she heard Signard''s words, they stabbed at her heart. "I heard you were afflicted with the Demonic Disease, are you truly well?" She had heard about Signard from Eugene. As she remembered it, Sienna''sst encounter with Signard was after the war had ended. It was during the elves'' requiem, which was held in front of the World Tree. Elves were inherently not prolific, and their numbers rarely increased. Moreover, too many elves had died in the war three hundred years ago. The massacre had been led by the dark elves under themand of the Rakshasa Princess Iris, who had been serving the Demon King of Fury. Iris herself had been an elf ranger, and having aplete understanding of the elves, she had led the dark elves to hunt the elves in unimaginable ways. They had burned down entire forests, taken elves hostage, tortured them, and brutally murdered them before disying their corpses for all to see. Why had she not killed Iris? Why had she not avenged their brethren? Many elves had asked Sienna this during the requiem. Naturally, Sienna had wanted to kill Iris as well. She had in the Demon King of Fury but missed killing Iris and Oberon. As a beastfolk, Oberon had been none of Sienna¡¯s concern, but Iris was an enemy she had to kill. But at the time, she had not been given an opportunity to hunt down Iris. The Demon King of Incarceration had shown mercy, and they had barely achieved peace through Vermouth. The war had finally ended like that, so how could Sienna have just marched into Helmuth and killed Iris? She simply could not do such a thing. She held back. She wanted to kill Iris, but Sienna decided to wait until she was ready. The elves at the requiem had epted her determination. Signard had epted it at that moment too. But elves lived too long. Decades passed, and Signard was still dreaming of the battlefield as a young elf, still remembering the friends who had been killed by Iris. So, he left the forest of the elves. He didn''t go to see Sienna in Aroth. Instead, he had set off for Helmuth, armed only with a desire for revenge and hatred. He had not considered whether it was possible. He had just filled his mind with the idea of killing Iris. If he hadn''t left the forest, Signard wouldn''t have caught the Demonic Disease, and even after contracting the disease, Signard wandered the Forest of Samar for hundreds of years without returning to his homnd. It was because Sienna had hidden the location of the great forest. Sienna could only feel guilty regarding this matter towards Signard. "I''m alright. Although it''s not a disease that gets better little by little, it hasn''t gotten worse." Signard had known Sienna since she was an infant. Despite not sharing the same blood or being of the same race, Signard truly thought of Sienna as his little sister. He felt distressed and sorry to see Sienna feeling guilty, so he gave her a big smile as if to prove a point. "Someday, someday¡­. It''s bound to get better. Once all the Demon Kings are in, there¡¯s no way this disease will persist. And soon, Iris, that traitorous elf, too, will meet her end," Sienna spoke while shifting her gaze to Eugene. Signard watched Sienna''s changing expression through the slits of his eyes. Despite her strong-willed, rather annoying appearance, there was no trace of mockery on Sienna''s face. "Sienna, you surely aren¡¯t still hung up on Hamel, are you?" Signard asked after a while. "B-brother, what are you saying all of a sudden!?" Sienna retorted, seemingly taken aback. Signard''s eyes grew colder at her response. She thought her feelings for Hamel had remained concealed for centuries, but that was not at all true. Perhaps it might be the case for those with whom she shared only a brief interaction, but anyone who had formed a substantial rtionship with Sienna, no matter how obtuse, would have recognized her lingering attention for Hamel. ''Although that fool Hamel seemed to be unaware¡­.'' Signard continued to regard Sienna through his narrowed eyes. Three hundred years of age? It was an astounding age by human standards, but not for an elf. Thus, Signard perceived his younger sister as still in the bloom of her youth. Moreover, he saw her as beautiful as any elf. Was that all? Sienna was touted as the Wise Sienna by the entire world. Could there be another woman with such credentials? On the other hand, what about Hamel? He was a man who died three centuries ago and was resurrected¡­. Signard acknowledged that even in his previous life, Hamel had many merits. After reincarnation, those merits seemed to have multiplied ¡ª the prestige of his family, his own capabilities, and even his physical appearance! ''But... but¡­.'' Despite all that, Signard believed Sienna deserved better. The fool, Hamel, seemed to have failed to notice Sienna¡¯s feelings even after three hundred years, which only strengthened Signard¡¯s thoughts. And judging by her consistent oblivious act, Sienna also seemed to have no intention of confessing her feelings to Eugene. In that brief moment, Signard found himself immersed in deep thoughts. Personally, he thought it best if Sienna found someone else, someone better than Hamel. He didn¡¯t have such thoughts just because Hamel had given him a sound beating in the past. It was simply that Signard didn''t want to hand over his undeniably brilliant sister to such a fool. But that was merely Signard''s personal wish. As an elf who had lived for centuries, he understood that his sister''s wishes were more important than his own in matters like these. "I''ll help you,¡± said Signard. "Huh¡­ what?" "Sienna. Knowing you, you probably haven''t confessed your feelings to Hamel yet. So, let me help you." Just as Signard had a flurry of thoughts in that fleeting moment, so did Sienna. It was clear that her brother was under some significant misunderstanding. Unconfessed feelings? They had already expressed their emotions to each other and even shared a kiss. But was that of any importance right now? Sienna focused on Signard''s offer to ¡°help.¡± Didn''t it imply that she had gained an absolute ally who was unequivocally on her side? Anise and Kristina were like wolves. Mer had informed Sienna how cunningly Anise and Kristina had acted in the Lionheart house. ''Using their status as the Saint capable of wielding divine power, they''ve been healing minor injuries of the Lionheart knights every day and umting goodwill, haven''t they?'' Undoubtedly, the name ¡®The Wise Sienna¡¯ carried significant weight in the Lionheart manor, but how would everyone perceive a rtionship between a twenty-one-year-old young man and an Archwizard who lived for three hundred years? Would the knights of Lionheart not think that the young Saint in her twenties suited Eugene better than their forefathers''rade? Age was not important. Especially for a wizard like Sienna, age truly was just a number. Even so, she felt bothered by it, which meant that Sienna didn¡¯t think of age as simply a number. Sienna tried not to be conscious of it. "......Umm¡­. Hmm¡­. I''m not exactly sure what you''re saying, brother. But if you''re offering to help, why would I, your younger sister, refuse?" responded Sienna. "Then I will help you right now. You love Hamel. No, we can''t use that name here, not in front of everybody. So¡­. We tell everyone that you love Eugene,¡± suggested Signard. Elves didn''t understand the hearts of humans, and this fact was hammered into Sienna once more. "Are you insane? Stop this nonsense, brother. Just¡­. Just stay put for now. Don''t do anything until next time I need your help." Sienna quickly interrupted Signard, causing him to shut his mouth. *** They crammed the enormouslyrge carcass of Raizakia back into the cloak. Afterward, Eugene, Kristina, and Sienna entered the Manor under the awe-filled gaze of everyone. "Why the long face?" asked Eugene. "What¡­. What''s wrong with my face?" responded Gerhard. "You look like you''ve been holding in a dump for three days. Is that how you want to look when you greet your son, who has returned after such a long time?" Gerhard''s face crumpled at Eugene¡¯s joke. While ncing at his son, who was smirking mischievously, he also stole nces at Sienna. Under normal circumstances, he would have reprimanded his son for making fun of him, but he couldn¡¯t do so now. Not in the presence of the Wise Sienna. "Sir Gerhard Lionheart." Sienna noticed that Gerhard was conscious of her. She gave a soft smile. She subtly shifted her body to the side, leaning her shoulder towards Eugene, and met Gerhard''s gaze. "The sessor I chose, Eugene Lionheart, was raised remarkably, a feat entirely attributed to your efforts, Sir Gerhard,¡± continued Sienna. "No¡­. Not at all. I didn''t do anything to raise my son...." "Did you not trust in your child and support all his needs and aspirations?" "Ahem¡­. Well¡­. Yes...." Gerhard''s lips curled up at thepliment. In fact, even by his own assessment, Gerhard didn''t think he was a terrible father. After his wife''s death, Gerhard adjusted his entire lifestyle and ambitions to match his newborn son, Eugene. ''Though it''s hard to believe he''s my son given how outstanding he is¡­.'' He had never taught Eugene the sword personally. But, if Eugene needed a wooden sword, he immediately found it for him. He had done his best, finding Eugene a sword instructor if he asked for it. Sienna couldn''t help but grin inwardly when she saw the tension slowly dissipating from Gerhard''s face, It was as expected. Complimenting his son had been the right answer. Chapter 326: Return (5) "Once more, wee to the Lionheart family. Thank you foring," Gileadmenced the dialogue as he sat before Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina in the family''s reception room. The conversation proceeded naturally and casually. Oh, thank you for acknowledging Eugene as your sessor. Ah, how could I not take such an exceptional child as my sessor? "Please feel free to speak casually,¡± Gilead said after a while. Sienna would not typically refuse such an invitation. Rather, she might have eased into speaking casually even before Gilead suggested it, and Sienna herself thought this was the norm. Why wouldn''t it be? After all, it was a fact that Sienna had been alive for more than three hundred years. Gilead looked to be middle-aged, while Sienna was a youthful, pure youngdy in appearance. But regardless of their exterior, Gilead was a distant descendant of Vermouth to Sienna. ''Right? You guys would prefer that, too, right? You know your grandfather¡¯s grandfather, your ancestor Vermouth¡­ I used to casually banter with him. Ah, you know, I thought I was going to die having to speak all spiffy.¡¯ She desired to say such words, but she held herself back. She couldn¡¯t speak such words here, not in the Lionheart mansion ¡ª the reason being solely Eugene, who was sitting next to her. "Hmm¡­ no, it''s okay. I respect my friend Vermouth, and in the same manner, I respect his descendants, the Lionheart n, you all, in short." Sienna yed coy. She didn¡¯t think it would give off a good impression acting so casually in front of Eugene¡¯s foster father, foster mother, and his birth father. Simply put, Sienna held a somewhat romanticized view of calling them by their formal titles such as mother-inw, father-inw, father, mother, etcetera.¡­ [She¡¯s ying coy, I see,]mented Anise. ''I find that side of her slightly adorable.'' Kristina chimed in. [You find herck of assertiveness endearing?] Anise questioned, to which Kristina simply smiled without responding. Yet, Anise was mentally connected with Kristina and understood what she was thinking. ¡®A scary child¡­,¡¯ Anise couldn¡¯t help but think as she peered into Kristina''s enigmatic mind. Gilead admired Sienna''s response. The conversation resumed shortly as Gilead praised Sienna''s aplishments and honor while Anciuded Sienna''s dignity and beauty. Gerhard expressed his gratitude for treating his son, Eugene, with kindness and care. "Should you find anything ufortable during your stay at the Lionheart estate, please do not hesitate to bring it up." "Yes, please do so. Even if it is something minor,¡± Gilead and Anci said with a smile. "I¡¯ll continue staying here,¡± Sienna, too, responded with a smile. "Pardon?" "For a while?" "Hmm? Haha, for a while¡­. Really?" Gilead, Anci, and Gerhard''s gaze collectively shifted toward Sienna. Sienna still managed to respond with a smile. "Yes, I¡¯ll continue staying here. You know, I thought this when I came here while Vermouth was still alive, but this mansion is truly wonderful. It¡¯s built on goodnd." She wasn''t lying. This mansion closely resembled the ideal image of a mansion that Sienna always had in her mind. The mansion she had built in Aroth had turned into a tourist attraction after several centuries of development, but this mansion remained exactly as it had been three hundred years ago. Adjacent to the mansion was a spacious forest. There was no flowing river, but there was ake instead. "I heard from my sessor. There aren¡¯t that many people who live here despite how big it is, right? Only the head of the family, his wife, Sir Gerhard, as well as the twins and the servants,¡± said Sienna. The knights had their own quarters, so it was indeed a fact that not many people lived in this mansion. Sienna quickly took the lead before anyone could respond to the shocking deration. "I don''t mind any room. Oh,e to think of it, I don''t necessarily have to live in the mansion. My family and the elves are living in the forest, so I might consider building a cabin in the woods and living there. After all, when you think of a witch, you imagine them living in a cabin in the forest, right?" said Sienna with augh. Anci was the first to regain herposure, albeit btedly. She desperately maintained her smile as she spoke, "But Lady Sienna...? Aroth has been waiting for your return for two hundred years. Are you really okay with not going back to Aroth...?" "Of course, I''m fine. That matter was already resolved before I left Aroth. I mean, who would dare say anything to me about staying here?" Sienna made sure to emphasize herst words. She had decided to use power rather than logical persuasion. Even Anci, as headstrong as she was, couldn''t refute Sienna''s tant disy of power. "Oh, of course, I don''t mean to imply that I¡¯ll invite myself to stay here as I want. Naturally, I will take my leave if any of you are against it,¡± Sienna said. "Haha¡­. How could you say that? Please stay in the mansion as long as you desire." "Oh my¡­. Thank you for your consideration, Sir Gilead. Of course, I have no intention of upying a room withoutpensation. I will pay sufficient rent every month, and if anyone in the Lionheart n wishes to learn magic, I can personally teach them. Or perhaps I can create artifacts for the Lionheart n or¡­ provide magical assistance in other ways,¡± said Sienna. Gilead and Anci couldn''t conceal the change in their expression after hearing Sienna¡¯s words. Their only reason against Sienna staying with them stemmed from the fact that Sienna¡¯s very presence was burdensome. She was the Wise Sienna, who had lived in an era of their ancestors. Her presence would undoubtedly draw everyone¡¯s attention towards her, and the authority of the family¡¯s head would be diminished as long as Sienna was present. However, without having to worry about such an issue, it was incredibly appealing to have the Wise Sienna stay with them. Gilead had no intention of epting the rental fees that Sienna proposed, but the magical help that she could offer was avish gift that even the emperor would respectfully request. An artifact for the Lionheart family? It was hard to even imagine what it could be. And what of the other magical assistance? Would she install various spells in their territory? Would the Wise Sienna go to the lengths of personally doing such a thing? It was nearly impossible for seasoned knights to start learning magic now. But there were a few coteral families that specialized in magic. Even among the families who did not, there would be children dreaming of wielding magic and staffs rather than weapons¡­. Thinking so far, Gilead recalled his eldest son, who had died a few years ago. He would forever remain the blemish in the history of the Lionheart family. Only curses and contempt would follow the name of Eward Lionheart. However, Gilead couldn''t only despise and curse his eldest son. He could still clearly remember the image of his fifteen-year-old son. His eyes had sparkled after seeing magic during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. ¡°Thank you,¡± Gilead said sincerely. There was no point in imagining what would have happened if Eward had not fallen into corruption. If ¡ª Eward had matured into the wizard he dreamed of bing and met Lady Sienna¡­. It was pointless pondering. Gilead erased the image of Eward from his mind and gave a deep bow to Sienna. *** "See, it worked out well," Sienna nudged Eugene''s side with a smirk. "Of course, it would. Who would say no to what you''re offering?" responded Eugene. "Wouldn''t you have said no if you really disliked it?" countered Sienna. "There''s nothing to dislike. We have all of thisnd. It won¡¯t cause a problem just because you¡¯re living here,¡± grumbled Eugene before looking back. The sun had set, but the mansion was still brightly lit. The guests from various parts of the continent were enjoying the party in the garden, but Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina, the protagonists of the party, were walking together on a secluded path in the woods. "So, where are you nning to live? Are you really going to build a cabin in the woods and live there?" asked Eugene. "The idea is quite appealing. But it''s not like I have to choose one or the other. Can''t I live in the mansion and also in the cabin?¡± said Sienna. She hesitated because of Kristina and Anise. What if those hungry wolves pounced on Eugene in the mansion while Sienna was staying in the cabin? Gulp¡­. She allowed her imagination to take over just for a moment. She didn¡¯t tremble with anger, as she had expected, but that didn¡¯t mean she wanted to leave Eugene in the grasp of the hungry wolves. "Do you ever realize¡­ that you sometimes look at me with strange... um... eyes?" Eugene said, shrinking back. He felt an instinctive feeling of danger. Sienna would asionally make such a face. Her eyes would swirl as if painting whirlpools, her body quivering as she swallowed¡­. Whenever Eugene faced such a gaze, he felt like a frog in front of a snake. "What''s wrong with my eyes?" asked Sienna. "Should I say... it makes me ufortable...?" Sienna kicked Eugene¡¯s shin with a grimace. "Stop talking nonsense. You''re free tomorrow, right? Let''s go to the city together,¡± said Sienna. "Why the city?" asked Eugene. She had worked up the courage to suggest it. Why did he always have to ask for a reason? Why couldn¡¯t he simply agree to it? If they were going, they should just go. Sienna nced at Eugene''s face, and with a firm voice, she exined, "We need to purchase materials for Frost''s enhancement. Plus, I want to explore the capital of the Kiehl Empire. Mer said she''d love to tour the capital with you and me." Afterward, Sienna cast a sneaky nce at Kristina. Kristina¡¯s expression barely betrayed her feelings. After a moment''s hesitation, Sienna cleared her throat before continuing, "Just the three of us." "You don''t need to be afraid,¡± said Kristina, slightly turning her head towards Sienna. Afraid? Me? Sienna felt as though she''d been struck on the head with a hammer. She immediately widened her eyes and red at Kristina. "What do you mean I''m afraid?!" she shouted. "Ah¡­. I''m sorry. I misspoke. I meant to say that you don''t need to worry,¡± Kristina corrected herself. "I''m not even worried!" red Sienna. "Yes, rest assured, Lady Sienna. I won''t disturb your peaceful and private time with Sir Eugene." Kristina sped her hands in front of her chest and looked at Eugene, saying, "Since I have to take care of the favor Sir Eugene asked me. Please enjoy your city visit on my behalf as well." Purifying the massive body of Raizakia would likely require a month of prayers. It was a daunting task, but Kristina had dly pledged to do so for Eugene. Sienna knew what the favor was about. She had considered teasing Kristina and Anise about it. But... she felt guilty at Kristina''s submissive and considerate response. However¡­. Despite her guilt, Sienna had no intention of missing this chance. ''They must have had their share of fun while I was sealed away, right?'' To be honest, it wasn''t like they were doing anything spectacr. They would tour the city for a day and spend their free time strolling through the woods on the mansion grounds. Yet, as mundane as it was, this was the everyday life Sienna had always longed for. Of course, Sienna could not fully indulge in this peaceful life. There was a need to fuse the dragon heart she received from Ariartel with Frost, and as someone now residing in the mansion, she was obliged to at least establish a defensive magical boundary on thend. Was that all? She was also needed in the distant northern region, in the Kingdom of Ruhr, to meet Molon. He was said to be at its very edge. And there was Iris, said to be pirating in the southern seas, as well as the ck wizard known as Amelia, the one who had toyed with Hamel¡¯s corpse. Moreover, there were the demons and the Demon Kings. Finally, Vermouth as well. ''There is plenty of time, yet I can¡¯t afford to y around. There is too much to be done.'' She needed a bold gamble. Sienna surreptitiously turned her head to look at Mer. Mer¡¯s hand was sped in her own. Mer, too, raised her head to look back at her. Two gazes of green hues met. Though no words passed between them, they both nodded, each thinking the same thoughts. Tomorrow¡¯s theme was family. *** As usual, Anci woke up and prepared herself just before dawn, making sure that her appearance was kempt and proper for the matriarch of the prestigious Lionheart family. The feast from the night prior had wrapped up, and all the guests had been sent off to their respective territories. From today onwards, the Lionheart estate would be returning to its usual state. ''Even though Lady Sienna is staying as a guest.'' She could not allow herself to be overly conscious. The head of the Lionheart family was still her husband, and only Anci was to support this great family from behind the scenes. As such, Anci steeled her resolve anew the moment she stepped out of her room. Even if the Wise Sienna was staying as a guest, Anci was determined to be steadfast. Right, she would ensure she would not bend even in front of the Wise Sienna. Rather, she would make sure that Lady Sienna would respect her wishes when in this mansion. Anci did not seek assistance for the first grooming of the morning. She was unwilling to show her disheveled appearance to anyone except her husband. This morning was no different. She did her makeup and changed her clothes. It was winter, and the wind was cold. Thinking that the clothes she had in her room were not warm enough, she walked into the dressing room to find light outerwear to cover herself with. Given the size of the mansion, there were several dressing rooms bigger than the size of an ordinary warehouse. This dressing room didn¡¯t just house Anci¡¯s clothes but also the ones she had bought for Ciel to wear someday, as well as the clothes she had gifted to Mer. Anci froze as soon as she walked into the dressing room, even forgetting to close the door behind her. The room was in chaos as if a storm had passed through, and clothes that had been neatly arranged were all spread out on the floor. "I... was trying to tidy it up,¡± said Sienna with a sheepish smile. She was dressed in an extravagant,vish dress. Next to her stood Mer, wearing an equally extravagant dress. The familiar mirrored the same awkward smile. "What... what on earth are you two doing here?" Anci asked, both shocked and flustered. Why were Sienna and Mer in this room? Never mind the terrible mess, Anci failed toprehend the situation at hand. "Um... well, you see¡­," Sienna stuttered, struggling to articte herself. In a bind, she cast an imploring nce at Mer, who, with a light-hearted chuckle, stepped forward towards Anci. "Actually, Lady Anci," Mer began, "Lady Sienna, Sir Eugene, and I have nned an outing in the city today. I wanted to wear this lovely dress you''ve gifted me for the asion." As for Sienna, she blushed slightly, clearing her throat before she spoke. "I, um, Lady Anci... have been so long removed from worldly matters that I''m not quite used to the modern trends in... in clothing. I thought, perhaps, your stylish wardrobe could inspire me, but... it seems I had be overly enthralled." Indeed, it was the truth. She had only intended to help Mer choose her attire at the beginning, but the array of garments stored here had caught her attention far too well. "Ah... I see." Anci replied. How could anyone be upset when the Wise Sienna was giving such a confession? Anci wasn¡¯t even upset. Instead, Sienna''spliment on her sense of style had, in fact, pleased her. "I shall leave you to it then; please feel free to explore," said Anci. "W-wait! Now that you''re here, could you perhaps assist us?" Sienna implored. "Pardon?" Anci quirked an eyebrow. The room was filled to the brim with clothing. So many choices appealed to Sienna and Mer, but they couldn''t decide what to wear. Upon hearing their predicament, Anci nodded, "If that''s the case... I understand. You need help choosing outfits that would suit you and Mer best, correct?" "This is of utmost importance," Sienna lowered her voice dramatically to a whisper. "Mother and daughter." "Pardon?" Anci queried, now thoroughly confused. "Mother and daughter," Sienna repeated. "I am the mother. Mer is the daughter. I want us to be seen as such by others." "But... you already appear so to others¡­." "Not just our faces. I would like our clothing toplement this perception," Sienna interjected. What on earth was this request about? Anci felt slightly dizzy, but she gave a nod of agreement. She couldn''t say that she waspletely lost on the reason. The bond between Sienna and Mer was apparent. Mer was cute. Moreover, they had only reunited after hundreds of years, and since Mer was a familiar said to be created reflecting Sienna¡¯s childhood, Sienna would definitely harbor a certain maternal fondness for the familiar. "Shouldn''t we also choose clothes for Sir Eugene?" Mer asked. "Hush," Sienna interrupted. "If Lady Sienna is the mother, I am the daughter, and Sir Eugene is the father, it would be perfect, right? To choose clothes that match¡ª" "Hush!" Sienna eximed louder this time, looking startled as she covered Mer''s mouth. Anci froze in the middle of selecting clothes. She was afraid to analyze the meaning behind what she had just heard. ''Mother? Daughter? Father? Eugene? Why?'' Did she hear wrong? She turned her eyes toward Sienna and Mer with a baffled expression. Sienna offered an awkward smile as she continued covering Mer¡¯s mouth. [Lady Siennacks courage. It''s better to admit it beforehand since it will eventuallye out anyway. That way, you can get help.] Mer''s grumbling voice echoed in Sienna''s mind as she blushed. Chapter 327: Return (6) Eugene silently blinked, unable toe up with any words. ¡°What¡¯s with that look?¡± Sienna shyly challenged. Mer asked, ¡°From Sir Eugene¡¯s point of view, do we perhaps look strange?¡± Look strange? No, they didn¡¯t. Eugene was stunned by just how good Sienna and Mer looked together in their new clothes. ¡°How is it? Do Lady Sienna and I look like we are a pair of mother and daughter?¡± Mer eagerly prompted. ¡°Ah¡­ if I had to say it, rather than a mother and daughter, you look just like a pair of sisters¡­,¡± Eugene awkwardly admitted. Sienna¡¯s appearance looked so young that it was impossible to imagine that she could have had a daughter like Mer. That was why Eugene had given such a heartfelt and honest response, but Mer and Sienna showed conflicting reactions. Sienna¡¯s cheeks blushed slightly out of embarrassment, and the reason for this was that she had clearly only heard the words ¡®you look so young¡¯ from what Eugene had just said. While, in fact, Eugene hadn¡¯t directly said such a thing, that didn¡¯t really matter to Sienna. From hundreds of years ago until now, Sienna had already be used to arbitrarily interpreting Eugene or, rather, Hamel¡¯s words and attitude in a more positive light. On the other hand, Mer narrowed her eyes and red at Eugene. Because what Mer had wanted to hear was that they did look like a mother and her daughter rather than a pair of sisters. Of course, being told that they looked like sisters also implied that Mer greatly resembled Sienna, but the point that Mer had been hoping to focus on this time wasn¡¯t the simrity of their appearances. The theme of this outing was meant to be family. If Sienna was the mother, that meant Eugene would be serving as the father¡­. With her eyes still narrowed, Mer scanned Eugene¡¯s attire. ¡°How boring,¡± Mer bluntly critiqued. ¡°What?¡± Eugene responded in confusion. ¡°I¡¯m talking about your clothes,¡± Mer rified. ¡°No matter how good the clothes may look on you, do you really need to wear the same thing all the time, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°What did you just say?!¡± Eugene shouted as he felt sincerely offended. ¡°These aren¡¯t the same clothes that I usually wear. They are all slightly different.¡± ¡°But in the end, they¡¯re still the formal clothes of the Lionheart n,¡± Mer insisted. Eugene frowned, ¡°Hey! What¡¯s wrong with me wearing the formal clothes of my n?¡± If Eugene was forced to admit it, the biggest reason for his choice of clothing was that it was just the most convenient. Choosing a formal suit with a matching top and bottom eliminated any need for further pointless concerns. Even in his previous life, Eugene had never once spent any time worrying about what he should wear any day, and it wasn¡¯t like the Devildom had been a ce for such concerns. ¡°I¡­ I actually also like those types of clothes,¡± Sienna shyly confessed. At this, Mer just let out a long sigh and shook her head. ¡°Forget I said anything,¡± Mer said resignedly. As expected of Eugene, Mer felt she should have asked Anci to pick out Eugene¡¯s clothes as well. If Sienna had boldly made such a request back then, even Anci wouldn¡¯t have been able to refuse. On top of that, if Mer had put on her usual performance of acting cutesy and speaking with a lisp, they would have even been able to turn Anci into a firm ally. ¡®Lady Sienna always hesitates at the most important moments,¡¯ Mer thought regretfully. Yet even if Mer thought back on it now, such things were already in the past, so it couldn¡¯t be helped. Mer rxed her furrowed brow and stepped between Eugene and Sienna. Squeeze. Her hands reached out on both sides to grab Eugene and Sienna¡¯s hands. While feeling proud of how she was connecting them by standing right between the two, Mer said, ¡°Come on then, let¡¯s go.¡± Sienna nced over at Eugene¡¯s expression. But unlike what she had expected, Eugene didn¡¯t seem to be all too flustered by the current situation. After all, holding hands with Mer? It wasn¡¯t like this was the first time Eugene had done so, so why should he care whether he was drawing attention by doing so at this point? The fact that Mer¡¯s other hand was holding onto Sienna¡¯s? Why should that matter? But Sienna didn¡¯t feel too satisfied to see Eugene with such a calm expression. But after ncing at Eugene¡¯s face once more, she didn¡¯t snap at him or make any verbal attacks. While reminding herself to keep her cool, Sienna allowed herself to be pulled along by Mer¡¯s hand. In the rear of the mansion, the massive corpse of Raizakia had been left resting in a crouching position. Kristina and Anise had gotten started with purifying the corpse early in the morning, and the two of them had an exchange of conversation when they saw Eugene leaving the mansion. ¡®It seems that Lady Sienna has made up her mind,¡¯ Kristina observed. Anise agreed, [Yep, it does seem that way. It looks like she wants to advertise their rtionship to the whole city, no, to the whole empire. She¡¯s practically saying, ¡®Hey, look at me, people of the Kiehl Empire,e and see my new look.¡¯] ¡®Well, it does appear like she wants to show off their rtionship to such an extent. Yet even so, looking at them like this, this look does seem to really suit them.¡¯ [Since that kid, Mer was practically Sienna¡¯s way of realizing her unfulfilled desires, it would be strange if they didn¡¯t look good together.] As the two of them were having such a conversation, Eugene¡¯s group drew closer to Kristina. This was because it was more convenient for them to use the warp gate inside the forest than to head out of the front gates and ride a carriage. Sienna spied on Kristina¡¯s reaction with a tense expression. If a critique that she was being disgraceful with such a tant disy were to leave the lips of this young rival of hers, Sienna felt like it would be a strong blow to her heart. However, Kristina just smiled and said, ¡°That look really suits you.¡± This was her sincere opinion, and Kristina had no intention of turning her rtionship with Sienna into one of outright hostilities. Instead, if at all possible, Kristina wanted to gently guide Sienna into bing a trusted ally and developing what they had into a symbiotic rtionship. Sienna stammered, ¡°I-is that so? It does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± From what Kristina had discovered, Sienna was weak topliments. Just look at what was happening right now. Even though it wasn¡¯t even an over-the-toppliment, with Kristina just saying that Sienna¡¯s current look suited her, Sienna was smiling widely as she twirled her body from side to side. ¡°Yes,¡± Kristina nodded. ¡°If anyone were to look at you now, they would think that you, Sir Eugene, and youngdy Mer were a family.¡± ¡°Cough,¡± Eugene suddenly choked as he finally realized what their current situation looked like upon hearing these words. He was about to let go of Mer¡¯s hand out of a feeling of flustered embarrassment, but as if she had known that he was about to do so, Mer held on firmly to Eugene¡¯s hand and refused to let go. Looking at this sight with a smile in her eyes, Kristina bowed her head and said, ¡°Have a safe trip.¡± ¡°Uh¡­,¡± Eugene paused, suddenly feeling bothered that they were leaving Kristina behind by herself. But they weren¡¯t just leaving her behind, were they? After all, they were entrusting Kristina with the duty of purifying Raizakia¡¯s corpse. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. That said, if Eugene kept getting bothered by this and turning around to look back at Kristina, wouldn¡¯t it also be rude to Sienna, who he was with right now? So Eugene temporarily suppressed his apologetic feelings for Kristina and Anise. ¡°Have you heard about the news?¡± ¡°Hm?¡± ¡°What news?¡± ¡°Ahhh, really now. I really shouldn¡¯t be telling anyone about this, but¡­.¡± ¡°What is it? What is it?¡± ¡°Just tell us quickly.¡± ¡°Tsk, fine, I¡¯ll just say it. You lot, you know who the Wise Sienna is, right?¡± Just as Eugene¡¯s group was heading through the forest, on the other side of a nearby bush, three elves suddenly appeared and started conversing out of nowhere. Their voices were so stiff that anyone could tell their conversation had been rehearsed. It was as if they were doing a script reading. Their faces also looked like they were both embarrassed and trying to hold back theirughter. ¡°The Wise Lady Sienna! Of course, I know who she is. The most outstanding wizard, whether it¡¯s in the past, present, or future!¡± ¡°The one who learned magic while growing up amongst the elves and ady who is just as beautiful as an elf!¡± ¡°Yep, that¡¯s right. About that Wise Lady Sienna, have you heard that she likes Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Kyaaaaah! Kyaaaaah!¡± ¡°You¡¯re talking about him, Sir Eugene Lionheart, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! It¡¯s him, the scion of the Lionheart n! A perfect person with talent in both the literary and martial arts!¡± ¡°The Blood Lion!¡± ¡°The Dragon yer!¡± ¡°If it¡¯s that Sir Eugene and the Wise Lady Sienna, don¡¯t you think they match really well together?¡± By this point, Eugene couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer. As his whole body shuddered in embarrassment, he let out a great shout, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just get lost already!¡± The elves fled while letting out shrieks ofughter. Behind the now panting Eugene, Sienna broke out in a cold sweat as her face blushed bright red. There was no need to even think about whose brain might have devised the idea for such an absurd skit. It was Signard. That damn elder brother. To think that he woulde up with an idea like this for the sake of his younger sister. ¡®Should¡­ should I just kill him?¡¯ Sienna wondered. It wasn¡¯t umon for siblings to harbor feelings of murderous intent for each other, but this was the first time Sienna had felt such a murderous intent towards Signard. ¡°Ahem¡­. Ahem! Um. Ahehem!¡± Sienna covered up her embarrassment with a series of coughs. Then, afraid to even see Eugene¡¯s expression, Sienna strode forwards, yanking on Mer¡¯s hand. While also feeling a sense of shame and embarrassment buried deep within her heart, Mer pulled on Eugene¡¯s hand like Sienna was pulling on hers. Eugene tried to think of something to say, but after seeing how Sienna¡¯s back seemed to be begging him not to say anything, he quietly kept his mouth shut. In the end, the three of them headed towards the warp-gate in silence, but on their way there, they passed by several groups of elves who were coincidentally having the same sort of chat. * * * The primary purpose of today¡¯s outing was to purchase the materials needed to reinforce Frost. But in fact, this was just an excuse. Most of the required materials were already inside Sienna¡¯s cloak. Of course, Sienna had no intention of revealing this fact to Eugene. Although she might have a lot of various bits and bobs, if Sienna took a closer look, wouldn¡¯t she still be able to find one or two missing things? Though Sienna didn¡¯t really need a reason to convince herself, after having such thoughts, her chest felt lighter. ¡°I¡¯m just asking this because I really am curious, but if you were going to use perception-dampening magic anyway, why bother toe out dressed like that?¡± Eugene asked as he swung his hand that was holding Mer¡¯s. Though they were walking down the streets of the capital city, Sienna currently had a perception-dampening spell activated around the three of them. Thanks to that, the people they were passing by weren¡¯t able to properly recognize the trio¡¯s presence. ¡°Stupid bastard.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene is an idiot.¡± Sienna and Mer nced at Eugene as they muttered phrases with simr sentiments. The two of them hade out dressed like a mother and her daughter today because they wanted to put on a show for Eugene, not for these unknown passersby, who they probably wouldn¡¯t even get involved with in the future. So even if no one else could see them, it was fine as long as Eugene could. Also, it wasn¡¯t like Sienna had cast her perception-dampening magic over everyone. She might think of them as unknown passersby who would probably never have anything to do with them in the future, but Sienna still slightly desired to show off. Take right now, for example. As they entered a magic shop that handled the very highest quality items in all of the Capital City of Ceres, Sienna subtly canceled the perception-dampening spell. ¡°Welco¡ªGasp!¡± The wizard staffing the shop who had been approaching to greet them suddenly gasped and took a step back. In response, Sienna winked at him and ced her index finger on her lips. ¡°Shhh,¡± Sienna shushed. The wizard stammered, ¡°Si-Sie¡ª¡± Only for Sienna to shush him more violently, ¡°Shhh!¡± Having been told to keep quiet twice, the wizard snapped his jaws shut and started backing away, almost as if he were trying to run. ¡°Really now,¡± Eugene muttered as he nced at Sienna¡¯s amused expression with a helpless look in his eyes. While doing her best to ignore his gaze, Sienna resumed walking forward, swinging her right hand that held Mer¡¯s hand back and forth. Since Sienna was taking the lead like this, Eugene, who was holding Mer¡¯s other hand, also had no choice but to keep up with Sienna. As they¡¯d feared, Sienna was far too famous, with looks far from ordinary and her purple hair that couldn¡¯t help but draw people¡¯s eyes. On top of that, since she was also holding the hand of Mer, who looked just the same as her, all eyes in the shop couldn¡¯t help but turn to Sienna. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but feel a mix of emotions as she noticed the various gazes. If these gazes were just full of admiration for her, she would have easily epted them with a smile, but the gazes currently being leveled at her were full of bewilderment and disbelief. This was all because of Eugene, who was still holding onto Mer¡¯s hand. Sienna felt concerned that her face might already be blushing. However, the moment that she had such a thought, she saw Mer smiling brightly next to her. ¡®Fine, so what if it is?¡¯ was the thought that rose into Sienna¡¯s head. Since Mer was this happy, what did it matter what other people might think or what sort of looks they might give her? The words Mer had told Sienna this morning kept running through her head. That¡¯s right, she needed to be bold. Nodding her head, Sienna took a slight step to the side. She was now standing closer to Mer, which meant she was closer to Eugene as well. The goods being sold in this store might be of excellent quality, and there were a lot of rare items, but there wasn¡¯t anything that Sienna really felt like buying. Even so, she had a lot of fun looking around the ce, thanks to how wide the store was, and by the time she had finished looking through all of their stock, one by one, an hour had passed. Even though she emerged with empty hands, having not bought anything, all the store employees followed her out the door to see her off. ¡°Let¡¯s go get something to eat. I¡¯m hungry!¡± Mer said as soon as they had left the store, her eyes shining with excitement. It was about time for them to have some lunch. However, instead of replying immediately to Mer, Eugene narrowed his eyes and asked, ¡°Should I get rid of them?¡± Sienna also said something incongruous, ¡°For now, I think it would be better to just leave them alone. After all, I expected something like this.¡± Like Eugene, Sienna also seemed slightly annoyed, but even so, she wasn¡¯t about to run rampant like she had in Aroth. ¡®The White Dragon Knights,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. Their tant gazes showed no intention of hiding themselves from their notice, so it seemed like they might be worried that secretly spying on the trio would just end up drawing Eugene or Sienna¡¯s anger. Perhaps that was also why their watchers had exposed their presence and watched Eugene and Sienna from a considerable distance. Their uniforms bore the sigil of a white dragon, showing that they were members of Kiehl¡¯s representative Knightly Order, the Knights of the White Dragon. After shooting them another look, Eugene turned to face Sienna and Mer. Eugene was already aware of one reason why they might be watching him. That was thanks to Gilead, who had told him in advance about the emperor¡¯s invitationsst night. He had been asked to make a visit to the Imperial Pce sometime soon, but¡­ after seeing such tant surveince, it seemed like they were hoping to escort Eugene there that very day. If he could have his way, Eugene still wanted to get rid of them, but since Sienna had said not to, Eugene decided to hold back for now. Eugene was also feeling hungry, so the trio picked one of the nearby restaurants and headed in. Sienna and Mer sat together on the same bench while Eugene sat across from them. A waiter approached them, ¡°Here is our menu¡ª¡± But before they could even open up the menu, the words had erupted from Sienna¡¯s lips, ¡°We¡¯ll have the Family Set[1].¡± In the face of this unhesitating reply, Mer turned to look at Sienna with an adoring expression. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me? We¡¯ll have the Family Set,¡± Sienna repeated. The waiter hesitated, ¡°M-my apologies, but our store doesn¡¯t offer Family Sets.¡± It was true that the store did have that sort of luxurious atmosphere. But it seemed as if Sienna hadn¡¯t even imagined that the restaurant might not offer a Family Set, as she was left fluttering her eyshes in a fluster. While Sienna was silently pping her lips, unable to think of what to say, Eugene took over handling their order, ¡°Well, even if you don¡¯t have a Family Set, don¡¯t you still have certain options on the menu that families often order when theye here to eat? Just give us those.¡± ¡°Yes, right away,¡± having taken the order, the waiter quickly withdrew. Sienna btedly came to her senses and let out a prim cough. ¡°Th-theirmitment to service iscking. Even if they don¡¯t have one, they should just make one for us,¡± Sienna insisted. ¡°In today¡¯snguage, customers like you are called Karens[2],¡± Eugenemented. Sienna asked, ¡°What does that mean?¡± ¡°It means a pretty and kind customer,¡± Eugene replied. Anyone who heard Eugene¡¯s answer could tell that it was a lie, but even so, it didn¡¯t feel too bad for her to hear such wordse from Eugene¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯ll let you off this time,¡± Sienna conceded. After leisurely enjoying their meal, they left the restaurant. It was still too early for them to return to the mansion, and there were plenty of stores they wanted to visit and ces to see. They ended up spending more time at a huge clothing store than they had at the magic store, the original goal of their excursion. Eugene tried on all of the different clothes that Sienna and Mer picked out for him, and he also swapped ces and picked out clothes for Mer and Sienna. After they spent quite some timeughing and picking out clothes for each other, a white jacket caught Eugene¡¯s eye. The moment he saw that pure white shade, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but imagine how Kristina might look while wearing that jacket. He also saw a coat with a simr feel to the jacket but with a different design. This coat felt like it would be more suited to Anise than to Kristina. ¡°Tch,¡± Sienna clicked her tongue as she followed Eugene¡¯s gaze. But she didn¡¯t say anything. Just like how those clothes had made Eugene recall Kristina and Anise, Sienna also had the same reaction. Also, Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who secretly felt bothered about leaving them back at the mansion. ¡°Don¡¯t just stand there looking. Go ahead and buy those for them already,¡± Sienna instructed. ¡°I thought you¡¯d be angry,¡± Eugene said in surprise. ¡°Why would I be angry? I¡¯m the one who¡¯s with you right now. So what if you buy a gift for them? It just shows that I¡¯m generous enough to pick out a gift for them, together with you,¡± Sienna said as she walked over to Eugene with a swagger and stood right next to him. Since they were now so close to each other, and Mer had gone into one of the changing rooms to change her clothes, Sienna thought about taking the opportunity to muster up her courage and wrap her arms around his; but when Sienna actually tried to do so, her chest began to pound, and she couldn¡¯t seem to make her body move the way that she wanted it to¡­. ¡°Why are you acting so shy?¡± Eugene questioned. Sienna stuttered, ¡°Wh-what are you talking about?¡± ¡°Really now,¡± Eugene scoffed. Then, with a nonchnt expression, Eugene grabbed Sienna¡¯s hand. In fact, Eugene¡¯s heart wasn¡¯t as calm as his expression made it seem. Like Sienna, Eugene also felt embarrassed when attempting such behavior, knowing well that such actions didn¡¯t really seem like him. ¡®I won,¡¯ Sienna thought to herself gleefully. Regardless of the intentions behind his gesture, Sienna was inwardly delighted that Eugene had reached out first to hold her hand. While celebrating the feeling of victory, Sienna nced over at the presents for Anise and Kristina that had caught their eyes just now. ¡®That¡¯s fine. If it¡¯s gifts like those, I¡¯m fine with giving them as much as they want,¡¯ Sienna allowed generously. After tucking away the shopping bags that had filled up both their hands into their cloaks, they started touring the streets once more. Since their stroll just happened to pass by a cafe, they casually walked in and enjoyed a cup of tea before heading out. They then spent the rest of their time looking at each store that happened to catch their interest, one by one. After wandering around like this for quite some time, the sun floating high in the sky was also starting to set. Even Mer, who had been holding on to both their hands and happily swinging from them all this time, seemed to have grown tired as she took up her usual ce inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. ¡°Shall we slowly head back?¡± Eugene proposed. ¡°As long as they¡¯re willing to quietly let us go,¡± Sienna replied with a grin. The watchers from the White Dragon Knights were still spying on Eugene and Sienna from a distance. Eugene considered just heading back through the warp-gate, but then he changed his mind and walked toward their watchers. ¡°The next time we want to do something like this, it looks like we¡¯ll need to disguise ourselves slightly. It might be toote for me to say this, but I feel like my purple hair is a bit too eye-catching,¡± Sienna admitted. Eugenemiserated, ¡°That goes for my hair as well.¡± Eugene also thought it might be better to change the color of his hair slightly the next time they went out to avoid any unneeded attention. ¡°How do you think I would look blonde?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that way toomon a color?¡± Eugene frowned. ¡°I want to choose it because it¡¯s somon,¡± Sienna exined with augh as she swept her purple hair back slightly. Blonde, hmm, blonde, you say. After trying to imagine what Sienna would look like with her hair turned blonde, Eugene cleared his throat and nodded. ¡°Well, I think you would look okay,¡± he said gruffly. Eugene actually thought that no matter what look she chose, it would look good on her. However, if Sienna were to hear him say such a thing, she would definitely act annoyingly smug, so Eugene didn¡¯t allow such a thought to escape his lips and instead swallowed it back down. As Eugene drew closer to them, the three knights from the Knights of the White Dragon appeared tense. This was Eugene Lionheart. His skills alone would have been enough to make them nervous, but their tension was mainly because of his famous, vtile, and violent temperament. This was especially true since the White Dragon Knights had also participated in the Knight March, where they witnessed firsthand how this fearless young man quarreled with the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, and even swung his sword at the Duke. ¡°You¡¯ve really worked hard today,¡± Eugenemented. But no matter how nasty his personality might be, it couldn¡¯t be bad enough that he would juste up and p them in the face, right? Seeing the smile on Eugene¡¯s face, the knights swallowed a gulp. His smile did nothing to ease their tension. Naturally, this was because they could also see Sienna standing behind Eugene¡¯s back. Eventually, one of the knights spoke up, ¡°I am Fahlen of the Second Division of the White Dragon Knights. Lord Eugene Lionheart, as well as the Wise Lady Sienna, it is an honor to meet you.¡± It wasn¡¯t just Fahlen; all three knights belonged to the Second Division of the White Dragon Knights. Eugene mused, ¡®The Second Division, huh¡­.¡¯ Eugene recalled the friendly match against the White Dragon Knights he had once participated in. The Second Division¡­. That¡¯s right, he did have some memory of them. After defeating Eboldt Magius, the Captain of the Fourth Division, two knights had been particrly open with how hard they were ring at Eugene. There had been the Captain of the First Division, Karian De¡¯Arc, and the Captain of the Second Division, Derry De¡¯Arc. While recalling the tanned face of the younger twin brother, Eugene said, ¡°For what reason have you been spying on us? Could it really be that the Captain of the Second Division has given you the order to do so because he has a grudge against me?¡± Fahlen was taken aback, ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene rified, ¡°I¡¯m talking about the Captain of the Second Division, Lord Derry De¡¯Arc. It seems like he¡¯s holding a grudge against me?¡± This was, in fact, the truth. During the friendly match that had taken ce a few years ago, not only had a Captain of the White Dragon Knights been defeated by a twenty-year-old youth, but more than half of their knights who had participated in that friendly match had also been defeated. Although Eugene hadn¡¯t done anything bad enough that he would need to be taken to task for it, after that friendly match, the twin Captains of the White Dragon Knights had been left with the desire to teach that young lion from the Lionheart n a lesson. Fahlen hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not the case.¡± ¡°The reason we are monitoring Lord Eugene and Lady Sienna is all due to the will of our Emperor,¡± another knight exined. The Emperor. The moment the title was said out loud, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but click his tongue. ¡®It seems that I can¡¯t just ignore this.¡¯ Well, even if he didn¡¯t really like being pushed like this, the Emperor was someone that Eugene would have ended up meeting in a few days in any case. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Eugene said abruptly. The knights were confused, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Hasn¡¯t His Majesty sent word several times that he would like to meet with me? Then let¡¯s go and meet him right away,¡± Eugene dered. Eugene¡¯s decision had a lot of calctions behind it. Just look at the current time. The sun was already starting to set. If he were to set off for the Imperial Pce immediately, he would arrive just in time to have dinner with the Emperor. Then after dinner, it would already be deep into the night. Once it had gotten thatte, Eugene could just make his excuses and depart by saying, ¡®It¡¯ste, so I¡¯m afraid that I have to leave now.¡¯ ¡®It¡¯s better to meet him at ate hour like now than to wait and meet him in the early hours of the day the next time he invites me,¡¯ Eugene thought. He was also curious about what kind of food an Emperor would eat. 1. Not sure howmon this is worldwide, but a lot of Asian restaurants are known as Family Restaurants because they¡¯re family-friendly and offer set meals, the highlight of which are usually the kid¡¯s meals. Think of it like a Happy Meal from McDonalds, but with side options for the parents as well. ? 2. The original Korean uses an archaic word that best trantes as tribute. The kind of expensive offering that was given to a king or high-ranking officials by those of the lower ss. In modern ng, the word is used to mock those customers who expect to be treated as kings by retail employees. Think of customers who staunchly believe that ¡®the customer is always right.¡¯ ? Chapter 328: The Emperor (1) ¡°Isn¡¯t this going too far?¡± Eugene demanded as he pointedly crossed his legs and slumped backward in his seat. His behavior might be seen as incredibly rude, but by this point, Eugene no longer cared about that in the slightest. He had been summoned by the emperor. He hadn¡¯t made his excuses. And he hade when he was called. Sienna hadn¡¯t apanied him as the Emperor had summoned Eugene alone. Sienna had been upset about not being included, but she had decided to acquiesce for now and had returned to the mansion ahead of him. After first seeing Sienna off like that, Eugene had gotten into a carriage with the knights from the White Dragon Knights. But from then on, things slowly started to be more and more obnoxious. What was so bad about riding in a carriage, you ask? It was at least better than walking, but the problem was that it wasn¡¯t just any simple carriage. The windows were specially tinted so that Eugene couldn¡¯t clearly see what was happening outside. When they were rolling down the city streets, he could still at least vaguely see through the window, but from the moment they entered the pce grounds, Eugene could not see what was going on outside and couldn¡¯t hear anything either. If he really thought about it, Eugene could understand why it needed to be this way. This was the Imperial Pce, the ce where His Majesty, the highest-ranking person in this great nation, resided. As such, it would make sense for this ce to pay close attention to security and try its best to keep things secret. However, Eugene still thought they were excessive with all this security and surveince. What had happened when he got off the carriage was particrly eye-popping. The knights waiting for him outside the carriage had handed him a blindfold with exceedingly polite manners. By that point, Eugene was so fed-up that he had just let out an annoyed snort. Wanting to know just how far they intended to go with this, he obediently put on the blindfold. Naturally, this wasn¡¯t just any simple and ordinary blindfold. It was an artifact enchanted with high-level spells. It didn¡¯t just block sight; it also blocked his hearing, smell, and other senses, even making him lose his sense of direction. Even so, with Eugene¡¯s skill in magic, it was possible for him to somewhat resist and mitigate its effects, but Eugene didn¡¯t feel the need to do so right away. If he did, it was certain that the knights of the royal guard would notice the movement of his eyes and start quibbling with him. Although Eugene felt like they probably wouldn¡¯t go that far, they might use him of disrespecting the Emperor or even up the charges to treason if he were caught doing so. So wearing the blindfold and allowing himself to be led along by the knights, the room that Eugene eventually arrived at wasn¡¯t the center of some magnificent grand hall, as he had imagined before getting into the carriage, nor was he shown to a dining table full of fancy delicacies ¡ª it wasn¡¯t even a simple parlor. It was a not-too-small, solitary room. In a tone that made it unclear whether it was an order or a request, the knights told him to sit on the chair stuck to the wall. Eugeneplied with a dangerous smile. ¡°Have Imitted some kind of crime?¡± Eugene asked politely. Up until this point, Eugene had never once argued with their instructions. He hadn¡¯t even asked any questions. After being forced to sit in this chair for about thirty minutes, Eugene had still patiently sat down with his mouth shut until now. But this was it. Eugene thought that he had managed to endure quite a lot. After all, hadn¡¯t he sat there in silence for the past thirty minutes? While impatiently shaking his right foot, which was draped across his left thigh, Eugene red straight across the room. Standing there were two knights with familiar-looking faces. They were members of the White Dragon Knights, a royal knightly order who served the emperor ¡ª Karian De¡¯Arc, Captain of the First Division, and Derry De¡¯Arc, Captain of the Second Division. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that,¡± Karian responded calmly. The two knights might be twins, but they were probably fraternal, as they certainly didn¡¯t resemble each other. Moreover, it was easy to tell who the younger brother was because Derry¡¯s skin was darkened, as if he had a tan. However, from today onwards, Eugene decided he would no longer associate the name ¡®Derry De¡¯Arc¡¯ with things like being a twin, someone¡¯s younger brother, or his tanned skin, but something else. ¡°Should I start by plucking out one of your eyes?¡± Eugene suddenly said out loud. Derry had been ring fiercely at Eugene with a heavy focus, lost control of his expression, and was left staring nkly at Eugene for a few moments. This was because, for those few moments, Derry was unable to process what this brat had just said. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Today was only the second time that Eugene and Derry had ever met, and today was also the first time they had spoken to each other personally. This was the most secluded and hidden location in all of the Imperial Pce, and Derry was one of the few knights who held unquestionable authority over anything that happened in this room. Putting all that aside, Derry was still twice as old as Eugene. So Derry could only respond by saying, ¡°What did you say just now?¡± Was it possible that Eugene had unconsciously spat out one of the thoughts running through his head¡­? There were certainly times when things like that happened, but, at least in this case, Eugene hadn¡¯tmitted that sort of mistake. Eugene had confidently uttered those words while fully meaning to do so. After having to endure all of these annoyances, to then be red at by this petty and mediocre bastard, who insisted on acting as if he was someone who deserved to be respected, Eugene was sick of it. ¡°I said that I¡¯m going to pluck out one of your eyes,¡± Eugene repeated. What Eugene truly desired was to unleash a flood of curses at the Emperor, but he still had enough self-control to avoid doing so. He now understood why Sienna hadn¡¯t been invited along as well. This was an obvious and tant attempt at suppression. But even if Straut was the Emperor of a great Empire, he still wouldn¡¯t dare to suppress the Wise Sienna. If he had shown even the slightest sign of what he intended to do, Sienna would have already acted first by turning the Imperial Pce on its head. Then what about Eugene? There was actually nothing that he could really do about this. Setting Eugene¡¯s reputation aside, the Lionheart n he belonged to had owed their allegiance to the Empire for hundreds of years. ¡®If it wasn¡¯t for that, I would just¡ª¡¯ Eugene was holding back his desire to spit foul curses at the Emperor solely to avoid harming his n. However, as for those two bastards just standing there, ring at him all bug-eyed? It wasn¡¯t like they were the Emperor or members of the imperial family, were they? Derry was taken aback, ¡°What¡­ did you say?¡± ¡°It seems like this bastard¡¯s ears don¡¯t work properly,¡± Eugene spat out, abandoning all pretexts of politeness. Holding out a finger in front of him, Eugene crooked it invitingly towards Derry. ¡°If you¡¯re mad, why don¡¯t youe here and have a go,¡± Eugene challenged. ¡°The Emperor isn¡¯t here yet, and this room seems spacious enough, so it should be fine for us to have a duel.¡± Derry roared, ¡°You knave!¡± Eugene retorted, ¡°Lower the volume, you bastard. Don¡¯t you know that you¡¯re being disrespectful to the Imperial Pce, the residence of His Majesty? It¡¯s not like you twins are children, so how dare you throw a tantrum just because you¡¯re a little bit upset?¡± Derry¡¯s face flushed red at these provocations. Panting angrily, he pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket. Just as Derry was about to throw the handkerchief without second thoughts, Karian intervened. ¡°Stop,¡± Karian ordered. ¡°Don¡¯t get in the way!¡± Derry shouted back. Karian reminded him, ¡°Are you sure that you can win?¡± Karian was actually just as enraged as Derry was. From the start, these twins had already been wary and hostile toward Eugene. It was all because of their pride as Knights of the White Dragon. Whenever people used to talk about who the best knights in the Kiehl Empire were, the groups always mentioned were the White Dragon Knights and the Lionheart n¡¯s White Lion Knights and ck Lion Knights. However, that had now be a story of the past. During the match that took ce one year ago, the White Dragon Knights were defeated seven to three by the Lionheart n¡¯s White Lion Knights. The decisive reason for their defeat was all because of this Eugene Lionheart. As a twenty-year-old youth¡­ he defeated three members of the White Dragon Knights. Moreover, those defeats had been one-sided and overwhelming. And of the three that were defeated, one of them had been Eboldt Magius, the Captain of the Fourth Division. Following the match, the White Dragon Knights were no longer referred to as one of the best knightly orders in the Empire. In this grand continent, the strongest knights had been confirmed to be the Knights of the Lionheart n. In other words, the household guard of a single n had managed to surpass the elite forces of an Emperor and his Empire. The individual who had caused all of this was one Eugene Lionheart. It was only natural that Karian and Derry, who had proudly served in the White Dragon Knights for decades, were hostile to Eugene. However¡­ being hostile and wary towards him and being ¡®sure that you can win¡¯ were twopletely different matters. In Karian¡¯s opinion, if his younger brother Derry agreed to this duel with Eugene, it would definitely result in his brother¡¯s defeat within ten, no, five minutes. As a Captain, Karian was confident in his skill, and he also recognized his younger brother¡¯s skill, but¡­. Eugene Lionheart ¡ª a young man, currently twenty-one, soon to be twenty-two ¡ª was a monster beyond allmon sense. Derry was struck silent at Karian¡¯s question. After slowly breathing in and out to calm himself, Derry eventually crumpled up the handkerchief and stuffed it back into his pocket. After confirming that his brother had calmed down, Karian turned to Eugene and asked, ¡°Are these surroundings causing you much difort?¡± He was asking if Eugene was ufortable? Instead of soothing Eugene, Karian¡¯s question just made Eugene more annoyed. ¡°Of course I¡¯m ufortable,¡± Eugene replied as he cracked his knuckles. Cracrack. This room¡­ had more than a few suspicious corners to it. He had yet to investigate it properly, but from his immediate impressions¡­ it seemed to be located deep underground. The wall behind his back didn¡¯t seem to be made out of any ordinary material either. ¡°You dragged me, someone who hasn¡¯tmitted any crimes, down here like amon criminal,¡± Eugene used. ¡°You haven¡¯t even given me a proper exnation for this either.¡± ¡°If you were truly a suspect, you would have been sent to the dungeons instead of escorted to this room. Also, His Majesty would never dare to offend you like that,¡± Kairan said as he checked his wristwatch. ¡°Please don¡¯t be too disturbed by His Majesty¡¯s dy. Eugene Lionheart, we are aware that you are an exceptional person and someone whose status no one can simply ignore.¡± After all, he was the Hero. Karian continued, ¡°However, this is the Kiehl Empire, you are a citizen of this Empire, and your n, the Lionhearts, have owed their allegiance to the Empire for the past three hundred years. As such, you¡ª¡± Eugene cut him off, ¡°So what? Are you saying that His Majesty, the Emperor, still has the right to treat an innocent citizen like this?¡± ¡°Regarding that issue¡­ it¡¯s not my ce to say anything about it. What I do want to say is, His Majesty¡¯s time is precious,¡± Karian insisted with a faint smile. ¡°Also, I hope you recognize what an honor this is. You may have already realized this, but¡­ this room holds a special secret. As far as I am aware, the only people who have entered this room to hold a conversation with his Majesty are¡­ people that His Majesty wishes to build a true rtionship with.¡± ¡°A true rtionship?¡± Eugene parroted suspiciously. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Karian confirmed. ¡°Even your adoptive father, the Patriarch of the Lionheart n, has never been inside this room.¡± Over the generations, whenever the Imperial Family harbored concern in their hearts, especially towards a high-ranking noble, they had made use of this Room of Truth. As far as Karian was aware, there had never been a case where someone without a title had been led into this room. ¡®Though his qualifications are adequate. And he¡¯s certainly dangerous enough,¡¯ Karian thought silently as he kept his mouth shut. In fact, they didn¡¯t have the chance to continue talking. The door to the room opened. The current Emperor of Kiehl, Straut the Second, walked into the room with his fancy cloak billowing behind him. He looked exactly like what an ordinary person would imagine when they thought of the word Emperor. Wearing arge crown and a flowing cape, his face held the weight of dignity, and he also carried a staff in one hand. The Emperor didn¡¯t enter on his own. Right behind him, following the Emperor like a shadow, came the knight, Alchester Dragonic, Commander of the White Dragon Knights. Alchester showed a flustered expression for a moment when he saw Eugene sitting in this room, but instead of saying anything immediately, he quietly followed the Emperor into the room. The moment that the Emperor entered, Karian and Derry immediately dropped n onto one knee and bowed their heads. Eugene still wasn¡¯t happy about all of this, but for now, he decided to get up from his chair and pay his respects. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Please take your seat,¡± the Emperor instantly requested. ¡°Eugene Lionheart, I didn¡¯t call you here just to get you to kneel down to me.¡± Both Straut¡¯s gaze and voice were cold. As instructed, Eugene sat down while struggling to control the twitching of his cheeks. While staring at Eugene, the Emperor lightly tapped his staff on the floor. At this movement, a splendid throne appeared across from Eugene. The Emperor sat heavily on the throne and rested his chin in one hand. ¡°I have wanted to meet and speak with you for a while now,¡± the Emperor began. ¡°It is my honor,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I am d that you think so. To be honest, I wish that I could have met you sooner than this, but¡­. Well, We[1] were upied with other matters, and it seems you were also busy at the time,¡± the Emperor muttered before grinning. ¡°In fact, if We really wanted to meet with you, We could have met with you sooner than now. However, We are unsure if you are aware of this, but¡­ it¡¯s all due to the Lionheart Patriarch. He has kept putting off the appointment while making the excuse that, as his son, you were still too young andcking in qualifications for an audience with Us. Was it three years ago? During the Lionheart n¡¯s internal turmoil at the ck Lion Castle. At that time, We not only called upon the Lionheart Patriarch but you as well.¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°Well¡­ at least you¡¯ve managed to summon me now. I am quite overwhelmed by this honor.¡± He didn¡¯t truly feel that way in the slightest, but for now, Eugene decided to at least im that he did. ¡°We have long harbored a great interest in you,¡± the Emperor admitted as a thin smile hovered on his lips. ¡°Eugene Lionheart. There are so¡­ many words that could be used to describe you. Even now, there are several thate to Our mind.¡± Eugene kept silent. ¡°Even as a youth, your actions have drawn the attention of the whole continent. And Ours as well. But you should remember¡­ before you are a Lionheart, you are a citizen of the Empire,¡± the Emperor lectured in a rxed tone as he raised the staff. At this sight, Alchester¡¯s head snapped up as he shouted, ¡°Your Majesty¡ª!¡± ¡°We have yet to finish speaking,¡± the Emperor warned Alchester in a low voice. Then he resumed talking to Eugene once more, ¡°Eugene Lionheart, the reason We have called you here today isn¡¯t just to take your measure¡­ or topliment you.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why have you called me here?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because We wish to know what type of person you are,¡± the Emperor replied as he slowly lowered his staff. ¡°What are your thoughts? What have you done, and what do you intend to do in the future?¡± The moment the staff touched the ground, Alchester hastily reached out a hand to grab the Emperor¡¯s shoulder. But Karian and Derry, who had been sticking close to the Emperor, kept Alchester fromying a hand on the imperial personage. In unison, the two drew their swords and blocked Alchester¡¯s movements. Fwooosh! The walls that lined this room suddenly disappeared. The figures of Alchester, Karian, and Derry, who had been standing behind the Emperor, also disappeared. Within a seemingly endless expanse of space, only Eugene and the Emperor were left sitting in their chairs as they looked across at each other. ¡°This is¡­?¡± Eugene muttered as he narrowed his eyes and turned to look at their surroundings. This situation seemed familiar. Just now, Eugene had been sitting in a room, but then, without any indication, something had happened to change that. ¡°This is a conversation between our minds,¡± the Emperor exined with a chuckle as he remained sitting on his throne. ¡°Don¡¯t be too rmed. Because your body and Ours¡­ are still sitting in the room exactly as they were. From what We have been informed, you are also an exceptional wizard, correct? If so, it should be easy for you to understand. All of this¡­ is due to an ancient and mysterious piece of magic.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± Eugene grunted. What had happened just now and this space, it all reminded Eugene of the Darkroom in the basement of the Lionheart Estate. What had happened in the Darkroom held simrities to the current situation. Without any signs, before Eugene could even tell what would happen ¡ª their minds had been stripped from their bodies and materialized within this alternate space. ¡°This is a gift that Vermouth Lionheart, ancestor of the Lionheart n, gave to the Imperial Family of Kiehl,¡± the Emperor exined with a leisurely smile as he waved his staff. At this gesture, an extravagant wine ss appeared in front of the Emperor¡¯s eyes. Even though there was quite some distance between them, the scent wafting from the winess was strong enough that it managed to reach Eugene¡¯s nose. ¡°As the Emperor, even in reality, We are quite powerful and able to do whatever We so wish. However, in this room, We are omnipotent in the truest sense of the word,¡± the Emperor boasted. This wasn¡¯t the real world but instead a world of the mind. Here, the Emperor could create whatever he wished. However, this omnipotence belonged solely to the Emperor, not to Eugene. Eugene had also tried to bring forth several things from his imagination as a test, but unlike the Emperor, he wasn¡¯t able to create anything. ¡°You should understand what that means,¡± the Emperor said as he moistened his lips with the fragrant wine and rose up from his throne. ¡°In this room, no, in this world, We far surpass you. And just like in reality, there is a vast gap between you and Ourself.¡± For the past three hundred years, this room had faithfully served the needs of the Emperors of the Kiehl Empire. It was a joy to use when it came to things like satisfying their base desires, but¡­. The true value of this room wasn¡¯t to yourself but in how it allowed its user to understand others. For example, when the time came to decide who would inherit the throne. The reigning emperor would summon his heirs to this room toplete one final test. Who would be the one who could truly best lead the Empire? What desires and ambitions did they harbor in the depths of their hearts? For the past three hundred years, the Emperors of the Kiehl Empire had all been chosen through this test. There were also several other uses apart from that, such as when they wished to confirm whether a servant¡¯s loyalty was truly genuine or to find out someone¡¯s true intentions. And also¡­. ¡°No matter how exceptional of a warrior or a wizard you might be, even if you are the Hero chosen by the Holy Sword, that holds no meaning in this world. With just the slightest desire, We are able to shatter your mind.¡± ¡­when they needed to eliminate their enemies. ¡°Do you feel that Our behavior is too vicious?¡± the Emperor asked as he began walking over while swirling his wine ss. ¡°I was already aware that Your Majesty dislikes the Lionhearts,¡± Eugene calmly replied. The Emperorughed, ¡°Haha! That¡¯s not the case at all. If I really disliked your n, I would have already taken care of the Lionheart Patriarch by using this room. It¡¯s not just Us, either. All the previous Emperors may indeed have always kept a wary eye on the Lionhearts and coveted your power¡­.¡± The Emperor¡¯s footsteps halted. ¡°...but that is all we have done,¡± imed the Emperor. ¡°We might be wary and envious of your n, but we have never tried to forcefully seize your treasures for ourselves. Out of respect for the Great Vermouth who saved this world¡­ and also because of how the Lionhearts have always been loyal to the Emperor. So we have never felt the need to get rid of your n, nor have we tried to forcefullyy our hands on your power.¡± The Emperor brought the wine ss to his lips once more. ¡°Hah¡­,¡± the Emperor sighed. ¡°However, now, the Lionhearts have grown far toorge. Having grown so much, I can¡¯t help but feel that they need to be leashed.¡± Eugene held his tongue. The Emperor shrugged, ¡°Well, in regards to that, We shall slowly consider the issue once our conversation with you is over.¡± ¡°Did you call me here to put a leash on the Lionheart n?¡± Eugene asked suspiciously. ¡°Not at all!¡± the Emperor replied in a forceful voice. ¡°Eugene Lionheart. Allow me to say this much. All this is not because of Our own personal desires. Moreso, it¡¯s not even because of any personal feelings towards you. It is all because We wish to preserve the prosperity of the Empire and the peace of the continent that We have summoned you here.¡± ¡°Hah¡­ is that so?¡± Eugene said doubtfully. ¡°If all you want is the prosperity of the Empire and the peace of the continent, why do you have to suppress me?¡± The Emperor snorted, ¡°Are you really asking because you don¡¯t know the answer? It is because you are an existence that endangers the Empire¡¯s prosperity and the peace of the continent.¡± Crack! The wine ss that the Emperor was holding shattered in his hand. ¡°Being chosen by the Holy Sword, and thus the God of Light? That means you must be the Hero. How glorious a fate! Vermouth Lionheart truly was a great warrior. However, do we really need such warriors and Heroes in this era?¡± the Emperor asked as his shining eyes turned towards Eugene. ¡°Eugene Lionheart. During the Knight March in Lehain, We also heard the conversation that you had with the Demon King of Incarceration. And then you¡ª! We also saw how you offended Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration.¡± ¡ªStop that madman! When Eugene had attacked Gavid back then, the Emperor had forgotten hisposure and had shouted those words. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration spoke about it, didn¡¯t he. About the end of the Oath and the war that might follow! The Demon King, as the ruler of Helmuth, showed that he had no intention of starting a war first. However, if we were to provoke a war, there is no chance they would ever back down from one.¡± ¡ªCome to Pandemonium. ¡ªClimb up through the Demon King¡¯s Castle, Babel, and aim your sword at me. ¡ªIf that is what you desire, I shall be excitedly waiting there for you. ¡°Who on earth would even want a war?¡± the Emperor asked rhetorically, no longer smiling. With his eyes wide, he red at Eugene and said, ¡°If there is no Hero, then there will be no war. That is how it has been for the past three hundred years!¡± ¡°I never even said that I wanted to be the Hero¡­,¡± Eugene muttered in confusion, but the Emperor was no longer listening to his words. In a passionate voice, the Emperor continued shouting, ¡°As long as you do not draw your sword against the Demon King, then the war will not break out! However, it seems that you haven¡¯t even considered that, have you? You not only dered your challenge to the Demon King but also to the Duke of Helmuth, Gavid Lindman¡­.¡± ¡°Just what are you so worried about?¡± Eugene asked with augh as he crossed his legs disrespectfully. ¡°It seems that Your Majesty is still unaware, but have you heard of what happened to Helmuth¡¯s Dragon-Demon Castle? I¡¯m the one who brought it to the ground. As for the Duke? Haha, I¡¯ve also in that bastard, Raizakia. Why don¡¯t youe to visit the Lionheart estate sometime? Allow me to show you the lifeless corpse of Raizakia.¡± ¡°What¡­ did you just say?¡± the Emperor gasped as his eyes widened even further. As his shoulders trembled in fear, he stared at Eugene and said, ¡°It was you who felled the Dragon-Demon Castle? And the Demonic Dragon Raizakia, who has been in seclusion for hundreds of years¡­ you im to have killed him?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re curious, why don¡¯t you try me,¡± Eugene challenged. This situation seemed to bepletely unfavorable for Eugene. But was that really the case? Eugene, at least, didn¡¯t believe so. It was true that this space and the magic used to create it granted the Emperor a form of omnipotence. ¡®But Vermouth is the one who created this room.¡¯ So Eugene was left without any doubt that the Emperor wouldn¡¯t be able to subdue Eugene within this room. Unlike what the Emperor had so confidently dered, it would be impossible for him to crush Eugene¡¯s mind. Eugene, no, Hamel trusted Vermouth. ¡°You are challenging me?¡± the Emperor¡¯s face contorted in a scowl as he raised his staff. Wooooom! The space began to shake. The Emperor roared, ¡°You! You are not permitted to tell any form of a lie in front of Us. From now on, everything about you, all of your thoughts, the very foundation of your being shall be revealed to Us!¡± ¡°I said, try me already,¡± Eugene just sighed. The Emperor growled, ¡°Impudence¡­!¡± His staff waved at Eugene. ¡°First of all, get down on your knees¡­,¡± the Emperor trailed off as a connection was made, and thoughts began to flow from Eugene to the Emperor. It wasn¡¯t aplete picture, but the Emperor was left with a vague understanding of who Eugene truly was. Unable to finish uttering his previous order, the Emperor stood there frozen for a few moments. ¡°What?¡± the Emperor eventually muttered,pletely unable to understand what he had just seen. ¡°The Stupid Hamel?¡± Eugene let out a deep sigh as he leaped up from his seat and said, ¡°That¡¯s right, you son of a bitch.¡± 1. As in the royal We. ? Chapter 329: The Emperor (2) Why do people curse? Was there really a need to look for an answer to that question? Cursing was just something that you did. Sometimes, curses really did seem toe out all by themselves. Because you wanted to curse. Because you had no choice but to curse. That was currently the case with Eugene. In this situation, faced with such an Emperor, the curse words just came pouring out. He had been left with no choice but to curse. Just look at this bastard ¡ª no, this son of a bitch. The words the Emperor had just spat out painted quite an interesting picture. What did he say? For the Empire¡¯s prosperity and the peace of the continent? In the end, this son of a bitch was just scared of Helmuth and the Demon Kings. He wanted to stop a war from happening no matter what, so he had called Eugene here today to put a leash on him. In fact, if you looked at it from a different point of view, the Emperor¡¯s words did seem reasonable. Helmuth was an extremelyrge empire, and not only was there the threat of the Demon King of Incarceration, there was even the Demon King of Destruction standing behind him. If all of the nations on the continent, both of the humans and all other races, were to join forces, they might barely be able to stand their ground in a war against Helmuth ¡ª no, if the two Demon Kings were to make a personal appearance on the frontlines, the war would probably end up one-sidedly flowing in their favor. However, Straut could only say those kinds of words because he was an Emperor who lived in a peaceful era. Only in that way could he actually have such naive thoughts. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t someone from this era. Eugene could admit that his way of thinking was still tied back to his past, from three hundred years ago, during the era of war. Regardless of what others might think of him, Eugene really was an old fogey. ¡°Let me tell you how things were back in my day, you son of a bitch,¡± Eugene cursed as he sent his chair spinning with a kick. ¡°The world was a very fucked-up ce. Demonfolk, demonic beasts, and ck wizards were getting up to all sorts of shit all over the ce. Meanwhile, all the Demon Kings¡¯ armies were crawling down from the Devildom.¡± The Emperor was left grasping for words, ¡°Ah¡­. Wha¡­.¡± ¡°You asked me, who on earth would want a war, didn¡¯t you?¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°Do you really think that, back then, we all wanted the war to break out? Huh, do you? Those sons of bitches, the Demon Kings, were the ones who first assaulted the rest of the world. As a fucking Emperor, haven¡¯t you even learned your history, you bastard?¡± Unable toe up with anything to say in his defense, the Emperor was still pping his lips soundlessly. This couldn¡¯t be helped. Straut had been a member of the royal family from the moment he was born, and that too, he was born as the Crown Prince, first in line for the session. Because he had such an identity, he had hardly ever heard any rude words throughout his entire life, and in the same way, he was someone who had never once lowered himself to using foulnguage, nor had he ever felt the need to. But what about Hamel? Growing up in a rural vige in the boonies, he had be familiar with swear words from a young age. Having been the leader of their vige¡¯s gang of kids from a very young age, he had practically lived with swear words stuck to his lips. Then, after bing a mercenary, every other word out of his mouth was practically a curse[1]. After bingrades with Vermouth, Anise had worked on correcting his manners even when it required kicking him in the ass to do so, but people, by nature, aren¡¯t so easy to change. The only effect of Anise¡¯s efforts was that he cursed somewhat less than before. Even now, after dying as Hamel and reincarnating as Eugene, he was still just as ustomed to cursing as ever. Eugene continued speaking, ¡°After having received such an assault, the people of that era were forced to gather their strengths together to fight back. As for this current peace? This is also something that was only obtained because the people of the past shed their blood in your stead. Got that? Not only were you able to grow up in such a fortunate world where you can live with a full stomach and a roof over your head, but a bastard like you was also even lucky enough to be born into the imperial family and be the Emperor. Haaaah, really, you son of a bitch!¡± Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a scowl, and he raised his fist threateningly at the Emperor. However, the Emperor didn¡¯t show much of a reaction to the gesture. This was also a natural reaction for him. Because the Emperor had never once been on the receiving end of a beating in his entire life, he simply didn¡¯t recognize that a fist that had been raised like that could ever be thrown at him. Eugene didn¡¯t really care about the fact that the Emperor wasn¡¯t showing a response. Having been pissed off and annoyed by the Emperor, his first reaction was just to pour out everything he wanted to say. ¡°What was that you said earlier?¡± Eugene asked with a sneer. ¡°The prosperity of the Empire and the peace of the continent? You goat-fucking fuckwit, what exactly did you hear when that bastard Incarceration was throwing his weight around and yapping away? Whether or not a Hero appears, and even if we don¡¯t do anything, that motherfucking mysterious Oath is still going to end! And what do you think will happen once that Oath is over? What else?! That bastard Incarceration will just do the same thing he did three hundred years ago. And do you know what that means?¡± There was no response from the Emperor to Eugene¡¯s question. ¡°It means the world will be fucked!¡± Eugene roared. ¡°Well? I said the world will be fucked, you idiot! You bastard who only knows how to spout, ¡®You dare! You dare!¡¯ Even knowing just how painfully your ancestors got their shit kicked in three hundred years ago, you still have the nerve to say such things?¡± The Emperor still couldn¡¯te up with a response to all this. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯te up with a way to refute Eugene¡¯s words. It was just that the Emperor found himself unable to fullyprehend the situation he was in. The man who was vomiting out such a vulgar and uncultured speech right in front of him was Eugene Lionheart. There was no doubt about that. However, due to the powers given to him by this Space, the Emperor had discovered that the one inside Eugene Lionheart was the Stupid Hamel. But did that even make any sense? What was the Stupid Hamel who died three hundred years ago doing inside Eugene Lionheart? And was that Stupid Hamel from three hundred years back actually admonishing the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire with such harsh curse words? How the hell was he just supposed to ept this? Eugene broke the silence, ¡°You shithead, when an elder born three hundred years earlier than you is speaking to you, how dare you keep your mouth shut? Aren¡¯t you going to say anything?¡± The Emperor eventually stammered, ¡°Im¡­ impudence¡­.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Impudence? You¡¯re the one being impudent, you fucktrumpet!¡± Until now, Eugene had been holding himself back from taking action by using curse words instead, but since the Emperor was still behaving like this, he felt that cursing alone wasn¡¯t enough. If this was still in reality, Eugene would have made an effort to be even the slightest bit more patient, but now that they were here in the special space, he didn¡¯t have any intention of keeping his patience. Eugene stalked over to the Emperor with a grim expression on his face. Even the Emperor couldn¡¯t afford to stay still at this move. He still couldn¡¯t quite grasp this situation, but even a neighborhood stray, let alone an Emperor, would be able to tell that someone drawing closer to them with that expression on their face wouldn¡¯t have any kind intentions for them upon arrival. ¡°You dare!¡± the Emperor roared as he waved his staff. Fwooosh! Because his omnipotence within this space was still intact, the Emperor was able to fly high into the sky out of his own free will. He created a new throne from this higher vantage point and sat down on it while ring at Eugene. Mustering his dignity, the Emperor shouted, ¡°You dare to question Us, the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire¡ª!¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to get down from there?¡± Eugene chided like an adult speaking to a particrly naughty child. The Emperor stammered, ¡°T-tell Us your true identity!¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Tell you what? Haven¡¯t you already discovered it due to your oh-so-impressive powers? You already know who I am.¡± ¡°Th-that¡¯s¡­,¡± the Emperor trailed off uncertainly. ¡°Fine, since you want me to say it, I¡¯ll just say it. I am Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas, who died three hundred years ago. Satisfied? But not even the Emperor of my era dared to behave as arrogantly as you have, you motherfucker!¡± Eugene swore loudly. That was a lie. Three hundred years ago, he did meet the Emperor, but that was before they had even started exploring the Devildom in earnest. After their party crossed the sea and made a name for themselves while wandering through the Devildom for some time, they dered that their goal was to y the Demon Kings and had returned to the continent for resupply and reorganization. The ¡°Hero Vermouth¡± and hispanions had been invited to an audience with the rulers of the continent, which had included the then Emperor of Kiehl. In a world that was falling to pieces, the banquet could only have been held by squeezing the lifeblood out of the already suffering people; all to send a farewell to the warriors who would be setting out to y the Demon Kings and the Hero who stood at their head. Even back then, Eugene had disliked how those rulers had held themselves, but that being said, he had still been able to hold himself back from pointing an using finger at the emperors and cursing them out. But what if¡­? What if Hamel had returned from the Castle of the Demon King of Incarceration without dying? Would the Emperor of that era have still been as arrogant as the Emperor of today¡¯s era? Eugene didn¡¯t think that would have been the case. So even if what he had just said was untrue, Eugene didn¡¯t think of it as a lie. ¡°We¡­ are the Emperor of Kiehl,¡± the Emperor dered as he gathered his faculties and settled his trembling voice. Reincarnation? Could such a thing really exist in this world? The Emperor still couldn¡¯t quite believe it, but ¡ª he had no choice but to believe it. ¡°Eugene Lionheart¡­!¡± the Emperor took a breath. ¡°Even if you are the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel, the hero from three hundred years ago, how dare you be so rude in front of Us¡ª¡± Eugene cut him off short, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I?¡± Still standing in the same spot, Eugene looked up at the Emperor, who was so high that even if Eugene tilted his head all the way back, he could only see the soles of the Emperor¡¯s feet. As a test, Eugene tried to move his body around. He found himself able to move easily without any problems. Next, he tried taking a few light hops on the spot. ¡°Just think about it,¡± Eugene continued. ¡°The reason you called me here was to either subjugate or get rid of me by using the impressive powers of this space.¡± The Emperor hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°Are you going to try and deny it? Is it alright for an Emperor like you to lie about such a thing?¡± ¡°This truly is all for the prosperity of the Empire and the peace of the continent!¡± the Emperor roared, refusing to back down. ¡°Eugene Lionheart! If you really are the Stupid Hamel from back then, shouldn¡¯t you be able to understand Our will all the more? After all, didn¡¯t you personally see and experience that terrible war from three hundred years ago?!¡± ¡°Of course, I know all about it,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°Our current peace was won back then by Vermouth Lionheart and the other heroes like you!¡± The Emperor attempted to im, ¡°But We, as the reigning Emperor, have the duty to maintain this peace¡ª¡± ¡°It seems you weren¡¯t fucking listening to what I just said, were you, you moron? Even if we don¡¯t do anything, the Oath is still going to end!¡± Eugene repeated himself. ¡°Even so¡­ there should still be other methods,¡± the Emperor desperately insisted. ¡°And the Oath still hasn¡¯t ended just yet! Also, even if the Oath does end, it¡¯s not guaranteed that the Demon Kings will dere a war¡ª¡± Eugene snapped back, ¡°And there¡¯s no guarantee they won¡¯t! Hey, do you really think you know the Demon Kings better than I do? Huh? When you don¡¯t even know better than me, why do you keep trying to get thest word?¡± The Emperor shook his head, ¡°There might¡­ still be other methods. A way to maintain peace without a war or killing the Demon Kings¡­!¡± Cracracrack. Gripping the armrests of his throne so strongly that the wood was starting to shatter, the Emperor dered, ¡°That is the reason We summoned you! Because We believed that it was necessary to prevent you from acting in haste. To understand your true intentions and determine whether you are a threat to the Empire and the world!¡± ¡°So what are you going to do now?¡± Eugene asked with a smirk as he tilted his head to the side. ¡°You¡¯ve already tried it, haven¡¯t you? The power that you¡¯ve been granted inside this space can¡¯t do anything to threaten me.¡± ¡°Do not underestimate Our power!¡± the Emperor warned. Eugene sneered, ¡°I might just roll overughing. If anyone were to see you now, they might think that you were the one who created the powers of this ce. But Vermouth was the one who gave this to you, didn¡¯t he?¡± Without saying anything in response, the Emperor suddenly raised his staff. Voovoovooom! The space began to vibrate once more. A colossal sword abruptly appeared high in the skies above where the Emperor was sitting. ¡°Eugene Lionheart ¡ª no!¡± the Emperor corrected himself. ¡°The Stupid Hamel, your very existence poses a great threat to the Empire and the world! As such, We shall administer your sentence here and now!¡± Eugene snorted, ¡°Let¡¯s just say that you do whatever you¡¯re thinking of, you dumbass. What are you going to do about Sienna, who you didn¡¯t call here today?¡± The Emperor faltered, ¡°That¡¯s¡­.¡± Eugene prompted, ¡°You should know by now I¡¯m actually not just Sienna¡¯s heir. So what do you think will happen if I don¡¯t return from the Imperial Pce? Sienna will naturallye looking for me, no?¡± The Emperor¡¯s eyes began to waver. Like Eugene had just said, even if it was possible to somehow subdue or kill Eugene, the existence of the wise Sienna still remained a huge threat. If they were able to bring her into this room, there might be some way of dealing with her, but¡­ would it even be possible to hold a conversation with an Archwizard who was in a full rage because her heir, no, her old friend had run into some kind of problem in the pce? However¡­ that being said, the Emperor still couldn¡¯t back down from his position. Eugene Lionheart was dangerous. Just from the fact that he was the Hero, he endangered their current peace, but the knowledge that his true identity was that of an old ghost from three hundred years in the past made him even more of a threat! The Emperor had to somehow get a leash on him here and now. ¡°Do you really think you are doing the right thing here?¡± Eugene asked with a snort. ¡°Sienna is alive, and so is Molon. There¡¯s me as well. The continent is in much better shape than it was three hundred years ago. The Demon King of Incarceration and the demonfolk may also have gotten that much stronger, but we¡¯re still not at such a huge disadvantage as we were three hundred years ago.¡± The Emperor silently considered this. ¡°You said that I, as the Hero, am a threat to the world, but is that really the case?¡± Eugene asked skeptically. ¡°Instead, isn¡¯t my existence an insurance policy put in ce in case the world really is about to get fucked up?¡± Emperor Straut the Second wasn¡¯t an idiot. He might have his own greed and reservations against the Lionheart n, but even he realized there was cause to rethink his previous course of action. Should he really kill Eugene Lionheart, the Hero? It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t given any previous thought to making such a choice. However, like Eugene had just said, the Emperor felt that the existence of the Hero might actually be needed. It was just that currently, in this period when the Oath had yet to run its course, the Emperor had believed that it was necessary to maintain the peace by restraining the young Hero from running amok due to his hot-bloodedness and getting into conflicts with Helmuth and the Demon Kings. After all, wasn¡¯t there already a precedent for doing so? If Eugene hadn¡¯t raised his middle finger to the Demon King of Incarceration during the Knight March, or if he hadn¡¯t decided to attack the de of Incarceration when thetter was attempting to withdraw, then the Emperor wouldn¡¯t have felt the need to use such an extreme method to put Eugene in his ce. ¡°I still find you extremely dangerous,¡± the Emperor eventually said with a long sigh as he waved his staff. At this gesture, the sword floating in the sky disappeared without a trace. ¡°When you¡¯ve already gone so far as to fell the Dragon-Demon Castle¡­ and you¡¯ve even in Raizakia, one of the Dukes of Helmuth, haven¡¯t you? If these facts were to be revealed, they would undoubtedly cause a controversy.¡± ¡°Since it¡¯s a secret that I¡¯m the one who brought down the Dragon-Demon Castle, everything will be just fine,¡± Eugene assured him. The Emperor hissed, ¡°You¡¯ve in Duke Raizakia, so do you really think that your responsibility for the fall of the Dragon-Demon Castle will remain a secret!¡± Eugene waved off his concern, ¡°Hey, I said that it will be fine. All of the demonfolk in Helmuth would have already known that Raizakia wasn¡¯t in the Dragon-Demon Castle at the time. And the Demon King of Incarceration won¡¯t even care that Raizakia is dead.¡± ¡°How can you be so sure of that¡­?¡± ¡°Do you really think you have a better idea than I do of what that bastard Incarceration might be thinking?¡± When Eugene put it like that, the Emperor had no choice but to keep his mouth shut. To be honest, Eugene wasn¡¯t really all that confident in this regard. Eugene had never actually faced the Demon King of Incarceration himself, three hundred years ago, and even though they had met several times since he was reincarnated¡­ he still couldn¡¯t even begin to guess what kind of thoughts might be running through the head of the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene thought of something, ¡°And also, you might think that the world right now is extremely peaceful, so you say that you have a duty to protect the peace, but¡­ that¡¯s not actually true, though?¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± the Emperor asked suspiciously. Eugene told the Emperor of what had almost urred in the Samar Rainforest. He told how Edmond Codreth, one of the Three Mages of Incarceration, had performed a ritual deep within the Rainforest and had almost be a Demon King by sacrificing tens of thousands of the native tribal people. The Emperor gasped, ¡°That¡¯s just absurd¡­!¡± ¡°Why would I lie?¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°If you don¡¯t believe me, you can check it yourself using your powers, no?¡± But wouldn¡¯t the Emperor have already done so if he could? Although he was brimming with the desire to confirm the truth for himself, his powers weren¡¯t working as he wanted them to. Just like in the earlier case, the Emperor had attempted to investigate everyst detail about Eugene, but all he had been able to find out with the powers of this space was that Eugene was also the Stupid Hamel¡­. ¡®As expected, it seems like they¡¯re not working properly,¡¯ Eugene thought as he confirmed his suspicions through the Emperor¡¯s reaction. Vermouth, who had created this space, must have arranged it so that the powers of this ce wouldn¡¯t be able to pose a threat to Hamel. Since the Lionheart line must also have continued to exist for the sake of Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, such arrangements should not only apply to Eugene but also to those of the Lionheart blood as well. Eugene tried to convince the Emperor once more, ¡°Also, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to start a war right away or go off to fight the Demon King.¡± The Emperor eyed him skeptically. ¡°I¡¯ve already been reincarnated after dying once three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene reminded him. ¡°Do you really think I¡¯m crazy enough to put myself in a position where I would definitely die once more? I¡¯ve also made some ns after thinking everything through.¡± The Emperor considered this, ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± ¡°Think about it rationally, Emperor Straut the Second; what reason do we have to go against each other? Naturally, I also want this world to be peaceful. After all, I even fought and died for that peace three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene said persuasively as he motioned for the Emperor to descend. ¡°It¡¯s hard to keep looking up at you like this. Why don¡¯t youe down a little closer so we can have an in-depth conversation? That¡¯s right, let¡¯s try and have that truthful conversation that you were aiming for.¡± Eugene¡¯s words were delivered in a soothing tone. His attitude might be disrespectful, and his tone was extremely arrogant, but¡­ the Emperor decided to try and understand him with a heart as open as the sea. After all, he agreed with Eugene¡¯s words. World peace ¡ª just how wonderful did those two words sound. ¡°Alright,¡± the Emperor agreed with a nod as he waved his staff once more. His throne, which was floating high in the sky, slowly began to descend. The Emperor dered, ¡°Hero from the past, allow Us to introduce Ourself once more. We are the forty-eighth Emperor of the Kiehl Empire, Straut Theodore Kiehl¡ª¡± ¡°Come here, you son of a bitch,¡± Eugene suddenly snarled, showing no intention of listening to the end of the Emperor¡¯s introduction. The moment the throne hade within reach, Eugene¡¯s hands had shot out and grabbed the legs of the throne. ¡°You ill-mannered bastard,¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°You keep acting so haughty just because you¡¯re the Emperor, but I¡¯m three hundred years older than a fucking brat like you!¡± ¡°Wh-what are you doing?!¡± the Emperor yelped as his arms waved around in shock. He attempted to throw off Eugene and raise the throne back up, but it didn¡¯t work as he wanted. Instead, the throne fell to the ground due to the force of Eugene¡¯s pull. ¡°You¡¯re asking me what I¡¯m doing? You should know; this is all for your sake,¡± Eugene said. The Emperor panicked, ¡°What are you talking about¡­?!¡± ¡°You¡¯re so arrogant and mannerless because you¡¯ve never once received a proper beating since you were born. But this is just fine. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ll get hurt in real life just because you receive a beating in here. Now then,¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes widened in excitement as he pulled the Emperor up by his cor. ¡°I¡¯m just going to have to hit you a few times.¡± A sudden swing of Eugene¡¯s palm mmed into the Emperor¡¯s cheek. 1. The original Korean text describes him as ¡®living with a rag in his mouth.¡¯ Koreans use the idiom of ¡®having a rag in their mouth¡¯ to describe someone who swears a lot, simr to how English would describe such a person as foul-mouthed. ? Chapter 330: The Emperor (3) Chapter 330: The Emperor (3) Meanwhile, back in the room, everything was silent. Alchester was familiar with this sort of situation and the apanying silence. Alchester had been the knight in charge of escorting the Emperor when thetter was still just the Crown Prince, and from there, they had grown out of the master-servant rtionship into regarding each other as friends. So Alchester was well acquainted with this room and could understand why the Emperor had summoned Eugene Lionheart here. However, that didn¡¯t mean he could just ept it. Just because the Emperor was his friend and the lord he had sworn to serve didn¡¯t mean Alchester could ept his decisions unconditionally. Alchester knew the purpose of this room. It was here that generation after generation of Kiehl¡¯s Emperors had been able to separate their friends from their foes, gain aplete understanding of their allies, and deliver a unteral judgment onto their enemies. ¡°I really don¡¯t like this,¡± Alchester muttered to himself in a low voice. This wasn¡¯t something that a royal knight, who was meant to be absolutely loyal to the Emperor, should say, but Alchester just couldn¡¯t feelfortable with this situation. ¡°What exactly about this is causing you such a disturbance?¡± one of the De¡¯Arc brothers asked, neither having put away their swords. Their swords, which they had drawn together in unison, were crossed over each other and had stopped just short of slicing Alchester¡¯s throat. Their sharp des touched his bare skin, but Alchester didn¡¯t pay their swords any attention. He was still ring down at the hand he had ced on the Emperor¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Please withdraw your hand, Lord Alchester,¡± Karian requested. ¡°No matter how close you may be to His Majesty, your current behavior is extremely disrespectful to your liege,¡± Derry scolded. Biting down hard on his lips, Alchester withdrew his hand. Once he had done so, the De¡¯Arc brothers also ced their swords into their sheaths. While still remaining wary of Alchester, the two slowly retreated backward to stand on either side of Eugene. Alchester¡¯s brow furrowed as he red at the De¡¯Arc brothers. ¡°The Emperor didn¡¯t tell me anything about this matter or anything that is going on here,¡± Alchesterined. ¡°You should already know the reason for that, Commander,¡± said Karian. ¡°This Eugene Lionheart, it seems that the Commander truly regards this cheeky brat fondly?¡± Alchester raised an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re saying I regard him fondly?¡± ¡°Would it be better to say that you favor him?¡± Derry returned the question with a smirk. Snorting at the De¡¯Arc brothers¡¯ words, Alchester shook his head and said, ¡°I can¡¯t just let your words go like this. Lord Karian, Lord Derry, whether it¡¯sregarding him fondlyorfavoring him, don¡¯t those words make it sound like I¡¯m a superior looking down on Sir Eugene from a higher position?¡± As he said this, Alchester turned to stare at Eugene. The Emperor and Eugene¡¯s eyes were shut tightly as if they were in a deep sleep. Their minds were most likely elsewhere, having a conversation in a space separate from this one, within the world of their consciousness. Alchester continued, ¡°I don¡¯t think of myself as such an amazing person. The fact that I¡¯m older than Sir Eugene? What¡¯s so important about that? There are many other things that a knight should value more than that. Whether it¡¯s their honor, skill, courage, or conviction. If you had to count them out one by one, you would find countless other things more important than one¡¯s age.¡± The De¡¯Arc brothers remained silent. ¡°What I¡¯m trying to say is, in terms of the countless qualities that a knight should have, I don¡¯t think that there are any in which I greatly surpass Sir Eugene; instead, there are many things that I feel I amcking inpared to him. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t say that I regard him fondly or favor him,¡± Alchester paused as he nced down at Eugene¡¯s sword. ¡°In my eyes, Sir Eugene is someone I respect as a fellow knight. He¡¯s someone I wish topete with, someone I want to match in terms of skill, and also someone I hold in awe.¡± Karian frowned, ¡°Please don¡¯t say such careless things, Lord Alchestor Dragonic. You are the Commander of the White Dragon Knights, the Sword of His Majesty, and the Empire¡¯s strongest knight.¡± ¡°Yes, you¡¯re right. I am the Commander of the White Dragon Knights. His Majesty¡¯s Sword. However, the strongest knight in the Empire? Haha! Strangely enough, a lot of people do call me that. But allow me to say that I, at least, have never thought of myself in that way at all,¡± Alchester admitted as he shook his head with a chuckle. ¡°If you were to ask me right now to name the knights in this Empire who I feel are better than me, I can recite several names without hesitation. If you expand that range to the entire continent, the number grows so much that they can¡¯t be counted with all the fingers on your hands. Also, in a nutshell, Eugene Lionheart, this young man, should be counted among that number.¡± Derry burst out in reprimand, ¡°Lord Alchester!¡± Alchester chided him sarcastically, ¡°Lower your voice. What are you going to do if it causes His Majesty to open his eyes?¡± Karian warned him once more, ¡°Please be careful of your words and actions, Lord Alchester. Didn¡¯t you say earlier that you don¡¯t like this? That might be taken as you doubting His Majesty¡¯s choice of actions¡ª¡± ¡°Of course, I¡¯m doubting him,¡± Alchester responded without hesitation. He red at the De¡¯Arc brothers as they stood on either side of the slumbering Eugene and continued speaking, ¡°If I had known about this beforehand, I would have remonstrated with His Majesty even if it meant losing my head. You two should also be aware of the purpose of this room¡¯s existence.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really feel any desire to know what you might be thinking of that has caused you so much hesitation, my lord,¡± Karian said dismissively. ¡°However, Lord Alchester, His Majesty did not summon Eugene Lionheart here to suppress him. It was just for the sake of having a sincere conversation¡ª¡± ¡°A conversation?¡± Alchesterughed sarcastically, ¡°Hahaha¡­. Can you really say that when you know full well the abilities of this room? What¡¯s going on in this room right now most likely isn¡¯t just a conversation. And, of course, it won¡¯t be a recruitment attempt either.¡± Alchester clenched his fists tightly before continuing to speak. ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed what was going to happen today, but you two obviously knew,¡± Alchester used. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say anything to persuade His Majesty otherwise? If there truly was a need for a sincere conversation, they didn¡¯t need toe to this room for it.¡± Alchester might not have personally heard from His Majesty about why he had summoned Eugene to this room, but¡­ it should be because His Majesty had judged that Eugene, as the Hero, was a threat to the Empire. If that was the case, then what had the Emperor decided to do to Eugene? Was he going to eliminate Eugene or just subdue him? Right now, those were the only two options that the Emperor could choose from. However, things of that nature shouldn¡¯t be done to Eugene Lionheart. He had not only received the acknowledgment of the Holy Sword, he had even been personally recognized as the Hero by the Demon King himself. At this moment, the end of the Oath that hadsted for three hundred years was approaching. But to think that the Hero who, like the Great Vermouth, would personally lead the way into a new era through his firm will and actions was actually being persecuted by the Emperor instead of receiving his support? Although, for now, Alchester didn¡¯t know how their conversation might end, he already felt disillusioned by the Emperor¡¯s decision. Karian frowned, ¡°You say that we shouldn¡¯t havee to this room¡­ your words make it seem like you doubt His Majesty¡¯s purpose, my lord.¡± ¡°If I say I do, would you report it to His Majesty?¡± Alchester challenged. ¡°Of course, I would,¡± Karian readily admitted. ¡°Haha! If that¡¯s the case, then it seems that I, too, will have to have a sincere conversation with the Emperor,¡± Alchester let out a snort ofughter and shook his head. If the Emperor really did so, Alchester would ept the invitation to their conversation without any resistance. There was no furthermunication between the knights. The De¡¯Arcs remained wary that Alchester might attempt to disturb the Emperor¡¯s body, but Alchester simply stood quietly behind the Emperor without taking any other actions. The thing that eventually broke the following silence was a low groan, ¡°...Mmmm¡­.¡± All three knights flinched and turned to look at the source of the noise. It was Eugene Lionheart. His bowed head was raised up, and his shuttered eyes opened. The next moment, Eugene immediately came to his senses and stood up. Unlike Eugene, who had already gathered his faculties, the Emperor¡¯s eyes were still shut. Instead of waking, the Emperor¡¯s shoulders were trembling like he was going through a seizure. ¡°Your Majesty?!¡± Standing right behind the Emperor, Alchester panicked and grabbed the Emperor¡¯s shoulders. However, the Emperor''s shaking wouldn¡¯t stop. ¡°There is blood!¡± Derry let out a cry. With his head still drooping low, blood was dripping down the Emperor¡¯s face due to a nosebleed. Alchester¡¯s face paled. He quickly stepped in front of the Emperor and checked for a pulse while observing hisplexion. Fortunately, there were no further problems with the Emperor¡¯s pulse and breathing. The only symptom was the nosebleed. But what on earth had happened? This was the first time such a thing had ever urred. The De¡¯Arc brothers roared loudly as their faces twisted into a grimace. ¡°You knave!¡± ¡°You, how dare you harm His Majesty!¡± Drawing their swords at the same time, they shed at Eugene. He had just returned to his senses, but Eugene¡¯s head was perfectly clear. With swordsing at him from both sides, Eugene just reached out with both hands instead of panicking. Fwoosh! The mes of the White me Form were instantly drawn upon to engulf both of Eugene¡¯s hands. ¡°Why don¡¯t you two calm down?¡± Eugene suggested. The De¡¯Arc brothers¡¯ swords weren¡¯t able to move an inch. Although the brothers had drawn and shed their swords in a hurry, there should have been more than enough force behind their blows. But the pair¡¯s swords couldn¡¯t even leave a small mark on the palms that had blocked their attacks, let alone keep pushing. No, in fact, they hadn¡¯t even been able to touch him. The purple mes covering Eugene¡¯s palms were overpowering the De¡¯Arc brother¡¯s sword-force in terms of momentum and were instead pushing the swords backward. ¡°What did you do to his Majesty?!¡± Karian and Derry shouted usingly as they leaped backward, bringing their sword-force to full power. Even though they had just asked Eugene a question, the two swung their swords down on him once more without waiting for his response. Their attacks weren¡¯t meant to just subdue him. Their swords were practically dripping with their intent to murder Eugene. Their rage was understandable as their Emperor had been put into such a worrying state, but that said, Eugene wasn¡¯t just going to calmly allow them to keep shing at him. ¡°No, like I said, calm down already,¡± Eugene huffed. But it didn¡¯t seem like they would listen to his words. ¡®It can¡¯t be helped,¡¯Eugene decided. The moment the De¡¯Arc brothers¡¯ swords were about to hit, Eugene suddenly disappeared. The two fierce des of sword-force sliced through the now empty space. Instead of being shocked that Eugene had somehow managed to dodge them, the two brothers were more shaken by the fact that they hadn¡¯t even been able to catch the slightest glimpse of Eugene¡¯s movements. But before they could get over their shock, it was reced with agony. ¡°Gagh!¡± Derry let out a choked gasp as he buckled over. A fist was buried deep in his liver. At some point, Eugene suddenly appeared right at Derry¡¯s side. Eugene had struck Derry with a measured amount of force, but he didn¡¯t feel like his anger was soothed in the slightest. The memory of how this son of the bitch, Derry De¡¯Arc, had been forcefully ring at him earlier ran through his mind. That said, it would be too cruel of him to actually pluck out Derry¡¯s eyes, so Eugene decided topromise. Bam! Derry¡¯s head jerked backward. Eugene¡¯s fist had struck Derry in the left eye with a short jab. ¡°My eye!¡± Derry screamed as his hands rose to cover his face. Thanks to Eugene¡¯s exquisite control over his strength, Derry¡¯s eyeball hadn¡¯t burst, but it hurt so much that it felt like his eye socket had been set on fire, making it difficult to see. Crack! A whip-like swing of Eugene¡¯s leg shattered Derry¡¯s left shin. Derry fell to the floor with another scream. At this sight, the older brother Karian let out a roar and rushed at Eugene, only for Eugene to give him fair treatment. Since the younger brother was struck in his left eye and shin, the older brother was struck in the right eye and shin. ¡°I told you two to calm down,¡± Eugene said with a click of his tongue as he looked down on the brothers, who had copsed to the floor unconscious. Then Eugene straightened his expression and turned to face thest person standing in front of him, Alchester Dragonic. Alchester was still examining the Emperor. Even though the De¡¯Arc brothers were being beaten right behind his back without even being able toy a hand on their attacker, Alchester hadn¡¯t paid them any attention. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be taking His Majesty to a safe ce?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°It seems like there aren¡¯t any major problems with his condition,¡± Alchester said after a long sigh as he straightened up. ¡°I am not a healer, but I know enough to tell that His Majesty¡¯s current condition isn¡¯t bad enough that he requires hospitalization.¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°But what if¡­.¡± ¡°It seems you¡¯re worried about him,¡± Alchestermented as he turned his head to look at Eugene. ¡°If I had taken His Majesty to a safe ce immediately, would the De¡¯Arc brothers who were left here be able to arrest you?¡± Eugene just shrugged without a response. This was because the answer to that question was alreadyid out in front of Alchester¡¯s eyes. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Alchester nodded. ¡°Those two are exceptional knights, but they still can¡¯t match up to you. Seeing them from your point of view, the De¡¯Arc Brothers¡­ and the rest of the Captains in the White Dragon Knights must seem like children.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just because they were hasty,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°No matter what, the results have already been settled,¡± Alchester said with a shrug. ¡°If I leave here with His Majesty, what will you do now? Would you be willing to wait here until I return?¡± ¡°Of course I am,¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°Just what on earth did you do?¡± Alchester asked with another sigh. With a depressed expression, Alchester stared at Eugene and said, ¡°No matter what the reason may be, you¡¯ve woken up¡­ and His Majesty hasn¡¯t. He¡¯s even lost some blood.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t offer any exnation. Alchester stated his concerns aloud, ¡°The moment I leave this room with His Majesty¡­ you will be a traitor who has harmed the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire. Thews of the empire cannot be ignored just because you are the Hero. Also, this matter won¡¯t end with just you alone. It won¡¯t end with the main branch of the Lionheart n, either. All of the coteral bloodlines will be charged with treason as well.¡± ¡°That sounds likely,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°You¡­ probably won¡¯t agree to be charged with any crimes,¡± Alchester guessed. ¡°The moment I leave this room, no, even if I stay here, you¡¯re probably already nning on escaping somehow. Because if you were willing to be treated as a criminal, you wouldn¡¯t have knocked the De¡¯Arc brothers unconscious.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m facing such a dilemma,¡± Alchesterined. Was it really okay for him to say all this right now? Alchester asked himself as he touched the sword at his waist. ¡°To prevent you from escaping, should I be trying to block you, or¡­ should I instead be helping you to escape,¡± Alchester voiced his confusion. ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene¡¯s head tilted to the side. ¡°Within this Imperial Pce, there are a lot of things that are essible to me. I can temporarily hide His Majesty, who has lost consciousness, making it seem like he¡¯s been kidnapped. It¡¯s possible to buy us some time in that way, then I can help you escape from beneath the countless eyes within the Imperial Pce,¡± Alchester proposed. Eugene called out to him, ¡°Lord Alchester.¡± Alchester continued without a pause, ¡°Of course, that means I¡¯ll probably lose a lot in the process. It won¡¯t just be my personal honor that will be tarnished, but also the honor that has been passed down through my family over the past three hundred years. No, I might even lose my entire n. The same goes for you as well. Even if the main family line were to somehow escape the Empire, the Lionheart¡¯s countless coteral lines would be left within the hands of the empire. They will all, most likely, be executed.¡± The more he spoke, the more desperate and depressed Alchester felt. Letting out another sigh, Alchester continued speaking, ¡°However, that¡¯s the only way for you to survive. You need to run away, flee from this empire, and hide in another country while making your preparations.¡± Eugene asked curiously, ¡°What should I be preparing for?¡± Alchester answered, ¡°ying the Demon Kings, of course. After all, that¡¯s the sole thing that you, as the Hero, are meant to do.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re willing to assist me because of that?¡± Eugene asked once more. ¡°Rather than turning you in as a traitor and locking you in a cell, this would be the better choice for the whole world. That¡¯s right, so there wasn¡¯t really a need to face this dilemma at all,¡± Alchester finally realized as he shook his head with a wry smile. After looking at Alchester with a strange expression, Eugene grinned and sat down in his chair. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Alchester demanded. ¡°I have no intention of running away,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°There¡¯s no need for me to do so either. As such, you do not need to have been so tortured by this dilemma, Lord Alchester.¡± ¡°What on earth¡­? It seems that you don¡¯t even know what you¡¯re saying. There¡¯s no way that something like this will end lightly,¡± Alchester argued. ¡°No, it will end without any fuss,¡± Eugene said, staring at the still-fainted Emperor. ¡°Because the Emperor is extremely generous, after all. So just wait here with me until His Majestyes to his senses.¡± Alchester asked skeptically, ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡± ¡°I am,¡± Eugene nodded firmly. While feeling confused, Alchester stared directly into Eugene¡¯s eyes. It didn¡¯t seem like Eugene was lying or scheming something. For a few moments, Alchester hesitated before nodding his head. ¡°Mmm¡­.¡± After some time had passed, the Emperor opened his eyes with a groan. Alchester quickly got down on one knee before the Emperor and shouted, ¡°Your Majesty!¡± ¡°Lord¡­ Alchester¡­,¡± said the Emperor, as he raised his head while gasping for breath. On the other side of the kneeling Alchester, he saw the fainted De¡¯Arc brothers, each with a leg grotesquely bent in the wrong direction. And behind those two, he saw Eugene sitting in a chair. When the Emperor¡¯s eyes met with Eugene¡¯s, Eugene winked back with a smile. ¡°Aaaah!¡± the Emperor cried out as the memories of a terrible banquet of violence shed through his mind. Pwoosh! As memories of such agony that he had never before experienced stimted the Emperor¡¯s mind, the nosebleed that had been stopped temporarily began to flow once more. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Alchester cried out in rm. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Eugene also asked in a worried tone. With trembling shoulders, the Emperor nodded and stammered, ¡°I-I-I¡¯m fine.¡± ¡°Your Majesty, just what on earth happened?¡± Alchester asked while holding on to the Emperor¡¯s trembling handsfortingly. Through gritted teeth, the Emperor dered, ¡°Nothing¡­ happened¡­.¡± Alchester frowned, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I said, nothing happened¡­!¡± the Emperor insisted while avoiding Eugene¡¯s gaze. Chapter 331: The Emperor (4) Chapter 331: The Emperor (4) Of course, it was a lie that nothing had happened. The Emperor, who should have been omnipotent within that world of the mind, had discovered that he wasn¡¯t so almighty in front of Eugene. The Emperor had desperately tried to escape, but once he had been caught within Eugene¡¯s grasp, escape was impossible. To put up some kind of resistance, he had proceeded to attack Eugene, but no matter what type of attack was thrown at Eugene, it disappeared the moment it touched him. The same went for any attempts at defense. Whether it was thickly constructed walls or a barrier covering his entire body, they vanished without any effect the moment Eugene¡¯s fist touched them. In the end, the Emperor was left with no choice but to be beaten into a pulp by Eugene. From Eugene¡¯s point of view, the beating wasn¡¯t all that severe, but for someone born into the royal family and ascended to the throne, abeatingwas something alien that he had never experienced in his life. ¡®What acowardly bastard,¡¯Eugene thought with a sneer. Whenever Eugene boxed him around the ears, the Emperor would screech so loud it was like he was trying to rip apart his own throat, and after Eugene struck him with his fist a few times, the Emperor screamed like it was the end of the world. After beating the Emperor like this for quite some time, Eugene ordered the Emperor to get down on his knees. The not-so-omnipotent Emperor immediately knelt down as instructed. As the Emperor of Kiehl, Straut the Second was by no means a fool. He had just been subjected to a longsting beating in this world of consciousness. Though, in fact, it hadn¡¯t really been all that bad, but to the Emperor, after that series of painful assaults, it had felt like his mind was on the verge of copse. So should he seek revenge? It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t have the means to do so. He might be powerless in this world of the mind, but in reality, Straut the Second was still the Emperor of Kiehl. With such power, there were many methods that he could use to attempt his revenge. So what if Eugene Lionheart hadn¡¯tmitted any crime? Was there truly anyone in this world who didn¡¯t have some dirt on them tucked away somewhere? And in the first ce, even without any proof, leveraging the charges of treason and lese-majesty would be enough to turn the entire Lionheart n into traitors. However, there was no way that he could do that. As the Emperor, Straut the Second, could feel it in his bones that it would be impossible to do so. This was because of Eugene Lionheart¡¯s true identity. The Stupid Hamel ¡ª one of the heroes from three hundred years ago. Seeing how Eugene had managed to keep it a secret for so long, it didn¡¯t seem like Eugene had any intention of revealing the truth to the world, but¡­ if his entire n were to be charged as traitors and were about to be executed by the Empire, he would definitely be forced to reveal his true identity to deal with the situation. ¡®No, he doesn¡¯t even need to do that,¡¯the Emperor realized now as he stared at Eugene while swallowing back a gulp. ¡­He still couldn¡¯t dare to look Eugene in the eye. It was bizarre. His real-life body wasn¡¯t the one that had been so beaten up, but just by looking into those golden eyes, the Emperor felt his whole body was wracked with pain. The Emperor thought fearfully,¡®Even without revealing his true identity to everyone¡­ I¡¯m sure there are enough people who already know the truth.¡¯ The Wise Sienna and the Brave Molon. Those two must be aware that Eugene Lionheart was their old friend. After all, wasn¡¯t that the case back at the Knight March? The Brave Molon, who had suddenly reappeared, had stuck close to Eugene Lionheart¡¯s side while showing off their friendship. There was also how the Wise Sienna, who had returned from her long seclusion, had left Aroth and settled down at the Lionheart estate¡­. Neither the Emperor nor Kiehl could afford to force Eugene and the Lionheart n into being dered traitors. The moment they did so, those two monster-like individuals who were beyond the Empire¡¯s capability to handle would be their enemies. The opinions of all the other countries neighboring the empire, no, even the opinions of the citizens of the Empire itself, would be unsympathetic to the Emperor¡¯s resulting plight. ¡°Haaah¡­,¡± the Emperor let out a long sigh and shook his head. His initial intention had been to investigate the thoughts hidden within Eugene¡¯s heart, and if he felt that Eugene was a threat, the Emperor would have ced shackles on him. He had managed to peer into Eugene¡¯s heart like he had nned, but now¡­ he would have preferred to have remained ignorant. The various secrets that he had learned were now burdening the Emperor and causing him fear. In the end, this meant that a war with Helmuth and its Demon Kings would inevitably be dered within this era. ¡°Is it alright if I go back on my own?¡± Eugene spoke up. The De¡¯Arc brothers were still lying copsed at his feet. In fact, the two of them had alreadye back to their senses. However, due to their embarrassment and shame at being trounced, they dared not get up and silently pretended to still be unconscious. Their shattered limbs ached, but they still felt that remaining prone like this was better than struggling to get to their feet where the Emperor could see them. Aware of this, Eugenemented, ¡°After all, with those kinds of wounds, it¡¯s important for these two to receive treatment quickly. If I stay sitting here, these twin Captains will have to keep on enduring their pain, you know?¡± Karian and Derry still maintained their silence. ¡°Not only can you not fight, you can¡¯t even pretend to be unconscious convincingly,¡± Eugene mocked with a snort. Even faced with such a provocation, the twins refused to show any reaction and kept their mouths shut. ¡°Very well then¡­,¡± the Emperor eventually spoke up after sighing deeply. ¡°Lord¡­ Eugene¡­ Lionheart. It would be best for you to return home now.¡± ¡°It has been a pleasant conversation,¡± Eugene said with a smile as he rose from his seat. After all, it was true that they had had an actual conversation following the beating that Eugene had given the Emperor. Though the conversation hadn¡¯t covered anything too important. Eugene had just told Straut what to do from now on. Don¡¯t say anything unnecessary, and try to behave more tactfully no matter what happens. And instead of pointlessly trying to pick a fight with Eugene, just don¡¯t pay him or his actions any attention. This wasn¡¯t just a one-sided demand on Eugene¡¯s part, as in return for doing all that, Eugene also promised to be careful not to damage the Emperor or the Empire¡¯s reputation from now on. For example, whenever he did something in the future, especially if he got caught up in some unsavory incident outside the Empire¡­ in such rare cases, he had promised to give the Emperor a heads-up. Although he felt like Eugene was going too far in saying such things to the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire, the Emperor still gratefully gave his agreement. Closing his weary and depressed eyes, the Emperor said, ¡°Lord Alchester, please guide Lord Eugene to the exit.¡± ¡°What about you, Your Majesty?¡± Alchester asked in a worried tone. The Emperor began, ¡°We will¡ª¡± Before he could finish, Eugene suggested, ¡°You appear to be very tired, so why don¡¯t we head out together, Your Majesty?¡± ¡°We¡­Wewill¡­. Very well,Weshall do so,¡± after some hesitation, the Emperor gave in and rose from his chair. Finding it difficult to understand this perplexing situation, Alchester checked the Emperor¡¯s expression. ¡®What on earthhappened in there?¡¯Alchester thought to himself curiously but didn¡¯t voice the question out loud. Tactfully keeping one''s silence ording to the situation was an essential virtue all royal guards must possess. So Alchester quietly kept his lips shut as he moved to support the Emperor. ¡°Allow me to assist you as well,¡± Eugene offered as he grabbed one of the arms of the staggering Emperor. The moment his arm was grasped, the Emperor tried to twist his body free in terror, but Eugene held on tightly to the Emperor¡¯s arm, refusing to let go as if he had been expecting this struggle. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Eugene asked calmly. The Emperor stammered, ¡°W-Weare fine.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s head on out,¡± Eugene said with a smile. In his heart, the Emperor wanted to order Eugene to let go of him, but¡­ the words just wouldn¡¯te out. In the end, the Emperor left the room, supported on both sides by Alchester and Eugene. It was just as Eugene had guessed. This room was in a basement deep beneath a tower a short distance from the Imperial Pce itself. ¡°Your Majesty!¡± Dozens of royal guards were waiting on the surface as Eugene arrived on the ground floor. They were probably the knights the Emperor had arranged to guard this location before entering the room. ¡®There¡¯s no way he¡¯ll dare to give them the order to capture me at this point, right?¡¯Eugene thought as he shot a nce at the Emperor. At that moment, Eugene and the Emperor¡¯s eyes met. Eugene silently cursed,¡®This son of a bitch.¡¯ The Emperor seemed to have the same thought right as Eugene was feeling paranoid. Eugene secretly pinched the arm he was holding on to support the Emperor. When he did so, the Emperor¡¯s whole body trembled in fear once more. ¡°We¡­.Weare alright. Everyone should back away. We are merely receiving assistance becauseWeare feeling slightly tired,¡± the Emperor quickly reassured his knights before turning to look at Eugene. ¡°Sir Eugene. T-today¡¯s conversation was delightful. Oh, that¡¯s right. Sir Eboldt. You have a close rtionship with Sir Eugene, don¡¯t you? In that case, please escort Lord Eugene to the gates.¡± Among the knights stationed outside the tower was the Captain of the Fourth Division, the one who had been defeated by Eugene during the previous friendly match. His name was Eboldt Magius. He appeared extremely flustered to be suddenly picked out of the crowd for this duty by the Emperor, but since it was the Emperor¡¯s will, he merely bowed his head without showing any resistance. ¡°I hope you have a peaceful night, Your Majesty,¡± Eugene said in farewell. ¡°Well then¡­ I wille over to see you again tomorrow, along with Lady Sienna.¡± The Emperor flinched, ¡°Al-alright.¡± Eugene released the Emperor¡¯s arm. After taking a few steps back, he got down onto one knee and bowed his head deeply. What had happened in the room earlier and what was going on now were two entirely different matters, and since there were so many eyes looking at them, Eugene was forced to show sufficient politeness. ¡®This abominable¡­ monster¡­,¡¯the Emperor silently cursed. Why hadn¡¯t that room¡¯s powers worked on Eugene? Was it because of his Lionheart blood? Or because he was the Stupid Hamel? There was no way to tell. The Emperor didn¡¯t want to keep thinking about it either. So stiffening his trembling expression, the Emperor turned and left. The sound of footsteps receded into the distance as the knights guarding their surroundings also withdrew along with the Emperor. It was only then that Eugene raised his head and looked up. Beneath this tower, whose door had been locked tight,y a room left behind by Vermouth that was simr to the Darkroom in the basement of the Lionheart estate. ¡®I thought there¡¯d be something else,¡¯Eugene thought regretfully. Even though he had secretly hoped for it, a phantom of Vermouth hadn¡¯t appeared like it had in the Darkroom. ¡®Was it because I was together with the Emperor? If I head in there alone next time, will something appear¡­?¡¯ Although he had this thought, Eugene didn¡¯t get his hopes up. The Darkroom at the estate was different from the Emperor¡¯s room here. What reason could there be to leave two separate phantoms behind? Like the Emperor had said, this room was a gift Vermouth had bestowed upon the Kiehl Empire.Up/dat/ed fR[o]m N/0ve/lbi/n Eugene could even guess what Vermouth¡¯s reasons for doing so were. Vermouth had been nning for Eugene or, rather, Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. This meant that he knew, approximately three hundred years after Hamel¡¯s death, Eugene would be reincarnated as a member of the Lionheart n, one of Vermouth¡¯s descendants. The Lionheart n would need to survive for that long to ensure this would happen. By gifting this room to the Imperial Family, Vermouth must have guaranteed an oath of loyalty that guaranteed the Lionheart n would never be an enemy of the Kiehl Empire. ¡®Although it doesn¡¯t seem like we¡¯ll be able to find anything, I should bring Sienna here with me tomorrow to check,¡¯Eugene decided as he turned away from the tower. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Lord Eboldt,¡± Eugene politely greeted the knight. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ it¡¯s been so long,¡± Eboldt responded with a wry smile as he nodded at Eugene. Eboldt sensed the faint smell of blooding from Eugene¡¯s body, and he noticed that some blood had spattered onto Eugene¡¯s sleeve. Noticing his gaze, Eugene reassured him, ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to pay any attention to that. It¡¯s not my blood.¡± Eboldt asked hesitantly, ¡°If it¡¯s not your blood, then¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the blood of the Lords De¡¯Arc,¡± Eugene readily admitted. ¡°Really now, those two seemed to have quite a lot of grievances with me¡­ but I have neatly put an end to them with this duel.¡± Eboldt was shocked, ¡°It can¡¯t be; did you actually kill them?¡± Eugene defended himself, ¡°Hey as if I would do something like that. Even if it was a serious duel, how could I kill a royal guard right before His Majesty¡¯s eyes? I just beat them up in moderation, while making sure to put on an entertaining show for the Emperor.¡± Shaking his head in pity, Eugene began walking off. So what Eugene meant to say was that a duel with the Captains of the First and Second Divisions of the White Dragon Knights was just at the level of being a sideshow? ¡°Ha¡­ haha,¡± Eboldt, who had been left standing there, staring nkly into space, btedly came to his senses and let out a depressedugh. * * * Since Eugene had been summoned by the Emperor out of the blue and suddenly escorted to the Pce, it was only natural that Gilead and the other family members were worried about Eugene. ¡°It wasn¡¯t anything big,¡± Eugene reassured him. Eugene only managed to get his family, who hade looking for him with worried expressions on their faces, to withdraw after repeating those words over and over again. But the real problem wasn¡¯t with his family members. ¡°How can the Emperor of the Kiehl Empire be so narrow-minded?¡± ¡°Even the Pope of Yuras wouldn¡¯t dare to oppress us in such a way.¡± After hearing the whole story from Eugene, Kristina and Anise took turns venting their rage. ¡°That damn bastard,¡± Sienna cursed; with her staff pulled out of storage and held tightly in her hands, it looked as if Sienna might storm over to Kiehl¡¯s Imperial Pce at any moment. ¡°Why are you still like this even though you¡¯ve gotten older?¡± Eugene asked in exasperation as he hastily pulled the staff out of Sienna¡¯s hands. Although he hadn¡¯t given it much thought before saying those words¡­ Sienna¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she turned to look at Eugene. ¡°You¡­! Did you just call me old to my face!¡± Sienna cried out with a heartbroken expression. Anise and Kristina were immediately aware of what kind of position they should take in this situation. ¡°Hamel, your words are going way too far.¡± ¡°No matter how old Lady Sienna may be, if you were to say it so bluntly, of course, it would hurt her greatly, Sir Eugene.¡± The two of them pretended to be on Sienna¡¯s side even as they stabbed the dagger deeper into her chest. Sienna staggered slightly before plopping down into a chair with Mer¡¯s support. Mer tried to defend Sienna, ¡°Physical age isn¡¯t important. What¡¯s really important is your mental¡ª¡± Anise cut her short, ¡°Ah, but of course, you would think that. Mer, you¡¯re just saying something like that because you¡¯ve also been around for the past two hundred years.¡± Mer was taken aback, ¡°N-not at all. I really was created based on Lady Sienna¡¯s childhood, so even though I¡¯ve been in existence for two hundred years, my mental age is actually¡ª¡± Anise interrupted again, ¡°That¡¯s quite the convenient setting you¡¯ve established for yourself. Isn¡¯t that right, Kristina?¡± ¡°Yes, Lady Anise. Though, as a twenty-three-year-old, I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t know much about such topics,¡± Kristina replied with a smile. Anise, who had been preparing to take another turn at going on the offensive, faltered and froze up instead. She realized that the dagger hidden behind Kristina¡¯s clever wordy was not only targeting Sienna and Mer but herself as well. There was an ominous silence in the room as they felt like they were all walking on thin ice. Eugene, who had been keeping his mouth shut, spoke up after a few moments of ncing around the room, ¡°In any case, Sienna, you should also apany me to the Imperial Pce tomorrow¡ª¡± Sienna, who had been drooping in her seat, perked up and asked, ¡°Are we going to topple the Imperial Pce?¡± Within his cloak, Wynnyd hummed and Tempest roused himself to ask, [Hamel, have you finally decided to be the Emperor yourself?] When was it again? While saying that he would need troops for their expedition to the north, Tempest had once asked Eugene if he would be willing to be the Emperor himself. ¡°Stop with the bullshit,¡± Eugene denied with a snort. Naturally, Eugene had no intention of bing the Emperor, and he had no intention of toppling the Imperial Pce either. To enter the Lionheart¡¯s Darkroom, one needed to be of the Lionheart bloodline. But as for that underground room beneath the tower near the pce, while only the Emperor¡¯s will could activate thepowerthere, anyone could enter the room itself. ¡°Don¡¯t set your expectations too high,¡± Sienna said as she narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. ¡°Even three hundred years ago, it was impossible for me to see through Vermouth¡¯s magic. Though Iter attempted to do some research on it in Aroth, even then, I still couldn¡¯t get any results. So now, even after getting my chest pierced through by Vermouth, I still don¡¯t know the true nature of the magic that he used to do so.¡± Eugene said, ¡°But we¡¯re assuming it¡¯s ancient magic, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just one of the possibilities we¡¯re left with since we''re unable to identify its true origins. As I¡¯ve said earlier, many mysterious things exist about theAncient Era. That era was in such a distant past that even the myths haven¡¯t been able to fully transmit what happened back then¡­. Not even the dragons can tell us what that era was like,¡± Sienna grumbled in a low voice as she nced at Kristina. ¡°What we know is that it was an era where myths and legends walked the earth. The era when the God of Light himself was physically manifested.¡± ¡°Our Lord has given us no answers either,¡± Anise contributed. ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then the only ones who would be able to tell us for sure what happened in that era¡­ would be the Demon Kings,¡± Sienna surmised. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°So, are youing with me tomorrow?¡± ¡°I suppose I should go,¡± Sienna said as she pouted her lips. ¡°Even if there aren¡¯t any results, I should at least try to find something, right? You never know. If we dig deep enough, we might just find a secret left by Vermouth.¡± Sienna wasn¡¯t being serious when she said this. Like Eugene, Sienna didn¡¯t really expect that Vermouth would have left any messages for them in that room next to the Pce. Vermouth¡­ didn¡¯t seem to want his formerrades toe looking for him. Chapter 332: The Palace (1)

Chapter 332: The Pce (1)

The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, stood resplendent in a seductive dress that left her corbone, shoulders, and back bare. Herughter rang out like tinkling bells. For a noble of her stature, the dress was scandalously revealing. Yet, naturally, Noir bore it with audacity. In fact, she found it regrettable that there were fewer guests to admire her exquisite form. "A bit disappointing," Noir murmured, lowering her colorful sunsses to the bridge of her nose. "What do you find disappointing?" asked Gavid, standing nearby in a meticulously tailored tuxedo. Under normal circumstances, he might have criticized Noir''sck of decorum. However, his mind was elsewhere. Gavid was uncharacteristically tense, anxious, excited, and fluttering with anticipation. "Don''t ask such an obvious question, Gavid. You''re thinking the same thing, aren''t you?" "I have no idea what you''re talking about." "Right here," Noir replied, her lips curving into a subtle smile. A tantalizing breath escaped each time those lightly tinted lips parted. Excitement and anticipation also throbbed within Noir. This emotion heated her body, especially her chest, and the subus, who had lived for a long time, emitted Dark Power faithful to her feelings. Any ordinary demon who was faced with Noir in her current state would not only struggle to control their raw desire but struggle to even breathe. Of course, Gavid was different. Regardless of how potent and overwhelming Noir''s magic was, he wasn¡¯t focused on her, though his gaze remained on her. His hand grazed the hilt of the Demonic Sword Glory strapped to his waist as he remained silent. "How many years has it been? Several decades¡­? No, almost a hundred, right?" asked Noir. "Ny-seven years," Gavid promptly answered. "To be precise, ny-seven years and one hundred and thirty-four days." "Almost a hundred, then. Isn''t it? It''s been a very, very long time." Given this, it was inevitable that Noir would feel nervous and excited. She wore a deep smile while pressing a hand against her fluttering heart. "That''s why I feel disappointed. A hundred-year interval isn''t a significant amount of time for us demons, but... today¡­. today is very special, isn''t it? If it were me¡ª" said Noir. "Be careful with your words, Duke Giabe,¡± Gavid interrupted her immediately. ¡°If it were me?You sound as if you covet the throne¡ª" "Oh, please, don''t overreact, Gavid. I¡¯m just saying it casually. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m seriously eyeing the Demon King''s throne." Noir shot Gavid a sidelong nce, her smile fading slightly. But his expression remained utterly grave. He was a stern man who rarely appreciated jokes, and when it came to matters of the Demon King, he took them far too seriously. "I''m just saying, if it were me, I would have done it bigger. Much grander. Since it¡¯s been almost a hundred years since the Throne''s door was opened. I would''ve invited numerous guests, summoned the press, and even called envoys from other nations. I would have thrown a grand party,¡± said Noir. "Such words hold no merit," Gavid muttered, a smile absent from his face. He no longer wanted to engage with Noir, so he turned his gaze away. "Such a dull and humorless being," Noir chuckled while observing Gavid''s retreating form. How could one serve the obsolete Demon King so loyally yet be so narrow-minded? Well, he''d been this way for centuries. Ever since he was chosen by the Demon King of Incarceration to beThe de, Gavid had devoted everything to the Demon King, adhering only to his will. ¡®That''s why you''re blind,¡¯Noir thought, a smug satisfaction filling her chest. She tasted a sweet victory, tinged with a bittersweet longing, as she licked her lips. Ah, my Hamel. My unforgettable first love. ¡®You know nothing, Gavid Lindman. That Eugene Lionheart... is none other than Hamel from three hundred years ago.¡¯ The beings in this hellish realm who knew this truth were likely few. Perhaps only the Demon King of Incarceration and¡­ ¡®And me. The Demon King probably figured it out himself¡­. But I¡­. Hehe, Hamel told me in person.¡¯ Even though it was just her conjecture, Noir believed it with certainty. This revtion brought her joy and excitement. The fact that Eugene Lionheart revealed his true identity was due to his trust in her. ¡®Trust¡­. Yes, this is trust. Hamel, you know me well. And I know you.¡¯ It was only natural. Noir dug deep into Hamel''s dreams three hundred years ago. She had delved into the depths of the man named Hamel Dynas, and she had tasted the hatred thaty buried within. That was why she fell in love. ¡®My Hamel, don''t worry. I will never betray our secret. Especially not to this humorless, serious man.¡¯ Noir turned to look at Gavid while hiding her smile and asked, "What do you think?" "About what?" "The reason the Demon King opened his audience hall for the first time in almost a hundred years." The capital of Helmuth, Pandemonium ¡ª at its core stood the Demon King''s fortress Babel, a skyscraper of ny-nine floors. From the ny-first floor upward was the Demon King''s pce. Its doors had not been opened even once for thest one hundred years. Even Gavid, the closest aide and knight to the Demon King, had not entered the pce in these hundred years. "The reason is quite obvious,¡± said Gavid. "Appointing a new bearer for the Staff of Incarceration? Ha-ha¡­. Now, really? Even Edmund Codreth received his title and dmir on the nieth floor, didn''t he?" Noir continued, "And listen. Edmund, Balzac, and Amelia, all three made their contracts with the Demon King in your office on the nieth floor. But now, suddenly opening the pce for the investiture?" Noir chuckled while shaking her head. "And besides¡­ although it¡¯s quitecking by my standards, this isn¡¯t a secret ceremony, is it?" Noir was correct. Whatever was taking ce wasn¡¯t a secret. The pce doors had opened for the first time in a century. Present at this grand event were powerful, high-ranking demons hailing from Helmuth. The lowest rank among them was a count, though not every count had gathered here. Most of them had weathered the war three centuries past, garnered merits therein, and lived to this day growing their power. The ones gathered here were thetruedemons. All demons up to rank one hundred were gathered here. "Ahem¡­." Their gazes ¡ª unmasked by desire ¡ª were electrifying. Among them, violent gazes lusted not for Noir''s physical form but for her power and existence. To Noir, these were trivial, yet the fervor aroused amusement in her. "I dare not presume the intent of the Demon King; however¡­," Gavid finally broke his silence. "Edmund¡­. Didn''t thepreviousStaff of Incarceration meet an unsightly death?" responded Noir. "He was murdered. His greed was simply too great. Or was he merely unlucky?" "I respected Edmund''s intentions. His will to realize his ideal deserves respect,¡± countered Gavid. "Ah¡­. Really? You never thought he was too presumptuous?" asked Noir. "Do not spheme the dead. It was the Demon King of Incarceration who permitted Edmund to actualize his will,¡± responded Gavid. "He failed nheless. You know who killed him, don''t you?" asked Noir. "From a human perspective, Edmund''s greed would be seen as evil. The Hero would certainly see it as something that must be stopped,¡± said Gavid. "Eugene Lionheart. What are your thoughts on him?" Noir asked casually. "I think he''s an excellent human. A man of iron will. Like Vermouth¡­. Which is why I genuinely hope he will ascend Babel to prove his worthiness as the Hero, sooner rather thanter.¡± Gavid''s lips curved into a smirk as he expressed his sincerity while caressing the hilt of his sword. "But Edmund''s unfortunate death isn''t the only event. A lot has happened this year. More serious issues have urred this year than in the past few centuries. The Brave Molon returned, the Demon King himself acknowledged the existence of the Saint and the Hero, the Dragon Demon Castle fell, the Staff of Incarceration was murdered¡­ and¡ª" "Sienna of Disaster has returned,¡± Noir interjected with augh. "Even though it''s circumstantial evidence, we can feel the truth, can''t we? Raizakia was involved in Sienna Merdein''s disappearance. The two disappeared¡­ no, they went missing, quite amicably." "How should we interpret the return of Sienna Merdein? Did Raizakia, that foolish, greedy, ck lizard, die two hundred years ago? If he died then, it''s strange that Sienna Merdein returned only now. If they were sealed together... and Raizakia died, thus breaking the seal, that would make sense,¡± Noir continued voicing her thoughts. "Spection,¡± countered Gavid. "I can say these words without any major worry. There''s no weight of responsibility to bear. Who is the sessor of Sienna Merdein? Eugene Lionheart. So then¡ª" "Do you think Raizakia was killed by the young hero?" Gavid asked with narrowed eyes. "Isn''t that a possibility?" suggested Noir. Gavidughed silently, "Indeed, that may be so. If that''s the case¡­. Haha. Should we mourn and pity the degradation of Raizakia to such a pitiful existence? Or should we apud the brilliance of the young Hero, Eugene Lionheart?" "Are you going to leave him be?" asked Noir. "What do you wish I would do?" Noir scoffed and shook her head. It was such a predictable question. Still, she responded, "Of course, we should leave him be. The Demon King has issued a promation and¡­. Hmm, to tell the truth, I''d rather wait for that young one to ripen a bit more. You''re equally famished, aren''t you?" asked Noir. They couldn¡¯t chase after him yet. ''My Hamel is not yet ready.'' Noir could wait as long as necessary. She could wait until Hamel, until Eugene was ready ¡ª until he, as unchanged as he was from three hundred years ago ¡ª or rather, with even more malice and killing intent ¡ª came to rip everything to shreds, including Noir herself. "The Demon King''s will was the same," Gavid muttered while looking around. One hundred demons were waiting for the descent of the Demon King of Incarceration. The majority of their expressions held more anticipation than boredom for this wait. The pce was being opened for the first time in a hundred years. What words would the Demon King bring as he descended to personally preside over the ceremony? ''War.'' Among the demons who had lived through the age of war three hundred years ago, many had fallen and lost their power due to peace, temptations, and various other reasons. But the demons here were different. They remained ferocious, starved for blood and war. Hence, they hoped the Demon King might dere war at today''s ceremony. ''Foolish creatures,''?Gavid scoffed at the other demons. The Demon King of Incarceration would not dere war directly. In the Knight March, he had already proimed this fact to the kings of the continent. If one dared to guess the Demon King''s intentions, the reason for opening the gates of the pce today and summoning the demons... was likely a warning to the starving demons not to engage in unnecessary actions. "How impudent,¡± Noirmented with augh. "Does she think she¡¯s the star of the day, huh? Even I came early to wait." The demons started to murmur. It was because of the woman who had just walked through the opened door. She was a woman with brown skin, d in airy clothes suitable for a dancer of Nahama. Her mouth was covered with a veil. "The ck Thorn," a demon mumbled. It was the dungeon master of the desert, the ck Thorn, the Death Answerer ¡ª Amelia Merwin. She was given many nicknames, but today, she would be bestowed a new title. "It took some timeing from so far away,¡± Ameliamented with a smile from behind her veil. Amelia was not the only one to enter the pce. Trailing behind her were two attendants. One was Hemoria, her lips concealed behind a metallic mask and a ve cor around her neck. She red at the surrounding demons with hostility while grinding her teeth beneath her mask. Beside Hemoria was a man, his entire figure shrouded in obsidian armor. Even his visage was hidden beneath a helm. The identity of this figure was immediately known to all the demons present. He had a dense aura of death ¡ª he was a Death Knight, considered to be among the strongest among the undead. However, to the demons that had experienced the era of war, a Death Knight was no threat. In those days, Death Knights were treated more like trophies, trophies created from ying human knights or warriors, either forced into submission or corrupted. ''What is this?'' However, most demons could not bring themselves to scoff at the Death Knight. The murderous aura that the Death Knight was unabashedly radiating was truly intimidating. "This is...." It was a familiar aura. Gavid cocked his head while directing his gaze at the Death Knight. The Death Knight returned the stare. With a clinking sound, the Death Knight shifted in his armor. Hemoria immediately turned her startled gaze towards him, and Amelia raised her hand. ¡°You must not.¡± Thud... Amelia''s magic bound the Death Knight in ce. A scarlet glow flickered from within his helmet, but Amelia, still smiling, shook her head. "You mustn''t." "Haha¡­." The Death Knight let out a hollowugh at her words. This prompted Gavid, who had been watching the scene y out, to burst intoughter. "What a fascinating¡­. No, splendid... haha, what should I say? Toy? Pet?"mented Gavid. "Knight," Amelia whispered after locking eyes with Gavid, "My knight-protector. Will you refrain from insulting him?" "It seems... unwise to bring him here¡­. Isn''t your knight diforted?" asked Gavid. "He understands his situation and circumstances,¡± countered Amelia. "Make sure you hold his leash tightly. Any unnecessarymotion won''t end with a simple reprimand." At these words, the Death Knight''s eyes red again. He appeared as if he were ready to charge at Gavid right there and then, but Amelia¡¯s magic kept him in check. Even so, a strong surge of bloodlust was directed at Gavid. "Interesting indeed. Very entertaining." Noir, too, had deduced the identity of the Death Knight. Who could possibly miss this potent bloodlust? Noir knew that Hamel''s soul had been reincarnated. That made the identity of this Death Knight all the more intriguing and, in a way, more exciting. ''Did she brainwash another soul? Or is this a projection of his memories¡­? Either way, it''s interesting. He''s a fake who wholeheartedly believes himself to be real, doesn''t he?'' It wasn''t just Noir and Gavid who recognized the Death Knight''s identity. Some of the demons who had lived through the times of war had seen Hamel on the battlefield. Hamel of ughter. Those who had survived encounters with him had done so purely due to good fortune. Hence, not only curiosity but also a strong sense of pleasure rose among the demons.Wasn¡¯t this the same human who had once wreaked havoc among?demonfolks??He had been thoroughly corrupted and trained into a Death Knight. Booom. The hall suddenly fell silent. An oppressive force descended from the high ceiling and silenced every demon present. Without hesitation, all the demons knelt. Gavid and Noir did the same, kneeling in the foremost positions. Amelia Mervin felt a tingling thrill as she knelt behind Gavid and Noir. Hemoria trembled, her body consumed by a massive wave of despair and fear. The Death Knight... he felt an unbearable humiliation. From the ceiling descended a shadowy staircase. It extended from the highest floor of Babel, the ny-ninth, down to the hall on the ny-first floor. Slowly, very slowly, a man with pallid skin and long ck hair began to descend the staircase. Hemoria barely managed to raise her eyes to take in the figure of the Demon King of Incarceration. He was beautiful, beyond what one would expect of a Demon King. His appearance was both eerie and seductive, as if the concepts ofnightanddarknesshad been given human form. Countless chains nked in the wake of the Demon King of Incarceration, trailing down the stairs behind him. When they were gathered into a pile, they looked like a cloak. The Demon King did not descend the entire staircase. Instead, he stopped midway and looked over the assembly of one hundred demons. "Quite a crowd," were his first words. A crimson staff materialized when he raised his right hand ¡ª dmir, the symbol of the Staff of Incarceration. "Before I appoint a new bearer of the Staff of Incarceration¡­," The Demon King of Incarceration said while tilting his head, "...kill each other until only half of you remain." Chapter 333: The Palace (2)

Chapter 333: The Pce (2)

Kill each other until only half of you remain. Themand needed noplex thoughts to decipher. Half. Meaning, the hundred demons assembled in this hall ¡ª reduce that number to fifty. Unless one was contemting self-destruction, the Demon King of Incarceration wasmanding them to kill the demon standing next to them. It was a straightforwardmand, yet not a single demon could grasp the sudden decree and act ordingly. Of course, this was only to be expected. The deration of the Demon King was shockingly sudden. The Pce of Babel had opened after a hundred years. Today was supposed to be a gathering of the top one hundred ranked demons to celebrate the appointment of the new Staff of the Demon King. But out of the blue, they weremanded to y each other. Even for the bloodthirsty and violence-craving demons,prehending thismand was challenging. It deviated too far from the expected edict. "Aha." Not everyone was at a loss, though. There was at least one who understood. However, her actions were dyed not because of misunderstanding but because an eerie exhration made her shiver in anticipation. Darkness surged beneath the feet of Noir Giabe, then elongated into a sharp spear and pierced through the forehead of a demon standing at the far end of the room. It didn''t stop there. After piercing through the brain and skull, the spear expanded, opening wide like a gaping mouth. The darkness swallowed the demon whole. "What are you all doing?" Noir Giabe tasted the sweet blood in her mouth. Sheughed as her lips grew redder. "The Demon King of Incarceration himself permitted it. Don''t overthink it, hmm? Three hundred years ¡ª no, even before that, this was something our kind used to revel in,¡± said Noir. Noir rose to her feet whileughing merrily. Then, she casually sat down midair, crossing her legs in a sensual posture. "A massacre. A scramble for ranks disregarding all formalities. You may even consider it a territorial war. You get to im the power, soul, territory, existence, everything of the one you kill,¡± she continued enticingly. The scent of the dead demon''s blood filled the pce. One by one, the demons rose. Those who had experienced the era of wars gleamed with nostalgia in their eyes. The younger ones who hadn''t experienced the era of wars gritted their teeth with ambition for the higher ranks and the fervor to directly prove their might before the Demon King of Incarceration. The inhuman beings began to ughter each other. Enormous and wild surges of Dark Power shed repeatedly, yet the pce did not shake at all. Even amidst the tempest of Dark Power raging right next to them, neither Noir Giabe nor Gavid Lindman felt so much as a fluttering breeze. "None of them have any gusto,¡± Noir said while licking her lips, watching the massacre with disappointment. Just moments before, she had received the gazes of many filled with desire. Yet, not a single demon dared approach her the moment the massacre was permitted. This, too, was only natural. Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons ¡ª was second-ranked among the great demons. Even then, she was considered second only because Noir did not contest with Gavid. In truth, the various demons of Helmuth believed that the Queen of the Night Demons was the strongest of them all. No matter how thirsty for blood the demons were, they weren''t foolish enough to throw themselves into a predetermined battle. "You won''t participate?" Noir asked, turning to Gavid with a soft smile. He remained kneeling, showing no interest in the unfolding battle behind him. His attention was solely on the Demon King of Incarceration. "What reason is there for me to do so?" he countered. "Don''t you want to kill me?" she asked. "I cannot say I''ve never considered it, but not now. Do you desire to kill me?" asked Gavid. "I am like you. I can''t say I''ve never had such thoughts, but not now," as she spoke, Noir raised her head. Still standing on the stairs was the Demon King of Incarceration. His unreadable eyes calmly looked over the battles of the many demons. The few words he had spoken had caused the hundred strongest demons to tear into each other, yet his face betrayed no trace of satisfaction or thrill. Why should he feel thrilled? If the Demon King of Incarceration wished it, he couldmand not only a hundred demons to be ughtered but for blood to spill across the entire continent. ''Why would he suddenly give such an order?'' Noir was curious about his reasoning. The poption of Helmuth had grown excessively after the era of wars. While there were strict restrictions in ce now, when Helmuth first became an empire, the Demon King of Incarceration had opened its borders and increased the popce of Helmuth through a lenient, friendly, and welfare-based immigration policy. The Demon King of Incarceration had been able to do such a thing because he was omnipotent. All the demonfolks were under his control. He provided a home for many demonic beasts returning from across the continent. Using hispower, he divided thend. Using hispower, he transformed the sea intond. He expanded the territory of Helmuth as the poption increased. Heid down dark-power cables across Helmuth with hispowerand erected ck towers to develop Helmuth further. Under this almighty ruler, Helmuth became the greatest empire in history for three hundred years. It could easily fill its borders with people wanting to immigrate to this prosperous empire. The immigrants weren¡¯t only limited to those from other races, either. Rather, the number of demons also increased at a rapid pace after Helmuth became an empire. The reason was simple. There were no wars, and they didn''t kill each other. Those who killed because of hatred, the mere desire to kill, or because they coveted what others had, were disciplined by the Demon King of Incarceration under his strict rule. Now, demons had to go through strict procedures to engage in ranking and territory disputes, and with just that, the death rate of demonfolks significantly decreased. ''...Too many in numbers? It''s not like he didn''t know. He was the one who made it so.'' What was he trying to do? Noir didn''t have long to ponder as the massacre gradually settled down. Amelia Merwin remained silent, doing nothing. She was curious about the sudden ughter taking ce behind her, and it piqued her interest, but that did not mean Amelia should participate in the dance. ¡ªDemons, kill each other until only half of you remain. Amelia was a ck wizard, but she wasn¡¯t a demon. The same was true for the Death Knight. The undead were not demons. Neither was Hemoria, the chimera. "You held up well,¡± Amelia murmured in a low voice. The words were meant for the Death Knight kneeling right behind her. He was a fraud created from the projection of the body and memories of Hamel, who had died three centuries earlier. Yet, the Death Knight believed himself to be Hamel. In the war at the Samar Forest ¡ª the Death Knight lost his body. Yet, his soul didn''t disappear but returned to Amelia and took residence in a new body she crafted. Now that his body ¡ª the onlyrealthing about him ¡ª had been destroyed, nothing Hamel-like remained in him. Both his soul and memories were counterfeit. Yet, the Death Knight still believed himself to be Hamel, maintained an identity like Hamel, blindly trusted his tainted memories, and harbored a counterfeit fury and hatred born from false memories of revenge. He wanted to kill the demons. He didn''t want to kneel to the Demon King but wanted to kill him. While he held such desires, his revenge and hatred for hisrades'' betrayal, borne from the counterfeit memory, took precedence. When Ameliamanded his wavering, hesitating body, he ended up kneeling as if to console himself thatit was an unavoidable choice for revenge. ¡®Damn it, damn it, damn it¡­.¡¯ He could not remain calm. The Death Knight was fuming. He felt a great rage inside him, an emotion that felt like it would drive him mad. Yet even in his rage, he found relief in thefuryandhumiliationof the moment. The current situation and the fact that he could feel such emotions in front of his past enemies affirmed his existence and identity. "It''s over," The Demon King of Incarceration said after a while. He didn''te down the stairs further as he looked around the battlefield filled with the stench of blood. One hundred demons became fifty, as ordered by the Demon King. Most of those who survived were the old demons from the war era, but among them stood a few young demons who had not experienced war. "I will give a gift to those of you who have survived,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said as he descended the stairs. "A part of my Dark Power. It''s merely a gift, so it won''t bind you by contract. There''s no need for that. After all, every demon possessing the citizenship of Helmuth will end up in my arms upon death." "Your Majesty...?!" Gavid could not hide his surprise as he raised his head. As the Demon King of Incarceration had said, the Demon King did not need to sign a contract with the demons under his rule. That was why there was no need to provide power as pensation¡± for a contract. Even Gavid, who possessed the Demoneye of Divine Glory, had not directly contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. It was merely a gift from the Demon King of Incarceration for one of his subjects. The Demon King was bestowing his power as a gift to the demons. This would elevate the status of the demons by several levels. Moreover, he was bestowing such a gift on not one but fifty demons. This was a privilege unheard of even during the war era. "It''s not your power,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration with a smile. "It''s the power that I have gifted you. Just as I freely gave it, I can freely take it back." The expressions of the demons, who had been lost in glorious joy, changed one by one. "You will not be able to employ my gifted powers in the sh between demons. It wouldn''t be fair, after all. Such battles are meant to prove one''s worth through their own strength. That¡¯s how things worked with demons, from a very¡­ very long time ago.¡± His slow steps finally reached the floor of the ny-first level. In that instant, the scenery of the battlefield, strewn with blood-soaked corpses, transformedpletely. However, it didn''t return to the pristine state of the hall from earlier. "Ah...!" Gavid trembled, letting out a moan as he took in the new sight. Even Noir licked her lips with sparkling eyes. A massive door covered with hundreds of padlocks came into view. It was the same door that led to the Demon King''s chamber, the pce in the Babel of three centuries ago. The space, which had been filled with the brief, small traces of a massacre, now bore the marks of eons. Each etching and marking harbored an uncountable number of events. ¡°If you lose, you are stripped of your power, soul, territory, and existence. In other words, the victor gains all that the loser possessed. Thisw still exists in the present Demon World, but... we shall do away with unnecessary and tedious procedures,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. "How about handkerchiefs or gloves?" Noir, who had been listening quietly, asked with a bright smile. "Like when humans duel. With a handkerchief in your pocket, wearing gloves¡­. Hehe, doing this every time might be somewhat bothersome. But any method would be simpler than the current one." "I''ll adopt that,¡± answered the Demon King. "Great. Very good. Or how about exchanging messages for a duel? We are doing that now, but preparing the paperwork for a duel is quite bothersome, and it also requires separate approval¡­. Hmm, since you mentioned abolishing procedures, we should be able to kill each other, even with just a hastily written note,¡± continued Noir. "I''ll adopt that,¡± answered the Demon King. "What should determine victory is indeed life and death, right? Surrendering... umm... how disgraceful, how shameful. Who would do such a thing? Ah, but I believe we need referees. For the ranked battles¡­. Hehe, to ensure the duels where we kill each other are fair. Your Majesty, if you ever need it, feel free tomand me, Noir Giabe. There are plenty of Night Demons under mymand. My children can perform the role of a referee without any problem." Noir lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed with a graceful pose. The Demon King of Incarceration turned his gaze away from Noir towards the demons. "As I''ve said, the hierarchy battles will change to be simple. You who remain here have received power from me, but you cannot use my power in your own hierarchy battles or in battles with other demons currently not present. Therefore, do not becent. Be aware that what you currently enjoy can be taken away at any moment.¡± Ching! The many chains dragging behind the Demon King of Incarceration coagted to form a throne. The Demon King of Incarceration sat on the throne made of chains, supporting his chin with the back of his hand. "There is bound to be confusion with sudden changes, but I do not wish for great chaos. In particr, I do not wish for the mon¡± citizens of the Empire to be bewildered and anxious." "Stripping of existence means taking away the associated contracts as well. Higher-ranked demons are bound to have numerous contracts withmon citizens. You are free to carry out ranked battles, but the subsequent tidying up must be done wlessly,¡±manded the Demon King. "I believe a mediator could handle the arrangement of contracts. If you grant me, Noir Giabe, the exclusive right to mediate, it shall be done,¡± Noir chimed in. There was a sudden amendment to the hierarchy battle system. Until now, the role of a mediator in hierarchy battles was taken up by prestigious higher-ranked demons or officials dispatched from Babel. But in the future, there would be many more hierarchy battles. Moreover, the battles would present many more considerations and consequences. In other words, the role of the mediator would be even more crucial. For hundreds of years, the most sessful businessman in Helmuth had been Noir Giabe. She smelled immense profit in this new business ¡ª the mediation system. It was bound to be so since it wasn¡¯t a private enterprise but a business run directly by the empire, by the Demon King of Incarceration himself. The Demon King of Incarceration was generous in such matters. "Prepare and submit a n,¡± he said. "Yes, sir!" Noir bowed her head while imagining the suffocating scent of money and gold. "Let''s begin the appointment ceremony." Finally, the Demon King of Incarceration''s gazended on Amelia. Amelia knew she wouldn''t be the star of this asion, but she harbored noints about that. dmir was a staff possessed by the Staff of Incarceration over the generations. Honestly, Amelia had never coveted dmir until now. She was fully confident in her own magic and power even without such a staff. But now, she desperately wanted dmir. More than the power of the Demon King, she was extremely curious about the memories that remained in dmir. Just what had transpired in the Samar Rainforest? ¡®How¡¯ had Edmund Codreth failed? Amelia had a vague idea. Through the testimony of the Death Knight, she learned that Eugene Lionheart had intruded into the Rainforest. However, the Death Knight had fallen too soon. She had not seen how Edmund had died. Amelia was curious about the end of the ritual. Balzac Ludbeth was said to have been present. If Balzac had pulled some trick, and Edmund had noticed it, there would be clues left behind in dmir. dmir was such a staff. While the souls of all the Staff of Incarceration returned to the Demon King, thememoriesof their owners stayed with dmir. That wicked and ominous staff consumed blood and stored memories. "Amelia Merwin,e closer,¡±manded the Demon King of Incarceration. "Yes." Amelia Merwin rose. Behind her, the Death Knight flinched, and Hemoria held her breath. The gleam in the Death Knight''s eyes was directed at the Demon King of Incarceration. Their eyes met momentarily, but the Demon King of Incarceration said nothing to the Death Knight. His eyes revealed no interest or emotion regarding the Death Knight. The Death Knight, Hamel, had never made it to the Pce of Incarceration in his previous life. He had never seen that door filled with chains and locks. He had never faced the Demon King of Incarceration directly. His decaying, dying body had been brought down not by battle but by the betrayal and ridicule of hisrades. The indifference andck of emotion from the Demon King of Incarceration caused a profound sense of humiliation to rise within the Death Knight. "Amelia Merwin." The Demon King of Incarceration raised his hand without looking at the Death Knight. dmir flew towards Amelia from his side. "From today, you are the Staff of Incarceration." "Yes." Amelia gave a thin smile as she received dmir with both hands. Chapter 334: The Palace (3)

Chapter 334: The Pce (3)

The ceremony conferring the position of the Staff of Incarceration was concluded in an unexpectedly brief manner. The high-ranking demons had gathered after a long time. Their reunion could have begun with a round of cordial greetings, exchanging pleasantries and recent news, all while delighting in delectable fare and exquisite brew, erupting into fits ofughter and perhaps even a dance or two. Yet, from the moment half the demons were ordered to be killed, such a future ceased to exist. Upon the conclusion of the short investiture, Gavid stepped forward and prompted the demons to take their leave of the pce. Obligingly, they left, for they had a great many things to contemte and prepare for. Among their spoils of survival from the abrupt massacre was the power granted to them by the Demon King of Incarceration. There was no borate ritual required to receive this power. The moment they retreated from the pce, the demons sensed an unparalleled force residing within them. Though the strength of this power, how to master it, and how to adapt to the forting changes were questions, they had to contemte on their own¡­. The Demon King¡¯s power absolutely could not be used in the contests of hierarchy among the demons. What did this mean? If they could not wield this power against each other, so to whom were they supposed to direct it? The demons departed from Babel, deep in their contemtions. "Aren''t you disappointed?" Noir Giabe didn''t have to worry about these dilemmas. She, too, had received the Demon King''s gift, yet she didn''t feel any special allure or desire for it. Power? She had possessed it for quite a while and didn''tck any of it. Even though the lower-ranking demons had received the King''s power, Noir was confident she could annihte them all if she so desired. It was an exceedingly arrogant conviction, yes, but Noir was confident of her strength. Her power, the Demoneye of Fantasy, was potent because she never imagined herself losing. Aside from her own enormous reservoir of Dark Power, this conviction guaranteed her victory. "I''d be disappointed if it were me," Noir continued voicing her thoughts. She didn''t need to ponder or prepare for anything. No, on second thought, she had much to prepare for. Fortunately, the Demon King of Incarceration had approved of Noir''s business proposal: The Mediator System, and subsequently asked her to formte a n. But there was no need to rush. No demon would dare to steal Noir''s idea, and the n could be written by the educated demons under hermand. "Isn''t that so? You should''ve been the star today. But your investiture ended in just five minutes," Noir continued while leaning against a wall. She turned slightly to face forward. "It doesn''t matter,¡± Amelia responded with a smirk. "I didn''te all this way from the desert to enjoy a party. Aren''t you just disappointed because you couldn''t have fun?" "Correct, I am very disappointed. It''s been a hundred years since the pce¡¯s doors were opened, and it''s been quite some time since the high-ranking demons gathered like this. It¡¯s also been a while since I saw youst," Noir chuckled while giving Amelia a once-over. "Amelia, you''ve never attended an event in Helmuth while being holed up in the desert, right? I was looking forward to drinking with you after so long,¡± Noirmented. "I don''t want to drink with you," retorted Amelia. "Don''t be so cold. Why can''t we just sit and have a drink? Are you scared that I would drag you to the bed against your will?" said Noir. It could have sounded like a jest, but the one who said these words was none other than the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir. Instead of replying, Amelia simply fixed her gaze on Noir''s eyes. Her eyes were glorious orbs of amethyst. They were magical eyes of illusion endowed with an authority that no spell could imitate. "Ah, don''t fret. What you see before you is not an illusion but reality,¡± said Noir with a chuckle. She winked at Amelia. "Of course, if you wish, I can use these eyes to show and make you experience all your desires¡­. So? Interested?" "I have no intention of selling you my body," Amelia retorted. "Oh my¡­. Let''s not use such words. I''m not trying to take your body or anything. I¡¯m just intrigued," said Noir with augh. Noir''s gaze shifted slightly. The figure of the Death Knight was reflected in her gem-like, shimmering eyes. "If you don''t want to y with me, how abouthim?" Noir asked with a slight smile. "Are you coveting what''s mine?" retorted Amelia. "Yours... ahahaha, thehimI know wouldn''t particrly appreciate such words," Noir stated, still chuckling. With a creak, the armor moved. Amelia had been suppressing the Death Knight''s actions from the moment she faced Noir. She feared the Death Knight losing his temper and attacking Noir, and Noir deciphering the true identity of the Death Knight. "Let him move freely. It might not be so bad, right? Amelia,pared to your rtionship with him... mine is far longer, isn''t it?" said Noir. "Duke Giabe, as you very well know, he despises you greatly. If I loosen his leash¡ª" "His hatred for me is the most charming thing about him. Don''t worry. I just want to greet an old friend," Noir interrupted, not letting Amelia refuse. The metallic creaking grew louder with each word Noir spoke. Amelia hesitated momentarily before slowly nodding and retracting the magical leash that bound the Death Knight. "It''s been a while," Noir greeted with a broad smile. ¡°My Ha¡ª¡± Crash! The Death Knight charged and mmed Noir against the wall. "It¡¯s been a while, friend?! You?!" the Death Knight roared, his armored fists swinging wildly. Each punch made contact with Noir, causing her body to crack and explode with sttering blood. In no time, the Death Knight had devastated Noir''s flesh, and he gripped the throat of what remained. "Oh, I''m fine," Noir said as Amelia tried to intervene with furrowed brows. Noir justughed, not having screamed or moaned even once. She did not bother regenerating her body and continued to speak even as the Death Knight crushed her throat under his grip. "Hamel. I''m overjoyed that you despise me as much as ever. Although it''s quite disappointing to have my greeting ignored, aren''t you happy to see me?" she asked. "You damn¡ª" "I''m quite curious as to why you, who died three hundred years ago, were resurrected in such a form. But I won''t ask. I think my question will only bring you humiliation and difort. I don''t want your hate to¡ª" Thwack! The Death Knight¡¯s fist struck Noir''s visage.Humiliation? Disgust?The gaze of the Death Knight quivered intensely. He had risen anew as the Death Knight, driven only by hatred and a desire for revenge. He wanted to obliterate Vermouth¡¯s descendant and the Lionheart n, as well as everything connected to Sienna, Anise, and Molon. It was his only desire. Yet he had been defeated by the young whelp of the Lionheart family, the one who was called the seconding of Vermouth. The defeat had been total and overwhelming, leaving no room for constion, even for the Death Knight''s reckoning. His body had been annihted, leaving only his soul. In a desperate bid to sustain his existence, he had bound his spirit to a suit of armor. He hade to Helmuth with Amelia Merwin in such a pitiful state. He had reached the pce of Babel, where he had never set foot while alive but as an undead and the ve of a ck wizard. He had endured the mocking gazes of his enemies he had failed to kill three hundred years ago. He had been utterly disregarded by the Demon King of Incarceration. The Queen of Night Demons, Noir Giabe, was a demon Hamel had most desired to kill alongside the Demon Kings three hundred years ago. This demon was uttering remarks no different from bare mockery, imbued with repulsive empathy. She even dared to adorn a friendly smile. How could he bear such humiliation? "It''s refreshing to see you haven''t changed," Noir''s voice echoed beside him. Even though her body and head had been shattered, she stood unscathed beside the Death Knight. Whether her destruction had been an illusion or she had regenerated her body anew, he neither knew nor cared to know. It only filled him with loathing and despair. ¡®His persona appears intact... an exquisite fake.'' Noir had no intention of revealing the truth to the Death Knight. If his persona was truly identical to Hamel''s, he wouldn''t yield under the weight of humiliation, hatred, and despair. The Hamel whom Noir Giabe had loved would never make such a choice. He was a man who would rather gamble his life in battle than yield or flee. If his body couldn''t die and if his hatred preceded his death, he would swallow his immediate shame and despair and crawl back up. ''When that timees, oh, truly,''Noir mused with augh imagining such a future. Of course, even if that Death Knight reached her, Noir had no intention of surrendering her life to him. No matter how closely he resembled the original, that Death Knight was not the real deal. If anyone in this world could show Noir what death was, it had to be the real Hamel. "Aaargh!" The Death Knight rushed at Noir with a roar. But this time, Noir did not allow him to harass her. Her eyes shed, and the Death Knight was immediately immobilized. "You said you didn''t want to drink with me, right?" Noir nced back at Amelia, herughter ringing out. "So, will you return to the desert just like this? You''ve traveled far from the distant Nahama to get here. Wouldn''t it be a waste not to enjoy it more? Think again; how about it? I could throw a party just for you¡­." "Don''t dawdle. I have other matters to attend to,¡± responded Amelia. "Matters? What matters?" asked Noir. "Given I''ve returned to Helmuth after a long time and there are some events to celebrate... I thought I''d pay a visit to my hometown." Hometown. A look of surprise crossed Noir''s face. She was well aware of where Amelia''s hometown was. It was a ce near the frontier of Helmuth, the domain of the Demon King of Destruction, Ravesta. Though a territory of Helmuth, it was and untouched by the gaze and rule of the Demon King of Incarceration. Moreover, demons living in thisnd strictly shunned outsiders. In that aspect, it bore a resemnce to Dragon Demon Castle, but the istion of Dragon Demon Castle and Ravesta varied in intensity. The demons of Ravesta didn''t belong to the hierarchy of Helmuth''s demons. What the Ravesta demons worshipped was the Demon King of Destruction, who had fallen into slumber three hundred years ago, and they bore no loyalty to the Demon King of Incarceration. Only two residents of Ravesta had gained renown outside of this secluded, primitivend ¡ª Jagon, who had been known as the Beast of Ravesta, and Amelia Merwin, who became one of the Three Mages of Incarceration. "I didn''t know you loved your hometown so much,¡± said Noir. "I don''t love it,¡± Amelia responded with a wry smile. "But... it''s better than being in the desert for now." "Are you running away?" Noir asked. Amelia''s eyebrows wiggled. Was that a hit? Noirughed while folding her arms. "Well, you have no choice but to run. You''re linked to Eugene Lionheart with bad karma... and the Disastrous Sienna has returned too, hasn''t she? If she finds out what you did, that cmity of a wizard would flip your desert upside down,¡± continued Noir. "I''m not afraid of her. Nor Eugene Lionheart,¡± Amelia stated. "Really? So?" "I just want to avoid unnecessary fights. At least for now." Amelia didn''t want to continue the conversation. She turned while pulling the frozen Death Knight towards her with her magic. Run away? She thought it was a phrase not worth consideration ¡ª yet, it kept echoing in her head. She had experienced a particr emotion when she saw the power of Eugene Lionheart in the Death Knight¡¯s memories, along with the divine magic of the Saint, while not forgetting Sienna, who had destroyed the Signature of the Green Tower Master in Aroth and threatened to sink Abram under water. Amelia did not want to fully acknowledge what she felt when she learned of these things. Bam! "Gah!" So she jabbed her staff backward into Hemoria¡¯s abdomen. Hemoria bent over, caught off guard, clutching her stomach and gasping for air. ng! Amelia headed for the elevator of Babel while dragging Hemoria by her cor. The Death Knight, too, creaked along, following behind Amelia. "Oh dear, poor thing." Noir smirked as she watched Amelia and her pets depart. *** As anticipated, Sienna roamed every corner of the room, even snatching away Akasha, and forced the virtually kidnapped Straut the Second to use the room''s power. Yet, the chamber beneath the spire yielded no gains. Eventually, Eugene and Sienna returned to the Lionheart mansion after partaking in a shared meal to save the Emperor¡¯s face. "How did it go?" queried Kristina, sporting a grin as they approached the gargantuan carcass of Raizakia near the forest edge. She was dressed in a jacket that Eugene had personally selected for her. The sight of it elicited a surge of irritation within Sienna. "Why are you dressed like that when we''re not going out?" asked Sienna. "I am not cloistered within a room. It¡¯s only natural I would wear appropriate attire when venturing outside,¡± retorted Kristina. "But you''re the Saint. Shouldn''t you be in a white robe? The current generation¡¯s gottenfortable, hmm? Deeming it permissible for clergy to behave inappropriately like this¡­. Even Anise always wore her holy attire until she joined us in Helmuth,¡± grumbled Sienna. "Lady Anise, the Saint of three centuries past, allowed it, and the God of Light wouldn''t rebuke me merely for not wearing a robe,¡± responded Kristina. Even Eugene found that im ludicrous. Before their rtionship reached its current state, when he and Kristina journeyed to the Samar Forest, she had adamantly chosen to don her clerical attire and white robe. ¡ªYou can wear other clothes. ¡ªWhat should clergy wear, if not their holy attire? In particr, Sir Eugene, apanying you is an act of divine will. I cannot forsake my holy vestments. Yet, despite her previous assertions, Kristina now calmly uttered lies without a hint of difort. "Y-you, stop arguing back incessantly. When an adult is speaking¡­." The words slipped out before Sienna could catch them. Caught by surprise, she mped her mouth shut. Yet, Kristina didn''t miss the opportunity to catch Sienna off guard. "Oh, yes, that''s right. I''m truly sorry, Lady Sienna. Considering that you''re a whopping three hundred years older than me, it''s absolutely improper for a mere twenty-three-year-old like me to retort to you,¡± said Kristina. "That''s¡­ not¡­. No, it''s okay," Sienna mumbled. "No, it''s not okay. If you are a towering old tree, then I am a budding sprout. How could such a fledgling as myself show disrespect to you, Lady Sienna?" continued Kristina. "No, it''s really okay. Feel free to talk back,¡± said Sienna. "Very well, then. I understand, Lady Sienna. Since I have received permission, I shall continue to retort without reservation," said Kristina. Sienna''s pupils trembled greatly. There seemed to be no way out of this¡­. "So... you quite like the clothes?" However, she was unwilling to admit defeat. Siennaposed her expression before lightly lifting the edge of her cloak, ¡°Do you see? The clothes you and Anise got. Eugene didn¡¯t choose them on his own. I helped him out as well. Well, it didn¡¯t take much time at all to choose.¡± "But Sir Eugene still personally picked them out for us,¡± retorted Kristina. "Well, yes. But my cloak, on the other hand, required a whole day of consideration¡ª" "Aha-ha-ha!" Kristina burst intoughter. Eugene anticipated the follow-up remarks and quietly stepped back. "One day? No, that cloak is the one Sir Eugene purchased that very day." "Huh?" "And, Lady Sienna, Sir Eugene prepared the cloak... as a gift for you because¡­ Lady Anise advised him to prepare a gift for you," Kristina said while holding back herughter. Sienna''s eyes widened. "If it weren''t for Lady Anise''s advice, Sir Eugene would havee to meet you empty-handed. That''s all. Furthermore, all of Eugene''s attire that day... was chosen based on my and Lady Anise''s advice." "Uh... uh¡­," Sienna was left fumbling for words. "And one more thing, Lady Sienna. The gift you received was just a cloak¡­. I, on the other hand... hehe." Kristina beamed with a mischievous smile as she raised her ne slightly, "A ne that Sir Eugene personally thought of and chose, and he put it around my neck not once buttwice." Sienna''s eyes twitched. "I received a jacket, and Lady Anise received a coat." Snap! Sienna''s incisors clenched tightly. "Oh my¡­. I received three gifts." "Where did that brat go?!" Sienna shouted angrily, turning her head to search for Eugene. Ignoring the distant shouts, Eugene hastened his steps as he tried to flee the disaster. Favorite Chapter 335: Preparation (1)

Chapter 335: Preparation (1)

Anci savored the aroma of the red tea while reminiscing about the past. Gilead¡¯s first wife, Tanis, had been sensitive and temperamental. As a mother and a woman, Anci felt great sorrow over her death. Nevertheless, thanks to Tanis'' passing, Anci became the rightful matriarch of the grand Lionheart family, just as she had always desired. Due to Tanis'' departure, Anci also had to change, and bing the first wife of the family brought her a sense of contentment and abundance. Her strict parenting style softened, and she began to respect the choices and will of her twins. Eugene Lionheart, who had been adopted into the main family, had been the subject of concern from the beginning. ording to Anci''s thoughts, Eugene was too exceptional and outstanding. She feared that if he became a rival to her twins, it would be impossible for them topete with him. Hence, Anci chose not to treat him as an enemy. She advised Cyan and Ciel to behave simrly, and fortunately, everything turned out just as Anci had hoped. Eugene¡­ had always felt more maturepared to his age. Although he did not take Anci as his new mother, Eugene became a brother to the twins she bore. Moreover, thankfully, Eugene didn''t aspire to rise to the position of the family head. In fact, he despised the very idea of bing the head of the family and actively supported Cyan as the future patriarch. If Ciel had desired to be the head, it would have caused various problems, but fortunately, Ciel showed no such ambition. Eventually, it became certain that Cyan would be the next head of the Lionheart family. In retrospect, Anci realized the children had grown up in an environment that fostered grudges. The mansion had changed significantly from when Anci first arrived in the Lionheart family. Initially, the mansion had been deste and quiet. It was too vast, and the only person she could truly consider her family had been her husband, Gilead. Tanis had never once thought of Anci as family, and young Eward had avoided her. Then what about the loyal knights of the family? When Anci first arrived, all the knights in the mansion had been on Tanis'' side. As Tanis'' temperament became twisted over time, the knights'' loyalty wavered, but in the beginning, Anci only had her husband on her side. However, even he didn''t put her heartpletely at ease. When they first married, Gilead couldn''t be called a good husband, even with empty words. As the head of the Lionheart family, he needed to have and show adequate skills and reputation, so Gilead often had to leave the mansion for various reasons. Every time that happened, Anci had to stay alone in therge mansion, which was simply too big. Anci''s maiden family in Kaenis County was considered a powerful noble family even within the empire, but Anci never once soughtfort from her family. She had endured while harboring ambitions of bing the firstdy of the Lionheart family. Now, after more than twenty years of bitter enduring, Anci seeded in eventually turning her enemies into allies and became the mistress of the Lionheart family. ''I thought that alone would be enough¡­¡¯ Now, the Lionheart estate was no longer deste and quiet. Instead, it was bustling and noisy. Elves lived in the forest where animals used to roam freely, and Anci''s family had grown by two members. Moreover, they also had two extraordinaryguestsstaying with them. As the family expanded, so did Anci''s worries. But contrary to her worries, surprisingly, everything continued without a hitch, smoothly and peacefully. It turned out she had been worried for nothing. It was the same even now. Anci nced up and looked ahead. The Wise Sienna, thepanion of the Great Vermouth, the family''s ancestor, was sitting beside Anci, enjoying her cup of tea with her. Anci had imagined it to be an extremely ufortable situation. She had never imagined that she would be sitting casually with the Wise Sienna like old friends, but now that they were face to face, it didn''t feel ufortable at all. Sienna Merdein turned out to be far removed from the person Anci had imagined. It might be considered disrespectful to think so, but Anci found the three-hundred-year-old Sienna rather innocent and adorable. Almost as if she were her¡­ daughter. ''That can''t be true¡­.'' Of course, she was merely entertaining a thought. Anci could never truly treat Sienna as her daughter. "Lady Anci," Sienna, who had been enjoying her tea, spoke up. It was Sienna who proposed to meet for tea. Was it to foster camaraderie? No, it wasn¡¯t for such a simple reason. Sienna had a shrewd and definite purpose, and she was also curious about Anci. "If your husband were to take another wife, how would you feel about it?" Sienna asked. "Pardon me?" "Well¡­. I mean, if your husband were to take another wife¡­. If there was one more¡­. Would you be able to get along with them?" continued Sienna. It was difficult to discern why Sienna was asking such a question. Anciposed her expression before answering, "Lady Sienna, I was once a concubine to my husband." "Ah, yes, I know that as well. However, you are now the wife, aren''t you?" said Sienna. "Yes, I yearned for that position earnestly," muttered Anci. "There was an unfortunate incident, I heard. I... um... I don''t doubt your qualifications nor want to discuss stories about the deceased that I haven''t met or known." How should she put this into words?Sienna fidgeted with her fingers and scrunched her eyebrows. Mer, who was quietly munching on a pastry, looked alternatingly at Sienna and Anci. "If my husband were to take another woman as his wife¡­. I would still make an effort to, well, I would make an effort to get along,¡± answered Anci. ¡°Would you not resent your husband?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°I would resent him. I am a woman, after all,¡± Anci said with a bitter smile and set her teacup down. "Still, if he were to take a concubine, I would strive to get along as long as she does not seek to take my ce.¡± "Your ce?" asked Sienna. "As the first wife," Anci''s voice grew firm and decisive. "I, too, made an effort to be the first wife when I entered as a concubine. Isn''t the first always better than the second?" "Indeed," Sienna readily agreed. "If my husband loves me the most and personally protects my ce, and if my child can inherit the family, then I wouldn''t mind how many other wives he takes,¡± dered Anci. "Really... truly?" asked Sienna. "Hmm, now that I think about it again... I might mind after all. It''smon for noblemen to take multiple wives, and likewise, noble women to have several paramours, but this is what I think¡­." Anci lowered her voice slightly before continuing, "If my husband takes multiple wives, wouldn''t he be considered trash?" "Trash...!?" "Yes, it''s a secret. My husband... um, the head of the family is an exceptional person, but I thought he had some trash-like aspects. In the past, that is,¡± said Anci. Gilead had taken a concubine because Tanis could no longer bear children. To be the head of the main family, one had to be the most outstanding among the numerous Lionheart family members, andpeting with siblings from a young age had always been a tradition. Gilead might feel wronged if he were to hear this... but Anci had truly believed so when she was younger. "Trash... yes, perhaps. They would be trash, right?¡± Sienna said while nodding excitedly. Why did she propose tea time with Anci? She wanted to share her resentment towards Eugene with someone, but it wasn¡¯t like she could do so with his father, Gerhard. Her elder brother, Signard? After all, he was an elf, and his perspective was vastly different from humans. "Lady Sienna, you¡­." Anci hesitated for a moment after starting to speak. She worried that her question mighte across as too impolite. But... wasn¡¯t she being too... too obvious and tant about it?Sienna had acted so tantly in front of everyone. Should Anci pretend to be unaware? There was a moment of hesitation. Memories from a few days ago resurfaced. Anci remembered Sienna and Mer choosing dresses early in the morning. They had been like mother and daughter. Then what about their father? Anci was silent as she contemted. Was that all there was to it?Conversations were circting among the staff at the mansion. The master and disciple walked in the forest without fail every day¡­. Master and disciple¡­. Sure, it could be seen that way, but the elves spoke of somethingpletely different¡­. "Lady Sienna, you... about Eugene¡­." Pfft. Sienna spewed out the tea she had been drinking. The liquid sttered indelicately outside her lips, but Mer immediately used magic to prevent the tea from wetting the table. At this point, Mer had expected Sienna to splutter the tea. It had been a simple, easy calction. "I-I-I, what about Eugene?" Sienna asked in rm. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand in a fluster. Mer looked at Sienna with a pout before saying, "Lady Sienna, you¡¯re saying something different from when we were on our way here.¡± ¡°W-w-what did I say?¡± ¡°You said you would gain Lady Anci¡¯s support and have your rtionship officially acknowledged by the Lionheart family,¡± Mer continued on Sienna¡¯s behalf. She could no longer stay quiet. The familiar¡¯s words made Sienna''s face turn as red as a ripe apple, and Anci''s lips parted in surprise. "A rtionship?" Anci asked. "No¡­ uh¡­ um, well, ahem!" Sienna struggled to respond. "Are you already in such a rtionship?" "Um¡­ uh, why... why not? Is it not allowed?!" Sienna stammered while cing her cup down with trembling hands.There was no going back now¡­. "Well, it might be possible, don''t you think? I mean, you should understand it well, but Eugene, he¡­ has so many charming qualities, doesn''t he? Yes? Indeed, he''s young, but, um, he doesn''t act like a child¡­. " Sienna rollered on with her exnation. Although Anci had already anticipated this, having it confirmed still came as a shock. She blinked dazedly while listening to Sienna''s words. "I, um, I can''t exin it properly! But there is a profound bond between Eugene and me. An, um, an incredible bond. Three hundred years mean nothing in the face of such a bond. Surely... surely! Lady Anci, is it because I am three hundred years old that you won¡¯t acknowledge the rtionship between Eugene and me?¡± "Lady S-Sienna, please calm down¡ª" "Does age really matter? Huh? So what if I''m three hundred years old! I-I-I lived for three hundred years! But if someone were to say I''m only three hundred years old, it would be so unfair!" Sienna felt wronged and unjustified, and her pent-up frustration finally exploded. It had been impossible for Sienna to retaliate when Kristina Rogeris, that wicked woman, had pummeled her with words. What made it even more distressing for Sienna was Anise¡¯s presence. Even though Anise wasn¡¯t in a better position than her¡­. Those two didn''t tear each other apart. Rather, they were like two heads of a snake, both dedicated to tormenting Sienna¡­. "Look at my body! Does this look like the body of a three-hundred-year-old? No! I crafted it to be perfectly twenty years old. My body is twenty, so why am I three hundred? Huh? My mind? I am three hundred, but I think like I''m twenty! I have lived for three hundred years, but I live like I¡¯m twenty! So why on earth am I three hundred years old!?" Sienna finally lost herposure and started babbling about what was bothering her the most. "Lady Sienna, please, Lady Sienna!" Anci hurriedly stood up and approached Sienna to calm her down. The Wise Sienna,panion of the Great Vermouth, their ancestor ¡ª she was the most exceptional wizard in history! Anci was concerned that Sienna''s hysterical deration of being twenty would be overheard by the servants and knights in the mansion. "Lady Sienna, I don''t think of you as a three-hundred-year-old!" Anci hurriedly shouted. "Really? R-Really?" Sienna questioned. "Yes, of course. You are younger and more beautiful than me. Your mind¡­. You are like¡­ like twenty! As disrespectful as it may sound, you are like... like a daughter to me¡­," Anci reassured. "See! I knew it! I heard you treated Mer like your daughter! Even though Mer is one hundred and fifty years older than you!" Sienna shouted excitedly. It was a truth that Anci had been avoiding all this time, something she had not wanted to acknowledge¡­. Mer pouted in annoyance. She found it irritating that Sienna just had to point this out. "I may be two hundred years old, but I have the body of a young girl. My identity is that of a young girl,¡± said Mer. "It¡¯s the same for me! I''m also three hundred years old, but I have the body of a young dame," said Sienna confidently. ¡°Saying young dame makes you sound kind of old,¡± Mer muttered softly, and Sienna''s fist clenched with anger. She could not believe that instead of taking her side, Mer was stabbing her in the back¡­! "Calm¡­. Calm down, Lady Sienna, please. I, um, believe that age doesn''t matter when ites to loving someone,¡± said Anci. "Do you really think so?" Sienna asked expectantly. "Yes." "Then, are you acknowledging my rtionship with Eugene?" asked Sienna. "Acknowledging...? I''m not sure if it''s my ce to acknowledge¡­. I am not Eugene''s biological parent¡­." "But you are the mistress of this household, Anci." "Well, yes, I am, but¡­," Anci hesitated. She felt confused. Though she was the mistress of the Lionheart family, wasn''t Eugene the actual big shot of this family? Whatever rtionship or marriage Eugene decided to pursue would be entirely his choice. Anci, Gilead, and even his biological parent, Gerhard, would have no say in the matter. What could they say if he simply said that he liked someone and wanted to be with them? "Please acknowledge it,¡± Sienna begged. "What...?" "Please acknowledge it quickly,¡± Sienna repeated. "As for Sir Gerhard¡ª" Anci began saying before being interrupted. "Please acknowledge it, then tell him in my ce," responded Sienna. Sienna had cunningly intended for this oue from the very beginning. She had nned to win Anci to her side and gain her acknowledgment. And then, through Anci, she would inform Gilead and Gerhard about the rtionship. "Ah¡­. I understand. I will acknowledge it as you wish. I will... try to inform my husband and Sir Gerhard, as well,¡± said Anci. "Lady Anci,¡± Sienna called out. Sienna still hesitated with her palm against her flushed cheek. "Do you... do you think I''m being vulgar and shameless?" asked Sienna. "What?" "Am I being shameless?" Sienna asked once more. Sienna was obviously hoping for Anci to say no, but she could not bring herself to say it. Sienna¡¯s face filled with despair as she looked at Anci''s wavering eyes. "You said I''m like a daughter to you¡­!" Sienna said. "Well¡­." "Did you lie?" "That¡­. I was just saying. Shameless¡­? I didn''t think of it to that extent¡­," Anci said haltingly. "You thought something simr, didn''t you? How could you do that to me? I am the Wise Sienna! I was friends with Vermouth, who founded this family. And now you think I''m shameless!" Sienna cried out. "Please, Lady Sienna, don''t say such things!" "Address me informally too." "What...?" Anci said, perplexed. "You address Mer informally...! So, please address me informally too. Like I¡¯m your daughter!" "Sienna¡­ Lady Sienna, do you even realize what you''re saying?" Anci asked with concern. "I don''t know, I-I don¡¯t know anything. I just¡­. I¡¯m going to be your daughter. I¡¯m a baby." The words poured out of Sienna, a result of the sorrow and injustice she felt. These words created a tempest in Sienna''s mind. The overwhelming shame was too much to bear with her normal state of mind, so she drove away her own sanity. She gasped for breath while lowering her head in distress. Anci closed her eyes tight. She sensed that Sienna¡¯s nonsensical and shameful words and actions would not stop unless she made a bold decision. "Sienna¡­. Hey...!" "M... Mother¡­." "Sienna¡­." "Mother...!" What a spectacle this was¡­.Mer stared at Sienna in disbelief. Naturally, Sienna was the most embarrassed out of everyone. She felt a powerful urge to end her own life as her head drooped. "Mother¡­. No¡­. L¡­ Lady Anci,¡± Sienna called out after a while. "Yes¡­. Lady Sienna,¡± answered Anci. "You¡­ have a daughter, right?" asked Sienna. "Yes¡­. Her name is Ciel Lionheart.¡± "I would like to meet her¡­. I-I¡¯m confident we would get along well,¡± said Sienna. "Yes¡­. I hope you will take care of my daughter.¡± Anci secretly worried about Ciel. Ciel hadn''t explicitly mentioned it, but it was evident that she had a romantic interest in Eugene. ''What should I do about this...?'' They weren''t rted by blood, and they weren''t even close rtives, so there would be no issue with marriage. Although the fact that Eugene was an adopted son was somewhat concerning, it could be resolved at the time of their marriage. They could simply revoke his position, then. In fact, it had been the longstanding hope of Gilead and Anci for some time. If Cyan firmly secured his position as the head of the Lionheart family while Ciel developed a good rtionship with Eugene, it would be a significant asset to the main branch. "But¡­ Lady Sienna, you mentioned that you are in a rtionship with Eugene¡­. What exactly is the rtionship between Eugene and Saint Kristina?" Anci asked tentatively. On the surface, they were the Hero and the Saint, but frankly, their rtionship didn¡¯t seem so simple. Sienna was explicit, more so than Ciel. But Kristina... didn¡¯t she openly and tantly appeal to Eugene? Compared to her, Ciel and Sienna¡¯s efforts felt like nothing more than child''s y. Before Sienna came to the Lionheart estate, when Kristina had been the solepetitor, everyone at the main branch had witnessed how devotedly she showed her affection to Eugene. "Are you asking because you don''t know?" Sienna asked, looking discouraged. "As expected...!" "Trash¡­. He''s trash. That bastard is trash," Sienna shouted in exasperation. Anci hesitated whether to agree with those words or not. Trash¡­. It was true, but in reality, wasn''t he an incredible piece of trash? The Wise Sienna, a great hero from three hundred years ago, the Saint of this era, and¡­. ''My daughter too¡­.'' Thinking about it made Anci angry. Eugene Lionheart. Trash and scoundrel. "Thank you... for the tea." Sienna staggered as she stood up from her seat. Anci also stood up. They exchanged awkward nces for a moment. "I... support you, Lady Sienna,¡± Anci said. "Yes¡­." "Don''t be too heartbroken. Age doesn''t matter." "Right?" "And... um... if, if Eugene brings in another woman, please get along well," Anci advised. "Huh? That''s a bit different from what you said earlier." "Uh-huh, no, it''s not like that. I said I would try to get along well, right?" Anci turned her head in embarrassment. Sienna looked puzzled to see her like that. She had never met Ciel before and hadn''t heard any stories about her from Anise, Mer, or even Kristina. "Um... okay. I don''t want to fight with Kristina either," Sienna acquiesced. In truth, she didn''t have the confidence to win a fight. "I¡¯ll try to get along well¡ª" Before Sienna could finish her words, the sky suddenly darkened. The surroundings turned as dark as night, and Anci looked up at the sky in surprise. "Oh, my goodness...?!" Anci opened her eyes wide in astonishment. The figure of a dragon with its wings spread wide could be seen in the sky above the Lionheart mansion. Chapter 336: Preparation (2)

Chapter 336: Preparation (2)

While Sienna and Mer were having tea with Anci, Eugene was with Kristina. It was due to the task of purifying the humongous body of Raizakia. By borrowing the power of the Holy Sword, Eugene could assist Kristina by helping to elerate the purification process. Eugene had no reason to refuse the request, as he rarely used the Holy Sword outside of battles. So, for the past few days, he had been by Kristina''s side. He was with her through the majority of the day, starting from when the sun was up. The deity that Kristina and Anise served was the God of Light, and Altair, the Holy Sword Eugene possessed, was also the creation of the God of Light. In truth, the divine power of the God of Light didn''t necessarily require the surroundings to be bright. But reasons could be fabricated whenever they were needed. [What a scary child¡­,] Anise thought wholeheartedly. It was Kristina who had nned all of this. Daytime and dusk ¡ª the length of each depended on the season, but Kristina judged that monopolizing Eugene during daylight would be overwhelmingly advantageous. Her judgment had been correct. Dusk. Night. What did one usually do at night?Ordinary people slept. Some may even choose to do something naughty¡­. Unfortunately, Sienna didn''t have the courage for that. The only thing Sienna could do with Eugene during the night was to take a walk. "How much longer do you think it will take?" asked Eugene. "I think it will be done in about two weeks at thetest," Kristina responded with a smile, her praying posture unaltered. It wasn¡¯t a lie. Initially, she had expected it to take more than a month, but with the aid of the Holy Sword, the purification process would bepleted in two weeks. "The problem is how to use this." Eugene sat with his arms crossed, lost in thought. There were various ways to make use of a dragon''s corpse, but the remains of dragons were extremely difficult to handle as materials. In truth, it was more appropriate to sayunknownrather thandifficult. Most dragons had been hunted and killed three hundred years ago, but there were hardly any records of humans hunting dragons before that. Yet, a few artifacts made from dragon materials existed on the continent, although they were very rare. But the existence of such artifacts was due to the mercy and grace of dragons. A dying dragon could choose to bestow its own flesh upon someone instead of returning its body to nature. It was an infrequent event, but there had been a few urrences in the history of the continent. For example, the Dragonheart in Sienna''s Akasha was a gift from a dragon that had formed a bond with the elves. Even in his past life as Hamel, Eugene had wandered with hisrades in Helmuth, where he encountered a dying dragon and received their Dragonheart as a gift. The founder of the Dragonic family, Orix Dragonic, received the grace of a dragon while exploring a dungeon. Throughout the long history of the continent, such instances were rare but still existed. The problem was that they were too rare, and even the most skilled craftsmencked the knowledge and techniques to handle the materials properly. As a family of warriors, the Lionheart family had connections with artisan guilds and also personal friendships with the finest craftsmen and cksmiths, those known as master craftsmen. However, even the master craftsmen had expressed their hesitancy and diffidence in dealing with materials from a dragon. So that wasn¡¯t a viable option. Nothing less than perfection was expected with such exquisite materials. "In the end, we have to turn to the dwarves." There were no dwarves in the artisan guilds. The proud dwarves refused to join guilds on equal terms with human craftsmen. "If I had known that, I would have brought a dwarf from the Dragon Demon Castle." Eugene clicked his tongue with regret. If he had brought the dwarves from the Dragon Demon Castle, he wouldn''t be worrying about such matters now¡­. "I heard that Noir Giabe, that lewd woman, took in the dwarves from the Dragon Demon Castle,¡± Kristina frowned as she spoke. "Giabe Park or something like that. They¡¯re working there now." "A different master, huh. Those ungrateful bastards, after all the trouble I went through to set them free, they¡¯re groveling at Noir¡¯s feet?" Eugene spat out his words with bitterness. Of course, Eugene didn''t overthrow Dragon Demon Castle for the sake of the dwarves'' freedom. It just happened to end up that way. And unlike when they were unpaid ves at Dragon Demon Castle, the dwarves were now enjoying fulfilling and happy days under Noir Giabe, working on what they desired. Naturally, Eugene and Kristina didn''t care about that fact. "We also inquired with the Papacy and Commander Raphael. There are dwarven craftsmen in Yuras, but they are specialists in areas like fine crafts and sculptures¡­. They don''t feel confident in making weapons and armor,¡± said Kristina. "Looks like we have to look into Shimuin after all," said Eugene. The nation with thergest poption of dwarves on the continent was Shimuin. The reason was simple. Shimuin had long been called the ''Nation of Knights,'' and free knights and mercenaries from all over the continent stayed there at least once during their training or quest. As a result, Shimuin boasted advanced cksmithing and craftsmanship for knights and mercenaries. Also, Shimuin''s representative magical armor, Exid, came in various types, from high-grade to low-quality lower-grade ones. All of the high-grade Exid were made by dwarves. ¡®The leader of the Violent Tide Knights, Ortus Hyman, used an Exid that used a portion of Dragonheart in its creation. It used dragon scales and leather as well.¡¯ It wasn''t just the one, either. Shimuin possessed several weapons made from dragon materials other than the various Exid. To process Raizakia''s corpse perfectly, they would need to bring the dwarves from Shimuin. However, it was easier said than done, as this n posed a moreplex problem. The dwarves of Shimuin were considered invaluable cultural assets and received the utmost respect. The royal family was also fiercely protective of the dwarves¡¯ craftsmanship, preventing it from being exposed to foreign nations. ¡®We could kill Iris and ask for the dwarves¡¯ support in return. No, that seems like a losing deal for us¡­¡¯Eugene thought as he considered his options. Shimuin faced various difficulties after the ascent of Iris into a great pirate. Even if Shimuin sent their soldiers and Ortus, it would be extremely challenging to face Iris and her fleet, which consisted of hundreds of ships. Iris¡¯ Demoneye of Darkness excelled not only in terms of offensive power but also in mobility. Regardless of how powerful Shimuin¡¯s navy was, Iris¡¯ power would make it essentially impossible for the navy to hold an advantage over them. However, it would be different for Eugene. No matter how many pirates were under hermand, they were ultimately weaklings, weren¡¯t they? Once he cut off that damn dark elf¡¯s head, everything would work out somehow. When they fought in Kiehl, there was no Prominence or Eclipse. Eugene didn''t use Ignition or the Moonlight Sword, either. However, he did not need to restrict himself in Shimuin. Moreover, how could he possibly fail with the support of Sienna, Kristina, and Anise? ¡®If I was facing Noir or Gavid, it might be difficult. But Iris is¡­.¡¯ He didn¡¯t think she was an opponent worth worrying about. True, she was stronger than three hundred years ago, but he was confident in killing her if they battled now. In the first ce, hadn¡¯t Iris suffered a terrible defeat against Noir Giabe? If he struggled against a mere Iris, he would never be able to kill Noir, let alone the Demon King of Incarceration. "Hmm?" His thoughts were abruptly interrupted. Eugene raised his head, sensing a magical abnormality in the sky above them. His eyes widened as the surroundings were plunged into a deep night in an instant. A gigantic form had obscured the sun by spreading its wings. It was a dragon. With ck scales that seemed to swallow light, the ck dragon unted its majesty as it gazed down below. [Hehe¡­. Hehehe!] It was quite obvious why the ck dragon had appeared so suddenly¡­. Eugene¡¯s expression crumpled when he heard the dragon¡¯sughter, which caused the air to tremble. "Behold, you meager humans! This is the true form of thisdy! See how these ck scales shine like obsidian! Wings that cover the sky!" The dragon¡¯s voice was filled to the brim with arrogance. The knights of the Lionheart family came rushing out at the dragon¡¯s sudden appearance. They were taken aback but quickly regrouped and organized themselves. "Dragon!" Gilead and Gion also made their appearance, jumping onto the roof of the mansion with shock. Eugene knew the true identity of the dragon, but he knew those who did not could misunderstand.Could there be another dragon from Helmuth seeking revenge for Raizakia? Or maybe another ck Dragon came to reim Raizakia''s body? "It''s alright¡­," Eugene spoke while suppressing a sigh. He had ended up on the rooftop with Gilead and Gion. [Oh, oh, benefactor¡­. No, human!] The massive dragon''s head descended. Raimira looked at Eugene with herrge, purple, glimmering eyes. [As you wished, thisdy has regained the power of the dragon! This form is thisdy¡¯s true appearance!] It appeared she was overflowing with power after having her restrictions removed. She no longer addressed him asBenefactor. Instead, Raimira fluttered her wings while staring at Eugene with taunting eyes. The winds caused the forest to sway. [Hehe¡­. Hehehe. Thisdy cannot help but think she is talented and special, even among dragons. Perhaps as I am now, it¡¯s possible to¡ª] "Are you insane?" Eugene lowered his voice and asked, "What the hell are you doing? Come down quickly!" [D¡­ do notmand thisdy¡ª] "Enough." Eugene clenched his fist and raised it into the air. He felt like flying up there and giving her a piece of his mind, but he decided it was unnecessary. Raimira had already been conditioned to pain from the lessons he had taught her before. Raimira suddenly went quiet. Ariartel had freed Raimira from the red jewel, and Raimira had recovered the power of the dragon that had been suppressed for two hundred years. Thanks to that, Raimira was now free to use polymorph and could also transform into her original draconic form. She could now use Draconic and had received advice from Ariartel on how to use it properly. The sudden surge of power excited Raimira greatly. So, before Eugene came to pick her up, she flew directly across the sky to the Lionheart''s mansion. Thanks to Ariartel providing her with directions, Raimira had found her way here¡­. [Uh, hem... ] However, Raimira''s excitement quickly subsided. The glimmer in the golden eyes gazing at her from below and the rage that pierced and prated her scales caused the red jewel in Raimira¡¯s forehead to throb with pain. [It was just a joke¡­. D-don''t be so angry.] "Come down quickly." [Yes¡­. I understand¡­. Benefactor.] With this power, maybe she could¡­. She had entertained such thoughts in her excitement, but she realized how absurd it was when she considered it carefully. Even though she had recovered her power, Raimira was still a hatchling. Eugene had relentlessly pressured Raizakia, an Ancient Dragon, until hisst breath. Therefore, logically, it was impossible for Raimira to resist Eugene, no matter what tricks she tried. In the end, Raimira started descending obediently. However, Eugene raised his fist again as he spat, ¡°Are you really going toe down in that state? Do you want to be punished?" [Uh¡­.] Ariartel had said that dragons were great and dignified beings. They should always show the dignity of a dragon and never bow down to insults and humiliation. ¡®Disgrace and humiliation it is not, for you saved my life, Benefactor. That is why you are my benefactor. That is why thisdy must repay her grace¡­.¡¯ Moreover, it was the duty of dragons to protect the world. When necessary, they could not hesitate toy down their lives. ¡®Benefactor is the Hero. As thisdy is the guardian of the world, it is only natural that I support the benefactor in saving the world. Therefore, thisdy is not oppressed by Benefactor. Thisdy is arade who supports Benefactor''s fight for the world.¡¯ Raimira reasoned with herself, trying to convince herself with such thoughts. Roar! She used Draconic. The shadow cast by her outstretched wings vanished as the giant ck dragon transformed into her human form. Eugene¡¯s eyebrows twitched as he watched Raimira descend to the ground. Initially, Raimira had the appearance of a young child, not much different from Mer. However...whaton earth was this new form?She was much more mature as if someone had mixed Kristina and Noir together. Moreover, her horns were now muchrger than before. "From today, this is thisdy¡¯s true form¡­." "You change that right away,¡± Eugene shouted. "W-What¡¯s the problem? B-benefactor, don¡¯t you like this form...?" "Where did a little brat like you learn these weird things? What on earth is this getup? And what about the clothes?!" Eugene shouted. "O-Oh¡­. What''s wrong with the clothes?" Raimira asked with a puzzled, wronged expression. How should he say this¡­?Eugene shook his head with a long sigh. He knew the outfit looked somewhat familiar. Afterbing his memory, he remembered they were the stage outfits of the demon idols dancing on Pandemonium¡¯s magic screen. "Who goes around wearing such clothes!" Eugene shouted. "All of the Dream Girls wore this outfit while dancing,¡± retorted Raimira. "Change it!" "What kind of appearance do you want me to change into...? I-I will change it to whatever Benefactor desires. First, lower your fist¡­. Thisdy cannot approach you because I am afraid of the fist¡­.¡± ¡°Change back to how you were before.¡± ¡°Does the benefactor want me in my little form?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Benefactor wants a young appearance¡­. I understand.¡± Didn¡¯t that sound a bit strange?Something felt wrong. Eugene quickly looked around and saw Gilead and Gion beside him, both looking confused. The expressions of the knights and soldiers below were not very different either. "What''s with the strange misunderstanding...? It¡¯s not like I''m Cyan or anything,¡± Eugene hurriedly exined. "What about me?!" Cyan, who had rushed over with his sword, looked unfairly offended as he yelled. ¡°Well, you¡­ you¡¯re engaged to basically a child,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Not yet!¡± retorted Cyan. "Well, you might soon¡­. I mean, I don''t like the child in a romantic way; I just care for her like a daughter, that''s all." "What?! Don¡¯t say it like that, you damn bastard!" Cyan shouted in anger and frustration. Meanwhile, Raimira changed her appearance again. She took the familiar form of a young girl and gracefully descended from the rooftop towards Eugene. "Thisdy took on the form the benefactor desired," she said, still stealing nces at Eugene''s clenched fist. Oh, how he wanted to give her a good knock on the head! Eugene lowered his fist and let out a deep sigh. "Well... um¡­." How should he exin this?Eugene pondered for a moment before turning to Gilead. Gilead did not rush him but instead patiently waited for Eugene to speak. "She... um... is the daughter of Raizakia,¡± Eugene said. "The daughter of the Demonic Dragon...?" asked Gilead. "Yes, that''s right¡­. So, I... I killed her father, so I felt sorry for her and took her in¡­. Oh, but don''t worry, she doesn''t have any intentions of seeking revenge for her father,¡± Eugene exined. "Benefactor has shown grace to thisdy,¡± said Raimira. "Just look at her. You really don''t need to worry. She is... um... more like a pet, I suppose¡­." Eugene continued. "A dragon as a pet?" Gion muttered with a face of disbelief. Although he had blurted it out in the heat of the moment, even Eugene thought calling her a pet was a bit much. As he contemted, he noticed Anci and Sienna standing on the terrace below. "She is Mer''s friend." Eugene pointed towards Mer. "They get along very well. Maybe Lady Anci will also like her." Anci''s gaze felt strange for some reason, but Eugene didn''t think too much of it. Chapter 337: Preparation (3)

Chapter 337: Preparation (3)

For the next two weeks, Eugene led busy days. He was particrly engrossed in various experiments while keeping Raimira, now more dragon-like than before, by his side. Raimira seemed ufortable and restless about the decision, but Eugene didn''t release her. Even a hatchling was still a dragon. Though he didn''t n to send Raimira into directbat as a dragon, he wanted her to assist him in some way while tucked inside the cloak. "Fire,¡± Eugenemanded while lifting the cloak. They had done this dozens of times over the past few days. Raimira obediently opened her mouth, and a scorching breath was unleashed from within the cloak. Kwaaang! Ordinary barriers were incapable of blocking a dragon¡¯s Breath. However, what was cast in front of Eugene was a barrier that Sienna had erected personally. As such, the powerful Breath disintegrated upon impact with Sienna¡¯s barrier. "Perfect." Eugene nodded, satisfied with the results. He never felt ack of firepower during battles. In fact, Eugene had an arsenal of high-powered weapons and techniques at his disposal. The Moonlight Sword, the Holy Sword, the Dragon Spear, the Thunderbolt, the Demon Spear, and the Annihtion Hammer ¡ª six high-powered weapons in total. Added to that, he also had two techniques ¡ª the Empty Sword and Eclipse. His high-powered weapons proved formidable even against the Demon Dragon, Raizakia. [Ahem¡­.] Tempest cleared his throat inside the cloak, signaling that he wanted to express his presence. But although Wynnyd was also a potent weapon, itcked the raw firepower of the other weapons. [Hamel, I¡¯m just asking¡­. But you''re not thinking of lending Wynnyd to someone, are you? If you are thinking of doing something like that, you better seal it in the treasure vault instead,] said Tempest. ¡®Why? Is there a reason to worry?¡¯ Eugene asked. [Didn''t you just recently give the Devouring Sword Azphel to Cyan Lionheart!?] ¡®Well¡­. It''s because I don''t really need the Devouring Sword anymore,¡¯ Eugene replied with a somber expression. As Tempest said, he had handed over the Devouring Sword to Cyan a few days ago. The term "handing over" was a bit of a joke because, in truth, Azphel had never belonged to Eugene but to the Lionheart n. In the past, he carried the Devouring Sword around out of necessity, but now, he had no real use for it. The advantage of Devouring Sword Azphely in its ability to counteract magic, even for non-wizards. Against most wizards, it offered an overwhelming advantage. However, Eugene was now an Archwizard and even possessed Akasha, which allowed him to understand most magic. Of course, the Devouring Sword had other advantages besides cutting through magic. It could cut magic and then absorb the mana used in the cast magic. In the past, when Eugene struggled with the mana drain caused by the Moonlight Sword, he needed the Devouring Sword to handle it effectively. But Eugene no longer had mana shortages. Regardless of how long the battle stretched on, he would not run out of mana with the help of Prominence, which made use of the Ring me Form by drawing mana from his surroundings. Due to this, he no longer needed to use the Devouring Sword. Cyan, on the other hand, relied on Gedon¡¯s Shield, which consumed a significant amount of mana. Although he had recently climbed to five Stars, which bolstered his mana capacity, he still couldn¡¯t use Gedon¡¯s Shield indiscriminately. ¡®I gave the Devouring Sword to Cyan because I believed it suited him. The family head agreed, and Cyan himself wanted it. Besides, the Devouring Sword was never mine to begin with, so it''s not really considered as giving, is it?¡¯ [Is that so? I guess you''re right. Hamel, I¡­. No, Wynnyd is the same way. Wynnyd doesn''t belong to you. It belongs to the Lionheart n,] Tempest cried out in fear. He was worried that Eugene would lend Wynnyd to Melkith if he no longer needed it¡­. Eugene chuckled after guessing Tempest¡¯s thoughts. ¡®Seriously, all the other Elemental Kings have made reasonable contracts, but why are you the only one being stubborn?¡¯ [What, are you saying that since the others are crazy, I should be crazy too?] Eugene ignored Tempest''s outburst and lowered the cloak with his hand. "Euaagh." Before the cloak fully descended, Raimira¡¯s head plopped out. Her expression showed difort. Today, she had fired her Breath multiple times in a row, which might have been a contributing cause, but her connection with Eugene had also not fully stabilized yet. "I keep feeling waves of Benefactor¡¯s thoughts," she said. "I told you it would be like this for the first few days. It''ll get better soon,¡± responded Eugene. They had to establish a connection of thoughts to receive immediate support during urgent battles. While Mer, as a familiar, could maintain such a connection with Eugene or Sienna without feeling any side effects, Raimira experienced slight nausea from it. "Think of thisdy as a good girl," Raimira said weakly. "Sure, sure." "You shouldpliment and adore thisdy." "Sure, sure," Eugene replied ordingly while petting Raimira''s head. If Mer were here, she would have sent jealous res, but fortunately, she wasn''t present. "I will leave the various calctions of coordinates and other things to Mer while receiving additional support from Raimira,¡¯ Eugene thought of his battle strategies. A ck Dragon could release not only Breath but also poison. While Raimira''s poison might not be as potent as Raizakia''s, it could still be amusing to use against many demons. ¡®Although her Draconic¡­. For now, it¡¯s stronger for me to cast spells than for her to use Draconic.¡¯ "Benefactor, never underestimate the strength of a dragon, of thisdy," Raimira said, reading Eugene¡¯s thoughts. ¡®True, I can even use her tail as a shield during critical moments¡ª¡¯ "Stop, don''t say such terrifying things." Raimira jumped out of the cloak, tearful and upset. "That bastard, Raizakia, did just fine transforming his arms and legs into his tail and blocking attacks. Can¡¯t you do something like that?¡± asked Eugene. "The scales of thisdy are not as sturdy as those of the ck Dragon. And I cannot polymorph as quickly as the ck Dragon either." Raimira''s face turned pale, and she staggered back. Eugene felt a bit disappointed and waved his hand to reassure her. "There''s nothing more to adjust, so go and have fun,¡± Eugene said. "Are you sure I can go?" asked Raimira. "Yes." The color returned to her pale face. Raimira grinned and pointed toward the mansion. "Lady Anci said she''ll help choose clothes for thisdy." "Sure, sure." "Thisdy has noticed with her keen senses. Lady Anci seems to like me a lot." "Lady Anci has a fondness for young ones," Eugene agreed. As Eugene thought, Anci had taken a liking to Raimira. Just like when Mer first arrived at the Lionheart mansion, Anci would give Raimira treats and buy her clothes whenever there was an opportunity. ¡®She seems to be getting along well with Sienna too¡­.¡¯ Eugene found it somewhat surprising that Anci and Sienna were getting along so well. He had thought that the two of them would maintain a distance. And¡­. Was it just his imagination? Lately, whenever he crossed paths with Anci at the mansion, he felt an odd gaze from her. "Is everything settled now?" After Raimira had left for the mansion, Kristina, who had been nearby, approached with a smiling face. "Yes." The process of reinforcing Frost with the Dragon Heart they received from Ariartel had been finished a few days ago. Raizakia¡¯s corpse had beenpletely purified as of yesterday. Eugene had finished making adjustments to the connection between himself and Raimira. There was nothing left to do in the mansion. "We can leave tomorrow," Eugene dered. *** ]. Eugene examined his identification card. It wasn''t forged, nor was it a nk one controlled by the Yuras Papacy. It was a genuine identification card officially issued in Kiehl. Eugene had requested it directly from Straut the Second. ~ ¡ªPlease¡­. Don''t just rush into the pce like this. Even if you are an esteemed hero of the past, there are necessary procedures to meet the emperor, you know. And... an identification card? Surely, it''s not for engaging in wrongdoings, is it? ¡ªI am Hamel, and she is Sienna. Why would we do something bad? ¡ªThen why do you need an identification card...? ¡ªYou won¡¯t need to worry about it. Just issue it. ~ Unlike three hundred years ago, in the current era, most people possessed identification cards, and they had be widespread. Without an identification card, one couldn''t use the warp-gate, and if they failed to present their identification card during inspections, they would be immediately arrested. It made sense. With the instation of warp-gates, long-distance travel became incredibly convenient, especially inter-kingdom travel. It would create a chaotic world if anyone couldn''t distinguish between citizens and foreigners due to theck of identification cards. In such a world, fame had too many disadvantages. Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina were famous, but their fame had be too overwhelming. Once the three left Kiehl and entered Shimuin, the news would immediately spread to the royal family. What would happen next? They would be under constant surveince or face interference. And most likely, even Iris would get wind of their whereabouts. Regardless of how arrogant Iris was, she would try to hide if Sienna entered Shimuin. That was not what Eugene hoped for. The most ideal scenario would be to ambush Iris while she was unsuspectinglymitting raids as a pirate. They should catch her by surprise and immediately cut her throat, leaving no room for her to escape. ¡®It won''t be as easy as we hope,¡¯?said Eugene. [Naturally, it won''t be,] Mer responded with a chuckle from inside the cloak. [It''s not the first time you''ve concealed your identity, right?] ¡®That¡¯s right? It was the same when I went to Nahama, Samar, and even Helmuth.¡¯ [I don¡¯t know how you acted in Nahama and Samar. But as far as I know, in Helmuth¡­. You didn''t bother hiding yourself much. You pretended to conceal your identity, but when things got dicey, you revealed yourself immediately!] Eugene winced and closed his mouth. It was undeniable, and the same had happened in Nahama and Samar. With Kristina''s help, he had used nk identification cards, but¡­. ¡®That¡­. It wasn''t my fault. It was Vermouth''s fault.¡¯ [Why are you bringing Vermouth into this?] Mer asked. ¡®Well, the Lionheart family became so famous because Vermouth raised them too much, don''t you think? Yes? If I were born in some ordinary, insignificant family instead of the Lionhearts, I wouldn''t need to put in so much effort to conceal my identity, right?¡¯ [Huh¡­?] ¡®Also, these damn gray hair and gold eyes are too distinctive. They''re clear giveaways that shout, ''Ah, he''s a Lionheart!¡¯¡¯ [Yes, well¡­. That''s true.] ¡®And another thing! The White me Form is also too distinctive. With these characteristics, I can''t hide even if I wanted to. I inevitably end up exposing my identity.¡¯ [You''re quite something. So, in the end, you''re unfairly treated, right?] Mer said sarcastically. A mocking tone was evident in her voice. Eugene reached into the cloak and pinched Mer''s cheek. ¡®But this time will be different. This time¡­. It must be done discreetly, and I will make an extra effort to conceal my identity.¡¯ Iris had been able to expand her pirate operations so quickly because Shimuin allowed her to do so. Iris raided trade ships from other countries and extorted tolls, and those dirty funds flowed as bribes to the Shimuin royal family. The navy, responsible for capturing pirates, did not invade Iris'' territory as they also received bribes. Shimuin''s tolerance of Iris was not solely due to bribes. Shimuin wanted to control the overflowing pirates in the sea through Iris. Additionally, they coveted Iris'' power. What Shimuin desired was to trade with Iris and incorporate her power into the nation''s strength. Of course, Shimuin didn''t achieve the desired rtionship with Iris. In the end, Irispletely broke free from Shimuin''s control and was now raiding not only foreign countries but also Shimuin''s own merchant and cargo ships, as well as facing off against the navy. However, just because they had be enemies didn''t mean that all ties between Shimuin and Iris had been severed. Eugene didn''t think that was the case. Many of the officials who had taken bribes would have been purged. However, the desire for bribes was insatiable, no matter the era. Even if certain officials were prosecuted, there might be others currently epting bribes from Iris in exchange for providing information. And¡­. What about targeting the royal family, who also received bribes? They couldn¡¯t have been thoroughly purged, either. ¡®If Iris somehow finds out and goes into hiding, it will be quite troublesome. The sea is vast, you know. So, this time, I will do my best to conceal my identity until the most critical moment,¡¯ Eugene exined. [Indeed! You n to do so this time.] ¡®Yes, just like her.¡¯ Eugene turned his head and stole a nce at Sienna. The remarkable wizard was in front of the mirror, trying to change her appearance by dyeing her purple hair ck and altering her hairstyle. "You two should change too!" Sienna turned her head and suddenly spoke. "I did some research, and it seems that Shimuin is a nation with a lot of racial diversity." "That must be true. It''s a ce where various knights, mercenaries, and merchants gather,¡± responded Kristina. "Exactly! So, we have several options. How about it? Kristina, since your skin is fair, why not change it entirely to ck?" Sienna suggested. "What?" "If you change your skin to ck, no one will think you''re Saint Kristina Rogeris, right?" said Sienna. "If Lady Sienna changes her skin color first, I''ll consider it,¡± said Kristina. Naturally, Sienna had no intention of doing so. She nced away and examined herself in the mirror. "Hmm. My hair will be ck, and what should I do with my eye color?¡± she questioned. "Just leave your eye color as it is. There''s no need to change it," responded Eugene. "Does that mean my current eye color suits me best? Huh?" Sienna asked. "Yeah, that''s right,¡± said Eugene. "You answer so soullessly." Sienna pouted and looked back at the mirror. Should she let her hair down or tie it up? If she tied it up, what style would be best? Sienna pondered these questions while the carriage continued to move. Finally, the group arrived at Kiehl''s warp-gate. "What will you do about Lady Ciel?" Sienna had heard stories about Ciel from Gilead. Currently, Ciel was gaining poprity in Shimuin, leaving a mark under her name. Many knights and mercenaries visited Shimuin due to a uniquew in the country. Those who came to Shimuin as knights or mercenaries could register themselves as diators. Once registered, they were allowed to participate in the various arenas throughout Shimuin. While some arenas in remote areas may involve lethal duels, most battles in the central arenas resembled a showmanship-filled sport rather than a fight to the death. Although it was considered a sport, winning in the arena required considerable skill. The diator''s value was determined by the points earned from victories, and their ranking was based on these points. In a way, it reminded Eugene of the hierarchy battles among demons, but unlike the hierarchical system distinguishing demon ranks, the diator ranking only applied to those who had registered as diators in Shimuin. The higher the ranking, the more benefits one could enjoy. This was why knights and mercenaries from other countries sought to build their reputation in Shimuin. By registering as diators, they could umte valuablebat experience without worrying too much about death. Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest referred to the twelve highest-ranking diators. The Silver Lion, Carmen Lionheart''s disciple. The youngest among Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. Ranked 7th ¡ª Ciel Lionheart, the White Rose. "We should meet her, but... it doesn''t seem like we can approach her openly." The White Rose, was it? ''The Blood Lion sounds better.''?Eugene genuinely believed that. Chapter 338: Shimuin (1)

Chapter 338: Shimuin (1)

Shimuin, located in the Southern Seas, was an ind nation made up of thousands ofrge and small inds. More than half of its poption and infrastructure were concentrated on the central inds of Shedor and Larupa, so naturally, the royal capital was also located on the central Shedor Ind. The same went for Shimuin¡¯s warp-gates. Apart from Shedor and Larupa, no other ind had any warp-gates constructed on them. As convenient a service as warp-gates were, they were just as expensive to install, and even after instation, they required a constant maintenance fee to operate. As such, warp-gates were not installed on the other inds that had much lower poption numbers than Shimuin¡¯s main inds. Under such circumstances, the people of Shimuin were still heavily dependent on maritime trade. Sailing ships weremonly used to trade with the inds thatcked warp-gates, but apart from those inds, the ships were also used to trade with the small countries that neighbored Shimuin as well as the savage tribes of Samar. While it might have been better to just install a few more warp-gates than to go through such trouble, there was an unavoidable reason why more hadn¡¯t been installed until now. This ancient ind nation had been founded on the maritime trade long before warp-gates had bemonce, and countless citizens were dependent on the industry. From the guilds of the small shipbuilding firms that made smaller fishing vessels to the guilds ofrger shipbuildingpanies that made warships and passenger ships, as well as the trading guilds, all depended on the sea. Since countless people would lose their jobs just from the instation of a few warp-gates, who on earth would take responsibility for the loss of their livelihoods and push for more warp-gates to be installed? ¡°Though perhaps they might have a secret set of warp-gates for personal use, like in Yuras,¡± Eugene murmured as he flipped through a guidebook. The Holy Empire of Yuras might be recognized by the public as one of the most advanced countries on the continent, but with the exception of the capital, there were hardly any warp-gates installed throughout the nation. However, that was only true on the surface. In the basement of the Tressia Cathedral, there was a hidden warp-gate that was kept secret from themon people and used only by high-ranking clergy members. ¡°The situation in Yuras is different from Shimuin. While it is true that Shimuin is a nation made up of thousands of different inds, strictly speaking, the only real territory that they can im to control is the central inds of Shedor and Larupa,¡± Kristina informed him as she leaned her slightly unsteady body against the ship¡¯s railing. ¡°Yuras has a vast expanse ofnd, with their citizens spread all over the ce¡­ ahem. Even if they reject the use of warp-gates on the surface, they have no choice but to secretly use them to maintain the spread of their faith.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°It seems you¡¯re still quite fond of Yuras?¡± ¡°No, I have no attachment to it. I just feel that you shouldn¡¯t be blind to the obvious. I have never once felt any fondness for that country,¡± Kristina insisted expressionlessly. ¡°In any case, what I wanted to say was that the circumstances of Shimuin and Yuras are very different. The upper sses of this country, such as the magnates, the nobles, the royals, or the public officials, have no reason to ever leave Shedor or Larupa¡ª¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Raimira, who was next to Kristina, suddenly let out a strange cry. Currently, Ramiria didn¡¯t appear to have her usual horn-like protrusions sticking out of her head. Having promised not to do?anything strange, Raimira had been let out of Eugene¡¯s cloak and was now looking down at the sea with most of her body sticking out over the railing. ¡°Look, look, look over there. There¡¯s a really, really huge fish,¡± Raimira said excitedly. ¡°Stupid. That¡¯s not a fish; that¡¯s a dolphin,¡± Mer, who had had her hair dyed ck, corrected Raimira smugly while happily swinging her arm entwined with Raimira¡¯s. It was as Mer had just said. In the sea below the railing, a pod of dolphins could be seen swimming below the surface of the water. ¡°Jump!¡± ¡°Do a jump!¡± The two brats were shrieking noisily, but this didn¡¯t cause too much of a fuss as the dozens of other tourists who were currently riding this ship were also pointing at the dolphins and letting out cheers. ¡°Even so, don¡¯t you think the world has gotten a lot betterpared to the old days?¡± Sienna asked from Eugene¡¯s other side. She had previously given a lot of thought to whether she should tie up her hair, but in the end, Sienna had decided to just leave her hair free. While pressing her hand down on her hair, which was fluttering in the sea breeze, Sienna turned to look at Eugene and continued speaking, ¡°In this era, even the ships have gotten a lot faster. When we rode the ship to travel to Helmuth back then, it took us half a year just to get there, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°It was around that long,¡± Eugene nodded in agreement as he also leaned against the railing. They were currently riding a cruise ship propelled by a mana-powered engine. Even though not much time had passed since they embarked, Shedor Ind could already be seen in the distance before they knew it. ¡°Though if we had used a warp-gate, we would have already arrived by now,¡± Eugene grumbled. Sienna chided him, ¡°Since we¡¯re here, you should just enjoy the boat ride. Just like Mer is doing, and Rai also says this is the first time she¡¯s seen the sea.¡± Eugene muttered, ¡°What¡¯s with calling her Rai? Is it the ¡®Rai¡¯ in ¡®rai-tarded¡¯[1]?¡± ¡°Heh!¡± Sienna let out a snort ofughter at Eugene¡¯s pun. Kristina, taken aback by Sienna¡¯s short and inelegant grunt of amusement, looked back and forth between Sienna and Eugene. Was she meant to beughing now? Should she try to giggle, even if it was just for Eugene¡¯s sake¡­? The thought did go through her mind, but Kristina just couldn¡¯t bring herself tough. [You don¡¯t need tough. These two have just got a screw loose,] Anisemented with an exasperated tongue click, unable to rte to their sense of humor either. ¡°Raimira takes too long to call out in a hurry, but if we call her Mira, that might get confused with Mer,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°Thisdy really likes the nickname Rai,¡± Raimira, who had been chasing the dolphins with her eyes, also piped up with a giggle. Since they had decided to thoroughly disguise their identities, it was necessary to deal with the issue of their names. Eugene felt the need to say something, ¡°By the way, Sierra.¡± ¡°Yes, Yuri?¡± Sienna responded. ¡°Although it might be toote to say this, aren¡¯t the names we picked way too obvious? We¡¯ve only changed a single syble¡­,¡± Eugene pointed out hesitantly. ¡°But the new names are prettymon, aren¡¯t they?¡± Sienna argued. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene nodded before turning to Kristina, ¡°Especially yours, Kris.¡± All they had done was remove thest two sybles of her actual name. With a hesitant expression on her face, Kristina nodded her admittance. Yuri, Sierra, and Kris. Those names really did feelmon. While exchanging such trivial chit-chat, their ship arrived at its destination. They werending at the secondrgest ind in Shimuin, the ind of Larupa. As a popr tourist destination, the holynd of prize fighters, Larupa had thergest floating poption in all of Shimuin. The reason they hade here was simple. Eugene¡¯s goal was to secretly enter Shimuin, figure out Iris¡¯ movements, and find a chance to kill her. In regards to this, the Grand Duke of Shimuin, Ortus, had promised his support ¡ª but there was no way they could easily meet up with a high-ranking noble like the Grand Duke just by saying they wanted to meet with him. ¡®Though it might have worked if we had sent word in advance,¡¯ Eugene thought. But they hadn¡¯t done so because they were wary that Iris might go into hiding before they even got the chance to meet with Ortus. Fortunately, since Ciel had been making a name for herself in Shimuin starting a year ago, by making contact with Ciel first, they could request her help to get in touch with Ortus while also investigating Iris¡¯ whereabouts. Of course, they couldn¡¯t just rely solely on Ciel. Beforeing to Shimuin, Eugene had also mobilized the Lionheart n¡¯s various connections to find out any information about the Fury Pirates that Iris led. In just a few years, those dark elves had managed to unite hundreds of pirate bands that had been sailing the Southern Seas, both small andrge, and were said to have made the Solgarta Sea, the roughest of all the seas, into their base of operations. The Solgarta Sea was also called the Devil¡¯s Sea in Shimuin because of the wild ocean currents that swirled there. Even exceptionally experienced and skilled sailors who had lived entire decades on the sea were afraid of going near the Solgarta Sea. But if their sailing skills weren¡¯t enough, couldn¡¯t they still rely on magic to supplement their efforts? Although anyone coulde up with such a simple idea, until now, the Solgarta Sea still had yet to be fully conquered. The other reason it was called the Devil¡¯s Sea was that magic didn¡¯t work properly there. The reason for this had yet to be investigated in detail, but there were spections that it might be due to certain natural resources buried deep below the sea. ¡°Though that just sounds like bullshit to me,¡± Sienna grumbled as she gazed out the carriage window. As soon as they arrived on Larupa, they had taken this carriage and were now heading towards thergest coliseum on this ind. ¡°Those fools say that arge amount of mana stones must be buried in the seabed and that the mana emitted by those stones is what¡¯s interfering with any use of magic¡­ but do they really believe that idea makes any sense? Well, apart from that, they do have several other simr hypotheses. Since natural materials that interfere with magic, while rare, do exist, it may be because of that that they cane up with such bullshit,¡± Sienna said with a dismissive snort and a shake of her head. ¡°However, when ites to materials like those, the range in which they are able to limit the use of magic is minimal, right?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Let¡¯s see now¡­ adreate is the most effective of all such materials, but to create a magic-suppressing forcefield that can cover such a wide, fucking area like an entire sea, you would need to rece all the seawater with adreate.¡± Sienna recalled something, ¡°It¡¯s said that the sea has a lot of reefs.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene nodded along. ¡°Another reason that entire sea is so fucked up is that there are too many small inds within its borders.¡± Therge and small inds that dotted the Solgarta Sea were used as strongholds by the pirates. ¡°To find out why magic doesn¡¯t work well there, we¡¯ll have to go there in person to know for sure, but¡­,¡± Sienna hesitated. ¡°Well, among all the hypotheses floating around, there is one that I feel may be the most usible: that the Salgarta Sea was once their of a dragon.¡± The hypothesis stated that a dragon may have taken the Solgarta Sea as their territory, establishing theirir somewhere deep beneath the sea or in an undersea cave connected to an ind. They then tangled up the sea currents and created a forcefield that inhibited all magic to prevent any unauthorized ess. ¡°Although Ariartel said that all the dragons apart from herself went into hibernation, it wouldn¡¯t be strange for the magic that a dragon had cast before going into slumber to remain active until now. If there really was a dragon, there must be a staggering amount of treasure piled up in theirir, so the dragon would have naturally wanted their treasure to remain right where it was while they were in hibernation,¡± Sienna surmised. ¡°Magic might not work properly in that sea, but it seems that Demoneyes are still usable?¡±mented Kristina, who had been listening in silence as she tilted her head curiously. The pirates had seeded in making that hellish sea their base because of Iris¡¯s Demoneye of Darkness and its power to create a passage from one patch of darkness to another, allowing her to jump over the entire mess of raging sea currents. ¡°Demoneyes are different from magic; they don¡¯t even use mana¡­ and even among the demonfolk, it¡¯s a very rare power,¡± Eugene muttered with a furrowed brow. Even back during the war three hundred years ago, there were only at most a dozen or so demonfolk who were equipped with a Demoneye. Eugene further noted, ¡°And even among the Demoneyes, Iris¡¯s Demoneye of Darkness and Gavid¡¯s Demoneye of Divine Glory are extremely unique. Because their powers were granted to them personally by a Demon King.¡± Assessing them simply by rank, those two Demoneyes were actually of a higher rank than the Demoneye of Fantasy. The Demoneye of Fantasy, as its name suggested, was only able to show you an illusion. It couldn¡¯t do anything to actually affect reality. However¡­ that Demoneye matched perfectly with its user, the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. On top of that, Noir had used all sorts of methods to raise her power level and had trained her Demoneye of Fantasy to its very limits. Yeaaaaaah! The sound of cheers echoed through the carriage window from somewhere nearby. ¡°What the?¡± Surprised by the cheers, Eugene poked his head out the window to take a look. He saw people waving their arms in the air excitedly from within their carriages and on the roadside. They were looking at a tower in the distance and an image that was magically projected from its spire. Could it be an imitation of the magic screens that were amon sight in Helmuth? However, the screen projected from the spire of the tower was of much lower quality than the ones seen in Helmuth, and in terms of quantity, it was also the only one that could be seen. ¡°Are you heading over to watch the games as well, dear guests?¡± the coachman holding the horse¡¯s reins asked with a hearty chuckle. ¡°That sound means the opening match has just started. But well¡­ that match isn¡¯t really worth seeing, so please don¡¯t feel too impatient. The Mador Coliseum never adjusts the scheduled game times, so you¡¯ll have plenty of time to get there.¡± ¡°If the matchup isn¡¯t worth watching, why are they making such a fuss?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s¡­. As you¡¯ve been riding in the carriage, dear guests, you must not have seen it. Just now, today¡¯s main heroine appeared on the screen,¡± the coachman exined with a bright grin as he turned to look back at Eugene, whose head was still sticking out of the window. ¡°It was the White Rose, Ciel Lionheart.¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes blinked in surprise at the coachmen¡¯s excited smile. So what the coachman was saying was¡­ that the countless people he had just seen going crazy in the streets were all because Ciel¡¯s face had shown up on the screen? ¡°It seems that she¡¯s exceptionally popr?¡± Eugenemented. ¡°Hahaha! Why are you asking something so obvious? After all, aren¡¯t you also on your way to your reserved seats in the second-ss, dear guests? Really now, tickets like those aren¡¯t just expensive, they¡¯re very hard to find¡­,¡± the coachmen trailed off jealously. ¡°Um¡­ we were just lucky,¡± Eugene said as an excuse. Naturally, it hadn¡¯t been luck. They had bought the tickets with arge sum of money. In fact, they could have tried to buy even better tickets with more money, but the best tickets that ordinary tourists could purchase in this city were limited to second-ss tickets. Even a first-ss ticket required a title of nobility if you wanted to buy it, and as for the VIP tickets, as their name suggested, they could only be purchased by VIPs. ¡°Well, the truth is, it¡¯s only natural that she can¡¯t help but be popr, you know? She¡¯s only at the tender age of eighteen and with such a pretty face¡­,¡± the coachman trailed off dreamily before snapping back to his senses. ¡°Also, today¡¯s matchup is crucial for the White Rose.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene prompted. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the coachman nodded. ¡°The White Rose¡¯s opponent in today¡¯s match is a knight who has also managed to get his name into the Twelve Finest[2], just like her. His rank might only be at the tenth position, lower than the White Rose¡¯s, but he¡¯s not an opponent that should be taken lightly.¡± The nickname of the knight who currently held the tenth rank was the Iron Wall Knight. The coachman borated further, ¡°His match points might be lower than that of the White Rose, but today is the first time those two will face each other. If the White Rose manages to win this match, she¡¯ll earn the match points she needs to challenge one of the higher ranks. Also, the Iron Wall is equally determined to win. If he loses this battle, his match points will be greatly reduced, and he won¡¯t even be able to keep his current rank.¡± While listening to the coachman¡¯s exnation, Eugene¡¯s eyes were fixed on the screen. Although the coachman had said that this matchup might not be worth watching¡­ that wasn¡¯t really the case. It might only be a showdown between two fighters in the top 100 rankings, but it was surprisingly fun to watch. ¡®They¡¯re not allowed to kill their opponents,¡¯ Eugene recalled. But the conflict appeared bloody enough, making it hard to believe there was such a rule in ce. The matches in Shimuin¡¯s coliseums were mainly held for the purpose of providing entertainment. If the fighters weren¡¯t able to excite the crowd, they wouldn¡¯t be popr, no matter how high their match points were. Fighters without poprity wouldn¡¯t be able to attract sponsors, and they also wouldn¡¯t be able to move any tickets, so in severe cases, they might not even be able to stand inside a coliseum. As a result of that, the fighters had to walk a tightrope at the edge of life and death. As their battle went on, their wounds would only grow in number, and their blood would begin to spray out. ¡°Dear guests, do you know why Ciel Lionheart is called the White Rose?¡± the coachman asked. The Mador Coliseum was just starting to be visible in the distance. ¡°I do,¡± Eugene responded. Eugene had already looked into the news surrounding Ciel. She had participated in dozens of matches over the past year to rise to seventh ce in the rankings. Her record was a whopping thirty-four wins and zero losses. The surprising thing was that Ciel hadn¡¯t gotten hurt even once during her many matches. ¡®She¡¯s grown a lot,¡¯ Eugene thought fondly. On their way to the Knight March, he had been attacked by Noir Giabe. Ciel and Cyan, who were with him at the time, hadn¡¯t been able to put up any resistance against Noir and were knocked unconscious. Eugene was well aware of just how much those two resented that fact. After experiencing the helplessness and humiliation of being unable to do anything, the events of that day brought a lot of changes to the twins. Then those changes had borne fruit in the Samar Rainforest when Cyan defeated Hector. ¡ªDon¡¯t look at me. Don¡¯te any closer, either. Could that have happened to Ciel as well? Eugene recalled how Ciel had looked during that moment in the snowfield, her tearful face as she was unable to get over the shame of her own weakness and the words she had spoken in a trembling voice. ¡ªI never want to experience something like this again. I don¡¯t want to burden you either. ¡ªIt¡¯s not like I¡¯m an idiot. I¡¯m only saying this after I¡¯ve worked out my own situation. Why? Do you feel sorry for me because I¡¯m saying something like this? I would truly hate it if that were the case. I don¡¯t want to receive any sympathy from you. ¡ªI don¡¯t want to stay around you any longer because it just makes me feel ashamed and embarrassed. ¡ªIf you cling to me and tell me not to go, I will hate you for the rest of my life. Recalling those words, a grin appeared on Eugene¡¯s face. * * * Aaaaaaaaah! The second-ss seats in the Mador Coliseum might not be the best seating avable, but they were still pretty high-ss seats, so it seemed like there wouldn¡¯t be any huge issues with enjoying the match from here. The match hadn¡¯t started yet, so the only thing to look at right now was the waves of white roses filling the stands. ¡°The White Rose!¡± ¡°Ciel Lionheart!¡± The shouts of her name and title could be hearding from all directions. Ciel¡¯s fans were all wearing matching white clothes and were tossing around the petals of Ciel¡¯s nickname, the White Rose. The same thing was happening in the higher-ss seats, which were closer to the field and had even better views. Moreover, among the VIPs, who only numbered in the bare dozens, a few could be seen holding white roses. ¡®Ortus isn¡¯t here,¡¯ Eugene noted. If Ortus hade to watch the match, Eugene had been nning to try and make contact with him somehow. While feeling some disappointment at the missed opportunity, Eugene leaned against the railing. ¡°I¡¯ve never met that youngdy, Ciel, before, so what type of person is she?¡± Sienna asked as she held Mer up slightly so she could get a better view of the field. ¡°You¡¯ll know once you meet her,¡± Kristina said as she, seemingly out of a refusal to lose, also lifted Raimira up for a better view. Thanks to this, Eugene, who was caught between them, couldn¡¯t help but feel slight distress. Two grown women with children and one man standing between them¡­. Eugene was afraid of what he must look like in the eyes of others, especially in Carmen and Ciel¡¯s eyes¡­. ¡°What on earth is going on? Mer won¡¯t tell me anything, and you¡¯re not saying anything either. Kris, just what aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± Sienna demanded. Kristina seemed to prevaricate, ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen Sir Cyan?¡± ¡°Of course I¡¯ve seen him,¡± Sienna confirmed. ¡°He¡¯s quite cute and like a baby.¡± ¡°Since they¡¯re twins, she looks simr. As for her personality¡­,¡± Kristina paused before clearing her throat. ¡°Ahem, she¡¯s also adorable.¡± The reason Kristina refused to say anything about Ciel was that she honestly had no idea how to introduce Ciel. In particr, Kristina was concerned about Ciel¡¯s feelings for Eugene. She couldn¡¯t decide just how sincere Ciel¡¯s feelings for Eugene were, so Kristina thought it would be better if she didn¡¯tment on it at all. ¡°Here theye,¡± Eugene announced, pointing a finger at the arena. The closed doors on one side of the field were thrust open. The first person toe through those doors¡­ wasn¡¯t Ciel, but instead Dezra. Marching into the field ahead of Ciel, Dezra raised her hand, and a white carpet rolled out from the open doors. The pure white path created by this carpet led straight to the center of the arena. After checking to see that the carpet had rolled out evenly without a single wrinkle, Dezra spun around gracefully and dropped down onto one knee. Click, click, click. Light footsteps could be hearding from the open doors. Aaaaaaaah! The crowd let out a cheer so loud it made their eardrums hurt. The white roses the spectators had been waving were all thrown into the field in one motion. Large roses fell into the middle of the arena, which was already covered with the flower¡¯s petals, like snowkes. ¡°They¡¯ll have to clean that up before the match, right?¡± Sienna muttered as she watched the flowers pile up on the field, leaving no room to even take a step. Of course, all of those petals and roses would be cleaned up before the match by wizards stationed in the corners of the arena so they wouldn¡¯t interfere with the match itself. Eugene stretched out his hand and caught one of the roses pouring down like rain as he watched Ciel walk through the doors. Ciel wore a pure white outfit different from the dress uniform she had worn as a member of the Knights of the ck Lion, but it had the same Lionheart sigil embroidered on her left chest. Ciel responded to the cheers with a bright smile and waved her hand at the spectators as she walked down the carpet. ¡°Hmm,¡± Eugene unconsciously let out a pleased hum as he took in her appearance. He felt the urge to make ament about how Ciel really had grown up. 1. Sorry if this is offensive, but this is the closest I could get to tranting the pun in the original text. 2. The Twelve Finest are the twelve strongest knights of Shimuin Chapter 339: Shimuin (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 339: Shimuin (2) [Bonus Image]

Ranked tenth, the Knight of the Iron Wall was the perfect match for Ciel. Standing over two meters tall, d in thick armor, he appeared three timesrger than Ciel, exaggeratedly so. He wielded a massive shield that could cover his entire body and held argence in the opposite hand. Block with the shield, thrust with thence. It was a simple yet intricate technique. He lived up to his name as the Knight of the Iron Wall. He deliberately hid behind his shield while waiting for Ciel to approach. However, he wasn¡¯t actually an iron wall and was no match for Ciel. The battle itself didn''t take long. The sword-force that Ciel¡¯s slender rapier emitted was sharp and swift, and with her dazzling swordsmanship, she literally "disassembled" her opponent. No blood was shed. In an instant, dozens of precise attacks tore through the thick armor of her opponent like paper. Within a few minutes, Ciel''s opponent was left only in his undergarments, wearing nothing but a helmet. "White Rose!" "Ciel Lionheart!" The judges dered Ciel''s victory. A crushing result. Dezra approached Ciel and handed her a sheath for her sword. Ciel sheathed her weapon in front of everyone, then smiled and waved at the crowd before turning her back on her defeated opponent, after which Dezra opened the door for her. Once again, a white carpet rolled out onto the ground. Ciel waited until the carpet reached her feet before waving goodbye to the audience with a beaming smile and exiting the arena. "How long did that take?" Ciel asked. "About 8 minutes and 43 seconds,¡± Dezra answered while following behind Ciel. "Adding the time for the post-match greetings, around 13 minutes?" "It was supposed to be a meaningful match. Should I have stayed until the ten-minute mark? Maybe I should have waved for a bit longer to the fans.¡± Despite maintaining a smile for the audience, Ciel''s expression now seemed apathetic. The goal had been to defeat her opponent within ten minutes. She did it with ease, but... honestly, she didn''t enjoy the content of the match. What fun was there in unterally cutting down an opponent who only focused on defense? "What about Lady Carmen?" asked Ciel. "She didn''te because she said there''s no value in watching predictable matches,¡± responded Dezra. "It was indeed a match not worth watching,¡± grumbled Ciel. "The next one will be different, right? You''ve umted enough points to challenge the higher ranks, haven¡¯t you? Surely you''re not thinking of giving up on that?" asked Dezra while approaching Ciel and brushing a rose petal off her shoulder. Ciel looked up at Dezra and smiled brightly. "The top 6 are half of the Twelve Finest, right? They''re considered the real deal. Since I made it this far, I might as well try to challenge them,¡± said Ciel. There was no guarantee of victory. Even if she won, there was no guarantee she could win as wlessly as she had so far. But Ciel was not afraid of that. She had traveled to Shimuin for the purpose of training. In the past year, she had fought thirty-five battles, all victorious and without a single scratch. It had not been easy. To win without injury, Ciel wielded her sword every day without rest and thoroughly researched her opponents once the matches were set. Dezra honestly admired Ciel. Despite being only a year older... Ciel''s skills had reached a level Dezra could never catch up to. "It wasn''t like this at the Knight March,"?thought Dezra. For years now, she had been observing Ciel''s growth by her side as her aide. Ciel had never been one to ck off in her training, but over the past year, it was as if she had transformed into a different person, devoting herself entirely to her sword. Although her White me Form remained at the Fourth Star, her swordsmanship had grown exponentiallypared to before. "Oh, and Lady Ciel, Marquis Leberon has sent an invitation through an aide, inviting you for a meal. He is adamant about it,¡± Dezra said suddenly. "Why should I have a meal with that old man? I can already predict what he''ll say. He''ll sponsor me if I fight just once in his private arena, right?" Ciel dismissed the invitation immediately. "Well, Camiro Arena is quite prestigious. It wouldn''t hurt to have a match there,¡± said Dezra. "If I want to expand my connections, I might consider it. But why would I bother making more connections now? I''ll be leaving in about a year at thetest,¡± said Ciel. There was less than a month left for this year to end. ording to her initial n, Ciel had intended to leave Shimuin before her 22nd birthday¡­. Now, she felt a hint of regret and clicked her tongue. ¡®April¡­. Can I make it into the top five by then?¡¯ She had received a letter from the Lionheart¡¯s main family. Her brother Cyan and Eugene had returned not long ago. There had been a war between the native tribes in Samar, and Eugene and Cyan had participated in it. Cyan had killed Hector Lionheart, the traitor of the family, during the war. That fact alone was enough to shock Ciel, but the content of the letter that followed was even more shocking, enough to make her forget everything written before. Eugene had killed the Demon Dragon Raizakia. That news only fueled Ciel''s determination further. She was the youngest of the Twelve Finest, ranked seventh. It was an honorable position, butpared to Cyan and Eugene, it wascking by far. She wanted to climb higher, ideally within the top five¡­. "...Hmph." Ciel lifted her gaze slightly, snapping out of her thoughts. It seemed that fool Dezra hadn''t noticed anything. Dezra blinked a few times when their eyes met before giving a silly smile. That silly smile felt pathetic, and Ciel pped Dezra''s butt with a wide-open palm. "Ouch! W-what, what was that for?" shouted Dezra. "Stupid Dezra! You don¡¯t know why I hit you?" asked Ciel. "Well, it''s not like it''s the first or second time you''ve hit me. How should I know? You probably hit me for some silly reason, like you not liking how I looked at you." Respecting someone didn''t mean you couldn''t retort towards them. Dezra was used to Ciel''s scolding, so instead of feeling down, she red back at Ciel with determination. "Pitiful!" Ciel clicked her tongue and shook her head. There was no need to exin if Dezra couldn''t realize it on her own. Cielnded another firm p on Dezra''s butt. "I¡¯m going to stop by somewhere, so you go ahead," Ciel said. "Where are you going?" Dezra asked. "It''s my freedom to go wherever I want. Besides, I don''t have anything else scheduled." "But Marquis Leberon specifically invited us for a meal!" "I already gave my answer! I won''t eat with him. If he insists on having a meal, you can go in my ce." "I don''t want to eat with that creepy old man either. Every time I cross paths with him, he looks at me with filthy eyes." Dezra shuddered involuntarily. "That''s because your butt is unnecessarily big. You eat several bowls of rice at every meal, so of course, you''re gaining unnecessary weight." "Gaining weight...! There''s no unnecessary fat on my body. It''s all muscles!" Dezra¡¯s shoulders trembled. She felt genuinely wronged. But since Ciel had no intention of trying to understand Dezra''s feelings, she simply pped Dezra¡¯s butt once more. "Get going already!" said Ciel. "Ugh...! Can''t you at least tell me what business you have? All you do is hit me all the time¡­." Dezra grumbled before passing by Ciel. The attendants looked at Ciel for guidance. They had been following behind the two while holding therge carpet. "What are you waiting for? You should go too,¡± said Ciel. "Yes, Lady Ciel." The attendants hurriedly followed Dezra. Soon, they disappeared through the door at the end of the hallway. ¡°Hmph.¡± Once Ciel waspletely alone, she snorted and gripped the hilt of her sword at her waist. "I''m alone now. Isn¡¯t that enough?" Ciel spoke while slowly turning in a circle on the spot, her hand remaining on her hilt. The attendants and even stupid Dezra had not noticed, but Ciel''s keen senses could detect a hidden presence in this space. It was rare, but it had happened a few times before. As a famous celebrity in this country, Ciel attracted various people with malicious intentions. The perpetrators included mediocre diators whocked points and desperately wanted to defeat Ciel Lionheart. Even though they were resorting to cowardly ambushes, they desperately sought the fame that they would garner from beating Ciel Lionheart. Then, there were other types of people who were after her as well. asionally, some woulde seeking revenge after being defeated in a duel. Some even sent assassins to avoid dirtying their hands. In the past, even a top-ranked fighter had sent an assassin before their fight. They had been afraid of fighting against Ciel. Of course, no such attempt had ever seeded. Ciel believed it would be the same this time. Who could it be this time? An assassin sent by the Knight of the Iron Wall? Or just some naive fool seeking fame? ¡®It could well be one of those cowardly nobles I rejected.¡¯ In this kingdom, many fans supported Ciel, but equally numerous were her foes. In particr, there were many nobles and fighters who wanted to be involved in a scandal with Ciel at any cost. Naturally, Ciel had no such intentions, so she always brushed off offers to share a drink or dance at parties. She treated any such propositions with curt rejections, cutting them away as if she were swinging a sword. "How long do you n to hide?" Ciel narrowed her eyes and unsheathed her sword. She was certain someone was hiding nearby, but¡­ the exact location eluded her. This fact put her slightly on edge. The opponent seemed like an exceptional assassin or a wizard. "Or perhaps it''s just as well. Otherwise, it would¡¯vecked the thrill ofbat.¡¯ Sending Dezra and the attendants ahead had been a wise move. She activated her White me Form. Fwoosh! Faint white mes enveloped Ciel''s body. At that moment, something whizzed through the empty air. Ciel reacted instantly. She didn''t care what was flying towards her. She swung her sword with precision. The distribution of speed and power was perfect. However, she couldn''t cut through the projectile and instead was stopped in her tracks. The scenery before her distorted, and a faint scent of roses tickled Ciel''s nose. It was a fragrance she was too familiar with. The moniker "White Rose" given to Ciel was, to arge extent, a self-imposed name of which she had never felt embarrassed or ashamed. When she first became a diator and stepped into the coliseum, Ciel appeared in a snowy white uniform with a white rose pinned to her hair. She had Dezra scatter white rose petals. There were reasons she chose a white rose, among all other roses. Amidst the blood-soaked coliseum, red was toomon a color. By choosing a white rose, symbolizing purity, in the midst of that chaos, she believed it could easily garner the audience''s attention and favor. Thus, Ciel bestowed the title "White Rose" upon herself. What was the essence of the ranking system in the Kingdom of Shimuin? Why did fighters in this country attach a moniker before their names? It was to gain fame, of course. In addition to skill, fame was necessary to attract attention. Ciel understood well that an easily immersive and endearing "image" was required to create that fame, something that the audience could easily remember and chant. It had not been a difficult task for Ciel. Ever since she was young, she had been well-versed in ways to win favor and receive affection from others. "Ah, you surprised me." She was familiar and well-practiced, but she had yet to elicit the reaction she desired from absolutely everyone. She had never experienced the genuine reaction she longed for, not when she was a mischievous little girl, not when she grew older and felt genuine embarrassment, and not even after she came to understand her own emotions. "Why do you look like that?" said Eugene Lionheart. He was the adopted son of the main family, a distant cousin of hers. They had be siblings since they were young, and she had been content with that alone. She remembered teasing him in the past, telling him she was his older sister since her birthday came before his. From some point on¡­. Perhaps, when she reached adolescence, Ciel had disliked the fact that they were siblings. Why she disliked it, even she couldn''t understand it back then. She just... didn''t like it. Now, she understood the reason for that long-held dislike. Well, she understood it anew. The essence of that emotion was something she had understood not just now but several years ago. "You¡­." For that reason, Ciel could not keep her expression under control. She hadn''t prepared herself for today''s encounter. She had never even imagined it. Ciel widened her eyes, and her gaping lips refused to close as she stared at Eugene. "You seem quite surprised," Eugene chuckled as he lowered his index finger. As it descended, Ciel¡¯s sword was lowered as well. "Even so, how could you swing your sword right away? You almost cut the gift I prepared." To call it a "gift" would be an overstatement, as it was just a rose he had picked up from the shower of petals that had rained down on the coliseum. Should he have prepared a more convincing gift? Eugene felt a tinge of regret as he extended the rose towards Ciel. "Here." Still, Ciel continued to stare wide-eyed and open-mouthed without any response. Her shock stoked an urge within Eugene to tease her. He chuckled while yfully pushing the rose into her open mouth. "Pff!" It was only then that Ciel regained her senses and spat. ng!? Her hand was rather unsteady as she dropped her sword to the ground. Startled, she stepped back and pressed against the wall, staring at Eugene''s face in shock. "You¡­. You, you, you¡­." "Just say it once. I''m d to see you too but isn''t your reaction a bit too extreme, Ciel Lionheart?" "You¡­. Why are you here? I received a letter saying you were at the main house three days ago¡­." "Just because I was at the Lionheart Mansion three days ago doesn''t mean I have to be there today as well. Don''t you know my personality?" "I... know. You leave the main house and go all over the ce whenever you have something to do." Ciel btedlyposed herself and smoothed her expression, although it didn''t quite go as nned. She managed to reel in her expression, though her startled heart continued to race. "Could it be that you came all the way here to see me?" she asked. "That''s¡­. Well¡­," Eugene hesitated a bit. "That would be impossible. I know you''re not that kind of person." Ciel gave a yfulugh and stepped away from the wall. She epted the rose that was almost touching her face and stared intently at Eugene''s face. She only now realized that Eugene''s appearance had changed slightly. Though it couldn''t be considered drastic. His ash-gray hair and golden eyes had turned brown. That was the extent of the change. It was a change she could recognize at a nce, and that''s why she was amazed. Why would he change the color of his hair and eyes? If he came to see her, there was no need for such a thing. To surprise her? Impossible. Ciel knew Eugene all too well. Although she felt a hint of bitterness deep within her heart, such a trivial thing did not change the feelings of her heart for him. "Still, thank you,¡± Ciel grinned and ced the rose in her hair. With graceful steps, she approached Eugene. "You came to watch my match, right? Whatever the reason for you being in the Shimuin, this is enough for me." With arms wide open, Ciel pulled Eugene into an embrace. "Thank you foring, and it''s been a while, Eugene," she said. It was okay to embrace her sibling, after all, but she still disliked the fact. Still, she liked that she could use it as an excuse to embrace him ¡ª just a little. The hug ended much too quickly. Ciel nonchntly took a few steps back, only to btedly realize that she had just finished a match. Suspicion crossed her mind, and she gave Eugene a scrutinizing look. "Do I smell of sweat?" she asked. "I don''t think so." It was an honest answer. At the moment, the only fragrance surrounding Ciel was the faint scent of roses. Ciel focused on Eugene''s expression before nodding with relief. "Alright, anyway... we can''t stand here talking forever. What should we do? Shall we go together?" asked Ciel. "I have my own group." Group. Ciel naturally thought of Kristina, the Saint. Of course, he had a group. Ciel narrowed her eyes and looked at Eugene. "Where are they?" she asked. "They''re probably still in the audience." "Then... good." Ciel reached into her trouser pocket and pulled out a thick notebook and a pen. The items looked a bit bulky for the trousers, which looked to be a tight, perfect fit. At a nce, it seemed like the notebook had been opened and closed hundreds of times. "What''s that? A diary?" asked Eugene. "I write diaries... and various other things. Why? Curious?" asked Ciel. "And if I read something I shouldn''t?" said Eugene. "I don''t write anything weird, so don''t worry,¡± retorted Ciel. A simple diary, information about her opponents ¡ª those were the kinds of things she wrote in the notebook. Eugene smirked and leaned against the wall. "Well, I thought it could be poetry,¡± said Eugene. "You really think I¡¯m full of emotions like that?" Ciel chuckled and quickly scribbled on the notebook, then tore out a sheet of paper and handed it to Eugene. "It''s the address where I''m staying. There''s security, but with your skills, there shouldn''t be any problems. So, find your own way there.¡± "You''re not even going to leave the door open?" "Do you really want me to do that? I get quite a bit of attention from here and there. If I do something unusual, the paparazzi guarding the mansion will write all sorts of stories in the newspapers. Is that alright?" She never felt that heckedmon sense. Based on the fact that Eugene was in disguise and that he had only shown himself when she was alone, it would be best to keep their future encounters a secret as well. "I¡¯ll be there tonight, then," replied Eugene, putting the note into his pocket. Ciel nodded before spinning around. Tonight. "See youter." She made sure not to put too much emphasis on her words. Something like that would feel too clingy. If anything, Ciel wanted to show Eugene a "haughty" demeanor. Chapter 340: Shimuin (3)

Chapter 340: Shimuin (3)

The address written in the note was located in a prestigious neighborhood in Larupa Ind, an area known for its highnd prices. Unlike other regions bustling with activities and people, this neighborhood exuded an air of elegant tranquility. However, it was only a facade. Many diators lived in the opulent districts of Larupa Ind, where the coliseum was located, and there were also numerous mansions owned by nobles. As a result, the paparazzi that Ciel warned about was hiding in every nook and cranny of the streets. However, such scrutiny posed no major problem for Eugene¡¯s group. Unless they were attempting to sneak into the heavily guarded mansion of the monarch, they could march around as they liked. The gazes of the paparazzi hidden in the darkness were nothing. They had no need to rely on Sienna as well. Even Eugene''s magic could easily deal with such nuisances. Surprisingly, the mansion where Ciel resided was not overlyrge. It was simr in size to the manor Eugene had lived in in his hometown of Gidol. ¡®Well, it''s not like she¡¯s living here long-term, and she¡¯s only with Lady Carmen and Dezra.¡¯ It was more than enough space for three people. Although the security was present, they didn''t look like knights. Eugene''s group easily evaded the guards'' watchful eyes and climbed over the fence. There was no sign of a garden. Instead, a well-worn training ground spread out before them. Just by ncing at it, Eugen could tell how frequently and extensively it was used. He recalled Ciel''s appearance during the afternoon match. Her steps had been light and fluid, just like flowing water. Eugene smiled with satisfaction as he imagined Ciel''s movements from the footprints on the training ground. The mansion had three floors. When Eugene nced up, he saw that all the windows were shut and curtains drawn. The back door was locked as well, but that wasn''t a major issue. Eugene ced his hand on the locked doorknob and recited a spell in his mind. The door opened without making any sound. Sienna watched Eugen''s adept use of magic with a proud smile. Although she didn''t personally teach him magic, the magic of this era originated from her after all. Therefore, Sienna had every right to take pride in Eugene''s magical abilities. "You''ve arrived." Carmen was sitting on a spacious sofa on the third floor of the mansion. She spoke while uncrossing her legs. She had already finished setting up the table and was doing a final check. The well-maintained ashtray reminded Eugene of a collector''s item. Carmen had adjusted the angle of its cement slightly to her liking. Then, she took out a pocket watch from her pocket before cing it next to the ashtray on the table. She contemted putting the cigar she had ced on the table beforehand into her mouth. However, she did not want the bitter vor on her lips just yet, so she put the cigar over the ashtray instead. Instead, she picked up a whiskey bottle she hadn''t opened yet, held it in her hand, and rested her arm on the sofa''s armrest. Carmen and Dezra were ustomed to Carmen¡¯s deviant behavior. As such, they stayed silent while simply staring at the closed door. To be honest, they hadn''t sensed the presence behind the door. ¡®As expected of Lady Carmen,¡¯ they thought. Sometimes, she did iprehensible things, but Ciel and Dezra still admired Carmen. She was an outstanding figure genuinely deserving of their respect. "Blood Lion,¡± said Carmen as the door opened. Eugene immediately stiffened and froze in ce while entering the room. "Dragon yer." It was perfect timing. With the cigar between her lips, Carmen raised her head to look ahead. However, it was now Carmen''s turn to have a stiff expression. She was familiar with the woman standing right behind Eugene. It was Kristina Rogeris. Carmen had seen her a few times before and was pleased to see her. However, who was the woman with the ck hair? Although her hair was a different color, the stranger¡¯s green eyes and face resembled Mer quite a bit. No, it wasn''t a simple resemnce. It felt as if Mer had grown and aged¡­. "Lady... Sienna?" Shocked by the truth, Ciel stood up from her seat. Even though Dezra didn''t understand why the Wise Sienna''s name was mentioned here, she stood up following Ciel¡¯s action. Carmen, too, finally put down the cigar she was holding in her mouth. All eyes turned towards Sienna. "Huh¡­." Sienna enjoyed the reverence directed at her. With an elegant gesture, she lightly touched the back of her head, and her ck hair turned violet. "Yes, it''s me. The Wise Sienna Merdein,¡± Sienna said before gracefully walking into the room and taking a seat on the sofa. [Doesn''t it remind you of the phrase ''birds of a feather flock together''? If Hamel could do it, he would puff out his chest and put on a show like that as well,] Anise sniggered to Kristina. ¡®Sir Eugene is a noble figure whom anyone would acknowledge.'' [Hm¡­. Yeah¡­,] came Anise¡¯s sarcastic remark. Noble? Even though she could think of dozens of retorts, Anise chose not to say anything. "I''m not a difficult person, so sitfortably. What are you all doing behind there? My sessor, Eugene,e sit beside me." "Yes, Lady Sienna." Everyone sat down. Carmen still held the whiskey in her hand, and the cigary on the table¡­. Her unchanging attitude brought Eugene a sense of relief. "It''s been a while,¡± said Eugene. "Blood Lion, Dragon yer,¡± responded Carmen. "You''ve already said that¡­," Eugene stated. "No amount of praise is enough. Remember, Eugene, all your titles were bestowed upon you by me, Carmen Lionheart, the Silver Lion." Carmen looked genuinely proud and pleased with the fact. ''That''s Carmen Lionheart,''?Sienna thought as she examined the otherdy. She maintained a young and beautiful appearance, but by age, she could be considered to be Gilead Lionheart¡¯s aunt. ''Even so, she''s still 200 years younger¡­.'' It was an unpleasant fact she didn''t want to dwell on. Sienna immediately ceased thinking and focused on the cigar on the table. "You can light it if you want. I don''t care,¡± said Sienna. "Yes, Lady Sienna,¡± answered Carmen. "You can speak freely,¡± added Sienna. "How could I do something like that?" In this aspect, Carmen had moremon sense than Melkith. Carmen politely refused Sienna¡¯s suggestion before putting the cigar in her mouth. Then, she took out a lighter from her pocket. Click. The lid of the lighter opened, emitting a clear sound. Click. The lid closed again. Click. The lid opened once more. "?" There was silence in the room except for the clicking sounds of the lighter. Eugene and Kristina were ustomed to seeing Carmen do this multiple times, but Sienna wasn''t. Sienna couldn''t understand why Carmen was doing that. Could it be that the lighter was out of fuel? It was the most natural thing to think, so Sienna flicked her finger to produce a spark. Whoosh! The spark ignited the cigar in Carmen''s mouth. "Puh." Although she always kept the cigar in her mouth, Carmen Lioheart had only lit it once when she was very young. She had not known any better at the time, and after deeply inhaling the smoke once, she had decided to never light a cigar again. Her mouth filled with smoke as she inhaled. Carmen was shocked. She turned her head to the side and spat out the cigar, along with the breath she had taken. "Ah, it''s hot!" Dezra, sitting next to Carmen, failed to avoid the cigar. She screamed as the fire touched her thigh. Carmen didn''t care about the unfortunate ident. She turned her head to the side before coughing multiple times. Ciel hurriedly poured a ss of water before handing it to Carmen. Sienna was struck dumb. The quick series of events evaded her understanding. As she stared with confusion, things quickly settled down. Although the cigar had left a small hole in Dezra¡¯s pants, Kristina had healed the burn wound. Carmen had also cleared her mouth of the bitter taste with water. ¡°I¡¯m fine without the light,¡± said Carmen while ncing sideways at Sienna with a reproachful look. "Uh¡­. Right," responded Sienna. She nodded while feeling apologetic. It felt as if she was responsible for the mess. After checking that the bitter taste was gone from her mouth, Carmen once again took out a cigar from a case before putting it in her mouth. ¡°?¡± Once again, Carmen¡¯s actions evaded Sienna¡¯s understanding. Sienna stared and blinked a few times with her mouth agape. Noticing her confusion, Eugene leaned in and whispered in her ear, ¡°Let her be.¡± "Why... is she doing that?" asked Sienna, thoroughly perplexed. "Because that''s just how she is. Just let it go." Sienna still could not understand. However, Carmen was confident. She didn''t feel the slightest embarrassment about her actions. With the cigar in her mouth, Carmen repeatedly opened and closed the lighter before opening the lid of the whiskey she was still holding in her hand. Glug, glug, glug. Of course, Carmen didn''t drink the whiskey. She poured the whiskey into the sses on the table before standing up. However, she quickly realized that there were not enough sses for everyone. There was a disy cab on one side of the room. Next to many unopened bottles of alcohol, there were several fancy sses... "Ahem." While Carmen was focused on choosing a ss, Ciel let out a dry cough. Simr to Sienna, there were several things Ciel didn''t understand about the present situation either. "It''s an honor to meet you, Lady Sienna. I''m Ciel Lionheart." "I-I''m Dezra Lionheart." Dezra also bowed her head, covering the hole in her pants with her hand. Sienna moved past her confusion and changed her expression. "Yes, right. You don¡¯t have to be overly polite," Sienna said. Ciel raised her head and looked straight ahead. Seated opposite were Eugene, Kristina, and Sienna. She could understand why Kristina and Eugene were sitting so close, but the proximity between Sienna and Eugene bothered her. The fact that the Wise Sienna had proimed Eugene as her sessor was well-known. In other words, the rtionship between the two was that of a master and her disciple. Given their rtionship, it was understandable that they were close, but¡­ was it ethically right to be so physically intimate that their bodies would touch like that? Was it possible that such a thing was simply how things were three hundred years ago? "Um... both Lady Sienna and... Saint Kristina are here with Eugene¡­. Is it because of the Abyssal Princess?" Ciel asked, capturing the three seated across in her sight. They had even put on disguises. She had a hunch that it might be so. Other than that, what reason could they have foring to Shimuin? The three of them¡­ weren¡¯t just three regr people. One was a legendary Archwizard from three hundred years ago, one was the Saint, and the other the Hero of the current era. "That''s right," Eugene nodded without denying Ciel''s question. Indeed. Ciel stroked her chin and fell into thought for a moment. "Are you here to investigate the situation and gather information? Or¡ª" "To kill," Eugene replied bluntly. "Just like that? Don''t you think it''s too reckless?" "I believe I have enough power. And more importantly, I have a debt to repay," he added. Sienna¡¯s lips curled up into an insinuating smile at his words. While Eugene also had a karmic connection with Iris from his previous life, it wasn''tparable to Sienna''s. Ciel slightly shrank back when she felt the atmosphere surrounding Sienna. "The Abyssal Princess," Carmen said as she returned with two sses in her hands. She ced the sses in front of Sienna and Kristina and poured the whiskey in an elegant fashion. She tilted the bottle to allow the liquid to flow from a high position as if the whiskey were wine. There was only one reason why she was handling herself in such a fashion: It looked cool. [Let''s swap, Kristina.] ¡®Is something wrong, Sister?¡¯ [You might not know since you don¡¯t enjoy alcohol, but the whiskey Carmen is pouring now is an extremely rare one. It''s a nostalgic drink that I asionally enjoyed during my time alive.] ¡®Please calm down, Sister.¡¯ [Quickly! Quickly!] Kristina changed ces with her. Anise immediately picked up the ss, which was filled to the brim with whiskey, and gulped it down in one go. Her hardy disy froze Carmen in ce for a moment. "One more," Anise said happily. "Hmm." What taste was she enjoying from this unptable bitterness of a liquid? With that question in her mind, Carmen poured another ss of whiskey. However, as soon as the ss was filled, it was emptied immediately. In the end, Carmen gave up and ced the entire bottle in front of Kristina. "The Abyssal Princess," Carmen resumed speaking, starting again from the beginning. She ced the cigar she had put in her mouth back on her finger before continuing her words. "A few years ago, she was called that, but now, in Shimuin, Iris is known by a different name. She is referred to as the Pirate Empress." Until the Knight March, the fleet under Iris''mand had been just a few dozen ships. But now, there were well over a hundred pirate vessels gathered under Iris¡¯ name. As such, people in Shimuin feared Iris and started calling her the Pirate Empress. "Even so, they¡¯re only pirates," Sienna snickered. "If those vermin were somewhere other than the Solgalta Sea, we wouldn''t have bothered hiding our identities. We would have swept in and attacked as soon as we arrived." Three hundred years ago, she had been known as Sienna of Disaster. Befitting her alias, Sienna had caused multiple disasters during the war with the demons. Hundreds of pirate ships??Sure, but they were still pirates. How strong would they bepared to the demonfolks? If she could keep them in ce, she could create whirlpools, raise tsunamis, strike them with lightning, or even send meteors crashing down into the sea. The possibilities were endless. However, the only problem was that Iris was active in the Solgalta Sea, a ce located far away, one that restricted magic. It was still uncertain how much the Solgalta Sea''s notorious bindings could restrain Sienna, but she was determined to be as "cautious" as possible in her n to kill Iris. She would absolutely never give Iris any chance to escape. There would not be a second chance. She was determined, without a doubt, to kill Iris. Eugene and Anise agreed. They had witnessed various hells connected with the sinister dark elf Iris. They had seen burning mountains, forests, and fields, as well as the screams of the captured elves she used as bait. They had experienced the relentless ambushes by the dark elf rangers hiding in the darkness. Elves lived for a very long time, and dark elves lived as long as elves. If she made up her mind to hide ¡ª Iris could hide for dozens or even hundreds of years toe. What Eugene''s group was most wary of was the possibility of Iris hiding on some uninhabited ind in the Southern Seas where nobody could find her for decades or centuries. "Carmen Lionheart, I heard that you and Eugene fought Iris together in Kiehl. It was unfortunate that she got away." "I could not kill her because I wascking,¡± responded Carmen. "I''m not here to reprimand you. On the contrary¡­. Would you find it offensive if I said this? Well, I''m d you and Eugene failed to capture her. Thanks to that, I have the chance to kill that damned wench with my own hands." Sienna¡¯s words wereced with clear hostility. Carmen nodded as she felt her skin tingle. "But, Lady Sienna, the Solgalta Sea is very distant. There are no ships that go there, and even if you were to buy a whole ship, finding a crew willing to sail all the way to the Sea of Death wouldn''t be easy,¡± Carmen said. "I know about the infamy of the Solgalta Sea. That bizarre sea not only restricts magic, but it¡¯s also hard to reach, right?¡± "That''s why we came to ask for help,¡± said Eugene. Carmen smiled slyly as she turned towards him. "What kind of help are you referring to? Do you want to borrow the Silver Lion¡¯s fangs and ws? Or perhaps the thorns of the White Rose? Or¡­." Carmen nced at Dezra. She didn''t have a fitting nickname yet. "Do you want to borrow the gleam of the ck Pearl?" And so, she made up a nickname on the spot. What did it mean to borrow the gleam? Dezra nced at Carmen with confusion. However, Carmen herself didn''t understand the meaning behind her words. "Uh¡­. No. Not that kind of help. I want to meet with Sir Ortus," Eugene replied with an awkward expression. "I''ve had a chance to talk with Sir Ortus during the Knight March." "I understand what you¡¯re getting at. Do you mean to lead a naval fleet and attack the Abyssal Princess head-on?" asked Carmen. "That''s something I''m considering, but if I bring a fleet, Iris might escape or hide. I''m thinking of borrowing a few ships from Sir Ortus for now,¡± said Eugene. "Ships?" "A merchant ship or a trade vessel. One magnificent enough that Iris would want to plunder." Two immediate ideas came to Eugene¡¯s mind. One was to charge into the Solgalta Sea, and the other was to lure Iris out. If they chose thetter, they would undoubtedly needrge, attractive ships for Iris to attack. "The Empress already has too many underlings. She rarely leaves the Solgalta Sea. She merely sends her pirate ships out for plunder,¡± exined Carmen. "We can lure out her underlings. We can try sneaking onto their ships,¡± said Eugene. "There are other ways," Ciel spoke up. "Just as Lady Carmen mentioned, the Empress has too many underlings. Compared to the Solgalta Sea''s navy, she mayck in numbers and strength, but her presence tips the bnce enough to allow her to harass the navy. However... recently, the Empress did something quite audacious." There were several rumors about Iris, some yet unknown to the world. "Originally, the Empress didn''t target Solgalta''s naval ships and avoided conflict with the punitive fleets. But now, a month ago, the Empress'' attitude suddenly changed,¡± continued Ciel. "Ten warships patrolling near Solgalta Sea have vanished without a trace," Carmen interjected, nodding in agreement. "That''s not all. Even the cash transport ships bound for Shedor Ind were taken by Iris." There were numerous inds in Shimuin, and taxes collected from the people of the inds were transported by ships. "Not just the cash transport ships. Various tributes sent to the royal family are also being plundered. It''s not just toll fees that they¡¯re asking for, either. Ships and crews are all being kidnapped by Iris." It had not been so bad when Ortus had previously mentioned Iris¡¯ exploits to Eugene. Iris had avoided conflicts with the naval fleets and had only raided civilian ships and trade vessels. "It''s shameful. That''s why the royal family concealed all the facts,¡± said Carmen. "But they can''t do that anymore,¡± Ciel chuckled, shaking the ss. "If they continue to stay silent, the Dwarf Guild will start protesting." "Dwarves?" Eugene''s eyes widened in surprise at the sudden turn of topics. Chapter 341: Shimuin (4)

Chapter 341: Shimuin (4)

Shimuin was the country with thergest poption of dwarves on the continent. The expert artisans of the race were skilled and meticulous in their craft, and they despised living in bustling human cities like any other race. Thus, the Shimuin royal family gifted an entire ind to the dwarves as a dominion. In reality, it was to prevent other countries from snatching away the dwarves and to ensure the dwarves stayed in Shimuin. Whatever the reasons, the decision ended up satisfying both parties. The Hammer Ind, a paradise exclusively developed for dwarves, was an ind chosen by the dwarves themselves and had been tailored to their preferences for centuries. Every month, vast amounts of resources, such as beer, minerals, and blueprints formissioned equipment, were transported to Hammer Ind. The skilled dwarves on the ind crafted the requested equipment to perfection and sent them back on the transport ships. Normally, trade with dwarves happened in such a fashion. However, in rare, truly important cases, dwarves themselves boarded the ships and came to the maind. A fortnight ago, the finest dwarven artisans, those who could be considered master craftsmen, boarded a ship departing from Hammer Ind to Shedor Ind. The Violent Tide Knights, representing Shimuin, led by Ortus Hyman, were all equipped with top-grade Exids. Exids boasted excellent performance and abilities, but they also required regr maintenance. "Ten dwarven artisans and ten apprentices were aboard the transport ship. Only a total of twenty, but they could be considered the essence of all the techniques on Hammer Ind. Also, umm, various goods crafted by the dwarves were on board as well," said Ciel as she exined the situation. The journey from Hammer Ind to Shedor Ind required a four-day voyage. However, they had lostmunication with the transport ship two days after departure, and the ship had not arrived yet. The value of even a single dwarf artisan was priceless and couldn''t be measured in terms of money. Dwarves with extraordinary skills were indeed like geeseying golden eggs. With ten such dwarves and apprentices, along with the various products from Hammer Ind, the ship had been thoroughly protected. A unit of the Violent Tide Knights had been present, along with theirmander, who was ranked fourth in Shimuin, as well as dozens of high-ranking wizards, including those of the Sixth Circle, and hundreds of ordinary soldiers. In the first ce, the presence of a ship bearing the national g of Shimuin alone should have deterred any pirate ships. "The Empress has really crossed the line," Carmen said while opening and closing the lighter''s lid. "With the involvement of the dwarf race, Shimuin can no longer tolerate the Empress'' raids. The royal family was pretty desperate for the dwarves to stay in Shimuin, enough to give them an entire ind under their own control.¡± "Dwarves are a cost-effective race," Sienna muttered. Everyone turned to look at her in surprise. She just smirked in response. "Why do you all look at me like that? Oh, do young folks these days not know much about dwarves?" she asked, half-surprised. "No... we do know." "Look, dwarves, in essence, are a bunch of uglyndlubbers who prefer not to roam the world. Their faces are covered in dirt, and their bodies reek of sweat and stale beer mixed with the smell of tobo. Their beards are tangled and unkempt. Home to all sorts of bugs." Sienna sighed and pinched her nose as if she were imagining the stench. She continued, "But their craftsmanship is unquestionably impressive. Half-baked dwarven goods can rival those meticulously crafted by master human artisans. Moreover, dwarves have little materialistic desire. They are reluctant to sell their skills for money. They live carefreely, either feasting on endless beer or creating masterpieces if given materials that excite them. That''s why dwarves are a cost-effective race." "Um... umm." "In other words, this kingdom is making the most out of dwarves. They gifted them a small, distant ind as a dominion? It might be a beautiful vacation spot with clear skies and picturesque seas. But it wouldn¡¯t be an enormous loss for the kingdom, as the clients would provide the materials for the production requests. Moreover, they could charge heftymissions. As I said, dwarves are not money-hungry, so Shimuin could take a huge cut of themission in exchange for things like barrels of beer or whatever¡­.¡± Sienna continued with her remarks about dwarves. Her words wereced with disdain. Everyone stared at her, their mouths agape. It couldn''t be helped. Although Sienna was human, she grew up among elves, and elves and dwarves were twopletely opposite races with a long history of discord. "Who did you hear those words from, Lady Sienna?" "Huh? My older brother told me. Also, I did see dwarves a couple of times three hundred years ago. What I said wasn''t entirely wrong, you know? I still remember. I requested a few daggers from them, and theyined about why a lousy wizard would be swinging a sword¡­.¡± Sienna recalled distant memories. Her face expressed a nostalgic sentiment. Of course, Hamel was by her side back then, and Eugene knew the whole story very well. In the end, the dwarf took a solid beating from Sienna, who had not used her magic and begrudgingly endured the inconvenience to craft her a set of daggers. He had received three barrels of beer as payment. "Um... well, it¡¯s not to that extent for the dwarves these days," Ciel said tentatively, trying to shake off her shock. She could not believe she had heard such a strong racial prejudice from the Wise Sienna. "Most dwarves do live on Hammer Ind, but that doesn''t mean there are no dwarves on Shedor Ind." There was a Dwarf Guild on Shedor Ind. They were responsible for the primary inspection of requests heading to Hammer Ind. Unlike the dwarves on Hammer Ind, these were young dwarves who had somewhat epted the city life. "The elders of their race were abducted en masse, so the Dwarf Guild is naturally up in arms. They have already dered a strike against all orders from the royal family. If the royal family doesn''t rescue the artisans, they''ll continue the strike against all customer requests and hold protests," Ciel exined the dwarves¡¯ current situation. The threat of Iris'' raids had already grown beyond salvageable measures. The faulty with Shimuin. The kingdom had relinquished its chance to restrain Iris. "In other words, Eugene, if you intend to kill the Empress, now is the opportune moment," Ciel said while turning to look at Carmen. ¡°In any case, Sir Ortus has been requesting help from Lady Carmen recently.¡± "Help?" asked Eugene. "It''s quite obvious. He''s asking Lady Carmen to join the expeditionary force against the Empress. Though she may be a foreigner, she is still considered one of the strongest on the continent," said Ciel. "I haven''t given my answer yet,¡± Carmenmented with a shrug, cing the cigar back into her mouth. Unlike Eugene, who acted as he pleased, Carmen surprisingly had such social norms ingrained in her. She knew the significance of her existence in the Lionheart family. If she were to face a formidable dark elf like Iris, Carmen had to risk her life, so naturally, she needed to consult with the family beforemitting to such a battle. If not for meeting Eugene today, Carmen would have already written a letter to her younger brother and the Chief Elder of the family, Klein, and the head of the Lionheart family, Gilead, to discuss participating in the expedition. She might have even left behind a will for Ciel, just in case. ¡°I thought it wasn¡¯t something I could decide on my own, even though I had enough justification. However¡­ you could be called the great founder¡¯s sessor. You, the Hero, the Blood Lion, the Dragon yer¡ª¡± "Isn¡¯t one or two titles enough?" Eugene asked. "All three describe you, Eugene Lionheart ¡ª the sessor of the Great Vermouth. If you truly desire the Empress'' death, the Lionheart n will unconditionally follow your will," Carmen dered firmly. The Great Vermouth, the legendary Hero from three hundred years ago, was the founder of the Lionheart family. If Eugene Lionheart, the Heroparable to the great Vermouth, wanted Iris'' demise, then the Lionheart n would undoubtedlyply with his wishes. "Well then, Eugene Lionheart. I will arrange a meeting with Ortus as you wish. ording to my sources, Ortus is not... entirely clean, but he is not someone who would ally with the Empress,¡± said Carmen. "Hmm¡­." Eugene pondered for a moment. Initially, he nned to approach Iris under the guise of a merchant or trade vessel. However, Iris had openly threatened the kingdom''s authority, and the expeditionary force was soon to set sail. "No. In that case, there seems to be no need for me to meet with Sir Ortus,¡± said Eugene. Eugene made his decision. Why did Iris'' attitude suddenly change? Three hundred years ago, after the fall of the Demon King of Fury, Iris had be fixated on one goal. The dark elf was one who could truly be considered the epitome of a deep-seated delusion. Father. Her goal was the resurrection of the Demon King of Fury. Despite not sharing a single drop of blood, Iris sincerely regarded the Demon King of Fury as her father. What was ludicrous was that the Demon King of Fury had been the same. The Demon King of Fury had four children. Despitemitting terrible atrocities, the Demon King of Fury had loved his children, including Iris. And his children loved him back. Even Eugene couldn''t understand why it happened at the time. Among the children of Fury, Kamash, the chief of giants, and Sein, the vampire lord, had fallen in the war for their father¡¯s cause. The remaining two children, Oberon, chief of the beastfolk, and Iris, princess of the dark elves, had been headed for the same fate. Yet, their father, the Demon King of Fury, had sacrificed himself to allow their escape. The inexplicable act had bestowed madness upon Iris¡¯ heart. Three hundred years passed in a peaceful era without wars, a time when the Demon Kings no longer ravaged thends. However, in the depths of Iris'' mind, the dream of Fury being reborn lingered. Since it was impossible to resurrect her father, she sought to be the new Demon King of Fury. The conflict with Noir Giabe had been driven by such ambitions. But after being defeated and stripped of everything, she found sce in this vast sea, longing for a realm she could rule with her feet firmly nted. Iris had likely judged that she had gathered sufficient power, meaning she was seeking territory,nd on which she could stand and rule. What else did she require to achieve her goal? Even the Demon King was still a king; to rule, a king needed not just a title but a domain and subjects. In her pursuit, Iris boldly tempted Shimuin to send a crusade against her. With no more disguises to hide behind, she sought to provoke Shimuin into action, knowing that it could no longer conceal the truth. However, this remained an issue only within Shimuin''s realm. Despite being called the Empress, Iris was still a pirate. A nation proud of being the "Kingdom of Knights" would hesitate to seek aid against mere pirates. "Even if you send an expedition, Iris won''t run away. Her confidence lies in the belief that she can annihte any number of foes," Carmen said. She understood Iris'' confidence and determination. She might capture and enve the expeditionary forces or even turn the tables and invade Shimuin¡¯s main ind. "I do not doubt Sir Ortus¡¯ abilities, but if a full-scale expedition is assembled, the number of participants will be overwhelming. It will be better to enter unnoticed. The situation is permitting it, after all,¡± exined Eugene. If the news of Eugene, the Hero, Kristina, the Saint, and the Wise Sienna joining the expedition became public, Iris might alter her attitude and evade any direct confrontation. "I see," Carmen acknowledged the point. The full scale of the expedition was still unknown, but it would undoubtedly involve Shimuin''s naval fleet, along with the Violent Tide Knights in full force. Ambitious warriors aspiring for fame in Shimuin and mercenaries drawn by the scent of money would also join the cause. "I want to go too," said Ciel, who had been listening quietly. "I am ranked 7th among the diators. Surely, you don''t think my qualifications are inadequate?" "Ciel," Carmen called out. "Lady Carmen, you told me that some things can only be experienced and understood in realbat. Honestly, the battles in this coliseum are more like shows than actual battles. I wondered if things would be different at a higher level, but it seems not,¡± Ciel interjected. Ciel was determined not to fall behind. "Moreover, my brother... he fought in a war with Eugene, didn''t he?" Ciel questioned. "You silly girl, that was in the forest, and this time, it''s the sea," Eugene retorted. "What''s the difference?" Ciel gazed at Eugene with bewilderment. "Cyan apanied me in the fight. So what? Cyan¡¯s done it, so does that mean you have to as well?" Eugene asked. ¡°So I can¡¯t?¡± Ciel answered with a question of her own. "N¡ª" Eugene was about to answer but was stopped by Ciel¡¯s determined gaze. It was much like the icy gaze he had seen from her in the northern snowfields. Although not as tearful as back then, her resolute eyes remained just as fierce. "Sir Eugene," a voice spoke from the side. It was Anise. She tilted her head slightly towards Eugene and said, "It''s Ciel''s choice." "Hmm¡­." "Well, what''s the problem? Hardships are part of life and to be taken when young," Sienna chimed in, patting Eugene''s back with a chuckle. "This brings back old memories. Ciel, right? You said you''re twenty-one years old?" "Yes." "Let''s see, you''ll turn twenty-two in a month, right? Well, I set sail across the sea at your age. That''s right, at your age, I ventured into Helmuth, and oh boy, how much suffering I endured¡­." Sienna shivered as she recalled those terrible times. "But those days made me the Wise Sienna I am now. Ah, don''t worry too much. You''re Vermouth''s descendant and the sibling of my sessor, Eugene Lionheart. I may not care about others, but I''ll look out for you." Despite almost losing her life to Vermouth, Sienna still trusted and considered him a friend. As a result, she found the young descendants, especially the twins who were not yet fully mature, incredibly endearing. She wanted to feed and care for them. However, Cyan found Sienna''s attention and care burdensome and elusive, often leading him to run away. On the other hand, Ciel had a different temperament. She smiled broadly at Sienna and nodded. "Yes, thank you, Lady Sienna,¡± said Ciel. "No need for such formalities. Getfortable. Why don¡¯t you call me Sis as well?" responded Sienna. "No, that wouldn''t be appropriate." Naturally, Ciel didn¡¯t think she could address Sienna in such a crude manner. "What do you mean you¡¯ll be looking out for her?¡± asked Eugene. "What else, my sessor? It means I''ll protect her from that wretched Iris. Don''t tell me you''re jealous, my sessor! I''ll make sure to¡ª" said Sienna. "Geez, we don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ll be able to use magic there. How can you say such things with confidence¡­?¡± Eugene interrupted. "My sessor! Even the Demon King of Incarceration couldn''t suppress all my magic. Do you think the Solgalta Sea could, if even he couldn''t do it? Suppress the Wise Sienna? It might be a little inconvenient, but you think it''s possible to take magic away from the Wise Sienna?" Sienna scoffed and puffed out her chest. "Remember this well, for this Wise Sienna is magic, and magic is the Wise Sienna," she proimed. "Heh¡­." Eugene could only stammer, shaking his head without finding a suitable response. Chapter 342: Ciel Lionheart (1) Chapter 342: Ciel Lionheart (1) Firstly, she dismissed the guards and servants of the mansion. Though it was a sudden move, they were promised generous severance. As such, they epted theiryoffs without much ado. Having emerged victorious in yesterday''s match, Ciel had racked up enough points to challenge higher-ranking diators. As such, she publicly announced that she would train in a secret ce for the uing ranking tournament. Of course, Ciel had no intention of preparing for the ranking tournament. There was no way it would take ce anyway. Though not yet known to the world, it wouldn¡¯t be long before the formal announcement of the Pirate Empress¡¯ subjugation was made public, with the Dwarf Guild actively pressuring for it. Most likely, other top-ranked diators would participate in the expedition as well. Ranked first was Ortus, the Commander of the Violent Tide Knights. As the strongest and most exceptional knight in Shimuin, Ortus would have no choice but to lead the expedition, whether he liked it or not. Ranked second was not a knight but a mercenary, Ivic d, the leader of the d Mercenaries. He was known as the Mercenary King. There was no way such a formidable figure, who actively sought out wars, would miss such arge-scale event. From what Ciel gathered, none of the high-ranking diators, including the six ranked above her, were reluctant to participate in the expedition. Everyone would be present except for the one ranked fourth ¡ª who was spected to be dead or kidnapped by Iris. "Phew." Ciel wiped the sweat off her forehead. She had never turned down training, not even when she was with the Lionheart n in the ck Lion Castle. However, the new curriculum she had developed since joining Shimuin was undoubtedly far more rigorous than her previous training. Even Carmen, who had adjusted the curriculum, seemed taken aback, and Dezra, who had started with her, had left trembling after failing tost for more than four days. However, for nearly a year now, Ciel hadn''t once shied away from the demanding training. The training grounds of the mansion weren''t that harsh an environment and allowed her to gradually increase the intensity while squeezing every bit of strength and spirit. ''Possibility¡­.'' With her body and spirit immersed in training, her mind wandered with many thoughts. She thought it was highly likely that the expedition would lead to the death of the Pirate Empress. She honestly didn''t see much chance if the expedition wereposed solely of Shimuin''s warriors. However, with Carmen, Eugene, Kristina, and even the Wise Sienna joining the expedition, the expeditionary forces were elevated to another level. ¡®But what about me?'' Ciel released the sword she was holding, exposing her rough palms. She used those hands to gently wipe her body, which was dripping sweat like rain. She didn''t want to think of herself as insignificant or small. But right now, she couldn''t help but think that way. Ciel Lionheart. She was a descendant of the renowned Lionheart lineage. She was the disciple of the Silver Lion, Carmen Lionheart, and the youngest ck Lion. Likewise, she was also the youngest of the Twelve Finest of Shimuin. However, the moniker ¡°youngest¡± inherently reflected the possibility of her beingimmatureorinexperienced. Ciel didn''t deny this fact. She was still twenty-one years old and hadn''t umted enough experience. ¡®Could I be of help?¡¯ That thought had gued Ciel since dawn. She wished not to dwell upon such ponderings, and if possible, she wanted to look away, to ignore the burgeoning thoughts. But she couldn''t. No matter how much she tried to dismiss the doubts, they kepting with full force. ¡®Can I really go with them?¡¯ It was Ciel who had first dered her wish to apany them. And she had no intention to retract them now. After all, merely following was something anyone could do. As for the dangers? If one stayed concealed well enough, perils could be evaded. But Ciel''s desire wasn''t so simple. She wished to stand alongside Eugene. Just as her elder brother, Cyan, had done, Ciel wanted to brave wars and face perils with Eugene. She had received a letter from her brother. It had been filled with tales from the Samar Forest, but more than her brother''s exploits, the letter mentioned Eugene''s prowess and strength. Ciel envied her brother. In the end, Cyan fought alongside Eugene, achieving victory and growing into a formidable warrior. Through this, he showcased his achievements to Eugene and received recognition. For as long as she could remember, or perhaps since the very beginning, this had been the rtionship between Eugene and the twins. Though the three of them were of the same age and siblings, they had never stood on equal footing. It had been natural for Cyan and Ciel to follow behind Eugene and seek his acknowledgment for their hard-won achievements. ~ ¡ªYou¡¯ve improved quite a bit. ~ Ciel had never taken offense to that remark. On the contrary, hearing it felt good as if the vast chasm between them lessened with each word of praise. But such were the tales of their youth. A child''s ambitions differed from those of an adult, both in magnitude and direction. Ciel was no longer the same child. In that barren, snow-coverednd, when she had bawled her eyes out, Ciel hade to realize that she was no longer the little girl who would simply beam with joy from Eugene''s praise. "Useless thoughts." A voice called from above. Ciel looked up while wiping the sweat from her palms. If it were in Kiehl, thest month of the year would greet them with snow or biting cold winds. But in Shimuin, even December was marked by a scorching sun. Under the brilliant sky, her vision slightly narrowed against the harsh sunlight. She caught sight of Eugene. He was leaning halfway out of a window while observing her. "I can sense your distractions,¡± said Eugene. "What on earth are you on about?" asked Ciel. "Are you pretending not to know, or do you genuinely not know? If it''s thetter, I''d be quite disappointed." His voice was filled with mischief. Pouting, Ciel used her foot to kick up the sword from the ground. "Just lost in thought for a moment," she grumbled while catching her sword mid-air. Eugene grinned, leaning even further out from the window. ¡°Can you afford to show yourself like this?¡± asked Ciel. ¡°What''s the problem with it?¡± said Eugene. ¡°You wanted to stay hidden, remember? Though I fired all the guards and servants, my mansion is still under the watchful eyes of the paparazzi, isn¡¯t it?¡± reminded Ciel. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± said Eugene. Sienna had already set up various spells throughout the mansion and its periphery from the morning. Even the famed tower heads of Aroth wouldn''t be able to peer inside the mansion¡¯s walls. ¡°This magic sure is handy, isn¡¯t it?¡±mented Ciel. ¡°Why? Regret not learning it yourself?¡± ¡°Toote now. At least I¡¯ve honed my sword skills. If I''d dabbled in magic and wasn''t destined for it, I''d have been worse off.¡± Ciel smirked while lifting her shirt to reveal a chiseled abdomen to Eugene, who quickly turned his head, caught off guard. It wasn¡¯t weird for Ciel to wipe off her sweat using her shirt. But right now, she was clearly doing so with a specific intention. Ciel felt a cheeky sense of satisfaction when she noticed Eugene¡¯s momentary embarrassment. ¡°Acting like this at your age?¡± said Eugene. ¡°What¡¯s the problem? You never cared when we were younger,¡± retorted Ciel. ¡°When did I ever? Reveal your skin like that after sweating, and you''ll catch a cold,¡± said Eugene. ¡°A cold? In this heat?¡± said Ciel. ¡°Summer colds are usually the worst,¡± Eugene grumbled before tossing a dry towel to Ciel, who caught it effortlessly, all while gripping her shirt with her teeth. ¡°Are you trying to show off your abs?¡± asked Eugene. His half-averted gaze caught Ciel¡¯s abs glistening from the sweat, and he remarked, ¡°Sorry, but my abs look better than yours.¡± ¡°What? I''m not trying to show off. It''s just hot, alright?¡± cried Ciel. That wasn''t entirely true. Ciel found amusement in Eugene''s attempts to avoid her gaze and wanted to continue eliciting reactions. Eugene had seen enough of Ciel''s yful antics since they were kids. But to use one''s body for such jests at this age¡­. ¡°Where did you learn such lousy things from?¡± Eugene grumbled before pointing a finger at Ciel. A swift gust of wind burst from Eugene''s fingertip, then swirled around Ciel. The lingering sweat evaporated, and the shirt Ciel had bitten onto found its way back to its proper ce. After confirming her bare skin was no longer visible, Eugene locked eyes with Ciel. ¡°Keep exposing yourself like that, and no one will want to marry you,¡± he said. ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°It''s about time you thought about settling down. I heard Cyan will be returning to Ruhr soon,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°What? He''s nning to marry the young princess of Ruhr?¡± Ciel responded in sheer disbelief. The princess, A Ruhr, was the daughter of the Beast King Aman Ruhr. Ciel had encountered her once before she departed from Ruhr. Thankfully, Princess A didn¡¯t resemble her fierce ancestor Molon or her father, the Beast King, and was graced with a unique charm and beauty. She was lovely and endearing. She was a lovely and endearing girl ofjust eleven years. "It''s not an immediate marriage," Eugene mentioned. "I''ve heard they''re just getting betrothed for now. They''ll marry when Princess A turns seventeen." . "To think I''ll have a sister-inw ten years younger than me¡­," Ciel mused. "But they say she has a kind disposition, right?" "I was also kind at eleven years old," Ciel smirked. Eugene recalled the younger Ciel and yfully countered, "I don''t particrly remember you being that way." "At least she''s better than the princess of Shimuin, right?" Princess Scalia of Shimuin had once been a potential marriage partner for Cyan. However, the engagement had been called off when Cyan vehemently expressed his disapproval of her. "Indeed, she''s a better choice than that half-mad princess," Eugene agreed readily. Ciel felt the same aversion towards Scalia. She remembered the scenes of Scalia mercilessly ughtering mercenaries in the snowy ins. They had been encouraged by the nightmares induced by the Queen of the Night Demons, the resultant insomnia and stress¡­. But none of it could justify the massacres shemitted. Moreover, Ciel couldn''t confidently say that Scalia didn''t revel in such bloodshed. Scalia¡¯s demeanor while hunting for food in the snow-covered ins had not seemed ordinary to her. "Betrothal, huh?" Setting aside the age of the young princess, the very idea of her older twin brother, whom she had grown up with, getting betrothed felt odd to Ciel. "Ahem." Walking over to the window, Ciel draped the towel she received from Eugene around her neck before shing a smile, "Speaking of which, there were some marriage propositions for me as well." "What?" "Oh, nothing formal within the family. As I said, it was something akin to a marriage proposition. Just a light suggestion, you might say¡­." Ciel was curious about Eugene''s reaction and continued with a mischievous tone while leaning by the window. "Ahem, you actually know him. Well, you''re acquainted." "Who?" "Dior Hyman, the son of Sir Ortus. He¡¯s twenty-three. He might not have a high-ranking position, but that''s only because he doesn''t partake in the battles. In reality, he''s quite renowned for his skills," Ciel said casually. Say something, show some reaction.?Ciel feigned nonchnce but observed Eugene keenly as she pushed further, "Sir Ortus suggested it several times. He has suggested that Dior and I have dinner together. The reason is quite apparent, isn''t it?" Eugene sighed, "Well¡­." "Actually, it¡¯s not just Sir Ortus. While in Shimuin, I received several such propositions. Well¡­ although I never epted any proposals, many have pestered me with requests to meet their aplished sons. " It seemed they had aged without noticing. Eugene felt aplex swirl of emotions as he gazed down at Ciel. Ciel was unable to discern exactly what sentiment was hidden behind his expression. ''Did I say something unnecessary?'' Ciel shook her head while clearing her throat. "Well... I haven''t thought about marriage at all. But¡­." How about you? She wanted to ask but found herself voiceless. It wasn¡¯t an out-of-ce question. It was merely a simple inquiry in line with their current conversation. ¡®I don¡¯t want to hear his answer,¡¯Ciel realized suddenly. The fear loomed over her. The image from the night before constantly reyed in her mind. She remembered how physically close Saint Kristina and the Wise Sienna had been to Eugene.What exactly did it mean?Were they allowed to do that??She neither knew nor wished to know. She feared the truth. Ciel hesitated, thenposed her expression before looking up. "If you''re free,e down here,¡± she said. There was no need to press him for an answer. She¡¯d always been perceptive, so she woulde to know the truth before long. Smiling as though nothing was amiss, Ciel said, "Aren''t you feeling stuffy staying in the room?" "I was just about getting bored," responded Eugene. "Then why didn¡¯t you go out with Lady Sienna and Lady Kristina?" asked Ciel. "Why would I follow the girls shopping?" "Well, you could help carry their purchases." Ciel grinned at Eugene while rolling up her sweat-soaked sleeve before continuing, "Aha... You avoided it, thinking you might be swayed by them?" "Not at all,¡± responded Eugene. "Sure, sure. Regardingst night¡¯s discussion, I think it¡¯s a good idea." "Stop your nonsense," Eugene said with a solemn expression. His shoulders trembled momentarily. "You expect me to crossdress? Do you think that makes any sense at all?" It was a topic from their conversation the previous evening. Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina decided not to formally join the expedition but to join through Carmen and Ciel. While entering the expeditionary forces required a rigorous check for ordinary warriors, Carmen could easily bypass it. Whether as free knights, mercenaries, or retainers, Eugene''s group would join Carmen and Ciel for the punitive expedition. However, there was a minor issue ¡ª Eugene was the only man in the group. "If you¡¯re hiding your identity, why not do it thoroughly? Who would suspect the illustrious Eugene Lionheart, the Hero, to join the expedition while disguised as a woman?" said Ciel. "Anyone in their right mind wouldn¡¯t!" Eugene eximed. "Exactly! Even the Pirate Empress wouldn''t suspect it. Just imagine; you in disguise as a woman and suddenly revealing yourself in front of the Empress, drawing the Holy Sword¡ª" Ciel burst intoughter when she visualized the image. ¡°If I were the Pirate Queen, I would be so stunned that I wouldn''t even have the time to flee." Eugene pressed his lips together, unable to muster a reply. Reluctant as he was to admit it ¡ª there was a semnce of truth in Ciel''s words¡­.But still, cross-dressing? Wasn''t that a step too far? "There''s a myth from the north," Ciel began, "of a fierce god whose hammer was stolen by a giant. To retrieve it, the god cross-dressed and infiltrated the giant''sir, masquerading as the giant''s bride." "What about it?" Eugene countered. "Even that valiant and wild god dressed as a woman for his cause. What prevents a mere mortal like you from doing the same? Think about it, Eugene. Cross-dressing might just be the manliest act that only a man can perform." "Quit your nonsense. No matter how I think of it, I don¡¯t see a need to cross-dress. I could disguise myself as a mercenary, or if pushes to shove, just stow away." "To join the expeditionary force as a mercenary, you''d need a ranking. Even with Lady Carmen''s influence, it''s a hard thing to meddle with. That''s why Lady Sienna and Saint Kristina chose to board the ship as Lady Carmen''s attendants." "If it''s about ranking, register me as a diator now. Just give me a few days, and I guarantee my name will be among the top hundred," Eugene spoke through gritted teeth. "And as for you, Ciel, always teasing me¡­. Do you really wish to see me crossdressed that badly?" "Yes, I''d love to see it." "Have you lost your mind?" "Why? You might pull it off quite well. Granted, your stature and muscles could be an issue, but your face¡­. Well, it''s rather pretty, isn''t it?" "Enough with the nonsense. Draw the Phantom Rain Sword." Eugene was done discussing the topic of cross-dressing. Undoing the cuffs and rolling up his sleeves, he beckoned Ciel closer. "I noticed from our duel yesterday and your training today that your swordsmanship has improved. Let''s spar. It''s been a while." Chapter 343: Ciel Lionheart (2)

Chapter 343: Ciel Lionheart (2)

The weapon Ciel chose from the family treasure vault was the Phantom Rain Sword Javel. Although Javel was a sword, it could also be wielded like a whip. Its attacks were light yet swift and sharp. As intricate as its features were, mastering it proved challenging. But, in the hands of a true master, it allowed for unpredictable attacks infused with various techniques. Even to Eugene, Javel''s attributes seemed to align perfectly with Ciel. From a young age, Ciel had shown an interest in lightweight and swift swords, delighting in striking down enemies by aiming at their weaknesses with precision. "You didn''t use it in the Coliseum?" Eugene remarked. "Well, one typically saves their ultimate move, don''t they?" Ciel responded with a smirk. Indeed, Ciel had never drawn Javel inpetition. It wasn''t a matter of underestimating her opponents, but objectively, she''d never met an adversary worthy enough to warrant the de''s use. Had there been such a foe, Ciel would have imagined it would be someone ranked within the top five. "We''ve sparred countless times since our youth," Ciel muttered, drawing the Javel from its scabbard. "When I think about it, I''ve never managed to wound you," she added. "Likewise," Eugene replied with a smirk. "Yeah, but you did that on purpose. You''ve always won without injuring me,¡± said Ciel. While not as often as their bouts at the family manor, Ciel had crossed des with Eugene numerous times. They had often trained with each other in the snowy ins leading to the Knight March. A victory? Ciel had none. She had never managed to inflict any injuries on Eugene. Duels with Eugene always ended the same way. No matter the tactic Ciel chose, she was inevitably destined for defeat. Eugene''s de always halted right in front of her throat before she knew it. At those moments, there was but one thing Ciel could say. ¡ªI lost. Each time, upon acknowledging her defeat, Eugene would sheathe his de and sh Ciel a cheeky grin. ¡®This time,¡¯ Ciel thought, ¡®I want to see a different expression.¡¯ She didn¡¯t want to see a smile belonging to someone praising a child, but a genuine surprise. She wanted to push Eugene, even if just a bit. ¡®If you think about it, I''m his elder sister, right?¡¯ For by birth, Ciel was born a few months before Eugene. Of course, Ciel never truly considered herself Eugene''s elder. It was just that she detested being treated like a child by Eugene. Yes, being treated like a child was tiresome. Even during their snot-nosed days, Eugene acted all grown-up, treating Ciel as if she were the younger one. While it had not bothered her in their youth, Ciel started resenting that patronizing demeanor once she matured. ¡®A shift.¡¯ Eugene sensed an emotional disturbance from the tip of Ciel''s de. Was it nervousness from their long hiatus? No, this wasn''t mere agitation from anticipation. ¡®It¡¯s ambition,¡¯ Eugene realized. Longing to show more¡­. Or was it the yearning for acknowledgment? Once upon a time, Eugene, too, understood such feelings. In days long past, during his time as Hamel, his de had trembled under the weight of such emotions. For Hamel, the focus of these sentiments had been Vermouth. He yearned for Vermouth''s acknowledgment, wishing to astonish him. For several years after bing Vermouth¡¯srade, such emotions tormented Hamel. Reflecting upon it, those feelings had been essential for Hamel, guiding him to grow stronger. The reason he could be so engrossed was that Vermouth was a formidable adversary, someone to be surpassed. Vermouth had crushed Hamel''s spirits many times, but he was also the object of Hamel''s envy and admiration. A chuckle unknowingly escaped Eugene¡¯s lips. Was it because they were twins? Cyan had harbored such feelings toward Eugene, and Ciel was no different. In fact, could it be that Ciel''s craving for recognition was even more profound than that of Cyan or even Hamel? ¡°Phew¡­.¡± The tremor at the tip of the de vanished. Ciel could not believe she had allowed her de to quiver from a mere desire for acknowledgment. ''With this, it''s no wonder he treats me like a child,'' Ciel rebuked herself. Desire or not, Ciel''s breathing steadied. Should I take it easy? It was a fleeting thought, but Eugene squashed it down immediately, ¡®No.¡¯ Such consideration might be perceived as a grave insult by the other. Eugene knew this all too well. On reflection, Vermouth had been quite the bastard. His so-called considerations were nothing but humiliation for Hamel. ¡ªWith a bit more effort, you can do much better. Not long after they becamerades, Vermouth uttered these words to him. They might have been intended as words offort for the defeated, but Hamel did not take them as such. That arrogant brat. How dare you speak such words? How good do you think you are? Someday. Definitely. ¡®Well, in the end, those words did help me,¡¯ Eugene acknowledged mentally. He had swung his de even more furiously. The words had fueled his desire, though it was mostly due to Hamel''s prideful nature. Instead of stepping back, Eugene took a step forward. At this action, Ciel smiled brightly. Her sword transformed into a whip. Multiple split des flew towards Eugene¡¯s neck, following a curved trajectory. It was an attack so fierce it couldn¡¯t merely be deemed a duel. However, Eugene was pleased to see Ciel wielding her de with such determination. There was no hesitation in the strike, no childlike feints. The trajectory of the de shifted as he evaded the attack, targeting Eugene¡¯s neck once more. ng! de met de. Moments ago, Eugene had been unarmed, yet now, he held a sword. Though he had repelled the initial onught, the assault did not cease. des swirled toward Eugene like a storm. With subtle shifts of his sword, Eugene deftly deflected each strike. Ciel observed Eugene''s movements with wide, startled eyes. Her initial n had been to slowly wear Eugene down, but she quickly realized the futility of such an attempt. ¡®He¡¯s on a different caliber.¡¯ She had known this fundamental truth for some time now. But was the gap truly this vast??Ciel took pride in her dueling prowess, but when she faced Eugene, she found she couldn''t even begin to read or anticipate his moves. That unassuming man wielded his sword as if calcting every oue. Ciel thought perhaps a weakness might show up if she kept up the pressure. But even as she increased the intensity of her attacks, it proved fruitless. Even at her fastest, Eugene''s de remained precise, cutting through the rhythm of Ciel''s strikes at critical moments and disrupting her flow. ng. ng. ng. The sound of shing metal echoed in Ciel''s ears. The rhythm of her offense was broken, the momentum stolen. And by the time she realized it, the tides of the duel had turned. Just moments before, Ciel''s aggressive strikes had pressed Eugene, but now, she found herself no longer able to advance. She had no choice but to reluctantly step back. To stubbornly move forward or stand her ground was no longer a viable option. Facing Eugene, Ciel felt as if she stood before an insurmountable wall. She yearned to scale it, to stand toe-to-toe, but that towering barrier wouldn''t allow it. ¡®I hate this.¡¯ She despised being overshadowed, having to look up, and watching from afar ¡ª a sentiment that haunted her sleepless nights. Biting her lower lip, Ciel reminded herself this was merely a duel. She hadn''t expected to defeat Eugene or even inflict a minor wound after only a year of training. But still, she didn''t want to lose the same way she used to. That would mean she hadn''t changed since her younger days. Even now, she was being pushed back, with that towering wall ever looming, looking down on her. Biting her lower lip again, Ciel relinquished the idea of finding any logical advantage with his de. From the moment she was forced on the defensive, nay, from the moment she drew her de, she had already lost. If she didn''t wish to ept defeat with a sense of resignation, she only had one option: to thrash with all her might. With a loud sh, Ciel''s elongated de tangled with Eugene''s. In that instant, Ciel threw away her sword hilt and lunged at Eugene with bare hands. ¡®What the hell?¡¯ Eugene was momentarily taken aback. He hadn''t expected Ciel to abandon her weapon and charge at him unarmed. Ciel''s primary weapon was the sword. Yet, that didn''t mean she was ignorant of wielding other arms. Born of the Lionheart lineage, it had been expected for her to master the use of most weaponry from a tender age. However, Ciel''s most adept skill, following the sword, wasn¡¯t with another weapon. Instead, she was most adept at using her fists and legs. This was an influence of her mentor, Carmen Lionheart. Carmen had taught Ciel to fight with her body, and Ciel¡¯s fists and legs were as sharp as a de. A clenched fist flew towards Eugene''s face. Eugene was caught off guard for a fleeting moment. He, too, relinquished his sword as the fist came into view. However, it wasn''t only Ciel who was confident in hand-to-handbat. Eugene had been as familiar with martial arts as with weapons from his previous life. Whish! Ciel''s left punch brushed past Eugene''s ear. Simultaneously, Ciel''s right hand twisted in the air, targeting Eugene''s chin. Eugene''s left arm collided with Ciel''s right, but in response, Ciel forcefully pushed her right arm and entangled it with Eugene''s left. Thud! Ciel attempted another punch with her left, but it, too, was caught by Eugene''s right hand. Their hands locked together. Ciel thrust forward, leaning into Eugene with all her might. Should the two engage in a test of raw strength, it would be impossible for Ciel to prevail over Eugene. Pushing forcefully could lead to Ciel''s injury. Eugene was well aware of this fact. Hence, instead of engaging in a power struggle, he stepped back as Ciel pushed forward. In a fleeting moment, Ciel''s waist twisted, and her sweeping kicknded on Eugene''s thigh. It was a blow strong enough to shatter a sturdy oak, yet Eugene remained unyielding. Bam! Instead, it was Eugene''s counter that sent Ciel flying. ¡®Did I kick too hard?¡¯ For a moment, such a thought crossed his mind. The forceful kick squarely struck Ciel''s midsection. Sent airborne, Ciel crashed ungracefully to the dusty floor. "Ugh...!" Ciel groaned in pain while gripping her midriff. With an apologetic expression, Eugene approached Ciel. "Let¡¯s¡­." In the past, their duels would''ve ended by now. However, Ciel had no such intention today. Her belly ached as if her muscles were being torn and her insides were contorting. "Ahhh!" Ciel screamed, not only in pain but also in frustration, wing at the ground as she charged at Eugene. Crash! The two collided. Ciel wrapped her hands around Eugene''s waist, leveraging her weight and mana to push Eugene back. Crash! Eugene fell backward. Ciel knew Eugene had purposely allowed himself to be toppled. She didn''t ponder upon it but mounted the fallen Eugene. She pinned Eugene¡¯s waist with her knees, readying her fists above his head. Yet, the rain of punches was stopped in their tracks by Eugene''s hands. Eyes wide, Eugene looked up at Ciel. Gasping for breath, Ciel gritted her teeth, trying to force her punches down. However, Eugene''s strength proved too immense. "So uncharacteristic of you," Eugene uttered simply. Ciel barely managed to part her tightly pursed lips, "What exactly do you perceive as ''characteristic'' of me?" "What?" "Do you expect me to just give up during our duel andughingly say, ''Ah, I''ve lost again,'' as if it''s the most natural thing? Is that what''s ''like me''?" Eugene didn¡¯t know how to respond to this outburst. "Should I just smile like a fool when you offer your hand to pull me up? Or when you pat my head, should I feel good if youment on how much I''ve improved?" "Why are you acting like this?" Eugene asked, confused. "Why, you ask?" With a twisted smirk, Ciel continued, "To you, it seems I''m still just a child." "Ciel." "I hate that. I''m not a child anymore. But why do you still treat me like one? We''re the same age! Why do you always treat me as if I''m just a brat?" "I''ve never done that," came Eugene¡¯s swift denial. "Lies!" Ciel roared. Though Eugene no longer held Ciel''s wrists tightly, Ciel didn''t pull away. Instead, she pressed herself closer to Eugene. Their faces were inches apart when Ciel whispered fiercely, "Look at me, Eugene Lionheart. Don''t see me as a child; just see me." "Ciel." Eugene''s gaze shifted, filled with unease. "Did I hurt your pride?" "Yes." "Do you despise being treated like a child?" "Yes." "Alright, I understand." Slowly, Eugene began to rise off the ground, even with Ciel''s legs gripping his waist and trying to pin him down with all their might. Yet, that couldn''t restrain Eugene. As he stood up fully, Ciel still clung to him, a hollow chuckle escaping her lips before she murmured, "Would it kill you to just take one hit from me?" "No," came Eugene¡¯s blunt reply. "Why?" Ciel asked. "You asked not to be treated like a child, remember?" Caught off guard by the retort, Ciel couldn''t help butugh. "That''s not what I meant by it," she chuckled. She had yearned to be seen as an equal, not as a child, but as a woman. "I understand," Eugene said with a bitter smirk. Ciel''s gaze turned vacant at his words. For a moment, she hesitated, then her shoulders sagged in defeat. "Bastard." Thud! Ciel crashed onto the ground, and Eugene hastily pulled her up. "Wow¡­." An exmation came from a corner. Turning his head, Eugene noticed Sienna and Kristina, who had returned and were watching the exchange. "It hurts more to watch," Kristina remarked, recalling how Eugene had thrown Ciel to the ground. Sienna shuddered at the sight. "Isn''t that a bit too harsh, Hamel?" Anise approached with narrowed eyes. "By your own words, I mightck finesse. But that was a duel, and Ciel didn''t think of admitting defeat. So¡ª" Eugene started defending his actions before being interrupted. "When she asked you to not treat her like a child, I don¡¯t think she meant it this way,¡± said Anise. "I said I know," Eugene sighed heavily, casting a nce at the unconscious Ciel. "What should I do now?" "Why are you asking me?" Anise shot back while reaching out to Ciel. Though she''d been thrown harshly, thanks to her naturally resilient body, Ciel wasn''t severely injured. "Let''sy her down for now,¡± suggested Anise. "Umm, I might be out of the loop here, but when she said not to treat her like a child, did she mean... you know?" Sienna cautiously inquired. While creeping up toward Eugene, she continued, "You can''t be serious? They''re siblings, right? Oh wait, he was adopted. But is that even possible? S-should you be doing something like that?" "Why are you asking me?" Eugene retorted. "Who else am I supposed to ask, you idiot!" shouted Sienna. "Why are you swearing at me? Huh? What did I do wrong?" Eugene was genuinely offended. Ciel had always been mischievous since their time together as children. However, he sensed the sincerity behind her actions as time passed. Unlike the Anise of his past life, Ciel was more straightforward. Even if Eugene was oblivious to such matters, he couldn''t remain ignorant of Ciel''s feelings and intentions. He thought she was just young, assuming her emotions were fleeting. Yet, after witnessing her recent behavior and words... he realized he was wrong. As one matures, feelings naturally evolve or fade. However, Ciel''s feelings seemed to have developed more than he had previously thought. "That damn Vermouth." If only he had reincarnated into a less attractive body, none of this would have happened.... Eugene was frustrated. He couldn¡¯t help but curse Vermouth, who wasn''t even present, as he turned away. Chapter 344: Ciel Lionheart (3) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 344: Ciel Lionheart (3) [Bonus Image]

¡°Even so, wasn''t that going too far?¡± Dezra asked, exasperated. From dawn, her day had been bustling. Though she rarely participated inbat and held a low rank, Dezra was also a diator registered with Shimuin. In four days, a battle that seemed an assured victory awaited her. She typically would have attended it, but having agreed to join the Pirate Empress¡¯ subjugation, she had to rearrange her match schedule. That was why she and Carmen visited the Mador Coliseum¡¯s owner at the crack of dawn to cancel the scheduled duel. However, by afternoon, when she returned to her mansion, she wasn¡¯t sure what had transpired in her absence? Dezra red at Eugene, genuinely bbergasted and angry. ¡°You know of Lady Ciel''s nickname, right? It¡¯s the White Rose. The White Rose! Even after more than thirty battles, not a scratch nor even a speck of dust tarnished the immacte White Rose!¡± Dezra shouted. ¡°Uh... well¡­.¡± ¡°Umm, what? What¡¯s with the hesitation? Speak, Eugene Lionheart! Even if you and Lady Ciel are siblings, even if it was a mere spar, how could you hurl the White Rose to the ground? And on her back, no less!¡± ¡°Um¡­.¡± ¡°An ordinary person would have died from such a fall. If not death, their spine would have shattered, leaving them confined to the bed for life¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on,¡± Eugene interrupted Dezra with a grave expression. While he acknowledged the bulk of her ims, something simply didn''t sit right with him. ¡°Why do you address Ciel with honorifics yet speak informally to me?¡± he asked. He wasn¡¯t trying to change the topic but instead was genuinely curious. Dezra paused momentarily in her fervent attempt to make her point. In that brief instant, her thoughts raced back to nearly a decade ago, back to the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, where she first met Eugene Lionheart. She remembered speaking informally back then as well.¡­ Dezra cleared her throat awkwardly while averting Eugene¡¯s gaze. ¡°I apologize... sir.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± Eugene epted her form of address. ¡°But this is apletely different topic. You still did wrong, didn''t you, Sir¡­ Eugene? Why did you throw Lady Ciel to the ground?¡± Dezra asked. ¡°Ciel wanted it,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Talk some sense! Who in their right mind would wish to be thrown to the ground...?¡± Before Dezra could finish, she was interrupted by a stifled chuckle from Sienna, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from the sofa. Caught in the act, she hurriedly covered her mouth with both hands. Utterly baffled, Dezra stared at Sienna. Though she wished to ask why Siennaughed, considering her reputation as the Wise Sienna, she couldn''t easily bring herself to inquire. She merely assumed there must be a reasonable exnation. ¡ªWhat¡¯s with calling her Rai? Is it the ¡®Rai¡¯ in ¡®rai-tarded.¡¯[1] Meanwhile Sienna was immersed in something else entirely and was desperately trying to ignore Eugene¡¯sment about the y on the words from reying in her head. Coming to Sienna¡¯s rescue, Carmen began to address Dezra¡¯s unfinished question from across the settee, "She was simply averse to pitiful sympathy.¡± Next to hery Ciel, now cleaned of the dust from her fall. Carmen gazed momentarily at the face of her disciple before asking, "How long do you n to stay lying down?" Ciel hade to her senses a while ago. Of everyone in the room, only Dezra had failed to notice this. The scrapes from her impact on the ground had been tended to by Kristina, so she had no physical injuries remaining. However, Ciel felt a gnawing pain deep within. It was especially prominent in the depth of her chest. Ciel discreetly bit the inside of her lip in response to the unmistakable pain. "I was reflecting on it.¡± Saying so, Ciel opened her eyes and sat up. "Although it seemed pointless. After being routed like that, there was little to glean from reflection." "I don¡¯t like the phrase ''it was pointless,''" Carmen said with a slight bow of her head. "Every defeat carries meaning. Even if one is utterly bested, they must find meaning in that defeat." "Hmm, hearing you say that... I guess it wasn''t entirely meaningless,¡± admitted Ciel. "Did you learn something?" asked Carmen. ¡°Yes. I learned that even if it¡¯s just bare ground,nding on one''s back can be excruciatingly painful, enough to die." Ciel shrugged with a yful smirk and continued, "But now, I feel no pain at all. Is it thanks to the Saint?" Ciel''s eyes met Kristina''s, her face impassive. Ciel wore the same yful grin she frequently disyed. But both Kristina and Anise quickly saw through the facade. Expressions were no different from masks, and the Saint of Yuras had always been adept at changing theirs. "It wasn''t a grave injury to begin with," Kristina said while donning a mask of her own. She thought it necessary. If she revealed her true feelings and looked upon Ciel with evident ¡°sympathy,¡± it was possible that something might shatter in the prideful young noblewoman. [Even thinking that is sympathy,] Anise pointed out with a bitter tone, yet Kristina did not change her chosen facade. "I¡¯ve treated you, but does it hurt anywhere, or do you feel ufortable at all?" asked Kristina. "There are a few things, but I don¡¯t think it¡¯s something treatable, even for you, Saint Rogeris,¡± Ciel answered before averting her gaze and sweeping it across the room. First, she looked at Sienna across the room. Then, Ciel shifted her gaze away from the couch towards Dezra near the window. The naive and good-hearted Dezra looked as if she were about to cry, even without knowing the reason why. "I have a request." Finally, Ciel¡¯s gaze settled on Eugene. Staring intently at him, she continued, "Lady Carmen, I apologize, but could you leave the room? Dezra, you as well." Carmen cherished Ciel as a pupil. Though Ciel was her great-niece by lineage, her feelings for her disciple were much deeper than those of a distant rtive. Carmen silently rose from her seat without questioning her. ¡°Ah¡­. Yes.¡± Dezra obeyed as well. Although she wasn¡¯t the wittiest girl, she could feel that this wasn¡¯t the moment to question Ciel. ¡°Then we will also¡­.¡± Kristina retreated while ncing at Sienna, who rose from the couch, realizing the seriousness of the situation. ¡°No.¡± However, Ciel grabbed onto Kristina¡¯s wrist. Her golden eyes were fixated on Sienna as she said, ¡°The two of you must stay here.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°Uh¡­ why?¡± ¡°Because you have to,¡± said Ciel firmly. Her heart was aching, and her emotions were shaky. However, Ciel¡¯s voice did not betray her true state. Ciel was pushing herself to the extreme because she felt it was necessary. Eugene allowed the situation to y out just as Ciel was directing it. After all, he was responsible for the current state of things, and he wasn¡¯t a coward who would turn his back and run due to the results of his actions. After Carmen and Dezra left the room, Eugene stared at Ciel before speaking, ¡°Ciel¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to talk.¡± Ciel interrupted him the moment he spoke her name. ¡°I, I have many things I want to ask you. Eugene¡­ Eugene Lionheart. However, what I¡¯m going to say now is, well, I¡¯m going to say it many times¡­. Well, here¡¯s the first.¡± She couldn¡¯t articte her words as she wished. She didn¡¯t want to act like this, but it wasn¡¯t going as nned. Ciel pressed on her aching heart and took a deep breath. ¡°When was it?¡± That was her first question. ¡°When did youe to know my feelings?¡± she asked. There was no way to beat around the bush. Ciel stared straight at Eugene, who was standing by the window. ¡°Since a long time ago,¡± said Eugene, looking her straight in the eyes. ¡°Long time ago? When? When exactly?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°After I was adopted into the main family,¡± answered Eugene. Ciel had been thirteen, and how well could a 13-year-old girl hide her feelings? Perhaps Ciel had assumed she had hidden her feelings well, masking them behind her jokes. But it had not reflected on Eugene as such. Although he had also been thirteen at the time, he had experiences and memories from his past life. ¡°Is that so?¡± Ciel nodded with a hollowugh. It had been eight years. When Cyan, Ciel, and Eugene were thirteen, they had gone through the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, and Eugene had been adopted into the main family after being recognized for his skills. Her mother, Anci, was wise and calcting. Instead of making an enemy out of the 13-year-old genius, she hoped her children could truly be Eugene¡¯s siblings. Eugene could not be the family head as someone from the coteral line. However, she had never been able to rest easily. The thirteen-year-old boy had shown too much talent. So, although she could have tried to keep Eugene in check, she chose to connect Eugene with the twins through bonds of affection. ¡ªDon¡¯t make an enemy out of Eugene. Build a bond of brotherhood. Shape him so he might be your strength. Don¡¯t look down on him for being adopted. Treat him as an equal. y together, train together, and create memories. Make sure he doesn¡¯t harbor any ill will towards you. Make it so that one day¡­ he might stand by your side and help you. The words had been meant for Cyan, but Ciel had also grasped their essence. Even before hearing her mother¡¯s words, Ciel was keenly interested in Eugene. He had been a distant rtive from a remote vige she''d never heard of. Upon his arrival, he had bested her brother on the first day and emerged triumphant in the Blood Continuation Ceremony. To the ever-curious Ciel, Eugene was simply too fascinating to ignore. She yearned to grow closer, to be siblings in truth. There were plenty of reasons to do so. From Ciel''s perspective, the choice had been simple. She''d casually approach, strike up a conversation, and if she sensed any reluctance, she''d press even harder. Raised unrestrained within the n, the sudden appearance of a new sibling was a novel concept for her. Siblings? At thirteen, that very word felt alien to her. Yes, back then, it was merely a peculiar feeling. That unexinable sensation, which she couldn''t quite articte at that young age,ter morphed into a more negative sentiment as adolescence came. Siblings? The notion was absurd. Cyan, her twin, shared both parents. Even Eward, her half-brother, shared half her blood. But what about Eugene Lionheart? He was an outsider ¡ª that''s how she wanted to perceive him. That¡¯s how she had to perceive him. He wasn''t a brother but a man. Just as she had regarded Eugene that way, Ciel Lionheart wished for him to see her the same way. "You knew all along," Ciel maintained her mask, not ready to reveal the emotions stirring beneath. "Why did you¡­? No, that''s too clich¨¦d a question, isn''t it? I know what you''re going to say, Eugene. How could you not? You''ve always treated me the same whether it''s now or eight years ago." "Ciel," Eugene said quietly. "I know. In your eyes, I''m forever the 13-year-old, the cheeky girl who thinks she''s the cutest thing in the world." ¡®Not yet,¡¯ Ciel told herself. Trembling, she clenched the fists resting on herp. "I want to ask something¡­ different. Not too different. The question is the same. Eugene, when?" Ciel continued, "When did you start dating the Saint, Kristina Rogeris?" "Ciel," Eugene called out once again. "Don''t tell me you''re going to deny it? You two¡­. No, haha, wait, you folks," spat Ciel. The fiery churn within her chest refused to subside. No, it no longer remained a mere pain but an intense heat. It felt as though mes roared inside her very being. Those mes scorched Ciel''s heart with their searing embrace, tempting her to release their bitter, scathing smoke with her words. "Since when?" she repeated. "Lady Ciel." Kristina was lost, uncertain of the countenance she should bear. Both Kristina and Anise knew that their rtionship with Eugene only existed due to Sienna''s mercy and understanding. They were painfully aware; hence, the two Saints constantly sought to win over Hamel ¡ª or rather Eugene''s affections. The mere thought of Sienna rejecting them in their face was horrifying. Though they frequently threw mischievous words and smirks at Sienna, it was their way of defending, of protecting themselves. It was fine to do so since their counterpart was Sienna, as she would understand, given their bond from three centuries past. Without such an understanding, they''d be forever at Sienna''s mercy. However, their current opponent was not Sienna Merdein but the 21-year-old Ciel Lionheart. While Sienna might view the Saints as a two-headed serpent, Kristina and Anise were not literally so. "It hasn''t been long," Eugene intervened, not letting the Saints reply. He settled opposite Ciel and continued, "There were signs of the emotions before. I was just too blind to recognize them." "Haha," Ciel let out a sarcasticugh while dropping her gaze. After a slight pause, she said, "Yes, I knew. You... no, you all were quite obvious. Weren''t you, Saint Rogeris? Ever since you came to the Lionheart Mansion as a guest, you''ve looked at Eugene with eyes dripping honey." "Lady Ciel¡­," Kristina started. But Ciel shot her down, "I can understand that. The Saint and the Hero, it isn''t an unlikely pairing." Who had started it? Who fell in love first? Who confessed first? Who was the first to¡­. Ciel pressed her hand over her mouth, silencing further questions. She feared the answers that she might hear. She was sure the mes within her had burned everything, leaving only ashes behind¡­. "But this, I cannot fathom," she eximed, her hand still stifling her mouth. "Saint Kristina Rogeris. You, I can understand. But the Wise Sienna? Lady Sienna, what, what are you?" She knew her question was extremely rude, almost insulting. However, she could not bear it any longer without seeking rity. "Lady Sienna... You can''t. Right? You¡¯re not from the same generation as us. You realize that too, don¡¯t you, Lady Sienna? T-This is.¡­ It''s absurd." "Uh... um¡­." Sienna could not assume the same demeanor as Kristina or Anise. From the moment Ciel began her interrogation, everything felt as ufortable and torturous as if sitting on a bed of thorns. Sienna merely moved her lips without being able to form a reply. "Of all people¡­. Why would you, Lady Sienna, do this of all people?" Ciel''s voice wavered with confusion. "We are the descendants of the Great Vermouth. And Lady Sienna, didn¡¯t you love the Stupid Hamel?¡± "H-Hamel was the one who confessed¡­," Sienna murmured hesitantly. "But you shared the same feelings, didn''t you? Fairytales might differ from true history, but still... this... this shouldn''t be. It cannot be, not ever," Ciel continued to voice her doubts. "What shouldn''t be?" Eugene intervened with a deep sigh once again. "Emotions don''t adhere to absolutes, Ciel." "You dare to tell me that?!" Ciel''s voice cracked with anger. "Now you say emotions aren''t absolute? You, who always treated me like a mere child, dare to say that!?" Dizziness overwhelmed Ciel. Eugene attempted to speak, but Ciel swiftly cut him off with a gesture. She didn¡¯t want to hear his response. She was afraid. "When did it begin?" Ciel pressed, asking the same question. "With Lady Sienna? From your first trip to Samar?" Eugene just looked at her silently. "Why won''t you answer? Fine, I won''t push. Instead, I''ll ask something else. Who was first?" Ciel questioned unrelentingly. "What do you mean by that?" Eugene responded. ¡°Haha, hahaha!¡± Ciel unconsciously startedughing at this answer. Who was it? Who fell in love first? Who confessed their feelings first? Who was first? ¡°Between Lady Rogeris and Lady Sienna, who was it?" The question seemed to baffle everyone present. A heavy silence enveloped the room, during which Cielughed bitterly. "Eugene, I don''t me you. Honestly, I might be the strange one. After all, we are¡­ we are siblings, right? But think about it. When all this began, we were only thirteen. Do you understand what I''m getting at? We''ve spent more time as strangers than as siblings." Ciel could no longer keep herposure. She could no longer keep her hand mped over her mouth. "Who was it first?" she repeated, determined. There were no facades left for her to hide behind. She could not. Ciel wobbled to her feet, and though Kristina reached out to steady her, Ciel brushed her off fiercely. "It was me," Ciel confessed, her vision blurring. "It wasn¡¯t Lady Rogeris or Lady Sienna. It was me, Ciel. Eugene, Eugene Lionheart, I was the first to see you." Tears ran hotly down her cheeks; the burning sensation felt as if mes zed from her eyes. "I was the first, the very first to adore you. I, who you always saw as a mere brat! It was I who loved you before anyone else." Everyone stayed quiet at Ciel¡¯s distressing deration. "But why?" Ciel staggered forward to approach Eugene. "Why can''t I? Why do you only see me as a child? Why can''t I be a woman to you? What was Icking?" Unfiltered words spilled from her lips. "Don''t feed me the nonsense that there wasn¡¯t enough time. I''ve known you since we were kids. Just as you''ve seen me grow, I''ve watched you, too. I no longer see you as a child, so why can''t you see past my youth?" She felt pitiful. "I don''t understand what I¡¯m¡­. What I¡¯m missing. Am I ugly? Lacking charm? Is it my temperament? Because my personality is crap? If it''s any of that, I can change." "It''s not that,¡± Eugene said firmly. "Then what is it? Why can''t it be me?" Ciel cried out through her tears. The gazes of those around her no longer mattered. She didn''t think of how she¡¯d face the world after this. She reached out and grasped Eugene''s shoulders tightly. "I-I¡­ told you, I saw you before anyone else. Liked you and loved you before any other. It''s still the same. I¡­. I¡­." "That''s not true,¡± said Eugene. The tears that Ciel shed were painfully clear. Eugene could feel their heaviness as they trailed down her face and dropped from her chin. The way her hands trembled as she clutched him shook Eugene¡¯s heart. . "It wasn''t you who first saw and loved me,¡± he said. "What are you saying¡­" "I am not the Eugene Lionheart you know." He didn¡¯t wish to lie to Ciel as she sobbed. "I am Hamel,¡± he admitted. "¡­What?" "Hamel, Hamel Dynas. I am the reincarnation of Hamel, who died three hundred years ago," Eugene sighed deeply as he confessed. Ciel''s tear-filled eyes went nk. She had to believe him. That''s what Eugene hoped for. It pained his heart, left it raw and constricted, but he thought this revtion would make Ciel understand and retreat. "What¡­?" Ciel''s trembling lips parted. "So what about it?" 1. Rai came up in ch 338 and is a nickname given to Raimira ?? Chapter 345: Ciel Lionheart (4) Stepping back gracefully might have been a choice. Ciel¡¯s feelings belonged to those first borne by a 13-year-old girl. Moreover, there was a saying: First love often remained unfulfilled. So, she could''ve consoled herself, saying it was inevitable, and moved on. Ciel knew she was no longer the child she once was. There was a transition from being a child to an adult, the process called aging. It involved learning through various experiences, the time one lived, and the years left ahead. Going forward, she might realize how insignificant the emotions she harbored as a child were. She could have sought sce in the thought of inevitability. If she deemed it a matter not meant to be, despite it being her first love, then even if she cherished those feelings¡­. If the other built affection with someone not her, then perhaps¡­. She didn''t want tobel such things as victories or defeats. But what if she was forced to acknowledge it as a defeat? She was still young, and the world was vast. Maybe someday¡­. Maybe, just maybe.¡­ "What¡­?" But Ciel Lionheart didn¡¯t desire such constion. First loves often remain unfulfilled? What nonsense were they talking about? Sure, some might bitterly murmur these clich¨¦d, trivial words. But Ciel did not think that way. Who was to say that the feelings of a 13-year-old were trivial? Why did the time ahead matter more than the time past? Did it matter more because there was more time left ahead of her? Utter nonsense. If anything, the longer life she had to live made relinquishing her current feelings impossible. Through her experiences anding to better understand the world, she found conviction in her feelings. With age, her emotions had only deepened. As an adult, she deeply cherished the feelings she''d held since childhood. Thus, she couldn''t settle for mere constion. The emotions she''d built from their first encounter made Ciel believe in their destined connection. First love? That he didn''t reciprocate her feelings and love her? Choosing someone else over her? Defeat? Tears streamed as Ciel gritted her teeth. Victory or defeat? Above all, Ciel couldn''t ept such a notion. From the start, Ciel Lionheart had never truly fought, not even once. In fact, she had never even truly confronted Eugene. True, Ciel was still young, and the world was vast. But there was one thing she was sure of. In a realm where time felt expansive, she knew that in the many decades or centuries she might live, she would never again harbor emotions as pure and desperate as those she''d felt when she was but a 13-year-old girl on the cusp of adolescence. No matter how vast the world was, the possibility of encountering someone superior to her first love seemed unfathomably slim. Pretending to be haughty, engaging in yful mischief, or letting out a sly smile offered no aid in moments such as this. If one''s feelings were pure and desperate, the disy had to be equally fervent. Please look at me, please don''t abandon me. Even if it was pitiable and wretched, she had to cling. Pitiable and wretched. Was it really? Not in the slightest. Ciel felt no ounce of shame in the tears she shed or the desperate cries she let out. She had no intention of preserving any semnce of dignity, nor did she wish to stand idly by while offering a docile smile. She had resolved to fight, to thrash and wail in the mire of her emotions. And she did just that. "What about it?" she demanded. What did he just say? "Reincarnation?" It wasn''t long after Eugene uttered that word that Ciel responded. Merely a few seconds, though it felt like an eternity to them all. Kristina, Anise, and Sienna were utterly bewildered. The two Saints might not have known everything about Ciel, but they were well aware of Miss Lionheart''s pride, her haughty demeanor, and her mischievous nature. To see her weeping andmenting was enough to leave them in disarray... but to bring up reincarnation, not to anyone else, but to Ciel? To someone he had known since childhood? ¡®Or maybe it¡¯s¡­,¡¯ Sienna swallowed hard while ncing at Eugene. Though she knew little about Ciel, suggesting reincarnation at this juncture seemed a wise move. The youngdy''s heartbreaking cries were too painful to bear. But if she were to find out that the object of her affections was not her lifelongpanion but the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years prior, perhaps she''d ept the clich¨¦d "It''s inevitable" reasoning. After all, it wasn''t a lie and couldn¡¯t be helped. "You''re the reincarnation of Hamel?" Ciel asked. Of everyone in the room, the weight of time seemed heaviest on Ciel. Hamel''s reincarnation, he said. The moment she heard those words, a cascade of memories from the age of thirteen flooded her mind. It was an almost unbelievable revtion. Yet, strangely, Ciel didn''t doubt it. The idea of reincarnation alone cleared many uncertainties she held about Eugene. "So... what of it?" Ciel spat while clutching her chest. She bore no skepticism. Eugene Lionheart, whom she had known for eight years since she was thirteen, was the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago ¡ª Hamel. "Just because you are that person, does it mean you''re not the Eugene Lionheart I know?" Her tear-filled inquiry left Eugene visibly stunned. Ciel continued, gasping for breath, struggling against Eugene''s grasp on her wrist. She dered with unwavering certainty, "It matters not whether you''ve been reborn. You are Eugene Lionheart. It was as Eugene Lionheart that you came into my life." He hesitated, "But¡ª" But Ciel cut in, "You once said it wasn¡¯t me who loved you first. No, I don¡¯t see it that way. Because to me, you are not Hamel but Eugene." It might have been a feeble argument. But Ciel wasn''t bothered by that. From her earliest memories, she was one to obtain what she desired by any means necessary. And at that very moment, or rather, throughout the entirety of Ciel Lionheart¡¯s existence, the man before her was what she desired the most. ¡°So¡­.¡± She reached out, grasping Eugene''s shoulders once more. Tears had blurred her vision, and the heartfelt words she had spoken earlier made her breathing ragged. Her heart ached, feeling as if it had been utterly consumed by mes. All that was left was a pile of ashes. ¡°So.¡­¡± She hesitated momentarily as she searched for the right words. Humiliation? ¡°See me,¡± she pleaded while lowering her head. It definitely wasn¡¯t. Eugene was at a loss for words. He didn¡¯t simply see Ciel as a sister. If he had to put it in words, she was merely a kid, a child he had known since she was little. And that child now pleaded with him to not see her as such any longer!? ¡°I¡­.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t know what to say. From Ciel¡¯s perspective, Eugene had always been gazing at something in the far distance. But the distance she had felt wasn¡¯t limited only to his gaze but to him as a whole person. Eugene himself felt distant from Ciel. Now, she finally understood why he had treated her and her twin as mere children. She continued, "I am right here." Eugene Lionheart was lost in memories from three hundred years ago. He was prioritizing a bond forged in a distant past. She forced out in a broken voice, "I¡¯m here with you as well." Her voice was hardly elegant; crying had strained it, making it raspy. "Coward," Ciel muttered, her eyes red and swollen. She forced a smile, "Stop running from the present, Eugene Lionheart. Even if you were Hamel in your past life, now¡­. Now, you are Eugene." He remained silent, absorbing her words. "All you''ve said feels cruel and cowardly to me. After all, you never truly responded to my feelings," Ciel pleaded desperately. Eugene closed his eyes, a whirlwind of emotionsing out as a sigh. The emotions that didn¡¯t escape weighed heavily on his tongue. He realized that saying nothing at that moment and avoiding her gaze was indeed the act of a coward. ¡°I¡­.¡± Eugene slowly opened his eyes. His voice wavered, hindered by bloodshot eyes brimming with tears. Although Ciel''s words varied in tone, the emotionsden in each phrase always weighed heavy, even piercing, feeling as if they tore him apart. "I''ve never looked at you that way before," Eugene said. Ciel¡¯s eyes wavered. "I might''ve noticed you looking at me that way, but I''ve never felt the same. Telling me not to flee from the present¡­. Ciel, such words seem cruel to me," Eugene whispered. Ciel''s shoulders quivered, trembling with suppressed emotion. Eugene continued, "Because in my past life, I was a fool. I died like one... and as if that wasn''t enough, I was reborn. I don''t even know why I was granted another life. But when I learned how the world had changed after my reincarnation, do you know what I first thought?" Eugene forced a bitter smile and shook his head. "It felt like shit," he admitted, pausing for breath. "When I died as Hamel, I thought I had settled all my regrets, but that wasn''t the truth. I was a coward, fleeing from challenges that became insurmountable. Now given another life, how can I¡­ turn away from my past?" Ciel furiously wiped away her tears. "Perhaps my answer seems cowardly to you. But that''s who I am. As you said, I am now Eugene, but I am also Hamel. That is why I can¡¯t share the same feelings you hold," Eugene replied firmly. "I¡­. I don''t care," Ciel whispered, tears once more rolling down her cheeks. "Even if that''s how it has been all this while, starting from today, or tomorrow, or even from now on...." She couldn''t finish her sentence. She covered her mouth with her hand, trying desperately to stifle her sobs. Her heart felt shattered, emptied of all emotions. Her cries broke free, no matter how hard she tried, for her hands were too small to keep them in. ¡°Ah.¡­ Uwahh.¡­¡± Why? Why did ite to this? Why could she not have what she desired the most? Why could she not hear the answers she sought? Ciel''s heart-wrenching sobs echoed through the silent room. Watching her, Sienna''s eyes, too, began to glisten with tears. Trying to keep her own emotions in check, she tilted her head back and attempted to divert her thoughts. However, even the legendary Archwizard couldn''t stop the flood of tears that threatened to spill. But Sienna wasn''t the only one weeping, for a sea of tears had long since formed within Eugene''s cloak. Raimira was incessantly rubbing her eyes while shedding torrents of tears, while Mer bit hard into the hem of her dress. Tears were streaming down her face, but she managed to keep her sobs silent. ¡°It... doesn¡¯t matter," Ciel whispered again. She could do nothing but repeat her words. "Even if you''ve never looked at me that way, even if you don''t share my feelings, I¡­. I don''t care." She had braced herself for this moment long ago, thinking she could bear it all. "But please... please, do not... despise me¡ª" Ciel''s voice broke, and she couldn''t finish her plea. Despise? The mere utterance of the word was so unexpected that Eugene''s eyes widened in shock. "Wait, Ciel, what in the world¡ª" Eugene couldn''t even finish his sentence. Crash! A shattering noise echoed, causing everyone to startle and look up. "Saint Rogeris?" Beneath Kristina''s feet, the smooth marble floor had cracked. Thud, thud, thud! As Kristina walked, shards of stone stuck to her shoe soles fell away. They left deep, clear footprints as Kristina approached Ciel with long strides. "What in the¡ª" Ciel, too, was interrupted. p! A fierce p turned her face to the side. All present were stunned, their mouths agape. Eugene, in particr, was so rmed that he grabbed Kristina. "Why would you strike a child?!" he shouted. "What did you just say?" retorted Kristina. "What?" Eugene was baffled. "Sir Eugene, repeat your words," Kristina said in a dangerously quiet voice. "No, why are you hitting a chil¡ª" Sensing danger, Eugene didn¡¯t finish his sentence. The tense atmosphere made his body react instinctively. Whoosh! A sharp p narrowly missed Eugene''s face. "Did you dodge?" Kristina asked sternly. "Wait¡ª" But Eugene was interrupted before he could say much. "Do not avoid it." It was unclear whether it was Kristina or Anise. In truth, it didn''t matter who it was. If he dodged, the retaliation would only be worse. Swish! Another p turned Eugene''s head to the side. "Lady Ciel is not a child," Kristina dered with an eerie glint in her eyes. [Oh, God above¡­,] Anise, who had been crying silently, instinctively sought the heavens upon witnessing Kristina''s unexpected act. "And Lady Ciel," Kristina''s head snapped around. Ciel was staring at Kristina while holding her stinging cheek. She could notprehend why she had been pped. "No. Ciel," Kristina spoke with a soft yetmanding voice, then took long steps towards her before asking, "What are you doing now?" "What¡­? What do you mean¡­?" Ciel asked in a daze. "You have insulted me,¡± dered Kristina. Insult? Ciel struggled for a response, her lips merely quivering. No defense or counter came to mind. Kristina red at her and continued, "It''s tant arrogance and insult resulting from it. You also ignored me. You acted as if your love for Eugene now, not the Hamel of the past, was all that mattered." "But¡ª" Ciel tried to argue, only to be shot down immediately. "If this isn''t an insult or neglect towards me, what is it?" said Kristina. "Did I... say something wrong? Saint Rogeris, aren''t you also looking at the Hero, not Eugene? Besides, you believe that Eugene has been reborn¡ª" Again, Ciel couldn''t finish. A sharp p met her cheek. "You''re mistaken. Even though it''s not worth arguing, Ciel, your crying seems to have clouded your thoughts. Because Eugene looked at me as a person, not the Saint. I also look at him not as a hero but as Eugene. Reincarnation? I don''t bother with such matters. I, Kristina Rogeris, love the current Eugene Lionheart." "Why¡­? What did I do wrong that you should strike me!?" Ciel shouted while gripping Kristina¡¯s cor. She had already been devastated, but the Saint had pped her twice to add insult to injury. "Yes, I may have insulted and ignored you. But...! There''s no reason for you to hit me...! I... I knew Eugene before you. I was the first...!" "You were the one who just watched," Kristina said with a smirk. "Yes, you''ve seen ¡°Eugene Lionheart¡± since he was a child. But that is all, isn¡¯t it? You ask not to be treated as a child, but right now, you''re crying and throwing a tantrum just like one. Foolish." "Saint Rogeris...!" Ciel warned. "Of course, as apassionate Saint, I won''t disregard your wish. As you''ve wanted, I won''t treat you like a child." Kristina''s lips curled up into a smile. "So, I mock you as an equal. What did you do while Lady Sienna was sealed? What did you do before I met Eugene? Maybe you always pushed back your feelings, thinking someday,ter. Oh, I see, Ciel. You were scared, weren''t you? Scared of confessing, in case the sibling bond disappeared." Ciel''s face paled. Looking into Ciel¡¯s tear-filled eyes, Kristina whispered, "What did youck? Youcked courage. That''s why you''re here now, crying and clinging. Your arrogance and fear made you lose Eugene." At these words, Ciel lost her rationality. In a fit of emotion, she pped Kristina. Although Kristian could have avoided it, she didn''t. She didn''t need to. From the moment Ciel''s hand touched her face, Kristina was enveloped in a protective light. "What¡­? What...!" Words failed Ciel. "What¡¯s wrong? Are you angry?" Kristina asked with a smile. Angry? Of course, she was. She was furious to the point of madness. What stoked Ciel¡¯s fury even more was the fact that Kristina''s words were true. Tears spilled down Ciel¡¯s eyes as she took ragged breaths. "So, will you give up?" Kristina asked. "Sh¡­. Shut up!" Ciel whispered. "So you don''t want to give up, is that it?" Kristina¡¯s mocking smile vanished. Warmth infused her previously icy voice. Of all those present here today, she had resonated the most with Ciel¡¯s words. "You don''t want to lose to a distant past you barely know, do you?" Ciel looked at Kristina as she voiced Ciel¡¯s inner thoughts. "You yearn for him to see you here and now, don''t you?" Kristina asked as Ciel¡¯s eyes widened listening to those words. "Regardless of who stands by his side, you wish to stay with him, don''t you?" Kristina continued with another question. Ciel could no longer keep her hand on Kristina''s cor. Stumbling backward, she copsed onto a couch, finally mumbling, "It''s only natural¡­." "If that''s truly how you feel, merely asking not to be disliked won''t suffice." Kristina reached out to Ciel. Thinking of the stinging ps she had received earlier, Ciel instinctively took a defensive stance. But there was no p this time. "You must make him love you." Kristina clenched her fist in front of Ciel with pride. "Not just plead to not be disliked. You must strive to make him love you." "Saint Rogeris...?" Ciel was perplexed at this sudden deration. "Wrong." With a resolute expression, Kristina shook her head. "Call me Sis." "What...?" Ciel thought she must have misheard. "Call me Sis, Ciel." Kristina then opened her clenched fist and used that hand to lift Ciel up. "Let''s go to my room." "Why?" Ciel asked, still shocked. "We have much to discuss," Kristina said simply. Without waiting for Ciel''s reply, Kristina forcefully dragged her. Ciel¡¯s resistance was futile against her uncharacteristically firm grip. Sienna, who had been empathizing with Ciel''s emotions and crying bitterly, was suddenly startled by the sound of a p and the ensuing reproach. Gathering herself, she attempted to follow Kristina and Ciel. "Do note, Lady Sienna,¡± shot Kristina. "Eh...? Why?" Sienna asked bemused. "You''ve known Sir Eugene since his past life, haven''t you?" Kristina said sarcastically. Sienna was met with a piercing gaze. Then what about Anise? Sienna wanted to blurt it out, but the stern look of the current Saint forced the legendary Archwizard, who had lived for three hundred years, to quietly remain seated. Chapter 346: Ciel Lionheart (5)

Chapter 346: Ciel Lionheart (5)

No one eavesdropped from outside the door. It might have been a different story for Melkith El-Hayah, the White Tower Master. However, Carmen and Dezra here possessed the basic understanding that one should not pry into another''s chamber. After ensuring no one was outside, Kristina pulled Ciel by the arm. Still dazed and unable to gather her thoughts, Ciel could only allow herself to be led. In mere tens of minutes, she had shed more tears than she had throughout her entire life. Those minutes felt more excruciating and painful than the harsh training she had endured with the ck Lion Knights and Carmen. She, who had never been pped in her life, had just received two sharp ones. Those facts alone made Ciel''s steps falter. Yet, Kristina did not offer her support. Instead, she shot a fierce nce at Eugene, who had risen to assist Ciel. "Stay in the room," she ordered. "But I can''t just¡ª" Eugene tried to reason. "What Ciel needs now is not sympathy but understanding. And I assure you, I''m the one here who understands her best," Kristina said firmly. Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel from three hundred years ago. He couldn''t avoid his past. Having lived since ancient times, Sienna couldn''t fully understand Ciel, who was born and raised in this era. But Kristina was different. Even if Anise''s spirit had taken residence in her body, as someone born and raised in recent years, Kristina was a person of this era. [Kristina, do you intend to reveal my existence to her?] asked Anise. ¡®Yes, Sister. Do you see an issue with that?¡¯Kristina confirmed her intentions. [Not at all. Hamel has revealed his reincarnation. Why would I hide the fact that I, a spirit, am attached to you?] Anise adjusted her emotions and clicked her tongue. [Ciel is not one to spread rumors, anyway.] ¡®I''m sorry,¡¯Kristina said sincerely.0 [Why apologize all of a sudden?] Anise asked. ¡®I acted on my own without consulting you, Sister,¡¯said Kristina. [Oh, Kristina, you don''t need to apologize for that. In fact, I find your actions admirable and delightful.] Anise spoke with utter sincerity. She had wandered through the Devildom while experiencing various hardships. Throughout her life, there had been countless times of grief and tears, more so than moments of happiness. Despite the tribtions, she had not be numb. The years she spent with herrades in the Devildom had transformed Anise Slywood from a mere Saint to a human being. [Kristina, your existence, like mine, originates from the first Holy Emperor. In the end, the Saint was more of a tool prioritized for its value and ability than its personality. Yet, we''ve transcended that. Just as I was saved, you too were redeemed,] Anise consoled. [Your pity for Ciel isn''t something negative. Compassion leads to extending a hand, and salvation is born from that very act.] ¡®I''m not sure if I did the right thing,¡¯Kristina began before pausing hesitantly. [If you hadn¡¯t used your hand¡­,] Anise hesitated for a moment, trying to word her thoughts. [Hmm¡­. If you hadn''t pped Ciel, she might''ve continued crying, fallen into despair, and given up. But because of your unusual violent act of pping her and forcing her to her feet, she could shake off those feelings of hopelessness.] ¡®I feel as if I stole Sir Eugene¡¯s role,¡¯Kristina confessed her inner fears. [Good heavens, Kristina! What are you talking about? If Hamel had pped Ciel in that situation, everything would''ve been over. Kristina, you were the only one who could''ve pped Ciel then. Sienna, that silly girl, was crying alone, overwhelmed by her irrational guilt, and I... well, ahem.] Anise decided to stop here conveniently. She, too, had wept quietly. Although she''d downyed it as irrational guilt on Sienna¡¯s part, she felt the same. Ciel¡¯s emotions, manifesting as tears and sobs, had been profound and immense. The door had long been shut. Eugene couldn''t sit still and paced around the room.Should he have followed her? Shouldn''t he have talked more with Ciel?0 ¡°This is giving me a headache, so sit down and collect yourself,¡± Sienna sniffled. Of course, Eugene didn''t do as she said. Even if he couldn¡¯t change his course of action, he kept berating himself for being so foolish. No. It had to be done. It was better to act decisively than leave things vague, especially for Ciel''s sake. ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± he said, shaking his head. He considered chasing after them as he headed toward the door. ¡°Where are you going?¡± Sienna eximed. Suddenly, the door vanished due to her magic. Eugene, reaching for the doorknob, red at Sienna with furrowed brows. ¡°What are you doing?¡± ¡°What areYOUtrying to do?¡± she retorted. ¡°I''m trying to solve... my problem,¡± Eugene said haltingly. ¡°Your problem?¡± Sienna''s eyebrows twitched, and the room''s temperature plummeted. The cold was so biting it took one''s breath away. Taken aback, Eugene tilted his head, ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± ¡°This isn''t just your problem, Eugene Lionheart.¡± With pride, Sienna ced her hand on her chest, then dered, ¡°It''sOURproblem.¡± ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Eugene started to say, only to be interrupted. ¡°If you hadn''t died so stupidly three hundred years ago and somehow survived, none of this would''ve happened, right?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°I... that¡­,¡± stuttered Eugene, feeling as if hit in the gut. ¡°That''s why it''s our problem. Anise and I couldn''t prevent your foolish death. Maybe, just maybe, if you hadn''t died, you could''ve defeated the Demon King of Incarceration and even the Demon King of Destruction. Then there wouldn¡¯t have been any need for this unknown pact with Vermouth, and we could''ve saved the world perfectly.¡± Do you hear yourself? The words struggled to break from the tip of Eugene¡¯s tongue, but he refrained from letting them out. Thinking logically, even if Hamel hadn''t died back then, the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration would likely have ended in defeat. Going into battle with a body barely different from a corpse would have only hindered the group. However, the apparition of Vermouth had spoken in that dark chamber. If Hamel hadn''t died and had ascended to the peak of Babel with all of them, there would''ve been no need to battle the Demon King. He didn¡¯t know exactly what, but he knew that Vermouth¡¯s n had been disrupted due to Hamel¡¯s death ¡ª his suicide. Thus, he kept his lips sealed. "Had you not died then ¡ª well, it sounds overly optimistic, but everything might have turned out okay. You... you and I... uh¡­." ¡®Lady Sienna, muster your courage. After all you''ve done and said in front of Lady Anci, why are you now concerned about keeping up your appearance and feeling embarrassed?¡¯Mer''s intentions resonated with Sienna, but Mer¡¯s words only worked to seal Sienna¡¯s words. "It... it might have turned out fine!" Sienna stammered weakly. You and I might''ve married long ago and lived happily ever after. Words she couldn''t voice scattered in her mind. The freezing temperature that had gripped the room seemed to return to normal. "And... well, even though you died, if Anise and I¡­. If Molon were stronger¡­ we might''ve defeated the Demon King of Incarceration. If we had managed to wrap things up nicely, you might have reincarnated to live without anyplications,¡± said Sienna. "If everything had ended three hundred years ago, I wouldn''t have reincarnated,¡± Eugene reminded her. "That''s not necessarily true,¡± retorted Sienna. She pursed her lips and turned her head. "Even if we saved the world, a world without you is uneptable. That''s how I felt. The others probably felt the same. They say every being dies and is reborn in a cycle." "I wouldn¡¯t have had any memories from my past life,¡± said Eugene. "Why do you always have to retort to my words? It''s because you''re so damn crooked. Anyway, this isn''t just your problem. It''s a very... a veryplex issue intertwined with various causes and effects," she said once again. Sienna truly believed this. If Hamel hadn''t died, he would''ve never reincarnated as Eugene.Would Ciel have even fallen for Eugene?Even if he did reincarnate as Eugene, what if all the Demon Kings had been defeated? If Anise had risen to heaven without staying behind and Sienna had died three hundred years ago¡­. "Ugh¡­," Sienna whimpered. It wasn''t a pleasant thought, but if that had been the case, perhaps Eugene would have epted Ciel. ''It''s because I''m too perfect,''Sienna thought. She was so perfect that even after three hundred years, she hadn''t died. Even with a gaping hole in her chest, she had survived. Add on her striking looks and impable personality; inparison, any average woman wouldn''t even catch Eugene''s eye. Of course, Anise and Kristina were the absolute exceptions¡­. "I am... well, fine,¡± said Sienna. "That¡¯s random. What''s fine?" asked Eugene. "I''m fine with you keeping Ciel around,¡± said Sienna. The visage of Anci flickered in Eugene¡¯s mind. "Are you out of your wits?" he asked. Though Sienna spoke earnestly, Eugene couldn''t take it that way.ept her by his side?"Ciel isn''t some object!" said Eugene, sounding upset. "That''s not what I meant. Just, you don''t need to forcefully push her away on my ount,¡± Sienna rified. "I''m not pushing her away. To me, she''s... um, like... no, she is family,¡± Eugene exined. "But your parents aren''t the same,¡± Sienna retorted. "Do families need to share parents? I''ve never thought so. What, so should I lie to her?" Eugene asked, sounding angry. "There¡¯s no need for that. Just don''t push her away," said Sienna. "When did I ever? Just¡ª" Eugene let out a deep sigh and hung his head. He did care for Ciel. However, it was never a romantic affection. While Ciel might have yearned for such emotions, Eugene couldn''t reciprocate. Thus, he had to firmly decline. "You''re overthinking it,¡± Sienna pouted and hugged her knees. "For the happiness I envisioned, you have to be there. No matter who else is, as long as you, Eugene, are by my side, I''m fine. So, don''t stand there,e sit." Eugene sighed deeply again and returned to the couch. He obeyed her wish and sat down. Sienna looked at Eugene with a broad smile, then said, "Kristina really knows how to p, doesn''t she? Still not quite like Anise''s handiwork." "Why are you talking about how it feels? I''m the one who got pped," Eugeneined. "Just between us, isn''t Kristina a bit terrifying? Lately, she seems even scarier than Anise. Smiling while stabbing someone in the heart¡­. Phew, why do I even mention it? She looks at you with those dripping honey eyes, trying to lure you like a fox," Sienna wasn¡¯t polite in herints. "Ahem¡­." Eugene just cleared his throat, not knowing what to say. "I wonder what Kristina intends to do with Ciel. Maybe she''s making her kneel and beg? Or maybe she''s having her lie down and grovel?" Sienna continued her badmouthing. "Sienna, what do you think of Kristina...?" Eugene finally asked, feeling the need to defend Kristina. "You don''t know because you''re naive. Girls like Kristina usually act like ghosts to those younger and weaker than them. And Kristina actually has a ghost attached to her!" Sienna continued, unshaken. "She acts ghostly to older ones like you, too¡­," reminded Eugene. Older?Sienna pped Eugene''s thigh in response to hisment. He had iting. Eugene took the hit with humility. ***2 Ciel neither kneeled nor groveled. Ciel was seated in a room illuminated by a gentle light. She stared nkly, unable to even blink as she looked at Kristina opposite her. "Saint Rogeri¡ª" Ciel began. "Sis," Kristina corrected her. "S-sis... inside Sis¡­. The Faithful Anise is residing inside Sis?" Ciel confirmed. "Yes, that''s right. I am Anise Slywood." There was a slight change in demeanor. Anise gave a gentle smile. The pitch of her voice was different, her ent was subtly different, and above all, there was a slight change in the shape of her smile. While the difference wasn''t so stark to be immediately distinguishable, knowing the truth and watching closely made it somewhat discernible. "That''s impossible¡­," Ciel mumbled. "Two figures from three hundred years ago still live," Anise stated. The Wise Sienna and the Brave Molon. "The deceased was reincarnated," Anise said. The Stupid Hamel. "Why deny ghosts now? If anything, such beings should bemon,¡± continued Anise. "But... spirits are like the undead, aren''t they? Saint Anise¡­," said Ciel.0 "Ahaha, I am only saying ghost as a metaphor. Strictly speaking, I didn''t be a ghost after death. I became an angel,¡± said Anise. "An angel...?" Ciel questioned. "Yes, thanks to the mercy of the Light." Anise smiled solemnly while drawing the holy symbol. "Ciel Lionheart, please do not misunderstand Kristina''s feelings because of my existence." Ciel was still processing the sudden influx of information. "The meeting between Kristina and Hamel¡­. No, between her and Eugene was... destiny, inevitable. The Saint and the Hero had to meet. But at the time, Kristina was unaware of my presence, and Eugene didn''t know I was inside her,¡± exined Anise. "It''s said that the two of you look very simr." Ciel was no longer crying. She stared straight at Anise with reddened eyes. "Even if Saint Rogeris wasn''t aware, Eugene would have been, right?" asked Ciel. "You don''t n to call her Sis, do you?"mented Anise. Ciel only responded with silence. "Hmm.... I can''t deny what you say. Hamel... ahaha, forgive me. I''m just used to calling him Hamel,¡± stated Anise. "Are you showing off in front of me?" questioned Ciel.0 "Oh dear, not at all,¡± Anise whispered with a faint twinkle in her eyes. "Showing off is an act to fill one''s ego. An exaggerated brag to show others. Why would I, who''s been around for three hundred years, do such petty things to someone as young as you? What would I do such petty shit?" "Petty shit...?" Ciel asked with widened eyes. "Do you think that''s not something the Saint should say? But what can you do about the truth? Ciel Lionheart, I have no need to show off to you. After all, I''ve known Hamel since three hundred years ago. I''ve been by Hamel''s side for three hundred years. I''ve loved Hamel for three hundred years. I had such a strong attachment that it wouldn''t let me find peace even in death." Anise tilted her head with a soft chuckle, "All I know is Hamel." "Did you bring me here to tell me such things...?" Ciel asked defiantly. "No, I just wanted to make my stance clear. And to ensure you don''t misunderstand. This isn''t about Kristina, but me, Anise. All I know is Hamel," said Anise. Ciel wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to this deration. "All I know is Eugene Lionheart." Anise¡¯s demeanor and expression shifted subtly. Anise stepped back, making way for Kristina. "Though it¡¯s undeniable that Sir Eugene is Sir Hamel, Ciel, I, Kristina Rogeris, see only Sir Eugene. My salvation came not from the Hamel of three hundred years ago, but from Eugene we know now." "Do you think... you''re more special than me?" questioned Ciel. "Don''t be so defensive." Kristina shook her head. "As I mentioned earlier, I understand you. Just as you harbor affection for Eugene, so do I." "So, what do you want? Because we''re alike, should weugh heartily and be close friends?" Ciel asked mockingly. "Yes." Kristina¡¯s response was swift and direct. Cielughed with a raspy voice. "That''s absurd." "Are you confident?" Kristina asked. "What... do you mean?" Ciel asked uncertainly. "Are you confident, Ciel Lionheart? If we don''t get along well, do you suggest we fight, wing and biting at each other, criticizing and pushing one another away? Or will you discreetly approach with a hidden knife, intending to stab me?" Kristina asked. "Well¡­," Ciel hesitated. "Is your pride hurt now, after all this? What were those tears you shed earlier? Did you not cling, crying out why you couldn''t be the one?" Kristina pressed. Ciel bit her lip, unable to find words in response. Though Kristina spoke such words, could they truly get along? Ciel couldn''t imagine such a scenario. From her youth, she remembered scenes of her mother, an outsider at home, constantly challenged by the first wife, Tanis. She remembered the trials her mother faced and how she eventually overcame them, winning over even the family knights to rise as a prominent figure. Ciel had simr ambitions. Somehow, she''d gain Eugene''s attention and love, eventually surpassing the old wizard with purple hair and the sinister Saint with the oversized, fatty chest. "I like you," Kristina whispered while gently stroking her lips as she took a moment to organize her words to convey her thoughts better. "Lady Sienna and Anise share mutual experiences and emotions. Thankfully, Lady Sienna epted me, and Lady Anise regards me as a sister. However, my essence is inherently different from theirs. I didn''t live three hundred years ago, and I don''t know Sir Hamel." Ciel was at a loss for words. "But I do know Sir Eugene. Just as you do, Ciel Lionheart. That''s why I like you. I understand and empathize with you," Kristina said clearly. "You treat me like a child," Ciel chuckled bitterly. "No, I see you as my equal," Kristina corrected. "Really?" came Ciel¡¯s childish response. "Why would I lie?" Kristina grinned. For a moment, gazing at her radiant smile, illuminated by the soft room lights and her shimmering golden hair, her blue eyes twinkling like gems, Ciel truly saw the Saint in Kristina. A tear she had been holding back ran down her cheek. Caught off guard, Ciel quickly wiped it away. "Do you wantfort?" Kristina asked. "I don''t... need it," Ciel refused immediately. "Then cry until you feel better. It''ll ensure you won''t cry tomorrow." Kristina then smirked, "Or maybe not. Crying today doesn''t guarantee not crying tomorrow. But at least try not to show your tears to Sir Eugene tomorrow. You know as well as I..." "That boy has a tender heart despite his brashness and constant swearing¡­," said Anise. "Isn''t that part of why you love him?" asked Kristina with a smile. Ciel was quiet, trying to hold in her tears. "I feel the same. As does Lady Anise, and likely Lady Sienna too," Kristina voiced everyone¡¯s thoughts. Ciel closed her lips tightly and lowered her head. "Sleep in my room tonight. Crying alone feels lonely and sad." Saying so, Kristina picked up the holy scripture from the table, no longer looking at Ciel, and opened it on herp. Amidst this considerate neglect, Ciel cried softly. Chapter 349: The Sea (2)

Chapter 349: The Sea (2)

In the vast Southern Seas, there existed a region that could be deemed the very edge of the sea. Mysterious and foreboding, these waters were unlike other parts of the Southern Sea ¡ª they were not warm but, instead, felt like perpetual winter. No snow descended upon its surface, and scarcely any wind whispered its secrets. The mere breath would frost upon exhaling, and water would freeze upon contact with the chilly air. And yet, despite the cold, ice floes and icebergs were rare. This ce bore many names, such as the Sea of Death or the Unreachable Ocean. But to Iris, it was not unfamiliar. Seas like the Sea of Death or the Unreachable Ocean had not been rare three hundred years ago. Every ocean andnd of the Realm of Helmuth had been filled with death and inessibility, a time when unexined and incongruous phenomena were the norm. Modern Helmuth was no longer so, but such was the age three hundred years prior. Yet, this... feeling was different than mere familiarity. It was her first time visiting this ocean. Yet, it brought about afort and longing reminiscent of home, a warmth akin to a cradle. Even amidst the bone-chilling air, there was an odd warmth Iris felt. But why? Iris was a Dark Elf. Before her fall, she had been an Elven Ranger, hailing from a dense, verdant forest. Though she had seen the sea several times, this was her first time living upon its waves. Yet she still yearned for the sea¡­. Wrapped in a heavy coat, Iris stepped out of her room. Due to theck of wind, the sound of the waves was barely audible. But Iris'' keen senses picked up the scent of salt in the frigid air ¡ª an aroma she wouldn''t find in a forest. A smell she hadn''t inhaled in over a year, yet it felt anciently familiar, a nostalgic fragrance that resonated deep within her. Taking a deep breath, she ced arge hat on her head. She had several reasons for venturing into the region of the Solgalta Sea. Firstly, it would serve as a base to defend against enemy raids. In the past, Iris and her pirate crew used uninhabited inds or simply roamed the sea. However, as their influence grew, they needed a solid base. Another reason was the rumor about ¡°something¡± being submerged in the depths of the Solgalta Sea. There were many tales about what mighty in the depths of the Solgalta Sea, the most popr being their of a dragon. For centuries, such stories had excited many explorers, especially pirates. Countless treasure seekers and pirates ventured into these waters with hopes of extracting the dragon''s hoard. Of course, most of them not only failed to retrieve the treasure but found themselves sinking, joining the depths of the Solgalta Sea. No one truly knew if the depths hid a dragon''sir and treasures, but by now, dozens of ships had found their watery graves there. Treasure? Of course, she wanted it. Especially if it was a dragon''s hoard, which would be worth a fortune. Finding it would ensure a life free from financial concerns. Yet, the real reason Iris hade to these waters differed from such clear-cut reasons. Perhaps, at first, such reasons had attracted her. ...Or had they? Iris herself could not be certain. Clear evidence eluded her. She was uncertain as to even exin what she felt. Yet, deep within her heart, a thought lingered. Even if this sea wasn''t unique, devoid of strategic importance or buried treasures, she felt she would havee here. Without any particr reason, she staunchly believed she would have eventually arrived and stayed upon these waters. From the moment she first heard its name to her journey here, thendscapes she witnessed, everything affirmed an inexplicable conviction to Iris. "Princess." A dark elf, who had served Iris for hundreds of years, approached as she produced a pipe from within her possessions and offered it to Iris. Noticing the remnant tears on Iris¡¯ cheeks, the dark elf asked, "Have you dreamt again?" Feeling the gaze of the dark elf, Iris brushed her face once more before answering, "Yes.¡± "The dreamse more frequently now. Did you not dream just yesterday?" asked the dark elf. "I take it as a sign that I''m on the right path,¡± responded Iris. Drawing a pipe from her coat pocket, she ced it between her lips. The dark elf instinctively brought forth a flint and lit it for her. Biting on the pipe, Iris said, "Always the same dream... of my father and brothers. Perhaps the remnants of my father''s Dark Power are guiding me." The meaning of the dream remained elusive. Iris took a long breath from the pipe, then asked, "How is the Wise Sienna?" "She''s yet to break away from Lionheart of Kiehl,¡± responded the dark elf. "Hmph¡­. Do you really think so? That dreadful wizard hasn''t perished even after three hundred years. It seems age hasn¡¯t mellowed her either,"mented Iris scornfully. Rumors of Sienna''s return had reached her ears. Wasn''t it said she tried to submerge the entirety of the Royal Pce of Aroth? Iris recalled Sienna''s visage from long ago, her face contorting in disdain. "Yet, she remained quiet right until she went into seclusion,¡± said Iris. "Well, times have changed in various ways since then," the dark elf said evenly. "Indeed, they have changed significantly," Iris agreed. The Hero Vermouth had made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration three hundred years ago. But the present Hero, Eugene Lionheart, didn''t seem intent on maintaining or continuing the legacy of his lineage. Even if he wished to, he couldn¡¯t. The Demon King of Incarceration had already forewarned the end of their agreement. Three centuries had passed, and a new Hero had emerged. Still, two heroes from the era of war remained alive, and among them, the Wise Sienna ¡ª especially to Iris ¡ª was someone to be wary of. "That woman isn¡¯t even an elf, yet she deludes herself into believing she is one. I can still clearly remember those ring eyes and the bloody tears. It still haunts me,¡± Iris¡¯ tone conveyed the severity of the matter. She continued, "It wasn''t just the Cmitous Sienna. Every monster of that era was maddening and terrifying." They had been monsters led by Vermouth of Despair, including Hamel of Extermination, Sienna of Cmity, Molon of Terror, and Anise of Hell. The dark elf, who had survived that era alongside Iris, shivered after recalling encounters with those five monstrous beings. No matter how one looked at it, the survival of the dark elf and Iris seemed purely due to good fortune. The dark elf hesitated, then softly suggested, "Princess. Perhaps it''s best if you hide? The sea is vast. Although the Cmitous Sienna has returned, she would note here right away. So why don¡¯t we just lie low for now and assess the situation?¡± "To abandon all that we have achieved?" Iris asked as if in thought. "They are but mere pirates. With Your Highness leading the Rebels of Fury, we possess the might to rebuild at any moment," the dark elf exined. "Perhaps you are right." Iris did not deny the truth of it. Even with a fleet of hundreds of pirate ships, they were just that ¡ª pirates. Numericallyrge, but not a formidable force. The true strength of this cey with Iris, who possessed the Demoneye of Darkness, the dark elves who had grown in number over centuries serving her, and the beastfolk mercenaries who had joined after Jagon¡¯s demise. Their lifespans were iparably longer than humans. "I know not when the promised end spoken of by the Demon King of Incarceration will be... but with such a forewarning, a new era of war is on the horizon. When that timees, the Cmitous Sienna will inevitably be drawn to Helmuth," Iris said, understanding what the dark elf meant while suggesting to stay low. If Iris remained hidden, Sienna would not venture into these waters. And so, for decades even, she might lie in wait¡ª "No matter how powerful Sienna of Cmity is, she won''t surpass the Demon King of Incarceration," Iris said confidently. Even with the presence of Vermouth of Despair, the continent had failed to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. They now had a new champion in Eugene Lionheart, but could he trulypare to Vermouth? ¡®Not a chance,¡¯??thought?Iris as she exhaled a puff of smoke from her cigar. She had faced Eugene in battle. Though she hadn''t used her full strength, she had gauged his level. He was no match for Vermouth. And it wasn''t just Eugene. Even Carmen Lionheart, reputed to be the strongest of the Lionheart n, had left an impression on Iris. She might have made a name for herself even three hundred years ago with her. But that was just it ¡ª only that much. The five monstrous humans, too, hadn''t surpassed the Demon King of Incarceration. Would a hero inferior to Vermouth, even if he was wielding the Holy Sword, truly make it to the gates of Babel? ¡®Rumors have it that he''s improved considerably... but stillcking.¡¯?With these thoughts, Iris became acutely aware of her own position. She might be eyeing the seat of the Demon King, but she was not yet there. What did it mean to be the Demon King anyway??Amass enough power, hold vast territories, and have countless subordinates? Before she could think any further, a piercing pain suddenly shot through her eyes. Unconsciously, Iris clutched her eyelids, reeling from the difort. "Your Highness?" the dark elf called out in concern. "It''s nothing," Iris said dismissively. This wasn''t the first time. Recently, her eyes had been throbbing asionally. And it wasn''t just the pain. Every time this sudden pain struck, Iris'' Demoneye beheld a ce entirely different from where she currently was. It was no different this time as well. In a fleeting moment of pain, Iris glimpsed the depths of the sea within her eyes. There was a darkness as profound as the night, bubbling and boiling amidst the deep ocean''s abyss. "Where are the dwarves?" asked Iris. Drawing her coat around her, Iris began to walk with the concerned dark elf trailing behind her. "They are at work. They should be surfacing soon," the dark elf replied immediately. "Are they being watched properly?" Iris inquired further. "Of course. Every time they descend, they are always apanied by my guards. But it seems there have been no significant findings." While listening to the report, Iris blinked. Suddenly, a pitch-ck darkness appeared before her, crafted by the power of the Demoneye of Darkness. She stepped into it, followed by the dark elf. The darkness created by the Demoneye was interconnected, forming passageways. As they entered, the scenery changed in an instant. A pirate ship was floating amidst the vast Solgalta Sea. The resting pirates immediately stood at attention upon her appearance. "You¡¯ve arrived." The dark elves standing near the pirates approached Iris. She gave a slight nod in acknowledgment and then turned to look for the dwarves. "They seem to be faring well," Iris smirked, seeing the dwarves sitting in a corner of the deck. The dwarves were gasping for breath. The craftsmen had been abducted from Hammer Ind during thest raid on Shimuin. Among them were the youngest and strongest dwarves. The dwarves trembled, their beards shaking as they stared at Iris. Then, a few voices could be heard from among them. "Do not taunt us¡­. We''ve only been up for not even ten minutes.¡± "Even resilient dwarves like us have limits. At this rate, our bodies won''t hold for long." Listening to theints, Iris taunted, "So? Shall we rece you with others? Shall I call upon your masters?" "That... Please, don¡¯t. Let us rest a little... and we''ll dive again," the young dwarves pleaded with tears in their eyes. Iris watched them silently for a moment, then chuckled, "Worry not. I have no intention of using the older dwarves, even if you were to perish." The dwarves had nothing to say to that. "So, any progress?" Iris asked, getting down to business. The dwarves hesitated to respond, a silence Iris found displeasing. Her eyes narrowed, and the darkness pooling around the dwarves began receding slowly. "What are you doing!?" The dwarves cried out in panic. The receding shadow was connected to the profound depths of the sea where theirrades wereboring in cumbersome, heavy diving suits, barely able to move. "It seems youck a sense of urgency because of my leniency,¡± Iris whispered, her eyes narrowing further. To the dwarves, it was maddening and unbelievable. Her leniency? What in the world was she talking about??In the first ce, she had abducted them and was ordering them about with such an impossible task. Finally, a dwarf cried, tears streaming down his bearded face, "Wh-what¡­ what do you want from us!?" They had crafted the diving suit as instructed. It was designed to withstand the crushing depths, but it was, in truth, a creation unworthy of the proud craftsmanship of the dwarves. In any other circumstance, no amount of gold could convince them to proim such a creation ''finished.'' Yet, in this dire moment, there was no time for the pride of craftsmanship. The makeshift suit''s sole advantage was its reduced weight, but even then, only the sturdy race of the dwarves could handle it. A human would be immobilized in it. A dwarf couldn¡¯t take it anymore and cried out in despair, "We''ve found the sunken ship as ordered, even readied it for recovery. Yet why do you cast us adrift in this dark abyss? What more do you want?" "Do you truly believe, even for a moment, that a dragon''s hoard lies hidden beneath these waves?" another dwarf asked, trying to sound rational. "Such tales are tantalizing," Iris sneered, her gaze lost in the encroaching darkness as the shadows expanded around the dwarves, loosening their threatening grip on the pipes carrying the oxygen to the working dwarves. "Truth be told, I find that dragon hoard story hard to believe. A dragon''s hoard? What are the chances?" "Then why, for the love of all, have you¡ª" Iris interrupted before the dwarf could finish, "Whether it''s a dragon''s hoard or not, there is something down here. I''m certain of it." Iris tilted her head slightly. "And what might that be? I honestly have no idea. But, if you don''t want to die, you will have to find it." "This is... this is madness..." the dwarves muttered in horror. But Iris was unfazed. "Oh, I am well aware of how cruel my words sound. The ocean is vast, and there are merely ten of you. And that''s why your mentors are tirelessly hammering away, right?" With a wicked chuckle, Iris plunged her hand into the newfound darkness. A scream echoed as she pulled an elderly dwarf''s head from the shadows before she continued in a threateningly quiet voice, "You were provided with all the materials needed. Is this all the craftsmanship the unsightly dwarf race, with nothing but their hammering skills, can manage?" She had expected a diving suit fit for anyone, not just a dwarf. "Is it that challenging?¡± Iris continued, enraged. ¡°I even offered my own Dark Power to help. Simply infuse my Dark Power into the metal, then fashion the diving suit from it. Simple, right?" "Hu-humans are incredibly fragile. Perhaps if it were for a dark elf¡­," the elderly dwarf began exining but was interrupted. "You expect me to thrust my subordinates into those fathomless depths? Why should I undertake such madness?" Iris asked. "Ve-very well, I understand. The design is ready, and a prototype is being made¡­." The elderly dwarf finally gave in, making no more excuses. "You have a week. Produce at least fifty suits within that time. Fail, and these youngds will have to shoulder the work meant for fifty." With those stern words, Iris pushed the elderly dwarf''s head back into the darkness. Then, turning to the younger dwarves, she berated, "What are you all gawking at? Surely, you''ve rested long enough. Must I kick you back to work?" The dwarves staggered to their feet. As they donned the diving suits set aside, Iris snickered at their timid actions and mocked, "Worry not. I''ll ensure you have plenty of ale, just as promised." *** On Larupa Ind of Shimuin. When Gondor Ironhammer entered the Lionheart mansion, his eyes widened in surprise. Before him stood barrels upon barrels, each one seemingly filled to the brim. He stared at them for a moment, trying to make sense of the sight. "What in the world is this?" Gondor asked, genuinely not able toprehend the situation before him. He had indeed entered the mansion of Lionheart as desired. While he had hoped to visit the main house of the Lionheart n in Kiehl and perhaps even see its treasure vault, that could wait for another time. No, but in the first ce, if the actual Eugene Lionheart resided in this mansion, there would be no need to journey to distant Kiehl. After all, how many artifacts did he possess? "It''s ale," Sienna responded while knocking on one of the oak barrels with a grin. "A bit of hush money." "Hush... what?" Gondor asked, sure he had misheard thedy. "Silencing gold. Not enough? If you wish, I can offer more ale," Sienna borated further. "No¡­. I don''t quite¡­," Gondor hesitated to reply. "Didn''t Carmen inform you in advance? Our presence in this mansion must remain a secret," said Sienna. Gondor nodded, saying, "I did sign a confidentiality agreement..." "Not just that, there will be a magical contract too. But a contract alone feels rather impersonal, don''t you think?" Sienna cleared her throat, stopping herself from uttering a potentially derogatory statement. "Dwarf. Although we brought you here because of your earnest wish, I, the Wise Sienna, am not so heartless as to forcibly try and shut your mouth. Thus, I prepared this." The price for his silence was ale, carefully chosen by Anise, even if reluctantly. "Surely, this much ale will keep you silent?" asked Sienna. The dwarf didn¡¯t know how to respond. "Why so quiet? Surely, this isn''t insufficient for you? Such a greedy dwarf!" Sienna crossed her arms while staring at the Gondor, who remained silent. "Lady Sienna, it seems he dislikes the ale," Eugene, who had been quietly standing beside them, voiced his concern, fearing the "Wise Sienna" might bebeled a fierce bigot among the dwarves. "Nonsense! There isn''t a dwarf alive who dislikes ale. Even three hundred years ago, they''d work for a mere mug of it instead of gold," Sienna dismissed Eugene¡¯s suggestion as if it was the most obvious thing to do. She shot Eugene a nce, questioning his knowledge. However, in Eugene''s opinion, Sienna''s perception was problematic. Raised among elves, she had inherited the widespread elven prejudice against dwarves. In the times of Helmuth three hundred years ago, gold wasn''t as valued as it was now. Back then, items like drinkable spirits, food, and tools were more treasured. "What exactly do you think of dwarves?" Angered by the deep-rooted prejudiced remark, Gondor questioned Sienna fiercely. In an era long gone, who would utter such antiquated words? Had it been another human, he might have struck the speaker down at once¡­. But Sienna could notprehend Gondor''s anger. From the start, she wasn''t even aware that her words bore the weight of racial prejudice, thus remarking further, "Dwarves will be dwarves, after all¡­." When she was young, her elder brother, Signard, often regaled her with ancient tales of the elven kind. In these stories, the dwarves were more frequently referred to not by their name but by derogatory terms, like smelly, shorty poopbags. However, Sienna refrained from using such names. To her, a dwarf was just a dwarf. And this alone made her believe that she was quite progressive in terms of racial equality. "To think that such words woulde from the Wise Sienna! You''re offering me a ton of ale to keep a secret? Are you suggesting that the beer pouring into my mouth weighs more than a contract I personally penned and stamped?" Gondor shouted, unable to control his anger. "Oh,e on, don''t twist my words. I trust the contract, of course, but I thought adding the ale you love would be a nice touch,¡± retorted Sienna. "Well, then¡ª" Gondor began, Only to be interrupted as Sienna''s eyes narrowed, "Don''t you want it?" Gondor just stared at Sienna, trying to control his rage. "Don''t you?" Sienna asked dangerously. Under the gaze of the legendary Archwizard, Gondor trembled before responding, "It''s a thoughtful gift." "Hmm." Sienna continued to look at Gondor. Gondor gulped, then continued, "Perfectly suited for a dwarf''s taste... I''m grateful. Thank you." The task of expressing racial indignation seemed too perilous under the intensity of Sienna¡¯s gaze. Moreover, his desire for the artifacts of the Lionheart n was too overwhelming. Finally, Gondor mustered a weak smile. In return, Sienna shed a triumphant grin at Eugene. That¡¯s when Eugene acknowledged something inside his heart. This ill-tempered woman was hailed as the Wise Sienna only because she had penned it herself in a fairy tale. Chapter 347: Ciel Lionheart (6) Would it happen again as it had done before in Aroth? Eugene feared it might. He remembered that night when Sienna, Anise, and Kristina, drunk as skunks, forced their way into his room. Eugene had feigned sleep, trembling under his nket in fear. The devils reeking of alcohol hadughed as they ripped away Eugene''s nket andnded a punch on his side. Their intent to mock and hurt had been crystal clear as they broke through his resistance and teased him¡­. What if it happened again this time? Thankfully, Sienna had refrained from drinking and had returned to her room. But Anise had always been the most unpredictable with alcohol, a reputation she''d earned for over three hundred years. What if Anise drank and Kristina got drunk, and even Ciel, who was with them, also became intoxicated? And if Sienna joined midway and they all drank like there was no tomorrow. What if they then stormed into his room? Eugene stayed awake all night, consumed by such worries. But, fortunately, dawn passed without incident. Eugene hadn¡¯t evenid on his bed and sat by the window, lost in thought and was roused by the chirping of morning birds. Relief washed over him as he gazed out at the sunrise over the eastern sea, not too far away. "Phew¡­." He exhaled a deep sigh. A new day had begun. Despite his long contemtion during the pre-dawn hours, the weight in his chest was still there. As he aimlessly gazed outside, he suddenly jolted back in surprise. Ciel had appeared on the training grounds in her workout clothes. Eugene couldn''t make out Ciel¡¯s expression from his vantage point, but she didn''t seem dejected, and her steps were steady. Should he open the window? Or go down to see her? Or should he just ignore her? While Eugene was hesitating, Ciel turned her head. Eugene could finally see her face. It wasn''t exactly fresh; her eyes were red, possibly from crying all night. But her eyes were clear, and her expression was not faint. Ciel stared at Eugene, smirked, and then silently mouthed a word: Idiot. As she stuck out her yful pink tongue, she gestured for Eugene toe down. After a brief hesitation, Eugene jumped from the window. "Uh¡­. Did you... sleep well?" he asked. "Now I understand," Ciel chuckled while crossing her arms. "Ever since you were young, you''ve repeatedly mentioned how you admired Sir Hamel more than Sir Vermouth, your very ancestor." At these words, Eugene swallowed hard. This was the very reason he never wanted to reveal the truth about his reincarnation to others, especially his family. The immense fear he harbored was closing in. "Whenever my brother or I said even a small negative thing about Sir Hamel, you would instantly defend him,¡± Ciel continued. "Uh... well¡­," Eugene tried to form some form of defense. "Moreover, you''re close to Captain Genos of the ck Lion Knights," Ciel kept listing his actions so far. Eugene couldn''t find words to speak. Only the cold sweat forming on his brows reflected his thoughts. Ciel seemed to enjoy Eugene''s reaction and chuckled mischievously. "Sir Genos knows, doesn¡¯t he?" asked Ciel. "Uh¡­. No¡­. No?" Eugene denied weakly. "Why bother with such obvious lies? If I hadn''t known your true identity, I wouldn''t have thought much of it. But now that I know you''re Sir Hamel, things feel very different. Thinking about it, Sir Genos struggled quite a bit dealing with you when you were much younger." "That¡­. I mean¡ª" By now, Eugene was struggling to form a coherent sentence. "Don''t worry. I won''t me you for telling Sir Genos something you didn''t tell me," said Ciel. She cried all through the early hours. Kristina and Anise had waited patiently until Ciel stopped her tears. They didn''t share more words that night. Had Ciel wished for conversation or constion, the Saints would have dly obliged. But Ciel didn''t desire for such. Just having them by her side during a sorrowful night had been sufficient. She had pondered deeply. "It must be quite embarrassing, right?" Ciel said with augh, "So, you''ve been gilding your face for eight years without anyone knowing?" "Uh¡ª" Before Eugene could say anything, Ciel continued, "Moreover, in front of kids who didn¡¯t know any better." Anyone else might have been silenced by embarrassment, but Eugene couldn''t. Looking seriously at Ciel, Eugene replied, "Gilding? I don''t see it that way. History hasn''t evaluated Sir Hamel... I mean, me, correctly¡­." As his words trailed on, Ciel couldn''t help butugh, giving a yful p on Eugene''s shoulder. "Yes, yes, Sir Stupid Hamel. I understand what you''re trying to say. So, Sir Hamel didn''t like the idea of being undervalued by future generations?" "Ahem..." Hamel coughed awkwardly. "But this is a bit off. I can understand one gilding themselves, but you, Sir Hamel... you''ve had all the memories of your past life since birth, right?" Ciel leaned in as she whispered. The closer she got, the more it felt like a sharp de pierced Eugene''s heart. Eugene staggered while holding his aching chest. That¡¯s when Ciel asked, "Does that mean... as a newborn, Sir Hamel cried like a regr baby, even though he wasn''t one?" "That... was beyond my control¡­," Eugene finally managed to say something. "Crawling on your knees, then taking baby steps?" Ciel continued with the mocking. "Regardless... of having memories of my past life, moving a newborn''s body is not easy¡­," said Eugene. Ciel next asked, "Did you... wear diapers and¡ª" "I didn''t do that!" Interrupting her, Eugene eximed, slightly panicked. He definitely hadn¡¯t, right? He couldn''t remember. Memories of those times were buried deep within. Face flushed, Eugene took deep breaths to calm himself. "What should I call you?" Ciel asked, staring intently at Eugene. "Eugene Lionheart? Or Hamel Dynas?" "Do I need to answer that?" Eugene sighed deeply while meeting Ciel''s gaze. Her eyes were rimmed red, but they held the same clear determination as before. Ciel wasn''t truly seeking an answer from him at that moment. "Call me as you wish, Ciel," said Eugene. "Alright, Eugene." Even if Eugene had asked to be called ''Hamel,'' Ciel would not have obliged. Regardless of past lives or reincarnations, to Ciel, Eugene was simply Eugene. "What should we do moving forward?" Ciel''s focus drifted, and with a gentle twirl, she began to walk gracefully. "I embarrassed myself greatly yesterday. From today onward, I aim not to do so." Eugene listened silently as Ciel said everything weighing on her heart. "It doesn''t mean I''m giving up or discarding my feelings for you. They''re irreceable,¡± she admitted. "Is that so¡­." Eugene said lightly. "It doesn''t matter if you don''t look back at me," Ciel continued. But it did matter. She wished, even if just asionally, for a fleeting moment of his attention. However, she never voiced such desires aloud. "More importantly," Ciel said, firming her heart. She didn''t want to wallow in such thoughts any longer. She didn''t want to show another vulnerable, weeping side of her like the previous day. Ciel paused topose herself, then turned back with a beaming smile. "Who else knows that you are Sir Hamel? Lady Sienna, Saint Rogeris, Saint Anise, Mer, Raimira, Sir Genos of the ck Lion Knights, and me. Anyone else?" "The Demon King of Incarceration and... the Queen of the Night Demons know as well. I think they''re the only ones among the demons,¡± answered Eugene. "Oh? So the Queen of the Night Demon ambushed us in the tundra because of that?" asked Ciel. Eugene immediately denied, "No, that wasn''t the reason. That attack was just her being crazy, and she only found out about my true identity muchter." Beyond that... Eugene sighed deeply before continuing, "And... the Red Tower Master seems... to have noticed, or maybe not...." "Why so vague?" Ciel asked in confusion. "I think... he noticed, but he''s pretending not to¡­," Eugene admitted. "Heh, so he figured it out without you explicitly revealing it? Truly worthy of Lord Lovellian," Ciel praised sincerely. Gerhard, the elders of her family, and her brother Cyan didn''t know Eugene''s true identity. Realizing this, Ciel''s smile grew sly as she asked, "Shouldn''t we tell Cyan?" "What?" A startled Eugene looked at Ciel cautiously. "He is my twin, after all,¡± Ciel said, her sly smile widening. ¡°Cyan holds you in high regard, you know? Just like how I did, he would easily ept the truth about you being Sir Hamel." "Don''t be absurd¡­," Eugene said brusquely. "Oh, so you wish for me to remain silent?" She had steered the conversation back to her advantage. The curve of Ciel''s lips deepened mischievously. "In that case, grant me one favor." *** The royal family of Shimuin did not publicly announce its n to suppress the Pirate Empress. There were indications that the Empress hoped for a frontal confrontation, but nothing was concrete yet. Although not made public, ns for suppression were already in motion. "Gondor Ironhammer," a stout dwarf with a thick brown beard dered. He reached out his massive hand towards Carmen while identifying himself. "Until the Empress is subdued and we rescue the captured craftsmen, I, Gondor Ironhammer, will fully support all warriors who stand with you." Had the royal family not initiated the n to suppress the Empress, not only the dwarves of the capital guild but also those from the distant Hammer Ind would have risen in revolt. If that had urred, Shimuin would have suffered a significant international embarrassment, and the country¡¯s atmosphere would have plummeted. Fortunately, before that could happen, the royal family acted fast and negotiated with the dwarves'' guild. The dwarves were assured that given time, the royal family would suppress the Empress. Thus, they asked for patience and no disruptions. But dwarves weren¡¯t known for their patience or obedience, especially when their prized craftsmen had been kidnapped. Why would they leave the rescue solely in human hands? Thus, craftsmen were dispatched from Hammer Ind. While they couldn''t engage directly inbat, they could offer technical support for the expedition. Gondor Ironhammer was one of the best craftsmen among the Hammer Ind dwarves. He had missed the previous deployment due to unfinished tasks, fortunately avoiding the Pirate Empress'' kidnappings. "I''ve heard of you, Carmen Lionheart," Gondor began. "You wield a gauntlet that transforms into various forms, don¡¯t you?" In response, Carmen looked down at Gondor. In contrast to her tall stature, Gondor''s height wasparable to that of a child. "I''m quite interested in the Lionheart n¡¯s weapons," Gondor admitted, grinning to reveal his yellowed teeth. Skilled dwarf craftsmen could handle any armor or weapon, but very few could manage Exid, Shimuin¡¯s magical armor. While most dwarves were entric, Gondor was exceptionally so. He was more interested in old, worn-out weapons and artifacts than new equipment like the Exid. The reason was simple: Old-world weapons and artifacts, especially those from mythical times, were challenging to reproduce or even understand with modern techniques. And the Lionheart family held the most such artifacts on the continent. "Is that gauntlet also a relic from the mythical era?" Gondor asked. No matter how precious an artifact, if crafted as a weapon, it should be used as one. This was why Gondor admired the Lionhearts. Shimuin¡¯s royal family had a few ancestral artifacts, but they merely disyed them behind the throne instead of wielding them as weapons. Gondor said passionately, "Heh! To be able to touch and maintain the Lionheart weaponry with my own hands! Just imagining it excites me. When I wrote to them long ago offering my services, they declined, saying it needed no maintenance¡ª" "This gauntlet isn''t from the Lionheart family," Carmen interrupted. She had been gazing silently at Gondor''s beard. She had never seen someone with such a thick beard. Well, to be precise, Gondor wasn''t a human but a dwarf. Carmen had a bit of a romantic notion aboutvish beards but felt quite disappointed by its unkempt appearance. "What? It''s not from the family?" asked Gondor. "I cannot reveal the whole truth... but I won this with my own hands. Or perhaps it was fate that brought it to me¡­," Carmen said enigmatically. Carmen''s prized possession, the Heaven Genocide, was a gift she received directly from the Red Dragon. Due to a promise made in her childhood, she couldn''t speak of its origin. If not for that promise, she would''ve boasted about her ties with the dragon¡­. Carmen shook her head in regret. "However¡­. Ah, I see,¡±mented Gondor. Carmen slightly nodded her head in agreement. "However, my pupil, Ciel Lionheart, the White Rose. She possesses one of the Lionheart''s weapons. The Phantom Rain Sword Javel, a weapon favored by the Great Vermouth. Do you recognize its name?" Gondor''s eyes widened in surprise. The Phantom Rain Sword Javel? Of course, he knew of it. "I don''t believe it needs maintenance, but perhaps it wouldn¡¯t be a bad idea to have you inspect it?" Carmen suggested. Carmen was not as simple and strange as she appeared on the surface. The weapons that the Great Vermouth used had not required any maintenance for over three hundred years. They didn''t wear out even if they were kept in a treasure vault for a long time and didn''t break even when used in battles and neglected afterward. Javel was no different. There was no need to entrust its upkeep to a dwarf now. Carmen was aware of this. Yet, she thought of bringing it to Gondor because of Eugene. ¡®The Demon Spear and the Annihtion Hammer,¡¯ Carmen thought of those two weapons belonging to the Demon Kings. Years ago, an uprising had taken ce at the ck Lion Castle. The remnants of the Demon King residing in the Annihtion Hammer had seduced and manipted Dominic, the Captain of the First Division of the ck Lion Knights and the owner of the Annihtion Hammer, marking the start of the uprising. After that incident, the remnants of the Demon King in the Annihtion Hammer and Demon Spear were eradicatedpletely, and Eugene became the new owner of the two weapons. Several years had passed since then, and there was no doubt regarding Eugene''s abilities. Still, there was no harm in being careful. However, Carmen knew she shouldn''t proceed and make decisions alone regarding this issue. The fact that Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina were staying in her mansion after entering the city was top secret. She hadn''t even told Ortus about it. ¡®Ciel¡­.¡¯ On her way back to the mansion after parting with Gondor, Carmen thought of her pupil. Carmen had never fallen in love with a man in her entire life. What she loved was the name Lionheart; herself, who had been born into the family with many privileges; her ashen hair, which had earned her the nickname Silver Lion; and her golden eyes. She loved her fists and feet, which moved faster and stronger than she could ever have imagined. She loved the fact that she had been chosen by a dragon. She loved her fate, which was now to benefit the world¡­. She had never thought of loving a man. She had never felt the desire to love. Though she received many proposals in her youth, she never once entertained them. She asionally thought of having a child but was never desperate for one. Even that mild wish was fulfilled when she took Ciel as her disciple. That was why Carmen hoped for Ciel''s happiness above all else. ¡®It seemed things did not go well¡­.¡¯ She saw Ciel''s eyes tinged with red. The always proud and confident Ciel spoke with a fading voice and a weak smile. Witnessing such a sight felt like a dagger piercing through Carmen''s heart, and it even caused Dezra to weep uncontrobly. But what could have been done? There was no ce for Carmen to intervene in the matters between Ciel and Eugene. In fact, she shouldn''t have. Carmen was well aware of this boundary. ¡®Yes. All I can do is¡­ stand back and silently offer my support. I¡¯llfort and console that child when the weight bes too much for her.¡¯ With such thoughts, Carmen opened the doors to the mansion, not considering herself powerless for maintaining her distance. ¡®Eugene¡­.¡¯ Walking down the mansion''s hallway, her mind wandered to Eugene. The first time sheid eyes on him, he was studying abroad in Aroth. Back then, he was barely seventeen. The thought that the boy had grown so much over time made Carmen ponder the relentless march of time. The prodigy from the Lionheart family, who was only beginning to understand magic, became an Archwizard in a mere span of four years. In that short period, he was chosen by the Holy Sword, and he had reached the Sixth Star of the White me Form as the fastest to do so in Lionheart history. ¡®Four years¡­.¡¯ Was it truly a lengthy span? No, it wasn¡¯t. It was enough time for a boy to mature into a young man but not enough for him to be the legend he was. ¡®No, but even back then, he was like a monster.¡¯ From their very first meeting, Carmen felt there was something extraordinary about Eugene Lionheart. Every time they met after, he had grown exponentially, making his previous self seem distant. She recalled sparring with him casually during hising-of-age ceremony. Then, they fought side by side against Iris in the capital of Kiehl. Although it had been their first time coordinating, their rhythm had been impable. And the standoff against the White Dragon Knights¡­. Carmen couldn''t help but smile as she recalled Eugene¡¯s valiance. ¡®Certainly. It¡¯s not surprising that Ciel is smitten with him, given how impressive he is.¡¯ Chuckling softly, Carmen opened her room door. She was met with a sight she hadn''t expected. The formidable, impressive Eugene Lionheart stood d in a pristine white dress, surrounded by women. Chapter 348: The Sea (1) While he naturally couldn¡¯t bepared to Molon in that regard, Eugene also happened to be quite tall. It wasn¡¯t simply a case of him appearing to be an ordinary person stretched lengthwise, either. Having gone through nonstop training from early childhood, Eugene¡¯s body, which had developed ording to the battle style he had adhered to from his previous life, was by no means thin. Although Gargith, who practically worshiped muscles, would criticize Eugene¡¯s body whenever they met, in Eugene¡¯s eyes, it was Gargith¡¯s stupidlyrge muscles that were a waste of effort. In any case, Eugene was quite proud of the physical excellence of his own body. In other words, Eugene¡¯s body was extremely manly. Even as a jest, it would be difficult to im that he would look good in women¡¯s clothing. His broad shoulders, his thick chest, and his bulging forearms¡­ though Eugene had been born with an extremely handsome face that still had some traces of childishness to it, once that face of his was covered up with the help of a wig, all that was left was a vision of pure ugliness. Or at least, that was what Eugene wholeheartedly insisted. However, the others refused to ept Eugene¡¯s opinion. But if that was all that there was to it, then it wouldn¡¯t really matter to Eugene. No matter what Sienna, Kristina, or Anise might im, Eugene was someone who could stick to his principles of disliking whatever it was he disliked. However, things were different this time. And it was all because of Ciel¡¯s request. A spiteful and nasty request, at that¡­. In fact, even if Eugene had refused her request, Ciel would have still kept Eugene¡¯s secret to herself. After all, it wasn¡¯t something to be spread around lightly. Even though she had threatened that she would tell her brother the truth, Ciel wasn¡¯t someone who would truly do something like that. Eugene was also aware of this fact, but ¡ª even if that was the case ¡ª Eugene had still decided to ede to Ciel¡¯s request. It was for Ciel¡¯s sake because he wanted to make her feel better. Even if it was only by a small margin, Eugene decided to make a noble sacrifice. Even if it meant biting his tongue. Spells to change the color of one¡¯s hair or eyes were actually quite simple. Spells that could make someone else¡¯s senses perceive things differently also weren¡¯t a challenging field of magic if it was to only alter ordinary people¡¯s senses. However, any spell thatpletely transformed a person¡¯s body in some way was very advanced magic. But for an Archwizard, it was definitely within their capabilities to reconstruct their own body and transform into a different appearance. But Eugene hadn¡¯t reached that level just yet. Eugene could be said to have barely reached the Eighth Circle, which could be called the standard level of strength for an Archwizard, because of his Ring me Form, which reced a wizard¡¯s Circles with his Stars and amplified their power. In addition, there was also Akasha¡¯s support. Due to this, Eugene had felt a glimmer of hope. No matter how pretty his face was after make-up, or no matter how his hair was lengthened or covered up by a wig, if such a pretty face was located above hisrge, bulging muscles, in the end, wouldn¡¯t that sight still be an unappealing one? However, those hopes were dashed by Sienna. After all, she didn¡¯t need aplex spell like Polymorph that couldpletely change someone¡¯s race and gender for something like this. Although, even for Sienna, it was impossible to do something like regenerate someone¡¯s severed limbs. However, if it was just some physical reconstruction to the extent of slightly reducing his height andpressing his muscles to their limits, then¡­. ¡°This is¡­,¡± Sienna trailed off with an audible gulp. Even with magic, there were limits to what was physically possible, so Sienna could only make adjustments within the limits of what Eugene¡¯s body could handle. It was also impossible for her to make breasts swell up where they simply didn¡¯t exist. However¡­ even if it was just this much¡­. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but admire her own skill in magic, as well as Eugene¡¯s new looks. His height had been reduced to about Krisitna¡¯s level. His thick muscles were alsopressed to their limits. Even with that, with all of his clothes off, Eugene would still look rugged and fit, but when covered up by some clothes, the lines of his muscles couldn¡¯t be seen, so there were no problems in that regard. ¡°It¡¯s even¡­ better¡­ than I expected¡­,¡± Sienna mumbled. Eugene¡¯s sharp cheekbones and long, gray hair looked good above the pure white dress that Sienna had bought him yesterday as part of the joke. Sienna wasn¡¯t the only one who thought so. Kristina and Anise felt their hearts pounding as they stared at Eugene with nk eyes. How beautiful¡­. Their impression wasn¡¯t just from an aesthetic point of view. After all, this was the noble Eugene Lionheart. This was a side of himself that he had never shown to anyone else before in his entire life, and he was obviously embarrassed to the extent that he could barely stand it, but the fact that he would still expose himself to them like this was making the Saints¡¯ shared heart pound. ¡°Are we¡­ done now?¡± Eugene pleaded through gritted teeth, struggling to endure his shame. The sound of the voice that left his lips was so silvery that it even surprised him. ¡°I think it would be better if we changed your hair color and eye color,¡± Ciel said as she examined Eugene¡¯s appearance with a serious expression. ¡°We¡¯re nning on taking you with me as my maid, but wouldn¡¯t it be too obvious who you were if you retained the Lionheart characteristics? If we¡¯re going to dress you up as a woman, we should go all the way.¡± ¡°Are you seriously nning on bringing me aboard the ship like this?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°Lady Sienna and Saint Rogeris have also agreed to disguise themselves as servants in order to board the ship,¡± Ciel countered. ¡°What does that have to do with this?!¡± Eugene burst out. ¡°What exactly don¡¯t you understand?¡± Ciel responded calmly. ¡°This way, we should be able topletely fool our enemies.¡± Eugene desperately pleaded, ¡°But we don¡¯t really need to dress me up as a woman to make them lower their guards. I could just wear a different, ordinary disguise. If that¡¯s not enough, I could just hide in a wooden barrel¡ª¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you promise to listen to my request?¡± Ciel cut him off with a sly smile. Eugene ground his teeth as his mouth snapped shut. Fine, it was just as Ciel had said. If Eugene disguised himself as a maid, no one should be able to see through his identity. Although there was a risk that the magic disguising him might be unraveled when they arrived at the Solgarta Sea, if it meant that they would be able to reach their destination safely and get close enough to confront Iris, it would still prove useful. ¡®But if I get caught before that¡­,¡¯ Eugene darkly thought. They were dead. Whoever it was, he would be sure to kill them. That was Eugene¡¯s sincere conviction. He couldn¡¯t allow this appearance of his to be seen by anyone else. Creak. As the door opened, time seemed to stop for Eugene. He turned to look at the opened door with an expression of horror on his face. Through the cracked-open doorway, he saw Carmen standing on the other side. There was silence. What on earth was this? Carmen couldn¡¯tprehend what she was seeing right now. There was a woman in a white dress, no¡­ this was Eugene¡­ Eugene Lionheart. Why was he dressed like this? ¡°Ahem¡­,¡± Carmen cleared her throat awkwardly. She felt it would be a bad idea to ask him why he was dressed like this¡­. Everyone had secrets that they wanted to hide. Carmen had never expected that Eugene Lionheart, the Blood Lion, Dragon yer, and Hero, would have such tastes, but¡­ Carmen possessed a flexible outlook that could ept some measure of deviancy if it was only at this level. As such, without saying anything, Carmen decided to just take a step backward for now. Should she leave the door open? Or should she close it shut? For a short moment, Carmen pondered that question in her mind, but not a trace of her hesitation could be seen through her expression. In the end, Carmen moved to close the door with a calm expression. ¡°Hold on,¡± Eugene called out. If he didn¡¯t manage to rify things in time, this misunderstanding might explode in size like a rolling snowball. Racing over, Eugene quickly stuck his foot in the shrinking gap between the doorway and grabbed Carmen¡¯s wrist. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s okay. I understand,¡± Carmen said, trying to be understanding of Eugene¡¯s feelings. She understands? What exactly was she understanding? ¡°Hey, Lady Carmen, it¡¯s not like that,¡± Eugene quickly denied. ¡°I¡¯m not wearing these clothes and having my appearance altered because I wanted it. Weren¡¯t you here with us two days ago, Lady Carmen? In order to thoroughly deceive the Rakshasa Princess, I agreed¡ª¡± Carmen interrupted, ¡°You mean that wasn¡¯t a joke? You¡¯re seriously thinking of disguising yourself as a woman?¡± Eugene firmly nodded, ¡°I need you to be clear on this, Lady Carmen, but I don¡¯t have even the slightest interest in putting on this disguise. I truly didn¡¯t want to do this, but¡­ well¡­ how should I put this¡­? I guess you could say I really had no choice but to do so¡­. I-if it¡¯s you, Lady Carmen, I trust you¡¯ll understand my position.¡± He couldn¡¯t give her even the flimsiest evidence to gain her trust, but even so, he couldn''t possibly admit that he had promised to fulfill Ciel¡¯s request in exchange for keeping something a secret. ¡°Hmm¡­,¡± Carmen couldn¡¯t ignore Eugene¡¯s plea. Without asking too many questions, she just nodded her head. Eugene let out a sigh of relief as he released Carmen¡¯s wrist. Only for Carmen to say, ¡°It looks good on you.¡± Eugene¡¯s face crumpled at her carefully offeredpliment. * * * Iris was having a dream. She had already given up on counting just how many times she¡¯d had it, but it was always the same dream. When the dreams first starteding, they weren¡¯t as frequent as now, but the interval between them had slowly been shrinking. What had been once a week only a short while ago had be once every four days, and now she dreamt the same dream almost every day. At first, she had suspected that Noir Giabe, that Queen of Sluts, might have been ying a trick on her. Thest time they had met had been the territorial battle a few years ago. However, their rtionship, no, their enmity, had yet to be severed. Iris knew that it wasn¡¯t over yet. Even now, thinking about that defeat would cause her to grind her teeth in anger. Thinking back to that one-on-one territorial battle¡­ could it have even been called a battle? Even Iris herself felt that considering it to be such was an act of excessive arrogance and self-delusion. The territorial battle hadn¡¯t even been a fight. It had just been a one-sided massacre¡­. As such, Iris had no intention of severing this enmity. She couldn¡¯t possibly forget the grudge that was forged back then. After losing her territory in Helmuth, Iris had arrived here to these distant seas. Once she gained enough strength here, she would one day return to Helmuth and trample all over Noir Giabe. Iris wanted to tear that filthy Night Demon to shreds with her bare hands, and if Noir still managed to survive, Iris would turn her into a receptacle for all sorts of disgusting filth and make her beg to be killed¡­. Noir Giabe should also be fully aware that Iris held such a deep malice towards her. That was why Iris couldn¡¯t help but have such a misunderstanding at first. In Helmuth, Iris had been suppressed by all of the other demonfolk who lived there. This was because she stubbornly insisted on relying solely on dark elves for her subordinates. That was why, even though Iris had spent thest three hundred long years in Helmuth, she still hadn¡¯t been able to build up as much power as the other high-ranking demonfolk who had survived the war. However, things were different here in the Southern Seas. After arriving at these Southern Seas, Iris had never once experienced failure. Instead, everything went her way ¡ª fate seemed to be smiling on Iris. It had only been two years since Iris had arrived at the Southern Seas, but the power she had umted over this short timespan was more than she had ever managed during her three hundred years in Helmuth. A single word from Iris could set hundreds of pirate fleets into motion. By mobilizing such an enormous force, she had captured numerous elves who had been trying to cross the seas to enter the Rainforest. It was all smooth sailing. That¡¯s right, just like the literal meaning of those words, Iris seemed to be sailing smoothly into the future of her dreams. But news of such must have somehow reached Helmuth¡¯s arrogant and filthy Queen of the Sluts. Iris had suspected that Noir may have decided it was better to impede Iris now before Iris¡¯ preparations werepleted than to wait until the all-out war that was sure to break out between them. After all, it was Noir Giabe¡¯s specialty to put her victims through irresistible nightmares over and over again until their minds hadpletely copsed. ¡®But it wasn¡¯t true.¡¯ Her suspicions had onlysted the first few times she had the dream. After having the same dream over and over again, Iris realized that this dream wasn¡¯t a nightmare. No, in fact, Iris had known the truth from the moment that she had first experienced that dream. But at first, she still had some lingering suspicions that there might be some other scheme at foot. However, now she no longer had any doubts. Nightmares were painful, and as a rule, they made you want to wake up from them. The harmful nightmares used by the Night Demons would use different methods to try to wear down the mind and break the dreamer¡¯s will. But Iris¡¯ recurring dreams weren¡¯t anything like that. Instead¡­ they were sweet and nostalgic. She always had the same dream repeatedly, but Iris had never once thought it was boring. ¡°Ahhhh¡­,¡± Iris sighed. Rather than being bored, she always found herself sad and disappointed whenever the dream ended. Waking up from the dream, Iris wiped the tears in the corners of her eyes. The dried tear marks on her cheeks pulled and stretched along with her facial expressions. After rubbing her cheeks with the back of her hands a few times, Iris immersed herself in the afterglow from her dreams. His huge back and his hand that gently embraced her own. It was hard to see because everything was covered up by a haze, but even through such a fog, she still managed to recognize the caring smile on his face. In the dream, he would then take the first step down a path, and she would follow him, trying to travel together with him. After taking a few steps forward, in mere moments, his huge back would suddenly recede into the distance, casting a long shadow behind him that would engulf ¡®everyone¡¯ there. That¡¯s right, Iris wasn¡¯t alone in the dream. Everyone¡­ everyone was looking at the same back from behind and walking forward together. ¡°Kamash, Sein, Oberon¡­,¡± Iris murmured the names of her long-dead siblings. A giant, a vampire, and beastman. They might all have belonged to different races, but they had definitely been siblings. ¡°Hah¡­,¡± Iris let out another long sigh as she climbed out of bed. It was a strange dream. It was definitely nostalgic, as the dream brought back memories of the distant past. However, in Iris¡¯ memories, a scene like that didn¡¯t exist. Could it be that her nostalgia for the past was causing her to dream of memories that had never actually existed? ¡®No, that¡¯s not it.¡¯ She didn¡¯t have any basis for it, but Iris was certain that this dream wasn¡¯t an illusion created by her longing for the past. The ¡®father¡¯ walking ahead of them, leading all his children by the hand, was definitely the Demon King of Fury. The ones following him were all her siblings, as Iris remembered them. ¡®Father¡­.¡¯ Iris recalled the Demon King of Fury, who had died three hundred years ago. Even though he was a Demon King, he was always extremely kind to his children. And until the very end, Iris still hadn¡¯t been able to understand why she had been chosen as Fury¡¯s child. This couldn¡¯t be helped because Iris had the most humble background among all of Fury¡¯s children. Kamash was the chieftain of the giants. Oberon was also the chieftain of the fallen beastfolk. Even Sein was the Lord of one of thergest vampire ns. Iris didn¡¯t have such an impressive background. She had just been one elven ranger among many others, and there had been a considerable number of dark elves who had fallen alongside her. However, even among those other dark elves, the Demon King of Fury had chosen Iris. The Demon King of Fury hadn¡¯t shown even a trace of hesitation when making that choice, and for the sake of strengthening his weakest daughter, he had personally given her her Demoneye. Iris stood in front of a mirror, wearing absolutely nothing. She saw her gray skin, long, pointed ears, white hair, and red eyes reflected in the mirror. All of these had been given to her by her father. While embracing her own body, Iris closed her eyes. Fate had smiled upon her and transformed into a huge tailwind that had blown Iris to this ce. That¡¯s right, all of this had to be fate. Iris reopened her eyes. Within them was the Demoneye of Darkness she had received from the Demon King of Fury three hundred years ago. ck shadows writhed within the pupils of her blood-red eyes. ¡®Father¡­.¡¯ The end of the dream was always the same. Her father, who was the farthest ahead of them all, got down onto his knees. Before she could even approach her now stationary father, the world inside the dream was submerged in water. Thanks to that, everything was drowned in the water and washed away. Her father, Iris, her other siblings, everything. ¡°Father, are you trying to show me something through this dream?¡± Iris murmured as she gently caressed her eyelid. She remembered when she had first started having this dream. It was when the Dragon-Demon Castle in Helmuth had fallen. When Jagon, who had killed and devoured Oberon, had died. It was from that moment onwards that the dreams had started. Iris muttered to herself, ¡°As your only surviving child¡­ are you trying to show me how to open up a path?¡± Kamash had died three hundred years ago. Sein and all of his bloodline had also died three hundred years ago. Among Fury¡¯s children, the only ones who had survived the war were Iris and Oberon, and even Oberon was eventually devoured by his own son. Now that Oberon¡¯s son had also died, the only remaining descendant of Fury was Iris. ¡°If that is your will, father,¡± Iris said as she continued to caress her blood-red eyes with her fingertips. Then, even after having been led to the ocean for the first time in her life, Iris would make sure to sail to the end of the Southern Seas. To that sea full of mysteries, the Solgalta Sea. But for some unknown reason, Iris felt that this ce wasfortable and weing as if this were her home. Chapter 350: The Sea (3) There was no reason for Eugene to avoid a meeting with Gondor. While Eugene knew well that Vermouth''s artifacts didn''t necessarily require any maintenance, there was no harm in giving it a look-over. At the moment, Eugene possessed the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear among the arsenal of the Demon Kings. Neither of these weapons harbored the remnants of the Demon Kings¡¯ essence, as was Carmen''s concern. Any residual power had beenpletely obliterated during the incident with Eward, and the current powers of the Annihtion Hammer and Demon Spear were now manifested by Eugene''s own mana. At first, Eugene had not paid much attention to such matters. But after hearing about Vermouth from Raizakia, it was hard not to feel uneasy. ''The Moonlight Sword,'' Eugene¡¯s thoughts drifted back to this weapon. It was a de whose true nature remained a mystery even three hundred years ago. But now he knew its identity. The destruction wrought by the Moonlight Sword''s glow was, in actuality, the Power of Destruction. Thus, the Moonlight Sword was, like the Demon Spear and Annihtion Hammer, a tool of the Demon King. To wield such weapons, one needed the blood of Vermouth, the blood of the Lionhearts. While not everything was clear, this much was certain. Vermouth''s existence was intertwined with the Demon King''s. Ironically, however, Eugene could still wield the Holy Sword. Yet, the God of Light did not particrly strike him as a benevolent deity. "Ah, ah ah¡­," Gondor was speechless from the excitement. His eyes trembled with astonishment as he beheld the array of weapons Eugene always kept in his cloak. "What in the world is this?" Gondor asked. Among the many weapons, the Moonlight Sword ¡ª a de broken mid-length ¡ª truly captured Gondor''s gaze. Gondor tilted his head while eyeing the Moonlight Sword intently. "It couldn''t have been like that from the beginning,¡±mented Gondor. "It broke,¡± Eugene responded simply. "Do you want me to fix it?" asked Gondor. "No, it can''t be repaired," Eugene said with a shrug. Such words were a slight to a dwarf''s pride, especially one of a cksmith lineage. With a snort, Gondor pointed to the Moonlight Sword, "It does look of unique make. But there isn''t a weapon in this world that a dwarf can''t mend." "I told you it can''t be fixed,¡± repeated Eugene. "I don''t understand why you''re so certain. Let''s take a closer look." Gondor remained stubborn and reached for the Moonlight Sword. For a moment, Eugene wondered if he should just allow the dwarf to touch it, but at thest second, Eugene changed his mind. "Touch it, and you die,¡± Eugene said, grabbing Gondor''s shoulder as a warning. Taken aback by such an extreme statement, Gondor looked at Eugene in surprise when he further exined, "Don''t misunderstand. It''s not that I''ll kill you. The sword will." "What do you mean...?" asked Gondor, shakily. "It''s a cursed de that no one but me can wield." Eugene¡¯s reply left no room for questions. While there might have been a touch of exaggeration, it wasn''t entirely untrue. Holding the Moonlight Sword in one''s hand tainted the mind. Even Hamel and Molon were driven mad three centuries ago, their minds wavering merely from briefly grasping the Moonlight Sword. Then what would happen if a dwarf, obviously of lesser mental fortitude, were to hold it? Their psyche might shatter entirely, rendering them senseless. Was such a state any different from death? A deep sigh escaped Eugene¡¯s lips as he warned again, ¡°Likewise, don¡¯t even think about touching the other weapons of the Demon King.¡± "But Lady Carmen asked for a thorough examination of the Demon Kings¡¯ weapons,¡± came Gondor¡¯s retort. ¡°Just tell her what she wants to hear. There was no issue, was there?¡± responded Eugene. Despite often being iprehensible in all her actions, Carmen was truly a noble soul. She had insisted on bringing Gondor out of concern that Eugene might be adversely affected by the artifacts of the Demon Kings. Eugene knew all too well just how horrifying and relentless the Demon Kings were. They were entities that, no matter how thoroughly killed, refused to truly perish. Eward¡¯s descent into madness had been partly due to the remnants of the Demon Kings that lingered in the Annihtion Hammer. Gondor stayed quiet as he contemted Eugene¡¯s words. A somber expression crossed Eugene¡¯s face as he recalled that time. The remnants of the Demon King controlling Eward had been obsessively fixated on the blood of the Lionheart lineage. From this, one could infer that the influence of this blood was undeniable. Eugene was perpetually on guard against this. He remained on guard and conscious of himself. Moreover, he sought frequent validation from Kristina and Anise as well. Even after using the Annihtion Hammer, the Demon Spear, and the Moonlight Sword multiple times, nothing seemed amiss. Eugene remained unscathed. After a slight pause, Gondor said, "Hmm, can''t be helped then. I might be curious, but I don''t wish for madness." With a slightly disappointed look, Gondor turned to Eugene, ¡°That ring, it looks ancient and unique. Is it another cursed item that none but you can handle?" "No. I just didn''t see a need to unt it, so I kept it on,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Hmm, it doesn¡¯t look all that appealing after losing its luster. Give it here. I''ll make it shine for you,¡± Gondor suggested. There was no particr reason to refuse. Eugene removed the Agaroth¡¯s Ring from his left ring finger and set it beside the weapons. Gondor, however, initially ignored the ring, instead picking up Wynnyd first. "Storm Sword Wynnyd¡­. Ah, it''s truly a masterpiece¡­!¡±mented Gondor. [Hamel, this dwarf does have an eye for beauty,] Tempest remarked with satisfaction. Eugene observed Gondor with a skeptical look. The dwarf donned a thick pair of sses, adjusting various lenses to meticulously inspect Wynnyd. "Is there any need for repair?" asked Eugene. "A bit of polishing wouldn¡¯t hurt... My greed calls me to tinker here and there, but that could be disastrous. Such relics can backfire if carelessly tampered with,¡± said Gondor as he observed Wynnyd from different angles. ¡°Backfire?¡± Eugene asked, taken aback. "To put it bluntly, one might lose the abilities originally imbued in it. You¡¯re a wizard too, aren¡¯t you, Mister Eugene? Objects passed down from the Lionheart n... no, the Great Vermouth, are exceptionally special," Gondor exined. Weapons bestowed with magic weremonly known as artifacts. Yet, the term artifact originally referred to items not from this age but from ancient civilizations. Among those, the term artifact specially referred to relics endowed with magical capabilities. ¡°These objects are all genuine artifacts. They cannot be reproduced with the magic and technology of this age. Thus, they must be handled with the utmost care,¡± Gondor advised. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Upon hearing Gondor¡¯s words, Eugene gave the matter some thought before speaking to Tempest. ¡®Come to think of it, since when has Wynnyd existed?¡¯ [I do not know,] Tempest¡¯s answer was surprising. ¡®You don¡¯t? You really don¡¯t know?¡¯ Eugene was genuinely baffled. Tempest exined, [My connection with Wynnyd began when Vermouth first held it. I have no memories before that.] ¡®How does that make sense? Wynnyd must have existed before Vermouth held it, right?¡¯ Eugene¡¯s questions weren¡¯t baseless. [Of course, it must have. But as to when exactly Wynnyd came into being, I cannot say.] Tempest¡¯s answer was far from satisfactory. Eugene found these words puzzling. Seeing his confusion, Tempest borated in a calm tone, [Hamel, spirits are near-immortal beings, yet they are not truly eternal. Deathes to all existences, sooner orter.] ¡®What happens when a spirit dies? Do they vanish?¡¯ Eugene queried. [We do not vanish. We simply cycle. If they possess self-awareness, even the grandest Spirit King will eventually see themselves wear away. And that erosion inevitably leads to madness.] Tempest paused for a moment. [The essence of a spirit is purity. A wind spirit is a pure wind, and a me spirit is a pure me. To such beings, madness is an impurity. The death of a spirit urs when impurities infiltrate. They shatter their own identity to purify themselves.] ¡®It¡¯s like suicide,¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t help voicing this thought. But Tempest wasn¡¯t angered. [You¡¯re not wrong. All spirits exist in this manner. I am the current Wind Spirit King. However, I am not the first, and I do not know how many have been before me. What is clear is that the previous Spirit King was caught in the cycle, and then I became the new Spirit King. From my perspective, my connection with Wynnyd began three hundred years ago.] Eugene recalled his past life. Vermouth had already possessed Wynnyd when he first met Hamel. Tempest continued, [Wynnydy dormant in the snowynds ruled by the Bayar Tribe. Why it was there, I do not know.] ¡®You wouldn¡¯t know how that bastard Vermouth found it either, would you?¡¯ Eugene asked. [Of course not,] Tempest affirmed confidently. It wasn¡¯t just Wynnyd that left Eugene curious. Rather, all of the weapons that had belonged to Vermouth, the ancient artifacts, were the same. ¡ªWhat sort of ruins are these? ¡ªAncient ruins. ¡ªDo you think I asked you because I didn¡¯t know that? How did you discover this ce? ¡ªThe Holy Sword revealed it. The God of Light decreed that the weapon slumbering here would aid in saving the world. ¡ªAh! The God of Light has not forsaken us. Truly, Sir Vermouth is blessed! It was a conversation that seemed trivial in his past life. But thinking about it now, it felt eerily peculiar. Eugene was also wielding the Holy Sword proficiently, but he had never heard the voice of the God of Light from it. In the end, the revtions he had received were influenced by Anise, who had be an angel, and the message that Kristina had heard was also passed on by Anise. ¡ªI merely became a messenger, but the revtion is not false. The God of Light might not be omnipotent as you or others might think, but He does indeed exist. He just cannot directly interfere in this world. Anise said these words to Kristina while exining her and the God of Light¡¯s existence. Eugene was aware of the story Anise had shared with Kristina. Nheless, the God of Light did indeed exist and had intentions for the world. Perhaps three hundred years ago, the God of Light had given Vermouth a revtion, informing him of the whereabouts of weapons that would help in the fight against the Demon Kings. "Hmm¡­." While Eugene was deep in thought, Gondor had inspected several weapons and then picked up the ring. To the naked eye, it seemed like a valueless, worn antique. Yet, Gondor examined it closely before eximing in admiration. "This is an ancient artifact. I can''t be sure, but it seems to be from an era simr to the other relics of the Great Vermouth,¡±mented Gondor. "It''s said to possess the miracle of a god from ancient times,¡± said Eugene. "Hmm, so it''s a divine artifact, just like the Holy Sword?" asked Gondor. "It doesn¡¯t glow like the Holy Sword, though,¡± responded Eugene. The power within the Ring of Agaroth was cruel and straightforwardpared to the Holy Sword. This ring drained the life of its owner, stealing their future. It could resurrect a body meant for death multiple times over to fight. "Do you know which god''s divine artifact it is?" asked Gondor. "Agaroth," Eugene answered, not expecting much. "The God of War!" Gondor chuckled as he examined the inside of the ring. "How did you know?" Eugene asked, surprised. "Mister Eugene, like Lady Sienna, do you also think dwarves are an ignorant race, only good for hammering?" used Gondor. "Well... not exactly." Eugene couldn''t deny that he had somewhat thought so. Gondor squinted at Eugene''s awkward expression. "To think even a human would have such an opinion of us...! Listen, Mister Eugene. Dwarves are a refined and intellectual race. We possess vast knowledge, especially in ancientnguages and history,¡± said Gondor. "Is that so?" Eugene said dryly. "Indeed! Dwarves are artisans who hammer metal, miners who swing pickaxes, and excavators," Gondor said assertively while shaking the ring. "In particr, in the southern inds, where Hammer Ind is located, there are several legends about Agaroth." Eugene had benefited from that worn-out ring several times, especially during his battle with Raizakia. Without the Ring of Agaroth, he would have perished long ago. Before that, he had received help at¡­ the Fount of Light and also when battling against Gavid Lindman. Each time, it was when he invoked the Light of the Holy Sword. The Ring of Agaroth had run rampant and amplified Eugene¡¯s holy power. He had received assistance several times, yet any knowledge about Agaroth, the supposed master of the ring, remained elusive. It was Ariartel who had given the ring to Eugene. She had spoken of ancient times, eras so distant that even dragons, who lived for eons, could not recall. She had spoken of a time of legends when the God of Light and others truly existed. Would a god from that age still be alive now? It was uncertain if death could even touch a deity, but there was no nation on the current continent that worshiped the War God Agaroth. From Gondor''s tales, it appeared that even the inds of the southern seas did not retain their faith in Agaroth. "If only the farthest inds of the Southern Seas remember him, I wonder how he got such a grandiose title as the ''God of War''?" Eugene scoffed while ncing at Agaroth''s Ring. Hearing this, Gondor looked at Eugene with a mix of disdain and pity, shaking his head, "This ce might be a sea now, but in ancient times, it wasn''t." "What nonsense is that?" Eugene eximed. "It means that with the passage of eons, what was not a sea became one," said Gondor. "You''re saying that this vast sea was oncend, what, hundreds... no, thousands of years ago? Where did all this watere from then?" questioned Eugene. "Perhaps a great flood¡ª" Gondor¡¯s suggestion was rudely interrupted. "Oh,e on...." Eugene decided Gondor''s words weren''t worth hearing. Insulted, Gondor shuddered and spat, "There are tales of a deluge from the Distant Seas!" "What''s that about?" Eugene asked, annoyed. "The End of the Southern Sea! You know that the world is round, right?" Gondor asked. "Of course, I know that," Eugene said, irritated. "But, you see, no one has confirmed whether the ends of the north and the south truly connect,¡± continued Gondor. In the Northern Kingdom of Ruhr ¡ª at its northernmost pointy Raguyaran, a barrennd where one should not venture. It was known as the End of the World. ¡ªClimb Lehainjar. ¡ªLook upon Raguyaran. ¡ªGuard against whates from that End. In the dead of night, the Nur rose from Raguyaran. The Nur walked the vast expanse, crossing Lehainjar. The sleepless children were devoured by the Nur. Molon stood guard, ensuring that the End did not encroach. "The end of the Southern Sea, the Distant Seas... no one knows what lies there. Throughout history, countless explorers have ventured beyond the Southern Seas to step onto the frozen northernnds, but none have ever seeded,¡± said Gondor. Three centuries past, a question had once been posed to Molon: had he ever beheld Raguyaran? ¡ªIt was a vastnd. A terrain where the skies were aze in wrath. There was no sun, no moon, and no stars. The sky was a murky shade akin to soil-trodden snow, and it stretched endlessly. Standing atop the highest peak of Lehainjar, I could glimpse the Distant Sea from the edge of Raguyaran ¡ª a frozen expanse of ocean. There was no Nur. No one lived there, and no one could survive. Eugene, alongside Anise, Kristina, and Molon, had gazed upon Raguyaran. Truly, it had been and devoid of life: grey earth, grey skies, and grey air. All was of that hue, void and barren. In this eerie and foreboding space, the only presence was the corpses of the many Nur, discarded by Molon. After ying Iris, Eugene would go see Molon with Sienna. Eugene recalled Molon¡¯s smiling face as he saw them off. "A tale from antiquity," Gondor interjected with a cough. "An era of myth, where gods were believed real. Such bygone days have passed, have they not? What became of the prosperous civilizations? Buried deep within the earth or submerged beneath the sea. Merely traces of them remain." Eugene stayed deep in thought, listening to Gondor¡¯s words. "Evidence suggests that long ago, the Southern Sea was oncend. While the fate of other civilizations remains unknown, one that existed in this sea met its end by being submerged,¡± said Gondor. "Are you saying that waters from the far Distant Seas flooded in to create the Southern Seas?" asked Eugene. Eugene shook his head while considering the many apocalyptic theories rted to the ancient era. But he couldn¡¯t help finding Gondor¡¯s words somewhat usible when he connected them to the edge of the world. "Enough of these uncertain tales. Do you have more knowledge about Agaroth?" asked Eugene. "There''s a legend of Agaroth''s sacred ground somewhere in the Southern Sea,¡± responded Gondor. "Below the sea?" Eugene inquired. "It could be hidden on an undiscovered ind¡­." Gondor suggested vaguely. "So, nothing certain then?" Eugene sounded disappointed. "That''s how legends tend to be!" Gondor grumbled while waving Agaroth''s Ring. Eugene scoffed before taking a seat. "Then, polish that ring so it shines. Whether Agaroth is dead or alive, if you take care of his treasure, he might be pleased enough to reveal the sacred ground,¡± said Eugene. "What do you even think gods are?¡± Gondor questioned curiously. "Beings whose existence is uncertain. While the world goes to hell, they only watch from their lofty perches like spectators," Eugene retorted. "Unbing words from the Hero¡­." A bit startled, Gondor set down his bag. Swift movements of his stout arms transformed the empty space into a respectable workshop. "Well, let''s start with the polishing." "Will it take long?" Eugene asked. "Only as much as sharpening a de. Shouldn''t be too time-consuming," Gondormented. "Hurry then. There''s another favor I wish to ask," said Eugene. "Favor?" Gondor looked up, puzzled. Rather than exin, Eugene decided to show the dwarf. He pulled an item from beneath his cloak and tossed it before Gondor. Gondor''s eyes widened in astonishment when he saw the dragon scales. Chapter 351: The Door (1) Gondor was indeed a master craftsman, but given the rarity of the material, naturally, he''d never handled an entire dragon carcass before. Yet, he possessed the knowledge handed down from his ancestors. There weren''t many precedents, but in ancient times, some dragons had donated their bodies for the betterment of the world. Most of the remains left from these dragons had been processed by the hands of dwarves, and the knowledge from those times was passed down toter generations like Gondor. "If you desire armor infused with thetest technology, it would undoubtedly be Exid," he dered. Even as they discussed Eugene¡¯s request, Gondor did not rest his hands. The once tarnished Ring of Agaroth was swiftly polished, shining like new. Gondor wasn''t particrly fond of Exid, but he acknowledged its performance. Moreover, while he didn''t care for it much, he had near-perfect knowledge concerning its creation. "But crafting Exid takes too long. Especially if we use materials from a dragon, it might take several months at least,¡± Gondormented as he continued polishing the ring. There were also concerns about the avable tools. Though he had turned this room into a makeshift workshop, it paled inparison to his true workshop on Hammer Ind. While Sienna and Eugene could assist in firepower, the rest of the tools werecking. "I don¡¯t expect Exid immediately. Just scale armor to protect the torso will do,¡± responded Eugene. "Is it for you?" Gondor inquired. "No," Eugene shook his head. Armor made from a dragon¡¯s corpse? It certainly was tempting, but he felt no immediate need for a hastily crafted set of armor. It was better for him to simply cast an Aura Shield around himself. "It¡¯s for Ciel and Dezra. I''ve already told them about it," said Eugene. Who knew what perilsy at sea? While those two could certainly fend off most dangers, considering their uing battle with Iris as a mere ''danger'' would be overly presumptuous. In a week''s time, a punitive force would set out from Shedor, one of the central inds of Shimuin. This force would sail for over a month to reach the Solgalta Sea, the territory of the Pirate Empress. Moreover, there was always a possibility that the group might encounter Iris even before reaching the Solgalta Sea. However, Eugene believed such a thing was unlikely. No matter how foolish Iris might be, she wouldn¡¯t leave the advantage of staying in her home territory. "Scale armor..." Gondor mused while scratching his chin in thought. It wasn''t Exid, nor was it full te armor. It wouldn''t take long to craft if it was just armor to protect the torso. "A week onnd¡­. That''s hardly any time. I might have to continue working even on the ship,¡± Gondor said after making some mental calctions. Various designs floated in his mind. He had never imagined a day when he would work with an entire dragon carcass, especially materials from Raizakia, the dragon that had oppressed his kin and enved them in the Demon-Dragon Castle! Gondor could hardly contain his excitement and grinned broadly. "Come out." Eugene motioned, and Raimira stepped out with a look of confusion. When she sensed his intentions, her expression grew moreplex. "Benefactor, first and foremost, thisdy bears the bloodline of the ck Dragon,¡± said Raimira. "So what?" Eugene questioned. "Hmm¡­. The idea of using thisdy''s dragon breath as a heat source for the forge... isn''t it a bit sphemous?" questioned Raimira. "Since when were you the dutiful daughter who concerned herself with such matters?" retorted Eugene. Raimira couldn''t argue, and her expression became sullen. Of course, she held no filial piety towards her deceased father. Now that she knew the entire truth, she harbored only disdain and contempt for the dreadful demonic dragon. "Think of it as revenge,¡± Eugene suggested. "Benefactor is too cruel¡­." Raimirained. "If you truly object, I won''t force you. Both Sienna and I will be busy for the uing week, and there''s no one else I could ask¡­." Eugene let his words trail off deliberately. "Ah, ah, ah...!" Raimira just couldn¡¯t believe what she heard. She was deeply touched and stared at Eugene with wide eyes and trembling shoulders. She swiftly approached Eugene and sped both his hands. "Benefactor trusts thisdy so much! Shouldn''t thisdy reciprocate that trust!?" Her voice sounded emotional. "Yes, yes." Eugene nodded his head as if this was only natural. "You needn''t worry, Benefactor. Thisdy will coborate with the dwarf as you''ve requested, and Benefactor, you can focus on your tasks,¡± Raimira said. Her long horns swayed gently before Eugene¡¯s eyes as she gave a slight bow. He hesitated for a moment, then patted her head as she wished. Only then did Raimira turn around with a satisfied expression. She then addressed Gondor, "Little dwarf! Thisdy¡¯s name is Raimira. Thisdy will provide the mes for the forge. You just focus on your hammering." Gondor was taken back. He couldn¡¯t find the right words to respond with. The bloodline of the ck Dragon? Did that mean the petite horned girl before him was a hatchling of the ck Dragon? "I''ll leave you to it then," said Eugene. He left the room after retrieving Agaroth¡¯s Ring and cing it on his finger. Only a week remained before their departure. It wasn''t enough time. They would be sailing for over a month on the sea. He wished to conclude everything within this week. Eugene traversed the corridor, descended the stairs, and nced outside a window. He saw Ciel and Dezra teaming up against Carmen in a friendly spar. He watched their duel for a brief moment before continuing his descent. The mansion''s basement was originally a small storage room for food supplies. That was not the case anymore. Its structure had been magically expanded and fortified. Eugene removed his cloak. He was about to toss it aside carelessly, but Kristina, who had approached unnoticed, caught it with both hands. She held the cloak close while giving a faint smile. Without a word, she took several steps back. "It¡¯s almost done." Sienna sat in the heart of the chamber with Mer at her side. Uncharacteristically pensive, Sienna moved her hands with deep concentration. Whoosh! Dozens of intricate magical circles floated before her to ovep and form a fist-sized orb. This orb embodied the magic form that constituted Mer. Sienna carefully manipted the adjusted form while observing its rotations. "Hmm." The form she had envisioned since her days at the Lionheart estate was finallyplete. With a satisfied expression, Sienna gently stroked Mer''s head. The orb, which had been suspended in mid-air, slowly descended before merging into Mer''s chest. Mer did not immediately open her eyes. The addition to her existing form was both vast and intricate. Watching the form adjust to the familiar¡¯s physique, Sienna spoke, "I''ve added my Signature to Mer." Empress Rule. It was a Signature that had once toyed with the Green Tower Head, an Eighth Circle Archwizard. Sienna had trifled with him as if he were but a child. This magic interfered with and dominated any spell within a designated space. Although Empress Rule could not grasp control over ck magic, it could still interfere with it ¡ª after all, ck magic was still magic at its core. It was just the source of the power that differed. When Sienna herself employed it, Empress Rule could dominate any magic below the Ninth Circle. Throughout history, only Sienna had reached the Ninth Circle. This meant she held a significant advantage in any duel against other wizards. Of course, this fact only applied when Sienna was using Empress Rule directly. Even if Mer was a finely crafted familiar, she couldn''t harness Empress Rule on par with Sienna. "I''ve made Mer a kind of trigger. Think of it simply, Eugene. Haven''t you always received magical support from Mer? Now, added to that support is the Wise Sienna''s Signature,¡± Sienna said, sounding pleased. With a mischievous grin, she leaned closer. Mer was linked to Eugene, and in future battles, Mer could employ Empress Rule at Eugene''s will. "The mana required to activate it is substantial, but you should be able to handle it with ease. Let¡¯s see.¡­ Its range? Roughly this mansion''s expanse. It can be extended, but there''s hardly a need. Simply being within its domain allows for interference. Within this domain, any wizard weaker than you can never kill you with magic,¡± exined Sienna. "The term ''weaker than me'' sounds vague, doesn''t it?" questioned Eugene. "It refers to the Circles, but willpower also ys a major role. After all, magic is the manifestation of will through mana.... Strictly speaking, Eugene, you aren''t a true Eighth Circle Archwizard. But your willpower and a mix of other elements put you on par with one." Sienna rose while cradling Mer in her arms. Kristina approached Sienna and took Mer from her. She wrapped the still-unconscious Mer in her cloak and retreated to a corner. "That''s why your current challenge isn''t simple,¡±mented Sienna. "In a week, I''ll break through it." Eugene frowned in frustration. Indeed, as Sienna mentioned, the task was far from easy. Eugene''s White me Form. At present, Eugene''s White me Form bore Six Stars. Through the trial of the Dark Room, the White me Form transformed to resonate perfectly with Eugene, evolving into a me of a deep violet hue. Mingled within Eugene''s mana was the Lightning me that took shape from the spirits of the World Tree. Such elements alone made Eugene¡¯s White me Form special. However, there were even more elements integrated into his technique. Eugene had seen the Eternal Hole through Sienna¡¯s Witch Craft. It had already been four years since Eugene created the Ring me Form after being inspired by the Eternal Hole. ¡®It feels like it¡¯s on the brink of a breakthrough, yet it is not,¡¯ he mused. Eugene narrowed his eyes and ced a hand over his heart. To be frank, it wasn''t a time toin about anyck. While Eugene''s White me Form had Six Stars, whenbined with Lightning me and the Ring me Form, it could exert firepower far surpassing its original level. Additionally, Eclipse and the Empty Sword enhanced the amount of damage he could inflict on his enemies. And what if he considered the ovepping effects of Prominence and Ignition? Although he only had Six Stars, Eugene''s power might rival that of the Seventh or even the Eighth Star White me Form. ¡®I can''t bepletely sure,¡¯ Eugene kept mulling over the problem. Unfortunately, he had no choice but to ept the fact that in the three-hundred-year history of the Lionheart n, only Vermouth had reached the pinnacle of the White me Form. Among his descendants, the highest anyone achieved was Seven Stars. ¡®I am definitely stronger than Seven Stars. As for the Eighth Star... I''ve neither seen nor heard anything about it, so it¡¯s hard to be sure.¡¯ Both thete Doynes Lionheart, the previous Head Elder, and Carmen Lionheart had reached the Seven Stars in the White me Form. Eugene had never seen either of them at full power, but still, he never felt that their mes were stronger than his. ¡®Vermouth.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s thoughts finally stopped on his oldrade. Vermouth was the only point ofparison. Back then, the term White me Form didn''t even exist. But the pure white mes that surrounded Vermouth ¡ª even thinking of them now was overwhelming. It was the same in the memories Sienna showed him. Sienna had been holding back because she had been against Vermouth and since they had been in Hamel¡¯s tomb. Even so, there had been an evident disparity of power between Sienna and Vermouth. The powerful magic of the Eternal Hole had barely posed a threat to Vermouth. On the contrary, an unknown spell from Vermouth had shattered Sienna''s magic, leaving a gaping hole in her chest. "Ahem." Sienna let out a soft cough, noting the seriousness on Eugene''s face. She stretched out her hand, and Frost appeared in her grasp. A soft glow emerged beneath her feet with a simple swing of her pristine white staff. Click. Sienna raised the tip of her foot. The pool of light beneath her feet spread wide, painting both the floor and the walls of the room. Characters carved within transformed the entire room into the epicenter of aplex magic circle. "Shall we begin then?" she asked. Eugene nodded and began to move. The only time he felt ack of power had been in his battle against Raizakia. Had he held on a little longer, just a tad more, he might''ve in Raizakia by himself. No, not just holding on. He might have won if he had fought a bit better. ¡®Raizakia wasn''t even at his peak,¡¯ Eugene thought, frustrated at his owncking performance. In fact, he had been weaker than he had been three hundred years ago. If he failed to vanquish a foe like Raizakia by himself, how was he to face the likes of Noir Giabe or Gavid Lindman, who were clearly much stronger? And what of the Demon King of Incarceration waiting atop Babel''s peak or the Demon King of Destruction, who was lingering silently in Ravesta? Still, there was no need to battle alone. As it had been three hundred years ago, he would be joined by allies inbat when he faced such adversaries. However, Eugene had no intention of using the presence of hisrades as an excuse to turn a blind eye to his own weaknesses and frailties. If he was deficient, he had topensate. If he was feeble, he had to grow stronger. ¡®Even more than Vermouth,¡¯ Eugene dered to himself. Eugene sat at the heart of the magic circle. Sienna stood behind him. She focused her energy while raising Frost high above her head. With a resounding roar, another vast magic circle appeared behind her. Creak, creak. The characters forming the magic circles intertwined and began to rotate slowly. A smaller circle also appeared around Sienna at its center. "This reminds me of my previous life. Do you remember?¡± Eugene asked. "I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be as easy as it was back then,¡± responded Sienna. Taking a pause, she reiterated, "No, definitely not. The mana technique you practiced in your past life was rather rudimentary and crappy. But the White me Form... and the Ring me Form you crafted¡­. Even to my astute eyes, they seem exceptionally perfect. Honestly, there''s not much to adjust on that end.¡± Sienna reached out to Eugene while maintaining the Eternal Hole. She continued with the exnation, "Rather than adjusting... hmm, it''s more like breaking through. Or should I say shattering?" Hearing this, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but warn her, "Be careful. If the Core were to get destroyed¡ª" "Don''t fret. Do you really think I can''t control her power to that extent? Trust me," Sienna interrupted him, sounding displeased. "To be honest, I trust Anise and Kristina more than you,¡± Eugene said while ncing at the wall. Catching his gaze, Kristina grinned and waved. "Worry not. Whatever happens, we will ensure you don''t perish,¡± said Kristina. "Right¡­." His trust was well-ced in her words. With resolve, Eugene closed his eyes. Eugene''s White me Form had long lingered at Six Stars. It felt as though it was on the brink of evolving yet remained steadfast in its current form. By his own reckoning, hecked the necessary power. The White me Form, now optimized with the addition of Lightning me and the Ring me Form, boasted power that far surpassed any others with Six Stars. Thus, advancing beyond required even greater power. It was for this reason that he sought Sienna''s aid. Using the expansive magic circle etched throughout the room, they examined the entirety of the mana flow within Eugene''s body. However, such an expansive magic circle wasn''t necessary for merely observing the mana flow. It was designed not only to observe but also to interfere. Sienna concentrated intensely as she reached out. Eugene and Sienna¡¯s consciousness synchronized. Eugene first activated his White me Form. Whoosh! A violet me enveloped Eugene, with crackling currents flowing across it. Feeling a tingling sensation on her skin, Sienna ced her hands upon the me. "If it hurts, let me know," Sienna whispered. Instead of responding, Eugene clenched his teeth and closed his eyes. Booooom! The sound echoed from within his mind and body. It was the noise of Sienna''s magic, her mana, and the Eternal Hole, all striking at Eugene''s Core. Boooom! The same noise reverberated once more. The cycle of the Six Stars was disrupted by the impact of the brute force. Boooom! Eugene''s teeth shattered, and blood dripped from his clenched fists. Agaroth¡¯s Ring began to emanate a soft red glow after bing drenched in his blood. Eugene withstood the onught without uttering a scream. ''It''d be better to die.'' That thought resonated within him. Judging by the state of things, it seemed he''d have to endure this hundreds of times over the next week¡­. Boooooooom! The next jolt wiped away Eugene''s thoughts entirely. Chapter 352: The Door (2) The excruciating pain that caused Eugene to clench his teeth gradually became a tad more bearable, and with every throb, the noise echoing within seemed to drift further away. Boom, boom, boom¡­ It was not aforting sensation by any means. Whether it was a knock to open or shatter, the very act of "knocking" bore its own agony. Yet, Eugene¡¯s concentration overshadowed the incredible pain. If he wanted to exploit this primitive method to its fullest, he had to synchronize perfectly with Sienna. This meant that he couldn¡¯t be content with merely observing the magic and the flow of mana from Sienna. But instead, Eugene, too, had to harness the White me Form in tune with the flow. Slowly, Eugene became submerged in the flow of mana. He had his eyes closed from the very start, but at some point, he began to perceive the flickering mes even through his shut eyelids. The mes he saw weren''t the characteristic white mes of the White me Form but rather the purple hue of his unique mes. Though his eyes remained closed, Eugene fixated on the swaying of the purple me. Boom, boom. With every impact, the me danced hither and thither. Eugene made sure to continue adjusting the maniption of the White me Form in harmony with the me¡¯s waltz. Time became elusive. It always felt this way when deeply engrossed in controlling mana since his previous life. It was impossible to see mana with the naked eye, and without talent, it would take years to even begin to feel mana and even more years to start controlling it. Mana was esoteric and baffling, yet to Eugene, it was often kind and straightforward. He excelled at many skills in his past life, but his control over mana had been his most cherished ability. One could easily immerse themselves in what they loved and excelled at. Even if it felt like moments to Eugene, it was often arge span of time. Right now, Eugene could lose himself so deeply in his mana control because he did not need to be mindful of anything other than himself. His trust in Sienna was absolute. Synchronizing and matching the flow with another''s mana would be challenging with other archwizards, but Sienna was an exception. Sienna could maintain her magic for days, as long as Eugene could endure. And should, by some minuscule chance, their synchronization falter and their flows jumble? They had taken impable precautions for such mishaps. With the presence of the two Saints, Kristina and Anise, it would prove challenging for them to die, even if they wanted to. Therefore, Eugene could focus solely on himself with a light heart. He didn''t know how many iterations he''d have to endure, but considering his achievement in the White me Form, the flow of mana, and the current state of his Stars, there was a good chance he could attain the Seventh Star before the expedition departed. In the first ce, this n wasn''t impulsively cobbled together. Before arriving in Shimuin, during their time at the Lionheart Mansion, they had scrutinized various perspectives, identified challenges, and ultimately derived this method. Hence, both Eugene and Sienna believed that he could break through the current bottleneck in the White me Form using this strategy. ¡®I¡¯m obviously going to do great on my part, and if Sienna does hers¡­.¡¯ Eugene harbored such thoughts for a fleeting moment. Booooommm! The distant noise suddenly grew deafeningly loud and close. The shock that had been rumbling within felt as though it would obliterate his very consciousness. ¡®Sienna...!¡¯ Eugene thought. A problem had arisen. Could it truly be due to that fleeting distraction? No, that couldn''t be it. Eugene''s maniption of mana had been wless. He had briefly been sidetracked by a stray thought, but his concentration hadn''t been so weak as to be disrupted by such a trivial thing. Thus, if there was a fault, it was not Eugene''s but Sienna''s. It might have been an arrogant assumption, but Eugene was utterly convinced he was not to me. He was helpless to immediately address the situation, so he turned his attention toward rectifying the mana¡¯s distorted flow. However, the issue was more severe than Eugene had anticipated. The flow of mana wasn''t merely twisted ¡ª he couldn''t sense it at all. Had his senses been paralyzed? That seemed too extreme. If the issue had been that severe, he would''ve either lost consciousness or screamed in pain. Eugene was unable toprehend his current state. Thus, he first opened his eyes. "...What is this?" he muttered without realizing it. He was rendered immobile for a moment from the shock. He had opened his eyes in the mansion''s underground room, but now before him stretched an endless sea. How was he to interpret this? Dumbfounded, he remained seated with his jaws agape. He forced himself to dispel his growing sense of panic. Surely, Sienna wouldn''t y such a prank. Could he be hallucinating from sheer shock? Eugene staggered to his feet while thinking so. But what he saw felt too real to be an illusion. The sea in front of him. No ¡ª that wasn''t the sea. He btedly realized what he was seeing. It wasn¡¯t the sea, but a massive wave. It was a wave so vast and tall that one could only mistake it for the endless ocean. Only the wave was in sight regardless of where he looked. It was a wave so colossal it seemed to touch the heavens. Beyond the wave was only the sea mist approaching with it. But, despite the encroaching colossal wave, there was no scent of the unique salty sea breeze. The moment he realized this, he was ovee with an intense, overpowering odor. It was a stench he knew all too well ¡ª the smell of blood. It was the stench of innards, rotting corpses, and expelled waste. All such stenches werebined into the nauseating scent of death. And this particr odor was especially vile. Slowly, Eugene turned around. Frankly, he had a good idea of what he''d find and was somewhat prepared. The horrendous and putrid smell of death clearly indicated a sea of corpses. He was all too familiar with it. It was reminiscent of the horrific days from three hundred years ago. Most of his memories in his past life were those of battlefields. Except for his earliest memories, when his parents were alive, and he lived in the small countryside vige of Turas, Eugene, or Hamel, as he was known then, had spent almost his entire life on battlefields. Battlefields were always littered with corpses, whether human, elf, dwarf, monster, demon, demonic beast, or any other creature. From a young age, Hamel had witnessed these scenes of death. Any shock from seeing such sights had been left behind in his youth. Yet, what he now beheld left him in sheer astonishment. No, he was overwhelmed. It was so far from reality that it seemed like a dream. On one side were waves that were vast beyondprehension, and on the other side were mountains of corpses as enormous, stretching out like an endless sea. Everywhere he looked, only the deceased met his eyes, so numerous that the rest of thendscape disappeared behind them. "What the hell is this?" Eugene eximed, horrified. A hallucination? A nightmare? As Eugene grappled with his disbelief, the inexorable ¡®wave¡¯ continued to approach him. Before the wave could consume everything, a thick fog rolled in, so dense that it even obscured the scent of death. There, Eugene stood, paralyzed in the midst. The fog covered the lifeless bodies. The world vanished in the gray haze. But this was not the end. The actual wave that would erase everything had yet to crash down. In this thick, imprable fog, he could not see the wave. But he could sense its slow approach. A primal and ominous dread gripped Eugene. He had experienced such a feeling long ago. It was reminiscent of an entity so vague he had not even clearly seen it. A mere glimpse from the corner of his vision had been enough to make him realize what despair was. Rumbleee. Before the wave struck, he heard the sound of something breaking and crumbling. Enveloped by the dense fog, it felt as if his body, his very consciousness, was plummeting into the abyss. And then, he waspletely devoured by the darkness. "Eugene!" "Hamel!" He couldn''t grasp the situation. Eugene tried to focus while blinking several times. He saw Sienna and Anise looking down at him with wide, worried eyes. "Wh¡­ what¡­." His voice quivered as he tried to speak. As soon as he uttered a sound, Anise rushed to embrace him, her hands trembling as she touched him. "What on earth¡­? Are you truly alright, Eugene?" Kristina, having stepped forward, choked up. Sienna, who had missed her chance to act, blinked several times in confusion and then, albeit btedly, nudged herself beside Kristina. "What... happened? I... feel alright, I guess¡­," Eugene muttered, dazed. His mind was still in turmoil, struggling to grasp the situation. Lying almost beneath the two women, Eugene began checking himself for injuries. There was no evident harm. His Core was intact, and his veins weren''t twisted. The only pain was on his cheeks. Why? It wasn''t hard to guess. While unconscious, it seemed Sienna or Anise had pped him a few times. "I should be the one asking... What just happened?" Eugene asked while squirming beneath the two bodies. Kristina swiftly rose and shot a nce at Sienna. "Was it your mistake, Lady Sienna?" said Kristina. "Look here, kid! What do you take me for? I swear to the gods, I made no mistake!" retorted Sienna. "You don''t even believe in gods, do you?" said Kristina. "Well.... That might be true, but I genuinely didn¡¯t make any mistakes. If there was one, it wasn''t mine, but Eugene''s,¡± exined Sienna. "I didn''t mess up either,¡± Eugene muttered while sitting up. ¡°If neither of us messed up, then what happened? Did anything strange happen?¡± ¡°Strange happening? Yes, there was.¡± Sienna affirmed as she pointed to Eugene¡¯s left hand. When he looked to check what she was pointing at, he saw dried blood on his hand. Blood was sttered on Agaroth¡¯s Ring. ¡°The ring was pulsing red. Was it not your doing?¡± asked Sienna. ¡°Me? Why would I?¡± said Eugene. ¡°The ring''s power heals you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± For an unknown reason, a mishap urred while Eugene and Sienna were synchronizing their mana flow. As such, something happened inside Eugene, which was why he had invoked Agaroth¡¯s Ring. At least, that¡¯s what Sienna, Kristina, and Anise believed. Yet, Eugene had not summoned the ring''s power. Though, at times, the ring had augmented his divine power without beckoning ¡ª it was merely to bolster. The ring had never activated its power of its own volition. ¡®It couldn¡¯t be because I cleaned the ring, right?¡¯ This fleeting thought surfaced within Eugene¡¯s mind. That waspletely ridiculous. With a scowl, Eugene fixed his gaze on the ring. He concentrated on the ring, but no oddities presented themselves. After a brief scrutiny, Eugene impulsively sliced the palm of his left hand. Sienna and Kristina remained unfazed by the sight. Since Eugene had recovered, the two were capable of making rational judgments. With the two women¡¯s gazes on him, Eugene summoned the ring¡¯s power. It was a mere scratch on his palm. The energy expended to heal was but trivial. Agaroth¡¯s Ring fed on a scant bit of Eugene¡¯s life and swiftly mended the wound. Then it was over. Eugene became lost in thought. He clenched and unclenched his fist. ¡®What was it?¡¯ Eugene wondered as he tried to search for possible exnations. Did the recurrent shocks unknowingly activate the ring''s power? Such a notion was hard to swallow. The ring''s invocation wasn¡¯t novel to him. When facing dire perils in the battle against Raizakia, he had not seen the same illusion when he used Agaroth¡¯s Ring. Was it because he¡­ cleaned the ring meticulously? Impossible. With a sardonic smirk, Eugene smeared blood onto the ring. Yet, no anomaly ensued. He tilted the ring-adorned hand before wiping off the dried blood. Still, nothing transpired. ¡®In this country¡­ in these waters, myths of Agaroth persist.¡¯ Eugene thought back to what Gondor had told him. It could well be the only ce where legends of Agaroth still remained. Did he have to ponder upon the ring¡¯s antics in this light? ¡°Agaroth is a name unfamiliar to me,¡± voiced Kristina in response to his pondering. ¡°Most ancient gods have not left their names in this age. ording to the theology of Yuras, the very first being called a god in this world was the God of Light. Those borne from the luminescence he radiated are but his progeny.¡± In a distant past, an era devoid of the Demon King, where demons, beasts, and monsters were indistinguishable, all such beings had been merely termed monsters. The God of Light had descended during such a time. Humans feared the monsters, those born from and apanied by the darkness. Thus, the God of Light bestowed upon them a brilliance to dispel the shadows. He graced the humans with the luminance of the mes. By the divine descent of the God of Light, mankind was granted life in the world. Only the God of Light had descended from the heavens. All other deities had been birthed on the ground in the world illuminated by the God of Light. "In the theology of Yuras, Agaroth would be such a being. Not a deity descended from the heavens, but one birthed from the world bathed in light. Most of these beings arise from the worship of men," exined Kristina. To the followers of Yuras, the God of Light was the one true deity. They dismissed other gods as mere fabrications, idols of worship set up by primitive ancients. In truth, even Yuras wasn''t entirely above such usations. Ages past, the Disciples of the Light had been so obsessed with a tangible object of worship that they used the remains of the Holy Emperor to forge a false idol. Yuras had been preupied with fabricated divinities. "It was a necessity during those times," Kristina remarked with a cynical smile. "In that distant age, humans first became aware of the entity we call ''god.'' Everyone yearned to worship such an existence, to call someone a deity." After the God of Light, countless other deities graced the world, though many didn''t leave their names in the annals of time. "It''s uncertain whether Agaroth truly was an entity worthy of the title ''god.'' How do we address the demise of such an entity from the mythic ages? We can''t fully interpret events from such bygone times. But Sir Eugene, in faith, what matters most is not the existence of a god, but belief itself," she exined. Kristina and Anise were such entities. The Saint wasn¡¯t a product of divine intervention, but false gods birthed from human desire. Although they were made entirely by human hands, merely thebel of ¡®Saint¡¯ allowed them to lead countless believers to trust in the existence of their god. "The ring you possess, Sir Eugene, is a divine artifact of Agaroth. And myths of Agaroth persist in these seas. Perhaps somewhere in these waters, the heartbeat of faith in Agaroth continues," Kristina suggested. "So the ring reacted because of that?" asked Eugene. "I can''t be certain. Or maybe¡­." Kristina hesitated, wary of her words. "It could be a revtion,¡± Anise interjected. She gazed intently at the ring on Eugene''s finger with squinted eyes. "While the God of Light rarely bestowed direct revtions¡­. Hmmm, Hamel. That ring is a divine artifact of the ancient war god, Agaroth, right? And has its divine power not aided you in the past? If so, perhaps Agaroth holds you in particr esteem." "So Agaroth sent a revtion to me?" Eugene asked skeptically. "It''s all in the interpretation. As Kristina mentioned, in religion, what''s important is faith. There''s a reason the leaders of false faiths obsess over idolizing themselves. That''s probably why there were so many gods in the past," Anisemented. With a suspicious look, Eugene eyed the ring on his finger. "Was Agaroth a deity who descended from the heavens¡­? Hmm. ording to the theology of Yuras, only the God of Light descended from the sky. But honestly, that tale is hard to believe," Anise stated calmly. It was something no other believer would dare state. "You know as well as I that the teachings of Yuras, the Church of the God of Light, have been twisted and perverted to the extreme. Perhaps there were multiple gods who descended, and Agaroth might have been one among them." "If such an entity exists, it might send revtions too, though the meaning of such a revtion remains elusive," Anise mused. Eugene concentrated on the vision he had witnessed earlier: the engulfing sea mists and the countless corpses.... A recollection surged within him, a vision he saw in the darkness. He had seen the image in the Dark Room. The first had been of a battlefield littered with bodies asmon as trash. A man, face obscured, had been staggering across it, shoulders sagging with despair as he moved towards a distant horizon. Then, he had seen mountains of stacked corpses and, atop it, a seated man with a blood-soaked greatsword resting on his shoulder. ¡®Was that also a revtion?¡¯ Eugene pondered while ying with the ring. When he had entered the Dark Room, he had left Agaroth¡¯s Ring behind. However, besides that, he had always worn the ring. A ring on the left ring finger had historically signified various things like contracts, unions, and promises. From the moment Eugene first put the ring on that finger and fed it his blood, one could say he had formed a pact with Agaroth. ¡®If we''re so connected, I should be able to receive revtions¡­ even without wearing the ring,¡¯ he thought. Or perhaps, ¡®I saw a fragment of Agaroth''s memories.¡¯ Eugene clenched his fist with a scowl. "Let''s try it again." "What?" Anise eximed. "Hamel, have you lost your mind?" "If I''m uncertain, I need to try once more," Eugene grumbled while standing tall with determination. Chapter 353: The Door (3) Eugene made several more attempts afterward, but he did note to see another phantom. Even after making several changes to his attempts, he bore no fruit. He increased the intensity with which he knocked against his Core and made a purposeful attempt to be conscious of Agaroth¡¯s Ring. Nothing happened. "Revtions are strictly the will of the gods. No matter how fervently a human prays, the gods do not always respond," Anise exined. "Doesn''t the God of Light offer any advice?" Eugene asked, exasperated. "Do you really think that stoic deity would offer counsel on such matters? Three hundred years ago, even in my most desperate moment in the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration, the God of Light offered no guidance.¡± Anise grinned while staring intently at Eugene¡¯s face. The most desperate moment ¡ª was it truly the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration? Or was it perhaps...? Eugene had two possibilities in mind, but he refrained from asking Anise. Given Anise''s smirk, the answer was quite obvious. And that apparent answer invoked fear and guilt within Eugene. "Ahem¡­." He cleared his throat before continuing, "Isn''t it a bit harsh that even an angel like you can''tmunicate with the gods?" "I might be called an angel, but I''m no different from a ghost. The only distinction might be that I can spread my wings and emit light," Anise retorted with a bitterugh. It was true she had be an angel in death. But that didn''t mean she had met the God of Light directly. Yet, she certainly felt the presence of a god. The revtions Kristina received, as well as the appointment of Eugene Lionheart as the Hero, were definitely aligned with the will of the God of Light. ¡®So that¡¯s when it started,¡¯ Eugene thought, his face scrunched in contemtion as he settled into his seat. If Kristina hadn''t imed it was a revtion and taken Eugene with her back then, if he hadn''t ventured into Vermouth''s tomb with Doynes and Gilead to open the coffin, and if the God of Light hadn''t sent that revtion, would they have really checked Vermouth''s coffin? ¡®We would have eventually,¡¯ Eugene surmised. He had always harbored strong doubts about Vermouth''s death. No matter how much he contemted, he couldn''t imagine that Vermouth simply died of old age. But though he was curious, he wouldn''t have checked any time soon. After all, Eugene had not been in a ce to act freely within the ck Lion Castle at the time. "Are you still at it?" Ciel asked while entering the underground chamber. She shuddered involuntarily after ncing at Eugene sitting in the room¡¯s center. mes. Violet mes enveloped Eugene''s body. These silent, burning mes of mana rose past Eugene''s head and danced toward the ceiling. There was no heat, but the sheer force the mes emitted was overwhelming. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Ciel wondered. She knew what was happening in this room. She hadn''t visited daily, not wanting to disturb his meditation, but a few days prior, she hade down to listen to Eugene''s request. The mes had certainly been intense at that time but not nearly as overwhelmingly powerful as now. Ciel caught sight of Eugene with her mouth half-open but quicklyposed her expression before taking a step forward. "Has your White me Form reached Seven Stars?" she inquired. "Not yet,¡± Eugene answered. "Not... yet?" Ciel was baffled even further by his response. The quality of the mana he emitted had risen ringlypared to a few days before, and the force of his mes had magnified. Yet, he still wasn¡¯t at Seven Stars? "I¡¯ve almost broken through, but it hasn¡¯t formed a new Star yet," Eugene exined. He was certain he would have Seven Stars by tonight or tomorrow at thetest. ''Still, I¡¯ll have it done before we set sail,'' Eugene thought, relieved. The only reason he could use such a method now was due to theplexity of Eugene''s White me Form. This was thest time he''d be able to boost the White me Form in such a way. There wouldn''t be another shortcut in the future. "For now... I checked the library, but there''s scarce literature on the ancient gods. The few that exist scarcely mention Agaroth." Saying so, Ciel took a seat in front of Eugene before continuing with her report, "I met with an expert in the field. One of the most renowned schrs who studies the folk religions of Shimuin." The God of War ¡ª no matter how one worded it, war was ultimately about killing and conquest. In that regard, Agaroth was an excellent yer and conqueror. His very existence was war, and even his name embodied it. Why Agaroth waged such wars and obsessed over them was beyond understanding in this age. But one thing was clear ¡ª even amidst the tumultuous ancient times, Agaroth was among the few gods known for his brutality, always enveloped in the scent of blood. He had been a deity filled with madness. "ording to the schr, Agaroth was a great conqueror. He never settled in one ce and spent most of his life wandering,¡± continued Ciel. Whenever one war ended, he ignited another. Eugene recalled the visions of battlefields filled with corpses he had seen in the Dark Room. The more he heard and learned, the more he became convinced that the scenes he witnessed were rted to Agaroth. "Did you hear anything about Agaroth''s sacred ground somewhere in the South Seas?" asked Eugene. "There''s talk of it being ''somewhere across the distant sea''... but its exact location remains unknown. There are rare archaeological discoveries on the uninhabited inds there, but nothing of significant value,¡± responded Ciel. Eugene stared intently at the Ring of Agaroth on his left ring finger. If only he could receive another revtion like before. But unfortunately, Agaroth gave no further visions. He pondered over the nature of Agaroth''s Ring. The first time the ring acted on its own was at the Fount of Light. The next had been in Ruhr when it lunged at Gavid Lindman. It was when he used the Holy Sword. Eugene reflected on the emotions he felt at that moment. Rage, hatred, murderous intent ¡ª all were forms of madness that raged in wartime. Eugene did not despise those emotions. Rather, he was all too familiar with such feelings. ¡®They¡¯re necessary,¡¯ Eugene concluded. He had pondered casting the ring aside entirely, but... there was no denying the boon it had granted him in dire times. Nor was there any guarantee that there wouldn''t be more of such moments toe. ¡®I gained the ring by chance¡­¡¯ Eugene contemted everything he knew about the ring. The reason Ariartel had gifted him the Ring of Agaroth was in hopes that it would aid in Eugene''s journey. Eugene had not found any need for any other armament, having already possessed various weapons from the Lionheart n, those that had previously belonged to Vermouth. Thus, he had opted for the Ring of Agaroth. Even Eugene had to agree it had been an impable choice. He found greater allure in this ring. It could potentially stave off death, and it was infinitely better than some cumbersome armor that would only hamper his movement. It was definitely possible that he had acquired the ring by chance. ¡®But perhaps it was destined,¡¯ Eugene thought. The vast, distant seas, or Raguyaran ¡ª both represented the same enigma: a realm beyond human reach. What trulyy beyond, no one knew. Would they be filled with monsters like the Nur, who gave off the same enigmatic feeling as the Demon King of Destruction? Why were these countless creatures seeking to leave their domain, transcending boundaries toy waste to this world? Eugene clenched his hand. Legends spoke of Agaroth¡¯s sacred ground at the end of the southern seas. Eugene possessed Agaroth¡¯s relic, and he had received visions¡­. Perhaps he could journey there one day. No, he would need to head there one day. *** Days before setting sail, a line of colossal ships docked at the shores of Shedor. Even with the swiftest winds, a journey to the waters of Solgalta would take months. Advanced magic had revolutionized trade, negating the need forrge vessels for cargo. But magic couldn''t entirely defy thews of nature, especially when it concerned living beings. Supplies for months-long journey could be magicallypacted into smaller spaces. However, such wasn''t the case for humans. Recklessly expanding space for habitation and encountering an issue mid-journey? Spatial magic concerning living beings always held the potential for catastrophe, demanding cautious and stringent handling. Thus, the ships were vast, a necessity when ferrying hundreds of lives. Most ships flew the same banner: an eagle spreading its wings above the waves, a symbol of the Shimuin royal family. "The kingdom sure loves their eagles," a voice murmured nearby. "Look, the banner of Aroth is simr." "Not all eagles are the same. Aroth''s emblem has the eagle clutching a staff in its talons," Sienna countered. "Still, all just eagles at the end of the day." "The symbol of Kiehl is a dragon," Ciel interjected with a smirk. ¡°Are you trying to boast about it being an empire? Well, I guess a dragon would be stronger than an eagle. It¡¯s bigger. They can fly higher and wield magic as well,¡± Sienna grumbled, turning her gaze upwards. Though most ships sported the royal banners, a few had different ensigns. Especially notable was a ship flying a banner with the depiction of a sword, spear, and arrow ¡ª a vessel that stood just as imposingly as the royal warships. ¡°That belongs to the Mercenary King, Ivic d,¡± Carmen informed. She cocked her head, eyes following the figurehead of a ship adorned with a dragon. Upon it stood a man. ¡°That man there is Ivic.¡± Carmen pointed him out. He had short golden locks and a dewyplexion. He wasn¡¯t an immense hulk of a man like Molon, Ivatar, or Gargith. But slung across Ivic''s back was a bow asrge as any weapon carried by the bulkier warriors. ¡°Sword, spear, and bow. Those are Ivic''s weapons of choice. I once crossed des with him briefly. He''s not one to be taken lightly,¡± said Carmen. ¡°Well, isn''t he considered the second-best warrior in Shimuin?¡± Eugene mused, eyes narrowing as he observed Ivic from a distance. The honor of being Shimuin¡¯s strongest belonged to Ortus, the Commander of the Violent Tide Knights. The runner-up, or the second strongest, was Ivic. ¡°He is the second-ranked, but¡­ in some ways, he¡¯s even trickier to deal with than Ortus. The title of the first-ranked in Shimuin is typically reserved for direct descendants of the royal line, so Ivic, being a mercenary, could never attain it,¡± Carmen exined. ¡°So, you¡¯re suggesting Ivic might be more skilled than Lord Ortus?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°It¡¯s hard to say. They''ve never truly fought with the intent to kill one another. But from my experience fighting both¡­. Well, if Ivic were to put some distance between us and start firing that bow with lethal intent, I''d find him a tad more challenging.¡± After a brief pause, Carmen hastily added, ¡°That¡¯s not to say he''s stronger than me, just trickier. The Blood Lion¡ª¡± ¡°Lady Carmen, you shouldn''t refer to him that way now,¡± interjected Dezra, cutting off Carmen¡¯s words. Carmen hesitated, emitting a slight groan. To think that she, Carmen Lionheart, one of the three who had reached Seven Stars of the White me Form, would have to see the Blood Lion as such was¡­. ¡°E¡­ Eu¡­Ri,¡± Carmen sounded almost strangled. Eugene''s expression shifted to one of difort. Every twitch of his cheek made him more aware of the thickyer of makeup applied to his face, further igniting his agitation. What on earth was this spectacle? "Hush, Yuri, don''t clench your fists so hard. The muscles you''ve worked so hard to build might just burst." "Lady Yuri, please restrain your anger. Many eyes are upon this ce. Though they are distant, some might have keen enough senses to detect your fury and grow suspicious." Sienna and Kristina whispered at his side. "You must be aware of your current state, Yuri. You''re wearing women''s makeup and dressed in a woman¡¯s attire. What if you can''t contain yourself and explode here? All these people might realize you''re in disguise,¡± Ciel whispered with a grin that suggested she found the situation vastly amusing. "This is all your fault¡­!¡± Eugene shot back. "I might''ve asked, but you chose toply, Yuri. If you were a tad less kind-hearted, you wouldn''t have agreed to such a ridiculous request." Ciel turned away, her smile still in ce. "Well, it''s toote to back out now, right? Just keep it together until we board the ship, okay? Once we''re aboard, you won''t have to go out." Yuri took deep breaths, trying to calm ¡°herself.¡± Right, just until they boarded the ship. And indeed, there were so many onlookers right now. The mere news of a mission to subdue the troublesome Pirate Empress was enough to excite the townspeople. Add to that a grand send-off for the task force and a crowd was inevitable. ¡®They''re all staring so intently.¡¯ The gazes of those who had already boarded the ship were especially intense, much like Ivic''s. And why wouldn''t they be? There was Ciel, who had achieved so much at such a young age, and Carmen, known to be the strongest in Lionheart. Even though their numbers were few, just the names Carmen, Ciel, and ''Lionheart'' were enough to draw all eyes to them. Such intense scrutiny called for caution. Yuri was careful with every step, every gesture. She intentionally avoided making eye contact with anyone. Thankfully, she was allowed to keep her head down. For now, Yuri, Sienna, and Kristina were in disguise as servants of the Lionheart family. Chapter 354: Ivic (1) ¡°This reminds me of the old days,¡± Sienna said, her lips set in a straight line as she turned to look at their surroundings. Boarding arge vessel like this one and being sent off with such a grand disy, almost like it was a celebration ¡ª this all reminded her of their past from three hundred years ago. In fact, things weren¡¯t all that simr. At that time, when Sienna had just met Hamel, and they were setting sail for Helmuth together, the ship everyone had been riding on was much shabbier than the one they were on now. Such arge fleet was being mobilized to subdue a single dark elf ¡ª Iris, but when the Hero Vermouth and hispanions had set sail for Helmuth three hundred years ago, the ships that had left with them had numbered less than ten. It couldn¡¯t be helped. At that time, no other ships in the port city were willing to set sail for Helmuth. After all, how could there be so many people with a death wish willing to take part in a journey where the most likely oue would be them all dying horribly? However, just by leading the vanguard, the Hero Vermouth managed to turn the tide of the war. Even back then, three hundred years ago, countless people were just waiting for someone to give them a push on the back or drag them forward, holding their hands. ¡°Let¡¯s head inside,¡± Eugene suggested in a lowered voice. Even after listening to himself speak in his magically altered voice several times now, he still couldn¡¯t get used to it. The fact that he had to be so careful with his mannerisms also made Eugene steam up inside. If it were possible, he would much rather lock himself in his room and note out until they had reached the Solgarta Sea. The fortunate thing was that the ship Eugene and the others were currently on had actually been set aside for the Lionhearts¡¯ exclusive use. There might be many other sailors and soldiers on board, but all of them looked to the Lionhearts ¡ª Carmen and Ciel, that is ¡ª for orders. This was a consideration given by Ortus, who was serving as themander of the subjugation force. In fact, Ortus would also have found it awkward to ride on the same ship as Carmen. While it was true that Ortus was themander-in-chief, that didn¡¯t mean Ortus was in any position to give Carmen orders. ¡°What¡¯s so great about riding on the same ship as a royal?¡± Ciel said with a snort as she turned her head dismissively. The gship sailing at the head of the fleet had the emblem of Shimuin¡¯s royal family embroidered into its sails in a disy of majesty and prestige. With dwarven hands shaping everything from its design to construction, this was Shimuin¡¯s strongest warship, the Laversia. In addition to Ortus, two other members of Shimuin¡¯s royal family were currently riding that ship. They were Scalia Animus, the Vice-Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, also known as the Princess Knight, and her half-brother, Jafar Animus. ¡°I can understand why Princess Scalia, as a member of the Violent Tide Knights, ising along, but why did they bring a prince as well?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°To earn some prestige,¡± Ciel replied in a tone that suggested the answer was obvious. ¡°As you may already know, Princess Scalia had been held up as the mascot of the royal family. After all, this country so boastfully touts itself to be the Land of Knights.¡± Shimuin¡¯s royal family was obsessed with their country¡¯s nickname, the Land of Knights. The countless coliseums that existed within this kingdom, as well as the numerous policies that favored knights errant and mercenaries, were all designed to spread that nickname. However, those alone weren¡¯t enough. In order to truly be called the Land of Knights, the royal family itself needed to be known for its knights. As a result, Princess Scalia had been carefully cultivated into a mascot that the royal family could use to appeal to the public. ¡ªThis princess puts too much effort into living up to the expectations of those around her. She trains diligently and goes without sleep, but her level of skill is honestly just average. It¡¯s not bad enough to be called terrible, but it¡¯s also not good enough to justify being called the Princess Knight. That was what Noir, the Queen of the Night Demons, had said with a giggle after stealing control of Scalia¡¯s body. It was an urate assessment of the princess. Scalia had shown some talent for the sword from an early age, but even that wasn¡¯t exceptional enough to justify her receiving such unanimous acim. Even so, the royal family had forcefully ced Princess Scalia in such a position. They had made her the Vice-Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, one of the knightly orders that were always brought up when discussing the question of who were the strongest knights on the continent. ¡°In fact, Princess Scalia is actually quite far down the line of session for the throne. However, Prince Jafar is a different matter. He¡¯s third in line for the session, giving him more than enough grounds to aim for the throne,¡± Ciel exined, her brows furrowing as she talked about Prince Jafar. While observing Eugene¡¯s expression, Ciel cleared her throat slightly and continued, ¡°The crown might be within his reach, but it will still take a lot of effort for the third-in-line to ascend to the throne. Efforts such as hiding behind his sister while tagging along on a subjugation mission with a guaranteed chance of victory, or else¡­ ahem, marriage to a youngdy from a prestigious foreign n.¡± Marriage? At this word, Eugene narrowed his eyes and turned to look at Ciel. It was already obvious why Ciel was bringing up this topic now, but Eugene wanted to hear the full details. Ciel paused to clear her throat once more, ¡°Ahem¡­. Well, as you should already be aware, the Lionheart n¡¯s name holds an extreme significance that has nothing to do with the strength that the n also possesses. Enough to attract the interest of a prince from the Land of Knights.¡± ¡°But you definitely have no intention of epting his interest,¡± Eugene bluntly stated. Ciel pouted, ¡°You can be reeeeally cold at times, you know that? Like right now, for instance.¡± Sienna and Kristina were honestly concerned that Ciel might burst into tears once more, but fortunately, Ciel didn¡¯t tear up. Instead, she just furrowed her brow and kicked Eugene in the thigh. ¡°Definitely? Even though you said that you definitely don¡¯t see me in that way, you still act like you know everything about me,¡± Cielined. ¡°When did I ever do that?¡± Eugene denied. Ciel huffed, ¡°Well, in any case, of course I don¡¯t! I have no interest in Prince Jafar whatsoever. He has sent me several letters asking me out for a cup of tea, but I¡¯ve ignored them all.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why he¡¯s ring at us like that?¡± Eugene grumbled in a low voice. ¡°And don¡¯t you know that you should be more careful? Kicking someone right out in the open where other people can see you. Is it really okay if the noble White Rose gets caught doing something like that?¡± ¡°You¡¯re being so annoying,¡± Cielined, even as she raised her head to look over with a puzzled expression. Indeed, it was just as Eugene had said. A tant gaze could be felt being directed at them from the gship Laversia. Two people could be seen standing at the aft of the ship. A man and a woman, both with red hair. The man had a beard that didn¡¯t really suit him and was wearing an equally ill-fitting suit of armor. This man was probably Prince Jafar. As for the woman standing next to him, Eugene already knew who she was. It was Scalia Animus. When they met in Ruhr, she had ck circles under her eyes due to suffering from insomnia, but herplexion looked better now than it had back then. However, from the dullness of her eyes, she still didn¡¯t look all that healthy. Eugene recalled the sight of Scalia decapitating a corpse¡¯s head. ¡ªI¡¯m not attacking this princess; instead, I''m helping her. Even though she can¡¯t help her true nature¡­. Princess Scalia had ughtered the mercenaries in the snowfield because she had been driven mad by the nightmares that Noir had shown her. To Scalia¡¯s eyes at that time, the mercenaries had looked like viins who deserved death. However, the punishment that Scalia administered was still too severe. She had ughtered them all while shouting about how she was delivering punishment on these dirty filths. That might have something to do with the ¡°true nature¡± that Noir had spoken of. ¡°But why is Princess Scalia also ring this way?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because she hates the Lionhearts,¡± Ciel muttered with a snort. ¡°Also, she hates me as well.¡± Eugene blinked, ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Haven¡¯t I already said it?¡± Ciel smirked. ¡°The Lionheart name possesses immense significance. Although Princess Scalia may be far from the throne¡­ what if she had be engaged to Cyan, who has been confirmed as the next Patriarch? The princess herself may not have been able to ascend to the throne even with that, but for the royal family, it can¡¯t help but be a huge disappointment that her engagement to Cyan fell through.¡± There had been two people in the discussion for Cyan¡¯s potential fiance. Shimuin¡¯s Princess Scalia and the Ruhr Kingdom¡¯s Princess A. However, since Princess A was currently only eleven years old, it had virtually been confirmed that Cyan was to be betrothed to Princess Scalia. If they hadn¡¯t met Princess Scalia in the snowfield on their way to the Knight March, that is. And if they hadn¡¯t seen how she had been driven crazy from her nightmares and staged such a massacre. ¡°Who cares what she wants?¡± Ciel whispered. ¡°Apart from what we saw with you back then, do you know just how much my brother and I were offended when she used her status as a princess to act so condescending towards us? That¡¯s why Cyan decided to change the target of his betrothal. In the first ce, they weren¡¯t even officially engaged; they were just in the process of talks.¡± Eugene decided to move on, ¡°And what¡¯s the reason she hates you?¡± ¡°Are you really asking because you don¡¯t know the answer already? You should be able to roughly tell just how famous I¡¯ve be in Shimuin over the past year. They do call me the Undefeated White Rose, after all. On top of the fact that I¡¯m higher in the rankings than Princess Scalia, there¡¯s the difference between our performance during our matches, and well¡­,¡± Ciel hesitated for a moment, seeming a bit embarrassed at having to say this herself, but she soon got hold of her expression and finished with a smug smile, ¡°our appearances.¡± Eugene just stayed silent. ¡°Go ahead and just try to refute it,¡± Ciel challenged. ¡°What do you think? Between me and Princess Scalia, who¡¯s prettier?¡± ¡°Do I really need to answer that?¡± Eugene questioned. Ciel returned his question with another, ¡°What if I really want to hear your answer, though?¡± ¡°You¡¯re¡­ prettier, I guess,¡± Eugene admitted with a deep sigh. These words made Ciel happy enough that she felt like she was floating, but she did her best to hide any changes in her expression. Instead, she pretended tough arrogantly. ¡°Isn¡¯t the sea breeze kind of cold?¡± Sienna, who had been watching Ciel as if spectating a child¡¯s performance, suddenly spoke up. Although the child¡¯s performance¡­ had certainly been cute, Sienna felt she couldn¡¯t just allow Ciel to continue her solo act precisely because of that. ¡®After all, there¡¯s still a pecking order when ites to these things[1]!¡¯ Although Eugene had said he couldn¡¯t see her that way, was there really a tree in this world that wouldn¡¯t be felled after being chopped ten times? So what would happen if Sienna allowed the twenty-one-year-old, fresh-faced Ciel to actively use her current position to start chopping her way into Eugene¡¯s heart?! Sienna was afraid of this possibility and believed there was a need to be wary of this young, hot-blooded ax-woman. As such, Sienna subtly sent a nce towards Kristina, who was standing beside her. That¡¯s right, she still had Kristina and Anise, and, in Sienna¡¯s opinion, these two were her firm allies ¡ª the two-in-one Saints who at times showed the craftiness of the elderly and at other times showed their youthful energy. So Sienna intended to join hands with the Saint and form a strong barrier that would block Ciel¡¯s ax swings. However, Kristina''s reaction waspletely different from Sienna¡¯s expectations. She didn¡¯t seem to feel any wariness towards Ciel, instead showing a bright smile. Those weren¡¯t the eyes of someone looking at a child showing off. Right now, Kristina was purely cheering for Ciel. Unable to guess the reason why that might be, Sienna tilted her head in confusion. Soon, she came to a fearful and terrifying conjecture. The twenty-three-year-old Kristina and the twenty-one-year-old Ciel must have joined hands already. As for that snake-like Anise, who had survived until now by transforming into an angel after dying at the end of her natural lifespan three hundred years ago, she would always hide behind Kristina whenever Sienna was being teased for her advanced age. So, in the face of this alliance of twenty-year-olds, Sienna would surely be leftpletely isted. Whoosh! Right at the moment when Sienna was about to vent her anger at being ced in such a position, someone dropped onto the deck with a gust of wind. ¡°Hmm,¡± Carmen, who had been leaning against the railing, straightened herself and greeted the intruder by name, ¡°Ivic.¡± This was the man who was known as the Mercenary King. Rising from his crouch, Ivic turned his head towards Carmen. Eugene had quite an interest in Ivic. The reason for that was simple. It was because of Ivic¡¯s nickname as the Mercenary King. ¡®It reminds me of the past,¡¯ Eugene thought. Three hundred years ago, before bing Vermouth¡¯srade, Hamel was originally a mercenary. He wasn¡¯t just any mercenary, too, but an exceptionally famous mercenary. Even in that terrible era, he could still name a high price for his services, and he was proud of the fact that he always delivered a job well beyond what he had charged for. Of course, he wasn¡¯t just famous in a good way. Before his manners had been cleaned up by Anise, Hamel really did have a filthy personality, and he was especially cruel when it came to dealing with the other mercenaries in the same industry as himself. But that couldn¡¯t be helped. Hamel had suffered too many bad turns during his work as a mercenary. He had, of course, been betrayed many times, but when he was younger, there had even been times when the chastity of his ass had been in danger. As such, even though Hamel was a mercenary, he hated other mercenaries. ¡®However, I was still very respected as a mercenary,¡¯ Eugene recalled smugly. Although it might sound strange, Eugene, or rather Hamel, didn¡¯t feel much shame for praising himself like this. Hamel was definitely a legendary mercenary. If you set aside his shitty personality and just looked at his achievements, no one could deny his status as a legendary mercenary. From a mercenary who dominated the battlefield, he became the Hero¡¯srade, and he had even helped to y three Demon Kings. If someone like that couldn¡¯t be called legendary or a king of mercenaries, then who the hell could? ¡®He should definitely respect Hamel,¡¯ Eugene thought as he examined Ivic. When even the Patriarch of the prestigious Lionheart n respected Hamel more than his own ancestor, there was no way that a man who was called the Mercenary King wouldn¡¯t revere Hamel. ¡®Though there¡¯s no way I can ask him that when I¡¯m dressed like this¡­,¡¯ Eugene thought regretfully. But first of all, why had Ivice here? Eugene leaned over slightly to hide himself behind Ciel''s back. Although his disguise as a woman was almost perfect, if it was a master at Ivic¡¯s level, he might be able to see through the ws that remained in Eugene¡¯s form. Ivic strode over to them. Carmen bit down on her cigar with an exasperated look and reached into a pocket of her coat. She stepped forward in front of the group as if to stop Ivic from approaching any closer. It was Ivic who made the first move. He stretched out one hand as if to offer a handshake, and then, in the next instant, he had drawn his sword. The sword sh that curved upwards from his waist flew towards Carmen¡¯s throat. Carmen responded without the slightest panic. Her casually outstretched hand parried the de while her other hand shot at Ivic¡¯s Adam¡¯s apple. Her attack didn¡¯tnd. This was because the moment his de had been parried, Ivic took a step back without hesitation. ¡°You¡¯re as good as ever, big sis,¡± Ivicplimented. Carmen sighed, ¡°And you¡¯re as rude as ever, Ivic.¡± Ivic had a sly grin on his face. Looking at Ciel and Dezra, standing behind Carmen, he winked. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯vest met, youngdies from the Lionheart n. How have you been?¡± Ivic politely asked. ¡°Alright,¡± Ciel casually responded. Dezra was more polite, ¡°It¡¯s been a long time, Sir Ivic.¡± Ivic turned to Carmen, ¡°You¡¯re being a little too strict with them, big sis. After all, there shouldn¡¯t be any reason for you to bring these young ones along with us on such a dangerous mission.¡± ¡°A lion will push its cubs off a cliff,¡± Carmen said after resting her cigar between her fingers. The moment she said this, Carmen flinched and turned to look in Eugene¡¯s direction. She recalled that she had said those same words to Eugene in the past, only to be pointed out that she was wrong. ¡°Ivic, do you know something? In fact, lions don¡¯t actually push their cubs off cliffs,¡± Carmen dered proudly. Ivic was taken aback. ¡°What?¡± ¡°However, for a lion to grow into its full potential as a lion, it must ovee many hardships from a young age. So, to raise these two into excellent lions, I am deliberately subjecting them to hardship.¡± ¡°Oh¡­ as expected of you, big sis,¡± Ivic said with an uncertain look as he nodded. Carmen asked, ¡°So then, Ivic, why have youe on to our ship? Judging from how you were posing earlier and showing off, are you just looking for some praise?¡± Ivic attempted to deny this, ¡°What on earth are you saying, big sis?¡± ¡°It would look a bit more impressive if you were at least wearing a cloak,¡± Carmen critiqued. ¡°No¡­ it feels like there¡¯s been some kind of misunderstanding, but I really wasn¡¯t trying to pose or show off to you, big sis,¡± Ivic insisted. ¡°But you were definitely holding a pose to show off to someone, weren¡¯t you?¡± Carmen used. ¡°I was actually trying to show off to my fans who havee to see us off,¡± Ivic finally admitted. ¡°As youngdy Ciel may already be aware, if you want to make a living in this country as a fighter, your fanbase is just as important as your skills.¡± While sheathing his drawn sword back into its scabbard, Ivic muttered in a low voice, ¡°The other reason why I¡¯vee here, big sis, is that I want to talk to you about Iris.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Is it something to do with the subjugation force? If so, is that really something that you should be discussing with me? Themander of the subjugation force is Lord Ortus.¡± ¡°Haha¡­. I¡¯m afraid that I don¡¯t really get along with Lord Ortus,¡± Ivis nced at Laversia in the distance before continuing to speak, ¡°I also suspect that he might be scheming something. Especially since someone like me makes Lord Ortus ufortable in several different senses of the word.¡± Carmen pondered this for a moment, ¡°Hm¡­. Alright, I¡¯ll ept that for now. Then let¡¯s go inside and have a talk. However, Ivic, what exactly can you tell me about Iris?¡± ¡°There are many things I can tell you about her,¡± Ivic said with a grin before turning his head slightly to look behind Ciel. ¡°By the way, who are those pretty young women?¡± Pretty young women. These words caused Eugene¡¯s cheeks to tremble unconsciously. 1. I had some difficulty tranting the original Korean idiom. The original text trantes literally to ¡®even when drinking cold water, you need to pay attention to hierarchy.¡¯ In Korean custom, being polite to your elders is extremely important, so this proverb conveys the lesson that you should give way to your elders, even when ites to trivial things like who gets a drink first. The concept of a pecking order seemed like the best way to convey what Sienna is thinking here. ? Chapter 355: Ivic (2) The rtionship between Ivic and Carmen started around forty years ago. When Carmen had yet to be a ck Lion, she first met Ivic, who even then was a mercenary, when she was wandering around the continent under the pretext of training to be a knight. The strong are said to be able to recognize each other on sight. They had both been strong from a young age and saw it in each other as soon as they met. Although it might sound funny, through the sh of her fist against his de, a bond was established between Carmen and Ivic. Ivic, who was defeated in their sh, epted his defeat without any reservations and swore to respect Carmen as his big sis. Following this, they had several other entanglements. The Knights of the ck Lion were responsible for the Lionheart n¡¯s dirty work. However, that wasn¡¯t the only significance of the ck Lion Knights¡¯ existence. The duty assigned to the ck Lion Knights by the Kiehl Empire was to guard the empire¡¯s southern border along the Us Mountain Range. Although the knights had no need to borrow the strength of mercenaries to fulfill their duty, they often sought the help of skilled mercenaries to act as a foreign invasion force during simted drills. Because of this connection, Ivic had quite a deep rtionship with Carmen, no, with the Lionheart n. ¡°I see there are some new faces here,¡± Ivicmented. During Carmen¡¯s birthday a few months ago, the Lionhearts hadn¡¯t thrown anyvish parties, but Ivic had still visited them in their mansion with a few carefully selected gifts. After all, it wasn¡¯t like they were strangers, and since this was the birthday of the person he respected as his big sis, shouldn¡¯t Ivic at least bring her a present? Ivic had already be familiar with Carmen¡¯s disciple, Ciel, and her squire, Dezra, a while back, so it wasn¡¯t awkward for him to visit them. He had given Carmen a pleasant gift of an antique and elegant ashtray, then, after having a few drinks together, Ivic had politely departed from the mansion. Ivic clearly remembered all the faces of the servants he had seen in the mansion at that time. Those servants had been hired upon the Lionhearts¡¯ arrival in Shimuin, not brought along with them from the Lionheart n. Ivic was sure that he couldn¡¯t recall seeing the faces of the three women standing behind Ciel. ¡°They don¡¯t seem like your average servants either,¡± Ivic said assessingly. Even with Ivic¡¯s experienced eyes, he couldn¡¯t fully see through the magic cast by the Wise Sienna. However, even though there was nothing strange to be seen in their outward appearance, Ivic¡¯s instincts, which had been honed through his real-lifebat experience as a mercenary, could detect that there was something strange about these three. The feeling wasn¡¯t too obvious. It was just to the extent that he could easily tell that each of these three women had a slightly different air to thempared to ordinary people. However, that was already suspicious enough. ¡®Especially that one,¡¯ Ivic thought to himself. Each of the three women had individual characteristics, but the one who caught Ivic¡¯s attention was a tall woman with golden hair and blue eyes. Her angr features that possessed a strange ability to attract a man¡¯s attention had definitely caught his eye, but it was the way she stood, looking as sharp as a drawn sword, that made her seem especially beautiful to him. Ivic eyed her carefully, ¡®Although it¡¯s covered up by her clothing, so I can¡¯t get a good look¡­ just from the outline of her body, I can tell that this woman is a warrior.¡¯ For a woman to have trained hard enough to possess physical definition, she didn¡¯t seem like just a simple servant. Once that suspicion had arisen, Ivic couldn¡¯t help but turn his gaze to the other two women. One of them had lush brown hair and eyes of the same color, but just by standing there quietly, she gave off a feeling of grace and nobility. And the woman standing next to her, with ck hair and green eyes, was cutely blinking her wide eyes as she turned her head this way, trying to assess the situation. Ivic turned back to Eugene, thinking, ¡®So this woman is their leader.¡¯ He had noticed that the other two women were both looking at the first woman for their cue. Indeed, as a warrior of her level, it made sense that she was their leader. Having made these judgments, Ivic grinned. ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Carmen pondered for a few moments about how she should answer his question. She wasn¡¯t good at this sort of thing, no, with lies as a whole. Ciel, well aware that Carmen had that kind of personality, quickly spoke up, ¡°As expected of you, Sir Ivic. As you can see, the three behind me are no ordinary servants. They are the personal attendants of the main family who have undergone special training from the Lionheart n.¡± ¡°Personal attendants?¡± Ivic repeated curiously. ¡°Yes,¡± Ciel confirmed. ¡°But to think that you would be able to see through them with just a nce.¡± ¡®What on earth is she talking about?¡¯ Eugene thought as he stared at Ciel in confusion. However, as if Ciel had already thought all of this through beforehand, she continued speaking without any hesitation, ¡°For this expedition, we Lionhearts aren¡¯t in a position to lend our support with our independent force. That is because, as Sir Ivic may already know, the Shimuin Kingdom is determined to subdue Iris employing only their own armed forces.¡± Ivic considered this, ¡°Hm¡­ that¡¯s true. After all, no matter how great the Lionheart n may be, they still belong to the Kiehl Empire. And in fact, from the Emperor of Kiehl¡¯s point of view, he should be happy that Shimuin has decided to sacrifice their own blood and flesh for this.¡± Ciel smiled, ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s why, instead of sending our own independent troops, the Patriarch has sent his support in the form of a few individuals who are just as skilled as knights while not actually being knights.¡± ¡°As skilled as knights while not actually being knights¡­. Ciel, I¡¯m curious about what your standard is for these ¡®knights¡¯ that you¡¯re speaking of,¡± Ivic admitted, making no attempt to hide his intention of gaining their measure. But Ciel just smiled brightly in response to his frank questioning, ¡°Naturally, my standards are based on the knights that I have seen while growing up.¡± Ivicughed, ¡°Hoho¡­. If that¡¯s the case, that means these youngdies are just as powerful as the Knights of the White Lion.¡± Ivic had never actually been to the Lionheart n¡¯s main estate. However, the Lionhearts were known as the strongest martial n of all the ns on the continent. If these truly were personal attendants who had been trained directly by the descendants of the Great Vermouth from a young age, Ivic thought that it would indeed make sense for them to be skilled enough that they could look down on ordinary knights. Of course, this was a misunderstanding on Ivic¡¯s part. Among all the personal attendants who served the main line, there was not one who possessed exceptional martial skills at or above the level of a knight. For example, Nina, who had been lucky enough to be chosen as his personal attendant by Eugene when they were both younger and who now served him as the head maid of the annex; even though she possessed exceptional skills with a kitchen knife, she had never once held anything longer than a knife in her entire life. Ivic sighed, ¡°Indeed¡­ I understand what you¡¯re trying to say. However, I¡¯m a bit disappointed. I was hoping that the famous Eugene Lionheart woulde to take part in this expedition.¡± ¡°Oh my, truly?¡± Ciel responded with feigned surprise, her expression not wavering in the slightest. Ivic nodded his head with a regretful expression as he replied, ¡°Judging from the rumors, Eugene Lionheart seems like quite the wayward young man. And as befitting of the Hero, he also seems to possess a strong hatred for demonfolk. If it was someone like him, I thought for sure that he would ignore the will of the empire and his n to participate in this subjugation expedition.¡± Cielughed, ¡°Hahaha. Even though you have yet to actually meet him, it seems that you have a clear understanding of Eugene, Sir Ivic. You¡¯re right. Eugene is selfish and hard-headed. However, this time, it seems that it just couldn¡¯t be helped. The same goes for the Wise Lady Sienna as well.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. I did hear that the Wise Lady Sienna is also staying with the Lionhearts¡­. It¡¯s also very surprising that she didn¡¯t choose toe here either,¡± Ivic said thoughtfully. ¡°It¡¯s the same case as Eugene; Lady Sienna isn¡¯t preparing for someone like the Rakshasa Princess,¡± Ciel exined, ¡°because her goal is to y the Demon Kings. It seems she doesn¡¯t want to provoke the Demon Kings by making any hasty moves.¡± ¡®Ciel has quite the skilled tongue,¡¯ Sienna thought as she tried to keep her expression from changing. Ivic seemed to have beenpletely convinced by the smooth flow of Ciel¡¯s speech. Nodding his head, he turned to look at Eugene and asked, ¡°In that case, youngdy, may I have your name?¡± Youngdy? Did this bastard just call him a youngdy? Rage boiled up deep within Eugene¡¯s chest. However, havinge this far, Eugene couldn¡¯t juste up with a different story. So Eugene could only forcefully keep a hold of his angrily twitching cheeks. ¡°My name is Eris,¡± Kristina was the first to break the silence. It was a different name from the one they had first agreed on. Kristina had decided on the spot that it would be better to give Ivic another name than the obvious alias of Kris. ¡°Eris?¡± Ivic repeated quizzically. ¡°And yourst name?¡± ¡°We have been serving the Lionhearts ever since we were young, so we do not have a family name of our own,¡± Kristina imed. ¡°So that¡¯s the case,¡± Ivic nodded, epting the excuse without any doubts. After checking that Ivic didn¡¯t seem to have any further questions for Kristina, Sienna also immediately introduced herself, ¡°My name is Siein.¡± Sierra was the pseudonym that they had decided on at first, but it seemed that Sienna had also decided to change her alias slightly. Though taking another look at it, all Sienna had done was stick the first andst sybles of her name, Sienna Merdein, together, but once again, Ivic didn¡¯t seem to have any suspicions. In fact, it would be unreasonable for him to suspect that the Wise Sienna might have disguised herself as a servant in the first ce. ¡°...I am Yuri,¡± Eugene eventually spat out, seeing no need to make any further changes to his pseudonym. This was because Eugene believed that it would be far too pitiful and miserable if he were forced to go so far as to hide his identity. Naturally, when he heard that name, Ivic didn¡¯t feel any doubt raising its head. Ivic¡¯s thinking wasn¡¯t flexible enough for him to imagine that Eugene Lionheart might actually crossdress as a woman and disguise himself as a personal attendant of the main family to board this ship. ¡°If the introductions are over¡­ why don¡¯t we head inside,¡± Carmen, who had been watching all this take ce, cleared her throat and made this suggestion. For some reason, Carmen felt sorry for how they were lying to Ivic. ¡°Big sis, that youngdy named Yuri seems to be an extremely skilled individual. And that prideful and temperamental look on her face is also very attractive,¡± Ivic whispered. Carmen frowned, ¡°What nonsense are you talking about¡ª¡± ¡°I¡¯m just giving my honest opinion,¡± Ivic defended himself. ¡°How old is she? She must be younger than you, right? Big sis, I¡¯m just asking out of curiosity, but the personal attendants of the main family¡­ are they allowed to fall in love with outsiders?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say something so disgusting.¡± Unable to bear it any longer, Carmen quickly hastened her steps without meeting Ivic¡¯s eyes. Ivic clicked his tongue in disappointment before turning his head to look back at Eugene. Wink. ¡®Should I just kill him?¡¯ Eugene thought as his heart was filled with murderous intent. ¡°Come to think of it, there¡¯s something that I¡¯ve been wanting to ask you for a while now,¡± Ciel said as she quickly stepped in front of Eugene. Her action was meant to keep Ivic from seeing how Eugene¡¯s expression was contorting into a scowl. Ciel asked, ¡°Sir Ivic¡¯s nickname is the Mercenary King, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what everyone calls me,¡± Ivic confirmed. ¡°Although it is true that in an era like this, where it¡¯s tough for mercenaries to make a living, there aren¡¯t any other mercenaries as strong as I am.¡± The world was at peace without any major wars. The only battlefields where mercenaries had room to ply their trade were the territory disputes between nobles. So if any mercenary wanted to make a lot of money, their only real option was to go to Helmuth, where there was a plethora of battles to take part in ¡ª after all, how many jobs for a mercenary could there be that were both easy and made a lot of money? At the very least, for jobs with harsh requirements on the body, like being a mercenary, higher pay also came with a higher risk of injury. That was precisely what Helmuth¡¯s battlefields were like. It wasn¡¯t easy for human mercenaries to survive on a battlefield where both demonfolk and demonic beasts were roaming around. In other words, in this current era, the mercenary world could be said to be going through a recession. But even in such an era, Ivic was still called the Mercenary King. Ciel finally asked, ¡°What do you think of Sir Hamel, Sir Ivic?¡± Ciel had asked this question to bring somefort to Eugene¡¯s current mood. From what Ciel had seen of him, it seemed natural that someone like Ivic d would respect Hamel, who had made a name for himself as one of the great heroes three hundred years ago. Ivic frowned, ¡°Hamel? Are you talking about the Stupid Hamel?¡± Ciel nodded, ¡°Yes, wasn¡¯t he also a legendary mercenary?¡± Ivic paused, ¡°Hm¡­ as you say, Ciel, it is true that Hamel was a legendary mercenary. Throughout history, there shouldn¡¯t be any mercenary as impressive as Hamel.¡± Eugene¡¯s expression lightened up slightly due to Ivic¡¯s response. Ciel nodded, ¡°As expected, that means Sir Ivic also looks up to Sir Hamel, right?¡± Ivic shrugged, ¡°Not really?¡± Eugene¡¯s face slowly hardened as he listened to Ivic¡¯s following exnation. ¡°I do regard him as a great¡­ even legendary mercenary, but I don¡¯t look up to him. No, honestly speaking, I¡¯m not sure that Hamel should even be considered a mercenary,¡± Ivic argued. Ciel gasped, ¡°Huh? But didn¡¯t you just say he was a legendary mercenary¡­?¡± ¡°Well, I did say that, but Hamel¡­ the Stupid Hamel, he¡­,¡± Ivic hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not trying to disregard his aplishments. However, those aplishments weren¡¯t achieved during his time as a mercenary, now were they? They were umted during his time as apanion of the Great Vermouth.¡± Stab. It felt like a thick spear had just been thrust into Eugene¡¯s chest. Ivic continued, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve heard that Hamel was quite an amazing person even as a mercenary, but¡­ well, he rarely ever received a good evaluation from his fellow mercenaries, you know? Hamel was known to hate other mercenaries, and the mercenaries also hated him back.¡± It was Ciel¡¯s turn to hesitate, ¡°Ah¡­ um, well, so that¡¯s the case.¡± Ivic nodded, ¡°You see what I mean, right? How should I put this¡­? Hamel was someone who had no love and respect for his own profession. He harassed the other mercenaries by forcing them to cooperate with him, and many mercenarypanies ended up being crushed because of Hamel. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t really look up to Hamel.¡± Eugene¡¯s shoulders shook as he restrained the urge to say, ¡°What does a bastard like you know?¡± and ¡°How dare you mouth off like this¡­?¡± But was he really in a position to say this? There wasn¡¯t actually anything factually wrong in what Ivic had just said¡­. However, sometimes, a person telling the truth without any omissions was more annoying and infuriating than a tant liar. ¡°If you want to know who I look up to, then¡­ rather than Sir Hamel, I actually look up to Sir Molon,¡± Ivic confessed. ¡°The Brave Molon, just how manly is that title? If I had to pick one thing I feel the most regret and disappointment about in my entire life, it would be not attending the Knight March. I didn¡¯t even think about going because I heard that it was going to be held in the distant and chilly northern end of the continent, but¡­ to think that Sir Molon would actually make an appearance there.¡± This bastard must just carry his head around as a decoration. Even though Ivic bore the title of the Mercenary King, instead of looking up to Hamel, he actually admired Molon? And what else did he say? He said that stupid bastard was more manly? Fools of a feather really do flock together. Eugene ground his teeth as he walked behind Ciel. ¡°Lady Yuri, may I ask why you keep grinding your teeth?¡± Ivic asked in concern. ¡°It¡¯s a habit,¡± Eugene snapped back. As a personal attendant, shouldn¡¯t she pay more attention to her appearance? This question ran through Ivic¡¯s head for a moment, but he didn¡¯t think about it for too long. It must be that Yuri¡¯s skills as a warrior were so good that some measure of ws were overlooked. So, instead of putting him off, this affirmation of her skills made Ivic¡¯s heart pound even harder. ¡°So then, Ivic, what exactly did you want to talk to me about?¡± Carmen asked as they arrived at her spacious cabin, and she took her seat. ¡°If possible, I was hoping that this talk would be kept to just the two of us. Hm, oh well, I guess it would be strange for you to be suspicious of your own family,¡± Ivic said with a shrug as he sat across from Carmen. Carmen picked up something from his words, ¡°You¡¯re ufortable with Lord Ortus? But you¡¯re not the type who would try to skirt around Lord Ortus¡¯s authority for such a simple reason.¡± ¡°You should already be aware of this, big sis, but at first, Lord Ortus turned a blind eye to the Pirate Empress¡¯ plundering,¡± Ivic said usingly. ¡°But that wasn¡¯t Lord Ortus¡¯s arbitrary decision, now was it?¡± Carmen countered. ¡°It was the royal family as a whole that condoned the Pirate Empress¡¯ actions.¡± ¡°Of course, that might be the case, but it¡¯s not like Lord Ortus has a clear conscience when ites to this issue of the Pirate Empress, does he? Over the past year, the Pirate Empress has mostly plundered merchant vessels while avoiding all official vessels,¡± Ivic said with a snort as he clenched the fingers of both hands together. ¡°Did you know? It¡¯s not widely known to the public, but a distant rtive of Lord Ortus runs a merchant firm. Haha, in this regard, Lord Ortus is quite thorough. He has actually managed to clean up all the traces so that the firm appears to have no connection back to him.¡± Carmen frowned, ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious what the full story is? The merchant firm connected to Sir Ortus not only served the Empress¡¯ plundering, but it actually prospered. Coincidentally, the amount of tribute being offered to Lord Ortus also increased around that time. And if that¡¯s just what can be seen on the surface, what¡¯s being hidden in the unseen depths?¡± Ivic asked suggestively. ¡°How did you find out about this matter?¡± Carmen questioned. ¡°If you want to do well at the top and keep your footing, you need to know how to make good use of your mercenaries,¡± Ivic stated smugly. Instead of replying, Carmen chewed the cigar held between her lips. She didn¡¯t really enjoy talking about matters like this. This was because such matters that dealt with dirty reality were far distant from her own sense of chivalry, and there was little romance[1] to be found in them. ¡°I understand what you¡¯re trying to say,¡± Carmen eventually responded. ¡°However, doesn''t such an issue exist because the royal family thought they could tame the Pirate Empress? Now that the Empress has turned against the royal family, no, this whole country, they can only be enemies.¡± ¡°That might be the case, but we still can¡¯t be sure that all of the dirty deals between the Empress and Lord Ortus have been fully settled,¡± Ivic warned. ¡°Deals?¡± Carmen repeated suspiciously. Ivic replied, ¡°You might think of it like this: what if Sir Ortus had designs on a higher seat than the one he is currently sitting on as the Grand Duke?¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that Sir Ortus might have joined hands with the Empress in order to plot a rebellion?¡± Carmen fiercely demanded with narrowed eyes. In response to Carmen¡¯s tant intimidation, Ivic quickly shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m just raising my suspicions with you because I¡¯m usually quite cautious. Though I don¡¯t think something like this is all that unlikely,¡± Ivic insisted. ¡°That means you don¡¯t have any proof,¡± Carmen pointed out. Ivic sniffed haughtily, ¡°Heh, isn¡¯t the fact that he had dealings with the Empress in the first ce proof enough?¡± While silently listening to the ongoing conversation, Eugene recalled what he had seen of Ortus during the Knight March. At that time, Ortus hadn¡¯t denied that some kind of deal had been arranged between Iris and Shimuin. However, that being said, he hadn¡¯t revealed that he had also made a deal with Iris. ¡®Well¡­ it could be that he just didn¡¯t want to expose his shameful behavior. That was also my first time meeting him,¡¯ Eugene conceded. That said, Ortus¡¯ goal had been clear. He wanted to enlist Eugene¡¯s help in subjugating Iris. Was it all for Shimuin¡¯s sake? Or was it just because they had failed to tame Iris? Those might be some of his reasons, but¡­. ¡®If Ortus really has joined hands with Iris, he might have been trying to lure me into a trap,¡¯ Eugene realized. He couldn¡¯t be sure of this, but it was still something to be wary of. ¡°Since you don¡¯t seem to like hearing about such uncertain topics, big sis, why don¡¯t we talk about something different?¡± Ivic suggested as he leaned forward. ¡°The Empress is actually digging up the seabed.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow, ¡°Digging up the seabed?¡± ¡°It seems like she¡¯s looking for something buried deep below the sea,¡± Ivic revealed. 1. Romance in the sense of ¡®a quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life.¡¯ ? Chapter 356: Ivic (3) Deep below the sea. Upon hearing these words, Eugene unconsciously clenched his fist as the scene he had been shown through Agaroth¡¯s vision filled his mind. The staggeringlyrge number of corpses. The wave that was so high and wide that it blocked out the sky. The sea fog so thick that it was impossible to see anything further than an inch away from your face. Advancing ahead of the wave, the sea fog had covered up the whole world. The wave that had washed up behind the fog then swallowed everything left into its depths. The divine revtion had ended there. After that, Eugene had tried several more times to call for another divine revtion, but Agaroth¡¯s ring hadn¡¯t shown him anything else. ording to Gondor and the theologians, there used to be a holy site of Agaroth at the very end of the Southern Seas, close to the ¡®Distant Seas.¡¯ A very long time ago, there was oncend there, but due to a supernatural phenomenon whose exact origins were unknown, thend had been transformed into a sea. In other words, that meant Agorath¡¯s holy site was somewhere on the seabed ¡ª deep below the sea. And the Solgalta Sea also happened to be located at the very end of the Southern Seas. Iris was digging up the seabed and searching for something buried there. Eugene couldn¡¯t imagine that this was just a coincidence. ¡°Something buried below the sea?¡± Carmen asked. Eugene wasn¡¯t in a position to take control of the conversation, but before Eugene had even given her a signal, Carmen had spoken up to pursue the topic. ¡°What on earth could be hidden below the sea?¡± she continued with the questions. ¡°Now that¡¯s the question, isn¡¯t it,¡± Ivic said with a chuckle as he sat up straight in his seat. ¡°She¡¯s definitely looking for something, but even the Empress herself doesn¡¯t seem to know what exactly that something is.¡± Carmen frowned, ¡°She doesn¡¯t even know herself?¡± ¡°The Empress might be lying, but from what I¡¯ve managed to find out, that seems to be the case,¡± Ivic confirmed. ¡°Where exactly are you getting your information?¡± Carmen demanded with narrowed eyes. Eugene agreed with Carmen¡¯s choice of question. In terms of peculiar behavior, Carmen might beparable to Melkith, but ¡ª no, was he being too harsh on Carmen? [You were indeed being too harsh, Hamel,] Tempest suddenly chimed in from inside Eugene¡¯s head. This prideful Spirit King of the Wind was usually so reticent that Eugene sometimes got confused whether he was still there or not, but whenever Eugene thought about Melkith, Tempest would immediately make his presence known, just like clockwork. Take right now, for example. Tempest continued, [Carmen Lionheart might be entric, but she¡¯s not a lunatic.] Eugene also shared Tempest¡¯s opinion. First of all, Carmen had never meditated in the nude at thekeside. Secondly, during serious conversations like this one, Carmen could set aside the character concept she was obsessed with and lived by. Just look at her now; since entering this room, Carmen Lionheart hadn¡¯t taken out her lighter even once. ¡°It¡¯s from my men, of course,¡± Ivic stated confidently. ¡°Ivic, you do realize that those words put all sorts of thoughts into my mind,¡± Carmen warned coldly, the air in the room changing as she spoke. Carmen put the pocket watch ¡ª the Heaven Genocide ¡ª hanging from her belt onto the table and kept her hands on it. Through this gesture, Carmen wasying her potentially hostile intentions out in the open. ¡°Unlike what you may be thinking, big sis, I¡¯ve never cooperated with the Empress. I¡¯m not that brazen,¡± Ivic immediately denied without avoiding Carmen¡¯s gaze. ¡°My men snuck in when the Empress first began rallying the pirates and mustering up her own forces. I was just making preparations for the future. ¡°ording tomon sense, a pirate ¡ª no, my mistake¡­ it¡¯s not like the Empress could be considered a mere pirate from the very beginning. In any case, after she, the Rakshasa Princess, came all the way out to sea to be a pirate and started building up a force under hermand, once you usemon sense to think about it, you would realize that Shimuin would eventually be left with no choice but to subjugate such a force.¡± Ivic was a mercenary. Whether in the past or the future, the way mercenaries made money was still the same. They had to go out and fight on the battlefield. Ivic sighed mournfully, ¡°Big sis, you and I have known each other for quite a while now. Maybe it¡¯s because of that, but I felt extremely saddened when you suspected me just now. Do you really see me as a bastard without any guts who would secretly join hands with the demonfolk, big sis?¡± Carmen scoffed, ¡°Mercenaries always chase after money, don¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Hahaha! If they¡¯re just third-rate mercenaries, then yes, but I am the first-ss among the first-ss. I can earn money wherever I go, and it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have some funds saved up¡­ so by now, what¡¯s the point of earning even more money?¡± Ivic let out a loudugh before continuing to speak, ¡°What the first-ss mercenaries pursue are trust, contracts, and honor. ¡°Ultimately, I think the Pirate Empress, Iris, is just a loser, don¡¯t you? Three hundred years ago, she was defeated and forced to flee by the Great Vermouth and hispanions, and in the modern day, she was defeated and forced to flee by the Queen of the Night Demons. Well, you have to admit that she is strong, but all that still means she¡¯s not a client worth signing a contract with. There¡¯s nothing to be gained from following her.¡± ¡°How impressive, Ivic,¡± Carmenplimented with a smile. The cold air in the room changed back to normal. Carmen let go of her pocket watch and then spread her arms wide. p! p! p! Loud apuse rang out three times. ¡°I¡¯ve never doubted you; I was testing you,¡± Carmen stated calmly. ¡°Hm¡­ if you say so,¡± Ivic said with a shrug. ¡°As expected of my big sis.¡± Ivic epted Carmen¡¯s im without any arguments. Then, before Carmen could say anything else, Ivic quickly continued speaking. ¡°In any case, I nted my subordinates in her forces in the belief that the subjugation of the Pirate Empress would surely take ce someday. I¡¯ve ced them in a position that isn¡¯t too close but where they can still listen to the Empress¡¯ orders directly. Having some distance is better because if they get too close, they¡¯ll just earn even more suspicion.¡± In the first ce, ¡®humans¡¯ could not be Iris¡¯ most trusted subordinates. From three hundred years ago until now, the only ones Iris had ever truly opened up to and kept by her side were her fellow dark elves. There were currently thousands of pirates under Iris¡¯mand. However, the dark elves numbered only a hundred at the very most. No matter how keen the ears of the dark elves were, it was impossible for them to listen to and control the tongues of thousands of pirates. Ivic got back to the point, ¡°The Solgalta inds aren¡¯t a ce fit for humans to live. You can still catch some fish like in the other seas, but how can people live on fish alone?¡± Whether disposing of their stolen goods or replenishing necessary materials, Iris needed her pirates to regrly sail to other seas. Ivic¡¯s men were hiding among the pirates who had taken on such a role. They periodically sent letters to Ivic to inform him about the Empress¡¯ current situation. Thetest report that Ivic had received was from two days ago. It exined that the reason the Empress had kidnapped the dwarves of Hammer Ind was to find something buried below the sea. However, it looked like even the Empress herself didn¡¯t know what this ¡®something¡¯ was, and the pirates who served her wouldn¡¯t dare to question her about it. Ivic continued, ¡°At first, I thought her goal was the ships that have sunk to the bottom of the Solgalta Sea. As you¡¯re probably already aware, big sis, there are rumors that a dragon¡¯sir lies hidden within that sea. I don¡¯t know whether or not that is true, but it is a fact that dozens of attempts have been made to find the dragon¡¯s treasure, only for their ships to be lost at sea.¡± The treasure lost within those sunken ships should add up to quite a considerable sum. In truth, wearing the diving suits that they had made while under Iris¡¯ constant harassment, the dwarves had managed to reach the seabed and retrieve the contents of numerous sunken vessels. Ivic shook his head, ¡°But the Empress¡¯ goal doesn¡¯t lie in the sunken ships. That crazy dark elf isn¡¯t interested in the seafloor; she¡¯s digging for something below that. At first, she only had the dwarves doing it, but starting two days back, she had a lot more diving suits made, and now she¡¯s making her pirates do the work as well.¡± ¡°Just what on earth could she be trying to do?¡± Carmen questioned with a frown. ¡°She probably doesn¡¯t know the answer to that question herself yet,¡± Ivic said with a shrug. ¡°From making the Solgalta Sea her base to kidnapping the dwarves¡­ that means everything that the Empress has done is connected,¡± Carmen muttered as she rubbed her chin. ¡°Perhaps the Empress really has just gone mad,¡± Ivic joked. ¡°This might just be idle chatter, but apparently¡­ the reason the Empress started digging up the seafloor might be due to a dream?¡± ¡°A dream?¡± Carmen repeated. ¡°That¡¯s right, a dream. I don¡¯t know what kind of dream the Empress received, but the dream has apparently guided her to something that is buried below the sea. Although that might all just be made-up nonsense,¡± Ivic muttered as he started absently rummaging through his pockets. In a gesture that seemed habitual, Ivic pulled out a pack of cigarettes, only to realize what he had done and put the packet back into his pocket after clearing his throat. Ivic changed the subject, ¡°How does this whole situation look to you, big sis? There¡¯s more than a few suspicious points, right?¡± ¡°That is indeed the case,¡± Carmen agreed. After a pause, she continued, ¡°I don¡¯t want to suspect Sir Ortus, but there is a need to be cautious. After all, it is hard to judge what exactly the Empress is up to in Solgalta.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, now that I¡¯ve also gone out to sea, we won¡¯t be able to receive any more reports from my spies,¡± Ivic said regretfully. ¡°What exactly do you want?¡± Carmen asked as she ced her cigar back between her lips, uncaring that Ivic had just finished putting his own pack of cigarettes away. ¡°You should have a clear purpose for informing me, no, informing the Lionhearts of all this.¡± ¡°With how many people there are in this fleet, who do you think will ultimately be able to take the head of the Empress?¡± Ivic asked with a grin. In contrast to his sunburnt skin, Ivic¡¯s teeth were so clean and white they practically glowed. ¡°Princess Scalia?¡± Ivic scoffed. ¡°Haha, I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what the royal family are hoping for. Princess Scalia isn¡¯t a contender for the throne, so it won¡¯t be a problem even if she does seed, as her achievements can be imed purely by the royal family. However, there¡¯s no way that a delicate flower like her, who was appointed to the position of the Princess Knight, will be able to take the Empress¡¯ head. Her own aide would be more likely to decapitate the Empress than Princess Scalia.¡± Ivic was referring to Ortus¡¯ son, Dior Hyman. He may have been assigned to serve as Princess Scalia¡¯s aide, but Dior¡¯s skills were unquestionably superior. He didn¡¯t appear to stand out on the surface, but that was because Dior was apt at hiding his skills. In reality, Dior had been able to detect Eugene¡¯s gaze even from a great distance away. ¡°As for Prince Jafar, who has followed along out of greed, he¡¯s an even more unlikely suspect,¡± Ivic sneered. ¡°For him to have boarded the ship while relying on his swordsmanship that can also be described as having trained to the hobbyist-level, indeed, he truly must be desperate. That, and he also won¡¯t be able to seriously contend for the kingship if he can¡¯t take the Empress¡¯ head. Or perhaps, hm¡­. My apologies if this offends you, Ciel, but the prince might have some dirty ideas in mind for you.¡± ¡°Ahaha. Do you really think Prince Jafar will try to assault me during our voyage?¡± Ciel asked with a heartyugh. ¡°Unless he¡¯s crazy, how dare he do something like that?¡± ¡°Assault would be going too far, but¡­ he might still try to flirt with you during the voyage,¡± Ivic warned. ¡°Let¡¯s just cut it off,¡± Carmen muttered dangerously. ¡°I¡¯ll skewer it,¡± Dezra spat out. ¡®I¡¯ll beat him to death,¡¯ Eugene also thought to himself. Ivic got back to the main point, ¡°Well¡­ those two definitely stand no chance. In my view, only three people might be able to take the Empress¡¯ head. Big sis Carmen, Lord Ortus, and me, of course.¡± ¡°It would be difficult to solo her,¡± Carmen pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s for sure,¡± Ivic agreed. ¡°I¡¯m also not arrogant enough to think that I would be able to y the Empress in a one-on-one. However, isn¡¯t that just how it goes? The important thing is who gets the final blow. Who will ¡®personally¡¯ behead the Empress? The only ones who could make a move at that moment are the three of us.¡± Carmen raised an eyebrow, ¡°You¡¯re not asking me to step aside and just let you have the honors, are you?¡± Ivic chuckled, ¡°Haha¡­. If you were willing to do so, I¡¯d be grateful, but even I think that would be too big of a request to make of you. Big sis, I¡¯m not asking for anything too heavy. I just want the two of us to work together.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the case,¡± Carmen suddenly said, lowering the cigar once more. ¡°Ivic, you¡¯re worried that Sir Ortus might be aiming for your neck.¡± Eugene also shared the same thought. Today was his first meeting with Ivic, but his attitude of caution towards Ortus had been very consistent. ¡®As expected of a mercenary,¡¯ Eugene secretly nodded. ¡ªFirst-ss mercenaries pursue trust, contracts, and honor. Those were some good words. When your skills were exceptional, and you had more than you needed to survive, your eyes were bound to turn towards abstract things such as those. However, in the end, the mercenary profession at its core was an act of selling your body and killing other people. In Eugene¡¯s eyes, Ivic d might not be a good person, but he was definitely a good mercenary. Even though he killed others to fill his stomach, Ivic didn¡¯t chafe at the restraints of peacetime, and he knew how to cover his own back. ¡°If I were Lord Ortus, I would stab myself in the back sometime during this subjugation expedition,¡± Ivic admitted with a grin. ¡°Because that way, things would be nice and easy for him. As the ¡®Second-Ranked¡¯[1], I am able to challenge Lord Ortus¡¯ orders at any time, and in some ways, my standing in Shimuin is even better than that of Lord Ortus. Under such circumstances, what if I were to take the Empress¡¯ head as well? Ahaha, wouldn¡¯t it be possible that a mercenary brat like me might just end up sitting in a seat next to this country¡¯s Grand Duke?¡± ¡°Does that stroke your ambition?¡± Carmen questioned. Ivic shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m not really interested in a grandiose position like the Grand Duke¡¯s. However, I don¡¯t trust that Lord Ortus will just be able to see through my true feelings on this matter on his own, and I¡¯m also doubtful that I¡¯ll be able to properly convey my intentions to him during this voyage.¡± ¡°I understand what you¡¯re driving at, Ivic,¡± Carmen said as she slowly reached out one hand. ¡°I¡¯m not sure whether Lord Ortus really does want to kill you or if he truly is colluding with the Empress. I can¡¯t be sure of anything yet. However, I don¡¯t want to see any of us, who have gathered together for the purpose of subjugating the Empress, go for each other¡¯s throats.¡± ¡°Big sis¡­,¡± Ivic uttered gratefully. ¡°Make sure not to leave my sight during the battle, Ivic,¡± Carmen dered firmly, even as she gave a shiver of self-satisfaction at her prideful words. ¡°As long as you stay within my eyesight, I¡¯ll ensure you don¡¯t die.¡± Ivic was silent for a few moments, unsure of how he should respond to her promise. Ivic regrly used three weapons: a sword, a spear, and a bow. Among these three, the one that Ivic used the most was the bow. On the other hand, Carmen usually ran into the melee while swinging her fists. While it wasmon for Carmen to be able to stay within Ivic¡¯s field of view on the battlefield, it was rare for Ivic to stay within Carmen''s field of view¡­. ¡°As expected of you, big sis,¡± Ivic said, cleanly giving up on his previous,plicated line of thought. Returning her smile, Ivic sped Carmen¡¯s hand. With this, Ivic could rest assured. Was that son of a bitch Ortus really colluding with Iris? Even Ivic wasn¡¯t too sure. But it was true that, until just a few months ago, Ortus had been making a fortune by receiving kickbacks from Iris. That was why he was suspicious of Ortus. Would that son of a bitch, Ortus, really try to kill him? Ivic didn¡¯t know that either. However, the battlefield was a ce where all sorts of shit was doomed to ur. Among all of the things that could happen, people deliberating killing someone on the same side as they were on was a fairlymon thing. ¡®However, big sis definitely isn¡¯t that kind of person,¡¯ Ivic thought in relief. Carmen was someone who was absolutely trustworthy when it came to matters like this. Satisfied, Ivic let go of Carmen¡¯s hand. As Ivic got up, he turned to face Eugene, ¡°Now then¡­ it was Miss Yuri, correct?¡± Eugene, who had been deep in thought, felt a chill running down his spine when he heard himself being called Miss Yuri. Ivic began, ¡°Could I interest you in a meal to¡ª¡± ¡°Get¡ª¡± ¡ªlost. Eugene¡¯s lips trembled as he held back the urge to finish saying those words. Barely managing to swallow the reply he had been about to make, Eugene gritted out a different response, ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡± Eugene had done a good job holding himself back. There were more than a few times when Eugene had wanted to intervene in the conversation. However, Eugene still held back every time. He had also been left with a lot to think about from this. After making sure that Ivic had returned to his own ship once he left the room, Eugene let out a deep sigh and sat down on the sofa. ¡°What a world,¡± Eugenemented. Kristina silently approached him and draped the Cloak of Darkness around Eugene. Sienna, who had also walked over, released the spell that had been cast on him. Poppop poppoppop. This was the sound of Eugene¡¯spressed muscles returning to their original appearance. Eugene let out a deep breath of relief as he changed his clothes beneath the protection of the cloak. ¡°It seems my request was a bit excessive,¡± Ciel mumbled while noticing Eugene¡¯s distress. ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Eugene reassured her even as he kept taking deep breaths. By dressing him up as a woman, they had definitely managed topletely deceive anyone who might have been paying attention to their movements. Especially after learning that Ortus, themander of this expedition, had some suspicious aspects, having boarded the ship while perfectly disguising Eugene¡¯s identity had turned out to be a huge advantage. ¡®I really can¡¯t understand Iris¡¯ motivations,¡¯ Eugene thought while idly ying with his hair, which had been returned to its original length. There was no way for him to know what that dark elf might be truly searching for. And a dream? Really? Was it really just idle chatter, or was Iris truly looking for something that she had seen in her dreams? ¡®Finding the dragon¡¯sir to use its treasure to fund her military¡­ that¡¯s the easy exnation,¡¯ Eugene continued thinking. Could it be that Iris was also searching for Agaroth¡¯s holy site? If so, why? How could she have found out about it? Eugene pondered these questions in silence. It was still only a few hours after their departure. They would have to stay at sea for about a month longer. During that time, Iris would continue to dig up the seabed. Eugene didn¡¯t know what Iris was looking for, but this meant that they were giving Iris some time to look for it. Modern ships were built to be very fast. With magic added on top of that, they could be even quicker. Even so, it would still take a month. If they wanted to sail even faster? There was indeed a method to do so. However, there were still suspicions regarding Ortus to deal with. Eugene silently closed his eyes before finally saying, ¡°Let¡¯s infiltrate the Laversia in three days.¡± 1. This refers to his rank as the second of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest. ? Chapter 357: The Laversia (1)

Chapter 357: The Laversia (1)

¡°Are you having difficulties going to sleep once again?¡±3 This was the question Scalia was met with the moment she opened her bedroom door, along with the heavily concerned face of her aide.0 Her aide was Lord ¡®First¡¯ Ortus¡¯ son, Dior Hyman. While gazing at Princess Scalia¡¯s face, Dior held back a bitter sigh.2 A knight who had reached the stage of being able to freely control their mana was able to adjust their own body to efficiently relieve their fatigue. However, that didn¡¯t mean they could still stay in good shape after not getting any sleep day after day.0 On top of that, Princess Scalia¡¯s level wasn¡¯t even high enough for her to have masteredplete control of her bodily functions.4 Even though she should have just gotten out of bed, Scalia was wearing a thinyer of makeup. This was due to Scalia¡¯s devotion to living up to her nickname as the ¡®Princess Knight¡¯ that the public had bestowed upon her. Thanks to her makeup and the darkness of the night, neither her sallow skin from staying up all night for the past few days nor the dark circles that now stretched down to her cheeks could be seen.0 ¡°I am getting enough sleep,¡± Scalia coldly insisted.0 In the end, faced with this hoarse-voiced reply, Dior was left with no choice but to let out a sigh. Her obvious and stubborn lie was causing Dior all sorts of headaches.0 ¡°As your liege, I¡¯m the one who should be questioning what my aide is doing outside my bedroom in the early hours of the morning,¡± Scalia said usingly.1 Dior began to exin, ¡°I am Your Highness¡¯ aide, as such, I¡ª¡±0 Scalia didn¡¯t wait for him to finish, ¡°There is no need for you to worry aboutUs. We are getting more than enough sleep and rest, andWeare out here at this time becauseWewish to enjoy the sea breeze at night.¡±3 ¡°Your Highness,¡± Dior pleaded.0 ¡°As my aide, do you have no intention of listening to your liege¡¯s orders? Hmph, if that''s the case, just follow closely behindUsuntil you see the truth of the matter for yourself.¡± As she swept past Dior, Princess Scalia sarcastically suggested, ¡°If you are still not satisfied withOurbehavior, then why don¡¯t you go and make a report to Lord Ortus?¡±0 Dior bit his tongue at this scathing remark.0 ¡°If you are not going to stop me, then why don¡¯t you just give in and turn a blind eye to everything?¡± Scalia suggested with a sneer.0 ¡°I have no intention of reporting you to the Captain,¡± Dior stiffly replied. ¡°After all I haven¡¯t done so thus far.¡±1 At this reply, Scalia let out an obvious snort of contempt. Instead of confronting Dior any longer, she began walking out onto the deck.0 All Dior intended to do was watch her back. This was nothing new. From the very beginning, Dior Hyman had been assigned such a role.0 In case of an emergency, Dior was strong enough to draw his sword and fight in Scalia¡¯s stead. He was to obey her unconditionally despite being subjected to Scalia¡¯s irritation and dissatisfaction, and he was to report all of Scalia¡¯s actions to their superior, Ortus.0 Also, if, hypothetically speaking, he and Princess Scalia were to fall in love, that might push him into a role where he could serve as an evenrger pair of wings to help elevate Ortus¡¯ position.0 Years before he had been first appointed as Scalia¡¯s aide, Dior had perfectly understood what his role was to be. From a young age, he had been taught that he should never go against his father¡¯s orders and that his entire existence should be devoted to his father¡¯s ¡ª no, House Hyman¡¯s glory.0 So originally, Princess Scalia¡¯s entricities should have already been reported to his father. That was part of the orders that Dior had been given.0 However, Dior hadn¡¯t made any reports. He hadn¡¯t said anything about what had happened in the snowfields on the way to the Knight March ¡ª how Princess Scalia hadmitted a massacre ¡ª nor had he said anything about the secret hobbies that Princess Scalia had indulged in upon returning to Shimuin.6 Dior hadn¡¯t reported any of that to his father. What would have happened to Princess Scalia if he had made a report? Probably, most likely, she would have been locked up in one of the towers of the Royal Pce.0 ¡®No,¡¯Dior reconsidered this.0 Ortus wouldn¡¯t be able to gain anything from doing so. Most likely, he would use the evidence of her actions to control Princess Scalia, or if he decided to be even bolder about it, Ortus could ckmail the Royal Family by threatening to expose her crimes to the public¡­.0 Dior was unhappy with either option.0 Was it for Princess Scalia¡¯s sake? Could it be that he was truly satisfied with his current situation ¡ª serving as the Princess¡¯ aid and following her around wherever she went ¡ª and, as such, wanted to protect this way of life?0 That wasn¡¯t it, either. To put it bluntly, Dior didn¡¯t have any interest in what might be of Princess Scalia. There was only one reason he hadn¡¯t sent any reports regarding her ¡ª it was just an act of rebellion against his father, Ortus.0 ¡®This insane woman,¡¯Dior cursed to himself.0 Apart from using her to satisfy his rebellious spirit against Ortus, Dior couldn¡¯t care less about Scalia.0 This insane woman.Just like what he thought of her in the privacy of his own head, in Dior¡¯s view, Scalia was a lunatic. Initially, she had been up to all sorts of shit while carefully hiding it behind her outer appearance as the Princess Knight¡­ but afterthatincident in the snowfield, it seemed that the dividing line that kept her from betraying her own public image had disappeared entirely.0 Dior had been waiting in front of Scalia¡¯s door, and following her on her nightly walks was all because he was worried that Scalia might do something crazy. Unlike one of the vagrants you might find in a back alley or a low-priced mercenary, if she were to skewer one of the crew sailing this ship, he wouldn¡¯t be able to take care of their corpse.3 Scalia¡¯s head was throbbing, and her vision was shaking nauseously.0 It had nothing to do with the fact she was out at sea, riding on a ship. It was her brain desperately pleading for her to get some sleep after going for days without any rest, but that didn¡¯t mean she could simply fall asleepfortably just because her body wanted her to.0 As a result, her patience was growing ever thinner.0 She didn¡¯t like the soundsing from Dior, who was trailing behind her. She was also angered by how the soldiers standing guard in the distance kept ncing over to stare at her. And the way that the lookout perched high up on the mast of the ship was looking down at her was also triggering a dark impulse to surge up from the bottom of Scalia¡¯s heart.3 Scalia bit her lip to keep from shouting something.0 In the past, it hadn¡¯t been as bad as this.0 When a person felt angry or frustrated, it wasn¡¯t all that umon for them to relieve their stress by throwing something or hitting someone.0 Scalia had done something simr. Whenever she was tense or angry, she would imagine executing all sorts of violent acts inside her head. Of course, while the executioner of that violence was always Scalia herself, the types of people she had imagined serving out this violence to changed every time she imagined it.0 But it had only ever been in her imagination. She had never actually acted on her urges. However, after having finally sated this urge once, her desires had gradually grown stronger. It was as if she had finally realized that it was okay for her to do whatever she wanted.0 Scalia was aware that she was slowly getting weirder and weirder. That was why she was currently keeping herself from doing anything and was instead trying to soothe her cravings by going out on a walk.0 She might hate Dior and find him annoying, but she also felt slightly relieved that Dior was following along behind her. If Dior hadn¡¯t apanied her out onto the deck, she felt like she might not have been able to stand it any longer and would have finally done something in the end.0 ¡°Haaah¡­,¡± Scalia lifted her head to look at the night sky with a sigh, trying to steady her dizzy head and calm her racing heart.0 It had been three days since they had set off. Looking up at it from the middle of the sea, the night sky was beautiful, with countless shining stars along with the dazzling moonlight.0 Floating in the air not far from her, Eugene whispered, ¡°It felt like our eyes met, but she hasn¡¯t really seen us, right?¡±0 ¡°Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous,¡± Sienna scoffed from her position at Eugene¡¯s side.0 Although this might be stating the obvious, Sienna took great pride in her magical skill. While shooting Eugene an annoyed nce, she poked him in the side with her staff.0 Sienna scolded him, ¡°You cheeky disciple, how dare you doubt your master¡¯s skill in magic! How could a mere knight who hasn¡¯t learned any magic see through my spell?¡±0 ¡°Ahem¡­,¡± Eugene grunted. ¡°That might be the case, but there¡¯s also an Archwizard on board that ship, isn¡¯t there?¡±0 ¡°Hmph!¡± Sienna snorted. ¡°He¡¯s not even an Archwizard from Aroth, which could be called the birthce of magic, but instead just someone who has be satisfied with his position as the Commander of the Court Wizards in an ind country at the very southern tip of the continent. How talented could someone like that even be?¡±1 In order to ensure that this subjugation expedition would surely seed, Shimuin had dispatched the main forces that were usually stationed in the royal pce.0 Not only had they sent Ortus, First of the Twelve Finest Knights, and the Knights of the Violent Tide, but they had even dispatched the Eighth Circle Archwizard, Commander of their Court Wizards, Maise Briar.0 Their final destination, the Solgalta Sea, was an area that heavily restricted the use of magic. Perhaps because they were aware of this, Maise was the only wizard dispatched along with this fleet. They must have been hoping that, as an Eighth Circle Archwizard, he might still be able to use his magic in the Solgalta Sea.0 ¡°Though they might all share the title of Archwizards, not all Archwizards are on the same level,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°Especially after the Circle Magic Form created by me, the Wise Lady Sienna, became the standard for all wizards. Heehee, my disciple, you should have seen this as well, haven¡¯t you?¡±0 ¡°I¡¯ve experienced that gap personally,¡± Eugene confirmed.0 ¡°That¡¯s right! Aroth¡¯s Green Tower Master, just what kind of Archwizard is that? To think that this is an era where a worm without the majesty or mystique of an Archwizard can be called an Archwizard because they had the fortune to meet a good master who was able to efficiently and expediently teach them magic, allowing them to break into the Eighth Circle!¡± Sienna viciously spat out before ncing at Eugene with a regretful expression. ¡°Ah, of course, I¡¯m not referring to you, my disciple¡­.¡±0 ¡°Ahem. As your master, I believe you can still proudly call yourself an Archwizard. Though you haven¡¯t reached enlightenment through your personal in-depth research on magic and were only able to reach your current level of magic thanks to the Lionheart¡¯s White me Form and¡­ ahem¡­ the Witchcraft created by your master, but even so, well, ummm¡­.¡±0 ¡°Why don¡¯t you just stop there?¡± Eugene suggested drily.0 ¡°Like I thought, you really are a cheeky disciple. Even though your master is giving you some rarepliments, you¡¯re still talking back to me so rudely,¡± Sienna muttered as she red at Eugene,¡®What an annoying guy.¡¯7 Although it might be true that she had added all sorts ofments at the end, Sienna hadn¡¯t said anything she didn¡¯t mean. In Sienna¡¯s unbiased opinion, Eugene¡¯s Signature spell, Prominence, was extremely impressive.0 ¡°If we go down any further than this, we¡¯ll be caught by their barrier,¡± Carmen, who was also flying along with them, warned them.0 This was the gship of the subjugation force, the most powerful battleship owned by the royal family, and yet they were still here to infiltrate the Laversia. They had even managed to convince Carmen of why they had to do it this way.0 The ships from three hundred years ago were nothingpared to the ships of the modern day that were even enhanced further with magical technology, so the speed of the subjugation expedition was already plenty fast. However, if Sienna¡¯s magic was added on top of that, they could be even faster.0 Then there were the suspicions regarding Ortus. One method to deal with this problem was to maintain constant vignce against him, but Eugene believed it would be a whole lot easier and much morefortable to just subdue Ortus in advance.0 Carmen had alsoe to agree with this fact to a certain extent. In the first ce, one of the purposes of the ck Lion Knights that Carmenmanded was to punish those guilty of such simr suspicions when they appeared within the family and also to protect the discipline andws of the n.0 However, Ortus wasn¡¯t a member of the Lionhearts. The fact that he was the Grand Duke of a foreign country restrained Carmen from taking action. Carmen Lionheart possessed enoughmon sense to get that straight, at least.0 But Eugene casually decided to ignore any suchmon sense.0 This was because he had Sienna with him. In the end, it might have been Eugene¡¯s decision to infiltrate the Laversia, but he was actually going to im something otherwise when they eventually confronted the bewildered Ortus.0 ¡ªWell, the Wise Lady Sienna said, ¡®So what if we do kill that Lord Ortus?¡¯0 As a great hero from three hundred years ago and the friend of their family¡¯s progenitor, once such a senior said something like that, they couldn¡¯t help but go along with her ¡ª or at least, that¡¯s how Eugene intended to pass it off.0 Sienna frowned, ¡°In that case, what shall we do? Should I just break open the barrier?0 ¡°Didn¡¯t you decide to handle this quietly if at all possible?¡± Carmen politely reminded her.0 If things didn¡¯t go ording to n, they had also nned on just overwhelming the forces of the Laversia and forcefully taking control of the ship.0 However, that course of action was just prepared for the worst-case scenario. Carmen hoped that, if possible, they could handle this quietly. Without having to confront the full forces of the Laversia, they would only need to subdue Ortus, the Commander of this expedition.0 If they managed to do that, it would be practically the same as having seized control of the Laversia.0 ¡°Alright,¡± Sienna said with a smile as she reached out with Frost.0 The mana in the air underwent a change. This was a sign that Sienna¡¯s Signature spell, the Empress Rule, had just been cast. The magic barrier that protected Laversia might have been created by the Archiwizard Maise himself, but it still couldn¡¯t disobey Sienna¡¯s Empress Rule.0 ¡°Let¡¯s head down,¡± Sienna ordered once she was done.0 Eugene, Sienna, and Carmen were able to slip past the barrier without any incident as it failed to detect the intruders. Sienna narrowed her eyes as she looked down on the Laversia.0 ¡°Found him,¡± she announced.0 Sienna had managed to detect Ortus¡¯s location. From that point onwards, everything was simple. The party managed to deceive the eyes of any watchers or guards and arrived at the door to the room where Ortus was staying.0 The three exchanged nces silently.0 Then they opened the door.0 Ortus Hyman was sitting on the other side of his office desk, apparently pondering something. Judging from how he was tapping the desk with a pen held in one hand, he appeared to have been writing something.0 ¡°Hm?¡± Ortus looked up.0 The door had opened without any warning. Ortus blinked in surprise. He continued to stare nkly as three people walked through the now-open door. Caught off guard, he wasn¡¯t able to immediately understand the surprising situation he was now in.0 Of the three who had opened the door and entered his office, he recognized two of them.0 The first was Carmen Lionheart. But why was she here when she should be on another ship? No, if he thought about it, he could guess that she may have crossed over to his ship because she needed him for something, but¡­ what reason could she have for barging into his room without even knocking?0 As for the man now closing the door¡­ Ortus also recognized him. This was Eugene Lionheart.0 Hold on, Eugene Lionheart? He was meant to be in Kiehl, so why had he shown up here along with Carmen?0 Three days ago, there had only been three Lionhearts sailing along with the fleet: Carmen, Ciel, and Dezra. Apart from them, the Lionhearts had also sent three servants along, but none of those servants had been male.0 Also¡­ who was that woman? With such vibrant purple hair, she definitely couldn¡¯t be regarded as an ordinary person. Her green eyes shone with amusement, and she held a magic staff in one hand¡­. Could she be a wizard?0 Was this actually the Wise Sienna?1 Ortus eximed, ¡°Just what on earth¡­?¡±0 He still couldn¡¯t quite understand this situation. What were Eugene Lionheart and the Wise Sienna, who were meant to be in Kiehl, doing here? Also, why had Carmen brought those two herete at night without any warning?0 Hold on. They hade here without any warning? How was that possible? This ship, the Laversia, was covered by a magical barrier. If anyone had touched the barrier, the news would have automatically been transmitted to Ortus and Maise no matter what.0 ¡®So why wasn¡¯t I alerted?¡¯Ortus thought warily.0 They must have broken through the barrier. But whether it was from doing that to showing up in front of his door, he hadn¡¯t managed to notice their approach until they had opened the door to his office. No matter how focused he may have been, it didn¡¯t make sense that Ortus hadn¡¯t noticed the approach of such weighty existences.0 So Ortus instinctively felt a strong sense of danger and leaped up from his seat.0 Whooosh!0 Sienna sealed the room with a spell. Eugene and Carmen kicked off the ground at the same time without saying anything as they ran towards Ortus. Their first priority was to capture Ortus before doing anything else.0 ¡°You lunatics!¡± Ortus cursed.0 How could they just attack him without saying anything?! What on earth were they doing? Ortus regretted that he wasn¡¯t wearing his Exid and that his sword had been set down far away from him. Even though he was still somewhat stunned, Ortus immediately prepared to defend himself.0 Ortus vaulted over his office desk as he came up with a n. Let alone now, even if he had been in perfect condition, he didn¡¯t stand a chance of winning if he went up against those two head-on. Moreover, there was still the Wise Sienna standing behind them!0 He couldn¡¯t understand why they were attacking him. But since he didn¡¯t know their purpose for doing so, Ortus couldn¡¯t afford to take them lightly.0 Once amotion was raised, alerting those outside his office that something was happening, the Court Wizard Maise and other reinforcements should arrive. That was what Ortus had decided to aim for.1 Boom!0 Ortus, who was covered in a huge amount of mana, charged at Eugene. This was because he had judged that Eugene should be weaker than Carmen.15 ¡®Well, now,¡¯Eugene thought with a broad smile as he saw Ortus rapidly closing the distance between them. Chapter 358: The Laversia (2) Ever since Doynes Lionheart, the former head of the Council of Elders, had died, Carmen Lionheart had be the strongest member of the Lionheart n. Or at least that was what the public believed. So, based on that, Ortus¡¯ choice was rational and sensible. No matter how strong he might be for his age, at least at the present, Eugene was still younger than Ortus¡¯ son. Though, of course ¡ª the skill that Eugene had shown at the Knight March had been outstanding. However, what if the Duke of Helmuth, Gavid Lindman, had made up his mind to ept the challenge? Would Eugene¡¯s sword really be able to apply any pressure to Gavid? Ortus had his doubts about that, and such thoughts left a lingering hesitation in his movements that would affect the fight toe. Was this a situation where he should still stay his hand? Should he try to subdue Eugene? Or should he aim to kill? But Ortus¡¯ hesitation did notst long. This was a surprise attack, after all. He didn¡¯t know their reasons for doing this. But he couldn¡¯t afford to hold back. Ortus wasn¡¯t such a merciful person that he could afford the time to consider the motivations of enemies who had suddenly attacked him. Ortus¡¯ outstretched hands were wrapped in mana. His powerful mana, infused with the intent to crush and disintegrate everything it touched, crackled as it emitted a bright light. Noticing Ortus¡¯ hesitation, Eugene had time for two thoughts. ¡®Cheeky bastard.¡¯ How dare Ortus hesitate when facing him? ¡®But thanks for that.¡¯ It was definitely unpleasant to be looked down upon. However, even Eugene felt it was a reasonable evaluation for Ortus to make. His opponent was Ortus, the Grand Duke of Shimuin, whose nom de guerre was the First. Whenever it came to discussing who the strongest knights on the continent were, his name was one that was always mentioned. Since Ortus was at such a level, he had grounds to be arrogant. And right now, Eugene actually appreciated this arrogant look of his. Because it made Ortus easier to handle. Ortus¡¯ hands drew closer. Eugene wasn¡¯t in any hurry to react. The moment that Ortus¡¯ hand was about to reach for his face, Eugene suddenly elerated into action. Crackle! Eugene left lightning and mes behind as an after trail. At a distance that was so close that your opponent¡¯s face could basically fill your entire field of view, Eugene¡¯s figurepletely vanished from Ortus¡¯ sight. Ortus was surprised ¡ª he wasn¡¯t able to follow Eugene¡¯s movements. But even if his opponent had disappeared, Ortus just needed to find him once more. Focused as he was on the fight, such thoughts flowed through Ortus¡¯ mind, but Ortus wasn¡¯t able to move as he thought he should. Eugene might have vanished from Ortus¡¯ field of view, but he hadn¡¯t actually disappeared. Eugene first slipped to Ortus¡¯ side, then grabbed a firm hold on one of Ortus¡¯ outstretched arms. Although he had the urge to twist and break Ortus¡¯ arm, Eugene knew that there was no need for him to do so. Because Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one attacking Ortus. Carmen marveled, ¡®It¡¯s unbelievable.¡¯ Ortus wasn¡¯t the only one who had been surprised. Carmen couldn¡¯t follow Eugene¡¯s movements either. Even though she had known in advance what he was going to do, her eyes were too slow to keep up with him. Although she had heard that Eugene had risen past the Sixth Star and was now on the Seventh Star¡­ to think he would be this strong. ¡®Looks like I¡¯ll have to give up the title of the Lionheart n¡¯s strongest,¡¯ Carmen thought. Oddly enough, Carmen didn¡¯t feel discouraged by this realization. Instead, she was as happy and proud of Eugene¡¯s achievement as if it were her own. This was because Eugene¡¯s strength was equal to the Lionheart n¡¯s strength, and that was just how much Carmen loved the Lionhearts, her family. But she couldn¡¯t allow herself to indulge in this sense of satisfaction right now. Although it was slightly, ever so slightly, slower than Eugene¡¯s own movements, Carmen had also snapped into action to do what she needed to do. A short, curved hook of Carmen¡¯s fist hammered into Ortus¡¯ side. Ortus reflexively turned his body to avoid, or at least reduce, the force from the blow, but because his opposite arm was being held captured, his body couldn¡¯t move as much as he wanted it to. The only response he could make in such a situation was to expand his Aurashield and try to guard his side with his free arm. But his guard wasn''t good enough. With a defense of this level, most knights wouldn¡¯t even have been able to touch Ortus. However, his opponent wasn¡¯t someone who fell into the category of ¡®most knights.¡¯ Crack! Ortus¡¯ Aurashield was pierced right through. The arm guarding his side also didn¡¯t prove much use. Carmen¡¯s blow was like a sharp awl, piercing right through his defenses and sending shockwaves into Ortus¡¯ internal organs. Ortus¡¯ whole body was blown to the side. Clenching his teeth, Ortus choked back a groan. He immediately tried to break free with an explosion of mana, but even that didn¡¯t work as intended. From beside him, purple me erupted from the hand that Eugene was using to hold onto Ortus. Rooooar! Ortus¡¯ arm was engulfed in mes. His mana was being suppressed by this new source of mana. But for Eugene to do something like this, that meant he would need to have an overwhelming advantage over Ortus in terms of his total mana output. Ortus twisted his body, trying to throw off the mes, but he wasn¡¯t able to escape the purple fire. Was he, someone who had trained for over fifty years, really losing to Eugene Lionheart in terms of mana? Unable to believe this, Ortus red at Eugene. ¡°This should be enough,¡± Carmen said as she walked over, shaking the fist that had hammered into Ortus¡¯ side. She then grabbed Ortus¡¯ remaining arm and, like what Eugene had just done, called upon the White me Form. Two mes, each of different colors, came together to crush Ortus¡¯ body in between them. ¡°Aaargh¡­!¡± Ortus cried out as he was subjected to a pressure that made it difficult for him to even breathe. Still desperately trying to hold on, in the end, Ortus unwillingly fell to his knees. This was the first time that he had ever been so humiliated. Ortus spat out through gritted teeth, ¡°If I was just¡­ wearing¡­ my Exid!¡± He wasn¡¯t lying. If he had been wearing his Exid and was prepared for the attack, he wouldn¡¯t have been so cruelly stomped on. Eugene made his contempt for this excuse obvious, ¡°Tsk, you can¡¯t admit your shorings, so you¡¯re using yourck of equipment as an excuse¡­.¡± At these words, Mer, who was inside his cloak, unconsciously let out a choked gasp. This was because she felt that Eugene, of all people, definitely shouldn¡¯t be allowed to say such words. After all, in the many battles he had fought in up until now, hadn¡¯t he always benefited from the quality of his equipment? Moreover, when he had fought Molon without using his equipment and lost miserably, Eugene had even made a lengthy excuse about how the oue of their battle would have been different if he had fought with his weapons¡­. Eugene ignored the sounds of Mer¡¯s tongue clicking away from within his cloak. Ortus weakly turned his head to re at Eugene, ¡°What on earth¡­ is your goal for doing this¡­?!¡± ¡°We are here because we have something that we want to ask you,¡± Eugene replied. Ortus choked, ¡°What? Something you want to ask me? If that¡¯s the reason you¡¯re here, couldn¡¯t you have just approached me normally to ask your questions?! Why would you secretlye here in the early hours of the morning and attack me like this?!¡± It was Sienna who answered this time, ¡°Because sometimes you need to use threats rather than calm conversation.¡± While tipping herrge wizard¡¯s hat back to expose more of her face, Sienna walked over to Ortus. ¡°This is my first time meeting you, Lord Ortus. However, I¡¯ve been told all about you,¡± Sienna revealed menacingly. Ortus was struck dumb at the threatening words. ¡°What about you? Do you know who I am? It feels like you probably do know. If I had to say why, it¡¯s because when we opened your door and entered, you seemed shocked when you saw my face, right?¡± Sienna teased with a chuckle as she tucked her purple hair back over her shoulder. After hesitating for a few moments, Ortus replied, ¡°You are the¡­ Wise Sienna¡­.¡± Sienna nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, I am that Wise Sienna.¡± Ortus weakly demanded, ¡°What on earth¡­ do you want from me? Why do something like this¡ª¡± Sienna interrupted him, ¡°What I want is the same thing I¡¯ve wanted for the past three hundred years, Lord Ortus. I want that dark elf, Iris, to die a terrible and agonizing death.¡± Her bright smile had disappeared. Just saying the name ¡®Iris¡¯ had ruined Sienna¡¯s mood. While radiating an icy-cold killing intent, she red down at Ortus. Sienna truly belonged on a different level. Ortus was left with no choice but to recognize this fact. It wasn¡¯t a matter of being a little weaker or stronger. Sienna simply belonged to a different level of strength. Although the name Ortus Hyman was always brought up whenever the topic of the strongest knight of the continent was discussed, the one who was currently radiating killing intent from right in front of him was a legendary hero who had received universal recognition as ¡®the strongest wizard on the continent¡¯ as much as three hundred years ago. Ortus ground out, ¡°If what you desire is the death of the Pirate Empress, Iris, then¡ª!¡± He now knew that they were on different levels. However, Ortus¡¯ will wasn¡¯t shattered by this realization. Instead, the unfair oppression he was currently being subjected to was causing Ortus¡¯ voice to boil over in rage. ¡°¡ªthen I, even more so, don¡¯t understand why you have ambushed me like this,¡± Ortusined. ¡°Under His Majesty¡¯s orders, I am serving as themander of the expedition to vanquish Iris. And up until today, I believe that I have continued to lead this expedition without any problems! ¡°What are you even doing here in the first ce? Why are you, Lady Sienna and Eugene Lionheart, doing here when you¡¯re meant to be in the distant Kiehl Empire?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because we don¡¯t trust you,¡± Eugene took over, answering his questions once more. Tightening his hold on Ortus¡¯ wrist, Eugene growled, ¡°That means, Lord Ortus, we have our doubts about you.¡± ¡°Doubts?¡± Ortus repeated with outrage. ¡°You¡¯re saying that you doubt me? That is a truly absurd usation, Eugene Lionheart. Between us, are we even close enough for you to have reason to doubt me?¡± Eugene retorted, ¡°It¡¯s not like we really have to be all that close for me to doubt you, right?¡± ¡°Then what exactly are your doubts?!¡± Ortus harshly demanded. ¡°Lord Ortus, aren¡¯t you secretly colluding with Iris?¡± Eugene calmly used. Struck by Eugene¡¯s direct question, Ortus¡¯ eyes widened into circles. ¡°Colluding? Colluding?! Are you really using me of colluding with the Pirate Empress?!¡± Ortus roared. ¡°Why are you making such a fuss?¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°That¡¯s just making you seem even more suspicious.¡± ¡°Be careful¡­ with your words¡­!¡± Ortus hissed. ¡°Even if you are a descendant of the Lionheart n, and even if you are the Hero, you are not allowed to insult my honor as a knight!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not insulting you. I¡¯m just asking you a question,¡± Eugene calmly corrected him. ¡°Lord Ortus, ording to our secret investigation, it seems that a merchant firm run by your rtive made a huge profit thanks to Iris, isn¡¯t that right?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t mention that Ivic had been the source of their information. Ivic had been worried that Ortus might be trying to stab him in the back. If Eugene disclosed Ivic¡¯s name here, Ortus would be sure to develop murderous intentions for Ivic. Eugene warned him, ¡°Please don¡¯t lie to us. Because it is a very simple matter for us to find out the truth right here and now. Isn¡¯t that right, Lady Sienna?¡± Sienna nodded, ¡°Mhm, that¡¯s right. Because I am the Wise Sienna, there¡¯s no need for me to even use a spell to tell whether you¡¯re lying or not. However, if I were to use a spell, I would be able to perfectly separate the truths from the lies.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what she says, Lord Ortus. On top of that, apart from magic, there are several other methods that we can use. I also happen to know a bit about torture¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off menacingly. Ortus grew even angrier, ¡°Torture? You, you¡¯re threatening to torture me?!¡± Eugene reassured him, ¡°If you just tell us the truth, Lord Ortus, there won¡¯t be any torture. But if ites to that, I believe it will be better for you as well, Lord Ortus, if Lady Carmen were to handle it rather than myself. Ortus¡¯ lips twitched as he recognized the threatening meaning hidden behind Eugene¡¯s words. The ck Lions also served as the Lionheart n¡¯s interrogators. If it came down to it, Carmen would be able to torture Ortus to extract the answers she wanted without even the slightest change of expression. ¡°Haaah, really¡­ I feel like I¡¯m about to go crazy from such injustice¡­!¡± Ortus groaned. ¡°Fine then! It¡¯s just as you¡¯ve said! I have seen financial benefits from making use of Iris. However, I have never colluded with her! And I¡¯m not the only one who took advantage of that fucking pirate bitch to fill my wallet. The Royal Family were the first to take bribes from Iris, and most of Shimuin¡¯s high-ranking nobles have also received bribes from her!¡± ¡°Yet you¡¯re still telling me not to insult your honor?¡± Eugene sneered. ¡°I only took her money with the Royal Family¡¯s express permission!¡± Ortus defended himself. ¡°We were only ever using Iris!¡± Eugene shrugged, ¡°In any case, the fact is that you did make a deal with Iris. That¡¯s exactly why I have my doubts about you!¡± ¡°It¡¯s different! I made a deal with Iris because, at that time, Iris was an existence that could bepletely controlled by the kingdom! However, things are different now! Iris has gone out of control and has even turned her sword against the Kingdom!¡± Ortus roared loudly as a vein on his neck began throbbing in rage. ¡°I am a knight of Shimuin, and the only liege I have sworn my loyalty to is His Majesty the King. My liege has ordered Iris¡¯ death. He has given memand of this expeditionary force! That¡¯s it! I¡¯m telling you, that is the full story!¡± Carmen, who had been listening quietly, said, ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you''re some loyal knight, Sir Ortus.¡± Squeeeze! Carmen¡¯s fingers dug into Ortus¡¯ arms as she continued speaking, ¡°You may have justified your actions by iming that the royal family also received bribes from Iris, but by doing so, you have used the master you have sworn your loyalty to as a cheap excuse.¡± Ortus growled, ¡°Carmen Lionheart¡ª!¡± ¡°I have always thought of you as a great knight, but you¡­ you¡¯re not as impressive as I once thought you were. Instead of a great man, you¡¯re closer to a petty crook,¡± Carmen said with a click of her tongue as she shook her head. A petty crook? She had called him a petty crook? Ortus¡¯ body trembled in rage. ring at Carmen with bloodshot eyes, he suddenly mmed his head onto the floor. Bent over, Ortus painfully gritted out, ¡°It seems¡­ that I¡¯ve made¡­ a slip of the tongue.¡± After taking a deep breath, Ortus raised his head once more. Because Ortus hadn¡¯t held back any strength out of concern for self-injury, blood was now pouring down from his torn-open forehead. ¡°Because I feel so unjustly persecuted by these circumstances¡­ I¡¯ve mistakenly done something so embarrassing to try and escape this situation,¡± Ortus confessed shamefully. Carmen snorted, ¡°But to me, even that excuse sounds like just another attempt to escape your current situation.¡± Yet after saying this, Camen still released her hold on Ortus¡¯ arm. After silently ring at Carmen for a moment, Ortus let out a long sigh, ¡°It is¡­ true that I have taken money from Iris. However, I haven¡¯t made any other deals with her apart from that. In addition to having received orders from my liege, I¡­ it is out of my own free will that I am leading this expedition. There is only one thing I desire: the sess of this expedition.¡± Eugene stared at Ortus with narrowed eyes. It didn¡¯t seem like he was lying, but they still couldn¡¯t blindly trust him even with that. The problem was that they didn¡¯t have any other grounds to be suspicious of Ortus. All that they had heard from Ivic was that Ortus had made a fortune due to Iris. Were they really going to be able to see through Ortus¡¯ true intentions by using such a flimsy connection? See through? Did they really need to do something like that? ¡°I¡¯m afraid I cannot believe your word,¡± Eugene dered. This was actually incorrect. It wasn¡¯t that he couldn¡¯t believe Ortus. He wasn¡¯t even trying to believe Ortus. Eugene had already thought this through beforeing here. Eugene didn¡¯t need to trust Ortus to use him. ¡°Lord Ortus, if you really, truly do want the expedition to be sessful, if you do want Iris to die¡­,¡± Eugene paused for a short moment. To efficiently deal with the countless pirates under Iris¡¯smand, the full strength of the subjugation expedition would be needed. Eugene nced over to Sienna and finished, ¡°...then ept this dagger.¡± A dagger made of magic appeared in Sienna¡¯s hand. It was the same kind of magic dagger that had been inserted into Balzac¡¯s chest in the Samar Rainforest. Since it had been made with magic, it was only natural that Sienna would also be able to recreate it. Ortus was taken aback, ¡°A dagger¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing much,¡± Sienna said with a smile as she lightly swung the dagger. ¡°This dagger has two conditions imnted into it. First, you cannot reveal anything about us to anyone until we give you permission to do so. The second, you promise to never collude with Iris.¡± ¡°Is that¡­ really all?¡± Ortus asked suspiciously. ¡°That¡¯s right, those are the only conditions,¡± Sienna nodded. ¡°Simple, right? If you really want to kill Iris, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any reason why you would refuse this dagger.¡± Ortus considered the dagger silently. ¡°But first of all, let me give you a warning. Do you want to know what will happen if you ept this dagger and break one of the conditions? If you reveal our presence to anyone, well¡­ for example, what if you inform Iris? Hmm, if that happens, you would also be breaking the condition of ¡®never cooperating with Iris,¡¯¡± Sienna paused idly. Ortus bristled, ¡°I would never do something like that¡ª!¡± Sienna waved him off, ¡°I¡¯m just making an example. In any case, if you do break one of those conditions¡­ then this dagger will tear your heart into pieces.¡± It would tear his heart into pieces. Ortus swallowed a gulp at this bloody description. ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry, Ortus Hyman. Because as long you¡¯re telling the truth and remain an upstanding knight, then your heart will not be torn apart. But seeing you so worried, afraid, and hesitant, it¡¯s making me have second thoughts,¡± Sienna slowly tilted her head to one side. ¡°Lord Ortus, could it be that you are really colluding with Iris? Is that why you¡¯re afraid of epting the dagger? If that¡¯s the case, I¡¯ll just kill you right here and now. I won¡¯t give you as painless a death as getting your heart torn into pieces. Because I hate Iris, and I hate everyone who colludes with that bitch. Ortus Hyman, do you know why I hate that dark elf?¡± Ortus remained silent at this outburst. ¡°That dark elf killed my family. She killed so many of the elves who were precious to me. Ortus, if you really are colluding with Iris, before I kill you, I will first kill all of the people precious to you. Only after killing all those you hold dear will I make sure to kill you,¡± Sienna promised darkly. This was a tant threat, both absurd and unreasonable. She was basically ordering him to risk his own death and stick the dagger into his own heart. However, everything that Sienna had said just now was the truth. If Ortus really was honest, if their suspicions truly were just suspicions, then there would be no reason for him to refuse the dagger. What was so difficult about not revealing anything about Eugene and Sienna, as well as not colluding with Iris? Those were the only conditions set by the dagger. As long as Ortus continued to lead the subjugation expedition, as he had been ordered to, and as long as he truly desired to kill Iris as he had imed, then the dagger would not tear Ortus¡¯ heart apart. ¡°Fine, I understand¡­,¡± Ortus epted through gritted teeth. She was terrifying. Ortus couldn¡¯t help but feel an utmost fear towards Sienna. The hatred and murderous intent leaking from this legendary Archwizard was causing goosebumps to appear on Ortus¡¯ skin. ¡°Good choice,¡± Sienna praised him with a broad smile as she held her hand outwards. This magic dagger had so much power over its victims that it was almost like a curse. If you managed to stick it into someone¡¯s chest, you could tear their heart into pieces the moment a condition was triggered. If you first created two daggers and then synchronized them, you could rip apart your victim¡¯s heart whenever you wanted to without needing to trigger one of the conditions. But as powerful as it was, the other person¡¯s permission was needed before it could be driven into their heart. The dagger could not enter the victim¡¯s heart unless the victim allowed it. But even though Ortus had been coerced into doing so by Sienna¡¯s threats, it still counted as Ortus willingly allowing the dagger to be sheathed in his heart. Ortus watched the dagger dive into his heart with a twisted expression. ¡°Have you finally had enough?¡± Ortus asked sarcastically. Instead of answering, Eugene let go of Ortus¡¯ arm. Free of his restraints, Ortus sat upright and spat out, ¡°The dagger hasn¡¯t torn apart my heart. Isn¡¯t that proof of my innocence?¡± ¡°It is,¡± Sienna nodded. Ortus hopefully began, ¡°In that case, you can¡ª¡± ¡°I will extract the dagger after Iris has been killed. Because it¡¯s also important to keep you from revealing anything about us.¡± Sienna smiled brightly before continuing to speak, ¡°We have no intention of exposing ourselves in the front of this expedition. If Iris notices us, she might run away or hide.¡± ¡°How careful of you,¡± Ortus gritted out, still in that same sarcastic tone. The smile on Sienna¡¯s face dimmed slightly. ¡°Ahem¡­ as you wish, Lady Sienna,¡± Ortus quickly corrected himself, no longer sounding so sarcastic. Chapter 359: The Laversia (3)

Chapter 359: The Laversia (3)

The purpose of their visit hadn¡¯t ended with just imnting the dagger into Ortus¡¯ heart.0 Though Ortus was already thinking about driving away these rude and insulting visitors, he never said anything out loud.0 He silently began tidying up his room, setting aside the remains of the floorboards that had been deeply scored during their brief skirmish and also lifted up the desk that had been tipped over. Through these actions, Ortus was making a tant show of his displeasure.0 ¡°Allow me to help you,¡± Eugene offered, taking a step forward.0 Ortus held up his hand to stop Eugene and said, ¡°No, that¡¯s fine, Sir Eugene. As you¡¯re aguest, just sit there quietly.¡±0 Although the emotions in his voice had been suppressed, as he looked up, Ortus¡¯ eyes appeared dull and sunken, showing that he had yet to let go of his wounded emotions.0 ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s only natural,¡¯Eugene thought.0 They hade looking for him of their own ord, struck him several times, knocked him to the ground, kept him subdued, and even stuck a magical dagger into his heart. Having only recently been subjected to such treatment, was it really possible for Ortus to have gotten over his anger in the short amount of time since then? If someone like that really existed, then Anise and Kristina should just hand over their title as the Saint to that person.0 ¡°By the way, Lord Ortus,¡± Carmen, who had been standing nearby, suddenly spoke up. ncing at the papers lying strewn across a corner of the room, she continued, ¡°When we entered, you were extremely focused on jotting something down¡­ so what on earth were you writing?¡±0 Ortus started, ¡°Huh?¡±1 ¡°I¡¯m talking about those papers over there,¡± Carmen gestured over to them.0 This wasn¡¯t just an idle question on Carmen¡¯s part. When they had opened the door and entered the room, Ortus had indeed been writing down something on a piece of paper. Then, when Ortus had looked up to confirm their identities, he had reflexively covered the papers with his hand, trying to hide their contents.0 Carmen thought that perhaps he might have been writing a missive to Iris at that time. Though there shouldn¡¯t be any need to have any further doubts about Ortus now that the magic dagger had been inserted ¡ª Carmen still didn¡¯t want to leave even the slightest trace of doubt in her mind.0 ¡°It has nothing to do with Iris,¡± Ortus insisted. ¡°By now, there shouldn¡¯t be any need for me to say that myself, right?¡±0 Carmen shrugged, ¡°Hmm if it did have something to do with her, your heart would have been shredded already. However, I still want to check their contents.¡±0 ¡°Damn it!¡± Ortus roared loudly with a flushed face. ¡°It¡¯s a diary! My diary! Damn you! Do I still need to get your permission even when I am writing my diary in the privacy of my own room?!¡±0 Carmen tried to soothe him, ¡°No¡­ please don¡¯t get too overwrought, Lord Ortus. I just thought that it might be evidence of some other form of corruption on your part¡ª¡±0 ¡°Corruption!¡± Ortus burst out. ¡°You¡¯re using me of corruption?! Look here, Carmen Lionheart. I might respect you as a warrior, but I am not a vassal of the Lionheart n! That means you have no right to judge me!¡±2 Ortus¡¯ shouts were packed with sincerity, but Carmen still seemed suspicious. Sighing in frustration, Ortus picked up the papers strewn across the corner of the room. Then, he held up the contents of the papers for all of them to see.0 ¡°Did you really think that I would be keeping a record of any acts of corruption? Or did you perhaps believe that I would leak information about the forces in the subjugation expedition to the enemy? Just how little, exactly, do you think of me?!¡± Ortus groaned painfully.4 He had reason to feel aggrieved. The contents written on the papers really were from his diary.1 What was written in there wasn¡¯t something shameful that couldn¡¯t be shown to anyone else either. It was just things like what the weather was like today or what he had done that day. He had also written about his nervousness and excitement regarding the uing battle with Iris, a dark elf who had lived for hundreds of years and bore the impressive nicknames of the Pirate Empress and the Rakshasa Princess.0 It might have been better if he had been like Carmen, and it had contained a bizarre and delusional perspective that should never be shown to anyone¡­ but the ordinary contents were actually causing Ortus to feel even more embarrassed. The other people in the room who had suddenly been exposed to Ortus¡¯ diary also felt a simr sense of embarrassment.0 ¡°It seems¡­ that I have made a huge error. My apologies,¡± Carmen awkwardly said with an embarrassed expression.0 ¡°No need for apologies,¡± Ortus hissed through gritted teeth.0 He crumpled the pages that he had held out and stuffed them into a pocket.0 ¡°It seems that he¡¯s finally arrived,¡± Ortus grumbled while turning to re at the closed door.0 They had been waiting for Maise Briar, the Chief of Shimuin¡¯s Court Wizards and the sole wizard officially assigned to the subjugation force. After receiving a call from Ortus, he had just arrived at the door.0 Knock knock.0 Naturally, Maise didn¡¯t just walk in without knocking on the door first.0 Shooting an using nce at Eugene and the others, Ortus called out, ¡°Pleasee in.¡±0 Maise opened the door and entered the room. Like most other Archwizards, Maise also maintained the appearance of a middle-aged man, which was much younger than his actual age, through his magic.0 ¡°Lord Ortus, what on earth has prompted you to call me at such ate hour¡ª¡± but Maise was cut off by Sienna before he could even finish speaking.0 After being forcefully seated on a sofa, Maise proceeded to listen to the whole story in a half-dazed state.4 Once they were done telling him everything, the very first thing that Maise asked was, ¡°Are you truly the Wise Lady Sienna?¡± Then, shaking his head, he answered his own question, ¡°No, my apologies for asking such a meaningless question. This intense mana¡­ your ability to suppress my use of magic with a single wave of your hand, and the skill to disrupt my mana control¡­ and your beautiful purple hair and your bright green eyes¡­,¡± Maise muttered to himself as he stared at Sienna with a look of fascination in his eyes.2 Eugene felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. Even though the one known as the Mercenary King of the present day didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest respect for his seniors, why were the Archwizards of this continent, who should be more prideful than anyone else, so consistent in their disys of adoration whenever they saw Sienna?3 ¡°Please ce a dagger in my chest as well,¡± Maise requested.0 The conditions ced on that dagger would be the same as those on the one inserted into Ortus¡¯ heart. However, unlike Ortus, Maise didn¡¯t show any hesitation. He eagerly unbuttoned his shirt with his own hands and spread it open to reveal his chest.0 Maise celebrated, ¡°To think that the Wise Sienna, whom I¡¯ve always admired¡­ would actually cast a spell on me herself! I will be able to boast about this honor for the rest of my life.¡±7 Sienna warned him, ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but if you want to tell everyone about this, you have to do it after the dagger has been extracted, got it?¡±1 ¡°Yes, of course.¡± Maise hesitated slightly, ¡°Ah¡­ Lady Sienna, please listen to my request. Once the expedition is over and the timees to remove the dagger, instead of extracting it, would it be possible to just erase the conditions and leave it in?¡±3 The two conditions were to not disclose their information to anyone else and to not collude with Iris. So what would happen if those conditions were erased and only the dagger remained?0 In that case, Maise would be able to say something like this for the rest of his life,¡®Hey, guess what? Right now, embedded in my chest is a magic dagger that was personally created by the Wise Lady Sienna herself. What? You¡¯re calling me a liar? Haha, why don¡¯t you take a look at it yourself?¡¯0 All the other wizards in the Royal Pce would surely be jealous if he told them about this.0 ¡°Fine then,¡± Sienna replied with a bright smile.0 Since a junior who admired her had requested to keep it as a souvenir, she could allow him that much.0 ¡°Should I engrave it with my initials as well?¡± Sienna offered.13 ¡°Oh my god¡­!¡± Maise squealed as tears of joy welled up in his eyes.1 Eugene, who was watching this scene with a sullen expression, deliberately cleared his throat loudly and said, ¡°Ahem, master, since it¡¯ste, why don¡¯t we hurry up and finish things here so we can get going.¡±0 Sienna chuckled, ¡°Fufufu, is my cute little disciple jealous?¡±0 ¡°Hmph¡­ jealous, as if¡­,¡± Eugene muttered sourly.0 Giggling, Sienna inserted the dagger into Maise¡¯s chest. The dagger went in without a hitch and pierced straight into Maise¡¯s heart.0 Only then did their discussion begin in earnest.0 ¡°Are you saying that you will drag the entire fleet along with your magic?¡± Maise eximed.0 Sienna nodded her head, ¡°Mhm.¡±0 ¡°That¡¯s¡­ is something so absurd even possible?¡± Maise said, even as he ran through the calctions needed to do so inside his head.0 Was she really nning to elerate a hundred ships using magic, enabling them to ignore all of the weather conditions and sea currents? Maise was also an Archwizard who had reached the Eighth Circle. If he really had to do something like this, he was capable of doing so. However, he didn¡¯t have the confidence that he would be able to do so for very long. If he risked pouring out all of his mana until he waspletely exhausted, he might be able to keep it up for about half a day?0 ¡°Of course, it¡¯s possible,¡± Sienna quickly confirmed.0 Only three hundred years ago, the main motive force that was used to propel most ships was manpower. As the sailors rowed their oars, the wizards would raise up winds and control the ocean currents.0 However, in this day and age, almost all modern vessels used magical engines instead, running on mana that had been stored within them before their departure. The ship¡¯s propulsion also relied partly on improved and rechargeable mana stones.0 ¡°I¡¯ve also thought about improving the magic engines, but that would take too long. In that case, I have no choice but to use such barbaric and simple methods,¡± Sienna said decisively.0 She would cast an eleration spell on the entire fleet. The spell would divert all nearby ocean currents to aid them as well as create winds that would push the fleet from behind. Sienna intended to use all possible methods to get there faster.0 Sienna¡¯s Eternal Hole still wasn¡¯t as stable as it had been in the past. So, if she used powerful magic on this scale for an extended time, she might cause further damage to her Eternal Hole. Naturally, Sienna was also wary of such a possibility and had prepared a n for that eventuality.7 She would use the Dragonhearts.0 Both Akasha and Frost carried one each. The total amount of mana that could be supplied from these two magic staffs was theoretically infinite.0 If Sienna were to supply the spell with mana from the staffs instead of the mana generated by her Eternal Hole, the consumption on her should be within reason. On top of that, she could also receive help from Eugene, Mer, Raimira, and Maise.0 Maise pledged his help eagerly, ¡°It would be my honor¡­!¡±0 To be part of the subjugation of the Rakshasa Princess Iris, that alone could be considered a legendary feat, but if the Wise Sienna and the Hero Eugene Lionheart were also part of the expedition¡­. Furthermore, Maise would get the chance to cooperate with them from the very beginning of the expedition, bing a part of the winds that would drive the subjugation expedition forward.9 Maise was trembling in joy, but Ortus¡¯ expression was shaking from a different set of emotions.0 Stroking his chin in silent thought for a few moments, Ortus suddenly said, ¡°I don¡¯t really know much about magic, but¡­ what you proposed to do just now, Lady Sienna, it is so absurd that even an Archwizard would im that it was impossible, is that correct?¡±0 ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Sienna nodded.0 Ortus frowned, ¡°But Lady Sienna, you and Sir Eugene also want to keep your identities hidden until we¡¯ve finally reached Iris. Is that right?¡±0 ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sienna repeated.0 ¡°Um¡­ in that case¡­ how exactly should we exin what¡¯s going to happen?¡± Ortus asked intively.0 Ortus couldn¡¯t help but imagine what a headache that could cause. As themander, something like the expedition¡¯s schedule was well within his authority, but how was he supposed to exin such an impossible event to the many people who were part of the expedition?0 ¡°You can just say that it¡¯s because of a Dragonheart,¡± Eugene said with a calm expression. ¡°Lord Ortus, currently, you have a fragment of a Dragonheart embedded into your Exid, and as far as I am aware, the royal family possesses two more such Exids.¡±0 These were Shimuin¡¯s national treasure, three Exids that had been created using a Dragonheart. One was currently used by Ortus, while the remaining two were usually stored in the royal treasury.0 ¡°If the royal family is truly serious about subjugating Iris, then the remaining two Exids that have been valued as national treasures should have also been entrusted to Lord Ortus¡­ though they may have been issued to someone else. Isn¡¯t that the case? To Princess Scalia, perhaps,¡± Eugene guessed.0 ¡°That¡¯s¡­ indeed a possibility,¡± Ortus admitted. ¡°Sir Eugene, as you have said, His Majesty the King has lent an Exid to Princess Scalia for the duration of this expedition. And also¡­ I am safeguarding the remaining Exid for now.¡±0 ¡°Safeguarding?¡± Eugene parroted curiously.0 ¡°I haven¡¯t decided who to entrust it to yet. I¡¯ve thought about giving it to my son¡­ Dior, but I feel that that might seem too nepotistic. So, I¡¯ve been trying to decide who among the elites participating in the expedition I should hand it to,¡± Ortus confessed.0 Eugene had naturally thought that Ortus would be saving the Exid for his son, so he found this admittance surprising.0 Eugene cleared his throat, ¡°Ahem¡­ what about Lord Ivic? I¡¯ve been told that his skills are exceptional.¡±0 Eugene had made this suggestion with a slight probing intention, but Ortus immediately replied with a straight refusal, ¡°He is a mercenary. He is not someone that can be trusted.¡±0 Eugene easily switched tracks, ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then what about Lady Carmen?¡±0 Eugene may have been the first to suggest Ivic, but he had no reason to go to bat for that man. Carmen, who had been biting on her cigar with a rxed expression, widened her eyes in surprise at the sudden nomination.0 ¡°Me?¡± Carmen asked in surprise.0 Eugene nodded, ¡°Yes. If it¡¯s Lady Carmen, then you can be sure of her skill, and she¡¯s also someone you can trust, can¡¯t you?¡±0 Carmen asked, ¡°By that, do you mean to say that you also trust me, Eugene?¡±0 Eugene was taken aback, ¡°No¡­ why ask something so obvious¡­? Did you think that I didn¡¯t trust you, Lady Carmen?¡±0 ¡°I also trust you,¡± Carmen said with a bright smile as she put down her cigar.0 Well¡­ so what if she did? Eugene blinked in confusion before just bowing his head in eptance.0 ¡°If it¡¯s Lord Carmen¡­ then I truly should be able to trust her,¡± Ortus eventually said after giving it some serious thought.0 His son, Dior, was stillcking in skill, and Ivic, a mercenary, also couldn¡¯t be trusted. To be honest, even setting aside the matter of trust, Ortus just wasn¡¯t willing to lend the Exid to Ivic.0 However, if it was Carmen Lionheart, then he could trust her.0 Was it possible she might try to run away with it after getting her hands on it? In the first ce, as a national treasure, the Exid had been thoroughly embedded with anti-theft magic, and while other people might not be so certain, there was no need to worry about such concerns with Carmen.0 ¡°In that case¡­ let¡¯s just lend it to Lady Carmen¡­,¡± Ortus paused. ¡°But no, we were discussing something else right now, weren¡¯t we?¡±0 ¡°Isn¡¯t that already enough of an excuse?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°We can im that Maise, an Archwizard and the Commander of the Royal Court Wizards, used the power of the Dragonheart from your two Exids to strengthen his spells. The only other wizards participating in this expedition are the battle wizards belonging to the d Mercenaries, and as far as I¡¯m aware, the most skilled wizard among their number is only at the Sixth Circle. If they¡¯re only at that level, they shouldn''t have any reason to feel suspicious of our im.¡±0 ¡°Even though my innocence has been proven, I still feel the need to be cautious. What if someone in this expedition really is colluding with Iris? What if they have some means to convey the movements of our subjugation expedition to Iris?¡± Ortus asked with a serious expression.0 What would Iris do if she learned that the speed of the subjugation expedition had suddenly increased and that unknown magic was involved in the process? For now, they could still spread the excuse that Eugene had prepared, but wasn¡¯t there a possibility that a potential traitor might still feel suspicious and send this information to Iris?0 ¡°We¡¯ve prepared something for that,¡± Sienna said with a bright smile. ¡°By shrouding the entire fleet in my magic, that will mean I can keep an eye on everything that happens in the fleet. In other words, if they want to trymunicating with Iris, they would first need to somehow evade my eyes. And there¡¯s no way that that would be possible, right?¡±0 Among all of the spells that Sienna had independently developed, there was also a spell that allowed her to search the memories left in traces of mana.0 While a limitation of the spell was that it was impossible to read the memories of artifacts that went past a certain age, like Agaroth¡¯s Ring, the reason that Sienna had developed such a spell in the first ce wasn¡¯t to read the memories left within an item.6 Her intent had been to read the memories of spells themselves.0 In a battlefield churning all sorts of attacks, there were a lot of spells that could be cast secretly. This included a variety of curses. Sienna¡¯s spell was intended to read the traces of memory left in the mana infused into such spells, enabling her to track down and kill the ck wizards hidden on the battlefield.0 So what if someone within the fleet tried to use magic tomunicate with the outside world? Their attempt would immediately be intercepted by Sienna. From there on, things would be simple. Sienna could trace the spell back in order to find the hidden spy, and then ¡ª they could either kill the spy if needed or just block any further messages from the spy if they wanted to keep the spy alive.0 ¡®Iris¡¯s power might be ridiculously convenient, but it still can¡¯t be used for things like this,¡¯Eugene thought gratefully.0 Could Iris really create a small darkness portal that could be hidden in her subordinate¡¯s pocket and maintain it for several months, allowing her tomunicate with her subordinate by sending letters through the portal? No matter how much Iris¡¯ abilities may have evolved over the past three hundred years, something like that was impossible.0 Once everything that needed to be discussed had been brought up, Eugene stood up along with Sienna and Carmen.0 Before leaving, Eugene gave onest apology, ¡°Please forgive us for looking for you so early in the morning.¡±0 Ortus muttered sarcastically, ¡°You really are quick to apologize¡­ but where exactly are you returning to?¡±0 ¡°Where else would we return to? We¡¯re heading back to our ship,¡± Eugene replied.0 Ortus frowned, ¡°Your ship¡­? The Lionheart¡¯s?¡±0 ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene casually replied.0 However, Ortus couldn¡¯t help but think about the implications of Eugene¡¯s answer.0 The ship¡­ the Lionheart¡¯s ship¡­.0 Apart from Ciel, Carmen, and Dezra, the only other people apanying those three were¡­..0 ¡°My god!¡± Ortus¡¯ eyes widened in shock as he realized he had touched upon the truth.0 Those three servants. Those three women.0 ¡°Eugene! Were you hiding as one of those servants?!¡± Ortus used.3 Eugene was struck dumb.0 Ortus eximed, ¡°My god, oh my god! You, a Hero like you,theEugene Lionheart, you cross-dressed as a woman to secretly board a ship?!¡±28 ¡°Shut up,¡± Eugene gritted out, his face twisting into a demonic scowl.4 Favorite Chapter 360: The Devildom (1)

Chapter 360: The Devildom (1)

"It fits well," Gondor said with a content expression. He had been puffing on a pipe, but now, he ced it down.0 Ten days had passed since they set sail. The shortened journey meant the forge work had to hasten, but quality couldn''t bepromised due to the reduced work time. By trimming even his sleeping hours, Gondor managed toplete the two suits of armor that had beenmissioned by Eugene.0 "It''s incredibly light."0 "Right? There''s no hindrance in movement. It feels as if I''m wearing nothing at all."10 Ciel and Dezra eximed in delight as they inspected each other''s armor. They were both impressed by the design. Despite the armor covering the chest and abdomen fully, there was no difort when they bent their bodies.2 Curious about the armor¡¯s strength, Ciel flexed her fingers and summoned sword-force. She gently brushed it against the armor''s surface.0 The sword-force de Ciel used remained intact against the armor, and the mana surrounding the armor also remained unshattered. The armor itself seemed unaffected, without even a hint of vibration. Feeling amazed, Ciel intensified her sword-force, but even then, not a single scratch appeared on the armor.0 "It''s made from the scales of an Ancient Dragon, particrly one known to be extremely old. A de of that caliber won''t leave a mark," Gondor exined.0 "Seems we won''t die from a de anytime soon,¡±mented Dezra, impressed.0 "Don''t be foolish, Dezra. Just because you wear good armor doesn''t mean you can be reckless. It only protects your torso after all,¡± said Ciel while dismissing her sword-force with a click of her tongue.0 Gondor chuckled while taking another puff from his pipe, "Indeed. If we had more time, I would have made a full-body suit.¡± Sighing, he continued, ¡°But that''s currently beyond our capacity."0 With Sienna''s magic, the voyage to the Solgalta Sea, which would have initially taken about a month, had been cut nearly in half. Barring any unforeseen events, they would enter the waters of the Solgalta Sea in five days.0 Certainly, crafting armor for other body parts was feasible, but Gondor had another pressing task. He had to fashion a glove for Carmen Lionheart''s left hand, a job she requested specifically. He nned to start immediately to finish on time.3 "About that," Ciel said, "Lady Carmen wants the Lionheart emblem engraved on the back of the glove."0 "Engraving¡­ on dragon scales¡­. Hmm, that isn''t an easy feat. Let her know I will finish the intricate work after the raid," Gondor replied after a small pause.0 The task of creating a glove from dragon leather and scales tailored to the finger joints was challenging enough by itself. To make matters even worse, what Carmen sought was no ordinary glove but a closebat weapon capable of striking, grasping, and wing. Until now, Carmen fought solely with her Heaven Genocide on her right hand. But she felt that wouldn''t suffice for the uing battle.4 "How''s Mister Eugene holding up? It''s been rare seeing his face," Gondor wondered aloud.0 Raimira had been lounging on a couch on one side of the room, but upon hearing Eugene''s name, she sat upright. She wiped some soot smudged on her lips and eximed, "Thisdy has been using my breath for him tirelessly for ten days! Thisdy is working so hard, yet why hasn''t Benefactore to praise me!?"1 "Eugene''s extremely busy," Ciel exined.0 "Thisdy is busy too! But... if Benefactor truly is upied, thisdy will not steal any of his time," Raimira murmured, somewhat mollified.7 She copsed back onto the sofa, exhaustion evident in her crooked form. She''d been confined to Gondor''s workshop throughout the ten-day voyage. Revealing herself to the other crew members had been out of the question, primarily because she was required to aid Gondor by blowing breaths and assisting him with Draconic whenever he worked.4 Once a day, Mer and Kristina, the only ones who were rtively free, would visit to offer a brief respite. But not once had Eugene set foot in the workshop. True, he was¡­ busy, but more so because he detested leaving his chamber.0 "Mer and Stepmother mentioned that Benefactor has been constantly eyeing the ring these past few days," Raimira remarked.2 "Stepmother¡­?" Ciel looked at Raimira with a quizzical expression. There was no need to ponder on who this title of stepmother referred to. Memories of the multiple ps she had received and of the girl who had silently consoled her throughout the night surfaced in Ciel¡¯s mind. Indeed, Kristina was a woman worthy of being called a mother.1 "Hmm¡­. He seems to be trying to discern something from that ring," Ciel mused.0 "When I polished it, nothing seemed amiss," Gondormented.0 "I''m not aware of the details either," Ciel responded. But that was a lie. She knew.0 Agaroth, the ancient God of War, had shown Eugene a vision through his divine artifact, Agaroth¡¯s Ring. It was likely a memory of the distant past.But why had Agaroth shown this memory to Eugene?No one knew the exact reason. However, Ciel knew one thing for certain: the ancient God of War had chosen Eugene.0 ¡®In this era,¡¯ Ciel thought, ¡®there''s probably no one closer to war than you.¡¯0 Be it in his past life as Hamel or in this life as Eugene Lionheart, war was always present around him.0 Whether he intended it or not, battles always erupted where he was. He wasn¡¯t bringing mere skirmishes but wars that had the potential to reshape the era. And these wars always ended with the possibility of an upheaval, thanks to Eugene''s presence and victories.0 What if Eugene hadn¡¯t been present at the ck Lion Castle when Eward had rebelled?5 Or in the Samar Forest when Edmund had aimed to be the Demon King?0 Two immediate instances sprang to Ciel''s mind. The Lionheart family would have fallen, and Eward would have be the Demon King without Eugene¡¯s presence at the ck Lion Castle. Simrly, in the Samar Forest, Edmund would¡¯ve achieved his aim of bing the Demon King in Eugene¡¯s absence.0 Eugene had already thwarted the rise of a new Demon King twice.0 But Eugene had been entangled in numerous wars, even in matters unrted to the Demon Kings, and each of them had the magnitude to induce significant shifts in their current times.0 ¡®How distant¡­.¡¯This thought couldn¡¯t help but cross Ciel¡¯s mind. She felt an immeasurable distance between herself and Eugene whenever she contemted these matters. Inparison to him and those around him, Ciel felt insignificant.0 She had draped her ck armor with a cloak, realizing the nickname ''White Rose'' would no longer suit her. With a faint smirk, she left the workshop alongside Dezra.4 However, she didn''t merely want to watch from a distance just because she felt far apart from Eugene. She had already made up her mind about that. Hoping from a distance, wishing for him to approach or change his mind without making a move, was absolutely pitiable.4 Ciel mused on such thoughts before turning her head with a sly grin and grumbling, "If only he had not been a prince."4 "Yes, I, too, wish to pluck out his eyes," Dezra responded with a mockingly deadpan tone.2 The two could feel a tant, lingering gaze from a distance. It was from the gship Laversia and, more precisely, from Prince Jafar aboard it. Every time Ciel appeared on the deck, Prince Jafar shamelessly observed her through his enchanted telescope.1 "Why doesn''t he juste and speak if he''s going to stare like that?" Ciel said in an irritated tone.0 "Would you entertain his words?" Dezra shrugged and asked rhetorically.0 "Do you think I¡¯ve gone crazy? I might just tell him to piss off,¡± Ciel replied while ambling across the deck.1 She thought of entering the inner cabin but changed her mind. She did not want to disturb Eugene and others who might be focused on their tasks inside.0 "Let''s go to Lady Carmen,¡± said Ciel.0 "Again? We already trained this morning...!" Dezrained from behind her, but Ciel ignored it, not even bothering to respond.0 ***9 Maise¡¯s powerful spell amplified the fleet¡¯s speed manifold. Any suspicions arising from it were Ortus'' matter to deal with, while Sienna''s task was to prevent the expedition''s intel from leaking.0 There were no traitors ¡ª that was Sienna''s conclusion. In recent days, attempts to leak information outside were not absent. Surprisingly, none came from the d Mercenary Group, which possessed battle wizards. Instead, there had been several attempts to leak the information from the naval forces of Shimuin and the various diators participating in the punitive mission.0 Magic-powered long-rangemunication devices were designed to report the expedition''s situation to the royal pce. Still, Sienna daringly blocked even thesemunications, unsure if the intel would eventually reach Iris.0 She had little to say about the diators. They had various reasons behind their attempts to leak intel: either to make money by passing it to the information guild or to their own nation''s intel agency. The Pirate Empress subjugation expedition was drawing attention from across the continent. However, Sienna had no patience for such matters.0 "I''d love to throw them all into the sea,¡± Sienna clicked her tongue while sitting in the center of a magic circle.0 She had restricted herself to only blockingmunication since taking care of these people attempting to leak the information as she liked would likely cause problems for herter. However, she felt dissatisfied at leaving the perpetrators untouched.0 Thankfully, there were no signs of anyone colluding with Helmuth... but this was an assumption. She didn¡¯t have enough information to be certain. Indeed, there were sure to be other ways tomunicate with Helmuth through other indirect channels.0 "How is Princess Scalia?" Sienna asked.0 "I feel no Dark Power from her. However, her insomnia persists," Kristina murmured with half-closed eyes from her seat opposite Sienna.0 Scalia Animus had been previously attacked by the Queen of the Night Demons. The incubus that once invaded Scalia''s consciousness was in in front of Eugene and Kristina.5 Yet, any precedent demanded caution. Night demons excelled at exploiting human vulnerabilities, and once they found a connection ¡ª they could well again interfere during times of unstable mental states.0 "Do you think Noir Giabe might intervene?" Kristina asked, concerned.1 "It''s not impossible. But I don¡¯t think that whore will cause trouble," Sienna answered.0 Both Anise and Eugene agreed with this assessment. Noir Giabe wouldn''t side with Iris, but she also did not seem the type to aid in Iris'' demise.0 Continuing her thoughts, Sienna said, "That whore remains the same, whether three hundred years ago or now. She¡¯spletely obsessed with sensual pleasures and attention. Moreover, she knows about Eugene being Hamel, right? And about me. Kristina, does she know of you, too?"2 "She might not. Or maybe she does. I can¡¯t bepletely certain. She could be specting,¡± responded Kristina.0 "We can''t hide it forever. At this point, rather than half-failing at trying to hide it, it will be better to hit her hard,¡± stated Sienna.0 Eugene had been silently listening to this conversation but now twisted his lips into a wry smile.0 He couldn¡¯t be certain, but there was still a chance. Perhaps Noir Giabe would show herself during this battle. If so, she would use Princess Scalia¡¯s body as a vessel.0 "I certainly hope shees." Kristina grinned, then closed her eyes again, drawing forth the light as she had always done. In harmony with Kristina¡¯s light, Sienna manipted her mana.0 Eugene extended his left hand. Akasha began to resonate once more with Agaroth''s Ring.0 Engraved upon Akasha was the Draconic etched by Ariartel to locate Raizakia. While Raizakia had been found and eliminated long ago, the spell remained inscribed on Akasha even after having fulfilled its purpose. Until now, Eugene had effectively used this Draconic spell. It hade in handy during his search for the Fount of Light. When used on the Moonlight Sword, it revealed a mysterious connection between the Demon King of Incarceration and Vermouth.0 Agaroth''s Ring.1 He had attempted to use the Draconic on the object numerous times but saw nothing.0 ¡®No, it''s revealing itself little by little,¡¯Eugene corrected himself.0 This Draconic spell revealed the connection of the object it was cast on. When he used it on Raimira, it traced the location of Raizakia, who was bound to her by blood. When cast upon the divine artifact of the Tressia Cathedral, the jawbone of an ancient Saint, it pursued the Fount of Light, where the Saint''s blood was pooled.0 Agaroth''s Ring.0 Now, this ring was intertwined with Eugene. Before him, it was with Ariartel, and even before that, it was buried in a dragon''s unnamed treasure trove.0 But they weren''t the true masters of the ring. As the name "Agaroth''s Ring" suggested, its master was Agaroth.0 ¡®Getting closer¡­,¡¯Eugene thought.0 He closed his eyes, entirely focusing on the Draconic spell.0 ¡®It feels nearer,¡¯Eugene thought confidently.0 He saw nothing when he was on the ind. And even after embarking on the sea, he saw nothing. But when he concentrated to the extreme, he could "hear" sounds.0 There was the bubbling sound of frothing waves, the constant crash of the tides, and the wind that swirled deep and then broke free.0 And since yesterday, there had been screams. It may sound odd, but those screams... were eerily calm. From an unimaginably distant or deep ce, they sounded like trapped winds that couldn''t escape ¡ª whispers so faint and serene they seemed dead and unable to rage against their fate.2 Aaaaaaaaaah!0 Eugene bit his lip, eyes shut tight. The ship continued its course, drawing ever closer to the waters of Solgalta. Somewhere within, Agaroth''s sanctuary might lie hidden.0 Could it be because they were getting closer?Sounds that had once been inaudible began to intermingle. Behind the eerie silence, there were screams, not of calm but filled with defiance and anger.0 And it wasn''t just screams, either. There were sobs, and they didn''t belong to a crowd. Only one soul wailed in agony.0 At the end of the prolongedment, a thud echoed, followed by the ng.0 The sound was reminiscent of a closing door.3 ***0 She had a dream.0 She had this dream countless times before, so often that she had lost count. It was always the same dream. The dream¡¯s frequency increased, now bing a nightly affair. It was not a nightmare but a sweet, nostalgic, and ever-enticing dream. It was a dream she couldn¡¯t get sick of.0 Once again, she saw a massive back and kind, embracing hands. A gentle smile shone brilliantly and ever so clearly through the hazy curtain. The dream journeyed forward, following the steps of one leading the way.0 All the siblings moved together in the dream. A few steps ahead, the grand silhouette gradually distanced itself, casting a shadow that enveloped them all. It was a dream where all the siblings gazed upon the back of their father, whom they held in utmost respect and love.0 It was a vision absent in memory but perceived as a destined revtion in the dream. But they never reached the end together.0 In the dream''s finale, their father knelt. Iris and her siblings approached him, but at that moment, the dream world got submerged in water. Everything vanished, drowning deep below.1 The father, Iris, and her other siblings ¡ª all were lost.0 ¡®It''s different,¡¯Iris realized.0 The dream was always the same.0 Yet, this time was different. As everything sank and vanished into nothingness, a heart-wrenching cry echoed from within the thick mist. The despairing wail was distorted, but at the very end, just at the brink of fading, Iris managed to discern a single phrase: I''m sorry.0 The dream was both nostalgic and painful, as well as heart-wrenching.0 This time, it felt like a nightmare.0 With a scream, Iris jolted awake.0 "Princess!"0 rmed by the scream, a dark elf lieutenant rushed in. Gasping for breath, Iris covered her damp eyes with both hands.0 Beneath the cover of her hands, she saw something amidst the limited vision.0 "We found it," breathlessly, Iris murmured.0 "We''ve found it, haven''t we?" Iris asked once again, a bit louder.0 In the darkness, the silhouette of a door began to take form. Chapter 361: The Devildom (2) The confused dark elf lieutenant had yet to respond, but Iris was confident about what she was seeing. Trembling eyelids hinted at her distress as she shakily descended from the bed. Rushing to her, the dark elf lieutenant draped a coat over the princess, who was drenched in cold sweat. ¡°Did you see it in a dream?¡± the dark elf lieutenant asked cautiously. ¡°I see it even now,¡± Iris gasped while taking deep breaths. The spectacle, which seemed impossible, remained vivid before her closed eyes: the imprable darkness of the deep sea and, somewhere within, a massive door ¡ª or perhaps she should call it a gate? Iris shuddered as she spoke, "Tell me, Sephia. We found it, haven''t we? There¡¯s no way we haven¡¯t! If nothing has changed from yesterday, why would my dream alter?" she demanded desperately. Sephia flinched at the sudden outburst but quicklyposed herself to support the distressed Iris. ¡°Please, my princess, calm yourself. Your eyes¡ª¡± ¡°No, I won''t open them,¡± Iris interjected, still keeping her eyes tightly shut. ¡°I don''t want to¡­ open them.¡± She feared that upon opening her eyes, the vision would vanish. It was a fear Sephia struggled toprehend. Or rather, it was the fear within Iris that she couldn''t fathom. ¡°As for your question...¡± Sephia began cautiously, her voice trembling slightly. She wrapped her hands around her lord¡¯s quivering shoulders as she continued, ¡°I can''t say for certain. The sixty-third sector. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s something there, but the divers exploring it have not returned.¡± This wasn''t the first time. After forcing the harried dwarves to mass-produce the diving suits, the pirates under Iris¡¯mand had been sent tob the depths of the Solgalta sea. However, many pirates had perished during the exploration. Despite these suits being crafted from special materials and imbued with the Dark Power of Iris and the Dark Elves, it couldn¡¯t be helped how frail human bodies were. Although many of the pirates had great stamina, and some were even capable of handling mana, the deep, unfathomable abyss was merciless and quickly broke down human bodies. There were always those who failed to return from their dive. Some even cut their own oxygen pipes, perhaps maddened by the fear of the imprable darkness of the abyss. Some even spoke of seeing phantoms in the murky waters. ¡°It¡¯s different this time around. None of the five divers who entered the sixty-third sector have returned. The strange thing is¡­ that their oxygen pipes remain connected. Yet, no matter how much we pull, they won''t budge,¡± Sephia exined. ¡°We''ve found it. We definitely must have,¡± Iris quivered with excitement. She started walking blindly, still keeping her eyes closed. ¡°My princess, where are you going?¡± Sephia asked in rm, rushing to her side. With a sudden re of determination, Iris brushed away Sephia''s supporting hand. ¡°Where do you think? Isn''t it obvious where I must go?¡± ¡°Please, my princess, please calm down. How do you intend to use the Demoneye without even opening your eyes?¡± Sephia implored. The sixty-third sector was a long way away. It would take well over two days, even by ship. It would only take a single step if Iris used her Demoneye of Darkness, but after serving Iris for a long time, Sephia knew all too well the conditions for activating the Demoneye of Darkness. The power that granted such leaps required its user to keep their eyes open at all times. "It''s alright," Iris whispered, though her eyes remained shut. "There''s... there''s no problem." She herself couldn''t pinpoint the reason behind her assurance. Yet, something told her all would be well, and she never contemted the risks of treading into the unknown. Though Iris'' eyes stayed closed, the Demoneye was directed towards her destination. Crack! Space itself tore open before Iris. Darkness poured from the widening chasm. Sephia was astounded by the sight. In the hundreds of years she had served Iris, never had she seen such an event during the activation of the Demoneye of Darkness. "Princess!" Sephia cried out in rm, reaching out to stop her. Iris pushed Sephia¡¯s hand away. She staggered towards the encroaching darkness. As Sephia hurried after her with horror, a thick wall of shadow rose to block her path. "Do not follow,¡± said Iris. "But, my princess¡ª" Sephia¡¯s plea was cut short. "I must go forward," Iris stated firmly. What did she mean by that? Sephia gazed at Iris'' silhouette beyond the dark veil. Yet, Iris didn''t look back. She continued to face the unseen with her eyes still closed. Step by step. With each movement forward, the darkness spread and tore further. Then, a ¡°gate¡± appeared in front of Iris, asking her to enter within. Without hesitation, she stepped towards its depths. Whoosh! Though invisible to the eye, the darkness seemed to echo around Iris, wrapping around her like aforting nket. Initially, she felt a warmth akin to being swaddled. But as she proceeded, the warmth vanished, reced by a crushing pressure that threatened to shatter her. Even breathing became almost impossible, and with every breath she took, it felt as if her lungs were being torn apart. The taste of the salty ocean overwhelmed her, and the immense pressure of the deep sea seemed intent on breaking even her fortified form, which she had trained for hundreds of years. Yet, Iris enveloped herself with the armor of Dark Power, resisting the immense pressure. Everything before her was pitch-ck. Perhaps it was due to her closed eyes, but more so because this ce was a lightless abyss. Yet, Iris began to move again. Just because it was dark and her eyes were closed didn¡¯t mean she couldn''t perceive anything. At the ocean''s very floor¡­. Stood a colossal door. Or could it even be called a door? For a door implied something that opened and closed. But can something be called a door if it never opened again once shut? No, it wasn''t a door. It was a seal, a mechanism to lock something away forever. It was something never to be opened ¡ª an eternal seal in the abyss. ''What... what is this?'' Iris'' eyes remained shut, but she gazed intently at the seal. The seal was something she hadn¡¯t seen in her dreams. Only after waking from the dream did its image imprint in her mind. The seal was right there, at the base of the boundless deep sea. It was unmistakably real. Iris could not dare to fathom whaty beyond that seal. She could scarcely imagine what kind of an unimaginable abyss the depths of the ocean might lead to. In fact, she did not even want to imagine it. The moment she contemted the reason behind her fear, a chilling shiver was sent down her spine. She already knew the answer but had been turning away from it. She didn''t want to confront it because of the sheer terror it instilled. The core of the dream, which felt so familiar and warm and was always consistent, had taken a dark turn this night. In the midst of the hazy fog came a heartbreaking wail, full of anguish and sorrow. And finally, within that cry, she had managed to discern the single phrase: ¡®I am sorry.¡¯ That voice ¡ª she remembered it. It was the voice of her father, the Demon King of Fury. What could he possibly be apologizing for? That very phrase spurred Iris to unravel the mysteries of the dream. In the dream''s end, her father kneeled. As Iris and her siblings approached him, the dream world was submerged in water. Everything drowned and disappeared. But Iris and her siblings couldn''t reach their father. In the distance, his wails echoed, consumed by grief. He had failed to save his children. Was he apologizing for not being able to save them? Or perhaps, even worse, he might have chosen not to save them. He might have forsaken them with his own hands. The raw emotion in that agonizing cry was impossible to misinterpret. Though she was only feeling it by instinct, she felt increasingly assured of her finding. She had been abandoned. Now that she knew the whole truth, the dream had always been a nightmare. How pitiful it was that she would feel warmth and longing in a dream where her father had forsaken her. ¡®No,¡¯ Iris clenched her fist. The warmth and longing she felt in the dream wasn''t a wretched illusion. Though these visions and feelings weren''t in her memories, she was sure of everything she saw and felt in her dreams. If she was so certain, then fear had no ce in her heart. The father from an age long past might have abandoned his children, but the Demon King of Fury from three hundred years ago had risked his life for them. It was almostughable to be held back by fear aftering this far. The overwhelming impulse and emotions she currently felt had no clear origin. But from the beginning, that didn''t matter. There were multiple reasons for her toe to the Solgalta Sea, but even without those reasons, Iris would still have been drawn here. "Father." No voice could be heard in the depths of the sea, but Iris still called out, lips quivering. She believed that all the dreams she had and the visions she now saw were shown to her by her father. If all this was his doing, then Iris didn''t want to be afraid. In that moment of resolve, Iris felt something she shouldn''t be able to in this ce. A pressure that seemed to crush her, and within the barrier she had put up, she felt warmth. It felt as if someone was embracing her from behind. ¡®Ah,¡¯ Iris was shocked. A realization sent shivers through Iris. As was the case with her Demoneye, her Dark Power too was inherited from the Demon King of Fury. Though he had perished three hundred years ago, he had always been with her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, which glowed a vivid red. Only upon opening her eyes did she see the seal at the ocean''s depth. Whaty before her was different than what she saw with her eyes closed. Perhaps¡­ it was the consequence of an unfathomably long passage of time. The destion was such that, at first nce, the boundary between the environment and the seal was indistinguishable. It felt as if someone was pushing her back. Slowly, Iris descended towards the seal unobstructed. Suddenly, an unseen, strange force pulled at Iris, causing her to plummet. ¡®I see.¡¯ Yet, she remained unshaken, surveying her surroundings. Pirates, seemingly ''frozen'' near the seal, caught her eye. They were the same ones who had dived into the sixty-third zone upon hermand, that is, this very ce. Despite the crushing depths, they neither floated nor sumbed to the water''s pressure. What was even more peculiar was that their oxygen tubes connected to an overhead darkness. This very darkness was a creation of her Demoneye; still, Iris couldn''t intervene with it. The darkness, the connected pirates, nay, the very space itself was held by a more omnipotent power. ¡®Yet... I can still move,¡¯ she thought. Ordinarily, no being could enter this domain. The mere approach would ensnare and halt everything in its ce. Iris looked around while narrowing her eyes. Her Demoneye ached, and the warm Dark Power surrounding her became imbued in her irises. There was a jolt in her mind. And then, she began to see them. Chains. Invisible, intangible chains filled the space. Their countless movements felt like waves melding into the sea. The ce where Iris stood was brimming with these chains. Swallowing hard, Iris continued her descent, thinking of what she saw, ¡®These chains¡­.¡¯ Among the Demon Kings of Helmuth, only one wielded chains as his power ¡ª the Demon King of Incarceration, whom Iris had met ages ago. Thousands of chains trailed behind the Demon King of Incarceration, entwining into what looked like a cloak. And when he stretched out those chains, the chains dominated the very space, capturing everything within. This ce¡­ was no different. With the heavily chained seal before her, Iris swallowed once more. She couldn''t be sure of whaty behind it. However, she felt that the seal was meant to bind something. It was a seal that should never, could never be broken. But now, Iris felt remarkably free. The chains couldn''t bind her essence, and the imprable seal didn''t rebuff her approach. Her eyes had turned pitch-ck, and the embracing veil of Dark Power dispersed around her, pushing the chains away. Booom¡­. Iris reached the colossal seal. She didn¡¯t need to ponder on how to unlock it. Since ancient times, this seal had awaited its sole key. She realized this instinctively, almost fatefully. Darkness surged from herpletely darkened Demoneye as she stretched both hands towards the seal. With a roaring sound, the seal opened, and Iris was cast into a pitch-ck abyss. However, as she plummeted, the seawater didn''t pour in with her. She looked up, sensing the oddity. The chains were densely packed, preventing the seawater from falling. She burst outughing, "Ah... Ahaha, ahahaha!" Now she could speak, and she threw her arms open wide in exhration. It was impossible to see the bottom of the endless chasm. While she couldn''t discern what lurked in the abyss below the deep sea, Iris was sure of one thing: the moment she saw the very bottom, her being would transform. She would be the Fury of this era. Chapter 362: The Devildom (3) Eugene used the Draconic spell many more times afterward but to no avail. The first time he used the locating spell, he had heard muffled screams and sobbing, followed by a final thud. Would things be different when they neared the Solgalta Sea, closer to Agaroth''s holy grounds? Eugene couldn''t rely solely on hope. The revtion from Agaroth and the memories seen through the ring spoke of times long past, a period before Eugene or Hamel existed; it spoke of the time known as the Age of Legends. He was curious about its true nature. Yet, with his curiosity came an undeniable fear, for the revtion and memories he had seen were harrowing. He had witnessed endless mountains of corpses, waves that engulfed everything, and a world swallowed by mist, turning it pale and distant. To Eugene, that spectacle seemed like the end of something grand ¡ª perhaps a city, possibly a nation, or maybe even an era. Such things were beyond hisprehension. Three centuries ago, Vermouth and hisrades battled the Demon Kings. But what if they had not confronted them then? What if they had failed to defeat the Demon Kings? What might have be of this age? It wasn¡¯t clear why the Demon Kings had invaded the continent. Eugene didn¡¯t know their intentions. However, Eugene could not help but think that the Demon Kings never desired to end everything. The Demon Kings had not wished to annihte humanity and erase civilizations, just as Eugene had seen in the vision. To Eugene, the Demon Kings of three hundred years ago were meticulous and cruel conquerors. They might have been yers, but they didn''t blindly massacre all humans. The corrupted were taken under their wing, and the prisoners were tempted with corruption. Only one among the five Demon Kings sought to extinguish human life mindlessly. Snap! "Argh!" Eugene grimaced in pain. He had desperately tried to peer backward with the Draconic spell, but the magic had been forcibly severed. Rubbing his temples, he red at Agaroth''s Ring. "Sir Eugene, are you alright?" Mer had been anxiously watching from the side and now rushed over at Eugene¡¯s cry. Mer''s magical form was connected to Akasha. Hence, she could feel the strain ced on both Eugene and Akasha from the repetitive casting of the Draconic spell. "I''m fine," Eugene grunted. "I think that¡¯s enough for today. Truly. If you don''t do as I say, I''ll be really upset," Mer said adamantly. Such magic strained the mind immensely. And if abruptly severed, the resulting bacsh would not end at the mere straining of the mind. Were it not for the uniqueness of Akasha and Eugene, any other wizard would''ve passed out from the bacsh of the disrupted magic. "I got it," said Eugene. No matter how stubbornly he tried, nothing more was revealed to him. Hence, Eugene had no choice but to relent. They would enter the Solgalta Sea by the morrow if all went as nned. Then perhaps there, he might see or hear something different. ''Perhaps a new revtion awaits,'' Eugene thought hopefully. One thing to be wary of was the nature of the Solgalta Sea, as it would be impossible to wield magic in there. Sienna had confidently boasted that it wouldn''t be an issue for her, but that remained to be seen. They couldn¡¯t know for sure until they arrived. There was a possibility that they might even lose the magic that propelled their fleet. In that case, they''d have to rely on the old-fashioned method, with sailors rowing diligently to navigate. In fact, Sienna had been preparing for that very issue, albeit she mentioned it with an air of imusibility. Even now, she had gone to meet with Maise to strengthen the enchantments cast on the fleet. "Why not take a stroll for a change of mood? You can walk the decks with me and look at the sea," Mer suggested. "Do you think I¡¯ve lost my mind?" questioned Eugene. "Hmm, I understand your hesitations, Sir Eugene. To leave this room, you must give up being Sir Eugene and be Yuri. I personally would like to see more of Sir Eugene as Yuri, but I wouldn''t pressure you into bing Yuri if you loathe the idea." Why was she mentioning that name so frequently? Eugene furrowed his brows, shooting Mer a stern look. "Mer-Mer-Mer-Merdein, stop provoking me with pointless words,¡± said Eugene. "I am not Mer-Mer, Miss Yuri," retorted Mer. "Are you asking for a scolding?" Eugene asked sternly. "Oops, my mistake. Sir Eugene, you are just Sir Eugene and not Miss Yuri," Mer cated Eugene¡¯s hurt ego. Then, with a giggle, she nestled into Eugene''s embrace. In response, Eugene opened his cloak to amodate her. "You must be getting quite bored," said Eugene. "Of course, you barely step outside. Lady Sienna is always busy, and Lady Ciel is upied with training. Even Rai is preupied assisting the midget," Merined with a pout. "Midget? I told you not to use that word!" Eugene scolded. "What else would I call the short-legged dwarves if not midget? Hmm, well, I apologize. It¡¯s wrong of me to mock them based on their racial features. While it¡¯s true that Gondor is a midget, if we consider the average height of dwarves, he can be considered tall.¡± Was Mer trying to emte Sienna or simply provoke a reaction from Eugene? Either way, it wasn¡¯t a conversation for public consumption. Tutting, Eugene pinched Mer''s cheek. "And uh, I can''t go over there," Mer mumbled, one cheek still squeezed. Eugene turned to see across the room. He could see Kristina sitting amidst a circle of light. Every time she whispered a prayer, the rosary resonated with a glow that then concentrated into a needle-like form. Eugene studied Kristina''s expression and nodded slightly, "Alright, stay there quietly and don¡¯t dis¡ª" Suddenly, his own voice seemed distant. No, it wasn¡¯t just his voice. His very presence in the room felt remote. It was as if his consciousness had separated from his senses and body. There was a strange sensation as if his spirit was being yanked away. No, it wasn¡¯t just a feeling because he saw himself seated with his hand inside the cloak. He also saw Kristina in the center of the circle of light and an ovepping figure of Anise with her. The scene receded, and Eugene''s consciousness soared higher. The training deck revealed Carmen, Ciel, and Dezra. Busy crew members bustled about. Eugene¡¯s spirit kept ascending even higher, eventually reaching a height where he could gaze down upon the entire fleet and survey the distant sea. He could see a dark mist approaching from the distance. Back in the training arena, Mer peeked out from under the cloak and called out, "Sir Eugene?" She tilted her head in confusion. Even though she couldn''t know what Eugene was experiencing, she realized something was amiss by Eugene¡¯s vacant gaze and slumped posture. Mer swiftly drew her arm from beneath the cloak and grasped Eugene. ¡°Ugh¡­!¡± His consciousness ceased its flight and returned to the realm of the physical. Startled, Eugene rose abruptly. What had he just experienced? Astral projection? Suddenly? Was it a vision from Agaroth? The situation eluded his understanding. Yet, the scenery he''d just witnessed was vivid in his throbbing mind: the mist advancing from the distant sea. Could it truly be called mist? It wasn''t faint but dark. It was different from the mists seen in memories of Agaroth. Yet, unlike the mist from the vision, this mist was approaching at this very moment. ¡°Ugh!¡± Eugene groaned as he could not think straight. Suddenly, Kristina, who was channeling divine power at the center of the circle of light, coughed up blood. She clutched her mouth, and a river of dark crimson flowed from between her fingers. ¡°Kristina?!¡± Eugene eximed, rmed, before approaching her. Even as she bled, shock and confusion filled her eyes. She couldn''tprehend the sudden affliction. [This is¡­.] Anise''s voice echoed out in her mind. This was a blow that didn¡¯t just sever the bond of souls but also corrupted the very essence of the Saint. Kristina might''ve been unfamiliar with such sensations, but Anise was no stranger to them. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Soon, realization dawned on Kristina as well. The sensation she felt now mirrored the descent of the Demon King of Incarceration. However, she hadn''t bled then¡­. [It''s due to the difference in intent.] Anise spoke with evident hostility. [Back then, the Demon King of Incarceration descended without a trace of hostility. But now, it''s different. I don''t know who it is, but this presence is like that of a Demon King armed with both hostility and madness.] Kristina hurriedly stretched out her hand to Eugene. She struggled to speak due to her pain, but her intention was clear: They needed to get out. Eugene understood her message, and he turned around with a grimace. He needed to hide his identity. He needed to disguise himself as a girl. He might be mocked for the rest of his life. Such thoughts did note to him this time as it was all unimportant. What Eugene needed to do now was to quickly assess the situation and prepare forbat. Bang! The door flew open with incredible force, and many gazes met Eugene¡¯s, filled with surprise and confusion. They wondered why a man emerged from the cabin, where only the women of Lionheart stayed. No one had seen such a man aboard the ship in the fortnight since departure. ''Eugene?'' Not far off, Ciel, who had been practicing in the training grounds, stared in disbelief. Why would he emerge when he''d been so reluctant? Ciel paused, trying to figure out the best way to handle the situation. Dezra had the same thought. For the honor of Eugene and the Lionheart family, it was paramount that none discovered he had once disguised himself as a maiden. Was a greater scandal required to bury a shameful one? Should she dance proudly before all to distract them from the truth? Dezra could not help but ponder upon these quandaries deep in her heart. Carmen wasn¡¯t allowed the opportunity to be taken aback. A sudden noise caused her to turn toward Eugene swiftly. Thoughts raced in her mind, and she prepared to speak, yet before she could, Carmen''s honed senses and instincts were put into action. Her heart skipped a beat, and her usually pale face drained of color, leaving her a ghastly white. ¡®What is this?¡¯ she thought, aghast. She had felt hostility many times and faced peril and even madness. But none of these emotions ever truly instilled fear within Carmen Lionheart. This time, however, it was different. She couldn''t identify the source of her fear nor understand its origins. This uncertainty only heightened her terror. The unknown had a way of ensnaring one''s spirit. Her breathing quickened, and her fists started trembling uncontrobly. At that moment, Carmen¡¯s misfortune was that she was insurmountably stronger than anyone else on the ship. Those incapable of sensing whatever wasing would only realize the depths of their terror when they were finally confronted with it. But Carmen had reached a level where she could sense it without seeing it. ¡®No,¡¯ she chided herself. She could not afford to waver now. She forced herself not to fall into panic. Trying to get a grip on the situation, she shifted her gaze and saw Eugene leaping towards the mast. "By the gods!" eximed the lookout atop the mast, though his exmation was disregarded. Even from this high vantage point, the view was obscured. Eugene continued upwards and soared into the sky, reaching a height simr to the one he had attained when he was separated from his body. Only then did the sight be clear. A dark mist was approaching from afar. The color of the sea changed as it was tainted by the hue of the fog, and through the undting waves, a blood-red shade was spreading. The color-shifted sea began to boil. Creatures of the sea started to float upwards. Fish of all kinds met their end and filled the sea''s surface. Gigantic sharks, evenrger whales, and monsters of the sea ¡ª creatures asrge as ships ¡ª died without a chance to escape. Their deaths blocked the path of the fleet, halting the voyage. The haunting and ominous phenomena spread fear among all those aboard the ships. The magic propelling the fleet came to a stop. Sienna Merdein would surely have sensed it. Acting on her intuition that they needed to halt, she had brought the fleet to a stop. Grinding her teeth in frustration, she took to the skies. "Eugene?" Sienna saw Eugene when she ascended into the sky. But as Sienna approached him, she felt a spine-chilling sensation and instinctively looked behind and saw the blood-red sea. The salty scent of the sea was reced by the stench of blood and rot. Dark dust-like particles, appearing out of nowhere, buzzed in the air like insects. The encroaching fog surged upward, obscuring the sun and darkening the sky. The boiling sea appeared as if filled with ancient blood. The foul odor clouded everyone''s senses. The floating dust soon transformed into actual insects. The incessant buzzing of countless insect wings muddled everyone¡¯s minds further. A singr thought emerged in the minds of everyone on the fleet as they beheld the now-transformed sea: the Devildom. Chapter 363: The Devildom (4) A cacophony of chattering sounds that was intermingled with buzzing noises created a most unpleasant din. Shielding one''s ears was of no avail, for this racket did not attack the ears or hearing but the mind itself. It was a potent psychic assault. Most of the expeditionary forces had no resistance to such an overwhelming mental attack. Some of the more frail-hearted people staggered, then grasped the ship''s railings and retched over the side of the ship. Suddenly, a swarm of insects emerged, seemingly out of nowhere. But where had theye from? Still midair, Eugene looked below while gritting his teeth. The sea was dyed a deep crimson, reminiscent of congealed blood. The lifeless bodies of sea creatures floated atop, and dark dust poured out from their gaping mouths and overturned eyes. As the dust rose, it instantaneously transformed into winged pests, buzzing and pping haphazardly in all directions. The grotesque scene caused Eugene¡¯s face to twist in revulsion. While most of the expeditionary force might have been unfamiliar with this noise and phenomenon, Eugene wasn''t, as he had witnessed such a scene in his previous life. It stirred memories from long ago, memories he dearly wished to forget. Taking action immediately, he drew the Holy Sword from within his cloak. As he raised the weapon high into the air, Altair¡¯s de erupted with a blinding light. Fwoosh! The dazzling Light spread with Eugene at its epicenter, illuminating the darkened sky and casting brilliant radiance upon the shrouded fleet. But Eugene did not stop there and swung the sacred sword with might. The radiant Light surged forward, enveloping the insect-infested bodies of the sea creatures. The light emitting from the Holy Sword Altair was divine power itself. Within the intense glow of divine power, the corpses of the sea creatures began to get purified. No longer did dark dust or winged pests birth from them. Yet, countless such insects had already swarmed the vast sky and sea. Even within the Light emitted by the Holy Sword Altair, the insects persisted resiliently, pping their wings with vigor. "Damn mosquitoes!" Sienna eximed with a grimace. Though these pests were a different species from mosquitos, their behavior was eerily simr. Nay, rather it was more heinous than mosquitos. These creatures had a unique form of attack. First, they would destabilize their prey''s minds by beating their wings and then draw closer to their weakened prey to suck their blood and feast on their flesh. Kristina emerged from the open door of the cabin. She steadied her wavering body and took severalrge deep breaths. Dark power and divine power were inherently pr opposites of each other. As such, such intense dark power could mentally shake even a high-ranking clergy. And Kristina was the Saint of this era, and within her resided Anise, the greatest Saintess in the history of this continent. So the effects of the extreme dark power were more pronounced for Kristina. Anise began to pray inside Kristina, and Kristina also raised her rosary in front of her chest as if in prayer. Aaaaaaaa! A hymn echoed out from the swelling Light. Angels materialized and blew their trumpets. At the same time, wings sprouted from Kristina''s back in a wide arc. The invoked angels only had a single pair of wings, while at their center, Kristina unfurled eight magnificent wings. Together, Kristina and the angels ascended to the skies. A veil of Light was apanied by the hymn, and it spread far and wide. The unpleasant noise of the insects was drowned by the hymn, and Light continued to linger by the sides of those who heard the hymn. Once midair, Kristina met eyes with Eugene. Behind Kristina, Eugene also saw Anise. Without hesitation, he lowered the Holy Sword. As he did so, both their lights merged with each other, giving birth to a towering pir of brilliant radiance. A hole pierced the dark overcast sky. The pir of Light prated the darkness, transforming into clouds and raining down onto the expeditionary fleet. The light had be actual rain, almost pouring forth heavily. The floating pests vanished under this rain, and those in anguish found salvation in the Light. Sienna wasn''t idle either. The Eternal Hole was activated as she extended Frost. The fog rolling in from the distant sea didn''t merely darken the skies, but it surged towards them like waves. Although she wished to see the source of the fog, it remained well hidden. Grinding her teeth, Sienna brandished Frost. Fwoosh! As if the ocean had been upturned, the water surged upwards, forming a sturdy wall against the invading mist. Yet the fog would not halt. Even for Sienna, it was impossible to craft a wall that could epass the vast sea. Though the barrier was as long and high as any formidable fortress wall, the creeping fog sought to jump or bypass it, eager to engulf the expeditionary forces fleet. However, Sienna had never intended to use the seawater wall as the only defense; it was merely to buy a brief respite. A humongous clump of mana, impossible to believe as belonging to a human, enveloped the fleet. The magic prowess of both the Dragon Heart of Frost and Sienna herself overshadowed even the magnanimity of the Eternal Hole. A magical barrier of great might surrounded the fleet. The prayers of Kristina and Anise resonated in the air. The hymns of angels and the sounds of trumpets echoed loudly. Shimmering light transformed into feathers, fluttering within the barrier. The Light that Eugene summoned through the Holy Sword, together with the prayers of the two Saints, reinforced the magical barrier with divine power. Rumbleee! Crash! The sea, once transformed into a giant wall, now cascaded down to its original level. The fog, which had tried to jump and bypass the obstruction, now attacked head-on. The barrier shook intensely as the fog shed with vigor. The ensuing vibrations rocked both the sea and the fleet. Still, the barrier remained unbreached. ¡®The purification doesn¡¯t work,¡¯ Eugene realized suddenly. He scoured the sea while keeping an eye on the encroaching fog. The carcasses of marine life had been purified. Even insects that attacked the mind and then sucked the blood and gnawed at the flesh had been obliterated. Yet the sea remained as crimson as blood, and the sky, once pierced by a pir of light, was now once again overcast. The implication was clear. The sea and sky had be the dominion of the Demon King. From here on, the territory was essentially a Devildom. But who could be responsible for such a thing? ¡®Iris.¡¯ A name quickly came to Eugene¡¯s mind. He recalled the battle from three hundred years ago against the demons who served the Demon King of Fury. He recalled the insects that tormented many on the battlefield as they fought against Fury¡¯s army. The Demon King of Fury had four children, and one among these children of Fury was a vampire called the Bloodshedder Sein. While the insects were born of the Demon King''s power, Sein was the one who freelymanded the insects on the battlefield. Under Sein, the vampires drew strength by drinking blood and gnawing the flesh of their opponents through these bugs. But Iris didn''t possess the talent to control these insects, leaving Eugene with a plethora of questions. How had the dark elf, who was devoid of any other talents, acquired the power herte father once wielded? The crimson sea. The inky-ck sky. Bluntly put, Iris didn''t have that much dark power. And from what Eugene had seen so far, none of the events transpiring in this sea was within her capabilities. So what trick had she pulled to gain such uncharacteristic strength? There was only one usible exnation: Iris had be the Demon King. ¡®But how?¡¯ Eugene wondered, genuinely concerned. He could taste blood through his tightly clenched teeth. That Iris? That feeble dark elf had actually be a Demon King? The one who lost her domain to Noir Giabe, was forced to flee from Helmuth, and even failed to pull off a simple kidnapping? That same wretch who had been reduced to piracy in the southern seas for years? She had be a Demon King? "That¡¯s impossible," Eugene dered firmly. Unsurprisingly, Sienna, Kristina, and Anise shared the sentiment. They knew of Iris'' centuries-long desire and futile efforts to be the Demon King. However, one thing was clear. Iris had been desperately trying to resurrect the dead Demon King of Fury for the past three hundred years but to no avail. Increasing the dark elf poption and invoking the Demon King''s name would never lead to his return. So, how did one be a Demon King? Eugene did not know the answer to this question. But twice had he thwarted beings, not born of the Demon King''s blood, in their quest to ascend to such wickedness. Eward Lionheart hade perilously close to bing the Demon King because the remnants of the Demon King¡¯s spirit had gotten bound to him. This vile connection was birthed from the fact that the very artifacts of the Demon Kingsy with the Lionheart n, and the remnants of the Demon Kings remaining behind in the artifacts bore an acute interest in the Lionheart bloodline. Yet, that alone had been insufficient. While something in the Lionheart¡¯s blood indeed drew the Demon King''s attention, Eward had still required sacrifices beyond his own bloodline to truly be the Demon King. But Eward had been stupid. He truly did not know his ce and strength and chose Cyan and Ciel as his sacrifices. Then, unsatisfied, he even sought to offer Eugene as another primary sacrifice. With his sights set on such important people, his failure was inevitable. Contrarily, Edmund Codreth had adapted the ritual Eward failed to perfect. Instead of sacrificing a few of the Lionheart''s kin as Eward had attempted, Edmund chose tens of thousands of insignificant souls, the world tree of the Samar Rainforest, and the slumbering powers of the Demon-Dragon Raizakia. Had Sienna not been sealed in the Samar Forest, had Eugene never set foot in the forest at Ivatar¡¯s behest, had he not formed a bond with Ivatar of the Zoran tribe, Edmund could have discreetly performed his ritual and quietly ascended to be the Demon King. ¡®Irismands thousands of pirates,¡¯ Eugene thought as he tried to find the answers about Iris¡¯ new powers. But they were fewer in number than what Edmund intended to sacrifice, and their worth as offerings was not greater either. Plus, there was no dark power to be harnessed here, either. ¡®Then, is there... something special about thend?¡¯ Eugene mused. The Solgalta Sea was a unique region. Perhaps somewhere in these watersy the holy grounds of the God of War, Agaroth. But what did this have to do with Iris bing the Demon King? She was an idiot of a dark elf with no magic, known only for her stupid gaze. So how could she muster the power to be a Demon King? The chorus of angels was drowned out by another sound. It was a wailing emanating from the fog beyond the barrier. As the wailing sound fell on her ears, Kristina moaned softly while clutching her arms. Had Anise not been there, she might have been consumed by that terrifying power. "I intended to consume it all." Apanying the wails came a voice. The fog pulsated, the sea raged, and the sky swirled with darkness. The voice continued, "But you stopped me? Dare you, mere humans, defy my will?" A chucklingugh echoed at this preposterous action. The ever-darkening fog soon became indistinguishable from the sky, like a looming wall of ck. Then two slits appeared in the center of this wall. They slowly widened to reveal a pair of red moons. No. they were, in fact, eyes. Only one being was capable of this. Iris. She stood deep within the abyss of the sea. Every time sheughed, the eyes that appeared before the expeditionary force danced mesmerizingly. "I take that back," Iris chuckled again. ¡°You¡¯re not mere humans.¡± How ancient could those memories be? How long had it been since then? Iris couldn''t even begin to fathom the vast span of time. This ce was a ruin, frozen in time since its destruction, a world incarcerated never to be reopened. Enveloped in dark power, Iris wrapped her arms around herself. "It''s been a while, Sienna Merdein. You are still the same, even after three hundred long years," Iris said in greeting her greatest foe. Though Iris stood in the deep abyss within the sea, her eyes gazed upon distant seas. Daringly, foes came to end my life without even grasping the gravity of their endeavor. They were merely insignificant beings. Audaciously, they had once dirtied their feet and tread upon thends that once belonged to her father. Deserving of death, they were. "Perhaps your unchanging nature is but a curse, Sienna Merdein. All of yourrades, save for you, have perished. The elves you once deemed family have likely sumbed to the gue. Those still with breath surely await death''s cold embrace." Iris¡¯ words were scathing. With a mischievous chuckle, Iris gazed upon Sienna. Three centuries prior, Iris had feared her. This crazy wizard, who perceived herself as an elf, though born human, was a cmity when it came to wielding magic, disregarding her crazy mind. But now, not a shadow of fear crept into Iris'' heart. "You are but a wraith, living endlessly without dying, Sienna Merdein,¡± Iris mocked Sienna. And she was being sincere with her words. ¡°I know why you havee to this ce. Yearning for vengeance, are you? Desire to end my existence, do you? But that¡¯s impossible. For now, I am... I am¡­ an existence impossible for the likes of you to kill.¡± An intense thrill sent a shiver down Iris¡¯ whole body. In these ruins, Iris had seen much and had epiphanies. It was fate, as she had intuited, that she came here. The destiny had been foretold in ancient days, a time of myths when gods walked the earth. Her father, the Demon King of Fury, had made a promise with the Demon King of Incarceration, who had sealed this ruin. ~ ¡ªEventually, my offspring wille to tread this water. ~ Ah, father. A chill ran down Iris'' spine, remembering the engraved memories, and she mockinglyughed at all. "Sienna Merdein, I shall end you here. I will conclude your pitiable ties to this world," Iris dered as if bestowing a favor. Sienna remained silent while glowering at Iris. Words were of no value now. What Sienna desired wasn''t a conversation with Iris. She attempted to detect Iris'' location through magic, yet each try proved futile. "And you are ¡ª Kristina Rogeris, the Saint of this era? Haha, inadequate, so inadequate. So what if you are the Saint? Do you really think your Light can hinder me?" Iris burst intoughter upon seeing Kristina. The radiant Light caused Iris no difort. The Saint from three hundred years past, Anise of Hell, had been a formidable being. But Anise''s might had been due to her formidable allies ¡ª Molon of Terror and Hamel of Extermination. And then¡­. "Eugene Lionheart," Iris said softly. The hero, Vermouth of Despair. Vermouth Lionheart. "You have the Holy Sword in your possession. But, of course, you are the Hero of this era.¡± Iris began to tread slowly, darkness and dark power emanating with each step. "But you are inadequate. You aren''t Vermouth. Do you truly believe... you can vanquish me?" Iris mocked. "Keep talking," Eugene murmured, lips curled in distaste. Iris'' face remained unseen, but those vast crimson eyes, darting and mocking, irritated him. "You seem ecstatic. Makes sense since you¡¯re getting to wield power that doesn''t befit you.¡± Not to be outdone, Eugene mocked Iris in return. "Ahahaha! A power that doesn''t befit me? You''re wrong, so wrong. This power was promised to me from the beginning. It¡¯s a legacy left by my father!" Iris said. Herughter echoed as she tilted her head to the heavens. The vast opening was a gateway to the deep waters. Iris began to ascend, darkness swirling around her. "I, Iris, am the Fury of this era. I am the Demon King of Fury," she stated. She had realized everything after inheriting the legacy. She felt as if the hatred and sadness would drive her insane. However, she had embraced the madness. "You can''t escape these waters," Iris taunted mockingly. "Escape?" Eugene scoffed, unable to hold his contempt. Amidst her jeeringughter, Iris'' giant, red eyes closed slowly. Chapter 364: The Devildom (5) The eyes that appeared in the skies closed and faded, but the darkness and mist did not disperse. The closing of those eyes signified that Iris¡¯ gaze had vanished, yet Eugene continued to stare into the distant obscurity. It wasn''t just the space before him that was veiled in shadows, but beyond the barrier and trailing the fleet, darkness nketed the sea and skies like a curtain separating worlds. With Iris bing the Demon King, this ce had been essentially transformed into a Devildom. In other words, the shadow-covered sea and skies, everything the darkness touched, was a part of Iris¡¯ Devildom. ¡ªYou cannot escape from this sea. Iris had said this mockingly just before disappearing. The Demon King had decreed it so. Escaping from the Devildom would require immense effort, and slipping away unscathed would be an impossible feat. "Escape?" Eugene murmured once more, a twisted smile still curling his lips. The thought of fleeing seemed absurd to him, a misstep in this game of power. Regardless of how it hade to pass, Iris had be the Demon King. This was a reality he couldn¡¯t change. He wasn''t sure what she was talking about when she mentioned her father¡¯s inheritance, and though he was curious, pondering upon it now wouldn¡¯t provide a clear answer and just be a waste of time. If he wanted to find out the truth, he would simply ask her just before killing her. What mattered now was that Iris had indeed be the Demon King, and likely just moments prior to her appearance. The timing was crucial. Could he have prevented this had he acted sooner? Perhaps, but Eugene harbored no such regrets. He had been as swift as caution would allow. If he still failed to prevent it, then maybe, as Iris mentioned, her transformation was an inevitability. ¡®No, we are not toote. In fact, we are early,¡¯ Eugene realized after some thought. Had events followed their expected course and the fleet not hastened their speed considerably, it would have been days after Iris became the Demon King that they would have arrived in the waters of Solgalta Sea. With a dy of even days in their arrival after her ascension ¡ª the newly crowned Demon King would have grown in strength in those days. Even now, as they waited to formte a n, Iris continued to grow stronger as the Demon King. Thus, fleeing would definitely be the wrong course of action to take. Would they flee, regroup, and then sail for over a fortnight just to return to these waters? That thought waspletely ludicrous. Eugene had no intention of allowing Iris more time. Iris, the newly crowned Demon King of Fury, was in her most vulnerable state right now. As such, she must be eliminated immediately. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one with such a thought. Sienna and Anise knew too well the might, tenacity, and terror a Demon King possessed. At present, Iris didn¡¯t have a vast following, thereby making her a bit easy to deal with. These waters had transformed into her territory, the Devildom, but her army onlyprised of mere pirates and dark elves. While her powers might strengthen them, their numbers were currently not overwhelming. But given time, their ranks would swell uncontrobly. And a Demon King drew power from fear. If the news of Iris bing the Demon King of Fury spread across the continent, and if her reign of terror grew, and if, by some chance, the Demon King of Incarceration recognized and epted Iris¡­. If that were to happen, they would regret not acting on this day for the rest of their lives. *** Eugene, Sienna, and Anise harbored no intentions of fleeing, yet the conviction of the rest of the punitive force was not as steadfast. "If you wish to stay, remain here," dered Eugene, standing before dozens of ship captains and the warriors of the expedition. "You came to battle pirates and their Pirate Empress, not the Demon King. If you''re not prepared to die, I''d rather you stay put because fleeing won''t be easy either." The one speaking with such harshness was but a youth who would be twenty-two years of age in only three days. Yet of the people present, many of whom could have been his father''s age, none dared to voice an objection against him. Was it because he was the Hero? Or perhaps because he was a descendant of the Great Vermouth? It was neither. Rather, it was the hostile, overwhelmingly suffocating aura he emitted. Though his hostility was directed at the Demon King, everyone present was stunned by its sheer weight. "It¡¯s not considered¡­ fleeing," came a voice. It belonged to one of the few people who could withstand Eugene''s imposing aura. Ortus Hyman clenched his fist as sweat pooled in his palm, and a jumble of thoughts clouded his mind. He was significantly older than Eugene and had addressed him by first name in prior encounters. Yet now, he hesitated to be so informal to the young man standing before him. "Mister Eugene, as you''ve said, Iris has be the Demon King. We came to battle dark elves and pirates, not the Demon King,¡± said Ortus. "So?" Eugene interrupted, "As I just said, if you wish to stay, stay. I have no intention of forcing anyone who is unwilling." "The thing is, Mister Eugene, we are ill-prepared. It would be wise to retreat, regroup, and prepare to fight against the Demon King¡ª" But Ortus was interrupted once again. "Prepare?" Eugene sneered, not bothering to wait for Ortus to finish. He wasn''t the only one who reacted this way. "Ha!" A sharpugh echoed from Sienna. She was seated in midair on a magic circle. It was a loud, coldugh, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Are we the only ones who need to prepare?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°Sir Ortus, retreating, gives Iris, the new Demon King, time. Precious time, no less. And even if we do retreat, I don¡¯t think we will be ¡°preparing¡± to fight against her. Am I wrong?¡± Sienna said quizically. Ortus was smart and one of the prominent knights of Shimuin. As such, he grasped the implication of Sienna¡¯s words immediately. Tragically, in this era, the Demon King wasn''t the epitome of evil, not an enemy that needed to be vanquished at all costs. If they retreated to the maind and reported the issue of the Demon King to the pce¡­. Would the King of Shimuin mobilize the entire army against the new Demon King? And even if he did, how many nations would rally to their cause when they heard the news? The thoughts and spections flooding Ortus'' mind were primarily pessimistic. He knew his king well, and he definitely wasn''t known for making bold or principled decisions. It wasn¡¯t just limited to Shimuin, either. Most nations on the continent would try to opt for dialogue or negotiation rather than outright brand the new Demon King as an enemy. "Sir Ortus," Eugene said fiercely, his eyes scanning the crowd, "I have no intention of being swayed by the empty words of high-seated lords. I refuse to give the Demon King more time with such pointless endeavors." Eugene continued, his voice brimming with intensity, "As the Hero, I understand the Demon Kings better than any of you. If we return and spread the word of Iris'' ascension, the entire continent will learn of the birth of the new Demon King, and chaos is bound to ensue after that. Many will be consumed by fear." The Demon King drew power from reverence. Just as worship and faith made a god divine, fear of the Demon King made them demonic and powerful. That was the fundamental difference between the Demon Kings and regr demons. ¡°The Demon King of Fury, Iris. The more humans fear that name, the higher Iris'' stature will rise. Her already formidable power would be all the more unstoppable,¡± exined Eugene. Fear was the sweetest sacrifice to the Demon King. Eugene knew this all too well. He couldn¡¯t let Iris gather power in this way. ¡°But Iris hasn''t been the Demon King for long. Only the pirates under hermand, the dark elves... and now, we know of her ascension. Do you understand what this means? Iris, the Demon King of Fury, is at her weakest now,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°I agree with Sir Eugene.¡± Ivic d, who had been silently listening until now, suddenly spoke up. In truth, Ivic harbored a deep-seated query. Eugene Lionheart, Sienna Merdein, and Kristina Rogeris ¡ª from whence had these three appeared? They definitely hadn''t been on the ship on the ship before. And where¡­ had the three servants iming to be from the Lionheart family gone? ''If I ask... I will surely die.'' Ivic instinctively recognized the truth. Perhaps when all was settled, it might be different. But to voice such doubts now would cost him his dear life. The murderous aura radiating from Eugene reminded Ivic of the intense specter of death he felt on many battlefields. No, in fact, it was more profound and greater than what he had experienced throughout his life as a mercenary. ¡°Even if you wish to flee, it won''t be easy. Didn''t the Empress... no, the Demon King say so? That escape from these seas is impossible,¡± Ivic reiterated Eugene¡¯s words. At these words, another person joined in on the conversation. ¡°Ah... that light from before¡­.¡± Prince Jafar stammered. The prince''s face was drenched in sweat, and tears were pooling in his eyes. It was inevitable. Jafar had joined the expedition because they had been up against puny pirates. He had underestimated the dark elf, the so-called Abyssal Princess from centuries past, the Pirate Empress, as she was known these days. Regardless of her reputation from centuries ago, she was now nothing but a fugitive turned pirate. There were fewer than a hundred dark elves and thousands of pirates under hermand. The expeditionary force easily outnumbered them, and they had formidable warriors like Ortus, Ivic, and Carmen with them. The battle would undoubtedly be tough, but there was no chance the expeditionary force would lose. The difficulty of the expedition had made participation worthwhile for Jafar. He could demonstrate his courage in choosing to participate and also grasp the honor of victory. Of course, Jafar never had any intention of joining the battle. He believed that merely being present on the scene at the rear would earn him the desired glory. But now... a Demon King? Jafar felt he might go mad. Even those born in this age knew how preposterous and terrifying the existence of a Demon King was. ¡°Eugene... Eugene Lionheart. With the light you emitted, and the divine power of Saint Kristina... and the magic of Wise Lady Sienna, can''t we carve a path of retreat through the veil in the rear?¡± asked Jafar in a pleading tone. ¡°Did this retard not hear anything I said?¡± Eugene''s expression crumpled as he red at Jafar. He didn¡¯t even bother to filter his words at this point. Retard? Jafar was baffled. No one had ever dared to direct such vulgarities at the prince, the third in line to ascend the throne. ¡°Let me make this clear. I have no intention of fleeing, understand? And is it just me? No. Both Lady Sienna and Saint Kristina have no thoughts of escape either,¡± Eugene said, ring a Jafar. ¡°It''s not¡­. I''m not suggesting we all run¡­. We just need an avenue for... ahem, not fleeing, but a strategic retreat¡­.¡± Jafar¡¯s voice trailed off under Eugene¡¯s severe gaze. ¡°So, you want me to create an escape route? You think that''s easy, you moron? Do you think opening a path wide enough for dozens of ships to safely exit is simple?¡± Eugene spat as he glowered at Jafar. Eugene¡¯s attitude waspletely inappropriate, given that he was talking to a prince. His gaze was steeped in irreverence as well. Yet, Jafar couldn''t point it out, for those glistening golden eyes made him quail in fear. Instead, he averted his eyes from Eugene¡¯s gaze. Eugene scoffed and said, "Why should we waste our strength on such a useless thing? Listen well, I won''t clear a path so you can escape easily. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying? If you want to run, do so of your own volition. If youck the confidence to escape or the courage to face the Demon King, just stay here." One would have hoped that being a prince, he would possess a certain strength of character like Honein of Aroth. Unfortunately, Jafar proved to be of little worth. Indeed, for Jafar to stand tall in this ce, rallying everyone to face the frenzied Demon King, seemed an almostughable idea. The Demon Kings were powerful, terrifying, and tenacious existences. In some ways, the Demon Kings were akin to cockroaches. Merely getting a glimpse would send shivers down one''s spine. If a Demon King approached while pping their wings, one would bepelled to scream. They wouldn¡¯t die even after being hit repeatedly. Left unchecked, much like how a roachid eggs, they would rally their minions. But though simr to cockroaches, the Demon Kings weren¡¯t exactly like cockroaches. They were formidable. One had to prepare oneself to face such an entity. Even three hundred years ago, those who fought till the very end in the demon realm had resolved to meet their doom there, fighting till the end. Hence, Eugene had no intentions of rallying others to join the fight. "It should be safer to quietly stay here rather than trying to flee. Iris likely has more interest in Saint Kristina, Lady Sienna, and me,¡± Eugene repeated himself. If they advanced, Iris would undoubtedly have a grand wee awaiting them. Perhaps Iris might have other schemes, attacking those who stayed behind¡­. But Eugene didn''t bother considering that possibility. "I''ve no intention of fleeing or staying put¡­. May I join you then?" Ivic asked, a smirk ying on his lips. "The enemy might have be the Demon King, but we have the Hero and the Saint. Plus, a legendary wizard who has already defeated three Demon Kings." "If you''ve no regrets about dying,¡± responded Eugene dryly. "Regrets? Hahaha! One might change their mind when death''s door looms, but I don''t feel any regrets now. Isn''t vanquishing the Demon King a feat more valuable than vanquishing the Pirate Empress by dozens, no, hundreds of times?" Ivicughed heartily before turning his head. He then continued, "I''m not sure if my subordinates share my sentiment, but experience and reputation are vital for mercenaries. I¡¯m known as the King of Mercenaries, and I¡¯ve finallye across the chance to prove my reputation.¡± Ivic''s promation left the bystanders ncing at each other, torn between reason and fear. The crimson eyes of the Demon King they''d seen earlier, the marine creatures meeting a gruesome fate, the unsettling hum of the flying insects, and the ominous dread that came with the darkness¡­. It was a terror they couldn''t shake off or resist. The more they recalled, the more they yearned to flee. Yet, even in darkness, there was light. The Hero kindled the light, the Saint spread it, within which angels sang their hymns, and the archwizard overturned the seas. Even if they faced the Demon King¡­. With those three by their side, perhaps they stood a chance. This sentiment started to grow among the expeditionary force. "I will join, too,¡± Carmen spoke while leaning on the railings. She stared at the dark, viscous ocean that was reminiscent of congealed blood. "If she has now be the Demon King, it''s even more imperative that I go. After all, I am a Lionheart," Carmen dered proudly. Despite her piercing gaze, Carmen''s voice was stoic. Yet, beneath the surface, emotions raged within her. When Iris'' dark power descended upon them, Carmen had been gripped by fear, and terror had eclipsed her hostility. Her body had shuddered involuntarily, and her head spun outside of her control. Carmen could not withstand the shame she felt from having felt such emotions. Even if she had been unprepared, as a descendant of the prestigious Lionheart family, no, as the heir of the previous Hero, the Great Vermouth, she shouldn¡¯t have cowered before the Demon King. She felt that she must press forward, if not to protect herself, then to avenge her own disgrace. "S-Sir Ortus¡­," Jafar cried out desperately. Both Ivic and now Carmen had made their position clear, and the atmosphere had irrevocably shifted in favor of Eugene. Jafar looked in rm at Ortus, his face paling amidst the change. "S-Surely, you¡¯re not thinking of joining them? You lead the kingdom¡¯s forces, so you can¡¯t just decide impulsively,¡± Jafar reminded him. Ortus closed his eyes without a word. He needed to think. What should he do? Prince Jafar was right. The diators who had made their names known were only hired des in the end. However, Ortus was the duke of the kingdom, and the troops under him were the nation¡¯s army, bequeathed to him by the king. Additionally, Ortus had the duty of protecting Prince Jafar. But was that really the right choice? Ortus pondered deeply. If he remained behind in the battle against the Demon King to represent the king¡¯s will¡­ was that really the right choice to make? This wasn¡¯t just a knight''s dilemma. It wasn¡¯t just an issue of chivalry. What if they seeded in subduing the Demon King? And if Ortus didn¡¯t participate in such a legendary feat? Shimuin¡¯s reputation would surely crumble, and he would be med and cast into oblivion. Perhaps¡­ it was better to apany them? There might be great losses to the kingdom''s forces, but if they seeded in subduing the Demon King... wouldn¡¯t those losses be hailed as a glorious sacrifice? "I will go." A surprising voice supported Ortus'' decision. It was Scalia Animus. She stepped forward, pushing Jafar aside, and made her deration. "Scalia!" Jafar cried out in astonishment. Usually, Scalia never defied her elder brother Jafar''s words. But now, Jafar''s shouts fell on Scalia¡¯s deaf ears. The scent of blood. The aroma wafting from the sea invigorated Scalia''s heart. The uing battle ensnared her, and with frenzied anticipation, she cried, "I am here representing the royal family of Shimuin! If I do not go, it''s as if our royal family has bowed to the Demon King. I will bravely move forward and face the Demon King!" What was this crazy bitch saying? Jafar''s eyes widened in disbelief. She represented the royal family? While not untrue, Scalia did not have the authority to make that decision. Being higher in the hierarchy, Jafar should have been the one to speak for the royal family. "Si... Silence! Scalia! How dare you¡­!¡± Jafar tried to salvage the situation. "I understand." Even Ortus did not heed Jafar¡¯s words. He was sure that Jafar would eventually be pleased if the mission seeded. ¡®As long as we all don¡¯t die,¡¯ Ortus thought. At this moment, it was right to pursue honor by following Princess Scalia. With his decision made, Ortus nodded before dering, "We will face the Demon King together." "What together?" Eugene scoffed after having remained silent until now. He had a pretty good idea of the reasoning behind Ortus¡¯ choice. "Let''s fight on our own," Eugene dered. "What¡­?" Ortus was dumbfounded. "Everyone can just fight as they like. We''ll journey together, but everyone will fend for their own lives." Eugene paused in thought and then brandished the Holy Sword. He continued, "The God of Light decreed that we are not to trust even Him in the battle against the Demon King of Fury.¡± He was also making sure to use the deity¡¯s name after a long while. Chapter 365: The Devildom (6) The Demon King of Fury ¡ª he had created a savage frenzy in the world, true to his name. He had obsessed over ying family with those who did not share even a single drop of blood with him, and he even sacrificed himself for his children in the end. But if viewed from a different angle, perhaps he had acted as such because he was crazy. "Didn''t you all experience it earlier? The magic of Iris, the new Demon King of Fury''s power. Didn¡¯t you all feel just how much it shakes the mind," Eugene uttered. Their surroundings were still filled with the encroaching darkness, the putrid stench of rotting corpses, and the shrieking noise of flying insects. The sea of blood itself was giving off a rancid smell as well. "The Dark Power of the Demon King of Fury can drive people insane. In severe cases, it¡¯ll even make you incapable of differentiating friend from foe. You will end up stabbing allies in the back or worse, even slitting your own throats,¡± Eugene continued, the gravity of his words sinking deep into those present on the fleet. Ivic''s eyebrows twitched slightly after hearing Eugene¡¯s words. He stole a nce at Ortus, and in that fleeting moment, Ortus turned his gaze towards Ivic as well. Surprised at the unintended, sudden eye contact, they both shot each other a stern look before turning away with a scoff. Afterying out the problems, Eugene¡¯s words turned hopeful. "Well... if we brace ourselves mentally in advance, it is possible to resist this corrosive power. Thankfully, we also have the Saint with us this time," Eugene said before turning his head to emphasize his point. Kristina was with a group of people in the distance and was deeply engrossed in a conversation with them. The number of wizards mobilized for the subjugation of Pirate Empress Iris was notrge enough. There was Maise Briar,mander of Shimuin¡¯s court wizards and an archwizard of the Eighth Circle, as well as about twenty battle wizards belonging to the d Mercenaries. But in contrast, the expeditionary force included a considerable number of those clergy belonging to the church. The Holy Empire of Yuras wasn''t the only ce worshiping the God of Light. The God of Light was a deity with thergest following on the continent, with its faith even spreading all the way to Shimuin. As such, the Cathedral of Light of Shimuin had dispatched priests and pdins for this subjugation expedition. In addition, another deity, the God of Knights and Honor, held as much repute as the God of Light in Shimuin. Ranked third in the diator rankings was Pdin Adol, a self-proimed grand warrior of the God of Knights and Honor. He was also seen lending an ear to Kristina''s words. Surrounding Pdin Adol were dozens of priests who also served the God of Knights and Honor. The fact that they worshiped different gods and had different faiths did not matter at this juncture. Though these clergy would usually refer to each other as heretics and maintain a distance from each other, in the face of a battle against a real Demon King, they had no choice but to unite despite their different beliefs. Earlier, the Light that Kristina had conjured, the magnificent divine power seemingly not of human origin, and the disy of eightrge, beautiful wings and summoned angels was a spectacle so holy that even the believers of different faiths had to acknowledge it. It went without saying that the followers of the God of Light were greatly affected by seeing their Saint in action. Some could not even wipe away the tear streaks left behind on their cheeks as they listened to Kristina''s words intently. For them, Kristina¡¯s words were almost like words from their god. So, what were priests supposed to do in the battle against the Demon King? Fortunately, all the priests dispatched for this punitive subjugation expedition were battle priests. They possessed adequate knowledge onbating demons, though unfortunately, theyckedbat experience, having been born in an era of peace devoid of wars and conflicts. In terms of experience, they hadn''t even fought demonic beasts, let alone the demonfolk. Their battle experience was limited to hunting down deranged ck wizards, nothing more. In this age of rtive calm, the main adversaries ofbat priests and pdins were human-created heresies or monsters. Hence, determining what they should do in the battle against the Demon King was a crucial but difficult question, their knowledge being limited to just theories learned from textbooks. Thankfully, that wasn¡¯t a problem in this war. Inside Kristina resided Anise, the only Saint in this era with actualbat experience against the Demon Kings. Facing the Demon King of Fury, who, just like three hundred years ago, wielded power that could drive people insane, the task of the priests was clear: to staunchly protect the minds of their allies. They would have to purify the minds of theirrades. For this, they would be required to suppress their fear through divine protection, make cold, rational judgments in differentiating allies who could be saved and those who were beyond saving, and not get swept away due to their intense emotions in the heat of battle. "It¡¯s fine to be like that after the battle is over. But whatever happens, you must not act on your emotions during the battle," Anise stated in a steady voice. Regret always lingered after every battle. Could they not have saved more people? Could they not have reduced the number of corpses even slightly? What if they had done this or that instead? It was inevitable to have such thoughts. However, Anise knew well. Irrespective of her future regrets, she had always chosen the best course of option. The most reliable way to reduce the number of casualties and corpses was to bring down the Demon King in order to secure a victory in the battle. And to defeat the Demon King and win the battle, one should not focus on the weak but only on the strong ¡ª like Anise had done by prioritizing Vermouth, Hamel, Molon, and Sienna above everyone else. They were the only formidable people on the battlefield who could steadfastly lead the fight and thrust their swords into the body of the Demon Kings. Thus, Anise had always set her eyes only on those four individuals, indifferent to the plight of others, whether they were falling or dying. They had sessively fought and won that way and that way alone. After securing a victory, she would always wander around the battlefield, healing those who she could, performing miracles here and there, and praying for the departed souls that she couldn¡¯t protect, always bleeding from the wounds on her Stigmata. She would be washed with a sense of guilt for those she overlooked and wasn¡¯t able to save. ¡°In the subjugation of Iris, the Demon King of Fury, all of us should focus on only one person. Even in a situation where most of our allies are dying, we still have to choose to protect and save only one person,¡± Anise dered solemnly. Even the clergy who did not serve the God of Light knew who that ¡®one person¡¯ referred to. Even Adol, the self-proimed grand warrior of the God of Knights and Honor, could harbor no other doubts or objections to Kristina¡¯s deration. This was because it was pretty obvious. Unlike Adol, who imed to be his god¡¯s grand warrior, that man was the real deal. He was the representative of the Light, the master of the Holy Sword, and the descendant of the Hero of the past, the Great Vermouth. He was the Hero of this era. ¡°Do you think we can do it?¡± Eugene asked. He was walking towards the helm of the royal ship, Laversia. No one was following behind him, as there was nothing they could do together at this moment. ¡°We did it three hundred years ago, didn¡¯t we?¡± responded Sienna. She walked beside Eugene, holding Akasha and Frost in each of her hands. She nced at the two staffs and chuckled softly. ¡°In fact, I am in a much better condition nowpared to when we killed the Demon King of Fury three hundred years ago. It''s true that the Eternal Hole has been slightly damaged¡­ but won¡¯t cause a significant problem.¡± Sienna was sure that the Eternal Hole wouldn''t be burdened if they aimed for a short-term battle. Even if it turned into a prolonged, drawn-out battle, the magic staff forged with the Dragon Heart couldpensate for the w in her Eternal Hole to some extent. Sienna continued, ¡°During the battle, you will have to use Akasha, but that won¡¯t be an issue for me, the Wise Sienna. Let me assure you, Eugene, I am stronger nowpared to three hundred years ago when we faced the Demon King of Fury,¡± she reiterated, speaking sincerely. Back then, she couldn''t create the Eternal Hole. In fact, she hadn''t evenpletely created the Circles Form. Contrary to Sienna¡¯s confidence, Anise, who was walking beside them, was a bit subdued. ¡°I am not quite sure,¡± she finally chimed in. ¡°Kristina and my divine power is strongerpared to mine from three hundred years ago, of course. After all, I have be an angel. Kristina herself possesses a remarkable level of divine power as well. But, I do not know if we will be superior to my past self from three hundred years ago.¡± Kristina did not bear the sacred Stigmata. She hadn''t forcibly carved it from the Fount of Light either. In the past, Anise managed to create miracles such as reattaching severed limbs and reviving dying people by wielding Light to vanquish darkness. However, her ability to wield such potent miracles was solely because she had bore arge Stigmata on her back. She had been a nearly perfect Imitation Incarnation of Light, created using the remains of the first Holy Emperor and the previous Saints. Anise had been a Saint born with a Stigmata. Unlike with the other Saints, it had not been forcibly engraved but was an innate ability. The Stigmata on her back had been small initially, but it expanded and bled each time she performed a divine miracle. But Kristina, a replica of Anise, had yet to be endowed with the Stigmata. She could not help but wonder ¡ª would she have received the Stigmata had she concluded the ritual at the Fount of Light? ¡®If you had done so, Kristina, you would not have been saved by Hamel,¡¯ Anise said with a bittersweet smile after reading Kristina''s thoughts. She continued, ¡®Kristina if we consider howplete you are as the Saint, you are superior to me. Though the Stigmata has not yet marked you... someday, it surely will. The divine trace that marked me bled because my existence was iplete, but the one that will mark you will not bleed.¡¯ [Sister,] Kristina said, exhaling deeply, a burdenden in her sigh. [Someday is not enough. I need the Stigmata now. I need its power for the uing battle.] ¡®Then... we have no choice but to pray,¡¯ Anise concluded. She understood Kristina¡¯s urgency. They were faced with the daunting reality that they were facing a true Demon King this time, and without the Stigmata, she couldn''t rescue Eugene from a fatal injury. "May the divine will watch over us. May the Light embrace us," Anise muttered, her lips quivering slightly as she turned her gaze to study Eugene''s face. His eyes were cold and devoid of the fervor of excitement. His lips were firmly closed, the muscles of his jaw twitching as he gritted his teeth ¡ª it was a familiar yet dearly missed sight. Hamel always enjoyed battles, and excitement would dance on his face every time they headed into a fight. However, when it was time to ascend to the fortresses of the Demon Kings, Hamel didn''t smile. Not even a hint of a smile danced on his lips, leaving others guessing whether he was prepared to die or determined to survive. Anise cherished this expression of Hamel. ¡®Vermouth is gone,¡¯ Eugene thought as he slowly ascended the figurehead at the front of the ships, his movements deliberate and measured. Anise and Sienna remained stationary, not following him any further. Gripping the Holy Sword, Eugene took a quick, deep breath. ¡®Molon is gone too,¡¯ Eugene¡¯s thoughts continued, painfully aware of the missing people from their group. It was different from three hundred years ago. Molon, who always rushed forward to shield others, was absent, as was Vermouth, who once wielded the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword at the heart of their group. Who could rece them? Carmen, Ortus, or Ivic? They hadn''t properly coordinated with each other yet, and Eugene had no intention of relying on them either. Because it was Eugene''s role to fill the void left behind by Molon and Vermouth. Me? Seriously? Eugene was conscious of the Holy Sword in his grip. He slowly raised it over his head and felt its unfamiliar weight. He sensed a myriad of emotionsing from behind him. There were gazesden with various expectations, fears regarding the uing battle, and trust in the Hero and the descendant of Vermouth. Then, there was faith. "It''s heavy," Eugene mumbled with a wry smile. He had felt this weight three hundred years ago as well when everyone pinned their heavy expectations on Vermouth and hisrades. Back then, they were the "hope," but Vermouth always remained the true center of that hope, bearing a pressure iparable to what Hamel felt. Taking another deep breath to clear the noise in his mind, he ensured that his grip on the sword was unburdened by unnecessary tension. The world remained oblivious to Iris bing the Demon King. They were unaware that here, across this distant sea, a battle between the Hero and the Demon King had been initiated after three hundred long years. But the people present knew. They knew, and their expectations were transformed into a pressuring atmosphere. He grasped the Holy Sword with both his hands. He was conscious of Agaroth¡¯s Ring on his left ring finger, which remained silent. No revtions were heard, yet he felt an added power surge through the already heavy de. Agaroth ¡ª the ancient God of War. Would he be craving for a battle true to his name? The Light of the Holy Sword swelled. Whatever the people behind him expected was none of Eugene''s concern. His task, whether as the Hero or not, remained unaltered from what it had been three hundred years ago during his time as Hamel. It was to y the Demon King. ¡ªIt has to be you. The voice of Vermouth echoed in his mind from the time they first met in his previous lifetime and the time Eugene spent in the stillness of the Dark Room. "Yes," Eugene muttered as if in response to Vermouth, his lips parting without a smile, "it has to be me who kills the Demon King." It had been so since three hundred years ago. Hamel had harbored the desire to kill the Demon Kings, not just one but all five. The Light from the sword soared higher, and a pir of radiance reaching up to the heavens burst forth from Eugene¡¯s grasp. Despite holding such immense Light, Eugene did not waver in the slightest. "Hey, Light," Eugene murmured quietly, the Holy Sword trembling as it radiated brilliance. He red at the thick and pitch-dark curtain that obstructed his way, the darkness that barred his path forward. Beyond that darkness, across the sea, awaited the Demon King. "I am going to kill the Demon King," Eugene dered. The god, whose voice he had never heard, had always granted him divine power whenever he wished for it. This might very well be his first direct prayer to that deity. Eugene eximed as his hands, sped around the hilt of the sword, ovepped as if in prayer, "So you better give me your strength!" Kwaah! In response to Eugene¡¯s words came a unteral decree. The pir of Light connecting to the sky intensified, seemingly fueled by an added brilliance from the high heavens themselves. A massive beam of light piercing through the dark barriers of the Devildom enveloped Eugene as it descended. Eugene stood tall amidst the dazzling radiance, remaining unbothered by the blinding shes around him. In the midst of the luminescence, he looked ahead. His hands were sped around the sword hilt as if in prayer. The sword emitted a light so bright that the boundary between the de and the hilt became indiscernible. At that moment, the sword was in perfect harmony with Eugene. "Ah...!" Anise and Kristina eximed in unison. The overflowing light enveloped Eugene, then expanded to ravel around Laverisa and flowed into the sea. The crimson sea was covered in Light, and the entire fleet appeared to float on the osciting brilliance. Anise spread her wings wide. Kristina stretched out both her hands, and the surging waves of Light reached out to touch her. In that instant, she felt a tingling sensation in the middle of her left palm. There was no blood, yet a thin line was etched into her open palm. Then, Eugene swung the Holy Sword. A single swing was all it took. Kwaarrarr! The pir of light that connected to the sky crumbled, transforming into a massive strike that cleaved the darkness in half. Syncing with it, Kristina abruptly raised her left hand adorned with the Stigmata. Fwoosh! Particles of Light morphed into feathers and fluttered gracefully. The Sea of Light undted violently and propelled the fleet upwards. "My goodness!" Sienna had witnessed everything, but she could not help but exim at this extraordinary sight. She hadn''t expected to see such a miracle so soon. Watching Eugene''s silhouette flickering in the luminescent glow, she felt a stirring in her chest. Light and the Hero; for Sienna, these epithets had been closer to Vermouth than to Eugene until now. But from this moment onward, it felt like that would no longer be the case. She lifted Akasha and Frost with both her hands. The Eternal Hole opened, and the two staffs poured out waves of nearly infinite mana. A tremendous wind arose. A spell enveloped the entire barrier surrounding the fleet. Winds from behind propelled the fleet forward as the Sea of Light created waves. The fleet, embraced by the Light, cleaved through the darkness, advancing steadfastly. Chapter 366: The Devildom (7) Thick and pervasive dark power conjured the night. It was a night where the sun would never rise and where not even stars existed, a night unyielding to the glow of a fire. Iris sat within the abyss of darkness she had forged herself. "They¡¯reing," shemented. Her crimson lips curved into a smirk, and her chin lifted in anticipation as she giggled in the enveloping darkness. She did not see them yet. While she could have seen if she wished to, Iris chose not to. She could feel them without seeing, and it gave her a bigger thrill to feel them like this rather than seeing them with her own eyes. A tremble of anticipation and delight shook her frame. They were approaching, steadily and unnaturally fast, as if endowed with wings in this windless sea. An irritating difort hinted at the presence of divine power. It was only natural, given that they were the Saint and the Hero. ¡®Let''s go greet them tomorrow,¡¯ Iris thought. That didn¡¯t mean she wasn¡¯t unprepared. Raising her head, Iris peered forward. In the profound darkness, a different kind of darkness existed, one molded and nurtured by Iris herself. It was a cradle and shelter harboring her kin, the Rebels of Fury, an organization she had fostered for three hundred years. They were loyal subjects who never abandoned her, even during the tyranny and contempt from the demons of Helmuth. They were followers who revered her as a princess and dreamt of Fury¡¯s resurgence by her side. But not all had remained true. Among the hundred dark elves thatprised the Rebels of Fury, only about thirty had experienced the era of war with Iris. The rest were those corrupted after the war ended ¡ª elves dying of gue, sold into very, or forcibly kidnapped and brought to damnation. Yet, once they transformed into dark elves, loyalty to Iris became inevitable. Wasn''t that enough? To Iris, the Rebels of Fury were her family, precisely the one hundred and three dark elves. The utmost desire Iris harbored was to resurrect her deceased father ¡ª an unfulfilled wish, for bringing her father back to life proved impossible. Yet, Iris had ascended as the Demon King herself. She had not given herself a new name but rather seeded her father''s legacy, perpetuating her heritage as the Demon King of Fury. At this moment, Fury had reincarnated. She respected and adored her father, who had shown kindness to his children and had bestowed great power upon her, a mere dark elf. Those belonging to the Rebels of Fury were a family that had endured hardships and shared joys with her for three centuries. And so, she imparted strength upon them, just as she had received from her father. She granted power to her dark elf kin. It wouldn''t be long before they would awaken from their cradle. As for the other subordinates ¡ª the pirates, she held no affection or interest for them. Yet, considering they were too feeble as humans to be a part of Fury¡¯s Army, she bestowed upon them power in a manner not too burdensome. Due to the reckless infusion of dark power, their personalities had copsed, and their race altered... but that was not for Iris to concern herself with. "Shall we start from here?" Iris mumbled while leaning in her chair. Thenguid darkness embraced her bare form. A titter escaped her lips as she slowly buttoned up her newly worn shirt. "Or will you grant me territory?" Her eyes, red as blood, slowly rose upwards. Darkness surged forward. What was pushed back was darkness belonging to Iris, her dark power. The two curtains of ck weren¡¯t identical. The impending abyss bore a deeper hue, a stronger force. Iris keenly felt the truth and clenched her fists. The creeping sensation was invoking an unavoidable, guarding fear. Could one feel fear even after bing the Demon King? ¡®No,¡¯ Iris told herself with resolve. It was precisely because she had be the Demon King that she could sense this fear. Iris could perceive the absurdity of the entity steering the encroaching darkness and dark power. Humans or demons alike wouldn''t be able to grasp the true nature of that being. However, being the Demon King, she was more attuned to that ''terror.'' They were not the same. Though both were called Demon Kings, they were decidedly not equals. A disparity existed, magnified by the fact that Iris inherited memories from her father ¡ª the previous Demon King of Fury. It enhanced her certainty of the fear she felt towards that entity. A grinding noise echoed ¡ª the shing and pulling of iron chains. Amidst the sound of chains, a pair of eyes emerged, ominously foreboding, worn out, and grim. He was an existence not guilty yet shackled as a sinner, a Demon King revered by others of his kind, an existence even the other Demon Kings feared. He reigned supreme among the Demon Kings. He was dubbed the Great Demon King, the one who imprisoned the abyss in the deep sea. "Congrattions," His voice sounded. Iris'' dark power couldn''t infringe upon the dark power of Incarceration. Though this was Iris'' domain, the moment the Demon King of Incarceration appeared, the ownership of the realm changed. Yet, Iris couldn''t even harbor difort at this fact. "I want to convey my condolences," the Demon King of Incarceration said. He bore the same visage as when Irisst saw him. There was not a hint of light in his dull and red eyes. Hisplexion waspletely devoid of vitality, and his ck hair reached his waist. His body was so skinny it seemed almost tragic, and he was draped in countless chains. He was unchanged, identical to when she hadst seen him in Helmuth, even three hundred years ago. Even in her inherited memories ¡ª he was a figure perpetually the same, standing above the fog and waves at the end of times in the previous era. ~ ¡ªAt some point, my child wille to this sea. ~ When her father had said that, the Demon King of Incarceration had nodded indifferently. Back then, no emotions had adorned his face. It was still the same now. Despite congratting her, there was no joy, and in conveying condolences, no sorrow was visible on the face of the Demon King of Incarceration. "Constion?" Iris twisted her lips in a derisive smile as she spoke with rebellion brimming in her voice. "Why should I receive constion?" "You must have realized it by now," the voice of the Demon King of Incarceration was calm, starkly contrasting with Iris'' sharp tone. With a rustling sound, the chains that dragged behind him like a cloak intertwined and transformed into a chair. The Demon King of Incarcerationfortably sat down and rested his arms on the armrests. He showcased an air of assurance as he spoke, "You must know what lies at the bottom of this sea, how this sea was created, and what transpired here. Well, the current you should know that is.¡± He continued, his voice exuding confidence yet detached, "I made sure that¡¯s how things would be. But if you remain ignorant... well, that''s¡­ a serious issue. I loathe issues I did not intend even more." The dark, prating gaze fixed on Iris as if scrutinizing and unraveling every part of her. Swallowing hard, she clenched her fists, her body soon engulfed by surging dark power. "I know, Demon King of Incarceration. My father... he died in this sea. Took his own life to transfer it to you." "Death, you say¡­," he mused, acknowledging her perception. "Not entirely incorrect. The Demon King of Fury¡­. Your father, indeed, died here long ago, and I epted it." Iris bit her lip, her mind swirling with unresolved questions, haunted by what she witnessed in the abyss in the deep sea: the closed gate, the fog and the waves engulfing the world, her father choosing death, and the handover of his life to the Demon King of Incarceration. So what about three hundred years ago? The father Iris remembered ruled as the Demon King of Fury since three hundred years ago, no, even before that¡­. The Demon King of Incarceration tilted his head slightly, his expression neutral yet not rigid. "You must have many questions. I understand, Iris. I let it flow to you ording to the promise. However, that is a distant memory. It may not fully connect with the memories you hold now. There will be gaps." Iris hesitated before stammering, "Will you... answer if I ask?" Her mind raced with questions. Who was the Demon King of Incarceration, really? What had she seen in the abyss? Why had her father, who had died in this sea, been alive in Helmuth? "No," came the swift and unyielding reply. "I am not obligated to answer your questions. That wasn''t part of the pact with the Fury. You do not possess the right to hear the truth from me." Iris ground her teeth, her eyes boiling with dark power. It resonated with her anger and turned increasingly darker. "How fierce.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration''s tone remained unfazed by her hostility or murderous intent, his gaze steady and peaceful as he spoke. "Do you wish to hear answers from me? You won''t be able to force them out of me, though." "Do you take me¡­ for a fool?" Iris shot back defiantly. He replied dismissively, emphasizing her weakness that she, too, was aware of. "I have no choice but to regard you as such. Aren''t you aware of your frailty?" With a creaking sound, the chains connected to the Demon King of Incarceration began to move. Like serpents, they slithered and spread across the floor, and with their movement, Iris felt her dark power being pushed back, a stark reminder of the chasm in their power. "But no matter how frail you are, I respect you, Demon King of Fury," whispered the Demon King of Incarceration. The malevolent and ominous Demon King had called Iris by that name. It sent shivers down Iris'' spine. She trembled slightly and swallowed hard. "Do you... recognize me as the Demon King of Fury?" she asked with anticipation. "Iris. For you to continue that legacy has been the will of thest Fury. I bestowed upon you the legacy of Fury ording to our agreement. I see no reason not to acknowledge you as the Demon King of Fury,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said, ncing at the floor with a slight smile. The spreading chains suddenly halted their movement. "I will not grant you a territory," Incarceration stated. The chains retracted. "A territory is and conquered by the Demon Kings themselves. Demon King of Fury, if you desire to have a territory in Helmuth, you must seize it from me. Will you do that?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked lightly. Iris could not answer. Fight against that absurd monster of a Demon King and seize her own territory? It was impossible for the Iris of now. "Seems like you won''t," the Demon King of Incarcerationmented. He did not feel the slightest disappointment at Iris'' silence. "Then, you have no choice but to start from here," Incarceration said softly in the same neutral tone. Iris'' eyes widened at the murmured words. "Are you... giving me advice?" Iris stuttered, finding it hard to believe what she had just heard. The Demon King of Incarceration nodded slightly, then said, "This ce... has a deep history. Many events unfolded, and everything is buried in this sea. I vividly remember what thendscape was like before it became a sea." Iris knew it. She was well aware that this sea was once the territory of the Demon King of Fury. Her father had ruled thisnd, and Iris and her siblings had grown up loved by him¡­. "Demon King of Fury, if you rise from thisnd... it can genuinely be said that you have inherited the legacy of Fury. Your father, the former Demon King of Fury, was defeated here, fled, and died," the Demon King of Incarceration said. Iris had nothing to say to this as she knew the words were true. "History often repeats itself," the Demon King of Incarceration stated in a simple manner. He looked back on the years past, and on the events that were still far away in the future but were gradually approaching with a certainty. He continued, "Will you be defeated, flee, or die? Let me make one thing clear, Demon King of Fury. I will not be by your side when you die. There will be no pact between us. You might be defeated, flee, and die like your father, but you will not leave a legacy behind." "I¡¯m different," Iris said. She chuckled bitterly, then spat, "I will be defeated, flee, and die? There''s no way. Are you serious, Demon King of Incarceration? Oh, I see. You want to test me?" Iris''ughter grew louder. She sincerelyughed at the Demon King of Incarceration''s words. "There''s no Hamel to rage like a lunatic, no Molon to charge in like an idiot. So what if Sienna, Sienna Merdein is here? What difference does it make? The Hero whoes here now isn¡¯t Vermouth. The current Saint isn¡¯t Anise!" Iris said mockingly as if reminding Incarceration about the situation at hand. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly rose while listening to Iris''ughter. Iris continued, "Demon King of Incarceration, I heard you would wait for the Hero at Babel. Ahaha... Ahahaha! You won''t be able to wee the Hero at Babel. I, the Demon King of Fury, will kill that bastard in this sea!" Iris shook her head whileughing wildly. With a tter... the chains that formed the chair dispersed. "In this sea! At my father''s first burial ground! I will offer the Hero and the Saint as sacrifices! I will destroy Sienna Merdein, the wretch who contributed to my father¡¯s death until she begs pitifully for death. I vow to all who dare to charge at me, the Demon King of Fury, that I will cast them all into the sea! By doing so, everyone in the world will know of Fury¡¯s return! Without me having to dere it, everyone will know this sea as the domain of Fury and fear it!¡± "If," The Demon King of Incarceration said, ¡°If you kill Eugene Lionheart." The Demon King of Incarceration knew the name of the Hero. "Kristina Rogeris." He knew the name of the Saint. "Sienna Merdein." He knew the name of the wizard he defeated three hundred years ago. "If you kill those three and bury them in the sea," he said. The lips of the Demon King of Incarceration moved. For the first time since arriving here, he revealed emotion on his face. It was a wide curve stretching into a grin. While smiling, the Demon King of Incarceration whispered to Iris. There were emotions carried in his voice, which had previously been devoid of any feelings. He was beckoning her seductively and encouraging her. "I''ll answer your question," the Demon King of Incarceration promised. A fire ignited in Iris'' pupils. Without waiting for a response, the Demon King of Incarceration turned away, leaving behind a snickeringughter. Then, the smile vanished from the face of the Demon King of Incarceration. Fate often repeated itself. The Demon King of Incarceration knew this all too well. Chapter 367: The Demon King of Fury (1) Tchtchk, tchtchtchk. Carmen slowly flexed her fingers. There was no noticeable difort when she moved her joints. After clenching and unclenching her fist a few times, she suddenly thrust out her fist without moving a single step. Fwooosh! Gondor¡¯s hair and beard were blown back by a rush of wind as a fist suddenly flew past his face. Too surprised to even react appropriately, Gondor simply fell down on the spot. ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± Carmen muttered in a quiet voice. Considering the usual Carmen, this was a very calm and subdued reactioning from her. After all, this was no ordinary gauntlet but a gauntlet created from a dragon¡¯s skin and scales. Moreover, that dragon was Raizakia, the only dragon in the history of the continent to have been called the Demon-Dragon. Even the gauntlet¡¯s coloring was unusual, a ck hue that seemed like it was drawing in your soul. There were many elements to the gauntlet that seemed like they would cause Carmen a lot of excitement, but Carmen''s eyes were actually very calm. If she had received this gauntlet during any ordinary time¡­ Carmen would definitely be leaping from boat to boat, showing off her new weapon. However, right now, she didn¡¯t have the luxury of mind to do something like that. Carmen just stood where she was, silently confirming the gauntlet¡¯s performance. ¡°Do you have any regrets?¡± Carmen asked absentmindedly as her left hand was engulfed in pure white mes. Gondor, who had been busy straightening his hair and beard, blinked in surprise at the sudden question. ¡°Gahaha,¡± Gondorughed as he flopped down into a chair. He scratched his chin a few times and then lit a smoking pipe he had set down beside him earlier. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say that I don¡¯t have any regrets at all,¡± Gondor admitted with a cough. ¡°Ahem, something like regrets¡­ well¡­ doesn¡¯t that apply to everyone? After all, we came here to catch a dark elf, not a Demon King. A dark elf and a Demon King¡­ there¡¯s a vast difference between those two things.¡± Gondor¡¯s voice was hesitant as if it was hard to put the thoughts running through his head into words. The reason for that was simple. He was scared. He was scared by the thought of fighting a Demon King. ¡°Although, while you all are fighting, I¡¯ll probably just be hiding in this workshop,¡± Gondor confessed reluctantly. ¡°Hmph, or perhaps you need an old-timer like me toe out and take a few swings of my ax?¡± he asked as if in an afterthought. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Carmen assured him. ¡°Since Lady Sienna and Saint Kristina have prepared a shelter for the nonbatants and the wounded, an old man like you should just hide in there safely.¡± ¡°In fact, that just makes it even scarier,¡± Gondor said with augh as he put down his smoking pipe. ¡°After all, doesn¡¯t that mean, in this battle, I won¡¯t even be able to hold my own life squarely in my own hands? If you manage to kill the Demon King, I will survive, and if you fail to kill the Demon King, I¡¯m dead. Honestly, that¡¯s what I¡¯m most afraid of,¡± Gondor confessed. Instead of replying to that, Carmen just calmly met Gondor¡¯s eyes. With a bashful expression on his face, Gondor shook his head and said, ¡°Ahem, of course, it must also be scary for those of you who will have to actually fight the Demon King, but for me¡­ if you ask me if I have any regrets¡­ well¡­. ¡°Now that things havee to this point, it would just be embarrassing for me to regret my choice and say something like, ¡®I shouldn¡¯t havee here.¡¯ Well, I admit that my head is a bit of a mess with all sorts of thoughts flying around. Part of it is just worrying for my own future¡­ and the other part of it is worrying about my fellow dwarfs who were kidnapped by Iris,¡± Gondor muttered in a gloomy voice. If Iris had be a Demon King, what could have happened to the subordinates under hermand? Were the dark elves still dark elves? Were the pirates still pirates? What about the dwarves who had been treated like ves? Would they still be dwarves? Carmen wondered for a moment whether she should say something like, ¡®Nothing will happen¡¯ or ¡®They¡¯ll be fine,¡¯ but in the end, she chose to remain silent. She couldn¡¯t make any confident guesses as to the current state of the kidnapped dwarves. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure that you¡¯re able to return safely, old man,¡± Carmen promised in a quiet voice. What Carmen could take responsibility for with her own two hands was protecting the nobatants and fighting the Demon King. Carmen lowered her gauntlet-d hand and bowed her head deeply towards Gondor. There were a lot of things that she wanted to protect, especially her young disciples, Ciel and Dezra. After all, wasn¡¯t the uing battle far too dangerous for those young people with bright futures ahead of them? If something were to happen to those two during this battle¡­ Carmen¡¯s shoulders shook just from imagining it. * * * ¡°No way,¡± came the expected reply. ¡°You want me to hide in the shelter. Don¡¯t you think that you¡¯re going a bit too far?¡± Ciel was so dumbfounded that she let out an angryugh. ¡°Think about it carefully, Eugene. If you were to rank the thousands of people currently preparing to fight against the Demon King in order of skill, where do you think I would be?¡± Ciel demanded. Instead of replying, Eugene just stared at Ciel. Beside her, Dezra was fidgeting uneasily as she kept ncing between Eugene and Ciel. Ciel answered her own question, ¡°At the very least, I¡¯d be in the top twenty, right?¡± Ciel wasn¡¯t wrong. She currently held the seventh ce in Shimuin¡¯s tournament ranking. That meant Ciel was the seventh strongest of all of Shimuin¡¯s diators. Of course, fighters higher in the ranking than Ciel were also participating in this subjugation expedition. There were also knights who had never registered in the rankings in the first ce. However, even after taking all of that into ount, Ciel was still someone who could be considered an elite warrior. Among the humans, that is. ¡°Our enemy is a Demon King,¡± Eugene, who had been standing there silently, finally spoke. ¡°Being strongpared to everyone else who¡¯s part of the subjugation expedition isn''t all that impressive when ites to fighting against a Demon King.¡± The only ones who could stand in battle against the Demon Kings were those who had gone beyond the boundaries of humanity. ording to Eugene¡¯s judgment, let alone going beyond those boundaries, Ciel had yet to even reach the boundary. In the subjugation expedition, only the elite among the humans, like Carmen, Ortus, and Ivic, who stood at or had crossed the boundaries of humanity, were capable of standing against the Demon King. In other words, most of the expedition forces were not qualified to take part in this fight against the Demon King. ¡°You¡¯re wrong, Eugene,¡± Ciel said, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be fighting the Demon King. I¡¯m going to be fighting the Demon King¡¯s subordinates.¡± Eugene just looked at Ciel silently. ¡°I¡¯m well aware that I¡¯m not qualified to fight against the Demon King. However, I can still fight her subordinates,¡± Ciel insisted firmly. At these words, Eugene had no choice but to grin wryly. It had been like this three hundred years ago as well. During their battles against the Demon Kings, most of the ones who had participated in the battles were too weak to be qualified to fight against the Demon Kings. Their role had been to open up a path for those who were qualified to face the Demon Kings and help preserve thetter¡¯s strength so that they could fight at full power. They were the ones who had fought against all of the demonfolk, demonic beasts, and ck wizards serving the Demon Kings. And after opening up a path, most of them were already dead. It would most likely be the same this time as well. So, to ensure the bare minimum of losses, Eugene had ignored all calls to retreat. He had mocked the suggestion that they should withdraw to make better preparations and return with reinforcements. The more time you gave them, the stronger the Demon King would be, and therger their forces would grow. So, in order to have the least amount of sacrifices, the best choice was to continue advancing forward instead of retreating. ¡°You just don¡¯t want to see me get hurt or killed,¡± Ciel said with a dawning realization. Although she shouldn¡¯t be amused by something like this, Ciel still smiled brightly without even realizing she was doing it. She was aware that such feelings were twisted, but Ciel¡¯s heart still pounded in excitement as she felt Eugene¡¯s concern for her. At the same time, she also felt slightly miserable. If it weren¡¯t for something like this, would she ever be able to catch Eugene¡¯s attention? Ciel reminded him, ¡°Don¡¯t be swayed by your emotions, Eugene Lionheart. You are the Hero.¡± Even while experiencing such twisted feelings, Ciel still expressed herself clearly. She was d to be treated like someone special, but¡­ she couldn¡¯t allow him to continue doing so. ¡°Are you really going to pay attention to each and every person who might die in this battle? Or else¡­. As I thought, it¡¯s because of me you¡¯re paying special attention, right? Although I¡¯m grateful that you care, now isn¡¯t the time for that,¡± Ciel admonished him. ¡°If the enemy was just a mere dark elf,¡± Eugene finally spoke up, ¡°no matter what the situation was, I would be able to protect you. No matter what kind of trick Iris might pull, I could make sure that she wouldn¡¯t touch you.¡± This time, it was Ciel¡¯s turn to remain silent. ¡°However, it¡¯s impossible now that she¡¯s a Demon King,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°Once the battle breaks out, I will have to focus all my attention on Iris. That goes for Lady Sienna and Kristina as well.¡± ¡°Of course, that would be the case,¡± Ciel replied with a snort. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me. I¡¯ll avoid any lopsided or dangerous fights. If the enemy feels too strong or dangerous, I¡¯ll just run away from them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s easier said than done,¡± Eugene grumbled with a sigh. ¡°Do you really think it will be all that difficult? In that case, Eugene, all you need to do is finish the battle as quickly as possible,¡± Ciel said as she got up from her seat. She stared into Eugene¡¯s face for a few moments, taking in his gray hair and deep-set golden eyes. Ciel recalled Eugene¡¯s appearance as he had held up the Holy Sword. How his back had looked as he made his way to Laversia¡¯s figurehead in front of thousands of spectators. His figure as a pir of light had fallen from the sky, and the darkness that blocked their way ahead was cut apart with a single sword sh. At that moment, everyone had recognized him as the Hero. The same applied to Ciel. She would never forget the sight of Eugene engulfed in that brilliant glow. Ciel solemnly requested, ¡°Trust me, Eugene.¡± Like how I trust you. But Ciel wasn¡¯t going to say thosest words. There were already a lot of people counting on Eugene. That was just the kind of entity that a Hero was, now and in the past. Someone that people trusted, someone they had to trust, someone who made people trust in them. Just as Yuras had created the Saint to serve as a figurehead that attracted people¡¯s belief, hope, and faith, a Hero too wasn¡¯t all that different at their core. ¡°Nothing will happen to me,¡± Ciel whispered to Eugene with a sly grin. Then Ciel spun around and immediately left the room. Dezra, who was momentarily left at a loss for what to do, quickly followed after Ciel. ¡°Should I have just told him that I nned to enter the shelter?¡± Ciel asked with a wry smile as she turned back to look at Dezra, who was trailing behind her. ¡°Or perhaps you at least can stay in the shelter, Dezra. It should be safe there.¡± A Saint and the greatest wizard in the entire history of the continent would focus all their strength on erecting a barrier over a single ship. When the battle eventually broke out, that refuge ship would be the safest ce to be. ¡°No way,¡± Dezra replied with a shake of her head. ¡°If Lady Ciel won¡¯t be going there, why should I go? No, even if you were shameful enough to hide in there, Lady Ciel, I still wouldn¡¯t run from this battle.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°Because I am also a Lionheart,¡± Dezra stated firmly. To think that she would actually hear such wordsing from Dezra¡¯s lips. Ciel blinked in surprise before bursting intoughter. ¡°As a mere coteral line, you shouldn¡¯t say something so arrogant,¡± Ciel chided. Dezra shrugged, ¡°In any case, Lady Ciel will also end up as part of the coteral bloodlines in around fifteen years.¡± Dezra had struck an urateeback. If Cyan did marry Princess A and give birth to a child, Ciel and Eugene would be removed from the main line to form new coteral lines. That was how the Lionheart¡¯s main line had always operated. The same went for Gilead¡¯s younger brother, who now lived peacefully in the quiet countryside. As for Gion and Carmen, who were members of the ck Lions, strictly speaking, they had already been removed from the main line and were now counted as part of the coteral bloodlines. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ that might be the case, but you and I are still on a different level,¡± Ciel eventually stammered out a weak response, unable toe up with a good argument to Dezra¡¯s words. A Lionheart, what did it mean to be a Lionheart? Ciel suddenly turned her head to look up at the sky. The sky was shining brightly. Golden waves were alsopping in the sea below. However, outside of this circle of bright light, a deep darkness was lurking all around them. Beyond the golden waves, the sea held a dark crimson color of dried blood. Sienna¡¯s magic, as well as Eugene and Kristina¡¯s divine powers, could only protect a small area epassing the fleet. The sea they were caught in was still part of the devildom. Eugene emerged from his cabin. The moment that he stepped out, everyone¡¯s eyes turned towards Eugene. Quite a few people sped their hands together in prayer as soon as they saw Eugene. Eugene ignored these gazes and walked out onto the deck. The Holy Sword hanging from Eugene¡¯s waist was still shining with light, but Eugene¡¯s sharpened senses were solely focused on peering into the gloom ahead. ¡°It would be better if they all went and got some sleep,¡± Eugene muttered softly as his lips twitched into a frown. [There is no way they could sleep at a time like this,] Tempest¡¯s voice sounded inside Eugene¡¯s head. Not wanting to ce all of the burden on Sienna, Eugene also borrowed Tempest¡¯s strength to propel the fleet forward. Tempest continued, [The people of today¡¯s era don¡¯t know anything about fighting a Demon King. Such ignorance easily turns into fear.] ¡°At the very least, you seem to be in a good mood,¡± Eugene responded to Tempest with an amused snort. At this, Tempestughed and admitted in a low voice, [Don¡¯t you feel like this is a repeat?] ¡°A repeat?¡± [Of the remnants of the Demon Kings you defeated at the ck Lion Castle,] Tempest replied. Back then, a Spirit of Darkness had possessed Eward as part of a plot to revive the remnants of the Demon Kings. [You faced the ghosts of both Carnage and Cruelty, but you still defeated them all by yourself. Even though they had yet to transform into a full Demon King, Hamel, you still managed to erase all traces of Carnage and Cruelty from this world,] Tempest reminded him encouragingly. Eugene didn¡¯t say anything in response. [And now, you¡¯re on your way to defeat the Demon King of Fury,] Tempest sighed. [Three hundred ago, you yed these Demon Kings together with Vermouth¡­ and now that you have been reincarnated, you¡¯re going back through them one by one.] Eugene had been wondering what Tempest was going on about. Now he grinned and nodded, ¡°As you said, this really is a repeat. It¡¯s all because these Demon Kings are hardy bastards who don¡¯t have the decency to die even if you kill them.¡± Eugene climbed up to the ship¡¯s figurehead. He soon spotted Kristina¡¯s back, where she was sitting on top of the center of therge figurehead. Her eight wings were all spread wide open as her left hand was held out in front of her. She was looking down at her stigmata. When Eugene had prayed to the God of Light for strength, Light had poured down from the heavens in response. Then, a stigmata had also appeared in the palm of Kristina¡¯s left hand. It was different from the stigmata that had been carved into Anise¡¯s back. It wasn¡¯t in the shape of a word, and it didn¡¯t bleed whenever she performed a miracle. Did this mean Kristina would now be able to perform miracles on par with Anise? She hadn¡¯t gotten the chance to test that yet. If she wanted to test it, she would have to cut off someone¡¯s limb first, but who would be crazy enough to be willing to get their limb cut off just for a test? ¡°If only Molon was here, he would have cut off his own arm without any hesitation,¡± Eugene said regretfully. Anise teased back, ¡°How about chopping off a finger, Hamel? Even if we can¡¯t stick it back on, you should still be okay with just a single finger missing.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t say something so ridiculous, Anise. Don¡¯t you know how important the fingers are when wielding a de?¡± ¡°Oh my, is that so? I still feel like it would be okay to chop off a certain middle finger that only ever does bad things,¡± Anise giggled as she turned to look at Eugene. Eugene came to a stop by Anise¡¯s side, staring straight ahead. ¡°How is your body?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Anise assured him. ¡°I¡¯m not tired in the slightest. Even so, Kristina is telling me that I should rest for a bit.¡± Eugene nodded, ¡°What about your stigmata?¡± ¡°Whether it¡¯s by how much it has increased our power or what kind of miracles it will allow us to perform¡­ I¡¯m not really sure. After all, a miracle is something that you must wish for with an earnest heart,¡± Anise said as she stood up. ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much, Hamel. If your arm¡­ or your leg goes flying during the battle, I¡¯ll make sure to save you somehow.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t do anything unnecessary,¡± Eugene warned as he turned to Anise. ¡°I¡¯m the one who usually says stuff like that,¡± Anise pointed out with augh as she reached back and pulled the hood of her robe over her head. Booom! The iron ball that formed the head of her il, which had been hidden inside her robe, fell onto the figurehead. ¡°You¡¯re the one who shouldn¡¯t do anything unnecessary,¡± Anise reminded Eugene. The il wasn¡¯t the only thing Anise had hidden within her robe. Anise took out an unopened bottle of liquor and handed it to Eugene with a smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Eugene said with a grin as he flexed a finger. Pop! The cork of the liquor bottle went flying. [They¡¯reing,] Sienna¡¯s voice suddenly rang inside their heads. Eugene and Anise weren¡¯t the only ones to have heard her voice. The entire fleet had heard Sienna¡¯s warning. Eugene slowly drew the Holy Sword. Rooooaaar! As the dark red sea outside the barrier split apart. Chapter 368: The Demon King of Fury (2) Woooo¡ª A huge blue whale leaped up from the carved-open sea. It didn¡¯t look to be alive and well. This gigantic sea beast that had once wandered all over the ocean in search of its prey and had even devoured monsters had now lost all sense of self after being contaminated by a Demon King¡¯s dark power. The thing that was now charging at them was nothing more than a hunk of rotten meat wrapped up in the hide of a blue whale. However, its humongous size was still the same as it had been in life. To those on the Laversia, it looked as if a ship ofparable size to their own gship was leaping at them. The people behind Eugene let out cries of surprise, but his expression was as calm as ever. When it came torge monsters, he had already seen far too many of them. Raizakia, whom he had foughtst time, was evenrger than this whale. And this whale was only as big as a single leg of Kamash, the chieftain of the Giant Tribe whom he had in three hundred years ago. The barrier that had been protecting the fleet disappeared as if it had been switched off. Immediately after this, Eugene kicked off the figurehead and leaped into the sky. Compared to the enormous shadow cast by the whale leaping at them, Eugene looked like a small ck dot. At that moment, light burst forth from the Holy Sword. The whale¡¯s shadowpletely disappeared, and the whole world was illuminated for an instant. Riiiiiip! The whale¡¯s body was torn into dozens of pieces, its contaminated blood spilling all over the sea, but the golden waves didn¡¯t seem tainted in the slightest. Eugene flew past the dismembered whale. Coming to a halt high up in the sky, he gazed at whaty ahead. He saw fog advancing towards them. And inside of that fog¡­. Eugene narrowed his eyes as he peered into the fog¡¯s depth. ¡°Hah!¡± He let out a scornfulugh as his lips twitched in a smile. He had spotted an ugly-looking pirate ship. Its jolly roger bore the image of an upside-down goat¡¯s skull. With one pair of horns that curved outwards and one that thrust straight up, this upside-down, twin-horned mountain goat skull was the sigil that the Demon King of Fury had once used three hundred years ago. There was only one crazy bitch who would so proudly hang up a g like that. Iris, the new Demon King of Fury. The moment that Eugene spotted the pirate ship, Iris had also caught sight of Eugene. A pair of huge red eyes opened up in the midst of that ck fog. The pupils of these red eyes were dyed a murky ck. These were the Demoneyes of Darkness. This ability, along with Iris herself, had evolved with the power of the Demon King. The moment those eyes shone with light, the sea around the pirate ship turned ck. The power of those Demoneyes was being spread across the whole surface of the sea. Craaaaaash! Ten ships burst out from the darkness,nding with a loud ssh. Eugene let out another scornfulugh at this sight. He would call them ships only because there was no better word for them, but the things that had appeared out of the darkness weren¡¯t actual ships. First of all, they wererge, far toorge. Several timesrger than thergest of all ships, they were as big as a regr castle. If one wanted to exaggerate a little, they were as big as a mountain. Each of them appeared to have been created by smashing dozens of ships into pieces with dark power before mixing those pieces together with living flesh. Those dozens of ships had been formed into the bones of these new creations, and then the flesh of sea animals and humans had been draped onto the wooden skeletons. With even more dark power infused into these monstrosities, they had been revived as bizarre demonic beasts that could no longer be called ships. On top of each of these ten gigantic demonic beasts, there was also a new breed of monsters that, in a simr fashion to these ¡°ships,¡± could no longer be called humans. Their appearance¡­ looked as if a child had tried to make humans out of y as part of a joke. They were only alive and moving because dark power was acting as a recement for their lifeforce; if not for that, their forms were so misshapen that it seemed impossible for them to stay alive and well. This was the fate of the thousands of pirates who had been under Iris¡¯mand. ¡°It seems that I¡¯m not that good a sculptor,¡± Iris admitted with a smirk as she idly crossed her legs in her seat on one of the ships. With her Demoneyes floating in the sky, Iris was able to observe the entirety of her puny enemies. Facing her was a fleet of a hundred ships. Among all these ships, the only one that caught Iris¡¯ attention was the leading gship, the Laversia. Iris encouraged herself, ¡°But even if you¡¯re not too good at something, that just means you should practice more. Isn¡¯t that right? After all, I¡¯ll have plenty of materials to practice with starting from today.¡± With a giggle, Iris raised both hands into the air. Roooooar! The sea, which had been dyed a pitch ck, surged upwards along with the movement of Iris¡¯ hands. It appeared as if an entire patch of sea had been transformed into arger copy of Iris¡¯ hands. ¡°I¡¯m still not quite used to this weapon,¡± Anise muttered to herself. Bam! A falling chunk of flesh from the dead whale was struck by Anise¡¯s il and sent flying. Floating back down onto the figurehead, Eugene nced at Ansie and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t throw that at you on purpose.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve always been sloppy when ites to the finer details,¡± Anise said with augh as she rested the heavy iron ball, the head of her il, onto the figurehead. ¡°No matter what, I think I still prefer the mace.¡± [In that case, shall Ie out, Sister?] Kristina offered. ¡°Alright,¡± Anise agreed with a wry smile, showing no sign of refusal. The Saint for this battle, no, for this era, should and would be Kristina Rogeris. Anise had no intention of stealing or usurping Kristina¡¯s role. That said, it didn¡¯t mean Anise would stay out of the fight altogether. Their consciousnesses swapped ces. While sensing Anise¡¯s concern and affection for her, Kristina tightened her grip on her il. There was already a thick smell of blood in the air¡­ and she could now see a fleet that appeared to be made of rotten meat sailing towards them. Compared to the Demon King¡¯s Army ahead of them, their own forces seemed small and weak. Although their fleet wasrger in number, the individual sizes of their ships were much smaller. But Kristina couldn¡¯t afford to pay any attention to this. Instead, Kristina kept her eyes on Eugene¡¯s back as he again flew up into the sky. Kristina¡¯s gaze wasn¡¯t the only one glued to Eugene¡¯s back. The d Mercenary Company¡¯s ship, the Formeri, was sticking closely to Laversia¡¯s rear. Dozens of priests and pdins were also gazing up at Eugene¡¯s back from Formeri. After taking a deep breath, Kristina dered, ¡°A lot of people are going to die.¡± Her quiet voice managed to reach not only the clergy aboard the Formeri but also the rest of the fleet. ¡°But instead of looking back, we need to focus on what lies ahead,¡± Kristina reminded her listeners. If their opponent wasn¡¯t a Demon King and this battlefield wasn¡¯t one with a Demon King present, the priests could have allowed their focus to widen slightly. However, this was indeed a battle against a Demon King. As such, the priests¡¯ focus had to be infinitely narrower. On this battlefield, the only two things that the Saint and the priests needed to pay attention to were the Hero and the Demon King. They couldn¡¯t afford to look back at the rest of the fleet. The Laversia would continue to sail forward, and the Formeri, acting as the support, would also sail alongside the Laversia. But apart from those two, the dozens of other ships in their fleet would be staying behind to fight against the mountain-sized demonic beasts and the now-inhuman pirates. Kristina took another breath and continued, ¡°As such¡­ Sir Eugene, you should also keep looking ahead.¡± The barrier of divine power had been removed. In this dire battle, continuing to protect the entire fleet would be too much of a waste of her divine power. Even so, Kristina still left a minimalyer of protection for them. The swirling sea of light gradually diminished until the only remaining golden waves were pooled within the small areas where the fleet¡¯s ships were floating. ¡°Please open up the way ahead for everyone,¡± Kristina prayed. This whole scene ¡ª if you could look down on it from somewhere high above ¡ª would look as if there were dozens of sparkling dots of light floating atop the pitch-ck sea. The waves of light would allow their fleet¡¯s ships to move quickly, fluidly, and agilely. The magic engine attached to each of their ships gave them ess to more maneuverability than manpower alone could offer, and the winds created by Tempest and Sienna would add even more eleration. ¡°It is an honor,¡± Maise said as he gazed at Sienna¡¯s back. In this battle, control of the fleet¡¯s magical defenses would be handled by Maise. ¡°Someone like me, a newbie who has just managed to reach the Eighth Circle¡­,¡± Maise paused, almost overwhelmed. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I am actually standing on the same battlefield as Lady Sienna.¡± Maise¡¯s Signature spell was called Battleship. It was a spell that allowed him to arm a ship with various enhancements. Usually, Maise¡¯s Signature was used inbination with the Laversia, a partnership where the Royal Family''s strongest servant enhanced the Shimuin Kingdom¡¯s strongest warship. It was because the union of the two was seen to be powerful that Maise, as the Commander of the Court Wizards, had been personally assigned to the subjugation expedition. During the journey, Sienna had adjusted Maise¡¯s Signature spell. As a result, it was no longer restricted to just the Laversia. Instead, the entire fleet could now be covered by Maise¡¯s spell. But as a result, the consumption of mana had also increased exponentially. Fortunately, the spell was still viable after attaching all the battle wizards in the d Mercenary Company to supply Maise with mana. It would have been difficult for Maise tost even an hour on his own. ¡°Make sure not to get carried away and advance too far forward,¡± Sienna warned Maise without turning her head. Crackle Cracracrackle! An ovepping mass of Circles churned within her fully expanded Eternal Hole. The violently swirling mana poured out from her chest and into Frost, which she was holding with both hands. Yet Sienna still had some attention to spare, ¡°If you get too close, you might get swept away by my magic.¡± Everything that could be done for the forces assigned to cover their rear had been done. Sienna had strengthened the refuge ship¡¯s barrier, adjusted Maise¡¯s Signature, and even prepared a technique that would allow the other wizards tobine their strengths. ¡°Also, if you go any further ahead¡­,¡± Sienna muttered with narrowed eyes. There was a staticky sensation in the air. It felt as if her magical senses were strangely off-tilt. This was¡­ something familiar. Most magic didn¡¯t solely rely on the wizard¡¯s own mana reserves. A wizard¡¯s mana and their Circles were only the first step in casting a spell. During the following steps, the spell could only be fully manifested in conjunction with the natural mana in the air. But something ahead of them was strange. Even in a devildom, mana still existed. No matter how strong a Demon King¡¯s dark power might be, there was nowhere in this world where mana simply did not exist. The only exceptions to this rule were ces ¡°not of this world.¡± Like the ce Molon frequently visited, the other side of the Lehainjar. The dimensional gap where Raizakia had been sealed had also been one such ce. Finally, there was also¡­ the precipice of Babel, where they had fought the Demon King of Incarceration. Wherever the Demon King had spread his chains, which were part of Incarceration¡¯s unique ability, magic didn¡¯t work properly. All of the mana in the air had been tied up by those chains, and any magic circles that Sienna had constructed disappeared the moment that they touched one of those chains, with all of their mana getting absorbed. Sienna had created the Eternal Hole in the first ce to fight against the Demon King of Incarceration. If she wasn¡¯t able to use the mana in the air, then, as a wizard, she would just have to train her own internal reserves. She had also learned how to manifest her magic solely through her own will, without having to draw on the outside world. ¡°...apart from me, no one else will be able to use magic,¡± Sienna revealed. It was thanks to her past that Sienna could be sure of this assertion. The sense of ¡®suppression¡¯ wasn¡¯t as powerful when she had fought against the Demon King of Incarceration. However, Sienna could feel a simrity between the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s suppression and whaty ahead. Could the Demon King of Incarceration be involving himself in this battle? No, it was a long-established fact that magic could not be used in the Solgalta Sea. If the reason why magic couldn¡¯t be used here had something to do with the Demon King of Incarceration, that meant the Demon King of Incarceration must have had ties to this sea in the distant past. Sienna¡¯s lips twitched and rose into a smirk. How great was this? Not only would she be able to kill Iris, her hated enemy, but she would also be able to test the power of her Eternal Hole against Incercaration¡¯s unique ability. Groooooan! In the distance, Iris murmured, ¡°Have they arrived?¡± Meanwhile, exceptionally strong tides of mana whirled around Sienna like a typhoon. Maise couldn¡¯t help but bow his head in awe as he watched Sienna slowly advance forward. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± Iris said with a giggle as she got to her feet. The fleet of demonic beasts began to advance. Only two ships on the other side sailed out to meet them. The two ships were so smallpared to the fleet Iris had created that it looked like the two ships would be crushed as soon as the two fleets collided. But no, instead, it would be her side that would be crushed. Iris smiled as she had this thought. People like ¡®them¡¯ could not be stopped by the size of her fleet or her monsters. On this battlefield, the only one who could block them and drive them to despair was the Demon King herself. The Demon King of Fury stepped out onto the deck. The one hundred and three dark elves bent their knees as they bowed to the Demon King. They had all been granted new strength due to Iris¡¯ dark power. They all revered Iris, their Princess who had ascended to be the new Demon King of Fury. Sephia slowly walked up to drape a jacket over Iris¡¯ shoulders. Carmen looked up at Eugene¡¯s back as he stood in the sky. She recalled the words that he had whispered earlier. I¡¯m going to go and kill that Demon King. In this day and age, who would dare to say something like that with any sincerity? ¡°If we are victorious here today¡­,¡± Carmen began. -nk. The pocket watch Carmen was holding in her right hand transformed into a gauntlet. She was wearing Heaven Genocide on her right hand, and the Gauntlet of the Demon-Dragon was on her left hand. While clenching both fists tightly, Carmen muttered, ¡°...the way people talk about the Lionhearts will change. It will no longer be Vermouth¡¯s Lionhearts, but instead Eugene¡¯s Lionhearts.¡± Eugene smiled wryly as he heard Carmen¡¯s words. Sienna, who came flying up from their rear, arrived by Laversia¡¯s mast. Whooooosh! The gust of wind that arrived alongside Sienna pushed the Laversia forward even faster. The Laversia elerated as she dove in between the fleet of demonic beasts. But these ships of rotten flesh didn¡¯t move to block Laversia, which had been wrapped in ayer of light. This was because they were following Iris¡¯mands. The fleet of demonic beasts was advancing in search of other prey. So, for now, the Laversia was able to sail forward without any fear. But those who dared to shine so brightly in this devildom, the territory of a Demon King, were the prey that Iris needed to deal with personally. No, not prey, but living sacrifices to be offered as a celebration for the seconding of Fury. Her father had been merciful. He had also loved his family. So, Iris wanted to emte her father¡¯s kindness. That was why Iris smiled and told her dark elves, ¡°You may have the rest.¡± They were the family who had stayed with her for the past three hundred years. These one hundred and three dark elves deserved to share in Iris¡¯ future glory, so Iris would allow them to partake in the sweet, fatty game that would be hunted in the uing festivities. Of the humans approaching them in those two ships, there were only a few standout characters. On the gship was one Carmen Lionheart, whom Iris had briefly encountered in Kiehl. And on the following ship was the Second-ranked Mercenary King, Ivic d. ¡®Could Ortus be staying with the reserves?¡¯ Iris wondered. ¡®How stupid, what¡¯s the point of dividing their forces like that?¡¯ They were all going to die anyway, so they should at least make the most of their futile attempt. Iris giggled as she stalked forward. She casually began floating up into the sky. As Iris flew into the air, she looked down at all thaty below. With a sh, there was a sudden burst of light. Iris¡¯ lips twitched slightly. Even as the light pierced through the darkness surrounding her, Iris saw no need to try and avoid it. Because the darkness that appeared wherever her gaze was directed could easily swallow up the light. ¡°Even though you¡¯ve be a Demon King, your actual talent seems to be the same as ever?¡± Eugenemented mockingly. Before Iris had even noticed it, he had appeared in the skies opposite her. ¡°You don¡¯t seem any different from when I saw you in Kiehl,¡± Eugene observed dismissively. This was a lie. Eugene could sense it from the moment they hade face to face. A dark power so oppressive it felt like he was about to lose consciousness. Even the intimidation that he had felt when facing Raizakia couldn¡¯tpare to this. It reminded him of three hundred years ago, back when he had faced the original Demon Kings. Fwooosh! Behind Eugene¡¯s back, the wings of Prominence unfurled. This was a harsh environment for magic usage. However, it was still much better than the other side of the Lehainjar or the dimensional rift. And the Ring me Form that was based on the Eternal Hole had allowed him to cast Prominence even in those ces. Eugene had also reached the Seventh Star of the White me Form. Now, even as a joke, Eugene¡¯s mes could no longer be described as white. They had transformed into a purple shade that was close to ck. Observing Eugene in his current state, Iris giggled, ¡°You don¡¯t look much like the Hero, child.¡± Iris was saying this sincerely. With that appearance, along with that mana and killing intent, every aspect of Eugene was different from Vermouth. Vermouth ¡ª that inhuman bastard ¡ª even though she didn¡¯t want to admit it had an appearance that was worthy of his title as the Hero. However, even without fighting Eugene, Iris could tell there was a difference between Vermouth and the one currently standing in front of her. Iris was already certain of this, even with what little she could currently sense from him. Even though they were already glowing, a light seemed to sh in Iris¡¯ eyes as she recalled one of her many enemies from three hundred years ago. Opposite her, Agaroth¡¯s Ring was vibrating as Destruction was drawn from within the folds of Eugene¡¯s cloak. Chapter 369: The Demon King of Fury (3) That silvery light, Iris knew exactly what the source of that light was. ¡°The Moonlight Sword,¡± Iris whispered, shocked. The sword whose name had been erased from history. The Moonlight Sword was a nightmare that made the demonfolk who had barely managed to survive that era of war afraid to even recall it, so its name had be a taboo that no one dared to mention. For Iris, in particr, the Moonlight Sword had felt like an even more terrifying nightmare. This was because every time its silvery light shed, a person she had held dear to her had disappeared. Kamash, Sein, and even¡­ her father. The moment that she registered this sorrowful light, Iris¡¯ emotions chilled to a frightening extent. A sword sh that was executed within a split second shot out a ray of moonlight that managed to reach all the way to the skin of Iris¡¯ throat, but as a Demon King, such a short span of time seemed to stretch as long as eternity, allowing Iris to leisurely take her time in deciding what to do about it. Without any fear, Iris stretched her hand forward. A Demon King was able to turn the world around them into their devildom just by existing. It didn¡¯t matter how strong Iris had been before she became a Demon King. The moment she was reborn as a Demon King, her existence was bestowed with the power and status that a Demon King deserved. The ray of moonlight was blocked. Darkness coiled around the moonlight and tore it into pieces. Cracracrack! Eugene¡¯s sh didn¡¯t manage to inflict even a single scratch on Iris. This wasn¡¯t a surprise. Even at its best, the Moonlight Sword wouldn¡¯t have had an absolute advantage against a Demon King¡¯s dark power. The same went for the Holy Sword. So it was only natural for the current Moonlight Sword, which wasn¡¯t even in aplete state, to be blocked by the Demon King. Eugene¡¯s attack had been blocked. He hadn¡¯t managed to inflict a single scratch. He had failed to gain the upper hand. But it wasn¡¯t totally pointless. At the moment of contact with the ray of moonlight, a piece of Iris¡¯ dark power had dissipated. Any battle against a Demon King would be a hellishly difficult one. Even if they were sliced, ripped, or smashed into pieces, a Demon King would still manage to survive. In order to kill them, one needed to be patient, persistent, and keep up their attacks without making a single mistake. The Demon King¡¯s almost infinite amount of dark power needed to be slowly whittled away. They needed to be killed over and over again by slicing and smashing apart their head, limbs, and heart until they could no longer revive. ¡®At least that¡¯s how we did it in the past,¡¯ Eugene recalled. It would be insane for him to use Ignition when his fight against the Demon King had just started. Although Ignition granted him an explosive burst of power, there were clear limits to its sustainability. The longest he would be able to extend it was a mere ten minutes. His body wouldn¡¯t be able to hold on any longer. For a battle with a Demon King, who could revive herself even after dying, it would be impossible to finish the fight within ten minutes. The moment to use Ignition woulde when Eugene was sure he could y the Demon King ¡ª when Iris¡¯ dark power had been consumed as much as possible, and she had reached the limits of her ability to revive herself. So Eugene had specifically created Prominence to use during his fights against the Demon Kings. He had created the spell because of the absence of those he had once fought with ¡ª Vermouth and Molon. Because he wouldn¡¯t be able to use Ignition right from the start, he had thought of recing it with a Signature to further maximize his firepower. Eugene¡¯s Seven Stars resonated with his use of Prominence. The dark purple mes burned fiercely. The fluttering embers transformed into feathers that scattered in every direction. The information conveyed by Prominence¡¯s feathers gave Eugene a sixth sense of his surroundings. This was his first time using Prominence with a Seven-Star White me Form. The mana output was iparable to when he had only had Six Stars. Eugene was currently much stronger than he had ever imagined himself to be. He had gone far beyond his level in his previous life. If his opponent was still Iris, the Rakshasa Princess of the past, the oue of the battle would have already been decided. Unfortunately, Eugene¡¯s current opponent wasn¡¯t the Rakshasa Princess but instead the newly ascended Demon King of Fury. Iris, the Demon King, stretched out her hand. The movement was by no means fast. It was at a very ordinary pace. But even though that was all there was to her movement, it didn¡¯t seem that way to Eugene. Because as a Demon King, Iris was able to manipte and control her opponent¡¯s senses with even the slightest of movements. For Eugene, the whole world seemed to have been transformed into the Demon King¡¯s domain and was attacking him. Boooom! As mana met with dark power, mes and darkness collided. Eugene barely managed to retain hold of his consciousness. The shockwaves had sent his body flying. However, before Eugene could halt himself, a soft andforting light wrapped around his back. It was a miracle. On the figurehead of the Laversia, Kristina was stretching her left hand forward. Behind Kristina, dozens of priests were kneeling together in prayer. At the same time, the pdins contributed their own divine power to the priests¡¯ prayers even as they defended against the attacks of the dark elves. So, the minor internal injuries caused by the sh werepletely healed before Eugene had even felt any pain from them. The miracle didn¡¯t stop there. Vitality spread throughout his body, all his physical abilities were improvised, his head became clearer, and his senses were sharpened. ¡®I¡¯ve missed this,¡¯ Eugene thought as his lips unconsciously arced up into a smile. The reason Hamel had been able to fight so fiercely three hundred years ago was all thanks to Anise¡¯s miracles and blessings. A sh of light pierced through the darkness. The Demon King¡¯s eyes snapped towards that oing sh of light. Waves of pitch-ck darkness rose to try and sweep it away. However, even under the impact of dark power, the approaching object couldn¡¯t be erased. Soon, Sienna was standing next to Eugene. A storm of mana so thick that it could be seen with the naked eye was raging around her. The Demon King giggled and said with a smile, ¡°How nice to see you again.¡± Boooom! The pitch-ck dark power once again formed into waves. These waves of dark power crashed down on Eugene and Sienna from all directions. Even at this moment, Eugene and Sienna didn¡¯t have any concerns for each other¡¯s well-being. They both trusted Anise to provide them support from the rear. Eugene believed that Sienna would be able to handle this, and Sienna also believed the same of Eugene. Inside Eugene¡¯s cloak, Raimira closed her eyes and resonated with Eugene. Even if she was a hatchling, a dragon was still a dragon. Her uniquely strong and dense mana amplified Eugene¡¯s mes. At the same time, an intuitive disy appeared in front of Eugene¡¯s eyes. Mer was transmitting the information obtained from Prominence onto this screen. Eugene followed the path that the disy revealed to him. Hopping from space to space, Eugene kept dodging. Sienna also made repeated use of Blink as she readied her own spell. Wild artillery fire from the ships suddenly cut through the darkness. Meanwhile, the light of the Holy Sword red and dimmed multiple times as Eugene¡¯s manabined with the sword¡¯s divine power. A spatial distortion flowed along the Holy Sword¡¯s edge as Four Layers of the Empty Sword were created using Eugene¡¯s Seven-Star White me Form. The ray of light that sprang from Eugene¡¯s Empty Sword definitely didn¡¯t seem like something that could havee from the Holy Sword. It was a ck light so deep that it looked like it had cut through the world and seemed like it would suck out your soul. With only a single swing of his sword, Eugene managed to erase even more of the Demon King¡¯s dark power. Iris¡¯ eyes shone as the ability of her Demoneye was demonstrated once more. A well of abyssal darkness bloomed in front of the Demon King. Only for it to be split apart. Before Eugene¡¯s sh had even touched it, the moment that Iris had demonstrated her ability, Sienna had also revealed the spell she had been preparing. Iris was one of Sienna¡¯s most hated enemies from three hundred years ago until now. Right from the start of her days spent researching magic in Aroth, Sienna had been preparing to y her enemies. So Sienna had also prepared a counter to the Demoneye of Darkness. The darkness created by Iris¡¯ ability wasn¡¯t really darkness. It wasn¡¯t really mana or dark power, either. That sticky dark matter could be connected to other patches of itself and be used as a portal, or it could be used as a simple mass of force. While it was impossible to identify the true nature of this dark matter from external observations, the truth could be seen by having direct contact with it. Or at least, that had been the case three hundred years ago. The current Sienna could see right through the Demoneye without even touching it and was able to create a new magical substance within the mass of dark matter that nullified it. Cracracrackle! The Empty Sword dove through the opening. The firepower of the Empty Sword could destroy any and all dark power that tried to block it. Finally, the de arrived at the Demon King¡¯s body. It didn¡¯t just slice through her, but the sh literally erased the Demon King¡¯s body the very moment that itnded. Not a single piece of Iris was left behind. The moment he had sent a sh with the Empty Sword, Eugene had also swung the Moonlight Sword he was holding in his other hand. As the Demon King disappeared¡­. Booooom! ¡­a huge explosion was heard almost simultaneously with her disappearance. Sienna was close to the explosion and was caught in it before falling into the sea. Although she was protected by a magical barrier, the shockwave still caused a little blood to flow out from the gap between Sienna¡¯s lips. ¡°Ahahahaha!¡± The sound ofughter spread across the ckened skies. Cracracrackoom! Dark power rained down from the sky like lightning. Eugene swung both the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, slicing apart the dark power crashing down on him. This had created an opening in Eugene¡¯s defenses, and a hand suddenly shot towards him, seizing the opportunity. The approaching hand didn¡¯t manage to touch Eugene directly, but the dark power that surged forward along with the hand sent Eugene flying. Mhmhm, mhmhmhm! In the darkness, there was a sound of angels chanting hymns. But the sound was so faint that one wouldn¡¯t be able to hear it if one didn¡¯t concentrate on doing so. The Demon King¡¯s dark power had suppressed the power of Krisitna¡¯s miracle. The Demon King, who had just appeared to have been erased, reappeared without a single wound on her. Sheughed maniacally as she threw her hands up into the air. ¡°How weak!¡± the Demon King cried out as her hands seemed to grab onto the sky. Her clutching fingers took hold of the very fabric of the sky and twisted. Cracracrack! Following the movements of the Demon King¡¯s hands, the sky itself was also twisted. Eugene was sent flying by the massive shockwave created by Iris¡¯ actions. ¡°How weak! You really are too weak!¡± the Demon King shouted loudly, exalting in her own sense of omnipotence. Right now, she felt like she could really do anything. Even the endless skies could be held within her grasp. Even the wide open seas below her would split apart as long as she, the Demon King, ordered, ¡®Split open.¡¯ Even those who were trying to resist her seemed insignificant. The Saint? The Hero? The Archwizard? That was all that there was to them. In front of her strength, even with all of that, weren¡¯t they still no better than insects? The Demon King cackled as she swung her hands once more. The seas that were still dyed a blood-red surged ording to the Demon King¡¯s will. The sea rose up and came crashing down on Sienna. The waters of the sea carried the scent of blood and bore the colors of bloody death, and all of this caused Sienna to feel disgusted. Sienna had hated the sea since long ago. For Sienna, who had grown up in the forest, the sea had always been a strange and unfamiliar thing. However, she still thought the sight of the sea sparkling beneath the sunlight was quite beautiful. But the seas of the Devildom did not sparkle in the sunlight. There was always a nauseating stench wafting from them, and they were as dark as the color of rotten blood. And whenever Sienna saw such crimson waters or smelled such a scent, scenes she would never be able to erase from her memories came to mind. Scenes of the forest burning, elves dying after being tortured, elves being burned alive, and Hamel, who had died and disappeared as he turned to dust. ¡°She¡¯s everything that I hate,¡± Sienna muttered as she floated in the sea on her back. Fwooosh! Divine power flew over and pushed back the dark power surrounding Sienna. In the few moments created by Kristina¡¯s assistance, Sienna sessfully managed to cast a spell. Tiny lights began to appear surrounding her. In this devildom where the sun would not shine, hundreds and thousands of lights started sparkling in the lightless sea of blood. These countless lights rotated around Sienna before forming hundreds ofyers of spinning circles behind her back. This sight looked like Sienna was lying down on a circle of stars. The churning of the sea came to a halt. The waves subsided. The entire sea fell still and silent. This was the devildom ruled by a Demon King, but even something like a Demon King wouldn¡¯t be able to invade the space surrounding Sienna. ¡°Isn''t that right¡­?¡± Sienna said as she red up at the Demon King, who was floating in the sky. Thanks to her dark power being so dense and dark, the Demon King was the only thing that could be seen in the skies above. Sienna tilted her head to the side and muttered, ¡°...Eugene.¡± Light began to spread over the sea as if dawn was heralding the end of the night. Flying over from the distant location he had been thrown to, Eugene was bringing the Light along with him. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene said as his blood-stained lips twitched into a grin. Ahaha, Ahahaha! The Demon King¡¯s shoulders shook withughter. Still lying on her back, Sienna aimed her staff up at Iris. Eugene¡¯s Holy Sword was once againyered with Empty Sword, and the Moonlight Sword was also giving off its ominous light. ¡°Oh lord,¡± Kristina murmured as she clutched her rosary in her stigmata-engraved hand. Sienna¡¯s stars raced upwards. The Demon King turned, and the world was twisted along with the movement of her clutching fingers. The trajectory of the racing stars was sent awry, but Sienna immediately corrected their course. Wherever the stars went, they left a dazzling afterglow behind. Eugene attacked Iris from the other side. The Demon King¡¯s eyes were watching Eugene, and dark matter rose to block his way forward. It was impossible for Eugene to counter that ability with his magic like Sienna had. However, he had the Moonlight Sword. Its light of destruction destroyed the dark matter. No matter how many times Iris¡¯ Demoneyes¡¯ ability was shown, the Moonlight Sword still seemed to be able to erase it as easily as ever. But was it really done so easily? There was no way that it could be that easy. Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina could all sense it. Their battles against the Demon Kings three hundred years ago had never been easy. It had taken them several days just to defeat the weakest Demon King of Carnage, and the battle after that, with the Demon King of Cruelty, had brought them to the brink of death before they barely managed to win. As for the Demon King of Fury, that guy had been a special case even among the Demon Kings. Unlike the other Demon Kings, he had been obsessed with ying house with his adopted family. He had ended up giving his subordinates an excessive amount of his own power. Due to him lending out so much of his personal strength, the Demon King of Fury himself hadn¡¯t been as much of a threat as Carnage and Cruelty, who held lower ranks than he did. But what about the current Demon King of Fury? She had bestowed her strength to a hundred and three dark elves. Just a hundred and three individuals. Compared to Fury¡¯s Army of three hundred years ago, this number was so small that it could only be described with the word paltry. ¡®I¡¯m sure of it,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. This new Demon King was just as strong as Carnage and Cruelty. By the time her name spread across the continent, she would have be even stronger. ¡®We need to kill her here, in this sea,¡¯ Eugene decided gravely. But was it really possible? Time had stopped, or at least it felt that way. The dark power spread all across the sea was gathering back in a single location. Although this young Demon King was impressed with her own omnipotence, it seemed that she wasn¡¯t arrogant. This Demon King also had her own reasons for wanting to win. In Iris¡¯ opinion, a uselesslyrge territory was unnecessary. What this Demon King currently needed was a territory that she could rule in safety. Although it might not berge, it would be a territory over which she had absolute control. ¡°That¡¯s right¡­,¡± the Demon King muttered as she nodded to herself. ¡°I just need to expand step by step.¡± Even if it was just for her father¡¯s sake. Iris stretched out her hand. And her dark power moved. That was all that she did. Although there were only two steps to her attack, its power was terrifying. The Empty Sword and the Moonlight Sword both shed out simultaneously. Eugene¡¯s intent was to offset the surge of dark powering right at him. However, it wasn¡¯t enough. The recoil of the blow broke both of his arms. His internal organs were shattered. But the moment this happened, his body returned to full health. It was as if time had been turned back for him. Time hadn¡¯t actually gone back. It was just that as soon as Eugene had been injured, Kristina¡¯s blessing had healed him. His arms, which had just recovered from being broken, thrust forward with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword once more. [As barbaric as ever,] Anise muttered. Eugene sliced. Then he sliced again. He kept on slicing and slicing. That was how things went for the next few seconds. Eugene did get injured a few times, but fatal injuries were narrowly avoided. So the wounds were healed before he had even taken another breath. The Holy Sword suddenly seized up. A lump of dark power was weighing down the de. Unable to forcefully swing the sword, Eugene let go of it for a few moments, and a different weapon was pulled out of an opening in his fluttering cloak. It was the Demon Spear Luentos. The weapon once used by the Demon King of Cruelty. The spear, which had been perfectly synchronized with Eugene, was sent piercing through space before Eugene had even needed to take up a javelin-throwing stance. The special ability of the Demon Spear, the Spear Forest, was unleashed right in front of the Demon King¡¯s eyes. Hundreds of spears that were engulfed in mes wereunched at the Demon King. But none of themnded. Iris created a speck of darkness as tiny as a fingernail with the power of her Demoneye. These small pieces of dark matter were able to twist each of the spear¡¯s trajectories so that they all missed. Iris sneered, ¡°You said my talent was still the same even though I¡¯ve be a Demon King, didn¡¯t you?¡± The Demon King¡¯s red eyes red at Eugene. ¡°These are the strongest.¡± ng! ¡°These are the most valuable.¡± ng! ¡°These are the best.¡± ng! ¡°But can someone like you even understand that?¡± Iris finished with a smile as she traced a hand under her eyes. Her pupils had slowly lowered with each blow that came crashing down on Eugene. The Demon King smiled as the Hero fell into the crimson sea. Still smiling down at the Hero who had fallen into the sea, the Demon King stretched her hand out to the Demon Spear that hade to a halt right in front of her. This was one of the Demon King¡¯s Weapons that Vermouth had imed. Perhaps because too much time had passed, not even the slightest bit of a Demon King¡¯s might had been left within this weapon. ¡°It¡¯s amazing,¡± the Demon King said with a possessive lick of her lips as she grabbed hold of the Demon Spear. But the moment she did so, the spear was covered with bulging veins, and it began to writhe. The Demon Spear and the blood and will of Eugene Lionheart that had been infused within it refused to surrender to the Demon King. Instead, as if it had been waiting for this opportunity, it bared its teeth and attempted to tear the Demon King¡¯s body into pieces. This time, it was Eugene¡¯s turn to sneer. ¡°Idiot,¡± he chuckled. With a blood-soakedugh, he raised his middle finger towards the Demon King. Chapter 370: The Demon King of Fury (4) [Sir Eugene, are you alright?] Kristina¡¯s voice, riddled with concern, was heard inside Eugene¡¯s head. By now, Eugene was getting used to being worried about in this way. Right now, it wasn¡¯t just Kristina doing so, but Mer and Raimira inside his cloak were also crying out in concern as they clung to Eugene¡¯s sides, calling out ¡®Sir Eugene¡¯ and ¡®Benefactor¡¯ respectively. It was true that his current state warranted such concern. Eugene had been struck down by the power of Iris¡¯ Demoneye repeatedly. Although he had only been hit by the explosions caused when dark matter was condensed to its limits, the attacks were both simple and effective, as the shockwaves practically ignored Eugene¡¯s defenses. But he hadn¡¯t died. Even though the attacks were so deadly that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he were dead, Eugene was still alive. Even though all of the defenses protecting his body¡¯s exterior had been shattered, those weren¡¯t the only defenses Eugene had. The strong mana from the Seven Stars of the White me Form had protected Eugene¡¯s body from the inside. The same went for the Lightning mes that were dissolved into his blood. Right now, no, for a while now, Eugene had be something that could no longer be considered totally human. He had be an existence that wouldn¡¯t be so easy to kill even if he wanted to die. ¡®She¡¯s definitely a Demon King,¡¯ Eugene thought as he experienced Iris¡¯ new powers. Although his wounds were already healed, he still had the bitter taste of blood in his mouth. Eugene turned his head to the side and spit out the blood. [Hamel,] Kristina¡¯s voice had been reced by Anise¡¯s. [Can you keep going?] Anise asked him a different question from the one that Kristina had asked. That was because she knew that asking questions like ¡®Are you alright?¡¯ was of little use on such a battlefield. ¡°If it¡¯s just for the rest of today,¡± Eugene responded as he began standing back up. Anise knew that, whether it was Eugene or Hamel, he would always answer that question in the same way. This battle hade as a surprise. None of the people here had been prepared to fight against a Demon King. Even so, they still had to fight. Because they had to win this fight. They absolutely had to kill the Demon King here, in this sea. Eugene looked around, ¡°What about Sienna?¡± ¡°You can just ask me that yourself,¡± Sienna¡¯s grumbling voice was heard from the distance. When the Demon King had gathered up her dark power, the one who had suffered the most wasn¡¯t Eugene, who was being attacked directly, but Sienna. Dark Power had a strength that was on apletely different scale to that of mana. So when the dark power came under the Demon King¡¯splete control and flooded the area, Sienna, who had been making the mana in this area race around like stars, received the most damage when all of that mana was shunted aside. ¡°There¡¯s no problem,¡± Sienna¡¯s voice was hearding from inside a writhing mass of dark matter. Although Eugene couldn¡¯t make out her appearance, her voice was still fresh. Crackle, cracracrackle! The lump of darkness cracked open as multi-colored rays of light burst out of it. Sienna, who walked out with the burst of light, red at the sky and spat out, ¡°That damned bitch.¡± The power of the Demon Spear had exploded directly into Iris¡¯ body. However, the Demon King wouldn¡¯t die from just that. Even now, the Demon King stood in the sky, looking perfectly fine and ring down at them. Eugene waved his cloak at the falling Demon Spear. Swish. Obeying hismand, the Demon Spear flew over and entered inside his cloak. At this sight, the Demon King couldn¡¯t help but let out augh, ¡°You¡¯re radiating such unbing mana for a Hero, and you¡¯re even able to perfectly control the weapon of a Demon King. Are you really sure you¡¯re the Hero?¡± There was no need to give an answer to such a question. Eugene just raised the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword once more. In response, the Demon King narrowed her eyes. The sea was suddenly shaken by a massive explosion. The ck sea was split apart as waves spread from the impact. The spray of water droplets was immediately swept away by mes and the burst of mana. Eugene leaped through space to reach the Demon King. His attack emerged at point-nk range. Although he was only swinging two swords, the shes that erupted from his des were too many to urately count. Whenever the Holy Sword was swung, the ck mes of the Empty Sword were entangled with the white of the divine power. And the pale moonlight that shone in the center of this chaos radiated a dangerous ominousness. Eugene¡¯s deadly Asura Rampage, an unceasing chain of shes, split the Demon King¡¯s arms into hundreds and thousands of pieces, but no flesh or blood was scattered. Wherever the shes swept past, the Demon King¡¯s arms had already regenerated in their tracks. Then, a clenched fist filled with dark power pierced straight through Eugene¡¯s Asura Rampage. ng! Eugene was pushed backward! ng! But simultaneously, the Demon King was struck by yet another attack. An attack that couldn¡¯t be seen, much lessprehended, managed to get through the dark power wrapped around Iris. A ray of magic designed solely to cause as much damage as possible pierced the Demon King. It didn¡¯t end with just that one ray of light. The light that managed to prate her body scattered into countless fragments that shot through everything in the Demon King¡¯s surroundings. Boom, boom, boooom! Iris vanished in an explosion of dust. But the death of her physical body still didn¡¯t pose even the slightest threat to the Demon King in her current state. Even after experiencing physical death, her thought processes hadn¡¯t even paused. The Demon King¡¯s body was reborn once more. But as if they had been waiting for that, a circle of light appeared in the sky. Kristina and Anise aimed together at the Demon King with their stigmata-engraved left hands. Earnest prayer was needed to perform a miracle, and the prayers from the two Saintesses managed to catch hold of the Demon King. Whoooosh! The Demon King¡¯s darkness pushed back against the dazzling Light, but a line of light had been drawn across Iris¡¯ devildom for now. For Eugene, that line became a path for him to run on. Eugene¡¯s killing intent was making it hard for him to think, but he clung to it as he red at the Demon King. When they had fought the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Demon King of Fury¡­ ¡­and when they had fought the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ ¡­just how many Stars had Vermouth¡¯s White me Form reached? Had his White me Form already been perfected even back then? Eugene didn¡¯t believe that to be the case. Of course, Vermouth had been so strong from the beginning that he didn¡¯t seem human. That said, it wasn¡¯t like his strength had been in a perfect state right from the start. After all, perfection meant there was no more room for growth, and Vermouth had just kept getting stronger all the time. No matter how fast Hamel had tried to chase after him, the speed at which Vermouth grew stronger exceeded the pace at which Hamel could catch up. Vermouth had grown stronger with each battle that had taken ce, even during their fights against the Demon Kings ¡ª during those, he had seemed to be growing stronger with each passing moment. ¡®So what about the current me?¡¯ Eugene considered carefully. He had reached the Seventh Star of the White me Form. He had the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. He also had the Demon Spear, the Annihtion Hammer, and many other weapons. He even had the experience from his past life. Considering all these facts, he couldn¡¯t be said to be worse off than Vermouth. ¡®In the first ce, I need to be even stronger than Vermouth that I knew back then,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. He couldn¡¯t afford to be any weaker. Just being simr in strength wouldn¡¯t cut it, either. Neither Vermouth nor Molon was here with them. If they wanted to kill the Demon King here and now, then it was only natural that Eugene had to be stronger than Vermouth from three hundred years ago. Eugene or Hamel could still clearly remember what Vermouth had looked like back then, but there was no need to spend too much time trying to recall those memories. Because Hamel had known better than anyone else just how Vermouth had fought and how strong Vermouth had truly been. The person who had fought most closely by Vermouth¡¯s side was Hamel, after all. Eugene muttered, ¡°I will¡­.¡± Just like Eugene was radiating killing intent towards the Demon King, the Demon King was also showing her own killing intent towards Eugene. The killing intent of a Demon King was enough to make most of their opponents¡¯ bodies falter and drive their minds insane. ¡°...I will kill you,¡± Eugene vowed through gritted teeth, killing intentced into every word. Eugene¡¯s eyes were shining like a pair of mes. If it was true that earnest prayer really could cause a miracle, then what was happening inside Eugene now could also be called a miracle. Eugene¡¯s whole-hearted desire was reflected in his killing intent towards the Demon King. What he had prayed for was for the Light to allow him to surpass his own limits. He had reached the Seventh Star of the White me Form, and now, all seven of those Stars inside his chest were shaking. Yet even though such changes were urring inside of him, the mana flowing through Eugene¡¯s body didn¡¯t falter in the slightest. Instead, while flowing even more violently than before, his mana ignited a spark that would make all of Eugene¡¯s desirese true. The wings of Prominence, which had been burning with a dark purple me, suddenly set off an explosion. Just like when Eugene createdyers of the Empty Sword, ck spots appeared on the mes of his mana, and the outer wing feathers turnedpletely ck. Booooom! With the speed that Eugene showed next, it was as if he had be an exception to the rules everyone else took for granted. However, Eugene''s will was as strong and focused as ever, and there was no way that anyone could miss his obvious intent to y the Demon King. ¡°Aaargh!¡± For the first time, it was a painful moan instead of augh that left the Demon King¡¯s lips. This was ¡ª the Demon King hadn¡¯t died. However, it was even more painful than death for the Demon King. She had barely been touched by his attack, but it felt like her dark power was being dissolved, and scars were being etched across her very existence. ¡®Just what was that?¡¯ Iris thought in fear. Iris had lived for over three hundred years. She could still clearly recall all of the memories from that era of war, back when battles had been a daily affair. She had fought against all kinds of humans: the knights, wizards, and priests. Iris had even fought with the Hero, Vermouth. After the war ended, she also fought against the other demonfolk, including the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. This meant that Iris had fought against a demonfolk who almost seemed to have more power than even a Demon King. Even after bing a Demon King, Iris still felt that her odds of victory against Noir were slim. However, she had never felt anything like this in all of the previous battles that she had been in. This power was unique. It was different from any power shown by both the humans and the demonfolk. However¡­ Iris at least knew this much. This power really didn¡¯t seem to match well with words like ¡®the Hero¡¯ or ¡®the Light.¡¯ This power was much more violent, terrible, and ominous than all that such words could epass. ¡°Ha! Hahaha!¡± The Demon King burst intoughter even as her face twisted in agony and she kept coughing up ck blood. Her glowing red eyes were fixed on Eugene, who was standing right in front of her, ¡°You, you call yourself the Hero?!¡± How could there be a Hero with a power of this nature? As the Demon King keptughing insanely, she unleashed her own power. Darkness erupted in the gap between Eugene and the Demon King just as they both moved towards each other. Eugene wasn¡¯t swept back by the sudden eruption. Before he could be pushed back by the wave of darkness, the mes of Prominence pierced through Iris¡¯ dark power and threw the Demon King down towards the sea. The Demon King was sent plummeting along with all of her dark power. The sea, which had been dyed ck to look like an endless abyss, caught the falling Demon King. Hissssss! The moment that Iris struck the water, arge portion of the sea evaporated, leaving a huge hole behind. The Demon King stood in the center of that hole and raised her hands. Sienna, Kristina, and Anise, who had been surprised by Eugene¡¯s sudden transformation, quickly put their guards back up. ¡®What on earth was that?¡¯ Sienna thought as she nced up at Eugene, who was diving down towards the sea. She could understand why the Demon King had uttered such words. The wings of Prominence that rode on Eugene¡¯s back were burning with pitch-ck mes, and even the sparks of mana fluttering off of Eugene were nowpletely ck. His appearance looked almost heretical. It was theplete opposite of Vermouth''s sacred and noble mes that had burned a pure white. However¡­ however¡­. Sienna could still feel Hamel/Eugene in those mes. The one who was here now wasn¡¯t Vermouth Lionheart. This Hero was the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas, Eugene Lionheart. And three hundred years ago, the man called Hamel couldn¡¯t have been further from the description of sacred or noble. That¡¯s why she felt that this sort of me suited Eugene. [Hah¡­,] a voice sighed inside Kristina¡¯s head. As Kristina looked at Eugene, Anise was also able to examine him. Kristina couldn¡¯t sense it, but Anise, as an angel, could feel something different from those mes. However¡­ she wasn¡¯t sure whether her current suspicions made any sense whatsoever, and even she found it hard to ept them. This also wasn''t something she could afford to think about right now. The Demon King was still alive and kicking. Eugene may have undergone a transformation, Kristina had been marked with a Stigmata, and Sienna Merdein was here as well, but that still wasn¡¯t enough to pose an unbeatable threat to the Demon King. Even in such a position, death still wasn¡¯t an imminent concern for Iris. On the other hand, what about the humans in this fight? Although the miracles summoned by divine power were staving off their deaths, there was no way their divine power could be stronger than the Demon King¡¯s own powers of immortality. Once more, Iris saw the Hero, who didn¡¯t really seem like one approaching her. The wizard was following behind him. Judging from the movements of the mana in the air, the wizard was already prepared to cast dozens of spells. That annoying Light also continued to pour down from the sky, waiting for an opportunity to strike her down. Iris¡¯ dark power surged, and the sea copsed around her. The ck seawater gathered together to form a sharp spike. Then, without her needing to make any gestures, the spike shot upwards. Since her dark power moved ording to her will, all Iris required tounch an attack was to direct her killing intent at her target. The transformed spike tore a hole through the sky. From that hole, ck mes ignited and spread. But dozens of separate spells shot out to restrain those ck mes. Then, a ray of brilliant light shot down, like the sun piercing through dark clouds, to illuminate the world. All of this happened in the blink of an eye. The moment the Demon King¡¯s attack pierced through the sky, Sienna¡¯s trap was activated. Dozens of different binding spells hidden within a spatial fold seized hold of the Demon King¡¯s body. They could only restrain the Demon King for a few moments, but in that brief opening, Eugene¡¯s swordpletely erased the Demon King¡¯s body. ¡°Die!¡± Sienna cursed as she held out her staff. The highest level of mana output she could ess through her Eternal Hole was gathered at the tip of her staff. Then, with all her murderous intent concentrated on one spot, Sienna fired the light at the undying Demon King. Iris didn¡¯t think much of this attack. Although Sienna was leveling an amazing amount of mana at her, in the end, it was as if all Sienna had done was gather up a lot of light into a single point. The Demon King raised a barrier formed from the power of her Demoneye and her own dark power to block the path of Sienna¡¯s attack. But at that moment, the mass of mana underwent a change. The mana that had been gathered into a single point and shot at the Demon King scattered just before it was about to hit the barrier. The mana filled the space surrounding the Demon King, and the devildom that was supposed to be packed full of her dark mana was now packed with so much mana that it had virtually reced all the air around her. ¡®Freeze,¡¯ Sienna thought inmand as her green eyes shone. Cracracrack! Following Sienna¡¯s order, everything her mana touched froze; the entire space surrounding the Demon King, her dark power, and even the Demon King herself in the center of it all. Even time itself was frozen in the area caught within Sienna¡¯s spell. Time and space might have been frozen, and even the Demon King¡¯s thought processes had halted, but Sienna¡¯s spell didn¡¯t stop there. Cracracracrack! The sea, free of the taint of dark power, returned to its original color. Then, all of that seawater came crashing down on the Demon King. Ice spread from the center of the sea, creating a frozen in of ice. Sienna mmed the Demon King down towards the bed of the frozen sea. The frozen waves acted as a weapon in their own right, with pieces shattering from the frozen Demon King at the slightest of impacts. ¡°Sienna!¡± Eugene suddenly shouted. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that Eugene moved as soon as his instincts warned him. But before Eugene could even stretch out his hand, Sienna had also sensed the threat and quickly cast a spell. Cracracrack! The frozen sea split apart. A de of darkness so sharp that it seemed like it would split the world into two was sent flying at Sienna. Fwooooosh! The light that erupted between Sienna and the Demon King dulled the sharpness of the de of darkness. Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword to push the de of darkness off course. ¡°Gagh!¡± Sienna groaned. The de may have been blocked, but blood still spurted from between Sienna¡¯s lips. The Demon King¡¯s figure could no longer be seen anywhere. However, this ce was still within the devildom, and all of the darkness and dark power contained within this space was still moving ording to the Demon King¡¯s will. ¡°Go!¡± Sienna shouted loudly. Iris¡¯ broken barrier was being restored. The mana from her Eternal Hole was also getting pushed out by the Demon King¡¯s own dark power. Upon hearing Sienna¡¯s order, Eugene didn¡¯t hesitate and immediately leaped into the still-gaping sea. Although Eugene was now beneath the surface of the sea, it was no longer the sea he was familiar with. The seawater had already transformed back into its pitch-ck state by the dark power. From deep within those tainted waters, Eugene spotted red eyes staring at him. The distance between them was closed in an instant. A sh of Eugene¡¯s sword left a trail of ck mes, only to be blocked by Iris¡¯ dark power. The Demon King reached out to grab Eugene directly, but Eugene had no intention of allowing himself to be caught like that. With a ck sh of lightning, a ray of moonlight split open the space between Eugene and the Demon King. ¡°I had this same feeling back when we first met in Kiehl,¡± the Demon King suddenly said. ng! Her hand crushed the moonlight and proceeded to m Eugene down into the depths of the darkness. ¡°You might be a descendant of Vermouth, but in fact, you don¡¯t resemble Vermouth in the slightest,¡± Iris observed. From above, a burst of light pierced through the darkness and opened a path to the surface. The light did not proceed to disperse and disappear but instead stayed by Eugene¡¯s side. Even in the depths of this darkness, Kristina and Anise were shining their Light on Eugene, and the Holy Sword he held in his right hand also began to light up the darkness. Iris continued, ¡°Even though they call you the Hero, you¡¯re nothing like Vermouth. Eugene Lionheart, your temperament¡­.¡± Eugene¡¯s modified White me Form once again ignited with a fierce ze. The light of destruction also flickered ominously from within the grasp of Eugene¡¯s other hand. The Demon King felt a shiver run up her spine as she watched Eugene slowly approach her. ¡°...it resembles Hamel,¡± Iris concluded. Her infinite dark power wasn¡¯t the only thing Iris had gained from bing the Demon King. Everything about her had been transformed to fit her new status as a Demon King. The Intuition of a Demon King analyzed the temperament of the one approaching her and reminded her of the enemy from three hundred years ago. Iris¡¯ eyes hardened, ¡°Although this seems absurd, but you¡­.¡± The Demon King¡¯s breathing grew heavy. Eugene¡¯s temperament wasn¡¯t the only suspicious thing that she had noticed. In her head, all the separate points were being put together. The Demon King focussed on looking back more than three hundred years into her own past. ¡°...you, you really are Hamel,¡± Iris hissed. Iris didn¡¯t receive any response from Eugene, but the Demon King was sure that Eugene was Hamel, her most hated enemy. Having be certain of this fact, what the Demon King had to do next was simple. ¡°Aaaaaaaah!¡± the Demon King let out a cry of sorrow. Iris sobbed as tears of blood fell from her eyes. Just like the name she had imed, Iris was now in a state of fury. As the Demon King lost control of her own mind, the dark power that had filled her surroundings also began to run wild. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you!¡± the Demon King screamed as she grabbed her head with both hands. The realization that she hade to by using her newly developed Intuition and the resulting fury had served as a sort of metamorphosis for the Demon King. This young Demon King, who had previously imed the title of the Demon King of Fury for herself, had, at this moment, truly be the Demon King of Fury. Her Demoneyes shone through her disheveled hair. Evil intent blended in with her murderous intent. This metamorphosis promised to be a great misfortune for the entire world, and before the world could be subjected to such ill fortune, Eugene was the one who would be the first to face this new threat. Booooom! ¡®What¡¯s going on with this bastard?¡¯ Eugene asked himself. Iris had just released a shockwave that made Eugene feel like his whole body was about to shatter into pieces. The sounds of unspoken cries were also filling his entire head. In the midst of this, Eugene felt rage and confusion. The cries told him that Iris needed to be stopped. No, that he needed to run. Or else, should he try to counterattack? Eugene¡¯s battle instincts had taken hold of his consciousness. Eugene could only choose the most usible and viable course of action. He tried to stop her. The intention was good, but the Demon King¡¯s strength was now far above Eugene¡¯s. Eugene was struck by Iris once more and sent plummeting even further into the darkness. The moment he was sent falling, the darkness coiled itself around him like a snake. Eugene didn¡¯t know if the darkness was meant to kill him by trapping him at this depth or squeezing the life out of him, but right now, the darkness was making it difficult for him to even move. ¡°It was because of you!¡± the Demon King continued to wail. Dark power gathered onto her fingernails like ws. Screech! He barely parried her next swipe with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, but the blow was extremely heavy. Eugene¡¯s feet were pushed backward as he tried to stand his ground. ¡°Because of you!¡± Iris repeated. Blood spurted out from between Eugene¡¯s lips. A spike of dark power had pierced through his stomach. In response, he countered with his own mes. The Demon King wasn¡¯t the only one who had gone through a metamorphosis. Eugene¡¯s mes were still inimical to and capable of inflicting agonizing damage on the Demon King. Iris howled, ¡°My father!¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t understand what Iris meant by that. Oh, that¡¯s right, Eugene or Hamel had indeed yed a huge part in the death of the Demon King of Fury. Could it be that she wanted revenge on her father¡¯s enemy? In that case, that certainly did apply to Eugene. ¡°And to me!¡± Iris roared. However, those following words were truly unfair. What on earth had Eugene ever done to Iris? Was she ming him for holding her back when Vermouth sliced open the Demon King of Fury¡¯s throat? ¡°You fucking bitch,¡± Eugene spat out with some blood. ¡°You deserved everything that you got!¡± Boooom! The mes he sprayed at Iris burned fiercely as they engulfed the Demon King. Chapter 371: The Demon King of Fury (5) Chapter 371: The Demon King of Fury (5) ¡°They¡¯re on a different level,¡± Ivic muttered unconsciously as he stood atop the Formeri¡¯s mast. He had already said this same thing a few times now, and he thought it even more often than he had voiced it. The main ship of the d Mercenary Company, the Formeri, was sticking close to the Laversia¡¯s rear. Currently, the priests were standing in a circle on the ship¡¯s deck, focusing their divine power on Kristina, while the pdins, including Pdin Adol, were protecting the priests. But their numbers alone weren¡¯t enough to guarantee the priests¡¯ protection. Even a child would know how important the role of a priest was in a battle against a Demon King and the demonfolk who served them. Dozens of elite d mercenaries had remained on the Formeri to aid in protecting the priests while all the other troops had gathered on the Laversia. The Head of the Mercenary Company, Ivic, was staying on the Formeri. While he, as someone who was called the Mercenary King, might have the corresponding confidence in his closebat abilities, he had even more confidence when it came to using his bow to snipe from a distance. Because he had taken such a high position, Ivic could watch the entire battle unfolding in front of him. Whaty ahead ¡ª taking ce over and below the sea ¡ª the battle being fought in the true center of the devildom was truly on a different level. Ivic was someone who had also possessed overflowing confidence in his own skills. He had felt that only because he wasn¡¯t actually a knight, the name Ivic d was not mentioned when discussing who the greatest knight on the continent was. After all, wasn¡¯t that how things usually went? Most people saw mercenaries as being weaker than knights. However, the battle taking ce within the devildom up ahead was causing all of the confidence that Ivic had once possessed to disappear. Ivic hade here because he wanted his career to be recorded as a legend worthy of his title as the Mercenary King. Even now, he didn¡¯t have any intention of fleeing. However, Ivic did feel a slight regret. ¡®To think that I would feel jealousy at this age¡­ but it¡¯s only natural to feel so reluctant after being shown what your ce truly is,¡¯ Ivic sighed. This applied even more so when the one who had shown Ivic how inferior he truly was was much younger than him. With a wry smile, Ivic nocked an arrow onto his bowstring. Eugene Lionheart and the Demon King were the ones fighting in the devildom up ahead. Even though he should be focused on protecting the Saint and the Priests, Ivic kept thinking of how that young man was sessfully facing a Demon King in head-onbat. If it were him, would Ivic have been able to do so? There was no way. He would have already died and been buried at sea. Ivic was able to calmly ept this conclusion. Even thebined power of the Wise Sienna, Eugene Lionheart, and Kristina Rogeris wasn¡¯t enough to overwhelm the Demon King. However, they were still able to maintain enough of a bnce in the fight that they could be said to be on equal footing with the Demon King, and that alone was already a surprise. ¡®However, the Demon King just refuses to die,¡¯ Ivic thought bitterly. The Demon King had already been killed more than ten times now. Having died so many times, she should at least have been weakened, but instead¡­ with each death, the Demon King actually seemed to be growing stronger. ¡®No,¡¯ Ivic realized. ¡®She¡¯s not getting stronger. She¡¯s getting more familiar with her powers.¡¯ As a Demon King who hadn¡¯t been born all that long ago, Iris still wasn¡¯t familiar with the strength she now possessed. Because Ivic could now see this for himself, he realized why Eugene had been so stubborn in insisting that they needed to attack her now. At this moment, the Demon King was at her weakest. Although she might be getting more used to her new strength as they fought, she still wasn¡¯t at her strongest state. That was why they had to kill her today. ¡°Tsk,¡± Ivic clicked his tongue as he loosed the bowstring. The arrow flew out soundlessly and split into dozens of pieces before it reached its targets. Bababam! These dozens of arrow shards poured down onto the deck of the Laversia like raindrops. The battle wasn¡¯t just taking ce within the center of Iris¡¯ devildom. Ahead of the Formeri, on board the Laversia, a battle had also broken out. The dark elves who served the Demon King were pushing back against the Laversia¡¯s forces with their bodies that had been infused with dark power. Ortus had remained with the reserve fleet in order to deal with the pirates. So, the one currently controlling the flow of the battle aboard the Laversia was Carmen Lionheart. More than ten dark elves had already been killed by her two fists. Apart from Carmen, several other elite members of the subjugation force were also dealing with the dark elves. Ivic had also been sniping at them whenever he saw an opening. The battle was tense. Although the dark elves possessed exceptional individual strength, they all attacked as if they didn¡¯t even know what pain was and weren¡¯t afraid of death. No ¡ª could these really still be called dark elves? Ivic struggled to answer this question even as he kept pulling on his bowstring. Their pitch-ck skin, their long, pointed ears, and their crimson eyes ¡ª although they had retained these traits from their appearance as dark elves, those were the only things that remained. Elves were a race that could be described as the epitome of beauty. Those elves who were corrupted by dark power transformed into dark elves. But even though they may have been corrupted, they still retained the same beauty they had when they were elves. But the dark elves currently rampaging aboard the Laversia retained none of that beauty. They had sharp, protruding, and misshapen fangs and their limbs were bulging with grotesque muscture. Some severe cases had fur the same color as their hair, others had protruding snouts like beasts, and a few others had even grown asrge as giants. In Ivic¡¯s judgment, they could no longer be called dark elves. This was because, even if their long ears, red eyes, and pitch-ck skin may have remained, they had gained much more pronounced characteristics that hadpletely overwritten their former identities as dark elves. They might have once been elves and dark elves, but now they were just monsters. Ivic snorted, ¡®Indeed, monsters are the best way to describe them.¡¯ However, Ivic felt that the Saint currently standing on top of Laversia¡¯s figurehead might even be more of a monster than the dark elves. Still, she wasn¡¯t fighting against the Demon King while flying high in the sky like Sienna or Eugene. Having begun this battle in her role as the Saint, Kristina had kept performing her duty without any changes. On top of the figurehead, the Saint had been standing there with her wings outspread, without stepping away from it the moment the battle had started. Even when more than a hundred dark elves leaped over from the Demon King¡¯s ship, Kristina hadn¡¯t taken even a single step backward. As the dark elves chomped their fangs and shed their ws at her in an attempt to hurt the Saint, Kristina hadn¡¯t even turned her head to look at them. The eyes of the Saint were solely fixed on Eugene, Sienna, and the Demon King. She was protected by a barrier, and at times, when one of the dark elves¡¯ hands or feet managed to get past that barrier, the iron ball at the end of her il swung into movement. But most dark elves were shot through by Ivic¡¯s arrows or were blocked by Carmen and the others before that could happen. Although Kristina might be receiving their protection, her Saintly appearance of refusing to turn her gaze or even show any sign of intimidation filled her defenders with admiration for her. It wasn¡¯t just the Saint either. Along with the Hero and the Archwizard, they all showed such impressive performances that those watching couldn¡¯t help but worship them. While in the midst of shooting hundreds of arrows, Ivic still had the freedom to consider these thoughts. And wasn¡¯t that quite the surprise? The battle was still tense, but that was the case for most battles. The battle was arduous, but that was how all battles were. People were getting hurt and dying, as was only natural on a battlefield like this. To a mercenary like Ivic, this sort of battlefield even appeared ordinary and routine. For this to be a battlefield on which they were fighting against a ¡®Demon King¡¯... to be honest, something didn¡¯t feel quite right. The reason for that might be the three heroes at the forefront were suppressing any fear of the Demon King by showing such an admirable disy of heroics. Trust that those heroes could face the Demon King head-on and defeat her made everyone who fought on this battlefield believe there was hope for victory. After all, look at them now; wasn¡¯t their light brightening up the dark skies and red seas? But then it all copsed. The hope that was slowly bing stronger shattered before it could even be voiced out loud. The dark power erupting from the split-open sea once again dyed the world pitch-ck. Kahkahkahkahkahk! There was a sound like thousands of crows cawing together. This massive eruption of noise transformed the battlefield. The Saint¡¯s blessing of protection was shaken to its core, and the people fighting aboard the Laversia and the Formeri all stumbled and fell. The loud noise even managed to reach the reserve fleet. More than ten of the ships in the rear were instantly capsized. A few ships were even torn into pieces as if they had been struck by artillery fire. The monsters also paused in their fighting. Those terrible beings turned their soulless gazes to look up at the dark power surging into the skies. Roooar! At the center of the swirling dark power stood the Demon King. As streaks of dark red, bloody tears fell from her eyes, the Demon King was wrenching on her own hair. But she wasn¡¯t able to calm the chaos in her head, preventing her from returning to her previous state. No, the Demon King didn¡¯t even have any intention of calming her inner chaos in the first ce. This chaos was who she was at her very essence, a fury that could never be forgotten. ¡°Aaaaaaaaah!¡± the Demon King let out a roar as she continued to clutch her head. She spared a nce at the scenery below and caught sight of her many dead subordinates, those dark elves whom Iris had always considered her family. Most of them were dark elves with whom the Demon King had built up a bond over the past three hundred years. ¡°You dare, You Dare, YOU DARE!¡± Iris screamed. All these family members were dead. So many family members who should have been able to celebrate her glory together with her had died here like this. This sight made the Demon King recall the memories inherited from her father. A city soaked in blood. A mountain of corpses. A man standing on top of that mountain, giving off the stench of blood. Her father had been routed from thisnd. He hadn¡¯t been able to save his children. He couldn¡¯t even avenge his children¡¯s deaths. She respected and loved her father, but that was his biggest mistake. ¡°It won¡¯t happen, not to me,¡± Iris vowed. Fate tends to repeat itself. Those were the words that the Demon King of Incarceration has said in idle thought. But this Demon King refused to agree with that tendency. Her existence was both proof of her father¡¯s promise and also proof of his failure. Her father had been defeated in thisnd a long, long time ago and forced to flee while abandoning his own family. Then, when everything was over, he had returned here once more and made a promise with the Demon King of Incarceration. If her father hadn¡¯t been defeated¡­. ¡°Not to me,¡± Iris repeated herself. She was enraged by the death of her dark elves. This rage didn¡¯t break the Demon King¡¯s spirit, nor did it weaken her resolve. Instead, it drew out even further depths of murderous intent and raging fury from her. Even if it was just to prove that fate wouldn¡¯t repeat itself and also to hear the whole truth from the Demon King of Incarceration, the Demon King had to win this battle and turn this battlefield into her own territory. Only then would she be able to honor the souls of her deceased family members. Ssh! Eugene soared out of the swirling sea. His ashen hair was soaked in blood, and his left arm appeared to have been broken. However, even with his vision dyed red, Eugene was able to re straight at the Demon King. He still couldn¡¯t understand what this crazy bitch was saying. But he wondered if there was even a point in trying to understand her. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina called out after gasping at his miserable appearance. Eugene shone with light as Kristina attempted to perform a miracle on him, only for the light to be blocked by a strong barrier of dark power. ng! Eugene¡¯s whole body had been wrapped in enough dark power to negate any miracles performed on him. But the Empty Sword that was still burning with ck mes pushed back the dark power. Bambambam! The strengthened spell managed to scatter the dark power surrounding him. Having arrived soon after he did, Sienna nced at Eugene, her face bloodless and pale. The same was true for Eugene¡¯s face, as well as Kristina¡¯s, who had yet to even turn her head to look at Sienna. This look of fatigue wasn''t all that unusual. That was just how battles against a Demon King were. The ck, burning wings of Prominence fluttered as Eugene showed the same extreme eleration that he disyed earlier. The Demon King spread her arms wide as she prepared to meet the lightning bolt tearing its way through her devildom. Eugene felt a strong sense of impending doom, but he didn¡¯t allow himself to show any fear. He trusted Kristina, Anise, and Sienna. And they also managed to live up to Eugene¡¯s trust wonderfully. The inescapable sense of impending doom was broken by a spell and then thoroughly erased through a miracle. Meanwhile, all of Eugene¡¯s power was poured into the Holy Sword. Cracracrack! The Demon King¡¯s body shattered. But the same was true for the arm that Eugene had used to swing the Holy Sword. His flesh and muscles were torn, and his bones were broken. Then time seemed to be rewound. Eugene¡¯s elerated thought processes made everything appear to happen in slow motion. His broken bones were stuck back together, blood vessels, nerves, and muscles were reconnected, and finally, his flesh covered everything back up. ¡®If only the Moonlight Sword¡­,¡¯ Eugene thought regretfully. The Moonlight Sword, which had always shown unsurpassable strength in his battles so far, was powerless at this moment. Its full power, which had been crippled to less than half of what it had at its height, was inferiorpared to the damage output of the Holy Sword whenbined with Eugene¡¯s mana. He couldn¡¯t allow this to continue. Eugene intensely desired to wield the full power of the Moonlight Sword. In order to emit its rays of moonlight, this damn sword would greedily absorb all of Eugene¡¯s mana, but the resulting moonlight refused tobine with his own mana. This was the real reason why the Moonlight Sword was currently weaker than the Holy Sword, not just because he had yet to collect all of its fragments. This was all because Eugene himself had grown far too strong. The reason for the Holy Sword¡¯s strength wasn¡¯t just from its divine power. It was also because Eugene¡¯s increased strength had further amplified the sword¡¯s own power. By using the Empty Sword technique, which further explosively amplified its power, the Holy Sword could even surpass the current Moonlight Sword. ¡®Even though you greedily swallow up all of my strength, you still refuse tobine with me?¡¯ Eugeneined in his head. ¡®Don¡¯t bullshit me.¡¯ Instead of glowing gold, Eugene¡¯s bloodshot eyes shone with a red light. The grip of his fingers, which was already so strong that it seemed like his bones were about to shatter, tightened even further around the hilt of the Moonlight Sword. Cracracrack! The back of his hand, which was bulging with blood vessels, began to tremble. The knuckles of his fingers clenched even tighter. Without the slightest exaggeration, Eugene¡¯s left hand actually began to crush the hilt of the Moonlight Sword. For a moment, the moonlight flickered away. Then, the light of the moonlight reappeared. The mana that Eugene was pouring into the shattered hilt was infused into each and every fragment of the Moonlight Sword. The mana pouring out from the contorted Stars of Eugene¡¯s White me Form was not white but a dark ck so deep that it looked as if it could suck you in. If it were a dark night, the silvery light that was shining in the midst of the mes of mana pouring into the de would genuinely look like rays of moonlight. The pale, ashen moonlight intensified. Eugene¡¯s mana and the moonlight were synchronizing. At that moment, Eugene suddenly began to lose hold of his consciousness. Today, Eugene had proved himself to be different from his memories of Vermouth. By transforming the White me Form, he had surpassed all of his previous limits, but Eugene was undergoing yet another transformation. At a time like this, Eugene should have been feeling a great sense of tion. He should be feeling fulfilled at having finally reached his goal of surpassing Vermouth. However, strangely enough, he currently didn¡¯t have any such thoughts. This was because the power that Eugene held in his left hand, the moonlight that was shining out into this pitch-ck world, was so ominous that everyone on the battlefield could sense it. ¡®The Moonlight Sword?¡¯ Sienna thought in puzzlement. Sienna was also well-acquainted with the Moonlight Sword. Even if she used both hands, Sienna wouldn¡¯t be able to count the number of times she had been able to survive because of the Moonlight Sword. That silvery light was familiar to her. But even though that ray of moonlight had been a terrible nightmare for their enemies, that didn¡¯t mean it was a source of hope for their friends. This was because it had always seemed exceptionally ominous. Whenever Vermouth had swung the Moonlight Sword, that moonlight had managed to outshine even Vermouth¡¯s own brilliant mes. At those times, it had been difficult for any of his allies, be it Sienna, Molon, Anise, or even Hamel, to get close to Vermouth. In the case of the Moonlight Sword that Eugene was currently holding, the moonlight that emanated from the half-shattered de¡­ in terms of ominousness, was even worse than when Vermouth had wielded the Moonlight Sword. The spells responsible for defending Eugene and opening up a path for him were destroyed the moment that the moonlight touched them. The miracles cast by Kristina and Anise to protect Eugene were also swept away by the moonlight and dissipated. Even the Holy Sword that Eugene was holding in his right hand wasn¡¯t an exception to this. The moonlight emitted by the Moonlight Sword was even more egotistical than the Light of the God of Light. However, this silvery light was strong enough to justify doing so. As the wavering moonlight grew to engulf Eugene¡¯s hand, the Demon King¡¯s dark power in his vicinity was easily erased. The light grew so bright that Eugene couldn''t clearly see what was in front of him. Then, this moonlight exploded. Chapter 372: The Demon King of Fury (6) Chapter 372: The Demon King of Fury (6) The moonlight shattered everything it touched. Even the dark power that attempted to block the moonlight was blown into pieces by it. But the same went for Eugene¡¯s body. His zing mes of mana tried to resist the moonlight, but the moonlight just devoured the source of this resistance and glowed even more ominously. The feeling in Eugene¡¯s left arm, from his forearm downwards, had faded. It hadn¡¯t been sliced off or destroyed. The arm was still hanging from his shoulder, perfectly intact. And although the feeling in his arm had grown faint, it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t move it how he wanted to. However, he couldn¡¯t let go of the hilt. It felt like his fingers had be one with the Moonlight Sword. Until now, he had swung the Moonlight Sword in battle numerous times, but this was the first time that something like this had happened. The sword was running wild ¡ª the Moonlight Sword was out of his control. Even though Eugene was desperately trying to hold back his mana, the Moonlight Sword was going against Eugene¡¯s will and was sucking out all of his mana. Screech. Eugene felt an agonizing pain like someone was scratching on the inside of his skull with their fingernails. This was dangerous ¡ª this thought filled his head. He had never seen the Moonlight Sword run wild like this three hundred years ago. Even though Eugene¡¯s mana reserves were so deep that it was hard to even touch the bottom, if he considered the speed at which the Moonlight Sword was absorbing his mana, he was at a high risk of mana depletion. On top of that, his mana wasn¡¯t the only problem. The line of moonlight slowly creeping up from his forearm was suspicious. It was like he was being gradually eroded. ¡®What the fuck is this?¡¯ Eugene cursed silently. It was good that the Moonlight Sword had grown stronger. However, now he wasn''t able to fully control it. Eugene could still swing the sword as he pleased, but he couldn¡¯t consciously control the flow of power going through it. He couldn¡¯t retract the moonlight either. Well, he had no intention of stopping the flow of power in the first ce. Ignoring the pain, Eugene kept on advancing. Since he couldn¡¯t stop it, he had no choice but to continue to let the Moonlight Sword run wild. In this situation, where he didn¡¯t know what else to do, there was no other choice apart from that. Cracrackle. There was another spike of agonizing pain, like something was wing on his brain. Eugene heard the sound of static in his ears. Could this be caused by Fury¡¯s dark power? Even though the said dark power was currently being torn into pieces by the Moonlight Sword? Eugene¡¯s head grew clouded. He bit hard on his lips to wake himself up, but he couldn¡¯t really sense that pain. The sound in his ears gradually transformed into a scream, and there also seemed to be the sound of wavesing from somewhere nearby. Then came a dull roar that sounded like somethingrge was copsing. Inside his head¡­ ¡­something had¡­ ¡®I¡­¡¯ ¡­appeared. And it was spreading. His entire vision was being colored by it. ¡®...just what am I looking at?¡¯ A darkness without even a speck of light. Could that be¡­ the sky?¡¯ ¡®That¡¯s¡­.¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t tell. He couldn¡¯t understand what he was seeing. It was too dark¡­ he couldn¡¯t see anything. No, he simply couldn¡¯t see. ¡®Ah,¡¯ Eugene gasped in realization. This wasn¡¯t the first time he had experienced something like this. In the past, when Ariartelle had first engraved the Draconic incantation onto Akasha, Eugene had once tried to use the Draconic spell to find the whereabouts of Vermouth or of the fragments of the Moonlight Sword. The same that happened then was happening now. No, things weren¡¯t exactly the same asst time. It felt like he was slowly getting closer to identifying the things he hadn¡¯t been able to hear back then or understand. The darkness gradually turned gray. Eugene felt something ominous from this shade of color. But at some point, before he knew it, he could no longer feel that sense of ominousness. Eugene was left in a void of nothingness. The only thing that Eugene could currently see wasplete Emptiness. There was no Carnage, no Cruelty, and no Fury here. There was no light or darkness. Raizakia had seen the Moonlight Sword and identified it as the Sword of Destruction. That meant it had to be a Demon King¡¯s weapon like the Demonic Spear and the Annihtion Hammer. This world, this void of emptiness and nonexistence, was Destruction itself. But amid this void of Destruction, Eugene saw someone. * * * Resistance was impossible. In front of that moonlight, all the defenses the Demon King erected were torn apart in vain. It was useless even when she rebuilt her defenses as soon as they were torn down. The same applied even when she used the power of her Demoneye in ce of her dark power. No matter how many dozens or even hundreds of times she summoned dark matter to block it, the moonlight destroyed everything with just a single pass. ¡®The Moonlight Sword¡­!¡¯ Iris thought desperately. Her hands that she had held up in front of her were swept away by the light and disappeared. Her regeneration was getting slower. The Demon King¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl. That moonlight was able topletely destroy any dark power that it touched. The Moonlight Sword hadn¡¯t been this strong when Eugene first started using it, but after those ck mes had been absorbed by it, it was able to directly overwhelm even a Demon King¡¯s dark power. ¡®I¡¯m getting pushed back?¡¯ Iris thought in disbelief. ¡®A Demon King like me?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t ept it. Even though she was experiencing it in person, she just couldn¡¯t believe it. As the Demon King retreated, she unleashed her dark power once more. Screeeeech! An extremely unpleasant noise was hearding from right in front of the Demon King. Even as the Demon King stretched her hands, her whole devildom had already been erased. Everything had disappeared. Everywhere the moonlight swept through, the devildom was no more, leaving only a void behind. The Demon King wasn¡¯t even able to let out a short scream. Her body was swept away, leaving only her two legs. As she reappeared, Iris heaved a breath, ¡°Gaaaasp!¡± Herplete destruction had even managed to bring a halt to the Demon King¡¯s thought processes. Her revival had still seeded, but the Demon King¡¯s eyes were left shaking in fear. Eugene had be an existence that even a Demon King could not resist. At the same time, he was transforming into an unrelenting and ruthless grim reaper. Eugene¡¯s face could still be seen vaguely through the shimmering moonlight. The color of his gray hair, one of the symbols of the Lionheart n, strongly resembled that of the moonlight emanating from his left hand. His golden eyes, without any trace of light, also resembled the void he created. ¡°We can¡¯t let this continue,¡± Kristina muttered. Eugene¡¯s current state was strange. It wasn''t normal. Looking up from her perch on top of the figurehead, Kristina shook in fear as she wiped away the trail of blood leaking from the corner of her lips. The light of the Holy Sword could no longer be seen. Currently, Eugene, who was pushing back the Demon King through overwhelming power, didn¡¯t show any traces of his identity as the Hero. Although Kristina and Anise had tried several times to speak to Eugene¡¯s consciousness or bless him with their miracles, even that hadn¡¯t worked. Instead, each time one of their attempts failed, Kristina and Anise were hit by the pain of the bacsh. ¡®Sister, should we get a little closer¡­?¡¯ Kristina tentatively proposed. Anise couldn''t help but hesitate for a few moments. In all her experience, even Anise had never seen the Moonlight Sword run wild like this. If they got closer, they might also get swept away by the moonlight. In the first ce, the light of the Moonlight Sword was unable to distinguish between friend and enemy. Whenever Vermouth had wielded the Moonlight Sword in battle, the thing that hispanions had to pay the most attention to wasn¡¯t assisting Vermouth but instead not getting swept up in Vermouth¡¯s attacks. In the battles where the Moonlight Sword had yed a key role, Hamel was the only one who had been able to stand at Vermouth¡¯s side by squeezing through the narrow gaps between attacks. [Alright,] Anise finally decided. But Hamel, the only person who could find the gaps in the Moonlight Sword¡¯s attack, was currently being eroded by the moonlight. If neither their light, blessings, or voice could reach him, then they would just have to get in closer. No matter how dangerous it might be to get closer to Hamel, it probably wasn¡¯t any more dangerous than the situation that Hamel was currently in. Anise was determined to save Hamel even if something were to happen to her. Her eight wings pped, and the Saint, who had been standing motionless on the figurehead since the battle began, finally flew up into the sky. ¡®It¡¯s simr,¡¯ Sienna thought with gritted teeth as she also flew forward. She had already tried to cast a spell on Eugene dozens of times. However, not one of them had worked properly. Even with her Eternal Hole, or Frost¡¯s Dragonheart, she couldn¡¯t reach into the depths of that moonlight. Sienna corrected herself, ¡®No, it¡¯s not just simr¡­ it¡¯s exactly the same.¡¯ Sienna was reminded of Vermouth from Hamel¡¯s tomb. Back then, Vermouth hadn''t been using the Moonlight Sword. He also hadn¡¯t been wrapped up within that ominous moonlight like Eugene was now. However, Sienna got the same feeling from the current Eugene she had felt from Vermouth back in the tomb. Even though it was Vermouth, she had gotten the inexplicable impression that it wasn¡¯t the Vermouth she knew. The same was true of the current Eugene. Through a gradual transformation, Eugene was entering that same strange state. They couldn¡¯t leave Eugene like this. He didn¡¯t seem to have crossed the line just yet, but if he went a little further ¡ª he might just bepletely swallowed up by the moonlight. If that happened, it felt like Eugene would be something other than Eugene. It felt as if the Eugene or Hamel that Sienna knew would disappear. But how to stop it? Her spells weren¡¯t working. It would also be difficult to get any closer to him than this. What on earth should they do? What preparations should they make? What should they sacrifice to restrain the Moonlight Sword that was running wild? Creeeack. In this dire situation, it wasn¡¯t a god who made the first move to assist them. In the dark skies above what remained of the devildom, a small hole opened up, and chains shot out of it. Sienna and Kristina¡¯s expressions showed shock at this sight, and Anise let out an involuntary cry. From three hundred years ago until now, there was only one person who such chains could represent. The Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®But why?¡¯ No one was able to make any clear guesses as to his reasons for appearing here. The same was true for the Demon King of Fury, who had been in a desperate situation before his arrival. Her resurrection could no longer work the way she wanted it to. The inside of her stomach felt bloated and ufortable as if it was full of wriggling worms, and her head was also full of thoughts that she didn¡¯t want to admit to. Iris had felt like she might be defeated if things continued like this. The premonition of her own death was gradually bing stronger. Should she ¡ª should she try to run away? Although Iris didn¡¯t really want to spend any time on such thoughts, she had been driven to the point where she needed to consider the idea. When the hole appeared, Iris had gasped, ¡®The Demon King of Incarceration?¡¯ Right at the moment when that terrible and ominous moonlight was about to engulf the Demon King of Fury, his chains had pierced through the moonlight. But the Demon King of Fury couldn¡¯t understand ¡®why¡¯ such chains had appeared. For what purpose could the Demon King of Incarceration, who had previously dered himself to be aplete bystander, have to interfere in their battle? ¡®Was it¡­,¡¯ Iris¡¯ eyes shook. The chains that had pierced through the moonlight pulled away from the Demon King of Fury and then wrapped themselves around Eugene, who was still being eroded by the moonlight. ¡®... to save me?¡¯ Iris couldn¡¯t help but have such a thought. If, hypothetically, the battle had continued, and if she had beenpletely swallowed by the moonlight and was unable to find a way to escape ¡ª if her dark power was repeatedly erased, and even her immortality as a Demon King was tested to its very limits ¡ª that moonlight might have had enough power to eventually kill the Demon King of Fury¡­. However, now that the chains of Incarceration had appeared, the situation had changed. The out-of-control Moonlight Sword had been captured by the chains and subdued. That deadly light that had made even a Demon King tremble in fear was being extinguished. This was definitely Iris¡¯ chance to turn the tide. The Demon King of Fury stretched out her hand towards Eugene, who was bound by the chains. Roooar! A mass of concentrated dark power was shot out like a cannonball. ¡°No!¡± Sienna screamed. For Sienna, saving Eugene was a more critical and urgent matter than trying to understand the current situation. Booooom! Sienna¡¯s spell collided with the cannonball of dark power. Eugene¡¯s hair, which was lightly ruffled, shook as he was caught in the radius of the explosion. Entangled by the chains, Eugene hung in the air limply. His consciousness was still caught within the void that was left by Destruction. The Moonlight Sword had also stopped emitting any of its moonlight. ¡°Get out of my way!¡± Iris hissed. The Demon King was afraid of Eugene reopening his eyes. She also didn¡¯t want to give the Moonlight Sword a chance to start emitting its moonlight once more. She felt a spike of rage rising up towards the Demon King of Incarceration. Just what on earth was he up to now? If Incarceration was going to tie Eugene up with his chains, he should have just killed Eugene once he was done restraining the Hero. Why was he just leaving Eugene all tied up? ¡®Is he leaving it up to me to kill the Hero?¡¯ Iris questioned. It wouldn¡¯t be an easy task. The Saint¡¯s divine power was continuously eroding her own dark power, and Sienna and Eugene had also managed to directly kill her several times now. And most crucially, too much of her dark power had already been consumed by the out-of-control Moonlight Sword. The figure of Eugene, still wrapped up in chains, was slowly growing further and further away. Sienna¡¯s desperate flurry of spells was also restricting the Demon King¡¯s actions. ¡®It¡¯s not enough,¡¯ Iris thought as she was slowly driven backward. She wasn¡¯t strong enough, she didn¡¯t have enough dark power, and she wasn¡¯t feared enough. This was her devildom ¡ª a battlefield where the Demon King should reign and be regarded with terror ¡ª but she wasn¡¯t drawing enough fear. At that moment, a thought popped up inside the Demon King¡¯s head. Since that was the case, Iris had no choice but to take it all back. By this, she meant the dark power she had bestowed upon her subordinates. It just so happened to be quite a considerable amount, so if she were to recall all that power, she would be able to replenish her currentlycking reserves of strength. All her vassals might die because of that, but¡­. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± the Demon King apologized in a trembling voice. She couldn¡¯t think of any other way to win. The Demon King¡¯smand was passed on to all the dark elves who had managed to stay alive thus far. Not a single one of them resented the Demon King for this. Instead, they all felt joy as they ripped out their own hearts. For the sake of the Demon King whom they served, for the sake of their Demon King¡¯s victory, they would sacrifice their lives for Fury. As the direct subordinates of the Demon King, there was no death more noble than this. Riiiiip! The dozens of remaining dark elves all tore out their own hearts. This single united motion took ce all across the devildom. It wasn¡¯t just the dark elves whomitted suicide. The pirates, who had lost their human identities and had be mere lumps of dark power, and even the giant monsters made up of hundreds or thousands of corpses, all stopped fighting and ripped out their own hearts. It was a surreal and terrifying sight. This scene, with all of the Demon King¡¯s vassals offering up their hearts in unison, formed into onerge ritual that engraved an inexplicable terror into the minds of all those who saw it. ¡°It is an honor¡­,¡± Sepia, who had been serving Iris for the past three hundred years, muttered thesest words with a smile. The moment she had finished speaking, Sepia broke apart into ck ash and disappeared. Shhhhhhh! A ck whirlwind gathered around the Demon King. Sienna¡¯s spell, which had been destroying the Demon King¡¯s body, was frozen in ce. Soon, the spell was erased. Blood flowed profusely from Sienna¡¯s nose and lips as she was hit by a bacsh of dark power. Kristina, who had been focussing her divine power onto the chains, began to feel a dizzying headache. She reached out directly with her left hand, which had been engraved with the stigmata, but the chains refused to disappear. No matter how much she asked for a miracle, recited prayers, and called out his name, Kristina wasn¡¯t able to reach Eugene. She also couldn¡¯t focus on continuing her attempts for much longer. The Demon King of Fury¡¯s dark power had already begun attacking Sienna. Kristina¡¯s eight wings pped once more. Kristina and Anise extended a hand towards Sienna. Sienna also didn¡¯t get any closer to the Demon King and instead took a step back. The Light of a miracle shed, only to immediately dim. Then, the world went dark for a few moments. During those few silent moments, the only sound was that of chains moving. Eugene¡¯s body was taken far away as if to shelter him from the impending storm. Anise was the first toe back to her senses. She continued to p her wings in ce of Kristina, who had lost consciousness. She watched as Eugene was dragged away by the flying chains. ¡®But why?¡¯ Anise wondered. When the world had gone dark for those few moments, Anise had seen how those chains were moving. The attacks made by the Demon King of Fury¡¯s dark power hadn¡¯t been able to get past those chains. She didn¡¯t know their reason for doing so, but Incarceration¡¯s chains had protected Eugene. ¡®What exactly does he want?¡¯ Anise thought intively. If the chains of Incarceration hadn¡¯t appeared, the out-of-control Moonlight Sword might have been able to kill the Demon King of Fury. But in that case ¡ª Eugene¡¯s own existence might have been lost in the moonlight and permanently erased. However, due to the intervention of Incarceration¡¯s chains, the Demon King of Fury¡¯s life had been saved. Likewise, Eugene had also been freed from the control of the moonlight. ¡®Was it sympathy? Curiosity? Whichever it was¡­ this seems unnatural for the Demon King of Incarceration,¡¯ Anise mused in worry. That said, what was clear was that the Demon King of Incarceration had saved Eugene. Even now, those chains were moving Eugene out of the danger zone. Anise watched as apanied by the disappearance of the chains, Eugene was dropped onto another ship. ¡°What about Eugene?¡± Sienna asked once she was awake. ¡°He¡¯s safe,¡± Anise replied, grabbing Sienna by the shoulder. The divine power that permeated through her touchpletely recovered all of Sienna¡¯s injuries. The two slowly descended from the sky tond on the deck of the Laversia. ¡°The end is in sight,¡± Sienna said, only tough unconsciously at her own words. ¡°It¡¯s faster than I thought it would be.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Anise agreed. ¡°In the worst-case scenario, I thought we might have to fight for a few more days.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let your guard down,¡± Sienna warned her. ¡°Is that really something you should be saying?¡± Anise chuckled as she shook her head. Tightening her grip on the handle of her il, Anise stared straight ahead at their opponent. Boom! All of the dark power had finally been reunited into one. The Demon King of Fury wiped away the tears of blood flowing from her eyes with the back of her hand. Where was Eugene, no, Hamel, the Hero? The Demon King¡¯s first priority was to find the Hero and kill him, but the iron ball that came flying at her face upied the Demon King¡¯s attention. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re looking?¡± Anise taunted. The iron ball wasn¡¯t able to crack open the Demon King¡¯s head. Although it had been packed full of divine power, the Demon King¡¯s dark power managed to arrest the iron ball in mid-air. Anise pulled on the long chain of her il and said with a grin, ¡°Come on then, Demon King of Fury.¡± The situation had changed once more. The Demon King of Fury had managed to recharge her reserves of dark power by forcing all her subordinates tomit suicide. The terror that this act had spread among everyone here had only increased the Demon King¡¯s strength. However, even with that, that didn¡¯t mean the Demon King of Fury was as strong as when they had first encountered her. This young Demon King had been about as strong as the previous Fury from the very start, and she had continued to grow stronger throughout the course of the battle. But that had reached its limit, and now her strength was fading. If she wasn¡¯t killed and managed to survive this sea battle, Iris could still be an unstoppable ze, but if they could just kill her here, she would just be a pile of worthless ashes. ¡°Your enemy isn¡¯t just the Hero,¡± Anise reminded her quietly. Of the people who had managed to survive the battle thus far, there were still those who weren¡¯t ovee by the terror of the Demon King. Even as they felt her terror, these people still chose to fight, stepping forward to meet her. ¡°Ha,¡± the Demon King of Fury let out a bark ofughter. A lot of people seemed to be gathering in front of her, who was now all alone after ordering her own vassals tomit suicide. How insignificant. How hateful. She wanted to kill them all, each and every one of them. The Demon King tore at her hair as she spat out, ¡°It seems that you want to buy time for¡­ that bastard¡¯s return?¡± The Demon King had been about to say Hamel¡¯s name, only to swallow it back. She felt that if she did end up saying his name, the enemy¡¯s morale might just recover. Now that she was on her own, she had to fight smarter. Since the Demon King¡¯s strength was empowered by the terror she inspired, she could not give them any excuse to make their fear disappear. ¡°Fine then,¡± Iris sneered. And it was very easy for her to sow even more terror among them. Iris invited them, ¡°Come at me if you have a death wish.¡± All she needed to do was make a disy by killing one of them. Whether it was a human or an elf, if one saw someone one knew ¡ª or even someone one didn¡¯t know ¡ª die right in front of them, it would fill one with fear. The Demon King didn¡¯t think that she was at a disadvantage even now. No matter how much her opponents outnumbered her, any number of humans was insignificant in front of the Demon King¡¯s strength. As long as she brutally ughtered one of their numbers as an example to the rest, the determination on their faces would quickly turn into despair. ¡°Heaven Genocide,¡± a quiet voice was heard. ¡°Destiny Form.¡± During today¡¯s battle, Carmen had never once said those words out loud. This was because she had never felt rxed enough to perform that specific ritual of hers. The same applied even now. Whether it was the situation or her own emotions, Carmen couldn¡¯t afford to lose control. But that was even more reason why Carmen felt that she should act like she ¡®usually¡¯ would and dere the name of her Heaven Genocide while announcing the Destiny Form. In front of the Demon King, the Lionhearts must not allow themselves to feel fear. They also couldn¡¯t let themselves hesitate or falter. For everyone here, they must act as an example. To think that someone would actually step forward without any hesitation while dering such a stupid name. For a moment, Carmen¡¯s actions had managed to fluster even a Demon King. ¡°Crazy bitch,¡± the Demon King cursed, her lips twisting in a smirk as she raised her hand towards Carmen. If Carmen wanted to die so badly, Iris would grant her wish. Back when they had first met in Kiehl, Carmen might have been a tough opponent for her, but now that she had be a Demon King¡ª Twang! The Demon King¡¯s expression crumpled into a scowl. An arrow hade flying at her from afar. Although it didn¡¯t even manage to touch her, the Demon King was still enraged that someone would dare to attempt to shoot her. It was, of course, Ivic who had loosened the arrow. ¡®I must be insane,¡¯ Ivic thought to himself. Since the situation didn¡¯t look good, wouldn¡¯t it have been better to just stay quiet? Even as he felt such regrets, Ivic nocked another arrow onto his bowstring. He had no choice but to keep shooting. The young Hero had already worked so hard. The Saint, who was brandishing her il with her slender arms, had blocked the Demon King¡¯s advance. And Carmen, whom he so respected, had also gone out to meet the Demon King. Under such circumstances, Ivic just couldn¡¯t hold his breath and stay silent. Riiiiiing! With a deep breath, Sienna rose into the air. Surrounding herself with several different spheres, Sienna red down at the Demon King. Booom! With each step that the Demon King took, the Laversia shook. However, the ship refused to sink. Sienna¡¯s magic was holding the Laversia together firmly. ¡°Who do you think you are, trying to order us around?¡± Sienna spat out as she red at the Demon King with bloodshot eyes. Chapter 373: The Demon King of Fury (7) Chapter 373: The Demon King of Fury (7) Heaven Genocide, Destiny Form. It was the sort of name one wouldn¡¯t dare to call out if they had any shame, but unlike how ridiculous its name was, the actual form incorporated the wielder¡¯s unshakeable will to defeat the opponent. In this form, Heaven Genocide resembled a silver glove that covered everything from the elbow downwards. Every part of the form was a weapon. The slender and angr forearms were as sharp as des. The fingers were also equally sharp, but when clenched into a fist, they were able to turn any enemy into a pulverized mass of meat with just a slight rotation of the wrist. Carmen¡¯s White me Form had been specialized for fighting with her fists. Unlike Eugene¡¯s White me Form or the other Lionhearts, her White me Form didn¡¯t burn fiercely. Instead, her me had been condensed to its very limits with only a slight flow running over the surface of her skin, its color a white so deep that it seemed like no other color could pollute it. These mes would explode the moment that she hit her target, punching right through them. Boom, boom, boom! Carmen¡¯s fists shattered the dark matter flying at her. She had fought against Iris¡¯ Demoneye of Darkness before. To fight this Demoneye, one needed to first understand the properties of her dark matter, but it was easier said than done to determine these properties during the heat of battle. But now, there was no need for that. This was thanks to Sienna¡¯s intensive research on how to neutralize Iris¡¯ Demoneye. So, the patches of dark matter that the Demoneye used when creating connected pathways were destroyed without fail. And the other dark matter that the Demoneyeunched as a blunt weapon was left for the warriors engaging in closebat. Even so, the battle was far from easy. Carmen didn¡¯t have any divine power, nor did she have the Moonlight Sword. She didn¡¯t know how to use magic, and she didn¡¯t have any other weapons that she could use. Her only weapons were Heaven Genocide, the gauntlet made from Raizakia¡¯s scales, the martial arts she had been training her entire life, and the White me Form in which the Lionheart n held so much pride. But that alone seemed to be enough. Carmen poured all of her strength into fighting the Demon King. Her punches flowed without end, and the mes that erupted with each strike of her fist punched through the attacks from Iris¡¯ Demoneye and scattered her dark power. Under this flurry of blows, the Demon King¡¯s body was slowly being pushed back. The pace of the battle was different from when Iris had been fighting Eugene. Unlike those who wielded a sword or other weapons, Carmen made use of her whole body, not just her two fists. If the opponent parried her fist, a leg would immediately fly out, and if the opponent dodged her leg, then she would just strike once more with her fists. Her attacks weren¡¯t light either. It didn¡¯t matter that Carmen had no divine power because Carmen currently had the power of a Saint supporting her from behind. There were also dozens of priests coborating with the Saint. Iris bit her lip, ¡®How annoying.¡¯ There were also snipers shooting at the Demon King from the other ship. If they were just ordinary snipers, a shield of dark power would have been enough to deal with them. However, among the snipers, there were a few more powerful shots mixed in that needed to be taken seriously. Especially Sienna Merdein, that damn wizard had mixed her spells in with the snipers¡¯ shots to amplify their power, and during this barrage of sniping, she was secretly casting her own spells to target the Demon King¡¯s blind spots. ¡®How annoying,¡¯ Iris thought in irritation. Those who shouldn¡¯t even be worthy of any attention from Iris kept attacking her without fear. Now that all of the Demon King¡¯s vassals had disappeared, everyone was free to attack the Demon King. The Pdins surrounded the Demon King while shouting the names of the gods they served. The shield of dark power that Iris exploded to try and get rid of them was blocked by a barrier of concentrated divine power. ¡®How annoying.¡¯ Iris¡¯ annoyance kept rising with every moment. Why were they going so far? Weren¡¯t they at all afraid of death? The Demon King felt a serious sense of doubt. Not all of her attacks had been blocked. Since this battle had begun, dozens of people had already perished at the Demon King¡¯s hands. This was only natural. Not everyone could be as strong and as fast as Carmen. The Saint and the priests were constantly exercising their divine power, but even back when they fought three hundred years ago, people still died even under the Blessing of Light. After all, no matter how many wounds the priests healed, if someone had their head blown up or their heart pierced through, they could do nothing to save that person. ¡®So why aren¡¯t they afraid?¡¯ Iris wondered. That was the Demon King¡¯srgest source of doubt. Even though divine magic could erase fear and bolster courage, it wasn¡¯t perfect. To a certain extent, all it could do was skew existing emotions. On top of that, since the dark power of Fury was especially capable of causing people¡¯s mental states to copse, it was impossible for divine magic topletely suppress emotions such as fear in a battle like this. For example, what had happened earlier, when all of the Demon King¡¯s vassals had pulled out their own hearts and offered them up for the Demon King of Fury. That ritual had carved fear into the minds of most of the humans here. Just how sweet had the fear of thousands tasted? However, now she couldn¡¯t feel any of the same sweetness as before. Instead, various emotions that caused the Demon King to feel displeasure were rising in its ce. Emotions like bravery, trust, hope, and belief in the Light. Bam! The Demon King¡¯s head was thrown back. An arrow hadnded between her eyes and burst out of the back of her skull. The Demon King immediately pulled her head forward once again. The arrow was destroyed by dark power, but countless dots of magic clouded her vision as her sight returned. Bam bam bam bam bam! The Demon King staggered backwards. Her ability to resurrect herself kept getting slower. The dark power she had always thought of as infinite was proving not to be all that infinite after all. As the dots of magic exploded, Carmen and the other warriors dove through the explosions. This was a no man¡¯snd[1] that they were charging into. Among these warriors, there had to have been more than a few who didn¡¯t want to die here. And that was indeed the case. Quite a lot of them had never even thought about going into battle against a Demon King until just a few days ago. But now, they just couldn¡¯t help but to do so. It was just a matter of bad luck. The dark elf they hade here to subjugate had transformed into a Demon King. Most had wanted to calmly take a step back and reassess the situation, but the Hero, the Saint, and the legendary Wizard who had suddenly appeared before them insisted that this was their best chance to kill her. Most of them had been pulled into taking part in the battle out of a sense of self-consciousness. They wanted to run away; they didn¡¯t want to fight or die, but they had to ignore such desires because of a need for respect and prestige. There were also some who just found it difficult to go against the trend, who had been left with no choice but to go along with the n. Be that as it may, all of those who were currently charging at the Demon King were all of one mind. They didn¡¯t want the glory. They also didn¡¯t dare to anticipate a victory that was still out of their grasp. Their only thought was¡­ since it couldn¡¯t be helped, they just had to do it. Although they felt it would be nice if someone else could take their ce, no one else was there who would do this for them. Because it couldn¡¯t be helped, because they were already here, because a lot of people had already died, and also¡­ because if they left her like this, a lot more people would be killed by the Demon King. Their conviction and sense of justice were shallow. The base motivation for most of them was that they had no other choice. It wasn¡¯t even due to heroism. By nature, most humans weren¡¯t heroic, fair, or perfect, and that applied to most of those currently fighting against the Demon King. But even so, their actions were meaningful. But the Demon King¡¯s thoughts as she gritted teeth were different, ¡®How meaningless.¡¯ She was sick of this. These mere insects, these insignificant germs, men and women who wouldn¡¯t even be able to change anything all on their own. That¡¯s how it should have been, but ¡ª bying together in a group and throwing themselves to their deaths ¡ª they were beginning to make the Demon King dizzy. They weren¡¯t the Hero. They weren¡¯t the Saint either. So what on earth was she doing fighting these fools? The Demon King¡¯s anger was boiling over. Rage and insanity due to her self-inflicted istion transformed into murderous intent, and once this intent was poured into her Demoneyes, her desire for their deaths was soon satiated. Booooooom! In this sort of situation, it was clear who would be the first to die. Those who were weak. Those who were unlucky or who had just gotten too close. Those who were overconfident and arrogant. And then there were those who deliberately sacrificed themselves. When the Demoneye shot out a ray of light, Anise also burst into light. Kristina, who had alreadye to her senses, recited a prayer along with Anise. The dozens of priests following the Saint¡¯s lead prayed for the same miracle as Anise. However, even their divine power wasn¡¯t infinite. Anise needed to suppress the dark power, bestow her blessing onto the others, regenerate wounds at lightning speed, block several fatal attacks, and even attack the Demon King whenever she saw an opening. All of these duties slightly slowed down the formation of Anise¡¯s barrier. Rank Three of Shimuin¡¯s Twelve Finest, the Pdin Adol, was a quiet man. Since the expedition''s departure, only a few people had managed to speak with him. Even after their mission had changed from the subjugation of the Pirate Empress to the extermination of a Demon King, Adol hadn¡¯t expressed any conflicting opinions and had just silently supported the decision of the Hero and the Saint. As death approached him, Adol merely raised his shield without flinching. Instead of retreating, he moved forward with his shield held high. Adol wasn¡¯t the only one moving against the crowd. All the pdins were moving forward while holding their shields up like Adol. ¡®Ah,¡¯ Iris was taken aback. Carmen, who was still in close proximity, threw herself backward. Adol tilted his shield and his body at an angle that would keep Carmen out of danger. With wide eyes, Carmen stared at the backs of Adol and the other pdins. A ck torrent engulfed the pdins. Then, they all disappeared from the world without even getting to leave behind anyst words. Rooooar! A carefully constructed barrier blocked the tidal wave of dark power. A spear of magic shot out from behind the barrier impaled the Demon King¡¯s body, splitting the torrent of dark power into two, from head to toe. But the Laversia was also split into two. The dark red seas below began to churn as they swallowed the ship. Sienna and Kristina panted for breath as they quickly did what was necessary. Everyone on board the sinking Laversia was pulled up into the air. ¡°Haha¡­ hahahaha!¡± Iris suddenlyughed. Some of her unpleasant emotions had been relieved. That¡¯s right. Since she didn¡¯t want them to waste any more of her time on them, she should just kill them and let them know their own ce. That was the easiest solution for the Demon King. Here and now, not a single one of the Demon King¡¯s vassals still remained. However, at this moment, the Demon King didn¡¯t feel any loneliness. Recalling what she had seen in the abyss sealed beneath this turbulent sea, Iris remembered the previous Demon King of Fury. His support of her hadn¡¯t disappeared after his death; even now, she could feel him supporting her from behind. To repay his support, what she needed to do was to tear everyone here into pieces with her bare hands. The Demon King did not fly over from the sinking ship. Instead of righting herself and getting her bnce back, Irisid herself down in a position close to the sea. Her head tilted slightly as if Iris was looking at something other than the sky above. The brightest light within her devildom, a sphemous, ominous, and terrifying light. Her Demoneye did not emit any light in response but instead began to infuse the darkness thaty below. * * * There were many reasons why Sienna, Kristina, and Anise didn¡¯t go looking for Iris. With the Demon King of Fury descending upon the Laversia, if either Sienna or the two Saints were to be absent, the fragile bnce here would immediately copse. It was true that the Demon King had been weakened from the earlier battle, but that didn¡¯t mean she was now powerless. As a rule, wild beasts were at their most dangerous when they were injured. When someone¡¯s death drew near, they would have no choice but to desperately struggle for survival, and that applied to the Demon King as well. Eugene was currently unable to lift even a finger. Of course, if he had been in a truly perilous situation where he was thrown into the sea, then at the very least, either Sienna or the Saints would have prioritized rushing back and saving Eugene. But fortunately, Eugene wasn¡¯t in that much danger, as he hadn¡¯t fallen into the sea. This was because Sienna and the Saints hadn¡¯t been the only ones tracking where Incarceration¡¯s chains had chosen to throw Eugene. There was still Ciel Lionheart. Instead of being stationed on the Laversia or the Formeri, she had stayed with the reserve fleet. Although the battle at the front was important, that didn¡¯t mean the battle in the rear could simply be ignored. As a result, several elites, including Ortus, had been stationed with the reserve fleet, and Ciel had been one of those. Naturally, Ciel hadn¡¯t been satisfied with her current position. After all, with her skills, she would have been strong enough to battle the dark elves on either the Laversia or the Formeri. But now, she thought she was lucky to have been ced in that position. The huge, disgusting pirate ships and the monsters that had leaped off those ships with a bestial roar had all turned into ashes and disappeared. So now, there was nothing that could stop Ciel. With white mes fluttering around Ciel like a mane, she leaped from ship to ship. Her two eyes weren¡¯t turned to the battle at the front, but they were fixed on where Eugene was falling. ¡®He¡¯s fine. He has to be,¡¯ Ciel kept repeating to herself. She realized that it was all for the sake of this moment that she had endured such harsh training. Her body was as light as a feather and as free as the wind, allowing her to move exactly as she wanted to. Leaping up from the deck of the closest ship, Ciel¡¯s hands reached out to catch the falling Eugene. Fortunately, nothing happened to whisk him away from her fingers. Ciel¡¯s hands grabbed onto Eugene, and she then pulled in her outstretched hands to hug Eugene close. This moment¡­ felt extremely precious and tranquil to Ciel. In fact, Ciel¡¯s ears currently weren¡¯t registering any sounds. Although she would be embarrassed to admit this, she even thought it might be better if time could just stop at this moment. Of course, something like a time stop didn¡¯t ur. Ciel fell down, still hugging Eugene tightly. To prevent any shock from being transmitted to Eugene when theynded, she began to reduce her speed while still in mid-air. After her initial celebration, concerns arose, ¡®He¡¯s too quiet.¡¯ Even if Eugene had lost consciousness, it was strange for Mer and Raimira, who were inside his cloak, to stay this quiet as well. Since Eugene had been ced in such a situation, those two should have been the first to emerge from the cloak and take care of Eugene. Ciel¡¯s expression hardened as she reached her hands into the Cloak of Darkness. Inside that endless and yawning space, Ciel moved her hands this way and that, but she wasn¡¯t able to catch hold of anything. If they were alright, Mer or Raimira should have reached out to grab her hand, but¡­ had the two of them also lost consciousness? For now, Ciel had no way to confirm this. As Cielnded, voices could be heard muttering, ¡°Sir Hero¡­.¡± The crew members of this ship who had survived the battle had gathered around Ciel and Eugene. The fleet doctors had all been stationed on the evacuation ship¡­ should she head there? Or would it be better to head to the front and seek the help of the priests? No, before that, the first thing she needed to do was to check Eugene¡¯s current status right away. If it was just first aid, Ciel could at least do that much. ¡°What is¡­ this?¡± Ciel, who had been examining Eugene, unconsciously muttered. She was surprised because she had noticed how Eugene¡¯s left hand was stuck to the hilt of the Moonlight Sword. Eugene had always hidden the truth about the Moonlight Sword. Even when he had used it against Eward at the ck Lion Castle, he had only pulled out the Moonlight Sword when everyone who had been captured to be used as sacrifices had already fainted. He only ever pulled out the Moonlight Sword when he absolutely needed to kill someone, and in fact, in most battles, Eugene had never been pushed hard enough into a corner to rely on the Moonlight Sword. As a result, Ciel didn¡¯t know much about the Moonlight Sword. There might be all sorts of weapons in the Lionheart n¡¯s treasure vault, but she had never once seen a sword that could emit such an ominous light. However, she at least knew this much ¡ª though rather than an understanding, this was more like an intuition ¡ª this sword, which had half of its pieces missing, was extremely dangerous. It was true that the ominous light emitted by this sword had managed to drive the Demon King into a corner, but this ominous and frightening light wasn¡¯t only dangerous to the Demon King, it had also endangered Eugene. The reason Eugene was currently unconscious had something to do with this sword. Ciel stretched her hand out towards the sword with a stiff expression. But what on earth was she supposed to do? His fingers were not only embedded within the crushed hilt but his fingers and the hilt were literally fused together. Should she forcefully tear his fingers away one by one? Or else should she just boldly amputate him at the wrist? She heard that a Saint with a stigmata was even able to restore severed limbs by reattaching them, but¡­ she didn¡¯t know for sure whether such a thing was possible or not. Ciel thought to herself, ¡®If nothing works, then I¡¯ll have to slice off his wrist, but first¡­.¡¯ That sort of solution should only be chosen in the event of a worst-case scenario. After taking a deep breath, Ciel grabbed both Eugene¡¯s hand and the Moonlight Sword. Since three hundred years ago, there had been an established fact that not just anyone could hold the Moonlight Sword. Even the strongest of that era, like Hamel and Molon, couldn¡¯t resist the ominous lunacy that the Moonlight Sword transmitted to its wielder. Just like the word lunacy implied, holding the sword could drive you mad. The moment one held the sword in one¡¯s hand, it felt like one''s mind was being transformed into something else. No matter how strong one¡¯s mental fortitude was, it was impossible to resist the lunacy of the Moonlight Sword. But Vermouth had not only been able to hold the Moonlight Sword, he had even swung it in battle. The same went for Eugene. The qualification required to hold the Moonlight Sword wasn¡¯t mental fortitude but a certain special trait. This special traity in the blood of Vermouth, the Lionheart n¡¯s blood. And that blood also flowed in Ciel. Ciel¡¯s body trembled. Due to her special blood, Ciel¡¯s mind wasn¡¯t driven insane by the Moonlight Sword¡¯s lunacy. However, that didn¡¯t mean there wasn¡¯t any other effect. The moment she held the Moonlight Sword, her mind was carried away to somewhere that wasn¡¯t a piece of this reality. The lunacy currently eroding away at Eugene had dragged Ciel along as well. ¡®N-no,¡¯ Ciel resisted. Fortunately, Ciel wasn¡¯tpletely swept away, and her consciousness reemerged in the void left after the world was destroyed and all things had copsed. This was dangerous. If she wasn¡¯t careful, she might get swept awaypletely and lose all sense of self. Despite repeated warnings from her intuition, Ciel did not let go of the Moonlight Sword. This was because Ciel was more worried about the immediate danger that Eugene might be in rather than the danger to herself if she continued to hold the sword like this. She needed to get closer. She needed to go deeper. Her consciousness sank down into the center of the void. In here, she couldn¡¯t hear anything. She was clearly looking around with her own eyes, and her consciousness had fully entered this void, but that still didn¡¯t give her any sense of stability. The only thing she could be sure of in this ce was that she must not let go of the sword''s hilt. Also¡ª ¡°You need to go.¡± ¡ªshe could vaguely see something. The thing that Ciel most desired to see in this ce. It was Eugene. He was sitting there lifelessly, still caught in the images shown to him by the Moonlight Sword. Ciel¡¯s consciousness reached Eugene. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t have happened,¡± a voice came from out of nowhere. Ciel couldn¡¯t tell who the voice belonged to. The voice continued, ¡°The sword wasn¡¯t part of my n.¡± Fwoooooosh! The void faded away. The voice also had nothing more to say. ¡°Gasp!¡± Ciel let out the breath she had been holding and sank down. At some point, her hand had fallen away from the Moonlight Sword, but her other hand was holding on tightly to Eugene¡¯s wrist. Gasping for breath, Ciel¡¯s eyes ran over Eugene. Fortunately, Eugene¡¯s hands and the hilt of the sword, which had been fused together, were now separated. ¡°Eugene!¡± Ciel frantically called out as she shook Eugene by the shoulders. After shaking him a few times, Eugene¡¯s eyshes fluttered. ¡°Ah¡­,¡± Eugene groaned as his eyes slowly opened. His head was cloudy, and he had a pounding headache. His body also felt weak. Did he end up using too much of his magical reserves when the Moonlight Sword ran wild? Or perhaps¡­ his current state was because of what he had seen when his consciousness was dragged out of his body? ¡°Ciel¡­?¡± Eugene called out Ciel¡¯s name hoarsely. Vague memories slowly began to reconnect, filling in the situation. He had been in a world filled with nothingness. Within the center of that void left by destruction, he had seen someone¡¯s figure. And at the end¡­ he had heard a voice. ¡°Did you¡­ pull me out of there?¡± Eugene asked doubtfully. Ciel wanted to say, ¡®That¡¯s right,¡¯ with a smile. However, she couldn¡¯t do that. That was because it had actually been that voice they had heard at the end¡­ who had pushed Eugene and Ciel out of that space while remaining there all on their own. Ciel wavered, ¡°I¡­.¡± Ciel had dived deep into that void to find Eugene. However, some other force had been responsible for pushing both Eugene and Ciel back out of there. After some hesitation, Ciel finally shook her head, ¡°I didn¡¯t¡­.¡± ¡­do anything, is what she was trying to say, but suddenly there was a loud sound. The sea shook, and Ciel felt a shock run through her. Was it a signal from her own intuition like she had felt earlier? Or perhaps it was a warning etched into the blood that flowed through her veins? She couldn¡¯t tell which it was, but the threat was clear. Ciel quickly made her choice. Her hand shot out and pushed Eugene to the side, but it wasn¡¯t enough. She needed to take the hit for him. She had no other choice. She couldn¡¯t say for sure whether all lives were truly equal, but whether it was here on this battlefield ¡ª or in the future toe¡­ ¡®...your life is much more valuable than mine,¡¯ Ciel thought as she fell forward. Her vision in her left eye turned red and then darkened. The sound of a pop rang inside her head. 1. The original text uses a particr word to describe this situation. The word trantes directly into a deadnd or a ce where people are almost certain to die. The phrase ¡®no man¡¯snd¡¯ was used in WW1 to describe the unupied space between two opposing trenches that was almost certain death to cross. ? Chapter 374: The Demon King of Fury (8) It had happened right in front of him. Eugene¡¯s dazed eyes snapped wide open. His body, which had been pushed backward, leaned forward once more. A blob of darkness had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, transforming into a sharp spike that had thrust itself into Ciel¡¯s left eye. ¡°Ciel,¡± Eugene unconsciously called out Ciel¡¯s name. Then, he quickly stretched out his hand. Fsssssh! The spike impaled in her eye dissolved into ashes and disappeared. Eugene quickly pulled Ciel closer to examine her. Fortunately, the wound was shallow. The surprise attack had been made using the power of Iris¡¯s Demoneye. She must have been aiming for his head. However, the attack had ended up being much shallower than the Demon King had intended. The sneak attack hadn¡¯t had that much power behind it, so it had been turned into a spike that concentrated all of its power into one point. Her intent must have been to destroy not only the eyeball but also his brain; thankfully, that also hadn¡¯t gone the way the Demon King had nned. He didn¡¯t know the reason for this. What might have caused the Demon King¡¯s attack to be too shallow was a mystery. But Eugene wasn¡¯t curious about the answer to that question. Instead, Eugene hurriedly inspected Ciel¡¯s wound. Ever since they had first met, Ciel had always possessed the characteristic golden eyes of the Lionheart n. But now, one of those eyes could no longer be seen. Eugene started trembling. Searching through his cloak, he pulled out different types of potions. The holy water he had gotten from Kristina and Anise and an elixir that was precious even by Lionheart n standards. Not knowing what to say, Eugene remained silent. Chewing hard on his bottom lip, Eugenepletely emptied the holy water and the elixir into her now empty left eye socket. While doing so, he also checked Ciel¡¯s pulse. She was alive. Although it was faint, Ciel¡¯s pulse was still beating. This fact relieved Eugene. Despite wanting to, Eugene didn¡¯t ask, ¡®Why wasn¡¯t it me?¡¯ There was no need to ask; it was clear why Ciel had done what she did. Just now, Eugene hadn¡¯t been in a fit enough state to appropriately respond to such an attack. That was still the case even now. The out-of-control Moonlight Sword had consumed too much of Eugene¡¯s mana. While running wild, it had even managed to affect Mer and Raimira, who had been hidden inside his cloak. Eugene was usually able to use his mana with such reckless consumption because of the exceptional mana control that he had inherited from his previous life, not just his vast reserves. Hisrge reserves weren¡¯t just due to the particrities of how he had developed the White me Form either. He also had Mer to thank for that, as she assisted him in using his mana more efficiently, and he could also draw on the mana from Akasha and Raimira¡¯s Dragonhearts. Both Mer and Raiira had lost consciousness during the Moonlight Sword¡¯s rampage. Then, while swinging the Moonlight Sword in a state of near-death, Eugene had not only consumed all of his mana but had also suffered damage to his Stars. Remaining silent, Eugene hugged Ciel tightly. Although there might not be much point in saying anything to her, as she was currently unconscious, Eugene still quietly whispered into Ciel¡¯s ear, ¡°Thank you.¡± His voice was filled with utmost sincerity. Carrying Ciel in his arms, Eugene stood up. Turning his head to look across Ciel, he saw Dezra standing in shock. ¡°Ldy Ciel,¡± Dezra stammered, covered in blood. The blood didn¡¯t belong to her. It had spattered on her during her previous battles. Without even wiping the blood off of her cheeks, Dezra began sobbing. Eugene silently walked over to Dezra. ¡°Ldy Ciel, she¡¯s okay, right?¡± Dezra pleaded. But Eugene couldn¡¯t answer her stuttering question. Ciel¡¯s left eye¡­ had been lost. Fortunately, she hadn¡¯t died, and apart from losing her eye, she didn¡¯t have any other injuries. However, they couldn¡¯t rx just yet. Although Eugene had used holy water and an elixir to provide first aid, she still needed the miracle of a high-ranking priest to cleanly heal her wound of any demonic taint. Luckily, there happened to be a Saint on this battlefield. As such, everything would be fine. Though Kristina¡¯s holy magic still wasn¡¯t on the same level as Anise¡¯s, if not now¡­ then someday, they would definitely be able to regenerate her eye, that¡¯s right, someday. Grk. Eugene fiercely gritted his mrs. Dezra¡¯s shoulders shook even as she took over carrying Ciel. ¡°A-are you¡­ alright?¡± Dezra asked in a fearful tone. Although she had seen Eugene getting angry several times before, the expression he was showing now was¡­. No, was that really an expression of anger? Dezra couldn¡¯tpletely grasp what kind of emotions Eugene must currently be feeling, but she felt that it wasn¡¯t just a simple mix of killing intent and rage. ¡°No, I¡¯m not alright,¡± Eugene tightly admitted. It wasn¡¯t rage, hatred, or murderous intent. What Eugene was currently feeling was extreme and heavy self-loathing. How the hell had things ended up like this? Although he had been prepared for the struggle that would naturallye with facing the Demon King, things had ended up like this not because the Demon King had been too strong for him. ¡°I am a fool,¡± muttered Eugene. It was because he hadn¡¯t been able to properly control the Moonlight Sword. His mind had almost been swept away by the Moonlight Sword¡¯s rampage, and though he had barely managed to hold on to his senses, he had still been unable to properly control his body. ¡°A foolish bastard,¡± Eugene cursed. The more he thought about it, the more self-hatred he felt. While grinding his teeth, Eugene red down at the Moonlight Sword, where it had fallen onto the floor. He had already been well aware of how dangerous the Moonlight Sword was since long ago. However¡­ he had never once thought that its danger would manifest like this. After finally taking a deep breath, Eugene picked up the Moonlight Sword. Unlike before, the Moonlight Sword didn¡¯t emit any light as he held it in his hand. Though, if he did pour in some of his mana, it probably would begin to emit light. However, Eugene got the feeling that¡­ he shouldn¡¯t try to do so. In his current state, if he got caught up in the Moonlight Sword¡¯s rampage once more, it felt like something irreversible might happen. So Eugene just gritted his teeth tightly and stuck the Moonlight Sword inside his cloak. ¡°Get to the rear,¡± Eugene barked as he began walking forward. His Cores were throbbing, but the White me Form still shifted, and the Seven Stars began to move ording to Eugene¡¯s will. Vroooom! Although the drain of his main mana reserves had been huge, Akasha still had mana that he could draw from. [Ugh¡­.] Raimira and Mer were alsoing to their senses. There was no need for Eugene to say anything to exin the situation to them. Both of them were able to feel what Eugene was feeling. As Raimira added her mana to his, the flow of his White me Form became even more intense. At the front, the battle was still going on. Inside a pulsing cloud of dark power, the light from bursts of divine power and magic exploded one after another. The Holy Sword, which had been stifled by the Moonlight Sword, resumed shining once more. Eugene¡¯s left hand moved towards his chest. ck mes erupted into the air. * * * It was a good thing that she hade out to sea. Scalia sincerely felt this way. She wouldn¡¯t be able to run as wild on Shedor Ind as she was now. Late at night, when she couldn¡¯t control her impulses, she had been forced to wear an inside-out robe and sneak out into the streets. Even though she had already given in to satisfying her murderous desires, she couldn¡¯t just kill anyone. Fortunately, Scalia still had some form of restraint left to her madness. This was due to the remaining influence of her innate nature and the morals she had been taught. She couldn¡¯t just kill innocents. She had to kill those who hadmitted a crime. Of course, she still couldn¡¯t just kill any old sinner. Even when indulging in her impulses and hobbies, she could still differentiate between right and wrong, so she carefully selected her viins before sentencing them to death. However, there was no need to make such distinctions in a sea like this. She could just kill whoever was attacking her. And happily for her, it wasn¡¯t just monsters who were attacking Scalia. Stationed where she was in the rear, the light of the divine power gathered in the front was faint, and the sky that had been caught within Iris¡¯ devildom was shadowed and dark, so their battle against the hideous monsters who had once been as human as they were was enough to drive the faint-hearted insane. The madmen born from this swung their swords at anyone nearby without distinguishing between friend and foe or leaped into the sea and to their deaths. So even though all of the monsters had now ripped their hearts out and died, the battle continued nheless. Because there had been a lot of people who had gone insane at the sight of the Demon King of Fury or from the spread of her dark power. ¡®Ah, how nice,¡¯ Scalia thought to herself. Pointing your sword at the royal family was a serious sin in and of itself. So, there was no problem with her killing those who had done so. Scalia took great pleasure from this fact. Swinging her sword, seeing someone bleed, the death that followed this bloodshed, and going on to kill someone else, all of this filled her with joy. Suddenly, Scalia came to a realization. She should kill her brother in the midst of this confusion. Ever since she was young, she had never had a good rtionship with her older brother, Jafar Animus. Like most of her half-siblings, Prince Jafar had despised Scalia, whose mother was just a low-ranking concubine. This hadn¡¯t stopped once they had both grown older. Even after Scalia had be an adult, Prince Jafar would still gossip about Scalia at noble parties and other events. Even though Jafar himself had never killed anyone with a sword in his life, that was still the case even now. Prince Jafar was such a coward that he had hidden himself in the evacuation ship from the very beginning of the battle. ¡®Let¡¯s find him and kill him,¡¯ Scalia decided. ¡®After all, I¡¯ve wanted to kill him for a long time now.¡¯ The current battlefield was filled with confusion. As long as there were no witnesses, she should be able to quietly bury Jafar¡¯s death. But witnesses, hm, witnesses¡­. Without halting her steps, Scalia focused on what was behind her. While maintaining his distance, Dior was still trailing after her. Scalia clicked her tongue. ¡®How annoying,¡¯ she thought in disappointment. It was a fact that Dior was her aide. However, Dior wasn¡¯t actually loyal enough to devote himself to protecting Scalia, even on this hectic battlefield. To a certain extent, the reason Dior was currently following Scalia was just to keep an eye on her. ¡®Sullen bastard,¡¯ Scalia cursed. ¡®I can¡¯t tell what his real intentions are for just continuing to observe without reporting anything to Lord Ortus¡­.¡¯ Should she just kill Dior as well? Havinge up with this idea, Scalia was clear on what she should do. There was no need for her to even ponder the question further. Before making her way to the evacuation ship, she needed to kill Dior and throw him into the sea. She could continue heading to the evacuation ship after that. The moment she came to this decision, Scalia¡¯s body suddenly froze to a halt. Her head jerked up to look into the distant sky. Dior approached Scalia to question her with a suspicious expression, ¡°Your Highness?¡± He had been wondering where she was heading, swinging her sword andughing like a crazy bitch, but now¡­ he couldn¡¯t figure out why she was just standing there nkly. ¡°Is there some kind of problem?¡± Dior asked as he slowly drew closer to Scalia. However, Scalia didn¡¯t respond to his calls and kept staring at the sky in the distance. Dior tilted his head to look up at the spot in the sky that Scalia was staring at. Against the thick darkness, he saw something like¡­ chains wrapping around Eugene Lionheart. ¡°Chains¡­?¡± Dior muttered. ¡°Be quiet,¡± Scalia hissed. Her eyes snapped towards Dior. For a moment, Dior lost consciousness. He stood there with a nk look in his eyes before suddenly spinning around. ¡°Your Highness, just where on earth are you going?¡± Dior questioned as he headed off, chasing an illusion different from reality. After sending the troublesome human away, Scalia ¡ª no ¡ª Noir Giabe turned back to look up into the sky. In Lehainjar, Noir¡¯s consciousness had once descended to possess Scalia¡¯s body. The incubus she had used as a catalyst back then had died in front of Eugene and Kristina¡¯s eyes, but Night Demons could be found nearly everywhere in this world. Scalia had an unstable mind and suffered from nightmares. While noticing how Scalia was repressing her internal impulses, Noir had given her a push on the back so that Scalia would begin to act on her impulses during her bouts of sleepwalking and begin to develop those impulses into a sadistic hobby. That was how Noir had slowly cultivated a connection between them. The princess of Shimuin¡­ Noir thought that hers would be a great identity to y around with, and it could also be used to keep an eye on the fleeing Iris¡¯ actions. Noir thought to herself as she looked with narrowed eyes up into the sky, ¡®I didn¡¯t intend to intervene, but¡­.¡¯ Although it was surprising that a dark elf like her would be a Demon King, that didn¡¯t mean Noir had any intention of getting involved in this battle to subjugate Iris ¡ª no ¡ª the Demon King of Fury. In the first ce, her real body wasn¡¯t here out at sea but back at Giabe Park in Helmuth. Just likest time, she had used one of the Night Demons, who served her as a catalyst to descend in the form of her consciousness. To think that she would find a newborn Demon King of Fury here. Noir was undoubtedly interested in learning more, but this wasn¡¯t a situation where she could directly intervene, nor did she have the strength to do so. If the Demon King of Fury managed to win this battle, then¡­ they would surely end up shing someday, but Noir had decided that now wasn¡¯t the time for the said sh. Apart from that, Noir trusted Hamel. If it was her dear Hamel, he should be able to y the Demon King of Fury. Otherwise, he wouldn¡¯t be qualified to challenge Noir, let alone the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®Speaking of the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ what on earth could he be thinking?¡¯ Noir wondered. She closely examined the flow of the battle. If the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t intervened, the Demon King of Fury would have already been defeated. Could it be that he didn¡¯t want the Demon King of Fury to die? Noir decided, ¡®No¡­ that¡¯s not it. Demon King of Incarceration, could it be that you want to test dear Hamel? Is that it? Is this whole battle one big test for Hamel?¡¯ Even if she thought about it that way, she still couldn¡¯t be sure that that was what the Demon King of Incarceration intended. Although she didn¡¯t really think that it was possible, but if the Demon King of Incarceration intended to join forces with the Demon King of Fury to kill Hamel¡­. There might not be much that she could do with this body, but Noir still intended to do the best that she could to help Hamel escape. Because she felt that it would be too unfair for the Demon King of Incarceration, who had already dered that he would wait in Babel for Hamel, to directly intervene in this battle in such a manner. However, it didn¡¯t seem like there would be any need for that. In that case, what should she do? Since she had already descended to possess Scalia, should she at least greet him once the battle was over before returning? Of course, she didn¡¯t know what the oue of this battle might be. Perhaps, just perhaps, the Demon King might actually win. In that case, then¡­. fine, just for the sake of that possibility, she would stick around. ¡®If dear Hamel does die, I can at least shed some tears for him,¡¯ Noir decided. Although it would be unfortunate if Hamel were to be defeated and in in this battle by the Demon King of Fury, if that was the case, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. After all, wasn¡¯t it just his fate if he were to die from being too weak? However, if he were to win¡­. While imagining that scenario, Noir smiled brightly. What kind of congrattions should shee over to say to him at that time? ¡°Oh my,¡± Noir gasped, her ruminations interrupted. She watched as the power of Iris¡¯ Demoneye impaled Ciel¡¯s left eye. Ciel Lionheart, the young girl from the Lionheart n that Noir had met in the snowfield. Wouldn¡¯t that mean she was a precious member of Hamel¡¯s family? Noir narrowed her eyes thoughtfully as she began walking over. ¡®She¡¯s still alive. The attack from the Demoneye was too shallow. She¡¯s lucky. If help had been dyed even slightly, her whole head might have disappeared,¡¯ Noir judged. Ciel¡¯s survival was all thanks to the bted intervention of Sienna and Anise, who were still fighting at the front. The power of Iris¡¯ Demoneye was usually able to manifest without any warning. Noir had also been hit by that dark attack more than once. Noir hummed thoughtfully, ¡®Her life may have been saved, but¡­ how unfortunate, it looks like she¡¯s lost her left eye?¡¯ First aid had already been administered using holy water and an elixir. Eugene might be the master of the Holy Sword, but he wasn¡¯t able to use holy magic. As such, that was all the treatment that could be done for now. Since they couldn¡¯t send the Saint to the rear when she was in the middle of battling the Demon King, Eugene must want to defeat the Demon King as soon as possible. ¡°Come here,¡± Noir instructed, skillfully changing to a suitable expression as she approached Dezra. Princess Scalia had a bottle of the royal family¡¯s Panacea hidden in a pocket. The Panacea had been left by the sea dragon that had protected Shimuin until a few hundred years ago, and in terms of its healing power, it was superior to any holy water or elixir. It was still impossible for it to regenerate a missing body part like a Saint¡¯s miracle could, but¡­. ¡®If he hears that I went this far for him, will I be able to receive some thanks from Hamel?¡¯ Noir swallowed augh as she imagined it. It might not have much of an effect, but wasn¡¯t this a great way to show her care for him? It might be a rare curative, of which only a few bottles remained in the royal family¡¯s possession, but it wasn¡¯t like it truly belonged to Noir herself, so she didn¡¯t feel reluctant to use it. ¡°We happen to be in possession of the royal family¡¯s Panacea. It might already be toote, but¡­ for the sake of the Lionheart n, We shall use the Panacea on her,¡± Noir said as she plucked Ciel from Dezra¡¯s arms. The Panacea taken out from inside of her Exid was in the form of powdered medicine stored in a bag that was only the size of a fingernail. Taking a quick look, Noir discovered that the medicine had been made by mixing various ingredients with the horn of a blue dragon. With a solemn expression befitting that of the princess, Noir looked down at Ciel¡¯s left eye, or rather, her sunken eye socket. From now on, Ciel would be forced to use either a prosthetic eye or an eye patch. ¡®You poor thing,¡¯ Noir thought sympathetically. A light blue powder was sprinkled down onto Ciel. * * * There was no shouting. Because there weren''t any openings to do so. Since she couldn¡¯t let out a roar, Carmen poured all of the emotions that were floating around in her chest into her fists. Carmen had been teaching Ciel for the past few years. She had taught Ciel everything that she could aboutbat. However, Carmen had never taught her about the despair of losing one of her eyes. ¡°You¡­!¡± Carmen growled the word as some of her emotions leaked out. She couldn¡¯t afford to let out any tears of rage or sadness either. Because the moment that such tears welled up, her vision would be blurred. Carmen twisted her back. Mana burst out from the Dragonheart embedded within the chest of her Exid. ¡°You!¡± Carmen roared as she spun around and threw her fist at Iris. The mes covering her body flowed into her fist and exploded right in front of the Demon King¡¯s eyes. Rooooar! mes mixed with Iris¡¯ dark power. The Demon King leaped backward from the resulting chain of explosions. Carmen let out another shout, ¡°Ortus!¡± Usually, Carmen would always add a ¡®lord¡¯ when calling out to Ortus, but she couldn¡¯t pay any attention to that sort of thing right now. Ortus also didn¡¯t feel offended by the abrupt way she had called him. He had only joined the fight against the Demon King a few minutes ago. Since the battle in the rear had finished, he had hurried forward to join them, but¡­ he was honestly finding it difficult to follow the flow of the battle. ¡°Yes¡­!¡± Ortus responded, unconsciously trembling in surprise as he swung his sword. Something wasing, but it didn¡¯t seem like something of the Demon King¡¯s doing. From behind them, something was approaching quickly. But from behind¡­? No, it wasn¡¯t behind them any longer. It was right in front of them. Booom! Like aet, it came flying in while trailing a long tail. Before anyone had even registered it, theet arrived at the center of the battle and sent the Demon King, who had been standing there, flying. ¡°You fucking bitch,¡± the lion growled from within his pitch-ck mane. Chapter 375: The Demon King of Fury (9) Eugene¡¯s Seven Stars were swirling. In the midst of their increasingly violent rotation, the Stars appeared to be copsing into each other as the distinction between each Star grew blurred. However, this phenomenon wasn¡¯t causing any pain to Eugene. His mana was still flowing ording to his will, so the torrent of mana that was being generated by his Stars didn¡¯t deviate from Eugene¡¯s control in the slightest. Even though Eugene was almost bursting from containing such force, his body didn¡¯t seem to have any issues handling it. Agaroth¡¯s Ring, worn on the ring finger of Eugene¡¯s left hand, radiated a dark red light. But the ring¡¯s power had yet to have been activated. This light was the glow of divine power. For some reason, the trace of divine power remaining in Agaroth¡¯s Ring was responding to Eugene¡¯s will. Cracracrack¡­! A shattering sound was heard from somewhere deep within the Demon King¡¯s body, but it wasn¡¯t Iris¡¯ physical body that was shattering. The sound was generated because too much of the enormous mass of dark power that made up the very existence of a Demon King had been consumed. It was also partly due to the fact that the attack she had just been struck with was an extremely heavy blow. Baaaaang! In contrast to the huge explosion of noise, the Demon King didn¡¯t fly all that far. She only stumbled backward a few steps at the very most, and the injury didn¡¯t look veryrge. Following the trajectory of the Holy Sword¡¯s swing, there was now a solid diagonal line that started at Iris¡¯ right shoulder and ended at her left waist. That was the only visible wound left on the Demon King¡¯s body. Cough. But the Demon King¡¯s face twisted as she choked. ck blood poured out from her unconsciously parted lips. She had already taken a few steps back to mitigate the force, but that hadn¡¯t been enough. The Demon King staggered one more step backward as she ced one hand on the thick line that had been carved across her body. Fwoosh! At that moment, blood spurted from the wound. That sh had truly been a heavy blow, and a serious one at that. It had also struck deep. Eugene Lionheart¡¯s sh had gone beyond slicing apart the Demon King¡¯s body and had managed to reach the very core of her being. He had managed tond such a heavy blow with just one strike, but Eugene was already swinging his sword once more. And after that, there woulde a few more times, as there was no way his attack would just end there. Eugene had activated Ignition. Now that he was using Ignition, he definitely had to kill the Demon King. Because once his Cores¡¯ overclocking ended, he wouldn¡¯t be left in any state to fight. ¡°Cough!¡± The Demon King spat out even more blood as the arm that she had desperately lifted to defend herself was sliced off by Eugene¡¯s de. The ck mes that spread from that sh swept over the wound and began to gnaw at Iris¡¯ very existence. Letting out a scream, the Demon King stumbled backward. Eugene seemed different. That was the thought that was on everyone¡¯s mind. While trying to suppress a headache that felt like her skull was splitting open, Anise shook off a lingering thought. Meanwhile, Kristina licked her bloody lips and recited a prayer on trembling legs. Fooosh! Eugene¡¯s body was strengthened by a miracle and a blessing, and the Saint¡¯s Light was projected into the already shining Holy Sword. ¡®He¡¯s used Ignition,¡¯ Sienna thought as she clutched at her chest and gasped for breath. Sienna suddenly heard a voice inside her head, [Lady Sienna.] It was Maise, who was on the ship behind them. Faithfully heeding Sienna¡¯s warning, he had been keeping his distance. Reactivating her now-rickety Eternal Hole, Sienna barked out, ¡°Give it to me.¡± Maise passed on this order. Grrrrrrr! Mana from Maise and the other wizards began pouring into Sienna. This mana crackled like lightning over her waving staff as pure white mist began gathering at a single point. Sienna bit her lip, ¡®Now that he¡¯s used Ignition, there¡¯s no going back.¡¯ Cracracracrack! Dozens of lights shot toward Eugene and began to follow his movements. Unlike the light of the Moonlight Sword, the light currently covering Eugene didn¡¯t reject Sienna¡¯s magic. Instead, the wings of Prominence on his back burned even more fiercely the moment the magic attached itself to him. Sienna had linked her magic to Eugene¡¯s movements. As if having memorized his every motion, the magic flowed along with the timing of Eugene¡¯s attacks, dissipating the Demon King¡¯s dark power and injuring the Demon King¡¯s body. Nearby was Ortus Hyman. He had never once thought of himself as particrly just or moral or a person of such integrity that no dirt could be found on him, no matter how one might look. Instead, in his own opinion, he believed himself to be a very ordinary person. Of course, this wasn¡¯t referring to his talent in the martial arts. It was referring to Ortus Hyman¡¯s innate nature as a man. If he saw others finding a way to make a profit, he, too, would want a share of that profit. He didn¡¯t mind taking advantage of his special privileges to do so. Even if it required ying some tricks that couldn¡¯t be said to truly be honest, he would still be willing to partake in such foul y as long as it wasn¡¯t too severe. However, he never wanted to be the first person to try and do such a thing. Having always taken care to be extra cautious, he had never been tempted to be the second, third, or even the fourth either. This was because he didn¡¯t want to take responsibility if they ever got caught in the act. Ortus was just such a person. He wasn¡¯t the type to stand firm in the face of scolding. If possible, he always preferred to slyly step back and use other people as cover. He hated the thought of being cowardly and running away on his own. But he was still willing to do so if it couldn¡¯t be helped and if everyone else was doing it. As Ortus got older, with the wisdom he had umted over the years, he still believed that the best course of action was to keep your head low and avoid standing out. But ironically, Ortus¡¯ life didn¡¯t end up going that way. Ortus had found himself in a position where few others in this entire country were held in as much regard as he was. As a result, he often got caught up in things that were beyond his natural ability to handle, and this subjugation expedition was no different. Ortus didn¡¯t think of himself as a hero, nor did he believe that he deserved the opportunity to be one. When the goal of the expedition had changed from subjugating a Pirate Empress to subjugating a Demon King, the reason that Ortus had agreed to move forward after finishing his own deliberations wasn¡¯t that he held unquestionable faith in their sess. It was because he didn¡¯t want to take responsibility for the aftermath of not doing so. And with the Hero, the Saint, and an Archwizard with them, he felt like they could win. So Ortus decided to keep his head low and quietly allow himself to get carried away by their air of purpose and determination so that afterward, he could still brag about it if everything ended up going well. However, now¡­. ¡®How strange,¡¯ Ortus thought to himself. Now, there was no reason for him to step forward. Eugene Lionheart had been the protagonist of this battle from the very beginning. While Eugene was away from the battlefield, Ortus had to risk his life and stand in the way of the Demon King, but now that Eugene had returned, there was no need for Ortus to continue doing so. However, contrary to such thoughts, Ortus¡¯ body was moving forward. Even though there shouldn¡¯t be any need for him to do so, he still stepped forward to block the Demon King from one side while swinging his sword. Was it because they needed to win at all costs? Yes, that was certainly important. However¡­ aside from that, Ortus also had the feeling that this was just what he needed to do. Ortus gave in, ¡®Fine then.¡¯ Although the core of her existence had been threatened, the Demon King¡¯s dark power remained a vicious threat. Even as her dark power was being blocked by the Holy Sword and Sienna¡¯s magic was destroying her body, murderous intent still shone in the Demon King¡¯s eyes. ¡®To think that I also had this side to me,¡¯ Ortus thought wryly. The instincts that he had trained over his long career made him extend his sword. aaang! The heavy weight of the sudden blow flung his body backward, but Ortus¡¯ lips twitched into a strained smile. The power of Iris¡¯ Demoneye had manifested without any sign and had targeted the priests who were supporting the Saint. However, thanks to Ortus, the Demon King¡¯s Demoneye was unable to kill the priests as she had hoped. Enraged, the Demon King unleashed her Demoneye¡¯s power once more. Dark matter rained down on Ortus, who hadn¡¯t yet righted himself after being thrown backward. However, once again, the Demon King¡¯s n went awry. Eugene¡¯s sword split apart the dark matter, and at the same time, an arrow struck Ortus¡¯ body. ¡®Ivic?¡¯ Ortus thought in surprise. The arrow that had struck his body wasn¡¯t sharpened. When it hit him, all it did was push him away. Ortus, who was pushed backward a few more steps by the arrow, unconsciously let out a snort. To think that he would actually end up receiving help from that man. Meanwhile, Ivic thought to himself, ¡®I never knew that Ortus could fight so fiercely.¡¯ And to think that he would actually end up saving Otus. Ivic also let out a snort as this thought ran through his head. Ivic nocked another arrow on his bowstring as he turned his gaze back towards the Demon King. ¡°Haaah¡­,¡± Ivic let out a sigh without even realizing that he was doing so. He could have shot another arrow, but he wasn¡¯t able to release the bowstring. To think, even at this distance¡­. The site of the battle was only at a distance where Ivic should have been able to take in everything with just a single nce, but¡­ he just couldn¡¯t see anything. He was able to take in the scene as a whole, but he couldn¡¯t understand or even attempt to follow any of the movements that were taking ce within that chaos. ¡°So this is how much of a gap there is?¡± Ivic muttered in disbelief. Earlier, Eugene had already been so much stronger and faster that Ivic had been struggling to believe it, but Eugene¡¯s current movements couldn¡¯t even bepared to what he had shown earlier. Ivic felt hollow and ridiculous. Idlers who liked to make things like lists usually mentioned a fixed group of people whenever they discussed who was the greatest knight on the continent, but all of that was now just empty talk. There was no need for any other name toe up when discussing who should be at the top of that list. It was Eugene Lionheart. After today, the whole continent would be aware of that fact. If they survived, Ivic would be the first to start telling people all about it at the nearest pub. Carmen also had the exact same thought. She wasn¡¯t just thinking about it, either. She could feel the truth of it with her entire body. She was no longer able to keep up with the flow of this battle. Even if Carmen tried her best, she was ultimately slower and weaker than Eugene. They had reached the same rank in the White me Form at the Seventh Star, but why was there still such a difference between them? No, in the first ce, were those mes really from the White me Form? Carmen wondered, ¡®Those unorthodox¡­ ck mes.¡¯ Fwoosh! The Demon King¡¯s dark power barely grazed the ends of her hair. While spinning her body like a top in mid-air, Carmen swung her leg. Bam! Although her kick was blocked by a barrier, it still managed to pause the Demon King¡¯s movements for a few seconds. The Demon King grunted, ¡°Gagh!¡± Eugene took advantage of the opening to thrust the Holy Sword into the Demon King¡¯s throat. The moment the sword prated her flesh, mes exploded, covering the Demon King¡¯s entire body. clunk! Carmen¡¯s Heaven Genocide fully extended itself. Pure white mes gathered in the center of her palm. Carmen¡¯s most powerful technique, Destiny Breaker, mmed into the Demon King. Roooaaarrrr! mes engulfed the Demon King and then transformed into a fiery whirlwind that soared into the sky. Carmen¡¯s white mes became intertwined with Eugene¡¯s ck mes. The wings of Prominence red upwards. The fluttering feathers clung to each other, creating ck spots. Cracracracrack! Eclipses fell from the sky, bombing the Demon King and sending her and the whirlwind of mes crashing down. Iris was dazed, ¡®This is¡­.¡¯ She wasn¡¯t even able to keep screaming, and she didn¡¯t have the strength left to provide any meaningful resistance to the downward force acting on her. All that the Demon King could do was die and be revived several times over as she kept getting pushed downwards by the immense force. Iris realized, ¡®Am I really¡­ truly¡­ going to die¡­?¡¯ Ssh! The Demon King¡¯s body crashed into the sea. It was only after the Demon King entered the sea that she was freed from the force of the bombarding Eclipses. She might really die here. The truth that she didn¡¯t want to ept kept circting in her head. The weight of the word ¡®death¡¯ seemed to be dragging the Demon King further into the abyss. Dying? Her? Even though she had be a Demon King? She was dying without having done anything, without having left any legacy? Iris hesitated, ¡®If I run away¡­.¡¯ ¡ªFate often repeats itself. The words left by the Demon King of Incarceration began to circle inside her head. ¡ªDon¡¯t be afraid, Iris. She saw the Former Demon King of Fury silently mouth these words. ¡®He¡¯s using Ignition. He shouldn¡¯t have much time left now,¡¯ Iris thought calmly. After activating Ignition, he could onlyst ten minutes at the very most. How much of that time had already passed? How much of her own dark power, lifeforce, and immortality was left? As long as she could stay alive until the duration of Ignition was over¡ª ¡®I¡¯ll win,¡¯ Iris realized. But was that really the case? Riiiiiip! The sea around the Demon King split apart so that she was no longer surrounded by seawater. The Demon King widened her eyes as she looked up, only to see the Holy Sword overflowing with ck mes. The sword had unleashed the sh that had just split apart the sea. Iris told herself, ¡®I just need tost until Ignition ends¡­.¡¯ But just how many minutes more would she be able to hold on? Such a thought kept repeating itself inside the Demon King¡¯s head. And if she managed to endure it? After that, would she really be able to win? Even if Hamel was forced to stop fighting, there were still the others, the Wise Sienna and the Saint. This might not have been the case earlier, but for the current Demon King, who was close to the end of the line, she couldn¡¯t be sure that she would definitely be able to win against those two opponents. Moreover, Carmen, Ortus, and Ivic were also here. In her current state, even they could pose a threat to her. Escape¡­. This word once again reappeared in the Demon King¡¯s mind. ¡®No,¡¯ the Demon King denied the thought as soon as it popped up in her head. It was a foolish idea. There was no running from this. As for victory? Or survival? Those were also foolish desires. The Demon King faced the very essence of her desires hidden deep within her heart. It was true that she did want victory and a chance to seek glory. However, the most fundamental thing that she desired¡­ was revenge. Revenge on whom? On him, Hamel. No matter what might happen, she needed to kill Hamel. Even¡­ even if it meant that she would be unable to take her rightful ce as the Demon King. Even if it meant that she would die here today. Even if she couldn¡¯t inflict her Fury on the rest of the world. As the Demon King and as Iris, killing Hamel was more important than anything else. It was what Iris wanted more than glory, victory, or even her own survival. Hamel had to die here, in this sea. ¡®For my father,¡¯ Iris solemnly vowed. Fear disappeared from the Demon King¡¯s swirling emotions. Its absence was filled with her desire for revenge. The choice that the Demon King had ultimatelye to wasn¡¯t to find some way to survive or run away. No, she was going to keep fighting and kill Hamel no matter what. That was what a Demon King should do. The walls of the dark red sea began to flow back down. The Demon King, leaping upwards, ignored everything else to rush at Eugene. Her killing intent was infused into all of her remaining dark power. Instead of any defenses or barriers, all of her strength was focused on attacking with her swinging hands and feet. Bang! Struck by these hits, Eugene was pulled backward. At first, the Demon King thought he might be trying to buy time, so she was surprised when he charged her in reverse. After all, such a fight was exactly what Eugene wanted. Eugene was more aware than anyone else that his time was running out fast. In an instant, they had distanced themselves from the sea and the remaining ships. Letting out a snarl, the Demon King swung both of her hands at him. But the mes of the White me Form stood ready as Eugene tightly gripped the Holy Sword with both hands. Bam bam bam bam bam! Dark power collided with mes, shattering against each other. The wings of Prominence suddenly radiated light. The feathers then scattered from the wings and immediately transformed into ck dots before they had even gone very far. But the ck dots that were shot at her were all blocked by Iris¡¯ Demoneye. Once she had prevented their explosions, the Demon King shot out her fist again. Booom! The Holy Sword shook. The palms of Eugene¡¯s hands throbbed as he held on tightly to the Holy Sword. Eugene swallowed the blood rising in the back of his throat and swung the Holy Sword once more. Its light was so intense that it didn¡¯t seem like it could even get any brighter. However, it still couldn¡¯tpletely stifle the Demon King¡¯s dark power. As the Demon King of Fury went on a rampage, she even began converting her own life force into dark power. Swoooosh! A spear of magic pierced through the sky. It was a spell fired by Sienna. The Demon King avoided its trajectory but didn¡¯t move to intercept Sienna. Her murderous desire to kill Hamel/Eugene, no matter what, was even beginning to w at Eugene¡¯s own emotions. ¡®Though the same goes for me,¡¯ Eugene vowed. If he had just killed her three hundred years ago, there wouldn¡¯t have been any problems now. None of the bullshit currently happening in this sea would have happened either. And Ciel, she wouldn¡¯t have had to throw herself in front of Eugene to save him. Cracracrack! Eugene¡¯s grip on the hilt of the Holy Sword tightened even further. Agaroth¡¯s divine power had nowpletely enveloped his left hand. But its light only served to drive the Demon King even crazier. As a Demon King, she could recognize what this light was. ¡°Die!¡± the Demon King screamed as blood poured from her mouth. Boooom! Every time they collided at full strength, Eugene¡¯s heart throbbed as his Stars were pushed past their limits by Ignition. The Seven Stars began topletely copse from the strain of having generated such a torrent of mana until now. Even so, the resonance and rotation of the Stars never stopped. The White me Form¡¯s Stars were also acting as the Cores that controlled his mana. If a Star were to shatter, that meant one of his Cores would also have shattered. Once the Core was broken, the person would usually die. Even if they were lucky, they would be crippled for the rest of their life. However, Eugene currently couldn¡¯t feel any pain, let alone a sense of his impending death. The mes stoked by Ignition were able to create a new Star each time one of them shattered. The tens and hundreds of Stars that had already shattered so far were enough to form a gxy inside Eugene. Eugene had managed to reach the Seventh Star of the White me Form. No, Eugene¡¯s White me Form had even begun to break down the boundary that came after the Seventh Star. He was already stronger than the Vermouth he had known in his past life, but through this battle, he would be even stronger than that Vermouth. For the sake of that desire, Eugene had been evolving the White me Form even before this battle had begun. Eugene had to ovee his limits in order to achieve this desire, and in thepletion of this evolution, a miracle was slowly revealing itself inside Eugene. ¡®It¡¯s still not enough,¡¯ Eugene decided. He was starting to lose consciousness, but Eugene refused to lose hold of who he was. He was Hamel Dynas, and he was Eugene Lionheart. Eugene nced down at his hands that were holding the Holy Sword. On his left hand, Agaroth¡¯s Ring was so cracked that it seemed as if it would shatter with any movement. Eugene¡¯s desire had led to a miracle. This miracle was a result of Eugene¡¯s own will, as well as the will remaining within Agaroth¡¯s Ring. Just like how the God of Light answered his believers¡¯ prayers to perform his miracles, Agaroth had granted Eugene a miracle in response to his desire. But why had the ring granted him such a miracle? Booom! The Holy Sword was pushed back once more. Simr to how Eugene had risked setting himself on fire, the Demon King was doing the same. The darkness of the Demon King, who was burning everything that she had left, was unceasing in its attempts to overwhelm the Light of the Holy Sword. However, it still wasn¡¯t able to stifle that Light. That flickering light was fueled by the power of the Holy Sword and supported by the faith of the Saint and the priests. As long as they kept their faith, the Light of the Holy Sword wouldn¡¯t go out. ¡®The Moonlight Sword.¡¯ The Sword of Destruction. ¡®The White me Form.¡¯ The legacy left by Vermouth. ¡®The Holy Sword.¡¯ What the God of Light left to the world. It was funny. Even the body that Eugene Lionheart had used to get here now was part of Vermouth¡¯s n. The weapons that Eugene used and the power dwelling within his body ¡ª all of them had been given to him, either by Vermouth or someone else. ¡ªIt has to be you. What could those words mean? Did Vermouth mean that Hamel was the one who would make the best use of the things that he had arranged? Or perhaps, was he telling Hamel that there was something special about himself that even Hamel didn¡¯t know about? ¡®So that¡¯s the case,¡¯ Eugene suddenly realized. He actually did have something that he hadn¡¯t received from someone else. It was something that Hamel had possessed right from the very start. Whether it was back three hundred years ago, right now, or even in the distant past. He now knew who the man sitting on the mountain of corpses had been. He knew the man who had walked across a battlefield filled with corpses in despair. He knew the man who had been weeping as the waves and the fog had erased everything. That man was¡­. Eugene put away the Holy Sword, somehow sheathing it deep within his own heart. His empty left hand moved. The ring he had been wearing on his left ring finger as a symbol of a contract, cooperation, and a promise, shattered. After reuniting with the existence known as Eugene, it was only now that Agaroth¡¯s Ring had fulfilled its designated contract and reached its assigned fate. Neither meeting Ariartelle nor receiving Agaroth¡¯s Ring had been a coincidence. No matter what, this ring would have eventually reached Eugene. From this sudden idental realization, Eugene¡¯s suspicions had be a certainty. Eugene¡¯s left hand reached towards his chest. Iris frowned, ¡®What is he doing?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t tell the reasons for Eugene¡¯s behavior. Why had he put away the Holy Sword? Was he giving up the fight? These were some of the Demon King¡¯s suspicions. The time hade. The mes of Ignition had died away. From the current Eugene, the same intense surge of mana that he had previously given off could no longer be felt. What was left was¡­. What was remaining was¡­ something unique. ¡®I¡¯ve won,¡¯ the Demon King of Fury celebrated as she stepped forward. She was one step closer to revenge for her father, for herself, for everyone. As long as she killed Hamel here, she would have achieved something with her life. If she managed to get her revenge, she could retreat from this battle satisfied and with a joyful heart. At this moment, the Demon King was confident of her victory and felt relieved that she had managed to escape death. But only for a very short moment. Her vision turned ck. A wave of darkness appeared out of nowhere and blocked the Demon King¡¯s way forward, leaving the Demon King¡¯s body frozen for a few seconds. ¡®Is this a spell?¡¯ Iris questioned. No, this wasn¡¯t magic. This darkness and oppression ¡ª after being flustered for a second, the Demon King activated the power of her Demoneye. The darkness blocking her way forward collided with the ability activated by the Demon King and canceled each other out. But that short moment had spelled the difference between sess and failure. Even if the Demon King hadn¡¯t been flustered by that mysterious darkness ¡ª even if she hadn¡¯t been blocked by that unknown force ¡ª the results wouldn¡¯t have changed. Even if she had taken one more step without anything blocking her way forward, the Demon King still wouldn¡¯t have been able to achieve her revenge. The left hand Eugene ced on his chest clutched at something. What he pulled from there was something that had been ced within Eugene/Hamel from the very start. It wasn¡¯t something he had ever received from anyone else. It belonged to Eugene alone. The Divine Sword. As the universe that Eugene held within his chest was opened, a sword emerged from his heart. The sword shone with the red light of Agaroth¡¯s divine power. Following Eugene¡¯s will, the sword forged out of this intangible divine power fully emerged and shed forward. ¡°Ah,¡± Iris gasped. A light that the Demon King knew all too well engulfed her sight. The world was cut in two. Chapter 376: The Demon King of Fury (10) Chapter 376: The Demon King of Fury (10) The Demon King tried to escape out of range, but she failed. She then poured all of her remaining dark power into activating her Demoneye¡¯s ability. Finally, she tried to block the blow by directly holding out both her hands. But it was impossible. The moment the blood-red sh touched her, the Demon King was left with no choice but to recognize this fact. Just like in the distant past, that ¡®sword¡¯ made the Demon King realize the meaning of defeat. Her father, the previous Demon King of Fury, had managed to escape from his defeat, but¡­. Iris, the current Demon King of Fury, wasn¡¯t even able to escape. Red light scattered everywhere. ¡°Haha¡­,¡± the Demon Kingughed as she slowly stepped back. She didn¡¯t want to lower her head. She had no desire to directly see what had be of her body. However, her Intuition led the Demon King to realize many things. She had already been defeated, and death wasing for her soon. A death that was impossible for her to avoid. ¡°Haha, hahaha¡­ ha¡­,¡± the Demon King couldn¡¯t help butugh out of frustration. How about a final struggle? But she couldn¡¯t even do that. When she had stretched out her hands towards the approaching sh, that was thest futile struggle that the Demon King could have made. ¡°Have you¡­,¡± the Demon King spoke up after standing there in silence. ¡°...also seen it? Or perhaps, could you have remembered it?¡± Was there even a need to reply to that sort of question? Eugene stared at the Demon King with cold eyes. There weren¡¯t any visible wounds on Iris¡¯ body. However, the Holy Sword had sliced deep into the Demon King. It was impossible for the current Demon King to resurrect from those wounds. In other words, the words that the Demon King was spouting now were thest words that she would ever leave in this world. ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene snorted. Just because those were herst words didn¡¯t mean Eugene had to respect them. For Eugene, something like a Demon King was an existence that should never be respected or amodated. No, even setting aside the fact that she was a Demon King, Iris herself wasn¡¯t someone that he could respect. In Eugene¡¯s perspective, Iris was a fucking bitch. As the first dark elf, she had corrupted many of the elven rangers who had once followed hermand and brutally killed those who had resisted. Even after that, while leading the Armies of Fury, she hadmitted countless acts that an elf should never do when facing another elf while ughtering and trampling all those who had been herrades in the past. Following this, she had continued to act as a scout for the Armies of Fury and killed countless people. He didn¡¯t know what Iris had gotten to after the war ended. He didn¡¯t know what kind of shit she had been involved in in Helmuth. But that honestly didn¡¯t matter to Eugene. However, he did know the things she had done in this sea. Eugene had been left with a specific opinion of her based on what she had gotten up to after reaching this sea. Many people had died because of her. This battlefield was only one of the many battlefields that Eugene had chosen to take part in. However, Eugene had experienced far worse battlefields than this one. If he felt responsible for each death that happened on the battlefield and allowed himself to be burdened by that guilt, Eugene would never be able to maintain his sanity. Even if he hadn¡¯t chosen to take part in this battle, many more people would have ultimately died than the ones who died here today. However, rather than feeling guilt, it was eptable for him to feel rage instead. It was healthy for him to hate his opponents. Eugene was just that kind of person, and even at this very moment, he was adhering to such behavior. Eugene had no intention of listening to the Demon King¡¯sst words. He had no intention of speaking to the Demon King either. At first, he had felt some doubts about this general situation. However, he currently didn¡¯t feel like there was any need to question the Demon King about these doubts. Eugene definitely had noticed something from the Demon King¡¯s questions. She had asked him if he remembered it. But in the first ce, that was something that had originated from inside of Eugene. Also, there wasn¡¯t even enough time left to hold such a conversation with the Demon King, either. As Eugene was standing there in silence, someone approached his side. It was Sienna Merdein. Her lips were red from the blood she had coughed up. Sienna red at the Demon King, and the Demon King looked back at Sienna, her face stoic and empty. ¡°Ha!¡± the Demon King¡¯s lips twitched as sheughed. The Demon King also didn¡¯t want to leave behind anyst words of regret in this situation, deeming such an act to be dirty and shameful. Because, from the Demon King¡¯s or Iris¡¯ own perspective, she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. As for her regrets about her death and her fears, she absolutely refused to reveal such things in front of these hateful enemies. So instead, Iris pronounced a curse, ¡°You will fail.¡± She poured all her remaining regrets, rage, hatred, murderous intent, fury, and the other emotions surrounding her own oing death into the curse that she spat out. ¡°You, all of you humans, will definitely fail. You will never achieve anything.¡± With each word she uttered, Iris¡¯ body was disintegrating. As her red eyes shone angrily, she continued speaking, ¡°You will never, everprehend how much of a monster the Demon King of Incarceration truly is. Even if you sacrifice everything, you will still be unable to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Her death curse flew at them like an ominous ghost. The curse that fell from Iris¡¯ lips made the space around them tremble as it shadowed Eugene¡¯s mind. Eugene smelled the scent of blood and heard the sounds of screaming,ughter, and chains rattling. ¡°Your future will be filled with an inevitable and irresistible despair. Your fate¡­,¡± Iris paused before bursting into frenziedughter, ¡°ha¡­ hahaha! That¡¯s right. It seems that fate really does repeat itself. Just like how, three hundred years ago, Vermouth managed to ovee Fury only to kneel before Incarceration, it will be the same this time as well. Because it has always¡­ always been that way.¡± Iris¡¯ shoulders were shaking with herughter. As the curse continued to flow from her lips, her body¡¯s disintegration elerated. Iris raised her disintegrating finger to point at Eugene and Sienna. ¡°You¡­ will definitely¡­ die,¡± Iris vowed. ¡°You will never, ever, be allowed to surv¡ª¡± ¡°You crazy bitch,¡± Sienna, who had been listening silently, suddenly blurted out. Narrowing cold, remorseless eyes, she flew through the sky towards Iris. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about our failure or whatever else you said, but first of all, you¡¯re definitely dying before us, right?¡± Sienna taunted. Bam! Her open palm mmed into Iris¡¯ cheek. Sienna continued, ¡°Ultimately, your curse is just the sour parting words of a loser, Iris. In the end, what exactly have you left behind as a legacy? You even killed all of the dark elves who followed you here. Even after going so far, you still weren¡¯t able to achieve anything, absolutely nothing.¡± Bam! Sienna¡¯s hand pped Iris once more. ¡°Even after bing a Demon King, what did you do?¡± Sienna asked mockingly. ¡°Iris, even though you became a Demon King, you couldn¡¯t even leave this sea. The world will never know your name or the name of the new Demon King of Fury. Ah, it seems that I¡¯ve made a mistake. By tomorrow, the whole world will know of the Demon King of Fury, though they¡¯ll know it as the name of an idiot who died three hundred years ago and perished in this era as well.¡± Sienna didn¡¯t continue to p Iris. While shaking her wrist, she ridiculed Iris, ¡°Do you see what you¡¯ve done, Iris? Even after abandoning your family, you still failed. And you¡¯ve even smeared mud on the name of the one you so loved and cherished, the one you so mourned, ¡®the Demon King of Fury.¡¯ You¡¯ve failed in everything, but you¡­ do you still think you have the right to tell us that we will fail?¡± Iris¡¯ eyes trembled. She opened her mouth to say something, but Sienna¡¯s hand wrapped around Iris¡¯ throat. ¡°Your life, your very existence, holds no meaning or value,¡± Sienna coldly stated. ¡°However, to us¡­ for me, there is something. Because at least I will enjoy watching you die. I am overjoyed to see you, the person I so wanted to kill, die without aplishing anything.¡± She could still clearly remember the corpses of the elves who had died after being burned alive. Still ring into Iris¡¯ eyes, Sienna let go of her neck. ¡°Three hundred years ago, when we defeated the Demon King of Fury, there were still people left to mourn the death of Fury. You, Oberon, and your subordinates,¡± Eugene finally addressed Iris. ¡°But now, there is no one who will mourn your loss. Instead, they will only ridicule you.¡± Iris¡¯ body had almostpletely disappeared. There was barely anything left of her, not her hair, nose, or lips. However, Iris¡¯ emotions could still be guessed from the way that her wide-open eyes were trembling. ¡°So you, who are dying here and now, how would you know whether or not we will fail?¡± Eugene demanded. Even if she still had lips, Iris didn¡¯t have the will to keep cursing them. The reality that she had refused to admit until the very end tore all of herst remaining emotions into pieces. She had cursed them to feel despair, but it was now Iris who was feeling utter despair. ¡®Aah, aaaaah.¡¯ Though her voice couldn¡¯t be heard, Iris was sobbing. Her eyes, which were thest to disappear, were trembling with unshed tears. Finally, Iris, the Demon King of Fury,pletely disappeared. She had dissipated into a ck ash that floated in the air for a moment before vanishing. The dark skies instantly became brighter in the blink of an eye, while the dark red sea also returned to its original blue color simultaneously. Eugene looked at the Divine Sword he was holding in his left hand. His ring hadpletely shattered. The Divine Sword was also gradually breaking into pieces and disappearing. Eugene stared down at the Divine Sword with bitter andplex feelings. ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Eugene raised his head and asked. He had spotted Sienna, who was standing next to him, silently shedding tears. Wiping away her tears with her fingers, Sienna exined, ¡°Because I¡¯m happy.¡± She didn¡¯t have even the slightest sympathy for Iris. The tears that Sienna was currently shedding were tears of satisfaction at having seen the death of her most hated enemy of these past three hundred years. So, would Sienna be depressed because of the loss of her goal? There was no way that would happen. Her revenge only had meaning because it had been achieved. ¡°What exactly is that sword?¡± Sienna turned her head and asked, wiping away a few small tears. The sword in Eugene¡¯s left hand¡­ didn¡¯t have any substance to it. It wasn¡¯t made of mana, either. Naturally, that meant it couldn¡¯t be a spell. The sword seemed to be made of¡­ a red light. Although it was now faint and fading away when Eugene had first pulled the sword out of his chest, it had emitted a red light so intense that it had even erased the darkness of the Devildom and the Light of the Holy Sword. ¡°It¡¯s a secret,¡± Eugene grunted. The light in Sienna¡¯s eyes grew sharp at this reply. Leaning over towards Eugene, she probed, ¡°A secret? At this point, what secrets could there be between us?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it in a bit,¡± Eugene prevaricated. The Divine Sword had nowpletely disappeared. Sienna was stubbornly sticking to his side, but Eugene didn¡¯t pay any attention to Sienna. However, Sienna didn¡¯t find fault with him over this. Because she knew exactly where Eugene was looking. * * * When the sea had been split apart, Scalia ¡ª secretly Noir Giabe ¡ª wasn¡¯t all that surprised by the phenomenon. The sea had split apart? What was so impressive about that? A strange phenomenon that had parted the sea down to the seabed while leaving the sea walls standing separated without flowing back down might seem impressive to humans, but it wasn¡¯t anything amazing to Noir. Although she didn¡¯t see the point in doing so, if she had to, Noir could also split the sea dozens of times over if she wanted to. As for ying the Demon King? That also didn¡¯te as a huge surprise to Noir. She had trusted that if Hamel was the one fighting her, he would be able to kill the Demon King. After all, he couldn¡¯t move on to the next stage without first killing the Demon King of Fury. More surprising than him splitting apart the sea or ying the Demon King was the sword and the strength that Hamel had drawn out at the end. Another surprising thing was what had just happened with Ciel. ¡®How absurd,¡¯ Noir shook her head. Usually, Noir would never have such a thought. This was because, as the possessor of the Demoneye of Fantasy, almost nothing existed that could truly seem ¡°absurd¡± to her. The only things Noir could think of as absurd and impossible for her to even imagine were things like her own death. However, what she was seeing now was something truly ¡®absurd.¡¯ At the very least, in all of the years that she had lived until now, Noir had never once seen anything like this, nor had she heard the slightest rumor of this happening. And despite everything else she had meddled in, Noir hadn¡¯t done anything to cause this result. All she had done was feel sympathy for this young, beautiful girl who had had one of her eyes destroyed. Also, because she had wanted to hear a grudging thanks from Hamel, she had just added her own bit of help to the first aid applied to Ciel¡¯s wounds. It wasn¡¯t like she had applied anything suspicious on top of that first aid. She had simply poured the Shimuin Royal Family¡¯s Panacea in Scalia¡¯s possession into Ciel¡¯s empty left eye socket. ¡®Could a medicine made from a blue dragon¡¯s horn really have this effect?¡¯ Noir wondered. But that was a ridiculous idea. Noir didn¡¯t even spare a second thought to consider that possibility. Even if she epted that the royal family¡¯s Panacea could regenerate apletely destroyed eye, and let¡¯s just say that there might indeed be something special about that regenerated eye¡­. However, it was impossible for the result to be a Demoneye. Yet Noir clearly recalled what she had just seen. The moment that she poured out the Panacea, no, before the Panacea had even touched her, Ciel¡¯s missing eye had already regenerated. But that¡­ could it really have been called regeneration? Would it be better to call it rebirth? In Noir¡¯s opinion, what had happened just now was the Demoneye somehow choosing to be reborn in that ce. In the first ce, Demoneyes were something that only demonfolk could be born with or receive; even if they wanted to, there was no way for humans to possess them. Those blood-red air currents, which had suddenly swirled up from the eye socket that had been treated with an elixir and holy water, had swallowed up all of the Shimuin Royalty¡¯s Panacea without spilling a single particle. Following this, both of Ciel¡¯s eyes had reopened as if they had both been there from the very beginning. Her eyes still held the golden hue of the Lionheart n. However, the newly born left eye possessed a slightly different shade from the original right eye¡­. Ciel had been struck dumb with shock upon reawakening. Just like Noir, she was also unable to control her surprise. With a trembling hand, she carefully touched her face. She recalled her left eye disappearing with a popping sound. Her vision had turned red and then darkened. That was where her memories of the event ended. However, what she recalled was enough for her to know what had happened to her. Her eye had beenpletely destroyed. Or at least, that was how it should have been before she lost consciousness. ¡®So what happened?¡¯ Ciel wondered. The moment she regained consciousness, a light had suddenly seeped into the eye that should have been unable to see anything. The very first thing that Ciel saw as she came to her senses was Scalia¡¯s extremely flustered expression. But all of Ciel¡¯s thoughts were focused on something different. Even though Scalia was right in front of her, Ciel¡¯s only thoughts were of Eugene. She had pushed him away and then fallen forward to take his ce¡­ but she couldn¡¯t recall anything after that. Had she¡­ had she been able to save Eugene like she had hoped? What about the battle against the Demon King? Looking past Scalia¡¯s head, Ciel saw Eugene standing high in the still-darkened skies. She saw Eugene simply standing there as the Demon King approached him. The moment she thought she couldn¡¯t let Iris get any closer to him, her left eye heated up and began to throb as if it had been pricked with a soldering iron. ¡°It really is a Demoneye,¡± Noir whispered as she examined Ciel¡¯s left eye closely. Ciel¡¯s eye didn¡¯t shine with a bright light. Instead, it was cloudy. The iris around her pitch-ck pupil appeared to have a dark, murky yellow shade rather than the original golden hue. ¡°What you used just now was your Demoneye. But it seems you used it without even being aware you were doing so?¡± Noir questioned. Ciel stammered, ¡°A Demon¡­ Demoneye¡­?¡± Noir smiled, ¡°This¡­ this is truly fascinating. The darkness that just blocked Iris from going forward. That was the power of the Demoneye of Darkness.¡± Noir¡¯s eyes sparkled brightly with curiosity. Holding Ciel¡¯s cheeks firmly with both hands, she pressed her face close to Ciel¡¯s. Noir asked her, ¡°Why have you, a descendant of Vermouth, who bears the blood of the Lionheart n, been bestowed with a Demoneye? And not just any Demoneye, but Iris¡¯ Demoneye of Darkness at that.¡± Had Iris given her this Demoneye? But that waspletely absurd. What reason would Iris have for doing so? Or perhaps¡­ was it the Demoneye of Darkness? Was it the lingering traces of power left over from the moment that Ciel had lost that eye? ¡®That doesn¡¯t make any sense either,¡¯ Noir decided. ¡®There¡¯s no way that a Demoneye would appear here just because of something like that.¡¯ If getting your eye destroyed by a Demoneye was the trigger for a new Demoneye to be born in its ce, then Noir would have already imnted countless humans and demons with Demoneyes over the past three hundred years. Noir paused, ¡°Hold on¡­ what caused Iris to freeze in ce like that? The Demoneye of Darkness shouldn¡¯t have that sort of ability?¡± Noir¡¯s face gradually drew even closer to Ciel¡¯s. Iris¡¯ actions had been halted by some outside force. That wasn¡¯t an ability that the Demoneye of Darkness should possess. It hadn¡¯t been because of Sienna¡¯s magic or the Saint¡¯s Miracles either. It had taken a power that went against all reason: the power of a Demoneye. ¡°There¡¯s no way¡­ could it be that your eyes possess two abilities?¡± Noir marveled. She was curious. If she could have her way, Noir really felt like plucking Ciel¡¯s eyes out right now to examine them. But if that was considered as going too far, Noir at least wanted to take the whole person away with her. However, she wouldn¡¯t be able to satisfy such urges. A murderous intent sending shivers down her spine drove Noir to stand up. ¡°How wonderful!¡± Noir eximed with a mischievous smile as she spread her arms wide. She had spotted Eugene and Sienna descending in her direction. The Saint, Carmen, and the others were also flying over from the vessels at the front. ¡°The Hero, oh gant Eugene Lionheart! You have truly managed to subjugate the Demon King of Fury! On behalf of the Shimuin Royal Family, We, the princess, Scalia Animus,mend you for your utmost efforts!¡± Noir dered. She was putting on quite the performance. From Noir¡¯s perspective, her current actions were just a casual joke between friends. However, Eugene didn¡¯t feel the same way. He knew the identity of the one currently possessing Scalia, and he could see Ciel lying down right at her feet. As Ciel attempted to stagger to her feet, Eugene also noticed there was something different about Ciel¡¯s left eye. ¡®Oh my,¡¯ Noir suddenly realized. This might just cause a misunderstanding. Noir quickly grasped the situation and took a step away from Ciel. ¡°Dear Eugene,¡± Noir began, no longer ying the part of Princess Scalia. In truth, she wanted to call him her ¡®Dear Hamel,¡¯ but Noir didn¡¯t want to share the sweet secret that was being kept between them with the rest of the trash gathered here. Noir smiled charmingly, ¡°It seems that you¡¯vee to a huge misunderstanding¡ª¡± Eugene didn¡¯t respond to those words. His body might be screaming in agony now that Ignition had ended, but Eugene ignored those cries and forced his body to elerate. Stab! A dagger drawn from between the folds of his cloak was thrust into Scalia¡¯s chest. Chapter 377: The Abyss (1) Chapter 377: The Abyss (1) Every eye around widened in horror. The Hero had descended after defeating the reincarnated Demon King of Fury. However, in an unexpected turn of events, he had suddenly thrust a dagger into the chest of the princess who was offering him des. The Hero was destined to carve his name into the annals of history but had now done something unthinkable. The shock of this was inevitable for those unaware of the underlying circumstances. Noir herself was stunned as well. She definitely had not anticipated a sudden attack without even exchanging a single word, and with this dagger no less ¡ª forged not from metal but from divine power. Although it pierced right through the heart, it brought no harm or pain to Scalia, the true owner of this body. However, it was different for Noir. She felt as if her chest had been genuinely pierced ¡ª no, the pain even beyond that. Noir wasn¡¯t possessing Scalia using her true body but was using a low-level Night Demon to be in control of Scalia¡¯s body. The Night Demon couldn''t withstand the dagger''s power, and the agony it experienced transmitted directly to Noir, who was controlling the Night Demon. ¡®How splendid,¡¯ Noir thought. She registered the encroaching death, a sensation both familiar and strange to her. Throughout her life, she had faced death many times over.[1] Thus, she experienced no thrill in such demise. But ¡ª it was a whole other story if the adversary was Hamel. A death that was once mundane, familiar, and even tedious became exhrating, delightful, and sweet just because Hamel was the one gifting it to her. There was unhindered killing intent, and the resolution to kill without bothering to initiate dialogue or hear her words was just refreshing. Even now, Hamel''s eyes twinkled with hatred and murderous intent. He disyed not a shred of hesitation or doubt in his actions. What particrly enthralled Noir was the dagger now lodged in her chest. It was a de forged from divine power, but it wasn¡¯t a weapon prepared for the Demon King. If it were, it would have been used long ago. Hamel had refrained from using this weapon throughout the battle with the Demon King. What did this signify? ¡®It was for me,¡¯ Noir concluded. He hadn¡¯t conjured it just now. Instead, he had kept it with him after preparing it in advance. ¡®He knew I woulde.¡¯ Noir felt a shiver of excitement at this thought. Weren¡¯t they just toopatible? It was perfect. Noir grinned brightly as she knelt on one knee. Eugene supported her waist to prevent her from copsing, their embrace resembling that of lovers. "Don''t we know each other too well?" Noir whispered softly. Without bothering to respond to her words, Eugene twisted the dagger deeper. He had supported her waist to avoid injuring Scalia''s body, but seeing Noir¡¯s smile and hearing her words, he felt he had done something unnecessary. "Princess!" "M-Mister Eugene! What on earth are you doing?!" Ivic and Ortus screamed as they rushed over. After being frozen in ce, the royal guards began to inch towards Eugene. At that moment, Sienna arrived from the sky. "Wait," Siennamanded as she red while raising Frost. Kwoong! A magical barrier enveloped the surroundings, preventing others from entering and blocking the way. "Part of the Demon King¡¯s malice has remained within Princess Scalia," Sienna stated solemnly. ¡°Lady Sienna, what are you saying...?" came a startled reply. "Do you think I would lie about something like this? The purification will be over soon, so don''te any closer," Sienna warned in a firm tone. Following that stern warning, Sienna exchanged a look with Kristina, who approached with traces of blood at the corner of her mouth, and they stepped into the barrier together. Augh echoed from Noir as she watched Sienna, "Ahaha¡­. Although we weren''t that close, can¡¯t we just exchange greetings after meeting each other three hundred yearster?" "Get lost, you whore," Sienna responded coldly. The severity of the insult did nothing to affect Noir, who only chuckled even more gaily. "It''s impressive that you haven''t changed even one bit after all this time, Sienna Merdein. And you... heh, who might you be? Kristina Rogeris? Or perhaps, are you actually the reincarnation of Anise Slywood?" Kristina responded with a piercing re instead of responding to Noir¡¯s words. It was best to keep information about her possession a secret, a sentiment shared by Anise. Noir shrugged and turned to look at Eugene, saying with delight, "I''m pleased, my Hamel." The Night Demon possessing Scalia was being purified and slowly disappearing. Even Noir couldn¡¯t do anything to change the oue. "You knew I wasing and prepared a gift for me. Sadly, I didn''t bring any gifts for you. It seems I wascking in preparations and consideration this time," Noir chatted airily, to which Eugene growled, "What have you done?" Behind Eugene, Ciel sat, crumpled to the ground, still unable toprehend the situation fully. She was trembling slightly due to an unfamiliar sensation in her left eye. Sienna and Kristina rushed closer to her. "I understand how this may look, but I assure you, it¡¯s just a misunderstanding. Hamel, I didn''t do anything¡­. Oh, I''m sorry, Hamel. It just slipped out," Noir said before casting Ciel a sideways nce. A grimace appeared on her face. "Hmm... no, it seems fine. And since when does she know about your identity? Surely, it wasn¡¯t before me, right?¡± "I asked what you did," Eugene repeated, looking grim. "I did nothing," Noir insisted sincerely, genuinely feeling unjustly used. "Think about it logically, Hamel. Although I am immensely talented, I don''t possess the ability to imnt a Demoneye in a human. You know this as well, don¡¯t you? It¡¯s impossible for humans to harbor a Demoneye." Silence followed before Noir continued, "The same goes for ck wizards. Despite forming contracts with high-level demons or even with the Demon Kings directly, their essence as a human does not change. That''s why Edmund was obsessed with changing his race to be reborn as a Demon King. No matter how high a ck wizard climbs, they cannot enjoy the privileges of a demon as long as they remain human." Eugene knew well what Noir was saying. It was true that a Demoneye could never reside within a human. "Of course, if it were the Demon King of Incarceration, maybe he could imnt a Demoneye in a human. But I can''t do it. After all, I am not a Demon King." A Demoneye...? Ciel touched her left eye, finding the persistent ache gone and her vision as clear as her right eye. It was then that realization dawned upon her ¡ª her eye¡¯s transformation was irreversible. She could feel it in her guts. But before long, something akin to an instinct rooted deep within hade to enlighten Ciel. She understood that her left eye was no longer ordinary; it harbored an unsettling power. "I don''t know anything about this matter. I just¡­. Hamel, I tried to look after that child''s wounds for your sake," Noir argued, Trying to rid herself of the misunderstanding. She could no longer expect Hamel¡¯s gratitude due to Ciel unwittingly awakening the Demoneye. Yet, Noir did not harbor regrets over this fact. She felt even more joy and delight, knowing that she had upied a ce in Hamel¡¯s mind and had even received a gift from him. "But I know this, Hamel. That child''s Demoneye is... special. It harbors two distinct abilities. One is Iris¡¯ Demoneye of Darkness. The other is... well, shall we call it the Demoneye of Immobility? What do you think?" Noir said slowly. "Fuck off,¡± retorted Eugene. "Oh, you could be a little kinder with your words. Hamel, even without your urging, I''ll leave soon. But before I go, could you tell me one thing?" Noir asked, sounding hurt. Noir''s voice gradually faded as she clung to her drifting consciousness and whispered, "The sword that killed the demon king." Eugene just stared at Noir. "What on earth is it? In my long life, I have never seen such a sword. That red hue... it''s different from the divine power bestowed through human belief. It is more fundamental, more primal¡­," Noir mused, pondering upon the true identity of Hamel¡¯s weapon. "I don''t know,¡± spat Eugene with a cold voice before drawing his dagger. "Lies." That usation was thest word Noir could utter before vanishing. As her vision waned, Noir looked straight at Eugene. With a swoosh, ck mist flowed out from Scalia''s body. Eugene disregarded the dissipating mist and examined Scalia''s condition. The Night Demon corrupting her mind had been purified, but Scalia''s consciousness had not returned. ¡®What an unlucky princess,¡¯ Eugene thought. Having been possessed by a Night Demon twice, and that too by Noir Giabe herself no less, was truly something. After carefullyying Scalia on the ground, Eugene turned to look at Ciel. "Do you feel... strange or anything?" he asked cautiously while approaching her. Ciel didn''t respond immediately. Instead, she looked alternatingly at Kristina and Sienna. The two of them were holding onto each of her hands. "Um... not really...?" Ciel replied with a shaky expression. Sienna, Kristina, and Anise came to the same conclusion after observing her. There was not a trace of dark power in Ciel''s body, nor any signs of ck magic. In the first ce, a Demoneye wasn''t magic or ck magic ¡ª it was merely an organ that utilized dark power. The authority manifested by a Demoneye resembled more a miracle of divine power than magic. It did not require any forms or anything of the sort. The wielder of the Demoneye brought forth its power through will and dark power alone. But that¡¯s what made this situation even stranger. There was no trace of dark power in Ciel, so how could the Demoneye maintain itself? "Should I try using it?" Ciel asked carefully. "No," Eugene responded immediately. Although using the Demoneye¡¯s power could potentially reveal other unknown facts, now wasn''t the time to test it as everyone was not in the best condition. "Ciel. You are exhausted, too. It would be better to check your statuster after everyone has had ample rest," Kristina advised with a stiff expression. After examining it closely, it didn''t seem like Ciel''s Demoneye used dark power as its driving force. She had channeled some divine power into her with caution, but there had been no adverse reaction whatsoever. Could it be using mana instead? Or perhaps it was using the primal energy inherent in humans as its power source? If it was thetter, the Demoneye could be extremely dangerous. After all, the primal energy of humans was synonymous with their life force, in short, with their lifespan. "Yes,¡± Ciel agreed, attempting topose her expression. She hadn''t fully calmed down yet. Ciel tried her best to be optimistic. She had narrowly avoided living her entire life as a one-eyed individual; wasn¡¯t that something to be thankful for? But despite her efforts to see things positively, her mood did not improve significantly. "I''m fine." Nheless, Ciel reassured everyone with a smile. She looked at Sienna and Kristina, who were fidgeting with her hands, and continued, "Is it all over?" She had witnessed the demise of the Demon King. The sky was no longer dark, and the sea was not red anymore. The air was no longer filled with the nauseating scent of rotting flesh and blood nor with the agonizing noise of buzzing insects. "Not yet." Contrary to Ciel¡¯s expectations, that was how Eugene replied. The Demon King was dead, and not a single subordinate of hers remained. Noir Giabe had left, and there was no trace of the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet, it wasn''t entirely over. At least for Eugene, it still wasn¡¯t over, as he had something left to do. "Get going." It was Sienna who broke the silence. "You have something to see down there, don''t you?" When the sea had been split open by the holy sword, Sienna had seen whaty in the unimaginable depths below. Although she couldn''t fully grasp what it was, part of her wanted to ask Eugene for an exnation about it right away. Instead of saying, ¡®get going,¡¯ what she really wanted to say was, ''let''s go together''. But she couldn¡¯t. Eugene¡¯s expression was more unfamiliar to her than ever before. "There is indeed something I need to check." Eugene also didn¡¯t mince his words and let out a short sigh. His mind was a tumultuous storm of thoughts, tangled and twisted. He tried to sort out the swirling emotions, but it was futile; the more he pondered, the more knotted they seemed to be. It reminded him of the fleeting moments just after waking from a dream when details could still be vividly recalled. But as time passed and other thoughts intruded upon the waking mind, the dream would fade, almost forgotten from one¡¯s thoughts. It felt as though, even now, those thoughts were disappearing from his mind. He feared that doing nothing would lead to his worries melting into his unconscious, hiding away forever. And this wasn''t what Eugene wanted. "I''ll be back soon." Once more, Eugene sighed heavily before starting to move. But his feet were rooted to the ground. He was held back by concerns for Ciel, Sienna, Kristina, and Anise. Maybe they shoulde with him? ¡®No,¡¯ Eugene decided firmly. He quietly raised the Cloak of Darkness. Sensing his intent, Mer and Raimira emerged from the folds of the garment. Their faces woreplex expressions of question and concern, unable to fullyprehend Eugene¡¯s thoughts. Eugene had only thought: he didn''t want to show them ¡ª not the turmoil in his mind nor what he would find in the depths below. The first to witness it, to feel it, to judge it ¡ª it had to be him and him alone. ¡®It has to be me.¡¯ Coming to this decision, Eugene turned away with determination. He had pushed himself to the limit in today¡¯s battle. Without miracles and blessings, he wondered how many times he would have died. Utilizing Ignition had left his body in a terrible state. Thankfully, his current body, that of ''Eugene Lionheart,'' was naturally sturdy. If it had been his previous life''s weaker form, he would certainly have been bedridden by now, being left unable to walk. Feeling grateful for his robust physique, Eugene staggered outside the barrier. He was certain that many people here had pending questions and the urge to speak to him. However, nobody approached Eugene. "Do you need help?" Carmen asked instead of approaching him. With a bitter smile, Eugene shook his head, "Please, stay with Ciel." He had no intention of leaning on anyone. Passing Carmen, he headed towards the railing. The sea was still parted, a sight that had other ships¡¯ crews pointing and murmuring among themselves. Leaning unsteadily on the railing, Eugene turned and announced, "I''m saying this just in case, but do not follow me down there." He didn''t wait for a response. Despite warning others not to go, he didn¡¯t hesitate to leap into the sea himself. Woosh! A gust of wind caught him, breaking his fall. It was Tempest. Holding Wynnyd inside his cloak, Eugene chuckled, "Aren¡¯t you upset?" [What do you mean?] Tempest asked. "I didn¡¯t use Wynnyd to kill the Demon King," Eugene exined. [It¡¯s not like you didn¡¯t need my help at all, though,] Tempest responded with a heartyugh. It wasn¡¯t only Sienna¡¯s magic that summoned the wind to propel the fleet. Tempest also yed a part in this as the wind had also responded to Tempest¡¯s will. Moreover, every time Eugene wavered during the battle in the sky, it was Tempest who silently stabilized him. [I do not feel disappointed, Hamel,] Tempest stated. Eugene soared over the sea, his body supported and pushed forth by the wind. Tempest continued, [My resentment lies with the Demon King of Incarceration, not with Fury. It was with the northern expedition that could not be fulfilled. I still remember the scenery at the pinnacle of Babel. How the wind felt there and how powerless I was.] Eugene decided to stay quiet and just listen to Tempest. [When you eventually ascend to Babel, you might not need the help from Wynnyd or me. Isn''t it already like that, Hamel? You have formidable weapons that cannot bepared to Wynnyd. Even the storms that I, a Spirit King of the spirit world, can conjure in this world would not be more violent than the ones you can create yourself.] Tempest sounded rueful. "Well, when fighting against the Demon King of Incarceration, I will still swing Wynnyd around a few times,¡± said Eugene. [Hahaha! There''s no need. Someday... when you reach Babel, when you confront the Demon King of Incarceration, I will aid you in my own way just like this time. That is enough for me. I am satisfied with that,] Tempest said with a chuckle. Eugene looked down below. The sea gaped open, the waters neither pouring nor merging with each other. Along with the wind, Eugene descended to the very bottom of the chasm, to the abyss. [What''s down there...?] Tempest asked curiously. "I don''t know," Eugene replied, not sounding convincing. [You should know¡­. Yet, I can''t read your emotions. Don''t you want to show it?] Tempest probed him. "It''s aplex feeling,¡± Eugene muttered with a bitter smile. "I don''t want to ept it rather than not wanting to show it. Frankly, I don''t even want to see it." [Why?] Tempest asked, perplexed. "Because I''m afraid,¡± Eugene admitted candidly. They finally reached the bottom of the abyss. Eugenended on the ground. Though he anticipated the seabed to be damp, it wasn¡¯t so at all. Contrary to his expectations, it seemed unbreakably hard. [You''re afraid?] The voice of Tempest became hardly audible. It was likely due to the powers of Incarceration in y. Eugene grumbled while walking on the hard ground. "I''m afraid of whether I can handle it." Eugene suddenly sank down. 1. Just a reminder for all our readers in case you feel confused here. It has been mentioned in the previous chapters regarding Noir¡¯s obsession with Hamel that she has tried killing herself many times by casting an illusion on herself. Though she has died several times from this, it isn¡¯t permanent. Hence her fixation on Hamel as he might be the only person capable of granting her long-cherished desire of death. ? Chapter 378: The Abyss (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 378: The Abyss (2) [Bonus Image]

Not even a faint whisper of Tempest''s voice could be heard from the moment the fall began. Eugene raised his head to look upward, where the gradually receding ¡°door¡± revealed itself. It wasn''t Eugene who had opened it. Rather, the door had opened of its own ord before inviting Eugene in.1 Eugene lowered his gaze without bing flustered. Despite straining his eyes, he could only see an abyss of immeasurable depth before him. He could not see whaty below at the bottom of the chasm. And it wasn''t just below ¡ª the door that had been visible when he had raised his head had vanished as well, and darkness enveloped the surroundings as he scanned side to side.0 Then, the scenery morphed in an instant.1 Ruins were all he could see.0 Lifting his head to peer farther yielded no better results.0 Everywhere he looked, destruction prevailed. The sky was gray as ifden with dense clouds ¡ª but it was merely an illusion.0 The expanse overhead, nketing this world, bore a resemnce to the sky, yet was not the sky.0 Consequently, neither the sun nor stars existed beyond it. It could have been that way, perhaps since the beginning of this world. Eugene felt a turmoil bubbling deep within his chest as he descended to the ground.0 Slowly, he surveyed the surroundings. The remnants of copsed buildings around him appeared both familiar and foreign. Eugene nudged a fallen wall gently.0 With a mere touch, the wall crumbled violently, the sound echoing resoundingly in this deste world. He listened intently, expecting a response, yet no movements or reactions greeted the spreading noise.0 "Figures," Eugene murmured with a bitter smile.0 What had he been expecting?That someone might still remain in this barren, silent world?That was an utterly absurd, not to mention cruel, thought.0 His heart continued to rage, and his mind was in turmoil. It wasn¡¯t a result of the recoil from Ignition. It wasn¡¯t an issue with his body. Instead, his soul was being shaken to its very core. Despite theck of discernible paths in the ruins, Eugene instinctively knew where the roadsy and where he should head.0 But his steps faltered. His verywillwas shaking.0 As he had told Tempest, he feared what revtions this ce might offer. Perhaps it would be better not to see, to remain capable without the burden of understanding?0 "No, I can''t,¡± Eugene told himself resolutely.0 He grasped his wavering heart and forced his reluctant feet forward. Doubting his ability to handle it? Handle what?0 ¡®The truth,¡¯he admitted to himself.7 Eugene gritted his teeth.0 All that appeared before him were ruins shattered beyond recognition. Yet, if he ventured a bit further, he woulde across something assuring, something that would evoke his self-awareness.0 Eugene knew of a time when this ruin was not a ruin, a time when this now lifeless world brimmed with vitality.0 A time long past when this city had been under the rule of the Demon King.0 The Demon King of Fury had four children ¡ª their names somewhat escaped him. However, these names differed from those Hamel remembered. However, they weren¡¯t different beings from those that the Demon King of Fury had adopted and nurtured three hundred years ago.6 Kamash, Oberon, Sein, and Iris ¡ª they had all been bloodborne children of Fury many ages ago.0 All four had met their end in this city.0 mes of war had fiercely engulfed the town, and though the Demon King of Fury resisted vehemently, he ultimately sumbed to defeat. At the moment the city was seized, he chose flight, but his offspring threw themselves into the chaos, hoping to preserve their father''s life.0 The war ceased with the Demon King''s retreat. The humans enved by the demonfolk were liberated, their tears flowing as they venerated the figure who had brought an end to the war.0 And what stood before Eugene was¡­. It was a symbol of a radiant era, an embodiment of salvation once revered by the people of the city.0 Eugene gazed forward while standing tall.0 It had once shimmered brilliantly, always immacte and untouched even by a speck of dust. Every day, as the bell tolled at noon, the square filled with devotees offering prayers, and countless pilgrims journeyed from afar to witness it. People yearned to be beacons illuminating the era and would fervently pledge their oaths before it.0 ¡°¡­..¡± Eugene silently looked ahead as he remembered the past.0 The figure before Eugene was now an ancient statue.0 To bepletely honest, it was far from a beautiful sight.0 It couldn¡¯t be helped, however. The statue had been carved in the tumultuous moments following the city¡¯s liberation by artisans who had been enved by the Demon King and the demonfolk. Due to their prolonged envement, a deep-seated hatred and fury had been ingrained within the artisans.0 Such emotions naturally found expression through their chisel and hammer and saturated the statue. It bore an ugliness reflecting the wrath and bitterness they held towards the Demon King and the demons, an ugliness that could not be beautified.0 When the statue was firstpleted, despite not having flesh or blood mingled into its materials, a stench of blood pervaded the air around it.0 But that was a story from too long ago.0 Now, the statue had lost its former glory, along with the fading of the brilliant era. It was nowden with dust and marred by cracks and chips. It no longer shone with its radiant aura.0 Eugene surveyed the mound made of demon corpses. The sculpted faces once depicted with pain and horror werergely eroded by time, muddled and broken.0 Eugene slowly raised his gaze and fixed his eyes on something above the mound.0 There sat a man, a blunt great sword slung over his shoulder.0 It was Agaroth, the God of War.2 It was the man who had been given such a title.0 Eugene remembered the time when the statue was first created. The artisans had channeled rage, hatred, and murderous intent while carving the demon corpses but infused joy, faith, and hope when shaping Agaroth.0 It couldn''t be helped, for Agaroth was indeed the savior of this city. Had he not ushered in the war, the city would have remained under the tyrannical rule of the Demon King of Fury indefinitely.0 Agaroth¡ª0 He had cherished this statue, though he never showed it openly. He found it somewhat embarrassing to overtly admire a grand depiction of oneself.1 When the statue was first unveiled, Agaroth had maintained a stern fa?ade amidst the liberated, joyous citizens. He had been unable tough openly.1 ¡°Ah¡­.¡±0 Eugene felt a surge of nausea. It came as a pulsating ache in his head. Gasping for air, he clutched at his chest.0 He was seemingly alone in this ce, yet his ears were inundated with a cacophony of sounds echoing in his mind ¡ª the sh of metal, sounds of slicing, piercing, and breaking, cries of anguish, booming war cries, the clinking of liquor sses, andughter.0 Everything he heard was the sound of war.0 He gritted his teeth tightly and forced himself to lift his head once more.0 Before him stood the shattered statue, its meticulously carved face now hardly recognizable. Trying to visualize Agaroth''s face from the fragmented figure seemed an impossible task.0 Yet, Eugene remembered vividly how pristine it used to be. He didn''t even need to imagine Agaroth''s face.0 Seated upon a mound of corpses was a man he had glimpsed even in the Dark Room, a sight granted through Agaroth''s Ring. He had stolen a glimpse into Agaroth''s memories.0 But had he really stolen a glimpse?0 Eugene raised his hands and traced the contours of his own face.0 It was different.0 Despite both of them having two eyes, a nose, and a mouth, the faces of Agaroth and Eugene Lionheart bore no resemnce. Nor did it resemble that of Hamel Dynas.0 Yet, the three were the same, distinct in flesh but identical in spirit.0 "It¡¯s me," Eugene murmured.2 He let his hands fall.0 "I was Agaroth." Eugene¡¯s voice was quiet as he voiced a long-forgotten truth.16 The Church of Light was the predominant religion of this era. ording to their holy text, the God of Light was the first being to be deemed a god in this world.0 In a distant past, before civilization dawned on the continent, before the existence of the Demon Kings, a time so ancient that the boundaries between demons, monsters, and beasts were indistinguishable that all of them were simply referred to as monsters. During that period, the sun brightened the sky, yet when night fell, humans could only cower silently in the darkness, for the fire of that age, although hot, could not emit light.0 Humans had been profoundly frailpared to the monsters.0 Every monster was birthed from darkness, and they were the masters of the night. The frail humans united to stand against them but to no avail.0 As more humans were consumed and fear of the monsters grew, the days shortened while the nights lengthened. This resulted in an increase in the number of monsters and a decline in the human poption.0 Just as hope seemedpletely lost, a divine light descended from the heavens. A god appeared. He dispelled the darkness and gifted brightness to the mere warm me, rewriting history into the age now known to all.0 This was the history of the current era.0 This was the period after the era of myths when Agaroth lived.0 Eugene couldn''t fathom how this era blossomed. The memories surfacing pertained to a much more ancient time, a time ¡ª how should he word it ¡ª that somewhat resembled the situation three hundred years ago.0 The demons and Demon Kings resided on the other end of the continent. They had lived among themselves, with a clear demarcation existing between the world of humans and demons.0 Then, at one point, the Demon Kings and the demons crossed the boundary. They invaded, conquered, and ruled over the human world.0 It was at such a time that Agaroth was born, a time bubbling with resistance against the invasion and dominance of the Demon Kings. A young Agaroth took up a sword and stepped bravely onto the battlefield.1 He had spent the majority of his life on the battlefield.0 He had experienced defeats, yet victories were significantly more numerous. Every enemy faced in battle belonged to the demon race. Agaroth''s de had sought out many Demon Kings, each known by different names, and many met their end at his hand.0 "I''m not sure if you recall," a voice approached, resonating with an impending doom. ¡°You failed to kill the Demon King of Fury. You would have won had you fought him, but the Demon King of Fury fled before a battle could take ce.0 The sound of chains dragging echoed ominously in the background.0 ¡°After losing everything, the Demon King of Fury came to me and begged. He abandoned his pride and bowed in submission. He begged for only a single desire to be fulfilled. Do you know what that was?¡±0 ¡°Revenge,¡± Eugene responded without turning around.0 The Demon King of Incarceration raised his gaze, removing his attention from Eugene¡¯s back and fixating his eyes on the ancient, weathered statue.2 The Demon King of Incarceration crafted a chair from chains. With a stoic expression, he seated himself.0 ¡°But he failed to achieve even that,¡± he said in a neutral tone.1 Eugene clenched his fists tightly.0 Agaroth had once embarked on a daunting venture to conquer the Devildompletely. He had never doubted the feasibility of such an endeavor. As the Demon King of Incarceration said, Agaroth had been revered as the God of War in that era. He had been born a human but had attained godhood through divine adoration and widespread reverence.0 With followers who sang hymns of holy wars, donned in armor, and wielding swords, Agaroth sought to eradicate all the Demon Kings and their kind from the world, aspiring for an absolute dominion over the Devildom.0 ¡°But as it always is, the end arrived abruptly. It came before the Demon King of Fury could seek you out, before you, revered as the God of War, could march against me with a drawn sword. The end of everything came unexpectedly,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration continued his narration.0 Eugene remembered well.0 True ¡°monsters¡± had emerged from the other end of the world.0 The monsters were devoid of reason. They did not seek to conquer and instill fear into humans but to mindlessly ughter. The monsters were driven not by a sense of purpose but by a primal urge for violence, a horrifying nature that stood as both their rationale and innate disposition.0 As these monsters poured forth, countless human lives were extinguished. Agaroth, who was preparing for the next battle, having defeated the Demon King of Fury, found himself not heading towards the Demon Lord of Incarceration as intended but instead thrust into a war against these iprehensible monsters.4 He achieved numerous victories. The monsters were even easier to conquerpared to the Demon Kings.0 But when the act of killing and attaining victory became a ¡°natural¡± sequence, things changed.0 Memories from the Dark Room began to ovey with his memories.0 Eugene recalled the sight of an unimaginablyrge heap of corpses ¡ª hundreds, no thousands ¡ª scattered across the battlefield likemon trash.0 He remembered.0 A turmoil of intermingled colors without clear form gued his vision, a sight tooplex to beprehended or perhaps, something he refused to understand.0 Just as it had happened three hundred years ago, the emergence of the Demon King of Destruction plunged everything into despair.0 The Demon King of Destruction had been an existence one should never engage in battle, a Demon King unlike any other, a form built from pure despair and fear. Yet, the crucial difference from three hundred years ago was that Agaroth had refused to flee.0 Although a whirlpool of desperation and terror had threatened to take control, Agaroth had lunged into destruction. Every soldier who followed Agaroth did so with relentless trust, marching forward even as fear evoked screams of horror from within them.0 ¡°Your war was long, yet it ultimately ended in defeat,¡± exined the Demon King of Incarceration.0 Death.0 The Demon King of Incarceration continued, ¡°You knelt before the inevitable destruction, an adversary you could never defy. The beasts of destruction ughtered not only your followers but every individual of that era.¡±2 Eugene turned his head to see the Demon King of Incarceration.0 Seated on a throne forged from chains, the Demon King of Incarceration tilted his head, remarking with an idle gesture, ¡°The Demon King is ustomed to it.¡±0 ¡°..¡­¡± Eugene just silently listened to the tale of his past life.0 ¡°Even the Demon King of Fury had toe to terms with it, eventually. Destruction alwayses suddenly... as an inescapablew. Even the Demon Kings can do little at that moment,¡± continued the Demon King of Incarceration.0 ¡°Is that why you remained here?¡± asked Eugene.0 ¡°It was an agreement with the Demon King of Fury,¡± responded the Demon King of Incarceration.0 ¡°You had no reason to grant him that,¡± retorted Eugene.0 ¡°A reason¡­?¡± A rare smile appeared on the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s face. ¡°It''s not your ce to judge. The Demon King of Fury asked. I presented my terms, and thus, a deal was struck and a promise formed. That is all there is to it.¡±0 The Demon King of Fury had a vested interest in this city. It was here that he had faced defeat, fled, and lost his children.0 ¡°I incarcerated the status and the dark power of the Demon King of Fury in this city so that someday, as he wished¡­ someone worthy, a ¡®child¡¯ of his line, could inherit them when they reached these waters,¡± exined the Demon King of Incarceration.0 ¡°What about the Demon King of Fury from three hundred years ago?¡± asked Eugene.0 ¡°The Demon King of Fury that met her end at your hands today asked me the same question,¡± responded the Demon King of Incarceration.0 The Demon King of Incarceration had refused to respond to the inquiry. However, there was no reason not to give an answer anymore.0 ¡°It was a contract.¡±0 Iris had yearned for an answer to that question.0 Had the Demon King of Incarceration given an answer, Iris would not have stayed in these waters. She had lingered here to hear the truth from him.0 ¡°The Demon King of Fury made a pact with me. He wished that when he was reborn, he would retain all the memories from his previous life.¡±0 At this response, Eugene¡¯s lips twitched.0 ¡°It wasn¡¯t a difficult request. It was far simpler than sealing away the demon king¡¯s power and status with the city, especially for me. In the end, he reincarnated as a demon, just as he wished, while retaining his past life¡¯s memories. He gathered power to rediscover the self from his recollections and became a Demon King once more,¡± exined the Demon King of Incarceration.0 ¡°..¡­¡± Eugene listened without a word as he processed the information.0 ¡°The payment was received in the form of asoul,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration with a smile. ¡°As is often the case, the soul is the entity itself. To trade it, one needs a firm agreement and submission. It¡¯s impossible for a Demon King to take possession of the soul of another Demon King. Typically, entities such as Demon Kings choose total annihtion over submission.¡±0 ¡°Was it you?¡± Eugene managed to open his mouth with difficulty. ¡°Was it not Vermouth who reincarnated me, but you?¡±4 ¡°Doubting Vermouth?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked while retaining his smile. ¡°Or, does it difort you to think that your soul and memories were tampered with by a Demon King like me?¡± aa7b5e4a913f698f2f85f05ec8699ff287d581d1fb0678555d462be31d6cebaabc28f203f4c41006c3a5b8a26be733b2c765adcd5118e9b8a5fd6fa9b8dbd4c918331f0e54265662a4541361796ae Chapter 379 – The Abyss (3) Chapter 379 ¨C The Abyss (3) Doubting Vermouth? Naturally, there was doubt. It would be stranger not to harbor any doubts. Vermouth Lionheart ¡ª that guy had been suspicious even three hundred years ago. It wasn''t strange for a person to have a secret or two they wished to hide from everyone, but Vermouth had far more than a couple of secrets tucked away. Even thinking about it now, everything about Vermouth was shrouded in mystery and aroused suspicion. Eugene even harbored misgivings about whether Vermouth had even been a human; he even wondered whether Vermouth Lionheart had been his real name. But despite the swirling doubts and thinking of Vermouth as a bastard, Hamel/Eugene believed in Vermouth. He understood very well that trust and doubt could not go hand-in-hand. Yet, he believed in Vermouth, even if the bastard might not be human and even if Vermouth had not been his actual name. It was simple. Eugene had faith in Vermouth. It wasn''t just Eugene, either. Even Sienna, who had been stabbed through the heart by Vermouth, trusted him. Molon, who had been hunting monsters for over a hundred years due to a single request from the man, also believed in Vermouth. Anise, who had personally overseen Vermouth''s funeral with tears in her eyes, believed in Vermouth, too. Like daggers, the Demon King¡¯s question struck hard and deep into Eugene¡¯s wounded spirit. It felt suffocating. Eugene red at the Demon King of Incarceration without offering an immediate response. Setting aside the trust in Vermouth, that question hit too close to home. It was so on point, that it felt offensive. By now, it was apparent that Vermouth wasn¡¯t the only one to have been involved in his reincarnation. Perhaps Vermouth had sought the help of the Demon King of Incarceration to carry out this unheard-of and almost nigh impossible feat. "I see what you''re thinking," said the Demon King of Incarceration as if he could read Eugen¡¯s thoughts. He appeared entertained. Unlike during his encounter with Iris, he felt emotions and wasn¡¯t bothered to hide them. "You trust yet doubt Vermouth. You trust the Vermouth Lionheart from three hundred years ago, the one who wandered the Devildom with you and yourrades. However, you don''t know the Vermouth who existed after your death." Eugene had no response to this astute observation. "And it''s not just you. Sienna Merdein, Molon Ruhr, and Anise Slywood ¡ª none of them know who Vermouth became after they left the Devildom. After your death, everyone grew distant from Vermouth,¡± continued the Demon King of Incarceration as if narrating a tale. That was irrefutably true. Vermouth and the Demon King of Incarceration struck a deal, bringing the war to an end. Molon retreated to the northern tundra and became busy establishing a kingdom. Sienna and Anise, disappointed in Vermouth, had isted themselves in the Magic Tower and the Cathedral, respectively. "The same applies to Vermouth," Eugene spat out those words while maintaining a piercing re on the Demon King. Vermouth had simrly failed to address the growing rifts and drifting emotions. Looking back now, it even felt as though this might have all been Vermouth''s intention. He had failed to give a proper exnation, failed to even offer a simple defense, and had turned away from hisrades without a word¡­. "Do you perhaps wonder if the Vermouth you don''t know went mad and that I, the Demon King, exploited him?" the Demon King teased with a knowing look. When Sienna was attacked, the person attacking her was Vermouth, yet not Vermouth. But he had not remained hostile toward the end. After piercing a hole through Sienna''s chest, the look of regret and horror in Vermouth''s eyes, even if for a brief moment, had been unmistakable. Vermouth was held captive by the Demon King of Incarceration, potentially even mind-controlled. Such a possibility had always lingered in their minds. Yet now, they had to consider other potential truths as well. The Moonlight Sword. It wasn''t just a vague probability. If Vermouth had lost his mind, it would undoubtedly be because of the Moonlight Sword. Eugene was convinced of this now. While fighting with Iris, Eugene had experienced it firsthand ¡ª the rampaging moonlight had eroded his sanity. His ego had threatened to shatter in the swirl of the phosphorescent glow. Eugene found it hard to specte what kind of being a mad Vermouth might be. The Vermouth that he remembered, had always been rational,posed, and meticulous. Reincarnation. If it was Vermouth¡¯s intention, Eugene could begrudgingly ept it. After all, Vermouth had made numerous arrangements for Eugene¡¯s benefit. But what if Vermouth had gone crazy, and this reincarnation was not Vermouth¡¯s intention but a sinister plot of the Demon King of Incarceration? Then, wouldn¡¯t the very reincarnation be a trap? What Eugene had been doing all this while might indeed be a part of the Demon King¡¯s scheme. And indeed, the Demon King of Incarceration had facilitated Eugene¡¯s path several times so far. "No." Eugene eradicated the waver in his heart. "Just the mere touch of your hand as the Demon King on my existence revolts me." There was a possibility. Yet Eugene denied that possibility. No matter the truth behind the reincarnation, Eugene''s nature remained unchanged. It had been the same three hundred years ago and even in the more distant past. He would kill demonfolk, and he would kill the Demon Kings. This simple, linear desire to kill still constituted Eugene''s essence, his origin. Even if all he had been doing was dancing on the palm of the Demon King of Incarceration, what Eugene had to do remained unaltered. ¡°I¡ª¡± The Demon King of Incarceration started speaking in the face of Eugene¡¯s tant loathing. ¡°Three hundred years ago, at the pinnacle of Babel, I made a promise with Vermouth. I promised to return Sienna, Molon, and Anise. And I promised to return your body and soul.¡± Eugene had suspected that the Oath contained such a promise. However, it was his first time having it confirmed by the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration watched as Eugene¡¯s face hardened and continued to speak, ¡°In granting the soul, I fulfilled Vermouth''s demand. Melding the soul and memories did not seem to be an easy task even for Vermouth." Eugene just listened as the long-awaited questions were finally answered. "Just as I had done with the Demon King of Fury, I tied your soul and memories together. That is the extent of my involvement,¡± stated the Demon King of Incarceration firmly. "What did you receive in return from Vermouth?" asked Eugene. He had secured his life from the Demon King of Incarceration, had the body and soul of his deceasedpanion returned, and even had centuries of peace guaranteed¡­. The world had paid no price for the Oath. The eyes of the Demon King of Incarceration curved upwards into a smile. ¡°Is the answer to that question important to you?¡± he asked. "It is,¡± answered Eugene unhesitatingly. ¡°You must have many other things you want to ask about Vermouth now,¡± teased the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration raised a finger, flicking it lightly. With just that motion, the chains supporting him rang out in harmony. In front of Eugene stood a man of lean build, draped in dozens, if not hundreds, of chains. He was a Demon King who looked down upon other Demon Kings with disdain. He was an existence feared by other Demon Kings. No, he was an existence feared even by the gods. "What should I call you?" he asked, directing his finger towards Eugene. ¡°The ancient God of War, Agaroth? The Stupid Hamel? Or should I call you Eugene Lionheart?" "All three are me,¡± responded Eugene. He turned his head with a hollowugh. The statue of Agaroth was in sight. Then, he recalled the statue of Hamel he had seen in the desert underground. Finally, contemting the past self that existed in the sculpture, Eugene said, "The me right now. Eugene Lionheart." With this deration, he acknowledged the self that breathed life into this present moment. It was a question that needed no pondering. He had feared not being himself, but now, that fear had evaporated. It did not matter whether he was Agaroth, Hamel, or Eugene. The tasks thaty ahead of him would stay the same. As long as the memories remained vivid, Eugene''s ego wouldn''t change. "The memories of Agaroth will not be vivid." The Demon King of Incarceration withdrew his finger and then exined further. "That memory disappeared the moment Agaroth died. What you can recall now is due to Agaroth''s relic that was drawn to your soul... and because this city, which once worshiped you, resonated with your spirit. Inevitably, you became aware of being Agaroth and drew the Divine Sword embedded in your soul.¡± Eugene raised a hand to his chest.lightsnovel The Divine Sword he had used against Iris was an actualization of Agaroth¡¯s divine attribute and the faith he had gathered. In the Age of Myths, Agaroth crafted the divine power, as red as his own blood, into a great sword to ughter the Demon Kings. "The vague memories will bring you great confusion. Wouldn''t it be better to ask about yourself rather than Vermouth?" inquired the Demon King of Incarceration. "I am me,¡± Eugene replied while gripping his chest. ¡°So what if Agaroth¡¯s memories aren¡¯t clear? They¡¯re memories from a time even before centuries ago. I¡¯m not desperate for them.¡± It wasn''t that he didn''t want to remember them more clearly. However, to Eugene, understanding the current state of Vermouth was more crucial than remembering his past as Agaroth. "I had no expectations from the start. You seem like you won''t give an answer now,¡± spat Eugene. He red at the Demon King of Incarceration, who met Eugene''s eyes without responding. It was an uneasy gaze, as Eugene perceived it. "You." Unknowingly, the word escaped Eugene¡¯s lips. He stared deep into those crimson eyes, yet Eugene was unable to decipher the emotions buried deep within them. The Demon King of Incarceration had shown him many rare smiles, but Eugene could notprehend the meaning behind the smiles either. The Demon King of Fury had lived since the Age of Myths. Yet, after being reborn, he had preserved the memories of his previous life through a deal with the Demon King of Incarceration, and had climbed up to be the Demon King of Fury once again 300 years ago. Then what about the other demon kings? Had the Demon Kings of Carnage and Cruelty also lived since ancient times? No. Eugene recalled the Demon King of Incarceration''s words, stating that destruction was abrupt and irresistible. If one could survive destruction, there was no need for the Demon King of Fury to die and reincarnate unnecessarily.bender Irresistible, was it? "What are you?" said Eugene. Was it not right before his eyes? The Demon King of Incarceration was the one who resisted the destruction that had erased the Mythical Era. A Demon King¡¯s power ceased when the Demon King perished. If the Demon King of Incarceration died with the destruction, choosing to preserve his memory and opting for reincarnation, this city would not even have remained beneath the sea. Thus, it meant that the Demon King of Incarceration survived even the destruction that ended the Age of Myths. There was no being who lived as long as the Demon King of Incarceration in this world and no one who understood the truth as much as he did. Eugene could notprehend what exactly the Demon King of Incarceration was, nor could he understand his actions. Even today¡¯s events were no exception. When the Moonlight Sword went berserk, the erosion was forcibly cut off only because the Demon King of Incarceration intervened. Had the Demon King of Incarceration not intervened, the Moonlight Sword would have not only extinguished the Demon King of Fury but swallowed Eugene''s ego as well. "What in the world is the Demon King of Destruction?" Eugene asked. The Demon King of Destruction had existed even during the Age of Myths. Just like three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Destruction wandered the Devildom alone without forming any allegiance. It was more fitting to be called a phenomenon than a Demon King. The Demon King¡¯s existence was so elusive it was nearly impossible even to observe, let alone track and monitor. The battlefield where Agaroth had perished was locatedpletely on the other side of the Devildom. It was not a region where the Demon King of Destruction descended. Nevertheless, the Demon King of Destruction had suddenly appeared, engulfing Agarothpletely. Was it appropriate to call such a thing a Demon King? No, it was ¡ª simply annihtion itself. The end of an era. When the time came, beasts of destruction appeared from the far reaches of the world. Those beasts killed every living being in the world. If only Molon had not been obstructing them. The Nur that came over from Raguyaran would have begun killing everything living in the world as it had during the Mythical Era. ¡®No,¡¯ Eugene suddenly remembered. ording to Molon, it was only a hundred years ago when the Nur began crossing over from Raguyaran. Ignoring his own descending madness, Molon hunted the Nur. Not a single Nur managed to cross Lehainjar. ¡®It''s not an army,¡¯ Eugene realized. At most, dozens of Nur came over in a day ¡ª a number Molon could handle alone. The situation hardly changed for the one hundred years that Molon stopped the invasion of the Nur. Never had there been a time when hundreds or thousands of Nur appeared at once, nor had the Demon King of Destruction shown himself in response to the persistent interference. ¡®It''s different from the Mythical Age,¡¯ Eugene concluded. Back then, the beasts that appeared at the end of the era were truly countless, popping up from unknown ces. Even though an innumerable number of them were killed, there was no end to them. Still, they were fought and killed. If the Nur had a miasma that drove people mad, the people on the battlefield had steadfast faith in Agaroth. Regardless of how many there were, the Nur couldn''t get past Agaroth, who wielded the Divine Sword at the forefront. If the Demon King of Destruction had not descended there, Agaroth and his followers would have won the war. Pushing aside the skepticism towards the unidentified monster, they would have waged the war against the Demon King of Incarceration as originally nned. ¡°Ascend Babel,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a smile. ng! The chains forming the chair dispersed, and the Demon King of Incarceration rose from his seat. "Eugene Lionheart. I will answer your questions at the summit of Babel," he said. It was as Eugene expected. He furrowed his brows deeply and red fiercely at the Demon King of Incarceration. He had anticipated that the Demon King wouldn''t provide straightforward answers. Yet, leaving without a single answer after hearing all the questions seemed excessively cruel. "Why did you save me?" Unsure whether he would receive an answer, Eugene nevertheless voiced his question. "It would be a hollow end for everyone, wouldn''t it?" The Demon King of Incarceration uttered as he stepped back. "For the Demon King of Fury who seeded the throne over a distant age, for you who dreamed of the massacre of the Demon Kings time and time again, for Vermouth with whom a pact was forged, and for me, waiting for you at the top of Babel." Silence enveloped the space, a pregnant pause hanging heavily between them. "It couldn¡¯t be helped that you were defeated, died, and failed due to insufficient strength. However, being consumed by the Sword of Destruction... it wasn''t because you were weak." With a resounding ng, chains lifted from behind the Demon King of Incarceration, connecting to form a grand circle in a unified rise. "But it seems you don''t have enough strength to challenge me either," the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled, stepping into the interior of the circle with a mirthful disposition. "Hold on a moment." In haste, Eugene started speaking rapidly, reaching out to hold the Demon King of Incarceration back. "Are you Vermouth?" The question halted the Demon King''s progress, a stillness taking over as he turned to regard Eugene with a face that conveyed disbelief. "Are you asking because you sincerely believe that?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration looked at Eugene with an expression of incredulity. Chapter 380 – The Abyss (4) Chapter 380 ¨C The Abyss (4) Eugene hadn''t had many asions to see the face of the Demon King of Incarceration. During his time as Agaroth, he hadn''t seen him at all. Though, as Hamel, he had caught a distant glimpse of the Demon King during the battle on the crimson ins. When he finally entered Babel, Hamel had died before getting a chance toe face-to-face with the Demon King. In this life, however, he had been entangled with the Demon King of Incarceration from early on. Their initial encounter had urred in Hamel¡¯s tomb beneath the desert, although at that time, the Demon King of Incarceration had manifested within the body of a Death Knight. But from that moment, Eugene found himself directly involved with the Demon King of Incarceration, even meeting him in person during the Knight March. Yet, it was the first time he had seen the Demon King of Incarceration look this flustered. "Am I Vermouth?" the Demon King repeated. The previously indifferent expressions that often adorned the Demon King''s visage, rarely disrupted but by a thin smile, were reced by a vivid mosaic of reactions ¡ª eyebrows drawing uneven arches and lips twitching. "Hmm... I didn¡¯t think it was entirely imusible..." Eugene murmured, unyielding and contemtive. The question might have been blurted out suddenly, yet it was not without a foundation of suspicion. There were indeed considerable simrities between the Demon King of Incarceration and Vermouth: both were suspicious, enigmatic, and fundamentally inscrutable in their intents. "Are you sincerely asking that?" The Demon King managed to query again with a hollow chuckle. It was a response that seemed tinged with even a hint of offense. "Why would you think so?" asked the Demon King of Incarceration. "Because if you were Vermouth, many of my questions would be answered. Why Vermouth would have agreed to make a pact with you, why you agreed to a seemingly disadvantageous promise, why you spared and returned Sienna, Anise, and Molon three hundred years ago. Your involvement in my reincarnation and the time you intervened to save me when I was almost... annihted." ¡°Hmm.¡± The Demon King¡¯s face once again donned a mask of impassivity. He tilted his head slightly, fixing a piercing gaze upon Eugene. "Indeed. Your suspicions are not entirely baseless. So, Eugene Lionheart, what will you do if I tell you that I am Vermouth?¡± The question came with a heavy undertone. It was not an entertaining thought. Yet, since it was Eugene who initiated this, he didn''t need much time or reflection to respond. "I''d first listen to what you have to say, then decide whether or not to kill you. Though, being honest, I would likely choose to kill you,¡± answered Eugene directly. "You would kill me?" the Demon King asked. "That¡¯s right." Eugene¡¯s answer harbored no doubt. Regardless of the circumstances, the Demon King of Incarceration was still a Demon King; he was responsible for initiating the war three hundred years ago, a war that ravagednds and caused innumerable losses. "You started the war," Eugene said, his voice cold. It was an incontrovertible truth. The Demon King of Incarceration had been the first among the five Demon Kings to invade the continent, unleashing a horde of demonic beasts that obliterated neighboring small nations bordering the Devildom. That marked the inception of a domino effect, ushering in the brutal invasion of the other Demon Kings ¡ª the Demon King of Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury ¡ª upon the continent. Although the Demon King of Incarceration became less engrossed in the invasion afterward, the fact that he set the catastrophic events in motion remained unaltered. It was also the reason why all the dragons united andunched an offensive against him. ¡®But then, the dragons were ughtered when the Demon King of Destruction made an appearance,¡¯ Eugene thought. What was it like during the Age of the Myths? Did the Demon King of Incarceration start it all then, too? He could not remember. But he wasn''t particrly curious either. It was a past life too far away, belonging to apletely different era. "I see." After a moment of silence, the Demon King of Incarceration nodded slowly. "I did not think there was a¡­ reason to answer, but still, I will give you an answer. I am not Vermouth." Hearing those words, Eugene felt relieved. "Eugene Lionheart. You do not need to hesitate at all to kill me," the Demon King of Incarceration dered. "If so, I am d," Eugene replied without smiling.bender The Demon King of Incarceration gazed at Eugene''s face for a while before turning away. This time, Eugene didn''t hold back the Demon King of Incarceration when he started walking into the circle formed by chains. ''He refused to kill Sienna and Anise, and formed a pact with Vermouth. He knew me in my past life, aided in my reincarnation, and watched over me in this life¡­.'' Eugene¡¯s thoughts wereplex. He had made a pact with Vermouth. It wasn''t necessarily because of that. In the end, Eugene, Sienna, Anise, and Molon were enemies of the Demon King of Incarceration. ...Had they been spared because they were too insignificant? It might have been the case. Indeed, the power of the Demon King of Incarceration was overwhelmingly massive. He was allowed to think that way. But... it seemed like there was a different reason for the Demon King of Incarceration to go to these lengths. ¡ªIf you were there with us, there would have been no need to fight the Demon King of Incarceration upon reaching the pinnacle of the Demon King''s castle. ¡ªThe highest priority for me was that. Reaching the pinnacle of the Demon King of Incarceration''s castle, climbing to the top of Babel. If I could meet the true form of the Demon King of Incarceration there, it would have been aplished. If I had defeated him, the terms of the promise would have significantly changed. ¡ªJust like I did, stand in the pce of the Demon King of Incarceration and arrange to meet his true form. The Demon King of Incarceration won''t let you climb Babel easily. He is such an existence. ¡ªWhat happens afterward, you''ll have to experience it yourself. Eugene recalled Vermouth''s words. He had already met the true form of the Demon King of Incarceration. But this ce wasn''t the peak of Babel. To know the truth, as the Demon King of Incarceration had said, one had to climb Babel. ''There was no need to fight,'' Eugene recalled. But that was a story from three hundred years ago. Whether it would be the same even if he climbed Babel now, he didn''t know. And even if the Demon King of Incarceration had no intention of fighting, Eugene was determined to fight and kill the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡ªThe only reason I had to have you reincarnated was that of all the people I know... you were the most like the Hero. Vermouth had spoken these words in the Dark Room. Now, those words invoked various thoughts. "Did you know too?" Muttering to himself, Eugene turned his head to see the mountain built from the corpses of monsters. Sitting atop it was a statue of Agaroth. Eugene stared intensely at a distant past version of himself. *** Even though he knew that showing them everything in the abyss would be quicker than telling them, going down into the abyss again with Sienna and Kristina was not an option. It was because, except for Iris, who had the qualifications because of a promise, and Eugene, who was fatefully connected to the ruins, no one could pass through the gate of the abyss. "So¡­." The sea that was split with the Divine Sword hade back together once again. Eugene stared silently at the quiet sea, anticipating what Sienna, who had heard the whole story, would say. "You are iming to be a god?" Sienna asked incredulously. Eugene just stayed silent at this question. "A God of War?" Sienna''s eyebrows furrowed. "Have you lost your mind?" she questioned. Eugene still didn¡¯t offer a response. "No... no, really, Eugene. It''s not that I don''t believe you, but it''s just too absurd. You, a God of War?" Sienna questioned once more. "Tch..." Eugene had somewhat anticipated her reaction. He, too, would have doubted Sienna''s sanity as well if she abruptly imed, ''I am actually a God of Magic.'' "I see..." said Kristina. Contrary to Sienna, who was skeptical, Kristina nodded slowly with her hands gathered. She spoke with a gaze filled with genuine admiration and worship towards Eugene. "Indeed, Sir Eugene, you were a possessor of an extraordinary destiny,¡± Kristinamented. "Do you believe me?" asked Eugene. "Absolutely. Not only me, but Lady Anise also believes that in your previous life, you were an ancient God of War," Kristina said while staring fixedly at Eugene. "...In fact, we witnessed your ''miracle'' today,¡± she continued. "Miracle¡­." Sienna murmured, shifting her perception of him being¡­ an ignorant and barbaric Hamel. She recalled Eugene when he had cornered Iris earlier. "Indeed," Sienna muttered. A miracle ¡ª most wizards did not blindly believe in such uncertainties. However, it seemed ludicrous to doubt and deny it after witnessing it first-hand. The quality of his mana had changed in an instant. His mes burned pitch-ck, contrary to the name of the White me Form. The Moonlight Sword had rampaged. And finally ¡ª the red light that split Iris and the sea into two. "That wasn''t... mana. It wasn''t magic, nor was it the light of the Moonlight Sword,¡±mented Sienna. It was undoubtedly an alien power. Sienna felt the nature of the power that light held. Kristina and Anise felt the same, especially Anise, who had some idea of the identity of that power since the first time Eugene''s me changed. "Divine power,¡± said Anise. The belief in a deity ¡ª the manifestation of divine magic and even miracles beyond it ¡ª all urred through faith. That was precisely divine power. How the divine power manifested varied ording to the deity who was worshiped. For the priests who worshiped the God of Light, it appeared as a dazzling light. That light was bestowed by a deity; one could also say it was borrowed from the deity. "Hamel, the light within you wasn''t granted by the God of Light. It was a light sparked from within yourself, a divine power intrinsic to the deity themselves,¡± Anise dered.lightsnovel Anise was no longer a human being. The human version of Anise had died three hundred years ago. Anise of now was an ethereal entity, a celestial, closer to a deity than any human could ever be. Because of this, Anise had sensed the divine power ever since Eugene''s me had transformed. "Especially, Hamel, thest one you drew... the Sword of Light. That bore the force deserving to be called a Divine Sword in the truest sense," Anise exined. The Holy Sword Altair, said to be crafted by the God of Light, was wrought from the flesh and blood of the avatar the deity had assumed when descending to the earthly realm. Even after the God of Light ascended back to the heavens, Altair remained in this world, regarded by the Church of Light as the first offspring of the deity, a torch left for the world, infused with a potent Light. Yet, the Holy Sword was different from a Divine Sword. It merely borrowed its sanctity from a deity, while a Divine Sword was forged purely of divine power. Eugene wore aplicated expression while touching his chest, where he had drawn the Divine Sword. "It cannot be drawn frequently,¡± hemented. "Indeed." Anise nodded, a given in her expression. "Hamel. You, being Agaroth yourself, would know best, but the name ''Agaroth'' dates back thousands of years¡­ or perhaps even longer. ording to your words, didn''t all the devotees worshiping Agaroth perish along with the end of the Age of Myths? While there might be few who know the name ''Agaroth'' in this era, none would worship Agaroth as a god." "I suppose so,¡± said Eugene. "A god not worshiped by anyone, a deity of war vanished with antiquity. Hamel, even if you are the reincarnation of that war god, there would be hardly any divine might or divinity left in you. Yet ording to your own realization... you''ve awakened the divine power,¡± exined Anise. He could wield it only once. That was Eugene''s current assessment. While dissecting it finely could allow for several more uses, utilizing the Holy Sword with the Empty Sword would be more convenient and better. But even if wielded just once, the Divine Sword swung with all his might had annihted the Demon King¡¯s dark power and split the sea. "I cannot be certain, but being able to draw the Divine Sword seems to be limited to once a day." Though he couldn''t do it at the moment. Eugene murmured, caressing his chest, "It feels... like it¡¯s gradually replenishing." "The name, the God of War Agaroth, isn''t what''s important,¡± said Anise while stepping closer to Eugene. "Only the name has changed. The soul remains the same. Today, Hamel, you killed the Demon King of Fury. Right now, only the punitive force is aware, but once we return to Shimuin, the entire continent will know." Eugene understood Anise''s words. Divinity grew with faith. The brilliance of the light bestowed by the God of Light was due to the grandeur of the Church of Light among the religions of the continent. He had killed the Demon King, an astonishing feat that would shake the entire continent. Once this fact was known, many across the continent would chant Eugene''s name, perhaps even to the point of worship¡­. For Eugene, who already possessed the Divine Sword, such worship would umte and convert into divine power. ''I see,¡¯ Eugene thought in realization. Eugene didn''t particrly desire it, but the more the continent hailed him as a hero, the stronger his divine power would be. He would be able to swing the Divine Sword more than once as his power increased, and its inherent potency would also grow. If he managed to garner such surplus in divinity, he would be able to explore other ways to utilize this power as well, beyond just wielding the Divine Sword. "God... a god¡­." Sienna cast aplex gaze, stealing nces at Eugene as she murmured, the perplexity evident on her face. "Not a goddamned idiot¡­ but a god? A god, not of idiocy or insanity... but a god of war...?" "....." It was a huge insult, yet Eugene didn¡¯t take it as such. The yful linguistic game embedded in that derogatory phrase brought a subtle smile to his lips. Anise mumbled while eyeing Sienna skeptically, "Was that a joke just now?" "No... no, it wasn''t?" retorted Sienna. "It sounded like a joke..." mumbled Anise. "It wasn''t, I told you!" shouted Sienna. Holding back a smile had been the right call. Eugene managed his expression with a fierce determination before turning his head away. At the moment, the ship carrying Eugene and his party was progressing slowly across the sea. The Demon King was dead, and so were the dark elves and pirates. However, something might have remained at their base. One of the objectives of this suppression mission was to rescue the dwarf craftsmen who had been kidnapped by the pirates. ¡®There were no dwarves among the monsters,¡¯ Eugene remembered. Of course, it was possible that, having transformed into monsters, they lost their dwarf characteristics... but that didn''t mean the expedition could return to Shimuin without checking. "How is Ciel?" Eugene sighed deeply before asking. "Her physical condition is... fine. There is no anomaly appearing in her left eye,¡± answered Anise. "I checked with magic as well. It''s the same. That eye... has certainly be a Demoneye, but it is still functioning properly as an eye,¡± added Sienna. Sienna and Anise both gave a sigh. "Her energy hasn''t significantly diminished either. But just in case, we forced her to sleep..." said Anise. "Carmen and Dezra are watching over her now. For now... let her rest deeply, and we can check the Demoneyeter,¡± suggested Sienna. "Yeah," Eugene murmured with a bitter smile. Anise looked at him with worried eyes and said, "Hamel, you shouldn''t feel... guilty." "I should." Eugene shook his head as he responded, "It happened while she was trying to save me." Anise and Sienna did not say anything in response. "It was different from what I did three hundred years ago when I rushed in without needing to,¡± Eugene said bitterly. If Ciel hadn''t pushed him away, if she hadn''t thrust herself forward in his stead, the Demoneye of Darkness would have pierced through Eugene''s head without a doubt. Chapter 381 – The Abyss (5) Chapter 381 ¨C The Abyss (5) After sailing for about half a day, they spotted a series of inds, bothrge and small, nestled closely together. A rudimentary vige could be seen on one of the inds. It was the vige where the pirates who followed Iris lived, but right now, no survivors could be seen in the vige. The thousands of pirates residing there had been turned into intertwined monsters by Iris'' dark power, and they had eventually been reduced to ashes and met their end when the Demon King¡¯s dark power was dispersed. As they passed several inds, arge ind emzoned with a symbol representing the Demon King of Fury came into view. It was ringly obvious to be a stronghold where Iris and the dark elves had resided. Eugene, Sienna, and Anise volunteered to scout ahead. ¡°There might still be remnants of dangerous energies rted to the Demon King. The three of us will go alone, so please guard the ship,¡± Eugene said. It was a request that was met with no opposition. In particr, Ortus, themander of the suppression force, nodded fervently. He seemed to have infinite faith in Eugene''s simple words. ¡®The Hero,¡¯ Ortus intoned mentally. Initially, Ortus had not favored Eugene; he had found Eugene to be excessively rude when they had a conversation at Knight March. The next time they met had been when Eugene and his party had sneaked an attack on Laversia, and it had not fostered any good feelings then either. Instead, Ortus had experienced nothing but hardship from Eugene. Yet, any residual resentment melted away during the battle against the Demon King. Now, Ortus held a deep respect, perhaps even reverence, for Eugene. It did not matter that Eugene was young enough to be his son. Both of them walked the path of warriors, and Ortus couldn¡¯t help but be profoundly impressed with every move Eugene demonstrated in the battle against the Demon King. Eugene¡¯s martial prowess was nothing short of divine, rekindling the fire in Ortus'' warrior spirit that had been fading away. ¡®Eugene Lionheart. He is... the real deal. He¡¯s the true hero, beyond what the world proims.¡¯ Ortus¡¯ thoughts were almost bordering veneration. The fervor in Ortus¡¯ gaze was ringly apparent, something even Eugene could feel. He found it to be slightly embarrassing, but if he considered future endeavors, it wasn''t a bad thing at all to have gained the affection and admiration of Ortus, who was the grand duke and First of the Twelve Finest Shimuin. ¡®Rather, it¡¯s a good thing,¡¯ Eugene thought. Challenging the Demon King of Incarceration, ascending Babel ¡ª these feats seemed impossible for now. In the worst-case scenario, they might be torn to shreds by Gavid Lindman midway through the ascent. Unlike the recent confrontation with the Demon King of Fury, they stood no chance in a sudden battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. They had to prepare as much as possible. This preparation included enhancing his divine power alongside the obvious tasks of working on his magic and the White me Form. Anise had already exined it to him, and Eugene himself could feel it as well ¡ª he would garner more divine power as the name Eugene Lionheart grew in fame and reverence. ¡®Maybe I should ask them to erect a statue of me.¡¯ Eugene seriously harbored such thoughts. He had eliminated the Demon King of Fury, which was a deed far more difficult than his original task of eliminating the Pirate Empress had been. Surely, the royal family of Shimuin could not deny his request after all that he had done for them. ¡®Perhaps in a square or... in front of the coliseum with a lot of tourists¡­ they could ce a statue that resembles me exactly. Now that I think of it, it seems like my divine power would increase just by having Ortus stand in front of the statue every couple of months.¡¯ The more Eugene thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. ¡°This can''t even be described as stering your face with gold. You¡¯re stering it with diamonds. It¡¯s pure vanity,¡± Sienna replied with a grimace after hearing Eugene¡¯s n. ¡°Is that really for you to say?¡± Eugene asked back. He was genuinely bewildered. Vanity? He would have understood it if anyone else had said it, but Sienna, of all people? To bepletely honest, hadn''t Sienna been the most obnoxiously boastful one among all their colleagues three hundred years ago? Anise disliked being venerated as a Saint in Yuras. She had been far removed from wanting herself idolized. Molon had indeed erected a statue of himself in the capital of the Ruhr Kingdom, but it had also served tomemorate Hamel. Then, there were statues of Vermouth in the Lionheart family¡¯s estate and in Kiehl''s capital. But... would Vermouth have been obsessed with his own statues? On the other hand, Sienna had been obsessed. ¡°It''s a misunderstanding,¡± Sienna replied while keeping a straight face. ¡°Even three hundred years ago, I didn¡¯t wish for something like my statue to be erected in a town square! Even when my portrait was being painted, I didn¡¯t smile and disyed such difort that the artist had to change my expression.¡± ¡°Despite what you''re saying now, you always referred to yourself as the ''Wise Sienna'' every day,¡± Eugenemented dryly. ¡°That is... that''s a different matter. I''m different now than I was three hundred years ago. Also, well, it¡¯s a fact that I am the Wise Sienna!¡± retorted Sienna. ¡°Really... you were the one who dubbed yourself with that adjective ¡ª wise¡­¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°I didn''te up with it!¡± shrieked Sienna in denial. ¡°Why are you denying a fact that everyone already knows?¡± asked Eugene. It was a well-established fact that the damn fairy tale was a coborative work between Anise and Sienna. However, Sienna still denied being the author.¡­ Thud. ¡°Please ignore Sienna¡¯s foolish words. They are not worth listening to,¡± Anise said while folding her Wings of Light afternding on the ind. ¡°I am with Hamel on this one. I agree with your opinion. Idols are an easy and convenient way to draw worship. But I think even more audacious methods can be used for this matter.¡± ¡°More audacious methods?¡± asked Eugene, intrigued. ¡°Such as getting the papacy to recognize you as a saint of the Religion of Light and erecting statues of you all over Yuras,¡± exined Anise. Eugene¡¯s mouth hung open halfway after hearing her proposal. ¡°Why are you surprised? Though not officially announced, you are already regarded as a saint in the Religion of Light,¡± said Anise. It was indeed an obvious statement. Eugene had been dubbed as the Hero by the Religion of Light. Since three hundred years ago, the master of the Holy Sword Altair had been called the Hero. In fact, Vermouth was considered to be one of the saints in the Religion of Light to this day, and more than dozens of Vermouth¡¯s statues were erected in Yuras. ¡°In truth, even if we don¡¯t ask for it, this is something the papacy will undertake themselves,¡± Anise exined. If the fact of the subjugation of the Demon King of Fury became known, there was no way Yuras, a nation of zealots, would stay still. They would eagerly proim that the God of Light was with Eugene and end up erecting a statue of him in the za of the Sun. ¡°Erecting statues isn¡¯t the only method, right?¡± Sienna followed behind Eugene and Anise with a fake cough. ¡°You could aplish more feats that will make your name known like this, right? Fortunately, Eugene, there are still many bastards left for you to kill.¡± Bastards to be killed. "Amelia Merwin, Noir Giabe, Gavid Lindman,¡± Eugene listed them with a cold glint in his eyes. "The weakest one is that ck wizard Amelia Merwin,¡± responded Sienna while narrowing her eyes. "To be honest, it''s still hard for us to deal with Noir Giabe," Eugene grumbled with a grimace. They had managed to stab Noir with a dagger while she was possessing Scalia... but that was solely to drive Noir away. It would not have inflicted serious damage to her true self. "Gavid Lindman might be getting stronger along with the Demon King of Incarceration, but Noir Giabe is different. Her greed might be the greatest among the demons, right?" said Sienna. Eugene agreed with that statement wholeheartedly. Noir Giabe was greedy. There was no other word to describe it. Over these three hundred years, there likely wasn''t any other demon who enhanced their power and status as much as Noir did. Even at this very moment, her power and status were increasing. The stupid Giabe Park had tens of thousands of visitors daily, and the energy the visitors offered added to Noir Giabe''s strength. "Speaking of statues, Sir Eugene, why didn''t you bring the statue of Agaroth?" Kristina asked while slowing her pace and standing beside Eugene. Eugene coughed softly while avoiding Kristina''s sparkling gaze. "I felt it was right to leave it there." "So... is that so?" asked Kristina. "Even if that¡¯s my past life, I barely remember anything. Trying to remember might only cause more confusion... After all, it''s something of the past,¡± Eugene exined.bender That was why he had left it in the abyss. Staring at the statue of Agaroth could potentially lead to unnecessary sentiments. Hamel was from just three hundred years ago, and his memory was of the ''same world,'' but Agaroth... wasn''t that a distant past from immemorial times, a different era altogether? ''Would he have told me if I asked?'' Eugene couldn¡¯t stop himself from wondering. If he had asked the Demon King of Incarceration for the memories of Agaroth, would he have allowed Eugene to remember? Regardless of whether it was possible or not, it didn''t seem like it would have been easy. The Demon King of Incarceration would have probably asked for something in return... or boasted that he would tell Eugene once he reached Babel. On the other hand, Kristina felt regret. ''I wanted to see it.'' The current Eugene Lionheart, Hamel Dynas from three hundred years ago, and the ancient God of War, Agaroth ¡ª Kristina wanted to know everything about Eugene. "How is White me Form? Is it the same?" Sienna asked as she raised her staff. Instead of answering verbally, Eugene demonstrated the use of the White me Form. Seven Stars... no, could it still be called Seven Stars? Despite the stiffness in his body from Ignition''s recoil, thanks to getting a little rest, he could ignite a small me. Whoosh. A ck me sprang up from Eugene''s fingertip. ''There are no Stars,¡¯ Eugene thought as he inspected himself. The Stars were a symbol of the White me Form. The number of Stars determined the stage of the White me Form. But now, there were no Stars inside Eugene. A transformation in the White me Form had been induced by multiple things ¡ª Eugene¡¯s malice and murderous intent towards the Demon King, Agaroth¡¯s divine power, and Eugene¡¯s will. The change lingered within the White me Form. ''The Stars are gone... but the Core is not,'' Eugene realized. The Ring me Form had been conceived using the Eternal Hole as its basis, creating new Stars within the rotation of Stars. Now, inside of Eugene was a universe born from the evolving Ring me Form. The me born from this universe was pitch ck, resembling a night sky embracing the stars. "Lady Carmen would like it, I believe,¡± said Kristina with a smile. "......" Eugene decided to keep mum at this prospect. "A color not fitting for the Hero... but Sir Eugene still remains noble and holy," Kristina whispered with her hands sped in prayer.lightsnovel On the other side, Sienna unfolded a scouting spell while gazing at Eugene''s me with a sly smile beforementing, "It was true before as well, but now, your mana is... too... powerful. It''s violent and alien." The mana in the atmosphere was in its purest form. When that mana dwelled within a human and manifested through one¡¯s will, it mixed with one''s disposition. From the Sixth Star onwards, the White me Form underwent changes depending on one¡¯s disposition. But Eugene''s White me Form was no longer recognizable as the Lionheart¡¯s specialty. All that remained somewhat simr was that the mana rose like mes. Everything else had changed too much under Eugene¡¯s influence. ¡ªViolently and alienly so. "This is better,¡± Eugene grumbled as he extinguished the me. Only after fully recovering could he test and verify various things with his newfound power. It was impossible to do so at the moment. ''I need to check the Moonlight Sword too,'' Eugene thought of another thing that needed his attention. Why had it run rampant, and was there a risk of it happening again in the future? If so... should it be destroyed? Or should it be sealed? Eugene let out a deep sigh. "Found it," Sienna spoke as she withdrew her staff. It appeared as if not a single survivor remained on the ind where the pirates had lingered. The same was true for the hostages kidnapped by the pirates and the workers who had been taken from the vige. Iris, who had be the Demon King, transformed all the humans she saw into monstrous beings. However, there were still survivors on this ind. Sienna slowly floated upwards into the air. Eugene and Kristina, too, were lifted by Sienna''s magic. Ku- ku- ku- kung! The ground vibrated and began to stir. Although Sienna had not fully recovered from the battle with the Demon King, flipping over the surface of this area was a simple task. "She hid them very deep. She obviously didn''t want them to escape, huh?"mented Sienna. As the ground waspletely turned over, dwarves became visible. All of them were lying on the ground as if on the brink of death. ording to the information provided, there were supposed to be twenty dwarves. However, there were only fourteen in the basement. "Th-they are dead.¡± The one who spoke was a young dwarf who had been the first one to regain consciousness from Anise¡¯s divine magic. "One¡­ didn''t return from the deep sea, and two died from overwork while producing diving suits. The remaining three... killed themselves by bashing their heads onto the furnace," the dwarf spoke as tears dripped down his face. "Wh...where is the Empress, ah, ah, no, where is the Demon King? Where is Her Majesty?" The dwarf''s voice trembled. Despite the abuse, fear made them refer to Iris as Her Majesty. "She''s dead," Eugene responded. The dwarf''s eyes widened in shock, "De, dead? She''s dead? The Demon King... is? The Demon King of Fury is dead?" "She is dead. That''s why I am here now,¡± responded Eugene. "Who... who on earth killed the Demon King of Fury?" asked the dwarf. "I did,¡± said Eugene matter-of-factly. This response left the dwarf with his mouth agape. ¡°Who exactly are you¡­ to be able to do such a thing?¡± ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± A sense of satisfaction washed over Eugene as he proimed his feat. ¡®I should have the dwarves craft the statues,¡¯ he thought with satisfaction. Having rescued them from the brink of starvation or suffocation underground, he figured they would happily agree to sculpt statues in gratitude. ¡®I¡¯ll need to bring a few of them to the Lionheart estate.¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t forget his original mission. He had no intention of forcing them. But there would be no need to either. If he whispered the promise of unrestricted ess to dragon materials for forging weapons and armor, the dwarves would eagerly follow him to the Lionheart n without a second thought. Though a discussion with the Shimuin royal family would be necessary, it was unlikely they would refuse the release of a few dwarves when he had eliminated the Demon King for them. ¡®To the Lionheart mansion¡­¡¯ Eugene thought of their next destination. The moment he recalled his homnd, the faces of Gilead, Anci, and Cyan surfaced in his mind. All his enthusiasm and happiness vanished suddenly. Darkness clouded Eugene¡¯s expression. With a sigh, he turned his head, gazing at the ships anchored not far off in the sea. By now, Ciel would have woken from her sleep. ¡®I might get pped a few times.¡¯ While such a thing seemed unlikely for Gilead, Anci might be the one to do it, Eugene thought. In fact, Anci had every right to. Chapter 382 – Voyage Home (1) Chapter 382 ¨C Voyage Home (1) Ciel¡¯s heart could not settle enough to fall asleep. Although she could see clearly at this moment, she worried about the next time she would wake up. Would she still see as clearly as now? Or would she still see as she once did in the old days? This fear stirred unease in her chest. Sienna and Kristina knew too well that when overwhelmed by such concerns, sleep was elusive. Forcing oneself to sleep only deepened the torment as thoughts multiplied, so they had helped her fall asleep. "......" All was quiet in the room. Beside the magically slumbering Ciel sat Carmen and Dezra. Dezra¡¯s tears were not fully dried on her face, and she tenderly clutched Ciel''s hand while sniffling. On the other hand, Carmen fixedly gazed at Ciel¡¯s face while repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fists. The small mercy was that no scars marred Ciel''s face. The only change was in her eyes. ¡®¡­How could this be considered fortunate?¡¯ Carmen thought bitterly while biting hard into her lower lip. ¡®If only I had been stronger¡­.¡¯ If she had discerned the Demon King''s intentions before she unexpectedly used her Demoneye¡¯s power.... If she hadn''t given the Demon King the opportunity¡­. If she had defeated her first¡­. Such thoughts haunted Carmen¡¯s mind endlessly. In the battle against the Demon King, Carmen had shone brilliantly. She had felled the most of the dark elves. When Eugene had been consumed by the Moonlight Sword''s frenzy and left the battlefield, it had been Carmen who held the Demon King at bay. Without her, the Demon King would have rampaged unchecked until Eugene''s return. Many had already perished, but without Carmen, the casualties would''ve been far worse. ¡®How pathetic.¡¯ Carmen chided herself as she clenched her fists. She was disgusted by her own endlessly circling thoughts. She knew such reflections were pointless, mere self-justifications for past mistakes. She knew they were simple defense mechanisms and she felt repulsed at how she attempted to justify her own weakness. ¡®I was inadequate,¡¯ Carmen finally admitted to herself. That truth remained unchanged. She believed opportunities existed in the fight against the Demon King. She had seen openings multiple times. However, she had failed to seize them. Even if an opening had been apparent, Carmen''s body hadn''t responded as needed. Furthermore, she could not even be sure if the perceived openings had been genuine or if they had been mere lures set by the Demon King. She could not be sure of what she saw in the heat of the battle. ¡®In the end, it alles down to my inadequacy,¡¯ Carmen surmised. Being hailed as the best warrior of the Lionheart n or one of its elders ¡ª what did those titles mean? She had been powerless against the Demon King, the Lionheart''s archenemy. She had indirectly caused her grand-niece and pupil to lose an eye and fared worse than her other grand-nephew, Eugene. For the first time in her life, a thought struck her, ¡®I am weak.¡¯ As if sensing her despair, a hand gentlynded on Carmen''s trembling hand. She startled. When she looked up, she found Ciel''s eyes on her. "Ci..." Her lips parted involuntarily. But, she could not call out Ciel''s namepletely. She saw Ciel¡¯s eyes gazing in her direction. The faded hue of her left iris seemed to inflict acerating pain upon Carmen''s heart. "¡­El¡­" Carmen''s voice trembled as she finally finished calling out Ciel¡¯s name in its entirety. It was barely audible and unlike her usual tone of voice. Her vision blurred, clouded with emotion. When was thest time tears streamed down her face? She couldn¡¯t even think to wipe them away as the emotions overwhelmed her. Instead, all Carmen could do was tightly clutch onto Ciel¡¯s hand. "I''m quite alright," Ciel spoke with an uneasy smile. "Why do you weep, Lady Carmen? I''m not shedding tears, am I?" "¡­" Carmen couldn¡¯t respond to Ciel¡¯s steady words. "Hmm¡­. I might have¡­ acted foolishly¡­. No, that''s not it. I did what was right. Even if I could turn back time, I would act in the same manner. And perhaps, Lady Carmen, you would have done the same, too," continued Ciel. "¡­Indeed,¡± answered Carmen after a slight moment of hesitation. Carmen could not refute that statement. She had heard about the circumstances that led to Ciel''s loss of her left eye. As Ciel surmised, Carmen, too, would have acted identically in that situation. Eugene had been the most important person on the battlefield. Even if hundreds perished, Eugene was the one who couldn''t fall. "¡­I would have acted the same way," Carmen mumbled in agreement, still firmly holding on to Ciel''s hand. She continued to hold Ciel¡¯s hand for a while longer before pushing herself off the chair. She then wiped the tears that stained her cheeks. Taking a deep breath to steady her trembling heart, she helped the sniffling Dezra to stand. "But Ciel," Carmen said, looking down at her as shey on the bed, "To me, you''re just as precious and vital as Eugene. If it were you in that situation instead of Eugene, I would have¡­ thrown myself in harm''s way for you." "Had you sacrificed yourself for me, Lady Carmen, I might have¡­ harbored a lifelong resentment toward myself,¡± responded Ciel. The depth of Ciel''s smile deepened a shade. Carmen turned away with a rueful smirk. When she opened the door, she caught a glimpse of Eugene standing a few steps away. Sienna and Kristina were nowhere to be seen. Fearing that her voice might crack with emotion, Carmen cleared her throat subtly before speaking. "Were there any survivors?" she asked. "Only fourteen dwarves,¡± responded Eugene. "Just dwarves?" Carmen asked. "Yes. No humans,¡± Eugene confirmed. A shadow crossed Carmen''s face after she heard his response. With a slight nod, she and Dezra passed by Eugene. "There was no need for them to clear the room," Cielmented, addressing Eugene as the door shut behind him. Eugene just stared at Ciel''s face without uttering a word. "Let me be clear," Ciel started. She felt a surge of self-loathing for the emotions and the thoughts she harbored. "I acted that way because I believed it was right." "¡­.." Eugene continued to remain silent. "Perhaps¡­ there might have been a cleaner, better method. But as you know, wecked the luxury of choice at that moment. Somehow, instinctively, my body moved,¡± Ciel exined. I saved you. It cost only a left eye, but I could''ve given my life for you. So, you owe me a debt. I''ve gone this far for you, so you also have to¡­. "So, you need not feel guilt or remorse towards me. Yes, I might have shown you... my ugly side¡­. But, well¡­. I do not wish to be more wretched than I was then,¡± Ciel continued hesitantly. You should acknowledge my efforts for you, for all that I do for you. I won''t ask for too much. Just, asionally, think of me¡­. "Do you resent me?" Eugene finally asked after exhaling deeply. He settled into a chair beside the bed. "Do I... resent... you?" Ciel voiced each word as she looked at Eugene in disbelief. "Why would I have a reason to resent you?" "Had I not been so helpless, like an idiot, you would not have been harmed," Eugene responded with a voice full of self-loathing. "Stop saying such stupid things, Eugene. If you wish to make assumptions, think of this first: What if I had taken your suggestion and hadn''t joined the expedition? Then perhaps I wouldn''t have been harmed. And perhaps in my absence, you might have died,¡± said Ciel. Ciel chuckled while yfully tapping Eugene''s forehead, "Instead of harboring such foolish thoughts, you should thank me. Thank me for saving you." "I''ve already thanked you countless times,¡± said Eugene. "Yet, hearing gratitude from you always feels refreshing,¡± Ciel remarked jokingly. She withdrew her finger, grinning. "So, what did you witness beneath the seas?" "Do you not resent me for that?" Eugene asked once again. "What nonsensical talk is this now? You thought I would resent you for venturing to the ocean floor without me? By the gods.¡± Ciel burst intoughter. "How little did you think of me? Do you think I¡¯m a child?" Ciel understood why Eugene acted the way he did. Back then, Eugene had been... different. He felt like Eugene, yet at the same time, not. His turbulent eyes had revealed the chaos within. "It mattered to you,¡± Ciel finally said. But now it was different. The true Eugene Lionheart stood before Ciel. "It was important," Eugene remarked with a bitter smile. "But I realized I''m not more important than you." Ciel¡¯s expression faltered at that. For a moment, she seemed to search for words before pulling the nket over herself, partially hiding her face. It was just a fleeting sentiment. Eugene Lionheart, as Ciel knew him, always spoke impulsively without ever pondering how his words could be misconstrued. He just said whatever came to him.bender His candidments could feel like a sudden blow, jarring and forceful. Such remarks could make anyone''s face flush. "What I saw in the ocean was a relic of my past life," exined Eugene; perhaps he was unaware of Ciel¡¯s thoughts. "Past... life? But your past life was Sir Hamel,¡± Ciel said with a confused expression. "Then maybe... the life before my past life? Anyway, whaty beneath was a relic of Agaroth. As it turns out, I was once Agaroth,¡± continued Eugene. His words were once again shockingly forthright. Wasn¡¯t he skipping way too much in between? Ciel blinked her wide eyes while staring at Eugene. "Agaroth?" she asked. She wasn''t sure if she had misheard him. "Yes," answered Eugene. "The God of War Agaroth was... you?" she asked once more, double-checking. "Yes,¡± said Eugene. Drawing down the nket that had covered her face, Ciel sneaked a peek at him, "I am Ciel Lionheart." "I know,¡± affirmed Eugene. "And you¡­. You are Eugene Lionheart, right?" Ciel asked as if in validation. "Why ask the obvious?" Eugene questioned. She huffed, lips pouting as she tossed the nket away. "Whether you are Sir Hamel or the God of War, to me... it doesn¡¯t matter. If you are Eugene Lionheart, then that''s all I need." "Lionheart..." Eugene sighed deeply while staring into Ciel¡¯s left eye. "Your eye." "I know that a Demoneye can¡¯t be given to a human,¡± grumbled Ciel. "I feel... a bit different. Is it because I have the Demoneye? No. It¡¯s not me. It''s the blood flowing within me that''s unique." The eerie sword known as the Moonlight Sword wasn''t mentioned in the Lionheart records, nor did it exist in history. But when Eugene held that fearsome de and was lost in a strange void, she had wanted to help him. And when she approached him in that strange void¡­. ¡ªIt shouldn''t be this way. ¡ªThat de isn¡¯t my legacy. She had heard a voice, one that chilled her soul and made her blood run cold. No one, neither Eugene nor anyone else, rified who the voice belonged to, but a single name floated in Ciel''s mind. "The Great Vermouth," she hesitated, "Our... Ancestor, the founder of the Lionhearts... was he not human? Could he possibly have been... a demon?" "No,¡± denied Eugene. His expression hardened. He began to say something more, but he paused, perhaps unsure of his next words. After a long sigh, he said, "I''m not entirely sure. Whether that bastard is a demon or a man." "Still, calling our Ancestor ''that bastard'' seems a bit much," Ciel chuckled, her rigid expression softening a tad. After a pause, she asked, "That voice... you heard it too, right?" "Yes,¡± confirmed Eugene. "So, it was our Ancestor¡¯s voice?" she asked. "The only one who would say something like ¡®that de isn¡¯t my legacy¡¯ is that bastard,¡± Eugene said with a stern face.lightsnovel That de isn¡¯t my legacy. The meaning behind Vermouth''s words was unclear. Eugene didn¡¯t know what to make of it. The ce Eugene found the Moonlight Sword was in a tomb beneath the desert. The hilt had been floating above the coffin¡­ with the de shattered into pieces. It couldn¡¯t shine as brilliantly as it did in its prime. However, every time Eugene drew the fragmented Moonlight Sword, its moonlight shed ominously. ¡ªThe Moonlight Sword is dangerous. It¡¯s dangerous in many ways. ¡ªI¡¯m nning on destroying the Moonlight Sword to rid it from this world. But I might fail. This sword isn¡¯t something that can be destroyed just because you want to. If somehow... I could wield it and leave it as a legacy for you, and if you, Hamel, still yearn for the Moonlight Sword. In the Dark Room, Vermouth warned of the Moonlight Sword''s dangers. Yet, he also hinted that it might remain as a ''legacy.'' ¡ªEven if you get to my tomb, you might not find the Moonlight Sword. But don¡¯t feel too disappointed. If the Moonlight Sword still exists¡­ it means I failed to destroy it. But I¡¯m sure I seeded in making it controble for you, so I hope you don¡¯t mock me too much. Having heard such words, Eugene presumed Vermouth had seeded. ''Vermouth... had no intention of preserving the Moonlight Sword,¡¯ Eugene realized. He failed to master it and could not leave it as a legacy for Hamel. Yet, in the desert tomb, the Moonlight Sword persisted. Originally, when the Moonlight Sword was left there, Vermouth was not of sound mind. He seemed possessed, attacking Sienna under some bewitchment, and then there was the sword¡­. "..." Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what to make of this. The Moonlight Sword''s rampage. Even Eugene experienced it. It felt as if one''s very self was swept away by the moonlight. Had the Demon King of Incarceration not intervened, and had Ciel not restrained him¡­. ¡®Does the Moonlight Sword possess a will? Or is it¡­ the Demon King of Destruction?¡¯ Eugene wondered. The Moonlight Sword was the Sword of Destruction. But did the Demon King of Destruction even possess a consciousness? Eugene pondered this. He couldn¡¯t exactly recall the moment when Agaroth perished, but as far as Eugene could tell, the Demon King of Destruction wasn¡¯t a sentient existence like the other Demon Kings. "About my eyes," began Ciel. "It may be disconcerting, but I do find them captivating." "Why?" Eugene questioned. "Wouldn¡¯t it hurt you more if I had to wear a patch or a blindfold instead?¡± said Ciel. "Not necessarily. It''s more agonizing that your eye became a Demoneye," retorted Eugene. "Why fret over it? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m using dark power, right?" said Ciel. "You never know,¡± Eugene responded. "No, I do." Ciel stated firmly, "At first, I was startled and didn''t quite understand. Now¡­. I understand it." There was an authority residing within her eye. "If the voice we heard was from our Ancestor... then I consider this eye a gift from him,¡± stated Ciel. "A gift?" Eugene questioned. "We''ve both seen our Ancestor,¡± exined Ciel. They saw a man in the deste void of destruction. The voice had repelled Eugene and Ciel, a voice chilling to the bone and soul. That fleeting experience ignited their blood. Without it, the transformation of her eye into a Demoneye would not have urred. "A gift, you say?" Eugene grimaced, murmuring in protest. Seeing Eugene''s pouting lips as he sulked, Ciel chuckled. Chapter 383 – Voyage Home (2) Chapter 383 ¨C Voyage Home (2) ording to the might befitting a pirateir of thousands, the treasures held within were innumerable beyond imagination. Among them were several symbols of Fury, objects very dear to Iris in her lifetime. However, one had to be particrly wary of these treasures. Eugene was well aware of the persistence and malevolence of the Demon Kings that lingered even after their demise. Even after being in and banished, the Demon King of Carnage and the Demon King of Cruelty had be dark spirits, beguiling humans and attempting a return for three centuries. There was a possibility that Iris, after having transformed into the Demon King of Fury, might attempt such mischief through Fury¡¯s artifacts. Eugene had no desire to reunite with a Demon King he had in with his own hands. So he proceeded to shatter all symbols of Fury and carefully inspected all the remaining treasures. "What could she have possibly wanted, amassing so many treasures like a mountain?" Eugene mused. Although Iris, who could have answered his question, had already perished, Eugene could hazard multiple reasons without actually asking her. "Perhaps funds for some grand venture or such, for supporting her troops," he answered his own question with a possibility while twirling a glittering,vish crown on his finger. These were treasures piged from the Southern Sea over the years. And Iris, having barely enjoyed her newfound status as the Demon King, perished in less than a week, ensuring these treasures would never be used as war funds. "Why does she keep staring like that?" Eugene suddenlyined without bothering to turn around. The tant gaze piercing the back of his head was hard to ignore, especially after enduring it for hours. ¡°She has been calling it a divine favor," Kristina responded, "And isn¡¯t that the actual case?? You even chased away Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons who was haunting Princess Scalia." If word spread that Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, who had no reason to be involved in the situation, had actually intervened, then it was a given fact thatplications would surely arise. Hence, neither Princess Scalia nor anyone else was aware of the Queen of the Night Demons'' involvement. ¡°It''s because Sienna speaks without thinking,¡± Eugeneined in a low voice. "Why is it my fault? You plunged a dagger into the princess¡¯ chest without consideration," Sienna retorted, ring at Eugene with narrowed eyes. Their conversation went unnoticed by Scalia, nor did she have any intention of eavesdropping. She maintained her distance while staring intently at Eugene. ''He saved me¡­.'' That was the only thought running through Scalia¡¯s mind. She couldn''t remember that exact moment, as her memories during her time under the Demon King''s influence remained clouded. Yet, she faintly recalled the impulse tomit atrocities following the deepest desires of her heart. She remembered her intent to kill her lieutenant, Dior, and her own kin, Prince Jafar. Frankly, it wasn¡¯t entirely Noir''s fault, either. Scalia had already been driven half-mad by the dark power exuded by the Demon King of Fury, and the darkest impulses hidden deep within her had surged to the surface without her knowing.bender The crux of the matter was that Scalia had no intention of acknowledging the fact that she had harbored such impulses. Throughout her life, she hadmitted multiple homicides, but she always believed she had never unjustly taken an innocent life, killing only those who deserved to be killed. In her view, the ones she had always chosen were the guilty and, as such, needed to meet their end. But Dior and Jafar didn¡¯t meet her criteria and were not meant to die. Had she sumbed to her wicked urges and killed them, Scalia knew without a doubt that her life would have been utterly ruined. ''The Hero¡­.'' Her thoughts weren¡¯t merely those of gratitude but bordered adoration. Scalia continued to gawk at Eugene, swallowing hard. Two days had already passed after the conclusion of the battle. Typically, Scalia wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep without the aid of sleeping pills, and when sleep eventually did take hold of her, it was more than often gued by nightmares. However, after receiving the blessing of the Hero, she could now sleep without the aid of any medicine. Furthermore, she slept soundly, free from any nightmares. The whispers that used to torment her thoughts werepletely gone. No longer did she harbor thoughts of spilling another¡¯s blood, ofmitting heinous deeds¡­. The void left by those eradicated murderous impulses in Scalia¡¯s heart was instead filled with admiration and faith for the Hero, her savior. This miraculous experience instilled a newfound belief within her. And Scalia was not the only one to feel such a change. Many in the expedition force felt a shift in their perception of Eugene. The descendant of the Great Vermouth. Lionheart ¡ª the strongest family on the continent. Until their expedition began, for the majority, the name ''Eugene Lionheart'' was often apanied by such recognition. But now, things had changed. Why? Because they all had witnessed him defeating a Demon King with their own eyes? "It is no longer Lionheart of the Great Vermouth," Carmen dered from the sofa the moment Eugene entered their temporary dwelling. "It belongs to the Hero of our current era, Eugene Lionheart.¡± Upon hearing this, Eugene''s face crumpled involuntarily. The statement wasn¡¯t¡­ derogatory. But it also felt embarrassing to grin like an idiot upon hearing it. "Ahem¡­.¡± Clearing his throat, Eugene inquired, ¡°Feeling a bit better, are we?" "I''ve realized that my own despondency is somewhatical," Carmen mused. Then, with a click, she flicked open her lighter before continuing with her thoughts, "This series of events happened because of my shorings. Now that I''ve epted that, I can''t wallow in despair. Instead, I must stand and move forward.¡± "Yes..." Eugene agreed with her wholeheartedly. ¡°I am... grateful to you, Eugene. If you hadn¡¯te, if you hadn¡¯t led us forward... this era might have been ridiculed by the newly born Demon King,¡± continued Carmen. Click. The lighter''s lid snapped shut. As if on cue, Carmen confessed her deepest worry, "If I hadn''te here, I would have continued living in delusion." "Delusion¡­? What delusion are you speaking of?" Eugene asked, confused. "The delusion of my own strength," Carmen replied while caressing her lighter, a wry smile on her lips. "Eugene, are you familiar with frogs?" "Yes, I''m aware,¡± answered Eugene. "I''m not talking about just any frog. I refer to the naive frog born in a well, having never ventured outside of it. Do you know how limited the sky appears when viewed from within that well, Eugene?" she inquired. "Well, I''ve never fallen into a well, so¡­," Eugene responded awkwardly. "That frog believes that the well it resides in, and the sliver of the sky it sees, is the entirety of the world. It doesn''t understand how vast the world truly is," exined Carmen. "¡­.." Eugene really wasn¡¯t sure how to respond here. "I was such a frog, one that mistakenly believed itself to be a lion. But thanks to you, I''vee to realize the world''s vastness and how insignificant and feeble I truly am,¡± Carmen admitted. Eugene knew well the tale of the frog in the well. "Aren''t you being overly harsh on yourself? You''re plenty strong, Lady Carmen. In the battle against the Demon King, you did your part,¡± Eugene assured. "I could only do so because you drained the Demon King¡¯s power. And because of Lady Sienna and Saint Kristina''s assistance,¡± Carmen pointed out. Eugene found himself at a loss for words. He awkwardly cleared his throat. Noting his difort, Carmen broke into a wide grin and ended the tense silence. Gratitude shone in her simple words, ¡°Thank you for the enlightenment, Eugene.¡± Eugene discerned a burning yearning in Carmen¡¯s eyes. There was a raw, instinctive longing for power inside of her. From ancient times, such a single-minded craving for might inevitably led one to grow stronger. Some, however, would let that desire twist and warp, falling into the forbidden paths and consequently ruining themselves. But Eugene believed such tales were not Carmen''s fate. With a grin, he nodded in agreement. "What I provided could hardly be called an enlightenment. Both you and I, Lady Carmen¡­ merely did what needed to be done,¡± Eugene said. "You usually carry yourself with such arrogance, but in moments like these, you show humility,¡± Carmen noted. ¡°Ehem¡­¡± Eugene cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed. ¡°Every facet of you shall inspire the Lionheart n and everyone around. Eugene¡­. No, the ck Lion,¡± Carmen said approvingly. "What?" "As the face of the Lionheart n, even overshadowing the radiance of the Holy Sword¡­. The ck Lion. It¡¯s quite ironic that the colors symbolizing you are the deepest ck and crimson¡­,¡± Carmen continued without any sign of stopping. Eugene looked perplexed, ¡°ck... what?¡± ¡°Truly astonishing, Eugene. In the three-hundred-year history of the Lionhearts, the White me Form has always emitted a pure white ze, but you¡¯re different. How should one ept this fact? I believe that just as you¡¯ve added new shades to the White me Form, the Lionhearts of the future will be tinted in your colors¡­.¡± Unable to bear any more of her words while sober, Eugene didn¡¯t even look back as he fled from Carmen at top speed. Haha, Hahaha¡­. Carmen''s satisfiedughter echoed behind him, along with the rhythmic clicks of a lighter. ¡°Ironic¡­.¡± Carmen seemed to have found a new favorite word. *** Recovering treasures looted by pirates, taking care of the deceased, and tending to the wounded ¡ª these were the pressing matters before everyone returned to their homnd. Hence, the punitive force had anchored at the inds for several days. Thankfully, these were matters for Ortus, not Eugene, to handle. Rumors had spread that even Prince Jafar, who had dared to im some merits, had been put in his ce by Ortus with a stern look. ¡°After hiding in the evacuation boat throughout the battle, how can you dare to discuss merits, my prince?!¡± Ciel imitated Ortus¡¯ voice while giggling. ¡°Did you see Prince Jafar¡¯s face then? He probably thought Ortus would unquestionably support him. Well, Prince Jafar surely hopes that when Ortus reports to the king, he would say something along the lines of, ''Prince Jafar ordered the punitive expedition.''" Had Ortus reported so, there would¡¯ve been a significant shift in the line of royal session of Shimuin. ¡°We should tell him to take care of Princess Scalia,¡± Eugene replied with an uninterested face. ¡°At least she fought valiantly and didn¡¯t flee.¡± ¡°Why bother with her?¡± questioned Ciel. ¡°A grateful princess with growing influence in the kingdom? Sounds beneficial to me. It¡¯s easier for me in various ways,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°What are you plotting?¡± Ciel asked.lightsnovel ¡°Nothing shady. Just thinking of getting Princess Scalia to introduce something like a worship day in my honor in the kingdom,¡± Eugene responded nonchntly. ¡°A worship day?¡± Ciel¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. ¡°Maybe once a month... around noon? A time dedicated to prayers for me. Establishing an entire rest day might be too ambitious, but a brief prayer seems reasonable, right?¡± Eugene stated. ¡°Are you trying to start a religion or something?¡± asked Ciel, a touch of incredulity apparent in her voice. ¡°Not exactly a religion¡­. Or is it a religion?¡± Eugene muttered, a touch of uncertainty on his face. He hadn¡¯t thought of something so grand. After all, establishing a religion would be a headache. ¡®I would need to write scriptures, establish doctrines, and raise edifices¡­.¡¯ Eugene thought of all the hassles of starting a religion. Anise or Kristina might have tended to it with ease if he asked them, but Eugene felt such endeavors were unnecessary. "Hmm¡­. I don¡¯t know if a royal promation of a worship day is possible. That might be a stretch, but from the looks of it, Princess Scalia might offer you a daily prayer,¡± Ciel finallymented. She recalled the visage of Scalia as they passed by her earlier. Mere days ago, Scalia''s face was marred with fatigue from sleepless nights and evident irritation. The light in her eyes had been dull, and dark circles hung heavily beneath her eyes. Yet, ofte, even a hint of determination seemed to dwell in Scalia''s gaze. "How is your condition?¡± Eugene asked suddenly. "I¡¯m fine. My vision is fine, and I can still see normally. And what about you?¡± responded Ciel. "I still feel some aches, but my mana flow is unobstructed," answered Eugene. He gave a chuckle while patting his left chest lightly. "That¡¯s good to hear. Spending New Year''s Day in bed would''ve been tragic," Ciel joined Eugene in hisughter. Today was the beginning of a new year. It felt like just yesterday when they first met at the age of thirteen, but now, Ciel and Eugene had grown older by another year and were twenty-two. In truth, for Eugene, the passing of a new year or aging by one year evoked little emotion. ¡®I can still remember my past life, so does age really matter?¡¯ he wondered. If he took into consideration his past life, he was over sixty. No, but what about his life as Agaroth¡­? How old had Agaroth been when he died? Should he count his age from back then¡­? That meant Eugene¡¯s age would surpass thousands. "Hmph." In some way, he felt an inkling of understanding toward Sienna''s frustrations. For no reason, Eugene cast a mischievous nce toward Sienna. "What are you looking at?" she questioned. ¡°Am I not allowed to look?" Eugene retorted. "No, that¡¯s not it, but¡­ your gaze feels insulting somehow,¡± grumbled Sienna before raising her staff. Whoosh! Aplex magic circle radiated from the staff. Sensing the space-distorting magic, Eugene cast his eyes toward Kristina. The magical barrier was fortified with divine power. After confirming this, Eugene sighed deeply, then said, "If it looks dangerous, I''ll intervene.¡± "Of course you should. I¡¯m not going to overdo it either. I don¡¯t want my new eye to just go pop¡­," said Ciel. At the word pop, Eugene''s shoulder twitched, recalling the sound when the power from the Demoneye burst Ciel''s eye. "I''d rather not have it pop,¡± Cielmented again. "Don¡¯t say pop," Eugene said. ¡°You sound ridiculous." Ciel gave Eugene a sidelong nce, narrowing her eyes, and then took a few steps back. "I¡¯m going to try using it now," she said. "Do you even know how?" Eugene inquired. "It¡¯s¡­ more of an intuition¡­. If I focus, it should work." Ciel spoke no further. She concentrated deeply. As her expression grew solemn, so did the faces of those around her. For days, they had thoroughly investigated the Demoneye. The problem was that nothing seemed amiss. There was no trace of dark power inside Ciel. Her Demoneye resonated with her Core. It utilized mana, not dark power. ¡®It''s inconceivable.¡¯ Despite checking multiple times, Sienna still couldn''t fathom it. Even among demons, Demoneyes were rare. Possessing two was unheard of. Moreover, one of them was the Demoneye of Darkness, which equaled the Demoneye of Fantasy, belonging to the Queen of the Night Demons, and the Demoneye of Divine Glory, belonging to the de of Incarceration. ¡®Could the dark power that seeped through her eyes have affected it¡­? No, no. Both the Demoneye of Darkness and the Demoneye of Divine Glory have struck me numerous times over thest three hundred years.¡¯ Sienna continued to analyze Ciel¡¯s Demoneye. Sienna had felt their force, too. She had experienced the dark power seeping into her body, which had caused her to retch. It had happened just a few days ago during the battle as well. ¡®Though Vermouth''s blood is supposed to be¡­ unique, the Demoneye didn¡¯t settle in Eugene,¡¯ thought Sienna. However much she pondered, no answers surfaced. The very fact that a human bore a Demoneye was beyondprehension. Their task now wasn''t to explore why the Demoneye emerged but to discern its capabilities and potential. "Since it¡¯s attuned with your Core, you need to be even more careful. You might drain your mana if you misuse it. You understand the implications, don¡¯t you?" asked Sienna. "Yes." Ciel nodded intently while focusing. To be drained of mana was to risk copse from exhaustion. Worse, damage to the Core might leave lingering scars and haunt one for a lifetime. "As potent and convenient as the Demoneye might be, the power within it consumes vast reserves of dark power," Sienna reminded Ciel. Sienna had given many such warnings, but it couldn¡¯t be stressed enough. With eyes full of concern, Sienna continued, "Iris only began overusing the Demoneye after bing the Demon King. Before that, she couldn''t." Gavid Lindman harnessed the power of the Demon King of Incarceration, offering him seemingly inexhaustible reserves even when using the Demoneye. Noir Giabe was a different case. While not tapping into the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s power, she already possessed dark power rivaling the Demon Kings. Inparison, Iris had been impoverished in terms of her dark power reserves. Even during their battles in Kiehl, she couldn''t unleash the Demoneye¡¯s powers as she had recently done. ¡®Ciel¡¯s White me Form is at four Stars,¡¯ Sienna thought as she performed mental calctions. Her achievement seemed to pale inparison to Eugene¡¯s monstrous growth, but in truth, reaching four Stars at her age was a prodigious achievement. Among the expedition forces, only Carmen, Ortus, and Ivik possessed more mana than Ciel. ¡®Using mana to invoke the Demoneye¡¯s power... is an unprecedented feat. To what extent can it be actualized?¡¯ Sienna wondered. While the thought stirred concern, the magnitude of Ciel''s Demoneye''s power also piqued Sienna¡¯s curiosity. If the Demoneye truly was a gift from Vermouth, it could perhaps harness an unimaginable power, like conjuring abilities without consumption¡­. "Here I go,¡± Ciel dered with a steely gaze. Fwoosh! Her left eye emitted a golden glow. The space Ciel perceived was distorted, and from its midst, a pitch-ck darkness emerged. Though Eugene had been expecting it, witnessing the manifested darkness stiffened his visage. That darkness was akin to the shadows cast by Iris. Though merely a bitrger than a fist, the creeping shadows grew in size¡­. Suddenly, Ciel''s head jerked back. Blood spurted from her nose like water from a turned tap. Chapter 384 – Voyage Home (3) Chapter 384 ¨C Voyage Home (3) The stream of blood drew an arc as it spurted out of her nose, but fortunately, Ciel was fine. She had simply drained herself of too much mana too quickly. There was no need for divine magic or a potion. Merely rolling up a tissue and blocking her nostrils was sufficient. ¡°¡­..¡± Ciel didn¡¯t say anything as she caught her breath. She felt slightly dizzy. A metallic taste lingered in her mouth, and her stomach churned. It was a challenge to breathe easily with tissues plugging both her nostrils. Ciel pouted and exhaled with a wheezing sound. "That''s to be expected," said Eugene while crossing his arms. "It''s not just any Demoneye. It''s the Demoneye of Darkness. Even Iris couldn¡¯t use it as she liked before bing a Demon King.¡± ¡°¡­..¡± Ciel remained silent. "It would be fine if you couldn¡¯t use it as you liked as soon as you gained such a powerful Demoneye,¡±mented Eugene. "Just a few days ago, I used it just fine,¡± retorted Ciel. "Maybe they let you use it for free for the first time, like a free trial,¡± joked Eugene. "Don''t talk nonsense. Do you think this Demoneye is some cheap toy sold on the streets?" Ciel said angrily. "Don''t raise your voice, and don''t get emotional. Look, you''re bleeding again,¡± responded Eugene. Tsk¡­ Eugene handed Ciel a new tissue while clicking his tongue. Ciel took it with a gloomy expression before turning away to reseal her nose. "Give me the trash," said Eugene. "Are you crazy? Why would I give that to you?" shouted Ciel. "Crazy? Aren¡¯t you the one to talk? Don''t make me sound weird. Why would I want a bloody tissue you''ve used? What would I do with it?" retorted Eugene. "I know that, but still, who knows?" Ciel puckered her lips and summoned her mana. The rolled-up tissues ignited and vanished into the me. "Is it the difference between conscious and subconscious?" Kristina interjected while massaging Ciel¡¯s hand. "The only difference between then and now is that." Ciel had first used the Demoneye when Eugene drew the Divine Sword. At that time, she had been unaware of the Demoneye¡¯s presence, and her mind was far from clear. Yet, Ciel watched as Eugene confronted the Demon King amid the heavens. She saw the Demon King advance towards Eugene. Thinking back to that first time, Ciel said, "Indeed¡­. Back then, I was watching Eugene unconsciously. I felt like I needed to stop the Demon King. I needed to help Eugene." Ciel¡¯s voice was solemn as she put a fresh tissue in ce. "But back then, I didn''t realize that my eye had be a Demoneye. Now that I''m aware, using the power of the eye unconsciously is¡­." "What on earth are you talking about?" Sienna asked with a ridiculous expression after staying silent until now. "Didn''t you hear? Did you already forget¡­? Noir Giabe, that damned whore, said she put something in Ciel''s eyes." "Oh." "The elixir of Shimuin¡¯s royal family. It was intended to treat your injured eye. But at that moment, your eye exploded, and it was reced by the Demoneye. So, what happened to the elixir that was left over?" questioned Sienna. "Well¡­. I''m not sure¡­," muttered Ciel. "What do you mean, not sure? It seeped into your Demoneye! The surplus mana that should have disappeared or been added to you acted as a booster. That''s why, Ciel, you manifested the power of the Demoneye without much strain,¡± exined Sienna. What do you think? Although she had not stated it outright, Sienna bore a proud expression. She was clearly convinced of her theory. It was an opinion so clear that one could neither argue with it nor feel the need to. "Don¡¯t act so arrogant,¡± Eugene shot back. He wasn¡¯t fond of the slight smugness on her face. In response, Sienna gave a smirk and raised her middle finger. "So... are you implying that for now, my mana is insufficient to wield it?" asked Ciel. "Exactly!" Sienna affirmed with a nod. "Conversely, should there be ample mana, you can use the power of the Demoneye. " Theck of mana that Ciel possessed wasn''t the only issue. Even if she advanced further in the White me Form and increased her reservoir of mana, developing the power of the Demoneye was another challenge altogether. "How about you or I lend her some mana?" Eugene suggested after turning towards Sienna. There were numerous ways to provide Ciel with mana. One could employ Akasha like Eugene or receive help from Raimira. "It''s fine." However, Ciel shook her head before Sienna could respond. "Frankly, rather than me wielding this power with help from someone else¡­. It will be far more formidable for you or Lady Sienna to fight.¡± "That''s a good point,¡± Eugene easily agreed. He couldn¡¯t deny it. While the power of the Demoneye of Darkness was immense, it was a waste to support a power that couldn¡¯t be fully controlled during an intense battle. However, the most exceptional ability of the Demoneye of Darkness was its power to traverse between the shadows it created. Such an ability, among all powers, was the most intuitive and robust even among the Demoneyes. It wasn''t merely for attacking. If utilized creatively, it could prove very versatile. Not all support was merely about enhancing attacks. "Molon," Eugene said. It wasn¡¯t only Eugene who thought of the name. Sienna gave a slight nod with a small grin, and Kristina let out a short gasp of realization. Anise murmured a prayer within Kristina. Even at that very moment, Molon was in Lehainjar. He might be ying the Nur. Or perhaps he might have already cast the corpse of the in Nur towards Raguyaran. That eerie space. The other side of Lehainjar, which Vermouth allowed ess to. ¡®¡­..¡¯ Eugene recalled his first entry there. Molon didn¡¯t open the door for him. Rather, the barrier just opened. The Moonlight Sword¡­ had been used as the key. At the time, he had his doubts, but he hadn¡¯t pondered much. Maybe, just maybe, it was Vermouth''s design since the Moonlight Sword was his cherished de. However, now he could contemte more profoundly and urately. The Moonlight Sword was the Sword of Destruction. The Nur was the beast of destruction. The other side of Lehainjar, where the Nur appeared, and even Raguyaran, dubbed the end of the world ¡ª all were connected to the Demon King of Destruction. And Vermouth¡­. "Molon won''t leave Lehainjar." Eugene stopped thinking about Vermouth. Nothing was certain yet. He didn¡¯t wish to specte or misunderstand Vermouth without knowing the truth. It would shake his faith in Vermouth. ¡°That idiot¡­ stayed in a distorted world, a world we don¡¯t know about, for over a century, killing monsters. He wanted to die, but he couldn''t. That¡¯s how he¡¯s been all this time. All because of his promise with Vermouth, that bastard,¡± said Eugene. Molon had devoted himself to the task of killing Nur and ensuring that the End from Raguyaran never came to pass. The appearance of the Nur was unpredictable, as were their numbers. Hence, Molon could not leave Lehainjar. "But¡­ if we were to ascend Babel and confront the Demon King of Incarceration... that fool would want to join the fight,¡± continued Eugene. Neither Sienna nor the dragons could traverse great distances instantaneously with their magic. Only the Demon Kings had the power to disregard distance with their teleport. The only thing that was simr was the leaves of the World Tree, but not all of them held such abilities. Moreover, their destination was limited to the domain of the elves. The stronghold of the Demon King of Incarceration was at the heart of Pandemonium, the capital of Helmuth. While the city did house numerous warp-gates, they were unlikely to function amidst the chaos of war. It was sheer folly to consider using the capital''s warp-gates on a mission to assassinate the emperor of the vast Helmuth Empire. However, if Ciel could master the Demoneye of Darkness on her own and freely wield its powers, perhaps she could bring Molon from Lehainjar to Babel. This would open the door to a quest that had failed three hundred years ago: the conquest of the Demon King of Incarceration. They could attempt it once more. ¡®Without Vermouth,¡¯ Eugene, Sienna, and Anise thought. Meanwhile, the implication of Eugene¡¯s words made a heavy weight press down on Ciel. She felt a heaviness in her left eye, and with a gulp, she gently touched its corner. To make this n work, Ciel had to master the Demoneye¡¯s power, and not inadequately either. Lehainjar was located north, at the farthest reaches of the continent. Pandemonium was also located north, and it would take months to traverse the distance between the two by horse. Ciel would need to bridge this vast distance through the Demoneye of Darkness. "It''ll be fine," Sienna said after noticing Ciel''s disheartened expression. "The Demoneye of Darkness, those damned eyes." She paused upon realizing the profanity of her words, "Ahem, I mean... your magnificent¡­ eyeball. I know as much about them as Iris does." The research to defeat Iris'' Demoneye had concluded two hundred years ago. Although they couldn''t decode the manifestation process of its power, they had long understood how the dark matter was formed. "It''s not like we''re rushing," Kristina chimed in with apassionate smile. Ciel cleared her throat a few times before nodding. Meanwhile, her nosebleed had stoppedpletely. Ciel turned her head, plucked the tissue from her nostrils, then set them alight. "I''m better now,¡± she assured them. "Then let''s move on," Sienna rose swiftly. "We have another test for your eye. It has two abilities, right? The Demoneye of Darkness and¡ª" "The Demoneye of Immobility," Ciel interjected. "Do we have to call it that? It''s the name that the Queen of Whores gave it,¡±ined Sienna. "Should we give it another name?" said Eugene. "Demoneye of Stasis?" someone suggested. "Immobility or Stasis¡­?" "Does the name truly matter?" Kristina asked. "But using the name given by Noir leaves a bitter taste," Sienna grumbled. Yet, no suitable name came to their minds. ***lightsnovel Three days passed, and Noir Giabe awoke with the gentlest of stirrings. Not even the slightest whimper passed her lips. Herrge eyes twinkled like the vast firmament as she gazed upwards. She let out a soft chuckle. "Ah, it seems..." Her possession had been forcefully undone. Her spirit had transcended distances to nestle within the night demon, her vassal, leaving behind her main body, which housed enough power to rival that of the Demon Kings. Noir was particrly vulnerable when she was in this state. Thus, the dagger of Eugene ¡ª of Hamel ¡ª both hurt and exhrated Noir. "Such a pity," shemented while slowly lifting her hand to her chest. No scar remained, and the dagger that once pierced her heart was absent. However, she wished that even a tiny scar would have lingered, for it would have been a cherished gift from her beloved Hamel. "What do I do?" She whispered with a coy smile on her lips. She suddenly sat up before burying her face in her hands. "I think... I think I''ve fallen even deeper in love." Three centuries had passed. He had died once and reincarnated. Despite all that he had endured, Hamel remained unchanged. Nay, his hatred had grown fiercer. Was it due to the failure in his past life? Or was it because he was in by the very demons he despised? The Hamel of the present harbored a deeper loathing than the Hamel from three hundred years ago. Noir cherished this rage, this singr intent of Hamel towards the demon race. Though Noir could traverse between reality and fantasy, crafting realities as she saw fit, she couldn''t fathom her own demise. But with Hamel... that man, who seemed destined to vanquish demons¡­. ¡®Iris is dead,¡¯ Noir remembered. A heat rushed to her cheeks. Had she ever felt a love so pure? Noir descended from the bed while giggling. ¡®And to think she had just be a Demon King,¡¯ Noir¡¯s thoughts were full of mirth. It was evident that Noir held nopassion for Iris. In Noir''s mind, squandering all of her massive wealth on beggars in Giabe Park was more justified than showing pity for Iris. "My Hamel," Noir whispered as if caressing the name. The power and prestige that came with bing the Demon King paled inparison to what Noir possessed. If he struggled against the likes of Iris, his de would never reach Noir in this lifetime. But even without the support of Vermouth and Molon, Hamel never wavered. He fulfilled the roles of both Vermouth and Molon with the aid of Sienna and the Saint. And then, there was that de Hamel drew at the end ¡ª a red sword, a luminosity that was both light and not, a weapon formed from a strange power. "Such power can reach even a Demon King," Noir mused while pressing her hand on her racing heart, "but it cannot touch me." Noir grinned, her crimson lips parting in amusement. She gracefully approached the window, and though the curtains were thick, denying any semnce of light into the room, they began to draw back at her approach. The entire wall was made of ss. It began to glow in response to her approach. It wasn''t sunlight; no sun graced this city. Instead, innumerable lights that illuminated the city tickled Noir''s heart. The delicate, swaying tail gently stretched out. It fetched the vibrant robe draped over the sofa. Noir draped the robe over her pristine, naked form and stood before the window. She dered, "Even now, my power grows." With a gracious smile, she gazed down from the window. [Lla~ Lla~] [Happy, happy, Giabe~] [Everyday~ Giabe day~] [Wee to Giabe Park~] [Dreamse true~~] [Wee, wee, to Gi-Gi-Gi-abe Park~!] Without a doubt, it was the most luminous city in Helmuth.bender Second only to Pandemonium in terms of visitors, this city of eternal night bloomed most beautifully under its dazzling lights. In this city of pleasure, if one paid the price, one could indulge in delights unimaginable in the real world. This city, Giabe Park, was the greatest source of life-force for Noir. She beamed with pride as she overlooked the city she had shaped. Wooosh! The mansion of Noir Giabe also served as the mascot of Giabe Park as it floated in the sky. The ¡°mouth¡± of the floating Giabe face opened to announce, "Surprise~ Giabe Showtime!" This event was dictated solely by Noir''s mood, and it always began spontaneously without warning. The city resounded with cheers. Even the distinguished guests lodged in the top floors of the hotels flung open their windows, leaning out and waving their arms in jubtion. Noir giggled merrily while spreading her arms wide. The Giabe Face, dependent fully on her will, tilted entirely to meet the gaze of the city below. "Fantastic," Noir whispered, and a magical veil of illusion draped the city. The dream conjured by the Queen of the Night Demons in Giabe Park was something not even monarchs could afford. The selling and buying of these dreams relied solely on Noir''s mood. But during this Giabe Showtime, for a brief moment, Noir granted everyone a glimpse of a dream. What millions had imagined became a transient reality through the lens of illusion. All the emotions felt in these dreams caused tiny amounts of life-force to leak through them, and they supplemented Noir''s power. "Hamel," she whispered as shey suspended in mid-air, "When will your de reach me?" It would be wise to hurry. Memories of Hamel''s eyes, voice, the fleeting touch of his skin, scent, hatred, and desire made Noir chuckle with delight. Chapter 385 – Voyage Home (4) bender Chapter 385 ¨C Voyage Home (4) The steady tter of heels grew louder. Gavid was seated at his desk scrutinizing documents before he released a deep sigh and adjusted his sses. "It really is quite troublesome if you keeping so suddenly," he said. Gavid''s days were incessantly upied, for in the vast realm of the Helmuth Empire, most decisions eventually required his sanction. Moreover, he held the title of Chief of Security for Helmuth¡¯s capital, Pandemonium, andmander of the ck Fog, the Demon King¡¯s guards, among other eminent roles. It was to the degree that his role as themander of the ck Fog was the least demanding role among those he held. At that very moment, he was examining reports garnered from thousands of Air Fish hovering over Pandemonium. The capital, Pandemonium, boasted the lowest crime rate byparison to all the other cities on the continent. It might seemical that a city ruled by demons attracted the most tourists on the continent and had such peace, but it was mainly due to the tireless efforts of Gavid and the countless demons working under the banner of Babel. However, endless tasks loomed ahead for Gavid. By nature, demons unted their power and annihted their kin to enhance their own strength. These inherent tendencies of the demons had been curtailed by numerousws with the rise of the Helmuth Empire. However, following the recent investiture of the Staff of Incarceration, manyplex procedures surrounding the hierarchy battle in Helmuth vanished. This led to frequent duels and the altering of hierarchies by the hour ¡ª which, in turn ¡ª led to an exponential surge in the amount of work for Gavid and the workers of Babel. Such significant shifts would undoubtedly take time to stabilize. Of course, Noir Giabe was indifferent to such changes. Her unannounced visits often paralyzed Babel''s operations, but she felt and took no responsibility for it. If they could not work now, could it not simply be caught upter? The demons working in the Tower of Babel of the Helmuth Empire were the cream of the elite. They drew staggering sries and were ensured incredible privileges till their eventual demise. The astronomical annual taxes extracted from Noir Giabe were transformed into the wages of the demons working at Babel. As such, never once having missed the top spot on Helmuth''s Taxpayer Honor Roll, Noir considered her abrupt visits minor nuisances. ¡°The real inconvenience will be the tax bomb I''ll face next year,¡± Noir chuckled while sweeping her hair aside. Her words, though jokingly spoken, held an undercurrent of truth. In just two days, the year would conclude. This year, Noir had experienced monumental, almost mythical, sess ¡ª unmatched in Helmuth''s three-hundred-year reign as an empire. The Forest of Dark Shadows she had wrested from Iris in a territorial battle was cleared to make way for Giabe City. Giabe Park upied much of thisnd, and the revenue it brought in less than a month from opening easily surpassed the monthly revenue of Noir¡¯s original territory, Dreamea. The city''s dazzling sess delighted Noir, but the Helmuth Empire''s taxation for high earners was cutthroat. The paradisiacal welfare provided by Helmuth for human migrants was only possible thanks to the exorbitant taxes paid by the likes of Noir. "Why have youe? To negotiate the tax rates?" Gavid sighed deeply once more while looking up from his paperwork. As she approached from the elevator, Noir¡¯s appearance¡­ did not match the image of the woman hailed for her mythic sess as a CEO in Helmuth. She was wearing a perilously short skirt, a skin-tight suit unting her curves, and sses worn solely for aesthetic purposes. Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap¡­. The echoing sound of boot heels continued to resonate. It was because Noir was taking steps in the same spot. "Why have youe?" Gavid inquired once more. She had not arrived to negotiate her taxes. Gavid wished to dismiss her immediately, but he couldn¡¯t send her away so coldly after hearing the term tax bomb. His visitor was Helmuth''s highest taxpayer, the one who swayed the realm''s finances. Gavid had to slightly curtail the fury and irritation in his voice in consideration of this fact. "Above." Whoosh. In an instant, Noir, who had been pacing at a distance, stood right before Gavid. She settled her ample form on a deskden with scrolls and leaned towards him before parting her plump lips. "May I ascend?" she asked. "Have you lost your mind?" Gavid shot back. While a heady aroma enveloped him, Gavid''s emotions remained unchanged. Instead, he red at the scrolls Noir had carelessly sat upon before spitting, "No matter your status as a duke or Helmuth''s greatest taxpayer, you have no right or means to summon the Demon King of Incarceration." "Why act so coldly? We''ve been friends for ages, haven''t we?" Noir responded. "Since when were we friends?" Gavid shot back scornfully. "Perhaps from three hundred years ago? Or perhaps from a month ago, when the death of that idiot, Raizakia, was confirmed?" Noir continued with a grin, but Gavid¡¯s expression turned icy. ¡°Idiot, is it? You¡¯re not wrong," Gavid agreed. Even as a duke, Demon Dragon Raizkia never made an appearance for centuries. Even when his fortress, the Demon Dragon Castle, was struck down, he never made a public appearance. Not only Helmuth but the whole continent wondered about the whereabouts of the Demon Dragon. Then, a month ago, news about Raizakia spread throughout the world. Eugene Lionheart. That audacious brat... was said to have in Raizakia. Raizakia had remained in seclusion for centuries near the Samar Forest, and Eugene had sought him out and killed him. And it didn¡¯t end just there. Eugene paraded Raizakia¡¯s corpse as a trophy after bringing it back to his family. Moreover, he was nning to use the Demon Dragon¡¯s corpse to strengthen the power of his family. "He always unted himself as the greatest and the worst, but to be hunted by a human in the end¡­,¡± Gavid muttered. Gavid had his suspicions, but he could not be entirely certain. No matter how much of a fool Raizakia might have been, it was unthinkable for an Ancient Demonic Dragon to be hunted down by a mere human, let alone an entire legion. Yet, Raizakia was indeed hunted by Eugene Lionheart. "He is impressive,¡±mented Gavid. Gavid had his hypothesis about Raizakia''s death. The dragon¡¯s seclusion,sting centuries, implied he had reasons to hide. Raizakia was obsessively fixated on Sienna Merdein, and both went into hiding around the same time. But while Sienna returned, Raizakia did not¡­. Raizakia must have been in a weakened state after suffering a mortal wound. Eugene Lionheart and Sienna Merdein ¡ª together, they had hunted Raizakia. "Without a doubt, Eugene Lionheart is stronger than Vermouth was at that age,¡± Gavid continued to voice his thoughts. Even after taking such factors into ount, it was still impossible to deny Eugene¡¯s Lionheart¡¯s strength. He had conquered Raizakia less than a year after the Knight March took ce. That meant that in less than a year, Eugene Lionheart managed to surpass Raizakia. ¡°That¡¯s why,¡± said Noir. With a faint smile, Noir descended from the desk. The reason for her visit today was to confront the Demon King of Incarceration. She simply could not understand his actions. They were baffling. What did he know? What did he desire? Why had he intervened on the battlefield to save Hamel? ¡®I am curious,¡¯ Noir told herself. It wasn¡¯t just the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®My Hamel,¡¯ Noir thought of the one person who could drive her curiosity through the roof. The ominous light emitted by the Moonlight Sword and the light that appeared when the Demon King of Fury was in ¡ª they were distinct. In Noir''s view, such powers could never coexist within a single human. ¡®You are exceptional. Special,¡¯ Noir realized. Even Vermouth had not possessed such power. Was that why the Demon King of Incarceration saved Hamel? But why¡­? Was the Hero not always an adversary to a Demon King? "To speak frankly, Duke Lindman, I... am attracted to Eugene Lionheart," Noir said, sounding coquettish. Though she imed honesty, Noir had no intention of revealing her true feelings. She had no intention of letting him know that Eugene might be the reincarnation of Hamel or that Iris, having be the Demon King of Fury, had perished at Eugene''s hands the previous day at the Southern Sea. ¡®He¡¯lle to know eventually. It''s only a matter of time before all is known,¡¯ Noir justified her actions mentally. In particr, the defeat of the Demon King of Fury would be known to the world in a month at most. Eugene¡¯s true identity, too¡­ would be revealed when Gavid and Eugene eventually cross swords with sincerity. "The Demon King of Incarceration eagerly awaits Eugene Lionheart... the Hero to ascend Babel. You, his de, might intend to strike him down the moment he tries,¡± continued Noir. "Indeed,¡± came Gavid¡¯s answer. "But what should I do? As I said, I''m smitten with Eugene Lionheart. It''s purely selfish, but I wish he wouldn''t die,¡± said Noir. Adjusting the sses perched on her nose, Noir fixed her gaze on Gavid. "What should I do? I do have several ideas. Should I corrupt him? Turn him into a ve of pleasure, so dependent on me that he can''t live without? What if I make him cling and rely solely on me?" "..." Gavis just stared at Noir as she listed out different ideas of toying with Eugene. "Corrupting a noble and strong Hero sounds delectable, but killing him while he remains pure and strong is also tempting,¡± Noir continued to contemte. "So, you don''t intend for Eugene Lionheart to ascend Babel," Gavid remarked. "Before he climbs Babel, he mighte looking for me, don''t you think so?" said Noir while beaming. "To kill me, I mean. Why would I shy away or quietly offer him my head if he does? If Eugenees to kill me, I''ll respond to his killing intent with a happy heart. Is that eptable?¡± "I don¡¯t understand your question,¡± said Gavid, slightly narrowing his eyes. "The Demon King of Incarceration was clear in his words to Eugene Lionheart." ¡ªClimb Babel and point your de at me. ¡ªI await the day you ascend Babel. ¡°I exist as the de of His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration. As long as he said he would wait for the Hero in Babel, as his de, I must also wait for the Hero in Babel. But that is my problem. Duke Noir Giabe, it is not yours to concern,¡± exined Gavid. Yet, Noir only grinned in response. Gavid could say such things in his ignorance, but Noir wasn¡¯t seeking Gavid¡¯s words. Rather, she wished to discern the true intentions of the Demon King of Incarceration. Certainly, the Demon King of Incarceration sought something from Eugene. For those desires to be realized, Eugene, or Hamel, had to ascend Babel. But what if Noir were to prevent this ascent? What would the Demon King of Incarceration do? She wasn¡¯t seeking his permission. "Does Duke Lindman know nothing?" Noir asked. She slowly raised his head skyward. Just moments before, she had been on the 90th floor of Babel, in the office of Gavid Lindman. Yet, somehow, without even realizing it, she had ascended beyond the 90th floor. A throne, ensnared by chains, loomed in front of her. "Compared to you," answered the Demon King of Incarceration. True to Noir''s expectations, the Demon King''s expression bore no hint of emotion. "Is it diforting that I know so much?" Noir quipped with a smile. But the Demon King just stared deep into Noir''s eyes before finally shaking his head. "You know nothing,¡± he responded. "Oh? Is that so?" Noir retorted. Noir knew of Eugene being the reincarnation of Hamel, of being the one to bring down the Demon Dragon Castle, of ying the Demon King of Fury, and of the divine power that enabled him to achieve that feat. She knew of the light that shone when the Moonlight Sword went berserk, the light that was eerily simr to the power of Destruction. "Certainly," she continued. She knew of the darkness in Ciel Lionheart''s eyes. Those eyes held the power of two authorities. She knew of Vermouth of Despair, who once wielded the weapon of the Demon Kings and the potent bloodline passed down over three hundred years, the essence of the Lionheart n. Noir had witnessed it all. But certainty eluded her. Only two beings could truly know these truths. ¡®Vermouth of Despair and the Demon King of Incarceration,¡¯ Noir repeated those names in her heart.lightsnovel And thetter stood right before her. "To hear the truth, what price must I pay?" Noir asked while kneeling before the Demon King. The chains connected to the Demon King of Incarceration creaked. Resting his chin on his hand, the Demon King offered a slight smile. "Freedom,¡± was his answer. "Freedom¡­?" Noir echoed. ¡°Just as the word suggests. If you wish to hear the truth, you must offer your freedom in exchange,¡± exined the Demon King of Incarceration. "Why¡­? I believe I''ve already dedicated my freedom and loyalty to you. Do I still have more freedom left to give?" queried Noir. ¡°Your very presence here, your attempts to discern my intentions ¡ª all are possible because you are free,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration countered. Indeed, no one knew this better than Noir herself. After the war''s end, Noir expanded her influence as fervently as ever. She corrupted the heroes of the war and seized their power. She restrained and tempted the demons who emerged from the depths. She dispatched the Night Demons beyond the border of Helmuth to gather vast amounts of life-force. Still, with all her tenacious and relentless efforts to grow in power, the Demon King of Incarceration never once confronted Noir. Unless her hefty annual taxes could be considered a check...? Noir briefly gazed at the Demon King of Incarceration, then nodded slightly. "If I am now free... would it be permissible for me to touch Hamel?" she asked. "He," the Demon King of Incarceration began, pausing with a sly chuckle. "He refers to himself as Eugene Lionheart." "How splendid," Noir chuckled. "But for me, the name ''Hamel'' bears deeper ties. And isn''t it more special for me to call him ''Hamel''? Everyone else will call him Eugene." ¡°It''s your choice how you address him,¡± responded the Demon King of Incarceration. "Right, freedom. So... I can do as I please?" Noir questioned again, wanting a clear answer from the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration had desires concerning Hamel, desires that could only be fulfilled if Hamel ascended the Tower of Babel. "If you wish it," the Demon King of Incarceration said without a change in emotion. His smile remained, but to Noir, this mirth seemed more unexpected. The usual sense of ennui Noir felt from him was faint. "I anticipate his ascent to Babel," the Demon King of Incarceration continued. "But, just because he challenges Babel doesn''t mean I won''t present any trials to him... the Hero. If he wishes to ascend, I will, as always, test the Hero in my capacity as the Demon King." "¡­.." Noir didn¡¯t interrupt the Demon King¡¯s exnation. "You, too, will be part of this trial, Queen of the Night Demons, Duke Noir Giabe. Not just you, either. Like it did centuries ago, this building will return to its former state of the Demon King''s castle, and this city will revert to the Demon King''s dominion,¡± dered the Demon King of Incarceration. "How magnificent," Noir remarked with sincerity. "Continuing the war from three hundred years ago is not just my wish but the desire of all demons who''ve lived since that era. Demon King of Incarceration, you might have granted peace to the world, but we, the demons¡­ don''t desire such concessions. Why should we yield to peace?" "Because a promise was made,¡± answered the Demon King of Incarceration. "That promise... many demons couldn''t ept it. Well, fine, let''s not dwell on matters from three hundred years ago. If I may dare to interpret your wishes, Demon King of Incarceration, you seek the Hero who''s ovee trials?" asked Noir. "Without doing so, he''s not worthy to challenge me,¡± responded the Demon King. "If he''s unworthy, then he''s unnecessary. So... what happens then? Do we wait until a new worthy Hero emerges?" queried Noir. "Do you want the answer?" the Demon King shot back. "No, Demon King of Incarceration. I don''t wish to surrender my freedom." With a bright smile, Noir rose. "Demon King of Incarceration," she began, "When Hamel challenges Babel, you said that you would test him and that I would be included in that trial. Will I be free at that moment?" "Demons find delight in battle and yearn for wars," the Demon King of Incarceration replied, the echoes of his voice filling the vast hall. "Is it not the same for you?" "I desire my own war," Noir Giabe dered with a mischievous grin. "Not to test Hamel for you, but to fight him driven by my own ambition and will. I yearn for Hamel toe to me with a pure intent to strike me down." "Then, I shall grant you the answer you seek," the Demon King¡¯s eyes narrowed. "Noir Giabe, I shall impose no sanctions if you seek to end Eugene. Whether you march to y Eugene or hees to strike you down, I shall not intervene." ¡°Ahahaha.¡± Genuineughter escaped Noir at this response. It was, after all, the very answer she had sincerely hoped for. Noir Giabe did not wish for interference from the Demon King. Whether she destroyed Hamel or whether she was broken by him, when the two existences collided, she wanted to be the sole possessor of Hamel at that moment. ''In that moment, Hamel will be solely mine,'' Noir thought with delight. Even Hamel¡¯s allies, like Sienna Merdein and Kristina Rogeris, wouldn''t be able to disturb that destined encounter. No matter how fierce their assault, Noir''s gaze would remain locked onto Hamel, and undoubtedly, his focus would be solely on her. The passion of that moment promised to be the greatest ecstasy she had ever felt in her long, eventful life. "I''ve received the answer I sought," Noir stated gracefully. She gave a light bow before turning to leave. "Why have you not ascended to the title of Demon King yourself?" The voice of the Demon King of Incarceration echoed as she took a few steps. "Noir Giabe, with your power and fervor, you could im the title this very moment." With a teasing chuckle, she turned to face the Demon King, "To think you''d hold me in such high regard. But how can I be a Demon King when I don''t even know the way?" "To be called a Demon King, one must be deserving of the title," the Demon King of Incarceration responded immediately. "You''ve already dominated countless humans, mocked and belittled them, and amassed power befitting a Demon King. The moment the people of your city begin to address you not as the ''Queen of the Night Demons¡¯ but as the ''Demon King,'' you could im the title instantly." "I thought as much," Noir acknowledged. She knew her powers had already surpassed that belonging to the Demon King of Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury from three hundred years ago. Yet, Noir remained a mere demon. In the first ce, she had never seen herself as a Demon King, nor had she ever aspired to be one. Especially now, she held no recognition of herself as such. In the moment she fully recognized her power, all beings entranced by her would hail her as the Demon King, and she would cease to be the ¡®Queen of the Night Demons¡¯ and instead be crowned the ''Demon King.'' "Being a Demon King would make me less unique," Noir mused,ughing softly as she shook her head. "The title holds suchmonality now. Already three, no, four Demon Kings have met their end at Hamel''s hands. Even if I were to be one, I could never be the Demon King Hamel despises and wants dead the most." Only the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction remained. "But, if I remain the Queen of the Night Demons, I can be Hamel''s most unique Night Demon," she reasoned. "I could be the demon he finds most special, the one he loathes the most, and the one he desires to kill above all others. To me, that holds far more allure and significance than the title of a Demon King." There had been other reasons she had been reluctant even before she became aware of Hamel''s reincarnation. She had believed that if she became a Demon King, she would have to face off against the Demon King of Incarceration. For Noir, who was aware of the power wielded by the Demon King of Incarceration, the thought of fighting him as an equal held no charm. But upon learning of Hamel''s rebirth, her reasons shifted. Noir now had absolutely no desire to be a Demon King. She wanted to remain a demon and the Queen of the Night Demons. She longed to be a unique object of Hamel''s hatred and desire to destroy. "¡­You¡¯re always the same," a voice remarked. After Noir Giabe vanished from the chamber, the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled and nodded. Chapter 386: Voyage Home (5) Even on their way back, the inspection and experimentation on the Demoneye continued. Ciel bore two such eyes: the Demoneye of Darkness and the Demoneye of Immobility. Eugene deeply loathed the name Demoneye of Immobility since it was coined by Noir, but he didn¡¯t bother toe up with a different name himself. ¡°Are you afraid that people are going to mock the name you choose?¡± Mer teased. Eugene swiftly answered her ridicule with a knock to the head, which immediately earned him a p on the back from Sienna as she proceeded to scold him for hitting a child. Although the powers of the Demoneye of Darkness were well known, the true capabilities of the Demoneye of Immobility still needed to be discovered. While its possessor, Ciel, had an instinctual understanding of it, a crude method of testing was still the surest way to understand its capabilities. ¡°It¡¯s surprisingly cost-effective,¡± Sienna concluded after numerous tests. ¡°It consumes less mana than the Demoneye of Darkness, and its powers are quite intuitive.¡± Ciel nodded in agreement while rubbing her tired eyes. Eugene shared the same sentiment. Unlike the Demoneye of Darkness, the Demoneye of Immobility couldn¡¯t create shadows or materialize them. It couldn''t enthrall minds like the Demoneye of Fantasy or bestow its possessor with powerparable to a Demon King like the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Its power was simply to halt things in ce. ¡°If properly supplied with mana, its potential is significant,¡± Eugene remarked while staring at a me that was suspended mid-air. The Demoneye could stop the flow of mana or the radiance of divine power and even interfere with human movements. If delved deeper, it could halt the heartbeat or even breathing of an individual. Yet, it wasn''t absolute. While it could easily manipte ayman unfamiliar with mana, an opponent versed in using mana could resist its effects immediately. To overpower such foes, one would need to amplify its effects, which would consequently drain more mana. ¡°Even if I pour out all of my mana to the brink of exhaustion, I can¡¯t even stop someone like you,¡± Cielined. Her lips were pursed in a pout, and the suspended me waned before dying. ¡°Well then, do you really think it would make any sense if you could stop me with just the Demoneye¡¯s power?¡± Eugene said with a smirk. ¡°There shouldn¡¯t be any human on the continent who is stronger than me. Did you really think I would be shot still by the Demoneye you just awakened?¡± His words were true, but Ciel was bothered by Eugene¡¯s attitude. She shot him a sideways re. ¡°You¡¯re not the strongest on the continent.¡± ¡°Says who?¡± said Eugene while raising an eyebrow. ¡°Sir Molon is certainly stronger than you,¡± Ciel pointed out, causing Eugene''s cheeks to twitch slightly. Eugene simted a scenario in his mind before responding. Hisst confrontation with Molon¡­. It could hardly be termed a fight. Eugene hadn¡¯t fought him with all his might. Moreover, engaging Molon, the fool, without weapons in a fistfight was something even Vermouth would avoid. ¡°If we were to fight now, I''d win,¡± Eugene stated confidently while puffing up his chest. In fact, he would have had a fair chance if he had taken up arms during their previous encounter as well. ¡°What do you think? I didn¡¯t see the fight between Eugene and Molon firsthand, but you both did,¡± Sienna asked, turning to Kristina. Remembering the red divine sword that once split the world, Kristina sped her hands over her chest and pondered while recalling the red de. ¡°Sir Eugene would win,¡± Kristina answered in affirmation. ¡°Well¡­. Right¡­. That¡¯s impressive¡­,¡± Sienna said hesitantly. The light brightening Kristina¡¯s pupils and the unwavering belief in her eyes made Sienna nod with a hint of trepidation while witnessing Kristina¡¯s frenzied devotion. "Well, being the continent''s strongest doesn¡¯t really mean anything to me," Eugene bragged. "Look at this show-off,¡±mented Sienna. "Leave it be. Unlike you and me, Hamel was never hailed as the ¡®continent''s strongest¡¯ in his lifetime,¡± said Anise. Before they knew it, Anise had taken over, and the two of them whispered behind his back. The truth was stark. Sienna had been known as the continent''s strongest wizard. Anise was hailed as the greatest priest on the continent. There was no need to say anything about Vermouth. "Molon was never called as such...!" argued Eugene. "After you perished, Molon was named the continent''s strongest warrior,¡± Anise immediately countered. "In my time, I was acimed as the continent''s best mercenary,¡± Eugene hastily said. "I''ve never heard such a thing," muttered Anise. "Even the king of mercenaries didn''t consider you a true mercenary,¡± Sienna chimed in. Every word they exchanged felt like a dagger to Eugene¡¯s heart and pride. [Thisdy considers Benefactor the best benefactor of the continent.] Raimira offered consoling words from within his cloak. But what in the realm was the continent''s best benefactor? To soothe his bubbling anger, Eugene gently stroked Raimira''s smooth forehead. "Regardless... I do believe... your Demoneye possess a significant potential," Eugene managed to continue the conversation they had left off. However, his breath seemed slightlybored. The Demoneye of Immobility. It wasn¡¯t to be underestimated by any means. The Demon King of Fury, Iris, albeit greatly weakened, was momentarily restrained by the power of the Demoneye of Immobility. It was an undeniable fact. In other words, this intuitive ability could affect beings as powerful as the Demon Kings. What if Sienna was supplying mana for Ciel, or what if she used Akasha¡¯s Dragonheart? They still had several more days of sailing remaining before they reached Shimuin. As such, Sienna had plenty of time to ponder the feasibility of such tactics. "It''s not as simple as it seems,¡± Sienna said reluctantly. A day psed before a conclusion was reached. Diagrams and runes drawn meticulously in the air and on the floor were swiftly erased by a wave of Sienna''s staff. She continued, "Demoneyes are both extraordinary organs and physical entities. They''re additions to the body but also things humans shouldn''t naturally possess. Thus, they''re heavily influenced by their wielder." Simply pouring mana into an underdeveloped Demoneye wouldn''t allow the manifestation of greater power. It was simr to how a wizard of the Seventh Circle possessing infinite mana could not cast spells of the Eighth or the Ninth Circle. "Even with an external magical tool like Akasha, it will be the same. Perhaps, given Ciel''s prowess, that is, depending on her aplishments in the White me Form... Ciel, what¡¯s with that look?" Sienna asked, pausing her exnation. Ciel¡¯s shoulders were drooping, and her face was gloomy. She met Sienna¡¯s eyes before responding, "So, to put it simply, I''m too weak to even receive your support, Lady Sienna?" "No... well, it''s not exactly like that," Sienna exined hesitantly. "You don''t need to spare my feelings. I''m more aware of my inadequacies than anyone else,¡± said Ciel. "Ciel... well, you''re certainly strong, among humans at least. Even now, you could subdue most with a mere nce.¡± Sienna did her best to console Ciel. "But I cannot subdue you, Lady Sienna,¡± responded Ciel. "That''s because I''m not just any human... Wait, you want to subdue me?" Sienna asked, her eyes widening in surprise. Ciel averted her gaze in response. Ciel did not merely wish to subdue Sienna. She also yearned to overpower both Kristina and Anise. Moreover, she wanted to conquer Mer and Raimira, who werefortably ensconced in Eugene''s embrace as if it were a given. With the newly acquired power of the Demoneye, she dreamt of making all kneel before her. Then, she would immobilize Eugene and torment him as much as she desired¡­. ¡°Ehem¡­.¡± Ciel swiftly dispelled the wicked thoughts that arose in her mind with a cough. Upon pondering why she was riddled with such weird thoughts, she realized it was all due to her twin brother, Cyan. Her shameless sibling had always indulged in lewd books since childhood. Yes, that was the only exnation. "It¡¯s just that I¡¯mpletely ridiculous, to the point of being amazingly strong. Don¡¯tpare yourselves with me. Both you and Cyan possess ample talent. You also have more than enough battle experience andbat senses,¡± Eugene reflected. "Then what are wecking?¡± questioned Ciel. "Introspection? Perhaps meditation...? In the end, it''s not about the physical training and sweating but the strengthening of your inner self. Cultivation, meditation, things like that. So when you return home, practice the White me Form underwater,¡± advised Eugene. Vermouth had left behind a legacy in Lionheart. Throughout the continent, few ces were as abundant in mana as the Lionheart''s leyline. The World Tree, which Eugene had relocated from the Samar Rainforest, further enhanced the leyline. Now, the entire forest of the Lionheart estate was so rich in mana that it was almost as if it were a leyline in its entirety. Beneath the man-madeke was an underwater cave that originally connected with the Lionheart''s leyline. It was a ce where the roots of the World Tree saplings had made home. It was a rare location where one could gain mana simply by breathing. To the wizard Sienna, this underwater cave was truly the Lionheart''s most precious treasure. Eugene owed much of his achievements to this cave. During his time training in the White me Form, his Lightning me had gone through strengthening, and his mana reservoir had increased severalfold. Without his time in the cave, he might have worried about depleting his mana every time he summoned the Moonlight Sword. "Fuck,¡± Eugene muttered suddenly. "What?" "Why are you swearing so suddenly?" The words had unknowingly escaped his lips when he thought about the Moonlight Sword. Sienna''s eyebrows furrowed at the sudden expletive, Anise widened her eyes, and Ciel started to hup in surprise. "The Moonlight Sword, what do I do?" said Eugene. "What else? Why not just toss that damned de into the sea here?" suggested Sienna. "That''d be a waste," Eugene said, reluctant to part with the de. "What if it causes trouble again?" asked Anise, her expression suddenly solemn. "There''s no guarantee it¡¯s going to act up again,¡± countered Eugene. "Wow, always with the smooth words. You can¡¯t even take it out because you¡¯re scared,¡± retorted Sienna. "No¡­. It''s not fear. But what if summoning it here causes the ship to sink?" Eugene shot back. "That''s absurd. Are you saying it''d be fine onnd?" Anise asked in exasperation. "At least it wouldn''t sink a ship there,¡± Eugene grumbled as he peeked into his cloak. The Moonlight Sword, which had once overwhelmed Eugene''s sense of self and gone berserk, was now quietly sealed and resting in its sheath. Since that day, Eugene had not drawn the Moonlight Sword. Even though the bacsh of Ignition was gone and his body had healed, his confidence in handling the Moonlight Sword remained faint. ¡®It changed. Of that, there is no doubt,¡¯ Eugene told himself. Just as the White me Form transformed during the battle with Iris, so did the Moonlight Sword. Originally, the Moonlight Sword absorbed Eugene''s mana and radiated moonlight, but it never mixed with Eugene¡¯s me. However, in thebat with Iris, Eugene managed to fuse his mana, me, and the moonlight. During this, his hand intertwined with the Moonlight Sword, the moonlight raged out of control, and Eugene''s consciousness was swept away into the void. ¡®The Moonlight Sword¡­. It merged with me. No, it became ''one'' with me.¡¯ Eugene thought back on how things had unfolded. There was a saying ¡ª body and sword as one ¡ª which literally meant the unity of body and sword, making them a single entity. When one wielded a sword fervently, a moment would arrive when they gained this realization. The ''self'' and the ''sword'' weren¡¯t separate ¡ª they were the sword, and the sword was them. Once they came to this realization, the way they wielded the sword would undergo a transformation. He had reached this realm long before meeting Vermouth in his previous life. Back then, Hamel was not just adept at unifying with swords but so proficient with various weapons that it could be described as ¡°body and weapons as one.¡± ¡®To reach the sword and body as one only now¡­.¡¯ Eugene pondered it time and time again. During the rampage of the Moonlight Sword, he felt terrifyingly close to merging with that ominous de. The moonlight may have gone wild, but Eugene had cornered Iris by mixing the moonlight and me as he desired. To be honest, it felt too precious a power to abandon. "Eugene, I don¡¯t understand your concern. You heard Vermouth¡¯s voice, didn''t you?" ¡ªThat de isn¡¯t my legacy. "Vermouth never intended to leave the Moonlight Sword behind. Yet, it was beside your tomb¡­." Sienna paused while biting her lip. She recalled Vermouth from their encounter beneath the desert. At that time, she couldn''tmunicate with him. Despite her many attempts, Vermouth just stared at her with lifeless eyes without responding. When Eugene was ensnared by the Moonlight Sword''s fury, what she felt from him had been the same as her encounter with Vermouth in the past. What Sienna feared most was that the Hamel she knew, the Eugene she knew, would be something entirely foreign. "Well, now," Eugene said after a moment of silence, "My very existence here is Vermouth¡¯s design." Eugene''s lips twisted into a smirk. "To be honest, Sienna, I think it''s all crap,¡± confessed Eugene. "....." Sienna didn¡¯t have anything to say at Eugene¡¯s sudden sarcasm. "That bastard reincarnated me at his whim. Oh, right. Vermouth probably feels some injustice, too, since I died so suddenly,¡± he continued. Eugene chuckled as he flopped into a chair. "I reincarnated as Vermouth intended, and I''ve been devouring the legacy he left behind. Now I somewhat understand that annoying thing he kept saying: It must be you." Yet¡­ "It''s not enough." Eugene''s voice grew cold. "Whether I''m the reincarnation of Agaroth or Hamel, what can''t be done, just can''t be done. It''scking ¡ª my arsenal,¡± he admitted. "Eugene." "It¡¯s impossible to use the Moonlight Sword, the Sword of Destruction, to defeat the Demon King of Destruction. But it can be used against the Demon King of Incarceration, right?" he asked. Eugene became acutely aware of the Moonlight Sword hidden within his cloak. "I would be able to wield it against both Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabe." The Moonlight Sword was ominous, and it was the Sword of Destruction. If misused, one''s very self could be lost to its luminous allure. Eugene remained skeptical whether the Demon King of Destruction even possessed a sense of self, but if the Moonlight Sword had not been left in the tomb by Vermouth¡­. If Vermouth had been out of his mind¡­. The very existence of the Moonlight Sword might have been a trap set by the Demon King of Destruction. "Even if you know the cup is poisoned, sometimes, you have to drink,¡± Eugene said metaphorically. The transformed White me Form. Signature. Weapons of the Demon Kings. Relics of the Lionheart n. The Empty Sword. The Holy Sword. The Divine Sword. Eugene could not be certain that utilizing them all would be enough to triumph over Noir Giabe, Gavid Lindman, or the Demon King of Incarceration. "Unless we resort to poison, we cannot surpass the Demon King of Incarceration," Eugene stated tly. He had pondered this throughout his journey from the Solgalta Sea all the way back to the port city of Shimuin. The Moonlight Sword was dangerous. This was a fact Eugene knew better than anyone. Yet, its danger posed a threat not only to him but to his adversaries as well. "So what if Vermouth didn''t intend it? What matters is that I''m here now. Whether he intended it or not, I''ve deemed it necessary to use,¡± Eugene dered. "....." Sienna didn¡¯t say anything in the face of Eugene¡¯s resoluteness. "Sienna, do you want me to move only as Vermouth intended?" Eugene asked, lifting his head. He red intensely at Sienna. "You... couldn''t possibly think that...!" Sienna snarled, keeping a tight grip on the hem of her dress. Eugene withdrew his gaze from her and looked at Kristina and Anise. "We will follow your decision, Sir Eugene," Kristina responded. "However, if your choice leads you to ruin, we willy down our lives in your stead. If you hold us dear, please take greater care of yourself." Eugene gave a nod and turned his gaze to Ciel. After a pause, she said, "What can I say? Still, if you''re again... drawn by that cursed de, I''ll try, maybe, like before, to pull you back.¡± "Right." Only after hearing everyone''s responses did Eugene slightly rx his expression. "I¡¯m sorry about the outburst." "You... do you have something loose in your head? Why are you ruining the mood by suddenly acting like that?" Sienna huffed with anger. Eugene licked his lips awkwardly as he crossed his legs. "Well, what can I do? Thinking about it made me angry. This cursed Moonlight Sword¡­. And that damned Vermouth." "Even so!" spat Sienna. "Anyways, I''ll handle the Moonlight Sword," Eugene changed the topic. "What do you mean, ''you''ll handle it''!" roared Sienna. "Listen. The Moonlight Sword that Vermouth once wielded and the one I now have are greatly different. The de itself is now half-broken," Eugene attempted to exin. "What does that have to do with anything?!" Sienna shouted in anger. "When I swung it at Iris, I intended to amplify the de''s power with my own, enhancing the moonlight with my mana and mes. In the process, my essence began to merge with the de." Eugene paused, recalling that moment vividly. "To put it bluntly, the de consumed me while in the process of merging.¡± "¡­And then?" Sienna asked. "I was consumed because my power was insufficient. My mes paled inparison to the Moonlight Sword''s power. But what about now?" he questioned. Eugene raised his thumb and pointed confidently at himself. "Do you know who I am?" Sienna was dumbfounded at this sudden question. "I am Agaroth, the God of War." Sienna just stared at Eugene, saying nothing. Wavering under Sienna¡¯s gaze, Eugene cleared his throat before saying, "Ahem¡­. I can now wield divine power, and my White me Form has evolved. I believe I won''t be consumed by the Moonlight Sword as before. If I can maintain a bnce of power and achieve that same state of bing one with the sword, I can wield the de without it running rampant." Sighing deeply, Sienna took a seat. "I don¡¯t even¡­. Just handle it, okay?" "When have I not?" questioned Eugene. "You can also handle it yourself when you¡¯re trying to exin yourself to Lady Anci,¡± continued Sienna. The expedition immediately sent news to Shimuin through their long-rangemunication device after defeating the Demon King of Fury as soon as they left the Solgalta Sea. Although the royal family of Shimuin had been caught off guard by the sudden report without any prior notice, the fact that the Demon King had been subdued meant grand celebration preparations were in order. The Lionheart family would surely participate in the celebration if news of the Demon King''s defeat spread. "What should we do now¡­?" Eugene and Ciel''s expressions quickly darkened after hearing Sienna''s words. Chapter 387: Triumph (1) The leader of the Church of Light and Pope of the Holy Empire of Yuras, Aeuryus. The Crusader Raphael, the Blood Cross Knights, and the secretly trained Battle Clerics. If the Pope were to utter a word, all believers in Yuras would dly be his warriors. Yet, the Pope departed the Papal state with only a few hundred at his side. The emperor of the Kiehl Empire was making his move as well. Straut the Second summoned Alchester with a sour expression. The White Dragon Knights were assembled merely ten minutes into their audacious conversation. The emperor maintained a sour expression throughout the meeting, and after its conclusion, he left the imperial pce with heavy sighs. Aroth, too, was taking action. King Daindolf, Crown Prince Honein, Chief Court Wizard Trempel, and the elite wizards under hismand all gathered. In addition, three Tower Masters were making their move as well. The whereabouts of Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master, were still unknown. Moreover, the Green Tower Master Jeneric Osman had stepped down in shame after his encounter with Sienna, and a new Tower Head had yet to be appointed in his ce. As such, it meant that all existing and avable Tower Masters of Aroth had been mobilized. In the north, Beast King Aman Ruhr gazed at the distant Lehainjar. The founding king of the kingdom and his ancestor, the Brave King, remained in seclusion. However¡­ if the Brave King had heard the news and been free to act, Aman believed without a doubt that he would have left the kingdom. Armed with this conviction, Aman ventured out of the tundra with the White Fang Knights. The nations weren¡¯t the only ones affected. A great warrior was aroused in the depths of Samar Forest, a ce untouched by civilization. Having decimated the Kochi Tribe, the Zoran Tribe was on the cusp of dominating the great forest. Ivatar Jahav, the young chief of the Zoran Tribe, rallied his warriors with his spear. Unlike other nations, there was no warp-gate in their forest. However, the blessing of the forest imbued with Ivatar opened a path through the forest to hasten their steps. The whole continent was in motion. *** The monster had wreaked havoc as the leader of a pirate fleet in the Southern Seas for over three hundred years. However, the subjugation of Iris, the Abyssal Princess, or the Pirate Empress, though watched closely by the continent, wasn¡¯t quite enough to stir the continent. But then, that Abyssal Princess became the Demon King at the southern end of the continent. Eugene Lionheart, Kristina Rogeris, and Sienna Merdein, who had not participated in the initial expedition, became the spearhead in vanquishing this Demon King. A tale fit for legends and myths was unfolding in reality. It was... unbelievable. How could the Abyssal Princess, a dark elf, be the Demon King? No, that much could be understood. But vanquished? "What is happening...?" King Oseris Animus of Shimuin clutched his aching head while sighing deeply. ¡®I sent them to deal with a pirate, and they return having defeated a¡­ Demon King?¡¯ He had called for the expedition in haste because Iris had kidnapped arge number of dwarf craftsmen. Only twenty craftsmen had been kidnapped, yet they had been master craftsmen. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that the twenty represented the very legacy of their race. Oseris had been feeling the need to curb Iris since she had been growing increasingly aggressive. However, the actual push for the expedition had been to appease the dwarfs¡¯ strikes and protests. One small relief was that the expedition had rescued the kidnapped dwarf craftsmen... though at great cost. King Oseris let out another deep, weary sigh. ¡®Helmuth,¡¯ King Oseris¡¯ thoughts naturally turned to the Devildom. The vanquishing of the Demon King was a matter that Oseris couldn''t find joy in. The mere idea that "Iris had be the Demon King" was too surreal to grapple with. Instead, fear gripped Oseris. What if the Demon King of Incarceration, the ruler of Helmuth, felt something extraordinary about this newly risen Demon King. What if the death of this Demon King provoked Helmuth''s ruler? Regardless of the reason, what if the Demon King of Incarceration had a change in sentiment? During the Knight March, the Demon King of Incarceration had spoken about the end of the Oath. Oseris had been present. The end of the promise would mark the cessation of three centuries of peace¡­. Oseris shuddered while anxiously gnawing at his nails. Triumph. Although a pirate had turned into the Demon King, the expedition had achieved a legendary feat. Should they prepare a grand celebration for their return? But wouldn''t such an event provoke the Demon King of Incarceration? Countless festivals were held and celebrated each year on Shedor Ind. The citizens were addicted to vibrant festivities. They were sparked with an enthusiasm that even the king couldn''t quell. Word had already spread across the ind about the return of a fleet of dozens of ships. Even without Oseris¡¯ decree, the citizens were preparing for a grand celebration. So should he, fearing potential wrath from the Demon King of Incarceration, order the citizens to stay locked up in their homes? Oseris had no answer to this question. However, he was faced with reality before he could even make a decision regarding his dilemma. Shimuin could not be considered a small nation. Although its territory consisted mostly of inds, it could be viewed as a formidable power, even if it could not rival empires. Yet, it wasn''t among the continent''s most powerful. Speaking from a militaristic perspective, Shimuin could notpete with the two empires and the Magic Kingdom of Aroth. In fact, Shimuin could not evenpete with the barren northern kingdom of Ruhr or the desert kingdom of Nahama. No matter how mighty the nation, it couldn''t dere istion in these circumstances. Facing the arriving dignitaries from various countries, Oseris felt cornered. It was the same against the barbarians of Samar Forest, let alone the different nations. Shimuin''s main sea trade customers were the outer inds and the various tribes of Samar Forest due to theirck of warp-gates. Eventually, Oseris had no choice but to open the pce gates. Leaders of various nations, each with hundreds of soldiers, entered the capital of Shimuin as if it were only natural. "Even the barbarians from the Great Forest havee,¡± Emperor Straut the Second sneered at the warriors from the Zoran Tribe. The Kiehl Empire and the Great Forest of Samar were far from allies. Kiehl had long desired to conquer the vast forest. If the Demon King of Incarceration hadn''t supported the freedom of the forest''s inhabitants, it would have been annexed by Kiehl long ago. ¡®Such brazen and selfish people,¡¯ Emperor Straut II thought contemptuously. Emperor Straut the Second despised the natives of Samar Forest. Resisting the empire''s rule? It seemed romantic in writing, but the natives of the forest crossed borders illegally at any chance they saw. Moreover, criminals from all over the continent sought refuge in thewless forest. asionally, citizens of the empire would disappear inside the forest, and there were times when exorbitant ransoms were demanded in return for their safety. "Ivatar Jahav. He is a young man on the brink of uniting Samar,¡± Alchester whispered. His gaze was fixed on the distant figure of Ivatar. The young man was rumored to be only twenty-two... ¡®He''s powerful,¡¯ Alchester thought. Ivatar radiated strengthparable to any of the continent''s formidable warriors. And it wasn''t just Ivatar. Each warrior he brought with him felt as formidable as any member of the White Dragon Knights. ¡®Were they always that powerful?¡¯ Alchester wondered. Alchester had seen uncertain, untapped possibilities in the tribes of the Great Forest, but the young chieftain Ivatar and his warriors easily surpassed those expectations. If Ivatar and the Zoran Tribe were to unify Samar Forest in such a manner, they could be a colossal tribe capable of dominating any lesser kingdom. "Hmph¡­. Wasn''t that achievement made possible with the aid of our Kiehl Empire?"mented Emperor Straut II. "Pardon?" asked Alchester. "Don''t you understand, Sir Alchester? In the war against the tribe''s enemies, the Kochis, didn''t our countryman from Kiehl, Eugene Lionheart, y a pivotal role?" Emperor Straut II puffed out his chest proudly while saying so. "The young barbarian crossed the border and desperately sought to visit the Lionheart estate. He asked for their aid in the war against the Kochi Tribe, did he not?¡± continued Straut II. "....." Alchester wasn¡¯t sure how to respond to this warped logic. "Thinking about it now, they aren¡¯t even that great. If it weren''t for the merciful permission of our empire, that barbarian wouldn''t have even crossed the border, let alone seek assistance from the Lionhearts,¡± dered Straut II. It wasn''t just Eugene involved in the war of the Great Forest. Three Tower Masters from Aroth and even the Saint of the Holy Empire had participated. But wasn''t the center of it all Eugene Lionheart, a citizen of Kiehl? Emperor Straut the Second felt a slight improvement in his mood. Any thought of the Demon King¡¯s subjugation caused his expression to crumple. Emperor Straut the Second was of the view that any conflict with Helmuth should be avoided at all costs. He wanted to avoid agitating the Demon King of Incarceration and to seek ways to extend the Oath, even if it meant controlling the mind of the Hero, Eugene Lionheart. But, the ability of the ¡°room¡± that had been bestowed upon the Kiehl royal family by the Great Vermouth had no effect on Eugene. Moreover, Eugene was the reincarnation of the hero Hamel from three hundred years ago¡­. ¡®Hmph¡­.¡¯ Emperor Straut II gave a mental snort. The fleeting positive feeling waned. Emperor Straut the Second''s face contorted in distaste as if he had tasted shit. Recalling the beating from Eugene, the scolding from the Wise Sienna, and even the theft of the nk identity cards, which were reserved for the empire''s top spies, weighed heavily on him. Clearing his throat, Alchester said, "Ahem¡­. Your Majesty, underestimating the capabilities of the young chieftain might be ill-advised. Considering the political climate, fostering friendly rtions with Chief Ivatar would be¡ª" But Straut II interrupted him, "Even so, aren''t they just barbarians who light fires by rubbing twigs in the forest? If not for Helmuth''s protection, we would have trampled them long ago and cleared the forest. Now, with the protection over the Kochi Tribe gone, isn''t it the time to do so?" "Please, Your Majesty, refrain from saying such things,¡± Alchester said. "Fine. Very well, Sir Alchester. If you wish to cultivate friendly ties with those barbarians, I''ll prioritize fostering rtionships with the Great Forest as a primary agenda for the empire this year,¡± Emperor Straut the Second spoke as if begrudgingly granting a favor. Although the Kochi Tribe was extinct, neither the Demon King of Incarceration nor other nations would want to see the Kiehl Empire be more dominant. Establishing amicable ties would be beneficial if they couldn''t dominate Samar Forest by force. ¡®In that case, we can officially impensation for the troubles crossing into our borders from the Samar Forest,¡¯ Straut II thought. That is if the Zoran Tribe seeded in unifying the vast woods. "In any case¡­. Quite a few gathered. Look at them all," muttered Emperor Straut the Second while withdrawing his gaze from Ivatar. As far as the emperor knew, Pope Aeuryus had only ever left the Holy Kingdom of Yuras twice in the many decades since his enthronement: once during the previous Knight March and now. "That old man¡¯s got such a heavy ass. Even during my coronation, as well as for most significant imperial events, he¡¯s just sent a handwritten letter,¡± grumbled Straut II. "Isn''t this a crucial event that could decide and disrupt the fate of the continent? Even you are present, Your Majesty,¡± responded Alchester. "Hmph¡­." Emperor Straut the Second grunted, clearly irked by Alchester''s sassy response. To be honest, Emperor Straut the Second wasn''t eager to be at this gathering. Even though he sincerely acted for the empire''s safety, his reluctance was primarily due to the presence of the Hero, Eugene, the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel. "The Pope of the Holy Empire must have been thinking something simr. Moreover, Kristina Rogeris, the Saint of the Holy Empire, participated in the expedition. Also, they can¡¯t simply ignore the Hero of Light,¡± Alchester remarked with his fist clenched. Deep down, he regretted not having the opportunity to participate in the Demon King subjugation. Just the term ¡®Demon King subjugation¡¯ ignited a me in Alchester''s heart. He was a knight to the bones. ¡®If only¡­ I could''ve been part of it,¡¯ Alchester thought the umpteenth time. If Eugene had secretly sought help, Alchester would''ve set everything aside, save for his sword, and followed Eugene''s lead. Ever since witnessing Eugene face off against the Brave Molon, the Demon King of Incarceration, and Gavid Lindman at the Knight March, such a me of desire had settled in Alchester¡¯s heart. ¡®Lady Carmen, I can understand, but to think I did not get to fight in a battle where Sir Ortus participated,¡¯ Alchester thought in frustration. Alchester fully acknowledged Carmen¡¯s strength and her steely resolve. Those who only had a few chance encounters with Carmen would deem her a freak or a crazed woman, but those fortunate enough to have a rtionship with her all acknowledged and respected her. Alchester had also received Carmen¡¯s guidance during his younger years and thus respected her. However, his respect for Ortus was virtually non-existent. Despite recognizing Ortus¡¯ capabilities and talents, Alchester knew that Ortus Hyman wasn''t an individual of high moral standing. "Those priests¡­ could they be the mysterious battle-priests that Yuras secretly trained?" pondered Emperor Straut II. "Most likely. Their purpose remains unclear, but given the circumstances¡­ they could be the personal guards of Saint Kristina Rogeris," Alchester replied. "And even the Tower Masters of Aroth have gathered¡­." Emperor Straut II''s eyebrows furrowed as he nced over the dignitaries from Aroth. Traditionally, Tower Masters weren''t part of Aroth''s court wizards. They were under a vow to remain neutral during Aroth''s wars with other nations. The only time the Tower Masters participated in battles was when their towers transformed into battlefields. Yet, here they were ¡ª three Tower Masters, excluding the reclusive ck Tower Master and the retired Green Tower Master. Considering the King of Aroth had no authority to summon them, they must''ve arrived of their own volition. The Wise Sienna had participated in this expedition, and the foe they had vanquished was none other than one of the Demon Kings. That was reason enough for their gathering. "The Beast King Aman Ruhr¡­. Is he here because of the will of the Brave Molon? Or is it because he recognizes himself as the descendant of a great hero? If not either of those, then¡­¡¯ Straut II mused as he looked over at the delegation from Ruhr. Was it possible that the Beast King knew of Eugene Lionheart¡¯s true identity as the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel? Perhaps there was an unknown rtionship between the Beast King and Eugene¡­. ¡®One man is moving the entire continent,¡¯ Straut II realized. In the end, all these ripples were caused by a single man, Eugene Lionheart. Emperor Straut the Second sighed deeply as he contemted this. Whether Aroth hade for Sienna or Yuras for the Saint, Eugene Lionheart stood at the heart of it all. Even the barbaric tribes of Samar Forest hade here for Eugene''s sake. "Nahama hasn''t shown up, nor has the Anti-Demon Alliance," Emperor Straut the Second noted. "They''re probably wary of Helmuth''s reaction," Alchester replied. The desert kingdom of Nahama had long-standing ties with Helmuth. Traditionally, the underground dungeons of the desert were inhabited by ck wizards. Nahama had always been home to the secondrgest concentration of ck wizards, following Helmuth and Aroth. After the return of the Wise Sienna, the ck wizards left Aroth. They either returned to Helmuth or the underground dungeons of Nahama. As such, Nahama now boasted thergest concentration of ck wizards, second only to Helmuth. And at the center of their power stood Amelia Merwin, the trusted advisor to the Sultan of Nahama. "Nahama, I might understand, but what about the Anti-Demon Alliance? Their absence is telling. All talk and no action," the emperor grumbled. The Anti-Demon Alliance was a group of smaller, northern nations. The nations belonging to the alliance had their military posturing at Helmuth¡¯s borders. Moreover, they were rallying their soldiers to train for demonstration purposes. However, not a single representative from the alliance had shown up, save for the Holy Empire of Yuras. It was clear that they feared repercussions from both Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration. "¡­Do you think the Demon King of Incarceration might act?" Straut II inquired. "I hope not," came Alchester¡¯s terse reply. It wasn''t just a celebration of the Demon King''s defeat or a gathering for information that brought them to this ind. The fact that the Kiehl Empire had brought the entirety of the White Dragon Knights signified a readiness for conflict. If the Demon King of Incarceration attempted to target Eugene for having defeated a Demon King, or if tensions escted into a full-blown war between the Demon King, Helmuth, and the continent during the time on the ind, they needed to ensure Eugene''s safety amidst the chaos. "Seems like others thought the same," Straut II observed. There was no need to bring armies to a mere celebration. But Yuras, Aroth, and Ruhr had all brought elite troops. Even the tribal chieftain of Samar hade with his warriors. Their shared intent seemed clear: protect the Hero at all costs in any unforeseen situation. "We would have been aughing stock if the Kiehl Empire hadn''t shown up," Emperor Straut the Second muttered while clicking his tongue. He firmly believed that the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn''t act. He couldn¡¯t be absolutely certain, but he was pretty sure. There had been numerous chances in the past, reasons aplenty¡­. But reasons? Had the Demon King of Incarceration ever needed reasons or opportunities? ¡®The Hero hasn''t yet headed to the Demon King''s castle.¡¯ Straut II pondered, his face aplex mix of emotions. Ideally, he would''ve wished that Eugene never approached it. But that hope had already been dashed. He could only hope that the Demon King of Incarceration would remain silent until that moment came to pass, keeping true to his promise. "Ehem¡­. Ehem...." The rulers of the great empires were sizing each other up. A tense atmosphere permeated the area. Oseris was hesitant, reluctant to step forward amidst such an intimidatingpany. After a while, he finally mustered up the courage and stepped forward. He suggested, "Perhaps¡­ instead of staying here¡­ should we first head inside¡­?" The emperor, the pope, two kings, and the grand chief, as well as their respective elite troops, were all standing around in the garden of Shimuin¡¯s pce. Each nation brought with them no more than two or three hundred knights. Still, every group was renowned and mentioned in any discourse on the finest knightly orders of the continent. Any of these factions could easily devastate a minor kingdom. Oesris felt extremely burdened simply having to stand in their midst. Suddenly, a panting royal guard rushed in, bearing news that made Oseris¡¯ eyes widen in surprise. "The Lionhearts have arrived." Chapter 388: Triumph (2) The Lionheart n. The illustrious descendants of the Great Vermouth. The continent''s greatest warriors. It was a family that every aspiring knight dreamt of serving under. Naturally, the knights of the Lionheart family were formidable. The knightly order of the White Lion Knights was a group of knights serving directly under the main branch of the Lionheart family, consisting of individuals whose skills were too prodigious to be mere soldiers of a single family. Moreover, their numbers were alsoparable to the knightly order of a respectable kingdom. The ck Lion Knights existed as a separate entity from the White Lion Knights. Unlike the White Lion Knights, the ck Lion Knights wereprised solely of the members of the Lionheart family. A few years back, the ck Lion Knights had been a group of select elites numbering less than a hundred. Yet, after a rebellion within ck Lion Castle, they underwent substantial reorganization, and their ranks swelled. "Good heavens,¡± Straut the Second said out loud. His eyes widened in astonishment. Even at a cursory count, the number of warriors belonging to the Lionheart family outnumbered the Kiehl Empire¡¯s White Dragon Knights. It was an overwhelming force that, if rebellious, could challenge not only the Kiehl Empire but even the Holy Empire as well. "Did they always have such numbers?" asked Straut the Second. "It seems they''ve brought every force they could muster. I see about a hundred without the emblem of the White Lion, and they might be apprentice knights,¡± answered Alchester. It was just as Alchester deduced. Gilead immediately rallied his family''s entire strength after hearing news about Iris bing the Demon King in the Southern Seas and her subsequent subjugation by Eugene Lionheart. He left behind the bare minimum to guard the ck Lion Castle. Even the elders who were long retired armed themselves and followed the main branch¡¯s summons. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t only the apprentice knights of the White Lion Knights who were mobilized, but also those from the coteral lines of the family not yet inducted into the ck Lion Knights. Gilead, too, had taken measures against unforeseen circumstances. Though it seemed unlikely that the Demon King of Incarceration would intrude, it was impossible to know what repercussions would follow the first Demon King¡¯s subjugation in three hundred years. No one knew how Helmuth would react. "... Are our borders secure?" Straut the Second inquired after clearing his throat. The Lionheart family enjoyed several privileges from the Kiehl Empire. In return, the Lionheart family offered several things, one of which was guarding the southernmost border of the empire, the Us Mountains. "Yes. We are maintaining the necessary forces to keep it secured,¡± Gilead responded. "There''s no need for concern on that front,¡± Ivatar, who had been standing at a distance, interjected. He approached with long strides, then gave a slight bow to the emperor and Gilead. "I am Chief of the Zoran Tribe, Ivatar Jahav,¡± said Ivatar. The idea that a forest barbarian could speak so fluently took Straut the Second by surprise. He regarded Ivatar with a raised eyebrow. "It''s been a while,¡± responded Gilead. He recognized Ivatar. Though brief, they had exchanged greetings when Ivatarst visited the Lionheart estate. Moreover, not long ago, Ivatar had delivered a significant amount of spoils from the war to the Lionheart mansion. "We''ve yet to bring the entire forest under control from the chaos, but we''ve dispatched warriors to the border on our side. There''ll hardly be any movement from the Samar Forest across the Us Mountains,¡± Ivatar dered confidently. Though not an absolute guarantee, the words of a tribal chief on the verge of unifying the Great Forest bore significant weight. Straut the Second sensed the deep ties between Ivatar and the Lionheart family andposed his expression. He might not have liked the young chief or the savages, but personal feelings had to be set aside for the empire. "Thank you for your cooperation. Though we meet today in a ce like this, we''ve not gathered solely for such discussions... Chief Ivatar. Once the forest issue resolves, let us formally convene for discussions,¡± suggested Straut II solemnly. "It should not take long," Ivatar responded with a grin. "Um¡­. Ahem.... Given the long journey you all undertook, I suggest... rather than standing here, we should move indoors," Oseris tried to calm his startled heart and beckoned everyone inside once again. Save for the Sand Scorpions of Nahama, the best knightly orders of the continent were assembled in one ce. Moreover, the garden of the royal pce was filled with powerful rulers who could easily brush off the authority of the Shimuin royal family. More than a thousand were gathered. But it couldn¡¯t be considered a mere thousand. Even a fraction of them could overthrow Sudoru, the capital of Shimuin, and seize the pce. The more Oseris realized this unbelievable fact, the more he felt a sinking dread. Though he urged them while breaking out into cold sweats, not a single soul was moving. "At the risk of being disrespectful, I must ask," a young man with a cross-shaped greatsword on his back stepped forward while speaking. He was a young boy in appearance, seemingly stunted in growth. Nevertheless, he held the position ofmander of the Blood Cross Knights of Yuras, the strongest knightly order of the Holy Empire. His name was Crusader Raphael Martinez, and his youthful eyes were devoid of any gleam as he stared intently at Oseris. "Does Shimuin worship evil?" asked Raphael, seemingly out of the blue. "What¡­? What do you mean?" responded Oseris with an incredulous look. "Do you mourn the death of the Demon King?" pressed Raphael. "Why this sudden...?" Oseris waspletely bbergasted. "Your Majesty, I''m inquiring if you and your royal family are heretics,¡± Raphael asked bluntly. He didn¡¯t hesitate a second in delivering the shocking words. Oseris¡¯ jaw dropped at the tant, nonsensical usation. "What in the heavens are you talking about!?" he asked in disbelief. Oseris was genuinely taken aback. Had it been any other knight, he would have been outraged. But Raphael¡¯s identity as the Blood Cross Knight''smander held him back. The pope was watching them intently, which only added to the immense pressure. "Didn''t Your Majesty decree the formation of the task force that defeated the Demon King?" inquired Raphael. "That¡¯s¡ª" "Yet your face is fraught with anxiety,¡± continued Raphael, not allowing even a moment for Oseris to speak. "That''s because¡ª" "Your Majesty must have heard the news of the Demon King¡¯s demise way before we arrived. We observed the citizens of Shimuin as we traveled to the pce. They are jubntly preparing a celebration in honor of the subjugation,¡± noted Raphael. "That¡ª" "Why, then, is the royal pce of Shimuin so silent? Eugene Lionheart, the Hero chosen by the Light, has defeated a Demon King. Why is there no rejoicing in this pce?" questioned Raphael. His barrage of questions was relentless, and he spoke without rest. Oseris wanted to reply at every turn, but Raphael''s continuous tirade gave him no chance. "I acknowledge my questions may be impudent. Yet, Your Majesty''spleteck of visible joy raises questions. And that is why I must ask. Do you, perchance, grieve the Demon King''s demise? Do you worship the Demon King of Incarceration who rules over Helmuth? Is the entire royal family ensnared by evil?" Raphael pressed on while taking another step forward. Though his frame was small and youthful, Raphael''s eyes zed with a fervor fueled by his deep faith. "Su-such ims are preposterous!" King Oseris finally managed to eke out a retort. "Then," it was Pope Aeuryus who now spoke, offering a benevolent smile and tracing the symbol of sanctity across his chest. "Let us jointly prepare a grand reception for the Hero¡¯s return." ¡°¡­..¡± Oseris stared in stunned silence as the situation took unexpected turns. "I have note all the way to this nation for idle chatter within your pce walls. Isn¡¯t that true for everyone who is here?¡± Aeuryus questioned while looking around. One reason everyone had brought their elite troops was to counter any unforeseen movement from Helmuth. However, that wasn¡¯t the only reason. The Demon King''s vanquisher was the Hero chosen by the Light, Eugene Lionheart, and the Saint, Kristina Rogeris. The pope had grand ns to publicize this great feat to the entire world. He would dere the tangible grace and presence of the Light in the world. "Our wizards will prepare the fireworks,¡± dered King Daindolf of Aroth, seizing the momentary silence as an opportunity. To be honest, Daindolf had no intention of engaging in extended dialogues with the emperor or the pope within the pce confines either. "If there''s heavy lifting to be done, just say the word," Aman said with a chuckle, "Not just me, but the Fangs as well. They¡¯re basically useless unless ites to brute strength.¡± From the moment the Pope mentioned a reception, the atmosphere shifted instantly. Discussions erupted regarding the festival''s preparations. Oseris felt cornered. He was no longer in a position to deny anyone from the festivities. He could not say that he had not thought of celebrating because of how wary he had been of Helmuth. It was especially true with Raphael glowering at him, his eyes still burning with that unnerving intensity. It felt as if he was ready to swing the cross-shaped greatsword as soon as Oseris even breathed the word ¡®Helmuth.¡¯ "We¡­. We shall undertake all necessary security measures," Oseris finally managed after a while as he wiped away cold sweat. *** As they had done with their departure, the group used magic to elerate their voyage. As a result, the travel time was reduced by more than half. "What a spectacle," Eugene remarked with his arms crossed atop the mast. Shimuin''s main ind, Shedor Ind, wasing into view. Even from this distance, its bustling vibrancy was evident. During their journey, they had encountered Shimuin''s military ships and trade vessels. All heralded the preparations for a grand festivity in Shedor as they fired celebratory cannons into the skies to salute the heroes. The military ships even assembled their crews on deck and had them saluting with shouts of loyalty. "Feels like old times, doesn''t it?" Sienna giggled after flying up to him. Three hundred years ago, after defeating the first Demon King, they had briefly returned to the continent for rest and resupply. The Kingdom of Zerfin, now a member of the Anti-Demon Alliance, had thrown open its city gates in a grand wee for the heroes. "Do you remember the pce ball?" Sienna said with a bittersweet smile as she dived into her memories. The world had been desperate three hundred years ago and hadn''t ced much hope in Vermouth and hisrades, mainly because the demons and the Demon Kings far surpassed human strength. Yet, against all odds, the Hero and hisrades had returned after ying a Demon King. Even though the Demon King had been of the lowest rank, the fact remained that they had in one of the world¡¯s most formidable adversaries. It had been a glimmer of hope in an era overshadowed by despair. "Those nobles back in the day. They were always putting on airs. They were so keen to be associated with us. Remember how they were hounding us just to share a dance?" Sienna remarked. "Yeah, I remember. There were lines of nobledies dying to dance with me back then," Eugene quipped. "You think it was any different for me?¡± retorted Sienna. "That''s why I danced with you," said Eugene. ¡ªI¡­ It¡¯s too much work to even turn them down, so how about you and I just dance with each other? ¡ªAre you already drunk¡­? Sienna had pped Eugene after saying that. Eugene chuckled as he reminisced about the moment. "Thinking back, you really didn¡¯t know how to dance at all," Eugene said. "How could I be good when I had never danced before? And do you think you danced any better?" retorted Sienna. Three centuries back, Hamel was a peasant and had lived the life of a mercenary. Dancing wasn''t a skill he''d picked up along the way. Likewise, having grown up amidst elves in the forest, Sienna had never been taught to dance. "Now, I dance quite well," Eugene dered confidently while puffing out his chest. Being a Lionheart meant he hailed from one of the most prestigious noble families. As such, Eugene was trained in the arts and etiquettes of nobility from a young age. This included dancing at grand balls. "I still can''t dance," Sienna replied with a sidelong nce at Eugene. During her time in Aroth, Sienna rarely attended parties. And on those rare asions when she did ¡ª not because she wanted to ¡ª she never danced. "It doesn''t matter. I¡¯m a good dancer. I lead well. Just hold my hand and follow,¡± Eugene spoke without much thought, but the words had a profound impact on Sienna. Her eyes widened in surprise. She instinctively stepped back, her lips parting slightly as if to ask, ''Are you asking me to dance now?'' She quicklyposed herself and shut her mouth. She did not want to offer Eugene an opportunity to awkwardly make excuses and refute her words. ¡®That can¡¯t happen,¡¯ Sienna resolved to herself. She maintained her calm demeanor and took her ce beside Eugene. Meanwhile, their ship neared the ind, and preparations for docking were in full swing. Boom! A celebratory cannon fired from the city. Brilliant magical fireworks illuminated the sky even in broad daylight. One after another, the cannons colored the skies while wizards directed the mes to form letters in the sky. To the Hero Eugene Lionheart and the Wise Sienna¡­. Eugene shut his eyes, choosing not to read the grand disy. Even so, the letters continued to form in the air. "The pope is here," Kristina observed, eyes narrowing at the adorned harbor. Rows of holy knights stood in formation, with the pope visibly among them. Among the most eye-catching were the tens of Battle Clerics, the elite unit ''Graceful Radiance.'' Each member had been handpicked by Anise and Kristina and trained by Raphael. [I see their game now. They wish to unt the prowess of Graceful Radiance and showcase what Yuras has prepared for the Saint,] Anise mused. Graceful Radiance was a select group within the Luminous Covenant. They were essentially fanatics who were willing to throw away their lives at the word of the Hero and the Saint. Their numbers were still limited¡­, but by the time of war, they would have multiplied many times over. They hadn''t been mobilized during the battle against the Demon King of Fury, but one day they would be. Their very lives would fuel the assault on Babel. ¡°¡­..¡± Ciel swallowed hard while gazing out at the harbor. There were countless individuals in sight. It was a disy of the Lionhearts¡¯ full might. The sight of her family members made Ciel¡¯s heart race. "Our fathers are there," Eugene grumbled while taking his ce beside Ciel. Beside Gilead stood Gerhard, who was donned in formal attire and even armed with a sword. Eugene chuckled and whispered to Ciel, "My father. He¡¯s probably forgotten how to even wield that sword." Ciel didn¡¯t respond. "Why are you so tense?" Eugene lightly tapped Ciel''s shoulder. "Maybe I should''ve worn an eyepatch," Ciel grumbled while pouting. Her left eye was a different color, and she felt pretty self-conscious of it. "Idiot, that would draw even more attention,¡± said Eugene. "It would be great if magic could change it." She had already made multiple attempts, but even Sienna¡¯s magic could not alter the color of the Demoneye. Moreover, changing the right eye to match the left made both eyes appear too dull and even more conspicuous. "Stand tall," Carmen mumbled while cing a cigar in her mouth. She stood tall beside them. "You have returned after vanquishing a Demon King. The emperor and the pope stand there to honor and celebrate you." She turned his gaze to Eugene, "You, the ck Lion, Eugene Lionheart." Eugene stared at her mutely. "Look at the sky," Carmen instructed, swelling with pride as she stared upwards. Following suit, Eugene looked up to see: The Hero Eugene Lionheart. Above the glowing magical letters, the emblem of the Lionheart family was being painted. "The Great Lionheart," Carmen dered with fervor. She thumped the left side of her chest, where the family emblem rested. "The Great... Eugene Lionheart,¡± she proimed. Eugene¡¯s mouth was agape at this point. "The Great ck Lion." Eugene coughed, almost choking on his own embarrassment. No matter how many times he pondered, he could not help but think that Carmen was purposely teasing him. Chapter 389: Triumph (3) Bridges extended toward the moored ships. It appeared as if they were carved from crystal-clear ss. These ornate bridges floated through the air and moved with magic. With dozens of ships anchored, there were equally many bridges. But even though the bridges were moved by magic, the structures were solid. ¡®How ostentatious.¡¯ Only a week had passed since the announcement of their victory over the Demon King of Fury. Such preparations had been made in only a week. Suddenly, a carpet unfurled over the crystal bridge. Though the sky still showcased a magnificent light show of magic, it was impossible to hear the sounds of the loud fireworks like before. p, p, p¡­. A smattering of apuse started, initiated by the emperor, the pope, and the kings. Soon, the knights that had apanied them and the citizens behind joined in. In only a moment, the harbor echoed with thunderous ps. "You should descend first," Ortus, who had led the victorious forces, approached Eugene and whispered, but not without a deferential tone. "The victory over the Demon King was mostly due to your efforts, Sir Eugene." "Uh.¡­ Even so, you are themander of the expedition, Sir Ortus¡­,¡± Eugene retorted. ¡®However, Eugene isn¡¯t denying the fact that he deserves the most credit for the subjugation,¡¯ thought Ortus. Ortus shook his head, "I may have held the title, but I did little that befits it. I did nothing as themander of the expedition during our time at sea. If I were to descend first, not only the members of the expedition but even the esteemed guests would see it as a mockery." Had it been in the past, Ortus might have coveted the glorious spotlight, but no longer. The brutal battle against the Demon King of Fury had matured him. Still, he thought, '' I should follow after the Great Lionheart, the Wise Sienna, and the Saint.'' Even though he may have matured, a person¡¯s nature wasn¡¯t so easily transformed. In the first ce, Ortus preferred being second or third, blending in rather than taking the lead. "Very well¡­,¡± Eugene resigned, making a face that said he had no choice. In fact, he was intentionally making such a face. Even in his fragmented memories as Agaroth and his time as Hamel, Eugene had always loved being the center of attention. He liked being recognized, preferably by many. Yet, he never overtly showed this. He had feigned indifference. He would be downyingpliments outwardly, but in reality, he would secretly and quietly revel in them internally. [Liar,] Mer grumbled. [You pretend not to care, but you fume when others disregard you, Sir Eugene. You work hard to maintain your face and secretly bask in your own praises.] Mer¡¯s observations were to the point. ¡®It¡¯s natural for people to bristle at disrespect,¡¯ Eugene countered. ¡®If you just take it, you be a pushover.¡¯ [You say that, Sir Eugene, yet you endure it when it¡¯s from Lady Sienna and Lady Anise,] Mer observed. ¡®That''s... because I''m... conscientious and kind-hearted. Their lives became bleak because I was a little¡­ well, because I died like aplete idiot,¡¯ said Eugene while sneaking nces at Sienna and Anise. He felt a twinge of guilt. ¡®So,¡¯ Eugene pondered, ¡®it''s alright if they mock or belittle me. I know they don''t genuinely think of me that way anyway.¡¯ With a smirk, Mer replied, [Well¡­. That¡¯s true. Both Lady Sienna and Lady Anise might tease you, but the moment you turn serious or wear a stern expression, they¡¯re always looking for your opinion.¡­ In critical decisions, they always defer to your judgment.] ¡®It''s because I put myself on the line, physically, more than they do,¡¯ Eugene reasoned, thinking back to their early battles. It had been the same three hundred years ago. Anise and Sienna were more attuned to supporting roles rather than directly engaging in battle. As such, they would often rely on the strategies of front-line warriors like Vermouth and Hamel. [And why do you always dismiss Sir Molon¡¯s opinions?] Mer prodded. ¡®That idiot? Whatever we suggest, he was always rushing ahead blindly without any thought,¡¯ Eugene scoffed. [You might embellish your own achievements,] Mer teased, [but you never do for yourrades.] Annoyed, Eugene said, ¡®What are you even saying. Oi, brat. In my life before thest, I was basically the greatest, but my name is only barely remembered, isn¡¯t it? And look, I did so much in myst life, but history only remembers me as the Stupid Hamel! They think I¡¯m a historical idiot!¡¯ Eugene clenched his fists. He was frustrated with being painted with such a skewed representation. ¡®Well, of course¡­. Of course, I did act a little stupid... It¡¯s true that I died like an idiot, but that''s too harsh.¡¯ [Well.¡­ Lady Sienna and Lady Anise probably never imagined that you would be reincarnated, right?] Mer asked. Eugene responded with a sigh, ¡®I¡¯m telling you that they¡¯re probably rotted to the core. Anyway, all I know is that now, I have to work hard since I¡¯m known as an idiot. But what about Molon? That dimwit was still recorded as the ¡®Brave Molon!¡¯¡¯ Mer couldn¡¯t find the words to respond to Eugene¡¯s rising ire. Instead, she simply clicked her tongue. To think that such a petty human was once revered as the God of War in the distant past¡­. Well, being a good warrior had nothing to do with being a petty man. [Thisdy thinks Benefactor should receive a fair evaluation,] Raimira suddenly chimed in. [Oh, my. Don¡¯t even try. I can see right through you. Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t know you¡¯re trying to win Sir Eugene¡¯s affection by fawning over him!] Mer retorted. Mer and Raimira began to bicker inside his cloak. Eugene terminated the connection with the two andposed his expression. Upon looking to the side, he noticed that Kristina¡­ or rather, Anise was giving him a thin, sidelong nce. "What conversation were you having in your head for that long?" she inquired. "Ehem¡­ It wasn¡¯t anything important," he deflected the question, adjusting his uniform as he crossed the bridge. It had been too pathetic of a topic for him to exin to her. The luxurious, fluffy carpet led him all the way to the harbor. However, his destination couldn¡¯t really be called a simple harbor anymore. The anchored ships from before their arrival had been relocated and the necessary facilities were cleared. The harbor was transformed into a grand za bathed in the brilliant, cascading lights from above. Despite the bridges connecting to all the ships, no one had ventured across yet. Instead, there were thousands of eyes ¡ª those belonging to the survivors of the battle with the Demon King of Fury ¡ª as well as hundreds of thousands of eyes from the gathered crowd, fixated on just one man, Eugene. "Uh.¡­ Um...." Eugene hesitated, searching for the right words. "Thank you all... foring." In the past, Eugene had always relied on Vermouth to make eloquent speeches in such situations. Thus, he had often been, and was, at a loss for words. As such, he ended up saying whatever came to his mind. ¡°Uwaaaahhh!¡± A roar of cheers greeted his brief acknowledgment. Aman, the Beast King, was the only one among the monarchs who joined in with a cry of his own. Ivatar and the natives of Samar Forest stood close to Aman. They not only shouted but also stomped their feet and danced to a rhythm, their movements a celebration of the moment. The pope¡¯s eyes, filled with faith, were fixated on Eugene and Kristina. He raised both hands. With a resounding sh, the knights of the Blood Cross Knights drew their weapons skyward and pointed them heavenwards in unison. The sky, previously adorned by the wizards of Aroth, suddenly filled with a divine light. The shimmering particles of Light intertwined in the sky, forming into feathers. High above, angels appeared and sang hymns and sounded their trumpets. "Kyaaah!" Melkith, too, spread out her hands while screaming alongside the citizens. Tap, tap, tap! She started tap dancing, and the Earth Spirit King responded to her wishes. The ground rippled like waves, and various attention-grabbing structures rose around the square. ''What is she trying to achieve¡­?'' Eugene pondered as he descended from the crystal bridge. The pope began his approach as he saw Eugene¡¯s descent. But as the pope neared, Eugene extended a hand. ¡°Later.¡± ¡°¡­..?¡± Aeuryus, the pope and the leader of the Church of Light, stopped in his tracks, confusion evident in his eyes. Yet, he felt no anger towards the abrupt interruption. ''Eugene Lionheart. He is truly a godly man,'' the pope thought. The pope had once doubted both Eugene''s im to be the Hero and the authenticity of the current Saint. All the popes knew that the divine humans throughout history were fakes. As was with the current pope, most of the stigmata that the previous popes and cardinals had been etched with were fakes. Moreover, the Saints had been a product of man. However, the Saint of the current era was different. Although she had been created as the Imitation Incarnation of Light, she had truly received a stigmata. The eight wings she had showcased were irrefutable proof that she was looked after by the Light. In addition, Eugene Lionheart¡¯s identity as the Hero and his divine nature had been proven through his conquest of the Demon King of Fury. "I understand," the pope responded before bowing and retreating. This humble gesture from the most powerful religious figure on the continent left the onlookers in sheer disbelief. ''Why is that cunning old fox acting so subserviently?'' Emperor Straut II pondered while stealing a nce in his direction. ''Is it possible that he¡­? Does he also know that Eugene Lionheart is the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel?¡¯ Even if Eugene was the Hero, it didn¡¯t make sense for the pope to act so politely. Naturally, the emperor never imagined in his wildest dreams that Eugene and Kristina had once charged into the pope¡¯s residence and put a de to his neck. He never imagined that Kristina had pped the pope. As such, the emperor stood in ce without attempting to approach Eugene. His initial n had been to publicly shake hands with Eugene, acknowledging his feats as a citizen of the Kiehl Empire in front of the masses.¡­ But thanks to the pope making a move first, the emperor could avoid losing his face. King Daindolph of Aroth and Honein were smart enough to remain quiet and still. Naturally, Melkith did not seem to care even a little about such things. Kyaaah! With a burst of excitement, Melkith raised her arms and attempted to fly toward Eugene and Sienna. However, she was abruptly stopped in her tracks by Lovellian and Hiridus, who grabbed her from each side with a horrified expression. Eugene ignored themotion and gazed at the gathering of the Lionheart n. Beside them now stood Carmen, Ciel, and Dezra. He slowly moved to where the Lionhearts were gathered. His steps were measured, and his expression was unreadable. ¡°¡­..¡± What should he say? He had kept everything a secret, including his travel to Shimuin and his participation in the expedition. From the perspective of his family, Eugene had suddenly left the mansion, as always, then suddenly reappeared in the Southern Seas after defeating the Demon King of Fury. He had often taken actions that surprised his family. But even Eugene felt that he might have taken it too far this time around. Just look at them. He saw the elders from the ck Lion Castle, distant rtives from the coteral lines, whose faces he hardly recognized. There were also the familiar faces of the White Lion Knights in their entirety, as well as the novice knights. "I''m sorry for worrying you¡ª" Eugene started. "Do not say that," Gilead interrupted Eugene with a stern expression. "Eugene, you''ve done nothing that warrants an apology." Gilead suddenly approached him and ced aforting hand on Eugene''s shoulder. "We were taken aback by the sudden news.¡­ But as the head of the Lionheart family, I couldn''t be prouder of you." The Lionhearts were the descendants of the Great Vermouth. "Anyone bearing the blood of the Lionhearts should perform acts befitting a hero, even if they may not be the Hero," Gilead dered. If the newly crowned Demon King from the Southern Seas had proven to be an impossible figure to negotiate with, an existence with whom peace and coexistence could not be achieved, there had been no alternative but to subdue her. The Lionhearts must lead the charge in such a battle. Gilead truly believed this, and had he known earlier, he would have participated in the battle without hesitation. Thus, Gilead was immensely proud of Eugene. His recklessness didn''t concern Gilead; Eugene''s actions were righteous, both as the Hero and as a member of the Lionheart family. "Why would you need to concern yourself with the opinions of the family?" With a sardonic smile, Gilead removed his hand from Eugene''s shoulder. "Eugene, you¡­. From the moment the Demon King of Incarceration recognized you as the Hero, you became the representative of the Lionheart family. The moment he acknowledged you, we, the Lionhearts, existed for you." As was the case before, if Eugene ever wanted to be the head of the Lionheart family, Gilead would step down without hesitation. Eugene could take his ce as the head of the Lionheart family whenever he wanted. If Eugene wanted, all of the Lionheart family would take arms and carry out his will. If he judged that a war was necessary, the Lionhearts would step onto the battlefield. This wasn''t just the sentiment of the head of the family. Klein, the Chief Elder of the family, nodded, and both the White and ck Lions saluted Eugene with respect. Deep respect. Trust. Eugene felt respect and trust from the Lionheart knights, as well as reverence and admiration from the pope and Holy Knights of Yuras. He felt the emotions spreading to even the knights of othernds. He could feel that the masses looked on with admiration and aspiration beyond the boundary lines. He unconsciously ced a hand over his left chest. The White me Form. Within the universe dotted with countless stars, he felt a light growing from its depths. It was a diminutive light that seemed to be growingrger. His divine power, which had been hardly recovering, surged. ¡®Right, this is what it feels like.'' Eugene lowered his hand from his chest and looked up. He saw his father, Gerhard, whose eyes brimmed with tears. Behind him stood his guard, Laman. He looked at Eugene with eyes full of emotion. "¡­Thank you for those words," Eugene said while bowing his head slightly to Gilead. Then, he approached Gerhard. There was a moment of realization: he had been Agaroth in the past. Moreover, he still held all his memories from his time as Hamel. Yet, Eugene truly regarded Gerhard as his father. It was impossible for him to not view him as such. He still remembered vividly the softness in Gerhard¡¯s eyes as he was cradled as a crying newborn. He remembered the warmth of his father¡¯s touch. The sound of Gerhard¡¯sughter still rang true to his ears from the time he spent as an infant, the times when he could not control his body well. When his frail mother passed away, Eugene felt profound pain despite having clear memories from his past life. There were times when he wondered if he had robbed them of their dearly awaited child. The guilt and pain of never calling her ''mother'' weighed heavily upon him. Upon his mother''s death, Gerhard had wept profusely while holding the hand of the infant who had barely outgrown his cradle. Gerhard never remarried and single-handedly raised his baby boy. He catered to every whim of his child, a fact that Eugene was well aware of. "Why do you shed tears so often, Father?" queried Eugene. For this, Eugene considered Gerhard his father and addressed him as such. "Goodness. Why do you cry every day? It¡¯s not like someone beat up your son. And our family head said I did nothing wrong," continued Eugene. "It''s because I have a son who exceeds all expectations. I¡¯m¡­ just so proud,¡± responded Gerhard. "Huh." Eugene chuckled softly and embraced Gerhard, "If the son is exemry, surely it reflects on the father too, right?" Since early childhood, Eugene had been taller than Gerhard. After patting his father''s back a few times, he nced ahead. He was taken aback. There stood Anci and Cyan, both looking surprised as they gazed upon Ciel, realizing the difference in her eye colors. ¡°¡­..¡± They didn¡¯t say anything but just stared at her eyes. Gilead, too, gazed at Ciel with a slightly open mouth. Feeling the gaze of her family, Ciel offered an awkward smile and began to move forward. "It''s my fault," Eugene confessed after releasing his father. "While trying to protect me¡ª" "No, it''s not! I moved of my own ord," Ciel interjected hastily. Gilead was the first to recover from his surprise. He alternated his gaze between Eugene and Ciel before giving a subtle nod. "Ciel¡­," Anci whispered her daughter''s name in a soft voice. Her steps faltered for a moment, and Cyan supported Anci in rm. However, Anci gently shook her head and refused Cyan''s aid. Anci Kaenis was the mistress of the Lionheart n. The Lionhearts¡¯ proudest moment in this era was undoubtedly now. Anci didn''t wish to appear weak in front of all those who had gathered. Standing tall with pride, she approached both Eugene and Ciel. "...You aren''t hurt anywhere else, are you?" she asked. "No, Mother," Ciel responded in a faint voice. Up close, the disparity between her mismatched eyes became more pronounced. Anci gently touched Ciel''s cheek with her hand. "I am so proud of you, Ciel." Anci, too, was born into a family of warriors. Her family had been a military n for generations, and it was not umon for her to witness a seemingly healthy rtive return from the battlefield injured. She had braced herself for such familiarity when she married into the Lionheart family. Marrying into a family of warriors meant she might someday face such trials. She had mentally prepared herself, but the reality of the situation weighed heavily on her heart. Eugene had exined that Ciel had been injured while trying to protect him. Yet, even so, Anci couldn''t harbor any resentment towards Eugene. Ciel''s actions had been just. Had Anci been in that situation, she too would have believed that she ought to act as Ciel did¡­. No, she would have hoped to act with such bravery. But faced with such a moment, would she truly have sacrificed herself to save another? "I am... truly proud." Anci extended one arm and pulled Ciel into aforting embrace. "And you, too, Eugene." With her other arm, she drew Eugene close. Though surprised, he didn''t resist Anci''s gesture. Both Eugene and Ciel quietly nestled into her embrace. Chapter 390: Triumph (4) To be honest, Eugene had been half expecting to receive a p. While he hadn''t believed Gilead would resort to such actions, he had thought Anci might have both the right and the inclination to do so. Initially, Eugene''s impression of Anci had been that of a typical noblewoman who had been married into a family as the second wife ¡ª full of ambitions for power within the family and bent on raising her offspring with a strict, iron hand to realize her aspirations. But it wasn''t long before he realized she wasn''t just some blinded, ambitious noblewoman. Anci had a knack for distinguishing friends from foes. If she found someone too challenging to handle, she made sure to forge ties, turning potential enemies into allies. After adopting Eugene, she imparted this wisdom to her children, ensuring they never antagonized him. Moreover, she never acted badly towards him as well. All that had been nearly a decade ago. The fierce Anci of yesteryears had since mellowed considerably. The fact still remained that even during her fiercer days, she wouldn''t have pped Eugene over such a matter. "Perhaps I wasn''t prepared enough," Eugene murmured with a rueful smile. He had distanced himself from Anci''s embrace a while ago while Ciel was still engaged in a conversation with her parents. "What kind of preparation?" Cyan queried with a quizzical tilt of his head while standing by Eugene¡¯s side. Eugene watched Ciel being consoled by Gilead as he replied, "I thought she might me me for Ciel''s eye and give me a few ps for it." "Eugene, you¡­. What exactly do you think of our mother?" Cyan probed. "It¡¯s all your fault that I have these misconceptions. When you were younger, you used to return after getting pped by Lady Anci,¡± Eugene replied. "That¡­ was a long time ago, and it was because I was often mischievous. But this... this situation is different." Even as he said that Cyan couldn''t help but nce at Ciel, his face etched with concern. "There aren''t any furtherplications, right?" he asked. "I''ve used every method at my disposal to check, and she''s fine,¡± assured Eugene. ¡°I guess it should be considered fortunate,¡± Cyan said, heaving a sigh. His face contorted into a mix of relief and unease. He knew the sequence of events: Ciel had shielded Eugene and lost her left eye in the process. If it had been left in that state, she would have lived the rest of her life with an eyepatch or a prosthetic eye. Were it not for a certain intervention¡­. "A demoneye¡­ is it? Well, in that aspect, I guess it¡¯s fortunate that Ciel is a Lionheart," Cyan spoke earnestly. Demoneyes did not manifest in humans. Meaning Ciel was the first human with a Demoneye in the history of the continent. Were it not for her lineage, the Inquisitors of the Holy Empire might have apprehended her, or wizards from Aroth could have captured her for study. But neither the Kiehl Empire nor Aroth could impose their will on the Lionheart family. ¡®No¡­. It''s not just because we are the Lionheart family¡­,¡¯ Cyan mused internally, ¡®It''s because of Eugene.¡¯ He had spent several days in Shimuin. Since then, Cyan hade to realize the monumental influence that the name Eugene Lionheart held across the entire continent. Even the Pope had acquiesced to Eugene''s words just a little while ago. "How was the Demon King?" In an attempt to shift the topic, Cyan asked while clearing his throat. It felt a little strange. There was a thought Cyan often pondered in the past. Even if he wielded a sword all his life and strived with all his might, he thought he would never reach a position equal to Eugene¡¯s. And whenever despair threatened to consume him, that damned half-brother of his seemed to possess an uncanny ability to discern it and would relentlessly pester him. He would rile Cyan up and taunt him with stinging blows while using sparring as an excuse. But regardless of how fervently Cyan swung his sword, the gap in prowess between him and Eugene always remained undiminished. "Strong," Eugene responded while scratching his chin. He was gazing intently at Cyan. Eugene had aplished grand, unimaginable feats, and as such, he should have been a distant figure. Yet, Cyan never felt the distance between himself and Eugene. Eugene always felt close. No matter if he was the Hero or the yer of a Demon King, or even if their parentage was utterly different, Eugene was a brother to Cyan. "It''s only natural," Cyan remarked, a yful grin on his face as he draped an arm around Eugene''s shoulder. While the whole continent admired Eugene''s aplishments and revered what Cyan couldn''t achieve, jealousy wasn''t what he felt. It was an odd sensation. Perhaps as a child, he might have felt envy. But now? ¡®Have I given up?¡¯ Cyan pondered. No, it was a different emotion. Cyan''s sword was still aimed at Eugene. He yearned to someday, yes, someday, duel with Eugene as equals. That fervent desire remained as a roaring ze. Yet, alongside that longing, there was deep respect and affection for Eugene. ¡®Don''t overthink it,¡¯ Cyan told himself with a mental shake. The emotion he felt was rtively simple. He felt great pride in his aplished sibling. "You brat, why are you acting this way? It''s unsettling," Eugene grumbled while yfully jabbing Cyan in the ribs. As the Lionhearts conversed among themselves, Sienna was with the group from Aroth, and Kristina was with the people of the Holy Empire. Neither particrly wanted to engage in conversation, but their counterparts were insistent. "Sister, Sister, why didn''t you call me for the battle against the Demon King?" Melkith whined while insistently clinging to Sienna''s arm. To Sienna, Melkith was... honestly, quite burdensome and overwhelming. Sienna always found it challenging to deal with such overtly bare-faced and shameless individuals. Particrly unsettling was the fact that Melkith El-Hayah was a genuine fanatic. ¡®She¡¯s not like Carmen Lionheart¡­,¡¯ Sienna observed. During her journey with Carmen, Sienna hade to realize that Carmen was sensible despite her quirks. Carmen had been the voice of reason, disying seriousness when necessary and showing deep reflection after the battle against the Demon King. Her admirable character earned the respect of many, including the knights like Ivik d. But what of Melkith El-Hayah? Even the King of Aroth and Lovellian, who had some inkling about Sienna and Eugene''s secrets, treaded lightly around Sienna. Yet, there she was, addressing Sienna as ''sister'' and whining, making a huge scene in front of a crowd¡­. What further caused Sienna to break out into goosebumps was the realization of Melkith¡¯s talents as a wizard, especially in spirit magic, despite appearing to be a goon and an utterly crazy woman. ¡®Simultaneous contracts with three Spirit Kings¡­. And as a pure wizard, she''s reached the Eighth Circle¡­.¡¯ These realizations truly astounded Sienna. Such capabilities were almost a divine error. ¡®Perhaps the Gods are fair, considering she seems... iplete as a human,¡¯ Sienna wondered. While Sienna''s feelings towards Melkith could be described as a form of self-loathing in a sense, she never equated herself with Melkith. "Sister, Sister, for your sake, I could jump into the earth, fire, or even lightning," Melkith passionately dered. "W-well, of course... You have contracts with the Spirit Kings of Earth, Fire, and Lightning¡­,¡± Sienna replied hesitantly. "Ahhh, Sister! You remember the Spirit Kings I''ve contracted with! Yes, that¡¯s right. I''ve contracted with the Spirit Kings of Earth, Fire, and Lightning. But I''m scared, Sister. What if I must enter a storm for you? Sadly, I cannot enter a storm¡­. Of course, if you wanted me to, Sister, I would leap into one, even at the cost of tearing myself apart. But if I die doing so, it would be pointless¡­.¡± Sienna struggled toprehend the onught of words. They made absolutely no sense. She regretted ever allowing Melkith to address her as Sister. "You seem displeased,¡± Pope Aeuryus observed. While Sienna grappled with Melkith''s words, Kristina faced the Pope. With Raphael standing beside him as a guardian, the pope drew close to Kristina. In this context, Raphael was more than a mere bodyguard to the Pope. At Kristina''smand, this ''true'' devout fanatic of Light would not hesitate to strike the pope down. In Raphael''s eyes, the pope¡¯s authority was no higher than Kristina''s. ¡®...Although that would never happen, if Sir Eugene demanded, Raphael would even attempt to kill the Saint,¡¯ the pope thought with a bitter smile. There was no one in the Holy Empire with greater prowess than Raphael. Even if all of the Blood Cross Knights tried to kill him, Raphael would survive. In any case, the Blood Cross Knights would never heed an order to exterminate theirmander. Each member of the Blood Cross Knights had dedicated their life to faith through extreme training. They would never think theirmander, the Crusader, would turn his back on the Light. As such, they would not heed the order to kill theirmander, even if it came from the pope himself. The Holy Empire''s power structure was peculiar. While the pope was the ultimate religious leader, in the end, the true power rested with the Will of the Light. Previously, when they were both fakes, the pope had no need to heed the Saint. But the Fount of Light had been destroyed at the hands of the Hero. Their god, who had previously illuminated the Holy Empire with the light regardless of their actions, left hundreds of knights and inquisitors, as well as Cardinal Sergio Rogeris, to die at the Hero¡¯s hand. And the Saint had now spread her eight wings. She had even more wings than the most beloved angel of the Light, as mentioned in the scripture. If the two of them, no¡­. Even if Kristina alone ascended the skies of the Holy Empire with her wings spread and proimed that the pope had betrayed the Light, the people would have thrown rocks, torn the papacy down, and burnt him at the stake. "Your Holiness, your intent is so overt and messy, it''s unsettling," Kristinamented coldly. The pope responded with a hint of surprise, "You address me as Your Holiness." "If I showed Your Holiness any less respect in front of all these people, everyone would surely find it both amusing and strange,¡± Kristina responded frigidly. "Heh... but I truly am an amusing, odd, and grotesque old man," the pope said, sounding as if he wasn¡¯t talking about himself. "Even Your Holiness¡¯ self-deprecation sickens me," Kristina said tly. "Please, feel that way, Saint Rogeris. You and the Hero Eugene sessfully vanquished a Demon King. During the copse of the Fount of Light... perhaps I could''ve twisted the Will of the Light and justified myself, but now, I no longer can," the pope said as he removed his hat and ced it over his chest. "Perhaps you should end this wretched old man''s suffering and take over?" he suggested with a hint of resignation. "Did you approach me to hear an answer to that question?" Kristina inquired, her eyes sharp. "By the Light, I swear¡­. I never acted out of selfishness. I foolishly misconstrued the Will of the Light, believing I was doing what was necessary for the sake of the kingdom of god," the pope confessed with a heavy heart. A tense silence ensued. After a bit, the pope was the one to speak again. "But now¡­ I realize my actions and those of the preceding popes in shaping Yuras as the kingdom of god were misguided. So, should not a true Chosen of the Light, one blessed with the divine spirit, rightly guide and govern Yuras?" he asked. Kristina regarded the pope intently. Regardless of whether he was sincere or not, in the current circumstances, the pope had no power to refuse her. "No," Kristina slowly shook her head. "Neither I nor Sir Eugene wish to rule over Yuras." The Pope remained silent, taking in her words. "So, Your Holiness, continue in your role as the pope," she advised. "Pardon me, Saint." "But do not be mistaken. Although Your Holiness must remain as you are, you mustn''t act as the representative of the Light''s will, nor even try to interpret it,¡± Kristina warned. Kristina''s gaze bore into him, searching for any hint of insincerity. "Do you understand?" "I will heed your words," the pope replied without a hint of displeasure, nodding solemnly. Kristina then turned her attention to the rear, where a battle-ready clergy unit stood. They were prepared for the Saint. Members of Graceful Radianceposed the holy symbol on thin air when they saw her. "¡­As you likely know, Your Holiness, times are changing," Kristina began. "Yes," the pope replied. "A crusade is... imminent. The exact time is unknown, but you must prepare for it," Kristina said sternly. "Yes." "During the preparations, please do not hinder Sir Eugene,¡± she advised. "We shall gather the martyrs,¡± the pope responded. "Among them, pick those who are especially devout and¡­ prepared. Supplement the Graceful Radiance with these picks,¡± Kristina said in a voice quivering with a mix of determination and pain. The Graceful Radiance was a suicide squad. From its inception, it was designed to be so. Both Anise and Kristina had concurred and pursued this design. For ages, Yuras¡¯ Faculty of Divine Magic researched miracles and developed new ones. They had created a faux-divine Saint, mass-produced relics through her, and even advanced the development of holynds. Anise and Kristina had returned the relics that the department held to the Light through sacraments. They had also sent back chimeric holy weapons to the Light and destroyed most of the ongoing research materials. However, they had kept what could be utilized. They couldn''t fight against the Demon Kings of Incarceration and Destruction by solely following principles. Once members of the Luminous Covenant, thebat priests were bio-weapons refined with divine power. Although they weren''tparable in pleteness,'' they were akin to Anise and Kristina. For them, salvation was to offer themselves in the crusade as martyrs for the Light. While it was now impossible to mass-produce such weapons, there was still a need to bolster the ranks of the Graceful Radiance. [Heaven exists,] whispered Anise in Kristina''s tormented mind. Even Anise''s voice bore the weight of sorrow. [The Light will guide them there.] Kristina sighed deeply as she nodded in agreement. *** Eugene gazed upwards with his mouth agape. Before him stood a magnificent lion, radiating a blinding, almost excessive, brilliance. "It took quite some effort to craft," the King of Shimuin, Oseris, boasted with pride, seizing the opportunity to make a big deal out of it. "You know, the artisans from the dwarven guild never coborate with human artisans. But for this grand march, human and dwarf artisans worked together for the first time." "We assisted as well," chimed in Ivatar with a boisterousugh. "Hauled the wood, cut it, and refined it, just as instructed,¡± Aman chuckled in agreement. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. He could not smile. His face contorted with a blend of horror and embarrassment. His fists were clenched tightly. "You might find it unfamiliar, Mister Eugene,¡± said Oseris. ¡°This is a float. It is used in the Shedor Ind festival parade. This specific float has its own name¡ª" "tinum Lion," a dwarf interrupted, standing proudly in front of the float. He was stroking his long beard. "The tinum and jewels used on this tinum Lion could purchase several castles. And we imbued the magic of Aroth in its construction. Astonishingly, the tinum Lion doesn''t roll on wheels but walks! Haha! Imagine that! Marvelous, isn''t it?" he boasted. "Ehem, as he says, Mister Eugene," Oseris said with a smirk while pointing at the tinum Lion. "Climb aboard." Eugene was gripped with horror at these words. ¡°The tinum Lion will lead the parade. The streets have been cleared for the parade, and every citizen of the city is eagerly awaiting for it to begin.¡± Eugene just turned his head to avoid Oseris''s gaze. Around him were dozens of floats, some newly crafted, while others resembled those from past parades. One thing was clear: the tinum Lion outshone them all, standing tall and magnificent among its counterparts. "I would''ve preferred a Dark Lion," Carmen murmured from the side, seemingly entranced by the tinum Lion. She rubbed her chin thoughtfully while observing the float. Eugene gritted his teeth, holding back whatever retort bubbled within him. Chapter 391 – Triumph (5) Chapter 391 ¨C Triumph (5) Eugene always relished attention and recognition, even from his previous life. Whether the praises were genuine or inted, he epted them as long as they weren''t harmful. But now, after twenty-one years of life as Eugene Lionheart, thirty-eight years as Hamel Dynas, and an uncertain period as Agaroth, he came to a stark realization: even he had limits. He was humiliated. This was horrible. The sheer embarrassment felt unbearable. He wished the ground would open and just swallow him up. He wanted to find a hole to hide in. Had he ever faced such a mortifying moment since he was born, or rather, since the dawn of his memories? His grip tightened on the railing as his body shook uncontrobly. ''Sh-Should I... flee?'' Eugene considered genuinely. Up, down, right, left¡­. Everywhere he looked, praises filled the air. The sky was aze with fireworks, and citizens who came to watch the parade waved flowers and glow sticks while shouting out in joy. "Sir Eugene!"bender "Eugene Lionheart!" "The Hero!" Their voices drowned out even the booming of the fireworks. People not only lined the streets but also upied every rooftop in sight. It wasn¡¯t only rooftops either. Wherever there existed a space that could be upied, people had flocked to it. Their figures stretched in an unbroken line all the way to the royal pce. "I put in quite the effort," came a voice from above. Lifting his eyes, Eugene found Melkith El-Hayah. She was merged with her Signature, Infinity Force, in the form of a giant elemental being. She chuckled while rubbing her nose, "That¡¯s how it should be, right? The route for the march should be straight, don¡¯t you agree? Turning here and there through the winding capital streets would have been tedious for everyone." Eugene just decided to stay silent. "So, the great Melkith El-Hayah, the White Tower Master, stepped in! Oh, I mean, the other wizards did their part. Look, the knights following from behind contributed too. But the one who exerted the most power was yours truly, Melkith El-Hayah,¡± she exined with a puffed chest. It wasn¡¯t hard to imagine. Melkith had contracts with three spirit kings: thunder, fire, and earth. Using the power of the Earth Spirit King, It would not have been hard for her to reshape the very ground and buildings to clear a path from the harbor to the pce. "Why do you have such a long face? Stand tall, wear a bright smile, and wave to the crowds like this!" Melkith suggested before exaggeratedly lifting both her arms and waving energetically. Fortunately, unlike her form in the primeval forest, this spirit giant wore clothing ¡ª a dress that seemed to embody both the passion of fire and the zing of thunder. With a flourish, she gathered petals showered from the rooftops and concentrated them over the tinum Lion. Eugene was getting more embarrassed by the second. He gritted his teeth. A deluge of countless petals poured from above¡­ but he thought it was for the better. The rain of petals was obscuring the adoring faces around him. Somehow, that felt slightlyforting ¡ª the innumerable petals meant his twisted expression remained hidden from the crowds. "Eugene, enjoy this," a voice called from his side. Eugene wasn''t the only one to have ascended that ostentatiously ornate tinum Lion. Alongside him stood figures who might be considered therades of the Hero: the Saint and the Archwizard. Sienna shed him a sly grin while flicking her hair back. "You''ve earned these cheers and praises, my apprentice," she said with a teasing air. "It seems you''re ustomed to this, Lady Sienna?" Eugene responded after a slight pause. "Hehe, of course, I¡¯m used to it! Your beautiful mentor here has vanquished four Demon Kings up to this point. Such processions are familiar territory,¡± Sienna said with augh. This parade evoked a spectrum of emotions in Sienna. Some three hundred years ago, the parade she celebrated with Hamel had been modest inparison, reflective of the somber times they lived in. When she returned after sealing the pact with the Demon King of Incarceration, an even grander parade had weed them. Yet, none among the four heroes had truly enjoyed that festivity after returning. The weight of their responsibilities had not permitted them to. "But now¡­ we can truly enjoy it," she whispered. Her eyes were glistening with tears as she smiled. Even without words, Eugene could sense the tumultuous emotions Sienna was experiencing. The same went for Kristina, for within her resided Anise, who was experiencing the same or even greater emotions. Anise had spent her entire life revered as the Saint. As such, she was familiar with such adtion. Yet, she had never truly reveled in such des by herself. For her, the true celebrations weren¡¯t ones she experienced as the Saint, but rather ones shared with herrades. Feeling these emotions from Anise, Kristina found courage and strength from deep within. Kristina also had a desire for celebrations. She had celebrated the festival of Faithful Anise¡¯s birth by watching the fireworks with Eugene. That had been a great festival, but it wasn¡¯t anything as grand as the celebration of a Demon King¡¯s subjugation. What she was about to do wasn¡¯t out of her selfish desires. She was acting for Anise and for Sienna. She suddenly reached out to grasp Eugene''s hand. With her other hand, she simultaneously guided Sienna''s hand into his grasp. "For victory!" she shouted while raising her hand high. Along with it, Eugene and Sienna''s hands soared into the air after hers. Lowering her intertwined hand, Kristina shouted again, "For victory!" Caught off guard, Sienna hastily mimicked her. "For victory!" Caught between the two, Eugene quickly joined in their triumphant chant, even if a little awkwardly. "Whooooo!" The crowd responded with fervent cheers. To them, Eugene Lionheart was a figure so beloved that even his slightest gesture would be met with adoration. It was to the degree that he would be greeted with a fervent cheer even if he lowered his pants and defecated in public. "Kyaaaaa!" Melkith also joined in her giant form by lifting her massive arms. The sight of this giant elemental being cheering prompted the entire expeditionary force to echo the sentiment. Behind the tinum Lion, Carmen, Ciel, and Dezra were riding on a lion-shaped float. Carmen sped hands with Ciel and Dezra before raising their hands and cheering in unison. Further behind, Princess Scalia, with teary eyes of admiration, shouted alongside Prince Jafar, Ortus, Dior, and Maise. Another float carried Ivik, who cheered along with other mercenaries. The procession continued, each subsequent float filled with figures, both from the expedition and esteemed knights from various nations, all joining in the grand salute. "Such blind devotion," The Emperor of Kiehl muttered. His face was contorted with conflicting emotions. He wanted to retain his imperial dignity and refrained from joining the raucous cheer. Yet, witnessing the likes of the Kings of Ruhr and Aroth and even the pope raising their arms in jubtion, he worried about seeming out of ce in the crowd''s eyes. With a resigned sigh, he subtly raised his arms. He had to ponder, ¡®The bnce of power on this continent is shifting.¡¯ Having in a Demon King, the Hero was no longer a mere figurehead¡­. While it was uncertain how this era would unfold once the promise made by the Demon King of Incarceration ended, but if the Oath were to persevere, it would signify the Hero Eugene Lionheart''s triumph in ushering in an age of peace. If that were to take ce, the Kiehl Empire could no longer retain the Lionheart family within its boundaries. Even now, the empire was indebted to the Lionheart family and catered to their whims, but it would only worsen in the future. If the Hero dered open war against Helmuth, the fanatics of the Holy Empire would rally while shouting martyrdom. Ruhr would join in as the descendant of the Brave Molon, and the Kingdom of Aroth would not defy the will of the Wise Sienna¡­. "...For Victory!" Surrounded by zealous festivities, the emperor made a resolve. His face was now reflecting a steadfast determination. He raised his arms higher than before. He would stand with the Hero. There was a storm of change enveloping the continent. If he wanted to protect the empire, the emperor would need to take the first step to stand behind the Hero. Would the Hero be able to vanquish the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction? Could the continent, when united, face the demons of Helmuth head-on? The answers were uncertain, but anyone present could gauge the direction the tides of history were turning. "For Victory!" The emperor decided to ce his faith in the Hero. *** The resplendent procession concluded as it reached the royal castle of Shimuin. However, the roars of the crowd persisted outside its walls. A few zealous ones, numbering in the hundreds, even tried charging the castle gates or scaling its walls, only to be repelled by protective magic. Waaaa¡ª Woaaaaah! Eugene dismounted the tinum Lion while ignoring the deafening cheers. "This tinum Lion shall be gifted to you, Sir Eugene," King Oseris, who had followed closely behind, said with an obsequious smile. Eugene looked up at the lion with aplicated expression. This glittering float¡­ signified more than the sheer value of its materials. It symbolized the journey of this era¡¯s Hero, from ying a Demon King to leading the victory procession. Considering that Eugene still retained the divine might and divinity of his past self as the God of War, the float had the makings of a holy relic in the future. "¡­You''re not suggesting that this is the only token of gratitude, are you?" Eugene inquired afterposing himself. The question seemed to catch Oseris off guard as his eyes widened with surprise. "Pardon?" "Before any feasting, let''s first discuss the distribution of the rewards," Eugene said, asserting his position. Heeding his words, the pce¡¯s council chamber was quickly filled with many people. Those present included leaders of various nations, including King Oseris, as well as the main yers of the expeditionary force. Ortus, Maise, Ivik, and Carmen were present as well. "Alright then," Eugene began as he entered the chamber, opting to remain standing. He awaited everyone to settle before stepping into a prominent spot for all to see. "It may sound presumptuousing from my own lips, but from start to finish, I bore the brunt of defeating the Demon King." He cast a look at Ortus, who nodded unflinchingly in agreement. "Mister Eugene''s statement holds true. Without his intervention, we would not have marched against the Demon King. Rather, we would have chosen to return to Shimuin. In our absence, the newly risen Demon King of Fury would have¡­ grown stronger while expanding her influence. She would have be almost an insurmountable opponent." "Well, it would have been possible to defeat her, though harder. We would have suffered dozens of timespared to our current losses,¡± Eugene continued. "But such a sacrifice would have been borne not just by Shimuin but by the powers of all nations." He took off his cloak and draped it over a chair. "Wouldn''t you all agree? None of you leaders¡­ would have denied support for subjugating a newly risen Demon King, right? Since it wasn¡¯t as if I would¡¯ve been calling for war against Helmuth.¡± "You are myrade," Ivatar dered as if he had been waiting for his turn. "If you had called upon me, I would have crossed seas for you, even if I had been alone in my stance." "Ruhr feels the same. To follow in the footsteps of our kingdom''s founder, the Brave King, is an immense honor and destiny for me," pronounced Aman. The King of Aroth started, "As long as the Wise Sienna stands by the Hero, Eugene Lionheart¡­." Pausing at Sienna''s displeased nce, he quickly amended, "¡­No! Even without the Wise Sienna, the wizards of Aroth who revere her would have rallied for Mister Eugene." The pope chimed in, "There are no apostates in Yuras afraid of the crusade. If the Hero called, I, Aeuryus, would''ve be a knight of the holy order, dedicated to serving you." "Kiehl would''ve acted simrly had we deliberated¡­ beforehand," the Emperor of Kiehl added. He had already made the decision to trust the Hero. Though he dered his support, if he was truly ced in such a spot, he would have¡­ deliberated numerous excuses. But that was already something under the bridge, and there was no point in thinking of such things. "More than anyone," Gilead, seated among the leaders, interjected, his gaze unwavering. "The Lionheart n would''ve been the first to follow you." Eugene perceived unshakeable trust in Gilead¡¯s steadfast gaze. Even if the whole continent were to turn against him, the Lionhearts would stand by his side. With a mix of pride and humility, Eugene chuckled. "With such endorsements...." Rolling up his sleeves and stretching out his muscr arm, he dered, "I would like to boldlyy im to my due." Letters began to form in thin air before him. "I want to say this in advance, but I won''t negotiate with you all. I¡¯m simply making a demand... and I believe I''ve earned the right to do so," Eugene began. Shimuin will dispatch the Hammer Ind Dwarves to the Lionheart estate. All costs rted to their work will be covered by Shimuin, and Eugene Lionheart will directly negotiate with the dwarves in regard to which master craftsmen will be dispatched. "You''re free to decline... but I would appreciate it if you didn''t. For the sake of our continuing good rtionship," he added. Shimuin will erect statues of the Hero in the central parts of its tworgest inds, Shedor and Larupa. These monuments will not bemercialized for tourism. Simrly, amemorative gate celebrating the victory over the Demon King will be built. Likewise, it will not bemercialized for tourism. After the statues'' construction, the royal family will hold a thanksgiving ceremony in front of them once a month. "What?!" Oseris eximed, his mouth agape. The royal family paying tribute to a statue!? Moreover, in Shimuin, which wasn''t even a theocratic state? ¡®Deifying the hero...¡¯ The pope was taken aback. He snuck a discreet nce at Kristina, who was sitting nearby. Noticing his gaze, she gave a subtle nod as a signal for him to remain silent. "If you do not like it, you don''t have toply," Eugene continued nonchntly. "No... it''s not about liking it¡­ but¡­," Oseris began. He recalled their earlier conversation. If he wanted, Eugene Lionheart could mobilize the armies of multiple nations. But even without the military might of the nations, Eugene alone could have brought Shimuin to its knees. "This¡­. This¡­ isn''t a request but... a threat, isn''t it?" Oseris ventured cautiously. "I didn''t intend it that way... but if you perceive it as such, there''s little I can do," Eugene''s eyebrows quirked slightly. "Really now, the word ''threat'' sounds so distasteful. Do you genuinely believe that''s what I''m doing?" "Well, no, but¡ª" King Oseris was interrupted. "Am I really threatening Your Majesty? Did I not clear out pirates on your coastlines on your behalf? Did I not defeat a Demon King? And yet, you use me of such? This is truly, truly disheartening," Eugene said. "Did I ask for the throne? No. I simply asked for two statues for my efforts and for someone from the royal family to asionally give thanks. Is that too much to ask?" "No.¡­ Well, no¡­ but¡ª" "Then why are you raising your voice at me?" Eugene interrupted once more. Beads of sweat began to form on Oseris¡¯ forehead. He was cornered. Before he could muster a response, Princess Scalia, who had been sitting beside him, stood up abruptly. "I will do it!" she dered. "S¡­Scalia?" Oseris gasped. "I will do it! On behalf of our kingdom, representing our royal family, I will offer tributes to the Hero¡¯s statue!" she shouted eagerly. Her eyes were burning with determination. The raging fire in her gaze was undeniable. Both Oseris and Jafar were stunned into silence with their mouths agape. They could do nothing but stare at the fervent Scalia. "Very well," Eugene responded. He was not the least surprised by Scalia''s intervention; he''d expected as much. He began to list his subsequent demands without waiting for Oseris''s reply. "Regarding the spoils we''ve collected this time¡­.¡± He wasn¡¯t greedy for them in the least. His only demand was that they were to be divided fairly and transparently ording to people¡¯s contributions. "I ask to borrow two of Shimuin''s national treasures: the Exids,¡± he demanded. "What¡­? Excuse me?" Oseris sputtered. "You already possess three of them, do you not? Sir Ortus uses one, and, to be frank, there''s no real user for the remaining two. It¡¯s not like Your Majesty is going to don them for battle, either, right? Well, if you decide otherwise, I will promptly return them. I can promise,¡± continued Eugene. Oseris¡¯ face reddened to the point of nearbustion, his breaths short and ragged. The Exids? The treasures crafted from the heart of dragons, symbols of Shimuin''s royal lineage? And Eugene wanted to borrow two? "Why not simply lend them?" The Emperor of Kiehl remarked with a sly grin. "As Mister Eugene stated, Oseris, you won''t be wearing an Exid onto the battlefield." To speak so lightly of another nation''s treasures! Oseris shot a re at the emperor. "The Light would surely delight in the offering," the popemented with a benevolent smile. That word ¡ª "offering" ¡ª made Oseris¡¯ heart flip. Offering? Whose permission gave it that status!? "Fine.... I''ll.... I''ll lend them," Oseris conceded. He was overwhelmed and outnumbered. He sank back into his chair while replying in a feeble tone. These were things Eugene believed he rightfully deserved. "Andstly," Eugene began, knowing this was pushing his luck, "Didn''t you all say earlier? If I had asked for help with the Demon King''s subjugation, you would have supported me without hesitation?" With a confident smile, he continued, "Doesn''t that mean, in essence, you would uphold my requests using royal decrees?" Chapter 392 – Triumph (6) Chapter 392 ¨C Triumph (6) What more could Eugene gain by asking for it in this assembly? Money? He already had more than enough. Often, the most precious and necessary things couldn''t be bought, no matter how much gold one possessed. Hence, the thought of needing more wealth didn''t even cross his mind. The same went for treasures. With no more Dragonhearts avable in the market, the Exids, the national treasures of Shimuin, were unattainable. Even so, he had not borrowed them for personal use; he found Raimira''s support more beneficial. ¡®Someone will find a use for them if we get them,¡¯ Eugene thought. He could think of several people in the Lionheart n who could make better use of the Exids. Thanks to the Exid Ortus lent them, Carmen had been powerful enough to stand head-to-head against the Demon King of Fury. Gilead and Gion would also benefit from them, or perhaps Cyan and Ciel, whose mana hadn''t yet reached its zenith, unlike the older generation. Materially, Eugenecked nothing. He already owned an arsenal of weapons and received ample support in mana. He already drew on three types of aid for mana: amplification from Akasha,putational eleration from Mer, and support in the form of Dragonhearts and Draconic from Raimira. With the added capability of Prominence, he could fight with full power for days on end, as long as his mind held. Thus, he sought something beyond material possessions. "Hmm¡­," Emperor Straut II grunted, unable to find words to speak. A request from the Hero¡­ to hold his request above royal decrees was akin to asking for ultra-legal authority. ¡®It¡¯s excessive,¡¯ the emperor couldn''t help but think. Even the emperor of an empire wasn''t above itsws unless, of course, they were a despot. Unless one was a tyrant, they still needed to uphold and follow thews of their nation. However, if required, he could bypass legal and procedural barriers by invoking his imperial decree. ¡®Even if he is the Hero.¡­ To grant such privileges to an individual would be....¡¯ Of course, it was an understatement tobel Eugene Lionheart as a simple individual. But even so, granting such a privilege was simply too much, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°¡­Eugene. Suppose you ask for support when preparing to face a Demon King or an enemy of a simr caliber. In that case, I will prioritize your request above all else,¡± Emperor Straut the Second dered. Eugene wouldn¡¯t smack or p him in front of everyone here, right? The emperor continued as he watched Eugene¡¯s expression crumple in real-time, ¡°Of course¡­. Even if it might not rte to mobilizing our forces, if your request is reasonable and necessary¡­ I am open to granting it. But to skip over directly to having to request¡ª¡± "Yuras has no objections," Pope Aeuryus interrupted before the emperor could finish. "O, Hero of Light. You are the embodiment of the divine light upon this earth, a representative of the Light. If you give themand, this humble servant shall dly obey without any objections," he dered solemnly. Had the old manpletely lost his senses? Was he truly making such a promation, not privately, but in a gathering filled with so many people? Emperor Straut II gaped at the pope in sheer disbelief. ¡®This should put you in a bind, young brat,¡¯ the pope thought while casting a benevolent smile upon the emperor. His faith in the Light and the Hero was genuine. If Eugene had wished for it, the pope would have sincerely offered up all of Yuras. However, rather than implicating only Yuras, it would be even better if the Kiehl Empire and other nations of simr strength were made to dance to Eugene¡¯s tune as well. "If need be, Ruhr will also pledge its support," Aman dered after a moment''s contemtion. There seemed to be no reason for him not to promise. Aman took Eugene''s request with an almost casual grace. Though the authority Eugene sought was beyond that of a monarch, would he ever misuse it to clear his sins aftermitting crimes in Yuras? Would he raise an army for a rebellion? "There''s no reason not to grant a friend''s request," Ivatar said with a chuckle. Watching the events unfold, Daindolf, too, gave a nod of agreement, "Aroth will do the same." The Visage of Emperor Straut the Second contorted in evident displeasure. Yuras was an empire of crazies who held their faith above itsw. Ruhr had proven the might of their founding Brave King, and no matter how valorous Eugene might be, he wouldn''t dare to challenge the Brave Molon, would he? ¡®So then, what about the two of you!?¡¯ the emperor thought. Frustration was evident in his eyes. Aroth was seriously audacious. Aroth was a symbolic monarchy where real governancey with the parliament. So, what semnce of royal decree coulde from there, aside from choosing the flora of Abram''s garden? And then there was that native from the Great Forest. Whatws could even possibly exist in that backwater forest? Did the leader of a mere tribe presume himself to have the same authority as an emperor? "Shimuin willmit as well," uttered Oseris, his once trembling demeanor now transformed. His following statement was delivered with a sneer simr to the one the emperor had worn moments before. "Why don¡¯t you simplyply as well?" Emperor Straut II shot him a scathing look. "Do you believe the Hero, Sir Eugene, would misuse royal authority?" asked Oseris. Considering the situation, Oseris had the same train of thought as the pope. Now that things hade this far, he wasn¡¯t willing to sink alone. While under normal circumstances, he should be more concerned with the emperor¡¯s reactions, in this setting, pledging cooperation with the Hero was as good as forming an alliance between nations. "...If the request is reasonable¡­ and doesn''t defy morality¡ª" Emperor Straut II began. Only to be swiftly interrupted by Eugene, much to the emperor¡¯s dismay, "I shall be the judge of that." Little brat, why are you acting so stiff when you¡¯re going to bend anyway? ¡®That¡¯s how you break, bastard.¡¯ Eugene gave a mental smirk. He made a slight gesture toward his cloak, following which Mer and Raimira stepped forth from its folds, each holding a box. The sight was almost surreal. Two maidens had suddenly emerged from a mere piece of clothing. While most recognized Mer for her resemnce to Sienna was uncanny, Raimira drew bewildered stares, given the deer antlers crowning her head and a gem embedded in her forehead. "Please open them," Eugene instructed. The boxes were ced before the monarchs. The pope, being the first to open his, gasped in astonishment. "What is this¡­?" Inside the boxy three banners, each adorned with the insignia of a ck lion. "Would it not be more convenient for both of us?" Eugene began, his gaze settling on the assembled rulers. "It would be a sin for me to constantly ask for favors, especially from those engrossed in their nation''s affairs. Using these banners as the symbol of our promise would be more efficient." Indeed, he sought to bypass the very notion of requesting. The emperor opened the box in front of him, still wearing a look of sheer disbelief. Insidey six banners. It was truly an audacious demand to have these designated as imperial seals¡­. Sighing deeply, the emperor grasped one of the banners. "Very well." Eugene felt a tinge of satisfaction. He hadmissioned these banners to Gondor, predicting they mighte in handy in a gathering with the rulers of the continent. He was d he had prepared beforehand. ''Now, things will be much easier wherever I venture,'' Eugene mused.bender With a mere sh of these banners, he could erase any records of using the warp-gates in Kiehl. He could even employ the empire''s intelligence instead of the information guilds or call upon spies hidden in other nations if need be. ¡®There are limitations on obtaining information about Helmuth using only guilds,¡¯ Eugene thought. Such guilds were driven by profit, and as such, they prioritized the value of information over any kind of loyalty or ethos. As such, the information they traded was usually high-quality, but the guilds were disinclined to obtain information at the cost of their lives. However, national intelligence agencies operated on loyalties, national pride, and beliefs. The intelligence Eugene coveted would only be obtainable from spies who dared to face death itself. "How about a tax reduction?" Eugene ventured, picking up his share of banners and casting a sidelong nce at the emperor. "The Lionheart n does pay a hefty amount in taxes, after all." A grinding noise echoed from between the emperor¡¯s clenched teeth. Gilead cleared his throat awkwardly, "Paying taxes is a duty that every citizen of the empire should naturally follow." "Well, paying less would be better... not paying at all would be best,¡± said Eugene. Krrr.¡­ The emperor¡¯s patience waned, and he almost snapped back, "Would you ask for the throne next?" But he swallowed down his exasperation and the urge for a sarcastic remark. He feared that his question would truly be enacted upon. "¡­I will have it discussed," Emperor Straut II said, trying his best to avoid giving a direct answer. Eugene did not press the matter. *** When the conference concluded, and they emerged into the pce gardens, Eugene found the expansive grounds had been beautifully transformed. Arge, ornate fountain spewed water that was glimmering golden light. As he admired the fountain''s shimmer, his gaze inadvertentlynded on the pope. "It¡¯s not," the pope stammered with a startle. In response, Eugene mumbled with his eyes fixed on the cascading waters, "Fount of Light." The pope decided to stay silent. ¡°Oh.¡­ What the hell?¡± Eugene cursed. The backdrop to the beautiful fountain showcased the majestic tinum Lion. Pce chefs bustled around, filling the tables with delicacies. With Melkith¡¯s every step, the garden''s grass and soil morphed into smooth marble. "She¡¯ll return it to its original state afterward," Daindolfforted Oseris, who was trembling. It wasn''t just Melkith who had stepped in to remodel the garden. Lovellian and Hiridus also tirelessly weaved their magic to aid in the transformation of the pce gardens. The garden¡¯s walls soared and formed a ceiling stretching to the heavens. Through the magic of the wizards, this ceiling transitioned into translucent ss, upon which they painted an array of colorful stars. Magical candles that changed colors gradually adorned the area, setting a serene ambiance. The marble floor was then covered with plush carpets. As the garden metamorphosed into a ballroom, the key members of the expeditionary force changed into attire befitting a grand banquet. Eugene wasn''t spared. He had initially resisted, iming his current uniform was adequate, but both Kristina and Anise wouldn''t hear of it. "You always wear the same uniform. Such an asion calls for something different," Sienna remarked. She had hoped that tonight might present an opportunity to deepen her rtionship with Eugene. The dress she''d chosen was so enticing that it felt slightly too much, even by her standards. It caused her to pause. It revealed more than it concealed, and her back was essentiallypletely bare... Sienna had the urge to change her dress. But she stopped herself. The very idea of disying such attire, especially the exposed back, was deeply embarrassing to the Wise Sienna. Moreover, she wished to show such a dress only to Eugene and no other. Ciel, on the other hand, didn¡¯t even get a chance to choose her own dress. Throughout the banquet preparations, her mother, Anci, was holding back tears while stroking the area around Ciel¡¯s eyes. Though Ciel tried to reassure her mother that all was well, she had to endure simr concerns from Gilead, Gion, and Cyan as they showed up. As the conversation of constion neared its end, Cyan was cornered by Aman. "I should have brought A," Aman chided. "Aha¡­. Yes.... Hahaha...." Cyan stuttered awkwardly. "A speaks of you often. You two correspond through letters?" asked Aman. "Yes.... Indeed. Her Highness always wishes for a reply¡­," said Cyan. "You needn''t call her ''Her Highness'' every time. Call herfortably. How do you address her in your personal letters?" asked Aman. "What¡­? Uh.... I usually just call her princess..." responded Cyan. "There¡¯s no need for that. You know, she doesn''t feel that title is anything special due to its frequent use. Let me tell you something special about her. A¡­." Aman leaned in and whispered, ¡°She absolutely adores being called ''little fawn.¡¯" Silence ensued at this revtion. ¡°She likes to be called ¡®rabbit¡¯ as well,¡± Aman continued. Cyan swallowed hard. He had met Princess A of Ruhr previously. Indeed¡­ with herrge innocent eyes, the nicknames ''little fawn'' or ''rabbit'' perfectly suited the adorable and beautiful A. It was hard to believe that this delicate girl was the offspring of the formidable Beast King. There was just one problem. She was big. At the tender age of eleven, she had been big, unbefitting her age. Even back then, the height difference between her and Cyan had been minimal. From what Cyan recalled¡­ the eleven-year-old A was eitherparable to or taller than the seventeen-year-old Ciel. ¡®When she grows even taller¡­.¡¯ At this thought, Cyan wiped the cold sweat from his brow and stole a nce at his potential father-inw, Aman. To Cyan, Aman looked as massive as a giant, and it was easy to imagine an equally towering Princess A gazing down at him from an immense height. "When would you prefer the wedding to be?" Aman suddenly asked. "I''m sorry... what?" asked Cyan,pletely taken aback. "I told you. My daughter seems to have taken a strong liking to you. Do you not feel the same about A?" queried Aman. "We-well... Given the princess¡¯ age¡­," Cyan hastily responded. "Then what do you think about living together first and postponing the ceremony?¡± asked Aman. "¡­What?" Cyan asked, shocked. "Ah, don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of asking you to move to Ruhr. It''d be absurd to bring you, the heir to the Lionheart family, to Ruhr as my son-inw. How do you feel about me sending A to the Lionheart estate instead?" asked Aman. Cyan''s face turned visibly pale. "That¡¯s¡­. That¡¯s not for me to decide. We should respect Princess A''s wishes¡­," he responded, hastily thinking of excuses to reject the proposal. "Hahaha! My son-inw, do you take me for a heartless father who''d ignore my cherished daughter''s desires? I¡¯m saying this because all I hear is ''Cyan this,¡¯ ¡®Cyan that.¡¯ She can''t stop talking about you!" Aman eximed loudly. What on earth did Princess A see in me? Cyan wondered. He was genuinely unable to fathom the reason for this infatuation. Until the banquet preparations concluded, Cyan had to endure Aman''s relentless bragging about Princess A. While Sienna had discreetly switched to a more refined dress, she felt a mix of regret and relief upon seeing Melkith''s deep-cut dress, revealing not just the back but also plunging down her chest. Ciel wore a pristine white dress fitting her nickname, "White Rose," while Eugene was coerced into a stifling tuxedo by the Saints. Ironically, these very Saints had not changed out of their priestess garments. "Why haven''t you changed?" Eugene challenged. "Hamel, have you ever seen me wear anything other than this even three hundred years back during a ball?" retorted Anise. Eugene couldn''t break through the seemingly well-prepared excuse. The ballroom was ready, outfits had been changed, and the mood was lively. Yet, the festivities couldn''t begin just yet. "Surprise!" As if they had been waiting for the opportune moment, an uninvited guest burst onto the scene. Chapter 393 – Triumph (7) Chapter 393 ¨C Triumph (7) The climate on Shimuin¡¯s many inds was warm throughout the year. The nation was renowned for its festivities, including the Coliseum and the street festivals. The emerald sea that surrounded it shimmered beautifully. No matter which coast one visited, sunbathers and tourists dotted the sands. While inds like Shedor and Larupa were bustling due to the sheer number of people, tranquil, picturesque inds could be found just a short boat ride away. These inds typically housed the mansions of the wealthy or were developed into luxurious resorts frequented by honeymooners. The outfit of Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, seemed to align with such inds. A crowded beach scene was her backdrop. Though everyone else wore swimsuits and was engrossed in beach activities, all eyes would still be on this breathtaking woman. She might be a bride who rigorously prepared herself for her groom or a superstar strolling on a quiet private beach. Either way, it meant that she donned a swimsuit. Her pale skin contrasted with the ck bikini she wore. The slightly loose straps of her bikini swayed like Noir''s tail. Every step she took felt like a runway crafted just for her. Noir confidently strode into the venue with a perfect model walk. "Surprise!" she said, beaming and confidently presenting herself. Thousands of gazes turned towards her. It took varying lengths of time for those present to realize the current situation. The castle doors had randomly opened, and a woman in a bikini had just boldly entered¡­. It wasn''t something to be easily brushed off. The woman was none other than Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, and she was present in her true form. Moreover, unlike when Eugene had encountered her at the Dragon Demon Castle, Noir now exuded an aura characteristic of a night demon. A night demon, also known as a subus, had the innate ability to bewitch humans. Even a lower-tier night demon could effortlessly captivate a human. As such, the presence of the queen, the pinnacle of their species, resulted in a quick domination of the hall. However, many of those present in the hall were far from ordinary. While the servers were stopped in their tracks, blushing and gasping for breaths, the elite guests quickly regained theirposure after a few hurried breaths. After all, they were all representatives of their respective nations. However ¡ª their quick recovery was a testament to Noir''s mercy. Even without officially taking on the title of a Demon King, her aura surpassed that of a subus. She had more than enough power to rival a Demon King. If Noir chose to unleash her full aura, even the most elite knights would''ve found it impossible to maintain their calm. She could''ve easily incapacitated half the attendees just by her mere presence, and if she had used the Demoneye of Fantasy, she would have caused effortless annihtion, as if she were stomping on ants. Yet, she wasn''t here for a massacre nor to enthrall everyone. "Surprised, everyone?" She asked with a teasing grin. A containment circle had formed around her even before she asked the question. The thousands in the hall had surrounded her. The knights had their weapons drawn. Of particr note were the holy knights, who were already pointing their weapons directly at her from the front. "Girls usually don''t like men who are too fast,¡±mented Noir. She tilted her head upwards and raised her gaze to see Crusader Raphael. The zealous pdin was in the air with his greatsword drawn, which he had done upon spotting Noir before charging at her. Raphael''s hopes to cleave Noir in two didn''te to fruition. His devoutly acquired divine power and the resilience packed in his youthful frame were rendered meaningless before Noir''s magical bindings. "Next time, approach ady slowly, patiently, and... when you climb her, be more gentle," Noir quipped, her eyes dancing with mischief. "Though, given your stature, you might struggle to climb aboard." Raphael''s body moved in tandem with her gaze. However, he wasn''t thrown about or mmed into a distant wall. Instead, Noir gently set him down on the ground. "Damn whore...!" Raphael spat through his gritted teeth. This treatment, coupled with her prior remarks, was enough to make Raphael''s blood boil. As he readied to charge at Noir once again, a hand grabbed his shoulder from behind. "You''re still so impulsive," grumbled Eugene, pulling Raphael back. Had the one restraining him been a pontiff, Raphael might have disregarded the intervention. But realizing it was Eugene, he immediately restrained his fury. To Raphael, a devout crusader of Yuras, every word and intent of Eugene ¡ª the Hero ¡ª was as if spoken by the divine Light itself. ¡®Fucking whore,¡¯ Eugene thought with a frown as he red at Noir. He hadst encountered her in the Solgalta Sea region just a few weeks prior. He hadn''t expected her to show her face here, let alone in her true form. ''Is she that confident?'' Eugene wondered. If he used all the resources avable here, could he kill Noir? Taking her down outside her realm might be easier than killing her after breaching her domain. Yet, confronting Noir here would be far from easy. Even if they attacked her right now, there might be less than ten survivors even if they won. "Tsk." Eugene clicked his tongue as he red at the demon standing behind Noir. Ten survivors? No, all of them would be annihted if they attacked right now. If Noir had used a warp-gate, there would have been advance notice of their arrival. ''And here I was wondering if she had flown all the way here from Helmuth,¡¯ Eugene thought in irritation. It had been the same during the Knight March. The ck Mist had appeared in Lehainjar without using a warp-gate. It was all thanks to the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman. His Demoneye of Eternal Glory granted him the authority to wield the powers of the Demon King of Incarceration. As such, it allowed him to teleport, just like the Demon King of Incarceration could. "Duke Giabe," Gavid began, lips curling, "Did I not warn you? I told you that breaking in uninvited would earn you hostilities. That is why I said we should enter properly, with respect." Though he was admonishing Noir, his gaze was fixed on Eugene. Those ink-splotched eyes stared intently at him. "Perhaps you don''t really understand, Duke Lindman. Showing such a yful, folksy appearance is better to put everyone at ease," Noir said with a giggle while flipping her hair back. She exaggeratedly swayed her body, drawing attention to her ample bosom. She continued, "Everyone can clearly see that unlike you, with your grim expression, I appear as someone here to enjoy the beautiful sea, the grand festivities, and sweet encounters. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Gavid did not deign to respond to her nonsense. His shadowed eyes remained fixed on Eugene, who countered the intense gaze without flinching. "What are you staring at?" Moreover, Eugene didn¡¯t stop at just staring. He snapped, his voice dripping with disdain. Gavid didn¡¯t respond but restrained his simmering anger. Just as Noir hadn''te for bloodshed, neither had Gavid. He took a step back while containing his fury, although his frustration was evident. "Firstly, I apologize¡­," he began, his words directed not at Eugene but at the ¡®humans¡¯ still holding their formation. Their tension was palpable, as if they stood on the brink of an explosive conflict. "For arriving unannounced, for opening the castle gates without permission, for disrupting the festival¡ª" But Gavid couldn¡¯t finish his sentence because of a rude interruption. "At least you know it," Eugene interjected. Gavid''s eyes narrowed before saying, "¡­I understand¡­ your concerns. I also know that you all are not here merely for ''celebrations.''" "If you understand, then say it¡­," Eugene said bluntly. Gavid took a deep breath as he clenched his fists while ring at Eugene. Part of him wished to smash the insolent human''s face into the ground, but he couldn''t. Doing so would go against the wishes of the Demon King of Incarceration. And thus, Gavid was forbidden to touch that human. Unfortunately for Gavid, Eugene was well aware of this fact as well. Just a few weeks prior, he had met with the Demon King of Incarceration deep in the ocean''s abyss. Their exchange provided Eugene with clear answers. As long as Eugene didn''t turn towards Babel, there would be no war between them. ¡®Of all demons, it¡¯s you. Bastard, you¡¯ll never go against the Demon King¡¯s wishes and harm me,¡¯ Eugene thought with a mental smirk. And so, Eugene could continue to irritate Gavid with confidence. "Are you not going to speak?" Eugene taunted. "What''s giving you such confidence¡­?" Gavid seethed. "I trust your Demon King," Eugene responded smugly. This jab broke Gavid''s restraint, causing him to clench his teeth so hard they shattered. He trembled with rage while staring at Eugene, then turned away, not wanting to engage further. Running a hand over his regenerating jaw, Gavid finally spoke, "¡­I have a message from the Demon King of Incarceration." Gavid directed his gaze at two other figures: the Emperor of Kiel and the Pope of Yuras, the two most influential humans on the continent, barring Helmuth. "His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, wishes that you don''t associate the antics of the Demon King of Fury with Helmuth," Gavid dered, causing a ripple of shock among the listeners. However, he ignored the murmurs as he continued, "However, he won''t deny the connection between the Dark Elf Iris'' actions and her origins in Helmuth. Although she was defeated and banished during the domain war, she is a demon, and her roots in Helmuth are undeniable. Therefore, His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, feels a measure of responsibility." Eugene frowned, trying to decipher Gavid''s game. What was the intention behind these words? What was he trying? ¡°As such¡­ Helmuth will take responsibility and provide ethicalpensation,¡± continued Gavid. "Compensation, you say? Are you perhaps talking about mary reparation?" asked the emperor after clearing his throat. Gavid chuckled softly before responding, "Mary reparations? Not that." "Then what exactly...?" Emperor Straut II asked. "As I said," Gavid''s voice took on an edge, "an ethicalpensation. To speak honestly, I don''t find this entirely justified. Iris was banished from Helmuth before bing the Demon King. Was it not this kingdom that neglected her rise to power?" He shot a disdainful look at King Oseris, his eyes gleaming with mockery. "But¡­," Gavid continued with a smirk, "unlike me, His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, is truly merciful. Listen closely, King Oseris." Oseris visibly shrank under Gavid''s gaze, his body shaking slightly. Enjoying the king''s difort, Gavid went on, "His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, decreed that any human who was harmed, directly or indirectly, by Iris and her pirates can migrate to Helmuth without any formalities. They can be residents without paying a single coin." Oseris became wide-eyed at Gavid¡¯s words. Gavid continued, ¡°Of course, just because they did not pay the immigration fee doesn¡¯t mean they will be discriminated against. Helmuth will never discriminate against or prosecute the immigrants.¡± ¡°Wh-what are you possibly¡­ talking about?¡± stammered King Oseris. ¡°Ah¡­ King Oseris, what am I talking about? Are you really asking me because you don¡¯t know? You turned a blind eye to Iris and the pirates, and as a result, a lot of people were harmed and suffered. His Majesty is willing to embrace all those who suffered in ce of the useless royal family and this nation.¡± Oseris¡¯ face turned red with embarrassment, and the monarchs around him also took on stiff expressions. Helmuth''s immigration welfare system was renowned throughout the continent. Numerous individuals eagerly awaited their turn to migrate. And now, even if only for the victims, the offer to relocate without any procedure was astounding! "This," Gavid paused, emphasizing each word, "is thepensation promised by His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration." From Gavid''s side, Noir stepped forward while swaying her tail seductively. "I, too, have thought of a rpense. After all, if you think about it, the events transpired because I defeated Iris in the territorial war. Had I in her instead of banishing her, she wouldn''t have be a pirate or a Demon King." Eugene didn''t care for whatever crap she was spouting. Yet, he refrained from interrupting. Instead, he waited for Noir''s next choice of bullshit. "Mypensation," Noir chirped brightly, "is a free pass to Giabe Park! And special coins!" With a flourish, she raised her arms, and with a dramatic "ta-da!" sound, red coins rained down from the space above her head. "With these special coins, most facilities in Giabe Park can be essed for free, without any waiting in line! There are many other special privileges as well," she eximed, her eyes gleaming with mischief. As the coin rain ceased, with a flick of her fingers, the scattered coins on the ground assembled into a neat tower. "Any tourist hailing from Shimuin can get these special coins at Giabe Park. Now, then, you must be wondering what these coins here are for?¡± With a yful wink directed at the stupefied knights, she added, "These tokens are for you, noble souls who ventured across the seas, to honor and guard our Hero, Eugene Lionheart! Now, now, now! Don¡¯t be shy! Do take them. With but a single coin, a lifetime of unparalleled experiences awaits at Giabe Park, where every longing of yours can be realized!" "You came all this way for this nonsense?" Eugene snapped, cutting her off and leveling a fierce re at Noir. Every hair on her stood on end as she felt a chilling shiver pierce her. Those eyes! ''Ah, those piercing eyes!'' she thought. Their intensity was felt much better in person. Undeterred, she met his gaze with a bright smile. "While Gavid and I are indeed here to providepensation, we do have a more pressing matter at hand."bender "What matter?" Eugene inquired, keeping his gaze fixed on Noir and Gavid. He kept his senses alert to the movements around him. Moreover, Sienna and Kristina were preparing for any potential conflict, ensuring they were ready to respond at a moment''s notice. [He didn''t bring any backup this time,] Sienna stated after observing beyond the castle gates. Unlike the Knight March, Gavid hadn''t summoned the ck Mist. Yet, he was capable of calling them forth anytime with the power of his demoneye. Kristina and Anise were aware of this and readied a divine barrier. Still, they also knew its limitations. No matter how potent the divine barrier, it wouldn''t stop Gavid if he decided to use the power of his demoneye. The might of the Demon King could nullify even the divine powers of the Saint. But if Gavid were to summon the ck Mist, they''d retaliate immediately using the barrier. "Our true reason foring here¡­." Noir trailed off, pausing before she began to sing in a melodic tone, "Congrattions~ Congrattions~¡± Her voice echoed through the silent hall, singing praises of Eugene''s victory over the Demon King. ¡°Congrattions on your triumph over the Demon King, dear Eugene Lionheart~" Gavid remainedpletely still throughout her performance. His gaze was fixated on Noir with an unblinking stare. At that moment, Eugene felt a rare bond with Gavid, for he, too, was gazing at Noir, equally nonplussed. "Apuse!" Oblivious to their shared disbelief, Noir pped with bright enthusiasm. "Make a wish now!" She presented a giant cake to Eugene. It had appeared in her hands before anyone noticed, and a thick candle was burning at its center. "Think of your heart''s desire and blow out the me, Eugene! But know that you have to do it in one breath or else¡ª" Eugene''s patience had worn thin. He wasn¡¯t about to let her continue. Bam! With a swift kick, he sent the cake flying right into Noir''s face. Chapter 394 – Triumph (8) Chapter 394 ¨C Triumph (8) Such a direct hit with a cake could have only been staged in a rehearsededy, yet even then, it wouldn''t havended as perfectly as this did. But if it were aedy, one might have expected the ambiance to be filled withughter and apuse. However, the room was nowpletely silent. It was difficult to even hear the cautious breaths of those anticipating Noir¡¯s retaliation. Yet they only thought so because they knew little of Noir¡­. On the other hand, Eugene was begrudgingly familiar with Noir. He knew her nature and believed she wouldn''t erupt in rage over such a slight. This very thought irked him even more. Noir Giabe, the damned night demon, had always been this way. Since three hundred years ago, she had invaded his dreams and caused endless torment. No matter how much Hamel cursed or threatened her, she had only ever responded with a carefreeugh. Throughout all their interactions, Eugene had never witnessed genuine anger from Noir Giabe. ¡°Ehem¡­,¡± Noir cleared her throat. As the cake she had prepared slid off her face, she gracefully caught the fallen remnants with her hands. Her face was a mess. It was utterly smothered with cream, and her hair was clinging together due to the frosting. Deftly, her lips parted, and her tongue emerged. Then she licked the cream off her lips with her pink tongue. But she didn''t stop there. She stretched out her long finger and slowly wiped off the cream smeared on her cheek before savoring it as if it were the finest candy. Eugene''s face twisted at her audacious disy of sex appeal. However, she spoke before he could interject, "You know, there''s a variety of cakes out there." He merely red at her in response, waiting for her to continue. She giggled, "It might surprise you, but I''m not too fond of overly sweet desserts. However, if I were to pick a favorite cake, it would be this one. A ssic strawberry shortcake. Layers of soft cake interspersed with strawberries and cream, and a fluffyyer of cream on top." What was her point? Eugene continued to re at her without verbalizing his thoughts. Noir continued to giggle. Carrying on with her disy, Noir gleefully picked a bright red strawberry from the cake and bit into it. Her eyes twinkled mischievously as she slowly savored the fruit. "Eugene. Had I known your cake preference, I would have tailored it to your taste. Hmm, maybe it¡¯s still not toote. Eugene, tell me, which cake do you favor?" she asked. "Shut up," Eugene retorted. "Do you not like any?" Noir teased, then continued, "My goodness! We are so alike! Like you, I''m not a fan of cakes either." Herughter rang out as she flippantly tossed the cake behind her. The cake magically disappeared mid-air, ensuring no unfortunate soul would be caught in its messy trajectory. Likewise, every trace of cream vanished from her face, leaving it pristine once again. "As I thought, we do seem to pair well, don''t we? What do you think?" Noir''s voice oozed mischief. Eugene stayed silent, his patience wearing thin. Noir continued, her eyes dancing with amusement, "Well, with the kind of rtionship we share¡­ there¡¯s no need for many words. We can discern each other¡¯s thoughts with only a single nce. To prove it, I know what you are thinking right now, Eugene. Do you want me to guess?¡± "No, don¡¯t," he responded tersely. "You don¡¯t want me to¡­? Do you wish to keep our shared secrets between us?" Noir cooed. A surge of fury rose within Eugene, and his shoulders trembled. He wanted to kill her. He wanted nothing more than to silence her permanently. Yet the knowledge that acting upon such desires was impossible only fueled his anger further. The ever-observant Noir saw his frustration andughed heartily after cing her hands on her waist. "I¡¯m disappointed that I couldn¡¯t give you that cake or have you blow out the candle. Still, it doesn¡¯t really matter. After all, I got to enjoy the cream meant for you,¡± said Noir. "Why do you always talk like that¡­?¡± Eugene gritted out. "Well, what do you mean, why? It''s fun, especially when you react to every single thing I say," Noir replied, her tail swishing yfully behind her. Gavid watched their interaction not far from her. The emotions surging through him weren¡¯t very different from Eugene¡¯s. "¡­Duke Giabe," he began with a measured tone, "we''re here as emissaries of Helmuth. Please, do not tarnish the name of Helmuth with these trivial and unbing conversations." "What does it matter?" Noir retorted, "There''s no need for such stiff formality now." She leaned towards Eugene and whispered with a smirk, "Truly, Eugene, this isn''t mere jest. We''re here not just topensate for the foolery of Iris¡­ of the Demon King of Fury but also to congratte you." What was she on about? Eugene shifted his gaze between Noir and Gavid with a crumpled expression. If this was some sort of jest, Gavid would have stepped forward to deny it. Yet Gavid remained silent, only grinding his teeth in frustration. "I¡¯m really telling the truth," Noir continued, her tone more solemn, "The Demon King of Incarceration wishes to convey his congrattions to you, Eugene Lionheart, for your heroic feat of vanquishing the newly risen Demon King." A murmur spread among the gathered guests at her words. All hade prepared for a potential showdown between the representatives of Helmuth and Incarceration. Instead, they were met with words of praise and honor. ¡®What''s the game here, you bastard?¡¯ Eugene cursed the Demon King of Incarceration internally. There was no reason for the Demon King of Incarceration to send emissaries to congratte him like this. But Eugene¡¯s train of thought changed gears, ¡®No, does that mean that there¡¯s something for him to gain by congratting me like this?¡¯ Like their encounter in front of Agaroth¡¯s statue, Eugene could not fathom the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s intentions. He remained silent while contemting, and Noir scanned thevishly decorated hall. She spoke, her voice dripping with delight, "Such a grandly adorned feast hall. We dide from a distant ce. It should be fine for us to also indulge ourselves a bit, right?¡± "Duke Giabe," Gavid interrupted her in a stern voice. He did not agree with Noir¡¯s words.bender "Our duties as envoys areplete. Lingering here would only breed difort among the guests. If I were to be a bit more extreme, I might even say that the feast isn¡¯t beginning because of our presence,¡± he stated dully. "Hmm, well," Noir mused, "Maybe, Duke Gavid, it¡¯s because you''re taking this all too seriously?" While locking eyes with him, she said, "I did mention before that one should dress ording to the asion.¡± A rush of thoughts flooded Gavid''s mind, and at least a dozen retorts to her nonsense emerged one after another. It was evident to everyone in the hall that almost all the men wore attire simr to Gavid''s formal wear. Only Noir Giabe dared to attend in swimwear. Melkith was wearing a revealing dress, but it did not evene close to the audacity of Noir¡¯s revealing bikini. So what was she saying? Appropriate attire? Gavid wished to retaliate against such nonsense immediately, but knowing that logical discourse would have no effect on this audacious woman, he held his tongue. In the first ce, debate with such a thoughtless woman was meaningless. No matter what he replied with, he would end up ensnared in her web of twisted logic. And he was loathe to reveal such vulnerability in front of the lowly humans. "¡­If you wish to indulge, do so at your leisure," Gavid said curtly while turning away from her. There was no hesitation in his actions. "Will you leave me here alone?" Noir''s voice held a note of mischief. He responded, "I''m still contemting if I can." "Hmm¡­. If you want to do so, then it¡¯s fine with me. After all, I can find my way back on my own. Well, no, why don¡¯t I linger and travel a bit more before returning? It has been quite some time since I''ve been so far from home." Gavid gave a long sigh in response. While it seemed unlikely that Noir, a workaholic, would leave Giabe City to gallivant on a whim, one couldn''t overlook the potential. He couldn''t simply abandon her, given how unpredictable she was. Who knew what she would get up to? After a pause, Gavid said, "We''ll return together. However, I have no desire to revel in the feast here." "Hmm, very well. You can wait for me outside. I¡¯lle find you after,¡± responded Noir. Noir didn''t protest his unwillingness to stay. In her eyes, it was far more convenient without Gavid''s presence. Before departing, Gavid''s eyes found Eugene. He thought for a fleeting moment, ¡®Such arrogance.¡¯ But he pushed that thought away. Regardless of his temperament, Eugene Lionheart had earned his stripes. He was a human strong enough to be arrogant. Even though it had been with external aid, he had defeated a Demon King. ¡®It wouldn¡¯t be inappropriate to call him the strongest in the continent,¡¯ Gavid observed. Many of the renowned knights attending the feast were reputed figures in their own right: Carmen Lionheart. Alchester Dragonic. Raphael Martinez. Not to mention the Beast King of Ruhr Kingdom and the head of the Lionheart family. These figures were always mentioned when discussing the strongest warriors of the continent. Yet, to Gavid, Eugene''s aura dwarfed them all. He felt Eugene was even more formidable than Vermouth, who had attempted to challenge the Demon Kings three hundred years ago. ¡®He¡¯s stronger than Vermouth during his prime at Babel''s ascent¡­,¡¯ Gavid concluded. The thought made Gavid chuckle silently. Stronger than Vermouth? That wasn¡¯t very threatening. After all, even Vermouth had failed to conquer Babel three centuries ago¡­. Gavid felt his mood improving as he raised his head. ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Sienna Merdein,¡± Gavid said. He found himself face-to-face with Sienna. Their eyes locked just before he passed through the castle gates. Sienna had been standing near the gates as if to guard them. She tilted her head slightly as her eyes filled with disdain. ¡°Don¡¯t exude such a menacing aura. I¡¯m not here to pick a fight,¡± said Gavid. "Your words ring with arrogance as if you¡¯re something. Quite hrious, considering you fled by yourself," retorted Sienna. ¡°You say the exact same things as Molon Ruhr,¡± Gavidmented. "Meaning even that fool could see how low you fell,¡± Sienna retorted with a smirk as she stepped aside. Although she had granted him passage, Gavid stared at Sienna before continuing on his way. "What are you staring at?" Sienna¡¯s voice held a touch of irritation. "¡­Three centuries have passed, yet your penchant for foul words remains. Shouldn¡¯t you mature after aging?¡± Gavid shot. "Why not save those words for that brazen whore over there?" Sienna retorted while gesturing over to Noir with a scoff. Gavid found himself at a loss for a response. He stormed past her and exited through the castle gates while trying to keep himselfposed and his anger contained. Boom. But even as the gates closed behind him, the feast did not resume. The aftermath of the sudden intrusion lingered, and Noir was still present in the hall. "Shall we begin with resuming some music? A lively tune might set the mood," Noir suggested while holding two champagne sses. Offering one to Eugene, she asked, "Care for a drink?" "What are you ying at?" Eugene rejected the ss with evident distaste. Noir simply shrugged while taking back the ss, "A token of gratitude for this realm and a toast to your aplishments." "I never asked for any of this, but what can I do? You came of your own ord and gave these things to me," Eugene spat. ¡°That¡¯s why it''s a surprise," Noir replied while taking a sip from her ss. "Isn''t your business here concluded? Surely, you''re not staying to genuinely enjoy the party?" Eugene inquired. "I''ve always craved to attend a party with you. I¡¯m asking just in case, but would you grant me a dance?" asked Noir. "Don''t spout such nonsense," Eugene spat. "I expected as much,¡± said Noir as she brought the champagne to her lips once more. [I wish to speak with you privately,] she projected directly into Eugene''s mind. [I have a story that might intrigue you,] she added. Her words caused a shift in Eugene¡¯s expression. He did not want to deal with Noir. But regardless of his distaste for her, he was curious about what she wanted to say. "I''ve no patience for roundabout conversations," Eugene dered. He had received assistance from Noir in the past. He had infiltrated the Dragon Demon Castle to find Raimira, and Noir had taken care of everything after he caused the Dragon Demon Castle to crash into the ground. Naturally, Eugene bore no gratitude towards Noir, not even a tad. Regardless of why she had chosen to help him, he felt only one thing towards her ¡ª an intent to kill. He had no reason to feel gratitude just because she had helped him. It would¡¯ve been different had she been human, but she was a demon. It might have been a different story if he were dealing with a demon he had absolutely no connection to, a demon who was born very recently. However, he could never make such an exception for Noir Giabe, no matter what. It was the same now. He didn¡¯t know exactly what her ¡°intriguing story¡± would entail, yet he knew there would be no harm in listening to it. He realized that what she had in store for him might prove helpful to him in the future. In other words, Noir Giabe would be helping him. Even so, Eugene would kill Noir. "Speaking here is hardly appropriate.¡­ Shall we find somewhere quiet? A bedroom, perhaps?" Noir teased as she sensed the animosity rolling off Eugene. Eugene had no intention of following her to such intimate quarters. Without uttering a word, he pointed to a towering spire within the pce. Noir let out a gleeful squeal when she saw him point. "A man and a woman climbing and sharing a private moment atop a tower? How romantic. Do we get to gaze at the stars together now?" Noir teased, her voice dripping with insinuation. Eugene still found no merit in responding to her words. He merely shot her a re before briefly looking around. He made note of the watchful eyes trained on them. Knowing that his family might be worried, Eugene gave a wave in their direction. "Sir Eugene,¡± said Kristina as she approached. Her face was a mask of concern. "It''s fine," he assured her before leaping into the air from where he stood. Although the tower soared high, a single bound took him to the terrace. He looked down and watched as a bat-winged figure ¡ª Noir ¡ª gracefully ascended towards him. Afternding softly on the balcony and taking a seat on the railing, she shed him a cheeky grin. "Everyone seems concerned. Do they think I''ll devour you here and now?" asked Noir. "Get to the point,¡± said Eugene. "Well, we¡¯ve ascended this high. Can''t we indulge in a touch of romance? Look at this view, Hamel, isn''t it magnificent?" queried Noir. Below them, the banquet hall shimmered brilliantly. The ss ceiling revealed a nket of stars, and further away, beyond the castle walls, the city''s lights twinkled beautifully. The sky was alive with fireworks, a testament to the ongoing festival. "I said, get to the point,¡± repeated Eugene. "It''s difficult to exin in words¡­.¡± Noir crooned while crossing her legs seductively. ¡°What about this? I won¡¯t exin it in words and show it to you instead. That should be better for you in any case.¡± "¡­You¡¯re going to show it to me?" questioned Eugene, his wordsced with suspicion. "We''ll dream it together," said Noir, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous light. Yet Eugene''s eyes sank coldly. Noting his growing fury, Noir added with a yful tone, "You already despise me deeply, and while I revel in your disdain... I won''t force you into anything you don¡¯t like, not now, at least." Eugene remained silent with weary eyes. "I promise, Hamel. I''ll share this dream with you, but I won''t pry into your deepest secrets,¡± assured Noir. That was the root of Eugene¡¯s, or Hamel''s, enmity towards Noir. Three centuries ago, Noir had peered into every facet of a man named Hamel Dynas. She had seen the memories of the past, fleeting or long-buried emotions, his animosity towards the demon race,plex feelings for allies, envy towards Vermouth, dread for the Demon King, and self-loathing. Noir had seen all, even feelings he hadn''t acknowledged or known himself. She had dug through every trench and dived into every pore of his identity. Noir had seen everything. "¡­What exactly do you wish to show me?" asked Eugene after a moment of silence. "Ravesta," Noir replied, her eyes sparkling with mischief. She leaned closer to Eugene, her lips curling into a sly smile. "I visited the realm not so long ago." The territory where the Demon King of Destruction had secluded himself. "I''ll only tell you this much. The rest... you''ll have to see in the dream,¡± said Noir. "I doubt there''s any need for me to see it,¡± replied Eugene. "No." Noir firmly shook her head. "Trust me, Hamel." Her voice dropped to a whisper, imbued with a weighty sincerity. "If you choose not to see it, I assure you, one day, you''ll regret it deeply." Chapter 395 – A Dream (1) Chapter 395 ¨C A Dream (1) Hearing Noir go so far as to give him such an ominous warning made Eugene more curious than annoyed. So, without any further thought, Eugene nodded in agreement. [Sir Eugene, isn¡¯t this way too dangerous?] [B-Benefactor, it is true that I am an amazing dragon, but I do not have the confidence if ites to facing the Queen of the Night Demons¡­.] From inside Eugene¡¯s cloak, Mer and Raimira piped up with worry in their voices. Initially, the two of them had been nning to have fun at the party like normal children, regardless of their actual ages, and enjoy the various delicacies arranged in the banquet hall, but now that was no longer possible. ¡®It¡¯s fine,¡¯ Eugene reassured them. The two of them had valid concerns. From now on, Noir would be using her Demoneye of Fantasy on Eugene, and Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to resist it if he wanted to see the ¡®dream¡¯ she had offered to show him. In other words, that meant Eugene was virtually cing his life in Noir¡¯s hands. While Eugene was trapped within the dream, it would be of utmost simplicity for Noir to molest Eugene however she liked. They didn¡¯t know how much resistance Eugene might be able to put on once caught in the dream, but if resistance was impossible, then¡­ if they weren¡¯t careful, Eugene might be lost in the dream forever, unable to return to reality. The dream might even be able to drive his mind to copse. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t all too worried about such a possibility. Although he was unhappy to admit such a feeling even to himself, Eugene trusted Noir. This crazy slut wouldn¡¯t want to conquer Eugene using this method. Although the current party might be luxuriously decorated, the aim of this banquet was to celebrate Eugene¡¯s achievement. It wasn¡¯t a banquet dedicated to Noir and Eugene alone. So in a ce like this, for Noir to use her silver tongue to cunningly tempt him into falling into one of her dreams¡­ all so that she could easily get her hands on him¡ª ¡®There¡¯s no way she would do that,¡¯ Eugene was sure of it. Noir Giabe would never do something like that. Noir Giabe would absolutely not use such a method on him. Eugene did not have a single doubt about this fact. [Why on earth would you believe that?] Mer asked, unable to understand the strange faith Eugene had in Noir. Even though she was someone that Eugene hated and truly wished to kill, how on earth could he trust her like that? Even as he listened to Mer gumbling inside his head, Eugene just shrugged his shoulders and sat in one of the chairs on the terrace. Noir felt a surge of heat rising inside her as she saw Eugene take a seat without even asking her any more questions. Pressing down firmly on her pounding chest, Noir sat down across from Eugene. She had also sensed Eugene¡¯s trust in her. Feeling a heady mix of sweetness and joy, Noir unconsciously let out a bright smile. Throughout the world, this sort of trust was something that only these two, Noir and Eugene, might be able to feel, and it also served as proof that they each saw each other as a unique and special existence. While indulging in such a fresh experience for the very first time in her life, Noir stared directly into Eugene¡¯s eyes. Right now, Noir was looking only at Eugene, and Eugene was also looking back at Noir¡­. She unconsciously let out a shallow sigh. Such an exchange of gazes would best be shared while lying together on the same bed instead of sitting in chairs like this. ¡°...Should we take this to a bed?¡± Noir proposed. ¡°Stop with the fucking bullshit and just get on with it already,¡± Eugene replied in a sharp tone. This was much the sort of reaction she had expected, and since she hadn¡¯t gotten her hopes up in the first ce, she wasn¡¯t hurt by what Eugene said. However, Noir still felt a bit of disappointment and regret, so she began to noticeably pout. Suddenly, Noir smiled seductively, ¡°If you give me a chance, I¡¯m confident I can make you go ¡®oh shiiiiit¡¯....[1]¡± Her response was beyond imagination. Eugene¡¯s jaw dropped down. Mer, who had been listening from inside his cloak, also had an identical jaw-dropping reaction. Only Raimira was left tilting her head in confusion, unable to understand Noir¡¯s reply. Eugene yelped, ¡°You crazy bitch, what the hell do you think you¡¯re saying¡ª?!¡± ¡°I¡¯m just being honest about my desires,¡± Noir insisted. Only to quickly change her attitude when Eugene was about to leave in disgust and beg him to stay, ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯m sorry, Hamel, it¡¯s my mistake. So please don¡¯t go anywhere and just sit down.¡± In the end, Eugene resumed sitting in front of Noir, his lips mped shut and a fiery light in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ll start now,¡± Noir informed him. Noir didn¡¯t continue her teasing and instead stared straight into his eyes with a rarely-seen serious expression on her face. Various colors appeared in her purple eyes and began to swirl. Noir didn¡¯t make Eugene close his eyes and fall asleep. There was no need for her to do so. The moment the Demoneye of Fantasy activated, Eugene couldn¡¯t resist its ability. At the very moment of activation, Eugene¡¯s consciousness was pulled out of reality and guided into the dream that Noir had created. ¡°Wee to my memory,¡± the sound of Noir¡¯s voice lingered in Eugene¡¯s ears as reality copsed around him.bender * * * In the three hundred years since the end of the war, Helmuth had developed at an unbelievably fast pace. For Noir, who had lived far longer than three hundred years, Helmuth¡¯s development left it strange and unfamiliar. This shining example of civilization was achieved solely by the Demon King of Incarceration. If the Demon King of Incarceration had only had the will to do so, Helmuth would have already reached its current level of civilization hundreds of years ago. Prior to the war, the Demon King of Incarceration had never sought to develop his territory despite having such ability. ¡®No, instead, he pretty much ignored it,¡¯ Noir thought to herself. As far as Noir could recall, the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t been initially all that active in political matters. The Demon King of Incarceration had ruled over his vassals with his overwhelming strength, just like the other Demon Kings, and had likewise reigned over his territory with an equally mindless brute force. All other minor affairs of rulership were handled by his Shield, Staff, and de[2], instead of the Demon King of Incarceration himself. However, following the war, the Demon King of Incarceration had changed. The very first thing he did was to dere Babel and the rest of his fief, the whole of Pandemonium, as the ¡®capital city¡¯ of Helmuth. He then proceeded to encourage the development of Helmuth¡¯s civilization through so many different methods that it was hard to imagine how he could havee up with all of them¡­. The current Helmuth possessed such a high level of civilization that no other country on the continent couldpare to it. While Aroth, which was known as the Kingdom of Magic, was still developing a means of transportation bybining magic with mechanical engineering, Helmuth had alreadymercialized its dark-powered vehicles by burying dark-power cables throughout the entire territory and building the ck towers that transmitted the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration throughout the country. On top of that, the Airfish, which granted the Demon King total surveince of Pandemonium, was a cutting-edge technology that couldn¡¯t be imitated by any other country. All of this could only function thanks to the existence of the Demon King of Incarceration. If the Demon King of Incarceration were to immediately stop the supply of dark power from Babel, all of Helmuth would literallye to a halt. In that sense, the Demon King of Incarceration was the sole and absolute ruler of Helmuth. However¡­. Even in Helmuth, there were ces out of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s reach. These were the ces where Helmuth¡¯s zing light of civilization refused to shine. At the very northern end of Helmuth¡¯s territory, across a silent, gray sea, there was a single ind that existed all on its own. The name of this ind was Ravesta. ¡®The Fief of Destruction,¡¯ Noir thought as she stared out over the gray sea. Unlike other seas, this sea wasn¡¯t a shade of blue. Ordinary creatures like fish weren¡¯t able to survive within this sea either. It was a sea of death where something like vitality simply didn¡¯t exist. Although the vast empire of Helmuth was ruled by the Demon King of Incarceration, this gray sea and its sole ind of Ravesta were territories governed by the Demon King of Destruction. Though¡­ could it really be described as governing? Noir almost let out augh. The ind was barbaric and primitive. While the demonfolk of Helmuth were able to enjoy the overwhelmingly superior conveniences provided by the Demon King of Incarceration, the demonfolk of Ravesta had remained frozen in time from three hundred years ago until now. ¡°It¡¯s a dump,¡± Noir muttered to herself as she gazed across the gray sea. Ravesta was virtually Helmuth¡¯s trash can. Where did all the countless demonic beasts that Helmuth had mobilized in its war against the continent go when the war ended three hundred years ago? Those demonic beasts who had no free will and could only carry out simplemands were worse than animals. Following the Oath of Peace, the Demon King of Incarceration had used those countless demonic beasts as a source of manualbor. But after they had served their uses, the demonic beasts that were no longer needed were all thrown out onto Ravesta. Even now, the hordes of demonic beasts from back then were still sleeping underground or beneath the sea surrounding Ravesta. ¡°It¡¯s not a ce I¡¯ve ever really wanted to visit,¡± Noirined. There were no passenger ships that went as far as Ravesta. The ind was even more closed off than the Dragon-Demon Fortress. Every single one of the demonfolk who had lived on Ravesta since three hundred years ago were vassals of Destruction, and they actively blocked all other demonfolk from even getting close to Ravesta. Noir was also well aware of this fact, but¡­ she didn¡¯t really care about it. So what if there weren¡¯t any ships heading there, or even any warp-gates? Letting out a snort, Noir spread her wings wide open. As she crossed the sea, a demonfolk appeared before her and greeted her, ¡°Duke Giabe.¡± He was neatly dressed with baster skin, a man so overflowing with bewitching seductiveness that it was easy to think that he might be an incubus. Recognizing him, Noir let out another snort and returned his greeting, ¡°It¡¯s been about three hundred years now, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Although Night Demons and Vampires were fundamentally different at their core, there wasn¡¯t much of a difference when it came to their regr behavior. A Night Demon could absorb their victim¡¯s life force through a dream or sexual intercourse, while a vampire would drink their prey¡¯s blood to absorb their life force. If it was someone weaker than they were, they would both take down their prey using force, but when hunting someone stronger, they would need to resort to various other means, including seducing their opponents. Just because they were simr didn¡¯t mean there was anyradery between them. When prey ovepped, the existence of apeting species of predator would only be a hindrance. As such, Noir used to hate vampires a long time ago. However, at some point, she had stopped disliking them so much. Even three hundred years ago, there had already existed a gap between her and the declining vampire race, and now, even after examining the entire history of the vampire race, there was no one who would be able to surpass the current Noir. Therefore, Noir was able to greet the man with a bright smile. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± the man bowed his head towards her with a bitter smile. His name was Alphiero Lasat. During the era of war, he had been the leader of arge n of vampires. Sein, who had led a n of simr size to Alphiero¡¯s, had been adopted as the son of the Demon King of Fury and further expanded his n¡¯s numbers, but that huge n had perished along with the Demon King of Fury¡¯s death. Alphiero, who up until that point had yet to submit himself to a Demon King, subordinated himself to the Demon King of Destruction to secure his n¡¯s survival during the war. However, once the war had ended in vain, Alphiero and his vampire n, along with the other demonfolk who had submitted themselves to the Demon King of Destruction, had followed the Demon King that they had sworn their loyalty to into seclusion on this remote Ravesta ind. ¡°Since such a long time has passed, I thought that you might have died,¡± Noir confessed rudely. Alphieroughed, ¡°Haha¡­. For people like us, three hundred years isn¡¯t long enough to exhaust our lifespan.¡± ¡°As far as I was aware, Ravesta shouldn¡¯t have any humans,¡± Noir pointed out as she stared at Alphiero with bright eyes. ¡°Can a vampire really live for three hundred years without drinking a single drop of blood? Hm, if it¡¯s a vampire of about your level, then it might be possible, but¡­ it should be impossible for the vampires serving under you, no?¡± ¡°Their numbers have decreased quite considerably,¡± Alphiero admitted. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯ve even engaged in cannibalism?¡± Noir asked with a mischievous smile. She felt that it was both amusing and disgusting to imagine a vampire sinking its fangs into another vampire¡¯s neck and drinking their blood. ¡°Not at all,¡± Alphiero disagreed with a shake of his head. ¡°Aftering to Ravesta, the vampires of our n have stopped drinking blood. Our lord has bestowed upon us something even denser and richer, and therefore much sweeter, than the lifeforceden blood of a human.¡± Within the curve of his brightly smiling eyes, an ominous and disturbing dark power began to writhe. Noir just giggled and crossed her arms, ¡°It seems that your Demon King does have some affection for his vassals?¡± Alphiero rified, ¡°It is not affection. He is merely bestowing his grace upon us because we requested it.¡± ¡°Then why are your numbers decreasing?¡± Noir narrowed her eyes. ¡°Could it be that they escaped because they couldn¡¯t bear the stifling life of seclusion?¡± ¡°Haha¡­. Where would you ever find a n that would let any of their members go just because they wanted to leave? Those n members who wanted to leave all died and became sacrifices to our lord. In fact, most of our losses aren¡¯t from those sacrifices but from those who died because they weren¡¯t able to bear the strain,¡± Alphiero replied with a wry smile. Unable to bear the strain¡­. Noir didn¡¯t feel the need to ask any more questions regarding his im. It was clear that Alphiero was referring to the vampires whocked the qualifications needed to absorb the dark power of the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°But I¡¯m sure that you didn¡¯te here just to ask about me and my n,¡± Alphiero changed the subject, a calm smile still on his face. However, the unpleasant and disturbing flow of dark power leaking out of him gradually grew stronger. ¡°Duke Giabe, as you should already be aware¡­. Ravesta is a special location, even for Helmuth. It wouldn¡¯t be inurate to call it an independent territory. Ravesta is not governed by Helmuth, and Helmuth¡¯sws do not apply here,¡± Alphiero reminded her. ¡°Mhm, I¡¯m also well aware of that,¡± Noir responded with a grin. Without losing the smile in his eyes, Alphiero continued speaking, ¡°The reason that I havee here is not to wee Duke Giabe to our ind. My purpose for meeting you like this is to request that you make your return. Even if it is you, Duke Giabe¡ª¡± Booooom! Alphiero wasn¡¯t able to finish his sentence. His smiling eyes snapped wide open as they nced towards his side. Something like a ck whirlwind had shot out and stopped right next to Alphiero¡¯s ear. ¡°Thew of Helmuth that you¡¯re talking about is thew of the empire, right?¡± Noir asked him cheerfully. Alphiero kept silent. Noir continued to inform him, ¡°I happen to be a demonfolk who can live quite happily without anyws. Instead, I actually happen to do much, much better without anyws at all. Do you know what that means? It means I¡¯ve never once relied on thew to protect me.¡± This was true. Noir had never once benefited in any way from Helmuth¡¯sws. Those damnedws were actually far too harsh and bothersome for Noir. So much so that if she thought of all the fines she had been forced to pay up until now, she sometimes wished they could go back to three hundred years ago when all those fines didn¡¯t exist. ¡°So if Helmuth¡¯sws do not apply in Ravesta, then as far as I can recall¡­ as demonfolk, if there are nows, everything is resolved through force, correct? In that case, Alphiero¡­ are you actually nning to make me return by force?¡± Noir¡¯s smiling eyes slowly began to part, ¡°How exactly do you n to do that?¡± Instead of replying, Alphiero just stared at Noir. After a few moments of silence, Alphiero let out a deep sigh and moved his body to the side slightly. ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I said it that way,¡± Alphieroined. ¡°I came out here to request that you make your return.¡± ¡°If that''s all you wanted to do, then why attempt to pressure me by slowly increasing your flow of dark power? And all those words that you attached to the start of your request were also quite provocative.¡± Noir mimicked Alphiero, ¡°¡®Even if it is you, Duke Giabe,¡¯ what exactly were you nning to say next?¡± ¡°...The demonfolk of Ravesta won¡¯t wee your visit either, Duke Giabe,¡± Alphiero warned her. ¡°Perhaps all of them might even decide to attack you¡ª¡± Noir interrupted him once more, ¡°Ahahaha, are you really worried about me? However, your worry is pointless.¡± ¡°So you truly have no intention of turning back?¡± Alphiero asked, resigned. ¡°Mhm, not one bit,¡± Noir confirmed. ¡°...Just what on earth is it that brings you to Ravesta?¡± Alphiero asked with an expression ofplete iprehension. Noir tilted her head to the side and waved her fingers at Ravesta, ¡°That ind, I can tell how bleak it must be just by looking at it, so don¡¯t you think it needs a little entertainment.¡± Alphiero wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. ¡°I¡¯m talking about something fun, something exciting. How about I build you a few entertainment facilities for free?¡± Noir proposed. Alphiero immediately rejected her, ¡°There¡¯s no need for that.¡± ¡°That isn¡¯t something you can decide, Alphiero,¡± Noir corrected him, her eyes lit up with a sparkling light. ¡°I am Noir Giabe. There aren¡¯t many beings in this world who can make me change my mind. So what right do you, who isn¡¯t even a Demon King, have to oppose my will?¡± Alphiero made one final attempt to ward her off, ¡°...Aren¡¯t you afraid of the Demon King of Destruction, Duke Giabe?¡± ¡°If the Demon King of Destruction feels that my current behavior is rude, I will surely allow myself to be held ountable. That is if he really does want to scold me,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she flew past Alphiero. Alphiero let out another sigh and turned his head. ¡°What is the real reason that you wish to enter Ravesta? Please don¡¯t repeat the same joke you told me just now.¡± ¡°My real reason, hm¡­,¡± Noir paused. ¡°It¡¯s nothing too amazing. I just wanted toe here and take a look around, so that¡¯s why I¡¯m here. Isn¡¯t that all the reason I need?¡± She was actually here for the things that she hadn¡¯t been able to hear from the Demon King of Incarceration. The things that he had refused to talk about even when she had asked him, like why the Moonlight Sword had gone out of control. And the disturbing and ominous dark power of destruction that it had unleashed. The Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t asked Noir to give up her freedom to pursue this matter. Noir also hadn¡¯t offered that freedom to the Demon King of Incarceration. That was why Noir was currently free to do this. She hadn¡¯t been able to get the answers she wanted from her interview with the Demon King of Incarceration. Since she still had a few vague doubts about this matter, Noir felt she should take the chance to make her own move to seek the answers she wanted. ¡°Because I have the freedom to do so,¡± Noir muttered to herself with a smile. 1. This was a difficult line to trante. In the original Korean text, Eugene says, ¡®Stop with that f-ing noise.¡¯ So Noir replies with a pun that literally trantes into, ¡®I don¡¯t know about that f-ing noise, but I¡¯m confident I can make a sucking noise,¡¯ referring to the sound of a blowjob. This was my attempt to trante their dialogue into something that fit the situation. ? 2. These were the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s foremost servants during the war. The Shield, an unnamed demonfolk, and the Staff, Belial the Lich, both perished during the war, leaving only the de, Gavid Lindman. ? Chapter 396 – A Dream (2) Chapter 396 ¨C A Dream (2) Any demonfolk possessing the needed intelligence to have some level of rational thought must have, at some point, had their suspicions about the Demon King of Destruction. There were so few actual known facts about the Demon King of Destruction that there were even a few conspiracy theories that spected whether the Demon King of Destruction actually existed. It was during the era of war, three hundred years ago, that the Demon King of Destruction left the strongest impression of his existence on recorded history. Until then, all of the Demon Kings and demonfolk had collectively remained within Helmuth, which gave the country its title as the Devildom. But they didn¡¯t all necessarily stay there. This was because there were a few species among the demonfolk who had no choice but to remain involved with the humans, such as the Night Demons and the Vampires. In fact, even before the dawn of the war era, it wasn¡¯t rare for such demonfolk to attack humans. However, it was only three hundred years ago that the demonfolk truly dered war on the humans and the entire continent. The Demon King of Incarceration ruled thergest territory within Helmuth and, therefore, usually resided deep within Helmuth. But that Demon King, who had lived a quiet existence until then, suddenly destroyed one of the small countries located near the Devildom within a single night. No one knew why he had done so, and the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t shown any warning signs before taking action. It was just that, within the space of a single night, as the sun rose, the world discovered that a country had been destroyed. That was how the war between the Devildom and the continent had started, with a sudden invasion by the Demon King of Incarceration. And as if they had been waiting for this opportunity, the three lower-ranking Demon Kings immediately mustered their Demon Armies and invaded the continent. Horrified, the nations of the continent raced to prepare a response. Until that point, the Demon King of Destruction had still kept his silence. No one knew whether this was simply because of his dignity as the highest-ranking Great Demon King or if it was merely indifference¡­ but the Demon King of Destruction didn¡¯t bother raising an army of his own. The vassals who served the Demon King of Destruction also remained where they were instead of invading the continent with the other demonfolk. The silent Demon King of Destruction only began to move when the entirety of the continent¡¯s dragon poption flew into the skies above Helmuth. The Demon King of Incarceration was the first to meet those dragons, but shortly afterward, the Demon King of Destruction also appeared. ¡®It made you wonder if ¡®that thing¡¯ could truly be a Demon King,¡¯ Noir Giabe recalled. Noir had personally witnessed the battlefield where the dragons had died in droves, disying none of their usual draconic dignity. At that time, Noir had been much weaker than she was now, and she longed for the strength the Demon Kings had shown. When she had first heard that all of the dragons on the continent had gathered together toe and attack Helmuth, Noir had made her way to the battlefield on the off chance that she might be able to hunt down a few of the dragons and harvest their hearts. Harboring such hopes, she had headed out towards the front lines, but¡­ she wasn¡¯t even able to get close. The Demon King of Incarceration had already arrived on the front lines of the battlefield, all on his own, and turned all of the other demonfolk, who had shown up to the battle while harboring the same greedy hopes as Noir, into bystanders. It could only be described as a massacre, a truly one-sided massacre. Hundreds of dragonsunched their breath attacks, chanted draconic incantations, and devastated both the heavens and the earth, but in front of the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration, all of their desperate resistance still left them as helpless as children trying to stave off an adult. As hundreds and thousands of rays of light shed within a single instant, dragons fell to the ground in their dozens, spilling their blood everywhere, only to soon be torn to pieces or crushed by the Demon King¡¯s chains. When about half of the dragons had been killed, the Demon King of Incarceration suddenly withdrew. Because Destruction had arrived on the battlefield. Noir couldn¡¯t remember all that much of what she had seen back then¡­. Even though the sights and the emotions that she had felt at that moment were so intense it seemed like she would never forget them, she couldn¡¯t remember much because she wasn¡¯t able toprehend much of what she had seen. A riot of all sorts of colors, scattering apart beforeing back together again, mixing and swirling together, before dividing back up into their separate colors once more; her entire field of view was swamped by these colors before they receded away like the tide. All that was left was a lingering, disgusting sensation as if her brain itself had been tainted through the medium of her sight. There was also an ominous foreboding that if she were to try and understand what she had just seen, her mind might be eaten away by it until it began to crumble. ¡®That was something else,¡¯ Noir thought with a shudder. Noir had been alive for a very long time. Including the three Demon Kings who were now dead and fully erased from this world, she had met every one of the Demon Kings whose existence had been recorded in history. But among them, the Demon King of Destruction was a unique existence. Was that thing really a Demon King? If it wasn¡¯t a Demon King, then just what type of existence was it? Why was something like that beingbeled as a ¡®Demon King¡¯? ¡°What has prompted you to take action now?¡± Alphiero asked, no longer attempting to hold back Noir. Instead, perhaps out of a desire to follow and monitor her, he was now flying a short distance behind Noir. ¡°For the past three hundred years, you have never shown any interest in Ravesta, Duke Giabe.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there wasn¡¯t any need for it until now,¡± Noir answered. This was a fairly serious response on her part. While the Oath between the Demon King of Incarceration and the continent was intact and in full force, Noir had chosen to take advantage of the peace to cultivate her own strength. During this era of peace, there was no need for her to find out more about this terrifying and ominous Demon King of Destruction. And even during the era of war, the Demon King of Destruction had merely wandered about, seemingly without any direct purpose. During this peaceful era established by the Oath made between the Demon King of Incarceration and Vermouth, the Demon King of Destruction had hidden away in Ravesta, literally doing nothing at all.bender However, the end of the Oath was approaching quickly. This wasn¡¯t simply a guess on Noir¡¯s part. After all, hadn¡¯t the Demon King of Incarceration himself personally spoken out about the Oathing to an end? The terms of that Oath should also have something to do with the Demon King of Destruction, and the end of the Oath meant an end to this current peace. Would the Demon King of Destruction remain as silent as he was now once the world underwent such a change? ¡®There¡¯s no way that would be the case,¡¯ Noir felt. But to put things in another way, until the Oath ended, the Demon King of Destruction wouldn¡¯t be making any movements. Even if Noir were to force her way into Ravesta and wander around, the Demon King of Destruction shouldn¡¯t act to restrict Noir from doing so. In that case ¡ª wasn¡¯t this the perfect time to seek the answers she hadn¡¯t been able to wring out of the Demon King of Incarceration? Noir thought of that ominous Moonlight Sword and of Eugene ¡ª who was somehow mixed up with that Moonlight Sword and the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°Have you heard about Jagon¡¯s death?¡± Noir suddenly inquired. The demonfolk of Ravesta were highly istionist. From what Noir had heard, there didn¡¯t seem to be a rule that actually prevented them from leaving Ravesta. Still, the vast majority of the demonfolk here, including Alphiero, who was currently following her, had never left Ravesta during these past three hundred years. However, even among their number, there were still a few demonfolk who had escaped Ravesta, and of those, there were one or two who had also made quite a name for themselves. There was Jagon, who had turned his fangs against his own father, Oberon, and formed his own gang of beastfolk. Then there was also¡­ one Amelia Merwin. ¡®Though if you think about it, she¡¯s not actually a demonfolk,¡¯ Noir thought with a snort as she turned back to look at Alphiero. She had been hoping to see at least a slight reaction from him, but Alpheiro¡¯s face showed nothing but calmness. ¡°Yes, I have heard about it,¡± Alphiero confirmed. ¡°They say that he died while felling the Dragon-Demon Castle.¡± Noir nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s quite an unfortunate death, isn¡¯t it? After all, I considered Jagon to be the best among the younger generation of demonfolk.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Alphiero agreed. ¡°Setting aside his character, Jagon¡¯s strength and youthful potential were exceptional. If only he had just been a bit more rational and patient, at least he wouldn¡¯t have had to die in that battle at the Dragon-Demon Castle.¡± Although his expression was as calm as ever, Alphiero¡¯s sympathy felt sincere. ¡®But ¡®more patient,¡¯ he says¡­ what could more patience have potentially brought Jagon?¡¯ Noir thought to herself with a smile as she turned around. Could Alphiero still be waiting for the awakening of his master, who had been silent for the past hundreds of years? ¡°Isn¡¯t living such a life of seclusion boring, Alphiero? Even now, if it¡¯s a demonfolk at your level, you¡¯re guaranteed to be able to im a high position within Pandemonium. Or perhaps¡­ how about it? Would you rathere to work in my city?¡± Noir invited him. ¡°Are you talking about your new Giabe City?¡± Alphiero asked. Noirughed triumphantly, ¡°Ahaha, it seems the rumors have even reached Ravesta? That¡¯s right, I¡¯m talking about my Giabe City. It¡¯s actually been a lot more sessful than I had expected it would be, and because of that, we¡¯re short on manpower in many areas. It¡¯s not just you, Alphiero. I can ept your whole n as well.¡± Alphiero shook his head and said, ¡°I am thankful for the offer, but I must decline.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Noir pouted. ¡°As expected, is it because of your loyalty to the Demon King of Destruction? If so, it¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to worry about that. If the Demon King of Destruction ever calls for you, you¡¯ll be permitted to leave my side immediately.¡± Noir wasn¡¯t actually so short of manpower that she needed to extend a hand to outsiders. To a certain extent, her question was only meant to probe Alphiero¡¯s reaction. Though if Alphiero were willing to ept her offer, Noir felt she could just have him clean the bathrooms in Giabe City. ¡°His Highness, the Demon King of Destruction, has no need to rely on me or my n,¡± Alphiero said, shaking his head in resignation with a wry smile. ¡°Regardless of his will orck thereof, we aremitted to serving him here in Ravesta.¡± Should she try to use her Demoneye of Fantasy on him? Noir was tempted to dig deeper into his dreams and consciousness so that she could try to open a hole to peek into Alphiero¡¯s heart. But no, there were several risks with taking such a course of action. That ominous and alien dark power of the Demon King of Destruction within Alphiero might just retaliate by causing any intruder¡¯s consciousness to copse. As someone who specialized in invading the minds of others, this made it quite an unpleasant opponent for Noir. So Noir didn¡¯t want to take the risk of endangering her own consciousness just to take a look into Alphiero¡¯s dreams. Noir noticed something, ¡®This¡­ isn¡¯t just at the level of showing loyalty to his Demon King. It¡¯s like he¡¯s a fanatic.¡¯ Until now, Noir had developed quite a nasty hobby of corrupting and destroying the faith of many devout religious figures. When Alphiero spoke of the Demon King of Destruction, in some ways, he seemed to resemble those fanatics. ¡®Though indeed, that thing¡­ it does seem closer to a god than a Demon King,¡¯ Noir admitted to herself. Considering the existence of divine power and miracles, it seemed that gods did exist, but¡­ even after having lived for so long, Noir had never once seen a god in person. So, in the same sense of being an existence beyond any mortalprehension, there didn¡¯t seem to be much of a difference between the Demon King of Destruction and a god. If that was the case, didn¡¯t it only make sense that others would worship and devote themselves to it? Noir herself wasn¡¯t unfamiliar with being worshiped and treated as an object of faith by the unwashed masses. Right at this moment, Giabe City and Dreamea were full of naked monkeys who worshiped Noir like a god. ¡°It seems that there really is nothing here?¡± Noir muttered doubtfully while looking around at an empty beach and the scenery thaty beyond it. Upon arriving at Ravesta, she discovered that there truly was nothing to see here. It was a barren wilderness without even a single de of grass, let alone any trees. Even on the beach, there didn¡¯t seem to be any waves. The only things wandering around on this destend were gray clouds of dust that looked like the ashes left after something had been burned. ¡°Should I just head in on my own? Or else, would you like to open it up for me?¡± Noir asked with a snort as she pointed a finger at the seemingly empty wilderness. At this rude demand, Alphiero stepped forward with a wry smile. Fwoosh! The dust-filled wilderness split open as a ck hole appeared in the ground. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re all a bunch of moles,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she folded her wings. Then, without waiting for Alphiero¡¯s response, she jumped into the hole. ¡®Or would it be better to call them fundamentalists?¡¯ Noir considered idly. This reminded her of a very long time ago, a time when humans couldn¡¯t even distinguish the difference between monsters and demonic beasts, an era when demonic beasts didn¡¯t possess any sapience or sentience and couldn¡¯t be reborn as demonfolk. In that era, light couldn¡¯t be found anywhere in the world. Fire might have been warming, but it couldn¡¯t light up the darkness. The only source of light was the sun that rose in the morning and set in the evening. Even the lightning that split apart the night sky could only draw lines of light; it couldn¡¯t illuminate the ever-present darkness. In that era, when the day and the night were perfectly divided into light and dark, the humans were only active during the day, while the demonic beasts were only active at night. Without a single speck of light, the night hours belonged to the demonic beasts, and the humans had to struggle to avoid being hunted down as prey. ording to theology, the God of Light descended upon this world and gave humans light. From the moment that the God of Light descended, mes became able to illuminate the darkness. Even the lightning, which was only capable of creating noise, was now able to brighten up the world with its sh. From then onwards, the bnce of power between humans and demonic beasts had reversed. Humans already possessed the advantage of intelligence, and now they were even able to transform the night into day. Things such as egos didn¡¯t originally exist among the demonic beasts who were born out of the ¡®demonic¡¯ darkness. However, at some point, the demonic beasts began to develop egos. As they slowly began to define their own existence as being something more than mere monsters, the demonic beasts transformed into the demonfolk. That was how the species known as the ¡®demonfolk¡¯ appeared in this world. Just like how the origin of all spiritsy in the primal spirits, the source of all demonfolky within those demonic beasts that once wandered the eternal darkness. So, from that perspective, this underground city of Ravesta seemed to be paying lip service to the ¡®demonic¡¯ darkness that once served as the origin of the demonfolk race. ¡°So that¡¯s why humans can¡¯t survive here,¡± Noir realized upon arrival at their destination. They had passed through a strangely distorted space. Although the hole she had jumped into appeared to be leading somewhere beneath the deste ind, the location they had arrived at wasn¡¯t somece underground. This space ¡ª no, should she call it by what it was, a dimensional rift? Noir giggled as she turned and looked out into the endless void of darkness. ¡°If it¡¯s a human, their eyes would never be able to get used to the darkness in here. And if they ever could see anything, even just a little, it would drive them crazy,¡± Noir remarked as she idly wetted her lower lip with her tongue. She had spotted the demonic beasts who were sleeping within the pitch-ck darkness. So these were the demonic beasts used during the war¡­ no, there were more than that. It seemed that all of the demonic beats that had ever been born, lived, and survived throughout Helmuth¡¯s long history had been ¡®tucked away¡¯ here, within the darkness of this city. The sight of all these countless monsters floating in the void looked like a star-filled sky drawn in shadows or a dark reflection of an aurora. Noir gasped, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ whoa! Those are the Centipede Mountains, aren¡¯t they? I always wondered where they went after the war. So they were here? The Demon King of Incarceration is quite cruel. Even though they faithfully served as the gatekeepers for his territory during the war.¡± The Centipede Mountains were giant demonic beasts that had once encircled the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle. Pointing towards the Centipede Mountains, which were floating in the darkness like a neb in the night sky, Noirughed and said, ¡°Though indeed, since the war is over and there is nowhere to put them to use, why not just stuff them away here. I¡¯m asking this just in case, but they won¡¯t suddenlye to their senses and attack us, right?¡± Noir turned to look back as she said this. However, Alphiero¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen. Instead, she felt several gazes staring at her from the darkness. ¡°After having brought me here so far, are you now telling me to go wherever I please?¡± Noir said with a giggle as her eyes lit up. The Demoneye of Fantasy shed. Initially, the Demoneye was only capable of simple uses of hypnosis and hallucinations. So,pared to other Demoneyes, it wasn¡¯t a very high-level ability. However, when Noir Giabe used the Demoneye of Fantasy, she was capable of truly transforming reality into fantasy. Without needing to dive into their dreams, she could neutralize all of the gazes staring at her by simply showing them an illusion. It was a tant disy of her power and also a threat. The demonfolk who had been watching Noir from the darkness immediately withdrew their gazes. No matter how they tried to hide themselves, Noir had shown that they couldn¡¯t escape her sight, which meant that they wouldn¡¯t be able to gain the upper hand on Noir if they kept trying to y hide and seek with her. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be too wary. Just think of it as a simple tourist dropping by,¡± Noir waved them off with a snort as she deactivated the Demoneye of Fantasy. Then she spun around and began walking forward. ¡®It seems like requesting an audience won¡¯t be possible¡­. Hm, isn¡¯t there any other method to approach him?¡¯ Noir considered the question. This cavern was full of an ominous dark power. Any ordinary demonfolk would go crazy before too long upon entering this ce. However, Noir was only left with a slightly sour taste in her mouth. Her consciousness wasn¡¯t polluted or otherwise harmed. ¡®I was hoping that there would at least be a Demon King¡¯s Castle to head to,¡¯ Noir thought as she looked around. Even though this was the city where all of the vassals of the Demon King of Destruction lived¡­ there wasn¡¯t any form of lighting. Although it could still somewhat be considered a city, none of the infrastructure that Helmuth required of a city existed here. ¡®It seems that all of their nourishment needs are taken care of by his dark power,¡¯ Noir surmised. ¡®...But how could they bear to be stuck in this ce for the past three hundred years?¡¯ Could it be that the dark power of Destruction had brainwashing properties? As she looked around at this extremely dull city, Noir couldn¡¯t help but think that Jagon and Amelia, who had left Ravesta a long time ago, were the normal ones for leaving this ce. Noir encouraged herself, ¡®But the presence of his dark power also means that the Demon King of Destruction must be here somewhere.¡¯ She had no intention of getting too close to the Demon King. However, she wanted to get a deeper feeling for the Demon King¡¯s presence than what the dark power currently floating around her was providing. And should it be possible, if the Demon King of Destruction was an existence ¡®capable¡¯ of having a conversation, then¡­ she was also eager to talk to him. There was a possibility that something might go wrong and he would try to devour her, but it wasn¡¯t like she had just ventured in here blindly without even having a n to deal with such an eventuality. ¡®For now, let¡¯s just explore¡­,¡¯ Noir decided. Thin thread-like strands of her dark power began to spread across the stifling curtain of dark power draped over thend. Noir mustered up her focus as she continued her search. Soon, Noir¡¯s lips parted in a gasp, ¡°Oh my.¡± She had found something. Unable to ignore her own curiosity, Noir moved towards it. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene suddenly spoke up from beside her. Noir, who had been flying through the dark void, ground to a halt as she turned to look at Eugene. Although he looked like a washed-out phantom of himself, Eugene was definitely standing at her side, staring at Noir with a surly expression. Noir stuttered, ¡°H-how did you do that?¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Do what?¡± ¡°I¡¯m talking about what you¡¯re doing right now,¡± Noir rified. ¡°How have you appeared within this ¡®dream¡¯?¡± All of this was a part of Noir¡¯s memory. Noir had been showing Eugene the events she had experienced when she had gone to Ravesta just a few days ago by turning her memories of that day into a dream. This meant that Eugene wasn¡¯t a subject of this dream, so, in this dream, Eugene shouldn¡¯t exist. But Eugene had still suddenly appeared out of thin air. Noir, who had been busy reying her memories as a dream, couldn¡¯t help but be genuinely flustered by this fact. Even though it was true that she had created this dream without any intent to endanger Eugene, to think that he would still be able to manifest at will and interfere in this dream¡­. ¡®His mental strength must be beyond any human¡¯s,¡¯ Noir observed. Of course, it was only natural that Eugene¡¯s mental strength was stronger than any ordinary human. Eugene turned his gaze away from Noir¡¯s flustered expression and pointed towards the demonic beasts floating within this dark space. ¡°Those things, are they real?¡± Eugene demanded. Noir was snapped out of her daze, ¡°Huh¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking if they¡¯re real,¡± Eugene repeated impatiently. Noir hesitated, ¡°If you want to know whether they¡¯re fake or not, then for now¡­ I¡¯ll have to say that it¡¯s fake. Because, Hamel, everything you¡¯re currently looking at is an illusion I have created.¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m asking if what you saw there was real?¡± ¡°Of course it was,¡± Noir nodded. ¡°Hamel, what benefit could I obtain from showing you such a lie? If your personality was even a little bit more docile, then I believed that I might have liked to show you something scary on purpose to see your frightened expression, but¡­ you¡¯re not that type of person, now are you?¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that those things are real¡­.¡± Eugene let out a sigh as he looked at all of the demonic beasts. Not only were there far too many of them, but each of the demonic beasts was also gigantic in their own right. Just imagining all of them pouring out of here was enough for Eugene to already feel pissed off with having to deal with them. ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± Noir fidgeted. ¡°Hamel, just how have you done this?¡± ¡°Done what?¡± Eugene asked absentmindedly. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you appearing in this dream. It¡¯s true that I wasn¡¯t all that careful about putting up a barrier, but that still shouldn¡¯t have allowed you to break into the dream solely by using your mental power¡­,¡± Noir said doubtfully. ¡°I just tried it, and it worked,¡± Eugene said with a sullen expression as he began trying to move his body around. However, it seemed that his body hadn¡¯t been recreated all that urately, so he wasn¡¯t capable of moving off on his own. Putting up with his current phantom-like existence for now, Eugene nced at Noir and asked, ¡°So, where are you going now? Are you heading off to see the Demon King of Destruction?¡± ¡°There¡¯s someone else I have to meet before that,¡± Noir informed him. ¡°Who?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Amelia Merwin and her merrypanions,¡± Noir slyly revealed. At these words, Eugene¡¯s face twisted in a scowl. ¡°I¡¯m not interested in that fucking bitch or that son of a bitch beside her,¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°Can¡¯t we just skip them and go see the Demon King of Destruction directly?¡± Noir shook her head, ¡°To that, I would have topletely rewrite this dream, and in the process, a few fictions might slip in.¡± This surprise had actually worked out for the best. Noir quickly leaned over towards Eugene and wrapped her arms around Eugene¡¯s flickering form. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened as he tried to get away from Noir, but Noir refused to let go of Eugene. ¡°There¡¯s no need to be so disgusted, Hamel. Don¡¯t you think that it would be helpful for you to get a look at their current ns?¡± Noir tempted Eugene. To think she would get a chance to go on a date within her dream. With a bright smile, Noir resumed reying the memory. Chapter 397 – A Dream (3) Chapter 397 ¨C A Dream (3) Up until now, there had only been a single Noir Giabe within this dream, but from now on, there would be two. Noir separated a clone of herself who would continue to act as the narrator, ying out her memory, while she herself would now be acting as a spectator. The reason for this was simply so that she could link her arms together with Eugene. As she watched her dream self follow the same movements she had made in her own memory, Noir whispered to Eugene, who was struggling beside her, ¡°Though it¡¯s a bit weird for me to say this myself, but, Hamel, don¡¯t you think that I look just perfect.¡± Noir almost sounded like she was bragging. ¡°Let go,¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°There¡¯s no point in talking about the obvious details, like my face or body. All of my external features are, of course, wless. By the way, Hamel, do you know I can cater to and amodate every and all tastes. If you prefer smaller breasts overrger breasts, then I can just transform myself up to a certain extent,¡± Noir offered. ¡°I said, let go of me,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°And I do mean what I say. I really can cater to whatever sort of tastes that you might have,¡± Noir said seductively. ¡°Even if it¡¯s something that you would never talk about to anyone else¡­ even if it¡¯s the most shameful and twisted of fetishes. Also, I¡¯m really only saying this just in case, but Hamel, if it so happens that you¡¯re gay instead of straight, I can¡ª¡± ¡°Let go, you crazy bitch!¡± Eugene roared as he frantically tried to twist his body free. Only then did Noir let go of his arm with a slight smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s just a joke, Hamel. Please don¡¯t be too angry with me,¡± Noir pleaded, only to smirk soon after. ¡°Or was it really a joke? I started out trying to be serious, but my tongue seems to have gotten away from me at some point. The fact is that I do look perfect. There¡¯s no room for argument in that. Not just in terms of outer beauty, but also in terms of personality and background.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed or embarrassed to say such things yourself?¡± Eugene used. If Mer had heard these words, she would have snorted while pointing out the shamefulness of Eugene¡¯s own usual behavior. However, as Mer wasn¡¯t present right now, Eugene was able to use Noir without feeling any suchpunctions. Noir raised an eyebrow, ¡°What¡¯s so shameful and embarrassing about saying something like that when I¡¯ve onlye to such an evaluation after giving it serious consideration?¡± To some extent, Noir¡¯s response managed to resonate with Eugene¡¯s heart and sway him to agree with her, but the murderous intent and annoyance that Noir sparked within him were far stronger than such enticements. Eugene just silently red at her without making any sort of response. Noir¡¯s shoulders shook tearfully as she whispered to herself, ¡°However, even someone as perfect as I have be a fool in the face of love.¡± A foul curse crawled up Eugene¡¯s throat, but instead of letting it burst out, Eugene mped his lips shut. This was because he felt it would be impossible to even try and have a sensible conversation with such an idiot. While all this was happening, the Noir within the dream had arrived somewhere significant. This mansion, like all other buildings within the city of Ravesta, had no light source, and the walls were an even darker shade of ck. As Noir descended onto a garden that didn¡¯t have even a single de of grass growing within it, she unconsciously burst intoughter. ¡°Woof woof!¡± This barking noise was actually made by Noir. Hemoria was leaning with her back against a dog house designed to look like a barn. She had arge dog cor around her neck and a thick chain connecting the cor to a stake in the ground. She red at Noir, refusing to make a simr barking noise back at Noir. ¡°That costume really suits you, no?¡± Noirplimented as she smirked at Hemoria. This was the Inquisitor who had once been called the ¡®Guillotine¡¯ by the Holy Empire¡¯s Bureau of Inquisition, the Maleficarum. However, after being emunicated from the Holy Empire, she had now be someone who didn¡¯t officially exist and had been turned into Amelia Merwin¡¯s pet. In the past, Hemoria had always worn a metal mask that already covered her entire mouth, but her current mask now also had a protruding snout resembling that of a dog. Grk¡­. The sound of grinding teeth could be hearding from inside Hemoria¡¯s protruding mask. Laughing at Hemoria, Noir approached the door to the mansion. ¡°I see that she¡¯s still grinding her teeth,¡± Eugenemented as he nced at Hemoria with a click of his tongue. Seeing as how her hair was a wild mess, and her eyes were full of venomous resentment, it seemed like Hemoria had been through a lot of hardships since hest saw her. ¡®If she had just gone and died back then, she wouldn¡¯t have had to suffer like this,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as he turned to look ahead. The Noir in the dream opened the door without waiting for permission and headed on in. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the kind personality,¡± Eugene said sarcastically. Noir epted thepliment calmly, ¡°My demeanor has always been this excellent, but what prompts you to bring up such a thing so suddenly?¡± ¡°You left that shitty bitch alone even after she red at you,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Ahahaha, I was wondering what you were trying to say. Hamel, if an ant crawling on the ground were to re up at you, would you really feel the need to stomp it to death because of that? Also, instead of ending her miserable life by grinding her beneath my heel, it would be a much more painful fate for her to continue to live while crawling on the ground,¡± Noir exined with a giggle as she followed her dream self forward. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Amelia Merwin. What is that rotten bitch doing here and not in her desert? Alphiero imed that there aren¡¯t any humans living in Ravesta, but she is a human, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Amelia Merwin isn¡¯t actually a human,¡± Noir corrected. Eugene was taken aback, ¡°What?¡± ¡°Although her human characteristics are prominent, she¡¯s actually half-human, half-demonfolk,¡± Noir exined. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened at these words. Although mixed races born between different species were already rare enough, the rarest of all such pairings were those born between humans and demonfolks. Eugene was reminded of Eileen Plott, the half-vampire bishop of Alcarte. Noir continued to speak, ¡°Amelia¡¯s mother was a demonfolk from Ravesta who was impregnated by a human while she was out in the world. Sheter returned to Ravesta to give birth to her child, and vo, that¡¯s how Amelia Merwin was born.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­,¡± Eugene huffed as he processed this revtion. ¡°That¡¯s why Amelia is a special case. She¡¯s a mixed race born between a human and a demonfolk. Even though those born from such a mix usually aren¡¯t able to awaken their dark power like ordinary demonfolk, Amelia was able to awaken her dark power all on her own and became a ck wizard. That means she didn¡¯t see the need to follow her mother¡¯s example to make a contract with the Demon King of Destruction.¡± Noir turned to Eugene with a smile and said, ¡°Also, Amelia is currently here in Ravesta¡­ because she¡¯s afraid.¡± ¡°Afraid?¡± Eugene repeated, his brows furrowing as he felt confused by what Noir was saying. As they walked down a dark hallway, Noir whispered to Eugene, ¡°Just think about it, Hamel. Until the Knight March a few months ago, Amelia Merwin didn¡¯t even consider you to be a threat. She doesn¡¯t know that you¡¯re actually Hamel, and she usually keeps that Death Knight that thinks of itself as the ¡®Stupid Hamel¡¯ by her side to act as her guard.¡± ¡°Even though that bastard is so fucking weak,¡± Eugene grumbled, still maintaining a furrowed brow. Though, in fact, such a rude assessment was practically spitting into his own face. This was because, after excluding the fact that its memories had been altered, if you only looked at itsbat ability, there was no doubt that the Death Knight was at the same level that Hamel had been when he was still alive. Noir nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right, for you, who has surpassed the level you had in your previous life, I¡¯m sure he¡¯s no longer your opponent. Amelia Merwin has also realized the truth of that. After all, Hamel, you did defeat the Death Knight when you killed Edmond in the Samar Rainforest. So what do you think Amelia Merwin¡¯s first thoughts were when she discovered such a fact?¡± Instead of replying, Eugene¡¯s lips twitched in a smirk. ncing over at the sarcastic smile on Eugene¡¯s face, Noir chuckled and continued speaking, ¡°On top of that, you even managed to resurrect the Wise Sienna, now haven¡¯t you? Now that you¡¯ve done all that, even Amelia, who used to be so fearless, couldn¡¯t help but start to feel afraid. After all, she does have plenty of reasons to feel guilty.¡± It was just as Noir had said. Sienna harbored an enormous grudge towards Amelia for her desecration of Hamel¡¯s tomb and especially his corpse. ¡°So because of that, she abandoned her dungeon in the desert and ended up here?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Noir confirmed. ¡°After all, even you would find it difficult to force your way in if it''s here. And Hamel, you don¡¯t n to provoke the Demon King of Destruction so quickly, now do you?¡± It would be insane to even think of heading toward the Demon King of Destruction before he had even managed to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. No matter how much he wanted to get rid of Amelia, Eugene at least had enough self-control to keep himself from doing that. However, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a surge of annoyance rising within him because of this.bender As Eugene¡¯s face crumpled into a scowl, Noir, who was still ncing towards him, whispered with a smile, ¡°If you want to kill Amelia, there¡¯s no need for you toe all the way here.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± Eugene asked suspiciously. Noir waved off his question, ¡°Well, you¡¯ll understand once you¡¯ve watched a bit further.¡± Noir¡¯s dream self suddenly halted her steps. With a silentugh, she spun to the side and reached out her hand. At this gesture, the darkness in the hallway parted, and a door opened in front of her. Even from within the dream, Eugene was able to sense how heavy and violent the dark power spilling out of that room was. Standing behind Noir, Eugene looked over her shoulder and into the room. He saw something wriggling on the ground, wrapped in rolls of paper talismans like they were being used as bandages. The shape of the squirming figure wasn¡¯t quite clear. It looked a bit like a jiggling slime and also a bit like a shadow that was sent writhing across a wall when a light illuminating a dark room flickered. The thing made some kind of muffled noise. Although Eugene couldn¡¯t hear it clearly, it sounded like it was trying to speak in a hoarse man¡¯s voice. But that short burst of sound was enough for Eugene to feel an intense murderous desire and hatred rising within him, allowing him to quickly realize what this figure was. ¡°It seems you¡¯re tied up in something?¡± the dream Noir whispered. Nodding her head in greeting towards the spirit wriggling within the darkness, Noir called out, ¡°Hello, Hamel.¡± Though her dream self had called it Hamel, Noir knew perfectly well that this thing wasn¡¯t actually Hamel. However, she thought it was funny and amusing to watch this thing continue to believe it was actually Hamel and try to act like he would. But if this thing were toplete its transformation by struggling forward with such misconceptions, if this imitation were to somehow manage to be almost identical to the real thing, Noir had her hopes that it might be quite the interesting specimen. ¡°...oir¡­ ¡­e¡­,¡± the thing groaned. ¡°That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me, Hamel, Noir Giabe,¡± Noir said softly. ¡°Your appearance seems quite different from when Ist saw you in Babel, no?¡± The figure remained silent. Noir sighed, ¡°As a Death Knight who has lost his body, all that remains of you is your soul. To think that that woman, Amelia, would be so cruel, she doesn¡¯t even allow the dead to have their proper rest¡­ and she keeps on cing such burdens on you. Don¡¯t you think so, too, Hamel?¡± The Death Knight continued to hold its tongue. ¡°The body that proved who you really were¡­ has now disappeared. And it¡¯s all because of Vermouth¡¯s descendant, Eugene Lionheart. Now that you¡¯ve turned out like this, the only thing that proves you are ¡®Hamel¡¯ is¡­,¡± Noir¡¯s voice trailed off as she stooped down and extended a finger towards the darkness. Skillfully pretending sympathy, Noir continued, ¡°The only thing left is the poor soul squirming in front of me right now. However, Hamel, you should know this as well, right? That no one in the world would think of ¡®Hamel Dynas¡¯ if they could see you right now. The world still remembers you as the ¡®Stupid Hamel¡¯ who died three hundred years ago. Who on earth could have imagined that such a hero would be corrupted and be a Death Knight?¡± There was only silence at Noir¡¯s provocative words. ¡°Of course, you must feel aggrieved by that. You definitely still do exist, and you remain aware of your own true identity, but what can you do? After all, even I have to wonder¡­ are you really the Hamel I once knew? On top of that, in your current state, you can¡¯t really be described as ¡®just¡¯ you, can you? It seems that far too many things have been mixed in with you,¡± Noir sighed regretfully. Eugene stared at the twisted spirit with aplex emotion in his eyes. It was a fake created by basing its personality on the memories lingering within Hamel¡¯s corpse. Or at least, that was what it had been when they had met in the Rainforest. But currently, that thing couldn¡¯t even rightly be called a Death Knight any longer, as, like Noir had said, many other things seemed to have been mixed into it until the thing¡¯s very soul had be polluted. However¡­. There was something that Eugene could be sure of. Even though its body had disappeared, and too many things had been infused into it, this spirit would adamantly refuse to despair or be discouraged by its situation. As long as that thing continued to hold on to Hamel¡¯s memories and thought of itself as Hamel, that is. Especially since it sincerely believed the story that its false memories had told it that Hamel was ¡°betrayed¡± by hisrades after ascending to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle. In Eugene¡¯s opinion ¡ª when ced in such a situation, Hamel would never despair, no matter how poor the current conditions were. As long as he had a goal to pursue, Hamel would always survive somehow, even if that goal was to reunite with his formerrades and seek revenge. Or perhaps¡­. ¡®It might just want to ask them why they did it,¡¯ Eugene silently sighed. Or rather, that was definitely what it wanted to do. The Hamel in Eugene¡¯s memories was definitely someone with that personality. After having been in a situation where he felt that he didn¡¯t have much time left and still insisted on climbing up towards the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle, if such a person were to actually believe that he had died, not from an ugly self-inflicted death, but from a betrayal by hisrades, then¡­. As someone who had already gone through the despair of that realization and wed his way up through such a hell, Eugene believed that there was no way that ¡®he¡¯ would give up when in such a situation. The soul kept refusing to say anything in response. Noir shrugged at the spirit¡¯s refusal to show any reaction and turned to look behind her. ¡°Now, how did you end up like that?¡± Noir asked. Standing behind her was Amelia Merwin. From what Eugene could see, Amelia currently looked ridiculous. Just like the spirit lying on the floor, Amelia¡¯s whole body was wrapped up in paper talismans like a mummy¡¯s bandages. Taking a closer look at her face, which had the fewest bandages on it, Eugene saw that the surface of her skin seemed to be cracked as if it might break apart at any moment. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Amelia demanded in a raspy voice. The cracks didn¡¯t just spread across her skin; they even reached into her eyes, so when Amelia¡¯s brow furrowed in a frown, her eyes physically cracked apart. Noir sniffed, ¡°It¡¯s my freedom to go wherever I please. Don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°This¡­ is Ravesta. This isn¡¯t a territory that the likes of you are permitted to enter,¡± Amelia insisted. ¡°Ahem, it doesn¡¯t seem like such a forbidden zone to me, though? The only one who can ban me from entering this fief is the Demon King of Destruction himself, but I haven¡¯t heard any reprimands from him,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she walked over to Amelia. ¡°Or perhaps, has the Demon King of Destruction said anything to you? Has he told you that he is displeased with me?¡± Amelia was unable to answer her questions. ¡°Aha,¡± Noir suddenly said as she nodded her head. ¡°Now I understand why you look like that. It¡¯s already been several decades since you first left this ce, but¡­ this is the first time you¡¯ve returned here since you signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, isn¡¯t it?¡± Instead of replying, Amelia bit down on her lip. ¡°Moreover, since you¡¯ve now be the ¡®Staff¡¯ of Incarceration, you should have received even more of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s dark power.¡± Noir burst intoughter, ¡°Ahahaha¡­ does it feel like your very existence is being rejected by thend itself? If you were also a deceased spirit without a physical body of your own, you might have been able to blend the two powers together, but since you¡¯re not dead yet, the powers aren¡¯t able to get along within your flesh, causing your whole body to crumble into pieces.¡± ¡°Have youe here just to mock me?¡± Amelia scowled. ¡°No way. Do I really look like I have enough time to do something like that? I¡¯vee here for a much different reason,¡± Noir said with a smile. Even as she continued to smile brightly, Noir pinched her nose as if smelling something nasty. ¡°However, after seeing you like this, I couldn¡¯t help but mock you,¡± Noir admitted. ¡°So much so that even I am troubled by how the urge to mock you has gotten the better of me despite my best intentions otherwise. After all, the hometown you decided to return to out of fear doesn¡¯t seem willing to protect you. So, Amelia Merwin, how does it feel to be dying?¡± Amelia bit harder on her lip. ¡°Poor Amelia Merwin,¡± Noir sighed. ¡°No wonder you smell like a rotting corpse. It¡¯s funny how the smell of those rotten bodies that you so loved to y with and embrace is now emanating from your own body.¡± Mutual repulsion: this was a concept that even Eugene found easy to understand. Noir Giabe had never made a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. So, her dark power belonged solely to herself. On the other hand, Amelia had made a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, which meant she was drawing on his dark power. That was why she was now receiving bacsh from staying within Ravesta. ¡®So what she said earlier was true¡­ there¡¯s no need for me toe all the way here just to kill Amelia Merwin,¡¯ Eugene realized. ¡®Since Amelia can¡¯tst much longer within Ravesta in any case.¡¯ As for that deceased soul ¡ª no, that spirit had never actually died in the first ce ¡ª that artificial soul and the things that had been mixed into it were now blending together along with the ambient dark power. However, Amelia wasn¡¯t able to reconcile with the ambient dark power like the spirit could, so all she could do was forcefully endure the pain. So unless Amelia truly wanted to die, she would eventually have no choice but to leave Ravesta. ¡°If you¡¯ve finished¡­ mocking me¡­ then please leave,¡± Amelia requested curtly after a pause. ¡°When ites to mocking you, I have enough material tost several more days. However, I do agree to stop here, Amelia Merwin. Although I don¡¯t like you, that doesn¡¯t mean I hate you,¡± Noir said as she walked over to Amelia. ¡°I¡¯m asking this just in case, but do you know where the pce of the Demon King of Destruction is located?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± Amelia quickly denied. ¡°Really?¡± Noir asked doubtfully. Amelia scoffed, ¡°Even if I did know where it was, I have no intention of telling you. In the first ce, what are you even¡ª¡± Noir interrupted her, ¡°The truth is, I didn¡¯t actuallye here looking for directions.¡± Her amusementden voice had Amelia furrowing her brow in concern. ¡°The reason I came here¡­ is just that I was curious about how you and Hamel were doing. That¡¯s all there was to it,¡± Noir imed as she slowly raised her hands. Amelia, who was carefully watching Noir, soon realized something was wrong, and her face twisted into a panicked expression, ¡°Hold on, Giabe¡ª¡± Booom! Noir mmed both of her raised arms down. At this gesture, the space around them shook violently, and the mansion began to copse. Boooom! Noir swung her arms once more. The immense amounts of dark power wielded by Noir managed to shatter space itself. ¡°Stop!¡± Amelia screamed. The various spells that she had embedded into the mansion were being shattered by Noir¡¯s rampage, and the bacsh of their shattering caused Amelia to spew out a dark mouthful of blood. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Noirughed crazily as she continued to strike out with her dark power, one blow after another. Groooooan! The demonfolk who had been standing guard outside of the mansion started to rush towards the noise. Among their number was Alphiero, who had escorted Noir on the way here. His expression showed that he never could have imagined that Noir would do something this barbaric and violent here, in the center of Ravesta. The same was also true of Eugene. Eugene¡¯s jaw dropped open as he turned to look at the real Noir. Noir, observing the dream alongside Eugene, was staring at her own self within the dream, her eyes downcast in dismay at the sight of this behavior. ¡°If I knew that I was going to show this scene to you, I would have acted a bit more elegantly,¡± Noir sighed regretfully. ¡°Just what the hell are you thinking?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°You can tell just by looking, Hamel, I¡¯m knocking on the wall,¡± Noir exined. ¡°The wall?¡± Eugene repeated curiously. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Noir said with a gin as she pointed downwards. ¡°The Demon King of Destruction is hiding down there ¡ª though by that, I don¡¯t mean he¡¯s actually further underground. Instead, he¡¯s residing within a separate space somewhere beyond this dimension. So, I¡¯m just attempting to get through to that dimension by breaking down the wall in between. Though I¡¯m making that attempt here, of all ces¡­ just because Amelia Merwin kept telling me to leave.¡± With a look of disbelief, Eugene turned back to look at Amelia. Amelia, who had been caught up in Noir¡¯s rampage and forced to vomit blood, was now unable to even keep standing and had fallen onto the ground. In this situation, Noir finally managed to break through the ¡®wall.¡¯ ¡°Duke Giabe!¡± Alphiero cried out as he rushed towards Noir. However, Alphiero suddenly fell to the ground, frozen in the act of running. Alphiero wasn¡¯t the only one. The dozens of demonfolk rushing forward alongside him also copsed onto the ground, unable to approach Noir. This was Hypnotism, an ability that all high-ranking Night Demons were able to use, and it could force any opponent in their field of vision to fall asleep. Noir¡¯s Hypnotism could make even high-ranking demonfolk fall asleep in a single moment. On top of that, she would send them into ayered Dream-Within-a-Dream. This special technique could trap her opponents, allowing them to wander through multipleyers of dreams without invading too deeply into their consciousnesses. After subduing all the demonfolk just like that, Noir headed on ¡®down¡¯ with a giggle, crossing over to the other side of the broken wall. She descended into the source of the dark power that had already engulfed the entirety of Ravesta. ¡°Ah¡­!¡± Noir moaned in satisfaction as an enticing chill ran up her spine. This was the first time that Noir had had to protect herself in a very long time. Within the eerie confines of this space, even Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, felt threatened. She continued to descend while protecting herself with her dark power. ¡°...Is the Demon King of Destruction down there?¡± Eugene asked suddenly. Noir shrugged, ¡°Probably.¡± ¡°Probably?¡± Eugene repeated, his brow furrowing in a frown as he red below. As the darkness rushed past them, he saw something huge waiting below¡­ it looked like a temple. Find the original at "pawread dot". ¡°Well, you¡¯ll find out if you just keep watching,¡± Noir assured him. The descending Noir finally arrived at the entrance to the temple. Instead of entering the temple right away, she raised her head to look up at the sky. No one had followed her in, past the wall she had broken, but they should all be able to wake up from her dreams within a short time¡­. Other demonfolk who may still be waiting outside the mansion might alsoe in after her. Since she had already done more than enough to cause him offense by acting so aggressively, Noir didn¡¯t intend to go any further than this. ¡°Please excuse me,¡± Noir said politely. This temple had to be the pce of the Demon King of Destruction. Even though it was Noir, she had no intention of causing a scene while within the Demon King¡¯s pce. With a low bow of greeting, Noir walked into the temple. The temple waspletely empty. She couldn¡¯t even see anything like the Demon King¡¯s throne. Naturally, that also meant the Demon King was nowhere to be seen. However, Noir wasn¡¯t flustered by this fact and kept heading deeper into the temple. ¡°There¡¯s a barrier here,¡± Noir said with a grin as she rubbed a hand over her eyes. Breaking the barrier erected here¡­ seemed a bit too dangerous even for her. However, the fact that there was a ¡®barrier¡¯ here led Noir to make all sorts of guesses. Ring¡­! Noir¡¯s eyes shone with light. Packed to the brim with dark power, her eyes focused as they stared into the barrier. As her eyes looked past the barrier, spying on the other side, Noir saw a chair wrapped in chains. Chapter 398 – A Dream (4) Chapter 398 A Dream (4) Eugene inhaled sharply. A chair wrapped in chains. The moment he saw this, the very first thought that came to Eugenes mind was the Demon King of Incarceration. Whenever that Demon King appeared, he was always apanied by the sound of chains, and he also had countless chains trailing behind him like a cloak. Not only that, the Demon King of Incarceration also held an inseparable rtionship with the Demon King of Destruction. This was because although they werent sure what the actual truth was in Eugene''s and a few others opinions, the Demon King of Incarceration seemed to be the only one who could control the Demon King of Destruction. At the very least, during the few times in the past when Eugene had managed to get close to the Demon King of Destruction, his attempts to find out more had always been interfered with by the Demon King of Incarceration. This was Ravesta, the territory of Destruction. And this temple found in the depths of Ravesta might just be the Demon King of Destructions pce. Could it be that the Demon King of Incarceration had appeared here to ward off any intruders who approached without permission. No, it wasnt him. The blurry scene on the other side of the barrier gradually became clearer. Upon seeing whaty beyond, Eugene unconsciously tried to move forward. However, he wasnt able to do what he wanted. This was because Noir, the one who had been watching the memory y out alongside him, grabbed Eugenes arm. You cant get any closer, Noir whispered. Even though this is a dream, its still all based on what I personally experienced. And I didnt get to see anything past this point. So even if you get closer, Hamel, you wont be able to see or sense anything more than this. As if to prove these words, the dream shook. The shaking was because Noirs consciousness had been damaged by what she had just witnessed in the dream. The Noir in the dream, who had been standing there in a daze, was suddenly thrown backward, blood pouring from her eyes, nose, and mouth. Ver Vermouth? Noir gasped out in a confused tone as she kept coughing up blood. The figure sitting in the chair, wrapped in chains, was Vermouth Lionheart. Eugene gritted his teeth at this sight. Vermouth looked iparably more exhausted and haggard than when Eugene had seen him in the Darkrooms vision. His long gray hair, which had resembled a lions mane, now looked as if it hadnt beenbed in a very long time and had transformed into a matted birds nest. His head was bowed so low that it was hard to see his face, but from the way that his shoulders slumped, his arms draped limply over the armrests, and his legs stretched out weakly in front of him, it was possible to confirm what a poor condition Vermouth was in. There werent even any signs of breathing. Vermouth just sat there inplete stillness as if he had been taxidermied. Eugenes body trembled with agitation as he tried to go to Vermouth once more. However, Noir strengthened her hold on Eugene and refused to let him go. Noir reminded him, I told you already, its useless. Let go, Eugene grunted. Really, even though Im saying this for your sake, Noir let out a sigh as she let go of Eugenes arm. Only then was Eugene able to stagger over towards Vermouth. However, the distance between him and Vermouth didnt shorten, no matter how much he wanted it to. Eugenes steps reached an unseen line, with their farthest point set at where the dream-Noir was currently standing, and they refused to go any further. I told you so, Noir huffed. Like I said, that is as far as I got when trying to see what was on the other side of the barrier. Something blocked my mental probe when I focused on trying to cross that line. Although Eugene kept trying to walk forward, he was just left repeatedly stumbling in the exact same spot. Eugene snorted in anger and clenched his fists. Youre Vermouth Vermouth Lionheart, right? What are you doing in there? the dream-Noir asked in an urgent voice. Dark blood continued to pour from her eyes, nose, and mouth. The sinister dark power within the barrier had even managed to overwhelm the defenses of a demonfolk at Noirs level and had caused her harm. Although she had been able to endure the assault of the dark power without allowing it to contaminate her, she couldnt even imagine trying to resist or fight back against it. This was the Great Vermouth. The Vermouth of Despair. For the past three hundred years, Noir had harbored a fear of this beautiful, yet eerie, man. During the era of war, Noir had delved into the dreams of all this manspanions, including her dear Hamel. She had trespassed into Hamel, Molon, Sienna, and Anises dreams. lightsnvl She had also attempted to invade Vermouths dreams. However, she hadnt found any dreams waiting for her at the bottom of Vermouths heart. No, for the man known as Vermouth, things such as dreams simply didnt seem to exist. All of hisrades had had some kind of dream lying deep within their hearts, and she could always find within them lingering emotions rted to their dreams or what was happening in reality but strangely, no such things seemed to exist within the man known as Vermouth. But perhaps it might just be because Vermouth had managed to learn some exotic spell of protection. Just like how people with particrly strong mental strength were able to protect their minds through sheer willpower, Vermouth may have also used some kind of spell to protect his mind from invasion. In fact, Noir had only managed to trespass on Hamel and the other party members dreams the first few times she had tried, as from some point onwards, Noir had no longer been able to break through Sienna and Anises barriers. As Vermouth was a special case even among their ranks, it was possible that he may have been able to perfectly protect his mind from the very beginning. But was that really the case? Even now, after three hundred years had passed, Noir didnt have any confidence in making any assumptions about Vermouth, even as he was back then. Had she really failed to spy on his dreams? Or perhaps she truly had seen whaty at the heart of Vermouth. So if what she saw was real, then that meant. Noir tried to call out Vermouths name once more, Vermouth Lionhe But at that very moment, Vermouth, who looked to have been frozen in position, suddenly moved. It was only a tiny movement, but the sound that it caused was muchrger than what might have been expected at first sight. Tchichichichink! The chains connected to the chair all simultaneously raised their ends. They then moved to wrap around both the chair and Vermouth, binding him from head to toe; then, as if that wasnt enough, they even twisted through the air a few more times, creating a tight knot. Noir was startled by this suddenmotion and took a step backward. Creak, creeeak. The entangled mass of chains collectively made a noise as Vermouth raised his head from within their tight confines. Beneath the messy and disheveled hair, his eyes slowly opened. At this moment, Eugene recalled his battle against the Demon King of Fury. Specifically when the Moonlight Sword had run out of control, and Eugene was dragged into an unknown void. At that time, Eugene had seen Vermouth in the middle of that void. Though while it was true that Eugene had seen him there, he hadnt been able to see Vermouths face directly. However, Eugene was still sure that the wavering figure he had seen there was Vermouth, and in fact, it had definitely been Vermouth. But the figure that was currently reflected within Eugenes eyes didnt feel at all like Vermouth. Given the current circumstances, there couldnt have been a significant gap of time between the Vermouth that he had spoken to during the Moonlight Swords rampage and the Vermouth that was currently being bound in that chair with those chains. However, the Vermouth that Eugene was presently looking at directly felt more like a stranger than when Vermouth had only been visible as a faint figure within the void. Vermouth raised his head and opened his eyes, but he didnt say anything. However, Eugene was able to sense several things from that silence. Like how worn-out Vermouth was and how clouded his eyes looked.bender At that moment, Vermouth looked weaker than he had at any point in Eugenes memories. He looked shrunken and worn down. If the Vermouth that Eugene had met in the Darkroom had seemed tired and haggard, the current Vermouth looked depressed and broken. He could at least try to say something, Eugene thought as he red at Vermouth. The emotions welling up within Eugene were growing ever more intense, but despite that, Eugene didnt try to say anything to Vermouth. In the end, this was all just Noirs dream, so no matter what Eugene said or did, Vermouth wouldnt be able to show any kind of reaction. After all, all of this had already happened in the past. Amid his swirling emotions, Eugene couldnt help but feel annoyed by that fact. Eugene ground his teeth as the dream-Noir just stared at Vermouth without saying a word to him. Likewise, Vermouth also didnt say anything to Noir. After hesitating in silence for a few more seconds, Noir took a step forward. Fwooooosh! But the moment Noir stepped forward, everything suddenly receded into the distance. Both the door that had opened up like a gap in space and Vermouth, who was sitting wrapped in chains beyond the doorway, then the temple, Amelia Merwins mansion, and even the underground city of Ravesta. This is as far as it goes, Noir informed him cheerfully. The dream scattered into pieces. Eugene stood there in silence for a few moments before turning to look back at Noir for an exnation. After all, the dream that Noir had intended to show him may have ended, but it wasnt as if the world had ended alongside the dreams end. Noir gave Eugene a bright smile before continuing to speak, I dont think there is any need to show you what happened after that. After that, I was kicked out of Ravesta, dropped into the sea, and had to struggle to stay afloat. Hm, or do you perhaps want to see what I look like when wet? Before the lingering vestiges of what Eugene had just seen could even fade away, Noir had already started talking nonsense. Normally, he would have just ignored Noirs bullshit, or perhaps he would have tried to kick her ass, but the current Eugene wasnt capable of doing so. He stood there, frozen in the same spot, as he tried to make sense of what he had just seen. Fuck, Eugene eventually cursed. There was no way that this was good news. But even so, his doubts werent as strong as thest time he had received such a disturbing revtion. This was because Eugene felt that he had managed to confirm most of his deepest suspicions, so there wasnt any need for him to feel doubt. So, Vermouth Lionheart was currently in Ravesta. Bound in the chains of Incarceration, trapped in a chair, sitting inside a temple dedicated to the Demon King of Destruction. Given the circumstances, it seemed like the Demon King of Destruction might be lying in wait behind Vermouth, but what did all of this mean? The Demon King of Destruction has been silent for the past three hundred years. Does that mean Vermouth is currently sealing away the Demon King of Destruction? Eugene wondered. Eugene had considered such a possibility in the past. This was because, between the Moonlight Sword and the Lionheart ns blood, Vermouth seemed to have far too many connections to the Demon King of Destruction. There are a few things that I want to ask you, Eugene said as he turned to look at Noir after calming his emotions. The things that you showed me just now. Were those It was all real, Noir confirmed without waiting for him to finish speaking. I can understand why you would feel such doubts, Hamel. For someone like you, who hates demonfolk and wants to kill all of us, you must not want to trust the words of a demonfolk like me. However, Hamel, what benefit would I obtain from showing you a lie like this? You could just want to fuck with me, Eugene used suspiciously. Or perhaps you just want me killed without having to get your own hands dirty. Ahahaha! Hamel, are you seriously saying that? Do you really think I would consider something like that a benefit? Noir asked with a dangerous smile. Although she might have let out a heartyugh, Noir hadnt really been expressing amusement. Instead, she was ring at Hamel with a rarely-seen look of anger on her face. After being subjected to this gaze for a few moments, Eugene quietly shook his head. I guess it wouldnt seem like a benefit to you, someone without anymon sense, Eugene conceded. Thats right, Noir happily agreed. Hamel, Im the only one with the right to mess with you and give you a headache. Even without ying a trick like this, I can still mess with you as much as I want. As for killing you without getting my own hands dirty? Oh my god, Hamel, theres no way that I would do something like that! If you ever do die, Im the one who has to take your life, and the same goes in reverse! And it has to be by my own hands that you lose your life so that your death can take ce within my embrace. ...You if you do end up telling me that you made all this up as a lie, if youre tricking me into epting your story as real during such a critical moment, only toter reveal that its actually false, I really will be furious with you, Eugene gravely warned her. Ahahaha! For you to have such suspicions, you really do know me quite well. However, Hamel, what reason could there be for me to go this far? If its to instill a murderous desire into someone who doesnt actually resent or hate me, then yes, I might use such a method. However dont you already resent me, hate me, and want me dead? Why would I have to fan the mes even higher when you''re already so heated up? Noir said with a giggle as she cutely poked her own cheeks. And I have to say, if I really did want to instill even more resentment, hatred, murderous intent, and rage into you, theres no need for me to show you this sort of dream. Honestly speaking, faking something like this would be cumbersome,plicated, and far too difficult for what it is worth. Because if I wanted to manipte your emotions in a certain direction without being detected, I would have to create an extremely subtle dream to do so. Dimples appeared on Noirs cheeks as she began floating up into the air with an evil smirk. However, what would you do if I were to storm over to the Lionhearts right now and murder your siblings? If I were to kill all of your family as well? Or perhaps, if I got rid of Sienna Merdein and Kristina Rogeris? If I broke that little familiar you so cherish into pieces? Or if I kill the Dragon Princess Raimira, who youre raising like a pet? The world around them seemed to be shaking. They were both currently located within the realm of Eugenes consciousness. Now that the dream Noir had wished to show him had ended, everything in this realm could be seriously influenced by Eugenes heightened emotions. Noir blinked in surprise and looked down at her body before bursting intoughter, Ahahaha! At some point, before she had even realized it, Noirs body had been torn into shreds. The emotions currently running through Eugene were responsible for having torn Noir apart. Noir giggled as she reconstructed her body. Ahem, I was only giving an example of how far I could possibly go, Noir reassured him. It may have been an unpleasant example to listen to, but, in any case, you should see that theres no need for me to go through all that trouble just to trick you. In that case, what exactly do you gain from doing this? Eugene questioned suspiciously. Well, now, I didnt necessarily do this because I felt that I had to gain some benefit from doing so, but if I were forced to find a reason, hmmm, Noir thought about it for a few moments before her eyes curved up in a smile. Hamel, I just felt the urge to show it to you. Eugene was silent. I just wanted to show you what I saw, Noir repeated. Because I thought that was something that you desperately needed to know. Or perhaps, part of me could also have thought that if I showed you this the perception you have of me might change a little. What exactly was she trying to say? Eugenes brow furrowed in a scowl as he red up at Noir. Theres no way that youre trying to say something like what happened between you and me is just a misunderstanding, that the grudge between us is something from three hundred years ago, and that youre different now, right? Eugene eyed her suspiciously. Noir coughed, Ahem. Eugene continued to voice his spections, You dont want me to hate you, which is why youve helped me out so many times, and now you want me to ept you and perhaps even join hands to fight against the Demon King of Incarceration togeth Ahaha! Noir erupted inughter, unable to hold it in any longer. Oh my god, Hamel, its nothing like that. Let me just say this clearly: I really do want you to hate me so much that you dream of killing me. As for a misunderstanding? What is there to misunderstand between us? The grudge being from three hundred years ago? Ahahaha, if needed, Im willing to build up even more grudges, you know? Also ahem, epting me? Joining hands? Those do sound pretty tempting, and I think we can even consider epting each other and joining hands in bed. As she watched Eugenes expression darken, Noir continued speaking, Hamel, what I want from you is something quite romantic and sentimental. Someday, when we finally attempt to kill each other, I or whoever ends up winning, I suppose, I hope they feel a slight hesitation at the final moment. Hesitation? Eugene repeated in disbelief after a pause. Yes, Noir nodded. As they think about all the memories we share between us, I hope the winner hesitates before taking their foesst breath. And if that variable ends up changing the oue between victory and defeat, I feel like that would be quite entertaining as well. Noir created afortable chair out of nowhere, took a seat, slowly crossed her legs, and settled in a seductive pose. To put it simply, the reason I am doing these things for you is to build up those memories between us. Because most of the memories that we share are from three hundred years ago. However, many things have already happened between us since then, havent they? Noir said with a smile. For example, in the snowfields on their way to the Knight March, in the hotel as Eugene prepared to infiltrate the Dragon-Demon Castle, and thetest being on the deck of a ship in the Solgalta Sea. And then, right at this very moment. From now on as well, I will try to get closer to you whenever I have the chance. That way, even more memories will be built up between us, and Hamel, perhaps some attachment might just grow within you as well. However, we definitely will attempt to kill each other someday, but after we decide who lives and dies, Noir paused and ced a hand on her chest as she imagined their shared future. Then perhaps I will feel a great sense of loss. I will regret killing you, I will grieve, I will mourn and perhaps I might even end up hating myself for doing so. Hamel, because of you, I may end up feeling all sorts of firsts. Such thoughts definitely couldnt be understood by anyone with a normal point of view. Eugene stared at Noir with eyes devoid of understanding and shook his head before saying, I wont hesitate when the timees to kill you, and after killing you, I wont feel any emotions other than joy and relief. Noir smirked, Hehe, but that doesnt matter to me. After all, I would already be dead. Also, Hamel, in my opinion the probability of me killing you is overwhelmingly higher than the probability of you killing me. Eugene also thought Noirs words were correct, at least for now. When he thought about it that way, he could understand Noirs words and actions just a little. In Noirs case, she believed that she would definitely kill Eugene someday. As such, she felt free to build up as many memories and shared feelings with Eugene as she pleased. All so that one day, whenever she finally decided to go ahead and kill Eugene, she would get to feel all of the emotions that she had built up for him crumble away. But why are you so obsessed with me? Eugene asked in confusion. That was what Eugene couldnt understand. If I had to say why, Hamel, its because of how much you want to kill me, Noir answered him. Eugene pointed out, There should be a lot of people other than me who want to kill you. Even setting aside all of the humans, there should be quite a few demonfolk as well. However, no one among them has feelings as strong as yours. Theres no one as special as you are, and theres also no one as capable as you are, Noir praised Eugene. Eugene took a few moments to think, If you really want to die that much, why dont you just revolt against the Demon King of Incarceration? Or you could throw yourself against the Demon King of Destruction? It seems that you really dont understand what my heart desires? Im saying that I want to be killed by someone with a particr, obsessive, and intense hatred for me. The Demon Kings they might be able to kill me whenever they please, but Im not anything special to them. And, in return, I dont think of them as being a special existence to myself either, Noir said with a grin as she shook her head. Hamel, I love you more than you actually realize. It doesnt matter, even if you dislike me and try to push me away. ...Just onest question, Eugene said after sighing with a disgusted expression. You are those insane notions of yours really important enough for you to betray the Demon King of Incarceration? Arent you supposed to be on the Demon King of Incarcerations side? Oh my god! Noir yelped as she stared at Eugene with a sincerely astonished expression. Hamel, what on earth do you mean by that? Youre using me of betrayal? But I was never on the Demon King of Incarcerations side in the first ce! Eugene was perplexed, ...What? Of course, the Demon King of Incarceration is the Emperor of Helmuth, and I am one of the Dukes, but even so that doesnt actually mean I have sworn obedience to the Demon King of Incarceration. So its not a betrayal for me to tell you about my visit to Ravesta or what I saw there, Noir imed. Eugene frowned, What kind of bullshit is Noir spoke over him, To put it simply, I am not a vassal of the Demon King of Incarceration. Everything I have was achieved solely through my own efforts, and I am the only one with authority over myself. As she finished saying that Noir abruptly leaped up from her chair, having had a sudden thought. No way! Noir gasped. Theres no way, Hamel! Are you actually showing worry for me? You think that, for your sake, I betrayed the Demon King of Incarceration! So you were worried that I might be severely punished because of that, werent you?! Eugene scowled, I just thought that it wouldnt be good if the Demon King of Incarceration gets to kill you instead of me! Liar! Noir used. You were worried about me! Thats right, I have betrayed the Demon King of Incarceration. All for your sake, Hamel! For the sake of our love! When exactly do I get to wake up from this damn dream? Eugene spat out as his face twisted into a disgusted grimace. Chapter 399 – A Dream (5) Chapter 399 A Dream (5) Eugene opened his eyes. The very first thing he saw was Noirs face, which had pressed right up against his nose. She should have also just woken up like Eugene had, but no, it looked like she probably hadnt even fallen asleep in the first ce. Get lost! Eugene growled, pushing his chair back with a disgusted expression. Noir, who had been relishing being close enough to feel Eugenes breath tickling her skin, clicked her tongue in disappointment and said, It would have been so romantic if you had jerked forward in surprise and our lips just so happened to touch. She had gotten so close to him in the first ce because she had been explicitly hoping for such a thing to happen. If all that Noir wanted was a kiss, she could have gone ahead and done so whenever she pleased while Eugene was still caught inside the dream, but that wasnt the type of flirtation that Noir preferred. Eugene red at Noir, who was idly licking her lips, and nced up at the sky. Although it had felt like they had been inside the dream for quite some time, it didnt seem like too much time had passed in reality. Music was ying in the banquet hall below as if the gathered people wanted to brighten the suppressed mood. However, the usual sounds of enjoyment that should be heard from a banquet were absent. Everyone at the banquet was still distracted by the thought of Eugene and Noir being together as they climbed up the tower for some privacy. After ring at Noir for a few more moments, Eugene let out a frustrated sigh and started scratching his head in annoyance. I was right, wasnt I? Noir asked with a bright smile before continuing to speak. I told you you would regret it if you chose not to see it. And wasnt I right? Eugene just stayed quiet. Noir smirked, Hehe, no way, Hamel. Could it be that youre currently refusing to respond because it would hurt your pride? I really like how you have such a personality. Should I call it one of your unexpected charms? Its quite cute. Arent you going already? Eugene barely managed to grind the words out, even as his insides were boiling over in anger. Noir grinned as she stood up, To make our memories of today even more beautiful, how about we go downstairs and take a turn on the dance floor? Instead of replying, Eugene just raised his middle finger. While curiously looking at Eugenes long, rugged finger, Noir leaned back against the railing. Noir smirked, Your fingers are quite long Stop right there! Eugene barked. Fine, fine. Its not like youre a child, so I don''t know why you react so prudishly to things like that, Noirined as she tilted her head to the side and looked down from the terrace. Her eyes met with the gazes of those staring up at her from the banquet hall below. After noticing some particrly fierce gazesing from Sienna, Kristina, and Ciel, Noir grinned, Despite acting so innocent and pretending not to care about such things it seems that youre still just a man, aren''t you? What do you mean by that? Eugene demanded. Just counting the women that I can currently see, youve already enthralled three of them, Noir used. Though hmm, indeed, with your appearance and skills three isnt all that much, is it? If you add up all of the youngdies who are interested in you, we could line them up all the way from the Lionheart estate to the capital of Kiehl. There werent any feelings of jealousy in her voice. Noir didnt have the slightest doubt that the rtionship between herself and Eugene had to be the most sincere, deep, and romantic rtionship that Eugene would ever have. Theirs was a rtionship more passionate and faithful than the typical love story. Ordinary lovers could only experience a rtionship limited to a single lifespan, but Noir shared with Eugene a bond and a fate that had literallysted beyond the grave. Dancing, hmm, Noir muttered to herself. Now that she thought about it like that, her desire to dance with Eugene, hand-in-hand, down in the banquet hall, felt rather trivial. If they truly did end up dancing together, then it had to be the kind of event that would make her happy whenever she thought back to it in the future while also being a heart-wrenching memory that would bring her pain once she had experienced his loss. Lets dance next time, Noir firmly decided. After all, this isnt a stage set for just the two of us. For such a momentous asion, she didnt want to have her first in a ce like this. Although it was, in its own way, a luxuriously decorated banquet hall, it fell far short of Noirs standards. With a giggle, Noir unfurled her ck, bat-like wings, If you decide toe to my city just to have fun rather than kill me, Ill be sure to give you a sincere wee. Noir gently waved goodbye to Eugene as she rose into the air. Without getting up from his seat, Eugene red at Noir as she flew up. Noir climbed to the ceiling, which had been charmed to look like the night sky, and easily passed through the physical structure before disappearing. Haaah, Eugene let out a long sigh once he was sure Noir had indeed left. While tilting his chair back onto its hind legs, Eugenes brow furrowed in thought. Shes even more of a monster than I thought, Eugene admitted to himself. The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe; even three hundred years ago, that woman could already be counted as one of the handful of higher-ranking demonfolk that were the strongest of all the demonfolk apart from the Demon Kings. But now she had umted enough strength that there was no longer any need to exclude the Demon Kings. During the few times that he had met her in the past, Eugene had already been able to sense Noirs strength and how high-leveled she was. However, this was the first time he had properly experienced Noirs ability. The dream that he had seen just now was incredibly realistic, so much so that it would have been impossible for him to realize that it was a dream if he hadnt known it was a dream from the beginning. In the dream, it wasnt just Noir who served as the center of the dream, which had seemed vividly realistic; everything that she had seen and experienced had also seemed genuine. Just on a basicparison, she is much stronger than Iris, Eugene judged. Powerful enough to make even Raizakia feel insignificant. Even if Iris had shown up in front of her as the new Demon King of Fury, Noir would still have been able to look down on her in amusement. Eugene frowned, Just in terms of her dark power alone, she has already far surpassed the level of an ordinary Demon King. Since that crazy bitch didnt take any precautions, I was able to maintain my awareness, but. In a fight where they were both genuinely determined to kill each other, would Eugene still be able to stay aware? Noir was a monster that could turn even a fleeting drowsiness into an unending slumber with just a touch. Even if it was just for the blink of an eye, if Eugene were to fall asleep, his consciousness might be drawn into an endless dream. What was even more horrifying was that Noirs use of Hypnotism and Entrancement that she cast through the Demoneye of Fantasy could actually target more than one person at a time. So even if you lead an army of soldiers that numbered in the hundreds of thousands, it would all be meaningless in front of the Queen of the Night Demons. This had already been proven in the distant past, during the era of war, when Noir had easily led arge army, numbering thirty thousand in all, into the wilderness before drowning them. Now that she had be iparably stronger than she was back then no matter how many soldiers were brought against her, they would all be annihted the moment they entered Noirs sight. Eugene sighed, At least theres some good news Im able to resist it. But what about Sienna and Anise? Three hundred years ago, they had suffered a lot due to Noir, but they still had been able to show some resistance to the ability from the very beginning. Would that still be possible now? The conditions werent exactly the same. The past Noir was weaker than she was now, and she hadnt been able to use the Demoneye on someone standing right in front of her. She had always fiercely and persistently aimed for the moment when Eugene and hisrades were forced to take short rests, exhausted from their journey through the Devildom.bender In other words, Sienna and Anise had never been subjected to a direct casting of the Demoneye. The reason I could resist it should be the small amount of divinity I possess. And that will only get stronger as time passes, Eugene realized. The more worship that he received, the stronger his divinity would grow. Eugene took this fact as a small constion and let out a deep sigh. In the end, it was just as Noir had said. If Eugene and Noir were to fight, then probably no almost definitely, Noir would win. Even Eugene himself couldnt determine any possibility of victory in a battle against such a ridiculously strong demonfolk. Even as Eugene was lost in thought, his face twisted into a scowl, music continued to flow up towards him from the banquet hall below. Although everyone had seen Noir leaving the banquet hall, that didnt mean they could just resume the banquet as if nothing had happened. This was because Eugene, who could be considered the protagonist of this banquet, still remained isted up in the tower. Whats with that expression? Sienna asked as she climbed out onto the terrace, havinge to look for Eugene personally once he had failed to make his prompt return. Did that slut, Noir, do anything disturbing to you? Ill tell you about itter, Eugene promised as he smoothed his expression. Vermouth was in Ravesta. This information wasnt something that Eugene would be keeping to himself. He had to share this news with hisrades Sienna, Kristina, and Anise. But even so, he couldnt just inform them immediately. This luxuriously decorated banquet could be described as the conclusion to the triumphal festivememoration of the Hero, Eugene Lionhearts, first defeat of a Demon King. The atmosphere here had already been chilled by the sudden intrusion of the demonfolk. If Eugene were to lower the mood even further, this banquet would be ruined. We cant let that happen, Eugene decided. For the sake of the guests who hade here or rather, to prevent any damage to their reverence for the Hero Eugene would have to return to the banquet with a calm smile on his face. Hmm, Sienna pursed her lips as she examined Eugenes expression, then she handed Eugene a ss of champagne she held in one hand. Theres no way that you did something you cant talk about with that slut, right? So even you are going to insinuate strange things like that? Eugene grumbled as he epted the drink. Although it wasnt a beverage usually meant to be swallowed down in a single gulp, he poured the champagne down his throat to soothe his upset stomach. Instead of continuing to ask more questions, Sienna burst intoughter, If youre feeling better, my disciple, then lets head down together. Eugene smirked, Something feels off when you use that sort of tone with me. After exchanging a few light-hearted words with each other, Eugene and Sienna descended into the banquet hall together. Eugene could feel gazes following each and every one of his actions. Although everyone looked curious about what kind of conversation might have taken ce between Eugene and Noir, no one was willing to ask about it outright. By any chance, did you manage to learn what brand that swimsuit came from? The only one who would ask such a question without caring about the attention it would draw her was Melkith. It wasnt just a joke to ease the still tense mood either. When it came to unconventional fashion choices, Melkith had never once been outdone, but at todays banquet, she had beenpletely overwhelmed by Noir. However, Noirs appearance had been so unconventional, yet also so beautiful, that Melkith had no choice but to acknowledge her defeat. So Melkith had decided to give her respects to Noir, regardless of the fact that thetter was a demonfolk, and was genuinely curious about the source of the bikini that Noir had worn. How the fuck would I know that? Eugene cursed. Melkith pouted, You. No matter what, dont you think its too much for you to swear at your big sister like that? In the past, you always treated me with respect while calling me big sister Melkith, but now that you have gotten a big head because of all the people calling you a hero, you even dare to swear at your big sister like that? Eugene protested, When did I ever call you big sister, Lady Melkith? Melkith sniffed, Whatever, in any case, your words have really saddened me. As such, I demand you lend me Wynnyd. You still havent given up on that yet? Eugene sighed. Give up? The words give up dont exist in my, Melkith El-Hayahs, dictionary. Honestly, Eugene, even in your opinion, hes going too far, isnt he? No, just think about it. Three of the Spirit Kings have already epted me. The Spirit King of Lightning, the Spirit King of Earth, and the Spirit King of Fire are all satisfied, content, and happy to have signed a contract with me. So why is it only Tempest who keeps refusing? Doesnt that mean Tempest is the strange one? You understand what Im saying, right? Melkith poured out this torrent of words without pausing to breathe. Although it might just be Melkiths forcefulness temporarily overwhelming his reason, when he thought about it logically, Eugene had to concede that Melkiths words were correct. Even if she wasnt the most normal person, it was true that Melkith was an unprecedentedly talented Spirit Summoner who had managed to make a contract with three Spirit Kings. And looking at how the Spirit Kings had reacted to Melkiths foolish actions back at the port and the fact that they didnt object when she had used her Signature spell, Spirit Combination, just to march in the parade it also seemed to be true that the Spirit Kings were satisfied with their contracts with Melkith. [Hold on, Hamel, theres a problem with the very basis of that opinion. Since they already made a contract, isnt it only natural for them to follow their Spirit Summoners requests? And also, while Im not sure about Earth and Lightning, we do know that the Spirit King of Fire didnt sign a contract with Melkith El-Hayah because he approved of her. He only signed a contract after Melkith proved her determination to prevent the birth of a new Demon King,] Tempests voice urgently spoke up inside Eugenes head. Since both sides had a point, Eugene nodded with the grave majesty of a stern Supreme Court Justice and pronounced, If that is how Lady Melkith feels, I am willing to lend you Wynnyd for some time, subject to certain conditions. Tempest let out a roar, [Hamel! Have you lost your mind? Besides, Wynnyd doesnt belong to you. It is a treasure of the Lionheart n! That means Vermouth entrusted it to the protection of the n! It would be absurd for you to just lend it out to someone of your own volition!] Thinking about it, Tempest also had a point. Back when he was studying abroad in Aroth, Eugene had to get the guarantee of Carmen and the Knights of the ck Lion as a whole to briefly lend Wynnyd to Melkith. However, at that time, Eugene had only been a seventeen-year-old teenager, and he hadnt yet been recognized as the Hero; it was also his first time meeting Carmen. Is that okay? Eugene turned his head and asked. But what about now? Just who do you think I am? Eugene asked Tempest. The God of War, Agaroth. The Pride of the Lionhearts. The Hero of Light. The ck Lion. As long as the conditions are appropriate, Carmen readily agreed to Eugenes request with a nod. Its not like youre handing it overpletely, so it doesnt really matter if its just allowing her to borrow it for a few days, the Council Head Klein nodded along in acquiescence. Eugene, just do as you wish, Gilead also gave a final nod of approval. [Gaaaaagh!] Tempest let out a terrible scream. Kyaaaaah! Melkith cheered in excitement. Her shout of joypletely changed the atmosphere in the banquet hall. After exchanging a few nces, the band began ying some livelier music, and the gazes fixed on Eugene also quietly slid away from him. As the change of atmosphere slowly ripened, Eugene closed his eyes for a few moments to listen to the music. Though, in fact, no matter how hard he tried to appreciate it, it wasnt of any use. Although he had listened to this type of music from a young age as part of his aristocratic education, whether it was in his past life or his current one, Eugene had no clue in regards to music, and he alsocked the sensitivity needed to feel the subtle nuances when appreciating music. He couldnt remember it clearly, but he felt like that must have also been the case when he was Agaroth. Even so, he could at least dance while following the flow of the rhythm. That might not have been the case in his past life, but in this life, he had received a thorough education in how to do so. One, two, one, two, three. Eugene idly tapped the tips of his shoes as he reminisced on his childhood. His extraordinary figure, apanied by his long limbs, could make any observer think he was a pretty decent dancer just by shaking his body roughly in time with the rhythm. Alright, Eugene came to a decision and headed over towards Sienna. Sienna, who had been having an idle conversation as she stood in a group with Lovellian, Melkith, and Hiridus, suddenly gulped, the hand holding her champagne shaking when she saw Eugene begin to approach her. Master, Eugene called out to Sienna. He couldn''t call her by her name since there were too many eyes on them. While carefully managing his expression, Eugene politely came to a halt in front of Sienna. Would you be willing to grant your disciple a turn on the dance floor? Eugene formally requested. A blush appeared on Siennas cheeks. Before she could even give her reply, tears were already flowing down from Lovellians eyes. Although he hadnt managed to obtain a definite answer, Lovellian had guessed that Eugene was indeed the reincarnation of Hamel. That was why Lovellian couldnt help but feel such a great surge of emotion at this moment. Two heroes who had met a tragic ending three hundred years ago and lost their chance at happiness were now reigniting their past romance. A warrior who had died alone in the battle was reincarnated as the Hero and a massively aplished wizard who had lived in solitude for hundreds of years, filled with grief despite the worlds admiration. Such a pair, who had managed to transcend over three hundred years, were now holding hands and dancing right in front of Lovellian. In that case, there was no way that he, Lovellian Sophis who had enshrined the Wise Sienna as his grandmaster and who had somehow be the teacher of Eugene Lionheart, who was formerly known as the Stupid Hamel could just watch this happen without doing anything. Lovellian immediately made an arcane hand gesture to summon something. A beautifully curved violin appeared in his hands. Next to magic, ying this instrument was the skill that Lovellian held the most confidence in. Since he was a young man, ying this instrument had been one of his passions. And even to this day, this violin was something that he yed in the solitude of the early hours of the morning when he was filled with emotion. Moreover, this was a magical violin. Allow me to y everyone a song, Lovellian dered. Who could have imagined that the oh-so-serious Red Tower Master would even take it upon himself to perform for an audience? Melkith and Hiridus, who held identical positions as Tower Masters, turned to look at Lovellian in astonishment. However, without feeling even the slightest speck of embarrassment, Lovellian positioned the violin onto his shoulder and rested his chin on the chinrest. Tiriring~ A sparkling bow of light grazed across the strings, producing enchanting music. Chapter 400: A Dream (6) Even the band ying in the banquet hall couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback by Lovellian¡¯s desire to y a sudden improvisational performance. Just think about it. Tonight¡¯s banquet was being held within Shimuin¡¯s royal pce, and it wasn¡¯t just any ordinary banquet either. Most of the continent¡¯s most powerful rulers had gathered here tonight to participate in an auspicious celebrationmemorating the Hero¡¯s defeat of a Demon King. There was no way that a band that had been invited to such a banquet was any ordinary band. Each band member was a musician who had made a living through their music for dozens of years, and they had all received great acmation from the world of arts. To them, Lovellian¡¯s sudden behavior of pulling out a violin was not only bewildering, but it also seemed very arrogant. However, such thoughts disappeared into thin air the moment Lovellian began to y the violin. This was an Archwizard of the Eighth Circle, one of a handful who stood at the top of the magical field in the entire continent. This was the Red Tower Master, grand-disciple of the Wise Sienna and Eugene Lionheart¡¯s magic teacher. But all thoughts of his identity disappeared because the way he yed the violin was so incredible that it was impossible to believe that this was a man who had devoted his entire life to magic. Of course, there was some sound correction from the violin¡¯s enchantments, but even without that, Lovellian¡¯s musical skills were indeed excellent. They hadn¡¯t seen the notes of the song ahead of time, but the band immediately began to harmonize with Lovellian¡¯s performance. The rich melody that this created resonated throughout the banquet hall. Eugene hadn¡¯t been nning to draw this much attention, but¡­ since the sword was already drawn, he had to go ahead and cut the knot[1]. Calming his nerves, Eugene began to step in time to the music. Sienna had never been taught how to dance, but she moved agilely, following Eugene¡¯s lead. ¡®This¡­ this is¡­,¡¯ Sienna gulped nervously as she stared into Eugene¡¯s eyes. Because the distance between them was so close, when she raised her head, all Sienna could see was Eugene¡¯s face. Likewise, Eugene had also bowed his head slightly to look down into Sienna¡¯s face. Seeing Eugene from this angle, that of a tall, handsome man bowing his head slightly to look down at her, Sienna¡¯s shoulders trembled, and she unconsciously avoided Eugene¡¯s gaze. Sienna silently screamed, ¡®Why does he look so handsome today¡ª¡¯ No, that wasn¡¯t it. He had always looked this handsome. Though using handsome to describe his scar-covered face from his previous life might be a bit controversial¡­ in a way, Hamel¡¯s scowling face could be said to have exuded a sort of charm; the charm of someone who looked like a scumbag, but whose actual personality wasn¡¯t that of a scumbag at all. In other words, he wasn¡¯t actually all that ugly, but his looks were seriously undervalued because of all his scarring and his foul expressions. Of course, this was just Sienna¡¯s subjective opinion, but if someone else were to say in front of Sienna, ¡®Doesn¡¯t Hamel¡¯s face look really ugly?¡¯, Sienna would surely chastise them no matter who they might be. Unlike Hamel, who required the addition of suchplex and detailed descriptions to justify his handsomeness, Eugene was just in attractive. No matter who saw him, they had to admit he looked good. But currently, in Sienna¡¯s eyes, it felt like he looked much more handsome than he usually did. This damn bastard had been like this ever since three hundred years ago. Sometimes, and this was truly extremely asionally, he would do such out-of-character things that could shake a woman to her core and leave her heart pounding wildly. As Eugene and Sienna began to dance, other people started making eye contact with each other and forming up in pairs. Most of the guests who hade to this banquet weren¡¯t just those who already stood at the heads ofrge families; they were also mostly middle-aged people of high social status. However, it wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t any young people, half of whom were young knights, and the other half were the young nobles of Shimuin. The nobles were actively moving around, making connections with the other people in the banquet hall, chatting with them, or inviting them to dance. Many youngdies were also approaching Cyan. After all, he was Eugene¡¯s brother and the Lionheart n¡¯s next Patriarch. Though no matter how much they might dream of it, it was impossible to think of bing his wife, but if they were somehow able to build asting rtionship with him today, they might just end up bing his concubine one day. The youngdies who came looking for Cyan were all children of Shimuin¡¯s high-ranking nobles, but even so, they weren¡¯t in the same social ss as the Lionhearts. So, whether it was for their family''s sake or their own ambitions and future, they eagerly approached Cyan. Cyan actually felt awkward being ced in such a situation. This was because, while he had imagined being at the center of such female attention numerous times, he had rarely ever experienced it in person. Since he had been influenced by Eugene from a young age, Cyan had also devoted most of his time to his training. Not only that, but being mindful of his position as the next Patriarch, he had also been educated in various fields of studies, so he hadn¡¯t had much free time to enjoy things like parties. The only parties that Cyan had attended were those where he was apanied by his mother, Anci, or parties attended by the other high-ranking nobles of Kiehl. Because everyone at thosetter parties was wary of drawing Anci¡¯s attention, the youngdies who had been in attendance had rarely approached Cyan. As such, Cyan was left speechless as he stared straight ahead with a mncholy look in his eyes. For the first time in a long time, his mother was smiling shyly as she danced while holding hands with his father. Lady Sienna and Eugene were dancing in the center of the banquet hall. Cyan ground his teeth, ¡®Even that bastard Gargith¡­.¡¯ With his huge, burly build and long beard, Gargith looked like a man in histe 30s even though he was still in his mid-20s. The formal dress that he was wearing was covered in frills, going beyond the point of just looking out of ce, being straight-out hideous. However, even Gargith, who had such a terrible sense of fashion, was dancing with a charming, nobledy¡­. And it wasn¡¯t just Gargith. Among all of the men that Cyan knew, there wasn¡¯t a single one who wasn¡¯t dancing right now. Even Gion, who was well past a marriageable age, Caesar, the vice-captain of the White Lion Knights, and even more surprisingly, Ivatar, who was from the wild Rainforest! If he wanted to, Cyan could also have been dancing. After all, many youngdies had approached him, asking to dance together. However, all of those youngdies had been turned away, and now the only one standing next to Cyan was Aman Ruhr, whose formal dress looked like it might burst apart if the man exerted even a little bit of force. ¡°I really should have brought A with me,¡± Aman said regretfully. ¡°Seeing you and my daughter dancing together would have been such a nice sight.¡± Cyanughed awkwardly, ¡°Haha¡­ yes¡­.¡± ¡°Son-inw, I honestly feel moved by your behavior. If so many girls asked me to dance with them like that, I would have at least apanied them for one song out of courtesy, but to think that my son-inw would actually take the initiative to refuse them all!¡± Aman shook his head in awe. Even though Aman said this, how could Cyan dare to dance with another woman at a party while his fiance¡¯s father was present¡­? Of course, Cyan kept this thought to himself, and even if Aman hadn¡¯t been here, Cyan wouldn¡¯t have been all that interested in dancing with them in any case. That was because he could feel that the women who had approached him were all tantly trying to establish a rtionship with the Lionheart n in any way they could. Cyan wasn¡¯t the only one who wasn¡¯t dancing. There were also Kristina and Anise. The Saints were continuously gulping down wine without a pause as they stared at the center of the banquet hall. ¡°Are you disappointed that you didn¡¯t get to go first?¡± Ciel asked as she stood next to them with her lips set in a pout. Although she didn¡¯t know what the two Saints might think about it, as she had yet to hear their reply, but for Ciel ¡ª she was currently feeling regret and jealousy that she wasn¡¯t the one over there dancing with Eugene right now. Of course, Ciel has also acknowledged the truth in her own head. The person with whom Eugene had ¡®first¡¯ developed romantic feelings for was Sienna. This awkward and messy rtionship had only formed because of Sienna¡¯s understanding and everyone¡¯s refusal to give up. Therefore, rather than feeling jealous of Sienna, Ciel should be thankful that Sienna understood their feelings and allowed them to maintain their current rtionship. But although she knew this in her head, no matter how hard Ciel tried to convince herself, it just didn¡¯t work like she wanted it to. It felt like the inside of her chest was constantly being scratched by fingernails, and her stomach was roiling. Ciel let out a sigh and turned to look at Kristina, ¡®This is¡­ Lady Anise, right?¡¯ Ciel could only guess that this was Anise based on how the priestess kept downing sses of wine without any pauses. Ciel still couldn¡¯t clearly distinguish between the two personalities. Whenever they swapped consciousnesses without any apparent sign, Eugene was the only one who could urately distinguish between the two Saints. If they started talking something, then Sienna could also tell the difference between them, but strangely enough, even without the Saints saying a word, Eugene was able to tell them apart through subtle changes in their gazes or the way they breathed. ¡®Like I¡¯ve always thought, he¡¯s more sensitive than he looks.¡¯ While Ciel was thinking this to herself, a half-empty winess was set down on the table. ¡°I am grateful for what I have,¡± the bted reply came to Ciel¡¯s question with a smile. It was actually Kristina. Although she didn¡¯t like the beer or the highly alcoholic beverages that Anise preferred, wine was something that she had asionally drank even before Anise had manifested within her. ¡°Also, it isn¡¯t like the world is ending tonight, right? I have no intention of rushing into things,¡± Kristina said confidently. ¡°Does Lady Anise also think the same way?¡± Ciel asked cautiously. ¡°Why should I have a different opinion? Like Kristina, I am also grateful and satisfied with everything I currently possess. In the first ce, after what happened three hundred years ago, I didn¡¯t even expect to be able to stand at his side once more, let alone be his first love,¡± Anise said with a snort as she leaned over to Ciel and linked their arms together. ¡°In other words, to me, everything that¡¯s happening now feels like a dream straight out of my fantasies.¡± As Anise¡¯s voice whispered into her ear, Ciel¡¯s shoulders shivered, and for no apparent reason, she felt the urge to lean away from Anise. Amused by Ciel¡¯s reaction, Anise chuckled and said, ¡°Kristina and I are satisfied with just watching Hamel, but¡­ a greedy person like you obviously wants more, don¡¯t you? Their dance is slowlying to an end, so if you¡¯re thinking about mustering up your courage, now would be a good time for it.¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t the two of you intending to dance with him?¡± Ciel asked hesitantly. ¡°Kristina and I don¡¯t know how to dance,¡± Anise admitted. ¡°Also, even if the other person is the Hero¡­ it wouldn¡¯t seem very pious for us, as Saints, to happily dance in front of all these people.¡± She wasn¡¯t just saying this. Among all of the pdins and priests of Yuras, not a single one of them was dancing. ncing at their surroundings, Ciel nervously gulped. What if she got rejected? This fear surfaced for a moment, but Ciel vigorously shook her head, sending such hesitant thoughts flying. However, she couldn¡¯t help the fluttering of her heart, so to settle her emotions, Ciel looked over to Raimira and Mer, who were intently devouring food in one of the corners of the banquet hall. Those two¡­ were eating so much food that it was hard to believe that they had the stomach capacities of young girls that they appeared as. Ciel didn¡¯t know what was going on, but suddenly, while still in the midst of eating, Mer grabbed onto one of Raimira¡¯s horns. Even Raimira, who had been so easy to bully in the past, must have learned to counterattack by now, as she didn¡¯t back down and grabbed onto a fistful of Mer¡¯s hair instead. ¡®Just why are they like that¡­?¡¯ Ciel wondered. After bickering with each other for a while, they both resumed tearing into their food. Could it be that someone¡¯s mental age really is determined by their body? Ciel still couldn¡¯t believe that both of them were beings who had lived for over two hundred years. Still, after watching these two foolish and childish idiots, the fluttering in her heart had calmed down considerably. The music came to an end. ¡°Y-y-you¡¯re a good dancer,¡± Sienna stammered. The dance had to havested for less than five minutes at the very most. A span of time that couldn¡¯t be said to be all that long. However, it felt much shorter than that. Let alone a minute; it felt like the music had ended in a matter of seconds. ¡®It would have been fine to just continue ying for a few more hours,¡¯ Siennained as she felt unjustifiably annoyed with Lovellian. If he had already grasped their situation and decided to y a song for them, then given the opportunity, he should have chosen a very long song to y, so why had Lovellian chosen such a short song? Perhaps it was intentional? Sienna btedly noticed something, ¡°...What¡¯s with your expression?¡± Eugene¡¯s face ¡ª with his lips twisted at a subtle angle, cheeks twitching simultaneously, and brows set at different heights ¡ª bore an expression so annoying that it made one clench one¡¯s fist without even realizing. ¡°Master, you are really terrible at dancing¡­,¡± Eugene secretly whispered. ¡°As a wizard, it makes sense that you don¡¯t have any talent when ites to moving your body, but then again¡­ you are pretty good at fighting, aren¡¯t you? Even so, the fact that you¡¯re still this bad at dancing probably means that you were just born that way.¡± Sienna stared at Eugene, her mouth hanging open speechlessly. ¡°It seems that you need to practice more,¡± Eugene said with a smirk. The amazing dance, his handsome face, the way he had led her through the dance with great care and attention to detail, her pounding heart; all of these things faded away as her head rapidly cooled. What the hell was this crazy bastard saying? As her tightly clenched fists shook with rage, Sienna red at Eugene. ¡®...Hold on¡­,¡¯ Sienna suddenly hesitated. She recalled the casual conversation that they had had, reminiscing about the royal ball from three hundred years ago before theynded at the port. At that time, neither Hamel nor Sienna were any good at dancing. Now, after three hundred years had passed, Sienna still couldn¡¯t dance. This was because, after Hamel had died, nothing in the world could make her want to dance. On the other hand, Hamel had learned how to dance quite well. Sienna was pretty much the same as she had been a long time ago, but far too many things had changed for Hamel. However, even with that, it wasn¡¯t like Hamel had ceased being Hamel. Even if his face, body, and name had all been altered. The man who was currently standing in front of Sienna was still the same man that Sienna had fallen in love with. If it was the Hamel from three hundred years ago, he would definitely have teased her like that after they had finished dancing. Sienna was confident that she had understood his good intentions. This kind-hearted son-of-a-bitch, had said some bullshit like that because he didn¡¯t want Sienna to feel saddened and also because he wanted to show her that he hadn¡¯t changed from what he was like in the past. ¡°Thanks,¡± Sienna said, smiling despite the dampness in her eyes. Embarrassed by how tears kept welling up in her eyes, she turned her head away slightly. ¡®Why is she crying...?¡¯ Eugene wondered. Could she really have been that hurt because he teased her for being bad at dancing? Eugene pondered this question as he stared at Sienna. Surprisingly, the understanding that Sienna had reached was wed from the very beginning. Eugene hadn¡¯t said such a thing for Sienna¡¯s sake. He simply wanted to tease her because she really was terrible at dancing. But even the Wise Sienna wasn¡¯t able to discover the truth immediately. While feeling a surge of joy, she stumbled backward, away from Eugene. Just a moment ago, she had wanted to continue dancing, but now she felt like if she did continue to dance with him, she might burst into tears. Staggering backward, Sienna was quickly supported by Melkith, who had no idea what was going on and was helped into a chair. The music changed. But what kind of coincidence was this? The song that was now being yed was familiar to Ciel, who had heard it in her youth, as it was the song that she had often listened to along with Eugene when they had been receiving etiquette training at the family estate. ¡®This must be fate,¡¯ Ciel decided as the inside of her head brightened optimistically. That¡¯s right. What was the point of hesitating now that things hade to this point? They were just dancing to the music. Although this pce wasn¡¯t the mansion back at the Lionheart estate, it wasn¡¯t like this would be her first time dancing with Eugene. While receiving etiquette training, she had held hands with Eugene and danced in time with him more than once. Thest time was probably¡­ when she was fourteen years old. At that young age, she hadn¡¯t been able to properly understand her own emotions. The urge to tease Eugene and give him a hard time had held a stronger sway over her heart than the potential embarrassment, so she had deliberately stumbled numerous times whenever they had danced together. This was just a case of Ciel having fun while thinking that it would be funny if they fell over each other, but even though she had often stumbled at the most unexpected timing, Eugene would always continue to lead Ciel through the dance without any hesitation. When she thought back to those days, Ciel unconsciously let out a smallugh. With a giggle, Ciel walked over to Eugene. Eugene, who had just been standing there idly, turned his head towards the sound of Ciel¡¯s footsteps. Eugene wasn¡¯t flustered by her arrival. His only thought was, ¡®So she¡¯s finally here.¡¯ Eugene had predicted that once he started dancing at this banquet, Ciel would definitelye looking for him. ¡°Isn¡¯t this a familiar song?¡± Eugene said as he broke the silence with a grin. Those words and the apanying smile surprised Ciel. ¡°You remember it?¡± Ciel asked. ¡°Of course I remember it,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Although I¡¯ve forgotten the name of the mustachioed man who came to teach us etiquette, I can at least remember the song that he yed for us so often that I got sick of it.¡± ¡®So I¡¯m not the only one who remembers that,¡¯ Ciel thought with a startled gasp before lighting up with a familiar smile. While slowly holding her hand out towards Eugene, Ciel said, ¡°Since we¡¯re both familiar with it, how about we dance together?¡± After she had said this, time seemed to stretch forward like melted cheese. The gap between how the time was actually passing and Ciel¡¯s perception of time felt enormous. It had to have been only a few seconds at the very most, but that short amount of time felt far too long and slow for Ciel. ¡°Alright,¡± Eugene agreed. However, the moment Eugene replied, the flow of time returned to normal. To Ciel, it felt like time had suddenly shrunk, like releasing a rubber band that had been pulled taut rather than melted cheese. Ciel tried to respond calmly, but her voice didn¡¯te out like she wanted it to. In the end, instead of replying, Ciel forced her lips into a smile and grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand. Crackle. The moment their hands met, even though this wasn¡¯t the first time they had done so, it felt like an electric current was passing between their skins, connecting them for the first time. From that moment onwards, even the song she was so familiar with sounded like it wasing from far away. All Ciel could hear was the sound of Eugene breathing. She somehow managed to move her body and dance, but she couldn¡¯t even tell if she was dancing properly or not. Shouldn¡¯t she look down to check her steps? But such thoughts didn¡¯t even ur to her. Ciel¡¯s eyes could only see Eugene, and she didn''t even try to look anywhere else. Also, in the privacy of her own head, she thought to herself, ¡®Indeed, it can¡¯t be anyone other than you.¡¯ In her heart, Ciel wanted to keep staying with him forever. Even if it meant being stubborn, she wanted to go wherever Eugene went. ¡®...But that won¡¯t do,¡¯ Ciel sadly realized. This was the same song they had often listened to when they were young. The same dance that they had once danced together. But by now, many things had changed. Aside from the fact that neither of them were children any longer, Eugene had risen to an extremely high and distant position. Even though they had danced together like this while reminiscing about their childhood, it was impossible for things to be the same as they were in the past. ¡°I¡­,¡± Ciel leaned her body forward slightly. The lines of the dance weren¡¯t disturbed, but thanks to the fact that Ciel was leaning in so close to him, it looked as if they were hugging. ¡°...I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Ciel promised. She didn¡¯t say this, expecting him to give her a response. ¡°I¡¯ll return to the main estate, and like you said, I¡¯ll train hard¡­.¡± Ciel swore, ¡°I¡¯ll be a person who can be of some help to you, even if it¡¯s only once.¡± She would find something that the Archwizard Sienna couldn¡¯t do. Something that even the Saints, Kristina or Anise, weren¡¯t capable of. However, it had to be something that only Ciel could provide to Eugene. ¡°So¡­,¡± Ciel trailed off. She needed to train her mana, raise her mastery of the White me Form, and gain control over her Demoneye, which couldn¡¯t currently be used at her own will. ¡°...tell me that you trust me,¡± Ciel requested. Although it wasn¡¯t asking for much, why did it feel so heavy to say? And why was her face getting so warm once more? Ciel hesitated and lowered her gaze. ¡°Why are you shaking so much when you talk to me,¡± Eugene let out augh and grabbed Ciel by the arms. Her body was suddenly pulled into a hug as she spun around in Eugene¡¯s arms. Eugene smiled down at her, ¡°Of course I trust you, Ciel.¡± Ciel took a deep breath upon receiving this reply. It was the reply that she had been hoping for. It was also the one that she had been expecting him to give. However, when she tried to think of how to respond to those words, the inside of her head turned nk, and she just couldn¡¯te up with anything. So Ciel just slightly nodded her head. That was enough for her. I trust you. In fact, what she really wanted him to say was something much more embarrassing¡­. What she wanted was words packed full of his love, but that would be too greedy of her. ¡®This is enough,¡¯ Ciel repeated to herself. The sound of music that she hadn¡¯t even been able to hear before started to reach her ears once more. She even became conscious of how she was moving her body, or rather, not moving it. ¡®Oh my god, just what was I doing?¡¯ Ciel gasped in embarrassment. It definitely couldn¡¯t have been called dancing. After all, she had just been allowing herself to be pulled around by Eugene. Ciel clicked her tongue, disappointed with herself for behaving so stupidly. She didn¡¯t know about anything else, but she had at least thought that she should dance better than Sienna, who had managed to dance with Eugene earlier. But looking at what she had done thus far, it was a terrible dance on par with what Sienna had managed. ¡®This won¡¯t do,¡¯ Ciel decided, her expression bing serious. After reaching this decision, Ciel cleared her thoughts and focused on her dancing. Once his dance with Ciel hade to an end, Melkith came over to Eugene, putting up a fuss and demanding to dance with him. Sienna was tantly ring at Melkith, but Melkith seemed oblivious to her stare and clung to Eugene, begging him. ¡°Please, pretty please!¡± In the end, Eugene was only freed after Lovellian and Hiridus managed to wrangle Melkith. ¡°Did you enjoy dancing with them?¡± Next, Eugene had to face the questioning of Kristina and Anise as the two poured alcohol down their throats like it was water. ¡°We have no intention of dancing in any case, so we didn¡¯t feel any childish jealousy as we watched you dance. However, we¡¯ve been drinking on our own until now, and you haven¡¯t had any drinks so far, right? As such, you should at least apany us for the rest of the night,¡± they insisted. Despite her saying they didn¡¯t feel any jealousy, the light in her eyes was cold-blooded. A lot of people approached Eugene, hoping to have a short conversation with him. But even someone like Ivatar was intimidated by the look that Kristina and Anise gave him, so no one was actually able to speak to Eugene. In the end, Eugene just sat next to Kristina and gulped down his drinks until the party came to an end. 1. The original text says, ¡®cut something,¡¯ but that sounds a bit limp to me, so I made it into a reference to the Gordian knot. ? Chapter 401: Sacred Statue (1) The festival had drawn to a close, and guests from foreignnds had taken their leave. The members of the Lionheart family, too, journeyed back to Kiehl and the ck Lion Castle. Though they hade to Shimuin for Eugene without hesitation, the ck Lion Castle, which was the border stronghold, couldn¡¯t be left unattended for long. Yet, not all had departed. ¡°When do you suppose we¡¯ll do it?¡± came a voice. While the King of Aroth, the court wizards, and the tower masters had left, Melkith remained in Shimuin. From early dawn, she sought out Eugene, and even now, she trailed behind him while nagging incessantly. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Eugene asked, feigning ignorance. Her eyebrows twitched in irritation. But instead of showing anger, she rubbed her hands together while shing a pitiful smile. ¡°Well¡­ Eugene, we had such a good time yesterday, didn¡¯t we? I thought so, but did you not?¡± Melkith said. ¡°Don¡¯t say something like that. Someone¡¯s going to misunderstand if they overhear your words,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Last night, at the banquet. Was the promise we made just drunken words? Was it just a mere fleeting game for you?¡± Melkith forced tears into her eyes as she clung to Eugene. She pushed herself against him, clearly to draw the attention of onlookers, but to no avail. Still, her desperate attempts proved ineffective. ¡°...Ahem,¡± clearing her throat softly, Melkith straightened up and changed her target. ¡°Big Sis Sienna, speak for me. You also heard it yesterday!¡± Melkith begged. ¡°What¡­ what are you...?¡± stuttered Sienna. ¡°I¡¯m talking about Wynnyd, Wynnyd! Before he danced with you, Sis, he promised to lend me Wynnyd! You heard him!¡± shouted Melkith. Sienna¡¯s face turned a deep shade of red in response. She took a sharp breath before looking around quickly. They stood in the central za of the capital. Due to prior announcements, the crowd was controlled, and the royal knights of Shimuin surrounded the entire square to stand guard. The vast square was nearly empty, but still, Sienna feared someone might have overheard Melkith¡¯s words. [Why are you acting like that after all that...?] Mer murmured as if she found Sienna¡¯s reaction ridiculous. However, Sienna valued her reputation in even trivial matters. As such, this was an important, sensitive topic. She may have danced openly the day before, bute the next day, the memory of that dance left her too embarrassed to even lift her head. That¡¯s simply who Sienna Merdein was as a person. ¡°Don¡¯t remember as you please. I said I would lend it ¡®under certain conditions.¡¯ When did I ever say I''d just lend it to you?¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°You really are too much. After all I''ve done for you, do you really have to go nitty-gritty over the small things?¡± Melkith asked, sounding hurt. ¡°When have I ever directly asked for your help? You always took it upon yourself, Lady Melkith. And every time I received your assistance, I believed I paid a fitting price,¡± Eugene stated coldly. ¡°Eugene, Eugene, such words are really unkind. A fitting price? Our rtionship is not so transactional! If I want to help, I help. If you wish to lend, you lend. Isn¡¯t that better? Look at me! I, the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, flew to this distant southernnd just to celebrate with you and stand by your side against any possible danger!¡± Melkith waved both arms in frustration as she grumbled. Yet, Eugene snorted in derision and responded, "Why do you put on such airs? You weren''t the only one who came for me. Frankly, if we¡¯re talking about great people, isn''t the Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euznd, an immensely remarkable being?" "Ugh¡ª" But Melkith was interrupted before she could respond. "While the Blue Tower Master is not my mentor, during my studies in Aroth, he provided me with insights on magic several times. He also stood by me during the hearings,¡± continued Eugene. "Ughh¡ª" Melkith¡¯s response was cut short once more. "He even came to Shimuin for me this time, yet the Blue Tower Master never once demanded anything from me,¡± dered Eugene. "Shouldn''t you at least give something in return then? Maybe send a return gift or so?" Melkith finally retorted. She felt that Eugene was simply too shameless, to the point of disbelief, and red at him with narrowed eyes. At her words, Eugene felt a pang of guilt and thought, ''Perhaps I should send a New Year''s gift¡­.'' Yet, the immediate concern wasn''t his rtionship with the Blue Tower Master, was it? Eugene snuck a nce at Melkith as she approached and asked, "Have you considered any terms?" "I''ve thought about it. But it''s tough. You have so much, Eugene. Even if I were to give an artifact from the White Tower, it would pale inparison to what you possess. And giving money? Even my entire fortune wouldn''t meet your eyes,¡±ined Melkith. ¡°That may be true. I''m not saying I need something right now." Even so, Eugene left room for negotiation. Melkith was an unparalleled master of spirit magic, and she would prove crucial for the uing battles. During the war against the Demon King of Incarceration, Melkith, who had contracts with three spirit kings, would arguably be the most powerful among the wizards, excluding Sienna. But if Melkith sessfully forged a contract with Tempest? Then, Melkith alone could potentially turn the battleground into ruins and ughter the demons. [Well¡­. Yes, probably,] Tempest couldn¡¯t deny that. He disliked Melkith. He found Melkith¡¯sck of dignity unbefitting a master of spirit magic. In addition, the human Melkith El-Haya was¡­ too¡­ peculiar. However, setting that aside, no one could deny Melkith''s genius. Thus, Tempest made his own resolution. The storm was bound by regrets from three hundred years ago. Tempest still longed for a victory he couldn''t grasp in a war long past. When Eugene ascended the Demon King''s castle, Tempest intended to assist Eugene as before, and that was enough. But ¡ª if there was another way to contribute more to the war¡­ admittedly, that was a very tempting thought. "You don''t need artifacts, nor money¡­. Then there''s only one thing I can offer,¡± said Melkith after contemtion. Slowly raising both hands, Melkith pointed a finger gun at Eugene and mock-fired. "I offer myself,¡± she dered with a wink. Eugene''s face twisted in shock, and Sienna''s eyes went cold. A chilling sound of bones cracking emanated from beneath Kristina''s concealed robe. Melkith hadn''t expected such a reaction, and she awkwardly lowered her hand. "Er... my body and heart¡­," she stuttered. "Do you want a beating?" questioned Eugene. "Really, that''s too much. How can you say that to your sister¡­. Ah, okay, I get it. Just listen, don''t leave," Melkith said as she hastily drew forth a quill from within her robes and traced letters in the air. As she did, the space where she inscribed the characters folded upon itself and transformed into a sheet of white parchment. Handing the crisp paper to Eugene, Melkith said, ¡°Know what this is?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°Behold! A Melkith Coupon! If you use this, well, I¡¯m not going to honor requests to die in your stead, kill myself, or whatnot, but¡­. I¡¯ll oblige most other requests,¡± said Melkith. Was this some sort of magical contract? Eugene mused as he examined the silvered Melkith coupon, ¡°Surely this isn¡¯t a one-time deal, right?¡± ¡°What¡­. Huh?¡± Melkith was thoroughly confused. ¡°It seems rather unfair. If you were to form a pact with Tempest, the ord wouldst for decades. Yet you''d heed my request just once for brokering it?¡± questioned Eugene. ¡°Ah.... I.... Is that how it is¡­?¡± Melkith faltered. ¡°Let¡¯s negotiate then,¡± Eugene dered. From his days as a mercenary three hundred years ago, Eugene had learned one essential truth: whether it be a promise or a pact, persistence was key. In simpler terms, he who spoke loudest and most assuredly often prevailed. ¡°Let¡¯s set the deadline till all the Demon Kings have perished from this world,¡± said Eugene. ¡°You mean¡­ I have to honor your requests till then?¡± asked Melkith. ¡°Think, Lady Melkith. Honestly, what is this Melkith Coupon? Even without it, would you refuse my requests? You''d listen, wouldn''t you? Or would you not listen to my requests?¡± said Eugene. ¡°No.... I... I might ponder upon some depending on what you¡¯re asking for¡­ but wouldn¡¯t I likely listen¡­?¡± responded Melkith. ¡°Precisely. Tell me, Lady Melkith, when have I ever burdened you with personal requests? I''ve sought you only for grave matters, for the world, and for justice. When the situation truly, truly needed your intervention,¡± continued Eugene. ¡°That''s... true,¡± Melkith admitted. ¡°It will be the same in the future. That¡¯s why I¡¯m proposing the term to be until all the Demon Kings are no more. With peace reigning supreme, there''d be little need for your aid,¡± concluded Eugene. ¡°But even after the world is at peace, you might need me for other things, right? Heh, this Lady Melkith is adept in more than justbat,¡± Melkith said sneakily. ¡°Should we extend the term of the contract then? How about until you die?¡± said Eugene. ¡°N-No.... Right, let''s settle on the fall of all the Demon Kings,¡± agreed Melkith. Contemting when she might meet her demise seemed vague. Setting the term until all the Demon Kings'' defeat seemed more tangible, and Melkith had already begun to incline towards that sentiment. ¡°It¡¯s settled then,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°Yup!¡± Melkith confirmed as she grinned broadly in agreement. Without dy, Eugene pulled Wynnyd out from his cloak and handed it to Melkith. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Melkith screamed in ecstasy while gripping Wynnyd. It was clear that Tempest''s determination was already wavering by the way the de was trembling in her hands. ¡°Can I depart now? Hmm?¡± Melkith asked in anticipation. ¡°Yes, off you go,¡± responded Eugene. He inspected the Melkith Coupon. Embedded within this coupon was a spirit. It would enable him tomunicate with Melkith from anywhere that was tethered to the spirit realm. "Kyaaao!" Melkith let out a funny scream while swinging Wynnyd as she soared into the sky. Judging by the height she was soaring to, it appeared as though she might be trying tomune with Tempest from a high ce, just as it was done in Aroth in the past. "We don¡¯t have anything to ask of her right now, do we?" Kristina confirmed while stealing a nce towards the sky where Melkith had disappeared into. However, Eugene shook his head with a mischievous smile, "No." "She may be a bit odd, but... um... she seems kind-hearted. Perhaps we should refrain from making strange requests?" said Sienna with a slightly worried expression. As the founder of Circle Magic Form, she held considerable affection for the talented junior Melkith. As fellow wizards, she also recognized her enormous talent and, therefore, wanted to protect her. "Strange requests? What are you thinking?" questioned Eugene. "Like making her run through the streets naked or something¡­," responded Sienna. "Why the hell would I ever ask that?" questioned Eugene. "Then, what are you nning?" asked Sienna. It wasn''t a spur-of-the-moment idea. Eugene had long contemted acquiring the right to ask Melkith for a favor even before she offered a coupon since he concluded there was nothing else he could gain from Melkith. "I intend to ask her to scour the desert on my behalf,¡± stated Eugene. "Amelia Merwin, she''s hiding in Ravesta now, isn''t she?" Kristina said while narrowing her eyes. Eugene had already exined the dream he had witnessed yesterday through Noir. Sienna, Kristina, and Anise knew its contents. The Demon King of Destruction slumbered in the territory of Ravesta. That¡¯s where Amelia Merwin was hiding. Meanwhile, Vermouth was sealed in what could be considered the Demon King''s temple, bound to a chair by chains¡­. "The dungeons of the Nahama desert have the secondrgest number of ck wizards after Helmuth." With Sienna''s return, the ck Tower of Aroth had copsed on its own. ck wizards had mostly vanished from Aroth, likely guessing that the Wise Sienna, who had opposed the tower''s establishment long ago, still did not favor them. Most had either returned to Helmuth or sought refuge in the dungeons beneath the Nahama desert. "Amelia Merwin can''t hide in Ravesta forever. At some point, she''ll have to leave. But we don''t have to just wait for that." Amelia Merwin held no official position in the Desert Kingdom of Nahama. However, it was an unspoken truth that she was the sultan¡¯s closest confidant, even if she held no official title. She had even participated as the sultan¡¯s adviser during the Knight March. Furthermore, she was the dungeon master of the desert. While she might not have direct disciples, realistically, countless ck wizards would be serving under her. Eugene had obtained information on the dungeon¡¯s ck wizards from Kiehl¡¯s spies. Kiehl bordered Nahama and was at odds with Nahama''s aggressive territorial expansion. Were it not for Helmuth, a war would have erupted between Kiehl and Nahama long ago. "It''d be easier to ask Lady Melkith rather than searching that vast desert alone. She¡¯s contracted with the Earth Spirit King, so she would be far better at scouring the desert than me,¡± stated Eugene. In Amelia''s absence, the ck wizards could be hunted down one by one. They would be pushed out of their hiding holes. That would weaken Amelia¡¯s power, and perhaps she might even run out from Ravesta in her rage. Moreover, it would also serve to taunt Nahama, who was very clearly wary of offending Helmuth. ¡®If you hade to Shimuin with your tail lowered, I might have spared you,¡¯ Eugene thought. Nahama was a wretched nation, second only to Helmuth in its number of ck wizards. Even three centuries ago, Eugene held no fondness for Nahama. During his days as a mercenary, he was often thwarted by desert-born assassins, and the public secret had been that Nahama allied with ck wizards and demons. "Are you nning to wage war against Nahama?" Kristina asked, concern evident on her face. "The Tower Master of Aroth must remain neutral¡­. If we''re not careful, a war might erupt between Aroth and Nahama. That would make the position of all the Tower Masters precarious," Sienna murmured. To this, Eugene proudly pointed to the emblem on his left chest. It was a thing he obtained just yesterday. The emblem ¡ª a lion''s crest ¡ª shone brightly. ¡°So what,¡± Sienna questioned. It was a promise to heed Eugene''s request, bypassing all protocols, even invoking the royal authority if needed. Indeed, in Aroth, the Tower Masters must stand neutral. If Melkith, a Tower Master, were to provoke Nahama, leading to an outbreak of war, Aroth would likely hold Melkith ountable rather than engage in the battle. But what if Eugene were to invoke the emblem''s power? What if he were to say that Nahama''s embrace of ck wizards was an affront? What if he suggested they go to war? "You cheeky brat¡­," Sienna muttered under her breath once she realized Eugene¡¯s thoughts. Eugene just responded with a snort. Of course, a war might not necessarily ensue. If it did, wouldn''t it be akin to Nahama openly admitting their subservience to Helmuth? On the surface, Nahama seemingly had no connection with Helmuth. At most, the sultan''s advisor was a ck wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, merely the current Staff of Incarceration. Moreover, they would reason that ck wizards simply loved the desert, which was why so many resided in Nahama. ¡®Bullshit,¡¯ Eugene cursed to himself. The Demon King of Incarceration would not directly wage war for the sultan. But observing the audacity of that wretch, it seemed he might not prevent Helmuth''s demons from aiding Nahama, even if he were not to participate in a war directly. If Nahama could not withstand the blows from all sides and dered war, the demons contracted with the ck wizards of Nahama could well join the war. And that oue, ironically, was what Eugene hoped for. "Now then," Eugene adjusted his expression and focused on the task ahead. Now that he had what he needed from Melkith¡­ it was time that he tended to the matter in the square. "Should I... strike a pose¡­?" he pondered aloud. A statue titled ''Hero Eugene Lionheart'' was to be erected in this very square. With a sigh, he cast a forlorn gaze at the waiting dwarf artisans in the distance. Chapter 402 – Sacred Statue (2) [Bonus Image] Chapter 402 Sacred Statue (2) [Bonus Image] Eugene was certain that even if he considered his present life, his past life, and the life before that, the experience he endured in Shimuin was the pinnacle of humiliation. The parade on the tinum Lion had been dreadful enough but now, he found himself striking a pose in front of countless onlookers who surrounded the square. "Im asking because Im truly curious, and I dont know any better, but do we really need to do this here?" Eugene inquired, his voice barely more than a whisper. It was clear that his patience was strained to its limit. The dwarf responsible for the statues creation had a notably crafty appearance. He raised an eyebrow in response to Eugenes question, Should we not construct the most fitting statue for the scenery? "Shouldn''t a master sculptor be able to capture a pose in the confines of a workshop and still optimize it for this kind of backdrop?" retorted Eugene. "Well, if our Hero here were a professional model, one who could reveal vitality with the movement of his every fingertip and naturally fit into anyndscape simply by standing, then perhaps that might be possible, but," the dwarf trailed off here. He adjusted his bread-shaped hat with a touch of disdain, then continued, "A statue''s essence is produced not just by its sculptor but also its model. Regrettably, for all your striking appearance, your posing leaves much to be desired, Hero." Eugene fell silent at this tant deration. "Do not feel awkward, nor be shy. There are statues meant to convey such feelings, but the one we''re erecting here should depict the Hero, the person who vanquished the Demon King, right? It should radiate your valor, your nobility, yet you seem overly embarrassed right now,"ined the dwarf. "If you want those emotions from me, remove the spectators first, Eugene said through clenched teeth. lightsnvl "Each of those individuals admires and reveres you. They came here out of respect. And, Hero, forgive me for asking this question, but was it not you who requested this statue?" Instead of answering, Eugene merely cleared his throat awkwardly. The dwarf tilted his head with confusion before continuing, "Its not like people forced it. We''re erecting it on your request Why are you so embarrassed?" "Lets get it over with quickly," Eugene responded. He felt that if the conversation were to drag on any longer, he might justsh out and beat up the irritating dwarf right in front of the vast crowd. Lets calm down, Eugene told himself. He took a deep breath. Erecting a statue and a triumphal arch in Shimuin held profound meaning. They marked the site where the Hero first defeated a Demon King. Eugene''s feats were already legendary and almost mythical in nature. The statue and arch would be tant symbols. It wouldnt only be presented to thisnd''s citizens but also to people from various nations who woulde to see these monuments. Newspapers and countless books would feature the two structures and idolize the Hero. At that point, feelings of embarrassment seemed less of a concern than the sheer surreal nature of it all. Those unaware might wonder why he''d even bother with such grandiosity. They might even assume the young Hero had been blinded by pride and ambition. But for Eugene, building the statue and the arch was of paramount importance. The Stars had vanished from the White me Form. He couldn''t simply hope to increase their number as he did in the past. Although there remained untested potential in the Moonlight Sword, his confidence in being sessful at his future undertaking was wavering. However, he held unwavering belief when it came to his Divine Sword and divine power. The more he was revered as the Hero, the stronger his divine power would be, and so too would his Divine Sword. Just as the Demon Kings drew strength from terror and awe, gods grew stronger with worship and faith. If Noir had transformed the entirety of Giabe City into a factory for life-force, Eugene needed to harness faith and reverence from the people of the continent. His cheeks burned less with shame when he thought of the situation that way. As per the words of the dwarf, he needed to look proud, brave, and pure to model for the statue. With renewed determination, Eugene took on a pose he deemed the proudest, bravest, and most pure. A statue, indeed, just like a statue. Sienna boasted of possessing countless such statues. Without exaggeration, there were dozens of Siennas statues in Aroth alone. Well, that was if one counted the statues scattered throughout Aroth, along with the ones in the City of Pentagon with its soaring towers. And was that all? The ''Wise Sienna'' was the oracle and beacon for wizards of this age. As such, her statues weremonce even outside Aroth. To exaggerate slightly, almost every location rted to magic housed a statue of Sienna. It wasnt much different for Anise. The Faithful Anise was considered among the holiest saints of Yuras, alongside the Great Vermouth. In fact, she was even more adored and beloved than Vermouth by the people in Yuras. Thus, there were dozens of Anises statues in Yuras, as well as many more when counting those erected in countries that followed the Church of Light. But what about the statues of the Stupid Hamel? Sure, they existed. However, this much was clear: While there were statues of the Hero and hispanions, which depicted all five of them, there was only a single statue of Hamel that stood independently. At my tomb, Eugene thought angrily. The very thought made his insides boil. Hamel''s homnd was the Kingdom of Turas. Yet, most in Turas wouldn''t even know Hamel hailed from theirnd. In those times, a proper census of the territories wasnt conducted, and Hamels hometown had been located at the farthest edge of the kingdom. In fact, it was now a desert. Most other statues depicted Vermouth and hispanions. The best of them was the one erected by Molon in the capital of his kingdom, which featured only Molon and Hamel. The more I think about it, the more it pisses me off, Eugene thought with gritted teeth. He felt a slight surge of anger, but at the same time, he felt that this moment was special. Because at this moment, the statue of Eugene Lionheart, who was once Agaroth and Hamel, would be erected of his own ord. His resolve strengthened. Eugene flung his cloak wide and drew the Holy Sword. Sienna''s mouth gaped open. Anise was equally shocked as she watched Eugene through Kristinas eyes. It wasn''t just the act of drawing the sword that shocked them. Rather, it was that Eugene raised the gleaming de towards the heavens. Even without the wind, his cloak billowed wildly. And it did not just billow randomly, but it red in a manner that perfectlyplemented the grandeur of Eugene''s stance. The cloaks movement did nothing to blemish his stance. Rather, it couldnt be more perfect. The lighting seemed strange as well. The glow that outlined Eugene mixed perfectly with the surroundings. It wasnt a blinding light that would obscure his form, but rather the kind that highlighted and glorified him. "Crazy bastard," Sienna murmured. She was lost for words. From within the cloak, Mer diligently manipted the cloaks movements to give it such an appearance, and Raimira infused the space with light to cast a filter over Eugene. Eugene stood with a solemn, righteous expression, aided by the duo hidden within his cloak. "Ah, how can he look so pure and majestic!? Kristina expressed, dazed. Anise was astounded as well, but Kristina was utterly mesmerized. She sped her hands and gazed up at Eugene with awe. She wasn''t the only one reacting this way. While Sienna and Anises reaction was one of shock and incredulity because of how familiar they were with Eugene, the crowd outside the square cheered and roared in pure adoration for Eugene. .. It was impossible to construct a statue in just a few hours, even for dwarves. Yes, it might have been possible if they really wanted to, but the statue in question was of the Hero. It was supposed to be a statue destined to endure through the annals of long and vast history. Therefore, it had to be more magnificent and beautiful than any statue that had ever existed in history. In truth, if left to the dwarves'' stubbornness, it would take at least ten more years toplete. Of course, Eugene had no intention of granting them such an extensive duration. "One month. Not a day more, he dered. "Hero! A month is too short!"ined the dwarf artisan. "If it''s not done, it''s not done. If it''s even slightly dyed, even if its a day beyond a month, I will personallye to this nation and destroy the statue you''ve made, threatened Eugene. "What madness is this!?" retorted the dwarf. "Madness? Im the client, and this is what Im asking, so why are youining so much? Anyways, know this: if it isn''t done in a month, your kin won''t be trusted with the task, continued Eugene. "Who else in this world, other than us dwarves, could immortalize the image of the Hero?" asked the dwarf. "There might be other races capable of it. I think human sculptors are quite skilled, too. Perhaps there are sculptors among the elves, responded Eugene. "Do you think those long ears even understand art? All they know how to do is nibble on leaves in the forest like bugs and make green poop. The best they can do is carve on bark! the dwarf shouted in frustration. Sienna''s eyes red with anger upon hearing his words. She secretly held a prejudice against the dwarves. She looked down on them and considered them a stinky race. In addition, she got angered when she felt slighted very much a human trait of hers. "Restrain yourself, warned Anise, making sure that Sienna would not fly into a rage. Eugene also was slightly worried, wondering if Sienna might lose control. However, he could sigh in relief when he saw Anise helping her calm down. "Well... elves are a beautiful race, so they might have some sense of art, and given their long lifespans," muttered Eugene. "Don''t be ridiculous! Do you not know the innate ws of the elves!? Despite their longevity, despite living centuries, they spend most of it idly in forests! If they used lifespans wisely, the greatest warriors, wizards, sages, and craftsmen of this continent would all be elves, roared the dwarf. "Let, let, let me at that dwarf!" Sienna cried out, unable to word the sentence coherently due to her rage. Everything the dwarf said made sense to Eugene, but Sienna didn''t take it that way. Eugene barely managed to soothe Siennas rage, stopping her from breaking free of Anises attempts to calm her and beating the dwarf with her staff. He exhaled deeply and fixed his gaze on the dwarf. "Anyways," Eugene said, "My stance remains unchanged. One month. No more. If you wish to mark in your racial history that you crafted the first statue of the Hero, finish it within the month." "Hmm." The dwarf looked glum. "Why are you moping? You said you already found the inspiration you needed, didnt you? questioned Eugene. The pose Eugene had demonstrated was firmly etched in the dwarf''s mind. After making observations from multiple angles and adjusting positions several times, the dwarf had chosen the perfect spot in the square as well. Now, all that remained was to craft the statue just as he remembered and as recorded with the aid of magic. Eugene sent the dwarf back after refusing further negotiations. He returned to the mansion where Ciel, Dezra, and Carmen had been staying. The trio had already left to return to the main family early in the morning. ~ Tell me that you trust me. ~ The earnestness in Ciel''s eyes was still vivid in memory. Earlier in the morning, as Eugene shared farewells with the trio, Ciel had surprisingly said little before parting with Eugene. ~ Wait for me. ~ A radiant smile. A voice firm in its resolve. Judging by the resolve he had seen in her, she was likely engrossed in training beneath theke by now. "We have nothing else to do in Shimuin, right? Eugene asked. "Right," one of thedies confirmed. There was nothing to take from the mansion. Everything had already been sent back home, including the two Exids given by King Oseris, ten dwarf artisans led by Gondor, and the corpse of Raizakia Eugene had stored in the cloak. Although setting up a new workshop would take some time, by midsummer at thetest, the dwarves would disassemble Raizakia''s body and craft armaments for the Lionheart nsmen. "We can set out tomorrow," Eugene replied while stretching out on the sofa. Melkith had been tasked with scouring the Nahama Desert. It was deemed that rather than Eugene, the Hero, making a move from the beginning, Melkith would receive a better reception in Nahama as a neutral party. In the meantime, Eugene and hisrades decided to head to Ruhr. "Shouldn''t we get that fool Molon a gift or something?" Sienna''s eyes sparkled with mischief as she spoke. Though Eugene and Anise had met Molon justst year, for Sienna, this reunion was nearly two hundred years in the making. "Didn''t you say that the idiots already half crazy? What''s good for mental health? How about a canvas and a set of paints? Maybe he can paint when he feels unstable, joked Sienna. "You seem to misunderstand," retorted Eugene. "Molon isn''t trapped and helpless like you. He can get what he needs on his own." "How about magical shackles, then? Not ordinary ones, but magical ones that I craft personally, suggested Sienna. "Why on earth would you suggest that?" questioned Eugene. "As a gift for Molon. Ill make him shackles he can wear when he feels like he''s losing it, responded Sienna. "Do you think youre the Demon King of Incarceration or something?" Eugene asked, bbergasted. Sienna looked at him, taken aback. "Dont you think calling me a Demon King is a bit too much?" "That was indeed an inappropriate analogy, Sir Eugene. Please apologize," Kristina intervened. "Yes... I''m sorry," Eugene conceded. He was forced to, with both of them acting so humorless. Sienna contemted for a moment before resuming, I think the canvas and paints might be a good idea. Like you said, Eugene, even if Molon can get what he needs, I doubt he''d buy a canvas and paints." "He might have a talent for art, you know," Anise chuckled while recalling the past and sipping on her drink. "Don''t you remember? Whenever we camped, Molon used to carve sculptures out of rocks and logs when there was nothing else to do." Aniseughed heartily as she shared in this memory. Eugene''s memory, too, had resurfaced. Indeed, just as Anise had said, Molons sculptures had been reasonably nice. "Molon is better than the elves,mented Eugene. "You... you piece of what did you just say?! There are artists among elves as well! Even my own brother paints beautifully. And there were some elves who sculpted!" retorted Sienna. "Then why are all the renowned craftsmen of the world dwarves?" questioned Eugene.bender "Thats because elves aren''t as greedy as dwarves! To elves, everything in the world belongs to nature. It''s not a thing to trade with money! Elves don''t obsess over leaving behind art; once made, it''s returned to nature!" Sienna argued with trembling shoulders. Of course, Eugene had no interest in the truth of Sienna''s im. He gave a casual response and nced over at Mer and Raimira, who were engrossed in a game on one side of the room. Both looked extremely serious. However, whenever the two of them yed any game, it was rare for one to decisively win. If it seemed Mer would win, Raimira would turn the tide, and vice versa. "Are you nning to test the Moonlight Sword where Molon is? asked Anise. "Well, if the Moonlight Sword goes berserk again, calming you down might be more a job for Molon than us,mented Sienna. Molon was as strong and durable as he was simple. The Moonlight Sword might repel mana, magic, and even divine power, but Molon''s strength would likely prevail against it. "But... wasn''t the reason Molon lost his mind rted to the power of destruction? Wouldnt the Moonlight Sword adversely affect him?" Sienna questioned after some thought. "Then I''ll just smack some sense back into him," responded Eugene. "What if both you and Molon go berserk?" asked Sienna. "Then you guys can beat some sense into us, Eugene responded simply. "What in the world are you saying, you crazy bastard?!" Sienna asked with a baffled look. Eugene chuckled and waved his hand dismissively, "I don''t know about me. But Molon will be fine." "How can you be so sure?" questioned Sienna. "Because it''s Molon, answered Eugene. ~ Every time you be strange, suffer, or go mad, I''ll call you a fool ande to beat you up. ~ It was a conversation he had with Molon before parting. ~ Molon, you''re not alone. You haven''t weakened either. Why? Because I''ve taken blows from you like there''s no tomorrow. That alone proves your strength. You''re still a brave and strong warrior. ~ It had been a clumsy and awkward constion. Eugene had offered these words while on the brink of death after being beaten by Molon as he received support from Kristina and Anise. Yet, having shared that conversation, Eugene believed in Molon. "I agree with Hamel. Molon is fine. It''s true his mind had been unstable, but... we met Molon only a year ago," Anise chimed in with a smile of agreement while sipping her drink. She had been listening to their conversation in silence. ~ Molon, you are the only one capable of fulfilling this mission. Even if we were all alive, we would have had to entrust this to someone. Not just Sir Vermouth, but even we would have asked you the same. ~ When Anise said as much, Molon had responded. ~ Then I have no choice but to do it. ~ This is pissing me off. Sienna''s face flushed with anger as she listened. "What you''re all recalling now is from when I wasn''t there, she said. "That''s right. It was when you were sealed within the World Tree," Eugene replied nonchntly. Anise, however, whispered with a serpentine smirk, "Yes, Sienna. This is a memory you don''t share. Its one between Kristina, Hamel, Molon, and me." Sienna''s fists trembled at her words. "Let''s ask Molon to lose his mind once more. Notpletely, just about half, Sienna dered. "Are you crazy?" Eugene asked, shocked. Sienna snapped, "I mean, he should only pretend to go mad. Dont overthink it. Just recreate the situation when I wasn''t there. I just want to say something usible to Molon when he regains his sanity." "Why enact such a scene? We could simply meet Molon and tell him directly, said Anise. "If we greeted each other warmly and then blurted out such words, wouldn''t it seem strange?" asked Sienna. "You''ve always been peculiar. No need for unnecessary worries now, retorted Anise. With a snort, she poured more wine into her cup. Sienna pouted, pondering what words she would have for Molon. She suddenly eximed, "The northernnds are cold, right? Winter clothes... no, no! A hot river!" "You mean a hot spring?" asked Anise. "Yes, a hot spring! Molon boasted about the hot springs in his homnd. We couldn''t go three hundred years ago, but now we can," Sienna trailed off before coughing awkwardly. She nced at Eugene, then at Anise, who held her cup mid-air. After a pause, Sienna said, "I meant with you, Anise." "...Yes, I see. Ah, I remember. Three hundred years back, we made a promise, Sienna. You and I would bathe together in the hot spring." In the face of Sienna''s sudden enthusiasm, Anise, who''d harbored a glimmer of hope, showed her clear disappointment with her clumsy attempt at recovery. Chapter 403 – Raguyaran (1) Chapter 403 Raguyaran (1) [The womans lost her mind.] Why the sudden realization? Eugene thought as he exchanged his shoes for ones better suited for traversing the snowden grounds. [Hamel, I made a decision for the world and for you. I chose to strike a pact with Melkith El-Hayah, whom I viscerally despise. This is not like our previous deal in Aroth. Even if Melkith did not adhere to those bizarre superstitions, I was open tomunicating with her this time around.] Tempests voice resounded in Eugenes head as he continued with his exnation. Eugene continued with his activities while listening to Tempest. He changed into a coat fit for tundra crossings, then set Mer and Raimira beside himfortably before checking their attire. [But that crazy woman didn''t even attempt a normal conversation with me from the start...! Hamel, do you know the first thing Melkith did after taking Wynnyd? She flew naked over the sea!] Tempests voice was full of horror. Eugene had half-expected her to climb a high tower to face the winds. Oh, but she had tried that before. Considering her past failure, perhaps she thought of trying a different method? Right. The sea did possess winds as strong as those atop towers. And the ''sea breeze'' was a sensation one couldn''t experience ind. However, how much advantage that might offer in striking a deal with the Wind Spirit King was uncertain. As these thoughts upied Eugene, he adjusted the position of Mer''s earmuffs and wrapped a scarf around Raimira. [After flying around naked for a while, that lunatic woman embraced Wynnyd and sought conversation with me. I don''t wish to delve into the details of the conversation, but it was evident Melkith El-Hayah wasn''t in her right mind. Had I not prioritized the greater good, I would''ve refrained from even speaking with her, let alone forming a pact,] Tempest said, sounding thoroughly disgusted. Eugene knew how this story ended. Melkith had promptly returned Wynnyd the very next day after borrowing it. She had long desired a contract with Tempest out of admiration for Vermouth, who mastered the Wind Spirit King. But even if she was an archwizard specializing in spirit magic with unparalleled prowess, her capacity wasn''t limitless. The Spirit King of Lightning, the Spirit King of Earth, and the Spirit King of Fire she already had contracts with three different Spirit Kings. As it turned out, contracting with another one was an impossibility, even if the Spirit King desired it. [The very idea that a human can contract with as many as three Spirit Kings is unthinkable. It''s a pity, Hamel. I genuinely intended to form a pact with Melkith El-Hayah this time.] Contrary to his words, Tempest''s voice sounded remarkably calm as he spoke. In stark contrast, when she arrived that morning, Melkith''s face was ashen. Her eyes had been swollen from crying, and her voice was hoarse. ''It wasn''t aplete loss, though. Even if she failed to form a contract with you, she did form a contract with a mid-tier wind spirit, didn''t she?'' Eugene asked Tempest as if in constion. Thankfully, the prospect of forming a contract wasn''t entirely off the table. If her vessel wasn''t big enough, it could be expanded. Moreover, regardless of the contract, Melkith waspletely obsessed with Tempest. As such, after having contracted with a mid-tier wind spirit, she was asking it to speak to Tempest on her behalf even now. As expected, Tempest was ignoring her every word. [Never!] Tempest proimed with vehemence. [Never! There will never be a contract formed between Melkith and me. Even if I yearn for it, what''s impossible remains so. It just wont happen. The capacity of a human vessel isn''t so simple that it can be expanded just by wishing for it. Even if Melkith undertook a hundred years of training, erging her vessel to a degree where she could contract with me is simply impossible.] Although Melkith continued to bother Tempest with unsolicited conversations, he could be content knowing that they had not actually formed a contract. This arrangement wasnt detrimental for Eugene either. Although, had Tempest actually bound himself to Melkith, Eugene might have relished in cruel amusement. [You damned cur, Hamel,] Tempest cursed after reading Eugene''s thoughts. Eugene cleared his throat while taking the hands of Mer and Raimira, one in each of his own. Well, in the end, everything worked out, didnt it? You evaded a contract with Lady Melkith, and while she couldn''t bind you, shes connected to you now. And as for me, I used that that voucher to send Lady Melkith straight to the desert of Nahama, Eugene tried to cate Tempest. Though Melkith was initially shocked by the request for her to raid the dungeons of ck wizards in the Nahama desert, given what the contract entailed, she could not refuse Eugenes request. ~ There wont be any problems with this, right? Of course not. Really? If a war erupts because of me and that old man Trempel decides to execute me You wont need to worry about that at all. There won''t be an issue if they know it was at my request. Im telling you. Well, but Eugene, that badge you said you gave to King of Aroth... you know Aroth isn''t an absolute monarchy, right? The king''s power is limited! If the council decides to execute me Do you think that the council has more authority than me? Are their voices louder than that of the Hero''s? ~ In Melkiths opinion, this wasn''t quite the case this wasnt enough to get her executed. Ultimately, Melkith decided to heed Eugenes request, though she kept grumbling about it. Given that her response hade through that very morning, she had likely arrived in the scorching deserts of Nahama by now. ~ And Eugene? He found himself in a stark opposite environment the bone-chilling Northern Kingdom of Ruhr. "Thisdy has never seen snow before!" Raimira squealed in delight. Mer held onto Eugenes hand with a bit more decorum. She murmured as she looked at the antlers on Raimiras head and the snow swirling around her, If only she had a red nose. She would look like Rudolph. The sudden, unexpected remark made Eugene''s cheeks quiver as he tried to stifle augh. Noticing the change in his expression, Mer gave a cheeky smirk. Suddenly, Merined with a pout, That hurts, Sir Eugene. Eugene had pinched her cheek as payback. Kristina watched the yful exchange between Eugene and the two children whose age said otherwise, with a warm expression. Her gaze drifted to the distant castle of Ruhr as she asked, Are you nning to visit the royal castle? "We met the Beast King just yesterday. Why would we need to go to the castle? Lets just continue on, answered Eugene. They needed no preparations for this snowy expedition. The gear from their previous trek was intact, and there was no need to consider Cyan and Ciel''s training quests either. Their destination was the Grand Hammer Canyon of Lehainjar. Though the vast whitendscape made navigation difficult, they had been there before, which meant that Eugene couldn''t get lost. "Its all because I remember the spatial coordinates of that ce, Sir Eugene,mented Mer. While Mer remembered the coordinates, they still had to travel there. However, this journey was substantially easier and faster than their previous one. Last time, they only had the aid of the wolf lent to them by Aman Ruhr, but now, they had a different means of transport. "Why did you even wrap a scarf around thisdys neck and adorn her hands with gloves?" Raimira questioned, her face betraying her confusion. After they had departed the city of Hamelon and made their way north to Rosrok, they journeyed beyond the castle walls in a carriage. She took pleasure that her benefactor was looking after her. Their long carriage ride meant she couldnt walk the snowy ins, and she had only held Eugenes hand for a short time. "Rai," Eugene replied, "Its because I wanted to gift them to you." Raimira''s shoulders shivered with emotion. Obviously, she did not feel the cold as a dragon. However, the warmth Eugene gifted her with the scarf, gloves, and furry clothes was not of the body but of the heart. Raimira had never felt the warmth of a father, and as such, Eugene, with his aloof demeanor yet attentive care, was both a paternal figure and her benefactor. The mere fact that he affectionately called her Rai, which he had only used during their covert entry to Shimuin, was a testament to the special bond they shared. And. And a gift! Raimira removed her scarf. It was clear from her expression that she was immensely touched. "It cant be helped. It''s unheard of for a dragon of thisdys stature to carry another race upon her back, but if its Benefactors request! Thisdy will dly offer her back, dered Raimira. After stripping off the gloves, fur coat, and boots that Eugene had gifted her, Raimira started to dash across the pristine snow. Eugene rushed to stop her with an appalled expression. Not here! Transform in the sky instead! he shouted. If a dragon were to appear just beyond the walls of Rosrok, it was clear that chaos would descend upon them. Raimira had wanted to show off her transformation. She pouted after hearing his words, but as he said, she soared beyond the clouds before reverting to her true form. As a familiar formed from intricate magic, Mer was sensitive to Dragon Fear. However, after receiving enhancements from Sienna, Mer remained unaffected by the aura Raimira unknowingly emitted. "Its quite disgusting now that shes so big, Mer remarked in displeasure. "Do not prattle atop thisdys back," Raimira retorted. The back of Raimiras draconic form was vast. However, it wasn''t inherentlyfortable due to the hard, sharp scales lining her body. But such difort could easily be rectified. A piece of soft fur wasid upon her wide back, and with Sienna casting various spells, their journey through the snow-blown skies felt warm and steady. "How wonderful it would have been to fly atop a dragon three centuries ago? mused Sienna. "Dont say something so stupid, Sienna. If we had been riding a dragon during those times, we would have attracted thebined attacks of demons and demonic beasts, responded Anise. Of course, in this age, such caution wasn''t necessary. Monsters roamed the northern snowfields, but even the most deranged of them wouldn''t dare attack a dragon. In other words, a dragon was the ultimate mode of transportation. There were no natural predators of dragons, which meant that there was no need for caution. To boot, they were swift. It hadn''t been long since their flightmenced, but the walls of Rosrok were already out of sight. At this speed, it would only be a matter of days before they arrived at the Grand Hammer Canyon. ~ As anticipated, they reached the Grand Hammer Canyon on the third day of their journey. This was taking into ount breaking from camp every night, setting up tents, and getting ample rest. Without such pauses, the journey would have only taken a mere two days. But while the dragons were swift two days would be too long to fly Molon from Lehainjar during dire times. If they wanted to summon Molon for help during battles in Babel, they would have no choice but to rely on Ciels Demoneye. Is there enough time? Eugene thought with worry. He recalled Vermouth from Noir''s dream. Vermouth had been worn down to the brink. His appearance had suggested he could copse at any moment. The gaze in his eyes when he lifted his head... The Demon King of Incarceration had said he would wait for Eugene to ascend the Babel. Yet, he also mentioned that the ''end of the Oath'' was nearing. What would happen when the Oath ended, regardless of Eugene challenging Babel? To Eugene, the Oath seemed like Vermouth chained to a chair. Vermouth was sacrificing himself to seal the Demon King of Destruction. Could the end of the Oath signify Vermouth''s inability to function as a seal? Perhaps Vermouth would be utterly broken at the end. Eugene hoped for no such end. Sienna and Anise felt the same. They hadn''t asked yet, but they believed Molon would feel simrly. They all wished to defeat every Demon King and save Vermouth, who was sealing away Destruction for the world. If Vermouth waspletely ruined and became something that was no longer Vermouth Eugene didnt think any further. He couldn''t bear the thought. Just thinking about it soured his mood. He yearned to meet a sane, rtively healthy Vermouth, even if not for a long lifetime. He wanted to punch that inscrutable rascal''s face, then tell Sienna to leave a wound in his chest just as she had been wounded. Knowing her lousy temper, Sienna would probably pierce Vermouth''s heart immediately, and then Anise would whisper to the Light to heal the wound. I should have that bastard Molon beat Vermouth up too, Eugene thought as he was tallying up the scores that needed settling. Because of Vermouth''s request, Molon had been stuck in Lehainjar for nearly one hundred and fifty years. Eugene was confident Molon definitely harbored some grudges against Vermouth. But after settling their old scores perhaps they''d all end up crying together. For some reason, Eugene''s current body was more prone to tears,pared to when he was Hamel. Even if everything ended well he might find himself weeping involuntarily, even if he did not want to. After the tears, they''d probably drown their emotions in drinks for a few days, then. Eugenes train of thought was suddenly interrupted. Something wasing their way. Eugene jumped up from his lounging position. [Kyaaaaaahh!] Raimira screamed in terror because of the sudden interruption. She had been flying high in the sky, even beyond the tall mountain ranges, relishing a peculiar sense of superiority in her flight. Fwoooosh! A deafening sound pierced the sky. In an instant, they saw an uprooted tree hurling towards them like a spear from below. Some madman had ripped a nearby tree from the ground and thrown it their way. [Kyaaaahhh!] Raimira screamed once more, and the tree grew instantly closer. It was just a simple tree. However, the force, speed, and power contained in the tree made it feel as if it could easily go through the hatchlings body. "Hey! I thought Molon was alright!" shouted Sienna. Molon was the only lunatic who would attempt such an attack. Sienna summoned her staff in shock, and Kristina quickly grasped her rosary. Without responding to the outcry, Eugene leaped off of Raimira''s back. Booom! Eugene kicked the tree away. He was thrown backward, and his leg tingled with pain. He looked downward while wincing. He saw Molon standing atop the cliff. Moreover, this fiend seemed intent on hurling an axe next instead of another log. Eugene felt fortunate that the first projectile had been a log and not an axe. "You idiot!" Eugene screamed. The bewildered expression on Molon''s face seemed no worse than thest time Eugene had seen him. Eugene lunged towards Molon in fury as he descended. "Ha Hamel?" Molon responded uncertainly. He blinked rapidly, and his voice was filled with confusion. He had had his reasons for reacting as such. Just moments before, he had in the Nur from the other side of Lehainjar, as he had for decades. After hurling the corpse toward Raguyaran, he had stepped out for a brief respite only to spot a ck dragon soaring high in the sky. Any other dragon he might have reacted differently, but the sight of a ck dragon hadpletely shocked him. Especially when that ck dragon, with an arrogant glint in its eyes, was scanning the earth below as if searching for someone. For a brief moment, Molon was forced to consider many things. A ck Dragon. The Demonic Dragon. Raizakia. And, Sienna. Molon had lived a reclusive life in the Grand Hammer Canyon, and as such, he wasnt well informed about the rumors of the world. He hadn''t even heard the tale of Eugene Lionheart defeating the Demon Dragon and the Demon King of Fury. As such, he had reacted with a simple impulse after spotting the ck dragon above him. ''I dont know whats going on, but Im going to drop it, Molon decided. He could figure out the exact situationter. Thus, he had grabbed and thrown a log from nearby. "You absolute imbecile! Why would you throw a log? What if it hit and injured the kid!?" roared Eugene. "Ha... Hamel. I''m confused. By kid, are you referring to that ck dragon?" questioned Molon with a baffled expression. "Who else would I be talking about?" retorted Eugene. "A dragon wouldn''t get hurt by a mere log,ined Molon. "You were about to throw an axe! And listen, even if its a log, if its you throwing it, it could kill even a dragon! shouted Eugene. Molon first set his axe down while blinking slowly, then spread his arms wide and embraced Eugene. "I might not fully understand, but it''s good to see you, Hamel. Why are you here, though?" inquired Molon. "Let go!" protested Eugene. "Don''t tell me, Hamel. Did youe because you were worried about me!? Did youe to beat me up? Haha! I appreciate the concern, but I''m still in one piece." Molon''s words trailed off. He kept Eugene in his embrace, but his gaze slowly headed upwards at the descending figure of Sienna. "Oh." A shaky, prolonged sigh escaped him. Eugene had a sinking feeling about what woulde as he wriggled in Molons embrace. "Uwoooooh!"bender Molon started to sob uncontrobly, and tears rained down upon Eugene''s head. Chapter 404 – Raguyaran (2) Chapter 404 Raguyaran (2) So. Molon wiped away his beard, which waspletely drenched with tears. Icicles fell from it, a testament to the freezing atmosphere of the northern mountains. Upon witnessing the incredible sight, Mer had to hold back a peal of almost uncontrobleughter. She would haveughed freely at any other time but not at the present moment. Ugh. Sniff. Not when Sienna also continued to shed tears right next to her. The situation warranted tears, of course. Sienna and Molon''s reunion had been two centuries in the making, and those two hundred years hadn''t been kind to either of them. Mer simply couldn''t bring herself tough in front of a tearful Sienna. "So... Iris became a Demon King? Not any other demon, but Iris?" Molon asked, blinking in disbelief. From what he remembered, Iris was powerful, yes, but not enough to be a Demon King. "You''re saying Iris, a Demon King, fell to Hamel.... And Hamel... you were a god?" asked Molon. Confused, he tilted his head as if trying to process the incredible tale. He had listened when it was narrated, but there were too many things he could not understand. The story was difficult to grasp, to say the least. Iris had be a Demon King? He didnt know how or why, but sure, it was somehow believable. Hisrades would not joke about such matters. But Hamel being a god? He sniffled while looking at Eugene to seek confirmation. "Aye," Eugene replied confidently. "To be precise, he isnt a god now, but he was one in the distant past, Anise exined. She had been wiping away Siennas tears with a handkerchief. While her words were meant to rify the doubt, the statement only seemed to add to Molon''s confusion. "Hes not a god now, but a god from the past? So you''re saying... the Hamel we traveled with was a god? Anise, Sienna, were we journeying with a deity?" Molon asked, clearly trying to make sense of the situation. "No, not that past. Not in hisst life but the life before that. He was a god in the life before Hamel," Anise rified. "The life before that? What does that even mean?" asked Molon. He blinked again slowly in apparent confusion. Eugene wondered if it was even worth the effort to exin further. So he just changed topics and asked, "Never mind that, Molon. How have you been?" "Better than before, I think," Molon replied. While he still could notpletely understand everything, he didnt dwell on it. Whether Eugene was a god many lifetimes ago or Iris became a Demon King, it didn''t matter much to him. "I thought today would be the same, just another ordinary day but it seems fate had other ns," Molon mused. More than these revtions, what mattered to Molon was the present. He had reunited with Sienna, whom he feared he might never see again. Despite hearing that she had suffered grievous injuries and had been sealed away, Sienna stood before him, looking just as she did all those years ago. The past. Tears threatened Molon''s eyes once more. He remembered the past. He had recalled the ce Hamel spoke of, Hamels homnd, Turas. Molon remembered when they buried Hamel deep underground where no one could find him. They had all mourned Hamel, cried out his name, and remembered their shared memories. They erected a statue in his honor and inscribed his name on a gravestone. Afterward, each lived their own lives... or so he believed. Anise returned to Yuras, while Sienna resided in Aroth as the Green Tower Master. Vermouth returned back to Kiehl and received a grand title. And Molon returned to his homnd. Decades of busy days passed, and he heard asional tales of hisrades. Vermouth was elusive and always out of reach, but he had asionally sought out Sienna and Anise. Hamel''s demise transformed them all, especially Sienna. Sienna had changed so much from their days of wandering the Devildom. It had felt as if she had be someone entirely different. Yet, what about now? Unlike her time in Aroth, Sienna now wore a variety of expressions. She cried, sheughed, and she kicked Hamel out of embarrassment. Aniseughed, and Hamel grumbled in response. Molon stood tall while observing his friends. Although Hamels appearance had changed after his reincarnation, these three still remained as Molon had desperately yearned for, as they had been in the past. "Molon, why are you crying again?" asked Sienna. Sienna, you cried lots too. I reckon that with age, tears start toe easier. Eugene was the one to respond in Molons defense this time. "Ah, you have a good point, Hamel. Did you notice that neither of us is crying now?" Anise interjected as if she had been waiting for such ament. Molon and Sienna had lived out their lives earnestly for three hundred years. In contrast, Anise now inhabited the body of young Kristina. Thus, Anise could chime in without guilt whenever Eugene teased Sienna about age. Typically, Sienna would have erupted in anger, but she could not spare such emotions for now. Instead, Sienna and Molon sobbed uncontrobly while clinging to each other. Eugene seemed to find the sight pitiable. He nced at them for a while before wrapping his arm around Raimira. The hatchling was trembling with fear while hiding behind him. "Theres no need to fear. That bastards just an idiot, assured Eugene. Molons tears ceased after a bit more time. Eugene brushed off the snow from his cloak while sitting on a nearby rock. Are you all done crying? he asked. "What an insufferable brat," Sienna mumbled with reddened eyes. "Meeting a friend after two hundred years warrants a tear or two, so why do you have to act so irritating from the side? "I saw him just recently, retorted Eugene. "Don''t me Hamel, Sienna. True, he might be a tad annoying, but remember when you first met him? He cried a lot. He cried in front of me as well, and he cried when he met Molon, Anise chimed in. "Hey. Hey, Anise! When did I cry?" Eugene grumbled in aining tone. "Did you not cry, then? Hamel, how can you be so heartless? Not shedding a single tear after reuniting with me, after my lonely, pitiable death, and after Molon''s century-long lonely battle? Can you still call yourself human after that?" challenged Anise. Had he cried then? Eugene''s eyes quivered. His memories were foggy. He wasn''t entirely sure if he had cried or not. Maybe he did, maybe he didnt. But one thing was certain: if he kept denying it, he would be the asshole. "If youre sad... it''s natural to cry," Eugene said, clearing his throat. Sienna''s narrowed eyes indicated disbelief at the sudden change in his tone. Molon, however,ughed heartily while cing his axe over his shoulder. Molon then asked, "Are we just going to stay here? Atop this mountain, there''s a cavern I call home. Let us head there." Eugene looked at him with hesitant eyes. Though they had met at the Knight March, Eugene had never truly heard of how Molon settled in these mountains. As the country''s founding king, Eugene assumed that Molon might have erected a castle hidden somewhere amidst the frosty peaks. But a cavern? It was, quite fittingly, a very Molon thing to do. The cavern they arrived at under Molon''s guidance did not seem to have formed naturally. It was entirely possible that Molon had carved it out himself. Inside, it looked as if someone had lived there for decades. It was well-equipped for living, and to Eugene''s astonishment, there was even a hot spring flowing inside. "You don''t mean to enter now, do you?" Eugene asked. "Molon used this spring by himself for decades. Do you think Im crazy? Why would I do something like that? retorted Sienna. "The water flows, so it''s pure, Anise rified. "I still dislike the idea...!" After a brief exchange, they settled down in an orderly fashion around a table. "You''ve in Raizakia. Rescued Sienna. Ended Iris, the Demon King. Did youe here to share these tales?" Molon asked. They had journeyed to reunite with Molon in the mountains after Sienna awakened from her seal. However, there were also other matters at hand. "There are a few things I need to verify, rified Eugene. Eugene wasn''t particrly concerned about the Moonlight Sword. He had lost control of it during the fight with Iris, but the Eugene then and the Eugene now were different. When the Moonlight Sword went berserk back then, his White me Form had consisted of Stars. But now, the White me Form was no longer ssified in Stars. It could not be distinguished with such means. Eugene''s White me Form had transformed. It was something that was never seen in the history of the Lionhearts, and Eugene himself could feel the newfound power it granted. The Moonlight Sword had run rampant due to Eugenes inability to control its powers, which had led to an iplete, unstable state of Eugene bing one with the de. During his attempt to blend the moonlight with his mes, he had been overwhelmed and consumed. "Molon," Eugene said with a stern tone. If, by some chance, the Moonlight Sword ran rampant once again Then you tear off my arm, said Eugene.bender Molon replied with equal gravity, "Understood, Hamel." "Have both of you idiots gone mad?" Anise eximed in shock, quickly standing and grabbing Eugene by the cor. "Hamel, what do you take a man''s arm for?" "In another life, it was but a fleeting thing to Molon and me. Something that was there and then wasnt, responded Eugene. "I miss it. I remember it clearly, Hamel," Molon recalled, "When I fell into a trap, and my leg was severed. Anise. Anise was wicked. She reattached it the wrong way." "You have to try to understand how Anise felt, Molon. She did have her reasons. Didnt you recklessly charge forward like an idiot, Molon? Thats why you ended up in that state, right?" countered Eugene. Eugene and Molon lost themselves in memories. Still clutching Eugenes cor, Anise gave it a furious shake upon seeing Eugenes nostalgic expression. In your past life, you two lost your arms and legs solely because you fought like stupid ipetents. And back then, I restored those limbs for you even when you had them severed or crushed, spilling my own blood in the process! But now, I am yet unable to restore such limbs! shouted Anise. [I apologize, Sister. Its because of my shorings,] Kristina said with self-condemnation. You two may not realize, but Kristina is currently apologizing out of guilt! For not being able to perform the miraculous,pletely ridiculous act of limb restoration! continued Anise. Rest assured, no one is actually going to tear off an arm, Eugeneforted Anise while patting her shoulders. Yet, Anise''s eyebrows shot up in response. Youre telling me to be at ease, yet you still say something like that? Anise threatened. I mean, you could call it a deration of resolve mumbled Eugene. You crazy bastard! Anise eximed angrily. We can''t always act inplete safety. We cant always avoid danger. Given our adversaries, we should always be prepared, even if it might mean risking bloodshed, retorted Eugene. Why are you sugarcoating your intentions of taking reckless actions? used Anise. If were sessful, it will enhance my ability to wield the Moonlight Sword, Eugene said without a hint of a smile. His cold gaze caused Anise to flinch and release her grip on Eugenes cor. If you fear the risks, I wont be able to use the Moonlight Sword anymore. Didnt we settle this matter on the ship back to Shimuin? Eugene said sternly. ...I told you clearly back then, Sir Eugene. If your decisions lead you to doom, both Lady Anise and I willy down our lives for you. If you really value us, please consider your own safety for us, Kristina said with a sigh while returning to her seat. Switching ces, Anise slumped down before opening a new bottle of liquor. Hamel. Had you not made that absurd remark about tearing off an arm, I would have stayed put, said Anise. Im just trying to say it will be alright, said Eugene. He waved his hand as if to reassure her, then turned towards Molon once more. Has anything strange happened recently? Like has the Nur been appearing more frequently or has there been anything strange with Raguyaran? asked Eugene. He was concerned about any signs. The Moonlight Sword had run wild, which had briefly connected him with Vermouth. And Noir, who had sought Ravesta, had also approached Vermouth. As spected, if Vermouth was the seal of Destruction... rashly approaching him might have had unexpected adverse effects. This is a challenging question indeed, responded Molon. After a moment of reflection, he continued, First off, Hamel, the Nur always appears differently. Some days, dozens appear; other days, none at all. Not just recently, either. It has been this way for the past one hundred and fifty years Ive protected these mountains. There was no pattern to the Nurs emergence. I once tried to predict the Nurs appearances. I tried to predict when and how many would show up. Trying that kept me sane. However, no predictions held true, confessed Molon. Eugene nodded quietly. Agaroths memories lingered in him, especially histter days. During preparations for the war against the Demon King of Incarceration, monsters started appearing from the other side of the world. Their vast numbers, ferocity, and alien nature meant they could not be ignored and left alone. The war against these monsters had been long, straightforward, but brutal. Despite numerous victories, the monsters'' numbers seemed endless as they continued to appear. Moreover, their appearance wasnt associated with any signs. Their origins were unknown. They simply appeared on that ''edge,'' screaming and charging. Though the war between Agaroth and the monsters was long, uplicated, and ferocious it ended abruptly. It ended with the descent of the Demon King of Destruction. Raguyaran always looked the same, said Molon. The memories of Agaroth served as a warning to Eugene. The Nur, the monster, was the vassal of Destruction. Although it might seem excessive to refer to such a feeble, insignificant existence without self-awareness as the vassal of Destruction, Eugene was confident that the Nur was the herald of Destructions impending descent. The Nur were the harbingers. Eventually, something would transpire. Whenever the Nur started to appear, it foreshadowed the descent of the Demon King of Destruction. Vermouth had sealed Destruction but the signs had started one hundred and fifty years ago. From the dream Noir had shown, Vermouth looked broken and faint. Add to that, the Demon King of Incarceration had spoken of the Oathing to an end. The gray sea of Raguyaran. "Molon, I trust what you saw," Eugene dered. Molon had possessed the best sight among their group even three centuries ago. The great warrior of the icy ins saw far without using magic, as distinctly as Sienna did when employing her far-sighted spell. "Moreover, your eyes are even better than before, continued Eugene. When Vermouth appeared in Molons dream to caution him of the End, he had granted Molon two powers. One, the eyes that could perceive even what could not and should not be seen. Two, ess to the other side of Lehainjar, where he could cast the corpses of the Nur. With those eyes, Molon could immediately detect the Nurs emergence from anywhere in these vast mountains. His eyes had allowed him to see the soul of Anise residing within Kristina, and he had recognized Eugene as the reincarnation of Hamel the moment they first met. "If you say Raguyaran remains unchanged, then it surely is. Omens are merely omens, said Eugene. Molon struggled to grasp Eugene''s point. Sienna, Anise, and Kristina felt the same way. Did they note all this way to see Molon and reim Eugenes control over the Moonlight Sword. After a brief pause, Molon started saying, "Hamel, what do you intend to" But he was interrupted. "I''m thinking of heading to Raguyaran, Eugene stated nonchntly. "It''s nothing much. Wasn''t there an ocean at the edge of Raguyaran? Should we sail or fly over? Or perhaps we can walk on the ocean." "W-wait a moment. Wait, Hamel. You wish to venture to Raguyaran? You wish to cross that sea?" Molon asked urgently. Beyond Lehainjar was Raguyaran a barrennd a forbidden terrain the world''s end. It was a ce where neither the sun nor the moon or the stars shone. It was a ce where the sky, muddied like trodden snow, stretched endlessly. Beyond ity a frozen sea. It was a world where no one lived and no one could. That was Raguyaran. "I won''t go far. Just a brief venture, said Eugene. "Hamel...!" Molon eximed in disbelief. "Why are you acting like that? I said I won''t go far, didn''t I? And its not like Im going to head there right now. We''ll address the Moonlight Sword issue first. I''ll observe the Nur while its living before proceeding," responded Eugene. "From from what I saw, it appeared unchanged But thats just my perspective. M-my mind isnt always clear. I might have seen it wrong, or maybe Im remembering it wrong, Molon said urgently. "There''s no way that''s the case, Eugene responded with a nonchnt expression. "Molon, it''s true that your mind was off the rails for a bit. But that doesnt mean your memory was clouded. Your eyes werent clouded either. Molon couldnt say anything. "So thats fine," Eugene said. It wasn''t about believing or doubting. If Molon saw it, that''s how it would have looked. Chapter 405: Raguyaran (3) Chapter 405: Raguyaran (3) Eugene exited the cave with the Moonlight Sword in his hand. It likely would not have been a problem even if they stayed inside, but if the cave did end up copsing he knew Sienna and Anise would tease him about it. "Why are you saying you want to head to Raguyaran? Sienna asked. She had been pondering the reasons for Eugenes sudden deration. Raguyaran was a word in the tongue of the tundra natives. In themonnguage of the continent, it tranted to Land One Must Not Cross. "Are you trying to prove that the world is round? asked Sienna. Such a theory, by this time, needed no direct evidence. Schrs of ancient times had already observed and proven it. Yet the notion remained unverified. No one had truly confirmed with their own eyes if the northernmost and southernmost ends were truly connected. Beyond Lehainjary Raguyaran. Beyond the southern Solgalta Sea was a vast, unknown ocean. It was likely that they were connected, yet no one had ever confirmed it. "It''s not for a grand reason, responded Eugene. "Then what is it?" asked Sienna. "I want to see it properly, came his response. Night had already enveloped the outside of the cave. There was no snow falling from the sky an unusual urrence which allowed the night sky to remain clear and visible. Eugene gazed at the numerous embroidered stars. Here, one could see the sun, the moon, and the stars. But, after crossing the monumental boundary, past the peaks of Lehainjar, the sky would undergo a change. It would be hazy. It would reveal nothing in its cloaks. The environment would resemble the void where Vermouth was sitting. "Agaroth died fighting against the Demon King of Destruction, Eugene said. He had disconnected memories as Agaroth. His first memory of Agaroth was seeing him atop a mountain of corpses. And another was a battlefield saturated with the smell of blood, a ce where bodies were littered likemon trash. He had seen a man staggering due to the weight of despair. However, he had no such recollections from his memories of Agaroths wars. Even as the God of War, Agaroth did not always triumph in battles. He experienced his share of defeats. Yet, for him, defeat wasnt cause for despair. Both victory and defeat were simply different facets of war. However, the Agaroth Eugene saw in the Dark Room had been steeped in destion. Moreover, the battlefield he traversed wasn''t one of mere defeat but of utter annihtion. The battle had long concluded in the ce he walked. Eugene had a vague memory of Agaroth''s death. The Demon King of Incarceration had also mentioned it. Agaroth had not retreated when the Demon King of Destruction descended against the war with the Nur. That was how he had met his end. "If I head to Raguyaran, where the Nure from, I might find my disjointed memories resonating and resurfacing. I mighte to understand the nks between the disjointed memories or understand how Agaroth fought against the Demon King of Destruction. I might even find out how strong the Demon King of Destruction is, Eugene exined. The Demon King of Incarceration wouldn''t answer such questions. Thus, Eugene never asked. But he might awaken dormant memories if he ventured into Raguyaran a mere chance, but still worth the attempt. Memories of Agaroth had surfaced during Eugenes time in the Solgalta Sea. He hade to realize the life before hisst one, all due to a confluence of conditions. The divine relic ring, the sunken city that once worshiped Agaroth, the fierce encounters with Iris, who became a Demon King all of itbined had evoked distant memories thaty dormant deep within. Now, what of the present? He had his Divine Sword an object more powerful than any relic nestled in his heart. He now possessed self-awareness of his identity as Agaroth. There was the vast ocean that heralded the end of the Age of Myths after the death of Agaroth. Eugene had answered Sienna in a deep, monotonous voice. What would it feel like to remember not just a past life but the life before that as well? It was difficult for Sienna to even fathom. Wouldnt an ordinary person lose themselves? Would they not experience the destruction of their identity from the confusion? Is it because your ego is special? Sienna wondered. He had been an existence born in the ancient times of myths. He had ascended to divinity after being born human. He was undoubtedly a special existence. Sienna, Anise, and Molon watched as Eugene walked ahead a few steps before stopping. "Shall we begin?" Eugene asked. He raised the Moonlight Sword in his hand. Just that simple motion was enough to cause Sienna and Anise to tense. They took on serious expressions. The three of them, including Molon, prepared themselves for any potential threats or unexpected situations. "Hamel, if ites to it, should I cut your arm off? Or would you rather I just pluck it out? Molon asked seriously. "Uh. I dont think it wille to that, but if ites down to it, wouldnt it be better to cut below the elbow? Or you could make a clean cut at the wrist, responded Eugene. "Understood, Molon nodded gravely. Frankly, Eugene was more daunted by Molon''s expression than the Moonlight Sword itself. Eugene invoked the White me Form. He no longer had the seven Stars. Instead, Eugenes heart now housed a universe aze with countless stars. Even the clear night sky seen from the snowy peaks,den with innumerable stars, seemed insignificant whenpared to the cosmos within Eugene. Each atom of mana ignited like Starfire. If the original White me Form consisted of resonating and revolving Stars, Eugenes new White me Form produced mes from the countless stars housed in the universe. The mes it evoked were as ck as the night sky. Fwoosh! A ck inferno erupted, its mes scattering like tendrils. Sienna and Anise had witnessed this congration before, but it was the first time for Molon. Molon couldn''t help but exim in awe while clutching his fist at the sight. "Magnificent, hemented. Molon needed no other words to express his admiration for the power he saw. The impression he got was of strength and unity. Eugenes me felt powerful during their previous sh, but it never felt this cohesive. Back then, it felt as if Eugene was cloaked in mes, but now, it seemed as if Eugene had be the me. "Hamel, if we were to battle now... it wouldn''t be as easy for me to win asst time,mented Molon. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but if I had my weapon then, I would''ve won, retorted Eugene. "Hmm." Molon gave a nomittal hum. "Now, well, if we sparred hand-to-hand without any weapons, something that ispletely advantageous to you I reckon I would still hold my own. So, that settles it, doesnt it? continued Eugene. While he wasn''t particrly eager to boast, the praise he received from Molon was indeed uplifting. However, Molon''s expression seemed somewhat uneasy. Molon liked Hamel as a friend and admired him as a warrior. Yet, even though he liked and admired Hamel, he never once considered himself weaker than Hamel. "Then perhaps we should test our strengths next time," Molon suggested. "Are you two children? Who cares which one of you is stronger? Sienna interrupted. "This has nothing to do with age. Its important. Even you, Sienna, when the Green Tower Master Eugene began. "The former Green Tower Master, Sienna corrected. "Yes, yes.... When the former Green Tower Master underrated you just a little, you instantly freaked out and beat the crap out of him, continued Eugene. "Beat the crap out of him? Say it properly! I didnt beat the crap out of him. I simply provided him guidance as his senior. And in any case, how is that even remotely simr to the current situation? I created the Circle Magic Form he uses! When someone acts so impudently and shows no respect for an esteemed senior, its only right for them to be taught a lesson! Sienna retorted. "What''s the difference between the two...? Anise whispered under her breath after listening to their exchange. It was the same as three centuries ago, but Hamel and Sienna had remarkably simr personalities. Perhaps that was why they got along so well. Anise had once envied their resemnce. However, she never once wanted to be as frivolous as them. She imagined that she would have to relinquish a portion of her dignity as a human being if she wanted to be as unsightly and flippant as them. The Moonlight Sword was drawn from its sheath. In the past, the Moonlight Sword would shimmer with moonlight when drawn, as if it was infused with mana. But no such phenomenon took ce this time around. There was no moonlight. Instead of the usual brilliant gleam, the Moonlight Sword looked almost frail and diminished after being drawn from its sheath. Although the pieces Eugene recovered from the mine in Kazard Hills were still intact and in ce, it looked almost as if the de would shatter at any moment. "Is it even usable?" Sienna asked without dropping her guard. Instead of replying, Eugene slowly lifted the Moonlight Sword to his side. Fwoosh! The ck mes enveloping Eugene slowly transferred to the de. The Moonlight Sword disintegrated. The de had already looked to be on the verge of breaking, and once the ck me washed over it, the de shattered silently. The hundreds of de fragments dispersed. The spectacle made Sienna shout in surprise. Anise cast a divine spell in response, and Molon took a half step forward. Although the sudden destruction of the Moonlight Sword startled Eugene as well, he raised his hand as a signal for the group to stand by. He sensed no immediate threat from the Moonlight Sword. Indeed, the scattered fragments of the Moonlight Sword didn''t fly off as if in an explosion. Instead, the pieces hovered around Eugene and the swords hilt as if frozen in time. All of the pieces remained precisely within the range of Eugenes mes. Thereafter, the fragments floated following the flow of the mes. Each of the pieces alighted upon a spark. It was unification, unlike the one achieved during the battle with Iris. The prior unification resulted from Eugene''s anger and irritation materialized by force. He had crushed the hilt with brute strength and poured out his mana to dominate the moonlight. Though he ultimately seeded in making the moonlight and his mana coexist, he failed to control the moonlightpletely and caused it to run rampant. But now, they moved in harmony. Eugene observed the floating shards with calm eyes. The shards heeded his will and gathered at the call of his intent. nk! Hundreds of fragments adhered to the sword hilt and began to form the de. The resulting de was still only half of its original form, but unlike before, it was firmly bound without any fissures. Woooosh! Moonlight began to blossom within the ck mes. The Moonlight Sword was no longerpletely devoid of any power but once again revealed its ominous aura as before. Yet, at this moment, even the terrifying aura of the Moonlight Sword waspletely under Eugene''s dominion. His will was not engulfed by the sword''s madness. "By the gods," Sienna uttered, almost unconsciously. Sienna had been right by Eugenes side when the Moonlight Sword ran wild. She still remembered the overwhelming, foreboding feeling she had received. The ominous aura of Eugene''s Moonlight Sword at that time surpassed even that of Vermouth''s. While Vermouth''s Moonlight Sword had remained under his control, even if it could not differentiate its targets, the one Eugene wielded at sea seemed to hunger to consume everything, including Eugene himself. But now things were different. The moonlight was still eerie. Its ominous glow was more than sufficient to warp one''s mind and turn one''s stomach. Yet paradoxically, the blend of the menacing moonlight and the ck mes resembled a gorgeous night sky. "Hamel!" Molon suddenly shouted. He had been observing Eugene with nk eyes until then. His gaze was fixed behind Eugene, where a monster was rising. The ranger of the snowy mountain had previously spoken of the Nur. He had described it as being that was a monster, yet not a monster. It wasnt a demonic beast either, but something else entirely. Although the ranger wouldnt have known the origin of the Nur, since the term monster was broad and all-epassing, he had given an apt description. These monsters, the harbingers of destruction, always appeared suddenly. They werent apanied by any distortions in space or any simr phenomena. Instead, they just appeared. Eugene turned his head after sensing the existence behind him. He had seen the Nur before. He had seen a creature as tall as a giant with horns on its head. However, not all of the Nur looked like this. Even the Nur he had seen during the ancient times had looked different and uniquely monstrous. The ones he saw now differed from the ones he had seen. A dozen of them, each as tall as giants, were looking down upon Eugene. Facing their sinister eyes, rasping breath, and the ominous aura they emitted, Eugene became certain that they were the same as the monsters from the Age of Myths. "Hamel! Retreat!" Molon yelled from behind. It wasn''t a cry Eugene understood. How could such creatures be a threat that warranted retreat? Perhaps Molon thought Eugene was too engrossed with the Moonlight Sword to engage inbat. However, that wasn''t the case. The union with the Moonlight Sword wasplete. Eugene was more than ready for battle. Should he test how sharp his de was? With such a thought, he held up the half-formed Moonlight Sword and pointed it toward the group of Nur. Thump. He had been expecting them to charge towards him. But contrary to his thoughts, all the Nur simultaneously knelt before him. Fear swirled in the eyes of each Nur as they stared at the smoldering moonlight within the ck mes. There was no madness, bloodlust, and savagery left in the monsters. Although these simple beasts did not possess the capacity to revere nor admire, they felt an undeniable terror towards the Moonlight Sword. "How could this be...?" Molon muttered incredulously. It was the first time he saw the Nur on their knees. Molons face was colored with disbelief as he approached the Nur. He had in countless Nur for over a century. He had made various attempts to gain a deeper understanding of the Nur. He had left them broken but alive, tortured them, and even taken some of them hostage on the off chance they possessed some tribal consciousness. But none of his attempts had proved fruitful. It was impossible tomunicate with the Nur or to understand them. They seemed neither to feel fear nor pain. Yet now... the emotion in their eyes was unmistakably terror. "Hamel, what did you do just now?" asked Molon. "...Hmm," Eugene hummed thoughtfully. After briefly ncing at the Moonlight Sword, a hint of distaste surfaced on Eugenes face. Indeed, he wasnt very pleased. "It seems they sensed their master in this light, Eugene responded. The Moonlight Sword was the Sword of Destruction. The malevolence it held was immense, and now, its wickedness seemed to be suppressed by Eugene''s me. In a way, the de''s malice could be said to be melded with the mes Eugene produced. Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword while clicking his tongue. It left behind a smooth arc of moonlight. The flowing strike severed the necks of all the Nur present. But even as their heads fell, none of them screamed nor flinched. Their heads were removed and fell to the ground, but no blood flowed from the incisions. The moment the heads of the Nur touched the snow-covered ground, the atmosphere suddenly shifted. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer standing in the same ce. Rather, they stood on the other side of Lehainjar, where Molon had discarded the corpses of the Nur for over a century. "Whats going on?" Eugene asked with surprise while turning his attention towards Molon. You should have said something before opening the barrier! Even in death, the Nur emitted a dreadful aura of malevolence. Burying or burning them wouldn''t rid them of this malevolence. If more of these monstrous corpses umted, the snowy mountains and the world would be affected. Hence, the bodies of the Nur had to be buried in a realm separate from reality. Molon seemed to have opened the gateway to the other side to discard the bodies, or at least, thats what Eugene thought. "No, i-it wasn''t me. But Molon responded with a perplexed expression. Eugene''s eyes widened in shock after hearing Molons words. If Molon wasnt the one responsible, why had they suddenly been transported to the other side? ''The Moonlight Sword?'' Eugene thought. During their initial search for Molon, Eugene had used the Moonlight Sword as the key to enter the other side of Lehainjar. But wasn''t the phenomenon now different from then? Eugene scanned his surroundings with a confused expression. The flip side of the Grand Hammer Canyon in Lehainjar was a ce where everything was grotesquely warped, much like Helmuth from three hundred years ago. It was a ce of human nightmares, and of jagged ground and sharp, sodden mountains twisted in agony. If a child with poor artistic ability had depicted hell, it would look something like this. All of it had been corrupted by the miasma emanating from the corpses of the Nur. Originally, this space mirrored the snowy mountains, but over a century, the toxic emanations from the piled-up corpses had morphed thendscape into a hellish scene. "....." The Moonlight Sword was vibrating. Eugene flinched before staring at the sword. It was consuming it. That''s how it felt. The moonlight from the sword was absorbing the toxicity and malevolence of this world. It was feasting and growing its mass. Whirrrr! Moonlight began to swirl around Eugene. "I knew this would happen!" Sienna screamed while lifting Frost high. Molon grasped his axe with a simr thought. Eugene still found their reactions terrifying. He raised the Moonlight Sword and shouted vehemently, "No! I''m fine!" "Fine, my foot! You don''t look fine at all!" shouted Sienna. "No, I''m truly okay! Put down your axe Molon, you son of a bitch!" Eugene begged. It was no lie. Eugene''s sense of self was clear, and the Moonlight Sword was still under his control. It was just the miasma and malevolence fused in this space were swirling around him of their own ord. "Then why is this happening" Anise wasnt given the opportunity to finish her question. Instead, her eyes widened in astonishment at the sight before her. The swirling moonlight began flowing into the Moonlight Sword. Then, the moonlight began to form the missing piece of the bisected de. Chapter 406: Raguyaran (4) Chapter 406: Raguyaran (4) The de of the Moonlight Sword had been shattered. Long ago, after Vermouth hadpletely destroyed it, the specifics of the sword had remained a mystery... but this ominous de had been passed down to Eugene knowingly or unknowingly. A few years ago, Eugene ventured into the mines of Kazard Hills to gather the des scattered shards. However, even with all the fragmentsbined, it was still only half the de it once was. The de. Eugene looked at the sword with awe. The noxious miasma exuded by countless corpses of the Nur had umted over a century. This malevolent mist mixed with the moonlight, bonding with the de. Eugene gazed at the ever-elongating de. Rampage. That word suddenly popped into Eugenes mind. This transformation wasn''t taking ce by Eugene''s intent. In that sense, what was happening with the Moonlight Sword was indeed a rampage. Yet, oddly enough, he felt no imminent danger from this anomaly. They''ve already merged, Eugene thought in amazement. Eugene''s mes and the moonlight hadbined. In simple terms, the pervasive, toxic miasma of this world was empowering the Moonlight Sword, restoring its de without needing any more of its missing fragments. Yet, with the Moonlight Sword already merged with Eugenes power, the sword remained under control despite bing increasingly powerful andplete. Fwoosh! The swirling moonlight dissipated. At its core stood Eugene, who slowly lowered the Moonlight Sword he held aloft. The tip of the elongated de was unsharpened. It was blunt like a club. However, the Moonlight Sword was never intended to slice or pierce its use. It didnt quite feel the same as before. What he felt from the Moonlight Sword was even different from when Vermouth had wielded it three hundred years ago. Eugene couldnt exactly pinpoint the difference, but the de now just felt different from back then. However, the elongated de of the sword felt reminiscent of its old self. "How strange, Eugene muttered as he tested the Moonlight Sword. He tried swinging it in different directions. Its dim, ash-gray de remained unchanged, but a soft moonlight illuminated it when he infused a bit of power. This was already different from before. The original Moonlight Sword would emit a ferocious moonlight when charged with mana. Now, instead of releasing a fierce, expansive light, it only created a thinyer of coating on the de, simr to a condensed de aura. But it''s not weaker, Eugene realized. He felt a chill run down his back as he maneuvered the Moonlight Sword. The de moved very slowly, with the moonlight following its movement. As it moved, the light distorted the space around it. The once erratic moonlight now seemed fully fused and harmonized. But what was even more surprising was that it wasnt being fully utilized. This realization sent shivers down Eugene''s arm. Even at this very moment, it felt more daunting and powerful than it was in his battle with Iris, and this wasn''t even its maximum output. Moreover, the current Moonlight Sword harmonized with Eugene''s mana. In a realm of what-ifs, what would happen if one were to ovey the Moonlight Sword with the Empty Sword? What if he forged Eclipse by merging the light of the Moonlight Sword with his mes? "Ha." Eugene exhaled loudly. Truth be told, the extent of its potential power was beyond any measure. He couldnt even begin to imagine how powerful it might be. Moreover, he dared not test it now for fear of unforeseen consequences. Eugene sheathed the Moonlight Sword and let out a cough to clear his throat, "Ehem...." The surroundings were eerily silent. Such was the shock that even breathing seemed too loud. Eugene turned to face Molon while tucking the sheathed Moonlight Sword inside his cloak. "You should be grateful, Eugene said. Molon wasnt sure what Eugene was talking about. "Look, I''ve cleansed this ce. I made it pristine again, stammered Eugene. He spoke the truth. Once warped by Nur''s poison, thendscapes had returned to their natural state. Molon blinked in disbelief while taking in the transformed world around him. Thend was smooth, mountains no longer sprouted whimsically, the foul stench that filled the air with every breath was gone, and even the bodies of the Nur, strewn everywhere, had vanished. This change felt nothing short of miraculous to Molon. The battles with the Nur had raged on for over a century. However, Molons madness had not been borne solely frombat. Many other things had contributed to it as well. Molon had experienced bitter solitude after the battles, and thendscape had been filled only with the corpses of the Nur, a sight he never grew ustomed to. The environment had caused his head to spin and stomach to churn simply by being present. All these thingsbined had exacerbated Molons madness. The poisonous miasma had been immune to even the most powerful divine magic, and Molon had been left with no choice but to simply endure. "Heh... Haha," Molonughed, a bit unsure. Disbelief was evident in his eyes as Sienna and Anise quickly approached. "What did you just do?" asked Sienna. "Hamel, how did you aplish this?" Anise chimed in as well. Questions poured forth, one after another. From what could be inferred, Eugene had reconstructed the Moonlight Sword. The original Moonlight Sword had been destroyed. The scattered fragments had been imbued with Eugene''s me and, by his will, came together once more to form the de. This act strengthened his dominion over the Moonlight Sword. Though Eugene had arrived at a usible conclusion, hecked confidence in conveying this intangible process to Sienna and Anise. Thus, he took on a serious expression and said, "I don''t know." Is that something to boast about? What do you even know? Do you think its normal not to know something youre responsible for? Sienna and Anise took turns yfully smacking Eugene''s back. The strikes were fierce to the point of numbing his back, but the two of them refrained from probing further after realizing it wasnt a grave matter. "Hahaha! Hahahahaha!" All the while, Molon wasughing heartily and darting around the snow-covered mountains. He raced to the peak and leaped off a cliff, only to return in the blink of an eye. Then suddenly, he hoisted Eugene up, crying, "Thank you. Thank you, Hamel!" With that, Eugene found himself tossed into the air and then plummeting down repeatedly. *** That night, they conversed till the early dawn about Iris'' demise, the relics of the Age of Myth they witnessed in the depths of the abyss, the conversation shared with the Demon King of Incarceration, and the Demoneye that now dwelled within Ciel. "I, too," Molon began, as his expression from before, which was filled with mirth as he drank like a madman, underwent a transformation. The pinnacle of Babel, three hundred years ago. The confrontation with the Demon King of Incarceration. The battle where Hamel was absent. They had given it their all. But the result had not been satisfactory. Everyone must have felt so. If only they had fought truly contentedly, without any regrets. A lingering thought surfaced in Molon''s mind, and he gave a bitter smile. Even then, they might not have triumphed over the Demon King of Incarceration. Perhaps they would have poured out everything they had... and still not survived. "Are you saying that I will be able to fight?" Molon asked after organizing his thoughts. He was confident. Now, he was far stronger than he had been three hundred years ago. Even if he couldn''t beat the Demon King of Incarceration, he wanted to pit his strength, earned through long years of survival, against the enemy. He clenched his fist at the thought of fighting alongside Hamel, unlike the battle three centuries ago. "What then, were you thinking of just watching from behind, even though you''re in full health?" Eugene grumbled as he took another swig of his drink. To be precise, Molon couldn''t have fought in that situation, no matter how much he wanted to. Knowing this, Eugene still teased him. Perhaps he didn''t want Molon to be moved to tears so easily. "Im going to tell you this beforehand. I might not be able to call you when the timees, said Eugene. "If it''s Ciel, she''ll be able to do it," countered Molon. "I told her to do her best but don''t put too much pressure on her. If she can''t bring you, don''t me Ciel," Eugene said. "me her? Hamel, even if I can''t join that battle, I would never resent her!" Molon responded with apletely serious expression. Eugene had said that in jest, but seeing Molons solemn look, Eugene felt somewhat awkward after seeing his response. "Hamel, I trust you. I trust Sienna. I trust Anise and Kristina. And I believe in the world we have now, thanks to the Oath Vermouth secured. Even if I can''t assist you, the world will. Especially my descendants. The warriors of Ruhr will take the lead and assist in your battle, assured Molon. "Um... that''s what they promised, responded Eugene. "I''m certain, Hamel. The people of this era are stronger than those from three hundred years ago. Hence, against the Demon King of Incarceration" Molon started. "The demons are also stronger than they were three hundred years ago, interjected Eugene. "Even so... I believe in your victory. Of course... if I can join the battle, the chances of victory would rise even more," Molon stammered, even though it wasnt as if Ciel was present. This was because he knew how notoriously wicked and cruel Hamel was. If he gave the wrong answer now, Hamel might just share that reply with Cielter. Molon didn''t want to be despised by a descendant of Vermouth. "Anyway." After dawn broke, Eugene rose from his seat. Although he had been drinking till just moments ago, any trace of inebriation vanished with a flick of his mana. After magically cleaning the lingering taste of alcohol from his mouth, he turned to look at Sienna and Anise before saying, Ill be back. Are you really alright venturing alone? Sienna asked, her lips jutted in concern. What if something happens to you? More reason for me to go alone. If something happens to me and I cant return, you can alwayse looking for me, said Eugene. You saying that makes me want to let you go even less,ined Sienna. Im not going to venture far. At thetest, I''ll return by midday, Eugene promised. Eugene had made all preparations. He tucked the tracker device that Sienna had made into his cloak and wore the blessings he got from Anise and Kristina. He exited Molons cave and ascended to the peak of Lehainjar. He had shared the view from that vantage point once before with Molon. From this summit, the expanse of Raguyarany before him. Nothing seemed different from his previous encounter. That ce remained devoid of any special allure or mysterious sentiment. The weather was bleak, sunlight never descended, and life did not thrive. The ground, void of any touch of life, had a thin presence of mana, making magic scarcely effective. It was and saturated with factors preventing life from flourishing. That was Raguyaran. Looking further beyond the ground, he could see an imposing cier. It felt the same to Eugene. It did not seem like a grotesque, scary terrain to be wary of as Vermouth might. The mes of Prominence surged from behind Eugene. These wings of me were entirely influenced by Eugene, and as such, they were nowposed of ck mes. He hadn''t given it much thought when he first conjured it but seeing the wings transformed into ck fire, he couldnt help but contemte. Would it be better if I changed its appearance? Eugene muttered to himself. No sooner had he murmured this than Kristina shot him a stern look. No, Sir Eugene, the current look is perfect, she said. What? asked Eugene. It is perfect as it is, Kristina repeated. Though their wings bore no resemnce, Kristina cherished themonality they both held in having wings. Eugene gave a hesitant nod in response to her assertive words before soaring toward the sky. Dont wait for me here. Go back to the cave, he said. But his words were in vain, for no one showed any intention of leaving the peak. He signaled them not to worry with a reassuring wave of his hand, then advanced towards Raguyaran. Climb Lehainjar. See Raguyaran. Beware the End thates from beyond it. Although the ambient mana was thin, Eugene could sustain Prominence while flying due to the ample amount of mana he possessed. As the once-distant cier neared, Eugene took a moment to look back. The vast expanse of Lehainjar filled the horizon. But though it was visibly close, it felt eerily distant. The silhouettes of thepanions he''d left behind were barely discernible. The connection with Sienna, tethered by the tracking device, grew faint, and the protective light of the Saints seemed to dim as well. "It seems so far," Eugenemented to himself. He hadn''t even reached what one could call the End, and yet the world already felt far away. With a rueful smile, Eugene drew the Moonlight Sword from his cloak. Perhaps as he approached Raguyaran, the sword might show some response... but nothing happened. The de neither vibrated of its own ord nor shimmered with moonlight. Should I be disappointed? Eugene wasnt sure. Instead of sheathing the Moonlight Sword, he slung it on his hip and drew out the Holy Sword Altair. At his will, it illuminated. Eugene hoped for a sign as he held the radiant sword aloft. However, once again, nothing happened. Thend came to an end. Below him stretched a frozen sea. Around this point, Eugene ceased to fly and descended. The ice, thick as the earth''s crust, seemed sturdy enough to hold even a giant. Might there be something beneath the ice? Perhaps the bottom concealed the cradle of the Nur? These thoughts prompted Eugene to peer intently into the ice''s depths. But there was no sign of the Nur or anything else. Breaking the ice to dive deeper might reveal some unknown world, but he didn''t attempt it. Why would I invite trouble? Who knows what might happen. Eugene continued with his internal monologue. How far did one have to go before the sea felt like an actual sea? How much further could he venture? But he had note to ascertain such things. His journey to Raguyaran and this distant sea was not to prove that the world was round and that the north and south were connected. That was a task for future explorers. Eugene''s reason for being here was to reflect upon his past lives, particrly the moment when he fell to the Demon King of Destruction. Perhaps, Eugene thought. In the lost Age of Myths, when all life perished, and seas surged, the Demon King of Incarceration had submerged an entire city into the depths of the sea because of a pact he had with the Demon King of Fury. That stood as a unique incident, while everything else facedplete annihtion. As the world vanished and the seas rose, he wondered if anynd remained afterward. Maybe, perhaps, after the waters imed everything and newnds formed? Regardless of the specifics, the world had begun anew. The vast ocean beyond Raguyaran, a realm untouched by the humans of this age, stood as a remnant of the mythical epoch. With this realization, a shadow crept into Eugene''s eyes. Why did such a ce remain? Was it intentional or an inevitable consequence? This ce was the wreckage of a ruined age. Then, what of Eugene? He was a phantom of a bygone era. In fact, he now yearned for that era and its knowledge. His consciousness remained narrow, and craving for more. Be it Eugene, Hamel, or Agaroth, distinguishing his true self among them wasnt of much importance to him. Because his sole aim never changed. And that was to y the Demon Kings. Because it was necessary to end the Demon Kings. And so, his desire to recall Agaroth''s final moments was purely for that reason and that reason alone. There''s no need to differentiate them, Eugene told himself. Chuckling softly, he ced a hand over his left chest. A sizzle. The moment his fingers made contact, a crimson current sparked. We''re connected this way, Eugene thought. Despite having been reborn twice, his divinity hadn''t faded. The Divine Sword emerged from his left chest. This de, formed from his crimson divine power, shone brighter than when it ended Iris. The reverence and faith towards Eugene, forged by the tales of his epics throughout the continent, lent the de its brilliance. Eugene held the Divine Sword upright and grasped it with both hands. He stared intently at the de''s undting divine power. Miracles were the deeds of gods. Then Eugene spoke, "I wish." The desires of a god. The sounds of war echoed in his ears. Chapter 407: The Battlefield (1) Chapter 407: The Battlefield (1) Oh Lord[1]. As his believer called out to him, Agaroth opened his eyes. He had been resting for about an hour. The call that hade from right next to him was spoken at a low volume, but apart from that, all of the other sounds in his vicinity were extremely loud. There was the sound of metal objects, such as spears and swords, shing together. The sound of slicing, stabbing, and crushing. And also the sound of screams and loud roars. The sound of various things milling around also created booming and rattling thuds. And among all of this chaos, there was a high frequency of bestial screeching that couldnt havee from any human tongue. Brushing back his shaggy hair, Agaroth muttered, Is the situation still the same? Yes, my Lord, his believers voice came to him from an inappropriately close distance, practically whispering into his ear. Her sweet, warm breath tickled his ear and cheek as she spoke. Ordinarily, he would have pushed her away in disgust, but right now even as a joke, there was no way the current situation could be called ordinary. Agaroth was familiar with war. He was also familiar with the battlefield. However, strangely enough he couldnt feel any sense of familiarity from this war. While feeling an irritating sense of difort, Agaroth clicked his tongue. Will you be ordering a retreat, the woman continued to whisper with a giggle. In this turbulent era that was brought about by the Demon King of Incarceration, this woman was a court witch who had once turned the king and all of the ministers of a country into her puppets, cing the entire kingdom beneath her feet. At one time, she had been called the Twilight Witch and was regarded as an object of reverence[2]. In a certain sense, this witch had been even worse than the demonfolk and the Demon Kings. After cing the country beneath her feet, she had trained her subjects into total obedience using the stick of terror and the carrot of pleasure, and her terrifying notoriety had made even the monarchs of the surrounding countries avert their gaze from her actions. But this was a story from long ago. Among the countless wars that Agaroth had fought and won, the toppling of the Twilight Witch had just been one of them. In the heart of her ruined castle, the Twilight Witch had begged him not to kill her but instead take her as his prize. Nowadays, the Twilight Witch had be a Saint and the High Priest of the God of War. In the countless wars that had been waged by Agaroth, she had faithfully served as his advisor, and that remained the case even now. She might have a yful and light-hearted smile on her face, but a cold and calcting look had settled in the Saints eyes. Even though the current battle has gone on for so long, there is still no end in sight. My Lord, your Divine Army is brave and will never tire, and so long as you exist, their morale shall never falter. However, the Saint hesitated. I know, Agaroth assured her as he rose from his chair. This war is very different from those we have fought until now. It was not a matter of difficulty. You could tell that just by looking at the battle itself. If he had to rank them in terms of difficulty, there had been wars in the past that were much more difficult than this one. For example, when he had conquered the territories of some Demon Kings, there had been the Demon King of Fury who had shamelessly abandoned his men and escaped all by himself. The war against that Demon King had been much more difficult than this war as a whole. However. Up until now, as long as they managed to repeatedly win the most difficult battles, they would eventually be able to achieve victory in the war itself. But what about now? This battle itself didnt pose any difficulty. These monsters might be able to destroy an ordinary country in a single instant, but they were nothingpared to the army that followed Agaroth. Since the war against these monsters had begun, Agaroths army had yet to suffer even a single defeat. We have already achieved countless victories, but the war has yet to end, Agaroth sighed. That was the problem. This war just would not end. They couldnt even see any signs of how to end it. Each time the monsters were annihted in battle, new monsters would just appear. Moreover, this cycle was gradually growing shorter. At first, it had taken the monsters three or four days to reappear, but at some point, it had be two days, then one day, and now, after wiping them out, new monsters would appear in just half a day. The monsters were weak. However, they werent so weak that they could be easily stepped on and killed like a bug. My Lord, I urge you to retreat, the Saint pleaded as she embraced Agaroths arm. Even now, after having defeated thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of these enemies, neither you nor I nor any of the soldiers have been able to fullyprehend the identity of our enemies. However, you must be able to feel most keenly the depths of our mysterious enemies atrociousness, dont you, my Lord? Agaroth remained silent. The Saint continued, After all, our enemies blood itself is poisonous and is able to erode away even your divine power. we have managed to endure this until now because your presence transformed the entire battlefield into a holy ground. If not for that, all of our soldiers would have gone insane andmitted suicide or tried to tear each other to pieces. Agaroth had reached the same judgment. Within his sanctuary, the soldiers who served him would not tire as long as his divine power remained standing. Their minds would remain clear at all times, and even fatal injuries could recover immediately. However, now that was no longer the case. Just like the Saint had said, the poisonous blood leaking from the corpses of the defeated enemies was eating away at Agaroths divine power. Though rather than his soldiers, Agaroth was the one to feel this impact even more deeply. The Saint apologized, Pardon me for speaking out of turn, but if we continue to fight here, we And what happens if we do retreat? Agaroth interrupted the Saint as he shook his arm free from her grasp. If we retreat, do you think those monsters will remain here? Their goal is topletely eradicate all living beings, no matter how far they need to travel. There is no need to reconfirm it at this point. After all, theyve already left several destroyed countries in their wake. My Lord, there is a saying that you should fight poison with poison. What if your Divine Army leads the enemies away and diverts them towards the Devildom instead? After this tide of monsters destroys all of the countries of the continent, they should then advance towards the Devildom in any case, so why dont we let the demonfolk and Demon Kings, whom you so hate, fight the monsters in our stead, the Saint proposed. Are you seriously saying that? Agaroth nced towards the Saint. He thought she might just be making an inappropriate joke, but the look on her face seemed to say that was not the case. After looking into the Saints coldly collected eyes, Agaroth shrugged, ...The God of Giants has conveyed his intention to lead his followers to join the Divine Army. And also, the Sage has said that she will being as well Ahahaha, the Saint burst intoughter before Agaroth had even finished speaking. She tilted her head to the side as she looked up into Agaroths eyes. Her disdain was obvious within those purple eyes that shone as brilliantly as carved gems. My Lord, pardon me for questioning you, but do you really think their support will be of any help? the Saint demanded. Agaroth did not respond. This is a war that even you, who are known as the God of War, cannot handle, the Saint pointed out. Of course, Im aware that the God of Giants is as immense and strong as his name suggests. Some say that the God of Giants can lift the entire continent with just one hand, but ording to my calctions, while he might find it difficult to do it with just one hand, it seems doable if he were to use both of his hands. ...Hmph, Agaroth snorted. As for the Sage. Yes, that vicious woman is a great wizard who has reached such heights of magic that I will never be able to touch. But the eternal truth that that woman pursues will not be able to lead us to victory in this war, the Saint took a step closer as she continued to speak. Her hand reached out and invaded Agaroths personal space again. Her long fingers began to trace the muscles of his forearms. The Saint licked her lips in a tant show of sensuality. Gradually, the Saints hand wandered up towards Agaroths neck. My Lord, the Saint seductively whispered. In the first ce, is winning this war really so important to you? Your greatest desire has always been to y everyst Demon King, so killing these monsters of unknown origin is just You overstep yourself, Agaroths eyes narrowed in warning. The Saint felt a chille go down her spine, but she didnt step back immediately. Instead, she continued to caress the side of Agaroths neck. The Saint pleaded, My Lord, please do not be offended by my words. Every word thates from my lips is spoken only for your sake. Agaroth stared at the Saint with calm, sunken eyes. His gaze felt sharp as it focused on her; it was as if it could pierce a hole straight through her lungs. However instead of feeling afraid, the Saint felt as if the inside of her body felt warmed by his gaze. ...Im already aware of that, Agaroth admitted. In the end, by prolonging this war, all I am doing is cutting away at my own flesh. If things had gone ording to his ns, his war against the Demon King of Incarceration would have already begun by now. When he had first arrived at the end of the continent and confronted these monsters he had thought that the war taking ce here would merely serve asbat training for the uing battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. But to retreat now, hmm. Agaroth seriously considered the Saints advice. It was impossible to just ignore these monsters altogether. Should he ask for cooperation from the gods and nations allied to him? Would he be able to wage his war against the Demon King of Incarceration while they took over the duty of blocking these monsters? Thats impossible, Agaroth shook his head. There was no way that these monsters didnt have a source somewhere producing them. Because such a source existed, these monsters could continue to appear like this. If he could just seed in eliminating that source but he had already thought about that dozens, even hundreds of times, before. Ever since this war had begun, various methods had been used to try and find the source of these monsters, but they had all failed. It was like these things had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere. There werent any signs of them being summoned either. They truly seemed to have manifested out of nothingness. Could a Demon King be the one sending these monsters at them? Agaroth had also had such a thought numerous times. Agaroth had in several Demon Kings so far, and he had also found a lot of information on those Demon Kings that he had yet to kill. But as far as he knew, among the Demon Kings who were still alive, no Demon King existed who could be so powerful to have innumerable monsters under theirmand. But although he knew many things, that did not mean he knew everything about the Demon Kings. The source of these monsters. For some reason, the name of a certain Demon King appeared in Agaroths mind. The Demon King of Destruction. Agaroth had been waging war against the Devildom for a long time, but he had never once encountered the Demon King of Destruction. The Demon King of Destruction didnt im any territory like the other Demon Kings. He didnt even have any vassals sworn to him. He also did not go around invading other countries. Because of that, he was a Demon King no one would be able to find even if one went looking for him. Not much was known about the Demon King of Destruction. That was because most of those who did encounter that Demon King perished, and of those who barely managed to survive, they had all gone insane. Thanks to that, Agaroth hadnt rushed to make a connection between the monsters that had suddenly appeared here and the Demon King of Destruction. However if the master of these monsters indeed was the Demon King of Destruction. In that case, just how terrible of an existence must the Demon King of Destruction be? If all of these many monsters, whose numbers were endless even though they were killed time after time, were the subjects of the Demon King of Destruction then what on earth must the Demon King of Destruction be like? Theres no way that they are truly endless, Agaroth told himself as he tried to restrain his growing anxiety. He couldnt allow himself to fear an enemy he had yet to face. Agaroth opened the door of his tent and headed out. Roooar! The battle cries resounded from nearby. And just beyond those high wallsy the battlefield. When Agaroth emerged, the soldiers who had been resting outside turned to look at him. They didnt get to their feet, kneel, or bow down to him. It was true that they all worshiped Agaroth, but Agaroth and his soldiers didnt have a rtionship like that of a lord and his subordinates or a god and his believers but instead, they were allrades in arms. The situation? Agaroth demanded. Its the same as it has been until now, a hulking giant replied. The man was a passionate believer who had the symbols of Agaroth tattooed all over his body, and he was also a mighty warrior who was both trusted and valued by Agaroth, having followed Agaroth since before he had ascended to godhood. Agaroth nced at the mighty warrior and grumbled, You should have takenmand of the battle while I was taking a short break inside the fort. What are the men supposed to do if youre in here as well? Damn it, Captain, the warrior spat, Its not like Im here to just ck off[3], now am I? After all, Ive onlye here for a brief rest after I was injured while fighting at the front. This wasnt just an empty excuse. The mighty warriors body truly was covered in wounds, and he had just been in the middle of applying some medicine to those wounds by himself. At this sight, Agaroth clicked his tongue and raised his head. A dark red ball of light shone down from the center of a cloudy sky. Although it looked very much like the sun, it was not actually the sun. It was a miracle that had been created through Agaroths divine power. Wherever the light of this dark red sun reached, the ce was transformed into holy ground, and while on such holy ground, his believers'' wounds would Damn it, Agaroth cursed. Usually, while on holy ground, such wounds would have healed directly without Agaroth even needing to pay any attention to it. Agaroth let out a sigh and flicked his hand towards the mighty warrior. Crackle! A surge of divine power flowed into the body of the mighty warrior, and his wounds were healed instantly. The warrior groaned, Argh, I really hate it when you do that after all, it shortens our lifespan, doesnt it? Even if it does, it will hurt less, so you will still live longer than if your wounds remained as they were, Agaroth responded without the slightest bit of change in his expression. His miracles might be able to heal wounds in an instant, but the cost of doing so was taken from Agaroths own divine power as well as the lifespan of the patient. However, Agaroth didnt really think much of such a cost. After all, if they really wanted to live as long as their lifespan allowed, they should have gotten away from the battlefield. If someone insisted that they wanted to live a long life even after choosing toe to the battlefield and fight, then that person would be spouting a load of bullshit. If youre all better, then lets go, Agaroth said as he strode off. Ah, Captain, hold on, the mighty warrior, who had gotten up to follow Agaroth, suddenly called out to Agaroth and handed over a ring that he had just pulled off of his finger. Thanks for letting me borrow it. Agaroth hummed assessingly, It seems you drained quite a lot of its divine power. But even with that, you werent able to end the battle? We almost managed to finish it a few times, but every time we drew close, they kept getting more reinforcements, so we werent able to finish them off in the end, the warrior exined. Agaroth put the ring back onto his ring finger. All of the soldiers who had been taking a rest got up and followed after Agaroth. Grrrrind! The wall gates began to open of their own ord. Agaroth frowned, Reinforcements, hmm so now were finding it difficult to even wipe out a wave of them? The warrior shrugged, If you were to fight them personally, Captain, you should be able to annihte them easily. Though theyll probably just reappear againter. These damn bastards, Agaroth cursed. Having fought this far, we can proudly say that weve done our best, so how about we leave this problem up to another god and just head back on our own? Dont say something that you dont mean, the mighty warrior, who had been serving Agaroth for so long, replied to the joke without even a single moment of hesitation. Good luck[4]! As Agaroth and his soldiers were heading out through the gates, the Saint climbed up to the top of the walls and shouted her encouragement to them while waving away with both hands. While it was true that she was a High Priest and a Saint of the God of War, she rarely went out to the battlefield and fought in person. Rather than letting her y around like that, how about taking her with us and making her fight? the mighty warrior grumbled. Its not like this is the first time youve seen her act like that. Just let her be, Agaroth said dismissively. The warrior sighed, Haaah, even now, after ten whole years have gone by, I still dont understand why you took in that evil woman, Captain. Her head actually works very fast when ites to certain things. Unlike you or I, who only know how to fight, shes also good at things like management, Agaroth excused his decision. After all, the Twilight Witch had once ruled an entire country. Even the mighty warrior was forced to recognize that she possessed such an ability. However, now that they had grown to this point, was there still a need for Agaroth to keep her at his side? When he first took the Twilight Witch as his prisoner, Agaroth hadnt been a god, and there werent many talented and resourceful people around him. But after bing a god, Agaroth had gathered into hispany some of the greatest heroes from all across the continent, including ones who could have reced the Saint in her role. In the end, you just cant throw her away because youve grown attached to her, right? the mighty warrior used. Agaroth epted the usation calmly, Its not like Ive ever denied it. The warrior snorted, Hmph, we should have just killed her then. Im just curious, but did she ever do anything particrly offensive to you? Why do you still hate her so much? Agaroth asked. The warriorined, Captain, while Im fighting hard in your stead, shedding my sweat and blood, that fucking slut just keeps cheering us on from behind and going into the Captains tent to do some shady things. Dont say things that could be easily misunderstood, Agaroth scolded. Were not in that kind of rtionship. Of course, I know that Captain, but if you and that fucking slut really were to end up in that kind of rtionship, the mighty warrior shivered. Phew, its terrifying to even imagine it. With a bitch like her, whos so skilled at wrapping men around her fingers[5], even you might not be able to escape the pull of her skirt, Captain. Im not just any ordinary man, Agaroth corrected him. Also, its not like Im the only one who hates that bitch, the mighty warrior said defensively. Even the Sage secretly asks me whenever she asionally visits, So just when are you going to execute her? Its not like shes done anything terrible enough to justify her death, and Im leaving her alone because shes both loyal and helpful to me, Agaroth replied while staring ahead with a grim expression on his face. All across the wide in before him, he saw that the battle was in full swing. So many monsters were approaching from the horizon that they filled his entire field of view. After roughly estimating their numbers, Agaroth nodded. Ill get rid of them for now, Agaroth firmly stated. Yes sir, the mighty warrior readily epted this im. Agaroth gave the orders, If there are any of the men whose wounds havent recovered, carry them back into the fort. And if any of the men are dead take care of their bodies. Yes, sir, the mighty warrior nodded. Agaroths figure disappeared. At some point, he had already flown high up into the distant sky, leaving the battlefield behind him. When he nced down, the heads of the monsters were so densely packed that he couldnt even see the ground beneath their feet. Theres a disgusting number of them today as well, Agaroth grumbled as he stretched out his hands. The divine power gathered between his palms took the form of arge Divine Sword. 1. The original Korean text uses a term that trantes as a respectful way to address God. Using Oh God seems a bit strange, so I borrowed from Christian tradition to substitute Lord in ce of God. 2. The original text uses a specific word that means to respect something while also keeping a distance from it. After some consideration, I felt that reverence should give the same sense of respectful distance. 3. The original text uses the Korean idiom of sucking up honey, which basically means to be a wage thief who is resting while all of his coworkers are busy working. 4. The original text uses the English word Fighting!, which Korean people use to encourage each other when facing difficult challenges. 5. The original Korean text uses the idiom of cooking and serving a man, which has the same meaning of being able to make a man do whatever you want him to. Chapter 408: The Battlefield (2) Chapter 408: The Battlefield (2) Each time Agaroth swung his Divine Sword, the world was carved apart by red lines. Resistance was impossible once something was swallowed or even touched by those lines. Any contact with those lines meant death. As the God of War, Agaroths divine power proved to be fittingly violent. But even though he had killed thousands of monsters in a single instant, there were still countless monsters gathered beneath his feet. Wherever he looked, all he could see were monsters. Only when he turned his head and looked far behind him did he see something different. The fortress in which they had withstood the monsters for so long. Although it was called a fortress, apart from the outer walls, no other structures were contained within. These walls were the only feature in this otherwise barrennd. At one point, this ce had been the capital of a kingdom. However, now, there wasnt even a single trace of that kingdom remaining. When they had first arrived in thisnd, everywhere they looked, all they could see were terrible sights. No, it was not just thisnd. The same went for each of the kingdoms that had been destroyed by these monsters. As for the people who once had lived in them. Imagine the sight of tens of millions of corpses left unattended in the open air for months. Even the word hellish was not enough to describe such a scene. Although Agaroth and his army had all been through countless wars, his soldiers had still ended up vomiting, and honestly speaking, Agaroth himself had almost felt the gorge rise up in his throat when he witnessed that sight and the apanying stench. Let alone the Devildom, even among all the countries invaded by the Demon Kings, he had never seen such a terrible and disgusting scene. That was why he had erased it all. The corpses had rotted away long ago, and the ruins of the kingdoms had already developed into a disgusting ecosystem centered around the countless dead bodies, so Agaroth had erased everything, including the remaining ruins. That was how this in had been created. A barrenndscape that was made when Agaroth had personally erased all of the countless human corpses and the city in which those innumerable humans had once lived. But after that, just like how it had once been carpeted with human corpses, the monster corpses that were now strewn across the ground far outnumbered the former human corpses. It might be presumptuous, but in Agaroths opinion, no othernd in human history had witnessed as much death as this one. Just what on earth are they? Agaroth muttered to himself. He could not count just how many times he had already asked this question. These monsters didnt seem to feed on people. That said, they did not feast on each other either. The blood they spilled didnt appear to be able to seep away into the ground, and ordinary mes couldnt erase their corpses or any of the other traces they left behind. Only the mes personally created by Agaroth through his divine power were able to eradicate their corpses. Such abominable monsters were currently gnashing their teeth at Agaroth and letting out screeches. The sounds they made didnt form anynguage. Just like the word screech suggested, it was just bestial screaming. These monsters were as diverse in type and size as they were in appearance. Some walked on two legs like humans, while others walked on four. Still, others had even more legs and crawled around like insects. Naturally, there were also some that flew through the skies on pping wings. In no time at all, hundreds of such flying monsters had gathered around Agaroth. The sound of their pping wings even managed to drown out the ruckus of their cries. Agaroth narrowed his eyes and held out his left hand. Dark red divine power swirled on his palm as he curled his fingers into a tight fist. Roooooar! The divine power that burst out from his fist transformed into a storm that spread out in all directions. Hundreds of monsters were ughtered in an instant, and their blood and flesh poured down like rain. Boooooom! Apanied by a thunderous noise, monsters asrge as giants leaped towards Agaroth with their hands outstretched. Agaroth just swung his Divine Sword without the slightest change in expression. His sh was not apanied by a burst of sound. The Divine Sword, which Agaroth had forged through refining his own divine power, did not create any extraneous effects when it was just swung like this. But there was no way that something like these monsters would be able to stand up to a Divine Sword that even Demon Kings would find difficult to deal with. As expected, Agaroth thought as he looked down below with narrowed eyes. Since the start of their battle, Agaroth had continued to swing his Divine Sword numerous times. In these short few moments, a rough estimate would put the number of monsters that had been killed by Agaroth well into the thousands. Despite this, the tide of monsters below showed no signs of abating. The reason for this was simple. As many monsters as Agaroth may have killed, new monsters just kept reappearing. This was such an absurd sight. However, suchints had already been made a long time ago. Things likemon sense did not seem to apply to these monsters. It makes sense that they werent able to end this battle, Agaroth realized. Next to Agaroth, the mighty warrior was the second strongest in the Divine Army. If he wasnt able to finish the battle, even after Agaroth had lent him his personal ring that would allow the warrior to draw on Agaroths divine power directly, there had to be a good reason for it. Despite being a soldier sworn to the God of War, no matter how strong the mighty warrior might be, it was still impossible for him to annihte so many monsters simultaneously. But what should they do with the battles from now on? Even though they kept killing them time after time, instead of their numbers decreasing even slightly, the amount of enemies just kept increasing. While feeling irritated, Agaroth raised his Divine Sword high into the air. Cracracrackle! The dark red de of the Divine Sword extended, growing long enough that it seemed like it could touch the sky. So when Agaroth swung the gigantic Divine Sword, the world was literally split apart. Even after the Divine Sword had already passed through the air, the trail of its sh did not disappear; instead, it spread outwards to engulf the surrounding monsters. The end of the ever-expanding sh connected right back to its beginning. This created a ring of dark red divine power that swept over the battlefield. After watching this for a few moments, Agaroth turned to look at the sky. The sun made from his divine power was still floating high up there. When Agaroth reached out towards it and pulled, the sun slowly floated closer to Agaroth. Rooooar! The sun began to spray down mes of divine power. The wave of mes covered everything below. After burning through the monsters, the divine power didnt just disappear but instead repeatedly changed its form as it followed Agaroths will. The divine power first transformed into an enormous de that cut another swathe through the monsters, then into thousands of arrows that shot through the horde before reforming back into a hammer that ttened even more of the monsters. Now that Agaroths massacre had begun in earnest, the speed at which the monsters were dying finally exceeded the speed at which the monsters were appearing. It was as if a hundred monsters were being killed for every ten monsters that suddenly appeared. Even as he conducted this massacre, Agaroth still had a lot of leeway to handle other matters. So, as he was sweeping through the monsters on the front line, he was also keeping an eye on the state of the battle at the rear lines and was intervening whenever necessary. This wasnt a difficult matter for him. All of those who were fighting here were followers of Agaroth, so all he needed to do in order to perform a life-saving miracle was send them as much divine power as they needed. The Saint, who was still standing atop the walls, also yed a role in this matter. Across the vast distance, their eyes met. The Saint pushed out her lips towards Agaroth, making a smooching noise, then winked an eye at him. Crazy bitch, Agaroth muttered. At some point, the monsters had stopped appearing. With that, todays battle, at the very least, hade to an end. Considering the time, the next battle would probably resume tomorrow. Though perhaps just perhaps, it might start even sooner. Agaroths brow furrowed as he stared down below. The in was packed full of corpses that had yet to be incinerated by his divine power, and the ominous poison that these corpses were spilling was causing Agarorth a headache. Even if he burned the corpses to the point where no smoke or even ashes remained, that would still leave him with the poison to deal with and it was also disgusting to leave so many corpses unattended. With an air of ease, Agaroth conjured up mes of divine power. Fwooosh! A wall of mes began to crawl over the earth. Even without Agaroth needing to pay attention to them, these mes would burn all the remaining corpses. Agaroth turned his back to the wall of mes and headed towards the fortress. The Divine Army was still fighting over there, but since there werent many monsters left, it seemed like the battle there would be ending soon. But even this clean-up wasnt a very satisfying sight for Agaroth. Seeing his soldiers like this, Agaroth had confirmed something. The Divine Army was indeed weaker than what they had been at first, and the same went for Agaroth. This was because their minds and bodies were bing increasingly exhausted and worn out as the war continued without any apparent end in sight. It really is time for us to take a break, Agaroth decided. Now that he thought about it, they hadnt had a proper day off since they had first arrived here. After all, once each battle had ended, their preparations for the next battle always took too long for any of them to rest properly. It might be impossible for Agaroth to order a full retreat, but once the God of Giants or the Sage arrived, he would ask them to take charge of this ce for about a month, allowing his Divine Army to get some rest Agaroth suddenly stiffened, ...? There was an unnatural feelinging from behind him. It was almost ominous but the sensationsing from the presence could not be so easilybeled. There was an almost instinctive sense of unease rising within him, along with a terror that Agaroth didnt wish to admit to. Agaroth immediately turned to look behind him. He saw the wall of mes still soaring high enough to touch the sky, but something was squirming away inside those mes. Agaroth couldnt sense what that thing was. There seemed to be something like a shadow flickering within the mes, almost like a haze. It seemed to both exist and not exist, with even its form left ambiguous. Whoooosh! That something suddenly swallowed up all of the mes. It looked as if a huge hole had been punched into the mes and was now sucking everything in. It was only after the mes had entirely disappeared that Agaroth was able to see that something more clearly. That thing looked as if a hole had been torn open in the world. The colors surrounding the hole were being pulled in and blended together. The fusion of colors was unstable, with each shade growing and shrinking as they all mixed together, creating all sorts of visual distortions, so the boundary between what was still in the world and what wasnt wasnt very clear. But in the center at the very center of the hole. Agaroth instinctively stared at that spot. Even amidst the riot of all sorts of different colors, only one color existed in the very center. A pitch-ck darkness. The deep darkness in the center of the hole seemed to be sucking everything towards it. What the, Agaroth murmured in an uncertain voice as he took a step back. Crrrrrrrsk! The monster corpses that had yet to be burned were being dragged towards the hole. At that moment, Agaroth couldn''t help but feel a shiver run down his spine. Through the hole, he had sensed an ominous and immense presence, one that had a slight demonic aura mixed in with it. That alone may not have been enough to identify that existence, but this terrible and ominous entity clearly possessed dark power. In other words, that meant this things true identity was that of a Demon King. The Demon King of Destruction, Agaroth muttered in horror. If that thing truly was a Demon King, then apart from Destruction, there was no other epitaph it might possess. That was just how unstoppable and absolute the aura of destruction that Agaroth could senseing from that entity was. What was the Demon King of Destruction doing here? Wasnt it said that Destruction, who didnt act like any of the other Demon Kings, never left the Devildom? How could they have suddenly appeared here without any warning? For a moment, Agaroth didnt know what to think. My Lord! the Saint cried out from her ce at the top of the fortress wall. She could also sense what an iprehensible existence Agaroth was currently facing. Even though she was viewing it from such a long distance, it felt like her mind was going insane, and her very soul was being polluted by the sight. Nevertheless, the Saint didnt turn her head away and instead cried out to her god, even as she was shedding dark tears of blood. You-you cant! Please, my Lord! the Saint begged. They wanted to run away. Such a thought filled everyones head. Even the mighty warrior, who among all of Agaroths countless believers had followed him for the longest time, could not muster up any bravery at this moment. He wanted to throw away the sword in his hand. He wanted to pull off his armor so that he could run away even just a little bit faster. When even the mighty warrior had such thoughts, how could the other soldiers be any less terrified? There were many who fell to the ground in fear, and there were also plenty who dropped their weapons. However, not a single one of them actually ran away as fast as they could. This was because they were still within the range of Agaroths holy ground. It was because the dark red sun still hung in the skies above them. Their faith in Agaroth allowed the Divine Army to resist the terror they were feeling. It made it so that none fled the battlefield, even if they had already lost their will to fight. This was possible only because Agaroth himself refused to run away. It was because Agaroth was still resisting his own feelings of terror. Agaroth was facing the Demon King of Destruction at a closer distance than anyone else. Since he was the guardian deity of this holy ground, he was forced to bear the brunt of the enormous pressure emanating from the Demon King of Destruction. So Agaroth felt like he was going crazy. It felt like his godhood itself was about to be crushed. Whether when he was still a human or after bing a god, Agaroth had never once thought of himself as an insignificant existence. When he was a human, he believed that he was the most exceptional talent among all humans. He wasnt entirely wrong to think so. From the time he was a human, he had stood on the same battlefields as gods and had killed a few Demon Kings while saving numerous countries. And after he had be a god? He still didnt have any respect for his elder gods either. A massive war was currently being fought against the Demon Kings and demonfolk. In such an era of strife, it was a quick matter for heroes to write their own legends and attain godhood, so in this current era, there were many young gods just like Agaroth. However, even they didnt seem so impressive in Agaroths eyes. The only gods that Agarath treated as an equal, or rather, slightly lower than himself, were the barbaric but enormous God of Giants and the Sage, who sought to save the world from her ivory tower. For this young and arrogant God of War, his current emotions were extremely unfamiliar to him feelings of inferiority, of being a lower level of life-form, and such shitty feelings. Agaroth silently clenched his jaw. In his right hand, he was still holding his Divine Sword. He did not need to look at it to know that the light of the Divine Sword had dimmed. He could feel the terror in his pounding chest. This terror was stifling his will to fight and dulling his edge. Agaroth strengthened his grip on the sword. He used his rage and frustration to erase the fear in his heart. Please, my Lord! The Saints scream wasnt heard with his ears this time around, but instead inside Agaroths head. When he focused his senses in that direction, he could hear many oh so many simr voices. What is that? Im scared. Why did something like that suddenly appear? Just what am I doing here? I want to run away. Please, I dont want to die. Oh Lord, please give us permission to run away. My Lord, please, dont just stand there like that. Agaroth just listened silently. He could even hear voicesing from much further away. What should I cook for dinner tonight? Is Mother doing okay? When is that guy going toe home? Lets have another ss, no, two more sses of beer. Is he really going to show up here? I just need to work a little more. It will be payday soon. I love you. I miss you. Thank god. You did well today. Tomorrow. ...Run away? Dont bullshit me, Agaroth growled. The Divine Army that Agaroth had led here wasnt the full sum of all of Agaroths believers. Followers of Agaroth lived all over the continent. Their faith was the source of Agaroth and the Divine Armys strength. If we run from here, just what are we supposed to do about that? Agaroth scoffed. Agaroth didnt know all that much about the Demon King of Destruction. However, he instinctively realized at least this much. If they didnt stop that thing here and now, then something terrible would happen. That thing would go on to destroy the entire world. Also, theres no way that thing will just let us run away, Agaroth muttered with a dry chuckle. He didnt sense any hostility or murderous intenting from that Demon King. But even without sensing such things from it, Agaroth knew just what it wanted. This was the Demon King of Destruction. It existed to kill everything without ever showing any mercy. The reason why it would continue to kill and destroy everything in its path wasnt due to any murderous intent, hostility, hatred, or any such emotions. For the Demon King, it was just in its nature to do so. Everyone, Agaroth shouted. Grrrrk. Gritting his teeth in determination, Agaroth lifted his right hand into the air. Your feelings of wanting to run away. Ive listened to them closely. However, I cant ept them. After all, if we all just ran away whenever we wanted to, what was the point of going to war? Unfortunately, the god that youve chosen to serve is a stubborn and vicious fucker. ording to the judgment of this damned god of yours, there is absolutely no way that we can run away now. Because of that, you all will be dying here today. There are no other options. All of you will definitely perish here. Agaroth gave his final order, Follow me. And Ill be dead along with you, Agaroth silently promised. Chapter 409: The Battlefield (3) Chapter 409: The Battlefield (3) The Divine Sword that had been lifted high into the air fell forward. Agaroths holy ground also began to advance. Agaroth wasnt unaware of the terror that everyone was feeling. His current actions also werent done out of personal courage because Agaroth himself couldnt muster up any courage in the face of this battle. It was all forced. They were only doing this because the circumstances had forced them to do so. Agaroth was much more vividly aware of one inevitable fact than anyone else here. Today, I am going to die. Agaroth had already epted this fact. If they wanted to avoid dying then the only method seemed to be running away? But regardless of whether that was even possible, Agaroth had never even considered the idea of running away. So, hepletely disregarded the opinions of his believers in this matter. Once one agreed to take part in something like a war, there would be times when one would be forced to do something that one didnt want to do. For Agaroth, now was just such a time. You, Agaroth growled. Roooaaarrr! Space itself was split apart as the Divine Sword shed towards the Demon King of Destruction. Although this was the Divine Sword that Agaroth had been confident could slice through anything in this world, it still couldnt inflict even a single wound on the Demon King of Destruction. In the first ce, it didnt seem like the Demon King had anything resembling a body, so was it even possible for it to be injured? Currently, Agaroth couldnt sense the existence of anything like flesh, blood, or bones within the Demon King of Destruction. Though if that was the case, then what exactly was its existence evenposed of? All that could be seen was the riot of all sorts of different colors caused by a spatial distortion and the ck hole in the center of it all. It was unnatural. Exceptionally unnatural. Agaroth had killed many Demon Kings until now, but he had never once seen a Demon King that looked like this. The other Demon Kings, even when they werent human-like in appearance, had at least resembled living beings. However, what was going on with the Demon King of Destruction? It was clearly right in front of him, but he still couldnt feel any sense of lifeing from it. The shudders coursing through him were causing Agaroth to breathe faster. Wrestling back control of his breathing, Agaroth voicelessly demanded, Just what on earth are you? However, there was no response. His attempts to converse with this thing were met with failure. Agaroth epted this failure and used both hands to grip the Divine Sword. Cracracrackle! Agaroth mustered up all of his divine power. Even the dark red sun that was transforming this area into a holy ground drew closer to Agaroth. Aaaah! his soldiers roared from behind him. Despite being terrified and wanting to run away, his soldiers would obey the will of the god that they had sworn themselves to. Their god refused to run away from this battle. Their god wanted to keep fighting this battle, even if it meant that all his believers would be dying here today. Not only that, but Agaroth had also resolved himself to die here alongside them. Because of that, the believers could no longer remain frozen in fear. This was the battlefield, and the god that they had sworn themselves to was the God of War. If their God wanted them all to give their lives on this battlefield, then as his believers, they must offer their lives to him. Aaaaah! the soldiers roared once more. Agaroths Divine Army was made up of his most faithful followers, who would have dly sacrificed their lives for him at any other time, but the presence of the Demon King of Destruction was stimting the primal fear that all humans carried. However, this was their chance for glorious martyrdom. Even in the midst of the terror provoked by the Demon King of Destruction, their faith in Agaroth could not be erased. So most of the Divine Army charged forward, holding their weapons aloft and spitting out curses. The swirl of colors surrounding the Demon King of Destruction slowly began to spread out. The gradually expanding colors pushed back at Agaroths divine power. Eventually, these colors transformed into a wall that met the soldiers as they charged forward, holding their weapons aloft and letting out roars. The wall of colors proved to be an attack for which there was no method to counter. The moment the soldiers reached those colors, which seemed to be eroding space itself, every attempt they made to break it failed. The colors themselves were made up of the dark power of Destruction. The mana and divine power that was wrapped around the bodies of each of the Divine Armys soldiers disappeared as soon as they touched the dark power of Destruction, and the armor they were wearing wasnt able to resist such absolute power, even for a moment. Was it truly possible that the lives of all of these men would continue to be wasted like this? This was Agaroths Divine Army, the army that had won countless wars at his side and even overwhelmed the armies of the Demon Kings. But this very Divine Army was rapidly being turned into corpses as they advanced. Aaaaaargh! the divine army continued to roar. Theirrades were dying right in front of them. Even so, they refused to back down. The soldiers of the Divine Army let out roars as they continued the attack. At the same time, Agaroths name was chanted, and a hymn was sung. At the moment of their deaths, instead of screaming, they each celebrated their martyrdom. As for Agaroth. He watched as the bodies of his believers were torn into pieces and scattered. He heard their cries. He felt it distinctly as each life was extinguished. Yet he couldnt allow himself to feel fear and despair. Those two types of emotions would just cause his body to freeze. What Agaroth needed right now was rage, hatred, and the fighting spirit that those emotions aroused. With a curse, Agaroth sliced at the dark power. With that, he made an opening in the swirling, corrosive wall of colors. He swung his Divine Sword again and again. The sunlight shining from the sun that was made up of his divine power collided with the dark power of Destruction. Agaroth was trying to push the dark power back with his sunlight, but it wasnt working. Instead, it was Agaroths own divine power that was getting erased each time the two touched. Agaroths eyes shone with a red light. As a God of War who had won hundreds of thousands of battles, his eyes had already developed a special ability. Agaroths eyes could see through an opponent, even if this was their first meeting. But he wasnt able to see anything from the Demon King of Destruction. He could only see the unbelievablyrge, ominous, and terrifying mass of dark power in front of him. And in the center of that chaos, where everything was mixing together. Agaroth still couldnt see anything, but it was obvious that something was there. So Agaroth decided to trust his intuition. Though, this was also because he was left with no other choice but to do so. Boooom! The Divine Army wasn''t just dying pointlessly. Agaroths second-inmand, the mighty warrior, a Chosen[1] of the God of War, looked to be in a state where it wouldnt be strange if he died at any moment. When his god had ordered the army to march forward, the mighty warrior had led the charge despite his own feelings of fear. He swung the greatsword that his god had personally bestowed upon him, cutting through the dark power in front of him, and advanced forward. His left arm had already disappeared during the charge. Blood and internal organs were flowing out from his torn-open side. Nevertheless, the mighty warrior continued to swing his greatsword as he let out a battle cry. Weve made it, Agaroth thought in relief. Through theirbined efforts, they had gotten past the swirling colors and had reached a ce that could lead them to the center of the Demon King of Destruction. The light of the Divine Sword suddenly dimmed. Would anything about their situation really change even if Agaroth did stab it? Agaroth didnt have even the slightest hope that he would truly be able to defeat the Demon King of Destruction with just his sword alone. Be that as it may, he still needed to thrust his sword forward. If he didnt even dare to attack now, then everything would truly just end without him having aplished anything. The light of the Divine Sword intensified. Then, from the center of the Demon King of Destruction, darkness unfolded. *** Agaroth opened his eyes. His ears didnt seem to be working well. And it wasnt just his hearing; Agaroth felt that most of his senses werent working correctly. Even though his eyes had opened, he couldnt see anything clearly. The sensationsing from his own body were faint. However, he could still feel something. Inside of Agaroth, the voices of his believers could no longer be heard. The mighty warrior had died. That guy had wandered through the same battlefields with him for decades. Theirs wasnt a rtionship like that of a captain and his subordinate or of a god and his follower, or at least, not just like those. For Agaroth, the mighty warrior had been his most trusted confidant and friend. But he hadnt even been able to see how that guy had died. And it wasnt just him either. Agaroth coughed up a mouthful of blood. Most of the soldiers who had charged while following his orders had died. What just happened? Agaroth thought in confusion. The colors scattered apart, a voice came from right beside him. Agaroth blinked his still unseeing eyes. The voice continued to report, And then the center of that thing, the hole, began to spew out something ck. In the next moment, everything around it was covered by the ckness, and when that ck cloud disappeared, only corpses remained. ...What is my condition? Agaroth falteringly asked. He still couldnt feel any signals from his body. Such a state was truly unfamiliar to him. Unlike a humans body, the body of a god couldnt die from mortal wounds. Even if he lost his arms, legs, or even his head, as long as he had divine power remaining, he could still continue to fight. The body parts that are missing are more than the ones that still remain, the voice, now recognized as the Saints, whispered. At least there wasnt any pain. Agaroth smiled as he coughed up more blood. What about the Demon King of Destruction? Agaroth asked. Hes following us from a distance, the Saint replied. From a distance? Agaroth questioned. Was I thrown here? Or did you carry me here? The answer to that is both. My Lord, you were also swept up in that ck hurricane, but you were thrown out without having beenpletely destroyed. At that moment, I threw myself in front of it for you, the Saint whispered from an extremely close distance. Agaroth could feel her breath. Although his regeneration was slow, it seemed like it hadnt run out entirely. After coughing up a few more mouthfuls of blood, Agaroth continued speaking, You should run. His body slowly became able to move. Agaroth squinted his eyes, bleary sight having returned to them atst, and raised his left hand. Pulling off the ring on his right ring finger, he held it out towards the Saint. Agaroth said, This is my holy relic. If you use this at least one of us will have escaped. To think that you would order me to escape at this point, the Saint scoffed. If you were going to do that anyway, wouldnt it have been better if we had all escaped together right away? Agaroth shook his head, Just you. The Saint let out augh at Agaroths words, My Lord, I am overwhelmed by how much you treasure me. Do you truly want me to live that badly? Mhm, Agaroth grunted in confirmation. This reply caused the Saint to stopughing. So just run, Agaroth ordered. Join up with the Sage and the God of Giants who should be heading this way. Tell them how I died. And warn the world that Destruction ising. ..., the Saint stayed silent. Agaroth continued, And after that Shh, the Saint suddenly shushed him while shaking her head. My Lord, you have decided that you are going to die here today, in this spot, isnt that right? Thats right, Agaroth nodded. In that case, the Saint paused. Please dont worry about something righteous like, What will happen to the world once I am dead?. Something like that should be taken care of by those whoe after you. Agaroth didnt say anything. And your ring, the Saintughed. I didnt want to receive it this way, in a ce like this. In fact, I didnt really expect to receive it all. However fufu, Im quite happy to take it. My Lord, I thank you for your favor. The Saints fingers gently traced the lines of Agaroths cheek. My Lord, since this will be ourst time together, I wont dawdle any longer and say onest thing. My Lord, it doesnt matter to me what will happen to the world from now on, the Saint admitted as her fingers trailed down his cheek and caressed Agaroths lips. If I had to say why, it is because the world without you has no meaning to me. My Lord, the fact that youre dying here today, for me, is the same thing as the world ending. Agaorth just listened quietly. The Saint continued, Also, my Lord, I never wanted you to die like this. If you truly were to die, then it should be You wanted it to be in your hands, right? Agaroth finished for her. The Saintughed, still caressing Agaroths lips, Yes. My Lord, in the past, you took everything from me. I, who was on the verge of attaining godhood, was instead destroyed by you. Before she had be the Saint, she was known as the Twilight Witch. She had usurped control of a country, invaded the surrounding countries, and sacrificed everyone that she could get her hands on in a bid to take her ce as the God of Evil. However, just when her goal was right in front of her, she had been overthrown by Agaroth. The Saint confessed, My Lord, I hated you. I wanted revenge on you. But you viewed my hatred and desire for revenge as a source of entertainment. You were looking forward to me attempting to take my revenge on you someday, eventually. Agaroth didnt deny these words. Because they were the truth. The Twilight Witch hadmitted many evil deeds, but Agaroth didnt really consider those to be character faults. In this current era, anyone was justified in doing anything they could to survive. In any case, the Twilight Witch had failed, so Agaroth had taken her as his trophy. So what if she would someday seek revenge. For Agaroth, keeping someone who was giving off such dangerous intentions by his side was quite an amusement. But now, all that was in vain, the Saint sighed, her finger, which had been caressing Agaroths lips, falling away. As Agaroths vision restored itself, he was able to see the Saints current visage. She she looked a right mess. Diving in to carry away Agaroth, who had been swept away by the dark power of Destruction, was no different than immersing your entire body in a river of death. Agaroth was left staring into the half-dissolved face of the Saint. Still, Agaroth wasnt surprised. This was because he had already guessed it. At this close distance, there was no way that he could miss the smell of blooding from her. With my face like this, I am embarrassed to show you such an ugly sight, the Saint whispered, her lips having been torn into pieces. Agaroth scoffed, What do you mean? Youre just as beautiful as you always are. If she had truly wanted to betray him, she could have done so at any time. Her title as the Saint had been prepared for when she eventually fell into corruption. If a Saint was to betray the god whom she had sworn to while killing countless of his believers, she could have easily be an Evil God, obtaining the power that she had pursued for so long. But she hadnt done so. My Lord, the Saint whispered. In thesest moments of ours I will have to deny your will. I wont run from here. My Lord, I wont see you die before me. ...Alright, Agaroth agreed with a wry smile as he reached out his hand. Agaroths hand gently caressed the Saints cheek, and the Saint tilted her head up towards him with a weak smile. If you have anyst wishes, I will hear them, Agaroth offered. Haha, my Lord is so merciful, the Saint chuckled as she held Agaroths face between both her hands. A kiss. The Saints breath drew closer to his skin. And also my death. Their lips touched. Agaroths hands wrapped around the Saints neck. A smile was drawn across the Saints blood-stained lips. Crack. Agaroth immediatelyid down the deceased Saint. Even though she had died when her neck was broken, there was still a smile on her face, and the blood from where her lips had touched Agaroths own remained stained in ce like lipstick. Agaroth ced the ring that he was holding on top of the Saints chest. You will all be dying here today. There are no other options. All of you will definitely perish here. I guess that was a divine prophecy, Agaroth chuckled as he turned his head. And Ill be dead along with you. The colors had slowly been creeping towards him. The Demon King of Destruction was now right in front of him. The corpses of his deceased believers also covered the in before him. Agaroth created a new Divine Sword in his hands as he stared at the Demon King of Destruction. He held the Divine Sword aloft, and then he poured all of his remaining divine power into it. Apart from that, he didnt perform any other miracles. Against that thing, a gods miracles were meaningless. Facing it like this, standing on his own two feet, and being able to point his sword at it was a miracle in its own right. Agaroth was silent as light shone from him. He was aware of all the corpses in front of him. Inside his body, he felt a void where their voices could no longer be heard. But at this moment, his heart was calm. That thing... didnt possess any rage, hatred, or other such emotions. It operated more like a natural disaster than anything else. It didnt move with any malice or murderous intent. Agaroth ground his teeth. Grk. So what if it wasnt moving with malice or murderous intent? Did that mean there was no need for him to feel rage or hatred? There was nothing in this world that said that he shouldnt. Rage and hatred were both a matter of personal feelings. In front of this Destruction that had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and sought to end everything, what reason was there not to feel rage and hatred toward it? Agaroth might be a god, but he had once been a human, and his lifetime spent as a human was longer than his lifetime spent as a god. Because of that, in front of this Destruction that could not be resisted by human efforts and could only be described as a cmity, Agaroth felt the most human rage and hatred towards it. Agaroth raised his Divine Sword and stepped forward. Just like when the Demon King of Destruction first appeared, he continued to advance towards it without stopping. Agaroth met the Demon King of Destruction, and the swirling, expanding wall of colors engulfed Agaroth. After that, the Demon King of Destruction finally came to a halt. It didnt move from that spot for several days. 1. The original word used here is literally tranted as Incarnation. Its used to describe the mighty warrior as the embodiment of all that the God of War stands for. However, considering that Agaroth is right there, it felt wrong to use Incarnation here, so I went with Chosen instead. Chapter 410: The Battlefield (4) Chapter 410: The Battlefield (4) At that point, the memory proceeded to be a bit fragmented. Having been swallowed by the Demon King of Destruction, Agaroth did not die immediately. Instead, he wandered through an abyss that seemed to have no end and continued to slice apart the overflowing torrent of dark power and colors. In the face of such destruction that could render all efforts at resistance meaningless, gods and humans were rendered equal. That was just how things were. However, Agaroth managed to survive within Destruction for a very long time. Even with the dark power trying to drive him crazy, he managed to retain his sanity. He refused to forget who he was. Many of the voices within him had already disappeared, but a few could still be hearding from very far away. Those were the voices of the believers devoted to Agaroth. Along with these voices, Agaroth also thought of the believers who had already perished for him. His long-time friend whom Agaroth hadnt even been able to see in his final moments. The evil witch who had died after he broke her neck with these very hands. All of therades who had fought with him in one long war after another and always emerged victorious. And all of his other bonds, too. Then there was himself. As the fragmented memory continued to y, Agaroth was gradually dying. He wandered through the endless abyss, swinging his sword again and again and again. Hisst memory was that of embedding his Divine Sword down in an empty ce. He had forced his body to walk all this way, but in the end, it finally gave in. He held himself up on the Divine Sword that he had been using as a cane He died, Eugene realized as his eyes opened up. He stared down at the Divine Sword that he was holding out in front of him. The Divine Sword he was currently wielding looked very shabbypared to the sword he had just been looking at Agaroths Divine Sword. But more than that, Eugene could not stop his face from twisting into a scowl. His displeasure came from the fact that, while it was fortunate he had been able to recall Agaroths memory, the memory wasntplete. He hadnt even been able to draw upon all of Agaroths memories, only remembering the memory from Agaroths literalst moments. His war with the Nur, the descent of the Demon King of Destruction, and his death. ..., Eugene frowned silently. Despite his sess, it was only natural that Eugene was not happy recalling Agaroths memory. After all, within that memory, he had embodied Agaroth. All of the emotions that Agaroth felt and the death of his believers, all of that had left an undeniable emotional residue on Eugene. Especially at the end, when Agaroths Saint had died, and the emotions that Agaroth had felt at that moment. I at least know this much, Eugene muttered with a click of his tongue as he lowered his Divine Sword. Im different from Agaroth. Eugenes closest past life was as Hamel. Influenced by the environment, education, experience, and such that he had gone through from when he was reborn as a baby to the present day, Eugenes personality wasnt necessarily the exact same as when he was Hamel. However, despite that, the current Eugene Lionheart couldnt also be said to be apletely different person from Hamel Dynas. However, in Agaroths case, Eugene couldnt help but feel various incongruities with the God of Wars memory. What would Eugene have done in that situation? Eugene felt that he probably wouldnt even have chosen to fight with the Demon King of Destruction. If possible, he would have tried to retreat and make ns for the future, or well if someone did have to be a sacrifice to stop it, then. I feel like I would have chosen to stay there on my own, Eugene decided. He didnt think he would have ordered his believers, who were begging him to run away, into a merciless advance. In fact, there hadnt really been a need for that. In the battle against the Demon King of Destruction although that couldnt really have been called a battle Agaroths believers had been of no help when confronting the Demon King of Destruction. To put it harshly, their deaths had been more like a ritual sacrifice meant to apany Agaroth in death. So why had Agaroth made such a decision? Even considering the era that they were in, Agaroths identity as a human, and the fact that he had ascended humanity to be a god Eugene still couldnt fully understand Agaroths choice. Though in the first ce, it would be ridiculous and arrogant of him to try and understand the mindset of a person from not just tens or hundreds of years but thousands of years ago. I also dont understand why he kept that Saint by his side until the very end, Eugene thought with a frown. The Twilight Witch who became the Saint of the God of War. She might not have been a ck wizard, but she wasnt much different from one. She had used a kingdom as a testing ground for her magic, and in the end, she attempted to be the God of Evil by exterminating all of the kingdoms citizens. In other words, the Saint had done something simr to what Edmond had attempted when he tried to be a greater Demon King through his ritual. If it were Eugene, he would never have allowed such an insane person to live. No matter how capable they might be, he would have definitely killed them. He wouldnt have kept them by his side even if they swore eternal loyalty to him. But what about Agaroth? He had epted that witch as his servant and had kept her right by his side. It wasnt like he didnt keep an eye on her, but he still left that witch with a rtively free rein, even hoping that she might one day pull her tricks on him. ..., Eugene tried to think why Agaroth had done so. And in her final moments, that woman had died, not as a witch, but as a Saint. Even though she had had several opportunities to betray Agaroth along the way, she still ended up serving Agaroth faithfully. Eugene just couldnt understand all of that. This was partly because Agaroths memories werentplete and partly because their personalities as a whole were different. Even after seeing Agaroths memory, questions still remained. In the Darkroom under the Lionheart manor, Eugene had seen a vision of a man walking through a wilderness filled with corpses, his shoulders slumped in despair. That figure should have been Agaroth, but there was no point at which the vision and Agaroths memories ovepped. In hisst moments, Agaroth hadnt despaired but had instead felt enraged and hateful. He stood face to face with the Demon King of Destruction, and instead of running away, he stepped forward to meet it. Then, in the end, he was swallowed by the Demon King of Destruction and killed. ...Even though he was a god, Eugene mused. Instead of answering his questions, there were parts of Agaroths memory that had raised even more doubts. Although it wasnt very prevalent in Agaroths era, it was still possible for humans to be gods. Even though, in that era, believers could still obtain divine power through their faith and were able to perform miracles, there were also professions such as priests and pdins. At the same time, the distance between the gods and the humans was very close. Agaroth, for example, had enjoyed drinking with his believers and celebrating alongside them with raucous banquets. In other words, this meant that humans were able to hear the voices of their gods whenever they wished. However, what about in the current era? Even in the case of the God of Light, who possessed the greatest number of believers, he barely evermunicated with his believers on earth, and the same went for the other gods. Looking at the existence of divine power and miracles, the existence of the gods was undeniable, but in the current era, apart from cases like Kristina''s, it was impossible for humans to hear the voices of their gods. And its not like they had to receive worship to be a god. Like in the case of the Twilight Witch, it was also possible to be an Evil God by bing an object of fear through causing enough massacres, Eugene recalled. In a certain sense, this meant that the distance between humans and gods, while still clearly defined, hadnt been all that far apart. However, in the current era, such a thing was absurd to even think about. For a human to be a god? If that was really possible, then Vermouth would have already be one. There were also those who had achieved famous, historical feats before him. Like the Magic King who had founded Aroth. Even Molon, who had established Ruhr, could have be a god in that case. As for guys like Edmond, who wished to change their species, they could have aimed to be an Evil God instead of a Demon King. The world itself changed, Eugene suddenly realized. Agaroths era was destroyed by the Demon King of Destruction. Then, a new era began. And the current era was by no means simr to Agaroths era with differences starting from the veryws that made up the world. But why? ..., Eugene silently pondered the question. But no matter how much he thought about it, there was no way to know. Since Agaroth had died before the destruction of the era, there was no way to know what had happened after that. Could I remember more if I wanted to? Eugene asked himself. Using the Divine Sword as a medium, Eugene had performed a miracle and recalled a memory that was engraved into his soul. Since he had already seeded once, it seemed possible that he should be able to recall other memories. Perhaps he could even remember Agaroths life from its very beginning. But he didnt really feel like doing so. Just recalling the moment of Agaorths death had left Eugene feeling strange and ufortable, and he felt like his sense of self might be shaken if he tried to recall Agaroths entire life. In the end, Hamel, Eugene, and Agaroth were all separate existences. If he really thought about it, there were many simrities between them, but there were just as many differences as well. Just being aware of my past life was already enough of a pain in the ass, but to think that I have to consider the past life of my past life, Eugene grumbled to himself. Was it possible that any of his entanglements from that era had been reincarnated into the present day? Eugene didnt want to think too deeply about that possibility. ...That bastard, Eugene cursed as he idly swung the Divine Sword still in his hands. The dark red light of the swords divine power was undoubtedly distinct, but Eugene couldnt be satisfied with just that. He was strong, Eugene reluctantly admitted. Even when he was a human, Agaroth had managed to y Demon Kings, and he had also killed many more Demon Kings after bing a god. Eugene tried to piece together some faint memories. Although it would be difficult to create a ranking of the different Demon Kings from the two eras, the Demon Kings of Agaroths era were at least more numerous than the Demon Kings of this era. But even without using any fancy or esoteric techniques, Agaroth had been strong enough to defeat them. Eugene had been able to clearly feel that much, at the very least. At the moment when he had shed with the Demon King of Destruction, Agaroth may have been ced into a weakened state by the prolonged war, but even so, his instincts and skills in battle had been as sharp as ever. Eugene might also have a lot of experience when it came to things likebat and the battlefield, but it was nothingpared to Agaroths. After recalling those memories, it felt like a change had urred in Eugenes senses. And it wasnt a negative change. At this moment Eugene couldnt be sure if he was actually stronger than he had been before, but he was sure that he would be able to fight better than he could before. I wont gain anything more from going any further out than this, Eugene decided. Instead, he might just get caught up in an unexpected situation. Eugene didnt really want to risk such a venture, so he quietly put away the Divine Sword. Then, for a few moments he stood on top of the frozen sea and stared straight ahead. Although he had a wide-open view, his vision wasnt very clear. There was a haze out there that made it hard to see. Eugene quietly turned around and left. * * * Although Eugene had told them to head back in, Sienna and Anise were still standing outside the cave when he returned. After talking with them, Eugene learned that only three hours had passed since he had flown out towards Raguyaran. Molon was absent. Nur had shown up once again, and Molon had left to kill it, so he would be back in a little while. Im going to have a fight with Molon, Eugene said with a rxed expression as if he was talking about going for a walk. However, Sienna and Anise couldnt listen to those words with the same sense of calm. Kristina and Anise, who had watched as Eugene was beaten up by Molonst time, were especially horrified as they tried to stop Eugene. Hamel, what reason do you even have to fight with Molon? Sienna demanded. Molons mental state isnt in a strange state any longer. Kristina nodded, Sir Eugene, I also feel the same way. Does it really matter whether you won or lostst time? Simr to Kristina, Sienna also had a worried expression. She had yet to see Molons current power firsthand. However, if the Molon had truly been active for the past three hundred years and, far from beingzy, had spent his days hunting the monster known as Nur from what she knew of Molon, it was almost scary to imagine what sort of level he must have reached by now. Of course, Molons time here was marked by his madness, so he hadnt been able to devote himself to his usual ascetic training, but the power Sienna sensed from him was iparable to that of Molon from three hundred years ago. Will you really be fine with losing like that? Sienna asked worriedly. I have no intention of losing, Eugene stubbornly insisted. Sienna frowned, Well, if you use the Moonlight Sword, the Holy Sword, and the Divine Sword, I guess you might be able to win. But Eugene, wouldnt that bother you? If youre fighting Molon with those weapons, it would mean that youre fighting him with the intent to kill, but theres no way that Molon will fight you in the same manner. Im not going to use the Moonlight Sword or the Divine Sword, Eugene said as he pulled the Holy Sword out of his cloak. The only weapon I will use is the Holy Sword. I wont use Ignition or Prominence either. ...Arent you being too arrogant? Anise muttered. Hamel, I know just how strong you are. However,pared to when you fought with Molonst time I dont think that you will be able to have the upper hand under those conditions. Anises words were urate. Throughout the battles following the Knight March against the Death Knight, Edmond, Raizakia, and Iris Eugene had undoubtedly grown stronger with each battle. However, Eugenes increased strength came from the changes in his White me Form, along with thebination of Ignition and Prominence. That was also supported by the Moonlight Sword and Divine Sword. That would usually be the case, Eugene conceded. Eugene was also aware of all of that. In hisst match with Molon, Eugene had beenpletely overwhelmed. Rather than being able to exchange equal blows with Molon, Eugene had been thrown around by Molons strength, and he couldnt even get aplete read on Molons moves. Thats why I want to test it out, Eugene said, turning his head to the side as he propped the Holy Sword onto his shoulder. It feels like something in me has changed, but Im not exactly sure about it myself. I cant really confirm it yet either. Having returned as Eugene was speaking, Molon was looking right back at Eugene. Eugene continued, I want to confirm what it is by fighting it out with someone, but its rare for me to find someone I can really test myself against. Its even rarer to find people who I can clearly tell are stronger than me. Is that so, Molon murmured as he wiped away the Nurs blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. He stroked his bushy beard for a few moments as he was lost in thought. I understand what you mean, Hamel. If you truly want to test yourself then in this world, apart from me, who else would be able to really put you to the test, Molon said with a grin and a nod of his head. Hamel, if thats what you want, Im willing to spar with you at any time. After all, that is what I have always wanted, even back then, three hundred years ago. However, for this match I also have to make a personal request. A request? What is it? Eugene raised a brow. To think that Molon would actually ask for something in exchange for a spar. Since no one could ever have imagined Molon saying such words, they were all staring at Molon in surprise. Even while being on the receiving end of such stares, Molon kept up a serious expression that showed no signs of wavering. If I win, Hamel, you have to shout Ive lost five times, Molon demanded. Eugene was struck dumb, .... Molon continued, You also have to write down, I, Hamel Dynas, lost this match with Molon Ruhr. ..., Eugene stayed silent. And finally, you have to swear that you wont make up any other excuses for your defeat, Molon finished with a nod. Eugenes lips twitched in anger as he listened to Molon speak. Anise and Sienna, who had been listening in rapt attention as Molonid out his terms, burst intoughter and started pping at each others arms in amusement. Eugene growled, You you son of a bitch. You really have been holding such a petty grudge, havent you? Molon blinked innocently, Hamel, I dont understand what you mean by that. I have never once been used of being petty. You youve been keeping a grudge buried within your chest because I said that I would have won if wed been holding weapons! Eugene used. Of course not, Hamel, Molon muttered in denial while attempting to avoid eye contact. Also, in my opinion, the one being petty is you, not me, Hamel. It was a fair fight, man to man, but who was it that had to go and make up some kind of excuse afterward? Molons voice was quieter and faster-paced than usual. Such words seemed uncharacteristic of Molon. However, Eugene couldnte up with any way to refute his words. You. Even so, Eugene couldnt just sit still and continue listening to this, so, with trembling lips, he shouted, You youre stupid! You big idiot! Sometimes, when people really couldnt find an appropriate response to make, they would start making some extremely ugly personal attacks instead. Chapter 411: The Battlefield (5) Chapter 411: The Battlefield (5) The other side of the Leheinjar, which was sealed within a barrier, was chosen as the location for their spar. This was because if Eugene and Molon were to fight in the real world with both sides giving it their all, things wouldnt just end with the terrain getting slightly rearranged, but the entire mountain range might just get erased. Though things probably wont get that intense, Eugene tried to tell himself. In fact, Eugene himself wasnt so sure about the truth of that thought. After all, Eugene and Molon both knew each other quite well, so Eugene couldnt be certain that things wouldnt get out of control. But even if the two of them got a bit serious, they still wouldn''t be able to kill each other. Even if they ended up suffering severe injuries, Anise and Kristina would be there to help them recover. On top of that, if things really did go too far, Sienna, who would be watching from the sidelines, would also intervene. But the most important thing was that no matter how the fight went or who won Eugene and Molon wouldnt hold it against each other. No matter the oue of the battle, their rtionship wouldnt change. However, Eugenes pride was still at stake. Honestly speaking, even in his previous life, Eugene had never once thought of himself as being weaker than Molon. Of course, in his past life, Hamel did have a weaker body than Molon. Because of that, he wasnt able to fight as barbarically as Molon usually did. However, what did something like that matter when it came to deciding who was stronger and weaker in a fight? Eugene was already thinking such arrogant thoughts before the fight had even started, as if it just came naturally to him. Moreover, unlike thest time, this wouldnt be a match fought for Molons sake, so he wouldnt have to be trying to treat Molons madness during the fight. At first, Eugene had only intended to fight with Molon to test out the change that he had sensed, but at some point, the focus of their match had shifted to deciding, once and for all, just which of the two was the stronger. Thanks to that, there was a possibility that things might get a bit too intense. Eugene was certain he was stronger than Molon, so he didnt want to lose, no matter what. Besides, who on earth would go into a fight while thinking solely of losing? The same went for Molon. He respected the man once known as Hamel Dynas. That was the case even three hundred years ago, especially after seeing the stubbornness that Hamel had shown upon first meeting Vermouth. When they had first heard Vermouth say that he wanted to wee a young mercenary who was quickly gaining notoriety in the mercenary world as arade, Sienna and Anise had both protested. However, Molon hadnt been too resistant to the idea. He had trusted that Vermouth must have had a good reason for his choice. At the same time, he noticed the fact that their potential newrade was a mercenary. At that time, Molon, Sienna, and Anise didnt have much worldly experience. That was something that couldnt be helped. Molon was the heir to a tribe from the northern snowfields, Anise had been enshrined as the Saint in Yuras, and Sienna had grown up in the Rainforest since she was an infant. On the other hand, if the new member was a mercenary who had experienced countless battlefields, wouldnt that mean he must have a wealth of diverse experiences? Like Anise and Sienna had said, they might not be skilled enough, but in that case, wouldnt it be fine if they were given roles other thanbat? After seeing Hamel in person, Molong had changed his mind. Although all they had seen was Hamel getting rid of some small fry mercenaries[1], Molon had sensed unseen depths hidden within Hamels movements. And after watching the match between Hamel and Vermouth, Molon grew certain that Hamel would someday be someone strong. However, he never thought that Hamel would one day be stronger than him. It was true that Hamel was an exceptional warrior. But to believe that Hamel was stronger than himself? Molon had never once had that sort of thought. Of course, there was a huge difference between the habits and methods that the two used in battle, but that was just due to how their roles were divided. If Molon was forced to, he would have been able to fight the same way that Hamel had fought, at least to a certain extent. So it wasnt that he couldnt do it; he just didnt have to. Hamel, Molon said as he crossed his thick arms in front of his chest. Molon stared at Eugene over his big, bushy beard with a solemn expression, I saw your skill in ourst match. And I feel that the current you has be much stronger than you were back then. That shouldnte as a surprise. You should already know this, but I am always growing stronger," Eugene responded with an aloof expression as he rubbed his feet against the ground a few times. As Molon stood there with his arms crossed, his already immense bulk looked even bigger. Moreover, it even felt like he was gradually growingrger. This was evidence that Molon had entered his fighting form. Eugene sensed Molons presence gradually growing stronger. In response, Eugene turned his focus toward the universe inside of him. Now, just like how Eugene had felt that Molon wasrger than he actually was, Molon also felt that Eugene was somehow different in some unseen way. How strange, Molon thought to himself. Eugene gave off a sense of incongruity as if he didnt seem to fit in with the rest of the scenery. In Molons eyes, Eugene felt separated, like he was an existence that was set apart from the world. Such a sense of presence was fundamentally different from the intimidation that Molon had been giving off. Molon was confused, Hes clearly right in front of me, and he definitely feels out of ce. Yet, even so, hes somehow transparent. Just what was this feeling? Still feeling puzzled, Molon uncrossed his arms. This was Molon Ruhr. He had lived a very long life. Among the humans, none should have gone through as many battlefields as Molon. However, in Molons entire life, he had never once met anyone who gave off such a presence. So then, Eugene began speaking. You should make the first move. Because I got the first hitst time. If youre that confident about winning, dont dodge or block this move. Just take it. Last time, he had said something like that to Molon, and Molon had actuallyplied. But there was no way that Molon would also make the same request of him, right? Eugene thought it might just be possible, so he had already prepared a countermeasure, but it seemed that Molon wasnt going to be as petty as Eugene feared. Alright, Molon readily agreed. Instead, Molon actually didnt feel much resistance to having been given the initiative. As Eugene currently was, Molon acknowledged that he had the right to say such a thing. After uncrossing his arms, Molon clenched his fists that were asrge as dumbbells. Boom, boom. Molon began to walk forward. The Holy Sword, which Eugene was only holding with his right hand, slowly rose up in response. The Holy Sword was held at an angle that drew a straight line with Eugenes body. However, at that moment, Molon could no longer see Eugenes figure. It felt as if the beauty of that exquisitely refined de hadpletely engulfed Eugenes presence. It was an incredible disy of focus and immersion. Right now, Eugene and the Holy Sword were in perfect unity. ...Hm, Molon considered thoughtfully. He didnt stop walking, but at this moment, Molon felt some hesitation. His hesitation was due to a momentary confusion about how tounch his attack. That was just how hard Eugene was making it to find any openings, and Molon had a feeling that he wouldnt be able to break through Eugenes defenses no matter where he chose to attack. However, Molons hesitation was short-lived. He might be facing an opponent without any openings and a defense that could not be prated, but that was just the impression his eyes were giving him. He wouldnt know for sure without attacking Eugene directly. With a broad grin on his face, Molon pulled his fist backward. Grrrrrrrr! Molons clenched fist was already beginning to tremble. As his knuckles curled up even tighter, a thunderous roar began to well up from deep within Molons fist. Boom, boom, boom! The space around his fist warped and vibrated. As Molon pulled his fist behind his head, it felt like his upraised fist contained a force that could shatter the entire world. Molons left foot stretched forward. Boooooom! The ground that he stepped on shook. With that one step, Molons body was nted firmly into the earth and connected to it. Creeeeaaaak! Molons waist twisted to the side. Drawing a straight line from his left foot back to his right fist, the stance needed tounch his fastest and strongest punch had been created. Poppop, poppoppop! Thick veins bulged on the back of his hand and up along his right arm, his muscles swelling to the point where they seemed about to burst. Hamel, Molon said with a bright smile. You can dodge this if you want. Eugene couldnt help butugh at these words. This bastard. He really did have a good memory. There was no need for Eugene to even answer such a question. Fwooosh. A ck me quietly ignited and engulfed Eugenes body. Instead of its usual brilliant light, the Holy Sword was also covered by ayer of these subtle ck mes. Itsing, Eugene felt. Crack! The mountain copsed around Molons foot. But Molons fist had alreadyunched forward at a much faster speed that outpaced thends subsidence. At the moment when he sensed Molons fist covering his entire field of vision, an enormous force struck Eugene, shattering the space around him. If he was still the same Eugene fromst time, he wouldnt have been able to receive a blow like this that contained such a powerful force from head-on. With this type of attack, it was better to avoid it than to try and block it. If it was a situation where you couldnt avoid it, then it would be better to try and meet it with even greater force But now, Eugene grinned. there was no need for that. Eugenes spirit was roused into action, and the Holy Sword moved. Swish! It didnt even require much strength to deal with the attack, and he did not need to take more than a few steps. Parrying was a technique that Eugene had specialized in using from back when he was still Hamel. In the Hamel Style that Vermouth had created and passed down to Genos family line, this technique also existed under the name of Mana Parrying. Yet even if this was Eugene, it should have been impossible to parry Molons fist aspletely and cleanly as he just had. Moreover, the parrying just now hadnt even required him to use much strength. It was like the flow of a wave crashing down on him from head-on was suddenly diverted to the side after hitting a small stone. Huh, Molon gasped. The person who was most surprised by this oue was Molon, the one who had thrown the punch. After standing there nkly for a few moments, his fist still outstretched, he loosened his clenched fist. It hadnt been just a simple parry. During the moment of contact, Eugene had also sliced him. With a chuckle, Molon shook the back of his hand. Psssh! Red blood spurted out from the wound like a fountain. Its certainly strange, Molon muttered. Grrrrrrrrroan! Unable to withstand even a single blow, the mountain beneath Molons feet began to copse. Sienna immediately flew into the air together with Anise. She stared at Molon and Eugene with narrowed eyes. The two had been confronting each other at a very close range, but after the mountain peak copsed, Molon had fallen down the mountain. However, let alone copse, the ground on which Eugene was standing hadnt even shaken slightly. ...Anise, do you see that? Sienna asked. I do, Anise confirmed. Floating next to Sienna, Anises eyes were glowing with light. There was no way that Anise, as the Saint, would fail to detect the change that a wizard like Sienna had noticed. Her eyes focused on the ground beneath Eugenes feet, which didnt have a single crack running across it. Anise voiced their discovery, Thats definitely Holy Ground. Even though she was seeing it with her own eyes, Anise still couldnt believe it. Even in the Church of Light, you would have to be a high-ranking priest, at least the Archbishop level, to create a holy ground, and as a Saint, Anise was, of course, able to sanctify holy ground as well. However, even Anise, the most outstanding Saint in all of the Churchs history, would need to make some advance preparations if she wanted to create a holy ground using her divine magic. However, what Eugene had done just now without any prior preparations, he had made the space around him into holy ground. Moreover, that holy ground wasnt the holy ground of the God of Light. He used his own divinity, Anise muttered with a disbelieving snort. The holy ground wasnt veryrge. Only the space where Eugene stood, an area of only a few paces across, had been turned into his holy ground. The surprising thing was, within that holy ground, the divine power of Light was coexisting along with Eugenes own divinity. Was it because Eugene was the Hero, and he was holding the Holy Sword? Or perhaps there was a different reason? ...I cant think of anything other than the Light having acknowledged him and given him its permission, Anise thought with a frown. Eugene was also able to sense what he had just aplished. He hadnt done it deliberately. He hadnt even taken out his Divine Sword. He had just been operating the White me Form like usual. However, perhaps due to some spige from Agaroths memory, he had unconsciously mixed in some of his divine power into the White me Form. ncing down at his feet, Eugene almost burst intoughter. As long as Eugene was alive and wanted it to keep standing, this holy ground wouldnt copse. Also, while within the holy ground, Eugene would possess numerous advantages. Just like Agaroth, he might someday be able to use it to resist the ominous aura of Destruction. Perhaps it would even enable him to resist Noir Giabes Demoneye of Fantasy. Molon, who had fallen down the mountainside, stepped on the surrounding pieces of debris in order to leap upwards. Having jumped high into the sky in one fell swoop, Molonnded on a different mountain peak. The back of his hand that had been sliced by Eugenes sword was still bleeding. Anise was about to try to heal it with her holy magic, only for Molon to shake his head. The first to get treatment loses, Molon insisted. When she heard the thickly bearded Molon say this with a serious expression, Anise could only shake her head in bewilderment. This was because she felt that their spar was no different from a fight between children, where the first one to get a bloody nose was proimed the loser. Poppop. Molon clenched his fist once more. When he did, the sliced-open wound was forcefully closed by his immense strength, stopping the bleeding. After Molon clenched and unclenched his fist a few more times, the sides of the wound hadpletely stuck together. Having finished his self-treatment, Molon grinned and turned to look at Eugene. Unlike earlier, the distance between the two was quite far apart, but in Molons eyes, Eugene seemed to be very close, almost as if Eugene was right in front of his nose. It seems youve gained quite the strange power, Molon observed. Molon could still feel an unfamiliar airing from Eugene. But rather than putting him off bnce, it only excited Molons spirit as a warrior. As Molon slowly lowered his stance, an aura of fighting spirit rose off of him like a haze. At the same time, a strong desire bloomed within him. Looking at Eugenes upright stance that showed no signs of wavering, Molon felt a desire to make Eugene, who had just now managed to take a blow from him without even getting pushed back, fall down like he had. How long had it been since he had felt such a pure desire? Crack, cracrack! The ground beneath Molons feet crumbled once more. The space where Molon was standing began to shake. The massive man kicked off the ground so fast that even the sound couldnt keep up with him. A moment after he leaped, Molon had already reached Eugenes holy ground, and soon, an immense surge of violence was unleashed. It was the same fist as before, but the weight behind the fist felt different. It was only in this moment that Eugene was able to get a thorough grasp of what had changed within him. When they had foughtst time, he didnt get to see Molon show such strength. He had known at the time that Molon hadnt been giving it his all, but he hadnt been able to tell just how much Molon was holding back. However, now, Eugene had been able to coax out much more from Molon. Like how he was moving with such incredible force and how much physical strength Molon could actually exert. Surprisingly enough, this monster of a man was still only using about half of his full strength. Booooom! The Holy Sword bounced backward. Molons fist was also thrown back. However, neither of the two were forced to take a step back. Molon instead simply took another step forward and raised his other fist. Crazy bastard, Eugene cursed to himself. Eugene couldnt muster up any arrogant words, even in his mind. This absurd strength had to be due to the power that Molon had umted over the past three hundred years. It was the result of all the battles that Molon had fought, even as he slowly lost his mind. If he wanted to withstand such force, Eugene would also need to be prepared to die. At their level, for both of them to confront each other with all their might was to risk death or serious injuries. Because of that, just like Molon, Eugene was also refraining from using his full power. That was why he wouldnt be using Ignition or Prominence in this battle. If I use those, the current bnce would copse, Eugene thought. In thest battle, it was fine for him to use Prominence and Ignition. That was because it was a barehanded fight, so even if Eugene had used Ignition, Molon was able to handle it with ease. However, now, that was no longer possible. If Hamel were to use Ignition, Molon mused, getting the same feeling as Eugene. I would definitely be pushed back. This fact excited Molon. Fist and sword shed repeatedly. But the trajectory of the sword never shook. Eugene was able to parry Molons fist just as he wanted to because he could predict how Molon would attack. However, things werent going all ording to Eugenes will. Eugene had tried to slice at Molons fist, but he wasnt able to leave a wound on Molons body like he did the first time. No matter how sharp his de was, he wasnt able to scratch Molon. I admit it, Hamel, Molon spoke up after his fist had already shed with Eugenes sword about a dozen times. Now, Im no longer able to defeat you with my bare hands. Eugenes lips twitched at these words. From three hundred years ago, the weapon that Molon had used when he fought was the axe. 1. The author seems to have made a mistake here, as when they first met, Hamel was beating up a couple of young knights, not mercenaries. Chapter 412: The Battlefield (6) [Bonus Image] Chapter 412: The Battlefield (6) [Bonus Image] Molons axe. Three hundred years ago, Molon had never once changed the axe that he used in all the time that Hamel had known him. He had had that axe with him since he first left his tribe. Even before that, Molon had held that axe when he first grew into an official warrior of his tribe. Even though that axe had held a lot of meaning for him, Molon hadnt actually given his beloved weapon a name. But that was just like Molon. Youre talking about your old axe? Eugene snorted as he put away the Holy Sword. Even though it had withstood such force, the de of the Holy Sword was perfectly fine. As the greatest holy relic of the Church of Light, ording to their legends, the sword had been personally forged by the Incarnation of Light, so the sword would never break so long as faith in the Light remained. But Ive seen you using a different axe. Where did you put the axe you usedst time? Eugene asked. He was talking about the axe Molon had used to kill the Nur. The same axe that he had thrown at Raimira. That hadnt been the same axe as the one that Molon had used in the distant past. Eugene didnt think there was anything strange about that. Molon had always wielded that particr beloved axe in an extremely violent fashion, so after three hundred years had passed, that axe should have already be worn out and broken. I dont remember exactly when, but I should have buried it somewhere in this dimension, Molon revealed as he took a step back, clenching and unclenching his numb hands. Confused by this answer, Eugene tilted his head to the side and asked, Why bury it? Because I didnt want it to get dirty, Molon replied. Eugene still couldnt understand Molons response. Lowering the Holy Sword, Eugen blinked in confusion as Molon let out a chuckle. Hamel, Molon exined once he had finishedughing. That axe it has done a lot for me. When I first started traveling with Vermouth, I was carrying that axe on my back. When I first met Sienna, Anise, and you, I always had that axe with me. When I, no, when we fought with the demonfolk, and even when we yed the Demon Kings, I always used that axe. Molon raised his right hand. In all the time we spent in the Devildom, that axe served as my hands and feet, Molon said fondly. Hamel, even after you died, Vermouth swore the Oath, and the time of peace began, and even when I founded my kingdom in the ruins of the destroyed northern kingdoms, that axe did a lot of work in my hands. That axe that had once cut down Demon Kings and countless demonfolk had then been used to cut down mountains and hills, leveling the earth. When waterways were needed, it was used to dig up the ground, unearthing springs and creating rivers. Even when the time came to dig tunnels, Molon had always strode ahead of the pack and dug in first with that axe. Hamel, with that axe, I killed Demon Kings and founded the Ruhr Kingdom. That axe, Molon paused here for a moment. That axe, which I never even gave a name to, is as much who I am as I myself. Its my life. My memories. That axe, which has been with me for most of my journey I didnt want to stain it with such filthy and noxious blood. I also didnt want it to witness my own insanity. That was why he had buried it in the ground. Molon had wanted to keep his long-time, beloved weapon pure. As I buried my axe, I thought to myself, Molons fingers curled in the air. The next time I swing this axe will be if I face a Demon King. Or perhaps, when I meet someone who I truly wish to wield it against. Boomboomboom. The whole mountain range began to shake as if an earthquake was going on. Hamel, Molon smiled. Groooooooar! An entire face of the mountain range split open. The axe that had been buried deep within that crevice soared out and flew towards Molons outstretched hand. Booom! Catching the axe that was just asrge as his own body with a single hand, Molon rested it on his shoulder. Right now, I really want to swing this axe at you, Molon confessed. Something was different. This wasnt Eugenes first time seeing Molon holding an axe. However,pared to the axe that Molon had wielded when killing the Nur, the axe he was currently wielding was on a whole different level in terms of the ferocity it gave off. In a certain fashion, that savage-looking axe felt even more terrifying than one of the Demon Kings Armaments. Also, the sense of intimidation being given off by Molon as he held his beloved weapon made him feel like apletely different person from the one Eugene had faced just now. Crazy bastard. Why dont you just say that you really want to kill me? Eugene grumbled as Molons terrifying aura of intimidation washed over him. Seeing Molon like this, he felt like he needed to reevaluate his previous estimates. While neutralizing Molons attack just now, Eugene had thought that even if Molon used all of his might, he would still be able to win as long as he had free use of his weapons and could activate Ignition as well. However, If Molon were to wield that axe he suddenly didn''t feel like his odds of winning would be that high. Alright, Molon. If you want to swing that axe at me, just bring it, Eugene challenged. Regardless of whether he won or lost, Eugene would still be happy. After all, in theirst battle, until the very end of their fight, he hadnt even managed to make Molon pull out his axe. Even though he had used Prominence and Ignition and dragged things out into a nasty mud-slinging match Eugene still hadnt been able to make Molon feel the way that he did now. Lets keep it to five strikes, Eugene said, ncing upwards. From the moment that Molon picked up his axe, mes had lit up in Anise and Siennas eyes. The two of them had wanted to stop the fight immediately, but out of consideration for Eugene and Molon, they were holding back their urge to do so. Eugene proposed, If I manage to endure five swings of your axe, that means I win. Why are we just counting my axe blows? Molon asked, feeling puzzled. Under the current conditions, Im not confident that I can beat you in just five attacks, Eugene admitted with augh. However, your strength gives you a lot of power, and now that youre holding your precious axe shouldnt you have the confidence to bring me down in just five swings of your axe? Hahaha! Molon let out a loud roar ofughter. Indeed, that is true. Hamel, youre right. Five strikes. Lets do it. Once again, undergoing yet another transformation, Molons aura changed. Grrrrr! The axe resting on Molons shoulder was lifted above his head. Even though that was all he had done, the action was apanied by a loud roar that seemed to set the whole world shaking. Holding the axe high, Molon gripped it with both hands. Cracrack, cracracrak! Molon strengthened his grip on the axe handle. As Eugene watched this, rather than Molons tremendous strength, he felt more amazed at how the axe was able to endure such strength without breaking. Since Molon had been using it for the past three hundred years, it must have been swung tens of thousands of times. The worn handle was evidence of its long years of use, but it still wasnt crushed by Molons grip that could even tear apart space itself. The same went for the de of the axe. Although it looked dark and stained, there were no cracks or missing chips along the edge of the de. As he looked at it Eugene felt understanding naturally dawn on him. Just like Molon had said, that axe was Molon himself. Even though he hadnt given it an actual name, Molon had always cherished that axe. While Hamel had always just thrown away a weapon as soon as it lost its edge and picked up a new weapon to use from the battlefield, Molon had always personally cleaned and sharpened the axe whenever a battle was over. Even if it was just an ordinary axe, it would have developed a soul over time after having been used and cared for over such a long period. As Molon held up the axe, which had be an artifact, high above his head, Eugene red at Molon. Boom, boom, boom! As Molons strength was concentrated within the de of the axe, it trembled a few times before steadying. Booooom! Molons feet kicked off the ground. Leaping high into the air, Molon chopped the axe down without hesitation. With his eyes wide open, Eugene red at the falling axe. Fwooosh! Eugenes internal universe of the White me Form overflowed, and ck mes soared off of him. Baaaaang! Eugene barely managed to divert the axes trajectory. Since he wasnt able to withstand the blow while remaining standing in the same ce, like thest few times, Eugene was pushed quite some distance to the side. On top of that, both his palms were left throbbing in pain as if they had been torn into pieces. As for his holy ground it still didnt copse. However, the mountain as a whole had been stamped down. Molon pulled out his axe, which had buried itself deep into the ground, and swung it to the side. Boooooom! There should have been a safe distance between them, but the moment that the axe was swung, the space between Eugene and Molon was literally erased. Its toote to try and parry it! Eugene thought in a panic even as he swung the Holy Sword to meet it. Cracracracrackle! Light burst forth from the collision of the Holy Sword and the axe. The ck mes burning on the sword were blown back by the wind pressureing off the axe and immediately extinguished. Screech, screeeeeech! The de of the Holy Sword kept getting pushed back as if it was just about to be swept aside by the axe, and blood spurted out from both of Eugenes hands. This is number two! Molon shouted with a heartyugh. The axe was lifted back up. Eugene also pulled the Holy Sword closer to him. Gripping the sword''s hilt with both hands, Eugene twisted his waist to the side. Fwoooosh! mes reignited on the de, and light shone from within those mes. Molon roared, Herees three! aaaaang! The axe and the Holy Sword collided once more. Eugene felt like his soul might be sent flying from just the impact. He was even concerned that the entire space sealed within the barrier might actually copse. Eugenes whole body ached due to the ringing aftershocks. Compared to Eugene, Molon definitely looked more at ease. But he grinned as he saw Eugene continue to face him head-on without backing down. So he intended to lose the bet from the very start, Molon realized, calmly epting this fact. From the start of their match, Eugene had insisted on facing his axe head-on without trying to dodge or counter-attack. By doing so, Eugene was stepping right into Molons ying field. But since Molon had failed to defeat Eugene even with that advantage, Molon felt like this was actually his loss. However, he had no intention of staying his axe. Just how long had it been since he hadst swung his axe like this, swinging so hard that his arms felt sore? Chuckling, Molon pulled the handle of his axe up. Groooooan! Molon let loose even more of his strength. Because everything around them had already copsed, there was no longer any ground on which they could step on, but Molon simply extended his foot and stepped onto thin air. Cracracrack! As he did so, cracks spread like a spiderweb through the air. Eugenes eyes were able to see through what Molon was currently up to. That crazy bastard was using the spatial coordinates that made up this whole dimension as a foothold. By doing so, he was leveraging the weight of this entire dimension onto his axe. Within this other side of the Lehainjar, all of the weight that existed in this entire dimension was incorporated into this single blow of Molons axe. Rooooar! The mes of the Holy Sword swirled like a hurricane. Layers of sword-force were instantly oveid onto the sword, forming an Empty Sword. Although he had said that he wouldnt be using Ignition or Prominence, Eugene had never said that he wouldnt use the Empty Sword. Eugene felt that it was lucky that he hadnt done so. If he had limited himself from using the Empty Sword as well, there was no way he would be able to withstand this next axe blow. One stack, two stacks, three stacks, four stacks. The maximum amount ofyers was reached in an instant. As theyers of the Empty Sword were added on top of the mes that originally engulfed the sword, something that looked like ck lighting began to crackle and spark on top of the already ck mes. Theyre crazy, Sienna hissed, her face paling as she looked down at them. The two women were a considerable distance away from the fight, and they had also deployed their strongest defensive barriers. However, seeing the power that both Eugene and Molon were wielding, it didnt seem like their current barriers would be able to withstand any of the aftershocks that would follow the sh between the two. Sienna immediately summoned Frost to her hand and created further defensive barriers, while Anise also spread her wings and filled the inside of those barriers with light. The axe collided with the Empty Sword. At that moment, no sound could be heard. In the next instant, the figures of both Eugene and Molon disappeared as they were thrown backward. All of the debris around them was swept away to beter reconstructed. In this dimension that had beenpletely emptied, Eugene and Molon observed each other once more. Eugene gritted his teeth, unable to even swallow the blood welling up in the back of his throat. This time, even Molon had suffered from the severe aftershocks. He grinned through his ck beard that had been soaked in his own blood and pointedly raised his axe to show he had one more attack. Even now, he had only used half of his full power. Molon himself didnt know what a blow with his full strength would look like. But just now, he had used quite a lot of his strength in thatst swing of his axe. Would Hamel be able to hold on? Could it be that he would end up killing Hamel with his own hands? For a moment, such thoughts filled Molons head. Eugene noticed the hesitation rising in Molons eyes. But such consideration only annoyed him. As he poured mana into the flickeringyers of the Empty Sword, Eugene shouted, Do it, you bastard! Cracrack, cracracrackle! Cracks appeared all throughout the Empty Sword, but the light of the Holy Sword and the newly infused mes of mana filled those cracks. Eugene was attempting to add one moreyer. He had tried to reach fiveyers before. This would be his first attempt at doing so. Yet he didnt even consider the possibility of failure. Fouryers alone wouldnt be able to withstand Molons strength. In his current situation, where he couldnt use Ignition or Prominence, Eugene needed to increase the level of his Empty Sword if he wanted to be able to resist that axe. Fortunately, he seeded. Within the fiveyered Empty Sword, things like mes or lightning could no longer be seen. Instead, it just looked like a ck lump that was extending from the hilt of his sword. Even Eugene himself couldnt estimate just how much power was now resting within his hands. He saw Molon swing his axe. In that instant, Eugene knew that this sword might be able to kill Molon. But if he simply collided with Molons axe like this, his current strength would just be equalized by Molons own. However, that still left Molon with enough strength to spare. In that case, what should he do? If, at that moment, they were still evenly matched, then Eugene just needed toe up with some desperate measures within the next instant. And he needed to do it before Molon could draw out even more of his strength. In the instant of their head-on collision, the powerful forces in their hands would sh, cancel each other out, and then disappear. Eugene couldnt allow their confrontation to end at that. He needed to somehow break through Molons flow of force. This wasnt just a prediction or prophecy but instead, a divine revtion. There was an eruption of divinity inside Eugenes head as these thoughts appeared, and for a moment, his golden eyes were flooded with divine energy. However, Eugene rejected these thoughts. Killing Molon? What kind of crazy? Eugene snorted in dismissal at the intuition that sprang into his head as he swung the divine sword. There wasnt anymotion this time either. But now, the entire mountain range had disappeared. In any case, this wasnt reality, and the mountain range would just be reconstructed once more. Eugene and Molon stared at each other across thispletely empty dimension. Molon blinked his eyes in surprise as he slowly lowered his axe. Hah, a small gasp of shock fell from Molons lips. The upper part of his giant axe appeared to have been cleanly sliced off. Only a palm-sized chunk of the de at the very most had been lost, but Molon still couldnt believe what he was seeing. I took all five blows, Eugene said, gasping for breath as he lowered the Holy Sword. He wasnt able to maintain the fiveyered Empty Sword for any longer. Eugene sucked the dying mes back into the universe of his White me Form, then unclenched the hands that had been holding on to the swords hilt. Naturally, his palms were drenched in blood, and several of his fingers were broken. Gaaghk, ptew. Spitting out the blood that had collected in his mouth, Eugene looked back up at Molon. I thought about sending the head of your axe flying or even splitting the whole de into two, Eugene admitted. But I felt you would be angry if I did that, so I only cut off the tip. Molons axe was extremelyrge. Even though a palm-sized piece had been lost, his axe could still be used without any problems. But to think that Eugene had actually been able to slice through Molons axe. What had even made it possible was the intuition that had popped into Eugenes mind right before the moment of collision and the thoughts that had been brought by an explosion of his divinity. Eugene furrowed his brow as he tapped his aching head with the back of his hand. Hah haha, Molon let out a trickle ofughter as he lowered his axe. Then he blinked and turned to stare at Eugene. Eugene frowned, What are you looking at, bast I lost! Molon suddenly let out a loud roar. Only to follow it with another booming shout, I lost! Molon raised both arms into the air and shouted a third time, I, Molon Ruhr! Lost my match with Hamel Dynas! With Eugene Lionheart! Molon didnt feel even a speck of shame at doing so. Instead, his shouts were filled with pride. Eugene secretly buried the regretful thought that popped into his head right at that moment, ...I should have gotten him to shout those words in the capital of his kingdom.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 413: The Battlefield (7) Chapter 413: The Battlefield (7) The group left the other side of Lehainjar with everything in itpletely erased. During the fight, Eugene had been worried that the whole dimension might just copse but fortunately enough, that didnt happen. The other side of Leheinjar had only ever been used as a trash can for the corpses of the Nur for the past three hundred years, as that was the purpose that Vermouth had created it for in the first ce. There was no way that that thorough bastard would have made such shoddy work of it that the dimension would copse from something like a fight. Although they had now crossed back from the other side, Molon still hadnt put down his beloved axe. While holding the axe in both hands, Molon was staring nkly at the cleanly sliced-off end of the axe de. Seeing Molon standing there, looking so lost in thought, Eugene felt apologetic for some reason and said, Thats should I have at least left it partially attached? Maybe that way, you would have been able to reattach it somehow. Molon had said that that axe was no different from himself. Now that the tip of the axe had been sliced off, Eugene felt that Molon might be in shock. On top of that, the moment the sliced-off piece was separated from the de, it had been swept up by the force of the Empty Sword andpletely destroyed without leaving behind even a single grain of dust. No its fine, Molon slowly responded. Even if you had left the piece attached, I dont think I would have stuck it back on. Even with his eyes seemingly lost in thought, Molon was able to respond calmly. And he wasnt forcing himself to say this either. Although it was true that this was the axe that he had cherished like a second self for the past three hundred years, the fact that it was broken in battle, and in a battle against Hamel at that, gave Molon no reason to feel sorrowful. Just like how a warriors dream was to die on the battlefield without any regrets, the same went for their weapons. Moreover, it wasnt like it had beenpletely shattered. Only the tip had been sliced off, hadnt it? With the axe de being so immenselyrge, if only that much portion was lost, continuing to wield it was absolutely no problem. Really? Are you sure? Then whats with your expression? Eugene asked as he stared suspiciously at Molon with narrowed eyes before sidling over and poking Molon in the side. Hey, you bastard. First of all, just to be clear, I never asked you to make that bet, okay? Also, I wasnt the one who set those conditions either. Youre the one who came up with those things. Furthermore, I never asked you to shout that you lost to me, and I had never even thought about making you do so! Could Molon really be holding a grudge about the fact that he had to shout five times in a row that he had lost to Eugene? The moment that such a thought popped into Eugenes head, he immediately decided to set things straight with Molon. Pap pap pap pap. As Eugenes pokes gradually turned into ps of his palm on Molons forearm when Molon remained unresponsive, Molon suddenly turned his head to face Eugene and said, Hamel. rmed by Molons ferocious visage swinging over to him without any warning, Eugene couldnt handle the sudden pressure and jumped backward. Unaware of Eugenes surprise, Molon continued speaking, That thing you did at the end. Ah, Eugene paused to regain hisposure, Ahem, what about it? I wasnt able to see your final sword stroke, Molon admitted. Before that, your sword was already pretty fast and sharp, but not to the point where I couldnt see it. However, at the end there, the sword strike that you used to slice through my fifth axe blow definitely surpassed the limits of my eyes. Eugene also recalled that peculiar moment. If, at that moment, Eugene had really wanted to, he felt like he could have actually sliced off Molons head. Just how on earth did you do that? Molon asked in confusion. Cases where people suddenly found enlightenment during a battle were rare, but they did exist. People could suddenly transform because of an inspiration brought about by the ensuing fight, and their martial arts level would rise abruptly. Eugene had also experienced such a thing several times in his previous life. During life-threatening battles, while on the border between life and death, he would suddenly obtain some kind of inspiration. However, this time while it was somewhat simr to that kind of realization, it was alsopletely different. At that moment, Eugene had seen right through Molons attack, but no matter where or how he tried to attack, he had known that he would be blocked. In all his battles until now, Eugene was used to making that kind of calctions and predictions, but the thought that had entered his mind during the final stroke of his sword wasnt a calction nor a prediction; he had known what would happen with absolute certainty. Eugene nced down at his right hand. His fingertips, which were still covered in blood, were shaking. It had already been a few minutes since then, but just thinking about it made his hand want to reach for a certain sword. I dont know, Eugene replied while retracting his gaze. The intuition that had arisen right at that moment had been apanied by a surge of divinity inside his head and a feeling that his eyes were filled with divine energy. His memories of that moment were as clear as could be, but Eugene didnt believe he would be able to recreate what had happened at thatst moment. You dont know? Molon repeated in confusion. Thats right. It was all a coincidence or a feeling something like that, Eugene replied vaguely while clenching and unclenching his trembling fingers. Calling his victory the result of a coincidence or a feeling and describing what had happened in such uncertain terms might, in some ways, have felt like an insult. However, Molon didnt take it that way. Instead, when he heard Eugene say this, he immediately adopted a serious expression andid a hand on Eugenes shoulder. In that case, you need topletely familiarize yourself with that feeling, Molon said encouragingly. For those at Eugenes level, receiving any new enlightenment was extremely rare. Whether it was just a coincidence or a feeling, even if Eugene could only start from there, as long as he dug deeper into it and obtainedplete control over the phenomenon, he would be able to reach an even higher level. As a fellow warrior, Molon was sure that the coincidence or feeling that Eugene had sensed was something like a stroke of luck for him. A voice interrupted them, Before doing anything else, you two need to be treated. Bam! Anise, who had approached them at some point during their conversation, smacked Eugene and Molon simultaneously on their backs. With a menacing glint in her eyes, Anise examined both Eugene and Molons wounds. Molons only wound was a small cut, and a wound of that size truthfully wasnt something that needed to be treated with divine magic. On the other hand, Eugenes wounds did require treatment. The blood dripping from his hands might be slowing, but because he had taken Molons barbaric attacks over and over again, his bones, muscles, and organs had all been damaged. Anise clicked her tongue, Its just fortunate that you didnt use Ignition. I did say that I wouldnt use it, Eugene sulked. Anise sniffed, Hmph. If you had, Hamel, I would have beaten you up worse than Molon already has. Bam! Anise pped Eugene on the back once more. Extremely offended by her words, Eugene protested, Worse than Molon? What the hell does that mean? I have never once been beaten up by Molon. Werent you beaten up justst time? Anise reminded him. The past is the past, and today is today, Eugene said evasively. And today, well, didnt I beat Molon? I may not have physically beaten him up, but I almost sliced him in two. Sienna, who had been watching from above with Anise, shook her head and said, Thats it certainly did look just a bit scary. You know, I was worried that you might actually cut Molon in two. Just how many times had the two thought about intervening in the fight because it was getting too dangerous? It seems that its not just the mana from your White me Form that has increased, but your fighting skills as a whole? How did you manage that? Have you been practicing without us knowing? Sienna asked suspiciously. Eugene scoffed, Ever since we subjugated Iris, youve made sure to stick close to me every single day, so how could I train in secret? Although he was just telling the truth Sienna couldnt help but blush for some reason when she heard him say that she was glued to his side every day. She wanted to deny it out of embarrassment, but the fact that it was true also left her in a good mood that said, to just admit to the truth under all these gazes was also embarrassing. The fortunate thing was that everyone currently around her was her dearrade who shared a history with her. ...Does Molon know about us? Sienna suddenly thought in surprise as she turned to stare at Molon. But she didnt think that there was any way a tactless fool like Molon could have noticed something like that. Anise and Vermouth had clearly been able to guess Siennas true feelings, but Sienna had never suspected that might be because of her own clumsiness in hiding them. She just thought that it was because the two had excellent perceptions. On the other hand, since Molon was a fool, there should be no way for him to know that Sienna had secretly harbored feelings for Hamel. Molon turned to her and asked, Are you going to hold the ceremony once everything is over? Cough. Sienna choked in the face of Molons sudden inquiry. C-ceremony? What ceremony? Im talking about your marriage, Molon rified. If you want, I will dly lend you the Royal Pce of Ruhr. You can also hold it in the Vatican at Yuras, Anise chimed in. As she listened to Molon and Anise speaking from either side of her, Siennas eyes wavered in shock. Sienna turned her head, annoyed by the fact that Eugene had yet to show any reaction, but the man in question just insisted on keeping his lips tightly shut and remaining as still as a statue. Sienna stammered, A-A-Anise, just what are you talking about? Why get so embarrassed at this point, Anise sighed. Oh, Sienna, Im just telling you this in advance, but you dont have to worry about my feelings. Although you will have to have a separate conversation with Kristina. Just then, Kristina spoke to Anise, [Im also alright with whatever happens, Sister. If Sir Eugene and Lady Sienna really do wish to make their rtionship official, I would be happy to attend the event and can even give a speech at the wedding.] For there to be a second, there had to be a first to start off with. If Sienna ended up throwing a bouquet, Kristina was prepared to catch it no matter what. Knowing that he would only end up getting humiliated if this topic were to go on any further, Eugene spoke up, desperately trying to change the subject, Ahem by the way, I did manage to sessfully recall Agarothsst moments. Everyones interest was aroused by those words. Did you see the Demon King of Destruction? Sienna immediately asked. When Sienna said that name, Molon and Anises expressions also stiffened. Eugene nodded and pointed toward Molons cave, Lets continue our talk inside. Once inside, Eugene began to tell them about the parts of Agaroths memories he had managed to recall. He brought up the connection between the Nur and the Demon King of Destruction. As the story progressed, Molons face grew even stiffer and more serious. Until now, there had been no real definite facts about the Nurs identity. They had thought that the monsters had something to do with the Demon King of Destruction but that had just been a guess on their part. However, through Agaroths memories, it had be clear that the Nur were included among the subjects ruled by the Demon King of Destruction. So theyre the vanguard of Destruction, Molon said thoughtfully. No, would it be better to call them a spearhead? After all, only a few dozen of the Nur ever appear on this mountain in a single day. In Agaroths memory, countless Nur had appeared on the battlefield daily. It waspletely different from what was currently happening on this mountain. It might be that the Nur cant appear in great numbers because Vermouth has sealed away the Demon King of Destruction, Eugene guessed. When Vermouths name was mentioned, Molons eyebrows and lips drooped as his serious expression transformed into a depressed one. ...If I truly had gonepletely crazy and failed in my duty to kill the Nur wouldnt that have resulted in their destruction spreading from Leheinjar across the snowfields, Molon muttered in a low voice as he clenched his fist. This snowfield was Molons hometown and was now part of the nation that Molon himself had founded. Molon had always trusted Vermouth. He had believed that if it was Vermouth who was making the request, then there had to be some purpose behind his mission. However whenever his thoughts grew clouded, Molon couldnt help but be overwhelmed by that inescapable and hellish loneliness his life had be. The fact that all of hisrades had disappeared, leaving him alone with this unending duty of killing these mysterious monsters, had left him depressed. However, from now on, Molon would no longer lose sight of his mission. Regardless of the fact that he had already shaken off the madness, now that Nurs true identity had been confirmed, Molon would never falter in his duty. Whether it was for the sake of the Ruhr Kingdom or Vermouths trust in him. No matter how much more time passed as he stayed here all alone, Molon vowed that he would not lose his mind. Sienna changed the subject, So, anyway, about the Demon King of Destruction he doesnt really look like a Demon King, does he? Eugene had seen a hole surrounded by all sorts of colors. Sienna tried to recall what they had managed to see of the Demon King of Destruction in the past. Even back then, all they had seen of the Demon King of Destruction was a simr cloud of colors, and they hadnt been able to see its form fully. Because just looking at it from such a long distance away had made them feel like they were going crazy. ording to the memories that Hamel has recalled, the Demon King of Destruction doesnt even look like a living being, let alone a Demon King. Didnt you say that it felt like a hole that was pierced into the world? Sienna asked. Yep, Eugene confirmed. Sienna considered thoughtfully, Are the Nur emerging from that hole, or could it be that the main body is hidden somewhere inside that hole? Eugene could only add, Agaroth died after going into it, but I dont fully remember what it was like inside of that hole. The remaining memory was blurred. It wasnt like he couldnt remember it, it was like there was nothing to remember. The only reason Agaroth had managed to survive and continue fighting inside that ce for so long was that Agaroths lingering emotions of rage, hatred, and spite had kept his body moving, even when his ego had shattered a long time ago. The Age of Myths, Sienna muttered as she crossed her arms and fell into deep thought. She was thinking about the Twilight Witch and the Sage, who had appeared in the memory that Eugene had retrieved. In that era, you could actually attain godhood through mastery of magic. In other words, humans were able to be something more than human. Is that right? Sienna checked with Eugene. Eugene nodded, Uh-huh. However, something like that is impossible now. No matter how exceptional a human being might be, he or she is still only human. Ah, of course, there are exceptions like us, Sienna said as she tilted her head and looked at Molon. If you can enter the stage of using mana, you can live far beyond the lifespan of an ordinary human. However, no matter how long a human might live, they still cant be a god. And Im not trying to brag, but if humans could still be a god solely through being worshiped, then I would probably already be a god, no? This was by no means an exaggeration. All wizards currently living in this world respected and revered Sienna, and even non-wizards praised her as the Wise Sienna. So, like Sienna had said, if worship and faith could still turn humans into gods, she would have already be a god long ago. So what was possible in that era is impossible now but what does that mean exactly? Sienna asked herself. In that memory you saw just now, the Twilight Witch was almost on the verge of bing an Evil God. But well, ording to that memory, the method for bing an Evil God and the method for bing a Demon King seems to be quite simr. Though I have no intention or interest in bing such a being. However, the fact that the Sage was both a wizard and a god thats quite intriguing. Eugene raised a brow, Why, do you want to be a god as well? Theres no need to go as far as bing something like the Demon King of Destruction, but if I want to be able to face the Demon King of Incarceration, theres no other way than going beyond the level of a mere human, Sienna said with a snort as she rested her chin in one hand. Of course as the Wise Lady Sienna, I have already far surpassed the level of being an ordinary human. However, if I find the chance to go beyond that and be a god instead of just a human then I feel like I might be able to get a clearer image of our victory. Anise, who had been quietly lost in thought, opened her eyes. She turned to stare at Eugene and said, Hamel, in Agaroths era, did the God of Light truly exist? Eugene shrugged, Probably. What do you mean probably? Anise asked sharply. Eugene exined, I didnt manage to remember all of Agaroths memories. What I saw was a fragmented memory from before he died, so I wasnt able to ess all of Agaroths knowledge. Anise sighed, Its fine, Hamel. At least youve confirmed that, in that era of mythology, the gods from the ancient legends existed. And you also said that, like Agaroth, there were several gods who were born due to the strife, right? Uh-huh, Eugene nodded. Then heres what I think might have happened, Anise took a deep breath. Tap, tap. Anise continued speaking with her fingers tapping on the table, In that mythical era, the Light was present in the world that came before our own world. After that world was destroyed by the Demon King of Destruction, the current era began. But in that case is the Light that exists in the current era the same Light that has managed to survive since the Era of Myths? Or could it be that a new Light was born in this era? ..., the others were silent. If its the former then it cant just be the Demon King of Incarceration. Other high-ranking Gods must have also managed to survive the Destruction and reach the current era. If that is the case, then we can think of the Scriptures of Light as a legend that was inherited from the Mythical Era. However, if its thetter then after the destruction, how was a god born into this world that had been renderedpletely barren? Anise pursed her lips as she said this. Although she was the Saint of Light as well as an angel, that didnt mean she was capable of directlymunicating with her God. This wasnt just true of Anise but also for all angels summoned using divine magic. A priest with truly strong faith could be an angel after they died. However, most angels didnt really function as messengers of Light like their name suggested[1]. In fact, they were usually treated as the exclusive summons for practitioners of holy magic or solely called upon to act as an amplifier for divine magic. As such, all of these angels had never actuallye face-to-face with the god whom they served, and when they werent being summoned, these angels just floated around in a bright sea of light without being fully conscious of the time passing. But, despite all that, angels were still proof that God existed. He might not be able to hold a conversation, but the Light was unquestionably still alive. Then, there was the almost unique case of Anise, who had managed to receive a divine revtion from the Light. Although she had never received another revtion since then Anise had no doubts that her God did exist. However the vacuum that had existed between the destruction of the old world and the start of this new era, as well as the birth of the faith of the Light in this new world, was suspicious. Well, it doesnt really matter all that much, Anise said with a snort and a shrug of her shoulders after thinking it over for a few moments. As someone who calls himself the Supreme God, the Light has always been suspicious, and those religious fanatics who seriously worship the Light are all fools. There might be a few more suspicious things going around, but why should that matter? After all, the main thing is that the Light''s divine power has always been of help in our fight against the Demon King. Eugene hesitated, Ah well I cant quite recall it clearly, but it feels like the God of Light was a good god Thats not important, Anise interrupted him. Even if he wasnt all that great of a god in that era, isnt he helping the world in the current era? Not all his believers are idiots; we know that the Light has never sinned against this world. Though if indifference and neglect were counted as sins, he would certainly be guilty of them. Was it really okay for a Saint to chew out her own god like that? Well, it should be fine. The God of Light was a merciful god who had even granted his power to Eugene, who didnt have a speck of faith in him. Anise changed the subject, In that case, are you all done with your business in this country? What are you going to do now? What else, Eugene said as he turned to Molon. Hey, Molon. What is it? Molon replied. Is it alright if I live here for a while? Eugene asked. Of course, its fine! Molon said cheerfully. Although it was a sudden request, Molon nodded without even the slightest hesitation. 1.. This refers to the fact the word angeles from Ancient Greek and literally means messenger. Chapter 414: The Battlefield (8) Chapter 414: The Battlefield (8) Eugene had felt this while they were fighting. Molon was the only one who could fight like an equal with the current Eugene. He was someone that Eugene didnt feel guaranteed to defeat even if he gave it his all. In fact, Molon might be the only person in this whole world who could actually overpower Eugene. There were a lot of talented warriors in Eugenes vicinity, like Carmen, Gilead, and Alchester. However, it was impossible even for Carmen, the strongest of the three, to fight Eugene as Molon had. In that sense, it made Molon Eugenes best opponent for a spar. He was strong enough to deal with most of Eugenes attacks, and even if an attack did manage to sneak past Molons guard, there was no need to worry about Molon losing his life. I knew you would say that, Molon said as he got up from his seat with a big smile. He then grabbed his axe, which had been leaning against one of the walls. Boom! With the handle of his axe nted on the floor, Molon thrust his chest out, Hamel, I know exactly why youre saying that you want to live here. That coincidence or feeling that you mentioned, youre staying here to getplete control over it, right? Eugene hesitated, Uh thats true, but Fine then! I, Molon Ruhr, will give it my all to help you with this training, Molon let out a passionate cry. Once all of his oldrades departed, Molon would be left all alone on this mountain once more. Now that he had shaken off his madness, Molon might no longer be tormented by the loneliness like he was before but even so, when he thought about being left here on his own, a sense of loneliness seemed to slowly rise up from the depths of his heart. Eugene hade to this decision without seeking any advice. He did feel like this was an absolutely necessary course of action for him to take, but considering that he did have travelingpanions with him, he now realized that he could have been more tactful. It wasnt like he didnt have a reason for reaching this decision, so there shouldnt be any serious opposition, but worried that Sienna or Anise might smack him in the back of the head for his carelessness, Eugene turned to look at them. But the pairs expressions were so epting that all of his worries seemedughable. This was because they both knew that Eugene wouldnt just decide to stay in this cave for absolutely no reason. Also, even if he didnt have any particr reason for staying in this cave, Sienna and Anise wouldnt have med him for ack of a reason. After all, Molon was the one who originally lived in this cave. If there was nothing urgent they needed to do, both Sienna and Anise were willing to spend as long as they could in this damp cave if it was for Molons sake. Im fine with staying in this cave, but we first need to make a few more rooms, Anise insisted as she got to her feet. This condition was something that she refused to back down on. Rooms? What kinds of rooms? Molon asked, blinking his eyes in confusion as he turned to look at Anise. Anise frowned, What do you mean, what kind of rooms? Does the word room have any other kind of meaning? Molon, did you really think we would all stay in this one room together? This question left Molon blinking his eyes even faster. His eyes still blinking in rapid confusion, Molon tilted his head to the side and asked, Is there a problem with that? In the old days, we all used to sleep together Anise yelled, Why on earth are you bringing up something from so long ago?! Back then, we werent even properly supplied and had to hunt demonic beasts for food! Also, strictly speaking, the ces we slept in during those times couldnt even be called rooms! Because we used to sleep in the middle of whatever wide open space we could find in the Devildom! Molon stuttered, I-in any case, we did all sleep together back th Anise spoke over him once more, I know that its toote to bring this up now, but I always hated sleeping in the same ce as you two. Just why did the two of you have to snore so loudly! I I didnt snore, Eugene quickly spoke up to defend himself, but even he had no choice but to admit that Molons snoring had always been thunderous. So much so that they had even had to put up a soundproof barrier because they were worried that the sound of his snoring might attract demonic beasts. Yes, Hamel, Ill admit that youre right, Anise conceded. Its true that you dont snore all that much. However, havent you realized yet that you have terrible sleeping habits? Its lucky that Molon was always the one sleeping next to you. If it had been anyone else, their whole body would have been shattered into pieces by all the kicking that you do in your sleep. That that couldnt be helped, Eugene insisted feebly. I needed to stay on guard, even in my sleep, and that led me to fight in my dreams, so Anise waved him off, Please just stop with the ridiculous excuses, Hamel. Im also more than willing to stay with Molon in this cave, but I wont back down on getting my own room. If she tried to pitch a tent outside, she would just end up being disturbed by the loud and windy blizzards. Anise sighed, Destroy the wall over there to create another room and connect it to the hot springs. Ill be satisfied with that much. Dont you need a bathroom? Molon asked, still blinking his eyes. The moment those words left his mouth, Anise shot up from her seat. She strode over to Molon and came to a halt right in front of him, staring up into Molons chin that loomed some distance above her own. With a thin smile, Anise snapped her fingers at Molon, to which Molon simply bowed his head towards her in bewilderment. Pow! Her p struck Molons cheek. Although he had allowed himself to be struck like this, Molon still didnt have any idea of what he had done wrong to deserve such a p. That said, he also didnt intend on asking Anise for the reason. This was because Molon believed that there had to be a good reason for why she had hit him. Sienna, why arent you saying anything? Anise turned to look at Sienna as she returned to her seat, shaking the stinging palm of her hand. It was true that Sienna had yet to say anything in the face of Eugenes sudden decision and was just sitting there with a grave expression on her face. I, Sienna slowly began to speak while rubbing her chin thoughtfully. Im thinking of going to Aroth. Who would have expected Sienna, of all people, to actually say something like that? Anise, in particr, went beyond being surprised and right into being astonished. Sienna Merdein, that Sienna Merdein, was actually considering leaving Hamel behind and going off on her own? Why Aroth? Eugene asked, also confused by this. Sienna crossed her arms and said with a pout, I feel like Im too weak. Eugene scoffed, What kind of ridiculous nonsense is that? This was Sienna Merdein, the creator of the Circle Magic Form and the first and only Ninth Circle Archwizard in the entire continent. Of all the wizards who were alive in this era, there was no wizard as strong or talented as Sienna. As the Wise Lady Sienna, no one knows better than I do how wonderful I truly am. However, Eugene, just like you, I have no intention of remaining satisfied with my current level of strength, Sienna exined. During their battle against Iris, who had transformed into a Demon King, Sienna had managed to y a major role, but she hadnt possessed the decisive strength needed to determine the course of the battle. Even taking into ount the fact that her Eternal Hole was damaged, Sienna was still annoyed that, for all her magic, she hadnt even been able to overwhelm someone like Iris. She knew this was only natural and couldnt be helped. It was close to impossible for a human wizard, who possessed limited reserves of mana, to gain the upper hand against a Demon King, who possessed near-infinite reserves of dark power. Sienna was the only wizard who had ever managed to ovee such an impossibility. Siennas chosen method for doing so was to bolster her limited reserves of mana with the Eternal Hole and then proceed to drive the Demon King into a corner by piling on her borately constructed spells. That would have been enough if they were just facing low-level Demon Kings. But from now on, the Demon Kings that Sienna would have to face would be nothing like those low-level Demon Kings. There was the Demon King of Incarceration, who had been around since the Mythical Era and had survived up to the present day. Then there was also the Demon King of Destruction, the one who had ended that Mythical Era. Sienna honestly felt inadequate. After all, Hamel, or rather Eugene, just kept getting stronger. And even though he had already be so strong, it still felt like he had room to grow even stronger. On the other hand, what about Sienna? She was at the Ninth Circle. ording to the Circle Magic Form that Sienna herself had personally developed, there was no higher level after the Ninth Circle. All of the spells that humanity had ever managed to grasp and control only went up to that same Ninth Circle. In fact, over the course of the past three hundred years, although almost all of the wizards in the entire continent had practiced the Circle Magic Form, Sienna was the only one who had ever managed to reach the Ninth Circle. Even those recognized as the Archwizards of their era had only ever managed to reach the Eighth Circle. However, that didnt mean that the Ninth Circle was the end of the line when it came to magic. The Ninth Circle was just as far as the Circle Magic Form stretched, which was the handiwork of Sienna. If even the Ninth Circle wouldnt be enough in the battles toe, Sienna had no choice but to go beyond that level and challenge the deeper mysteries of magic. I got this feeling after seeing you and Molon fight today, Sienna said with a serious expression still adorning her face. Among theserades from three hundred years ago, there was not a single one of them who didnt have a strong sense of self-esteem. This was because they had all managed to reach the peak of their respective fields, and they couldnt have reached the levels that they had without possessing such self-esteem. At the moment, it might still be close, but if you do get even stronger, Eugene, it will be difficult for me to keep up with you. Like what happened just now, I I still dont understand how you were able to send part of Molons axe flying, Sienna admitted. It made sense that Molon wasnt able to see what had happened, as Eugenes sword had shed right past him, but even Sienna, who was looking down on them from far above, hadnt been able to see through Eugenesst move. Regardless of the fact that Sienna had spent much of her life stuck helplessly within a seal or that she was a wizard rather than a warrior, Sienna refused to acknowledge or ept that there was that much of a difference in strength between herself and Eugene. The wizards of Aroth might just be children by my standards, but, well, the level of those Archwizards is better than I thought it would be. If I go to Aroth, then even the Archwizards from other countries one-trick ponies though they may be[1] and other Archwizards who have gone into seclusion mighte looking to join in our discourse, right? So thats why, while youre staying here, Ill be in Aroth, Sienna firmly decided. Among the wizards of this era, there might be none with more talent than Sienna, but that said, Sienna had no intention of looking down on the magic of this era. In the end, since the spells that Sienna usually used were all from three hundred years ago, she needed to take in some of the more modern styles of magic if she wanted to advance to a higher level. If you say it like that, dont we seem strange for deciding to stay here? Anise said suspiciously as she nced over at Sienna with narrowed eyes. But we still arent going back to Yuras. After all, unlike you, who might be able to find a way to advance your magic through Aroth, Kristina and I dont have anything to gain from Yuras. The most that Anise and Kristina would be able to do by returning to Yuras would be to train the Silver Light Priests. But honestly speaking, Anise and Kristina werent very skilled when it came to teaching or training anyone. To best reinforce the Silver Light Priests'' characteristics as a suicide squad, it would be better to allow Raphael, the unrivaled fanatic, to take full control of their training. Apart from that she might also be able to make a pilgrimage to the various holy sites around Yuras? It wasnt like such a pilgrimage couldnt be helpful in developing ones divine power and faith, but it would still be of little use to her as a Saint. If she really wanted to practice her divine power and miracles, it would be of greater use for her to stay in this cave and heal up Eugene, who was in for a lot of beating. [I also share the same opinion, Sister,] Kristina agreed. Yes, this is also a huge opportunity for us as well. While Sienna, with all her inhibitions, is away, we and Hamel will be alone together in this cave, Anise thought back with a grin. Kristina stammered, [W-wont Sir Molon be with us as well?] Anise dismissed her concerns, Molon has other priorities, doesnt he? Whenever that monster, Nur, appears, Molon will have no choice but to leave the cave. So, what do you think Hamel will be doing in the meantime? Allow me to answer that question for you. He wont be doing anything. Hell just be staying in this cave with us. [O-oh,] Kristina gasped in realization. Anise schemed, We need to make clever use of such moments. For example, while Molon is away what if we take a dip in the hot spring bath inside our room? Then we ask Hamel, wholl be waiting outside, to bring over one of our towels. Hamel shouldnt refuse such a request. [How how shameless!] Kristina cried out from inside their head. Ever since Anise had regained awareness, Kristina had graduallye to realize what a fearsome monster the Saint truly was, but she still couldnt have imagined that Anise would have such lustful fantasies. I know what youre really feeling, Kristina, so dont pretend that you dont like the sound of my idea, Anise teased. Kristina denied it immediately, [Thats not true at all, Sister. The thought that is causing me to feel so joyful is my hope that my skill in holy magic will grow while treating Sir Eugene. Im also happy because I think that, in that way, I will be of help to Sir Eugene.] While in the Southern Seas, Kristina had received a Stigmata on her palm. However, the stigmata wasnt fully developed yet, as it seemed to be growing alongside Kristinas own growth. Aha, so thats the case. Kristina, you really do enjoy treating Hamel while hes covered in blood, dont you? Anise thought with a mischievousugh. Although it sounded like a joke, her words werepletely serious, and instead of retorting, Kristina could only offer up a prayer. If you go off to Aroth on your own, wont that be too lonely? Eugene asked. Not really, Sienna shrugged. Ill leave Mer with you when I go, so Ill be able to talk to you anytime. You also said that you dont n on going to the desert until Nahama makes the first move, right? Swish. Sienna turned her head to look over at one corner of the cave. Therey a bed that Eugene had pulled out of his cloak, and both Mer and Raimiria were lying down on top of that bed, sleeping side by side. Though as a familiar, Mer couldnt actually sleep. If she really felt the need to do so, she could switch herself off for a while, but that was it. Currently, Mer was lying down next to a soundly sleeping Raimira with her eyes wide open, listening to the ongoing conversation. Sienna continued, If anything happens, you can ask Mer to contact me, and I can meet you in Nahama. As she said this, Sienna secretly exchanged nces with Mer. Sienna also had her own worries about the twin-personality Saints. If those two intended to try and make further progress while Sienna was away just imagining it caused her body to tremble in fear. At the same time, it felt like a ck me was rising up from the darkest corners of her heart, but Sienna absolutely refused to acknowledge such feelings. ...You know what to do, right? Siennamunicated with Mer. [Yes, Lady Sienna. I will definitely stop their ns,] Mer replied while mustering her resolve. Hamel, Molon, who had been sitting down, rubbing the cheek that Anise had struck, suddenly spoke up. About the Mythical Era that you recalled, werent there any traces of us? Molon seemed to be looking forward to a positive response. In that distant past, hisrade, Hamel, managed to ascend to the rank of the God of War and left his mark on the world. If it was possible for souls to reincarnate from that era, couldnt Molon have also once been alive in that Mythical Era? Eugene hesitated, There might have been but I cant quite remember. It wasnt like Eugene didnt have any guesses about specific individuals. There had been a God of Giants whose impression still lingered in one corner of Agaroths memory. The impression that Agaroth had of the God of Giants bore many simrities to the impression that Eugene had of Molon. However, he still couldnt be sure. Because Agaroths memories were sopletely fragmented, there wasnt much information about what kind of person the God of Giants had truly been. The same went for the Sage. If you had topare it to the current era then the God of Giants resembled Molon, and the Sage was reminiscent of Sienna. However, Eugene still couldnt be absolutely certain that those two had reincarnated into Molon and Sienna. If that did turn out to be the case, Eugene didnt feel like it would sit right with him. Because if there really did exist such a parallel between them it felt like fate might just be repeating itself. ...As for the Saint, Eugene mused. In the end, Agaroth had personally taken the life of the Twilight Witch. Eugene unconsciously nced over to Kristina and Anise. Although their role as the Saint was the same, Eugene felt those two werepletely different from the Twilight Witch. Of course, it would be strange if the reincarnated person was exactly the same as they had been in the mythical era, but. ...And the same goes for Vermouth, Eugene frowned. Eugene couldnt think of anyone who shared any parallels with Vermouth. If he managed to recall all of Agaroths memories, would he be able to find someone with a few more corresponding points? Eugene didnt necessarily want to risk something like that. He didnt want to spend too much time remembering the destroyed era. He was already tied up with more than enough of the past as it was. He didnt want to get weighed down by even more baggage from history. 1. The Korean text uses a musical term that trantes to something like, people who only know how to y one tune, so I felt that the closest English equivalent would be one-trick ponies. Chapter 415: The Battlefield (9) Chapter 415: The Battlefield (9) Eugene had intended to apany Sienna back to a city with a warp-gate before seeing her off, but Sienna had firmly refused him while shaking her head. Its not like Im a child, so whats the point of you wasting a few days just to see me off at the city? Sienna argued. Eugene tried to persuade her, Wont it be depressing to cross the snowfield alone? Whats so depressing about that? Its not like I n to slowly trudge across it, so dont worry about me. If I fly by myself, I can even fly faster than when we flew over on dragonback, you know? Sienna said with a snort as she flipped the hood of her robe over her head. And its not like we have all that much time left to prepare. Ill ept your good intentions, so you should just stay here and train hard with Molon. Ill also be working hard over there in Aroth. Do you really need to go to Aroth? Eugene asked intively while worrying his lip. Pleased to hear Eugene say something like this, Sienna grinned. She poked Eugene in the side with Frost, which she was holding in one hand. Why? Would you prefer it if I stayed here with you? Sienna teased. Eugene frowned, If you dont really need to go, then whats the point in going? That way, I wont need to worry about you. I need to go, Sienna insisted. As long as Im there, skilled wizards will surely flock to me, and apart from that, I can only see all the spells and research that has umted in Aroth during my absence by going to that country personally. Eugene protested, Isnt it dangerous for us to separate like this if there isnt any dire need to do so? What if that bastard, the Demon King of Incarceration, targets you while youre on your own? Although he said this, Eugene knew there was absolutely no chance of such a thing happening. Even when Eugene was weak and on his own, the Demon King of Incarceration had never once targeted Eugene, so there was no way that Incarceration would use such sinister tactics at this point. He didnt know what the Demon King of Incarcerations true goals were, but it didnt seem like he actually wanted the demonfolk to rule the world or even desired the extermination of all of his enemies. Sienna was also fully aware of this truth, so she just snorted and said, Dont spout such nonsense. Each time Frost poked Eugene in the side, actual white frost scattered off the staff. Sienna paused, Hm, but still I dont know about the Demon King, but there is a chance that one of the demonfolk might target me. Its not like the Demon King of Incarceration keeps all that tight a hold on the demonfolk under hismand. Instead, he practically gives them free rein, Eugeneined. However, theres no way that bastard, Gavid Lindman, wille for me, right? Neither will that Queen of Sluts, Sienna said. Sienna calmly added her own twist on Noirs title as the Queen of the Night Demons, and Eugene epted the change just as calmly. Apart from those two, well, its not like there arent any other high-ranking demonfolk, but are they really enough for me to worry about? Are the demonfolk nowadays truly all that strong? Sienna asked thoughtfully. I also havent met all that many of the high-ranking demonfolk from this era, so I dont really know for sure, Eugene admitted with a shrug. Jagon, whom Eugene had in in the Dragon-Demon Castle, had been quite strong. Even now, Eugene still felt it was fortunate that he had gotten the chance to kill Jagon back then. The ck wizards are quite a bit more of a threatpared to the past, Eugene noted. That being said, the only remaining ck wizard that we really need to worry about is that bitch, Amelia Merwin. And if you take her into ount, that gives me even more reason to go to Aroth instead of staying here, Sienna argued back. Amelia Merwin was hiding in Ravesta, the site of the Demon King of Destructions slumber. And currently, fulfilling Eugenes request of her, Melkith was tormenting the ck wizards in the Nahama Desert by uprooting all of their dungeons. If things continued like that, the foundation that Amelia had built up in the desert would bepletely destroyed. If it became open knowledge that Sienna was staying in Aroth, it might motivate Amelia to secretly move back to the desert to deal with her problems there. So stop with all your needless worrying and just look forward to it, Sienna demanded. Look forward to what? Eugene asked, only for Sienna to smile brightly and lift Frost into the air above her head. Keeping it held aloft in the air, Sienna slowly shook Frost from side to side, sending a sprinkling of white frost falling down onto her own head. Just wait for this Wise Lady Sienna, who has already reached a level that no other wizard has ever been able to touch, to surpass even herself in the end! Sienna dered proudly. As he looked into the triumphant smile on Siennas face, Eugene unconsciously ended up smiling as well. You should at least take a few days to rest before you go. Arent you being too hasty, making such a decision and leaving the very next day? Anise said as she emerged from the cave and walked over to Sienna. Anise began to run both hands down from Siennas shoulders and along her arms,yering a blessing of her divine power onto Siennas body. Sienna proceeded to move around a bit, adjusting to her now feather-light body. Today is a good day for me to set off, Sienna insisted. In a rare sight, the snowstorms had ceased for the day. Though, in fact, with Siennas skill in magic, she could easily make her way through even the fiercest snowstorms, but since she had already decided to go, wasn''t it better for her to take the opportunity to leave on a clear day rather than in inclement weather. Well then, Sienna said as a gentle breeze lifted her body into the air. While pressing down on her hat with one hand to keep it from flying off, Sienna looked down at her friends. Exchanging nces with Molon, who was standing at the entrance of the cave, Sienna smiled and said, See youter, Molon. Unlike Eugene and Anise, Molon hadnt tried to hold on to Sienna, nor had he felt particrly upset about her leaving after only one day. This was because he knew that this wouldnt be a permanent separation in any case, and he also felt that they shouldnt try to cling to her once she had already made up her mind. With a grin, Molon waved his hand at Sienna in farewell. Sienna then turned to Anise and warned, Dont try to get a headstart. She had shown a smile to Molon, but the smile was absent from her face when she faced Anise. Sienna narrowed her eyes and red at Anise as if to reinforce her warning. However, Anise smiled back at her instead and proudly lifted her chin into the air, I wont make any promises. Hey, Im telling you not to do anything so cowardly, Sienna yelled. Anise nodded, I dont know what being cowardly has to do with this kind of matter, but I will surely take your warning into advisement. Even though it was annoying, this kind of answer really suited Anise. Sienna blinked away the twin mes that had red up in her eyes before facing the Saint once more, Kristina, what about you? Kristina just shrugged, Im very sorry. Kristinas smile was different from Anises. It was the smile of someone who was genuinely sorry, yet at the same time helpless to do anything. However, Sienna felt even more afraid upon being faced with such an expression. Her shoulders shook in hesitation for a few moments before she vigorously shook her head. In the end, Sienna just red at Eugene and warned him in a forceful tone, Be careful! Just what on earth was she warning him to be careful of? Although he had a rough guess as to the answer to that, Eugene didnt ask her directly as he was afraid to hear the truth. Ah yeah, Eugene agreed with a slight nod instead of pursuing the matter further. Although it wasnt a very reassuring response, Sienna turned around without any further dy. Booom! With a loud burst of air, Sienna turned into a ray of light and flew across the sky. And just like that, Sienna had left. But would she really be able to fulfill the words she had left them with and surpass even herself? Eugene didnt really have many doubts or worries regarding that. This was because now wasnt the time for Eugene to worry about others. At the very least, Sienna had the confidence that she could surpass herself, but on the other hand, let alone surpass himself, Eugene had yet to even properly awaken his full potential. Even after reying his battle with Molon in his head over and over again, he just couldnt recreate the feeling that he had felt at thatst moment when he had sliced through Molons axe. Still Im sure it has been absorbed into me somewhere, Eugene reassured himself. His subconscious must still remember Agaroths movements. What Eugene needed to do was reorganize the fragments of Agaroth that had melded with him so he could make use of them in a more systematic and reliable manner. Then, he needed to make those memories his so he could use their skills at any time. Instead of only being able to use it when he swung his sword in a trance, his goal was to be able to swing such a sword at will, even while his mind was clear. He had to get a grasp on that feeling and, at the same time, absorb it and make it a part of him. Eugene mused, Agaroth. The God of War who had stood in the way of the Demon King of Destruction. The impression that Eugene got from Agaroth was that of a self-centered tyrant, but the strength that had allowed him to y a Demon King while still a human and ascend to godhood was unquestionably real. Eugene wanted that strength. He needed to make those sharp de skills his own. He also wanted to possess the senses and intuition that Agaroth had developed by going through and finding victory in countless battles. How long had it been since he hadst looked at someone with such envy? Eugene chuckled at the hunger burning within his heart. Eugene began digging into the floor of the cave. He didnt bend over and start pawing at the ground with both of his bare hands. Instead, he stood crookedly, as if he was trying to take the weight off of one foot, and simply began rubbing the cave floor with the other foot. With just that alone, he was able to hollow out the hard floor like it was mud, and hot spring water began to slowly flow along the path that his foot had carved. Molon had left, saying he would be back after killing the Nur, and Mer and Raimira had left the cave, saying they wanted to build a snowman. Thanks to that, the only ones here now were Eugene, Kristina, and Anise. After opening a hole in the cave wall, they hadid out the items they used while camping in the newly created room. They had even managed to set up a spacious hot spring within the room. Since he had the chance, Eugene had decided to create a few more rooms, and since they werent sure how long they would be staying here, Eugene also wanted to have a room for himself. While Eugene was busy digging out the rooms, Kristina was on her knees, praying with her eyes closed. For Kristina, offering up a prayer while stroking the Stigmata on the palm of her left hand had be part of her daily routine and an important ritual. During the moments that she offered up a prayer like this, all distracting thoughts would leave Kristinas head. All that existed in these moments were her faith in the Light and her worship of Eugene. Or at least, thats how things should have been. ..., Today, Kristina kept trying to clear her mind. But her head refused to cooperate. As she sat there, not seeing anything, not talking to anyone, and offering up her prayers, thoughts that she kept trying to ignore just ended up rolling around inside her head. Hamel. The words that Moon had said earlier that morning. About the Mythical Era that you recalled, werent there any traces of us? Molon had seemed to be looking forward to hearing an affirmative. And it wasnt just Molon. Sienna had also reacted in a simr way. If something like fate had gone beyond their lifetimes and even time and space to bring the three together, then they must have a truly powerful destiny. However, Kristina couldnt feel any empathy for their excitement. She didnt have any such hopes either. This was because, in Kristina Rogeris case, there was no way that her soul could have existed in that Mythical Era. Kristina was well aware of the reason for that fact. Her body was an artificial clone of the Faithful Anise. And the soul that had been ced within that body was created by artificially processing the soul of a newborn baby who had been abandoned in front of a monastery twenty years ago. In order to enhance the performance of their Holy Weapon, an artificially created Saint, Anises remains were incorporated into the body of the clone. Many things had been added, subtracted, and mixed in to increase thepatibility between the body and the soul. There was no way for such a soul to have been around in the Mythical Era. How could the soul of an abandoned newborn baby which had been twisted until almost nothing of the original remained have ever existed in the Mythical Era? Could it even truly be called her soul? [Thats quite the funny distress youre feeling there,] Anise chuckled amid Kristinas troubled thoughts. [Kristina, forgive my rudeness, but the thoughts that you are struggling with now are simply pointless.] Sister? Kristina questioned in shock. [Why dont you take me for example?] Anise whispered. [Kristina, at least your soul was born as an infant after the world had heard her cry. My soul didnt even get that. My soul was taken from a fetus that didnt even have any human features, let alone the ability to cry.] The fetus had been transnted into the womb of an artificial Incarnation of Light. All kinds of holy and ordinary magic had then been used to elerate Anises growth in the womb, skipping the time that a human would usually take to be born. [So Im a simr case to you. Bluntly speaking, Im even more of a mess than you are. But does all that really matter, Kristina? No matter how brilliant the previous era may have been, it has already fallen. And now this is our era,] Anise stated confidently. ...Does it really not matter to you at all, Sister? Kristina asked after some hesitation. The fact our souls couldnt have existed in the distant past as the souls currently residing within us arepletely artificial? That means were the only ones who arent part of the fate that has been tied to Sir Eugene. [Fate?] Anise repeated skeptically. Isnt that the case? Kristina responded hesitantly. Sir Eugene is the Hero. Also, in the ancient past, he was worshiped as Agaroth, the God of War. Under those circumstances the reason why Sir Vermouth chose to reincarnate Sir Eugene must be that he knew about Sir Eugenes past life. [Of course, that would have to be the case,] Anise agreed. I also listened to Sir Eugenes story his story about Agaroth, the God of War. In that story when I heard him mention the Sage and the God of Giants, I couldnt help but tremble and let out a gasp, Kristina admitted. Anise sympathized with her, [I know how you felt at that moment, Kristina. Certainly, the Sage and the God of Giants really do remind me of Sienna and Molon.] Kristina confessed, That revtion has distressed, saddened, and frightened me. Along with the fact that our souls may not have even existed during that era. Also um perhaps. Anise saw right through her, [Youre thinking about the Saint of the God of War. Are you afraid that we might somehow be the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch?] Unlike Kristina, Anise was able to confront this fear directly with a smile. When Kristina hesitated, unable to answer her immediately, Anise continued speaking to her in a soft tone, [Instead of worrying about it, wouldnt it be quite impressive if we were part of the Twilight Witch? It would mean that, even after transcending time and space, we have still managed to stay at the same persons side.] Kristina protested, But the Twilight Witch was evil [What would the crimes of our past life have to do with us? Its not like we havemitted those same sins in the present. Also, Kristina, I can tell you this much for certain, but we are not the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch,] Anise revealed. Kristina was surprised, Huh? [Im saying that neither you nor I are anyone elses reincarnation. Yes, just like you might have suspected, as artificial creations, our souls did not exist in the past. Therefore, we could not have ever been the Twilight Witch,] Anise stated firmly, still speaking in the same soft tone. As she listened to these blunt words, Kristinas lips parted unconsciously. She broke down in shock, unable to even maintain her kneeling position, let alone continue praying. [Why are you so surprised?] Anise asked in amusement. [Didnt you also suspect this to some extent?] Um ah, Kristina was lost for words. Anise ordered her, [Listen closely, Kristina. Dont pay any attention to things that don''t matter, like whether or not we had past lives. Here and now, we are the ones standing here. That is all that you need to know.] Kristina understood the point Anise was trying to make, but she couldnt get over her shock that easily. Anise continued, [In our past lives, we didnt have anything to do with Agaroth. Agaroth didnt know of us. But why on earth should that matter? The one who we know and have followed for so long isnt Agaroth. Kristina, turn your head and look to the side.] She didnt know why she was being asked to look to the side, but Kristina still did as she was told and turned her head. [....] But there was nothing there. The figure of Eugene, who just a few moments earlier had been busy leveling the floor and digging out a new room, was nowhere to be seen. [Where the hell did that bastard go in this short amount of time?] Anise hissed in frustration. Anise had set things up so that Kristinas gaze would rest on Eugenes face at just the right moment, but where on earth had he gone? Sensing the cold rageing off of Anise, Kristina slowly stood up and called out, Sir Eugene? Are you there? There was no response. Instead, the cracking sound of the air being split apart could be hearding from outside the cave. With a guess as to what was going on, Kristina walked out of the cave. Outside of the cave, Eugene was swinging a wooden sword. It was just a wooden sword, a truly ordinary one at that. He wasnt using even a drop of mana, either. The mes of the White me Form were simrly absent. With just his bare body and his physical strength, Eugene was swinging a wooden sword. However, Kristina and even Anise werent able to stay calm at the sight of his figure. Even though Eugene was just swinging the sword, without even imagining someone as his opponent and it was just a blunt wooden sword without a single sharpened edge each swing would seemingly cause the world to shake. Eugenes extremely concentrated will was creating an illusion that followed the path of his wooden sword. Hah, Eugene stopped swinging the sword and raised his head. Even though the day was this cold, and he had only been swinging the sword for a short amount of time sweat was already beading on Eugenes forehead. With an awkward smile, Eugene wiped away the sweat on his brow and exined, While I was in the middle of working, I had a thought about the sword and felt the urge to swing it a few times. ..., Kristina was silent. And you? Why have you stopped praying and stepped out here? Isnt this earlier than usual for you? Eugene asked. Kristina still couldnt say a word. Her eyes that had been following the trajectory of the wooden sword were now wandering around Eugenes body. Due to his rising body heat, a thinyer of steam was wafting off of Eugenes skin. As his slightly sweat-drenched face turned towards her with a smile, Kristina felt she couldnt have imagined a more romantic sight. At that moment, all of the worries that had been tormenting her until just now fell away. In the end, it was just as Anise had said. So what if she didnt have a past life? So what if she had nothing to do with Agaroth? So what if they werent tied together by fate? Why on earth should any of that even matter? Kristina was right here, right now, with the man who had saved her and told her that he would always see her for herself, and currently, it was just the two of them facing each other. ..., Kristina silently folded her hands together and offered up a prayer. Eugene couldnt understand why Kristina had suddenly started praying towards him. Anise wondered just what to do about Kristina, who hadnt been able to shake off her worries despite her passionate persuasion, but had immediately lost all of her burdens the moment she saw Eugene soaked in sweat. [...Ahem,] Anise just thought that it was fortunate that she hadnt made any promises with Sienna. Chapter 416: That (1) Chapter 416: That (1) The bit mped between her teeth was left with no marks, let alone broken, no matter how fervently she chewed away at it. She had already been filled with frustration and despair over this matter from a long time ago, but that didnt mean she felt no regret. Grrrrkk. Hemoria. That was her name. She had nost name. As a child, she had a different name and lineage. The moment one joined the Maleficarum as an Inquisitor, their name and surname disappeared, and they were left only with a number as their identity. While most Inquisitors went through this process, it had been different for Hemoria. She had been different from the other Inquisitors of Maleficarum. She had been an elite acknowledged by all. After all, her father was the highest-ranking Inquisitor of Maleficarum, the prospective head, the Punisher Atarax. Atarax was an elite destined for a potential ascent to the rank of cardinal should he prove his faith after his honorable retirement. Atarax had been an Inquisitor as far as Hemoria remembered. Thus, Atarax had no family name, and naturally, Hemoria inherited none. Her name was bestowed upon her by her deceased mother. At least, that was the answer she received when she asked her father. He was amendable father. She revered and learned much from him, especially in matters of faith. He was a pir of devotion. Heretics were unforgivable; pagans needed to be extinguished. Dealing with malevolence and evil often dragged Inquisitors down a dark path. Hence, one always needed to harbor the light within. Even if ones body was tainted by filth or misused, one always needed to have faith in the light... Hemoria kept her father''s teachings close to her heart. When she first visited the Faculty of Divine Magic hand in hand with her father, Cardinal Pietro of the academy weed her with a benevolent smile. Then, she had beenid down on a magical seal. Several priests had surrounded Hemoria and conducted various experiments on her. Ancient blood magic and necromancy, acquired from the Holy Empires witch hunts long ago, were infused within Hemoria. Additionally, she was reshaped from within using other various methods and influences. The pain had been excruciating, but she endured, believing it was all for her father and the Light. Indeed, thanks to these experiments and surgeries, Hemoria became a unique existence. She was able to make contributions and gain recognition in Maleficarum, independent of her father''s influence and position. She had to wear an iron mask due to the side effects of blood magic that sharpened her teeth to be beast-like. Moreover, the necromancy infused within her asionally caused her to go rampant, and she had to meditate silently to silence it. Despite having to go through such things, Hemoria neither resented her father nor despaired over her situation. She believed it was all for her father and the Light. She had genuine faith in serving the Light, and she hoped that one day, she would surely ascend to heaven. But now. Everything seemed different. She thought about it all differently. Amelia Merwin had revealed truths to Hemoria that she never wished to know. Hemoria was indeed a being worthy of being called the daughter of Atarax. But her nature was far frommon. Hemoria was a chimera created from the blood and sperm of Atarax. She was a chimera created from a human. She was an existence forbidden by thews of the continent. That was Hemoria. Her sharp fangs were not mere side effects of blood magic. From the outset, Hemoria possessed vampiric traits due to her genes. From the moment of her creation, it was destined that blood magic would someday be infused into her. The Church of Light dered that blood magic was not dark magic. But that was a lie. Blood magic originated from the power of vampires, one of the demonfolk species. Blood magic was the result of lesser vampires imitating the powers of greater vampires. It wasn''t merely that she was tainted by filth or using it. Hemoria''s very existence was an abomination. She was a product of heresy and sacrilege. She could never be epted by the Light. What did this imply? Hemoria could never ascend to heaven. Grrrrk. Yet, time and time again, Hemoria prayed to the Light and begged for forgiveness for her sins. Though I have this form, let me worship you. It''s true that I consumed many to survive in that pit of corpses, but please forgive my sins. Unfortunately, no answer ever came to her prayers. She knew why. No matter how many times she prayed for forgiveness, Hemoria had already lost faith in the Light. The Hero, Eugene Lionheart, had recklessly intruded on the Fount of Light. Hemoria had blocked his path with other Inquisitors and priests. The sacred ritual held at the Fount of Light could not be interrupted, not even by the Hero. The ritual had to be seen topletion for the Light and for the sake of the world. Yet, the Hero disregarded it all. Eugene Lionheart. His actions were so ruthless and cruel that it was nearly impossible to believe he was the Hero. It was aplete and merciless ughter. That day, hundreds of Inquisitors and holy knights fell to Eugene''s sword. He swung the Holy Sword without mercy, which, without defying the Hero''s intent, allowed him to massacre hundreds of believers. Hemoria witnessed it all and remembered every detail. The holy knights and Inquisitors cried out to the Light, to their god, as they were ughtered. Yet, none were sheltered by its grace. The same went for Hemoria. She, too, cried out to god as she fell into a pit among numerous corpses. Her limbs had been severed, and she had writhed in agony. But no salvation or miracle came to her. The only reason Hemoria survived that day was that she drank the blood of other believers and was picked up by Amelia Merwin. Amelia Merwin. Needless to say, Hemoria harbored deep resentment for Amelia. In the first ce, Hemoria hardly felt any other emotion than hatred for anyone. She despised the religion rotten with lies and corruption. She loathed her father, who thoroughly deceived and exploited her. She hated the Light that did not grant salvation. She detested Eugene Lionheart, who severed her limbs and cast her into the abyss. She bore a hatred for Amelia Merwin, who gave her grotesque limbs she never asked for, imnted horrid things into her body, and muzzled and cored her like a dog. She wanted to kill them all. Snap. Hemoria ground on the gag while narrowing her eyes. Amelia had once said that dogs should be tethered in the courtyard. And so, Hemoria found herself tied in the courtyard. Her home was the doghouse just behind her, and a leash ensured she couldn''t stray beyond the yard. This was the territory of Destruction, Ravesta. It had been quite some time since Amelia Merwin had arrived in this ce. For the initial period in Ravesta, Amelia busied herself traveling to and fro from the mansion, meeting with many demons. However, at some point, Amelia scarcely ventured out, not even to the courtyard. Thest Hemoria had seen of Amelia was when Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, made her sudden appearance andid waste to the mansion with her wicked disposition. That fateful day was three months past. Amelia Merwin always acted so proud and haughty. However, she could offer no resistance against the explosive wrath of Noir Giabe. As Noir Giabe toppled the mansion with boisterousughter, all Amelia Merwin did was let out pitiable screams. Tsk. Heh heh. The memory would not fade from her mind. Hemoria chuckled quietly while touching the chain connected to her cor. Amelia Merwin carried herself with such arrogance as she boasted about her status as the Staff of Incarceration. However, she was still an insignificant existence before a true demon. And to think she was hiding out in Ravesta out of fear of the Wise Sienna and Eugene Lionheart! The more Hemoria pondered this truth, the more joy she felt. "You seem pleased, a voice came from behind. Hemoria turned to face it without flinching. Though the figure appeared without a sound, she knew very well to whom the voice belonged. Alphiero Lasat. He was a demon who served the Demon King of Destruction. Though her faith in the Light had crumbled, her memories as a former Inquisitor remained. Hemoria still found demons repugnant. Yet, oddly enough, she felt a slight warmth toward Alphiero. Was it due to the alluring nature inherent to vampires? Or perhaps the vampire gene imnted within Hemoria was drawn to Alphiero, a high-ranked vampire. She couldn''t be sure which was the case. Nor did she feel the need to know. For whenever they met, Alphiero was kind, and he shared much with her. "Your mistress? Still locked up inside, I presume?" asked Alphiero. Hemoria nodded. Alphiero gave a smirk before raising a finger and tracing it in the air. "Her condition worsens by the day. She seems to be holding on, but I wonder for how much longer, hemented. Amelia Merwin was weakening, fading even. Ravesta might have been Amelia''s homnd, but the moment she forged a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration, her ties to her homnd were severed. The malignant power of Destruction shed with the dark power of Incarceration. The sh was consuming Amelia from the inside. But seeing your mistress grow weaker must be pleasing to you. In fact, hasnt your restriction weakened considerably? asked Alphiero. Hemoria could not respond verbally due to the gag in her mouth. Instead, she shook the chain draped around her neck for Alphiero to see. This swaying chain, crafted from Amelia''s ck magic, was a shackle that bound her to Amelia. "Heh, Im not talking about that physical constraint. Im asking about the restriction nted within you, Alphiero said with a chuckle. Amelia was astute. She knew that the rtionship between her and her pets was founded on coercion and violence. She allowed no room for emotional misconceptions or misunderstandings. Her sadistic affection and discipline only sowed fierce resistance, hatred, and thoughts of vengeance in her pets. She also recognized that these creatures would never truly love their mistress. Given the chance, they would betray and aim to kill her in a heartbeat. Thus, inside Hemoria, there was a restriction that ensured she could never betray Amelia. A minuscule stake was embedded deep within her heart, and at Amelia''s will, it could burst Hemoria''s heart at any moment. Hemoria shook her head while chewing on her gag. This iron mask and gag were also physical constraints. If Hemoria were to rashly remove them, she would immediately be punished by Amelia. The stake within her heart would cause her excruciating pain. "Is that so? Well, I guess you couldnt freely answer even if you wanted to, said Alphiero. With a sly grin, he walked forward. His movement was more a glide than a walk. He approached Hemoria like a ghost, then stopped before her and whispered in her ear, "I know you wish for your mistress downfall, so Ill give you some good news. Hemorias eyes sparkled upon hearing his words. She looked back at Alphiero. "Over recent months, dungeons in the Nahama desert belonging to the ck wizards have been raided. The frequency is unpredictable, but the attacks are far from haphazard. Nearly ten dungeons have been annihted, and more than a hundred ck wizards have been buried in the desert, said Alphiero. Here, the underground city of Ravesta existed in a dimensional rift beneath the ind. It was a locationpletely isted from everything, and as such, one had to rely on a few demons with connections to the outside world if they wanted to acquire news. One such demon was Alphiero. Amelia Merwin was no exception. Though she was the de facto ruler of the ck wizard dungeons of the desert, the pervasive power of Destruction in Ravesta weakened the bonds she had with the human ck wizards. It was even truer now since Amelia Merwin was weakening and nearing death. She could not even maintain the connection to the outside on her own. She was reliant on Alphiero for information andmunication from the outside. "Do you understand the significance of my words? Your mistress foundation is crumbling. Someone is intentionally targeting her. And who do you think that might be? asked Alphiero. Hemoria hesitated. Her cheeks twitched. She pondered momentarily on whether she could genuinely express the emotions she felt andugh. I was wondering who the viin responsible for the assault was. It turned out to be an unexpected figure. Melkith El-Hayah, the White Tower Master of Aroth. But the Tower Masters of Aroth refuse to be used as strategic weapons for Aroth. This age-old tradition is as clear as the separation between Aroths monarchy and council. In fact, this distinction of the towers is why many wizards choose to study in Aroth. In that case, Melkith El-Hayah tearing through the desert doesnt reflect the will of Aroth. Aroth has neither the reason nor justification to strike at Nahama, exined Alphiero. Hemoria listened to Alphieros exnation silently. "Then, is Melkith El-Hayah acting of her own record? Ive never met her personally, but I have heard tales of her entricity. Some even say shes mad. However even if she is an entric person, she should be aware of the weight of her existence as a tower master and the supreme master of spirit magic. She would understand the implications ofunching a direct attack against your master, continued Alphiero. Hemoria had once met Melkith in the past. When Eward, the eldest son of Lionheart, attempted a nefarious ritual at the ck Lion Castle, Atarax was dispatched to understand and rectify the situation. He sought the cooperation of the tower masters of Aroth. The Melkith she saw then... left no profound impression. Given the circumstances and the gravity of the event, Melkith behaved rather discreetly. A ritual of the Demon King had been conducted at the ck Lion Castle. A young man, albeit a member of the side branch, had been used as a sacrifice. An elder of the Lionheart family had received a grave wound from his own grandson, and his grandson, along with the disgraced eldest son of the main family and a promising young man from the side branch, had plotted the familys downfall. In the end, they were executed. Even Melkith couldn''t act rashly in such a scenario. "Did Melkith El-Hayah hold a personal grudge against your master? Depending on the depth of the grudge, she might attack impulsively. However, I believe there''s another puppeteer behind Melkith, said Alpherio. Hemoria gritted her teeth, and Alphiero gave a smirk. "Your master, by nature, has made many enemies. Yet... among those adversaries capable of manipting Melkith El-Hayah, a tower master of Aroth, there are but two." Alphiero confidently raised two fingers. "One is the Hero, Eugene Lionheart. He has shed with your master several times. While I''m not privy to all the details, if your master desires his death, he would undoubtedly reciprocate the sentiment." "....." Hemoria just gnashed her teeth. "The other is Sienna of Cmity. Her hatred and rage are palpable even to me. Your master desecrated the Tomb of Hamel of Extermination. She desecrated his corpse. Such news would have reached Sienna of Cmitys ears." Recalling the ferocity of Sienna from three hundred years ago sent shivers down Alphiero''s spine. He had never directly confronted Sienna and her allies, but the mere memory of witnessing her power from a distance was enough to unsettle him. "Sienna of the Cmity is now targeting your master, stated Alpherio. Hemoria couldn''t hide her expression any longer. She quietly chuckled in delight. "However, even Sienna of Cmity wouldn''t dare to breach Ravesta. I even wonder if she''s aware of your master''s hideout here, said Alphiero. His voice softened as he continued, "I''ve heard that Sienna of Cmity is currently in Aroth. She is actively engaging with the Archwizards of the Red and Blue Towers. Meanwhile, the White Tower Master is scouring the desert... as if trying to lure out your master." "Heh... heh heh..." Hemoria finally couldnt hold in herughter. "The deserts ck wizards are the Sultan''s secret force. They''re under attack, and while the Sultan would be agitated, that indecisive swine can''t even decide how to respond," Alphiero said. The continent''s allegiance hung in the bnce. Would they choose to serve Helmuth or continue to y both sides as they had always done? Sultan bur of Nahama had yet to decide. "Your master does not wish for the foundation she built in Nahama to crumble. What lies there isnt merely awork of dark wizards. The demons of Helmuth, who are using these wizards as conduits, are the true strength of your master, exined Alphiero. .. Hemoria silently contemted this information. "I wonder what choice your master will make. Will she remain hidden in thisnd, even if she risks losing all that she has prepared? Or will she, true to her title as the Staff of Incarceration, confront Sienna of Cmity head-on?" Alphiero questioned. It was likely that. Amelia Merwin would not leave Ravesta. Alphiero thought so as he passed Hemoria. That pitiable half-breed might wish for Amelia to plunge into the mes, but Amelia was not so naive. To achieve her goals, she would consider any humiliation or pain as mere tools, a trivial means to an end. ''What does she truly desire?'' Amelia Merwin hade to Ravesta to protect herself. She feared both Sienna of Cmity and the Hero, Eugene Lionheart. Yet, ironically, in Ravesta, Amelia Merwin was withering away. Had she not foreseen this? Even if she had, her continued confinement in the mansion, especially now as she seemed to be fading away must have been a deliberate strategy. "Phew." The mansion was now fully restored after beingpletely decimated by Noir Giabe three months ago. As Alphiero entered its doors, he found himself involuntarily exhaling a deep breath. The mansion''s interior was different now, distorted. A spiral corridor descended downwards. At the very bottom, Alphiero felt the presence of a demon. Chapter 417: That (2) Chapter 417: That (2) The creature was eerie and ominous, malevolent in nature. Alphiero unknowingly clenched his fist and red downwards. The corridor was reminiscent of a coiled serpent as it stretched out. Shadows writhed in its heart deep within. .. Alphiero knew what ''it'' was. Three centuries ago, it had been Hamel of Extermination. He was once a human, but no longer. He was once a hero, but no longer. This was an existence that had once dedicated its very being to the great cause of defeating the Demon Kings and saving the world, but now, only vengeance driven by hatred and rage remained in its shell. It was a forsaken undead stripped of its purpose, honor, and beliefs. But even that was long gone. Alphiero felt no remnants of an ''undead'' in it anymore. It was... evolving into something beyond simple undead. Alphiero Lasat, the age-old vampire, knew the cause of this transformation. After initially being resurrected as a Death Knight, it had lost its physical form in a prior battle. However, it did not vanish. Instead, it returned to Amelia Merwin as a soul. Amelia Merwin provided the lingering soul with a temporary body. In addition, she imbued the soul with various enhancements for further fortification. If Amelia had sufficient time and resources without immediate threats, she would have meticulously crafted a new body and explored diverse ways to empower the soul. But things did not go as nned. Amelia Merwin secluded herself in Ravesta to escape the menacing foes, and the barren, deste realm of Destruction offered her nothing of what she desired. Thus, she was left with no choice but to experiment with what was avable here. "Incredible..." Alphiero murmured while shaking his head. Now, it was left with no physical form. The dense, immense coagtion of dark power had merged with its soul and obliterated the temporary body. By now, even the impurities within the soul had been wholly integrated. ''It'' was a confluence of soul and dark power. That was how it existed. Alphiero felt his clenched fists trembling. His fingers dug into his palm and sent a sharp pain shooting through his hand. Alphiero pondered over the emotion he was feeling. He then considered whether this emotion was indeed justified. This was... jealousy. A bitter smile crept onto Alphiero''s face at the realization. For centuries, he had served the Demon King of Destruction. In Ravesta, while Alphiero wasn''t the most ancient among the Demon King''s subjects, he was confident that among those in existence, he was the most devoted. He revered the Demon King of Destruction as humans worshiped their gods. He offered any nsmen who defied this faith as a sacrifice to the Demon King. But the Demon King of Destruction was indifferent and heartless to his subjects. No matter how they pleaded or worshiped, he never responded. He would grant them the dark power they desired but nothing more. Every subject of Destruction, once initiated, could attain the dark power they wished for. In other words, the Demon King of Destruction did not regard any of his subjects differently. No one was special. It was no different from obtaining the dark power of the Demon King of Destruction. Every one of his subjects could draw from his ominous and potent power, but none were exempt from the burdens. Numerous subjects had perished after failing to endure the dark power of Destruction. It was the same for Alphiero. If he drew upon this power too much, he, too, would begin to crumble into nothingness. He''s not even a true servant... Alphiero thought bitterly. Neither that entity nor its master, Amelia Merwin, were servants of Destruction. Amelia Merwin was a subject of the Demon King of Incarceration, and the entity had been resurrected as a Death Knight by her and the Demon King of Incarcerations dark power. The power of Destruction did not tolerate the power of other Demon Kings. Hence, Amelia Merwin was withering away. The same fate should have befallen that entity. Mere months ago, it had been dying. But at some point, the entity had begun to change, bing something that was both undead and yet not. A transformation had taken ce as its physical form disintegrated and its soul mixed with the dark power. Was it adaptation? Or evolution? One thing was certain: this entity was closer to the Demon King of Destruction than Alphiero or any other subject of Destruction. And this change was unique, something Amelia Merwin did not possess. This realization made Alphiero seethe with jealousy. An entity that was once human, once undead, had now ascended to a status that neither he nor the other subjects could achieve. Alphiero shook his head while giving a sigh. He couldnt rid himself of envy but could not harbor anger against that entity. It was the will of the Demon King of Destruction for it to transform into such an existence. Alphiero jumped down the middle of the spiraling stairs. The descent wasn''t far, but the moments it took to reach the ground felt long and viscous. If one wasnt a subject of Destruction, they would have disintegrated halfway down. Landing on the dark floor, he felt a rush of potent dark power as he approached the entity. "Are you... alive?" Alphiero couldnt help but ask. But then, he smirked when he realized the absurdity of his own question. How could it be alive when it was a remnant of the past, to begin with? .. There was no answer. But there was movement in the darkness. From the depths of the shadows, the entity began to show itself. Soul and dark power, both intangible and shapeless, were mixing to form a presence, casting a distinct shade unlike the surrounding darkness. It was a nebulous hue of gray contrasting with the darkness. "You... again..." a voice, crackling and strained, echoed from the gray mass. It sounded pained, yet there was a hint of mockery. "Have youe to give that foolish wench false hope?" He was referring to Hemoria. While Alphiero felt a slight pity for the chimera creature, it was superficial at best. Moreover, he couldn''t deny that Hemoria was, indeed, a fool. "False hope, is it? You say that as if Im mocking that poor child," responded Alphiero. "Heh. Heh.... No, youre even worse. Alphiero... Lasat you pesky mosquito... Let me ask you inly. What do you intend by making use of that foolish... wench?" asked the entity. "You misunderstand me, Alphiero responded as he approached the phantom, once Hamel of Extermination. "Every time Ie to this manor, I always encounter her." From Alphiero''s perspective, everyone in this mansion was an unwee guest, especially Amelia Merwin. She was beyond annoying; she was despicable. A half-breed of man and demon. Even despite her pathetic existence, he might have willingly allied with her if she had served the Demon King of Destruction. But Amelia had left Ravesta to pursue her own desires. But when danger approached, she had immediately flipped her alignment and fled back to Ravesta. Had the Demon King of Incarceration not been behind Amelia. And because the Demon King of Destruction didn''t refuse visitors as usual, Alphiero couldn''t confront her directly. He had to make Amelia leave of her own ord. "Your mistress seems... to have a keen fondness for her pets. Some are left in the yard with cors, while others enjoy sweet pleasures within theforts of the mansion, said Alphiero. His words were an evident provocation. Yet, the phantom didn''t express displeasure at being called a pet. He had heard such jabs too many times before. Still, that didn''t mean he was indifferent. The phantom let out a dry chuckle while hiding his anger. Sweet pleasures is it? This was a torment worse than death. More so, as he had already experienced death. In life, death was the end, but now, the phantom existed beyond that finality. For him, there was no end other than annihtion. Oblivion. That was a fate heavier than death. And he couldn''t simply wish himself into oblivion. The phantom had an irrefutable, undeniable reason to remain in this world. He had given up everything: honor, faith, humanity. He filled the voids they left with rage, hatred, and vengeance. Yet... he had achieved nothing. At the very end, hisrades had betrayed him. He had been rendered useless and unable to fight. Yet, he still charged at Belial, the Staff of Incarceration. That was when Sienna had bombarded both him and Belial with her magic. Anise''s miracles suddenly ceased, and his tattered body was used as a meat shield as Molon charged. And in that final moment, Vermouth''s de severed everything. He wanted to ask them why they betrayed him. He had heard that Molon had resurfaced in the distant northernnds. He had heard that Sienna had returned after hiding out for centuries. Before embarking on his cruel revenge, he wanted to ask them... the reason for their betrayal. He absolutely had to. Had they only told him earlier. That he was no longer needed, that he was no help, and was instead a burden. If only. I can y the part of bait, cant I? Had he heard their intention before, Hamel would have calmly replied like this in the affirmative. Without making hisrades feel uneasy, without resorting to betrayal, Hamel would have willingly met his end by ying the part of the bait. Ha. Haha. The specterughed with a raspy chuckle. This was the reason he could not fade away, the reason he clung to a pitiable and wretched existence. Every time he pondered over this subject, it not only caused terrifying and agonizing feelings but also reignited the depths of his emotions. He whispered while staring intently at the faint face of Alphiero, "Are... you jealous?" He could see Alphieros cheeks twitching. "Enough with... the transparent... envy. It''s... unbing, said the phantom. Crack. Alphiero''s lips curled up, and his sharp fangs were exposed. His feeling of hostility towards the phantom was evident. The specter continued whispering with a smirk, "Well... you do... have reasons... to be envious. Your... master... the Demon King curiously... took quite a liking... to me." Although he loathed admitting it, it was true. The Demon King of Destruction held the phantom with favor. This was the same Demon King who gave the same indifference to all his subjects, yet he favored a mere phantom. A blend of destructions dark power and his soul? Was that even usible? The reason the phantom endured such terrible torment and didn''t fade was not solely because of his own will. Simply put, the Demon King of Destruction was not allowing him to vanish. If he failed to endure and crumbled, all would be lost. Yet, the phantom endured. Was this true? No, this endurance was nothing less than mercy bestowed upon him by the Demon King of Destruction. Mercy? .. The phantom didnt think so. Alphiero ground his fangs until they threatened to break as he red at the phantom. He was long aware of the Demon King of Destructions favoritism, but hearing it from a dying being who could barely speak was aggravating. "...It''s envy. I admit it, said Alphiero after quenching his rage. It took him a moment, but he took several breaths and lowered himself towards the mass of writhing gray. Though he tried to focus intently, the boundaries between dark power and soul remained invisible. It was a mass without any distinction. He couldnt believe it was possible to be so unified. "Please, answer my question, asked Alphiero. He had something more pressing to inquire. "Have you... ever heard a revtion?" continued Alphiero. The Demon King of Destruction never once gave revtions. He had never once shown his face nor allowed his voice to be heard, not even during the formation of the pact. It didnt matter if one was a demon born in Ravesta or the rare ones venturing from the outside. There were no exceptions. There was an empty temple. If one went there, knelt, and prayed, a pact with the Demon King of Destruction would be forged. That was the end of it. .. The specter did not answer and remained silent. How many times had it been? There was a ce that felt vaguely familiar. If he had been alive, he would have dismissed it as a dream. However, dreams were no longer a concept to the current form of the phantom. Then, that ce he''d glimpsed several times, what could it have been? It was a void where nothing existed, and yet within it, there was a presence... a tingling sensation. "No." Souls, too, could feel pain. The phantom suppressed a scream he yearned to release as he replied. Could one even begin to describe that ce and its existence? The phantom couldn''t decipher what it had seen, but he had no intention of consulting Alphiero. Even in this state, he harbored an aversion to demons, and thest thing he wanted was to appease Alphiero, a nemesis from his previous life. "...Is that so..." Alphiero revealed overt disappointment as he shook his head. With a short sigh, he lifted his gaze and stared into the abyss beyond. A corridor stretched out from where they stood. At its end was Amelia Merwin. Alphiero came to this mansion to meet Amelia Merwin, not to converse with the phantom. "Come to think of it, Alphiero began to speak as he walked past the phantom. "The Demon King of Fury was resurrected." The phantom couldn''tprehend these words. The Demon King of Fury. It was the very Demon King they had in three hundred years ago. During the most glorious moments of his human existence, he had vanquished one such Demon King with hisrades. A fallen Demon King had resurrected? What could this mean? "No need for rm. The Demon King of Fury met their demise once more not long after the resurrection, continued Alphiero. "...What... are you... saying?" said the phantom. "Eugene Lionheart," came the response. The phantom loathed that name. Knowing this, Alphiero continued with a sly smile, "He, with the Holy Sword, personally ended the Demon King. Just like... his ancestor, Vermouth Lionheart." Thump. Thump. Thump. Amidst the unfolding tale, the phantom heard a resonating thud. It was the sound of a non-existent heart beating. He found himself gasping for breath he didn''t require. Various images flickered within in a single moment. He remembered facing Eugene Lionheart, shing swords with him. He remembered how his de had been overwhelmed and when he faced the unnerving sensation of an indomitable force as he faded away. He recalled the despair he felt then. What he felt now was self-loathing. I.... Those were the words he had uttered in the face of defeat. I... lost? To you? The phantom envisioned Eugene Lionheart. He was a distant descendant of Vermouth, with neither Vermouth''s visage nor aura. Yet, he had the same silver hair and golden eyes. He had wielded the Holy Sword, the Annihtion Hammer, and the Demon Spear differently from Vermouth. His style of fighting had reminded the phantom of himself. Eugene Lionheart had wielded the weapons in a way that the phantom would have wielded them. This made the phantom despise Vermouth even more. The treacherous Vermouth had passed down his techniques to the next generations. It was truly a cruel jest. "Grr." Unquenchable rage red within, threatening to consume its soul and dark power in its entirety. Alphiero noted the phantoms trembling state as he made his way toward Amelia Merwin''s chamber. Left in solitude, the phantom was acutely aware of its racing heartbeat. Its soul, mingled with dark power, seemed to flutter towards an obscure abyss. You are. A distant voice echoed. The phantom couldn''t recognize who the voice belonged to. Thats. The phantom saw something as waves of gray colored his consciousness. Although he couldn''t approach it, instinctively, he knew. That entity was watching him. And its gaze was far from friendly. Chapter 418: That (3) Chapter 418: That (3) The stench of the deceased permeated the air. It was no exaggeration by any means. Alphiero paused silently as he peered into the room. Empty potion vials were strewn across the floor, among them some shattered to pieces. Dark blood-stained bandages were scattered here and there as well. A soft, rhythmic breathing could be heard. Therey Amelia Merwin in a half-reclined state. She wasnt on a bed but rather in a piece of furniture resembling a bathtub. Inside it were various potions, unidentifiable liquids, and Amelias own blood. The tubes connected to her suggested that the liquid inside the tub was recing her bodily fluids. "It looks like youve even mixed in narcotics," Alphiero tsked as he stepped into the room filled with the smell of decay. It was reminiscent of a garbage dump. Crunch. He inadvertently stepped on a potion vial and broke it. "Only things vile enough to even intoxicate a demon. But they dont seem quite effective, hemented. Shhh... shhh. There was even an oxygen mask covering her nose and mouth. Amelia Merwin silently gazed at Alphiero. Her eyes were clouded. Was she far gone? Or was her mind merely fogged by the drug''s effects? Surely not. Alphiero shook his head as he approached her. "No drug can truly alleviate the pain that tears one''s existence apart, Amelia Merwin. From what I see, you are indulging in a futile endeavor. Changing all your fluids, severing all your nerves, even eroding your consciousness... none of that will change who you truly are, said Alphiero. "Why are you here?" responded Amelia. The response didnte from Amelias lips but rather from a pipe protruding from the tub. "Firstly, take my advice to heart. I am genuinely concerned about your downfall, answered Alphiero. "Nonsense, retorted Amelia. "As long as you are here, and as long as you are bound by a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, Ravesta will always resist your very existence. You have but two choices. One is to leave Ravesta. The other is to break your contract with the Demon King of Incarceration and form a new one with the Demon King of Destruction, suggested Alphiero. No response came from the pipe. It was for a simple reason: it tranted Amelias thoughts into sound, and as such, it couldnt reproduce her scoff. However, Alphiero could not have known this. As such, he continued, "You know as well as I that one can instantly form a contract by descending to the temple. Even if you did form a contract directly with the Demon King of Incarceration, it wouldnt be able to precede a contract with the Demon King of Destruction. Your rtionship with the Demon King of Incarceration will naturallye to an end." "You let me into Ravesta because you fear the Demon King of Incarceration. Stop pretending like you have any authority here, came Amelias response. "You dismiss my goodwill,mented Alphiero. "I know well that your words are not out of goodwill. I know you still despise me. You would prefer I left and perished, wouldn''t you? Or perhaps you''d enjoy watching me sumb to pain and fear, pleading to the Demon King of Destruction?" Her voice was biting, yet Amelias form in the tub remained limp. The liquid from the tub flowed through the tubes alongside a bubbling sound. I have no intention of releasing anything from my grasp. If I need to endure, then I will endure however much I need to endure, said Amelia. With a creak and groan, Amelia''s form began to split apart. The fragmented remains of her body dissolved into the fluid. Alphiero silently stared at Amelia''s form. The body submerged in the fluid was bare; the right arm remained, but the left arm was gone, and there was nothing below her torso either. Yet, she was alive. Even though most of her organs were gone, ck magic sustained her barely living form. Even as her body continued to decay and rot, Amelia persisted. Is that right? You have no intention of releasing anything from your grasp? Alphiero chuckled. He continued with a grin, Ignorance truly is amusing. Youve already lost so much, and yet you remain oblivious to that fact as you fuss about it. What do you mean? Amelia quickly inquired. Alphiero felt a twinge of pity that she couldnt express any emotion as he informed her of the events unfolding beyond Ravesta. The Demon King of Fury had risen once more. Eugene Lionheart had vanquished the Demon King of Fury. Sienna of Cmity had returned to the Magic Kingdom of Aroth. Around the same time, Melkith El-Hayah of the White Tower had been indiscriminately attacking the dungeons in the Nahama desert. The Sultan was hesitant to respond aggressively because he was wary of the continents gaze. Even now, the forces you left in the desert Alphiero started. Kieeeeeeeeee! Before Alphiero could finish, a sound akin to scraping metal resonated from within the pipe. A cry rose from Amelia''s consciousness. It was a scream without a voice. The pipe vibrated with a metallic groan, and the fluid rippled as Amelias body began to tremble within the tub. The sound that emanated was too agonizing to be called a scream. Alphiero was taken aback. But instead of worrying for her, he started to p as he mocked her. My word! To think I''d hear such aical cry from you, Amelia! However, Amelia didnt hear his voice. The rage and loss she felt at that moment were even more horrifying than the pain of her near-death state. The pipes wailed their metallic cry for what seemed like forever. Alphiero stepped back with his arms crossed as he relished in the chaos. Req The metallic wails ceased, but sporadic tremors still ran through Amelia''s form. Alphiero tilted his head as he locked eyes with Amelia. A request, she finally whispered. His cheeks twitched as he suppressed a smile. He slowly bent down and leveled his gaze with Amelia''s. Whether those clouded eyes could see clearly was debatable, but Alphiero stared intently as he tried to pierce the soul he believedy within. "Why should I heed your request?" he asked. "You granted me my requests until now, did you not?" Amelia said. "Do you truly ask without knowing why I did so?" Alphiero gave a hollowugh as he rose from his position. He gazed at Amelia''s battered and frail form. It was true. He had obliged Amelia''s requests up until now. Amelia was wholly reliant on the information from the outside world that Alphiero brought her. Without his insights, she would be entirely isted in Ravesta, as if she had lost both sight and hearing. Alphiero had no affection for Amelia. He deemed her a mongrel, a half-breed, and he was frustrated by her self-centered and confined behavior. Yet he did not shun her he wanted to discern the depths of her true intentions. What was Amelia truly after? If she was the Staff of Incarceration, why had she not sought refuge in Babel? Instead, why had she hidden in Ravesta, a ce not under the influence of the Demon King of Incarceration? "I know," a voice echoed from the pipe. "Alphiero, you''re curious about my ulterior motives, aren''t you? Perhaps you hope that those who wish me dead wille to Ravesta." There was no falsehood in those words. Three hundred years had psed since the time of war. For demons, it wasnt an extraordinarily long span. How many among the many demons living since that era did not yearn for the unfettered days of war? Alphiero longed for the days of war, and he wasnt the only one. Many demons dwelling in Ravesta like hermits, pined for that bygone era. Initially, the Demon King of Destruction had not taken any subjects. But, three hundred years ago, after the Demon King of Incarceration suddenly dered war, mysterious temples began to appear throughout the realm of Helmuth. No matter their standing, any demon could form a pact with the Demon King of Destruction if they visited these temples and expressed their desire. Initially, all sorts of demons rushed to form these pacts. However, most could not withstand the overwhelming power of the Demon King of Destruction and perished within days. After this initial testing phase, only those who already possessed considerable power and sought even more strength made pacts with the Demon King of Destruction. The reason for their thirst for power was simple: to survive in the age of conflict and revel in the endless wars. Alphiero was no different. He never doubted that war would erupt again. He believed that, just like three hundred years ago, the dormant Demon King of Destruction would rise and wreak havoc. He endured because he was desperate. Because his belief was firm. With the Demon King of Incarceration promising peace, rampaging in the outside world was impossible. But if Amelia Merwin''s enemy... the Hero of this age, Eugene Lionheart, sought Amelia in Ravesta to end her life. "I shall tell you what you wish to know," the voice emanating from the pipe remained emotionless. It wasnt even Amelia''s original voice. "I intend to wage war." With that, Amelia Merwin''s intentions wereid bare as she spoke in the detached tone of the device. It will be different from three hundred years ago. I am dreaming of a war thats neither waged by the Demon King of Destruction nor the Demon King of Incarceration. I, Amelia Merwin, am going to start a war, she dered. What are you speaking of? asked Alphiero. I was worried that the Demon King of Incarceration might interfere. However, that proved unnecessary. The Demon King of Incarceration is quite generous when ites to the freedom of his subjects, though, naturally, he imposes responsibilities, answered Amelia. It was precisely for this reason that Amelia could not seek refuge in Babel. Her hostile rtionship with Eugene Lionheart and Sienna Merdein was all due to her own transgressions. Had Amelia attempted to use Babel as a refuge, let alone reconcile her rtionships, the Demon King of Incarceration himself would have executed her on the spot. Ive made preparations. Ive tempted the Sultan. Promisednds thrice as vast as his current realm, fertilends, not the barren deserts. The allure was too great for him to resist, exined Amelia. Alphiero said, Waging war on the backs of merely the Nahama Do you have any idea how many demons long for the days of war? The voice from the pipe interrupted Alphierosment. The current continent is at peace. Especially Helmuth. It has prospered so much that its impossible to even recall the traces of the warring era and the times before it. I never lived in that age, but you did, said Amelia. .. A silence lingered. But know this: no matter how advanced or convenient the world bes, those living in Helmuth are still demons. While many have adapted to modern Helmuth and transformed intocent pigs, there are plenty who could not. They have been cast into correctional facilities in the guise of camps or wander the slums, or worse, dwell in the very sewers beneath, continued Amelia. Not all had suffered such a fate. The more quick-witted demons concealed their monstrous nature and wore masks befitting the age of peace. The elite of Helmuth, the high nobles, mostly did so. Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabe were prime examples. Do you know what Ive put most of my effort into in Nahama? It waspletely seizing the desert dungeons and expanding them. As a result, Nahama now has more ck wizards than Aroth. In fact, it has be thend with the most ck wizards on the continent, exined Amelia. All ck wizards were born from contracts with demons, except for special cases like Amelia Merwin. It was rare for one to aspire to be a ck wizard and form contracts with demons from the beginning. Most often, ordinary wizards turned to ck magic in their moments of despair over theirck of talents, when they were faced with the insurmountable wall of magic, or when desiring powers beyond what was offered by normal magic. If Aroth''s ck Tower was a verified collective of dark wizard researchers, Nahamas dungeon of ck wizards was a more ''pure school'' of magic. They treated the Dungeon Master as their supreme teacher and cultivated ck wizards through an apprenticeship. When regr wizards studied in the dungeon, they served under a ck wizard master for several years before being introduced to a high demon to form a contract. "Behind every ck wizard, there''s a demon. It''s a well-known tale. Not all of them support the war I''m instigating, but of this, I''m certain: they all await the war." The ck wizards summoned to the desert had demon patrons in the shadows. These were the demons that had been marginalized. While they still retained usible posts in this post-war era, their positions in Pandemonium were unsecured. They were demons that either couldn''t preserve their ces in Pandemonium or rejected the peace proimed by the Demon King of Incarceration and plummeted in radical opposition. They were war heroes overshadowed by Noir Giabe and Gavid Lindman. In addition, there were young demons who had not witnessed the Age of Wars. Theymented not being born during such tumultuous times and awaited the next great conflict. "Even if you wage war through Nahama, those demons will not aid you, said Alphiero. I possess means to persuade their cooperation," came the assured response. They could be the Demon King. This would be the temptation in y. She had already verified the ritual Edmund Codreth had prepared through dmir. While Amelia herself had no intentions of conducting the ritual, she knew that the prospect of sitting on the throne of a Demon King was a seductive allure for the demons yearning for war and greater power. "The fact that Iris, that fool, could be a Demon King will surely lighten the hearts of the other demons. By obtaining sacrifices and fear through war and achieving ascension to a Demon King with the ritual I provide, I am certain I can muster numerous demons to my cause, exined Amelia. .. Alphiero didnt say anything. "How about you? You, too, desire war, don''t you, Alphiero Lasat? Would you not wish to secretly partake in my war and ascend to be a Demon King? If you so wish and heed my request, I promise to grant you this first, even if it means offering all of the citizens of Nahamas capital as a sacrifice." "I have no desire to be the Demon King," Alphiero declined, shaking his head. "What I... wish for is war. And to witness the Demon King of Destruction making his presence felt on the battlefield. To stand alongside him as his subject." "And my request?" asked Amelia. "I do have interest in the war you wish to wage," Alphiero said. Stepping forward once more, Alphiero perched on the edge of the bathtub as he locked eyes with Amelia. "What would you ask of me?" he asked. "I intend to send my hound outside. I cannot leave, you see. I wish to negotiate with the demons through this hound and use him in various ways... Sadly, I''m currently in such a weakened state to even pull on a leash, she answered. "And your point?" asked Alphiero. "You know, the chained hound outside is a chimera mixed with vampire blood. So, I''d like you to let her drink some of yours, asked Amelia. "You wish to control the hound through me, responded Alphiero. "She''s such a frail creature that I worry she might perish if I let her loose outside but if she drinks your blood, she wont be so weak, said Amelia. "I will have a vampire from the n look after her," Alphiero said after some thought. Alphiero belonged to the Lasat n, a vampire n that thrived during the warring era. Even though the entire n had retreated to Ravesta, their lesser ns were still active in Helmuth. "You won''t send out the other hound?" he asked. "That wont end up being just a hound," Amelia replied. "To be frank, I dont know what to expect. I have no idea whats happening to it." Chapter 419: That (4) Chapter 419: That (4) The desert was immensely vast and sprawling, reaching as far as the eye could see. There was nothing but dense sand regardless of what direction one looked in, and the murderously hot sun pierced down with its gaze from above. This particr region was known for being one of the harshest deserts within the territory of Nahama. There were no nearby viges or oases. It was, as a result, a ce untouched by tourists. To be precise, it was created to be like this on purpose. If nature did not provide an oasis, one could craft one, but there werepelling reasons for not doing so. A desert devoid of life was quite a bare sight. However, it was appealing to ck wizards. In these barren depths, they could conduct their ndestine deeds without the risk of rumors or surveince. Moreover, in the desert, the mysterious disappearance of a few souls wouldn''t raise eyebrows. As such, this location was a primend for the activities of ck wizards. "I cant believe Im saying this, but the ck wizards of Aroth were refined and sane inparison, muttered Melkith El-Hayah as she brushed the sand off her robes. "Isnt that right? There were asional disappearances and deaths in Aroth, but the ck Tower itself was always quite innocent when it came to such matters, wasn''t it?" she continued. Wizards from all corners of the continent gathered in the magical kingdom of Aroth. While magical experimentation on humans was heresy and forbidden, most wizards would readily break taboos when they were consumed by their curiosity. This disposition inevitably cast a shadow over Aroth. Pursuing forbidden knowledge wasn''t just limited to ck wizards. While some wizards only tampered with corpses or vagrants, the more depraved would even harm innocent citizens or tourists. However, those affiliated with the Wizard Towers couldn''t cross such lines due to the strict oversight imposed on them by the towers. "But here, in this desert, there''s nothing to regte the wizards. It''s not just the ck wizards that are the problem. In thest few months, about a third of those I''ve buried in the sands were just ordinary wizards, said Melkith. Melkith had heard tales of Nahama''s ck wizard dungeons. These dungeons acted as miniature wizard towers, hosting a faction of wizards that rejected even guild affiliations. Yet, she had never imagined the situation to be this dire. Perhaps it was an inevitable issue. Wizards, especially the higher-ranked ones, were engrossed in their magic. These ck wizards were more like wizards than anyone else, in essence. And such figures were more concerned with the advancement of their magic and their future studies than anything else. They couldnt care less about how wizards in other nations lived their lives. "Anyway, speaking of which, Im wandering so far from my home and. Ah, would you know where Im from? No, of course, you wouldnt! I never told you. Ta-da! I hail from the Allos Kingdom up north. It''s one of those tiny nations within the Anti-Demon Alliance. Im pretty sure theres no one as renowned and skilled as me throughout the history of the Allos Kingdom. Melkith chattered on tirelessly. "Anyway, here I am, the great Melkith El-Hayah, wandering this far-flung desert all alone, far, far away from home. Im facing the scorching heat by day and freezing cold by night, confronting wicked wizards with their vile deeds... and why arent you saying anything?" [I am listening, even if I do not respond.] The one that responded was a wind spirit that had been floating around Melkith. Eugene Lionheart was still lingering in Lehainjar with Molon. He was getting reports from Melkith in this matter through the wind spirit. "Really? Youre not lying, are you? Eugene, I feel the weight of lonelinesstely. Perhaps I''m learning the essence of solitude in this vast desert..." continued Melkith. [Dont say something so nasty,] came the response. "Nasty!? Is it so off-putting to you that I confess my loneliness?" said Melkith. [What loneliness are you talking about? You do just fine having lots of fun by yourself, Lady Melkith. Even when youre alone, you have lots of people to talk to,] exined Eugene. "What nonsense is that? I have many people to talk with even when Im alone? retorted Melkith. [You have the spirits, do you not?] challenged Eugene. "Hey! Do you think spirits are humans? Spirits are spirits, Melkith retorted. [That statement feels somewhat prejudiced against spirits. Are you suggesting that spirits arent worthy conversation partners, Lady Melkith? Such a belief might cause friction with Tempest.] Eugenemented. "No-no-no-no! That''s not what I meant! In my view, spirits are superior, more evolved entities than mere humans! It''s beyond m-m-me to initiate a conversation with them. I have to wait for the spirits to reach out first!" Melkith attempted to rectify her words in haste. "So, please let Tempest know how I feel, will you? Its really bizarre the more I think about it Im sure there must be amunication link between Tempest and me, yet no matter how often I call, there''s no response from Tempests end. Do you think our connections been severed?" questioned Melkith, confused. [Well. No, that''s not the case. Tempest just prefers... um reserved? Silent? Tempest would prefer a taciturnpanion,] responded Eugene. "That would be me, Melkith immediately answered. [Lady Melkith, Tempest says its exhausting to answer when you call without rest,] Eugene exined. "Hmm... wouldn''t regr dialogues enhance our rapport?" Melkith asked. [Tempest believes you should first focus on nurturing your aptitude as a spiritpanion,] Eugene answered. "Why does Tempestmunicate only with you despite being able to converse with me?" Melkith inquired. [Tempest says he is worried that directmunication might overwhelm you, Lady Melkith. Copsing from overload in this desert would be disastrous,] responded Eugene. "Oh, so hes worried about me!" Melkith shouted in glee while hopping around in excitement. "Well, if that''s the case, so be it. You''re still with Sir Molon, aren''t you?" [Once this report is concluded, I''ll return to duel with Sir Molon,] answered Eugene. "Are you trying to tell me to wrap this up quickly? How very audacious, considering I''m enduring this wretched desert at someone''s behest, Melkith grumbled. [It was a bargain, remember?] Eugenes retort was as sharp as a de, and it left Melkith speechless for a moment. Yet, this audacious spirit wizard did not hesitate to pucker her lips in retort. "Yes~. Right~. A bargain~. How splendid! I''m truly envious~, Melkith drawled, making her sarcasm pretty obvious. [Do you have no sense of decorum at all?] Eugene asked. "Nope~. None at all! Worrying about such things is just too tiring~," responded Melkith. [Well.] Eugene heaved a heavy sigh. After a short moment, the wind spirit underwent a sudden transformation. Melkith stared at it with rm. While the wind spirit retained its fledgling appearance, the aura swirling around it, borne from the winds, was overwhelmingly majestic. [I implore you,] the spirit of the wind issued forth in a stern voice. Kyaaaaah! Melkith let out a joyous exmation and leaped with tion on the spot. That voice! It was the voice of Tempest, the King of the Wind Spirits. It was a voice she hadnt heard for months despite calling out to him daily. Hearing his encouragement caused any and all grievances Melkith harbored to vanish instantly. If Tempest requests it, who am I to deny! Melkith dered happily. She heard no further response. Tempest, having heeded Eugenes request and encouraging Melkith despite not wanting to, shut out the world once again. Eugene went to duel with Molon, as he did every day, and Kristina and Anise followed the two of them to patch them up from any injuries. And Sienna? She was busy with her days in Aroth. Melkith, on the other hand, roamed the desert. By day, it scorched, and by night it chilled. The desert was a wretched ce where all could only see endless sand. Yet Melkith felt no difort. To an archwizard, the only environmental hindrance was the concentration of mana. Unless one was in an extremely special environment, mana existed everywhere. An Archwizard could conjure water even in and void of a single droplet. Furthermore, Melkith wasnt just any Archwizard but also a master of spirit magic. Having contracted with the Earth Spirit King, sinking sands posed her no threat. Her only concern would be sustenance... but Melkith El-Hayah was a marvel. She could eat crustaceans that dwelled beneath the sands without a change in expression. This was a testament to her impressive appetite and ability to adapt to her environment. [This way,] a voice called out. How many are there? asked Melkith. [Just over fifty,] came the reply. The Dungeon Master? Melkith inquired. [By my estimate, the Seventh Circle. The average for their wizards is the Fifth Circle,] the voice answered. Quite the high-level dungeon. A ck wizard of the Seventh Circle. Considering theirtent skills and power, it should be safe to say that theyd nearly match an Archwizard, Melkith said thoughtfully. [Burials?] It was Yhanos, the Earth Spirit King, who inquired. Although she had rambled on to Eugene about solitude in the desert, she had never truly been lonely on her quest. Spirits were her friends and conversation partners. If it were just mid-level wizards, maybe. But with an almost-Archwizard among them, it wont be possible to easily bury them. They''ll likely burst out and cause a ruckus, said Melkith with a click of her tongue. A dungeon of wizards would be armed with formidable defenses against external attacks. Throw in an Archwizard, and they could resist even Yhanos''s burial attacks. Even if no one traversed this desert,unching spells above ground would draw too much attention. It was quite likely that the Sultan had received reports of her actions considering what she had been up to, but there had been no response until now. The famed assassins of Nahama had not shown up to assassinate her, nor had she faced any attacks from the sandmancers of Nahama either. Still, it was prudent to tread carefully. Somewhat surprisingly, Melkith was well aware of this fact. [There are magic traps just up ahead,] warned Yhanos. I noticed, Melkith responded. She had sessfully discerned them even before Yhanos warning. The moment she set foot in the domain, the desert would transform into a treacherous quicksand and threaten to drag Melkith down to the dungeon below. But even knowing this, Melkith did not falter in her steps. Her destination was the subterranean dungeon, and her mission was to eradicate the ck wizards within or those who sought to be such wizards. Initially, she pondered if she really needed to kill them. Would it not suffice to merely dismantle the dungeons instead? But Melkith did not hesitate to bury all the ck wizards upon witnessing the actual state of the dungeons. Of all the dungeons she had decimated, which numbered over ten, only three managed to escapeplete annihtion. The wizards of the remaining dungeons had proven to be deserving of their fate. "I do understand," Melkith muttered as she pulled her robe''s hood over her head, "Research can be captivating, even exciting. But shouldnt they adhere to basic principles when performing experiments on other humans? And there are myriad types of magical experiments involving humans. Why do all the wizards of the desert dungeons shoot that way?" [Contractor,] Levin, the Spirit King of Lightning, spoke, [Have you ever wished to conduct an experiment or research involving humans?] "I have," Melkith replied without hesitation, "A body that doesn''t excrete regardless of what one eats. [?] Levin wasnt sure what to make of that. "A body that doesn''t get fat regardless of what one eats," Melkith continued passionately. [Contractor, what are you] Levin started. Only to be interrupted by Melkith as she further exined, How convenient is that? Not just wizards, either. What if everyone gets to have such bodies? Wouldnt that basically be eutopia? Now, thats what I would call proper research to furnish the world to be a better ce. [Well. Have you never pondered about research to be immortal or something simr?] asked Levin cautiously. "Immortality? Nah," Melkith scoffed, "Death is a part of nature''s cycle. One should go when their timees, and the others need to let them go. As she spoke, she began weaving various spells. She was preparing to storm the dungeon unarmored. She knew she didnt worry about her body exploding since she assumed the sands were a trap designed to capture test subjects. However one could never be too careful. Continuing her soliloquy as she cast her shields, she opined, "If everyone became immortal, the world would be overwhelmed with humans, with no space left to even walk. Besides, it''s not always better to live longer. Sometimes, being able to embrace death when one desires is a blessing." "I concur, came a sudden response. "Kyaaaah!" The voice caused Melkith to jump and reflexively shoot out a spell. Fwoosh! Ifrits mes engulfed the area behind her. "Startling you was my fault, though unintentional. But wasn''t that retaliation a bit excessive? Attacking with the Spirit King of Fire, no less. Most would have been reduced to ashes after being struck by a fire like that." A figure could be seen as their voice floated over. "W-w-whats going on!?" Melkith shouted. "Is it wise to cause such a ruckus in this situation?" asked the figure. "How could I not?!" Melkith retorted. She was so startled that every hair of hers was standing on end. Melkith eyed the man with a wary gaze as she stepped back rapidly. It was Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master. A year ago, Balzac had departed first after the tribal war in the vast Samar Forest. However, he vanished without ever reaching Aroth. Since it wasnt any ordinary wizard but a tower master who had suddenly disappeared, both Aroth and the Wizards Guild employed various methods to track him down. However, all efforts proved fruitless. Only rumors swirled about the disappearance of Balzac. Some whispered that the Wise Sienna of Aroth had in the ck Tower Lord. Others imed he was obliterated in the power struggle within Helmuth. The truth, though, was a mystery to all. Melkith didnt particrly concern herself with this matter either. Although Balzac Ludbeth was a fellow tower master, he wasnt exactly a close friend. They had rarely been involved directly with each other, and while they had known each other for decades, their first joint endeavor had been the war in the Samar Forest. Melkith believed he wouldnt have met some trivial end. After all, the ck Tower Master was a suspicious figure in both name and appearance. It was hard to imagine such an individual perishing unceremoniously. And had he not stated that his ambition as a wizard was to be a legend? His ambition had been to be the greatest wizard in the world and to etch his name in the annals of magical history for centuries, just like the Wise Sienna. No wizard with the stature and prowess of Balzac Ludbeth, who seriously dreamt of bing a legend, would die a meaningless death. "...Why are you here?" Melkith finally asked. I might ask the same, White Tower Master. Why are you here? Balzac replied while staring at Melkith with a calm expression. Then, with a slight smirk, Balzac shook his head. I can guess without hearing it directly from you. It must be because of Sir Eugenes request. .. Melkith didnt respond. I dont know exactly what kind of deal took ce between you two, but White Tower Master, I cant think of any reason you''d personally challenge the dungeons of the ck wizards or wage war on the entire realm of Nahama. But I couldnt say the same for Sir Eugene, deduced Balzac. Not at all. Eugene has nothing to do with this. Im doing this all on my own, responded Melkith. Were you so deeply indebted to Sir Eugene that you''d take the responsibility? questioned Balzac. It''s presumptuous and disrespectful to make assumptions, ck Tower Master. Rather than making baseless ims, why dont you answer my question? What are you doing here? Melkith asked once more. What am I doing? To answer that specifically would be challenging but, recently, Ive been assisting you, answered Balzac. ...What? Melkith was dumbfounded at the unexpected reply. White Tower Master, Ive discreetly dealt with the bodies youve left behind, cleaned up the things you didn''t manage to in the dungeons, silenced the ck wizards you spared, as well as the hostages you released back to the city. Ive even dealt with the assassins sent to capture you, he continued. What? Melkith was genuinely shocked. In the past few months alone, youve cleared over ten dungeons. Did you really think the Sultan wouldnt react? asked Balzac. Thats not what Im asking, retorted Melkith. A spark of anger shed in Melkith''s eyes. An Archwizard was an apex existence who always searched for something greater. Her overwhelming aura weighed down on Balzac. The ck wizards I spared, the hostages I returned to the city... you interfered? she asked. Melkith was enraged by this revtion. Those she had deemed unnecessary to kill, those she had spared, and the hostages lucky enough to escape with their lives. If Balzac had acted against them of his own ord Melkith wouldn''t restrain her wrath. "Do I appear so wicked to you?" Balzac wore a look of genuine dismay as he questioned. "You said you silenced them, responded Melkith. "I merely silenced their tongues, White Tower Master. I did not harm them as you suspect, answered Balzac. "Is that so?" Melkith said. She swiftly calmed herself moments before letting her anger erupt. Without another word, she turned around and began heading towards the dungeon entrance that resembled a treacherous antlion pit. Balzac paused for a moment as he watched Melkith move away. Then, he followed her. "You won''t inquire further?" he asked. "Given your nature, even if I asked, you wouldn''t answer. Why would I bother then?" said Melkith. "Hmm." Balzacs reply was nomittal. "I was concerned since I screamed and used my magic, but. Hmm, seems like you didnt surprise me without thinking,mented Melkith. Balzac''s magic was intertwined with the trap. Thanks to that, the ck wizards of the dungeon failed to notice Melkith above them. "But here''s my question. All this while, you''ve been handling matters behind the scenes. Why make an appearance now? Isn''t it a tad toote for cautionary advice?" asked Melkith. "I meant to advise you against meddling with this dungeon, answered Balzac. "Why?" Melkith asked. "The dungeon master here is a ck wizard named Arask. Skill and character aside... the demon he''s contracted with is quite violent, responded Balzac. "Who is it?" asked Melkith. "Harpeuron. Holding the title of count and ranked fifty-seventh in Helmuth. He''s a greedy demon. White Tower Master, if you were to attack and kill the dungeon master Harpeuron would be enraged." "All the better, Melkith grinned broadly as she responded. "What I need is precisely such a fierce reaction." "You mean what Sir Eugene desires," said Balzac after a pause. "Huh? No, what I need. Why do you keep mentioning Eugene, who isnt even here? Youre so strange, said Melkith while dismissively waving her hand. Suddenly, the antlion trap beneath them activated. The sand began swirling towards its center. Melkith allowed himself to be pulled in by the sand as she turned to look back at Balzac. "So, what will you do?" she asked. "I''d rather not confront them directly, he answered. "Will you wait here then?" Melkith challenged. With a deep sigh, Balzac stepped into the antlion pit. Melkith smirked and raised her hands high as if she had been expecting this response. Lets go! she said. With arms still raised, Melkith plunged beneath the desert sands. Chapter 420: That (5) [Bonus Image] Chapter 420: That (5) [Bonus Image] What was Balzac hiding? The man''s enigmatic behavior had been suspicious from the start. He had vanished into thin air without saying a word to anyone as if he had been swallowed by the desert. No one knew what Balzac had been up to for the past year, why he was in the desert, and why he had been cleaning up the mess left by Melkith. "Look," Melkith started after a brief period of contemtion. Hesitantly, she began to speak with utmost caution, "Sometimes... the fact that you love someone can hurt them." "What?" Balzac responded, clearly puzzled. "Im saying that No matter what you do, I... I cannot reciprocate your feelings. You''re notcking in abilities or looks, so you should find someone else thats better. No, that''s practically impossible. There can''t be anyone better suited than me in this world." "What are you talking about?" asked Balzac. For once, Balzac''s usual thin smile was reced by genuine confusion. "Are you feigning ignorance because you''re embarrassed? Theres no point. I''ve already noticed your feelings," continued Melkith. "I asked what you meant," repeated Balzac. "When you think about it logically and rationally, the conclusion is crystal clear... You like, no, love me. What matters is since when, answered Melkith. "Stop it," said Balzac. "It must be since Samar Forest. The first time I disyed the might of Infinity Force, even I had to admit that I was pretty damn impressive. You must have fallen for me right then, continued Melkith. "I asked you to stop, repeated Balzac. "First love. You must have been unustomed to such devastating emotions. You ran away because you couldn''t face me in Aroth. You decided to hide yourself in this desert to try and forget me, but oh, such cruel fate! You happened to run into me in the desert by chance! concluded Melkith. "..." The ridiculous argument made Balzac unsure of what to say. "Let me be clear: this is not fate, so don''t get the wrong idea. Nheless, you couldnt leave me alone. Out of love and worry, you followed me like a creepy stalker" Melkith continued fabricating her story. "That''s not true, Balzac interrupted, his cheek twitching as if spasming. "I swear on my being, I''ve never harbored such feelings for you." "There''s no need to be ashamed, consoled Melkith. "Neither in the past, present, nor future will there be such a thing, Balzac asserted. "Do you really not like me?" asked Melkith. "Yes," Balzac dered in finality. The response was sharp, but Melkith still looked skeptical. However, instead of pressing further, she flicked her finger towards a wall. Crack! A bolt of lightning shot from her fingertip and sliced through the wall entirely. With a growl, a ck wizard tumbled to the floor. He had been hiding his presence against the wall using magic until Melkith electrocuted him. Having shot the lightning, Melkith blew on her finger and scanned the surroundings. She had found herself in a dungeon after falling into an antlion trap. The first thing she encountered were fourteen ck wizards. They hade out to capture any victims who fell through the trap but were thrown into disarray when Melkithnded unharmed. Melkith was quicker than any of them. Moreover, one of her contracted spirits, Levin, the Lightning Spirit King, was unmatched in speed even by any other spirit king. That made it impossible for the ck wizards to block Levins lightning with their Fifth Circle defensive magic. In the blink of an eye, the situation waspletely under Melkiths control. She had probed Balzac while requesting Yhanos to scout the dungeons exactyout. However, she was still unable to shake her suspicions. She continued to cast sidelong nces at Balzac. "White Tower Head, Balzac called out. It was clear that he had noticed the meaning behind her gaze. His face was still devoid of any smile as he met Melkith''s eyes and said, "I, too, possess eyes to see and a mind to think." "If they function properly, you''d have no choice but to fall for me," countered Melkith. "It''s because they function so well that I absolutely do not harbor such feelings for you, retorted Balzac. He was once again drawing clear boundaries. Balzac felt somewhat aggrieved. This was not the first time such a misunderstanding had urred. Balzac had previously been misinterpreted for showing kindness. He still couldn''t forget being asked by Eugene if he was gay. [Melkith,] a voice rang out in her head. The earth trembled. [I have prioritized segregating the hostages on the other floors,] informed the voice. "What about the workshop?" asked Melkith. [There''s no need for you to check it personally.] Yhanos''s voice was level, and Melkith''s eyes grew cold upon hearing his response. It was clear from his response that Yhanos was being considerate of Melkith. There would be no need for Melkith to check personally. "Bring it down,manded Melkith. [Understood,] answered Yhanos. Rumbleee! The dungeon began to shake violently. The massive underground workshop started to copse. ck wizards cried out in terror in the midst of their experiments as they tried to resist the copse. However, the wrath of the Earth Spirit King hadpletely filled the dungeon. It wasnt something a mere few dozen ck wizards could withstand. "Where''s the dungeon master?" asked Melkith. [In the deepest part of the dungeon. I can feel a strong presence there,] answered Yhanos. "Stronger than me?" questioned Melkith. [...Umm about twenty-five percent of your strength... perhaps even weaker than that...] came the response. The question was clearly loaded. It was aimed at boosting Melkith''s own ego. Yhanos didn''t particrly want to indulge her grandiosity, but he had to consider that the atmosphere had turned frosty with the victims of the workshop in mind. His insane contractor, while a maniac, was a good person at heart. [Hmph! A spirit wizard contracted with me, Ifrit, couldnt possibly be weaker than mere ck wizards!] Ifrith joined in on the conversation. Fwoosh! Melkiths surroundings suddenly swirled with mes. As soon as Ifrits mes appeared around her, Melkith quickly sped her hands together and rubbed them in a sycophantic manner. "Oh my, absolutely. Oh great Ifrit! Someone contracted with you could never be weaker than ck wizards who havent even reached the Eighth Circle! said Melkith. [Contractor! Wield my mes for judgment here! I, Ifrit, shall never forgive those vile ck wizards who worship the Demon King!] dered Ifrit. "Yes, I understand!" responded Melkith. [The wicked deeds of ck wizards are unceasing, even in this era of peace! They are wed from their very existence! Is it tolerable for humans to sacrifice their own kind and defile their dignity as they transform their kind into monsters?] shouted Ifrit. "Indeed, oh great Ifrit! All ck wizards are bastards! They are mere dogs who have forsaken their path! Grant me the power to incinerate those bastards! Melkith said passionately. Melkith was well aware of Ifrit''s fiery temperament and his hatred for ck wizards. He had refused to form a contract with Melkith even after much pleading but had readily agreed when she had promised to kill Edmund in exchange. "Not all ck wizards are like that, said Balzac from the side. "Oh no~. Right~ so you say~ you are a good ck wizard~. Right~." Melkith drawled in a mocking tone. Anyone would clench their fists upon hearing such taunts, but surprisingly, Balzac looked at Melkith with a pitying gaze as he asked, "Why do you carry on like this?" "Why? Because you''re suspicious, thats why. So, why were you in the desert?" countered Melkith. "I was simply training as a wizard, nothing more, answered Balzac. "Why here of all ces!" Melkith demanded an answer while raising her fist. Fwoosh! A crimson me wrapped around her hand. "If you don''t give a proper answer, itll be fire punch time!" Her punch was hastily thrown and clumsy, but the me that surged forth showcased a terrifying force. Defensive magic raised by the ck wizards at the front, as well as other various offensive spells, werepletely annihted by Ifrit''s me. "One, two!" Melkith unleashed abination of punches in session. They caused a thunderous roar as the me of the left punch engulfed the ck wizards. They screamed and resisted against the expanse of me in front of them, but Ifrit''s fire consumed thempletely and turned them into ashes. "Do you want to feel the burning sensation of my fire punch?" asked Melkith. "Is this a threat?" Balzac asked tentatively. ck Tower Master, depending on what you do, I can be either an angel or a demon. In other words, I am both an angel and a demon, Melkith stated. "Ah, yes," Balzac answered with a reluctant face as he looked ahead. Until moments ago, the corridor before them had been lined with dozens of ck wizards. The fiery punches unleashed by Melkith had turned everything to cinder. Despite the name Fire Punch and her awkward stance, the power was indeed formidable. ''...She is the strongest wizard among us, except for the Wise Sienna, Balzac thought. He had no choice but to admit it. She was a master of spirit magic and an Archwizard. She was contracted simultaneously with three Spirit Kings. Melkith El-Hayah was indeed a contender for the title of the strongest wizard of the current age. "I cannot divulge what I have been doing in this desert, White Tower Master. It is a secret. As a fellow wizard, I trust you would not pry further into matters that are meant to be kept secret, said Balzac. "Fine, I can respect research. But why here, of all ces? You have your own study in the ck Tower, dont you?" asked Melkith. "I find myself under the watchful gaze of many, Balzac responded. He adjusted his sses as he spoke. Surveince, was it? Melkith eyed him with suspicion as she walked forward. Even now, Balzac was cloaked in powerful stealth magic. He was clearly conscious of the ck wizards and their contracted demons. "Especially Amelia Mervin. She has been overtly surveilling and targeting me, continued Balzac. "Thanks to the letter you wrote, Eugene could escape from Amelia Mervin''s clutches, right? Arent you two on friendly terms?" asked Melkith. "Not at all. I once provided her with copies of texts from the ck Tower and Akron because of her interest in them, answered Balzac. Balzac''s calm demeanor didn''t waver as he spoke, while Melkiths eyes widened in shock. "In return, Amelia Merwin agreed to honor two of my requests. The letter I gave to Sir Eugene was one of those," exined Balzac. "The tower! And you leaked Akrons archives?!" shouted Melkith angrily. "It''s a secret, responded Balzac. "Execution by hanging!" roared Melkith. "White Tower Master, I didn''t take you for someone who''d be so meticulous about such things,mented Balzac. "Even I have principles that I uphold!" shouted Melkith furiously. "I understand I have done wrong. But had I not done so, I wouldn''t have been able to transfer my request to Sir Eugene. Without it, he would have never escaped unscathed from Merwins grasp at that time, countered Balzac. "Uh... well... Right." Melkith nodded reluctantly while biting her lips. "Amelia Merwin is a formidable foe, especially after bing the new Staff of Incarceration. She knows of my involvement in Edmund''s demise and would want to capture me to extract various pieces of information. And it''s not just her. All ck wizards of the ck Tower are eyes for other demons, dered Balzac. "That makes sense. ck wizards contract with demons, after all, responded Melkith. "Yes. And so, I find myself in a rather precarious position. While being contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, I am on amicable terms with the Hero," said Balzac. "I dont think Eugene would agree," Melkith countered immediately. "At least I am not antagonistic with the Hero, Balzac said after a pause. So far, Ive managed well under surveince, but as the political climate shifts, I know that the scrutiny will be more tant. I will have to expect direct interference. Moreover, the Wise Sienna has returned to Aroth. Isn''t her return reason enough for me to leave? She is not fond of ck wizards, after all, he finished exining. "I don''t like them either, Melkith added. "Yes. And that''s why I have settled here in the Nahama desert, concluded Balzac. "Settling in the desert while being wary of Amelia Merwin is suspicious, Melkith pointed out. "It is darkest under themp. Besides, Amelia Merwin has left the desert, hasn''t she?" countered Balzac. He paused before lightly tapping Melkith''s shoulder. The dark power of Harpeuron is growing. It seemed the dungeon master here realized he couldn''t handle the enemy and had formed a new contract. "Really?" Melkith asked. "Yes. He must have already pledged his soul and added other conditions to his contract. This esction means he''s now a threat. Retreating might be" Balzac was cut short. "No. I have business with that Harpeuron, Melkith said with a stubborn look on her face. "White Tower Master. You didn''t even know who Harpeuron was until" Balzac began with an exasperated expression, only to be interrupted yet again. "Didn''t I? I knew," came Melkiths confident reply. "..." Balzac''s jaw muscles twitched. He said nothing more. Instead, he quietly adjusted his sses and stepped back. Truth be told, of course, Melkith didn''t know who Harpeuron was. How could she know the name of a demon of such an ambiguous rank? Fifty-seventh? But it was true she had business with Harpeuron. ''I want to get this over with quickly,'' Melkith thought. She knew Eugene''s goal: destroying the dungeon to weaken Amelia''s forces. He sought to provoke Nahama and, in doing so, to draw out the demons of Helmuth. But destroying all the dungeons in this vast desert was too much trouble for Melkith. Moreover, even if Melkith stirred up Nahama, the Sultan would not dare take drastic action. Then, the only sure way was to draw out the demons. If the demons of Helmuth crossed over to Nahama, the Sultan could no longer maintain an ambiguous stance. Should things progress that way, Melkith could return to Aroth without further suffering in the desert. "...Since you''ve pried so much into my affairs, may I ask you a few things in return?" asked Balzac. "You said that Harpeurons dark power is growing. Why are you trying to ask me a question in such a dangerous and tense situation? countered Melkith. "You''re not even tense, Balzac pointed out. "Because he''s weaker than me! But anyone else would be nervous. So don''t ask any questions," dered Melkith. "....." Balzac just stared at her silently with an evidently irritated expression. "It''s a joke. Go ahead and ask away, ck Tower Master. You can make such a face? I never knew. I''m seeing it for the first time. Oh my, when you re like that, it''s quite fierce. Ah, but if its about how you feel about me, thats a bit" said Melkith. "Sir Eugene," Balzac interrupted. His jaw muscle twitched once more as he asked after a brief pause, "Is he well?" "Probably? I don''t really know what he''s up to, responded Melkith. It was a lie. Melkith was well aware that Eugene was currently undertaking training in Lehainjar. But she had no intention of disclosing that to Balzac. She still did not trust him. "I hear Lady Sienna is in Aroth. However, there are no rumors about Eugene, Balzac probed. "Hes probably doing something in his mansion, responded Melkith. "Can''t you tell me honestly?" asked Balzac in exasperation. "I said I don''t know, didnt I? But you, you''re very suspicious. Even if I knew something, what would you do with that information, huh? Tell the Demon King so he can kill Eugene?" used Melkith. "I was just curious, said Balzac. If this is going to cause a misunderstanding, I wont ask further" He was interrupted by a sinister wind surging from the staircase. The steps leading down undted as if they were alive. Balzac stopped speaking and swiftly retreated. "Hehe... Kehehe...!" A chillingughter echoed through the space. It was the master of this dungeon and the head of the Luos school. He was a ck-robed wizard with a turban and a long beard. The ck wizard levitated off the ground and ascended the stairs. "I''ve heard rumors... of Aroth''s White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah. As ofte, youve been recklessly attacking dungeons without cause, stated the ck wizard. "So you''ve heard of me!" said Melkith. "Indeed. Arrogant wizard of Aroth! Your power may bemendable, but your human legacy ends here today, Melkith El-Hayah! You have chosen the wrong dungeon to invade, stated the ck wizard. The ck wizard lifted his arms, and a dark magical force began to converge around him, forming a massive circle. Reveling in the omnipotence granted by the power he had obtained at the sacrifice of his disciples, he eximed, "I''ve always wanted to confront a Tower Master of Aroth...! Never did I dream that today would be the day I fulfill that wish. Fear not! I shall not kill you. I shall inflict upon you a fate worse than death. From today onwards" "You talk too much!" Melkit snapped. She thrust her fist forward, mixing Ifrit''s firepower with Levin''s lightning. "Fire Punch!" A resounding boom pierced through the supposedly invincible barrier of dark power. The ck wizard coughed up blood after bing overwhelmed by the force. "Wh-what is this...!" the ck wizard gasped. "I am Melkith El-Hayah!" The staircase ceased its writhing. Yhanos had taken control of thend. The Earth Spirit King provided a stable footing as Melkith wished. She stepped onto the tform and leaped to hover above the ck wizards head. Her kick was meticulously positioned. Melkith''s body was enveloped in lightning and crackled with energy. The me on her toes drew a scarlet line. "Thunderbolt! Kick!" Her kick exploded through the sorcerer''s form and shattered himpletely, leaving not a shred of flesh as his form was consumed utterly by fire. Melkith stood at a distance and shook the ash off her clothes before spinning around. "Come and meet your death, aaaargh!" Melkith had intended to deliver a dramatic line, but instead, she yelped in shock and leaped backward. The ashes that had burned away did not scatter and disappear. Instead, they swirled together and coalesced into the face of some monster. [Calm down, Contractor. That is the demons spirit.] [Take a deep breath, Melkith.] [You dare! A demon dares to raise its head in front of Ifrit!?] The three Spirit Kings each showed their distinct reactions. Their reactions cast a definite influence on the area surrounding Melkith. The earth quaked, lightning crackled, and mes danced. In their midst stood Melkith. She may not have intended it, but her figure was the very embodiment of a grand master of spirit magic. The sight was awe-inspiring and formidable. "...Oh." Harpeuron was ranked fifty-seventh among the demons. Though it was a rank updated after half of the demons in the top hundred had been ughtered the previous year, the fifty-seventh rank was still acknowledged as a high-ranking demon even in Helmuth. Even though Harpeuron had descended only as a spirit, he felt awe at the sight of the grand master of spirit magic. "Remarkable. A master of spirit magic contracted with multiple Spirit Kings. I thought you wielded only a fraction of their power, yet you draw forth the full might of the Spirit Kings," Harpeuron said. The demon chuckled to himself. One of his dungeons had beenpletely destroyed. It meant that he was now without one source of regr offerings. As its master, he naturally felt anger, but at the same time, Melkith''s power was undeniably impressive. So he addressed the Archwizard in front of him. "I am Count Harpeuron, ranked fifty-seventh of the demons. Melkith El-Hayah... you have destroyed my" "Idiot!" Melkith didn''t let him finish, raising her middle fingers defiantly. "You got beaten by a human, you fucking idiot!" "....." "Boasting about being ranked fifty-seven, you pathetic fool! Vermin! Stupid! What''s there to boast about when you have fifty-six above you!?" Melkith taunted. The ashes forming Harpeuron''s visage quivered and shook. "You''re so ugly! Even the scorpions of the desert are better looking than you, you filthy mongrel! Get that hideous face out of my sight! It''s disgusting just to look at!" Melkiths jibes were scathing. "...Melkith El-Hayah," Harpeuron snarled. The ash began to crumble. They couldnt contain his fury. "I will kill you." "Go ahead, try it, idiot!" Melkith challenged. "I wille... to kill you," Harpeuron growled. "Woooo!" In response to Harpeuron''s parting threat, Melkith screamed in triumph.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 421: That (6) Chapter 421: That (6) .. After hearing the tale, Eugene was left unable to manage his expression, a task he had thought himself immune to by now, especially when it came to Melkith. He shook his head with a heavy sigh. Kristina raised her head and peered at Eugenes face while carefully aligning his twisted limbs. "Oh, it''s okay, I''m not in pain," he assured. However, his appearance suggested anything but. Both his arms were cleanly broken, and his right ankle and left knee were twisted in unnatural directions. The sight alone was enough to send shivers down one''s spine. In fact, Raimira had already created some distance from Eugene while rubbing her own limbs. She was clearly affected by the sight. Eugeneposed his features and emotions. With a crunch and snap, Kristina corrected the alignment of his leg. With a twist, the joint was fixed back into its ce with a gruesome noise. Hieeeek. Raimira let out a pained gasp while clutching her knees. Mer had been observing the situation with her eyes half-squinted. She suddenly felt a surge of mischief and began to shake Raimiras knee. "Crack! Crack-crack!" "Kyaaah! Kyaaahh! Mer imitated the sound of breaking bones while Raimira screamed in terror. Amidst the chaos, Kristina continued her meticulous work on Eugene''s bones. Kristina wasnt just relying on her miracles to heal Eugene. Instead, she paid attention to Eugenes every shattered bone fragment and torn muscle fiber. She knew that this delicate adjustment would aid in improving her skills. [Are you even listening? Huh? That bastard... what''s his name... right, Harpeuron! Rank fifty-seven! That bastard said he''sing to kill me!] A voice was heard in Eugenes head. .. Eugene didnt have the capacity to reply at this point. [Isnt this enough already? Huh? A demon. Ising. To personally. Kill me!] The voice enunciated every word carefully to make a point. [I was thinking about it too, and I dont think hes going toe alone. Think about all the ck wizards Ive killed until now! It feels kind of weird to say it out loud, but Im sure all of them would just love to see me dead. Dont you think theylle together?] Lady Melkith, said Eugene. He wiggled his toes, testing the sensation in his now properly aligned leg. "You''re... you''re remarkable." That was all he could manage to say. The matter of copsing dungeons or burying ck wizards alive wasn''t a concern for him. He wasnt worried about Melkith regarding such matters. Apart from her being half-crazy, Melkith''s prowess was beyond question. In all honesty, if Melkith summoned all three Spirit Kings to battle, Eugene felt he might need to draw the Moonlight Sword. As such, he didnt think Melkith would face any peril in the desert, especially in Amelia Merwins absence. The fact that Melkith had confronted and defeated a ck wizard contracted with a demon of the fifty-seventh rank wasn''t surprising, considering her abilities. Rather, its natural, Eugene thought. He couldnt help but marvel at Melkiths audacity. She had provoked the spirit form of the summoned demon as a weak piece of shit and a piglet. It wasnt anything short of remarkable. In this era, only Melkith could dare to use such brash and vulgar taunts. [Right? Im impressive, arent I?] Melkith said. Yes. Even Tempest is impressed, answered Eugene. [Of course! So, Eugene, can I return to Aroth now, huh?] inquired Melkith. No, you cant, came the answer. [Whyyyyy?!] Melkiths outcry made it evident about the injustice she was suffering. If Harpeuron has said he''sing to kill you, what will we do if you''re in Aroth? Eugene asked. [Whats the issue with that!?] questioned Melkith. Lady Sienna is currently in Aroth. No matter how furious Harpeuron gets, he wont attack Aroth, stated Eugene. Eugene recalled Harpeuron''s name from memories long past. Even then, the demon had been well-known, and it was a surprise he had survived to this age. Eugene wasn''t worried. Rank fifty-seven? High in objective terms, but, as Melkith said, was it something to boast about when there were fifty-six others above you? Eugene also believed that most high-ranking demons of this era survived only because they had never encountered Hamel of Extermination three centuries ago. Sometimes, enemies offered more precise and reliable evaluations than allies. Eugene preferred the chillingly cool moniker Hamel of Extermination'' to ''the Stupid Hamel.'' It was much more urate. [Dont you care? Arent you worried about your big sis? Those monstrous demons said they''reing to kill me!] shouted Melkith indignantly. Even if theye determined, it would be difficult, probably impossible, to kill you, Lady Melkith. After all, you''re the most extraordinary master of spirit magic, the greatest in history. There is no one who canpare to you, said Eugene. Now was the time tovish praise upon Melkith. And it wasn''t exactly a lie either. [That is absolutely,pletely true. But you know, Eugene, I''m a bit worried,] admitted Melkith. Whats worrying you? asked Eugene. [You know, the ck Tower Master, that guy is so sly. I told him to leave once he was done, and he just took off, suspiciously fast. Hes so dubious,] responded Melkith. He left because you told him to, so how is that suspicious? asked Eugene. [You shouldnt think he just went away! He must be lurking somewhere. Im sure hes spying on me,] said Melkith. You''re being too harsh on the ck Tower Master, Eugene said. Yet, he agreed that Balzac was suspicious. Sure, even if Eugene could let it slide, the reason he left Aroth. What was he researching in the desert? Should I leave him be? Or should I mark him for now? Eugene contemted. Balzac had been helpful in many ways. Despite his suspicious nature, based on past experiences, Eugene judged Balzac to be a decent person. But ultimately, he was a ck wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. Even if Balzac wasnt a ck wizard who needed to be killed by Eugene''s standards, Eugene opposing the Demon King of Incarceration meant that someday he would have to fight Balzac. Considering that, disrupting his deep-seated research now might help diminish Balzac''s strength in the future. "You didnt just send him off, I gather? Eugene inquired with an undertone of doubt. [Haah. What do you take me for?] came Melkith''s smug voice. [Naturally, I sent a spirit to tail Balzac. Im not naive.] "Then keep an eye on the ck Tower Master. But go easy on the dungeon raids, advised Eugene. [Go easy?] Melkith asked. "Lets tone it down. Maybe one raid every fortnight? That should suffice, suggested Eugene. [And what am I to do in the meantime!? Sunbathe and tan in the desert?!] screamed Melkith in a shrill voice. "Surely that country has more than just deserts. Ive been there a few times in the past myself. The cities are quite lively if I remember correctly, responded Eugene. [Hey, excuse me, Eugene? Did you not hear anything I said earlier? The Sultan''s after me! He''s already sent assassins! Several times!] shouted Melkith, now sounding angry. "Arent you a master of spirit magic? Are you scared of mere assassins, Lady Melkith? When I was neen, I took care of those very assassins with ease. And with your magical prowess, you could easily alter your appearance, countered Eugene. Eugenes limbs were mended to perfection as the conversation went on. Eugene continued to persuade Melkith as he moved each finger to test their function. "Please, Lady Melkith, you''re the only one I can ask for this favor. You wouldn''t go back on your word now, would you?" he said. He added a subtle nudge of pressure to the plea, and Melkith sighed deeply in response. [I must have gone crazy. Why did I agree to this?] she pondered out loud. "It wasn''t all loss, was it?" countered Eugene. [Fine, fine. I get it,] Melkith said in a resigned tone. As her voice faded, Eugene nced at the receding wind and asked, "Tempest, you werent lying because you didnt want to form a contract with Lady Melkith, right? [What do you take me for, Hamel? While I do find Melkith El-Hayah troublesome, I would never forsake the dignity of a Spirit King by lying.] Though Tempest''s response was firm, internally, the Spirit King harbored growing unease. Melkith El-Hayah as much as it pained him to admit had an almost devilish talent for spirit magic. In just a few months, her capacity as a spiritist had expanded remarkably. The harsh yet pure desert yed a pivotal part in stretching the bounds of her vessel. Eugene stood up while ignoring Tempests sullen mood. He tested his healed body with a few jumps and stretches. "Moving well, I see, hemented. Satisfied with his smoothly functioning body prompted him to smile broadly at Kristina. "I think you might be on par with Anise now, he praised wholeheartedly. "Not at all, Sir Eugene. I still have a long way to go, Kristina said modestly while caressing the Stigmata on her palm. Thanks to Eugene and Molon''s relentless sparring, her healing magic had made incredible strides during their time in the cave. Strangely, the more familiar they became with each other''s fighting styles, the more severe their injuries grew. Their attacks became sharper and more lethal with each passing as they refrained from holding back. "Hamel, are you nning to head out again?" Anise asked while squinting at Eugene. Eugene flinched instinctively at her words. He naturally stopped in the midst of his natural stride towards the cave''s exit. "Um... I feel I''m on the verge of a breakthrough," said Eugene. "I understand that you are training to grow stronger and that its necessary. I know I shouldnt stop you. However, dont you think resting a bit more today might be prudent, especially after almost dying? suggested Anise. She appeared pretty displeased, yet as she admitted, she had no intention of hindering Eugene''s progress. Still, the fact that he had narrowly escaped death made her wish he would opt for some respite. "It''s fine," Eugene assured her with a shake of his head. "It''s been a while since I''ve danced so close to death. That''s exactly why I need this sharpened sense." Indeed, he hade close to death. Molon had long since stopped sparring with bare hands. Since Eugene''s arrival in the cave, Molon had consistently wielded his axe in their battles. It was sparring only in words. The mere brush of Molon''s axe brought the whisper of death each time. Eugene knew that a moment''spse could lead to a fatal blow. Eugene sought this intensity, and Molon obliged. Only such peril held meaning. If he could notpletely surpass Molons axes, anything less was insufficient for Eugene to reach the next level. Would his future foes be weaker than Molon? Unlikely. They would probably be far stronger than Molon, who, despite his monstrous strength, could not im superiority over the likes of Noir Giabe or Gavid Lindman. If Eugene remained weaker than Molon, he could not hope to surpass the challenges ahead. If that were the case, it would be better for me to stay holed up in this mountain and ask Molon to fight in my stead Eugene thought mockingly. Eugene could open the boundary of Lehainjar with his Moonlight Sword. Although it was impossible for him to immediately sense the emergence of the Nur, he could respond somewhat simrly if he scattered feathers of Prominence throughout the mountain. It was an idle, useless thought. While Molon''s strength was undeniable, his power was too straightforward. It possessed clear weaknesses. Even if he could handle Gavid, facing Noirs determined assault of mental attacks through unleashing the power of the Demoneye of Fantasy would leave Molon helpless. Moreover, Molon''s mind had once been pushed to the brink of sanity by the Nur''s poison. He was particrly vulnerable to such mental onughts. In the end, it was up to Eugene to be stronger. The several months of dancing on the edge of life and death with Molon''s axe were not for naught. Eugene knew this better than anyone. ''Have I ever danced this close to death since my rebirth?'' Eugene wondered suddenly. It wasn''t that he hadn''t faced formidable enemies before. But the opponents Eugene had encountered whether it was Barang, the demon who hadpelled him to first unleash Ignition, or Jagon, the Beast of Ravesta neither had been stronger than Hamel. Even Eward, when possessed by the shadow spirit, and Edmund, who had beenpletely nullified by the Moonlight Sword, hadn''t outmatched him. There had been only two beings who could be deemed stronger than Hamel, than Eugene himself. One was Raizakia, the Demon Dragon. The other was the newly birthed Demon King of Fury, Iris. However, his battles with both of them had ended in a single encounter. Battles with Molon did not end with a single encounter. As long as Eugene or Molon didnt die, they could repeat their sh over and over again. Even if it took them to the brink of death, they could always rely on the healing of Kristina and Anise. With each brush against death, I feel like Im bing sensitive to new sensations. I learn how to move my sword better to receive his axe and how to swing it to prate his defense, Eugene observed. He had thought there was nothing left to add to hisbat senses. Now, he knew it had been absurd arrogance. Although Hamel had indeed survived many battles in the past, what Eugene considered the extreme was not the absolute limit. He saw it not as engraving a known sensation but as discovering anew. It was a new discovery. He recalled Agaroths divinity and intuition and blended both Hamel and Eugenes experiences into one. Then, he poured Hamel and Eugene into Agarothsbat techniques. He fused everything in his mind to a sublime unity. Through this process, over months, he now was certain. I am growing stronger. He emerged from the cave. Molon greeted him with a grin as he rose from the ground and swung his left arm. "That was close, Hamel, said Molon. Eugene had sustained broken limbs, but Molon had only injured his left arm. However,paratively, Eugene felt the wounds he had inflicted were far graver. Although his limbs had been broken, they had still been attached. On the other hand, Eugene''s de had nearly severed Molon''s arm. ''Had his muscles been just a bit less thick, I would havepletely cut it off,'' Eugene thought as he gave Molons left arm a look. Wouldn''t that mean I had won? Eugene came to a conclusion in his mind and slung the Holy Sword over his shoulder. "Since it''s nearly evening, let''s keep this session short," Eugene said. "Agreed." Molonughed heartily while hefting his axe. Kristina, who had followed Eugene out, could hardly understand the emotion that allowed them tough off such brutal sparring once it was over. [There''s no need to understand, Kristina. I too cannot fathom their madness, and Sienna wouldn''t be able to either,] said Anise. ''Lady Sienna... I wonder how shes doing?'' Kristina said. [You dont need to be concerned about that girl. Too many wizards follow Sienna, so she''s probably sittingfortably among her disciples in Aroth. What matters now is us, not Sienna,] said Anise. Kristina retorted, ''But Sister, my miracles and the power of the Stigmata are growing stronger. Sir Molons arm was almostpletely severed, but just now, I'' But Anise interrupted her with a shout, [Kristina! That is not what I am referring to. Three months have passed since Sienna went to Aroth, and we''ve done nothing with Hamel!] ''That''s... unavoidable... Si-sister, we dont always need to be doing something, right? The time we''re spending with Sir Eugene now has its own beautiful significance,'' Kristina said haltingly. She crossed herself to banish the insidious desires clouding her mind while Anise heaved frustrated sighs. *** Meanwhile, in Aroth. "I want to be a goddess." The Wise Sienna, a figure who could be considered the mother of all wizards of this era, sat alone in the high seat. Her chin was propped on her hand as she murmured to herself. Chapter 422: That (7)

Chapter 422: That (7)

They had thought they had misheard. All lifted their heads in doubt, their ears questioning the voice. They were currently located on the highest floor of Akron, in the Hall of Sienna. Gathered were the Archwizards of Aroth, as well as the Wise Sienna herself. Commander of Aroths court wizards, Trempel Vizardo. Red Tower Master, Lovellian Sophis. Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euznd. Not only them but also the former Green Tower Master, Jeneric Osman, was present. However, what was astonishing was that they werent the only ones present. Archwizards hailing from beyond Aroth were present in the hall as well. Once upon a time, only Aroth housed Archwizards who had reached the Eighth Circle. However, as time passed, wizards belonging to other nations had also reached such a level. Court Wizard of Shimuin, Maise Briar. Court Wizard of Kiehl, Herington Carage. Moreover, they were joined by Rynein Boers, an Archwizard who had long hidden herself from the world without spreading her name. It was nearly impossible for foreign wizards to enter Akron, regardless of their skill and renown. An exception had been made for Eugene years ago because he had practically been a novice in magic and also a descendant of the Lionheart family. But Maise and Herington were court wizards from other nations. In addition, although Rynein was registered in the guild, she had vanished from records for decades. Everyone had presumed her dead. The presence of these foreign wizards in Akron would have been unthinkable, yet Sienna had stormed into Abram and overturned the council. She had seeded in negotiating entry into her hall, although they were still barred from other floors. "Haah...." The seven Archwizards gaped at Sienna. She sat steps above them on a high seat, lost in a vacant stare, before sighing deeply. "How does one be a goddess?" she murmured. Was this a joke? Or was there another meaning hidden within? The one who blurted out such an absurd question was none other than the Wise Sienna. There might be a profound truth about magic within her words.... All but Lovellian were unfamiliar with Sienna''s personality. The Archwizards shared nces while pondering the magical significance of the word goddess, as mentioned by Sienna. "...Lady Sienna, you already possess the beauty, wisdom, and greatness of a goddess." It was Maise who broke the silence after much contemtion. Like most other wizards, Maise deeply revered Sienna. He had received personal advice from her on improving his Signature and also had the opportunity to assist her with magic during the battle against the Demon King of Fury. The magical dagger of oath still remained embedded in Maises heart from that time. "I... I agree. If there is a goddess of magic in this world, it would undoubtedly be you, Lady Sienna...." Stammering in agreement this time was the former Green Tower Master, Jeneric. After a humiliating defeat at the hands of Sienna, he retired from his position as a Tower Master. The duel had taken ce in front of the citizens of Pentagon, and it had left the proud Archwizard in disgrace, unable to even lift his head. He had intended to seclude himself after stepping down from his position as the Tower Master. However, Sienna had dragged him out of his mansion upon her return to Aroth. Though she found his personality disagreeable and his Signature mediocre at best, Jeneric was nheless an Archwizard. Sienna believed she needed the perspectives of other Archwizards to transcend the Ninth Circle. "But I''m not really a goddess," Sienna muttered with ackluster expression. She did not refute Maise and Jeneric''s praises. She epted the assessment of being a beautiful, wise, and great magical goddess as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Rynein could not help but marvel. He was thoroughly impressed by her demeanor. Rynein Boers. She reached the Eighth Circle on her own while being in seclusion from the wizardingmunity atrge. She was a hermit in her practice of magic. She had been a Sixth Circle wizard when shest updated her guild records, and since then, she had self-taught her way to the status of an Archwizard over thirty years of seclusion. She harbored no worldly desires. Fame and honor meant nothing to her. She had be an Archwizard through solitary meditation and practice, and her only longing was to someday see the end of magic. Then she heard the news: the Wise Sienna had returned to Aroth. No one could be certain of her intentions, but the legendary Archwizard had made an announcement to the Archwizards across the continent. If you wish to create the next step in magic,e to Aroth. How... stirring a call it was. It wasnt the ''end'' of magic but rather the ''next'' step. Moreover, the words ''if you wish to create'' immediately drove Rynein out of her seclusion. It meant that she could contribute to magics next step alongside the Wise Sienna, the creator of the Circle Magic Form and Witch Craft, which was said to be the greatest, most significant of grimoires in all of magics history. " Lady Sienna, are you suggesting that your vision of magic''s next step is to be a goddess?" Rynein inquired respectfully. Her question caused a shift in the thoughts of the other Archwizards. After a brief silence, Sienna nodded while tapping her fingers on the armrest. "Based on the Circle Magic Form I''ve established, humans can only handle up to the Eighth Circle of magic, said Sienna. When Sienna first devised the Circle Magic Form three hundred years ago, she segmented her mana and magic into nine Circles. It was the dawn of the Circle Magic Form, and now all magic was ssified by Circles. Yet, no wizard since Sienna has reached the Ninth Circle. Even among the Archwizards gathered here, the greatest wizards of this era, none had attained the Ninth Circle. "I''m considered a Ninth Circle wizard because the system was based on me. In other words, the actual end you can reach with the Circle Magic Form is the Eighth Circle, continued Sienna. "I suspected as much," Trempel responded. As the eldest among them, he had been the first to reach the Eighth Circle. Stroking his beard, he continued, "There never was a Ninth Circle magic or spell in this world to begin with. Eighth Circle spells exist, albeit rarely, and most of that too was crafted by sages who ascended to the Eighth Circle after you, Lady Sienna." "It feels almost ridiculous for a child like me to say this, but once I reached the status of an Archwizard, learning and mimicking the spells of others seemed absurd," Herington said with an awkward smile. He was the court wizard of Kiehl and was the youngest of them all. The Blue Tower Master, Hiridus, nodded in agreement. It was a given that a true Archwizard should be capable of conjuring magic on the spot as the situation demanded. Archwizards had to immerse themselves in their own magic beyond the Eighth Circle and push themselves to the limit. That would result in what was known as their Signature. "Are you suggesting that the Ninth Circle we''ve been striving for is an illusion?" Lovellian voiced his concern after a moment of contemtion. "No, that''s not it," Sienna firmly shook her head, dismissing the idea. "Magic holds endless possibilities. Just as I pursue magic, magic pursues me in turn. The boundless nature of magic mirrors the boundlessness of a wizard''s thoughts. It''s about manifesting one''s desires through mana that is what magic is." Sienna raised her finger and drew in the air. Instantly, nine Circles materialized out of thin air with a shimmering sound. "The Ninth Circle isn''t an illusion. But think about it: as Archwizards, is the Ninth Circle you seek just about adding another Circle to your current realm? What wonder and awe does such a Ninth Circle attained in that manner hold?" questioned Sienna. "Thepletion of the magic we pursue," mumbled Maise, his head nodding in realization. Sienna chuckled and flicked her finger yfully. "That''s an arrogant statement. There''s nopletion in magic. There shouldn''t be. Why do you think that is?" asked Sienna. "Because it leads to contentment," someone answered promptly. "Right. If you think you''ve reached the end when it''s not, imagining whates next bes difficult. The Ninth Circle... it''s about whates next in your current realm of magic, not simply about adding another circle, said Sienna. "Lady Sienna, you are...." Lovellian started before trailing off, his expression a mixture of bitterness and awe as he observed the nine Circles coalescing before him. "That''s why you''ve been pondering so deeply," he concluded. Instead of answering, Sienna let out a long sigh. Whoosh! The nine Circles merged into one, within which countless smaller Circles appeared. The many Circles interlocked, spun, and disappeared in a continuous cycle. "I thought I had reached my limit," she confessed. Magic epassed countless fields. To exaggerate a bit, it was possible that there existed a unique magic for every wizard in the world. Three hundred years ago, the magic that Sienna sought culminated in thepletion of the Circle Magic Form. With that, she believed she had fully interpreted her own magic. Vermouth would no longer wage war against the Demon Kings after his promise. Her current self wasn''t enough. If Vermouth was absent, she needed to fill that void with stronger magic. Sienna hadn''t forgotten about exacting revenge for Hamel. If she had concluded her own magic with the Circle Magic Form, then it was time to move beyond. What she pursued and eventually created was the Eternal Hole, the zenith of the Circle Magic Form. She captured infinity through a perpetually reconfiguring and merging system of Circles. "The Eternal Hole is what I determined as the end of my magic. But... it''s not enough. It''s woefully insufficient, admitted Sienna. "The next in magic that a human can handle... Are you seeking to transcend humanity?" someone asked. "A goddess." Maise sped his hands together, his face awash with ecstasy. Lady Sienna, you are almost a goddess in your current state. If you really do be a goddess... I, Maise Briar, will give myself to you even though I have never devoted myself to a deity before, Maise dered solemnly. Lets stop with talks about the future. Give me your opinions on how I might be a goddess, said Sienna. It made one wonder if Sienna had intentions of founding her own religion. Rynein momentarily entertained the idea. A legendary hero turned into a goddess of magic, Sienna Merdein.... Wizards from all over the continent would surely gather before her idol. The magic kingdom of Aroth would surely reform into a theocratic state, worshiping Sienna as their deity. Hmm.... A human transcending to be a god... a goddess.... Ive never even heard of such a thing..., muttered Rynein while stealing nces at Sienna. With her stunning violet hair and emerald eyes that still shone with brilliance despite her contemtion, Rynein, despite being a woman herself, felt almost bewitched by Sienna''s beauty. "A god... a god would not be bound by a human vessel, Rynein mused, "We must first clearly define what ''magic beyond human capacity'' entails." "Is it the body that cannot endure or the soul?" Lovellian murmured. A wizard''s Circle resided near the heart, akin to a warrior''s Core. Though not a physical organ that would bulge out with the size of the Circle, the copse of a Circle would deal direct damage to the wizards heart. Employing magic beyond one''s capacity could lead to ones Circle and mana running amok, which could also physically harm the body. "What if one forgoes the body and bes a being of pure spirit?" someone suggested. "How is that different from bing a lich?" came a retort. "It wouldn''t be necromancy if powered by mana instead of dark power" bender "Wait, wait!" Sienna interjected with a serious tone, cutting through the spection. "I have no intention of abandoning my body. I''m not even sure if that''s the correct answer. Bing a being of spirit, in the end, would make me something akin to an angel brought forth by divine magic, wouldn''t it?" "That would... seem to be the case," came the hesitant reply. "But, Lady Sienna, in higher magics, the body is more unstable and imperfectpared to the mind. Even if the mind can finely tune the magic, the body may fail to bnce it, resulting in a bacsh," someone reasoned. "I... I haven''t had such an issue. Never," Sienna stammered, her eyes darting around. It wasn''t that she hadn''t faced such issues. The human body, no matter how trained and fortified, was frail. On the other hand, mana, when manipted through magic, could easily surpass human physicality depending on its application. High-level magic inevitably involved a high output of mana, and the human body sustained damage each time such magic was cast. No matter how precisely one constructed a form and chanted an incantation, it was impossible topletely escape any stress to the flesh. Especially now, Sienna bore injuries not only to her body but also to her soul. The wounds inflicted by Vermouth prevented her from maintaining the Eternal Hole for an extended duration. "I might have lived for three hundred years, but abandoning my body is too radical a proposition. And my body now, though you call it flesh, has been reconstituted down to the cellr level with mana, said Sienna. The burden of high-output mana on the body was the same for warriors. In their case, the body underwent a metamorphosis called rebirth through rigorous training of their Core. They would be one with mana, and consequently, the body would be reconstituted. Likewise, Sienna had reconstituted her body through magic. As such, unlike the gathered Archwizards, she rarely felt the impact of mana output on her body. Still, she thought it was an opinion that could not be dismissed. If reaching beyond the Ninth Circle required abandoning the body... if bing a pure spirit was necessary.... ''I''d rather not...'' Sienna concluded. There were many things that required a physical body, weren''t there...? Sienna thought she should explore other options as much as possible. "How dare you!" Trempels face suddenly contorted with anger amidst the heated debate on the magic to transform Sienna into a goddess. He clenched his fist as he looked out the window. "Leave it be," Sienna spoke without even ncing outside, having noticed it long before. "But Lady Sienna" Trempel started. "Pretend you don''t know." With a snort, Sienna flipped through the magic tome in front of her. Outside the top floor window of Akron was a bat pping its wings in the distance.freewebn(o)vel Chapter 423: That (8) [Bonus Images] Chapter 423: That (8) [Bonus Images] Vampires. Though these demons were nicknamed nobles of the night, that tale was only half true and half myth. Vampires were heralded as nobility before Helmuth and the continent waged war back in ancient times. They were demons who were highly dependent on humans or, more precisely, on blood pared to other demons. As such, vampires had no choice but to infiltrate human cities rather than skulk in Helmuth along with other demons. In that era, despite the severe ostracization of demons and ck wizards, high-ranking vampires managed to blend into human society without any problems. They lead lives akin to nobility. They would hold secretive and mystical gatherings in their secluded castles. The vital blood of intoxicated noblemen and women became sustenance for vampires. Those days were long gone. The peace treaty between demons and humans, the treaty between the civilization of Helmuth and the continent delivered a severe blow to demons such as vampires. Although they were once hailed as nobles of the night, they could no longer revel in human society''s luxuries. On the other hand, night demons thrived in human societies thanks to their powerful queen. Although they fed on human life-force with a powerful queen, even the lower-ranking night demons managed to find stable lives in the shadows. Vampires, however, had no such formidable leader as the night demons did. Legendary ns that reigned for centuries managed to survive, but most other ns were decimated in the era of war. Those who survived scrambled to adapt to a world where demons could no longer freely prey on humans. The Odoth n. It was once fairly prominent three hundred years ago, but now, like most vampire ns, it was left with just a name and little else. It had possessed dozens of n members in the past, but now, only ten remained, including the lord. Yet, even in these times, the Odoth n fared considerably better than the other ns. Many of the vampire ns had failed to settle in Helmuth. Though they could not indulge as in the days when they were hailed as nobility, they at least had a patron who ensured they were not destitute. ''Is this right...?'' The lord, Devian Odoth, was nearly driven mad by anxiety. Devian and his n had settled in the shadows of Aroth, but their patron was a true vampire noble of Helmuth. Their benevolent patron could not bear to see their vampire kin lead such dismal lives. As such, the patron sent various aids not only to the Odoth n but also to many small ns across the continent. However, gratitude demanded repayment. The Odoth n eked out a living in Aroth as sellers of information. Although they were not officially registered with any guild, they served as informants for the information guilds. Unfortunately, the guilds exploited their services cheaply. Typically, they''d shadow unfaithful lovers or gather sensitive, private details to sell to guilds or clients. While that was the public perception of the Odoth n, intel of any significance gathered by the n was ryed to their patron in Helmuth. Additionally, if the patron desired insights into Aroth''s politicalndscape, the n would eagerly collect information for them. However the patronstest request felt far too perilous to ept. In all honesty, Devian wanted to quit immediately. He should have been cautious when he received a bottle of blood as a reward for his diligent service. The promise ofpensation had been too sweet. He should have known better. Its not like I can vomit what Ive already consumed, Devian thought bitterly. For vampires, blood was a necessity for survival. In particr, the blood of other vampires, and more so from higher-ranking individuals, was crucial for elevating ones status. Indeed, the blood from their benefactor had elevated Devian''s status by several degrees to the point where he could confidently consider himself beyond the level of a mid-tier vampire. Yet, he couldn''t simply revel in joy. The task demanded in exchange for the blood was absurdly perilous: to surveil the Wise Sienna! The only sce was that the patron did not ask for any close monitoring. Even so, they were to keep tabs on her movements! Refusal was not an option. Having consumed the blood, the request was no longer a request but an order. The patrons blood was now mixed with his own inside Devian''s body. It could rebel at the patrons will and tear him apart from the inside. Thus, Devian and his fellow n vampires had begun to monitor the Wise Sienna starting today. Even at this moment, Devian had dispatched several bats to keep watch over her. Not only did they monitor her residence in the suburbs, but they also kept an eye on the highest floors of Akron, where she met with other Archwizards. Surveince was something he prided himself on. He had maintained his n through such deeds for decades. However, he had never before watched over an Archwizard. The target was acknowledged as the continent''s greatest wizard. Moreover, she was surrounded by seven other Archwizards. Even with Devian''s seasoned surveince skills and his newfound power as a mid-ranking vampire, could he truly deceive the eyes of such powerful wizards? Devian thought it impossible. He had long settled in Aroth and knew all too well the fearsome force the Tower Masters and Archwizards wielded. Yet he had no choice. Devian faced two grim options: be discovered by the Archwizards and meet his end, or defy themand and have his body ripped apart by his patron. He chose to uphold the loyalty he owed to the patron who had supported his n. Even if it meant a miserable end, he wanted to demonstrate the dignity of a lord who led a n, however minor. But strangely, Devian was still alive. They must have noticed the surveince. Yet, the Wise Sienna, along with the other Archwizards, had not pursued him. Devian couldn''t fathom why. *** "Theres no way they did not notice." Baron Aber held several identities beyond his title. He was the benefactor of several minor vampire ns, including the Odoth n, as well as the head of the association of vampire ns in Helmuth. The association was, in fact, sub-ns of the reclusive Lasat n from Ravesta. "It is true that vampires are specialized in covert operations. But its an impossible feat to elude the scrutiny of Archwizards. Even I cannot manage something like that, so how would it be possible for a vampire of mere intermediate rank?" Baron Aber remarked. He had sent the vampires of the Odoth n on this task, fully expecting discovery. They had been a sacrificial y to observe Sienna''s reaction. Yet the vampires of Aroth had been monitoring the Wise Sienna for over a week now. "They know, yet they ignore it," Baron Aber said. The barons reception room was a vast space, and it was filled with dozens of demons. All of them were bound by a pact with Amelia Merwin. I dont know what Sienna of Cmity might be up to, a demon muttered. Whispers of dread cloaked the face of the demon. Half the demons gathered in the room had weathered the era of war and remembered the terror that was the Cmitous Sienna. That monstrous human or rather, the monster wearing a human guise had not aged or died even after three hundred years. "No sign of her digging into our affairs either." "Perhaps she takes the surveince as a given," chuckled another demon. "I remember Sienna was an arrogant monster. In this era, she would consider the watchful eyes of demons to be utterly natural." "Indeed. The end of the merciful deration of peace by the Demon King of Incarceration has been pronounced. The humans of this age might take peace for granted, but Sienna of Cmity will not." The demons exchanged such words while nodding in agreement. "It makes me wonder if we should intervene beforehand, mused a demon. "Do you truly believe Sienna of Cmity could reach whatever is beyond the Ninth Circle?" "The concept of Circles itself was devised by Sienna of Cmity." "It wont be simple for a human whos already surpassed human boundaries to climb even further. "Indeed. She is already so far from an ordinary human Is it even possible for her to surpass her current self? If she can, and she reaches the ce she desires... can we even still call her human?" They shunned the thought, or more precisely, they could not fathom it. A heavy, uneasy silence descended among their mist. After a while, the silence was broken by a demon. "A human transcending humanity is no easy task. The one who broke the silence was an old demon. He rubbed a scar that crossed his throat as he murmured. "Even he, who was derided as stupid by humans, in my memory, was a devil, a destroyer." Asura Rampage that chilling swordy was still vivid in this demons mind. His throat had been shed halfway through by the wild onught of blows. "Even Hamel of Extermination, the most tenacious and ruthless of them all, eventually copsed. He failed to surpass the wall of humanity. Therefore, I suspect that Sienna of Cmity will also fail. "Falling from a high wall does not leave one unscathed." The thought of Sienna of Cmity attempting to exceed her limit and failing was nothing but wishful thinking on the demons part. Yet, it wasn''t entirely without possibility. It was a hope they had to cling to, for among the dozens of demons gathered, none wished to confront Sienna of Cmity. Is it to that degree...? The younger demons couldn''t help but harbor simr thoughts. The aged demons had their moments in history. Though none had stopped the Hero and hispanions, and many had lost their standing in Pandemonium by this era... not all had failed. Indeed, in this very drawing room were three of the highest-ranking demons who ranked within the top fifty of the hierarchy. Everyone would agree. These high-ranking demons had grown much stronger than they had been three hundred years ago. They had even survivedst year''s great purge in Babel and received direct empowerment from the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet, even so... the expressions of these highest-ranking demons were far from bright when speaking of Sienna of Cmity. Crack. What echoed through the room sounded simr to a beast gnashing its teeth. I didnt think we gathered here to talk about such topics, did we? The irritated voice came from behind a metallic mask. It drew the gazes of the demons who had been intentionally ignoring her. The chair she upied should have belonged to Baron Aber. However, it was instead upied by the human woman if she could really even be called a human. To be frank, there was nothing particrly human about her anymore. She had previously been a mix of various things, but now, she seemed to have shredded any traces of humanity she once possessed. Hemoria. Before leaving Ravesta, Alphiero had given her quite a bit of blood. It wasnt only him, either. All the vampires from the Lasat n had fed Hemoria their blood. "Indeed," said a demon while nodding. "Let''s talk about war." What a stirring resonance the word held. The expressions of the demons shifted slowly. Their fear and wariness of Sienna of Cmity were undeniable. But the word war was fraught with deep and heavy emotion, even beyond the feelings they harbored towards her. Sienna of Cmity was deliberately ignoring the surveince. They were not ignorant of its implications. It was clear that Sienna of Cmity was backing Melkith El-Hayah. Although she was currently located in Aroth, should the demons intervene in Nahama''s affairs there was no doubt Sienna would take action. "The Demon King." The highest-ranking demons could hardly contain their excitement at the mention of war and the possibility of ascending to be a Demon King. It wasn''t a baseless narrative. Iris, after all, had be a Demon King. How exactly she managed that remained unknown, but it was rted to the long-sought ambition of Edmund Codreth, the former Staff of Incarceration. He had exchanged his life for thepletion of a ritual to be a Demon King. The demons in the room did not have blind trust in this proposition. Among them were those proficient in ck magic who had examined the core structure of the ritual and confirmed its feasibility. But there was an issue. In Helmuth, it was absolutely impossible to use humans as sacrifices. All human citizens and tourists in Helmuth were under the protection of the Demon King of Incarceration. Even if Amelia Merwin offered the ritual, it could not be performed within Helmuth. "My master will" Hemoria started. Her lips twisted into a smile behind her mask. "If you make a spectacle in the desert, she will immediately prepare the ritual." "Will Amelia Merwine in person?" asked a demon. "She will be there when the ritual is activated, answered Hemoria. It was a venture fraught with danger. Would the Demon King of Incarceration remain silent? The demons of Helmuth would be waging war on foreign soil. If... if the Demon King of Incarceration interfered. "I will mobilize all my subjects, said the thirty-third-ranked demon. He knew the risks. In particr, he was imbued with the Demon King of Incarcerations dark power. If the Demon King of Incarceration wished to avoid war and chose to punish them... the dark power could tear his body to shreds. Despite the risk, he did not desire to be guaranteed safety here. ording to Amelia Merwin, Edmund Codreth had nearly reached the status of Demon King through a ritual in the Samar Forest. Yet, the Demon King of Incarceration had neither intervened nor condemned his actions. Rather, the Demon King of Incarceration had tacitly permitted it. The Demon King of Incarceration had shown leniency even to the ck wizards with whom he had direct contracts. Despite maintaining peace for three hundred years, he had turned a blind eye to many things. Perhaps, even the benevolent demon king sought a pretext for action. It was a grave impertinence to specte about the Demon King''s intentions, yet the aged demons could notpletely dismiss this possibility. They remembered just how cruel and bold the Demon King of Incarceration had been in the past. ''ording to the Demon King of Incarceration''s decree, the moment the Hero advances on Babel marks the end of peace,'' they recalled. Even if they simply waited, the peace of this era was destined to end. In the impending war... could they possibly y a leading role? The demons gathered in this room would never be the protagonists. It was the same even for those ranked among the top fifty demons. A couple of dukes would be the main actors of the war, and the Demon King of Incarceration himself, should he stand up, would trivialize all conflicts. But if they caused a war in Nahama. There, neither the Demon King of Incarceration, the de of Incarceration, or the Queen of Night Demons would be present. It wouldnt be swarming with the demons of Pandemonium, and the ck Mist wouldnt be present either. They could be the protagonists of the war. They could amass fear and sacrifices to be Demon Kings. Such an opportunity would never find them again. "Melkith El-Hayah, spat Harpeuron, ranked fifty-seventh among the demons. He crushed the armrest in his grip as he spoke. "That human wench will die by my hand." "Don''t think to monopolize her," someone said. Melkith was the name of the deranged master of spirit magic. She had been attacking the dungeons of Nahama without restraint, and the mention of her name sparked a murderous glint in the eyes of Harpeuron and several other demons. "You''re not the only one who desires her death." The desire for vengeance echoed among the demons who had endured Melkiths scathing mockery. ''My master is dying,'' Hemoria brooded alone. ''I''ve harbored animosity for so long without any restrainting down on me. The control over me has weakened.'' She wasn''tpletely free. Hemoria still felt the presence of the stake in her heart. But one thing was certain: Amelia no longer had the capacity to monitor everything about Hemoria as before. That meant Hemoria could deceive and betray Amelia. ''War.'' How could she betray her? How would she kill Amelia? As she pondered, Hemoria envisioned the war. Yet in this, her wishes aligned with her master''s. Hemoria, too, longed for a war to erupt. She wished for the world to plunge into dreadful chaos.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 424: The Universe (1) Chapter 424: The Universe (1) Eugenes days in Lehainjar began with meditation early in the morning. He had developed this habit not just from a young age but from his previous life as Hamel. The focus of the meditation was on controlling the flow of mana inside his body. Untilst year, his meditation focused on increasing the number of Stars contained in the White me Form. In his past life, he had meditated to allow the inspection of his severely damaged Core and to dy the inevitable copse of his Core for as long as possible. Now, he peered into the cosmos. The rotation of the Stars that once constituted his White me Form had vanished. The seven Stars, the Core itself, had disappeared. Usually, the loss of a Core would mean an end to handling mana. Without a Core, one would be rendered a cripple for life. But Eugene couldnt be judged by normal means. Even without the Stars, he could still feel mana. He was still capable of wielding it. In fact, he governed it much more powerfully and more freely than before. The cosmos. Eugene''s very being now epassed a literal universe. His existence cradled the cosmos. The number of Cores in his body had previously expanded with his progress in the White me Form. However, the Stars had dissipated and were reced by a universe that now shimmered with an infinite number of stars. Each tinyponent of the universe was shaping the flow of mana and sparkled like celestial bodies. Eugene couldn''t fathom the vastness of the universe contained within him. An individual''s body was iparably smallpared to the vastness of an entire world, yet paradoxically, Eugene''s body now held mana that far surpassed the capacity of a city, even a nation. The vessel of an existence. He began to grasp it bit by bit. Advancing in the White me Form wasn''t just about growing the vessel; it was about understanding the very nature of the White me Form. Despite having the capability to freely wield mana, Eugenes aplishments in the White me Form had progressed in stages because his understanding of the White me Form had beencking. It had nothing to do with increasing his capacity as a vessel. To be precise, he had not felt the need to necessarily understand it. Even if he did not fullyprehend it and possessed only a few Stars, Eugene had managed to fight beyond the nominal limitations of the White me Form. It had been possible due to his fluency and proficiency in controlling mana. Yet, at some point, he began to feel a deficiency. He desired power beyond his current capabilities. He craved understanding. And as his craving increased, the White me Form was elevated to higher levels. His yearning had be far greater when he killed Iris after her ascension to be a Demon King. He felt that his current self was inadequate. He had to transcend the White me Form. He had to transcend Vermouth. He could cause miracles after attaining divinity. And this universe was the destination Eugene reached through his yearning. It started from Vermouth Lionheart''s White me Form. However, it transformed into something significantly different from the original White me Form. It was enhanced by the existence of Eugene Lionheart, Hamel Dynas, and the War of God. Agaroth. Miracle. Mana isnt the only thing in existence, Eugene realized. Eugene Lionheart first began practicing the White me Form and controlling mana at the age of thirteen. He was now twenty-two, and it had not yet been even a full decade since he started. Of course, the White me Form stood out as an exceptionally superior method of trainingpared to all other practices of mana across the continent. Moreover, Eugene had been at a great advantage with memories of his past life, as well as the extensive support he received from his family. He had also benefited from practicing magic and from the Eternal Hole. Finally, he brought back the World Tree saplings from the Great Forest and obtained the Lightning me. Though his aplishments in the White me Form had been modest, no one in the continents history had umted mana as swiftly as Eugene. Currently, he possessed more mana than the prominent elders of the family like Carmen or Gilead. But even considering such facts, the universe within Eugene was truly astonishing. Divine power, Eugene focused his thoughts. As his divinity grew, so did his divine power. Eugene could feel his divinity expanding, his divine power increasing, his universe expanding, and more stars being added to its vastness. "Its only natural for it to grow, said a voice. Eugene opened his eyes after finishing his meditation to find Mer sitting in front of him. She was staring at him with a sly expression. "You''ve been cooped up in that cave, so you might not realize it, but do you have any idea how famous you are outside?" Mer spoke with a hint of smugness. She was currently conveying Sienna''s words from Aroth. "The influx of tourists has been so overwhelming that Shimuin had to impose entry restrictions, she continued. The news of Eugenes defeat of the newly ascended Demon King had set the world aze, and the dwarves of Shimuin had sessfully constructed a statue of Eugene within the time limit he had set. It was the first statue of the Hero in this era. Tourists would flock to Shimuin even if a hefty entrance fee was imposed, but with it being free, it was only natural that the Shimuin za was packed to the brim with visitors and tourists. It was literally impossible to find a ce to take a single step within the za. "It''s not just Shimuin either. The Pope of Yuras also announced a tribute to you by erecting your statue in the za of Light, and Kiehl is also constructing your statue in front of the royal pce, continued Sienna. "Shouldn''t they have asked for my permission?" retorted Eugene. The conversation was taking ce as such: Mer was transmitting Siennas words from her mind. However, although Mer wasnt interfering with the actual conversation, she wasnt barred from making expressions. Right now, she was deliberately making faces by sticking out her tongue and rolling her eyes to provoke Eugene. "Ask for permission? As if you would say no. You would tell them to go ahead since it''s all in your favor,mented Sienna. Of course, I would. It wouldnt be bad for me. But even still, since theyre erecting my statues, shouldnt I have a say in the pose of the statues? responded Eugene. Why? Did you want them to make the statues with you holding the Holy Sword up high, with your cape ring dramatically? I can tell you this now, but you were super tacky. What in the world was that? Seriously, a statue like that was tacky even three centuries ago, said Sienna. Mer had been pulling her cheek, and upon hearing Siennasment, she quickly interjected, "I have to agree with Lady Sienna on that, Sir Eugene." "Well, statues are supposed to be you know, a bit exaggerated, arent they? A bit... grandiose, said Eugene. "A guy who''s barely had statues made of himself sure acts like he knows a lot, Sienna muttered, and Mer nodded again. Unable to contain his frustration any longer, Eugene swiftly reached out and pinched Mer''s cheek. "Anyway, seeing you revered everywhere across the continent, oh, it''s downright embarrassing for me, said Sienna. "Embarrassing? What''s there to be embarrassed about? You enjoyed all that attention back in the day, didn''t you?" questioned Eugene. "I never reveled in it like you do. None of us did. Why do you think that is? Huh? Any idea?" Sienna asked mockingly. Sienna pounced like an assassin whenever Eugene gave her even the slightest opportunity. Eugene was unable toe up with a reply, and his lips pursed together. "Look at you, mping up again when things arent in your favor. Youre a coward, said Sienna. "I thinkunching an attack that can neither be dodged nor countered is far more cowardly, countered Eugene. "Why can''t you dodge it? Why cant you counter it? Go on, you can do it, said Sienna. But that would make him the bastard of bastards and the vilest of viins, wouldn''t it? Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat and changed the subject. "So... how are things on your end? It''s been a few months since those bats started watching you. Did anything interesting happen?" inquired Eugene. "Nothing. What can a mere bat possibly do to me? They''re just pitifully keeping watch, but I''ve been considering knocking them down a peg, answered Sienna. "Is there really a need for that? If they''re notplete idiots, they would have realized that youre aware of their surveince, said Eugene. Eugene had already investigated who might be behind the surveince. The culprits were members of a vampire n operating in the shadows of Aroth. Weak as they were, he hadnt bothered to remember their names. Knowing they were vampires was enough to figure out the rest. Noir Giabe had shown him a dream. He didnt need to pinpoint exactly how all the dots were connected. If they were vampires, they were undoubtedly linked to Alphiero Lasat. Just as Eugene had nned, Amelia Merwin was beginning to make her move. Currently, Eugene held a wealth of information far surpassing Amelia''s. He knew she was hiding in Ravesta and that Alphiero was coborating with her. He was also aware of which demons were behind the dungeons in Nahama. "Ranked twenty-sixth, thirty-third, and fortieth," Eugene pointed out. If he considered those ranked lower, there were over thirty demons in total. However, Eugene and Sienna were focusing primarily on the top three ranked demons. "I remember the name of the twenty-sixth-ranked demon. He made a name for himself as a brawler among demons even three centuries ago. Even so, he was nothingpared to Gavid, Eugenemented. The fight against the demon had provided some degree of entertainment. Considering that the passage of three centuries had strengthened most demons, this particr demon would have grown stronger as well. However, a demon ranked merely twenty-sixth could never be a match for him now. "I also remember the names of the thirty-third and fortieth-ranked demons. They hassled me quite a bit with magic, Sienna said. Sienna shared Eugene''sck of concern for these demons. Three hundred years ago, the high-ranking demons were no easy foes. If she had faced them alone without herrades, the situation could have proved tricky. But the passage of time since the war had not only strengthened the demons. "Do you think they will make a move?" asked Sienna. "Honestly, either way doesn''t matter to me, responded Eugene. He was openly luring Amelia out. She was even surveilling Sienna, so she must have grasped his intentions. If she chose not to respond, he would simply destroy all the desert dungeons and essentially sever her arms and legs. Balzac suspects that shes going to make a move. After all, Amelia invested quite an effort in her desert dominion. He said each demon she enticed was insufferable and had a shitty personality, said Eugene. "But in the end, he''s a ck wizard, isn''t he? Can we trust him?" asked Sienna. Balzac Ludbeth. The precise nature of the ck wizard''s desires remained a mystery. After making abrupt contact with Melkith, he had retreated into deep seclusion in the desert for a while before reaching out to Melkith once more. Balzac had nonchntly delivered information about the demons contracted with the desert dungeon''s ck wizards and shared his conjectures about Amelia''s objectives. Amelia had obtained the ritual Edmund Codreth had initiated in the Samar Forest, along with dmir. Was Amelia intending to use the spell to transform herself into a Demon King? While such a possibility could not be dismissed entirely, Balzac spected otherwise, and Eugene agreed with his assessment. This was because Eugene had seen Amelia''s waning presence in Ravesta. If her aim was to be a demon king herself, why would she hide away in Ravesta? If she feared retaliation from Eugene and Sienna, it would be more prudent to perform the ritual sooner rather thanter. "Amelia Merwin. Whether she desires to be a Demon King is uncertain, but it''s clear she has no intention of using Edmund''s ritual," Eugene said, moving along within his train of thoughts. Observations suggested that Amelia had been nning a war fronted by Nahama for a long time. Among all the nations of the continent, Nahama would have suited Amelia''s criteria. The deste desert was ideal for breeding ck wizards, and the sultans of Nahama had long coveted the fertile territories of other nations. Of all the countries on the continent, Nahama alone yearned for war. Amelia Mervin is the oldest ck wizard among us, the Three Mages of Incarceration, and she has always taken the most peculiar actions. Edmund Codreth held titles in Helmuth, and I secluded myself in the ck Tower in Aroth. Well, you might find my actions in Aroth peculiar, too, but think about this: While I did spend time as the ck Tower Master, what did I actually do in Aroth? I pride myself on not having done anything significant. I merely immersed myself in my research. I didn''t secretly raise a private army of ck wizards in the ck Tower, nor did I infiltrate the depths of Aroth to sow chaos or puppeteer the king. But what about Amelia Mervin? Yes, she attempted all that I just mentioned and seeded marvelously. While driving those endeavors, she maintained a rtionship with Edmund. Do you remember the incident in the Samar Forest? The very moment Edmund attempted his long-sought ritual, he had Amelia''s backing. I''m not sure whether their bond could be called trust, but it''s evident they supported each other''s ambitions. "High-ranking demons would naturally want to be a Demon King, spat Sienna through Mer. Whether Amelia had initially presented such an enticing condition to the demons was unknown. Still, it was clear that she would have acted with such intent due to the current circumstances. The destruction of the foundation she set in Nahama over decades would mean that everything she worked for would be turned to dust. "As annoying as it is to say if I were to think about this as a wizard... the obliteration of what I''ve pursued my whole life is absolutely uneptable, said Sienna. Amelia had nowhere left to retreat. We made it so that she would have no choice but to make a move, but we dont know for certain whether that wretched woman will crawl out of Ravesta or not, Sienna concluded. "And if she doesn''t show?" Eugene replied with an aloof expression. In the end, it was only a matter of time. If Amelia chose not toe forth now, they would simply shatter the ambitions she had pursued all her life andter invade Ravesta to finish her. If she did emerge? The vast desert would be her grave. What troubled him was the Death Knight. In Noir''s dream, the Death Knight had been merging with the power of destruction. While he had not been particrly threatening at the time... the unnerving potential within the Death Knight was undeniable. ''Does he still believe himself to be Hamel?'' Eugene wondered. If the Death Knight continued to reflect, he might realize the gaps in his memory. Was Amelia''s magic suppressing his recollections? A frown appeared on Eugenes face as he pondered. "It''s about time for my juniors to arrive. What about you? nning to get beaten up by Molon again today?" inquired Sienna. "Beaten up? Lately, it''s me who''s been trashing him, retorted Eugene. "Let''s try not to lie so tantly, countered Sienna. "It''s not a lie. If you want topare our odds, it''s about six to four, exined Eugene. "And who''s the six?" pressed Sienna. "The past results aren''t what matters, said Eugene. "Well, well. Do send my regards to Molon, asked Sienna. "Will do." Eugene finished the conversation and stood up. It had been over half a year since he had holed up at Molon''s dwelling. Day after day, without fail, he sparred with Molon. Until a month ago, broken limbs had been amon urrence... but recently, over the course of thest two weeks, the severity of the injuries Eugene suffered had significantly decreased. He was achieving what he pursued. He was bing familiar with sensations already known to him while discovering new ones. He was recalling the divine nature and intuition of Agaroth and blending it with his identity as Hamel and Eugene. He was fusing the skills he possessed as Hamel and Eugene with thebat skills of Agaroth. He was merging and harmonizing everything within his thoughts into a sublime unison. He had repeated this process for months. He had honed the self. Over time, he had be certain that he would be growing stronger. And the results were evident. He had fine-tuned the insights gained with each brush with death in his fights with Molon. He understood how to move and how to fight. Every day, he would duel with Molon, and after dusk, he would meditate deep into the dawn while reviewing the battles. And with each new day, he felt stronger than before, more powerful than yesterday. "Thank you," said Eugene. Molon was already waiting at the summit of Lehainjar. "Without you, I could never have be this strong, he continued. "That''s where you''re wrong, Hamel," Molon shook his head as he lifted the axe that rested on his shoulder. The cleaved edge from months ago brought a broad smile to Molons face. "Hamel, even without me, you would''ve found a way to grow stronger. You''ve always been like that." He remembered Hamel, the mercenary from three hundred years ago. Back then, Hamel had been the weakest among Vermouthsrades. He had been an insignificant presence. Yet, in just a few years, Hamel had be the second most vital member after Vermouth. "I am different from you, Hamel. Without you, I... ha, I wouldn''t be standing by your side like now, said Molon. The sparring that had gone on for months hadn''t just benefited Eugene. Molon had spent over a hundred years hunting only the Nur. That time hadn''t made him stronger or more skilled with the axe. Instead, it poisoned him and wore him down. "Yourpany has helped me recall much. How I used to wield my axe and how I wanted to swing it. I remembered the sensations and memories buried under the festering madness, said Molon. "It''s only been half a year," Eugene smirked, lightly bumping Molon''s arm. "Without you joining me, it would''ve taken much longer than half a year," continued Eugene. He turned around and saw Kristina holding Raimiras hand. He said, "I owe you two more thanks than I could ever express Anise, Kristina." "I didn''t want to heal you because I thought I was raising you wrong," Aniseined. "But unlike me, Kristina has a soft heart. Every time she healed you, she put so much effort into aligning the bones. Setting the bones backward once in a while would have taught you a lesson. "Ehem... I''m just d I could be of help to you, Sir Eugene, Kristina interjected, pushing Anise aside and sping her hands together. "After descending the mountain..." Molon started. A rare glimpse of worry filled his eyes as he looked at Eugene. "Are you truly nning to go... to that whores city?" "Why worry? I''m not going to fight, just a light reconnaissance. And if I show up there... it might just coax Amelia Merwin out into the open. She might be relieved with my absence," said Eugene. "I heard that whore fancies you, Hamel... but for me of all the demons, she was the hardest to face. I even thought she was unbeatable, admitted Molon. "Yourpatibility with her was the worst, replied Eugene while wagging his fingers. "But I have several contingencies in ce. And it''s not like I''m going to fight, so don''t worry too much this early on, assured Eugene. "I understand," Molon nodded with a heavy expression. "And I might not even go today, said Eugene. "What do you mean, Hamel?" asked Molon. "I have to win ourst sparring match before I go, Eugene said, looking serious. "If I lose today, I''ll descend the mountain after I win tomorrow." "....." Molon didnt say anything to this deration. "I can''t go down after losing to you, said Eugene. "Hamel," Molon hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Then... when you descend the mountain victorious, what am I supposed to do?" ".." This time, it was Eugenes turn to be struck dumb. "Hamel, your actions are no different from winning and running away, aren''t they?" Molon said. "Hey, where do you get that from!? Winning and running away? If I''ve won, why would I run? But if I lose ourst match and then leave the mountain, it''ll feel terrible!" shouted Eugene. "Hamel, you''re saying something selfish. You may feel at ease descending victorious, but I will not be at peace when Im left behind defeated. Hamel. I never considered such a thought before, but your words now make me conscious of it, said Molon. "Idiots, interjected Anise. Her disbelief after listening to their conversation was evident. "What are you trying to do then? Fight until you draw?" she asked sarcastically. "That would be ridiculous." "Right." Anise''s brows furrowed even deeper upon hearing Eugene and Molon''s responses. "You know, sometimes, looking at you lot, including Sienna, I really wonder where all your years have gone. None of you have matured,"mented Anise. "Speak properly, Anise. I am younger than Molon and Sienna, said Eugene. "Anise. Neither I nor Sienna were this childish without Hamel, retorted Molon. "Is that my fault, too?" Eugene retorted while feeling wronged. Molon averted his gaze and offered no reply. "When are you going to fight? asked Anise. She pounded her chest with her fist while feeling utterly exasperated. "When? Exactly when are you nning to fight? Are you just going to quarrel with your mouths? After fighting yesterday and the day before, after half a year of fighting, why do you have to fight today, too? Why can''t you just consider yesterday''s fight as thest one?" "I''ve be a bit stronger than yesterday," Eugene said. Boom! The il''s iron ball fell from within the folds of Anises robe. "Let''s go, Molon." Without another word, Eugene patted Molon''s back and signaled it was time to leave.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 425: The Universe (2) Chapter 425: The Universe (2) Eugene and Molon had changed the ce of their sparring months ago. It wasn''t that they had stopped controlling their strength. No. Instead, both had grown ustomed to unleashing their full power without destroying their surroundings. They were able to focus solely on each other. Just as Eugene had be familiar with Molon''s strength and style ofbat, Molon hadpleted the rehabilitation of power he had not used in hundreds of years. He had recovered a battle sense he had long forgotten. Raguyaran. It was the edge of the world, and of nothingness. A still sea was visible in the far distance, but no sound of waves reached ones ear. No living thing could be found in this emptynd between mountains and sea. ''I am.'' Molon gripped his axe with both hands as he thought. Eugene stood at a distance. His right hand was sped around the handle of the Holy Sword, and his posture was rxed and seemingly effortless. However, it was not a reflection of his arrogance. Thatposure and tranquility were the precursors of myriad possibilities. It allowed Eugene to act and respond in an instant. ''I will no longer be able to defeat Hamel,'' Molon acknowledged the fact with a calm eptance. He had known it for some time. He hade to this inevitable conclusion half a year ago when Eugenes sword had first sliced through his axe. From that point on, the countless possibilities within Eugene had surpassed the power Molon had attained. The two had sparred daily for half a year. Molon did not feel like he had be particrly stronger. For him, that half year was akin to a form of rehabilitation. His prime had been one hundred and fifty years ago, at the dawn of his mission, and in the years since his prime had faded away. His eyes remained keen, but all senses of battle had been dulled by madness. However, he had shaken off the madness and sparred with Eugene. He had strived to regain what he had lost. He had revitalized his dulled senses. The results were satisfactory, but nheless, he had not be stronger than how he had been in his prime. What about Eugene? While Molon had reimed what he had lost, Eugene had gained much more in addition to what he already possessed. To be stronger than I was yesterday. It was a phrase that could sound like a jest, yet Molon knew all too well it was no mere saying. Indeed, he experienced it firsthand every single day. It was the same even now. They had sparred yesterday. But was the figure before him truly the Hamel of yesterday? Molon couldnt help but smile unwittingly. It had to be you. Hamel was the reincarnation of an ancient god of war. That was his destiny. But that was merely a past life he was unaware of. Perhaps Vermouth had chosen Hamel because he was a fated existence, but Molon believed Hamel''s uniquenessy more in his nature than in his past life. He drove himself to the point of cruelty. He never neglected even a single moment of training. He was undeterred by the pain of a breaking body, and he was never satisfied with what he had but ceaselessly pursued attaining the next step. Hamel was such a person. ''I am d to have you as arade.'' Molon raised his axe. ''I am grateful I did not go mad before we reunited.'' He sincerely believed that. Throughout the six months of sparring, Molon felt that he was grateful to have been of help to Hamel. It pleased him that he could do so. If he hadpletely lost his mind, if he had be so broken that he couldn''t even wield his axe, then he would not have been able to apany Hamel through life and death as he wished. "Hamel," Molon called out, his gaze traversing the length of his raised axe to meet Eugene''s. "You never once gave your all in these six months, did you?" In terms of victories, Molon held the lead. It was inevitable. In their duels, Eugene had imposed many restrictions on himself. He had never used Eclipse. He hadnt even used Ignition, let alone Prominence. He hadn''t even unsheathed his Moonlight Sword, nor had he wielded any other weapon. In all his spars with Molon, Eugene had only ever used the Holy Sword, the White me Form, and the Empty Sword. "That''s right," Eugene nodded in agreement. The reason he hadn''t used those techniques was simple. What Eugene wanted from his spars with Molon was to awaken and consciously control the divinity he possessed and the intuition of Agaroth. To achieve this, he chose to repeatedly spar and skirt the line between life and death. If he had used Prominence or Ignition, that type of sparring would have been impossible. Ignition forced Eugene into short, decisive conflicts. Even though the recoil from using it had diminished as he advanced in the proficiency of the White me Form and the enhancement of his body and Core, using Ignition even once meant days of recovery. Prominence didn''t have the same recoil as Ignition. But upon activation, it would amplify Eugene''s firepower, which wasn''t what he wanted. Eugene had no intention of engaging in a contest of strength and power in his spars with Molon. His aim was to deflect and counter Molon''s strength with something other than brute force. "Hamel," Molon stopped, a sly smile spreading across his face. "I, too, need defeat." After hearing his words Eugene didn''t respond but simply stared at Molon. He did not need to ask what Molon meant by that... he let out a soft chuckle. Defeat. Eugene had tasted defeat at Molon''s hands many times. Even during the Knight March, despite his excuses, the fact remained that he had been defeated at Molons hands. Moreover, the defeats he suffered over thest six months were too numerous to count. The lessons from each defeat, the realizations of his shorings, the additions he made to himself. He understood them and settled them into his heart. He didnt respond to Molons words. It was not necessary. Right now, Eugenes focus was to meet Molon''s expectations. Eugene silently sheathed the Holy Sword and stored it in his cloak. cing his right hand over his left chest, he stood poised. Kristina let out a long sigh while watching him from a distance as she said, "It''s the first time since he defeated the Demon King of Fury." [To think he managed to hold back for half a year. He must have wanted to use it every time Molon left him half-dead,] Anise grumbled internally. Kristina listened while initiating holy magic. Eight wings unfurled behind her, and a radiant light spread beneath her feet. Hands, Kristina said. At hermand, Raimira firmly grasped Kristinas robe from the left side, and Mer took her right hand. Raimira nodded with a bashful smile after hearing the whisper. "Yes." Mer considered it an inevitable act to hold Kristina''s hand. She needed to hold someones hand, and with Lady Sienna absent, the hand of the Saint was the only option left to her. Had the two Saints been spiteful, she never would have consented to this intimacy. But considering their daily kindness brushing her hair, helping her dress, even bathing together it was only natural to reciprocate the favor. Mer''spliance was one thing, but Raimira had long been devoted to the two Saints. She was even more inclined. ''Mother,'' Raimira called out in her mind. She would one day assert that title boldly. Raimira entertained the thought as she clung to Kristina''s robe. Kristina extended her left palm, which was marked with the Stigmata, and erected a barrier. The creation of the barrier and Eugene''s activation of Ignition happened almost simultaneously. Booooom! A storm of ck mes surged around Eugene. It swirled outward in a growing spiral. The mes were not just ck; within them twinkled countless sparkles, making it seem as if an entire gxy was swirling around Eugene. The Universe. Ignition unveiled the universe that Eugene harbored. The universe looked as if it could expand and stretch forever. However, it stopped expanding after a certain point, and with a crackle, lightning began to course between the stars. The universe condensed around Eugene. A gale swept through thend devoid of wind. "My goodness," Kristina said, shocked. The mere aftermath of the power shattered Kristinas barrier. She blinked in disbelief even as she was pushed back by the gust of wind. "Thisdy sees it with her own eyes, yet she cannotprehend it,"mented Raimira. She had transformed her arms into those of a dragon out of concern for the bacsh. She shivered. Even as a dragon hatchling, Raimira was overwhelmed by the absurdly immense force emanating from Eugene. "Yet," murmured Mer without realizing from behind the dragon''s arm that she was using as a cover. "It''s beautiful." Nebe soared into the sky. Just as the White me Form and Ignition had transformed, so had Prominence. Though the shape of the wings remained the same, they no longer resembled a me. Molon, too, watched Eugene with nk eyes. Eugenes universe expanded with the activation of Ignition. Without realizing it, Molon had concentrated his strength into the hand gripping his axe. As the universe condensed and wings of nebe rose behind Eugene "Uhahaha...." Molonughed while gazing at the ground beneath him. He could see the marks created by his feet. There were traces of him stepping back. He now noticed the considerable distance between them. When was thest time he had instinctively retreated after feeling such a sense of crisis? There was a sh of alien hues. A vicious ck devoured everything while crimson coursed like blood through veins. Eugene drew forth his divine sword from his chest, a fusion of both colors. "I won''t use the Moonlight Sword," Eugene said. Luster flitted through his golden eyes as divinity and intuition imbued his thoughts. He held the Divine Sword of Agaroth. Though Eugene Lionheart was increasingly revered as the Hero and his divine power grew, he was still incapable of wielding the Divine Sword repeatedly. "That sword is dangerous in many ways. But don''t feel slighted, Molon," Eugene continued. Yet, the mere act of drawing the Divine Sword amplified Eugene''s divinity. "This is undoubtedly my full strength," he assured Molon. He had unleashed Ignition and magnified his firepower with Prominence. And now, he had drawn the Divine Sword, a weapon he could hardly swing more than a few times. "Uhahahaha." Molonughed even though his palms were drenched in sweat. "Im not confident," he murmured while rubbing the handle of his axe. It was his first time seeing the sword, yet he could sense what it was. It was the very symbol of the War God, the weapon that had in numerous Demon Kings in a bygone era now destroyed. It was the sword that had confronted the Demon King of Destruction. "Should I call this an honor?" Molon asked. He chuckled while lifting his axe above his head. Craaackkkk...! The space around Molon bulged andpressed at once. The area around the axe crackled, then began to ripple. Soon, thin fractures spread like spiderwebs. ''It''s a good thing that we''re not within the barrier,'' Molon thought. No matter how potent Vermouth''s magic was or how perfect the barrier was, if two powers of such abnormal magnitude collided the barrier might very well shatter. Or rather, it should have been a concern about the independent world itself. Molon had never gauged the full extent of his power. With mere brute force, he could pull and crumble the axes of space. He could overturn and destroy thews that naturally applied to this world with simple strength. He had never had to exert his full strength to achieve such feats. It just happened when he willed it. "Moreover," said Molon. Crack, crackle, craaackkk. His veins bulged visibly. His hair fluttered like mes. He lowered his stance while baring his clenched teeth. Then said, "Its a necessary act." If he had never gauged his full strength before, now was the time to exert it. To sh, and if he failed to aspire. This is what I want,'' Molon affirmed in his mind. Kwoooong! Molon stepped forward. To them, at this moment, distance meant nothing. With a single step forward, Molon brought his axe down. It was a blow that was backed with all his might. And he had prepared no follow-up. He didnt need to worry about what came after since his strike was meant to be fatal. If this strike did not suffice, then it could only mean one thing. ''Is this so? Eugene thought. He watched as his Divine Sword, a blend of engulfing ck and blood-red, was enveloped by the light from Molon''s axe swing. The sword was wondrous in its own right. However, it did not stand alone. The sword was augmented by the mes of the White me Form, or rather, the universe. It was vast. In that fleeting moment, Molon realized his own smallness. He had never thought of himself as small. In his world, he had always beenrger than most his stature, his strength, and even the axe he wielded. Everything about Molon Ruhr was monumental. But not now. Against the encroaching universe, he felt distinctly minuscule. Oddly, or perhapsically, he wasn''t displeased by this revtion. It did not humiliate him. He was content. Having witnessed such grandeur, Molon could envision his next step. His current diminution, his defeat, meant he could aspire to be greater, stronger in the times toe. "Hahahaha." Molonughed heartily before setting his axe aside. It wasn''t likest time. He wasn''t cut, nor was the handle of his axe broken, and he sustained no injury. "I''ve lost, indeed, admitted Molon. But he could not push the axe further. The Divine Sword had not cut through Molon''s weapon nor his flesh, yet it had vanquished his will. "Are you satisfied?" asked Eugene. Eugeneid down the Divine Sword as he fought to catch his breath. With a grin, Molon plunged his axe into the ground. "I''ve learned that I am not strong, said Molon. "You are strong, retorted Eugene. "Not stronger than you, Hamel, admitted Molon. Molon raised his hands, empty of the axe, and said, "Knowing I am weak, I cannot settle for where I am now. This axe, I shall not wield again until I''ve surpassed myself." Ignition ended, and Prominence faded. The wavering universe retreated back into ck mes and dispersed. Eugene fought the urge to copse as he focused on regting his breath. ''It feels like I''m dying from just a moment''s use,'' Eugene thought ruefully. He thought the recoil had lessened, but it appeared he was wrong. Was it because the power he wielded had grown evenrger? Molon stood intact after conceding. But despite being the victor, Eugene was wavering. He struggled to maintain his expression and stance. "I promise... no, I vow." Molon approached Eugene and offered a handshake. I will be stronger than I am now." "Of course, you should, responded Eugene. He managed to force out a smile and grasped Molon''s hand. The return grip was so firm that he had to clench his teeth to stifle a cry of pain. Chapter 426: Giabella City Chapter 426: Giabe City Idiot, Anise said, clicking her tongue as she massaged Eugenes arm. The muscles in Eugenes jaw twitched with each touch of her light-enveloped fingers on his sore muscles. Doesnt the recoil somehow seem to have gotten even worse? Anise observed. Its because my bodys performance wasnt able to keep up with my movements, Eugene muttered through tightly clenched lips. His body may have gone through aplete metamorphosis in the Darkroom, but once he used Ignition and Prominence at the same time, on top of operating the White me Form, he would still face the problem of requiring more than what his body at its peak could provide. Eugene tried to look on the bright side, Its still better than it was in my previous life. In his previous life, his Core had been damaged from his repeated uses of Ignition, but that was no longer a necessary concern for the current Eugene. It might be true that, at the moment, his body was in such pain that it was difficult for him to even lie straight, but that was just because his body was not able to handle the extent to which his power had been amplified. As my divinity increases and my divine power bes stronger, my physical body should start experiencing changes as well, Eugene guessed. And the more strength he possessed, the more his power would be amplified by Ignition. At the moment, he was having these difficulties because everything was so greatly out of bnce, but his body would eventually adapt to his newfound power at some point, along with the physical transformations due to his increase in divine power. When that day finally came Eugenes brow furrowed as he became lost in thought. He was thinking back to his battle against Raizakia. Back then, Eugene had not only used Prominence and Ignition at the same time, but he had also managed to push Ignition one step further by overclocking it. Usually, he wouldnt have even considered attempting such a drastic measure, but it had thankfully seeded due to Agaroths Ring. At that time, Eugene had refused to give in. It was a final act of desperation motivated by his desire to y Raizakia and to save Sienna, even if it cost him his life. Even now, after what happened, Eugene didnt believe that there had been anything wrong with the decision he had made at that moment. By overclocking Ignition, he had swiftly and decisively seeded in managing to overwhelm Raizakia, and if his Cores and body had been able to hold on even just a little bit longer, he might have been able to defeat Raizakia all on his own. Once Eugenes body was transformed by his growing divine power, wouldnt that make overclocking Ignition a more viable option? While imagining such a possibility, Eugene swallowed back a gulp. As his thoughts had grown ever deeper, the tension in his muscles had increasingly lessened. Squeeze. Suddenly, a palm pressed down into his thigh. The pain was so intense it felt like his leg was being torn into several pieces. Eugene let out a scream of pain while bucking his hips, Arrrgh! Did that hurt a lot? Kristina asked, her head rising in surprise; she had been caught off guard by the sudden scream. With a worried look on her face, she ran her fingertips along Eugenes thigh and said, If youre really in such pain, it would have been better to recuperate for a few days before leaving. No way, Eugene insisted, even as he broke into a cold sweat. I managed to get a clean victory over Molon but look at that. Molon is standing on his feet perfectly. If the person who lost is just standing there without any injuries and the person who won is lying down and groaning in pain, how am I, the one who won, supposed to retain any self-respect? Sir Molon must have already noticed that you were just enduring the pain, Sir Eugene, Mer pointed out with a pout of her lips as she sat next to Eugene. Like Kristina, Mer was also massaging the palm of Eugenes hand, but naturally, since she didnt have any divine power or healing magic, there wasnt any real meaning to Mers actions. Rather, each time she pressed down on his palm, it was just causing him more pain. Even so, Eugene didnt pull himself free from Mers hands. So what if he knows? Eugene scoffed. In any case, I was able to shake hands with Molon while standing all by myself, and when we left Molons dwelling, I was able to walk away on my own two feet. Benefactor, you cant just ignore my contributions. You didnt walk away on your own, Benefactor; I carried you away with my wings, Raimiras voice came echoing back from ahead of where the group was sitting. Currently, Eugene, Mer, and Kristina were riding on the back of Raimira, who had transformed back into her dragon form. After Eugenes final match with Molon was over, they had wasted no time in leaving Lehainjar. Their haste was because of Eugenes pride, as he refused to allow himself to whimper in pain while still in front of Molon. It was also partly because they had already lived together for half a year now, and though they were sad to separate like this, they did not think that it was necessary, by this point, to exchange any prolonged farewells. And its not like were parting for all eternity, Eugene thought to himself. Although his body hurt so badly that it felt like he was dying, Eugene wasnt in any actual danger of losing his life. Kristina and Anises divine powers were gradually easing his pain, and Eugenes own natural recovery was also hard at work. With great difficulty, Eugene managed to pull himself up from his prone position and sit up straight. This might be stating the obvious, but Hamel, before your injuries recover, you absolutely can''t do anything so reckless, Anise ordered him. Eugeneined, Ive heard you say that so many times it feels like my ears have gotten numb to your voice. And I dont have any intention of arriving at Giabe City before my body has fully recovered. Giabe City, Mer gulped at those two words. When they werest in Helmuth, she had seen more than a few advertisements for Giabe City. The city was said to house Giabe Park, the most colorful and fun ce in all of Helmuth, no, in all of the continent. In fact, the location was more known for its specialty in casinos and other kinds of illicit entertainment rather than its amusement parks, but Mer and Raimira were naturally more interested in things like amusement parks than the entertainment meant solely for adults. Sir Eugene, are you really not going there to pick a fight? Mer asked cautiously. Im not going there to fight, Eugene promised. It was true that Eugene had be stronger through his matches with Molon, but that did not mean he had reached a level where he would be able to take on Noir Giabe. In Eugenes eyes, Noir Giabe might not have imed the title of a Demon King, but her power was already far beyond that of the Demon Kings they had managed to defeat three hundred years ago. It would be crazy for us to challenge Noir Giabe to a fight when we dont even have Sienna with us, Eugene assured Mer. Mer asked skeptically, However, dont you do such crazy things all the time, Sir Eugene? Wow, just take a look at what this girl is saying. Since when have I always gone and done crazy stuff? It seems like you dont actually know me all that well since I never do anything without at least some reason for doing it, Eugene scolded Mer with a serious expression. In other peoples opinions, Eugenes actions might sometimes seem reckless and absurd, but Eugene usually had a reasonable justification for most of the actions that he took. Are you trying to say that you had a reason formitting suicide? Anise snapped. I knew you were going to say that, Eugene muttered to himself while avoiding her gaze. Anise sighed, Hamel, I do believe that you do have a good reason for making such a decision, but I still really dont want to go to Giabe City. There was currently some spection suggesting that Eugene might be at the Lionheart Estate or at the ck Lion Castle, but Eugenes exact whereabouts were still unknown. If Eugene continued to keep himself hidden, Amelia Merwin and the demonfolk she was cooperating with would have no choice but to continue confining themselves to Ravesta, always on guard for when Eugene might suddenly appear. In that case, Eugene just needed to make his movements more noticeable. Although revealing himself like this at this point might cause his opponents to think that he was obviously pulling some sort of trick, Amelia Merwin was the one currently being backed furthest into a corner. Eugene felt able to be so tant with his intentions because he was certain that Amelia Merwin wouldnt be able to remain silent for much longer. If you just wanted to reveal your presence, couldnt you do that anywhere other than Giabe City? How about going to Yuras instead? Anise proposed. Theres no reason for us to go there instead of Giabe City, Eugene argued back. If you just pick a few cathedrals to tour, your name will soon be spread all throughout Yuras, Aniseined with a sullen expression. Although she did not say anything to him, Kristina also agreed with Anises words. The Vatican itself may have dered Eugene to be the Hero and elevated him to Sainthood, but the churchs followers would most likely prefer seeing Eugene in person and hearing his voice instead of just offering their prayers up to him as a Saint. And she couldn''t help but imagine what a beautiful and divine sight it would be if Eugene were to stand at the pulpit of the cathedral with her, as the Saint, standing next to him. During their time in the cave in Lehainjar, Eugene had been solely focused on his training, so they hadn''t been able to make any special memories together. While that wasnt something Kristina felt particrly regretful for, still, just thinking about the missed opportunity felt like it was enough to bring back the pangs of greed and guilt that she had felt back then. Eugene rejected her idea, Someone like a Hero isnt meant to go to cathedrals to pray and sing hymns. Anise frowned, So then, is someone like a Hero meant to go to casinos and y around? Do you really think Im going there to y around? Eugene argued back. Of course, I know you arent, Anise admitted. Hamel, the reason why youre going to Giabe City its for Noir Giabe, isnt it? You want to check the foundation of that sluts power, dont you? There was probably no other demonfolk who had used the past three hundred years as efficiently as Noir Giabe. Eugene had already done a lot of research on her, but honestly speaking, even considering the fact that she was his enemy, Noir had worked so hard that he couldnt help but admire her. She had actively made use of the Night Demons under hermand to plunder the strength of the heroes from thest war and caused their downfall. She had dispatched other Night Demons to various parts of the continent to secure a supply of life-force while also not neglecting to cultivate her own influence in Helmuths internal workings. Following the capital of Helmuth, Pandemonium, her first city, Dreamia, had the secondrgest number of humans living within it, and her second city, Giabe City, was the city that attracted the most tourists in all of Helmuth. It wasnt like she had just solely focused on managing her territory, either. Over the past three hundred years, Noir Giabe had turned her hand to dozens of businesses, each dabbling in a different industry from construction to celebrity management, casinos, hotels, beauty products, fashion, etc. In other words, Noir Giabe was the most famous demonfolk in all of Helmuth, no, in all of the continent. Noir had then used such widespread exposure and poprity to grow her power further. Right now, in the whole of the continent, how many people were there who would resolutely refuse if they were offered a free stay in Giabe City? At this point, even if I were to erase that city, it wouldnt reduce any of Noirs strength, Eugene said as his brow furrowed in a scowl. After all, shes already extracted all the life-force that she needs. Anise tried to look on the bright side, Still, if we were to destroy the city at this time, at the very least, that slut wont get any stronger. Attempting to do so really isnt viable right now, Eugene reluctantly admitted. That city is a ce where even I, as the Hero, wont be able to act as I please. If both Noir and I were drowning in such waters, the visitors in that city would definitely abandon me and attempt to save Noir first. Raimira appealed to Eugene, Benefactor, theres no need to worry. If you were drowning, we would be sure to save you, Benefactor. You idiot, stop saying such stupid things and just fly faster, Mer scolded as she pounded on the scales of Raimiras back with her fist. Eugene coughed, Ahem well thanks, I guess. In any case it seems like it will be impossible to destroy that city for now. Then, is there even any point in going there for reconnaissance? Anise asked. Eugene shrugged, If I want to defeat Noir, then Ill have to invade her cities at some point. What if something pops out and surprises me when I eventually try to barge my way in? Sir Eugene, Sir Eugene, Mer excitedly raised a hand. Please listen to this. Ive collected several books about Giabe City that were written in Helmuth. They should be able to help you, Sir Eugene. Mer had no intention of getting pushed aside in Eugenes affections for Raimira, who, in her opinion, was no different from a mindless boulder. Although it was definitely impossible for her to adopt the adoring way that idiot spoke to Eugene, Mer felt like she had a wittiness that Raimira simply could not imitate. Mer casually sat down on Eugenesp and pulled out several books that had been written about Giabe City. She was not only carrying the tourist guide they had been given at Helmuths warpgate, but she also had several other books that had been purchased from a bookstore. Ah fine then thanks, Eugene said, pausing for a moment before giving in. The books that Mer had taken out all contained introductions to Giabe City. Organized within them were things like guides to thendmarks, the major facilities, the must-see restaurants in the city, travel routes rmended for parents with young children, etc. Of course there was none of the information that Eugene actually wanted to investigate during their reconnaissance. What Eugene really wanted to know was information about the troops stationed in Giabe City. Eugenes interest in this matter was because Noir, as one of the Dukes of Helmuth, should have an appropriately sized private army for her rank, but almost nothing was known about such a force. As theyre her vassals, she could simply fill up the ranks with her Night Demons, but doesnt she have anything like her own knightly order? Eugene questioned. Since she had casinos, she was sure to have plenty of security guards, but there was no way to tell what theposition of her army was from just that. Even when they had visited Dreamia, there hadnt seemed to be anything like a knightly order present in that city. Though Noir Giabe herself could be described as a one-man army, it might be that she simply didnt see the need for her own private army. Still, you never know. It would be a pain if he just charged in while only nning on facing Noir, and arge army suddenly popped out to meet him. What if that slut changes her mind and decides to attack us? Anise asked worriedly. Eugene just dismissed her worries, That doesnt sound like her. Do you really trust her enough to speak for her like that? Anise used. If she wanted to kill us, shes already had plenty of opportunities to do so, Eugene pointed out. For example, before they attacked the Dragon-Demon Castle, Noir had suddenly shown up at their hotel looking for them. Back then, Noir hade to them in person with her main body. If Noir had decided to kill Eugene and Kristina at that time he wouldnt even have been able to put up a proper resistance. Eugene admitted, I would definitely kill that bitch if I had the chance. However, her head works differently from the way mine does. Shes had plenty of opportunities, but shes never once tried to kill me. Could something like that really be called trust? It should be the same this time as well. Im certain of that. Since I''m not going there to kill her, Noir she wont attack me while were in Giabe City, Eugene said decisively. The more Eugene became aware of Noirs favor and attention towards him, the more disgusting and aggravating it felt. It was difficult for Eugene to feel any emotions other than a murderous rage towards the love that that Night Demon, whom he wished he could just tear into pieces, expressed for him. However. It was impossible to swear that there wasnt even a single trace of trust in theplex bond between the two. After all, wasnt that the case even now? Eugene had decided on his course of action while trusting that Noir definitely wouldnt try to kill him at this time. This is such a mess, Eugene sighed internally. Eugene wanted to kill Noir. But what about Noir? Her murderous intent was extremely passive. From her perspective, she didnt just want to kill Eugene. What she wanted was to kill Eugene, who was trying to kill her. Under such circumstances, if Eugene were to give up on his intent to kill her then Noir would just take it upon herself to rekindle Eugenes motivation to seek her death. In the end, Eugene and Noir would definitely fight each other to the death someday. But not today, Eugene told himself. Having calmly reassured Anise, Eugene flipped open the guidebook that Mer had given him. He immediately saw a picture of one of thendmarks of Giabe City, the Giabe-Face that usually floated in the skies above the city. Within the photo, on top of the giant head, beneath an unfurled parasol Noir Giabe was posing, dressed seductively only in a bikini while lying on a sunbed. Eugenes expression twisted into a frown as he snapped the book shut. * * * [Lla~ Lla~] [Happy happy happy Giabe~] [Every day~ is Giabe Day~] [Wee to the Giabe Park ~] [Where dreamse true~] [Wee to~ Gia, Gia, Gia~ Giaaaaa~ Giabe Park~!] The colorfully decorated castle walls and gate looked like something straight out of a fairy tale. The road that led from the warpgate outside of the city to the castle gate sparkled in the sun without even a single stain marring its surface. The pirs that lined either side of the wide road were connected to each other by holographic screens, and various videos were ying on those screens, showing things like the group performance of the newest idols to have debuted under the Giabe Entertainment Celebrity Agency. Past the throngs of people, an incredibly bizarre sculpture could be seen floating in the skies above the tall castle walls. ... Eugene found himself left speechless at the sight. It was the same Giabe-Face that he had seen in the photo. Now that he was actually seeing the Giabe-Face in person, just what could he say? At the very least, the feeling of intimidation that it gave off was different from his first impression. But there was another shocking factor. ...Wasnt there only supposed to be one of them? Eugene muttered unconsciously as he noticed yet another Giabe-Face floating high in the sky. Currently, there were at least three Giabe-Faces floating above the city. Chapter 427: Giabella City (2) Chapter 427: Giabe City (2) A head made of metal floated in the sky; this was the famed Giabe-Face. As its name suggested, it was sculpted in the form of Noir Giabes face, and this bizarre flying object was asrge as a sizable mansion. Moreover, there wasnt just one of them flying about the city. When Eugene had checked the guidebooks, they had only mentioned the one Giabe-Face, but now there were three Giabe-Faces flying in the skies above Giabe City. Although they all sported the same face, the hair attached to each of the heads wasnt identical. There existed clear differences between their hairstyles and individual hair colors. What kind of crazy, Eugene muttered, his brow furrowed as he stared up at the three Giabe-Faces. He found it extremely difficult to understand just what kind of twisted person with twisted sense coulde up with such bizarrely shaped flying objects. Perhaps someone might be able to im to see some sort of artistic value in them, but to Eugene, they just seemed like a manifestation of Noir Giabes characteristically self-obsessed narcissism. However, these flying heads did not seem to just be floating around without any meaning or purpose to their existence. After Eugene reached into his cloak to get hold of Akasha, he unconsciously let out a sigh. Theyre even moreplex than most Signatures, Eugene realized. He could tell that each of the Giabe-Faces was made from abination of several different types of magic, but even with all of Eugene and Akashas abilitiesbined, it was impossible to see all of the magic that had gone into making one of those Giabe-Faces. It was clear that since Noir was openly disying them in the skies above her city instead of hiding them away somewhere, it meant that she must have already put a lot of work into ensuring that no one would be able to see through them. Shes previously shown that she can extend the power of her Demoneye of Fantasy through the eyes of those flying heads. Then does that mean she can link all three of them together to expand the reach of her power? No, thats impossible, Eugene told himself. If that was possible, she might be able to cast the power of her Demoneye of Fantasy over extreme distances just by sending a Giabe-Face to another city, but that would be absurd. If something like that was truly possible, then she would be able to conquer an entire empire with just a single Giabe-Face. Noir Giabe should only be able to extend the power of her Demoneye of Fantasy through the Giabe-Face that she is personally riding, Eugene decided. But even that alone was an amazing feat. Looking at the size of a single Giabe-Face, Noir would be able to meet the eyes of most of the inhabitants of an entire city, which would allow her to cast a fantasy over all of the inhabitants at once. While examining the movements of the flying Giabe-Faces, Eugene continued to ponder, The remaining two might also serve some kind of role. No perhaps they were just made so that she could show off her face more. Considering Noirs personality, something like that wasntpletely impossible, but when Eugene took a look at all the dark power that had gone into their construction, it didnt seem likely that they would not be serving some kind of purpose. Since they were flying above the city''s center, it seemed like Noir might currently be riding in one of them, and as for the other two. Eugene spected that if he were to destroy just one of those heads, the crater that would be left in the ground from its fall would be around the same size as the one left by the Dragon-Demon Castle. But even with such dangerous flying objects with mysterious purposes floating over their heads, there were far too many eager visitors still wanting to enter the city. This was the city that attracted the most tourists in all of Helmuth. The entrance fee charged just to pass through the city gates alone was considerable, but plenty of people were still waiting in line ahead of them to enter through the distant city gates. Even with all of that, the fact that this line was only so long was all because Giabe City had ced restrictions on how many were allowed to enter. Any ordinary person would have to book in advance and wait several months if they wanted to enter Giabe City, and even if you did pay extra, under the pretext of making a donation, for a priority ticket, it was still impossible to enter on the same day. However, Eugene had a badge that had been directly gifted to the Ruhr Kingdom. Thanks to it, he was able to head straight to Giabe City after leaving Ruhr, but looking at the speed at which the line was moving, it seemed like he would have no choice but to stand in line like this for at least a full day. It wasnt like there wasnt a way for them to receive special treatment. Looking far ahead into the distance, Eugene could see that there was a separate line for VIPs seeking to enter the city on the other side of a holographic screen. Even as he had stood here, waiting in line, Eugene had already watched several long, dark limousines drop off their VIPs at the gate before leaving. While this wasnt likely to happen thanks to his possessing the Ruhr Kingdoms badge, if Eugene were to reveal his identity right now and ask to be let in, the staff stationed at the entrance would surely lead Eugene inside immediately. Considering that he was nning on revealing his whereabouts to the world in any case, there was no need for him to attempt to hide his identity through the use of a pseudonym. But even so wouldnt it be too embarrassing to go up to one of the demonfolk manning the line, reveal his identity, and demand special treatment? He might already be nning to spread his whereabouts, but he didnt want to reveal himself in such a shameful manner. So, in his heart, Eugene was caught between weighing his pride against his reason. Tchtchk. The holographic screen that was dividing the two lines suddenly let out a static sound. The movements of the idols on screen, whose dance steps were as sharp as a knife, suddenly froze before an entirely different image appeared in their ce. The appearance of the owner of Giabe City, Noir Giabe, had appeared on the holographic screen. Most of the people who were standing in line let out noises of surprise when the screen suddenly changed. This couldnt be helped, as the Noir that was currently shown on screen was in the middle of soaking her body in arge bathtub. Thanks to the thick foam, there wasnt much skin exposed, but all of those present couldnt help but be surprised to see the beautiful Duke appear on screen without even a single stitch of clothing. Blinking her wide, round eyes, Noir shifted in her bath. While brushing away her water-soaked bangs of hair, she leaned her head forward, her gaze darting here and there as if she were searching for something. ...Wow, Noir eventually let out a small exmation of surprise. Why had she suddenly appeared on the screen like this? What could she be looking for with that roving gaze of hers? To Eugene, the answer to these questions was so obvious that there was no need to make any guesses. In the end, Eugene felt his eyes meet with Noirs. Sir Eugene, Mer whispered. Both Mer and Raimira felt a mixture of excitement and concern upon seeing Noir. In addition to that, they were also distracted by the need to pay attention to Eugenes reaction. There was no way that they were just going to turn around and leave after havinge this far, right? From what they had seen so far, Eugene had always reacted with a stiff expression, along with irritation or rage, whenever the Queen of the Night Demons did something outrageous like this in his presence. B-benefactor, Im fine with not going into that city. As long as thedy is together with my Benefactor and the Saint, thisdy will be happy with wherever you choose to go, Raimira quickly piped as she clung onto both Eugene and Kristinas hands. Just what you would expect from such a cunning lizard, Mer thought as she nced over at Raimira, who had stolen the words that she was about to say. Why change ns aftering all the way here? If I really didnt want to see that bitch pulling such bullshit, I wouldnt havee here in the first ce, Eugene said with a sullen expression as he pulled his hands free from both of the young girls grips. He was pretty sure that Noir wasnt going to do anything drastic, but he couldnt be sure of anything yet. Keeping his guard up, Eugene red up into the sky. One of the Giabe-Faces that had been floating over the city began approaching them. It was the one that Noir Giabe was personally riding in, which had a crown on top of its head. When the Giabe-Face suddenly flew over the castle walls and above the crowd that was waiting in line, everyone present let out a cheer as they looked up into the sky. Dont look, Eugene muttered in a low voice. At these words, Mer ducked her head, and Raimira covered her eyes with both hands. Kristina also pulled the hood of her robe down over her eyes. Eugene was the only one who didnt lower his head. The Giabe-Face slowly drew closer. At some point, the cries of everyone who had been looking up into the sky had fallen silent. Eugene nced around at the people standing next to them. The eyes of everyone who had raised their heads to look up into the sky were now nk and empty. The Demoneye of Fantasy, Eugene recognized. The floating head hadnt just simply flown over the crowd. Noir Giabe had also cast an illusion over everyone present in the crowd through her Demoneye of Fantasy. There was no way to tell what kinds of illusions they were being shown, but looking at the smiles spreading across all of their faces, it seemed like it was at least a happy and peaceful fantasy. Of course, Eugene had no desire to be caught in a fantasy like that. But he still refused to turn his gaze away even with that risk because he wanted to test his resistance against the Demoneye of Fantasy that had currently enraptured the whole crowd. Kristina, who had lowered her head, saw some light begin to spread out from beneath Eugenes feet. Although it only stretched a few paces outwards in a circle from where Eugene was standing, the entire zone was protected by Eugenes divine power and, under its influence, had been transformed into holy ground. So this is what it feels like, Eugene thought. Standing in the center of his holy ground, Eugene saw something that you wouldnt usually see, something that usually couldnt be seen. He watched as waves of light spread out from the Giabe-Facesrge eyes. However, none of the waves were able to intrude into the holy ground that Eugene had created. Inside the Giabe-Face, behind thoserge crystal pupils, Eugene saw the source of these waves; he spotted Noir Giabe, who had quickly slipped on a change of clothes. Right now, in Eugenes eyes, he seemed to be getting a glimpse into whaty at the very depths of Noirs, the Queen of the Night Demons, existence. He could see how long she had managed to stay alive and just how much her strength had grown over that time. Her dark power, which seemed to be without end, felt even greater than the universe contained within Eugene. Even if he maximized his firepower by stacking Ignition and Prominence together, like he had when he defeated Molon, it didnt feel like it would be possible for Eugene to match Noir Giabe in terms of her strength and intensity of dark power. Was it even possible for an existence like her to die in the first ce? A trace of divinity suddenly leaked into his thoughts and sparked Eugenes intuition. It was impossible. There didnt exist any method by which the current Eugene could y Noir Giabe. No matter what means he attempted, Eugene wouldnt be able to kill Noir Giabe. Uponprehending this fact, Eugene could onlyugh in disbelief. Even though she possessed such a level of strength, she still wasnt even a Demon King? Eugene tried to be optimistic, At least its possible to resist her Demoneye by extending my holy ground. However, would it still be possible for him to resist it when Noir put all her effort into unleashing her power on him? Last time, he had managed to confirm that even if he did fall into one of her illusions, he would be able to regain consciousness thanks to his divinity. Thistest experiment did at least manage to prove that he wouldnt be able to kill Noir without obtaining much more divine power than he currently possessed. Eugene red at Noir as she slowly drew closer. What a fiery gaze, Noir thought as she looked down at Eugene. Although there were countless other people gathered below her, Noirs eyes were fixed solely on Eugene. She had thought that it might be an illusion at first. However, there was no way that Noir could fail to recognize the feeling of Eugenes presence. Really to think that they would be able to meet again here in this city. If youe to my city to have fun instead of trying to kill me, I will be sure to wee you sincerely. That was the invitation she had left Eugene with when they had parted ways in Shimuin. However, Noir hadnt gotten her hopes up. She had thought there was no way someone likeHamel would visit Giabe City to have fun. But lo and behold, Hamel had arrived here in her city. While feeling a mixture of curiosity and excitement, Noirbed her hair back. Had hee here to fight? Had the timee for him to finally try to kill her? No, thats not it, Noir quickly decided. She reminded herself that she needed to set aside her own feelings and think about the issue calmly. Keeping a cold smile on her face, Noir tilted her head to the side and said, If you havee here today to try and kill me, I feel like you might end up being disappointed. Noir was just as certain as Eugene was that he currently wasnt able to kill her. Moreover, Eugene didnt even have Sienna Merdein at his side. Noir narrowed her eyes, However. It was readily apparent from the gap between their strength that Eugene didnt have a chance at killing Noir, but Noir still felt surprised by Eugenes current strength. He had be much stronger since thest time she had met him in Shimuin. On top of that, the power within him felt different from the mana that most humans used. Divine power? Could he have started worshiping the Light? Tilting her head to the other side, Noir furrowed her brow. Her Demoneye of Fantasy hadnt been able to get through Eugenes defenses. It seems like hes prepared something to deal with my Demoneye, Noir realized. She wanted to try and attempt to focus the power of her Demoneye on him, but Hamel would probably be angry with her if she pushed that far. Recalling the date that they had had within the dream, Noir suddenly grinned. She had pulled Eugene into the dream by suppressing his consciousness, but Eugene had still managed to reawaken his consciousness all on his own. Though that might not always be the case, Noir muttered with a nod. She would never be defeated. Hamel would never be able to kill her. Noir had the feeling that having such thoughts might be a mistake. Because within the current Eugene, there was an unusual power that Noir couldnt truly see through. Wait, unusual? ...? Noir hummed thoughtfully. She had never once met a divine power that caused her to feel it was unusual. Up until now, Noir had managed to corrupt countless priests. During the era of war, the number of pdins that Noir had toyed with and killed all by herself was enough to form a legion, and even before that, revealing a priests true desires and corrupting them had been one of Noirs favorite hobbies. But now, the light that was currently shining beneath Eugenes feet was giving her a strange feeling, one both familiar and unfamiliar. Now that she was aware of it, it was beginning to bother her, and she felt her heart start to pound. Noir unconsciously clenched her fists as her shoulders trembled in surprise. Her attention was suddenly drawn to Eugenes left ring finger. Of course, he was no longer wearing anything on that finger, and for some unknown reason, Noir felt an inexplicable satisfaction upon seeing this. Noir couldnt understand the source of all these emotions that she was currently experiencing. She felt quite flustered by this, but even though she tried her best, it was impossible to identify the source of these fleeting feelings. Could this be love? Noir muttered to herself as Eugene began walking over. She turned her attention away from his bare ring finger and stepped forward to meet him. Cre- cre- creak. The lips of the Giabe-Face opened up. Having already cleared all thoughts of those mysterious emotions from her mind, Noir gave Eugene a bright smile and said, Wee to Giabe City! * * * Could this be a dream? Noir Giabe thought to herself. Even after all the years she had been alive, she still found it difficult to grasp a clear understanding of the situation she now found herself in. Hamel had suddenly shown up in front of her Giabe City. Although she had gone out in person to meet him, Noir hadnt expected their reunion to be such a happy one. She had thought that things would y out just as they had before, with her being met with a few harsh words and for all of her love-filled invitations to be deflected by him. Im d to see you again, Hamel. How are you? Would you like toe in and take a flight with me? She had said all this while fully expecting him to reject her. She had been waiting for him to swear at her and tell her to fuck off, but instead. Eugene had just said, Fine. It was a reply that she couldnt have ever imagined from him. Noir had yet to shake herself free of the questions that had flooded her head when he had surprised her. Noir, who had just been standing there with a nk look, btedly came to her senses and turned to look beside her, ...Hamel? They were currently inside the Giabe-Face, in the gorgeous room that Noir usually resided in. Eugene and hispanions were all currently in the same room with her. Eugene, who had been ring down at the city through the front window, now turned around to look at her in response to her call. What? Eugene grunted. Noir coughed awkwardly, Um ahem. Its just that this is very unexpected of you. Kristina was standing quite far apart from them while holding onto Mer and Ramiras hands. She was just as taken aback as Noir had been by Eugenes unexpected response and subsequent actions. Though as they hade to Giabe City, it was only natural that they would end uping into contact with Noir Giabe. [What on earth is he thinking,] Anise muttered, unable to understand what Eugene might be nning. Kristina also felt the same way. Suppressing her anxiety, she stared at the backs of Eugene and Noir. ...Sister, Kristina silently called out. [Yes, I saw it as well,] Anise confirmed. Earlier, before the lips of the Giabe-Face opened up and Noir walked out, Eugenes expression had suddenly changed as he was watching the Giabe-Face gradually draw closer. His eyes, which had been filled with his wariness of Noir, had shaken as his brow and lips twisted into a grimace. Kristina and Anise knew all too well what kind of emotion that expression was meant to convey. Despair. But what on earth could have prompted it? Kristina asked herself. Could his despair be because of the gap Eugene had sensed between himself and the Queen of the Night Demons? No, there was no way that could be the case. The two Saints knew that Eugene would never feel despair in the face of something like that. Its because I also have a lot of questions about this strange device, Eugene answered Noirs unspoken question with a stiff expression. Thats why I didnt refuse your offer. I just thought that I would be able to get a better look at it from the inside rather than staying outside. His im was true to a certain extent. Eugene didnt say anything further as he turned his gaze away from Noir. Even though he had just given her such an excuse, Eugene wasnt able to truly focus on examining the inside of the Giabe-Face. Instead, he red down at Giabe City through the window that he was currently standing in front of. At the same time, he kept shooting nces at the dim reflection of Noir Giabe that was visible in the window. Chapter 428: Giabella City (3) Chapter 428: Giabe City (3) This really wasnt like him. Eugene himself was more aware of this fact than anyone else. It was true that he had been curious about the Giabe-Faces, but to the extent that he would willingly enter Noir Giabes room on his own two feet? In the end, saying that he might be able to see something else from the inside was just an excuse. What he was actually looking at currently was the view of Giabe City from high above, as well as the reflection of the room that was dimly visible in the ss. Including. The reflection of Noir Giabe. Eugene had already realized the intent behind the gaze that she was directing at him. It was because he understood that Noir had noticed something was wrong for Eugene to feel so disgruntled and upset. The divinity that had leaked into his thoughts and the intuition that this had sparked had made it so that, for a single moment, Eugenes eyes had seen and understood far too much. It had allowed him to assess Noir Giabes true strength. It had given him a deep insight into her very existence. Until that point, there hadnt been any problems. It wasnt like Eugene had seen anything too unusual. However, Eugene also naturally came to a particr revtion. It had to do with the moment of Agaroths death. Who was it that had had the most impact on Agaroth in that moment? Who was it that Agaroth had ordered to flee for her life at the very end? Even at that moment, when the War God himself had decided to face his own death and drove his own divine army into annihtion, Agaroth had hoped that a specific woman would escape and manage to survive even just a little bit longer. He had not wanted her to witness the sight of the god dying. That woman was the Saint of the God of War. The Twilight Witch. And from Noir Giabe, Eugene had sensed the presence of the Twilight Witch. Although not even a trickle of Agaroths divine power remained in the current Noir, Eugenes divine inspiration had allowed him to intuitively grasp the nature of Noirs soul. So Eugene was now faced with a mix of emotions. Eugene could think of himself as Hamel, but he did not identify himself as Agaroth. This was because he had never lived as Agaroth. In the end, Agaroths memories and emotions, all of the baggage that came with that, felt like they belonged to someone else. Even after bing aware that he was Agaroths reincarnation, Eugene still wanted to distinguish himself from that god. ..., Eugene grimaced in silence. The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, among all of the demonfolk, she was the one who was seen as the closest to bing a Demon King, no, a Greater Demon King. Her reputation wasnt just developed over the era of war. Even before that, she had already possessed a notorious reputation as the Queen of the Night Demons. Her having such a title could only mean one thing. It meant that Noir had already been recognized as being at the pinnacle of all demonfolk even before the war. Of course, examining such ancient history was a challenging prospect, but there was no need to go so far into the past just to get a rough idea of who Noir was. During the era of war, the number of soldiers defeated by Noir alone could have filled several legions. By both Eugene and Hamels standards, Noir was an enemy that had to be killed no matter what. But such a certainty was now being contaminated with Agaroths feelings. This posed a terrible and disgusting problem for Eugene. No matter what type of rtionship Agaroth may have developed with the Twilight Witch after epting her as his Saint, everything to do with that bond should belong solely to Agaroth, not Eugene. So why was that bond and those emotions, which didnt even belong to him, shaking Eugenes will? Eugene turned his head to re at Noir. Youre really doing this out of curiosity? Noir asked him quizzically. Noir wasnt in a position to empathize with Eugenes current emotions. Her strange feeling of affection from earlier at the sight of Eugenes bare left ring finger hade and gone in an instant, and just like Eugene with Agaroth, it hadnt left much of an impression on who Noir was. Eugene had first inherited Agarorths Divine Sword. As a result, the reawakened divinity was slowly growing stronger, and Eugene himself had purposefully sought to view more of Agaroths memories. Just like the memories that the city buried in the abyss beneath the deep sea had awakened in Eugene, Agaroths lingering feelings for the Twilight Witch, which had stayed with him until the very end, were also emotionally affecting Eugene. However, Noir had no such connections that would allow her to recall her past lifes memories or emotions like Eugene had. She had experienced some fragments of nostalgia after sensing Eugenes divinity, but that was all, and she hadnt felt anything more than that. But this was only natural. Right now, she was no longer the Saint of the God of War, nor was she the Twilight Witch. She was Noir Giabe, Queen of the Night Demons, Duke of the Helmuth Empire, Master of Dreamia and Giabe City, and Owner of the Giabe Park. With a yful smile, Noir leaned closer toward Eugene. Her every action oozed seduction. The gown she had thrown in a hurry slipped down slightly, tantly exposing more of Noirs pale skin. Noir lowered her voice and said, Hamel, Ive always made sure that you know how much affection I bear for you so much so that my lips are just aching from saying the words over and over again but even so, we are still enemies, arent we? Even if its you, I cant just reveal all of the secrets of my amazing Giabe-Face. Noir knew that this sort of approach wasnt one that Eugene enjoyed. While things might not be all that different for the current era, in the past, mercenaries and prostitutes were the two professions that were especially seen as inseparable. This was particrly the case during the era of the war when most mercenarypanies had been apanied by a group of prostitutes. Yet even so, Hamel, who had first made a name for himself as a mercenary, didnt have any tolerance for this type of temptation. Noir was hoping for Eugenes face to blush or for him to turn away, with his expression twisted into a frown. Because either way, Noir would be amused to see Hamel being bothered by her advances. However, this time, Eugenes face didnt flush, nor did his expression twist into a frown. Thats right, Eugene readily agreed, nodding without agitation, to the point where it was Noir who found herself feeling embarrassed instead. We are enemies, he asserted. Eugenes sense of reason had defined Noir as his enemy. He had always thought that he would definitely have to kill Noir someday. However from the depths of his heart, a desire for a slightly different rtionship with her was beginning to sprout. Eugene was able to clearly distinguish the source of this feeling. It didnt belong to either Hamel or Eugene. Like Noir had just whispered, Eugene and Noir saw each other as enemies. Her words managed to cool Eugenes agitated heart. Noir wasnt disappointed by Eugenes tack of an obvious reaction. Hamel, have youe here to kill me? Noir asked with a smile on her face. Noir wasnt disappointed by Eugenes response, instead, she was thrilled by the spine-chillingly cold killing intent that came rolling off of him. If that is the case, then I I will be sure to give you an enthusiastic response, but Im afraid you will just end up disappointed in the end, Noir warned. Setting aside her own excitement, Noirs eyes were shing as various thoughts ran through her mind. Sienna Merdein wasnt here with Eugene. It was true that there might be no one in this world who could actually rece someone like her, but Eugene hadnt even thought of bringing another helper with him in her ce. Should she really consider a hatchling as something ferocious when it wasnt even fully grown? Should she smother it with all her might before it could grow into a mighty dragon? But in the end, even if it was tuned up by its master, a familiar was still ultimately just a familiar. And as for Kristina Rogeris, the Saint of this Era? Certainly, Noir knew that she could no longer afford to look down on Kristina. When they had first met in the snowfield, it had not seemed like Kristina had anything that particrly marked her out as the Saint, but. Perhaps it was because Kristina was influenced by the presence of the Hero, or it might have been thanks to her experience from taking part in the subjugation of a Demon King, but Noir could now sense a special kind of strengthing from Kristina that made it impossible to doubt that she was indeed the Saint. And if were not here to kill you? Eugene asked. What are you going to do then? Noir smiled, We might be enemies, but thats not all we are to each other, no? I happen to think that our rtionship is a very special one. But honestly speaking, as long as the two of us try to end each others life someday then it doesnt matter what kind of rtionship we have prior to that. A very special one, she said. Eugene clicked his tongue as he once again turned his head away from her. Right now, it would be impossible for me to kill you, Eugene reluctantly admitted out loud. Hehe, Noir giggled, feeling a mischievous sense of sadism at seeing his quiet acknowledgment. To think that there would ever be a situation where Hamel would end up walking into the palm of her hand all on his own ord. If he had just epted her previous offers to have fun, she could have given him all the fun he would ever want, but Noir set such thoughts aside. Three hundred years ago, Hamel wouldnt have had any reason to ept any of her offers, but now they werent in the middle of a war. Besides that, Noir had more important things to think about because this wasnt just any ordinary city; this was Noirs city. Wee to Giabe Park! Noir dered proudly. This was the most luxurious city in all of Helmuth. A city where you could enjoy whatever pleasures or entertainment you desired, so long as you could pay the price that is. The staff of Giabe Park would wee all of the guests who came to them with a smile. Even if that guest was the Hero who someday intended to destroy this city. No, instead, that was even more reason why Noir, as the master of the city, should be the one to wee Eugene with her brightest smile. What would you like to try first? The attraction that draws in the most people to this city is the casino, but I dont really think you would enjoy visiting the casino all that much, Hamel, Noir trailed off just as she was chattering away, her gaze drifting to the side. She had spotted Mer and Raimira, who were holding on tightly to Kristinas hands while hiding behind the Saint. Noticing the youthful excitement in the eyes of the two girls, Noir gave them a wide grin. Young Noir began to speak, only to pause soon after. Was it really appropriate to refer to these two as young children? Noir pondered that question for a moment before deciding that it would work as the two in front of her were children based on their outer appearance. She continued speaking.. We also have many attractions for younger children. The motto of our Giabe Park is that we are a theme park that can be enjoyed by people of all ages, Noir dered proudly. Raimira and Mer swallowed involuntarily at the words attractions for younger children. Noir spun around and strode over towards Kristina. She didnt just simply walk over though. As she approached, Noirs loose-fitting gown began to cling to her body and then transformed into apletely different outfit. Noirs clothing had be a colorful and fancy ball gown, like those worn by the princesses in Grimms fairy tales[1]. Click, click, click, click. That was the sound that Noirs new heels made with each step she took. As if showing it off, Noir tantly pushed out her chest and red down at Kristina when she reached them. ..., Kristina, as well as Anise inside of her, couldnt help but re back at Noir, who was still puffing out her chest, with a fierce look in their eyes. If they truly wanted topete with Noirs tant challenge, they didnt think that they would lose, but what Noir was doing seemed so ridiculous that the choice didnt appeal to the two Saints, not to mention Noirs actions were so vulgar it just left them feeling irritated. However. apart from all of that, they couldnt help but also feel intimidated. Noirs purple eyes gave Kristina a frightening sensation. It was as if they wanted to devour the Saints entire existence. What is it? Anise demanded, stepping to the forefront of their shared consciousness. For some reason, Hamel was showing a strange reaction to this Queen of Sluts, but now wasnt the time to ask the reason for that. It couldnt be, Anise hastily tried to deny the first possibility that came to mind. I cant think of anything in particr that you might want to see. But perhaps even someone like you might have a few secret desires? Noir asked, her eyes shining with light. Noir casually tried to reach beyond the surface of Kristinas consciousness to skim her subconscious lightly, but she found that the Saints mental barriers were stronger than she had expected. Though just based on appearances, it seemed like there were some shady desires filling the depths of Kristinas heart. Noir was certain that the day woulde when she would expose the Saints secret desires. The Light is constantly illuminating both my body and spirit, so how could there be anything like secret desires hiding within me? If you dont have any reason to keep looking at us, please step back or at least turn your head away. Noir Giabe, every time you open your mouth, the stench of dirty rags is so strong that I find it hard to breathe, Anise said with a sneer. Her rant hade out of seemingly nowhere. Noir eyes widened into circles as she stared into Kristinas face and gasped, Oh my theres no way. Anise was also just as shocked, regretting the flood of words right after she had finished unleashing them. Is it because shes a clone of Anise? Noir wondered. Noir had recognized the simrity between Anise and Kristinas facial features right from the start, but she never would have imagined that their resemnce would go all the way to the sharpness of their tongue. No, perhaps Anise had also been reincarnated from the afterlife into Kristina Rogeris. Noir sorted out her expression as she came up with various assumptions. Your words are so vulgar that theyre iprehensible I dont even want to say anything in response, Noir said in a huff before crouching down. Noir did this in order to put herself on the same eye level as Mer and Raimira, who were still hiding behind the Saint. At this move, Anise took a step back. In fact, what she actually wanted to do was to nt her knee in the center of Noirs face as soon as she bent over, but Anise barely managed to hold back the urge to do so. Please do not get close to my children, Anise and Kristina both said together in the same cold voice. Noir raised a brow, ...Your children? Even though theyre not actually your children? I said, donte any closer, the Saints merely repeated their warning, ignoring Noirs words. Raimira was so moved by these words that tears began to well up in her eyes. Although Raimira had always wanted to call Kristina her mother, she had never been able to bring herself to call Kristina that or ask for permission to do so. But to think that she would actually hear such affectionate words spoken directly by her adored Saint! Even Mer, who was holding on to the Saints right hand, felt a simr surge of emotions to Raimiras. Of course, she did have Sienna Merdein as a creator, but where in the world would you find aw that said someone could only have one mother? In some situations, it was normal to have two mothers. A mother who personally gave birth to you and another mother who breastfed you. As Mer had these thoughts, she tightened her grip on the Saints hand. Im not going to do anything nasty to these two. I also happen to really like children, Noir said as she raised her hand. Whoosh! From out a distorted area of space, a basket that wouldnt appear out-of-ce at a pic suddenly appeared. Also, with these, Im pretty sure these two will definitely take a liking to me, right? Noir said confidently. Noir reached in and pulled her hand out of the basket, and when her tightly clenched fist opened, two sparkling coins were lying in the palm of her hand. This is a coin which surpasses Giabe Parks famous Special Coin, the Special Special Coin, Noir revealed. At the words, Special Special, the two girls eyes widened in both shock and desire. Let me just say, this is a type of coin of which only two exist in the entire world, Noir described seductively. Though, of course, thats only natural! After all, I personally made these coins specially for the two of you just now. Nothing is impossible with these Special Special Coins! Whoever has these coins is on the same level as a god here in Giabe Park! Anise frowned, What kind of crazy Noir interrupted her, Im just being generous. In any case, its not like you came here to try and kill me. Isnt that right, Kristina Rogeris? If you really care about these children, you cant just arbitrarily suppress their own desires and not let them do what they want. At these words, Anise furrowed her brow. Listening to the conversation from inside their shared consciousness, Kristina also couldnt help but flinch. For these two, who had been artificially molded into Saints, their childhood memories consisted solely of constant coercion and constraints. Never once had they been allowed to do what they wanted. Noir, having clearly guessed what the past of these two Saints must have been like, let out a wicked smile. If you really want to make them go through the same thing that you experienced and hated, hehe, I suppose I can understand that, Noir said with a giggle. After all, most humans feel that it is unfair if they are the only ones to have experienced misfortune, so they end up creating a chain of tragedy by inflicting it on someone else. Anise growled, You dare! Right as Anise was about to spit out another torrent of verbal abuse, Eugene, who had been looking out the window, spoke up, Let them take the coins. After all, its true that this city is well-run and a good ce to have fun. ...Sir Eugene, Anise said hesitantly. They should take the chance to have some fun before the city gets destroyed, said Eugene. After hesitating for a few more seconds, Anise let out a sigh. She couldnt help but sympathize with Eugenes argument ever so slightly. Compared to any other city on the continent, there was no other city that specialized in providing entertainment like this one. When Eugene eventually came to kill Noir, this ce Giabe City would definitely be turned into ruins. You can take those coins, Anise conceded, letting go of the girls hands. However, dont say thank you to her. Mer and Raimira did as Anise had instructed. Mer pridefully stuck her chin up as she snatched the coin from Noirs hand with a disdainful sneer, G-give it here! Although her chin may have been turned up, Mer couldnt help that her eyes were sparkling and her voice was shaking. Since Mer had already provided her with an example, Raimira also quickly mustered up her courage. This was Duke Noir Giabe, the person whom she had admired ever since she was imprisoned inside the Dragon-Demon Castle. To Raimiria, Noir might be an amazing female demonfolk whom she still aspired to like, but her admiration for Noir couldnt exceed her admiration for the Saint. Thisdy will ept your tribute! Raimira said as she quickly reached out and plucked the coin from Noirs hand. However, even after being treated with such disrespect, Noirs smile didnt disappear. As she raised her head once more, she twirled around while lightly holding on to the hem of her skirt. Although I feel like I would be happy if we could just fly around in the sky like this forever, Noir sighed as she looked at Eugenes back, who was still ring out the window. But if I did so I feel like I would have to give up a few of my other desires. Or perhaps, how about it? Why dont you all get off first so Hamel and I can stay here alone? Lets head over there, Eugene spoke up. He pointed his finger at one of the buildings visible below. Just like Noirs costume, it was a castle decorated with a colorful and borate exterior that made it look like something straight out of one of Grimms fairy tales. ording to the information he had read in the guidebooks on their way here, Giabe Park was divided into several sections based on different concepts. Although it was true that entertainment such as clubs, casinos, and other types of gambling venues could be found at the very center of Giabe Park, there was no shortage of other areas meant for families of tourists with young children. Thats Giabe Castle! Raimira cried out as she rushed up to stand at Eugenes side. Btedly realizing something, Raimira quickly turned her head to stare at Noir. Thats right! Noir said proudly. Currently, I am dressed as the beautiful Princess Giabe, who has been trapped in the highest tower of Giabe Castle! Each of the buildings in Fantasy Square, an area of the Park meant for children, had its own back story written in the guidebooks, but that hadnt been of any interest to Eugene. However, Mer and Raimira, who had always wanted to go to Giabe Park someday, were well-versed in all of Fantasy Squares backstories. Far down below the floating Giabe-Face that they were in was the Giabe Castle which was the most luxurious hotel that could be found in Fantasy Square. At the same time, it was the center of all the attractions and backstories located within Fantasy Square. Princess Giabe was said to have been imprisoned in the tallest tower of Giabe Castle, waiting for the Hero who would one daye to rescue her. As such a cliche fairy tale ran through Mer and Raimiras heads, the Giabe-Face was drawn closer to the castle Eugene had pointed out. Ill give you the room on the top floor, Noir offered. Its a secret room that not even one of the continents kings would be able to request. A secret room. Just how thrilling did those words sound? Mer and Raimira seemed like they were about to faint from excitement. While examining their expressions, Noir expertly drew out the reactions that she desired, Do you know what the room on the top floor means? Noirs fingers snapped together, making a clicking sound. At this gesture, the surface of thergeke located in the garden of Giabe Castle began to tremble. The tourists who had been enjoying thekes various rides screamed in surprise, but instead of abating, the phenomenon urring in theke actually grew into arge whirlpool. Its the Evil Dragon! Kaikaria! Mer and Raimira shouted as a huge, ck dragons head emerged from the whirlpool. It was obvious who the dragon was meant to be from its ck scales alone, but Raimira didnt seem to have recognized it. Gaaaaah! Flying out of theke, Kaikaria breathed out mes as it climbed up to the tower. In this castle, there exist all kinds of dangers that threaten the kind-hearted princess, Noir narrated. Boom! Boom! Booom! The skies above the castle suddenly turned dark. Along with the sound of crackling lightning, a huge shadow was cast over the castle. The giant shadow was of a wizard wearing arge hat and holding a staff. Its the Wicked Witch! She-Whose-Name-Must-Not-Be-Spoken! The gender could be inferred through the shadows long, fluttering hair. She-Whose-Name-Must-Not-Be-Spoken, huh. Indeed, it would have been risky for Noir to caricature Sienna, who was admired by all of the wizards on the continent, in the same way she had Raizakia. The highest tower of Giabe Castle is where the princess, who is hiding from the courtship of the dragon and the jealousy of the witch, hides, Noir revealed. At some point, Noir had moved to stand behind Mer and Raimira. Sheid a hand on the two girls shoulders while whispering into their ears, The fact that you two will be staying in that room means that you are the princesses trapped in the castle. Mer and Raimira both let out a scream of excitement at the same time. 1. The original Korean text actually uses the word Grimm, so we can just guess that maybe Eugenes world also has fairytales written by individuals named Grimm. Chapter 429: Giabella City (4)

Chapter 429: Giabe City (4)

¡°I wonder what his problem is?¡± Noir asked herself. After dropping Eugene and his group off at their rooms in the tower, Noir immediately departed from Giabe Castle. She had been tempted to head in with them and spend more time with Eugene, but since Eugene¡¯s condition seemed a bit different from usual, Noir also had no choice but to give up on that n. ¡°At least he still has the same level of killing intent. Well, indeed, there should be nothing that would change his murderous intent towards me,¡± Noir muttered as she sat down in a plush chair. Was it because of the dream she had shown himst time? It was true that Noir had provided him with a lot of information about Ravesta and Vermouth. However, such a favor wouldn¡¯t be enough to erase Hamel¡¯s acute killing intent. In fact, even now, Hamel still showed as much hatred for and desire to kill Noir as he always had. But it could also have left Hamel feeling a little doubtful of their enmity. Noir could understand why that might be the case. In the end, the man she loved was only human after all, so he might not be able to understand right away how Noir thought as a demonfolk. ¡ªYou don¡¯t want me to hate you. Having received help from you several times, you... want me to ept you, or perhaps join hands with you to fight against the Demon King of Incarceration together¡ª She hadn¡¯t even bothered to let him finish speaking. Such words weren¡¯t worth listening to in the slightest. From Noir¡¯s perspective, Hamel¡¯s words seemed incredibly cute. Of course, Noir didn¡¯t want any of that. While Hamel just wanted to kill Noir, Noir actually had two things that she desired: To die at Hamel¡¯s hands. Or to kill Hamel, who had failed to kill me. Noir hoped that Hamel would hate her so much that he dreamed of killing her. She hoped that he would hate her more than anyone else in the world. She hoped that he would one day stand in front of her, armed with his pure and upright killing intent. She hoped that he would give it everything that he had in order to kill her. But she would also be pleased if he felt a slight hesitation at the veryst moment. ¡°I¡¯m really quite the greedy woman,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she stroked her cheek. She wanted an emotional connection with Hamel. If possible, she wouldn¡¯t mind if their bodies mingled a few times as well. That¡¯s right; she would be happy if there could be a few more shared happy memories between them. Whether it was her or him who remained standing in the end... when they found themselves on the brink of delivering that final blow, at thest moment, if they could recall those memories... Noir hoped that whoever it was, they might feel a slight hesitation. Then, in the next moment, they would ovee that hesitation. And after the victor satisfies their original murderous intent, when it bes toote to turn back, Noir hoped that the survivor, whoever it was, would feel a sense of loss. If at all possible... Noir hoped that the survivor would then regret killing the other and be left with sorrow, regret, and even self-me. Noir was confident that that would be her response if she won. ¡°Would that happen to you as well? However... it¡¯s strange. I guess I¡¯m not soft enough to want to change you like that just yet,¡± Noir muttered in a low voice as she tilted her head thoughtfully. There was something more important than that. ¡®I can¡¯t have Hamel set down his killing intent,¡¯ Noir reminded herself. Though she didn¡¯t really believe that Hamel would do so. Noir might want their shared memories to increase and their bond to remain stronger, but it was just as important for Hamel to be the version of Hamel that she wanted. At the very end, if he gave up on his killing intent due to hesitation, Noir would kill Hamel without any qualms. ¡®Though I do hope that you will hesitate. As for me...,¡¯ Noir chuckled, ¡®fufu, I wonder if I would hesitate? I don¡¯t think I would, but both emotions and the future are equally unpredictable.¡¯ If Noir really did hesitate at thest second and stayed her hand.... ¡®I think it would be amazing if I died at your hands in that moment,¡¯ Noir thought with a smile. However.... If Hamel were to set down his killing intent before they reached that moment.... Though from the bottom of her heart, she honestly didn¡¯t believe that would be the case. But if he came to a misunderstanding due to the goodwill and affection that she had shown him and abandoned all his hostility and murderous intent, giving up on trying to kill her.... At that time, Noir would have no choice but to restrain her greed. She would be forced to give up on her wish for anyst-minute hesitation, romance, tragedy, etc. That meant then ¡ª just like she had said in the pce of Shimuin ¡ª she would have no choice but to do all the things Hamel would hate. If Hamel were to abandon his hatred and murderous intent, she would just have to step forward personally and rekindle the said hatred and murderous intent. The two children who had let out such excited shouts at the thought of bing princesses, the Saint who had proven to have as foul a tongue as Anise, Sienna Merdein, the Lionheart twins who he had grown up with during his childhood, the biological father of ¡®Eugene Lionheart,¡¯ and all the other Lionhearts. After she tore them all into pieces, then Hamel.... ¡°Though there shouldn¡¯t be a need for me to go that far,¡± Noir hummed consideringly. There was a part of her that wanted to see it happen. If she did all that... then just what kind of expression would Hamel show her? Noir addressed the absent Hamel, ¡°You must be thinking of that as well. After all, I did tell you all of that myself.¡± She didn¡¯t know what was currently causing Hamel to waver, but Noir still trusted Hamel. ¡®Does it have something to do with why he suddenly came to visit me?¡¯ Noir wondered. It didn¡¯t feel like that was the case. Considering that he had concealed himself from the eyes of the world for the past half a year... Noir had some guesses as to why he had suddenly decided to visit Giabe Park. The clouds of war were currently hovering over Helmuth. Several demonfolk had already crossed over to Nahama, and the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t sent out any rification of his position from Babel. Moreover, the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, was also keeping his silence. Babel might be eerily silent, but Pandemonium was still as peaceful as ever. And that wasn¡¯t because it had been ced under strict control. On the surface, daily life seemed to be continuing just as usual. However, below the surface, the demonfolk who were thirsting for war were already moving. And it wasn¡¯t just demonfolk who had made a contract with the ck wizards of the desert dungeons that had crossed over to Nahama. Taking part in this war were the young demonfolk who hoped to dominate theing era, as well as those has-beens who had managed to survive thest era of war, only with nothing to show for it, and had been rendered obsolete. Noir looked down on those who had crossed over to Nahama, but at the same time, she understood them. It wasn¡¯t clear when exactly it would happen, but it was an undeniable fact that a huge war was on its way. If the war were to break out in Pandemonium, there was no way that the has-beens who had been left behind the curve following the era of war and the children with few achievements to their name would be able to y even the smallest active role in theing war. The best ce for them to shine was in the uing war, and as a result, quite arge number of demonfolk had already crossed over to Nahama. Since neither the Demon King of Incarceration nor Gavid had put a stop to it, the number of demonfolk crossing over would gradually continue to rise in the future. However, no matter how many demonfolk crossed over into that parched desert, the oue of the war about to take ce there wouldn¡¯t change. The desert would serve as Amelia Merwin¡¯s public execution ground; that was an undeniable fact. ¡®I don¡¯t know where he was or what he did for the past half a year, but... he¡¯s be much stronger since Ist saw him in Shimuin. If I take into ount that mysterious power as well, he would probably be able to kill Iris all on his own if they were to fight once more...,¡¯ Noir surmised. Amelia Merwin was going to die. While Noir would acknowledge that Amelia was a unique and exceptional ck wizard, as long as the ck wizard remained confined within Ravesta, it was impossible for her to escape the death sentence imposed on her by the dark power of Destruction. If she didn¡¯t want to die in vain, Amelia would eventually have to leave Ravesta. Since she had been openly preparing for war and anticipating its arrival, Amelia would be left with no choice but to go to this desert that would soon be transformed into a battlefield. However, could Amelia Merwin ¡ª whose state wasn¡¯t all that different from a corpse ¡ª really be able to face the current Hamel? Noir thought about the cards that Amelia might be holding. Among those cards, the one that Amelia had put the most effort into cultivating was the Shade, who could no longer be referred to as merely the Death Knight. It seemed that it had be an even more special existence by incorporating the dark power of Destruction, but... it didn¡¯t seem likely that it would be able to win a fight against the current Eugene. Ultimately, both Amelia and her pets would meet a miserable and terrible end. Noir estimated, ¡®Hamel should havee to this city to lure Amelia out. Or perhaps it was to check the current situation in Helmuth.¡¯ She didn¡¯t think he would have any other reasons apart from those two. In the end, this meant that Hamel was just tantly making use of her affection to one-sidedly benefit himself, but... Noir didn¡¯t feel any difort from that fact. Noir was also looking forward to seeing the sight of Amelia dying horribly. While imagining Amelia being torn to pieces, Noir let out a giggle. Noir suddenly paused in thought. While she was in the middle of stroking her own cheek, she suddenly became distracted by her fingers. Noir blinked her eyes a few times, then stretched out her left hand in front of her face. ¡°...Hm,¡± Noir hummed thoughtfully. Naturally, the fingers of Noir¡¯s left hand werepletely bare. Why had those thoughts about a ring suddenly appeared in her mind out of nowhere? Tilting her head to the side, Noir tried to recall the emotions that had previously washed over her. But it didn¡¯t work. It was because she had felt those emotions so quickly and fleetingly that no traces were left behind. Even so... Noir tilted her head to the other side as she clenched and unclenched her fingers a few times. Every time she did so,rge, gorgeous rings appeared on the fingers of Noir¡¯s left hand, only to disappear once more. These were the type of rings that Noir usually wore when she wanted to entuate her own beauty. She had never once thought that they felt awkward or out of ce, but... strangely enough, she now had a strong feeling that they just weren¡¯t right. ¡®Could my tastes have changed?¡¯ Noir wondered with a shocked expression before fervently shaking her head. * * * In the tallest tower of Giabe Castley the top-floor penthouse. It must have been a fact that these rooms usually never received any guests, as apart from the furniture, they were barely equipped with any other daily necessities. This didn¡¯t turn out to be a problem. Because not long after Eugene and hispanions had entered the penthouse, the hotel staff quickly climbed up and delivered all the items they needed. Among the items that had been delivered in this fashion were several sets of clothes meant for Mer and Raimiara. Although dozens of different types of clothes were stored within the Cloak of Darkness tailored explicitly for the two girls, there weren¡¯t any ¡®princess-like¡¯ dresses like the ones brought up by the staff. In the end, they spent quite some time giggling while trying to choose one of the princess dresses to wear, but they just couldn''t decide on their favorite, so they changed into the dresses that Eugene and the Saints rmended. Eugene told the two girls, ¡°Head out and take a look around beforeing back.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Mer looked at him in surprise. ¡°Benefactor! Are you saying that Mer and I should go out alone with no one apanying us?¡± Raimira asked. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene confirmed. To think that Eugene would actually allow the two of them to go out on their own. Mer stared at Eugene with an expression of disbelief. Although it didn¡¯t seem like there would be any problems if the two girls went out on their own, even so, this was Giabe Park. Wasn¡¯t this still a city ruled by the Queen of the Night Demons? ¡°What if we get kidnapped?¡± Mer asked doubtfully. Eugene cocked an eyebrow, ¡°Who do you think would kidnap you two?¡± ¡°The Queen of Sluts,¡± Mer quickly answered. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened at Mer¡¯s reply. His surprise came because Eugene could never have imagined that the words ¡®Queen of Sluts¡¯ woulde out of Mer¡¯s mouth. He didn¡¯t think there was anything wrong about the title itself, but... even so, weren¡¯t those words a bit too vulgar and low-ss toe out of a child¡¯s mouth? ¡°Where did you learn such vulgarnguage?¡± Eugene demanded. Mer looked at him doubtfully, ¡°Sir Eugene, are you seriously asking that question?¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Then do you think I¡¯m asking you as a joke?¡± ¡°I first heard those words from you, Sir Eugene, as well as Lady Sienna and Lady Anise. I know a lot of other profane words apart from those, but who do you think I might have learned those from?¡± Mer asked teasingly. Eugene clicked his tongue, ¡°Tsk. Really, now, look at this girl¡¯s mouth. How cheeky.¡± ¡°Where do you think I learned such cheekiness from? Why don¡¯t you take a guess?¡± Mer, who was wearing a colorful princess dress, asked with a grin as she waved around a well-made toy wand. Her appearance was so cute that if Anci had seen her, she would drop to her knees while covering her mouth, but the words that she was spouting were supremely un-cute. ¡°There¡¯s no chance that that subus will try to kidnap you, so you don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Eugene eventually reassured her. ¡°Why not?¡± Mer tilted her head to the side. ¡°Because she has nothing to gain from kidnapping you,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°But Benefactor, in fact, thisdy wanted to hold both your and the Saint¡¯s hands while we went around sightseeing,¡± Raimira confessed with a sulky expression. At these words, Kristina walked over and patted Raimira on the head as sheforted her, ¡°It¡¯s not like this will be ourst day here, you know? So Rai, just for today, please go out and have fun with Mer.¡± Raimira pouted, ¡°Miss Saint....¡± ¡°Next time, Sir Eugene and I will explore all the ces you want to visit together. I look forward to seeing what kind of ce the two of you will end up choosing,¡± Kristina promised with a kind smile. With that push on their backs, Raimira and Mer skipped out of the penthouse, looking as if they had never even hesitated to leave. ¡°Is there something you don¡¯t want Sienna to know?¡± Anise asked after confirming that the two girls had really left. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene said as he plopped on the expensive sofa. They had already checked that there were no bugs installed in this penthouse. Mer was able to read Eugene¡¯s thoughts. However, that wasn¡¯t something that she could just do at will. So Eugene was able to hide things that he definitely didn¡¯t want Mer to know in the depths of his consciousness. He didn¡¯t want Mer to know about Noir Giabe, the fact that she was the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch. No, it was actually Sienna to whom Eugene didn¡¯t want to reveal this news. In fact, if Eugene told her to keep it a secret, Mer would have no choice but to follow that order, but if he really did that, wouldn¡¯t he be forcing Mer to lie to Sienna? ¡°Frankly speaking, I don¡¯t want to tell you about it either,¡± Eugene muttered with a wry smile. At that, Anise let out a snort, then picked up a bottle of liquor that had been ced in the room as part of the decor and sat down next to Eugene. ¡°Hamel, you might have been able to hide it if you came here alone. However, I came here with you, so what can you do about the fact that I¡¯ve already seen it?¡± Anise raised an eyebrow in challenge. Eugene sighed, ¡°As expected, you really did notice something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s all because you really weren¡¯t acting like yourself,¡± Anise muttered as she uncorked the bottle. ¡°Just like Kristina, I am very good at reading people¡¯s facial expressions. Especially since... we both know the feeling of despair extremely well.¡± Anise tilted the bottle over to Eugene. Eugene didn¡¯t refuse the invitation and took the bottle. He didn¡¯t even feel like taking the time to pour it into a ss, so he just raised the bottle to his lips and poured the liquor straight into his mouth. Eugene emptied half of the bottle in a few quick glugs before handing it back to Anise. ¡°Does it have to do with Agaroth¡¯s memories?¡± Anise asked as she assessed the remaining weight of the much lighter bottle. She wasn¡¯t entirely certain about her guess. However, for Hamel to feel despair in the moment when he was confronting Noir, whom he hated and held such a desire to kill, she believed that there could be no other reasons apart from that. As for the gap in levels between himself and Noir? That was something Eugene had already known about right from the very start. Anise knew Hamel wasn¡¯t the kind of man who was shallow enough that he would feel despair at facing an opponent who was currently stronger than himself. Even more so if that opponent was an actual enemy. ¡°Yeah,¡± Eugene gave a curt acknowledgment. He didn¡¯t suppress the feeling of intoxication that started to bubble up within him. The inside of his stomach felt hot as if he had swallowed a me, but in contrast, his head felt ice-cold. Anise hesitated, ¡°Hamel, you... after seeing you in so much... despair, I¡¯ve formed a few of my own guesses.¡± Although she was holding onto the bottle, Anise didn¡¯t take a drink from it. This was because she really didn¡¯t feel like drinking right now. She had already known the truth from the start. After all, it was Anise herself who had mocked Krisitna¡¯s concerns during thetter¡¯s moment of anguish when it came to Agaroth and theirrades¡¯ possible past lives. However, even so, if asked whether Anise had felt... just the slightest expectation of a past connection with Hamel? Anise didn¡¯t have the confidence to say that she definitely hadn¡¯t had such thoughts. Anise and Kristina didn¡¯t have past lives. While Sienna and Molon, no, all of the people currently alive in this world might be the reincarnation of someone from ancient history, Anise and Kristina could never be anyone¡¯s reincarnation. That was because both their souls and very existences were artificially created. Anise had no desire to despair over that fact. After all, their current reality was far more important and valuable than a past life you had no awareness or memory of. However, for those who did have some awareness and memory, just how heavy were the bonds from their past life? Anise finally voiced her suspicions, ¡°She¡¯s the Twilight Witch.¡± The Saint of the God of War. Anise didn¡¯t ask any further questions. In their shared mind, Kristina was repeatedly letting out depressed sighs. In that silence, Eugene let out a snort ofughter and turned his head towards her. Eugene gave Anise a wry smile, ¡°Isn¡¯t this why I didn¡¯t want to talk about it?¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t say anything, how are we supposed toe up with a solution,¡± Anise scolded. ¡°Solution to what?¡± Eugene asked. Anise replied, ¡°To whatever it is that you¡¯re worrying about all by yourself....¡± He had been wondering what she was trying to get at. Eugene let out anotherugh and shook his head. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re having some kind of strange misconception, Anise. There is only one solution to my problem, and I have no intention of looking for any other solution. That is why I didn¡¯t want you, Kristina, or Sienna to know about it,¡± Eugene expressed. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Anise prompted. ¡°So what if Noir, that bitch, is the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch? Whether or not Agaroth had any special feelings for her is none of my business,¡± Eugene said as he took the bottle from Anise¡¯s hands once more. Under usual circumstances, Anise would have never allowed the bottle of liquor to be taken from her, but right now, even Anise couldn¡¯t help but just blink in confusion as she stared at Eugene. Eugene reaffirmed, ¡°It¡¯s really none of my business. Because I am not Agaroth.¡± ¡°...,¡± Anise listened silently, unsure what to say. ¡°In other words, how I should think of Noir ispletely dependent on my current self,¡± Eugene said before pouring all of the remaining alcohol in the bottle into his mouth. ¡°And I¡¯ve decided that I am going to kill Noir Giabe.¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Anise hesitantly called out. ¡°That¡¯s right, I am Hamel. I am also Eugene Lionheart,¡± Eugene said with augh as he lowered the bottle of alcohol. ¡°So I¡¯m not going to think of any solution apart from that one.¡± Chapter 430: Giabella City (5)

Chapter 430: Giabe City (5)

Such a decision was really typical of both Hamel and Eugene. Or at least, that was what Anise thought. Indeed, if she tried to imagine himing up with a response to such a problem, that was the sort of response he would give. However... was he really, truly, unhindered by those emotions that he imed didn¡¯t belong to him? As she thought about this question, she couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy. It would be better if they had never learned this fact. If that had been the case, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems now. Anise and Kristina couldn¡¯t help but sympathize with Eugene for having to remember that bond. She felt it was extremely cruel to force Eugene to make such a decision despite knowing about that connection. Anise hesitated for a few moments before speaking up, ¡°Apart from that, is there really no other way?¡± ¡°Why even look for a different method?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because you might regret itter if you don¡¯t,¡± Anise tried to persuade him. Eugene just gave a grumpy reply, ¡°I can¡¯t see that happening.¡± Anise let out a sigh and ced a hand on Eugene¡¯s knee. Then her calm blue eyes stared directly into Eugene¡¯s golden ones. Eugene looked away, ¡°Even if it does be a regret, I¡¯ll be the one to bear it.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t want to see you suffer like that,¡± Anise said sympathetically. Eugene sighed, ¡°Fine, then let¡¯s just think about it like this. If I did ept Agaroth¡¯s memories and emotions as a whole and decided that I couldn¡¯t kill Noir, would you really agree with that decision?¡± Anise considered her response, ¡°If that¡¯s what you truly decide to do, then I... I would do my best to try and convince you otherwise. Sienna would also do the same.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not right,¡± Eugene shook his head. Eugene also moved his hand and ced it on Anise¡¯s hand, which was still resting on his knee. Then he leaned a little closer and looked directly into Anise¡¯s eyes. ¡°Anise, Kristina,¡± Eugene addressed them firmly. ¡°The both of you are myrades. You¡¯ve devoted yourselves to helping me, and you¡¯re traveling together with me in order to y the Demon Kings, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anise hesitantly agreed. ¡°In that case, when I end up being swayed by memories and emotions that aren¡¯t even mine and almost end up making such a foolish decision, the only thing that you two should do is swing that vicious iron il you wield at the back of my head,¡± Eugene stated firmly. Anise was struck silent. ¡°So what if Noir Giabe is the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch?¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°Noir doesn¡¯t have any memories of that. Even if she did, it wouldn¡¯t matter. From my perspective, the Twilight Witch was a fucking bitch, and the exact same thing goes for Noir Giabe as well. So, how do things look from your perspective?¡± ¡°Such harsh words,¡± Anise smiled wryly. ¡°What, you like cursing too, don¡¯t you,¡± Eugene smiled back mischievously. Witnessing such a smile appear right in front of her eyes was causing Anise¡¯s heart to flutter for no apparent reason. She let out a snort and pushed Eugene¡¯s face backward. ¡°Do you really think my own opinion would be all that different from your perspective of her? Especially since I¡¯ve already experienced that terrible era with you, Hamel. So naturally, in my eyes as well, Noir is a bitch who deserves to be killed,¡± Anise said resolutely. ¡°That¡¯s right. As such... don¡¯t ask me things like whether or not there¡¯s any other solution,¡± Eugene said as he turned his head away from Anise. ¡°Also, that bitch, Noir Giabe, won¡¯t ept any other solution either.¡± ¡°What do you mean by that?¡± Anise asked. ¡°That crazy bitch wants to either die at my hands or else have me die at hers,¡± Eugene said, frowning. ¡°Her pride is extremely high, and her narcissism is terrible.¡± ¡°That¡¯s stating the obvious,¡± Anise muttered as she looked out the window. She was looking at the three Giabe-Faces floating in the sky as well as the towering, to-scale statue of Noir Giabe that loomed over the center of the city. The Lucky Giabe statue was holding a bouquet of flowers in its right hand and a purse in its left hand. The statue was meant to be a representation of the Giabe Dream, the faint hope of someday winning the jackpot at one of the city¡¯s casinos and returning home. ¡°There is no one who is as narcissistic as she is,¡± Anise said confidently. Even Sienna hadn¡¯t put her own name on her various creations like the Circle Magic Form, Witch Craft, and the Eternal Hole, but in Giabe¡¯s case... there was Giabe City, Giabe Park, Giabe-Face, Giabe Castle, etc. Noir had stuck her name on almost everything rted to her. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°If I were to go up to Noir and tell her that I couldn¡¯t kill her because I actually knew her from our shared past lives and that we should instead get along peacefully, what do you think she would say in response?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t feel like she would take that well,¡± Anise said cautiously. ¡°She¡¯ll probably kill everyone around me,¡± Eugene stated gravely. He couldn¡¯t even bear to think about it. Eugene¡¯s expression twisted into a scowl as he spat out, ¡°If it¡¯s Noir, then she would definitely do something like that.¡± This showed a twisted sort of trust. Even though he hated her so much, Eugene somewhat understood Noir. Just like how Eugene was rejecting Agaroth¡¯s memories and feelings, Noir would also turn her back on the fact that she was the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch. Because to her, the only thing that mattered the most was her self-identity as ¡®Noir Giabe.¡¯ ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± Anise finally acquiesced, letting out a sigh as she nodded her head. Noir Giabe and the Twilight Witch, Anise had epted that it wasn¡¯t a matter that could be handled by arguing about it with Eugene. Anise changed the subject, ¡°What else do we do while we¡¯re in this city?¡± ¡°Sightsee,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Really?¡± Anise asked doubtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t really have any desire to go to a casino, so we can wander around this area while sightseeing... then at night, I can investigate this city on my own,¡± Eugene revealed his ns. The more colorful the city, the starker its contrast between night and day. Eugene wanted to take a look at the darkness of Giabe City. The cker and more rotten that darkness was, the more his hesitation about Noir would disappear. The conversation between the two fell t. Neither Anise nor Kristina were in a hurry to say anything to Eugene and were satisfied just keeping an eye on him. ¡°Why do you keep staring at me?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°Then would you rather I stop looking at you?¡± Anise replied with a sulky expression. Eugene couldn¡¯t be sure whether it was Anise or Kristina who had responded just now. The answer was probably both. With a wry smile, Eugene drew her attention to the empty bottle on top of the table with a nce. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ll have to apologize. I emptied a whole bottle of your favorite drink,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°If we call for some alcohol, they''ll bring up as much as we want, so why should you be sorry? Also, I don¡¯t really feel like drinking right now, so you don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Anise assured him. ¡°So even you have times like that?¡± Eugene asked in surprise. ¡°Yes, even I find myself feeling quite surprised. Even though I like alcohol so much, there are still times when I don¡¯t feel like drinking. Thank you, Hamel, for teaching me something I didn¡¯t know about myself,¡± Anise said sarcastically while pouting her lips. After spending a few moments thinking about how to deal with Anise when she was in this state, Eugene stretched out his hand. When his hand eventually came to rest on her shoulder, Anise looked up at Eugene in surprise. ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± Anise stuttered. ¡°Thank you for caring about me,¡± Eugene said in a low voice with a serious expression. As she felt his fingers curve around her shoulder, Anise¡¯s chest began to pound, and from inside her head, Kristina let out a scream, [Sister!] No way. She wasn''t going to swap ces now. She refused to give in on this. It was she, Anise Slywood, who would get to feel Hamel¡¯s loving gaze directed at her this time around. [Sister!] Kristina screamed once more with an urgency. As she tried to ignore the cries of this body¡¯s rightful owner, Anise thought, ¡®Kristina, please allow me to at least enjoy this much. If Hamel shows any more courage and decides to press his advance, then I will definitely give way at that time and allow you to take my ce.¡¯ While thinking this, Anise pushed out her pouting lips a little more. Although this made her look like a duck, the current Ansie didn¡¯t have the concentration to spare to pay attention to things like that. At this moment, Anise, who had refused to give in out of greed, and Kristina, who was screaming hysterically as she tried to assert her rights, were both thinking the same thing. ¡°It¡¯s not just words, is it?¡± Anise demanded sulkily. ¡°Hm?¡± Eugene made a confused noise. ¡°You said that you were going to thank me for caring about you. Are you really just going to use words to show your thanks?¡± Anise asked, her lips still pouting like a duck. Because her lips were so extended, the pronunciation of her words was a little off, but both Anise and Kristina didn¡¯t care about that. Eugene wasn¡¯t able to understand what she was talking about right away. However, as Anise kept pouting her lips and shooting him a tant look, even Eugene eventually couldn¡¯t help but understand what she was trying to say. Eugene hesitated, ¡°Ah... um....¡± ¡°Hamel. Kristina and I have always been there for you. I don¡¯t know what Kristina might think, but as for me, if it was for your sake, I would even ept death,¡± Anise promised sincerely. ¡°Sister, why did you have to put it that way? I would also be willing to die for you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina quickly stepped forward and added her own endorsement to Anise¡¯s words. How could Anise, who had already been dead for so long, die for his sake at this point? Eugene was extremely curious about this question, but he felt like he would get a few smacks from Anise if he said anything out loud, so he kept his mouth shut. ¡°So for us, saying something like ¡®thank you for caring about me¡¯ doesn¡¯t really convey any sincere feelings of gratitude,¡± Anise insisted. Eugene was taken aback, ¡°Ah... even so... since I am grateful, I should at least say thank you¡ª¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that why I already said it? Do you really intend to just leave your thanks as words? Haaah, really, now that I think about it, you¡¯ve always been like this,¡± Anise interjected with a sigh, her lips that had been sticking out like a duck now retracted once more. As she looked into Eugene¡¯s wavering eyes, which showed that he wasn¡¯t sure what to do, Anise let out another deep sigh. Why wouldn¡¯t this idiot start eating when the table had already been set in front of him? ¡°Hamel, just think about what¡¯s happened in the past six months. Kristina and I followed your will and spent all of that time on a snowy mountain where it snowed heavily every single day,¡± Aniseined. ¡°Ah... yeah,¡± Eugene guiltily looked away. ¡°Well, the hot tub Molon dragged out was pretty satisfying, but other than that, there was nothing that I could describe as being good or even adequate about our amodations,¡± Anise sniffed. ¡°On top of that, it wasn¡¯t like I was just restingfortably every day, was I? Hamel, it was all thanks to both you and Moloning back every day with broken limbs while covered in blood.¡± ¡°Uh...,¡± Eugene couldn¡¯te up with anything to say. Anise¡¯s glower deepened, ¡°Moreover, it wasn¡¯t even just once a day, was it? You two had to get treatment from Kristina and me two to three times a day!¡± Eugene feebly tried to argue, ¡°I-I said that I was very thankful for your treatment every time I received¡ª¡± ¡°How many times will you make me ask if you think you can actually smooth things over with just words?¡± Anise demanded, narrowing her eyes as she shot a re at Eugene. So what else was he supposed to do apart from saying thank you whenever he was feeling grateful? Eugene suddenly recalled how Anise had stuck out her lips earlier. ¡°Um... Anise, your body, well, I mean, it belongs to Kristina, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene hesitantly asked. Anise rolled her eyes, ¡°Oh my god, Hamel! Just what are you trying to say now? Kristina is the one who¡¯s passionately wishing for you to do more than just pay lip service!¡± [Sister!] Kristina cried out in protest. ¡°It¡¯s actually quite fortunate that you can¡¯t hear with your own ears what Kristina is screaming in my head right now. How could you be so naughty, disgraceful, and shady, Kristina!¡± Anise said while pretending to be shocked. Kristina demanded, [Sister! Get out of my head right now!] ¡°Hey, don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being too harsh with your words?!¡± Anise, who had never expected that Kristina would actually try to issue her an eviction notice, let out a shout. ¡°In any case, Hamel! Since Kristina also wants all of this, there¡¯s no need for your pointless consideration. You should know what I¡¯m talking about, right?¡± Eugene coughed awkwardly, ¡°Ahem....¡± ¡°Ahem? It seems that you really are quite the ungrateful bastard. Just how many times have I saved you when you were about to die!¡± Anise raised her voice in anger. When she chose such an angle of attack, there was nothing that Eugene could say or do in his defense. So, without hesitating any longer, Eugene yanked on Anise¡¯s shoulder, pulling her closer. Anise was so surprised by the sudden pull on her body that she couldn¡¯t even make a sound. This was because she could never have imagined that Hamel, who went beyond being indecisive and was downright cowardly when it came to matters like this, would suddenly act so boldly. Anise was instantly pulled over towards Eugene, and before she knew it, his other hand had reached around her back and was gently pressing her even closer to him. This seemingly natural flow of movement ended up with their lips touching each other. Although there wasn¡¯t a ¡®chu¡¯ sound ¡ª like she had always imagined ¡ª Anise felt the softness from where their lips were touching and saw that Eugene¡¯s eyelids were so tightly closed that they almost appeared to be shut. ¡°Hah....¡± As their lips fell apart with a gasp, Anise could barely muster up the breath to speak. ¡°One... just one more time.¡± She was nning on pretending to be Kristina so that she could guilt Eugene into kissing her to satisfy thetter¡¯s desires, but things didn¡¯t work out the way Anise had intended. This was because Kristina let out a scream and managed to push Anise¡¯s consciousness back, wresting back control of their body. The experience was so shocking that it felt as if someone had suddenly yanked on her hair, so Anise couldn¡¯t help but scream in surprise, [Kristina!] She had known that Kristina¡¯s divine power had grown this much stronger after she had been marked with the Stigmata, but to think that her growth had actually already reached this extent. Kristina just ignored the screaming in her head and swallowed a gulp as she stared directly into Eugene¡¯s eyes right in front of her. ¡°P-please,¡± Kristina stammered, her awkward hands fumbling around, unsure of where they should go. Her inner desires told her to either ce her hands on Eugene¡¯s chest or hug him closer, but Kristina still couldn''t muster up enough courage to do so. In the end, Kristina swallowed another gulp and just grabbed onto the rosary that was hanging around her neck. Eugene felt so embarrassed and flustered that he wanted to leap out of this room right at this moment, but if he really did attempt to escape from here like that, he got the feeling that he would never be able to look Kristina in the face again from now on. Their lips joined once more. At that moment, Kristina could no longer resist her instincts. Her lips parted ever so slightly, and her tongue thrust out to intertwine with Eugene¡¯s. ¡°?!¡± Eugene was so startled that he leaped to his feet. Her tongue still fluttering around in the air like a snake¡¯s, Kristina btedly came back to her senses and let out a scream, ¡°L-ldy Anise!¡± She even forgot to call Anise Sister. While shouting Anise¡¯s name out loud, Kristina had also leaped up from her seat. ¡°You-you can¡¯t just do something like that!¡± Kristina yelled. Anise shouted back at her, [Kristina! Have you gonepletely insane?] ¡°Such... such a shameful deed...!¡± Kristina falteringlyid the full me on Anise, then bowed her head in apology towards Eugene. Her face was so hot that it felt like it was going to explode, and her body also seemed to have lost any strength. Still keeping her head lowered, Kristina discreetly nced up to check Eugene¡¯s expression. Naturally, Eugene¡¯s face didn¡¯t show any sign of anger. While relieved by this fact, Kristina still felt so ashamed of her own actions and the embarrassment visible on Eugene¡¯s face that she slowly began to shuffle her feet backward. Kristina stuttered, ¡°S-Sir Eugene. I-I will head back to my room to offer a prayer to the Light.¡± ¡°Ah... yeah,¡± Eugene awkwardly responded. ¡°I-I-I hope that you... a-also, have a good day....¡± Despite stammering, Kristina somehow managed to finish her sentence, but her legs were shaking so much that she was finding it hard to walk. Eventually, Kristina proved unable to walk more than a few steps before stumbling and grabbing onto the sofa. ¡°A-are you okay?¡± Eugene hesitantly asked. ¡°I¡¯m fine! There¡¯s no need to worry. Thank you,¡± Kristina quickly spat out before she tried to walk away once more. Perhaps it was thanks to the anxiety and desperation in her heart that, this time, her shaky legs were able to move properly. Boom! The door that Kristina had gone through was mmed shut behind her. Trying his best to ignore the groans and screams that he could hearing from the inside of her room, Eugene traced his lips with a finger. To think that her tongue would actually slip in...! It wasn¡¯t like he hadn¡¯t had any experience of this kind of thing in his previous life, so why had he been so surprised when it happened? Eugene tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart as he sat back down on the sofa once more. ~ After some time had passed and the day had turned into evening, Mer and Raimira returned. The two had put on even more essories than when they had left the penthouse. In Mer¡¯s case, she was just wearing a crown on her head, but Raimira had made great use of her horns, hanging several crowns on each of her horns like they were rings. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Eugene asked, looking at what Mer was holding in her hand. Mer answered, ¡°It¡¯s the Giabe Balloon.¡± Did she even have to go so far as to make the balloons in her image as well? Eugene thought as he looked at the floating balloon depicting Noir¡¯s face. ¡°Alright... did you have fun?¡± Eugene asked, changing the subject. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°We didn¡¯t even manage to see a quarter of the whole Square! Benefactor, it seems like this city is just packed full of hopes and dreams.¡± Mer and Raimira rushed over to sit on either side of Eugene and started chattering away. The two first talked about how many things there were to see and eat in this city, and then, after that, they talked about how their Special Special Coin had left so many people looking at them in envy. ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve eaten plenty of snacks while walking around, so you might not need to even have dinner,¡± Eugene teased. ¡°That¡¯s not true,¡± Mer denied. ¡°It has already been digested,¡± Raimira added. Euguene received the response that he had been expecting. He thought about going out to eat, but in the end, he ended up ordering room service because he was being considerate of Kristina and Anise, who had yet toe out of their room. Eugene called out to them, ¡°Do you want any dinner?¡± ¡°We¡¯re fine...,¡± was the only reply he received. That said, wouldn¡¯t it be too pitiful to leave those two alone in their room while everyone else went out to eat? Time passed quickly as Eugene sat on the sofa, listening to Mer and Raimira chatter away, and the food they had ordered soon arrived. ¡°...What¡¯s with that cake?¡± Eugene asked the server. The dining table in the living room was soon filled with a luxurious spread of food, but the dish that stood out the most, even amongst all this extravagance, was a tall, several-tiered wedding cake. Mer and Raimira¡¯s eyes shook with desire when they saw the cake. It was covered not only in chocte but also in various types of creams and fruits. ¡°This is the cake that our Queen has ordered for you,¡± the server replied. Eugene scowled, ¡°Take it away immediate¡ª¡± The moment he was about to order the cake to be removed from the table, he saw the despair rising up in Mer and Raimira¡¯s eyes. Eugene quickly gave in, ¡°...Just leave it here and get lost.¡± ¡°Please enjoy your meal,¡± the night demons who had carried in the food bowed and withdrew from the room. ¡°Eat the cake after you¡¯ve finished dinner,¡± Eugene instructed. The two kids, who weren¡¯t actually kids, let out loud squeals of cheers. Thinking that there might be a few other dishes that Noir had ordered, apart from the cake, made Eugene lose his appetite for some reason, but what crime could the food havemitted? In fact, the food actually tasted delicious. While eating, Eugene picked up the remote control. When he turned on the TV, whose use he had be ustomed to while staying at a hotel thest time he was here in Helmuth, the very first thing that came on screen was the local news channel of Giabe City. ¡°...,¡± the whole table went silent. The image of Eugene climbing into the Giabe-Face with Noir was being shown on screen. At this sight, Raimiara started choking as the food she was swallowing got stuck in her throat, and horrified, Mer peeked at Eugene¡¯s expression. However, Eugene simply changed the channel without showing any particr reaction. The channel hended on this time was a news channel that aired throughout Helmuth. [The Hero, Eugene Lionheart, was seen visiting Giabe City, which is ruled by Duke Giabe. Apanied by the Saint, Kristina Rogeris, and holding the hands of two children, he looked more like a young father than a Hero.] [For what purpose has he, the Hero,e to Giabe City? Could it be that he just came to enjoy himself in Giabe Park, which Duke Giabe has worked so hard toplete? Or perhaps, was he there to meet Duke Giabe?] [Looking at the way he seems to have climbed into the Giabe-Face, we believe that it is most likely thetter, but, well, not even a year has passed since the Hero defeated the newborn Demon King....] [He has been in hiding since then, so why show himself in Giabe City now?] [This might be a sensitive topic, but hasn¡¯t Duke Giabe always shown a great fondness for Eugene Lionheart? Even when Duke Gavid arrived in Shimuin to convey the will of the Demon King of Incarceration, didn¡¯t Duke Giabe follow along with him?] [Yes, it is said that the Hero and Duke Giabe left everyone behind at the banquet in order to have a private conversation alone....] As the panelists continued to exchange conversation, Mer and Raimira¡¯s shoulders couldn¡¯t help but begin to shake in fear. However, once more, Eugene didn¡¯t show much of a reaction. Instead, Eugene grinned and muttered to himself, ¡°Even though I didn¡¯t say anything, they already took care of it on their own.¡± Chapter 431: Giabella City (6) Chapter 431: Giabe City (6) Openbookworm: Potential trigger warning: This chapter has some controversial views on the homeless, beggars, and people who have lost their money due to addiction. I think its important to note that this is the characters opinion and that the author hadnt espoused these views in any of the other chapters, so these dont feel like the authors personal views. . . The news was full of conspiracy theories that Eugene and Noir might be in some kind of rtionship. Considering that such a clear video had been delivered to the news in less than half a day, it was clear that Noir had pulled some sort of scheme. Noirs influence may have also yed a role in all of the conspiracy theories being raised by the panelists. He hadnt honestly thought that it would spread this quickly, but such speed was what Eugene wanted. If the rumor hadnt spread, Eugene would have tried openly walking around Giabe Park to personally spread the news regarding his whereabouts. He didnt care about the conspiracy theories. No matter how long they spent yapping away about it, in the end, it was just unconfirmed spection, and anyone who actually knew Eugene would know that he would absolutely never join hands with Noir Giabe. Even so, I guess well have to stay in this city for some time, Eugene thought. Suddenly, he started feeling homesick for the Lionheart estate in Kiehl. If you added in the time while he was away in Shimuin, it had already been a year since he hadst returned to his room in the estate. Still, he had made sure to keep sending news back. Although it wasnt a proper exchange of news, as Eugene could only send letters from wherever he found himself instead of receiving them, he had made sure to send news to his family when he had first headed out to the Lehainjar mountain range and before he arrived here in Giabe City. Sometimes, he was able to hear news about the family from Sienna. Carmen was currently going through closed-door training to reach the Eight Star of the White me Form, and Gilead and Gion had both managed to reach the Seventh Star in close session. Cyan was also working hard to get over the barrier to the Fifth Star, and Ciel had recently managed to reach the Fifth Star. The family has enough strength to protect themselves, Eugene thought thankfully. Melkith had taught spirit summoning to the forest elves as an excuse to wander in and out of the estates forest. Elves possessed an extremely high aptitude for spirit summoning. The elven race was naturally able to summon low-level spirits without even having to practice any particr spirit summoning techniques. With Melkiths teachings on top of their innate aptitude, most of the elves in the Lionheart Forest were now able tomand spirits of the intermediate or higher levels. In other words, this meant that the Lionhearts had ess to dozens of mid-level spirit summoners. Apart from that, they also had the reinforced White Lion Knights, and Carmens Third Division and Gions Fifth Division from the ck Lion Knights were also stationed at the main estate. Eugene felt relieved, The current Lionhearts are pretty strong. Even without me there, they still have Lady Carmen. With Carmen there, there was no need to get too worried, even if their opponent was a high-ranking demonfolk. Moreover, since she was currently on her way to reaching the Eight Star of the White me Form, wouldnt that mean Carmen was even stronger than when she took part in the subjugation of Iris. On top of that, Gilead and Gion were there as well, and Sienna had also personally reinforced the estates defensive formation. The defensive formation was able to defend against almost all attacks and would immediately deliver the news to Sienna the moment that an enemy attack was detected. The Lionheart estate had its own personal warp-gate. If an enemy were to attack the main house, Sienna could head over from Aroth through the warp-gate while the defensive formation withstood the attack. Eugene assessed the risks, Theres no way that the Demon King of Incarceration would make the first strike against the Lionhearts. So the only possibility left would be Amelia Merwin, right? It was said that even a rat could bite a cat when cornered, but would Amelia Merwin really do something as crazy as that? On the surface, Kiehl wasnt involved in the problems going on in Nahama. However, if Amelia, or those instigated by her, were to attack the Lionheart estate, that would count as an invasion of the Kiehl Empires territory. When they were already in such an unfavorable situation, doing so would mean turning even the Imperial Army into their enemy. Though with me absent, I dont think they would try something like that, Eugene decided. In the end, the biggest risk to the Lionhearts came from the fact that Eugene was away from the estate, but thinking about it calmly, Eugene couldnt always be at the estate. Since the Lionhearts were the descendants of Vermouth and a martial n, they needed to be able to deal with external threats on their own. It wasnt like Eugene needed to emphasize this fact to them, as those bearing thest name of Lionheart would naturally possess such an awareness. Eugene grinned and pulled up his hood. I also have my own problems to deal with, Eugene muttered. It was already dark, but it definitely didnt feel like it was nighttime. This was because the three Giabe-Faces floating in the sky were shooting out colorfulsers, and all the streets below had their own lighting sources. He had heard it was called a city without a night but it really did live up to its name. The name used for this whole area might be Giabe City, but most of thend had been used for Giabe Park, and even what littlend remained was solely used as residences for Giabe Park employees. This enormous Giabe Park was divided into a total of four sections. There was Fantasy Square where Eugene and his party were currently staying. Adventure Square had various rides, safaris, and even a huge water park. Gamble Square gathered all the entertainment that had to do with gambling. And Dream Square provided a variety of more sensual entertainment. The four sections were all connected up by their own warp-gates, but warp-gates werent the only means of transportation in Giabe Park. Because thend area was sorge and the number of tourists so enormous, warp-gates alone wouldnt be able to handle the flow of traffic. Also, crucially, the warp-gatecked the fun of traveling. In a mega-tourist destination like this, even moving around needed to have its own type of fun. That was why Dream Trains were located beneath Giabe Park. Although Eugene didnt know why the trains had been named Dream Trains when most of the names in this Park used the word Giabe, there were several different trains traveling along dozens of routes in a subway beneath this entire territory. As the city without a night, the Dream Trains of Giabe City ran twenty-four hours daily. Most of the people heading down into the subway beneath Fantasy Square at this time were unapanied guardians whose children had yed to their hearts content during the day and had now been put to bed in their amodations above. There might not be any restricted areas in Gaibe Park, but you still werent allowed to take children with you to Gamble Square or Dream Square. Eugene was currently surrounded by a crowd of people who were traveling to those two locations. The smell of alcohol and perfume mixed with body odorbined into the stench of desire. The people heading to Gamble Square were dreaming of money, and those heading to Dream Square were looking to sate their lust. Whichever way they went, their exposed desires would be taken advantage of, and all of them would eventually end up offering tribute to Noir Giabe. Not everyone in the subway was there to take the trains. There were also people who couldnt afford to go to either Dream Square or Gamble Square. Their bodies gave off a stale, putrid odor. The emergency doors in the subway were always open. If you went through one of those and dug down even deeper, you would arrive at a set of abandoned railroads where the sound of the running trains could be heard echoing throughout the day. Although they were called abandoned railroads, they had actually been built for this very purpose from the very beginning. This long and deep abandoned railroad passed through all four sections of Giabe Park, and its true purpose was to serve as a garbage dump. The human waste that couldnt be recycled or shipped out fell down from the four Squares above and arrived here, at this abandoned railroad. Most people who fell into this garbage dump were divided into two types: A person who had dreamed of making a fortune but ended up losing all of his money at Gamble Square and a person who was blinded by lust and gave everything they had to a hostess in Dream Square. Whichever way it had happened, these people had ended up going bankrupt while they were here in Giabe Park. They slept in this garbage dump at night and wandered around the four Squares during the day. Desire could still be seen in their eyes as well. Actually, the desire burning in the eyes of these pieces of trash, who had been thrown down into the abandoned railroad, was even more tant and murky than the desire shown by the people who were merely walking through the subway. As soon as they were able to scrounge up a few pennies, these people would immediately go to Gamble Square or head over to Dream Square. They either dreamed of making their money back through gambling, or they tried to escape what little remained of their shattered minds through fleeting pleasure and dreams. The abandoned railroad beneath Giabe Park was so famous that even Eugene had heard about it in advance. When Eugene arrived at one of the entrances to the abandoned railroad, he just looked down into it rather than heading straight inside. The abandoned railroad was likely located only a few dozen meters below the subway lines. Every few minutes, there would be the rumbling sound of a train passing above, and both the ceiling and the floor shook every time this happened. Streams of water could be seen pouring down from the ceiling at rare intervals. Those streams seemed to provide all the drinking water these people needed, but hadnt they ever thought about using it to wash off their stench? As Eugene looked down into the abandoned railroad with his face twisted into a scowl, he soon understood why they didnt do so. As long as they climbed up into the subway, there were many clean restrooms that they could use to clean themselves up, but there were no such restrooms here in the abandoned railroad. While the channels used to transport the flows of water falling from the ceiling could be used as showers there didnt seem to be much meaning in doing so. Just how many people are in there? Eugene asked himself. This was the darkness of the brightly sparkling and beautiful Giabe Park. This abandoned railroad deep underground had been turned into a den of human waste. Eugene nced up at the swaying and blinking lights that lit up the abandoned railroad. Most lights hanging down from the ceiling were dim, but they were still being supplied with mana. Spare change? a hand reached out from the darkness and blocked Eugenes path forward as he walked down into the abandoned railroad. Even a little would be fine. In the short time that Eugene had spent walking down to the abandoned railroad, he had already been osted by beggars several times. This may have been because the robe that Eugene was wearing was clean rather than dirty or smelly. He had been forced to listen to their begging several times, but he had never once given them any money. Eugene couldnt feel any emotion other than disgust towards these kinds of people. If you dont have any money.., the hand blocking his way forward suddenly began to shake. Eugene furrowed his brow as he stared closely at the hands movements. The thumb and index finger came together to make a heart[1] as the beggar then said, Then how about love. This sight immediately ignited an intense killing intent and rage in Eugenes heart. As the heart made from the beggars fingers shook in front of his eyes, Eugene didnt bother to hold back any longer. Tching! Although Eugene didnt directly pull out his sword and swing it at her, a ck surge of mana burst forth in a sh that severed the hand at the wrist. Dont you think you should have thought about it a little more before cutting my hand off? What if I had turned out to be just a normal human being? a voice said sulkily. When not a single drop of blood was flowing from the surface of the sliced wrist, it took incredible shamelessness to say something like that. As Eugene continued ring into the darkness with narrowed eyes, Noir Giabe, who was also wearing a robe, poked her head out to greet him. Hey, Hamel, Noir said cheerfully. It seems youre in a much better mood now, huh? Earlier, you seemed pretty bad. Earlier? Eugene repeated as if confused. Yes, earlier. Im talking about when you were in the Giabe-Face, Noir rified. At that time, you well, honestly, even from your perspective, you were acting a bit strange, right? I dont know what youre talking about, Eugene shamelessly denied. I just felt shitty because I was looking at you. Hm, rather than looking shitty earlier, you looked bad in a different meaning of the word, Noir muttered as she tilted her head in curiosity, but instead of asking him any more questions, she just walked out in front of Eugene. I knew that you woulde here. ..., Eugene kept his silence. Well, to tell the truth, I have been keeping an eye on you, Noir easily admitted. Does that bother you? No way, it would be strange for you to be bothered by something like that. After all, this is my city, and the ce that you are staying at is my own hotel. So isnt it only natural for all of your movements to be ryed back to me? The news, Eugene brought up bluntly. Oh, you saw that? I was kind of predicting that you woulde looking for me to express your anger if you saw it, Noir confessed. In that case, your prediction was wrong, said Eugene. Fufufu, I also predicted that my prediction would be wrong, Noir bragged while shaking her finger admonishingly. After all, haven''t I managed to read a bit of your intentions? I may have added a little bit of my own vor into the news, but that much should be okay, right? Noir giggled, then pointed to the abandoned railroad and asked, So, what do you think? What exactly are you asking? Eugene demanded. Didnt youe here to see the filthy underbelly of my city? Noir asked, her smile deepening. I realized you woulde here after I tried to think about what this city might be like from your perspective, Hamel. ..., Eugenes lips were glued shut. Three hundred years ago, during the era in which you first lived, it was only natural and obvious for you humans to resent the demonfolk. The demonfolk certainly did many things that deserved resentment. However, that''s not the case in the current era, now is it? Noir said leadingly. Without saying anything, Eugene just listened to Noir speak. Noir deliberately held up both hands and brought them together to make a heart, The current era can be said to be an era of love and peace. Demonfolks do not hunt humans, nor are they waging war against them. Here in Helmuth, the demonfolk protect the humans and get along well with them. Eugene didnt attempt to deny Noirs words. When he had traveled through Helmuthst time, and even before that, he had learned what the rtionship between demonfolk and humans was like in the present era. At first, he hadnt wanted to ept or acknowledge it, but three hundred years was a long enough time for what was oncemon sense to havepletely overturned. This is Giabe Park, a city that focuses on satisfying all human desires. To aplish that, Im not doing anything particrly heinous, now am I? At most, arent I just charging money to sell them dreams? And well, I cant help it if they decide to spend all the money that they have on their dreams, Noir said as she leaned closer to Eugene. This abandoned railroad is a ce made for idiots like them. From the time when we were first designing Giabe Park, we had expected that there would be some waste generated. Just what is it that youre trying to say? Eugene demanded impatiently. Noir narrowed her eyes, Hamel, arent you searching in this city for a reason to keep hating me? Eugenes eyebrows twitched. She had the right answer. Noir grinned and continued speaking, Heh. However, like I just said, its not like Im doing anything wrong with this city, right? Ah and please dont misunderstand. I am not keeping these pieces of trash from leaving by force. Its just that they dont want to leave. Noir held out her finger and pointed at the roof of the abandoned railroad. Do you see those streams of water over there? I also made sure that those were drilled before the tunnel was opened. Because I knew that the people here would need this water to drink. Workers are also sent out to periodically clean the waterways of the feces found floating in them and the filth left in the corners. We also give jobs to anyone who wants them! Noir listed proudly. Eugene didnt show any response, .... Noir continued, Apart from that, I also provide them with the minimum necessary welfare. Even so, what can I do if they voluntarily decide to live like trash? Even if I give them money to go home, they just go to the casino or the subus club and waste it. If so, theres nothing I can do about it, right? Thats right, Eugene said with a calm nod of his head. It doesn''t seem like youre nning to do anything too evil with this city. To be honest, this investigation had fallen a lot tter than he had been hoping for. Eugene had expected toe across something like a terrible human experiment taking ce within this abandoned railroad. Or perhaps a ughter show being put on for humans and demonfolk with perverted tastes. But there was nothing. He had searched by himself and used some spells, but Giabe Park was exactly as it seemed. The abandoned railroad was littered with human waste while people drunk on their own desires roamed the luxurious upper reaches of the subway. Youre also correct that I was looking through this city for more reasons to hate you, Eugene revealed. Noir snickered, Hehehe, what a shame, right? Currently, I am only engaging in legal business. Even if I dont do anything illegal or evil, I can still Thats the problem, Eugene interrupted with another nod. The current Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration are extremely generous towards the humans. Even this city has to follow Helmuthsws, so you cant do anything harsh to the visiting humans. Noir also nodded, Thats right. Even when one of the Night Demons extracts the life-force of a human through their dreams, it has to be part of a transaction, not a robbery. ording to thew And Im saying thats the problem, Eugene cut Noirs words short once more. The current era is on the wrong course. ...Huh? Noir made a confused noise. This era, which has made it legal for you, a demonfolk, to prey on these humans and this whole city, its all wrong, Eugene firmly stated. Noirs jaw dropped in nk shock at such terribly self-assured words. Of course if you were a little more vicious and physically devoured the humans in this city, I would hate you even more and want to kill you. But just because you havent done that doesnt mean Ick any hatred and murderous intent towards you, Eugene rified. ..., this time it was Noirs turn to be dumbstruck. Like you said, this is the filthiest ce in the city. The smelliest, shittest, and most useless ce, Eugene narrowed his eyes as he pointed towards the ceiling. Frankly, I dont think it would be much of a problem if this ceiling were to copse and wipe out all these pieces of trash. ..., Noir stayed silent. Eugene shook his head, However, if at all possible, I hope that youre the one who does it. Not me. Why? Noir calmly asked. Eugene exined, Because I am a human, and you are a demonfolk. Oh my god. Noir smiled as she looked up into Eugenes eyes, Shouldnt you be thinking of how to stop me before I do something like that? Hamel, you are the Hero, arent you? I have a lot of people that I need to save apart from these bastards, Eugene answered coldly. Hm, Noir hummed in thought. This was quite the cold-blooded answering from Eugene. As her smile deepened, Noir looked up at the ceiling, So it doesnt matter if everyone here in the abandoned railroad dies? If thats the case then how about the people above? Giabe Park was the continents foremost tourist destination. The number of people currently on the city''s surface would beparable to the total number of citizens in Kiehls capital city. Hamel, you said that you woulde back to this city in order to kill me, didnt you? In the same fashion, I have always intended to draw you into my castle. In that case, this city will ultimately serve as a battlefield for the both of us, isnt that right? Noir asked. Eugene shrugged, I guess that will be the case. Oh my, Noir feigned a gasp. That means there might be countless casualties as a result of our battle. Eugene raised an eyebrow, Werent you going to clear the city out first? After Eugene had asked this question in a tone that made it seem like he was just stating the obvious, Noir carefully responded, Why should I? Because theyll be a distraction, Eugene stated bluntly. Hm, I dont feel like I would be distracted oh hm, I see, youre right, Noir nodded in realization. ording to Helmuthsws, innocent casualties are strictly prohibited during conflicts between demonfolk, but. If you were toe here looking to kill me, the Demon King of Incarceration would be forced to dere a state of war, so would thew still be applied in that situation? Im saying that I would be the one distracted, Eugene said exasperatedly. Do you really want to fight me while Im hesitating, thinking about how to reduce the loss of life and not giving it my all? Noir was left speechless. Her eyes widened into circles, and after blinking a few times, she began to seriously consider the issue. She found herself wanting to see the sight of Hamel working hard to prevent any casualties while throwing himself in danger in order to save the lives of thosepletely unrted to himself. However, her desire to see Hamel, who didnt have to care about such things and would only be staring at her while burning with murderous intent, was even stronger. Ill have the tourists sent out before you arrive, Noir had no choice but to promise. In any case, since she wasnt nning on capturing the tourists to act as hostages, there was no need to keep them confined to the city. Of course, you will, Eugene muttered with a sour expression as he stepped past Noir. Noir was left staring at Eugenes back as he headed back up the stairs, only to quickly walk after him. Where are you going? Noir asked. Eugene grunted, To the surface. Noir kept questioning him, Why? Eugene returned the favor, Is there any reason why I should head further down into that smelly pit of trash? You came here specifically to see it, Noir argued. And now that Ive seen it, theres no need to keep looking, Eugene snorted. Noir tried to keep the conversation going, In that case um are you heading back to Giabe Castle? Get lost, Eugene rudely rebuffed. Theres no way I can do that, Noir said with a mischievous smile as she wrapped her arms around Eugene. Now that youre outside,e and y with me. Noir thought this was an opportunity to build up those memories that wouldter leave the survivor filled with regret. 1. The Korean finger heart is a popr gesture used by K-Pop idols and other celebrities. For those unfamiliar with what it looks like, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipediamons/thumb/e/e6/Finger_heart.png/255px-Finger_heart.png Chapter 432: Giabella City (7) Chapter 432: Giabe City (7) Have you actually gone crazy? Eugene red at Noir with a dumbfounded expression on his face. There was bullshit, and then there was what Noir had just said, which had gone far beyond anything that Eugene couldprehend. y around? Together? How absurd! Until now, he had already be far more involved with Noir than he felt was necessary. Eugene no longer wanted any further entanglement with Noir, whether by doing things together, making shared memories, or sharing emotional connections. Was it because Eugene wanted to avoid any needless provocation from Noir? Of course, there was also that reason, but wasnt it strange in the first ce to interact more than necessary with an enemy that you were determined to kill. Dont be like that, Noir said with a grin as she pulled on Eugenes arms. Unlike her expression, tone, and attitude, her grip was so strong that even Eugene couldnt shake her off immediately. But this fact just left Eugene feeling even more dumbfounded. Just how much did Noir want to y around with him to put such a level of strength in her grip? Was this really something she should put such power into? Why are you being so clingy? Eugeneined. Well, who knows, why do you think Im doing this? Noir said coyly. In fact, Noir herself couldnt figure out the exact reason for her current behavior. Until now, she had bothered Eugene like this many times before, but Noir had kept herself extremely cool-headed every time she did so. Although Noir had offered up Eugene a few lewd temptations, they had all been done jokingly, and whenever Eugene rejected her, she wouldnt linger on it for too long and knew when to step back. However, currently in a rare and strange case for her, Noir didnt want to do that. Its a strange feeling, Noir whispered to herself as she tilted her head in confusion. Still holding on firmly to Eugenes arm, Noir pulled on it a little harder. As she buried Eugenes rock-hard forearm into her chest, Noir licked her lips and said, Hamel, although there have been several times where I felt a strong desire for you, now. Fufu, just why could this be? These current feelings are so strange and mysterious. Noir wondered why she was feeling this way. Her love for Hamel was something she had first started feeling three hundred years ago, but it had never burned as strongly as it did now. Was it because he had grown up so delectably? Because he had be strong enough that he could truly make her feel the possibility of her own death? Or perhaps. Noir giggled to herself and whispered to him, Now that I think about it, today is the full moon. Did you know that? Let go, Eugene just grunted. Almost all of the races of demonfolk receive some influence from the full moon. Their dark power bes stronger, and so do their desires. Among the lower ss of demonfolk, there are even a few cases where they go berserk on the night of the full moon, Noir paused to let out a pitilessugh. But thats just for the lower ss thats right, only the lower ss. Such influence doesnt apply to those like us, and until now, I have never experienced such a thing. However, today could it be that my excessive desire has caused me to regress? Eugene red into Noirs eyes. The tant emotions swirling within those eyes were familiar to him. These were the same emotions that Hamel had first seen when he met Noir Giabe three hundred years ago. However, they also resembled the same emotions he had seen not so long ago. They were simr to the emotions that had filled the Twilight Witchs eyes when she looked at Agaroth. This realization just made Eugene feel annoyed and angry. Just like how Eugene Lionheart wasnt Agaroth, Noir Giabe wasnt the Twilight Witch. Even though that should be the case, he couldnt deny that Noir''s current emotions still bore a striking simrity to those of the Twilight Witch. Fwooosh. ck mes flickered to life around Eugene. His irritability and rage over his current situation drove him to seek out more violent measures to deal with Noir. Although he knew that he would only suffer an overwhelming loss if he were to sh with Noir this early, despite being aware of this, the fact that he hade into such skin-on-skin contact with Noir was causing him to tremble in disgust. Do you really not want to y with me that much? Noir asked with a pout. Its not like were close enough to skip around together whileughing merrily, now are we? Eugene replied challengingly. It depends on how you interpret ying around, but, hmm, fine, I get it. No need to be so angry, Hamel, Noir said as she let go of Eugenes arm. But that was all she did; she didnt step back to give him more space. Still standing right next to Eugene, Noir smiled and said, Then how about this? If you stay with me until the sun rises in the morning, I will answer any three questions you might have. Eugene eyed her suspiciously, ...But I dont have anything I want to ask you? Noir snickered, Hehe, no need to tell such obvious lies, no? Theres no way that aftering all the way to this city, you have nothing you are curious about. Also, have you already forgotten what you said to me earlier? Hamel, you did tell me that you were curious about my Giabe-Faces. At these words, Eugenes face twisted as if he had just bitten into shit. Fine. He had indeed said those words to Noir just half a day ago. It hadnt been a lie either. Eugene honestly did want to figure out the true purpose of those mass-manufactured Giabe-Faces. However, he was not getting the urge to lie about it. He did want to ask Noir many questions, but he really wanted to lie and say there wasnt anything he needed to talk to her about. The reason for this was simple. Eugene just didnt want to be together with Noir right now. Haaaah, Eugene said, letting out a sigh. He suppressed his turbulent emotions. Along with his surging killing intent, Eugene shoved it all down to the bottom of his chest. When he thought about it calmly and rationally, rejecting Noirs offer would be foolish. About six to seven hours were left until the sun rose again in the morning. As long as he spent that much time with her, he would be able to ask the Queen of the Night Demons three questions. Fine, Eugene nodded in agreement while still keeping up his re. As Noir had said, part of the reason he hade here to Giabe City was that he intended to investigate more information about her. But instead of that, why dont you answer my questions first, Eugene proposed. Noir gasped, No way. You dont really think that I would just y around with you and then run away without answering, do you? Isnt that a possibility? Eugene frowned. Well, now, looking at it from my perspective, Hamel, it seems more likely that you would just listen to my answers first and then leave on your own, Noir said with a pout as she examined Eugenes expression. She noticed how cold Eugenes eyes were. His eyes and expression had always looked frosty, but strangely enough, they seemed more so today than they had ever been before. Its not just me, Noir thought, gradually realizing that her current self was slightly different from how she usually was. And likewise, she had also realized that Eugene was also behaving differently from usual. Just what on earth was causing such a change? Was it truly the full moon? No, there was no way that would be the case. Noir chuckled as she wound a strand of her hair around her fingers. Look at you not replying to my words. How annoying. Even so, Hamel, Ive decided to trust you. Though if you do betray me, my anger will be just as sincere as my trust in you, Noir ced a strange emphasis on the word betray as she smiled at him with her eyes. Since our time is so precious, lets do the questions and answers on our way up, alright? Down here, the despair of these losers and the stenching from the filth and garbage all smell so terrible. Noir set off without waiting for his reply. Eugene red at Noirs back as she headed up the stairs in front of him, then he followed behind her with a heavy sigh. Fine then, so what exactly is going on with those stupid heads? Eugene asked her. Noir corrected him, Theyre called Giabe-Faces, not stupid heads. Eugene pressed the question, So, what exactly are they? Hehe, it seems that you really were quite curious about it. How fortunate that I didnt answer you when you asked earlier, Noir chuckled before waving her finger. At this gesture, Noirs robes, which had seemed to be made out of rags, disappeared. This left Noir standing only in her underwear momentarily, and Eugene reflexively turned his gaze to the side. Noir revealed, The three Giabe-Faces are basically meant to extend the range of my Demoneye. Hamel, you saw it too, didnt you? I already knew that from the very beginning, Eugeneined. Are there any idiots whoe to this city without knowing that? The Giabe Showtime was a specialty of this city. It didnt have a set schedule. Instead, its appearance depended on Noirs mood. A dream created by the Queen of the Night Demons herself was something that couldnt be bought even with hundreds of millions of sals. When the mouth of the Giabe-Faces, which were floating in the skies above this city, opened up, the moment that the Queen dered Showtime, the power of her Demoneye of Fantasy would be spread through the light shining from the Giabe-Faces eyes. Its already absurd that youre able to use the power of your Demoneye of Fantasy through something other than your own two eyes. But why are there three of them? Eugene asked. Absurd? Noir repeated. Ahahaha, Hamel, you cant use such a word so lightly. Now, there is almost nothing that is truly impossible for someone like me. ...What? Eugene furrowed his brow. Just how much life-force do you think this city has supplied me so far? Noir said evasively, ncing back over her shoulder at Eugene with a smile. In fact, theres no need for me to specify so far. Can you even imagine how much life-force Giabe Park supplies in just a single day like today? Eugene couldnte up with a response. Because it was absolutely impossible to estimate just how huge such an amount was. To be honest, Hamel, the life-force supplied by this city cant provide me with any meaningful increases in power. Ive already surpassed the line that can be reached by receiving life-force and converting it into dark power, Noir boasted. Her words were arrogant, but Eugene didnt doubt their truthfulness. Even Iris had obtained near-infinite dark power immediately after bing a Demon King, but it was the how someone used such overwhelming power that truly determined their level of threat. In the end, what the Demoneye of Fantasy shows you is just an illusion. It cant actually alter reality. However, let me just say this, Hamel: the current me can do far more than that, Noir tantalizingly revealed. Just what are you saying? Eugene asked suspiciously after a pause. Im saying that Ive made this whole city into a dream, Noir tilted her head as she stared at Eugene. Dont you think that it''s strange, Hamel? During the whole time that you and I were on the stairs leading down into the abandoned railroad, not a single one of those pieces of trash below seemed to look up at us. ..., Eugene silently processed this. Noir also pointed out, Thats the case even now. We are walking through the subway of the city without a night, right? But why is there no one here? At these words, Eugene came to a halt. Just earlier, when he was heading down towards the abandoned railroad, the subway had been crowded with people. However now there was no one here. Could he have entered a dream without even realizing it? No, there was no way that could have happened. Eugene was sure that the ce he was now in wasnt a dream but reality. nk, nk. He could hear the sound of a train rattling away in the distance. While focusing on that sound, Eugene kept trying to expand his senses. He could sense the presence of countless peopleing from further around them, but it was only in their immediate vicinity that there was an absence of people. Have you ced a suggestion throughout the whole area? Eugene voiced his suspicions. Thats right, Noir nodded while smiling. The three Giabe-Faces floating in the sky are able to circte the life-force supplied by the city throughout the whole area. Thanks to that, I am getting stronger with every day that passes. Instead of using this supply of life-force to increase my dark power, Im going in a different direction. This city, which is under myplete control, will gradually be part of my dream instead of remaining a part of reality. Then I can copse the boundary between dreams and reality. Eugenes expression hardened as he worked through what these words actually meant. If, as Noir had said, the boundary between dreams and reality was topletely copse then this whole space, this entire city, would be part of Noir Giabes dream. Even if one were able to resist falling asleep, all of reality could still be used as a weapon to attack oneself. The unavoidable weakness of the Demoneye of Fantasy was that, in the end, it was just a fantasy. No matter how strong of a psychological suggestion was woven into the dream, reality itself wouldnt change. So even if Noir showed Eugene all sorts of ridiculous fantasies, Eugene was confident that he wouldnt be deceived by any of them. His will was strong, and he believed that as long as he strengthened his divine power and overall divinity, he would definitely be able to resist whatever tricks she might pull. However, if the boundary between dreams and reality did copse, that would mean that the Demoneye of Fantasy wouldnt have any weakness. Within the confines of this city, Noir Giabes power would reach a level of literal omnipotence. And the spearhead that would allow her to realize such an incredulous ideal were those three stupid-looking heads. What if I were to destroy them now? Eugene silently considered. It would be useless to try to destroy them, Noir said as if she had just read Eugenes mind. If they are destroyed, I can just remake them. Or perhaps I could fly up into the sky and handle the cirction myself. They didnt encounter anyone else while leaving the subway, but the streets were crowded with people as they headed into the night. However, even among these people, none turned to look at Eugene and Noir. Noir tried to reassure him, Theres no point in worrying about it just yet, Hamel. Because the process still isntplete. Right now, the only things possible to demonstrate would be things like slight changes in perception? Although Noir tried to say it like it wasnt a big deal, Eugene couldnt just ept this at face value. He had seen how the numerous individuals in the abandoned railroad hadnt been able to look at them directly, and instead, all began to look up at the ceiling as if it was only natural for them to do so. There hadnt been anyone around them in the subway either. And even now, no one in their immediate vicinity was looking at Eugene and Noir. Presently, Noir wasnt using her Demoneye of Fantasy, and Eugene wasnt being shown some kind of dream either. It seemed that a suggestion wasid over the entire area that naturally diverted attention away from them. I feel like thats enough to answer your question about the Giabe-Faces. What are your other questions? Noir prompted. Im still thinking of some, Eugene replied, suppressing the urge to sigh. Eugene had originally wanted to investigate what kind of security forces or private guards were serving Noir. When he next came here to kill her, he didnt want to get caught off guard when her reinforcements came pouring in. However, at this point, something like that was no longer at a level that was worth worrying about. Would holy ground be able to resist her power? Eugene wondered. Invasions into his mind and being dragged into a dream could both be resisted through his mental power and divinity. But would holy ground be able to resist her direct maniptions of reality? Eugene didnt believe that such a situation would be necessarily hopeless. Eugene also had many measures that he could take in response. Even if the boundary between dreams and reality copsed and this entire city became a territory over which Noir reigned, in the truest sense of the word, holy ground could turn an area into and controlled personally by a god. In fact, there was a simple solution to the whole problem. Eugene just didnt have to fight Noir while in this city. Theres no reason for me to y to her strengths, Eugene thought before spitting out with a scowl, So where are we going now? Does that count as one of your questions? Noir asked cheekily. Should I just stay silent then? Eugene countered. It was just a little joke, Hamel. I also want to keep talking with you, so of course, I wont be too harsh about the conditions of our agreement. Fine then, how about this? If you raise your hand and shout Question!, its only then that the question will be counted, Noir raised two fingers and waved them at him. You have two questions left starting now. Eugene repeated the question, So like I said, where are we going? Were heading to the Giabe Department Store, Noir revealed. Do you even know what time it is right now? Eugene protested. Whats so important about the time? Hamel, this is the city without a night, Noir reminded him. As she said this, she casually tried to hook her arms around his, but Eugene quickly sidestepped her, keeping his distance from Noir. Just what on earth are you going there to buy? Eugene asked. Noir sighed, Haaaah, do you really only go shopping when theres something that you need to buy? Its fun to just take a look around. Hmm, never mind. There are actually a few things that I want to buy right now. I also feel like it would make me really happy if you could pick out some clothes for me. Get lost, Eugene scoffed. I knew that would be your response, Noir said with a shrug. It doesnt matter. I already have a whole lot of clothes, so I dont really need to buy any more. Eugene frowned, Then why How about a ring? Noir spoke over him, holding her fingers up against the sparkling stars in the sky. I really want a new ring. Chapter 433: Giabella City (8)

Chapter 433: Giabe City (8)

Eugene¡¯s face twisted when he heard the word ring. Why would she suddenly bring that up out of the blue? Eugene was just about to let out a curse, but a sudden thought passing through his head caused him to flinch. Could it be that memories from her past life, which hadn¡¯tpletely been erased and had instead been buried somewhere deep, had suddenly pricked her heart? ¡®A ring?¡¯ Eugene thought. He recalled the final moments of the Twilight Witch. Agaroth had given her his ring, his holy relic, and ordered her to flee. However the Twilight Witch had rejected his divinemandment. Instead of epting the ring, she had returned it and then requested a kiss and expressed herst wish to be able to die at his hands. After snapping her neck with his own hands, Agaroth had ced his ring on the Twilight Witch¡¯s chest. Then he had turned his back on her corpse and went to face the Demon King of Destruction. What could have happened to the ring after that? The world had been destroyed. A fog followed by a giant wave had engulfed the whole world, leaving only corpses in its wake. After that, a long, long time had passed. Although the details weren¡¯t fully known, the world was reborn once more. Perhaps the ring had been buried deep beneath the sea, or maybe it was carried along by the ocean currents.... Eventually, the ring had fallen into the hands of a dragon before it had been fatefully returned to Eugene. ¡°Why a ring of all things?¡± Eugene eventually asked. There was no way that Noir Giabe could have retained any memories of her life as the Twilight Witch. No matter the fact that Noir Giabe was a being who possessed truly absurd levels of power, there was no way she could still have memories of her past life, which had ended with her previous death. ¡°Who knows?¡± Noir said with a shrug. It was just as Eugene had guessed. Noir really didn¡¯t have any memories of her past life. She didn¡¯t remember Agaroth¡¯s name, the Twilight Witch, or anything at all, really. However, after seeing how Eugene¡¯s divinity had grown stronger and more distinct... her soul had just seemed to react on its own. Even then, her soul hadn¡¯t awoken any clear memories or even the broken fragments of a memory. It was just a feeling. A very vague and fleeting feeling. Noir felt an inexplicable desire to possess a ring. She simply couldn¡¯t tell why she was having such an unusual feeling. ¡°Why a ring of all things?¡± Noir repeated. ¡°I wonder why.... Earlier, I just suddenly had the thought that I wanted one.¡± When she thought about it, most of the emotions that hade over her today were sudden and impulsive. However... Noir didn¡¯t think that this was particrly strange. Because she had always been like that. She was the Queen of the Night Demons. She had already been impulsive, lustful, and emotional for the past hundreds of years now. ¡°That¡¯s right,e to think of it, Hamel,¡± Noir turned to look at Eugene, having suddenly realized something. ¡°Didn¡¯t you also wear a ring?¡± Noir was also able to clearly recall what kind of ring it was. Eugene had worn that ring on the ring finger of his left hand. It was no ordinary ring. Noir hadn¡¯t known what its exact identity was, but she had guessed it was probably a genuine artifact. It wasn¡¯t an item that had been enchanted with magic either, but instead, a holy relic with connections to an ancient god. ¡°A ring?¡± Eugene feigned ignorance. ¡°Are you really pretending to have forgotten about it? I¡¯m talking about the ring that was destroyed in your battle with Iris. It had the ability to heal injuries,¡± Noir reminded him with a grin. Noir could clearly remember seeing it at that time as she watched Eugene and Iris fight. Instead of replying, Eugene just red directly into Noir¡¯s face. Right now, Eugene was experiencing a huge inner turmoil. This was because of Noir¡¯s desire to own a ring and also because he couldn¡¯t fully see through her intention to ask about Agaroth¡¯s Ring. There was no way; he didn¡¯t think it was even possible, but... could it be that Noir really had recalled her past life? Were her current actions prompted by those recollected memories? ¡®No way, there¡¯s no way,¡¯ Eugene tried to convince himself over and over again. In the first ce, if Noir really had managed to remember, she would have addressed it head-on instead of probing around indirectly like this. Eugene calmed his inner turmoil and began to speak, ¡°I¡¯m not pretending to have forgotten. It¡¯s just that you started asking about my ring without any warning.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Noir said doubtfully. ¡°Hmm, it just suddenly urred to me. Since I¡¯ve decided to get a ring, I thought it would be nice if I could get one simr to yours. Ah, that¡¯s right. This actually works out for the best. How about it? Should we get an identical pair of rings?¡± Although she had juste up with the idea herself, Noir couldn¡¯t help but picture the beautiful and wonderful image that would make. Noir turned to look at Eugene, both eyes sparkling with light, as Eugene¡¯s face instinctively twisted into a disgusted scowl. ¡°I¡ª¡± Eugene began. Only for Noir to interrupt him, ¡°You¡¯re going to say that I¡¯m crazy, right? Fufu, Hamel, I can already predict everything you¡¯re going to say. Of course, you don¡¯t want to wear the same ring as me. Noir walked past Eugene, her hips swaying as if she was dancing. While staring down at Eugene¡¯spletely bare hands, sheughed and said, ¡°I also feel like it would be fun to try and force it onto your finger. Don¡¯t make that face, Hamel. I¡¯m not going to try and force it on you now, you know? I¡¯m saving that forter, hmm, that¡¯s right, forter. When you eventually die in my arms.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene held his tongue and the mounting irritation. Noir smiled brightly, ¡°At that moment... I will put the ring on your finger as you die in the throes of your own despair. As I slip it on, I will whisper into your ear and say, ¡®I love you.¡¯¡± ¡°Crazy bitch,¡± Eugene cursed. ¡°But I think that would be quite a beautiful and romantic gesture, no? Of course, you won¡¯t want to ept that ring, but... fufu, at such a moment, you won¡¯t even have the strength to refuse it. What do you think, Hamel? If, and I really do mean if, when the two of us reunite to try and kill each other, if, in the end, you are the one who emerges victorious...,¡± Noir tilted her head to the side as she looked up at Eugene. Beneath her long and thick eyshes, Noir¡¯s purple eyes, which were as beautiful as jewels, sparkled with intense anticipation. ¡°You and I, at the moment when our long, long rtionshipes to an end... is there anything that you would want to give me as a final gift?¡± Noir asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing,¡± Eugene tly denied. ¡°Even if I say it as myst wish?¡± Noir pouted. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me what yourst wishes are,¡± Eugene answered with a surly expression. Noir snorted, ¡°Hmph, well, I also predicted that response.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t sense any real disappointmenting from her. Even if Eugene wasn¡¯t going to prepare a gift tomemorate her final moments, couldn¡¯t Noir herself just prepare one for him to give her? Since she had already decided to buy a ring, Noir decided to just buy a pair at the same time. Then, when she someday killed Hamel.... ¡°I will ce the ring on my own hand. Then I will ce the other ring on your hand as you lie there dying. Also... after you die, I will remember you for all eternity each time I look at the ring on my finger,¡± Noir said dreamily. ¡°...,¡± Eugene silently scowled. ¡°If you do win, then I hope you would do the same thing that I would,¡± Noir said, looking at Eugene with a bright smile. Eugene found himself unable to face that smile directly. He also didn¡¯t feel any desire to keep staring at it either. He didn¡¯t think that there were any other intentions hidden behind all of the words that Noir had just spouted, but even so... as Eugene listened to her speak, it felt like something heavy and sharp wasnding in his heart. ¡°Stop talking nonsense, and let¡¯s go already,¡± Eugene said gruffly after a slight pause. ¡°It¡¯s taking so long because we¡¯re walking there,¡± Noir exined. ¡°If we had taken the train or a taxi, we would have already arrived a long time ago.¡± Although she said this, Noir had no intention of taking any transportation. Instead, Noir slowed down her walking pace so that she was now shoulder-to-shoulder with Eugene. The street ahead was sparkling with light. At present, all the streetlights in Giabe City had been adjusted to their most beautiful colors such that these beautiful lights surrounded Eugene and Noir. Naturally, this wasn¡¯t all just a coincidence. It was all due to the Giabe-Faces in the sky that were connected to Noir. Thanks to the system that managed the entire city, Noir could manipte her surroundings ording to her will. On top of that, since all of the people who had been influenced by Noir¡¯s suggestion were keeping their distance, the entire city seemed to have be a world just for Noir and Eugene. ¡°Do you want to... link arms together?¡± Noir asked shyly, her cheeks blushing in an obvious show as she extended one hand towards Eugene. Naturally, Eugene just retorted with a grim expression, ¡°Get lost.¡± * * * The Saint of the God of War. The Twilight Witch. She may have had a real name, but there was no way for Eugene to find out what that name had been. This may have been because all of Agaroth¡¯s memories that had reawakened in Eugene¡¯s mind while he was in the Ragurayan were very fragmented and vague, but Eugene also felt like there might be other reasons apart from that. Within the memories that Eugene had recalled at that time, Agaroth wasn¡¯t the only character present in the memories. There had been many other people besides Agaroth. However, the only one with an actual name was Agaroth himself. Even the Great Warrior, Agaroth¡¯s oldest friend, was only known as the ¡®Great Warrior¡¯; and the Saint, who had been someone special to Agaroth, was also only remembered as the ¡®Saint¡¯ and the ¡®Twilight Witch.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t just the humans. The other gods that Agaroth had respected and relied on to some extent were also remembered by their titles as the ¡®Sage¡¯ and the ¡®God of Giants.¡¯ Perhaps Agaroth was just a person with a mental disorder who couldn¡¯t even remember the names of anyone other than himself but... Eugene thought that there was little chance of that actually being the case. Eugene thought to himself, ¡®It feels like my subconscious may have rejected recalling their names.¡¯ For now, that was the only guess he coulde up with. Eugene didn¡¯t want to ept the emotional influences that came with Agaroth¡¯s memories. He wanted to keep the self of the current era distinct from who he might have been in the ancient era. Eugene felt like that desire may have influenced the memories he had reawakened. It hadn¡¯t fully worked. If he really, truly wanted to keep his sense of self distinct... then all of Agaroth¡¯s emotions should have been stripped from those memories. Of course, if that had happened, it may have been difficult to fully inherit those memories. Even though their names were forgotten, Eugene could remember everything else in great detail. The Saint of the God of War, the Twilight Witch, had been a beautiful woman. She had grown her beautiful, orange hair long, its color reminiscent of a vibrant sunset, and she had sky blue eyes that didn¡¯t belong to either day or night but were more of a dusky hue. Her face... didn¡¯t resemble Noir¡¯s at all. If he examined her personality in detail, there were many differences between the two. However, there were simrities in the way that they would openly flirt with him, often sought skinship, and liked to whisper into his ear. ¡®Even if you¡¯re reincarnated, does your true nature remain the same?¡¯ Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed as he thought about this. Noir and Eugene were currently in a department store located on the border between Fantasy Square and Gamble Square. They were on a VIP floor that dealt solely in expensive and luxury goods that couldn¡¯t even be entered unless you possessed a considerable amount of wealth. Even though it was a VIP floor, there were actually quite a lot of people having fun shopping when they arrived. There were nobles from all over the continent, a few royal family members from smaller countries, and even a couple of the demonfolk of Helmuth. ¡°No way... is that really....¡± ¡°Eugene Lionheart?¡± Even though they were causing quite a spectacle and drawing the eyes of everyone present, could Noir really intend for them to just keep shopping here regardless? Feeling annoyed, Eugene shifted his gaze towards a target. Although many pairs of eyes were tantly staring at him and whispering, the one that really bothered Eugene belonged to one of the demonfolks. Said demonfolk was a Baron. This wasn¡¯t a very high-ranking title, but this Baron was said to possess quite a prosperous fief by Helmuth¡¯s standards. For those in possession of such a territory, most would have likely lost control of it in a territorial battle with other demonfolk. Still, in the case of this Baron, he was able to maintain his ownership of his territory by getting other higher-ranking demonfolk to extend ties of fealty towards him in exchange for material support. As Eugene silently unleashed his killing intent toward the man, the blood began to drain from the Baron¡¯s bright red face as he turned slightly pale. Eugene rolled his shoulders, red at the retreating Baron, and spoke in a loud voice that was meant to be overheard, ¡°Isn¡¯t the very presence of a bastard who looks that ugly an obstruction of business?¡± The Baron¡¯s appearance indeed was hideous. His hide was red, he had three eyes, and he had goat legs in ce of his lower body. Although Eugene was openly hurling insults at him, the Baron did not respond and merely departed from the floor. The Baron wasn¡¯t the only one frightened off by Eugene¡¯s irritation. The other guests on the VIP floor stopped whispering and kept their mouths shut, acting as if they hadn¡¯t just been gossiping earlier. Even with that, Eugene¡¯s mood didn¡¯t improve. ¡°As long as they can pay, all customers are equal,¡± Noir said with a considering hum as she stretched out all ten fingers. ¡°Of course, I also have to admit that Baron Horst does look hideous. However, even that hideousness can be a unique aesthetic as long as he has enough money.¡± Eugeneined, ¡°Why haven¡¯t you covered this area in your suggestion?¡± Noir smiled, ¡°It¡¯s all for your sake, Eugene.¡± Since there were ears listening from all around them, Noir didn¡¯t call Eugene by his other name, Hamel. This was also a fortunate thing for all of the customers in the department store. If Noir had made a slip of the tongue and said the name ¡®Hamel,¡¯ Eugene would have had to capture or kill everyone around them to stop the rumor from spreading. ¡°As the kind person that I am, allow me to directly inform you. Baron Horst has donated money to several other demonfolk, and included among those are a few of the demonfolk who have crawled into the desert,¡± Noir tore her eyes away from her fingers to take a look at Eugene¡¯s face. With a smile, she continued, ¡°Baron Horst will be sure to convey your situation in a very natural manner.¡± ¡°By my situation, are you talking about how I, the Hero, and you, Noir Giabe, came here, just the two of us, to buy rings?¡± Eugene hissed while trying to keep his insides from boiling over in rage. At these words, Noir let out a cackle and nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± ¡°And if these... facts... were to be known, how exactly would that help my position?¡± Eugene growled. ¡°Who knows? No matter what, something will change, right?¡± Noir gave an awkward cough, ¡°Ahem, first of all, let me make this clear. Did you know that Amelia Merwin doesn¡¯t like me all that much? And I don¡¯t really like Amelia Merwin either. In fact, we both hate each other. And you, Eugene, you hate her as well!¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene stayed silent. ¡°Well... you¡¯ve heard the phrase, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯m sure that Amelia Merwin will have no choice but to feel upset when she learns that we¡¯re close enough to buy rings together,¡± Noir tried to convince Eugene. Eugene eyed her suspiciously, ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡± ¡°Hey, of course, I¡¯m not being serious. I¡¯m just talking for the sake of talking,¡± Noir said, sticking out her tongue with a yful smile. Eugene suppressed the thought of going up to her that very moment and kicking her in the chin, thus chopping off said tongue. ¡°If you¡¯re done looking around, can we head out already?¡± Eugene asked impatiently. ¡°Why are you in such a rush? After all, the night is still long. Also, Eugene, If we leave now, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s anything else for us to do, no?¡± Noir pointed out, wriggling her fingers as she looked at Eugene. Perhaps realizing what it meant for a gaze to feel like it was ¡®burning,¡¯[1] Eugene was so disturbed that he started getting goosebumps. ¡°Of course...,¡± Noir slowly drew out. ¡°I could make this long night seem tost for both a moment and an eternity. Eugene, no matter how arrogant you may act, when you climb into my bed, I¡ª¡± ¡°Grrrr,¡± Eugene growled in the back of his throat. Noir sniffed, ¡°Hm, I could have made sure for you to not have any regrets. Fine, fine, I won¡¯t say anything more about taking you to my bed, but instead,e here and stand next to me.¡± ¡°I can see everything clearly from right here,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, it would still be better to see it from up close, right? After all, this has to do with the final moments of both of our lives, so I don¡¯t want to make the choice all by myself,¡± Noir said persuasively. ¡°You¡¯re just going to do what you want, anyway,¡± Eugene said, not moving from his spot. All ten of Noir¡¯s fingers now had rings adorning them, and she had already spent quite some time picking out these rings. Moreover, these ten were left after Noir had extensively pruned her selection. Even going back just a few dozen minutes, Noir had been considering dozens of different rings. These ten rings were what had been left after a long and lengthy filtering process. They all had simr shapes. None of them had anyrge jewels embedded into them, but that didn¡¯t mean they couldn¡¯t have a few smaller jewels used in their design. Most of the rings had simple designs without much embellishment. Honestly speaking, they were all ordinary-looking rings that were difficult to distinguish from each other at first nce. ¡°They seem a bit too in for you,¡± Eugene eventually gave his opinion. ¡°Right? I think so as well,¡± Noir agreed. ¡°Then you should just choose something different,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°However, for some reason, I feel like I¡¯m being drawn to rings like these,¡± Noir muttered, tilting her head to the side in confusion. After continuing to think about it like this for some time, Noir made up her mind and chose one of the rings. The ring that Noir chose was a gold ring that gave off a soft glow. She nodded her head with a satisfied expression. Noir turned to him, ¡°Eugene, you should try wearing one as well. Since it will need to be able to fit on your finger.¡± Eugene scowled, ¡°Get¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to say ¡®get lost,¡¯ aren¡¯t you?¡± Noir spoke over him. ¡°Fine, I get it. I¡¯ll make the choice on my own. Even without you wearing it personally, I can roughly tell what your ring size is just by looking at your fingers, you know? In fact, there¡¯s no need to even measure it. It¡¯s not like this is some cheap ring, so it will be able to adjust to the circumference of your finger no matter which finger it is put on.¡± Noir pped her hands, and one of the waiting staff stepped forward. ¡°There¡¯s no need to wrap the rings up. We¡¯ll take them away like this,¡± Noir instructed. ¡°If you desire it, we can also engrave the rings, Your Highness,¡± the staff offered. ¡°Engrave? An engraving, hmm...,¡± Noir pondered the possibility for a few moments before smiling and shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ll just do it myself.¡± Noir could have had the store engrave Eugene¡¯s name onto her ring, but rather than that name, she wanted to engrave the name ¡®Hamel¡¯ instead. The rings floated above her palm as they were wrapped up inyers of her dark power. It didn¡¯t take much time to engrave his name on the inside of one of the rings. ¡°This one is mine,¡± Noir said with a bright smile as she held her ring up towards Eugene. The name ¡®Hamel Dynas¡¯ was written on the inside of the small ring that was sized to fit around Noir¡¯s ring finger. ¡°And this one is yours,¡± Noir said, holding up the other ring. This one had the name ¡®Noir Giabe¡¯ engraved on the inside. While watching as Eugene¡¯s expression twisted, Noir giggled and ced her ring onto the ring finger of her left hand. ¡°I¡¯ll keep your ring with me,¡± Noir informed him. ¡°Because if I give it to you, you will definitely just throw it away.¡± Her long, outstretched fingers pulled out a strand of her own hair. The broken strand of hair was pulled through Hamel¡¯s ring and turned into a ck ne. In fact, Noir wanted Eugene to hang this ne around her neck, but Noir was well aware that there was no way the man would be willing to do so. So she hung the ne around her neck with her own hands as she walked over towards Eugene. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Noir said. ¡°Where to?¡± Eugene asked. Noir smiled, ¡°Since we¡¯ve alreadye to the department store, wouldn¡¯t it be a shame to end our shopping trip and return after just buying some rings? Isn¡¯t there anything that you want me to buy for you?¡± ¡°There¡¯s nothing,¡± Eugene tly denied. ¡°I feel like those two kids have a lot of things they might want, though,¡± Noir teased. ¡°I¡¯m also very wealthy,¡± Eugene said defensively. ¡°But there are some things that even money can¡¯t buy,¡± Noir said as she walked past Eugene. Although he didn¡¯t have any desire to follow her ¡ª in the current situation ¡ª Eugene had no choice but to do so. Eventually, Eugene let out a sigh and followed Noir out of the store. 1. The original text uses ¡®sticky¡¯ instead of burning, but since that isn¡¯t really a thing in English, I felt it was best to change it to this. ? Chapter 434: Giabella City (9) [Bonus Images]

Chapter 434: Giabe City (9) [Bonus Images]

Eugene wandered around the department store, getting pulled to wherever Noir wanted to go. To be honest, he tried to keep his distance so that he wasn¡¯t considered part of the same group as her, but Noir wouldn''t allow him to y such a trick. With a mischievous smile, she would call Eugene¡¯s name out loud, get close to him, and pull on his arms as she clung to him. After this was repeated several times in a row, Eugene eventually just gave up. While keeping half his attention on following Noir around, carrying her luggage, Eugene was rolling a few ideas over in his head. He was thinking about his remaining two questions. What kind of questions would be the most meaningful? As nned, should he ask about the private army she might be harboring? No, there wasn¡¯t much meaning in doing so. To be honest, Eugene wouldn¡¯t really be surprised if something like that did pop up when he returned to this city, but no matter how many troops were stationed here, in the end, the biggest challenge was Noir Giabe herself. ¡®I also feel like it would be a good idea to turn the investigation towards the Demon King of Incarceration or Gavid Lindman,¡¯ Eugene considered. For example, he could ask her for the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s weak point.... Eugene unconsciouslyughed as this thought popped into his head. The Demon King¡¯s weak point? Could there even be such a thing? Even if it did exist, Eugene didn¡¯t think it was likely that Noir would know about it. ¡°What kind of thought is leaving you so distracted?¡± Noir asked curiously. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about what to ask you,¡± Eugene answered with a blunt demeanor. Eugene was getting annoyed by the music flowing in his ears. Instead of listening to such music, Eugene even thought that it would have been better to just keep wandering around the department store while shopping. At least there, he had been able to keep moving. However, now, Eugene was forced to just sit in ce. After they had finished shopping, Noir and Eugene had arrived here, at a bar with a nice atmosphere, the soft sound of music in the background, apanied by the rustling of cocktail shakers. Eugene and Noir were sitting in a corner seat, facing each other. ¡°You don¡¯t need to ask them all today; it¡¯s fine if you just ask me next time,¡± Noir said with augh as she shook her drink. There was also a drink set in front of Eugene, but he had yet to pick it up. By now, the night had already started to give way to dawn, and the sun would rise in just a few hours. Eugene harshly rejected her, ¡°I have no intention of hanging out with you ever again.¡± ¡°You really are such a consistent person. I actually like that about you, but as a date, you aren¡¯t fun at all,¡± Noirined. ¡°A date?¡± Eugene repeated. Noir smiled teasingly, ¡°If what you and I are doing now isn¡¯t a date, what else could it be?¡± He didn¡¯t have any energy left to try and refute her. Eugene let out a heavy sigh as he idly tapped his drink with his fingertips. ¡°I don¡¯t understand you,¡± Eugene confessed. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so happy, Hamel,¡± Noir said cheerily. ¡°It seems you¡¯re finally willing to converse with me?¡± Eugene didn¡¯t show any reaction to Noir¡¯s outburst. He just raised his head and stared straight at her. He saw a smile on Noir¡¯s face, which was illuminated by the warm colors of the lights above. Instead of saying anything, she also just waited for Eugene to speak. ¡°Converse? A conversation, huh...? Maybe, but I¡¯m more in the mood to air some grievances,¡± Eugene muttered as he picked up his ss. Noir felt moved by this action, and her lips stretched into a wide smile as she asked, ¡°Hamel, are you actually willing to drink with me?¡± Eugene denied this, ¡°I just want a drink because I¡¯m feeling like shit.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s the case! Understood. Hamel, you can just keep drinking alone like that, and I will also keep drinking here by myself. Even though we¡¯re sitting across from each other like this, we¡¯re not actually drinking together,¡± Noi said with a giggle as she raised her ss. Her drink casually approached his to try to clink their sses together, but Eugene ignored her approach and just poured his drink straight into his mouth. Noir returned to the topic, ¡°So then, Hamel, what is it that you don¡¯t understand about me?¡± ¡°Everything,¡± Eugene replied. When Eugene lowered his empty ss, Noir promptly picked up a bottle and refilled it as if she had just been waiting for the chance to do so. As a strong, tan-colored liquor filled his ss about halfway, Eugene didn¡¯t bother trying to stop her. ¡°Like why you keep fucking with me,¡± Eugene specified. ¡°That¡¯s because I love you,¡± Noir imed. Eugene added, ¡°I also don¡¯t understand all the effort you¡¯ve put into this city.¡± ¡°Heehee, you don¡¯t understand it? I¡¯m the one who doesn''t understand what you mean by those words, Hamel. Haven¡¯t I already told you what this city is for? In that case, isn¡¯t it only natural that I put in my best effort to develop this city?¡± Noir asked as she leaned over towards him. The new dress she had changed into had a low-necked design, so when she bent over like this, her cleavage was clearly visible. However, rather than her cleavage, Eugene¡¯s gaze was drawn to the ne swaying above it and the ring on the said ne. ¡°I have seen your city,¡± Eugene said, ¡°and it is overflowing with an iprehensible level of narcissism. So much so that most of the things within this city have your name attached to it.¡± The city¡¯s name was Giabe City. Its theme park was named Giabe Park. The flying heads were called Giabe-Faces, and even the Castle¡¯s name was Giabe Castle. The only exception was the trains, named the Dream Trains, but... apart from those, countless other things still had been named after Giabe. ¡°It¡¯s said to be the greatest tourist destination in the entire continent, and it is indeed crowded with people. I also saw a lot of young children,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°....Ah,¡± Noir¡¯s eyes widened as if she had realized what Eugene was trying to say. ¡°Are you going to ask if I perhaps feel guilty?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t necessarily want to focus on just that emotion,¡± Eugene said vaguely. ¡°Sorrow then?¡± Noir said with a giggle. ¡°Or perhaps regret? Something like that?¡± Without responding, Eugene just red at Noir. Eugene was well-acquainted with the demonfolk. Or at least, that was what he had thought. However ¡ª after seeing Helmuth in the present era ¡ª he sometimes doubted himself and wondered if he really did know them all that well. During the era of war, the demonfolk were the enemy. There was no other way that they could be defined. In that era, for the humans, the demonfolk were enemies that needed to be fought at all costs. In order to achieve peace, the Demon Kings needed to be in, and the demonfolk were to be driven back. However, were all demonfolk really just enemies? In that regard, neither Eugene nor Hamel could be certain that that was absolutely the case. In the end, the demonfolks were just another race, so among the countless demonfolk... perhaps there were a few demonfolk that didn¡¯t want to harm humans and were friendly towards humans. There had been no need to dwell on that thought at that time. That was because they were in the middle of a war. Rather than trying to distinguish between good demonfolk and bad demonfolk, Hamel had thought that it would be better to just consider all demonfolk as the enemy and kill every single demonfolk he encountered. The present era was different. It was an era of peace. Three hundred years had passed since the war. Should all the demonfolk born in this ear of peace still be considered enemies? Were the demonfolk born into this era¡¯s Helmuth Empire, who got along well with the immigrating humans as if it was only natural, and who bore goodwill towards humans, really enemies? Someday, war would break out. Eugene didn¡¯t think that he had much longer to wait until then. He could actually bring a start to the war right at this very moment. If he were to attack Babel right now without thinking of the consequences, the Demon King of Incarceration would surely order an end to the peace the Oath had secured for the past three hundred years. ¡°Are you thinking about the gap between your memories from three hundred years ago and the present era?¡± Noir asked as light shimmered from her purple eyes. She couldn¡¯t read Eugene¡¯s mind. Noir wasn¡¯t even able to dive into his consciousness and peek into his inner thoughts. Nevertheless, Noir could see through what Eugene was thinking and trying to say. ¡°You¡¯re thinking that the world has changed from what you knew of it three hundred years ago...,¡± Noir said as she leaned back into her sofa, burying her body deeper into the cushions as she brought her drink to her lips. ¡°Now that we¡¯ve been rehabilitated, you¡¯re wondering if... we truly need to be enemies. That is what you¡¯re thinking, right?¡± ¡°Something like that,¡± Eugene admitted. This wasn¡¯t a problem that Eugene could just ignorepletely. Once the Oath came to an end and the Demon King of Incarceration dered war, a significant number of demonfolk would be willing to go to war immediately. In particr, the high-ranking demonfolk who had survived since the war era were sure to be overjoyed and would definitely leap headfirst into the war. Even now, many of those demonfolk who couldn¡¯t wait for theing war had already hopped over into the desert. However, would all demonfolk agree to join the war? Wouldn¡¯t there be some demonfolk who had be stained by the peace that hadsted for the past three hundred years? Perhaps the demonfolk born into an era where peace was taken for granted might not wish for war. As the master of this city, there was an unending stream of tourists who chanted Noir¡¯s name in worship every single day. Of all the demonfolk who were seen as the most familiar with, and closest to, humans, Noir was supreme even among them. So Eugene wanted to figure out what exactly it was that she wanted. Eugene readied his second question, ¡°Apart from how it has to do with me, how do you see the¡ª¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Noir had burst intoughter even before Eugene had finished speaking. She took a sip of her drink before lowering it to stare at Eugene. ¡°Beginning from now, my answer will count as burning one of the two remaining questions you have left,¡± Noir warned him. Eugene waited silently. ¡°In return, that means I will make sure to answer you seriously, without a single lie,¡± Noir promised. Eugene nodded his head without making any protest. He didn¡¯t have anything in particr he wanted to ask right now, so he thought that if he could hear some of Noir Giabe¡¯s true feelings, it might be a worthwhile trade. ¡°Allow me to say this, Hamel,¡± the smile slowly disappeared from Noir¡¯s face as she began to speak. ¡°Whether it is guilt, sorrow, or regret, I have always wanted to be able to experience those sorts of emotions.¡± Eugene pursed his lips. ¡°Every single one of the guests who make their way to this city has a desire in their heart. Whether it¡¯s a man, woman, child, or elder, they¡¯re all the same. Theye to this city to fulfill their desires, to satisfy their dreams, and toe up with new dreams to pursue,¡± Noir¡¯s lips twitched in a small smile. ¡°That¡¯s all there is to it. That is all they want from me, and in return, that is all I want from them. Right now, I am able to interact with them because they have something that I want, but if they don¡¯t have anything...? Hamel, you should probably be happy with this answer, right?¡± Noir¡¯s voice grew softer, ¡°If everyone who came to this city were to die while hating me, that would instead just make me happier.¡± Noir was right. That was the answer that Eugene had wanted from her. He had hoped that the Queen of the Night Demons hadn¡¯t really changed over the past three hundred years. He had hoped that this era of peace hadn¡¯t left a single mark on her. Noir shook her head. ¡°A war? Ahaha... that¡¯s right, a war probably will break out. Though it¡¯s a question of whether the war wille first, or if, between you and I, one of us dies first.... Hmm, this feels like an issue that I will have to give some thought to. If I were to kill you, would the Demon King of Incarceration dere a war?¡± ¡°Who knows,¡± Eugene shrugged. Noir smiled, ¡°In that case, let¡¯s make an assumption. What would happen... if the Demon King of Incarceration were to dere war while both you and I are still alive? There probably will be quite a few demonfolk who won¡¯t agree with the war. That was also the case three hundred years ago. However, is there even a need to factor them in? The demonfolk who don¡¯t want war will just retreat on their own. As for me... haha, naturally, I will be on the front lines.¡± Noir actually quite liked this side of Hamel. The man in front of her seemed self-centered and emotional, but surprisingly, he actually wasn¡¯t. His actions that seemed emotional always had their own logic and reasoning behind them. His every action and choice always required at least some basis and justification for them. Knowing this aspect of his character, Noir tried to fulfill Eugene¡¯s expectations. No matter what, it felt like Eugene... was afraid that the enemy he should hate had somehow changed. As the master of this city, Noir was adored by countless people. Eugene seemed worried that Noir may have be stained by that love and hade to love humans in the same way that they did her. This was a pointless worry. It was fundamentally wrong. Noir did not love humans. But neither did she love demonfolk. The only two things she loved were herself, as Noir Giabe, and Hamel. ¡°Hamel, I am just me. The Noir Giabe that you have always known. Though perhaps you don¡¯t actually know me all that well. Even so, it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a problem with that, now is there? I can assure you of this much: I... am the enemy that you must kill. If you think otherwise or have any doubts, then I am willing to prove that I am still your enemy,¡± Noir warned him. Noir thought that Hamel seemed a little strange after he had arrived here in Giabe City. Until now, she had never once seen him waver... but after arriving in this city, she had seen Hamel doubt himself several times. Was it because of gaps in his memory? Could that really be all there was to it? Noir couldn¡¯t be sure of the exact answer to that, but.... She actually found his hesitance quite loveable. She didn¡¯t know what side of her he had seen or what kind of illusion he may have had of her that was causing him to feel such self-doubt. However, the fact that he would have more burdens weighing down his heart when he fought with her would only add extra sweetness to their already beautifully embellished ending. ¡°Isn¡¯t there any other way apart from bing enemies?¡± Eugene calmly asked, his emotions having settled down. He wasn¡¯t in the grips of agony or self-delusion. He knew he was staring at Noir Giabe, not the Twilight Witch. ¡°No, there are no other ways,¡± Noir replied with a bright smile. ¡°I love you, and I want to lie in bed together with you. But that said, Hamel, what I feel for you isn¡¯t a mix of love and hate. I don¡¯t hate you at all. However, the love that I hold for you cannot exist without one of us ending up dead.¡± Noir¡¯s desire for his death was motivated by pure love, without any hatred coloring it. Eugene couldn¡¯t really understand what Noir was talking about, but he didn¡¯t have to think too deeply about it. He just gave up on trying to understand her. Eugene felt himself rx once he had done so, ¡°Hah.¡± There was no point in feeling any regret. Eugene was relieved as he now knew that there was nothing wrong with his thoughts and the decision that he hade to. ¡°Haha, hahaha...,¡± Eugene burst intoughter as the tight pressure around his heart disappeared. He thought it was fortunate he had decided to have this conversation with Noir. As Eugene began tough without restraint, Noir also let out a graceful chuckle as she covered her mouth with one hand. Noir sighed in pleasure, ¡°Ah, even so... I¡¯m quite grateful for our current peace, as it is all thanks to it that a day like this hase. To think that there would actually be a day where I couldugh with you over drinks.¡± This current situation was one of the things that Noir would have never been able to imagine by herself, just like her own death. Hamel, who held such hatred of demonfolk, would sit down like this while facing her and share a drink with her. It wasn¡¯t simply unimaginable but impossible, at least till now. ¡°It feels like a dream,¡± Noir said as she rested her chin on her hand and stared at Eugene. She was the Queen of the Night Demons. She knew better than anyone else that there was no such thing as an eternal dream. She could give the illusion of eternity to those humans who longed for such, but in actuality, she was still held back by the restrictions of their reality. There wasn¡¯t much time left. After just a few hours, this romantic dream would be over. She felt like she had gained a slight understanding of why the human heart could be so greedy. Indeed, wasn¡¯t it because they hated this feeling of disappointment that they wanted their dreams tost forever? While enjoying this feeling of disappointment, Noir whispered to Eugene, ¡°There¡¯s still some time left. Would you like toe up to my room?¡± ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene grunted. Noir wasn¡¯t phased by his rejection, ¡°Then let¡¯s just talk about the old days together. That¡¯s right, how about this? When I first met you in your dreams¡ª¡± Crack! The ss in Eugene¡¯s hand shattered into pieces. * * * Noir¡¯s stories made the time pass quickly. But the stories from the old days that Noir wanted to talk about were all from the war era that only served to further stoke Eugene¡¯s murderous intent, so in the end, they didn¡¯t really fit the topic of nostalgia. However, they did end up sharing quite a few other stories. Though more urately speaking, Noir was the only one doing the talking as Eugene mostly just listened quietly. Noir shared a few stories about the dawn of the new era. The story of how Helmuth became an empire after the war had ended. Of how Noir had risen to the seat of a duke and how she had expanded her influence. She also revealed how many enemies she had devoured in pursuit of her own ambitions and desires. ¡°About Raizakia, that idiot was actually my biggest target. After that bastard had eaten his own children and had grown stronger. Right as his arrogance would have reached its peak, that was when I was nning on taking him down,¡± Noir said with a sigh. Because of all the bright street lighting, the actual color of the sky was hard to see. However, both Eugene and Noir could sense that dawn was currently approaching. ¡°He could have eaten you instead,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Eaten me? Ahaha, how absurd. Hamel, you also fought with Raizakia, didn¡¯t you? That stupid and arrogant dragon, apart from being a dragon, didn¡¯t actually have any other talents,¡± Noir said with a cackle as she walked right next to Eugene. Every time she stepped forward, the lights in the surrounding buildings were switched off. Noir paused thoughtfully, ¡°If I had failed to hunt Raizakia... hmm, and if you hadn¡¯t been reincarnated, I would have probably be a Demon King and challenged the Demon King of Incarceration. You didn¡¯t know that, right? The reason I didn¡¯t be a Demon King is solely you.¡± Eugene grimaced, ¡°You¡¯re saying that as if you could be a Demon King whenever you wanted.¡± Noir threw her head back andughed, ¡°Ahaha! That waste, Iris, was also able to be a Demon King, so what am Icking to stop me from bing a Demon King as well? Also, I already know the method to be a Demon King. I just don¡¯t want to do it.¡± Hypothetically, after she fulfilled her desire to kill Hamel, then, at that time¡ª Noir grinned and turned her head towards him to confess, ¡°Hamel, I... I hate the dawn.¡± She hated how the morning would wake people up from their dreams. ¡°I¡¯ve always hated it in the past, but I feel like I will hate it even more from now on,¡± Noir said. At some point, all of the city lights that had been centered on Noir and Eugene had been turned off. However, none of the people walking in the distance seemed to question this strange phenomenon. As dawn lit up the streets, Noir felt her chest begin to pound at the sight of Eugene being touched by its faint light. Other emotions welled up within her andbined with those already present. Feeling an inexplicable sense of deja vu, Noir whispered, ¡°I wish it was twilight right now.¡± If it were twilight, the time when the sun set and night began.... Her throat felt like it was burning with longing. Strangely enough, her eyes felt cold, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. ¡°Ahem,¡± Noir sniffed, to think that she would actually end up crying. Noir couldn¡¯t help but misunderstand the reason for the tears currently flowing down her cheeks. Could it be that the end of a dream was really this disappointing? Noir chuckled as she held her left hand in her right. She stroked the ring on her ring finger. Noir took a final look at Eugene, who was just standing there with a surprised expression, before turning away with a smile, ¡°Well then, goodbye, Hamel.¡± Chapter 435: Giabella City (10)

Chapter 435: Giabe City (10)

After walking a few steps, Noirs body dissipated into mist. Eugene continued to stare as the mist faded away before muttering in a dazed voice, ...What was that? He couldnt understand the meaning behind Noirs tears at the very end there. Why had she been crying? Was she sad that their game was over? Since this was Noir, who often did crazy things, it made sense that she would pretend to shed tears for such a reason. However, Eugene got the feeling that the tears he had seen just now... It hadnt seemed like Noir was acting. Even Noir herself had appeared to be embarrassed by the tears flowing down her cheeks. eastern fantasy I wish it was twilight right now. The words Noir had muttered were lingering in Eugenes head. Eugene wasnt sure what to think of that. What had she meant by those words? Ignoring the thoughts circling in his head, Eugene turned around. Eugene had already decided long ago that he would not allow himself to be swayed by things such as Agaroths memories and emotions, nor would he allow himself to be swayed by Noir Giabes past life. There was no other way to solve the issue that Noir posed. Eugenes conversation with Noir had proven very valuable. Not only had he discovered Noirs true purpose for constructing this city, but he had also confirmed that Noir was an enemy with whom he would never be able topromise. He still had one of his three remaining questions, but there was no need to use it immediately. I can just use itter, Eugene decided. Though, in fact, I dont really have anything more to ask her.... Perhaps it was because Noir had departed, but people had begun to walk through the previously vacant surroundings again. After pulling up his hood to block any unwanted gazes, Eugene headed back to his amodations in Giabe Castle. I get the feeling that Kristina and Anise will be worried..., Eugene thought to himself. He had told them that he was going out to do some reconnaissance, but... it had gone on for much longer than he had expected. They had initially thought that, even if Eugene was generous with his time, he would be back by around midnight. But the morning sun had already risen. When he thought of how Anise would be waiting to give him a hard time, Eugenes heart dropped, and his shoulders slumped. ...It also reminded him of yesterday. He recalled the feeling of their lips pressed against each other and then Eugene choked on a breath and covered his lips with his hand. Naturally, the feeling inside his mouth right now was no different from how it usually was. After coughing a few more times, Eugene hastened his steps. How was he even supposed to look Anise... or Kristina in the face? Eugene kept on worrying about this until he finally arrived at Giabe Castle. freeweb novel. By the time he arrived at the penthouse, Eugene realized that the worry he had been so obsessed with until moments ago was a mere triviality. Giabe City was known as the city without a night. So this top-floor penthouse could easily be lit up with just the night view from outside the window instead of the indoor lights. Seeing how the sun had already risen, the penthouse should have been bright, but right now, the penthouse was immersed in pitch darkness. Therge ss windows had been covered by thick ckout curtains, and all of the lights, including the chandelier on the ceiling, had been turned off. ...Um..., Eugene hesitantly entered the dark living room. Someone was sitting on therge sofa. It was Kristina Rogeris. She was wearing her ck clerical robes, the same shade as the darkness filling the living room, and her eyes were closed. What... are you doing in here with all the lights turned off? Eugene cautiously asked. Eugene couldnt be sure whether the Saint who was waiting there with her eyes closed, kneeling on top of the sofa and with her il set down next to her, was Kristina or Anise. If he were to judge her identity based on this ominous situation alone, it was probably Anise, but he was still uncertain because,tely, Kristina hadnt been far behind Anise when it came to making Eugene feel threatened. Click. Instead of replying to his question, the Saint pressed a button on a remote control. When she did so, the TV in the living room turned on, and a pre-recorded video began to y. It was from Giabe Citys personal news channel, which Eugene had also watchedst night during dinner. However, the video recording of what was broadcast as breaking news covered a different subject from the news he had seen yesterday. Haaah..., Eugene unconsciously let out a sigh when he saw what was recorded on the video. The recording was of Noir Giabe choosing a ring in a department storete at night. Noir was seen on screen looking back at Eugene while holding up her rings, and the video showed Eugene saying something in response. Because of the camera angle, Eugenes facial expression was expertly obscured, and all the sound waspletely cut out. Its a misunderstanding, Eugene quickly insisted. However, the Saints lips remained firmly sealed. Unlike when he had first entered the room, her eyes were now open, but her darkly shadowed eyes felt even gloomier than the living room with all the lights turned off. The video was fast-forwarded. The screen quickly sped through the scene of Noir picking out a ring in the department store. Then it showed Noir busily walking around the different floors of the department store as she chose some clothes. All the while, Eugene followed along without saying anything. Its really a misunderstanding, Eugene repeated himself. The video fast-forwarded once more. This time, the background had changed. Eugene and Noir were walking down the street at dawn. Once again, the angle was expertly chosen, as several shy motel signs could be seen behind the two pedestrians. Sincerely mortified and aggrieved by this sight, Eugene clutched at his chest, It really wasnt like that! Youre going to die no matter what, the Saint finally spoke up. After hearing you deny everything so firmly, theres no other choice apart from that. With a creak, her head turned towards him. Her shadowed eyes suddenly glowed from within the darkness. Due to the eeriness conveyed by those eyes, Eugene unconsciously clenched his fists in tension. Before he even knew it, his palms were already drenched in sweat. First, you went to choose a ring in a department storete at night, then at dawn... Kristina couldnt bear to finish what she was about to say, and her shoulders were shaking in anger. Eugene was sure that if he just left her like this, the misunderstanding would definitely continue to snowball. Eugene ran up to her and knelt down across from Kristina. Eugene desperately tried to convince her, Hey, Kristina, I told you it wasnt like that, didnt I? Its all a misunderstanding, really a misunderstanding. Theres no way that I would get up to something strange with that bitch, Noir! Are you trying to pass it off as a one-night fling[1]? Kristinas eyes shed with light one more time. It looked as if two blue will-o-the-wisps were flickering within the pitch darkness. Kristina took a deep breath, Sir Eugene. I really want to trust in everything that you say and do, but right now, Sir Eugene, you smell of that sluts perfume and body odor. Also... there is the stench of alcohol. Damn it. Eugenes expression twisted into a scowl as he pped his cloak around, trying to get a sniff. Indeed. Perhaps it was because of him walking around with Noir for half a day, but her smell had definitely permeated into his clothes. Eugene tried to convince her once more, I can exin everything. Im afraid to even listen, Kristina said with a shiver. Eugene shouted in offense, Hey! What is there to be even afraid of?! Unless I lost my mind, I wouldn''t do I was worried that slut may have overpowered you andpelled you to act as her boy toy, Sir Eugene... but currently, your mind seems to be very clear, Kristina noted suspiciously. Im perfectly fine. Nothing at all happened, not the slightest thing, Eugene insisted and widened his eyes as he stared intently at Kristina, trying to convey his innocence. He had to admit that it was a situation that could be easily misunderstood, but Eugene still felt sad, aggrieved, and angry to be misunderstood like this by the Saint. Even if other people might not know better, the Saint at least should be well aware of Eugenes character. As Eugene red at her with his eyes full of sincere emotion, Kristina also let out a low cough as the look in her eyes softened, ...Ahem. When she pressed another button on the remote control, the lights in the darkened living room turned on, and the curtains covering the windows began to open on their own. It was just a joke, Kristina said apologetically. What? Eugene asked, still perplexed. Kristina confessed, I decided to pull a prank on you because you returned sote. Theres no way that Lady Anise and I would doubt you, Sir Eugene, over something like this. It was true that they had thought that Eugene might have gotten carried away after the emotions from his past life suddenly resurged... or perhaps, like Kristina had just said, he may have been forcefully seduced and carried away by Noir. They couldnt help but have just the slightest bit of suspicion that something like that may have happened to Eugene. However, just like Eugene had thought, Kristina and Anise were well aware of what kind of people both Eugene and Hamel were. Eugene protested, Youre saying it was just a joke after switching the lights off like that and creating such a tense atmosphere...?! If you had just contacted us before it got sote, Sir Eugene, we wouldnt have been so upset, Kristina pointed out. Eugene argued back, How could I have contacted you in that sort of situation?! You could have done it somehow, Kristina said as she picked up the il she had ced next to her. It wasnt like she had swung it threateningly; Kristina was just holding it by the handle, but for some reason, Eugene felt intimidated and hunched his shoulders. If we had truly suspected that you were being unfaithful, Sir Eugene, we wouldnt have been waiting here with the lights turned off like this, Kristina added. Then what would you have done? Eugene asked curiously. We would have probably gone out looking for you ourselves. In fact, Lady Anise did urge me several times to go out looking for you, Sir Eugene, earlier this morning, Kristina revealed. The moment that she said this, Kristinas body trembled slightly. Anise had taken control of their shared consciousness. I really feel like Kristina has grown up a lot. Now, she even dares to tread all over my toes like this[2]! Aniseined. She really does seem to have grown a lot from when we first met, Eugene muttered as he recalled his first meeting with Kristina. However, Anise seemed to have understood his words differently as she frowned in disdain and red at Eugene. I always knew that you were a sly bastard. So youve been looking at Kristina with such eyes from the very beginning? Anise used. What, did I say something strange? Eugene blinked in confusion. Anise snapped, Dont act so naive, Hamel. I havent forgotten what happened yesterday! What happened yesterday... Eugene blinked his eyes rapidly as his face twisted into a frown. I didnt do anything yesterday! I-Im not at fault for what happened that day. In fact, it was Kristina no it was you who did something to me! Eugene returned her usation. Anise demanded in outrage, Do you really believe Kristinas lies? Do you really think that her words made any sense! Kristina was the one who did the kissing, but you think I was the one in control of her tongue! It only makes sense that shes the one who moved her tongue! Eugene hesitated, Thats... I mean, I dont know for sure whats going on with your whole situation. Sometimes, when its you whos doing the talking, Kristina is the one moving your body... so wouldnt you be able to do something like that? You crazy bastard! Are you seriously saying that! Anise shouted as she leaped to her feet and kicked Eugene in the shin. This kick is from Kristina! Do you really expect me to believe that? Eugene asked skeptically. Anise grew even angrier, If you dont believe that, then why do you still believe that Im the one who did that thing with our tongue yesterday?! Thats... thats because it seems like something you would do..., Eugene muttered quietly. Just what on earth do you really think of me?! I wont do such... such lewd things! Anise spat out with a hiss, and then her body trembled once more. Control of their body was once again passed back from Anise to Kristina. Sister! If you say it like that, then doesnt it seem like Im the only one who would do something so obscene? Havent we alreadye to an agreement on yesterdays issue? Kristina protested. It had been earlier this very morning, just a few hours ago in fact, that they had agreed on how to properly divide their roles from now on and on how to make further progress once they had the opportunity to do so. Kristina knew that it was a mistake to have blurted out Anises name in a panic, but there was no point in crying over spilled milk[3]. Eugene, who watched with a puzzled expression as the two of them began to fight for control of their body, looked around the living room and decided to change the subject, Where are the kids? Anise scoffed, What time do you think it is right now? Its still early in the morning. Theres no way that those two kids would wake up this early in the day. Im not sure about Rai, but Mer doesnt actually sleep, right? Eugene asked doubtfully. Even if she doesnt sleep, she can at least pretend to sleep or do something simr. If youre curious, just go to their room and see for yourself. It looks like Ill have to hash this out with Kristina first, Anise said as she straightened her spine and firmed up her stance. Eugene got up from the sofa, sighing in relief now that the tip of the sword was no longer pointed at him. Although the penthouse was spacious and had many individual rooms, Raimira and Mer had insisted on sharing the same room. As a matter of fact, the two of them even slept in arge bed under a shared nket. Why are you both pretending to be asleep? Eugene grumbled as he opened the door slightly. No matter how well-insted the rooms might be, the senses of Raimira, a dragon hatchling, and Mer, a high-performance familiar, should be able to detect even the slightest disturbances. Is it done? Mer raised her head, the nket still covering her up to her chin. Seeing her like this, Eugene instinctively approached the side of their bed and patted Mer on the head. What were you expecting to be done? Eugene asked gently. The disciplining, Mer responded. Eugene frowned in confusion, Disci... what? Disciplining? Of who to whom? Of you, Sir Eugene, by Lady Anise, Mer rified. After hearing Mer say this as if she was stating the obvious, Eugenes hand, which had been stroking her head, naturally flowed downward until he was pinching Mers cheek. Why would I be disciplined by Anise?! Eugene grumbled. You were wandering around the streets at night, doing bad things, used Mer. What bad things am I supposed to have done? Eugene angrily demanded. Ill tell on you to Lady Sienna, Mer threatened as she nced at Eugene with narrowed eyes. That... that was a threat that even Eugene found difficult to ignore. Eugene slightly rxed the grip of his pinching fingers and sat down on the bed. Eugene coughed, Ahem...theres no need to say anything unnecessary to Sienna when shes so busy developing and practicing new types of magic in Aroth, right? It will just be a distraction to her. Thats a good point, Mer nodded. But even though Lady Sienna is working so hard, is it okay for you, Sir Eugene, to go out and have fun during a secret meeting with the Queen of Sluts sote at night? You... I told you not to use such vulgarnguage, didnt I? Also, secret meeting, what secret meeting? Eugene pretended to be oblivious. Benefactor, isnt it too discriminatory if you only pat Mers head and pinch her cheek? Benefactor, thisdy also deserves to be patted on the head, Raimira curled up underneath the nket, then rolled over and draped herself over Mer. Recently, your behavior has been making me feel depressed, Benefactor. If I had to say why, it is because your treatment of thisdy had changed greatly from how it was before. How have I changed? Eugene raised an eyebrow. Benefactor, you havent hit me even once on my forehead in the past few months, Raimira said, lifting a finger and pointing at the ruby on her forehead. Well... of course, getting hit on my ruby is very, very painful. However, after watching as the Benefactor pinches Mers cheeks and gives her noogies, I sometimes think to myself that I also want you to flick my fore... haaargh! Pop! Raimiras words turned into a scream at the end. Mer, who had been quietly listening to them speak, had delivered a stinging forehead flick onto Raimiras ruby. You idiot. If you want to get hit so badly, allow me to answer your prayers, Mer sneered. What I want to receive is an affectionate forehead flick from my savior, not you! Raimira insisted. Like usual, the two began to roll around together in a tussle. Watching this scene, Eugene was lost in thought for a few moments. He was recalling Gidol, where he had lived when he was younger. The image of two stray cats fighting, which he had often seen on those countryside streets, shed through his mind. Thats... if I hit you when you havent done anything to deserve it, that would make me a real son of a bitch, Eugene said guiltily. Does that mean you will hit thisdy if I do something that does deserve it? Raimira asked hopefully. Eugene hesitated, Well... if you do something that deserves punishment, then...ye... but I would prefer it if you stayed good rather than do anything naughty. Raimira mustered up her courage, Even so... even so, I still sometimes wish for you to hit me like you did be... aaargh! Pop! Once again, Raimiras words transformed into screams. Mer, who had just been looking for an opportunity, uratelynded a blow on Raimiras ruby once more. Having been struck like this twice in a row, Raimira let out a screech and leaped at Mer, and the two once again began rolling around like a pair of cats. Eugene sat on a chair some distance from the chaos and spectated their argument. This feeling was quite rxing. As he watched them fight over something so meaningless, it felt like all of the worlds problems were bing insignificant.... Just as Eugene was beginning to get the urge to sip some tea while continuing to watch their fight, the wind around him suddenly stirred. [Hamel,] Tempests voice was heard inside of his head. [A problem has urred.] Eugene frowned, A problem? What kind of problem? Does it have something to do with Lady Melkith? [Thats right,] Tempest confirmed. Although he called it a problem, Tempests voice was as calm as usual. In the end, that could only mean one thing. This problem was only inconveniencing Melkith, and she was just making a fuss. In reality, the problem was neither all that urgent nor serious. What''s going on? Eugene asked Tempest. For now, he decided that he should listen to what Melkith had to say, so Eugene asked Tempest to connect them. At this request, the wind began to stir, and Melkiths voice was ryed to Eugene. [Eugene! Eugene! We have a huge problem!] Melkith shouted. Whats got you in such a panic? Eugene calmly asked. [Demons!] Mer let out a loud scream. [The one that threatened to kill me! That ugly creature has appeared!] Melkiths voice was watery as if she was about to burst into tears at any moment. However, Eugenes face showed only surprise instead of concern. This was because, no matter how much thought he gave it, there was no way for Harpeuron, who was ranked fifty-seventh, to kill Melkith. 1. The Korean text uses the idiom of ying with fire to describe having a fling. ? 2. The original Korean idiom uses dance on top of her head to describe how Kristina is getting a bit too big for her britches and now feels free to show disrespect to Anise. ? 3. The original Korean idiom says there is no way to pick up spilled water, which is simr but could be confusing. ? The source of thistent is Chapter 436: The Fake (1)

Chapter 436: The Fake (1)

Over half a year had already passed since Melkith had crossed over into the desert as part of a deal to procure a contract with the Spirit King of Wind. Melkith had spent her rugged childhood in a small mountain vige in a minor country. Those early years spent climbing mountains, washing in streams, and even catching and roasting frogs and bugs had endowed her with a robust vitality. Even though the harsh desert was far fromfortable, it was bearable thanks to her experience from her childhood. Usually, Melkith lived beneath the sands of the desert, but she never stayed in the same burrow for long. Over the past six months, she had buried countless dark wizards, a number now crossing into the hundreds. She knew well that she wasn''t short of enemies. While the Sultan of Nahama had not publicly addressed the matter of her hunting the ck wizards, he had been sending squads of assassins and sandmancers after her. Moreover, beginning two months ago, the military troops of Nahama had been scouring the desert under the pretext of training. Even if they said they were training, it was tantly clear that they were searching for someone. But it was all in vain. Melkith was under the protection of Yhanos, the Spirit King of Earth, which meant that the vast desert was no less than a simple yground for her. She had already eluded and even toyed with her pursuers several times while continuing to look for the dungeons of the ck wizards. However, finding the dungeons had be challengingtely. To be more precise, even if she found the dungeon, encountering the dark wizards themselves had grown difficult. After several failed attempts, she came to the conclusion that the dungeon masters had finally yielded. Melkith surmised that they had probably abandoned theirirs for safer havens elsewhere. In that case... was there any point in staying in the desert now? Although life here wasn''t unbearably ufortable, Melkith found herself longing for the city of Aroth after residing in the harsh desert for six months. She missed the White Tower, as well as her loyal and beloved wizards. She had heard that the Wise Sienna was gathering all the Archwizards of the continent for a joint research project. Melkith felt a deep sorrow that she was not able to join them. She had appealed to Eugene several times, asking if it might not be the perfect time for her to return. But... Eugene''s stance remained firm. Even though high-ranking demons had crossed into the desert, the situation had not changed and so, he insisted that she stay and continue to do what she was doing until there was a significant change. "What should I do?" Melkith whispered while donning arge hat. She was currently residing in Lagra Oasis City, a renowned resort in Nahama. Despite its location in the heart of the desert, the artificial oasis was as vast as argeke. Moreover, the water was not just clean and clear but refreshingly cool as well. Why was she there? It was simple ¡ª she was rewarding herself for her hard work. Three days had already passed since she had arrived in the city, and she had been spending her time lounging on a sunbed near the oasis in a striking bikini while unting her figure. Since she was already in the desert, she was seriously considering getting a good tan and changing her image. Just as she was continuing with the activity that she had been doing for the past couple of days, she saw a demon. Truthfully, it wasn¡¯t extremely rare to see demons outside of Helmuth. Helmuth was a highly developed nation, and other countries on the continent had almost nows regarding demonfolks. They seldom epted demonfolk immigrants, so there were fewer demons in other countriespared to Helmuth. However, in Aroth, there were a few demons who stayed for extended periods under the guise of tourism. It was the same in Lagra Oasis as well. It was a famous resort in Nahama, so there were the asional demon tourists. Melkith could not be sure whether they were truly tourists or illegal residents who used tourism as a pretext, but it wasn¡¯t her business. There were many demons without legal status in ces like the Bolero Street of Aroth, so it only made sense for there to be undocumented demons in Nahama since it was a country that colluded with demons. However, the demons Melkith had seen in Nahama, at least, in this city so far ¡ª though it might be a bit strange to say, were ordinary demons. To put it inly, they were just average demon citizens. But this particr demon was different. She could feel a natural distinction in its sspared to other demons. It wasn''t only Melkith who felt this. Others also held their breath while shrinking back the moment the demon appeared. They were too intimidated to stare or point. The demon really emanated an overwhelming presence that naturally dominated its surroundings. This was definitely a high-ranking demon, an existence clearly different from the average demon Melkith had seen until now. However, the aura the demon gave off wasn¡¯t the only reason for his dominating presence. The demon was Count Harpeuron, ranked fifty-seventh in Helmuth¡¯s hierarchy. The vivid criticism Melkith had previously unleashed was not the least bit exaggerated. The demon had a burly physique and grotesque appearance. He was easily twice the size of an adult man, and his body was somewhat simr in appearance to humans, except that he had the head of an elephant. His drooping ears fluttered like insect wings, and his four eyes emitted a sinister red glow. What was especially a rare sight was that Harpeuron was dressed only in a swimsuit covering his groin. He wore a tight-fitting speedo and was apanied by females on either side and behind him. Severalrge men, seemingly his attendants, were near him as well. [Melkith,] Yhanos whispered. "I know,¡± responded Melkith. The men following Harpeuron also had an unusual air about them. Some looked like assassins, while the rest looked like warriors. Melkith had heard that high-ranking demons hade to Nahama, but she had not expected to run into them in such a ce. ''Have theye to capture me?'' Melkith thought to herself. Although she had changed her face with magic to remain unrecognizable, Melkith felt nervous. She put on her sunsses and stood up. She had never imagined she would run into him in a tourist spot like this! She had assumed if they were ever to meet someday, it would be in the middle of the desert. It was also possible that this was a mere coincidence. The sight of Harpeuron surrounded by beauties and wearing a triangr swimsuit lent credence to the idea of coincidence. But Melkith couldn¡¯t simply stand by even if she had run into him by chance. She passed the tube and surfboard piled next to the sunbed and headed for the changing room as naturally as possible. "Eugene! Eugene! We have a huge problem!" Melkith crossed to the back of the changing room, out of Harpeuron''s sight, and called upon the spirit of the wind. [What¡¯s got you in such a panic?] he calmly answered. "Demons!" Melkith screamed. "The one that threatened to kill me! That ugly creature has appeared!" Eugene did not give an immediate response. Instead, Melkith heard the sound of his lips smacking. The slight sound conveyed a begrudging sentiment, and Melkith''s expression soured along with it. [Alone?] asked Eugene. "Huh? Of course, I''m alone. Ah... no, not alone. The spirits are with me," Melkith amended her words quickly, fearing she might be used of ignoring the spirits. [No, not you, Lady Melkith. I mean, Harpeuron. Is that bastard alone?] Eugene rified. "Huh? No, no, he''s not alone. Despite his monstrous, horrible appearance, he''s apanied by four beauties. And behind him are warriors and assassins as his attendants,¡± answered Melkith. [Are there no other demons?] inquired Eugene. "No,¡± Melkith responded. After a brief silence, the wind spirit conveyed Eugene''s voice, [Then you should go and greet him.] "What?" asked Melkith, sure she had misheard him. [Greet him, I said,] Eugene repeated. "What? You must be joking! Harpeuron is a demon of the fifty-seventh rank who vowed to kill me! Do you think that fearsome demon will respond kindly to my greetings? He''lle to kill me!" Melkith eximed. [That''s precisely the point,] Eugene replied as if he had been waiting for Melkith to say those words. "What do you mean precisely? Yo-You don''t know how Harpeuron looks. He has an elephant''s head, even two trunks! Do you want me to be toyed with by those wriggling trunks and die?" shouted Melkith. [No... Lady Melkith, calm down. Someone as strong as you cannot possibly be killed by a demon merely ranked fifty-seventh,] Eugene said as he tried to cate her. "Ha! Considering it¡¯s not even your life, you¡¯re speaking too carelessly. Whether I live or die, we''ll only know by trying,¡± retorted Melkith. [I believe in you, Lady Melkith,] assured Eugene. ¡°I believe in myself, too,¡± responded Melkith while pouting. Despite her dramatic words, Melkith did not really think she was weaker than Harpeuron. But the fact that her opponent was a high-ranking demon of the fifty-seventh rank and a Count of the Helmuth Empire did make Melkith a bit tense. She had fought ck wizards and monsters but never a high-ranking demon. "You''re serious, aren¡¯t you? You really want me to go and greet him,¡± Melkith said after a pause. [If that scoundrel recognizes you, he''ll try to kill you, right?] asked Eugene. "Most likely,¡± came Melkith¡¯s response. [If that happens, you cannot just stand there and let it happen, now, can you? If he tries to kill you, you must retaliate,] said Eugene. "I should, right?¡± Melkith said uncertainly. [If you kill Harpeuron, you can return to Aroth,] said Eugene. Melkith''s expression changed upon hearing his words. "Really?" [It would be good to interrogate him before killing, if possible,] added Eugene. "I''ll call youter," with these parting words, Melkith cut their conversation as she dispersed the wind, grinning broadly. Atst! She would finally be able to leave this detestable desert and return to Aroth. Should she say goodbye to Balzac before leaving? Melkith entertained the thought for a moment, but it had been over two months since she hadst seen Balzac. The suspicious ck wizard had moved so stealthily and hidden hisir so well that Melkith had no way of contacting him. There was no need to say goodbye. Even a greeting without any ulterior motives could lead to dreadful misunderstandings with that gloomy man. Melkith put aside thoughts of Balzac and pondered how to approach and kill Harpeuron. "...Ahem." It seemed there was no need to worry after all. Melkith looked up. Rumble...! A swirling ck darkness was gathering in the clear sky. The source of this darkness was right above Melkith as its center. "Hmm...." Melkith hummed consideringly. She then took off herrge hat, pushed up her sunsses slightly, and shed an awkward smile before asking, "How did you know?" "Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re underestimating me a bit too much?" As Harpeuron spoke, his two trunks writhed like tentacles. Melkith wasn''t sure if they were really trunks, but the dark tusks on either side seemed to confirm he was indeed elephantine. Harpeuron continued, "You hid your power well, but the presence of spirits can''t bepletely concealed.¡± Had she revealed herself while summoning the wind spirit? She had been so careful in her preparations and vignce. [Rank fifty-seven is not low. Melkith, your caution was admirable, but this demon''s perceptiveness is equally formidable,] Yhanos warned. [I do not wish to fight here. There are too many innocents around,] Levin said. [Summon me! My mes will reduce that dreadful demon to ashes!] Ifrit roared. The three Spirit Kings each voiced their opinions. Melkith agreed with Levin. She, too, did not want to hunt demons in the middle of this peaceful resort city. Melkith looked at Harpeuron with a sycophantic smile as she assessed the power was swirling around him. The sky was beginning to darken. "So... we''re meeting for the first time, right? Very nice trunks,¡± said Melkith. "Melkith El-Hayah," Harpeuron spat her name. It was an idental encounter. Though he hade from Helmuth to Nahama, he had not been nning on immediately dering war. The ritual of bing the Demon King had to be overseen by Amelia Merwin, and she had not yet shown herself. The Sultan did not seem to be considering war, but that was not for Harpeuron or the other demons to worry about. If Amelia Merwin arrived and the demons egged him, the Sultan, despite his reluctance, would have no choice but to start the war. Harpeuron had intended to enjoy his rxation until that day came. Little did he know he would meet Melkith El-Hayah in this city, whom he had vowed to kill. He had heard that Melkith hadn¡¯t left Nahama yet and was still causing trouble in the desert. Even the Sultan had mentioned Melkith by name, asking him to stop her rampage in ce of his inept soldiers. "I have not forgotten the insults you spat at me." Harpeuron''s eyes twisted in anger. Melkith took a cautious step back. Her long ck hair turned silvery as it shortened, and her eyes reverted to their original blue. "Hmm... seeing you in person, you seem much... better than before,¡± she muttered. "I will not kill you here," Harpeuron said. Crack, sizzle! Immense dark power enveloped Harpeuron. "There are many others who want you dead as well...! I will torture you first, let you beg for death... after inflicting enough pain... then...." "Kyaaah!" Melkith screamed, not so much fear at the thought of the scene but as a ploy to interrupt Harpeuron''s focus and scatter his attention. Boom! Melkith stomped on the ground. Crack! The earth rose like a massive spear and rushed towards Harpeuron. The attack itself posed no threat; the immense dark power easily shattered the earthen spear. However, the scattered dirt and sand reformed and obscured Harpeuron''s vision. At the same time, Melkith was propelled upwards. Yhanos'' hand hurled her high and as Levin''s crackling lightning wrapped around her. Melkith was enshrouded in lightning as she streaked across the darkening sky. "Melkith El-Hayah!" Harpeuron bellowed with fury. Was she trying to escape? Harpeuron brushed aside the clinging curtain of dirt but was immediately engulfed in zing mes. However, even this was not a threat to him. The high-ranking demon''s body was impervious to such mes. He did not even suffer a burn. Harpeuron sneered and moved swiftly. "Do you think you can run away?" he shouted after her. Harpeuron elerated with unbelievable speed for his size and chased after Melkith. He followed Melkith while contemting how to humiliate this presumptuous human. "Stay away!" Melkith''s scream echoed from afar. To Harpeuron, that scream was as sweet as a long-forgotten memory, for in present Helmuth, the cries of humans were a rarity. He became excited as he closed the distance between them. *** They had long left the city behind, which was rather convenient for Harpeuron. He would not mind indulging in ughter without worrying about his surroundings, but unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t yet time for that. ''I will control myself for today,'' Harpeuron thought. Crackle! Lightning struck the desert. Had Melkith given up her escape? Or was she nning to flee underground? Harpeuron descended with a sneer. sh! But at that moment, a beam of light exploded. A pir of red fire shot up, and dozens of lightning bolts rained from the sky. The desert shook like an earthquake, and the sandy terrain flipped entirely. Even Harpeuron was caught off guard by this sudden phenomenon, and he gave up trying tond. He hastily ascended back into the sky. Crack, sizzle! Immense mana transformed into a storm. Fire, lightning, and earth''s power merged with the mana and became one. "Spirit Fusion." The spirit giant rose. "Infinity Force...!" There was no need for lengthy words. Melkith resorted to her Signature from the start and transformed. She hurled her fist towards Harpeuron. "Fire Punch!" Harpeuron burst like a balloon. Chapter 437: The Fake (2)

Chapter 437: The Fake (2)

Frankly speaking, it was impossible to justify a demon with a rank below fifty in the current hierarchy of Helmuth. In in words, the ranks werepletely inted. The original top one-hundred-ranking demons of the hierarchy had been summoned to Babel one year ago, and after a fierce battle sanctioned by the royal decree of the Demon King of Incarceration, only fifty survived. Those survivors received a boost of dark power directly from the Demon King of Incarceration. They had been empowered without even making a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. Naturally, the demons who survived that day in Babel had be iparably stronger than before. At that time, Harpeuron had been ranked one-hundred-and-tenth among the demons. He had not even been summoned to Babel. Yet, he wasn''t content with his rank. The hierarchy battles between demons also became simplified after that day, and Harpeuron steadily climbed up the ranks. After fifty of the hundred demons perished, Harpeuron managed to ascend to the fifty-seventh rank through battle. However, he wasnt satisfied with his achievements. Given a bit more time, he believed he could climb even higher and possibly break into the top fifty. The dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration could not be used in the hierarchy battles. If he was careful in choosing the right opponents to fight, he believed it was possible for him to climb higher and higher in the demon rankings. But now, there was no need to be obsessed with the hierarchy battles. If a war really did take ce in the desert as had happened centuries ago he could grow stronger by feeding on the blood and fear of humans. Whether Amelia Merwin would indeed conduct the ritual of ascension of the Demon King as promised was uncertain, but the blood and screams of war had always been nourishment for demons. ''It''s impossible,'' Harpeuron thought in disbelief. fr eeweb novel He had not received the summoning of the Demon King of Incarceration. Without the massacre at Babel, his rank would have been, at best, one-hundred-and-seventh. He hadn''t yet had the chance to relish in blood and fear. He hadn''t even met Amelia Merwin. All of these were facts. Even so, this was unbelievable. An Eighth Circle Archwizard, by human standards, was indeed a formidable opponent. Harpeuron knew he couldn''t dismiss such a foe. But despite knowing she was a formidable foe and taking necessary precautions... he found that things werent going as nned in his encounter. Melkith El-Hayah possessed a strange, different kind of magic. She possessed a dark power unlike that of demons, something even demons who had lived through the era of war couldn''t defy. Her behavior was so frivolous and vulgar that it was hard to believe she was an Archwizard. Upon meeting him, she had trembled with fear, dripped with sweat, and wore a cowardly smile before... running away with a noisy, disgraceful scream. It was hard to take her seriously. In fact, Harpeuron found it quite difficult to maintain his perception of her as a formidable opponent. Melkiths words, actions, and attitude appeared so genuine that it was hard to believe it was just an act. "Thunderbolt Kick!" Even now, Melkith''s behavior was utterly disgraceful and ugly. She screamed shrilly as she yelled the childish names of her techniques. Her arms and legs iled awkwardly as she shouted. But the power that apanied the ridiculous cries and clumsy movements was terrifyingly potent. It was unbelievable. Her efforts at imitating what was supposed to be a kick was pathetic. It seemed like an attack that even a fly could avoid, but the apanying lightning and mes were powerful enough to shatter Harpeuron''s body, burn it, and reduce it to ashes. "Heugh...." Harpeuron groaned as he cut a sorry figure. Why had she run away when she possessed such immense power? Had it been a deliberate ploy? Harpeuron recalled the expression on Melkiths face and her screams as she attempted to flee earlier. It was truly impossible for him to even attempt to understand her. If she was really so powerful, she should be equally as prideful. How could she just cast aside her pride and disy such unseemly behavior without a moment''s hesitation? It wasn''t just Melkiths disgraceful demeanor that had spurred Harpeuron into action. He was ignorant about Archwizards and Spirit Kings in general. He knew that Melkith had formed contracts with several Spirit Kings, but he had never imagined that a single human could simultaneously draw upon the full power of three Spirit Kings. No one would have imagined such a thing was possible without witnessing it firsthand. E-Everyone is underestimating Melkith El-Hayah. Or was this her intention all along?" Harpeuron wondered. Harpeuron wasnt the only demon Melkith had mocked and provoked. More than five demons harboring murderous intentions toward Melkith had crossed over into Nahama. All these demons vowed to make her pay for the sins of daring to taunt them with her slippery tongue. They couldnt take her lightly. If this was all Melkith''s design, the other demons would surely underestimate Melkith and fall prey to her might, just like Harpeuron. ''I must share this truth...'' Harpeuron thought earnestly, yet he intuitively sensed that it would be impossible to attain his wish. The battle had notsted long, but he was already on death''s doorstep. ...Battle? Was this even a battle? Annihtion was a word better suited for the current situation. The powers of the Spirit Kings were being manifested through Melkith. Her powers were effortlessly dissipating the high-ranking demons dark power. He attempted to abandon the fight and flee, but even that proved futile. The sandy ground below him undted, lightning roared in the sky, and the air heated fiercely in between. Melkith herself was astonished by her power. She had used Infinity Force in Samar Forest, but it had been iplete back then. She had been stabilizing her power just after contracting with Ifrit. Now, Infinity Force was trulyplete. It was far different from the hastily assembled version in the forest. ''I''m so damn powerful!'' Melkith realized. Perhaps, just maybe, her current self was stronger than the Wise Sienna. While her knowledge, proficiency, and achievements as a wizard could not bepared to Sienna''s, she started to believe that she might not be Siennas inferior if it came to pure firepower.... But that being said, maybe a wizards knowledge, proficiency, and achievements werent that important in this cruel world. Power. Only power could prove her worth. If the world were to end today, right at this moment, wouldnt a strong person have a higher chance of survival than a smart one? Melkith clenched her fist while entertaining such thoughts. She felt quite proud and content as she looked down at Harpeuron. The grotesque, elephant-faced demon was a wonder to behold, and she was amazed he was still alive in such a state. "...Uh... you''re still alive, right?" she asked as she cautiously approached him. His body was burnt to a crisp. Only his head was somewhat recognizable, but it, too, was damaged. The long, whip-like trunks were now mere stumps. Harpeurons ears fluttered as he managed a weak response, Kill... me.... To be frank, Melkith wanted to immediately end Harpeurons life. Seeing his hideous face was unpleasant, and she worried he might revive. It was entirely possible that other demons were approaching her after sensing or seeing the disy of Infinity Force. They were far enough from the oasis, but the impact of Infinity Force might have reached farther out, and Melkith couldnt rule out the possibility of other demons approaching them. "Don''t talk like that. Come on, you want to live, don''t you?" Melkith asked. She approached Harpeuron while scanning the surroundings. She had been instructed to interrogate the demon if possible, but.... Her expression grewplicated. Torture? She had never done it before. Yet, an unfounded confidence surged within her. She believed she might excel at it. Harpeuron had proven his tenacity by surviving when he was only a head. Perhaps she could start by pulling out his teeth or gouging out his eyes. Would that prove effective? Or should she resort to methods other than physical pain? "If you answer my questions, I''ll spare your life, offered Melkith. "Just kill me," Harpeuron said. I wont just let you live.... Hmm.... How about this? Ill take care of you. You wont have to worry about othersing to kill you because you betrayed them, said Melkith. Harpeuron''s response was unwavering despite Melkiths rtively gentle approach. Was there such loyalty among demons? Or was it pride? Maybe the demon didnt want to beg for life from a human. "Fine, it can''t be helped then. In that case, I''ll start with your teeth," Melkith said, looking thoughtfully at Harpeuron. She did not n on conducting a lengthy interrogation. She decided to abandon the effort if pulling out his teeth and eyeballs didn''t work. Melkith reached out with her hand while contemting her next move to cross Nahama''s border into Aroth. She manipted the sand to form a pair of hands and pried open Harpeurons mouth. "Let''s start with the mrs th. Aaaack!" Her stern words had been intended to instill fear. However, her words turned into a high-pitched scream. Melkith leaped up in shock while iling her arms. Rumbleee! mes and lightning swept around her. She realized her mistake in the midst of iling her arms. Harpeuron had already been close to death, and it was possible he had perished in her outburst. Melkithnded and blinked repeatedly while looking ahead. "At this point, are you being deliberate?" Balzac Ludbeth said with a frown while dusting off his robe. "What are you?" Melkith snapped while trying to calm her startled heart. She wasn''t off-guard likest time. She had been maintaining Infinity Force, and she had been vignt to prevent any intrusions by the other demons. Yet, she hadn''t sensed Balzac. It was only when he emerged from Harpeuron''s shadow that she realized his presence. His existence was imperceptible through mana or magic. Only after he became visible did she acknowledge his presence. "Are... you... a ghost?" Melkith stuttered. She was absolutely baffled by Balzac''s presence. Hiding one''s presence was one thing, but to remain undetected even when she was fused with three Spirit Kings in her Infinity Force? "Invisibility magic is one of my specialties, exined Balzac. "But even if its your specialty...," muttered Melkith. "It''s a spell that might as well be my lifeline, so I won''t share how it works, no matter how much you ask, Balzac dered solemnly. Seeing him draw a firm line with his words, Melkith didn''t press further but continued to eye him suspiciously, her gaze filled with doubt. "Alright, I get it. If you insist that much, I won''t ask further. But isn''t this rather rude?" she imed. "What aspect of this do you find rude?" inquired Balzac. "You suddenly appeared before me and took away my prey, said Melkith, pointing to Harpeuron. The demon was held in Balzac''s grasp. Harpeuron frantically looked around with his four eyes. He attempted to assess the situation but was unable to recognize who was holding him. "Who... who is this?" asked Harpeuron. This question felt odd. As a demon, Harpeuron should have been able to sense the dark power of a ck wizard. Moreover, Balzac was contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. It was imusible that Harpeuron had failed to detect Balzac''s magic even now after he had revealed himself. "Indeed. I havemitted a great act of disrespect," Balzac nodded while descending to the ground. He gently ced Harpeuron''s head down and bowed deeply to Melkith. "Lady Melkith, I did not emerge from hiding to belittle, insult, or intimidate you. Nor did I take Harpeuron away to satisfy my own desires." "Then why?" asked Melkith. "I wanted to share my thoughts first, but I was too concerned with my own safety and neglected the possibility of your distress. Had I not intervened, this head would have turned to ash, responded Balzac. "What''s your thought, then?" asked Melkith. If you want to interrogate him, I can be of assistance, responded Balzac. As Balzac slightly raised his gaze, Melkith scrutinized the eyes behind his sses. She couldn''t discern his true intentions, but his offer to help with the interrogation seemed genuine. "How exactly can you help?" asked Melkith. "With magic, responded Balzac. "Obviously! But what kind of magic!?" Melkith probed. "A Signature I developed here in the desert. Since you are also an Archwizard" But Balzac was interrupted here. "Are you telling me not to ask? You suspicious guy. Fine, whatever. I don''t know what tricks you might pull, so why should I trust you? I''ll deal with this ugly elephant myself, so just scram!" shouted Melkith. eastern fantasy "If you cannot trust me, how about this?" said Balzac with a sly smile. "I will swear on magic and mana. I will not mix any lies in the answers I get from Harpeuron, and I will pose no threat to you or anyone else." "But you''re a ck wizard. Do oaths on magic and mana even hold any weight for you? Won''t youter say that being a ck wizard allows you to ignore such vows?" Melkith voiced her doubts. "That''s nonsensical. A vow is no joke, and it can''t be dismissed or evaded with such petty wordy, retorted Balzac. "You seem like you could do it..." muttered Melkith under her breath. "Im ttered... that you think so highly of me, but I cannot perform such feats," Balzac shot down her suspicion. Melkith stared at Balzac with a skeptical expression. Harpeuron still hadn''t recognized him. The demon was rolling his eyes in every direction, showcasing his unease. "Why are you so keen on helping, to the extent of making a vow?" Melkith asked finally. "I''m interested in what I can learn through the interrogation. Plus, I''m eager to test if my new Signature functions correctly, answered Balzac. "...Fine, go ahead." Melkith could rte to the desire to try out new magic. In her youth, she, too, had often caused mishaps because she had failed to suppress such urges. Of course, she did not agree to Balzac''s suggestion solely out of sympathy and respect. ''A Signature is worth observing,'' Melkith thought. She realized that the information she could gain by observing Balzacs new Signature might be even more valuable than what she could gain from interrogating Harpeuron. His existing Signature, Blind, afflicted arge area and deprived the senses of those held within before they were finally killed. It was a spell ideal for mass ughter but ineffective against an equal or stronger opponent. If she ever had to confront Balzac... she was confident of an overwhelming victory, even under the effects of Blind. ''Someday, he might be an enemy,'' Melkith told herself. She didn''t just consider the possibility; she was convinced this suspicious man could never be an ally and would inevitably turn into a deadly adversary. But she couldnt turn against him based on mere spection. For now, she nned to use this opportunity to study his new Signature. It would allow her to prepare for a potential confrontation in the future. Melkith admired her own strategic foresight as she focused intently on Balzac. "Then...." Unperturbed by her ring scrutiny, Balzac extended his left hand. He raised Harpeuron''s head and turned it to face him. "You are... Balzac Ludbeth.... No.... Impossible, muttered Harpeuron. "Which part do you find impossible?" Balzac asked with a slight smile. Harpeuron''s cheeks trembled at the sight of his smile. "How can you, a ck wizard...." Harpeurons shock was understandable as he couldn''t sense any dark power from Balzac. It was unthinkable. How could a ck wizard contracted with the Demon King be devoid of any dark power? Was it possible that his senses had dulled after being reduced to just a head? Soon, Harpeuron realized something more startling. It wasn''t just the absence of dark power. He couldn''t even sense the life-force and soul that existed in humans. Balzac was standing right in front of him, but Harpeuron couldn''t be sure if he indeed was there. "I''m pleased to see the reaction I wanted," Balzac said. He raised his right arm while maintaining his smile. His sleeve slid down and revealed an arm densely covered in ck inscriptions. The intricate and tightly woven spellwork made his arm look as though it was stained ck with ink. "What... what are you nning to do to me?" Harpeuron asked uncertainly. The forms wrapped around Balzac''s forearm began to move. Tiny characters, like grains of sand, shifted and spread towards his fingers and palm. Soon, his arm and fingers werepletely ck, as if stained with ink. The ck pattern writhed and transformed into a pitch-ck snake. "Aaah!" Harpeuron instinctively knew what was toe. Though toothless, the gaping maw of the snake showed an abyss of unending darkness. Being swallowed by it meant an existence trapped in eternal darkness. It would be impossible for him to reincarnate or cease to exist. He would be tortured forever until Balzac permitted otherwise. "Please, please...." Harpeuron whimpered. But the snake did not heed his pleas. It grew abnormally in size before engulfing Harpeurons head in a single bite. Melkith watched, her face a mix of revulsion and shock. "What... what did you do?" she asked. "I devoured him." Balzac''s response was calm. The snake''s head returned to his hand. He brushed off his arm and turned to Melkith. "It''s overwhelmingly quicker and more convenient than torture and interrogation. Don''t worry, though. All of Harpeuron''s memories remain intact. Think of it as a book, he assured. "A book...?" asked Melkith. fre ewebn ovel "Yes. I''ve turned all of Harpeuron''s memories into a book and... stored it in a mental cab within me. This way, there''s no confusion with my own memories and self," Balzac exined. "And his power?" asked Melkith. "His dark power has been added to mine, came the response. Balzac''s face remainedposed, while Melkith''s eyes red with anger. "You deceived me!" Melkith shouted. "How? I have not, not at all. I have not vited my oath," Balzac stressed on his innocence. It was a valid point, but who would have imagined he''d devour Harpeuron like that? Melkith wanted to force Balzac to regurgitate the elephant''s head, but before she could act, he spoke softly. "Calm down, Lady Melkith. For now, we should leave this ce, he said. "You''reing with me?" she asked. "If I leave now, you and Sir Eugene might misunderstand my intentions, Balzac responded. "Why... are you bringing up Eugene? I have nothing to do with him, said Melkith. "Yes, I understand. But we should still move," Balzac said. He seemed unconcerned about Melkiths sorry attempt at her show of loyalty towards Eugene. Th most uptodate novls are published on freew(e)bnove(l). Chapter 438: The Fake (3)

Chapter 438: The Fake (3)

Harpeuron was dead. Amelia Merwin knew the name well. He was a high-ranking demon, high enough to be in the top one hundred. Even though he was ousted from the capital Pandemonium, being ranked among the top one hundred in Helmuth was no small feat. The ease with which such a high-ranking demon died was staggering. ording to the servants who had followed him to the Oasis city, Harpeuron had encountered Melkith El-Hayah by chance and pursued her with the intent to kill. Master of spirit magic. Having seen the memories stored in Edmund''s dmir, Amelia was well aware of Melkith''s power. Though most of the rumors about Melkith were about her entricities, the fact that she had contracted with multiple Spirit Kings and reached the Eighth Circle in magic was an extraordinary feat. It wasn¡¯t something that could easily be dismissed. Amelia had judged that Melkith would have the upper hand if she fought against Harpeuron, but she never imagined the battle would end in mere minutes. A high-ranking demon was known for being hard to kill. However, Harpeuron had failed tost even an hour inbat against Melkith. Amelia had warned the demons to not act rashly. She had already warned against such recklessness, but her warnings were just words. She could not reliably restrain anyone with mere words. ''What should I do?'' Amelia started thinking of her next course of action. The ritual of ascension to Demon King couldn''t take ce unless Amelia was there in person. What if she moved in secret? The foolish Harpeuron had revealed himself and brought unto him his death in a sh with the White Tower Master. Secretly mobilizing the demons and preparing for the ritual seemed hardly feasible now. ''The Wise Sienna is still in Aroth,'' thought Amilia as she weighed her options. That arrogant and aged wizard wasn¡¯t taking any action even though she was fully aware of being observed by vampires. For months, she had been actively meeting with the other Archwizards in Akron while asionally lecturing at the magic towers or academies. ''And Eugene Lionheart...,'' Amelia thought as she got to the main subject of her musings. He was the one who truly concerned, no, terrified Amelia. Ominous thoughts often bred immense fears, especially when reality was painful and unsatisfying. When every day was a struggle to continue breathing, when pushed to the brink of death, the mixing of pessimism with imagination brought about a sense of inevitable despair and fear. Amelia feared everything about Eugene Lionheart. She wasn¡¯t fearful of just his immense power, which had allowed him to defeat the newly crowned Demon King. She was afraid about the rtionship he had with the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. That was what caused her the most anxiety. Their exact rtionship was unclear. But it was hard to assert that they were enemies. The official ranking of Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, was second, just below the de of Incarceration, Duke Gavid Lindman. Considering this fact, it could be boldly asserted that Noir Giabe was the second-in-power in Helmuth. If the Demon King of Incarceration ever disappeared, not only could Duke Giabe take control, but she could also ascend the throne as the new Demon King. If that were the case, it seemed usible for there to be amon interest between Duke Giabe and the Hero. Noir had gone through the trouble to personally congratte Eugene on defeating the newly risen Demon King, Iris. The two had then spent time together, alone, at the subsequent banquet. And recently, news of them privately meeting in Giabe City had been leaked. Amelia mulled over these thoughts, trying to decipher the intricate web of alliances and enmities. Perhaps, just perhaps, it wasn¡¯t merely a matter of mutual understanding ormon interest but a sticky, emotional connection that existed between them. Such a possibility made Amelia even more anxious and fearful. Amelia knew all too well that she and Duke Noir Giabe were far from being on friendly terms. She herself harbored a perception of Night Demons as being lewd and filthy. Naturally, she held no fondness for Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. Even after joining the Loyalty, she never attended their gatherings, nor did she ever approach Noir on the rare asions they crossed paths. Amelia had never hidden her disdain. In fact, she thought it was quite overt. ''That woman coulde to kill me,'' Amelia thought to herself, convinced that she was right. Her hideout was in the domain of Destruction, Ravesta. Even if the hero acted recklessly, it would not be easy for him to reach the edge of Helmuth. But it was different for Noir Giabe. There was no ce in Helmuth she couldn''t reach. In fact, Noir had entered Ravesta a few months ago, mocked Amelia, and caused havoc by destroying her mansion. ''She might being to kill me even now,'' Amelia despaired. Her body was in such a state that death wouldn''t be surprising. Most of it had necrotized below her head, and stepping out of the nutrient bath would mean immediate death. It was entirely possible that... leaving Ravesta might not even restore her body. The time she spent in this underground city ¡ª about a year ¡ª had not only ravaged Amelia''s body with the dark power of Destruction but also left deep wounds in her soul. ¡®I can¡¯t...,¡¯ Amelia couldn¡¯t think further. Should she leave Ravesta and head to Nahama? Or should she wait and observe the situation further? She couldn¡¯t even contemte her options. A creeping madness, like paranoia, was robbing Amelia of herposure. She could die tomorrow or even right now. She might self-destruct from the power of Destruction, or Noir might barge in and end her life. Harpeuron was dead, and if more demons continued to die, the Sultan would dance like a pig. Eugene Lionheart and Noir Giabe might be happily married under the ordination of the Wise Sienna.... Creak, creak.... Lately, her thoughts were not even coherent. The necrosis induced by the power of Destruction seemed to have reached her brain. ''.....'' Amelia¡¯s thoughts seemed to havee to a halt. The existence of half-breeds born between demons and humans was a miracle, but that didn¡¯t mean they were treated as such. They were viewed as misfortune by humans and despised by demons. Mostmitted suicide or were killed around adolescence. Even those who survived rarely made a meaningful impact in the world. Finding a normal life was unheard of for half-breeds. They would turn to find support in religion or sumb to suicide from despair. Sometimes, they would harbor hatred for the world itself.... Amelia was thetter. She couldn¡¯t remember when this hatred began. It probably started ever since she was capable of ''remembering.'' Her foolish mother, dreaming of freedom, left Ravesta, gave in to her desires, and became pregnant with the child of an unknown human. Yet, she couldn''t settle outside. Whether it was homesickness or the desire to show her unborn child to her kind, she returned to Ravesta while pregnant. Amelia Merwin was born in this dark, gloomy underground city. She never felt loved. She never knew love. Ravesta¡¯s demons did not even show disdain towards her. Instead, they treated her as if she did not exist. Her mother initially pretended to be maternal but soon grew tired. Her mother then died a few yearster. She took her own life after suffering from the increasing burden of Destruction¡¯s power. After being left alone, Amelia''s childhood alone was.... ''Why.... Why am I recalling the past?'' Amelia questioned herself in a sudden moment of rity. Was her dying brain showing her a random reel of memories? She didn¡¯t want to see, remember, or die. She was desperate to focus, but Amelia''s mind wouldn¡¯t cooperate. Her brain started wandering on its own. She again revisited her horrific childhood unwillingly. "....." Crack. An odd sound mingled with her wandering thoughts. It sounded like something breaking. Crack, crack, crack. The sound wasn¡¯t a one-time urrence. It sounded as if something kept breaking, adhering, and breaking again. Simultaneously, a sudden change urred in Amelia. ¡®It¡¯s breaking...?¡¯ Amelia thought in surprise. One of the soul shackles directly connected to her was snapping apart. It was inconceivable. A bright light pierced through her muddled, melting thoughts. This shackle belonged to the Death Knight. ¡®N-no, no,¡¯ Amelia thought involuntarily. Amelia had chosen to remain in Ravesta, even though her body crumbled and her mind became tainted. She had not made this choice solely due to her fear of the Wise Sienna and Eugene Lionheart. It was also because of hope. The corpse of the greatest warrior avable in this era was, naturally, the Great Vermouth. However, his body was entombed in ck Lion Castle, and its exact location was unknown. Even Amelia Merwin couldn¡¯t dare to invade ck Lion Castle to rob the tomb of the Great Vermouth, not just because of Eugene Lionheart but because the Demon King of Incarceration, who revered Vermouth, would not tolerate such an act. She didn¡¯t dwell on it for long. By a fateful coincidence, she stumbled upon a tomb in the desert''s underground. The tomb of the Stupid Hamel. Strangely enough, it had been destroyed, but that was beyond Amelia''s concern. She had found the body of the great hero deep in the tomb, perfectly preserved and free of decay. Its soul had long since transcended, but she didn¡¯t find that particrly important. She could create one if it was missing. It was even better that the noble hero¡¯s soul wasn''t present. She didn¡¯t have the confidence to corrupt or subdue it. Instead, the body was perfectly preserved. She shoved another soul into it, adjusted it, and resurrected the memories within the body to create a new soul. The Death Knight thus created was her beacon of hope. Even though defeated and having lost its body, if it could mutate under the power of Destruction in Ravesta, Amelia believed it would gain power iparable to its past. This wasn''t an impossible notion. Strangely, the Demon King of Destruction seemed to favor the Death Knight. The Demon King of Destruction provided it with just enough power to keep it from dying, waited for it to recover, and then repeated the process. The Death Knight was allowed to transform and evolve. Therefore, Amelia had endured in Ravesta despite reaching her limits. But all that was bing meaningless now. The breaking of the shackle meant only one thing. The Death Knight had perished. It no longer existed. Most of Amelia''s time in this damned underground had been rendered pointless. ".....?" The sound of breaking ceased. Instead, footsteps began to echo. Whose they were, she couldn¡¯t tell. Alphiero Lasat? He was the only demon bold enough to invade this ce. However, she couldn¡¯t feel his presence in the approaching steps. ''Then who?'' Amelia panicked. She could not feel any dark powering from them. This fact intensified Amelia¡¯s fear. In thisnd filled with the power of Destruction, a being with no dark power was approaching her. She wanted to see who it was, but she couldn¡¯t. Amelia¡¯s eyes had long since lost their function, and her magic was too weak to conjure magical sight. All she could do was lie in the nutrient bath and listen to the footsteps growing closer and louder. Her fear swelled proportionately. As her breathing hastened in the respirator she¡¯d worn for months, the stench of rot intensified. "...Oi." The footsteps stopped, and she heard a voice. "You''re still alive in that state." Before she could react after recognizing the voice, a rough hand grasped her shoulder. Her necrotized, crumbling body couldn¡¯t withstand the grip and started to disintegrate. "Ah...." She gasped involuntarily and was shocked to find herself capable of making a sound. It wasn¡¯t just her voice either. All of her senses returned at once. Intense pain emanating from a body as good as dead awakened her thoughts. "Ah, aahh!" For the first time in months, Amelia screamed in her own voice. She had previously severed most of her physical sensations to ignore the pain, but now, forcibly restored, she writhed in agony while vomiting blood. ''Blood?'' she thought in shock. She was astounded to find herself spewing blood and contorting her body. Her body and organs, previously in copse, were now perfectly restored. The blood she had reced with liquid nutrients now flowed naturally, and her heart, lost long ago, was beating strongly. "You... you...," she stammered incoherently. Amelia btedly opened her eyes. What she saw with her now illuminated eyes surprised even her. It was a man. She recognized him, but his appearance was strikingly different from her memory. The man now had no scars on his face. Not just his face, his entire body, bare as it was, bore no marks of injury. At the same time, she could sense vitality from him. She could not feel even a trace of undead from the man, unlike when he was initially resurrected as the Death Knight. Amelia could feel the warmth unique to the living from the hands that held her. "Ah... Aaaah!" There had been a transformation. The specter, once a mere soul in a lost body, had transmuted into apletely different being. He had transformed after mixing with the power of Destruction. Amelia''s harbored hope had borne fruit. "You... you! You''ve seeded in transforming? That¡¯s how! So, you acquired a new body?!" she shouted. Even though the pain she felt was like death, Amelia cried out in joy. However, the man''s expression remained cold. His face contrasted sharply with Amelia''s jubtion. "....." The thought of snapping her neck and killing her then and there crossed his mind. This woman could be considered a mother to him, but he felt no emotion for her. Instead, his feelings were filled with anger, hatred, and disgust. The man was unsure whose emotions these were. Were they the emotions of him, an existence that started as a lie? Or were they the feelings of Hamel, whose memories were manipted, filled with humiliation, and incited to murderous rage by hisrades? Who was he really? "...Amelia Merwin." How long he had been in that void, he wasn¡¯t sure. But one thing was clear. Vermouth hadn¡¯t killed him. Though he couldn''t fathom the exact intentions, despite hating his existence, Vermouth hadn''t killed him. Instead, he had tolerated his presence and given him strength. "What do I look like in your eyes?" he asked. Why was he asking that? Her response should not matter to him. It wouldn¡¯t matter what she said. He wanted to simply kill her. "What do you look like, you ask...?" Amelia answered calmly. "Hamel Dynas. Did youe looking for me without even checking your face?" The chain had snapped. Amelia no longer had any means to control the Death Knight. She realized this fact anew. If the hands holding her shoulder were to strangle her now... she wouldn''t be able to resist. However, she didn''t think such a thing would happen. The power of Destruction that had been killing her body... had vanished. Hamel, the Death Knight standing before her, had lifted the power of Destruction and its curse from her. "Is that so...." The specter murmured in a soft voice. He let go of Amelia''s shoulder and moved his hand to touch his own face. He had a face without scars. It was a face that wasn¡¯t his. He heard her answer, but the specter still couldn¡¯t grasp who he truly was. Nor could he understand why he was alive in this way. Chapter 439: The Fake (4)

Chapter 439: The Fake (4)

From the moment he arrived in that deste ce, he felt the dissonance between the time he perceived and the actual flow of time. In that void, moments stretched into eternity, and eternities shrank to moments. It was a world empty yet chaotic in itsws. It was a world whose mere existence was sufficient to drive onepletely crazy. And in such a world, the Great Vermouth sat alone. There was no conversation between them. But they saw each other. At first, he attempted to speak numerous times. He poured every conceivable emotion into his cries and pleas. It was necessary because, up until that point, the specter believed himself to be ''Hamel.'' He asked why Vermouth was there. What was he doing in such a ce? Asking such questions was also very characteristic of Hamel. ording to the manipted memories, Vermouth had betrayed Hamel. He had been the first among theirrades to stab Hamel in the back. Yet, the specter couldn''t unleash his hatred and resentment for the betrayal. The reality of Vermouth sitting alone in an iprehensible void took precedence before his own sense of betrayal. Vermouth appeared worn and decayed in the void. His characteristic gray hair resembled clumps of burnt ash, and his once brilliant, gem-like golden eyes were now dull and faded. The specter asked why Vermouth was there, but he received no answers. As such, he had to ask other questions. He questioned why Vermouth had betrayed him, why he had cut him off in such a manner. Even if Vermouth thought of him as an obstacle, abandoning him there had not been the right choice.... There surely would have been another method. They should have chosen a different option. They had roamed the Devildom together for over ten years, toppled three Demon Kings, and always fought back-to-back while supporting each other on the same battlefield. If he had be a hindrance due to injuries, unable to fight, then they should have granted him an honorable death. Even if he had been alone in his belief that they were hisrades and friends... they at least owed him pity andpassion. It had beenpletely unjustified to brutally abandon him as they did. What they did to him had been worse than the atrocitiesmitted by the demons and ck wizards they had ughtered. The specter cried out like this multiple times. However, he did not receive a response. Vermouth simply remained silent with a cold gaze while chained to a chair. The specter felt a strong hostility in his gaze, which only added to his misery. Why did Vermouth still regard him as an enemy after such a reunion? Shouldn''t there be at least some guilt upon reuniting with arade he had betrayed and killed? If he was truly the Great Vermouth, the Hero, shouldn''t he at least feel remorse for the betrayal of arade? Slowly, very slowly, the emotions contained in Vermouth''s gaze transformed. Was it because of his pathetic wailing? He had no choice but to long for even a scrap of remorse from Vermouth, even if it was obtained through begging. He had been betrayed, killed, resurrected as an undead, turned into a puppet of a ck wizard, and defeated by Vermouth''s descendant in this era. He had lost his body. He was left with only his soul mixed with the power of Destruction. It was truly a pitiful and pathetic state, but if Vermouth showed even a semnce of guilt and regret for his choices.... Then, he might feel a sense of salvation, however small. He didn¡¯t harbor such a feeling only for Vermouth. When he heard that Sienna and Molon were still alive, he thought the same of them. If they ever met again, he wanted to talk to them first rather than seek revenge. He wanted to hear their apologies. But Vermouth didn''t show the emotions he expected. The hostility in his eyes faded, but the new emotion was not remorse but rather pity. The specter couldn''t, or more correctly, wouldn¡¯t allow himself to understand it at first. He didn''t want to ept that he was pitied in such a state, even when he was begging for simple understanding. He couldn''t recall how long he wailed. In the void, where eternity and a moment were only a second apart, he sat down and wept. Vermouth was there, but there was still no conversation between them. The pity in Vermouth¡¯s eyes did not change or fade either. In the void, there was no sound other than the specter''s cries. When he fell silent, the world truly had no sound. In this world, he wasn¡¯t bound by any magical restraints or bindings, either. That was how he started to think and contemte. Why did Vermouth pity him? That thought led to questions he had long harbored. There was a discrepancy in his memories and dissonance about hisrades. He thought again about therades with whom he had traversed the Devildom for over ten years. The boisterous yet warm-hearted Molon never hesitated to be the first one to charge into battles, even when they were facing off against Demon Kings. Anise was spiteful and violent, yet she was called the Saint. She bled from her Stigmata in her quest to save and lead everyone to paradise. Sienna was annoying. She always cried andughed like a fool, yet she always supported him in battle with her magic. Then there was Vermouth. Even though hisrades each had their own ws, Vermouth bound the foolish, headstrong individuals into a unit. He had been someone that everyone could genuinely trust. So why had the four of them betrayed him? They chatted around the campfire every night. Their eyes sparkled even in the deste Devildom when they talked about the future after the war. Myrades. My friends. Betrayed me? Vermouth stabbed me in the back? Sienna''s magic blew me away? Molon''s axe cut me down? Anise cursed me? It was impossible. Why had he believed in such stupid lies? Why had he not doubted them more strongly? He chose to distrust the friends he suffered with and instead believed in the words of ck wizards and demons. Why had he obediently followed the orders of a ck wizard? Why had he participated in the creation of a Demon King and wreaked havoc on the world? Why had he drawn his sword against Vermouth''s descendant? He knew why. He couldn''t resist. He was bound by chains that made him follow orders without question. Even so, the specter couldn''t help but despise himself. There had always been a seed of doubt. The meticulously crafted soul, the borately created sense of self, harbored questions about the discrepancies in his memory. However, he ignored them. He didn''t want to think or doubt. It was the specter himself who chose to tread the easier path of anger and hatred. Such a choice was uncharacteristic of Hamel. ''I couldn''t ept that I was a fake.'' The specter stood still, lost in thought. Even now, the specter... didn''t want to ept that he was a counterfeit. However, Vermouth''s hostility, pity, and discordance in his memories led the specter to the truth. Amelia Merwin and the other scoundrels called him ''Hamel.'' He, too, believed he was Hamel. But the memories given to him were false. Yet, this alone was insufficient for him to define himself as a fake. Even then, Vermouth remained silent. The void was quiet, and there was more than abundant time. He recalled the fabricated memories repeatedly and delved deep into his memories and his sense of self. He thought of someone. In his memories, there was someone perfectly aligned with ¡®him¡¯ and ''Hamel.'' He was a man of this era. He wielded the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, among other weapons of Vermouth. He was called the reincarnation of Vermouth. He was a descendant of Vermouth. He knew ''my'' techniques. He had met Molon in the north. He had conquered a Demon King with Sienna and the Saint of this era, who was reminiscent of Anise. He used ''my'' techniques. ... ''Am I really me?'' ¡ªThe first thought I had upon being revived, do you know what it was? He had spoken such words. ¡ªI''ve decided to exterminate all the offspring of that bastard Vermouth. And that stupid Molon who established a kingdom, his royal line, too. Was I. ¡ªIt''s a bit regrettable. Anise and Sienna didn''t leave any offspring. I thought at least Sienna would have left something behind. Really. ¡ªBy the way, you im to be Sienna''s sessor, don''t you? Do you know anything? That damned woman secretly... Me? "Don''t speak any further,¡± The specter muttered while copsing in ce. Eugene Lionheart did not swear at that moment. But the specter had felt a massive emotion welling up inside of Eugene Lionheart, an emotion too vast to be expressed in mere curses. Now, he could empathize with that emotion. If the specter ¡ª if I were to hear such words spoken before me.... His breath would catch, and speaking would be a struggle. It would feel like a de stuck in his throat. His head would burn as if filled with hellfire. A piercing sound would echo in his ears. His heart would begin to race, then, he would no longer be able to bear it. He would inevitably throw a punch... ...Just like what Eugene Lionheart had done. "It seemed odd to me,¡± the specter chuckled ruefully. "No matter how good Vermouth was at stealing skills, no matter how well they were passed down... it didn''t make sense." Eugene''s techniques surpassed his own. To be precise, they were more advanced than his techniques, as if he, Hamel, had personally refined them. Moreover, it also exined Eugene''s fundamental loathing of himself. Eugene had shown absolute abhorrence towards him. Now, he could understand it. It was only natural for Eugene to find him abhorrent. From his perspective, his corpse from three hundred years ago had been desecrated and used without permission. An unknown fool¡¯s soul had taken residence in his body and imed himself to be Hamel. And this fool, this idiot, this bastard, had spouted nonsensical drivel and dishonored Eugene¡¯srades. He couldn''t help but feel disgusted. Even if ''he'' was Hamel, ''he'' felt repulsion. The disgust he felt was both Hamel¡¯s emotion as well as his own. What.... "What am I?" the specter murmured while gazing nkly at the ceiling. Above him wasn¡¯t actually the sky but the ceiling of an underground city. The dark expanse was teeming with monstrous creatures from three hundred years ago, including those from the Centipede Mountains. "......" He remembered most of those monsters. Three hundred years ago, they were monsters from the battlefield that he had failed to y. But these memories belonged to Hamel as well. Most of the specter''s memories, and even the self that stemmed from them, belonged to Hamel. Only after realizing he was fake did the specter''s memories and sense of self begin to emerge. It was hard to ept, even though he understood it logically. In truth, the specter wanted to be Hamel. He thought he could im to be Hamel with the memories he possessed and his sense of self. He realized the discrepancies in his memories and broke Amelia''s shackles. He forgot his revenge and hatred towards hisrades. The specter examined his face with a shard of broken ss. There were no scars on his newly formed face. Scars didn¡¯t prove his identity as Hamel. So, wasn¡¯t he Hamel since he had this face and this body? And if it were necessary, he was ready to carve the scars himself. Eugene Lionheart. Did he really need to be Hamel? Didn''t the reincarnated man have a life and name suited to his current state? Then, why couldn''t he be Hamel instead? "......Haha." Heughed unwittingly at the ensuing thoughts. He felt nauseous with disgust for himself. Yes, he knew. ''Hamel'' wouldn''t have such thoughts. If Hamel knew he was fake, that his existence was useless to this world, to others, to Sienna, to Molon, and to hisrades.... He would end his own life. ''So, is that why you didn''t kill me?'' he pondered. ''Vermouth, I don''t know why you''re there. But I know you''re involved with the Demon King of Destruction.'' You showed hostility towards me, a fake. You showed pity towards me, a fake. You gave power to me, a fake. You gave freedom to me, a fake. ''If you wanted me to end my life, giving me freedom would have been enough. There was no need to give me power,¡¯ he thought. ''Am I, a fake, supposed to help the real Hamel? You must know that''s impossible. I''m still a fake, and I can''t assist Hamel''s... Eugene''s journey.'' Could he confront the Demon King of Incarceration with the newfound power? He wasn¡¯t sure. The specter dissipated the ss shard he held with his power. He was able to summon dark power without any effort, and it was iparably greater than before. He tried to define what he was now. ¡®Right now, I''m closer to the Demon King of Destruction than any other being, any other vessel. I''m not a Demon King, but I''m stronger than Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury.'' He was the Incarnation of Destruction. ''But even with this power, saving the world is impossible. I doubt it would work on the Demon King of Incarceration. I won¡¯t be able to save you, Vermouth... or stand against the Demon King of Destruction,'' he thought. ''You must know this. Then why didn''t you kill me? Why did you give me freedom and power? What do you want me to do?'' He wanted to return to that void to ask what Vermouth expected. But it was impossible. The trial was finished. The Temple of Destruction and the void were closed, and the specter couldn''t return anymore. He guessed that... turning him into an incarnation had been a heavy burden for Vermouth. ''...The void.'' Uponing to self-realization and discovering that he was a fake, receiving the power, and being expelled from that world, the specter saw Vermouth''s world more clearly. Scars. Vermouth was sitting on a giant scar etched into the void itself. "What was that?" the specter muttered quietly, resting his chin on his hand. Amelia Merwin wished to ask the same question. She couldn''t even breathe as shey huddled on the ground. The weight on her back was humiliating, but she dared notin. Currently, Ameliay naked, prostrate, with the specter sitting on her back. It was a humiliation like none she had ever felt, butpared to the surrounding devastation, it was rtively better. Around her, the ground was littered with blood-soaked demons, including Alphiero. Chapter 440: The Fake (5)

Chapter 440: The Fake (5)

Why and how did this happen? Amelia could guess. This thing was no longer under her control, and it did not listen to hermands. After being imbued with the dark power of Destruction, it had transformed into something more than a mere undead, a Death Knight, or a specter. After losing the original body of the Stupid Hamel, she had crafted a crude reconstruction. As such, it was still an undead. But now, it had be an existence that could no longer be ssified as mere undead. And the chains of servitude had broken in the process. Amelia couldn''tmand it anymore, nor did it need her power to exist. That was all. They couldn''tmand each other. They had formed a rtionship of perfect equality. Equal? No, now this creature was overwhelmingly superior to Amelia. If it wished to kill her, she would not be able to resist. ''Why?'' Amelia questioned. She understood that the chains binding them had been broken. But why? Why was it doing this? Amelia thought she had treated it, the specter, very well. She knew she had been excessively cruel to Hemoria. If Hemoria had broken free, a betrayal would have beenpletely understandable. But the specter''s betrayal didn''t make sense. She couldn¡¯t understand its reason for treating her in this humiliating fashion. Had she treated it cruelly? Never. She never used violence or harsh words. Amelia had always treated the specter with utmost respect. Even though their rtionship had been that of a master and her vassal, she had never shown disrespect. Even if its memories were fake, she respected its pride as a great hero from three hundred years ago. That wasn''t all, either. She thought she had given it everything it needed. Hatred, vengeance, and all those negative feelings she had instilled in the specter were real as far as it knew. Therefore, she respected its desires and impulses. She had helped it fulfill its longing for hatred and revenge and had been nning to continue doing so. What about when it returned after being defeated by the young hero? If Hemoria had returned in such a state, Amelia would have scorned and mocked her, but she didn''t do that to the specter. She sincerely consoled it. Even after the specter lost the precious, one-of-a-kind, irreceable body of the real Hamel and returned with just a soul, she found forgiveness and understanding. When it wanted to be stronger, she prepared the grounds for it. She had done all that for the specter. She had shown grace and kindness. So why was it doing this to her? "....." Amelia wasn¡¯t sure what the answer was and felt wronged. However, she was unable to voice the boiling emotions andints. Instead, she remained silent. She knew exactly what would happen if she spoke carelessly. The humiliation of being used as a chair while lying naked.... It reminded her of a past she didn''t want to remember. It reminded Amelia Merwin of her pitiful and weak days. It was a time when she had to do anything just to survive. Amelia didn¡¯t want to die now, just as she didn¡¯t want to in the distant past. She was willing to endure any humiliation to survive. She could even stoop to licking others¡¯ toes if it were necessary for her survival. The power of the specter was truly overwhelming, to the degree that she was entertaining such thoughts. Everything happened in an instant. After extracting the dark power of Destruction from Amelia and regenerating her body, the specter demanded to know what had happened during the months he was asleep. After hearing Amelia''s answer, the specter suddenly grabbed her by the hair and dragged her out of the mansion. Until that moment, Amelia was too shocked to scream. After exiting, the specter first dealt with the mansion. It didn¡¯t just cause the mansion to copse but destroyed it explosively with a loud bang. The explosion echoed through the silent city and drew demons from all directions. Leading them was, naturally, Alphiero. He was astonished to see the specter revived with a body. He did not attack. It was the same with the other demons. Being vessels of the Demon King of Destructions, the demons felt instinctive reverence towards the specter. But the specter did not ept the reverence of the demons. Simr to how it had dragged Amelia by her hair and destroyed the mansion, the specter rampaged unhindered. Although the demons were in awe, they did not simply stand around. They had no intention of letting the specter destroy them. Alphiero and the demons resisted as best as they could. However, it was futile. Even in Amelia¡¯s eyes, the gap between the demons and the specter was like that between ants and humans. These high-ranking demons had reigned for centuries in Ravesta, but it didn¡¯t take long for them to bepletely defeated. After the turmoil, the specter sat on the prostrated form of Amelia and became lost in thought. "What am I?" When the specter suddenly uttered this, Amelia wondered whether to respond or keep quiet as a proper chair should. In the end, she chose to remain silent, which proved to be the right decision. If she had said, "You are Hamel Dynas,¡± the specter would have unleashed further humiliation on her. It would have rendered him unable to contain his boiling fury. "....." Silence ensued as both Amelia and the specter were immersed in their own thoughts. Finally, afterposing his thoughts somewhat, the specter turned his gaze towards Amelia. He didn¡¯t intend to humiliate her by making her lie naked in such a manner. Neither Hamel nor the specter had such a perverse hobby. It had been simply unavoidable. Amelia''s body had been half-destroyed and submerged in fluid. Although her body had regenerated during the extraction of Destruction¡¯s dark power, her clothes did not regenerate along with her body. In the first ce, Amelia had been stark naked as she soaked in the fluid bath. The specter was in a simr situation. After its crude body disintegrated, it was reborn as an Incarnation of Destruction and obtained a new body. However, unlike Amelia, he at least wore pants. He had not wanted to rampage naked. ¡°What to do with you,¡± the specter mused as it stood up. The weight pressing down on Amelia disappeared. She flinched and raised her head. ¡°I feel like killing you,¡± he said. The specter had every right to kill her. He genuinely believed this. Although Amelia created him, the self-awareness he possessed couldn¡¯t ept that he was born this way. He really loathed his creator for giving him such an existence. However, was the hatred he felt greater than the real Hamel¡¯s? Was it greater than Eugene Lionheart''s? ¡®I have every right to kill her,¡¯ the specter thought to himself. Eugene Lionheart, too. In fact, he had more right than the specter to kill Amelia Merwin. It was the same with Sienna Merdein as well. Amelia Merwin was a ck wizard who defiled and turned a preciousrade¡¯s body into an undead. If Sienna was the same as the woman in the specter¡¯s memories, she would be plotting to tear Amelia apart with her own hands. It would be the same with Molon Ruhr. He alwaysughed like a fool every time hisrades called him stupid. But the specter ¡°remembered¡± how terrifyingly brutal an enraged Molon could be. Compared to the specter, all these heroes of the past would have a more intense desire to kill Amelia Merwin. And they had every right to feel that way. ¡°What are you... thinking about?¡± asked Amelia. As the specter¡¯s gaze grew colder, Amelia gulped and shrank back. She couldn¡¯t ignore the chilling, murderous intent in his eyes. Seeing those eyes, Amelia said, ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you¡¯re acting this way. We are¡ª¡± ¡°I have a pretty good idea of what you want to say,¡± interjected the specter. It no longer addressed Amelia as Master. This truth colored Amelia¡¯s eyes with despair. ¡°It¡¯s better if you stop talking,¡± advised the specter. What went wrong? The chains were broken. The specter was free. But that alone didn¡¯t justify this hatred and murderous intent. Why did he see her as an enemy? ¡®It realized the memories are fake.¡¯ Amelia came to a sudden understanding. Yes, of course, that would cause anger. ¡®But why doesn¡¯t it kill me?¡¯ wondered Amelia. The specter recognized that his memories were manipted, that the sense of vengeance towards hisrades was artificially created and imnted. ¡®Then it should naturally try to kill me,¡¯ Amelia thought. Amelia created the specter''s soul based on Hamel¡¯s memories. Knowing all this, it should want to kill her. She had chained it to prevent such a tragedy. ¡®Even after realizing the truth, it doesn¡¯t kill me...,¡¯ Amelia realized. The truth? How much of the truth had it perceived? Amelia swallowed her agitation and gazed at the specter. ¡°...Who are you?¡± she asked. It was a risky question, but one that had to be asked. ¡°Who knows,¡± he said. The specter''s emotions became quenched at her question. He still couldn¡¯t decide who he was or if he even had the right to choose. Yet, if he dared to desire, the specter still thought of himself as Hamel. ¡®He realized that he¡¯s a fake,¡¯ Amelia told herself. It was an unexpected development. Amelia had never thought about what to do in such a situation. Even the breaking of the chains had been beyond her expectations. ¡®He found out the truth, but he¡¯s not killing me. Why is that the case? Because I created it...?¡¯ Amelia¡¯s thoughts were a chaotic mess. It was clear that the specter was confused about its identity. So, it seemed best not to touch on that topic. Regardless of their rtionship as a creator and a creation, there was a huge gap in power between them. Amelia needed that power. She had endured all these humiliations because she had a fervent wish. She wanted to start a war. She wanted to start a massive war that would turn the world upside down and possibly extinguish all life on the continent. She wanted a war where hundreds or thousands of human lives would be as insignificant as ants. She wanted to be responsible for initiating such a war. ¡®With my own hands,¡¯ she thought. What she really wanted was for the world to end through the war. ¡®I can do it with my own hands,¡¯ she reaffirmed. With the cooperation of the specter, now the Incarnation of Destruction... she might indeed be able to bring about the world''s end. ¡°You.¡± The specter spoke first. Just as Amelia thought, the specter hade to a conclusion. He wasn¡¯t sure if this was the right decision, but he had made up his mind. ¡°Go to Nahama,¡± he said. ¡°...What?¡± she said, sure she had misheard him. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you want? To start a war? You¡¯ve been preparing diligently for that, haven¡¯t you?¡± said the specter with a smirk. ¡°Now that there''s no reason to stay in Ravesta, go to Nahama. Start a war there.¡± He knew about Amelia¡¯s situation, as well as what was happening outside. It seemed that Eugene Lionheart wanted her to start a war. He nned to use the chaos she created to crush Nahama and the demons of Helmuth and hunt her down. He intended to use the war to unify the continent¡¯s allies. Eugene wanted it. Hamel hoped for it. The specter, acting on this realization, pushed Amelia forward. "Harpeuron has perished. Although that bastard was an insignificant force, his death, if taken lightly, would upset the demons of Nahama," said the specter. ¡°......¡± Amelia wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. The specter continued, ¡°Isn''t it so? Whether the demons feel camaraderie or not, if you... don''t keep your promise to them and continue to hide here, nothing will happen. The demons will withdraw from your war, and you¡¯ll end up with nothing.¡± ¡°Even if you didn¡¯t say anything,¡± Amelia continued after a pause. ¡°I was going to go to Nahama anyway. My body is free now, and I have things to do, things I want to do. But... what will you do?¡± She wasn''t sure what response to expect. While she wanted to ask more directly, she couldn¡¯t risk it, given the power dynamics between them. Nervously, Amelia waited for the specter¡¯s answer. ¡°If you go to Nahama first....¡± The specter lifted its head and gazed at the sealed ceiling of the underground city. The ceiling blended with the sky, and it was teeming with giant monsters from the past. ¡°...I¡¯ll follow youter,¡± he said. ¡°Does that mean... you also want war? To cooperate in my war?¡± Amelia''s voice trembled as she asked. ¡°Yes.¡± The specter nodded. However, obviously, it had no such desires. Pushing Amelia to go to Nahama and start a war was solely for Eugene¡¯s sake. The specter had no intention of getting involved in the war himself. ¡°.....¡± Amelia was stunned into silence at this simple admission. Was this really true? If in the midst of the war Eugene perished, or if the specter killed Eugene.... He saw the image of Sienna weeping in his mind. When was this? Right. It was when Iris ruthlessly killed the elf rangers. Sienna cried in the burnt forest, in front of the charred bodies of elves who had been burnt alive with their forest. ¡®...She must have cried like that when Hamel died,¡¯ the specter thought to himself. The specter had no memory of that moment. Hisst memory of Hamel was a betrayal byrades, leading to his death. Thest memory of Sienna¡¯s face that he remembered was one with no tears, only a mocking smile. It was absolutely disgusting. It was disgusting that he had believed such memories and hated everyone. ¡°Then we can go together and¡ª¡± Before Amelia could finish, the specter kicked her. He had failed to control his emotions. She couldn''t even let out a scream. She didn''t fly far like a ball. Instead, she clutched her stomach and gasped for air. ¡°I saidter,¡± he said curtly. The specter couldn¡¯t follow Amelia to Nahama right away. He hadn''t decided who he was yet. What did he want to do? What could he do? Why did Vermouth spare its life and make him into the Incarnation of Destruction? He didn''t know. What should he do as the Incarnation of Destruction? What could he do? What did he want to do? ¡®I don''t know,¡¯ the specter realized. If Vermouth had given clear instructions or a request, he wouldn''t be in such a quandary. But Vermouth told the specter nothing. So, he had to think and decide for himself. ¡®.....¡¯ The specter closed its eyes and focused on his breathing. There was something he needed to confirm first. ¡®The Demon King of Incarceration,¡¯ he thought. Could he fight him? ¡®If I can, the power I possess now... might help Eugene, might help Hamel,¡¯ he told himself. Was that the truth? Was this what he desired? The specter ignored the sinister doubts clinging to his thoughts. Chapter 441: The Fake (6)

Chapter 441: The Fake (6)

At the heart of the capital of the Helmuth Empire, Pandemoniumy the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration ¡ª Babel. On the nieth floor of Babel was the office of Duke Gavid Lindman. For days, Gavid Lindman had been swamped with paperwork and unable to rest. Many high-ranking demons had headed to Nahama under the guise of tourism, but Gavid knew better. Not a single one of them had crossed for mere sightseeing. The Demon King of Incarceration had also remained silent on Nahama¡¯s situation and offered no guidance to Gavid. Yet, Gavid couldn''t afford to do nothing. He had to prepare statements for contingencies. If war broke out in Nahama with demons at the forefront, it would cause chaos. The reputation and perception of demons, which had been painstakingly built over thest three hundred years, would be utterly shattered. However, did the reputation of demons really matter? After all, the end of the Oath and, thereby, peace had already been dered. Unfortunately, Gavid still had to prepare for whatever oue. ¡®What if I send troops to support Nahama?¡¯ Gavid thought to himself. Officially, Helmuth and Nahama were not allies. However, most would assume that Helmuth was the supporting power behind Nahama. To be honest, Gavid felt it was unfair. He had never authorized military or material support to Nahama. ¡®But it would be no good to try and say that,¡¯ Gavid sighed. There was no need for him to waste his efforts either. Gavid pondered while pressing on his temples. He had a throbbing headache. Helmuth wouldn''t support Nahama in the war. Even if a war broke out, Helmuth would not participate. What were the misled demons promised in exchange for stirring a war? Edmund''s attempted ritual to create a Demon King? Gavid doubted it would seed, but if it did... the conflict in the arid desert would engulf the whole world. The mes would grow beyond control. If Amelia¡¯s ritual brought forth a newly risen Demon King amidst the war.... ¡®It would be the seconding of the era of war,¡¯ concluded Gavid. He recalled the era when five Demon Kings coexisted. He didn¡¯t consider the rise of a new Demon King a threat. Simply putting on a crown did not confer one with a king¡¯s authority. Even Iris, the Abyssal Princess, had failed to reign sessfully after bing a Demon King. Why would a Demon King born from a group of demons who failed to even secure a position in Pandemonium ever be considered a threat? Moreover, even in the distant past, his master, the Demon King of Incarceration, stood apart from other Demon Kings. ¡®But... if another Demon King joins the war, it would essentially signify the end of the Oath,¡¯ Gavid surmised. The Demon King of Incarceration was waiting for Eugene Lionheart to ascend Babel. However, the Demon King of Incarceration''s silence indicated that he might not be insisting on this particr method. After all, Amelia had been preparing for war for a long time, and the Demon King of Incarceration had turned a blind eye. ¡®If the war in Nahama brings an end to the Oath, there is no need for Helmuth to feign neutrality either,¡¯ Gavid realized. It crossed his mind that preparing military support would be wise. Perhaps he could send an army of demons... or dispatching the ck Mist alone would be sufficient. Of course, even though he was a duke and themander of the ck Mist, he couldn¡¯t make a decision alone. His sleepless nights weren¡¯t solely due to Nahama either. He also had to prepare for a potential war in Helmuth. He had witnessed Eugene Lionheart¡¯s capabilities in Shimuin. Gavid knew he could not underestimate the Hero. Eugene had already defeated a Demon King, even if it were just Iris. He needed a n for evacuating civilians, especially human immigrants. Though he questioned the need for demons to protect humans, Gavid was bound by Helmuth¡¯sws that prioritized the safety of human immigrants and tourists. He couldn¡¯t simply ignore thews unless he received amand from the Demon King of Incarceration to do otherwise. He needed to train troops for war as well. He needed to organize the troops, and he was sure he would spend another night nning with the strategists downstairs. ¡®Eugene Lionheart is still in Giabe City. There¡¯s no way he joined hands with Noir, but I can¡¯t simply ignore this either.¡¯ Gavid thought of another problem. Noir Giabe was showing overt favor and fondness towards Eugene. Though he knew she wouldn¡¯t ally with someone out of mere fondness, Gavid knew how Noir was consumed by her desires. ¡°.....¡± He was suddenly interrupted in his thought process. Gavid set down the paperwork before removing his sses with a look of perplexity. ¡°This can¡¯t be an illusion,¡± he muttered. He was genuinely unsettled. He struggled topose his expression and voice. Standing up, Gavid muttered to himself once again, ¡°Am I dreaming? Or... am I seeing ghosts?¡± That face. It had been three hundred years, but Gavid never forgot it, even for a second. Hamel of Extermination had gued his dreams in the past, even as nightmares. But he wasn¡¯t seeing a ghost. Hamel did not emit any energy typical of the undead. He was standing by the window, and there was a lively aura around him as if he was very much alive. ¡®What is this?¡¯ Gavid thought, mystified. Hamel was dead. He died in Babel three hundred years ago. Gavid narrowed his eyes and intently observed Hamel. ...He realized a few differences. The figure standing there, Hamel, bore no scars whatsoever. The sword marks left by Gavid, as well as the numerous scars Hamel had acquired in the Devildom, signified his brushes with death. They were all gone. Moreover, instead of emitting death energy, Hamel radiated a certain liveliness, yet something was notably absent. ¡®There¡¯s no mana,¡¯ Gavid observed. The fact that he couldn''t sense any mana from Hamel shocked him more than anything else, even though Gavid was looking at him directly. ...No, was this really even Hamel? Finally, Gavid asked, ¡°...Weren¡¯t you supposed to be in Ravesta?¡± He concluded that the being before him was something else disguised in Hamel¡¯s skin. It was a fake created by Amelia from the remnants of Hamel¡¯s memories. ¡°Until a few days ago,¡± came the response. Gavid¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°And Amelia Merwin?¡± he asked. ¡°Sent to Nahama,¡± came the response. Gavid¡¯s eyes emitted a red glow. When he peered at the specter with his Demoneye of Divine Glory, he felt a strong throb pulse from within. Gavid clicked his tongue while frowning. ¡°...Have you made a contract with the Demon King of Destruction?¡± he asked. Despite being a direct witness, Gavid struggled to believe it. He knew the Demon King of Destruction didn¡¯t discriminate in choosing his followers, but a pact with an entity that wasn''t quite a demon, or a wizard, or even a living entity seemed extreme. ¡®A contract...?¡¯ Gavid wondered. Yet, as he looked even deeper, a heavy feeling weighed on him. He had been subject to a simr sensation in the past. It was when he had been near the Demon King of Destruction. ¡®How could this...?¡¯ Gavid thought, shocked. The dark power of Destruction did not discriminate. If one could not contain it, the dark power would cause the vessel to self-destruct. Amelia wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the dark power of Destruction, so how could her creation, a mere imitation, withstand such immense power? The more Gavid thought about it, the less he understood. What puzzled him even more was how the specter was even here. This was the center of Pandemonium, Babel. Even Gavid himself couldn¡¯t enter Babel without being detected. And yet, the specter not only entered but also reached the nieth floor undetected. Gavid had only noticed the specter¡¯s presence because he had made himself known by emanating his aura. ¡°How did you¡ª.¡± Gavid was never given the opportunity to finish. He instinctively retreated and grabbed his sword, Glory. The specter was standing closer. His face was scarless and eerily calm. It was truly a bizarre sight. When did he move? The specter had simply disappeared before reappearing. It was that simple. But that was exactly what made it even more confusing. Gavid was bbergasted. He had missed his opponent while using the Demoneye of Glory? It wasn¡¯t that the specter had moved fast or teleported. Instead, he had literally vanished and then reappeared, much like the Demon King of Destruction during the war. ¡°...Remarkable.¡± Gavid steadied his emotions as he began to grasp the situation. Now wasn''t the time to ponder about the specter¡¯s identity or powers. Was he a friend or foe? Regardless, he would be held ountable for trespassing. Click. As Glory was released from its sheath, the specter raised his hand in response. Although he held no weapon, he willed a sword. That was enough. A sword formed from grayish-dark power materialized in his empty hand. Baaang! The air was ripped apart. Gavid had released fierce attacks upon unsheathing the sword, creating thousands of afterimages. A culmination of a maelstrom of dark power shook the office. The specter did not retreat a single step, yet the slicing attack and the ensuing storm could not harm him. As the attackmenced and the storm followed, Hamel''s sword also danced, altering the trajectory of every strike without moving from his spot. Gavid didn''t miss this spectacle. His Demoneye captured exactly how Hamel¡¯s sword moved during that fleeting moment. He realized that the movements of the specter far surpassed the realm of the extraordinary. "So an imitation can surpass the real thing when it reaches an extreme,¡± Gavidmented with a twisted smile. The source of the specter¡¯s sword skills was Hamel. Gavid wasn''t speaking out of mockery. As a warrior himself, he acknowledged the prowess of the specter¡¯s swordsmanship. "Surpassed?" the specter said. His eyes glimmered. He couldn''t take those words as praise. The im that he had surpassed the real thing felt like a deep wound in his heart. He knew all too well that his swordsmanship was ultimately derived from the original. It wasn''t extraordinary enough to surpass the source. The sword skills he possessed started with Hamel. The specter had been made as a copy, and all of his memories belonged to Hamel. No matter how much he refined his swordsmanship, he could not change its fundamental essence. He had seen Eugene''s sword. He didn¡¯t want to admit it back then, but now he epted it as a fact. If he could cross swords again, he would feel it. His sword still resembled the real Hamel''s. But had he really surpassed it? ¡®Impossible,¡¯ the specter dered to himself. Eugene''s life was iparably more intense than anything the specter had experienced. While the specter struggled with receiving the power of Destruction, Eugene had in Raizakia and the Demon King of Fury. If he were the real Hamel, he would have continually honed his skills. Such thoughts caused the specter¡¯s face to contort. The specter brewed with killing intent. The ominous power that formed his sword resonated with his murderous intent. It spread and corroded the space around them. At that moment, Gavid felt a strange sense of alienation. The office where he had spent over a hundred years suddenly felt like an entirely different world. "How dare you!" Gavid eximed. Anger was the only response Gavid could muster. This ce was right below the pce of the Demon King of Incarceration. It was a ce closest to the Demon King of Incarceration. Allowing the dark power of another to invade was unthinkable. Gavid''s hand gripped Glory tighter. Clink. The sound from ''above'' caused Gavid to stiffen. He immediately stopped himself, stepped back, and kneeled on one knee. The specter, too, was startled. He looked up. Where the ceiling had been, there was only darkness. It was as if a starless twilight sky had been transnted right there. In the midst of that profound darkness was the Demon King of Incarceration. "Gavid Lindman," the Demon King of Incarceration said. Gavid slightly raised his head and looked up. "Step back,¡±manded the Demon King of Incarceration. "But, Your Majesty¡ª" Gavid protested, only to be interrupted. "He is my guest," the Demon King of Incarceration said. The quiet reply left no room for Gavid''s protest. He quickly sheathed Glory from its half-drawn state and bowed deeply. Whoosh. The moment Glory was sheathed, the space transformed. The specter looked around in surprise. Just moments ago, he was in Gavid''s office, but now... he found himself amid pitch-ck darkness. "What shall I call you?" The Demon King of Incarceration spoke again. He was still looking down at Hamel from high above. "Hamel Dynas? Or do you prefer another name?" he asked. The specter remained silent, and the Demon King of Incarceration slightly tilted his head before giving a faint smile. He observed Hamel for a while before smiling broadly. "You''vee here,¡± he spoke. The darkness rippled. "Not to receive a name," the specter replied. The power emanating from the specter vibrated through the hall. It caused the smile of the Demon King of Incarceration to deepen. "It''s not by Vermouth''s will either,¡± the Demon King of Incarcerationmented. "What do you know¡ª." The specter swallowed his words mid-sentence. He realized that such questions were not important to him at the moment. The specter raised his right arm. He held no weapon. He didn''t need one now. But if he were Hamel.... He would have held a weapon, probably a sword. The specter felt a bittersweet regret. If possible, he would have liked to cross swords properly with Gavid Lindman. "Are you harboring confusion?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked. He still wore a smile. He had not predicted the specter¡¯s presence and the current situation. The Demon King of Incarceration relished in such irregrities. "Are you seeking meaning in your existence, in the power you''ve acquired?" he continued. Creak. Chains emerged from the darkness. Countless chains rose like spearheads and pointed at the specter. He had be the Incarnation of Destruction. Could this power affect the Demon King of Incarceration? The specter was uncertain. Thus, he needed verification. If it worked, could he attack the Demon King of Incarceration with this power? And then what? Would there be a next step? Challenging the Demon King of Incarceration, verifying, retreating, and then joining Eugene? It sounded absurd. It was absurd. Aside from whether the Demon King of Incarceration would show such unfathomable mercy, risking one''s life for such uncertainty was ludicrous. Days had passed since he departed from Ravesta. He saw many things on his way to Pandemonium. He saw the Devildom of Helmuth. He saw how the world had transformed. It wasn¡¯t entirely new. He had seen Helmuth several times when he was a Death Knight. Yet, the emotions he felt now were different. He saw things he had ignored. He looked into things he had not thought to check. He read fairy tales and history books. He looked at the newspapers and watched the news on the streets. As he learned more and more, the self-loathing inside of him only swelled. He even felt like dying. "Is that so?" the specter spat, then he vanished. Not at all surprised by this development, the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled. He sensed an alien force melting into the darkness. It was an empty intent to kill. The Demon King of Incarceration felt a stabbing sensation from behind. "So you would rather die at my hands,¡± hemented. The Demon King of Incarceration urately pierced through the specter¡¯s intentions. And it was pretty obvious. If the specter were to die here, at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration, unlike Hamel, who couldn¡¯t even reach this point and instead was killed by Incarceration¡¯s Staff, the specter would have gotten further than Hamel from three centuries back. Then, he wouldn''t need to stew in torturous contemtion or feel self-loathing, greed, and envy. "Even in that sense, you are like Hamel," the Demon King of Incarceration said, shaking his head. A smile still graced his face. Fate often repeated itself. The Demon King of Incarceration knew this better than any other Demon King, any god, or anyone else in this world, for that matter. And so, he could assert: The current fate had never been repeated. Chapter 442: The Fake (7)

Chapter 442: The Fake (7)

¡ªAre you harboring confusion? ¡ªAre you seeking meaning in your existence, in the power you''ve acquired? ¡ªSo you would rather die at my hands? Every word that the Demon King of Incarceration uttered seemed to peer into the depths of the specter¡¯s soul. Thus, the specter did not deny it. In fact, he couldn''t, for they were all true. He remained entangled in his own confusion about his existence. Why had Vermouth granted him this power? What was he supposed to do with it, and why hadn''t he been killed instead? He was tormented by contemtion and self-loathing. For that reason alone, the specter hade to Babel, the abode of the Demon King of Incarceration. He wanted to confront the Demon King of Incarceration to seek death, a release from his torment. ¡ªEven in that sense, you are like Hamel. Those words pierced the specter''s heart. ¡®I am not him,¡¯ he denied internally. The death of Hamel, as written in fairy tales, had been a sacrifice to save hispanions. The specter didn''t know the exact circumstances or emotions Hamel faced in choosing death. However, he thought Hamel''s choice of suicide had a different meaning than his own. His decision now was one of despair. It was a choice to escape all his dilemmas and self-hatred. He had note to the decision because his body was broken beyond the capacity to fight. It wasn¡¯t for hispanions nor for the world. Would his power affect the Demon King of Incarceration? The specter knew which way the scales would tip if he weighed the desire for verification against the despair that prompted surrender. His suicidal intent was solely for himself. It was devoid of any greater cause. Thump. And yet, why was his heart pounding so? He knew the reason. The specter felt excitement about the situation itself. He was in Babel, in the throne room at its peak. He was confronting the Demon King of Incarceration and preparing to engage in battle. It was something Hamel longed for but never achieved. "Idiot," the Specter whispered in self-mockery. He extended his hand. Countless chains, akin to spears, targeted him. The simple attack carried no malice. That didn''t seem strange. The Demon King of Incarceration smiled at him from high above. Emotions such as malice, which were violent and sticky feelings, did not suit the Demon King of Incarceration. But that didn''t make his attacks mild, weak, or kind. A direct hit would mean certain death. The specter instinctively sensed this and clenched the air. Crack! A gray mass of dark power formed into a sword. "You handle it well,¡±mented the Demon King of Incarceration. He recognized the nature of this eerie and ominous power. It was the origin of Destruction, something desperately craved by his followers yet beyond their grasp. It was a power befitting Destruction. "You¡¯ve surpassed being a vessel or a follower. You¡¯ve be an incarnation. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen a being like you,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration spoke with a smile. An incarnation was a means for a god to interfere with the world. Gods had done so in the past, but in this era, even that had be impossible. The specter swung his sword, and the chains shattered. In a single step, he leaped through space. However, he was blocked. He hit something. But he hadn''t felt a wall until the moment of impact. He realized only as he was pushed back. There were chains flowing around him. This was the throne room of the Demon King of Incarceration. Allws were bound by his chains in this imprisoned world. Here, he was the absolute entity. ¡®...What are these chains?¡¯ the specter asked himself. There were chains behind the Demon King of Incarceration. They were always apanying him, and right now, they were sprawled like a cloak. Their ends prated space and connected elsewhere. In other words, the Demon King of Incarceration was connected to something. Unfortunately, the specter couldn''t guess what the chains signified or what the Demon King of Incarceration was connected to. Creak. The specter ignored the unanswered questions and gripped his sword again. Boom! An explosion of gray reached out in all directions. The power to destroy threatened the copse of the throne room. Still smiling, the Demon King of Incarceration flipped his palm. Whoosh! The surging power vanished. Everything had been nullified with a single gesture. The specter had prepared himself for such an absurd oue but could only release a hollowugh after actually experiencing it. ''As I expected,'' the specter thought. The chains moved silently, and each time, the specter trembled. Just standing here put a tremendous strain on his existence. He felt as though he would instantly disintegrate if he rxed, even for a moment. The Demon King of Incarceration had coexisted with the Demon King of Destruction for centuries, maybe even longer. He was the only one among the Demon Kings to have stood on the same front as the Demon King of Destruction. However, the Demon King of Destruction had secluded himself in Ravesta from the moment the Oath that ensured peace was made. ¡®Do these chains even bind Destruction?¡¯ the specter pondered. Crack, crackle. His body started to crumble under the immense strain. Yet, this pain was no greater than what he had endured under the power of Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as he watched the specter raise himself and straighten his posture. "Did you not seek death?" asked the Demon King of Incarceration. The specter did not desire a meaningless death, so he swallowed his answer. In the end, it was just stubborn defiance. He did not want to confront anything and everything rted to memories that weren¡¯t his own, including Eugene Lionheart, Hamel, Sienna Merdein, Molon, and Ruhr. "You are a walking contradiction," whispered the Demon King of Incarceration. He was still smiling. With a sharp breath, the specter swallowed his retort and kicked at the darkness. The dark power imprisoned by the chains was liberated. Whirl! A swirl of dark power enveloped the specter. His form was like a miniature version of the Demon King of Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration burst into genuineughter at the sight of the specter standing at the center of the storm. "Have you been granted that much permission?" he shouted. Boom! Destruction advanced. All chains restraining the world were violently jolted. It felt as if they were on the verge of breaking. When was thest time he felt such resistance? ¡®Three hundred years.¡¯ The answer came easily to the Demon King of Incarceration. There was no way he could forget. The Demon King of Incarceration raised his hand for the first time. His pale, bloodless hand clutched the darkness and grasped it. He transformed it all into chains. Shrrrrr! Though the Demon King of Incarceration held just a single chain, countless others were entwined within it. The way he pulled the chain seemed gentle, and the motion to draw the chains was sinct. But the impact on the specter was anything but light. An indescribable shock severed his consciousness. He didn''t fly away upon impact; the chains of the Demon King of Incarceration didn''t permit it. Thousands of chains spread out like a spiderweb and ensnared Destruction. Creak, creak. However, being captured didn¡¯t signal the end. The specter regained consciousness as the chains attempted to bind his powers. Crack! The specter rose in the form of Destruction. The chains broke as he fought back and roared like a beast. He charged towards the Demon King of Incarceration. The specter¡¯s sword was infused with the dark power of Destruction. While the power of Destruction could annihte anything it touched, the chains were the essence of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s power. They did not perish under the onught of Destruction. Instead, the chains broke but quickly reconnected. The Demon King of Incarceration pulled the chain once more as he watched the specter charge. The distance between them did not grow, nor was the specter hindered in his approach. Instead, the specter was pulled in as if he were being dragged by the chains. An irresistible force seemed to grab him by the scruff. Even so, the specter maintained full control over his body. The power of Destruction surged forth from the specter like a violent storm. Seeing this, the Demon King of Incarceration''s eyes curved into a smile. The Great Demon King had not known the concept of struggle for the longest time. Even Vermouth and hispanions had failed to instill a sense of struggle in the Demon King of Incarceration. Naturally, emotions associated with the act of struggle had also faded a long time ago. The same held true even now. This battle was not a struggle for the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet, he respected the specter''s power. Even though the specter was an anomaly of existence and had not properly ascended Babel, the Demo King of Incarceration acknowledged and respected the specter for invading his throne room and disying hostility. He decided to deem the specter as worthy of being his enemy. That was all. The Great Demon King¡¯s devotion was dreadful and cruel. The court became akin to the void where Vermouth existed but in a different sense. Moments here stretched like an eternity under the influence of boundless violence. The flow of time itself seemed imprisoned and whimsically toyed with by the Great Demon King''s power and will. The specter resisted. Never once did he give up resisting. The specter was a fake born from Hamel¡¯s memories, and he hade to Babel to die. However, he had no intention of meeting a futile death, a death without resistance. He remained ignorant of the reason for his existence. His decision toe to Babel was ultimately an escape from contemtion and self-loathing. Yet, the specter ascribed meaning to his actions of facing the Demon King of Incarceration and attacking him. He came to die, but at some point, or perhaps from the beginning, he genuinely sought to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. "Is that so?" the specter chuckled to himself. An unmeasured length of time passed. He believed he had done everything possible. The specter confronted the Demon King of Incarceration with every means at his disposal. But none of his attacks ever reached the Demon King of Incarceration. He had be an Incarnation of Destruction. But despite bing such an entity, or perhaps because of it, his current power failed to reach the Demon King of Incarceration. Each attempt to connect was met with the nk of chains. All of his attacks were turned to naught. "I won¡¯t be able to kill you with this power." After muttering these words, the specter spat out ck blood. He struggled to lift his head as he was ovee with a violent fit of coughs. He saw the Demon King of Incarceration standing high in the darkness. Despite all the attacks he had unleashed, the Demon King of Incarceration remained unscathed. It couldn''t be helped as none of the specter''s assaults had even grazed the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s robes. Crack.... Lifting his head wasn''t enough. The specter gasped for breath and forced his body to rise. His body, made of and fueled by dark power, did not immediatelyply with his will due to the extensive damage he suffered. As such, he crumbled like dust as he forced himself up. Nevertheless, the specter managed to stand up in the end. He prepared for the next battle while coughing up more ck blood. ...... When he regained consciousness and opened his eyes, the specter found he could no longer move. He calmly epted it. His limbs had vanished due to the aftermath of the recent attack, and they weren¡¯t regenerating. What remained of his pitiful body was entangled and pierced by chains of dark power. The difference had been absolutely overwhelming. He felt an unavoidable gap that led him to despair. The specter had never fought against other Demon Kings, but the memories he possessed of Hamel included experiences of battling other Demon Kings in the past. Hamel had battled against the Demon Kings of Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury. However, the Demon King of Incarceration was different in every waypared to those Demon Kings. It almost felt as if the term ''Demon King'' was coined solely to be used by the Demon King of Incarceration. It didn¡¯t seem suitable for any other existence to im the title of Demon King. Their self-promation alone would be an insult to the Demon King of Incarceration. "The Great Demon King," saying so, the specter shook his head with a sneer. Before meeting his death in the Samar Forest, Edmund Codreth had foolishly believed that he could be the Great Demon King if his ritual had seeded. Had he really thought he could be a Great Demon King with just that much power? The specter could only scoff in disbelief upon reflection. He didn''t witness the ritual to its end since Edmund Codreth was killed midway by Eugene, but even if a hundredfold sacrifices were made, it wouldn''t have sufficed for him to be a true Great Demon King. He realized such power couldn''t be attained through sacrifices or rituals. "Kill me,¡± the specter uttered while raising his head. Once filled with boundless chains and darkness, the world had reverted to its original appearance. He was once again in the throne room of the Demon King of Incarceration. The limbless specter was tethered to protruding chains mid-air, and he was facing the Demon King of Incarceration seated on the throne. The battle was over. The Demon King of Incarceration no longer indulged in the fight. He smiled and said, "You''re under a misconception." "...Misconception?" asked the specter. "I am a Demon King, not a god,¡± replied the Demon King of Incarceration. These were very obvious words. The Specter frowned while ring at the Demon King of Incarceration. "If I were a god, I might grant your wish, but as a Demon King, I have no reason to. Rather, I''d refuse and mock it,¡± he said. The Demon King of Incarceration flicked a finger. Chains melted into the darkness and formed arge circle. "Havinge here to die by my hand, I will never kill you,¡± dered the Demon King of Incarceration. The specter¡¯s expression contorted when he realized the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s intention. He tried to muster his power to resist, but before he could move, chains hurled him through the portal created by the circle. The Demon King of Incarceration snorted after throwing the specter through the door. "The meaning of existence is found by oneself, not begged from a Demon King," the Demon King of Incarceration said. The specter, already flung elsewhere, would not hear these whispers. It did not matter. The Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t offering advice. He chuckled while dismissing the chains. Despite being trampled so, that existence did not despair. He hade to die yet resisted till the very end. His eyes had been devoid of despair even in thest moments when he had been begging for death. Therefore, that existence would find new answers to his questions. The Demon King of Incarceration was curious what those answers would be. Chapter 443: The Fake (8)

Chapter 443: The Fake (8)

In Pentagon, the capital of Aroth, Melkith didnt hesitate even for a moment before climbing to the highest rooftop upon reaching the famous floating station. "Ah! Aaaaah!" Many tourists pointed and murmured at Melkith on the roof, but she paid no heed to their stares. Instead, she knelt and wailed in ce after pulling back her hood, "Kaaaaah...." Melkith was from the tiny kingdom of Allos in the northern sector of the Anti-Demon Alliance. It was a small kingdom less than half asrge as Aroth. Though born and raised in Allos, she moved to Aroth after turning thirteen. A simple girl from a small vige in a weak country had formed a contract with spirits by fate. With dreams of bing an Archwizard of spirit magic, the girl ventured to Aroth with no money lining her pockets. She had ovee numerous hardships with her spirits on her journey to Aroth. After arriving in the capital city, Pentagon, she was invited to the White Tower of Magic, earned the nickname Princess of Spirits, and ultimately became an unparalleled Archwizard of spirit magic. Her tale was an epic too vast for mere days of storytelling of volumes of books. bender In any case, Aroth was the stage for this long, epic tale, and it was indeed her second homnd. In fact, she had spent many more years of her life in Aroth and had left no ties in Allos. As such, Aroth could be called her true homnd now. But unfortunately, she had been forced to leave her dear homnd and live in the desert for nearly a year. Each day, she had to dig tunnels like a mole to avoid sandstorms, and she could not find even a night of peaceful slumber due to the constant threat of assassins and ck wizards. [.....] The Spirit Kings contracted to Melkith could notpletely agree with her sentiment. Instead, they felt slightly hesitant. Although sheined of it being brutal and torturous, didnt she live quitefortably in reality? After all, the spirits took care of her and any inconveniences. "Its me! I have returned!" shouted Melkith while raising her arms high. She was done reminiscing about the challenging life she led in the desert. Moreover, she didnt need to hide herself any longer. She did not need to disguise herself with magic and cloaks as she had in the desert. "I, Melkith El-Hayah, have returned to Aroth!" Melkith dered. Though she received Eugene''s permission to return to Aroth, Melkith couldnt leave Nahama in the usual way after causing enormous chaos as an illegal resident. Although it wasnt publicly announced, Melkith El-Hayah was already considered one of the worst criminals in Nahama. The number of ck wizards she had buried in the desert was already in the hundreds, not to mention the countless assassins and warriors who vanished without a trace after being dispatched to capture or kill her. It was Balzac who helped her leave Nahama in her predicament. He had an abundance of knowledge when it came to illegal activities, which wasnt surprising considering how suspicious he was. Melkith crossed the desert with Balzac, crossed borders, passed through other countries, and thus returned to Aroth together with Balzac. "......." Balzac looked up at Melkith silently with an appalled expression. He knew she was entric, but he hadn''t expected her to cause amotion immediately upon entering the country. Any normal person would''ve stayed quiet in Aroth, given what she had been up to, but.... Balzac had learned otherwise on his journey together with her. Melkith El-Hayah waspletely devoid ofmon sense. Even now, she was continuing to il her arms while wailing loudly. "...Ahem." Balzac cleared his throat, trying to get her attention. As much as he wanted to pretend to be strangers and leave, he could not. He had already achieved what he wanted during his seclusion, and now he needed to move on to the next phase of his n. ...Quite unfortunately, Balzac needed Melkith to proceed. [Melkith, pleasee down now.] Balzac mentally projected his non-verbal plea to Melkith. The floating station was always crowded. It was truly remarkable how Melkith was able to immerse herself in her own world without caring for anyone else, even amidst the pointing and the whispering crowd. Balzac could never do the same. Not only did he pull his robe''s hood deep over his face, but he also cast several types of magic on himself. As a result, no one in the bustling station could spot him. "Hmm." After several more pleading requests from Balzac, Melkith finally descended from the rooftop. She greeted the surrounding crowd with a smile, waved her hand, epted greetings, shook hands with young spirit wizards who admired her, and even cheered for the examinees heading to the magic tower''s exams. "....." Balzac waited patiently through all of this. He wanted to drag her out of there and cast a spell on the time-wasting citizens. He dearly wished to kick Melkith as she responded to every trivial conversation and stopped with every step, but he refrained with all his willpower. "Really...," Balzac finally couldnt take it and said in annoyance. In the end, it took over an hour to board the air carriage leaving the floating station. After remaining silent throughout the process, Balzac voiced his thoughts as soon as he and Melkith boarded the carriage. "You are really... something, hemented. "Eh? What is?" questioned Melkith. "You really are something, Lady Melkith, he repeated. "I know I am great. I know it better than anyone else, responded Melkith. "Do you really take my words as purepliments?" shot Balzac. He was seething internally. When he saw Melkiths seemingly innocent expression, it felt as if he would literally explode with anger. "Why do you have to deal with every single person?" questioned Balzac. "I don''t usually, Melkith responded. "Then why today?" he inquired. "Think about it, Balzac, I''ve returned to Aroth after almost a year. And look! People came to meet me, she exined. "What are you on about? That''splete nonsense. None of these people came to meet you. They were here for their own reasons," countered Balzac. "Even if that may be the case, they gathered because of me after I arrived! It''s as if they came to meet me. Its no different, really. And they all like me, right? Thats why they gathered around me. Its only natural I reciprocate their love, said Melkith. This was impossible. Rational conversation with this lunatic was not feasible at all. Balzac took a deep breath, then looked out the window to calm himself. "Rather, I find you strange, said Melkith. "What about me is strange?" asked Balzac. "Thats... a tough question. You are more abnormal than normal. There are more suspicious things about you than the ones that arent," continued Melkith. "And what''s strange now?" he asked. "You''ve also returned to Aroth after a long time. Don''t you feel anything?" questioned Melkith. "Naturally, I do have feelings. But unlike you, Lady Melkith, I don''t show off, said Balzac in a quiet voice. He looked down at the city from the air carriage and murmured, "I do like this city. Though it might not like me." Whats with the sudden self-pity? Is this a new concept of yours?" Melkith muttered, forcing Balzac to clench his fists. "...I''m only speaking the truth, he said. "Hmm, Balzac, I think I know what you''re thinking. That... um, I''m not so foolish a woman to not be able to distinguish between sympathy and love," said Melkith after a moment. "Youre about to speak more nonsense...," Balzac said in a voice that sounded like half a reminder and half a warning. "Even if you pretend to be pitiful... well, you are genuinely pitiful, but, um, even if I sympathize with you, that doesnt mean I can" Melkith continued, ignoring thisment. Before she could finish, Balzac interrupted her, "Stop talking nonsense, Lady Melkith. Really, why are you doing this to me?" "Calm down, she said. Calm down, she says, after stirring him up. Balzac averted his gaze and looked out the window again. The ck Tower of Magic stood tall in the distance. The ck Tower of Magic had housed many ck wizards until a year ago. In fact, it had been home to the greatest number of ck wizards, second only to Helmuth. But now, it was deserted. After Balzacs sudden, unexpected seclusion, the ck wizards left voluntarily after Siennas return. After all, Siennas hatred for ck wizards wasmon knowledge. The ck wizards fled to Helmuth, Nahama, or the back alleys of Aroth. "The promise, Balzac spoke up. He turned to Melkith. "Dont forget about it." "What promise? Did we make a promise?" Melkith retorted. "....." Balzac just looked at Melkith with narrowed eyes. "Its a joke, a joke. Don''t re at me like that. I''ll make sure to introduce you to Lady Sienna," said Melkith with a giggle and a wag of her finger. "I''m really close with Lady Sienna, no, I mean Sister Sienna. We''re like sisters. Even if you''re a ck wizard, she won''t attack you if I''m by your side." "I don''t think Lady Sienna is the type to attack someone on the first encounter,mented Balzac. "Arent you expecting too much from Sister Sienna? I mean, between us strictly, she''s not exactly the... wise person we expect her to be," Melkith whispered after lowering her voice. He was somewhat surprised to hear such a thing from Melkith, of all people. Balzac responded with a frown, What I expect from you, Lady Melkith, is not to block Sister Sienna for me. The kindness and favor I have shown you, Lady Melkith, and Sir Eugene "Okay, okay, I get it, Melkith interrupted him. So, Balzac, you''re saying this: you want to be friends with Sister Sienna, right? You know, to me, this sounds like youre saying you want to research magic with her like the other Archwizards, but thenter, backstab her, like Bam! shouted Melkith. "Excuse me?" Balzac questioned. "Do you think I don''t know your n? Youre trying to approach everyone with that smiling face, getting their guard down, and then, whats it, your Signature? Youre nning to devour them one by one, arent you?" continued Melkith. Balzac was taken aback by this sudden usation. How could one even begin to understand such a train of thought? Should he get angry at this baseless usation? If he showed anger, would he be med for that too...? Balzac stopped pondering and sighed heavily. "I would never do such a thing," he said. "Whats the name of your Signature?" questioned Melkith. "Its Gluttony, answered Balzac. "So youre going to turn off the lights with Blind! And then devour them with Gluttony! Isnt that right?" used Melkith. "No, its not, Balzac clenched his teeth and responded. Meanwhile, the airshipnded. Balzac said nothing more and pulled his hood over his head. They were at the Royal Library, Akron. As they stepped off the carriage, Balzac flinched and raised his head. Dark power? Although it was hidden, being a ck wizard, Balzac didn''t miss the presence of dark power. He saw bats and rats hidden in the shadows of the trees around Akron. While Balzac watched them, Melkith briskly walked and opened the door of Akron. "I''m back!" Melkith entered Akron, shouting just as she had at the floating station. Balzac followed her inside while keeping an eye on the bats and rats, servants of a vampire. They were on the first floor of Akron. Usually, no wizard could use magic in Akron. Even an Archwizard would be bombarded with various spells from the tower if they dared to use magic within. The system was first designed by the Wise Sienna. Over hundreds of years, the security spells were updated, but the core idea that specialized in killing wizards remained the same. Balzac realized once again how strict the security at Akron was. He had barely taken a step inside, and in the blink of an eye, he was captured. He hadn''t nned to resist, but he had been seized before he could even perceive it. Balzac thought about how many spells had acted on him in that instant. As soon as he passed through the open door, he was transported and now levitated in the center of the first floor. His limbs were held by magical chains, and dozens of magical des were pointed at him. There were also dozens of unseen, inactivated spells. If Balzac tried to resist and somehow managed to break free, other spells would immediately pursue him. "....." He wanted to say something, but even that freedom was denied. Opening his mouth would mean getting his cheek sliced. Balzac nced at the de touching his cheek andposed his expression. How could he express his current emotions? Balzac was grateful he couldn''t speak. If he had the freedom to talk, he would have been busy worshiping and praising that wondrous, mystical, and beautiful Archwizard ? The Wise Sienna. She was everything Balzac had imagined and more. If there were a goddess of magic, she would undoubtedly look like this. Even if she proimed herself a goddess of magic right now, Balzac would ept it without question. That was how divine and beautiful the Wise Sienna was. She was surrounded by celestial rings as she descended from the ceiling. Her staff showered white frost, and her fluttering purple hair intertwined with mystical golden streams. Above all, what thrilled Balzac was her endlessly deep green eyes. "ck wizard," Sienna said as she gazed at Balzac with round, blinking eyes. Unable to respond, Balzac swallowed hard while the other wizards appeared btedly and descended. "Not just any ck wizard," Sienna continued. Melkith finally snapped back to reality. She noticed that Balzac, who had been right behind her, was now bound in front of her. The aura emanating from Sienna as she floated before him was ominously intense. Melkith gulped and hurriedly rushed to Balzac''s side as she hastily said, "Sister Sienna! Perhaps, just perhaps.... Maybe, just maybe, theres an off-chance I might be stronger than the ''Wise Sienna'' at this moment. Although I cantpare to her in terms of a wizards level, depth, and aplishments, I might not fall short in terms of power.... Maybe, in this cruel and harsh world, a wizard''s level, depth, and aplishments werent as important as power. Power is the only thing that can prove my worth. I respect Sienna Merdein as a person worthy of admiration. I know she''s three hundred years old.... But in this era, in the uing turbulent times, a wizard''s power is more important than being three hundred years old and a prophetess. "Sienna!" Thus, Melkith temporarily set aside the term ''sister.'' In the cold world of ruthlesspetition, terms like sister and brother only soften each other. All the Archwizards who had descended to the first floor gaped at Melkith in astonishment. "?" Sienna was just as shocked. Her eyes went wide with disbelief as she stared at Melkith. Melkith walked confidently amidst everyone''s gazes. Her footsteps echoed in the silence. "Could you be less harsh, please?" said Melkith with a chuckle. She pointed at Balzac. "He''s my guest." The most shocked among them was Balzac. He looked at Melkith with absolute disbelief. Their gazes met in mid-air, and Melkith winked at Balzac, signaling him not to worry. "So, calm down and let him down gently, Melkith said. "....." Sienna didnt respond. "Hmm, my words seem to have startled you?" Melkith snorted and pointed outside. "Thene outside. Witness the power of Melkith El-Hayahs Infinity Force...." Whoosh! Sienna''s murderous intent enveloped Melkith. Her hair stood on end, and she started to tremble. She carefully sat down on the spot, saying, "It''s just a joke, sister, just my little joke." The source of thistent is frew(e)bn(o)vel Chapter 444: The Fake (9)

Chapter 444: The Fake (9)

Was it possible to be reduced to this state merely by her killing intent? Melkith rubbed her forearms. She could feel goosebumps. Despite her fear of recalling the moment, when she thought about it again, Melkith felt as if it had been more than simple killing intent. When their eyes met, something... something happened. How could she exin it? It wasnt an entirely unfamiliar feeling. She had experienced it once before. That''s right, Melkith thought. It came back to her while she was still calming her pounding heart. Years back, when she first entered Akron, ascended to the top floor, Sienna''s Hall, and saw Witch Craft and the Eternal Hole for the first time, Melkith feltpletely overwhelmed. She had felt as if she had beheld something transcendent, something not meant for her eyes, something beyond herprehension and her current capacity. She had felt something simr in that brief moment she met Siennas eyes. It wasnt just the killing intent that overwhelmed Melkith. Instead, for an instant, Melkith had glimpsed into the essence of the wizard called Sienna Merdein. That was what had caused her to crumple to the floor. Magic? Melkith pondered. Was it some kind of magic? She couldnt be sure. It had only been for the briefest of moments, after all. What was clear, however, was that this Archwizard, the Wise Sienna, had transcended beyond Melkiths wildest expectations. While she was tumbling around in the sands, the Wise Sienna must have pursued something to reach such heights. Still, I''ve made progress since then, Melkith reassured herself. She felt a sense of pride in herself, along with awe for Sienna. She fainted when she first came to Akron and saw Witch Craft. But this time, she managed to stay conscious. Though her legs had given out under her, she had avoided further embarrassment. Uh-hum... Melkith cautiously lifted her head and looked forward. This was the top floor of Akron, Sienna''s Hall. It was a ce lined with the portraits of Sienna and Akasha, as well as herrades from three hundred years ago. Now, several things had changed from before. Melkith observed Sienna, who was sitting in the main seat with her chin resting on her hand. Sis... are you angry? asked Melkith. No response came. Sienna kept gazing ahead, not even sparing a nce at Melkith. Melkith felt her heart pounding with anxiety as she spoke again. Sis, it was really just a joke! Do you think I would seriously do that to you? It was just... just... thats right! I wanted to show you thetest prank trend since we haven''t met for a long time! Yes! You wouldnt know being in Aroth, but in Nahama, this kind of prank is trendy. Everyone from kids to the elderly enjoys it. It was a desperate and obviously flimsy exnation, but Melkith clung to it fervently. However, there was still no response. Lovellian kept ncing at Melkith from his seat near Sienna, but Melkith was too preupied to notice his gestures. I''ve suffered so much in that scorching desert for you and Eugene! Yes, yes, I know I was wrong. I wont y such pranks on you anymore. So please, sis, let go of your anger. Rx your face! Please respond to me, pleaded Melkith. And who are they? Melkith took notice of some unfamiliar faces in the midst of her desperate pleading. Among them were Herington Carage, the chief court wizard of Kiehl, and Rynein Boers, the hermit. Though she had never met these two new Archwizards, their presence in those seats clearly marked them as such. Im kneeling on the floor while these juniors sitfortably in chairs? Melkith thought indignantly. She couldnt believe the audacity. How could they remain sitting when she was on the ground? The least they could do was to stand. Despite boiling inside, Melkith maintained a servile smile. Sis..., she called out once more. Ahem! Unable to bear it any longer, Lovellian loudly cleared his throat. Only then did Melkith turn her head to look in his direction. He met Melkith''s gaze and immediately ced his index finger on his lips. Even in her distracted state, Melkith recognized this overt gesture. She stopped her jabbering and just pouted. "Quite impressive," Sienna finally spoke after a long period of silence. Her lips curved into a smile. She stretched out the hand that had been propped under her chin. "Is your mental strength exceptionally strong? Or is it a privilege of Incarcerations dark power?" Balzac couldnt reply in his bound form mid-air. He managed to stay conscious, but that was the best he could do. Even rxing in the slightest would have made him lose his mind. The gaze fixed on him was so fierce and powerful. It might be an oddparison, but Balzac felt a power simr to the Demoneye in Sienna''s green irises. However, humans could not possess Demoneyes; they were characteristics manifested only in some high-ranking demons. Therefore, he was sure this gaze was not a Demoneye but magic. Even so, understanding it wasnt easy. Could magic artificially create such demonic charm? Siennas eyes drew out many emotions from Balzac, including awe, admiration, and a sense of enchantment. But they all culminated in one thing. Submission. ..... Balzac rethought his position. Unknowingly, he had shattered his own frame of magic. Was such a thing possible with magic? That question itself was wrong. Nothing was impossible in magic. While Balzac himself might not be able to pursue or reach such a realm, she was the Wise Sienna. She was the wizard whom all wizards respected, the wizard of wizards. "Ha ha...," Balzac chuckled involuntarily. He was worried that she might take thisughter as rudeness or insult, but now, having the freedom to speak, he couldnt help butugh. How could he notugh when he saw the figure he admired since childhood with his own eyes? "My mental strength is not particrly strong; it''s more likely due to the power of His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration," Balzac answered. "Presumptuous." Sienna''s eyebrows twitched. "Calling the Demon King of Incarceration His Majesty in front of me, of all people." "I understand it''s disrespectful, but I cant help it, retorted Balzac. "He wouldnt punish his minions for not using honorifics, would he?" countered Sienna. "I also believe, Lady Sienna, that you would understand a humble person''s need to be cautious in their speech, said Balzac. Everyone was surprised at Balzac''s response. It was especially true for Hiridus, the Blue Tower Master. He had known Balzac since their youth, and he felt restless. He respected and admired Sienna, but on a separate note... sometimes, Sienna could be incredibly emotional. What if Sienna genuinely felt offended by his words and killed Balzac? Who could stop that? Moreover, it wouldn''t be wrong if Sienna killed Balzac. He was a ck wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. As such, he was an inevitable enemy and could never be an ally. "Right," Sienna smirked while moving her finger. She drew a circle towards Balzac with her index finger. "I can understandpletely. Balzac Ludbeth, Master of the ck Tower. You know, I simply can''t harbor any good feelings towards ck wizards, especially those contracted with the Demon King. "I understand, he answered. "I believe I have the right to kill you. You might feel it''s unfair, but that''s not my concern, Sienna said. "I understand," Balzac responded. "But I won''t kill you, Sienna stated. Swoosh! The magic binding Balzac disappeared. Sienna watched Balzac fall to the ground before continuing, "I wont kill you. I''ve heard about you several times. From the Red Tower Master, the Blue Tower Master, and, of course, from my proud and beloved disciple, Eugene. Balzac Ludbeth, I heard you treated my disciple very well." "It''s a question I find difficult to answer myself, responded Balzac. "I heard you yed a significant role in the Samar Forest. Without you, things could have gotten very troublesome, continued Sienna. "I simply did what had to be done" Balzac said. "Such an answer feels too clich, Sienna interjected. Balzac smiled awkwardly at her words. When he didn''t continue, Sienna chuckled with her arms crossed, saying, "I like your aspiration. At the mention of ''aspiration,'' Balzac''s expression stiffened slightly. Unsure whether his uing expression was a smile or a tear, even Balzac couldn''t tell. Perhaps it was both. "You want to be a legend? The greatest wizard in the world. A wizard like me, who will be remembered in the history of magic for hundreds of years, asked Sienna. "...Yes, responded Balzac. "I heard you were once a promising wizard in the Blue Tower, even considered for the position of the next tower master. I heard about why you formed a contract with the Demon King and became a ck wizard, continued Sienna. "Because I am not you, Lady Sienna." Balzacposed himself before answering. The Wise Sienna was loved by magic. She was a wizard who could threaten the Demon Kings. No wizard like her had appeared since. Balzac was not Sienna. Once, he thought himself a genius, beloved by magic, capable of bing a legend. But reality betrayed his expectations. That was why he became a ck wizard to be a great wizard, to leave his name in the annals of the history of magic. "I do not think my choice was wrong. I had ideals that I couldn''t reach with my potential. To walk that path, I had to sign a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, exined Balzac. Most wizards dreamt of bing the greatest wizards in their youth. But as they aged and faced reality, dreams changed. Theypromised or gave up. Balzac chosepromise over surrender. "I have a few things to ask you, said Sienna. Her face lost its smile as her eyes calmly settled on Balzac. "I heard your aspiration is pure and earnest. And your obsession. You want to remain purely human and be a legend?" she asked. "Yes. Because I am a human, answered Balzac. "Can you swear it?" Sienna stood up. She slowly approached Balzac, continuing, "I won''t force you. Even if you don''t swear, I won''t kill you right now. Since you''ve contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, there wille a time when I must kill you." "...I understand," Balzac answered after a moment. "If you cannot swear, then I''ll consider you... as just a ck wizard. It won''t bother me too much. But I would prefer you to disappear from my sight right now, Sienna said. "What happens if I swear?" asked Balzac. "I think your aspiration is splendid, said Sienna, If you''re truly pursuing it and prove your sincerity with a vow, then I... will consider you not just a ck wizard but a wizard." "I will swear." Balzac didn''t hesitate. He ced his hand on his chest, infusing his words with magic and mana. "I will never abandon my humanity." Only after hearing his vow did Sienna finally give a sly smile. She stopped in front of Balzac. He was still sitting on the ground. "I will surpass humanity, dered Sienna. Balzac felt the same transcendence in Sienna''s eyes as before. The light swirling in her eyes created stars. Her eyes, twirling with light, formed gxies. Balzac looked at Sienna with a stunned expression. She wasn''t joking. He shuddered and nodded. "...Yes." "I won''t involve you in research. The Demon King of Incarceration might use you to spy, Sienna continued. "Though I don''t think he would do such a thing... but yes, I understand, responded Balzac. He was disappointed, but Balzac didn''t ask for more. His aspiration was acknowledged. He heard the words that he wasn''t just a ck wizard but a wizard. To Balzac, these words were as precious as salvation. "...I thought I could be of help with the Nahama issue, Lady Sienna, said Balzac. "I received the memories extracted from Harpeuron. Not much help, though, came Siennas response. "So it seemed," said Balzac before ncing outside to the vampire familiars. "I thought I had identified all vampire ns active in Aroth... seems like I was mistaken, he admitted. bender "You probably did," Sienna chuckled, also looking outside. The vampire watching the meeting at Akron and spying on Sienna belonged to the Odoth n. But at some point, the owner of the gaze changed. To act or ignore? Should she look into it or leave them untouched? But before she coulde to a decision, the vampires dared to reach out first. Betrayal. Though contemptible, there was no need to refuse when enemies betrayed each other and offered information. Thanks to this, Sienna knew what was happening in the depths of Nahama. She knew which demons had crossed over, as well as what was being prepared. "Sis..." Melkith pleaded pitifully, seeing Sienna chuckle, "If you''re acknowledging a ck wizard, can''t you do the same for me?" "Don''t call me sis, Miss Melkith," Sienna snapped coldly. Melkith crawled on her knees to Sienna''s feet, clinging to her legs. "Sis! How can you do this to me? Sis, please, I worked so hard for you!" "Shall we go outside?" asked Sienna. "Sis! I already told you it was all a joke! Why would I go outside with you?" Melkith wailed while shaking Sienna''s leg. Sienna considered kicking her away but sighed. After all, Melkith had struggled in the desert for almost a year. "If you mess around one more time...," Sienna warned. "Never again! Sis, sis, but what was that earlier? The thing that made me fall! No matter how much I think about it, it felt like magic. Is it your new Signature?" asked Melkith. "It''s a secret, was Siennas answer. It was still iplete, so Sienna wasn''t ready to boast about it yet. "As I thought...! I never imagined in my wildest dreams such magic existed, said Balzac. "Right! It was like sis herself became magic. That''s what it felt like, Melkith chimed in. Sienna didn''t respond, but Balzac and Melkith continued specting about her Signature. Listening to their guesses, Sienna''s lips curled up, her shoulders shrugged, and her chest puffed out with pride. This chapter is updatd by f(r)eeweb Chapter 445: Remains (1) Chapter 445: Remains (1) The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, didn''t dream. More precisely, she couldn''t. There was almost nothing she couldnt achieve in reality. Even the seemingly impossible tasks could be attained with a little effort or trouble. Still, there were times she yearned to enjoy dreams, but even then, Noir didn''t dream in her sleep. For her, creating and enjoying others'' dreams was much easier and more convenient than dreaming in her own sleep. Despite being known as the Queen of the Night Demons, she couldn''t dream her own true dream one that she wouldn''t realize was a dream until she woke up. So, she wanted to experience a dream. Such were the thoughts she had entertained at one time. Unfortunately, such dreams weren''t something she could have just by making a wish. Had she ever felt regret about that? She wasn''t sure. Such sentiments were somewhat foreign to Noir. "Hmm..." she pondered. It was the same now. She sat in the middle of her vast bed and blinked in contemtion. It was a bedrge enough for dozens of people. Hmmm. Just because she didnt dream did not mean she did not sleep. Although a demon of her caliber no longer needed to sleep, Noir chose to sleep daily for a set duration. Although she didnt need to sleep, she didnt feel the need to skip sleep either. She fell in thought while ying with her tousled hair. She could not be entirely sure since this was her first time experiencing it, but she wondered if she had just dreamed her first-ever dream. It felt like a dream. She felt as if this was what dreaming would be like, a dream that one could not remember. Her memories vanished the moment she woke up from her sleep, and only faint emotions had been left behind. "What was it...?" she murmured, trying to recall what she saw while wrapping herself in the nkets. Failing to recapture the dream, shey down again after rolling around on her bed. She had heard about this sensation from those who regrly dreamed in their sleep. What she felt was the lingering desire to continue an unfinished dream. Even though she had already woken up, she wanted to close her eyes and fall asleep. She wanted to continue where she had left off. So she closed her eyes and invited sleep. She didnt need to try hard and easily slipped back into deep sleep. But only dozens of minutes after she started to breathe peacefully in deep slumber, her eyes suddenly opened. Its not working, Noirmented. She realized she hadn''t dreamed anything. Moreover, she tried to consciously create a dream in her sleep but couldn''t capture the same feeling. In the first ce, she had fallen asleep hoping for a continuation of her previous dream, but she couldnt even remember what dream she had dreamt. The faint emotions were all that remained. "What was it?" she repeated while emerging from the nkets. Her hair became more disheveled as she tossed and turned, trying to grasp the fading feelings. She once again contemted the disappearing emotions. She could not remember the contents of the dream. The lingering emotions were. Were they sorrow, longing, or regret? She felt that they must have been such poignant emotions. "Is it the season?" she joked to herself. The season? Noir gave a hollowugh as she climbed out of her bed. She tidied her hair and recreated her horns, which she had removed while sleeping. Noir tried to shake off the emotions and brush them off, but they stubbornly clung to her. The feelings, initially faint, had sunk deep into her heart. She couldnt get it out of her head. What was the dream about? She thought hard while staring into the mirror but couldnt recall anything. Frustrated, she touched her face, tapped her temple, and ruffled her neatlybed hair. Then suddenly, she noticed her ne and the ring on her left ring finger. She never took them off, not even while sleeping, though she slept naked. For the past month, they had been her constantpanions. "Hmm..." she hummed. Remembering the night that stretched into daybreak and dawn, representing the sweet memories, emotions, and reminiscences, she felt a sweet fluttering in her heart. She stretched out her left hand. The ring on her white, slender finger shone brightly. After observing the ring on her finger for a moment, she raised the other ring intertwined with her ne. Noir Giabe that was the name engraved on the inside of the ring. Noir ced the ring on her fingers while feeling the thump in her heart. This was the ring that would one day be worn by Hamel as he breathed hisst. The ring was meant to fit Hamels ring finger perfectly, and it was toorge for even Noirs thumb. Large hands, she thought, recalling Hamel''s, or rather, Eugenes robust fingers. His hands couldpletely envelop hers. She giggled while yfully waving her hand. "I miss you," Noir murmured while summoning a holographic screen midair. The screen disyed the waterpark at Adventure Square, where Eugene sat under a parasol, his face unmistakably sullen. Even through the screen, it was evident that he didn''t want to be there and had been dragged along by the children. "Is it time to leave?" Noir wondered. It had been a month since Eugene arrived at Giabe Park. The situation in Nahama had changed. Though not announced openly, Noir knew Nahama was on the brink of war. The Sultan must have decreed it, but Amelia Merwin, hidden away in Ravesta, was the true force behind it. Since that dawn, Noir hadn''t visited Eugene. She did not want to dilute the intense emotions she felt while watching the sunrise with him or make their memories seem trivial by visiting too often. She did not want new emotions to cover up what she had felt back then. Her airborne mansion, Giabe Face, was already en route to the waterpark. Noir smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Her task until arrival was to choose a swimsuit. It was truly a delightful dilemma. *** Fwoosh. Fwoooosh. The wave pool was aptly named for its ocean-like waves. Though the pool was wide like the ocean, with ocean-like waves, that didnt mean it was actually the ocean. In Eugenes eyes, the wave pool was a devilish fun attraction thatbined the best aspects of the sea while leaving out the negatives. The relentless waves, rising and falling, were simple yet not merely ''simple.'' They were thrilling, especially whenbined with tubes and rafts. It was an attraction that truly drove the kids wild with excitement. Kyaaaahhh! Hyaaaah! Look at that, Eugene thought as he observed Raimira and Mer riding a raft. The two were screaming with excitement. Kristina was trying her best not to scream. This was the first time she had experienced such entertainment, and she was clearly having the time of her life sandwiched between the two girls. Her expression was quite reflective of her feelings. It could well be Anise, Eugene mused. She had been ying with the children for a while under the guise of looking after them. It was clear Anise was enjoying the pool as well. Why was she restraining herself? He pondered while opening a bottle of alcohol on the table beside the sunbed. They were in a private pool area, which Mer and Raimira had reserved of their own ord. Only Eugenes group was present in the nearby area. "So, you decided to leave Balzac alone for now?" Eugene asked. [Yes,] responded Sienna. The wind was carrying Siennas voice back and forth. Initially, they had conversed through Mer, but after Melkith returned to Aroth, they didnt need to always converse through Mer. The wind spirit that Melkith summoned was staying near Sienna and acting as a transponder. As such, they could hold a conversation even when Mer was busily upied. [Apart from being a ck wizard, I quite like him,] continued Sienna. "But everything he does is suspicious, retorted Eugene. [Wizards are supposed to be somewhat suspicious. Thats what makes them mysterious and fascinating,] exined Sienna. Oh, sure thing. But you dont have anything like that, do you? Eugene pointed out. [Im sure Im very suspicious and mysterious in others eyes,] said Sienna. Eugene didnt think so, but he refrained from expressing the doubts circting in his mind. He wasn''t surprised by Sienna''s fondness of Balzac. He had guessed as much, knowing Balzac''s aspiration. In fact, Eugene wasnt much different from Sienna. Eugene, too, had softened his stance towards Balzac after learning of his ''wish'' to be a legend a great wizard, while remaining human without turning into a demon or something else. That wish had struck a chord with Eugene. The only reason Eugene still kept his distance from Balzac and found him suspicious was the fact that Balzac was ultimately a ck wizard. Moreover, he was a ck wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, an entity that would absolutely be Eugenes enemy one day. [The Demon King of Incarceration wont start a fight before you ascend Babel. And I dont think hed use a ck wizard contracted with him to n any schemes,] dered Sienna. "He wouldnt need to," Eugene agreed. The Demon King of Incarceration had no need for such tactics. "The Demon King of Incarceration might not, but Balzac himself might have other ideas, Eugene remarked. [Hmm, youre worrying about me, arent you Eugene? Thats because you havent seen me recently. Im telling you that Im something else entirely nowadays.] Eugene knew about Sienna''s recent preupation with developing a new Signature. He wasn''t privy to the details, but her tone suggested significant progress. "Eh, I get it. You''re capable. But still, be careful, you never know," Eugene warned Sienna. [Is it because of Balzac''s Signature?] questioned Sienna. "Didn''t you neglect to even properly ask about his Signature? Isn''t that a bit careless?" Eugene challenged. [It''s about respecting him as a wizard,] retorted Sienna. "Respect? Just hearing about it sounds suspicious. What kind of Signature feeds on demons? What if he turns on youter?" Eugene asked. [How did you act, Eugene, when Anise, Kristina, and I worried about you like this, with all of these hypothetical ''just in case'' questions?] Sienna asked, sounding annoyed. Eugene fell silent at her retort. He found no answer, which prompted Sienna to click her tongue in response before saying, [Look at this cowardly bastard, shutting up now. When it''s about himself, he''s all serious and ims he''ll handle it fine.] "Even when I show concern, you go nuts" Eugene caught himself mid-sentence. He recalled Sienna saying something simr. He shuddered, realizing he was acting exactly like or somewhat like Sienna, even if just a little. The thought of resembling this cheeky, petntdy was absurd. He felt chills run down his back. "Still, taking him to Nahama seems a bit much," Eugene finished. [He says he won''t interfere and will fight on his own. What''s the problem?] questioned Sienna. "Since when did we start trusting every word a ck wizard uttered?" asked Eugene. [It''s not about trusting a ck wizard but trusting Balzac Ludbeth, the wizard. Plus, I''m curious. What''s the connection between devouring demons and fulfilling his wish?] continued Sienna. "Having a ck wizard contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, allied with humans, and fighting in the war against demons would be quite a feat,"mented Eugene. [Hmm...? Is that it? Is that his angle?] Sienna took Eugene''s offhand remark seriously, and he also began to see its usibility. To his knowledge, no ck wizard had ever openly opposed the demonfolks. "Maybe his goal is to kill you, Eugene suggested after a pause. [Ha, if he seeds in killing me, he''ll be a legend indeed. If he seeds, that is,] Sienna said. Herughter betrayed herplete disregard for such a possibility. ''I''m less arrogant than her,'' Eugene had a sudden realization. He knew he wasnt humble. That was a lie. Eugene knew the extent of his own pride and arrogance. However, he also realized that if he could gauge his arrogance to be around sixty, Sienna would be at a hundred. "What about the bats?" Eugene asked, remembering them suddenly. [No contact. They probably can''t pass on information like before,] answered Sienna. Amelia Merwin''s arrival had changed the dynamics. Thest report from the bats had been their final one. Before her arrival, they had provided detailed updates on the movements of demons and activities deep within Nahama. It seemed that they could no longer act as spies after Amelia Merwins arrival in Nahama. "Maybe they got caught and were killed, Eugene suggested. [I doubt it. They''re still watching me,] Sienna countered. The identity of the bat was still uncertain, but it was clear that they harbored a strong grudge against Amelia Merwin. Their price for sharing information was a promise that someday Sienna would kill her. [We''ll wait for their contact. Or... perhaps it''s no longer necessary to leave them be. The goal for leaving them alone was to lure Merwin out, right?] said Sienna. "Thats true, but let''s leave it for now, suggested Eugene. [How long are you nning to stay there? With Merwin in Nahama, shouldn''t you be getting ready?] asked Sienna. "I am getting ready," replied Eugene. It wasnt as if Eugene had been idling in Giabe Park. He had been preparing himself even before arriving at Giabe Park. "I''ll leave within this week." His words trailed off as he looked up. A Giabe Face was descending from the sky. Eugene grimaced. "That wench again, he murmured. [Wench? Who''s that?] Sienna shouted. Before he could answer, the mouth of the Giabe Face opened. d in a bikini, Noir Giabe dove elegantly into the pool from the entrance. Chapter 446: Remains (2) Chapter 446: Remains (2) Any human would be shattered upon impact if they dove from such a height, even while diving in the water. But, of course, such a fate did not apply to Noir Giabe. She dived wlessly from dizzying heights into the midst of the wave pool. Ssh! The water whirled into a vortex where Noirnded, and soon, a giant whirlpool formed in the middle of the wave pool. Waves generated from the pool''s edges rushed towards the vortex, causing the nearby floating rubber boats to rock violently. "Kyaaak!" "Kyiak!" Mer and Raimira screamed with excitement on the bobbing boat. The pool wasn''t the sea, nor was it deep enough to pose any real threat to them. Even if they fell in, they would be in no danger at all. In other words, they were screaming from sheer fun as their boats rocked. Kristina and Anise, on the other hand, restrained their screams as before. However, they couldn''t hide their expressions. Kristinas eyebrows furrowed as she clutched the edge of her boat. Theughing and screaming kids suddenly stopped and clung to each other when they saw the Saints expression. They started to tremble. "Ehem." Realizing Mer and Raimira were scared, Kristina cleared her throat and sped her hands in front of her chest with a kindly indulgent smile. Her new look radiated benevolence. But the kids, having seen her demonic face moments ago, couldn''tugh anymore. Sigh. Kristina exhaled a long breath. As the whirlpool subsided and the waves calmed, Noir emerged in the center of the pool. She brushed back her drenched hair, her wless figure and beautiful face only entuated by her pure white bikini. Though she usually preferred provocative, arousing looks, she wanted to present a pure, clean look this time. Noir did not doubt that she currently looked like a goddess of water. She even considered changing her lower half into a mermaid''s tail. It could be quite nice as well. The concept for the next event at Giabe Park will be a mermaid princess, Noir thought,pletely inspired. That is, if Eugene doesnt destroy this city. Noir mused with a smile as clear as her current image. She shook her head to scatter the water droplets, creating a miniature rainbow. Though no one was around to admire her disy in the private pool, she was content with her current presentation. She wanted to show her pure image to only one man, and he was here. [I asked which wench you are talking about, didnt I?] Sienna repeated. "In this city, which other woman would I address like that?" said Eugene. [The Queen of Whores,] Sienna muttered under her breath. Meanwhile, Noir, who had been standing on the water''s surface, began taking soft steps towards Eugene. She left a trail of rainbows behind with each of her steps. "What are you doing here?" Anise stood up from the rubber boat. She passed the shivering children and blocked Noir''s path. "I just wanted to say goodbye, said Noir. "Goodbye?" questioned Anise. "Are you not leaving soon?" asked Noir. She gave a smile, but her eyes were fixed solely on Eugene. Anise stood in her way, but Noir only had eyes for Eugene. Eugene was dressed in simple swimming trunks, given their current location. It wasnt anything special, but what did his attire matter? ''I''m in a swimsuit too.'' This realization brought a fresh excitement to Noir. Was it because she was adorning a swimsuit that gave her a look of innocence? Or was it because the flutter in her heart wasnt overripe but rather that of youth? Any other time, she might have considered the Saint and the kids a bother, but it was different now. "Shall we y together?" Noir asked. Noir''s suggestion shocked Anise, but it couldntpare to her following action. In an instant, Noir was beside Anise, casually linking arms and leaning in. "Are you insane?!" shouted Anise. She attempted to pull away but couldnt. Noir held firm while smiling brightly. The sensation Anise felt on her arm was truly horrific, and she felt chills run down her back. Anise raised her hand and attempted to p Noir with all her strength. However, her attempt failed as Noir vanished before reappearing on the rubber boat. Anise trembled, unable to process the speed of Noir''s movements. But her anger was greater than her shock when she saw Noir appear in front of the two children. The two Saints felt a surge of anger as they shouted, "Stay away from my children!" Fueled by the same anger, both Anise and Kristina demanded that Noir stay away from the kids. Their outcry took Noir aback. My children? The Saints werent all bark and no bite, either. Their shout was backed by genuine killing intent. Simultaneously, a sh of light enveloped Noir. "That''s too much. I just came to y in the water together, Noirined, sounding depressed. Although it wouldnt kill her, being hit by divine power would feel rather ufortable. Noir pouted as she disappeared from the boat. "What about you, Hamel? Dont you want to join me for some fun in the water and create youthful memories together? Noir Giabe asked with a yful smile. Why are you asking me when you already know the answer? retorted Eugene, dismissing the wind spirit. Her eyes skimmed over Eugenes body as he lounged on the sunbed. She continued with a shrewd smile, You might give a different answer today. Eugene almost cursed at her aggravating attitude but held back. He noticed the ne she was wearing. The swaying ring on it matched the one on Noir''s left ring finger. .. Eugene didnt feel likementing at all. He remembered Noir''s fading figure against the dawn light. The smile she gave then had been mixed with tears. It had stirred something in his heart. Eugene sighed as he sat up. He could not help but ponder why she had such a different expression that day, why she had smiled so wistfully, and also why she had cried. "I''m leaving this city in a few days," Eugene finally said, doing his best to avoid discussing the ring. Hes conscious of it, Noir realized. It was only for a fleeting moment, but she noticed his gaze. However, Noir did not mention nor unt the ring. It seemed best to let the emotions deepen naturally. Me too, Noir admitted to herself a beatter. Eugene knew it wasn''t just he who was conscious of their connection. Noir was entirely aware of it as well. She had not removed the ring or ne in a month. How would the deepening emotions permeate them? How would these emotions develop, and what vor would they take when fully matured? Such questions intrigued Noir. She chuckled softly while waving her hand to bring a distant sunbed closer to her. That makes sense, said Noir. Anise tried to approach them afterforting Mer and Raimira, but Eugene gestured for her to stop. She hesitated but did not retort. Eventually, she retreated with the kids after sensing Eugene''s unease. "Your goal was to lure Amelia Merwin out of Ravesta, right? Now that she''s moved to Nahama, Hamel, there''s no need for you to stay here," Noir stated as she slowly reclined on the sunbed. She turned towards Eugene and whispered seductively, "Yet, you''re still here for a few more days. It''s unlike you not to leave immediately, especially since you said you''d leave soon. Saying you will leave in a few more days. Are you not fully prepared yet?" What kind of answer do you want to hear?" Eugene asked ndly. "Even though you''re the Hero, you couldnt possibly impose a conscription order. The situation doesn''t call for such drastic measures. The ones who have vowed to unconditionally support you, the emperor, the pope, and the kings, wont be that desperate either, Noir continued, voicing her thoughts. Eugene remained silent and red at Noir. With her chin resting on both her hands, Noir leaned forward. "Still, your enemy consists of ck wizards and demons. Moreover, both politically and diplomatically, Nahama is unpopr and seems like a ripe target forplete subjugation, doesnt it? They could divide the territory afterward, right? Especially Kiehl. Since theyve shed with Nahama numerous times, the emperor must be harboring substantial ambitions, said Noir. It was a statement that didnt need refutation. He had begun preparing for war from the caves of Lehainjar. Five nations Kiehl, Yuras, Aroth, Ruhr, and Shimuin had agreed to an alliance. Each nation''s representative knightly orders would naturally participate, with the Emperor of Kiehl even dering the participation of his royal guard, Alchester Dragonic. As Noir suggested, the emperor had decided to seize this opportunity to conquer Nahama. Of course, most of Nahamas territory was a desert, and the conquered territory would have to be divided among the allied nations post-conquest. However, the Emperor of Kiehl wouldnt miss the chance to conquer a long-time foe. After all, Nahama had been hostile toward Kiehls emperor for hundreds of years. But that was beyond Eugene''s concern. His objective was to exterminate Amelia Merwin and the ck wizards in Nahama, as well as the demons drawn by the scent of blood. Afterward, he would be satisfied with capturing the Sultan and forcing an unconditional surrender. Noir continued, "Thanks to this, business people like me are in a bit of a bind. I have various ventures in Nahama, you know. Do you have any idea how much loss a war would incur? If I knew this would happen, I should have expanded into weapons or military contracts. Contrary to herining tone, Noir seemed amused. She narrowed the distance between her and Eugene with a sly grin. Among my businesses in Nahama are those for which the Night Demons stay true to their nature. Ah, dont look at me with those eyes, Hamel. I dont do anything illegal. All of the businesses I run abide by thews of Helmuth, said Noir. She leaned even closer, whispering, "Anyhow, so I have a variety of businesses in Nahama, and there''s one particrly high-end and let''s say, a respectable establishment catering to a certain clientele. Rumor has it that Nahama is about to enter istion." "Istion?" inquired Eugene. "Yes. They n to expel all foreign tourists and shut down their warp-gates, turning inward. Most Emirs have already responded to the Sultan''s secret directive, exined Noir. What she was speaking of was highly confidential information, something that should be discussed in whispers. Although there were many spies from various nations, including Kiehl, who were active in Nahama, what Noir was speaking of was information sourced from a high-ranking official or even an Emir. It wasnt something shared in bed either, but rather something gathered by a high-ranking Night Demon from someones dream. "And the content of the secret directive?" Eugene inquired, his expression changing subtly as Noir Giabe spoke. "Itmands to supply soldiers and warriors, leaving only the minimum number of guards, and to conscript at least ten thousand men from their territories," Noir revealed with a hint of excitement. Nahama''s national army was already formidable, which included the sandmancers, assassins, and ck wizards of the desert dungeons. They would be even stronger when supplemented by the Emirs warriors and private troops. With fifteen Emirs in Nahama, if all of themplied with the Sultan''s directive, the conscription alone would bring in 150,000 soldiers. Noir enjoyed watching the subtle changes in Eugenes expression. This was a war involving hundreds of thousands of humans, and unlike thest war, which pitted humans against demonfolks and ck wizards, this war would be between regr humans. Noir didnt think much of it. However, she believed it would be different for humans, or so she thought. Eugene''s calm expression, despite the slight surprise at the numbers, intrigued Noir. It wasnt as if he was entirely unfazed, but his expression was rtively simple. It felt as if he was only surprised that the number of humans involved in the war was greater than what he initially estimated. Why? Noir wondered. She knew he understood the gravity of war. The monarchs, knights, soldiers, and mercenaries in this era were born after the curtains of war from the previous era had closed. It was entirely possible that they would be repelled by a war in which hundreds of thousands of individuals would sh and die. But the same didnt hold true for Hamel. Among the humans of this era, he was likely the one who knew war the best. Hamel was a mercenary and a hero. In this era, he was the Hero. He was well-acquainted with the horrors and dynamics of war. He had deliberately prepared for this war, knowing Nahama would fall as an ally of Helmuth. Killing countless humans on the battlefield and conquering a nation such things wouldnt be new to Hamel. He would have already prepared and resolved himself for such things. The Heros duty was to save the world, and Hamels desire was to kill the Demon Kings. However, Noir was acutely aware of Eugene''spassion. It wasnt as if he was going to be facing demons. Hamel wasnt someone who could simply ignore the lives of hundreds of thousands of humans. While it was true that Nahamas Sultan was siding with Helmuth and Amelia Merwin was behind the act, not all of Nahamas conscripted soldiers were worshipers of the Demon Kings. "Desperate moves," Eugene muttered under his breath with a frown. Noir''s curiosity towards Eugene peaked. At the same time, she felt admiration and love for this man''s unyielding spirit andmitment to his cause. She clutched the ring on her ne tightly while staring into the icy, golden eyes and then asked, Dont you wonder if you might need my assistance? This wasnt a thought she had entertained before. It was an impulsive desire, but Noir did not resist it because it was an impulsive thought borne from her deepest desires. Noir yearned to stand alongside Eugene in battle, not to fight each other but to face the same challenges, share the same views, and experience the same emotions. "Irrespective of whether the enemy numbers in the hundreds of thousands or millions, their scale is insignificant to me. You know that well, don''t you, Hamel? said Noir. He knew it all too well. In the era of war, excluding the demonic race, who had been the single most prolific yer of humans? The answer was clear, without any need for contemtion. Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, was the clear winner. Three hundred years ago, for those advancing through the Devildom, Noir Giabe had absolutely been a living nightmare. Her massacres required no army. In the pitch darkness of the Devildom, the moment her purple eyes shed, the ughter was alreadyplete. The most infamous tale was of her causing thirty thousand soldiers to perish in the ins, but there were undoubtedly more unspoken atrocities. "If it were me." Noirs voice was moist and alluring, almost seductive in its tone. In a husky, tempting tone, she said, "I can prevent unnecessary bloodshed. No matter if they are tens or hundreds of thousands, to me, it doesn''t matter. I can ensure they face a peaceful end without a drop of blood spilled. Without killing any of them. Eugene remained unswayed. He slowly shook his head. "You wouldn''t want that," he replied firmly. Noirughed softly at his resolute response. She had hoped her words would have tempted him even slightly, but he had not hesitated. The battlefield she desired to share with Eugene wasn''t one of peace but of raw, unfiltered war. A battlefield filled with the sh of metal, cries of battle, and the mingling of fear, pain, and unresolved desires. A battlefield where death hovered like a hawk and the stench of blood permeated the ce. A ce littered with all sorts of emotions and where all sorts of unfulfilled desires evaporated that was the battlefield where she wanted to see Hamel. She knew what she wished for. She had seen it multiple times three centuries ago, but now, her desire to see it again was nostalgic and new. If Eugene had epted her offer, and they had stood side by side on the desert battlefield. Noir would have reveled in making the war as dreadful as possible. Chapter 447: Remains (3)

Chapter 447: Remains (3)

In line with Noir Giabe''s expectation, Eugene had no desire to wage a war of such magnitude with Nahama. He would make a decisive move if it came to it, but the current situation didn''t warrant such action yet. Unlike Amelia Merwin, who sought outright warfare, Eugene had multiple strategies at his disposal. Even a simpleparison of forces showed the alliance''s superiority over Nahama. Even with Amelia recruiting a significant number of high-ranking demons, the alliance had ample countermeasures and forces. Could all of the participating demons go through the ritual to be Demon Kings? If such a thing were possible, it would definitely turn the tides of battle in Nahama¡¯s favor. However, a transformation into bing a Demon King couldn¡¯t be achieved with simple desire or effort. Eward Lionheart was the first to attempt the ritual. He did not need to prepare many things for the ritual. The dark spirit within him, the remnants of a former Demon King, and his Lionheart lineage had proved sufficient. Edmund Codreth¡¯s preparation for the ritual had been far more extensive in terms of the time it took and the requirements. It had required living sacrifices, the abundant mana of Samar Forest, the world tree''s leylines, and even the dark power of the Demon Dragon, Raizakia. Even then, the ritual had not been brought topletion. Edmund Codreth had resorted to elevating the quality of the souls of the sacrifices through warfare frenzy as a workaround. It was obvious that the demons mistook Iris¡¯ sudden transformation into a Demon King as a sign that they, too, could easily achieve this feat. However, for a demon, bing a Demon King without the proper qualifications required many, many things. Simply put, merely sacrificing innumerable lives would not be sufficient. To make even one demon into a Demon King would require a method simr to Edmund''s, which involved elevating souls through the frenzy and madness of war. Nahamacked the unique attributes of Samar Forest. As such, while Edmund used tens of thousands of indigenous people as sacrifices, Amelia would need to prepare several times more. Amelia had only been in Nahama for a few days. It was impossible for her to have conducted a Demon King ritual in such a short time. She would need to incite a full-scale war to even attempt the ritual, and this would, in turn, give Eugene various options once a standoff at the frontlines took ce. Although he could definitely engage in a frontal battle with Amelia, Eugene¡¯s primary aim wasn¡¯t to do so. Instead, he hoped tounch a surprise attack from the rear. He could fly with Sienna or ride Raimira to unleash Breath attacks. He could end the war by eliminating the demons, Amelia, and capturing the Sultan. However, Eugene didn''t fully believe things would go as smoothly as nned. Ideals were simply just that ¡ª ideals. "Are you done talking? Then leave," Eugene said dismissively. Noir frowned at his blunt response. "Really, that¡¯s just so rude of you to speak that way! And I didn''te here just to talk about this." Eugene was so brazen and ungrateful. Noir shot a yful re at Eugene. "As embarrassing as it is to say, Hamel, I came because I wanted to see you,¡± she said. Eugene rolled his eyes at her flippant remark. "So what?" It wasn¡¯t the first time he had heard such nonsense from Noir. Eugene didn¡¯t even bat an eye after hearing her words. How could he treat her like this even after she provided him with crucial information!? Well, in truth, she didn¡¯t feel resentful or disappointed at all. "I mean, although I came here because I wanted to see you, it wasn''t just on a whim either. There''s a reason I came here," Noir added. "So what...?" Eugene said apathetically. ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious? Hmm?¡± Noir asked desperately while pushing her face closer to Eugene, and Eugene kicked the sunbed under her with a derisive face. Despite his evident distaste for her, Noir did not seem to care. She moved even closer to him. Although Eugene wasn¡¯t curious at all, he knew that Noir wouldn¡¯t leave him be until he asked. ¡°...And what was the reason you wanted to see me?¡± Eugene finally asked. His cheek twitched in apparent annoyance. Noir immediately gave a satisfied smile upon hearing Eugene¡¯s question. "I had a dream," Noir revealed. "...A dream?" asked Eugene. He was caught off guard. He wasn¡¯t privy to the fact that Night Demons didn''t dream in the true sense. "Yes,¡± answered Noir. "...And what was it about?" Eugene questioned. Even so, despite his ignorance, Eugene felt intrigued by her answer. He knew dreams possessed significance. After all, he had also first essed Agaroth¡¯s memories in his dreams. ¡°I wonder,¡± Noir answered. Although she did not remember, she was left with the feeling of wanting to see Hamel. As such, it was probably rted to him. She had been hoping that a meeting with him would provide her with some rity and bring back more than the soft, lingering emotions she was left with. But.... ¡°I don''t remember," Noir admitted. She still couldn¡¯t remember the contents of her dream. However, despite its elusive nature, she felt an even deeper emotional connection to the dream. Noir took a step back and observed Eugene''s reaction. A lingering, faint... something, wasn¡¯t it? She chuckled softly. ¡°.....?¡± Eugene stared at Noir with mounting irritation. Noir Giabe could be engrossed and enjoy the lingering emotions of her unrecalled dream. However, Eugene found all of this too sudden and vague. His expression soured as he stood up from his seat. "Where are you going?" Noir asked. "It seems you won''t leave, so I will," Eugene replied, clearly uninterested in prolonging the conversation. "But those kids would want to y longer, won¡¯t they? Hamel, won''t you think about the children''s feelings?" Noir protested in an attempt to keep him there. "I''ve considered their feelings until now, so they should consider mine sometimes," Eugene retorted, not easily swayed by her argument. "And what about my feelings, Hamel? I came here because I wanted to see you¡ª." Noir suddenly stopped herself. She stared at Eugene for a moment with wide eyes, then tilted her head in confusion. ¡°...Huh?¡± Noir¡¯s lips curled up, and her cheeks twitched. She quickly got up from her sunbed, saying, "No, Hamel, you don''t need to leave. I just remembered something I had to do.¡± "What?" Eugene asked, perplexed. "If possible, I would like to see you one more time before leaving the city. You might not want it, but I''d like to at least say goodbye. Oh, and about what I said earlier, think it over," Noir said swiftly, winking at Eugene. "I really do n to help you in the war against Amelia Merwin." With those words, Noir quickly turned around. Instead of leaving on the Giabe Face as she arrived, she vanished into the mist. She didn¡¯t bother exining the current situation. She had no intention of doing so, and she was in a hurry. To be more precise, she was irritated. ¡®What is it?'' Noir thought. The giant cityy in Noir¡¯s palm. If there was something out of ce, something new, she could immediately sense it. It was the same now. She sensed an alien presence suddenly appearing on the outskirts of the city. A demon? No, that wouldn¡¯t have been surprising or special. Countless demons roamed the outskirts of the city in search of something to eat. But such creatures were unimportant. The fact that the intruder caused her to make an immediate move meant that it was an existence that bothered her. That already made the intruder a special existence. The intruder was unfamiliar, and it bothered her. Noir mulled over the identity of the intruder as she flew across the city sky. ¡°You,¡± Noir shouted. When she arrived at the residential area on the city''s edge, which was almostpletely devoid of tourists, she found the man standing there alone. The man''s appearance was not exactly as it was three hundred years ago. Hecked his scars and was in a different attire. However, such minor differences wouldn¡¯t make him unrecognizable. How could she forget? She had never forgotten his face, the man she first fell in love with ¡ª Hamel of Extermination. Noir pondered what emotion to disy. She knew the identity of the entity. He was Amelia Merwin''s pet, a Death Knight created by imnting a false soul in Hamel''s corpse. His personality had been formed using Hamel¡¯s memories. But the being could no longer be called a Death Knight. Noir had seen it in Ravesta a year ago. It had barely survived as a hint of a soul without a physical body. The entity had been in the process of being intertwined with the power of Destruction. It wouldn¡¯t have surprised her if he had dissolved at any moment. But it seemed he had not disappeared. Instead, he had be anew. It didn¡¯te to her as aplete surprise. She had entertained a slim possibility of its revival and even a hint of hope. Noir had been intrigued by the ''Hamel-like'' persona the specter maintained, although it was a brutal thing for the specter. She had wondered if the specter could ovee its grim fate if he continued to thrash without despair, just like Hamel. She had pondered the possibility of it oveing the extreme situation it was put in without perishing. And he had met her expectations, or rather, he had surpassed her expectations. However, Noir felt a strange repulsion towards this being, so she pondered what emotion to disy. Should she act as if he were Hamel, her beloved, or.... ¡°...Hamel, what are you doing here?¡± she asked. ¡°Drop the act. I can see right through it,¡± the specter said. His lips twisted in response to Noir¡¯s question. ¡°Oh, my,¡± Noir said. She ceased her contemtion at that response. It seemed there was no need for pretense. So she followed up with a question, ¡°What happened? Or rather, when did you start to notice?¡± ¡°Is there any reason I should answer that?¡± the specter asked. ¡°Hmm. If you don''t wish to, I can''t force you, but personally, I''m curious. Last time I saw you, you believed yourself to be Hamel, didn''t you?¡± questioned Noir. Instead of pretending, she disyed her true emotions. Noir did not bother to hide her difort and disdain towards the specter. A fake Hamel. ¡®Alien and repulsive.... Yes, that¡¯s it. The dark power of Destruction,¡¯ Noir thought, shuddering internally. However, the disdain she felt was different from what she felt towards beings like Alphiero. That''s why she hadn''t realized it immediately. Noir red at the specter while waiting for a response. It wasn¡¯t just the difference in dark power. This... presence, this intimidation. It felt like her skin was tingling, and deep in her heart, her instincts were recoiling. ¡®Even if his existence was mixed and distorted with the power of Destruction, is it to this extent?¡¯ Noir pondered. He was an adversary not to be underestimated. Noir rarely came across such formidable opponents. ¡°Looks like you don¡¯t n to answer,¡± said Noir. She snorted and shrugged when she heard no answer from the specter. ¡°Why are you here? With Amelia Merwin.... Ah, I see. If you¡¯ve be aware of your existence... have you broken free from Amelia¡¯s shackles?¡± ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± the specter suddenly said. ¡°Is he still in this city?¡± This time, it was Noir¡¯s turn to remain silent. She couldn''t precisely discern the intent behind that question. With anyone else, she would have used her Demoneye of Fantasy to read their mind... but her instincts warned her not to try such a tactic with this being. The sensation was simr to when she looked into the Temple of Destruction and saw Vermouth Lionheart chained inside. She felt that rashly showing a dream might cause her own downfall. ¡®He knows he¡¯s a fake. He must be aware his memories are manipted. Does he still harbor hatred towards the Lionhearts?¡¯ Noir thought of the possibilities. The fake believed he had been betrayed by Vermouth and hisrades, thus harboring hatred towards the Lionheart family. ¡®...Maybe the hatred isn''t about the memories,¡¯ Noir thought. She considered the current situation from a different angle. This specter had lost its physical form after being defeated by Eugene Lionheart. Perhaps it wasn¡¯t harboring hatred born from his manipted memories, but rather, a desire for revenge against Eugene for other reasons. ¡°Why are you looking for him?¡± Noir finally asked. If this being wanted revenge on Eugene, should she pave the way? Or stop him? Noir momentarily pondered this dilemma. But it was too rash to decide. What if this being didn''t seek revenge on Eugene at all? However, if its self-identity was closer to the actual Hamel, wanting revenge wouldn¡¯t be surprising.... ¡°He¡¯s around, I see,¡±mented the specter. He was puzzled by Noir¡¯s vague attitude. Even so, it wasn¡¯t as if he could clearly assert his purpose in seeking Eugene. It was a situation bound for misunderstandings. The specter didn¡¯t know what Noir knew. Did she know Eugene Lionheart was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation? He couldn¡¯t assume she did. Simrly, Noir couldn¡¯t have known he was aware of Eugene¡¯s true identity. ¡°Did youe to meet him?¡± Noir asked while maintaining her distance. ¡°I just came to check if he¡¯s still here,¡± answered the specter. ¡°Your answer is vague. After confirming his presence, what then? Will you go to meet him?¡± asked Noir. Noir considered pressing more forcefully as she slowly unleashed her dark power. Boom! Her power expanded rapidly and put pressure on the space around her. However, the specter stood firm. He stared back at Noir without flinching. ¡®Noir Giabe has shown favor towards Eugene Lionheart several times,¡¯ the specter recalled. He was aware of the scandals involving Noir and Eugene in this city. But the ¡®Hamel¡¯ he knew would never be close to someone like Noir. He didn''t consider the possibility of her having taken Eugene captive with her Demoneye of Fantasy. The Saint was with him, and he could not fathom the Demoneye of Fantasy being capable of breaking through Hamel¡¯s formidable mental strength. ¡®Does this whore see me as an enemy of Eugene? Is that why she shows hostility?¡¯ the specter guessed. He had no intention of shing with Noir. Like with Amelia Merwin, only Hamel had the ¡®right¡¯ to kill this whore. His reason foring to this city was ¡ª as he said before ¡ª to check if Eugene was still here. He didn''t want to meet Eugene face-to-face or speak with him. If possible, he just wanted to observe him from a distance. ¡°.....¡± From how Noir was acting, it seemed Eugene was still in Giabe City. That was enough for him. Without another word to Noir, he stepped back. ¡°...What?¡± Noir asked, confused. Even though she had not shifted her gaze, the specter¡¯s figure suddenly vanished. Where had he gone? Noir blinked several times as she scanned the surroundings and the whole city for the specter. He was nowhere to be found. The specter had disappeared from Giabe City. Chapter 448: Remains (4)

Chapter 448: Remains (4)

While in Babel, the specter faced defeat at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration. He yearned for death, yet he found himself denied even that. As the Demon King of Incarceration said, he wasn¡¯t a deity. He was a Demon King. Instead of fulfilling the specter¡¯s desperate wishes, he offered only mockery and scorn. The specter stood on the brink of despair. He wandered about aimlessly after he was cast out from Babel. He was at a loss and felt lost, not knowing what to do next. If he truly desired death instead of seeking answers, he could end his own life. ¡ªWeren¡¯t you seeking death? But a hollow death was not what he sought. ¡ªYou are a lump of contradictions. The specter had found himself unable to respond to the whispered question of the Demon King of Incarceration. It wasn''t because he didn''t know the answer. Rather, he knew it too well to respond. The specter was acutely aware of his own contradictions more than anyone else. He desired death while rejecting suicide. He loathed the idea of a meaningless demise. To die for something, for someone. That was the kind of death he yearned for. He despised a worthless and miserable end. Even by his own admission, it was greedy and shameless, yet he sincerely longed for such a death. ''Like Hamel?'' the specter realized. Hamel was mocked for being stupid in the fairy tale, but wasn¡¯t his end heroic? [...Hamel was always in conflict with hisrades. Stupid Hamel. Violent Hamel. But he loved hispanions. Even when he was wounded and bleeding, he didn''t flee but sacrificed himself for them.] Hamel''s death had note as a result of hisrades¡¯ betrayal. Instead, he had sacrificed himself for them. [In his final moments, Hamel regretted not being honest to hisrades while in the arms of his belovedpanions. Sienna, I really liked you.] Was that really true? The specter retained all of Hamel¡¯s previous memories. But the memories of his dying moments were manipted by Amelia Merwin. However, more maniption and deletion of his memories would have resulted in a lessplete formation of Hamel¡¯s identity in the specter. In other words, it was highly likely that the memories he possessed before his ascent to Babel three hundred years ago truly belonged to Hamel. "..." The specter continued to ponder silently. Although the specter didn''t believe he''d leave such a testament, recalling Hamel''s memories led him to a conclusion. Amid a crumbling world, camaraderie, and endless battles, Hamel had never acknowledged or expressed his feelings. However, it seemed he did harbor special feelings for Sienna. Looking back far into the memories... he found many peculiarities with Sienna¡¯s behavior as well. It appeared she, too, harbored and hid tender feelings for Hamel. [Anise, pray for me.] This testament wasn''t hard to ept. In his memories, Anise was asionally as cold as a snake, but more than any other cleric, she sought and longed for salvation, not just for herself but for everyone around. Even if it wasn¡¯t Hamel and someone else was dying beside her, Anise would always pray sincerely. [Molon. You''re the bravest warrior of all.] Foolishness and bravery were often separated by a thin line. Even the specter thought Molon was brave but not without foolish aspects. [Vermouth. Be sure to defeat the Demon King.] The specter had erased from his memory the image of Vermouth seated and chained in the Temple of Destruction. He also erased from his memory the dark power of Destruction that had be his blood, bone, and flesh. He even erased the memory of Vermouth allowing such a thing to happen. Indeed, one thing was clear: Even at the very end, Hamel wished to kill the Demon King. "Do I wish the same?" the specter mused while standing still. He had fought the Demon King of Incarceration in a desperate attempt to find answers. To die. Yet, he couldn''t reach him. This power, the power of Destruction, was not enough to kill the Demon King of Incarceration. What, then, was his existence for? What did Vermouth desire by creating him to be this way? What could his living self aplish now? After being banished from Babel, the specter plunged into such musings for a while. He revisited Hamel''s memories and pondered as himself rather than Hamel. He felt with his bones the emotions like jealousy, envy, and greed. He realized the need for a different kind of confirmation and reality check. So he met Noir Giabe. The emotions he felt upon facing her were not much different from before. The specter harbored hostility and murderous intent towards Noir. These negative emotions belonged to Hamel. He couldn''t easily escape these feelings. When facing Noir, the specter was Hamel. ¡®But what about this time?¡¯ he asked himself. He ignored the churning in his mind as he raised his head to look at the sky. The cloudy sky hung low, and the rain poured down ceaselessly without any signs of stopping. He was in the northern kingdom of Ruhr, located far from Helmuth¡¯s Giabe City. It was impossible to traverse such a distance as quickly as the specter, even if one was using the warp-gates. Moreover, the specter was currently standing at the northernmost point of Ruhr. Before himy stretches of the mountains that marked the end of the world, Lehainjar. At first, he had struggled to leap across vast distances, but now, it was familiar to him. It was still difficult for him to pinpoint an exact location to arrive at, but he could transport himself to an approximate location. And he had brought himself to Lehainjar. "Brave Molon," the specter said. Molon was located somewhere in the vicinity. The thought filled the specter with a fearful anticipation, and his breath turned white and scattered in the cold. He pulled the hood of his robe tighter. Lehainjar was vast. Finding a single human in these enormous mountains was no easy task. It could take months of aimless wandering or even years before he found his target. However, there was a way to draw him out deliberately. If Molon really was in these mountains, just a slight stir from the specter would bring him out. If he was the brave or rather foolhardy Molon that Hamel remembered, he would definitely show himself as soon as he sensed any dark power stirring in his territory. "I guess I don¡¯t even need to draw him out," the specter murmured. Detecting a ''familiar'' dark power in this colossal mountain range, especially near the top of the Grand Hammer Canyon, was not a challenging task for the Incarnation of Destruction. With just a single step, his surroundings changed. The specter suddenly appeared in a new ce, just like a supernatural phenomenon. He took a few deep breaths and started walking slowly. Woo woo woo.... The snow had heavily fallen where he had just been, but here, the blizzard was so fierce it was hard to stand. The specter smelled the distinct, unpleasant stench of rotting flesh and blood in the fierce snowstorm. But to him, the scent wasn¡¯t offensive or pungent. Rather, it wasforting, familiar, intimate, and weing. It was something he had missed. He wanted to deny it, but he could not. Shaking his head, the specter chuckled softly in eptance, ¡°Haha.¡± The stench, not quite foul to him, was tinged with the dark power of Destruction. He looked up while clutching his hood to prevent the wind from ripping it off. He saw something hurtling towards him from high above, far away in the distance. It was the head of a monstrous creature, severed and spewing dark purple blood, flying towards the specter. In a fleeting moment, the specter understood what this monster was. He remembered the tale from Molon¡¯s homnd, the one regarding the legend of the Bayar Tribe that Molon had once mentioned. The monster he saw was the Nur, said to cross over from the world¡¯s End. "So it is," the specter murmured. This creature was the Nur. The Nur was fundamentally different from the demons of Ravesta, like Alphiero. The Nur was a ¡®true¡¯ spawn of Destruction. However, the specter loathed the kinship he felt with the severed head of Nur. Crash! The head of Nur narrowly missed him and crashed behind him. The ground erupted as if a bomb had detonated, causing snow to spew high into the air. However, the specter stood unflinching and unmoved. He didn''t look back. His gaze was still fixated on the distant sky. What expression should he wear to greet what came next? Which of his emotions should he follow? Suddenly, the surrounding snow evaporated into a mist, and the specter¡¯s gaze lowered slightly amidst the dense fog. He stood before the founder of the Ruhr Kingdom, the one who secluded himself in these mountains for over a hundred years. He stood before the one who decapitated the monster and hurled it away. The Brave Molon. The Foolish Molon. He stood before the specter. Molon red down at the specter, and the specter keenly observed what kind of emotions the man harbored in his eyes ¡ª perplexity and confusion ¡ª and reflected in thoserge eyes was a man in a hood. What expression should he disy? Which emotions should he follow? Such self-centered, arrogant, and greedy deliberations were not for the specter to make. With a bitter smile, he loosened his grasp on his hood. The blizzard swept the hood back, causing his hair to flutter in the wind. He faced Molon with the unscarred face of Hamel. Molon¡¯s already wide eyes started trembling. His eyebrows twitched, and his bearded face quivered as he opened his mouth. "How dare you!" The emotions of confusion and perplexity that filled his eyes changed instantly. The current Molon was an entirely different person from the Molon Ruhr in the specter''s memory. The specter was unfamiliar with Molon disying such rage, hostility, hatred, and murderous intent. However, this unfamiliarity was, perhaps, expected. Molon had every right to feel these emotions. ¡°You dare!¡± Molon spat once again. And so did Sienna, Eugene Lionheart, and the others. They, too, had every right to feel age, hostility, hatred, and murderous intent toward the specter. It was just as the specter feared. Facing everything rted to his fake memories wasn¡¯t what he desired. So he had made every attempt to avoid it. He had wished for death at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration. However, he knew such an end wouldn¡¯t provide the answers he sought. Only now did the spectere close to understanding who he was. ¡°You dare!¡± Molon''s boiling anger, hostility, hatred, murderous intent, distorted face, gaze, and outcry ¡ª weren''t they all proof of who the specter was? "How dare youe before me!" Molon bellowed in rage. Rumble! The mere act of releasing his emotions caused the snow to evaporate into clouds of fog, which was immediately blown away. However, Molon¡¯s thunderous yell did more than just disperse the fog; it shook the very space around them. The specter remained silent, for he had indeede to Molon seeking answers. He realized the selfishness of his own quest. From Molon¡¯s perspective, he was witnessing the undead resurrection of arade who perished three centuries ago. The fact that Molon didn¡¯t express other doubts or confusion indicated he might have already heard about the Death Knight from Eugene. Thus, there was no hesitation in Molon¡¯s actions. He screamed and extended his hand towards the specter. He tightened his grasp as his hand approached the specter. The specter felt as if he were being grasped. As ridiculous as it sounded, Molon had twisted the very fabric of space by simply clenching the air. He hadpressed the space and exerted a numbing pressure on the specter. Most demons would be crushed by this act alone. However, the specter was not an ordinary being. Molon¡¯s transcendent attack was born from simple, brute force, and it was possible for the specter to escape from it easily. But he didn''t. The specter stood still and faced Molon. He stared into his wide, turbulent eyes filled with anger, hostility, hatred, and murderous intent. And sorrow. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t avoid this,¡¯ the specter thought as Molon¡¯s fist was almost upon him. He didn¡¯t even try to block it. Boom! The explosion seemed to cause the entirety of Lehainjar to shake. Molon appeared baffled after throwing his punch wholeheartedly. He had felt some resistance when he clenched his fist, but he had felt uncertain until the moment his fist made contact. Even now, it didn''t feel like his fist had connected. ¡°.....¡± It was a strange feeling. He didn¡¯t feel like his fist connected? What did that even mean? Molon¡¯s fist was bloodied. He had blown away the specter¡¯s body with his attack, and what remained of the specter¡¯s body was only his lower half. "Why didn¡¯t you do anything?" Molon gritted his teeth as he spoke. The specter''s lower half stood up from the ground as he was perfectly revived. "I felt I shouldn''t avoid it,¡± the specter said with a hollowugh. "Shouldn¡¯t, you say?" asked Molon with narrowed eyes. His hair bristled in anger as he asked, "Didn¡¯t you think you shouldn¡¯te here at all?" "I did," the specter nodded. ¡°But I thought I had toe." "Are you mocking me?" Molon asked, enraged. Heat emitted from Moron¡¯s body as he faced the specter. The longer they confronted each other, the more uncontroble his emotions became. Molon Ruhr had been ridiculed as a fool by hisrades since long ago. However, he never took offense to their teasing. He had crossed the line of life and death many times with hisrades. They could call him a fool, and it wouldn¡¯t matter. But the same didn¡¯t hold true for this existence. Even if the entire world considered Molon a fool, this existence could not do the same. "Do you know me?" Molon demanded. "Molon Ruhr," the specter replied. Molon raised his hand above his head after hearing the specter¡¯s response. "No. You don''t know me," he dered. A flying axe tore through space andnded in Molon¡¯s grasp. Chapter 449: Remains (5) Chapter 449: Remains (5) The specter understood the meaning of those words. Molon was right. The specter didn''t know Molon. He knew the name and the appearance. Molon existed in his memory, but the memories did not belong to the specter. The person named Molon Ruhr, whom the specter knew, was based on Hamel''s memories. Molon Ruhr existed only in Hamel''s memories. On the other hand, Molon standing before him now existed in reality, not just in his memory. This man before him did not act foolishly like Molon from the memories. He didn''t burst into heartyughter, nor did he show unconditional trust and friendship. Instead ofughter, this man had anger. Hatred, not trust. Murderous intent, not friendship. To the specter, Molon was not Molon as he had thought of based on the memories, just as the specter wasnt Hamel to Molon. But that was also precisely why Molon was Molon. Molon was exactly as the specter had imagined he would be. He had not doubted for a single moment that Molon would act this way after knowing the truth and facing him. Even Hamel would have reacted the same way if he had faced Molons Death Knight after hundreds of years. Therefore, Molon would never ept the specter, nor would he consider listening to the specter''s circumstances. There was no reason for Molon to do so. ''Even so,'' the specter thought with a bitter smile, ''if I begged, you would stop to listen, even just for a moment.'' Despite Molons intense anger, if the specter fell to his knees and begged, he knew Molon would pause his attack momentarily. If the specter spoke of his situation, acknowledged he was a fake, and exined that he was allowed to exist by Vermouth, Molon would hesitate and ponder. That was the kind of man Molon was. ''Should I do that?'' the specter wondered momentarily. But the specter wasnt Hamel. He could not be Hamel. Obsessing over this verification now seemed ridiculous. What the specter sought was what he could do, what he should do. The specter couldn''t fight the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction. So, should he fight against Noir Giabe? Was the purpose of his existence to aid Hamel in battle against Giabe and other demons? Was that what Vermouth had intended him to do? Was that all? Did he exist just to fight trivial demons? What could he do for the world? What should he do? "Specter, Molon called out. With just the grasp of an axe, everything about Molon changed. The specter felt a powerful aura emanating from Molon as he stared at the specter. "You are not Hamel, he said. It was an obvious, undeniable statement. "I don''t know if you came here to deceive or mock me, continued Molon. There was immense power focused on the axe. Dark power stirred around the specter in response. He knew he couldnt simply allow himself to be struck by the axe. "But specter, if youe to me with Hamel''s face, speaking with Hamel''s voice, iming to know me, then as Hamel''s friend, I have no choice but to be enraged, said Molon. The specter just chuckled at those words. It was typical of Molon. Thisughter made Molon hesitate for a moment. Hamel had told him of the Death Knight. The specter was a Death Knight made from Hamels buried corpse from the desert tomb. He was created with all of the memories extracted from Hamels body and formed into a conscious being. Some of his memories had been manipted for easier control. He thinks he died betrayed by everyone rather than dying after throwing himself for Vermouth,'' Molon recalled. Therefore, the Death Knight despised the world and everything that was associated with his pastrades. If so, Molon could understand why this ghastly specter came here alone. ''He should havee to kill me,'' Molon realized. He was betrayed by hisrades and killed? Although it was a lie not worth believing, a being born from lies would naturally be swayed by such a lie. In fact, Hamel had heard from the specter of its hatred and contempt for his oldrades, as well as its murderous intent towards the entire Lionheart lineage. If this specter, resembling Hamel, came to know that Molon Ruhr was alive, he would naturallye for revenge especially if his ego actually resembled Hamels. It was almost expected that the specter would show up. But to show up without disying any killing intent was also like Hamel. While Hamel could be angry with the descendants of Vermouth, even if he was filled with hatred and the desire to kill, Hamel would hesitate when he actually faced hisrades. Hamel would first ask for reasons for the betrayal before drawing his sword and attacking. There was a sense of dissonance. Molon grappled with how to interpret this dissonance. It was like Hamel not to attack immediately, but the silence was unusual. ...Molon didn''t want to confront it. So he revealed the truth straight away. You are not Hamel. Even after hearing those words, the specter didn''t react defensively. Instead, it wore a wistful smile. "...Could it be?" Molon said, realizing the truth. The power filling the axe dissipated slightly. The oppressive presence around Molon lightened somewhat, and surprise flickered in his eyes, which were previously filled only with rage, hatred, and murderous intent. "Realized it..." the specter said, sounding displeased. The specter disliked it. Molons action wasn''t deliberate. It was honest and instinctual. It was as if he had acted without thinking. But the specter didn''t want Molon to recognize the truth. He didnt want to give Molon the time to deliberate on the truth he grasped. He didn''t want to be judged or understood in pity. The idea of Molons hatred and murderous intent morphing into sympathy was intolerable. Yes. He didn''t want pity or understanding. The specter instinctively leaped into action and rapidly closed the distance between him and Molon. Molon felt the specter''s unleashed dark power, which shocked him. ''Why did I only realize it now?'' Molon thought in shock. Until this moment, he hadn''t sensed any dark power from the specter. He had been solely engrossed in the specters appearance, which resembled Hamel. But now, the specter was unleashing enormous amounts of dark power. It left Molon horrified. Moreover, the nature of the ominous dark power was. "You!" Molon''s confusion and hesitation vanished. The specter was emitting the ominous dark power of Destruction. He was more powerful than any Nur Molon had in over hundreds of years. It threatened to unhinge and destroy his sanity. Despite being called a fake, the specter didn''t react. Perhaps that was when it understood its true identity. That realization had made Molon hesitate briefly. But now, Molon no longer hesitated as the specter unleashed its dark power and attacked. This entity should not exist. That was how Molon chose to define the specter. The specters mere existence threatened to ruin the world, especially here in Lehainjar, which was close to the End Vermouth had warned about. Boom! Molon''s axe shed with the specter''s sword. Despite only exchanging a single blow, Molon was immediately struck with a fundamental emotion. It was something he had long forgotten, an emotion that humans instinctively possessed. Disgust. What he felt was the same emotion a human might have when faced with many-legged insects, squirming rats, or rotting corpses. He felt a simr emotion of disgust. But more than the impact of the sh, he felt disgust at the overwhelming power that the specter possessed. It made his skin crawl. Then, another emotion also started to creep into his heart. It was fear. Molon gritted his teeth. That dark power... was qualitatively different from the Nur''s. Even after only a single exchange, it reminded him of the Demon King of Destruction from three hundred years ago. "Ugh...!" A groan slipped through Molons clenched teeth. The specter''s ck sword matched Molon''s axe in the direct power struggle, and the endless outpour of dark power repelled Molon''s mana. He dares. Crack! The axe finally shattered the ck sword. Just as it seemed like Molon was about to cleave the specter, the specter leaped back. Instead of continuing his assault, Molon stamped his foot. Boom! An explosion erupted around him. Molon gripped his axe with both hands, concentrating the dispersed power into it. The specter also raised his hands while standing high in the sky. He wielded a pair of swords toorge for one hand. The specter was the first tounch his attacks as he fell a dizzying barrage of strikes. Even for Molon, it was impossible to read and counter every blow. However, Molon never intended to counter each strike. Amid the chaotic flurry, his axe split through the center. Boom! Dark power and mana mixed together, and Molon swallowed hard as he thought, ''Even if it''s a fake.'' Just one split didn''t end the flurry. Continuous sword strikes pressed him from all sides. This sword dance was more advanced than what Molon remembered of Hamel. It also resembled Eugenes current attacks. That fact made Molon ufortable. Molon had trained against Eugene several times each day for thest six months. As such, he realized he was rather well-versed in the specters attacks. It was familiar. That very fact sent chills down Molon''s spine. The specter''s sword was no different from Eugene''s. If anything, it represented a different endpoint that had begun from Hamel. So, which was superior? The answer was clear: Eugene''s swordsmanship. It had to be. The swordsmanship Eugene disyed before his departure was a culmination of various elements. It wasnt something that was purely Hamel''s, but rather a form of swordsmanship enriched by the experiences of War God Agaroth, experiences of Eugene Lionheart after his reincarnation, as well as countless life-and-death battles with Molon. The specter''s sword couldn''t match Eugene''s. But it was tenacious. His techniques were forged in hatred and murderous intent to kill the opponent at any cost, even if it meant self-destruction. Molon didn''t want to think this way, but the specter''s swordsmanship was reminiscent of Hamel. If Hamel had dedicated himself wholly and intensely to the sword, it might have taken a form like this. If Molon hadn''t met Eugene, hadn''t known he was the reincarnation of Hamel, and even if he knew that this specter was fake. I might have wavered, Molon admitted. The sword forged in murderous intent was relentless and persistent. In a brief span, Molon smashed apart thousands of strikes. But he couldn''t deal a fatal blow. It seemed there was no such thing as a fatal blow against this entity. Molon didn''t feel inferior when it came to power, but simply shing and exchanging attacks with the specter seemed to chip away at him. No, it was truly causing his being to erode away. It was simr to how the century-long battles with the Nur had worn on his spirit. Every moment he faced the specter had a simr effect. "Fake," Molon spat with seething anger. To think that just confronting it caused corruption and madness. Even so, Molon wouldn''t retreat. He knew he wasn''t alone. If he were to go mad from the specter, to wander in a barrier alone, tear at Nur''s corpses, and bash his head into the ground, unable to die, Eugene, Sienna, and Anise would surely do something about it. But even without that belief, Molon wouldn''t step back. He would have long abandoned Vermouths request if he feared going mad. Fake, the specter thought. How many times had he heard that? He never became ustomed to it. Each time, it felt like his heart was being carved out. The specter didn''t respond and instead just moved his sword. Molon was indeed Molon. His strength and axe were iparably stronger than the specter remembered. If they had met right after the specter became an undead, the fight wouldn''t even have been viable. How ironic,'' the specter chuckled inwardly. He had once raged about meeting Molon for revenge despite the disparity that would have existed between them in the past. The specter swallowed a bitter smile and twisted his body to dodge a blow. Although the axe had narrowly missed him, it still tore away at his existence. ''Would dying by your hand bring peace?'' he contemted. Suddenly, Molon''s axe stopped. The specter''s sword simultaneously ceased. They hadn''tpletely lowered their weapons, but both the specter and Molon stopped their attacks and stared at each other. "...You are a fake. You are not Hamel, said Molon. "....." The specter didnt say anything. "But." Molon decided to acknowledge what he felt at the moment. "Your sword is like Hamel''s." "...What?" the specter responded, surprised. "I don''t care how you take this. You''ve insulted me and... my friend bying before me. Molon sighed while shaking his head. But, I, Molon Ruhr, am a warrior. Your sword is honed in desperation, and I can feel it. Although it was brief, I felt it when I battled against you. What was he saying? The specter''s eyes quivered in turmoil. Unperturbed by the disturbance, Molon continued, I do not know what you came here for. I do not want to hear it, either. However, I am I am a warrior, so I want to acknowledge this. Molon lowered his axe for a brief moment. "I, Molon Ruhr, recognize you as a warrior," he dered. Whether the opponent was Hamel, a fake, human, or monster, it didn''t matter. If one held a weapon, trained, pursued, and stood in battle, they were a warrior in Molon''s eyes. The specter was a warrior in Molons eyes. Haha. The specter couldn''t help butugh. Such a statement was so typical of Molon. No one else in his ce would have said the same thing at this moment. "...Do you want to kill me?" the specter asked. He thought the answer was obvious. "Yes," Molon''s response was straightforward and simple. He had the right to kill the specter. As he said earlier, the specter had insulted Molon just by being here. As Hamel''s friend, he had every right to end the specter. The specter might have thought dying by Molon''s hand wouldn''t be so bad just moments ago. But now, things were different. He had found a glimpse of the answer to the questions he had sought, the questions about who he was, what he could do, and what he should do. Molon, the Brave Molon, had recognized the specter as a warrior. "No, said the specter. Molon set aside his personal anger and other emotions. He acknowledged and faced the specter. The specter knew he was a fake, yet he had wanted to avoid the truth. He had been tied to his mistaken obsessions. He had thought it was okay to die by Molons hand. The specter had ignored that his obstinacy not only led to his own death but also sickened Molon. Look around. Though the battle was short, much had changed since the beginning. All the snow in the area had evaporated. No more snow fell from the sky. Rather, the once hazy sky filled with snow clouds had now turned gray with something else. Blood. The specter also noticed the blood he had spilled. Naturally, he hadn''t been conscious of it, but the area around them was drenched in blood. He had spilled blood each time he was grazed or torn apart by Molon''s axe. He had not paid attention to it in his battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. It had not been necessary. However, it was different here. His blood didn''t disappear. Even if he could recollect the blood, the sinister essence that had seeped into the ground remained. The specter looked at Molon. His robust body could be seen sporting wounds. Not just simple wounds either, but cuts and contamination from the de of dark power. In just a short time, Molon''s breathing had be rough, and shadows flickered in his eyes. "I can''t die by your hand, said the specter. He couldnt die, especially not here. The specter turned his head and looked at the distant mountain peaks. Beyond themy Raguyaran. "...It was good meeting you," the specter said in parting. Before Molon could respond, the specter dropped his sword and closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he looked up at the sky. Floating stations in the high sky caught his gaze. Chapter 450: Remains (6) Chapter 450: Remains (6) Damn wench! shouted Sienna while striding back into the room. Her exmation made everyone shrink back in their seats. Despite each of them being Archwizards powerful enough to shake kingdoms, their authority meant nothing in this sacred space. They were in the topmost chamber of the Royal Library Akron, in Sienna''s Hall. The Wise Sienna was the greatest and most powerful wizard in history. She aspired to be the Goddess of Magic, and being an Eighth Circle Archwizard in her domain wasmon and expected. Even so, for someone aiming to be the Goddess of Magic to use such coarsenguage one of the wizards thought. They knew whom Sienna had been talking with: Eugene Lionheart. He was her direct disciple, a young man of twenty-three who was already on the cusp of bing an Archwizard. No, in fact, it could be said that he had already crossed the threshold of being an Archwizard. To boot, he was the Hero. Any of the Archwizards present would have been proud to call such a talented and aplished youngster their student. In fact, they would have shown even more love and attention than they would to even their own flesh and blood. As such, Sienna''s attachment to her student wasn''t unusual, though some thought it a bit excessive. But no one dared to voice such opinions out loud. "What displeases you?" asked Balzac Ludbeth, the ck Tower Master. He was the first to break the silence while the other wizards simply gauged the atmosphere. He was a ck wizard yet had gained Siennas recognition as a wizard. He was the only wizard permitted to join her in the hall just for unimportant discussions. Thanks to this somewhat vague privilege, Balzac was always busy. Whenever the discussions turned toward the topic of Siennas new Signature, Balzac would be in a different hall a few floors below. When it was time for casual conversation and exchange among wizards, he would hurry up to Sienna''s Hall. There was no need for him to participate. However, no wizard worth their salt would miss such an opportunity. Who would give up on the chance to talk about magic with the Wise Sienna just because of the inconvenience of moving between floors? If anyone did, they wouldnt deserve to be called a wizard. "I was talking with my lovely disciple, and some crazy woman interfered and cut off our conversation!" Siennained while plopping down in the main seat. While the other wizards pondered what response to give, the ever-opportunist Balzac chimed in, "Noir Giabe. Her madness is well-known even in Helmuth. They''re just too afraid of her authority as a duke and power to speak openly." "Right?" Sienna agreed. Yes, Lady Sienna. By the way, did you know? There is a massive screen in Babel, located in the capital, Pandemonium. Duke Giabe used her status as Helmuths highest taxpayer to pressure Duke Gavid and secured a monthly advertisement spot on the screen, said Balzac. What a crazy! Sienna eximed. Haha, exactly, what insanity. When I was studying in Helmuth, it really pained me to see the advertisement on that screen. When was it there was a time when Duke Giabe appeared in a vulgar swimsuit he continued. Balzac and Noir werent enemies. Instead, Balzac had long received patronage from Noir. But what did that matter now? He wouldn''t have spoken so freely if Giabe herself had been present or if there had been any risk of the conversation being leaked. Even though the chances of their conversation leaking were minimal, there was always a tiny possibility. After a lengthy session of mocking Giabe, Balzac added a disimer after checking that Sienna was giving a huge smile, "This stays a secret from Duke Giabe, Lady Sienna." "Huh? Ah, don''t worry about that, Balzac. Would I do something to cause you trouble?" Sienna replied with a bright smile, to which Balzac bowed gratefully. He was perhaps the only ck wizard in three hundred years to receive such treatment from Sienna. Although he was skilled at buttering her up, his ability to stay in her good graces was more due to his knack for not overstepping boundaries. He never forgot that he was a ck wizard. He was never greedy for more than what he was permitted. He knew that he was bncing himself on a thin rope. Balzac turned his head when he felt a piercing gaze. Melkith El-Hayah was gnawing at her nails, her eyes burning with jealousy. Though, she was the only one. The other Archwizards harbored no such feelings for Balzac. Her wed, horrible personality seemed to make her burn exclusively with envy. Hmm. Lovellian interrupted the silence with a thoughtful hum while deeply contemting Siennas newly conceived magical form. While improving the form seemed impossible, he believed his unique perspective as a wizard walking a different path could still add value. After adding a few notes and symbols to the form, he nced outside. "The day has already turned to evening. Shall we conclude for today?" he suggested. They often debated until dawn, but on quiet days like this, they usually wrapped up their meetings around dusk. "Yeah," Sienna replied while ncing out the window. Melkith immediately seized the opportunity to approach her. "Sis, sis! Let''s have dinner together, you and me!" Melkith pleaded. "Why would I eat with you?" Sienna retorted dismissively. Why, dont you want to eat just the two of us? Then Ill call her. Her name was? Melkith attempted to include another wizard, one who was supposed to havee from nowhere in the countryside. She appeared unkempt and reclusive, and her hair waspletely overgrown. What was her name? "Rynein Boers," the wizard introduced herself, looking slightly ufortable under Melkith''s enthusiastic gaze. Melkith eagerly tugged on Siennas arm upon hearing the name. Thats right. Rynein! Sis, you, me, and Rynein! We three can eat together. What about it? asked Melkith. "Why should I dine with you and Rynein?" Sienna questioned again. We all share the same gender, right!? We can talk about things you cant talk about with the musty old male wizards here! Dont you have an interest in such things, sis? Hmm? Melkith continued to press her, undeterred. Musty old men? Wasnt she going too far? This remark made Jeneric and Trempel ufortably sniff themselves. Im not interested, was Siennas response. She was lying. She was slightly interested. She was slightly curious about such fresh conversations, considering she had devoted the entirety of her past life to battling demons, and her life afterward had been consumed by magic. For Sienna, having thepany of other women to talk and empathize about such matters seemed rather valuable. However it mattered who she would be talking to. Sienna narrowed her eyes while staring at Melkith and Rynein. One had secluded herself her entire life for the sake of research, while the other was a madwoman who was as far removed from fresh as possible. Moreover, the age of the two of them was. Ehem, Sienna cleared her throat. Did age really matter? She immediately reconsidered her thoughts. Anyway, considering their backgrounds and personalities, neither of them could fulfill Siennas wishes. If she had to choose someone... Kristina won''t do, Sienna thought. Apart from Anise''s presence, Kristina''s own personality was dark, sly, and snake-like. In some ways, she even surpassed Anise. Ciel... Sienna considered briefly. Could that child really be considered refreshing? Wasn''t her tearful, sniffling crying closer to being sour than refreshing? Still, if she had to choose, she preferred Kristina to Melkith and Rynein, and Ciel to Kristina. "Go eat by yourselves. I''m busy today, said Sienna. "Lies!" used Melkith. "What lie? I really am busy. I have things to do today, said Sienna. "Excuse me, Lady Sienna, but I believe you have no appointments today.... Isn''t the appointment regarding the Young Magician of the Year Award tomorrow at noon?" Rynein stuttered. ''How does she know that?'' Sienna felt a chill and averted her eyes while Rynein immediately bowed her head. "It''s something else, said Sienna. "Sister, are you meeting a man?" asked Melkith. "Ehem!" Before Sienna could respond, Lovellian cleared his throat extra loudly. He mmed the desk with his hand and stood up abruptly. "White Tower Master! Watch your words!" he shouted. "Watch my words? Whats wrong with asking if she''s meeting a man?" muttered Melkith. "It''s an inappropriate question! Lady Sienna would never meet another man!" Lovellian shouted. He believed Eugene Lionheart to be the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel. He hadn''t received direct confirmation, but the circumstances made it seem undeniable. This fact was known only to Lovellian among the Archwizards. This was a love between heroes that spanned three hundred years. He wanted to shout it from the rooftops and make the truth known to the whole world, but he had to restrain himself. As such, he couldnt stand that this madwoman was trampling and insulting the heroes love. On the other hand, Melkith couldn''t understand why Lovellian was ring at her so intensely. "Anyway, I really do have something to attend to, so I''ll be going, said Sienna. "Sister! What man" Melkith clung persistently, and Lovellian interrupted with a loud shout. "White Tower Master!" Did the mind follow the body? These elders, who could well be grandparents based on their age, behaved inappropriately like youngsters due to their physically youthful bodies. Blue Tower Master Hiridus thought this phenomenon could make for an interesting magical study. It might be possible that reaching the Eighth Circle not only refreshes ones body, but also the brain. Does that allow for their minds to age backward? Hiridus Euznd wondered. This theory seemed particrly relevant in this gathering as well. Wizards like Maise and Herington, who had recently achieved Archwizard status, were struggling to keep up with the conversations of their older yet seemingly younger counterparts. Further specialized research was necessary to validate the theory that older Archwizards might not act their age due to magical rejuvenation. But if the hypothesis held true, it could exin why even long-established Archwizards sometimes behaved in ways unbing of their years. Ignoring the noise, Sienna descended from the hall of Akron and stepped outside. She had not been lying when she said she had matters to attend to. Eugene would soon return for the war. ''It''s not fit to be called a war, is it?'' she thought. She was aware of various nations mobilizing troops for war. Were they seeking to mark their presence on the continent, or did they hope their aplished sons would gain enlightenment through war? The old king of Aroth would send Prince Honein Abram as his royal representative, and Trempel would lead a battalion of elite wizards to support Eugene. It wasn''t limited to just Aroth, either. Kiehl would dispatch Alchester Dragonic, the White Dragon Knights, and the Lionhearts elites. The Beast King himself would lead the White Fangs from Ruhr. Yuras would send the Crusaders and the Blood Cross Knights, and Ortus Hyman, the First Knight and the Commander of the Violent Tide Knights, would also participate with the Violent Tide Knights from Shimuin. At this point, a pretext for war seemed unnecessary. Honestly, Sienna thought concentrating such military power was an overkill. She alone could destroy a nation without a need for an army. ''If its getting rid of the ck wizards while leaving Nahama untouched, we could do it on our own, Sienna mused. Eugene surely knew this. His choice to wage such a grand war was symbolic. He intended to publicly and brutally crush Nahama''s ck wizards and Amelia Merwin. It was a spectacle to elevate the ''Hero'' Eugene Lionheart. He would turn Amelia and Nahama into sacrifices for his fame. In addition, the war itself would serve as a deration against the continent and Helmuth. ''This may not have the impact of killing a Demon King, but faith in Eugene will certainly rise,'' Sienna concluded. In fact, the repercussions from the war might even surpass killing Iris. In the end, only a few hundred had witnessed him defeating the Demon King. But if killing Amelia took the form of a convincing war in Nahama, it could cause ripples to spread wider. Yet, for her, today''s agenda was more pressing than the war in Nahama. It did involve a man, in line with Melkiths nonsense. Soon, Eugene would return. Frankly, she was more concerned about how she would look while greeting Eugene than the uing war preparations. She wanted their reunion to be unforgettable. She wanted to surprise him. This reunion, in particr, felt even more significant. The two of them had been apart for more than half a year. During that period, Kristina and Anise had been clinging to him like a two-headed serpent. Sure, Mer, Raimira, and Molon had been there as well. She hoped those serpents hadn''t done anything sly and profane. But still, one could never be too sure, right? Besides, they had been in Giabe City for the past month. Today, everyone went to the swimming pool. Naturally, they wouldn''t be wearing regr clothes there, so they must have worn swimsuits. The Queen of Whores had intervened as well. Last time, too, Sienna thought, annoyed. The scandal that started in Giabe Park and heated up Helmuth spread across the continent. It was contained before spiraling out of control due to the influence of the Lionheart family, the Emperor, the Pope, and Sienna. Regardless, the scandal happened, and Sienna had seen the photos herself. The ring. Crack. Sienna hadn''t received a ring from Eugene yet. All she had received was a cloak. Kristina and Anise had received nes and various clothes. But for Sienna, it was just a cloak. ...Or did I receive clothes too? Sienna questioned for a second. But was that even important? The real issue was that neither Sienna, Kristina, nor Anise had received rings. She tried not to think about it, but the thought intruded her mind. Sienna barely suppressed her rising anger and killing intent. If she, who was nearing divinity, let her anger out, ordinary people in the square could be annihted. "Hmm." Sienna took a few deep breaths while walking on. Given her reputation, it was difficult to walk freely in such ces. With every step, or even every breath, fervent followers would flock to her. That''s why Sienna always used magic to conceal her presence. Changing her appearance was bothersome and inconvenient, so she used high-level magic to make it impossible for others to recognize her. Of course, Sienna enjoyed the attention of her followers. It was also amusing to see non-followers timidly wanting to approach her, like tourists or ordinary people. But not at times like this. She couldnt enjoy such attention now. Today, Sienna was shopping for clothes to meet Eugene in. She needed an outfit that would evaporate Eugenes memories of the past six months. She needed something beautiful and sacred, befitting a goddess of magic, something that wouldpel him to unconsciously take out a ring for her. Maybe I should buy a ring too, just in case, Sienna pondered. Just like in the old days, Sienna had already imagined exchanging rings with Eugene, receiving blessings from the world, and even having a wedding ceremony in her mind. Which ring should she choose? Something extravagant would be nice. Sienna crossed the square with a flutter in her heart. The magic Sienna used to inhibit others perception was something she had crafted personally. Even a great Archwizard would find it hard to see through it. It was practically impossible to locate her in a crowded ce like this. Had she let her guard down? No. Sienna was being talked about as a goddess of magic, and she was actually approaching the source of magic itself. Even at this moment, Sienna was aware of all the gazes directed at her. But she hadn''t noticed the gaze of the specter. Like with Molon, the specter had perfectly concealed its dark power and blended seamlessly into space. Sienna, the specter thought. On the edge of space, there, the specter saw Sienna. Her perception-inhibiting magic couldn''t blind the eyes of the specter. Sienna Merdein. Her appearance was unchanged. Green eyes and purple hair. The overwhelming surge of emotions was agonizing and tormenting for the specter. Chapter 451: Remains (7)

Chapter 451: Remains (7)

He had heard of how Sienna had lived out her life after the war ended and the pact was made. Sienna lived a life that many found hard to believe. It seemed inconceivable that the same Sienna from his memories lived a lonely and ascetic life before eventually secluding herself. But it made more sense once he realized that her choice was influenced by Hamel¡¯s death. It was something Sienna would do. The specter thought about his current form. He bore Hamel''s appearance. And although he wasn¡¯t perfectly Hamel, he was close enough. He carried Hamel''s memories. And although the memories were iplete, he felt his personality and sense of self were quite simr to Hamel''s. Then, couldn''t he just fill in what was missing? ''If Hamel hadn''t been reincarnated...'' the specter thought bitterly. The premise itself was wed. Sienna''s return to the world from her seclusion in the Samar Rainforest was only because Eugene Lionheart had found and drawn her out. There must have beenpelling reasons why she had chosen to seclude herself for nearly two hundred years. If Eugene... if Hamel hadn''t been reincarnated, Sienna would not be here. It was because of Hamel''s reincarnation that Sienna was now here. Sienna seemed in high spirits. She hummed a tune and walked with a bounce like a rubber ball. Was it because her perception-inhibiting magic freed her from the concerns of surrounding gazes? The specter followed her as she skipped like a child while smiling bitterly. Memories that weren''t his own surfaced unbidden, and whenever they ovepped with reality, he felt an unpleasant dissonance and self-loathing. Why had hee here? Did he want to confront Sienna like he did with Molon? Did he want to hear her words of rage and murderous condemnation? You¡¯re not Hamel. You¡¯re a fake. Aside from hearing such things, did he want someone to understand who he truly was? ¡ªI, Molon Ruhr, acknowledge you as a warrior. They were hisrades from Hamel''s memories. ...Did he want to be understood by them? And perhaps someday, maybe he wouldn¡¯t be Hamel or a fake, but just him. Perhaps he would be seen as himself even to Hamel and Eugene. "Haaa." The specter sighed deeply. He forcibly ignored the questions crowding his mind. The answers were simple, but he didn''t want to face them. Sienna left the square while continuing to hum. The specter silently followed, neither obstructing her path nor attempting to speak to her. He knew why. In the end, it was because he was afraid. After leaving the square, Sienna shifted from walking to flying. Flying was strictly limited for wizards in Aroth, but an exception was made for Sienna for allws concerning magic in the nation. Considering her significant contribution to the nation''s magical prowess, Sienna believed it was her right. Her very presence had contributed significantly to Aroth¡¯s title as the Magic Kingdom. ''I must be at least seventy percent responsible,¡¯ Sienna thought while flying through the sky. In particr, it wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that she single-handedly designed Pentagon, the capital of Aroth. She had designed the floating stations, which could be considered a core element of the capital, as well as the magical barrier of the royal castle, Abram. Having poured so much effort into this city, she believed she had the freedom to do as she pleased within it. She thought so and acted whimsically sometimes, though never without calcting or incurring debts. Sienna was evading the eyes of others using her perception-inhibiting magic. For her, taking items from stores would be as easy as breathing. But why would she steal? She wasn''t short on money or inclined tomit immoral crimes for the thrill. Yet, there was a simple pleasure in sneaking into a store and bypassing the long queue. She could have just shown her face to skip past the long lines, but sometimes, small delights such as these were a necessity. ¡®I don¡¯t have to worry about gazes,'' Sienna reasoned with herself. There were times when she had to be mindful of her appearance and actions. It was something that came with being famous and revered. But at times like these, it was necessary to boldly set aside such concern. Sienna had entered a high-end fashion store that was a leader in Pentagon''s fashion scene. Had she entered normally, everyone in line would have gossiped and approached her. Sienna didn''t want that today. She finally lifted her spell after reaching the VIP salon. It was typically a ce set aside for royalty and high nobility, a ce located deep inside the store. The noblewoman wasn¡¯t startled in the slightest by Sienna¡¯s sudden appearance. Today¡¯s meeting had been prearranged. Thedy greeted Sienna with a bright smile and a respectful bow. "It is an honor to serve you," the noblewoman said respectfully as Sienna quickly scanned the surroundings. Noticing Sienna''s vignt gaze, the noblewoman whispered softly, "Only I, the owner, am aware of Lady Sienna''s visit here." "Is that really so?" Sienna inquired. "Would I dare to deceive you, Lady Sienna?" the noblewoman replied. ¡°Hmm.... Well, I warned youst time, but my visit today and... the reason for it. Yes? You know what I¡¯m speaking of, right?¡± said Sienna. "Yes, Lady Sienna. I assure you, all of it will remain a secret, known only to me, until my death ¡ª no, even after that,¡± assured the noblewoman. VIP shopping usually involved such secrecy, even if there wasn¡¯t a particr reason for the secrecy. The VIPs usually found joy in such acts and tended to be obsessed with the very notion of secrecy itself. However, today''s VIP, Sienna, was exceptionally remarkable evenpared to the others. The Wise Sienna was one of the most respected names on the continent, and she was the greatest wizard in the history of the continent. Anci Lionheart had personally referred her here. Although it was something the owner had already anticipated, Sienna¡¯s name alone was enough to make her feel quite nervous. Moreover, Sienna''s specific request added to the owner''s unease. She wanted dresses to seduce a man ¡ª not just any light seduction either, but something so captivating that it would lead to a marriage proposal. And on top of that, she also asked for rings and gifts! Who could imagine that Sienna, known for her wisdom, would make such a direct and desperate request? ¡®Guess that¡¯s why she¡¯s emphasizing the secrecy,¡¯ thought the owner as she carefully approached Sienna, who sat on the sofa. Mannequins wearing the prepared dresses were revealed when the owner pulled back the curtains. The other VIPs usually preferred real models in a secret fashion show, but Sienna had requested no one else be present today. Hence, the dresses were disyed on mannequins. Sienna seemed visibly startled by the mannequins and their dresses. ¡°...Bold. Quite bold,¡± she muttered while looking at the first dress. It was so daring that Sienna couldn¡¯t imagine herself wearing it. It would reveal quite a depth of her cleavage, armpits, and back. It was something that the Queen of Whores might wear. The owner exined, "As you requested something to allure a man...." "But... isn''t this too much? It¡¯s very different from what I usually wear..." Sienna hesitated. "It¡¯s about creating a stark contrast to your usual self to evoke emotions," the owner suggested. "Contrast... aplete contrast, huh?" Sienna muttered. ¡°I did not limit the choices to just a single style, so please take a look at the next set,¡± said the owner. The owner then unveiled the next series of clothes. The following clothes weren¡¯t as provocative or bold as the first. If she had to make aparison, it was toned down from the Queen of Whores to Melktih. The next set gave an entirely different feeling of purity and innocence. As Sienna viewed each dress, her feelings fluctuated. Was it because she was getting used to the idea, or was the word ¡®contrast¡¯ mentioned by the owner resonating with her? Strangely enough, she found herself drawn back to the first, most audacious dress. Come to think of it, Sienna had never worn such attire before. Neither had Anise nor Kristina, being the Saints of their age. Sienna mused that they could not wear such revealing clothes, but then again, they might have worn swimsuits at the waterpark with Eugene today. ¡®Have I ever...?¡¯ she wondered. Of course not! No, she had never worn such attire. She had the chance to wear her swimsuit when she was on the ind nation of Shimuin. However, Iris, the damned elf, hadpletely crushed the opportunity after bing the Demon King. Sienna was never given the chance to be at the beach. ¡®Contrast... aplete contrast,¡¯ she pondered again. Not only the Saints but even Ciel wouldn¡¯t wear something like this. But the more she thought about it, the more she leaned towards the first dress. Sienna could guarantee that only the Queen of Whores might wear something like that. Eugene might react by swearing if the Queen of Whores showed up in such an outfit, but he would blush if Sienna appeared in such an outfit.... ¡°.....¡± Sienna pondered quietly, weighing her options. But the other dresses also appealed to her. The owner had carefully selected a wide range of outfits, which numbered in the dozens. But each outfit was unique and captivating. Given that Sienna had dedicated half of her life to battling in the Devildom and the other half to magic, she had little experience with diverse clothing styles. Her usual attire had been limited to robes and cloaks, asionally altered slightly in consideration of Eugene. However, nothing she wore until now coulde even close to the expertly crafted fashion before her. This made choosing difficult. No, but why was she having such thoughts? Just as she did with magic, Sienna broke through the conventional limitations of thinking and found her answer. Why did she have to choose just one when all of them appealed to her? ¡®It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have money,¡¯ she justified to herself. She beamed with satisfaction. She was pleased with her conclusion. "I''ll take them all," dered Sienna. "All... of them?" the owner asked, taken aback. "Yes," confirmed Sienna. "Very well, I''ll prepare them,¡± the owner acknowledged before asking, ¡°Would you like to try any on before¡ª" "That... that won''t be necessary," Sienna quickly interjected. Despite the promise of secrecy, she wasn¡¯t keen on showcasing herself in such attire to the owner. Ideally, and if possible, she wanted Eugene to be the first to see her in such a daring outfit. "Understood. Then, next... let me show you the rings we''ve prepared," the owner suggested. "It¡¯s not just about what I want. It has to be a ring that would make the other person want to give it," Sienna said. Why would she buy a ring that she hopes to be given? The owner found this concept perplexing but remembered she was dealing with a ''Wise'' Archwizard whose intentions might be beyond ordinary understanding. How could she hope to understand the thoughts of a sage? ¡°Hmm.... If that¡¯s the case, I may need to know a bit about the person you have in mind to assist you better,¡± said the owner. ¡°Are you trying to probe me?¡± Sienna asked in a slightly defensive tone. ¡°Absolutely not,¡± the owner reassured. Eventually, Sienna relented, considering the secret was guaranteed. And sooner orter... everyone woulde to know, right? Hesitatingly, the owner cautiously asked, "Is it Sir Eugene Lionheart?" Rumor had it that Sienna and Eugene had danced together at a banquet in Shimuin¡¯s royal castle. If the great Archwizard had fallen for a man, it could only be her young, heroic disciple. But Sienna couldn¡¯t readily admit this. Her nature hadn¡¯t changed in three hundred years. "What, what, what? What are you talking about? H-he''s my disciple,¡± said Sienna. "Please, Lady Sienna, calm down and listen to me. I''ve been serving various clients in this city, the capital of the Kingdom of Magic, for decades. Some of them were noblewomen having secret affairs with young knights or... well, magical mentors and their apprentices." The mention of mentors and apprentices made Sienna¡¯s eyes waver. "It might have been a problem centuries ago, but in today¡¯s world, a rtionship between a mentor and an apprentice isn¡¯t a big issue, especially for someone as young and beautiful as you..." continued the owner. "Ahem...." Sienna cleared her throat, feeling a bit conscious. "And Sir Eugene Lionheart is a man any woman would fall for. Heir of the Great Vermouth, bearer of the Lionheart name, the Hero who defeated the Demon King, exceptionally handsome, and immensely talented. A disciple any mentor would dote on, and a man any woman would love," the owner praised without restraint. As the owner pressed on, Sienna¡¯s cheeks flushed red, and she began to fidget nervously. She tugged at her hair and clothes and scratched the sofa. "It''s a... s-secret," she whispered while turning her head slightly. Her demeanor was unexpectedly youthful for an Archwizard who had lived for three centuries. Moved by her genuine expression, the owner smiled sincerely. "I will do my best to rmend the perfect ring for you," the owner assured. True to her word, the owner presented a variety of rings and even briefly left the salon to bring additional choices, including personal items she had never intended to sell. Although she was flushed, shy, and contemtive, Sienna looked genuinely happy as she hesitantly touched the dresses and considered trying them on before shaking her head dismissively, trying on various rings, and smiling blissfully. She looked happy. She looked genuinely happy. The specter stood silently while observing Sienna¡¯sughter for a long time. Honestly, he had thought it wouldn¡¯t affect him. After all, he knew about Sienna and Hamel¡¯s feelings. ¡®So, that¡¯s how it is,¡¯ he mused, feeling a tumultuous stirring in his heart. There was a flicker of me igniting deep within his heart. His head spun, and his fingers trembled. Was this betrayal? Or sorrow? The world he saw upon leaving Ravesta was peaceful. Molon seemed unable to move freely. Molon had acknowledged him as a warrior. Sienna appeared happy as she envisioned a future with Eugene. The specter wanted to be called Hamel by Sienna and Molon. He desired to seize everything the reincarnated Hamel had. He still yearned to be Hamel. Turning his back, the specter stood alone in the midst of the sky while caressing his face. Even these desires were his own. The conclusion he had reached now was also his own. There was no need to distinguish them. Even though he possessed Hamel¡¯s memories and a persona mimicking Hamel, he was, in the end, himself. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± he whispered, his finger grazing his cheek. He was resolute and prepared. What he would do from now on, and in the future, he was convinced it was for himself. It would add value to his existence. *** He had seriously considered ripping his face off. But that would likely lead to more inconvenience. Or should he change his face? That idea didn¡¯t appeal to him much. More precisely, he was unsure how to go about it. ¡®In the first ce, is the face really that important?¡¯ the specter asked himself. It mattered if he showed it around. But continuing with Hamel¡¯s face seemed like it would be tarnishing Hamel¡¯s name. If he kept showing this face to the world, it would go from ¡°Stupid Hamel¡± to ¡°Bastard Hamel¡±... no, it wouldn¡¯t end there. He might even be the most notoriously evil figure in the world. He didn¡¯t want that. So, the specter decided to wear a mask. A in white one, with only holes for the eyes and no designs. ¡®You wouldn¡¯t want Hamel¡¯s name to be sullied more than it already is.¡¯ the specter talked to Hamel¡¯srades in his mind. He felt the same. The specter smiled wryly while looking ahead. They cared about bad reputation and were considerate about it. ¡°It¡¯s something you¡¯d hate, but I have no choice,¡± he chuckled to himself while steadying his wavering heart. ¡°This is right for me,¡± he reassured once more. It was something the specter didn¡¯t want to do, something he disliked. But he had no intention of backing down. He gazed at the ck Lion Castle in the distance. Chapter 452: The Black Lion Castle Chapter 452: The ck Lion Castle The Us Mountain Range lined the southernmost border of the Kiehl Empire. This rugged, mountainous border had been guarded by the ck Lion Knights of the Lionheart n for the past three hundred years. Up until now, the ck Lion Knights had prevented all attempts made to cross the border by the barbarians from the Samar Rainforest. Even if they did receive some support from the Empires border defense army to do so, the ck Lions couldnt help but be overwhelmingly busy as they had to juggle their duties with handling the Lionheart ns internal matters as well as keeping up the training of their knightly order. However, starting from next month, they would have much more leeway with their time than they had ever had before. This was because the hundreds of tribes living within the gigantic Samar Rainforest would be integrating into a single Greater Tribe. The Zoran Tribe. It was arge tribe that had beenpeting for hegemony within the Samar Rainforest from the very beginning of the tribes history. The young, twenty-three-year-old Chief of the tribe, Ivatar Zahav, had seeded the position of tribal chief just two years ago. Ivatar had then destroyed the Kochi tribe, which had been spreading chaos throughout the forest at that time, and had erected the Zoran tribes gpole on their former enemys territory. This incredible feat wasnt aplished by Ivatar and the Zoran alone. The Zorans were able to win their war against the Kochis because of the help they received from the Hero Eugene Lionheart, Saint Kristina Rogeris, and the Tower Masters of Aroth. However, it was Ivatar who had personally gone to the Lionhearts to look for their help. The warriors of the rainforest had recognized the young Great Chiefs power and wisdom and had submitted themselves to him, voluntarily tattooing the Zoran tribes markings onto their bodies. Two years after that, the Zoran tribe, led by their Great Chief Ivatar, managed to achieve something that no person or tribe in the entire history of the Rainforest had ever achieved, a grand unification of all the tribes in the forest. Ivatar also established newws for the Rainforest and dered that his people would never attempt to invade the Kiehl Empire by crossing the Us Mountain Rage. The Great Chief, Ivatar Jahav, a man frowned thoughtfully. The deration hadnt just been empty words. Ivatar had publicly revealed his friendship with Eugene Lionheart and expressed his respect for the Lionheart n and the Kiehl Empire. This had taken ce at an exchange of ideas during the banquet in Shimuin a year ago. He has a backbone that is almost unbelievable for someone of only twenty-three years of age. If he had been born at any other time, he could have aimed to be the protagonist of the era, the man admitted. With such youthful spirit, ambition, and fate, Ivatar could have eventually climbed out of the forest and attempted to conquer the entire continent. However, Ivatar wouldnt be able to reach such a heaven-defying fate. Because the protagonist of todays era wasnt Ivatar. Such were the thoughts of Klein Lionheart, the Head of the Council for the Lionheart n. Klein Lionheart didnt have the slightest doubt about the previous statement. Even someone other than Klein would have given the same response when asked, Who was the current protagonist of the continent, no, of the entire era? It was the Hero, Eugene Lionheart. Since Eugene was born into the world, the era had begun to change. The changes brought about by Eugene had left their mark on the most recent pages of history. If Eugene had not arrived in this world, the continent wouldnt have been able to survive until this day. The reason that the Zorans were able to conquer the entire Rainforest is also thanks to the help that Eugene gave them in their war against the Kochis. So the Zoran are willing to make an alliance with the Lionhearts and Kiehl is also because of Eugene, Klein mused. Innd area alone, the Rainforest could rival an empire, and it was impossible to estimate the exact number of the tribal natives who lived in the rainforest while rejecting more advanced forms of civilization. The native inhabitants of the rainforest were truly savages. Or at least, that had been the case until now. Ivatar wanted peace with Kiehl. He had also expressed his intention to slowly adopt civilization while avoiding crossing the line that would force the tribes to resist his efforts. Ivatar also hoped to have various exchanges with the Lionheart n. Klein had no reason to refuse him. The Lionheart n was a martial n with three hundred years of history. At the same time, it was the sole lineage left by the continentsst Hero and was also the family to which the current hero, Eugene, belonged. When the time came for Eugene to battle against the Demon King of Incarceration, the Lionhearts would raise their swords for Eugene and stand at the frontline of the battle. They were also in a situation where a war with Nahama was imminent. Even after devoting most of their time to training, it still felt like that wasnt enough, but with the Zoran tribe uniting the Rainforest, that would free up the time usually spent guarding the border. In addition to that, the Great Chief Ivatar was making a personal visit to the ck Lion Castle while leading his most elite warriors to take part in some joint training with the ck Lion Knights. As a warrior, Klein was pleased to see this take ce, but he still let out a reluctant sigh, If, at all possible, I had hoped that something like this would only happen after I was already dead. Klein had never once intended to be the Head of the Council. Klein had always seen himself living a leisurely and peaceful retirement in hister years, then either dying at an appropriate age or going into seclusion. Dont spout such weak words, Klein, Carmen, standing next to him with her arms crossed, shot him a re. Initially, she and the Third Division, which she led, were meant to be stationed at the main estate along with Gion and his Fifth Division, but they had arrived here today at the ck Lion Castle to serve as Ivatar''s opponents. Unlike Klein, who, despite his muscr appearance, was sporting gray in his hair and beard, Carmen maintained a perfectly youthful body and face. If anyone who didnt know the actual situation were to look at Carmen and Klein, they would think that the two were grandfather and granddaughter. However, the two were actually siblings. Moreover, Carmen was even Kleins older sister. Currently, Carmen was the most senior elder of the Lionheart n, and even including the coteral lines, there were very few people who were older than Carmen. As such, by all rights, Carmen should have be the Head of the Council, but she had insisted that she would not be stepping down from her active duty as a ck Lion and had instead shoved the honor of bing the Head of the Council onto her younger brother, Klein. Subjugating all of the Demon Kings was the will of our founding ancestor, the Great Vermouth, and the mission of our Lionheart n. To think that you wouldnt feel grateful and honored to have lived to see the era in which our mission will finally be fulfilled, and are instead letting out such weak words. Can you even still call yourself the younger brother of the Silver Lion and the Head of the Council for the Lionheart n? Carmen scolded as her golden eyes shed dangerously. As befitting of a younger brother who had been tormented by Carmen ever since their childhood, Klein hunched his shoulders and said, Sister, I didnt mean it like that. Its just, if at all possible Carmen silenced him, Shut up, Klein. ..., Klein meekly obeyed. Carmen frowned, Could it be that your heart really hasnt been set pounding by the turbulence of this era? In my case, I am d that I can help fulfill the Lionheart ns mission while I am still in my prime. Im also excited to be able to see a Hero like our founding ancestor with my own eyes and even more excited to be able to fight the Demon Kings along with him. ..., Klein stayed silent. Together with the Hero, I will be able toplete my path as a true knight. After we finish chastising Nahama, which has been led astray by the evil of ck magic, we will eventually battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. My blood boils when I imagine raising the Lionheart g high over the battlefield once everything is over, Carmen said excitedly. ..., Klein didnt respond. Why arent you saying anything? Carmen demanded. How dare you ignore me when Im speaking. But youre the one who told me to shut up, big sis. Struck by Carmens piercing re, Klein quickly changed the subject, To think that my great-grandnephew would turn out to be the Hero! I cant believe that hes already defeated a Demon King! I still cant help but wonder if this is a dream. If I hit you, you should be able to tell right away whether or not this is a dream, Carmen threatened. Big sis, please take my age into consideration Klein suddenly stopped talking. It wasnt because he had sensed anything strange but because he had noticed a change in Carmens expression. ...Big sis? Klein tentatively questioned. Carmens face was so stiff that it was hard to believe they had just been conversing casually. But Carmen wasnt the only one who managed to feel it. As Ciel felt a creepy and ominous feeling wash over her, she instinctively covered her left eye with one hand, ...? It felt like something was writhing around inside of her eye. In fact, something that looked like ck ink was staining the whites of her left eye, but Ciel didnt have the time to pay any attention to what color her eye currently was. Ciel had felt this current sensation somewhere before. It was from when they were still at sea, during the subjugation of the Demon King of Fury. Ciel was reminded of when she had followed Eugene after his consciousness was engulfed by the rampaging Moonlight Sword and what she had seen within that mysterious void. Something wasing. Apart from Carmen and Ciel, the number of people who had sensed the ominous presence approaching them increased one by one. Just what is that? Cyan, the prospective Patriarch of the Lionheart n, wondered. Even without taking into ount his current position within the family, Cyan happened to have a personal connection with Ivatar. He had also been interested in the joint training that was about to take ce between the Zoran tribes warriors and the ck Lions. Cyan had been feeling frustrated because he was finding it difficult to ovee the barrier between him and the Fifth Star of the White me Form, which had led him to be present in the ck Lion Castle at this moment. But Cyan didnt waste any time with any pathetic notions of regret at having toe here today. Instead, Cyan had a different thought. While clutching at his pounding chest, Cyans head spun to the side, and he shouted, I-immediately request support from the main estate. Cyan had given this order to a ck Lion who was stationed nearby. But was there really any meaning to requesting support from the main estate? Among the forces currently stationed at the main estate, the strongest were Gilead, the Patriarch of the family, and Gion, the Captain of the Fifth Division. Both were experts who had managed to reach the Seventh Star of the White me Form. But even if they managed to arrive in time, would they really be able to face that ominous presence? Even if they brought the entire order of the Knights of the White Lion with them, Gilead and Gion still wouldnt be a match for that thing. However, once they received a request for support from the ck Lion Castle, the main estate would immediately report the emergency to Sienna in Aroth. As long as the Wise Sienna managed to arrive in time with the other Archwizards. Cyan gasped for breath as he readied Geddons Shield and the Devouring Sword Azphel to defend himself. The ck Lion Castle was also essible by warp-gate. How much time would it take for the main estate to react to the request for support and send help back through the warp-gate? There was no way of knowing. But even so, Cyan had no intention of turning and fleeing immediately. He was the future Patriarch of the Lionheart n. He was the brother of the Hero, Eugene Lionheart. There is no way that I could do something so shameful as to run away in fear, Cyan thought to himself. Everyone present had the same thoughts as Cyan. They couldnt tell what exactly it was, but they could all sense that something disturbing, terrifying, and ominous was approaching them. However, not a single person threw down their weapons and tried to run away. It was the unity brought about by their shared name as the Lionhearts that led all of the ck Lions to ready their weapons. If you want to run away, then go ahead and do so, Ivatar spat out as he suppressed the urge to gasp for breath. He and the warriors from the Zoran tribe werent a part of the Lionheart n. However, what was more important than that fact was the pride that they all held in being warriors. He might currently be upying the position of Great Chief of the Samar Rainforest, but Ivatar believed his identity as a warrior came before his identity as the Great Chief. In the end, every single one of the hundreds of knights and warriors currently present chose not to flee despite the mysterious and ominous presence they sensed approaching them. When will it strike? From which direction? And how will it attack? Nothing could be seen with the naked eye. The only thing they could make out was that the ominous sensation grew stronger as it gradually drew closer. They still couldnt be sure where the sensation was evening from. The mysterious presence suddenly manifested itself. A figure appeared in the skies above the forest that was going to be used as the site for the Lionheart and Zoran tribes joint training. It was currently night, with the sun having already set. So when the figure suddenly manifested itself, standing in the middle of the night sky and surrounded by a fog-like gray mist, it stood out against the bright canvas of the sky illuminated with countless stars and the radiant moon. The figure was revealed to be that of a tall, well-built man. However, there was no way to make out his face. This was because the man was wearing a white mask that covered his whole face. The only facial feature that could be made out was his dull, sunken eyes. Everyones hearts were pounding. Nothing had actually happened yet. The only thing that had happened was that someone suddenly appeared standing in the night sky. Yet, even so, everyone below felt their heart begin to race violently. They even felt like they might just copse onto the ground without even realizing it. Carmen gritted her teeth. She had felt this sensation once before. When they faced the Demon King of Fury while at sea, her body had frozen in terror, and she was unable to move properly. Carmen had vowed that she would never again allow herself to be ovee with terror when facing such a demon, however. Just what even is he? Carmen wondered. The aura of power around the man was such that it made even the Demon King of Fury seemughable. It felt like dark power, but there was something foreign about it. No was that really the case? It wasnt truly unfamiliar, either. It reminded Carmen of when Eugene had used the Moonlight Sword. No, its different, Carmen realized. This feeling was far worse. If it had been at any other time, Carmen would have been far more focused on that pure white mask, but the current Carmen didnt have the mental capacity to spare for such thoughts. Fwooosh! White mes engulfed Carmen. These were the mes of the Eighth Star of the White me Form, the highest level that any of the Lionhearts had been able to achieve since their founding ancestor, Vermouth. Carmen pulled her pocket watch out from her vest. In her head, she could picture her subsequent movements. She would leap up towards him and attack while shouting the same thing she always did, Form change. But she wasnt able to do any of that. This was because the figure, which had been floating in the sky just moments ago, had at some point arrived right in front of Carmen. This was the specters first time seeing Carmen in person. However, he knew who she was. Ever since he had first been resurrected as a Death Knight and had be possessed with a desire for revenge against his formerrades, he had been gathering information about the Lionheart n, those who had inherited Vermouths blood. Carmen Lionheart, the specter recalled. With the exception of Eugene, Carmen was said to be the most skilled expert in the entire n. It would seem that such an assessment had been made without any exaggeration. If faced with such a level of skill before he had be the Incarnation of Destruction, he would surely have struggled. Was I really that weak? the specter asked himself. As the specter raised his hand, Carmen was left without any time to even shout form change. Clickclickclick! But at the same time that Carmen suddenly swung a punch at him, the pocket watch transformed into a heavy gauntlet around her fist. The wind pressure and mes released by the force of her fist pushed away the nearby Klein. As Carmens gray hair fluttered in the air, the mes around her expanded. Her punches wereunched one after another. Carmen then leaped towards the mes she had just expelled, and the scattered mes of the White me Form, which had been fluttering around her like a lions mane, were pulled back towards Carmen once more. Tchtchtchk! The gauntlets form shifted. Carmens fist, which had grown sorge that it seemed out of bnce with the rest of her body, pierced through the mes. Booooom! What a heavy blow, the specter observed. Carmens outstretched fist had made contact with something. However, there was no sensation of having damaged or broken the object she had struck. It was like she had hit a wall that could never be broken. Instead, it felt like the fist she had used to hit him would be the first to break. But that didnt prevent Carmen from pulling her fist back for another attempt. Transform, Carmen said as pure white light erupted from the exact center of the ck Lions dress uniform that Carmen was wearing. Snick! Light that was as sharp as a razor tore through the uniform. This intense light enveloped Carmens whole body. This was the transformation sequence for one of Shimuins greatest assets, a magic set of armor that had been made using a part of a Dragonheart, the Exid. On top of that, Carmens exclusive set of armor had been reinforced by Gondor and the other dwarven craftsmen using the scales and leather of Raizakia. White me Dragon, Carmen shouted as her transformation came to an end. Now wearing a ck and silver colored Exid, Carmen raised her left fist while her right fist was still extended. Initially, while her right hand was equipped with the Heaven Genocide, her left hand wasnt wearing any equivalent piece of equipment. But that was no longer the case after she had transformed. The Lion-Dragons left arm seemed to transform into the left arm of the Demon-Dragon, as Carmens arm was wrapped in mes of pure mana. The nails of her left hand were now sharp enough to match the power of Heaven Genocide. Carmens eyes shed as her Demon Dragons left arm was shot forward. The mes amplified by the Dragonheart created the image of a massive dragon around her fist. Boooooom! With a loud explosion, the specters body flew backward. In fact, it was possible for him to have withstood the blow without flying backward or even dodging the attack but the specter hadnt chosen to do so. He had seen what Carmen Lionheart was capable of. That was enough for now. The specter halted the flight of his body andnded on the ground. Thats how it is, hm? the specter muttered. Right as the specternded on the ground, a surge of killing intent, along with actual attacks, came flying at him from all directions. The specter continued to muse, So these are the descendants of Vermouth. This was the Lionheart n. The fact that not a single person had tried to escape brought a smile to the specters face. Chapter 453: Rage (1) Chapter 453: Rage (1) Although this was only natural, there was no one here who could see through to the true identity of the specter. Even Cyan, who had once encountered the specter in the Samar Rainforest, was unable to recognize him as he was now. This wasnt just because his face was covered by a mask; it was also because his very presence itself had changed so drastically. Even though he was just standing there quietly, he gave off such an intimidating aura that it caused everyone looking at him to break out in goosebumps. However, just because they couldnt guess his identity didnt give them any reason to hesitate before attacking. That was just how tantly the specters very presence was currentlymunicating his intentions. He was exuding such an ominous and evil aura of power that it made everyone instinctively want to take a step back. The source of this aura didnt seem to simply originate from his dark power. No one here had ever felt such a sinister dark powering from any ck wizard or even a demonfolk. This meant that this mysterious figure had to be a Demon King or at least a being on a simr level to one. Everyone here had instinctively realized this fact. Carmen, who had transformed into a fiery white dragon, charged at the specter. Making his move at the same time that she had, Genos also kicked off the ground. Genos may not have been able to practice the White me Form, but in terms of skill proficiency alone, he was ranked second only to Carmen in the ck Lion Knights. Genoss skills were from the Hamel Style. The specter was naturally able to recognize this fact as soon as he saw it. Neither of the two knights knew their opponents identity. However, they instinctively knew that this was someone that they couldnt handle on their own. It was a being that shouldnt be fought, that made them not want to fight. But if everyone here were to honestly submit to their fears, nobody would be left to step forward. So just as Carmen had ovee her terror and charged out to meet him, so had Genos. After all, this was the ck Lion Castle, the fief of the Lionheart n with three hundred years of history behind it. Genos body was engulfed by red-hot mes of mana. This situation was different from the time with Eward when an insider had betrayed the n. This was purely an invasion by an enemy. One who hadnt even brought an army with them. Just a single person had dared to intrude into the Lionheart ns territory. It didnt matter whether or not they could actually kill him. The important thing was that they couldnt just back down from such an opponent. In this, both Genos and Carmens thoughts coincided. Even though Carmen and Genos had just joined forces without any prior nning, the movements of the two were as smooth as if they had done this hundreds or even thousands of times before. The Asura Rampage that Genos had trained for all of his life and Carmens Lightning sh both struck the specter at the same time. So this is Genos Lionheart, the specter thought. The heir to the Hamel Style. The specter felt a wry sense of gratitude as he created a sword from his dark power. To be honest, if he could have his way, he wanted to respond to Genos with an identical Asura Rampage or one of Hamels other techniques. However, the specter didnt choose to do so. He didnt want to reveal that he was Hamels Death Knight at a ce like this. To be more precise, he didnt want Hamels name to be tarnished by his current actions. So, the specters attack couldnt be something that he had learned before. It couldnt be an attack that was easy to handle or light enough to be ovee with a blind swing of the sword, either. So, since he had to hide his techniques, he needed to apply an even greater force to make up for that. This wasnt a difficult task for the specter. As the Incarnation of Destruction, his reserves of dark power were infinite. The dark power of Destruction was such a destructive force that most who tried to wield it were unable to control it. Until now, many of Destructions former vassals had self-destructed due to the dark power of Destruction, but there was no such risk for the specter. Just like how a warrior could draw mana from his Core, the specter was able to draw on the dark power of Destruction. aaaang! The moment that the Asura Rampage and Lightning sh reached the specter, they collided with the dark power of Destruction and were erased. But this violent, dark power wasnt satisfied with merely extinguishing the attacks. The dark power spread out and formed a storm centered around the specter. Whatever this power was, it was dangerous. Both Carmen and Genos shared this same thought. The two immediately leaped backward as they readied their next attacks. The other people present also began to move. Excluding Gion, who wasnt here, and Carmen and Genos, who had already made their moves, the remaining seven ck Lion Captains led the knights under theirmand to attack the figure. In an instant, the specter was surrounded by hundreds of knights, and on the outside of this encirclement, the warriors of the Zoran tribe were creating a second wall around the figure. This suppressive formation made it obvious that they were attempting to consume the specter in a battle of attrition[1]. With this formation, the Captains could either take turns to attack and weaken their opponent, or they could just attack from all sides. Whichever way they chose to attack, their determination to put all their power into suppressing a single person could be felt strongly. The specter was all alone, and there were hundreds of them. However, they all knew the truth. Even with these hundreds of allied troops working together, it was still impossible for them to deal with this figure. Even if the strongest among them, the Captains and the Council Elders, were to attack him at the same time, it would still be impossible for them to defeat this figure. As such, they just had to wait for their reinforcements to arrive. They needed to hold on until then while also minimizing the damage to their own troops. Its pointless for them to try and drag out the time like this, the specter scoffed to himself. Were they waiting for the reinforcements from the main estate? For the Archwizards of Aroth? Or maybe even the Wise Sienna. The specter didnt really want to let this battle get toorge, and he especially didnt want to fight Sienna. Perhaps the one whom they were truly waiting for was Eugene Lionheart, who was currently in Giabe Park. The specter didnt really want to fight with Eugene either. Or at least, he didnt want the sh between them to take ce here. As such, he had already blocked all the paths through which reinforcements could arrive. He had sealed the warp-gate, and a field of dark power had been deployed to block anymunication spells. Under such conditions, it was impossible for any outside reinforcements to make their way over. That said, he didnt want to prolong this battle for too long, either. Every single one of them had shown their spirit by not running away even though they knew they were facing someone whose level far outssed them. It wasnt just the knights of the Lionheart n. Even the tribal natives who hade here from the Rainforest had shown that they had a sense of honor and pride. ~ I, Molon Ruhr, acknowledge you as a warrior. ~ While recalling those words, the specter gave a wry smile. He wasnt just doing this because he had been recognized as a warrior. The specter who was born from Hamel wanted to respect those who had shown both honor and pride. The specter slowly took a deep breath. Time suddenly seemed like it was flowing slowly. The actual flow of time may not have been altered, but time, as it was being experienced by the specter, stretched out until it felt like a moment was an eternity. The specter examined all of the killing intents being directed at him, and he was able to predict all of the possible attacks that would be apanied by their killing intents. He read the path of both Genos and Carmens attacks. He calcted how their differently colored mes would react to each other, harmonize, and then amplify thebined result. He knew just how destructive the force of theirbined attack would be. But these two arent the main threat, the specter realized. He could feel a violent forceing from behind them. He could feel a power that seemed to be drawing strength from the entire earth, or, to put it metaphorically, it felt as if an immense tree was about to attack him with its roots. This power was something of a different nature from the strength that humans could achieve through pure training alone. As the Incarnation of Destruction, the specter understood just what kind of power this was. This power had the traits of a miracle, a blessing, and a protection. Thus, it could only belong to someone who had received the protection of the World Tree and the blessing of the entire Rainforest. The specter shuddered slightly as he realized that this knowledge wasnt something that he had learned on his own but had instead been carved into his mind at some point. The specter questioned, Was it Vermouth? Or perhaps could it have been the Demon King of Destruction? The specters perception of time was still in a slowed state. He saw Ivatar leaping towards him while brandishing an axe with both hands. Meanwhile, Carmen and Genoss attack was already colliding against the specters dark power and slowly drilling in. As for the Captains and Elders who stood at the forefront of the encirclement, mes of mana aroused by their killing intents ignited on their raised des as they faced a gradually growing storm of dark power. The moment that Carmen and Genoss attack had ended, they wouldunch their own strikes one after another, and Ivatar, who was leaping over from the rear, would m his axe down onto the specters head. Theres something else mixed into this, the specter realized as he extended his senses. By doing so, he detected a male and female duo who had yet to take action. One of the pair was a young woman ring at him from amid the other ck Lions. As this was his first time seeing her in person, the specter couldnt know that the womans name was Ciel Lionheart. However, he could tell that her left eye was something different from the eyes of the other ck Lions. It had a dull, golden color, but strangely enough, that eye gave him apletely inhuman feeling. Still, in the midst of his slowed perception of time, he saw the color of her eye gradually begin to change. When a dark red color began to spread from her pupil, the specter realized that the power contained within that eye wasnt a type of magic but instead a Demoneye. How could a human have a Demoneye? the specter asked himself in disbelief. His first thought was that this was absurd. The knowledge inherited from Hamel couldnt exin how such a thing could have happened. However, through his own experiences, the specter understood how such a thing might not necessarily be as absurd as he first thought. The specter recalled the sight of Vermouth seated within the Temple of Destruction. The specter was the only one experiencing a slowed perception of time. For everyone else apart from the specter, the flow of time hadnt changed in the slightest. Carmen and Genos gave it their all as they tried to break through the specters dark power. Waiting for them to pull back, the Captains and Elders got ready tounch their own attacks as Ivatar dropped down from above with his axe. Ciels eye had turnedpletely red as she activated the ability of her Demoneye, the Demoneye of Immobility. As long as she had enough mana, her Demoneye had the ability to restrain even a Demon King, even if it was only for a few moments. So, the power of her Demoneye should have been able to immobilize the specter. But before the ability could take effect, Ciel was left coughing up blood. The dark power of Destruction was able to flow back through the restraints that her power had tried to ce on the specter and then destroyed the connection. The mana that had been pouring down through the connection to fuel her power snapped back, causing damage to her Core. Ciel stumbled, still coughing up blood. Whooooosh! The dark power of Destruction roused the storm to grow evenrger. Carmens right arm, which was still covered by Heaven Genocide, was twisted backward. Genoss sword, which he had used as a focus for his sword-force, shattered into pieces and disappeared. Falling from the sky, Ivatar red at the center of the storm as he let out a roar. His axe, filled with immense power, struck down as if to crush the storm. However, it failed. His axe was disintegrated, and Ivatar himself was swept away by the surge of dark power. Although apletely different situation to what they had nned had urred, what the Captains and Elders needed to do hadnt changed. While letting out shouts, they swung their weapons at the storm. The specter walked freely through the storm. Ignoring how his dark power was busily extending its reach, the specter raised his hands. Clickclickclick! His dark gray power condensed and transformed into a huge sword. The specter held this sword that was muchrger than his own body in both hands and twisted his body to the side. Booom! The great sword cut through space itself, and the storm of dark power was transformed into dozens of flying shes. And just like how this sounded, a whirlwind of des was sent spreading in all directions. Ciel! Cyan screamed out a warning as he leaped in front of Ciel. Raising Geddons Shield and swinging Azphel, he stood in front of Ciel. The other warriors and knights also swung their weapons in an attempt to resist the gust of des. However, the dark power of Destruction easily shattered both their sword-force and mana. In mere moments, a strong smell of blood was left wafting through the forest. The whirlwind of des dissipated. The specter leaned the greatsword down onto his shoulder, which he had swung only once. He had wiped them all out with thest attack or at least, that was what he had ever so slightly been hoping for. He had even packed enough dark power into thatst blow to make it a strong possibility. There certainly were quite a few people who had copsed. However, an overwhelmingly greater number of people were standing back up. To be more precise, there were many people who should have copsed but who had somehow forced themselves to stand up. The specter unconsciously let out a smile at this sight. He felt a genuine respect for them. Just who on earth are you? Carmen demanded as she staggered to her feet. Forcing her dislocated and broken right arm back into ce, she red at the specter. Genos also got to his feet, even as he was coughing up blood. His sword may have been destroyed, but the mes of his Red me Form[2] formed into a new de. I, the specter hesitated. How should he answer her question? The specter shook his head with a wry grin. He found that he didnt even have a name that he could use to introduce himself. But was a name really all that important? Instead of agonizing over that question, the specter took a step forward. The greatsword on his shoulder dissipated into dark power, and at the same time, the specters figure disappeared. All that was left was the sword. Hundreds of swords covered their entire field of vision. Although it seemed like the specter had only swung a sword that one time, that single sword strike had created hundreds of different shes and thrusts. There was no time to distinguish between which ones were real and which were only feints. Carmens right arm and fingers were broken. Although she had forced the shoulder joint back into ce, it should still be impossible for her to make delicate movements. Crickcrickcrick! Heaven Genocide forcefully underwent a transformation. Even as her fingers twisted in agonizing pain, Carmen didnt let out a single moan. Her fist, now transformed into the Destiny Form, pierced through his shes. Tap. Unlike the power it had first shown, her fist only managed tond a light touch on the specter when she hit him. Gasping for breath, Carmen red at the specter. That was impressive, the specter said, sincerely recognizing Carmens pride as a warrior. The dark power of Destruction was able to destroy all mana through contact alone. However, Carmens white mes had managed to resist the dark power of Destruction and pierce through his sh. Although the specters observation didnt feel like ridicule, Carmen still felt an intense rage. What do you even want from us? Carmen demanded once more. The shes she hadnt been able to stop had swept through their surroundings again. From those knights and warriors who had already had to force themselves to stand up, the number of fallen had increased once more. Why havent you killed us? Carmen asked, frustrated. Even though he had unleashed such a destructive power onto them, not a single one of them had actually died. The weapons that they had held up in resistance had been destroyed. They had also received many injuries. Some were even so seriously injured to the point of not being able to stand back up. This meant that their wounds were by no means light. However, there werent any fatal injuries, and not a single person had died. What did all of this mean? There was no way that Carmen could miss something like this. It meant that this mysterious Demon King had no intention of killing any of them. It was under such a condition that he had still managed to defeat everyone here. Are you here to cause us to despair and fear? If that is the case, you will fail, Carmen spat out, still ring at the specter. As he returned her gaze, the specter quietly shook his head and said, I havent failed. ...What? Carmen voiced her confusion. I didnte here to bring you despair and fear, the specter exined, still wearing a mask over his face. Carmen couldnt tell what kind of expression he had behind the mask. The only things visible were his eyes. I came here to bring you rage, the specter revealed. As he said these words, those eyes were calm and coldly collected. It wasnt the sort of calm that came from not feeling any agitation at all, but instead, it felt as if he had resigned himself to something and was coolly determined. ...Rage? Carmen repeated questioningly, unable to understand what he meant by those words. He hade here to enrage them? But for what purpose? However, Carmen at least knew this much. Just as the specter had said, he had already achieved his goal. He knew that he had been sessful. Carmen did indeed feel an unbearable rage towards the specter currently standing in front of her. It wasnt just Carmen who felt that way. Everyone who had encountered the specter here today would feel the same rage towards it. Even though he could kill them at any moment, he hadnt done so. How dare he show them mercy like this. It was an intolerable insult to any knight or warrior. The fear and despair they felt towards that ominous being would never be able to surpass the rage currently being etched deep within them. Thats right, a voice was heard from above, You have seeded. The specters shoulders trembled in surprise. He immediately raised his head to look up at the night sky. It was currentlyte at night, the sun having set already. The bright night was lit up by the countless stars and radiant moon. Floating high in the middle of the night sky, Sienna red down at the specter, After all, you have definitely managed to make me angry. 1. The original text uses wheel battle to describe how they intend to take turns fighting the specter. I wasnt sure if this term was all that familiar to the readers, so I chose a more familiar Western alternative. 2. The original text uses White me Form, but Im pretty sure its a typo, as it previously states in this very chapter that he hasnt trained in the White me Form and he is described as using dark-red mes. Chapter 454: Rage (2)

Chapter 454: Rage (2)

The night sky seemed to be down than it usually was. Everyone present held the same misconception. This was because the stars in the night sky appeared to be at a much lower height than usual. No, those weren¡¯t stars. Those lights were the countless magic bullets shining like stars as they floated around Sienna. This might be stating the obvious, but Sienna was furious. She was just as angry as she had been after meeting Iris, who had transformed into the new Demon King of Fury. Sienna was just as enraged as she had been after she saw the elves being ughtered by Iris, who had been corrupted into a dark elf three hundred years ago. These were the Lionhearts. They might not be rted to Sienna by blood, but they were Eugene¡¯s close family and rtives. In fact, Eugene¡¯s own siblings, Ciel and Cyan, were both down there. Sienna had met the twins several times before, and there was also Carmen, who had been a great help to them during the subjugation of Iris. And all of them were injured. Ciel was coughing up blood while gasping for breath, and Cyan was supporting his younger sister as best as he could. Carmen stood on her feet with a fist extended, but she didn¡¯t look to be in good shape. It was clear that she was forcing herself to stay standing while enduring extreme internal injuries. How dare he! Light swirled within Sienna¡¯s eyes. No one could have imagined that someone would actually dare to target the ck Lion Castle. Everyone was focused solely on Nahama. And in truth, Amelia Merwin and all the demonfolk supporting her were still in Nahama. This man had enough strength to single-handedly assault the ck Lion Castle and push its defenders to the brink of defeat. And this bizarre and sinister dark power.... Sienna furrowed her brow in disgust as she spat out, ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°...How did you get here?¡± the specter asked instead of answering Sienna¡¯s question. He had blocked the warp-gate. He had also deployed a barrier of dark power to prevent anymunication magic from getting in or out. Until just a few moments ago, Sienna had still been in Aroth. She had been smiling in utter happiness as she chose the clothes she would wear when the time came to reunite with Eugene ¡ª as well as the rings that they would exchange when the time came to promise their futures to each other. But right now, there was no smile to be seen on Sienna¡¯s face. There was only one emotion that the specter had been hoping to bring to the people here. Rage. ¡°If mymunication link suddenly gets cut off, then of course I would be suspicious,¡± Sienna said as an exnation. While she was away in Aroth, she had lent Ciel amunicator in case something unexpected happened. Although they didn¡¯t regrly use it to contact each other, Sienna had always paid attention to the signaling from it. But today, that signal had been suddenly cut off. Sienna had tried to contact Ciel to see what was going on, but her attempts to contact the Lionhearts just couldn¡¯t get through. ¡°It was quite troublesome having to break through your block on the warp-gate,¡± Sienna admitted. However, she was still able to sessfully open a way through. Sienna had calcted the coordinates of the dark-power-fueled defense barrier and forged a new path around it. As long as something was even theoretically achievable with magic, there weren¡¯t many things that were truly impossible for the current Sienna. ¡°If you didn¡¯t want me toe here, you should have just destroyed the warp-gate instead,¡± Sienna said as she pulled out Frost and held it with both hands. Whiiiiiing! The magic bullets floating around Sienna began to spin in a circle. Swirls of vibrant colors also began to spin in Sienna¡¯s eyes, which were shining like jewels. Sienna was right. If the specter really hadn¡¯t wanted Sienna toe here, he should have just destroyed the warp-gate outright. However, if he had done so, wouldn¡¯t that have left more problems for the Lionhearts to deal with after he had finished his business here and left. The specter muttered, ¡°...I didn''t want you toe here, but that doesn¡¯t mean I wanted to destroy this cep¡ª¡± ¡°You,¡± Sienna suddenly blurted out, interrupting the specter as he was speaking. ¡°...Your voice.¡± The intruder was wearing a mask. Sienna had already attempted to use magic to pierce through his disguise several times, but no matter what she did, she couldn¡¯t see his real face. The mask itself was a mass of dark power, and all that she could see beyond it was an ominous haze. But that voice. She remembered it from somewhere. It wasn¡¯t just his voice. Even the impression given off by his figure reminded her of someone. Sienna realized exactly who this was. However, that didn¡¯t cause any change to her current feelings. Instead, Sienna¡¯s rage just grew even greater. This couldn¡¯t be helped. Just like how Molon had be enraged upon seeing the specter, Sienna also grew furious when she saw who this specter was. Everything that had already happened here was enough to send her flying into a rage, but the fact that the one who perpetrated all of this was Hamel¡¯s Death Knight only poured even more fuel onto the mes of her anger. Like Molon, Sienna didn¡¯t hesitate, nor did she make the slightest effort to figure out the specter¡¯s intentions. Such an attitude was only natural. If any of Vermouth¡¯s old friends had seen Vermouth¡¯s descendants covered in blood from all their wounds like this, even if it was Molon standing here, they would definitely be enraged and let out a roar of fury. But like the specter had said, he hade here not to bring them despair or fear but rage. Because of that, Sienna¡¯s current rage was precisely what the specter had intended all along. Well, that might have been the case, but honestly, the specter hadn¡¯t intended on sticking around to see the results of his efforts in person. The specter recalled the smile he had seen on Sienna¡¯s face earlier. He had to admit to himself that his handling of the warp-gate was sloppy. This was the Wise Sienna, after all. He had underestimated her abilities as the most powerful wizard in all of recorded history. ¡°...,¡± the specter silently wondered what he should do. Right now, the question of why the specter was doing this wasn¡¯t of any importance to Sienna. What was currently of utmost importance to her was her desire to tear the specter into shreds. Although, if she could have her way, Sienna wanted to kill the specter outright, she felt it would be more appropriate to leave that duty up to Eugene. Having decided this, Sienna raised Frost higher. The next moment, it appeared like the stars themselves were falling. Hundreds of thousands of magic bullets all flew at the specter at once. The torrential flow of stars looked as if the Milky Way was pouring down toward them from its lofty position in the night sky. This attack, with a form that went beyond allmon sense, was beautiful, intricate, and destructive. The magic bullets raining down in a single stream were all aimed precisely at the specter, and there wasn¡¯t any scattering. The specter¡¯s figure disappeared. In an instant, he had widened the distance between himself and Sienna and had appeared in apletely different location, but the thousands of magic bullets had changed their trajectories and begun to move towards the specter before his figure had even fully reappeared. The specter couldn¡¯t help but be flustered as he saw the gxy of stars raining down on him. Had his movements been predicted? No, he simply hadn¡¯t been fast enough to escape the pursuit of the spell. It was impossible to avoid or outrun the attack. Even if the specter ran all the way to the other side of the world, these magic bullets wouldn¡¯t stop chasing him. That was part of the magic incorporated into the attack. The reincarnated Hamel had learned magic and had even reached the level of an Archwizard, but the specter with Hamel¡¯s memories had never learned any magic. But that said, even without having learned much about magic, the specter could still tell that the spells Sienna was currently casting weren¡¯t anything ordinary. No, this attack had gone beyond the limits of what could just be called magic. Whether it was swinging a sword or punching with a fist, it was impossible to never miss an attack. Yet despite that, these thousands of stars were able to ignore the process of cause and effect and determine an urate result before it had even happened. This attack had somehow incorporated a rule that it would definitely hit its target. ¡®This can¡¯t just be magic, can it?¡¯ the specter questioned. This disy of magic was simply absurd. If another wizard were to see this spell and understand the principles behind it, they would realize just how inferior all the magic they had learned until that point was inparison. In fact, when Sienna had conceived and realized this spell, the Archwizards who had been spectating had all let out gaps and sighs. This was Sienna¡¯s Absolute Decree. Although everyone present had called it her new Signature spell, Sienna herself didn¡¯t think of it as a real Signature. Sienna¡¯s goal was to ovee the wall between the Ninth Circle and the Tenth Circle ¡ª no ¡ª to ovee the wall between being an ordinary human wizard and a goddess who could control magic itself. This Absolute Decree was only an ability she had learned as part of the process of bing the Goddess of Magic. On top of that, in Sienna¡¯s opinion, Absolute Decree couldn¡¯t really be calledplete. This was because there were still limits to what rules could be imbued and the oues that could be determined. However, for now, she could still set a target for a spell and imbue a rule that the target must be hit. No matter how fast the target was, even if it moved so quickly that Sienna herself couldn¡¯t keep up with it, Absolute Decree would determine that the result of her attack was that it would absolutely hit. ¡®What is this power?¡¯ the specter wondered. It was impossible to outrun or avoid. To him, it seemed far too unreasonable that such an ordinary mass attack spell could have such power. The specter immediately called upon his dark power to block the magic bullets. Fwooosh! His dark power rose like a fog and collided with the magic bullets. Each time a magic bullet was forcefully erased by the fog, it resulted in an immense drain of his dark power. Any ordinary demonfolk would have died in just a few hits. Even after experiencing Sienna¡¯s new power personally, the specter still couldn¡¯t understand it. How could she have fired thousands of these attacks imbued with this strange power? Even if Sienna was an Archwizard, her mana would have to be truly infinite tounch such a powerful andrge-scale attack. After all, wasn¡¯t it only natural that the more powerful the magic, the more mana it required? ¡®This is inexplicable,¡¯ the specter thought. But was that really the case? The specter paid close attention as he blocked the magic bullets. The moment they touched his fog, the magic bullet exploded in a whirlwind. During this process, an excessive amount of dark power was consumed. But the mana contained within a single magic bullet couldn¡¯t be all that much. ¡®The nature of her mana is something different,¡¯ the specter realized. Was it possible for a spell to change the very nature of her mana? Had she converted her original mana and specialized it towards countering dark power? Although the specter was sincerely surprised, he didn¡¯t feel like he was in danger. Even if Sienna¡¯s magic had been specialized towards countering dark power, the specter was the Incarnation of Destruction. Just like a Demon King, the specter could extract an infinite amount of dark power, and the dark power of Destruction could destroy any form of mana. If this turned into a war of attrition, the specter would eventually win. And this didn¡¯t necessarily have to end in a war of attrition if the specter decided to actively attack. ¡°...,¡± the specter silently shook his head. The specter¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to kill Sienna. Chewing on his lower lip, he drew out even more dark power. Cracracrack! His dark power formed into a de that oozed an ominous aura and sliced through the space between them. The magic bullets that slipped past this sh crashed into the specter¡¯s body and exploded in a whirlwind of destruction, but he didn¡¯t care, even if his body was destroyed. However, he still couldn¡¯t afford to stay calm when the next attack came. Boooom! An awl of magic pierced through both the sh and the specter¡¯s body at the same time. Cracracrackle! All the nerve endings within the specter¡¯s body were set on fire. These mes then traveled back through the specter¡¯s body towards the source of his dark power. The attack was aimed at the source of immortality that all high-ranking demonfolk possessed. The attack was also imbued with a killing intent that seemed like it could even y a Demon King by Sienna¡¯s Absolute Decree. ¡°Gargh,¡± the specter coughed as ck blood spilled from his lips. Barely managing to lift his head, he saw Sienna approaching, a jewel-like sparkle still in her eyes. Although they were filled withpletely different emotions from when he hadst seen her like this, Sienna was still as beautiful as ever. ¡°...,¡± Sienna silently stared at the specter. She knew exactly who her opponent was, from both his voice and physique. Although the air he gave off was different, and his face was covered, this was definitely the Death Knight created from Hamel¡¯s corpse. ¡®I don¡¯t understand this,¡¯ Sienna thought with a frown. The Death Knight¡¯s body had been destroyed during the battle in the Rainforest. It had barely managed to escape with only its soul remaining, then it seems to have been bestowed with the dark power of Destruction during its time in Ravesta.... That was all part of the facts that Noir Giabe had revealed to them when they met in Shimuin. ¡°You,¡± Sienna spat out. ¡°So you¡¯ve realized that you¡¯re a fake.¡± From the fact that he was wearing a mask to conceal his face to the way he had said that he was here to bring them rage ¡ª the evidence may have been weak ¡ª but Sienna was confident of her conclusion. The Death Knight had somehow realized its true identity. But in the first ce, if this thing really did still think of itself as Hamel, it wouldn¡¯t have done something like this. No matter how much he hated someone or wanted revenge, there was no way that Hamel would go looking for Vermouth¡¯s descendants and blindly attack them like this. Even if he said that he wanted to get revenge on someone, Hamel... would never have done something like this. The very act of doing this would be unbing of someone who thought he was Hamel. Sienna felt that something wasn¡¯t right here. This guy had done something that Hamel would never do. However, was his purpose for doing so really revenge? If his goal had been revenge, then, in the first ce, there wouldn¡¯t be any reason for him to cover his face, and there also wasn¡¯t any reason for him to not have killed anyone. ¡°...Even though you know you¡¯re a fake,¡± Sienna said thoughtfully. The specter grabbed the awl that had pierced its body with both hands. Sienna aimed her staff at the specter as she finished voicing her doubts, ¡°Just why have you put on such a disguise?¡± Even if the Death Knight had realized that it was a fake, what reason could there be for it to stubbornly insist on such a disguise. Sienna just couldn¡¯tprehend this. However, she didn¡¯t hesitate to take action. Even if she didn¡¯t know that Hamel had been reincarnated, she never would have epted this thing as Hamel¡¯s recement. Because the very thought itself of doing so would be an insult to Hamel. ¡®Because of that, you¡¯re something that can¡¯t be allowed to exist,¡¯ Sienna thought with a frown. The Death Knight¡¯s very existence was an insult to Hamel. There was very little emotional turmoil that could be seen in Sienna¡¯s shining, jewel-like eyes. All of her intense killing intent was still being directed toward the specter. Booom! The specter¡¯s body shattered to pieces. The silent array of spells that Sienna had castpletely destroyed every physical trace of the specter¡¯s body. Not a single drop of blood was left behind. She had no intention of leaving even the slightest trace of its existence in the world. ¡°Haaaah,¡± Sienna exhaled deeply even as she kept up the destructive torrent of magic. She finally lowered her wand and then scratched her head in frustration. ¡°It didn¡¯t work,¡± Sienna spat out as her brow furrowed in a frown. She was in the midst of making progress, but she had yet to reach the level where she could consider herself the Goddess of Magic. Even her Absolute Decree was still iplete. ¡®...On top of that, this Death Knight is something else,¡¯ Sienna thought in concern. Her intent was to burn and destroy the source of his dark power, but that move had failed. The moment that her attack got close to the source of his immortality, it was the mes that had been extinguished instead. The thing that existed where the source of the specter¡¯s dark power should be was a deep, empty void that even Sienna couldn¡¯t fathom. She knew what it was as soon as she saw it. It meant that the Death Knight had be an existence that couldn¡¯t be called a Death Knight or even a demonfolk. Although she thought it was absurd, that thing... it seemed to be a Demon King. She had also sensed that its nature... was somehow close to that of the Demon King of Destruction. ¡®Although myst attacknded, I¡¯m not sure how effective it really was,¡¯ Sienna thought. Since it had managed to hit him like that, she thought that it should have at least inflicted a serious injury that would require significant recovery time, but was that really the case? Sienna let out another deep sigh as she shook her head. He had escaped. Sienna didn¡¯t even know how he had managed to get past her. He had exploded, burnt, and his physical body was destroyed, but even after he had received such a beating, he hadn¡¯t chosen to use his powers of regeneration. Instead, he had just disappeared from here as if nothing had happened. It wasn¡¯t like Sienna hadn¡¯t taken precautions in case he tried to run away. Even though she had spread strings of her mana and her magic over this entire area, she still hadn¡¯t been able to stop him from disappearing. She didn¡¯t know how he managed to escape, but it must have been a method outside of Sienna¡¯sprehension. ¡®Escape?¡¯ Sienna let out a snort ofughter at this thought. In fact, she couldn¡¯t really call it an escape. At no point did she have him at a disadvantage. That guy hadn¡¯t even put up any real resistance to Sienna¡¯s attack. Although he had put on a show of blocking Sienna¡¯s attack, he hadn¡¯t truly tried to attack her directly.... ¡°...What the heck,¡± Sienna muttered, her shoulders slumping as she floated down to the ground. The truly fortunate thing was that no one had died here today. However, even if there were no casualties, Eugene was sure to be angry. Sienna was afraid to even imagine such a sight. Chapter 455: Rage (3) Chapter 455: Rage (3) Nothing could hinder Eugenes steps on his return to Kiehl. Noir had stepped in front of him once during his sudden departure from Giabe Park. However, before Eugene could even open his mouth to say something, Noir had backed off on her own. Even Noir understood that she shouldnt try to get in Eugenes way right now. She still wanted to fight to the death with Eugene someday, but she didnt want that day to be today. I shouldnt do anything, not here at any rate, Noir thought as she stared at Eugenes back, watching him leave without saying a word. If she tried to get in Eugenes way when he was like this she felt like she would never again be able to have an idle conversation with that man. She also felt like she wouldnt be able to expect him to feel any emotions other than hate for her, and Noir would even have to give up on her fantasy of him hesitating at thest moment. That was just how strong and single-minded Eugenes emotions were at this moment. Even if it was Noir, she felt she would be swept aside if she got in his way while Eugene was ovee with such emotion. If that happened then all the emotions she had worked so hard to build up between them until this point would go to waste. Noir didnt want that to happen. Even if it was just to make the days until the time came for them to finally kill each other just that little bit sweeter, Noir didnt want to spoil the fun[1]. As such, Noir allowed Eugene to leave. Just like how Eugene wanted it, she even used her Demoneye of Fantasy so that Eugene could pass through Giabe Park as fast as possible on his way to the warp-gate. Though he probably wont see this as a favor from me, Noir said with a giggle as she slowly deactivated her Demoneye of Fantasy. Giabe Park, the city without a night, should be raucous with noise even now, in the wee hours of the morning, but it was currently filled to the brim with silence. This was because the three Giabe-Faces floating above the city had pulled the whole city into a dream solely for Eugenes sake. Still, I wanted to do this favor for you. Whether or not you ept it as one, its just what I wanted to do, Noir whispered as she sank into her plush chair. Resting her chin on one hand, Noir focused on the screen in front of her. Usually, no one should be able to look up thest coordinates used by a warp-gate, but this was Giabe City. In this city, the only one who could decide whether or not something was impossible was Noir. He used secret coordinates that arent publicly registered. These are for I see, the ck Lion Castle, Noir mused. Seeing how Hamel moved to leave right away without hiding his turbulent emotions, there was no doubt that there was something unusual going on at the ck Lion Castle. What on earth could have happened? Noir tilted her head to the side as she became lost in thought. ...No way, Noir suddenly gasped. Earlier today, Hamels Death Knight had made a brief appearance before disappearing once more. Noir hadnt informed Hamel of the Death Knights appearance. That was because the Death Knight hadnt shown any sign of hostility, and his attitude as a whole was ambiguous. Although the encounter had been brief, Noir didnt think that the Death Knight no, the fake who could no longer be called a Death Knight was still interested in being Hamels enemy. Regardless of the power, ominousness, sense of danger, or any other suspicious things about it, the fake seemedpletely devoid of any murderous intent towards Hamel. ...Instead, it seemed like he was more concerned with me, or at least that was what Noir had intuited. However what if she had been mistaken? Considering the circumstances, there was no doubt that something had urred at ck Lion Castle. Noir couldnt tell for sure, but perhaps that unknown incident may have been caused by the fake. But why? Noir couldnt see any reason for the fake to do something so drastic. Its not my fault, is it? Noir thought in concern. At the same time, she was secretly annoyed that she hadnt captured the fake even though shed had the chance to do so. * * * Eugene had received the news from Sienna in the early hours of the morning and had immediately sprung into action. He felt that seeing what had happened with his own eyes would make for a clearer picture than listening to someone talk about all the details. It would also allow Eugene to get a hold of his emotions. He just needed some time to prepare his heart. Before departing, Eugene had already been informed of the general situation by Sienna. Fortunately, no one had died. Although the severity of their wounds varied from person to person, none of the injuries had been fatal. No one had been crippled either. But even so, that didnt change the fact that there had been an assault. While forcing himself to ept this fact, Eugene did his best to calm his emotions. After all, he couldnt allow the red mist to cloud his eyes[2] and go on a rampage when he arrived at the scene. Craaack. Fortunately, his efforts to calm his emotions werentpletely fruitless, as he didnt show any unsightly losses of control, such as stamping his feet on the ground, swinging his fists around, or throwing whatever he could get his hands on. Instead, Eugene just gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. His teeth were pressed together so hard that some of them had shattered, and he could taste blood in his mind. And his fists were so tightly clenched that his fingers were broken. The pain resulting from these injuries proved quite helpful for Eugene to keep his head straight. ..., Eugene silently brooded. Perhaps because his head was so heated, Eugene even forgot to breathe for a moment. Eventually, Eugene let out the long, breathless sigh that he had been holding back and shook his head. The wizards of the ck Lion Knights, who had been unable to breathe while being suppressed by Eugenes dark mook and oppressive aura, barely managed to keep themselves from gasping for breath. ...This damage, Eugene muttered through gritted teeth. Theres nothing critical, the wizards hurried to reassure him. He waved them off, not wanting to hear the full list of damages in advance. While getting a firm hold of his breathing, Eugene lifted his head. Although there wasnt much he could actually see from here, Eugene could tell that a corner of the towering ck Lion Castle, which wasnt all that far from the warp-gate, was crumbling. He could also detect various sounds and smellsing from the distance thanks to his sharply honed senses. There were the moans of people enduring great pain apanied by the smell of blood. Eugenes gray hair began to rise from his head as the mana within him grew active. Kristina, who had been looking at Eugene with worried and nervous eyes, urgently grabbed hold of Eugenes wrist. Im fine, Eugene grunted. Please dont tell me such an obvious lie, Kristina retorted before Anise could even step forward in reprimand. Kristina rubbed the corners of Eugenes mouth with hands that had been enveloped in her divine power, regenerating his shattered teeth and torn gums. The enemy has already left, Kristina reminded him, so just what has got you so enraged, Sir Eugene? Myself, Eugene said with a sigh as he carefully pulled himself free from Kristinas hands and wiped away the blood that had leaked from his lips. Im just mad at myself. Kristina and Anise couldnt say anything in response to these words. The rage that Eugene was currently feeling was all because of his self-reproach. This guy had always been overly strict when it came to things like feelings of responsibility. [After all, hes an idiot who would choose tomit suicide after arbitrarily deciding that he was being a burden,] Anise grumbled. Meanwhile, Eugene had already begun to head forward. Inside his cloak, Mer and Raimira were embracing each other while trembling. For a moment, Eugene felt a pang of apology towards the two children. Last night, he had told them to pick where they were going to y tomorrow. Since they had been nning to leave Giabe Park in about two days anyway, Eugene had decided to allow the kids to do whatever they wanted to do before they all had to leave. Please dont worry about something like that. Do you really think of us as kids? Mer, who had read Eugenes thoughts, muttered with a pout. Mer hesitated for a few moments before she stretched her hand out from the cloak and said, I know that you cant help but be angry in this situation, Sir Eugene. But even so please promise me that you wont get all scary like you do when youre in a rage. I cant promise that, Eugene replied without a second thought. Yet even so, he didntpletely ignore Mers wishes. While still grinding his teeth, he gently grabbed hold of Mers hand. Once he had done so, Mer pulled his hand into the cloak. Benefactor, Raimira sobbed as she also held onto Eugenes hand. The childrens four hands eagerly massaged Eugenes broken fingers. A soft warmth was conveyed to Eugene through their touch. This didnt alter his current emotions. His blood was boiling red-hot in a way that couldnt bepared to the soft warmth of their touch. Still, that didnt mean the childrens meager efforts were absolutely meaningless. Because of their constantfort, Eugene wasnt able to clench the hand inside of the cloak into a fist. They passed through the forest. No, there was no way that this ce could still be called a forest. It had been turned into apletely empty field. Eugene couldnt sense any traces of dark power. In fact, he couldnt sense any dark power at all. After the intruder had put on such a show of power, there should have been at least a little dark power left behind, so Eugene felt it was slightly odd that absolutely nothing had remained for him to detect. Eugene sniffed the air, Blood. Leaping up, Eugene rapidly ascended the hill, climbing towards the castle. On his way there, he tried to set his head straight once more. So Eugene felt ready to ept whatever he might end up seeing. But he still failed. If he wasnt careful, Eugene might have even ended up crushing the childrens hands in a newly clenched fist. Eugene immediately pulled his hand back out of the cloak. Then he took a few deep breaths. The sound of his pounding heart filled his ears. At the same time, a ringing noise had reced all thoughts in his head. That son of a bitch, Eugenes lips seemed to spit out the words all by themselves. His mana began to move in response to Eugenes emotions. ck mes fluttered around him like a lions mane. When he arrived at the castle, Eugene saw many figures treating their wounds using potions. There were many others who were covered in bandages. Fortunately, ck Lion Castle was fully supplied with potions for treating all sorts of injuries. Having received support from the nearest church, priests who could use healing magic were also on standby. However, it was difficult to treat hundreds of injured people all at the same time. It wasnt just the severity of their injuries; as the wounds were permeated with dark power, it made them even harder to heal. That was why battles against demonfolk and ck wizards were such terrible affairs. Even minor scratches were slow to heal. Thanks to that, the smell of blood was still strong in the air here. Even thoughrge amounts of potions had already been poured onto them, the wounds still werent easily treated. The pain of these wounds was so severe that even if the wounds werent immediately fatal, they could be fatal if they were left untreated for too long. Eugene had been told who was responsible for all this. It was the Death Knight made from his, from Hamels corpse. The one with a personality created from Hamels memories. That was why he found it difficult to understand. If the Death Knight really did im to be Hamel, and if he really thought of himself as Hamel. If it was me, Eugene thought regretfully. then this kind of thing shouldnt have happened. Although he didnt want to put any trust in that fake bastard, Eugene he had wanted to have at least a little faith in the personality pieced together from Hamels remnants. No matter what bullshit the Death Knight had spouted from his ck-jawed mouth, that guy, if he really was a byproduct of Hamels memories then he shouldnt have attacked ck Lion Castle, where Vermouths descendants were stationed. No matter how clouded his eyes were by rage and a desire for vengeance, now that three hundred years had passed, he shouldnt have attacked Vermouths descendants, who were only living peacefully in the present era. ~ When I was resurrected like this, do you know what my very first thought was? I wanted to destroy all the seeds that that bastard, Vermouth, has left behind. ~ That was what the fake bastard had said when they met in the Samar Rainforest. So, could that really be why he had done something like this? ..., Eugene silently frowned. He had fought with the Death Knight. They had shed swords. Although he hadnt killed that guy, Eugene had beaten the Death Knight into a state close to death. At that moment, there was an instant where he had felt something within the Death Knight. The memories of Hamels suicide may have been reced with memories of a fake betrayal, but that guy, even though he was a fake it had felt like that guy did, at least to some extent, resemble Hamel. If it were him, he would never do something like this. Eugene hated the version of himself from the past who had had this thought. In the end, the Death Knight was just a fake bastard, so why had he made his own ns based on that mistaken belief. That guy wasnt Hamel. Even though Eugene obviously knew that fact, why had he expected the Death Knight to behave like Hamel? ..., Eugenes frown deepened. All that said. Its strange, Eugene realized. No one had died. There hadnt been any fatal injuries. If treatment was slow and the wounds were left untended, then someone could still die, but while that might have been a concern if this had taken ce in the middle of the Devildom three hundred years ago, this was the ck Lion Castle. Moreover, the Death Knight hadnt even destroyed the warp-gate. Even at this very moment, high-ranking priests from Ruhr were probably already on their way here. In fact, there wasnt even any need for them toe here, as from the moment the Saint had arrived, the death of any of these wounded had been prevented. So why didnt he kill anyone? Eugene wondered. Eugene knew that the Death Knight had a desire for revenge against Vermouth, so he had initially believed that the Death Knight hade here to fulfill the deration he had made in the Rainforest. Or at least that was what he had thought until he had seen this scene in person. However, now that he was taking in everything directly, there were so many strange points about all this. The fake had attacked ck Lion Castle. That much was a clear fact. However, that fake didnt seem to have had any intention of killing anyone. But why? Hey, a voice suddenly spoke out from behind Eugene, but he didnt show any signs of being startled by it. Eugene let out a sigh as he turned his head. Lady Sienna, Eugene said in greeting. They might have kept in frequent contact, but it had been almost a year since they hadst seen each other face-to-face like this. Although it hadnt felt like it had been all that long ago contrary to what he expected, it felt like Sienna had changed a lot in that time. However, the changes didnt have anything to do with her face or clothes. It was more her atmosphere. Or perhaps, her strength level? Eugene didnt know how to describe the vague changes he felting from her. But that wasnt what was important right now. Where did that bastard go? Eugene demanded. Sienna didnt feel any disappointment at hearing these words from Eugene. If it were Sienna in the same situation as Eugene, that was the first question she would have asked as well. That was why Sienna was upset that there was only one response she could give him right now, We dont know. Even though the Death Knight had been right in front of her she had still lost him. His method of escape definitely couldnt have been any type of spell. However, it hadnt been ck magic either. He appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as suddenly, Sienna exined. Sienna had managed tond quite a few attacks on the Death Knight. She had hoped to trace the mana she had nted on the Death Knight through those attacks, but even that attempt had failed. She could roughly guess the reason for that failure. The power that the Death Knight had used came from the dark power of Destruction. In the end, it seemed that all the mana she had carefully applied onto the Death Knight with her attacks had been destroyed. Sienna hesitated for a few moments before eventually saying, ...Im sorry, Eugenes eyebrows rose in surprise at this unexpected apology, What do you. I mean, why should you have anything to apologize about, Lady Sienna? I if I had just arrived sooner, Sienna said regretfully. Please dont say such things. That isn''t something you should feel guilty about, Lady Sienna, Eugene said firmly as he shook his head. Eugene had been so agitated that he had almost made a mistake. With so many people around them, if he had been caught speaking so familiarly to Sienna, he would be sure to receive unwanted attention. Im the one who should feel guilty, Eugene confessed. Its not like I really didnt have any suspicions that that stupid bastard might pull something like this, but I was foolish and didnt make any thorough prepara No, this time, it wasnt Sienna interrupting Eugene, but a different voice. Eugene jolted in surprise and turned his head. Carmen was staggering over towards Eugene, her arms splinted and bandaged. This isnt something you should feel guilty about, Carmen insisted. ...Lady Carmen, Eugene btedly greeted her. Eugene, its not like you alone make up the whole Lionheart n, Carmen stated firmly. Carmen wasnt biting on a cigar like she usually did. The bandages on her arm werent done just for style either. Staggering over, Carmen came to a halt in front of Eugene and shook her head, So why should you feel guilty about the Lionhearts being attacked while you were gone? Their opponent was a true mystery. They knew nothing about him. However, his strength had been so terrible that it had even made Carmen look down on the Demon King she had once fought. But could you use the fact that your opponent was stronger than you imagined as an excuse for your defeat? Of course not. Carmen, at least, didnt want to use that as an excuse. No matter how much stronger their opponent had been, their utter defeat still caused Carmen to experience so much regret that it felt as if her heart was being torn into pieces. ...I understand, Eugene eventually replied, clenching and unclenching his fists. It was impossible topletely shake off his feelings of guilt. But even so, the anger and humiliation that Carmen felt after being defeated in this ce of all ces was greater than anything that Eugene might be feeling. ...We dont know who the enemy was, Carmen revealed as she let out a long sigh and ced her hand on Eugenes shoulder. It wasnt the Demon King of Incarceration, so we believe that our enemy might have been a different Demon King. The dark power he possessed makes it impossible to suspect anything else. ...Yes, Eugene nodded guiltily. That guy also had something to say to us, Carmen added. Squeeze. Carmens grip on his shoulder tightened. She seemed to be trying to calm her own emotions, but it wasnt working out the way she wanted it to. Remembering what that man had said, his voice, the way he had spoken in a calm tone without much emotion. Carmen growled, He said that he came here to enrage us. In all of her life, Carmen had never heard anything as humiliating as those words. ...Rage? Eugene slowly repeated. Eugene didnt know what that fake bastard might have been thinking or hoping for when he said something like that. He said that he came here to enrage us? Eugene asked once more. But if that bastard was in front of him right now, then Eugene would have wanted to inform him with all his heart that he had seeded. * * * Having left ck Lion Castle, the specter thought about heading to Nahama. He hadnt expected to end up fighting with Sienna, but even so. This much should be enough, the specter thought to himself. Nothing else unexpected had happened. Just like how he had first intended, no one, not a single person, had died. Instead, what he had done to them was something worse than death. Theyll probably be furious, the specter muttered. Everyone there would know that he could have easily killed them, but for some reason he hadnt. Sienna would also realize this, and the one who would be arriving soon Eugene Lionheart would also figure it out. The specter hoped that their suspicions about his behavior would just provoke them to feel even more rage. In that sense, he felt that it was fortunate that Ivatar Jahav and the warriors of the Zoran Tribe had also been present at ck Lion Castle. As a result of their presence, the mes of rage would not only be fiercely burning within the Lionhearts but they would also be ignited in the hearts of the Great Tribe that had managed to unify the entire Rainforest for the first time in history. Naturally, this rage would spread to Kiehl as well. The Empires territory, one of its most secure borders at that, had been invaded. Setting aside any rage he might feel due to this situation, the Emperor of Kiehl would need to be proactive, if only for the sake of protecting his imperial dignity. Their previously weak casus belli would now be made firm. This would allow the war that Eugene had been nning for to erupt quickly. With this, things should be in order, the specter thought with relief. Now, the only thing left for the specter to do was simple. He needed to go over to Nahama and support Amelia Merwin. While doing so he just needed to provide timely support for the war. The ck Lions and the Zoran Tribes warriors had already been brought to their knees. As such, an enraged Eugene would be sure toe and attack them soon. I dont know why you want a war. However, if thats what you want it must be because you need it, the specter spected. The specter didnt know that Eugene and Hamel were reincarnations of Agaroth. So, it was impossible for him to even guess that Eugenes intention was to make a name for himself and establish his divinity through this war. However, since a war was what Eugene wanted. Because this is something that only I can do, the specter thought with some satisfaction. He wanted to help Eugene in a way that only he could. Because he wasnt Hamel, but despite knowing that, he wanted to be like Hamel. Even if it took doing something like this, if it was for the sake of bing Hamel, he would do whatever was necessary. As he was nning his return to Nahama, just as the specter saw a sandstorm whirling in the desert below, he heard a voice say, Is that so? The specter raised his head in surprise. So this is the meaning of your existence that you were looking for? the voice continued. He looked up to see the Demon King of Incarceration standing there in the pitch-ck darkness of the night. 1. The original text uses the Korean idiom of scattering ashes, as in scattering ashes onto food to render it inedible. 2. The original Korean text uses the Korean idiom of eyes rolling back into his head to depict someone losing control of themself in a rage. Chapter 456: Rage (4)

Chapter 456: Rage (4)

¡°What?¡± the specter couldn¡¯t help but bark out in question. This wasn¡¯t Babel or Pandemonium. This ce wasn¡¯t even in Helmuth. So what was the Demon King of Incarceration doing here? Until just now, the specter had been heading to Nahama. He was flying over a desert in the middle of nowhere. After first crossing this desert, he intended to figure out his approximate location, then head straight to where Amelia Merwin was. Amelia Merwin was sure to be startled by his sudden appearance and might even scream. So, after giving her a tight p on the cheek... the specter intended to kill the Sultan. This was because he felt like the Sultan was no longer necessary. Nahama¡¯s defeat in thising war was already assured. The specter himself was also hoping for Nahama¡¯s defeat. He had no intention of granting the Sultan the glory that the man so wished for. Since the Sultan was only meant to be used as a puppet, in any case, after killing the Sultan... the specter was considering disguising himself as the Sultan. But what was this? Why had the Demon King of Incarceration suddenly appeared out of nowhere? The specter turned to look around him, utterly unable to understand what was happening. The sky around him was dark. There wasn¡¯t a speck of light, but the figure of the Demon King was clearly visible. It was as if a picture had been drawn in a different color on top of a sheet of ck paper. The specter knew what this strange world was. This was the pce of the Demon King of Incarceration, which was usually located on the ny-first floor of Babel. It was also the ce the specter had barged into just a month ago. ¡°This is my pce,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration, who was standing in the sky, confirmed with a smile. ¡°...Although it might be called that, I don¡¯t really think of it as a pce.¡± The specter couldn¡¯t understand what the Demon King meant by those words and that smile of his. This was partly because the Demon King of Incarceration he was currently facing seemed to be very different from thest time they had met. For one thing, he appeared genuinely happy. Also.... ¡°This ce matches well with my name,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration revealed. ...he was being charitable enough to provide clues to a question that the specter hadn¡¯t even asked yet. ¡°It¡¯s a prison,¡± the specter muttered in a low voice. If it was a ce that matched well with the name ¡®Incarceration,¡¯ didn¡¯t that just mean a prison? Of course, the specter still couldn¡¯t fullyprehend what calling it a prison truly meant. However, at least from what was currently visible, he thought that the word prison quite suited this ce. This was a space in which no light source existed. He didn¡¯t understand how exactly the Demon King¡¯s pce ran all the way from the ny-first floor of Babel to the ny-night floor, but each of these nine floors was filled solely with darkness. There was absolutely no light to illuminate this darkness. It might look like the night sky, but no stars or moon existed. That said, both of their existences clearly seemed to possess color and stood out against the ckness of their surroundings. In front of the specter was the one and only Demon King of Incarceration. Floating in the middle of the darkness like this, the Demon King truly seemed to embody his title. This was indeed someone whose role was to imprison something. But at the same time, the Demon King also seemed to be someone who had himself been imprisoned. Just look at the Demon King¡¯s back. Going far beyond the thousands or even tens of thousands, a truly countless number of chains were connected to his back. Were those chains imprisoning the Demon King himself? Or perhaps, was the Demon King imprisoning some other entity with those chains? The specter couldn¡¯t tell where exactly the difference might lie. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration nodded with a smile. ¡°Just like you said, this ce is a prison.¡± ¡°Is this your prison?¡± the specter tentatively asked. But the Demon King of Incarceration just continued to smile widely instead of giving an immediate response. The specter changed the subject, ¡°I don¡¯t know why you¡¯re doing this. Didn¡¯t you already kick me out of herest time?¡± ¡°That¡¯s because, at that time, I couldn¡¯t give you what you wanted,¡± the Demon King replied. ¡ªAre you feeling confused? ¡ªAre you looking for the meaning of your existence and the power that you¡¯ve been granted? ¡ªIt appears that you would rather die at my hand instead. In this pce, in this prison... those were the words that the Demon King of Incarceration had said to him. ¡ªIt seems that you are misunderstanding something. At that time, the specter had wished for death. If he died while fighting the Demon King of Incarceration, and if he managed to inflict even the slightest of wounds on the Demon King during the process, then he had felt that it would be a satisfactory death. A death better than one Hamel had faced. ¡ªSince you havee here looking to die by my hand, there is no way I would kill you. The Demon King had denied the specter¡¯s wish, mocked him, and gone on to say, '' A Demon King is not a god.¡¯ Thus, there was no reason for the Demon King of Incarceration to grant the specter¡¯s earnest wish. ¡°The meaning of your existence is something that you need to seek by yourself,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration whispered the words that the specter had failed to hear thest time they had met. ¡°It is not something you should look for from a Demon King.¡± ¡°What?¡± the specter frowned, having had trouble hearing the Demon King. ¡°Oh, my nameless specter, you have found the answer to your existence all by yourself. It doesn¡¯t seem like a very satisfactory answer in my eyes, but like I said... I am not a god. If this is the answer that you have found by yourself and if it satisfies you, then it must be the right answer for you,¡± the Demon King encouraged him. Fate often repeated itself. The Demon King of Incarceration was more aware of this fact than any other Demon King, or any God, or even any other being in this world. ¡°As such, I must acknowledge your existence,¡± the Demon King said with a nod. ¡°You are truly special.¡± The specter¡¯s growth was why the Demon King could say this next sentence with confidence. ¡°You are a unique existence that will not exist when the next timees around and can only exist in the present,¡± the Demon King dered. The specter¡¯s current fate could never be repeated. As such, the Demon King of Incarceration had decided to interfere with this newly generated fate. He wanted to take the chance to observe this fate, which could never be repeated and was destined to exist only once. ¡°Oh, nameless specter, I am curious about your answer to the question of your own existence as something that cannot exist, should not exist, and yet still exists,¡± the Demon King confessed. Clicliclink. One of the countless chains connected to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s back rattled into action. The specter quickly tried to avoid it, but he found himself unable to move. He couldn¡¯t escape from this ce even if he used the dark power of Destruction. This pitch-ck space, this pce or prison, whatever it was, had imprisoned the specter¡¯s very existence. ¡°So allow me to show you something,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration whispered. The long chain stretched out and touched the specter. The specter wasn¡¯t able to escape from this contact. The chain didn¡¯t try to pierce through the specter¡¯s body or shatter his form into pieces. It was just a light touch. However, the shock that the specter felt due to this touch was greater than what he would have felt had his body been pierced through or shattered. It was much more painful and harrowing than even the seemingly endless eternity that he had been trapped in while being blended with the dark power of Destruction during the process of being reborn as the Incarnation of Destruction. Time passed slowly. The Demon King of Incarceration simply waited without showing any sign of impatience. He was genuinely curious and interested to see what kind of answer the specter woulde up with now. Eventually, the specter weakly parted his lips, ¡°What....¡± Unable to remain standing upright, the specter staggered and fell to his knees. Rooooar! The specter pressed his head against the ground in agonizing pain. It felt like his skull was being pounded into pieces. His brain was on the verge of copsing after being forced toprehend knowledge that it didn¡¯t want to ept, and various distorted reflections could be seen in his eyes as images scrolled through his vision. ¡°What... did you do to me?¡± the specter asked weakly while still gasping for breath. ¡°...Just what kind of answer... do you even want from me?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any expectations on what your answer might be,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration replied. ¡°Because whatever answer youe up with will be the right one for you.¡± ¡°Then why... do something like this... to me?¡± the specter asked, barely managing to catch his breath. He paused for a moment before speaking once more, ¡°Why pick me?¡± ¡°I, as someone who is connected to all cause and effect in this world, cannot directly interfere with the present,¡± the Demon King informed him. ¡°...,¡± the specter listened to this im silently. ¡°However, you are unique,¡± the Demon King repeated. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to foresee your existence. And there will be no other existence like you in the future either.¡± ¡°...I,¡± the specter eventually spat, ¡°just get me out of here. Send me to where I was going.¡± The specter had no desire to voice the answer that the Demon King of Incarceration had proven so curious about. But the Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t seem to feel any disappointment due to this. He could see it in the specter¡¯s eyes. Compared to when they first met in Babel, the specter felt iparably more confused about everything he had once thought he knew. Yet even so, the specter would find an answer. Now that the deeper mysteries had been revealed to him, he should be able to find the right answer. The specter had asked to be sent to his intended destination... the Demon King of Incarceration gave a broad smile and nodded in agreement. ¡°And one more thing,¡± the specter spat out through gritted teeth. Although the following words hade without warning, the Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t flustered by the specter¡¯s additional request. Instead, he actually took pleasure in the specter¡¯s demand. ¡°It¡¯s not a difficult request to grant,¡± the Demon King nodded his agreement. With that, the specter left. Left all alone in his pce, the smile faded from the face of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°So that¡¯s the case,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration muttered to himself, finally able to understand what Vermouth¡¯s intentions might have been. He now knew why that pathetic yet noble, determined yet desperate man had chosen such a being to serve as his Incarnation. ¡°You wanted it to finally end,¡± muttered the Demon King, who was both prisoner and jailor, in the quiet of his prison. Fwoooosh! When the specter opened his eyes again, he saw grains of sand being carried by the gusting wind. He was in the desert once more. The specter gasped for breath and then sat down shakily. Unlike in the Demon King¡¯s pce, where there wasn¡¯t even a single ray of light, out here, the light was extremely bright. The specter bent forward and ced both hands on top of the sand. The hot sand that had been scorched by the zing rays of the sun burned his palms. Drip. Drip. Cold drops of sweat fell onto the sand and evaporated immediately. ¡°...,¡± the specter silently stayed bent over like this for quite some time. The things that the Demon King of Incarceration had shown him and forced him toprehend were all swirling inside his head. ¡°Urrrp...!¡± In the end, the specter couldn¡¯t stand it any longer and had to vomit, but the only thing that spurted from his mouth was ck blood. After digging furrows in the sand with his fingers, the specter clutched at his head as he kept spitting out dark blood over and over again. Cracracrack! His fingers dug into his own skull, and a mix of blood and brain matter poured out. Even though the sides of his head had just been crushed, the specter still couldn¡¯t stop the thoughts running through his mind. ¡®I, whatever I choose to do, will it really be the right thing for me?¡¯ The Demon King of Incarceration had acted like he was stating the obvious. The specter bit down on his bottom lip and grabbed fistfuls of his newly regenerated hair. ¡°...,¡± the specter silently got to his feet. Forcing himself to stay standing, the specter raised his head to look at the sky. The zing hot sun was so bright that it felt like it was burning holes in his eyes. The sky, distorted from the heat of the sun, looked so deep and blue. For a few moments, the specter just stared up into the lofty sky. Then he turned his head. The specter saw the desert with its endless waves of sand dunes. Through the sandy winds, far into the distance, the specter saw what he had been hoping to see: a city built within this barren desert. Even in thisnd, where there was only sand, life still existed. People had banded together and made a life for themselves. The specter looked further into the distance. Hamel¡¯s memories and the specter¡¯s memories mixed together. Both groups of memories contributed an image of the world in front of him as it had once been, and the two images ovepped within the specter¡¯s vision. So, for a few moments, the specter was left looking at an image of the world projected entirely from his memories, a world that no longer existed in this present day. This refreshing feeling finally calmed the specter¡¯s heart, leaving even the specter himself surprised at how quickly his heart had settled. The specter blinked his eyes a few times. When he did so, his vision returned to looking at reality. Soon, the specter had decided on what to do next. His next course of action hadn¡¯t changed much from his original ns. However, there was a huge change in the emotions the specter had invested into his ns. There was an added sense of desperation. The specter turned his head to the side. He saw a different city than the one he had been looking at just now. This was the most bustling city in all of Nahama. Its capital city ¡ª Hauria. The specter stared directly at the Sultan¡¯s pce, a gorgeous building that stood tall in the center of the city. Right now, the true master of that pce was no longer the Sultan. Amelia Merwin was currently sitting on the throne in the pce instead of the Sultan. The Dungeon Masters of the desert, who boasted their own long history, had elevated Amelia Merwin to the position of their Grandmaster and had sworn to serve her. Hundreds of ck wizards had encamped themselves within the pce, and dozens of high-ranking demonfolk were having their own fun with the Sultan¡¯s harem. The specter red at the den of petty demonfolk. Originally, the specter hadn¡¯t had any desire to spare any more of his focus on the war that would soon be taking ce here in the desert. After giving everyone a push on their backs and letting Amelia run as wild as she wanted, he would sacrifice Amelia to Eugene, who had more than enough justification toe looking for her personally, and then... after that.... Just like he had with Molon, the specter wanted to fight with Eugene. He didn¡¯t have any hopes that Eugene might have anything good to say about him. He also didn¡¯t have any expectation that Eugene mighte to acknowledge him. Even so, the specter thought that that was fine. Ultimately, their fight would end with the victory of the genuine article, and the fake would have an exit befitting of his nature as the fake. That was how the nameless specter had nned to end his own life. But not anymore. *** After everything she had gone through, Hemoria had finally ended up lurking in the shadows of the city¡¯s back alleys within the slums of Hauria. However, Hemoria... wasn¡¯t all that dissatisfied with her current situation. Because, in Hemoria¡¯s opinion, whether it was the wealthy merchants, the high-ranking nobles, the devout priests, the drunkards who spent every day drowning themselves in wine, the petty thieves who picked other people¡¯s pockets, the murderers who plunged their knives into other people¡¯s bodies, and all the other types of people that could be found within these alleys, they were all just human in the end, which meant their blood didn¡¯t taste all that different. In other words, Hemoria didn¡¯t have much of a problem when it came to securing her meals. After drinking all sorts of blood and chewing all kinds of flesh, she found that most humans were edible as long as they were still alive when she got her hands on them. Perhaps this was because Hemoria had never considered herself to be a gourmet. Still, Hemoria didn''t feel much dissatisfaction over the fact that her life had led her to drink the blood of the beggars who lived in the slums. However.... The reality was that Hemoria had had no choice but to hide in these slums. Also, the frequent throbbing in her chest caused Hemoria to feel constantly afraid. ¡®That bitch will definitely try to kill me if she gets the chance,¡¯ Hemoria thought with worry. Hemoria had indeed betrayed Amelia, but she couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly aggrieved that the ck wizard had found out so quickly. After all, she hadn¡¯t betrayed Amelia outright; instead, she had conspired to betray her. While being assigned to spy on Sienna Merdein, Hemoria attempted to contact the Archwizard and secretly handed over information on Amelia. Hemoria¡¯s n had been to get Sienna to kill Amelia when the Archwizard had the opportunity to do so someday. Her actions had only been possible because Amelia was dying. The connection between them had be thinner due to the distance, and Amelia¡¯s control over her had no longer been as powerful as it was before. On top of that, Hemoria¡¯s strength had increased as a result of receiving Alphiero¡¯s blood. At first, Hemoria wondered if it would be possible to hide from Amelia and use the ritual that the dark wizard was spreading around to be a Demon King herself. But after listening to various pieces of news, she had given up on that course of action. Even if she did be a Demon King, it seemed like she would just end up being subjugated by that damned Eugene Lionheart, the Saint, and the Wise Sienna. In that case, it would be better to just sell out Amelia, obtainplete freedom, and then disappear and go into hiding. If the world became even more chaotic, that would be satisfying as well. While that might be one of Hemoria¡¯s deepest wishes, what she hoped for even more than that was for Amelia to die. Her utmost wish was to see Amelia die a miserable death in front of her. And if Amelia¡¯s death happened to be brought about by her own betrayal of the dark wizard, then¡ª ¡°Grgrk,¡± Hemoria ground her teeth in frustration. Some time ago, Amelia suddenly appeared in Nahama without even contacting Hemoria beforehand. Amelia also didn¡¯t have the same deathly look she had thest time they met. So when Amelia, who seemed to be in perfect health, came face to face with Hemoria, the dark wizard immediately noticed that her pet¡¯s leash had be loose. Hemoria had run away before the leash could be tightened once more. After all, what if Amelia read her mind, and dreams of betrayal were revealed? Things wouldn¡¯t end with just the violent punishments that she had received before. Hemoria didn¡¯t want to die, so Hemoria slipped away into the darkness and ended up wandering the slums. ¡®She must be looking for me,¡¯ Hemoria thought with fear as she manipted the blood in her body to force her heart to keep beating. Amelia had managed to somehow escape death and recover her strength, but fortunately for Hemoria, her restraints were still loosened. Otherwise, Hemoria¡¯s heart would have burst right away, or her body would have started moving on its own and forced her to return to Amelia. ¡®I need to look for an opportunity to hide¡ª¡¯ Hemoria wasn¡¯t able to finish that thought. Startled, Hemoria raised her head as she sensed something above her. The tall buildings around her only permitted a narrow view of the sky. Hemoria had been trying to not draw any unwanted attention, but now she had no choice but to make a move. Nervous, Hemoria leaped up to the roof of a nearby building. ¡°What... is that...?¡± Hemoira murmured. Looking over Hauria¡¯s city walls, arge ck cloud could be seen amassing in the distance. Although it was still far away, Hemoria was astonished to see the things floating within those clouds. Hemoria had spotted the Centipede Mountains that had previously been fused into the sky of the underground city of Ravesta. And apart from them, numerous other demonic beasts that had once been sealed in Ravesta were also now floating within those clouds. Chapter 457: Rage (5) Chapter 457: Rage (5) The other request that the specter had made of the Demon King of Incarceration was to free the demonic beasts that had been sealed within Ravesta. Demonic beasts didnt possess the same ability to reason that demonfolk did. As beings whose origins flowed directly from the source of all dark power, they were even more ferocious than monsters and had always preyed on humans. The demonic beasts sealed within Ravesta were, in particr, some of the most ferocious and gigantic demonic beasts throughout history. Although theycked the ability to reason, the demonic beasts sealed within Ravesta were strong enough to beparable to high-ranking demonfolk. The dark cloud following the specter was a direct recreation of Ravestas underground sky. The enormous demonic beasts that blended into this night sky like shining auroras were all currently marching toward Hauria, the capital of Nahama. During the era of war, these demonic beasts had preyed on countless humans, but at the moment, they were keeping their silence, and their fangs were hidden. This was because even the irrational demonic beasts knew to show absolute obedience to an existence like a Demon King. In the first ce, these demonic beasts could no longer pose any harm to the humans of this current era because, at the end of the war, the Demon King of Incarceration had ced all of the demonic beasts under his personal control. Even thergest of these demonic beasts hadnt been able to ovee this control, and now, their reins were no longer held by the Demon King of Incarceration but by the specter instead. Screeeeech! The Centipede Mountain, writhing within the ck cloud, voiced its response to the spectersmand and descended toward the ground. Tchrrrrrrrk! The reason why it had been difficult to even approach the territory of the Demon King of Incarceration three hundred years ago was the Centipede Mountain that had surrounded his entire territory. If the Demon King of Incarceration hadnt intentionally left an opening leading into his territory, it would have taken much longer for the suicide legions to enter the red ins sheltered within. In other words, the centipedes body was long enough to wrap around an entire fief. As its name implied, this demonic beast was truly asrge as an entire mountain range. Some of the centipedes countless legs dug into the sand, holding its body firmly in ce. Its other legs were held up in the air, looking like rows of halberds that had been erected on a wall. The Centipede Mountain, whose shell was so tough that it would be difficult to break through it even if an Archwizard were to attack it, had formed a wall around Hauria with its entire body. Kyaaaaaah! Citizens of the most gorgeous city in Nahama, the capital city of Hauria, couldnt help but let out identical screams of terror. A swarm of dark clouds that wererge enough to cover the entire city had suddenly rolled over them, and from within those clouds had descended a centipede as tall as a castle wall and as long as a mountain range, which had proceeded to surround the entire capital. All that could be seen from within the city was the white stomach of the Centipede Mountain and the legs that it was holding in the air. Even those who felt no qualms catching bugs with their bare hands couldnt help but have their eyes roll back into their heads as they fainted at this repulsive sight. After confirming that the city had beenpletely blockaded, the specter continued to move forward. It wasnt just demonic beasts standing at the side of the silent specter. Also present were the demonfolk of Ravesta, who were led by Alphiero. All the vassals who had once sworn service to the Demon King of Destruction were now following behind the specter. His Incarnation, Alphiero marveled as he stared at the specters back with a fascinated look in his eyes. Alphiero didnt think anything of the humiliation that the specter had inflicted on him back in Ravesta. Three hundred years. Alphiero had been waiting for a whole three hundred years for his Demon King to awaken. And now, the Demon King of Destruction had finally sent his Incarnation into the world. Aaaah, Alphiero moaned in delight. Alphiero wasnt the only one having such thoughts. The demonfolk who had been exiled to Ravesta for the past hundreds of years were all madmen who had been eagerly waiting for the return of the Demon King of Destruction and anticipating being able to go on a rampage when war was redered. When this specter had suddenly appeared in front of them and aroused his dark power, the demonfolks who had suffered such defeat and humiliation thest time they had met the specter were the first to follow him. The essential reason for their submission was the different feeling the specters dark power now gave them. As an Incarnation of Destruction, the specter felt the closest they had evere to the awakening of the Demon King of Destruction that they had been waiting for these past hundreds of years. So once he told them that he was going to start a war and asked them to follow him, what reason could they have to refuse? The specter felt the worship being directed towards him from the demonfolk behind him. Just as he was forcing himself to ignore his feelings of disgust at this sensation, Alphiero approached him with his head bowed. Alphiero began to speak, Oh Incarnation, down there, theres The specter couldnt bear listening to Alphiero speak, so he raised a hand to interrupt the vampire. ncing down, the specter spotted Hemoria on a rooftop, looking up at them with a shocked expression. That girl has betrayed Amelia and is conspiring with Sienna of Cmity, Alphiero reported. Alphiero had personally bestowed some of his own blood to Hemoria. Even though he had known about Hemorias betrayal, he had turned a blind eye to it. This was because Alphiero had felt that it would be pretty amusing to see Amelia be betrayed and killed by a pet she had looked down on once the war broke out. With your permission, I shall punish that girl personally, Alphiero offered. However, now the situation had changed. Since the Incarnation of Destruction had personally stepped forward, the war that was about to break out here had now be a holy war for Alphiero and the other vassals of Destruction. So they could not allow Hemoria to continue with her ns during the course of their holy war. His red eyes shone with a murderous light as Alphiero red down at Hemoria. The specter shook his head, Theres no need to punish her. Truly? Alphier frowned in confusion. Bring her with you, the specter ordered. The specters chillingly cold killing intent left Alphiero feeling unable to ask any more questions. Alphiero immediately flew downwards and grabbed Hemoria. Wh-what?! Hemoria yelped in protest. She had let out a cry when she was suddenly captured, but upon being dragged into the dark cloud, Hemoria had no choice but to keep her lips sealed shut. That was just how cruel and oppressive the atmosphere within those clouds was. The royal pce could be seen under their feet. The ck wizards were all on their knees with their heads bowed. The demonfolk, who had been spending their leisurely time in the Sultans harem, had alle outside to look up at the clouds. Amelia, trembling in her boots as she held dimir in her hands, was also visible among the crowd. The specter descended onto this scene all by himself. Ah um, Amelia stammered, her lips quivering. She knew she was supposed to say something but didnt know what to say. It was only then that Amelia realized something. She still didnt know how she should address the specter. Should she call him Hamel? Or should she perhaps call him by a different name? Until now, Amelia had always addressed the other party as you. This was due to her sense of superiority at having been the one to create him through a ritual. She had always considered herself superior and noble. Everyone else paled in significance next to her. But even if they werent truly insignificant, and even if they were actually stronger than her, Amelia had always stubbornly referred to them as you. This insistence was like a weak dog who barked loudly topensate for its weakness or like one of those animals whose brightly colored hide was meant to serve as a threat disy. For Amelia, who had had to ovee her dirty and miserable, sewer-like past, looking down on the other party by addressing them with you was an act of bravado meant to disguise her own weakness. However, she couldnt make use of such a tactic now. This wasnt a situation where Amelia could afford to put up a show of bravado. She was so scared that she wouldnt be able to keep it up even if she tried. Amelia felt like her head might go flying as soon she had a slip of the tongue. She had to force her legs to stay strong just to keep herself standing. Her body was draped in a splendid robe that someone like a sultan would wear, and she had a gold crown on top of her head. Eventually, Amelia reached her limit. Her body trembling in resistance, Amelia bowed her head. Then, just like the other ck wizards, she knelt in ce. dimir was set down next to her, and she even took off the crown on her head. cing both of her hands on the ground, Amelia bowed her head in the direction of the specter. * * * By the time the priests from Yuras had arrived, treatment of the wounded had already beenpleted. Their wounds had been inflicted with dark power, so the treatment wasnt easy, but potions couldn''t bepared to the healing power of a miracle cast by a Saint blessed with the Stigmata. What just what on earth, Gilead, having arrived with the rest of the reinforcements from the main estate, couldnt help but shake his dizzied head in disbelief. Gilead could at least be certain of one thing. In all of the history of the Lionheart n, there had probably never been a Patriarch with a more eventful career than himself. Of course, Gilead wasnt too pessimistic about his own situation. He also wasnt the type toment that the familys problems were too much for him to bear. Instead, he just felt a sense of guilt towards his ancestors. He felt ashamed for not being able to protect the Lionheart ns honor, and he felt anger towards the enemy who had dared to attack the Lionhearts. While barely managing to suppress a fit of passionate rage, Gilead gritted his teeth. What had happened here was both fortunate and yet humiliating. The ck Lion Castle had been invaded, but no one had died. Their mysterious enemy could have killed everyone here but hadnt chosen to do so. Just who is he? Gilead wondered as he turned his head to look over at the castle. While inspecting the wounded, he listened to their reports of the enemy. The enemys true identity was unknown. He had been wearing a mask, and he used suspiciously sinister dark power. ...Could there be some sort of secret, Gilead muttered to himself. Eugene seemed to have realized the enemys true identity. The same went for the Saint and Lady Sienna. However, Gilead hadnt been informed of any details. So they seemed to want to keep it a secret. But why? Although he didnt want to doubt his adopted son, he couldnt help but feel sad and a bit suspicious that they werent telling him the full truth. Gilead set aside his concerns about Eugene for now. After all, he couldnt just go up to Eugene and demand answers immediately. Eugene was currently inside the castle, exchanging greetings with the foreign reinforcements. ...Are you feeling alright? Gilead asked his son. Im fine, Cyan replied while rubbing his throbbing chest with one hand. He had first received treatment from the Saint, and then he had been looked at once more by the priests of Yuras when they arrivedter. The reason Cyans chest was still currently throbbing wasnt from any wounds but because his mana had been nearly drained from using Geddons Shield. ...Im sorry, Cyan hesitantly apologized. What do you even have to be sorry for? Gilead asked in surprise. Even though Im the future Patriarch, I couldnt do anything, Cyan confessed. ...Instead, I even had thoughts of running away Thats enough, Gilead said firmly. What happened here could have caused anyone to have such thoughts. But even so, Cyan, you didnt run away. Instead, you did your best to fight against the enemy and protected your younger sister. Although this situation as a whole felt bitter and painful, Gilead felt pride in what he had seen from Cyan. When he was younger, Cyan was a boy who seemed to have more ws than strengths, but now. Gilead smiled widely and patted Cyan on the shoulder. What about Ciel is she okay? Cyan asked worriedly. Gilead nodded, Mhm. She wasnt seriously injured. Shes also recovered from her faint. However, since her eyes are special, Lady Sienna and the Saint said they would need to keep her under observation for just a bit longer. Cyan knew what the word special meant. It was referring to Ciels Demoneye. Although it was different from the Demoneyes possessed by the demonfolk, Ciels Demoneye was at least inherited from a demonfolk the Demon King of Fury at that. There hadnt been any abnormalities so far, but when Ciel had tried to activate her eyes ability, the specter had destroyed her bindings with his dark power, so there was a need to monitor her recovery. Im perfectly fine, Ciel, who was currently stuck inside the castle, stuck her lips out in a pout and grumbled. It was true that her eyes power had been shattered when she tried to activate it, and in the process, her mana had bacshed, causing damage to her Core. However, it was nothing serious enough to warrant such fuss. Her Core was sore, but that was it. The dark power may leave a trace behind, Anise reminded her. And Im saying that it hasnt, Ciel stubbornly insisted. Anise growled, Do you really want to end up with only one eye? Once Anises eyes had narrowed into a piercing re, Ciel didnt continue to argue any further and quietly kept her mouth shut. Anise wasnt the only one sticking close to Ciel. Sienna was also sitting on Ciels other side, rubbing her back as she checked Ciels Core and mana veins. Could it be that shes going to develop another Demoneye? Sienna mused. Anise frowned, Dont suggest something strange like that. It could happen, Sienna insisted. Her Demoneye was created when the dark power of the Moonlight Sword seeped into Ciel. In the end, that son of a bitchs dark power isnt so different from the Moonlight Swords. My eye is a present given to me by my ancestor. Its not due to that swords dark power, Ciel, who had been trying to keep silent, couldnt help but speak up in anger once more. It was now Siennas turn to pout in dissatisfaction at this blunt response, Its exactly because your ancestor is connected to the Demon King of Destruction that Im so worried about it! Honestly! I told you not to say anything strange, Anise snapped. Also, lower your voice. This is the ck Lion Castle! If anyone were to hear you say that their ancestor is connected to the Demon King of Destruction. Hey, your voice is even louder than mine, you know? Sienna argued back. Ciel was so shocked by Siennas retort that she had to p her hand over her mouth. Sienna found this appearance so childish and cute that she couldnt help but let out a snort ofughter. Sienna waved her hand, Its a pointless concern anyway. Do you really think I wouldnt put a barrier over us when discussing something like this? ...Even if you ced a barrier, your words could still be leaked, Anise insisted. Sienna sniffed, Thats even more of a pointless concern. Who do you think I am? Im Magics God Sienna had been about to say Magics Goddess, but she suddenly felt like she would be ridiculed if she said something like that in front of Ciel. So Sienna immediately snapped her mouth shut. Although Sienna had suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence, Ciel wasnt really all that curious about what had been left unsaid. She had no doubt that it was just more of Siennas usual nonsense and self-aggrandizement. More importantly, Ciel was concerned about what was going on with Eugene. Presently, Eugene was conversing with the foreign representatives in another room in the castle. By the way, I havent caught up with the current situation. Whats going on now? Ciel asked. Its Molon, Anise replied as she leaned closer to Ciels left eye. ...It seems like the guy who invaded the castle first went to see Molon a few hours beforehand. What? Ciel yelped. But thats impossible. There isnt even a warp-gate in the Lehainjar Mountain Range, where Sir Molon is residing, so how could he get all the way here from there in just a few hours? He must have used that strange method of his to travel here, Sienna answered Ciels question with a furrowed brow. The spell usually used for any long-distance movement that didnt go through a warp-gate was the Teleport spell. Warp-gates could enable ultra-long distance movement by connecting two fixed spatial coordinates, marked by the gates, with each other. Teleportation or Blink didnt have to make use of such gates but instead created a designated point and then leaped towards their point through abined effort of both body and soul. Eugenes Signature spell, Feathers of Prominence, was an application of thetter type of spatial magic. Even for an Archwizard, there were certain conditions needed to cast a Teleport. That was still the case even for Sienna, as well as the dragons, who were known to be the master maniptors of magic. Even for someone like them, it was still essential to prepare a designated point, and even then, the distance they could travel was iparably shorter than the reach of a warp-gate. As for teleportation that ignored all distance restrictions, that only left the use of the leaves of the World Tree, or else A Demon King, Sienna thought suspiciously. The Demon King of Incarceration was able to freely appear and then disappear from anywhere in the world. That was also the case for the Demon King of Destruction. So appearing and disappearing from anywhere in this world without setting a designated point beforehand or being restricted by the distance was a power that only the Demon Kings had ever been shown to possess. Molon was currently calling Eugene through a long-distancemunication spell. [I searched all over the Lehainjar.] Eugene listened to Molons story in silence. [However, I couldnt find any trace of him. I thought at first that he might have been concealing his dark power, so I searched a few more times, but I still couldnt find him,] Molon said in frustration. The Death Knight no, he couldnt really be called a Death Knight at this point but that said, he didnt quite seem like a Demon King either he had gone looking for Molon and challenged him to a fight beforeing here. [I Ive really made a mistake,] Molon said regretfully. [If I had contacted you immediately instead of searching for him] Thats enough, idiot, Eugene said with a sigh. The damage over here wasnt too bad. What about you? Are you okay? [Mhm. I was injured slightly, but Im fine,] Molon reassured him. Of course, youd be fine. I would have been disappointed in you if you had been beaten by a half-baked bastard like that, Eugene bluntly spat out as he scratched his head in frustration. ...What about the mountain? Has there been any changes in Raguyaran? That guy had made heavy use of the dark power of Destruction. Eugene couldnt help but feel uneasy at the thought of a guy like that running around unchecked all over the Lehainjar. What if that brought some kind of stimtion to the Demon King of Destruction and woke him up? Or if it led to the Nur appearing inrger numbers? [Im keeping an eye on it, but there havent been any problems yet,] Molon reported. Right now, Molon was down in the training grounds where the Knight March had been held. He hade down here to treat the injuries he had sustained in his battle and to contact Eugene. Although that meant he had had to leave the Great Hammer Canyon, Molons shining eyes could see the entire mountain range as well as the Raguyaran, even from the training grounds. [Hamel,] Molon hesitated for a few moments before continuing to speak. [That guy he didnte here to kill me or just to fight with me.] ..., Eugene held his tongue. [If we had kept fighting, then I might have been the one to fall. However, that guy didnt keep the fight going and was instead the first to take a step back,] Molon honestly admitted. Thats what happened here as well, Eugene grunted. After igniting everyones temper, he just left without even killing anyone. We dont know where hes gone now. As he said this, Eugene scratched the floor in frustration. Although it was a solid marble floor, when Eugene scratched at it, furrows were dug in the floor. Eugene cursed, Thats what fucking sucks. Do you know whats even more of a fucking insult? That bastard was wearing a mask. He actually covered up my past lifes face. [...,] it was Molons turn to keep silent. Although I dont really want to keep thinking about it, my thoughts keep turning to the question. Could it be, does that son of a bitch know who I am? Eugene muttered with a dark frown. Screech, screeeeech. Eugene kept scratching the floor as he voiced his suspicions, Could it be that hes realized that I am Hamels reincarnation, so hes put on a mask because he wants to protect Hamels my honor, or because he wants to be considerate of me? [Hamel,] Molon tried to reach out to Eugene. Eugene ignored the interruption, Even though he went looking for you, he came here afterward and did all this shit. Screeeeeeeech. As Eugenes fingers were digging another furrow into the floor, they clenched into a fist as he growled, What the fuck is he even trying to do? [Hamel whatever he is he knew he was a fake. While fighting him, I thought that he resembled you,] Molon hesitantly admitted. Molon, if you were in front of me right now, I would have smashed my fist straight into your chin, Eugene promised. But Im trusting you to have said something like that even though you knew just how much that would offend me. Molon nodded. [Of course, I knew. Hamel, I said all that while prepared to receive a few punches from you when we next meet. But I really did feel something like that.] Son of a bitch, Eugene muttered, not making it clear who he was referring to. [I hope that you give these words some serious thought. Even though hes realized he was a fake, as someone who resembles you, what reason could he have to wear a mask and do all of this? What on earth would someone like him want to do?] Molon questioned. Hah, Eugene let out a scoff as he rxed his clenched fists. He stood up, and while shaking off the marble dust that had been caked onto his palms, he asked, Whats the point of me even thinking about it? All I need to do is find that son of a bitch and ask him his reasons before killing him. [Thats also one solution. However, we still dont know where he is,] Molon pointed out. Eugene sniffed, Please, that guy wants me to kill him. He even went so far as to wear a mask ande here to provoke me. Theres no need for me to keep my eyes peeled looking for him. Ill find out where he is sooner orter. But before that. Eugene scrubbed his still powder-covered palms on the wall. Realizing that rubbing his hands like this was a sign of his own nerves, Eugene clenched his fists once more and pounded his chest in an attempt to relieve the choked-up feeling that he was experiencing. ...Theres something I need to do, Eugene quietly muttered. Molon perked up, [Hm? Did you say something? I didnt quite hear you] Eugene had hoped that this day would nevere, but now. I need to reveal who I really am, Eugene spat out through gritted teeth. Chapter 458: Hamel (1) "Is it really... really okay?" Anise stuttered while grasping Eugenes hand. She seemed to be nervous, which was rather uncharacteristic of her. "You might be acting on a moment''s impulse, driven solely by emotion. Hamel, if that''s the case, please reconsider. You will surely regret itter, she continued. Anise took on a serious expression as she earnestly voiced her concerns. Sienna stood beside her, wondering what expression she should wear. Sienna thought there was reason in Anise''s words. After all, Eugene had quite an extensive history of acting unbefitting with his identity. She heard that Eugene even tried acting his age during childhood to avoid suspicion. Whether he had intentionally avoided mastering the toilet as an infant was uncertain, but it was clear that he lived like a child during his youth. It wasnt limited to his childhood either. Eugene had a few, no, quite many embarrassing moments, even when he was old enough not to behave childishly. As Anise said, acting impulsively would surely lead him to regretter. Finally, Sienna chimed in with her opinion, "Hmm. Eugene made his own decision, right? It''s not our ce to intervene. The regret was something Eugene had to bear, right? It was solely his. Whether he might regret making a hasty decision or feel embarrassed enough to wish for deathter all of that was for Eugene to deal with. Sienna had nothing to bear or lose in this decision. On the contrary, she stood to gain more. "I''m acting on impulse, and it''s a spur-of-the-moment decision," Eugene admitted with a frown, "Anise, like you said, I will definitely regret it. It wont even take that long. Ill probably start regretting it in just a few hours from now. "Then" Anise started. "Still, I won''t change my mind," Eugene dered without letting her finish. The Death Knight knew he was a fake and wasn''t Hamel. It was highly probable that the Death Knight knew that Eugene was Hamels reincarnation. Otherwise, there would have been no reason for him to hide his face and cause a disturbance at ck Lion Castle. If there had been many deaths, Eugene might have suspected Amelia Merwin was behind the attack. The Death Knight could have been forced to kill regardless of his own will if it had been amand from Amelia. But there were no deaths. He hadn''t killed anyone. It was unlikely Amelia Merwin would issue such an order. "He provoked me but also showed consideration for me, admitted Eugene. And he found it absolutely infuriating. "Ultimately, he came here and caused trouble because of me. Its a very, very frustrating situation, isnt it? The Patriarch, Lady Carmen, and the others, even Ivatar and his warriors, must feel unjustified and frustrated. That guy suddenly showed up, beat them up, and left. They dont even know who he is, continued Eugene. "....." Anise and Sienna listened to Eugenes exnation without a word. "The Patriarch and Lady Carmen said it''s not my fault, but that''s because they don''t know the whole story. Lets be frank. How is it not my fault? He came here and caused a ruckus because of me. Luckily, no one died, but it doesn''t lessen my responsibility." As Eugene continued, Anise''s expression changed. She no longer tried to persuade Eugene. She realized there was no reason to. It was true that he was acting impulsively and emotionally. However, the emotions driving Eugene were anything but trivial. "And that bastard was practically oozing the power of Destruction. Now I can''t even make excuses about the Moonlight Sword," Eugene added. Eugene had wielded the Moonlight Sword in the battle against the Demon King of Fury. Those who fought alongside him, including Carmen and the others, couldn''t help but question the sword. What was this sword that emitted an ominous light and even cut through the Demon King''s dark power? Eugene had been left with no choice but to lie that it was an artifact he found during his travels. Now, that excuse was no longer viable. Besides, it seemed necessary for him to reveal the truth in consideration of the future. The idea of having to make up an excuse about the Moonlight Sword in every uing battle seemed utterly exhausting. He had to talk about the unique nature of the blood of the Lionhearts and regarding Vermouth in the future as well. That was why, right now, Eugene decided to reveal his biggest secret to the elders of the Lionheart family. That I am Hamel''s reincarnation, Eugene stated inwardly. Only two people in the Lionheart family knew Eugene''s secret: Genos Lionheart, the inheritor of Hamel-style, and Ciel Lionheart. No one else in the Lionheart family knew that Eugene was Hamel''s reincarnation. Today, a few more would find out the truth. He had no intention of revealing it to the entire family, just to the n elder, Klein, as well as the other seniors of the family. "...Hmm..." Sienna nced at Eugene''s face from the corner of her eye. His serious expression and the weight of his words made Sienna feel a bit, just a bit, ashamed of herself.bender Should she stop Eugene from revealing his secret? There was no reason to. As she thought earlier, there was nothing for Sienna to risk or lose in Eugene''s decision to reveal his identity. In fact, she had much to gain. She wouldn''t have to consider the Lionheart familys opinion anymore. When Sienna had been in the Lionheart family mansion, she had always been wary of how she was perceived by the family members. She wasnt sure if this was the case with other people as well, but she definitely worried about the familys opinion of her. A centuries-old wizard taking on a barely twenty-year-old, sprightly young man as her apprentice and then bing romantically involved with him would definitely be seen as inappropriate. She couldnt help but be wary of her surroundings. To make matters worse, Eugene was the star of the Lionheart family, as well as the Hero. He drew the attention of everyone on the continent. In addition, the Lionheart familys prestige was second to none. She sought Ancis cooperation regarding this issue at the cost of her dignity, but it did not resolve all the problems. But what if Eugene revealed his true identity as Hamels reincarnation? For now, he seemed intent on revealing the truth to only a few key figures in the family, but that was enough to satisfy Sienna. Eventually, she could openly pursue a formal rtionship and marriage with Eugene without worrying about the opinions of the Patriarch or his father. ...A formal rtionship? Wait, aren''t we already in one? A sudden question popped into her mind, leaving Sienna confused. But in Eugene''s current state, she couldn''t dare to ask. .. Ciel had already been silent for a while. Her lips were tightly sealed but asionally twitched at the corners. Like Sienna, she, too, found it difficult to intervene in the conversation. If it bes known that Eugene is Hamel''s reincarnation. Ciel gulped nervously at this thought. This revtion would significantly ease her efforts to convince her parents. Of course, even if Eugene didn''t intend it that way, it was something to be tackled gradually after everything else was settled. Ciel wasn''t in a hurry. Opening the door, Eugene entered the room. Waiting at the round table of the ck Lion Castle were eight people: Klein, Carmen, Gilead, Anci, Gion, Cyan, Gerhard, and Genos. "What brings us here...?" Gilead asked. He appeared perplexed but had a rough idea of why they were called. He, along with everyone else, assumed it was to discuss the assant of the ck Lion Castle. It was crucial for them to confirm the identity of the attacker. Hence, despite their busy schedules, everyone had promptly gathered at the round table following the summons. Is there a reason for me to know as well? Gerhard wondered why he was summoned. He had answered the call with the soldiers of the family, but Gerhard wasnt a warrior. Even if they had identified the assant, there was absolutely no reason for Gerhard to don his armor and weapons. Of course, that didnt mean he was without any roles. Even until now, Gerhard had been helping Anci as she personally looked after the injured. On the other hand, Anci felt a strong sense of responsibility as the mistress of the Lionheart family. I must know, she thought as she stared at Eugene with a serious expression. Although she doubted it woulde to that, if need be, and if Eugene asked for it, she was ready to mobilize not just the imperial army under her own family, the Kaenis Countys control, but also all the connections of the imperial social circle she had formed until now. "There''s something important I need to tell you," Eugene began as Sienna, Ciel, andstly, Kristina entered the room. Though in a simr position to Anise, Kristina also held great anticipation for Eugene''s confession. She stared intently with her hands sped in front of her chest and eyes full of faith. "Is this about the enemy?" Carmen mumbled. She was still bandaged, even after the treatment. Eugene took a deep breath before speaking. "I have a secret, he dered. The word ''secret'' elicited an immediate response from Genos. His eyes widened in shock at Eugene. Could it be? Right now? Here? Eugene nodded slightly, acknowledging his astonishment. "I am." Suddenly, Eugene was struck with fear. Voicing this truth now meant there was no going back to how things were. He feared losing the rtionships he had as a son, foster child, and brother. Even so, what had happened had happened. Moreover, simr incidents might take ce in the future as well. They were bing tangled in the problems he was causing, not as Eugene Lionheart but as the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas. It was about family. He wasnt sure how everyone would react, but Eugene''s resolve remained unchanged. Even if returning to the past was no longer possible, Eugene was the same in the past, now, and in the future. Whether he was the reincarnation of the God of War, Agaroth, or Hamel, he was simply himself, in this moment, in this ce. The enemy was a Death Knight forged from his corpse. It was a consciousness crafted from his residual memories. There had been numerous opportunities for Eugene to y it, and he had done so as well. In fact, he had thought it had been vanquished. But he had failed to kill it. The Death Knight had survived,mitted these atrocities, and then vanished. Its disappearance signified its survival. It might appear once more to wreak further havoc. Eugene was uncertain of what it might do next, given its existence stemmed from him. This remained true, even though Eugene had not directly contributed to its birth. Even so, Eugene thought, firming his resolve. Eugene''s eyes settled calmly, and the atmosphere surrounding him shifted. Everyone silently awaited Eugene''s following words. "I am the reincarnation of Hamel." There was no immediate response. But it wasn''t that there was no reaction. Everyone''s eyes went wide with shock as they gazed at Eugene. Was it a joke or a prank? No one entertained such thoughts. Making such an absurd joke would bepletely out of ce. It was unthinkable. "....." A heavy silence settled in the room. Gerhard''s mouth hung agape as he stared at Eugene. ''The reincarnation of Hamel.'' Gerhard could immediately assume who Eugene was referring to. Hamel was therade of the Great Vermouth, the progenitor of the Lionheart family. The Stupid Hamel. "Ah." Gerhard gasped as he could suddenly connect the dots after hearing his sons sudden confession. He remembered that Eugenes cries were few ever since he was a baby. He cried asionally, but even that seemed different from a normal infant''s cries. At the time, it seemed almost as if although unthinkable, that he was crying deliberately. His development in speech and walking had been unbelievably swift. At the time, it seemed strange, but it was quickly epted. After all, it wasn''t long after he started walking that he was seen wielding a small stick like a sword. He was a prodigy. That was what Gerhard had thought. This fact had been enough for Gerhard to make sense of most of the strange things about his young son. Indeed, he turned out to be a prodigy. His son had been the only one from the coteral lines to win the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. He had even be the adopted child of the main family. He was permitted to inherit the White me Form, and he continued to develop by learning magic and even proceeded to gain the recognition of the Holy Sword... He had thought his son to be a genius. However, he was now iming himself to be the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago. It was unbelievable, yet undeniably true. Gerhard finally managed to close his gaping mouth. He ced his hand over his fluttering heart while trying to steady his breath. The shock and confusion were not Gerhard''s alone. Everyone except Genos, felt both extreme astonishment and turmoil. Yet, not a single soul posed another question to Eugene. No one scoffed at his seemingly nonsensical words. Even a moment''s contemtion was enough to ept the truth in Eugene''s statement. Gilead, Anci, Gion, and Cyan the members of the main family had observed Eugene since he was thirteen. In particr, Gion vividly remembered the moment Eugene first entered the Lionheart familys Leyline. He had instantly felt and manipted mana. Such talent couldn''t merely be chalked up to genius. Gion, too, had beenuded as a prodigy since his youth. But, to be honest, he had not wanted to think of Eugene''s abilities as just mere genius. "That... statement...." Gilead stuttered out his words. It was unbelievable yet undeniable. Gilead tried to calm his jumbled thoughts and emotions as he attempted to pose a question. But Gerhard abruptly raised his hand and interrupted Gilead''s words, "Family head. Let me speak first." Gerhard''s voice was uncharacteristically firm. Gilead flinched and stepped back. "Very well, he answered. It was only right that Gerhard Lionheart should be the first to converse with Eugene. He deserved that right more than anyone else in the world. Gerhard took several deep breaths and looked straight at Eugene. "...Why are you revealing this secret now?" Gerhard asked. His voice was filled with an inevitable tremor. Even his manner of speaking had changed. "Surely you didn''t just remember this truth. You arent suggesting that, are you?" "Until now, I saw no need to speak of it," Eugene replied with a bitter smile as he gazed back at Gerhard. "Why did you think there was no need to speak of it?" inquired Gerhard. "Because whether I am the reincarnation of someone or not, you are still my father, replied Eugene. Gerhard''s eyes quivered. "To be honest, it was hard to see you as my father when I was young. Back then, it hadnt been long since I reincarnated. But no matter what I thought, you were always my father, and you treated me as your son, confessed Eugene. "....." Gerhard listened quietly as his chest filled with emotion. "Until now, and in the future, too. Even if you can no longer consider me your son, I will still think of you as my father, said Eugene. Gerhard''s eyes welled up as he struggled to hold back the tears. He staggered forward and opened his arms wide. He embraced Eugene. "I am... I am the father of a hero," Gerhard said, stifling a sob. After patting his back a few times, Gerhard released his son. He staggered back. His legs gave way, and he copsed into a chair. "It''s the same for Patriarch, Lady Anci, and Sir Gion, said Eugene, looking at the trio. "...Why would we think any differently?" It was a hard truth. Hamel. The Stupid Hamel. Therade of the progenitor, the Great Vermouth. The friend of the Brave Molon, the founding king of Ruhr. Thinking back to the Knight March, Molon himself must have known the truth. "My goodness..." Anci uttered as she covered her mouth with her hands. She alternated her gaze between Sienna and Eugene, and at one point, she met Siennas gaze. Anci couldn''t understand why Sienna was winking at her vigorously. "Me... what about me?" Cyan stammered. "If Sir Gerhard is your father, and the Patriarch and Lady Anci are the same. Then then what about me? I mean, am I... still part of this?" Cyan felt a sense of unease growing within him as he looked at Eugene. Was he now to be told he wasn''t a brother after all? He noticed Ciel''s expression in the background. Had she already known? Herck of surprise suggested so. ''Why was Ciel told before me?'' Cyan felt a pang of jealousy that his twin had known before him. "You''re the same too, said Eugene. "Ugh." Cyan clutched his chest while gasping for breath. "The same. What do you mean?" he questioned. "My brother, answered Eugene simply. "Good heavens." Cyan plopped down into a chair while breathing heavily. "....." Another short bout of silence followed this conversation. Klein had little to do with Eugene, but he had been included in the conversation. He cleared his throat, "Ahem... I will keep this from the other elders." It must have been to save his face as the chief elder. Klein stroked his beard while ncing at Genos before saying, "Genos. You must also" "I have known for several years, confessed Genos, interrupting Klein. Kleins eyes widened at the response. Just then, Carmen spoke up for the first time, "Reincarnation." The moment she raised her voice, all eyes turned to her. She was known as the most entric in the Lionheart family, yet clear about the distinction between public and private matters. If Carmen dered she couldn''t treat Eugene the same as before, the mood would be awkward. "The reincarnation of Hamel..." she muttered. "Yes. I had no intention of deceiving you, Lady Carmen..." Eugene responded. "The Stupid ck Lion..." Carmen muttered as if she hadnt heard him. Eugene''s expression contorted. Chapter 459: Hamel (2) Chapter 459: Hamel (2) After some time passed and the heightened emotions died down, Eugene exined the attack behind ck Lion Castle. Cyan had encountered the Death Knight in the Samar Rainforest. He reacted in shock at the mention of the Death Knight. "Wasn''t that guy killed back then... Sir?" Cyan asked. "Why are you talking like that?" Eugene responded. "Ahem.... I keep getting distracted..." Cyan admitted, a bit embarrassed. "If it bothers you so much, maybe we should stop calling each other brothers," Eugene suggested half-jokingly. "That bastard. He was supposed to be dead, wasn''t he?" Cyan blurted out, then suddenly realized the presence of Anci and Gilead in the room. Gilead didn''t seem too bothered, but Anci shot a sharp look at Cyan the moment he spoke, making him shrink back. His mother was once more fearsome than anyone else, and her nature was not lost on him. "Death Knight...." Those who hadn''t been in the forest; basically everyone apart from Cyan, were unaware of this entity. Eugene had previously asked for secrecy regarding this matter to avoid chaos in the main family. But even when the soul inside was a fake, the body itself belonged to Stupid Hamel. Revealing this to the main family would have only caused chaos, so keeping it a secret seemed a reasonable course of action to Cyan at the time. How could it be that the body of a great hero was desecrated and turned into a Death Knight? Furthermore, the Death Knight had turned into an existence close to a Demon King and attacked ck Lion Castle. It was a shocking and difficult truth to ept. Perhaps in an era of war, but in these times of peace, undead crafted from human corpses were virtually nonexistent. "Ahem..." Gilead cleared his throat while looking ahead. The identity of the assant paled inparison to the revtion of Eugene''s true identity. Since the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, Gilead had thought the child exceptional, unbelievably talented, a gift from the heavens. Of course, that was to be expected. Who could have imagined that Eugene was the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel? "Uh Ehem Eugene?" Gion spoke up hesitantly. He gave the same bright smile as usual as he continued, "I can understand that you are the reincarnation of Sir Hamel, but I. Well, is it still okay for us to treat you the same as before? Eugene replied, "I told you already. Apart from my reincarnation, I am still the same as before. "Hahaha. Right, you are still Eugene, regardless of the reincarnation. Um, yeah, Gion replied nervously. He had asked once more, a bit redundantly, because Anci and Klein still looked uneasy with the newfound truth. His brother, Gilead, on the other hand, would not be bothered much; in fact, he did not seem to be bothered by Eugene being a reincarnation of a great hero. The same held true for Gion. He had looked after Eugene ever since he was young. Of course, it could no longer be said that he looked after Eugene after learning of his true identity, but in any case, he shared many memories and a strong bond with Eugene. Neither Gilead nor Gion cared much about Eugenes true identity. It was simr for Carmen. She was unexpectedly strict and sensible yet epted Eugene just as he was. On the other hand, it was harder for Klein toe to terms with the revtion. His expression was gruff, voice heavy, and as he nced furtively at Eugene, a cold sweat ran down his spine. Eugene was the reincarnation of a hero and of the notoriously ill-tempered Hamel at that. Klein did not believe Eugene''s demeanor thus far had been an act or a deception. But still, if it was that Hamel, a thought crossed his mind... might he casually overturn all established rtionships now that the truth was out? Such thoughts were inevitable, given that the Hamel of the fairy tales Klein read as a child was a character of extremely foul temperament. It was an unavoidable circumstance. It had been over two hundred years since Sienna and Anise published those fairy tales. The curseden first editions could only be found in libraries like Akron, and over the centuries, the book underwent several revisions to fit the times. In particr, for renditions targeted at children, many portrayed Hamel as a bad-tempered fool, for the story to serve as a cautionary tale. It was aimed to educate children not to grow up like him. "This isplex," Carmen murmured while stroking her chin. "The Stupid ck Lion." "From the moment I started to walk and could pick up a book to read on my own," Eugene said, ring at Sienna with a murderous look. Catching his gaze, Sienna casually turned her head and hummed to herself, pretending not to notice his gaze. "I hated being called Stupid Hamel, he said. "Isn''t judgment the right of posterity?" countered Carmen. "It''s not posterity''s judgment! It''s all because of this" Eugene was about to point at Sienna while shouting. However, he was suddenly silenced. Sienna''s eyes sparkled like gems, and in an instant, her magic sealed Eugene''s mouth and restrained his movements. "What''s important now is not whether Hamel... or Eugene is stupid, said Sienna. The ending of the fairy tale had remained the same through dozens of revisions. Hamel confessed his feelings to Sienna as he died. What if it became known that Sienna was the author? She didn''t want to face the consequences. "Hmm... indeed," Carmen nodded. "I think ''The Stupid ck Lion'' sounds quite noble. But Eugene, if you dislike it, I won''t call you stupid. What I know of you is far from stupid. What kind of magic was this? Eugene marveled and panicked at the magic restraining him. When he first heard that Sienna was aiming to be the Goddess of Magic, he thought she might have finally lost her mind after three hundred years... but it seems it wasn''t just talk. "The Reincarnated ck Lion... that won''t do either. Nor ''The Returned ck Lion,'' since you don''t want your reincarnation to be known..." Carmen muttered. "....." Eugene could just listen to her mumblings, unable to react. "Then, regrettably, Eugene, I shall simply call you ''The ck Lion,'' Carmen finally concluded. Eugene decided to stay quiet, not voicing his opinions. The nickname ''ck Lion'' might ovep with the ck Lion Knights, but honestly, he didn''t dislike the moniker. "But still. While we can overlook it for now, I believe a fitting alias must eventually be discussed and bestowed upon you. For now... as Lady Sienna said, there are more pressing matters, said Carmen. "Yes," Sienna agreed. "The Death Knight, dered Carmen. Her expression immediately changed. She clenched her fists as she recalled the battle with the Death Knight. "Even if he is a fake, the skills he used are Hamels that were forged from his remnant memories. I, too, have sparred several times with Sir Genos and am well-versed in those techniques. But" "He never once used those techniques, Genos interjected, his voice tinged with humiliation. "Had he employed Hamel style, I would have surely recognized it." "He had no need to use them, or he deliberately refrained. Both, I suppose. The bastard dared to show me consideration, said Eugene. His lips twisted into a wry smile. "And aftermitting such vile acts, Eugene finished. "Hmm." Carmen looked back and forth between Eugene and Genos. Genos had known about the reincarnation in advance. It was somewhat expected. Genos''s lineage was the legitimate heir to the Hamel style. Carmen was curious about exactly when the rtionship between the two blossomed but didnt press for answers right then. She could always inquireter, slowly, step by step. "...His dark power was unsettling and ominous." There were other matters at hand. "If the dark power mixed within him was that of Destruction, then that unsettling and ominous force must have been it. But... I have felt that dark power before, said Carmen. She couldn''t let go of that nagging question. Eugene had said that the sword he wielded against the Demon King of Fury was an artifact he stumbled upon during his travels. She hadn''t beenpletely convinced even then. The light emitted by the Moonlight Sword was too sinister. But it was undeniably lethal against the Demon King of Fury, and the one who wielded that light was a kinsman Carmen could trust and rely on in battle. That was why, despite her doubts, she hadn''t probed further. Frankly, she had faith that Eugene, being who he was, would handle it well. But now, that was no longer an option. "I understand what you are wary of, Lady Carmen, Eugene said with a deep sigh. Carmen abruptly stood up in response to his words. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at Eugene. "What. Whats wrong?" asked Eugene. "Lady Carmen..." muttered Carmen. "What is it?" inquired Eugene. "Please address me once more," Carmen asked with an earnest face. Eugene found her gaze and expression awkward. But heplied with the request. It wasnt anything difficult. "Lady Carmen, he called out. "Ah..." Carmen moaned and trembled with a strange thrill. It was none other than the great hero, the Stupid Hamel, who was addressing her as such. Eugene couldn''t quite grasp why Carmen seemed so satisfied as she sat down once more. "Exining it all would be tiresome, Eugene said, then cleared his throat as he rose from his seat. He felt Sienna and Kristina''s worried gazes. He gave a slight nod to assure them, then drew the Moonlight Sword from his cloak. "This is Vermouth''s." Eugene stopped abruptly. A minor irritation nagged at his mind. Just moments ago, he had assured everyone that he remained Eugene Lionheart. He was unchanged from who he was. In other words, the people before him were still the elders of the n, and Eugene, as always, would respect them as such. What then of Vermouth? When talking to those unaware of the circumstances, he had always referred to Vermouth with honorifics. But what about now? "Um... does it bother anyone if I call Vermouth just Vermouth...?" asked Eugene. No one quite knew how to respond to that, and naturally, all eyes turned to Gilead, the family head. Gilead felt a tinge of resentment under their gazes and gave an awkward smile. "Eugene. You are also Sir Hamel, so feel free to address the founderfortably, he said. "Well, yes. I guess thats true." Even if it were bothersome or inappropriate, Eugene intended to keep calling Vermouth by his name. He continued while infusing mana into the Moonlight Sword. This sword was used by Vermouth three hundred years ago, he exined. Fwoosh! A pale, ominous moonlight wrapped around the de. "...It''s a bit... different, Carmen observed the Moonlight Sword with surprise. The light she saw now and the one during their battle against the Demon King of Fury weren''t entirely the same. If she had topare, the light from the battle against the Demon King of Fury seemed closer to the Death Knights dark power. "It''s because quite a bit of my power has been mixed with it, Eugene responded, then extinguished the light of the Moonlight Sword. Gilead had been gawping at the sword. He shook his head and spoke, "There was no such sword in Lionheart''s treasury" Suddenly, he recalled a memory. The memory was of the day Eugene first entered the treasury. Gilead''s eyes widened as he looked at the ne Eugene was wearing. "Could it be? Like your ne?" he asked. "This ne is indeed something Vermouth had hidden, but the Moonlight Sword was not from the treasury, responded Eugene. Though it strayed from his guess, Gilead appeared relieved. Ten years had passed, and it was reassuring for the Patriarch to finally discover the origin of an unknown artifact. "I''ve never heard of the Moonlight Sword, Klein murmured while tapping his temple. He became lost in thought. All the famed weapons used by Vermouth were stored in the treasury. But he had never heard of the Moonlight Sword. The name waspletely alien to him. "Vermouth intentionally hid the existence of this sword. He left no name of it anywhere, and the sword was hidden in my... well, Hamel''s tomb, exined Eugene. The concealment of the Moonlight Sword''s existence wasn''t just Vermouth''s doing. The fact that even the demons hadn''t spread the name suggested the Demon King of Incarceration might have cooperated too. The Demon King coborating with a hero a few years ago, such a notion would have been dismissed as ludicrous, but the current Eugene couldn''t think that way anymore. Then, how should he exin it? Eugene organized his thoughts as he sheathed the Moonlight Sword and ced it back into his cloak. "The Moonlight Sword is a weapon of the Demon King of Destruction, he said. In that aspect, it was simr to the Annihtion Hammer or the Demon Spear, which were former weapons of the Demon Kings. But the notion that it was a weapon of the Demon King of Destruction caused everyones expressions to harden. Amidst the silence, Eugene continued. He didn''t know how Vermouth could wield the Moonlight Sword. But considering Vermouth''s actions, the peculiar nature of the Moonlight Sword, and various unspoken truths, he could make a conjecture that Vermouth had a close connection with the Demon King of Destruction. It was possible that Vermouth might not even be human. "What kind of nonsense...!" Gion burst out, his face pale as he staggered to his feet. "The founder... the Great Vermouth not human? It''s preposterous" "Sit down, Gion." Gilead, too, was pale, but unlike Gion, he didn''t shout. Hemanded in a low, cold voice. Gion hesitated before sitting down. "...And these unspeakable secrets are?" asked Gilead. There was the incident in Hamel''s tomb where Vermouth attacked Sienna. Vermouth had issued a warning about the Nur. Eugene didn''t want to disclose such things. Sienna felt the same. Im telling you, I almost got killed by your founder with a gaping hole in my chest.'' ''It''s not like Vermouth is a bad guy, but he was kind of... off, you know.'' How could they say such things in front of Vermouths descendants, especially given how serious they were right now? Sienna and Eugene quickly exchanged nces. "An unspeakable secret is just that something that can''t be revealed, said Sienna. Everyone nodded with heavy expressions. "Well, the idea that Vermouth might not be human is just a conjecture. For now, Im saying that our... uh... Lionheart blood is special, that''s all, Eugene said. "Could it be... even Ciel''s Demoneye?" Anci asked while clutching her head. Eugene quickly observed her expression before continuing, "Yes, well, it seems so. The Lionhearts handling relics of the Demon King... this Moonlight Sword included." "The Sword of Destruction..." Carmen murmured. "If your words are true, then my body carries special blood. The blood of a Demon King. Not evil, though..." "Yes, exactly," Eugene seized upon Carmen''s words, finding an opening in the challenging exnation. "While Vermouth''s true nature is unknown, and the Moonlight Sword is indeed the Sword of Destruction, he was not evil. In fact, he was more heroic than anyone. Just as I was not stupid." Eugene made sure to emphasize hisst words. "Vermouth made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration to usher in an era of peace. He deceived everyone into believing he was dead and personally sealed the Demon King of Destruction. Even at this very moment, continued Eugene. "Sealed...!" Carmen''s eyes sparkled. "Sealed? What do you mean by that?" Gilead asked urgently. "The Demon King of Destruction lies dormant in the depths of Ravesta. Theres a temple in the heart of Ravesta. Vermouth is sealing him there. It''s probably part of the pact he made with the Demon King of Incarceration," continued Eugene. "Are you saying the founder is still alive!?" Genos shouted while jumping up from his seat. The Great Vermouth was still alive and sealing the Demon King of Destruction! The news ignited a fire in everyone''s eyes. "Yes," Eugene affirmed with conviction. "Aaaah!" Carmen eximed while raising her hands in astonishment. The Great Vermouth might not be human. The blood of Lionheart might be mixed with some demonic essence. It didnt matter! Carmen never felt an evil urge, not once in her life. The only sensation she felt from the Sword of Destruction was a nauseating ominousness. She had no doubt about her righteousness and was always ready to sacrifice herself for the Lionheart family and the world. "If the founder is alive, sealing the Demon King of Destruction by himself, and if this era of peace is due to his sacrifice...! I am a Lionheart first and then the head of the main family. I want to rescue the founder, Gilead dered resolutely. It was a tumultuous revtion. He found nothing easy toprehend or ept. But, if the founder was sacrificing himself for the world, as his descendants who knew his legend and glory, they ought to act on his behalf. "I don''t know why Vermouth did what he did," Eugene said, "but he reincarnated me. Ever since I first read the fairy tale and learned about the current world, I''ve had one constant thought." Over twenty years had passed. But Eugene''s purpose had never changed from the time when he lived as Hamel. "I will kill all the Demon Kings, he dered. Just as Hamel had desired, so did Eugene. Sienna, Anise, and Molon they all wished for the same. "And I will rescue Vermouth." Chapter 460: Hamel (3)

Chapter 460: Hamel (3)

Despite having different parents, Eugene and Cyan had lived as brothers for ten years. However, when Eugene first joined the family as an adopted child, Cyan had many grievances. Anci repeatedly instructed Cyan to get along with Eugene and to treat him as a true blood brother. The n head, their father, and uncle were delighted to wee a talent like Eugene into the main family. His twin sister, Ciel, took a liking to Eugene from the start, albeit subtly, or rather, quite openly. At thirteen, Cyan found it difficult to ept this sudden addition to his family, this new brother. In particr, from a very young age, Cyan had resolved to be the n head for the sake of his mother, a concubine. As such, he couldn''t help but feel diforted by and jealous of Eugene, who was evidently extremely gifted, to the point of being called a prodigy. While Ciel had never aspired to the position of n head, the same didn¡¯t hold true for Cyan. For him, Eugene was an unwee stone, no, a boulder disrupting his path. However, the initial displeasure of Eugene joining the family did notst even a month. Just as it had been for Ciel, Cyan, too, had no friends of his own age. Cyan had been raised in a strict environment, receiving education at home. He wasbeled as the concubine¡¯s son, and Anci had always been harsh. After being raised in such an environment, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Eugene caught his attention. Eugene never cared about others¡¯ opinions. Cyan picked fights with Eugene a few times, and each time, he was soundly defeated. Ironically, these beatings gradually opened Cyan''s heart.... "..." Cyan was quiet as he recalled their past. Thirteen was a tender age. No matter how well-educated one was, it was inevitable that one would behave childishly at such a young age. However, for Eugene.... Looking back, Eugene''s maturity was remarkable, almost unbelievable. Cyan often felt a wave of embarrassment when he reminisced about his childhood, especially his teenage years. Being the same age as him, Eugene, too, should have gone through adolescence. However, Eugene had never shown even traces of him going through a rebellious or an adolescent phase. Cyan had thought it was because Eugene was just naturally mature. That was what he had thought.... "Ahem..." As he reminisced, a smile crept onto Cyan''s lips. Though Eugene had always been mature for his age, there had been moments when he acted like a child, especially when talking about the heroes from three hundred years ago. Most Lionhearts would say they admired the founder, the Great Vermouth. ¡ªNot me. I admire Sir Hamel. ¡ªI''ve seen people who admire Sir Molon, but someone who admires Sir Hamel is a first. That was indeed true. Wizards typically admired the Wise Sienna, priests the Faithful Anise. And knights, most often, professed admiration for the Great Vermouth. asionally, there were some oddballs or those who were all about brute force who admired the Brave Molon. However, no one said they admired the Stupid Hamel. Well, not absolutely no one, but it was still extremely rare. After all, Hamel was depicted in the fairy tale as truly foolish andcking many admirable qualities. Of course, even if hecked brains, was bad-tempered, and was lucky, Hamel was said to be an excellent fighter. Moreover, he sacrificed himself for hispanions in the end. With a bit of searching, one could find a few aspects of this hero worthy of admiration. However, the charm of the Stupid Hamel was hard for a child to grasp. Admiring Hamel solely from fairy tales usually happenedter in life, after growing older and rereading those tales. Some people would realize, ''Ah, Hamel was quite a decent character after all.'' ¡ªThat¡¯s not true. The Patriarch said he liked Sir Hamel. ¡ªStop lying. ¡ªWhy would I lie about the Patriarch? And hey, what''s wrong with admiring Sir Hamel? Do you know how great he was? What do you know about Sir Hamel? ¡ªI... I''ve read the fairy tale too.... ¡ªWhat''s written in a fairy tale and actual history are different. You''re too dense to have read anything but fairy tales, but I''ve read heroic tales of Hamel that aren''t in those books. ¡ªThen show me. ¡ªI really want to, but sadly, I can''t right now. That book is at my house back in Gidol. The title? I can''t remember. It was such an old book that it might not even have a title.... Cyan recalled their conversation from many years back. Even after asking Eugene several times, he never received the book, which was supposedly at Gidol. It wasn''t just during their childhood, either. He recalled simr urrences the first time he saw the Death Knight in Samar Rainforest, when he saw the statue of Sir Hamel in the Kingdom of Ruhr, and several other times. Whenever he had the chance, Eugene was always exalting Hamel and going off about him. "Pfft...." Cyan couldn¡¯t hold in hisughter. So, all this time, he was just glorifying himself without anyone knowing? He had been earnestly singing his own praises? The more Cyan thought about it, the harder it became to keep a straight face. "Pfft...." He tried to contain hisughter but couldn¡¯t help as giggles escaped through his quivering lips. Naturally, Eugene heard it. He held back. Now that the whole truth was out, he thought it natural for Cyan tough. It would be cruel to forbidughter at such an obvious matter. But after hearing him chuckle repeatedly, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think it would be fine to be a little cruel. Eugene acted on his impulse. He turned and approached Cyan. Cyan panicked as he attempted to change his expression and flee, but escaping from Eugene was an impossible task, even if he tried his best. In the end, Cyan didn¡¯t get far before Eugene caught him and gave him a swift kick on the shin. "Why are youughing? Huh? Why?" inquired Eugene. "I was just... just reminded of old times..." Cyan stuttered. "Old times? What old memories? Why don¡¯t you tell me, so I canugh too? Huh? Let¡¯sugh together,¡± pressed Eugene. Cyan mped his mouth shut. If he answered truthfully to Eugene and admitted toughing because of how Eugene used to talk about Hamel, it was entirely possible that the bad-tempered brat might even kill his brother. The conversation at the round table had concluded. Everyone was confused, but nheless, they had to focus on sorting out the chaos in the castle. "....." Anci didn''t immediately understand why Sienna was trailing behind her and why Ciel was closely following Sienna. But she was a woman of iron and ambition. She had entered the Lionheart family as a concubine and surpassed the legitimate wife in stature through her efforts. Even before giving birth to the twins, she had established her ce in the family through her perceptiveness and awareness. Right now, Anci could sense a strong feeling of expectation in the eyes of Sienna and Ciel. ''Surely not...'' Anci thought. Sienna had feelings for her student, Eugene. Sienna had visited the mansion before. Although they only had tea, Sienna had started rambling as if she had been drinking alcohol. Anci could never forget that moment, even if she wanted to. However, she was afraid to recall it. Anyway, Sienna had feelings for Eugene and had even sought Anci''s permission. She had asked in advance because she was more conscious of others'' opinions than one might expect. If Eugene had revealed his identity not just to a few within the Lionheart family but to the whole world, then Sienna would no longer need to worry about what others thought. ¡®With Eugene being Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, there¡¯s no issue in their rtionship. At least, that¡¯s how my husband and I see it.¡¯ Anci organized her thoughts. Indeed, she had never thought of it as a problem before. Despite centuries of age difference, the ''Wise Sienna'' joining the Lionheart family was an honor that outweighed the blockade of a mere few centuries of age difference. ''But now, that¡¯s no longer something to worry about.... So, does she want a more definite answer?'' Anci forced herself to try and understand. It was an action that couldn''t be deemed wise by any means, but from what she had seen, Sienna had certain aspects that seemed too innocent for someone who had lived for three hundred years. In truth, Anci wanted to live to see her grandchildren. Thinking of Eugene as a... son was difficult, but she still regarded him as a close rtive. She often imagined Eugene or Cyan having children. The prospect of looking after her grandchildren brought a happy smile to her face. Anci tightened her grip on the left hand that was holding Mer¡¯s hand. "Hehe..." Mer was also happy to see Anci after so long. Anci was also a maternal figure, but the affection she gave was more mature than Sienna¡¯s or the Saints¡¯. Raimira felt simrly as she held onto Anci¡¯s other hand. ''She''s like a grandmother.'' Raimira didn''t say it out loud. She had been reprimanded by Mer before. ¡ªLady Anci might get angry if you call her grandmother. So, just call her Lady Anci. It was indeed the right approach. She wanted to see her grandchildren, but she wasn''t ready to be called grandmother just yet... Anci stood at aplex crossroads in her life. ''Ciel... What about Ciel...?'' Anci wondered next. She knew her daughter harbored special feelings for Eugene. She had thought of respecting and supporting those feelings. She had envisioned a future where Ciel would be united with Eugene from the very beginning when Eugene was first adopted. The problem was that Eugene had no such intentions towards Ciel. What could she do if the other party was unwilling? ''They¡¯re not siblings anymore.... Yes. Eugene is Sir Hamel''s reincarnation. Knowing this, Ciel, you might have more to argue. Even though you were never siblings rted by blood, knowing Eugene is a reincarnated being might give you a stronger ground to assert your feelings.'' So then, why were the two following her so amiably now? Eugene respected Anci. If Anci arranged for something, he would participate, even if reluctantly. Could it be that the two of them were hoping for that? Did they expect her to arrange an engagement? Surely not. She didn¡¯t know about Sienna, but would Ciel really partake in such na?ve antics? No, she wouldn¡¯t. ...But could she be sure? In the past, Anci herself had felt a burning love for her husband. It was true that she desired the Lionheart name, but that wasn¡¯t the whole story. She had joined the household as a concubine during the stages of her prime, in her youth, against everyone¡¯s opposition. It had been a foolish act born of passionate love. It didn¡¯t matter whether they were a man or a woman. People truly turned foolish when they were engulfed in intense love. It was as Anci thought. Sienna was hoping that Anci would mention a possibility of an engagement. Ciel wasn¡¯t necessarily expecting the same, but she wanted to keep Sienna in check. And, if possible, she hoped her mother would side with her own daughter. They had both be fools indeed. "Lady Sienna, may I request your assistance in restoring the forest that was ravaged in battle?" Anci suddenly inquired. "Uh, yes?" "I was just there, and the forest is hardly recognizable. The trees were shattered, and thend upheaved,¡± continued Anci. Sienna''s eyes quivered. Probably half of that destruction was due to her magic. "It may be difficult to immediately return it to a forest, but leaving it as is might lead to further damage likendslides or more trees falling. But with the magic of the Wise Sienna, it can surely be restored quickly,¡± suggested Anci. "Uh, yeah, alright..." Sienna reluctantly answered. "Ciel, go with Lady Sienna and help out,¡± said Anci. "Yes, mother,¡± Ciel answered while quicklyposing her expression. Her mother''s voice was cold. ''Indulging personal desires in the midst of this chaos...¡¯ Anci shook her head while clicking her tongue. Raimira and Mer looked up at Anci with a confused expression, all the while holding her hands. "Let''s go to the dining hall. There will be many things you''ll enjoy there,¡± said Anci. The wounded had been treated, and the morning was drawing near. But with the recent cmity, no one would be resting easily, even if their wounds were treated. The knights would be in the dining hall, soothing their stomachs with a meal. "Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina called out. She approached Eugene as he was bullying Cyan. She gestured towards the priests of Yuras in the distance and whispered. "The papacy has contacted us again. They''re inquiring about the preparations for the crusade. How should I respond?" she asked. The Holy Empire had dered Eugene as the Incarnate of Light and Hero. They had expressed their absolute support for Eugene. News of ck Lion Castle being attacked had reached the papacy, and it seemed the zealots were discussing a crusade. "No need to muster the holy army. Just have the Blood Cross Knights and the Luminous Covenant on standby,¡± responded Eugene. "Understood." Kristina nodded slightly. The Blood Cross Knights were the elite of the pdins, and the Luminous Covenant were the elites of thebat priest. Both groups were armed with nearly fanatical faith and spirit. They called for martyrdom, and they did not fear death. Moreover, if the Pope dered a crusade invoking the divine, most believers of Yuras would join the holy army, even if they only had farming tools in hand. However, Kristina and Anise had no desire to go that far. They did not want to mobilize the holy army unless the world was on the brink of absolute destruction. They were unsure why the Death Knight attacked ck Lion Castle. It had not been due to amand from Amelia. It was a decision made by the fake himself. ''It''s a damned situation, but this attack... he was being considerate of me. He¡¯s trying to draw me out.'' That was what Eugene believed. He pondered what the Death Knight had been aiming for in carrying out this act and also what kind of personality was governing his actions. The fake held Hamel''s memories. Even if he realized he was a fake, his personality was still derived from Hamel''s memories. In other words, the impostor thought like Hamel and came to a conclusion based on his chain of thoughts. Eugene didn''t want to think this way, but he had no choice but to consider it. ''What would be the reason? Why would I attack the castle for my sake?¡¯ If the impostor was truly close to being Hamel, it would know what Eugene wanted through his actions so far. In truth,ing to such a conclusion didn¡¯t necessarily need one to think like Hamel. Eugene had been quite explicit in his desires. He had asked Melkith to attack the ck wizards in Nahama. He tried to draw out Amelia from her hiding. He made demons cross into Nahama. ''He gave me a justification,'' Eugene realized. What Eugene intended was to force Amelia into a corner to make her prepare for war. But now, there was no need for that. With the impostor attacking ck Lion Castle, he now had a pretext to raise an army and invade Nahama. Instead of using Melkith to subtly provoke Nahama, the allied forces could gather their full strength and crush them head-on. "Damn bastard," Eugene muttered. The imposter had not only provided a justification. He had triggered Eugene¡¯s emotions. Humiliation. Rage. Eugene turned his head and looked down at the castle walls. Below, he saw the warriors of Zoran gathering. He could see Ivatar in the distance. He could see Ivatar¡¯s back and his shoulders trembling. Even if other allied nations hesitated, Ivatar would mobilize all the warriors of Samar to join Eugene in the attack on Nahama. "I should go and calm them down,¡± Eugene murmured while stepping onto the balustrade. "Eugene!" But before Eugene could jump, a loud voice echoed from the tower. He could see Gilead leaning out of the window. Gilead had gone to report the situation to Kiehl, but he had lost hisposure and was calling out. Eugene looked up with surprise, then leaped high as his expression hardened. There was no need to ask what had happened. It was clearly some terrible news. Chapter 461: Hamel (4)

Chapter 461: Hamel (4)

Nahama''s capital, Hauria, was surrounded and besieged by a gigantic centipede. That was the news that was confirmed from the Kiehl pce. And indeed, it was a massive centipede. People of this era had never seen such a creature and didn''t know its true nature, but Eugene, Sienna, and Anise were aware of what it truly was. "It''s the Centipede Mountains." Eugene grimaced as he uttered the words. ording to the dream Noir had shown him in the past in Shimuin, the Centipede Mountains were confined in the underground city of Ravesta. So why was something supposedly locked away in Ravesta suddenly in Hauria? Helmuth''s capital, Pandemonium, had been the realm of the Demon King of Incarceration since the ancient era of war. The Demon King of Incarceration had surrounded all his realms, including Pandemonium and the Red ins, with the Centipede Mountains. In other words, the Centipede Mountains belonged to the Demon King of Incarceration. Could it be that the Demon King of Incarceration was providing full support to Nahama? Eugene frowned as he stared intently at the projected image. This grotesque and enormous demon differed from three hundred years ago. During the era of war, the Centipede Mountains had disguised itself as an actual mountain range. After it wrapped around the entire realm, it had covered its surface with dirt and trees. Many warriors had advanced into the realm of the Demon King of Incarceration without knowing this truth. They had climbed the range only to be torn apart or poisoned by the wriggling centipede legs or devoured by the broods of centipedes. It took a long time for the world to realize that this wasn''t a mountain range at all but a massive monster. After all, the size of the Centipede Mountains was beyond any ordinaryprehension. How was it possible that a single creature could envelop such a vast realm? Many died before they realized the mountain range itself was a creature, and until the Demon King of Incarceration opened the Centipede Mountains, his realm was considered an impregnable, forbidden zone. "What is he trying to do?" Sienna muttered while ring at the Centipede Mountains. At first, she thought it was being used only as a barrier for the capital, just like it had been three hundred years ago. But that didn¡¯t seem to be the case, as further news kepting in. The Centipede Mountains had actually blockaded Hauria. Nomunication could reach the city from outside. In addition, all the warp-gates in Hauria had been destroyed. Not just closed butpletely obliterated. And before the warp-gates were destroyed, most of the capital''s citizens were expelled to nearby cities. Even the influential nobles of Hauria had not been exempt from the expulsion. "The Sultan is dead." Even more baffling was the death of Nahama''s Sultan, bur. bur¡¯s family was among the first to be expelled from the blockaded Hauria. His young heir had passed through to a nearby city¡¯s warp-gate, trembling with fear while holding the Sultan¡¯s head. The ruler of the vast desert kingdom was murdered in an instant, and only his head was left to be transported. The heir of Nahama now sought asylum in Kiehl and was awaiting a response. Reading the contents of the letter sent from the Kiehl Pce, Eugene uttered a single word, ¡°Devil.¡± The heir to the Sultan, Albaduk, had repeatedly muttered the word ¡®devil¡¯ while shivering violently. It was said that the devil suddenly appeared from the sky and tore off the Sultan''s head. The devil then whispered to the Sultan¡¯s son to embrace the head and flee to Kiehl. "Is it him?" Eugene muttered. He tried to think of any creature worthy of being called the devil. No one else other than the impostor who had attacked ck Lion Castle came to his mind. That was what made it even more perplexing. It was predictable that the impostor would return to Nahama and engage in some plot with Amelia Merwin, but why would the Centipede Mountains be in his possession? The Centipede Mountains were supposed to be locked away by the Demon King of Incarceration in Ravesta. Moreover, the problem was that the impostor had more than just the Centipede Mountains. It wasn¡¯t possible to see it in the footage because of the Centipede Mountains concealment, but there were countless monsters inside the barricade. All the citizens who escaped Hauria spoke of the same thing. Dark clouds rolled in from the far horizon. The sky darkened as if night had suddenly fallen. The giant centipede encircled the capital, and huge monsters plummeted down from the dark sky. Fortunately, there was some footage of this scene. There was the sound of chaos. The footage reflected someone else¡¯s perspective of the scene, and as such, it shook quite a bit. But the screams were clearly audible. The giant monsters that fell from the sky crushed dozens of buildings. Many died in the initial crash of the monsters, but fortunately, the monsters did not rampage after taking foot. They simply bowed and crouched, as if in worship, towards the darkening Nahama pce. This footage was recorded by spies from the intelligence agency nted in Hauria. The situation was not yet fully resolved, and as such, the avable footage was scarce and poor in quality. But more information was expected to arrive from other sources in a few days. ''There¡¯s no need to watch more,¡¯ Eugene thought with a frown. People of this era were not well-versed with demons. They might need more information, but Eugene did not. He knew what these creatures were. They were the same demonic creatures he had seen in the dreams Noir had shown him, the monsters confined in Ravesta. It was clear even at a single nce. The impostor had brought all the demonic creatures of Ravesta. And it seemed he had brought the demons as well. They were the subjects of Destruction, led by Alphiero. Eugene did not know what to make of the current situation. The subjects of Destruction were following the impostor. Was this ording to the intention of the Demon King of Destruction? Or had it been instigated by the Demon King of Incarceration? And what about Vermouth, who was sealing the Demon King of Destruction? "Has Helmuth made a statement yet?" Eugene asked. "It seems they are still silent," Gilead answered with a heavy face. Even with such a significant event unfolding, Helmuth hadn''t released a statement. Eugene contemted deeply about the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration was never the one to instigate war first. He was simply waiting for Eugene to ascend Babel. "Does this change anything?" Eugene wondered aloud. The footage of Hauria continued ying in front of him. Eugene swiped his hand as if shooing away a fly, turning off the video. "A bastard born from my past body is rampaging on his own. That bastard invaded this castle, then disappeared, and is now in Hauria,¡± spat Eugene. Everyone''s gaze shifted at his words. Eugene suddenly said, "Ah, I guess there is something that has changed. Seeing the bastard''s actions, it appears he''s preparing to defend a siege in Hauria. His forces seem to be primarilyposed of demonic creatures and demonfolks rather than Nahama''s army." Eugene thought that was very much like Hamel. Most of the conscripted soldiers that Amelia had demanded from the Emirs had not made it to Hauria as yet. In any case, they were unnecessary and numerous, but it wouldn¡¯t feel good to have humans as mere cannon fodder either. What remained of the army inside Hauria was expelled beyond the Centipede Mountains as well. Civilians at risk of being caught up in the conflict were also thrown out. The impostor was aiding Hamel. It almost felt like an obsession. The structure of the war itself was being set between demons and humans. "With the Sultan dead and his heir seeking asylum in Kiehl, the Emirs will not likely join the war. They have nothing to gain from it anyway. Well, having the battlefield concentrated in Hauria does make things easier." However, in reality, it would not be easy. The history of the era of war was a testament to how difficult and horrific it was to cross the Centipede Mountains. Would the demonic creatures from Ravesta really just wait inside the Centipede Mountains? It was unlikely. Hauria was located in the middle of the desert. Beyond its splendid capital and walls was a barren desert. To strike at Hauria, one would have to cross that desert. It was highly likely that the monsters would be encamped in the desert. ''It¡¯s a contradiction.'' Eugene grimaced in thought. The impostor was aiding Hamel. But if that were truly the case, he could juste and die or merely pretend to wage war. But the impostor.... He went to Molon. He attacked ck Lion Castle. He diligently created a stage for war. ''Could it be?¡¯ Eugene''s lips twitched at this thought, ''You, of all people, want to test me?'' Did hee to harbor a desire to be the real deal after realizing he was an imposter? Did he want to make some im on the stage of war after setting it up? Did he, as an imposter, want to argue that he could be real? Or did he perhaps want to prove that his existence had significance? ''If it were me.'' Eugene didn''t want to think further. It wasn¡¯t necessary to harbor any emotions other than anger regarding the imposter. Nothing had changed since their first encounter in the forest. In his own way, the impostor imed to be real, and Eugene would ruthlessly crush him. "Sienna." Eugene turned to look at Sienna. "I know,¡± Sienna responded with a nod while wiping the dust off her cheek. Although they weren¡¯t finished with the cleanup of the forest, given the situation, it could no longer be prioritized. Knowing this, Sienna gauged Anci¡¯s expression. "For now, I''ll go straight to Aroth and grab the king by the scruff,¡± said Sienna. "Why would you grab him by the scruff?" questioned Eugene. "Otherwise, he might say no," she answered. Eugene silently eyed Sienna. She cleared her throat and slowly turned her head away, saying, "Anyway, I will gather Aroth¡¯s elite forces. Of course, I will also summon the Archwizards.¡± "What about the ck Tower Master?" asked Eugene. "Hmm... given the opponent, it might be good to have an expert in ck magic,¡± Sienna suggested. "Aren¡¯t you being too kind to the ck Tower Master?" questioned Eugene with narrowed eyes. Sienna harbored a flicker of hope at his gaze. Was he perhaps jealous? Jealous that she was taking another man with her? "Hehe... don''t worry too much. Balzac may be a dark wizard, but, well, as a wizard, he¡¯s quite to my liking,¡± assured Sienna. "What if that bastard betrays us?" Eugene questioned. Naturally, Eugene wasn¡¯t feeling jealous. Instead, he was cautious of Balzac, especially since it seemed like the Demon King of Incarceration had tampered with the Death Knight. "You are worrying unnecessarily. Even if by some chance Balzac tries anything, I won''t be fooled,¡± assured Sienna. "Oh, look at you. What about others?" Eugene asked. "That, too, is an unnecessary worry. My magic won''t let him slip away even if I take my eyes off Balzac. Besides, I have already gotten an oath from Balzac,¡± Sienna replied confidently. In any case, she had more trust in her absolute magic than the oath she heard from Balzac. "If Balzac tries something... well, that¡¯s even better. I can just kill him on the spot without waiting forter,¡± said Sienna. Eugene didn¡¯t object further. He recognized the effectiveness of Balzac''s Signature, Blind, inrge-scale battles and was also curious about Balzac¡¯s new Signature, Gluttony. Eugene still wasn¡¯t sure if Balzac was an enemy or an ally. Even if they were inevitably destined to be adversaries at one point, that time might not havee yet. Balzac had helped Eugene in various ways until now, so Eugene wanted to give him enough leeway before deciding to kill him. "I shall head to the royal pce," dered Gilead. "I''ve reported our situation, but Eugene, I will need tomunicate your stance as well.¡± "Yes. Oh, the emperor knows I¡¯m Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. By chance, if the emperor''s response is unsatisfactory, just ask him if he wants another pummeling by Hamel.¡± Gilead''s expression becameplicated. The emperor¡¯s attitude towards the Lionheart family had changed noticeably since Eugene¡¯sst visit to the royal pce. ¡®So that was the reason...¡¯ Gilead realized. Another pummeling by Hamel? Didn¡¯t that imply that the emperor had already received a pummeling? Well, Gilead tried his best not to dwell on that thought. The restoration of the ck Lion Castle was left to Klein and Carmen, although it was still possible for the soldiers to arm and set out immediately. However, it wasn¡¯t feasible to just rush into Hauria. "The time hase for the Dragon Lions to step forward," murmured Carmen. The suits of armor crafted from the remains of Raizakia were the handiworks of Gondor and the dwarf craftsmen. They still hadn¡¯t been distributed to the knightly orders. Carmen fondled the Exid inside her uniform. Before transforming, it was thin, like underwear. However, the Dragon Heart at the center of her chest simmered with a rage that burned likeva while remaining cold as ice. "Hmm,e to think of it, Eugene, I have never shown you my transformation,¡± said Carmen. "Trans... what?" Eugene asked. "Transformation. Don''t you know what it is?" whispered Carmen. Her eyes sparkled as she approached Eugene. "Transformation is just that ¡ª transformation. Just as you wrap yourself in pitch-ck mes to be the ck Lion, I don my Dragon Armor and transform into the Dragon Lion,¡± dered Carmen. "Wh-what?" Eugene was dumbfounded. "Is it hard to understand? Indeed, it makes sense that you cannot imagine my transformation. If you wish, I can show it to you right now. Don¡¯t worry. Unlike Destiny Breaker, seeing my transformation doesn¡¯t mean one of us has to die,¡± continued Carmen. Eugene slowly stepped back while shaking his head. He was utterly perplexed. "You know what? Why don¡¯t we save that transformation for the war?¡± suggested Eugene. "Of course, but sometimes I need to fine-tune the transformation. The Dragon Heart of the Demonic Dragon within me whispers..." Carmen said softly. She touched her temple while swaying. "Sometimes, I hear sinister whispers. The vengeful spirit of the Demonic Dragon Raizakia tempts me. ughter, blood, dreadful urges.... Yet, I am the Silver Lion of Lionheart. Even though my blood resonates with the dragon''s whispers, my will remains unshaken,¡± she dered. "Uh... yes," Eugene said, sounding unsure. "But someday, if I be weak, these evil desires might overpower me. Even I, the Silver Lion, could fall into darkness,¡± Carmen continued. "Fall into darkness?" asked Eugene. "It''s when my will sumbs to darkness and corruption. Of course, I won¡¯t fall easily. But... if I ever be the Lion of Corruption, Eugene, you must kill me,¡± said Carmen. "What nonsense are you¡ª." Eugene stopped abruptly. He found multiple points to contest. Firstly, the Dragon Heart in Carmen''s Exid was not from Raizakia. In fact, Raizakia''s Dragon Heart had been utterly destroyed by Eugene and no longer existed in this world. While it was true that Raizakia''s remains were used to enhance her Exid, the material¡¯s dark power had been purified by Kristina and Anise for nearly half a year. There was no chance for Carmen¡¯s ims to be true. It was impossible for Raizakia¡¯s vengeful spirits to be lingering. Finally, Eugene responded after a long pause, "Yes, I understand. If you fall into corruption¡ª" "Darkness,¡± Carmen corrected. "Yes, if you fall into darkness... I will kill you myself." Eugene decided not to correct her and instead agreed with what she said. Having known Carmen for years, he realized this was precisely what she wanted to hear. Indeed, Carmen seemed satisfied with Eugene''s response. She nodded in approval. "If you''re ever curious about my transformation, feel free toe and find me,¡± said Carmen. "Yes." With that, Eugene finally managed to extricate himself from Carmen. Chapter 462: Hamel (5)

Chapter 462: Hamel (5)

After finishing the discussion at the round table, Eugene went outside. Ivatar was nowhere to be seen. The warriors of Zoran recognized Eugene and bowed their heads in greeting. Eugene found a few familiar faces among them. These were warriors who had participated in the war with the Kochi Tribe. He waved back to them before heading deeper into the forest, which had been swept up in the aftermath of the battle. It did not prove difficult to find Ivatar¡¯s towering figure. Not far after venturing into the forest, Eugene saw Ivatar¡¯s back. ¡°Still feeling down, huh?¡± Eugene asked as he approached. Ivatar turned around abruptly. His face was scrunched up in frustration, and he sighed deeply. ¡°I was thinking,¡± Ivatar said. ¡°About what? How strong that bastard was and how powerless you were?¡± retorted Eugene. Eugene''s teasing words would have provoked anger from anyone else, but strangely, Ivatar didn¡¯t feel offended when Eugene said them. Was it because Eugene was stronger than him? No, it was something else. Because even if the opponent was stronger than him, Ivatar wouldn¡¯t endure such an insult. Eugene¡¯s words... didn¡¯t feel like mockery. He could tell. Strangely enough, it felt as if Eugene really knew everything, as if he had experienced it himself long ago. ¡°Yeah,¡± Ivatar eventually shook his head while chuckling. ¡°I was born in the forest, but I understand the world. Even before I ventured out, I knew I had to understand the outside, the world beyond.¡± Ivatar had always been an unusual and intriguing person since their first meeting. He was a sessor to a prominent tribe deep in Samar Forest, yet he never disyed arrogance. Unlike other natives who were hostile towards outsiders, Ivatar was amicable with Eugene from the beginning. Eugene knew that their initial encounter was based on mutual interests, but he still found it remarkable that Ivatar, a sessor of a prominent tribe, sought to establish such rtions with an outsider. Eugene and Kristina had wandered through the Great Forest together. They had encountered many natives, most of whom were hostile. The majority of those residing in the vast forest rejected civilization. It was a separate world with its own cultures andws. It was the same when Eugene followed Ivatar back to the Zoran Tribe. Ivatar¡¯s rtives and the elders of the tribe were the same. They saw no need to engage in diplomacy with the outside world. They didn¡¯t feel the need to embrace external civilization. Instead, they reprimanded Ivatar for seeking help from the outside. ¡°I met you and became more interested in the world. The moment I saw you, I realized it. The forest where I was born and raised is vast yet so confined. The only people you meet in the forest are fools unaware of the outside world,¡± continued Ivatar. Ivatar words flowed like water as he spoke. It was not what one would expect from a native of the Samar Rainforest. Eugene smiled as he recalled their first meeting. Ivatar¡¯smand of themon tongue had been so awkward and slow that it was almost unbearable to listen to. "When I crossed the sea to Shimuin, I thought I saw most of the world there. I saw renowned knights, people who are mentioned as the strongest in the world. I also saw the two dukes of Helmuth, the de of Incarceration and the Queen of the Night Demons," Ivatar paused, then shook his head. "I came to know the world. I realized I wasn''t so significant in the grand scheme of things." "Overly modest, aren''t you? Compared to any regr geniuses, you are unreasonably strong," Eugene said with a pleased smile. The feelings Ivatar described as pressuring him were familiar and nostalgic to Eugene. He felt the same way when, as Hamel, he saw Vermouth for the first time and learned more about him. It was the same feeling that Cyan harbored towards Eugene and Carmen towards the Demon Kings. Hamel didn''t despair. Neither did Cyan or Carmen. It was hard to say what actions or attitudes one should take in such situations. The answer was always subjective. But in Eugene''s view, failing to ovee the situation, failing to re up in anger, and ultimately falling into despair were definitely not the correct answers. If one gave up and fell into despair, then that was all they amounted to. "Thank you for saying that about me," Ivatar continued with a bitter smile. "But the one who attacked this fortress... felt different." "Why? Because he was too strong? Or because his power was ominous?" Eugene asked. "Ominous, yes. His power felt dark and evil. Eugene, as I said earlier, I saw the world in Shimuin. Demons, the de of Incarceration, and the Queen of Night Demons. But I never felt death from them,¡± responded Ivatar. Ivatar struggled to exin what he felt. The emotions he felt were disconcerting and alien. He knew the blessing he had received: the Blessing of the Forest. The entirety of Samar acted as Ivatar''s blessing. It was a miracle in itself. Yet, the attacker''s dark power neutralized Ivatar''s blessing. ...Was that why? Was that what had led to his current state of defeat? ¡®No, it¡¯s different.¡¯ Ivatar pondered for a moment while studying Eugene''s expression. Eugene looked just as confused as if he didn¡¯t understand Ivatar¡¯s words either. Finally, Ivatar blurted out exactly what he was feeling. "It felt like I had died once at the hands of that being." "What?" asked Eugene. ¡°It felt like I... died before. That¡¯s what I felt like. Of course, I am alive now, but it felt like I had died once before to him...¡± exined Ivatar. ¡°What are you¡ª¡± Eugene stopped mid-sentence. His eyes widened in shock, and he felt a jolt. Ivatar¡¯s words had sparked an intuition through the divinity infused in his soul. ¡®Could it be...?¡¯ Eugene thought. He recalled his memories as Agaroth. There were two individuals who left a deep impression among the many followers of the War God. One was the Twilight Witch, and the other was the Great Warrior. The Twilight Witch had reincarnated in the current age as Noir Giabe. Simrly, it was possible that the Great Warrior had also reincarnated. Eugene had pondered this possibility several times but never actively sought out the reincarnation of the Great Warrior. After all, even if they had reincarnated, Eugene couldn¡¯t be certain that they were living in this era, and it seemed absurd to search for someone based solely on past life connections. He didn¡¯t even know who this someone could be. Moreover, Eugene didn¡¯t think there was a need for him to actively search if the bonds of past lives faintly continued into this era or if such connections repeated across time. If it was truly fate, they would inevitably end up by his side. ¡®But this is just too absurd,¡¯ Eugene thought. The Great Warrior of Agaroth had reincarnated as Ivatar Jahav. Ivatar was the sessor of the Zoran Tribe. He was blessed by the forest and the most exceptional among the forest warriors. Eugene had met him long ago, and the two had developed a friendship. He now showed unconditional support for Eugene as the tribal chief. But now, it turned out he was also the reincarnation of the Great Warrior. ¡°.....¡± Eugene was hit with a revtion. It seemed almost as if Ivatar had been prepared for him. Throughout his life, Eugene had encountered several extraordinary coincidences. Come to think of it, he could trace it as far back as the ck market in Bolero Street when it came to extraordinary coincidences. He had followed Gargith to buy the testicles of a giant only to find the fragment of the Moonlight Sword. He had also encountered Ariartel and received the Ring of Agaroth by chance. It all seemed too convenient to be a mere coincidence. No, they could not be written off as coincidences. This was fate. But if he were to ept that fate had led him down this road, it brought him another question. If all this was fate, who was the one pulling the strings? ¡®Vermouth knows I''m the reincarnation of Agaroth,¡¯ Eugene thought. But to think all this was arranged by Vermouth seemed far-fetched. After all, Vermouth himself was tormented by his fate. Then.... Was it possible that the one behind everything was the Demon King of Incarceration? After all, he always acted as if he knew everything. Did he have a reason to n something like this? And if it wasn¡¯t the Demon King of Incarceration, then who? Eugene became lost in thought as he looked up at the sky. Dawn had passed, and daybreak was arriving. The sky was stained with the hues of the departing night. Eugene saw the sun growing increasingly bright. He saw the light. ¡®The God of Light?¡¯ Eugene pondered. He wasn''t sure. After a moment of contemtion, Eugene gave a deep sigh. "We''re friends, right?" he suddenly asked. ¡°.....?¡± Ivatar was caught off guard and wore a bewildered expression. Eugene set aside hisplex thoughts and observed Ivatar''s face. He had remembered some of his memories as Agaroth in Raguyaran. The face of the Great Warrior was pretty vivid in his mind, so he couldpare the Great Warrior with Ivatar. ¡®Their sizes are simr, but the faces don''t match,¡¯ Eugene observed. If he had to say, Ivatar was more handsome. This thought caused the corners of Eugene¡¯s lips to curl up. He felt somewhat relieved. At least in this life, the Great Warrior was not his enemy. They were not fated to fight and kill each other. Eugene brushed aside the image of Noir fiddling with the ring from his mind. He approached Ivatar and, for no particr reason, patted his shoulder a few times. "Look, even if you felt like you died once, you''re alive and well now. That''s what matters,¡± assured Eugene. "Hmm, yes, but still..." "Let''s not dwell on needless thoughts." Eugene¡¯s tone was firm. He felt there was no need to confuse Ivatar with talks of past lives, especially since he was alive and well in this era. Saying something would only cause further confusion. ¡®I see no reason to keep my distance,¡¯ Eugene thought. Ivatar was a good friend. They were of the same age, and Ivatar was a great warrior. From what he heard, Ivatar had also united the forest to be its chief. He had no need to keep a distance when he should be solidifying their rtionship and providing full support. ¡®It might be a stretch now, but I can reconsider him for the role of the Great Warrior in the future,¡¯ thought Eugene. Right now, he was umting divine power step by step. His divine power had grown immensely since he first drew the Divine Sword. But for now, it was impossible for him to consider himself a god unless he drank until he was out of his mind. So, it was ridiculous to think about creating a Great Warrior. In the first ce, Eugene didn''t even know how a god created a Great Warrior. ¡®But someday, it might be possible,¡¯ Eugene spected. Ivatar woulde to rule all of Samar. Making him the Great Warrior would be quite significant. The natives of Samar Forest mostly followed the World Tree and held other native beliefs. If Eugene could just set foot there, he could garner immense faith. Eugene recalled how Noir Giabe stered her name on every imaginable thing and gathered her power through adoration and worship in the entire city. He despised Noir but was drawn to her methods of umting life-force and dark power. ¡®I need to erect more statues... maybe write an autobiography for children''s books... or even give speeches.... Maybe a tour around Yuras...?¡¯ Eugene thought of the different ways he could go about it. Of course, these were not his immediate ns. Eugene cleared his throat and looked at Ivatar. Ivatar returned the gaze. He still looked puzzled. "What do you think about Sir Hamel?" asked Eugene. "What do you mean all of a sudden?" questioned Ivatar. "Sir Hamel. You know Sir Hamel, right? There must be fairy tales in Samar, right?" Eugene questioned. "Ah...." Ivatar finally nodded in understanding after hearing the name twice more. "Are you talking about the Stupid Hamel?" That response immediately caused Eugene to deduct points from Ivatar in his mind. "Regardless of the strength portrayed in the records, I consider him not quite a hero or warrior. But his end was indeed heroic,¡± said Ivatar. "....." "However, even if his end was heroic, I don''t think it was befitting of a warrior,¡± continued Ivatar. "Why?¡± Eugene asked while trying to contain the bubbling irritation inside him. "The Great Vermouth and hispanions faced numerous crises in the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, did they not? Hamel yed a significant role in them, didn¡¯t he? If Hamel had listened to hispanions and acted wisely, they could have easily ovee many challenges. Well, I suppose that''s why he''s called the Stupid Hamel,¡± exined Ivatar. "What do you know?" Eugene eventually spat. Ivatar blinked in surprise at Eugene''s response. "Of course, I don''t know much. What I know about Hamel is only from fairy tales and legends. But I do feel anger about his heroic end being dishonored,¡± said Ivatar. Ivatar remembered seeing Hamel as a Death Knight in the Samar Forest. To insult the dead like that... Ivatar felt pure anger. Aren¡¯t you also dishonoring Hamel''s end? Eugene barely managed to swallow the words. Having revealed his identity as Hamel to the Lionheart people, Eugene thought it might be fine to do the same with Ivatar. "Do you believe in past lives?" asked Eugene. "Why such a sudden question?" replied Ivatar. "Do you believe it?" Eugene repeated. "In the Great Forest, there is a belief in death and reincarnation. Every being dies and is guided to the World Tree. Just as fruits fall to the ground and their seeds sprout anew, the World Tree cycles the souls it receives and disperses them back into the world,¡± responded Ivatar. In the Great Forest, the World Tree was a form of faith. There was a simr belief among the elves who worshiped the World Tree. They believed that all elves returned to the World Tree after death. They believed that the World Tree was inhabited by the souls of elven ancestors, who protected their race. ¡ªThe World Tree is a spiritual and powerful entity. It is revered and worshiped by an entire race. ¡ªI may be the King of the Wind Spirits, but even I cannot control the winds of the World Tree. It¡¯s not just me, either. No Spirit King can interfere with the World Tree¡¯s spirits. Tempest had acknowledged the powerful faith that was held in the World Tree, although it wasn¡¯t as widely recognized across the continent. But to Eugene, it seemed no different from the God of Light. In fact, Eugene had benefited from the World Tree¡¯s grace several times. One such grace had allowed Sienna and the elves to avoid death. In fact, while she was on the brink of death, Sienna was able to banish Raizakia through a dimensional rift thanks to the World Tree¡¯s protection. Eugene¡¯s mana had undergone a fundamental change in property through the Lightning me thanks to the World Tree¡¯s spirit, and he had miraculously revived after nearly dying in the battle against Raizakia thanks to the World Tree. ¡®I''m not sure if souls are really guided to and reincarnated by the World Tree, but it definitely has a power that could be described as miraculous.¡¯ The Demon Kings and demonfolks took souls as a price. Helmuth encouraged humans to make contracts using their souls. Countless Helmuth immigrants were bound to the demons and the Demon King of Incarceration. They neither ascended to heaven nor reincarnated upon death. As a price for their earthly luxuries, they were bound to the surface after death. They worked for demons and the Demon King as per the contract. ¡®It''s theplete opposite of the World Tree,¡¯ Eugene concluded. Helmuth was an empire of spirits deprived of reincarnation. The souls bound to the Demon King of Incarceration alone would outnumber the poption of a considerable country. "But Eugene, why do you ask about past lives?" inquired Ivatar. "I am the reincarnation of Hamel," Eugene replied solemnly. Chapter 463: Hamel (6)

Chapter 463: Hamel (6)

It took less time than expected for Eugene to convince Ivatar of his true identity as Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. At first, Ivatar¡¯s face showed disbelief at the absurd im. "No, what I''m saying is, I am the reincarnation of Hamel," Eugene repeated with emphasis in clear frustration. Eventually, Ivatar had no choice but to nod in eptance. He didn''t inquire about how it had been possible for Eugene to reincarnate. "Why are you telling me this...?" Ivatar asked cautiously. Eugene found himself at a loss for words. Why... was he telling Ivatar? Initially, Eugene had no intention of revealing this to Ivatar. He would have invited Ivatar to the roundtable meeting if he had nned to do so. Although more people would eventuallye to know the truth, Eugene¡¯s initial n had been to only confide in his family. In other words, Eugene¡¯s decision to reveal the truth to Ivatar had been more impulsive and emotionally driven. It might have led to a different oue if he had not told anyone the truth. But he had revealed his secret to his immediate family only a few hours ago, and it had led to an unsatisfactory oue. If only it had been serious and solemn... ''No, at first, it was serious and solemn,'' Eugene corrected himself. ¡ªI am Hamel''s reincarnation. ¡ªI will save my friend Vermouth. The atmosphere was quite grave until then. However, Carmen¡¯s nonsensical remarks and Cyan¡¯s mockery instantly deprived the moment of any seriousness. In other words, it was partly Carmen and Cyan¡¯s fault that Eugene could be moved so easily. Of course, Eugene didn''t me them entirely. He wasn''t that shameless. He had revealed his true identity to Ivatar because he realized Ivatar was the reincarnation of the Great Warrior. He intended to make Ivatar his Great Warrior one day, and for that, he needed Ivatar to know the truth. He would leverage Ivatar to garner massive faith in the Great Forest. Strictly speaking, he could have achieved that without revealing the truth about his reincarnation. However, he thought he could gain more respect from Ivatar if he revealed his past identity. ''Respect,'' Eugene mused silently. That was the main issue. Ivatar didn''t respect Hamel. He acknowledged Hamel as a hero but not as a warrior, which Eugene found immensely irritating. A hero was a warrior. How were they any different? Hamel was an ipetent warrior because he caused hisrades trouble in Babel? That wasplete nonsense. Hamel had never foolishly fallen into traps in Babel and endangered hisrades. "I am... telling you this fact because¡ª" Eugene stopped mid-sentence andposed himself. He was sure he could honestly express his feelings and thoughts without issues. Eugene was proud and confident of his identity from his previous life. But... the problem was Ivatar, not Eugene. It would be very awkward for Ivatar if Eugene said he had revealed his identity because Ivatar didn''t respect him enough. Eugene had known Ivatar for a long time. In fact, Ivatar had helped him out initially, and the two of them had fought as allies, albeit not back-to-back, on the same battlefield. And now, Ivatar stood as the Chief of Zoran. He was the monarch of the entirety of Samar Forest. His position wasparable to that of an emperor. Naturally, such a stature deserved respect. To imply that he revealed his secret because Ivatar didn''t respect him would be akin to oppressing Ivatar with his authority from three hundred years ago. Therefore, for Ivatar''s sake, Eugene had to offer a different reason. "It''s because you suffered because of me," Eugene said solemnly. "What do you mean by that?" Ivatar asked, looking even more puzzled. Eugene maintained his serious demeanor. It wasn¡¯t difficult to give a reason, as it would be the same narrative he had shared with his family at the roundtable. ¡°The ck Lion Castle was attacked by Hamel''s Death Knight. The Death Knight realized he was a fake and attacked to provoke me, the real reincarnation of Hamel. He deliberately chose a time when I wasn''t here, and innocent ck Lion Knights and Zoran warriors suffered....¡± "Fortunately, no one died, but surviving and feeling humiliated are two different things, right, Ivatar? That bastard could have killed you, but he chose not to,¡± said Eugene. "....." Ivatar listened to the exnation in silence. "His target wasn''t you but me. That''s why I''m revealing my secret to you, the Chieftain of Zoran. I''m taking responsibility for this situation and apologizing to you,¡± continued Eugene. "There''s no need to apologize." Ivatar shook his head vigorously. "Why should you apologize for the rampage of that impostor? I harbor no resentment towards you, not one bit. It¡¯s not just me, either. The warriors of Zoran don''t me their ipetence on anyone else,¡± responded Ivatar. "Ivatar, you truly are like a warrior. I acknowledge you as a warrior." Eugene''s words were deliberate, but Ivatar didn''t notice their maniptive undertone. Instead, he was visibly moved and firmly took Eugene''s hand. "Oh, hero of three hundred years ago, I have misunderstood you,¡± admitted Ivatar. "Hmm." "I know very little about you. What I knew was from old fairy tales from my childhood in the forest. Ever since I was little, I always wanted to know about the outside world, especially the Lionheart family, as renowned as it was across the continent. I admired and respected the Hero, Great Vermouth, the founder of the Lionheart n,¡± exined Ivatar. "Hmm." "I respected all the heroes who brought peace to the continent three hundred years ago, but Hamel, as told in stories, didn''t seem very remarkable to me. I did think that his end was heroic, but as a warrior, the Brave Molon and Great Vermouth seemed more admirable to me." "Hmm." Eugene squeezed Ivatar¡¯s hand tighter. "But... it was I who was stupid. Hamel, please forgive my ignorance. I may not know much about Hamel, but I know a lot about my friend Eugene. Eugene is a hero and warrior esteemed by everyone in this world. Naturally, Hamel would be the same,¡± said Ivatar. "Hmm." Eugene maintained a grave expression despite feeling extremely satisfied. "Great and brave warrior, hero transcending three hundred years through reincarnation, to walk the path of hardship again to save the world. To describe you simply as a warrior and hero would be an understatement. It would be disrespectful. You are the miracle of the World Tree itself, embodying the cycle of all souls and the Hero awaited by the world,¡± continued Ivatar. ¡°Hmm...¡± Eugene sounded satisfied. That seemed sufficient. Eugene released Ivatar¡¯s hand before responding, ¡°I am the reincarnation of Hamel, but there¡¯s no need for formalities. Just call me Eugene, like you always have.¡± Ivatar started, ¡°How could I possibly...!¡± ¡°No, really, it¡¯s fine. It¡¯d be ridiculous for you to suddenly start calling me ¡®Lord Eugene.¡¯ I mean, I don¡¯t intend to publicly reveal that I am Hamel¡¯s reincarnation,¡± assured Eugene. But was it perhaps the right time to go public with the truth? Eugene previously guarded the secret of his reincarnation because he wasn¡¯t ready to face the enemies from his past. Eugene had not been satisfied with his strength until a few years ago. He had been worried and feared premature confrontation with the Demon King of Incarceration, especially Gavid Lindman if the truth came out. But now, those worries were unnecessary. Eugene had grown significantly stronger, and Molon and Sienna were around. Anise had died, but her spirit resided with Kristina. Various nations across the continent supported Eugene wholeheartedly. Moreover, the Demon King of Incarceration had vowed not to disturb the peace until Eugene ascended Babel. Revealing his true identity wouldn¡¯t pose a danger. It was just a matter of oveing personal embarrassment. But it had been partly alleviated by disclosing the truth to the Lionheart family. Of course, there were still other things to consider before revealing the truth. If Melkith learned of Eugene¡¯s identity, she would squeal like a goat. Afterward, she would tease him, just like how Cyan had done.... ¡®No... There¡¯s no need to publicize it,¡¯ Eugene decided. It seemed too abrupt. Eugene¡¯s deeds had already earned him widespread recognition. It seemed superfluous to reveal his true identity as Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. It would be uncalled for to suddenly gather people only to reveal that he was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. ¡®Unless the right momentes.¡¯ Eugene thought as he stole a nce at Ivatar. Ivatar hadposed himself. Instead of awe and surprise, he now looked at Eugene with wonder. ¡°Anyway, I have no ns to reveal I¡¯m a reincarnation of Hamel,¡± Eugene assured once more. ¡°Hmm.... Then, who else knows besides me?¡± asked Ivatar. ¡°Molon, Sienna, and Kristina. From the Lionheart family, the members of the main family and the elders know, and among the ck Lion Knights, Genos knows. Ah... also... the Red Tower Master and the Emperor of Kiehl,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°It¡¯s quite unexpected that the emperor knows as well. Aside from him, it¡¯s just those you are close to, is that right?¡± said Ivatar. That fact amused Ivatar. ¡°Eugene. You¡¯ve shared your secret with me because I¡¯m the Chief of Zoran, right?¡± questioned Ivatar. ¡°Well, I think I might have told you even if you were just a regr warrior. Honestly, I¡¯m not sure. Whatever answer I give is just spection, and you are indeed the grand chief, right?¡± Eugene smiled wryly while shaking his head. ¡°But if I didn''t like you, even if you were the grand chief, I wouldn''t have revealed my identity to you. I wouldn¡¯t havee tofort you, nor would I have felt any guilt,¡± admitted Eugene. If Eugene didn¡¯t like Ivatar, why would he have revealed his identity as Hamel? Instead, he could have found any reason to pummel him. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Ivatar burst into heartyughter, unaware of Eugene¡¯s thoughts. It brought him joy to be recognized as a warrior by the reincarnation of Hamel, but hearing such words from Hamel felt even more gratifying. Afterughing for a while, Ivatar looked straight at Eugene. ¡°Am I your friend?¡± he asked. ¡°Why are you asking such a thing all of a sudden?¡± replied Eugene. ¡ªEugene Lionheart. Even if you are not the head of the family, the Lionheart n will not be able to ignore your existence and power. ¡ªI want to be friends with someone like you. We are of the same age and strong. Being friends with me won¡¯t be a bad thing for you. It was four years ago when Ivatar and Eugene first met and had this conversation. Ivatar had reacted passionately, despite Eugene¡¯s lukewarm response. Ivatar nodded vigorously, and his shoulders quivered. ¡°The Zoran Tribe will always be a staunch ally to you. Even if I die, Zoran will never be an enemy to you, to Lionheart,¡± Ivatar swore. ¡°Die? What are you talking about?¡± Eugene replied. Thump. Eugene patted Ivatar''s shoulder. ¡°I''ve died once, so I know. You can never tell what will happen after death. No matter what you say, things can change if you die,¡± said Eugene. From Agaroth¡¯s memory, he didn¡¯t get to see the Great Warrior¡¯s death properly. Agaroth had briefly lost consciousness when the Demon King of Destruction ran rampant, and when he awoke in the arms of the Twilight Witch, the Great Warrior was already dead. It was a bitter memory. ¡°So don¡¯t go talking about after death. You should n on not dying,¡± said Eugene before turning away. *** Sienna went to Aroth, and Kristina to Yuras. Gilead had not yet returned from the imperial pce, and Carmen, Gion, and Ciel remained in the ck Lion Castle. Eugene returned to the Lionheart mansion with other family members. ¡°Nice to see after so long¡ª¡± Eugene had to stop mid-sentence. The main mansion had changed so much in the nearly one year of his absence since hest visited. Eugene surveyed the forest, which brimmed with mana and spirits, before giving a hollowugh and raising his finger. ¡°What''s that about?¡± Anci asked. She had returned with the others to the main house and looked at Eugene with aplex expression. She still found it awkward that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel. As such, she didn¡¯t tantly re at him, but still, her gaze was sharp. Eugene cleared his throat and lowered his finger. ¡°Hmm, perhaps hiring a skilledndscaper would be a good idea,¡± he suggested. ¡°Are you serious?¡± Anci shot back. Her gaze sharpened. Recognizing that she had reverted to her fierce demeanor from long back before she softened as thedy of the Lionheart family, Euegen felt a sting from her piercing look. ¡°Should I personally trim them...?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Don¡¯t ask me, ask Sir Signard. I wonder if that strict elf would even allow a single pruning,¡± Anci said irritably. Eugene averted his gaze to dodge her biting remark. He had transported three saplings of the World Tree from the Great Forest in the past. In the beginning, the saplings had stood smallerpared to other trees. However, each time Eugene left and returned, they had grown significantly.... ¡®But who would have thought they would grow that much?¡¯ Eugene thought as he gazed in the distance. Three trees towered over all the others in the meticulously tended inner part of the Lionheart estate¡¯s forest. Their immense presence made it seem like the entire forest was there to guard them. It had not even been a year yet, so how had they grown so big? ¡°.....¡± He did have his suspicions about the reason behind their sudden growth. Sienna and the elves had awoken from their long slumber in the Great Forest. The World Tree had regained its vitality, along with the territory of the elves. ¡°Not really just saplings anymore, are they?¡± Eugenemented. ¡°Now that we¡¯re on the topic. What exactly do you n to do with those trees?¡± Anci questioned. ¡°Hmm.... Leaving them alone might be best, don¡¯t you think? Their presence has filled the forest with mana, making it an ideal ce for training. It¡¯s definitely beneficial for the future of the Lionheart family,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I agree, but we can¡¯t let the trees keep growing. Eugene, you might not realize this, but it''s not just the World Trees that are growing,¡± responded Anci. ¡°The forest does seem denser,¡±mented Eugene. ¡°The main house of the Lionheart n is a venerable ce. But at this rate, it will be swallowed up by the forest. And!¡± Anci pointed towards the edge of the forest in vexation. Eugene observed the towering chimneys, forges, and furnaces below. He quietly closed his mouth. ¡°How does this look to you?¡± questioned Anci. ¡°Magnificent,¡± responded Eugene. Crack! Anci¡¯s fan shattered. Cyan, Gerhard, and the servants looked uneasy. Eugene quickly added, ¡°The forge produces weapons and armor for the great Lionheart n, doesn¡¯t it? And not just that, the dwarves can craft anything, even fine ornaments for Lady Anci....¡± ¡°.....¡± Anci stared at Eugene without responding. ¡°This is just my personal opinion, but what about relocating the manor? Leave this ce to the elves to manage, turning it into a training ground, forge, promenade, and forest for the Lionheart n.... Then build a splendid new manor nearby,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°This ce was chosen by our founder, Sir Vermouth,¡± retorted Anci. ¡°But the manor has been rebuilt several times in thest three hundred years, right? In my opinion, our founder wouldn¡¯t mind if his descendants moved elsewhere.¡± Eugene made sure to emphasize certain words as he spoke. ¡°.....¡± Anci didn¡¯t respond, but she didn¡¯t seem too displeased. Eugene exhaled deeply with relief after confirming her reaction. Chapter 464: Hamel (7)

Chapter 464: Hamel (7)

"Hello there!" Eugene had returned to the Lionheart family mansion after almost a year. Eugene had never thought of his memory as being poor. He was quite confident in recalling the events from three hundred years ago, before his reincarnation, and most of his current life experiences as well. ¡°......¡± As such, he was momentarily confused. A youngdy was cheerfully greeting him. However, he had never seen her before in his life. Eugene silently stared at her in bewilderment. ¡®Who is she?¡¯ The way she greeted him with a smile made him feel too embarrassed to ask for her name. Eugene quickly rummaged through his memories, but no name came to mind. Moreover, he had no recollection of ever seeing her face either. Was it possible that she was a servant hired in the past year? That seemed unlikely, given the familiarity in her greeting. Besides, she wasn''t wearing a maid¡¯s uniform. ¡°I¡¯m A Ruhr! You¡¯re Sir Eugene Lionheart, right?¡± asked thedy. ¡°Keugh.¡± Eugene gasped while stepping back in surprise. A Ruhr. He obviously knew the name. She was a distant descendant of Molon and the daughter of the reigning king of Ruhr, Aman Ruhr, the Beast King. However, ording to his memory, A¡¯s current age should be.... ¡®How is this a twelve-year-old?¡¯ Eugene wondered in shock. A typical twelve-year-old should resemble Mer or Raimira, but A was even taller than Ciel. While her face still bore some childish traits, anyone would think she was much older than twelve. No one would possibly think of her as a twelve-year-old child. Eugene turned to Cyan with a bewildered expression. ¡°You... you scoundrel. Have you started a family while I was...?¡± he questioned. ¡°No way!¡± Cyan eximed. He appeared genuinely aggrieved. ¡°I¡¯m not married yet!¡± ¡°Then why is she¡ª.¡± But Eugene was interrupted. ¡°Father sent me here to learn more about the Lionheart''s family traditions!¡± A cheerfully responded. Eugene heard the rest of the story. The royal family of Ruhr had no intention of breaking off the engagement with the Lionheart family. Moreover, A herself desired a union with Cyan. Thus, the enthusiastic young girl had been staying as a guest at the Lionheart mansion for the past week. Cyan was destined to be the head of the Lionheart family one day. As such, even if A was a princess of a kingdom, Cyan couldn''t possibly join her family as a son-inw. This meant that if they were to marry in five years as nned, A would be thedy of Lionheart instead. ¡°Traditions.... Traditions.... Are there really any family traditions that are worth learning in advance here...?¡± Eugene muttered under his breath. But Anci caught his whispers without missing a single word from nearby. Caught under Anci''s scrutinizing gaze, Eugene quickly shut his mouth and focused his attention on A. ¡°Ahem, yes, nice to meet you,¡± he quickly said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard so much about you from my father!¡± A beamed while waving at Eugene. Why was she waving suddenly? Well, she was just a child. Children her age often acted without any particr reason. This spontaneity was a stark contrast to the calcted behavior of the fakes.... ¡°Who are you calling a fake?¡± Mer spat from inside his cloak. However, he ignored her retort. After exchanging pleasantries with A, Eugene moved on to visit the nearby dwarven workshop. The dwarves from Hammer Ind in Shimuin had set up their workshop on the Lionheart estate. Although the workshop was initially modest, it gradually expanded over time. The royal family of Shimuin had gifted Hammer Ind to the dwarves, and the dwarves had resided there for generations. They had received necessary goods like beer and food by boat. Various orders from the guild also came with the supplies, and the dwarves would pick jobs that suited their tastes and start hammering away. They were always content with this lifestyle; after all, dwarves were ustomed to a life of revelry and crafting. Hammer Ind was peaceful and pleasant. Anything they desired was promptly provided. There was no restriction that prevented them from leaving the ind, but dwarves, unlike the other wanderlust-filled and freedom-shouting races, were content with brewing and crafting in one ce. They were not ones to seek adventure. Such things were instincts deeply ingrained in their nature, much like the elves¡¯ love for living in forests. The dwarves who came to the Lionheart estate were among the best craftsmen of their kind, and each one burst with pride in their skills. Yet, none of them had ever handled the entirety of a dragon¡¯s corpse. As such, they were bound to be astounded. In contrast to their rtively modest workshop, the dragon¡¯s corpse was majestic and beautiful. It was an unparalleled material, the finest of anything that could be found in the world. Naturally, such supreme material deserved the finest environment. Moreover, the Lionheart family allowed the dwarves to work with the materials as they pleased, and unlike Hammer Ind, there were no strict orders to meet. They could request any material, and the best-avable quality material was immediately provided. Residing on a remote ind versus a mansion close to the imperial capital with a warp-gate on the estate.... The difference was clear. The dwarves finally realized how tedious and frustrating it was to receive goods by trade ships. Yet, despite being provided freedom, they never neglected the reason for their presence in the Lionheart estate. They crafted armor from the dragon¡¯s scales and leather and weapons from the nails and teeth. It was only natural that exquisite weapons belonged in the hands of equally skilled warriors. As such, the dwarves didn¡¯t just produce items randomly for unknown clients but called in the Lionheart knights one by one to custom-fit each suit of armor and weapon. Naturally, the workshop had to expand. The dwarves crafted things they had always harbored in their hearts and built new furnaces and forges to kindle their ambitions. The whirlwind of heat and fire turned the surrounding grass yellow, making it crumble like sand when one stepped on the grass. ¡®It¡¯s lucky I didn¡¯t get pped,¡¯ Eugene thought with relief. He realized anew how gracious Anci really was. As she had said, this was the venerable Lionheart family estate. Initially, the workshop had been a fair distance from the mansion, but with repeated expansions and new housing for the dwarves, it had grown far toorge. Eugene nced at the mansion. It was located not far from where he stood. Initially, he had suggested relocating the mansion just to diffuse the situation, but after seeing everything up close, he seriously considered relocation. ¡°Eh?¡± A dwarf, busy observing molten metal in a st furnace, recognized Eugene. It was Gondor, though the thick beard and soot-covered face made him hard to identify at first. He leaped towards Eugene from a far distance. Gondor was surprisingly spry despite having such short legs. ¡®I shouldn¡¯t be thinking like this. Did I catch this from Sienna...?¡¯ Eugene mentally rebuked himself. Gondor¡¯s agile leap was oddly fascinating. Eugene cleared his throat and asked, ¡°Have you been well?¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a while,¡± Gondor responded with a grin, extending his rough, calloused hand. Eugene looked up at the st furnace while shaking the dwarf¡¯s hand. ¡°What are you working on?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Oh, just checking if the stuff inside is melting properly. Mixing dragon bones with orihalcon¡ª¡± Gondor halted mid-sentence and eagerly grabbed Eugene¡¯s hands. ¡°But that¡¯ll take a while. Let¡¯s start with the urgent matter.¡± ¡°What¡¯s this urgent matter?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°You need armor, don¡¯t you?¡± asked Gondor. ¡°Armor?¡± If it were anyone else, they¡¯d probably beam at a dwarf offering to make them armor, but Eugene didn¡¯t smile. He had never worn fine armor in his past life, nor had Molon or Vermouth. Death-and-life battles had been a daily affair in the Devildom. Managing one¡¯s body and weapons had been hard enough, let alone fancy armor. ¡°I don¡¯t need it,¡± Eugene replied tartly. Modern knights unted stylish custom-made armor and weapons, but knights from three hundred years ago had not. More often than not, obsessing over armor and weapon quality led to neglecting one¡¯s training. [But Sir Eugene, you always use fine weapons, like the Moonlight Sword,]mented Mer. ¡®I¡¯ve never neglected my training,¡¯ retorted Eugene. [Yet you''re fixated on good weapons. You use the Moonlight Sword, despite everyone telling you not to because of its dangers,] said Mer. ¡®Mer, mention the Moonlight Sword one more time, and¡ª¡¯ Eugene warned. [Moonlight Sword, Moonlight Sword, Moonlight Sword, Moonlight Sword,] Mer taunted, and Eugene immediately reached into his cloak to discipline her. Gondor watched the cloak wriggle with a grim expression. ¡°Sorry, the kid¡¯s ill-mannered...¡± Eugene apologized. ¡°No... it¡¯s alright. But seriously, you won¡¯t wear armor? I¡¯ve made armor for all the other knights. I¡¯ve made one for the family head as well,¡± said Gondor. ¡°I¡¯ve never worn armor in my life, so I feel morefortable not wearing it,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Then you should just wear armor that¡¯ll make you feel like you¡¯re not wearing it,¡± countered Gondor. ¡°Does wearing something yet feeling like you aren¡¯t wearing it even make sense?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°It¡¯s not just any armor. It¡¯s Exid, made from a dragon. Not just any dragon either, but the most formidable and vicious of them all ¡ª the Demon Dragon Raizakia,¡± Gondor exined. ¡°And I¡¯m the one who killed Raizakia. I was the one who stabbed him in the throat and killed him. Do you know what that means? Despite his breath attacks and tantrums, he couldn¡¯t kill me,¡± said Eugene. [I say, quite a bold statement for someone who almost died,] teased Mer while nibbling on Eugene¡¯s hand. Naturally, Eugene ignored the jibe. ¡°Hmm.... But I already made armor for you. It will bepletely finished with just a few more adjustments,¡± said Gondor. ¡°You can just give it to someone else. The family head is here too,¡± said Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ve already modified the Exid from Shimuin for the family head. And didn¡¯t I already tell you!? All Lionhearts except you have their Exids,¡± exined Gondor. ¡°Then you can give it to someone outside the Lionheart family,¡± Eugene said. A name crossed Eugene¡¯s mind. He didn¡¯t want to be impolite and visit without prior notification, so he sent a message first. He was soon greeted with a reply. *** ¡°You didn¡¯t have toe in person,¡± said Eugene. ¡°It bothers me more to make the one offering kindness go back and forth.¡± The Grand Duke of the Kiehl Empire, Alchester Dragonic, visited the Lionheart mansion with Gilead as he returned from the pce. Alchester offered Eugene his hand with a rueful smile. ¡°It¡¯s the first time we are meeting since the Shimuin banquet. Sadly, it''s not the time to be casually inquiring about your well-being,¡± said Alchester. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You heard from the family head, right?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that there aren¡¯t any casualties, but it''s definitely not something to be taken lightly,¡± responded Alchester. He then continued in a quieter voice, ¡°Firstly, Eugene. Since His Majesty the Emperor isn''t here, I, as the Grand Duke of Kiehl, will convey His Majesty¡¯s intention. It might sound clich¨¦, but....¡± ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Kiehl won¡¯t take this incident lightly. All of our spies in Hauria have been expelled, so we do not have a clear picture of the current situation. However, we have already reached out to the other Emirs of Nahama,¡± exined Alchester. ''Reached out'' was likely an understatement. In truth, it would have been closer to a unteral deration. The Lionheart n and its allies will march towards Hauria and cross your territories. We''re currently only targeting Hauria, but if you don''t cooperate, we won¡¯t hesitate to trample yournds too. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a threat?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It is,¡± Alchester agreed readily. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just.... If it were me, I wouldn¡¯t have bothered to notify them. I would¡¯ve just acted. If they interfered at all, I would¡¯ve crushed them in retaliation,¡± replied Eugene. They walked together as they discussed further. ¡°What about the Sultan''s son who sought asylum?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°We epted him. There was no reason not to,¡± answered Alchester. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°What if the empire advances and attacks Hauria? If we break through the monstrosity of the Centipede Mountains, capture the capital, and win against the demons and demonic beasts? What do you think will happen next?¡± asked Alchester. ¡°Hmm... I''m not sure,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°If Nahama had united for war, it might have led to a different oue. But it¡¯s not like that now. Amelia Merwin was the court wizard and the advisor for the Sultan. But she betrayed Nahama with the other ck wizards and invited the demons in. And Helmuth is choosing to remain silent,¡± said Alchester. He paused, then continued with a wry smile, ¡°Nahama is arge country. It¡¯s a nation with dozens of Emirs serving under the Sultan. Even if the empire conquers Hauria, the Emirs won¡¯t easily surrender and be Kiehl¡¯s vassals. However, fortunately, the Sultan''s sessor is alive. He¡¯s currently under the protection of a rtive who''s also an Emir.¡± ¡°So, His Majesty¡¯s wish is to topple Hauria, establish the sessor as Sultan, and then make Nahama a vassal of the empire,¡± Eugene finished. ¡°That¡¯s the cleanest way. Of course, the Emirs will resist. But if they raise private armies, we can use that as a pretext to strike them down. Naturally, the imperial army will handle those battles,¡± said Alchester. If they had faced the entirety of the Nahama army, the casualties would have been immense for both the allies and the enemies. They would have had to fight at least several hundred thousand troops, including the one hundred and fifty thousand conscripted from the Emirs and the pre-existing army. But the only creatures remaining in the capital now were the vassals of Destructions and the demonic beasts of Ravesta, a few dozen high-ranking demons from Helmuth, the ck wizards, and a few regr Haurian troops who chose to stay. ¡°That... they seemed to be bewitched by the devil,¡± Alchester muttered. ¡°It¡¯s not that their minds are manipted. It¡¯s just that when the demons and demonic beasts descended from the sky.... It seemed to have deeply moved them.¡± Eugene understood somewhat. In his previous life, countless humans had fallen to the allure of the demons¡¯ power. ¡°Armor made of a dragon¡¯s scales.¡± The Dragonic family, like the Lionhearts, was a distinguished house with a three-hundred-year history; its founder was the half-dragon Orix Dragonic. However, no dragon-rted treasures had ever been passed down in the family. Therefore, Alchester couldn''t help but be excited. Armor made solely of dragon materials! Obtaining such a precious item would be worth spending the entire family fortune. But as luck would have it, Eugene was offering it for free. Who cared about his status as a grand duke and maintaining his dignity in the face of such a precious treasure? ¡°Are you sure you want nothing in return?¡± Alchester had imparted the Empty Sword to Eugene. It was a technique Eugene still found useful and one he would continue to use in the future. ¡°Nothing.¡± Even after mulling over it again, Eugene thought receiving the Empty Sword was too grand apensation simply for teaching a 10-year-old for a month. *** The capital of Nahama, Hauria. Two days had passed since it was surrounded by the Centipede Mountains, and most of its citizens were expelled. Only two days had passed, but too much had changed in the city. The nearly empty city was trampled byrge demonic beasts. There were many who failed to escape, and people were crushed under the rubble of copsing buildings or trampled to death in the midst of the chaos. Naturally, the bodies of the deceased were neither buried nor cremated. Yet, they weren¡¯t left to rot either. Each corpse stood up as if alive. In the empty, ruined city, the bodies began to wander. Undead. Amelia shuddered at the sight. Although there were many ck wizards in this era, those specializing in necromancy were rare. To be more precise, most who dabbled in necromancy kept it hidden. Amelia was no exception. Of all the ck magic, she was most confident in necromancy. She believed she was the most knowledgeable necromancer of her time, perhaps in history. She took pride in this. But even for Amelia,manding so many undead was unprecedented. There was an army''s worth of undead. Her contract with the Demon King of Incarceration and the power of dmir allowed her to raise these many undead without burdening her in the slightest. ¡®I could have created more,¡¯ Amelia thought ruefully. She could have created more if the capital had beenpletely sealed and the citizens were trapped. It could havee true if the Emirs had brought the conscripted soldiers as nned.... ¡®Too much has gone awry already,¡¯ Amelia thought with a sigh. Without enough sacrifices, she couldn¡¯t perform the Demon King ritual. The number of troops had been reduced drasticallypared to the original n. Many things went wrong, but... Amelia didn¡¯t feel like she would lose this war. Chapter 465: Hamel (8)

Chapter 465: Hamel (8)

The ones left in the most ambiguous position in Hauria were the high-ranking demons who had departed Helmuth to coborate with Amelia. The demons had hoped that the Demon King of Incarceration would eventually end the peace treaty. They aimed to reap various benefits from the war that would erupt in Nahama. They would revel in ughter after three hundred long years, harvest fear, make contracts with power-seeking humans, and collect souls. Then, as promised by Amelia, they would offer sacrifices from the battlefield to be Demon Kings. Unfortunately, most of these expectations vanished into thin air. While ughter was still possible, harvesting fear wasn¡¯t. There was only one subject of despair and fear in this war. Making contracts with power-seeking humans was impossible, too. Although some people were left in the city, the powers of the demons couldn¡¯t beguile them. It was impossible to collect the souls of humans without forming contracts. And bing a Demon King? It was impossible to even attempt the ritual. The hundreds of thousands of soldiers conscripted from the Emirs never even got to participate in the war. The madmen that were beguiled by demons and the remaining humans in the city barely numbered ten thousand. But instead of attempting the ritual with the few allies, if they sacrificed the enemies.... Or if they left the city and made another city the sacrificial grounds for the ritual.... Asking about it now would be foolish, even idiotic since one demon had already asked the question on the first day. ¡ªIf the citizens are expelled, what happens to the ritual we were promised? It was a question aimed at Amelia. The demon never received an answer. He was immediately swallowed by a gray mass after asking the question. This silent execution didn¡¯t allow the demon any resistance, surprise, or pain. The ominous gray mass ¡ª the power of Destruction ¡ª instantly swallowed and killed the demon despite the demon being ranked within the top sixty. Although the demon¡¯s question went unanswered, the surviving demons took the execution as the answer itself. The devil was a terrifying existence whose mere presence caused everyone to kneel, and he clearly had no intention of performing the Demon King ritual for them. ¡®Hamel of Extermination....¡¯ The three strongest demons in Hauria were ranked twenty-sixth, thirty-third, and fortieth. All three demons had participated in Amelia Merwin¡¯s conferral ceremony as the new Staff of Incarceration. They had survived the event and knew that Amelia Merwin had turned Hamel of Extermination into a Death Knight. Although they were under strict orders from Duke Giabe and Duke Gavid to keep silent about this fact, they found it both surprising and delightful that the notorious Hamel had been turned into a Death Knight and a servant to a ck wizard. ¡®How did he acquire such power?¡¯ These three demons could guess the identity of the devil after seeing him in action and because they had previously seen him. Despite the devil¡¯s masked face, they still re-lived the dreadful memories of Hamel. ¡°Oh, Incarnation of Destruction.¡± The subjects of Destruction from Ravesta knew the specter wasn''t actually Hamel. The specter was born from Hamel¡¯s corpse as a Death Knight, and the inhabiting soul was a fake. But that only increased their awe and worship toward the specter as the Incarnation of Destruction. The specter was a miracle wrought by the power of Destruction. Both the body and the soul residing within were the products of the power of the Demon King of Destruction. Therefore, the subjects sincerely projected the Demon King of Destruction onto the specter. The Demon King of Destruction was a true Demon King who rampaged indiscriminately in that joyful era of war. And now, the Demon King of Destruction had sent an incarnation after spending three centuries in slumber. The existence of the incarnation was, in itself, the manifestation of the will behind the name Destruction. "Amelia Merwin''s army of undead isplete." The specter did not sit on the throne in the pce. Instead, he sat atop the highest tower as he stared down at the ruined city. He had been perched there for some time while looking down, and as such, he was well aware that Amelia¡¯s army had beenpleted. He also knew that Alphiero had not reported it out of ignorance. The old, greedy vampire was displeased with the fact that the specter was lingering in the city. He wanted to open the gates of the Centipede Mountains and strike first with the giant monster in the lead. "There''s a city not far from here. With your permission, I can join Amelia and¡ª." Alphiero¡¯s words were abruptly cut off. Although he wasn¡¯t directly under the gaze, the dark power emanating from the specter probed Alphiero¡¯s soul, instilling a chilling fear as if he were stepping into death''s realm. "I beg your forgiveness... for my presumptuous words,¡± apologized Alphiero. He knelt down and buried his head. The specter ceased his threat and withdrew his power. He could have killed Alphiero right there and then but judged it more convenient to keep such a powerful demon alive. ¡®At most, a few days,¡¯ the specter thought. He knew that he didn¡¯t even need to intervene. Alphiero¡¯s life was limited to only a few more days. Of course, Alphiero thought differently. He misunderstood the specter¡¯sck of action. He felt exhrated to have survived without significant punishment from the specter. ''He recognizes me,'' Alphiero thought, thrilled. The high-ranking demons of Helmuth, including the three among the top fifty, received power from the Demon King of Incarceration. However, Alphiero was considered one of the strongest among the subjects of Destruction. He wasn¡¯t inferior evenpared to the high-ranking demons of Helmuth. ''But....'' He had no intention ofparing his strength with the specter''s. However, he couldn¡¯t help when it came to that. Alphiero swallowed hard and cautiously lifted his head as he thought, ''I never expected such a thing to be hidden here.'' The city had long been Amelia''s domain. She had been the Sultan¡¯s advisor and the grandmaster of ck wizards. Meanwhile, she had been secretly working for a hidden purpose. Amelia had prepared a secret weapon for war before discovering Hamel''s tomb and securing his remarkably well-preserved corpse. The Ashur Desert, where Amelia¡¯s dungeony, was unanimouslybeled as the ¡®Desert of Death¡¯ in Nahama. Amelia forbade anyone from entering the desert for decades because she had been devoted to the creation of this entity. She had made repeated adjustments for decades until finally, the creation wasid in the deepest part of the capital¡¯s underground cemetery to build up a concentration of death energy. This was the culmination of all her efforts. ''Kamash.'' The specter gazed upon the giant standing in the middle of the city. The image did not match Hamel''s memory. It was inevitable, given that Kamash died three hundred years ago. Hamel''s recollection of the giant¡¯s final moment was crystal clear. At the entrance to Helmuth was the ins of Palmir. Kamash had attempted to demolish the massive barrier separating the continent from Helmuth to demonstrate his loyalty to the Demon King of Fury, his foster father. Hundreds of giants, led by Kamash, stood against a force of merely a few thousand humans. Having an advantage over hundreds of giants with only a few thousand humans was impossible. Hundreds of giants, especially those empowered by the Demon King of Fury, were a formidable force. An average giant was able to effortlessly defeat dozens of knights each. Given that the hundreds of giants were empowered by Fury, even tens of thousands of knights would not have been their match. The steps of Kamash and the giants caused earthquakes even days before they arrived in the ins of Palmir. Although the number of those gathered to defend against the giants initially was greater than thousands, the growing, deafening sound of the giants¡¯ footsteps had caused the numbers to dwindle. A few thousand humans had been too few a number to block the hundreds of giants. However, Kamash ultimately met his demise on the ins of Palmir, his head severed. The hundreds of giants following him also perished. The vast ins were soaked red with the blood of giants. It had only been possible because of how fiercely and desperately the humans fought. Or rather, it was because Vermouth was there. "I remember,¡± the specter murmured softly. He recalled the intense memory of human desperation on that battlefield. At that time, Vermouth and hispanions hadn''t yet defeated any of the Demon Kings. However, their trust in each other solidified as they crossed into Helmuth and marched towards the Demon King''s castle. Although they were awkward and clumsy when they first entered Helmuth, they had grown to respect and acknowledge each other by the time they returned to the Palmir ins. Therefore, they didn¡¯t flee. They believed they could halt the giants'' advance. They believed they could do it. ¡ªHamel. ¡ªYeah. What is it? ¡ªThe left arm. Can you handle it? ¡ªI prefer the right. Isn''t Kamash right-handed? ¡ªThen, you can take care of his right arm. ¡ªWhy bother dividing left and right? I''ll just do as I see fit. Hamel and Vermouth confronted Kamash together. Vermouth didn¡¯t have the Moonlight Sword then, but he did not need it to kill Kamash. The specter remembered it vividly. He used axes, swords, spears, and every weapon at his disposal to stop Kamash. He severed Kamash¡¯s ankles, pierced his knees, and tore off his arms, making it impossible for him to walk or swing his arms. Then, he was decapitated. Even after Kamash''s death, the battle on the ins continued. The giants loyal to Kamash didn''t retreat, even after their leader¡¯s death. Eventually, though, the battle concluded. Most giants were in, and the survivors retreated into the Devildom. Kamash''s body also disappeared then. Some giants carried away his torso, and others brought back his severed head. Perhaps it had been to create a tomb or present it to the Demon King of Fury. The specter remembered Hamel talking about it in an exhausted state, drenched in blood from head to toe. ''Will the soul be the same?'' the specter wondered. His head and body were back together, although there were new, different limbs recing those left on the Palmir ins. This was an undead created from Kamash''s body, but how much of it truly remained Kamash? To the specter, it seemed more like a chimera carefully crafted by Amelia. Yet, it was noughing matter. This monster was stronger than Kamash when he was alive and more powerful than the high-ranking demons in this city. ''Will Molone?'' He wasn¡¯t certain, but Molon seemed to have a reason for being stuck in Lehainjar. ''Sienna will definitelye with you.'' Could the Saint of this era rece the deceased Anise? The specter smiled bitterly. ¡®Vermouth isn''t here.¡¯ But that wouldn''t be a major issue. The specter knew the strength of Eugene Lionheart. It was hard to imagine how much stronger he had be since a few years ago, even without Vermouth or Molon. "Soon." Hamel wasing. "Eugene Lionheart ising." The specter stood up while murmuring to itself. Hamel, or rather Eugene, woulde to kill him without hesitation. He would y everyone left in this city without any remorse. The specter prepared a battlefield for Eugene to unleash his full strength, leaving only those in the city whose lives didn''t matter. Eugene would probably see his past on this battlefield. Demons, undead, demonic beasts, and humans who sold their souls. He would see enemies he desperately wanted to kill. ¡®And me,¡¯ the specter thought. He had initially nned to die for Eugene¡¯s sake. He would have done so if he had not met the Demon King of Incarceration. But now, the specter no longer wanted to do the same. ''I can''t do that.'' The specter closed its eyes, which were tinted with a dreary light. Before Hamel arrived, he would need to meet them at least once. *** The dark wizard Amelia Merwin instigated a rebellion. All her followers, the dark wizards, aided in the treason along with the demons from the Helmuth Empire, who had colluded with her before. Amelia''s homnd was Ravesta, the territory of Destruction. The demons of Ravesta joined in Nahama''s rebellion, and many sealed demonic beasts were released in the process. "...His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration has expressed deep regret regarding the situation above.¡± However, the Helmuth Empire could not resolve Nahama''s crisis. "The Demon King of Destruction stands behind Amelia Merwin. The Demon King of Destruction is a great demon whom even the Demon King of Incarceration cannot confront lightly. Moreover, Ravesta, the domain of Destruction, isn¡¯t technically a territory of Helmuth...." Theck of conviction in these words was apparent to Gavid Lindman as he spoke on behalf of the Demon King of Incarceration. It would be the same to anyone else on the continent. Yet, that was eptable. "Demons who crossed over to Nahama to collude with Amelia will never again set foot in Helmuth,¡± he continued. No other sanctions would be imposed. "Helmuth will not interfere in Nahama''s affairs." This was the most crucial deration. Helmuth would not assist Nahama nor the continent¡¯s alliance. Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration would remain inactive. ''...It''s hard to grasp the intentions,'' Gavid thought. It was already known that Nahama would be a battlefield. Although Helmuth wasn¡¯t directly responsible for the situation, the Demon King of Incarceration had remained silent and passive. His inaction had essentially aided Nahama, or rather, Amelia Merwin. He had remained silent despite already knowing the consequences. There was an expectation that the three centuries¡¯ promise of peace would end with the war in Nahama. If Amelia Merwin transformed a few demons into Demon Kings, the three-hundred-year era of peace would inevitably end. ¡®His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration is behind it,'' Gavid concluded. Apart from everything else, the release of the sealed demonic beasts in Ravesta indicated the involvement of the Demon King of Incarceration. Though officially it was stated that the subjects of Destruction released the beasts, Gavid knew too well this was impossible. The demonic beasts in Ravesta were sealed by the power of the Demon King of Incarceration. Even if the subjects of Destruction collectively self-destructed, they couldn''t break the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s seals. Yet, the demonic beasts were released. Moreover, the Demon King of Incarceration was even assisting Amelia in Hauria.... ''Yet His Majesty decided... not to participate.'' Before Gavid could act on his discretion, he was given an imperial decree from the Demon King of Incarceration. Helmuth would not act. Originally, Gavid intended to get permission to deploy troops to Nahama. He had been preparing the ck Mist and the demon army for this purpose. ¡®Helmuth will not act. In the end... His Majesty is waiting for the Hero to challenge Babel.¡¯ Although it was irreverent to harbor any questions or doubts towards the Demon King of Incarceration, whom Gavid respected greatly, he couldn¡¯t help but question. ¡®Why is His Majesty so obsessed?¡¯ This fixation was abnormal, almost fanatical. The Demon King of Incarceration had not been this obsessed, even with the Great Vermouth from three hundred years ago. But why? ¡®Eugene Lionheart.¡¯ Gavid narrowed his eyes while continuing to read the prepared statement. "...We wish the Hauria Liberation Army good fortune." It was a group of warriors drawn by the title of Hero associated with Eugene Lionheart or perhaps actively rallied by Eugene himself. Gavid looked at the list of the allied forces and couldn''t help but think, ¡®I should have killed him when I first saw him.¡¯ Back then, Gavid could have crushed him as easily as a bug. But now, he had grown too powerful to be crushed. Chapter 466: Hauria (1)

Chapter 466: Hauria (1)

Eugene had received a formalmission to retake Hauria from the previous Sultan¡¯s exiled heir and gained the support of Nahama¡¯s Emirs. There weren¡¯t any obstacles in the process of obtaining themission. This was mainly because, while Eugene did make some requests for military supplies, he kept his demands to a reasonable level. Of course, the fact that the coalition they were dealing with was overwhelmingly more powerful than what remained of Nahama may have yed a greater role in ensuring their cooperation. It was only after the Emirs of Nahama had all gathered together that their nation could even field a sizable force. On the other hand, Eugene¡¯s own forces were drawn from a union of several different countries and empires. Together, they made up the Hauria City Liberation Army, or at least that was the name that got attached to them. In fact, theing battle promised to be quite the spectacle. Nahama¡¯s capital city, Hauria, had been taken over by evildoers and demonfolks. So warriors from all over the continent, including the Hero himself, had gathered together and would soon set out to liberate Hauria, which had been overrun andpletely blockaded.... This unambiguous cause and noble intention had been spread throughout the entire continent, garnering enthusiastic support. All of this attention and support had naturally attracted the interest of many individuals. People with the money to spare for a good cause were the first to take action, sending in donations. Then, before a fullmission had even been written up for them, knights errant and mercenaries had also been drawn to the expedition. However, Eugene had no intention of recruiting any excess forces. With his opponents being what they were, no ordinary Tom, Dick, or Harry[1] was qualified to even serve as a meat shield. Moreover, the enemy included among their number those perverted ck wizards who were obsessed with undead servants like their Death Knights. In this current era, it was rare to find anyone with any experience in fighting ck wizards, and necromancers were a particrly rare opponent to face. This was because necromancy was seen as somewhat of a taboo subject of research, even for ck wizards. But although that might be the case on the surface, there were asionally ck wizards who became obsessed with studying necromancy behind closed doors. Just like how ordinary wizards would cross all boundaries in their pursuit of the truth, ck wizards weren¡¯t all that different in their curiosity and desire to explore the unknown. No, in fact, it wasn¡¯t just ck wizards; among ordinary wizards, there were also some seriously insane madmen who would dabble in necromancy. Yuras¡¯ Bureau of Inquisition had been given the duty to pursue and render judgment upon such immoral individuals. Although its scale had been greatly reduced a few years ago, the Bureau of Inquisition still possessed its own unique know-how when it came to dealing with necromancers. ¡°Make sure to bring a priest with your party. If you cannot expect to secure the healing magic of a priest due to unavoidable circumstances, prepare personal treatment options such as potions. Do not fight in swamps or on soft soil. If at all possible, make sure to fight on solid ground. Don¡¯t fight at night. Especially when it is the full moon. Make sure to get your weapons blessed. Keep a silver dagger on you. Prepare holy water....¡± While the others were listening intently, Eugene was reading out the list with a nk face. His boredom was inevitable, as Eugene had already fought more than his fair share of necromancers and the undead three hundred years ago. ¡°If one of your allies goes down, use Hwagolsan[2]...,¡± Eugene paused in surprise. ¡°Hwagolsan? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a drug that can be used to dissolve corpses,¡± Gilead exined. ¡°If you pour a generous amount of the drug onto a corpse, the body will melt away and disappear before too much time has passed.¡± ¡°Where in the world could you find such a convenient drug?¡± Eugene asked in disbelief. ¡°It is made by imbuing various poisons and spells into holy water. It is a product developed by Yuras¡¯ Department of Holy Magic Research,¡± Crusader Raphael, Commander of the Blood Cross Knights, exined with a stiff expression. ¡°We have a simr type of potion in Aroth as well. It doesn¡¯t use holy water as a base, but well ¡ª ahem ¡ª sometimes it¡¯s better to have something on hand that can cleanly dissolve unwanted bodies,¡± Trempel, Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards, spoke up, apparently out of some strange sense of rivalry to the Crusader. ¡°So there really is a drug that can dissolve the corpse that it¡¯s sprayed on. No matter how you look at it, it seems like that drug would be more frequently used for purposes other than counteracting the raising of the undead,¡± Eugene mused with a frown. Trempel coughed awkwardly, ¡°Ahem....¡± Eugene just shrugged, ¡°Well, that¡¯s none of my business.... Next up on the list... if you don¡¯t have any Hwagolsan, then the corpse should be burned. If even that is too difficult to manage, you should at least cripple the arms and legs....¡± An undead¡¯sbat performance varied greatly depending on the soul and the state of the corpse used. One factor that particrly influenced an undead¡¯s ability to fight was how they had died. If they died from being beheaded, the resentment from that fact would create an embryo that could allow the undead¡¯s transformation into a Duhan; if the corpse had been dead for a long time and its flesh had rotted, it would be just amon ghoul; and if the corpse had been dead for even longer until only bones remained, then it would be the weakest of all undead, the skeleton. So damaging yourrade¡¯s body after their death was amon countermeasure against the raising of the undead that was already in widespread use three hundred years ago. ¡°Though back in my day, we started by destroying the face first,¡± Sienna muttered. She had been listening quietly on the side. Several people turned to look at Sienna in surprise at these harsh words. ¡°Wha¡ª. Why are you all looking at me like that?¡± Flustered at all the attention that she had suddenly drawn, Sienna continued speaking, ¡°After all, in the old days, there were a lot of necromancers, and there were also plenty of deceased for them to choose from. So just in case the undead that showed up to block our way forward might happen to be an acquaintance from the past, we would just¡ª¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why you would destroy their faces? How could anyone be so cruel! Did you really do something like that yourself, big sis? So if I die in this next battle, big sis, would you really tear my face off?¡± Melkith cried out, making a loud fuss. Sienna was now pursing her lips and ring at Melkith, but Melkith¡¯s performance hadn¡¯t ended yet. Melkith shivered, ¡°Although I don¡¯t want to even think about it, just in case I die in the next battle, if possible, can you make sure to take care of my face cleanly instead of tearing it into pieces? But still, after I die, I would actually prefer to be buried in my hometown¡ª¡± Balzac, sitting across from her, suddenly kicked Melkith in the shin. Melkith let out a shriek of surprise at this unexpected kick, but no one showed any concern for her pain. Balzac cleared his throat, ¡°Ahem... I can handle any necromancy from Amelia. Though, in fact, with the prestigious Priests of the Light, the Maleficarum, and the Blood Cross Knights all present on the same battlefield... there¡¯s no real need for me to step forward.¡± ¡°That¡¯s as it should be,¡± Raphael said proudly as he narrowed his eyes and red at Balzac. ¡°ck Tower Master, Balzac Ludbeth. I don¡¯t really appreciate the idea of joining forces with someone like you. However, at a time like this, I can¡¯t cut you down no matter how much I may wish to.¡± Balzac justughed, ¡°Haha.... There¡¯s no need to be too suspicious of me. My intentions are purely¡ª¡± ¡°A ck wizard cannot im to be purely anything,¡± Raphael spat out, cutting Balzac¡¯s words short. Raphael was still the same as ever. He refused to listen to Balzac¡¯s words while one-sidedly spitting out his hostilityden diatribe. ¡°Now, now, let¡¯s not fight,¡± Eugene said soothingly as he put down the booklet he had been reading from. In addition to what he had already read to his audience, there was a lot more misceneous information contained within, but there wasn¡¯t really anything that Eugene absolutely needed to make known. ¡°It¡¯ll just be a jaw-ache if I try to read everything here,¡± Eugene gave an excuse. ¡°However, you should all memorize this booklet and pass it on.¡± They were currently in Sr, a city in Nahama. This was the closest city to the capital city of Hauria. The key figures of the Liberation Army had borrowed the pce of Sr¡¯s Emir to hold this meeting. There was the representative of Kiehl¡¯s Emperor, the Grand Duke Alcester Dragonic. The Patriarch of the Lionheart n, Gilead Lionheart. The representative from the Knights of the ck Lion, Carmen Lionheart. Proxy[3] of the Holy Empire, Saint Kristina Rogeris. The Commander of the Knights of the Blood Cross, Crusader Raphael Martinez. Proxy for the Aroth Kingdom, Crown Prince Honein Abram. The Commander of Aroth¡¯s Court Wizards, Trempel Vizardo. The Wise Sienna and her fellow Tower Masters. The King of Ruhr, Beast King Aman Ruhr. Commander of the White Fangs, Joshric Rava. Proxy for the Shimuin Kingdom, Ortus Hyman. Commander of Shimuin¡¯s Royal Court Wizards, Maise Briar. The Great Chieftain of the Zoran Tribe, Ivatar Zahav. And the representative of the various knights errant and mercenaries, Ivic d. The greatest knights, warriors, and wizards from all over the continent were gathered together here today. With this being too close to the actual battlefield, most monarchs hadn¡¯t chosen to attend the meeting, but the king of Ruhr, who was famous for his battle lust, had insisted oning here in person. If you added together all of the knights and soldiers under each of their respectivemands, the number of allied forces gathered here had already exceeded the tens of thousands. Most of those present had already vowed to cooperate with Eugene when they hadst met in Shimuin. However, currently in this city, there were many more who had voluntarilye to this battlefield, drawn by the valiant purpose of their mission and the promise of being led by the Hero himself. There were those who wanted to make a name for themselves before the end of the Oath could arrive, as was personally dered by the Demon King of Incarceration. There were also those who were willing to dedicate themselves to the future of this world. And finally... ¡°And what are you going to do?¡± Eugene turned and asked. ...there was also a dragon. ¡°I have no intention of stepping onto the battlefield,¡± said the red dragon, Ariartelle. Eugene hadn¡¯t gone looking for her to ask for her help. Ariartelle was keeping herself hidden from the world due to her personal circumstances, and Eugene respected the position that this put her in. However, Ariartelle suddenly showed up of her own volition, even without Eugene reaching out to her. At first, Eugene had wondered if she hade here after hearing the rumors, but after seeing her pick the seat next to Alchester among all of the seats avable to her, Ariartelle¡¯s intentions had been made clear. ¡®They might not be her real rtives, but it seems like she still can¡¯t resist being worried for them,¡¯ Eugene observed. Oryx, the founder of the Dragonic n, had inherited his power from Ariartelle¡¯s father and had be a half-dragon. Although they couldn¡¯t really be called rtives due to that, they weren¡¯t exactly strangers either. In fact, it was still surprising that a dragon would care about such loose, familial rtionships, so perhaps Ariartelle was just different from the rest of her species. After all, hadn¡¯t Ariartelle already shown that she found enjoyment in keeping an eye on the Dragonic n? ¡®Perhaps she¡¯s just here out of concern for Leo,¡¯ Eugene thought consideringly. He recalled the Dragonfear that he had been subjected to while training Leo. When he thought about it that way, Ariartelle suddenly seemed extremely suspicious. Wasn¡¯t it a bit strange that a hundreds-of-year-old dragon was watching over a boy who, by now, had just turned ten years old? ¡°I don¡¯t intend to reveal myself publicly,¡± Ariartelle continued. ¡°Especially where the Demon King of Incarceration might see me.¡± Ariartelle might be a dragon, but even she found it difficult to read what was going through another person¡¯s mind. So Ariartelle couldn¡¯t understand why the Stupid Hamel was looking at her like that, but she didn¡¯t bother to ask the reason and just focused on saying what she had to say. ¡°I¡¯ve heard it said that the Demon King of Incarceration and the forces of Helmuth will not be intervening in this battle,¡± Ariartelle said doubtfully. ¡°However, aren¡¯t there suspicions that the Demon King of Incarceration may have already intervened in this war personally? Moreover, the ck wizard who led the revolt that overthrew the Sultan is someone who has made a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Could it be that Ariartele had red hair even in her polymorphed form because she was a red dragon? In that case, was the reason why Raimira and Raizakia¡¯s hair was ck as they were both ck dragons? If so, would that mean a blue dragon¡¯s hair must be blue and a gold dragon¡¯s hair gold? While thinking such pointless thoughts, Eugene allowed Ariartelle¡¯s words to just flow over him. However, most people here were intently focused as they listened to Ariartelle speak. They couldn¡¯t help butpare Ariartelle, who was talking to them with a dignified expression, to the hatchling Eugene had been dragging around with him. ¡°I have my own mission that I cannot make public. That is why I cannot afford to risk my life or even get injured. However, just as my dragon race did three hundred years ago, I wish to respond to the chaos of this era and lend my strength to protect order,¡± Ariartelle solemnly dered. When the era of the war first began three hundred years ago, all of the dragons had flown up to the Devildom. Upon arriving there, most of them were killed by the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon of Destruction, while the dragons that barely managed to survive were forced to go into a state of hibernation in order to forestall their deaths and treat their injuries. Ariartelle was left in charge of managing the Cradle of the Dragons, which kept the surviving dragons in hibernation. If she were to receive a fatal injury or outright die, the dragons that had entered hibernation would also have to face a deadly challenge. ¡°And how do you intend to lend us your strength?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°You could lend us a few of your scales¡ª¡± ¡°How could you suggest such a thoughtless and horrible thing,¡± Ariartelle retorted as she shot a re at Eugene. If he had always had such an inconsiderate tongue, it made sense for him to be called the Stupid Hamel. However, only a few people present were aware that this man was a reincarnation, so Ariartelle remained conscious of this fact and was careful with her words. ¡°Human, don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve already received quite a lot of help from me?¡± Ariartelle reminded Eugene. ¡°I have to admit that you have helped us out,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°And haven¡¯t I done so this time as well,¡± Ariartelle said challengingly. ¡°I extended the reach of the warp-gates in other countries so that they could reach this city¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like you did that all by yourself,¡± Eugene interrupted. Ariartelle¡¯s brow trembled as she tried to keep herself from scowling, ¡°...I may have aplished the feat together with the Wise Sienna and the other human wizards, but my Draconic Incantations were of great assistance.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right, if it weren¡¯t for Lady Ariartelle, it would have been a much more troublesome chore,¡± Sienna chimed in with a nod to support Ariartelle. Yet right at this moment, Eugene and Sienna quickly exchanged a conspiratory nce. This was all part of a carrot-and-stick strategy they had worked out in advance. Eugene was in charge of swinging the stick while Sienna gave out carrots, and the goal of their strategy was to extract further material support from Ariartelle. ¡°As expected of the Wise Sienna, you do recognize my efforts,¡± Ariartelle nodded proudly. ¡°Your contribution was so impressive that it made me understand clearly why the dragons were called the race closest to magic,¡± Sienna sighed admiringly. Ariartelle¡¯s mood was immediately improved by Sienna¡¯spliment, and she gave a bright smile, ¡°Haha.... Oh, Wise Sienna, your magic was so superb that not even a dragon could attempt to match it.¡± It is said that praise can make even a bear dance, but it seems that dragons weren¡¯t all that different from bears. Although Ariartelle originally only nned on protecting Alchester, and since he already had his armor, she was just thinking of giving him a special sword, Sienna¡¯s praise had led Ariartelle to change her mind.¡± ¡°I will open up the Dragons¡¯ Treasury,¡± Ariartelle said. The Dragons¡¯ Treasury was a storage space that contained all of the treasures belonging to the hibernating dragons. All of the valuable treasures piled within that space were currently being managed by Ariartelle. ¡°It¡¯s impossible to arm the entire Liberation Army, but I can hand all of the heroes here today whatever weapon they may desire,¡± Ariartelle generously offered. Things had gone exactly as nned. Eugene and Sienna shared a satisfied look. ¡°This deserves a round of apuse!¡± Eugene said as he stood up and started pping. Sienna immediately followed suit and started pping herself, and soon, everyone sitting at the table was also apuding Ariartelle. Ariartelle looked bewildered by the sudden apuse, but it seemed that she didn¡¯t find it too unpleasant to be apuded like this. Dragged to her feet by Sienna¡¯s hand, Ariartelle stood up and said, ¡°Um... ahem... to all the human heroes present. I, the Red Dragon Ariartelle, would like to give you my blessing on behalf of all the dragons who are unable to be present.¡± ¡°Another round of apuse!¡± Eugene cheered as he renewed the strength of his pping. p, p, p. The entire room was filled with the sound of apuse. * * * Although this was stating the obvious, Eugene didn¡¯t need any more weapons. That was because he already had more than enough weapons on him. However, that wasn¡¯t the case for the others. Especially in the case of Alchester, for whom Ariartelle personally ced a sword in his hand. The sword was one of the dragons¡¯ relics. Although it might not have been created directly from a Dragonheart, like Akasha or the improved Frost, the relic sword was imbued with various protective enchantments. On top of that, Ariartelle further enchanted it with a Draconic Incantation, giving it a connection to her own Dragonheart. The Dragonic n¡¯s secret technique, the Empty Sword, was able to reach tremendous exponential growth in power that was only limited by the mana capacity of its wielder. As a knight who was considered to be one of the best in the entire continent, Alchester might not be consideredcking in terms of mana capacity, but if a dragon¡¯s high-purity mana was added on top of that... the power of Alchester¡¯s Empty Sword would be multiplied several times over. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you¡¯re opening your treasury to us, but since you already agreed to help, can¡¯t you participate in the battle as well?¡± Eugene probed. Ariartelle sniffed, ¡°Stupid Hamel, have you already forgotten what I just said?¡± After Ariartelle was done offering them the contents of her treasury, Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina met with Ariartelle on the pce rooftop for a private conversation. ¡°I have been assigned the priority mission of managing the Cradle,¡± Ariartelle insisted. ¡°Is there really anything to manage? Can¡¯t you just leave it to run on its own?¡± Eugene questioned doubtfully. Ariartelle shook her head, ¡°What a truly ignorant thing to say. Do you really think that the other dragons would have been able to stay asleep for hundreds of years if I had just left the Cradle on its own?¡± Eugene just shrugged, ¡°They¡¯re dragons, aren¡¯t they.¡± ¡°You... you really are so thoughtless,¡± Ariartelle sighed. ¡°A dragon¡¯s hibernation has many requirements. I need to go in and out of the Cradle periodically to purify the air within, tend to their wounds, and provide the Cradle with mana.¡± Did she have to clean up their excrement as well? For a moment, Eugene was taken over by his curiosity and slowly parted his lips to ask her this question. [I can guarantee, if you ask her that, you really will get punched by her,] Mer, who had read Eugene¡¯s thoughts, quickly pinched Eugene in the side as she tried to dissuade him. Eugene tried to persuade her, ¡®What, you¡¯re curious as well, aren¡¯t you?¡¯ Mer denied it. [I¡¯m really not all that curious about that question. Because I actually already know the answer. Could it be that you didn¡¯t know, Sir Eugene? Whenever Raimira uses the bathroom¡ª] [Kyaaaah!] Raimira let out a fierce yell as she rushed over to silence Mer. Eugene grabbed his cloak tightly, which had started bulging in ces and shaking from the pair¡¯s argument. ¡°What about you shooting out one of your Breaths from a distance?¡± Eugene suggested tentatively. ¡°I cannot do that,¡± Ariartelle replied firmly. At these words, Eugene just clicked his tongue and nodded his head. ¡°If you really dislike the idea that much, then it can¡¯t be helped,¡± he said with a sigh as he turned his head to look outside the city. A pitch-ck wall was all that could be seen of the city far to the east. Even from this far away, the sky that was being choked with dark clouds and the fog drifting around the base of the wall was visible from the rooftop. [There¡¯s no need to worry, my Benefactor,] Raimira said in a muffled voice. She was caught in a tussle with Mer as they pulled on each other¡¯s hair. [That evil barrier is nothing to a great race like we dragons, who are said to be the closest race to magic. I, the ck Dragon Raimira, will shatter it with one Breath.] For some reason, Eugene couldn¡¯t muster up much faith in Raimira. 1. The original Korean idiom used to describe these misceneous forces is both crude and quite funny. Tranted literally, the Korean term is pieces of piss or pieces of shit. ? 2. This drug is a fairlymon trope in Eastern martial arts fiction. After some research, I¡¯ve found that the original name is made up of abination of the characters for flower, bone, and dissolving. So, if I had to westernize the name, a good option might be Bone Dissolving Pollen or Bone Dissolving Powder. ? 3. The term used here is often used to describe someone in a deputy role. But in this context, it is used to denote someone with real decision-making power for the political entity they¡¯re speaking for instead of being just a representative who needs to report back to a decision-maker. ? Chapter 467: Hauria (2)

Chapter 467: Hauria (2)

The Centipede Mountains alone would have been difficult enough, but on top of that, a barrier had been ced around the entire city. ¡°The Centipede Mountains circle around the entire outskirts of the city while the sky is covered with a barrier made up of ck magic and the dark power of Destruction,¡± Sienna muttered with a furrowed brow. ¡°Regarding the barrier¡¯s level ofplexity, hmm, I¡¯ll need to get a little bit closer to tell for sure, but... I¡¯d say it¡¯s just so-so.¡± ¡°But the technical level of the barrier itself isn¡¯t the problem,¡± Anise spoke up. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sienna quickly agreed. ¡°Even if the barrier was technically weak, with the immense amount of dark power that has been poured into it, it would still be difficult to break through. On top of that, they¡¯ve even covered the barrier with ayer of the dark power of Destruction. Since they¡¯ve been that thorough with its creation, it¡¯s now virtually impossible to break through the barrier with just magic.¡± ¡°So even our Goddess of Magic still has things that are impossible for her?¡± Eugene asked with a grin. It was only meant to be a joke, but Sienna just puffed out her chest, as if she wasn¡¯t the slightest bit embarrassed, and responded, ¡°That¡¯s pending-Goddess of Magic to you.¡± In the face of this proud response, Eugene lost the urge to keep teasing her. So Eugene just yed along, ¡°Uh... alright then, Miss pending-Goddess of Magic.¡± ¡°If I hadpleted my transformation into the Goddess of Magic, then, well, it should have been possible. However, for now, I can¡¯t say for sure whether or not it definitely is possible for the current me,¡± Sienna said with some uncertainty. If it was just the ck magic alone, it might have been possible for her to forcefully break through, but the sky above Hauria was currently covered with ayer of the dark power of Destruction. The dark power of Destruction was antithetical to both magic and mana. Even if Sienna were to employ her Absolute Decree on top of her best efforts, it would be difficult to pierce through such a thickyer of the dark power of Destruction. Just like how Sienna had yet topletely transform into the Goddess of Magic, her Absolute Decree still wasn¡¯t as absolute as it could be. ¡°I¡¯ll just hammer it from above,¡± Eugene stated as he impatiently scraped his feet on the floor. At this statement, Raimira stuck her head out from under his cloak, ¡°Hey, Benefactor, you should believe in me! I can definitely tear open a hole in the sky with my majestic Breath! Eugene paused for a moment before saying, ¡°No..., you should just stay quietly inside of the cloak.¡± ¡°Without me, you won¡¯t be able to fly into the sky, Benefactor,¡± Raimira insisted. Eugene just snorted, ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I be able to fly into the sky without you? I can fly just as well all by myself.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go there together,¡± Anise said as she stroked Raimira¡¯s head ¡ª which looked a little strange, still sticking out of Eugene¡¯s cloak like this ¡ª with a smile. ¡°Although I¡¯ve said this before, Hamel, being overprotective isn¡¯t a good habit.¡± Eugene muttered sulkily, ¡°I¡¯m not being overprotective... I just don¡¯t think that shooting a dragon¡¯s Breath, which is just a simple mass of mana, will have any effect on it.¡± Anise sighed, ¡°Don¡¯t you know that a good child is one who wants to help her parents?¡± Parents? For a moment, Eugene just blinked his eyes, unable to understand what Anise was getting at. Simrly, Sienna also didn¡¯t understand what Anise was trying to say. However, Raimira just smiled andughed awkwardly, as if she still wasn¡¯t used to receiving this treatment. ¡°It¡¯s just a saying,¡± Anise shrugged before continuing in a low voice. ¡°Hamel, you, I, and the priests of the Graceful Radiance should all fly together with Mira. Even if we have to face a barrier of ck magic and the dark power of Destruction, with the Holy Sword and holy magic on our side, we¡¯ll definitely be able to break through.¡± Her words did make sense. So, without making any further arguments, Eugene just nodded. Sienna and the other wizards would all focus their firepower together to open up a breach in the Centipede Mountains. Meanwhile, the knights, mercenaries, and soldiers would be assigned to intercept the demonfolk and demonic beasts. ¡°Kiehl has its Griffin Squad, the Knights of the ck Lion have their wyverns, Ruhr has their own ice wyverns, Shimuin and Yuras both have pegasi.¡± Leaning against a battlement on top of Sr¡¯s pce walls, Melkith muttered to herself as she pointed here and there. ¡°Aroth is the only one that doesn¡¯t have anything.¡± ¡°Um... doesn¡¯t Aroth use both summons and familiars for the same purpose?¡± Rynein, who had been dragged out here by Melkith, hesitantly pointed out. Upon hearing these words, Melkith narrowed her eyes in a forceful stare and turned to look at Rynein, ¡°Do you have any familiars?¡± ¡°Well, I do have some, but... none that can be used for flying,¡± Rynein admitted. ¡°Then what are you going to do tomorrow?¡± Melkith questioned. ¡°The Red Tower Master has offered to lend me a summon,¡± Rynein replied. ¡°Lady Melkith¡ª¡± Melkith quickly interrupted, ¡°I told you to call me big sis, didn¡¯t I?¡± ¡°Big... sis... Melkith...,¡± Rynein barely managed to squeeze out each word. ¡°Are you going to use a familiar for tomorrow¡¯s flight?¡± ¡°Do I look like a summoner? I am a spirit summoner. I can fly together with my spirits. That¡¯s the method that best suits me,¡± Melkith said as she began to swagger off, shaking her hips. But why had Melkith suddenly started shaking her hips? Since she didn¡¯t dare to actually voice that question, Rynein was forced toe to her own conclusions. Melkith was wearing a fluttery set of clothing that was usually only worn by Nahama¡¯s belly dancers.... So, could it be that Melkith was attempting something simr to a dance by swaying her hips like this? ¡°By the way, as someone who calls herself an Archwizard, don¡¯t you think that it¡¯s a little strange for you to just borrow a summoned creature from the Red Tower Master?¡± Melkith suddenly asked. Rynein tried to respond, ¡°I don¡¯t really car¡ª¡± ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be like that,¡± Melkith immediately argued. ¡°After all, this is the moment when you, who have always lived in seclusion, will truly step out into the world as an Archwizard! Moreover, you aren¡¯t just making your debut at some academic conference. You¡¯re making your debut on the battlefield...!¡± Rynein attempted to convince Melkith once more, ¡°But I don¡¯t really want to attract so much attention¡ª¡± Melkith continued to speak over her, ¡°Don¡¯t you intend to be the Green Tower Master? This is your chance to take action and draw everyone¡¯s attention so that you can be the Green Tower Master.¡± Rynein¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but start to waver as she listened to Melkith¡¯s wheedling. Since Generic had abdicated from his position as the Green Tower Master, the position had remained vacant. Since they couldn¡¯t afford to just leave the seat empty, Aroth needed to quickly elect a new Tower Master, but unfortunately, there were currently no other wizards in the Green Tower of Magic who had managed to reach the Eighth Circle. But it was also impossible for Aroth to temporarily assign a wizard who hadn¡¯t yet be an Archwizard to the position of Tower Master. It was under these circumstances that Rynein had arrived in Aroth to take part in Sienna¡¯s research team. As an Archwizard who didn¡¯t possess any ties to other nations, Aroth¡¯s royal pce and the Council of Tower Masters didn¡¯t want to let go of Rynein. ¡°I don¡¯t really have any ambitions for the seat of the Tower Master. Also, there¡¯s no way that the wizards of the Green Tower of Magic would ept me bing their Tower Master because I didn¡¯t graduate from there,¡± Rynein pointed out. ¡°Even if you don¡¯t have any ambitions for it, you can at least try out the position,¡± Melkith cajoled. ¡°As for the other wizards in the tower, who cares if they¡¯re dissatisfied? As long as you prove yourself worthy of being called an Archwizard in theing battle, they will just have to ept it.¡± Rynein hesitated, ¡°No... that¡¯s not the problem, I¡¯m telling you that I don¡¯t want to¡ª¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t I say you could just try it out first,¡± Melkith huffed. Melkith wasn¡¯t being stubborn for Rynein¡¯s benefit; it was mostly for her self-interest. What a coup it would be if Melkith managed to convince this young and inexperienced junior to join Aroth as a Tower Master? Not only that, if Rynein, whose personality was much more docilepared to the other Magic Tower Masters, became the Green Tower Master, Melkith would be able to keep taking advantage of her for a long time from now. Apart from Melkith and Rynein, there were a lot of other people standing on top of the pce walls. As Eugene and Gilead walked along the top of the walls together, they kept an eye on what was going on outside the pce walls. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist saw cannons,¡± Eugenemented. The cannons Eugene was talking about weren¡¯t the type of cannons that used an explosion of gunpowder to fire a metal shell, but instead cannons that were fired using magic. Since the cannons relied on magic, Eugene had assumed that Aroth¡¯s would be the strongest, but Kiehl¡¯s artillery battery also appeared quite formidable. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have cannons like those in the old days?¡± Gilead asked. Eugene paused to think about it, ¡°Well, it wasn¡¯t like we didn¡¯t have any, but... there definitely weren¡¯t as many as there are these days. Especially when we advanced deeper into the Devildom, there were barely any cannons left in use.¡± Compared to the present day, the battlefields of the past had beencking in support in every way. While looking at the cannons currently being serviced by the Knights of the White Lion, Eugene tilted his head to the side and asked, ¡°What¡¯s with that one over there?¡± ¡°Our dwarven guests have modified the cannons that were originally in the possession of the Lionheart n,¡± Gilead exined. Eugene was looking at a cannon whose barrel seemed ridiculouslyrge whenpared to the cannons used by the other countries. Seeing how there were bits and pieces stuck all over it, it was clear that the dwarves had added their own artistic embellishments to it. ¡°It seems like it would be a hassle to push that thing along...,¡± Eugene observed. Gilead revealed, ¡°Sir Lovellian and the other wizards from the Red Tower of Magic have agreed to cooperate with us in managing our battery of cannons,¡± Could it be that they nned on using summoning magic to move the cannons into ce when the time came to fire them? As he imagined this scene urring, Eugene nodded his head in approval. If they had that much firepower, the ordinary soldiers would be able to remain effective even when facing those stupidly huge demonic beasts. ¡°Don¡¯t you feel nervous?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°I would be lying if I said that I didn¡¯t feel any trepidation,¡± Gilead admitted with a wry smile. Gilead didn¡¯t want to show any weakness in front of his adopted son, who he saw as no different from his own true children... but although those were Gilead¡¯s true feelings, he knew that the man he was currently facing was the reincarnation of the great hero Hamel. So, it might leave him with a slightlyplex feeling, but Gilead readily admitted his weakness in front of Eugene. ¡°A battle of this scale will actually be a first for the Lionhearts...,¡± Gilead paused as he realized something. ¡°Haha, no, it will actually be a first for everyone here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s really not all that special. Let me think, how old was I when I first stepped onto the battlefield...? I think I was only about ten years old, but the battle had already finished before I could evene to my senses,¡± Eugene shared as he leaned against the castle wall with a chuckle. ¡°Although I don¡¯t believe that this kind of advice will be of much use to someone with your personality, Patriarch, even so, well, please don¡¯t try to overthink things. And instead of worrying about the lives of your vassals ¡ª or anyone else for that matter ¡ª make sure to take care of your own life first.¡± Gileadughed, ¡°Haha. That¡¯s certainly quite some difficult advice to ept. You¡¯re really asking a Patriarch like me to only care about his own life instead of the lives of his vassals?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I know that you''re a good person, Patriarch, so I just hope you don¡¯t overly push yourself. If you do die after receiving some kind of injury, what am I supposed to say to Lady Anci, Patriarch?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°The same goes for me. I know that you¡¯re stronger than me, Eugene... and that you have more experience than I do. Yet, even so, I am your foster father. And I am also the Patriarch of the Lionheart n,¡± Gilead said, patting Eugene on the shoulder. ¡°All of the Lionhearts are my family. My children, the White Lions, and the ck Lions, and you as well. I don¡¯t want any of my family to get hurt or to die.¡± ¡°I also feel the same way,¡± Eugene said with a grin. Down below, he had spotted the figures of Cyan and Ciel. Ciel was riding on Yongyong¡¯s back for the first time in a long while. She smiled widely and started waving back when her eyes met with Eugene¡¯s. Eugene tried to persuade Gilead one more time, ¡°But don¡¯t you want to see your children get married before anything else happens?¡± Eugene had said this without giving it much thought, but for a moment, Gilead wondered how he should take those words. After seeing his daughter smile so brightly and waving her hand happily at them, Eugene had started talking about marriage as he kept looking at Ciel.... ¡°...,¡± Gilead pondered this matter silently. He wanted to ask about Eugene¡¯s intentions so strongly that he felt like the words were stuck in his throat. But Gilead also thought that he shouldn¡¯t ask Eugene about something like this so directly. So he just cleared his throat and turned his head away to think. Just then, he spotted a familiar face approaching them from that direction. ¡°Greetings to you, Sir Patriarch, and my master,¡± the man said. It was Laman Schulhov, who had been taken into service by Eugene in Nahama and now served as Gerhard¡¯s bodyguard. Eugene had thought that Laman might have abandoned any longings for his home country during his time serving the Lionhearts, but it seemed like the man couldn¡¯t help but have some lingering fondness for the country he had been born and raised in. Laman had acted on his own initiative and confessed his desire to follow Eugene back to Nahama. ¡°The supplies sent by the Emirs have arrived,¡± Laman reported. ¡°Did they send anything else?¡± Eugene checked. Laman nodded, ¡°Yes, they did. The Emir of Sr also sent an Assassin Squad that he suggested we could use to perform reconnaissance, but... what should we do with them?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m all that fond of the Assassins. Don¡¯t you feel the same way?¡± Eugene asked mischievously. Laman gave a wry smile and nodded, ¡°In that case, I will just send them back. Also, the Emir of Sr has expressed his intention to hold a banquet for us before we set off.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°We¡¯re leaving tomorrow, so what¡¯s the point of having a banquet now? Tell him to prepare a banquet for once everything is over.¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Laman said with a bow. Being from Nahama, Laman was familiar with the local culture andnguage. So even if Eugene just gave him a rough order, Laman could couch his master¡¯s words in the most appropriate terms. ¡®Just wait until tomorrow,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. Now that things hade this far, he no longer nned to drag out the time. After all, if he continued to procrastinate for no reason, he was just giving the other side more time to prepare. As such, they¡¯d be leaving tomorrow. The Hauria Liberation Army would set out from Sr as soon as the sun rose the next morning. ¡°But is it really okay to entrust me with that duty?¡± Eugene asked as he nced over at Gilead. ¡°Are you talking about being the gbearer?¡± Gilead rified. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene said with a slightly awkward smile. It felt somewhat strange and embarrassing to be entrusted with such an important role. However, Gilead just smiled and patted Eugene on the shoulder once more, ¡°If not you, then who else is worthy to carry the Lionheart standard into battle?¡± ¡°Aren¡¯t there a lot of people other than me who could do it?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°After all, there¡¯s still you, Patriarch. There¡¯s also Cyan, the next Patriarch in line. Finally, there¡¯s Lady Carmen, and if you don¡¯t think she¡¯s suitable, there¡¯s Gargith, who has thergest body in all of the ck Lions. He would be sure to stand out while holding the standard aloft.¡± To answer his question, Gilead¡¯s finger pointed to the outside of the pce walls as he said, ¡°All of these people...¡± Below the walls, there were countless people running around, preparing for the next day¡¯s expedition. There were also various different gs waving in the desert wind. The g of Kiehl, the g of Yuras, the g of Ruhr, the g of Shimuin, and the g of Aroth. Apart from these countries, each of the various mercenary corps and knightly orders also had their own gs. ¡°...they¡¯ve all gathered here because of you,¡± Gilead finished. ¡°Even without me having called them together, I¡¯m sure they would have volunteered toe together for a problem like this,¡± Eugene feebly insisted. ¡°Haha, would that really be the case? Eugene, do you really believe that?¡± Gilead asked with a smile. Honestly speaking, neither of them believed that Kiehl would have really taken part if not for Eugene. Even if Alchester had wanted to go on the expedition, the Emperor would not have given him permission to do so. The same went for Shimuin and the Zoran Tribe. If Sienna had been absent, Aroth probably wouldn¡¯t havee either. ¡®Even so, Yuras would surely havee. Since it dares to call itself the Holy Empire, it couldn¡¯t afford to stay out of something like this,¡¯ Eugene thought consideringly. Ruhr, which had always followed the example set by Molon, would have also taken part. But as for the knights errant and the mercenary corps? In the end, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but let out a deep sigh. Just like Gilead had said, the reason that the Hauria Liberation Army had been able to be organized on such arge scale was all due to Eugene¡¯s presence here. They were all gathered here because of all the rtionships that Eugene had umted over his twenty-three years of life. Finally, Eugene was left with no choice but to nod with another sigh. ¡°It feels like you¡¯re putting too much weight on my shoulders,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°Isn¡¯t that just what being a hero means?¡± Gilead pointed out with a mischievous smile. ¡°I might not know much about what the life of a hero is like, but you should be very familiar with it, no?¡± ¡°Ahem...,¡± Eugene awkwardly coughed. Eugene felt so embarrassed that he couldn¡¯t even put up his usual show of arrogance. While clearing his throat, Eugene distractedly scrubbed the floor with the end of his shoe. Seeing Eugene lower his gaze, unable to say anything in response, Gilead lowered his hand from Eugene¡¯s shoulder with a chuckle. He changed the subject, ¡°Well then, I need to head down now to help with the preparations for the expedition.¡± Eugene was about to volunteer, ¡°I¡¯ll also go with¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. You don¡¯t need to help out. As the Patriarch of the family, I¡¯m the one who should take care of troublesome tasks like this,¡± Gilead reassured him. In thising battle, there was no way that Gilead would be ying the main role. Gilead was all too aware of this fact. So, the best thing he could do for now was organize the armaments of Lionheart¡¯s knightly orders and coordinate ns with the other forces. He needed to assist Eugene so that he could keep looking forward without having to look back. ¡®I¡¯m just afraid that I won¡¯t be able to open up the way forward for you, Eugene,¡¯ Gilead admitted to himself. But in that case, he should, at the very least, be fully prepared to run down the path that Eugene would be opening up for them. Eugene kept his eyes on Gilead¡¯s back as the Patriarch leaped down from the pce walls. The words ¡®you don¡¯t need to help out¡¯ were lingering in his ears. Feeling slightly embarrassed by Gilead¡¯s consideration for him, Eugene eventually turned around. The sun had slowly begun to set. Eugene didn¡¯t want to attract needless attention, so he looked for somewhere deserted. Since he needed to turn in early to rest in preparation for the expedition tomorrow, Eugene decided that it would be better to double-check all of his equipment just one more time. Although it was a long way from Sr to Hauria, with the assistance of all of the high-ranking wizards and the spirit summoners led by Melkith, let alone a few days of travel, they would be able to reach Hauria in less than a day. ¡®Then the battle should break out immediately,¡¯ Eugene suspected. There was no way that the forces led by the specter would just quietly shut themselves in the city and focus on defending. There should already be enemies waiting in ambush outside of the Centipede Mountains. So right now would be thest chance that Eugene would get to prepare for battle with peace of mind. After he climbed down from the pce walls, many people noticed Eugene. Whenever they did, they would all try to greet him or ask where he was going. Since they weren¡¯t someone he could just ignore, Eugene returned each of their greetings and gave a casual answer to their questions. The emotions contained in the looks that they gave him were, for the most part, simr. There was respect, envy, admiration, and other such feelings. ¡®In the past, such gazes felt heavy,¡¯ Eugene recalled thoughtfully. As far as Eugene could remember, the first time he had drawn such looks was in the Samar Rainforest. These were the types of looks that only a ¡®Hero¡¯ could draw. At that time, their eyes had felt heavy, resting on him. It felt burdensome. Three hundred years ago, Eugene might have already been a hero, but he wasn¡¯t the Hero. Back then, most of those gazes had been directed at Vermouth, with only a few being turned towards Hamel. ~ ¡ªI hate being the Hero. ~ Eugene could remember Vermouth saying that. They had all called him the Hero, and they all had expectations for him. During that time, back three hundred years ago, Vermouth would always attract attention wherever he went and was treated like the protagonist at every moment. They would all beg him to defeat the Demon Kings, ask him to save the world, and plead with him to avenge their fallen kin. Those were the types of words that Vermouth was always forced to listen to. All while receiving their admiration, envy, awe, and other such emotions. It was just like what Eugene was experiencing now. ¡®But does it still feel as heavy as it first did?¡¯ Eugene asked himself. That was no longer the case. Rather than feeling heavy, all of their attention just felt slightly embarrassing. To be honest, now, it had even be familiar and natural for him to receive such treatment. Can I really do it? Eugene no longer had such doubts. Rather than questioning himself on whether he could live up to their expectations, he had decided that it was better to just believe that he would do what he had to. ~ Eugene had spent quite some time walking. It was only then that he finally arrived at a ce where there were no other people around. After scanning his surroundings, Eugene pushed his hands inside his cloak. His hands came out, each holding the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword. Those were the only two swords that he pulled out. The Holy Sword was just the same as ever. Nothing had changed about it. The God of Light who had ced a connection to himself within this sword was someone whose intentions and identity seemed inscrutable to Eugene. However, Eugene was confident that in thising battle, the Holy Sword would provide its Light whenever he needed it. People who belonged to other religions often said that the God of Light was self-righteous. Even in Eugene¡¯s opinion, that did indeed seem to be the case. When even the believers who served the God of Light were already so self-righteous and fanatics at that, then the God of Light should be even more self-righteous than his millions of believers. He was so self-righteous that he had even lent his strength to Eugene as Eugene was killing the faithful believers who had devoted themselves to the god[1]. Then there was the Moonlight Sword. ¡®Can I really use you?¡¯ Eugene silently asked. After killing Iris, the Moonlight Sword had received new sources of strength. Eugene¡¯s mana and divine power had been infused within it, but so had the same ominousness that was ever-present in Lehainjar. This would be Eugene¡¯s first time using the Moonlight Sword in actualbat after the de of the sword had been fully restored. So, would the Moonlight Sword really be able to cut down the fake who had be the Incarnation of Destruction? Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel some concern about the likelihood of that. The Moonlight Sword was a sword of Destruction. The ominous moonlight that sprayed out each time the sword was swung was essentially no different from the dark power of Destruction. ¡®Even with my divine power and mana added on to it...,¡¯ Eugene clicked his tongue as he red down at the de of the Moonlight Sword. He would just have to test it out himself to find out whether the current Moonlight Sword would have any effect against the Incarnation of Destruction. In fact, there was something more important than that. ¡®Will my Divine Sword be able to cut him down?¡¯ Eugene silently spected. If he couldn¡¯t even cut someone like the specter with his Divine Sword, then Eugene would never be able to take down the Demon King of Destruction himself. So what if his Divine Sword hadn¡¯t beenpletely formed yet? So what if he wascking in divine power? If Eugene kept thinking up these questions one by one and preparing all sorts of excuses, then even decades wouldn¡¯t be enough to prepare him to face the final Demon King. Eugene rubbed the part of his chest over where the Divine Sword was drawn from. He suddenly turned his head. The sun was still setting. The golden desert had been dyed a dark red. From the other side of the desert, dusk was slowly creeping up. Before too much time had passed, the sun wouldpletely set and disappear, and this dark red desert would be covered in pitch-ck darkness. Someone''s figure could be seen floating above the dark waves of dusk that seemed to have foreshadowed his arrival. It was a man wearing a white mask. Eugene¡¯s hand dug into his chest. 1. This refers to when Eugene was killing the pdins and priests at the Fount of Light to save Kristina, just in case anyone has forgotten. ? Chapter 468: Hauria (3) [Bonus Images]

Chapter 468: Hauria (3) [Bonus Images]

Who was this guy? What was he doing here? Apart from those questions, there was a mountain of other suspicious points that deserved questioning. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t curious about any of those details and didn¡¯t have anything to ask this figure. Because Eugene was experiencing a state of emotion so pure that it was much higher in terms of precedence and importance than anything else going through his mind. Eugene just wanted to kill him. This sole emotion drove Eugene to break into a run. This single-minded and intense killing intent also led him to ce one hand on his heart. The fingers of his hand wrapped around the hilt of the Divine Sword, clenching so tightly that the veins on the back of his hand bulged out. A thought suddenly shed through Eugene¡¯s head, ¡®No, hold on.¡¯ Reason floated to the surface from within the surging river of killing intent. Eugene¡¯s hot head cooled down as if ice water had been poured onto it. He hit the brakes on his speeding body. His right hand was still holding on tightly to the hilt of his Divine Sword, but he had yet to draw the de. ¡°Phew,¡± Eugene took in a deep breath before slowly exhaling. Eugene was focused on calming the murderous intent boiling within him. Now that he had put the brakes back on, his sense of reason grew even stronger. He needed to think of something. Anything. Something other than the thought of killing the person in front of him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that you¡¯vee here to be killed by me,¡± Eugene eventually said. This wasn¡¯t an opponent so insignificant that Eugene could kill him with just one swing of his Divine Sword. Eugene had already acknowledged this fact. But even though he didn¡¯t really want to fight the specter here, if he had to, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, you have a talent for suddenly appearing and disappearing. And even if your head is chopped off and your body broken into pieces, you somehow still managed to survive,¡± Eugene observed curiously. Agaroth or Eugene¡¯s Divine Sword could even manage to y Demon Kings. That had been an indisputable fact during the mythological era, and now, in the present era, when Iris had be the new Demon King of Fury, Eugene had ended her life with the sword. However, would it really have been possible for him to kill Iris if she had been in perfect condition with just one swing of the Divine Sword? The Divine Sword might be strong, but Eugene wasn¡¯t going to overestimate its power. He had always been cautious in matters like this, even during his time as Hamel. He would always assume the worst when it came to battles. It was only by preparing for the worst-case scenario that he could deal with anything unexpected. ¡°Just what are you?¡± Eugene demanded. If Eugene swung the Divine Sword at the specter, would he be able to kill the man right here and now? He should be able to deal at least some damage. However, the problem of whether he would be able to reliably ensure the specter¡¯s death after that first blow was a matter that required careful consideration. The Divine Sword was different from the Moonlight Sword or the Holy Sword. Whenever Eugene swung the divine sword, it consumed a part of his divine power. His divine power might have increased tremendouslypared to when he had first drawn the Divine Sword, but drawing the Divine Sword still ced a heavy burden on Eugene. So if he ended up unable to use the Divine Sword to its full potential at a critical moment because he swung it here today.... ¡®...That would be a stupid thing to do,¡¯ Eugene thought as he held back his urge to attack. There was also a strategic reason for not using the Divine Sword. ¡®This bastard doesn¡¯t know about the Divine Sword,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. So if he couldn¡¯t kill this guy here and now, it would be better not to show him the Divine Sword in the first ce. The specter had been busy staring at Eugene but suddenly said, ¡°How unexpected.¡± He measured the distance between Eugene and himself. They weren¡¯t all that far apart. It was a distance that would only take a hundredth of a second for Eugene to cross if he were to try and take the specter''s head. The specter had predicted that Eugene would immediately rush over to him to slice off his head. He had even thought about allowing it to happen. But Eugene hadn¡¯t done so. So why had he stopped? The specter had felt Eugene¡¯s killing intent wash over him the moment that their eyes had met. The killing intents of Gavid Lindman, Molon Ruhr, and Sienna Merdein had been impressive, but Hamel or Eugene Lionheart¡¯s was on a different level. Eugene was the only one who could muster up such a single-minded and violent killing intent, so when that killing intent suddenly disappeared, the specter had to wonder whether he was dealing with the real Eugene or a fake. ¡°No, this really is like you,¡± the specter corrected himself. The specter hadn¡¯t expected Eugene to suddenly stop like that. But that just proved he had been thinking too simply. If it was Eugene ¡ª or Hamel ¡ª then the right thing to do was to stop there. As the specter realized this, he smiled wryly. He hadn¡¯t understood what Eugene was doing right away and had had to give it a bit more thought to put himself into Eugene¡¯s shoes. All of that just seemed to prove to the specter that he was just a fake. ¡°How difficult,¡± Eugene muttered. The specter¡¯s face couldn¡¯t be seen because of his mask. However, Eugene could easily imagine the face hidden behind the mask and even vividly picture what kind of expression he must be showing through the specter¡¯s downcast voice. ¡°It¡¯s so difficult to resist the feeling of wanting to kill someone,¡± Eugene sighed to himself. It felt like his insides were boiling. Far too many thoughts were roiling inside of his head. The sound of Molon¡¯s confused voice. The sight of ck Lion Castle left in shambles. The scene of the forest after all the trees were swept away. The cries of the wounded soldiers. The smell of blood. The groans that leaked out, not because of the agony they might be feeling, but because they couldn¡¯t stand the rage welling up within them. Eugene took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions. His face, which had carried an expression of murderous rage, was wiped clean. With eyes that were as cold as ice, Eugene red at the specter. ¡°Why haven¡¯t you answered my question?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°It¡¯s hard to know what I should say,¡± the specter confessed. ¡°In that case, allow me to provide an answer myself. You¡¯re an asshole, a son of a bitch, and a fake. Is that enough of a description?¡± Eugene said angrily. Instead of saying anything in response, the specter just chuckled. Since the original had already voiced the truth like that, what was the point in trying to refute him? The specter had no desire to even try denying Eugene¡¯s words. Eugene voiced his doubts, ¡°You, just what on earth is that you want to do? Why get up to such bullshit in a city that doesn¡¯t even belong to you?¡± ¡°Because it¡¯s necessary,¡± the specter imed. ¡°Necessary for you? Or perhaps, for me?¡± Eugene pressed, his eyes narrowed. Eugene already knew this bastard might be hypocritically iming to do all this for his sake. ¡°I guess you could say that this is something that we all need,¡± the specter hummed and replied. ¡°That¡¯s just something that you went and decided on your own,¡± Eugene argued, his head tilted to the side in question. ¡°I know that you¡¯ve got a lot of things causing you distress. I also know that your situation must be shitty and confusing.¡± The specter¡¯s personality was created from the fragments of memories left behind in Hamel¡¯s corpse. Those memories had then been manipted to make him easier to use. That was how the specter had been born, with Hamel¡¯s memories, along with Hamel¡¯s personality. At the same time, ¡®he¡¯ held hatred and a desire for revenge aimed at Vermouth, Molon, Sienna, and Anise. He initially had no awareness of the fact that he was a fake, but he had suddenlye to that realization in Ravesta. After going through a lot of agonizing doubts about who he was and why a fake like him even existed, in the end.... ¡°If it were me,¡± Eugene said slowly, imagining what he would do if he were the fake. ¡°I would probably act in the real me¡¯s best interest. Or at least, that¡¯s what I think I would do if I were the fake. Because no matter how much I make a fuss about it, there¡¯s no way I could be the real deal. Even more so if the real me was alive and hadn¡¯t died yet.¡± But that was exactly why Eugene couldn¡¯t understand this current situation. ¡°You said that all of this is necessary for all of us, but I just can¡¯tprehend that. If I... if I were you, I wouldn¡¯t do this,¡± Eugene stated firmly. He understood why the specter would go looking for Molon, but then the specter had gone on to attack the ck Lion Castle. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand why the specter had felt the need to attack the Lionhearts, Eugene¡¯s family. He said that he hade there to bring them rage, right? Fine, the specter¡¯s attack did have that effect. However, if that really was his goal, then there were other methods that he could have used. Instead of using a way that Eugene would never have used, the specter could have used a means that Hamel might have. ¡°The reason you can¡¯t understand is that you aren¡¯t me,¡± the specter said while shaking his head. ¡°I admire and respect you, and I also can¡¯t help but imagine what it would be like if I were you. However, as the real thing, there¡¯s no need for you to do the same to me. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± Eugene remained silent. ¡°You said you wouldn¡¯t do what I did if you were me? I already know that. I also had that same thought, you know, that if it were you, you wouldn¡¯t do this. If it were you, you would despise this kind of behavior,¡± the specter added. There was no way that the specter wouldn¡¯t be able to tell that he was doing something that Hamel would never do. ¡°That is exactly why I did it,¡± the specter exined. Even while knowing all that.... The specter continued, ¡°Because by doing so, I was doing something that only I would do.¡± Eugene red at the specter without saying a word. He didn¡¯t feel any need to question the specter¡¯s exnation. He instinctively knew it was the truth. The instinctive feelings currently growing inside Eugene were so strong that they could evenpare to the intuition brought about by divine power. That thing looks like me. But it is not the same as me. It resembles me, but it is different. That is why I have no choice but to kill him. ¡°Why have youe here?¡± Eugene demanded once more. ¡°Before I kill you,¡± the specter said with a wry smile and a tilt of his head, ¡°I wanted to meet with you onest time... and have a good talk. Because a lot has changed since west met in the Rainforest.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. A lot has changed,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°It¡¯s strange to say this, but at that time, you were actually more simr to me than you are now.¡± What would it have felt like if the specter had heard those words when he first realized he was just a fake copy in Ravesta? Before he had been recognized as a warrior by Molon, before he had seen Sienna smiling happily as she picked out clothes and a ring... before he had learned the truth from the Demon King of Incarceration. If he had heard those words back then.... ¡®Perhaps they would have instilled greed within me that doesn¡¯t have a right to exist,¡¯ the specter spected as he raised his hand and pointed to Hauria in the distance. ¡°I will be waiting for you in the pce,¡± the specter dered. ¡°There will be many things blocking your way. But... even if you don¡¯t manage to make it there, I will not move from my throne. The road to the pce will be arduous. Though I don¡¯t really imagine that you will fall before managing to reach the end.¡± The specter then turned to look somewhere other than Hauria. His gaze was now focused on whaty behind Eugene. Although they were quite some distance away, the specter could see each of the gs waving over the various forces¡¯ camps. ¡°A lot of the people who have gathered under your name will perish. Are you prepared for that?¡± the specter warned. ¡°From now on, you''re a Demon King,¡± Eugene finally spat out. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you don¡¯t have a real name. In fact, it doesn¡¯t really matter whether or not you really are a Demon King. Because, no matter what, I will treat you as a Demon King. Your actions are simr, so it would be strange to think of you as anything other than a Demon King.¡± The specter was terrifyingly strong and couldn¡¯t be killed easily. He had demonfolks, ck wizards, and demonic beasts under hismand. He had captured a city, taken it as his territory, and was now waiting in his castle for Eugene. ¡°I am the Hero,¡± Eugene said as he released the hand that had been clutching his chest. Instead, Eugene drew the Holy Sword as he continued speaking, ¡°All of those following me are warriors willing to sacrifice their lives to kill you, a Demon King.¡± The specter realized his question had been unnecessary. But that said, he still felt like it had been a good idea to ask it. Having heard such a response, the specter would no longer hesitate. He didn¡¯t think of himself as a Demon King. He thought it was ridiculous to call himself a Demon King when he really wasn¡¯t one. However, now that Eugene had said such words, the specter had no choice but to be a Demon King. ¡°Then I will be waiting for you in my Demon King¡¯s Castle,¡± the specter said with a grin as he turned around. Tomorrow, Eugene Lionheart would being for him. A Hero would be leading a group of warriors to fight him. Since a Hero would be doing something worthy of a Hero, a Demon King should just do what a Demon King did. So this Demon King would do his best to block the way of the Hero and then kill him once the Hero arrived. ¡®If you aren¡¯t able to kill me...¡¯ the specter thought. If Eugene was weaker than him, ¡®then it is only right for the world to end here.¡¯ Those were the specter¡¯sst thoughts before he disappeared from right in front of Eugene. For a few moments, Eugene just stared at the ce where the specter had disappeared. Then he looked at the distant Hauria, as well as the ck Centipede Mountains that surrounded the capital city and the ominous gray sky above it. ¡±Are you alright?¡± Eugene asked as he pushed his hand inside his cloak. Mer and Raimira, who had been left trembling in fear, hurriedly grabbed Eugene¡¯s hand from either side. Eugene grinned at the cute and clingy touch of their hands as he spun around. ¡°That bastard. If he¡¯s going to wear a mask, then there are a lot of other masks that he could use. Why that one? It¡¯s way too pale,¡± Eugeneined. Who could that specter resemble to have such a strange sense of style? Eugene clicked his tongue as his feet made their way back towards the camp. * * * The sun set, and the day turned into night. After a night filled with countless twinkling stars, it was the moon¡¯s turn to set. Dawn had arrived. As the light melted into the darkness of the night sky, the starlight faded and slowly dissipated. The camps outside of the pce walls had been dismantled by dawn. Preparations for the expedition had also beenpleted. Two types of wyverns ¡ª normal wyverns of the Lionhearts and ice wyverns of Ruhr, griffins, pegasi, familiars, and summoned creatures all flew up into the sky. The knights left on the ground mounted their horses. Even the infantry who didn¡¯t have horses weren¡¯t being forced to walk to Hauria. The wizards of the Red Tower of Magic summoned huge creatures for the infantry to ride, while the spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic also summoned earth spirits to provide their own mode of faster travel. Even as dawn broke, the skies above Hauria were still dark. Everyone who had gathered in the name of the Liberation Army strengthened their resolve as they looked towards Hauria. Eugene silently climbed to the top of the pce walls. He hadn¡¯t said anything. He hadn¡¯t even made a sound. However, everyone turned to look at Eugene. As if they had been waiting for this moment, they all let out an excited cry as Eugene¡¯s gaze swept over them. Although the sound of hundreds of wings pping at the same time that wasing from the flying squadrons was unavoidably noisy, no one made any unnecessary sounds as they all turned their ears towards Eugene. Right now, Eugene was at the center of everyone¡¯s attention. ¡°This is a bit embarrassing,¡± Eugene muttered with a grin. But he couldn¡¯t say that it felt burdensome. His small mutter was heard by everyone standing beneath the pce walls. Those who knew Eugene well also grinned andughed, just like Eugene was. However, there was an overwhelminglyrger number of people here who didn¡¯t know Eugene all that well. So, instead ofughing, they just looked up at Eugene with even more serious expressions. Eugene climbed onto the battlements of the pce walls. Although it was only a little higher, his field of view seemed to have opened up hugely. He could see everything clearly, including what had been hidden by the tall battlements ¡ª the view of whaty beneath the walls. He saw everyone who was serving as themander of each nation¡¯s army. They were all people that Eugene had met during the short meeting yesterday. On top of that, he also saw Sienna and Kristina. Instead of addressing them directly, Eugene just crooked his finger towards the two. At this gesture, Sienna grinned and pulled out her staff while Kristina unfurled her wings of light. ¡°Although it¡¯s a bitte at this point, there is something that I want to say,¡± Eugene announced. The Sage and the Saint flew up to the top of the pce walls to stand next to Eugene. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to die, or are afraid of dying, or if you¡¯re worried about who¡¯s going to provide for your family if you¡¯re gone... if there are any here with such circumstances, it¡¯s alright for you to excuse yourself from this expedition,¡± Eugene generously offered. A few peopleughed, but that was all the reaction that Eugene¡¯s words got. There wasn¡¯t anything like any dissatisfied murmuring with an undertone of agitation. Eugene nodded, ¡°Indeed, if there was anyone who didn¡¯t want to take part, then they should have already run away by now.¡± He was very familiar with the looks on their faces and in their eyes. Eugene had seen it more than a few times three hundred years ago. While unconsciously smiling, Eugene pushed one hand inside his cloak. ¡°I,¡± Eugene began as he drew out the Holy Sword, ¡°am the Hero chosen by the God of Light.¡± He embedded the tip of the sword down into the battlement at his feet. Aaaaah! Riding the giant pegasus Apollo, Raphael led an excited cheer. The Holy Knights, the priests of the Luminous Covenant, and the priests of the Graceful Radiance were gathered around Raphael, and they all looked up at Eugene with tears in their eyes. After releasing the hilt of the Holy Sword, Eugene¡¯s hand reached into his cloak once more. ¡°I am also a descendant of the Great Vermouth,¡± Eugene said as he pulled out arge standard from within his cloak. When the standard was erected, its g was caught by the wind and began to p loudly. This was the standard of the Lionhearts. As the g pped in the air, the lion¡¯s mane depicted on the g seemed to be fluttering. ¡°I am Eugene Lionheart,¡± Eugene proudly dered. The dawn grew even brighter. Rays of light fell and bathed both Eugene and the standard of the Lionheart n. Everyone who was looking up at him felt dazzled by this sight. However, no one could bear to turn their gaze away. Standing in the center of this eye-piercing light, Eugene unknowingly erased one of the many names used to describe him from everyone¡¯s minds. He had once been called the Second Coming of the Great Vermouth, but now.... ¡®No,¡¯ Gilead thought as he unconsciouslyid a hand on his left chest. The Lionheart¡¯s sigil was embroidered there, the same image of a lion that was depicted on the g. Gilead wasn¡¯t the only one who ced their hand over their hearts, touching the Lionheart¡¯s sigil. Both the White Lions and the ck Lions, as well as everyone who belonged to the Lionheart n, all ced their hands on their hearts as they looked up at Eugene. Everyone had realized the same thing, ¡®He isn¡¯t the Second Coming of the Great Vermouth.¡¯ They couldn¡¯t call Eugene by that name any longer. He was Great. Wise. Faithful. Brave. And Stupid. ¡°The Radiant Eugene Lionheart,¡± Carmen muttered. Eugene propped the Lionheart¡¯s standard onto one shoulder and said to his awed audience, ¡°Now then, let¡¯s go and kill ourselves a Demon King.¡± Raimira disappeared from inside his cloak. She had been transported high into the sky through a spatial leap and was now wrapped in light. Whoooosh! A huge ck dragon unfurled its wings in Raimira¡¯s ce. The airborne squadrons flying in the sky didn¡¯t panic at her sudden appearance and immediately pulled on their reins to open up a path through the sky. pping her wings, the dragon flew down and lowered her head towards Eugene. ¡°Wasn''t that a bit too shy?¡± Eugenemented. [There¡¯s no way I could lose to your magnificence, Benefactor,] Raimira answered in a spirited tone. Eugene was caught off guard by her response, but responding to the expectant gazes of those around him, he climbed on top of Raimira¡¯s head. A loud cheer erupted from the crowds below. Chapter 469: Hauria (4)

Chapter 469: Hauria (4)

With her wings outspread, the ck dragon took the lead, followed by the hundreds of wyverns, griffins, pegasi, and flying summoned creatures. Below, the rest of the army rode forth on their other means of transportation, such as their war horses, summoned creatures, earth spirits, and chariots. The leader of the White Dragon Knights, Alchester, looked up into the sky as he rode on the back of his own barded steed. He was looking up at the daughter of Raizakia, the demonic dragon whose name had be infamous starting from the era of war. Alchester didn¡¯t know what exactly was going on between Raimira and Eugene. However, to Alchester, who was unaware of the true circumstances, the current sight above him felt both extremely awe-inspiring and symbolic. This was a child of the Demon Dragon Raizakia, but she had been influenced by the Hero and had now lent her wings for the sake of protecting the world. ording to what had been passed down through legend, dragons were both proud and arrogant. But such a dragon... was not only carrying the Hero on her back; she had also allowed dozens of other humans to ride along as well. As for the army that was following the dragon, this awesome and majestic sight at their head sent thrills down the spines of the entire Hauria Liberation Army. Regardless of whether the uing battle was won or lost, everything that happened here would be recorded in legend. And as time went by, their story would eventually be a myth. So, all those present here were now a part of those legends and myths. And the one that all of the legends would be written about ¡ª the protagonist of their story that would be part of the legends and myths ¡ª everyone in the Liberation Army was thinking of that Hero¡¯s name. ¡°The Radiant Eugene Lionheart,¡± Carmen muttered once more. That was the name she had unconsciously muttered when she first saw Eugene holding up the standard on the pce wall. Although that name had only been spoken in Carmen¡¯s murmurs to herself, once this war had ended ¡ª if Eugene defeated the unnamed Demon King who had taken over Hauria City.... Then, everyone would end up calling Eugene by that name. Carmen would make sure that it happened. He was the continuation of the legend from three hundred years ago, a descendant of the Great Vermouth. ¡°The Brilliant, Eugene Lionheart,¡± Carmen muttered with a cheerful smile. Although her words were muttered in a low voice, the sound still managed to reach the ears of the ck Lions flying around her. ¡°It seems like she¡¯s really taken with that name,¡± Dezra subtly leaned closer to Ciel and whispered. Unlike in the past, Dezra now seemed ustomed to riding on a wyvern¡¯s back. Ciel¡¯s eyes were boring holes into Raimira¡¯s back. She pouted at Dezra¡¯s quiet jibe and said, ¡°You have to admit that he did look radiant.¡± She recalled the sight of his figure standing tall with the light of dawn at his back, the Lionheart standard fluttering beside him.... Ciel unknowingly had to take a deep breath to calm herself. Her face felt flushed and hot. ¡®What a severe case of lovesickness,¡¯ Dezra thought as she clicked her tongue. Seeing Ciel shake her head from side to side while clutching her red face caused Dezra to feel a mixture of distressed emotions. Her distress came from the fact this sight brought back memories of Shimuin and the appearance of Ciel crying through her swollen eyes. ¡°How about you fly a little closer?¡± a deep voice suddenly sounded from nearby. The speaker was Gargith with his bulging muscles. Because his bulk was sorge, the wyvern he was riding seemed smaller inparison. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ciel responded. Gargith tried to persuade her, ¡°But Lady Ciel¡ª¡± ¡°I said it¡¯s fine, so don¡¯t say anything you don¡¯t need to,¡± Ciel ordered. Right now, it was still better for her to keep this distance. As she had this thought, Ciel raised her hands and pped her cheeks. A tingling pain ran over her cheeks, which were still flushed with heat before the wind from their flight cooled her skin. ¡®You¡¯re not ready yet,¡¯ Ciel told herself. If she went over to him without having any confidence in herself or having finished the necessary preparations, she might just end up giving in to her greed to be with him. Ciel wanted to stand proudly at his side on her own merit, and she didn¡¯t want to cause Eugene any embarrassment. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Raphael flew closer to Eugene on his steed, Apollo, a huge pegasus with two pairs of wings. ¡°If you would grant me permission, I would like to fly ahead of the army to scout.¡± Raphael was wearing a heavy suit of armor that didn¡¯t seem to match well with his boyish appearance. However, the uniquely world-weary air that clung to him actually made his choice of outfit seem natural. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that,¡± Eugene assured him. The two pairs of wings and gigantic physique possessed by Raphael¡¯s trusty steed, Apollo, were not innate to the beast. Apollo was a holy hybrid created through abination of cross-breeding, magical biology, and holy magic. All the pegasi in Yuras¡¯ Holy Beast Cavalry, who were currently flying along behind Eugene, were also holy hybrids. Therefore, the pegasi of Yuras¡¯ Holy Beast Cavalry were much stronger and faster than that of Shimuin¡¯s Heavenly Beast Cavalry. In fact, among all the squadrons currently flying through the air around them, no other flying creature was faster than a pegasus from the Holy Beast Cavalry. However, they still couldn¡¯t be faster than one of Sienna¡¯s spells. ¡°I¡¯m grateful that you have volunteered on your own initiative, Lord Raphael, but the area ahead is already being scouted through the use of Lady Sienna¡¯s spells,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Alright, I understand,¡± Raphael said with a nod as he pulled on Apollo¡¯s reins. Raphael didn¡¯t feel so strongly about his offer to help that he would stubbornly insist on going ahead with it no matter what, and he didn¡¯t need any empty ttery from Eugene either. There was only one thing that the Crusader desired. Raphael had wholeheartedly devoted himself, body and soul, to serving the Light. ¡®The same goes for all of you as well,¡¯ Raphael thought as he looked at the dozens of priests kneeling behind Eugene. Each of these priests had been carefully chosen by the Saint herself from the Luminous Covenant, where they had previously been imnted with sacred relics or artificial miracles and turned into holy weapons. After they were picked to join the Graceful Radiance, these priests then received renewed instruction in holy magic and were givenbat training by Raphael. Then, from this group, the most outstanding dozen or so had now been selected once more and had been entrusted with the duty of guarding Eugene¡¯s back. ¡®If any danger doese looking for Sir Eugene,¡¯ Raphael narrowed his eyes at his former students. They would need to protect Eugene, even if it meant offering up their own life to the Light. During the past year Raphael had spent instructing them, the most important thing he had imparted to them was the spirit of dedication. In the first ce, the Graceful Radiance was a suicide squad that had been put together for the sole purpose of martyring themselves in theing battles against the Demon Kings. ¡°I really hate that kind of thing,¡± Eugene said, with a sour expression, once Raphael had left them. ¡°At first, I thought that they were just battlefield priests who had received advanced training to serve as a special unit that directly assisted the Saint... or at least that¡¯s what you told me.¡± ¡°We¡¯re not all that different,¡± Anise replied to Eugene in ce of Kristina. After the events at the Fount of Light, any relics and sacred weapons belonging to the Maleficarum that could be safely disposed of were taken care of. However, that still left the living biological weapons the Inquisition had created, and as living beings, they couldn¡¯t just be disposed of like inanimate weapons, could they? Eugene also thought there wasn¡¯t any need to resort to such drastic measures. However, he had never expected that they would be repurposed into a suicide squad. ¡°The purpose of the Graceful Radiance¡¯s existence is to serve me, the Saint. And the reason for my existence is to serve and protect you, the Hero,¡± Anise extrapted. There were many ears currently listening in. So, Anise didn¡¯t try to persuade Eugene with a long argument. She also didn¡¯t feel like there was any need to do so. Suicide Squad was a new term that had onlye into use in the past three hundred years. During the war, there was no need for such a term because everyone who had entered the Devildom had been prepared to sacrifice their lives for the mission. Eugene was also aware of all this. When fighting against the Demon Kings, it was only natural to ept the likelihood of death. However, wasn¡¯t there a difference between being ready to ept death and setting your death as the sole purpose of your entire existence? ¡°I just think that being prepared to die and setting your own death as your ultimate goal are two very different things,¡± Eugene tried to argue. ¡°In the end, whatever the case might be, it just means that they won¡¯t run away in the face of death, not run towards it. Sir Hero, you should already know far too well just how terrible our enemies, the Demon Kings, are,¡± Anise said while staring at Eugene with a calm and rxed gaze. But Eugene could sense just how manyplex emotions there were swirling in the depths of those eyes. No, there wasn¡¯t even a need to try and sense it. That was just how well Eugene knew the woman named Anise Slywood. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene gravely responded. The one who was feeling the most pain due to their circumstances was Anise, who had been the one to carefully select the members of the Graceful Radiance. As such, Eugene didn¡¯ty any of the me for their mission on Anise. ¡°However, what I¡¯m trying to say is that I hope there can be as few deaths as possible,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°You¡¯re quite the greedy person, Sir Hero. When you say things like that, it makes me slightly concerned that you might be taking the weight of your own life far too lightly,¡± Anise whispered back with a sly grin. No matter what he said in response, he would end up being scolded. So Eugene just cleared his throat and avoided meeting her eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve finished the scan,¡± Sienna suddenly spoke up. She had been concentrating with her eyes closed while standing atop Raimira¡¯s head. Although there was strong interference from the high density of dark power that awaited in front of them, Sienna¡¯s Absolute Decree had managed to pierce through enemy lines to see whaty ahead. ¡°There are almost no life signs anywhere in the city. However... there is still a lot of movement being detected. You know what that means, right?¡± Sienna asked with a grave look on her face. ¡°The undead,¡± Eugene provided the answer with a furrowed brow. ¡°Amelia Merwin is the most masterful and powerful necromancer among all the ck wizards who have ever existed throughout history,¡± Balzac chimed in. He had been standing among the Archwizards gathered behind Sienna. ¡°Even though most of Hauria¡¯s citizens were expelled, the number of corpses that were left behind by those who were caught in sh during the siege of the city must have numbered in the hundreds. If she raised the corpses in the city¡¯s cemeteries as well... she may have formed a literal army of the undead.¡± ¡°The older the corpses, the weaker they are, so there¡¯s no need to worry about the ones raised from the cemeteries,¡± Sienna said with a snort. No matter how many ghouls or skeletons were stumbling around within the city, Sienna could sweep them all away with a single spell. The only truly tricky and troublesome opponents to deal with were the high-ranking undead. ¡°I can barely feel any life signsing from the ck wizards,¡± Sienna added with a frown. ¡°It seems that they¡¯ve made quite the drastic choice,¡± Balzac muttered, the lenses of his sses glinting as he pushed them back up his nose[1]. ¡°I don¡¯t believe there is any chance that the ck wizards would abandon their advantage of having a secure base and leave the city to create a distraction. Yet even so, the fact that barely any life signs can be felting from them... that must mean that most of the ck wizards are already dead.¡± Now that things hade to this, purging the ck wizards brought Amelia no benefits, so that meant.... ¡°Liches,¡± Eugene spat out with a twisted scowl. His disgust was due to the fact that he didn¡¯t have even a single good memory associated with liches. Liches were undead created from dead ck wizards. Once a ck wizard was transformed into a lich, they would gain great power and could not be put down unless their life vessel[2] was destroyed. Of course, bing a lich didn¡¯t juste with only benefits. Even if one were transformed into a lich, most of one''s human desires would still remain, so one would be forced to suffer from never being able to satisfy one''s hunger and thirst. Also, it was said that if the lich¡¯s life vessel was destroyed, they would never be able to reincarnate and would be forced to suffer in hell for the rest of their existence. ¡°What about the demonfolk?¡± Eugene inquired. ¡°I think they¡¯re all gathered over by the royal pce. As for the demonic beasts... they seem to be outsi¡ªhmm?¡± Sienna paused, her nose wrinkling in surprise. After being silent for a few moments, Sienna let out a snort. She had yet to meet Amelia in person, but.... ¡°How could there be such a crazy bitch?¡± Sienna said withplete sincerity. Outside the Centipede Mountains, something huge was rising out of the desert. Sienna was immediately able to recognize what this giant figure was. She immediately transmitted what she had just seen to Eugene. The giant figure was one of Fury¡¯s adopted children, Kamash, the Chieftain of the Giants. Eugene also let out a snort as he nodded in agreement with Sienna, ¡°She really is one crazy bitch.¡± As Kamash rose out of the sand, spreading out from the center of his feet, the desert began to turn ck. It was from this ckened sand that the demonic beasts began to rise. Although they couldn¡¯t bepared to the Centipede Mountains or Kamash, the demonic beasts were allrge creatures that could tower over ordinary humans. On top of that, even therge army of undead that had just been roaming the city now reappeared in the desert. Eugene reopened his eyes that he had closed while receiving the image from Sienna. Then he slowly walked over to stand next to Sienna. There was no longer any need to keep up the image transmission spell as Hauria was slowly drawing nearer. In the distance, Eugene spotted the figure of Kamash just standing there quietly. The flying squadrons following Raimira also noticed Kamash¡¯s giant figure and ryed the information behind to the ground troops. Everyone couldn¡¯t help but be shaken by the news that a giant had suddenly appeared ahead of them. Giants were just as rarely seen as elves. The giants who didn¡¯t join the Demon Kings¡¯ side during the war had gone into hiding out of guilt or fear that they would be forced into a murderous rampage due to public persecution. All other giants were now living in small groups within the forest that had been granted to them in Helmuth. ¡°That is the giant that Vermouth and Hamel killed three hundred years ago,¡± Sienna¡¯s voice was able to reach every member of the agitated army. Just from her words alone, everyone was able to recall the name of this giant. This was Kamash, thergest and strongest giant in all of history. ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± Melkith screamed in excitement at the sight of the gigantic Kamash. The Spirit Summoners of the White Tower of Magic, who were following her, were frightened by her outburst and immediately tried to restrain her, but Melkith shook off all of their attempts and flew up into the sky. ¡°Sister! Allow me to take him down!¡± Melkith offered. Apart from the Wise Sienna, there was still the question of who exactly was the strongest wizard among all the wizards of this era? Melkith thought that this undead giant was the best opponent to prove and publicize the fact that the answer to that question was herself. If she proved herself by ying Kamash, she might be able to bring the other Towers of Magic under the leadership of the White Tower of Magic and thus monopolize their research funding.... Though, in fact, rather than her ambitions for the White Tower of Magic, she was more motivated by her personal desire to show off the power she had gained from contracting three Spirit Kings. Eugene was the one to reject Melkith, ¡°No way.¡± While stretching his neck from side to side and shaking his wrists, Eugene added, ¡°I have to be the one to kill that giant.¡± ¡°What? Why!¡± Melkith yelped in protest. ¡°Hmm...,¡± Eugene paused in thought. ¡°That thing was brought back to life because the founder of our n didn¡¯t finish him off properly, right? As such, I should be the one to finish things with him.¡± Three hundred years ago, they had killed Kamash, but they hadn¡¯t done anything to his body. They could never have expected that his corpse would disappear from the battlefield or that three hundred yearster, Kamash would reappear right in front of them as an undead. Eugene had no sympathy for Kamash, who had been raised as an undead. In the first ce, Eugene and Kamash had never even exchanged a single meaningful conversation. Their only history together was when Kamash had shown up leading a group of giants under hismand and blocked Vermouth and Hamel¡¯s way forward. They fought, and Kamash had died. The only words he had exchanged with Kamash at that time were... battle cries, screams, and insults... that sort of thing. This guy was a bastard who deserved to die. That had been the case three hundred years ago, and it was still the exact same case now. As for sympathizing with someone who had been resurrected as an undead, regardless of his own will, and granting him peace... such a thought had never once even crossed Eugene¡¯s mind. He had already killed this guy three hundred years ago. At that time, he had fought together with Vermouth. But Vermouth was no longer here. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just have to be the one to kill you once more,¡± Eugene muttered wryly as he lowered his arms to his sides before saying to hispanions, ¡°I¡¯ll be heading out first.¡± ¡°Is there a need for that?¡± Sienna asked in surprise. ¡°Why don¡¯t we just fly over together.¡± ¡°No way,¡± Eugene resolutely shook his head. He turned to look behind him. Eugene noticed that Anise had a displeased expression on her face. The eyes of the Graceful Radiance¡¯s priests sitting behind her shone brightly. Whoosh! Wings of ck mes erupted from Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°It¡¯s too early for me to need your help,¡± Eugene informed them. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Anise protested. ¡°I¡¯m just going to go and kill a giant. Why would I need your help already?¡± Eugene grumbled as he turned around. Kamash wasn¡¯t the only one waiting ahead in the desert. There were dozens of huge demonic beasts and the undead army as well. There might even be other demonfolk lying in ambush. ¡®He probably won¡¯t be able to recognize me,¡¯ Eugene silently assessed Kamash. It was only natural for that to be the case. However, Kamash should be able to recognize Vermouth¡¯s White me Form. However, that might not be the case if this guy¡¯s brain hadpletely rotted away until the giant had lost all sense of reason. But if he had even a sliver of consciousness left, there was no way that Kamash wouldn¡¯t remember Vermouth¡¯s mes. After all, they were the mes that had killed him. So if Kamash remembered those mes and recognized them.... ...Would he really be able to stand still and wait for Eugene to arrive? ¡°I¡¯ll be done by the time you get there,¡± Eugene promised as he took off into the sky. Fwooosh! The wings of Prominence pped in the air. ck mes enveloped Eugene¡¯s whole body. Soon, Eugene had transformed into a cket that pierced through the sky. *** His head was fuzzy. Right now, the only thing that he knew was what kind of state he was in. He didn¡¯t know how much time had passed, but.... ¡®I... died...,¡¯ Kamash slowly thought to himself. What had happened to the followers he had taken with him to bring down the humans¡¯ walls? What had happened to his siblings? His father, what had happened to his father? It wasn¡¯t like Kamash didn¡¯t have such thoughts. However, he wasn¡¯t driven to find the answers to these questions. Amelia had made it so he couldn¡¯t muster up the urge to follow those idle thoughts. All that Kamash could focus on was the memory from the moment that he died. It was a memory of how he had died and who had killed him. Amelia didn¡¯t think that anything else was necessary. There was no need for any borate memory and personality maniption like what had gone into creating Hamel¡¯s Death Knight. While making Kamash into an undead, all Amelia wanted from him was simple, overwhelming violence. Therefore, any emotions that weren¡¯t needed to supply such violence had been suppressed. The reason Kamash¡¯s head was so cloudy was that there was a void left in his emotions. He had the memories but none of the emotions that should have apanied them. When he recalled the memories of his siblings and father, the current Kamash couldn¡¯t feel any of the corresponding emotions of longing, worry, or sadness. The only memory that did spark something was the memory of what he had seen prior to his death ¡ª a flurry of shes, a non-stop barrage of attacks, various different weapons, and... ...Those mes. Kamash slowly began to stir. The memory was growing stronger. It had touched on something deep within him. A light began to shine inside Kamash¡¯s cloudy head. This light became a bolt of lightning that lit up his confused consciousness and caused his body to react. Boom. Kamash began walking forward. Slowly, ever so slowly, his face began to show an expression in reaction to that memory. As his face twisted into a grimace, Kamash red up at the sky. ¡°Vermouth,¡± Kamash growled. The mes were still approaching. ¡°Hamel,¡± the King of the Giants spat out his enemy¡¯s names with hatred. 1. Fun fact: This is a trope seen often in anime and manga; the Scary Shiny sses. You can look it up by this name on . ? 2. The original text uses the English words ¡®life vessel¡¯ instead of the more esoteric phctery. ? Chapter 470: Hauria (5)

Chapter 470: Hauria (5)

Those mes.... There was no way that Kamash wouldn¡¯t be able to recognize them. Those were mes of pure mana. Unlike Vermouth¡¯s mes, which had been a brilliant, stainless white, these mes were pitch ck. However, something like color wasn¡¯t all that important when it came to things like this. Those mes were so pure in nature that Kamash couldn¡¯t help but think of Vermouth. Though at the same time... strangely enough, Kamash was also reminded of Hamel. While these mes were pure, there was also something passionate about them that had beencking in Vermouth¡¯s mes. Kamash remembered both Vermouth¡¯s decisive and controlled shing and how, in contrast, Hamel would sh away wildly like a madman. His cloudy head felt filled to the brim with these memories and emotions. His limp body obediently began to move in response to his heightened emotions. Kamash started to run while roaring, ¡°Aaaaaaah!¡± It was as if Vermouth and Hamel, both of them, were currently flying towards him. It didn¡¯t matter why they were here. It didn¡¯t matter that the man emitting those mes was neither Vermouth nor Hamel. The only thing that was important to Kamash right now was that this man had made him think of his enemies. In that case, there was only one thing for Kamash to do. ¡°You!¡± Kamash¡¯s upper body leaned backward. His back got so close to the ground that it was as if he was about to lie down. Scruuuuuunch! His huge hand dug into the desert and scooped up a handful of sand. ¡°Killed!¡± Cruuuuunch! His fingers clenched tightly around the sand. The incredible force of his grip solidlypressed the sand into a single lump. He then filled the lump that he had created to the brim with his dark power. ¡°Me! Kamash had no need for weapons. Even when he was alive, Kamash was more ustomed to, andfortable with, swinging his fists and feet around than wielding a weapon. That was also true for his stone-throwing. The act felt both familiar andfortable to him. Grab a handful of dirt, turn it into a stone, and then throw it. With only this simple and primitive attack, Kamash had be the king of the giants. The stone was sent flying towards Eugene. No, could this really be called a stone? Although it had been made by squeezing a handful of sand, it could no longer be considered just a clump of loose sand. In fact, it didn¡¯t really matter what to ssify the projectile as. Eugene just didn¡¯t want to get hit by it. He wouldn¡¯t die if it hit him, but it would be extremely painful. ¡®That said, I can¡¯t just dodge it,¡¯ Eugene calmly assessed. If it continued on its current course, it might end up hitting Raimira, who was flying up behind him. Or perhaps it would swat some of the flying squadrons trailing even further behind, and it could also cause a disaster if it fell to the ground. Whatever the result might be, Eugene couldn¡¯t allow it to happen. So he didn¡¯t want to let it hit him, but he also couldn¡¯t dodge it. ¡®What a familiar situation,¡¯ Eugene nodded thoughtfully. Then he would just have to destroy it. Throwing his cloak open, Eugene pulled out the Holy Sword. His ck mes engulfed the de of the Holy Sword. The sword¡¯s brilliant light then melded with the mes. Cracracrackle! The mes surrounding Eugene expanded explosively. The feathers of Prominence, which were trailing behind Eugene like aet¡¯s tail, also responded to Eugene¡¯s movements. aaang! Eugene split apart the stone that Kamash had thrown at him with a single sh. The dark power contained within the stone couldn¡¯t ovee the mix of mes and divine power, so it was forcefully dissipated. The stone that was split into two pieces then proceeded to disintegrate without leaving even a single pebble behind. Less than a second had passed since the stone had first been thrown. Light shed in Eugene¡¯s eyes as a feather that he had sent flying forward during the moment of his sh was caught in the focus of Eugene¡¯s vision. Crackle! The space between Eugene and the feather was connected by a line of mes. For Kamash, the stone he had thrown had disappeared. Then, his enemy had somehow appeared right in front of him. How could his foe have done this? But such a question wasn¡¯t of great importance to Kamash. ¡°You dare,¡± the giant howled. Kamash was still caught in his fit of rage. The hand that had just thrown the stone rose up. The enormous open hand swatted at the sky as if Kamash was trying to catch a flying pest. Boom! The sky shook violently. It felt as if the sky was about to copse. Kamash¡¯s hand had suddenly stopped moving in midair. It had gotten caught on something. To Kamash, it felt like he had struck a wall that was impossible to break through. Such a feeling was unfamiliar to Kamash. Soon, Kamash realized what had blocked his hand from advancing any further. A tiny human, who looked no different than an insect when put next to Kamash, was blocking the palm of the giant¡¯s hand. So Kamash used even more strength to try and push his arm and hand forward. The arms currently attached to Kamash¡¯s torso were different from the ones that had gotten cut off when he was alive, but something like that didn¡¯t really bother Kamash. The current Kamash wasn¡¯t aware enough to feel any difort from having strange, new limbs, and far from being a problem, his new limbs actually performed better than the ones he had when he was alive. ¡®How hideous,¡¯ Eugene thought as he held back the huge palm with the Holy Sword. The rough and tough leather of the giant¡¯s palm couldn¡¯t be cut even with the Holy Sword. To Eugene, the limbs currently attached to Kamash felt like they were severalpletely different body parts that had been reshaped together to look like limbs. Eugene didn¡¯t know where the parts to make these limbs had been ripped from, nor could he tell just how many pieces had been mixed together to make them. But wasn¡¯t Kamash actually stronger than he had been when he was alive? It really did seem that way. Eugene didn¡¯t think Kamash could have exerted such strength three hundred years ago. In that case, just how strong was the giant? Eugene didn¡¯t know for sure, but he could at least be certain of this much: The deceased Kamash had be much stronger after being raised as an undead than when he was alive. ¡®Though not as much as I have,¡¯ Eugene thought confidently. Three hundred years ago, Hamel was still a young man when he and Vermouth had worked together to block Kamash¡¯s advance. Frankly speaking, Hamel hadn¡¯t just been young; he was, in many ways, still immature. It had only been a few years since Hamel had first crossed over to the Devildom. This was even before they defeated their first Demon King. After killing Kamash, they had gone on to experience so many fierce battles that they had lost count. They yed the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Demon King of Fury. Then Hamel died. And was reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart. Eugene could feel vibrations in the air. Although nothing had actually happened yet, the divinity stored within Eugene glowed andmunicated an intuitive hunch that was no different from true precognition. For a moment, Eugene¡¯s golden eyes shone with a slightly brighter light. The giant¡¯s thick fingers fell onto Eugene¡¯s head. In a split second, Kamash had clenched his entire fist around Eugene. And as if that wasn¡¯t enough, Kamash also wrapped his other hand around the fist. Whether it was crushing Eugene in his grip or hammering him down into the ground, there were many things that Kamash could have done from here, but none of them would have seeded. Kamash¡¯s fingers were stopped before they couldpletely close. The moment he tried to put even more strength into his grip, Kamash was unconsciously forced to open his fist back up. Swishswishswishswish! The ck mes flickering around Eugene exploded into hundreds of different shes. Kamash¡¯s palm was torn to pieces. And because he was a little slow to open up his fist, two whole fingers had beenpletely sliced off. But since his body was already dead, Kaamash didn¡¯t feel any pain from this. However, an eerie feeling that was somewhat different from the sensation of pain was spreading from his wounds. Kamash couldn''tprehend what this feeling was. In fact, it was terror. But because Amelia had surgically excised so much of his mind, Kamash¡¯s body didn¡¯t tremble or hesitate due to his fear. Instead, his fear further fueled his rage. Kamash let out a loud roar and swung his fist at Eugene. But for such an obvious punch, there was no need for Eugene to even use a spatial leap to avoid it. Eugene elerated forward, shedding the feathers of Prominence behind him like the tail of aet. From the perspective of the overwhelminglyrger Kamash, Eugene, who was flying around leaving a trail of light, looked like a pitch-ck firefly. ¡®A firefly?¡¯ Kamash scowled. That was only in terms of looks. This definitely wasn¡¯t some harmless firefly. With Kamash¡¯s giant field of view, he was able to take in Eugene¡¯s every movement. However, he still couldn¡¯t actually see Eugene. Even though Eugene hadn¡¯t left the giant¡¯s scope of vision, Kamash just couldn¡¯t follow his movements. Eugene would disappear in an instant, looking like his light had flickered off, and then he would reappear in apletely different location. Kamash tried to grab Eugene with another swing of his fist. But before his fist could even reach the intended impact point, Eugene turned into a streak of ck light that shed past Kamash¡¯s arm. His streak of light barely touched Kamash, but with only that, it still left the giant¡¯s arm in tatters. Viscous blood poured down from the wounds like a waterfall. With the Holy Sword, Eugene sliced his way up Kamash¡¯s thick forearms and reached all the way to the giant¡¯s shoulders. A neck that was as wide and tall as a castle wall could be seen right in front of him. Would he be able to slice through it with a single blow? Eugene asked himself as he gripped the Holy Sword with both hands. ck mes split apart the sky as Eugene swung his sword. However, Kamash¡¯s neck wasn¡¯t caught in the sh. Kamash dodged the sh by leaning over in a manner that seemed unbelievably flexible for someone with such arge body. Kamash¡¯s movement was just unnatural. At this thought, Eugene unconsciously let out a snort. After all, his enemy was a corpse. Kamash¡¯s movement didn¡¯t rely on things like bones, muscles, or nerves; the giant was only able to move through the use of dark power. ¡®So that¡¯s the case,¡¯ Kamash also realized this fact. He now understood just how different this dead body was from the body he had when he was alive, with how it was incapable of feeling pain and the fact that he could now perform movements that were formerly physically impossible. Although some of Kamash¡¯s memories and emotions had been removed, his fighting spirit and honed battle instincts still remained. Rooooooar! A seemingly endless amount of dark power enveloped Kamash¡¯s entire body. His ragged forearm was immediately glued back together through the use of dark power. So how was he supposed to fight with this brand-new body and immense dark power? There was no need for Kamash to even spare a thought to answer such a question. Kamash, the Chieftain of the Giants and a Child of Fury, immediately understood how he was truly meant to be fighting. Kamash wasn¡¯t the only enemy in this desert. A three-headed wolf with long snake-like necks leaped over Kamash¡¯s body. It was one of the demonic beasts that had previously been sealed in the skies above Ravesta. Stretching out its necks, the wolf tried to devour Eugene. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡¯ Kamash let out a rage-filled roar as he reached out his hand. The giant snatched one of the demonic beast¡¯s legs in mid-leap and then mmed it down into the ground. Boooooom! A crater was dug into the desert as sand was sent flying upwards. He may have already ttened the demonic beast, but that wasn¡¯t enough to cool Kamash¡¯s rage. Kamash raised his foot and stamped down on the demonic beast while roaring in a loud voice for everyone to hear, ¡°This is my battle!¡± Cracracrack! It was only after crushing all three heads of the huge demonic beast beneath his feet did Kamash raise both arms to face Eugene in a battle stance. ¡°Hah,¡± Eugene let out a huff ofughter at this sight. Eugene looked into Kamash¡¯s eyes and read the expression on the giant¡¯s face. Was he seeing the spirit of a warrior, a sense of honor, and a respect for their battle? No, it was different. Eugene could see the difference between someone like Ivatar and Molon, and what Kamash had meant by those words. The reason Kamash had said those words and killed the demonic beast by trampling it beneath his foot was simple and clear, making it easy even for Eugene to understand the giant. It was all for revenge. Since Eugene was the one who had killed him, Kamash believed that he personally had to kill Eugene. Such feelings just made it easier for Eugene to deal with Kamash. Thanks to Kamash¡¯s behavior and the words he had roared, the counter-charge being led from the Centipede Mountains hade to a screeching halt. ¡°I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Kamash growled. Boooom! Kamash¡¯s foot stomped on the ground once more. Blood spurted out of the demonic beast that had already been trampled to death, and the thick cloud of sand that had been raised was filled with the scent of blood. When Kamash swung his arm, the wind that this move created blew away the cloud of sand. A massive amount of dark power apanied the movements of Kamash¡¯s arm, battering its way through the air. Eugene¡¯s sight was instantly filled with a thick darkness that left no room for him to escape. In response, the light and mes covering the de of the Holy Sword grew longer. The two lights swirled around each other and then became one. The moment Kamash¡¯s fist and dark power were about to make contact, Eugene held the Holy Sword up with both hands. Then he covered it in theyers of the Empty Sword. Eugene didn¡¯t use Ignition. He didn¡¯t even see the need to max out the number of stacks. While twisting his upper body, he swung the Empty Sword with both hands, though it looked more like he was swinging a club than a sword. The power of Eugene¡¯s blow was terrible. The wave of dark power that had covered everything in front of him was instantly erased. Kamash¡¯s fist was split in two lengthwise, along with the rest of his arm. Even as his arm was instantly engulfed in mes of mana, Kamash still hadn¡¯t understood what had just happened. That was just how fast the Empty Sword had been swung and how irresistible Eugene¡¯s attack had been. But there was one thing that Kamash did understand. His death was drawing near. Was this because he had already died once? Kamash was well aware of just how empty death was. That was why he instinctively resisted its approach. Cracracrack! Thanks to another desperate twist of his waist, Kamash managed to keep his throat from being sliced open. Instead, his entire right arm was sent flying. ¡°Gaaaaah!¡± Kamash roared. Kamash didn¡¯t feel any pain from having his right arm sliced off. He had felt the touch of death from Eugene¡¯s sword as it cut off his arm and had almost reached his neck, but Kamash didn¡¯t feel any fear either. Where there should have been fear, there was only overflowing rage. Kamash moved his remaining arm, which was still intact. His fingers squeezed tightly around his dark power,pressing it into crystals as his feet kicked the ground. Sand exploded into the air. For a moment, it seemed like the sky and the earth had switched ces. Vast quantities of sand had been thrown into the sky, as a sandstorm with enough force to tear apart arge army engulfed Eugene. The feathers of Prominence that were being held high above Eugene¡¯s head all fell to the ground. As they did so, the sky and the earth seemed to have swapped ces once more. Eugene had cast a reversal spell through the mana stored within the feathers of Prominence. Now that his vision was cleared, Eugene could see Kamash once more. The giant was holding arge crystal of dark power in his hand and was about to throw it at Eugene. Eugene let go of the Holy Sword with his left hand. He slowly raised his hand with the back facing outwards. A flickering me was kindled in the palm that was facing toward Eugene. The mes that had surrounded Eugene were all being drawn into his hand. The ck mes formed into a sphere. It might now be impossible for Sunspots to appear within Eugene¡¯s mes, as they had turned pitch-ck, but the method to conjure up an Eclipse hadn¡¯t changed. Concentrate his mana in a single location, amplify it until it explodes, contain the explosion, and wrap it inyers. With that, the construction of an Eclipse wasplete. Eugene turned his hand so that the back of his hand was now facing toward him and then gave a slight push with his palm. The Eclipse, which was only about the size of his fist, shot forward. Its size was so small that it couldn¡¯t even bepared to the crystal of dark power that Kamash had created. It was so much smaller that it almost looked like a firefly in front of the sun. However, among all those watching this battle, not a single individual actually thought of looking down on the Eclipse. Even the demonfolk who had emerged from behind the Centipede Mountains could sense the terrible power contained in the ball of mes Eugene had just thrown. All the demonfolk unconsciously took a step back and held their arms in front of them. By doing so, they readied themselves to absorb the force from the explosion as well as the aftershocks that would soon follow. The ck wizards still hiding within the Centipede Mountains also reached the same conclusion. Amelia Merwin, who was standing in front of a group of liches, copsed onto the ground, her face paling. ¡®No, it can¡¯t be,¡¯ Amelia silently despaired. She transmitted an absolute order to Kamash. Don¡¯t try to resist it. Avoid it at all costs. So, step back and prepare an evasive stance. Kamash¡¯s body almost moved to obey themand. But then, ¡®I refuse,¡¯ Kamash thought as he forcefully held his body in ce. She wanted him to not resist? To avoid it at all costs? Even when he was alive, Kamash had never once shown such cowardly behavior. If Kamash had ever been wise enough and rational enough to do such a thing, then he wouldn¡¯t have continued to attack Vermouth and Hamel even after his limbs had been cut off. In the end, Kamash refused to back down, thrusting his left hand towards the Eclipse. In looks alone, it might have been a firefly in front of the sun, but from the moment the two attacks made contact, the Eclipse immediately dissolved the crystal of dark power. The dark power that had been condensed to its very limits simply burst apart like a balloon. The Eclipse then kept gliding forward until it reached Kamash¡¯s hand. From the moment the Eclipse touched his fingertips, Kamash¡¯s hand began disintegrating into dust. Kamash continued to pour out his dark power as he attempted to block the Eclipse¡¯s advance. However, the Eclipse continued to glide forward without any impediment, and eventually, Kamash¡¯s entire left arm was destroyed. Then, the Eclipse suddenly detonated. A storm of mana swept over the desert. However, the storm wasn¡¯t strong enough to knock Kamash off his feet. Although he had lost his arms in mere instants, both of Kamash¡¯s legs were still intact. Pushing more strength into his legs, Kamash leaped forward. Opening his jaws wide, he let out a fierce roar. But Eugene was nowhere to be seen. Thud. Kamash felt somethingnd on his chest. It was something very small. Kamash immediately lowered his eyes to look down at his chest. He saw Eugene standing there with both feet nted on Kamash¡¯s chest. ¡°You¡¯re still as big as ever,¡± Eugene muttered while pressing down on Kamash¡¯s chest with his feet. Fwooosh! The mes of Prominence red up on Eugene¡¯s back, sending Kamash¡¯s huge mass stumbling as he was suddenly pushed backward. Kamash hurriedly tried to brace himself by exerting more strength with his body. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t just simply using force to push the giant. From their point of contact at Eugene¡¯s feet, mes were drilling into Kamash¡¯s chest. ¡°You,¡± Kamash spat out, his face twisting in a grimace. He could only watch as Eugene grabbed hold of the Holy Sword with both hands and raised it over his head. Kamash recognized the sword. It was the same Holy Sword that Vermouth had once used. And he recognized the mes that enveloped Eugene¡¯s body and the way that the mes fluttered like a lion¡¯s mane; Kamash recognized it all. ¡°You¡¯re not Vermouth, and you¡¯re not Hamel either,¡± Kamash growled. What was the point of stating the obvious? Eugene snorted as he erectedyers of Empty Sword. Boooom! He stomped on Kamash¡¯s chest one more time. Unable to hold on any longer, the giant fell backward. ¡°Who are you?¡± Kamash demanded even as he fell. With his back towards the sun, Eugene held the Holy Sword aloft with both hands. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± he replied. Kamash didn¡¯t know that name. And he wouldn¡¯t get the chance to remember that name in the future either. ck mes fell from the heavens. The moment that the giant¡¯s falling back touched down onto the desert, the Empty Sword dug into Kamash¡¯s neck. ¡®Ah...,¡¯ Kamash silently sighed. Three hundred years ago, the Great Vermouth had beheaded Kamash. But in this day and age, Vermouth was gone. Kamash realized this fact the moment his throat was sliced open. Right now, the one who was taking his head wasn¡¯t Vermouth. It wasn¡¯t even Hamel, either. ¡®Eugene Lionheart....¡¯ At the moment when thest blurs of his visionpletely disappeared, a thought instinctively shed through Kamash¡¯s mind, ¡®I¡¯m finally dying.¡¯ Boooom! The fallen Kamash would forever remain still. Right as Eugene was about to put away his Holy Sword and leave the giant¡¯s corpse behind, he thought of something, ¡°Oh, right.¡± Could someone who had died a second time be re-resurrected as an undead? Eugene didn¡¯t know for sure whether that was the case, but he didn¡¯t want to leave any lingering annoyances behind. Eugene immediately created another Eclipse out of one of Prominence¡¯s feathers and threw it down at Kamash¡¯s corpse. Only after confirming that the ck mes had engulfed the entire body did Eugene fly back into the sky, then breathed out a sigh of relief, ¡°Phew, that was close.¡± Eugene had told hispanions that it would be over by the time they got here. If he hadn¡¯t managed to finish his fight with Kamash just now, on top of his embarrassment at allowing the fight to go on for so long, Eugene would have also had to face the shame of failing to live up to his word. Chapter 471: Hauria (6)

Chapter 471: Hauria (6)

¡°Couldn¡¯t you have flown a bit faster?¡± Siennained, feeling slightly regretful. If Eugene hadn¡¯t managed to finish off Kamash by the time they arrived, she would have made sure to catch his weakness and poke a lot of fun at his expense. [I flew as fast I could,] Raimira defended herself. Sienna snorted, ¡°Don¡¯t lie. Do you really think I wouldn¡¯t notice you adjusting your speed for Eugene¡¯s sake?¡± There was no basis for the harsh words that Sienna shot at Raimira with a re. This ill-tempered and nderous Archwizard was just making a fuss like she always did. [I... I¡¯ve never purposely slowed down...,] Raimira muttered in an aggrieved voice. If it had been Eugene, Kristina, or Anise being scolded by Sienna, they would have fought back without being intimidated, but unfortunately, Raimira just couldn¡¯t do that. ¡°Stop making up nonsense and go sit down,¡± Anise said as she walked up to where Sienna was standing and pped the wizard on the shoulder. Sienna herself was aware that she was just fussing for no reason, so instead of arguing, she just awkwardly cleared her throat a few times, ¡°Ahehem.... As expected of my disciple, for him to be able to defeat such arge giant so quickly and all on his own!¡± Although she was disappointed that she wouldn¡¯t get the chance to tease Eugene, his ability to take down the giant with strength to spare was deserving of praise. Especially because they had all clearly seen just how amazing Kamash¡¯s strength truly was, even when they were flying over from a distance. It would have been troublesome and disheartening if that huge giant had blocked the army from advancing or had rampaged through the front lines. [Aaaaah, Sir Eugene actually charged into the enemy camp all by himself in order to reduce the damage to his allies!] Kristina let out an excited shout. Although her words were mostly spoken in adtion, they also weren¡¯t all that incorrect. Even in Anise¡¯s opinion, the reason why Eugene flew ahead on his own had to be that he was concerned about the coteral damage to his allies due to Kamash¡¯s size. ¡°Well... it might be that he just wanted to kill Kamash personally,¡± Anise muttered to herself as she nced at Sienna. Sienna was proud of her disciple¡¯s performance. She cleared her throat once more in response to this nce and then nodded. ¡°Well then, shall we get going?¡± Sienna prompted. The magic corps that were the pride of Aroth were being led by Trempel, while each of the Tower Masters led the wizards who belonged to their respective Towers of Magic. In the case of the Green Tower of Magic, whose position of the Tower Master was currently vacant, there was no choice but to leave Jeneric temporarily in charge. Sienna, Balzac, and Rynein were tasked with breaking through the Centipede Mountains. Of course, this didn¡¯t mean they would only attack the Centipede Mountains. If help was needed elsewhere or if there was a good opportunity to cause a rout, they would be able to lend a hand there as well. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Sienna said confidently while turning to look at the other two. The ck Tower of Magic had been virtually disbanded, so Balzac was the only member who still belonged to the ck Tower of Magic. In fact, even if that hadn¡¯t been the case, it was still ridiculous for the allies to have brought along a ck wizard to this battlefield. Balzac was here only because Sienna had taken many precautions before allowing him to be here. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I won¡¯t be able to use Blind,¡± Balzac said with a disappointed look. If their opponent had fielded a human army as had been expected, then Bzac¡¯s Signature spell, Blind, would have been able toe into y. However, the only humans currently on the battlefield were his allies. Even if he used Blind against the undead, demonic beasts, and demonfolk that made up the enemy army, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see much of an effect. ¡°Don¡¯t do anything that might seem needlessly suspicious. Just serve as my assistant,¡± Sienna ordered. ¡°And make sure to eat in moderation[1].¡± ¡°Understood,¡± zac said, nodding obediently. If Balzac did anything suspicious, Sienna would kill him without any hesitation whatsoever. It was true that Balzac and Sienna had developed quite a lot of familiarity while working together, but even that wasn¡¯t enough to make Sienna hesitate if it came to killing him. She had never once forgotten that Balzac was a ck wizard, and she was also mindful of the fact that Balzac would definitely be their enemy one day. Balzac was also aware of this fact. Although he had never imagined that things would turn out like this and he would be able to take part in such a battle, he felt that it was a great blessing for him to be able to fight alongside the Wise Sienna. ¡®There is nothing that I would change,¡¯ Balzac thought happily. If Amelia was preparing to attempt the ritual to be a Demon King like Edmond had been, Balzac might have been able to gain various benefits during that process. Still, Balzac didn¡¯t have any problems with how things had yed out. ¡®Through this war, I should be able to get closer to my secret desire,¡¯ Balzac thought as he looked at Sienna with reverent eyes. The greatest and most exceptional wizard in all of history. The wizard who had gone beyond the limits of humanity, epting the challenge to be the Goddess of Magic, and was actually showing signs of reaching her goal. The Wise Sienna walked through the skies, holding Frost in her hand. Fwooosh! A gxy unfolded behind Sienna. Rynein and Balzac followed further behind Sienna while feeling in awe of her. Below, the leader of the White Dragon Knights, Alchester, muttered in a trembling voice, ¡°The Empty Sword....¡± Ever since the Knight March, he had never gotten the chance to see Eugene fight in person. That was why Alchester couldn¡¯t help but be thrilled upon seeing Eugene¡¯s strength and the level ofpletion that the Hero had reached with the Empty Sword. The Empty Sword was the secret technique that had been perfected by the Dragonic family over several generations. However, Alchester now got the feeling that he couldn¡¯t allow himself to remaincent with his family¡¯s achievements. Eugene¡¯s Empty Sword had reached a far higher level than that of Alchester, the Head of the Dragonic Family. ¡®He didn¡¯t just use it with his sword,¡¯ Alcester recalled. The ck sphere that Eugene had thrown, the one that had destroyed the giant¡¯s crystallized dark power and arm all in one go, must have been created using the same techniques applied with the Empty Sword. This fact caused another tremor to run through Alchester. Was it anger because Eugene had arbitrarily used his family¡¯s secret techniques? There was no way that Alchester could be displeased by something like that. What Alchester was feeling right now was a big, almost indescribable, surge of emotion. This was Eugene Lionheart, the Hero who would defeat the Demon Kings and save the world. ¡®To think that our family¡¯s secret technique, the Empty Sword that he learned from me, could be used so exquisitely,¡¯ Alchester thought in excitement. Alchester grinned as he savored this fact once more. He kept this grin up until the army had arrived at a certain point. Setting aside his satisfaction for now, Alchester lifted his hand. The riders following him raised the banner of the White Dragon Knights immediately. Soon, the other army units had all raised their banners aloft. Their enemies were graduallying into range. Beyond the giant¡¯s corpse that was being consumed by Eugene¡¯s ck mes, the undead army had begun to advance over the still pitch-ck desert. But the demonic beasts had already begun to move even before the undead did. Although they couldn¡¯t bepared to Kamash, let alone the Centipede Mountains, the demonic beasts running towards them were sorge that every single one of them could tower over a sizable mansion. They all belonged to a category of Super Demonic Beasts. They weren¡¯t just called that due to theirrge size. Unlike other monsters, these demonic beasts were made up of pure dark power. Some of the Demonic Beasts who were racing ahead of the pack opened their jaws wide. Vuuuuuum! Dark power was being concentrated between their jaws. It was clear what would happen next. This dark power would soon be shot out like a dragon¡¯s Breath. The moment that the demonic beasts moved into action, the allied forces immediately prepared a response. Following Trempel¡¯s orders, the magic corps all cast a spell simultaneously. Wooooom! A dense magical barrier covered the front of the entire army. At the same time, various counterspells were also prepared. In the rear, the wizards of the Red Tower of Magic, led by Lovellian, all drew summonings circles, from which hundreds of cannons were deployed. Boomboomboombooom! The opening shot of the battle came when all of the cannons began firing simultaneously. All the different countries began unleashing their artillery. Aroth¡¯s magic cannons had been predicted to perform the best in terms of firepower, but in actuality, that didn¡¯t turn out to be the case. The Lionhearts¡¯ cannons, which had been crammed full of the dwarves¡¯ wildest imaginations, were firing the most destructive mana cannonballs with an absurdly loud roar. Boom, boom, boom! The artillery shells passed through the barrier and struck the demonic beasts. The demonic beasts that were hit by the shells were forced to stumble on their feet. There hadn¡¯t been any casualties yet, but the demonic beasts¡¯ advance had been halted. But the enemy didn¡¯t just sit there dumbfounded. In response, the condensed dark power exploded out of their mouths. The dark power sprayed out in a conical shape like a dragon¡¯s Breath. Ayer of light began to shine on top of the dense magical barrier. The priests from the Luminous Covenant, who had been stationed near the artillery forces, all performed a miracle together as if they had been waiting for this timing. Except for the Knights of the Blood Cross, the Pdins taking part in the expedition had been given the duty of guarding the priests, but they also provided support to the priests by generating spare divine power. Although it had proven possible to halt the advance of all theserge demonic beasts with artillery fire alone, it seemed that it would still be difficult to annihte them with cannons alone. As soon as this verdict was reached, all the cannons were aimed higher. This change in angle was made to target the undead troops who were following behind the demonic beasts. The Beast King of Ruhr, the only monarch to personally participate in this war, let out a roar, ¡°Charge!¡± King Aman and his knights of Ruhr were all riding on wolves, but the wolf that Aman was riding was thergest of them all. That wolf was Abel, the same humongous wolf that had once served as Eugene¡¯s guide through the snowfields. Aman and the White Fangs galloped ahead of the army, spurring on their wolves. Seated on a huge ck stallion, Gilead called out, ¡°Cyan.¡± ¡°Yes, Sir Patriarch,¡± Cyan replied, also riding on a horse next to Gilead. Cyan felt d that he was wearing a helmet. Although he had already experienced the battlefield during his time in the Rainforest... he couldn¡¯t help but be nervous when faced with a war on this scale. Conscious of the stiffness in his cheeks, Cyan turned to look at Gilead. ¡°You seem nervous,¡± Gilead said with a nce at Cyan. Cyan¡¯s true feelings had already been seen through. But before Cyan could say anything in response, Gilead admitted with a grin, ¡°I¡¯m also feeling a bit nervous.¡± ¡°Huh...?¡± Cyan gawked in surprise. ¡°Just because it¡¯s me, did you really think I was an old hand at war?¡± Gileadughed, ¡°Haha... let alone a war; it¡¯s been a long time since I even fought seriously.¡± Cyan¡¯s eyes widened into circles at these words. Why hadn¡¯t he realized this before? After all, it was only natural. Cyan couldn¡¯t think of anything to say and could only p his lips soundlessly. Until now, the world had mostly been at peace. And it wasn¡¯t like there were many nobles who would dare to make enemies of the Lionhearts. Thanks to that, the Lionhearts had never really had an enemy to fight against. They also never had to duel with the other nobles or engage in a territorial war. The closest that the ck Lion Knights usually came to actualbat was through theirbat training. In fact, their training was very close to the real thing. But what about the main family or the Knights of the White Lion? They might both train regrly, but even with that, this would be their first time going to war. Cyan hesitated, ¡°Ah, Patriarch....¡± ¡°I might be nervous, but...,¡± Gilead began speaking calmly as his Exid shifted in response to his will, and his helmet opened up slightly, revealing Gilead¡¯s face. ¡°...But more than that, I¡¯m excited. It feels like my blood is boiling.¡± In his entire life, this was Cyan¡¯s first time seeing such an expression on his father¡¯s face. His father¡¯s usually stern visage, which had always been full of majesty as befitting the Patriarch of their n, now had an out-of-ce grin resting on it. ¡°Cyan,¡± Gilead called out once more. ¡°Ah... y-yes?¡± Cyan stammered. ¡°Make sure to watch my back, just so that this father of yours doesn¡¯t end up running too wild,¡± Gilead warned with an excited grin. Cyan was struck silent, ¡°....¡± ¡°As my son, I can only leave my rear to you,¡± Gilead said, his smile changing. Now, Gilead¡¯s smiling expression was full of his kindness, love, and trust in his children. Cyan¡¯s shoulders trembled for a second, then he nodded firmly, ¡°Yes!¡± To think that Gilead and his son would actually end up standing on the same battlefield together. No, it wasn¡¯t just his son. Somewhere high in the sky, his daughter was also present. And also... his other son was returning to the army after going ahead to defeat a giant all on his own. ¡°Eugene isn¡¯t the only Lionheart here,¡± Gilead said as he lowered his helmet shut. ¡°So let us go and relieve some of that boy¡¯s burden.¡± Gilead raised his sword high. Aaaaaaah! All of the White Lion Knights riding along behind him roared in unison. Then, all of the White Lion Knights charged forward as one. Soon after, Ortus and the knights of Shimuin also charged together, then came Ivic and the other mercenaries. Finally, Ivatar and the warriors of the Zoran Tribe also ran forward while roaring their war cries. Kyaaaaaak! Dozens of flying demonic beasts pped their wings through the skies above. When Raimira hesitated, unsure of what she should do, the squadrons that had been flying along behind her also charged forward. Thump. ¡°I should have cleared up the skies a bit before returning,¡± Eugene muttered as hended on Raimira¡¯s back. ¡°Why organize an army if you¡¯re just going to try and do everything yourself?¡± Sienna asked sarcastically. Eugene gave her a serious answer, ¡°No matter how strong I am if I try to wipe them all out by myself, I¡¯ll still end up running out of strength.¡± ¡°Since you are already well aware of that, why are youining?¡± Anise pointed out impatiently as she grabbed Eugene¡¯s wrist. ¡°Are you hurt anywhere?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would get hurt just from facing a single bastard like him,¡± Eugene scoffed. Anise sighed, ¡°If you had showed up with even a single scratch on you, I was ready to tear strips out of your hide.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think that response is way too harsh for someone who went out and fought so hard on his own like I did,¡± Eugene pouted. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you give me somepliments instead?¡± ¡°You did a really good job,¡± Anise said with a bright smile as she patted Eugene¡¯s hand. Feeling a bit embarrassed by this treatment, Eugene awkwardly turned his head to the other side. Down below, he could see the advancing banners. Charging along at the very front was the standard of the Lionheart n. Several other standards were running along behind it. Lifting his head, Eugene turned to face the front. He saw the flying squadrons that had flown ahead shing against the demonic beasts. The first thing that caught his eye was the sight of Raphael swinging a ymore atop the giant Apollo. Casually, Eugene began looking for some of the familiar faces amongst the flying squadrons. He first looked at the ck Lions riding their wyverns. Carmen had left her wyvern to fly on its own, leaping on top of a demonic beast and pounding it with her fists. Not far away, Gion was skillfully piloting his wyvern while swinging a sword. Eugene also spotted Genos performing an Asura Rampage. Dezra and Gargith were both easy to find as well. Then there was Ciel. She was using Javel¡¯s long, narrow de like a spear, slicing open the demonic beasts¡¯ hides. For a moment, Eugene just stared at the mes fluttering around Ciel like a lion¡¯s mane. ¡°...Should I have juste here on my own?¡± Eugene muttered to himself. ¡°Are you talking about abandoning us as well?¡± Anise challenged him. Eugene hesitated, ¡°Well... in the case of you guys... you would have followed me even if I had told you not to.¡± ¡°They would have probably done the same,¡± Anise said with a smile as she held Eugene¡¯s hand. ¡°You didn¡¯t summon them here. They all came here for your sake.¡± ¡°But they came here because I intended to start this war,¡± Eugene argued guiltily. Anise raised a brow, ¡°If you think that was a mistake, then what¡¯s the point of doing any of this?¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°I don¡¯t have any regrets. It¡¯s just that, suddenly, I couldn¡¯t help but have second thoughts.¡± ¡°Even if someone dies here, it won¡¯t be your fault.¡± Anise paused before shaking her head. ¡°...No, I shouldn¡¯t put it like that. It¡¯s certainly true that you did intend for this war to break out. They also came here for your sake and the sake of the whole world. So perhaps, in a way, all of this is indeed your fault.¡± Anise¡¯s palm gently pressed down on Eugene¡¯s hand. Eugene felt the Stigmata that had been carved into the soft skin of her palm. ¡°In that case, as the Saint, allow me to forgive you of your sins. I will also pray for everyone who dies here so that they will go to heaven instead of hell,¡± Anise vowed. ¡°Hah,¡± Eugene unconsciously let out augh. Heaven, she says. ¡°It¡¯s been a while since Ist heard those words,¡± Eugene said with a wry smile. ¡°There¡¯s always someone on the battlefield praying that those who die will go to heaven. As the Saint, it¡¯s only befitting for me to take up the responsibility for that prayer,¡± Anise said, smiling along with Eugene. She let go of Eugene¡¯s hand and spun around. The priests of the Graceful Radiance were all down on their knees, looking up at Anise and Eugene. The Saint¡¯s consciousnesses swapped ces. [Well then, now let¡¯s do what needs to be done,] Anise whispered from inside their head. Having taken control of their body, Kristina slowly took a deep breath and nodded. ¡°Well then, now let¡¯s do what needs to be done,¡± while repeating the exact words as Anise, Kristina unfurled her wings. Fwoooosh! Her eight wings were spread wide open. The priests of the Graceful Radiance lifted their hands in prayer at this sight and bowed their heads deeply. Aaaaaaah! A circle of light was drawn on the center of Raimira¡¯s back. ¡°Please go ahead,¡± Kristina said. Maise, the sole wizard left standing on Raimira¡¯s back, was momentarily entranced by the show of piety from these priests, but he quickly straightened his expression and nodded his head. ¡°Yes,¡± Maise said as he raised his staff. Then he cast his Signature, the Battleship. The spell that was usually used to arm an entire ship with magic now enveloped Raimira. [Ooooh...!] Raimira cried out in excitement. Although they had practiced this in advance, Raimira still felt a great deal of excitement when the time came for her actual performance. Battleship¡¯s magic sessfully armed Raimira. Raimira also didn¡¯t just stay still during all of this. One of the titles that was often used to describe dragons was Masters of Magic. So Raimira used her own Draconic Incantation to supplement Battleship¡¯s form. [Thisdy is now both a dragon and a battleship...!] Raimira cried out excitedly as she pped her wings. In mere moments, their altitude had climbed up considerably. As Raimira ascended higher than the flock of flying demonic beasts fighting in front of her, she could clearly see how Hauria had been totally encircled by the Centipede Mountains. She couldn¡¯t see into the city all that clearly. This was because of the pitch-ck veil of dark power that covered the top of the city like a roof. ¡°Try and take a shot at it,¡± Eugene suggested. [Benefactor! Do you want to take a look at thisdy¡¯s Breath?!] Raimira responded with excitement. Eugene encouraged her, ¡°If you want to shoot, then you should just shoot.¡± Until now, she had been so excited and impatient that if Eugene hadn¡¯t allowed her to use her Breath soon, it would have been obvious that Raimira was going to lose her temper. [Take a look at thisdy¡¯s strength!] Raimira eximed as a shing light pierced through the sky. 1. Just in case this is confusing, it refers to Balzac¡¯s new Signature, Gluttony, which allows him to absorb dark power. ? Chapter 472: Hauria (7)

Chapter 472: Hauria (7)

This was Ciel¡¯s first time riding her wyvern into actualbat, but surprisingly enough, she didn¡¯t meet with any problems. Usually, monsters like wyverns were so scared of demonic beasts that it would be difficult to make them attack, but even their monsters¡¯ instinctive fears had been erased by blessings granted by the priests. However, these blessings couldn¡¯t help with some minor physiological diforts felt by the riders. The demonic beast that Ciel, along with dozens of other wyvern-riders, was currently facing was a giant, insectoid demonic beast. Although she didn¡¯t really want to describe it in detail, if she had to make aparison, the demonic beast looked like a huge cockroach that had been glued together with the wings of a dragonfly and the limbs of a praying mantis. Every time its four wings fluttered, it summoned windstorms as sharp as des, and each swing of its forelimbs, which were bent like scythes, was sharper than a sh made with sword-force. It was a bit smaller than a dragon. However, that meant it was still muchrger than a wyvern. And though they might have different appearances, dozens of demonic beasts of simr size were upying the sky around it. The flying squadrons¡¯ role was to prevent these demonic beasts from directing their attacks at those marching below and, if possible, neutralize them as quickly as possible so that they could go on to provide some ground support. Although she had little actual experience with aerialbat, Ciel was performing quite well. She used Javel, which was as flexible as a whip, to prate the thick hides of the demonic beasts, and whenever she saw a clear opening, she would unleash one of the powers of her Demoneye. But the stronger her opponent, the greater the cost of restraining it with the power of Immobility. The power of Darkness, however, could be usedfortably even with Ciel¡¯s current strength, especially if she only used it to attack. As it swung its forelimbs while flying towards them, the demonic beast''s movements gradually began to slow down. Hoping to take advantage of this opening, Ciel plunged spikes created from her Demoneye of Darkness into the joints of the demonic beast¡¯s wings. Once she had done so, the demonic beast¡¯s body began to lean precariously to one side. But right at the moment when Ciel was about tounch another attack¡ª Rooooooar! A thick Breath attack swept over her head. Startled by the loud sound and the density of the mana contained within the Breath, Ciel raised her head. ¡°That was her Breath?¡± Ciel muttered in shock. So Raimira finally got a chance to show it off. Ciel let out an amused snort and pulled on her reins. Everyone flying in the sky was surprised when Raimira¡¯s Breath suddenly burst out. Even Carmen, who had mounted one of the demonic beasts and was taking it down all by herself, felt surprised as she turned to stare at Raimira. ¡°Ooooh...!¡± Carmen murmured in awe. She had just seen Raimira, who was armed and armored by the Battleship spell. Thebination of the two had created the appearance of a dragon wearing a magical suit of armor, and Carmen couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of romance[1] at this sight. Wasn¡¯t something like that also aplete transformation? Carmen trembled, her fists shaking in excitement before raising both her arms high and shouting, ¡°Transform!¡± Fwoooosh! Her Exid deployed around her. Now transformed into her Dragon-Lion form, Carmen shed down with both her fists, which had gained sharp nails like a dragon¡¯s ws. ¡°Dragon w,¡± Carmen called out her attack in a quiet whisper. Her voice may have been low, but the power of her attack was by no means weak. Cracracracrackle! The mes of the White me Form poured out from her ws that had been sunk deep into the body of the demonic beast. Pop, popop! The demonic beast¡¯s body, having been injected with mes, began to bulge out on all sides. Without further dy, Carmen withdrew her ws and leaped off of the demonic beast¡¯s back. Booooom! A huge explosion erupted. Carmen, who was leaping away with her back toward the explosion, spun a few times in midair beforending on top of her wyvern¡¯s back. Her trusty steed, no, her trusty wyrm, Crimson Waltz, took the impact of Carmen¡¯snding without any difficulty and spread her wings with a roar. Hiding her inner satisfaction at her spectacrnding after leaping away from an explosion, Carmen turned her head as she btedly realized something, ¡°...?¡± Raimira had obviously fired her Breath at the barrier. However, there hadn¡¯t been any further sounds after that. [Tha¡ªthat can¡¯t be...! To think that thisdy¡¯s breath would¡ª!] ¡°I knew it would turn out like this.¡± Raimira might have been flustered by the oue, but Eugene just furrowed his brow and let out a grumble. Raimira¡¯s Breath had definitely burned through the air and crashed into the barrier. However, it didn¡¯t seem to have any effect on the barrier. When her Breath made contact with the surface of the barrier, no explosion had erupted. All it had done was cause the barrier to ripple slightly. The dark power of Destruction that made up the barrier had nullified her Breath right at the moment of contact. ¡°After all, there is so much dark power poured into the barrier that it even makes the technical quality of the barrier insignificant,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. All of this dark power had thoroughly and thickly covered the entire sky above the city. From now on, you are a Demon King. Although Eugene had been the one to say this, he had no choice but to reevaluate the specter¡¯s true strength once more. If he was able to freely control such levels of dark power, then the specter already deserved to be treated as a Demon King. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to break through with just a Breath,¡± Eugene spected. A dragon¡¯s Breath was just a mass of pure mana. The same thing applied to spells. The most effective solution to this type of barrier was divine power, which was the antithesis of dark power. Or else, an even stronger power. ¡®I should save my Divine Sword forter,¡¯ Eugene decided after careful consideration. Currently, the number of times that Eugene could use his ability of the Divine Sword was only thrice a day. So it would be a waste to use one of those times just to break through this barrier. ¡°Let¡¯s get closer,¡± Eugene said out loud. [B-but, Benefactor, the barrier still hasn¡¯t been broken,] Raimira protested. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re going over there to break it,¡± Eugene confidently stated. Raimira was shaken by his assertiveness, [Eeep...!] Until now, Raimira had had such strong momentum, but... she must have been thoroughly shocked when her Breath was nullified without doing any damage. However, Riamira soon came to her senses and elerated forward. If she were on her own, she would have definitely run away, but right now, she had both Eugene and the Saint riding on her back. [Benefactor... I can feel it. That isn¡¯t just a simple defensive barrier. The barrier itself gives off an ominous feeling,] Raimira warned. ¡°That certainly seems likely. If we get too close, that dense dark power will probably shoot at us like a barrage of artillery fire,¡± Eugene said with a somber expression. However, Raimira¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but tremble in fear as she heard Eugene say this. Eugene felt her trembling beneath him and chuckled, ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± Raimira just groaned uncertainly, [Mmmm....] Since Eugene had already voiced his confidence, Raimira also mustered up all her courage. Eugene wasn¡¯t simply relying on his words alone to reassure Raimira. Maise¡¯s Battleship spell as well as the Graceful Radiance¡¯s holy magic, under the direction of the Saint, all of that came together to cover Raimira from head to toe in protection. Booooom! When they got closer to the Centipede Mountains, a loud roar was heard from below them. When they looked down, they saw Sienna, who had a gxy of stars floating behind her back. She was shooting out giant spheres one after another as if she were pulling the stars out from the gxy behind her. Balzac and Rynein were standing near Sienna as if they were acting as her guards. With every swing of Balzac¡¯s hand, the undead copsed around them. Rynein seemed to just be standing quietly with her hands held together in a seal, but the desert around her was churning and seething. This phenomenon seemed to have something to do with her Signature. ¡°Indeed, it¡¯s just as solid as I expected it to be,¡± Sienna muttered. Even though Sienna had confidently cast all her spells at it, the Centipede Mountains remained standing. It might be because this guy¡¯s carapace was just that hard, but it was more likely that the dark power of the barrier was also granting a protective effect on the Centipede Mountains as well. Booom! Once more, Sienna fired off another star. Though her spells had proven ineffective, there was no doubt that Sienna¡¯s attack had managed to draw out more of a reaction from the barrier than Raimira¡¯s Breath had. Unlike Raimira¡¯s Breath, which had been erased as soon as it touched the barrier, Sienna¡¯s spells would explode and create shockwaves whenever they struck the Centipede Mountains or the barrier. However, neither of the two defenses showed any signs of copse. Eugene thought he might be able to rush in if they could only manage to destroy one of them, either the Centipede Mountains or the barrier, but it seemed like he would be forced to destroy them together. ¡°Hmm,¡± Eugene grunted, his brow furrowing as he turned to look backward. A demonfolk was catching up to them from behind. He had a hulking, reptile-like body, was covered in scales, and had curved horns. Had Eugene seen this guy somewhere? ¡®Ah,¡¯ Eugene suddenly remembered something. He was that guy, the twenty-sixth-ranked demonfolk. This demonfolk was currently leading dozens of simr-looking subordinates in hot pursuit of Raimira. Their intention was obvious. They wereing to prevent Eugene from attacking the barrier. ¡®They might also be aiming to get a Dragonheart,¡¯ Eugene idly considered. There had been arge-scale purge going on within the Demon King¡¯s Castle of Babel, and the surviving demonfolk had been granted the dark power of Incarceration. Eugene had also happened to hear that news. But as the twenty-sixth ranked demonfolk, was that really enough for him to step forward to meet the Hero with such confidence? Eugene¡¯s lips twisted in an amused grin. Kristina noticed something, ¡°Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon,¡± Eugene reassured her. The feathers of Prominence flew backward. Before Kristina had time to do anything to stop him, Eugene spatially leaped in front of the pursuing demonfolk, who were busy trying to narrow the distance gradually. The demonfolk were just as surprised as Kristina had been when Eugene suddenly appeared right in front of them. But they didn¡¯t let out any panicked shouts. Instead, the twenty-sixth ranked demonfolk at their head immediately readied himself for battle, and his subordinates who were following behind him also did the same. Their murderous intent was all focused on one point and aimed squarely at Eugene. Eugene had met this demon once before, three hundred years ago. Although Hamel hadn¡¯t made his name, even back then, this demonfolk had been a fighter of adequate skill. Indeed, if he weren¡¯t so skilled, it would have been difficult to survive these past three hundred years until he reached this present day. Currently, the fact that the demon was already moving into action mere moments after their collision had taken ce was also quite impressive. In this sort of situation, trying to have a conversation was useless. What was the point of the two sides talking in the first ce when their only goal was to try and kill each other? That was why Eugene also didn''t feel the need to say anything. Even at this very moment, Raimira was drawing closer to the Centipede Mountains. Eugene couldn¡¯t afford to spend too much time dealing with these pesky pursuers. He reached into his cloak and wrapped his hand around the hilt of the Moonlight Sword. As he drew it, he immediately swung it forward. At the moment of Eugene¡¯s swing, the de shot out a ray of pale moonlight. Eugene¡¯s ck mes were mixed in with the moonlight. Following thepletion of his training with the Divine Sword, the light of the Moonlight Sword now contained traces of Eugene¡¯s ck mes as well as the poison spread by the Nur that had covered all of Lehainjar. The moonlight sliced the sky in two. The ck mes seemed to want to spill over the sides of the sh, but the gray moonlight caught the mes in its forward rush as it raced across the sky. ¡®What is that?¡¯ the demonfolks thought as they fearfully watched the moonlight surge towards them. The demon at the head of their group roared as he unleashed his dark power of Incarceration in response. But it was of no use. If it were the Demon King of Incarceration himself who had unleashed the dark power, then it might have been a different story, but there was no way to stop this moonlight with mere borrowed dark power. If the demon had wanted to increase his chances of winning even slightly, or at least have something close to an actual battle with Eugene, he should have never attacked Eugene head-on. If he was smart, the demon should have avoided having such a confrontation as best as he possibly could. It was already toote. Eugene didn¡¯t give him the opportunity to make a different choice. Once Eugene had turned around to face his pursuers, approached them, and swung his sword, the oue had already been decided. The intuition of the former God of War had already foreseen these results. So what if he was ranked twenty-sixth? So what if he had the dark power of Incarceration? With just those, there was no way for him to affect the oue. Without even confirming the aftermath personally, Eugene turned back around. Crackle! Leaping to one of the feathers he had left on Raimira¡¯s back, Eugene returned to where he had just been standing. Instead of Eugene, Maise was left ck-jawed when he turned to look behind at the aftermath. The wave of moonlight that had been spreading across the sky flickered out like a spent match. There was nothing left behind in its wake. The dozens of demonfolks who had been letting out such ferocious killing intents moments before had all been annihted in a single sh. ¡°Wha... what was that...?¡± Maise gaped. Although Maise wasn¡¯t sure if this was an appropriate thought to have... that sword definitely didn¡¯t seem like it should belong to the Hero. It was even more frightening than when Maise had faced the Demon King of Fury at sea. And it felt much more cruel and ominous than all the demonic beasts, demonfolks, and the undead advancing across the desert beneath them. However.... The Hero who had held that sword and defeated a Demon King while drenched in his own blood, with a mischievous expression and casual tone, had arrived on the battlefield before anyone else, in a giant, and cut down all of the demonfolks who had been pursuing them in a single blow, that Hero¡ª ¡®...I can somewhat understand Princess Scalia¡¯s devotion,¡¯ Maise thought with a snort as he shook his head. In Shimuin, active worship of the Hero, Eugene Lionheart, was already being led by Princess Scalia. She had taken charge of a liturgy that she forced on the royal family every month, and she also performed these liturgies whenever crowds of citizens and tourists had gathered together like thick clouds in front of Eugene¡¯s statue in Shedor. The way she appeared when giving those public sermons, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to decide that she was already at the head of a full-fledged religion and grant it the official name, ¡®the Church of the Hero.¡¯ ¡°Climb up a bit,¡± Eugene instructed. He hadn¡¯t put the Moonlight Sword back into his cloak. Instead, Eugene set it down at his feet, where he couldfortably pick it up again. With his right hand still holding on to the Holy Sword, Eugene held it up in front of him. At some point, Raimira had already flown over the top of the Centipede Mountains. However, when they looked down, they still couldn¡¯t see Hauria City below them. This was because the ck veil of dark power covering the city was too thick. Eugene eventually told Raimira, ¡°There¡¯s no need to go any further. You can stop here.¡± Immediately after Eugene had said this, Raimira stopped moving forward. She was able to maintain her altitude and position in the air just by keeping her wings outspread. Eugene stepped off of Raimira¡¯s back and unfurled his wings of Prominence. Eugene had reached his other hand into his cloak to take hold of Akasha. Even with its help, he couldn¡¯tpletely see through the barrier¡¯s form. However, it wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t manage to see anything at all. ¡®It keeps on building up,¡¯ Eugene realized. Whenever Sienna attacked the barrier, ripples would spread across its surface. As the internal shockwaves continued to umte, the magic forms contained within the barrier were copsing. Since they couldn¡¯t allow the barrier to break, whenever the forms underlying it began to copse, the wizards within would hurriedly reinforce the spell. ¡°That bitch,¡± Eugene cursed as his lips twisted in a sneer. His eyes might not be able to see through this veil in front of him, but he could very easily imagine the scene urring on the other side. He could just see Amelia Merwin huddling behind the barrier. The woman who had been a fatal threat to Eugene in the past when he was still weak. The woman who had robbed the tomb built for him by hisrades and who had created a Death Knight from his corpse. And after that, even when Eugene had met her once more at the Knight March, the woman had still shown an irreverent and bossy attitude towards him. But in fact, even under those circumstances, Amelia had still decided to hide away in her mouse hole because she grew so scared of him and Sienna. That bitch was waiting for Eugene down below. She had erected this barrier in a desperate attempt to stay safe and would be doing her best to hold it up in order to prevent anyone from breaking through. While holding dmir up with both hands, with dozens of liches kneeling behind her, Amelia had to be leveraging all the support she could muster to keep the barrier whole. ¡°I really want to see the look on your face when you fail,¡± Eugene muttered as he held the Holy Sword aloft. In response to his actions, Kristina also stretched both hands forward. Fwoooosh! The Stigmata engraved on her palm began to glow as the priests of the Graceful Radiance brought their hands together in prayer. Their bodies had all been imnted with the holy relics that the Holy Empire of Yuras had managed to artificially develop after hundreds of years of research. Imnting these relics had taken away from them the chance to enjoy their lives as normal humans, but in ce of that, it had given them powerful reserves of divine power. One battle priest of the Graceful Radiance was the equivalent of a hundred ordinary priests. Besides that, Eugene also had a Saint marked with the genuine Stigmata at his side, so currently, it was as if there were thousands of priests praying together on Raimira¡¯s back. Their prayers all resonated with each other, and their collective divine power gathered into a single mass. By doing so, a massive source of light was created. ¡°No way...,¡± Maise gasped quietly. Was it really alright for a wizard like him to be here, in a ce like this? Suppressing his instinctive trembling, Maise gulped nervously. It was a widely known fact that wizards did not believe in the gods. This made it difficult for wizards and priests to be ideologicallypatible. Magic was created bybining sophisticated forms with the world¡¯s mana that had clear proof of existence. On the other hand, just how clumsy and ambiguous did the holy magic that priests used seem inparison? A priest¡¯s divine power depended on their faith. It was said that the gods still existed somewhere, and they granted their priests power in ordance with their faith. So what about Holy Magic? It also made use of certain forms, but the rules weren¡¯t as clearly defined as with Circles magic. One wasn¡¯t able to use holy magic if onecked faith, and even if two people were performing the same holy spell, the power of the spell would be different depending on the differences in their level of faith. Moreover, there were also miracles that didn¡¯t make use of any forms whatsoever. They could only be performed by truly great priests. That¡¯s right, if one were using wizarding terms, these real priests who could skillfully use miracles were the ¡®Archwizards¡¯ of the church. Honestly speaking, it was hard to understand how it all still worked. Or at least, that was what Maise had always thought about it up until now. Maise wasn¡¯t the only wizard who thought that way. This was actually the case for most wizards. In fact, this should be a feeling shared by all Archwizards. For wizards, the only god worthy of any discussion was the Wise Sienna, who was steadily seeking a way to turn herself into a god through the use of magic. That was what Maise had always thought, but now.... ¡®Is this... a miracle...?¡¯ Maise wondered in awe. Their surroundings were filled with light. Maise eventually copsed into his seat, unable to suppress his trembling any longer. When the prayers that the priests were reciting resonated as one, it sounded like a song. And it almost seemed like a trumpet was being sounded from somewhere high in the sky. From the light that currently filled his surroundings, Maise felt a warmth that seemed to be bathing his soul. The ck veil was still waiting below them. The sky above it was overcast due to the influence of all this dark power. This was also the center of the battlefield, and they were currently flying over a city that had been upied by a Demon King. All of this made this ce an ominous and terrible location. However, it didn''t really feel that way. At this very moment, Maise felt that this ce had to be the center of the world and the warmest and brightest ce he had ever been in. Maise saw the figure of the Saint with her wings outspread. Kristina was directing the flow of light. His eyes followed the light flow being guided toward the Hero¡¯s sword. ¡°Would you like to convert to the church?¡± a soft voice approached Maise. Startled, Maise turned his head. It was the Saint, Kristina Rogeris. With her eight wings outspread, she looked like an angel, and with the Stigmata-engraved hand held up towards the sky, it almost seemed as if she was holding up the heavens. Her smile made it seem as if she could understand everything Maise was thinking and every emotion he was feeling. ¡°The Light will always wee any lostmb who feels the faith,¡± Kristina said invitingly. Amb, she said. To think he would actually be called something like that at his age. Maise let out a snort and shook his head, ¡°...No. I have no intention of joining... the Church of the Light.¡± ¡°So not the Light, hmm,¡± Kristina¡¯s grin grew a little wider. Her narrow eyes were curved in a smile, but her blue pupils shone beautifully through the slight opening. Maise smiled in embarrassment at having had his true intentions seen through by her. ¡°...I intend to convert to the Church of the Hero,¡± Maise admitted. He still wasn¡¯t too sure about the existence of gods. However, the light that surrounded him and the figure of the Hero who was connected to everyone here gave this Archwizard who had devoted his entire life to magic a different sense of awe than what magic had always given him. ¡°I bid you wee,¡± Kristina said with a warm smile. As the light connecting everyone was drawn into the Holy Sword, the sword of Light split apart the darkness. 1. The original text uses the English word romance, but it means it in the more umon definition of the word. A quality or feeling of mystery, excitement, and remoteness from everyday life. Something that makes you feel hot-blooded. ? Chapter 473: Hauria (8) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 473: Hauria (8) [Bonus Image]

¡°Gaaaghk!¡± Amelia cried out as she arched backward at the waist. The pain was rising from the very tips of her toes as if her very nerve endings were being chewed upon. Her internal organs all felt like they were being flipped upside down. And it felt like her Core was shattering. Amelia¡¯s head had bent backward along with her waist, and dark, bloody froth spilled from her wide-open jaws. Amelia wasn¡¯t the only one to have suffered such an assault. Behind her, dozens of liches were spasming in their seats and twisting their bones in agony as they screamed in pain. All these liches had recently raised their levels by sucking out the souls of the lower-leveled ck wizards who weren¡¯t qualified to be liches. The liches might now possess bodies that were no longer physically capable of spitting out blood, but that didn¡¯t mean they were free from pain and injury. The shock of the blow just now was strong enough that it had even been transmitted to the liches¡¯ most vital possession, their life vessels. That was just how powerful thest attack that had struck the barrier had been. Just the spells that were being shot at them by the Wise Sienna alone had been enough to set them gritting their teeth in pain, but that attack just now... the impact was so agonizing that it felt as if their souls were being torn apart. If that attack had been made using magic, it wouldn¡¯t have been as life-threatening as it was, but since it had been made using divine power, it was a whole other story. ¡®This is absurd,¡¯ Amelia internally wrestled with her own feelings of denial as she coughed up even more blood. Amelia had both dmir and the dark power drawn from her contract with the Demon King of Incarceration on her side. The barrier was also created using the dark power of Destruction. Even for the Wise Sienna, breaking through the barrier with magic alone would be impossible. As for divine power? Fine, Amelia would admit that the Light was the antithesis of dark power. However... it wasn¡¯t like the God of Light himself could descend to take care of them. So even if their opponent was the Hero or the Saint... was it really possible for them to push this barrier, which had had so much power invested into it, to the brink of destruction with just one sword strike? ¡®The barrier hasn¡¯t been destroyed yet,¡¯ Amelia told herself as she swallowed a mouthful of blood and tightened her grip on dimir. After Amelia gripped dmir with both hands and held the staff above her head, her sinister dark power stirred as a magic circle appeared surrounding her. The liches also brought their hands together in a seal as they resumed reciting a chant. The sword of Light wielded by Eugene had split open the barrier, creating an opening that was asrge as the sword¡¯s sh. However, Eugene couldn¡¯tpletely destroy the barrier with just that. His eyes still shining with light, Eugene red down at the sh-shaped opening. He saw that the dark power making up the barrier was already beginning to stick back together as the barrier was being restored. Eugene raised the Holy Sword once more. Whoooosh! The circle of Light that had appeared over Raimira¡¯s back grew evenrger. The sky, which had been overcast due to the influence of the dark power below, was illuminated by this circle of Light. Amelia and the liches didn¡¯t just stay still during all of this. After the surface of the barrier began bubbling like it was boiling, a spike of dark power was suddenly shot toward Raimira. [Eeeeek!] Raimira yelped in shock. Naturally, Raimira tried to dodge it, but Eugene¡¯s voice stopped her before she could move, ¡°You don¡¯t have to dodge it.¡± Suppressing her fear, Raimira stayed where she was. Eugene didn¡¯t swing his sword directly at the attack. However, he did think about blocking it, and that alone was enough. All of the light now surrounding them obeyed Eugene¡¯s will, so when Eugene had this thought, the light immediately moved to block the spike. Of course, the retaliation from the barrier didn¡¯t end with just one shot. Spikes were fired out one after another, and des struck out from the barrier like whips. However, none of them managed to reach Raimira. Screeeeech! The sword of Light struck the barrier once more. Taking into ount the previous bacsh, Amelia and the liches had strengthened the barrier even further, but it was of no use. This time as well, the sword of Light managed to split apart the dark power of the barrier. Grrrrrrrrrrrr! Just as Eugene was about to deliver another strike with the Holy Sword, something huge rose up from inside the barrier. [Kyaaah!] Raimira screamed in surprise. Her screams weren¡¯t unwarranted. The terrifying and disgusting head of a centipede could now be seen flying towards them. Due to Eugene¡¯s sessive attacks, the head of the Centipede Mountains had finally been driven into taking action personally. ¡°Hey now,¡± Eugene muttered in faint surprise. In the past, this demonic beast had once been mistaken as an actual mountain range, and currently, it had managed topletely enclose the entirety of this huge city. The Centipede Mountains¡¯ head was just as gigantic as its body, and it almost looked like it could swallow a dragon like Raimira in a single bite. The corners of Eugene¡¯s mouth curled up in a grin. He didn¡¯t feel any fear or intimidation when faced with this gigantic monster. Instead, he felt a sense of gratitude. To think that it would actuallye out in person from behind that solid barrier that was proving so difficult to break through. ¡°Sienna,¡± Eugene called out Sienna¡¯s name in a low voice as he raised the Moonlight Sword he was holding in his other hand. Down below them, Sienna was still shooting her spells at the barrier. Although she wasn¡¯t able to physically hear his voice, Sienna nodded her head once Eugene¡¯s intentions were conveyed with Mer¡¯s help. ¡°Uh-huh,¡± Sienna nodded firmly as the gxy hovering behind her underwent a transformation. The countless stars began to rotate, creating hundreds of Circles. Sienna¡¯s eyes sparkled like colorful jewels, and Frost left Sienna¡¯s hand to start floating in midair. ¡°Oh...,¡± Balzac and Rynein both gasped in awe. Just like how Maise had felt the presence of goding from Eugene while standing in the midst of that light, Balzac and Rynein, who had been apanying Sienna, also felt like they were in the presence of a god. All the mana that existed within this space was moving ording to Sienna¡¯s will. Soon, Sienna turned her indomitable will to fashioning a spell. Through the use of Absolute Decree, Sienna¡¯s iron will could determine the effect that her spell would have in advance. At the same time, Eugene also began to fall downwards. This was to prevent Raimira and the others riding on her back from getting caught up in his attack. Raimira quickly stammered, [B-benefactor, what should I¡ª?] ¡°Just close your eyes and count to ten,¡± Eugene instructed. The mere sight of the next scene might cause some psychological harm to a child¡¯s mental state. Of course, Eugene was well aware that Raimira wasn¡¯t really a child, but even so... was something like physical age really all that important? Eugene felt that what would be urring next would be a disgusting sight for children and adults alike. [One...,] Mer also did the same thing as Raimira and began to count to ten with her eyes closed from inside the cloak. Eugene chuckled as he heard her voice and tossed the Holy Sword back over his shoulder. The discarded Holy Sword didn¡¯t fall to the ground but instead began to float amid the light. Eugene held onto the Moonlight Sword with both hands. He then activated his White me Form, summoning up his ck mes. [Two....] Eugeneyered up the Empty Sword. Arge, dark mass that in no way resembled mes now clung to the de of the Moonlight Sword. [Three, Four....] The dully glowing mass moved to the tip of Eugene¡¯s sword. [Five....] Eugene swung the Moonlight Sword. The dark lump left the tip of his sword, then fell down towards the Centipede Mountains'' wide open mouth. Demonic beasts didn''t possess higher intelligence. But that said, they still possessed survival instincts. Since it didn¡¯t know what that dark lump was, the Centipede Mountains instinctively felt that it was something that shouldn¡¯t be swallowed. So, the Centipede Mountains tried to avoid it. However, its dodge failed. The Centipede Mountains was frozen in ce the moment it tried to twist its body out of the way. It felt as if the world itself was exerting a tight grip on its entire body. The force holding the Centipede Mountains in ce was so immense that it couldn¡¯t be exined any other way. [Six....] Finally, the dark lump fell directly into the mouth of the Centipede Mountain. [Seven....] Cracracrack! It was hard to hear what happened next. The maxyered Empty Sword tore apart the Centipede Mountains¡¯ head, and then, as Eugene had intended, it continued to fall down through the extremely long body of the demonic beast. Sienna prepared her next spell, but the Centipede Mountains was already dead from Eugene¡¯s attack. The moonlight and mes wrapped within theyers of the Empty Sword tore their way down through the corridor of the deceased Centipede Mountains¡¯ body and fell all the way inside the barrier. At that moment, the barrier couldn¡¯t help but be weakened. Right then, Sienna stretched both hands forward. Whiiiiiing! Mana swirled in front of Sienna¡¯s hands. Once again, she invoked her Absolute Decree. What Sienna had desired was simple and irresistible destruction, and her magic brought her wishes to fruition. Boooom! A huge wave burst forth from Sienna¡¯s hands. The spell that had been created for the sole purpose of destruction swept over the ground, crushing space itself into pieces as it advanced forward. Rynein and Balzac, who were watching all of this take ce from behind Sienna, widened their eyes in shock. From their perspective, everything that existed in front of Sienna was suddenly twisted and torn into pieces. It looked as if the world itself was being torn apart by invisible hands. All this happened just as Mer and Raimira reached nine in their countdown. The Centipede Mountains lost its head, and the raised section of its extremely long body was shattered from inside. Then, as its tough carapace, flesh, and body flew apart in all directions and disintegrated, Eugene leaped back through space, returning to his perch on Raimira¡¯s back once more. [Ten.] When Raimira and Mer opened their eyes, Eugene was once again holding the Holy Sword. Before the two could say anything to express their surprise, Eugene swung the Holy Sword. As the Saint led the priests in a chant, the light surrounding them transformed into a sword that mirrored Eugene¡¯s movements. This strike didn¡¯t just cut through the barrier like the previous attacks. This time, the barrier was finally shattered to the point that it could no longer be repaired. The barrier that had covered all of Hauria was overrun by the light andpletely destroyed. As for the rest of the body of the Centipede Mountains, which was still enclosing the entire city, after the Empty Sword that it had swallowed finished wreaking its destruction, Sienna¡¯s spell also reached the demonic beast¡¯s tough exterior. Immediately, the shockwave of her spell propagated throughout the Centipede Mountains¡¯ entire body. Sienna took a brief moment to catch her breath before spreading her arms wide open. Cracracracrack! A demonic beast that had been alive for the past three hundred years, no, that had been alive for much longer than that, the Centipede Mountains finally met its end as it literally exploded into pieces. First, cracks like spiderwebs spread over its entire body, then it exploded in a loud bang, leaving nothing behind. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± Melkith let out an excited scream at this sight. Melkith had yet to use her Infinite Force because she felt it was too early for it, but after seeing this scene, she couldn¡¯t hold back any longer. As she let out another loud cheer, Melkith raised both arms in the air. The spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic who had been following her immediately acted in response to the shout from their Tower Master. Pachik! Apanied by an eye-watering sh of light, Melkith¡¯s Infinite Force was fully activated in abination of mes, earth, and lightning. But no, things didn¡¯t just end there. The spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic then called up the various spirits they each controlled and fused them into Melkith¡¯s Signature. ¡°Unite!¡± the spirit summoners all cried out together. This was the White Tower of Magic¡¯s Supreme Spell, Union Force. This was almost too much power for even Melkith to control. It was enough to make her lose her mind. However, with her strong mental power and determination, Melkith managed to wrest control over Union Force¡¯s power. Crackle, cracrackle! Each time the Spirit Giant¡¯s body swelled evenrger, it was apanied by the sound of something cracking within Melkith. No, this wasn¡¯t the sound of something cracking; it was the sound of something expanding. [No, it can¡¯t be!] Tempest suddenly let out a cry of great despair as Wynnyd began to tremble within the Cloak of Darkness. The intuition that Tempest had been struck with just now also happened to reach Melkith. She realized that her mental limits had expanded past a point that she had once believed was far off from her. Having managed to ovee the limits of what she once thought she was capable of, Melkith cried out with a feeling of ecstatic omnipotence, ¡°Come, oh Storm! Come, Spirit King of the Wind!¡± [Aaaaargh!] Tempest desperately screamed in refusal but ultimately couldn¡¯t disobey the call of being summoned. The body of the towering Spirit Giant swayed on its feet. At the core of the spell, Melkith stood with her arms held wide open, waiting to meet the soon-arriving storm. Grrrrrrrawr! The storm arrived with a roar. The huge storm soon swept over the Spirit Giant. Floating in the center of the storm, Melkith gathered her outstretched arms together, embracing the wind blowing towards her. Crackle-boom! The storm coalesced in an eye-watering sh of light. Right at that moment, the greatest and most powerful spirit summoner in all history, both past and present, was born ¡ª the Great Spirit Summoner who had conquered lightning, earth, mes, and even the wind. This was Melkith El-Hayah. She stretched out one hand while feeling a long-awaited ecstasy. Right now, Melkith had managed to reach the perfection thaty at the end of her path as a Spirit Summoner. ¡°Omega Force...!¡± Melkith cried out as her new Signature was born. Then, without any hesitation, Melkith extended a fist. Her outstretched fist summoned a storm of wind and shot out lightning. When she took a step forward, she caused an earthquake and sparks erupted. So what about the army of undead? Or the demonfolk? ¡°They are nothing!¡± Melkith mocked. And that was indeed the case. Those gathered here were all high-ss demonfolk with ranks among the top fifty in all of Helmuth, but even with their subordinates behind them, they were no different than ants to the current Melkith. No matter how many ants were gathered together, ants were still just ants. Melkith stomped on these puny ants as she erupted in loud peals ofughter. ¡°Th-that¡¯s... insane...!¡± The other Tower Masters were also astonished by Melkith¡¯s overwhelming majesty. Jeneric, who had fully grown his Yggdrasil into a colossal tree, was forced to lift up the roots of the tree to avoid the earthquakes caused by Melkith. Lovellian was also shocked as he controlled the demonic beasts pouring out of his Pantheon and had to move his demonic beasts elsewhere to avoid Melkith¡¯s rampage. ¡°Haaaah...,¡± Hiridus sighed in disbelief. The Blue Tower Master, Hiridus Euznd¡¯s Signature spell was his Connect. This spell was able to strengthen the wizards of the Blue Tower of Magic while they were connected to Hiridus. To put it simply, through this connection, he could temporarily raise the level of the wizards from the Blue Tower of Magic. When Hiridus cast Connect, the wizards under him could cast spells of a higher Circle than they usually could. Hiridus¡¯ Signature was a spell that strengthened the wizards belonging to his Tower of Magic rather than strengthening himself. This was also an incredibly powerful spell in its own right, but when he looked at the current Melkith, it didn¡¯t seem all that great. ¡®Why have the heavens granted such immense power to a madwoman like the White Tower Master?¡¯ Hiridus sighed once more. Although it went beyond allmon sense, Hiridus still felt fortunate to have such a powerful Spirit Summoner as an ally. If Melkith were to ever be an enemy... just how terrible would that be? This was originally a battle in which the allied forces began with an advantage. However, Sienna and Eugene had already destroyed the barrier and killed the Centipede Mountains by exploding it into pieces. Then, Melkith had unexpectedlypleted her Omega Force. As a result of all these factors, this battle lost all of its variables. As if Sienna¡¯s Absolute Decree had been applied to it, their victory in this battle had already been decided. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ivatar roared out. This barren, ckenednd around them had been rendered lifeless by dark power. This ce was far away from the World Tree and their home forest. However, right now, Ivatar and the warriors of the Zoran Tribe could sense the presence of the forest in this lifeless desert. It was because of the spirits summoned by Melkith and the other spirit summoners. The vitality brought by the spirits began to infuse this barren, ckened desert with life once more. Thanks to that, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe had grown stronger. The various blessings that they possessed made their bodies lighter and amplified their strength. At their head, Ivatar charged forward, wielding an axe in both hands as his warriors followed behind him. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Alchester shouted. Whether it was Kiehl¡¯s standard or that of the White Dragon Knights, Alchester couldn¡¯t spare any attention for them. All that Alchester could see right now was the battle thaty ahead. Now that the Centipede Mountains had perished in an explosion, the walls of Hauria had been revealed. Alchester¡¯s steed charged forward, and the White Dragon Knights followed his lead, letting out loud roars. Alchester held his sword up high. It was the Red Dragon, a sword that had been given to Alchester as a gift from Ariartelle. A dragon¡¯s mana emanated from the sword. It was a considerable amount of mana that seemed almost endless, much more than what Alchester himself possessed. Alchester used the Dragonic family¡¯s secret technique, the Empty Sword. The dragon¡¯s mana was first converted into sword-force and thenpressed intoyers. Fwoosh! A massive Empty Sword formed over the sword that Alchester was holding over his head. While swinging the dozens of meters long Empty Sword, Alchester charged toward the city walls. Leading Shimuin¡¯s Violent Tide Knights, a group of cavaliers all armed with Exid, Ortus shouted, ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± This wasn¡¯t the sea, and this wasn¡¯t a ce where any waves should exist. However, Ortus could sense the force of a huge wave washing over this deste desert. Everyone gathered here was part of a wave moving forward into the new era. ¡®I, too, am a part of what is happening here,¡¯ Ortus thought excitedly. If this were in the past, he wouldn¡¯t have gotten hung up on something like this. Originally, the man known as Ortus Hyman was a petty individual whose priorities didn¡¯t match his power or status. But that was no longer the case. During the battle against the Demon King, in the midst of all that happened, Ortus had seen the Hero. He had learned what a Hero truly was and had be fascinated by that radiant young man. So now, Ortus wanted to be a part of the waves that Eugene was creating. That was why Ortus was here. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Aman Ruhr roared. As the snow wolves charged forward, the Beast King Aman opened the way while swinging his great sword. Thisnd was the exact opposite of the snowfields they called home, but that wasn¡¯t all that important. Aman was a descendant of the Brave Molon. He carried the bloodline of a great warrior, and that blood was currently boiling hot. Aman let out a bestial howl. The Brave Molon wasn¡¯t able toe here, but Aman knew just how much the brave former king had wanted to take part in this war. That was why the men from Ruhr needed to work even harder. On behalf of their former king, who wasn¡¯t able to take part, everyone from the Kingdom of Ruhr must prove themselves worthy. They had to prove just what kind of country Ruhr truly was and how brave the warriors of that northern country, which had been personally founded by the Brave Molon three hundred years ago and had remained standing up until now, truly were. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ivic shouted as he released the arrow from his bowstring. After shooting his arrow, he immediately stabbed forward with his spear. There were dozens of mercenarypanies on this battlefield, and there were so many knights errant that it was impossible to memorize all their names. Ivic, who was in charge of leading them all, prided himself on being a first-ss mercenary. But Ivic wasn¡¯t the only one who thought that way. The mercenaries that he led, as well as the knights errant, all had high self-esteem and believed themselves to be one of the few who stood at the top of their profession. Those who had managed to reach the top as a mercenary no longer ced earning money as their highest priority. They valued trust, contracts, and honor instead. They didn¡¯te here because they wanted to be paid for their services. No, they came here voluntarily for the sake of honor. But was it really alright to expect them to give their lives for this honor? After all, where in the world would you find someone who was truly not afraid to die? Those who hade here weren¡¯t looking for a ce to lie down in eternal slumber. The only thing they wanted was victory. They came here to survive, to win, and to gain their honor. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Raphael shouted as Apollo elerated forward. Raphael¡¯s divine power radiated light all around him. All the demonic beasts flying in the air had been eliminated. The other pegasus riders also flew forward, still following behind Raphael. The ck barrier had been shattered, revealing the city that had been upied by the Demon King. The shadows had disappeared in the sky around the city, and all that was left was the light. That¡¯s right, it was the light. Their god truly had made his presence known, and he was shining his Light on the world through the deeds of the Hero and his Saint. Just look at that sight in front of them. Raphael and the other pdins all had tears in their eyes. Oh, what a brilliant light. The Holy Sword Altair was shining magnificently. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Carmen shouted loudly as she clenched her fists. The pegasi weren¡¯t the only ones flying towards the city. The wyverns of the ck Lion Knights had also begun to advance. There weren¡¯t any demonic beasts left in the sky for Carmen to beat up, but even so, Carmen clenched her fists and started punching at the sky. For someone trapped inside an egg, the egg was their whole world. In order to be born, they needed to destroy the world they were in. Looking at her appearance in the mirror, Carmen had felt like there was another her trapped in the mirror, someone who was in apletely opposite reality from her. If she stretched out her fist towards the mirror, her fist would touch the mirror, and at the same time, her fist would meet the fist of herself from another reality. Then, by going just a bit further, she would finally break through[1]. Carmen had once longed for the chance to be reborn. She had longed to have a new life. She had dreamed that she would enter a new world by breaking through the mirror. But all of that was insignificant now. It had all been a misunderstanding on her part. Even without breaking anything, even though she had never been reborn.... Carmen grinned, ¡®However, now....¡¯ This wasn¡¯t an egg. There wasn¡¯t any mirror in front of her. This world was still the same old and shabby world as always. However... after today, once they had won this battle, a new world would open up in front of them. Carmen was sure of that. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Ciel shouted as she followed behind Carmen. It was all far, far too... dazzling. She couldn¡¯t clearly see what was happening in front of her. Ciel had realized it once more. Just how far away Eugene was from her. Just how radiant he truly was. However, that didn¡¯t mean she thought of herself as someone shabby inparison. Because such miserable thoughts wouldn¡¯t be of any help in catching up. What Ciel needed to do was to keep her eyes fixed on whaty ahead, even if he was so dazzling that she couldn¡¯t see him clearly. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Cyan shouted as he spurred his horse forward. His eyes were on his father¡¯s back directly in front of him as Gilead charged ahead of him. Beyond his father¡¯s back, Cyan could see the city walls gradually getting closer and closer. Lifting his head, Cyan looked up at the sky. High in the sky, there was a light so dazzling that it almost made you think that the sun had descended closer to the earth. That was his brother. ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± Gilead roared, already covered in blood. He wasn¡¯t injured. All of this blood came from his enemies. Even if Gilead had added up all the blood he had ever seen in his life prior to this day, it would still be less than the blood he had seen since stepping onto this battlefield. His sword, which he had already swung hundreds and thousands of times today, was put away for a few moments. Instead, Gilead raised up a standard. It was the Lionhearts¡¯ standard. This was the banner that Eugene had carried as the gbearer when he started this campaign. The banner pped in the wind as the Lionhearts galloped forward. Their manes fluttering, the lions rushed forward. Gilead raised his head to look up at the sky. The words that everyone was shouting. Their cries were all directed to a single person. Eugene nodded to himself, ¡°Alright.¡± His wings of ck mes were outspread. He could hear all the cries directed towards him from both the earth and the sky. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± the Hero replied to them. 1. If all of this sounds familiar, we once learned of how Carmen first met Ariartelle. Carmen was serving as the young Alchester¡¯s tutor and being kept under secret supervision by Ariartelle. While in the bath, Carmen suddenly shattered one of the mirrors Ariartelle was using to spy on her, and Ariartelle couldn¡¯t help but show up in person to ask what was going on. ? Chapter 474: Hauria (9)

Chapter 474: Hauria (9)

Whooooosh! Eugene was still connected to the light that the priests and the Saint had generated. As he fell towards the city, Eugene raised his head to look up into the air. A thread was connecting Eugene to Raimira, who was flying high above him. That¡¯s right, the light leading down from the sky towards Eugene looked like a thin thread. If Eugene had to use a simile to describe it, his appearance reminded him of a marite, as if a doll was being held up by a string that hade down from the heavens. ...A doll? Eugene let out a snort and shook his head. Eugene wasn¡¯t a doll. He could be sure of that. This thread wasn¡¯t something that the God of Light had connected to Eugene in order to control him like a puppet. Instead, it was an expression of the god¡¯s unconditional and infinite love. The purpose of the thread was to ensure that Eugene¡¯s attacks wouldn¡¯t miss, he wouldn¡¯t get hurt, and he wouldn¡¯t die. ¡°How burdensome,¡± Eugeneined. It was only natural for a god to love his believers. Moreover, Eugene wasn¡¯t just any ordinary believer but the Hero chosen by the god. Although the God of Light usually gave off an indifferent feeling, it was only natural for him to bestow his infinite love upon Eugene. Until now, there had been several times when Eugene experienced the miracles bestowed by the God of Light. However, he had never once received a direct revtion from the God of Light, and that was still the case even now. Eugene couldn¡¯t hear any voices trying to speak to him. He took the Light¡¯s silence as the god¡¯s acquiescence towards his action. No matter what Eugene did with it, the light would not refuse to cooperate. Even if Eugene were to invade the Holy Empire, murder the Pope, and massacre tens of thousands of believers, the God of Light would continue to lend Eugene as much strength as he desired. [Sir Eugene,] Kristina¡¯s voice was heard inside Eugene¡¯s head. ¡°There¡¯s no point in youing down here, so just stay up there,¡± Eugene ordered her. Kristina tried to argue, [But¡ª] Eugene cut her off, ¡°You can feel it too, can¡¯t you? Even without youing down here and following after me... we¡¯re already connected by this light. Isn¡¯t that right?¡± At these words, Kristina was left with no choice but to nod. Although this was their first time experiencing something like this, it was just as Eugene had said. Right now, Kristina¡¯s divine power had fused together with the divine power of the priests of the Graceful Radiance and formed into this single source of light that was connected to Eugene. Kristina and Anise¡¯s will could be transmitted to Eugene through this thread of Light, and all of the holy magic and miracles cast by the two Saints could also be remotely bestowed upon Eugene, along with the divine power supplied by the other priests. ¡°Still, this is really quite inconvenient,¡± Eugene said with a frown as he looked up above his head at the thread of light leading up to the sky. It wasn¡¯t something solid one could touch with one¡¯s hands, and it didn¡¯t act like a real thread, so there wasn¡¯t any difort when moving around. However, it was still an inconvenience. For example, when Eugene leaped through space with Prominence or when he was moving around at maximum speed if this thread of light kept following Eugene around, wouldn¡¯t his opponent be able to follow Eugene¡¯s movement without any difficulty as long as they kept an eye on where the thread was going? ¡°Disappear, disappear...,¡± Eugene muttered with narrowed eyes as he tried to shoo the thread away with his hands. Up in the sky, Kristina and Anise also expressed the same desire. As they did so, the thread of light began to fade away until it disappearedpletely. But the connection made through the Light hadn¡¯t been cut off. The connection had simply turned invisible. ¡°Isn¡¯t that bastard actually listening in on us right now?¡± Eugene asked suspiciously. [Hamel, even if you are a god yourself, please don¡¯t use such sphemous words to address my god,] Anise chided. Although she said this, as the Saint, Anise had more sphemous thoughts about her god than anyone else. Or at least that was what Eugene thought, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say anything to Anise. ¡°Later,¡± Eugene quietly muttered. It would be best for him to stow this observation away forter when they were in a situation where he could afford tough his ass off after enduring the obligatory p from Anise. Eugene gave a wry smile as he looked down at the ground. Below himy the Capital City of Nahama, Hauria. Once, it was the most gorgeous and prosperous city in the entire Kingdom of Nahama. But now, Hauria had been upied by the Demon King and had been rendered into ruins where only ghosts still resided. Eugene red down at this city that had been destroyed within the space of a single night. A lot of undead troops seemed to have been deployed out in the desert, butpared to all the undead roaming the city, those forces were only a drop in the bucket[1]. But no matter how many undead there were, they were still just undead. The biggest advantage of the undead was that their numbers would grow if they killed their enemies. Special undead such as the Death Knights, liches, or things like Kamash might still be dangerous, but the undead currently roaming Hauria shouldn¡¯t pose any threat to the Liberation Army. There weren¡¯t any ordinary soldiers included within the ranks of the Liberation Army. All those who hade here possessed at least eptable levels of skill, and there was no way that any of the knights would falter when faced with these sorts of undead. However, there was no such thing as absolute certainty on the battlefield. Especially since Hauria was a city that was currently being ruled by a Demon King. Although these appeared to be ordinary and weak undead, that might not actually be the case. ¡®Rotten bastard,¡¯ Eugene silently cursed. It was just as he had thought. Eugene looked closely at the army of ghouls and skeletons stumbling through the city. Even among all the undead, these two types were considered the lowest of the low. However, while that might indeed be the case, they could still be used as vessels for dark power. The weak durability of ghouls and skeletons meant that they couldn¡¯t carry a lot of dark power, but even that small amount made them much stronger than their original counterparts. Looking at the numbers swarming the city and taking into consideration the fact that the entire city was being inundated with dark power, the damage that the Liberation Army would suffer trying to get through the city wouldn¡¯t be too small. ¡®And it¡¯s not just the undead,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. There were no more Super Demonic Beasts left in the city. All of the high-ranking demonfolk who had crossed over from Helmuth and their subordinates had also died in the desert. However, the original vassals of Destruction still remained. This included Alphiero and many other demonfolk of his ilk. They could be considered as the elite forces of the Demon King who had taken over this city. Raising his head, Eugene looked up to see whaty ahead. In the distance, he could see the royal pce. The Demon King, that fake copy, was waiting for Eugene there. Eugene turned his head to look behind him. Booom! Eugene watched as Hauria¡¯s outer walls copsed. Through the vast clouds of dust that were raised by the copse, he saw a light that was sparkling like a jewel. ¡°You should keep going ahead,¡± Sienna¡¯s voice crossed therge distance between them and managed to reach Eugene. Sienna wasn¡¯t the only one to have contributed to the copse of the city walls. Melkith, who had finally managed to sign a contract with Tempest, kicked down the city walls as she walked into the city. The wizards of the Towers of Magic and Aroth¡¯s Magic Corps came in through the path she had opened up for them. Furthermore, at another distant location, the warriors of the Zoran Tribe and the knightly orders from the various countries had opened up their own path into the city. The flying squadrons led by Carmen and Raphael were also descending from the sky with them. Hauria was truly a colossal city. There was no need for Eugene to have to deal with therge army of undead or the vassals of Destruction wandering within this massive city all by himself, and there was no reason for him to even try. Let¡¯s go! The unified cries of the Liberation Army rang throughout the city. The emotions carried in their voices, their expectations of Eugene, and what Eugene himself had vowed to do ¡ª Eugene took all of these to heart as he mustered his determination. Eugene turned his head forward. From now on, instead of turning to look backward, Eugene would only look forward. ¡°Sienna, there¡¯s no need for you to rush. After all, I¡¯m the one that bastard is waiting for,¡± Eugene growled. Although there was quite some distance between them, Sienna was still able to hear Eugene¡¯s voice extremely clearly. Sheughed as she easily noticed the tant intention underlying Eugene¡¯s words. ¡°Don¡¯t resort to such obvious tricks. I¡¯m the one who¡¯s left feeling embarrassed after having to listen to them,¡± Sienna scoffed. ¡°So Eugene, why don¡¯t you try being more honest instead?¡± She really did know him all too well. With a wry smile, Eugene nodded, ¡°If at all possible,e and help once you¡¯re done with the city.¡± Sienna raised an eyebrow, ¡°This huge city? That¡¯s not an easy thing to ask.¡± ¡°Is it too much even for the Goddess of Magic?¡± Eugene teased. ¡°Since it¡¯s a request from my beloved disciple, this pre-Goddess should do her best to fulfill your demand,¡± Sienna replied with a giggle. As he listened to her response, Eugene kept moving forward. ¡°Kristina, Anise, you two...,¡± Eugene paused for a moment, ¡°should try to help our allies so that less will die.¡± Kristina immediately agreed, [Yes, understood, Sir Eugene.] [¡®Less will die,¡¯ you say. Hamel, it seems that you still have a conscience, even if it¡¯s just a hair thin[2],] Anise teased. This was the battlefield. It was impossible for the allied forces to not suffer even a single casualty. The role of Saints and priests on such a battlefield was to ensure that as few of their allies died as possible. ¡°I¡¯ve always been a conscientious person,¡± Eugene retorted. Anise muttered, [Not only are you stupid, you really are so shameless as well. In any case, Hamel, are you heading straight to the pce?] Eugene shook his head, ¡°There¡¯s something I need to do before that.¡± He almost lost control of his temper when Anise started teasing him about being stupid. However, he knew that getting angry at Anise in their current situation would be ridiculous, so he forcefully suppressed his rage. It was also because he knew getting upset over Anise''s teasing remarks would be a waste of his rage. From the moment he descended into Hauria, Eugene had set a designated target for all his rage. The mes of Prominence red up. Eugene transformed into a cket that pierced through the sky. The scenery of the ruined city that had been transformed into air of the undead shed past below him. Hauria was an extremely expansive city. However, the size of the city didn¡¯t matter, as Eugene¡¯s flight speed was ridiculously fast. He crossed the entire city in mere instants. Just as he had told Anise, Eugene didn¡¯t storm into the pce right away. The wings of Prominence, which had been fluttering behind him like aet¡¯s tail, suddenly swept upwards. When this happened, Eugene¡¯s body dropped straight down. Then, as if they had been waiting for this moment, some creatures leapt out to block Eugene. It was a group of chimeras that had been pieced together from different animals like jigsaw puzzles. Just by their appearance, it was quite obvious to see who had created them. ¡°Amelia Merwin,¡± Eugene quietly hissed her name in a cold voice. Even Kamash hadn¡¯t been able to hold on to Eugene. The high-ranking demonfolk couldn¡¯t even withstand a single one of Eugene¡¯s blows. So these chimeras? And the undead? Even if they were grouped together in a wall of meat, they still wouldn¡¯t be enough to stop Eugene. There was no way that Amelia didn¡¯t know that. ¡°How dirty,¡± Eugene spat out. These chimeras that were leaping at him, hoping to drag him into a fight... they weren¡¯t here just for the sake of buying time. Within the space of a few short moments, Eugene was able to figure out what these chimeras were doing here. Each had a powerful self-destruct spell built into them. And this wasn¡¯t just some ordinary self-destruct that fueled an explosion with their remaining dark power either. Amelia had infused all the different curses that could be cast using ck magic into their self-destruct spells, and she had alsoced the explosions with a deadly poison that targeted its victim¡¯s very existence, both body and soul. She might not have expected either one to actually kill Eugene, but whether it was the curses or the poison, Amelia must have been desperately hoping that at least one of the two could slow him down. How dirty and petty of her. Did she really have any high hopes that something like this could actually work? Eugene couldn¡¯t help but let out a mockingugh. There was no need for him to even swing either the Holy Sword or the Moonlight Sword to get rid of these things. Eugene simply expanded his mes. This move alone didn¡¯t just prove to be enough; it was actually excessive. The dozens of chimeras immediately burned to ashes and disappeared, unable to curse, poison, or explode all over Eugene. Amelia was also able to watch as this happened. While swallowing a shaky breath, she leaped to her feet. Eugene Lionheart, that man, that monster, he was somehowing here while knowing exactly where she was hiding. ¡®I have to run away,¡¯ Amelia thought in a panic. If she had had the choice, she would have wanted to hole up in the pce, but that had be impossible. This was because the power emitted by that monster ¡ª the Incarnation of Destruction who no longer went by Hamel and had now be a nameless specter ¡ª would even devour the magic of Amelia and the liches if they got too close. For the barrier that had covered the entire city, an borate magic circle was needed to constantly repair the barrier¡¯s underlying forms from the damage due to external attacks, but it was impossible to maintain such a magic circle in the pce while it was being affected by the specter¡¯s dark power. So Amelia had no choice but to leave the pce. Because she and the liches didn¡¯t want to be an open target, they went into the city¡¯s cemeteries and dug even deeper below them to set up a base deep underground. One of the characteristics of a cemetery, the stagnant evil energy that had umted over a long period of time, made it the perfect ce to cover up the use ofrge-scale ck magic. But just how on earth had Eugene seen right through their trick? Their camouge should have been perfect. They were also hidden deep, deep underground. They hadn''t left even a single trace behind in the cemetery on the surface. And Amelia had even prepared some borate dummies hidden elsewhere, just in case. Amelia hadn¡¯t expected that they would be able to fool Eugene for long, but... she could never have imagined that he would head straight towards her without a second thought, skipping the investigation process. ¡°G-Grandmaster,¡± stammered one of the dozens of liches following Amelia. They weren¡¯t allowed to move under their own will, so they needed to wait for Amelia¡¯s orders. Naturally, Amelia had no intention of protecting the liches. She didn¡¯t have even the slightest hesitation when she made her choice to abandon them. Amelia immediately grabbed her staff, dmir, and left the magic circle. Kamash was dead. The demonic beasts that had been brought here from Ravesta had all died as well. The army of undead might still remain standing, but Amelia couldn¡¯t control any of the undead within the city. As for the vassals of Destruction? The same also went for them. The only ones that Amelia couldmand were the undead legions who had already been deployed in the desert. Everything that remained in the city belonged solely to the specter. So, first of all, Amelia needed to get out of this undergroundir. Although there was quite some distance between her and the pce, she would still be able to escape there if she just had a little time. She had hoped that the chimeras would be able to buy her some of that time, but they hadn¡¯t even sessfully activated their self-destruct spells, let alone make use of the borately designed curses and poison. In that case.... ¡°You all, I order you to die for my sake,¡± Amelia spat out the order without even looking back over her shoulder. The fires in the liches¡¯ eye-sockets dimmed at these words. It was a cruel order for them to follow, but it was impossible for the liches to resist. The life vessels of all the liches were being held by Amelia. She had gained possession of their life vessels by telling the liches that it would allow her to lead them in casting their ck magic with more power and efficiency. She was their Grandmaster, a figure they had always respected as ck wizards and from whom they had sought guidance for their entire lives. Who could have imagined that she would just abandon them like she was tossing away an old shoe? The liches leaped onto their feet. The structure of the magic circle immediately began to transform. It was no longer structured towards protecting the city, but instead calibrated to thoroughly kill a single enemy. As this was happening, the atmosphere in this underground base suddenly underwent a change. As Amelia prepared to escape, she thought to herself, ¡®This should buy me a little more ti¡ª¡¯ She wasn¡¯t even able to finish that thought. Booooooom! A huge impact copsed the ceiling of their underground base. The base¡¯s barrier, which had been made up of hundreds ofyers of spells, was easily pierced through in the face of this merciless and overwhelming force, like a piece of paper in front of an awl. ¡°Do it now!¡± Amelia screamed. The liches, who had no choice but to follow her order, immediately began to cast the spell. Grrrrrrrrrr! Theirbined dark power also began to run wild. Not only was it toote, it was pointless. The spread of Eugene¡¯s mes was faster than the speed at which the liches could cast their spell. The zing ck mes were thicker and more intense than the dark power generated by the dozens of liches working together in concert or the evil energy that had umted and distilled in this cemetery over a long period of time. Eugene¡¯s ck mes didn¡¯t illuminate this dark undergroundir. However, to the eyes of the liches, it felt both dazzling and scorching, as if they were looking at a sun that had appeared just a single step away from them. Liches didn¡¯t have anything like skin, flesh, or muscles. Although they far outssed ordinary skeletons inparison, their bodies were still just made up of bones covered in their dark power. Right now, it felt as if their entire, hollow bodies were being burnt to ash. The liches rolled on the ground, screaming in pain. The surging mes also washed over the magic circle, incinerating it, and the ck magic that was on the verge of being cast was dispelled. As for Amelia... someone had grabbed hold of her hair. It had happened in a split second. That man, that monster, had suddenly appeared right next to her. From Amelia¡¯s perspective, it felt as if she had been trapped in darkness, unable to see anything, when a ghost had suddenly reached his hand out towards her. The ghost quickly and securely grabbed hold of Amelia¡¯s hair, then looped the long strands around his wrist to make sure that he wouldn¡¯t lose his grip. Then Amelia¡¯s head was yanked to the side. Even though she was being pulled with great force, her hair wasn¡¯t torn in two. This ghost, this monster, seemed to be very familiar at controlling his strength to keep it within the endurance limits of her hair. Once, Amelia also had experience at enduring such treatment. However, that was a story from long ago. The current Amelia had be ustomed to being the one inflicting violence by pulling on someone else¡¯s hair. On the other hand, she was no longer used to being in that same situation herself. However... as her hair was pulled, her legs were kicked out from under her, her knees crushed into the ground, her waist bent over, then her hair pulled in the other direction, causing her neck to stretch backward... Amelia was clearly reminded of her childhood, which had mostly been filled with the same humiliation and pain. Amelia was also reminded of what sort of attitude she should disy when she was being overpowered like this. ¡°Hey,¡± a voice suddenly spoke in a whisper. It was only then that Amelia saw the monster holding her. And it was then that she knew something for sure. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Eugene said with a vicious grin. No matter how much she wept and begged, this monster wouldn¡¯t show her any mercy. 1. The original text uses a Korean idiom with a simr meaning, the blood in a bird¡¯s foot. ? 2. The original text uses the Korean idiom of a mouse¡¯s tail to describe something miniscule. ? Chapter 475: Hauria (10)

Chapter 475: Hauria (10)

Openbookworm: Potential trigger warning: This chapter has some vivid description of systematic physical and mental violence and abuse. . . Eugene found her, and then he caught her. Crack! The sound of breaking bones came from Amelia¡¯s body. Without even a moment¡¯s hesitation, Eugene had ced all of his weight down on the foot resting on the back of Amelia¡¯s knee, shattering her kneecap. With the hand that was resting on her back, Eugene gave some thought to breaking or ripping out her spine, but he decided that it wasn¡¯t necessary to do so just yet. So, instead, he reached up and crushed one of her shoulder des. His other hand was still wrapped up in Amelia¡¯s hair. If Eugene exerted some strength, he would be able to yank all of her hair out, but he had no intention of doing so. Instead, holding her hair like this acted like a halter to control the horse named Amelia Merwin. As such, Eugene just pulled on her hair with moderate force. Just enough so that her hair didn¡¯t get pulled out or torn off and not hard enough that he broke her neck. Perfectly in moderation. But Eugene made sure to apply enough pressure so that Amelia could clearly see the difference in strength and level between them. ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Eugene whispered as he lowered his head closer. The moment she heard him say those words, Amelia began shivering in fear. As for her eyes.... When Eugene and Amelia¡¯s eyes met, what he saw in hers was... ...pride... ...rage... ...humiliation... ...and fear. The moment Eugene confirmed the presence of all these emotions, he gave her a bright smile. He couldn¡¯t help but be amused by this situation. The grudge between them had been forged many times over. In a sense, Amelia was an enemy who held a special meaning for Eugene. Most of Eugene¡¯s current grudges and targets for revenge originated from his past life of three hundred years ago, from back during his days as Hamel. However, Amelia was different. His enmity towards her wasn¡¯t something that was rooted in Hamel¡¯s time. However, it was true that part of their enmity originated from when he caught Amelia robbing Hamel¡¯s tomb. But that was something that had happened during Eugene¡¯s lifetime. It was a story from just a few years ago. Compared to those older grudges, Eugene¡¯s feelings for Amelia were extremely vivid. Just how many times had he met Amelia and vowed to kill her? ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± Eugene asked with a sneer. ¡ªYou, I remember you. You were the one who killed my pet back in the desert. You haven¡¯t forgotten what happened back then, have you? At that time... if the Demon King hadn¡¯t shown you mercy, you would have died at my hands. That was what Amelia had said when they met for a second time during the Knight March. ¡ªYou damn graverobber. Eugene remembered the way Amelia¡¯s lips had twisted behind her veil, smiling even as she revealed her anger towards him. ¡ªYou burgled the tomb that I had already imed for myself. That tomb had been made for Hamel by hisrades. Molon had personally carried his coffin. Anise had carved prayers all over the walls. Sienna had cried as she erected his statue. Vermouth had also lowered his head in grief as they quietly stood in front of his tombstone. ¡ªThat was a piece of history that had been kept secret from the world. Because it was something that only I knew about and could possess. Without knowing anything about all that happened with hisrades, Amelia had just kept thering on. ¡ªIt was an abandoned tomb that no one had visited or cared for in the past three hundred years. I was the one who rediscovered that tomb. As such, everything in that tomb belonged to me. Whether it was the statue, the gravestone, or even the corpse! Eugene could clearly recall Amelia shouting those words. Even then, Amelia... really didn¡¯t seem to know her ce. As if it was only natural for her to do so, Amelia had shown a rxed attitude towards getting her revenge, mocking Eugene by saying that the Lionhearts wouldn¡¯t be able to protect him if she came for him. ¡ªIf I wanted to kill you, no one here would be able to interfere. Either you would die, or I would die; as for the Lionhearts, who aren¡¯t too far from here, by the time they arrive, the only thing left for them to see would be one of our corpses. Eugene... had barely managed to endure it at that time. He hadn¡¯t tried to kill Amelia in a fit of rage. That was because there had been a lot of other troublesome things going on during that Knight March. Also, he thought that another opportunity woulde again someday. And in fact, that opportunity had now arrived. Amelia Merwin would be dying in this desert. No one would be able to prevent her death. ¡ªYou¡¯re still so cocky. You were like that back then as well. In the tomb, you were acting so insolent even though your death was inevitable. I might not have appreciated it, but it did amuse me. Amuse her, did he? ¡°Someday, when youe face to face with your own death,¡± Eugene tilted his head to the side as he whispered into Amelia¡¯s ear. ¡°I¡¯ve... always wondered what kind of expression you would show me and what you would say before you died. Just like you, I¡¯ve also done the same thing. I¡¯ve also spent a lot of time imagining how I should kill you.¡± Amelia¡¯s shoulders trembled as she listened to him speak. Those were some of the words she had said to Eugene back at the Knight March. Eugene asked her curiously, ¡°At that moment, will you be as cocky as you were back then? At the moment when I rip out your soul, will you still dare to show me the same hatred and murderous intent?¡± All of Eugene¡¯s questions were met with silence. ¡°I thought not,¡± Eugene sighed. Amelia¡¯s head was pulled up. Crack! Then Eugene smashed her head down into the floor. ¡°People like you who always act so unrestrained and think of themselves as being overwhelmingly strong are bound to turn into wretched fools the moment they lose the power they once enjoyed,¡± Eugene observed. He still hadn¡¯t let go of her hair. Instead, Eugene actually gripped it even tighter. He lifted Amelia¡¯s head off the ground that he had smashed it into as if he was plucking a vegetable up out of the ground and then took a look at Amelia¡¯s face. Her nose wasn¡¯t broken, nor were her lips split and bleeding. Amelia¡¯s face was perfectly fine, without a single wound. This was because Eugene hadn¡¯t used that much force. When he smashed her head into the ground, the action wasn¡¯t meant to cause pain but instead to humiliate her. Eugene examined Amelia¡¯s face, which was perfectly fine and without even a single scratch. But was she truly uninjured? The answer was no. Beneath Amelia¡¯s skin, the wounds left by her humiliation were already festering and rotting. In a cheerful mood, Eugene stared at the way Amelia¡¯s cheeks were twitching. ¡°Y-you...,¡± Amelia finally attempted to speak in a trembling voice. In reaction to her attempt, Eugene immediately mmed Amelia¡¯s head down into the ground once more. Once again, there wasn¡¯t much pain, but it still left Amelia unable to finish her sentence. In the first ce, what could she even say in her current situation? That was the crucial question. Amelia really didn¡¯t know what she should say to Eugene. When she first met him, Eugene Lionheart was just a kid she could easily get rid of. If he hadn¡¯t been carrying Balzac¡¯s personal missive ¡ª no, she could have still killed him while ignoring that missive. In fact, she had intended to kill him. If the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t appeared at that moment... Amelia would have definitely killed Eugene. That¡¯s right, she should have killed him back then. ¡®But I couldn¡¯t kill him,¡¯ Amelia bitterly recalled. That was why things had turned out like this now. Amelia regretted not having killed Eugene back then. Apart from that, she didn¡¯t have any other regrets. In her opinion, she hadn¡¯t done anything wrong, so what was there to regret? But how should she ovee this situation? Fight back? Don¡¯t be absurd. Amelia was a ck wizard. In other words, she wasn¡¯t a warrior. While she was in perfect condition, she had made every preparation that she could, but she still hadn¡¯t been able to inflict even a single wound on Eugene. Amelia couldn¡¯t help but silently twist her face into a grimace at her hopeless situation. She didn¡¯t even have the freedom to lift her head up off the ground on her own. When Eugene pulled on her hair once more, Amelia immediately spat out the words, ¡°I was wrong.¡± ording to Amelia¡¯s judgment, that was the most rational response she could make at this juncture and the closest thing to a correct answer. In this situation, she could never manage to win a fight against Eugene. In that case, was it still possible for her to run away? That was even more of an impossibility. Even if she cut off the hair he was holding her by and tried to escape, she wouldn¡¯t even be able to get a full step away from him. Amelia stuttered, ¡°I-I¡¯m well aware of why you are so angry. At-at this point... a-an apology alone cannot wash away my sins.¡± Naturally, everything that Amelia was saying right now was a lie on her part. Amelia refused to even entertain the notion that she had ever wronged Eugene. However, she would still apologize to him. In this situation, she just needed to act like she at least had some sense of guilt while begging for forgiveness. So, Amelia began to stammer, ¡°I... I¡¯m also well aware of why you feel such rage. We... from the start, our impressions of each other weren¡¯t good. But it was all a misunder... a misunderstanding on my part, right? No, I didn¡¯t mean it like that. Of course, it wasn¡¯t just a misunderstanding. I¡¯m the one who wronged you. Because I robbed the tomb that your... that the ancestor of your n, the Great Vermouth, had personally created for his friend.¡± Amelia had to force herself to wring out this apology. However, it seemed to be having an effect. After all, the monster who had previously mmed her head into the ground without waiting for her to finish speaking was now listening quietly to her without inflicting any violence. Amelia¡¯s eyes darted to the side to take a nce at Eugene¡¯s face. His expression was still as cold as ever. A thick killing intent was leaking from his eyes. But that much hostility was still okay. Because, as long as his killing intent wasn¡¯t fueling his actions, it meant that she wouldn¡¯t be dying just yet. Amelia gulped, ¡°If I plead my guilt at this point, I¡¯m sure that you would have a hard time forgiving me. H-however, I also have my own circumstances¡ª¡± Squeeze. Amelia felt the fingers holding onto her hair strengthen their grip. She realized she had made a mistake. Amelia immediately changed what she was about to say. ¡°Of course, my circumstances don¡¯t matter when ites to my guilt. I won¡¯t make any excuses,¡± Amelia quickly sputtered out. She just wished that he would say something in response. This monster, who had been full of jeering amusement just a few moments ago, was now keeping his lips tightly shut and not saying a word. Feeling her own mounting nervousness build up inside her, Amelia continued speaking, ¡°I... I¡¯m sure that we can work out a new rtionship between the two of us. I don¡¯t expect it to be anything like an equal rtionship. I promise to unconditionally surrender to your will.¡± Amelia didn¡¯t want to die. She really didn¡¯t want to die. Amelia desperately longed to survive. There was so much that she still wanted to see while she was alive. She wanted to continue spreading chaos all around the continent. She wanted the world to run rampant with blood and death. She wanted to see all of this happen with her own eyes. That was why Amelia willingly bowed her head. Her shaking hands clutched at Eugene¡¯s feet in desperation. Amelia didn¡¯t consider her current actions to be a humiliation. If she got all caught up in her pride during a situation like this, there was no way she could keep on struggling just to survive. ¡°I can be of use to you,¡± Amelia swore. ¡°The specter that has taken over the royal pce ¡ª ah, did you know? He calls himself a specter. You-you might already be aware of this, but he¡¯s not actually the Stupid Hamel. He is a fake that I made by imitating the hero. Th-that too is one of my sins. However, I... please take into consideration that I¡¯m the one who made that specter. So I-I know his weakness.¡± This was a lie. The current specter didn¡¯t have any parts Amelia had originally put into his body to control him. From the moment that the specter¡¯s body had been dissolved and melded with the dark power of Destruction in order to be its Incarnation, it had be an existence far beyond Amelia¡¯s understanding or control. However, even if this was a lie, Amelia still needed to try and sell the lie to Eugene. Just look at what was happening now; she might be the only one still talking, but at least this allowed their conversation to continue. The monster had yet to resume using violence on Amelia. ¡®I just need to buy some more time,¡¯ Amelia desperately thought. Would she be able to lie convincingly enough that she could persuade this monster to stay his hand with just her words? Amelia didn¡¯t have any expectations that things would turn out so nicely for her. What Amelia wanted from this dialogue was to buy as much time as possible. Amelia hopefully prayed, ¡®The specter might stille to save me.¡¯ Lately, she really couldn¡¯t tell what the specter was thinking. However, what Amelia and the specter wanted didn¡¯t seem so different in the end. They both wanted this war. So, a war had broken out. It had been so easy for a war to break out in Nahama because Amelia had already made preparations for this war a long time ago. But the war couldn¡¯t just end here. This war needed to be a precursor that would spread conflict throughout the continent. And just like Amelia envisioned, the specter should also have simr desires. Amelia was confident in this belief. To her, the specter was just another barbarically strong monster. It might be impossible to slip a leash back onto him, but she should still be able to influence the direction in which he put his overwhelming strength. No matter the reason for the specter¡¯s changes, Amelia was the one who had first created the specter. In other words, Amelia was the specter¡¯s mother. ¡®I¡¯m sure that he also realizes that fact. That is why he didn¡¯t kill me back then,¡¯ Amelia tried to convince herself. She couldn¡¯t know for sure if that was what the specter thought, but at least that was what Amelia believed. She gulped, ¡®Even if... even if you don¡¯te here to save me....¡¯ As long as she could keep Eugene Lionheart here, someone was sure toe looking for the Hero. Amelia was certain of that fact. ¡°A weakness, you say,¡± Eugene¡¯s tightly locked lips finally parted. ¡°What weakness is that?¡± Amelia had naturally expected Eugene to ask such a question. Because of that, Amelia was able to immediately respond, ¡°If I tell you that now, then you won¡¯t have any reason to keep me alive, will you? So, therefore¡ª¡± Eugene cut her short, ¡°Actually, I¡¯m not really all that curious.¡± Once again, he didn¡¯t bother to let her finish speaking. Was he going to m her head into the ground once more? While bracing herself for the iing violence, Amelia gritted her teeth. But instead, Eugene unexpectedly let go of her hair. ¡°Gaghk,¡± Amelia suddenly choked out a gasp. Her jaws, which she had clenched as tightly as possible, parted of their own ord. She had just been struck with apletely different type of physical abuse than the one she had been expecting. The tip of Eugene¡¯s outstretched foot was buried deep in Amelia¡¯s sr plexus. The force concentrated in that single point had torn Amelia¡¯s internal organs into pieces, and everything that filled up the inside of her body had been pushed upwards by the force of the blow. It was just a kick. That was all it was. However, that simple kick hurt as much as all the pain that Amelia had ever experienced in Ravesta until now. Amelia struggled to breathe, ¡°Gagh...! Cough...!¡± The shock that had mmed into her guts didn¡¯t dissipate and continued to circte throughout her entire body. Instead of being sent flying, Amelia copsed on the spot, clutching her stomach. It felt like a hole had been kicked through both her body and her soul. Moaning and coughing up blood, Amelia fell onto her side and curled up in a ball. Soon, her head was forced back up as Eugene took hold of her hair once more. This time, he didn¡¯t m her head back into the ground. Crack! Instead, a p spun Amelia¡¯s head to the side. Crack! When another pnded from the opposite direction, it didn¡¯t just spin her head back around. The strong reverse rotation ended uppletely breaking Amelia¡¯s neck. Still paralyzed by the shock, her body spun around limply in midair. The hair that Eugene had been using as a grip finally snapped or was pulled off Amelia¡¯s head. While shaking off the hair that had gotten tangled between his fingers, Eugene looked down at Amelia. ¡°Get up,¡± Eugene coldly ordered. Most of her internal organs had burst open. Thatst kick wasn¡¯t actually just a simple blow. The moment Eugene¡¯s foot had dug into her stomach, his mana had also secretly seeped into her body. At this moment, Amelia¡¯s dark power didn¡¯t seem to belong to her anymore; its ownership was usurped by someone else. Or at least, that was the feeling she got. It felt like some force that didn¡¯t belong to herself was running rampant inside her body. Her innards were crushed. Her neck was broken. If she were any ordinary human, it was only natural for her to die from all of this, but Amelia didn''t die. She couldn¡¯t muster up any strength from her limp body, but... Amelia was somehow still alive. Was it because she was a ck wizard? No, it was because Amelia was a half-blooded demonfolk. The reason for Amelia¡¯s obsession with imperfect existences, like chimeras and the undead, was her ownplicated feelings of love and hatred for herself, as someone who had been born with the mixed blood of both demonfolk and humans. Though now, she didn¡¯t even have the slightest trace of affection remaining for herself. She could only feel extreme hatred towards her own muddled-up blood. Even though she was already so injured, she was somehow still alive and wasn¡¯t going to die just yet. However, unlike the demonfolk, she didn¡¯t have the incredibly fast regeneration either, so recovery was painfully slow. ¡°Spare...,¡± Amelia gurgled as shey on the floor. It was currently impossible for her to raise her head. With one weakly shaking hand, Amelia reached out to cling to Eugene¡¯s leg as she begged, ¡°Please... please spare....¡± She had given up on trying to trick him with her words. All Amelia could do now was beg for her life. As feeling slowly returned to her body, Amelia took in a blood-soaked gulp of air and finally gasped out the words, ¡°Please spare me¡ª¡± Bam! Amelia suddenly lost consciousness. This was because Eugene¡¯s foot had cleanly struck Amelia in the chin, popping her head up into the air. Amelia¡¯s upper body snapped upward as her spine was broken by the force of his kick. As her upper body fell backward, Amelia¡¯s body took on the shape of a wheel as she rolled backwards over the ground. Though she only rolled a few times before copsing. It wasn¡¯t until she was slumped back on the floor that Amelia regained consciousness. Through her shaky vision, she could see Eugene approaching her once more. ¡°Kaaah.... Ah...,¡± Amelia muttered iprehensibly. Her chin and her teeth had beenpletely shattered. She could still make some sound, but it was impossible for her to form any words. She could still see the liches hiding behind the approaching Eugene. Even though they had managed to recover some of the damage from the surprise attack that Eugene had used to start the fight, they were now holding their breath, trying not to draw any attention to their presence. This was because they were terrified of Eugene. ¡®How dare they when I¡¯m being tortured like this,¡¯ Ameliained bitterly. Even though they had once revered her as their Grandmaster. Her trembling eyes were filled with the deepest resentment. Amelia might not be able to say anything just yet, but she didn¡¯t need to speak to convey her orders. Amelia mentally transmitted her will towards the liches. ¡°Gyaaaah...,¡± the liches began to groan as their bodies trembled. Eugene let out a snort as he turned to look behind him. The liches¡¯ bones were all melting into each other, and their dark power was fusing as they collectively began to swell up like a balloon. Eugene just chuckled as he watched the liches transform into a ball made of bones. ¡°Go ahead and do your worst,¡± Eugene sneered. The ball burst in an explosion of ck magic. Even the dark power that hadn¡¯t been used to fuel the explosive spell was shot out at Eugene. The Holy Sword shed. A line of light cut through the darkness. The overflowing light dissolved both the ck magic and the dark power and even bisected the lump of bones that the liches had been turned into. There wasn¡¯t even any need for Eugene to find and destroy their life vessels. The light emitted by the Holy Sword permanently exorcized the entire tangle of souls. There was another scream, ¡°Aaaargh!¡± The Holy Sword hadn¡¯t just cut down the liches. Amelia Merwin had been crawling on the ground, hoping that the liches would be able to buy her some more time. She had just barely managed to regain the feeling in her body and control of her dark power. However, once again, she wasn¡¯t able to escape. ¡°M-my legs! My legs¡ªaaaaah!¡± Amelia¡¯s voice trailed off in a scream. Both of her legs had been cut off at the thighs. Amelia also instinctively realized something, she wouldn¡¯t ever be able to regenerate her legs. The light of the holy sword hadpletely erased the concept of having legs from the existence known as Amelia Merwin. Amelia screamed and rolled over the ground, her despair almost driving her crazy. ¡°Pl-please, spare me!¡± Amelia cried out, spitting up blood. ¡°Please, please! Spare me! I... I don¡¯t want to die! I¡¯ll do anything, anything. Please...!¡± Eugene coldly refused her, ¡°No.¡± ¡°D-digging up the tomb. Making the Death Knight. Tr-tr-trying to kill you... S-Sir Eugene. I¡¯m sorry for all of that...!¡± Amelia desperately pleaded. Eugene shrugged, ¡°Alright.¡± ¡°I-told you that I was wrong, haven¡¯t I! I admitted that it was my fault, that I made a mistake...!¡± Amelia angrily sobbed as tears poured down her face. At this sight, Eugene just nodded with a big smile. ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± Amelia screamed as the Holy Sword shed towards her once more. Amelia wasn¡¯t even able to clearly perceive the movement of the sword. However, before she knew it, her left arm had been cut off. It was the same case as with her legs. She would never be able to regenerate that severed arm. Blood wasn¡¯t even spurting out from the surface of the open cut. While wriggling her body like a worm, Amelia screamed, ¡°Don¡¯t-don¡¯t do it! Please... don¡¯t kill me...!¡± Every time that Amelia let out a scream, the smile on Eugene¡¯s face grew even brighter. Eugene had no intention of making Amelia repent for her sins. He also didn¡¯t expect to make her regret everything she had done. In the end, she was just going to die, so what was even the point of trying to make her regret her sins? Eugene wanted Amelia to die in as ugly a way as possible. If he could, he wanted her to keep struggling, desperately clinging onto hope. He wanted her to keep on shouting ¡®spare me¡¯ instead of ¡®kill me,¡¯ even in her very final moments, when all that was left was despair, and she experienced such pain that she might feel it was better to die than to keep on living. Eugene knew what Amelia was currently hoping for. Even at this moment, this crazy bitch was still hoping that she could live. This was because Eugene had intentionally shown that there was a slight chance that he might leave her alive[1]. And in fact, that was the case. Eugene had wasted time listening to Amelia¡¯s nonsense. Like Amelia had wanted, he allowed her to buy some more time. ¡®This should be long enough,¡¯ Eugene thought with a bright smile as he raised the Holy Sword once more. The tip of the brilliantly shining sword was aimed down at Amelia¡¯s head. Amelia screamed as she watched the light draw close. 1. If this is confusing, it refers to Eugene¡¯s use of the Holy Sword to prevent her from regenerating. If he was just going to kill her, why bother with that? ? Chapter 476: Hauria (11)

Chapter 476: Hauria (11)

As the holy sword¡¯s brilliant light illuminated the undergroundir, a red light suddenly appeared behind Eugene. Eugene wasn¡¯t caught by surprise by this, as he had sensed that an intruder would be arriving sometime soon. Instead of continuing to aim at Amelia, Eugene twisted his body and swung the Holy Sword behind him. Schink! The holy sword split apart a spreading, red cloud of light. Eugene realized something before he had even finished swinging his sword through it. This wasn¡¯t a cloud of light. The moment his sword sliced through it, Eugene was hit in the face by a terrible bloody stench. Eugene grimaced, ¡®The Blood Fog.¡¯ This fog could seep through a person¡¯s skin through contact alone. If one didn¡¯t have any tolerance for it or a way to resist it, this fog would cause all of the blood in one¡¯s body to run wild, and eventually, their blood would spray out of the pores on their body, leaving them dead. This was an ability that could almost be considered symbolic of high-ranking vampires, who were known for their strong control over blood. There was only one high-ranking vampire who could have suddenly appeared here and spread this Blood Fog. Eugene gave a cheeky smile, and once the Holy Sword had finished its swing to the side, he held it in front of him once more. Fwoosh! The Holy Sword stood tall in Eugene¡¯s hands, illuminating the darkness like a torch. The Blood Fog, which had continued its spread throughout the undergroundir even though he had sliced through it, waspletely dissipated under the light of the Holy Sword. Within the now-illuminated undergroundir, Eugene spotted the figure of a man who was squinting in the face of the bright light. It was Alphiero Lasat. ring at Eugene, who was still shining the light at him, Alphiero muttered, ¡°This is far too bright.¡± Any normal vampire would have disintegrated just by being struck by this light. However, Alphiero wasn¡¯t a vampire who could be categorized as ordinary. He was someone who could convincingly im to be the strongest among all living vampires, and he was also the strongest of all the vassals serving the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°Mosquito bastard,¡± Eugene cursed. Mosquito was a derogatory term for vampires that had been in use for the past three hundred years. No, it may have actually been around for much longer than that. Naturally, vampires would be infuriated upon being called mosquitos. Alphiero had the same reaction. His red eyes began to emit a chilling aura. Eugene sneered, ¡°Are you here to save this bitch? I didn¡¯t know that you two were that close.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t make that mistake,¡± Alphiero growled, revealing his sincere displeasure at such an insinuation. ¡°The Incarnation desires your death. That is the only reason why I havee here to kill you.¡± ¡°But I feel like that bastard would probably prefer to kill me with his own hands,¡± Eugene expressed his doubt. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare address him so casually with your foul tongue,¡± Alphiero snarled as his hair stood on end. Without hiding his disgust and rage, Alphiero took a threatening step forward. ¡°I doubt that you two are all that chummy, so it¡¯s funny to see you get all worked up by yourself on his behalf,¡± Eugene said with a snort as he shot a nce behind him. Eugene caught a glimpse of Amelia, who had had both her legs and her left arm cut off, silently wriggling on the ground. Her body was undting like a slug as she tried her best to crawl forward with her only remaining right arm for support. She was also giving it all that she had to keep herself from panting heavily as a result of her exertions. The reason for this effort was that she was worried she might be caught by Eugene in the middle of her escape. But such efforts were meaningless. Eugene had already turned around to look back at Amelia. Without even needing to turn her head, Amelia could sense the terrifying scent drifting off of Eugene as he turned his attention towards her, even as she kept up her attempt to escape. Since she was crawling on the floor like a bug, should he just stomp her to death like the bug that she was? Or perhaps he should restrain her so that she couldn¡¯t escape... then after he was done killing this mosquito bastard, should he spend a bit more time torturing her to death? After considering these questions for a few moments, Eugene just smirked and turned his gaze away from her. He stopped paying further attention to Amelia and kept his eyes squarely on the person in front of him. Such an attitude seemed quite surprising to Alphiero. Although this was his first time meeting Eugene Lionheart in person, Alphiero had learned quite a lot about this man. Naturally, he also knew about the ill-fated rtionship between Eugene Lionheart and Amelia Merwin. Based on the rumors, Alphiero judged Eugene to be someone who held no mercy for his enemies. And currently, there was absolutely no reason for Eugene to spare Amelia¡¯s life. ¡®I should have revealed myself after he was done killing her,¡¯ Alphiero thought regretfully. Although Alphiero had this thought, he had actually been left with no choice but to strike so early tounch a surprise attack. This was because, at the time, he had judged that Eugene¡¯s attention had beenpletely focused on Amelia. But he had failed. Truthfully speaking, Alphiero didn¡¯t care whether or not Amelia died. But if he had to add the weight of his personal feelings, he felt that it would be better if she had died. The war had already begun. Although Amelia herself might not think so, this meant that Amelia was no longer of any use to them. So even if Eugene were to take the time now to execute Amelia, Alphiero had intended to take a few moments and just watch it happen. However, Eugene hadn¡¯t killed Amelia. Currently, his golden eyes were fixed solely on Alphiero. ¡°There¡¯s something that I¡¯m curious about and feel like I have to ask,¡± Eugene began speaking. He lowered the point of the Holy Sword until it was aimed directly at Alphiero, ¡°You, did you reallye here because you thought that you¡¯d be able to kill me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by those words,¡± Alphiero eventually responded. Eugene raised an eyebrow. ¡°What do I mean? You should be able to understand exactly what I mean. It¡¯s not like I said anything too difficult to understand, right?¡± The grin on his face had disappeared. Eugene¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t have even a trace of amusement remaining as he red at Alphiero. Instead, they conveyed a chilling killing intent that made Alphiero feel like all of the blood in his body had frozen into ice. ¡°I¡¯m asking if you have the confidence to kill me,¡± Eugene challenged. Alphiero had seen what Eugene looked like when he was fighting. When facing Eugene, Kamash, the King of the Giants from three hundred years ago... hadn¡¯t even been able tond any blows on him and was all too easily sliced into pieces. Helmuth¡¯s twenty-sixth-ranked high-ss demonfolk, along with his dozens of subordinates, had all perished after not being able to withstand even a single one of Eugene¡¯s sword strikes. There was also the barrier that had covered the skies above Hauria. A barrier that hadn¡¯t been broken even by a dragon¡¯s Breath or the Wise Sienna¡¯s spells had been torn apart after a single sh of Eugene¡¯s sword. Eugene¡¯s presence when in battle was worthy of being called divine. Alphiero had no intention of belittling Eugene¡¯s strength and skills; rather, he acknowledged them. ¡°I don¡¯t have the confidence,¡± Alphiero admitted honestly. He knew he was strong, and vampires were the strongest of all the races. He was also the strongest of all of Destruction¡¯s vassals. His name might not be listed in Helmuth¡¯s ranking system, but as long as his opponent wasn¡¯t a Duke, Alphiero was confident that he would be able to defeat any of Helmuth¡¯s nobles in a fight. However, Alphiero couldn¡¯t be sure of his victory against this human. Because he had seen for himself just how strong this man was. Moreover... it didn¡¯t seem like Eugene had ever revealed what his ¡®maximum effort¡¯ looked like. Whether it was when he had killed Kamash, when he had killed the twenty-sixth-ranked demonfolk from Helmuth, when he had shattered the barrier, and even at the moment when he had burst apart the head of the Centipede Mountains, Eugene always had seemed very rxed. He had never shown the sense of urgency that came from someone who was giving it his all. Furthermore, even after going through all of these battles, he had never once been inflicted with any wounds. Could such a person... truly be called human? Alphiero didn¡¯t feel like that was the case. Just like how the specter waiting ahead in the pce was truly the Incarnation of Destruction wearing the disguise of Hamel, this human known as Eugene Lionheart had to be the same type of creature. This was a monster wearing the mask of a human, pretending to be the Hero. ¡°Even if there were a hundred of me, I probably still wouldn¡¯t be able to kill you,¡± Alphiero calmly acknowledged this fact. ¡°Yet I still n on attacking you with the intent to kill. Because this war must be fought for the sake of the Incarnation, for the sake of our Demon King of Destruction. Your existence is a hindrance to the war. Everyone who has crossed through the walls and entered the city will be a sacrifice of this war. And among all those who have entered... your life is the most valuable.¡± If he didn¡¯t kill Eugene now, then Eugene would definitely head straight to the pce without any hesitation. But Alphiero couldn¡¯t even imagine how the Incarnation could possibly be defeated. No matter how strong this monster was, he would still return to being a weak human in front of the Incarnation of Destruction. But did that mean Alphiero could just let him go without trying to obstruct him? Alphiero definitely wouldn¡¯t allow himself to do that. His life had already been offered up to the Demon King of Destruction a long time ago. What Alphiero Lasat wanted most was to devote his life to the cause of the Demon King of Destruction. If this monster insisted on heading towards the Incarnation, then there was only one thing that Alphiero could do. He would need to give up his life to stop Eugene Lionheart. And if at all possible, Alphiero would kill Eugene and offer him as a sacrifice to the Incarnation. He had made his decision. Taking a deep breath, Alphiero drew on his dark power. Dark power with a blood-red shade quickly engulfed Alphiero. In the center of this mass of dark power, Alphiero¡¯s eyes glowed with a sinister light. The metallic scent of blood now filled the entire undergroundir. But this wasn¡¯t enough. Alphiero continued unleashing his dark power, and soon, the dark power of Destruction began to overflow from him. This dark power could even harm the demonfolk who were contracted with Destruction. If they mustered up more dark power than they could control, both their body and soul could end up being disintegrated. Naturally, Alphiero was also well aware of this fact. Alphiero had already surpassed that limit. His body, which had endured the past three hundred years with ease, was about to break down under the pressure of the weight of all this dark power. However, he wasn¡¯t broken just yet. Alphiero took a deep breath and raised his arms. Cracrack, cracracrack...! Alphiero¡¯s hands twisted grotesquely. His bulging, deformed fingers were now curved like scythes, and his nails were long and extended outwards like actual des. Eugene just stood there quietly as he observed Alphiero¡¯s appearance. This mosquito bastard looked prepared to die. At the same time, it seemed that he had resolved himself to kill Eugene no matter what. Honestly speaking, Eugene couldn¡¯t really understand why he would go so far. Alphiero should be well aware that this was a fight he absolutely wouldn¡¯t be able to win. No matter how strong he was, Alphiero was still just at the level of an ordinary demonfolk. Compared to the remaining two Dukes of Helmuth, who had even surpassed the likes of the former Demon Kings, Alphiero¡¯s strength wasughable. Eugene¡¯s head slowly tilted to the side in curiosity. The dark power of Destruction that Alphiero had drawn out, the same dark power that had been amassed beyond Alphiero¡¯s ability to endure, was now being concentrated down into a single point. This concentration of dark power was so strong that it had even begun to distort space itself, causing distortions in Eugene¡¯s vision. ¡°Hah,¡± Eugene parted his lips to let out a softugh. With a mischievous smile, Eugene lowered the holy sword to the ground. The light that had been illuminating this undergroundir had nowpletely disappeared. However, the scene wasn¡¯t plunged back into darkness. The crimson dark power emitted by Alphiero cast this whole underground scene in a hellish hue. A terrible stench of blood filled the room, and it wasn¡¯t fresh blood either, but blood that was set to boil. Alphiero watched as Eugene lifted his right hand into the air just afterying down his sword. A ck me wrapped around Eugene¡¯s hand and began to burn fiercely. Eugene had put down his sword. It seemed that he didn¡¯t intend to use that bothersome Holy Sword against Alphiero. He hadn¡¯t taken out Vermouth¡¯s Moonlight Sword, which he had used to y the Centipede Mountains, either. Alphiero tensed, ¡®How arrogant.¡¯ No, this wasn¡¯t arrogance. It was apletely natural confidence that came from having proven his strength time and time again. Such confidence was good news for Alphiero. Thanks to it, he had been able to finish all of his preparations. Alphiero was at his limits in the truest sense of the word; if even a single drop was added to the weight of the dark power he was already holding, it would be enough to crush his entire existence into nothing in a mere instant. His blood was boiling, and his heart was beating so fast it felt like it was about to explode. Alphiero slowly lowered his body into a crouch. When Alphiero leapt forward, he reached a speed even faster than light. He entered a zone where the very nature of time stopped working. For a moment, he even managed to pierce through space itself. Alphiero wasn¡¯t nning to approach and then swing his ws at Eugene. All of his actions, from start to finish, werepleted as part of a single movement. That¡¯s right, just one. Alphiero had no thoughts of continuing to attack after his first blow. This one attack had been filled with everyst drop of Alphiero Lasat¡¯s remaining life and everything that he had left. Bam! Alphiero¡¯s thoughts cut off here. Right after his one movement and one attack. He was unable toprehend what had happened to him after he had made his move or what might have happened to his body. This was because Alphiero was already dead. Just like how he had intended to finish everything in a single attack, so had Eugene. The moment Alphiero charged at him after concentrating all of his dark power into a single point... Eugene had also swung his hand at Alphiero. The ck mes that wereunched from Eugene¡¯s hand condensed as they burned through the air, causing a small explosion when theynded. That was all that was needed. Just like a moth throwing itself into a me or like someone swatting a buzzing mosquito with his bare hands. Eugene just swung his hand at Alphiero, then as Alphiero¡¯s dark power was devoured by the mes and extinguished, Eugene¡¯s outspread hand smashed apart Alphiero¡¯s head. Demonfok, especially the high-ranking demonfolk, all possessed powerful Sources of Immortality within them. Even if their heads were shattered into pieces, they usually wouldn¡¯t die from it. However, it was impossible for the current Alphiero to withstand even a single blow from Eugene. At this moment, with his dark power drawn out to its very limits, it had be a deadly poison rather than a source of strength for Alphiero. The delicate bnce copsed. Unable to endure anything more, Alphiero¡¯s soul was shattered by his own dark power. Even at that moment, the Demon King of Destruction, whom Alphiero had admired and followed for so long, remained indifferent to Alphiero¡¯s plight. ¡°Hmm,¡± Eugene, who had just killed Alphiero in a single blow, hummed thoughtfully as he shook off the mess that had been left on his right hand by his earlier swing. It hadn¡¯t just been some casual blow. At the moment of the attack, Eugene had used both Prominence and Ignition. Because this had allowed him to explosively amplify his strength for a single moment, he had been able to wipe out Alphiero and his dark power of destruction with just a single swing of his hand. ¡°I should have introduced myself before killing him,¡± Eugene muttered regretfully. Eugene thought it was a pity he hadn¡¯t remembered to do so. This was because Alphiero had known Hamel. If Eugene had said, ¡®I am Hamel,¡¯ before killing this guy, he would have been able to see quite an amusing reaction from him. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like it¡¯s really all that important,¡± Eugene said with a click of his tongue as he raised his head to look around. There were no traces of Amelia left within this undergroundir. Eugene had cut off both her legs and her left arm. Thanks to the mes he had embedded deep into her body, she should have been left unable to use her dark power as she wished, but it seemed that she had managed to recover her magical abilities in the nick of time. Thanks to that, it appeared that she had managed to escape by using her magic. Eugene smirked, ¡°It would have been cleaner for you if you had just died here at my hands.¡± Eugene had known that Amelia was trying to escape. However, he had just allowed her to do so. He had already seen all that he wanted to see from Amelia. He had also enjoyed sampling all the negative emotions that he had been anticipating wringing out from her. I need to kill her with my own hands. That was what Eugene had been thinking before he arrived here ¡ª but after having reached the point right before he had been about to personally take her own life, only to be interrupted, he didn¡¯t actually have many regrets remaining. Instead, now that things had turned out this way, they actually turned out exactly as Eugene had truly desired. Eugene wished for Amelia to die as ugly a death as possible. ¡®This leaves her with some hope for survival,¡¯ Eugene thought with a merciless grin. After struggling to stay afloat, she would meet with despair in her final moments and experience such agony that death would be a mercy. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who wanted to kill Amelia Merwin. * * * She had barely managed to escape the undergroundir. That was where Amelia Merwin finally hit her limits. Her magic wasn¡¯t working properly. While gasping for breath, Amelia clutched at her chest. That damn bastard had left sparks of his mes inside her body. These embers continued to burn on the fuel of her dark power without going out, and every time she tried to use a spell, they cut off the flow of dark power. Amelia panted, ¡°That son of a bitch... son of a bitch... son of a bitch...!¡± If she had been left with just one of her legs, she would have still been able to walk while using dmir as a crutch. As Amelia was crawling on the floor, she had to stop for a moment to cough up some blood, ¡°Gaghk... haaaaah....¡± What should she do? She didn¡¯t have any hopes of Alphiero managing to kill that monster. The best that the vampire could manage would be to win her some time. Even that wouldn¡¯t buy her all that long. Maybe ten minutes at the most? ¡®Will I be able to recover by then?¡¯ Amelia desperately asked herself. Her severed limbs weren¡¯t regenerating. That... that was alright. If they refused to regenerate, she could just attach someone else¡¯s limbs to herself. As long as she didn¡¯t die here. As long as she somehow managed to survive. Booooooom! There was a loud explosion. ¡°Aaargh...,¡± Amelia groaned as the huge vibrations transmitted through the ground caused even her body to shake. As the vibrations ran through her internal organs, Amelia felt agonizing pain. As she coughed up even more mouthfuls of blood, Amelia struggled to lift her head. In the distance, she could see a wyvern and a pegasus flying through the sky. Nearby... some people experienced a moment of utter confusion. But those weren¡¯t the only things now racing through the city. Amelia just couldn¡¯t see any of the rest because she was crawling along on her stomach. After getting past the city walls, the knights who had entered Hauria were probably charging straight toward the royal pce while slicing through all of the demonfolk and undead. ¡®Why hasn¡¯t he done anything?¡¯ Amelia wondered. Could it be that the specter was still sitting on the throne in the pce? But why, just why? If he would just make a move himself, he would be able to annihte the entire enemy army in an instant. So why was he waiting for Eugene toe to him instead of making that move? ¡®The pce...,¡¯ Amelia told herself, ¡®I need to return to the pce....¡¯ But would it really be the right move to try and escape there? Amelia recalled how incredibly strong Eugene had been. She also remembered what the Wise Sienna had looked like with a gxy at her back. Finally, she thought of the Saint, who was flying high up in the sky, standing on the back of a shining dragon. Amelia still couldn¡¯t imagine how the specter could lose. However, she didn¡¯t have the confidence that she would be able to survive in the battle that was about to take ce in the pce. Would the specter really protect her? As she was now, would she really be able to survive in that undoubtedly chaotic battle? If she, who didn¡¯t even intend to participate in that battle, got caught up in that fight and died just by virtue of being in the wrong ce at the wrong time... just what kind of shitty death would that be? ¡®I need to escape. Not-not there, but somewhere else. That¡¯s right... if I can just hide in a dungeon for a few days...,¡¯ Amelia thought hopefully. Once a few days had passed, the battle for Hauria should have ended in the specter¡¯s victory. All Amelia needed to do until then was hide somewhere and wait, giving her body time to recuperate before returning.... But how? Amelia wasn¡¯t able to use any flying magic. It was also impossible for her to use Blink in rapid session. It was hard for her to even control her body.... Amelia realized that it was impossible for her to escape Hauria without the support and protection of someone else. ¡°...Ah...,¡± Amelia gasped in surprise. As she crawled on the ground, a foot had suddenly appeared in front of her, blocking the way forward. Trembling in fear, Amelia raised her head to look upwards. ¡°Grrk.¡± Only to be met with the sound of grinding teeth. Chapter 477: Hauria (12)

Chapter 477: Hauria (12)

As for who was grinding their teeth like that, there weren¡¯t many people in this world who enjoyed the sound of grinding teeth. In this respect at least, Amelia was fairly average. This meant that, like most people, she hated that sound. Amelia had tried her best to correct that person¡¯s bad habit. Because she kept grinding her teeth, Amelia had to gag her. Then, when she even ended up chewing the rubber gag into pieces, Amelia gave her a beating. However, in the end, Amelia still failed to correct that person¡¯s bad habit. A figure silently red down at Amelia. That person was Hemoria, Amelia¡¯s dog. The title was meant in the literal sense of the word; Amelia truly treated Hemoria like her pet dog. She had kept Hemoria on a leash in her yard and took her for a walk every now and then. Amelia also had to teach Hemoria how to bury her own excrement after she relieved herself outside. If Hemoria didn¡¯t listen to hermands, Amelia would beat her. But it wasn¡¯t like Amelia only beat Hemoria whenever thetter was disobedient. Whenever Amelia was in a bad mood, she would freely give Hemoria a beating withouting up with any justifications for it. Amelia didn¡¯t just use violence to train Hemoria. Whenever she was in a good mood, she would forcefully flip Hemoria onto her back, scratch her belly, or pat her on the head. There were also plenty of other ways that Amelia had coddled her like a cute pet. But now.... Amelia also had a fairly good sense of objectivity when it came to things like rtionships. This was one of the reasons why she had always made sure to treat the specter with great care. It was also why she couldn¡¯t ept that the specter seemed to have betrayed her. However, Hemoria was a different matter. Amelia had always thought that if anyone was going to betray her, it would be Hemoria. As such, she had ced strong shackles on Hemoria and had made sure to keep an eye on her every move. If there weren¡¯t any such shackles ced on her, Amelia was sure that this mutt would betray her no matter what. Her predictions weren¡¯t inurate. Hermoria had indeed betrayed Amelia. After being given orders to spy on the Wise Sienna, Hemoria dared to swap sides and sell information on Amelia. This bitch who didn¡¯t know her ce had betrayed Amelia. That was a crime that deserved death, but Amelia hadn¡¯t been able to deliver such judgment. This was because the specter had taken ownership of Hemoria. But why had he taken Hemoria under his protection? Was it a feeling of kinship over having once been treated as a pet? Or perhaps he felt some kind of sympathy for that stupid bitch? To tell the truth, the specter hadn¡¯t actually intended to protect Hemoria. He just happened to find Hemoria wandering through the back alleys of Hauria and brought her with him back to the pce. However, this was enough to keep Amelia from killing Hemoria. This was because Amelia took the specter¡¯s act of picking up Hemoria on his way back as a sign that he had taken Hemoria as his possession. Amelia didn¡¯t want to be punished for messing with Hemoria without permission, so she suppressed the anger boiling within her and just tried to ignore Hemoria. But who could have known.... Amelia could never have imagined that she would actually encounter Hemoria under these circumstances. Amelia recalled how she had first met Hemoria as thetter writhed helplessly in a pit deep beneath the earth. A pit filled with the corpses of her fellow pdins and Inquisitors. Deep within those depths, Hemoria, who had had all of her limbs sliced off, had wriggled around like a bug as she drank the blood of her formerrades, barely managing to cling to life. Now their positions werepletely reversed. It was Amelia who had lost her limbs and was now left crawling on the ground like a bug. ¡°Grrk,¡± the sound of grinding teeth emerged from behind that metal mask once more. Those masks, Amelia truly despised them. She would strip Hemoria¡¯s masks away from her and tie a gag around her mouth instead, but each time it happened, Hemoria would just find a metal te and crumple it up with her own hands to create something simr to her mask and cover her mouth with it. Amelia knew the reason for Hemoria¡¯s obsession with her masks. Her unusual teeth were proof that Hemoria was a chimera made by fusing vampires and humans together. Hemoria must have harbored aplex[1] over her sharp fangs for a long time. ¡°He...Hemoria,¡± Amelia let out a trembling voice. Amelia couldn¡¯t give up on hope now. Not when... not when she hade this far. Not after she had barely managed to escape that monstrous Eugene Lionheart. Was she really going to end up being bitten to death by a shitty mutt like Hemoria? ¡°I... I was wrong. Forgive me,¡± Amelia begged as she reached out with her trembling hand to grab onto Hemoria¡¯s foot. Grrk. Once again, the sound of grinding teeth was hearding from above her. That sound. It was a sound that seemed to directly represent all the emotions Hemoria must be feeling right now. Panting for breath, Amelia crawled forward to where Hemoria was standing. ¡°It¡¯s all, all my fault. The way that I bullied you. You... you should also do the same things to me, right? That must be what you want to do, i-isn¡¯t it?¡± Amelia¡¯s voice stammered as her face drew closer to Hemoria¡¯s feet. The leather shoe was dirty, but Amelia rubbed her face against Hemoria¡¯s shoe without any hesitation. ¡°Just like what I did to you... y-you should also torment me for a long time. So please... please...,¡± Amelia trailed off, her tone pleading. ¡°Grrk,¡± Hemoria just ground her teeth once more. Amelia nced up to take a look at Hemoria¡¯s face, but her expression was unreadable because half of her face was covered by the metal mask. That said, it wasn¡¯t like there was any way to tell what Hemoria¡¯s mood was from her voice either. Ever since she had stepped forward to block Amelia¡¯s path, the only sound that Hemoria had made was the ¡®grrk¡¯ of her teeth grinding. But it seemed that Hemoria wasn¡¯t afraid of showing her feelings through direct action. Bam! Hemoria¡¯s shoe kicked Amelia in the face. ¡°Kyaaah...!¡± Letting out a short yelp of surprise, Amelia quickly rolled across the ground. Her body had grown lighter after both her legs had been chopped off, and only one arm was left, so that might have been why she was able to roll such a distance. Amelia barely managed to arrest her roll. She then tried to crawl towards Hemoria once more, but the scene taking ce in front of her made her unconsciouslye to a halt. Hemoria had bent down and was untying her shoces. Her metal mask only covered the lower half of her face, making the way Hemoria¡¯s eyes were curling up at the corners in a smile clearly visible. She undid the tight knot, slipped her thumb behind the heel of her foot, and took off her shoe. Thud. After taking off her sock and throwing it to the ground as well, Hemoria rose up. Hemoria¡¯s bare foot was now resting on top of her discarded shoe. This could only mean one thing. Amelia¡¯s body began to tremble in anger. However, there was no way for Amelia to show any resistance. Grrk, grrgrrk. To Amelia¡¯s ears, the noise of those grinding teeth sounded like Hemoria¡¯sughter. Laboriously crawling over, Amelia hooked her remaining arm around Hemoria¡¯s ankle. Then, after slowly lowering her head, her lips touched the top of Hemoria¡¯s foot. It was only then that Hemoria finally said something, ¡°Amelia.¡± Startled, Amelia raised her head. Click. Hemoria took off her mask. Her lips were curved into a bright smile. Sharp fangs glinted between her parted lips. ¡°You have to lick it,¡± Hemoria whispered with that same bright smile. Amelia immediately opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue. If it was for the sake of staying alive, she would do these kinds of acts as many times as Hemoria felt was necessary. Even if she were to receive an even crueler order than this, Amelia would still obey without any hesitation. That¡¯s right. If it was for the sake of staying alive ¡ª as long as she could avoid dying. ¡°Don¡¯t worry ¡ª grk,¡± Hemoria said as she ground her teeth. ¡° I am not going to kill you. Because I also have plenty of coddling that I want to show you.¡± Hemoria burst out in giggles at the sight of Amelia carefully licking her toes. But this was enough for now. Hemoria pushed Amelia¡¯s face away with her foot as she looked up at the sky. The forces of the Liberation Army that had gotten past the city walls were slowly drawing closer. Although an overwhelminglyrge army of undead was blocking their way forward, the only real purpose the undead could serve was as meat shields. However, the vassals of Destruction lurking in between all the undead should still be able tounch quite effective counterattacks on the Liberation Army. Though, even they wouldn¡¯tst that long. This was because themanders leading each of the Liberation Army¡¯s units were just far too strong. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Most of thosemanders were knights whose names could be listed as one of the best in the entire continent. ¡°If you stay here, the enemy will kill you,¡± Hemoria stated with certainty. ¡°I¡¯m confident I can escape, but what about you?¡± ¡°P-please... save me,¡± Amelia begged. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll save you,¡± Hemoria agreed with a chuckle as she picked Amelia up and draped the necromancer over her shoulder. Then, without a pause, she sprang into motion. Hemoria didn¡¯t fly into the sky or leap across the rooftops. There was a dragon flying high in the sky, and the sky was also full of flying squadrons made up of wyverns, pegasi, and griffins. Instead, Hemoria ran in between the buildings. She avoided taking any of the wider roads. Currently, the skies were no longer as dark as they had been before. A dragon engulfed in light had now reced the sun that had been hidden by dark power. However, the brighter the light, the darker the shadows. The shadows became a path for Hemoria¡¯s travels. Leaping from shadow to shadow was indeed a characteristic ability of high-ranking vampires. Hemoria was able to use this ability with ease, thanks to the blood that she had imbibed from Alphiero. ¡®Alphiero is dead,¡¯ Hemoria suddenly realized. She was able to know this because she had absorbed his blood. Just now, that ancient vampire who was connected to Hemoria through their bond of blood and whose orders Hemoria was forced to instinctually obey had died. At this realization, Hemoria¡¯s shoulders began to tremble and shudder. She didn¡¯t feel any sorrow upon learning of Alphiero¡¯s death. Instead, Hemoria actually felt great joy. Vampires were ruled by their strict hierarchy. Once a young vampire had epted the blood of an older vampire, it would be nearly impossible for the younger vampire to rebel against the older vampire. So much so that if Alphiero had ever ordered Hemoria tomit suicide, she wouldn¡¯t have been able to put up any meaningful resistance and would have been forced to take her own life. But now Alphiero was dead. With his death, Hemoria hadpletely taken her freedom into her own hands. There was no longer anything binding her. She was free. Hemoria was so overjoyed by this fact that she burst intoughter, ¡°Aha... ahahaha!¡± Amelia was still draped over her shoulder and couldn¡¯t understand why Hemoria wasughing like this all of a sudden. But something like that wasn¡¯t of importance to Amelia in her current situation. ¡®I need to find an opportunity to kill her,¡¯ Amelia told herself. Her one remaining hand was still holding on tightly to dmir. She hadn¡¯t taken action yet because they weren¡¯tpletely out of danger. Amelia tightened her grip on her staff, ¡®As soon as we get out of Hauria....¡¯ By then, her dark power should have recovered. As for her severed limbs? As long as her dark power had recovered and she was able to use her ck magic once more, they wouldn¡¯t be a problem. When that moment came... Amelia would be sure to repay her earlier humiliation several times over. ¡®Stupid bitch,¡¯ Amelia silently cursed Hemoria. ¡®A barbaric mutt who doesn¡¯t even know how to use magic.¡¯ Amelia was lucky that Hemoria didn¡¯t know any magic. If she did, Hemoria might have ced a binding on her so that Amelia couldn¡¯t use any magic. Could the former Inquisitor have let her guard down because Amelia had lost an arm and both legs? Had Hemoria really taken her to be a cripple? Amelia chewed her bottom lip in anger. Leaping from shadow to shadow, Hemoria¡¯s speed was extremely fast. Before too long, the two had managed to leave the central area of Hauria City. As they moved forward, the number of squadrons flying overhead gradually increased. The sound of things shaking, people shouting, and explosions going off also drew nearer. They managed to pass through the rear of the undead army that was filling the streets. They were gradually getting closer to the copsed city walls. With each step that they took, Amelia¡¯s heart pounded nervously. So far, nothing had happened to them. Even that monstrous Eugene Lionheart hadn¡¯te after them. Could Alphiero really have managed to hold on to Eugene until now? Or perhaps, that monster had just given up on pursuing her and decided to head to the pce instead? ¡®Just a little bit more,¡¯ Amelia encouraged herself. They had been careful to avoid the squadrons flying in the sky so no one swooped down on them. They also didn¡¯t encounter any of the knights or wizards. Amelia thanked her good fortune. Just a little bit more. As long as they could just make it a little further, they would be able to escape the city. How much would her dark power have recovered by then? There were still a few embers left within Amelia¡¯s body, cutting off the flow of dark power. However, as long as a little more time passed, the remaining embers would soon be extinguishedpletely. In fact, if Amelia had to force herself to do so, she could use a spell right now. ¡®But I shouldn¡¯t,¡¯ Amelia thought regretfully. If she did try and force herself to use magic, there might be aftereffects. So Amelia decided not to rush things. Just a little bit more, just a bit further.... Hemoria, who had been moving from alley to alley, suddenly leaped into the air. ¡°...?¡± Amelia¡¯s eyes widened in shock as she couldn¡¯t figure out the reason for Hemoria¡¯s actions. In the next instant, Hemoria had leaped onto the roof of the building, and instead of continuing to move cautiously as she had been until now, Hemoria began to hop from rooftop to rooftop. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Amelia protested. p! Hemoria¡¯s hand mped down over Amelia¡¯s mouth. As Amelia began to twist her body in a panic, she heard Hemoria whisper into her ear, ¡°Stay still. What are you going to do if we get caught because of you?¡± ¡°Mmph...!¡± Amelia tried to mutter through Hemoria¡¯s hand. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve already thought of everything. An idiot like you might not be able to tell, but I can¡¯t just keep running on the ground below. Do you really think I¡¯d be able to fool a knight¡¯s senses from such a close distance?¡± Hemoria reminded her in a grumpy tone. Amelia stilled, then carefully turned her eyes to look down from the building at the streets below. She could see the undead army shing against the knights all along a wide street. The Lionheart¡¯s standard was waving in the wind. Riding a huge ck stallion, the Lionheart Patriarch was at the forefront of the battle, spraying out mes and swinging his sword, while the Knights of the White Lion followed along behind him. It wasn¡¯t just the Lionhearts. There were also Shimuin¡¯s Violent Tide Knights, Ruhr¡¯s White Fangs, and the Blood Cross Knights from Yuras. In addition to these knightly orders, there were several other units waving their banners as they drove through the undead army. ¡°It¡¯s actually safer up here,¡± Hemoria whispered, causing Amelia to nod with a gulp. And in fact, the advancing knights truly didn¡¯t pay any attention to Hemoria as she leaped across the rooftops. The city walls were slowly getting closer. As they drew nearer to their escape, Hemoria¡¯s speed slowed slightly. Amelia¡¯s mouth was still covered by Hemoria¡¯s hand, so she could only nce sideways at Hemoria¡¯s face tomunicate her impatience. ¡°Here she is,¡± Hemoira suddenly murmured as her steps came to a halt. Hemoria stopped covering Amelia¡¯s mouth. Instead, she gently picked her up as if she were lifting a newborn baby, and then she lowered Amelia onto the ground. ¡°Wh-what?¡± Amelia asked with a stutter. Instead of replying, Hemoria just smiled down at her. And then.... Light sparkled as a gxy filled with countless stars suddenly appeared on the same rooftop. All of the stars within that gxy were orbiting around a single wizard. Amelia¡¯s thoughts came crashing to a halt. The overwhelming presence that had now appeared right in front of her eyes seemed to make every factor of Amelia Merwin¡¯s character as a wizard pale inparison. ¡°Good job,¡± said the new arrival. It was Sienna Merdein. Her eyes sparkled like jewels. But all that sparkle couldn¡¯t hide a re that was as cold as ice. Sienna tilted her head to the side as she red down at Amelia. Facing Sienna, even Hemoria was left unable to keep her head raised. The former Inquisitor immediately got down onto her knees and bowed her head. Hemoria gulped before speaking cautiously, ¡°Your promise....¡± Sienna lifted a finger and pointed behind her, ¡°There¡¯s nothing that I want from you. The only one I care about is this damned bitch of a ck wizard.¡± Hemoria waited in silence. Sienna continued speaking, ¡°In return for you bringing this bitch to me, all of the wizards stationed in the rear have been given orders not to attack you.¡± ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Hemoria sighed in relief. Hemoria had run into Amelia by ident. As she carried Amelia and moved to escape the city, Hemoria had sent her familiar, a bat, to deliver a message. Thanks to their prior contact in Aroth, her bat had been able to get close to Sienna. Hemoria¡¯s offer had been simple: I would bring Amelia Merwin directly to you. In exchange, please spare my life. ¡°Go,¡± Sienna ordered. As she had just said, Sienna didn¡¯t have any interest in Hemoria. She wasn¡¯t even interested in learning Hemoria¡¯s name, let alone why she might have betrayed Amelia. ¡°Thank you very much,¡± Hemoria said once more as she got to her feet. Amelia, who had beenid t on the ground, grabbed hold of Hemoria¡¯s ankle, ¡°Y-you! You dare... betray me? Me!¡± ¡°Idiot,¡± Hemoria just sneered. Before putting her mask back on, Hemoria looked down at Amelia and gave her a bright smile, ¡°After being tortured by a bitch like you, anyone in my position would have chosen to betray you.¡± The mask clipped back on, hiding Hemoria¡¯s smile. Grrk. After grinding her teeth in pleasure one more time, Hemoria kicked off the ground in a run. Soon, Hemoria had sped into the distance. Seeing her only means of escaping the city getting further and further away, Amelia let out a scream and grabbed hold of dmir.[2] No, it couldn¡¯t be. There still had to be a way out of this. Her dark power had recovered to a certain extent, which meant she was able to use some ck magic. As long as she could somehow escape from here¡ª ¡°You,¡± Sienna¡¯s brow furrowed in a frown. ¡°Are you really trying to use magic in front of me?¡± The spell form that Amelia had desperately been trying to construct was disintegrated. It was absurd how simple Sienna made that act seem. ¡°Aaaaargh!¡± Amelia screamed as her body writhed in desperation. Listening to her scream, Sienna held her staff out, ¡°For all the crimes that you havemitted against me....¡± Amelia tried to apologize, ¡°I was, I was wrong! I, I¡¯m sorry... for everything that I¡¯ve done! So please¡ª!¡± Sienna ignored her pleas and continued, ¡°...it would just be a waste of breath for me to list each of them one by one, and besides, I happen to be extremely busy at the moment.¡± ¡°Please!¡± Amelia entreated pathetically. ¡°As such, I will allow you to realize your sins and repent for them on your own,¡± Sienna finally dered. Eugene¡¯s wishes had also been conveyed to Sienna. He wanted Amelia to die as ugly a death as was possible. As painfully as possible. Struggling for the faintest hope of survival, despairing in her final moments, still begging to be spared despite experiencing such pain that it would be better to die. Slowly approaching Amelia, Sienna ced one end of Frost on Amelia¡¯s head. As she struggled to avoid the staff, Amelia grabbed onto Sienna¡¯s ankle and screamed, ¡°Spare¡ª!¡± Booom! Frost radiated light as Amelia¡¯s head was split open. The light disappeared from Amelia¡¯s eyes. Sienna hadn¡¯t killed her. However, Amelia¡¯s consciousness would be trapped for eons at the moment of her death. She would experience every kind of death and torture that the world coulde up with. Yet even so, her body would stay alive, and her mind wouldn¡¯t be able to copse. Left in this state, for Amelia, every single second would feel as long as an eternity. ¡°You would probably prefer to be dead,¡± Siennamented. Amelia¡¯s split-open head was sealed back up once more. 1. Just in case this is confusing, this plex¡¯ is used in the psychological sense of the word. ¡®A strong or disproportionate concern or anxiety about something.¡¯ ? 2. In light of new information we got in theter chapters that exin more of dmir''s origins other than it being an evil staff, we realized that the previous use of the term is incorrect. As such, this will be thest time the staff will be addressed as dmir. Starting from Chapter 499 (when the staff is next mentioned), we will be changing its name to Bloody Mary, which is a more precise trantion of the staff''s name. We will keep all previous urrences as dmir. As a reminder, we have put another note in Chapter 499 regarding the change in the name. ? Chapter 478: The Specter (1)

Chapter 478: The Specter (1)

Hemoria felt a sense of regret. She had wished to witness Amelia''s demise firsthand. However, she wasn¡¯t about to remain in front of that perilous Archwizard just because of such whims. She had heard words of mercy, but they were neither a vow nor a promise. ¡®She might change her mind and decide to kill me,¡¯ Hemoria reasoned with herself. It was unlikely that the Wise Siena would decide to simply go back on her words, but one could never be too sure. So, Hemoria ran away without even looking back. Alphiero was dead. Amelia would soon meet her end. The specter remained, but... Hemoria didn¡¯t need to be too concerned with him. She knew well that the specter had no particr interest in her. Even if Hemoria were to try and escape over the walls, the specter would impose no restrictions. The walls were getting closer. None of the wizards behind her paid any heed to Hemoria, perhaps because they had heard Sienna¡¯s words. It was almost time. Hemoria broke out into a broad grin behind her iron mask. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through, and Hemoria leaped backward with surprise. She was faced with a pegasus with two pairs of wings and was wrapped in light. Hemoria was once an Inquisitor of Yuras, so she naturally knew the name of the pegasus. Apollo. The steed was the symbol of the Blood Cross Knights¡¯mander, Raphael the Crusader. The giant winged horse was known for being the quickest in the sky, not just in Yuras but across the entire continent. "Hemoria." She heard her name being called. The blood-soaked armor ttered. Raphael lifted the visor of his helmet to observe Hemoria. The crusader¡¯s young face did not match his grim and fierce eyes, and his sharp gaze caused Hemoria to swallow hard. "Though the Wise Sienna has agreed to let you go, I am not particrly inclined to do the same," dered Raphael. Hemoria belonged to the Maleficarum of the Inquisition. She was the disciple and daughter of Punisher Atarax. She was an outstanding Inquisitor, and she had even garnered the nickname Guillotine Hemoria from a young age for her numerous aplishments. It had been a stroke of bad luck. Raphael thought so. If only she hadn''t encountered Eugene, if only she hadn''t been at the Fount of Light, and if only she hadn''t obstructed the Hero, then she might have met another fate. Raphael''s Crusader was aimed at Hemoria. "Si-sir Raphael,¡± Hemoria managed to stammer. But before she could say more, a sh of light sparked from the tip of the Crusader. ".....?" Hemoria stepped back in surprise. She expected a piercing sensation to follow after the sh of light, but... that did note to fruition. Instead, she felt a burning sensation on her left shoulder. Hemoria quickly tore the fabric that was covering her left shoulder with surprise. She saw a burning brand that looked as if it had been seared with a hot iron. "Lady Sienna said she wouldn''t kill you, and I dare not contravene her wishes,¡± muttered Raphael while sheathing his Crusader. Hemoria''splexion turned pale as she caressed the brand. She knew exactly what this mark represented. Only those suspected of heresy were imprinted with this brand in Yuras. The Inquisitors of Yuras would monitor every move of those branded, and if they attempted to flee, they would be pursued to the ends of the continent and executed. "Live a quiet life as if you were dead,¡± dered Raphael. Apollo spread his wings. "If you drink the blood of another human ormit any sin, no matter how trivial, the agents of Light will seek you out to hold you ountable." Raphael''s parting words were just that. He had no intention of having any further conversation with Hemoria. In fact, if it hadn''t been for Sienna''s will, he wouldn''t have simply marked her and let her escape; he would have killed her where she stood. It was impossible to escape from the brand. It would stay with the individual, even if they tore off their skin or cut off their shoulder. It was simr to a curse that was etched into one¡¯s very existence. "Aaaah!" Hemoria screamed while tearing at the brand. Amelia wished to live but she ended up trapped in a fate worse than death. Hemoria sought freedom, but she was sentenced to a lifetime of surveince. The specter... witnessed it all. He saw Kamash fall. He saw the demonic beasts of Ravesta, including the Centipede Mountains, being hunted. He saw the high-ranking demons of Helmuth perish and the ranks of the undead army being broken through. The army that breached and crossed the walls was now engaging in urban warfare within the city. The remnants of the undead army left in the capital were buying time, and the subjects of Destruction were fighting valiantly, but... the situation wasn¡¯t looking good for them. The Liberation Army possessed many incredibly powerful individuals capable of turning the tides of battle, whereas the specter''s forcescked such powerful existences. Alphiero Lasat? He chose not to revel in battle. Instead, Alphiero chose to obstruct Eugene¡¯s path out of unwanted loyalty. He ended up being squashed like a mosquito. Naturally, the specter held no loyalty towards Amelia, Hemoria, or the others. The specter didn''t kill Amelia because he believed her life belonged in the hands of Eugene or Sienna. He spared Hemoria not because of any benevolence but because he thought her grudge against Amelia might be useful to Eugene. In the end, everything proceeded as the specter wished. "He¡¯sing,¡± muttered the specter. He could see Eugene ascending from the underground tomb. With no more demons to hinder him, he would fly straight to the pce. The specter slowly opened his eyes. He could see warriors prostrated beneath the Sultan¡¯s throne. The warriors were those who voluntarily remained among the Sultan¡¯s guards. They were some of Naham¡¯s most skilled warriors. It wasn¡¯t only them either. A considerable number of soldiers remained in the pce. Many humans had been influenced by the overwhelming power disyed by demons and Demon Kings during the era of war. The soldiers and warriors remaining in the pce were no different from those in the past. They were fascinated by the specter¡¯s power. They had witnessed firsthand how the specter had brought along numerous demons and demonic beasts before effortlessly blockading the entire city. The specter issued them nomands. He didn''t consider them useful in the slightest. In fact, he felt that their choice to stay was incredibly stupid. If they now wished to leave the city, he would not hold them back. But no one sought to flee. Instead, most were looking at the specter with eyes gleaming with anticipation and excitement. It was an inevitable situation. The warriors were unaware of what was taking ce outside the pce. What they had seen was the seemingly endless army of undead, colossal demonic beasts, and demons whose mere presence altered the air around them. How could they ever have anticipated such a powerful force to be breached so quickly? But even if they learned the truth of the current situation, not many warriors would choose to flee. It was because of the specter¡¯s presence. The existence of this enigmatic being... the thought of him facing defeat was simply unimaginable. The specter slowly rose from the throne. Eugene Lionheart wasing. "Please...." "Grant us strength as well...." The warriors bowed their heads and pleaded as the specter stood up. It wasn¡¯t only the ck wizards who could form contracts with demons to gain power. Even those unable to wield any magic ¡ª warriors and knights ¡ª could form contracts with demons to obtain immense dark power. The specter looked at them with dull eyes. "Very well,¡± he said. Despite being ignored multiple times, they were still begging for power. They didn¡¯t seem to even entertain the idea of fleeing. In that case, there was only one way to use them. The specter''s hand reached out toward the warriors. He didn''t want any disturbances. That was his thought. Eugene Lionheart wasing here. He wanted the battle with him to be undisturbed. If possible, he wished for a one-on-one fight. That was why he brought the demonic beasts and vassals from Ravesta. But the battlefield was being pushed back continuously. Still, due to therge size of the capital, it would take a considerable amount of time for the enemy forces to reach the pce. Ideally, he wanted to prevent them from approaching the pce altogether. Thus, he decided to strengthen and reinforce his forces. Gray power swirled about him and poured out. It was the essence of pure Destruction. Only the specter, who had be an Incarnation of Destruction, could extract such power. "Gasp...!" The warriors were momentarily terrified by the iing dark power. Instinctively, they knew that contact with it would forever change them, transforming them into something utterly non-human. Faced with such a sensation, a few tried to flee instinctively, having no grand resolve. However, the specter did not allow them to flee. If they truly wanted to escape, they should have done so long before. He could no longer respect their choice to flee. "Power,¡± the specter murmured. The sticky power engulfed all the warriors. Figures could be seen vainly struggling inside the gray mass. Crack, crunch. The human forms disintegrated. A single body split into several, and dark power coagted to form new bodies. The scene resembled a single body being used as nourishment to give birth to entirely different beings. Flesh swelled. Several bones multiplied to dozens and re-organized themselves. Monsters of different visuals were born from one human body. These were not demonic beasts nor demons. The specter knew what they were. ''Nur,'' he said internally. In Lehainjar, the Great Hammer Canyon, he saw such creatures. They were the same as the monsters that Molon was killing. They were the true vassals of Destruction. Dozens of warriors transformed into hundreds of Nur. Craack! The sudden proliferation ofrge Nur caused the pce walls and roof to copse. Amidst the debris, the specter extended his hand upwards with a bitter smile. The swirling dark power spread in all directions. The power drawn and dispersed by the specter flowed into the soldiers stationed in the pce. Hundreds of them, unknowingly, would be thousands of monsters. This would be enough to buy ample time. Having finished the preparations, the specter sat back on the throne. Kuuuuuh¡ª! Roars echoed from all sides as the Nur screamed. But the Nur that were standing before the specter with their massive forms hunched respectfully bowed their heads. The specter did notmand the Nur with words. A mere flick of his finger was enough. The crouching Nur shrieked before rushing out of the pce. All the Nur leaped over the walls and started running towards the battlefield in the city, acting on their only instinct. "It''s quiet now," the specter realized. He hadn''t expected them to grow sorge, nor had he anticipated that one human could be several monsters. Everything had gone beyond his expectations, and as a result, the pce had crumbled. The ceiling, the walls, everything was gone. The only thing that remained was the throne the specter sat on. He chuckled and looked up at the sky. The high heavens. He could see a dragon shining like the sun. It was incredibly bright as if it were carrying thousands of clerics. But the light didn''t dazzle the specter too much; it simply didn''t seem that bright to him. However, the light slicing through the sky and approaching his location felt a bit dazzling. The actual light wasn''t of holy power but of ck mes burning fiercely. The light that seemed to scratch the eyes was sharp and clear. "You¡¯re here,¡± the specter muttered. A cket crashed into the ground. Despite the noisy flight, there was no sound uponnding. Eugenended on the ground naturally, as if he had always been standing there. What should he say? Eugene pondered this for a moment. ¡®What have you done?¡¯ That was the first question that popped up in his mind. He saw monsters pouring out of the castle while flying. He saw monsters of different shapes and sizes. He recognized the monsters as the Nur, the very same as he remembered from his memories as Agaroth and the ones he saw in Lehainjar. Why were the Nur here? It wasn''t hard to connect the dots. The Nur were the vassals of Destruction. Perhaps the Incarnation of Destruction had the power to summon the Nur.... Summoned? Had he really summoned them? He could no longer feel any signs of human presence despite having sensed them until just now. Had they all died? Did he kill them? Or.... Eugene dismissed all the questions that popped into his mind. What he needed to do with the specter wasn''t to ask questions and get answers. Prominence zed fiercely. ''Should I use Ignition first?'' Thoughts about the battle filled the void in his mind. ''With my current strength, I can sustain Ignition for about 15 minutes. Can I kill him within that time?'' There would surely be a bacsh when Ignition ended. As such, Eugene needed to kill him by then. He thought it impossible. He needed to save Ignition for a moment when he could definitely kill the specter. ''I can wield the Divine Sword three times. Whether it''s the first orst, there''s no difference in power. If that¡¯s the case....'' It would be the perfect time to draw the sword when the specter least expected it. Eugene would get to see how much it would affect him and how much it could cut through. Eugene¡¯s right hand moved to his chest. ¡®Ignition?¡¯ The specter wondered in surprise. He thought it typical of Hamel not to start a conversation. But using Ignition right off the bat didn''t seem like Hamel. The specter didn''t know about the Divine Sword. Therefore, he couldn''t predict what Eugene was about to do. Hand on the chest. What else could there be other than Ignition, which caused the Core to go berserk? The specter felt rather puzzled. At the same time, a crimson light started to pour out from Eugene¡¯s chest. Chapter 479: The Specter (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 479: The Specter (2) [Bonus Image]

High in the sky above the clouds, where oxygen was scarce, and one could see the entire continent and oceans, was an impossible ce for life to exist. Yet, there floated Giabe Face, buoyant and serene. There was only one reason Noir Giabe left Giabe Park and was now hovering so high in the sky: to witness the war unfolding in Nahama. She had the opportunity to be an observer during the Iris subjugation n in Shimuin¡¯s sea by borrowing Princess Scalia¡¯s body. But it was different this time around. If she really wanted to, she could surely find a way to watch from the center of the battlefield, but¡ª "It''s be somewhat burdensome now," Noir murmured while swirling her wine ss. She had not felt any burden when she secretly joined the Iris subjugation force. She found neither the members of the subjugation nor even Iris herself of any significance. But that was no longer the situation. Not much time had passed, yet the humans had grown much stronger. The humans who had participated in the Iris subjugation n, including Carmen Lionheart and Ortus Hyman, had grown significantly strongerpared to a year ago. Moreover, there were other existences present in the battlefield below that she was wary of. The Death Knight. The Death Knight was donning an ill-fitting mask and acting like a Demon King without actually being one. Noir would not be siding with anyone on the battlefield, so there was always a possibility of being targeted and attacked by any and all. Hence, she chose to stay at these dizzying heights and avoided any direct involvement. It would be difficult, almost impossible, for others to even distinguish between cities from this height. But for Noir, it posed no problem. The high-performance lenses of Giabe Face,bined with her dark power, allowed for a clear,fortable, and threat-free observation. "I thought my eyes were deceiving me." A voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts. The screen in front of her shifted. Outside Giabe Face, against the pitch-ck sky, stood Gavid Lindman. Noir''s eyes widened in surprise, and then she suddenly burst intoughter. "And what brings the Grand Duke of Helmuth up here?" questioned Noir. "I could ask the same. What are you doing here?" Gavid countered. "I couldn''t miss such an entertaining spectacle. Aren''t you here for the same reason?" Noir asked with a mischievous smile. Gavid frowned and shook his head. "I am not here for fun like you,¡± he retorted. "Then?" Noir asked, her gaze sharpened. "Are you here to see how strong your enemy is?" The answer to her question was tantly obvious. "...Enemy, is it?" Gavid let out a bitterugh, then gave a shrug. He had no intention of denying it or boasting. After all, he was facing Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. Regardless of their equal status as dukes, Gavid respected her incredible power. "It turned out that way before I knew it,¡± he admitted. "Do you feel that you should''ve killed him earlier? Are you having some sort of regret?" she inquired. "If I said no, it would be a lie. What I overlooked was that the growth of the human race was much faster than I anticipated,¡± answered Gavid. It wasn''t just Eugene Lionheart, either. All the humans he saw at the Knight March had grown much stronger. It was as if one human had be a stepping stone that propelled the entire species forward. "A turning point... perhaps," Gavid mused. Eugene hadn''t explicitly taught anyone anything special. It was just that those who knew Eugene and those who had been involved in incidents with him were unwittingly drawn to him, even without them realizing it. Eugene Lionheart wasn''t just strong on his own. Even the Liberation Army had gathered voluntarily. Most people connected to Eugene looked forward to what woulde next. They wanted to fight alongside him again in the future instead of falling into despair byparing themselves to him. And that was what made it dangerous. Gavid silently gazed down at the earth. The human knightly orders had been insignificant when he saw them at the Knight March. The leaders had been exceptional, but their excellence still fell within human limits. But now, and in the future, that would no longer be the case. The experience of war changed both demons and humans alike. It wasn''t just the knights but the wizards as well. Were they influenced by Sienna Merdein? Gavid clicked his tongue as he observed Sienna. He could feel the swirling mana around her and thews born and enforced by her will. Even with his limited knowledge of magic, Gavid could feel that Sienna''s current state was something not permitted to humans. And then there was Melkith El-Hayah. Among the demons of Helmuth, were there any who could stop her advance alone? It wasn¡¯t just the knights, warriors, and wizards, but even the priests had shown tremendous growth. They were ancient adversaries of demons, and Gavid thought they would be a significant threat in the future. In his honest opinion, the power of priests and holy knights seemed greater now than even when the Faithful Anise lived three hundred years ago. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that this era was possibly the golden age for priests. He could not fathom why the Dragon Duchess, the daughter of Raizakia, was acting as a mount for the priests. However, her figure was shining so brightly with dozens of priests and the Saint on her back that it was entirely possible to mistake her dragon-form for an artificial sun. "Troublesome," Gavid muttered with a short sigh while shaking his head. He had two primary problems. One, he could join the battlefield right now to eliminate future threats in advance. He could eliminate Melkith El-Hayah and the other Archwizards, as well as the leaders of each knightly order. Dealing with them right now would likely reduce their forces by more than half. That was a concern befitting his position as the Duke of Helmuth. To him, all the humans fighting below were enemies of Helmuth. As a Duke, Gavid wanted to eliminate them before they became a definitive threat to Helmuth. The other issue he was agonizing over wasn¡¯t as the Duke of Helmuth but rather as the de of Incarceration. Essentially, it was a concern he had as a demon. To put it more simply, Gavid, too, yearned for the days of war. He wanted to meet his enemies on the battlefield. He wanted to sh with the now-respectable human forces in a frontal battle. Such frontal confrontations had been rare during the war three centuries ago. The closest thing to a frontal confrontation was when Vermouth of Despair led his band across the Centipede Mountains. Gavid had led the ck Mist and an army of demons to meet them at the Red ins, right before the gates of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s castle. That battle had been intense and enjoyable. He had longed to experience such a battle again. "If you''re unsure what to do, why not just follow the will of the Demon King of Incarceration?" Noir whispered to Gavid with a bright smile. Gavid''s dilemma ultimately came down to a simple choice: to draw his sword or not. Noir naturally hoped for thetter. She wanted Eugene to triumph in the war and for the army following Eugene to grow strong enough to threaten Babel. Noir¡¯s reasoning was clear, ''You will onlye to me before climbing Babel.'' Her smile deepened as she entertained such a thought. It was all the more reason she wished for Eugene''s glorious victory. For that man to shine the brightest in the world. As he stepped forward to achieve his glorious moment, to fulfill the longing he had harbored since three hundred years ago, Noir was prepared to snatch away her beloved Hamel¡¯s life. She would deliver him into the depths of despair. She would extend this profound sense of loss and despondency to all who loved and followed Hamel. Ultimately, it would be Noir who monopolized Hamel in the end, and the world would crumble in the wake of Hamel''s death. The mere thought of it delivered a euphoric thrill so intense that, without realizing it, Noir gripped her shoulders and shivered. Yes, she had made a decision. If Gavid chose to descend right now and engage in the dull act of secretly wielding his de, Noir would oppose him with all her might. "The will of His Majesty the Demon King," muttered Gavid. Noir perceived Gavid''s inner turmoil, but Gavid couldn''t do the same. He was too preupied with his immediate concerns. "Yes." In the end, Gavid let out a wry smile and nodded. The Demon King of Incarceration wished for the Hero to ascend the Demon King''s castle. He was worried that one day, the Hero would be a threat to Helmuth. But that thought in itself was distrust towards the Demon King of Incarceration. Gavid shook off the lingering doubts from his thoughts. No matter how strong the humans became, they were all but insignificant in the presence of the Demon King of Incarceration. So what if the current demons weren¡¯t strong enough to defeat the humans? It didn¡¯t matter. At the heart of Pandemonium, the capital of Helmuth, stood Babel, where the Great Demon King resided. "Will you not let me in?" Gavid inquired after his thoughts had settled down. "Oh my, what an outrageous thing to say. Are you saying you wish to be alone with me in my room right now?" Noir retorted with a straight face. Gavid grimaced in response, not in jest but in genuine frustration. In fact, his expression crumpled into a frown. What on earth was this madwoman saying? Gavid refrained from asking further and immediately turned his gaze downward. "Haa...." He let out a quiet sigh as he peered down at the ground below. The royal pce was now overrun by the specter. Monsters poured forth like a tidal wave from the castle ruins. Even Gavid, a demon of many years, found the scene utterly alien. Humans were just humans, after all. Even if they formed contracts with demons or Demon Kings to gain dark powers, they didn¡¯t cease to be human. That was precisely why Edmund Codreth, the former Staff of Incarceration, longed to be an existence that transcended humanity. But this ¡ª this was different. Gavid swallowed hard involuntarily. The humans had ceased to be human after being swallowed by the specter¡¯s dark power. Several monsters were born from one human. The monsters were neither demons nor demonic beasts. So then... what were they? Gavid concluded, ¡®I''m not sure what they are, but....¡¯ They were dangerous. Despite the vast distance between himself and the monsters, he knew it instinctively. The creatures howling and charging forth weren''t just a threat to humans but to demons alike. Although it felt somewhat ludicrous, he couldn¡¯t help but think that the unidentified monsters posed a threat to all living things. ¡®Is it possible to replicate such creatures by imbuing humans with dark power?¡¯ Gavid wondered. He had not imagined the possibility of such a capability. Gavid''s expression hardened at the thought. It might have been too early to judge, but there seemed to be no significant constraint on producing such monsters for the specter. Numerous creatures could be replicated just by infusing humans with dark power. In other words, the specter could produce an armyposed of an endless supply of such monsters. Was this a power held by the Demon King of Destruction? Gavid was uncertain. He had lived a long life but knew very little about the Demon King of Destruction. On the other hand, Noir unknowingly clutched her chest when she witnessed the flood of monsters. What was this feeling? It was her first time seeing such a scene and such monsters, but she felt an eerie sense of familiarity. It was almost as if she had witnessed it all before. Noir Giabe was powerful. Such trivial monsters posed no threat to her life. Even now, as she looked down upon them, she didn¡¯t feel her life was endangered, though she did acknowledge their threat. She was confident that even if these creatures swarmed her, she could dismiss them with a scoff and annihte them with ease. But then why? Why did her heart feel heavy at the sight of these creatures? ...Heavy-hearted? This wasn''t fear. Then, what exactly was this emotion she was experiencing? A crackling noise seemed to echo in her mind. A scene unknown to her, something she had never seen before, was swirling in her thoughts. There were countless monsters and people she knew dying in droves. At a certain moment, when she could bear it no longer, she threw herself into.... ".....?" This was an unfamiliar memory. Noir immediately raised her finger and plunged it into her head. Her long finger pierced through her skull and tore into her brain. There was a simple reason she chose such a drastic measure: She didn''t want to recall memories unknown to her, and she didn''t want such memories to transform her into someone she wasn''t. But even as her fingers mashed and mixed her brain matter, the emerging memories didn''t cease. Gavid could not spare any attention to her from outside Giabe Face. His gaze was locked firmly on the battlefield below. He was unable to divert his attention for even a moment. Eugene Lionheart had just descended into the royal pce. He was now confronting the specter, who was seated on the throne. ck mes, like wings, soared upwards from his back. Eugene ced his right hand on his left chest. Gavid involuntarily held his breath as he witnessed this scene. That unique posture, with his hand clutching the heart area, made Gavid recall someone from three hundred years ago. ¡®Extermination....¡¯ Gavid breathed. But his thoughts were interrupted. A crimson light was drawn from Eugene''s left chest. This light was entirely different from the technique of Hamel of Extermination that Gavid had just recalled. Yet, Gavid''s eyes widened, and he grasped the hilt of Glory at his waist. Despite the immense distance, the light imprinted in his pupils was so intense it awakened his instincts. Noir had seen this light before. It was the same light that had extinguished the life of Iris, after she had transformed into the Demon King of Fury. She had been... astounded when she first witnessed this light. From the unknown light, she had felt a power different from the light of the Moonlight Sword, the mes of the White me Form, and the radiance of the Holy Sword. When Noir first saw the light, she couldn''t discern its origin. It was still the same. Noir still didn¡¯t understand what the light signified. Yet, for some reason... a ce deep inside her memory hinted to her that this light was something that was familiar to her. She didn''t want to know. She didn''t wish to recall. She desperately wanted to rid herself of these unknown memories as she burrowed further into her own head. But the unknown memories continued flowing into her head. ''I recognize that.'' In the end, Noir was forced to concede. *** The light drawn from his chest immediately transformed into a sword. This was the Divine Sword of the ancient God of War, Agaroth, and the Divine Sword of Eugene Lionheart, who was worshiped as the Hero. The distance between Eugene and the specter closed instantly as soon as Eugene unsheathed the Divine Sword. Simr to Sienna''s Absolute Decree, Eugene''s Divine Sword was imbued with an absolute rule that it couldn''t be evaded. The sword made of red light approached the specter, and it prated closer to him. At this distance, it was impossible to evade the strike. Even if the specter were to flee to the ends of the earth, the crimson light would transcend space and time to cleave through the fleeing specter. The memories the specter possessed couldn''tprehend the miracle of this sword, but the intuition he gained from bing the Incarnation of Destruction allowed him to understand the absurd power of the Divine Sword. There was no evading the attack. This left him with only two possible actions to take: either to counter with an attack or defend against it. ''Can it be blocked?'' the specter wondered, but he couldn¡¯t waste any time contemting. The specter immediately grasped his sword and attempted to block the Divine Sword. At the moment of impact, or rather, just before that moment, the specter came to a realization. ''It will break.'' And indeed, his thoughts actualized. The sword created by the specter couldn''t withstand the Divine Sword. His dark power was sliced apart and dispersed. The light of the Divine Sword cut into the specter''s body. The specter came upon another realization as his body was sliced, a recollection, ''I know this sword.'' Chapter 480: Flame (1)

Chapter 480: me (1)

The unexpected visage of Vermouth suddenly surfaced in the specter¡¯s mind. It wasn¡¯t the wizard from his concocted memories but rather the wizard he had witnessed firsthand in the Temple of Destruction. The Hero, the God of War, the Master-of-All, the Great Vermouth. He had been so haggard and worn, far from the grand titles, chained alone in multitudes as he sat in solitude. The exact location where Vermouth sat remained unclear. Even as the Incarnation of Destruction, the specter could only specte about Vermouth''s whereabouts. It was a ce connected to the Temple of Destruction, perhaps where the Demon King of Destruction was sealed. The ce had immense marks, those perhaps resembling scars or sword shes. Although Vermouth sat right atop those marks, pinpointing the location by such traces proved challenging. The specter questioned the nature of those traces a few times, but he never contemted too deeply. He knew that mere pondering would not unveil any answers, and he believed Vermouth himself would never desire to be found. ''He wouldn''t want what I''m seeking.'' Perhaps it would have been different for Hamel, or so the specter had thought. However, he quickly dismissed his wandering thoughts. Instead, he pondered what he could do and searched endlessly. Who would have thought that here, in this manner, the answer to the dormant question would be found? ''Sword,'' the specter realized. The answer came to him as the first thought he had upon seeing it in person. The markings had been scars left by a sword, the traces of the swing of a de. It dawned on him as if it was the most natural realization. The sword that left that mark was the very one Eugene was wielding now. It was a de not forged from metal but shaped from Divine Power, drawn from existence and soul. ''Divine Sword,'' the specter thought. The sword formed from dark power couldn''t withstand it for even a moment. The specter btedly conjured up defense and amplified the dark power around him, but it proved futile. A crimson line was drawn across the specter''s form. The line writhed as if alive, rampaging, and thus, everything was destroyed. His physical form immediately disintegrated. The specter''s will could not halt the obliteration. Such was the absolute power of the Divine Sword. Yet, even as the body vanished, the part that could be termed the specter''s soul did not perish but remained. With a roar, the rampaging wave of divine power returned to a mere line before vanishing. Eugene let out a deep breath and sheathed the Divine Sword. With a single swing, the specter¡¯s entire existence was demolished. However, the specter wasn''t in. Eugene sensed this truth instinctively. ''It remains,'' he thought. He could still swing the Divine Sword twice more. Could he obliterate the remaining soul with consecutive swings? Eugene wished to conclude the battle as swiftly as possible. He was especially concerned about the horde of the Nur that had escaped the castle. ¡®No, it won''t end so easily,'' Eugene realized. He felt a chill run through him. Eugene relinquished his lingering thoughts about the Divine Sword. He knew that two more strikes from the Divine Sword could inflict fatal wounds on the specter. But that wouldn''t suffice. The adversary was as formidable, or even more formidable than a Demon King, who would possess infinite dark power. He needed to reserve the Divine Sword for a strike that could decisively end the battle. Eugene released the Divine Sword, and the divine power immediately scattered before returning to him. Prominence ¡ª the imitation of Ignition through his pseudo-Cores ¡ª was amplified with a sudden surge. Eugene was enveloped in dark mes. He quickly contemted his options. ''Should I use Ignition? No, not yet.'' It was too soon. Like the Divine Sword, he needed to reserve Ignition for the decisive moment. For any ordinary adversary, Ignition or Prominence would suffice. Unfortunately, the foes Eugene resolved to eliminate were genuine monsters far beyond the realm of the ordinary. The specter was no exception, and Eugene had to acknowledge this fact. Despite being cleaved by the Divine Sword, the entity... reconstituted itself effortlessly. The specter bore the same visage as before the sh as he quickly reformed. He even donned an identical mask. However, it wasn¡¯t that the strike had been entirely ineffective. The power of the Divine Sword had undoubtedly prated the specter. ¡®Getting shed multiple times would kill me,¡¯ the specter concluded. Simultaneously, he was riddled with another thought. The essence of the sword Eugene wielded, Eugene¡¯s true identity, and Hamel¡¯s true identity were all dots that connected to a distant past. It was also rted to the ce where Vermouth sat, the ce marked by the colossal scar. Vermouth Lionheart. "So it is,¡± the specter muttered, almost involuntarily. He was devoid of any facial expression. He had been struck with realizations in the fleeting moment he was shed apart. The dark power of Destruction surged forth and swiftly formed into a sword. The specter¡¯s figure vanished. He was too swift for the eyes to follow, but Eugene was able to capture his movements using his intuition and divinity. A radiance burst from Eugene¡¯s unsheathed sword and the brilliant light intercepted the demonic de. The concentrated power in the Holy Sword stood unwavering against the demonic sword. [Sir Eugene.] [Hamel.] Voices of the two Saints simultaneously resonated in his head. High above, Ramira¡¯s form shone brighter, and an immense surge of divine power flowed into Eugene. [We''ll assist you.] The Saints'' voices merged as one, and the Holy Sword shone brighter than ever. The light flowing from the sword was not merely brilliant but imbued with a force rivaling the Moonlight Sword. ''It''s different from when Vermouth wielded it,'' Eugene thought. Vermouth, too, had held the Holy Sword three centuries ago. He had initially favored the Holy Sword and even utilized it to y the Demon King of Carnage. However, the Holy Sword saw little use in battle after Vermouth acquired the Moonlight Sword. Back then, the reason was understandable. While the Holy Sword was formidable, the enigmatic power of the Moonlight Sword was overwhelmingly superior. But now, the Holy Sword in Eugene''s grasp shone with a brilliance iparable to when it was in Vermouth''s hands three hundred years ago. Was it because its power was augmented by the holy power of the Saints and the priests? That was surely a part of it, but Eugene sensed that there was something more. ''A preference?'' Eugene wondered. It seemed the inscrutable God of Light favored Eugene far more than Vermouth. Boom! With a loud roar, the Holy Swordpletely overpowered the specter¡¯s demonic sword. Eugene''s movements guided the light. The specter''s face remained unseen behind the mask. Only his eyes were visible. They were unperturbed, with a dull depth. In contrast, Eugene''s eyes zed with fervor and clear intent of ughter, filled with emotions unbefitting the radiance of the Holy Sword. In that moment, Eugene and the specter mirrored each other''s movements as if they weren¡¯t two different individuals but were standing before a mirror. Their stances with the sword were identical. Eugene''s lips curled into an ugly smile. Naturally, he knew what the specter intended to do. The specter also understood what Eugene intended to do. Their swords moved in tandem and initiated a frenzy of shes ¡ª Asura Rampage ¡ª that emitted lights of contrasting hues. The holy illumination and ominous dark energy intertwined chaotically. The sh shattered the air, and the ground vanished under the onught of their strikes. However, neither yielded an inch as their swords shed with relentless fury. For a few breaths since the onset of their techniques, their movements werepletely identical. However, the bnce shifted in an instant. The specter found himself pushed back, and his demonic sword faltered significantly. Were they on equal footing? No, it was impossible. The specter''s sword was fundamentally rooted in the techniques of the deceased Hamel from Babel. The specter honed his skills after being reformed with the dark power of Destruction and being immersed in what felt like an eternity of agony. Bing the Incarnation of Destruction granted the specter unparalleled intuition and insight, and hisbat prowess had been enhanced significantly. His skill with the sword had astonished even Molon. Eugene, on the other hand, had lived over twenty years as Eugene Lionheart. From the moment he could wield a sword ¡ª no, even as an infant incapable of holding one, he envisioned and visualizedbat. He pondered incessantly about how to engage in battle. He overcame formidable foes, but many more remained. Eugene always prepared for the worst and never neglected his training. Even when he saw nothing more to gain from wielding a sword, he persisted in swinging it. In the Dark Room, he envisioned an ideal self, then surpassed even that. The ideal form he once deemed perfect now seemed trivial in hindsight. Therefore, Eugene''s sword could never be equal to the specter''s. In fact, it should never be. The specter managed to counter Eugene only due to the intuition, insight, and formidable dark power he possessed as the Incarnation of Destruction. But he wasn''t wless or perfect. If the specter possessed the intuition and insight of a Demon King, Eugene was endowed with divinity. The war god''s nature allowed Eugene to always forge the optimal battle strategy. Eugene''s eyes gleamed even brighter. The specter''s Asura Rampage crumbled. Eugene prated the sword''s flow and severed it. Eugene¡¯s divine power red like fire and incinerated the demonic depletely. Eugene was enveloped in ck mes and wielded the brilliant Holy Sword. A trail of ck mes followed his strikes. Booom! The specter¡¯s demonic sword quickly reformed, and he attempted to block Eugene¡¯s strikes, but when the two swords made contact, the Holy Sword forcibly twisted the direction of the demonic sword¡¯s strike. ''Parrying,'' the specter thought. It was an unexpected intervention. Mere grazes, or rather, the mere aftermaths of each strike, could easily obliterate a mountain. With each strike, such concentrated power was driven into the foe in a transcendent battle. Yet, before the power behind the strikes could be fully unleashed, Eugene precisely deflected the iing attack. ''I can''t do that.'' the Specter quickly conceded. His thoughts elerated, and each second passed like an eternity. Both his intuition and insight settled on the same answer, on the impending counterattack post-parry, ¡®Lightning Counter.'' That was the name of the technique. It was known to him, yet he could not react to it. Lightning Counter was an attack that bordered on unsurpassable speed, and Eugene¡¯s cloak was tailor-made for this technique. Eugene took out the Moonlight Sword. Destruction turned to lightning, and Eugene¡¯s strike pierced the specter¡¯s form. It outpaced even sound. Both individuals were emitting the power of Destruction, yet the powers did not mingle. Instead, Eugene¡¯s power was met with fierce resistance upon contact. The specter knew the answer. The sword''s moonlight was no longer pure. It was tainted too much. Now, the sword was no longer of Destruction but Eugene''s. Rumbleee! The thunder followed btedly. Hundreds of beams of scattered moonlight formed a cyclone. The specter recognized this technique, too. It was Infinite Purgatory. Countless shes awaited him inside the cyclone, ready to tear through him. The specter¡¯s demonic sword unleashed its power while he was being sucked into the vortex. He attempted to unleash the same technique. The whirlwind of shes generated by the dark power sought to dismantle Eugene''s Infinite Purgatory from within. But it failed. Despite the specter¡¯s attempt at amplifying the dark power, Eugene¡¯s Infinite Purgatory waspleted. The specter conceded his ensnared arm and leaped backward. At that exact moment, Eugene shed upwards with the Holy Sword held in a reverse grip as if he had been waiting for this moment. ''Dragon Burst.'' Explosions of light apanied the attack. The specter''s form was cleaved in two. Although he had somewhat anticipated such an oue, being overpowered without a chance to retaliate brought him to a harsh realization, ''The gap in our mastery of techniques is too vast.'' The specter had evolved his techniques in their own right, but the chasm between them was immense. His body started to crumble into ash from the split, and the specter retreated while recovering. ''If we fight in the same manner, I''m bound to lose,'' the specter concluded. Under these conditions, the specter''s definitive advantage over Eugene was his eternal stamina. As the Incarnation of Destruction, his dark power was boundless, and his immortality surpassed even that of a Demon King. Yet, the specter knew, ''Immortality isn''t absolute.'' The current form of the Holy Sword could inflict damage on even the Demon Kings. The Moonlight Sword, transformed by Eugene, chipped away at the infinite dark power of a Demon King. Moreover, the War God''s, the Hero''s Divine Sword ¡ª could even sever a Demon King''s immortality. It became clear. The War God Agaroth. The Stupid Hamel. And the Hero, Eugene Lionheart. Through several reincarnations, from epochs long faded and forgotten, a legacy was passed down. All of it was to optimize the current Eugene Lionheart for the ughter of Demon Kings. The current Eugene harbored more malice towards Demon Kings than any of his past selves, tailoring his entire being for their demise. Eugene of now could assuredly y any Demon King that ever existed and perished in the past. "Insufficient," the specter dered. It didn¡¯t matter how many Demon Kings Eugene had killed in the past. It served no purpose. What truly mattered was being able to y a Demon King who had never been vanquished in history. He was the warden and the sinner, a Demon King who had observed the cycle of fate and woven causality, causing world-ending cmities time and again. He was an anomaly far beyond theprehension of fellow Demon Kings. "Indeed, you are strong,¡± the specter admitted. The disintegration of his body halted. "But this level of strength won''t suffice," the specter dered. He came to know many truths through his encounter with the Demon King of Incarceration. The detestable Demon King seemed eager to experiment with the specter as a variable in the cycle of fate. ¡ªI acknowledge your existence. ¡ªYou are unique, a being that exists only now and will not recur in the next cycle. The specter understood, albeit reluctantly and amidst confusion. Though whether this was the correct path remained uncertain to him. However, the specter yearned for an answer for Hamel. He knew all along that before this determination belonged to the Demon King of Incarceration, before it belonged to him, there was someone who first desired it as their will ¡ª Vermouth. "Still not enough." The Specter''s conclusion remained unchanged. If you cannot kill me, if you are weaker than me, then it''s only right to end this world here. The specter''s aura transformed. The chaotic flux of the dark power of Destruction began to move in an entirely new manner. Initially puzzled by the specter''s nonsense, Eugene froze at the sight of the dark power¡¯s form. The dark power flickered like mes. Slowly, the mes intensified. The energy became gray mes. "...Damn bastard," Eugene muttered, face twisted in disgust. The gray mes waved like a lion''s mane. Chapter 481: Flame (2)

Chapter 481: me (2)

The billowing mane of a lion, made of gray mes, incited a ferocious and immense rage within Eugene. Everything, including the words the specter had been spouting, felt like mockery and deceit to Eugene. Moments before, the specter had been adapting Hamel''s techniques in its own way. But after being crushed and defeated, he resorted to using the White me Form? "What the fuck do you think you are doing¡ª?" Eugene''s words, fueled by his rising fury, were cut short. Before the mes began to flicker, he sensed a change in the specter''s demeanor. Naturally, the specter had not resorted to the White me Form out of mockery or deceit. Instead, he had deemed the technique the most effective means of unleashing his full power. In an instant, ten Stars formed in its chest. Through the opened gates, the dark power of Destruction poured out and was harnessed in the manner of the White me Form. The specter¡¯s mes were ignited furiously. Eugene was at a loss for words at the sight. It wasn''t merely an imitation; the specter had used its dark power like mana to perfectly replicate the White me Form. "How?" the question slipped from Eugene¡¯s lips involuntarily. The ten Stars within the specter''s chest were palpable even to Eugene. This could represent only one thing. The specter had reached the Tenth Star in the White me form. In the history of the Lionheart n, no one but Vermouth had reached ten Stars. In the first ce, the sheer fact that the specter could even wield the White me Form was iprehensible. Using Hamel''s techniques? That was expected. If the specter had employed the Red me Form instead, the variant of the White me Form, Eugene could have epted that as well. It was entirely possible that the specter might have picked it up from Hector Lionheart after he was reborn as a monster. But what the specter wielded was not the Red me Form but the White me Form of the main family. Moreover, it was a version moreplete than any practiced by the members of the main family. "Who was it?" Eugene gritted his teeth as he spoke, "Who taught you that?" "I don¡¯t know if they taught it to me exactly,¡± the specter murmured softly. He raised his demonic sword towards Eugene. There were no more words spoken as the specter had nothing further to say regarding Eugene¡¯s question. Eugene understood the significance of the specter¡¯s action. They were on a battlefield, where the Hero and the Demon King stood facing each other. Their swords were drawn, pointing at each other. In the distance, far behind them, the Hero''s forces shed against the Demon King''s monsters. There was only one course of action to follow, just as it had been three hundred years ago. It had been the same even in the lost Age of Myth. Eugene had momentarily been distracted by his intense curiosity, but now, he recalled the reality of their current situation. "Right," he told himself as he calmed down. The emotion he should be feeling wasn''t curiosity. The question of why or how the specter knew the White me Form could wait until right before he killed the creature. The two mes flickered. One was the ckened me of what was once the White me Form but was now uniquely Eugene''s, and the other was a gray me forged from the dark power of Destruction. Engulfed in their respective fires, the two figures soared high into the sky while shaking the very space around them. Eugene made the first move. His dark wings of Prominence left no trace in their wake. The repeated leaps made tracking by sight impossible, and it even fooled the perception of others. Yet, the specter responded. The Tenth-Star White me Form granted the specter a sense of omnipotence it had never known before. It was as if each lick of me that wrapped around his form was imbued with its own sentience. The specter reacted instantly. With a sh, he intercepted the Holy Sword as it aimed for him from an angle. The burst of light at the moment of impact threatened to incinerate both his dark power and the specter''s eyes, but the vehemently opposing mes of dark power pushed back even the light of the Holy Sword. But the Holy Sword wasn''t his only threat. The Moonlight Sword was swooping in from the opposite direction, and the specter''s mes intensified in response. Was it forming a sword? No. What emerged from the swelling mes was an alien spell, yet it was also familiar. ¡®Vermouth''s,'' Eugene realized. The mes moved as if they possessed their own will. They took the form of talons and caught the Moonlight Sword. A mere mass of dark power or magic wasn¡¯t sufficient to block the Moonlight Sword. But this dark power was formed from the White me Form, and the spell was the alien magic that Vermouth used in the past. It wasn''t perfect and couldn¡¯tpletely block Eugene¡¯s attack, but it managed to neutralize the strike to a significant degree. The specter retreated without faltering. Information was permeating his mind, but it didn¡¯t belong to him or Hamel. There was a door through which dark power flowed to him. Someone beyond that door... was slipping him not only dark power but also information. ¡®It''s you,¡¯ the specter used. Vermouth hadn''t killed the specter. While the specter didn¡¯t know Vermouth¡¯s true intent, Vermouth tolerated his existence and even empowered him despite the intense animosity he had towards the specter. When Vermouth first encountered the specter, he was sitting atop the remnants scarred by the Divine Sword. He had disyed fierce hostility. But in the end, it turned into sympathy. ¡®Is this my choice?¡¯ the specter asked himself. He had lived for years under the delusion of being Hamel after being born with memories manipted by Amelia Merwin. He then took shelter in Ravesta and mingled with the dark power of Destruction. It wouldn¡¯t have been strange for him to die, or rather, it was expected for him to die. But he did not die. Vermouth didn''t wish for the specter''s death. As a result, the specter became the Incarnation of Destruction. He had heard the truths known to the Demon King of Incarceration. "I made the decision,¡± the specter muttered softly. He broke free from Amelia Merwin''s shackles. He learned he was not Hamel but an imposter. It was Vermouth who helped him shed those shackles and granted him power. But Vermouth, the tragic hero, didn''t force anything on the specter. He didn''t answer any of the specter''s questions either. The Demon King of Incarceration was the same. What he wanted was for the specter to make a decision, to take action. So, even if someone else intended for it to be this way, the specter believed his decision was the right one. ¡®Then, was this decision like one Hamel would make?¡¯ The specter lifted his gaze. After being pushed back a bit, Eugene was charging again. He could see the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword crossed in Eugene¡¯s hands. No longer did the golden eyes show a will to kill. Rather, he waspletely focused on victory, which transcended even his will to kill. Eugene¡¯s eyes were devoid of emotion, and it prevented his judgment from being clouded by trivial feelings. And just as he was like both Hamel and Eugene at the same time.... ¡®This is who I am,¡¯ the specter thought. He had no intention of losing. He desperately desired victory. Just as Eugene had addressed him, the specter sought a victory befitting a Demon King. As the sword strike loomed, the specter clenched his fist. A spell manifested without any sign. Space inverted and swapped the positions of the specter and Eugene. However, Eugene did not panic when he suddenly found himself standing elsewhere. Instead, he continued to swing his sword. Surging strikes extended towards the specter''s position, where space itself then ruptured open. An impossible distance emerged between them, an empty void. Eugene''s strikes filled and erased the void, yet they did not reach the specter. The torn distance between the two vanished as the space merged again. Eugene and the specter came to stand face to face without any eleration. However, Eugene thrust the Moonlight Sword forward as if he had anticipated the sudden change. The encroaching moonlight caused the specter''s mes to undte. Layers uponyers were stacked in the space. But before the moonlight could explode, it was sealed off by gray veils. The specter¡¯s sword descended from above it. Crack! The Moonlight Sword impaled the ground in vain. The earth meant to be buried alongside it had also vanished, but an immense weight clung to the Moonlight Sword and refused to let go. ¡®It¡¯s heavy,¡¯ Eugene thought. The crushing andyering of space was magic that Eugene recognized. It belonged to Vermouth Lionheart. His epithets included God of War and Master-of-All. Not only was he the strongest warrior, but he was also the supreme wizard. Eugene had often teased Sienna whenever the topic of Vermouth¡¯s magic was brought up. She would always retort in fury that their specialties were different. But even Sienna acknowledged Vermouth''s magical prowess. While Sienna mastered what could be called conventional magic, Vermouth specialized in spatial magic. The Tomb of the ck Lion Castle, the Leyline, the Dark Room of the Lionheart mansion, and even the other side of Lehainjar ¡ª all were created by Vermouth''s spatial magic. Crack. Veins started to bulge in the hand gripping the Moonlight Sword. Despite being crushed by dozens or even hundreds of ovepping spaces, the Moonlight Sword still emitted light. Moonlight and mes intertwined and ovepped toplete the Empty Sword. The oppressive forces were cleaved in one stroke. The intuition granted by Eugene¡¯s divinity caused him to move. The imperceptible and the unpredictable guided Eugene''s movements. Both the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword were enveloped by the Empty Sword. The force concentrated on Eugene¡¯s weapons far exceeded the specter''s expectations. The magic the specter used in an attempt to hold Eugene was annihted before it could even form. He knew he couldn¡¯t remain in Eugene¡¯s close proximity. He knew he would be consumed by the mes, so the specter vanished without even leaving an afterimage. But Eugene didn''t lose track of him. He followed the specter¡¯s movements without missing a beat. Gray and ck. Two beams of light streaked across the sky, and the very heavens seemed to shake as if it might copse. The flight of the two colorssted only a moment, but for the two in question, it didn''t feel brief. Both knew that the slightest dy, miss or apse in judgment could lead to their immediate defeat. The tension and the process were too much for the brain to bear. Eugene could smell blood inside his nose. This was precisely where humans were overwhelmingly disadvantaged against demons. Humans were burdened with the fragility and fatigue of the body. Of course, the current Eugene was unbelievably robustpared to any other human, but he wasrgely helpless against the massive mental fatigue that was building up. Had he been fighting alone, he would have copsed with the umting fatigue and injuries. But that wasn¡¯t the case. The sky was bright and filled with light. The Saints and priests were praying solely for Eugene. The smell of blood vanished from his nose, and the throbbing pain in his head disappeared. His organs, torn and shredded from the remnants of the shock, healed in an instant. Both swords were enveloped by the Empty Sword, and he crossed them. It resulted in a collision of two manifestations of the Empty Sword, each with fiveyers. It was impossible even for Eugene to form any moreyers, so instead, he merged the two Empty Swords. The power was too great for a mere human mind to handle. Akasha started to glow in response to the heavy burden from inside Eugene¡¯s cloak. Mer held the staff tightly, contributing auxiliaryputation to Akasha¡¯s power. Even Prominence, acting as Eugene¡¯s pseudo-Core, drew out strength in its frenzy. Eugene raised the swords above his head, causing Prominence to soar with the swords in tandem. The single wing[1] of ck mes became one with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. Eugene knew he couldn¡¯t contain this power for long. There was no leeway in his control over it. If he was careless, he would instantly be crushed by the enormous power. The specter twisted its body mid-air while fleeing. He looked down at the royal pce and the now-empty city below. The Liberation Army was advancing from behind Eugene¡¯s back ¡ª but did it really matter? If such immense power were to strike down, it wouldn¡¯t simply obliterate Hauria, but Nahama in its entirety would be wiped off the map. ¡®No, that''s not it.¡¯ The specter realized his error in judgment. He was na?ve to entertain such a thought. The specter intuitively knew what the sword would cause. Although it took the form of a sword, what Eugene held would not cut but devour everything in its path. If it wasn¡¯t countered and neutralized, it would immediately consume andpletely annihte him. The power contained in the attack wouldn¡¯t target anything else. Destroy the entirety of Nahama? Such a thing would never happen. Even though Eugene held enough power to obliterate this vast nation, it was concentrated solely on the specter. It was an absurdly precise attack, or rather, it was already beyond the mortal realm. It felt more like a miracle or a divine act. Was this made possible by the divinity of the God of War, or was it because of the favor of the God of Light? ¡®It¡¯s everything,¡¯ the specter realized. It would have been impossible for Eugene to wield such power without all these reasons. Even Mer and Akasha were exerting their full efforts to allow Eugene to control this power. Eugene clenched his teeth and brought down the sword. This was by no means the Divine Sword. Yet, it was imbued with powerparable to one. The specter immediately flew towards the sword. This sword had reached the realm of miracles. Miracles were powers beyond rationalprehension. It was different from a manifestation of divine energy. A miracle was the cumtion of human efforts. It was impossible to escape from a miracle that wouldn¡¯t miss its mark. As such, the specter needed to negate the aspect of fatality from the unavoidable miracle. Ten Stars of the dark-power-driven White me Form started to spin rapidly and poured out dark power. It wasn¡¯t just an infinite amount of dark power, but rather an infinite amount of dark power refined and ignited into mes with precision. It¡¯s not enough. The specter had said this to Hamel, to Eugene, and now to himself. This was far from sufficient. If he wanted to be a true challenge to Eugene, he needed to be much stronger. He needed to be an entity that absolutely could not be surpassed. The star of Destruction shone. At that moment, the specter truly matched his title of the Incarnation of Destruction. Dark power flowed from the ten Stars and formed into a sword. This sword wasn¡¯t formed from the same singr color of ominous gray as before. Instead, it was a blend of all colors. An indescribable mass of color stretched out like a sword. Eugene recalled the Demon King of Destruction he had seen long ago. It had been an existence that seemed to drive one mad just by looking at it, an existence that seemed to blend every color existing in this world. Hamel had seen it, Agaroth had seen it.... ¡®This is different,¡¯ Eugene noticed. He felt the presence of the Demon King of Destruction from the specter. Both Agaroth and Hamel felt fear when they saw the Demon King of Destruction. He had been filled with the desire to flee. Agaroth didn''t run from fear because he had many believers to protect. He had been driven by the intuition that if he fled, the Demon King of Destruction would engulf the entire world. So, Agaroth didn''t flee. Instead, hemanded his divine soldiers to death and led the charge. Hamel couldn''t ovee the fear and the desire to flee. As such, he fled with Vermouth and everyone else. That had been the right choice. At that moment, no one could stop the Demon King of Destruction, and there had been no need to. But even if he had made the right choice, Hamel had been tormented by a sense of humiliation. Since then, the Demon King of Destruction had be a trauma for Hamel and hispanions. Then what about now? Was he filled with a desire to flee? No. Such thoughts didn''t cross Eugene Lionheart''s mind. He wasn¡¯t filled with a sense of duty like Agaroth, nor was he ovee with the fear that Hamel was. What Eugene Lionheart felt now was rage and the intent to kill. Eugene''s sword shed with the Sword of Destruction. There was no sound upon the collision. Instead, light flickered dozens of times in the skies above Hauria as if day and night were interchanging in an instant. Even at that moment, neither Eugene nor the specter stopped moving. The Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword lost their light, likely because of expending too much power all at once. Without any hesitation, Eugene tossed the swords back into his cloak. He could see the figure of the specter a short distance away in the sky ¡ª or could he even call this ce the sky? He cast aside such trivial concerns. The Sword of Destruction it had wielded had also vanished in the sh. However, the Destruction it had drawn forth was mixed into the White me Form. The gray mes had now turned into a chaotic ze of mixed colors. "You bastard." As always, Eugene let out a curse unbing of the Hero. "Come here, you." Still, contrary to his words, it was Eugene who charged toward the specter first. 1. So, this was a long-awaited question of whether Eugenepleted his Signature, as the chapters always mentioned wings of Prominence. This makes it clear that Eugene still has only one wing. ? Chapter 482: Flame (3)

Chapter 482: me (3)

Amelia Merwin was subdued during the battle on the main streets, and the liches were annihted. In other words, there was no longer a need to be wary of the proliferation of the undead. In addition, the undead that were still alive were noticeably weakened. They were still mobile due to the remaining dark power inside of them, but they were no longer strengthened or could execute higher orders. The undead were reduced to mere meat shields and posed no significant threat to the Liberation Army. The real issue was the demons of Ravesta. Most of them were high-ranking demons, and they were powerful. However, the Liberation Army had plenty of powerhouses, including the leaders of the knightly orders, the Archwizards, the warriors, and the mercenary leaders, to match the high-ranking demons. Melkith was particrly eye-catching among them as she rampaged in her Omega Force. She attracted the attention of the enemies with her enormous size. Moreover, her strength was iparable, and with just a few swings of her arm, she could sweep away legions of the undead. As a result, she forced a considerable number of high-ranking demons to engage her. "Omega Fire Storm!" The enemies kepting without rest, but Melkith did not tire at all. On the contrary, she was energized and overflowing with power in her current state. She craved more formidable foes and more intense battles. Wind! me! Lightning! Earth! The power of the four Spirit Kings was concentrated in Melkith. Additionally, all the spirit wizards of the White Tower of Magic were supporting her from behind to enhance the power of the spirits. Thus, it was called Omega Force, which surpassed Union Force. She was empowered not only by the power of the four Spirit Kings but also by that of various other spirits, making each of Melkith''s movements akin to natural disasters. Harpeuron, the fifty-seventh-ranked demon who boasted his strength, was left in a near-death state by a single strike from Melkith in her Infinity Force form. Although most of the demons challenging Melkith right now were stronger than Harpeuron, the gap between Infinite Force and Omega Force was also greater than the gap between the demons themselves. "You''re weak! Too weak!" Melkith proimed,unching haughty kicks and punches. "The north! Only the Northern Conquest can make my heart race!" Her movementscked finesse and could even be called amateurish, but their power was terrifyingly destructive. Even the most powerful demons suffered fatal wounds if merely grazed. Therefore, the demons had no choice but to desperately avoid Melkith''s attacks. "The storm calls me!" Melkith bellowed. All her shouts were for Tempest, who finally gave in today. Melkith was aware of Tempest''s desire for the North, even if she didn''t know the specifics. If Tempest wished for a conquest of the north, Melkith was more than willing to join. "People look like ants from up here!" she shouted. Such was the enormity of Melkith at that moment. Right. If it¡¯s now, yes, in my current state, I might be stronger than even the Wise Sienna.... Melkith quickly ceased her dangerous contemtion. In the not-too-distant sky, she could see the figure of Sienna floating in her own gxy. Now that she had obtained Omega Force, Melkith could gauge Sienna¡¯s power more urately than before. "That¡¯s my sis,¡± Melkith nodded in a quick change of attitude. Currently, Sienna was interfering on every battlefield. She was distinctly supporting each individual with her power. The stars flowing from Sienna''s gxy transformed into magic suitable for each warrior''s situation to guide the flow of the battle. Who among the world''s wizards could aplish such a feat? It was a straightforward task for an Archwizard to bombard a battlefield and seize victory. However, it was impossible to attend to everyone on this chaotic battlefield and match magical support with their needs. ¡®I should seriously consider learning martial arts when I return,¡¯ Melkith contemted. She took pride in her own punches and kicks. She knew others called them crude and awkward, but wasn¡¯t it ultimately all aboutnding the hits? However, rampaging in front of so many people brought her to a sudden realization. If she was going to punch and kick anyway, wouldn¡¯t it be better to do it so perfectly that anyone watching would be amazed? [Enemy reinforcements areing.] [They appear like demonic beasts but are not. Please be cautious when dealing with them.] Voices resonated from the sun high in the sky like oracles. The voice belonged to the Saint, and the priests were immediately rying the message to all allies upon hearing it. Soon, the flying squad spotted the enemy reinforcements. They looked like... monsters. They looked slightly simr to demonic beasts but weren¡¯t exactly demonic beasts. This subtle difference was almost indescribable. It came as an instinctive feeling. None of the grotesque and ominous monsters were small. Even the smallest of the bunch wererger than an average ogre. Some ran on two legs, others on four, and some crawled like insects. There were even those with differently shaped wings soaring through the sky. "What is that?" muttered Melkith. She had been frantically swatting the fleeing demons but looked shocked when she saw the monsters. These monsters were approaching rapidly and seemed to number over a thousand. "I thought they were enemy reinforcements!?" Melkith eximed in horror. As they advanced, the monsters were crushing and decimating the undead from the rear. It was evident that the monsterscked the reasoning to distinguish friend from foe. The sudden arrival of these monsters perplexed not only Melkith but also the desperate demons. While they were horrified by the monsters crushing through the undead, they also felt an inexplicable sense of nostalgia. The demons of Ravesta did not know about the Nur. However, they could vaguely sense the dark power mixed within these creatures. ¡®The Incarnation¡¯s minions? But I''ve never heard of such monsters....¡¯ The demons felt a familiar power, but it seemed clear that these monsters were not allies. Even if the demons tried to regard them as allies, the monsters seemed unlikely to hesitate in their indiscriminate attacks. Such was the ominous aura they exuded. [Those are the Nur! Why are they here?] Sienna asked in surprise while observing the battlefield from the sky. [They started pouring out from the royal pce,] answered Anise. [Did that bastard summon them?] questioned Sienna. [The presence of humans in the pce vanished simultaneously. I''m not sure how he did it, but perhaps he used them as sacrifices for the summoning.] Anise expressed her displeasure without hiding her emotions. Sienna''s face soured as well to reflect Anise¡¯s expression. She clicked her tongue and lifted Frost. The Nur were the true vassals of Destruction, the vanguard of the Demon King of Destruction. They were monsters that indiscriminately ughtered all living beings they encountered. Their numbers were significant, and their mere breaths were ominously unsettling. Sienna was determined to stop the monsters before they reached the allies, and she raised her mana to attack. Just as she was about to release her magic, a deafening noise, like thousands of thunders striking simultaneously, shook the heavens. It was as if the sky itself was crumbling, or rather, as if the world was ending. Such was the enormity of the sound. The explosive sound came without warning, and it caused everyone to look up in shock. Most onlookers couldn''tprehend what they were seeing. There was a collision of swirling colors and ck mes. As everything merged into one, the world¡¯s light flickered for a moment. Some couldn''t withstand it and copsed on the spot. Although there was no physical st, the emotional storm it spread was overwhelming. Sienna was no exception. She barely managed to steady her trembling form as she stood in the sky. "The Demon King of Destruction," she thought in surprise as she felt the Demon King from those colors. The piercing noise had left her ears ringing and her head spinning. [Kristina? Anise?] she called out but was greeted with silence. It seemed that their connection was temporarily severed by the shockwave. Sienna continued to gaze at the sky while feeling a sense of inevitable unease. "...My god,¡± muttered Sienna. The flickering had stopped, but the sky hadn''t returned to normal. A vast, ck scar lingered across the heavens, undting as if it were alive. Sienna understood the significance of what she was seeing. She couldn''t fathom what had been done, but Eugene, that madman, had truly left a scar on this world. She immediately sought out Eugene and Mer, who should have been with him. They were nowhere to be found. Neither Eugene nor Mer existed in this world any longer. "Could it be?" muttered Sienna. They weren¡¯t dead, which could only mean¡ª Sienna stared intently at the wound in the sky with disbelief. *** "Come here, you bastard." The sudden curse wasn''t what startled the specter. Instead, he was left wondering where they exactly were. The sky? No. This ce was a pitch-ck world of nothingness, just like... the pce of Incarceration in Babel. It was dark. No light existed. Yet, Eugene and the specter stood out starkly against the ck backdrop as if they were freshly painted. ¡®Where''s Hauria?¡¯ the specter wondered. Looking down revealed no city in sight. Had the city vanished entirely due to the recent collision? That... seemed absurd. Others might, but Hamel or Eugene wouldn''t do such a thing. "Where is this...?" The specter¡¯s question hung unfinished as Eugene charged toward him. Fwooosh! Despite the darkness, Eugene''s mes didn''t blend into the background. The single wing of ck mes trailed behind him, and he reached the specter in an instant. Eugene had neither the Holy Sword nor the Moonlight Sword in his hands. Both swords had temporarily lost their light after unleashing all their power in one go. The specter was in a simr state. He was still surrounded by chaotic mes but could not unleash his dark power as before. There was a brief lull in power for both of them, and they both recognized this fact. ¡®Crazy bastard...!¡¯ the specter cursed, appalled. Eugene was at a clear disadvantage in this situation. With the Holy Sword and Moonlight Sword dimmed, the natural course of action was to retreat to recover. No matter how strong Eugene Lionheart was, attacking a Demon King without any weapons was akin to suicide. Suicide? Was that really true? The specter had to reconsider when he saw Eugene¡¯s clenched fist. The specter knew too well the darkness that silenced Kamash and the Centipede Mountains in a single strike. It was this very technique that had ended the specter in the battlefield of Kochi within the Samar Rainforest, where he first encountered Eugene. ~ ¡ªI can''t win this. ~ He had muttered those words as Hamel¡¯s body disintegrated. When he was left with nothing but a pitiful soul, the specter reflected on how he had been defeated. He pondered deeply about the mes. The mes wrapped around Eugene''s fist now were much stronger than those he had seen in Samar. To be struck by it would mean more than just pain. The specter realized the truth toote. Suicide? No. That man was charging with absolute conviction to kill the specter. Crackle! The specter was sent flying backward. Although he managed to defend himself, he still felt the impact of the strike. The mes around him churned in color, and a crack appeared on the mask he donned. "Ugh...!" The specter twisted his body while swallowing back the surging blood. His dark power had yet to recover. He could not wield a sword, so he had no choice but to mimic Eugene and extend his fist. That proved to be a mistake. The moment he thrust his fist forward, he came to a realization. His memories, experiences, and instincts ¡ª all judged his reaction as wrong. Had he not already experienced this before? The specter was once again reminded of this. ¡®The gap in our skill is....¡¯ It was overwhelming. In terms of pure output of power, abilities, and magic, the specter couldpete with Eugene. But if it came down to a purely physical brawl, the specter could never defeat Eugene. That was an immutable truth. After considering every possible option, the specter desperately extended his hand to escape, but Eugene¡¯s hand found its ce around the specter¡¯s wrist, as if it were only natural. The encircling grip was dreadful and relentless. The specter''s arm was crushed in an instant. Without hesitation, the specter severed his own arm. The only clear advantage he had at this moment was immortality, simr to that of a Demon King. Whir! The specter''s eyes wavered. He had just realized his mistake a few seconds ago. Even though he lost an arm, it had already regenerated. Continuing like this would yield no different oue. Yet, the specter didn''t widen the gap between himself and Eugene; instead, he closed in on Eugene. Why he did so was none of Eugene''s concern. An Eclipse formed in each of Eugene''s hands. He intended to barrage the specter with rapid strikes. If the fool dared to try and respond in kind, Eugene was confident he could deflect the attacks. Otherwise, he could simply obliterate the specter even if he tried to defend. But the specter''s actions were peculiar. Eugene found Eclipse being diverted sideways. The dark world was immediately filled with explosions. Neither Eugene nor the specter were caught in the st. One went astray, but it posed no problem for Eugene. The other Eclipse was ready in his left hand, and Prominence prepared a makeshift Eclipse at his back. Though not as powerful as the ones he conjured directly, the advantagey in being able to fire rapidly. With Eugene''s current power, he could convert all the me feathers into Eclipses and unleash a volley in the blink of an eye. ¡®Punch first, then....¡¯ Divinity was sparked in his mind. Failure. Eugene felt a sensation simr to when he had cut through Molon¡¯s axe. His eyes filled with divine energy. It was a revtion, distinct from predictions or prophecies. In an instant, countless strategies for sessfully executing his nned attack flooded Eugene''s mind. He came to a conclusion immediately. All of his strategies were destined to fail. No matter the attack, it wouldn''t reach the specter. But even knowing this, Eugene stillunched Eclipse. It wasn''t out of disbelief in the divine revtion; on the contrary, he trusted it enough to want to verify it firsthand. The sequence of events seemed to slow down for Eugene. Eclipse approached the specter, and its surface bubbled like a sun on the verge of explosion. The specter''s hand caught the Eclipse, handling it delicately as if it were a fragile ss orb. The touch of his fingers calmed the sun''s fury, and soon, the specter''s dark power wrapped around Eclipse like a thin sheet as he flung it aside. The result was an explosion. Nothing was caught in it. Feathers dropped from Prominence and clustered together into hundreds of suns. ck spots spread on the surface of the mini suns, unleashing a barrage of Eclipses. The specter''s mes boiled in anticipation of the onught. The chaotic mix of colors in the mes whirled around the specter''s shoulders like a lion''s mane. The specter remained motionless, yet the mes it conjured consumed Eugene''s. It didn¡¯t result in a reversal of Eugene¡¯s mana. Instead, it simply burned away. Eugene kept moving. He was well-acquainted with this process. It was the same as when he first encountered Vermouth and when they first dueled under the condition of bing allies. What followed was.... Eugene advanced. mes continued to re, and blows were exchanged. The specter''s movements suddenly changed, and it felt as if Eugene was fighting a different person than before. This was different from when the specter merely mimicked magic. Eugene knew this process, as well as the specter¡¯s fluid movements. The specter was better at deflecting rather than meeting blows head-on. After countless confrontations, Eugene had to be familiar with parrying to keep up with the specter''s movements. And that infuriated him even more. It was revolting. Divine energy responded to his vehemence. The divine energy in his eyes pierced through the gaps in his opponent¡¯s movements. Without a moment''s hesitation, Eugene moved towards that opening. Boom! His fist connected with the specter''s chest once. The shock of the pration caused the specter to stop momentarily. Eugene could have continued his assault and crushed the specter¡¯s head. But he chose not to. Instead, he grabbed the mask the specter wore. "I,¡± Eugene said, crushing the maskpletely with his hand and continuing, ¡°Hate this the most.¡± Eugene red at the specter¡¯s face. There was a possibility that the specter was Vermouth. Perhaps he would find Vermouth¡¯s face staring back at him. But he had never actually believed in the possibility. There was no way this was Vermouth. "What the fuck is wrong with your expression?¡± Eugene questioned. He just wanted to see the face behind the mask. ¡°Why the fuck do you look like you''ve got some tragic backstory?" His hand, which had shattered the mask, formed a fist again. "Despicable." As he spat the word, he mmed his fist squarely in the specter''s face. Chapter 483: Flame (4) Chapter 483: me (4) Crack. The punch shattered something and pushed in even further. This would have been far enough to stop if the opponent had been human. There would have been no need to push any further since a punch like this to the face would undoubtedly be fatal to a human. But Eugene¡¯s current opponent was not human. Therefore, Eugene didn''t retract his fist; instead, he pressed on even harder. Crunch! His fist finally smashed through the obstructionpletely. Boom! ck mes exploded like fireworks above the specter''s neck. Eugene''s fist, quite literally, burst the specter''s head open. The headless body teetered for a moment while trying to correct its stance. The specter¡¯s head hadn''t regenerated yet. Nheless, the headless body lunged at Eugene without hesitation. At a nce, the specter¡¯s body seemed driven by uncontainable rage. However, the specter had not lost reason or control due to anger. His movements remained precise, fluid, and smooth, like water or smoke. Yet, upon contact, the gentle flow turned into a fierce storm, threatening to tear or engulf everything in its path.Eugene knew all too well. He could swear on everything he had that this opponent was the one he had fought against the most since Hamel''s birth. The person in question was Vermouth. The same was true for Vermouth. Hamel was the one he had fought against the most. It couldn''t be otherwise. Just like with Hamel, most of Vermouth¡¯s enemies did not survive past their first battle. On the other hand, Hamel and Vermouth had no reason to kill each other, and Hamel often sought duels, leading to countless confrontations between the two. So, Eugene was certain. Vermouth didn''t have a set of defined techniques, but that unique style of deflecting and countering was unmistakably his. It wasn¡¯t only his physical skills, either. The specter¡¯s techniques were infused with Vermouth¡¯s specialty in spatial maniption. The discord Eugene felt was palpable. Was it because the specter was using spatial magic? No, that much was eptable to Eugene. But seeing the specter perform Vermouth¡¯s maneuvers was infuriating. It felt absolutely disgusting. The specter was born from Hamel''s memories. He bore Hamel¡¯s face and used Hamel¡¯s techniques. And now, he was even employing Vermouth''s White me Form and magic, along with Vermouth¡¯s unique movements and skills. "This son of a..." Eugene cursed in irritation. He would have felt less disgusted if the specter had boasted tantly. If the specter had said something clich¨¦d, like wanting to kill Eugene to be the real Hamel, Eugene would have felt some sense of relief. He might have felt relief if the specter had been simr to the delusional Amelia¡­ if he had some absurd wish or, like the mosquito Alphiero, was blinded by some stupid loyalty to the Demon King. Or, like Amelia, if he died seeking revenge after failing to aplish anything as the Demon King. There were countless reasons the specter could have chosen. If he had just picked one and stood by it, Eugene was sure he wouldn''t be feeling this vile difort. But the bastard didn''t pursue any of those reasons. Aftering to his senses, the specter met with Molon and invaded the ck Lion Castle before a day had passed. Despiteunching an attack, he didn¡¯t kill anyone and only spouted nonsense abouting to infuriate everyone before leaving. Then what about his upation of Hauria? The more Eugene thought about it, the angrier he got. "What the fuck do you want?" Eugene shouted. His arms were intertwined with the specter¡¯s. If Eugene was caught, his arm would break, and he could no longer hear the voices of Kristina or Anise. In other words, if he suffered a broken arm here, there was no healing magic to treat it. "You even spare a thought for the innocent civilians? You didn¡¯t want to drag them into this mess?" spat Eugene. Eugene chose to retreat without directly shing with the specter, but he wasn¡¯t running away. He continued tounch Eclipse from the feathers of Prominence while also cleverly concealing a feather amidst the scattering sparks. He immediately leaped to the feather and positioned himself to the specter''s rear. "You sealed off the city, formed most of your forces with demonic beasts and demons deemed expendable, and filled in the gaps with the undead,¡± said Eugene. "What''s wrong with a Demon Kingmanding other demons?" the specter retorted. He could no longer hold back when faced with Eugene¡¯s continuous taunts. "Don''t y coy, you bastard,¡± Eugene snapped. The specter¡¯s response was utterly unsatisfactory. "I asked you, why that fucking look? Why do you look like you have a fucking sob story? It''s not just your expression, though. Everything about you screams it,¡± said Eugene. The specter found no words to counter the barrage of insults. Instead, he twisted his body and swiftly extended a hand toward Eugene. Spatial magic was immediatelypleted and pressured Eugene from all directions. In response, Eugene''s cloak pped open. Crackle! Bombardments from the Thunderbolt and the Dragon Spear struck the specter. Although the bombardment wasn¡¯t nearly as powerful as Eugene''s techniques, the well-charged attacks managed to neutralize the space manipted by the specter to a degree. "So what, you didn''t want to do this, but you had reasons, had no choice?" Eugene''s mockery didn''t cease. He reached into the cloak and pulled out a massive hammer. It was the Annihtion Hammer Jigoth, the weapon used by the Demon King of Carnage. The specter''s expression stiffened when he saw the weapon. He had forgotten. Eugene Lionheart didn''t only wield the Holy Sword and Moonlight Sword. He also possessed the arsenal of the former Demon Kings. "Then spill it. What''s your damn story!?" Eugene roared while swinging the Annihtion Hammer. The specter reflexivelyyered spaces to form a barrier, only to immediately realize his mistake. The power of the Annihtion Hammer was incredibly straightforward. In fact, it could be said that none among the various weapons of the Demon Kings had a simpler ability than the Annihtion Hammer. It annihted whatever it hit. What the Annihtion Hammer could smash depended on the strength of its wielder. With Eugene''s strength ¡ª empty spaces, mere voids, were no different than ss windows in front of the Annihtion Hammer''s power. Crack! Theyered barrier shattered into pieces. The simple, brute force zeroed in on its target. The specter quickly extended both hands and raised his mes in defense. The intertwined colors of the mes blocked the Annihtion Hammer. "Who exactly are you? What do you want from me? And that son of a bitch Vermouth, why did he teach you the White me Form and¡ª." Eugene¡¯s shouts were interrupted. "Do you really think...!" The specter''s face contorted. "Do you think I''m staying silent because I don''t want to talk? I also¡ª" the specter stopped, unable to continue. What could he say? The specter felt suffocated. But it wasn¡¯t as if he could simply spill everything. What he had to do, what he wanted to do was¡­. "Speak!" shouted Eugene. The veins in his neck bulged. He stowed the Annihtion Hammer back into the cloak. Was it the Demon Spear Luentos next? The specter made an assumption based on the power of the Demon Spear ¡ª the Spear Forest. Eugene would summon countless spear des at spatial coordinates¡­ Whoosh! He was wrong. What emerged from the cloak was the Moonlight Sword. The pale, expanding moonlight formed a crescent, and the specter''s eyes widened in disbelief. The Moonlight Sword? Suddenly? Wasn''t it unusable? "Finish your sentence, you prick!" Eugene growled. He had no intention of holding a conversation until now, especially when the specter first unleashed the mes of the White me Form. However, the specter suddenly spouted nonsense about Eugene not being strong enough. He bbered on as if he was so desperate to show off his tragic backstory. It pissed him off. But he held back. There was only one thing for the Hero and the Demon King to do when they met on the battlefield. They would fight and kill. Questions could be asked before the killing, or so Eugene thought. But this son of a bitch kept acting unbefitting of a Demon King. He continued to unt his tragic backstory while keeping his trap shut. Eugene couldn''t stand the repulsiveness of it all. Crack! A crescent sh flew towards the specter''s face. The specter barely managed to intercept the Moonlight Sword. He had recovered his dark power to a degree, but still, receiving Eugene¡¯s strikes did not prove easy. It was an issue of the heart. Eugene''s words weighed heavily on him, making the Moonlight Sword feel heavier than before. The specter''s body felt the same. The sticky, boiling emotions weren¡¯t only affecting the specter mentally but also physically. He suddenly felt much heavier than before. ¡®Disgusting?¡¯ the specter recalled. Why was he making this face? Dark emotions bubbled furiously inside of him. It felt like his head was filled with fire and was about to burst from the heat. "You don''t know shit...!" the specter shouted with a scowl. It was true. Eugene Lionheart knew nothing. He probably thought he simply needed to kill the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t that simple. The specter knew this. He couldn''t be certain that he knew everything, but he was sure the Demon King of Incarceration wasn''t lying. And what he knew was enough to justify his current choice. "Of course, I don''t know, you dipshit. How could I know if you don''t tell me? If I knew, I''d be a god!" Eugene shouted. However, he felt slightly guilty. Technically, Eugene was a god. But that was a story from one of his past lives, and strictly speaking, he wasn¡¯t a god now, was he? No one had brought up his words as being contradictory, but Eugene convinced himself anyway. "That son of a bitch Vermouth, the Demon King of Incarceration, and you! You all act like you''re holding onto some grand secret that is too precious to share now, promising to reveal itter, but not for free¡­. It''s all such bullshit." The more Eugene spoke, the angrier he became. It all started with Vermouth. If Vermouth was going to reincarnate him, he could''ve at least left a letter exining everything. Why had he left such crucial information in bits and pieces? And most of it wasn¡¯t even reliable, leaving Eugene still clueless about Vermouth''s whereabouts, let alone his true identity. The Demon King of Incarceration was no better. His antics made Eugene want to beat him to a pulp, not because he was a Demon King, but simply because he was infuriatingly vague. Even a saint, who had never uttered a curse in their life, would definitely swear if they met the Demon King of Incarceration. It was evident in all of Eugene¡¯s encounters with the damned Demon King. The first time they met in the tomb, the Demon King of Incarceration didn''t speak directly but hinted at something about a foolish lion, Vermouth''s affection, and so on. Every single word he spoke was disgustingly suspicious. And what about after that? He tantly protected Eugene, even controlling his demons until Eugene was ready. Then, at the Knight March, he openly dered he''d wait until Eugene climbed Babel. The worst part had been in the battle against Iris after she had be a Demon King. Who was the one who stopped the Moonlight Sword''s rampage? It was the Demon King of Incarceration. Who exined the situation in the deep-sea city? It had been the Demon King of Incarceration. "And after all that, that son of a bitch says he''ll only reveal what I need most after I climb the Demon King''s castle!" Eugene raged, his anger boiling over. The most infuriating thing in the world was someone who stopped talking midway, someone who didn¡¯t finish their words. ¡°You too, you bastard! You despicable bastard,¡± Eugene spat without regard. Eugene continued his relentless assault while unleashing a torrent of heartfelt curses. Before long, he was once again wielding both the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword, just like before. Each strike was imbued with his fury. Meanwhile, other attacks were being orchestrated from within his cloak. If the specter attempted to erect a defensive barrier, the Annihtion Hammer was used to shatter it. If he tried to make use of the space around him, the Demon Spear was used to restrict his movements. Thus, he was restrained in space as Eugene attacked him with Eclipse. The specter was struck squarely several times. He could not dodge the attacks or block them. His body remained heavy, his head throbbed with pain, and the boiling emotions in his heart seemed bottomless. "That¡¯s right,¡± the specter finally screamed with bloodshot eyes. The surging emotions had ovee his reason. "It was Vermouth who gave me power." This wasn''t a conversation he nned to have before the fight was over. "It was he who bestowed upon me the dark power of Destruction when I was meant to die! He who made me into the Incarnation of Destruction! All of it was that bastard Vermouth,¡± shouted the specter. He charged at Eugene, each outcry seemingly dissipating the heavy lump of emotions that had weighed down his chest. "That bastard...! Even as I fought you, he continued to empower me. He taught me how to use the White me Form and the magic, no, powers...! Even how he fought in the past!" The specter continued his ravings. The specter was mostly filled with frustration and anger. He had been filled with hatred and a desire for vengeance when he was deceived by his fake memories. But once he realized his true identity, he could no longer harbor hatred or a desire for revenge. He was simply frustrated, sorrowful, and angry. Why him? Why was he made aware of the truth? If he had remained ignorant, he wouldn''t have had to ponder such matters. "I-I initially just wanted to kill you. I thought maybe I could rece you if I did. But it was impossible,¡± the specter admitted. The core of the specter''s identity was Hamel, who would never engage in such actions. The specter tried to find stronger assurance, so he met with Molon and watched Sienna from a distance. Afterward, he found himself able topletely let go of that desire. "I can never be you. It''s not about being fake or real. I am just me... and I can''t be you,¡± said the specter. Crack! A tumultuous array of colored mes burst from the specter''s demonic sword. With the specter beginning to wield the demonic sword, Eugene could no longer afford to swing the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Swords separately. Although he did not merge the light as before, the two swords formed a single line in their strikes. "I knew you wanted a war in Nahama, so I did as you wished. To give you a more legitimate cause, I even invaded the ck Lion Castle." The specter''s voice grew harsher as he continued. "I nned to act out the war. I had nothing to gain from this war. I would just go through the motions, then... then put you in the spotlight. And throw Amelia Merwin, that woman, at your feet!" ng! The colliding mes mixed together. "I just wanted to fight you...! I nned to die after a decent fight. I thought I would be content with that¡­¡± exined the specter. "Why do you have to die fighting me?" Eugene interrupted. He was the first to stop his sword. The abrupt cessation of the attack surprised the specter, causing him to halt its sword as well. "I''ve roughly got the gist of your situation, and if you''re not going to act like a total ass, I''m willing to ept you as an ally,¡± said Eugene with a tilt of his head. The specter¡¯s mouth hung open in shock after hearing his words. "Of course, you can''t just get off scot-free. Apologize to Molon and then kneel and beg at ck Lion Castle. Hey, but why didn''t you go see Sienna?" questioned Eugene. ¡°I went to see her secretly..." the specter admitted in a quiet voice. "Secretly? You sneaky bastard. You were spying on Sienna!" Eugene yelled again furiously. He raised the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword once more, and the specter instinctively flinched and stepped back. "I didn''t see anything... weird,¡± he said hastily. "Then I''ll forgive you. For now, let''s continue talking,¡± Eugene said, furrowing his brows and fixing his gaze on the specter. "Do we really have to fight each other? I consider myself quite rational, and after hearing your story... it seems like I don''t necessarily have to kill you.¡± "That''s for you to decide,¡± the specter responded. He calmed his stirred emotions and smiled. "My decision hasn''t changed. I am determined to kill you no matter what." "You said earlier you thought of dying in a fair fight,¡± said Eugene. "That was before I met the Demon King of Incarceration..." responded the specter. "Alright, then let''s talk about that now," Eugene said with a nod. "Why are you so intent on killing me?" "That is¡ª" "Don''t tell me you''re going to say something like, ''If you defeat me, I''ll tell you,¡¯¡± Eugene interrupted. The specter''s eyes wavered. "What if I identally kill you before getting the chance to hear your story because I couldn''t control my strength?" Eugene asked. "Why do you assume you''ll definitely win?" the specter questioned with furrowed brows. His expression mirrored Eugene''s. What an attitude! Eugene clicked his tongue and shook his head, saying, "Let''s say, for the sake of argument, that you could defeat me. Imagine you seed in killing me. But what if you also lose control of your power in the process¡­?" "There''s no need to waste words on someone who''s going to die anyway,¡± the specter countered. "That''s where you and I are different, bastard. I''m willing to have this conversation even though I n to kill you. Isn''t that right?" Eugene cursed once more. The specter had noeback. "Don''t be so stubborn pretending to have a deep story. Just spit it out. We''ll talk and then decide what to do afterward," Eugene continued. "What do you mean to do afterward?" questioned the specter. Eugene looked at the specter as if he was an idiot to ask the most obvious question. "Fight." The specter looked confused. "What''s with that look? Whether I decide to kill you or not will depend on what I hear, but that''s apletely different issue from the fight," said Eugene. His anger had yet to fully dissipate. Chapter 484: Flame (5) Chapter 484: me (5) ¡®What the hell is this guy talking about?¡¯ the specter thought uncertainly. Honestly, Eugene''s actions were iprehensible. Anyone else would think so as well. Just moments ago, Eugene and the specter had been trying to kill each other. It wasn''t just for show, either. Both of them had been giving it their all. The attacks they unleashed on each other were so sharp and precise that even a graze could have led to a fatal blow. They fought to kill each other, and they had been motivated by sufficient emotions as well. ...Had it been sincere? Even if it wasn¡¯t necessarily true for the specter, Eugene must have been serious. The specter recalled Eugene¡¯s intense murderous intent. There was no reason for Eugene not to harbor such feelings toward the specter. The specter was sure that Eugene must have resolved to kill him from the moment he reached the royal pce or even before he descended into the city. And yet, Eugene now showed no intent to kill. Despite his frustrated and irritated expression, he did not charge at the specter like before. The Holy Sword and the Moonlight sword, which had been wielded with such deadly intent just minutes earlier, no longer glowed with their usual light. It was difficult for the specter toprehend such a change in Eugene¡¯s emotions, and yet¡­. "Haaa¡­." With a long sigh, the specter ultimately conceded and came to an eptance. It was absurd, iprehensible, even. Some might consider Eugene¡¯s behavior abrupt and emotional, but that wasn''t quite it. Eugene, or rather Hamel, had made the most rational decision under the current circumstances. But Eugene¡¯s decision wasn¡¯t one made out of sympathy for the specter. Did he feel any pity for the specter¡¯s plight? Perhaps he could find a drop or two of sympathy if he tried hard, but frankly, he didn¡¯t feel any sympathy for the specter at the moment.As long as the specter sought to kill Eugene, to Eugene, he remained nothing more than an enemy. Eugene was not so overly sentimental as to feelpassion for his foe. Ultimately, Eugene hesitated to kill the specter because of Vermouth. If the specter''s existence was orchestrated by Vermouth, it would be wise for him to sheathe his sword and delve into the matter before deciding whether to kill the specter. Perhaps he could reflect more on the specter¡¯s existence afterward and perhaps even feel a slightpassion. "That''s so like you,¡±mented the specter with a bitter smile. He could definitely follow Eugene¡¯s train of thought. The specter then sheathed his demonic sword. During this brief lull, Eugene finally took notice of his surroundings. ¡®It reminds me of where Raizakia was trapped,¡¯ Eugene noticed. They were in a rift in space. Eugene had a rough idea of how they arrived here. It was possible that they were flung into this ce due to the massive impact created by their swords colliding in the sky. With that thought, he felt a slight worry creep into his heart. ¡®Is everything okay outside? I hope we didn''t cause a massive disaster and got everyone involved.¡¯ As Eugene pondered such a thought, Anise¡¯s voice suddenly echoed in his mind, [Don''t worry, there''s no problem.] Startled, Eugene took a step back. ¡®Wh-what? How can you speak to me?¡¯ he asked. [It''s because the Light holds you dear,] Kristina responded. [We became connected just a little while ago. Have you not noticed?]mented Anise. A connection? Eugene nced at the Holy Sword in his hand. His connection with the Saints seemed to return once the Holy Sword¡¯s light was reignited. ¡®It''s not as clear as before,¡¯ Eugene observed. [It¡¯s probably to be expected, given the special nature of the space you¡¯re in. How does it feel?] ¡®It reminds me of the gap where Raizakia was and¡­ also has a feeling akin to the other side of Lehainjar. We must have gotten tangled up with the spatial magic that the bastard was using,¡¯ answered Eugene with a grimace. Still, it was fortunate that he wasn¡¯tpletely cut off from the outside world. Even if they were in a different space, as long as they were conscious of each other and connected, he could make his way out. ¡®So, is everything really okay outside?¡¯ asked Eugene. [There remains a deep, dark scar in the middle of the sky,] responded Anise. [Many were startled and fell to their knees at the loud noise, but no one was swept away by the aftermath and died,] Kristina added. [Hamel, that''s not what''s important right now. The army of the Nur is quite fierce,]mented Anise. [Lady Sienna is holding them off, but¡­.] Kristina trailed off. ¡®Is it that difficult?¡¯ Eugene asked, not quite fully understanding. Molon had defeated the Nur for over a hundred years. Eugene had seen Molon kill the Nur several times during his stay in Lehainjar, and it was never particrly difficult. The most troublesome aspects of the Nur were the ominous dark power they reeked and the poison they emitted upon death. [If it''s just a few, maybe. But the Nur here number over a thousand,] answered Anise. [I¡¯m not sure if they might be resonating among themselves, but our holy power can¡¯t do more than barely fend them off. Lady Sienna is reducing their numbers with her magic, but¡­] Kristina chimed in. "Tch." Eugene clicked his tongue in annoyance. Indeed. If they had no use besides rampaging mindlessly, they would not have been able to lead the vanguard as the true vassals of Destruction. Thinking back, even the divine army in the Age of Myth struggled quite a bit against the armies of the Nur without Agaroth personally stepping in. ¡®Just hold on for now,¡¯ Eugene told the Saints. [...Are you nning to talk to him?] ¡®Haven''t you been listening?¡¯ Eugene retorted. [We didn''t intend to eavesdrop. It just happened to be audible.] ¡®It''s fine. You all need to know this story anyway,¡¯ responded Eugene before looking up. A little distance ahead, the specter was staring at him with a dark glimmer in his eyes. "Are you done thinking?" Eugene asked. "I was waiting for your conversation to end,¡± responded the specter. "Ah, okay, our conversation is over, so now you can start talking," said Eugene. He took a casual stance and nodded perfunctorily. "Why do you have to kill me?" "Before leaving the ck Lion Castle anding to Hauria, I met the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± the specter started. It wasn''t to the specter''s liking that Eugene looked so half-hearted when he was about to tell important matters. But arguing over such trivial things with that man would prove futile and never-ending, so the specter continued his story without pausing. "After bing the Incarnation of Destruction and realizing I was a fake, I... went to the Demon King of Incarceration alone. I climbed Babel and¡ª" "What, you went to swear loyalty to him?" Eugene mocked with a jerk of his chin. The specter had intended to continue speaking calmly... but after hearing Eugene¡¯s mockingment, he became furious. His personality was ultimately derived from Hamel¡¯s memories, so he was bound to share some of Hamel¡¯s fiery temper. "Don''t talk nonsense. Why would I swear loyalty to that bastard?" retorted the specter. "Those monsters you brought, they were all under that bastard''s control, weren''t they? Who do you take me for, an idiot...?" said Eugene. "Why do you keep picking fights when I''m trying to tell you about the situation?" the specter used. "Picking fights? Did you just say picking fights? Hey, you bastard, shall we go over who started the whole thing from the beginning?" Eugene retorted while pointing usingly. The specter felt an intense urge to swing his demonic sword and chop off Eugene¡¯s using finger right there and then, but he managed to clench his trembling fist in restraint. Eugene felt a sense of satisfaction and lowered his finger as he observed the specter''s simmering anger subside. "So, what did you do when you climbed up Babel?" Eugene prompted, casually steering the conversation back to the beginning. It wasn''t exactly smooth, but Eugene didn''t consider it a problem for him to worry about. "I challenged the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± answered the specter. "Was he strong?" Eugene immediately asked. "It wasn''t even a fight. All my powers were futile in front of the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± the specter answered, then he paused for a moment, lost in thought. When he had challenged the Demon King of Incarceration, the specter couldn''t use Vermouth''s magic or the White me Form as he did now. He wasn¡¯t aspetent with the dark power of Destruction as he was now. Back then, the specter only relied on his massive pool of dark power and used techniques inferior to Eugene¡¯s. "If we fought now... I might not be defeated as easily. But I''m not confident. The Demon King of Incarceration is that overwhelming,¡± the specter admitted. It was a humiliating truth, but the specter had no choice but to acknowledge it. Eugene had never directly fought the Demon King of Incarceration. Therefore, he desperately needed the specter''s assessment now. Eugene judged the specter to be strong. He was infinitely stronger than Iris when she became the Demon King of Fury and likely stronger than the Demon Kings from three hundred years ago. Yet, the specter was utterly defeated by the Demon King of Incarceration. "I see,¡± said Eugene. The specter judged that he would still suffer defeat in a hypothetical battle against the Demon King of Incarceration in his current state. However, it didn''t matter. It was the specter who was defeated, not Eugene. Someday, Eugene would climb Babel and challenge the Demon King of Incarceration. By then, he would undoubtedly be far stronger than now and fully prepared for the challenge. "I actually wanted to die at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration, but he didn''t kill me. Instead, he spouted some nonsense about finding the answer to my existence by myself and kicked me out of Babel,¡± the specter admitted with a sigh. Shaking his head, he continued, "I sought that answer. I traveled the world, visited libraries, and crammed my head with events from the past three hundred years. I went to Lehainjar to see Molon and to Aroth to see Sienna." "Why didn''t you see Anise?" Eugene''s abrupt question made the specter furrow his brows and re at him. "Should I have paid tribute to Anise''s statue in Yuras¡¯ square?" questioned the specter. "Kristina is Anise,¡± said Eugene. The specter was struck with the information without any warning, and his eyes widened in shock. He was so startled that he couldn''t continue speaking and stepped back hesitantly. "Kristina Rogeris is... Anise? What nonsense are you¡­? Could it be¡­? Was Anise also reincarnated?" the specter inquired. "Not reincarnated. Her soul remained in this world and possessed Kristina,¡± Eugene exined. It was hard to understand even after Eugene¡¯s exnation, but it wasn¡¯t necessarily important to understand its logic. What mattered was that Anise existed in this era and was helping Eugene for the sake of the world. "...I see," the specter said. He felt aplex swirl of emotions. He thought of Hamel, who died alone in Babel, and hisrades who had stood before him. He thought not of betrayal, hatred, or revenge but the true emotions Hamel and hisrades harbored three hundred years ago. The specter could never truly possess those emotions, and he did not desire to covet those memories. But upon realizing that Hamel had been reincarnated, that Molon and Sienna were still alive, and even Anise, whom he thought was dead, still existed, he felt a slight tremor in his heart. He felt it all the more after realizing the truth. Finally, the specter said, "Being killed by the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± The conversation with Eugene stirred a slight tremor in the specter''s heart. If they could understand each other to some extent and their ultimate goals aligned, couldn¡¯t they perhaps enjoy peace for the time allowed? Could he not assist Eugene''s journey within his possible means? Couldn''t he, even in his current state, still contribute in some way? "Do you know what it means to be killed by him?¡± the specter asked. He dismissed the various desires born from the slight tremor in his heart. In the end, they were all petty ambitions. The specter gazed at Eugene with calm eyes. "Death, I suppose,¡± Eugene answered after a moment. That gaze made Eugene ufortable. Yet, it was still a relief that he could hold a real conversation with the specter. If it were the Demon King of Incarceration, he would have likely responded with cryptic answers before disappearing. "No, that''s wrong,¡± the specter shook his head. "Being killed by the Demon King of Incarceration means your very existence gets trapped by his power.¡± The specter continued, ¡°You have memories of your past two lives, so you must also know that this world was once destroyed by the Demon King of Destruction.¡± Eugene knew. The specter was referring to the Age of Myth when Agaroth and numerous deities lived. "Even as the Demon King of Destruction annihted everything, the Demon King of Incarceration survived. He experienced the destruction of the previous era. He wasn¡¯t erased and reborn, nor awakened to a past life like yourself. The Demon King of Incarceration simply... survived,¡± exined the specter. Eugene just listened to the specter¡¯s tale quietly. "He showed me directly," the specter said. The light touch of chains had resulted in a flood of information for the specter. He had seen some of the Demon King of Incarceration''s memories. It hade as a shock far greater than being pierced and shattered. He had allowed his head to explode because he didn¡¯t want to understand. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s memories had been horrifying and void beyondprehension. "It wasn¡¯t just once either. I can''t be sure of the exact number, but the Demon King of Incarceration... has witnessed the world''s destruction several times. Do you understand what I am saying? The Demon King of Destruction has already destroyed this world multiple times,¡± the specter continued. The world would be filled with countless corpses and deste cities. Waves would surge from somewhere. After the sea engulfed everything, leaving nond to tread upon, thend buried deep under the sea would rise to create continents. Life would begin anew. Mountains would rise, and rivers would form. Trees would grow, forming forests; grass would spread, creating fields. Somewhere, sand would umte to form deserts. "And the Demon King of Incarceration always survived,¡± said the specter. In the newly born world, thend where the Demon King''s castle was first built became the Devildom. "The Demon King of Incarceration moves on to the next era with the souls hemands. If you are contracted with him or killed by him, once your existence is trapped, you can never reincarnate,¡± the specter exined. Eugene''s face inevitably stiffened at those words. Humans offered their souls as payment in the contracts they formed with demons and Demon Kings. In other words, the majority of Helmuth¡¯s citizens were already deprived of reincarnation. Helmuth was an empire of souls deprived of the cycle of rebirth. But if this reincarnation wasn¡¯t limited to this era but extended to the next, and if souls captured by the Demon King of Incarceration were not freed even after the world was destroyed by the Demon King of Destruction, then¡­. "This era is special,¡± the specter said with a long sigh. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration also knows that this era is unique¡­. Why do you think it''s special?¡± "Because Destruction has been postponed," Eugene replied. "You are dodging the answer," the specter said with a bitter smile. He pointed at Eugene. "What makes this era special is your presence, a reincarnated individual. Eugene Lionheart. In your past life, you were Hamel, and before that, a God of War." Eugene remained silent, his expression sour. After a moment of silence, he said, "I''m aware the Demon King of Incarceration has witnessed several eras. He is present in the vague memories I have of my previous lives. So, why do you seek my death...?" Eugene¡¯s train of thought abruptly came to a stop as he was struck by a sudden realization. Eugene stopped speaking and red at the specter, prompting him to continue. "Just as the Demon King of Incarceration is focused on your uniqueness, so is Vermouth," the specter began. "I believe Vermouth¡­ wanted to end everything this time." Vermouth sought out Hamel, the reincarnation of Agaroth, and made him an ally. They roamed the Devildom together and defeated Demon Kings. ~ ¡ªIf you had been with us, there would have been no need to fight the Demon King of Incarceration upon reaching the summit of the Demon King''s castle. ¡ªMy primary condition was reaching that summit. If I could meet the Demon King of Incarceration''s true form there, that would have been enough. ~ It was a failure. Vermouth kept his deepest wishes hidden from hisrades. Eugene, as Hamel, never managed to guess Vermouth''s situation. All Hamel thought about was not wanting to hold back hisrades and not wanting a disgraceful survival. He desired a death befitting the deeds he had done. "Vermouth failed to achieve his goal three hundred years ago. But it wasn''t aplete failure. On the other hand, strategically, the failure back then might have been for the best,¡± said the specter. Eugene understood the significance behind the specter¡¯s words. In the three hundred years leading to his reincarnation, Sienna and Molon had grown stronger, and Anise''s soul had passed on to Kristina. And the reincarnated Eugene was iparably stronger than when he was Hamel. He had even awakened Agaroth''s memories. "You must not die by the Demon King of Incarceration''s hand now," the specter dered. "That''s why I intend to kill you. If you can''t surpass even me, if you die by my hand, you''ll never defeat the Demon King of Incarceration." After epting the truth shown by the Demon King of Incarceration, this was the only conclusion the specter came to. Vermouth ced his hope in Hamel, not in himself. Hamel of three hundred years ago didn''t know this, nor did the world. At that time, the Hero, the hope, was the Great Vermouth. But that was no longer the case in this era. "We can''t let the hope that is you be bound by the Demon King of Incarceration. If it''s impossible in this era, if you''re not confident in defeating the Demon King of Incarceration, and if you can''t even beat me." The specter red at Eugene, dering, "It''s best to end this world here." Chapter 485: Flame (6) Chapter 485: me (6) Eugene looked into the specter''s eyes. It didn¡¯t matter to him whether the specter had drawn the right conclusion or not. But deep down, Eugene believed that the specter hade to an absolutely wrong conclusion. The specter was mistaken. Furthermore, he had no right toe to such a conclusion. Even if it were truly impossible, it wasn''t the specter''s ce to challenge and judge that. Yet, Eugene didn''t immediatelysh out with insults. Despite feeling immense annoyance and rage, he restrained himself, merely clenching his fists until they ached. It was because he saw a definite resolve in the specter''s eyes. The specter had reached his decision based on his own clear convictions. Though Eugene had little desire to understand those convictions, he still respected them. If he changed his perspective on this matter and set aside his personal feelings, he could see that the specter¡¯s words weren¡¯t entirely wrong. If one died at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration, their very existence would be ensnared. It would be impossible for them to reincarnate even in the next era. Eugene didn¡¯t know what the Demon King of Incarceration did with the souls he captured, but regardless, being deprived of reincarnation was an unspeakably horrific fate. Eugene knew that his existence was intertwined with countless circumstances and factors. If Vermouth had note for him and reincarnated him, things might have been different. However, he was unique in his current existence because such things had taken ce, and as such, he could not waste his uniqueness in vain. Two reincarnations[1] had endowed Eugene with immense potential. If he could not fully awaken his potential in this era, perhaps it was better to look forward to the next world. But was that really true? Was it possible for him to realize his potential in the next era just by avoiding death at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration?¡®I don''t know,¡¯ Eugene realized. Ordinary people could not recall their past lives. Eugene was no different. During his life as Hamel, he never once recalled Agaroth''s memories. But being utterly deprived of potential was different from having a chance to look forward to realizing it better the next time. If he met his demise at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration, there would be no future opportunities, but if he died a different death, there was still a possibility for him to continue his struggle in the next life. After organizing his thoughts, Eugene let out a short sigh. However, he found that he still felt agitated. His emotions were riled up, and they weren¡¯t about to settle that easily. He gave a few more sighs while scratching his head. Anise and Kristina also remained silent. Was the specter''s answer correct? The Saints shared Eugene''s sentiments on this matter. However, they didn''t actively voice their opinions. This issue involved the fate of the world, and if Eugene sought advice, Anise and Kristina would offer counsel for Eugene. This would be true not only for the Saints but also for Sienna, Molon, and the members of the Lionheart family who shared Eugene''s many secrets. But they would only offer advice. The final decision could not be made by anyone but Eugene. It was because he was special. He had equally as much potential as the expectations that weighed heavily on him. "¡­Originally, you would have died three hundred years ago, and that would have been the end," the specter spoke up, his gaze fixed on Eugene piercingly. Eugene remained silent, his eyebrows furrowed at the overt implication of those words. The meaning behind them was clear: the specter was referring to the events at Babel three hundred years ago, regarding his encounter with Belial, the Staff of Incarceration. "It was a one-time opportunity, a unique exception for the Demon King of Incarceration to have released your soul. It seems he''s quite interested in you, but... he seems even more interested in Vermouth,¡± the specter added. "....." Eugene couldn¡¯t say anything to counter the specter. "It was because the opponent was Vermouth that the Demon King of Incarceration bothered to negotiate. Only Vermouth could have... made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± said the specter. Eugene recalled his first meeting with the Demon King of Incarceration in the desert at Hamel¡¯s tomb. ¡ªYour ancestor made an Oath in exchange for freedom, and now its end approaches. The wheel is about to turn again. ¡ªSomeday, a pact must be made again. Who will take Vermouth''s ce to make the pact and stop the wheel? He had not understood the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s words at the time, but he understood them now. "Now that Vermouth is not here, if you were to die in Babel, who do you think could make a pact to retrieve your soul? Sienna? Molon? Anise? Or Kristina Rogeris?" asked the specter. The specter chuckled bitterly and shook his head. "None of them can make a pact. The Demon King of Incarceration will not bother to make a pact with anyone other than Vermouth. Only Vermouth could negotiate a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration as an equal." "...And Vermouth made you the Incarnation. He passed on the White me Form, his magic, memories, all that stuff,¡± responded Eugene. "I can''t be certain why Vermouth did what he did. But... I can specte,¡± said the specter, thinking of Vermouth. Vermouth had been sitting on the scar that Agaroth left on the Demon King of Destruction in the distant past at the end of the Age of Myth. Though the specter did not hold a conversation with Vermouth, he had sensed Vermouth¡¯s emotions to a certain degree. Initially, there was loathing, andter...passion. "It seems Vermouth also wants to test you,¡± the specter said after a pause. No other conclusion seemed usible. Vermouth was bound by the chains of Incarceration, and he was sealed along with the Demon King of Destruction. He could not move freely. It was likely that Vermouth also had pinned his hopes on Eugene that he would eventuallye to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration and challenge the Demon King of Destruction. However, unlike three hundred years ago, Vermouth could not fight alongside Eugene. It would have been challenging for him to even assess Eugene¡¯s qualifications. Thus, he turned the specter into the Incarnation of Destruction. "I understand," Eugene finally spoke after a considerable silence. "I understand how you became what you are. I understand why you''re trying to kill me. But I absolutely cannot sympathize with your view." Vermouth wanted to test him as well? It was a terrible notion, but Eugene had to ept it. He knew that Vermouth Lionheart was just the sort to engage in such antics. "Well, of course, you would think so," the specter said with a smirk. Eugene clicked his tongue and red at the specter before saying, "I don''t particrly want to understand you, but I do have one more lingering curiosity. Don''t you think your approach is a bit extreme?" If the specter wanted to test Eugene¡¯s qualifications to ascend Babel and challenge the Demon King of Incarceration, was it really necessary to wage a hasty war just to test him? "I''ll give you the benefit of the doubt for getting thrashed by the Demon King of Incarceration and going on a rampage after learning too much. But now we''ve talked, right? Now that I understand the situation a bit, shouldn''t we start thinking differently?" Eugene suggested. "¡­Like what?" the specter asked. "Let''s put an end to this pointless war game for starters." Eugene red at the specter as he spoke, aware that battles were still raging outside. "You said it yourself. After meeting the Demon King of Incarceration, your perspective changed. Originally, you intended to y at war and then die by my hand... but now you say that''s no longer possible." Ultimately, the specter''s goal was to test Eugene. Could Eugene defeat the Demon King of Incarceration in battle? That was precisely the reason the specter was going all out against Eugene. Had Eugene not known the crux of the matter, he would have responded to the specter''s murderous intent in kind. But now that he understood, was there a need to continue fighting? Was there really a necessity for them to kill each other? The specter was powerful. Even if his power wasn¡¯t entirely his own, Eugene acknowledged him as a powerhouse. If the specter lent him his strength as Eugene advanced to Pandemonium and Babel, and even when fighting against the Demon King of Incarceration¡­. "It''s impossible,¡± the specter said before Eugene could speak. He continued while shaking his head, "The chains of Incarceration bind the Demon King of Destruction. My power is a mere by-product of the Demon King of Destruction, so it wouldn''t be much help in a battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. It might even hinder others or put them in danger. But your Moonlight Sword... might just work." The specter pointed to the Moonlight Sword, taking note of the dangerous blend of elements within its radiance. Its power was so potent that even he, as the Incarnation of Destruction, felt threatened by its ominous light. Eugene looked down at the Moonlight Sword in his hand. He knew to be careful not to get others swept up in his attacks when using the sword. The light it emitted was extremely dangerous and deadly. Just the Moonlight Sword alone might not pose a big problem. Eugene was even more adept with it than Vermouth was three hundred years prior, and he had even changed its very nature. But if the specter were to join the fray as well, Sienna and the Saints would have to struggle with all their might just to stay in the fight, or else they would face the danger of being evacuated forcefully if not careful. "If I fail to defeat you here and die," Eugene grimaced as he spoke, "What will you do afterward? Will you personally kill the others, too?" "It''s better to leave everyone with the possibility of the next era rather than just you,¡± came the answer. "And after that?" asked Eugene. He was no longer grimacing. Instead, all emotion had drained from his face, and his golden eyes had turned icy. The specter gave a dryugh and shook his head. "I''m dying,¡± admitted the specter. It was a sudden statement but one without a trace of falsehood. "Well, not quite¡­ death, but dissipation. Either way, it won''t be long before I''m gone,¡± continued the specter. "It doesn''t sound like you intend to take your own life,¡± Eugene said. "It¡¯s a type of dissipation thates regardless of my will. Isn''t that more fitting? The dark power of Destruction even leads the bound demons to self-destruct. And I''m not just bound by that dark power, but mixed with it,¡± answered the specter. The specter''s soul was created by Amelia, who gathered and mixed various souls to form it. His soul was blended with dark power and influenced by Vermouth¡¯s will, leading to his transformation into the Incarnation of Destruction. It was only natural that his existence wasn¡¯t stable. "You might say I¡¯m too extreme. But that¡¯s only natural. I have no choice but to be extreme. I am destined to dissipate soon, but that doesn''t matter. I should not have existed in the first ce. However, I do have memories, even if they are not originally mine, and the emotions thate with them. And after realizing all of it wasn''t truly mine, I''ve also developed new emotions,¡± the specter said. Eugene could understand. "What I ultimately want isn''t much different from your desire. I wish you would kill all the Demon Kings and achieve what couldn''t be achieved three hundred years ago. I want you to reach aplete, stable peace this time. Fulfill the silly future you and yourrades dreamed of in the Devildom. And... rescue that overly secretive bastard Vermouth and give him a good thrashing,¡± he continued. Eugene respected the decision the specter made. "If it can''t be achieved in this era, at least carry those aspirations into the next. That''s why I''ll use all my strength to kill you. If you''re weaker than me, you''ll never be able to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration," the specter dered. The specter had made the best decision he could in the current circumstances. In the end, he could not see the future. He had no idea whether Eugene would challenge the Demon King of Incarceration and win or lose. "You asked if¡­ there''s a need to continue fighting. You might think that way, but I can''t. To me, this world is myst. And even if I weren''t facing imminent dissipation¡­¡± Here, the specter paused. Eugene gripped his sword. Taking a breath, the specter continued, ¡°I shouldn''t be necessary in the battles you will face. You were the War God Agaroth, Hamel, and you are Eugene Lionheart, the Hero. You shouldn¡¯t need the help of someone like me.¡± The Holy Sword started to shine. "Right," said Eugene. The Moonlight Sword started glowing with pale moonlight. "Fuck off,¡± Eugene yelled. The sudden curse caused the specter¡¯s expression to stiffen. "Because I was Agaroth? Because I was Hamel? Because I am the Hero? Those aren''t reasons enough for me to make a resolution or be considered grand,¡± Eugene said. Dark mes started fluttering again. "Am I special? Yes, I am special. But killing demons, ying Demon Kings, saving the world¡­. Having such thoughts and resolutions aren''t exclusive to gods, heroes, or warriors,¡± he continued. He didn¡¯t like it. "If there''s no hope in this era, then wait for the next? What about those who fought and died three hundred years ago? What about those in this era who''ve resolved to defeat the Demon Kings?" Eugene questioned. He simply didn¡¯t like it. "I get that you''re desperate. I understand your decision isn''t entirely wrong. But I don''t like your decision, and I hate your attitude of talking about the next time. So, I''ll do as I please, just like you are doing what you please,¡± Eugene concluded. The mes around him fluttered like a lion''s mane, and the mes rising behind him formed a single wing. "Let''s stop testing the waters,¡± Eugene dered. He released the two swords. But neither the Holy Sword nor the Moonlight Sword fell or faded. The two des hovered in mid-air, and the light they emitted slowly began merging with Eugene¡¯s dark mes. "I¡¯ll stop holding back and really go for it. Let¡¯s end that too.¡± Eugene slowly raised his left hand. He pointed his fist towards the specter, slowly turned his fist so that the palm faced the air, and raised his middle finger. "If you want to kill me and test me, naturally, you should surpass my full strength,¡± Eugene dered. He allocated all the avable cards he had for a decisive win and to kill the opponent without a doubt. He could not reverse Ignition once it was activated. It wouldst for about 10 minutes, after which he would be hit with the recoil. He would be incapacitated, andbat would be impossible. He could draw the Divine Sword three times. He had drawn it once already, so he had two more swings remaining. The original n was to actively use the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword while recing Ignition with Prominence. In doing so, he could continue to battle and wear down the specter¡¯s strength. He would wield the Divine Sword when the specter was visibly weakened. He would fight with the active support of the Saints, and if the battlefield stabilized, with Sienna¡¯s support as well. He could not use Ignition unless he was certain of an absolute kill. Originally, Ignition was a finishing move meant to ensure the opponent''s death, with the readiness that failure would mean one''s own demise. The strategy to win would be to activate Ignition and deliver the final blow with the Divine Sword when the specter was at hisst straw, with the support of the Saints and Sienna. This had been Eugene''s form for victory. But now, he set his original n aside. What the specter, and by extension, Vermouth, wanted to see and test was Eugene''s full strength. The specter was dying. "The Divine Sword,¡± said Eugene. He pushed his right hand into his chest. "Ignition is next, so brace yourself,¡± Eugene said confidently. The specter couldn''t help but let out a hollowugh. Despite the dialogue aimed at understanding each other just moments ago, ultimately, nothing had changed. The specter appreciated this unchangeability. It meant that Eugene respected the specter''s decision. There was no time to express gratitude. The light of the swords wielded by the God of War and the Hero transformed into miracles through faith and reverence. His strikes cleaved the darkness in two. 1. The raws says 3 reincarnations, however, there''s only been 3 lives, and 2 reincarnations. Agaroth being the oldest life, Hamel and Eugene being the reincarnations... unless Agaroth was also a reincarnation. But we dont know anything about that so far... ? Chapter 486: Flame (7) [Bonus Image] Chapter 486: me (7) [Bonus Image] The light threatened to ovee him. The specter knew that Eugene had not used Ignition. However, that didn¡¯t mean the sword was any less lethal than powered by Eugene Lionheart¡¯s full power. In the first ce, Ignition was a technique that caused the Core to surge and break through the limit of mana output. The Divine Sword utilized a different form of power, and as such, using Ignition did not amplify the power of the Divine Sword. The crimson light of Eugene¡¯s Divine Sword was the essence of his special qualities and potential. It embodied the faith of the War God Agaroth and the reverence for the Hero Eugene Lionheart. The specter had experienced the power of the Divine Sword at the beginning of the battle. Like the miracle formed through the unification of the Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword, the Divine Sword could not be avoided once it was drawn. Moreover, the Divine Sword also carried the miracles of ying evil and certain death with it. That was the divine power of the arrogant and wild War God Agaroth. In the battlefields of the Age of Myth, Agaroth¡¯s opponents were mostly demons and Demon Kings, which was why the sword he wielded had to embody the divine will to cut through evil. However, the current form of the Divine Sword did not match the power wielded by Agaroth when he was at his peak. It was still iplete. While this deep-red sword light might transcend space and time, it could not truly reproduce the acts of evil ying and certain death in their fullest sense. Yet, having already been struck by the Divine Sword once before, the specter knew the power it carried. His personal experiences, as well as the intuition and instincts he gained from bing the Incarnation of Destruction, allowed him to thoroughly reassess the Divine Sword. This de of the Divine Sword was rough. It seemed to grind rather than cut. The edge of the Divine Sword was jagged and chaotic, like the teeth of a beast or a saw. As such, it left deep wounds in its opponents. Furthermore, it inflicted pain beyond a simple cut, simr to pouring and rubbing salt or shattered ss into the wound.¡®A curse...¡¯ the specter concluded as he moved. ¡®Resentment and venomous grudge¡­.¡¯ The anger, hatred, and murderous intent were carried through the eras and transformed Eugene¡¯s divine power into poison. This was not the divine power of Agaroth but the divine power of Eugene Lionheart. The faith umted in the Hero of this era, rather than the War God, was sublimated into divine power. ¡®It¡¯s unbefitting of the Hero.¡¯ The specter entertained such a thought as he watched the sword lighting closer. It was a sentiment shared by many who had seen Eugene¡¯s mes and strength. But though it may not seem fitting, Eugene¡¯s sword still cut through evil in a steadfast manner. No, rather, it ground them to shreds and tore them apart. In that sense, the current Divine Sword wasn¡¯t much different from Agaroth¡¯s Divine Sword. Eugene¡¯s Divine Sword was intended to kill demons and Demon Kings. Then, it should not be avoided. Strictly speaking, while the specter was not a Demon King, he was obstructing the Hero like one, and he intended to kill the Hero like a Demon King. When he first saw the Divine Sword, he had failed to respond properly, or rather, it had been impossible to respond. The Divine Sword could not be avoided, and as such, he had been stuck in a dilemma, wondering whether to defend against the attack or attempt a counter. The specter had ended up clumsilyunching an attack of his own, only for it to break instantly without any resistance. Now, there was no need to ponder between the two choices. The specter immediately grasped his sword. Various colors mixed together to create a chaotic-looking de formed from dark power. The specter utilized Vermouth¡¯s White me Form. The seemingly endless surge of dark power took the shape of mes, and the ominous power whipped around the specter like a lion¡¯s mane. The Divine Sword collided with the demonic sword. But unlike before, the demonic sword did not shatter in vain. The endless supply of dark power continuously repaired the de even as it was torn to shreds. ¡®It''s different,¡¯ thought Eugene. He noticed that the demonic sword itself was the same as before. However, the power it carried, the precision with which it struck, and even the specter¡¯s maniption of dark power were significantly better than before. Both Eugene and the specter came to a realization at that moment. ¡®I¡¯m getting stronger,¡¯ the specter thought. Was it because he was bing more ustomed to the power as the Incarnation of Destruction? Or was Vermouth providing him with more power? Did Vermouth want to test Eugene¡¯s limits that badly? The specter resolved, ¡®If that''s what you wish for, then I¡­.¡¯ The specter hadn''t yet reached the point of dissolution. He could still fight. He was firm in his resolve, and he was determined to use all of his power to kill Eugene. ¡®Try it,¡¯ Eugene challenged, his lips twisted with a mix of disdain and challenge. Vermouth, you bastard. ¡®If you, from whichever hole you''re hiding in, want to see how strong I am¡­.¡¯ There was no sound amidst the sh between the Divine Sword and the demonic sword, but their exchanges were causing a phenomenon. The space, a chaotic mix in the rift of dimensions, was disintegrating. The darkness thaty like a backdrop to their dance started to blend with divine and dark powers, and as a result, the space was beginning to be dyed with various colors. [Hamel...!] Anise screamed in horror. Eugene knew what she was worried about. However, he didn¡¯t cease his attack. Fwoosh! With a roar, the darkness vanished, leaving behind a void of pure white where Eugene and the specter stood alone. Craaack! The void split open, leading to another copse of dimensionalyers. Exiting could mean bing lost in an unknown dimension or being sucked into an unfathomable dark abyss. Eugene wasn¡¯t a fan of either oue. Just before the dimensionalyerspletely disintegrated, Prominence zed ck. He had not lost his connection to the outside world. He was still connected via the Light thread, and the mes of Prominence connected him with the Light of the Saints. He leaped. The scenery changed instantly. He was no longer standing in the disintegrating space. Instead, Eugene found himself back above Hauria. The first thing he saw was the scar in the sky. It bubbled as if it was boiling, then contracted before disappearing. He looked behind him. Hauriay in ruins. Where there had been some semnce of a city, now there was nothing. Thousands of Nur had trampled and demolished every building, ttening the area. Below him, there was no longer a distinction between buildings and streets. A horde of monsters were roaring and rampaging wildly. The Liberation Army stood in front of the rampaging monsters. Melkith stood out on the battlefield. Although she was a wizard, she wasn''t at the rear of the army but at the forefront, clearing the way. Lovellian¡¯s Pantheon was in full effect. He summoned numerous creatures from atop it to block the advance of the Nur. Gilead had dismounted his steed and was leading the White Lions, breaking through the summoned creatures into the ranks of the monsters. Cyan was right beside his father, and they were followed by Alchester, Ivatar, Aman, Ortus, and Ivic. Themanders were actively participating in the battle, and the wizards and priests continuously cast spells and prayers. The battle was in full effect in the sky as well. Knights on wyverns, pegasi, and summoned beasts were engaging in fiercebat with the Nur. The banners of Lionheart were visible, along with several others. Raphael held the reins of a giant pegasus while swinging his ymore to decapitate a Nur, while Carmen''s mes engulfed others nearby. Gion was seen rallying the knights, and Genos, too, charged at the Nur in his coat of red mes. Darkness flickered. It was the effect of the Demoneye of Darkness. Though Ciel¡¯s eyes were bloodshot from strain, she continued to unleash the power of her Demoneye. Eugene''s gaze shifted further back. The universe seemed to have opened up in the sky behind Sienna, and the space behind her was filled with the debris of copsed walls and buildings. Sienna had enjoyed using such magic even three hundred years prior. She would imbue mana into objects of mass and crudely hammer her enemies with them. The most renowned of these spells was Meteor, a spell considered the pinnacle of war magic. However, even an Archwizard couldn''t single-handedly bring down meteors from the distant sky. It was near impossible without the aid of other wizards or a magic circle that was prepared beforehand. But this was a limitation only for other Archwizards. Sienna could not be bound by the same restrictions. With her level of magic, she didn''t need to pull suitable meteors from the sky. If she needed a meteor, she could create one on the ground and enhance the impact it would create with magic to simte a cosmic fall. "You should at least say something when you''re leaving," Sienna grumbled, pouting. She waved her hand dismissively at Eugene. Eugene understood immediately. He was in the trajectory she was drawing with her magic, so she was telling him to dodge the attack. With a thunderous roar, a massive meteor crafted by magic left the makeshift universe. It traveled at a speed so fast that it merely cast a fleeting shadow on the ground. Not wanting to get entangled in the devastating attack, Eugene leaped high into the sky to avoid the meteor''s parabolic path. The meteor crashed amidst the Nur army. The massive object contained enough force to obliterate an entire city, and it was concentrated only on the Nur. But despite the meteor¡¯s immense power, the Nur weren¡¯t fully decimated. Their screams transformed into dark power and offset the crushing impact of the meteor. "These bastards are like cockroaches," Eugene muttered. These monsters were more obnoxious than the ones he had seen three hundred years ago or the demonic beasts he had just in a while ago ¡ª repulsive, hard to kill, and swarming in vast numbers. "Can''t you just clear them out?" Eugene asked. "I''d prefer not to repeat the same conversation," the specter replied, standing nonchntly on the opposite side of the sky. The demonic sword''s light was fading, but the mes around the specter were growing even more ferocious and ominous. "What, you are testing them as well?" Eugene asked mockingly. "You''re not going to march into Helmuth alone and climb Babel, are you?" the specter countered. "No reason I couldn¡¯t. At my current level, I could massacre even the high-ranking demons,¡± Eugene retorted with a scoff. The specter didn''t deny it. Among the demons in Helmuth, only Gavid Lindman and Noir Giabe could pose a threat to Eugene. "Are you nning to ignore the resolve of those inspired by you, the Hero, toe here?" the specter mocked. "You piece of¡­." Eugene''s face contorted, and his earlier smirk disappeared. The specter''s words were a twist on what Eugene had said earlier. He hadn''t expected his own words to be thrown back at him like this. [Trust in us,] came a voice. He wasn¡¯t sure whether it was Anise or Kristina. It could have been either of them. "We¡¯re living in a time when it¡¯s hard to even believe in gods. How easy do you think it is to trust others?¡± Eugene responded. [Please refrain from saying such sphemous words.] Eugene clicked his tongue, then shook his right hand as if dusting it off. Eugene¡¯s Divine Sword had disappeared. He could still draw it out onest time, but before that, he extended his right hand forward and slowly ced it on his chest, covering the area near his heart. The specterughed at Eugene¡¯s tant posture. "Are you doing as you warned you would?" asked the specter. "Yes,¡± came the response. Eugene''s fingers delved into his chest. His White me Form no longer harbored Stars. Instead, the cosmos had taken their ce. The ck mes began to surge, darkening to the depth ofplete darkness. Amidst the darkness, star-like twinkles blossomed, and thus, the mes transformed into the gxy as they enveloped Eugene. Eugene¡¯s White me Form had evolved, and he had awakened the Divine Sword. Since then, activating Ignition wasn¡¯t just about overloading the Core anymore. This gxy was the embodiment of all possibilities Eugene had reached through his past lives as Agaroth and Hamel. This wasn¡¯t a simple skill or a spell. Just like the Divine Sword, this was a miracle manifested by Eugene. "You prepare yourself as well," Eugene dered while immersed in the gxy. "Did you already know?" the specter asked, covering his heart with his right hand. "Noir Giabe and Gavid Lindman are watching us high above this ce in the sky.¡± "I didn''t expect them toe watch in person,¡± Eugene muttered without surprise. They were so high up that their presence was barely perceptible, but Eugene could feel them now. Noir was hiding in the Giabe Face, and Gavid was standing outside. "Noir¡­ knows you are Hamel. But Gavid doesn''t know you''re Hamel,¡± the specter said. "That idiot''s pretty clueless. In the first ce, I did hide my identity in front of him,¡± Eugene responded. "You''re not nning to hide anymore?" the specter asked. "Aftering this far?" Eugene responded with a mocking smile. The expanding universe that had been surging and swirling inside him came to a standstill. Lightning streaked across the stars, and the universepressed around Eugene. "I am¡­¡± Eugene began. There was no need to look up. Gavid would be looking down from the sky anyway. There was no need to shout it either. Gavid would be listening. "...Hamel,¡± Eugene said with a smile. With a mighty roar, Prominence soared high and pierced the sky, instantly reaching Noir and Gavid. In an instant, the shape of Prominence shrank rapidly and transformed. No longer was it a wing of ck mes; now, it was a wing formed from the dark blue and orange hues of the neb. It contained absurd power. Even the Demon Kings of three hundred years past would feel fear if they stood in Eugene¡¯s presence. But paradoxically, this overwhelmingly dominant power was also majestic and beautiful. Like the night sky illuminated by countless stars, the Milky Way created by flowing stars, or the auroras seen in the pr regions, Eugene now harbored a beauty beyond humanprehension. Crack. The specter''s fingers dug into his chest. His White me Form was the original version passed down to him from Vermouth. The White me Form, which was inherited by the Lionheart family for three hundred years, was designed by Vermouth to be suitable for his descendants. The original White me Form wasn¡¯t something that ordinary humans could practice because Vermouth¡¯s existence was anything but ordinary. The specter was no different. He was not human and was far from ordinary. If the White me Form inherited by the Lionheart family, the one Eugene learned, allowed one to shine like a brilliant star, then the star Vermouth harbored was a malevolent body. The beautiful white mes and the flowing mane of the lion were dyed the color of nothingness. When the specter¡¯s five fingers dug into the chest, the malevolent star went berserk. The doors to his Core were opened, and the dark power of Destruction poured out. No, to be more precise, the specter¡¯s Core became one with the Demon King of Destruction. The rampaging malevolent star became the specter¡¯s Core. If Eugene possessed an alien beauty, then the specter held an unknown ominousness. All sorts of colors mixed and zed in his mes, and once all the colors blended, the color of Destruction turned into a vacuous white. "Haha." The specter became submerged in the white mes. With one hand still on his chest, heughed. The omnipotence he felt now was iparable to when he recklessly caused his dark power to surge in the Samar Forest. "So this is how it feels,¡± the specter whispered softly while gazing at Eugene. With nebe as his wing and wrapped in gxies, Eugene still had his hand on his chest. Unlike theughing specter, there was no hint of mirth in his golden glowing eyes. But now, both Eugene and the specter felt the same thing. They were both certain that they could kill their opponent.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 487: Flame (8)

Chapter 487: me (8)

When Eugene Lionheart grasped his chest with his right hand, or rather, even before that, a thought crossed Gavid¡¯s mind. He observed the battle between Eugene and the specter, the flurry of precise strikes that split a single breath into hundreds or even thousands, and how he would deflect an attack at thest moment and control the opponent''s movements with his own. The techniques Eugene used were far more sophisticated and powerful than those of the specter. Gavid was familiar with all of Eugene¡¯s movements. Although they had evolved far beyond the forms he remembered, it wasn¡¯t hard for him to recognize where they originally stemmed from. He didn''t believe it. He thought it was impossible. Even when he set aside his emotions and thought about it rationally, he arrived at the same conclusion. So what if Eugene Lionheart was using Hamel¡¯s techniques? What was so strange about that? Hamel¡¯s techniques had been passed down in the Lionheart family. Then what about the fact that Eugene far surpassed the specter in those techniques despite the fact that the specter possessed Hamel¡¯s memories? It wasn¡¯t hard to figure out, either. Eugene Lionheart was a genius who was praised as the reincarnation of the Great Vermouth. It wouldn¡¯t have been impossible for him to develop the techniques he inherited as his own and further enhance them. However, Gavid had to ept what he didn¡¯t want to believe when he saw it. Even though it seemed impossible, there was no other exnation. What Eugene Lionheart was using wasn¡¯t something that could be passed down as a technique. Gavid thought Eugene might be drawing another de of strange light like before, but he saw no crimson light bursting forth from Eugene¡¯s chest. Instead, mes violently erupted from Eugene¡¯s chest, and his mana started to surge wildly. "...Ignition,¡± Gavid murmured in a trembling voice. How should he ept that Eugene Lionheart was using Ignition? Was there no other exnation than the absurd possibility that flitted through his mind? "I am." It came as a whisper from far below. Gavid''s ears, wide open, caught Eugene''s voice. Without realizing it, Gavid leaned forward and held his breath as he waited for Eugene¡¯s following words. "Hamel." He was stupefied by the deration. Kwaaaa! A ck wing formed from mes appeared in front of Gavid. The single wing pierced the sky, and Gavid felt dizzy and staggered backward. The wing in front of him resembled a sword of ck, burning me. "My goodness..." Gavid uttered, shocked. The deration alone had been enough to shock himpletely, but the power contained in the wing shocked him even further. It came to him as a different form of astonishment. Even a dragon might not possess mana as destructive and vast as this. Was this really a power allowed to a mere human? Was this a power that could truly be wielded by a human? ''No, it''s not just mana. There''s something else mixed in,'' Gavid realized. Before he could delve into the nature of that power, the wing shrank. But even though the wing disappeared before his eyes, the remnants of the power left by the me lingered in front of him. Gavid swallowed hard and looked down. The ck wing of me had now transformed into a neb-like shape as it fluttered behind Eugene. Even at that moment, Eugene was not looking at Gavid. Only Gavid was looking down at Eugene. ¡®...Looking down on him?¡¯ Gavid mused. Was that really the case? Gavid clenched his fist as he felt a chilling shudder. Although it was true that he was physically looking down on Eugene from this height, he couldn''t shake the feeling that he stood on equal footing, if not lesser, with Eugene in spirit. "...Hamel of Extermination," Gavid muttered under his breath. During his time three centuries ago, Vermouth Lionheart was revered by humans as the Hero and despised by demons as Vermouth of Despair. Alongside him was a band of madmen who went out to kill all the Demon Kings and conquer the Devildom. One particr individual had left a profound impression on Gavid among Vermouth¡¯spanions ¡ª Hamel of Extermination. Was it because he was strong? Certainly, Hamel was powerful, but not more so than Vermouth, nor had he been stronger than Gavid. Yet, Gavid had been fearful of Hamel. Their first encounter had been when Hamel and Sienna of Cmity came out for reconnaissance. Naturally, Gavid nned and attempted to kill them both on the spot. He had no reason not to take this perfect opportunity to reduce the enemy¡¯s forces. But he had failed. It wasn''t due to ack of power. If it had been merely about strength, Gavid was much stronger than Hamel and Sienna at the time. If it had not been for Hamel''s peculiar technique, Gavid could have killed them both effortlessly. Ignition. Hamel would ce a hand over his heart and induce a self-destructive, incredible surge in his Core. It was a technique of resolve, used with the determination to kill the opponent at all costs. It was a technique that would result in certain death for the user if they failed to kill the opponent. It was truly an incredibly foolish technique. Three hundred years ago, Gavid had been overwhelmed by Hamel, who had prepared to die in the battle. Despite being superior in terms of power, he was intimidated and was afraid of Hamel¡¯s murderous intent. That was why Gavid couldn''t forget Hamel. Gavid bore the nickname of de of Incarceration and dered himself a knight of the Demon King of Incarceration. Retreating from a human he perceived as being weaker than him out of fear and pressure was a humiliation he wouldn''t experience again in his lifetime. He had wanted to repay that humiliation in Babel. But he couldn''t. Hamel died before reaching the throne room of Incarceration. ''Reincarnation...?¡¯ Gavid questioned. The cycle of life, death, and rebirth was nothing special. But for Hamel to retain his memories through reincarnation and to reincarnate as a descendant of Vermouth and as the Hero, that... could not be a mere coincidence. Gavid mulled over Eugene¡¯s deration while grinding his teeth. The specter used Ignition at the same moment Eugene did. The specter shouldn''t possess a mana-infused Core like humans, but it still seemed possible for him to rampage. Gavid clenched his fist as he saw the mes of dark power pouring out of the specter. He saw the color of the mes and how they resembled that of the Demon King of Destruction. The specter¡¯s mes soon transformed into a vacuous white. After the shock came irritation and anger. "You...." Gavid said through clenched teeth. He began to understand things that had been iprehensible before. It had been utterly baffling for him as to why Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons, was so obsessed with Eugene Lionheart. He had questioned why she showed him kindness, and now he understood. Because of his strength? His good looks? There could have been numerous reasons for Noir''s favoritism towards Eugene, but even considering all that, her obsession and kindness had seemed excessive. But everything made sense if Eugene was truly the reincarnation of Hamel. Noir Giabe''s obsession with and kindness toward Hamel had been evident even three hundred years ago, and she never made an effort to hide it. She was even the only demon who mourned Hamel''s death in Babel by wearing a ck dress, signifying her mourning. Gavid gritted his teeth and turned his head. "Of course, you knew¡ª" His words, filled with irritation and anger, were abruptly cut short. Gavid was taken aback, and his eyes widened at Noir''s unusual expression. Noir''s purple eyes were bloodshot. Her lips, which she had chewed in thought, were torn and bloodied, and the marks of tears were evident on her cheeks. Moreover, tears continued to flow freely down her cheeks. But they weren¡¯t ordinary tears. Noir was shedding tears of blood. Her face, which was always stered with a deceitful smile, now bore no hint of joy. Gavid had known Noir for hundreds of years, yet he had never seen her wear such an expression. ¡°.....?¡± Gavid didn¡¯t know what to say. Why? Was it because Eugene dered himself as Hamel? It seemed Noir had known Eugene''s true identity for a while, so why was she showing such expression and emotion? ''Emotion?'' As Gavid thought this, he calmed himself and scrutinized Noir''s expression. He saw a mix of various emotions. Among them, one stood out prominently.... ¡®Despair?¡¯ Noir was aware that Gavid was watching her. She knew that her expressions and the emotions she disyed were iprehensible to Gavid. But so what? Right now, Gavid¡¯s gaze and judgment held no value to Noir. Her head was a mess. The throbbing pain she felt made it feel as if her head would burst at any moment. No, in fact, her head had already burst several times. Noir gasped for breath and turned her attention to her hand. She had prated her temple with her fingers and mashed her brain to a pulp. She clenched the fingers smeared with blood and brain matter. ''I know.'' She remembered too many unwanted memories. She saw monsters charging with horrific screams, people who stood unwaveringly against them. And from above, dominating the battlefield, boosting morale had been¡ª The throbbing intensified. Noir bit her lip again and licked the blood seeping from her torn lips. These were memories from a distant past. They belonged not to Noir Giabe but to another being. The scattered scenes began to connect. Noir gently caressed her cheek with her bloodied hand. She didn''t want to recall such memories. *** Eugene and the specter came to a mutual realization of a certain kill. The moment this thought struck them, they moved. The Moonlight Sword and the Holy Sword emitted different lights. A blindingly brilliant light enveloped the Holy Sword, while a grim, pale luminance wrapped around the Moonlight Sword. Using Ignition did not necessarily strengthen the Holy Sword, but both the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword were influenced by the amplification of Eugene¡¯s power through Ignition. It was because the power emitted by both swords was mixed with Eugene¡¯s mes. ¡®They are different from Vermouth¡¯s swords,¡¯ the specter realized. The Holy Sword had not been as radiant in Vermouth¡¯s hands, and the light of the Moonlight Sword had not been as intense. The specter paid attention to the light mingling with the Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword. These two swords were clearly influenced by Eugene, almost as if they were extensions of his own limbs. Could this transformation also be part of the ¡®uniqueness¡¯ that Vermouth noticed? ¡®Even if that may be the case,¡¯ the specter thought. His task remained unchanged. Despite having had a conversation, his decision did not waver. If anything, the discussion only solidified his resolve. Power surged from the Core connected to the Demon King of Destruction. The specter, too, grasped two swords. The moment he gripped the air, demonic swords burning in white appeared in his hands. Eugene vanished. Was it a spatial leap through Prominence? No, he was merely moving at an extremely high speed. Eugene didn''t need to use spatial leaps at this distance. Moving was faster for him than using magic to leap. However, the specter reacted in time. As the Incarnation of Destruction, his power was distinctly amplified as his dark power became more rampant. The surging dark power provided the specter with intuition on how to move before he could consciously decide. It wasparable to the divinity and intuitive insight of the War God. The pair of swords met in harmony. The beginning was mboyant and resembled a dance of swords, but the momentum shifted dramatically after a single sh. There was a flurry of shes. It was difficult, almost impossible, to track each other¡¯s movements by sense alone. They needed to foresee the future before even feeling the sh. They needed to predict how the opponent would swing their sword, how to counter it, how to deflect that counter, how to prate the following deflection, how to press on, and so forth.... The endless battle of wits continued within their minds. Even elerating their thoughts to stretch out reality felt insufficient. During a single sh, dozens of confrontations were alreadyputed in the minds of Eugene and the specter. ¡®I see it.¡¯ It wasn¡¯t in the literal sense, for relying on sight to judge was too slow. Yet, at that moment, Eugene felt as if he could see it. His eyes emitted a divine light. He was no stranger to battle. If one were to trace back the karma entwined with his soul, he might have experienced enough wars to grow weary of them. In fact, the divinity that Eugene possessed was born from those very experiences. In battle, he was undefeated; in war, he was ever victorious. Thus, now, Eugene''s intuition illuminated the path to victory inbat. It transcended theputations of thought. Eugene let his instincts guide his sword, knowing even a moment of hesitation would only block the way. Even if there seemed to be nothing in the direction he was stabbing, he proceeded. And as if drawn to it, the specter found himself in the path of the thrust. The tip of the Holy Sword extended like a spear of light, piercing through the specter''s shoulder and causing it to disintegrate. Yet, the specter did not halt. White mes pushed back the light of the Holy Sword. Rumbleee! A massive explosion followed. Dark power spewed like blood from the specter¡¯s disintegrated shoulder, fueling the me around him even further. Almost half of the city¡¯s sky was engulfed in the specter¡¯s white mes. These mes then transformed into a colossal sword,rge enough to bisect the city in a single strike. But its size was an underestimation of the sword¡¯s power. There was enough power contained in the sword to split an entire nation. The giant sword moved as the specter twisted his waist and sliced the sky. At the same time, Prominence emitted light. There was a sh from the neb, unleashing hundreds of Eclipses. Despite the barrage, the demonic sword''s advance was unstoppable. Eugene raised the Moonlight Sword while gritting his teeth. Rumblee! A fierce lunar light mixed with the cosmos. The de of the Moonlight Sword could no longer be considered mere moonlight. The universe that enveloped Eugene extended into the sword. The Empty Sword also became involved, and the mes, amplified by Ignition, started to ovep. In an instant, the Empty Sword was formed as a dark mass after being activated to its full potential. It was significantly smallerpared to the specter''s demonic sword, but size alone did not determine strength. The more refined concentration of power, coupled with... Prayer. ¡®Makes it stronger,¡¯ Eugene dered inwardly. Eugene''s prayer transformed into a miracle. Eugene¡¯s limit with the Empty Sword had been fiveyers. Any more beyond that was deemed impossible because the form of mana would copse. Yet now, a miracle born from Eugene''s prayer added anotheryer to the Empty Sword. The mana''s copse was sustained by a miracle, and the sparks coalesced. A sixyered Empty Sword. It didn''t growrger but became thinner as theyerspressed onto the de. With a crackling sound, the Moonlight Sword burned ck and bisected the demonic sword. Chapter 488: Flame (9)

Chapter 488: me (9)

Most of those still in the city could not be called ordinary. They hailed from the most renowned knightly orders and mercenary bands across the continent, including the Samar Rainforest, the magical towers, and monasteries. They were among the top talents of the knights, mercenaries, warriors, wizards, and priests. Not every single one of them was necessarily a prodigy or genius, but it was still undeniable that everyone on the battlefield was extraordinary. Yet none of them couldprehend the phenomenon unfolding in the sky. Even those geniuses whose talents far exceeded ordinary bounds were at a loss. The sky continued to flicker along with thunderous booms. They could barely see figures whizzing by, and stars bloomed in the darkness as if the night sky had descended. Then, everything suddenly turned white, and bizarrely shaped lightning streaked across the sky, leaving a trail behind. All of this happened within mere seconds. What they saw was too surreal to be the work of humans. But they had no choice but to believe, for the iprehensible phenomenon continued in the sky. Below the phenomenon, those engaged in battles with winged Nur in the sky could not help but shudder at the sight above them, despite their best efforts to ignore it. It was like silent thunder ¡ª for what else could describe such a force brushing past overhead? The fighters felt incredulous power flitting over their heads. Pegasi and wyverns, among other monsters, had their fear temporarily suppressed through holy and magical means, allowing them to confront the ominous monsters. This was necessary not only to engage the Nur but also because the battle raging above in the higher skies would instill a greater terror in the monsters. ¡®The hero...?¡¯ Raphael thought as he looked up. Even the Crusader, who was more stunned than his usual boldness, could not help but flinch. He was even secretly envious of Apollo for having been stripped of fear. Raphael forced his trembling hands to grip the reins tighter as he wondered, ¡®Is it appropriate to call him just the Hero?¡¯ The sh of the colossal forces caused the sky to light up as if the God of Light had personally descended. The sight overwhelmed Raphael. The difference he felt was... palpable. Although he had long known the difference between him and Eugene, he thought that the gap between them had widened even further. Eugene Lionheart was the chosen Hero of the Light, and he was fit to be called the Incarnation of Light. Even so, he should still be human. Yet, he no longer seemed human. ¡°A god?¡± Raphael unwittingly uttered. What other words were befitting to describe an existence transcending humanity? Was he fit to be called anything other than a god? Yet, such acknowledgment was forbidden. Raphael Martinez was a holy knight entirely devoted to the Light. Although he knew that he was a fanatic, he never once found his zeal shameful or harbored any doubts about it. There were many different faiths across the continent, but only the worship of Light was absolute, singr, and true. It should be so.... Yet, now, Raphael felt a different kind of faith towards Eugene, one not rted to the Light. It was a sacrilegious feeling. In this world, all gods other than the Light were heretical. That was what he had believed all his life.... Raphael exhaled shakily and drew the cross in the air. But he wasn''t the only one feeling this way. Devout priests and pdins, all ardent believers in the Light, felt a different kind of faith in Eugene. They felt a different kind of faith in the Hero as he stood against a Demon King in the sky. ¡®Have I been blinded?¡¯ The thought shed through Raphael¡¯s mind, but it didn¡¯t take long for him to arrive at a conclusion. He swung his ymore with renewed vigor. Despite harboring such sphemous, heretical thoughts, the light epassing his sword remained as radiant as ever. The divine power bestowed by the Light did not wane. If anything, it felt brighter than before. ¡°Ah...!¡± Raphael eximed while gazing at the sky. He didn''t need to check the fallen bodies of the Nur. The ominous aura they emitted could no longer obstruct the light. With a prayer in his heart, Raphael searched the dazzling sky for Eugene''s figure. ¡®This is not heresy.¡¯ Raphael knew this to be true in his heart. He wasn¡¯t greeted with any divine revtion, but he was certain in his fanatic belief. Eugene Lionheart could never be a heretic, even if he went beyond being the Hero and dered a new faith. How could he be when the Light, the parent of all, birthed and acknowledged him? To denounce such divinity as heretical would be the true sphemy against the Light. With this conviction, Raphael epted his faith in Eugene and resolved to dedicate his sword to him as he had to the Light. Dedicate his sword to Eugene? "Haha....¡± Raphaelughed at the resolve that had just formed. "Would he even need my sword?¡± Eugene¡¯s sword had cleaved through a dark light ¡ª or rather, the demonic sword. Sparks flew as metal shed with metal. However, they were formed from the sh of dark power with moonlight, and they left streaks in the sky, which were then engulfed by a brilliant light. The Holy Sword of Light, Altair, shone brighter than any star of the gxy enveloping Eugene. The brilliant light from the Holy Sword contrasted strongly with the dim light of the Moonlight Sword. It was truly a beautiful and reverent sight. That was how it looked on the surface, but Eugene¡¯s internal state was far from beautiful or reverent. Eugene spat out blood while cursing in a way he wouldn¡¯t in front of any others. The miracle he willed into existence had sliced through the demonic sword, but the iplete miracle had its recoil on Eugene as well. The taste of blood filled his mouth as it refluxed from his stomach. The hand holding the Moonlight Sword tingled as if he was being electrocuted, and for a moment, he felt a void in the universe within his chest from Ignition¡¯s surge. Such was the power coursing through him. Even after using Ignition and supplementing thecking parts with a miracle, his body protested. But soon, thanks to the light that washed over him, the creaking subsided along with the crushing pain. Eugene wasn''t the only one tasting blood. [Mother....] On the other side of the sky, Raimira called the Saints. She seemed restless, and the light surrounding Raimira had noticeably diminished in intensitypared to before. "It''s alright," Kristina said as she wiped the blood dripping from her lips with the back of her hand. She chose not to turn around. She didn''t want to show her bleeding state. But even without looking back, she knew what state the others were in. The priests of Graceful Radiance had divine relics imnted in their bodies, and each of them was worth a hundred regr priests in terms of the Light they carried. However, they were no longer able to manifest as much light as before. It was an inevitable oue. Though the battle hadn''tsted long, they had expended immense power in the short period. Fortunately, no one had died, but some among them would not be able to join the uing holy wars. [Whether it was three hundred years ago or now, it seems nothing has changed,] Anise''s voice emerged amidst the throbbing of the Stigmata. [As the Saint, I never understood the will of the divine, the will of the Light, until the very end. It was the same even when I died and became an angel.] Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself transformed into an angel. But bing an angel didn''t mean she roamed paradise; Anise simply existed as an angel. Kristina had felt the will of the Light before. It hade to her as a revtion. But was that truly the absolute will of the divine? Even now, she couldn''t be certain. It was just... perhaps the revtion was merely a pretext for being pushed into action. Appearing in Kristina''s dreams, guiding her to Eugene, leading them to the Samar Rainforest, leading her to meet Sienna, and at the Fount of Light.... Was all of that truly the will of the Light? Strictly speaking, weren''t those all influenced by Anise''s own desires? Anise swallowed hard as her imagination began to take form. One thing was clear. She had been the same since three hundred years ago. She may have sphemed the light, but she never denied its existence. But now.... [Kristina, give me your hand,] Anise said, forcibly cutting off her turmoil. Yet, Kristina remained unshaken even after sensing Anise¡¯s turmoil. For Kristina Rogeris, the existence of Light was no longer of paramount importance. She was rescued at the Fount of Light. She watched fireworks with Eugene, received a ne as a gift, and ever since that day.... The swelling admiration and affection made Eugene shine brighter than any light for Kristina. ¡®Yes, Sister,¡¯ Kristina replied as she stretched out the hand marked with the Stigmata. Anise also extended her hand in spirit form. Zap. Eugene stowed away the dimming Moonlight Sword and gripped the Holy Sword with both hands. The Holy Sword now shone more brilliantly than when Vermouth had wielded it. Light was pouring in. He could feel a light from a different source imbuing the sword. The light came from Raimira¡¯s back, from the Saints and the Graceful Radiance. This was... A foolish act. Even Eugene himself thought so. Anyone would curse him and call him an idiot for his actions. "I know," Eugene said with a hollowugh while raising his hand. Crackle. The connection between the Saints and Eugene, woven by light, began to fade. [Sir Eugene?] [Hamel, you idiot...!] Kristina called out in confusion, not fully grasping the situation. But Anise, having experienced Hamel for decades, immediately realized what Eugene was nning to do. She realized why he would resort to such an action as she cursed. ¡®For others, not me,¡¯ Eugene quickly added before the connection waspletely severed, knowing well the kind of profanities he''d hear otherwise. Soon after, the link to the saints was fully severed, and Eugene was no longer empowered by the powering from Raimira¡¯s back. "You...." The specter looked at Eugene with an expression of utter iprehension. "What on earth have you done?" He was baffled by Eugene''s decision to sever the connection with the Saints. This wasn''t just about Eugene no longer receiving power from them. Despite being the Hero and the reincarnation of the War God, Eugene was still human. Humans were unable to fully handle the power they possessed, and they were prone to sumbing to its bacsh. They were capable of wielding forces that could obliterate cities, yet susceptible to fatal injuries from the slightest touch of such attacks. This was why the support of priests was essential. It was the same three hundred years ago. Vermouth, Hamel, and Molon could confront the Demon Kings head-on because Anise supported them even while bleeding profusely in the background. Despite suffering broken bones, severed limbs, or ruptured organs, Anise''s immediate healing allowed them to continue the fight. Eugene had been acknowledged by the Light. He could wield the Holy Sword and draw upon divine power. However, he wasn¡¯t particrly skilled in divine magic. While it wasn¡¯t impossible, his abilities in this area significantlygged behind those of the Saints, the experts. To put it bluntly, it was inefficient. It would be ideal for Eugene to channel all his divine power into offense and leave healing and other support to the Saints and priests. But now, Eugene had cut off all such support. Why? The specter couldn''tprehend it. He acknowledged Eugene''s strength; they had battled fiercely, and he had been pushed back. He couldn''t deny that power. But without the Saints'' support, the specter would undoubtedly win if Eugene¡¯s focus wavered even slightly in the intense battle and if he got struck even once. Victory would be inevitable for the specter. "I don''t think a victory achieved with help is worthless,¡± dered Eugene. Victory was simply that, regardless of the means. The same idea held true for war. "That bastard Vermouth also killed the Demon Kings with our help three hundred years ago,¡± continued Eugene. He had been unbelievably strong for a human, and looking back, it made sense that he probably wasn¡¯t just a human. But what did that matter? In the end, Vermouth killed the Demon Kings with hisrades. "And I''ll continue to do so,¡± said Eugene. "But not now." Was it because of pride? That was partially true, but it wasn¡¯t the whole reason. Eugene had a reason for cutting his connection with the Saints and not receiving direct assistance from Sienna as he had in past battles with the Demon Kings. Was it because he was alone? "There''s no need for next time. I can end it in this era." The extent of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s power was unfathomable. Eugene could not afford to be reckless as now in a battle against the enigmatic Great Demon King. It was possible that even all of his power, along with borrowed strength, might not suffice. If he could not defeat the specter, challenging the Demon King of Incarceration would lead to a predictable oue. There''d be no variables. That was why he had to finish this battle alone, without the aid of the Saints. He felt that he had to win by himself without Sienna¡¯s support and without calling upon Molon. He needed to be strong, even more so, given Vermouth¡¯s absence. ¡®I need to be stronger,¡¯ Eugene resolved. Ignition was still active, and honestly, Eugene didn''t feel anyck of power. He still remained confident in being able to deliver a sure kill. "I need to make sure I can experience that certainty, and you can die without any regrets... it has to be done by me alone, without any other help," Eugene dered with a cold smile while holding the Holy Sword aloft. "I''ve decided on that, so you''d better recognize it,¡± he dered. What about the fact that he had been receiving healing assistance from the Saints until now? That was hardly something to quibble over. He was battling an entity with an undying vitality, one that wouldn''t die easily. Severing the connection with the Saints was a handicap he didn''t necessarily need to impose on himself. "You''re insane," the specter couldn''t help but blurt out. He knew this was a mad act, a foolish move without any need. "You''ll regret this.¡± Eugene didn''t respond but gripped the Holy Sword tighter with both hands. Even after cutting off the connection with the Saints, the Holy Sword shone brilliantly as he pointed it towards the sky. At that moment, both Eugene and the specter were struck with the same gut feeling. The end of the battle was near. Twilight would soon fall for one of them. Chapter 489: Flame (10) [Bonus Images]

Chapter 489: me (10) [Bonus Images]

Demon Kings were nearly immortal beings; they weren¡¯tpletely immortal, but they didn¡¯t die easily either. They would survive numerous killings. Moreover, physical attacks hardly affected them. Even Molon, with his brute strength, couldn''t directly impact the soul of the Demon Kings by merely smashing their heads since they possessed a near-infinite pool of dark power and a simrly powerful soul. To kill, or rather, obliterate a Demon King, it required an attack that directly damaged their soul. The most fitting method was to purify them with divine power. Alternatively, it was also possible to cut through the dark power and the soul of Demon Kings with an even more powerful attack, like one from the Moonlight Sword. Though slightly less efficient, it was also possible to damage Demon Kings with high-level magic that could affect the dark power of the Demon Kings or cut them down with sword-force. It was possible to kill a Demon King with any of these methods as long as they were persistently applied. However, unlike humans, it was difficult to discern when a Demon King was going to die, even as they neared death. There were still signs that betrayed a Demon King¡¯s weakening, including a weakening flow of dark power, the shift from aggressive to defensive tactics, emotional overdrive, or, conversely, excessive calmness. Such signs were helpful in gauging how close a Demon King was to death. Eugene had employed such methods when fighting Demon Kings three centuries ago. But it was different now. His eyes were imbued with divinity, and he could clearly see the end of the Demon King, the specter. ¡®I can see it.¡¯ He thrust the Holy Sword twice, each strike tearing through space with the force to split it entirely. He wielded the Moonlight Swordyered with six stacks of Empty Sword. Even before that, he had shed the specter multiple times with both the Moonlight Sword and Holy Sword. Any ordinary Demon King would have already perished after taking such attacks. However, the specter could not be called ordinary by any means. In the first ce, he wasn¡¯t actually even a Demon King. The specter had said it himself. He was dying. The end was near. He was an iplete existence, an imperfect vessel. The destructive dark power of Destruction, which filled and distorted him, was causing him to self-copse. Eugene had seen this happen multiple times before. Jagon had been a prime example. He was a young beastfolk strong enough to earn himself the nickname the Beast of Ravesta, and he was seen as a demon who might have even ascended to the Demon King¡¯s throne someday. However, Jagon could not withstand the dark power he summoned and self-destructed at the veryst moment. Alphiero, the leader of Ravesta¡¯s vassals, exploded like a mosquito when he was overwhelmed by the surge of dark power without even having a chance to regenerate. The specter was drawing dark power beyond the extreme limit of his existence, beyond the threshold of his existence. Moreover, he had caused his Core to rampage with Ignition, and he had already recovered from death dozens of times. As a result, his predestined end was arriving much sooner than expected. Eugene could see that with his eyes. He could see the specter¡¯s Core gradually copsing due to Ignition¡¯s frenzy. Even without fighting, the specter wouldn''tst the day. Eugene made some rapid calctions, ¡®The remaining time is....¡¯ It wasn¡¯t plentiful. No matter how resilient he became or how far his White me Form evolved, handling greater power only led to a greater bacsh of Ignition. If the specter had half a day left at most, Eugene only had a few minutes left to fight. "That''s enough," Eugene said. He nned to end it while Ignitionsted. That was the only choice he had since he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight any longer once Ignition ended. What about the Moonlight Sword? Could he wield it again in the remaining few minutes? It was just wishful thinking. He had already expended enough energy for hundreds of attacks in one go. But he didn¡¯t necessarily need the Moonlight Sword. Unlike when Vermouth wielded it, Eugene''s Holy Sword had the potential to take the head of a Demon King. The prolonged contemtion was cut short, and reality came crashing down. The specter was equally resolved to deliver a fatal blow. Despite the eleration of his Core''s copse with each extraction of dark power, the specter didn''t care. He would kill. He would win. He would end it. His resolve was once again forged and tempered. Eugene faced the specter while holding the Holy Sword upright. A line of light was drawn in the air. It was a straight sh drawn top to bottom, a straight, vertical line. The line of light was thin enough to be called a streak, but it spread instantly and covered everyone¡¯s field of vision. But the specter wasn¡¯t engulfed by the light. White mes danced in the specter¡¯s grasp, and the spreading void countered the light. Swords shed. There was no sound of metal on metal. Instead, both Eugene and the specter heard the trembling of souls. Light scattered, and mes fluttered. Eugene twisted his body to avoid the remnants of the specter¡¯s attack. The shattered remains of the attacks were still deadly if he made contact. He hadpletely severed the support from the Saints. He didn¡¯t have his ring either. Was there a means for him to instantly heal his wounds? It could be worth trying to consciously use healing magic, but... ¡®No,¡¯ Eugene decided. The source of Eugene''s divine power was the Holy Sword, Altair. The sword was meant to sh. It was arrogant of him to consider healing himself when he should be fullymitted to shing his opponent to death. If that were the case... ¡®I can see it.¡¯ He could see too clearly. He knew he wouldn¡¯t be hit by the debris of the attacks, that they would not touch him, and that he would not be swept away. He found himself guiding the Holy Sword in a swirly path. Light created countless reflections in space like a mirror and erased the numerous fragments of Destruction. Eugene took a single step. Though the mind perceived it as such, Eugene traveled a huge distance. Crack. Once again, a sound of soul trembling, or rather, cracking, resonated. Was it from shing so many times? Was it from repeatedly using a power too overwhelming for a human to handle? ¡®That might be the case,¡¯ Eugene decided. He could feel that the specter¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t much different from his own. Just as the specter¡¯s Core was copsing from channeling an overwhelming amount of power, Eugene¡¯s body was being destroyed by the overwhelming power. Just as Hamel''s body was ruined by the side effects of Ignition and led to his death, Eugene, too, was gradually tilting towards that end. "No," Eugene said firmly. This was different. He denied the sensation. The divinity embedded in his thoughts provided a clear answer. This wasn¡¯t a power that was impossible for him to handle. Instead, it was a power that was difficult for him to handle. Even though only a single word was changed, the meaning waspletely transformed. Eugene¡¯s body would not copse. He would surpass the extreme. He would cross the line of death. He held onto his crumbling body with his willpower. He was forcibly twisting open a path that didn¡¯t exist. He was illuminating the crushing dark power with light. He moved to avoid being devoured by death. He felt an intense heat rising from the bottom of his heart. His body and soul seemed to be burning, but they didn''t turn to ash. His body emitted a creaking sound, and there was the sound of his soul shattering. A crack was formed as a result, and it was filled with light. His existence was reforged anew. He heard a sound. He heard a cacophony of sounds, not those of Destruction, but of a different nature: voices ¡ª an overwhelming chorus of prayers. They were acmations for the Hero. "Eugene Lionheart." The call was familiar, not strange in the slightest. He had been familiar with this sound three hundred years ago, and he was familiar with it now as well. But the sound infused in this moment bore ¡ª desire. Thousands were looking up at Eugene in the sky. The continent''s renowned knights, warriors, mercenaries, wizards, and priests held Eugene''s name close to their hearts. Eugene Lionheart. He was a descendant of the Great Vermouth and a member of the most prestigious family of warriors, the Lionheart family. Rumors about him were bound to proliferate from an early age. He was born into a coteral line of the Lionheart family. He bore the core traits of the Lionheart family: gray hair and golden eyes. However, Eugene¡¯s family was far removed from the main branch¡¯s authority. It was considered one of the more marginalized, backward branches. Still, he was the first of the coteral lines in the three hundred years of Lionheart history to win the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. It was also the first time a member of the coteral line was adopted into the main family and inherited the White me Form. Eugene had led a life of breaking norms from a young age, and his story quickly became a topic of interest across the continent. The man who captivated everyone¡¯s attention from a young age became the Hero. Despite being young, he had already inscribed his name in history, and his name was destined to be a legend or a myth. Even now, the attention was focused on him. Everyone would give his name if asked who was leading, guiding, and ending this war. Thus, everyone held Eugene''s name in their hearts. They shouted, cheered, and yearned for the defeat of the Demon King, the end of the war, and victory. "Go forth." He had heard the same words when he broke the barrier and climbed over the wall. The words were the same, and the mission remained unchanged. He moved forward, fulfilled their wishes, and responded to their prayers. Crack. He had severed the support of the Saints. He could not share the burden of the massive power with anyone else. Eugene remained in a precarious state, without means to heal his wounds. Yet, he momentarily felt liberated from the overwhelming power. It was only a fleeting moment of freedom, but he didn¡¯t miss it. He took a step, or rather, stepped far beyond. Eugene''s existence moved forward in such a fashion. He wielded the Light. Roaring mes blocked the Light, which seemed eager to consume everything in sight. However, the dark power failed topletely intercept the Light, which advanced forward without being pushed back or scattered. Crack. The sound of something breaking followed immediately after. Eugene saw the trajectory of the Holy Sword. There were fragments fluttering in the air, and they were not of light but actual shards of the de. As Eugene continued to swing, the Holy Sword broke apart. However, that was only how it appeared on the surface. Even as the metal de crumbled, the light did not extinguish. Instead, the light began to burn more intensely. Eugene wasn¡¯t confused by the situation. Now wasn¡¯t a moment to harbor doubts. He understood the phenomenon. It was simple. There was no longer a need for the sword to be confined within a physical de. Vermouth was the sole wielder of the Holy Sword, apart from the founder of Yuras. However, his sword did not shine as it did now, and the de had never broken. Crack. The light diffracted and split into the expansive sky as hundreds of beams. Just a little more. The specter thought as such. His Core was copsing at an elerated speed with each further extraction of dark power. He was bing increasingly aware of his impending demise. But he wasn''t ready yet. He wanted to fight a bit more. To be honest, he simply wanted to win. After all, his demise was already predestined and couldn¡¯t be altered. The specter swallowed hard while cing a hand over his chest. He willed his Core to surge again, amplifying and intertwining his dark power even further. He focused onbining the White me Form, Vermouth¡¯s spatial magic, and everything else he could muster with his foundation. He based everything on Hamel''s technique. It did not belong to him, but it was what the specter was most familiar with. The two did not avoid each other¡¯s attacks. Instead, they confronted each other¡¯s swords head-on, if what they wielded now could still be called swords. Eugene wielded light, and the specter held a white me. The sh turned into a fierce storm. Both moved forward. They were invisible from below. Those of lesser stature couldn''t even perceive the form of their battle, but they could feel it. They were in the presence of the divine. They felt renewed respect for Eugene Lionheart, and that added to their wishes and prayers once again. Ultimately, what Eugene and the specter sought wasn''t much different. Both wanted to kill the Demon King of Destruction and the Demon King of Incarceration. They wanted to save Vermouth and the world. They only differed in the process they pursued toward that oue. What was shing was not light and me but each other''s convictions and resolutions. Was the winner right and the loser wrong? To divide them with such binary thinking was the real mistake. Both of them desired the same thing. ¡®Proof,¡¯ Eugene thought. There was no need to pass it to the next era. Eugene would end it in this ear. He would kill the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. To prove that, Eugene wielded the light against the specter. It could not be done in this era. If Eugene could not defeat him, he had no chance against the Demon King of Incarceration, let alone the Demon King of Destruction. If he was killed by the Demon King of Incarceration and his soul captured, there was no more hope for the world. Therefore, he would pass that possibility to the next era. ¡®To prove myself,¡¯ the specter thought. Vermouth transformed him into the Incarnation of Destruction. He was told the truth by the Demon King of Incarceration. The existence known as the specter didn¡¯t exist in any era before, so he needed to prove his reason for existence in the current era. For him, there truly was no next. ¡®Just a bit more,¡¯ the specter told himself. The specter had to acknowledge Eugene. He was strong, extremely so. Moreover, he was growing stronger through this battle. The current Eugene Lionheart was stronger than he was only a few minutes ago. Had he been holding back? Impossible. He had been sincere from the start. He had distributed his power evenly throughout the fight. Yet, he felt a significant difference between Eugene from earlier and Eugene now. However, it wasn¡¯t disheartening. Eugene''s growth was, after all, a joyous asion for the specter. ¡®Just a little more....¡¯ He seemed reachable. It was possible. The specter transformed his dark power into mes. He unleashed all of it. Was it fine for him to do it? Could he truly end Eugene Lionheart? Was he allowed to decide the end of this era with his own hands? Did he have such a right? Ridiculous contemtions. He had resolved such trivial doubts long ago. The specter¡¯s resolve remained unchanged. Hence, there was no hesitation in his actions. And because of his desperate desire to reach Eugene Lionheart, he eventually did. The ephemeral mes surpassed the light and engulfed Eugene ¡ª at least, that was how it looked to the specter. The mes surpassed the light only because the Holy Swordpletely shattered. The light of the Holy Sword, no longer confined to the de, gained freedom. It broke free from its shell and enveloped Eugene as a warm light. Despite the mes having the power to annihte everything, they failed to invade the cradle of light. Eugene momentarily closed his eyes in his cradle of light. Despite his overwhelming emotions, he could understand the light slightly. He then reopened his eyes. He reached for his chest with his right hand. "Divine Sword." A soft murmur marked the end. Chapter 490: Flame (11) Chapter 490: me (11) "What was Icking?" The question rang out in the void. "In truth, I know the answer. There was too big a gap between our techniques. Even though I modified and evolved them in my own way, they could not bepared to the real deal,¡± the voice continued. He didn''t expect a reply. "But that wasn¡¯t the only thing I wascking, was it? I¡­ I believe that I am strong. I am far stronger than the Demon Kings who perished three hundred years ago,¡± he continued. The specter knew this to be a fact. "I''m aware that this strength isn''t entirely my own, but... I don''t think that matters. I didn''t want to boast or take pride in my strength. I needed power, and you provided as much as was necessary." It almost felt as if the specter was reciting a soliloquy. "Honestly, I¡¯m still not sure what you expected of me or what you wanted from me. But since you kept supporting me with your power... that must mean that my choices weren¡¯t entirely wrong.¡± With that, the specter fell silent for a moment. He felt a mix of emotions surging from deep inside his heart. They were deep,plex, and sticky. The specter let out a deep sigh as the wave of emotions engulfed him."I''ve failed in the end." The sigh turned into a bitterugh. "I thought I did my best. I thought I could reach him with just a bit more effort. But in the end, I failed." What had he beencking in? He had been given the dark power of Destruction, Vermouth¡¯s White me Form and magic, Hamel¡¯s techniques, as well as instincts and intuition befitting the Incarnation of Destruction. Had he been clumsy in orchestrating all that he had been given? "¡­Well." After a moment of thought, the specter slowly shook his head. "I can¡¯t necessarily say that my failure is the wrong oue." But he couldn¡¯t help but think of the worst oue. Even if Eugene proved himself today, he could very well lose against the Demon King of Incarceration. If that happened, then this era, this world, everything would be left without a next. The cycle of reincarnation and the special outlier would all cease to exist. The Demon King of Incarceration would never show mercy if there was no longer anyone with whom to keep his promise. The specter¡¯s imagination caused him deepening anxiety. Simultaneously, he felt fear rising from his heart. "Was I right?" What if he had done better? What if he had been stronger, and the Demon King of Incarceration had shown him the truth as onest act of mercy? What if Vermouth had made him the Incarnation of Destruction with the intention of securing hope for the next era? "No." The specter swallowed hard and vigorously shook his head. He didn''t want to entertain such weak thoughts. He had used everything at his disposal. He had given his best. He had used everything he had to kill Eugene. He had simply failed to reach Eugene in the end. Eugene was strong. The fool had managed to defeat the specter without the support of the Saints or Sienna¡¯s help. "Is it inevitable that a fake can never beat the real thing?¡± the specter whispered under his breath. "It has nothing to do with being real or fake,¡± someone responded. The specter was startled and raised his head in the empty realm. In front of him, he saw Vermouth bound to a chair with chains. However, his head was no longer bowed like before. Even though Vermouth¡¯s face looked worn and haggard, there was a clear twinkle in his eyes. "You are simply you,¡± said Vermouth. His voice was hoarse and rather unpleasant to the ears. It was vastly different from the voice the specter held in his memories. Yet, changed as he might be, he was still unmistakably Vermouth Lionheart. "It was I who acted however I wanted,¡± continued Vermouth. The specter couldn''t find words to respond and simply stared at Vermouth. He had so much he wanted to say, but he could not decide where to start. "Hamel, Sienna, Anise, Molon, and... even you. I imposed on your understanding without exining anything. I acted solely on my own will,¡± said Vermouth. His voice was slowly fading away, forcing the specter to close his mouth reluctantly. Vermouth wasn''t in a state to converse. Speaking this much was already an extreme effort for him. "I don''t think it was wrong to give you power. The choice... was yours to make. Whatever you did, I have no right to say it was wrong,¡± exined Vermouth. The specter shuddered at his words. He had given up on making an effort to speak with Vermouth because he didn¡¯t want to burden Vermouth any further. However, Vermouth¡¯s words were the answer to the questions that had been tormenting the specter. "I feel¡­ guilt toward you," Vermouth said. ¡°I feel like I''ve dragged you into this mess. Like I''ve forced you into a position to make a choice you never wanted." Vermouth¡¯s eyes had held hostility during their first encounter. It was most likely that Vermouth simply could not ept the specter¡¯s existence at the time. The specter was a Death Knight born from the corpse of his dearpanion, and he had falsely believed himself to be Hamel. However, Vermouth''s view changed over time. The hostility he felt towards the specter was reced by pity, and now, the specter could finally understand why Vermouth had harbored such feelings toward him. "I acknowledge your existence,¡± said Vermouth. He gave a bitter smile, and blood trickled from his cracked lips. The specter stood still and silent as he watched Vermouth. If possible, he wanted to approach Vermouth and converse with him. He wanted to ask what had happened, why he had ended up in such a state, and how he could help him. But that was an impossible task. The specter could feel it. It would be impossible for him to even approach Vermouth. Any attempt at conversation wouldn''t yield the answers the specter desired. Just being able to face Vermouth like this was in itself a miracle. Vermouth continued, "And I''m sorry. I''ve been too¡ª" "It''s okay, you bastard,¡± the specter interrupted. He shook his head with a soft chuckle. "You shouldn''t feel guilty. I did what I wanted. It was my choice." His voice trembled slightly. "Still... thank you for saying that,¡± said the specter. Heposed his emotions before continuing, "Thank you for giving me strength." He stared directly at Vermouth¡¯s face. "Thank you for giving me a chance.¡± He could feel Vermouth¡¯s presence growing fainter. The sound of nking chains reached his ears, followed by a noise resembling distant waves. "Just hold on a little longer,¡± the specter assured. Their time together was running short. "Yourrades,¡± he started. The specter wondered if it was his ce to say such things. ''After everything so far, why not?'' He smiled while entertaining such a thought. "Your friends wille to save you,¡± he corrected himself. Vermouth''s lips parted slightly. It looked like he wanted to speak, but no sound came from his mouth. Vermouth gave a sad smile. The chains tightened around him with a creaking noise. Vermouth''s figure grew fainter as the world seemed to copse around them. The specter felt grateful for this moment of miracle. He slowly raised his hand to his chest and said, "That¡¯s right." He had been defeated, but he hadn''t failed. The specter decided to see it that way. He had given everything he had. He had tested the hero, Eugene, with all his might and lost. However, this defeat was not a failure. The specter may have lost, but Eugene had won. He might make a loser¡¯sment, but he should not curse the future with anxiety and fear. There was one thing left for the specter to do, and that was to trust in Eugene. He had to trust in hisrades. He had to trust in the world that followed Eugene. "Ha." The specter gave a curtugh before turning away. He had been granted a reunion by a miracle. Although he had not exchanged as many words as he had wanted with Vermouth, in the end, it did not matter. He had already heard what he most wanted to hear. So now it was time. "Let''s go." It was time for him to face the end. Kwaaah! The third swing of the Divine Sword, despite being thest, emitted a more intense light than before. The attack was fueled by the prayers and wishes of the battlefield. As everyone chanted Eugene''s name and held him dear in their hearts, his divine power was amplified. The specter thought he had reached, but his mes never touched Eugene. The light emitted by the shattered Holy Sword denied the mes'' intrusion. The Divine Sword Eugene drew from his chest cut through everything ¡ª the mes, the magic, and even the specter''s existence. The specter calmly epted his fate. His eyes fluttered open. The first thing he saw was a clear expanse of the sky above. It was a sky purged of malice and magic. His gaze lingered on the heavens for a moment, and he gave a soft chuckle. "Miracle," he whispered once again. When had the tapestry of miracles begun to weave itself? At the drawing of the Divine Sword? When the sword cleaved through the mes? Or was it when it severed the essence of the specter himself? The specifics eluded his grasp. The moments had been fleeting. Yet, the miracle lingered, sweet and extended. The specter inhaled deeply before lowering his gaze to his chest. The gaze remained there. To his surprise, his body was whole. It wasn¡¯t mutted nor cleaved as he had expected. However, that was only how it appeared on the surface. The essence of the specter had been sliced beyond revival. His Core had been nearly obliterated. The specter stood on the brink of dissolution, even if it hadn¡¯t been for the final strike from the Divine Sword. "This, then, is my testament," the specter murmured with a faint smile. Eugene stood near the specter. The weight of exhaustion pressed upon him, and it proved challenging for him to even remain upright. He longed to fall to the ground or simply copse. However, it wasn¡¯t yet time for him to fall unconscious. "Testament?" Eugene''s terse voice cut through. The battlefield was slowly settling. Surprisingly, the Nur had ceased their advance once the Divine Sword tore through the specter. The bodies of the monsters began to disintegrate once what remained of the specter touched the earth, once the sustenance of his dark power dissipated. As such, the battlefield no longer demanded Eugene¡¯s vignce. Now, his duty was to see this moment through to the final curtain, to witness the specter¡¯s end. "It¡¯s a testament for you," the specter said, his gaze locking with Eugene''s. There was a smile gracing his visage. "I exerted every ounce of my strength in an attempt to kill you, yet here you stand. I am defeated, and you remain victorious." His defeat was a testament to Eugene Lionheart''s might. It was evidence that Eugene Lionheart was stronger than the specter, and his victory was untainted by cowardice. It was unassable. "Remarkable," the specteruded. "You are¡­ strong. You possess strength that¡¯s iparable to mine. And you will only continue to grow stronger.¡± "Of course," Eugene responded as if it were the most natural fact. "A moment ago," the specter began, his voice trailing as the weight of his impending dissolution became palpable. "I encountered Vermouth." "Is that so?" Eugene''s response was devoid of surprise. His intuition had already whispered to him of the specter¡¯s encounter. As the Divine Sword cleaved the specter''s essence, a fragment of his existence had drifted somewhere beyond Eugene''s reach, yet not beyond his understanding. It wasn¡¯t difficult for Eugene to deduce the destination of the drift and what his essence had been tethered to. "What did that bastard have to say?" Eugene inquired, a hint of curiosity beneath the veneer of indifference. "He acknowledged me," the specter ryed, the edges of his words tinged with aplex blend of emotions. "Well, that''s good for you," Eugene remarked, allowing a soft chuckle to escape him as hefortably settled beside the specter. "Did he not say anything else?" he prodded further. "He expressed his regret to me. He apologized," the specter shared. "As he should have, that bastard," Eugene muttered, his voiceced with a blend of jest and bitterness. "But he didn''t apologize to me, did he?" "No, that he did not," the specter confirmed. "Damn bastard,¡± Eugene sighed while shaking his head. ¡°I told him that you wille to rescue him,¡± said the specter. "Right,¡± responded Eugene. "Other than that... we didn''t have any conversations that you might find interesting or necessary. It¡¯s the same for me, but Vermouth also didn''t have much time,¡± the specter exined. Eugene did not respond to his words but instead nced at the specter¡¯s face. "I can''t summon Molon... but if you wish, I can call Sienna and Anise,¡± he suggested. "Bastard. What am I supposed to talk about with those two?" The specter chuckled. His feelings for Sienna, Anise, and Molon ultimately stemmed from Hamel''s memories. Mixed in with his feelings for them was a sense of longing. "I don''t need that kind of consideration. I... like how it is now.¡± He was being sincere. Eugene licked his lips, then asked, "Any regrets?" "Regrets? I decided not to have any,¡± the specter responded with a grimace. "Feeling regretful and thinking that I have failed.¡± Regretting his defeat. Regretting his failure. After a pause, the specter continued, "It''s meaningless to have any regrets right now. So¡ª" "Stop with the bullshit,¡± Eugene interjected. With a scoff, he gently punched the specter¡¯s shoulder. "How can a dying man not have any regrets? Forcing yourself to think otherwise doesn¡¯t mean your regrets are going to disappear magically. If you feel any regrets, just leave them here," Eugene suggested. He raised his hand from the specter¡¯s shoulder and rested it on top of the specter¡¯s hand, whichy on his chest. "I''ll take them with me,¡± dered Eugene. The specter managed to turn his head towards Eugene. He was met with shining, golden eyes. There was not even a hint of mockery present in those eyes. They only contained firm conviction, belief, and determination. "¡­Ha-ha!" He thought he wouldn''t leave any regrets behind. He tried to consciously ignore them. But in the end, Eugene''s words were true. Even if one thought they were meeting a satisfying end, everyone still had regrets at the time of their death. "Alright." The specter squeezed his chest with his fingers before continuing, "You take them." He had lost. He wanted to win, but he lost. He had thought victory to be within his reach, but he fell short. What would be of the world now? Could the Hero, Eugene Lionheart, defeat the Demon King of Incarceration? Could he defeat the Demon King of Destruction? Could he save Vermouth? What would happen to Anise, Sienna, and Molon? He decided to entrust all of his regrets and worries to Eugene. That was his wish. Eugene slowly nodded. The specter¡¯s smile faded when he saw this. Slowly, the specter¡¯s body began to crumble into ash. He watched his own body disintegrate with a smiling face. It felt moreforting leaving and entrusting his regrets rather than insisting he had none. "If it¡¯s you, it¡¯s possible,¡± said the specter. "Of course I can,¡± Eugene answered with a smile, and the specter smiled back. "Alright." His hand and the rest of his upper body turned to ash. For thest time, the specter turned his head up to look at Eugene. "Because you''re Eugene Lionheart." He was the reincarnation of the God of War. He was the reincarnation of Hamel. He was the Hero. Such words were left unspoken. Just as the specter was simply himself, Eugene, too, was simply himself. "I''m not tired." Did his memory as Hamel end with an onught of sleep? It was hard to say. After all, the end he met in his memories had been fabricated. In any case, he didn''t feel sleepy now. But slowly and quietly, he could feel his consciousness fading. "Go,¡± the specter murmured. "Alright." Eugene clenched the ashes remaining in his hand. "Let''s go," the Hero responded. Chapter 491: Flame (12) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 491: me (12) [Bonus Image]

The specter left behind nothing but a handful of ash as he vanished. Eugene stood still for a moment while staring at the pile of gray remaining in his palm. It was Eugene who had told the specter not to dismiss his regrets. He had offered to carry them together. The specter had not refused. Instead of forcibly trying to shake off his regrets, the specter just left them as a lingering burden for Eugene to worry about, just as he suggested. What those regrets were about¡ª "It feels strange," Eugene said. He hadn''t heard the specter¡¯s regrets individually, as the specter had not been given enough time to talk about all of his lingering attachments. But strangely enough, Eugene felt like he knew what the specter¡¯sst regrets were about ¡ª the world, rtionships, the future, and Eugene himself. Surely, it must be regarding such things. Eugene slowly clenched the ash in his palm. Could this be called the specter¡¯s remains? Eugene gave a bitter smile. He no longer thought of the specter as a ¡°fake.¡± Did that mean he understood what the specter truly was? No, he was far fromplete understanding, but they had exchanged words. Had he been an enemy? Eugene turned to look behind him. Almost nothing was left of the city. This vastnd had simply be a ruin, a ce that used to be a city. The Nur had all perished. The same was true for the people as well. Those who perished included the citizens who failed to escape Hauria during the invasion, soldiers and warriors turned into monsters by the specter¡¯s power, and dark wizards who couldn¡¯t technically be counted as humans ¡ª all had been destroyed. The Liberation Army also had its share of loss. Eugene was not na?ve enough to think that his allies would be unscathed. Injuries weremonce even in children¡¯s war games. It would be absurd to think that a real war against demons and monsters could be waged without a single drop of bloodshed. However, their loss was minimal, even in the most conservative estimate. The allies¡¯ losses were minor, considering the scale of the battlefield and the sheer number of enemies they had defeated. Naturally, that didn¡¯t mean that the deaths of allies could be taken lightly. They had suffered over a hundred casualties. Their loss had been minimized with Sienna¡¯s constant watch over all the allies and the priests¡¯ real-time wound healing. If Sienna had not been watching over the battlefield or the priests had not coordinated well, their losses would have been much greater. "He was an enemy,¡± Eugene muttered. He stared at his clenched fist. The specter had waged war. Even if the war had been waged for Eugene¡¯s benefit, the fact that the specter had waged war remained unchanged. The specter had made efforts to reduce civilian casualties by evacuating them under the guise of expulsion, but even so, this was still a war. Allies suffered damage, even if it could be considered minor. Some were killed, and others were injured by the ck wizards, undead, demonic beasts, demons, and the Nur. The specter was an enemy. "But he wasn¡¯t a Demon King,¡± Eugene murmured softly. That was the conclusion he arrived at. The specter had been an enemy, yes, but not a Demon King. They exchanged words and attempted toe to a mutual understanding. Although their methods differed, their pursuits were ultimately the same. That was why he decided to take on the burden of the specter''s "regrets." Eugene slowly clenched his chest. Crack! The small spark of divine power that remained in him wrapped around his hand. It was an insubstantial amount, not enough to even form a small dagger. However, that did not matter. Eugene had not summoned divine power to wield a sword. He silently stared at the crimson power entwining his hand for a moment. The divine power resembled a form of me different from that summoned by the White me Form. He brought his other hand close to the divine me, then unclenched his fingers. He allowed the ck ash to scatter into the mes. [Is this a funeral?] Anise''s voice resonated. The connection he had with the Saints had been re-established. He had been expecting a torrent of curses or at least an icy voice to greet him. However, he was surprised to hear that Anise¡¯s tone was calm andposed. "Aren''t you angry?" Eugene asked. [I cannot prioritize my feelings in the current situation. Of course, I¡¯m angry. I will take it out on your buttockster, Hamel,] responded Anise. "That sounds terrifying..." Eugene muttered. [Please answer my question. Are you holding a funeral right now? Is it a ritual with special meaning?] asked Anise. "It used to be done this way in the past,¡± Eugene muttered with a slight nod, "the remains, the ashes, were burnt with divine power. It adds something more to it." [And what are you adding?] questioned Anise. "Regrets, beliefs, pride, things like that. Well, it¡¯s not like anything really gets added. It''s just a customary ritual,¡± answered Eugene. The specter¡¯s ashes danced within the divine me before eventually disappearing. Eugene watched the scene y out with a wry smile. "Do you dislike such rituals? Things like sorcery?" asked Eugene. [I did when I was younger. To be precise, I was taught to dislike it. I was told that such funeral rites were considered heresy. But that¡¯s not true anymore,] answered Anise. It was hard for Anise to figure out what feelings she should harbor toward the specter. Yet, one thing was clear. Anise respected the specter''s choice, though that didn¡¯t necessarily mean she agreed with him. But she feltpassion for him. The specter had been, after all, alone. [I don''t know if he will be allowed to ascend to heaven. Nevertheless, I will pray that he may be led to heaven after paying his dues, as a lostmb who has endured a troubled life,] stated Anise. "So, he can¡¯t be led to heaven just like that,¡± questioned Eugene. [No matter the reason, he has sinned. Naturally, he must pay for the sins he hasmitted,] Anise spoke decisively. Whether the light would truly demand retribution remained questionable, but Anise didn''t voice this thought. [And Hamel. You must pay for your sins, too,] Anise added. [Sister. Sir Eugene won''t be able to move due to the burden of Ignition,] responded Kristina. [Oh my, Kristina, that''s true. Then we must go ourselves,] Anise chimed. [Yes, a truly unavoidable circumstance,] Kristina responded. [Hamel. You heard us, right? We''ll being soon, so don''t worry too much. Since you will likely struggle to stand, justy there and bare your behind,] Anise told him. [Sister? B-bare his behind? What kind of unspeakable words are you uttering?] Kristina questioned. [Don''t pretend to be innocent if you¡¯re secretly looking forward to it, Kristina. Don''t you also want to smack that annoying Hamel''s behind?] Eugene''s shoulders shook silently as the two Saints conversed. It didn''t feel like a joke at all. Despite trying to appear calm, Anise was incredibly angry. Kristina likely felt the same. Eugene didn¡¯t doubt for a moment that Anise genuinely intended to spank him. ¡®I-I have to run...¡¯ Eugene thought desperately. It was impossible. As Anise said, Eugene no longer had any control over his body after using Ignition. Eugene hastily raised his cloak. "Mer, take me and run,¡± he ordered. No response came. Mer had been unconscious for a while now. Though she hadn''t borne the burden of assisting Eugene in battle, she had failed to endure the repeated shockwaves of battle. Her pale face had be even paler as a result. Eugene barely managed to raise his head to look at the sky. He could see Raimira approaching him with the Saints on her back. It wasn¡¯t just Raimira either. Sienna wasing towards him as well. "....." Eugene was aghast. No, the entire army was moving towards Eugene. Hundreds of cavalries and thousands of infantries were all drawing near to share the joy of victory. Eugene gulped involuntarily. It was the natural course of action to share in the joy of victory. There should be announcements of victory and celebrations. But now wasn¡¯t the time. How could he bear to be scolded and spanked by Anise and Kristina in front of everyone right after ending the war with the dignity of the Hero and the God of War? All the reverence and faith he built up would go down the drain in an instant. "As much wrong as I did... being spanked is a bit¡ª" Eugene protested hastily, then stopped himself. He shivered as he felt a chill run down his back. The sky was still clear, but something twinkled at the edge of the high sky. In an instant, the sky warped. A beam of light pierced through the clouds, creating a hole in the sky. "That bastard,¡± Eugene cursed. It was impossible for Eugene to react. Yet, there were many who wanted to protect him. The Saints immediately performed miracles, and a dazzling light enveloped Eugene. The broken de of the Holy Sword also responded to the light of the Saints. Raimiria chanted a Draconic spell. Sienna unleashed several grand spells. Melkith screamed as she hurled herself forward. Lovellian''s Pantheon moved as a whole to shield Eugene. Ivatar threw his axe. Alchester swung the Empty Sword. Carmen leaped from atop a wyvern. Ciel spat blood as she red with her demoneye. Raphael soared with Apollo. Gilead rushed forward while throwing aside the Lionheart g. Cyan gasped while shouting Eugene''s name. Aman, Ortus, Ivic, and the Tower Masters acted as well. However, their actions were meaningless. The Demonic Sword Glory was a weapon bestowed by the Demon King of Incarceration himself. Moreover, Gavid Lindman possessed the Demoneye of Divine Glory, which was fit to be called the most powerful demoneye in existence. As he fully wielded his power, Gavid Lindman fully deserved his title as the de of Incarceration. Raimiria''s Dragonic spell was utterly negated. Sienna''s magic was cut at its very source. Melkith''s Omega Force was shattered. Lovellian''s Pantheon was split in two. Ivatar''s axe was broken. Alchester''s Empty Sword exploded in mid-air. Carmen was swept away by the wind apanying Gavid¡¯s strike. Ciel¡¯s demoneye couldn''t hold the enemy. Raphael and Apollo fell together. The shockwave from the strike blew away Gilead and Cyan. Gavid cut through everyone¡¯s will to save Eugene. Thest thing remaining was the light enveloping Eugene. As Gavid plummeted, he pierced through the light with his gaze. He saw Eugene''s face at the center of the brilliance. Was Eugene terrified? Did he sense his impending death? Was he enraged? In that fleeting moment, Gavid imagined a plethora of emotions on Eugene''s face. But he was wrong on all counts. Contrary to the twisted visage he expected, Eugene was smirking. There was a sneer on his face, and a corner of his lips was curled upwards. ¡°.....¡± Gavis was speechless. He had been contemting throughout Eugene¡¯s battle with the specter and had forcibly arrived at a conclusion. This action was not befitting of a demon, nor did it align with his honorable title as the de of Incarceration. Yet, it was the correct course of action for him to take as a Duke of Helmuth. While watching the battle, he had intuitivelye to an understanding that Hamel of Extermination, Eugene Lionheart, the Hero, had grown far too powerful. He had continued to grow stronger even during his battle with the specter. His sword had been sharp enough to reach the Demon Kings of the past, and now, he seemed capable of easily slicing through the hem of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s robe. If this was to be the end, there was no need for him to take such drastic actions. But Gavid instinctively knew this was not the end for Eugene Lionheart. His sword would be even sharper, especially the crimson de that had cut through the specter. It would potentially be more lethal than even the Holy Sword or the Moonlight Sword. His crimson sword embodied possibilities that could rightfully be called infinite. Gavid had glimpsed the potential within Eugene¡¯s crimson sword with the Demoneye of Divine Glory. What Eugene possessed was divine might, an essence of faith that he could not dare to overlook. Therefore, he needed to eliminate Eugene. Now was the perfect opportunity to definitively kill the enemy of Helmuth. Eugene was exhausted and off-guard. Now was the moment to kill him without fail. It was impossible for Eugene to evade the attack. Others would surely try to protect him, but with the Demoneye of Divine Glory, he could bypass all obstructions and y Eugene in a single strike. "...Ah." Gavid knew he would only make a fool of himself in carrying out his n. But he still decided to discard the fighting spirit of a demon, the pride he had as the de of Incarceration, and also his personal ambitions. He had decided to make a choice befitting the Duke of Helmuth. But seeing Eugene¡¯s smirk made it impossible for him to continue. Gavid rxed his grip while mocking himself. Fwoosh! The dark brilliance emanating from Glory disappeared abruptly. Gavid neither cleaved through the light surrounding Eugene nor struck him. He simply stopped in ce and red at Eugene. "Why did you stop?" Eugene asked, still smirking. "Weren¡¯t you going to kill me because you were afraid of me?¡± "That''s right,¡± Gavid responded in a tone devoid of emotions. He did not deny Eugene¡¯s im. "But seeing your smirk made me think, if I kill you now... I''ll regret it for the rest of my life. And I''ll be left with lingering regrets." "Regrets?" Eugene questioned. "It would be just like three hundred years ago,¡± answered Gavid. Gavid had failed to kill Hamel and Sienna three centuries ago. He had made the decision to retreat after being overwhelmed by Hamel¡¯s murderous intent and spirit. Since then, Gavid had long regretted not seeing the battle through to the end. The humiliation of that moment, the instance of fear he felt, as well as his unresolved emotions, became an evesting regret with Hamel''s death. They had been left forever unaddressed. If he were to kill Eugene now, he would be burdened with a lifetime of regret and lingering thoughts. The humiliation and fear he had in his heart would fester even more. "And,¡± Gavid said with a bitter smile as he sheathed Glory, "even if I hadn''t changed my mind about killing you and had swung my sword... I doubt I could have truly killed you." He had been absolutely certain of killing Eugene until the moment he stopped himself. But now, having sheathed Glory, he sensed something else. Gavid let out a scoff as he turned his head to look behind. There stood Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. She was standing right behind Gavid. Noir¡¯s face seemed shrouded in deeper shadows, perhaps because she stood with her back to the sun. It was difficult to discern her expression. No, to be more precise, Noir''s face was expressionless at the moment. Even her usually beautifully shining purple eyes were now dull and subdued. She was simmering with an immense murderous intent. It wasn¡¯t anything new for her to express murderous intent, but her current state felt foreign. It was as if Gavid was facing the murderous intent of an entirely different creature. At the same time, Gavid felt a strong sense of caution towards Noir. Despite using the Demoneye of Divine Glory, he hadn''t sensed Noir approaching him from behind. If Gavid had proceeded with his initial n to kill Eugene, Noir would have intervened without hesitation. Could he have anticipated that? Could he have eliminated Noir''s interference and still killed Eugene? "Was it to this extent?" Gavid asked while staring at Noir. It was an ambiguous question. Gavid had not expected Noir to be this powerful. He recognized her strength, but he never thought she would be capable of matching the power of the Demoneye of Divine Glory. And. He hadn''t expected Noir to care so much about Eugene, about Hamel. He knew of her obsession with him, but the murderous intent she showed now was genuine. Noir was truly prepared to kill Gavid for Eugene''s sake. She did not respond to his question. Noir''s dull eyes shifted. She looked over Gavid''s shoulder at Eugene. She saw Eugene¡¯s figure wrapped in light. Noir unconsciously clenched her fist. The ring on her ring finger and the name engraved inside it ¡ª she felt the ring that bore Hamel Dynas''s name. Chapter 492: Flame (13)

Chapter 492: me (13)

Noir Giabe reminisced. The first time sheid eyes on him was during the war era of three hundred years ago. Noir had already been crowned the Queen of the Night Demons long before the war erupted. It was a title she maintained even throughout the tumult of war. In fact, she solidified her position even further. Through countless events during the era of war, the name of the Queen of the Night Demons became synonymous with horrific nightmares among humans. Night Demons weren''t particrly powerful as a race. They possessed only a few skills. While high-ranking Night Demons might have boasted a variety of talents, the majority of Night Demons only possessed a single skill: the ability to delve into dreams. Furthermore, lower-ranking Night Demons couldn¡¯t even lead their prey to sleep at will. As such, they resorted to using alcohol, drugs, or even their bodies to extract life-force from their targets. But the queen, Noir Giabe, was different. She became a symbol of fear and a living nightmare. Despite being from the rtively unimpressive race of Night Demons, she amassed power rivaling that of the Demon Kings. No one could overlook Noir. Her ascension had elevated the status of the Night Demons as a race. Those times had been exhrating and fulfilling. She reveled freely, indulging in both demonic instincts and the unique desires of a Night Demon. She toyed with hundreds, thousands, millions of dreams and crushed human lives as if they were mere weeds or insects. Weeds? Insects? This wasn''t just a metaphor. For Noir, it was a reality. Most humans didn¡¯t live past a hundred years, and lifespans were even shorter during wartime. Even those who lived longer onlysted a few extra decades. To Noir, who had lived hundreds of times longer than ordinary humans, humans were a frail, insignificant race filled with ws. However, they weren¡¯tpletely devoid of merits. Noir was fully aware of humans'' necessity. While it was still possible to extract life-force from demons or other races, humans made excellent prey. They were numerous, perpetually in mating season, hence high in reproduction rate, intelligent enough for conversation, quick to learn when taught, allowing for a variety of dreams to be crafted, and even rapidly recovered their life-force. Such was her awareness of humans. Equals? She never entertained the thought. The only merits she considered were those of prey. She didn''t despise humans. On the contrary, she found them appealing. At most, she considered them cute. Such were the creatures known as humans. They were trivial. How could they possibly wage war against demons? Still, exceptional humans did exist. As humans weren¡¯t restricted by mating seasons, allowing for constant reproduction, their sheer numbers asionally allowed them to produce exceptional individuals deviating from the norm of their race. Three hundred years ago, five such exceptional humans existed. There was the first Hero since the founder of Yuras to wield the holy sword Altair, Vermouth Lionheart. The future chief of the Bayar Tribe, known among the northern barbarians for their belligerence, Molon Ruhr. The most distinguished among all the chosen Saints of Light, Anise Slywood. An Archwizard raised alongside the elves of the Great Forest, despite being human, Sienna Merdein. A mercenary notorious on the battlefield for both fame and infamy, Hamel Dynas. At first, they bore no grand titles. But after the fifth-ranked Demon King, the Demon King of Carnage, fell by their hands, each of their names was suffixed with terrifying and grandiose adjectives. Vermouth of Despair. Molon of Terror. Anise of Hell. Sienna of Cmity. Hamel of Extermination. Naturally, Noir heard of them and their exploits. Her interest was piqued, especially since she was among the demons who had a fondness for humans. She even considered allocating a vast tract ofnd for humans in her eventual grand dominion once the war ended. She wished to see them immediately. Special humans, after all, had a taste just as exceptional. But the opportunity was not forting. The war was in full swing, Helmuth was vast, and the battlefields chosen by Noir did not intersect with the paths of these heroes. Yet, bit by bit, their paths did ovep. Given that the war stretched over a decade, it was inevitable. The Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Demon Kind of Fury fell over time. Only two Demon Kings remained in the vast Helmuth, and since the Demon King of Destruction wandered thend without establishing a domain, only the Demon King of Incarceration and his dominion had remained standing. Thends of the fallen Demon Kings were conquered by humans, and it caused the territories of the demons to recede. But the war had not ended. A great army loyal to the Demon King of Incarceration remained robust and standing, and thends behind the domain of Pandemonium were not yet trodden by human feet. All ambitions had converged towards Pandemonium. Many humans who survived the battles in Helmuth headed towards Pandemonium. Even boys from the continent, who were mere children at the war''s onset, now took up arms as young men and marched towards Pandemonium. Noir, too, shifted her battlefield. She made no pact with the Demon King of Incarceration. Such contracts, she thought, were but shackles. They bound one to serve under a Demon King for a lifetime, a prospect she did not desire. Though she made no pact, she struck a deal. She was allowed to reign over a certain area of Pandemonium. She was granted the right to hunt in exchange for her service under the Demon King of Incarceration. Furthermore, she was promised a title once the war ended, in return for her contributions. But she harbored no greater ambition. She had amassed significant power during the prolonged war, enough to perhaps challenge the throne of a Demon King. Could she overthrow the Demon King of Incarceration? She had briefly entertained the thought beforeughing it off. ¡°I don¡¯t even want such a thing in the first ce,¡± Noir dered. What was greed, really? Noir pondered. It was to desire something. But understanding greed was difficult for her. She had obtained everything she ever wanted without effort. Simply wanting something was enough for her to possess it. Even if what she obtained was just an illusion, the illusions she crafted were indistinguishable from reality. What did she desire? The throne of a Demon King? The position of the Great Demon King? Thends of the Demon King of Incarceration? She recognized their significance but felt no greed for them. What Noir Giabe desired was.... ¡°What is it?¡± she asked herself as her desires and aspirations remained an enigma, even to herself. But when she first saw him, she came to understand things she hadn''t been able to grasp before with startling rity. Hamel Dynas. Hamel of Extermination. He was... special. The unique feeling she felt for him was something Noir had not expected. After all, who was the most special out of the five, the Hero or hispanions? If a hundred people were asked this question, everyone would give the same answer. The most special among the five was the Hero, Vermouth Lionheart. But not to Noir. Of course, Vermouth was special. Molon, Sienna, Anise, they were all special. But not as much as Hamel. The uniqueness of the other four did not impress Noir as much as Hamel''s did. The memory was still vivid in Noir¡¯s mind. When she first ambushed them, Noir was confident in her power but did not underestimate her enemies. After all, they were heroes who represented the human race. Moreover, they had already defeated three Demon Kings. In the first ce, as a race, Night Demons did not specialize in direct confrontation. As such, Noir decided to fight them in a manner befitting a Night Demon. She delved into the dreams of the five. "Ah." She was greeted with intense emotions. There was a depth so profound that its bottom was unknown, a relentless pounding that seemed endless. There was a thick scent of blood. Metal shed against metal in a deadly dance, slicing through flesh and bone and delving into innards, apanied by the final throes, groans, screams, and a mix of emotions, evidencing one''s life by killing others, unbearable heat, ecstasy, and delirium. Then there was the will to kill. It was a simple, unmatched will to kill. It was an emotion so intense and vast that its depth was unfathomable. Noir had never felt such intense feelings in any human before. She could never forget the chill of that moment. Never before had she imagined her own death, but in that instant, Noir grasped the meaning of death for the first time. Despite experiencing it once, Noir could not recreate the chill of that moment or the eventual death it signified. Hamel was special. He allowed Noir to be aware of desires and cravings she had never consciously acknowledged. He drew her gaze because he was special. She became obsessed. She longed for him to etch into her something she had never known. She hoped that just as she found him special, he, too, would find her special. She wished for it. She wished that they would regard each other as someone special and that they would each long for something. "Do we really need to do this?" "Ha-ha, why would you say that now?" "Even if it¡¯s not this... maybe there''s something else... something different we could have." "Do you regret it?" "What about you?¡± ¡°I am regretting it. Perhaps... you''ve prated into me too deeply." "....." "You feel the same, don''t you?" If he shed tears of regret and resentment, she would wipe the corners of his eyes and cheeks with blood-stained hands. She would say something cliched like, "I will never forget you in my lifetime.¡± If she were to die by his hand, that too would be ecstatic and joyful. If she were to kill him, she could live the rest of her life cherishing him as a memory while harboring a sense of loss. Either way was fine. Both would be special experiences that life would not offer again. That desire and craving belong to Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. ¡ªGod. She was a Duke of Helmuth, the ruler of Dreamea and Giabe City. Emotions. Desires. Cravings. All of it naturally belonged to Noir Giabe. It had never been otherwise. Yet now, it was bing not so. Her subjectivity was wavering. Something else was mixing in. ¡ªMy Lord. She ruled a nation, invaded neighboring countries, and offered everything she had seized as a sacrifice to challenge the throne of a malevolent deity. ¡ªYou have taken everything from me in the past. I was on the brink of bing a myth, but I was brought to ruin by you. She was the God of War''s Saintess. ¡ªMy Lord. I hated you. I longed for revenge. You took my hatred and desire for vengeance as mere entertainment. You looked forward to the day I would take my revenge on you. In a time past, she was known as the Twilight Witch. ¡ªNow, everything feels futile. This wasn¡¯t the life of Noir Giabe but that of the War God''s Saintess, the Twilight Witch. She remembered its end, even though she didn''t want to remember a life that wasn''t hers. They were memories she didn''t want to recall. But the memories surfaced on their own and threw her mind into disarray. Despite repeatedly interrupting her thoughts by digging her fingers into her brain, every time the severed thoughts connected, she was greeted with unwanted memories and apanying emotions. The battlefield. She saw a vast battlefield littered with the corpses of monsters and humans. Destruction approached her. She saw the crimson divine power. ¡ªI am ashamed to show you my disfigured face. She had caressed her lips with her fingers. Her face was torn to shreds; she didn''t want to show it. She always wanted to show him only her seductive and beautiful side. With her only remaining eye barely functioning, she couldn''t see his face clearly. Even as the end approached, she couldn''t properly see his face. She couldn''t live herst moments beautifully. ¡ªYou''re just as beautiful as ever. You told me, you said I was beautiful. Just like always. ¡ªMy Lord. I nned to betray you. Someday, definitely someday. I could have done it at any time. I became your Saintess to bring about your eventual fall. I would be a Saintess who betrays her god and offers the faithful as sacrifices. Such acts have their own significance. ¡ªNow, at our end, I refuse your will. I will not flee. My god, I will not witness your death before mine. I couldn''t betray you. I didn''t want to be your enemy. You took me in as entertainment, expecting that I would betray you someday. I couldn''t meet those expectations. Just as your feelings for me changed, I, too, changed. ¡ªIf you have ast wish, I will grant it. You were merciful and kind to the very end. But, but, I.... ¡ªI want a kiss. I didn''t want this to be myst wish. Someday. When your war had ended beautifully, if I hadn''t been able to betray you, if I couldn''t betray you, if I was still by your side as your Saint, not as the Twilight Witch but as the Saintess of the God of War, I wanted to ask you, for you to be my end, not in death, but in another sense. In a peaceful world, in a world without war. Not as the Twilight Witch, nor as the Saint of the War God. ¡ªGrant me death. But as yourpanion. Noir Giabe unclenched her fist. "Congrattions." With a distorted smile, Noir clutched the ring around her neck. It was the ring she had wanted to ce on Hamel''s finger someday, the ring engraved with Noir Giabe''s name. ¡°On your victory." She felt the urge to destroy the ring. "Eugene Lionheart,¡± she whispered his name. Chapter 493: Delusion (1) Eugene¡¯s vision was pitch ck, but he could still tell that Noir Giabe was different from how she usually was. He didn¡¯t want to even think about the fact that he knew her well enough to say how she usually was, but it was so tantly obvious that there was something different about the current Noir that Eugene couldn¡¯t help but have such a feeling. But he couldn¡¯t see her expression clearly. It wasn¡¯t like their surroundings were particrly dark. Even if they were in pitch darkness without even a single source of light, Eugene¡¯s eyes would have still been able to clearly see the other person. But even so, for some reason, he couldn¡¯t get a clear look at Noir¡¯s face. He couldn¡¯t see her expression or what kind of emotions might be prompting such an expression. However, what Eugene could clearly see were her eyes. It felt like her eyes had been drained of color. Those purple eyes, which used to shine so brightly, now felt hollow and dark, as if he was looking into the depths of an abyss. They were so empty that Eugene was left guessing what might exist at the very bottom of those depths. ¡®What is it?¡¯ Eugene frowned. He couldn¡¯t immediatelyprehend just what he was feeling from her. Was it because he didn¡¯t have the spare mental capacity for it? It was true that Eugene wasn¡¯t in a great condition at the moment.His battle against the specter had only just ended. The recoil from Ignition was making his whole body ache, and even his head was a bit dizzy. Then, before he could even get a few moments to recover, he had been attacked. This whole situation was difficult to process. A scream suddenly tore through the air, ¡°Heeeeeyyyyyy!¡± There were far too many things going on in one ce. To start off, Eugene had just wanted to make a public statement, but even that hadn¡¯t been so easy to manage. Before he could even celebrate his victory and bask in the afterglow, Eugene had been attacked. Moreover, that attack had been extremely dangerous. If that beast of disaster[1] hadn¡¯t held back his sword on his own ord, then that de would have¡ª ¡°You son of a bitch!¡± Sienna cursed as she abruptly arrived above the scene. She would never have imagined that this bastard would actually do something like this. The de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman. Even back then, three hundred years ago, he had been a pain in the ass. Yet even so, she had always thought he had a knight-like sense of honor. Who could have thought that he would actually wait for them to let their guards down, aim for a situation in which his target was unable to resist, and then attack them? This turn of events made Sienna feel such rage that all of her hair was standing on end. Roooooaaaar! Sienna swooped down, trailing her gxy behind her. Frost, which was held in front of her, engulfed Gavid in an icy wind. Dozens of lights shed forth from the gxy behind Sienna. In mere moments, Sienna cast a spell that attempted to capture Gavid. At this distance, Sienna¡¯s will was enforced on Gavid by her Absolute Decree through a simple gust of wind. Startled by all that was happening, Gavid leaped backward. But despite his instantaneous reaction, he wasn¡¯t able to escape being engulfed by those dozens of lights. ¡°Hoh,¡± Gavid huffed in surprise. To be honest, Gavid was amazed. Just earlier, his sword, Glory, had been able to slice through Sienna¡¯s magic with the help of his Demoneye of Divine Glory. However, now, it appeared that slicing through her spells wouldn¡¯t be so easy. ¡®Is this¡­ really magic?¡¯ Gavid thought doubtfully. Opening his Demoneye of Divine Glory fully, Gavid saw that Sienna¡¯s spell contained apletely different power than any magic he had ever seen before. He wouldn¡¯t be able to slice through it. No, by rights, he should have been able to slice through it, but for some reason, he just couldn¡¯t. The power contained within Sienna¡¯s spell was almost barbaric in its simplicity and strength. As such, Gavid decided to respond in the same fashion. He struck back with simple and barbaric force. His Demoneye of Divine Glory glowed with a red light as a different force enveloped Glory¡¯s de. Clink, clink, clink. The chains of Incarceration were now wrapped around the de of Gavid¡¯s sword. When he swung his sword at the spell encircling him, the chains flew out and wrapped around the spell. That should put an end to that. These chains were part of Incarceration¡¯s special ability, and the Demoneye of Divine Glory was able to perfectly reproduce the power of the Demon King¡¯s special ability. No mere magic could hope to escape those chains. ¡®The end?¡¯ Sienna sneered. Gavid wasn¡¯t the one to decide that. Since Sienna was the one who cast the spell, she was also the only one who could decide when it ended. Three hundred years ago, Sienna¡¯s magic hadn¡¯t been able to escape those chains. As such, there had been nothing she could do but be left helpless in front of the Demon King. But now things were different. Even if the Demon King of Incarceration himself were here, he wouldn¡¯t be able to easily put a stop to Sienna¡¯s magic whenever he wished. Clink, cli-clink. The chains binding Sienna¡¯s spell were being pulled taut. Gavid, who had thought it was already over, widened his eyes in disbelief. Cracracrack! The chainspletely shattered. The spell that had broken free from its bonds like a wild horse leaped forward and attacked Gavid. Booooom! Gavid twisted as he was caught in the spell¡¯s explosion, and soon, he fell to the ground, looking like a tattered rag. ¡°Haha¡­,¡± even as Gavid was coughing up blood, heughed in amazement. The chains of Incarceration had actually broken. Sienna¡¯s spell hadn¡¯t been canceled when those chains bound it. How else was Gavid meant to react to this fact? After all, this meant that Sienna¡¯s magic had actually managed to transcend the realm of mere magic. ¡°How amazing,¡± Gavid marveled. Boom, boom, boom, boom! The chain of spells didn¡¯t end even after Gavid fell to the ground. The ground split open around him as he was hammered ever deeper into the soil. Then, brilliant light also fell down on Gavid from above. Kristina had leaped off of Raimira¡¯s back and was descending to the ground with her Wings of Light spread wide open. Her eyes were widened in an angry re as her hands were stretched out towards Gavid. Anise¡¯s enraged curses also helped to bolster Kristina¡¯s determination as she mustered up all of her will. Light poured down from Kristina onto the earth around Gavid. This radiant light was suppressing Gavid¡¯s regeneration. Gavid squinted his eyes in pain even as he was buried ever deeper into the ground. ¡®So it wasn¡¯t just Hamel,¡¯ Gavid realized. Sienna of Cmity was also here. Her magic had certainly been impressive even three hundred years ago, but now she had even managed to transcend the realm of ordinary magic. Gavid hadn¡¯t actually fought against her spells with his full strength. However, the same would also apply to Sienna, as she hadn¡¯t given it her all either. Then there was Kristina Rogeris. As the Saint of the present era, her divine power unmistakably surpassed the heights reached by that of Anise of Hell. Her light was able to cut off the flow of dark power within him and even suppressed his Source of Immortality. Also, just look at those radiantly shining wings of hers. Gavid narrowed his eyes, ¡®All of them¡­ could pose a threat to the Demon King.¡¯ They were true enemies of Helmuth and of Pandemonium. Gavid chewed his bottom lip as he pondered this fact. It wasn¡¯t just Sienna and Kristina, either. Having regained control of their bodies, the other main forces of the Liberation Army were also springing back into action. While surrounding Gavid, who had been buried in a deep pit within the earth and was covered in ayer of light, they were all baring their hostility towards the Duke. Even as she continued to concentrate on sealing away Gavid, Kristina ran over to Eugene¡¯s side with a cry, ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± But before she could get close, Eugene quickly raised his hand to stop Kristina from approaching him. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Eugene insisted. Kristina tried to protest,¡± But you¡ª¡± ¡°You should already know by now that holy magic or first aid won¡¯t have any effect on my current condition,¡± Eugene reminded her. The aftermath of overloading one¡¯s Core was different from receiving wounds to the body or the internal organs. This was because the Core wasn¡¯t actually a physical object in the first ce. No matter how much of an expert Kristina and Anise were when it came to healing magic, they wouldn¡¯t be able to heal the recoil from Ignition. The only way to treat it was just a few straight days of rest. ¡°...,¡± Kristina was left unable to say anything, her shoulders shaking in concern. She wasn¡¯t getting close to Eugene just because she wanted to try and heal him or to be there to support him. It was purely because Kristina was concerned. Right now, the Queen of the Night Demons was standing next to Eugene. Noir Giabe¡­ was right by his side. Kristina knew that Noir had always disyed an excessive affection and obsession when it came to Eugene, but something about her today was strange. She was different from how she usually was. The strange atmosphere around her was so tant that even Kristina could sense it. If it were before today, Krisitna wouldn¡¯t have had the faintest suspicion that Noir Giabe might suddenly try to kill Eugene with no warning. Noir herself definitely didn¡¯t want that kind of ending to their story. That crazy Night Demon wanted to impart a greater meaning and emotion to her and Eugene¡¯s act of trying to kill each other. As such, the end of their road together could only be reached after extensive interactions and preparations on her part. However, Kristina felt like that could possibly no longer be the case. It seemed like Noir might suddenly, without any warning, try to kill Eugene. Kristina could almost see Noir reaching out to grab Eugene¡¯s throat with both hands, wringing with all of her strength, until his neck snapped¡­. If Noir were to take such actions, Eugene, in his current weakened state, would be unable to put up any resistance. ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Eugene repeated his assurance. This time, his words weren¡¯t just meant for Kristina; they were also aimed at Sienna. Sienna had also tried to reach Eugene¡¯s side but was left with a confused expression. Eugene was also fully aware of their specific worries. However, he still shook his head firmly as he told them he¡¯d be fine. Was this because he trusted Noir wouldn¡¯t do something crazy and unexpected? It was impossible to say that he didn¡¯t have any such trust. Although Eugene didn¡¯t want to admit it, he was aware of the strange and twisted sense of trust that had grown between him and Noir. However, even setting that aside, he still felt¡­ that there was a need for him to have a long talk with the current Noir. Since his attitude was so firm, Sienna and the Saints no longer tried to get closer to Eugene. Instead, they focused their attention on Gavid, whom they had buried deep within the ground. If at all possible, right here and now¡­ they felt the temptation to either kill Gavid or seal him away forever. ¡®Though that¡¯s probably impossible,¡¯ Sienna silently admitted to herself. Whether it was killing Gavid or sealing him away, neither was truly feasible. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of difficulty; it was simply unattainable. The title of de of Incarceration wasn¡¯t just for show. The reason they could capture him like this was¡­. ¡®He¡¯s just checking us out,¡¯ Sienna thought with a frown. What was the full extent of Sienna¡¯s magic? Just how much sacred power did the Saint possess? What were the levels of the other foes currently surrounding him? Sienna clicked her tongue in disgust. She had no desire to expose her full power at such an early point, so she had made sure to moderate the power of her spells. Eugene slowly turned his gaze away from Sienna and the others. Noir was staring at Eugene with an unchanging expression on her face. That point alone was enough for Eugene to start feeling concerned. Even under these circumstances, Noir seemed to have barely anything to say. If this were any other time, she would have already said something by now. Congrattions! Eugene recalled what had happened in Shimuin. At that time, Noir had burst into the banquet hall wearing a racy swimsuit, then sang a song for Eugene as she handed him a cake. ¡ªCongrattions. ¡ªOn your victory. ¡ªEugene Lionheart. When Noir said these words, her voice had been all chopped up. Even then, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to see her expression clearly. Her lips seemed to have been twisted in a grin. But had that really been a smile? If it was, it didn¡¯t seem to match the emotions that she had been showing. Eugene looked at Noir¡¯s hands. There, he saw that her left hand, which still had that damned ring on it, was clutching the other ring that Noir had hung on a ne around her neck. Eugene tried to suppress the surge of feelings rising up within him. ¡°...You¡­,¡± Eugene trailed off, swallowing a sigh that had almost unconsciously left his lips. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Noir asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. She forced herself to release her tight grip on her ne. She wanted to destroy them. Whether it was the ring she was wearing on her finger or the ring hanging around her neck, she wanted to destroy them both. However, she simply couldn¡¯t break them. With just the slightest bit of force, she should have been able to turn them into powder. However, she just couldn¡¯t find the strength to do so. Noir cleared her throat, ¡°I have to congratte you, My¡ª¡± My Lord[2]. Noir swallowed the words she had almost unconsciously said out loud. Once again, Noir was forced to readjust her expression. ¡°¡ªEugene,¡± Noir finally managed to finish once she had regained control of her expression along with her emotions. Noir¡¯s head was currently dizzy with emotions and memories that had been buried deep within her, ones that didn¡¯t belong to her. Noir hated this. All of the memories and emotions going through her mind should be the ones that belonged solely to herself. The reason she loved Hamel/Eugene should also be something that waspletely unique and new to Noir. However, the memories that had suddenly resurfaced in her head, those memories that weren¡¯t from her current life, those memories that she had never chosen to make, and the emotions that apanied them¡­. ¡°Isn¡¯t it hard?¡± Noir asked, trying to keep her voice steady. Her emotions kept fluctuating of their own ord. These memories were making her see apletely different side of her dear Hamel, the man whom she loved. Especially¡­. That one memory that especially left Noir with a feeling of disgust. Because the memory of that final moment made light of something that Noir had been hoping for all of her life ¡ª she had always wanted to be held in the arms of her lover during her final moments, uttering herst words to him before she died. Yet Noir had never once been able to picture the scene of her own death. That was why she had fallen for Hamel¡¯s intense killing intent. She had wanted to y out her final moments underneath that man¡¯s pure and unwavering murderous intent. She had wanted that moment to be special for both of them. However, it turned out that the two of them had already shared such a special moment together. She had already experienced her own longed-for death a long, long time ago. She had experienced being loved, being held in his arms, being kissed, and then dying at his hands. ¡°Just look at the state you¡¯re in. I can see that you are struggling with a lot of things,¡± Noir said as she slowly approached Eugene. She had a smile on her face, but it was only skin deep. Eugene couldn¡¯t sense the slightest trace of any emotion that matched her expression. ¡°It¡¯s fine if you sit down,¡± Noir persuaded. Eugene didn¡¯t respond. Just like she said, it was difficult for him even to stay standing, but Eugene continued to stand up straight where he was as he red back into Noir¡¯s eyes. ¡°Ahaha, why are you staring at me like that, dear Eugene? Could it be that you are embarrassed to show any weakness in front of me?¡± Noir asked with a smile. She leaned forward slightly, drawing closer to Eugene as she continued, ¡°However, I really like seeing you when you¡¯re at your weakest. After all, you¡­ you always insist on showing your strong side, don¡¯t you? In that case, since it¡¯s rare to see you like this, it makes me want to keep looking even more.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene stayed silent. ¡°If you want, I can lend you my shoulder. If that isn¡¯t enough to satisfy you, I can even offer up myp. Or perhaps you would prefer to rest with your head on my chest?¡± Noir asked seductively, mischief blended in with her smile. Her outstretched hand moved closer to Eugene. Noir giggled, ¡°Fufu, if I had my way, I would also like to whisper into your ear what we might do next, but it seems I¡¯ll have to restrain myself. Because no matter how much I may desire it, those kinds of activities would be difficult for you in your current state. Hmm, or perhaps not? It might be difficult for you to move your body currently, but if it¡¯s in a dream¡ª¡± ¡°Noir Giabe.¡± Eugene finally broke his silence. Noir blinked in surprise at having her name suddenly called out like this. After staring at Eugene for a few moments, she burst intoughter. ¡°What¡¯s with that all of a sudden?¡± Noir asked once she had calmed down. ¡°Calling out my name all of a sudden, Noir¡­ Giabe. That¡¯s right, that is who I am.¡± ¡°Have you¡­,¡± Eugene paused, finally letting out the sigh that he¡¯d been holding back. ¡°You¡¯ve remembered the past as well, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°...¡± This time, it was Noir¡¯s turn to fall silent. ¡°In that case, what do you want me to call you?¡± Eugene asked, tilting his head forward. Thanks to that, the distance between him and Noir had shrunk even narrower. A beautiful face, a mischievous smile, and eyes that werecking any sort of light; a somber feeling lurked within those dark abysses. ¡°Saint?¡± Eugene offered. She had been called the Saintess of the God of War. ¡°Witch?¡± Eugene tried again. Before she became the Saint, she was called the Twilight Witch. Eugene hesitated before uttering one final name, ¡°Aria?¡± As soon as he said this name, Eugene was sent falling backward. He wasn¡¯t able to resist. Just as he was about tond t on his back, a gentle hand cradled his body and arrested his fall. It was Noir. Even though she was the one who had pushed Eugene down, she carefully supported him as they both slowly fell to the ground. Noir¡¯s ne slipped free with a jingle. The ring swayed in front of Eugene¡¯s eyes. His ears were filled with the sound of heavy breathing as her sweetly scented breath came closer. A new light was flickering within Noir¡¯s dull, hollow eyes. ¡°...¡± Noir silently stared down at Eugene with eyes that looked like they were about to burst into tears at any moment. 1. The original text uses the term ??, which is the plural for a group of four evil mythical beasts from ancient Chinese mythology. Rather than a literal description, the use of this term here is to imply that Gavid could be seen as one of their peers in terms of age, power, and depth of evil. ? 2. This term is used with a divine undertone. Like when you address God as ¡®Oh Lord¡¯ in a prayer. ? Chapter 494: Delusion (2)

Chapter 494: Delusion (2)

She didn¡¯t have a name. She couldn¡¯t even remember the name that her parents might have given her when she was younger. There were a fair amount of such orphans in any era. Children who had lost their parents before their egos had even fully formed, or children who had been swaddled in a cloth or ced in a basket and abandoned as soon as they were born. She didn¡¯t even know how she hade to be an orphan. All she knew was that starting at some point, she had been living in her alley. She was part of a gang of children with simr circumstances. Of course, older andrger individuals, people who stood on the border between childhood and adulthood, were in charge of the gang. Each day was spent living hand-to-mouth. It was a life in which it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if she had caught a disease, was beaten up, or even died at any time. Most of the other children lived their lives while epting this situation as if it was only natural. They were satisfied with just having enough to eat each day and a safe ce to rest. They didn¡¯t even have any thoughts about what might happen tomorrow, the day after, three dayster, five dayster, a weekter, a monthter, a yearter, or at any point in the future. But she was different. She wasn¡¯t satisfied with this dirty, little back alley. As long as she got just a little bit older when this body of hers managed to sprout a little, she would definitely do something other than continue to beg. But that said, would that make it any easier for her to earn money? That wouldn¡¯t really be the case. The next part of her life would be spent peddling wildflowers in the back alleys[1]. The price of wildflowers would only be a pittance, and the little money that was earned from this job would just end up getting pocketed by the older teens. It would also increase the probability of her catching some kind of disease. There was no way any of the men who woulde crawling into the back alleys to buy wildflowers were the clean type, and the girl was observant enough to tell that the most excited ones among them were usually also violent. There were only a few years left until that would be her fate. Would she be able to survive if she left the back alleys? She decided that she would survive no matter what she had to do. Even though it might be dangerous, and she might even end up with an even more difficult life. ¡ªWhat¡¯s your name? No matter how many ns she might havee up with and contemted, in the end, she was still just a child, so her actions were also extremely childlike. When she was begging on the street, she always made sure to speak politely to an old woman who wouldn¡¯t just pass by like the others but would always give her a few pennies whenever they met. This happened frequently, as consistently as she could manage, so that the girl could get a better understanding of the other person, but all of her efforts must have seemed obvious to the old woman. ¡ªI don¡¯t have one. She was telling the truth when she said that she didn¡¯t have a name. The names that they used to address each other in the back alley were all merely nicknames that couldn¡¯t really be considered actual names. ¡ªIn that case, allow me to give you a name. The old woman was a witch, but she didn¡¯t end up cooking the girl for her dinner. Instead, the girl became her servant. She assisted the witch in a variety of different ways. The young girl did many things that only a girl like her could do. She lured in other children and tricked them into the old woman¡¯s cauldron,mitted petty theft for the witch, picked herbs and mushrooms in the mountains, and also wrote down what the old woman dictated. The girl also learned a lot during this time. It turned out she had a talent for it. ¡ªYour name will be.... The girl killed the witch. She didn¡¯t have any particrly impressive reason for doing so. In the first ce, she didn¡¯t have any desire for revenge on the witch. Instead, she actually felt grateful towards the old woman. Thanks to the old woman, she was able to leave her alley. She learned how to write and how to use magic. She also learned the various tricks that she would need in order to survive in this world on her own. If the old woman had good intentions for the girl, the girl wouldn¡¯t have killed her. However, the witch only had malicious intent toward the girl. The witch had started bing envious of her young and beautiful disciple. No, since when had she even taken the girl as a disciple? She had obviously only taken this girl to use her as a servant for a short period of time. But at some point, the girl had be her disciple and leached away all of her talent. Or at least, that was what the witch thought. So the old woman decided to kill the girl with her own two hands, stew her up, and eat her. That was why the girl had to kill her. ¡°Aria,¡± Noir muttered quietly. Her name at that time hadn¡¯t been Aria. The old woman had given her a different name, but it was one that wasn¡¯t worth remembering. Even now, she couldn¡¯t recall what it might have been. Left on her own after killing the old woman, the girl had abandoned that name. She then gave herself a new name. Upon hearing that a certain country was hiring wizards to work in the royal pce, she headed there. The deadline for applying to the position had been fast approaching, but that didn¡¯t pose any problems for the girl. This was because plenty of wizards from her country had applied immediately after hearing the news and were traveling to the royal pce for the interview while filled with excitement. The girl carefully took her pick and killed one of those wizards. She then stole that wizard¡¯s face and identity, which was all she needed to do to get the position. After entering the royal pce, she spent the next several decades there. All because she wasn¡¯t satisfied with living just for today. Chasing the future, she had left her alley and had transformed into the royal court witch. ¡ªThe Twilight Witch. At some point, she began to be addressed more often by her nickname than her official name. This was something that she had nned. Being known by such a title rather than an actual name enabled her to mystically draw out more power from the worship of her followers. That was how things had been in that era. In that era, through the worship provided by other humans, people were able to be something more than human. It was at that time that she entered the Evil Path and made ns for her ascension[2]. During the chaos sparked by the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s invasion, the royal court witch took the chance to turn the king and his ministers into her puppets, cing the entire kingdom beneath her feet. In a certain sense, her actions were even more terrible than those of the demonfolk and the Demon Kings, as after she managed to wrest control of the country, she thoroughly tamed the popce by using both an enticing carrot and terrifying stick; her fearsome notoriety was such that even the monarchs of the surrounding nations were forced to turn their eyes away from her deeds. This was the woman known as the Twilight Witch. ¡ªPlease.... But then she was defeated. The grand and imposing castle that the witch had built up around herself was left in ruins by the God of War. Was it because she didn¡¯t want to die? Did she hope that her life wouldn¡¯t just end like this? Did she have any regrets remaining? Or perhaps.... ¡ªWhat¡¯s your name? Was it because she was captivated by the sight of the man standing with his back against the setting sun, his sword slung over his shoulder? ¡ªPlease grant me the honor of a new name. She had never attached any special meaning to any of the names that she had held thus far. Naturally, this meant that she had never cherished or valued any of the names she had been given. But the Twilight Witch sensed something instinctively. She would be spending a very long time together with this man. So just as he had taken everything from her, one day she would also take everything from him. For the sake of that goal, she would need to be someone who this man saw as special. She would also need to consider him as someone special to herself. So she asked him for a name. Because she didn¡¯t want to give him any one of those trifling names that she had never cherished, valued, or ced any special meaning in. She had made such a request to be someone special to him and for the sake of iming him as someone special to herself. ¡°...Aria...,¡± Noir Giabe muttered faintly, gasping for breath as she stared at Eugene. Aria, Aria... that name.... The memories that had been vaguely lingering in the back of her head came back into piercing rity the moment Noir heard the name Aria. As such, she couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer. Noir took a deep breath as she tried to silence her panting. She really didn¡¯t want to think of that name as something special to her. Noir struggled to speak, ¡°I....¡± Her eyes were full of turmoil and agitation. Eugene had never imagined that he would ever see such an expression on Noir Giabe, who had always exuded an air ofposure and amusement. If it had been for any other reason, then Eugene may have felt entertained by this. If it was a result of hitting Noir¡¯s reverse scale[3], then Eugene may have even thought about actively taking advantage of it. However, now, he wasn¡¯t able to do that. This was because the name that seemed to be acting as a reverse scale for Noir, bringing out all these emotions and expressions that she was showing him, was also having the same effect on Eugene. The response brought about after being provoked by the name Aria seemed to be much stronger than the responses that had arisen from the names Twilight Witch and the Saint of the God of War. But that was why Eugene had to dig even deeper. Everyone looked over in surprise when Noir suddenly attacked Eugene. Naturally, Sienna, the Saints, and all the others had tried to approach Eugene, but Eugene just held his hand out to stop them from approaching and indicated that everything was fine. ¡°Why stop them?¡± Noir spat out. Her eyes still looked like they were about to burst into tears at any moment. Staring up into those wavering eyes, Eugene said, ¡°Just because.¡± ¡°Just because...?¡± Noir repeated in a trembling voice. Her hand suddenly shot out to grab Eugene by the cor as she continued, ¡°A-aren¡¯t you taking me far too lightly? If it weren¡¯t for the fact that I love you, and I don¡¯t want you to die at a ce like this, then I-I would.... There is nothing stopping me from killing you right here, right now.¡± It was hard for the current Eugene even to move his body. If Noir was to apply even a little more force, she would be able to break his neck as easily as if she was snapping a dry branch. To prove that what she had said wasn¡¯t just a bluff, Noir made a show of mustering up her killing intent. However, Eugene¡¯s expression didn¡¯t change in the slightest. Still looking straight into Noir¡¯s tearful eyes, Eugene resumed speaking to her, ¡°I just thought that the two of us needed to have a conversation right here, right now.¡± ¡°...,¡± Noir remained silent. ¡°You said that I¡¯m taking you lightly? Do you really think that is the case? Until now, I have never once taken you lightly,¡± Eugene said sincerely. This was the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe ¡ª one of Eugene¡¯s oldest foes. Eugene had never once taken her strength or the significance of her identity lightly. So much so that, while he might verbally deride her as the Queen of the Sluts, whenever he tried to imagine what it would be like to fight her, the first image that came to mind was of his own defeat. ¡°...A conversation...,¡± Noir muttered in a small voice. That name had triggered something in her head. These memories kept unfolding in her mind. Noir closed her eyes as she tried to catch her breath once more. She let go of his cor. However, her hand didn¡¯t pull away. Instead, it drifted a little closer to Eugene. Noir¡¯s soft, pale hand caressed Eugene¡¯s cheek. Fwooosh! A pair of bat-like wings unfurled on Noir¡¯s back. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone else to see this,¡± Noir whispered in a low voice. Her wings were asrge as the ones on Apollo, a pegasus. After unfurling into the air, her wings slowly lowered to the ground, covering both Eugene and Noir from outside view. ¡°I don¡¯t want anyone to hear this either,¡± Noir exined to Eugene. Eugene didn¡¯t try to stop her actions. This was because he felt the same way. Although he might have revealed to certain key people that he was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, he hadn¡¯t said anything about being Agaroth¡¯s reincarnation. What was the point of even talking about it in the first ce? Unlike Hamel, who was from three hundred years ago, Agaroth was someone from the long-distant mythical era. The topics that he would be discussing with Noir from this point onwards would be a story that was difficult for people from this era to understand. ¡®Though I feel like this will lead to some pointless misunderstandings,¡¯ Eugene thought regretfully, but after giving it some more thought, he decided that it wasn¡¯t really a big deal. It wasn¡¯t like today was the first time something like this had happened. Noir had previously stormed into the banquet being held in Shimuin to congratte Eugene, and they had also had a secret conversation after that as well. Then, soon after theirte-night secret rendezvous at Giabe Park, their photos had spread all over the continent. So what if this led to some more misunderstandings? Such misunderstandings had already been spread a long, long time ago. ¡°You really are being thorough,¡± Eugene observed with a frown as he stared directly into Noir¡¯s face, which hovered right in front of him. Her wings weren¡¯t just blocking any sights or sounds from leaving their enclosure. Even the voices of Mer, who was still in his cloak, as well as Sienna and the Saints, with whom Eugene had a mental connection, could no longer be heard. This was because of the powerful magical barrier that Noir had cast through her outspread wings. ¡°It¡¯s because I wanted to keep this conversation between just the two of us,¡± Noir whispered. Her wings were covering them on all sides, creating pitch-ck darkness even deeper than the night outside. However, even in the midst of this darkness, Eugene¡¯s face was still clearly visible to Noir. Noir¡¯s emotions had settled slightly. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said we should have this conversation, my dear...,¡± Noir hesitated just as she was about to say his name, ¡°Hamel.¡± She experienced a slight difficulty when it came to deciding which name to use, but she still chose to say that name. For Noir, that was the only name that she wanted to use. ¡°Just how long are you nning to stay so close to me?¡± Eugenined with a grumble. Noir¡¯s face was far too close to his. Her lush hair had fallen down around Eugene, surrounding him like a ckout curtain. The jingling ring had also been lowered when she pounced on him, and it was now resting on Eugene¡¯s corbone. ¡°I..,¡± Noir slowly began to speak as both her hands came up to cradle Eugene¡¯s cheeks. Slowly, ever so slowly... her hands began to move. Her long fingers delicately caressed Eugene¡¯s cheeks, tracing the outline of his face. ¡°Until I am satisfied,¡± Noir selfishly insisted. She wanted to focus on this tactile experience of her fingers physically touching him. She wanted something real, something that was physically present right in front of her, something that she could see and touch, not something that existed only in her memories. Biting down on her bottom lip, Noir continued to trace Eugene¡¯s face. She bit down on her lip even harder as she felt despair at remembering something she shouldn¡¯t have remembered. The scent of blood began to be carried on Noir¡¯s breath. The same thing also applied to Eugene. He had been forced to spit out blood several times during the battle. They both smelled the blood on each other¡¯s breath. The scent of blood created a strong connection between them. It seemed to fill the empty spaces in their faded memories, and they both pictured their final moments together. ¡°...Haha,¡± Noir unconsciously began tough. She leaned her head slightly forward, getting even closer. The distance between them was already far too close. It was to the point where her eyes were no longer able to take in Eugene¡¯s full appearance. Yet even so, it didn¡¯t matter to Noir. Because she could still feel his face with her fingertips as she looked into his eyes. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s much resemnce,¡± Noir quietly muttered. ¡°He looked a bit rougher. Hmm, not in a crude way. I get the impression that he was quite the... impressive specimen of a man. The sort of man who looks good in armor. A man who was good at riding horses. The kind of man who looks natural when wielding a huge sword.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene stayed silent. Noir continued, ¡°The sort of man who gets along well when surrounded by other men. A man who was good at shoutingmands. A man well-suited to being on the battlefield.¡± He had bushy hair. Intense eyes. Stark facial features. While he was quite flirtatious, when the time came to be serious, he was extremely serious. He would smile when he was enraged, and he was sensitive about the things that belonged to him.... ¡°Ahahaha...,¡± Noir let out another peal ofughter. ¡°No, on second thought, you really do resemble him.¡± She wasn¡¯t talking about his face. The resemnce was in their attitude, the air they gave off, and other things like that. ¡°Is that so,¡± Eugene responded with a wry smile. They weren¡¯t exactly the same. This was only natural because, in the end, they were two different people. However, he couldn¡¯t deny that there was a resemnce between him and Agaroth. ¡°It¡¯s just a resemnce. I am not Agaroth,¡± Eugene stated firmly. ¡°What about me?¡± Noir asked with a smile. ¡°Do you think I resemble her?¡± ¡°A little,¡± Eugene answered. Noir nodded, ¡°Indeed. Though I probably don¡¯t resemble her too greatly. Because, in the first ce, she was a human, while I am a Night Demon.¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°But then why...¡± Noir trailed off. At some point, Noir¡¯s hands, which had been caressing his face, suddenly appeared around Eugene¡¯s neck. However, her hands weren¡¯t strangling his throat. Noir¡¯s fingertips gently caressed the hollow of Eugene¡¯s neck. Ever so delicately, as if she was stroking a fragile ss bead. ¡°Then why, why did you call me by that name?¡± Noir finished. He had called her Aria. ¡°I don¡¯t like that name,¡± Noir informed him. ¡°Because I am not her.¡± ¡°I did it because I wanted to check something,¡± Eugene replied. ¡°Check something?¡± Noir repeated as her lips twisted in a frown. If that was the reason, it had proved very effective. In the beginning, Noir didn¡¯t want to reveal her awareness of this to Eugene. Even though it might be revealed someday, eventually.... And even if it hadn¡¯t been revealed, they both would have probably noticed this awareness in each other soon, but.... Noir hadn¡¯t wanted to say anything now, not when her thoughts and emotions weren¡¯t in order. However, the moment she heard the name Aria... her body had started moving on its own. ¡°I also need to check something,¡± Noir told him, her head lowering a bit further. Within the darkness of her outspread wings, Eugene and Noir¡¯s lips touched. 1. The author doesn¡¯t say this out loud, but this is pretty clearly a euphemism for prostitution, in case that wasn¡¯t clear enough. ? 2. The author is using immortal cultivation terminology here for those familiar with that genre of fiction. For those unfamiliar, ascension means ascending to a higher ne of existence and basically bing an immortal being like a god. The Evil Path is in contrast to the Righteous Path, and like the name suggests, it makes heavy use of what could be considered selfish and evil methods to increase your own power. ? 3. This refers to the Asian myth that dragons have a reverse scale somewhere on their body that serves as their weak point and can send them into a rage if touched. A Western alternative might be the berserk button. ? Chapter 495: Delusion (3)

Chapter 495: Delusion (3)

As Noir lowered her head, she was still thinking. Thinking about the memories that had suddenly resurfaced and the emotions that hade with them. About those names from long ago that she didn¡¯t consider to be anything special to her and weren¡¯t even worth remembering. As for those that she did consider special.... The Twilight Witch. The Saint of the God of War. And the name that he had personally given her: Aria. In all of the hundreds of years she had been alive, Noir had never once been as perplexed as she was now. For Noir, the only thing that should influence her judgment and actions was herself. That was how Noir had lived her life up until this point. Even while experiencing joy, anger, sadness, and all those types of emotions, all of Noir¡¯s judgments, concerns, and choices were still ultimately decided through the force of her own will. The same applied when it came to her decision on when to kill Hamel. Noir had spent a long time pondering herplex and heartfelt feelings for Hamel. She had ced all of her desires on a scale, weighing her love and affection for Hamel and the intense killing intent that he would direct toward her against the sense of loss, regret, sorrow, and grief that she would have to experience for the rest of her long life if she were to kill him. She also contemted the fulfillment and satisfaction that she might feel if she were the one to die.... Noir had taken all of that into ount and made her choice. No one else had forced that decision for her. But now.... Now, things no longer felt under her control. The current Noir was like a ss of water with far too many foreign impurities mixed into it. Such a state was extremely unpleasant in and of itself, and she especially hated how she was being affected by memories and emotions that weren¡¯t even hers. That was why she hadn¡¯t wanted to reveal it to Eugene today. It was because she couldn¡¯t be sure if any of the actions she took today were entirely hers, something that Noir Giabe would do. She thought she needed some time. She felt the urge to just run away. If Gavid Lindman hadn¡¯t suddenly attacked Eugene, Noir wouldn¡¯t have felt the need to descend to the earth and would have instead returned to her fief immediately, or else she would have stayed put inside of her Giabe-Face. ¡®But it¡¯s already toote,¡¯ Noir thought regretfully. The moment she heard the name Aria, all the memories and emotions had resurfaced with far too much intensity. The actions that followed ¡ª no matter how much she thought about it, she hadn¡¯t been like herself. While chiding herself over this fact, Noir continued thinking. Even at a moment like this, Noir felt some regret. They were locked together in a light kiss, with only their lips touching. Both had stopped breathing, and neither had closed their eyes. They were staring into each other¡¯s unmistakably open gaze. It was different from what she had imagined. If she and Hamel were to ever kiss, Noir had always dreamed of some light explorations of each other¡¯s bodies followed by a night of passionate kisses ¡ª but no matter how much she had fantasized about it, she had never expected that she would ever actually get to lie in bed with her Hamel. As such, Noir had also imagined a different kiss. One that would take ce at the moment when one of them finally delivered the other¡¯s end. Whether Noir died at Hamel¡¯s hand or Hamel died at the hands of Noir. After they had both be drenched in blood, as their breaths became shallow, and their vision grew dim.... They would put on their rings. Exchange a few whispers. Then, end it with one final kiss. ¡ªIf you have anyst wishes, I will listen to them. ¡°It¡¯s different,¡± Noir muttered as their lips slowly withdrew from the point of contact. Noir giggled as she pressed her forehead against Eugene¡¯s. Eugene stared back into Noir¡¯s eyes without saying anything. After a few moments, Eugene finally asked, ¡°What¡¯s different?¡± Noir returned his question, ¡°You already know the answer to that, so why are you even asking?¡± Eugene changed the subject, ¡°I actually suspected that you might have remembered the past already.¡± Noir burst intoughter, ¡°Ahahaha....¡± She knew what he was talking about: the rings she had bought for them to wear on their ring fingers. Why had she suddenly thought about rings back then? And instead of ones that were studded with fancy jewels, why had she wanted such ordinary, almost crude, rings? Why, at that time, had she had tears on that dawn-lit street while staring at Hamel¡¯s back? ¡°Hamel,¡± Noir said with a slight smile. ¡°When our lips touched just now, I knew for sure. I... am not Aria. I do not want to be Aria. I... am just Noir Giabe.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene listened in silence. ¡°And you, I know that you also feel the same way. If I had to say why...,¡± Noir¡¯s hands once again began to caress Eugene¡¯s cheeks. Her fingers traced over his jaw, then moved up to Eugene¡¯s lips as she continued speaking, ¡°It¡¯s because his lips were much rougher. They gave off the smell of blood... and there was... affection.¡± ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Eugene agreed as his lips twisted in a smirk. ¡°Because he was Agaroth. Just as you aren¡¯t Aria, I¡¯m not Agaroth either.¡± ¡°However, I do have Aria¡¯s memories and emotions,¡± Noir pointed out. ¡°The same goes for me,¡± Eugene nodded along. ¡°Hamel,¡± Noir suddenly whispered. Eugene¡¯s face was reflected in herrge, round eyes. ¡°Those memories and emotions that don¡¯t belong to us, do we allow them to change us?¡± Noir asked quietly. ¡°No,¡± Eugene denied that option in a low voice. ¡°Since I am me, and you are you, we won¡¯t change. We can¡¯t change.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± Noir let out augh. ¡°What a great answer.¡± Noir also felt the same way. Even if these memories and emotions that didn¡¯t belong to her continued to torment her, she would not allow herself to be ovee by this delusion. If she had to give a reason, it was because her self-identity as Noir Giabe ¡ª the Queen of the Night Demons, Duke of Helmuth, Lord of Dreamea and Giabe-City ¡ª was stronger than that of the Twilight Witch, the Saint of the God of War, and even Aria. Noir had confirmed this through their kiss. Not only was it different from her imagination, but he was also different from the man she remembered. ¡°What I want is still the same,¡± Noir informed Eugene as her face slowly pulled away from him. ¡°Do you remember what we talked about in the bar back then? I still want to experience those feelings... guilt, loss, regret, and all of those other emotions. I want to die at the hands of someone who truly hates me. I still hope that will be you. I don¡¯t hate you, but I do want you to love me as much as you hate me.¡± This was the right course of action. As she grabbed the ring on her ne, Noir said, ¡°The love that I hold for you must end with one of our deaths.¡± Noir felt once more that this was the correct choice. She suppressed the wavering sensation spreading deep within her heart. She would not be ovee by this delusion. However, wasn¡¯t it inevitable that there would be at least some wavering in her heart? Although her face had pulled away from his, Noir had yet to raise her body off of Eugene. She was still sitting on top of him, with a sad smile lingering on her face. ¡°But I hate this,¡± Noir admitted. ¡°What is it that you hate?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°When I kill you, I want to feel some hesitation,¡± Noir confessed wistfully. ¡°After hesitating again and again, I want to finally take your life and then feel a sense of loss and regret for the rest of my life. I also hope that you might do the same for me. After hesitating for a long time, I hope that you will finally kill me... then I want you to remember that someone like me existed for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene held his tongue. Noir sighed, ¡°However, now, that might no longer be possible. Will the regret and sense of loss that I will feel after killing you truly belong to me? What about you? Will you regret the loss of Noir Giabe? Or perhaps you will only regret the loss of Aria?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need for you to worry about something like that,¡± Eugene told her. He wasn¡¯t able to move his body with ease, but Eugene still forced himself to look her straight in the eye. ¡°Because there is no way you will be able to kill me,¡± Eugene said firmly. ¡°You are the one who is going to die. As such, your worries won¡¯t be of any use whatsoever.¡± ¡°Ahahaha...,¡± Noirughed as she shook her head. ¡°In that case, what about if you survive? Once you kill me, whose emotions will you be feeling?¡± ¡°My own,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°What a clear response,¡± Noirmented with a smile. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter that I had a distant past life as someone named Agaroth. I am going to kill you, and that will be the end of that. As for what I might feel after I kill you? That¡¯s something that I¡¯ll think about then,¡± Eugene dismissed with a shrug. Noir raised an eyebrow, ¡°Aren¡¯t you just trying to escape the issue?¡± ¡°I am not going to obsess over some kind of fantasy,¡± Eugene said as he red at Noir. ¡°So you should also wake up from your dreams.¡± Noir didn¡¯t respond to that and just stared into Eugene¡¯s eyes. As he met her gaze, Eugene continued, ¡°I am just me and you are just you. As for these memories from our past lives? These emotions? Sorry, but for me, the present is more important than anything else. That means the current me is more important than who I might have once been.¡± Once he had finished speaking, Eugene took a deep breath. Then, still staring directly into Noir¡¯s eyes, Eugene spat out, ¡°Do you remember your promise?¡± ¡°...I remember it,¡± Noir admitted after a short pause. ¡°I promised to answer any three questions you might have for me.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll use my final question here,¡± Eugene dered. ¡°Noir Giabe, what do you want to do to me?¡± Back in Giabe-Park, he had used two questions, and received their answers. Although Eugene had saved thest question just in case it might prove usefulter, Eugene decided that now was the time to use it. Because he thought that he needed to make things clear between them, right here and now. ¡°You really are cruel,¡± Noir softly muttered. ¡°You¡¯re also too kind for your own good.¡± ¡°What kind of bullshit is that,¡± Eugene just scoffed. ¡°You could have taken advantage of my current weakness,¡± Noir pointed out with a giggle, then she shook her head. ¡°You are right, Hamel. As the Queen of the Night Demons, I... fufu, to think that I would be lost in a dream like this one.¡± Their positions had been reversed. When they were walking together in the Giabe-Park at night, Noir had noticed that Hamel was the one wavering. At that time, Hamel had seemed strange. He didn¡¯t even try to pretend like nothing was wrong. From the moment they had met in front of Giabe-Park, Hamel had appeared agitated. She could still vividly recall what he had looked like back then. Eugene had easily agreed to ride in the Giabe-Face together, and they had flown through the sky. Then,ter, they had partaken in the lively and beautiful nightlife of her city. At that time, Noir had thought that the reason Hamel was wavering was the gap between the current era and their past. The gap between Noir Giabe of three hundred years ago and Noir Giabe of today. She had thought that such hesitation was adorable. She didn¡¯t know what he had seen to cause this misunderstanding that was so distressing to him, but his wavering... Noir had thought that the presence of those feelings within Hamel would only add further sweetness to the beautiful arrangements that Noir had made for their final moments together. ¡°The reason I feel such sadness and grief...,¡± Noir began. She wasn¡¯t all that wrong in guessing that Eugene¡¯s wavering was because of a gap between the present and the past. However, it was just that the gap that Hamel had sensed was between the present and their very distant past lives. ¡°...is that my love for you has been polluted with someone else¡¯s love,¡± Noir said regretfully. Noir¡¯s hands moved. Instead of continuing to stroke Eugene¡¯s face, she gently wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Using that grip, Noir embraced Eugene and pulled him up into a sitting position. ¡°Thank you Hamel,¡± Noir¡¯s lips approached Eugene¡¯s ear as she whispered to him. With its soft tones and sweetly-scented breath, Noir Giabe¡¯s voice tickled Eugene¡¯s ear as she said, ¡°Thanks to you saying those things, I... even with these past memories of someone who isn¡¯t me, I feel like I will still be able to enjoy what we have together.¡± ¡ªApart from bing enemies, isn¡¯t there any other way? Now she understood the reason why Hamel had asked such a thing. ¡°Allow me to answer your question,¡± Noir said with a smile. At that time, Hamel was speaking to Noir Giabe, not the Twilight Witch, who was causing him to feel such hesitation. Just like how Noir had confirmed the truth of each other¡¯s identity and the truth of her own feelings through their kiss, Hamel had also needed a confirmation. ¡ªThere is no other way. At that time, Noir had given that response without any hesitation. With that response, Hamel had made up his mind. Now, by answering his final question, Noir had fully prepared herself to give a response that truly conveyed her own will. ¡°I still want to kill you,¡± said Noir firmly. Their positions may have been swapped, but her answer was still the same. ¡°As for the fact that I was the Twilight Witch, Aria, and the Saint of the God of War...,¡± Noir gave a faint smile as she gently strengthened her embrace of Eugene¡¯s body. ¡°And the fact that you were the God of War, Agaroth, and then Hamel....¡± The more she spoke, the more she felt like her true identity was being reasserted. It felt like every word was adding its weight to her existence, causing her self-identity to grow heavier and more solid. ¡°After realizing these facts, we have been distressed by these truths that we didn¡¯t want to know, confused by each other¡¯s identities as well as our own, and we felt a mix of love and hate as we were shaken by memories and emotions that weren¡¯t our own.... Nevertheless, as long as we do not give up on our killing intent towards each other and we do all that we can to destroy each other, then, at the veryst moment, if we were to hesitate,¡± Noir sighed as she lifted her head from his shoulder. Shifting position, Noir stared directly into Eugene¡¯s eyes as she said, ¡°That moment will be as sweet and as deadly as the finest poison. You can be certain of this, Hamel. If I do kill you, then any feelings of regret, loss, and grief that I may have imagined myself feeling beforehand will all pale inparison to the real things. Perhaps, just perhaps, I might even be left so broken that I can never get back up once more.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene held his tongue. ¡°Will that be the case for you as well?¡± Noir asked him. Eugene still didn¡¯t give any form of response. This was because he felt it was too early for him to be sure of an answer to that question. What kind of emotions would he feel at the end that Noir was speaking of? Noir continued to stare at the silent Eugene. He had a stoic expression on his face and a calm look in his eyes. However, as she kept up the stare, she finally began to see some traces of wavering in the depths of his eyes. Finally, Noir burst intoughter once more. ¡°That is just how it is going to be,¡± Noir said, her smile deepening as she lifted herself forward. Unlike when she had first slowly approached him to kiss him, Noir suddenly grabbed Eugene by the neck and then forcefully met his lips in a kiss. As their lips crashed together, her forcefully probing tongue became entangled with Eugene¡¯s own. The moment of their kiss was thankfully brief. But those few seconds that Noir had imed were enough topletely unsettle Eugene. Far from being sweet, romantic, or tender, her kiss was fierce and bestial. Before their lips had partedpletely, Noir¡¯s teeth lightly bit down on Eugene¡¯s bottom lip. ¡°I will make sure that¡¯s the case,¡± Noir firmly promised. ¡°After all, I happen to be much more attractive than that old woman from our memories.¡± ¡°...You... you crazy...,¡± Eugene muttered speechlessly. Blood flowed down from the bite on his slightly swollen lip. Noir stretched out her tongue and licked up that blood, then smashed Eugene¡¯s lips in yet another kiss. It was still impossible for Eugene to put up any resistance. Her blood-soaked tongue ran wild inside of his mouth. Eugene bit down on her tongue as it entangled his own a few times, but it was a meaningless protest. The taste of blood soon spread throughout his mouth. Their kisssted for another few seconds. As they parted, saliva mixed with blood stretched out in a string between Eugene and Noir¡¯s lips. ¡°It will be different from that woman¡¯s clumsy kiss,¡± Noir threatened as her wet lips parted in a wide smile. Before Eugene could burst out cursing, Noir climbed off of him. Fwooosh! Her outspread wings folded back up. Light crept back into the darkness that had previously isted just the two of them. ¡°Hamel,¡± Noir whispered. ¡°I still hate the dawn.¡± She hated being woken up from her sleep in the morning. Eugene had heard her say these words during that dawn in Giabe-Park. As Noir finished saying the same thing she did back then, her bloody lips parted in a wide smile. Sheughed and said, ¡°But now I feel like I hate the twilight as well.¡± A new desire had formed within her. ¡°I only like the nights where I can keep dreaming forever.¡± As Noir said these words, she truly did seem like the Queen of the Night Demons. Turning around, Noir called back over her shoulder, ¡°Well then, goodbye, Hamel.¡± Unlike the dawn back then, this time, there weren¡¯t any tears flowing from Noir¡¯s eyes. Chapter 496: Delusion (4)

Chapter 496: Delusion (4)

Whooosh! Noir didn¡¯t turn into mist and disappear like she had back in Giabe-Park. Instead, she spread out her previously folded wings as if to show them off to everyone, then leaped up off the spot and swiftly flew high into the sky. ¡°...,¡± Noir silently tilted her head and nced down. She saw Eugene standing there, scrubbing away at his lips, which had been covered in their mingled blood and saliva. For some reason, she thought that his appearance was particrly amusing, cute, and lovable, so Noir unconsciously smiled without even realizing that she was doing it. ¡°It¡¯s just like you said,¡± Noir murmured. Her lips, which had started off with the light touch of a gentle kiss before roughly crashing into his lips a few more times, still retained the warmth of Eugene or Hamel¡¯s touch. The taste of their mingled saliva and blood could still be vividly felt on her tongue. Noir savored the feeling of their love that had been transmitted through her lips and engraved right into her Core as she slowly raised her arms to hug herself around the shoulders. ¡°What we have to do and what we want to do hasn¡¯t changed. Because that is what you and I both desire,¡± Noir whispered. However, because of that, the closing act of their romance would be all the more tragic and heartbreaking. As such, she still needed to bury herself even deeper into his heart. While thinking this, Noir licked her lips. ¡°The woman who loves you is Noir Giabe. The man I love is you, Hamel Dynas and Eugene Lionheart,¡± Noir stated confidently. Her love was different from the love that had once been held by Aria, the Twilight Witch and the Saint of the God of War. Noir could be sure of that much at least. The love that Noir had felt from the person, who now only existed in her memories, was a love that waspletely unique solely to that woman, to Aria. And even if that hadn¡¯t been the case, even if this love was a connection that had been drawn from their past lives... Noir wouldn¡¯t be hampered by confusion any longer. After all, there was also a sweet enjoyment to be found in a destined love like theirs. ¡°Even if that does mean your hate for me is no longer so pure,¡± Noir sighed softly. The ground was getting further and further away. However, Noir¡¯s eyes were still staring right at Eugene. She saw how Eugene had raised his head towards her and seemed to be spitting out curses in her direction. Even when he looked like this, he was still just so loveable. Noir held both hands in front of herself and shaped her fingers into a heart. ¡°It just means I¡¯ll have to learn how to enjoy suchplex feelings as well,¡± Noir encouraged herself. Her body was trembling from the love boiling within her. Noir even felt tempted to swoop down right now and pounce on Hamel. If she decided to act on her desires, then who on earth would be able to stop her? Moreover, the current Hamel was in a state where he couldn''t possibly put up any resistance. In other words, this meant that if Noir really decided to go through with her desires, she could do whatever she wanted to him. In that light, should she just head back down immediately to kidnap Hamel? Should she throw him over her shoulder and carry him back to the Giabe-Face? Should she show him such a wonderful night that it would leave him feeling like he had flown all the way into outer space? The fantasies running through her head, one after another, left Noir¡¯s body shivering with excitement. ¡°No,¡± Noir told herself firmly. Not today, at least. She didn¡¯t want to capture or destroy Hamel at such an early date. Noir suppressed the desire rising within her as she turned around to leave. *** Eugene had scrubbed his lips several times, but the sticky feeling of Noir¡¯s mouth on his refused to go away. Her tongue had ravaged the inside of his mouth like a wild beast, leaving behind the mixed taste of their mingled saliva and blood. Ptew. ¡°That rotten bitch,¡± Eugene cursed as he heavily bit down on his bottom lip. The figure of Noir, who had flown up high into the sky, could no longer be seen. Shaking off his anger, Eugene spun around. He tried to walk away, but that soon proved impossible. This was because all of the strength had beenpletely drained from his legs. Copsing onto the ground, Eugene let out a curse once more. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ivatar asked, approaching the copsed Eugene. Having been swept away by the gale from Gavid¡¯s sword just a few minutes earlier, Ivatar''s arms had been left covered in blood. However, he still stretched his hand out towards Eugene without showing any sign of pain. Eugene nodded, ¡°Yeah, and you?¡± ¡°Apart from losing my beloved axe, I¡¯m just fine,¡± Ivatar replied with a grin as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. If ced in Ivatar''s position, most other humans wouldn¡¯t have just lost their axes; they would have also lost their lives. That was just how deadly the wind from Gavid¡¯s sword had been. However, thanks to Melkith throwing her body forward to act as a shield for the others and Ivatar''s own tough physique, he had only suffered minor physical damage. The injuries of the others present weren¡¯t much different from Ivatar¡¯s. In the case of Melkith, who had been struck directly by the sword wind, her Omega Force had been destroyed, but her physical body had suffered barely any damage. Letting out a sigh of relief at this fact, Eugene epted Ivatar¡¯s support and stood up. Noir, who had once been Agaroth¡¯s Saint, had recalled the memories of her past life. There was a good chance that Ivatar, who had served as Agaroth¡¯s Great Warrior, might also have recalled his past memories. So, with a suspicious expression and slight hesitation, Eugene asked him, ¡°Do you... well... have you suddenly had any memories resurface?¡± ¡°Memories? What do you mean by that?¡± Ivatar asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion. When faced with such a question, Eugene wasn¡¯t able toe up with an immediate response and was left blinking as he quickly tried to think of what to say. Soon, Eugene let out a cough and continued speaking, ¡°I just wanted to ask, during the earlier battle... when you looked at me, did you happen to recall anything?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what you¡¯re getting at, but... I don¡¯t seem to have recalled any strange memories,¡± Ivatar shook his head in denial. Was it because their rtionship was too shallow? Eugene couldn¡¯t really believe that to be the case. It was true that Agaroth had regarded Aria as someone special to him and had truly loved her. However, the Great Warrior was also Agaroth¡¯s faithfulrade and a long-time friend. ¡®...Could it be because of her lingering attachments?¡¯ Eugene thought with a wry smile. Aria must have left behind strong emotions and lingering feelings of regret in her final moments. As for the Great Warrior, he hadn¡¯t had the time for that. He had died on the battlefield when the Demon King of Destruction had gone on his rampage. Most of Agaroth¡¯s soldiers had died in that battle without even getting the chance to realize what was about to happen to them. And instead of regret, such a death would have been just what the Great Warrior wanted. After all, he had died while fighting on the battlefield; he had died fighting for his liege. The Great Warrior Eugene had seen in Agaroth¡¯s memories was just such a person. Ivatar suddenly added, ¡°However, I did feel a certain emotion.¡± ¡°Emotion?¡± Eugene repeated doubtfully. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m the only one who felt it,¡± Ivatar exined. ¡°During today¡¯s battle, everyone who saw you must have felt the same emotion that I did.¡± Eugene Lionheart was the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel. Some of themanders on the battlefield, including Ivatar, had already been made aware of that fact. However, today¡¯s Eugene had left an all-new and incredibly strong impression on everybody who saw him, to the extent that it had erased the particrity of his past life from everyone¡¯s minds. To those watching, it had felt like as long as they had him on their side, they would never be defeated. When he led the way forward and swung his sword at their enemies, it seemed like nothing would be able to stop him. It made them want to apany him. It made them want to follow him wherever he led. It made them want to march into any war that Eugene might start. Eugene had given off a presence of such absolute martial dominance that it made it impossible to imagine him being defeated. Rather than a human, it felt like he was a god. It was as if... as if they had just been spectating as a god decided the final oue of the war.... ¡°What we felt was belief,¡± Ivatar exined. He didn¡¯t think this was something that he, as the Great Chieftain of the Zoran Tribe who ruled the Rainforest, should say. That was because the forest had its own exclusive set of beliefs. However, Ivatar couldn¡¯t find any way to express this feeling other than by using the word ¡°belief.¡± At the very least, he felt that this feeling was something far beyond simple admiration. Especially at that final moment, the red sh that Eugene had pulled out while he was engulfed in light... it had felt like the sort of mystery that no human could ever hope to copy. ¡°Belief, you say,¡± Eugene muttered in a low voice. Eugene¡¯s goal for this war was to increase the people¡¯s belief in him. Although he had aplished his goal... he didn¡¯t feel too pleased about it. This was because the specter hadn¡¯t been a purely evil figure. He wasn¡¯t truly a Demon King. In the end, the specter was someone who was left with no other choice but to die in this war. Then Noir had reawakened the memories of her past life. Her feelings for him had be even stronger. But there was yet another reason for Eugene¡¯s bad mood.... It was all because of that bastard. ¡°How long do you n to stay down there like that?¡± Eugene spat out as his brow furrowed in a scowl. If Eugene could have had his way, he would have wanted to do this while standing on his own without any support, but that wasn¡¯t possible right now. Instead, Eugene red down into a deep pit while leaning against Ivatar. At the bottom of the pit was Gavid Lindman. Although an immense force was pressing down on him from above, trapping him in the space he was in, Gavid¡¯s expression was totally calm. He easily lifted his head to nce up at Eugene. ¡°What about Noir Giabe? Is your conversation with her over?¡± Gavid asked politely. Eugene snorted, ¡°What the hell! So you were just staying here out of consideration for her?¡± ¡°Did you really think there might be any other reason for me to do this?¡± Gavid returned the question with a cold smile. Gavid¡¯s gaze drifted upwards. While staring at Sienna, who was floating in the sky, Gavid continued speaking, ¡°I¡¯ll be honest and acknowledge what deserves to be acknowledged. Sienna Merdein¡¯s magic had clearly transcended the limits of humanity. To think that such would exist magic that I cannot cut. ¡°Then there is Kristina Rogeris. I will also acknowledge her divine power. Having lived through the era of the war, I can guarantee that her miracles have already exceeded those once performed by Anise Slywood.¡± Gavid¡¯s gaze moved on from the Saint and swept over everyone standing around the pit. ¡°Humanity in this era is much stronger than it was three hundred years ago. Allow me to rify. If those present had all been around back then, they also would have been able to defeat the Demon Kings who fell in that era with just their own strength, without the assistance of Vermouth and hispanions.¡± Gavid freely admitted that the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Demon King of Fury could have all been defeated by the strength of the humans from this era. If any of them had been born three hundred years ago, they might even have been able to im the title of the Hero. In a cold and calmly collected voice, Gavid proceeded to draw a firm line in the sand, ¡°However, they still wouldn¡¯t have been able to change the oue of the war. Just like Vermouth and hisrades, they, too, would have had their hopes shattered upon reaching Babel. While thanking the Demon King of Incarceration for his mercy, they too would have been forced to beg for peace, thus creating the Oath.¡± A fire lit up in everyone¡¯s eyes due to this calm yet arrogant deration. However, no one was able to refute it outright because they all knew that it was the truth. The Demon King of Incarceration was on a whole other level. ¡°And you,¡± Gavid¡¯s gaze turned towards Eugene, ¡°Are you really arrogant enough to believe that things will be different for you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you truly want to ask me,¡± Eugene said as the corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a smirk. Instead of responding immediately, Gavid narrowed his eyes and red at Eugene. He tried to figure out what kind of scheme was being put into ce behind that cocky smile, but he couldn¡¯t figure out what was going on inside Eugene¡¯s head. ¡°...I have to admit, I was trying to be considerate of your situation. After all, wasn¡¯t it something that you were desperately trying to hide?¡± Gavid asked challengingly. ¡°That was the case until now,¡± Eugene didn¡¯t try to deny it. Until now, Eugene had done everything that he could in order to hide the fact that he was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. He had had no choice but to do so. Hamel¡¯s name had a lot of negative associations with it. Just look at what Gavid had done today. As soon as he found that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel, hadn¡¯t he immediately rushed out to kill Eugene? If the fact of Eugene¡¯s reincarnation had been made public any sooner, his enemies would havee to kill Eugene before he was ready to deal with them. ¡®That idiot Iris would have surelye to try and kill me,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. There had been much more to lose than there was to gain by revealing his reincarnation. That was why he had hidden it. However, what about now? What if his enemies came looking for him to try and kill him? At this point, there weren¡¯t many people left who Eugene would even consider to be his enemies. And by now, all of Eugene¡¯s true enemies had already found out about his reincarnation. The Demon King of Incarceration, Noir Giabe, and Gavid Lindman. Aside from those three, did Eugene really have any other enemies in the entire Devildom? No, there weren¡¯t any. He could be sure of that. Those three were all that he had to worry about. The remaining enemies were all small-fries that he didn¡¯t even have to take the time to think about. ¡°Hah,¡± Gavid huffed as he sensed the arrogant implications behind Eugene¡¯s words. However, he didn¡¯t truly feel diforted by Eugene¡¯s disregard. Among the younger generation of demonfolk, were there any who could really be considered Eugene¡¯s enemy? There were none. Jagon, who had at least had a small chance of growing up to be such an enemy, had died a few years ago. Apart from Jagon, it would take at least another century for any of the other younger demonfolk to be strong enough to pose a threat to Eugene. In that case, what about the demonfolk of the older generations, those who had managed to survive the era of war? This included all of the higher-ranking demonfolk within the top fifty ranks of Helmuth. The very highest-ranking demonfolk among them even possessed a ranking in the single-digit range. Could they, who had been granted a share of the Demon King¡¯s dark power, im to be Eugene¡¯s enemies? ¡®They¡¯re stillcking,¡¯ Gavid judged. Even among the demonfolk who were members of the ck Fog and thus excluded from the ranks, none could fight one-on-one with Eugene either. No, even if all the demonfolk of the ck Fog were to attack Eugene at once, they would all just be defeated. ¡°So because of that, there¡¯s no longer any need to keep hiding it?¡± Gavid asked in confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene agreed. A red glow ignited within Gavid¡¯s eyes. Pitch-ck dark power also began to flow from the demon sword, Glory, that he held in his hand. Crackle, cracracrackle. Sienna furrowed her brow in concern at the slowly increasing levels of dark power. She was wary of Gavid¡¯s Demoneye of Divine Glory and his Demon Sword Glory. As expected, even with her Absolute Decree, was it still impossible to simply keep him suppressed? Sienna and Kristina briefly exchanged nces. However, Eugene gave the order before they could do anything. ¡°That¡¯s enough. Stop wasting your effort on someone that we can¡¯t deal with for now. Everyone, back off.¡± Sienna¡¯s expression twisted in displeasure at these words. After pouting her lips and ncing reluctantly at Eugene, she let out a sigh as she withdrew her spells. At the same time, the Saints also retracted their divine power, and everyone surrounding the pit took a few steps back. Those present could be counted as among the continent¡¯s most elite warriors, but they all followed Eugene¡¯s orders instinctively. Instead of hesitating, they all took action immediately before they could express any doubts they might have been feeling. All of this inevitably left Gavid with a sense of mounting tension. Three hundred years ago, although Hamel was certainly strong in terms of martial strength, he still hadn¡¯t built up much of a reputation for himself. Among the party members, Vermouth was the one who mainly focused on dealing with that aspect of things. But even Molon had managed to garner enough poprity toter establish a kingdom on his own. Hamel hadn¡¯t done any of that. Hisrades, who had spent a long time around him, might consider him differently, but the majority of people who had merely met Hamel in passing remembered him as a rough, irrational, and violent man. However, what about now? The current Hamel could easily mobilize enough firepower to destroy an entire nation with just a single word.... ¡°You¡¯ve changed,¡± Gavid used. ¡°I don¡¯t think that you really know me well enough to make such an observation,¡± Eugene sniffed. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I know you just as well as anyone does,¡± Gavid muttered with a snort. There were several reasons why Eugene hadn¡¯t revealed his reincarnation. The main reason he had continued to hide his reincarnation, even after gaining enough power that he didn¡¯t need to worry about his enemies, was that¡ª Eugene was embarrassed. While that was certainly one reason for it, that wasn¡¯t the full story. It was for the sake of belief. Eugene wanted to create a distinct separation between Hamel Dynas, the hero from three hundred years ago, and the Hero Eugene Lionheart. This was part of Eugene¡¯s attempt to make the people of the current era feel a pure sense of worship towards the Hero, thus gathering their belief towards himself. If the fact that he was Hamel¡¯s reincarnation was revealed, Eugene was worried that the belief flowing towards the Hero might end up getting polluted by something else. However, now that was no longer a concern. Through this war, Eugene had developed an even greater confidence in himself. He had shattered the previous limits of his existence as a human being and had advanced even further forward. When he was fused with the light, Eugene had felt himself absorbing the worship and belief of those present on the battlefield. So now.... The identity of Hamel Dynas could no longer overshadow that of Eugene Lionheart. Any worship of Hamel would just serve to increase Eugene Lionheart¡¯s strength even further. It was a matter of public perception. Eugene Lionheart had made a name for himself as the Hero who had already defeated two Demon Kings in the present era. In doing so, his reputation had grown evenrger than that of Hamel Dynas, who had defeated three Demon Kings as a member of Vermouth¡¯s party three hundred years ago. That was why Eugene was able to dere without any hesitation, ¡°I am Hamel¡¯s reincarnation.¡± Nor did he make any efforts to limit the number of people hearing him say this like he had thest time he revealed this news. Eugene¡¯s words were spoken with such volume and rity that all of the thousands of people currently gathered on this battlefield could clearly hear him. In a calm and clear voice, without using anyplex formats, Eugene simply made his deration. Gavid unconsciously let out augh, ¡°Heh.¡± Fwooosh! His dark power surged upwards. Gavid leaped out of the deep pit and slowly glided down towards Eugene. Ivatar, who was supporting Eugene, flinched and tried to respond by retreating, but Eugene¡¯s hand suddenly grabbed hold of Ivatar. His hand... gave Ivatar a very mysterious feeling. Eugene was currently in such a weak state that it would be difficult for him to even pull up a single de of grass. Although Ivatar had been described as supporting Eugene, it was more like Ivatar was the only thing holding up Eugene¡¯s limp body. Even though that was the case, when Eugene¡¯s hand suddenly grabbed Ivatar¡¯s wrist, it felt like some kind of force had grabbed hold of Ivatar¡¯s entire body. Ivatar ended up following Eugene¡¯s order as if it was only natural for him to do so. Although he wanted to distance himself from that intense dark power, even if it was just the slightest bit since Eugene was still holding on to him as if to say, ¡°It will be fine,¡± Ivatar truly felt like nothing would happen to them. As such, Ivatar didn¡¯t move an inch from his spot. ¡°Hamel of Extermination,¡± Gavid said with a cold smile as hended in front of Eugene. ¡°It has been quite a long time.¡± Although the greeting hadete, every word that Gavid spat out was filled with murderous intent. ¡°Indeed, it has been a while, you bastard,¡± Eugene cursed, his voice filled with disgust rather than an intent to kill. ¡°Why are you suddenly pretending to be a gentleman when you just tried tounch a surprise attack on me when you knew I was weak? Fucking bastard.¡± Chapter 497: Delusion (5)

Chapter 497: Delusion (5)

¡°...¡± The smile silently disappeared from Gavid¡¯s face. He did feel a burst of anger, but to be honest, he couldn¡¯t muster up any offended pride in the face of Eugene¡¯s remark. After all, it was true that he hadunched a surprise attack on Eugene, attempting to kill the hero, when he knew that Eugene wasn¡¯t capable of putting up any resistance. He knew that he was just making excuses for himself, but in the end, Gavid still said, ¡°I do feel some shame for my actions, but I don¡¯t think I did anything wrong.¡± That was what Gavid truly believed. He hadn¡¯t wanted to swing his de at that moment. Yet even so, he had still swung his sword at Eugene. Then, in the end, at the veryst moment, Gavid had held back his sword. All of these conflicting behaviors were because of two things: Gavid¡¯s lust for battle as a demonfolk and his honor as the de of Incarceration. His decision tounch a surprise attack was just his attempt to fulfill his duty as the Duke of Helmuth. ¡°Uhuh, fine, I get it,¡± Eugene responded with a skeptical snort. He wasn¡¯t bringing this up because he wanted to hear something like an excuse from Gavid. Although it might be quite fun to keep poking at Gavid¡¯s innermost feelings in front of everyone... ¡®Let¡¯s hold back from that urge for now,¡¯ Eugene decided. If his body had been in healthy condition, that was definitely something he would have done. Eugene clicked his tongue in disappointment. It was obvious that if he kept provoking Gavid in this current situation where he wasn¡¯t even able to protect himself, it would clearly only bring harm to the people around him. ¡°By the way, we aren¡¯t anywhere close enough for you to wee me back, are we?¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°Your words are so harsh,¡± Gavidined. ¡°Hah, but since there is such a difference in our stations, I suppose it can¡¯t be helped. After all, you are the one who¡¯s been deceiving me from the very beginning by hiding your true identity.¡± ¡°So what, does that piss you off?¡± Eugene scoffed. Gavid shook his head, ¡°No, I¡¯m not angry. However, I do feel a slight sense of astonishment. I would never have thought that you would actually know how to use such a tactic.¡± Now that he knew Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel, Gavid had smoothly organized everything else that had been puzzling him. Their first meeting in this life had been at the Knight March. After receiving the invitation from the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene had immediately drawn the Holy Sword and attacked Gavid. At that time, Gavid was too distracted by the words that the Demon King of Incarceration had left with to retaliate against Eugene¡¯s attack, and afterward, Eugene had distracted everyone from his attempt to kill Gavid by iming to have received a revtion from the Light. Now that Gavid thought about it, the whole thing had just been a tant assassination attempt on Eugene¡¯s part. Eugene shook his head, ¡°Really now, all I did was refrain from saying anything I shouldn¡¯t while I left an idiot like you toe to your own conclusions. Is something like that really impressive enough to be called a tactic?¡± As soon as he had finished speaking, Eugene felt the urge to cringe. He was trying hard not to provoke Gavid, but his mouth had just started moving on its own and ended up provoking Gavid anyway. On top of that, this provocation seemed to have been quite effective, as Gavid¡¯s expression was rapidly chilling. If they kept conversing on this topic, Eugene felt like he would just continue provoking Gavid without even realizing he was doing so. So Eugene immediately changed the subject, ¡°Did the Demon King of Incarceration order you to do this?¡± In fact, this new topic was exactly what Eugene had been hoping to ask Gavid about. ¡°What are you speaking of exactly?¡± Gavid asked with a frown. ¡°I¡¯m talking about you trying to kill me,¡± Eugene reminded him. ¡°Hah,¡± Gavid shook his head, seeming genuinely displeased by Eugene¡¯s insinuation. ¡°There is no way that my lord, the Demon King of Incarceration, would give such a cowardly order.¡± Eugene snickered, ¡°Heheh, so you do know that what you did was cowardly.¡± Not again.... This time as well, in contrast to Eugene¡¯s best intentions, yet another provocation had leaped out from his lips. Eugene wanted to take his words back as soon as he said them, but he also inwardly felt aggrieved. No matter how he thought about it, he couldn¡¯t help but think it was Gavid¡¯s fault for being such an idiot who kept showing him such good openings for a verbal jab. ¡°I do acknowledge that,¡± Gavid replied with a calm expression, showing no sign of having been shaken by the usation. ¡°I don¡¯t need you to ept my reasons formitting such an act. From the beginning to the end, I just chose to do what I thought was right.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Eugene just chuckled in response. ¡°Are you dissatisfied with my exnation?¡± Gavid asked pointedly. Eugene rolled his eyes, ¡°Why ask something so obvious?¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± the corners of Gavid¡¯s lips twitched upwards in a smile, ¡°no, Eugene Lionheart. The only reason you are alive right now is that I showed you mercy. It¡¯s because I held my sword back at the veryst moment.¡± ¡°The only reason you swung your sword at me without any warning was that you were scared of me,¡± Eugene replied with the same sort of smile. ¡°So now what? What are you going to do? Are you going to swing your sword once more and try to kill me again?¡± ¡°You should already know the answer to that,¡± Gavid stated drily. If he killed Eugene now, Gavid felt like he would end up regretting it for the rest of his life. ¡°I won¡¯t kill you today,¡± Gavid promised. ¡°After all, that is what my lord, the Demon King of Incarceration, wills. However... as it turns out, I myself have also decided on my own initiative not to cut you down just yet.¡± Although he had admitted this, Gavid himself felt a little puzzled about his current choice of behavior. For Gavid, the will of the Demon King of Incarceration was absolute. Gavid would never willingly go against that. However, when he drew his sword earlier andunched his surprise attack ¡ª that hadn¡¯t been a part of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s will at all. Gavid was the Archduke of Helmuth. This title had been granted to him by the Demon King of Incarceration. For the past three hundred years, he had overseen the devildom¡¯s, no, the entire empire¡¯s development. Helmuth was an empire in the truest sense of the word, one that was unrivaled by any other country on the continent. Gavid had swung his sword at Eugene because he thought that it was just the right thing for him to do as the Archduke of the empire. ¡°Next time...,¡± Gavid began to speak slowly. In the end, at the very final moment, Gavid had held back his sword. It was for the sake of his battle-lust as a demonfolk. To live up to his honor as the de of Incarceration. Because he didn¡¯t want to someday regret his actions. In order to cleanly move past the lingering feelings he had because of Hamel that had been deeply imprinted into his memories. Three hundred years ago, Gavid wouldn¡¯t have had to deal with suchplex considerations. As a de, Gavid had told himself that he should just do what a de does and follow his master¡¯s orders. As such, Gavid had now been left with no choice but to admit it. ¡°...without any cowardice, I will face you head-on and take your neck,¡± Gavid solemnly vowed. Even Gavid himself had changed over these past three hundred years. Could this change be something he should be happy to ept? Or perhaps, should he mock himself for going through such unwanted changes? Hiding the wry feeling within him, Gavid took a step backward. ¡°Pass on a message for me,¡± Eugene said to the retreating Gavid. ¡°If you have something you have to say, don¡¯t be so coy and just say it to me directly.¡± His words were meant for the Demon King of Incarceration. Gavid paused in his tracks to re at Eugene. Eugene¡¯s tone was extremely disrespectful. Gavid felt the urge to draw his sword right then and there, but... he couldn¡¯t just appear to change his mind less than one minute after making such a vow. In the end, Gavid just turned around without responding. In terms of suspicions, Gavid also had his fair share. This war over Nahama had felt extremely strange. The Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t just condoned the actions of the specter; he had fully supported them. Thanks to that, Helmuth had lost all of the super-giant demonic beasts that had been sealed away in Ravesta to be used in case of emergencies. That wasn¡¯t the only loss. Amelia Merwin, the Staff of Incarceration, had also been subdued and taken prisoner. Quite a few high-ranking demonfolk and all of the ck wizards whom they had embedded in Nahama had died as well. On top of that, most of the demonfolk who had lived in the fief of the Demon King of Destruction, Ravesta, had also perished. Although Gavid didn¡¯t think that the Demon King of Destruction would actually get angry over the loss of so many vassals, what if the Demon King of Destruction were to go on a rampage? Gavid could already feel his head pounding in stress as he swallowed back a sigh. ¡®It would be nice if he could at least give me a hint,¡¯ Gavid thought to himself. He just couldn¡¯t tell what the Demon King of Incarceration was thinking. As this thought went through his mind, Gavid opened a Spatial Door and walked through it. *** ¡°Bastard, I was worried that he might suddenly pull his sword on me again,¡± Eugene grumbled with a sigh of relief once he was sure Gavid had fully disappeared. Sienna, who hadnded next to him, rolled her eyes in exasperation at Eugene¡¯s rude tongue. ¡°If you were worried that that bastard might attack you, couldn¡¯t you have just avoided provoking him in the first ce?¡± Siennained. Bam! Sienna delivered a stinging smack on Eugene¡¯s shoulder. Normally, the sting of the p wouldn¡¯t have felt anywhere near as bad as it sounded, but right now, Eugene¡¯s state was far from normal. His body was about as weak as it could get. Eugene gritted his teeth to suppress the scream that he had been about to unconsciously let loose, but he couldn¡¯t do anything about the fact that his body had started shaking involuntarily as if he was having convulsions. Had Sienna really hit him without knowing what kind of state he was in? Of course not. As someone who had been Hamel¡¯srade before he even became Eugene, there was no way that Sienna couldn¡¯t know about the bacsh that he would need to deal with once Ignition had ended. It was an extremely intentional and emotion-driven act on Sienna¡¯s part when she had smacked Eugene just now. ¡®This son of a bitch,¡¯ Sienna silently cursed. What could he have been talking about with that damned Queen of the Sluts, when it was just the two of them? What on earth had the pair gotten up to on their own? What could have been so important that they even went so far as to block all sounds and sights from escaping? Before Noir¡¯s wings had covered them both up, the Queen of the Sluts had pounced on Eugene. To Sienna¡¯s dismay, Noir had pushed Eugene down and leaped on top of him. ¡®And who is Aria?¡¯ Sienna scowled. Sienna¡¯s ears were sharp enough to bepared to Eugene¡¯s keen senses. She had clearly heard him say the name Aria. The moment that she heard that name, the Queen of the Sluts ¡ª Noir Giabe ¡ª had been greatly shaken by it. So much so that it had left Sienna wondering if Noir had truly just shown such passion and emotion or if it was just an act. And it wasn¡¯t just that. When Noir¡¯s wings had lifted, opening up the barrier, Eugene and Noir¡¯s lips had been stained with the same red color. A mix of blood and something glossy.... ¡°...,¡± Sienna barely managed to hold back her fist, which had felt like it was just about to unconsciously take a swing at Eugene. When she thought about it rationally, s-so wh-what if... what if there had been an unsavory, scandalous, and shameless kiss between Eugene and Noir? That definitely couldn¡¯t have been a willing act on Eugene¡¯s part. In fact, after her wings had been pulled back, the very first thing that Eugene had done was scrub at his lips until they were wiped raw. That was how Sienna could tell that the kiss must have definitely been forced onto him. That Queen of the Sluts, who didn¡¯t know the meaning of the word shame, must have acted just like her name would suggest and done something so thoughtless and dirty to Eugene. She had pounced on Eugene, who was unable to put up any resistance due to the bacsh from Ignition, straddled him, and overpowered Eugene, who could only try to use his words to dissuade; then, like a predator hunting down and devouring a weak herbivore, Noir must have slowly begun to satisfy her wildest desires.... ¡®Gulp,¡¯ Sienna swallowed a mouthful of saliva as such thoughts continued to run wild inside her head. She wasn¡¯t even hungry, so why was her mouth watering like this? Sienna was too afraid to actually look into the reason for her response. However, she could at least be certain of this much: Eugene was indeed a son of a bitch. Also, Sienna really couldn¡¯t hate that selfish and jerkish side of him.... ¡°However, sometimes, you still have to apply proper discipline,¡± Sienna muttered in a low voice. Since he had done something naughty, she should firmly tell him no and give him the punishment he needed to improve. Therefore, Sienna didn¡¯t feel any regret or guilt for having smacked Eugene. There was no way for Eugene to know what kind of messy andplicated thoughts were going on in Sienna¡¯s head. Now that the pain that had felt like his arm was about to be torn off had subsided, Eugene asked her with a sour expression, ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Sienna dismissed his question, ¡°You don¡¯t need to know.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s something you want to tell me, don¡¯t hide it; tell it to me straight,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°There is something I want to ask you right now, but I¡¯ll just talk to youter. Because it¡¯s probably not a question that should be asked at a ce like this,¡± Sienna exined, as her eyes narrowed and she red at Eugene. Sienna wasn¡¯t the only one directing that sort of look towards Eugene. Kristina was descending from the sky while folding away each pair of wings in session. She as well as Anise, who was still inside her, were both sending Eugene the same sort of looks as Sienna. ¡°Tch,¡± Anise clicked her tongue. She had a rough idea of what had happened. This was because she had already been told that Noir Giabe was the reincarnation of the Saintess of the God of War back at Giabe-Park. At that time, Eugene had also shown such extreme agitation as Noir had shown tonight. Although Eugene had put a nail in the issue, iming that everything was fine and that nothing had changed, Anise wasn¡¯t stupid enough not to recognize his obvious bravado. However, even if all of his indifference were just a bluff, in the end, Eugene and Hamel would still try to kill Noir. Even though he might spend a long time hesitating and experience great anguish in the process, ultimately, Eugene still wouldn¡¯t stray from the choices that he had made. Truthfully, Anise hated that part of him. In her opinion, Hamel tended to choose the options that made things the hardest for himself. It was the same thing this time as well. It wasn¡¯t like Anise actually wanted for Noir to repent her sins and be forgiven. However, she was willing topromise if that was what was needed. As long as they could guarantee firm control of Noir, Anise didn¡¯t believe it was truly a necessity to kill her. And if that was what Hamel secretly desired, then Anise would do her best to support his choice. Though that was only if Hamel truly would suffer less by not killing Noir. [However, there is no way Sir Eugene will change his mind,] Kristina muttered with a sigh. Anise had alsoe to the same conclusion, but she wasn¡¯t in the mood to smile at their shared exasperation at Eugene¡¯s stubbornness. ¡®Aria must be her actual name from their past lives,¡¯ Anise worked out. Noir Giabe must have truly awoken her past memories. ¡®I don¡¯t know what exactly those two might have been talking about. However, I can be sure of this much: those two are still going to try and kill each other,¡¯ Anise shared her opinion with Kristina. It didn¡¯t matter to her what kind of emotions Noir might be feeling because of this. But if Hamel ended up feeling even greater pain because of this... it would break both Kristina and Anise¡¯s hearts. It would have been better if Noir had never awakened her memories. Then Hamel wouldn¡¯t have had to see such a different side of her. ¡ªAnise, there is only one solution to this problem, and I have no intention of trying to find a different solution either. ¡ªSo what if Noir is the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch? Whether or not Agaroth considered her to be someone special doesn¡¯t matter to me. ¡ªThat¡¯s even more reason why it shouldn¡¯t matter to you either. Because you aren¡¯t Agaroth. ¡ªIn other words, how I should think of Noir is an issue that can only be answered by myself. His words had been full of such bravado. ¡ªI am not going toe up with any other solutions apart from that one. It was just like Hamel and Eugene to say such a thing. His whole response to the issue matched perfectly with the image of him that Anise had built up inside her head. Thanks to that, she knew that Hamel would regret it if he had to kill Noir. Because the he that Anise knew was just that kind of man. Pushing her emotions to one side, Anise took a deep breath instead of sighing and said out loud, ¡°For now, we all need to get some rest¡ª¡± The war had ended with the victory of their allied forces. But before they could even celebrate their victory, far too many things had just happened. So, Anise stepped forward to try to resolve the situation. ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± However, Anise was stopped from doing so because someone emitted a loud crow-like screech that interrupted her before she even finished speaking. The owner of that screeching voice was, of course, Melkith. Melkith had been sent sprawling along with the other wizards from the White Tower of Magic in the aftermath of Omega Force¡¯s destruction. As soon as her body had regained some strength, she immediately let out this piercing scream and was now rushing over towards Eugene. ¡°Eugene!¡± Melkith cried out as she leaped across the sand and raced towards Eugene. But if Eugene were to be struck by Melkith¡¯s bodily assault in his current state, he might actually die from it. As Eugene let out a startled yelp, Ivatar quickly processed the situation and stepped forward with his hands raised to stop Melkith from colliding with Eugene. Then, on top of that, Sienna used a spell to hold Melkith up in the air. ¡°L-let go off me!¡± Melkith shouted as she struggled to get free. ¡°I-I have something that I need to ask you! It¡¯s about what you said just now! Also, you said that if someone had something to say, they should just say it to you straight instead of hiding it, didn¡¯t you!¡± At her shouts, a cold sweat broke out on Eugene¡¯s forehead. ¡°You, are you really the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel?!¡± Melkith demanded. Although he had expected to be asked this question, Eugene still squeezed his eyes shut in pained frustration. Chapter 498: Delusion (6)

Chapter 498: Delusion (6)

Just how many more times today would he be forced to make this deration? Eugene had made the first deration back during his battle against the specter. His words had been meant for Gavid, who was looking down on their battle from his position high in the sky. While swinging his sword, Eugene had suddenly dered.... ¡ªI am Hamel. That was how he had phrased it. Then again, just a few minutes earlier, in order to prove it to Gavid, and so that everyone present could hear him, he had loudly dered once more.... ¡ªI am Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. This meant that he had already made the same deration twice today. But looking at the current atmosphere, it seemed like he might have to do it one more time. Eugene furrowed his brow and red at Melkith, who was suspended in the air. She was still struggling to try to get free from the binding of Sienna¡¯s spell. ¡°...,¡± Eugene silently considered the spirit summoner. In many ways, he did have a good opinion of Melkith. If Eugene had to be honest, their track record together had been so good that he couldn¡¯t find any real reason to dislike her. That was just how much of a help Melkith had been for Eugene up until now, especially after considering the newfound strength[1] that Melkith had managed to reach, she would continue to be of great help to Eugene in the future as well. That was why he didn¡¯t want to sour their rtionship. So Eugene was willing to go along with whatever Melkith wanted and listen to her requests, at least up to a certain line, so long as there was a clear exchange of interests involved. However, now.... Eugene felt like he might be developing a bit of a grudge towards Melkith. His desire to keep up a good rtionship with her was steadily growing thinner.... ¡°Eugene! Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?! I¡¯m asking you, are you really the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel?!¡± Melkith yelled down at him. After listening to her shout like this, Eugene realized on second thought that Gavid had actually been quite the gentleman. Even though they were enemies, at least that bastard had spoken to Eugene in a tone full of respect. Gavid had called Eugene Hamel of Extermination. That was the epithet that had been given to Hamel by the demonfolk. However, Eugene was actually very satisfied with that name.... After all, it at least sounded much more impressive than a shitty title like the Stupid Hamel. In that sense, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think that Melkith was quite impressive. To think that she would shout out such a nickname directly in front of the person, especially one that had no redeeming qualities to it.... ¡°You really are the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel!¡± Melkith loudly squealed. She raised her arms above her head and began pping her hands together, like a cheerleader trying to work up a crowd, and began to chant, ¡°The! Stu! Pid!¡± Melkith was enthusiastically pping in time with her chants. She red at her fellow wizards who were still sprawled on the ground next to her. The wizards from the White Tower of Magic, who had been the ones closest to her, didn¡¯t even have the right to refuse. So the wizards forced their tired and aching bodies to stand, and then they started pping along with Melkith as they repeated her chants. ¡°Ha! Mel!¡± ¡°The! Stu! Pid!¡± ¡°Ha! Mel!¡± Just what on earth was she trying to do? What was the meaning behind her chanting? Why did she then have to go and pull others into the chanting instead of just making a fuss all on her own? And why wasn¡¯t she satisfied already with just the wizards from the White Tower of Magic? Why was she trying to attract even more people to join in? ¡°The!¡± ¡°He!¡± ¡°Ro!¡± ¡°Eu!¡± ¡°Gene!¡± ¡°Li!¡± ¡°On!¡± ¡°Heart!¡± Why had she changed the chanting from the Stupid Hamel to Eugene Lionheart? What on earth was the meaning behind such a change in designation? Some of the people who hadn¡¯t dared to move their lips out of tactfulness when she was shouting the Stupid Hamel were subtly beginning to respond more and more after the chanting had turned into the Hero Eugene Lionheart. Was that why she had changed it? Just what on earth was Melkith El-Hayah¡¯s goal in trying to make everyone here cheer for Eugene? Inside Eugene¡¯s cloak, Wynnyd began to hum. Tempest had been forced into an irrevocable and irresistible contract with Melkith. Now, his voice was heard inside Eugene¡¯s head, [Hamel, that thing isn¡¯t human. It¡¯s just something wearing the face of a human. It might look like a human, but it doesn¡¯t think like one. Whoever created that thing may have bestowed it with great talent, but in return, its creator left a huge hole where its fundamental nature as a human being should be.] [During the implementation of Omega Force, when I was forced to be one with Melkith El-Hayah, it felt like I was drifting through an abyss. It was like peering into a deep ocean that didn¡¯t have an end in sight. I don¡¯t know how to put into words the terror of the unknown that that sight struck into me. When I and the other Spirit Kings fused with the great chaos that swirls within Melkith El-Hayah... my... my honor was...,] Tempest¡¯s voice trailed off in a trembling murmur. ¡°The!¡± ¡°Ra!¡± ¡°Di!¡± ¡°Ant!¡± The number of people shouting had increased. The new voice belonged to Carmen. She had also been caught up in Gavid¡¯s sword wind, so her face was covered in blood, but surprisingly enough, she didn¡¯t seem to have any other injuries. This had to be because of the outstanding performance of her Exid, the Demon-Dragon Armor, which had been specially modified for her use. So when Carmen, who was in a much healthier state than any of the others present, shouted, her voice rang out much louder than anyone else¡¯s. ¡°The!¡± ¡°Ra!¡± ¡°Di!¡± ¡°Ant!¡± Carmen was very attached to the title she hade up with for Eugene all by herself. While she also liked some of his other titles, such as the Dragon yer and the Blood Lion, she was especially enamored with the Radiant Eugene Lionheart ¡ª so much so that she had unconsciously let out a shiver the moment she said those words. As such, she wanted to make sure that everyone would start calling Eugene with that epithet. The Great Vermouth. The Brave Molon. The Faithful Anise. The Wise Sienna. The Stupid Hamel. And also.... The Radiant Eugene Lionheart. ¡°The!¡± ¡°Ra!¡± ¡°Di!¡± ¡°Ant!¡± A vein was throbbing on Carmen¡¯s neck. Her voice, which was so loud that it could even bepared to a lion¡¯s roar, rang throughout the night sky and shook the desert below. Once Carmen started shouting like this, the ck Lions who were following her were left with no choice but to start shouting along with Carmen. Boom, boom, boom! Their feet all stomped together in a disciplined beat. However, no dusty clouds of sand were raised by their stomping. This was because Carmen and her ck Lions¡¯ cries were so loud that they scattered any clouds of sand before they could form. ¡°Eu!¡± ¡°Gene!¡± ¡°Li!¡± ¡°On!¡± ¡°Heart!¡± Just... how on earth was he meant to react to this? Eugene¡¯s shoulders suddenly began to shake. Startled by this sudden development, Eugene nced to the side at the cause of this vibration. Ivatar still had a serious expression on his face, but Eugene could tell that the man¡¯s cheeks were twitching slightly. It seemed that Ivatar had some concerns about whether or not it was appropriate tough in the current situation, so he was forcefully holding back hisughter, causing the shaking that Eugene had felt through his shoulders. ¡°This is...,¡± Eugene hesitated. If things continued like this, the thousands of people gathered here would end up chanting the name of Eugene Lionheart. In fact, this wasn¡¯t a bad thing for Eugene. Instead, it was actually something that Eugene should be hoping for. After all, that was how a cult usually formed. However, now wasn¡¯t the time for that. Eugene wasn¡¯t in a state to handle all this. In fact, if his body had been in healthy condition, he would have pped the cheeks of everyone who had started shouting his name. Naturally, Melkith, in particr, was deserving of a beating. Carmen had also left him with no other choice; Eugene would have to find the time to teach her a lesson she wouldn¡¯t forget. Eugene suddenly heard a deep voice amidst all of these loud shouts. It wasn¡¯t a part of the chanting, instead the voice quietly muttered, ¡°The Radiant Eugene Lionheart....¡± This voice came from Gilead. He was standing, supported from the side by Cyan, and softly muttering the name to himself as if to try and memorize it. Appearing to be extremely moved by something, Gilead¡¯s eyes had even started to well up with tears. At his side, Cyan was already shedding thick streams of tears, and Ciel had also started sniffling.... After silently gazing at his family, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but cancel his n to p every single person currently shouting his name. Eugene let out a deep sigh as he turned to look at the Saints and Sienna. He couldn¡¯t tell which of the Saints was currently in charge of their body, but judging by their expression, whoever it was seemed very satisfied by the current situation.... As for Sienna, she was smiling right at him, openly finding amusement in Eugene¡¯s situation. ¡°That¡¯s...,¡± Eugene tried to find his words. The Stupid Hamel. The Hero Eugene Lionheart. The Radiant Eugene Lionheart. The voices shouting these three separate names sounded like they were graduallying to an agreement and settling down on shouting the Radiant Eugene Lionheart all together. Struggling to speak, Eugene finally squeezed out, ¡°That¡¯s... that¡¯s enough.¡± He was speaking in a low voice, but every single person who was passionately chanting his name still managed to hear what Eugene had said. Their chanting, which had seemed like it wouldst for several days, suddenly came to a stop. Thousands of eyes all turned towards Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ve got it already, so... let¡¯s just stop here...,¡± Eugene said with a sigh. Just what had he gotten from their shouting? Even Eugene, the one who had personally said these words, didn¡¯t know what he meant by them.... However, Eugene sincerely meant every single word that he said. He desperately hoped that they would just stop embarrassing him by chanting his name like that. ¡°Give us a speech!¡± Melkith shouted. With her eyes sparkling brightly, she appealed to Eugene, ¡°Eugene! You, are you really the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right...,¡± Eugene confirmed curtly. ¡°Oh my god. Oh my god! Oh! My! God! So that means reincarnation truly is possible?! Moreover, yours wasn¡¯t just any ordinary reincarnation, was it!¡± Melkith screamed shrilly. ¡°The ancestor of your family, whom everyone always brings up whenever there is an opening! The Great Vermouth! You were actuallyrades with him?! And the hero that you¡¯ve always said you respect more than Vermouth! The Stupid Hamel! You were actually talking about yourself?!¡± To be a wizard, one needed to have a sharp mind. This was because if one wanted to be a wizard, one needed to be able to memorize more than just one or two forms. As for the Archwizards, who were the exceptions even among the other wizards, it would be no exaggeration to say that they possessed the keenest minds in the whole collection of wizards. Of course, there were many different ways in which such a sharp mind could express itself, but at the very least, all Archwizards had to possess excellent memories. In other words, Melkith also possessed an exceptional memory. She could remember each of thepliments aimed at Hamel that Eugene had said in passing without even giving it much thought. ¡°No way, no freaking way! How could this be!? I always thought that reincarnation itself is absurd and unbelievable, but isn¡¯t it even more absurd and unbelievable to actually use your reincarnation to pretend to be someone else, act all innocent, and then sing praises for yourself[2]?! How could you even do something like that?!¡± Melkith shouted as she ced her hands on her head in a look of utter shock. Surprisingly enough, Melkith wasn¡¯t even showing a single trace of malice as she said all this. She truly had simply said these things because she didn¡¯t understand how Eugene could have had the guts to do such a thing in the past. However, it didn¡¯t feel that way to Eugene. He couldn¡¯t understand what kind of malicious grudge Melkith must have been harboring to harass him like this in such a public location.... ¡°Th-that is...,¡± Eugene stammered, unable to think of what to say in response. To think that he would actually be cross-examined like this so publicly. At that moment, Sienna stepped forward to speak for Eugene, ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Melkith said in confusion. ¡°It¡¯s understandable.¡± Sienna just repeated herself. What did she mean by that? Even Eugene turned to look at Sienna in confusion. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one with such perplexed emotion in their eyes. Everyone was looking at Sienna with bewildered expressions. Melkith frowned, ¡°Big sis, what are you saying all of a sudden¡ª¡± Sienna¡¯s hair slowly began to stand on end. ¡°It.¡± Her eyes glowed with an inner light. ¡°Is.¡± A gxy opened up behind Sienna. ¡°Understandable.¡± That was enough. None of the thousands of people present were willing to question Sienna any further. They just calmly nodded in eptance. Even Melkith didn¡¯t dare to demand a further exnation from Sienna. This was because Melkith personally knew all too well just how forceful and scary Sienna could be when she got like this. ¡°That¡¯s right, big sis, of course, it¡¯s understandable,¡± Melkith agreed with a nod, having quickly adapted her attitude. No matter how much she thought about it, Melkith still couldn¡¯t understand how shameless someone would have to be to do such a thing, but it was clear that if she continued to pursue this topic any further, she would just end up being scolded by Sienna. No, perhaps it wouldn¡¯t just end on the level of a scolding. She might even end up getting killed... that was just how intense the murderous intent dwelling within Sienna¡¯s eyes was. There¡¯s no way that Melkith could have known this, but Sienna also had a desperate and unavoidable reason to step forward at this moment. If Eugene were forced to give an exnation for his actions, there was a very good chance that he would express how upset he was about the nickname given to him in the fairy tale. In that case, what if he publicly revealed who the author of the fairy tale was? And after all, Eugene did have good reason to feel personally attacked due to the ruined reputation of his past life. Then what was so wrong about using a different identity to sing his own praises? Sienna sincerely believed that such actions were understandable. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Anise awkwardly cleared her throat. Anise was also in agreement with Sienna. After all, it was all because of the two of them, the Wise Sienna and the Faithful Anise, that Hamel had ended up with such an insulting title.... ¡°How... how wonderful,¡± Lovellian said haltingly as he started sniffling in a corner all by himself. The secret he believed was known only to him had finally been revealed. A rtionship that transcended a whole three hundred years had finally been resurrected, and a new chapter was being written for the fairy tale that had once ended in a tragedy. Lovellian started pping as he pictured the course of their romance inside his head. He felt the urge to y the violin like he had in Shimuin, but the entrance to his Pantheon had been destroyed, so it was difficult for him to use any summoning magic right now. So, instead, Lovellian just continued pping with all his heart and soul. When the usually serious Red Tower Master started such a round of apuse, it created a far different response than when Melkith had tried it. Almost all of the wizards present started pping with him. ¡°All of this is the Light¡¯s will,¡± Raphael dered, as he also started apuding with a sense of wonder. All of the pdins and priests were already pping for Eugene. ¡°The Radiant Eugene Lionheart!¡± Carmen also shouted once more. Eugene¡¯s only thought at this moment was that he just wanted to go home already. ¡°Reincarnation,¡± Balzac muttered to himself in awe, standing behind the rest of the crowd. He wrapped his other hand around his trembling arm and squeezed down tightly. Earlier, Balzac had faced off against some monsters of mysterious origin. Although they weren¡¯t demonic beasts, they seemed more demonic than any of the other demonic beasts, and each of the monsters seemed to possess a closer connection to the power of Destruction than Destruction¡¯s own vassals. Balzac had used his new Signature, Gluttony, to devour all of the corpses of those monsters. Not only that, but he also swept up all the corpses of any deceased demonfolk that he managed toy his eyes on. This overindulgence that had pushed his body far beyond its limits had left his arm unable to feel any sensation other than pain, and the process of fusing these newly acquired resources into himself was so excruciating that it made him want to vomit them out right away. However, at this moment, Balzac couldn¡¯t feel any of his previous pain. His head, which had been clouded and throbbing in agony, instead seemed to have cleared up instantly. Like everyone else here, he felt awed and mystified by the sudden news of Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. Balzac could never have imagined that reincarnation was actually possible. Not only that, this wasn¡¯t just any ordinary reincarnation either. Thanks to this reincarnation, the title of the Hero had actually been inherited many generationster by another member of the Lionheart family. Nobody could believe that this was just a coincidence. It was definitely not a coincidence that a new Hero had been born after three hundred years. It was fate that ensured Hamel Dynas would be reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart. It was also fate that led the Demon King of Incarceration, who had upheld the peace for such a long period of time, to announce that the end of the Oath was approaching. ¡®In that case...,¡¯ Balzac shivered in excitement. Soon, the final act of this era would be upon them. He didn¡¯t know if everything would just end there or if they would be able to survive and move on to the next chapter, but even so.... Balzac, at least, felt grateful to be alive in this present era. 1. Just in case this is confusing, it refers to her development of the Omega Force ? 2. The original text uses the Korean idiom of ¡®put gold on your face.¡¯ I had trouble thinking of a corresponding English idiom that means something simr, but I settled on this phrase as the one that seemed the most appropriate. ? Chapter 499: Delusion (7)

Chapter 499: Delusion (7)

¡°Huh, she¡¯s still not dead yet?¡± Eugene suddenly muttered with a disdainful snort. He had shed with the specter in the sky while thousands of Nur and the allied forces had crashed into each other on the ground. As a result, Hauria had beenpletely devastated. It was no exaggeration to say that there weren¡¯t any buildings left standing in good condition. Despite this, Amelia, who they had left on the roof of a building, was still alive and well. No, she couldn¡¯t really be called well. Although there weren¡¯t any physical injuries on her, Amelia¡¯s mind was still trapped in the nightmares that Sienna had shown her. The fact that Amelia had survived while all the buildings around her had copsed wasn¡¯t because she had been particrly lucky. Sienna had simply left behind a barrier to protect Amelia. ¡°I really wanted to just get rid of her,¡± Sienna confessed, pouting her lips in displeasure. Aiming a kick at Amelia, who was currently sprawled on the ground, she continued speaking, ¡°But I thought that I should get your opinion first.¡± ¡°Well, you didn¡¯t really need to be so considerate,¡± Eugene said as he approached Amelia. In fact, by this point, Eugene didn¡¯t care at all about Amelia¡¯s life or death. This was because Eugene had already be far stronger to pay any attention to something as weak as Amelia. On top of that, he had already seen her do such a shameful act as getting down on her knees and begging him for her life that he could honestly say that he didn¡¯t care anymore whether or not Amelia lived or died. ¡°Bloody Mary[1],¡± Eugene muttered as the staff caught his eye. There was no need to take a second look at Amelia herself, but this staff was a different story. Eugene grinned as he looked down at Blood Mary, which Amelia was still holding in her hand. This was the magic staff that had been passed down through the hands of all the previous Staffs of Incarceration. It was on par with Akasha because of how it had been created with the full and luxurious use of an entire Dragon heart. And just like how Akasha had been imbued with the ability toprehend all other magic forms, Blood Mary was also imbued with its own special ability. ¡°With this staff, you can inherit the magic used by its previous holders,¡± Sienna spoke up in exnation as she stood next to Eugene. Eugene hummed thoughtfully, ¡°But that¡¯s not an ability you¡¯d be all that interested in, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Maybe if I was a ck wizard,¡± Sienna said with a grin. Eugene also grinned back as he nodded. All of Blood Mary¡¯s previous holders had served the Demon King as the Staff of Incarceration. For a ck wizard, it would be a very enticing prospect to be able to inherit the magic of these predecessors without any effort, but neither Eugene nor Sienna had any interest in ck magic. ¡®That said, it would also be ridiculous to give something like this to Balzac,¡¯ Eugene thought as his mind turned to Balzac, who wasn¡¯t currently apanying them. Even if Balzac wouldn¡¯t immediately turn on them after receiving the staff, it was an indisputable fact that they would end up fighting him at some point. Balzac had managed to gain a great deal through the course of this war. Gluttony, his newly created Signature spell, allowed him to absorb the strength and memories of those that he devoured with his hand. On the battlefield, Balzac had devouredrge amounts of demonfolk, demonic beasts, and, on top of that, the Nur as well. Eugene had deliberately overlooked Balzac¡¯s rapid growth. Even if Balzac had increased his strength through such predation, he would never be able to surpass Sienna in terms of magic. This was something that would still apply even if he continued to mindlessly build up his reserves of dark power. To be honest, Eugene didn¡¯t really think of Balzac as an enemy. Not only did Balzac himself seem tock any sense of hostility towards them, but it was also because his secret wish to be a legendary wizard felt both pure and sincere to Eugene. However, they would still end up fighting someday. Even if Balzac himself didn¡¯t wish to do so, as long as Eugene had his sights set on the Demon King of Incarceration, he would inevitably have to fight Balzac at some point. If they did end up fighting, then... Eugene hoped that Balzac would at least be able to put up a satisfying fight. Balzac still might not be able to qualify as Eugene¡¯s enemy even with all the strength that he had gained through his predations, but even so.... ¡°Giving him Blood Mary would be crossing the line,¡± Eugene sighed regretfully. His desire for a good fight wasn¡¯t strong enough that he would go so far as to give such a dangerous gift as Blood Mary to Balzac. ¡°So what should we do with it?¡± Eugene turned to the side and asked. ¡°For now, I¡¯ll keep it,¡± Sienna replied. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at her answer, ¡°You¡¯re not really going to try and learn from its ck magic, are you?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have any intention of learning it, but I do have some desire to study the knowledge it contains,¡± Sienna answered him with a smile. ¡°After all, ck magic is still ultimately another type of magic. On top of that, if you really think about it, all of the past Staffs of Incarceration must have been some of the most exceptional ck wizards of their era. Although they still wouldn¡¯t be as great as this Wise Lady Sienna.¡± ¡°But why do you need to keep it on you?¡± Eugene pressed out of concern. Sienna replied, ¡°If I want to be the Goddess of Magic, doesn¡¯t that mean I have to be fluent in all things that can be called magic?¡± Although she had a smile on her face and her voice seemed light-hearted, the look in Sienna¡¯s eyes was extremely serious. Eugene could also sense that those words definitely weren¡¯t meant as a joke. ¡°You¡¯re getting closer,¡± Eugene abruptlymented. She was getting closer? Sienna, who had just picked up Blood Mary, blinked in surprise at these words that had seeminglye out of nowhere. ¡°What are you talking about all of a sudden?¡± Sienna demanded. Eugene shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s hard to exin exactly, but that¡¯s just the feeling I¡¯m getting.¡± Sienna frowned, ¡°Hmmm, really? If that¡¯s what you want to say, then it really must be the case.¡± Sienna recalled what Eugene had looked like when he was engulfed in light. No, at that moment, Eugene hadn¡¯t just seemed to be surrounded by the light; he looked as if he had be one with the light. At that moment, Sienna had also gotten a simr kind of feeling from him. ¡®It really felt like the both of us weren¡¯t exactly humans,¡¯ Sienna recalled. She had definitely sensed that she had somehow managed to surpass her previous level of existence. Sienna pursed her lips as she looked down at Blood Mary. Her new spell, Absolute Decree, was definitely something that went beyond the level of mere magic, but... there were many areas in which it was stillcking. In order to reach her goal of bing the Goddess of Magic, it seemed that Sienna wouldn¡¯t just have to surpass her previous level, but she would have to reach a whole new level. ¡°Are you going to extract the Dragonheart from it?¡± Eugene asked. Sienna shook her head, ¡°No, what I¡¯m using is already extravagant enough. I don¡¯t really need another Dragon Heart.¡± If she hadn¡¯t created her Absolute Decree, she might have held some desire to use the Dragon Heart topensate for the damage to her Eternal Hole, but the current Sienna had no need for another Dragon Heart. ¡°After I¡¯ve finished using it for my own purposes, and cleaning up all of the dark power umted in it... hmm, I wonder if I¡¯ll still be able to find some use for it. Well, I can always give as a gift to another wizard? Or perhaps I¡¯ll hand it over to the Lionhearts?¡± Sienna considered thoughtfully. ¡°I feel like it could be used to enhance the Patriarch or Lady Carmen¡¯s Exid... or perhaps you could give it Genos? I feel like it might also be a good idea to give it to Sir Lovellian,¡± Eugene said without giving it much thought, but the moment she heard these words, Sienna¡¯s eyes immediately narrowed. ¡°Why are you still calling Lovellian Sir when you¡¯ve already revealed to everyone that you¡¯re Hamel¡¯s reincarnation?¡± Sienna questioned Eugene. ¡°At this point, wouldn¡¯t it be weird for me just to start casually addressing him as Lovellian?¡± Eugene defended awkwardly. ¡°What¡¯s so weird about that?¡± Sienna argued back. ¡°I... I just think that it would be weird. I¡¯ll take some time to think it over by myself, so there¡¯s no need to make a fuss about it,¡± Eugene muttered as he avoided meeting her gaze for no apparent reason. Eugene had his own standards when it came to how politely he treated certain people. For those with an impressive character and who had always done well by him... Eugene saw Lovellian and Gilead, who both qualified in those respects, as people worthy of being addressed by him as Sir. ¡®But in that case, what about Lady Melkith?¡¯ Eugene asked himself. Until now, Eugene had always addressed Melkith as Lady Melkith whenever he spoke to her. However, how was he supposed to address her from now on? That Melkith El-Hayah, was she someone whom he needed to treat with such respect? Eugene had to acknowledge that Melkith was one of the most powerful wizards of this current era. So, there was no way Melkith could be excluded when the time came for an all-out war against Helmuth. However, apart from her incredible power, what was the rest of Melkith El-Hayah¡¯s character like? ¡ªThe hero that you¡¯ve always said you respect more than Vermouth! The Stupid Hamel! You were actually talking about yourself?! The more he thought about it, the more his hackles rose[2]. ¡°Grrk.¡± As Eugene started grinding his teeth in anger, Anise, who was supporting him from the side, suddenly spanked Eugene on the butt. Bam! ¡°Aaaargh!¡± Eugene screamed in pain. In contrast to the crisp sound of the p, the agony of the blow seemed to echo deep into his bones. Eugene¡¯s body involuntarily staggered forward due to this unexpected and unguarded blow. Of course, Anise wouldn¡¯t just let Eugene fall like this. Her arm coiled around Eugene¡¯s chest like a snake as she held him up. ¡°...,¡± Eugene struggled to hold in a groan. She was holding him far too close. Eugene gritted his teeth as he tried to ignore the soft touch that was pressing against the side of his arm. ¡°If you get angry, it will just dy your recovery,¡± Anise whispered into her ear. Eugene felt extremely aggrieved by these words. Was she really trying to warn him that if he got angry, his recovery would be dyed? While it was questionable whether such a thing could even be scientifically verified, until now, the number of times that he had gotten angry while suffering from the bacsh of using Ignition had to already be in the dozens at the very least. It was obviously just an excuse for her to spank him. ¡°...¡± Eugene didn¡¯t bother to ask for her reason for doing this and just quietly kept his mouth shut. In fact, Eugene knew that such a weak excuse couldn¡¯t have been the only reason Anise had done such a thing. Shooting Eugene another nce, Anise whispered into his ear, ¡°What did you talk about with that slut?¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene stubbornly stayed silent. ¡°Hamel. If you really don¡¯t want to talk about it, then I won¡¯t pry into it too deeply. Because I can respect your freedom of choice. Even though the smell of that whore is still lingering strongly on your lips. Even if it¡¯s not just your lips, and her body odor seems to be covering every inch of your body, I still won¡¯t ask the reason for that,¡± Anise said with a cold smile. Squeeze. The sensation of the soft pressure pushing against his arm grew even stronger. And with each whisper from Anise, Sienna¡¯s eyes seemed to be growing increasingly sharper. ¡°However,¡± Anise whispered. ¡°Even though I do respect your choices, I can¡¯t help but feel disappointed. That¡¯s right, I¡¯m sure that these feelings of disappointment towards you will linger for quite some time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s... I wasn¡¯t thinking of keeping it a secret,¡± Eugene hurriedly rified. ¡°I just thought that right now wasn¡¯t the best time for us to talk about it¡ª¡± Anise pressed him, ¡°And just what kind of time were you waiting for exactly? Were you nning on finding us a quiet room somewhere, sitting all of us down, over drinks of alcohol or tea, before you finally said something?¡± How had she known what he was thinking? Eugene swallowed back a gulp as he tried to examine both Anise and Sienna¡¯s expressions. Eugene hesitated, ¡°It¡¯s just that, right now is a bit too....¡± The three of them were standing in the ruins of what had once been Hauria. Although there wasn¡¯t anyone nearby, the Liberation Army was currently in the middle of searching every corner of the city. The stated purpose for doing so was to find any survivors left in the city or any remnants of the enemy, though nobody really believed that either possibility held any likelihood. This search was really an opportunity for the soldiers to im any loot that might have been buried in the wreckage. ¡°And then there¡¯s still her as well...,¡± Eugene tried to argue as his eyes lowered to look down on Amelia. Amelia, who was sprawled out on the ground like a puppet with all her strings cut, asionally twitched and moved her lips, but she never actually said anything. Anise snorted, ¡°So what? She¡¯s in such a state that it can¡¯t even really be called living.¡± ¡°Should we just end her?¡± Eugene asked for the Saint¡¯s opinion. Anise shook her head, ¡°No way, Hamel, I can¡¯t allow that. If she dies, wouldn¡¯t that mean she¡¯ll be free from all this pain?¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Won¡¯t she end up going to hell anyway...?¡± ¡°Living like this will surely be even more agonizing than dying and going to hell, so we shouldn¡¯t kill her. In fact, we should ensure that she stays alive for a very long time from now on,¡± Anise stubbornly insisted. This was because, just like Eugene, Anise had also happened to hold a strong grudge against Amelia. Although she had missed the opportunity to inflict her own brand of punishment on the necromancer, she didn¡¯t want Amelia, who had dared to desecrate Hamel¡¯s body, to have the easy option of a quick death. ¡°Alright,¡± Eugene finally gave in, finding nothing else that he could use to distract them. With a deep sigh, Eugene organized his thoughts. First of all, he needed to exin that Noir was the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch. The Saints were already aware of this fact, but Sienna didn¡¯t know about his shared past with Noir. ¡®Though I didn¡¯t want to inform her about it like this,¡¯ Eugene thought regretfully. Due to the bacsh from Ignition, he was currently in a state where it was impossible for him to keep standing without any support. While enduring the thought that he must currently be making for quite a pathetic sight, Eugene began to speak. He talked about how Noir Giabe was the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch and how Noir had managed to recall her past life today. Noir¡¯s emotions had subsequently gone out of control. Unable to hold it in, she had pounced on him, and then they had continued to have a conversation in the darkness of her enclosed wings. They had confirmed each other¡¯s identities, feelings, and desires. That was all that had happened. From the beginning of Eugene¡¯s story until the very end, Sienna never once interrupted him. Her expression was so calm that even Eugene found it surprising. Instead, it was Anise who had to suppress an emotional outburst by biting down on her lips several times during Eugene¡¯s exnation. ¡°You...,¡± Sienna slowly said, ending the short-lived silence. Her deep green eyes stared into Eugene¡¯s as she asked him, ¡°Are you really okay with that?¡± Earlier, when he had imagined her reaction, Eugene had pictured Sienna asking him, ¡®Why didn¡¯t you tell me anything earlier?¡¯ However, Sienna didn¡¯t ask such a question. So why didn¡¯t she ask Eugene that? It was because Sienna herself had alreadye to ept that Eugene was just that type of person. This son of a bitch had always been like this. He always tried to keep all of the painful things to himself. This habit of his hadn¡¯t seemed to have changed even after he had died. Sienna addressed him seriously, ¡°Eugene, if you¡¯re really okay with that, then I am also okay with it. Because I also want to kill that Queen of Sluts, Noir Giabe.¡± Whatever worries Eugene might be having, whatever emotions he might be feeling, Sienna didn¡¯t have the confidence that she would be able to sympathize with any of them. Whatever emotions Eugene and Noir might have for each other was a matter for those two alone, and Sienna definitely couldn¡¯t and wouldn¡¯t interfere with that. ¡°However, if you¡¯re not alright with that, then I¡¯m not okay with that as well. If you don¡¯t want to kill her... if you¡¯re suffering because of that...,¡± Sienna¡¯s words slowly trailed off. Staying quiet, Sienna just stared directly into Eugene¡¯s eyes. This was Eugene, who was currently being supported by Anise because he definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to stay standing on his own. The same Eugene who just a few moments ago had shown his ugly side by making up all sorts of excuses for not wanting to talk about it. Right now... ...Eugene... ¡°No,¡± Sienna shook her head. ...he seemed to be mired down by something. To Sienna¡¯s senses, Eugene¡¯s emotions feltplex and murky. His lingering attachment, regrets, and other such feelings ¡ª in the end, it was only natural that Eugene would feel such emotions. No matter what choice he might end up making, he would still ultimately experience some regret for not choosing the other option. However, it was from amidst such emotions that his firm will shone through. Eugene might be stupid and crude, but in the end, this man in front of her would still choose to do what he thought was the right thing; and even though he might end up with some regrets and feel dissatisfied with his choice, he would still ultimately be able to ovee such feelings. But maybe... just maybe, if he found it difficult to stand up on his own.... ¡®Then, just like now,¡¯ Sienna firmly told herself. All Sienna could do was continue to support him by his side. Until he was able to stand up and walk forward on his own. That was why Sienna had trailed off and shaken her head. She didn¡¯t ask him any more questions. She didn¡¯t want to shake Eugene¡¯s resolve in the choice that he had made. ¡°But you still deserve to be hit at least once,¡± Sienna said as she began rolling up her sleeves. Eugene¡¯s expression twisted at these words. He swallowed back a gulp as his shoulders trembled. ¡°But I feel like that wasn¡¯t the kind of mood we had going on, was it?¡± Eugene feebly tried to protest. ¡°Allow me to make the decision on that,¡± Sienna firmly insisted. ¡°At least tell me why you¡¯re hitting me all of a sudden,¡± Eugene weaklyined. ¡°You admitted that you were keeping secrets from me, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sienna pointed out. Eugene¡¯s eyes wavered, ¡°That¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°You should be thankful that I¡¯m letting you off with just one hit,¡± Sienna told him as she walked over to Eugene, loosening up her right arm by swinging it in circles. Eugene instinctively tried to run away, but with Anise¡¯s arm coiled around him like a snake, it was impossible for him to escape. Instead, Anise even spun around with Eugene, adjusting the angle so that it would be easier for Sienna to strike him. Eugene tried to count his blessings, ¡®At the very least, I¡¯m lucky that there¡¯s no one around to see¡ª¡± Crack! Eugene¡¯s thoughts were suddenly cut off by the sharp pain searing through his butt. * * * The door made of chains closed behind him as Gavid stepped through. He was back in Pandemonium, on the nieth floor of the Demon King¡¯s Castle, Babel. This was the same office that Gavid had used for the past hundreds of years. Gavid stood in the center of his office, lost in his own thoughts. ¡®Reincarnation,¡¯ Gavid rolled the word around in his head. There was no way that the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t know about this fact. From the moment the Demon King met Eugene Lionherat in person, no, even before that.... ¡®I don¡¯t understand,¡¯ Gavid frowned in thought. Ever since he began serving the Demon King of Incarceration, he had never once doubted his Demon King¡¯s will. If the Demon King ever did anything that was difficult to understand, then Gavid wouldn¡¯t even bother to try and understand it. He didn¡¯t forcefully try toprehend just what might even be going through the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s heart. For him, as the de of Incarceration, the will of the Demon King had always been something absolute and something that should never be questioned. However, now, Gavid could no longer do that. While slowly calming his agitated breaths, Gavid lowered one hand to his waist. His hand came to rest on his Demon Sword, Glory. Gavid unfastened the Demon Sword from his waist and hung it on the wall. Then, he stood in front of a mirror and checked the state of his current attire. Gavid brushed some disheveled hair back into ce. Then he took a few more deep breaths. ¡°Will this really be the first time?¡± Gavid muttered to himself with a wry smile as he turned around. In all these past hundreds of years, Gavid had never once headed up into the Demon King¡¯s private quarters of his own volition. Gavid had only ever waited in his office for the Demon King to descend when ready. However, now, he wasn¡¯t going to just continue waiting. Gavid was going to push open the doors to the royal pce to finally get an answer to all of his questions. 1. This is a repeat of the note from Chapter 477 regarding the staff dmir. In light of new information we got in theter chapters that exin more of dmir''s origins other than it being an evil staff, we realized that the previous use of the term is incorrect. As such, from this chapter onwards, we will be changing its name to Bloody Mary, which is a more precise trantion of the staff''s name. As mentioned earlier, we will keep all previous urrences until Chapter 477 as dmir. ? 2. This has been mentioned before, but when Korean people feel stressed, they massage the back of their necks, so that area is associated with feelings of stress, anger, or worry. Here, Eugene feels the back of his neck tensing up due to his anger at Melkith. ? Chapter 500: Delusion (8)

Chapter 500: Delusion (8)

In front of Gavid were the doors leading to the ny-first floor of Babel, the entrance into the Demon King¡¯s personal pce. While it felt like these doors could never be opened unless it was by the Demon King¡¯s will, Gavid felt no resistance when he tried pushing them open. Still, this would be his first time trying this. Gavid¡¯s mind was full of varied thoughts as he pushed the doors wide open. For the past hundreds of years, Gavid had never once opened these doors of his own volition. He had always kept to his office on the nieth floor. Although it was rare, the Demon King of Incarceration did asionally send messages to Gavid. These messages mostly addressed Helmuth¡¯s political issues and never included any personal correspondence. The same also applied to Gavid. As the Archduke of Helmuth, he held jurisdiction over everything that happened within this great empire, served as the final adjudicator for all important decisions, and then sent the reports up to the Demon King of Incarceration. All of that was done without any face-to-face contact. Even for Gavid, as the Archduke and de of Incarceration, this would be his first time entering the royal pce without permission. No, in the first ce, Gavid had never even knocked on the doors of the royal pce without a summons from the Demon King. The only times he had ever entered the royal pce were during events like the recent ceremony for the appointment of a new Staff of Incarceration. ¡®And even that was an exception among exceptions,¡¯ Gavid thought to himself. That was the first time the royal pce had ever been opened to celebrate the appointment of a new Staff of Incarceration. In the first ce, the focus of that atypical event hadn¡¯t even been the appointment ceremony. The Demon King¡¯s true purpose had been to gather up the top one hundred ranking demonfolk and proceed to weed out the undeserving. ¡®It was an amazing feeling.¡¯ Gavid burst outughing as he recalled those memories. Gavid could at least be certain of this much. After the war had ended, the Devildom became an empire, and the Demon King¡¯s Castle was remodeled into this skyscraper. This would be Gavid¡¯s first time ascending to the royal pce of his own volition. But why was that? Why hadn¡¯t he ever tried to enter the pce before now? There wasn¡¯t any special reason for it. Gavid simply hadn¡¯t had any particr desire to climb up to those upper floors. After all, he didn¡¯t want to bother the Demon King of Incarceration needlessly. All of Helmuth, this entire gigantic empire, couldn¡¯t have even been established without the Demon King of Incarceration at its core. Helmuth had been able to develop iparably faster than any other country on the continent because of the ck Towers that had been erected throughout the entire nation. These ck Towers, which could be considered one of Helmuth¡¯s manyndmarks, received the dark power that was transmitted to them from Pandemonium and amplified it. This dark power was then spread throughout the entire territory through cables that had been buried deep underground. It was as if the entire empire was a parasite feeding off of the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King was practically keeping the entire empire running all by himself. Gavid, in particr, was more aware of this fact than anyone else. ¡°Please forgive my rudeness,¡± Gavid said with a bow. After all, for the past hundreds of years, Gavid had been able to look down on the entire capital city from his office on the nieth floor of Babel. The Demon King of Incarceration was the one who had turned this Devildom into an Empire and was also the one responsible for erecting the ck Towers and burying the cables underground. Most of the technologies that were currently spread throughout Helmuth had been gifted to the demonfolk by the Demon King himself, who had thus managed to advance magical technology iparably further than anything that Aroth, which boasted of being the Kingdom of Magic, had ever achieved. So, then, why... why had such a Great Demon King stopped the war when he was on the verge ofplete victory? Why hadn¡¯t hepletely conquered the entire continent? Why build an empire seemingly designed to make the lives of humans morefortable than that of the demonfolk? Gavid didn¡¯t know the reasons for any of this. He had been curious, but he had never asked. Ever since the war ended three hundred years ago, Gavid just kept his head bowed as he silently followed the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s will. All that he had done was for the sake of the Demon King. As the de of Incarceration, he guarded the entry to the royal pce; as the leader of the ck Mist, he had trained the Royal Guard; and as the Archduke, he had devoted himself to working towards Helmuth¡¯s best interests. But that was why, even more so... Gavid felt that he had no choice but to do this. So even though he hadn¡¯t been summoned, he was opening the doors to the royal pce of his own initiative and entering the throne room without even asking for permission. He may have apologized for his rudeness, but he wasn¡¯t going to back down now. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Gavid said as he lifted his head and looked up from the floor. The whole room was filled with a pitch-ck darkness that stretched all the way up to the towering ceilings. No, rather than a ceiling, the roof overhead looked like the endless depths of the night sky. And in the center of that night sky floated a throne wrapped in chains. The Demon King of Incarceration was sitting on that throne, resting his chin in one hand as he silently stared down at Gavid. The moment that he saw the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s face, Gavid unconsciously let out augh. Gavid hadn¡¯t asked for permission to enter; he hadn¡¯t even knocked and had just barged in without any warning. Yet, even so, there was no sign of displeasure on the Demon King¡¯s face. There wasn¡¯t any irritation or anger either. The Demon King wasn¡¯t even showing any of his usual boredom. Instead, the Demon King was smiling as if he was amused. His eyes and lips were both slightly curved. Gavid let out a hollowugh as he shook his head, ¡°Could it be that you don¡¯t consider my behavior to be rude at all?¡± The Demon King¡¯s expression didn¡¯t show any surprise at his sudden entrance. Instead, he looked as if he had been greatly anticipating Gavid¡¯s arrival. And perhaps, Gavid realized, that might indeed be the case. ¡°Is there any reason for me to consider your behavior rude?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with augh. ¡°You shall not enter the royal pce... I don¡¯t remember ever giving such an order. But perhaps my memory is wed?¡± ¡°...Not it is not,¡± Gavid quickly shook his head in denial. ¡°You have never once given me such an order, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°That means you were always free toe here whenever you wished,¡± the Demon King stated firmly. Cliclink. The chains wrapped around his throne let out a nging noise. ¡°And even if I didn¡¯t grant you the permission toe and go as you please, Gavid Lindman, if you were to open those doors and enter here of your own volition, I would not have considered it to be an act of rudeness,¡± the Demon King added. ¡°But why wouldn¡¯t you, my lord?¡± Gavid asked with a frown. ¡°Isn¡¯t the bond that has built up between us strong enough to pardon such daring behavior?¡± the Demon King said with a grin. At these words, Gavid felt a huge shock, as if he had just been struck on the head with a hammer. The bond? The bond between them? Had the Demon King of Incarceration really admitted to having a bond with him? ¡°How...,¡± Gavid began, then gulped. ¡°How dare I ept that Your Majesty could ever feel such a bond with someone like myself?¡± The Demon King calmly responded, ¡°You have served me for a very long time.¡± Cliclink. The chains made noise once more. The Demon King of Incarceration leaned his body forward slightly as he gazed down at Gavid and continued speaking, ¡°There are so many demonfolk living under my rule that even counting them all is a difficult and burdensome task. All of the demonfolk who live in this empire are my subjects, and all the immigrants currently living in the empire willpletely transform into my subjects once their physical bodies expire.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration might still have a smile on his face, but Gavid sensed the extreme boredom that was hidden behind his expression and voice. Boredom was the sole emotion that the Demon King of Incarceration had ever shown day after day, so much so that Gavid couldn¡¯t help but think that boredom was the fundamental emotion thaty at the heart of the Demon King of Incarceration. However, these casual words that the Demon King had just muttered out of apparent boredom carried enormous weight. As the Demon King of Incarceration had said, there were indeed countless beings who knelt beneath his throne. In addition to that, the Demon King of Incarceration could also ce all those living on the continent under his rule whenever he so wished. ¡°Out of all those countless beings, you are the one who has served me for the longest time,¡± the Demon King revealed. These words held extreme weight for Gavid. His shoulders began to tremble, feeling as if they were about to be crushed by the heavy weight at any moment. These words were also undeniably correct. Among the countless demonfolk who served the Demon King of Incarceration, the demonfolk with the longest span of service was indeed Gavid. ¡°...,¡± Gavid was struck silent by this realization. Now that he thought about it, he should have already realized what he meant to the Demon King in the first ce. In the present day, it was difficult to even count just how long ago it was that Gavid first became the de of Incarceration. That was just how far into the distant past their history stretched. Although this might be stating the obvious, Gavid wasn¡¯t born as the de of Incarceration from the very beginning of his life. Gavid Lindman was, in fact, born as a Daemon, one of the mostmon races of demonfolk. The de, the Staff, and the Shield of Incarceration. These were the closest servants to the Demon King. Back in that long-ago era, every demonfolk who held any confidence in their skills aspired to rise to those positions, and Gavid was no different. Time flowed past, and many things happened. Gavid slowly climbed up the ranks step by step. At that time, he didn¡¯t possess the Demoneye of Divine Glory or his Demon Sword, Glory. Nevertheless, Gavid had been strong. He wasn¡¯t pushed back in the slightest, even when facing demonfolk who were hundreds of years older than he was. ¡°As Your Majesty has said, I have indeed served you longer than any other demonfolk,¡± Gavid agreed. Just as he had always wanted, Gavid rose to be the de of Incarceration. Even before the opening acts of the war, Gavid had already been standing by the Demon King¡¯s side as the de of Incarceration. And just as Gavid had done from a young age, there were countless other demonfolk who had also aspired to be the next de of Incarceration. Since the end of the war, Gavid hadn¡¯t received any challenges for his seat, but hundreds of years before the war, Helmuth had been much more barbaric and reflective of a demonfolk¡¯s true nature than it was now. Yet Gavid had never once had his seat taken from him. The Staff of Incarceration had changed hands several times. The Shield of Incarceration had also undergone a few recements. However, since Gavid had imed the title, the de of Incarceration had never once swapped ces. Thanks to that, the de of Incarceration had even be his unique title. ¡°Even so, I...,¡± Gavid hesitated. Three hundred years ago, during the era of war, a death squad led by the Hero Vermouth Lionheart had invaded Babel. They killed Urogos, who had been the Shield of Incarceration at that time. They had also in the Staff of Incarceration of that era, Belial. However, they didn¡¯t manage to break the de of Incarceration. Even though he had been defeated, Gavid had barely survived. For Gavid, this was still a disgrace. Since he had been defeated, he felt it would have been better for him to die on the spot. However, Gavid¡¯s life had been spared because the Demon King of Incarceration had ordered him to withdraw. ¡°Even though I have served Your Majesty for so long in the years since then, I still do not understand Your Majesty¡¯s intentions behind giving such an order,¡± Gavid confessed. Why had he ordered Gavid to withdraw at that time? Why hadn¡¯t he allowed Gavid to die like he had deserved to after experiencing such a defeat? Why had he allowed Gavid to still im the title of the de of Incarceration even after having been defeated? Why had the Demon King made such an Oath with Vermouth when he didn¡¯t need to do so? Why hadn¡¯t he simply conquered the entire continent? And why had he shown such eptance to the humans after establishing the Empire of Helmuth? And what on earth had been in that Oath? ¡°Why haven¡¯t you killed Hamel?¡± Gavid finally voiced his most urgent doubt. Among the many questions he had bottled up within him, he most desperately wanted an answer to this one. ¡°Your Majesty must have already long been aware that Eugene Lionheart is the reincarnation of Hamel of Extermination,¡± Gavid used. ¡°When do you think I first found out?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked with a smile. ¡°Just because it¡¯s me, that doesn¡¯t mean that I know everything that is going on in the world. As for the reincarnation of Hamel Dynas... that is something I knew about in advance, but I didn¡¯t know the exact date it would ur. If it weren¡¯t for the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony that raised so many noisy rumors, it would have taken me a while longer to find out the true identity of Eugene Lionheart.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration slowly raised his head to look upwards. The only thing that could be seen in the direction of his gaze was the same pervasive pitch-ck darkness. This was the top floor of Babel, the Demon King¡¯s Castle, and the Demon King¡¯s personal pce. So, the ceiling of this floor might be the closest ceiling to the sky, but it wasn¡¯t actually open to the sky. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just a coincidence that he was arranged to be reincarnated. From the very start, it was all fated,¡± the Demon King revealed. Gavid listened in silence. The Demon King continued his exnation, ¡°Vermouth wasn¡¯t truly the Hero chosen by this era. Because Vermouthcked the necessary capability to be that Hero.¡± The moment he heard these words, Gavid¡¯s cheeks trembled in shock. He recalled the various heroes from all across the continent that he had met less than an hour ago. Hadn¡¯t Gavid himself thought as much? If the heroes of today¡¯s era had been there three hundred years ago, there would have been several more heroes apart from Vermouth and hisrades capable of ying a Demon King. ¡°If Vermouth wasn¡¯t the chosen Hero, then... are you saying this era has been waiting for Hamel¡¯s reincarnation?¡± Gavid asked in disbelief. ¡°I guess you could chalk it all up to fate,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration replied with a slight smile. So, who on earth was behind... this fate? The name of a certain god naturally floated to the surface of Gavid¡¯s mind, ¡®The Light?¡¯ If it was a fate that not even this Great Demon King could truly control, was there anyone apart from a god who could be behind all of this, especially when it came to something like reincarnation? And the most powerful god in this world, with the greatest number of believers, was the God of Light. ¡®Vermouth must have arranged for the reincarnation...,¡¯ Gavid thought suspiciously. Vermouth had been the Hero chosen by the God of Light. At the same time, he had also been the master of that evil and sinister Sword of Destruction.... A person of such duality ¡ª who had been considered the source of despair by the demonfolk and the source of hope by the humans ¡ª just what exactly was he hoping for with Hamel¡¯s reincarnation? ¡°But that¡¯s even more reason why I can¡¯t understand it,¡± Gavid spat in a trembling voice. He now understood on a deeper level that it was this very era that had ced all of its hopes on Hamel¡¯s reincarnation. This current era was stronger than any other era that Gavid had lived through. It was even strong enough to threaten Helmuth... this giant empire that had been created by the Demon King of Incarceration by gathering together all of the demonfolks¡¯ impressive strength and that Gavid had been shepherding on the Demon King¡¯s behalf. ¡°He, he is surely Helmuth''s most dangerous enemy,¡± Gavid used. ¡°That is true,¡± the Demon King readily agreed. ¡°But Your Majesty...,¡± Gavid said with a note of protest. ¡°You promised Eugene Lionheart that you wouldn¡¯t attempt to kill him until he had managed to climb up to the top floor of Babel.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the Demon King nodded once more. ¡°Then, before he starts climbing up Babel,¡± Gavid paused, knowing he was about to ask an impertinent question. ¡°Am I permitted to go looking for him to take his life?¡± Despite his reluctance to offend the Demon King, Gavid couldn¡¯t bear not asking his question. Why should they allow Eugene, the Hero, to climb up Babel uncontested? Someone who had clearly be their strongest enemy, someone who was bing increasingly deadlier the more time they gave him. Why wait instead of just trampling him while he was weak? The Demon King of Incarceration just stared down at Gavid without responding. Gavid stared back, refusing to avoid his gaze. After a few moments of silence, the Demon King of Incarceration asked, ¡°And if I didn¡¯t give you permission to do so?¡± ¡°I will, of course, withdraw my request without any further questions,¡± Gavid solemnly vowed. ¡°Would you still be willing to serve as the de of Incarceration even after that?¡± the Demon King probed. ¡°Your Majesty is the one who bestowed upon me that title, as well as my Demon Sword and Demoneye. Without any question, my sword is and has always been yours, my liege,¡± Gavid loyally professed. The Demon King grinned, ¡°What about your position as the Archduke of Helmuth?¡± Gavid said gravely, ¡°I will focus on preparing to lead us to victory when the war eventually breaks out.¡± ¡°And what about your position as just Gavid Lindman?¡± the Demon King¡¯s smile deepened as he asked this question. This time, the sudden question left Gavid speechless. The Demon King raised a brow, ¡°Whether it was opening the door to my pce and entering on your own or questioning me, wasn¡¯t all of that done by the will of Gavid Lindman? Not the de of Incarceration or the Archduke of Helmuth.¡± Gavid held his tongue. ¡°As a de, all you need to do is simply follow your master¡¯s will. As the Archduke of Helmuth, all you need to do is follow your Emperor¡¯s will and faithfully serve the empire. Neither of those two roles requires you to invest any of your own desires or will into them.¡± Gavid continued to remain silent. ¡°But what about you as an individual? Is it the de that is seeking answers from the Demon King of Incarceration? Or is it the Archduke? Or could it be you yourself?¡± As the Demon King of Incarceration asked this question, he didn¡¯t give off any of that persistent feeling of boredom that had previously been exuding from him. His narrow, smiling eyes were filled with the rarely-seen emotion of amusement, and even his low voice was filled with surprising enthusiasm. ¡°...I...,¡± Gavid slowly prepared to speak once more. ¡°I think he should be killed before he even arrives at Babel and starts his ascent.¡± ¡°Is it for my sake?¡± the Demon King asked. ¡°If I was just your de, that is what I should say,¡± Gavid admitted. ¡°Is it for the sake of Helmuth?¡± the Demon King asked once more. Gavid lowered his head, ¡°If I was just your Archduke, that is what I could say.¡± The Demon King¡¯s smile deepened, ¡°In that case, what about for your own sake?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Gavid finally revealed the wish lingering at the bottom of his heart. ¡°I want to kill Hamel.¡± To satisfy the murderous intent caused by his humiliation at the heroes¡¯ hands three hundred years ago. ¡°I want to fight with Eugene Lionheart,¡± Gavid dered. Because of what he had seen in the battle earlier today. ¡°I want to face off against such a mighty hero personally.¡± His voice was resolute. Gavid put aside all the questions that he had been bursting to ask when he first entered the royal pce. He was no longer interested in demanding their answers from the Demon King of Incarceration. The reason for Hamel¡¯s reincarnation? The reason why the Demon King hadn¡¯t killed him? The reason for endangering the Helmuth Empire¡¯s wellbeing? Gavid ignored all of that, as well as all of the countless other questions that he had for the Demon King. Instead, Gavid recklessly revealed the battle lust and fighting spirit characteristic of most demonfolk as he said, ¡°I don¡¯t want to meet him on the battlefield. I want to face him in a duel, one on one.¡± Chapter 501: Delusion (9)

Chapter 501: Delusion (9)

The de of Incarceration. Gavid knew just how honorable of a title it was. He himself felt proud to carry it. However, in a certain way, he also felt repelled by this title. To be more precise, he didn¡¯t feel worthy of holding it. After the end of the war, the Shield of Incarceration had never been reinstated. This was because any shield that had already been broken through once by an enemy had lost all of its meaning. However, the Staff of Incarceration had been reced. It wasn¡¯t because of Blood Mary but because the purpose of the role of the Staff of Incarceration had changed. It became a position that only the best human ck wizards could ascend to, thus granting it great political significance. This told everyone that in the new Helmuth Empire, even the human ck wizards could rise to higher positions. Unlike the other Demon Kings or demonfolk, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t look down on the ck wizards. The war had just ended. Peace was born thanks to the Oath, but hatred for the Demon Kings, demonfolk, and ck wizards had still been running rampant throughout the continent at that time. At the same time, many kingdoms were struggling to deal with the devastation left by the war, and countless people were left without any way to ensure their own livelihood. That was the cradle from which the empire was born. The Demon King of Incarceration had guaranteed that exceptional ck wizards could find a position as one of his closest confidants, and after eptingrge numbers of human immigrants without any restrictions, he provided them with a level of welfare that made them never want to return to the continent ever again. As for the de of Incarceration, that position was still left to Gavid Lindman. The Shield had been broken and discarded. The Staff had been repurposed for political purposes. However, the role of the de didn¡¯t go through such a change. No, instead, it was given even greater meaning than before. The de of Incarceration was further entrusted with the rank of Archduke. This meant that, apart from the Demon King of Incarceration, no one in the entirety of this immense empire could im to hold a higher position than Gavid. The de of Incarceration also came to be regarded as the symbol of knighthood in Helmuth. Even when the Shield had broken, and the Staff had fallen, the de would not break and continued to protect its master. This loyal knight had fought for his lord without any regard for his own life. In the three hundred years following the end of the war, the fact that the de of Incarceration hadn¡¯t switched positions even once added an even greater halo to the name Gavid Lindman. He held the record for the longest career as a knight in the entire history of the Empire. He had held the title of de of Incarceration for the longest time, and he was also the only close confidant of the Demon King to have served for such arge number of years. ¡ªNo. Gavid couldn¡¯t ept such high praises. He hadn¡¯t broken? He hadn¡¯t fallen? That was all nonsense. The de of Incarceration had already been broken three hundred years ago. The only reason the de hadn¡¯t died like the Shield and the Staff had was that the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t allowed him to die. And he continued to bear the title of the de of Incarceration despite this failure because the Demon King of Incarceration had rejected his attempt to return the title. ¡°A duel, you say,¡± the Demon King hummed thoughtfully. The request Gavid had just made went directly against the will of the Demon King. The Demon King of Incarceration had already dered his intentions long ago to the entire continent as well as to all of the demonfolk of his empire ¡ª that he would be waiting in Babel for the Hero to climb up and face him. If it were any other demonfolk, it would have been fine for them to make such a request. Whether it was for the sake of their personal feelings, material greed, a desire for fame, or hatred of the Hero, even if it was just to take revenge for an old grudge over something that happened three hundred years ago, it would have been eptable. It didn¡¯t even matter if there were some other hidden intentions motivating their desire to challenge the Hero. Because, in the first ce, the Demon King of Incarceration had been speaking as an individual and not as an Emperor when he made his deration. He didn¡¯t intend to enforce his decision on all of the demonfolk in Helmuth. Therefore, if some other demonfolk did act on his own and managed to kill the Hero before Eugene could even reach the Demon King¡¯s Castle, the Demon King wouldn¡¯t even show the slightest trace of regret. What the Demon King of Incarceration was patiently waiting for here in his Demon King¡¯s Castle of Babel was the arrival of the true Hero. He was waiting for the Hero who would truly challenge the Demon King. He was waiting for a Hero who could actually threaten the Demon King. If Eugene were to be killed by some ordinary demonfolk, that would mean he had always been just another insignificant person who didn¡¯t deserve to be called the Hero. However, the de of Incarceration was the only one not allowed to do such a thing. Just like the Demon King of Incarceration had said, a de should simply follow the will of its wielder. ¡°Is it not enough to just kill him?¡± the Demon King asked with that same smile. Although Gavid¡¯s request went directly against the will of his lord, the Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t seem to feel even the slightest trace of difort due to this. On the contrary, he was feeling such great amusement that he couldn¡¯t keep it from showing in his expression. It was just like the time with the specter. The Demon King of Incarceration absolutely loved irregrities. He was thrilled whenever he saw something he hadn¡¯t seen before during all of the many cycles he had experienced in the past. This was because all of these irregrities made him feel like this version of the world was something special and built up his expectations that it might truly be something unique. ¡°Gavid Lindman, I saw you try to kill Eugene Lionheart,¡± the Demon King revealed. As he said this, the Demon King¡¯s thoughts turned towards the specter. He felt some sorrow for the end of such a unique existence. Born without any inherent worth, the specter had found the meaning behind his own existence as he faced his final moments. Until the very end, the specter didn¡¯t have a name. Nor did he want one. Yet even so, the Demon King would always remember him. Even if the specter had died as a nameless being, the Demon King would forever remember the Death Knight that had been born from Hamel¡¯s corpse, who had refused to don a name and instead called himself a specter. That is, these memories wouldst forever so long as the Demon King of Incarceration did indeed continue to live forever. ¡°I won¡¯t criticize any thoughts you might have had or what led you to act as you did at that moment,¡± the Demon King said absent-mindedly. After learning a part of the truth, the specter had thought it over by himself and had reached his own conclusion. So the specter had chosen to test Eugene. That way, if he found that Eugene wasn¡¯t qualified, the specter could kill him personally. By doing so, the specter could ensure that the opportunity for salvation would be carried on to the next era. But was that the right thing to do? At that time, it was indeed the right choice, at least for the specter. And that was enough for the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°...Why have you decided not to criticize me?¡± Gavid finally asked. ¡°Because you chose to do what you did out of your own free will,¡± the Demon King happily exined. Just like how the Demon King of Incarceration had only ever done what he felt was right for himself, he believed that others should also have the right to do the same. The Demon King of Incarceration also believed in having a transparent and respectful management style when it came to his subordinates. The Demon King continued, ¡°And I¡¯m sure that you would have also taken care of dealing with the aftermath.¡± However, in return for the transparency and respect he gave his subordinates, he also required them to take responsibility for their actions. ¡°After killing Eugene Lionheart and executing everyone else who happened to be there, you would have surely taken your own life,¡± the Demon King said without the slightest doubt. Without showing any surprise, Gavid Lindman calmly returned the Demon King¡¯s gaze as he listened to this prediction. Soon, a wry smile appeared on his face as he nodded, ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± ¡°However, you withdrew your sword just before you could deliver the blow. You changed your mind,¡± the Demon King used. Such decisive action was befitting of Gavid as the de of Incarceration. If he had made his choice to kill Eugene from his perspective as the Archduke of Helmuth, the Demon King of Incarceration would have also respected Gavid¡¯s choice. However, he didn¡¯t think he would feel as amused as he did now. ¡°Gavid Lindman, my most loyal knight,¡± the Demon King fondly began. ¡°Although you have served me for such a long time, you have never once attempted to delve into the true intentions behind my orders. If you ever felt any doubts that you couldn¡¯t find the answer to, you would always just abandon such thoughts at that point. This is the first time you have ever pushed open those closed doors, entered the pce without obtaining permission, and sought an answer from me.¡± ¡°Yes, that is true,¡± Gavid admitted. ¡°Right now, you seem truly desperate and eager. You have served me as the de of Incarceration for hundreds of years, but I have never once seen you so caught up in your own desires, have I?¡± the Demon King inquired. ¡°Never,¡± Gavid shook his head. ¡°So, is that how much....¡± The Demon King of Incarceration rose from his throne mid-sentence. The countless, interwoven chains hovering behind the Demon King¡¯s back rose with him. ¡°...you wish to fight Eugene Lionheart?¡± ¡°Yes, my lord,¡± Gavid confirmed once more. ¡°You said that you want to fight him using your full strength. If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no real need for it to be a duel, is there? That man, he will surely arrive at Babel eventually,¡± the Demon King argued. ¡°Your Majesty,¡± Gavid slowly lowered his head. ¡°If I were to wait for Eugene Lionheart here in Babel, he... there is no way he could give it his all in a fight against me.¡± ¡°Hoh,¡± the Demon King guffawed at Gavid¡¯s denial, his smile growing even wider. His head still lowered, Gavid slowly continued speaking, ¡°He will definitely try to preserve his strength during our fight. And he might not even choose to fight me on his own. If ites down to it, I¡¯m not sure if he will prioritize his fight with me over ensuring his future victory.¡± The de of Incarceration must always stand guard in front of the royal pce. That was also how it had been three hundred years ago. After withdrawing from the Red ins outside the castle, Gavid had readied the defenses and stationed himself in front of the pce. After sessfully crossing through the ins, there were still many trials lying ahead for the Hero and hispanions upon invading Babel. All of the demonfolk found within the castle could be considered true elites carefully selected from the entire poption of demonfolk; they were all genuine powerhouses with strength that didn¡¯t match their outer appearance or rank. They had gained such strength through measures that disregarded their health and even broke several taboos, leaving them all extremely short-lived. Apart from these guards, there was also the deadly and persistent array of traps, with the Shield and the Staff serving as the penultimate line of defense. Only by oveing all of these tribtions could they finally arrive in front of the royal pce. Three hundred years ago, Hamel had died while they were attempting to surmount all of these obstacles. Even a Saint¡¯s miracles couldn¡¯t be all-powerful or infinite in number. Continuous use of such miracles would leave even a Saint exhausted. Likewise, an Archwizard¡¯s mana wasn¡¯t infinite either, and the stamina of any warrior also had its limits. Three hundred years ago, among the group of humans who made it to the royal pce, everyone except Vermouth had been nearing their limit. This was all part of the n. With victory as the goal, regardless of the process, there was no reason for Gavid to face them from the very beginning. For the sake of victory, the right thing to do was to tire out the enemy as much as possible. Though Gavid was still defeated in the end, that era wasn¡¯t an age in which one couldin that their opponent was a coward for doing what he needed to do in order to win. The same thing applied to the humans, and the Hero as well. Since he wanted to win, there was no way Vermouth could fight all on his own. Vermouth always had hisrades with him. Fighting together, the five of them managed to y three Demon Kings before eventually reaching Bable. ¡°That seems to be the case,¡± the Demon King agreed with a smile. ¡°After entering the Demon King¡¯s Castle, the Hero has to kill the Demon King no matter what. Once he has stepped into the castle, we cannot simply allow him to leave or get a chance to rest.¡± When Eugene eventually attempted to climb Babel, he would need to ovee many trials just to reach the entrance of the pce. ¡°Eugene Lionheart has already surpassed the strength that Vermouth possessed three hundred years ago. He alone could have in Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury, and even if the strength of Vermouth, Sienna, Anise, Molon, and Hamel were allbined, he would still have been stronger than them,¡± the Demon King said in an amused tone. There wasn¡¯t a single bit of exaggeration in those ims. Gavid also epted the Demon King¡¯s evaluation without showing any surprise. ¡°Allow me to assure you, Eugene Lionheart is the strongest hero I have ever seen. Moreover, he has yet to finish growing. When he eventually attempts to climb Babel, he will surely be able to reach the entrance to my pce without receiving any serious injuries,¡± the Demon King predicted. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly descended to the floor. The chains connecting him to his throne floated behind him like a cloak. ¡°At that point, I wonder how the battle between you two will turn out,¡± the Demon King mused curiously. ¡°He will surely refrain from using Ignition,¡± Gavid replied confidently. ¡°He is also able to draw out a mysterious... sword of light from his chest. I¡¯m not sure what it is exactly, but what is clear is that it is something that he can¡¯t use more than a few times in session. So I believe that he will also refrain from using that sword.¡± If Eugene managed to defeat Gavid, he would immediately have to enter the throne room. As such, it would be absurd for him to use Ignition in his fight against Gavid, as the technique required him to take a few days of rest after every use. He also wouldn¡¯t be able to wait for his divine power to recover after consuming all his uses of the Divine Sword. The Demon King of Incarceration would only continue to show his mercy while they were still outside of his castle. There was no way that the Demon King would grant them any reprieve once they had invaded his castle. ¡°So that means he won¡¯t be able to fight me with all his strength. He will surely receive some help from Sienna, and he might also ept the aid of the Saint. He might even bring otherpanions with him,¡± Gavid surmised. Gavid was thinking of Molon of Terror, who was currently guarding Lehainjar. That monstrous human had also managed to stay alive over these long three hundred years following the era of war, and he had be much stronger. Molon wasn¡¯t the only one who might show up as one of Eugene¡¯srades. Gavid recalled the many heroes born during the present era he had seen in the desert. If they all apanied Eugene together, then.... ¡°I don¡¯t want my fight with him to be under such circumstances,¡± Gavid said, shaking his head. He wanted a fight with Eugene like the one the specter had gotten. With Eugene rejecting the help of hispanions, Gavid wanted to pit himself against Eugene purely as a knight, warrior, and demonfolk versus another knight, warrior, and human. Without any thought of the consequences, he wanted to be able to fight Eugene with only the immediate thought of winning the fight in their minds. Gavid wanted to be capable of forcing Eugene to use Ignition. He also wanted to make Eugene swing that mysterious sword at him without restraint. That kind of fight couldn¡¯t take ce here in Babel, the Demon King¡¯s Castle. ¡°And what if you kill Eugene Lionheart?¡± the Demon King questioned Gavid. Gavid vowed, ¡°If so, I shall pay the price for disobeying your will, Your Majesty.¡± ¡°Even if that requires you to pay for your mistake with your life?¡± the Demon King asked as hended in front of Gavid. ¡°If you are defeated by Eugene Lionheart, you will surely be in. Whichever one of you dies, your station in front of my pce will still be emptied. The Empire will suddenly lose its Archduke, and the ck Fog will also lose theirmander. Have you given any thought to what would happen in that situation?¡± Gavid Lindman upied a critical role in the functioning of the Helmuth Empire. If Gavid were to die, Pandemonium¡¯s entire administrative system would be paralyzed. ¡°I will start nning for that now,¡± Gavid promised. Such words might seem irresponsible of him, but Gavid still said them without hesitation. To think he would actually end up hearing such selfish words from someone like Gavid Lindman ¨C such a reply only caused the Demon King of Incarceration to feel an even greater amusement. ¡°First, I will need to appoint and train my sessor,¡± Gavid murmured to himself. The first person that came to mind was Gavid¡¯s vicemander in the ck Fog. Not only was he excellent at his current job, but he also possessed exceptional fighting skills, so he should be able to fill Gavid¡¯s role, even if it were only temporarily. ¡°No,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration shook his head. ¡°There is no need for you to worry about your sessor.¡± Gavid hesitated, ¡°But¡ª¡± ¡°There is also no need for you to return the Demoneye of Divine Glory or the Demon Sword Glory to me either,¡± the Demon King spoke over Gavid¡¯s attempted protest. Gavid¡¯s cheeks twitched as he held back his words. A duel with Eugene was something that was solely motivated by Gavid¡¯s selfish desires. As the de of Incarceration, or as the Archduke of Helmuth, it wasn¡¯t something he should be aiming for. So whether he won or lost, either way, Gavid was willing to give his life for it. As such, Gavid had intended to give up the title of de of Incarceration beforemitting to such a folly. He had also been nning on returning the Demon Sword Glory as well as the Demoneye of Divine Glory. ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a bit too arrogant?¡± the Demon King asked with a snort, raising an empty hand into the air. The hilt of a sword appeared in his empty hand. It was the hilt of the Demon Sword Glory, which Gavid had left in his office. ¡°Without your Demoneye or Glory, do you really think you could duel a Hero with just your body alone?¡± the Demon King asked skeptically. Gavid couldn¡¯t respond. ¡°You are the de of Incarceration,¡± the Demon King reminded him as he slowly lowered Glory until the sword was touching Gavid¡¯s shoulder. Gavid bowed his head deeply, ¡°I understand, Your Majesty.¡± The Demon King nodded in approval before saying, ¡°You¡¯ll need to take some time and adjust your state.¡± ¡°Yes, after all, it¡¯s been a long time since I wasst in a duel,¡± Gavid readily agreed. ¡°Allow me to give you some help,¡± the Demon King offered. Clicliclink. One of the chains hanging behind him lifted its head. The Demon King of Incarceration tore the whole chain off at its root. The chain shook wildly in front of Gavid, then twisted itself in coils until a heavy bundle of chains was left floating in front of Gavid. ¡°Use this once you return to your mansion,¡± the Demon King instructed. ¡°Yes, my lord.¡± Gavid politely epted the gift with both hands, not asking any questions about the true purpose of the chain. Without saying anything more, the Demon King of Incarceration simply let go of Glory. As he did so, Glory reappeared on Gavid¡¯s waist as if it had been hanging there from the very beginning. ¡°Are you hoping that I win, Your Majesty?¡± Gavid suddenly lifted his head and asked. He watched as the Demon King of Incarceration floated back into the night sky, almost appearing as if he was being dragged upwards by his chains as he returned to his throne. ¡°No,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration answered him truthfully. ¡°I hope that you are defeated and in. Only then will the Hero be able to attempt the climb up Babel.¡± Gavid didn¡¯t feel displeased or disappointed by such an answer. Instead, he actually smiled brightly out of a sense of relief. ¡°Understood, my lord.¡± The moment Gavid finished his response, the darkness around him suddenly withdrew. Gavid had just been standing in front of the royal pce, but he now found himself somewherepletely different. He wasn¡¯t in his usual office either. He was standing at the front door of a mansion, which gave him an unfamiliar feeling. This was actually Gavid¡¯s personal mansion, which he rarely ever used. Gavid let out a snort and turned his head. Not far away, he could see Babel towering up into the air, looking as if it was supporting the entire night sky. ¡°I didn¡¯t get the chance to ask him about his true intentions,¡± Gavid muttered. But that was just how the Demon King was. With a chuckle, Gavid opened up the front door and headed inside. Chapter 502: Brilliance (1)

Chapter 502: Brilliance (1)

The nieth floor of Babel, the duke''s office, was enveloped in darkness. Duke Gavid Lindman, also known as the de of Incarceration, had formally dered an indefinite leave of absence. In the three hundred years of the empire¡¯s history, he had moments when he temporarily stepped away from his duties, but never before had such an absence been officially announced. Moreover, it was an indefinite leave of absence. The announcement did not specify a return date or delve into the reasons behind this decision, citing only "personal circumstances" for his departure. The sudden news sent shockwaves through the empire''s media. It even caught the attention of the international press ¡ª an understandable reaction given that Gavid Lindman had effectively been the de facto ruler, handling the emperor¡¯s duties for much of the empire''s three-hundred-year history. The emperor, the Demon King of Incarceration, seldom left the throne room except for special asions. He engaged little in the day-to-day governance that other kingdoms and empires might expect of their rulers. This task had traditionally fallen to Gavid Lindman, with the Demon King of Incarceration only reviewing the reports and decisions the duke had made. However, this arrangement didn''t make the Demon King of Incarceration a mere figurehead. Nothing in the empire could proceed without his explicit consent, and his wishes weremands that underwent no debate or discussion. Duke Lindman''s role was that of a bridge between the secluded Demon King of Incarceration and the empire''s bureaucrats. Hence, his leave introduced a wave of unease not just among the bureaucrats but also among the empire''s popce. Though his absence was deemed unavoidable, the vacancy he left demanded a proxy. Someone else needed to step in to shoulder the immense responsibility in his stead. Duke Giabe¡¯s name was swiftly brought up in discussions. Her public image was favorable, and her savviness in matters of state andmerce was renowned. If the empire ¡ª or even the continent ¡ª were to nominate its most distinguished entrepreneur, Duke Giabe''s name would undoubtedly surface among the primary contenders. Yet, Duke Giabe showed no inclination to step into the limelight in either the capital, Pandemonium, or the imperial pce, Babel. She carried on with her life as if the affairs of Pandemonium bore no relevance to her, as if she wouldn¡¯t intervene even if issues surfaced in the capital. It felt as if she were indifferent to any potential crises that might arise. It was possible that Duke Giabe might be harboring other intentions, but to the public eye, her routine remained unchanged from before. She continued to reside within the tranquil bounds of Giabe Park. She would asionally take to the skies in the Giabe Face to bestow dreams upon the people when whimsy struck her. She graced the festivals of Giabe Park with her presence and was a familiar figure in the park¡¯s clubs and pubs. "Who in the world is Count A?¡± Eugene grumbled while shifting his gaze downwards. The tantalizing daily spectacle of Duke Giabe. Trivial gossip. The duke was captured in photographs wearing a dress that revealed the entirety of her back and smiling radiantly at the camera. Eugene consciously averted his thoughts from the ne that adorned her delicate neck and the ring on her gesturing hand. "He''s one of the officials in Babel. More specifically, he is assigned to the Ministry of nning and Finance¡¯s nning Coordination Office¡ª" "Is he strong?" Eugene interrupted abruptly. His interest seemed piqued as he turned sharply with a gaze narrowed in scrutiny. "His rank is not particrly high. As far as I remember, Count A is ranked one hundred and third, or he would be if there hadn''t been any change," Balzac Ludbeth calmly redirected Eugene''s gaze with a serene smile. "In Babel''s public service, rank isn''t everything,¡± exined Balzac. "Well, that must be true. An empire couldn¡¯t be run by brute force alone, even if it¡¯s oneprised of demons,¡± responded Eugene. "Indeed, you speak the truth," Balzac bowed slightly in agreement under Eugene''s scrutinizing gaze. Ten days had passed since the conclusion of the war in Hauria. While efforts to rehabilitate the ruins were ongoing, most of the Liberation Army had departed the battlefield and returned to the nearby city of Sr. The Liberation Army hadn''t disbanded yet. Unlike the battles that were fought across the seas, this war had been waged within national boundaries. As such, it necessitated a multitude of settlements post-conflict. Moreover, the victory in the war had been overshadowed by a bombshell deration. "Wouldn''t it be convenient for you to return?" Eugene started while putting down the newspaper. "It seems like staying here would be more of a hassle for you." "Are you worried about me?" questioned Balzac. "Why? Is it so strange for me to worry about you?" Eugene retorted. "Ha, no, it''s not that. I''m just overwhelmed with gratitude. To think that a ck wizard like me... could receive concern from Sir Hamel himself. I don¡¯t know what to say," said Balzac. "Are you mocking me now?" Eugene questioned. "No, not at all. It''s just such a surreal, unexpected thing. I didn''t want to be conscious about it, but it keeps upying my thoughts," Balzac said while lifting his head with an awkward smile. Balzac continued, "Getting back to the topic... Count A isn''t particrly distinguished among the demons within Helmuth or even in Babel. Frankly, he''s just one of the many average demons you''d find in Babel. Of course, being a count and... an official of Babel isn''t exactly ordinary, but...." "He''s not cut out to act as the duke¡¯s deputy?" Eugene questioned. "Correct,¡± answered Balzac. "The Ministry of nning and Finance is essentially under the duke''s direct control, isn''t it?" Eugene asked. "Strictly speaking, all departments in Babel report directly to the duke,¡± Balzac corrected, "Huh." Eugene shook his head in honest admiration. Eugene had thought of the de of Incarceration as nothing more than a skilled fighter, but it appeared he had been handling much more in the empire. "I haven''t assessed Count A''s work efficiency... but he must possess the necessary skills to have been chosen for this position,¡± Balzac suggested. Eugene''s gaze returned to the newspaper. It had been ten days since Duke Lindman left the office, yet remarkably, nothing significant had urred. The empire''s governance faced no issues at all. Although Gavid Lindman stepped back from all his duties in Babel, nobody felt his absence. Count A, who suddenly ascended to the nieth-floor office as the deputy, was managing the tasks wlessly. "Could he be an avatar of the Demon King of Incarceration?" Eugene asked. "Hmm, it''s not just a possibility. I''m convinced that''s the case. Otherwise, it would be impossible to perform so perfectly overnight, as well as he would,¡± Balzac responded. Count A, a demon of not a particrly high rank, was indeed a real figure. However, whether the current A was in his right mind was debatable. If the Demon King of Incarceration had chosen him as an avatar to manage Gavid¡¯s duties in his absence¡ª ¡°What could possibly require such a favor?¡± Eugene muttered in discontent while furrowing his brows. This was no simple leave of absence for Gavid Lindman. What could possiblypel him to suddenly leave Babel and withdraw to his estate? And why would the Demon King of Incarceration go to such lengths to amodate Gavid? ¡°Could he have been removed?¡± The sudden thought made Eugene turn to Balzac. Ten days ago, Gavid had abruptly attacked Eugene. He had seized the moment when Eugene was immobilized by the aftereffects of Ignition. He had aimed to slit Eugene¡¯s throat. He had not necessarily failed. Gavid had sheathed his sword and engaged in a dialogue with Eugene before withdrawing. However, Gavid''s intent to kill was real and went directly against the wishes of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°A removal?¡± Balzac pondered for a moment. ¡°That possibility... cannot be dismissed. His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, always demands ountability for one''s actions. Haven¡¯t you seen it before, Sir Eugene?¡± ¡°Are you referring to the incident with Eward?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Yes. The incubus that seduced Eward Lionheart... though, it¡¯s likely that Duke Giabe was behind it. However, she never emerged in the public eye, resulting in only the incubus¡¯s death,¡± continued Balzac. The Demon King of Incarceration had ordered that execution. ¡°Duke Lindman defied the Demon King of Incarceration in attacking you, Sir Eugene. That act alone could be deemed a sufficient crime warranting punishment by the Demon King of Incarceration. However, if Duke Lindman had been removed, there would be no reason to conceal such a fact,¡± stated Balzac. ¡°So, in conclusion, you¡¯re saying you don¡¯t know?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Correct. If you wish, Sir Hamel, I could personally visit the Lindman estate in Pandemonium to verify the duke¡¯s status,¡± suggested Balzac. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary,¡± Eugene responded with disgust. ¡°And stop calling me Hamel.¡± ¡°Understood, Sir Eugene,¡± answered Balzac. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Eugene asked while scanning Balzac. Balzac was pale, to begin with, but he appeared even more wan now. His cheeks were slightly sunken, making it appear as if his sses were toorge for his face. His arm, infused with Gluttony, was tightly wrapped in gray bandages. There seemed to be nothing out of the ordinary, yet something indefinable lingered about Balzac. After all, he had feasted on numerous Nur, as well as demons and monsters. "The digestion is proving difficult," answered Balzac. "If you''re feeling sick, maybe you should throw up,¡± Eugene suggested half-jokingly. "Haha.... It¡¯s something rare toe by, so I guess I need to force it down,¡± answered Balzac. "Has there been any word from the Demon King of Incarceration? Any orders to return?" asked Eugene. "Thankfully, nothing so far,¡± responded Balzac. "Perhaps to keep an eye on me?" Eugene asked probingly. "Aren''t you already aware, Sir Eugene? The Demon King of Incarceration has no need to use me as his eyes,¡± Balzac said while rising from his seat. He had been summoned for a private meeting with Eugene for the first time in ten days. He wanted to ask many questions, such as about death, reincarnation, Vermouth Lionheart, the uing wars, and Eugene¡¯s fated tasks. But Balzac didn''t ask any questions. He kept all his burgeoning queries to himself. Balzac knew his ce well. As a ck wizard, he understood he could never be friends with Eugene. He had harbored a sliver of hope before ¡ª but he deemed it impossible after learning that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel of Extermination. He pondered if it was permissible for them to maintain their current rtionship. Balzac smiled. This level of detachment suited him, and he was grateful not to be regarded merely as an enemy. "Well, I''ll be taking my leave then,¡± he said. Although Eugene hadn''t explicitly asked him to leave, Balzac was quick on the uptake. His summons and the quasi-conversation that followed were prompted by Eugene¡¯s curiosity about Count A. And now, that discussion had concluded. "Will you stay in this city?" Eugene called out to Balzac as he began to withdraw. "Or will you return to Aroth?" "I won''t stay in this city. Nor will I return to Aroth,¡± Balzac answered. "Why? Didn''t you enjoy working with Sienna and the other wizards?" Eugene asked. "Ah... That position was like a miracle or a blessing to me. But now, it''s a ce I must not upy,¡± responded Balzac. "Then where will you go?" inquired Eugene. "I n to wander for a bit,¡± Balzac answered. "Hmm." Should he track Balzac? Mark him? Eugene contemted momentarily. "Right." Eugene was certain they would meet again. With that thought, he nodded as Balzac left his room. "Ha...." Surprisingly, the first thing Eugene did was to sigh as the door closed behind Balzac. He leaned back in his chair as far as it would go and propped his feet up on the table. He then tilted his head back and closed his eyes tightly as if to release his tension. "I... must be crazy..." he muttered to himself as he opened his eyes again. The stack of newspapers on the table caught his eye. The articles he had been deliberately ignoring were now in in view. [Shock! Eugene Lionheart''s Identity: The Reincarnation of Hamel Dynas?] [Why did the Demon Kings who sought to conquer the continent and enve humanity three hundred years ago fail?] [The Brilliant Eugene Lionheart! Helmuth is shocked by his incredible identity!] [The current state of Pandemonium: Everyone is reeling from the shock of Eugene Lionheart''s identity.] [Why did ''The de of Incarceration'' disappear right after the ''Liberation War of Hauria''? Don''t hide!] [Stupid Hamel, but Hamel of XX to the demons? The true identity behind the name feared by demons.] [Why Helmuth''s demons are in turmoil right now. ''Please, no more wars!'' An honest conversation with an anonymous high-ranking demon for the first time across the continent.] [Memoirs of the Era of War published in Helmuth but suppressed from sale, ''I Survived Hamel.'' Efforts to restore parts of the censored manuscript.] [Why did the Queen of Nightmares, Noir Giabe, have a secret rendezvous with Eugene Lionheart? A persistent rivalry... or love...?? Unreleased photos of a romantic date in Giabe Park!] "Ugh..." Eugene felt his head spin as he read the headlines zoned in dramatic fonts. What in the world was...? The most unbearable among the articles were those regarding Noir. Why were they using ellipses? Why not just finish it by saying they were enemies or rivals? And why in the world had they inserted a heart? A romantic date? Unreleased photos? ¡®I must be losing it,¡¯ he thought. His head was spinning. Yes, it had been madness. He had gotten carried away. He dered himself as Hamel because of the heat of the moment. No, but it could have been managed then. If he hadn''t dered it once more in front of Gavid Lindman, if he hadn''t proimed himself as Hamel in front of everyone, then these... these damned articles wouldn''t have surfaced. ¡°Argh!" Unable to contain himself, Eugene shot up from his seat. The chair ttered behind him, but Eugene was oblivious to such sounds. His ears were filled only with the thumping of his heart. They were pounding with shame and rage. Eugene reached out towards the newspapers piled on the table, unaware that his face was as red as beets. With a whoosh, mes ignited, as furious as Eugene''s emotions, and consumed all the newspapers in sight. But what was burned was only the newspapers in this room. The papers had been published days ago and had already spread across the continent. He was certain. At least half the continent''s poption had seen one of these articles by now, and nearly everyone would know Eugene as the reincarnation of Hamel. "Aargh!" Eugene screamed again while clutching his head. He could now slightly understand why Melkith El-Hayah would emit cries reminiscent of a crow''s screech whenever given the chance. It was because she simply found it impossible to maintain sanity, hence the screams. "Why do you keep making strange noises?" The door burst open. He stopped tearing at his hair and wailing mid-way and turned to look, only to be left speechless. And what was that supposed to be? The incongruous sight of Mer and Raimira dressed in suits met his eyes. Chapter 503: Brilliance (2)

Chapter 503: Brilliance (2)

Eugene was speechless, and his mind was in turmoil. He couldn''t fathom how to react to the spectacle before him. He simply stared ahead without uttering a word, his lips soundlessly opening and closing repeatedly. "Ha-ha." Mer sported a dashing smile that oozed confidence. The audacious kid was decked out in a sleek ck suit,plete with shoes she had likely never worn before. Eugene was utterly baffled by the attire and tilted his head in confusion. "Ha-ha." Another chuckle drew his gaze to Raimira. Her outfit wasn''t much different from Mer''s. She was donned in a tight jacket, crisp shirt, trousers, shoes, and¡ª "Why are you wearing sses?" Eugene couldn''t help but express his disbelief. He stared at Raimira with confusion. "sses are essential." Raimira adjusted her sses with a flourish, boasting, "Because thisdy is the secretary of Benefactor." It was an answer Eugene never could have imagined, and it silenced Eugene once more. This time, he couldn''t even move his lips. His mouth remained agape in dumbfounded silence. ¡°Ha-ha.¡± Raimiraughed more maturely while adjusting her sses once more. But they were already perched high on her nose, the bridge pressing into her forehead and the lenses squishing her cheeks. "And I am your manager, Sir Eugene,¡± Mer chimed in. Though not wearing sses, Mer had her own essory. She subtly pushed forward the documents bag she had slung to the side. "I will be managing your schedule from now on, Sir Eugene." In that case, what was the secretary supposed to do? What exactly was the difference between a secretary and a manager? And why on earth were they spouting such nonsense in such ridiculous outfits? Eugene had many questions, but he chose to remain silent for the moment. The two kids¡¯ outfits were amusing and cute, and he was curious about what folly they''d engage in next. "Please look at this first,¡± Mer said while proudly opening the documents bag she had been unting. More documents than what would seemingly fit into the bag spilled out onto the table, and Eugene¡¯s expression instantly transformed from amusement and confusion into annoyance and discontent. Just moments ago, Eugene had burned stacks of newspapers in shame and anger. But once again, in front of himy clippings of articles rted to himself, which were painstakingly collected from the very newspapers he had burned. [The Reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel, the Brilliant Eugene Lionheart. Why Did He Hide His True Identity Until Now?] [The Wise Sienna: Was She Not Courting a Man Three Hundred Years Younger? A Love Hidden For Three Centuries.] "Kuaagh," Eugene groaned while turning his head away. He even closed his eyes to avoid the lurid headlines and garishly colored letters that seemed to dance behind his eyelids. "Please look straight at it, Sir Eugene!" Mer shouted while hanging onto his leg, while Raimira clung to his arm and proimed, "Oh Benefactor, the entire continent is abuzz about you! You are indeed the superstar of the continent!" Eugene swayed while stuttering a response, ¡°Wh-why are you mocking me like this...!?¡± ¡°What on earth are you talking about? Sir Eugene, why would we mock you?¡± responded Mer. ¡°Benefactor, has someone been mocking you? Has the evil ck wizard cast your heart into turmoil before leaving? Thisdy will immediately punish him with a single Breath!¡± It was difficult to know whether they were genuinely concerned or mocking him. Eugene copsed into his seat, overwhelmed by a crushing sense of humiliation. Mer and Raimira quickly detached themselves from Eugene before they, too, fell on their bums. "Sir Eugene, listen closely to me. The continent''s eyes are on you right now. This is an incredible opportunity. You can significantly boost your divine power if you utilize this attention properly," Mer pressed while shoving the clippings into Eugene''s face. [A 300-year Unrequited Love Finally Bears Fruit. A Romance That Transcends Tragedy.] [A Forbidden Love Between Teacher and Student: Where Will It Lead?] "As I''ve said, thisdy is your secretary. Sir Eugene, in this tumult of attention, what we, that is, you and I, need to do is not be swayed by rumors. Instead, we should push forward our agenda," Raimira added while also pressing the articles forward, bringing her selection of clippings closer to Eugene''s face. [Sausage and Beer, Cheese and Wine, the Hero and the Saint. A Combination Everyone is Bound to Love.] [Does Hamel See the Faithful Anise in Saint Kristina? Unraveling the Commonalities Between the Two Saints.] Mer was the one who had initially started to collect the newspaper clippings. While Eugene and Sienna had been constrained from publicly revealing their romance due to their rtionship as teacher and student, Eugene revealing his true identity now freed them from societal scrutiny. Thus, Mer had wanted to firmly establish their narrative for the whole world. And Raimira? She had no particr agenda but feltpelled to act when she saw Mer fervently gathering articles about Eugene and Sienna. She knew that staying passive was not an option. Like Mer''s bias towards Sienna, Raimira was inclined towards the Saints, hence her biased collection of rted articles. Eugene gathered his cool. The shame subsided, and he no longer had the desire to hide away and die in a corner. Eugene regained hisposure and straightened his expression. "So why exactly are you a secretary and a manager?" Eugene inquired. "There are tons of journalists dying to meet you, Sir Eugene,¡± answered Mer. "Not just journalists either. Nobles and kings desire an audience with Benefactor as well,¡± Raimira added. "It would be bothersome for you to deal with all of them, right? Even if you move and act quickly, you are still just one person,¡± said Mer. "That''s a very valid point. Thus, as a secretary, thisdy will manage your schedule, Benefactor, to ensure that you are not bothered,¡± stated Raimira. "What are you talking about? Scheduling is my job as the manager. You should just take off those ill-fitting sses and go suckle on your thumbs,¡± retorted Mer. "These sses were given to thisdy by her mother!" shouted Raimira. The two youngsters began to grapple with each other''s hair in dispute. Eugene chose not to intervene and instead sighed deeply. Though he didn''t want to, he skimmed through the content of the scrapbook, gaining a clearer understanding of the current situation. "Well... done,¡± he said. If nothing else, the effort it would have taken to cut out and paste together so many articles wasmendable. Eugene himself would never do it, no matter what, but it seemed the kids felt differently. "A secretary, a manager... you don''t need to bother with all that. I''ll just take care of it myself,¡± Eugene assured. "But Sir Eugene, you''re busy,¡± Mer responded. "There is also a suggestion to publish a fairy tale based on your vivid stories. If you wish, Benefactor, I shall arrange the schedule,¡± Raimira added. Raimira''s words stirred Eugene''s heart. Publish a fairy tale book? Could it mean altering the content of that damned fairy tale that had branded the ridiculous nickname the Stupid Hamel across the continent for three hundred years? Eugene swallowed hard. Even if he left the content as is, he desperately wanted to change the prefix attached to Hamel''s name. ¡ªStupid Hamel, But Hamel of XX to the demons? The true identity behind the name feared by demons. An article from one of the newspapers he had burned earlier flickered in his mind. "There''s a lot of talk about publishing a new book filled with your heroic tales, Sir Eugene. They want to write a new fairy tale that will be read by all the children of the continent for generations toe,¡± said Mer. Her eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. To be honest, Mer didn''t want to change the content of the fairy tale that had been published hundreds of years ago. Naturally, Mer knew very well that Eugene hated the nickname Stupid Hamel. However.... How many people could im that Hamel¡¯s deeds had not been stupid if they were made to pledge never to lie with their hand on their heart? Even Eugene would be unable to deny it if he were under oath not to lie. So why should they change such a fitting nickname? "The Saga of the Brilliant Eugene Lionheart." "From Stupid to Glorious." The two youngsters whispered while raising their scrapbooks. These titles were among the many inscribed within and carefully selected from numerous suggested titles in newspapers and other publications. "Sir Eugene, you must surely know that any new fairy tale must feature me. And always take me along when you''re telling stories about me,¡± asked Mer. Not to be outdone, Rimira added, "Naturally, thisdy must appear as well. The story must describe the fateful first meeting between Benefactor and thisdy and what kind of existence I am to Benefactor. You must describe it urately.¡± At this point, Eugene gave up. "Get out,¡± he dered. "What?" "Out!" he said firmly. He picked up the two little ones and threw them out of the room before returning to his previous spot. The clippings were scattered on the floor. He considered burning them for a moment but could not bring himself to destroy such diligently crafted pieces. With a deep sigh, Eugene gathered them into his cloak. "Ha...." He shook his head in disbelief. He slightly regretted his deration, but what was already said could not be unsaid. The entire continent now knew that Eugene was Hamel reincarnated. "Haa...." The sighs came one after another. Eugene moved towards the window with yet another sigh. The room was very quiet and tranquil, except for the sound of his footsteps and his sighs. With a gloomy expression, Eugene ced his hands on the windowsill. "Uwaaaah!" As soon as he cracked open the window, he was greeted with a massive cheer. He had blocked unwanted noise from entering the room with magic, but the sound flooded the moment he opened the windows. "Hero!" "Sir Eugene!" "Hamel!" There were shouts of cheer. Crowds gathered beyond the city walls had been shouting Eugene''s name for days. It wasn¡¯t limited to just the citizens of Sr but people from other nations as well. They were pouring out praises and worship for the Hero, Eugene, and Hamel as if they were fanatics. He was the reincarnation of a hero from three hundred years ago, the Hero of the present age who had defeated two Demon Kings. Although the specter had not actually been a Demon King, he was known as one across the continent. Being the Hero was reason enough for adoration, but the added mystique of a reincarnated hero led adoration to fanaticism. ¡®My divine power keeps growing,¡¯ Eugene thought. He felt it more profoundly than when his statue had been erected in Shimuin. The divinity within him was expanding. It was mixing with what had shattered and merged during his battle with the specter and was now spreading even further. He ced a hand over his heart and felt the universe. The twinkling stars seemed brighter and more numerous than before the war. If he focused hard enough, he could even hear voices ¡ª the voices of his followers. "Why not wave back at them?" An unexpected voice resounded from behind. Eugene wasn''t surprised. He gave a deep sigh and turned around. He found Kristina standing there with a smile. She was dressed in her pure white priestly robe. Her smile deepened under Eugene¡¯s gaze, and she gave a slight nod. "Everyone is waiting for you to appear,¡± said Kristina. "I can''t go out. I''m still in pain,¡± responded Eugene. "It won¡¯t do for the Hero to lie,¡± rebuked Kristina. "Is there a rule that says the Hero can''t lie? That bastard Vermouth sure lied a lot,¡± Eugene grumbled with a frown. He had confined himself to the Sr Pce for ten days under the excuse of not having recovered fully. However, Eugene¡¯s body had long since healed. Yet, venturing outside was unthinkable for him. He had no desire to meet with the crowds who cheered for him with sparkling eyes. He was clueless about what he could possibly say to them. ¡°Didn¡¯t you proudly carry a g before marching off to battle?¡± questioned Kristina. ¡°This is quite different from then, isn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that different. After all, those who havee here aren''t expecting a speech from you, Sir Eugene. They simply wish to see you in person. The reincarnation of a hero. The Hero of our age. The light that ushers in a new era,¡± responded Kristina. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure how to respond. ¡°Theing times may not be as peaceful as before. It¡¯s something we, like it or not, have to ept, right?¡± Kristina reasoned. It had been difficult to ept until now or, to be precise, unimaginable. The people of this era knew nothing of war, of how terrifying Demon Kings, demonfolks, and ck wizards could be. For three hundred years, there had been no war. The Demon King of Incarceration has been an advocate for humans, and neither demons nor ck wizards engaged in violence. To the people of this era, Helmuth was an empire rather than the Devildom. Even if the Demon King of Incarceration spoke of the Oath¡¯s end, the end of peace, it was very hard for people to imagine it. The Abyssal Princess, Iris, had been reborn as the new Demon King of Fury in the Southern Seas. Despite the emergence of a new Demon King, the regr people of the continent had felt no imminent threat. She was too distant and dealt with too quickly. Iris didn¡¯t manage to assert her presence as a Demon King. It would have been a different story had she ventured onto the continent, but she died before she could reach it. But the specter was different. He captured the capital of the great nation of Nahama. He rendered the Sultan of Nahama powerless. In less than half a day, perhaps in just an hour, he had taken over the capital of a major nation. He was the Demon King himself, and he hade with an army of massive demonic beasts, undead, demons, and ck wizards. It was no longer possible to ignore the threat. The people of this era hade to know war more certainly and closely. They realized that even before their lifetimes ended, the Demon King of Incarceration could start a war and set the continent aze. ¡°That is why they¡¯re looking for someone to depend on,¡± said Kristina. She drew closer to Eugene¡¯s side. ¡°Someone to depend on,¡± Eugene echoed her words with a bitter chuckle and raised his hand. ¡°Well,pared to praying in a church to an unseen Light... seeing me in person, alive and present, must be moreforting.¡± He cautiously extended his hand out the window and waved. Uwaaah! The cheers grew louder, and it felt as if the pce itself was shaking. ¡°The Light,¡± Kristina said with a wry smile. ¡° Sir Eugene, haven¡¯t you also felt that it isn¡¯t something that could be called a god?¡± Chapter 504: Brilliance (3)

Chapter 504: Brilliance (3)

Contrary to the passionate cheersing from outside the window, Kristina''s words were soft and chilly. Eugene stopped waving at the crowd and turned his head to look at her. The Saint had just denied the existence of a god of her own volition, yet her expression remained surprisingly calm. Her face showed no sign of anger, betrayal, or despair. "What''s all this about suddenly?" Eugene asked first. He had his suspicions, even certainty, but no proof. Therefore, he didn''t want to make unnecessary remarks, especially considering both Kristina and Anise were Saints of the God of Light. "There''s no need to be considerate of me," Kristina whispered with a faint smile. Her words were interrogative, and her gaze didn''t seek deception or undue kindness. In the end, Eugene sighed softly and retracted his hand from the window. With a click, the window closed, silencing the loud cheers from outside. Eugene turned to face Kristina. Consideration. He didn''t deny it. The reason Eugene had refrained from speaking about the Light was ultimately out of consideration. Kristina and Anise were born as Saints. It had always been so. They were created to worship the Light and to be tools for the Light. They weren¡¯t even allowed a normal childhood because they were born and raised in such a manner. They were symbols for spreading the faith. They were products to enchant the faithful. They were divine weapons for conveniently wielding miracles. That was what the Saint was. They were coerced into faith in the Light. Anise harbored disillusionment with the Light and religion after having lived centuries and endured many wars. Yet, she didn''t deny the existence of the Light itself. She did not deny that the Light illuminated the world, nor did she deny the existence of heaven. It wasn¡¯t just Anise, either. During the era of war, the priests and even atheists who didn¡¯t believe in gods sought the existence of a deity. They prayed for an omniscient being to save the world and to lead the deceased to heaven. "Since when have you known?" asked Eugene. Kristina wasn''t as desperate as Anise. She was still young and had not experienced the horrific times that Anise did. However, even Kristina yearned for the existence of heaven. She believed it was right for the sinful to go to hell and the virtuous to heaven. "Probably around the same time you felt it, Sir Eugene," she said. "The moment when the Light, more radiant than ever, seeped into you." Eugene knew exactly which moment she was referring to. It was during his battle with the specter when he cast aside all of his hesitations. It was the moment when the specter swung his sword to kill Eugene, and his dark power transformed into mes to destroy Eugene. "When the Holy Sword Altair, left by the Light in this world, shattered." The de of the Holy Sword had shattered; it had been utterly destroyed. But the destruction of the de did not diminish its sanctity. Instead, the Holy Sword reimed its true form through destruction. The Light was freed from the confinement of the de and enveloped Eugene. Within the cradle of light, albeit for a brief instant, Eugene was able toe to a shallow understanding of the Light. "It wasn''t through you that I came to know this, Hamel,¡± Anise spoke up. Her expression wasn¡¯t much different from Kristina''s bitter smile. "We are Saints. Though other priests might not have felt it, we, who are closest to the Light, could sense it from the light that poured out of the Holy Sword." "The Light is not a being that can be called a god,¡± Anise stated. "Itcks the holy will that one would attribute to a deity." There had been doubts before, even during the era of war. The Light never manifested despite the fervent prayers. More than anything, even Anise, who was closest to the Light, received no revtion. In that irrational world, one was forced to believe in the existence of the Light. The era would have been unbearable without some semnce of hope, which took the form of faith in the existence of the Light, of a god, and heaven. Fortunately, there were things that could serve as the basis for faith ¡ª the Holy Sword and the Hero, Vermouth Lionheart. But was he truly a hero? "I can''t define it as any particr entity, but what I felt... is certainly not what one would call a god. It''s just...." Anise¡¯s voice trailed off. "I felt something simr to you two,¡± Eugene spoke up. "The Light... is not the god most people imagine it to be." The divinity of Agaroth and the divinity of the Light were entirely different. Thus, Eugene was confident that the light was not an ordinary god. "Hamel. Are you denying my assertion that the Light is not a god?" Anise questioned. She appeared surprised. The truth about the Light made Anise feel considerably betrayed. After all, she had desperately sought the grace and miracles of the Light during her lifetime. She walked through battlefields for years and saw countless corpses. She prayed that all humans who died before her eyes would be led to heaven. Anise could speak harsh words about the Light, unbing of a believer because she had harbored such a deep yearning for it. However, the Light Anise felt did not contain the divinity she had longed for in her lifetime. That truth, instead, made Anise more rational. It allowed her to understand the indifference of the Light. It allowed her to understand what had been iprehensible to her throughout her life. "You''ve also received a few revtions, haven''t you?" questioned Eugene. "Revtions?" Anise scoffed and shook her head. "Yes, I''ve had a few revtions. I became an angel after death due to a miracle of the Light.¡± She could not remember the exact moment when she became an angel. When she came to her senses, Anise was already an angel, drifting within the light. There had been other angels besides Anise in the vast sea of light. They were angels who descended to perform miracles. However, these angels did not possess a self like Anise did. The revtions Kristina heard were imparted by Anise. The dream Eugene saw through the Holy Sword was nothing more than a transmission of Anise''s memories. "The Light chose me to be the Hero.¡± Eugene could still vividly remember the event. At thirteen, after the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony at the Lionheart mansion, he and Gilead entered the treasury for the first time and saw the Holy Sword. "As a child, I couldn''t pull out the Holy Sword,¡± Eugene admitted. The Light at that time neither chose nor acknowledged Eugene. "But after meeting you two, I was able to pull it out,¡± he continued. "It was by the Light''s will that I was made to find you,¡± said Kristina. "And to dig up Vermouth''s tomb.¡± Eugene paused for a moment. "I''m not sure what the Light really is,¡± he said with a wry smile while pulling the Holy Sword from his cloak. The Holy Sword''s de had been shattered in the previous battle, but it was now intact. "It seems the Light holds me in special regard." Eugene looked down at the Holy Sword and continued, "The Light I understood... wasn''t omnipotent or anything like that. It was just... just a vast reservoir of power that grants you strength if you wish for it." This power was different from mana and dark power. If he had to make aparison, it didn¡¯t feel much different from making a pact with a Demon King. Through faith and belief, one made a pact with the Light, and in return for devout prayers and faith, it granted one power. "Anise, do you believe in heaven?" Eugene questioned. In the past, her answer had always been yes. As an angel wandering the sea of light, she felt countless souls. Those souls definitely existed somewhere within the sea of light. Naturally, Anise assumed that ce to be heaven. People who died in this world were guided by the Light to reach heaven. But now, she couldn''t be certain that ce was heaven. "I''m not sure,¡± Anise replied with a sigh. "I feel the same," Eugene replied with a smile. "I''m not even sure if the Light has any particr will to save the world or if heaven exists.¡± The de of the Holy Sword momentarily wavered and turned into a beam of light. It wasn¡¯t formed from any metal but from pure light. Eugene looked at the Holy Sword and continued, "Anise, Kristina." Eugene stood the Holy Sword upright and turned his gaze towards the Saints. "Does it matter if the Light isn''t a god or if heaven might not exist?" It was a sudden question. Anise and Kristina were momentarily speechless, and they could not find a response. They weren¡¯t made speechless because Eugene¡¯s question was difficult orplex, but because of Eugene''s figure. They were momentarily overwhelmed by the sight of Eugene holding the Holy Sword and the true light shining brilliantly, free from its physical shell. Moreover, Eugene''s existence merged with the light, and it felt strangely unfamiliar to them. "Of course, it matters." Anise managed to calm her turmoil and replied. "But the Light has been suspicious for a long time. I only have disillusionment left for the religion that created me. The heaven that I felt may not be heaven at all." "It doesn''t matter to me," Kristina said. She sped her hands over her chest and gazed at Eugene. "Even if the Light is not a god, Sir Eugene, you are the Hero. Even if the Light doesn''t illuminate the world, your existence will be the light of the world. Even if the Light does not love all believers equally, you are especially loved,¡± Kristina said with a bright smile. Anise had been pushed back in an instant and could only stick out her tongue at Kristina¡¯s words. She could feel Kristina''s unspoken, immense love and fanaticism for Eugene. "Heaven, huh?" Eugene sighed and put down the Holy Sword. "The Light isn''t the only god that exists in this world." There were various religions on the continent, though the religion of Light was the most dominant. The divine magic and miracles used by priests and pdins of the Light were not exclusive to the Light. Although the believers of the Light boasted superior power both qualitatively and quantitatively, the existence of other gods was evident by the fact that divine magic and miracles could be performed by those outside the Church of Light. "Even if there''s no heaven of the Light, there could be heavens of other gods, right? Wouldn''t that suffice?" Eugene asked. "Are you seriously saying that right now?" Anise responded, looking at Eugene with disdain. Eugene cleared his throat when he felt her burning gaze and shook his head. "Well.... I¡¯m just saying. And since there''s no guarantee that there''s no heaven of the Light, let''s go check it out sometime." "Easy for you to say. I¡¯ve died once already, and you¡¯ve died once as well, Hamel. We didn''t find heaven or even hell,¡± Anise retorted. "That''s true,¡± Eugene admitted readily. "And Hamel, heavens of other gods? Even if the Light isn¡¯t the god we expected it to be, I am a Saint of the Light, and so is Kristina. Would other gods lead us to their heavens?" questioned Anise. "Would gods be so petty?" Eugene grumbled while tucking the Holy Sword back into his cloak. "Then,e to my heaventer." Anise and Kristina could not ept his words as casually as he had spoken them. They were speechless, and their mouths were agape as they stared at Eugene''s face. "What are you looking at?" Eugene questioned. "What did you just say?" "I said, if you can''t go to the heaven of the Light or the heavens of other gods, thene to mine,¡± he repeated. Eugene turned to look outside. Just a brief peek and a wave had caused the crowd outside to point and shout toward this window. "What''s so grand about being a god? I was a god in my past life, and now I''m bing something god-like. If I truly be a godter on... then I guess I could create my own heaven,¡± Eugene said. Could he really? Although Eugene talked about it as if it weren¡¯t a big deal, he wasn¡¯t certain. There was no Heaven of Agaroth in the Age of Myth. Had there ever been a god who possessed their own heaven in those times? Eugene pondered for a moment before shaking his head dismissively. "Anyway, don''t fret if we can''t go to the Light''s heaven,¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°If there isn''t one, I''ll just make one¡ª" ¡°Pffft....¡± Anise couldn''t hold back augh before Eugene could finish his sentence. ¡°Aha... Ahahaha! Ahahahaha!¡± Kristina burst into uncontrobleughter alongside Anise. Eugene, baffled by theirughter, blinked in confusion. "Did I say something strange?" he asked. "No.... Not at all, Sir Eugene," Kristina managed betweenughs, finding the burden of recent days ludicrously lifted. The doubt about the Light being a divine being, the absence of heaven, and the unequal treatment of believers ¡ª did any of that truly matter? The Light had chosen Eugene as the wielder of the Holy Sword and as the Hero. That alone was sufficient. Even if the Light did not intend to illuminate the world, Eugene would y the Demon Kings. If there was no heaven of the Light, Eugene would be a new god and open the gates to a new heaven. And that was enough. Anise sped her rosary, and Kristina joined her hands in prayer. "Then, we are Sir Eugene''s saints," they realized. Until now, they were Saints of the Light, but now they wished to be Eugene''s saints. Eugene felt an odd sensation at their deration. He could sense the light from the Holy Sword within his cloak. The light embedded in his inner cosmos seemed to expand momentarily. "Uh." The Saints frowned upon noticing Eugene¡¯s reaction. Startled, Kristina raised her right hand. A wound appeared on her palm. It started to bleed, and once the blood passed her wrist, the wound suddenly healed and left a scar. "Stigmata..." Anise murmured in surprise. Eugene was shocked and immediately approached her before inspecting her wrist. "What just happened?" he asked. Anise¡¯s gaze was fixated on her Stigmata, and she remained silent. Anise had received a baptism in the Fount of Light, and an artificial Stigmata had been etched on her back. The Pope of Yuras and the cardinals bore the same synthetic marks. However, Kristina''s left hand had manifested real Stigmata in the sea of Shimuin. The mark that now appeared on her right hand was equally genuine. "Let''s try cutting off an arm, Hamel," Anise suggested after jerking her head towards Eugene. Eugene¡¯s expression contorted in dismay. ¡°What?¡± he asked in disbelief. ¡°Another Stigmata has appeared. Simply put, it means the power of miracles has be stronger. Then, I should be able to perform miracles I could do in the past,¡± said Anise. ¡°Wait a minute,¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Shouldn''t we test to see what level of miracles are possible now? Trust me,¡± assured Anise. ¡°No.... But there¡¯s no need to test it on me...¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°Then who shall we test it on?¡± questioned Anise. ¡°I¡¯ll-I''ll go and cut off someone else''s arm,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°My goodness, Hamel, what are you talking about? What if the arm doesn¡¯t reattach?¡± questioned Anise. ¡°I didn''t want to say this, but isn''t my arm far more valuable than any average person¡¯s arm?¡± Eugene retorted. Anise¡¯s expression twisted at Eugene¡¯s blunt remark. ¡°My goodness, my goodness! How selfish and arrogant can you be, Hamel? And you talk of gods and heaven!¡± she eximed. ¡°I did think it was a bit too much after saying it,¡± admitted Eugene. ¡°Truthfully, Hamel, what you said isn¡¯t wrong. In such a situation, I wouldy down my life in your ce. But! You should not be the one to say such things. Do you understand what I¡¯m saying?¡± Anise inquired. ¡°Uh... uh...¡± Eugene stuttered. ¡°Since you dislike the idea so much, we won¡¯t cut off your arm. There must be someone in the hospital with a missing arm or leg. We can test it there,¡± suggested Anise. Eugene¡¯s hand was still on Anise¡¯s wrist. Anise smiled slyly while looking at the blood flowing from her palm. ¡°Bleeding from the Stigmata reminds me of the old days. Do you remember, Hamel?¡± she asked. ¡°Of course, I remember. How could I forget?¡± responded Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ve said this before, but I liked it when you wiped the blood from my Stigmata. Hehe, when was it? I thought you were detestable as you wore your indifferent face, just like always, while wiping the blood and applying ointment,¡± said Anise. ¡°Why would caring for a wound be detestable?¡± Eugene retorted. ¡°Even though I took off my top and exposed my bare skin, you acted as if it didn¡¯t bother you at all. At first, you blushed and didn¡¯t know where to look, butter, you just cared for the wound as if it was nothing. That¡¯s why sometimes, I slightly lowered the hand covering my chest,¡± Anise admitted. [Sister! So, what did Sir Eugene do? Did Sir Eugene nce at your chest? Was he unable to ovee his carnal desires? Did he extend the towel he used to wipe the blood and his hand towards your chest?] Kristina¡¯s scream echoed in her head. But this outcry and mor differed from before. The previous Kristina could not bear the embarrassment and cried out in horror, but now she showed an active and desperate longing mixed with curiosity. Anise wasn¡¯t sure how to feel. Her mind felt tumultuous. Eugene pulled out a handkerchief and started wiping the blood during Anise¡¯s silence. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t hurt,¡±mented Eugene. ¡°Regrettably so,¡± responded Anise. ¡°What do you mean by regrettably?¡± Eugene grumbled as he let go of Anise¡¯s wrist. Anise looked at the Stigmata imprinted on her palm and pouted. [It would have been better if it was etched on our back.] Kristina voiced Anise¡¯s regret with empathy. Chapter 505: Brilliance (4)

Chapter 505: Brilliance (4)

It was difficult to catch a glimpse of Sienna¡¯s face during the ten-day stay in Sr. She had locked herself in the basement with Bloody Mary in hand as soon as she returned to the city. Bloody Mary was a luxurious staff made using a whole Dragon Heart, and it held the memories and magic of all the previous Staffs of Incarceration. Of course, most of the magic recorded in the staff was ck magic, which Sienna had no intention of using. However, she was aiming to be the Goddess of Magic, and it was necessary for her to be familiar even with ck magic. No, bing familiar with it wasn¡¯t enough. She had toprehend it fully. "ck magic is still magic, after all,¡± she muttered. She didn¡¯t think she¡¯d be immersed in her study for so long when she first entered the room holding Bloody Mary. Although she had not yet reached the status of the Goddess of Magic, Sienna could now understand most of the magic that existed in the world. It was perhaps inevitable, considering that most of the current era¡¯s magic was based on the Circle Magic Form. Even ck wizards used the Circle Magic Form for convenience¡¯s sake. Sienna was the creator of the Circle Magic Form, and she could confidently say that she could understand any magic that made use of the Circle Magic Form with just a nce. ¡®This is...¡¯ But it took her a little bit of time to understand magic that did not make use of the Circle Magic Form. However, she didn¡¯t think it would take her too long to make sense of any magic. Sienna was historically the most outstanding wizard anyone could find. She was able to create a whole new system of magic because she hadpletely mastered the existing ones. As such, she was confident that she could understand old-fashioned, ancient magic with a little bit of time. "What the hell are these?" Sienna eximed in shock. However, the magic and memories recorded in Bloody Mary exceeded even Sienna''s imagination. They were far from being dismissible as outdated magic. There were many records of ancient magic in Akron, the royal library of Aroth. Naturally, Sienna had mastered all types of magic in Akron, which meant she was well-versed in ancient magic. However, even if she had gathered all the different types of magic from Akron, it would not have made up even half of what was recorded in Bloody Mary. This staff contained the original forms and systems of old magic that weren¡¯t known to the current era. It wasn''t just simple magic that remained, either. Bloody Mary''s true valuey in preserving all memories of magic. It was simr to solving problems with an answer sheet. Moreover, the answer sheet contained not only the answers but also included detailed exnations on how to arrive at said answers. Therefore, she couldn¡¯t help but be immersed. During the ten days that she locked herself in the basement, Siennapletely forgot about eating and drinking as she held onto Bloody Mary and plunged into deep meditation. It felt like she was drifting in a ck sea. There were unnecessary memories. For instance, she saw ways to ovee the barriers of ck magic. There were methods to bypass bottlenecks without pursuing enlightenment through practice, like performing rituals with sacrifices or begging the Demon Kings ¡ª things Sienna would never do. And there were many more unpleasant and useless memories. Shepletely excluded the useless memories that weren¡¯t helpful in studying the path of magic. But at the same time, she thoroughly examined the ck magic contained in Bloody Mary. Frankly, the records of the past three hundred years were hardly worth looking at. Amelia and Edmund¡¯s memories, along with a few other previous Staffs of Incarceration, were of little help to Sienna. However, she found considerable value in the memories she discovered from before the era of war. Sienna had previously encountered Belial as the Staff of Incarceration. His curses had been at the level of Signatures of the Archwizards, and she felt she could potentially adapt the curses and turn them into magic with some adjustments. Sienna had also witnessed Edmund Codreth¡¯s magic, the previous Staff of Incarceration. Although she had been unable to interfere in the war of the Rainforest directly, Edmund¡¯s attempt to make use of the World Tree allowed Sienna to observe the battlefield. His magical prowess had been fairly exceptional. Objectively speaking, Edmund''s skills with magic had been superior to those of the current tower masters. Yet, he failed to exploit his remarkable magical abilities fully, or rather, had not even made an attempt. She could not believe that his Signature, which should have been a spell that represented him as a wizard, was merely a defensive barrier. He had called it Cube if she recalled properly, and in Sienna¡¯s view, it had been a pitiful, inadequate Signature. It was baffling why he chose such a weak Signature despite reaching such a profound level in magic. And then there was Amelia Merwin. Truly.... Sienna clicked her tongue in disapproval. "What was her Signature again?" Sienna had never even seen it. To be precise, Amelia wasn¡¯t even granted the opportunity to cast her Signature. She would have had to use her magic and her Signature if she had engaged in some sort of battle, but all Amelia did during the Hauria war was hide underground. She had used necromancy in hiding and begged for her life. The other Staffs of Incarceration, specifically those chosen after the end of war, were arguably the weakest of all the Staffs of Incarceration. But perhaps it was inevitable. It was a dark age for ck wizards after the war. Most capable ck wizards died during the war three hundred years ago, and those who survived were relentlessly hunted by the Inquisitors of the Holy Empire. Those who fled to Helmuth were merely second-ratepared to the veterans of the era of war. Yet, a Staff of Incarceration had to be chosen from among them. As if guaranteeing the fair treatment of ck wizards, the Demon King of Incarceration picked the new Staff of Incarceration from among the vermin and Handed Bloody Mary to them. ¡®What were their names?¡¯ Sienna had actually seen the Staffs of Incarceration from that era but found them sockluster that their name wasn''t even worth remembering. "What are these guys even supposed to be?" Sienna couldn¡¯t help but express her frustration after immersing herself in the staff¡¯s memories for ten days. "Is this all they could do with it?" Sienna wondered in disappointment. She couldn''t understand. Her initial disdain for ck magic had been challenged by the knowledge contained in Bloody Mary, which was indeed profound. However, the magic from thest three hundred years was mostly trash, with more to discard than to salvage. Yet, the magic and knowledge of the Staffs of Incarceration before Belial were so remarkable that even Sienna, at her current level of achievement, couldn''t help but admire them. She found them interesting even apart from their power and the realm they had reached. However, the more recent owners of Bloody Mary had failed to properly utilize any of the exceptional knowledge contained within the staff. They used magic but had not delved intoprehension. They had not attempted to understand it to create something new. While Sienna''s pursuits differed from ck magic, the magic contained within Bloody Mary was certainly profound enough to discuss absolute truths. Just skimming the surface of such depth seemed entirely wasteful. "This is why kids these days just don''t cut it," Sienna grumbled while cing Bloody Mary to the side. How much time had passed? She had been so engrossed in her studies that she hadpletely lost track of time. She could not feel hunger and thirst despite having fasted the entire time. Yet, a different kind of hunger and thirst welled within her ¡ª a yearning for deeper knowledge. She desired to understand everything. She licked her lips, feeling a deeper hunger for knowledge and a thirst for exploration. She came to a realization. ¡®I haven¡¯t seen it all.¡¯ Despite devoting more time than initially anticipated, she hadn''t fully explored Bloody Mary. More urately, it was impossible for her to see everything. ¡®A seal?¡¯ Sienna realized. She had ventured past Belial into memories from even before the era of war, memories of ck wizards, liches, and demons whose names were unknown. But she couldn''t reach the very bottom. The river of memories was obstructed partway through. ¡®He wasn''t the first Staff of Incarceration,¡¯ Sienna concluded. She saw the memories of a demon from ancient times, one who had also inherited Bloody Mary. It meant that there were others who came before him, but climbing past to reach the memories proved impossible, as if a locked door was preventing her ess. ¡®I don¡¯t know how far back this is. Who was the Staff of Incarceration before him?¡¯ Bloody Mary only recorded magic and rted memories. There wasn¡¯t anything else stored within. Could she deduce the era from the recorded magic? That would prove challenging. The magic stored in Bloody Mary hailed from an ancient era. Sienna mulled over the ancient spells she knew one by one. ¡®It¡¯s far too ancient,¡¯ she deduced. These spells were older than Aroth''s oldest records, magic from at least a thousand years back, perhaps even older. ¡®...Is this magic even from our era?¡¯ Sienna wondered. A thought suddenly struck her. When did Bloody Mary originate? The Demon King of Incarceration existed even during the time of Agaroth, during the Age of Myth. What if something akin to the Staff of Incarceration existed then, and they had passed down Bloody Mary since? The so-called ancient magic of the current era might actually be.... ¡®Magic from the Age of Myth.¡¯ Sienna answered her own question. Sienna''s eyes sparkled. No wizard on the continent was as well-versed in ancient magic as she was. Not only had she studied the spells preserved in Aroth, but she had also learned from the long-lived elves. ¡®If Bloody Mary truly dates back to the Age of Myth, it can surely add to what Ick.¡¯ She thought of the Goddess of Magic of that era, the Sage of the Ivory Tower. She licked her lips in anticipation. "The reincarnation of the Twilight Witch is Noir Giabe. Agaroth''s reincarnation is Eugene.... Perhaps I am the reincarnation of the Sage? Maybe Molon is the reincarnation of the God of Giants,¡± Sienna muttered, voicing her thoughts. She couldn¡¯t be certain, but she had a strong hunch about it. Sienna wasn''t one to believe in fate, but when it came to matters regarding Vermouth, she couldn''t help but contemte destiny. Was it possible that all the events of three hundred years ago were interconnected by fate? Agaroth was reincarnated as Hamel, the Sage as Sienna, the Giant as Molon, and the Saint closest topletion, Anise, was born, all in response to Vermouth¡¯s sudden appearance. Vermouth had gathered them asrades... to conquer the Devildom. But then.... ¡®What exactly is Vermouth?¡¯ It was the question that always lingered. What exactly was Vermouth to have grasped all of this? What did Vermouth want to achieve? Sienna clicked her tongue in frustration. At the bottom of Bloody Maryy magic from the Age of Myth. She couldn¡¯t bepletely certain, but that was the conclusion she hade to. However, the door to dive deeper was firmly sealed, likely the work of the Demon King of Incarceration. "How interesting," Sienna remarked. The door was firmly shut and sealed by chains. She couldn''t help but recall memories from three centuries ago. They were filled with humiliation and rage. She had fought against the Demon King of Incarceration on the highest floor of the Demon King¡¯s castle, Babel. She desperately wanted to win. She truly, desperately wanted to kill the Demon King of Incarceration to retrieve Hamel''s soul. She wanted to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration, just as Hamel had wished. But she failed. She suffered a crushing defeat. The magic she had been so confident in had failed to break the chains of the Demon King. Most of her spells had been interrupted, and all Sienna could do was unleash a barrage of unformed mana. ''But it''s different now,¡¯ Sienna thought while tightening her grip on Bloody Mary. If there were chains sealing the door, she would break them. If the door was locked, she would twist it open. Of course, she would not be able to get through as easily as she liked, but doors were meant to open when one knocked. "Hmm." Her hand ached from gripping Bloody Mary too tightly. "It doesn''t need to look like this,¡± muttered Sienna. She squinted her eyes and red at Bloody Mary. The red gem at the end of the staff was a Dragon Heart. Two pairs of hand bones wrapped around the Dragon Heart as if to emphasize that it was a wicked staff. It looked as if two hands were supporting the Dragon Heart. Sienna clicked her tongue. The ten-finger bones clinging to the Dragon Heart and the veins writhing around the staff looked distasteful. "Those ck wizards can''t help but show off who they are," Sienna said, sounding disgusted. They wore dark robes without being asked and acted ominously. Bloody Mary didn''t need to have this appearance either. Could she change its shape? Sienna examined the staff and contemted. "This is a bit...." She took out Frost, which she had stored in a subspace. Siennapared the Dragon Heart at the end of Frost with the Dragon Heart from Bloody Mary. "It¡¯s shaped... strangely." She couldn''t tell how it was processed, but the Bloody Mary¡¯s Dragon Heart felt different from Frost''s. While they looked simr in appearance, she felt something alien about it. ''The oldest staff.'' Akasha was made by the dragons three hundred years ago. Frost had been reinforced with a Dragon Heart recently. But Bloody Mary ¡ª it had been passed down since ancient times. Was it different because it was so old? She wanted to take it apart to study it but feared doing so might erase the records within Bloody Mary. Afterparing the two staffs for a while, Sienna gave a deep sigh and shoved both staffs back into her subspace. "I guess I should visit the elf territories," she concluded. Akasha had been crafted by the dragons and elves. Moreover, it was the elves who passed on ancient magic to Sienna. She sat up straighter while thinking of the remaining elf elders in the territory. Her body felt stiff after sitting still and meditating for a long time. Her bones creaked, her muscles tingled, and she felt grimy all over. Sienna brushed her tangled hair to the side and opened the door to the basement. Their eyes met as soon as she opened the door. Was this fate? For a moment, Sienna thought so. How could it be that the moment she opened the door, they would face each other so precisely? Naturally, it wasn''t fate. Eugene had been sitting in front of the basement door for a long time, waiting for Sienna. He debated whether to enter or knock on the door before eventually choosing to wait in front of the door. He knew Sienna was likely deeply engrossed in thinking. Then, he stood up to greet her once he saw that the door was opening. But Sienna failed to think of this obvious possibility. She simply believed it was fate that she and Eugene, who couldn''t stand not seeing her, met coincidentally. Although she proimed herself to be wise, she wasn¡¯t so wise when it came to matters unrted to magic. She felt touched and wanted to say something, but she soon came to realize that there was a huge problem. She had secluded herself for ten days, and there was no way that she had maintained a pristine appearance. She was hunched from a stiff back, her hair was greasy, and there were likely other repugnant things about her. She was likely not much different from Rynein when she had cooped herself with research in a marsh for prolonged periods. Therefore, Sienna quickly stepped back and closed the door. Despite her strange behavior, Eugene said nothing and stood waiting in front of the door. A few secondster, the door opened again. Sienna appeared again. She waspletely different from just before. Her greasy hair now shimmered, her skin glowed, and she had even changed her clothes. Sienna opened her lightly pink lips and gave a warm smile. "Were you waiting for your teacher, my disciple?" she asked. "Do we still need to keep up this act of being a teacher and disciple?" Eugene asked. "Well, you¡¯re right, but I think it''s still nice to call you my disciple,¡± said Sienna. "What''s nice about it?" questioned Eugene. "That sort of rtionship between a teacher and a disciple... it has a certain appeal, you know,¡± Sienna said with a chuckle and approached Eugene. What exactly was appealing about it? Eugene couldn''t understand her sentiment. "So, why are you here?" asked Sienna. "Why? Because you haven''te out for ten days," answered Eugene. "Ten days? Have I been cooped up here for that long?" questioned Sienna. "Wow. Did you not even realize how many days had passed?" Eugene said. "Hmm, I was that focused,¡± responded Sienna. Halfway through her words, Sienna grimaced and looked up at the ceiling. "What''s that noise upstairs? Why is it so noisy?" she asked. "And why do you look so gloomy?" There were so many things she couldn¡¯t figure out. Sienna''s eyes widened as she took in Eugene''s attire. Eugene was wearing a suit instead of his usual clothes paired with the cloak, and his normally unkempt hair wasbed neatly. This look was strangely familiar to Sienna. It reminded her of when they first returned to Aroth and went on a date. Sienna gasped, recalling the romantic kiss they shared. Their lips had met under the snow-filled sky.... Could it be that he wanted to lighten the mood with a date now that the war was over? "Ahem.... Ahem, wait a moment. I need to get ready, too,¡± Sienna said with an awkward cough. "What do you need to prepare for? You look fine as you are,¡± responded Eugene. "But... am I really okay like this? Well, I am beautiful no matter what I wear," said Sienna. "Well, make sure you don¡¯t say unnecessary things once we¡¯re out,¡± Eugene said in warning. Eugene turned away with a somber expression. Out? Unnecessary things? Sienna tilted her head in confusion. "Where are we going?" she finally asked. "Outside,¡± answered Eugene. "On a date?" questioned Sienna. "No,¡± Eugene said with a sigh while lowering his head. "Press conference." Chapter 506: Brilliance (5)

Chapter 506: Brilliance (5)

The liberation war of Hauria came to an end under the watchful eyes of the entire continent. Unlike the battle at the Southern Seas of Shimuin, most of the continent''s renowned knightly orders and mercenary groups had participated in the liberation war. In essence, the elite forces of all the major powers, except for the Helmuth Empire, had participated in this war. That alone was enough to draw attention, but there had been other dramatic events that drew further attention to the Liberation War of Hauria. It was the first time in three hundred years since the era of war that a kingdom¡¯s capital had fallen. In the process, the Sultan was killed, and most of the people of the capital were expelled from the city, leaving the entire capital in ruins. It was the deed of a Demon King. Though the name of the Demon King wasn¡¯t publicized, the existence had undoubtedly been a Demon King. The specter had not announced his name, and Helmuth did not make any official statements regarding the matter either. As such, the continent began to refer to the specter as the Nameless Demon King. The Nameless Demon King had headed the war, which involved notorious monsters from the era of war, the former Staff of Incarceration Amelia Merwin, demons that had been expelled from Helmuth, and also demons hiding in Ravesta, the territory of Destruction. There had not been a war of this scale since the era of war. Furthermore, the true identity of the Hero, Eugene Lionheart, was also revealed during this war. He was the reincarnation of the Stupid Hamel, a hero from three hundred years ago. A press conference was inevitable. Crowds swarmed the outside of the pce belonging to Sr¡¯s Emir. Everyone came wanting to see the heroes who yed active roles in the war, as well as the Hero who reincarnated beyond time. Reporters from all over the continent had set up camp inside the pce''s walls, in the pce garden. Their eyes glittered with a sharp light as they waited for the protagonist to step onto the stage. "But... it seems there is someone here who maybe shouldn¡¯t be," a reporter said. These words prompted the rest of the crowd to turn their heads in a specific direction. "Hey there, let''s not make racially discriminatory remarks,¡± came the response. This speaker was a demonfolk with reddish skin, horns on his head, a bulky body that didn¡¯t match his neat suit, and sses too small for his face. The demon adjusted his tie as he responded. "Racial discrimination? That¡¯s not what I meant. Just, isn¡¯t it absurd for a demonfolk to be at this press conference?" the first reporter questioned. "And what¡¯s so absurd about it? Helmuth has news and newspapers, too. Frankly speaking, is there any country on the continent with a greater media presence than Helmuth? Under the grace of His Majesty the Demon King, Helmuth broadcasts high-quality news to every household in the empire every morning, afternoon, and evening,¡± the demon said with unabashed pride. He looked around at the human reporters, who couldn¡¯t retort his words before continuing, "As a correspondent, it is my duty to cover and deliver the news of the continent objectively and transparently. The article I report will be broadcasted throughout Helmuth this evening." "Good for you." "How can a demon be objective and transparent in covering the Hero?" "Considering three Demon Kings were killed by the Stupid Hamel three hundred years ago, and countless demons...." The human reporters openly showed their displeasure and sneered at the demon. The demonughed out loud and shook his head in response. "Ha-ha! Stupid Hamel, indeed! I don¡¯t understand why you humans still use such a derogatory nickname,¡± the demon shouted. "Well, no... that name isn¡¯t meant to be derogatory¡ª" "Just as you say, three hundred years ago, Hamel killed three Demon Kings and countless demons. Even my father died on the battlefield where Hamel ughtered! Yet, we demons, including myself, do not use the derogatory term Stupid Hamel for that fearsome man!" dered the demon. The reporters were left speechless by the demon¡¯s words. They could only exchange awkward nces among themselves as they were left in an ufortable silence. The demon reporter passionately continued, "Hamel Dynes, isn¡¯t he a hero of you humans? Is he not a hero who, alongside Vermouth Lionheart, achieved remarkable feats!? Then why doesn¡¯t human history give Hamel the proper recognition he deserves?" "That... that¡¯s because¡ª" "Helmuth does not forget the sins of the past. Regardless of the reasons, we invaded the continent and killed countless people in that war! Therefore, we do notmemorate nor celebrate the death of the Demon Kings who led the invasion ¡ª the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, and the Demon King of Fury! Yet, why don¡¯t you humansmemorate Hamel? Why do you mock him by giving him the nickname Stupid Hamel rather thanmemorating that tragic hero who sacrificed his life for the continent?" the demon questioned passionately. The reporters felt unjustly used. The anonymous writer of the fairy tale had given Hamel his nickname. The heroes'' nicknames were permanently attached to their names as the fairy tale spread all over the continent. The Great Vermouth. The Brave Molon. The Wise Sienna. The Faithful Anise. The Stupid Hamel. These five titles had be obvious names in this era. As such, the reporters felt unjustified when the demon criticized Hamel¡¯s title as derogatory. However, regardless of how they felt, it was true that the reporterscked a convincing rebuttal or excuse. ''Who would have thought Hamel would be reincarnated...?'' But they couldn¡¯t offer such words as their excuse. Thus, the reporters kept their mouths shut while ncing only at the tform. The protagonists of today¡¯s press conference were Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of Hamel, and the Wise Sienna. It was already past the promised time, yet the duo had still not shown themselves. "And what do you think about this, oh Wise Sienna?" questioned Eugene. The two of them were inside the pce, and he had his arms crossed as he stared at Sienna. But Sienna was unable to meet his gaze. She merely looked down and fiddled with her fingers. "What... what did I do...?" She tried to speak up, but her voicecked strength. From the get-go, the fact that she couldn¡¯t look him in the eye was proof that Sienna still retained a human heart. "That demon bastard over there said it too. That Stupid Hamel is a derogatory term,¡± Eugene used. "But why is that demon scum here? We should kill him right now," Sienna made an attempt to turn the topic. "How can you just kill someone who came as a correspondent?" "What do you mean how? Just kill him. We''re already at odds with Helmuth. Nothing changes if we kill some slick-tongued correspondent,¡± Sienna said with a murderous look in her eyes. Even Eugene was at a loss for words at her barbaric and ignorant remark. He looked at Sienna in disbelief, sighed deeply, and shook his head. "Well, I know your public image can¡¯t get any worse, but... I think it''s right to exercise a little restraint in times like this,¡± said Eugene. "My public image? What''s wrong with my public image?" questioned Sienna. How could she be so shameless? Eugene and Kristina stared at Sienna, equally at a loss for words. Sienna couldn''t help but flinch at the manyyers of meaning contained in their stares. "There''s nothing wrong with my... public image,¡± Sienna said hesitantly. "Youck self-objectification,¡± Eugene muttered while shaking his head. [Don''t you think there''s something terribly wrong with Hamel saying such a thing?] Anise muttered with a wry smile. Even Kristina, who would have given Eugene an unconditional affirmation for most things, was mute. She could not refute Anise¡¯s words. "Hmm...... Sir Eugene, Lady Sienna. You should probably get going," Kristina reminded in a hesitant voice. "No... Ah... Fu...¡± Eugene¡¯s words were iprehensible. He shuddered. He would never have called this press conference if Gilead and Carmen had not asked him to do so. He knew that he had no choice. He had publicized his secret. Now that it had happened, he had to clear things up. Otherwise, it would only cause him more trouble. "If you run away from here, you''ll be in a lot of trouble back home,¡± Kristina whispered. She knew well that Eugene was especially weak when it came to matters regarding his stepmother, Anci, and his father, Gerhard. She wasn¡¯t lying. If Eugene refused an interview and fled, reporters and crowds would be camped outside the Lionheart estate, waiting for him. If that happened, dozens of fans would meet their ends at Anci¡¯s clutches. "Yeah.... Of course....¡± Eugene nodded with a heavy sigh. Contrary to Eugene, who didn¡¯t want to participate in the press conference, Sienna was very motivated. She had many eyes and ears who ryed her relevant information, so she had heard the news beforehand. Gossip had spread after the ball in Shimuin. It was said that the Wise Sienna had taken a liking to her apprentice, who was three hundred years younger than her. Moreover, he was even a descendant of one of herrades, the Great Vermouth. Yes, times had changed. Love between master and disciple was epted as long as they were of the same mind. But even so, wasn¡¯t an age difference of three hundred years a little too much? Moreover, he was even a descendant of the Great Vermouth! And if they really did fall in love, wasn¡¯t it far too tragic for the Stupid Hamel, who had met a sad end? Such stories made Sienna feel unjustified. Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel, so what was the big deal? A three-hundred-year difference? Who cared? "Hey, why don''t you guys clear it up as well?" Sienna said. "What do you mean?" responded Kristina. "That you have that Anise Slywood inside of you. There''s nothing wrong with revealing it now, is there?" questioned Eugene. Sienna took Kristina''s hand with a twinkle in her eye. There was a sinister reason behind her suggestion. If it were discovered that Kristina, a young Saint of twenty-five, had a three-hundred-year-old Anise inside her, she would no longer have her youth as a weapon. Sienna wanted fairness between herself and Kristina in terms of age. "No,¡± Anise answered on Kristina''s behalf. "I appreciate your consideration, but I have no intention of revealing my existence." Anise didn''t realize that Sienna was suggesting it for such crude, ugly reasons. She assumed it was a kind gesture. "Hamel may have died and reincarnated, but that''s not the same with me. I died 300 years ago, leaving only my soul behind. It wouldn''t be strange if I disappeared at any moment,¡± Anise said with a gloomy expression. "There you go again with the pessimism." "Let it be. Anise always has this attitude on such topics." Sienna and Eugene were already ustomed to her demeanor. They nudged each other with their elbows while exchanging words. "Anyway, I don''t want to reveal my existence. If people learn that I dwell within Kristina, they''ll attribute her achievements to me,¡± continued Anise. [Sister, I really don''t mind. After all, it¡¯s true that any merit attributed to me has been made possible only with your help,] responded Kristina. "I dislike it," Anise dered. She was unyielding. She knew all too well that she remained in this world as an iplete being. She was always wary of the possibility of fading into nothingness. "And it''s a hassle. If my existence bes known, the zealots of Yuras will annoy me endlessly. I really detest such a bother,¡± concluded Anise. With her having such a firm stance, Sienna could no longer persuade her. She pouted and grumbled with disappointment, "Anise, are you perhaps concerned about being in a state of death alone?" "What are you talking about all of a sudden?" questioned Anise. "Well, if that¡¯s what is bothering you, once I be the Goddess of Magic, I''ll create a body for you,¡± Sienna promised. Sienna had attempted something simr a few times before. She had tried to craft a body to settle Anise¡¯s soul into it, simr to when she had created Mer. However, her attempts had failed. After having be an angel, Anise¡¯s soul had been so harmonized with Kristina that it proved impossible to separate them forcibly, and even if separating her soul was possible, the risks were too high. However, bing the Goddess of Magic might make it possible for Sienna to provide Anise with a new body. Sienna held Anise''s hand firmly. She truly believed in this possibility. "One of you is promising to create a heaven for me, and the other is offering to make a body for me,¡± Anise chuckled softly. "Regardless of whether it''ll seed, I''m grateful for the thought. Later... yes,ter. After everything is over, let''s talk about it again." "Aren¡¯t you acting a little too indifferent?" questioned Eugene. "Hamel, did you expect me to cry tears of gratitude?" Anise asked. "A little,¡± answered Eugene. "Even if I did cry, I would have still pushed you to go,¡± said Anise. She nced at Eugene and gave his shin a yful kick. "How long will you stay here? Hurry up and go,¡± she urged. "Really... I really don''t want to go..." Eugene grumbled. His shoulders drooped. A press conference? He had no idea what to say. Was it okay for him to curse? Eugene''s expression grewplex, and Sienna snorted while pping his back. "Why are you so nervous?" she questioned. "I¡¯m not nervous. I¡¯m regretting it. If I had known this would happen, I never would have admitted to being Hamel,¡± admitted Eugene. "It''s funny to say you didn''t know this would happen,¡± retorted Sienna. "What''s the point of a press conference anyway? What am I supposed to say there?" Eugene asked. "I''m not entirely sure, but just say whateveres to mind, right? If you don''t want to answer, then don''t. Honestly, who can say anything to us?" Sienna gave a confident smile. She grabbed Eugene''s wrist and pulled him along. "We saved the world three hundred years ago. We might not have done it perfectly, but no one fought as well as we did back then,¡± she assured. "That''s true,¡± answered Eugene. Sienna continued, "And what about now? If the current generation were doing things right, we wouldn''t still be struggling three hundred yearster. That means we''ve earned the right to do as we please." Those words went a long way in alleviating Eugene''s regrets. Indeed, Sienna was right. He only felt embarrassed and shameful regret about revealing his identity because of the way he had acted and spoken as Eugene in the past. But what of it? Eugene had been vocal in defending Hamel and expressing admiration precisely because the world refused to recognize Hamel. There was a problem with the world for being unable to say, ¡®I admire Sir Hamel¡¯ while listing the Great Vermouth, the Brave Molon, and the Stupid Hamel. So what if he had expressed admiration for Hamel while hiding his identity? There was no need for him to feel ashamed. As Sienna said, he had every right to live as he pleased after having gone through so much three hundred years ago and still facing adversaries in this era. Thus, Eugene straightened his back. His shoulders were no longer drooping. He even unbuttoned a few more buttons on his shirt. The ne, an heirloom of Hamel''s he had scarcely taken off, was now fully on disy. Eugene walked forward with determination while showing off the ne. The moment he stepped outside, the murmuring stopped abruptly. The journalists and reporters turned their heads to stare at Eugene and Sienna in unison. Eugene was unfazed by the collective gaze as he ascended to the tform. "Anyints about the dy?" Eugene asked while looking down. Sienna was left speechless. She had not expected him to be so bold or, rather, brazen. Chapter 507: Brilliance (6)

Chapter 507: Brilliance (6)

Such a bold statement left the reporters speechless. Their lips parted in dumbfounded silence as they stared up at the tform. It was true that Eugene had arrived muchter than scheduled. Moreover, they had been standing under the scorching sun for far too long, which would naturally breed discontent. But among those gathered, who could openly express their dissatisfaction with Eugene Lionheart? They were resigned to keep their silence despite anyints or grievances they might have. It could not be helped, especially not after Eugene had directly challenged them to voice their grievances. Not a soul dared to speak. They simply averted their gazes from Eugene¡¯s re. At that moment, most of the reporters came to a stark realization. Recollections from their childhood, particrly those regarding childhood fairy tales, came flooding back. Who was the one known for his foul temper and scoundrel-like behavior among the five heroes led by the Great Vermouth? He might have reincarnated after three hundred years as the Hero of the current era, but Eugene Lionheart¡¯s true nature was unchanged and unmistakable. "Looks like there might be someints, so instead of harboring grim thoughts, speak up if you have any gripes,¡± Eugene repeated once more. After having ascended the tform, Eugene surveyed the surroundings with his eyebrows furrowed in apparent annoyance. "Now, how can you expect someone to stand here and talk without even a chair? Are you saying you all get to sit while I just stand and talk? This seems quite disrespectful, doesn''t it?" Eugeneined. There were no chairs on the tform. Eugene typically wouldn''t mind standing for hours; his legs wouldn''t hurt from merely talking for several hours on his feet. However, he felt it was necessary to nitpick under these circumstances. It wasn¡¯t necessarily about getting his way. He simply disliked the idea that the annoying reporters got to sit while he had to stand. Dominating the scene from the start was also part of his strategy. [How can he be so easy to see through...?] Anise sighed as she peeked through the slightly ajar door at Eugene''s antics. ''Such a dignified posture befits the Hero,¡¯ Kristina eximed. [Kristina...! There''s no need to defend Hamel so desperately. You don¡¯t need to force it. The current disy is childish and shameful, something not even a ten-year-old, snotty brat would do,] said Anise. Kristina continued to defend, ''Even that innocence¡ª'' [Please, Kristina!] Anise interrupted her, bringing an end to that conversation. Kristina''s sincere support of Eugene¡¯s domineering and childishments was more concerning. Anise could feel Kristina¡¯s sincerity, which prompted her to scream in resistance to her fanaticism. "The chairs... are over here,¡± Sienna said hesitantly. With a wave of her hand, a plush chair appeared behind Eugene. "These days, no one has any manners, no manners at all," Eugene grumbled like an old man as he sat down. The reporters remained silent while stealing nces at Eugene on the tform. Eugene Lionheart was twenty-three years old, and there wasn¡¯t a single soul present who was younger than him. Yet, that was only his physical age. His soul belonged to Hamel. Then, was he actually three hundred years old? Or should they add his current age to the age at which he died when he was Hamel? "You¡¯ve bothered a busy person toe here, so why is everyone so quiet?¡± Eugene spat while leaning back in the spacious chair. The reporters¡¯ expressions shifted at Eugene''s exasperated remarks. This press conference had been hard-won. It was a rare opportunity that might note again any time soon. "I am S?ren Breed from Weekly Kiehl. I have a question for Sir Eugene Lionheart¡ª" "Let''s skip the introductions with affiliations and names. In any case, I don''t n to remember any of you, and if possible, I''d prefer not to meet again,¡± Eugene interrupted while waving his hands dismissively. He crossed his legs before continuing, "Each of you gets one question. Pretend to ignore my answer and ask again, and we''re done here. And I won''t necessarily answer every question. If I find a question annoying or displeasing, I''ll simply ignore it. Of course, in that case, you''ve used up your chance to ask." Looking at the silent reporters, Eugene dered, ¡°I said it once, and I won¡¯t say it again.¡± Silence ensued once more. The reporters nodded among themselves while exchanging nces. This wasn''t an exclusive story, and the information they gathered would be shared within themselves in such a public setting. With only one question per person, they had to be careful not to ovep with others. They would craft the flow of their articles ordingly. "Sir Eugene Lionheart, how exactly did you reincarnate?" an eager reporter asked earnestly after standing up. ¡°Pass,¡± came the answer. "Excuse me?" the reporter asked, confused. "Pass, I said." Eugene had no intention of answering questions about his reincarnation. Saying that Vermouth reincarnated him wasn''t exactly an option. So, he simply dismissed the question with a wave of his hand. The reporter¡¯s cheeks twitched when his question was ignored. He wanted to say something, anything, to keep the conversation going ¡ª but he couldn''t. He took his seat while swallowing hard, under the scrutiny of everyone around. "Is there a special reason you''ve revealed your identity this time?" came another question. "I thought there was no longer any need to hide my identity after having killed two Demon Kings,¡± Eugene answered without changing his expression. Of course, his answer was a lie. It had been an impulsive choice. He had been driven by his emotions to reveal his identity. He had failed to ovee a moment¡¯s urge. His decision had been made partly to provoke Gavid Lindman as he watched from above. However, he couldn''t very well admit to the truth. "By killing two Demon Kings...! So, Sir Lionheart, you''ve been amassing power and preparing for the future? To make everyone acknowledge you as Hamel''s reincarnation, or to protect yourself from Hamel''s enemies?" another journalist quickly followed up with a question. Eugene didn''t hesitate much before responding, "Yes. Until now, I wasn''t entirely confident that this was enough, but after defeating two Demon Kings, I''m certain of my strength. As for other reasons for hiding my identity... it wasn''t to protect myself from past enemies, but rather, I didn''t want to endanger the Lionheart family." This answer contained a fair amount of sincerity. He had truly worried about such things in his younger days when he felt he wasn¡¯t strong enough. "The Lionheart family... I hope you don''t mind me asking, but wasn''t there a horrific incident at the ck Lion Castle in the Us Mountains, the Lionhearts¡¯ domain? Was that event rted to your true identity?" came another question. "At that time, Eward Lionheart was haunted by the remnants of the Demon Kings of Carnage and Cruelty, who died three hundred years ago. The once-dormant remnants of the Demon Kings suddenly became violent. Well, perhaps they sensed the presence of their nemesis,¡± Eugene spoke with an indifferent face. The events had transpired a few years ago. Yet, Eward''s rampage was bound to remain a stain on the history of the Lionhearts. Thus, Eugene chose not to dodge the question and instead provided a vague response. ¡°Ahh...!¡± ¡°Did the deceased Demon Kings tremble in the presence of Sir Hamel?¡± ¡°Then that means Eward Lionheart didn¡¯t run rampant simply because he was crazy....¡± The reporters scribbled in their notebooks while murmuring among themselves. Eugene nodded inwardly in approval. He was pleased by the turn of the conversation. He wasn''t trying to salvage Eward''s honor. Instead, he hoped to slightly smooth over the wrinkles that Eward''s actions had added to Gilead''s legacy. "Sir Eugene Lionheart, at the age of thirteen, you underwent the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, a Lionheart tradition. Furthermore, you became the first person from a branch family to be adopted into the main family in the history of the Lionheart family. You were also permitted to learn the White me Form. Was that your n from the beginning?¡± "I did covet the White me Form. I''ve always thought that that bastard Vermouth was pretty impressive with his White me Form three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene responded nonchntly. All the reporters became wide-eyed at his words. They had been shocked by how Eugene had referred to Vermouth as a bastard. "Hey, even so, calling Sir Vermouth a bastard is a bit much, isn''t it?" whispered Sienna. "A bastard is a bastard, what of it? I still get pissed off thinking about that bastard sometimes,¡± Eugene answered. "Truth be told, me too,¡± responded Sienna. "What if... if you hadn''t learned the White me Form? Do you think you''d still be as powerful?" another journalist asked hesitantly. "Truthfully, I wouldn''t be as strong as I am now." Eugene didn''t bother lying. "But to presuppose that I wouldn¡¯t learn the White me Form is where you¡¯re already thinking the wrong thing. The moment I realized I was reincarnated as a descendant of Vermouth in the Lionheart family, I was determined to learn it, no matter what,¡± he continued. If he hadn''t learned it? Even if he had not, he would''ve reached this level of power eventually. Even if he had to settle for the Red me Law, the mediocre training scripture passed down through the coteral lines, he would have revamped it to be far superior. However, it would have taken far longer for him to reach his current level of power. Eugene was only twenty-three years old now, younger than when Hamel died. Only ten years had passed since he first started training in the White me Form. Even if it was true that he possessed the memories of his past life and the divine power of Agaroth, it was unbelievable to think he had gained the power to stand at the apex of the continent and kill a Demon King on his own in just ten years. Eugene had gained rapid power in such a short span because he was reincarnated into the Lionheart family and trained in the White me Form. It was all thanks to Vermouth¡¯s arrangements. What if he had not been born into the Lionheart family? What if he had not learned the White me Form? It would have taken decades more to reach where he was now. "Sir Eugene Lionheart, you''ve already achieved so much three hundred years ago. You killed three Demon Kings and led countless battles to victory, ultimately meeting a tragic end in the Demon King''s castle," a journalist said. "What are you trying to say? Just get to the point,¡± retorted Eugene. "Well... erm, yes, understood. Having done so much for the world in your past life, have you ever thought about living a bit for yourself in this reincarnated life?" the journalist concluded with a cough. Eugene paused to think before answering this time. "I am living for myself even now," Eugene began. "Ever since I was Hamel, I resolved to annihte every Demon King in the world, and that''s how I lived until I died before all myrades. I may have been reborn in some way or another, but my resolve has not changed.¡± ¡°Ohhhh...!¡± The reporters gasped in admiration, though Eugene had not been aiming to fish such a reaction from them. Kristina sped her hands in prayer while peeking through the door. She let out a gasp of awe. ¡®Sister, did you hear? Oh, how noble Sir Eugene is! The word ''hero'' fits no one better than him in this world.¡¯ Anise remained silent. There was definitely something obscuring Kristina¡¯s views, and it was already toote to try and argue with her. Frankly, Anise felt a slight thrill at Eugene''s words herself. "Let me ask you directly." The lone demon reporter stood up. Eugene looked at his towering figure with annoyance but nodded without reprimanding. "Ask away." "Sir Eugene, do you wish for a war with the Helmuth Empire?" the demon asked with a serious face. All reporters perked up. They eyed Eugene eagerly for an answer. This was one of the most awaited responses of the day. Eugene didn''t answer immediately, not because he needed to ponder the question but because he was considering how to phrase his response. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one wanting a war, am I?¡± Eugene responded with a sly smile. He leaned forward in his chair and stared down at the demon. "I''m aware the world has changed a lot in these three hundred years. In the past, demons were to be killed on sight, and ck wizards were traitors of humanity who becameckeys for demons. They sold out other humans,¡± said Eugene. His tone was as fierce as his expression. Eugene didn''t bother to mask his killing intent. "The world has indeed changed a lot in the three hundred years since I died. Demons have be somewhat negotiable. The mere fact that you''re here asking me questions, and I''m responding without ignoring you, shows that the world has changed, and I''ve done my best to adapt,¡± continued Eugene. A palpable murderous aura was focused solely on the demon. Even though he was dressed in a suit and sses, he was a strong demon within the Helmuth rankings. He wasn¡¯t quite powerful enough to be in the top one hundred, but he was still considerably ranked. But none of that mattered to Eugene. To him, all demonfolks, except for the dukes, were equally insignificant. All the demonfolks were no different from insects to the current Eugene, regardless of where they ranked. "So, I won''t ignore your question. Do I wish for a war with Helmuth? No. What I desire is a war with the Demon Kings and the demonfolks,¡± said Eugene. "That is¡ª" "Don''t think of me as just a war-obsessed murderer. Isn''t the so-called peace-loving Demon King of Incarceration also seeking war, just like me? The same goes for the demons. Do you know how many demons died before me just a few days ago in Hauria?" Eugene asked. The demon trembled without responding. While continuing to radiate killing intent, Eugene continued, "Even if I do not wish for peace and try to do nothing, the Demon King of Incarceration will not want it. He has already signaled the end of the Oath and, thus, the end of peace. Do today''s demons think the Demon King of Incarceration has be a pacifist?" After his mocking words, Eugene withdrew his hostility. The demon finally copsed back into his seat while gasping for breath. Though Eugene¡¯s killing intent had dissipated, no one dared speak. Eugene smiled, satisfied with the silence. Looking around, he said, "It seems there are no further questions, so we should probably wrap this up¡ª" "I have a question!" Someone shouted, raising their hand high. Eugene''s face crumpled in annoyance. "Please rify your exact rtionship with Lady Sienna!" Melkith shouted while bursting from the ground. Her sses did not suit her at all. Chapter 508: Brilliance (7)

Chapter 508: Brilliance (7)

It wasn¡¯t a metaphor, either. Melkith El-Hayah literally sprang from the ground. Eugene couldn¡¯t tell whether Melkith''s dramatic entrance was intentional or if she had another reason behind it. Whatever the reason, Melkith had literally emerged from deep within the earth to reveal herself. Even with this dramatic show, not a speck of dirt clung to Melkith''s attire. After all, she was a contractor of Yhanos, the Earth Spirit King. She could dive and swim through even the most solid ground as if it were just water. ''How?'' Eugene thought, amazed. He was astounded by Melkith''s sudden appearance. There was no way of telling how long she had been underground, but what bothered Eugene was that he had not noticed her presence. ''Did she go to such lengths to deceive my senses?'' he wondered in astonishment. Regardless of whether it was possible to evade Eugene¡¯s perception, why would she bother doing so in the first ce? Eugene couldn''t fathom why she had gone to such lengths. Melkith was considered among the most powerful wizards of the current era, an Archwizard of immense skill, and the strongest spirit summoner. Yet, regrettably, she possessed a vulgar mind. But... even with that in mind, why had she gone to such lengths just to crash a press conference? Meanwhile, Melkith had just one thought running through her mind as she looked up at the stage with zealously burning eyes. ''Sis. I did it for you, sis.'' At that moment, Sienna and Melkith exchanged a secretive nce. Sienna made sure to maintain herposure, but inwardly, she was feeling extremely satisfied and... excited. Why hide it? Because it was the Wise Sienna who had made ns to deceive Eugene''s senses and ensured Melkith''s sessful disruptive entry into the conference. But why Melkith, of all people? ording to Sienna, she was the most fitting individual for such spontaneous action. While Sienna doubted anyone else would refuse a request from her, she still had a human heart. She couldn¡¯t bear to let someone else be burdened with this act. What if someone other than Melkith had made such an intrusive entrance and asked such a probing question? In all likelihood, Eugene would not have harshly rebuked them to their face as he was not the type of person to harbor a grudge over such matters. But, even if Eugene would have been okay with it.... Would a normal person be okay after such an act? They would have been wracked by guilt and embarrassment and agonize over their actions once they knew they had been a nuisance to the Hero. However, there was no need to fret over such ordinary and mundane issues with Melkith El-Hayah. This audacious plot was hatched merely an hour before the conference. After catching wind of the press conference, Sienna did not immediately follow Eugene but remarked to excuse herself. ¡ªI¡¯ve been holed up in a room for ten days. Shouldn¡¯t I at least make some preparations? ¡ªPreparations? What preparation do you need? You look clean. That¡¯s enough. ¡ªYou idiot, I might look clean to you, but it¡¯s not up to my standards. Anyway, I need more time to prepare. After sending Eugene off, Sienna returned to the basement and contacted Melkith. Her instructions to Melkith were brief: secretly infiltrate the grounds during the conference. It would be too conspicuous if she descended from the sky, and it would also be hard to conceal, so they settled on her springing from the ground instead.... ¡ªLike a mole? ¡ªYes, exactly, like a mole! ¡ªOh sister, with all due respect, considering I am Aroth¡¯s White Tower Master and arguably the greatest spirit wizard of this century, if not across all ages, popping out of the ground like a mole seems a tad undignified, don''t you think? ¡ªWho are you to just call me sister of your own ord? ¡ªIt''s a joke, sister, just a joke! If youmand me to spring forth, I can emerge from the ground or even fire. But sister, does it have to be done in secrecy? Can''t I just be present at the conference from the start? ¡ªIf you¡¯re there from the beginning, Eugene would bolt at first sight of you. ¡ªAh,e on. Surely not. You might be a tad jealous, sister, but I''m actually quite close with Eugene. When Sienna heard those words, she wanted to summon Melkith and give her a piece of her mind. Still, she suppressed that urge and continued to exin her n. ¡ªStop with the nonsense.... Anyway, at the press conferenceter, be straightforward. Ask Eugene what he thinks of Sienna. ¡ªOh my, oh my! Sister, is it really that? Huh? It is, isn''t it? Such was the conversation they shared. The plot aimed at Eugene was nearlying to fruition. While Sienna didn''t give Melkith specific questions to ask, she didn¡¯t think it was necessary. A madwoman had her own details. Guiding her in a general direction would be sufficient for Melkith. In other words, Melkith was the ideal hitman. She wouldn''t feel guilty about confronting Eugene with such a brazen question, nor would she regret her actions afterward. She wouldn''t fret over others'' opinions of herself or her dignity. Moreover, Eugene had a subtle soft spot for Melkith. "Sir Eugene Lionheart! Please answer!" Melkith shouted while waving her hand in the air. Eugene¡¯s face twisted in dismay as he looked down from the stage, but Melkith paid it no mind. "What exactly is your rtionship with Lady Sienna, Sir Eugene? What exactly is going on between you two? I''m dying to know!" Melkith shouted. The other reporters were startled by Melkith''s sudden appearance, but none tried to stop her outburst. Even the sole demon journalist, who had just been cowering under Eugene''s murderous intent, couldn''t help but stare at Melkith with shining eyes. It was inevitable. Melkith''s sudden question was something everyone was curious about but dared not ask. Perhaps someone would have had the courage to ask it had the atmosphere been a bit less stifling and a bit more friendly. However, Eugene had just been emitting an intense murderous vibe that could have caused the entire venue to freeze over. Eugene was shocked into silence. He had exerted such effort to exude such a menacing aura, specifically to stop anyone from asking such a question. He had done well until now, only to have Melkith ruin all his efforts by barging in like this...! Eugene felt a suffocating tightness in his chest as he clenched his fists. "Why are you here?" he spat. "I have the freedom to go wherever I please, Sir Eugene,¡± retorted Melkith. "Why the formal speech all of a sudden?" "If I spoke informally here, wouldn''t Ie off too presumptuous?" she countered. "So you are aware. In that case, why are you asking me such a question?¡± Eugene asked, sounding annoyed. "I''m here with credentials as a journalist,¡± Melkith eximed while waving her hand. Faced with her shamelessly impudent demeanor, Eugene ground his teeth. "Credentials? What kind of credentials!?" he shouted. "I''m a journalist for Aroth¡¯s Weekly Spirit Magic... or something simr," Melkith replied vaguely. Eugene¡¯s cheeks twitched involuntarily as Melkith bbered on. She did not miss the moment when Eugene clenched his teeth. She emphasized her question once more. "Please answer!" she said. "I''ll pass,¡± Eugene replied. "Please answer!" she asked once more. "Next journalist,¡± Eugene said dismissively. "I want an answer!" said Melkith. "That concludes this press conference...." "Ahhhhh!" Melkith let out a shriek. "Arrrrgh!" It wasn''t just any scream, either. It had a whiny quality to it ¡ª no, it was more like a child''s tantrum. "AACK!" How could someone act like this? Shouldn¡¯t they avoid such behavior if they were human? Eugene had been bewildered when Ciel had suddenly burst into tears after confessing her feelings, but it wasn¡¯t entirely iprehensible when he thought back to it. After all, Ciel had just been rejected, and she had never experienced such emotional turmoil in her life up to that point, and she was only twenty-one. Then what about when Kristina suddenly pped Ciel? Even that was somewhat understandable. Like Ciel, Kristina was young. It was even moreprehensible since Kristina, though she may not see it herself, had been a picture-perfect zealot until a few years ago. She had insisted on her way being the right way, regardless of what others said. But shouldn¡¯t it be different for Melkith El-Hayah? How could she act like this? She couldn¡¯t be considered young, and she always proimed herself as the greatest spirit wizard of all ages.... How could Melkith, of all people, be acting like this? Eugene was aghast. On the side, Sienna cleared her throat, "Ahem...." She marveled at her hitman''s disregard for self-preservation and nced at Eugene slyly. "Aren''t you going to answer?" she asked. "Uh.... What?" he replied. "Answer. It''s not that hard,¡± Sienna prodded. She had decided that Melkith needed backup. As such, she signaled Eugene with a look while nudging him in the ribs. Eugene''s eyes were filled with confusion as he said, "No.... But why here of all ces...?¡± "Then where else would you discuss it?" Sienna''s eyes narrowed further as she questioned. Eugene hesitated, then sighed deeply before muttering, ¡°Teacher and student." "How can you give such a cowardly answer!?" Melkith shouted. Attempting to navigate the crisis with a moderate response proved futile against Melkith''s relentless pursuit. "Please provide a clear answer!" she demanded. "No, it''s just that¡ª" Eugene muttered. "Why are you hesitating now after leaving behind thosest words three hundred years ago?¡± questioned Melkith. The mention of the sent a shiver down Eugene''s spine. "I never uttered thosest words!" Eugene protested. "Lies! You confessed your feelings to Lady Sienna just before you died!" Melkith challenged. "No, I didn¡¯t! I didn¡¯t leave behind any such words! It''s all fabrications from a fairy tale!" Eugene objected. Eugene was genuinely frustrated. That damned fairy tale had caused him enough trouble already. Without it, the crappy nickname of Stupid Hamel wouldn''t have existed, and furthermore.... "Lady Sienna!" Melkith shouted as she changed tactics, focusing on Sienna as Eugene simmered with boiling emotions. "Please answer, Lady Sienna! Did Sir Hamel truly not leave behind any such words?!" Melkith had no intention of attacking Sienna with that question. In fact, she was asking the question for Sienna¡¯s sake. Although unbeknownst to Melkith, Sienna was the author of the fairy tale in question. She had no idea that the words written at the end of the story were Sienna¡¯sment for Hamel. "That.... Well.... Um...." Sienna hesitated, struggling to respond immediately. She wanted to say that Hamel¡¯sst words in the fairy tale were true, but... she could feel Eugene¡¯s ring eyes boring into her side. It made it impossible for her to affirm Melkith¡¯s question. She knew that she could very well trigger Eugene into revealing her secrets. In a war of revtions with Eugene, Sienna would be decidedly at a disadvantage. So, Sienna evaded the question and turned her gaze elsewhere. "I can''t quite remember.... It was three hundred years ago, after all...." Can''t remember? Eugene¡¯s eyes practically ignited with fire. "Bu-but it''s not really the words that matter, right? What¡¯s important is not three hundred years ago but now. So, what exactly are we to each other?" Sienna questioned. "Warrior and wizard. Comrades. Teacher and student,¡± Eugene gritted his teeth as he spoke. Sienna pouted slightly in response, but she refrained from arguing with him. "We are cautiously getting to know each other... given the times... but maybe... after we''ve killed all the Demon Kings and if we''re still alive... perhaps then it won''t just be about cautiously getting to know each other, but more like... aggressively confirming our rtionship...." Eugene¡¯s voice trailed off into silence. What did it even mean to be cautiously getting to know each other? And what on earth was aggressively confirming a rtionship? Eugene¡¯s answer was vague, but there wasn¡¯t anyone present who didn¡¯t grasp the subtle implications behind it. Even Sienna herself was left with her mouth agape and cheeks flushed. "Are you going to get married?" Melkith had a gleam in her eyes as she asked. Eugene¡¯s answer didn¡¯t satisfy her. She wanted a more definitive answer, believing she was doing this for Sienna''s sake. So she probed further, "Are you going to get married? Or are you going to start dating? Or have you been dating already? If that¡¯s the case, when did it start? Since three hundred years ago? Or when Lady Sienna returned to Aroth? Or before she even came to Aroth?" Melkith''s inquiries were relentless. In this regard, Melkith was very much like a wizard. She didn¡¯t suppress her soaring curiosity as she continued to bombard them with questions. "And speaking of which, Sir Eugene, you had the ownership of Akasha when you first returned from the Samar Forest! You also said you went to find Lady Sienna. Don¡¯t tell me, is Akasha like a token of love between you? My goodness, my goodness! Right, and what about Mer? Back then, Sir Eugene, you took Mer along with Akasha from Akron, didn¡¯t you!?" Her urgency was evident in the shift in her tone. "The familiar that''s said to be the spitting image of Lady Sienna''s childhood...! Like, like Lady Sienna''s child with... you? My goodness! There was already a child between the two of you!" Melkith eximed loudly, jumping around her spot. Eugene finally clenched his fists tightly after silently enduring her tale until now. [That¡¯s right! That¡¯s right! I am! I am like a child to Sir Eugene and Lady Sienna! My name is Mer Merdein, but someday I will be Mer Lionheart!] Mer shouted excitedly from within Eugene¡¯s cloak. [Thisdy, too... will not remain Raimira but be Raimira Rogeris. And someday, from Raimira Rogeris to Raimira Lionheart...!] Raimira yelled enthusiastically, not to be outdone by Mer. [You fool! What do you mean, Raimira Lionheart? What a terrible name! How about shortening it to Rairai? You¡¯re Rairairairairai!] Mer teased, not even considering the ridicule she once received as Mer Mer Merdein. Eugene clenched his fists even tighter amidst the noisy exchanges in his head. "But Eugene, or should I say, Sir Eugene! Do you prefer Lady Sienna as a teacher or as arade? Surely, your feelings have grown since your days as Hamel, haven''t they?" inquired Melkith. Eugene didn¡¯t respond. "Ah, but... what about Saint Kristina? I mean, you and I, we''ve known each other for quite some time, haven''t we? I know how close you and Saint Kristina are. I see how honey seems to drip from her eyes when she looks at you. Surely you¡¯ve also noticed? It¡¯s not just me, either. Everyone who¡¯s seen you two knows,¡± continued Melkith. Eugene was trying to keep his emotions in check. "If you''re cautiously getting to know Lady Sienna, what exactly is your rtionship with Saint Kristina? After all, the Hero and the Saint. You don¡¯t need a fortune teller to know howpatible you two would be....¡± "Get lost,¡± Eugene hissed. He could not bear it any longer. The abrupt harshness of his words made Melkith scream, "Eugene! What kind of way is that to speak to your older sis!" "Get lost!" Eugene roared while standing up abruptly. Crack! The chair wasn¡¯t able to withstand his momentum and shattered into pieces. It wasn¡¯t just the chair, either. The entire podium thudded as it copsed into the ground. "All of you, all of you just get lost! Out of my sight, right now!" shouted Eugene. "Sir Eugene Lionheart! We haven''t even asked our questions yet..." some reportersined. "Get lost!" he roared again. "But... but Sir Eugene...! There''s so much we still want to hear from you! About the war ns with Helmuth, your future actions, and¡ª" "Get lost!" Eugene had no more patience for the reporters'' pleas. If they wouldn''t leave willingly, he''d have to force them. He extended his hand without hesitation. Whoosh! Eugene''s magic lifted dozens of reporters into the air all at once. [Please, Melkith El-Hayah, just stay still for now. Don''t resist Hamel''s magic... please!] Tempest pleaded desperately. ¡®My goodness, Tempest...! Are you worried about me?¡¯ Melkith asked excitedly. [I''m not worried about you. I¡¯m worried about Hamel''s sanity....] Tempest sighed, but Melkith didn''t heed his words. She grinned. Satisfied with her mischief, she allowed herself to be lifted alongside the reporters. ¡®I did it, sister,¡¯ Melkithmunicated mentally, sounding triumphant. She hadn''t been promised any reward for intervening. She simply acted because it seemed fun. Moreover, she thought that her work would boost her intimacy with Sienna. ¡®Well done,¡¯ Sienna praised in response. It was just as Melkith had hoped. Though they didn''t receive a definite answer, Sienna was satisfied with the response. She stole nces at Eugene with flushed cheeks. Eugene was equally red-faced ¡ª though that was from pure rage. After having flung the reporters beyond the walls, Eugene clutched his hair in frustration. "Should I... should I kill her?" he asked. "No, why would you kill her? Don''t kill her. Bear with it. She might be a bit strange, but she''s talented! Good at fighting and...." Sienna tried not tough as she patted Eugene''s shoulder while offering constion. Chapter 509: Brilliance (8)

Chapter 509: Brilliance (8)

Ivic d. This man had a variety of nicknames, but among them, the one Ivic treasured and prided himself on the most was undoubtedly the Mercenary King. Even if the world might not distinctly remember the name Ivic d, the tant moniker of Mercenary King was known far and wide. This was not a self-proimed title either. In every era, there had always been a mercenary dubbed the Mercenary King. It was a title given to the strongest among those living by the sword. At the same time, it was a title for one who was a king in his own right, a mercenary whomanded a vast force. In the present age, there was no mercenary more fitting for the title of Mercenary King than Ivic. He was the leader of the d Mercenaries, which was unanimously recognized as the continent¡¯s finest mercenary group. It wasn¡¯t just about the number of mercenaries either. Each member of the d Mercenaries possessed exceptional skills. In fact, the d Mercenaries was the only group capable of a direct stand-off with the now-extinct Beast Mercenaries led by Jagon. But that wasn¡¯t the full extent of their influence and power. Under the d Mercenaries were dozens of other mercenary bands. The number of powerful nobles and royalty they had business with was too many to count. They also maintained friendly rtions with renowned knightly orders throughout the continent. Though nowpletely severed, even just a few years ago, they also had connections with high-ranking demons of Helmuth. Ivic was a man who stood among the greatest in terms of pure skill. In some respects, his influence and the forces under him eclipsed even those of the knightmanders. That was who Ivic d was. His words moved not just the d Mercenaries and its affiliated forces but also the entire mercenary world. And yet, the great Ivic d was... currently biting his nails with anxiety, his shoulders shamefully hunched while pacing back and forth in his room. ¡®My god... oh, my god...!¡¯ he thought in panic. It was something that happened to people sometimes. A forgotten memory in the back of one¡¯s mind would... suddenly resurface. It would usually be a memory regarding a topic not particrly important, not worth fussing over, something touched upon briefly in conversation. It usually involved a trivial subject from which a brief discussion was derived. It wasn''t necessarily a heavy topic, nor did it lead to any other discussions. That was exactly what was happening to Ivic. He hadpletely forgotten about this until today. He woke up well past noon, thanks to the pleasant buzz from the previous night''s drinking session. He had been staggering out of bed with a groggy mind when it suddenly hit him. It was a memory from about a year ago. It was during the time when he had set out to vanquish Iris, who had still been the Pirate Empress rather than the new Demon King of Fury. Ivic had briefly visited the Lionhearts¡¯ ship carrying Carmen, Ciel, and Dezra. At that time, he had met three female servants standing behind the members of the Lionheart family. The one in the middle had especially caught Ivic¡¯s eye. She had been tall and slender and seemed to possess extraordinary skills... a servant named Yuri. When heter discovered her true identity, he was filled with shock and questions, yet he could not bring himself to inquire further. ¡ªWhat do you think about Sir Hamel, Sir Ivic? Ciel had shot an unexpected question. ¡ªI do regard him as a great... even legendary mercenary, but I don¡¯t look up to him. No, honestly speaking, I¡¯m not sure that Hamel should even be considered a mercenary. ¡ªWell, I did say that, but Hamel... the Stupid Hamel, he.... I¡¯m not trying to disregard his aplishments. However, those aplishments weren¡¯t achieved during his time as a mercenary, now were they? They were umted during his time as apanion of the Great Vermouth. ¡ªOf course, I¡¯ve heard that Hamel was quite an amazing person even as a mercenary, but... well, he rarely ever received a good evaluation from his fellow mercenaries, you know? Hamel was known to hate other mercenaries, and the mercenaries also hated him back. ¡ªHow should I put this...? Hamel was someone who had no love and respect for his own profession. He harassed the other mercenaries by forcing them to cooperate with him, and many mercenarypanies ended up being crushed because of Hamel. That¡¯s why I don¡¯t really look up to Hamel. That was the conversation they had shared. Ivic had not bothered to sugarcoat his words in the slightest in response to Ciel¡¯s questions. He had given a brutally honest answer. ¡ªLady Yuri, may I ask why you keep grinding your teeth? "Ugh..." Ivic groaned while clutching at his hair. Why was he suddenly recalling this memory only now? Well, it had been a conversation not worth remembering. Or rather, it felt like he had forcibly erased it from his mind due to its peculiar and seemingly indecipherable nature. Eventually, Ivic learned the true identities of the Lionheart''s servants. He could not bring himself to probe further about the servants after he witnessed the divine might of the Hero during the battle against the Demon King of Fury. So, he erased the memory from his mind, but it had suddenlye back to him. He remembered the sight of Eugene Lionheart during the liberation war of Hauria. He thought of the tales passed down about the Stupid Hamel. After a moment of contemtion, Ivic arrived at an inevitable conclusion. "Let''s go beg for forgiveness." Many mercenary bands had been disbanded at Hamel¡¯s hands before he became arade of the Great Vermouth. Hamel had been notorious within the mercenary circle. The specifics might not have been passed down, but what reason could there possibly be, during a war against demons, for a human mercenary to dismantle other human mercenary groups? Such tales were a testament to Hamel''s fierce character. Naturally, Ivic had no desire to see the d Mercenaries disbanded. He didn''t want Hamel to humiliate him in front of his men. If he could be so bold, as the Mercenary King of the current era, he wished to earn Hamel''s recognition and respect. Thus, Ivic burst out of his room. It might already be toote, but he had to take action since the memory resurfaced today. He would go and apologize, whether it meant kneeling or prostrating himself before Hamel. Then, as he walked out of his room and along the corridor, he saw the press conference taking ce in the pce garden. Right, the conference was today; he had totally forgotten about it. The thought of running away crossed his mind. Why on earth would they hold such a ridiculous press conference today? To call that farce a press conference was an insult to press conferences everywhere. If it had to be called something, it should be called Melkith El-Hayah¡¯s Rambling Show. "Haa..." Ivic sighed deeply. He wished he could run away or hide right this very instant. Melkith''s antics had apparently driven Hamel, or Eugene, to the brink of exploding. Ivic stood still for a moment. He watched Eugene huff as the tform he stood on sank into the ground. The reporters shouted theirints as they were magically flung beyond the walls, but Eugenepletely ignored them. "Ahem..." Sienna had no choice but to gauge the situation when she saw Eugene this enraged. She stole nces at his face, thinking to herself, ''I need to shut Melkith¡¯s mouth.'' Of course, she wasn''t contemting anything as drastic as silencing Melkith permanently. She simply nned to coax and persuade Melkith not to blurt out anything like, ''Sienna made me do it.'' "That kid''s just a bit odd, but she means well,¡± Sienna finally spoke up, attempting to defend Melkith in hopes Eugene wouldn''t take to really disliking her. "Just a bit?" Eugene shot, turning sharply to re at Sienna. Sienna gulped and took a step back. "A lot,¡± she corrected herself. "She does have a good heart. She was quite helpful when we first met, even indulging my tant freeloading,¡± Eugene grumbled while pulling his foot out from the copsed floor. ¡°And although she does inexplicable things like today, she''s... alright." It was remarkable how adaptive humans could be. Eugene had already witnessed Melkith¡¯s nonsensical behavior multiple times, so the anger that had threatened to blow cooled off rapidly. He even started to think it all worked out for the best. Melkith''s wild antics provided a way for him to dismiss the remaining dozens of reporters in one fell swoop. It also served as a demonstration of Eugene Lionheart''s notoriety for being fiercely temperamental, ensuring anyone would think twice before bothering him again unless they had a death wish. "Good work,¡± said Kristina as she approached from behind. She had watched the whole spectacle. Caught off guard by her approach, Eugene instinctively stepped back. "Uh, uh...." Eugene uttered, flustered. Thest question Melkith posed about Kristina was still fresh in his mind. What exactly was his rtionship with the Saint? They had beenbeled a match seemingly made in heaven, a pair who shared honey-dripping nces.... Eugene awkwardly averted his gaze. He felt strangely embarrassed. [Hehe...] Anise chuckled inside Kristina''s mind, amused by Eugene''s acute awareness and embarrassment regarding their rtionship. Kristina felt the same, and she found contentment in their mutual understanding. Sienna might have bulldozed her way through for a clear answer with her forceful methods, but the Saints were different. Why would they need to rush for a clear answer? Feelings were meant to be teased and intertwined slowly. Ivic had been looking down at the scene from the corridor window. He held his breath and slowly retreated. He couldn''tprehend the rtionship between the three figures. To him, Eugene seemed to be struggling to suppress his rage, with his face turning red. Sienna appeared to be tiptoeing around Eugene, and Kristina looked like she was calming down the enraged Hero. "Ha..." Ivic sighed once again. Was this really the right moment for him to seek forgiveness? Perhaps Eugene had already forgotten about the incident. Eugene might have stayed quiet during the past year for the sake of hiding his true identity. Still, even after revealing his true identity as Hamel¡¯s reincarnation, he had not summoned Ivic. ¡®Even so.¡¯ Ivic shook his head, refusing to cling to uncertain hope and run away, which would be utterly disgraceful. Perhaps the fearsome Hero was waiting for Ivic toe forward and seek forgiveness.... Ivic solidified his resolve once again. He did not want to run away. He decided to face the situation head-on, to sincerely apologize for his past disrespect, and toud Hamel for the remarkable warrior he truly was. After making up his mind, Ivic arrived in front of Eugene¡¯s room. However, he saw a group of individuals already gathered there. "What are you doing here?" Ivic asked. His confusion was palpable. "And what brings you to this ce?" Ortus Hyman, the First Knight of Shimuin, returned the question with a wary expression. It wasn''t just Ortus at the door either. The group included King Aman of Ruhr, Alchester Dragonic, themander of the White Dragon Knights, Genos Lionheart, the captain of the First Division of the ck Lion Knights, and his daughter, Genia Lionheart. "I... I have matters to attend to with Sir Eugene," Ivic exined, trying to keep hisposure. Ortus coughed awkwardly and looked away. "Well, everyone here has their reasons for seeing Sir Eugene," he responded, his tone suggesting it should have been obvious. Ivic frowned and shot a nce at Ortus. The two were not very fond of each other. In fact, they had tried to exploit each other''s weaknesses to their advantage. They had fought together during the campaign against the new Demon King of Fury. They had covered each other¡¯s backs on the battlefield. The same had been true in this war as well. They were alreadyrades. But that didn''t mean they could suddenly be friends. Although they didn''t despise each other as much as before, Ivic and Ortus were still cautious around one another. "What business could you possibly have with Sir Eugene? Surely you''re not thinking of recruiting him like you tried during the Knight March,¡± Ivic used. "How did youe to know of that?" asked Ortus. "Oh, there are ways to find out. Ah, perhaps you''vee to seek forgiveness for overstepping your bounds? After all, to even suggest recruiting Sir Eugene could have been considered an insult in itself, considering how backwater Shimuin is,¡± said Ivic. "You don¡¯t hold back with your words, even though you¡¯re only the second-best of the ce you call a backwater. Spitting in your own face with such eloquence could indeed be considered a talent,¡± retorted Ortus. "What? Sir Ortus, it seems you''re greatly mistaken. My respect for you and understanding of Shimuin''s circumstances are the only reasons I haven''t already contested the title of the First Knight. Frankly, it''s unlikely that the petty king would offer such a title to a mercenary scum in any case,¡± said Ivic. "Ivic d, watch your tongue. Even if you are the Second Knight, speaking ill of His Majesty¡ª" "Enough, both of you!" Aman raised his hand and intervened as the argument intensified. "If you want to fight, draw your swords, not your words! I''ll officiate the duel myself!" "Your Majesty, really? Over such a trivial matter?" Ivic quickly backed off, jesting while casting onest re at Ortus. Not wanting to escte the argument further, Ortus clicked his tongue and also turned away. "So, Ivic, what brings you here?" Alchester broke the brief silence. "I''vee to offer my congrattions on Sir Eugene''s recovery and to have a private word.¡± Ivic wasn''t the only one pressed for an exnation. Alchester openly shared his reason. He was confident and unashamed. "And frankly, I want to seek some advice from him as a swordsman,¡± he continued. Genos¡¯ interest was piqued, and he approached Alchester, momentarily leaving his daughter standing awkwardly behind him. "That reminds me, Sir Alchester, there''s a question I''ve been meaning to ask you,¡± said Genos. "What is it?" responded Alchester. "Sir Hamel... or brother Eugene...¡± ¡°Brother Eugene?¡± questioned Alchester. ¡°Ah, pardon me, I misspoke." Originally, Genos referred to Eugene as brother because Genos¡¯ lineage was supposed to inherit the Hamel Style, and Eugene was its rightful sessor. But now that Eugene had revealed himself as Hamel, he no longer needed to use such a title. "Master Eugene''s swordsmanship, I wasn¡¯t sure because the form it took is different, but... the way heyered sword-force closely resembled the Dragonic family¡¯s Empty Sword. Did you teach that to Master Eugene?¡± "Master?" Alchester was momentarily puzzled by the title but soon realized its appropriateness. He was aware that Genos¡¯ family venerated Hamel as their supreme mentor. "To say I taught him might be overstating it. As you know, Sir Eugene stayed with the Dragonic family a few years back,¡± Alchester exined. "Yes, I know about that. I''ve heard that he tutored your son,¡± responded Genos. "Indeed, a great honor. While seeking Sir Eugene¡¯s guidance on mana maniption for my son, I also shared the technique of the Empty Sword with him." The Empty Sword was a secret technique used by the Dragonic family. Alchester had decided on his own to teach it to an outsider like Eugene. Such was his fascination with Eugene''s talent. At that time, Alchester firmly believed Eugene would be central to the Lionheart family, even if he did not be its head. He believed that Eugene woulde to be the strongest knight on the continent. Alchester thought that adding the techniques of the Dragonic family to Eugene¡¯s repertoire would not only elevate Eugene''s legend but also immortalize the Dragonic family¡¯s techniques in history. It had been the right choice. Eugene had been enlightened by the Empty Sword, and he utilized the Empty Sword¡¯s fundamentals when he created new techniques. "Indeed! So, Master¡¯s swordsmanship was based on the Empty Sword,¡± shouted Genos. "It''s an honor that he holds it in such high regard,¡± Alchester answered. "I came to¡ª¡± Genos cleared his throat while ncing at his daughter, Genia, beside him. "Like Sir Alchester, I wanted to celebrate his recovery. And... my daughter wishes to apologize to him." "Apologize...?" Ivic''s expression darkened. ¡°It¡¯s the same for me.¡± "Are you also here to seek forgiveness from Master, Ivic d?" questioned Genos. "Yes... ah, it''splicated... but yes, I once acted disrespectfully towards him,¡± Ivic admitted while gauging Ortus¡¯ reaction. He could see Ortus¡¯ gaze wavering. It seemed he, too, hade for the purpose of apologizing to Eugene. "What brings Your Majesty here?" Ivic inquired. "Me?" King Aman blinked, turning towards Ivic. "I came to suggest we take a bath together now that his wounds have healed. The pce''s bathhouse is splendid, isn''t it?" "A... bath?" Ivic asked, dumbstruck. "We''ve done it once before,¡± Aman murmured while recalling his previous bath with Eugene. "No... no, that''s not right. I was the only one who bathedst time. So, this time, we should do it together." Though the intention behind his words was unclear, it appeared he had note to offer apologies. Chapter 510: Brilliance (9)

Chapter 510: Brilliance (9)

Eugene stopped in the hallway. He surveyed the assembly at his door and attempted to parse the odd scenario on his own. Unfortunately, he failed. The grouping was baffling: Ortus Hyman, Ivic Sald, Aman Rhur, Genos Lionheart, and Genia Lionheart. He didn¡¯t know why these five of all people were congregated here. It was even more baffling to think that people of their stature were standing together in a corridor, specifically outside his door. The entire situation was beyond him. "What are you all doing here?" Eugene asked outright, prompting Genos to step forward and bow respectfully. "Master, have you been well?" Genos inquired. "What do you mean, well? You''d think we hadn''t seen each other in years. Didn''t we just meet a few days ago?" questioned Eugene. "Your recovery is a relief to us all," responded Genos. He nced sideways and found his daughter mimicking his bow. A smile touched his lips at her gesture. He inclined his head once more. "Stop that. You¡¯re going to hurt your neck. No need for everyone to bow,¡± said Eugene. Eugene didn''t find Genos¡¯ formal greeting awkward. They had a long-standing rtionship, and Eugene knew about Genos¡¯ genuine respect for Hamel. As such, he could understand Genos¡¯ attitude. In fact, Eugene thought Genos respected Hamel the most among everyone he knew. "Why is Miss Genia acting like this?" Eugene asked as he quirked an eyebrow when he saw Genia also bowing her head. Miss Genia. The title was very formal andced with distance, making Genia''s shoulders twitch. Genos swallowed hard. "My daughter wishes to apologize for her past disrespect..." Genos said cautiously. Past disrespect? Eugene blinked and delved into his memories of Genia Lionheart. These weren''t abundant, and their first andst encounter was.... ¡®It was when Eward went berserk at the ck Lion Castle,¡¯ Eugene recalled as the memory clicked. ¡ªI will never lose to you, Sir Eugene. Back then, Genia had shown open hostility towards Eugene, fueled purely by jealousy. At twenty-seven, she resented that a boy seven years younger than her had won her father¡¯s favor and inherited the prided Hamel Style, which was exclusive to her family. "Aha." Genia''s jealousy stemmed from her pride in the Hamel style. Eugene knew this, so he had not been bothered by her attitude. Her supposed jealousy had merely stoked herpetitive spirit, making her actions seem almost endearing. With all the chaos that ensued because of that cursed hunting festival ¡ª Eward¡¯s demonic ritual, Dominic''s assassination of the elder, Hector''s kidnapping of the twins and the children from the coteral lines ¡ª Genia''s tantrum was hardly memorable to Eugene. ¡°There¡¯s no need to apologize,¡± Eugene said dismissively. Genos stepped in to help. ¡°Even if Master Eugene doesn''t mind, my daughter insists on offering her apologies.¡± ¡°I¡¯m truly sorry!¡± Genia bowed once more and shouted her apology. What a noble gesture! Eugene smiled warmly as he recalled the affronts from the press conference. Despite the world ridiculing him as being stupid, those who truly understoodmemorated Hamel''s sacrifice as noble. While everyone praised the Great Vermouth and the Brave Molon, those who thought for themselves respected Hamel. The best example was Gilead Lionheart, the esteemed head of the Lionheart family. He admired Hamel more than the family''s ancestor, which served as solid evidence. ¡°Alright, alright. I get it, so lift your head. If there¡¯s more you wish to talk about, let''s not do it in the hallway. Come inside,¡± Eugene said warmly. Was there any gift he could offer? Eugene reached into his cloak while maintaining his warm smile. In the face of the world''s scornful disdain, their family had continued to inherit the Hamel style. While everyoneughed at Hamel, this family earnestly respected him and tirelessly honed the Hamel Style. Though Eugene had helped enhance Genos¡¯ technique in the past, upon reflection, it now seemed insufficient as a gift. ¡®Should I be their family''s guardian and look after them? It''s toote for these two, but perhaps for the future generations, I could teach them the White me Form....¡¯ What about the traditions of the Lionheart n? In the first ce, Vermouth had arranged those traditions to facilitate Hamel''s reincarnation. Now that the reincarnation had taken ce, adhering to those traditions seemed futile and unnecessary. ¡®I¡¯ll get rid of that damn Bloodline Continuation Ceremony. Hmm.... Teaching everyone the White me Form might be a bit excessive, so maybe it''s better to select the bright ones for the family''s future,¡¯ Eugene mused. The family elders would never have allowed such a thing in the past, but now, it was a different story. Even if Eugene weren¡¯t Hamel''s reincarnation, the elders could not afford to ignore him, considering his influence alone. ¡°Do you want Wynnyd?¡± Eugene offered all of a sudden. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°Well... I asionally use the Annihtion Hammer and the Demon Spear, but I don¡¯t really use Wynnyd anymore. How about the Dragon Spear? Or the Thunderbolt Pernoa?¡± Eugene continued. Truthfully, Eugene felt that he could summon Tempest even without Wynnyd. But could he really give away the family''s treasures so freely? Eugene didn¡¯t concern himself with such thoughts. Instead, he was more bothered that Mer and Raimira had grabbed his hand inside the cloak and, for some reason, were pinching, tickling, and biting it inside the cloak. Ignoring the two children, Eugene suggested, ¡°Standing here and talking isn¡¯t ideal, so let¡¯s all go inside.¡± ¡°Wa-wait...¡± Ivic quickly interjected. ¡°Sir Hamel. No, Sir Eugene. In my case, the matter I wish to discuss is somewhat delicate for a group setting. May I inquire if a private conversation would be eptable?¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene asked, sounding annoyed. Why was this bastard beating around the bush in such an annoying, roundabout way? What exactly was this delicate matter that could not be discussed in front of everyone? Eugene narrowed his eyes at Ivic. Then, realizing what the topic of discussion might be about, he swallowed hard. "Alright. Let¡¯s talk, just the two of us,¡± Eugene said. "M-me too,¡± Ortus hastily chimed in. Aman and Alchester didn¡¯t think their matters were necessarily private, but they decided to go with the flow upon hearing the others¡¯ derations. Thus, an impromptu queue formed outside Eugene¡¯s door without regard for Eugene¡¯s opinion. "Really now...." Eugene sighed. He looked ufortable but didn¡¯t disperse the newly formed line. The individuals at his door were among the continent''s renowned powerhouses. Particrly Alchester and Aman. They were people Eugene held in great regard and fondness. "Then... ah...e in one at a time,¡± he dered. What was initially unintended now morphed into a series of private consultations. "We¡¯ll take our leave now,¡± dered Genos. He had noticed Eugene''s slight difort and decided it was time to leave. After all, Eugene had graciously epted their apology for the past disrespect, and Genos felt content with the forgiveness granted. "Is that so?" said Eugene. "Yes. We¡¯ll visit again some other time," Genos said politely. Genia couldn''t hide her disappointment. She had hoped to share a meaningful conversation with Hamel, the hero she revered so much. ¡®Well... it doesn¡¯t have to be today. We can always visit the main house,¡¯ Genia decided. It seemed feasible to visit Eugene in the future. With that thought, Genia managed to curb her disappointment as Eugene warmly saw them off. He then turned around and entered his room, followed closely by Ivic. "I¡¯m sorry!" As soon as the door closed behind them, Ivic dropped to his knees and bowed deeply. Eugene simply took a seat, unfazed. "Let¡¯s pretend it never happened,¡± responded Eugene. "Excuse me?" Ivic cautiously raised his head to look at Eugene. "That thing on the ship. Let¡¯s just forget about it,¡± Eugene dered. "Sir Eugene...! I-I could not. I must sincerely apologize for how I insulted you," said Ivic. "No, what insult? What? Oh, about the mercenary thing?" Eugene chuckled and shook his head. "Well, first off. I think we need to clear up a misunderstanding. About the bad reputation that I gained among the mercenaries.... Well, it¡¯s a rough profession, isn¡¯t it?" "Yes," Ivic agreed readily. ¡°So, naturally, one needs to be a bit unruly not to be looked down upon or ignored. It was especially true for me since I was inherently gifted. It was inevitable that I was going to earn others¡¯ jealousy,¡± said Eugene. "Yes..." "And next. The issue of a few mercenary bands getting disbanded because they crossed me? That¡¯s quite a malicious rumor. I remember those guys were collecting corpses and injured men to sell to ck wizards. Some were also initially paid by the ck wizards to kidnap civilians and embezzle supplies,¡± Eugene exined. "Such scum..." Ivic said. "Exactly, scum! So, what do you do? You kill them, right? Wouldn¡¯t you have done the same?" asked Eugene. "I would have,¡± Ivic agreed. "See?" Eugene nodded in satisfaction, his smile reflecting a sense of contentment. Of course, there might have been other incidents that earned him infamy, but Hamel thought it unnecessary to delve into those incidents. Even in retrospect, he knew Hamel was objectively a mercenary who was full of venom. He had been a pretty intolerable man. "I apologize. I harbored many misunderstandings about you, Sir Hamel,¡± said Ivic. "Well, it can''t be helped. Most tales about me in this era are based on misunderstandings anyway. No need for apologies... if it really bothers you, well, you''re known as the Mercenary King, right? Maybe go around exining the kind of mercenary Hamel truly was when you¡¯re out drinking with your men,¡± responded Eugene. "Yes." "Let''s consider everything else as water under the bridge,¡± said Eugene. He couldn''t bring himself to mention the cross-dressing incident. No matter how he thought about it, it had been an absolute mistake to dress as a girl. It should never have happened. But no amount of regret could turn back time. Why did he do it? What had possessed him...? "Yes..." Ivic did not press any further. His intuition warned him that dredging up the past would only sour Eugene''s mood further. ¡°You may leave,¡± dered Eugene. "Yes, thank you." Ivic stood up, gave a bow, then left. Before the door had even closed behind Ivic, Ortus hurried in. "And what brings you here, sir?" inquired Eugene. "To apologize..." "Do I have a sign on my back inviting apologies? Is everyone talking behind my back? Why are so many people eager to apologize to me when I can''t think of a reason?" Eugene asked with a scowl. He was confused by the sudden influx of penitence. Ortus stood looking very formal while ncing down at the floor. Ivic''s knee marks were visible. And those impressions... were they from plowing his head into the ground? Ortus pondered whether he should do the same. "Let''s hear it then. What exactly are you apologizing for?" asked Eugene. "Sir Hamel, I was too¡ª" Eugene interrupted, "Just call me Eugene. Why do you keep calling me Hamel when that¡¯s not my name right now? Even I''m getting confused.¡± "Yes, Sir Eugene." Ortusposed himself and slowly knelt, mirroring Ivic''s previous gesture. "I didn''t ask you to kneel, nor do I wish for it. Why do you insist on troubling your knees unnecessarily? It makes me feel like a viin,¡± Eugene stated. "Out of a sense of guilt..." responded Ortus. "So, what did you do that¡¯s making you feel so guilty?" Eugene asked. He was genuinely puzzled. What could possibly warrant such profound apologies? Eugene truly couldn¡¯t think of anything. He almost wondered if he should be the one apologizing instead. "It¡¯s about the parade in Shimuin. I felt it was embarrassingly inadequate,¡± said Ortus. "Excuse me?" Eugene eximed, baffled. "Given the hasty preparations, there were many aspects which fell short. The arch of triumph wasn''t up to mark due to the tight schedule. And when you requested a royal audience in our kingdom, His Majesty reacted quite poorly...." Ortus¡¯ voice dwindled as he continued with the reasons for his apology. Eugene was bewildered by the trivial nature of these concerns. He couldn''t help but interrupt, "Wait... Wait a minute. Are these the reasons you wanted to apologize?" "Yes? Oh... my apologies. If my behavior during our first encounter at the Knight March was displeasing, that too..." continued Ortus. "No, that¡¯s not what I¡¯m... I mean... it¡¯s fine. I''ve never been bothered by it, so please leave." Eugene ushered Ortus out, somewhat perplexed. "How are you feeling?" Next was Alchester, and Eugene felt a bit relieved seeing someone so evidently normal. "I''m perfectly fine. Not a scratch on me,¡± Eugene answered. "That is good to hear. I know that you were struggling to walk just a few days ago. I''m d you¡¯ve recovered,¡± responded Alchester. Alchester sat down, his demeanor rxed. "What brings you here, Sir Alchester? Don¡¯t tell me you''ve alsoe to apologize?" questioned Eugene. "Apologize? I can¡¯t think of any discourtesy I¡¯vemitted towards you, Sir Eugene,¡± answered Alchester. He chuckled softly while ncing at the marks on the floor. "I''m here to congratte you on your recovery. And, if you''re willing, I was hoping for some advice on swordsmanship,¡± dered Alchester. "Advice? What sort of advice are you looking for?" Eugene asked. "About this war,¡± he answered. Alchester¡¯s gaze lingered on a sword resting by the chair. He continued, "This was my first experience in a conflict of such magnitude. Frankly, the White Dragon Knights and I are not ustomed to war." It was an unavoidable issue. Kiehl was a colossal empire unmatched on the continent, with only the Holy Empire of Yuras and the Helmuth Empire as potential rivals. However, Yuras and Kiehl were practically allies, and Helmuth would never initiate a war unprovoked. Thus, despite their renown, the White Dragon Knights of Kiehl had never truly experienced real war. Their involvement was limited to the empire¡¯s internal disputes andbat training simtions. "For someone who ims inexperience, you and the White Dragon Knights fought admirably in this war,¡± Eugeneplimented. He was particrly impressed by Alchester, who had freely wielded the Empty Sword to slice through enemies and fortifications. "Your kind words are appreciated, but... I felt rather powerless towards the end,¡± Alchester said with a grimace. The end. That was when Gavid Lindman suddenly descended from the sky, and all the heroes, including Alchester, rushed to protect Eugene but were overwhelmed by a single strike from Lindman. "Duke Lindman¡¯s swordsmanship... was beyond what I, or even hundreds like me, could handle. It was absolute,¡± admitted Alchester. "It seems... you¡¯vee to face a wall because of him,¡± Eugene remarked. "Yes. I think it¡¯s natural to feel inferior to someone like Duke Lindman, who has dedicated centuries to mastering the sword far beyond my mere century. It¡¯s only natural that my sword cannot reach him. After all, I''m no prodigy like yourself either,¡± Alchester admitted. "Don''t be too hard on yourself,¡± Eugene said. "I think it¡¯s natural, but I was truly shocked. I know that I must ovee this challenge through my own efforts. I''m not seeking direct teachings from you,¡± said Alchester. "So, what advice are you after?" Eugene asked, puzzled. In truth, Eugene didn''t have much advice to offer Alchester about swordsmanship. Alchester''s sword technique was already shaping into something unique to him, and any advice from Eugene would hardly make a difference. "I¡¯d like to hear about the sword of Orix Dragonic, the founder of the Dragonic family,¡± Alchester requested. Eugene''s eyes fluttered at the unexpected request. "Sir Eugene, you saw the founder¡¯s sword yourself three hundred years ago, didn¡¯t you? ording to the stories passed down in our family, you were considered a peer who could share in-depth discussions about the sword with him,¡± Alchester said. "Uh... well..." "Indeed, as you know, our family¡¯s technique of the Empty Sword was created in an attempt to replicate the founder¡¯s sword. As the current head of the Dragonic family, I take great pride in the Empty Sword. I think it was perfected and passed down by generations. If possible, I¡¯d like to test our current technique against the founder¡¯s sword to evolve the Empty Sword further,¡± Alchetser stated. Eugene was at a loss for words in response to Alchester¡¯s passionate deration. Was he a friend to Orix, with whom they could share long discussions on the sword...? Eugene had never shared such conversations with Orix. He did recall summoning Orix, who had been prancing around while dering himself half-dragon and beating him senseless. "Um... so, you¡¯re asking me to...pare your Empty Sword with Orix¡¯s Empty Sword?" Eugene asked tentatively. "Yes." "That¡¯s... well... I¡¯m not sure what to say..." Eugene muttered cautiously. Orix''s sword technique essentially involved recklessly swinging around crude mana extracted from a dragon heart. If anything, Orix''s sword was no more sophisticated than arge balloon. "Sir Alchester, your Empty Sword surpasses Orix¡¯s Empty Sword,¡± Eugene dered. Eugene was confident. If Alchester and Orix were to duel now, Alchester''s sword would easily slice through Orix within seconds. "Really?" "Absolutely. Your swordsmanship has long surpassed Orix¡¯s swordsmanship. In my opinion, you''re holding yourself back by concerning yourself with something you¡¯ve already outgrown,¡± dered Eugene. Alchester looked puzzled, but Eugene continued. "There''s no need to dwell on Orix''s sword. Why concern yourself with someone who¡¯s weaker than you?" Eugene asked. With those words, Alchester¡¯s eyes widened. Not out of offense but because it felt as if he had been enlightened. After a moment of reflection, Alchester rose briskly. For someone of Alchester¡¯s stature, even a minor epiphany could lead to significant transformation. Eugene couldn''t help but smile at the enlightenment shining in Alchester¡¯s eyes. "Thank you." Alchester joined Eugene inughter as he picked up his sword beside him. He gave a respectful bow before leaving the room. Before the door had even fully closed, King Aman Ruhr barged in. Eugene asked, "What brings Your Majesty¡ª" "Let¡¯s go for a bath together,¡± Aman promptly answered without letting Eugene finish. "Excuse me?" Eugene asked. "Is that a no?" "Yes," Eugene answered with an awkward expression, and Aman¡¯s broad shoulders slumped. "If you¡¯re not interested, then I guess there¡¯s nothing I can do...." The door closed once again. Chapter 511: Brilliance (10)

Chapter 511: Brilliance (10)

Three hundred years after the war ended, Helmuth had be an empire. Had there ever been a time since then when he had been so engrossed in his swordsmanship? ¡®No, never.¡¯ If he had to make an excuse, it would be that he hadcked time for such dedication. After all, the dawn of the empire had been tumultuous. While Gavid was absorbed in all the duties of a duke, the other two dukes dedicated themselves to strengthening their power in their own ways. The ck Dragon Raizakia started with his hatchlings. He attempted to mass-produce dragons through continuous breeding. He had hatched a mad n of continuously birthing and consuming his own hatchlings ¡ª birth, eat, and repeat. Had it seeded, the ck Dragon Raizakia would no longer be a demonic dragon but a horrendous monster, albeit one of immense power. The Queen of Night Demons, Noir Giabe, exploited legions of night demons to harvest life force across the continent. At the same time, she focused on meticulously developing her territory. As a result, Noir quickly transcended the level of an ordinary Demon King and became a monstrous entity instead. On the other hand, apart from his ducal duties, Gavid had no time to devote himself to personal training. But he still managed to be stronger than he had been three hundred years ago. Even without dedicating himself as the others had done, Gavid''s power grew stronger as the empire strengthened. Was it because the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s dark power became more potent? No, that wasn¡¯t it. The Demon King of Incarceration had already been powerful even 300 years ago. He couldn¡¯t be certain, but Gavid suspected his strength was linked to his status as the Grand Duke of Helmuth. This was simr to Noir Giabe gaining immense power using two territories; Gavid derived his strength from his title as the Grand Duke of the empire. ''But it''s not enough,'' Gavid decided. He was not satisfied because the power he sought was not of this kind of power. Endless dark power? The Demoneye of Divine Glory, which granted him the authority of the Demon King? No. What he desired was a different kind of strength. "The sword." Now, Gavid was the only one in the vast residence of the Lindman Ducal Manor. The mansion hadn¡¯t seen a lot of people to begin with, but now, it was empty. Not even the servants kept for its upkeep remained and it wasn¡¯t just the servants either. The furniture that filled the mansion was alsopletely removed. What filled this now vast and empty mansion was only Gavid Lindman ¡ª as just a demon ¡ª and a few swords, but not Glory, and a bundled chain from the Demon King of Incarceration. With a watery smile, Gavid extended the chain forward. He had received the bundled chain directly from the Demon King of Incarceration. Chains represented the authority of the Demon King of Incarceration. They materialize the power of incarceration. He had served the Demon King of Incarceration for a long time. As long as he had used the Demoneye of Divine Glory, he could understand the essence of incarceration without needing to be told directly. Chains could bind. They could control. And they could confine. The power of incarceration was precisely that. This chain was no different. It was confining something. Naturally, Gavid had failed to discern its purpose when he had first received the chain. Gavid had received many things from the Demon King of Incarceration over the years. He was granted his title as the de of Incarceration. He was given the Demoneye of Divine Glory. He was handed the Demonic Sword Glory. He was called the Grand Duke of Helmuth. All these things were gifts from the Demon King of Incarceration. But those gifts were instantly understandable in their purpose upon receipt. But this time, it was different. The chains he now possessed were difficult toprehend. Gavid had spent an entire day pondering over the use of these chains after returning to his mansion. He infused them with dark power and attempted toprehend them through the Demoneye of Divine Glory, but their purpose eluded him despite the various methods he tried. ¡ªA tuning is necessary. He recalled these words. The duel had been unlike any before. He had set aside the titles of the de of Incarceration and Grand Duke of Helmuth. He had wished to face the duel as a demon, nothing more. ¡ªLet me aid you. Such had been the words of the Demon King of Incarceration, who had promised with augh. What Gavid yearned for so deeply was rooted in the fear he felt towards Hamel three hundred years ago. He had retreated and failed to see the confrontation through to the end, a failure that haunted him to this day. He believed he had missed his chance to die properly, and he was bound and burdened by these thoughts. His desire was born from his past failure, and he was now resolved to face everything head-on. Thus, he knew he must sever ties. If his fixation on Hamel from three hundred years ago was what guided him, he needed to cut that away and rece it with something new. In this era, it wasn''t Hamel of Extermination but Eugene Lionheart that he wanted to confront, and not in war, but in a duel. Gavid silently tightened his grip on his sword as he faced the bundled chain he did not yet know the purpose of. He was not sure if he could achieve his desired attunement even if he devoted himself entirely to training, but he had already wasted an entire day trying to understand the meaning behind these chains. So, he shed at the chains. He did not know what purpose the chains were supposed to serve. He did not know whether this was the correct way to handle them. Yet, he swung his sword without hesitation because he was not willing to waste anymore time. If he couldn''t understand their use, he reasoned it was better to cut them away, to remove them from his sight and out of his mind. The Demon King of Incarceration had offered no exnation for the chains. And Gavid had not asked. It was a gift from his lord, and he had epted it with gratitude. Gavid of the past might not have swung his sword at a gift from the Demon King of Incarceration, even if he could not understand their use orcked time toe to an understanding. "You are truly mischievous, my lord," Gavid muttered as he aimed his sword at the bundled chain. He could not believe his lord had bestowed such an item to him without any exnation. Gavid raised his sword with a softugh. This act must have been what the Demon King of Incarceration desired. He must have wanted Gavid to cut through the entanglements that tied him to the past, to immerse himself not as the de of Incarceration or the Grand Duke of Helmuth but as a single demon. The Demon King of Incarceration must have wanted him to prove his resolve was not just in words. He acknowledged his king¡¯s mischievousness while also feeling profound gratitude. He brought his sword down. ng! Sparks flew between the de and the chain, and soon the sparks scattered throughout the empty mansion. Suddenly, the golden sparks turned pitch ck, and in an instant, the interior of the mansion was enveloped in the color of mes. Gavid closed his eyes. When he reopened them, he found himself not in the Lindman manor but in apletely different ce. It was an utterly barren in, with corpses scattered around like props against the backdrop. Unperturbed, Gavid walked across the wastnd. The first time he was hurled into this inexplicable realm after striking the chain, he couldn''t help but panic. In the beginning, he had struggled toprehend his situation. He had tried various means to escape this space. He had wielded Glory and employed the Demoneye of Divine Glory, but even thebination of the two had proved futile against any semnce of escape. After multiple failed attempts, he decided he needed to understand this realm and inspected the surrounding corpses. Bodies not long dead felt all too real ¡ª their smell, their taste, everything about them had mirrored genuine cadavers. After a thorough examination of the corpses, he had embarked on an earnest exploration of what seemed like the end of this wastnd. The discovery hade suddenly. He had been suddenly cast into an unknown space, which meant that he had been on high alert. It had allowed him to sense someone¡¯s presence ahead of him. And that figure had been distinctly alive, unlike the corpses. As soon as he hade to a realization, the figure had moved. They vanished, and in that instant, they had appeared right before Gavid. He had been attacked. A crude, massive sword had aimed straight at his throat. Despite the surprise, he hadn¡¯t dyed in his response. After exchanging a few blows and feeling a sense of admiration for the opponent¡¯s skill, Gavid had died. The sword he faced had been of a different caliber, as if the first few exchanges had been child¡¯s y. The weapon had been fiercely handled and tore through Gavid''s defenses, ultimately ripping through his throat as well. Had he died so suddenly? He couldn''t even harbor such a question or a sense of void. The adversary¡¯s swordsmanship had been so remarkable that he had felt nothing but awe at his inevitable defeat. Upon death, he had woken up back in the mansion. The memories and sensations of being mutted and decapitated had been vividly intact, yet Gavid had found himself very much alive. At that time, he had turned his gaze towards the bundled chain. How such an event urred remained a mystery, but he had understood it was the chain''s doing. He had not needed to think about how such a thing was possible. What Gavid needed was to tune himself before the duel. For three hundred years, he had been away from the battlefield and devoid of pure dedication to training. Facing Eugene in a duel under such conditions would be an insult to both of them. Eugene''s prowess was at its zenith now, with no signs of decline. He was only growing stronger with the passage of time. He has far surpassed the realm he had reached as Hamel from three hundred years ago. Even that era''s Vermouth would undoubtedly face defeat against today''s Eugene Lionheart. Gavid Lindman was strong. Regardless of how formidable Eugene was, Gavid did not even consider defeat. However, he didn¡¯t think he would be satisfied with a victory in his current condition. No, it would certainly leave him discontented. Hence, tuning was essential to ensure that the three hundred years were not spent in vain, to avoid insulting the opponent in the duel, and to ensure satisfaction with his victory. "Thank you,¡± he murmured while wandering the wastnd again. It had been nine days since he first used the chain, but Gavid felt that the time he spent here was significantly longer than nine days. The flow of time in this wilderness deviated from reality. No matter how long he lingered here, only a few minutes would have passed in the real world upon return. It would be near impossible for a human to ept such disparity. Immersing oneself too deeply could essentially shatter one''s mind. Even for a demon, excessive repetition could lead to the same fate. Yet, for Gavid, this posed no issue; he yearned to be consumed by such immersion to the extent of breakage. He hade to understand a few things. This wilderness represented memories from a distant past that Gavid was unaware of. Through his power, the Demon King of Incarceration had entirely sequestered these memories from a time far beyond Gavid''s knowledge. In essence, these memories projected someone who once truly existed in the distant past. The man who appeared in the wilderness seemed... not human. Gavid couldn''t perceive him as anything else; it was inconceivable for a human to possess such strength. This man seemed born for battle, his strength and ferocity intensifying with every encounter. The man¡¯s sword was perfected for the sheer purpose of killing, honed through thousands if not tens of thousands of battles. It was impossible to refine such a sword outside the chaos of war. Gavid had thought such a human could not exist. No one in the history he knew of possessed such formidable strength. Then who was ''he''? Was he truly human? What was his name, and in which era was he from? Initially, these questions had gued Gavid, but after several deaths, he no longer pondered such curiosity. The identity of his opponent did not matter. What was important here was: ''Not dying.'' The irony of such a thought made Gavid smirk, and he paused in his steps. He saw the man standing in the distance, casually drawing a great sword and slinging it over his shoulder. He approached Gavid with a nonchnt stride. Their first encounter had begun with an immediate attack, but it wasn''t always the same. Sometimes, the man would appear suddenly from behind for a surprise attack, and at other times, he would wait for Gavid to make the first move. However, regardless of how each battle began, the end was always the same. Gavid had yet to inflict any significant injury on the man. Once, Gavid became fed up with one-sided defeats. He had attempted to use the Demoneye of Divine Glory and Glory at full power. That had been the worst of it. When Gavid used the Demoneye, the man''s power transformed. When Gavid wielded Glory, the man''s power became the sword itself, and fought Glory head-on. Gavid had even attempted to suppress the man''s strength with the Demoneye of Divine Glory, but it had proved to be futile. He was utterly overpowered. Gavid faced a humiliating defeat while feeling a stark difference in their power output. "I don''t know who you are,¡± Gavid said. It was a futile attempt. Dialogue was impossible with the man, who emitted no sound, not even that of breathing. The only interaction between Gavid and the man wasbat. "There must be some connection to Hamel,¡± Gavid murmured softly while drawing his sword, Glory. While different in magnitude, the man''s mysterious power bore a resemnce to the sword Eugene used against the specter. "An ancestor of Hamel? Or perhaps...." Gavid aimed Glory at the man, who continued his casual approach. "Hamel''s previous life?" Under normal circumstances, Gavid would not entertain such spection, having never considered the existence of reincarnation or past lives. But now, he couldn''t dismiss the possibility. If Eugene Lionheart was indeed a reincarnation of Hamel from three hundred years ago, then perhaps... even Hamel could be someone''s reincarnation. The man lowered his greatsword from his shoulder. There was a subtle transformation in his casual stride, and a sharp light shed in his eyes. Gavid''s Demoneye of Divine Glory emitted an ominous glow. Agaroth''s sword descended upon Gavid. Chapter 512: Brilliance (11)

Chapter 512: Brilliance (11)

While there were many things that needed to be settled in the aftermath of the war, Eugene had no desire to concern himself with such problems. In the first ce, he was unustomed to these kinds of tasks. As such, he decided to leave it to others and stepped back from the situation entirely. On the day Eugene was to return to the Lionheart mansion, he stood before a caravan of more than a hundred wagons. These were tributes sent by various Emirs of Nahama, who were all eager to show their goodwill to Eugene. Among these bountiful tributes was one from Emir Tairi Al-Madani of Kajitan, whom Eugene had once cleverly exploited. Although Eugene himself thought little of it, the world knew him as the Hero and champion of the war. Even without his identity of being Hamel''s reincarnation, Eugene was already hailed as the Hero of the current age. The capital was gone, and the Sultan had passed away. The sessor of Nahama had barely survived, and he found himself powerless andcking a support base. It made it challenging for him to recover Nahama from utter chaos and he had no choice but to ask for help from the neighboring countries and the other Emirs. The Emirs could have taken this opportunity to overthrow the sessor and crown a new Sultan among themselves, yet none harbored ambitions grand enough. This was perhaps inevitable. After all, the Sultan''s son had sought asylum in Kiehl, and Kiehl had pledged to support the sessor. Moreover, Eugene Lionheart resided in Kiehl. Thus, the caravan of tributes was essentially sent in hopes of garnering favor, not just with Kiehl''s Emperor but significantly more so with Eugene and the Lionheart family. "What do we do with this?" Eugene grimaced while pointing towards a corner of one of the wagons. There stood Amelia Merwin. Her naked body was barely covered by a sackcloth, which was left over from the wagon¡¯s cargo. For now, she was alive. She was breathing, and her heart was beating, but that was it. She was merely existing. Amelia''s mind was trapped in a cycle of continuous deaths. She was alive, yet not living ¡ª it was a punishment inflicted on her by Sienna. "We have to take her with us. Later on... maybe we can seal her in some desert dungeon?" Sienna suggested. "And what if the seal breaks at ater time?" Anise inquired. "There''s no way a seal I ce would break!" Sienna dered confidently, but Anise was less convinced and nced at her skeptically. "I do not believe that an unbreakable seal can exist,¡± Anise countered. "You worry too much, Anise. So then, what are you suggesting she should do? Just kill her and be done with it?" Sienna asked sharply. "It doesn''t seem like she''s fully paid for her crimes yet. Killing her now might actually be a favor for that wretched creature,¡± Anise responded coldly.Despite her previous arguments, Anise was adamant that a quick and easy death was too lenient for Amelia. She had no ns of letting Amelia get away that easily. Desecrating Hamel''s tomb and defiling his remains warranted a punishment of experiencing a million deaths in life and even in hell. "Maybeter, we can just dump her at the manor,¡± Eugene suggested. "Why would we keep that menace at the manor?" Anise questioned. "Well, we can keep her in the stable... or maybe we can build a sort of private prison. I can tell Nina to check on her asionally and feed her. No, wait, Nina''s too busy for that now..." Eugene trailed off. It felt like Nina had just graduated from being an apprentice servant, but that had already been ten years ago, and now, she was the head servant overseeing the entire estate. Eugene briefly pondered how to deal with Amelia. ¡°Perhaps we should donate her to Akron,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°Excuse me?¡± Anise couldn''t grasp what Eugene was suggesting. Sienna, however, immediately caught on, and her eyes lit up in response. ¡°That¡¯s a splendid idea. Akron¡¯s collection on ck magic is quite sparse, you know,¡± Sienna said enthused. ¡°Isn¡¯t that because of you? I heard you made it strictly forbidden to bring any ck magic texts into Akron,¡± Eugene remarked with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Well... that was due to the... ahem, the circumstances at the time and... my... somewhat narrow-mindedness,¡± Sienna stuttered while awkwardly clearing her throat. Despite her enduring dislike for ck wizards and ck magic, Sienna acknowledged the depth and principles behind ck magic. In fact, just this morning, she had deeply engrossed herself in understanding the ancient ck magic with Bloody Mary. ¡°I think donating this thing to Akron as a textbook on ck magic seems quite appropriate,¡± said Sienna. ¡°But is that ethically sound?¡± Anise asked, sounding dubious. ¡°Considering the number of people this damned thing has killed and the damned deeds it¡¯smitted, why are we even discussing ethics? If you act like a dog, you deserve to be treated like one,¡± Sienna said with a flick of her finger. Amelia straightened up from her slumped state and staggered to her feet. Eugene frowned at the sight of Amelia hanging limp like a puppet. ¡°So, we¡¯re bringing that to the Samar Forest?¡± he asked. ¡°We need to continue our research on the way.¡± Sienna¡¯s answer held no ce for argument. Besides the fact that killing her wouldn¡¯t be enough of a punishment, there was another reason for keeping her with them. Regardless of how talented Sienna was, it was impossible for her to wield ck magic. She did not possess dark power. No matter how adept she was at utilizing mana, she couldn''t transform it into dark power. ck magic could not be wielded without dark power. In the first ce, it wasn¡¯t as if Sienna nned to use ck magic. But she was intrigued by the ancient ck magic she learned through Bloody Mary. It was necessary to verify techniques in order to thoroughly understand the theory behind magic. Yet, no matter how hard she tried, Sienna could not wield ck magic. Thus, she thought of a workaround. To Sienna, Amelia now served as nothing more than a living magical power battery or a device for wielding ck magic. Or perhaps she could be considered a familiar explicitly used for ck magic. ¡°Calling that a familiar is an insult to me, Sir Eugene,¡± Mer interrupted while popping her head out from the cloak. She had read Eugene¡¯s thoughts. She shot him a fierce re and pinched his side. ¡°That thing doesn¡¯t even have proper self-awareness or freedom,¡± she continued. ¡°Well... isn¡¯t that typical for familiars? You¡¯re the special one,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Special... special. Yes, right. I am special. To you, Sir Eugene, and Lady Sienna!¡± Mer shouted happily. Her re immediately dissipated, and her expression instantly brightened at being called special. She giggled with joy. She ceased her pinching and clung to Eugene¡¯s waist with both arms instead. ¡°You¡¯re just like a cicada clinging to an old tree,¡± Raimira muttered. ¡°Just say you¡¯re jealous if you¡¯re jealous, dummy,¡± Mer snorted in response. Of course, Raimira wasn¡¯t going to let that go. Eugene suddenly found himself with two little ones clinging to his waist. ¡°Hemoria. I heard she¡¯s alive, too?¡± asked Eugene. Anise was the one to reply, ¡°Yes. Hamel, I know you don¡¯t like her, but¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like her, that''s true,¡± Eugene interrupted. ¡°But it¡¯s not like I hate her a lot. I mean, she didn¡¯t do anything directly wrong to me, right? She¡¯s just a bit annoying, that¡¯s all.¡± ¡°How can you say that after you chopped off all her limbs?¡± Anise rolled her eyes at him. Eugene felt unjustly used and started to defend himself, ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not like I chopped them off because I wanted to¡ª¡± Thinking it over, he realized he did want to chop them off. So Eugene paused momentarily. "It''s not about whether I cut her or not. I was defending myself, you know? At the Fount of Light, huh? Those jerks were messing around there. Doesn''t that just make your blood boil? Mine did, for sure! It''s only natural to get angry. I got mad, and the Fount of Light probably felt the same way,¡± Eugene said. "Did I say otherwise?" Anise questioned. "You''re saying it right now! Anyway, I was acting in self-defense then. And it''s not like I barged in there out of nowhere!" shouted Eugene. "Well, you did barge in suddenly, Sir Eugene. Remember how hard it was when we were trying to warp in together at that time?" Mer grumbled while hanging onto his waist. Raimira was clinging to Eugene¡¯s other side, and she was not at all pleased with the current conversation. The story of the Fount of Light was something Mer had mentioned a few times but never in detail. Whenever Raimira begged for more of the story, Mer would refuse, iming it was too dreadful to even think about. Knowing this, Raimira hadn¡¯t pressed Mer further. However, she couldn¡¯t help but feel left out, not knowing and not sharing in this tale. She couldn''t help feeling a bit resentful. Eugene noticed Raimira¡¯s sulky expression as she hung off his waist. It was almost instinctive the way his hand naturally reached above Raimira¡¯s head. "Alright, yes, fine. I did barge in suddenly. But did I attack them without warning? Did I just go ahead and cut off Hemoria''s limbs without reason? No! I warned them. I told them they''d be fucked if they didn''t move. And they didn''t move, right? Well, then they had iting, didn''t they?" Eugene protested while stroking Raimira¡¯s hair and ying with her horn. The Saints looked on fondly, but they did not hold back on what they had to say. "Hamel, all that''s fine, but can we do something about your... choice of words? The world hails you as the Radiant Eugene Lionheart. They sing your praises. For you to talk about fucking them over and such ¡ª it''s just too¡ª" Anise said. "Oh, look who''s talking. I might tolerate it from anyone else, but not you. Oh, the Saint has spoken, has she?" Eugene shot back. "Well, am I not the Saint?" Anise challenged. "The same Saint who, at every opportunity, swears, drowns in alcohol, and resorts to violence at the slightest annoyance. And, lo-look, see? You''re trying to hit me now,¡± Eugene protested. "If you say things that deserve a beating, you should expect to get hit,¡± Anise replied. Eugene decided not to provoke Anise any further and hastily retreated. Even as he fled, he made sure Mer and Raimira werefortably supported. ¡°So, Hemoria. She has been turned into a half-vampire, hasn¡¯t she? Or... should we even call it a vampire?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Given her mixed origins as a chimera... it wouldn¡¯t be entirely urate tobel her a vampire. She doesn¡¯t need blood to survive, nor is she restricted by sunlight,¡± Anise answered. ¡°But regardless, she¡¯s not exactly human anymore. Should we really be letting her go?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°Sir Raphael has promised to oversee her, so it should be fine. While it¡¯s not something to brag about, Yuras¡¯ system for monitoring apostates is both thorough and ruthless. Unless she fancies being burned at the stake or tortured to death, Hemoria won¡¯t be able tomit any vampiric atrocities,¡± Anise exined patiently. ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes. What she does with her life from here... well, that¡¯s beyond my concern. Perhaps she¡¯ll live a quiet life farming in some rural vige, or maybe she¡¯ll find sce baking bread in a city bakery...¡± Anise said. It wasn¡¯t unheard of for demons to be priests. Take, for instance, the parish of Alcarte, where Kristina once served as the Auxiliary Bishop. Sister Eileen Flora was a half-vampire herself. However, Hemoria could not return to being a priest. Even if Raphael spared her life with consideration for her achievements as an Inquisitor of the Maleficarum, there was no forgiving Hemoria for actions tantamount to turning her back on the Light. Raphael¡¯s decision not to kill Hemoria wasn''t out of mercy. Instead, he had judged that depriving her of the freedom she so desperately sought was a punishment worse than death. Additionally, he didn''t dare to go against Sienna¡¯s wishes[1] ¡°Bread... baking bread...¡± Eugene murmured with a bemused expression. He found it hard to imagine Hemoria kneading dough and baking bread in her metal mask while grinding her teeth menacingly. ¡°Well... there shouldn¡¯t be any hygiene issues... she won¡¯t be drooling into the dough, at least,¡± Eugenemented. ¡°Drooling.... Radiant Eugene Lionheart, such unsavory remarks should be beneath you,¡± Sienna teased with a mischievous smile, which made Eugene¡¯s shoulders tremble. ¡°That damned radiant¡ª¡± He couldn¡¯t finish his sentence, suddenly gasping as something urred to him. He gently set down the two little ones clinging to his waist, then dashed off. ¡°Lady Carmen,¡± Eugene called out. Carmen came into view alongside Gilead. She was behind the line of giftden carriages, inspecting the tributes. ¡°Hmm?¡± Upon seeing Eugene, Carmen straightened her expression and proudly puffed out her chest, showcasing the lion emblem on her left breast. ¡°What brings you here, Radiant Lion?¡± she asked. Eugene found himself gritting his teeth involuntarily. The very creator of that cursed moniker was none other than Carmen Lionheart. Whether it was the excessive heat of Nahama''s sun or the word radiant she had just uttered, for some reason, the lion emblem on Carmen¡¯s uniform seemed to sparkle more than normal. ¡°Wait, no.¡± It wasn¡¯t just his imagination. Eugene stared intently at the lion emblem on Carmen¡¯s uniform. It was subtle, almost imperceptible, but something had been... embroidered. This embroidery caught the light around it and lent a brilliant sparkle to the lion emblem. ¡°What¡¯s this? Why is only your uniform like this, Lady Carmen?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°You noticed?¡± Carmen beamed while pointing at the emblem on her chest. ¡°My opinion was highly considered for this. Soon, it will be distributed to all members of the Lionheart family.¡± ¡°To everyone? Not just the main house but to all branches?¡± Eugene asked, surprised. ¡°Indeed,¡± answered Carmen. ¡°But, the Lionheart lion emblem is supposed to be exclusive to the main house,¡± Eugene remarked as if in a reminder. ¡°For the main house, we¡¯ll add an even more splendid shimmer,¡± Carmen said happily. Eugene¡¯s eyes widened in dismay. Didn¡¯t that mean uniforms with a bit of sparkle were for all the coteral lines, and the main house would wear uniforms that shimmered even more? Eugene shuddered and turned to Gilead for support. ¡°A splendid initiative.¡± Eugene was left speechless at the response. Even Gilead, the true head of the household, was smiling contentedly, convinced that the new uniforms would elevate the glory of the Lionheart n and instill a new sense of pride in every member. Eugene felt utterly helpless. He would not find an ally in Gilead. He wanted nothing more than to gather all those sparkling uniforms and set them aze, but he managed to steady his trembling breath and turned back to Carmen. "So, what brings you to me, Radiant Lion?" Carmen asked. "That.... How long are you going to keep calling me radiant?" Eugene got to the point. "Is it not far better than being called dull?" Carmen retorted. "Well, yes, but...." Eugene trailed off. "I see no reason not to use it. I wish the whole world to sing praises of you as the Radiant Eugene Lionheart,¡± Carmen dered. Had anyone else said it, Eugene might have suspected it to be a profoundly cunning insult wrapped inyers of malice and spite. But with Carmen, Eugene knew without a doubt that there was no such intention. She was genuinely proud of him, genuinely wanted him to be celebrated, and was genuinely pleased with her creative phrase. "Yes... thank you...." Eugene ground his teeth as he responded. "But... Lady Carmen, Patriarch, you''re not nning some... reception or wee ceremony for me at the house, are you...?" he asked skeptically. Even the Emperor of Kiehl had reached out, wanting to hold a grand celebration for the return of Eugene Lionheart, the great hero of Kiehl. He had nned on inviting the Pope of Yuras to bless the event, gather citizens starting from the city gates, and.... Naturally, Eugene refused. Not just politely but vehemently, threatening to storm the pce if they dared waste time on such frivolity. The mere thought of a morevish wee than he had received in Shimuin, where he had wanted to die of embarrassment, was unbearable. He did not wish to endure further humiliation. There was no immediate response from Gilead and Carmen. They exchanged a nce. Eventually, Gilead cleared his throat before responding, "Just a modest gathering of our family members...." "Including the coteral branches?" Eugene questioned. "They are Lionhearts all the same, aren''t they?" Gilead asked. Eugene felt his insides boil. He remembered the banquet attended by dozens of branch members when he returned to the main house with Raizakia¡¯s corpse. "I refuse,¡± Eugene dered. "Ah.... But after such an aplishment... shouldn''t there be a feast?" Gilead suggested. "I really, really don''t want one. If you must have it, do so without me,¡± Eugene responded curtly. "Are you truly against it?" "Yes. Truly." Carmen''s shoulders sagged in response. "We''ve even brought out the tinum Lion," she muttered. "No...! That''s still intact? I told you to dismantle it a long time ago...!" Eugene said, disgruntled. "Why waste such a precious and meaningful artifact? It''s safely stored away in the main house''s treasure vault,¡± came the response. "Then, I''ll just destroy it myself,¡± Eugene said tersely. "Absolutely not. It will be passed down as a symbol of the Radiant Lionheart for generations." The response came from Gilead, who surprisingly stood firm. He was unwilling to budge. "Alright, let''s not have the banquet then. I really don''t want it. And put that damned tinum Lion back. If you bring that out, I''ll really make a scene,¡± Eugene threatened. "Not even a simple family dinner?" Gilead asked. "If it''s just the main house, I''ll attend.¡± Eugene was adamant. Gilead and Carmen, though visibly disappointed, eventually respected his wishes and nodded. "And I''ll only show my face at the main house before leaving again,¡± said Eugene. "Off on another adventure?" Carmen''s eyes sparkled at the sudden shift in topic. "I n to visit the World Tree in the Great Forest of Samar for a bit. It shouldn''t take too¡ª¡± Carmen interrupted with a bright face as she eximed, "The World Tree!" No longer wanting to engage further, Eugene backed away. "The Radiant Eugene Lionheart!" As he retreated, a teasing voice called out. Ciel, who had been handling Yongyong¡¯s reins at a corner, waved at Eugene. "Radiant!" With a mischievous grin, Ciel started the chant, and Dezra immediately joined in. "Eugene!" "Lionheart!" The rest of the ck Lions chimed in. Though Ciel''s intention was to tease, the ck Lions were sincere. Their eyes shone with admiration for Eugene. Because of that, Eugene couldn''t unleash the curses he had in mind. 1. Sienna let Hemoria walk free in Chapter 477, and Raphael let her walk free after branding her to be monitored for the rest of her life in Chapter 478. ? Chapter 513: Metamorphosis (1)

Chapter 513: Metamorphosis (1)

This was already Eugene¡¯s third time visiting the Samar Rainforest. When he had first ventured to the Samar Rainforest, Kristina had been the only one apanying him. At that time, even counting it in the politest of terms, their rtionship couldn¡¯t have been described as close. During their surprising first meeting, Kristina had shown a fanatical streak as she talked about the revtion she had received from the Light. On the other hand, Eugene didn¡¯t have even the slightest amount of faith in the Light, and he had also been feeling very perturbed after suddenly being recognized by the Holy Sword. So, there had been many obstacles in the development of their rtionship. Eugene had thought that Kristina seemed suspicious while Kristina was left feeling dissatisfied with Eugene¡¯s uncouth behavior, which she saw as unbefitting of the Hero or of the scion of a prestigious n. Yet even so, the two had safely made it all the way through the Rainforest. Although they had barely voiced any of their hidden feelings or doubts, their journey, which hadn¡¯t been a smooth one, eventually brought them a bit closer together. [It was quite the refreshing experience,] Anise whispered in a joyful mood. At that time, Anise¡¯s consciousness hadn¡¯t been separated from Kristina¡¯s. She had been fused to Kristina¡¯s soul, and it had been impossible for Anise to regain consciousness, even in her angel form, without a special opportunity enabling her to do so. Yet even with that, she still enjoyed thinking of their trip that time with Hamel. [Kristina, at that time, you really didn¡¯t like Hamel, did you? Instead, wasn¡¯t there a part of you that felt jealous of him?] Anise recalled. ¡®That¡¯s... at that time, I was still very immature,¡¯ Kristina admitted with embarrassment. ¡®Because of that, my thoughts were very narrow-minded, and I wasn¡¯t able to face Sir Eugene properly.¡¯ To be honest, that period was one of the darkest moments in Kristina¡¯s life, leaving her with both shame and regret. Back then, with Kristina being the only one apanying Eugene through this vast and dense rainforest, things had been... purer. At that time, Eugene¡¯s cloak hadn¡¯t been carrying Mer or Raimira. Kristina also hadn¡¯t been able to hear Anise¡¯s voice in her head. [Kristina...!] Anise suddenly cried out in protest. [Are you suggesting that my presence is a hindrance!?] Kristina quickly reassured her, ¡®There¡¯s no way I would think that way, Sister! What reason would I have to think of your presence as a disturbance?!¡¯ However... sometimes, a certain thought dide to Kristina¡¯s mind. Perhaps someday, no one knew for sure exactly when, but at some point, they would eventually get the chance to experience something more indecent, something more... risqu¨¦ than just a kiss with Eugene. When that moment came, how exactly were they supposed to decide who came first? How were the two of them supposed to ovee the difficult and unprecedented situation of two minds sharing one body? Anise sneakily began, [You know, Kristina, someone has to be the first among equals¡ª][1] Only for Kristina to cut her off, ¡®But Sister, although I don¡¯t really want to say something like this... in the end, aren¡¯t I the original owner of this body?¡¯ [No way, how could you?! Kristina, I never thought that such words woulde from your lips. It seems that I¡¯ve raised a tiger[2]. I thought you were just a naive littlemb without any clue about the world, but at some point, you¡¯ve be a fierce tiger ¡ª no, you¡¯vepletely turned into an insidious viper! Fine then, I guess it¡¯s all my fault. This would not have been a problem if I had just quietly ascended to heaven after I died instead of presumptuously remaining attached to this world!] Anise poured out this long flow of words in a single breath without stuttering or pausing. ¡®Sister, I¡¯ve given it a lot of thought, but... when that day eventuallyes, setting aside the decision of who will take the lead in getting control of our body during the act, can¡¯t we at least agree that whoever is in control of the body at the time should be allowed to haveplete privacy during the moment of union...?¡¯ Kristina shyly suggested. [Kristina, just what on earth do you mean by that?] Anise asked in confusion. Kristina awkwardly cleared her throat, ¡®Ahem... it might take a lot of effort to find a method that allows us to do it, but we can probably shorten that time by asking Lady Sienna for her help. So in any case, by temporarily putting one side of our consciousness to sleep....¡¯ The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed and ashamed Kristina felt. That was why she felt so disappointed and regretful upon first arriving at the Rainforest. Back then, at that time... if only she hadn¡¯t had such useless thoughts and doubts. If only she had just been able to face Eugene directly and approach him, then.... Aniseforted her, [That¡¯s just another useless line of thought, Kristina. Isn¡¯t the reason you started to harbor feelings for Hamel that he saved you at the Fount of Light? And also because you heard those sweet whispers from Hamel during the anniversary of my birthday! The fireworks at that moment, the gazes you exchanged ¡ª it was partly because all of those were present at that moment that you fell in love with Hamel.] But to think that Kristina, who wasn¡¯t at all proactive back then, would grow to have such cheeky thoughts. Now that she had gotten over her surprise, Anise was starting to feel proud of the younger Saint. ¡°What¡¯s got you so deep in thought? Anise has said something strange again, hasn¡¯t she?¡± Sienna asked, suddenly turning to Kristina. She was flying along beside them with her feet floating slightly off the ground. Anise sniffed. [To think she¡¯s using me of saying something strange... how hurtful and unfair. The one who said something strange just now wasn¡¯t me, but you, Kristina, isn¡¯t that right?] ¡°Sister is the same as usual,¡± Kristina replied to Sienna¡¯s question with a nervous cough. To Anise, her words sounded extremely cowardly and ambiguous. The same as usual? How could such a response provide a definite answer to Sienna¡¯s question? ¡°So once again, she¡¯s rambling on about her shady desires... of course she is,¡± Sienna grumbled with a look that read as if she had been expecting such confirmation. Instead of saying anything further, Kristina could only give a sheepish smile. [What a scary child...,] Anise muttered to herself. Kristina could also hear Anise sighing away at her from inside her head, but she just ignored that. Instead, Kristina quickly approached Eugene, who was walking ahead of them, and said to him, ¡°This is already my third timeing to this forest with you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene agreed. Eugene had just replied without giving it too much thought, but to Kristina, it felt different. She was filled with pride and joy that she had been able to apany Eugene on almost every step of his journey. ¡°When you first came here, you were searching for me. And you also came to save me on your second visit,¡± Sienna suddenly said. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene said with a nod. Once again, Eugene hadn¡¯t given his response much thought. Whatever their reasons foring here or when they visited, it was already in the past. Right now, the thing that Eugene was extremely preupied with was.... ¡°This forest is beautiful and magnificent.¡± Carmen Lionheart was striding forward at the head of their little group. She was still wearing the uniform of the ck Lions, which seemed utterly unsuitable to wear when exploring the jungle, and the family crest on her left breast reflected a sparkling ray of light wherever she turned to look. ¡°I have to say, just a few years ago, this forest didn¡¯t give off this feeling. Back then, the Samar Rainforest felt like a wilderness filled with ouws who were on the run from thew and inhabited solely by barbaric cannibals and monsters.¡± Carmen squinted as she looked up at the sky above the forest before continuing, ¡°This reminds me of old times before I became a ck Lion. I was still wandering around the continent as part of my training to be a knight and a warrior then. I once came to this forest by myself, without any equipment or other preparations.¡± They hade to the Rainforest this time to pay a visit to the Elven Territory. They would be meeting with the elven elders who had taught Sienna how to use magic. The primary purpose of this reunion was to seek advice from these elves who had lived for hundreds of years on the ancient ck magic stored within Bloody Mary. But they also had other goals apart from that. Eugene had decided that he needed to take a closer look at the World Tree. When he had first arrived at the World Tree, the giant tree had been sick due to the miasma spread by Raizakia. It had been left in a desated state as it was preupied with halting the progress of Sienna¡¯s death while also keeping countless other elves alive. Despite being in such a poor condition, the World Tree had still been able to perform multiple miracles. One such act that could be called a miracle was when one of the spirits inhabiting the World Tree settled within Eugene and granted ess to his Lightning mes. The other miracles urred during his battle with Raizakia when the World Tree manifested Sienna in soul form in the dimensional rift and restored Eugene¡¯s body, which had been on the brink of death. Eugene was also interested in the various religious beliefs that were associated with the World Tree, which had been described to him by Tempest and Ivatar in the past. In the Rainforest, most of its inhabitants believed in reincarnation after death. They believed that whenever one of them died, their soul was guided to the World Tree and then the World Tree would recycled the soul that had been drawn to it and send them back out into the world when it was ready.... If there was any basis to these beliefs, then Eugene felt there was a need to look into it. In the past, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to sense anything strange when in the presence of the World Tree itself, but as he was now, Eugene might be able to feel something. While focussing on the divinity dwelling within himself, Eugene fell even deeper into thought. ¡®I haven¡¯t been able to find out anything about when the World Tree may have firste into existence. Too bad Sienna didn¡¯t know the answer either,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. He wondered if the elven elders would know the answer to his question. If the World Tree had been around since the Age of Myth, and if it really did have properties rting to the reincarnation of souls, then.... ¡®It¡¯s said that the Demon King of Incarceration imprisons the souls of his victims. So, reincarnation should be impossible if you die at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration. Then that means the role of the World Tree seems to be inplete opposition to that of the Demon King of Incarceration...,¡¯ Eugene carefully considered. This might be a bit of a reach, but if it were true, wouldn¡¯t that mean the World Tree was meant to act as a defense against the Demon King of Incarcerations? The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s primary ability was his power to imprison and control souls. However, if those souls taken by the Demon King weren¡¯t destroyed or still imprisoned when the time came to move on to the next era, then.... If that was the case, it meant that not even the Demon King of Destruction himself could go against aw of creation like the reincarnation of souls. Even as Eugene was lost in thought, Carmen continued to tell stories of her past. ¡°I think it was around ten days after I entered the forest on my own? At that time, I was very young, so I couldn¡¯t distinguish the difference between bravery and recklessness. Because I was so strong at a young age, I was arrogant and looked down on this vast forest. ¡°I was soon met with endless ambushes, apanied by theughter of those barbaric cannibals.... They kept watching me from a distance, looking for any openings. But I am Carmen Lionheart, after all, and they couldn¡¯t ovee me. They might have thought that they were the hunters, but they were sorely mistaken. ¡°Did you know, oh Radiant Eugene? The lion is the king of beasts. It is the ruler of all the beasts in the world. In other words, the lion is the greatest and the most exceptional hunter in the world. On the other hand, the tribals who were targeting me at that time were nothing more than wild dogs, even if I did have to give it my all to beat them. When I finally decided to stop hiding my ws and fangs, on that night, rather than a forest, this ce became a ughterhouse.¡± To be honest, Eugene didn¡¯t really believe that the lion was the king of wild beasts. If he had to choose a true king of beasts, wouldn¡¯t a bear be closer to that title than a lion? In the forest surrounding that vige on Turas¡¯ border, where Eugene had spent most of his childhood, ferocious bears were a frequent sight. Bears were persistent, cunning, and vicious. The goblins and orcs who had dwelled within that forest might have killed more people than the bears, but even they didn¡¯t dare to invade a bear¡¯s territory.... Not noticing Eugene¡¯s distraction, Carmen kept up her monologue, ¡°For that whole night, it was like I had transformed into a beautiful lion. Without intending to feast on them, I hunted down those foolish beasts who dared to think of a Lionheart as their prey. I did get the feeling that I was doing something terrible, but I also felt that it was necessary. In this cruel wilderness, I had no choice but to do what had to be done....¡± Meanwhile, Eugene... had returned to his previous thoughts. He didn¡¯t believe that all of his connections to the past that had survived until the current era were just a product of coincidence. For this many coincidences to have taken ce, he had to believe that it was arranged by fate. Sienna and Molon seemed to be the reincarnations of the Sage and the God of Giants, respectively. Also, for the Twilight Witch... he didn¡¯t know why she had been reincarnated as Noir Giabe, a demonfolk, but those two, Sienna and Molon, seemed destined to have be Eugene¡¯srades in this era. Vermouth was the one who had facilitated their acquaintance. But then, the reincarnation of Agaroth¡¯s Great Warrior, Ivatar Zahav, didn¡¯t seem to have been a part of Vermouth¡¯s arrangements. In that case, could they have really just been pulled together by the vortex of fate? If that was the case, how was their fate linked to the power of reincarnation, which was said to be governed by the World Tree? Although he did not know all the details behind it, the reincarnation of the Great Warrior hadn¡¯t caused any harm to Eugene. Ivatar, who now ruled over all of Samar, had endless respect for Eugene, and if Eugene reinstated Ivatar as his Great Warrior, he would be able to make everyone in the huge Zoran tribe part of his congregation. ¡°At that time, this forest could still be called wild in the truest sense of the word, but now... now it can¡¯t be called that even with the slightest intentions,¡± Carmen muttered to herself as she continued to look around the forest. The forest as a whole still remained where it was but there were some differences from before, for one, the route that Carmen was currently walking down was an artificially created path. The Zoran, who had managed to unify the entire Rainforest, hoped to abandon their previous primitive and tribal forms of life and be a proper civilized nation. The elders of the various newly merged tribes still opposed Ivatar''s will. However, there were an iparablyrger number of younger tribespeople who supported Ivatar. Thanks to that, the forest was slowly changing. Though it still couldn¡¯t be called modern, at the very least, various infrastructures were being constructed, development was being carried out in a way that still paid respect to the spirits of the forests, and any ouws were being pursued and convicted. ¡°In that case, if you¡¯re done taking a look, would you like to turn back now?¡± Eugene carefully suggested to Carmen. The warp-gate they had used to get here had conveniently been recently built inside the Rainforest, but unfortunately, it was still only on the outskirts of the forest. If they kept on walking a bit further, they would soon reach the true Rainforest that had yet to receive any development. Once they reached that point, it would be difficult for Carmen to break away from them and return on her own. ¡°I should have already told you, oh Radiant Eugene,¡± Carmen reminded him. ¡°...,¡± Eugene silently looked away. Carmen insisted, ¡°I have no intention of withdrawing from this journey.¡± It was rare to see Carmen being this stubborn about something. That was the biggest difference between Melkith and Carmen. Melkith didn¡¯t seem to have any scruples in the slightest. And even if a few traces of such a thing as scruples did exist for Melkith, it could only be in a minimal amount, like the stagnant water at the bottom of a dry well. However, Carmen was different. She was a true knight whose scrupulous nature was so awe-inspiring that everyone couldn¡¯t help but hold her in high regard. Eugene also felt he had no choice but to acknowledge Carmen¡¯s honorable character. In fact, everyone who knew Carmen also found themselves respecting her. Carmen, in turn, made sure to show respect for others and knew how to amodate their wishes. No matter how much she might want something from them, if the other person truly rejected it, Carmen was magnanimous enough to know when to rein in her stubbornness and give in. However... this time, in a very unusual case for her, Carmen hadn¡¯t given up her stubborn insistence. And it wasn¡¯t like Carmen was just being stubborn for the sake of it. Even from Eugene¡¯s perspective, the reason that Carmen had given for insisting on joining him on this journey was quite valid. Next to Eugene, Carmen Lionheart was the second highest-ranking person in the Lionheart n. Everyone in the Lionheart family would agree with that opinion. Although she retained the body of a young and beautiful woman, she was actually the aunt of the current Patriarch, Gilead. Since she also held the highest prestige of all the elders in the ck Lions Council, this meant that she held the highest seniority in all of the Lionheart n. During the long span of time in which she had achieved all of this, Carmen had devoted most of that time to developing her martial skills. Currently, Carmen¡¯s White me Form had reached the Eighth Star, and let alone the Lionhearts, her skill could be said to be unrivaled even among all the heroes of the continent. Before Eugene appeared, Alchester, Ortus, and Aman could have been described as three of the strongest warriors on the entire continent. But Carmen was still on another level from those three. No matter how small the gap that needed to be crossed for one of those three to catch up with Carmen, they still had to show respect to Carmen as an exceptional warrior who was half a step ahead of them. However, even with Carmen being as strong as she was, she still had not been able to withstand the might of Gavid¡¯s sword. Carmen had also experienced the same humiliation and helplessness that Alchester had felt when his pride as a warrior was shattered. ¡°I need to undergo metamorphosis and create a new me,¡± said Carmen. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to reform myself by repeating any of my past training practices. To be a new me, I have to encounter new things that I never even knew about or imagined.¡± ¡°...,¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t find any way to dispute it. ¡°I have never seen the World Tree before, so that seems like a good ce to start,¡± Carmen said with a firm nod. ¡°But you¡¯ve seen the ones at the main estate, haven¡¯t you?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Those weren¡¯t the real World Tree,¡± Carmen insisted. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think this journey will end simply with seeing the World Tree. Oh Radiant Lion, the reason you¡¯ve decided toe here... you must have sensed something that inevitably drew you to this ce.¡± Carmen¡¯s suspicion was urate. However, Eugene tried not to reveal how urate it was through his expression. Nevertheless, Carmen continued speaking, ¡°I, too, feel that same irresistible call. Oh Radiant Lion, by experiencing this journey with you, I will undergo a metamorphosis and be the new me. That is what I believe.¡± ¡°Metamorphosis, huh...,¡± Eugene repeated doubtfully. ¡°Just like how a chrysalis transforms into a butterfly,¡± Carmen said as she quickened her pace. ¡°In this forest, through the aid of the World Tree, I will be a butterfly.¡± 1. The original text uses the Korean idiom, even in cold water, there are upper and lower temperatures. This phrase is meant to show the importance of hierarchy in everything, like how, in Korean society, it is very important for younger people to respect their elders. ? 2. This is a reference to a Korean fairy tale about someone raising a tiger cub only to be eaten by it once it grows up. A simr story with the same sort of moral is the farmer who saved a viper from drowning only to be bitten by it. ? 1. The original text uses the Korean idiom, even in cold water, there are upper and lower temperatures. This phrase is meant to show the importance of hierarchy in everything, like how, in Korean society, it is very important for younger people to respect their elders. ? 2. This is a reference to a Korean fairy tale about someone raising a tiger cub only to be eaten by it once it grows up. A simr story with the same sort of moral is the farmer who saved a viper from drowning only to be bitten by it. ? Chapter 514: Metamorphosis (2) During Eugene¡¯s third visit to the Rainforest, nothing special happened on their journey to the elven territory. The truth was, considering all of the dangers and other encounters that might ur in this vast forest, there wasn¡¯t possibly anything that could genuinely threaten the current Eugene. There might still be many monsters lurking in this forest, but unlike demonic beasts, these monsters knew the meaning of fear. As such, they would try to avoid facing any predators they were sure they would lose to, and even if such predators were to invade their territory, they would immediately give in and just run away. There was also no need to be wary of the natives this time as they had been during their past visits. All of the tribes in the forest had been conquered by the Zorans. And all of the more barbaric tribes that had been engaged in criminal activities, such as human trafficking and even cannibalism in the most severe cases, had had all of their vile customs and ferocity castrated by the Zoran Tribe. As a result of that, their journey through the forest had been peaceful and leisurely. The only surprise that urred during the trip was the unexpected arrival of the Zoran Tribe¡¯s Great Chieftain, Ivatar. Ivatar had asked Eugene why they hade to the forest without sending him word in advance, and he had immediately invited them to visit the Zoran Tribe, where they would be treated as official state guests. ¡°Next time,¡± Eugene had promised as he refused the invitation. He did hold a slight interest in seeing how far the Zoran Tribe had developed since he hadst visited them a few years ago, but that wasn¡¯t enough to warrant adding the visit to their itinerary. After Eugene had given such a firm refusal, Ivatar could only choose to drop the suggestion. But this was only natural, as Ivatar hade mainly to amodate Eugene¡¯s priorities and desires over his reputation as the Great Chieftain. ¡°May the blessing of the forest be with you,¡± Ivatar had said as they left. These weren¡¯t just polite words. In this forest, Ivatar''s words held enough power that they could almost serve as a heavenly mandate. With just those few words, he bestowed a blessing on Eugene and the rest of their party, making the rest of their journey that much more peaceful.¡°I wanted to take a look at the Zoran Tribe,¡± Carmen muttered with some regret. Carmen was well aware of how Ivatar and the rest of the Zoran Tribe¡¯s warriors were outstanding fighters. Out of the many warriors that she had met, the Zoran Tribe¡¯s carefully selected elites were among the few capable of providing effectivebat training for the Lionheart n¡¯s ck Lion Knights, and despite their Great Chieftain Ivatar being around the same young age as Eugene, he had already risen to join the ranks of the continent¡¯s strongest heroes. Due to that, Carmen had wanted to take a personal look at the Zoran Tribe. She wanted to see what kind of lives those brave, young warriors had lived and what kind of training they practiced to reach such strength. She thought that the experience as a whole might provide some of the nourishment necessary for her metamorphosis. Eugeneforted her, ¡°You can just look at themter, along with Ciel.¡± ¡°Later, you say,¡± Carmen snorted. ¡°Oh, Radiant Lion, I really don¡¯t have that much time left.¡± The way Carmen had said this, she could have easily made the people listening to here to the misunderstanding that she had some terminal illness. Eugene had this thought inside of the privacy of his head, but he didn¡¯t dare voice the words aloud to Carmen. This was because, judging from Eugene¡¯s many years of observation of her, Carmen was someone who would definitely be extremely interested in ying out the terminal illness character trope. Eugene began to imagine the scenario in his mind, ¡®Perhaps it¡¯ll go like this¡­ she will walk around with an unlit cigar in her mouth like she usually does, and then she would suddenly look serious and start coughing heavily. She might even go so far as to spit up some blood¡­.¡¯ Then, if the person next to her was startled and offered her a handkerchief, she might put on a fierce expression and push the handkerchief away, or maybe¡­ she might just shake her head with a forlorn expression and refuse the handkerchief in that way. If someone were to ask her what the name of her disease was, she would probably only give answers without any real substance to them, such as a disease that leads to death. [Seeing how you were able toe up with such detailed ideas on the spot, Sir Eugene, you and Lady Carmen really do have a lot inmon,] Mer observed. [Or would it be more urate to say that you both think in the same way?] As Mer let out a giggle from inside his cloak, without the slightest hesitation, Eugene responded rudely, ¡®Shut up.¡¯ Yet he felt that this response wasn¡¯t enough so Eugene also stuck his hand inside his cloak and started punishing her directly. As Eugene was upied with fiercely tickling the trapped Mer inside his cloak, Kristina asked Carmen, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Ciel disappointed to be left behind?¡± ¡°I have nothing more to teach that child. Because, from now on, she has to continue building on everything that she has umted thus far in order to perfect her own martial style,¡± Carmen said with a serious expression as she pulled out a cigar and held it between her lips. Eugene also found himself agreeing with those words. The twins, Cyan and Ciel, had already reached the limits of what geniuses at their ages could be taught. Breaking those limits and reaching the zone that went beyond mere genius was something that could only be left up to those two to aplish by themselves. Carmen sighed, ¡°Cyan and Ciel are extremely lucky. There is probably no other child with better luck than those two twins in the entire history of the Lionheart n. Except for you, of course.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene agreed, having no choice but to admit that the twins truly were blessed with good fortune. Being born into the prestigious Lionheart family and having ess to the White me Form was already fortunate enough, but on top of that, the twins had received many other blessings as well. While still holding the unlit cigar in her mouth, Carmen continued speaking, ¡°This is just my opinion, oh Radiant Lion, but I think that meeting you might have been the greatest stroke of fortune for Cyan and Ciel.¡± One of Carmen¡¯s hidden talents was her ability to speak with clear and urate pronunciation, even as she was holding a cigar in her mouth like right now. ¡°With your help, we kept the twins from bing mired in an inferiorityplex. So their inevitable sense of inferiority to you didn¡¯t turn into unseemly jealousy but was instead transformed into a positive desire for self-improvement. If they hadn¡¯t met you¡­ or if you hadn¡¯t concerned yourself with those twins, then those two¡­¡± Carmen paused for a few moments, then took out her cigar and rested it between her fingers. She let out a long sigh, as if she was actually breathing out the smoke from her cigar, then continued with a wry smile, ¡°The two of them would have be people not much different from Eward Lionheart.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t find any grounds to deny these words either. This was because Eugene was fully aware of just how terrible the personalities of the twins had been when they were only thirteen. Cyan had been like a wastrel from an aristocratic family who had been steeped in an elitist mindset, and Ciel had been a vicious brat who used underhanded and indirect means to manipte and prey on those around her. If the two had grown up in ordance with the personalities that they had while they were younger, they might have be a pair of cliched aristocratic viins like thosemonly found in fiction. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s not just the twins who have been fortunate, oh Radiant Lion. I also consider myself to have been very lucky to have met you,¡± Carmen confessed. ¡°That¡¯s far too high a praise, Lady Carmen,¡± Eugene said modestly. ¡°No,¡± Carmen firmly shook her head. ¡°This is by no means an exaggeration. Your very existence is the fortune of the Lionheart n. Due to your presence, the Lionhearts have undergone a new metamorphosis¡­.¡± It seems that she had recently be obsessed with the word metamorphosis. Eugene kept this thought to himself while silently listening to Carmen speak. Because, in any case, Carmen¡¯s words weren¡¯t giving off any sense of her usual pretentiousness and were ultimately apliment to Eugene. Carmen continued with her thoughts, ¡°Because you showed us your martial prowess, and because you shined your light and illuminated the way forward into the future, the twins, myself, and the Patriarch¡­ as well as everyone else in the Lionheart n, are able to follow your back. It seems that the founder of our Lionheart n, the Great Vermouth, meant to give you the gift of his White me Form by reincarnating you as his descendant, but for us, your reincarnation has a different meaning. Oh, Radiant Lion, the very fact that you were born as a Lionheart is the greatest gift to the Lionheart n.¡± Once Carmen had finished speaking, she ced her cigar back between her lips. It was obvious that each of the words that Carmen had spoken just now was full of her sincerity. In light of that, Eugene could not help but feel quite moved by Carmen¡¯s genuine gratitude. [Despite his looks, Hamel is actually quite easy to butter up[1],] Anisemented. ¡®It¡¯s because his heart is just that pure,¡¯ Kristina defended him. Anise responded skeptically, [No¡­ in my opinion, it doesn¡¯t have anything to do with purity of his heart. He¡¯s just that hungry for praise. Isn¡¯t there an old saying for something like this? Compliments can make even a bear dance.] ¡®Sister, Sir Eugene is a lion, not a bear,¡¯ Kristina reminded her. Anise sighed. [You should at least get the title right, Kristina. He¡¯s not just a lion; he¡¯s the Radiant Lion. Haven¡¯t you noticed? At some point, Hamel just started to ept his title as the Radiant Lion naturally¡­.] As Kristina and Anise continued to have their secret chat, Eugene wasn¡¯t paying them any attention; he was just exchanging nces with Carmen looking very moved. ¡°Thank you for those earnest words,¡± Eugene said gratefully. To think that Carmen had given such serious consideration to all that he had done for the Lionhearts. In the lingering afterglow of his pleasure at her sincere praise, Eugene smiled and offered his hand to Carmen. ¡°If you need my help, whenever that might be, just let me know. I¡¯m not sure what assistance I¡¯ll be able to provide you, but I will do my best to help you with your metamorphosis, Lady Carmen.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already shown such unbing stubbornness by forcing myself on your journey like this. As such, oh Radiant Lion, I didn¡¯t want to bother you any further. However¡­ if at all possible, could I impose on you for some verbal sparring sessions during the journey?¡± Carmen hopefully requested. Verbal sparring was a method of training where, instead of directly confronting each other with their bodies, both participants would imagine battling each other and reciting the actions they would take with only their mouths. Eugene didn¡¯t have much experience with this sort of thing, but he didn¡¯t worry about that for very long. ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t mind,¡± Eugene generously agreed to her request. An expert like Carmen could aplish all of her necessary daily training through simple meditation without needing to physically exercise her body. Even if it were a verbal sparring session that was only taking ce through their voices, Carmen would be able to instantly recreate the scenario in her mind and keep their imaginary battle going as she spoke. The same things also applied to Eugene. When they had repeatedly challenged the Dark Room in the past, Eugene and Carmen had faced off against each other quite a few times. If they were to duel right now, Eugene would definitely win, but the focus of this type of verbal sparring was not to decide victory or defeat; it was to exercise their instantaneous judgment and battle instincts. The point of verbal sparring was to consider what kind of measures one would use to ovee various difficult challenges. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s get started right away,¡± Carmen said, wasting no time as she immediately put her cigar back into its case. This act was a sign of how seriously she was nning to take their spar. Eugene didn¡¯t have any reason to refuse and simply nodded in agreement. In any case, they were on a straight path to the World Tree. In the past, it would have taken them several months just to get there and back, but now that they had Ivatar¡¯s blessing and the help of all sorts of spells, they should be able to arrive in a week at the very most. So, in that case, their verbal sparring could serve as some light entertainment during the journey. By verbally sparring with an expert like Carmen, Eugene would be forced to examine his fighting style from a wider perspective than the battle in front of him. ¡°How should we begin?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Let¡¯s decide who will attack first. Oh, Radiant Lion, do you mind if I take the liberty of the first move?¡± Carmen requested. If this were the past, Carmen would have definitely yielded the first strike to Eugene, even if the difference in skill had been reversed long ago. However, now, Carmen wanted to take the initiative. And no matter what, Carmen felt like it would now be the height of arrogance to give up the first strike to a Great Hero like Hamel. ¡°Go ahead,¡± Eugene easily conceded. The moment that Eugene had finished his reply, Carmen took a deep breath before rapidly spitting out, ¡°To start off, I will unleash a chain of iron fists when I am five steps in front of you, then I will target your waist, chest, and head at the same time with a Lunar Eclipse Kick and an Overlord Critical Strike[2].¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Eugene grunted in confusion. ¡°Chain of Iron Fists, Lunar Eclipse Kick, and Overlord Angled-Strike,¡± Carmen repeated. Was she making fun of him right now? For a moment, this question went through Eugene¡¯s head, but it was obvious that Carmen wasn¡¯t trying to make some sort of joke. She appeared to be waiting for Eugene¡¯s response with just as much vignce as if she had been standing on an actual battlefield. In her head, she was already picturing how the chain of Iron Fists would first disturb Eugene¡¯s vision while also serving as a temporary barrier, then her Lunar Eclipse Kick, a kick that would fly out in a curve shaped like a crescent moon, would sweep across his waist, before finally her Overlord Angled-Strike, a punch that could swerve at an almost right angle, would target Eugene¡¯s head, cracking it into pieces. Eugene took a moment to collect himself, ¡°Uh¡­ oh, right, I will draw my sword and start off with a kick¡ª¡± ¡°Is your kick aimed at the Lunar Eclipse Kick or the Overlord Angled-Strike?¡± Carmen quickly asked. ¡°Um¡­ it¡¯s aimed at the Lunar Eclipse Kick,¡± Eugene eventually decided. ¡°In any case, well, after blocking your Lunar Eclipse Kick, I will start to pressure you with some swordy¡ª¡± ¡°Swordy, you say,¡± Carmen hummed thoughtfully. ¡°By swordy, do you mean something like your Asura Rampage?¡± Once more, Eugene was sent off-bnce by the sudden question, and he weakly said, ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Eugene, it is very important to be specific during a verbal spar,¡± Carmen lectured. ¡°If you simply describe it as swordy, it will be difficult to understand what you mean exactly, so if you¡¯re picturing something like your Asura Rampage, make sure to say it clearly.¡± Was verbal sparring really supposed to be this stressful and embarrassing? Since he had never done it before, Eugene couldn¡¯t be sure if this was really how a verbal spar was supposed to work¡­. Eugene hesitantly continued, ¡°Ah¡­ yes¡­ then I¡¯ll perform my Asura Rampage¡­.¡± ¡°In that case, I will respond to your Asura Rampage with my Lightning Bolt. My Lightning Bolt pierces right through the center of your attack, scattering the sword-light of your Asura Rampage and heading for your chest,¡± Carmen described. ¡°But the sword lights of my Asura Rampage aren¡¯t weak enough to be scattered by a single punch¡­,¡± Eugene slowlyined. ¡°In order for us to have a properly in-depth verbal spar, we have to make a fewpromises with reality. Because the important thing to pay attention to during this exercise is to try and think up various solutions to different situations instead of simply relying on a contest of strength,¡± Carmen exined. After hearing Carmen put it like that, Eugene felt like her words made sense. ¡°In that case¡­ I¡­ will counterattack your Lightning Bolt with my own Lightning Counter¡­,¡± Eugene responded carefully. ¡°To think you would counter my Lightning Bolt with your own Lightning Counter! What a brilliant and impressive move,¡± Carmen said with a bright smile as she gave Eugene a thumbs up. While these two were caught up in their childish conversation and swapping each other''s embarrassing names for their techniques, Sienna was trailing along at the very back of the group. Normally, she would have beenughing at Eugene¡¯s foolish behavior or perhaps even joining in with the stupidity, but Sienna currently didn¡¯t have any attention to spare for that as she was deep in thought while holding on tightly to Bloody Mary. In front of Sienna, Amelia was walking along while wearing a decent robe instead of her previous bup sack. Her eyes were still vacant and empty, but at least she wasn¡¯t walking as if she was about to fall over at any moment like she hadst time. Crackle. A ck electric current crackled around Amelia as she continued to walk slightly ahead of Sienna. This was a sign that Sienna was drawing on Amelia¡¯s dark power. Sienna had her attention divided into several different directions and was casting multiple spells at the same time. Upon looking into the ancient ck magic recorded in Bloody Mary, Sienna had found that, past a certain point, there was a seal that made it difficult to dig any deeper. It was buried so deeply that most of the previous Staffs of Incarceration probably hadn¡¯t even noticed the seal that had been ced on Bloody Mary. However, who was she? Only the Wise Sienna, the most exceptional wizard in this world. Whether it was the past, present, or future, it was impossible for any other wizard as exceptional as Sienna to appear. But even with the Sienna devoting herself to breaking through the seal, it wasn¡¯t so easy to pierce through theyers of protection. On top of that, she found it impossible to break through the seal without also applying ck magic to it. But in that case, all she needed to do was to apply some ck magic. As expected of her, Sienna quickly found a solution by using Amelia as her dark power battery. After boldly extracting this dark power from Amelia and applying a mixture of her own magic and ck magic, it quickly became possible to get a clear glimpse behind the seal that had been ced on Bloody Mary. ¡®No human could have cast this ck magic,¡¯ Sienna hade to realize after having spent nights working on the problem. Although she couldn¡¯tpletely open the seal or fullyprehend whaty in the depths of Bloody Mary, Sienna could at least reach a few preliminary conclusions. ¡®This is the magic of a Demon King. Or perhaps¡­ the magic of some transcendent existence on the same level as a Demon King,¡¯ Sienna suspected. Could it have been one of the gods from the ancient era? While she couldn¡¯t be sure of the precise details, Sienna was at least certain that this wasn¡¯t any human magic. Sienna had used herself as the basis for this. If this were three hundred years ago ¡ª no, even just a few years ago ¡ª Sienna wouldn¡¯t have been able to understand the magic sealed within Bloody Mary. And even if she had been able to scratch the bare surface in her understanding of the spells within, she still wouldn¡¯t have been able to attempt to cast any of them herself. However, now¡­. Sienna silently held up Bloody Mary in one hand while Frost was in the other. She slowly crossed the two in front of her as she nervously licked her lips. Then she uttered a short chant that didn¡¯t sound like it was spoken in any knownnguage. The spell that she cast had both the dark power that she had extracted from Amelia, and Sienna¡¯s own mana melded into it. Both the Dragonhearts fused into Bloody Mary and Frost glowed in different shades of color. ¡°Ugh¡­,¡± Sienna groaned. After a vibration that was strong enough to leave her palms tingling, the dark power and mana fused together to be a single crystal floating in front of Sienna. She intended to stop the spell at this point because her intuition instinctively sent her a warning. ¡®This isn¡¯t a power that I can control just yet,¡¯ Sienna thought to herself. She might still be able to cast the full spell, but she wasn¡¯t sure what kind of bacsh there would be. If¡­ if her adjustments failed and this power went out of control, then setting aside the danger of anyone here being killed, the forest itself might simply be erased. ¡®How could there be this much power from just mixing the two together¡­? No, that¡¯s not it. The fact that they were able to fuse like this is far from simple. It was only possible because the spell uses a method of mixing the two different forces together that is beyond my understanding,¡¯ Sienna thought quickly as she gulped. Deciding to dissipate this mass of power that was too difficult for her to control just yet, Sienna let out a short sigh as she lowered both staffs. Or at least she tried to separate the forces and lower her staff, but things didn¡¯t happen as she had intended. The forces that had joined together somehow managed to escape Sienna¡¯s control. At this moment, an uncontroble fear shed through Sienna¡¯s mind, ¡®Is it going wild?¡¯ To think that these forces and the spell would actually go out of control! A shiver ran down Sienna¡¯s spine. It had been a long time since she hadst experienced this kind of loss of control. To be more precise, she had experienced several failures and simr outbursts when creating her Eternal Hole, but she had never experienced any failures with magic since creating her Eternal Hole. This outburst would be a particrly dangerous one. This wasn¡¯t just any ordinary spell going out of control. Considering the forces that had gone into the spell, the resulting force would be especially violent, powerful, and barbaric enough that it had already put Sienna off the thought of experimenting with it. So what would happen if this force ran wild and exploded? Eugene and the rest of the party might be able to protect themselves somehow, but the entire Rainforest might get blown away. That was just how dangerous her current situation was, but Sienna didn¡¯t fall into panic. The moment this force escaped her control, Sienna immediately activated her Absolute Decree. She focused all her strength on somehow containing this force and dissipating it. ¡®What the?¡¯ Sienna was suddenly taken aback. The results of her efforts, no, the intuition that her efforts would be fruitless, shocked Sienna. Although she had been able to respond to the loss of control without panicking, Sienna truly couldn¡¯t help but get flustered now. She hadn¡¯t been able to contain the force. It was already running out of control. There was no doubt that it would burst at any moment now. However, there wasn¡¯t any danger. Instead¡­ instead, this power that had been on the brink of running wild now seemed to somehow be guiding Sienna. She had previously decided that she couldn¡¯t control it, so she had tried to take it apart and put the spell away for the moment, but it seemed as if the power itself had had its own will and was rejecting Sienna¡¯s decision. ¡®Hold on¡­,¡¯ Sienna suddenly thought. A spark of inspiration illuminated the inside of her head. Sienna quickly changed her mind. She stopped trying to suppress this power that had gone out of control, and instead, she began to focus on the power¡¯s movement. Following its guidance, Sienna observed the flow of movement within the concentration of power. Even though all it was doing was moving in ce, Sienna was slowly able to piece together something from its movements. She was learning how to use this power to fuel a spell and how to control it sessfully. Along with her fresh enlightenment, this phenomenon left Sienna with a strange sense of doubt. Why was something like this happening? Why was the out-of-control power moving as if it was trying to teach her something? And its guidance¡­. ¡°...?¡± Sienna had sensed something strange. Right at that moment, Sienna heard some kind of sound. Although it was fleeting, that sound had resembled someone¡¯s voice. To be more precise, it was the faint sound ofughter. Fwoooosh! Following theughter, the power¡¯s movements changed. Ending the lesson it had been demonstrating to Sienna, it began to move in a different, less orderly fashion. That said, it didn¡¯t seem to be in any danger of going back out of control either. Sienna flinched in surprise but kept watching the internal movements of the power without interfering. The crystal of power that was gathered in front of her crossed staffs swirled, and then¡­ Boooom! ¡­the power exploded. But there wasn¡¯t any explosive force behind the explosion. Instead, thousands of colorful flower petals were scattered in all directions. Sienna blinked in surprise as she stared at the slowly dissipating flower petals. ¡°...Wh-what the?¡± Sienna couldn¡¯t help but stammer. Sienna still didn¡¯t quite understand what exactly had happened. However, she was able to be clear about this much, at the very least. Through the guidance that she had received just now, Sienna had learned how to control this power. Sienna wanted to give this matter some deeper thought before trying it, but that wasn¡¯t possible for now. This was because her head didn¡¯t seem to be in proper working condition. Even though she hadn¡¯t been able to cast the spell fully, Sienna had still been left exhausted by it. She was having a hard time even walking, so she even momentarily considered getting Amelia to crawl on the ground so that she could sit on Amelia¡¯s back. Focussing through the pounding headache she had suddenly developed, Sienna raised her head to look forward. Her eyes met with Eugene and Carmen, who were staring back at her with wide eyes. ¡°Um¡­ that was nothing, really,¡± Sienna said, trying to cover things up for now. The moment she finished speaking, Carmen burst out in an awestruck exmation, ¡°What was that power just now?¡± ¡°That? Um¡­ that was just a new spell that I, the Wise Lady Sienna, have created¡­,¡± Sienna awkwardly lied. ¡°Oh, a special move spell¡­!¡± Carmen said excitedly. ¡°You¡¯ll need an impressive name for that then.¡± ¡°I-I¡¯ll think of one on my own, so please don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Sienna stammered in rm as she tried to back away from Carmen. 1. The original text uses the Korean idiom that his ears are actually quite thin, which carries the same meaning. I was considering using he¡¯s as easy to butter up as a piece of toast, but I felt that it was a bit too borate. ? 2. This is a tricky term to trante. It uses a bit of inte ng that was first developed from MOBAs. It refers to the type of attack thates in at the exact right timing and angle to hit the weak-point. ?
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: It¡¯s weird how much of a family resemnce there is between Eugene and Carmen. Or maybe it¡¯s not that weird if you think about it? Momo: Eugene definitely found a kindred spirit in Carmen.
Chapter 515: Metamorphosis (3)

Chapter 515: Metamorphosis (3)

Sienna couldn''t go along with Carmen¡¯s passionate exmation and give this magic the name of a spell because this was still just a new type of power, not an actual spell. However, Sienna did think that there was a need to give this new type of power a name. This power was neither mana nor dark power. It was a power that had been created bybining the two through ancient methods that had been stored in Bloody Mary¡¯s memory. For now, Sienna decided to give it the name Soul Power. She had tried to repeat the experiment a few more times after that, but nothing like what had happened during the first time around reurred. The creation of the soul power itself was a smooth sess. Her attempts to control the soul power also went well. However, because of that, the soul power didn¡¯t start moving on its own like before. ¡®What could it have been?¡¯ Sienna was lost in thought as she moved the crystal of soul power here and there. Could it be... that she had gained some sort of enlightenment after bing overly immersed in the magic? Had she be so absorbed in focus that she entered a state of oneness with the magic and had managed to get a glimpse of what it could be? Or else, had miracles started to pop up around her as she grew closer to bing the Goddess of Magic? Sienna came up with all sorts of different ideas, but she couldn¡¯t settle on an answer. In the first ce, she now felt suspicious about whether or not the soul power truly had been teaching her how to control it. Could it be that she was so immersed in what was happening with the magic that she had fooled herself into thinking that it was moving on its own? But then, what was with that sound ofughter? ¡®I don¡¯t have any clues,¡¯ Sienna thought in frustration. Even after giving it a lot of thought, she still couldn¡¯t find a possible answer. So Sienna decided to just give up on that line of thought for now. Instead, she began to experiment with the methods for how to apply the soul power now that she was able to control it quite easily. The simplest and most intuitive method was to use soul power in ce of mana. It wasn¡¯t just simple and intuitive; it was also an easy experiment to conduct, and Sienna quickly managed to produce results. The oue turned out to be even more powerful than expected. Usually, all low-level circle spells would perform at the same power level, even if someone like Sienna was the one casting them. However, when Sienna used soul power instead of mana to fuel the spell, the absolute power of her Absolute Decree was activated even without her consciously trying to use it. ¡°Urrrrgh...,¡± Sienna groaned. But using soul power like this also came with its downsides. Every time she used this powerful force, it left Sienna feeling extremely exhausted because it was still difficult for her to fully control its use. If she managed to gainplete control over her soul power,pletely rece the mana within her Eternal Hole with soul power, and grew skilled enough to use this power to activate her Absolute Decree and cast spells with it, then.... ¡®Wouldn¡¯t I be able to fight the Demon King of Incarceration?¡¯ When she considered the full potential of soul power, that was the first thought that naturally came to Sienna¡¯s mind. Soul power was indeed powerful. Mana and dark power had to be mixed together to create soul power. In Sienna¡¯s case, she was extracting the needed dark power from Amelia. And most of that dark power actually belonged to the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®Amelia has her own reserves of dark power, but the difference in quality is far too extreme,¡¯ Sienna noted in disappointment. So would it be effective to attack the Demon King of Incarceration with soul power that had his own dark power mixed into it? Sienna actually believed that it was possible to do so. Because regardless of the source of the dark power, the moment that it was mixed together with mana to create soul power, it took onpletely different properties. However, in the end, this power was still something that had been sealed away within Bloody Mary. This might indeed be magic from the ancient era, stolen from behind its seal by Sienna... but someone who was potentially connected to the Demon King of Incarceration had to have recorded it within Bloody Mary in the first ce, so could this method truly be effective against the Demon King of Incarceration? ¡®I can¡¯t just simply trail behind the others, not this time,¡¯ Sienna vowed to herself. Sienna couldn¡¯t forget that day in Babel three hundred years ago. It was the day that Hamel died. The day when the future that Sienna had dreamt of and longed for was shattered into pieces. At that time, Sienna was depressed and sorrowful, but more than anything else, she was enraged and full of hate. She had held the Demon King of Incarceration responsible for everything that had happened on that day ¡ª no, for everything that had gone wrong for her even before then. If she could just kill the Demon King of Incarceration, then... she had the feeling that something would change. Hamel had already died, but so long as the Demon King of Incarceration was killed, and they somehow managed to recover Hamel¡¯s soul, then... Sienna had felt that she might somehow be able to reunite with Hamel. Regardless of whether such a thing was even possible, at that moment, Sienna wouldn¡¯t have been able to continue living without clinging to such an absurd hope. That was why she had told herself that she would definitely y the Demon King of Incarceration. She had to do it, no matter what. However, even after mustering such a firm resolve, their efforts had proved futile and they were left defeated. On that day, in the royal pce of Babel, Sienna had been the least useful of all thepanions. None of her spells could even make proper contact with the Demon King of Incarceration. Anise¡¯s light had refused to go out even when smothered by chains, and Molon had continued to advance with a roar even as all of his limbs were held back by the Demon King¡¯s chains. However, Sienna¡¯s magic couldn¡¯t even put up any resistance to the chains of Incarceration. On that day, in the royal pce, Sienna had barely been able to fulfill her role as the party¡¯s wizard. The helplessness and despair she had felt at that time left a lingering trauma in Sienna. The creation of the Eternal Hole and the creation of her Absolute Decree were all for the sake of being able to confront the Demon King of Incarceration in battle. ¡®Soul power is undeniably strong. However, there is no guarantee that it will definitely be able to counter the Demon King of Incarceration. First of all, I need to gain a deeper understanding of the magic sealed within Bloody Mary....¡¯ Sienna quickly lost herself in her nning. ¡°What are you thinking so deeply about?¡± Eugene suddenly said from beside her. Sienna raised her head in surprise and spun towards him, ¡°Wh-what is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve barely said anything after what happened back there,¡± Eugene pointed out. He had already heard from Sienna what had actually happened a few days ago. Sienna had managed to read the memories sealed within Bloody Mary and had learned how to create soul power by mixing mana and dark power together. Even though she had yet to use soul power in a proper attack, Eugene had already sensed how strong soul power could potentially be. He got the feeling that if Sienna did decide to attack him using soul power, he wouldn¡¯t be able to meet her attack without using the Empty Sword or the Moonlight Sword. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if this is the right thing to do,¡± Sienna finally admitted while pouting her lips in frustration. For some reason, she felt annoyed at the sight of the back of Amelia¡¯s head and the way that the necromancer was just walking along in front of her with a nk look on her face. ¡°In the end, Bloody Mary has been passed down through a session of the previous Staffs of Incarceration, hasn¡¯t it? And the seal inside the staff was probably done by the Demon King of Incarceration himself. If that¡¯s the case, then doesn¡¯t that mean I¡¯m just ying right into the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration by studying this magic?¡± Sienna grumbled as she gathered a bit of mana to the end of her fingertip and shot it at Amelia¡¯s head. Thwack! Immediately following this crisp sound, Amelia¡¯s head snapped forward. ¡°Then isn¡¯t it fine if you just don¡¯t study it? There¡¯s no need to be so obsessed with the magic sealed within Bloody Mary. Can¡¯t you just create a simr magic using different methods?¡± Eugene suggested, not caring in the slightest that Sienna had suddenly pelted Amelia without any warning. ¡°However, it feels too wasteful to just leave it like this,¡± Siennained. ¡°After all, aside from the fact that it¡¯s ck magic, it¡¯s such a fascinating piece of magic. And besides, this might not truly be ck magic.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°So it¡¯s actually ancient magic?¡± Sienna paused uncertainly, ¡°Hmm, it feels like there are pieces that look like ck magic mixed in here and there, but then again.... In any case, I get the feeling that it wasn¡¯t any human who created this spell. That¡¯s what bothers me so, so much. Why would the Demon King of Incarceration just leave it sealed like this?¡± ¡°He might not even know about it,¡± Eugene offered a guess. ¡°Are you being serious right now?¡± Sienna demanded as she shot Eugene a narrow-eyed re. ¡°It would be absurd for the Demon King of Incarceration to not know about it. He must have deliberately... left it there. But why?¡± ¡°Even the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s mother wouldn¡¯t be able to tell what that bastard is thinking or what he actually wants. Though I don¡¯t know if a bastard like him even had a mother,¡± Eugene scoffed with a calm expression on his face. But Carmen, who had been walking in front of them, couldn¡¯t help but stop in shock at such an irreverent remark. However, in the end, Carmen didn¡¯t choose to correct Eugene on his careless remark. This was because, while Eugene¡¯s face was, of course, as calm as ever, Carmen found that Sienna and Kristina¡¯s expressions were equally unperturbed. ¡°Does a Demon King even have parents?¡± Eugene idly wondered. ¡°Of course, they¡¯ve had to have parents,¡± Sienna argued. ¡°It¡¯s not like they would just pop out of the ground.¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°That might be the case with other Demon Kings, but you can¡¯t be sure about the Demon King of Incarceration. After all, doesn¡¯t it seem like that guy must have died ande back to life after the destruction of the old world?¡± Carmen Lionheart initially had high expectations when taking part in this journey. Their destination was the World Tree, whose very existence was close to legendary. There was also the elven domain, which had always been shrouded in secrecy. Herpanions on the journey to this legendary site were the Radiant Eugene Lionheart, the reincarnation of Hamel, the Wise Sienna, and the current Saint, Kristina Rogeris. She had thought that this would be an adventure that would go down in legend. Carmen had also hoped that through this adventure she would undergo a metamorphosis that would make her even stronger. However, nothing had really happened so far. Their journey had been leisurely, more like a walk in the park than a true adventure, and there hadn¡¯t even been any danger. ¡°Is this the difference between reality and fantasy?¡± Carmen muttered to herself as she shook her head in disappointment. Still, she had managed to learn a few things on this journey. Her frequent verbal spars with Eugene had freed up Carmen¡¯s situational thinking, and she had also discovered the strong bond that seemed to exist between Sienna and Eugene, with the way those two bickered all day long.... ¡°Whoooaaa...!¡± Carmen gasped in awe. Only a few hours ago, Carmen had been thinking and muttering to herself about the difference between reality and fantasy, but now, such disappointing thoughts hadpletely disappeared from her mind. Instead, emotions such as surprise, joy, and admiration filled her mind after seeing an image that surely belonged in fantasy appear in reality. ¡°The World Tree!¡± Carmen shouted excitedly while raising both hands in the air. The scenery sprawling out in front of her eyes was so fantastic that she couldn¡¯t help but be left with the urge to shout like this. The saplings of the World Tree that had been nted at the Lionheart estate were muchrger than other ordinary trees, but they couldn¡¯tpare to the true World Tree. The majesty of the World Tree, which was so tall that it seemed to touch the sky, was apparent for all to see. The way the branches were so spread out made it seem as if they were actually holding up the sky. And all the leaves still managed to cover the space between the branches! Carmen felt her heart flutter as she walked forward. Beneath the World Tree, she saw a vige that looked like it had been left in ruins for hundreds of years. ¡°And the elves...!¡± Carmen gasped out in emotion. Although she had seen many elves in the Lionheart¡¯s mansion, the elves living in harmony with the World Tree still felt more mysterious to her. ¡°It looks a lot better,¡± Eugene muttered as he looked down at the World Tree that stretched all the way up to the sky and the elven vige thaty at its roots. When he hade here with Kirstina just a few years ago, thend had been frozen on the verge of death. Mana had been virtually non-existent, and the branches and leaves of the World Tree had seemed like they would crumble at the slightest touch. Now, that was no longer the case. The air was filled with mana, and the presence of spirits could also be felt everywhere they went. Although thisnd had once seemed like a ce where nothing could survive, it had now be a ce where all life could thrive. ¡°That¡¯s natural; after all, Raizakia¡¯s putrid poison has beenpletely purified, and the elves have all been awoken,¡± Sienna said with a smile. ¡°Eugene, this is the first time you¡¯re visiting my hometown with me beside you, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°I wanted toe and pick you upst time, but you told me not toe,¡± Eugene pointed out. Sienna sniffed, ¡°Who would want to be seen directly after waking up from a slumber thatsted hundreds of years?¡± ¡°But it was alright for me to see what you looked like when you were still asleep?¡± Eugene teased. Ignoring his jibe, Sienna strode forward. She deliberately drew out Frost as if she wanted to show it off and began skipping towards the elven vige. The elves in the vige let out a cry as soon as they spotted Sienna. ¡°It¡¯s Sienna!¡± This might be restating the obvious, but the elves were a race with a reputation for being universally beautiful. Without any need to put on makeup or pay any extra attention to what they were wearing, any one of them could have made someone from any other race look ugly just by standing next to them. ¡°....Ahem,¡± Sienna embarrassedly cleared her throat. Sienna had grown up amongst this beautiful race of people. Although none of the elves had ever directly told her that she was ugly from a young age, Sienna couldn¡¯t help but unfavorablypare her appearance to those around her. After all, no matter where she looked, all she could see were elves, so it was inevitable for her to feel ugly inparison. But this was all just an old story from her childhood when she didn¡¯t know any better. The current Sienna was well aware of just how beautiful and wise she really was. In particr, she could still clearly recall that firstpliment she had received from Hamel three hundred years ago when he had called her pretty, which had given her the firm desire to someday return to her hometown with Hamel beside her. ¡®Though I wanted it to be for something like our honeymoon,¡¯ Sienna thought to herself, feeling just slightly disappointed. *** A hugeke bordered one side of the World Tree. The elven Elder¡¯s home was built on thekeside. ¡°If you had sent word in advance, I would surely have prepared a grand banquet to wee you,¡± the Elderined. The Elder had fine wrinkles on his face and even sported a beard, which was uncharacteristic of an elf. His name was Edsillon, and he was currently the oldest living elf in this vige, having reached over eight hundred years old. ¡°Why go so far as to prepare a banquet?¡± Sienna muttered childishly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you sayst time that....¡± Edsillon¡¯s kindly smiling eyes shook slightly as his words trailed off. He had this reaction because, right at that moment, Sienna had shot him an intense re. Before she had left for Aroth to meet with Eugene, Sienna had made an embarrassing deration to Edsillon and the rest of the elves during her departure. Sienna silently writhed in embarrassment. At that time, they had all just returned to life after being trapped in a state of near death. Everyone in the vige had known that, on a fundamental level, they owed their lives to Sienna. But before they could even begin to convey their gratitude and attempt to repay her for it, Sienna had been forced to leave the elven territory. They couldn¡¯t hold her back for longer. After all, this was the Wise Sienna. The elves may have been in a deep slumber along with Sienna for the past hundreds of years, but even they were aware of how eagerly the world was awaiting her return. So they had given in and sent her off. However, during the send-off, all of the elves had been shedding tears. Naturally, Sienna had also been crying. While weeping and hugging them one by one, she had spoken confidently in an attempt to reassure them all. ¡ªThe next time I return, I will be bringing my husband with me. But that time hadn¡¯te just yet. In the first ce, those words were meant as an expression of her determination to only return after defeating the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. She had never expected that she would actually be returning earlier like this.... While feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over her, Sienna cleared her throat, ¡°Ahem.... How are Signard... and the other elves doing?¡± ¡°Your older brother is doing well. His Demonic Disease isn¡¯t getting better, but it isn¡¯t getting worse either. The same goes for the other elves as well,¡± Edsillon replied. Sienna smiled, ¡°That¡¯s all thanks to the help of the Lionhearts. Edsillon¡¯s expression settled, and he resumed his kind smile. He turned and bowed his head to Eugene, who was sitting next to Sienna, before asking, ¡°May I have the honor of knowing your name?¡± Edsillon had heard a lot about Eugene from Sienna. He knew that Eugene was the one who had in the Demon-Dragon Raizakia, the culprit responsible for poisoning Sienna, the elves, and even the World Tree. He was also Hamel¡¯s reincarnation and Vermouth¡¯s descendant. ¡°You can just call me Eugene Lionheart,¡± Eugene replied politely. No matter how irreverent Eugene might usually be, he could not be disrespectful to Edsillon, an Elder who was over eight hundred years old. ¡°Alright, Sir Eugene Lionheart, my apologies for thete greeting,¡± Edsillon said. ¡°In fact, it would have been more appropriate for me to have visited the Lionhearts in person, or at least sent a representative, but....¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene reassured him. Eugene was well aware of the elves¡¯ current busy situation. Sienna had used magic to reconstruct her body to full health immediately, but the rest of the elves who had woken up from their slumber weren¡¯t able to do likewise. Even though the poison affecting them had been purified, they still needed time to recover before they could once again move their bodies with ease. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have been safe. Although there have been barely any elves being enved since the Lionhearts publicly became the guardians of the elves, there are those in this world who be more insistent on doing something the more they are told not to do it,¡± Carmen, who had been sitting in a dignified posture, also spoke up. She currently felt joyful and excited to be in the presence of an elf who was over eight hundred years old and who, moreover, was the highest authority figure of their entire race. ¡°We elves will never forget the Lionheart n¡¯s kindness. Our entire race shall always be the Lionheart n¡¯s lifelong allies, and we will be sure to sing the Lionheart¡¯s praises for the hundreds and even thousands of years toe,¡± Edsillon promised as he bowed his head towards Carmen. These words caused Carmen to feel even happier. Almost unable to bear the emotions surging within her, she ced one hand on the lion sigil above her left breast. The radiant light of the lion sigil shone brightly through Carmen¡¯s fingers. *** Their conversationsted for a long time after that. Edsillon showed such fondness for Eugene that it almost felt burdensome. This was partly because Eugene was the savior of the elven race, but at the same time, it was also because Edsillon was treating Eugene as Sienna¡¯s fiance. When their private chat finally ended, Sienna changed the topic and said, ¡°I¡¯vee here in order to seek your advice on some magic.¡± At these words, Edsillon¡¯s eyes lit up in interest, ¡°With how busy you are with all of your affairs outside the forest, I did think that it was strange for you toe and visit us without a reason for doing so... but to think that you would be looking for advice regarding magic. I have to say, I don¡¯t believe there¡¯s anything that I will even be able to offer you in regards to that.¡± ¡°But I¡¯ve heard from Sienna that you¡¯re the master who taught her magic,¡± Eugene said with a frown. ¡°Her master! I¡¯m not a great enough wizard to im such a title. Furthermore, I wasn¡¯t the only one responsible for teaching Sienna magic. It was the previous generations of elders, who have since returned to the embrace of the World Tree... and also...,¡± Edsillon slowly shook his head with a sad smile. ¡°...there were many other elves who... due to the Demon King, demonfolk, and Demonic Disease... were forced to return to the World Tree before their time.¡± ¡°However, you were the elder responsible for first teaching me magic,¡± Sienna insisted with a somewhat lonely smile. Nowadays, of all the elves who had once taught Sienna how to use magic, the only one still living was Edsillon. ¡°You were always such a brilliant and astonishing child,¡± Edsillon said as he closed his eyes in remembrance. ¡°It was as if a child had been born with all the blessings mana and magic could give them. Through rituals that are unique to each tribe, the barbarians living in the forest are able to use certain special powers that they call blessings, but you, you were something different altogether, Sienna. You had those blessings ¡ª no ¡ª those transcendent protections ced on you from the very beginning.¡± ¡°Of course I was special,¡± Sienna eagerly listened to these words with a proud smile. Edillon¡¯s eyes reopened as he gazed at Sienna as if he were looking at his own beloved child. ¡°I remember when Signard first brought you back from the forest with him. He was carrying a newborn baby in a basket. Now that baby is all grown up. I remember when I first tried to teach you magic... haha, now that I think about it, I¡¯m sure it was mere child¡¯s y to you.¡± Sienna raised her chin proudly, ¡°You could even consider it to be the most important thing you have ever done in your life, isn¡¯t that right, Elder?¡± ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve also had that same thought,¡± Edsillon conceded. ¡°In any case, after I first taught you magic... because of the genius you showed, even then, all of the elves in the forest with any skill in magic came to teach you what they knew. Do you remember that, Sienna? And by the time you left the forest, there wasn¡¯t a single wizard among those elves who could im to be superior to you.¡± ¡°Ahaha, of course, I remember,¡± Sienna said with a fond smile. ¡°Since you are already fully aware of that, whye here seeking my advice?¡± Edsillon asked with a curious light in his eyes. At this question, Sienna snapped her fingers at Eugene. Without asking her why she had done so, Eugene lifted his cloak and pulled out Akasha. Edsillon gasped, ¡°Ah, Akasha! It¡¯s been so long since Ist¡ª¡± Sienna also summoned Frost andid it down next to Akasha. When he saw Frost, Edsillon¡¯s eyes widened into circles, ¡°That¡¯s... I don¡¯t know what the name of that staff is, but if my eyes aren¡¯t mistaken, it seems as if it has also been made with a Dragonheart¡ª¡± Before Edsillon had even finished speaking, Sienna also summoned Bloody Mary and ced it next to the other two staffs. ¡°Haaah...,¡± Edsillon was left not knowing what to say as he looked at the three staffsid out in front of him. ¡°I wonder if he would be as taken aback if he saw an actual dragon,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. Chapter 516: Metamorphosis (4)

Chapter 516: Metamorphosis (4)

The advice that Sienna was seeking from Edsillon had to do with the very distant past that wasn¡¯t even a part of recorded history. It concerned the previous Staffs of Incarceration who had held office prior to the era of war. The only Staff of Incarceration that Sienna had ever personally known was Belial, who had cursed Hamel at the moment of his death and had indirectly caused Hamel to die. There wasn¡¯t any need to look into the Staffs of Incarceration who had followed Belial. What Sienna was really curious about was who were the Staffs of Incarceration before Belial. Just how long ago was the position first created? Was Bloody Mary passed down through the hands of the Staffs of Incarceration from the very beginning? Also, Sienna wanted to know more about the ancient magic that had been recorded within Bloody Mary. Edsillon was the one who first taught Sienna the basics of magic, and everything that he had taught her was based on elven magic and other ancient magics, not human magic. If there were any other active dragons, Sienna might have gone to them to ask for advice, but unfortunately, the only dragons who were currently active were Raimira and Ariartelle. Raimira had been confined to the Dragon Demon Castle, and she had never gotten the chance to learn her race¡¯s magic properly. Ariartelle¡¯s situation wasn¡¯t all that much different. Her magic skills might be far superior to Raimira¡¯s, but apart from a few years as a hatchling, she had mostly grown up on her own, so Ariratelle was, for the most part, self-taught in the Circle Magic Form. As a result, it was impossible for Ariartelle to presume to give Sienna advice on such matters. ¡°I have borrowed a few volumes of books on ancient magic,¡± Sienna told Edsillon. After returning from Nahama, on their way back to the Lionheart estate in Kiehl, Sienna had gone looking for Ariartelle on her own to borrow a few books of ancient magic. Although it was a sudden request made without any prior notice, Ariartelle had readily epted the request. That was just how much Ariartelle respected Sienna when it came to the study of magic. ¡°But they didn¡¯t have anything that I was really interested in. As for what was in them, there wasn¡¯t anything that really made me go ¡®Wow!¡¯ instead, it was all just... kinda boring? I realized that just because some magic is old doesn¡¯t mean it has to be all that great,¡± Sienna said with a disappointed pout. ¡°There¡¯s a reason why some things that are lost to history stay lost,¡± Edsillon said with a wry smile as he shook his head. ¡°Just because something is an ancient piece of magic doesn¡¯t necessarily mean that it is anything particrly mysterious and amazing. You¡¯ll find that most ancient magic is primitive and crude, far inferior to modern magic. After all, isn¡¯t magic just another field of science? The magic of today is something that we have arrived at byplementing and developing the magic of the past. Of course, as someone working on the cutting edge of such research, you should already be fully aware of this, Sienna.¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Sienna coughed with a proud look on her face. It naturally left her in a good mood to hear such recognition from the master who had taught her magic from a young age. That was still the case even though this wasn¡¯t the first time she had heard him give such recognition; in fact, she had been told things like those dozens of times before now. Sienna threw her shoulders back with a proud tilt of her chin as she nced over at Eugene, Krisitna, and Carmen. Her look tantly said they should be apuding in recognition of all that she had achieved. Just as tantly, Eugene ignored the obvious message behind her gaze. Anise, who couldn¡¯t bear to see Sienna showing off like this, also kept Kristina from apuding. Surprisingly, even Carmen refrained from pping. She was so fascinated by the arcane mysteries being discussed by the Elder of the elves and the Wise Sienna that she didn¡¯t have any spare attention for Sienna herself. ¡°...Hmph,¡± Sienna snorted, her shoulders not slumping in the slightest despite being so obviously disregarded. Nodding her head slightly, she gestured to Bloody Mary with one hand and moved the conversation forward, ¡°However, Elder, the magic recorded in that staff is... exceedingly mysterious and... obscure. I¡¯m certain it ispletely different from any other ancient magic I¡¯ve encountered thus far.¡± ¡°But ultimately, isn¡¯t it just another type of ck magic?¡± Edsillon questioned with a frown. Sienna hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s true, but... we can¡¯t just ignore the depth of its value and potential out of a blind rejection of all things ck magic.¡± ¡°Haha,¡± Edsillonughed softly as he shook his head. ¡°I would never have expected to hear such an evaluation of ck magicing from you. But Sienna, I don¡¯t see how I will possibly be able toprehend magic that even you are having a hard time understanding.¡± ¡°When I first saw this magic, I had a strange feeling about it,¡± Sienna revealed. ¡°But Elder, I¡¯m afraid that you might be offended by the conclusions that I have reached.¡± ¡°Just say what you have to say,¡± Edsillon encouraged her. Sienna took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°Part of the ancient magic recorded in the depths of Bloody Mary resembles elven magic.¡± At Sienna¡¯s words, Edsillon¡¯s smile disappeared from his face. Elven magic, as the name suggested, was literally a type of magic solely passed down through the elves, and even if others had tried to learn it, it was basically impossible to use unless you were an elf. The sole exception to this rule was Sienna. Having grown up among the elves since childhood, she had managed to learn and cast part of the elven magic even though she was a human rather than an elf. However, Sienna had never managed to teach any of her elven magic to other human wizards or even refine any of the spells that she had learned into reproducible theories or forms. This was because there was no such thing as forms when it came to elven magic. It might be called magic, but Sienna felt that it had more inmon with the holy magic that was used by the priests. Where a priest would pray to the god they believe in and ask their deity for aid, elven magic would call upon mana itself for its effect. So, elven magic was able to draw on the ambient mana and manifest magical phenomena by resonating with this mana. ¡°This staff will only record its wielder¡¯s magic. It doesn¡¯t just record their forms; it also preserves the memories of the magic as it is performed,¡± Sienna revealed. This meant that trying to understand the magic recorded within Bloody Mary was almost like trying to solve a problem while being able to peek at the answer sheet. Sienna had returned to her roots as a wizard and abandoned her prejudice against ck magic to immerse herself in the memory recorded within Bloody Mary. However, after getting a closer look at the magic that had been preserved in the depths of the seal, Sienna discovered that the answer sheet was missing. Or, to be more precise, the answer sheet was inurate and iplete. Previous spells had both their forms and their previous caster¡¯s tips on how to use them, but past a certain depth, let alone those tips, there weren¡¯t even any forms. Sienna continued, ¡°In other words, all that is left is a record of the magic in its purest form. Without any forms or tips on how to use it, all that is left is the resonance of the mana... and the dark power... when the spell is cast.¡± ¡°Indeed,¡± Edsillon¡¯s expression smoothed over in a calm look as he processed what Sienna was saying. Although the inside of his head was still slightly unsettled by the news, he soon came to terms with the revtion and nodded. ¡°I understand what you mean by that,¡± Edsillon said. ¡°Certainly, the magic you are describing does bear some simrity to elven magic. However, Sienna, you should already be aware of something. Elven magic isn¡¯t the only type of magic that bears some resemnce to the type of magic that you¡¯ve described.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Sienna nodded slightly in agreement. She shifted her gaze to look at Eugene, Kristina, and Anise. The miracles they used, as well as the dragons¡¯ Draconic Incantations, were all an alternate type of magic that didn¡¯t use any particr forms. Whether it was miracles, prayers, or wishes, in the end, they were all an expression of someone¡¯s will. It was only when a deity, divine power, or mana itself responded to that force of will that the spell was cast. Sienna¡¯s own Absolute Decree was also a type of magic that was activated through the power of will. ¡°So it¡¯s not just some primitive magic from long ago. Not from antiquity, but from a time much further back into the distant past...,¡± Edsillon closed his eyes as he muttered to himself. Finally, he shook his head, ¡°As an elf, it¡¯s only natural that I can learn and perform elven magic. However, I cannot teach the use of elven magic to other races or adapt the spells for them. This doesn¡¯t seem to match the category of magic that you¡¯ve described. As such, Sienna, I¡¯m afraid that I won¡¯t be able to give you any advice on this particr form of magic.¡± In the end, Edsillon¡¯s answer hadn¡¯t changed from when he had first given his response. Sienna also felt that it couldn¡¯t be helped. Edsillon hadn¡¯t refused to give advice because he thought he wascking in skill as a wizard or in his understanding of magic but he simply didn¡¯t have anything to say on the matter. ¡°However, there might be someone else, other than myself, who could possibly be able to provide you with an answer to your questions,¡± Edsillon suddenly suggested. ¡°Huh?¡± Sienna¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Someone else? But when it came to magic, Edsillon wasn¡¯t just the most experienced in the entire vige; he knew more about magic than any other elf currently alive. So, who on earth would be able to provide Sienna with such advice other than Edsillon? ¡°Elder, could there truly be another elder on your level who I just don¡¯t know about? Could they be hidden away somewhere deep within the forest, where no one can find them, like one of the elves from the legends?¡± Sienna quickly crawled over to Edsillon, her eyes glowing with interest. ¡°An elf from the legends?¡± Edsillon snorted. ¡°There¡¯s no such elf like that. I am, in all likelihood, the oldest elf currently living.¡± ¡°In that case, who on earth are you talking about?¡± Sienna demanded in confusion. ¡°Could it be a dragon?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to rush to conclusions,¡± Edsillon said with a wry smile as he looked down at Bloody Mary. ¡°Also, I can sense that there is something different about the Dragonheart used in that staff. However, I¡¯m not sure how to put it into words.¡± Edsillon held a hand out over Bloody Mary. ¡°Someone other than me will have to give you advice on your magic, but... I also feel like I can sense something familiaring from this ominous staff,¡± Edsillon admitted with a frown. Sienna had thought of visiting Edsillon in the first ce because of her suspicions regarding Bloody Mary itself. At first nce, it appeared to be a staff that made use of a Dragonheart in the same fashion as Akasha or Frost, but there was something else there... a different type of feeling that left her uneasy. Of course, even beforeing to look for Edsillon, Sienna had made her attempt to examine Bloody Mary. She had also paid a visit to the dwarves living at the Lionheart estate and had even consulted with both Raimira and Ariartelle. The dwarves had said that they couldn¡¯t tell the difference between the three staffs. When examined using a cksmith¡¯s methods, Bloody Mary¡¯s Dragonheart didn¡¯t seem to be all that different from Akasha and Frost¡¯s Dragonhearts. Raimira and Ariartelle had both informed Sienna that they had gotten that same uneasy sensation from the staff. Even though all of the staffs were made using the same type of Dragonhearts, they said that Bloody Mary¡¯s seemed to have a strange and inexplicable aura to it. Their answers matched up with what Sienna had been feeling. ¡°It is indeed a bit different from an ordinary Dragonheart,¡± Eugene chimed in. ¡°Remember when we once got to see a Dragonheart in person?¡± This was back three hundred years ago, while they were journeying through the Devildom. Vermouth and hispanions had once encountered a dragon whose body had been partially eroded by the dark power of Destruction and could only wait for death. The reason Hamel¡¯s mana had undergone such an explosive increase in his past life was that dragon¡¯s Dragonheart had been shared by the members of their party. ¡°Could it be because it was processed by the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± Edsillon mused. That was the only idea that they coulde up with for now. Edsillon lifted his gaze away from Bloody Mary and rose from his seat, ¡°Perhaps you might be able to find the answer to this question while looking into that mysterious magic. After all, the answers you are searching for, Sienna, seem to have something to do with the origin of this ominous staff itself.¡± With a fond smile, Edsillon¡¯s gaze then turned towards Akasha. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you¡¯ve given Akasha a new owner?¡± Edsillon noted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Sienna¡¯s expression quickly changed to contrition. She hunched her shoulders and said with a shame-faced expression, ¡°Even though Akasha doesn¡¯t solely belong to me, I just went and did what I pleased with it. At that time, I... I decided that Eugene needed Akasha more than me.¡± ¡°It seems that you¡¯re misunderstanding something, Sienna. I¡¯m not trying to scold you for that. After all, Akasha belongs to you, so I don¡¯t have the right to scold you. And besides, I believe that you made the right decision. Also, Akasha... I believe that it has already fulfilled the role for which I ced it in your hands,¡± Edsillon said as he opened the front door and stepped out. The other elves, who had been staring at the Elder¡¯s house from a distance, smiled brightly and waved their hands as Sienna soon followed Edsillon out, along with Eugene and the others. Edsillon smiled, ¡°This reminds me of what happened three hundred years ago, just before you finally left the forest, Sienna. At the time, you kept asking to leave the forest, but I kept holding you back and wouldn¡¯t let you go.¡± ¡°If you hadn¡¯t held me back at that time, Elder, I would have surely gone and died a dog¡¯s death in the Devildom,¡± Sienna shamefacedly admitted. While she was usually quite arrogant, Sienna couldn¡¯t behave like she usually did when in front of Edsillon, who still had memories of her when she was in her diapers. Also, Sienna sincerely believed what she had just said. ¡°It was all thanks to Akasha that I didn¡¯t die such a dog¡¯s death, that I was able to fight back against the Demon Kings, and that I managed to survive the war, return from the Devildom, and be the Wise Sienna,¡± Sienna gratefully said. To think that there was someone who could so easily refer to themself as the Wise Sienna. In terms of shamelessness, Eugene was confident that he could hold his head high no matter where he went, but every time he saw this side of Sienna, he couldn¡¯t help but be in awe of her. Eugene shook his head, ¡®Indeed, it¡¯s only by being so shameless that she would be able to name herself in the fairy tale as the Wise Sienna, and considering the book is practically an autobiography....¡¯ But Edsillon wasn¡¯t aware that the author of the fairy tale had been Sienna. Thanks to that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel quite moved by Sienna¡¯s words of gratitude. ¡°There¡¯s no need for that. Akasha was made for you to use,¡± Edsillon reassured her. Three hundred years ago, when the Demon King of Incarceration dered the start of the war, all the dragons spread their wings and flew together to the Devildom. They had gone to fight for the sake of the world, for the greater good. The dragons¡¯ intentions may have been noble, but the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction had both proven extremely strong. The dragons were defeated before they even managed to reach Babel. In that single battle, more than half of all dragons had perished, and even the dragons who had barely managed to survive were contaminated by the Demon Kings¡¯ dark power, leaving them with such serious injuries that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange if they had died at any moment. Finally, there was Raizakia, who had transformed into a Demonic Dragon. Among the dying dragons was one who had had frequent interactions with the elves living beneath the Word Tree. It and a few other dragons were ready to give their lives back to nature, but they weren''t prepared to die in vain, so since they were going to die in any case, they had offered up their Dragonhearts. ¡°The magic genius of the elven forest,¡± Edsillon said with a fond smile. ¡°That¡¯s what they called you when you were younger.¡± There were no other words that better described Sienna than the words magic genius. Sienna had mastered and already started to apply the basics of magic that Edsillon and the other elves had taught her before she was even ten years old. She was even able to manage spells that shouldn¡¯t have been able to be learned or used by anyone other than an elf. ¡°That dragon, my old friend Akasha, recalled your name in his dying moments,¡± Edsillon revealed. ¡°A human girl, without any elven blood, who had nevertheless grown into a magical genius who had received the love and recognition of all elves.¡± The dragons knew that they couldn¡¯t fight the Demon Kings. The Demon Kings¡¯ dark power had proven extremely fatal to the dragons. All the remaining dragons who had emerged from that massacre had reached that conclusion. The elves were no different. Of the elves who had gone out into the world to fight back against the Demon King, the Demonic Disease had proven more fatal than any battle. However, humans were still free to act. Edsillon calmly recalled, ¡°Akasha took it upon himself to draw out his own Dragonheart and entrusted it into your hands. In Akasha¡¯s memory, the other surviving dragons bestowed their blessings on his Dragonheart, while the other elves and I used a branch from the World Tree to create the body of the staff. ¡°Sienna, while you were still immature, Akasha was meant to give you enough time to grow up on your own. Once you no longer needed to rely on Akasha, if you were to hand over Akasha to someone who you acknowledged and who needed Akasha¡¯s help, that too would be in ordance with Akasha¡¯s wishes.¡± Edsillon¡¯s eyes turned towards Eugene. Eugene bowed his head in acknowledgment, increasingly aware of the weight of Akasha, which he was holding in his right hand. Eugene also couldn¡¯t help but agree that Akasha had been of great help to him, giving him enough time to grow into his own power when he had needed it the most. If Akasha hadn¡¯t been present during his earlier adventures, Eugene wouldn¡¯t have been able to increase his proficiency in magic as quickly as he had, and he would have had much more difficulty in developing Prominence and his other techniques. ¡®Though honestly speaking, I don¡¯t really use it much anymore...,¡¯ Eugene thought regretfully. In the past, he had frequently used Akasha to cast several convenient spells quickly. However, at some point, he had stopped relying on magic all that much. The reason for that was simple: He was now able to use other methods that were much more useful and powerful than ordinary spells. As a result, he usually found himself using Prominence, as Prominence was ultimately the spell that best provided assistance to Eugene¡¯s fighting style. [But you still receive help from both Akasha and me in making the fine adjustments for Prominence,] Mer reminded him. Eugene nodded, ¡®That¡¯s true. My focus would be dull if I had to fight while paying attention to that as well.¡¯ [In that case, that means you¡¯re still getting good use from Akasha, aren¡¯t you? Of course, since I am a wizard¡¯s familiar, I should hope for you to fight with a more sophisticated, wizard-like style rather than your usual way of fighting while barbarically swinging your sword,] Mer said with a giggle. ¡°It¡¯s over here,¡± Edsillon said as he came to a stop in front of theke. Sienna let out a low sound of surprise, and Kristina immediately turned to look at Eugene in rm. ¡°Are we going inside the World Tree?¡± Eugene asked, also feeling slightly startled. The ce where Edsillon had stopped just now was the same ce where Eugene had arrived a few years ago when he was looking for Sienna. In front of him was a path that led to the center of the World Tree. The same ce where Sienna and the other elves had been hibernating. ¡°Is there an elf in there who hasn¡¯t woken up yet?¡± Eugene asked, his head tilted in curiosity as he turned to look at Edsillon. ¡°Of course not,¡± Edsillon shook his head. Eugene frowned, ¡°In that case, why are we heading there?¡± ¡°We must go there to seek advice from the Ancestor Spirits,¡± Edsillon exined. ¡°The Ancestor Spirits?¡± Eugene repeated in astonishment. Edsillon nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s the Ancestor Spirits who reside within the World Tree, they should be able to answer Sienna¡¯s questions.¡± Chapter 517: Metamorphosis (5)

Chapter 517: Metamorphosis (5)

The main object of belief in this forest was the World Tree. It was believed that, upon their death, all beings would have their souls return to the embrace of the World Tree. ¡°I don¡¯t know about all beings, but it is a fact that every one of the souls of our elven ancestors is currently resting within the World Tree,¡± Edsillon exined as he led them to walk across theke. Eugene¡¯s main goal in paying a visit to the Rainforest was to take a closer look at the World Tree. His interest in the tree was due to the fact that he had personally experienced the miracles performed by the World Tree multiple times and also because Eugene himself had one of the spirits from the World Tree fused into him. That was why he couldn¡¯t help but be interested in Edsillon¡¯s words. ¡°When you say that you don¡¯t know if all beings return to the World Tree, is there a reason why that remains a mystery?¡± Eugene asked curiously. He was especially interested in learning more about the beliefs centered around the World Tree and the details of its power over death and reincarnation. ¡°No, it just means that no one has ever bothered to check,¡± Edsillon replied. ¡°Perhaps it is true that, as the legends say, the World Tree has the power to reincarnate the souls of all forms of life, but none of the previous generations of elders before me have ever tried to confirm any of the legends surrounding the World Tree personally.¡± Eugene frowned. ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°Because it would be going against thews of nature to disturb someone who has already died and gone on to their eternal rest just to answer a few personal questions,¡± said Edsillon simply. His response was highly characteristic of an elf. However, wasn¡¯t that a contradiction of what they were currently aiming to do right now? After all, wasn¡¯t Edsillon ultimately nning to disturb those same slumbering spirits? ¡°That¡¯s because there is a need to disturb them,¡± Epsilon replied in a calm voice. ¡°The advice that Sienna seeks isn¡¯t just meant to satisfy anyone¡¯s selfish desires, now is it? In the current state of the world, the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction are both still rampant, and there¡¯s no way to tell when war will break out once more, repeating the events from three hundred years ago.... No, perhaps things will be even more terrible than back then, and all of creation might end up being trampled by those Demon Kings. It will be up to you three, Eugene, the Saintess, and Sienna, to bear the brunt of preventing such a disaster.¡± As he said this, Edsillon turned back to look at Eugene and Sienna, ¡°This won¡¯t be the first time that I have sought help from the Ancestor Spirits. Two hundred years ago, when Sienna fell at the foot of the World Tree after suffering fatal wounds, there was nothing I or the other elves could do to heal those wounds, even with all our magic and healing skills. So, at that time, we also sought help from the Ancestor Spirits.¡± ¡°So it wasn¡¯t a miracle performed by the World Tree?¡± Sienna asked with a surprised expression. Edsillon responded to her question with an amused snort, ¡°A miracle can simply be defined as an act of someone granting you your deepest wish. And since the Ancestor Spirits reside within the World Tree, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that it was a miracle performed by the World Tree that saved you that day.¡± At these words, Sienna also let out a soft sigh. When Sienna had returned to the World Tree after receiving fatal wounds at the hands of Vermouth, who seemed to have undergone a personality transnt, she was suddenly ambushed by Raizakia. Even as she was left on the verge of death, she had still been able to block Raizakia¡¯s attack and then, conversely, banish that bastard into a dimension rift ¡ª but Sienna couldn¡¯t have managed this with just her abilities alone. Such an oue was only made achievable due to thebined will of the elves and the power of the World Tree. Until now, Sienna had just chalked the whole thing up to a miracle that was performed by the World Tree. However, ording to what Edsillon had just said, it was actually done by the elven Ancestor Spirits residing within the World Tree. In that case, wasn¡¯t it all thanks to the Ancestor Spirit¡¯s care that Raizakia had been banished, Sienna and the elves had been saved when they were on the verge of death, and Eugene had been rescued during his fight against Raizakia? ¡°This is a strange feeling,¡± Sienna muttered to herself with a sheepish smile. Because she considered herself to be a traditional wizard, she wasn¡¯t one to respect things like faith and miracles. However, it had now urred to her that such an attitude was a wall impeding her true freedom of thought and the infinite possibilities that might lie hidden behind it. Whether ck magic or holy magic, it would be the height of arrogance to look down on them from such shallow prejudice. Why should she ignore them just because she didn¡¯t understand them or have the right mindset for them? Wasn¡¯t thatck of understanding of what the study of magic was meant for in the first ce? Before too long, they arrived in front of the entrance to the World Tree. Thest time Eugene and Kristina came here, they had used a leaf from the World Tree as a key to enter the trunk, but there wasn¡¯t a need for that this time around. Just by Edsillon holding his hand up towards it, the World Tree slowly began to open up. ¡°Ah.... ohhhh... whoooa....¡± Carmen, who had been following along while enthralled by the experience, was so moved by this sight that, for a moment, she even forgot how to speak proper words. With this sight in front of her, Carmen felt she really was on an adventure straight out of the legends that she had been so hoping for. She had apanied a Hero, Saint, and Wizard as they embarked on their journey. Arriving at the World Tree, they had met the Elder of the elves residing in the forest and were now venturing inside the World Tree to meet the Ancestor Spirits of the elves.... While almost being overwhelmed by all of these excited emotions bubbling up within her, Carmen ced her hand on the sigil of a Radiant Lion embroidered onto her left breast. To think that one of the many dreams she had once had while reading children¡¯s fairy tales when she was younger would actuallye true now. Carmen felt like she might burst into tears if she let her guard down even slightly, so she secretly put more strength into keeping her eyes from tearing up. Currently, they were walking down a long passage within the trunk of the World Tree. This ce still looked simr to when Eugene first came here a few years ago. There was still more mana packed inside these walls than any other ce that Eugene had ever been to in his life. Even the Lionheart estate, where the mansion and its surroundings as a whole had transformed into a natural wonder-level leyline, couldn¡¯tpare to this. ¡®It seems a bit noisy?¡¯ Eugene suddenly thought to himself. [That¡¯s right, it really is,] a voice in his head immediately agreed. ¡°What the fuck!¡± Eugene yelped in surprise as he spun around, startled by the sudden response to his thoughts. The others were even more surprised by Eugene¡¯s sudden outburst than Eugene himself had been, and they turned to stare at him in shock. Eugene coughed awkwardly, ¡°Ahem... it was nothing.¡± After responding to their stares with that feeble excuse, Eugene silently scolded Tempest for suddenly talking to him inside his head. ¡®Hey! How am I supposed to react if you just suddenly start talking in my head like that?¡¯ [Have I ever warned you in advance before talking to you? Wouldn¡¯t asking for permission, in and of itself, be an act of suddenly speaking to you?] Tempest pointed out. Eugene sneered, ¡®Bastard, you¡¯ve been hanging out with Lady Melkith so muchtely that your attitude is in need of some percussive maintenance. You keep crying and protesting that you hate being at her beck and call, but it seems like you don¡¯t really hate it that much. After all, you¡¯re really starting to resemble her in a way.¡¯ As soon as Eugene finished thinking those words with a chuckle, Tempest let out a furious roar, [Apologize!] Because of the location that they were in, Tempest didn¡¯t raise up a storm, but in Eugene¡¯s head, an angry roar of wind as loud as any natural storm was raging. [I am nothing like that madwoman!] Tempest roared. ¡®Okay, okay. I get it, so quiet down. You¡¯re being way too noisy,¡¯ Eugeneined. Tempest just continued to demand angrily, [Apologize!] ¡®I¡¯m sorry, I was wrong,¡¯ Eugene quickly gave in. Thinking about it, Eugene had to admit that his words had been too harsh. If someone had told Eugene that he in any way resembled Melkith.... Eugene¡¯s reaction would ultimately vary depending on who it was, but if it were someone who he didn¡¯t mind dying, then his first response would be just to kill them. [Your apology is not epted,] Tempest replied with a huff. After taking a few moments to regain control of his emotions, he resumed speaking in the usual solemn manner that Eugene was used to, [Hamel. You may have already noticed it, but they¡¯re actually being quite loud for spirits.] Things were different from when Eugene had first entered this secret location to meet with Sienna a few years back. At that time, the spirits of the World Tree had just quietly watched Eugene. ¡®Though even back then, I did get a quiet feeling of being weed,¡¯ Eugene recalled. Eugene wasn¡¯t a traditional Spirit Summoner. The only spirits he had made a contract with were a few wind spirits, and even those contracts had only been made due to his prior rtionship with Tempest, using Wynnyd as a catalyst. If Eugene had decided to delve deeper into the traditional path of a Spirit Summoner, he might have been able to achieve great sess, but.... [If that had been the case, Hamel, you might have be as great of a Spirit Summoner as Melkith currently is,] Tempest said wistfully. By saying that, didn¡¯t that mean that Tempest ultimately did recognize Melkith as a great Spirit Summoner? Eugene quickly buried this unconscious thought before it could rise to the surface of his mind. [They were content to wee you quietly back then, but now they¡¯re being quite passionate with their wee,] Tempest noted in an amused tone. Even with his untrained senses, Eugene could vaguely sense their enthusiastic wee. A ticklish feeling wasing from the spirit of the World Tree that hadpletely melted into his mana and fused with him. His skin was also tingling for no reason, and... it sounded like some kind ofughter was floating just in the distance. ¡°How fascinating,¡± Edsillon muttered in surprise. ¡°This is the first time I have ever seen the spirits seem so joyful and weing. Could it be that they recognize you as their savior?¡± ¡°Well... I guess it¡¯s probably something like that,¡± Eugene said as he slowly raised his hand. When he did so, a whitish air current appeared, wrapping around Eugene¡¯s hand and clinging to his fingers. Although the sensation was very faint, it was almost as if a newborn child was holding onto his finger and trying to shake it. To think that the spirits were able to show such a direct reaction. Eugene jolted in surprise as he looked down at his fingers. ¡°You both saved each other, didn¡¯t you,¡± Sienna spoke up. ¡°You saved me, the elves, and the World Tree by killing Raizakia. And the World Tree also saved you when you were dying. So you can¡¯t help but be fond of each other and think of each other as something special.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a strange feeling,¡± Eugene admitted before coughing and ducking his head. The passage that had once looked like a cradle for the sleeping elves was nowpletely empty, but it didn¡¯t feel lifeless. The air was warm and full of mana. Even the tangled roots that formed the walls of the passage felt full of vitality. As they reached the end of the passage, Edsillon¡¯s steps came to a halt. The spot where Sienna had originally beenid to rest was now bare. ¡°Please step back for a few moments,¡± Edsillon said as he got down onto his knees and held his hands out to the wall at the end of the passage. Sienna stared at Edsillon¡¯s back with a bright sparkle of curiosity in her eyes. She may have been present when this wall wasst opened, two hundred years ago, but Sienna wasn¡¯t able to remember anything from that moment because she had already lost consciousness after escaping from Vermouth. [Indeed,] Anise muttered quietly in admiration as she also observed Edillon¡¯s appearance. As a light began to rise around Edsillon, Anise continued, [I can understand why Sienna would say what she said earlier. What he¡¯s doing, the magic of the elves... it really does resemble holy magic in a way.] ¡®Are you talking about miracles specifically?¡¯ Kristina rified. [That¡¯s right,] Anise nodded. The light that had appeared around Edsillon gradually began to expand. No forms were drawn, or incantations chanted during this process. Eugene could sense the divine power that was circted within his internal universe and the spirits of the World Tree responding to that light. ¡°Ah,¡± Sienna let out a small gasp of surprise. Her subspace had just started trembling on its own. If she left it like this, it seemed like her subspace might just shatterpletely. She couldn¡¯t just allow such a thing to happen, so Sienna quickly opened up her subspace. The shaking was caused by Bloody Mary, that most ancient of staffs whose very appearance advertised its ominous nature. It was now emitting a mysterious light. The light had a vibrant blood-red hue. With each sh of light, the blood veins covering Bloody Mary¡¯s shaft throbbed. At the same time, the clinking sound of chains began to ring from the staff. Eugene recognized that sound, ¡®Those are Incarceration¡¯s....¡¯ This sudden situation seemed fishy. If this were any other location, Eugene might have given some thought to withdrawing from here for now and taking a few moments to observe the situation, but they were currently right inside the World Tree. If Incarceration¡¯s dark power or his special abilities were allowed to run loose inside this confined location, it might have a negative impact on the World Tree. To defend against that, Sienna quickly cast a spell. Tchtchtchk! Variousplex characters were linked together in a single loop. This loop formed a seal that wrapped around Bloody Mary. With Sienna¡¯s Absolute Decree ced on top of that seal, holding it together, she managed to suppress the eerie red light that had been shing off of Bloody Mary. The sound of chains gradually grew fainter. A voice suddenly spoke to Sienna, [It¡¯s alright.] Sienna wasn¡¯t the only one to have heard that voice. Everyone currently within the World Tree was able to hear the voice of a woman speaking to them. [Nothing will happen, so go ahead and remove the seal,] the clear and sonorous voice instructed. Even though it had only said a few words, the voice itself gave them a sense of the speaker¡¯s power. Sienna was startled as she turned to look in the direction that the voice hade from. Next to Edsillon, who had immersed himself in the spell tomunicate with the elven Ancestor Spirits, the light that had risen around him had at some point taken on a distinct form and was standing next to him. Although, from a certain angle, it appeared to have the figure of a human being, no face was visible on the figure¡¯s head. ¡°Wh-what are you?¡± Sienna yelped in surprise. When Sienna turned to look at Edsillon, who hadn¡¯t shown any reaction even after something like that had appeared right next to him, the figure of light responded with a softugh, [There is no need to worry about this elf. He has just fainted from the exertion of opening the door.] ¡°The door?¡± Sienna repeated in confusion. The figure sighed. [Junior, it¡¯s only natural for you to be suspicious, but can¡¯t we have this conversation a littleter?] Before Sienna could say anything in response, Eugene stepped forward. He ced his hand on Sienna¡¯s shoulder, who seemed to be on the verge of unleashing her Eternal Hole, and whispered into her ear, ¡°For now, let¡¯s just do as she says.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sienna turned to him with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ve heard her voice before,¡± Eugene exined, yet he seemed just as flustered and doubtful about the current situation as Sienna was. After alternating between looking at Sienna, standing next to him, and the figure of light a few times, Eugene muttered, ¡°It is you, right?¡± [You¡¯re still just as rude as ever. It seems your true innate nature won¡¯t change even if you die and reincarnate a hundred times over,] the figure whispered with a chuckle. Sienna was still a bit suspicious about this whole situation. However, even if she couldn¡¯t trust what the figure of light was saying, she could still trust Eugene¡¯s words. After taking a few short breaths, Sienna removed the seal she had ced on Bloody Mary. [Junior, that is some impressive magic,] the figureplimented. [I see that you have pioneered your own path. To think that a junior¡¯s magic would actually be able to keep Incarceration, that Ancient Demon, suppressed. Even if this isn¡¯t the Ancient Demon¡¯s true body.] Eugene couldn¡¯t help but focus on the way that the figure was referring to Sienna as her junior. If that figure really was who Eugene was thinking of... then the conclusions that Eugene had managed to reach thus far may have been fundamentally wed. As the seal on Bloody Mary was removed, it started shining with red light once more. This was also followed by the sound of clinking chains. Bloody Mary floated up into the air. Part of the wriggling blood vessels wrapped around the staff fell away, and the bud-like mass at the end of the staff began to swell. ¡°This is...,¡± a new voice muttered. The tip of the bud opened up. What bloomed there wasn¡¯t a flower but a single red eye. That eye rolled around until it was staring at the figure of light. ¡°...surprising,¡± the eye finished speaking. [It is all thanks to your scheming that my Mary was brought here, so why are you acting so surprised?] the figure demanded with anotherugh. Chapter 518: Metamorphosis (6) Although the figure¡¯s voice was as quiet as a whisper, it was still clear and sonorous. It was just her voice without any magic being used to amplify it, but the figure¡¯s voice sounded strangely deep. It was as if her voice was somehow bypassing their ears and resounding through their very bodies. ¡°My Mary?¡± Eugene muttered with a nk expression. Such obvious words could only mean one thing. ¡°Scheming, you say,¡± the pupil of the eye curved in a smile. In the distant royal pce within Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration was smiling with genuine pleasure as he said, ¡°Can something like this really be called scheming?¡± [Now you¡¯re just quibbling, oh Ancient Demon. You are still just as obnoxious and offensive as ever. If you had really wanted to, you could have either destroyed my Mary or taken it away from them before now, isn¡¯t that right?] the figure of light used. ¡°Didn¡¯t you already say it yourself?¡± the smiling eye turned to look at Sienna. ¡°I might have been able to do so if I were acting in person. But the remnants of dark power I left in Mary aren¡¯t enough to resist her magic. In that case, I would ultimately need to take action personally in order to do either of those things¡­ but unfortunately, I have made a promise that I will be patiently waiting in Babel for a certain someone.¡± After saying this, the Demon King of Incarceration once again turned to look at the figure. The figure was still standing there at a t angle, facing Eugene and the others. ¡°I¡¯m surprised to see that you¡¯re still lingering around in this form,¡± the Demon Kingmented. [I¡¯ve paid a high price to do so,] the figure replied with a loudugh. [It doesn¡¯t bring me any joy to reunite with you like this, oh Ancient Demon. Why have you set your eyes on this ce? Could it be that you wish tough at my foolishness? Or is it that you wish to eradicate mepletely?]¡°Do you really think I would do such a thing?¡± Incarceration simply asked in response. [No. You wouldn¡¯t havee here for such a reason. You¡¯ve probably juste here after noticing the existence of a possibility that escaped your imagination. You wanted to see it for yourself and confirm that it was truly possible.] The figure moved its head slightly. [However, oh Ancient Demon, I will allow you to witness this current moment, but I will not allow you to spectate what wille after. I am aware that the position you are in is truly ambiguous and strange, but even so. You are still, ultimately, a Demon. The King of Demons, in fact. You were once my enemy, and now you are the enemy of everyone here.] ¡°That seems fair,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration responded with another smile. ¡°It is only right for you to feel that way. In those days of the long past, I was the Demon King. I am still a Demon King even now, and I will continue to be a Demon King even in the distant future. Until someone finally manages to kill me, I will always be a Demon King.¡± Having said this, the Demon King of Incarceration stared intently at the figure. ¡°As I have already said, your presence here truly doese as a surprise to me. After all, I was sure that your existence had already disappeared from this earth.¡± [I did disappear,] the figure replied. [I waspletely erased. That¡¯s right, my existence had unmistakably vanished. But disappearing like that was just what I wanted. That way, oh Ancient Demon, I could escape your notice.] The Demon King of Incarceration burst intoughter at this response. He continued tough for quite some time, his single eye shaking up and down with each peal ofughter. In his pce within Babel, seated on his throne of chains, the Demon King of Incarceration even threw his head back inughter, not paying any attention to his image as he guffawed. Once he had gotten over his fit ofughter, the Demon King said with a smile, ¡°Is that so? Indeed, so I wasn¡¯t mistaken. You truly did disappear. And now, for some reason, you have been reborn.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration sank deeper into his throne as he rested his chin on the back of his hands. Countless chains lifted their heads like snakes before slowly wrapping themselves around the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s body. As he felt each chain link up with the other, the Demon King muttered, ¡°You may have said that it brought you no joy to reunite with me, but I am very happy to have reunited with you. Because, in a rare case, I find myself desiring you more and more.] [Ahahaha¡­. What an extraordinarily upsetting and insulting invitation.] The figure followed her mockingughter by holding one hand up towards him. [Withdraw now, oh Ancient Demon. Defile this cradle no longer with your presence. Desist from agitating my emotions any longer.] ¡°I shall respect your request,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration replied with one final smile. The eye, which was still curved inughter, closedpletely. Boom! The eyeball that had been hanging off of the end of the staff burst and disappeared, and then the disgusting veins that had been holding the eye in ce writhed to life once more as they again wrapped themselves around the staff. ¡°Um¡­,¡± Sienna muttered in confusion. During this entire conversation, Sienna couldn¡¯te up with anything to say. She wasn¡¯t sure how to even begin understanding the current situation or the conversation that had just taken ce. Her thoughts came to a grinding halt the moment she even tried to understand it all. The same was true for both Anise and Kristina. The two women were left just staring at the figure with eyes that had widened into circles. Unlike the trio, who shared simr feelings of astonishment and confusion, Carmen¡¯s feelings werepletely different. She was feeling deeply moved. Carmen was currently experiencing a huge surge of emotion. Just now, the Demon King of Incarceration had arrived at this side. Although the true body of the Greater Demon King hadn¡¯t descended in person, using some sort of means that only a Greater Demon King had ess to, the Greater Demon King had manifested an evil clone in this passage to hold a conversation on his behalf. It had taken the form of that hideous eye, and also¡­. ¡ªYou are still, ultimately, a Demon. The King of Demons. You were once my enemy, and now you are the enemy of everyone here. ¡®Everyone here,¡¯ Carmen silently repeated those words to herself, holding a tightly clenched fist to her left breast. What was there to doubt? Of course, Carmen Lionheart was also a part of everyone that the mysterious figure of light had spoken of. ¡ªIt is only right for you to feel that way. In those days of the long past, I was the Demon King. I am still a Demon King even now, and I will continue to be a Demon King even in the distant future. Until someone finally manages to kill me, I will always be a Demon King. The Greater Demon King¡¯s response was, in Carmen¡¯s opinion, both perfect andpletely in character for Greater Demon King. It was the most fitting response that could be made for such an evil being. Carmen truly believed she could be the someone that the Demon King of Incarceration had spoken of, and she desperately wished she would be that person¡­. Eugene also needed a moment to settle his emotions. ¡°Hmph,¡± letting out a snort, Eugene turned to look at the figure. After hesitating for a few moments, Eugene tried to smile once more as he asked, ¡°Is it really¡­ you?¡± [Again, do you have to ask me that so rudely? Was my previous answer not enough of a response for you?] the figure sighed. ¡°It¡¯s because I still can¡¯t be certain,¡± Eugene confessed. [Agaroth,] the figure whispered. [That was your name in yourst life, but the current you may feel ufortable with being addressed as Agaroth. I believe it would only be natural for you to feel that way. After all, the past life of your soul is something that belongs solely in the past.] The figure stopped speaking for a few moments to stare at Eugene. Then, the figure adjusted its posture and turned to face Eugene before slowly approaching him. [However,] the figure paused. [However¡­ I will continue to call you Agaroth. I hope that you can excuse my insistence on doing so as one of thest fixations of the deceased. And after all, I¡­ I am not familiar with the name you currently go by.] Eugene stared at the figure in silence. [You said that you still can¡¯t be certain, didn¡¯t you?] the figure continued speaking. [In that case, allow me to give you a certain answer. My name is Vishur Lavi. In the distant past, I was the noble Sage of the Sky-topping Ivory Tower, who ascended to the Divine Throne of Magic.] All of the previous uncertainties had now been made clear. ¡°Hah¡­!¡± Sienna couldn¡¯t help but let out a gasp of surprise as she copsed on the spot. Vishur Lavi, Sienna was hearing this name for the first time. However, she had previously heard the title of the Sage of the Ivory Tower from Eugene. This meant that this figure, Vishur, was the one who had previously reached Sienna¡¯s current goal of bing the Goddess of Magic. Sienna had believed that in the past life, she had probably ¡ª no, had definitely been the Sage. Eugene had also held the same belief. This was because Sienna and the Sage were both exceedingly simr to each other. But no, was that really the case? To begin with, Eugene didn¡¯t have many memories of the Sage. The same went for the God of Giants, whom they had suspected was Molon¡¯s past life. ¡°...How did youe to be like this?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°The current you, the one in front of me right now¡­ is it really you? Or perhaps, are you some other form of existence modeled on her memories?¡± [It seems that you¡¯ve thoroughly been convinced by whatever mistaken conclusion you have previously reached.] The Sage shook her head with a mild sneer. [I should have already told you just now. My name is Vishur Lavi. The person in front of you currently is the one and only Sage.] The Sage spun around on the spot. Her gaze turned to take in Edsillon, who was standing in front of her with his shoulders slumped and his head lowered. She clicked her tongue and shook her head. It couldn¡¯t be helped. [So even the Elder of the elves can only reach this extent. To think that he would fall into such a deep faint just from opening the door¡­] the Sage muttered to herself as she lifted her hand. The light at the end of her fingertips gradually expanded until it hadpletely filled the inside of the World Tree. Everyone¡¯s feet suddenly left the ground as they floated in the air for a few moments. During their short period of buoyancy, the scenery around them had changed. Just a few moments ago, Eugene had been standing inside the huge World Tree, but now he was standing in the middle of a wide-open grassy field. ¡°This ce is¡­,¡± Sienna, who had fallen to the ground, muttered to herself as she staggered back onto her feet. Sienna wasn¡¯t a stranger to this location. The same was true of Eugene. This ce was where Eugene had managed to reunite with Sienna, thanks to some help from Anise¡¯s miracle. From the center of this green field, the huge World Tree could be seen standing nearby, though this was only a copy of the World Tree rather than the World Tree itself. ¡°There¡¯s actually not much that I can do to affect reality,¡± they heard a voice saying. The voice was so beautiful that pleasure seemed to permeate through its listeners¡¯ entire beings. Eugene was startled as he turned to look in the direction that the voice hade from. On top of one of the branches of the World Tree, the Sage was standing in her actual form, not as a figure of light. Her hair, which had grown down to her waist, was as glossy as emeralds, and her eyes sparkled like sapphires. Eugene just stood there, his lips parted silently, as he stared at the Sage. The Sage leapt down from the branches of the World Tree. Despite the considerable height, the Sage¡¯s fall to the ground was slow, like the descent of a balloon. After gentlynding on the ground, the Sage ran her fingers through her windblown hair as she nodded in satisfaction. The Sage hummed in pleasure, ¡°Hmm, it¡¯s really nice to have a physical body. Though, I don¡¯t know if a body that exists only in a spiritual world like this should truly be called a physical body. The physical sensation of stepping on dirt and grass after so long is very pleasant. As well as the scent of the forest and the touch of the wind.¡± Eugene still held his tongue. ¡°Could it be that you don¡¯t remember what I looked like? Or perhaps, are you just feeling so moved that you can¡¯t speak since it has been so long since west saw each other?¡± the Sage asked with a teasing grin. Eugene was taken aback by those words, but for now, he just quickly and quietly turned to face the side. ¡°Wh-why are you naked?!¡± Sienna let out a shriek, even as she felt like she might be losing her mind. She leaped onto her feet and pointed usingly at the Sage, ¡°I¡¯m asking you, why are you naked?! Don¡¯t you know that you should be wearing clothes?!¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± the Sage blinked in surprise at Sienna¡¯s shouting. As Sienna had just pointed out, the Sage wasn¡¯t wearing anything and was insteadpletely naked. After looking down at her own body for a few moments, the Sage let out a giggle, ¡°No wonder I thought that the touch of the wind felt a bit too strong. So I forgot to put on some clothes. It can¡¯t be helped; after all, it¡¯s been so long since Ist had a physical body.¡± ¡°I¡¯m telling you to put on some clothes already!¡± Sienna loudly reminded her. ¡°Ahah, I was wondering why you had just turned your head away without saying anything. Agaroth, are you too embarrassed to look directly at my body? That feels quite strange. After all, this isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve seen me naked,¡± the Sage said with a chuckle as she waved a finger. This wasn¡¯t his first time seeing her naked? Those words came as a huge shock for everyone here. Eugene¡¯s jaw dropped to the ground as Sienna and Kristina both turned to re at him with an angry glint in their eyes. ¡°I-I don¡¯t remember that,¡± Eugene stammered. The Sage¡¯s smile widened even further at this response, ¡°Even though you refused to let me sleep in peace on that night long ago, you still insist that you can¡¯t remember anything at this point? What a terrible man you are.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but let out streams of cold sweat at these words. The Sage was amused by Eugene¡¯s obvious show of fear as she created new clothes for herself. Ironically, those clothes were identical to the ones that Sienna was currently wearing. ¡°Why are you wearing my clothes?¡± Sienna protested. The Sage raised a brow, ¡°Junior, aren¡¯t your clothes the clothes of a wizard? Shouldn¡¯t you, as the junior of someone who has walked down the same path of magic and stood at the very peak of it, feel grateful that I have deigned to wear a copy of your clothes, so why are you acting so offended?¡± Sienna argued back, ¡°You can just wear the clothes that you used to wear in the past!¡± ¡°That might be true, but I happen to have taken a fancy to your clothes, Junior,¡± the Sage insisted before gasping in realization. ¡°Ah, there¡¯s no need to worry, dear Junior. I have no intention to usurp my junior¡¯s position.¡± The Sage stared at Sienna with a mischievous smile. That piercing gaze and smile made Sienna feel like all of her thoughts were being seen straight through, causing Sienna to swallow down a nervous gulp. The Sage smiled as she exined, ¡°This ce holds thest remaining trace of my existence. After all, I truly did meet my end long, long ago, during the final moments of the Age of Myth.¡± The Sage¡¯s gaze turned elsewhere. Her sapphire eyes were looking at Kristina. ¡°The nature of my existence can¡¯t even be considered a proper soul, so I cannot reside within someone else¡¯s body like you have.¡± The Sage paused before nodding, ¡°That¡¯s right. If I had to put it bluntly, my current existence is more like an echo.¡± ¡°...An echo?¡± Sienna repeated doubtfully. ¡°Junior,¡± the Sage said as she turned to look at Sienna once more. She slowly walked over to Sienna as she continued to speak, ¡°I, who had disappeared with the end of the Age of Myth, was called here because of you. Your desire towards mastering magic, your pursuit of the ultimate truth, your wish for the secrets of mana; it was your voice, Junior, that called out your need and summoned my echo.¡± Sienna suddenly recalled the sound ofughter she had heard while holding Bloody Mary. She nced down at the staff in shock. Bloody Mary was lying silently in her hand, having returned to its usual ominous appearance. ¡°Haaah,¡± the Sage gave a sad smile as she reached out for Bloody Mary. ¡°My dear Mary. The Demon King of Incarceration has treated you so cruelly. And it¡¯s not just those veins, bones, or your overall appearance. His foul energy has been ingrained deep within you. Well, it can¡¯t be helped. It was inevitable, after all. Since all of the past owners who have held you over this long period of time were no better than trash, the stench of their filth was bound to have seeped into you.¡± Sienna took a moment to adjust her expressions and emotions. She silenced all the sphemous, petty, and shameful thoughts that had erupted within her just moments before. Right now, Sienna had in front of her the Sage from the Age of Myth. The woman who had ascended to the Divine Throne of Magic with only a human body. Sienna bowed her head to this predecessor from an ancient era, the Senior who had been the first to reach the ce she was currently striving towards. Then, Sienna politely handed over Bloody Mary. ¡°This is a joyful reunion,¡± the Sage whispered with a smile. Receiving Bloody Mary, she held the staff in both hands. Crack. The ugly blood vessels that were wrapped around Bloody Mary shattered apart. The bones that were holding the jewel at the end of the staff also broke into pieces. The blood vessels fell away to reveal vines, and the bones were encased around leaves. Finally, the jewel at the end transformed into a red flower. ¡°My beloved Mary,¡± the Sage fondly muttered. The true Mary shone brightly within the Sage¡¯s hands.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: So, who¡¯s wondering if the Sage intentionally forgot to put some clothes on? Momo: Bloody Mary being the Sage¡¯s staff came as a surprise to me. I still wonder if its history precedes the Sage or the Age of Myth.
Chapter 519: Metamorphosis (7) After the gem surrounding it had shattered into pieces, the flower bud that was revealed slowly bloomed open. As each petal unfurled one by one, the red fragments of jewel clinging to them crumbled into powder and blew away. The Sage closed her eyes for a few moments before opening them to look down at Mary. Eventually, Mary¡¯s petals had unfurledpletely. At that moment, the Sage slowly lifted Mary in front of her. Whoooosh! The drifting red powder swirled and floated up into the air. Pop! The powder was transformed into petals once more, which then poured down from the sky like rain. Sienna watched this scene happen with wide eyes. The petals currently raining down in front of her eyes were the same petals that had appearedst time when she had first created soul power. ¡°As expected, it really was you, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Sienna let out a snort as she stared usingly at the Sage. The Sage, who was looking down at Mary with a satisfied smile, let out a softugh at Sienna¡¯s usatory words and nodded without hesitation. ¡°Was my guidance unwee?¡± the Sage gently teased.¡°I was just shocked since you just appeared without any warning. However, it wasn¡¯t unwee. After all, it did prove very helpful to me,¡± Sienna admitted. The Sageughed, ¡°Ahahaha. If that¡¯s the case, then it¡¯s quite fortunate. Although I only provided some brief guidance, it seems that you were able toprehend it very quickly, Junior. All I did was give you a slight nudge in the right direction, but you were immediately able to grasp the power that I guided you towards.¡± ¡°What¡¯s so impressive about that? If I was thatcking inprehension, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to be the level of wizard that I am in the first ce,¡± Sienna said with another proud snort. But from the way that her chin had gradually risen upwards and her shoulders were thrown back, it seemed like she was happy to receive such acknowledgment. ¡°Why was that staff in the possession of the Demon King of Incarceration?¡± Kristina remembered to ask this question once her surprise had settled. She had also been staring at the scene around her with wide eyes, It was only natural for such a question to be asked, as it was an important mystery that needed answering. Also, they had wanted Edsillon to ask the elven Ancestor Spirits about the origins of the Bloody Mary in the first ce. ¡°It was given to him for it to arrive safely in the new era,¡± the Sage replied. ¡°I left a record of my magic in Mary. To tell the truth, the magic within that staff cannot be used by anyone I wouldn¡¯t approve of, so it would be of little use to fools who might call themselves wizards butck any true understanding of magic.¡± This was an extremely arrogant statement for her to make. However, Sienna had no choice but to agree with the Sage¡¯s words reluctantly. From what she had seen of the Ancient Magic that the Sage had recorded in the very depths of the Bloody Mary, with itsck of any sort of forms, it was simr to the miracles that priests requested from their gods¡­ or elven magic that entrusted the caster¡¯s wishes to mana itself. ¡°Even if it only records magic that not everyone has ess to, my Mary still has great value in its own right. I didn¡¯t want to leave Mary to be swept away by the waves of Destruction, so I¡­ handed Mary over to that Ancient Demon,¡± the Sage paused for a few moments before letting out augh. ¡°There wasn¡¯t any sort of promise involved in that exchange. When that Ancient Demon came looking for me to satisfy his greed, I told him not to insult me, then¡­ ahaha, I just gave him my Mary instead. However, while I¡¯m thankful that Ancient Demon didn¡¯t just shatter my staff, the long years it spent in his possession has unfortunately left it looking like this.¡± ¡°His greed, you say,¡± Eugene said with a frown, feeling disturbed by that choice of words. While ncing over to the Sage, he asked, ¡°What kind of greed led the Demon King of Incarceration toe looking for you?¡± ¡°He didn¡¯t covet me in a physical or sexual way, so there¡¯s no need to be jealous,¡± the Sage replied with a mischievous smile. Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a scowl at this sudden, crude teasing. However, before he could express his anger, the Sage continued speaking. ¡°The Ancient Demon wanted my soul,¡± the Sage revealed. ¡°Your soul?¡± Eugene repeated doubtfully. ¡°He is the Demon King of all Demon Kings. He is a truly ancient Demon King who has seen an unknown number of destroyed worlds pass him by. If he truly wishes to, he can even collect the souls of other Demon Kings. That way, he can take them with him as he moves on to the next era with all of the souls that he has collected¡­,¡± the Sage trailed off ominously. This ability was what raised the Demon King of Incarceration above all the other Demon Kings. Unlike the other Demon Kings, the Demon King of Incarceration could partially resist the destruction of the world. The Sage recounted, ¡°When the Waves of Destruction were washing over the world, that Ancient Demon came looking for me. After promising to make me a Demon King, he wanted to harvest my soul. He also promised to preserve my memories and grant me the position of a Greater Demon King that held authority beyond the reach of all the other Demon Kings of that era.¡± The current conversation had gone far beyond Carmen¡¯s ability toprehend it. In the first ce, the only shared past that she was familiar with was the era of the war from three hundred years ago and the fact that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel. The Waves of Destruction? Agaroth? The Sage of the Ivory Tower? These were all topics that Carmen knew nothing about. However, Carmen didn¡¯t express her curiosity and just kept her mouth shut as she quietly listened. Because in any case, the current topic of conversation regarding the true mythology of the world was enough for Carmen to feel extremely excited just by listening to it. ¡°To me, that was an extremely¡­ unpleasant and insulting offer. I had absolutely no desire to be a Demon King and continue to live a long and miserable life. And more than anything else, I hated the thought of subjecting my soul to that Ancient Demon¡¯s chains.¡± The Sage let out a chuckle and gently patted Mary. ¡°So I just threw Mary at him along with an insult. I told him that if he coveted my ability so greatly, he should just try and use my staff himself in the next era that he was so looking forward to.¡± ¡°But what about the seal ced in Mary?¡± Sienna muttered in a dazed voice. At these words, the Sage burst outughing, ¡°Ahahaha! I was the one who left the seal there. Even if I was ready to meet my end, there was no way that I could leave my magic or my beloved Mary to a bunch of robbers without the respect or qualifications to use them correctly. That¡¯s why I left the seal there. If an extremely talented young student of magic were able to break my seal someday, then he or she would truly be able to walk the same path as I did.¡± Unable to lift her jaw off the ground, Sienna just alternated between staring at the Sage and her staff, Mary, that the Sage was still holding in her hands. Currently, it had the appearance of a beautiful flower, but just moments ago, the staff that had been called the Bloody Mary had possessed a truly horrific appearance. Sienna¡¯s expression twisted in disgust as she recalled the sight of Bloody Mary decorated with bones and bulging veins. ¡°Was that grotesque appearance also due to your bad taste?¡± Sienna questioned with a grimace. The Sage shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t be so absurd! There¡¯s no way that I would put such ominous ornamentation on my dear Mary! I had nothing to do with that appearance!¡± ¡°Well, that makes sense,¡± Sienna said with a quick change of expression as she nodded her head. Although there was no way to know the full details behind it, it wasn¡¯t hard to guess the reason for the change in appearance. That staff, Mary, was extremely unsuitable to be used for ck magic in its original state. Frankly, there didn¡¯t seem to be any traces of dark power within Mary¡¯s current form. As such, the Demon King of Incarceration must have personally modified Mary, turning the flower at its head into a mass of dark power, then passing it on to his Staffs of Incarceration... but why hand it to them? ¡®It must have been because the Staffs of Incarceration were the most exceptional ck wizards he could find,¡¯ Sienna concluded. Sienna knew this from when she had looked through the memories that had been recorded in Bloody Mary. Belial was definitely one such example, but each of the ck wizards who came before him also possessed extremely high levels of skill in ck magic. However, even wizards of such skill hadn¡¯t been able to break the seal left by the Sage¡­. ¡°You look relieved,¡± the Sage said as she looked at Eugene with a bright smile. ¡°Why would I be relieved?¡± Eugene muttered defensively. ¡°Do you really think that you could fool the eyes of a Sage? Idiot. I can clearly see what you were thinking. Didn¡¯t you suspect that the Ancient Demon brutally murdered me and imed Mary as his trophy?¡± the Sage said as she giggled teasingly. Unable to refute these words, Eugene stubbornly kept his mouth shut. To be honest, after the Sage had made her sudden appearance and the dark power of Incarceration began to flow out of the Bloody Mary, wouldn¡¯t it have been strange if he hadn¡¯te up with such ominous thoughts when the Sage had called out my Mary? ¡°So, what exactly is going on with you?¡± Eugene asked once he had managed to get a hold of his expression. He didn¡¯t want to wait any longer or¡­ spend any more time imagining what her answer might be. In the end, the answer that he was eagerly awaiting was something that Eugene, no, that Agaroth desperately wanted to know. Agaroth had dearly wanted to know what had happened after he was in by the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°Hold on,¡± Carmen suddenly spoke up. So far, she had been listening quietly to everything from the side. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel concerned about what Carmen might say after hearing her suddenly interject like this. Everything they had just been talking about were topics that he had purposely kept from Carmen. They were things that she didn¡¯t need to know, and if at all possible, Eugene also didn¡¯t want her to know anything about them. All of this talk about the past era, a time that went even further back than the so-called good old days, would only serve to confuse those who belonged to the current era. Surprisingly, Carmen addressed this issue herself, ¡°I won¡¯t listen in on this any longer.¡± Hiding her excitement and pounding heart, Carmen deliberately put on a facade of calmness. If Melkith were in her position, she would surely have shrieked like a crow while listening to the story and would have kept trying to join in on their conversation, but Carmen wasn¡¯t that type of person. Carmen might not be particrly self-aware, but everyone who had known Carmen for a long enough time was surprised to find that Carmen was someone with an amazing amount of tactfulness¡­. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I should keep listening to the topics that you will be discussing from this point onwards. To be honest, I am curious to hear more, but¡­ at the same time, I feel afraid to keep listening. I am aware that there are truths about the world that I don¡¯t necessarily need to know,¡± Carmen admitted before politely bowing her head and cing her clenched fist over her left breast. ¡°Such truths will only restrict the way that I picture the world to be. It might even cause me to feel unfairly frustrated with my ignorance. I have no desire to experience such a thing.¡± Carmen¡¯s voice was very calm as she gave her opinions. Eugene stared at Carmen while feeling a mixture of surprise and admiration. It urred to him that, without such a strength of character, there was no way that Carmen would be so respected by her fellow knights. ¡°How impressive,¡± the Sage murmured as she also nodded in admiration. ¡°I admit that I was speaking without consideration for youtter generations. However, to rudely evict someone after inviting them into this ce would only besmirch my honor. As such, I, Vishur Lavi, ask you, my distant descendant, how should I address you?¡± ¡°I am the Silver Lion of the radiant Lionheart n. My name is Carmen Lionheart,¡± Carmen introduced herself as she raised her bowed head and looked up at the Sage. The lion sigil on her left chest gleamed with a radiant light, and Carmen¡¯s golden eyes also shone with the same kind of bright glow. After once again admiring Carmen¡¯s resolve, the Sage spoke once more, ¡°Carmen Lionheart, what is it that you desire currently? If there is something that you want, I can grant you a single wish if that is within my means to assist you with.¡± ¡°I came to this forest looking for an adventure,¡± Carmen said carefully. Squeeze. The fist that she was holding to her chest clenched even tighter as Carmen continued, ¡°I have already experienced the adventure that I was hoping for. Although I haven¡¯t spent all that much time wandering through this forest, it would be no exaggeration to say that what I have experienced here were some of the most magical moments of my entire life. However, I do feel disappointed that there was ack of any trials that should apany such an adventure.¡± The Sage nodded as she said, ¡°Indeed, so it is trials that you desire? Allow me to ask you, oh Carmen Lionheart, what is your purpose for seeking such trials?¡± ¡°It is because I wish to walk together with Eugene on his path to the future,¡± Carmen replied with an unwavering, confident voice. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be moved once more by such a resolute answer. The Sage smiled proudly as she nodded her head. ¡°Very good. Oh Carmen Lionheart, fortunately, I am able to amodate your wish.¡± The Sage raised Mary high. Grrrrrrr! A short distance away, the ground began to shake, and then the roots of the World Tree erupted from their resting ce deep within the earth. The roots that were sticking up out of the ground tangled around each other and then clumped together in the form of a hemisphere. ¡°Head in there,¡± the Sage instructed as the roots parted slightly, creating a passage. ¡°There is an enemy inside who will teach you the true meaning of death. Within that ce, you will experience death hundreds of times over, but you will never actually die. However, the experience of being repeatedly put on the verge of death should be enough to provide you with the trials that you have found yourself seeking.¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Carmen let out an excited gasp. She didn¡¯t ask just what was waiting for her inside because she wanted to check it out herself without hearing anything beforehand. After bowing her head deeply in gratitude towards the Sage, Carmen ran towards the roots. Eugene hadn¡¯t really felt the need to ask any questions either. However, when he saw that the ball of roots that Carmen had entered was starting to convulse like it was a living creature, he had a thought that he should at least have asked for some information beforehand. ¡°What exactly is in there?¡± Eugene asked suspiciously. ¡°It¡¯s the God of Giants,¡± the Sage responded casually. Everyone was shocked by this answer as they turned to stare at the Sage. ¡°Hmm, I can see how my words might have some room for misunderstanding. To be more precise, it is the God of Giants recreated from my memory,¡± the Sage borated. ¡°From your memory?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°It isn¡¯t the real thing or even a clone of the real thing. However, since I havepletely reproduced the strength of the God of Giants from what I remember of him, it won¡¯t be easy for her even to stay alive, let alone win against him,¡± the Sage said. The Sage didn¡¯t have any malice driving her actions. She had truly been impressed by Carmen¡¯s spirit and had simply provided Carmen with the trial that the knight had so desired while using her discretion in setting the level of the trial. Yet even so, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but give the Sage a look of reproval. Agaroth¡¯s memories hadn¡¯t left him with many recollections of the Sage or the God of Giants. Only fragmentary impressions of the two remained. The God of Giants was just as barbarically huge and powerful as his name suggested. Because his body was so immense, he usually shrunk himself down to the size of a hulking man whenever he needed to go anywhere, but even when he reduced his size like this, his strength would barely even decrease. Even Agaroth himself wouldn¡¯t be a match for the God of Giants in a simple contest of strength. No matter how strong Carmen might be, in the end, she was still on the level of a human. Even if she was close to the upper boundary of that level, this meant that she was still within human limits. It was impossible for her to fight against the God of Giants. The Sage defended herself, ¡°If someone were to experience death hundreds of times, even aplete fool would be able to learn something. Since Carmen Lionheart is nowhere near a fool, she will surely be able to gain that much more from the experience.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re nning on killing her hundreds of times over?¡± Eugene asked disapprovingly. The Sage shrugged, ¡°That depends on her strength of will. The flow of time out here and in there is different, but she¡¯ll be able toe out of there whenever she wants. If her will is as strong as iron, she should certainly be able to gain something from this ordeal.¡± It was only natural to obtain something after enduring so much suffering. However, even Eugene thought that such a method was extremely, extremely reckless. Eugene had also attempted that type of training in the past ¡ª back in the Darkroom beneath the Lionheart mansion. In that ce where even if one died, one wouldn¡¯t actually perish in reality, Eugene had fought against an illusion of the ideal version of himself based on the image that he was able to picture at that time. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one to have partaken in such training. Previously, Carmen had also ovee such a trial in the Darkroom. However, the difference between Carmen and her opponent this time was far too great. The gap between Carmen and the illusion in the Darkroom would still have left her able to put up somewhat of a fight, but¡­ if what appeared within that ball of roots was the true God of Giants ¡ª then Carmen wouldn¡¯t even be able tond a single blow on him sessfully. ¡°Even if she doesn¡¯t want to, she¡¯ll be forced to metamorphose,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. The Sage smiled and lowered Mary before asking, ¡°Now then, shall I continue the story? Agaroth, you were curious about how I died, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Eugene slowly nodded. ¡°Ahaha, I enjoy hearing your honest opinions about me. Junior, those words apply to you as well,¡± the Sage said as she shook thepels of her robes, which were identical to Sienna¡¯s. ¡°Junior, I know what you were thinking. I know why you were so shocked when I appeared in front of you as a figure of light. Junior, you thought that your true identity was the reincarnation of me, Vishur Lavi, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s because I thought we were eerily simr,¡± Sienna mumbled in response. After hearing such words from the Sage, Sienna couldn¡¯t help but feel embarrassed. ¡°Junior, you aren¡¯t me,¡± the Sage stated firmly. ¡°My soul was extinguished immediately upon my death. What remains here is just an echo that was summoned by your voice.¡± Eugene¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t help but harden at the loneliness he heard in the Sage¡¯s voice. ¡°Just what exactly happened to you?¡± Eugene asked once more. Mary, which the Sage was still holding, began to glow. Soon, petals scattered from it. ¡°Agaroth, I saw the end that you were no longer around to see,¡± the Sage whispered. The multiplying cloud of flower petals violently rushed toward him and engulfed Eugene¡¯s entire vision. When the petals lifted¡­ Eugene saw a wastnd covered in corpses.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: Time for Carmen¡¯s training montage. I wonder how much stronger she will be when she emerges. Momo: Carmen has consistently been one of my favorite characters. Can¡¯t wait to see her grow.
Chapter 520: Metamorphosis (8)

Chapter 520: Metamorphosis (8)

Eugene was familiar with this wastnd. A long, long time ago, this was where Agaroth and his Divine Army had made their camp. This wastnd was where Agaroth had faced off against the Demon King of Destruction. Where Agaroth¡¯s Saint, the Twilight Witch, had shouted at him to run away. Even the Great Warrior had also shouted the same panicked cry. Everyone in the Divine Army had wanted to escape from here. The same thing also applied to Agaroth. He had wanted to escape this ce. He had thought to himself that that thing, the Demon King of Destruction, was something that definitely couldn¡¯t be fought. But Agaroth hadn¡¯t run away. He couldn¡¯t run away. Agaroth had believed that if they ran away from here, everything would be over. He had felt that they were needed to hold back Destruction, even if it was just by the smallest of margins. So they had marched into battle. Everyone died. The Divine Army was annihted. The Great Warrior had also perished. The Saint passed away in the arms of her god. Agaroth was the only one left, and he would soon be engulfed by the Demon King of Destruction. So Agaroth then threw himself into the cloud that surrounded the Demon King of Destruction. This was what came next. ¡°Agaroth,¡± the Sage whispered. ¡°During that long and exhausting battle, where you fought against those monsters of a previously unknown origin, I was extremely busy with my own problems. Do you remember Agaroth? Once you were finished with your war against those monsters, we were nning to march against the Demon King of Incarceration together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene affirmed, nodding in recollection. It was a chaotic era in which both Demon Kings and Gods had coexisted. The God of War, the Sage, and the God of Giants were a trio of young gods who hadn¡¯t ascended to their thrones for that long. There were many other gods from the younger generation besides them, but these three, in particr, were strong. ¡°The elder gods weren¡¯t happy about the war that you were leading us into. However, we refused to spare an ear to listen to those elders¡¯ grumblings. We justughed at them, saying that they were scared of the Greater Demon King, the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± the Sage chuckled to herself as she tilted her head to one side, recalling the past. ¡°I was devoting all my time to preparing for the uing war. So when you sent word asking me toe and reinforce you, I didn¡¯t rush my preparations to do so. I must admit that it was in part because I wanted to annoy you, but it was also because I was already very busy with my own war efforts.¡± The Sage stopped speaking for a few moments. Her sapphire blue eyes turned to look directly at Eugene. He felt a deep sadness weighing heavily in her eyes. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t done that, would things have been different?¡± the Sage asked intively. ¡°If I had just left right at the moment that I received your call, then¡ª¡± ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have changed anything,¡± Eugene answered her question with a wry smile. ¡°Even if you and the God of Giants had arrived any earlier, we still wouldn¡¯t have been able to stop that thing by working together.¡± ¡°That¡¯s most likely true, but still....¡± The Sage let out a long sigh. ¡°I would have at least been there by your side to witness your death personally.¡± The world around them, which had been frozen in a snapshot of that moment, began to move. A strange mix of colors appeared in the wastnd filled with the corpses of the Divine Army and the Nur. Sienna let out a start at this sudden sight, then muttered to herself, ¡°The Demon King of Destruction....¡± Standing next to her, Kristina unconsciously wrapped one hand around her rosary while Anise had to hold back a gasp. They weren¡¯t even getting a direct look at the Demon King. However, the memories associated with that mix of colors were enough to draw out the fear they had felt in the past. ¡°I cried in front of this scene,¡± the Sage admitted. ¡°I hated myself for being toote. Also, Agaroth, I truly loathed the Demon King of Destruction who had swallowed you whole. At that moment, I wasn¡¯t rational enough to decide what I should do next.¡± She was the Sage of the Ivory Tower ¡ª the pinnacle of wizardry in the Age of Myth. With the body of a human, she had be one with magic and had risen to the Divine Throne as the Goddess of Magic. ¡°I was able to use every single spell that had ever existed in the world. It was as if I was magic, and magic was me. However, even with all of that, I still couldn¡¯t think of a spell that I could use against the Demon King of Destruction or what I needed to do in order to save you,¡± the Sage recalled with a wry smile. She had been able to sense Agaroth¡¯s divine powering from within the Demon King of Destruction''s cloud. That meant that, fortunately, Agaroth was still alive. In that case, since he was still alive, the Sage told herself that she definitely had to save him. But how? With what spell? The Sage didn¡¯t have the means to achieve her goals. With all of the Sage¡¯s reasoning ability put to the task, she kepting to the same cold conclusion. Having been swallowed by the Demon King of Destruction, Agaroth was now impossible to be saved. However, the Sage rejected what her reason was telling her. That was just how much she wanted to save Agaroth, no matter what, regardless of the cost of doing so. It seemed impossible to interfere with that cloud of colors from outside, so what if she went inside? If she could enter into the heart of Destruction, where Agaroth was, then.... ¡°It was a stupid idea.¡± The Sageughed bitterly. ¡°If I had gone in there, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to hold on for even a second, and I would have immediately copsed. If... if the God of Giants had been even a bit slower to arrive, then I would have surely died in vain without even being able to reach your side.¡± The God of Giant¡¯s hand suddenly appeared and blocked the Sage¡¯s path forward. Then, as if he thought blocking her like this wasn¡¯t enough, the God of Giants wrapped his fingers around the Sage and lifted her into the air. The Sage gave a fond smile as she said, ¡°As I was cursing at him to let me go, the God of Giants just roared back at me.¡± He told her not to make Agaroth¡¯s death meaningless. ¡°I also shouted back at him. I told him that Agaroth was still alive. Since that was the case, then of course, we had to save him. However, the God of Giants still firmly pulled me backward. The God of Giants didn¡¯t have anything more to say to me. There was no need for him to say anything. Because I already knew the truth in my heart. I just didn¡¯t want to admit it.¡± The Sage raised her head for a few moments to look up at the sky. She spent those brief moments of silence processing her old emotions before continuing, ¡°I couldn¡¯t save you. Neither could the God of Giants. We couldn¡¯t enter that cloud like you could. We would be dead the moment we entered the cloud surrounding Destruction.¡± Even for Eugene, the memories from that moment were faint. After the Divine Army was annihted and the Twilight Witch had died, Agaroth felt great hatred and rage towards the Demon King of Destruction. Holding his Divine Sword in hand, Agaroth had walked towards the Demon King of Destruction. He alone blocked the Demon King of Destruction, whose advance would spell the destruction of the entire world. In return, the Demon King swallowed Agaroth. Agaroth didn¡¯t die immediately. He couldn¡¯t die. He refused to die. He wanted to kill this damned, shitty Destruction no matter what. So he wandered through an abyss that seemed almost endless and continued to slice apart the overflowing dark power contained within the cloud of colors. The Sage was right. That ce wasn¡¯t a ce where anyone was meant to survive. In the face of Destruction, both humans and gods were rendered equally insignificant. ¡°Agaroth,¡± the Sage whispered as she slowly lowered her head. She stared at Eugene with her tear-filled sapphire eyes. ¡°During the time that you remained alive, the Demon King of Destruction was frozen in its tracks.¡± So, the Sage was forced to ept the truth. It was impossible to save Agaroth. In that case, was it possible to attack and kill the Demon King of Destruction while it was frozen in ce? That was also impossible. Even after all the gods had gathered together, they all gave the same verdict. That thing wasn¡¯t something that they could kill. ¡°Your sacrifice granted us a momentary reprieve in the face of Destruction,¡± the Sage tearfully recounted. But what if that thing suddenly appeared elsewhere? What if it resumed moving while continuing to pour out that endless stream of monsters in front of it, and they weren¡¯t able to stop it before it ended all life in this world? ¡°Agaroth, at that time, there was no way for us to know just how long you would be able to keep holding it back. However, the reprieve you gave us allowed us to prepare for the Destruction toe,¡± the Sage revealed gratefully. The first to make a move were the Elder Gods, whom the trio had always looked down on because of their age. They stormed out of their temples and their sacred sites and demanded to negotiate with the Demon King of Incarceration. The Sage sniffed as she continued, ¡°The halt of Destruction¡¯s advance must havee as a surprise even to the Demon King of Incarceration. That Ancient Demon, who had never responded to any of the calls for negotiation before then, actually replied to the invitation sent by the Elder Gods.¡± Both the Sage and the God of Giants had been present for the negotiations. As countless gods gathered together at the Temple of Oaths, the Demon King of Incarceration had appeared all by himself. No, he didn¡¯t just appear; he descended upon the scene like some higher being deigning to meet with his inferiors. All the gods who had been gathered there got the same feeling from the Demon King of Incarceration. That this one was different from all of the other Demon Kings. This being in front of them was truly worthy of the name Greater Demon King. He was a Demon King of Demon Kings ¡ª a Demon King with the authority tomand the other Demon Kings and receive their worship. The Sage shook her head and said, ¡°However, the negotiations didn¡¯t start all that smoothly. Most of the gods were preupied with asking the Demon King of Incarceration, just what exactly was the Demon King of Destruction?¡± ¡°Did he give you a proper answer?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Ahaha. Do you really believe that despicable Ancient Demon would do something like that? He refused to give us an answer to what exactly the Demon King of Destruction was. Instead, he... he said that it was just like what we had already seen and felt from it. Ultimately, he meant to say, what else could it be but Destruction itself,¡± the Sage chuckled as she shook her head. ¡°Then, in that case, we asked him if there was any way to resist the Destruction. Was there any way to dy or reverse the Destruction? Ahaha, in the end, we all just gave up on trying to kill Destruction. We didn¡¯t think that it was humiliating to do so. We knew that there was nothing we could do to stop it.¡± ¡°What did the Demon King of Incarceration say in response?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°The next time,¡± the Sage said, her cheeks twitching into a twisted and ugly smile as she turned to look at Eugene. ¡°...He told us... to prepare for the next time. Since that thing had appeared, everything would soon be over, so we could only prepare for the next era toe. That was what the Ancient Demon said before disappearing.¡± The gods all understood what the Demon King of Incarceration meant by the words that he had left them with. They didn¡¯t want to acknowledge it but were forced to ept it. Before too long, their current world would end. Once Agaroth died, the Demon King of Destruction would begin to move once more. But couldn¡¯t one of the other gods take up Agaroth¡¯s role in stopping Destruction? There was no guarantee that anyone would even be able to achieve the same results as Agaroth. They all agreed that rather than risking their lives in a meaningless sacrifice and dying a dog¡¯s death, it would be better to find different methods to prepare for the next time. ¡°I holed up by myself for a while,¡± the Sage confessed to Eugene. The Sage had to think about what she should do next. How were her preparations for the next era even meant to survive the end of this era? ¡°Then I gathered all the wizards and my believers to the Ivory Tower. We sat down together as one and talked about everything that had happened,¡± the Sage said with a sigh. It had been hard for her to tell them that they were all going to die soon. The Sage shook her head as if shaking off unpleasant stuff and said, ¡°All the knowledge and magic that we had researched, everything that we had umted in our pursuit of the truth, in the end, it would all prove useless as we would be unable to achieve our final goal. We would perish along with the rest of the world.¡± In that case, wouldn¡¯t the meaning of their existence bepletely erased along with the world? ¡°No.¡± the Sage shook her head firmly. ¡°The meaning of our existence, the heights of magic that we had reached, and everything that we had achieved during our pursuit of the truth wouldn¡¯t just end there. We refused to let it end. We would not disappear into nothingness.¡± The Sage raised a finger as she continued speaking, ¡°I transcended my own existence. I transformed myself into a huge, empty vessel. I then pulled the souls of all the wizards who had served me and all of my believers whose faith had driven my transformation into godhood into my embrace.¡± Eugene looked up in the direction that the Sage was pointing at. At some point, the scenery around them had changed once more. The wastnd full of corpses was gone. All that was left to see... were endless stretches of sea. Far, far into the distance, Eugene spotted a wave that wasing directly towards them. Fog followed behind the wave like a looming cloud of darkness. And in front of that wave.... The Demon King of Destruction was steadily advancing towards them. ¡°After five days had passed, the Demon King of Destruction began to move once more,¡± the Sage said in a whisper. ¡°The beasts of Destruction also reappeared all across the world. They killed all living beings. They killed the humans, they killed the Demonfolk, they killed the animals, then they killed everything else as well.¡± When the wave finally arrived, it washed over a world where only corpses remained. The boundary betweennd and sea waspletely erased. This wave that hade out of nowhere covered the world in its entirety. ¡°I watched all of this happen,¡± the Sage revealed. Unable to say anything, Eugene just kept looking in the direction the Sage was pointing in. In front of the endless sea, the massive wave, and the endless fog... there stood an immense tree. The tree standing upright in the middle of the ocean was so tall that it looked almost as if it was holding up the sky, connecting the sky, the sea, and thend beneath together. ¡°Would our souls perish along with the Destruction of the world?¡± the Sage questioned. ¡°No, there was no way that would happen. Even if the world ended and our physical bodies died, our souls would still remain. As long as there was a next era waiting for the world to arrive, the souls of the dead would also be carried along to that next era.¡± The faith of the World Tree was centered around this belief in reincarnation. ¡°Yet even so, I still insisted on holding their souls safely within my embrace. I transformed myself into an entity that could carry the souls from the current era, which was about to end, and continue to shelter these souls in the new era as well.¡± The Sage broke intoughter. ¡°Ahaha. But no matter how impressive a being I might have be, the capacity of my vessel wasn¡¯t infinite, so I could never embrace all of the souls that died with the end of thest era. However, it¡¯s not like there was a real need for me to carry all that many souls with me.¡± An almost infinite number of spirits and an endless supply of mana could be found within the World Tree and the Rainforest surrounding it. After learning of how the Sage had transformed herself into the World Tree, Eugene now understood why this was the case. ¡°So you were nning on bing a god once again, even after you were dead?¡± Eugene muttered with an amused snort. The Sage smiled and replied, ¡°I didn¡¯t do it to be a god. I did it so that all of us could be gods. Looking at the results now, hahaha, things turned out quite well. The creatures of the forest ce their faith in the World Tree from the moment they are born to the moment they die. Even those who live outside the forest still respect the legends surrounding the World Tree.¡± The power held by the World Tree was somewhat different from divine power. However, it was still able to perform miracles, as Eugene had personally experienced several times over. The protective blessing that Ivatar and the other warriors of the forest were born with was also another form of the miracles that the World Tree could perform. ¡°As time passes, the power of the World Tree continues to grow. One day, when the Demon King of Destruction tries to end the world once more, then I... no, the World Tree was meant to serve as a dam for the waves toe,¡± the Sage said with a huff ofughter. ¡°In the end, the future still turned out differently from everything we had thought and nned for. We never could have imagined that you, Agaroth, would actually be reincarnated as a human... and that you would attempt to take on the Demon Kings once more.¡± ¡°What happened to the God of Giants?¡± Eugene asked in a quiet voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Sage said with a shrug. ¡°Like me, he should have also made some preparations for the next era, but... I don¡¯t know what exactly he did. After all, I had to give up my life in order to transform into the World Tree.¡± Eugene frowned silently. The Sage smiled wryly, ¡°By that expression, it seems that you find it difficult to ept my choice, Agaroth. However, what else could I do? The fact is, I needed to die. Even if it¡¯s me, it would have been impossible to ept such an enormous amount of souls while also maintaining the integrity of my soul and my sense of self. So I was left with no other option but to die.¡± ¡°An echo...,¡± Eugene muttered as he recalled what the Sage had said before. ¡°Then just who am I supposed to be?¡± Sienna suddenly burst out. ¡°Until now, I always thought... that I was the reincarnation of the Sage. However, if that isn¡¯t the case, what on earth am I?¡± ¡°Perhaps it would be best to describe you as the product of a miracle,¡± the Sage replied to her questions. The scenery around them changed once more. The sea disappeared, and the setting returned to the same grassy field that had been present at the start. With her back to the World Tree, the Sage looked straight into Sienna¡¯s eyes and smiled. ¡°Junior, the very origin of your existence lies in your innate trait of being loved by mana,¡± the Sage said as she lifted a finger and pointed at Sienna. ¡°You are not the reincarnation of myself, Vishur Lavi. I had no part to y in the creation of your existence. However, something did bring you to the forest where I wasid to rest. You were seemingly abandoned in the forest, but.... hahaha, was that really the case? What kind of foolish human parents woulde all the way to this forest just to abandon their child? If they really wanted to throw you away, they could have just left you anywhere.¡± Sienna silently processed this. ¡°Junior, I don¡¯t know why or how you were abandoned here. However, it can¡¯t be just a coincidence that you arrived in this forest, were taken in by the elves, and were taught their magic. It is probably because of the guidance granted to you by mana itself that you have be who you are today,¡± the Sage said to Sienna. During the course of her life, Sienna had never felt any longing for her biological parents. Why would she miss such neglectful parents, who had abandoned her in the forest and disappeared when she was just a newborn? However, after hearing the Sage¡¯s words, Sienna was left with many questions about the nature of her true parents, a pair of individuals to whom Sienna had never given much thought before. ¡°Now then,e here,¡± the Sage whispered invitingly to Sienna. ¡°Let us discuss your ascension to the Divine Throne of Magic together.¡± Chapter 521: Metamorphosis (9)

Chapter 521: Metamorphosis (9)

¡®Loved by mana.¡¯ Something deep within Sienna¡¯s chest resonated heavily with these words. Of course, Sienna had already realized that her true nature was something extremely special. She possessed a talent for magic that had left even the elves in amazement. Sienna had already been able to unconsciously sense and manipte mana from a very young age. ¡®That¡¯s right. It can¡¯t just be a coincidence that I was led to this forest,¡¯ Sienna realized. Although it was absurd that her parents woulde all the way to this forest just to abandon their child, it was also equally unusual for a newborn child to have survived being abandoned in this rainforest in the first ce. The forest was full of barbarians and monsters, but before she was rescued by the elves, Sienna had been perfectly.... ¡®It must have been because I was loved by mana even then,¡¯ Sienna thought to herself. With her fists clenched tightly in excitement, Sienna walked over to the Sage. ¡ªLet us discuss your ascension to the Divine Throne of Magic together. Those words left Sienna with a sweet sense of anticipation. In the current era, there wasn¡¯t even a single wizard who could im to be Sienna¡¯s equal, let alone any wizards superior to Sienna. Although she had gathered together a group of Archwizards to research her divine ascension collectively, it was Sienna who ultimately stood at the forefront and center of the study. This left Sienna with a thirst that couldn¡¯t be quenched. She wanted to be able to discuss magic with someone at an equal level. Especially after seeing Eugene spar with Molon and devote himself to his training, Sienna¡¯s thirst couldn¡¯t help but gradually grow stronger and stronger. The woman in front of her was Vishur Lavi, Sage of the Ivory Tower. She was the former Goddess of Magic who had ascended to the Divine Throne of Magic during the Age of Myth. The throne that she had ascended to was something that Sienna desperately aspired to reach. Sienna quickly adjusted her expression as she drew closer to the Sage. Depending on the content of their discussion, Sienna thought that she might just be willing to address the Sage as her Senior. ¡°Your skill in magic is truly impressive, Junior,¡± the Sage said to the approaching Sienna. ¡°Despite previously only delving into inferior forms of magic, you have managed to get past the seal I ced in my Mary and touched on the magic that will lead you to the realm of divine ascension.¡± ¡°What?¡± Sienna, who had been eagerly approaching with a happy expression, suddenly came to a screeching halt. However, the Sage didn¡¯t pay any notice to Sienna¡¯s reaction and just kept speaking, ¡°But thetest magic that you¡¯ve researched on your own beforeing here is also worthy of some praise, Junior. It¡¯s so advanced that it might no longer even need to be considered an inferior form of magic. It¡¯s truly amazing that it has already reached such a level despite still being iplete.¡± ¡°Whaaat?¡± Sienna repeated herself, her face darkening. ¡°I¡¯m referring to the magic you used to suppress that Ancient Demon¡¯s, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s, dark power. Even if that wasn¡¯t the true form of the Ancient Demon, the dark power that had contaminated my dear Mary was extremely powerful. Nevertheless, Junior, your magic was able to sessfully suppress that Ancient Demon¡¯s dark power,¡± the Sage nodded in approval. What on earth was this old hag even trying to say? That was the only thought currently going through Sienna¡¯s mind. The Sage frowned and said, ¡°However, Junior, while I truly do admire your magic, at the same time, I am concerned about its prospects. The reason for my concern is that your magic will ultimately hit its limits due to its innate inferiority.¡± Sienna couldn¡¯t hold it in any longer. In the end, as the veins on her neck swelled in anger, Sienna let out a loud shout, ¡°Hey!¡± Having predicted that Sienna was about to explode due to their familiarity with her personality, Eugene and Kristina had already quietly backed away and weren¡¯t surprised in the slightest by the loud outburst. ¡°I¡¯ve been patiently trying to listen to you, but what are you even talking about?! What¡¯s wrong with my magic?!¡± Sienna angrily demanded. ¡°Hmm?¡± The Sage¡¯s eyes widened into circles as she stared at Sienna in surprise. After examining Sienna¡¯s expression for a few moments, the Sage btedly understood why Sienna might be feeling enraged and nodded to herself before saying, ¡°Aaaah, I see. Junior, allow me to apologize. It seems that the way I said it has caused a significant misunderstanding.¡± Sienna growled, ¡°What do you mean, misunderstanding!¡± Sienna had never received such an insulting evaluation in all of her life. Calling her magic inferior? The magic of none other than the Wise Sienna had actually beenbeled inferior? Sienna¡¯s hair menacingly rose up in response to the intense emotions she was feeling. ¡°You!¡± Sienna snarled. ¡°I know you might have been an exceptional wizard once upon a time! But that doesn¡¯t give you the right to evaluate my magic as inferior! I¡ª¡± The Sage interrupted her, ¡°Stop, stop. Junior, calm down. Didn¡¯t I already say that my manner of speech was the cause of this misunderstanding? As such, shouldn¡¯t you give me a chance to clear up this confusion?¡± Unlike Sienna, who seemed full of anger, the Sage¡¯s expression was extraordinarily calm. But instead of soothing her emotions, this calm just seemed to spur Sienna¡¯s anger even more. Unlike before, when the Sage¡¯s beautiful voice had seemed so soothing, it now soundedpletely aggravating. As Sienna struggled to calm her anger, the Sage muttered to herself with a helpless expression, ¡°Hmm, indeed, I suppose that it can¡¯t have been helped. The magic of today is founded on extremely different principles to the magic used during the Age of Myth.¡± After thinking it over for a few moments, the Sage lifted Mary aloft. ¡°First of all, allow me to answer a few of the questions you may have had, Junior,¡± the Sage persuaded. ¡°Since these answers have something to do with the misunderstanding that lies between us.¡± ¡°My questions?¡± Sienna repeated doubtfully. ¡°About the magic contained within Mary¡¯s seal. And also about the magic of the elves as well as Draconic Incantations,¡± the Sage muttered as she lifted Mary into the air. ¡°In regards to the simrities between all three different types of magic, you¡¯ve managed to find the correct answer, Junior. None of them make use of forms.¡± This also applied to miracles, prayers, and wishes. ¡°These types of magic are powered solely by will, with mana itself responding to the caster¡¯s desires,¡± the Sage exined. ¡°Causing something that you desire to happen is the very essence of this type of magic. Because of that, such magic is both arcane and infinite in nature.¡± Whoosh! Mary¡¯s petals shook, and a river of mana flowed off of the flower like a visible scent trail that drifted through Sienna¡¯s line of sight. At some point, the anger had faded from Sienna¡¯s face. Sienna stared at the flow of mana, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest. The Sage recounted, ¡°The race known as the elves have always been loved by both the spirits and mana. However, the love they receive isn¡¯t infinite. That is why elven magic has its limits.¡± ¡°And what about the dragons?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°Ahahaha, that race is also one that is loved by mana. However, their magic doesn¡¯t draw on the world for its infinite supply of mana. The hearts they are born with supply them with all the mana that they need. That is why a dragon¡¯s magic is so strong. But since the mana provided ispletely self-supplied, without needing to ask anyone else to fulfill their desires, the resulting magic is both overly arrogant and shallow.¡± The Sage¡¯s lips drew an amused curve as she added, ¡°In contrast, human magic is just trivial.¡± Fwooosh! The stream of mana that the Sage had drawn out through the air flowed towards Sienna. Sienna hesitated for a few moments before lifting Frost in response. Then she tried to draw on the mana in the air like the Sage had just done. ¡°Do you understand now, Junior?¡± the Sage asked, her smile deepening. However, Sienna didn¡¯t have time to smile back. Instead, she chewed her lips in concentration, sparing no attention to how the rest of her face had hardened into a stiff expression. The Sage continued her lesson, ¡°Humans aren¡¯t as loved by mana as the elves or the dragons. Humans cannot draw any responses just by offering up a prayer to mana. Because of that, humans created forms. Thus, they managed to trap the mana, which could have been used to power the most arcane and infinite magics, within their trivial little calctions.¡± It wouldn¡¯t mix. The mana that Sienna had managed to extract from the atmosphere refused to mix with the Sage¡¯s mana, even in the slightest. Yet despite that, the Sage¡¯s mana was able to easily overpower and consume Sienna¡¯s mana in turn, as if it was only natural for it to do so. The Sage said with a sigh, ¡°I know that is something that can¡¯t be helped. At one point, I was like that as well. Most other wizards from the Age of Myth were idiots who were obsessed with their trivial designs. However, you, my Junior, cannot allow yourself to fall into the same trap. Will you allow yourself to remain just another petty wizard, Junior? If that is the case, you can stubbornly stick to your current inferior form of magic.¡± Sienna was the founder of the Circle Magic Form. Since the introduction of the Circle Magic Form, magic had be simultaneously more advanced and easier to learn than it was three hundred years ago. As such, Sienna took great pride in her achievements. But that was also why she felt the Sage¡¯s words struck so keenly. Sienna had already realized that there were limitations to her Circle magic. The Circle Magic Form would ultimately hit its limits at the Ninth Circle. Although, in Sienna¡¯s case, she was able to far surpass the power of the Ninth Circle through her Eternal Hole¡ª ¡°Junior, is your magic truly infinite?¡± the Sage softly whispered. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. I truly do think that your magic is amazing, Junior. When I was still a human, I couldn''t control my magic as finely as you obviously have. However, Junior, the magic you¡¯vee up with as a solution to your limitations is ultimately still only within the bounds of human magic. If you want to ascend to the Divine Throne of Magic, you must transcend the heights of humanity.¡± ¡°How do I do that?¡± Sienna asked, her chest feeling tight. The Sage¡¯s mana began to guide the flow of Sienna¡¯s mana. The flow of mana was so powerful that Sienna couldn¡¯t even begin to resist its lead. Would she be able to put up some resistance if she were to use her Absolute Decree? ¡®I should be able to put up a bit of a fight,¡¯ Sienna thought to herself. However, she told herself that she shouldn¡¯t do that. What was there to gain by using her Absolute Decree to reject the Sage¡¯s guidance? Would it repair some of her damaged self-esteem? There was no way that Sienna could be satisfied with just that, could she? ¡°Junior. I should have already said this enough times, but you truly are loved by mana.¡± The Sage smiled as she softly whispered, ¡°Elven magic isn¡¯t meant to be used by humans. That is because humans aren¡¯t as loved by mana as the elves. It is also because elven magic was only ever designed to be used by elves. However, you... you¡¯ve even mastered elven magic, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I... I didn¡¯t manage to learn everything,¡± Sienna shamefacedly admitted. ¡°Only a small portion of it....¡± ¡°Hahaha! Junior, that was back when you were still immature. What about if you were to try now?¡± The Sage¡¯sugher grew louder as she continued speaking, ¡°Junior, you are no longer just a toddler. You are a wizard who has grown into her full maturity and is on the verge of transcendence. You are the one whose magical resonance was so loud that it even summoned an echo of me, Vishur Lavi, after I had died and left only a few traces of mana behind in my magical workings.¡± Her sonorous voice seemed to resonate throughout Sienna¡¯s entire being. Sienna¡¯s breathless panting slowly began to stabilize. She was no longer feeling as agitated as she had been before. ¡°Close your eyes,¡± the Sage instructed. ¡°Close your eyes and listen with your ears. Feel the mana that flows through all things. Hear the voice of the mana. Recognize the love that it bestows upon you like an infinite blessing.¡± Sienna slowly closed her eyes. ¡°Incantations and forms are justpromises made by the inferior out of their desire to use magic. But you, Junior, you don¡¯t need to do that. There is no need for you topromise for your magic. Don¡¯t think of it as being overly arrogant. For someone who has reached the very verge of transcendence, such arrogance is only natural,¡± the Sage reassured her. Sienna unconsciously knelt down on the spot. She leaned her body forward, resting her weight against the staff she was holding with both hands. This wasn¡¯t reality but the spiritual side of the World Tree. It was a ce created by the Sage and the believers who had once worshiped her. It was also a ce where countless souls had entered the cycle of reincarnation. ¡°Focus your will on your desires,¡± the Sage said as she let go of Mary. Mary didn¡¯t fall to the ground. Instead, the ancient staff began to shine with a beautiful light as it slowly floated over to Sienna. The flow of mana that Mary was controlling suddenly enveloped Sienna and harmonized with Sienna¡¯s internal mana. ¡°Give your desires to the mana,¡± the Sage pronounced in her clear and sonorous voice. Her voice seemed like it could permeate and reverberate through everything in existence. ¡®Aaaah,¡¯ Sienna silently sighed. She had finally realized something. The Sage¡¯s voice didn¡¯t simply feel like it was permeating through everything. It truly was permeating and resonating through all forms of matter existing in this ce. She, the Sage, had been using the mana that existed in everything to speak in that beautiful voice of hers from the very beginning. ¡°How amazing,¡± Sienna murmured, her voice feeling strangely distant from herself. Her body also seemed to have faded into the distance. When she looked down at herself, she realized that she had turned into a pure mental body. Sienna lifted her head and turned to look behind herself. She saw a huge circle hanging in the air, and contained within that circle were hundreds and thousands of other smaller circles. Countless circles were trapped within that onerge circle. Infinite circles that were creating an infinite amount of mana; with all of the circles splitting apart,bining with each other, then scattering into pieces, then they would split apart,bine together, and scatter once more.... This was her Eternal Hole. It was a long time since Sienna had first made this particr piece of magic. This was, in Sienna¡¯s opinion, the ultimate development of the Circle Magic Form. Sienna had even thought that, after creating this, she must have at least touched upon the truth thaty at the core of all magic. She had been confident that the infinite transformations of these circles held infinite possibilities. ¡°Ahaha,¡± Sienna couldn¡¯t help butugh as she looked at the magic she had developed in her immature youth. She was so embarrassed and mortified by her naivety that she couldn¡¯t stopughing. ¡°But what¡¯s this?¡± Sienna muttered, her voice stillden with amusement, as she approached the Eternal Hole. Behind the Eternal Hole, an entire universe was unfolding. This was the magic that Sienna had only recently developed, her Absolute Decree. Fortunately, she could tell that her Absolute Decree was at least much more polished than her Eternal Hole. Seeing it like this... Sienna didn¡¯t feel mortified or embarrassed by the sight. However, what she did feel was disappointment. Although it might im to be Absolute, it was far from actually being absolute. It might appear as a universe, but it wasn¡¯t actually asplex as a universe. It wasrge enough to incorporate the Eternal Hole, but it was still far from being infinite in scope. Sienna strode forward, reaching her hand out towards her Eternal Hole. Crack! Cracks spread across the circles that made up the Eternal Hole. Soon, the circles that had once dared to make a im of being truly infinite shattered into pieces. The spread of this copse wasn¡¯t just restricted to the Eternal Hole; it also propagated to the universe behind it. The world began to copse around Sienna. The copse of this world was a metaphor that existed solely for Sienna to see. Her system of magic, which she had been cultivating her entire life, had now copsed around her. However, Sienna didn¡¯t feel even the slightest regret. ¡°Thank you,¡± Sienna whispered softly. It was these pieces of magic that had made Sienna what she was today. Throughout her life, Sienna had always cherished the magic she had learned and pursued its development. However, these now had to be destroyed. But even though they had copsed, they wouldn¡¯tpletely disappear. All of this rubble lying around would eventually be a part of Sienna and would move forward with her. In the midst of this copsing world, Sienna calmly closed her eyes. At first, slowly, then quickly, she grew smaller. Sienna soon became so small that she couldn¡¯t even bepared to a speck of dust. She had be smaller than everything else in this world. As she shrunk, she reached a dimension where the flow of time became meaningless. A ce where the past, present, and future all coexisted at the same point in time. When she opened her eyes once more, Sienna saw the very essence of mana. Within this infinitesimally small world, Sienna¡¯s existence was even smaller than the mote of mana in front of her. However, she wasn¡¯t engulfed by it. Instead, she understood it. Sienna could feel the mana¡¯s love for her and the fate that she had been bestowed with as a result of that. It was just as the Sage had said. ¡°I would have eventually reached this ce somehow,¡± Sienna softly muttered. She had been born as a human. So, for Sienna to say this could be seen as extremely arrogant of her. However, Sienna herself didn¡¯t think that she was being arrogant. For her, making a bold im like this wasn¡¯t arrogant in the slightest. It was apletely natural result of who she was. Sienna smiled brightly as she embraced the mote of mana. All of the mana in existence hugged Sienna back in the same fashion. *** ¡°Haaaah...,¡± the Sage let out a long sigh as she sat down. She propped her chin onto one hand as she stared at the spot in front of her. To think that Sienna would be able to reach the infinitesimal world of mana as soon as she finished receiving the Sage¡¯s advice. The Sage clicked her tongue and shook her head in disbelief, saying, ¡°Herprehension is so rapid that it¡¯s hard to believe.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just thanks to the guidance you gave her?¡± Eugene asked as he approached the Sage. Sienna¡¯s figure was nowhere to be seen. In the spot where Sienna had been kneeling, the only thing left was arge, unopened flower bud. This magical flower bud had been created by the fusion of Mary and Sienna¡¯s mana. Eugene channeled some energy into his eyes as he tried to peek inside the bud, but he wasn¡¯t able to see anything within. ¡°If I could instantly make someone ascend to divinity and reach the Divine Realm just by giving them some guidance, wouldn¡¯t that be enough for them to give me the title of the One True God?¡± the Sage said with a snort as she looked up at Eugene. ¡°I simply taught her the method and pointed out the path. But this outrageous Junior of mine was able to immediately grasp the method that I taught her and run in the direction that I pointed out.¡± ¡°Can I do what she¡¯s doing?¡± Eugene muttered as he tilted his head curiously. He might fall quite some distance short of Sienna and the Sage when it came to magic, but Eugene had also obtained some mastery of magic. In fact, the reason Eugene seemed to fall so short was that the targets ofparison were just that amazing; Eugene was actually one of the greatest Archwizards among all of humankind. ¡°Hey now,¡± the Sage said with a chuckle. ¡°Just like how humans have their own individual characteristics, gods also have their appropriate divine characteristics. Agaroth, the divine characteristics that you qualify for wouldn¡¯t bepatible with the ones that my Junior and I have obtained.¡± ¡°If she bes the Goddess of Magic, wouldn¡¯t I still be able to be the God of Magic?¡± Eugene said in a joking manner. However, the Sage just red at Eugene with a straight expression before sighing, ¡°You... how can you say something so truly thoughtless?¡± Eugene decided just to keep his mouth shut and didn¡¯t say anything further. Chapter 522: Metamorphosis (10) ¡°But anyway¡­,¡± the Sage said, grinning as she stared at Eugene. For a few moments, she carefully scanned Eugene from top to bottom. She took in his grayish hair, which was just slightly duller than silver, and his yellow eyes, which were closer to the re of a beast than the shine of gold. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the impressive physique,¡± the Sage said with a light tone of admiration, still looking him over like she was appreciating a work of art. At these words, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but be startled and unconsciously take a few steps back. He instinctively sensed something that felt a lot like danger, so he silently looked around for someone who could help him out. However, there was no one here who could intervene to save Eugene. The one to actually possess the mostmon sense among all of those present, along with the highest prestige and respect, was Carmen, but she had already entered the ball of roots. While Sienna might not be considered to have all that muchmon sense, in any case, she was also upied, secluded as she was within her flower bud as she attempted to reach the divine realm of magic. That only left Kristina and Anise. However, would they really be of any help to Eugene in escaping this dangerous situation? Instead, they seemed more likely to find fun in teasing Eugene by going back and forth with the Sage¡­.While imagining such a fearful scene, Eugene nced over at Kristina. However, surprisingly enough, Kristina¡¯s expression was calm and serene. Instead of how she usually behaved, Kristina was keeping her distance with her hands sped respectfully in front of her as she faced their direction. There were several reasons why Kristina was acting like this. It was partly out of respect for the Sage, one of the ancient gods from long ago. Kristina also didn¡¯t want to interrupt Eugene and the Sage¡¯s reunion by needlessly making a fuss. Finally, it was also because she silently agreed with what the Sage was saying. If the Sage had instead been saying something cruel and insulting to Eugene, Kristina would have naturally gotten angry and intervened, but currently¡­. ¡°Your physique in the distant past was also very impressive, but,¡± the Sage chuckled, ¡°haha, the current you possesses a very different charm from you back then. No, perhaps it¡¯s not all that different. It might be more urate to say that you¡¯ve somehow added on to your past masculine charm andpounded upon it.¡± Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat, ¡°Ahem¡­.¡± The Sageughed even louder, ¡°Hahaha. I also liked the face you had in the past, but if I have to be honest, I find myself preferring your current face. In the past, you didn¡¯t give off such a cute vibe. Agaroth, do you remember what you looked like back then?¡± ¡°Just slightly,¡± Eugene replied hesitantly. ¡°Your body was huge and bulging with muscles, and your face was also packed full of masculine charm. Even your hands were rough and thick. However, your current appearance is much easier on the eyes. Your figure is just the right size, and I¡¯m especially drawn to your face,¡± the Sage said softly with a mischievous smile. With each word that followed in the same appreciative vein, Eugene¡¯s face grew progressively redder and redder. Of course, Eugene was also aware that his looks were attractive. He had already developed a self-awareness of his looks by the time he was about ten years old. However, having his looks discussed so openly by another person, particrly the Sage of all people, was causing him to feel embarrassed and sensitive. To begin with, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel an ambiguous sense of closeness to the Sage, Vishur Lavi. ¡°Indeed, it seems that your personalities are also quite different,¡± the Sage muttered quietly as she saw how Eugene¡¯s face had turned red, unable to say anything, and how he avoided eye contact with her. ¡°I suppose that it is inevitable. You are indeed the reincarnation of Agaroth, but that doesn¡¯t mean you are the same person as Agaroth.¡± ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s true,¡± Eugene mumbled in agreement. ¡°Ahaha! That being the case, there¡¯s no need for you to feel apologetic for not being able to remember me. In the first ce, I am the one who is arbitrarily projecting my feelings for Agaroth onto you and stubbornly insisting on calling you by his name. Indeed, the cause of this behavior is my childish greed and foolishness,¡± the Sage chuckled as she shook her head. After staring at the Sage for a few moments, Eugene let out a deep sigh and asked, ¡°If it was Agaroth, what do you think he would say in this sort of situation?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± The Sage shot him a questioning look. Eugene awkwardly scratched his neck, ¡°Well, I was just curious. Even in his case, my memories of him aren¡¯t all that clear, so¡­.¡± ¡°The first thing he would do would be to push me down[1],¡± the Sage immediately answered without any hesitation. Eugene¡¯s jaw dropped after hearing this explicit answer that seemed to have left out so much context, ¡°What? Why would he suddenly push you down like that?¡± ¡°It would be because I had expressed my interest and attraction to your current form. Agaroth was always very bold and hot-blooded when it came to that sort of thing. He wasn¡¯t all that restrained when he met someone that he found attractive,¡± the Sage exined. Afraid to ask anything more, Eugene just kept his mouth shut. He felt like if he insisted on asking any more questions, he might hear some truly embarrassing stories from the Sage¡¯s lips. [It appears that Hamel¡¯s past life was quite the yboy. He might have been called the God of War, but he was actually just a lustful nymphomaniac. It''s fortunate that the current Hamel wasn¡¯t born with that kind of perverted nature,] Anise grumbled to Kristina while eavesdropping on their conversation from a distance. Kristina just stood there with her hands sped together in silence as she listened to the conversation between Eugene and the Sage. But in the privacy of her head, Kristina said, ¡®However, I think it would be better if Eugene was just a little bit more lustful.¡¯ [Huh?] Anise gasped in surprise. Kristina stuttered, ¡®P-please don¡¯t misunderstand. It¡¯s only just a little, tiny bit. Just so that he reaches a moderate level¡­ something along the lines of you and me, Sister¡­.¡¯ [Oh my God¡­! Kristina, what are you even saying? When you say it like that, aren¡¯t you using us, no, using me of being lewd?!] Anise let out a loud cry of sincere embarrassment. If the past Kristina had heard such a thing, she would have already been trying toe up with some sort of excuse to exin her gaffe. However, by now, she didn¡¯t feel the need to make even the slightest attempt to hide her true feelings. She just kept staring at Eugene while feeling a slight sense of regret. ¡°Hmm,¡± the Sage suddenly made a contemtive sound. Her brows scrunched up slightly as she tilted her head to the side with a frown and said, ¡°I know that I said that was what Agaroth was like, but there was still one exception to that rule.¡± ¡°An exception? What do you mean by exception?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. The Sage rified, ¡°I¡¯m talking about when it came to who he chose to push down.¡± At that moment, Eugene sensed some annoyance in the Sage¡¯s voice. And it wasn¡¯t just her voice. Her expression was also tantly revealing her negative emotions. In fact, she was disying her emotions so openly that even Eugene could tell exactly what she was feeling. It was jealousy. The Sage shook her head, ¡°Agaroth wasn¡¯t restrained when it came to those he had taken a liking to. If the other party was willing and didn¡¯t reject his advances, he would swiftly move to more physical and affectionate contact. However, there was one woman who Agaroth treated as an exception to his usual rule.¡± Eugene¡¯s expression stiffened. There wasn¡¯t any need to waste even a second thought about who that exception had applied to. ¡°The Twilight Witch,¡± the Sage spat out the title, her brow still furrowed in a frown. ¡°That bitch both annoyed and disgusted me in various ways. She was someone who had delved deeply into the Forbidden Magics[2], touched on its very limits and was on the verge of breaking into the divine realm of power. Of course, Agaroth managed to destroy the divine throne that that bitch was ascending to just as it was in front of her nose. If that bitch had managed to ascend to her divine throne as she had wished, she would have be an Evil God that could even look down on the ordinary Demon Kings.¡± Eugene listened in silence. The Sage sighed, ¡°I warned Agaroth several times about her. With how vicious that witch had proven herself to be, she had to be scheming something to surrender like that, so he shouldn¡¯t have left her by his side. He should have just killed her. Or if he felt that it was a shame just to kill her while she was helpless, he could have left her to me. However, the past you just ignored my advice. Every time I asked you the reason, you mostly just gave the same answer over and over again.¡± ¡°What did I say?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because it¡¯s fun,¡± the Sage growled, then she stopped talking for a few moments. Eventually, she let out a snort and shook her head, ¡°At first, you really did take in the witch and kept her by your side just because you found it fun to torment her with the possibility of taking her revenge. However, at some point, everyone knew that you didn¡¯t keep the witch around solely because you found it fun to do so. Are your memories of her just as faint as they are for the rest of us?¡± ¡°No,¡± Eugene grudgingly admitted. The Sage burst outughing. ¡°Ahaha! See that. Even though you¡¯ve said that your memories of me are faint, you still have clear memories of that witch. That was just how special the Twilight Witch was to you, Agaroth. You considered that Witch to be more special than any other woman in your life, even myself, Vishur Lavi.¡± The Sage had harbored a hatred of the Twilight Witch during her lifetime. Every single aspect of the Twilight Witch seemed to displease the Sage. If Agaroth had been willing to embrace the witch casually, perhaps she wouldn¡¯t have been so jealous. But Agaroth had refused to lie with the witch. The witch would tempt Agaroth repeatedly, but until the very end, Agaroth had never actually slept with the witch. This fact just caused the Sage to feel even more bitter about their entire rtionship. What was truly funny was that, while they hadn¡¯t slept together, both Agaroth and the witch had seen each other¡¯s naked bodies multiple times. ¡°Why was she so special?¡± the Sage muttered with a wry smile. ¡°Even if I ask the current you, you probably won¡¯t be able to answer. However¡­ Agaroth, I don¡¯t know if this is the right answer, but I havee up with my own answer to that question. You didn¡¯t want to break your rtionship with the witch. You were being greedy. You refused to let go of your initial ns to keep her at your side. You were looking forward to her betraying you. Then, you would take the chance to enjoy your harvest, so you were waiting for the moment that it finally happened. You didn¡¯t want to do anything that would tilt the delicate bnce of love and hate that existed between you two¡­.¡± The Sage was staring straight at Eugene as she said all of this. ¡°When I figured all of that out, it left me in anguish. You kept each other by your side, spying on each other¡¯s hearts, eagerly anticipating each other taking action eventually, and you ultimately died together. Why couldn¡¯t I have been the one to share that with you, Agaroth?¡± In response, Eugene smiled wryly as he muttered, ¡°Thanks to that, the current me is having a hard time¡­. Because the Twilight Witch has been reincarnated as my enemy.¡± ¡°So she was also reincarnated,¡± the Sage let out a long sigh. ¡°I truly hate that witch, but I do find her fate to be ironic and pitiful.¡± Eugene raised a brow, ¡°Aren¡¯t you curious about what she¡¯s like?¡± ¡°I¡¯m extremely curious,¡± the Sage easily admitted. ¡°However, I won¡¯t ask. I don¡¯t want you to say anything either.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Eugene probed. ¡°Because, in the end, I am just an echo and won¡¯t be able to be around for much longer,¡± the Sage replied, her face surprisingly showing no sign of regret. She smiled once more as she stared into Eugene¡¯s eyes, ¡°It took a lot out of me to guide my junior into reaching the divine realm. Before too long, I shall disappear once more. Perhaps, thanks to this opportunity, I might be able to continue existing as a faint thread of consciousness within the World Tree, but ¡ª ahaha ¡ª that still isn¡¯t a situation where I can im to be a living being.¡± Eugene silently processed this. ¡°It would be better to leave the past in the past, just like how you aren¡¯t Agaroth, the current witch isn¡¯t the same witch from back then. That¡¯s all that you need to know. However¡­.¡± The Sage paused as she walked over to Eugene. She slowly raised her hand and caressed Eugene¡¯s cheek, ¡°Isn¡¯t that quite a pity for you?¡± ¡°In what way?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Because it means that you aren¡¯t able to rest even after dying like that,¡± the Sage said with a wry smile. ¡°But the same goes for you as well,¡± Eugene pointed out. The Sage shook her head, ¡°I believe there are many differences between your situation and mine. The burden you are carrying is much heavier than my own. I have fully died, but you have died ande back to life. Yet even though you should have been free to start a new life, you are forced to carry on the karma from your distant past.¡± The hand that had been caressing Eugene¡¯s cheek paused in its movement. At that moment, the Sage couldn¡¯t help but think, ¡®He really is a different person.¡¯ As she had said, it was better to leave the past in the past. The Sage knew that the man in front of her was both Agaroth and not Agaroth. Yet even so, ultimately, she kept calling him Agaroth due to her own greed and foolishness. However, no matter how much she might allow her greed and foolishness to blind her to the reality of the situation, she eventually had to ept the truth. The man in front of her was not Agaroth. ¡°Young man,¡± the Sage eventually said. ¡°Tell me your name so that I may hear it. Whisper it to me so that I may remember it.¡± Eugene felt the weight of her request. It had been an extremely long time since thest world had ended, and their new world had been born. During all that time, the Sage had existed in the form of the World Tree for the sake of the world, preparing for the day that Destruction would return to destroy the world once more. Eugene felt like all his youthful joys and sorrows could be crushed into pieces by the weight he could hear in her voice. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± Eugene whispered. As the Sage had requested, he gave her his name. He couldn¡¯t help but give her his name. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± the Sage repeated in her clear and sonorous voice. ¡°I don¡¯t know why you were reincarnated, and I don¡¯t know why this heavy burden of karma must be bound to you like this.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really bound to me,¡± Eugene said, shaking his head with a wry smile. ¡°If I really think about it, I could have chosen to abandon it at any point.¡± Three hundred years ago, when he was still Hamel Dynas, after losing his parents to the war, he could have chosen not to seek revenge for them. Then, like most other people living in that era, he could have just thanked his good fortune that at least his life had been spared and gone on to live an ordinary life ¡ª a life and death that would pass as quietly as that of a mouse. But Hamel couldn¡¯t do that. He had vowed his revenge. He believed that he had to put an end to this shitty fucking war. He had resolved himself to y all of the Demon Kings who had started this war, all of the demonfolk who had made this world as shitty as it was, and exterminate all of the traitorous sons of bitches with ties to the demons. And after he was reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart¡­. He had worked as hard as a dog all of hisst life. He had experienced all sorts of suffering before he eventually died. He hadn¡¯t managed to y all of the Demon Kings, but even so, the world had be extremely peaceful, partly thanks to his actions. So Eugene could have lived a peaceful and ordinary life without having to suffer like he had in his previous life. Since he had gone through so much suffering during his previous life, he could have chosen to just livefortably in this life, and to live solely for himself. Eugene could have even persuaded himself that this was what he deserved. But Eugene didn¡¯t do that. He couldn¡¯t possibly forget the resolve from his past life. He also couldn¡¯t let go of his worries about his oldrades, whose life and death were unknown. No, more importantly than that, Eugene, he just¡­ he just wanted to y thest two Demon Kings. He didn¡¯t want to settle for an imperfect peace. He wanted to end the war once and for all. He had wanted to kill the Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, Noir Giabe, Raizakia, Iris, and all his other enemies. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± the Sage said with a smile. Her lips were drawn into a beautiful smile, but more sadness than joy shone in those vibrant blue eyes. ¡°Are you sure your intent to kill them ispletely your own?¡± the Sage questioned. Eugene didn¡¯t know what to say to that. So the Sage warned him, ¡°Your strong killing intent might be due to Agaroth¡¯s influence on you. After all, you have undoubtedly inherited his throne as the God of War.¡± Eugene was also aware of this, but he still shook his head. ¡°I am the one who made my choices.¡± Hamel had always held a particrly strong killing intent toward the Demon Kings and demonfolk. There were countless people just like him who had lost someone close to them during the war that had started three hundred years ago. However, even among this vast number of people, Hamel was a particrly special case. Even demonfolk who had experienced any number of battles and wars could still be frightened into retreating by Hamel¡¯s murderous intent. It had even worked on Noir Giabe. ¡°There are probably several reasons for my strengthened killing intent, from what I experienced in my youth to the characteristics inherited from my previous life. However, in the end, I am the one who made the decision to continue this mission,¡± Eugene said firmly. ¡°Haaah¡­,¡± the Sage sighed as she ced a hand on Eugene¡¯s shoulders. ¡°In the end, it seems that your fate is an unlucky one. Even in death, you can¡¯t find peace. No matter how many times you die ande back to life, you are still unsatisfied with resting. ¡°This time will be different,¡± Eugene told her. The Sage wrapped her arms around Eugene. Eugene also hugged the Sage back silently. The two embraced each other like this for a few moments. ¡°Eugene Lionheart, your enemies are far too strong. Not only is the Greater Demon King, that Demon King of Demon Kings, your enemy but there is also the Demon King of Destruction, that entity for whom even the title of Demon King might be an insult. None of the gods, including myself and the God of Giants, were able to hold back Destruction like you could¡­,¡± the Sage¡¯s voice trailed off in a whisper. ¡°As such, allow me to grant you my blessing. May this blessing keep you safe as you fight against those terrifyingly strong enemies. I will use some of my divinity to shore up the weaknesses in your godhood.¡± Eugene silently epted the blessing. ¡°So don¡¯t you forget me either, just like how I didn¡¯t forget Agaroth even after I died. Just like how I have memorized your name here and now,¡± the Sage¡¯s hands pressed gently on the small of Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°Remember the wizards of the Ivory Tower, my believers, and remember my name, the one who was known as the Sage, Vishur Lavi. Hold these names with you as you carry forth our will. We may have been defeated and died, but we refused to be destroyed.¡± ¡°Alright.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°I will remember.¡± The Sage smiled at his promise. Then, green light engulfed both Eugene and the Sage. 1. I think we all know what this means, right? ? 2. The original text uses a term that is moremonly found in cultivation novels. It says that the Twilight Witch practiced magic of the Heterodox Path, as opposed to the Orthodox Path of magic practiced by normal wizards like the Sage. ? Chapter 523: The Declaration (1) "So," Ciel said, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and interest. "This blessing that you mentioned ¡ª what exactly is it?" Though unspoken, the eyes of the others gathered around shimmered with the same curiosity. Even Gilead, who was usuallyposed, looked on with the wide-eyed innocence of a child at this moment. "I''m not quite sure myself," Eugene confessed while clicking his tongue. He had received the blessing directly from the Sage, from the World Tree itself, but it was a mystery even to him about how it could be utilized. ¡°All I was told is that it would aid me when facing the Demon King of Destruction¡­. Just that and nothing more. I did ask how exactly it would assist, but the answers I got back were rather vague." ¡ª Eugene Lionheart. ¡ªThis blessing will grant you your most fervent wish at that moment. ¡°It''s not very specific, is it?" Gilead, who had been listening intently without interruption, nodded in agreement. He propped an elbow on the table and rested his chin on his hand as he added, "But it must be of some help to you in one form or another." "Yes," Eugene agreed. He had pondered over this ambiguous blessing several times and in the end, hade to his own conclusion.This blessing enforced a miracle. Depending on the desire, it would forcibly bring about a miraculous event through the power and faith of the World Tree, which had existed beyond ages, and the magic of the Sage, Vishur Lavi. In the moment of Eugene¡¯s confrontation with the Demon King of Destruction, everything about the World Tree would bring about the miracle that Eugene desired. In other words, Eugene could use the World Tree as a medium to wield absolute magic. "Can''t it be used in the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration?" Gion inquired after a moment of pondering. "It''s not a blessing that can be used repeatedly," Eugene exined. He needed to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration with his own strength. In the first ce, if he was unable to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration, then the blessing wouldn''t make a difference in the fight against the Demon King of Destruction. "When are Lady Sienna and Carmen returning?" This question came from Cyan. Though they had all departed for the World Tree together, only Eugene, Kristina, Mer, and Raimira had returned. Sienna and Carmen were still within the World Tree. "I have no idea,¡± answered Eugene with a shrug. Initially, Eugene had nned to wait for the two within the World Tree or the elves¡¯ territory. However, the Sage had pushed him to leave. Carmen would delve into the memories of the God of Giants until she was satisfied while Sienna would undergo metamorphosis, however, it was impossible to know how long that would take. ¡ªThis child has already reached the minute world of mana and begun to reinterpret the essence of magic from there. She will first demolish the magic she amassed over a lifetime and truly ascend towards the divine realm. ¡ªThat world is the hardest and mostplex to reach. She is a quick learner, and she has swiftly reached that world through our conversations. It likely will not take long. ¡ªBut Eugene Lionheart, aren¡¯t you wasting your time staying here while the child climbs towards divinity? Of course, Eugene had no intention of merely killing time. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that thend around the World Tree had the richest concentration of mana in the world. Thus, Eugene had nned to immerse himself in mana cultivation, but¡­. ¡ªThat¡¯s foolish beyond measure...! You already have mana that is overflowing and beyond need, so why persist in cultivating mana? From what I, Vishur Lavi, can see, Eugene Lionheart, you no longer need to pursue mana. To divert your gaze towards it is a waste of time. Unfortunately, Eugene had to agree. For a long time now, he had not been limited by the confines of mana. ¡ªFoolish one, do you covet the so-called soul power that the child named? That is the purest form of essence, pulled from the intersection of mana and magic. To handle its source means to be in the divine realm of magic. But you cannot ascend to divine status when ites to magic. No matter how much you meditate here, you''ll never grasp the essence of the source. ¡ªMoreover, your presence in thisnd does no good for you. It might even cause you harm over time. That was something Eugene did not quite understand. The Sage had responded with a stern expression when he expressed his curiosity. ¡ªThe faith in the World Tree existing in thisnd is undoubtedly real, a very, very ancient primal faith. But what about you? Though divinity might be inscribed in your soul, in this era, your faith has only just begun to emerge. If you stay too long in thisnd, you risk your entire faith being consumed by the World Tree. Your faith would be bound to the World Tree. Eugene was effectively expelled with a reprimand. Yet, in their final conversation, they exchanged more useful words. He promised that if it was possible, he would return someday after defeating the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. At that time, he would share what the battles against the two of them were like. ¡ªIf I still exist by then. The Sageughed heartily while bidding Eugene farewell. Despite mentioning several times that she might simply vanish, the Sage''s demeanor was still cheerful. It was because Visuhr Lavi¡¯s ending was far from meaningless. Even after meeting the end for the first time, she had guided Sienna as an echo. That alone brought satisfaction to Visuhr. ¡®The Light is as ancient a primal faith as the World Tree itself,'' Eugene thought. Still, he had never lost any of his faith to the Light. It made him even more suspicious regarding the true identity of the Light. He realized it was closer to a colossal force than a deity, but even the Sage didn¡¯t know what the Light exactly was. ¡°Ahem.¡± Anci cleared her throat from next to Gilead and said, ¡°Let''s start the meal.¡± Eugene was sitting at the dining table of the Lionheart family¡¯s manor. Gerhard had been quietly listening to the conversation while drinking from his wine ss. When it came to the incidents that Eugene got himself into, Gerhard had long detached himself from them and ceased to worry about them. ¡®He¡¯ll handle it well enough on his own,¡¯ Gerhard thought. He wasn¡¯t being irresponsible, either. He just had immense trust in his son. Since all the members of the main house were present, except Carmen, Nina was personally directing the servants during this dinner. Eugene winked at Nina as she busily arranged dishes and utensils on the table. Nina gave a swift smile in response. As the food began arriving, Mer and Raimira entered having finished with their games outside. Actually, there was another person with them. The two of them were holding hands with A Ruhr as they approached the table. A was significantly taller than either of them. ¡®She¡¯s just twelve¡­.¡¯ Eugene still couldn¡¯t get over this shock. It was almost impossible to believe A¡¯s age, given her stature. When A entered the room, Cyan immediately stood up from his seat. He took A''s hand with a familiar grace, guided her to the table, and even pulled out a chair for her. Meanwhile, Mer and Raimira approached Anci as if it were the most natural thing. Eugene¡¯s gaze inevitably shifted to the duo. Although the two children looked to be just twelve or thirteen years old, in reality, they were old creatures who had been alive for at least two hundred years. ¡°Well then,e here. Today¡¯s dessert is your favorite. Chocte tart,¡± Anci spoke to them affectionately. ...And Anci, ady in her forties, was affectionately caring for these old creatures¡­. Eugene did not want to dwell too long on this awkward truth. He quietly took hold of his cutlery. Anci also wanted to avoid the inconvenient, ufortable truth. But why did age matter? Anci wanted grandchildren, and Mer and Raimira were adorable and lovable. Anci even personally wrapped napkins around the necks of the two girls seated next to her. ¡°Why did Sis¡ª¡± Ciel paused after almost slipping up in what she was about to say but quickly corrected herself. ¡°Why did the Saint return to Yuras?¡± she questioned. ¡°To erect my statue,¡± Eugene answered with a straight face. Ciel¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at his response. ¡°What did you say?¡± she asked in disbelief. ¡°A statue,¡± Eugene replied once again as he cut his meat with an indifferent face. ¡°They said they''re going to erect a statue of me in the za of Light. And in the cathedrals, too.¡± The room had gone dead silent by now. ¡°And they''re adding stuff about me to the holy scriptures,¡± Eugene finished. ¡°Well, Eugene, shouldn¡¯t you be going there yourself?¡± Gion asked with a queasy look on his face. ¡°If I go, I''ll want to die,¡± Eugene answered. He recalled the time when his statue was erected in Shimuin. He remembered the moment he was posing splendidly in front of the dwarves and therge crowd. Just thinking about it made him want to disappear. It didn¡¯t want to make him off himself, but he wished to hole up somewhere where he wouldn''t meet anyone for a few days. What if, while in Yuras, he was put in a situation where he had to pose for a new statue or deliver a grand speech in front of a crowd? He would want to die. Even if it was necessary for the amplification of faith, it would not lessen any of the embarrassment he would feel. ¡°Well¡­¡± Eugene muttered awkwardly, ¡°Even if I don¡¯t go, Kristina will handle it somehow¡­.¡± Although he suspected she might go a bit overboard with Anise egging her on from inside her, he had to ept this type of excessiveness for the purpose of having people worship him. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. You always brought someone else along and made things quite difficult for me,¡± Anci murmured while serving food for Mer and Raimira. Eugene couldn''t argue back. After all, she had a point. ¡°Are you nning to stay at the manor for a while?¡± ¡°Perhaps,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Then take a look at my sword.¡± ¡°And spar with me, too.¡± Cyan and Ciel wouldn¡¯t miss this opportunity. Eugene nodded while chewing his food. He had nned to stay at the manor until Sienna, Carmen, and the Saints returned anyway. He didn¡¯t want to wander outside just to have people bothering him about his identity as Hamel. ¡®I should visit Molon¡­ but then again, do I really need to? King Aman must have conveyed to him the victory of the war anyway.¡¯ If there were a need, Molon would have reached out. Lehainjar, where Molon was residing, was just too far. Eugene honestly found it bothersome to visit. ¡®For a while, I should just stay at the main house and work on my faith and divine power,¡¯ Eugene decided on a n. Over a month had passed since the war in Hauria. The trend was obviously perceptible. His divine power had grown iparably. Yet, Eugene could still only wield the Divine Sword and was still unable to ess Agaroth¡¯s other powers. Although he could now swing the Divine Sword five times, frankly, it was far from satisfying. Agaroth himself had wielded the Divine Sword freely yet failed to inflict effective damage on the Demon King of Destruction. ¡®Just swinging it five times¡­ I doubt it would work against the Demon King of Destruction, let alone the Demon King of Incarceration,¡¯ Eugene thought mockingly with a mental shake of his head. He needed more power, a way to use divine power beyond simply wielding the sword. Agaroth skillfully managed divine power to massacre the Nur and even created a holynd to bless the divine army. However, Eugene had yet to manipte divine power in such ways. ¡ªA way to handle divine power? How foolish. That is something you must develop on your own. I cannot offer advice. And even if I could, I wouldn¡¯t want to. Eugene had also sought advice from the Sage regarding this, only to receive harsh reprimands instead. He clicked his tongue and pushed his empty ss forward. Nina stepped forward from behind and immediately filled Eugene¡¯s ss to the brim as if she had been waiting. Eugene carefully lifted the full ss, ensuring it didn¡¯t spill, and brought it to his lips. ¡®If I just keep grappling with it, something shoulde from it¡­.¡¯ Halfway through his drink, Eugene frowned and nced towards the door. After a moment, everyone seated at the table turned to look at the door as well. Though it remained firmly shut for now, it would soon burst open. It was foretold by the sound of hurried footsteps that drew close. The door flung open. ¡°Sir Hazard?¡± Gilead remained unruffled as he called out the name withposure. Hazard bowed with a pale face. After serving the main house for decades, he had recently be the new leader of the White Lion Knights. ¡°My apologies for interrupting your meal,¡± said Hazard. ¡°It¡¯s alright. If you¡¯vee running here yourself, it must be for a reason of that magnitude,¡± responded Gilead while standing from his seat. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± ¡°Just moments ago, there was a promation from Duke Gavid Lindman of the Helmuth Empire,¡± answered Hazard. ¡°A promation?¡± questioned Gilead. ¡°Yes.¡± Hazard lifted his head. ¡°Duke Lindman seeks a duel with you, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene¡¯s mouth fell open at those words. He hadn¡¯t misunderstood what Hazard had just said, did he? A promation? A duel? Those tant words left no room for misinterpretation. That was what made it all the more absurd and baffling. Gavid Lindman. The de of Incarceration. The Grand Duke of the Helmuth Empire. He was directly calling for a duel? ¡°Has that bastard lost his mind?¡± Eugene blurted out without realizing it. Had any other demon made such a promation, Eugene wouldn¡¯t have felt as he did now. But he could not believe that Gavid Lindman had made such a deration. It could not be true. Eugene knew Gavid Lindman would never do such a thing. In the first ce, such a promation went against the will of the Demon King of Incarceration. Of course, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t actually care whether one of his demons proimed a duel against Eugene or not. All the Demon King of Incarceration wanted was for Eugene to ascend Babel. If Eugene did not climb Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration would not act. Gavid was a loyal knight of the Demon King of Incarceration, and since three hundred years ago, or even before that, all his thoughts and actions had been aligned with the desires of the Demon King of Incarceration. He was Incarceration¡¯s de, knight, and duke. If the Demon King of Incarceration had decided to wait for Eugene in the throne room, Gavid would do the same. That was the kind of demon he was. ¡®Did the Demon King of Incarcerationmand it?¡¯ Eugene wondered. ¡®No, that can¡¯t be.¡¯ It was highly unlikely for him to change his mind now, and if the Demon King of Incarceration really had changed his mind, he wouldn¡¯t have just ordered Gavid to dere a duel. ¡®He would have started a war outright, like three hundred years ago.¡¯ In other words, this duel was Gavid¡¯s own doing. But what kind of change of heart made that stubborn and dull demon go against the Demon King of Incarceration''s wishes? ¡®He wants to kill me.¡¯ Eugene came to this realization. If that were truly the only reason, Gavid could have done so in Hauria. ¡°Huh.¡± Eugene let out a scoff. He didn¡¯t know why he had contemted all of this after hearing Hazard¡¯s words. The reason behind Gavid''s actions was already apparent from the beginning. ¡°A duel.¡± Eugene thought they¡¯d meet in war, on the battlefield. But what Gavid sought was not war but a duel. Gavid wanted the whole world to witness the beginning and end of the duel. Chapter 524: The Declaration (2)

Chapter 524: The Deration (2)

It waste at night. It was a city that defied darkness with its brilliant nightscapes, instead, it appeared brighter at night than during the day. Noir Giabe stood in the sky above the city named after her. She gazed at the night sky from within Giabe-Face, which by now was known and talked about by everyone across the continent. The night sky was painted blue by the overly bright lights below, and the stars and the moon were dimmed by the artificial, terrestrial luminosity. Below her feet, the city sparkled with lights, but the usual hustle and bustle was absent. All the tourists in Giabe Park were lost in dreams presented to them by Noir''s Demoneye of Fantasy during the special event that was dubbed Giabe Showtime. It was the city''s grandest event. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this event was what the city¡¯s visitors came looking for. There was no limit to what the Demoneye of Fantasy could create and everyone¡¯s deepest desires could be fulfilled during Giabe Showtime. Yet, Giabe Showtime did not have a set schedule. Itmenced solely on Noir Giabe''s whim. "I already knew you were mad." A voice came from behind her. She had known he woulde, that he would enter Giabe-Face uninvited and approach her. She knew that but had ignored him because their rtionship was not bad to the extent she would rebuke and expel him outright. While Noir wasn¡¯t specifically fond of this particr demon, hundreds of years had rendered them acquaintances. "But to think you''d be this mad,¡± Gavid Lindman muttered with a chuckle. Giabe City was the Helmuth Empire''s most splendid and lucrative city. It attracted the most tourists on the continent, as well as the most money and life-force. However, the city had ceased weing new visitors in recent days. It was an unthinkable act since it was as if the city had dered a blockade, yet strangely, there were noints from the tourists. Despite journeying to Helmuth solely for this city of dreams, the tourists left for other destinations without protesting upon being turned away at the gates. "There are particr circumstances for both me and this city,¡± Noir spoke without turning, her fingers swirling a wine ss. "Have my actions breached anyws?" "Are you asking because you truly do not know?" questioned Gavid. "It''s unlikely to be legal. So then, have youe to sanction me?" she questioned. Noir still didn''t turn around to face him. Gavid shrugged and continued, "It¡¯s hard to know where to start criticizing and sanctioning, Duke Giabe. Even acknowledging your significant contribution to the empire''s coffers and foundational efforts over the years... this is too much. Even if you returned all your wealth to the national treasury, I would still decree execution,¡± stated Gavid. "Ahaha." Noir couldn''t help but burst intoughter at his words. Against the backdrop of her clearughter, Gavid pressed on, "Sealing the city. Forcibly hypnotizing arriving tourists to manipte their cognition and make them leave. These actions alone constitute unprecedented crimes in imperial history." Gavid pointed out the window. "Taking every being in this city hostage goes beyond a grave crime. It demands an inevitable death sentence,¡± he dered as he first looked at her and then the city at their feet. The city was silent yet radiant. It had been four days now. Every tourist in Giabe City and Giabe Park and every worker ¡ª without exception, had been hypnotized. No one besides Noir Giabe and Gavid Lindman was awake in this city. "I''ve merely fulfilled everyone''s wishes," Noir retorted to his usations with a sneer. "They all came here harboring dreams, didn''t they? It¡¯s true that until now, I have been quite stingy with it. I did not grant the Giabe Showtime daily to those who desired it." "Was it not to maintain its rarity or something of that sort?" Gavid questioned her. "Ahaha! Exactly. If it was always avable whenever they wished, who would long for it desperately? Though, I think I offered it quite frequently. I guess unlucky tourists might have left without getting to experience it,¡± Noir responded easily. Such tourists quickly returned to Giabe Park, as did those fortunate enough to have experienced Giabe Showtime before. Greed knew no bounds. A single taste of the sweet dream she offered led to addiction, driving them back in search of more. The dreams shown by Noir Giabe''s Demoneye of Fantasy were the strongest drugs in this world. "Well, that¡¯s why I tried it out. Since everyone came hoping for dreams, I showed them what they wanted," Noir exined. The thought was inconceivable. The poption of demons and humans in this immense city exceeded millions. Countless beings were trapped in a dream conjured by Noir Giabe. Unless they were a Demon King, no demon could aplish something like that... no, not even a Demon King could hold millions hostage like Noir had now. "Millions of dreams, not just one," Noir whispered. She had not forced them into sleep with overwhelming dark power or immobilized them with fear, either. No one dreaming in this city experienced unhappiness or fear. The Demoneye of Fantasy crafted every being''s most desired dreams. They might have been engulfed in deep slumber in the real world, however, their minds were dwelling on vivid fantasies that eclipsed reality. "You aren''t doing this merely to show everyone a utopia that is free of sorrow. What exactly is your goal? Are you seeking more power? To endlessly gather life force and acquire infinite dark power?" Gavid questioned. No, that couldn''t be it. Noir Giabe had already achieved that. Her dark power had long surpassed that of an ordinary Demon King, and she stood as the pinnacle of Night Demons. "If you desire greater power, you should aim to be a Demon King. Surely, you won¡¯t say you don¡¯t know how, right? To me, it seems you''ve already surpassed even that,¡± Gavid probed further. "Ahaha..." Noir¡¯s shoulders shook as she chuckled. "You''re very curious about me, Gavid. Do you wish to hear my reasons before executing me?" "As you well know, I didn''te here to execute you," Gavid replied with a wry smile. Noir finally set down her wine ss and turned to face Gavid directly. "Of course, I''m aware. Though, we''d have to debate whether it''s even possible for you to kill me,¡± she said. "Ah, who knew you would try scratching at my pride here, of all ces,¡± Gavid scoffed. "Ahaha! It¡¯s just a light jest. Well, no, let me be honest, Gavid. Back in Hauria, if we had fought ¡ª I waspletely certain of victory,¡± said Noir. Noir propped her chin with her hand, a mischievous smile on her lips. She continued, "It goes without saying that it would¡¯ve been the case even if you used the Divine Eye and Glory." "Yes, that might have been the case,¡± agreed Gavid. Although it should have damaged his pride, Gavid''s demeanor remained calm. Rather, his eyes shone with curiosity as he gazed at Noir. "But what about now?" he asked. "I''m not sure,¡± Noir maintained her smile as she responded. "In terms of abilities, I believe I''m far, far superior. Yet, I no longer have the same certainty I had before. Isn''t it strange? It hasn''t even been two months since Ist saw you in Hauria...." She trailed off. Her eyes seemed to sparkle with intrigue. She wanted to see through Gavid, but even with her sight, it was hard to discern his depths. "It''s as if you''ve lived not just two months but a hundred years since then,¡±mented Noir. Gavid offered a faint smile in response. How much time had passed? He wasn¡¯t sure how long he spent on that barren battlefield strewn with corpses and weapons. Even now, the man¡¯s identity remained a mystery to him. He had repeated the cycle countless times: dying, returning to reality, striking the chains, fighting, dying, and returning again. "Not sure, huh?" Gavid chuckled and nodded. "That''s good enough for me. I have no desire to verify it with you anyway." "Ahaha. If you''re not here to execute me nor test me, why did youe to seek me out?" Noir asked whileughing. She knew the answer already. Gavid, after all, had brought it with him. "Thought we might share a drink," said Gavid while raising the bottle he''d been holding. "It''s from the founding of the empire. Ah, I didn''t distill it myself. Commissioned a master for someday... hahaha, for someday." "Ah, so it''s a unique brew in this world? Heh, if you had merely suggested a drink, I''d have rejected it without a second thought,¡± responded Noir. With a flick of her finger, a sizable chair and table appeared before Noir. "But for a rare, one-of-a-kind liquor, curiosity alonepels me to try. But Gavid, you mentioned this wasmissioned for someday. What is this someday?" questioned Noir. "Should be obvious, don''t you think?" countered Gavid. "Conquering the continent?" Noir teased with a sly smile. Gavid nodded while sitting down. "I had no other desire. I assumed His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration wanted the same ¡ª to wage war. Though a pact was made, I expected it to break eventually,¡± Gavid admitted. "To drink this someday wine with me now.... Ahaha, how romantic. Why drink it now? Why not wait for that someday...?" questioned Noir. Noir ced an empty ss before Gavid and stared intently at him. Despite feeling as if he had lived centuries longer, his appearance hadn''t aged a day. ¡®Well, that¡¯s not necessarily true,¡¯ mused Noir. She could sense a shift in his gaze and aura. She couldn¡¯t help but wonder what happened after he stepped back from the unmissed duties of the Grand Duke and left Babel for just over two months.... What could have sparked such a profound change in him? What transformation had he undergone to lead to this? "Is it because of the duel?" Noir inquired with a tilt of her head. Gavid didn''t immediately respond; instead, he began to unseal the bottle he had brought. He had chosen the name the Empire¡¯s Glory for this wine, even though it was a clich¨¦d name. Truth be told, Gavid wasn''t much of a drinker. Not only did alcohol hardly affect him, but he also never feltpelled to drink to excess. However, it wasn¡¯t like he had never gotten drunk before; he had been just once in his life. It had been when he first became the de of Incarceration. Out of sheer joy and honor, he had tasted wine. He had marked it a special asion and had wanted to experience a unique feeling he''d never felt before. Thus, he had allowed himself to be intoxicated and had enjoyed the revelry without restraint. It had been enjoyable and he realized then why it was that people drank alcohol. Yet, after that, he seldom touched alcohol again. Unless required, he abstained, especially when alone. He knew the joy of bing intoxicated, but he didn¡¯t think the Grand Duke of Helmuth and the de of Incarceration should indulge in drunkenness. Someday. Yes, he waited for that someday. He waited for the Oath to be broken when the Demon King of Incarceration resumed war. He waited for the moment when the continent became Helmuth''s territory. That was when he would drink this wine and celebrate inebriation. This wine, Empire''s Glory, was crafted for such a future. "A duel means one of us must undoubtedly die," Gavid remarked with a chuckle, carefully removing the seal and finally uncorking the bottle. The potent aroma of the drink was released into the air of Noir Giabe¡¯s abode. Noirughed softly while appreciating the scent that filled the room. "Indeed, someone must die in a duel.... Ahaha, if you were to die, you would miss out on this wine you have waited for three hundred years. So, is that why you are choosing to drink it now?" questioned Giabe. "That''s right,¡± Gavid answered easily. "It''s somewhat peculiar. I would have thought you''d wait to triumph in the duel to celebrate with this wine... or even hold out for that someday you longed for,¡± questioned Noir. "You know as well." Gavid poured the wine into Noir''s empty ss, continuing, "The opponent is Hamel of Extermination. He is iparably stronger than three hundred years ago, with a depth of power that is basically unfathomable. And rest assured, he has be even stronger since west saw him in Hauria." "You''ve grown stronger since then as well,¡± Noirmented. "And so have you,¡± countered Gavid. Noir and Gavid exchanged smiles while looking into each other''s eyes. Noir was the first to lift her ss, and Gavid didn''t refuse. Their sses lightly clinked together in a toast. "Let''s not talk about the taste," Gavid suggested after a sip, swirling his ss gently as he sank deeper into his chair. "I prefer to keep my impressions entirely to myself. I''ve thought this since Imissioned the wine." "Interesting, Gavid. I hadn''t pegged you for the romantic type," Noir teased while licking her lips. She set her ss on the table. "But there''s something else I''m curious about. May I ask?" "By all means,¡± said Gavid. "Why have you decided not to punish me?" questioned Noir. Gavid had expected her to ask that question. He chuckled lightly while bringing his ss to his nose to enjoy the aroma before setting it down again. "Because His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration hasn''t decreed your punishment." "Ahaha! Of course. But Gavid, you might find this distasteful to hear, yet I feelpelled to say it. Even if I didn¡¯t stop at showing the millions in this city their dreams and ¡ª hypothetically, of course ¡ª kill them all, consuming their life-force...." Noir paused, herughter deepening. "The Demon King of Incarceration wouldn''t impose any sanctions on me, would he? Ah, but there''s a caveat to my statement. Had I done this a decade ago, well, I might not have been killed, but I''d expect some form of censure. Exiled beyond the empire''s borders, perhaps.... But now? Now, it''s fine,¡± dered Noir. "Why do you think that?" asked Gavid. "Because I have a role to y now." With a chuckle, Noir took another sip of her wine. "But Gavid, even if the Demon King of Incarceration would allow it, you wouldn''t, right?" "I do not defy His Majesty¡¯smands. If he doesn''t order your punishment, I won''t punish you,¡± said Gavid. "But you wouldn''t sit and drink with me like this, either. Instead of a bottle, you''de with Glory, not to attack or kill me, but to scorn and despise me,¡± said Noir. "That''s likely." Gavid took another sip. "In the past, yes, that would have been my reaction." "What changed for you?" Noir asked, her eyes curving with interest. "Is it because of the duel?" She leaned forward. "Why are you seeking a duel with Hamel?" she questioned. Chapter 525: The Declaration (3)

Chapter 525: The Deration (3)

"Why?" Gavid chuckled at Noir¡¯s question while refilling his empty ss. "I''ve always wanted to fight Hamel." "But there''s a difference between a fight and a duel," Noir responded with augh. She was well aware of what kind of man Gavid Lindman was. He had served the Demon King of Incarceration the longest out of any other des. He stood as the strongest and most loyal among his predecessors. "Your sought-after duel directly contradicts the wishes of the Demon King of Incarceration. He desires Hamel to ascend Babel, so shouldn''t you be waiting there for Hamel, in alignment with the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s will?" Noir''s voice softened into a seductive whisper as if to probe into Gavid¡¯s intentions. "Yet, you''ve dered a duel with Hamel, and on top of that, it¡¯s not in Babel. You did it before he even set out for Babel,¡± Noir continued to probe. "That''s how it turned out," Gavid murmured while swirling his drink. Noir smirked and leaned back in her seat. "If you simply wanted Hamel dead, opportunities were aplenty before. Very easy chances, even,¡± Noir continued. "Not as easy as you would think,¡± responded Gavid. Gavid vividly recalled the end of the war in Hauria. He had drawn Glory and employed the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Hamel had been powerless. Despite the other humans who shielded Hamel with their bodies, Gavid¡¯s demonic sword could have cut through all obstacles to kill him. But he hadn¡¯t. He had stopped his strike because of Hamel¡¯s mocking smile. Yet, even if he had ignored it and struck, killing Hamel would have been impossible. Such was the extent of Noir Giabe''s power. She had been hidden and unforeseen as she took to his behind. Had Gavid followed through with his strike, Noir would have somehow intervened. "Back then, I was too emotional,¡± Noir admitted. She had been afflicted with unwanted memories, those belonging not to her but to the Twilight Witch. She had been confused with affection for a beloved man. But now those feelings had settled. It was possible that the memories might resurface when she and Hamel were about to end each other, but she would leave that moment for when it came. "My actions do indeed defy the King''s will," Gavid admitted while emptying his ss. "But, Duke Giabe, as you said, even if you devoured the millions in this city, His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration will remain silent. The same applies to me. Even if I defy His Majesty¡¯s will by dueling Hamel, he will likely watch my rebellion with amusement." "It''s curious and intriguing to see someone as loyal as you, who served the Demon King of Incarceration for centuries, rebel in such a manner," Noir remarked. She did not finish her drink, instead, she swirled it as she scrutinized Gavid. Her beautiful violet eyes emitted a bewitching glow. "Who would have thought you would defy the Demon King of Incarceration''s will to such an extent." Noir''s voice transformed and resonated with the space itself, sending a dizzying sound through Gavid. "You wish to kill Hamel to that extent?¡± questioned Noir. This ability of Noir Giabe diverged from her original capabilities. They weren¡¯t in a dream. Even so, her voice and will were manipting the very fabric of reality. As a Night Demon, she stood at the apex. Her illusions were capable of manipting one¡¯s perception, and this was something Gavid was already aware of. However, he had never imagined that this Night Demon had transcended even past that. "Do you seek to test Hamel?" Her whispers seemed to coax Gavid''s true intentions. They blurred the lines between reality and illusion. At that moment, Gavid was certain. Had he not traversed the wastnd and shed swords with the mysterious man, had he never reached that mysterious man with his sword, a confrontation with Noir Giabe would have been inconceivable. Even with the Demoneye of Divine Glory and Glory at his disposal, he couldn''t have escaped the merged boundaries of reality and dream that Noir had copsed. "That is my role, Gavid," Noir said while standing up. She set down the ss she had been gently swirling and stepped past the small table between them. Gavid''s gaze didn''t follow her. Instead, he silently brought his ss to his lips. "It¡¯s me that Hamel has to face before he ascends Babel. You are a servant of Incarceration. It¡¯s fitting for you to await Hamel in Babel. That¡¯s the proper course for you,¡± continued Noir. "Duke Giabe," Gavid said as he set down his empty ss. "I simply want to fight Hamel." The dream wavered. "Throughout my life, I''ve been loyal to His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. I lived without defiance. But, in the end, it seems I''m just another demon and a swordsman,¡± Gavid said with a sigh. "What do you mean?" questioned Noir. "His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration desires Hamel to ascend Babel and reach the throne," Gavid exined. "Naturally, His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration won''t just leave the door to Babel and the throne wide open. Like three hundred years ago, Hamel will have to ovee trials to reach Babel." "Indeed,¡± agreed Noir. "If that happens, I will stand before the throne as the final trial imposed by His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration.... As the de of Incarceration, I will block Hamel¡¯s path," said Gavid. His lips twitched slightly before he worded the question buried deep within his heart. "When I face him, will Hamel truly be at his full strength?" Noir decided to stay quiet in the face of this question. "I desperately want that battle with Hamel. I want to fight against Hamel when he sees me and me alone. I want to fight him as he charges at me with the sole purpose of killing me. But if I meet him in Babel, he won¡¯t be any of those things. He can¡¯t be since he will have to surpass me to enter the throne room,¡± Gavid exined. The wavering of space ceased. Noir, who had vanished as if it all were but a dream, now sat before Gavid as if nothing had happened. "You said it¡¯s your role to test and kill Hamel,¡± Gavid continued. He refilled the empty ss. "Then all the more reason I should be the one to do it first. It¡¯s the same for me. I don''t want to lose Hamel¡¯s life to you. If you were to kill Hamel first.... Haah, I would regret it for a lifetime. And live with the sinking feeling of defeat forever,¡± Gavid admitted with a carefreeugh. Defeat. Noir couldn''t help but feel surprised. To her knowledge, Gavid had never lost to Hamel. But she chose not to inquire further about the nature of this defeat. Gavid Lindman had defied the will of the Demon King of Incarceration. He was no longer the de of Incarceration. Then, was the demon in front of her still the Grand Duke of Helmuth? Noir already knew the answer. During his brief retreat of two months, Gavid hadid aside all his ducal responsibilities. And if Gavid had decided to kill Hamel as a duke, he wouldn''t have proposed a duel. "This is problematic." Noir chuckled while propping her chin in her hand. "Like you wish to kill Hamel, I, too, desire to kill him. Yet, if you were to kill him, I''d be robbed of the chance." "That''s true,¡± answered Gavid. "What should we do then?" asked Noir. "There''s only one way for you to assert your intentions since I will not be swayed,¡± responded Gavid. "And what might that be?" questioned Noir. "To kill me,¡± Gavid stated, his voice steady. Noir didn¡¯t think he would actually say such a thing. She chuckled, delighted by his unexpected response. This was Giabe City; this was Noir''s domain. It was bold indeed to utter such words in the presence of its lord. "Alright.¡± Noir nodded, her smile broadening. ¡°I will let you have the chance first.¡± "Thank you for the concession, but I''m curious about your reasons,¡± Gavid asked. "I share the Demon King of Incarceration''s perspective." Noir brought the ss to her lips. "Hamel must seek me out." After emptying her ss, Noir ced it down. Gavid reached for the bottle to refill it, but Noir gently declined with a shake of her head and drew the ss closer. "Hamel muste to this city to meet me, to kill me. Yes, it''s imperative. I won''t be the one to pursue him for his life." With each word, Noir''s smile deepened. "So, Gavid, proceed with the duel. I graciously concede my turn." "And if I y Hamel? You''ll be deprived of the encounter you desire,¡± questioned Gavid. "Ahaha... You''re forcing me into a cruel corner. I didn¡¯t want to have to say this, given that we¡¯ve been acquaintances for quite a long time,¡± Noir responded with a heartyugh. Though it was quite obvious what she would say, Gavid smirked and gestured for her to continue. Noirughed once more before replying to his tant cue. "You won''t be able to defeat Hamel. I acknowledge that you¡¯ve gained considerable strength over these two months, but you won¡¯t be able to best Hamel. My Hamel will overthrow you in this duel... and before heading to Babel, he''lle to kill me," Noir dered. "Such bitter words indeed,¡± Gavid remarked. "Ahaha! That''s why I offered the concession. I believe Hamel will defeat you and thene for me. Hmm, but I wonder... should I pray?" said Noir. "Pray for what purpose?" asked Gavid. "For your defeat and demise,¡± Noir teased with a mischievous smile, and Gavid burst intoughter while patting his knee. "Such confidence, Duke Giabe. So, you''re confident... in defeating Hamel after he has bested me and taken my life?" questioned Gavid. "Hmm, that remains to be seen,¡± Noir mused while caressing her lips thoughtfully. She tilted her head. "I want to both kill Hamel and to be killed by him." There was no falsehood in Noir''s statement, yet Gavid found the content baffling. She wanted both to kill and to be killed by the same person? Confusion briefly crossed Gavid''s face, but he quicklyposed himself. His opponent was Noir Giabe, after all. Gavid had long since abandoned any attempt toprehend her actions and emotions, particrly when it concerned Hamel. He had seen the varied expressions that Noir had disyed during their time in Hauria. Her expressions had revealed feelings Gavid had never seen across centuries of acquaintance. Noir had always reacted strangely whenever Hamel was involved. When they first attacked Vermouth and his allies, she had acted like a girl experiencing her first love. She had been sent to kill, entice, or at least exhaust Vermouth and his allies, but she had returned embarrassed with flushed cheeks. The only thing Gavid remembered was his fury. He couldn¡¯t figure out the reason for her strange behavior, nor did he even want to know. When Hamel had died, the demons hadn¡¯t celebrate openly, mostly due to the promise between the Demon King of Incarceration and Vermouth. Gavid had not celebrated either. Regardless of what other demons thought, he had not been in a mood to celebrate. The Demon King of Incarceration had defeated Vermouth and his allies in a battle. But he had not won the war. The Demon King of Incarceration had declined an easy, obvious victory. Then what about Gavid? He had lost his battle and the war. Moreover, with the Oath forged and Hamel dead, he couldn¡¯t ever recover his honor. Both Noir and Gavid were different from other demons. Noir was likely the only demon to... mourn Hamel¡¯s death. And in Hauria, she had be furious at Gavid¡¯s attempt on Hamel''s life. Her anger had been greater than anything he had seen before. ¡®But was that anger truly directed at me?¡¯ Gavid wondered. He could not understand Noir¡¯s thoughts or sentiments, nor did he want to understand them. But one thing was certain: Hamel was an exceptionally special existence to Noir. Even after Hamel had died and was reincarnated as Eugene Lionheart, he was still special to Noir. No, perhaps he was even more special because of his death and rebirth. She wanted to kill Hamel. She wanted to be killed by Hamel. Gavid was certain of one fact: Noir Giabe was absolutely mad. The crazy Night Demon was, in her own way, madly in love with Hamel. "So it is," Gavid concluded. He chose not to probe further. He chose to respect the longstanding acquaintance between him and Noir Giabe, just as Noir refrained from inquiring about Gavid''s recent experiences. Both dukes respected each other''s privacy. "The duel," Noir began, "you set it to be before the end of next year. And for Hamel to choose the location.¡± "I''ve been preparing," Gavid admitted. He could continue using the chain and head into the wilderness hundreds or thousands of times more to fight against the enigmatic man. ¡°But I came to realize one thing while I was focusing on my preparations. I¡¯m focused solely on my battle with Hamel, but it¡¯s not the same for him. That¡¯s extremely unfair,¡± Gavid said. It was also true that he wasn¡¯tpletely ready. He had tuned his skills, but there was still room to improve. Gavid¡¯s sword had reached the man in the wilderness, but he had failed to defeat the man. "Is that why you announced it early?" questioned Noir. "If Hamel is ready, we could even set a date for tomorrow. But I assumed he might need time to prepare, hence the deadline by next year''s end,¡± exined Gavid. ¡°Hehe,¡± Noir chuckled. Gavid Lindman mused aloud, a sly smile ying on his lips. ¡°Since I was the one who dered the duel, it¡¯s only proper that Hamel chooses the time and ce. I doubt he¡¯d pick Helmuth....¡± ¡°What if, just hypothetically, Hamel does not set a date or ce by the end of next year?¡± Noir asked, her tone light and teasing. ¡°I¡¯d like to think Hamel wouldn¡¯t do that. But if that happens, I¡¯d have no choice but to go and find him myself,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Ahaha! I was just curious, but I agree, it¡¯s unlikely Hamel would run from the duel you proposed.¡± Noir tilted her head slightly, her gaze probing. ¡°So, the reason you came to me was to share a drink and to obtain permission for the duel. Is that everything?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one more thing.¡± Gavid¡¯s smile grew enigmatic. ¡°I should tell you upfront that this isn¡¯t a request. Consider it an order from the Grand Duke of Helmuth.¡± ¡°Oh... stepping down from official duties but still enjoying the privileges of a grand duke?¡± questioned Noir with a teasing smile. ¡°I doubt you¡¯d refuse,¡± Gavid said. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll decide that after I hear what it is. So what is it?¡± asked Noir. Gavid started to speak. After listening to what Gavid had to say, Noir¡¯s eyes widened dramatically as she stared at Gavid in genuine astonishment. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± Noir asked after a long pause. ¡°Absolutely,¡± Gavid replied. ¡°This is... quite unexpected. To think you¡¯d ask me such a favor. No, it wasn¡¯t a favor. Not a favor ¡ª an order,¡± Noir stammered, then burst intoughter. ¡°Alright. I ept. I won¡¯t refuse.¡± ¡°It¡¯s good that I don¡¯t need to persuade you,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Ahaha.... Persuade? As if I could refuse!¡± Noir responded with heartyughter. Gavid finished his drink while listening to herughter. He nced briefly at the empty ss she pushed towards him. ¡°Does the drink not suit your taste?¡± questioned Gavid. ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t we decide not toment on the taste?¡± asked Noir. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that bad. It¡¯s not undrinkable,¡± Gavidmented, ignoring Noir¡¯s question. ¡°Ah, you misunderstand. Gavid, this drink is delicious. It¡¯s not the taste I¡¯m rejecting,¡± said Noir. ¡°Then what?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°It¡¯s your drink,¡± Noir said, rising from her chair. ¡°Fragrant, rich, and potent ¡ª perfect for getting drunk. But I don¡¯t want to get drunk on it. If you want to get drunk and make a fool of yourself, well, ahaha, I¡¯ll let you dream a sweet dream at least,¡± said Noir. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Gavid joined in herughter. Holding the bottle of Empire¡¯s Glory, he rose from his chair. ¡°Thanks for the consideration. Yes, this... this is a drink made for me to get drunk. It¡¯s not something to share, but for me to enjoy alone,¡± he agreed. ¡°If you want, I could offer you the finest room in the city,¡± Noir suggested. "No need. I''ll return to my chamber to finish this,¡± Gavid declined her offer. Re-sealing the bottle, Gavid chuckled softly and gestured towards the void. "I must save at least half,¡± he said. "For a toast?" asked Noir. "Yes." With a flick, chains sprang from his sleeve, forging a portal through space. "Whether I''ll be there to enjoy that toast, I cannot say." Leaving those words hanging, Gavid stepped through the chains and vanished from sight. Chapter 526: The Declaration (4)

Chapter 526: The Deration (4)

"It actually works out better this way." After a lengthy contemtion, Eugene nodded to himself. A confrontation with Gavid was inevitable. He had always envisioned it unfolding at the top of Babel, in the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s throne room. ¡®There would have been too many concerns had we fought there,¡¯ Eugene realized. Using Ignition would be out of the question on the precipice of a final showdown with the Demon King of Incarceration. Moreover, the number of times he could wield his Divine Sword there was also uncertain.... ¡®If there¡¯s a limit to using the Divine Sword even when I get to Babel, then I wouldn¡¯t be able to use it against Gavid.¡¯ He needed to reserve everyst trick for the Demon King of Incarceration. Without that, there was no chance of victory against such a foe. No, in fact, if he was worrying about how many strikes of the Divine Sword he could use for that fight¡ª "Then there¡¯s no way I could win,¡± Eugene scoffed lightly. Even Agaroth was potentially weaker than the Demon King of Incarceration, and he had been capable of wielding the Divine Sword without limits. Moreover, there was a possibility that the Demon King of Incarceration had grown stronger since the Age of Myth. ¡®Demons usually grow stronger as they age....¡¯ The Demon King of Incarceration also wouldn¡¯t be bound by the total amount of dark power avable to him. Eugene couldn¡¯t fathom just how long the Demon King of Incarceration had lived since the Age of Myth, but he was certain that the Demon King hadn¡¯t wasted all that time in vain. So, the conclusion was simple. In order to kill the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene had to be unquestionably stronger than Agaroth. Otherwise, a battle with the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t be viable. Ascending Babel wouldn¡¯t be smooth sailing. He would need to conserve as much power as possible just to reach the throne room. And frankly, Gavid Lindman was aplicating factor in that journey. Ideally, he¡¯d avoid any strong adversaries in Babel. "Formidable foes,¡± Eugene muttered as he crossed his arms. "Gavid Lindman. And... Noir Giabe." Unless some previously unknown, supremely powerful demons under the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯smand ¡ª like the Heavenly Kings of Incarceration or something simrly absurd ¡ª appeared out of nowhere, the only formidable foes for Eugene in Helmuth, excluding the Demon King of Incarceration, were those two. And he wouldn¡¯t encounter Noir Giabe in Babel. She would undoubtedly face him in Giabe City. That left Gavid as the main hurdle. "It¡¯s not something to be optimistic about," Anise dered from across. Her tone was somber. In the mere half day since Gavid had issued his challenge, the Saints, who had returned to Yuras for matters of erecting Eugene¡¯s statue and modifying scriptures, had rushed back to the Lionheart residence. The sudden promation had turned the significant architectural and doctrinal revisions into trivial matters due to its implications. "A duel implies a fight between you and Gavid, just the two of you, doesn¡¯t it?" Anise asked. "Well, it¡¯s a duel," Eugene replied as if stating the obvious. Anise felt a tightness in her chest at his response, as though a long sigh was impending, but she swallowed her breath and red at Eugene. ¡°Refuse him,¡± she said bluntly. Eugene blinked rapidly in response. He could not help but be taken aback. He stared at Anise momentarily, then theatrically stuck out his pinkie and vigorously cleaned out his ear. Bewildered by Eugene''s antics, Anise blinked back at him, just as confused. She didn¡¯t know what he was thinking. After a moment, Eugene blew on his pinkie and said, "What was that? I didn¡¯t quite catch what you said." Anise realized then that Eugene was tantly mocking her. She stood up abruptly and approached him. Normally, Eugene would have shrunk back or at least averted his gaze when he saw Anise advancing with such an expression. However, he reacted differently this time. He met her eyes squarely, the reason being simple: Eugene did not want to refuse the duel with Gavid. "Hamel," Anise said, ring at him. She could feel the stubborn resolve in his eyes. She knew both Hamel and Eugene too well; neither was the type to run from a duel. "If it''s a duel that cannot be interfered with, then it should be refused," she insisted. Why Gavid had initiated the duel wasn''t for Anise to question. "Hamel, I know you¡¯re strong. But a duel is dangerous,¡± warned Anise. She had moved right up to Eugene and grabbed his shoulders. "That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene agreed with her. Eugene understood her implication perfectly. Throughout countless battles, the way a fight progressed had been set centuries ago. His adversaries were demons and Demon Kings, beings inherently superior to humans. It was inevitable for Eugene, for Hamel, and for humans to think this way. Demons lived for hundreds of years as a matter of course, while humans couldn''t even breach a century without extensively training their bodies and mana to surpass natural lifespans. Moreover, no matter how much humans trained, they couldn¡¯t achieve immortality, even if they didn¡¯t die of old age. In contrast, high demons didn¡¯t just not age; they regenerated as well ¡ª there was a possibility that even decapitation or being burned to ashes would not kill them. That¡¯s why the presence of a priest, the Saint, was crucial. The Saint allowed him to focus solely onbat. If he were decapitated or killed instantly, it would be impossible for even the Saint to bring him back, but other mortal wounds could be ovee with their miraculous powers. "In a duel, I cannot assist you,¡± Anise reminded him. Anise''s role as a saint had been the same since three hundred years ago, and it remained unchanged in this era. Since joining Eugene, she had enabled him to fight more boldly when previously, he always had to be cautious to avoid injury. "It''s not just me. Though she has yet to return, Sienna also can¡¯t assist you,¡± Anise rebuked. Three hundred years ago, they had waged war. They hadn¡¯t faced high demons and Demon Kings alone ¡ª that would have been madness. They had fought in sync. Molon took the vanguard and tanked hits. Hamel and Vermouth had been strikers exploiting openings, Anise had performed miracles in the rear to heal and boost morale, and Sienna had gathered power for devastating magical attacks. Anise¡¯s stern deration lingered in the air, heavy with implication. If Eugene proceeded with the duel, he would be doing so without the safety that their coordinated team provided. ¡°Even when I fought the specter, it was essentially a battle I fought alone,¡± Eugene said. During the battle with Iris, Sienna and the Saints had assisted him along with the others. However, the fight against the specter had been different. The liberation army had coborated to forge a path, but Eugene had faced the specter in singlebat. ¡°The opponent is different this time...!¡± Anise¡¯s voice grew intense as she gripped Eugene¡¯s shoulder more firmly. She leaned in closer. Her gaze was intense as she scrutinized him. ¡°The specter you fought in Hauria... Hamel, you were not overpowered in that battle. I honestly think you dominated the specter throughout that encounter,¡± said Anise. ¡°It wasn¡¯t quite like that. He was strong. He was almost on equal footing as me,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°From what I saw, that wasn¡¯t the case, but yes, Hamel, if you say so, I''ll phrase it differently,¡± said Anise. Her eyebrows twitched. ¡°You managed the fight against the specter with an advantage because you knew how the specter would fight. It had to be so. The specter used your techniques, Hamel. And it used Sir Vermouth¡¯s techniques as well ¡ª both of which you know very well.¡± Eugene did not deny it. How could he when her statement was correct? Eugene had anticipated every move the specter would make, moment by moment. His predictions, born of experience, became certain foreknowledge through divinity and intuition, which had allowed him to respond effectively to the specter¡¯s every move. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the techniques. From what I could see, you were stronger in terms of sheer firepower as well,¡± continued Anise. ¡°He was dying, after all,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Yes, the dark power of Destruction is too destructive. The specter could not withstand the power of Destruction even after being transformed into the Incarnation of Destruction. But you, during that battle, you mastered the Moonlight Sword and shattered what seemed like a seal on the Holy Sword,¡±mented Anise. She paused briefly to draw a breath. ¡°He is different from the wraith,¡± she said. A long sigh followed. ¡°The opponent is the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman. Hamel, you saw it yourself then. When Gavid Lindman used the Demoneye of Divine Glory and drew the Demonic Sword Glory to attack you, no one who was there could stop him. Were we tired? Comcent? No. At that moment, Gavid Lindman¡¯s strike was simply unstoppable. It was overwhelming,¡± continued Anise. Eugene remembered that strike well ¡ª a single, devastating strike that descended from the fringes of the sky. Anise stated solemnly, ¡°We all survived because Gavid Lindman targeted only you. Yes, that was perhaps his own way of showing consideration in his ambush. Hamel, you didn¡¯t die then because¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s because that bastard sheathed his sword,¡± Eugene interrupted with a smirk. ¡°I know what you¡¯re worried about, Anise. And Kristina probably shares the same concerns. In a duel, you can¡¯t use miracles to heal my injuries. Sienna won¡¯t be allowed to support me in forcing Gavid¡¯s hand. I will have to fight him alone.¡± ¡°It¡¯s unfair,¡± Anise blurted out. ¡°It¡¯s a duel where one of you must die. But Hamel, you must kill Gavid Lindman over and over again to actually kill him. On the other hand¡ª" ¡°What¡¯s new about that?¡± Eugene interrupted her once again. Eugene raised his hand and grasped Anise¡¯s wrist. ¡°All this time, we¡¯ve been fighting such foes. Foes who don¡¯t die easily. Those who regenerate and keeping at you even if their limbs are cut off,¡± he continued. Anise just silently red at him. ¡°You¡¯re right, Anise. It¡¯s incredibly unfair and unreasonable for a human to fight a demon. But I''m not just any human,¡± Eugene said. This wasn¡¯t going to work. Anise eventually came to that conclusion. Persuading Hamel was impossible; he had already decided to ept the duel. ¡°...Let¡¯s consider the benefits of epting the duel.¡± Thus, Anise changed her approach. She sighed deeply and returned to her chair. ¡°Drawing Gavid Lindman out of Babel to fight. Yes, that¡¯s an appealing prospect. If you had fought in Babel, you would have had to preserve your strength for the battle afterward,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it,¡± Eugene answered enthusiastically. ¡°Hamel, frankly, I don¡¯t think fighting in Babel is particrly disadvantageous for us. Even if you can¡¯t use your full power, we¡¯ll have Sienna with us, won¡¯t we?¡± questioned Anise. ¡°We don¡¯t know for sure if Sienna will be stronger than before when she returns from the World Tree,¡± countered Eugene. ¡°She most likely wouldn¡¯t have gotten weaker,¡± retorted Anise. ¡°Well... that¡¯s likely true,¡± agreed Eugene. Eugene pursed his lips in annoyance. A sulky expression formed on his face. It made Anise''s eyebrows twitch once more. ¡°Gavid Lindman has already dered the duel. If you were to refuse, not everyone in the world would say this, but... many wouldbel you a coward,¡± Anise called out. ¡°What do you mean, might? They most definitely would mock me and call me a coward, for sure,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Um... yes, that¡¯s likely. For someone like you, who has toppled two Demon Kings and is currently crafting legends and myths, having thebel of a coward would be... rather unbing and unwanted,¡± Anise agreed. ¡°It¡¯s not just unbing. Faith and reverence are built on admiration and awe. Who would worship a coward who runs away from a duel?¡± Eugene questioned. This wasn¡¯t just stubbornness on his part. While Gavid might not have intended it, Eugene could not refuse now that the duel had been dered. He should not refuse. ¡°I felt it clearly when I met the Sage. No matter how powerful a human bes, they are still just human. Against another Demon King, a human might stand a chance, but the opponents this time are the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. They... are beyond human reckoning,¡± stated Eugene. He needed to reach even higher realms of divinity. He should be able to wield the Divine Sword, which was currently limited to five swings, casually and effortlessly. Moreover, he needed to master other aspects of divine power besides wielding the Divine Sword. ¡°If you ept the duel, and if you win... Hamel, you will definitely be able to obtain the worship and reverence you mentioned,¡± Anise stated. Eugene Lionheart had in two Demon Kings thus far. But defeating the de of Incarceration would resonate even more profoundly. In particr, the name of the de of Incarceration was tremendously significant to the demons of Helmuth. ¡°What if we pretend it¡¯s a duel butunch abined attack? I don¡¯t know if it will be possible with Sienna, but I could assist you in secret. I could heal your wounds and bolster you with Light,¡± suggested Anise. ¡°That would be too cowardly,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Winning is what¡¯s important. What does it matter if it¡¯s cowardly?¡± asked Anise. ¡°I can hardly believe a Saint is saying this...¡± Eugene grumbled while shaking his head. Anise continued on as if she hadn¡¯t heard hisint. ¡°Realistically, fighting in front of an audience like diators in a coliseum would be impossible. Everyone there would be caught in the storm of attacks and perish.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± agreed Eugene. No matter how many magical and holy barriers they put up, the barriers would disintegrate instantly if Eugene and Gavid shed in full. ¡°If there are no spectators, it would actually be easier. Sienna could ambush Gavid, and I would support you,¡± said Anise. ¡°But that¡¯s just too cowardly, isn¡¯t it?¡± asked Eugene. ¡°What¡¯s cowardly about it? If Gavid dies, no one would know anyway,¡± said Anise. ¡°No,¡± Eugene said with a deep frown. Anise felt a boiling frustration and closed her eyes momentarily as she took a deep breath. ¡°Hamel. So, you really do want to duel Gavid by yourself, don¡¯t you?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Of course. If I didn¡¯t want to, I would have said so from the start...¡± Eugene responded. ¡°Why are you even discussing this with me if you have already made up your mind?¡± questioned Anise. ¡°Do you think I wanted to talk about this? You started this conversation so abruptly...¡± Eugene grumbled. Anise no longer wanted to listen to him. She pulled out a il hidden inside her robe. With a thud, the table between Eugene and Anise copsed under the weight of the iron ball. "Sorry," Eugene began with an apology. "What are you apologizing for?" Anise asked. "For being stubborn when you''re just worried about me,¡± he answered. Eugene¡¯s straightforward admission surprised Anise, though she didn''t let her expression show her feelings. "Why are you so insistent on dueling Gavid? Don''t use faith as an excuse,¡± said Anise. "I want to fight with all my might..." he started. "I''ve heard that already. There must be another reason," she interrupted. "In Hauria, that bastard had the chance to kill me but didn¡¯t,¡± said Eugene, licking his lips as he recalled the encounter. "Why did he sheathe his sword at that moment, why did he go against the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s will to ambush me, and why did he issue a challenge for a duel¡ª" How could he exin this feeling? "It feels like shit," Eugene dered. That was his way of putting it for now. "Gavid Lindman. I don¡¯t think the bastard was showing me mercy. He sheathed his sword because of his own sense of honor and desire topete.... This duel is the same. Gavid Lindman has defied the will of the Demon King of Incarceration." "...I also found that very curious,¡± admitted Anise. "He wants to duel me badly enough to go against the lifetime of service and loyalty he has to the Demon King of Incarceration in a ce that isn¡¯t Babel. He wants to duel in a ce where we can both fight without holding back. Gavid Lindman wants a one-on-one duel without any interference,¡± Eugene continued. "That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to refuse," he stated. As he spoke, Eugene realized something. The duel. Rationalizing it with various calctions and ideals or giving different reasons for it was just making excuses for eptance. In truth, Eugene didn''t need such excuses. He inherently wanted this. He just wanted a duel against him. He wanted to fight Gavid Lindman. "You should have just said that from the start,¡± Anise clicked her tongue and put the il back inside her robe. "When do you n to do it?" Fortunately, Gavid had given Eugene quite a bit of leeway. "He said by the end of next year. Surely you aren¡¯t nning to rush it?" questioned Anise. "Of course not,¡± said Eugene. If Gavid had set the deadline for this year, Eugene would have had a headache deciding whether to fight prematurely, dy the duel out of pride, or ignore the duel altogether. Eugene had decided to ept the duel only because Gavid provided ample time for him to prepare. ¡®If it were three hundred years ago, I might have just charged in.¡¯ But now, that wasn¡¯t an option. Eugene knew his current existence was extraordinarily significant, and his death could potentially mean the end of the world. Having already died once due to impulsive actions three hundred years ago, he had no intention of repeating the same mistake. "I¡¯ll use up the deadline as much as I can,¡± he said. "...Do you have a ce in mind for the duel?" questioned Anise. "Since I set the time, maybe we should decide on the ce together,¡± Eugene responded. Anise¡¯s eyes widened. She stared at Eugene momentarily, then cocked her head. "Together? As in the two of you?" she questioned. "Yeah,¡± Eugene answered. He stood up from his chair. "I¡¯ll ask to meet up. Why not?" Chapter 527: The Declaration (5)

Chapter 527: The Deration (5)

Alcarte Parish was a sacred precinct on the border of the Holy Empire of Yuras and the Helmuth Empire; it was also the only neutral zone on the continent between the two realms. The region held significant political importance for both Helmuth and the continent three hundred years ago, just after the war ended. At that time, the people of the continent could not bring themselves to trust the demons or the Demon King of Incarceration of Helmuth. It was natural to be suspicious of the sudden deration of peace given that the demons had almost trampled the continent underfoot. After all, who could take the word of a Demon King who, just days before, seemed poised to conquer the continent entirely? As such, when the Demon King of Incarceration dered peace, dered the Devildom as an empire, and dered his intent topensate for the damages from the war, no one believed him. If it had not been for Vermouth, who had taken the initiative to convince the people of the continent of the promise of peace, it would have taken much longer for the Devildom of Helmuth to be an empire. "It brings back memories,¡± Gavid spoke in an even tone as he walked. "Alcarte Parish. This ce was proimed a symbol ofpromise to the Holy Empire, particrly because of its significant influence regardless of borders. Back then, the idea that demons would worship the Light was nothing more than a joke told in cheap taverns." Yet, under the Demon King, Helmuth recognized the Alcarte Parish. The eptance of the Demon King of Incarceration and the demonfolk¡¯s acquiescence was a form of propaganda to the continent. "The dawn of the Helmuth Empire. His Majesty, the Demon King of Incarceration, tried to extend various aids to the continent, but nobody woulde to the empire. Nor did they want the demons to step onto theirnds. During that period, the Alcarte Parish served as a useful trading zone,¡± Gavid continued. "I was born in that era.¡± The one who responded was Eileen Flor, the Bishop of Alcarte. She was cloaked head-to-toe in a pristine white robe. Gavid smirked as he examined her. Although her face was hidden behind a pale mask, making it impossible to see her expression, her eyes were not hard to read. "As the duke said, during that time, the notion that demons could be converted to worship the Light wasughable,¡± Eileen said. She closed her eyes briefly, then reopened them after settling her emotions. She continued, "In that era, here, faith was trivialized. Rather than killing humans, the demons mocked them and tormented them. They treated devout priests no better than tavern wenches.¡± Eileen Flor was a rare half-demon, half-human. As far as Gavid knew, there weren''t even a hundred like her in the world, including Amelia and Eileen. "Early on, I despised my very existence. I regretted being born into this world. Had this ce not be a parish of Yuras, I might never have been born. I used to think that too,¡± she continued. Eileen closed her eyes again and then opened them. It was a tale from long ago but still crystal clear in her memory. Before embracing the faith in the Light, Eileen had wallowed in such bitter thoughts for a century as she wandered the slums of Helmuth. She had lived off the sympathy of demon nobles, human tourists, and immigrants. "I consider myself incredibly fortunate. I saw the Light in the darkness, followed it, and walked into the embrace of the Light. I received care, I was taught, and that has made me who I am today,¡± she confessed. Eileen turned her head to look at Gavid again. ¡°I chose to serve as the bishop here in Alcarte to share the grace I have received,¡± she dered. ¡°I''ve heard much about the services you conduct," Gavid replied, a hint of curiosity in his tone. "I¡¯ve always wanted to attend one, but my duties have kept me too upied to find the time.¡± ¡°The demons whoe to my services usually do so out of curiosity ¡ª to see a half-demon preach or to scoff at the faith. Which camp would you fall into, Your Grace?¡± asked Eileen. ¡°I respect you,¡± Gavid chuckled lightly. ¡°If I were to attend your service, I would do so with all due respect, eager to hear your sermon. However, I won¡¯t be converted. I am incapable of worshiping the Light.¡± ¡°That ismon among demons,¡± said Eileen, continuing forward. Her robe swished softly with each step. ¡°Yet, there are some... who start with curiosity and find themselves stepping into faith and of course, there are also the desperate souls seeking sce in religion.¡± ¡°Hah, it''s those possibilities that keep this ce, the Alcarte Parish, running. No matter how great His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration is, he can¡¯t look after every demon,¡± Gavid responded. ¡°What happens to these demons if war breaks out?¡± Eileen didn¡¯t stop walking as she posed the question. ¡°What bes of demons who have embraced the Light, who study the scriptures waiting for the light to seep into them... if war were to erupt?¡± ¡°Thews of the empire don¡¯t coerce civilians in wartime,¡± Gavid stated matter-of-factly. ¡°It¡¯s the same as three hundred years ago. If His Majesty deres war, those demons who wish to fight may do so.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a harsh reality to voice,¡± said Eileen. She sighed deeply, her disappointment evident. ¡°The savagery of demons is innate. It has been curbed so far because of the promise between the Great Vermouth and the Demon King of Incarceration.... If war breaks again, those slowly cultivated to serve the Light and those living among humans on the continent... all will cast off their bridles and muzzles.¡± ¡°If they rush to join the battle for such trivial reasons, wouldn¡¯t you say that their faith in Light is too shallow?¡± Gavid remarked with a smirk. ¡°You say this, Bishop Eileen Flor, but what about you? You might not want to admit it, but half of your blood is demon. Will you remain a priest if war breaks out?¡± Eileen did not respond right away. This was the question she pondered every night. ¡°Yes, I would like to,¡± she said after a moment of contemtion. ¡°That sounds less than certain,¡± Gavid observed. ¡°I, too, carry the innate nature of a demon, but being half-human, I trust that the faith I have nurtured for over a century and the Light that resides within me will suppress my base instincts,¡± confessed Eileen. ¡°Faith, indeed. That¡¯s what belief is all about, isn¡¯t it?¡± said Gavid. ¡°A duel,¡± Eileen said suddenly as she stopped. ¡°If Lord Lindman wins, does war immediately follow?¡± ¡°That would most likely be the case. His Majesty is holding off on war, hoping that the Hero will ascend Babel. If the Hero falls, then His Majesty no longer has a reason to wait,¡± answered Gavid. ¡°And if the Hero prevails?¡± inquired Eileen. ¡°If I were to lose, I would die... and the onset of war would be dyed... at least until the Hero can climb Babel,¡± answered Gavid. ¡°But it can only be postponed for so long before it breaks out.¡± Gavid stopped as well. He stared at Eileen¡¯s back and the shut door in front of her. ¡°Even if the Hero does not ascend Babel, the end of the Oath approaches. His Majesty has foretold this. Sooner orter, the Oath will conclude. I believe that His Majesty¡¯s deration to wait at the throne of Babel is his final act of mercy to the world,¡± said Gavid. He continued in a lower tone, ¡°So, the difference lies in who invades. If the Hero ascends Babel, it will be the Hero who invades. But if the Hero does not, and the Oath concludes... then Helmuth will invade the continent. Which horror seems greater?¡± ¡°Forgive my impertinence,¡± Eileen said with a long sigh as she grasped the doorknob. ¡°I shall pray, fervently and sincerely, for the defeat of Your Grace.¡± ¡°Hahaha.¡± Gavid burst outughing at her response. ¡°I forgive you, Bishop Eileen Flor. As a priest, you will have no choice but to pray for my defeat.¡± The door opened. Eileen did not speak any further, instead, she bowed before withdrawing. Gavid entered with a calm smile. ¡°Am Ite?¡± he asked. ¡°No,¡± came the answer. Inside the door was a spacious room with a wide sofa at the center, upon which Eugene sat in a rxed pose. ¡°I was just early, that''s all,¡± said Eugene. Despite the passage of time, three centuries to be exact, the Alcarte Parish remained a profoundly symbolic neutral zone. Thus, Eugene and Gavid had agreed to discuss the duel here. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be alone,¡± Gavid said while taking his seat opposite Eugene. ¡°Many people wanted toe with me, but I told them not to. I didn¡¯t want to make a fuss,¡± responded Eugene. When the meeting at Alcarte was set, not just the people of the Lionheart n but all the formidable allies Eugene knew had offered toe. Even Prince Honein and King Aman had proposed sending royal troops, and the Pope spoke of dispatching all the pdins. In this particr instance, the emperor of Kiehl had been the voice of reason. ¡°And what about Saint Kristina Rogeris?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°I sent her away. She worries too much about me,¡± responded Eugene. ¡°Haha, sending her away doesn¡¯t mean much, though. It¡¯s quite tant,¡± confessed Gavid. From the moment the door had opened, and Gavid stepped in, the air tingled with holy power. As soon as he entered, the Alcarte Cathedral had been enveloped in a powerful holy barrier. ¡°She really does worry too much,¡± Eugene said with a helpless smile. There was no way he could not feel this tant, potent power. His face contorted as he tugged at his cloak. Unlike usual, Mer and Raimira weren¡¯t with him. He ced his hand into the awkward silence of the cloak and drew the Holy Sword. Fzzt. The Holy Sword gleamed with light ¡ª and that was the end of it. The holy power emanated by the Saints in the room was now fully absorbed by the Holy Sword, Altair. However, Eugene did not ce the sword back inside his cloak. Instead, he carelessly slotted it behind him. Gavid¡¯s eyes sparkled at the appearance of the Holy Sword. It was different from how he remembered it to be. Altair. The unforgettable sword had changed its appearance from three hundred years ago when its de had shattered during a fight with the specter in Hauria. The imprisoned orb of light had been released from within the metallic de. ¡°How intriguing,¡± Gavidmented as he stared at the sword. The current de of the Holy Sword was covered as if with ayer of transparent ss. But it wasn''t sealing the light within. Rather, this transparent ss showcased the light and illuminated the world. It looked so fragile that a slight tap might shatter it. But it would not break. Gavid instinctively came to this realization, even without having to use the Demoneye of Divine Glory. This ss-like de would never shatter. ¡°The Moonlight Sword, and even the Holy Sword.... All of Vermouth¡¯s beloved swords seem to change in your hands,¡±mented Gavid. ¡°That bastard must have used it in a weird way,¡± Eugene replied with a disinterested expression. He expected a scolding from the Saintster for dismissing their concerns, but as he had admitted himself, Eugene did not want to make a fuss at this venue. After all, hadn¡¯t Gavide alone without his apaniment of the ck Mist? ¡°Did you call this meeting because you¡¯re curious why I dered a duel?¡± asked Gavid. His abruptness matched Eugene¡¯s. When he was told to arrange a meeting to discuss the duel, he chose the cathedral of the neutral zone, Alcarte Parish. ¡°No. I''m not particrly curious,¡± responded Eugene while shaking his head. He had already reached a conclusion of his own on why Gavid might have called for a duel. Perhaps Gavid¡¯s reasons differed from his spection, but that was no longer Eugene¡¯s concern. He wanted to fight against the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman. Right now, that was the most important thing for Eugene. ¡°I''ll set the date. But that''s enough for me. I don''t care about picking the venue, too,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Huh. Why so? I was willing to give you the freedom to choose,¡± responded Gavid. ¡°I don¡¯t want any home-ground advantage.[1] If I chose the ce for the duel and won, I wouldn¡¯t be satisfied with the victory. It would feel a bit tainted,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Haha!¡± Gavid was genuinely amused by his answer. Who would have thought Eugene had such a reason? It was an unexpected answer, but hearing it now sounded very much like something Hamel would say. ¡°Then where would be a suitable location?¡± Gavid asked. ¡°Somewhere uninhabited would be best. We could evacuate the area, but if you and I fight, that ce might just be wiped out,¡± Eugene cautioned. ¡°No need to worry about that,¡± Gavid said with a shake of his head. ¡°For this duel, I have secured a guarantee from His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. His Majesty has promised to personally use his authority at the location to ensure our duel does not wreak havoc on the surroundings.¡± ¡°His authority?¡± questioned Eugene. ¡°A duel between the two of us. It will need a fitting stage.¡± Gavid''s cheek twitched, then his lips curved into a smile. It was a duel he had been anticipating for three hundred years. Simply having a discussion regarding it with Hamel, with Eugene, was enough to dizzy him with pleasure. ¡°There is a grand coliseum in Shimuin. It is renowned for duels and tournaments between knights. If you and I were to duel there, His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration would wrap the coliseum in chains with his power. That would prevent any casualties or destruction of the area you''re worried about,¡± Gavid exined. ¡°Hmm.¡± This time, Eugene let out a sound of surprise. He did not expect the Demon King of Incarceration to go to such lengths. It meant that Gavid''s defiance had indeed been sanctioned by the Demon King. ¡°I''d rather not use Shimuin''s coliseum. Might as well build a new one,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Then we must decide on the ce first, excluding the Helmuth Empire¡¯s territories, of course. Hmm, how about here, the Alcarte Parish?¡± Gavid suggested. ¡°No, it''s right in the middle of a city,¡± Eugene bluntly rejected the suggestion. ¡°I told you that we don¡¯t need to worry about casualties,¡± said Gavid. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s power isn¡¯t absolute,¡± Eugene said with a crooked smile. Gavid stared at him nkly for a moment, not quiteprehending Eugene¡¯s words. Then, he burst into a heartyugh and nodded. ¡°Quite arrogant, aren''t you, Hamel? But I won¡¯t chastise your pride,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Somewhere uninhabited,¡± said Eugene. ¡°How about the sea? It might be good to set it in the southern seas, where that pitiful,mentable dark elf, Iris, drowned,¡± Gavid suggested once more. ¡°Building a dueling stage in the middle of the sea sounds tedious,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Then what about a mountain or forest? Us Mountain. It¡¯s wide and uninhabited,¡± Gavid asked. ¡°That¡¯s within Lionheart¡¯s territory. And the ck Lion Castle and Vermouth¡¯s tomb are there. I don¡¯t want to invite you and the Demon King of Incarceration there,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Hmm, I see your point. Well then.... How about the northernmost end? Lehainjar. Having it there would also allow Molon to watch our duel,¡± Gavid proposed. Eugene paused, thinking over the suggestion. Soon, he nodded. ¡°Beyond Lehainjar. Let¡¯s have it in Raguyaran,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Hmm.¡± Gavid¡¯s face showed surprise as well. ¡°I am aware of that strangend too ¡ª a distant sea linked to the end of the world. Yet no one has ever confirmed the connection between one end to the other,¡± Gavid remarked. ¡°It would be fine for us to go rampant in that ce,¡± said Eugene. ¡°The location is set then... what about the date?¡± asked Gavid. ¡°By the end of next year? Let¡¯s push it as close to the deadline as we can,¡± said Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s fine. You''ll need time as well,¡± said Gavid. His response carried an unmistakable air of leisure. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel it deeply. ¡°Two months in seclusion, huh? Did you sneak in some secret training?¡± questioned Eugene. He tilted his head slightly as his tone betrayed his emotions. From the moment he saw Gavid in this room, he had felt uneasy. It had turned sour. It couldn¡¯t have turned out any other way. He felt an ufortable truth he didn¡¯t want to ept. ''If we fight now, I¡¯ll die.'' Eugene inwardly clicked his tongue. ¡°I came across a good sparring partner,¡± Gavid said with augh. 1. The original idiom used here is even a stray dog eats a bit in its own yard, basically talking about a home-ground advantage. ? Chapter 528: The Declaration (6)

Chapter 528: The Deration (6)

"I¡¯m curious as to who this person is that you would speak of them like this,¡± said Eugene. A sparring partner? Eugene narrowed his eyes as he gazed at Gavid, skeptical of the implication. He found it almost impossible to believe that Gavid''s current prowess had developed within just a few months. "Is there really someone in Helmuth that I don''t know about, someone who is capable of sparring with you? Surely not Noir Giabe,¡± said Eugene. Then who could possibly be Gavid¡¯s match? The Demon King of Incarceration? It wasn''t entirely out of the question, but... it seemed unlikely. If it had indeed been the Demon King, Gavid wouldn''t be discussing it so casually. "I know what you are wary of,¡± Gavid said, grinning as he looked at Eugene. "I could simply drive you into a corner mentally by keeping it a secret, but... I¡¯m not fond of such tricks. So, I¡¯ll give you an honest answer. Hamel, my sparring partner isn''t a demon. He isn¡¯t a citizen of Helmuth either, nor a being of this world.¡± "What?" questioned Eugene. "It is a phantom, recreated from His Majesty¡¯s memories... perhaps an existence you might know as well,¡± answered Gavid. Eugene stared at Gavid. His sparring partner was a phantom recreated from memory? Eugene wasn''t sure exactly what that meant, but the suggestion that it was someone he might know scraped at his emotions. "I don¡¯t follow what you¡¯re saying,¡± Eugene said directly. "Hamel,¡± Gavid called out, conscious of the chain bundled within his cloak. "Do you know of a wastnd littered with countless corpses?" Eugene was surprised to hear this unexpected question. Gavid continued, "Thanks to His Majesty the Demon King¡¯s grace, I wandered that nameless wastnd over and over again. And each time, what I faced was the same death, again and again." A wastnd strewn with corpses. Eugene''s eyes narrowed. "The one killing me was always the same adversary. It was a man with a greatsword. Whether I fought or not, the man always ended my life," Gavid recounted. Eugene just listened silently to the story. "While only about two months have passed in reality, I have lived far longer in that wastnd. I can''t even count how many times I have died there,¡± exined Gavid. He pointed a finger at Eugene. "I don¡¯t know the man¡¯s identity. But I can say this with certainty: his name does not exist in the annals of this world''s history. Perhaps... he is from a time before history was even recorded. And." He paused. The man''s sword. Gavid had barely, just barely, managed to elevate himself to a level where he could just about match the man. However, he had failed to ovee the adversary. Even if he used the Demoneye of Divine Glory, or even Glory, surpassing the man¡¯s sword and threatening his life proved impossible. Finally, Gavid said, "Hamel, you should know this man.¡± When Gavid first saw the man in the wastnd, he had used the Demoneye of Divine Glory and drawn Glory to avoid death. That was when he first saw the man¡¯s sword. It had been a de radiating a bloody hue, the very epitome of merciless and inexorable violence. That sword had resembled the one Hamel had used to y the specter. "What words do you want to hear?" Eugene asked. Eugene wondered how Gavid had grown so strong. He had never imagined the Demon King of Incarceration would assist Gavid in such a manner. ''At least it''s just a phantom. I thought a new, unknown powerhouse might have emerged,'' Eugene thought. Or perhaps that still wasn¡¯t such good news. Eugene clicked his tongue while sinking in contemtion. Gavid would only grow stronger with the passage of time. Eugene didn¡¯t feel as confident in defeating Gavid as he was now. As such, he was wary of how much stronger Gavid might be at the time of their duel. ¡°I¡¯m rather curious about your rtionship with this man, but I won¡¯t pry into that,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Then?¡± questioned Eugene. ¡°I thought perhaps I should at least know his name,¡± Gavid voiced his thoughts. ¡°Why?¡± Eugene asked in genuine curiosity. ¡°Would calling him a master be too grand?¡± Gavid smirked at his own words. ¡°Sure, it might be foolish to assume on my part. But Hamel, I was utterly in awe of that man¡¯s sword. I never thought such a powerful man could exist in this world. I died at the hands of his sword hundreds, no, thousands of times. Each death and each resurrection gradually sharpened me and honed me bit by bit. ¡°And that is why I genuinely want to know the man¡¯s name and identity. I want to know the name of the one who has killed me so often, who has drawn so much out of me,¡± confessed Gavid. "Agaroth,¡± Eugene blurted out. "The God of War, Agaroth." Gavid was genuinely curious about the name Agaroth for the reason he gave. Hence, Eugene responded honestly. "The God of War, Agaroth...." Gavid closed his eyes momentarily and repeated the name, rummaging through the long memories he had umted. The God of War, Agaroth. He found it. ¡°That name was left in the sea where Iris was entrenched. Not really as a faith, but more like an ancient legend,¡± said Gavid. When Iris suddenly settled at the southern end and started abducting dwarfs for some inscrutable schemes, Gavid had scraped together information to guess at Iris¡¯ plots. That was when he first heard the name Agaroth. He hadn''t thought much of it. It had not left much of an impression. In this era, what was the use of remembering the name of an ancient deity that hadn¡¯t left behind any religion or faith? He had not imagined he would be reunited with the name in such a way. Gavid chuckled and shook his head. "You had no obligation to satisfy my curiosity. I appreciate your kindness,¡± he said. "Are you satisfied?" Eugene asked. "If that man was once called a God of War in ancient times, haha, I have no choice but to be satisfied. After all, I have yet to defeat him even once,¡± Gavid admitted. He paused momentarily to gaze at Eugene, then continued, "Is that okay?" "What are you asking about?" "There''s about a year left until our duel. Hamel, you will also grow stronger during this time. But the same goes for me. In fact, I might be able to use this year even more effectively than you,¡± said Gavid. The wastnd that he entered using the chain was detached from reality. The flow of time in the wastnd was distortedpared to the real world. "If I may suggest, it might be better for you to duel me right now. Hamel, I can assure you that I will be iparably stronger in a year. I might even surpass that War God¡¯s sword,¡± Gavid warned. "That might be true,¡± said Eugene. He didn¡¯t deny this possibility. "Actually, I¡¯d prefer it if you became as strong as Agaroth, or... even stronger,¡± continued Eugene. This time, it was Gavid who blinked in surprise. Eugene answered before Gavid could voice his confusion. "I need to be certain that I can surpass Agaroth,¡± he said. He knew that judgments based on his vague memories of the past were unreliable. But if he could defeat Gavid after a year, he would truly be confident in having surpassed Agaroth. "Is that so,¡± Gavid said in a neutral voice. He continued with a nod, "However, this duel might not be entirely fair. Hamel, you know as well as I do that the duel is meant to be between just you and me. The Wise Sienna or Saint Kristina Rogeris cannot intervene." "Of course, that¡¯s how it should be,¡± responded Eugene. "I am aware that demons are superior to humans in every aspect. No matter how many times your sword strikes me, I will not sustain a fatal wound,¡± admitted Gavid. "That''s likely,¡± said Eugene. "Also, the Demoneye of Divine Glory I wield perfectly replicates the power of His Majesty the Demon King,¡± continued Gavid. "That doesn''t matter. Just as you use the Demoneye of Divine Glory, I too can draw miracles of Light from the Holy Sword,¡± replied Eugene. "Hamel,¡± Gavid called out, lowering his voice. "If you wish, I can make this duel much fairer by adding a rule. If you can shatter my heart or decapitate me, I will acknowledge my defeat, even if I don''t die. I¡¯ll ept defeat and end my own life¡ª" Eugene didn¡¯t let him finish. He burst into loudughter while pping his knee. "Hahaha! Don''t talk nonsense, Gavid Lindman. You''ll acknowledge defeat if I shatter your heart or decapitate you? Hahaha! Do you think the Demon King of Incarceration would agree to that? Would the Demon King of Destruction set rules before we fight?" Eugene shouted. No. Eugene shook his head. "I don''t need such rules. A year from now, in our duel, I will kill you. That''s how I''ll win. After that, I''ll kill Noir Giabe, ascend Babel, and y the Demon King of Incarceration. Then I''ll go after the Demon King of Destruction,¡± Eugene dered. Even though Gavid recognized Eugene¡¯s strength, such a statement was arrogantly beyond ordinaryprehension. Even Vermouth of Despair had the support of hisrades at Babel three hundred years ago. However, Gavid did not read arrogance in those words. Instead, he sensed a fanaticism bordering on madness. Hamel ¡ª or rather Eugene Lionheart ¡ª meant what he said. "I have insulted you with my words,¡± Gavid said. Then, with a nod, he rose from his seat as he continued, "Then it seems we have nothing further to adjust.¡± After a pause, Gavid asked, "What about the construction of the arena? If you don¡¯t want to bother¡ª" Eugene interrupted, "There are plenty of dwarves at the Lionheart estate. I¡¯ll just have them handle it.¡± Gavid smiled wryly at the indifferent reply and nodded. He turned to leave, and a door of chains opened before him. "Then, in a year¡ª" Gavid started. "Wait." Eugene stood up, interrupting him. "Can I ask you for a favor?" "A favor?" It was surprising to hear the word favor from Hamel''s mouth. Gavid''s eyes widened in astonishment. "If it¡¯s within my power,¡± said Gavid. "Drop me off somewhere before you go,¡± Eugene said. Before Gavid could respond, Eugene provided the coordinates. Gavid was visibly flustered but visualized the coordinates in his mind as he blinked several times. "This ce... isn¡¯t this the Southern Seas? If I¡¯m not mistaken, it¡¯s where the Demon King of Fury died, right?" asked Gavid. "That¡¯s right," answered Eugene. "Why would you want to go there?" questioned Gavid. "Never mind the reason,¡± Eugene answered. "Hmm." It was a shamelessly brazen attitude for someone requesting a favor, but Gavid nodded without asking further questions. Could it be rted to the War God Agaroth? Perhaps. After all, Agaroth¡¯s name had remained in the sea where Iris died. Gavid started, "I am curious, but...." How Eugene used the remaining time before their duel was entirely up to him. Gavid did not want to interfere or probe into the affairs of his long-awaited adversary. He had his own matters to immerse himself in for the year. Gavid manipted the chain door ording to the coordinates Eugene had provided him, and in that brief moment, Eugene pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled something. Ssshhh.... Thendscape visible through the door changed. Moments ago, it showed an empty room in the Lindman mansion in Helmuth, but now it disyed a vast sea. Upon seeing the sea, Eugene immediately stepped forward. "Then... see you in a year,¡± Gavid said. Eugene passed through the gate of chains without a reply, then abruptly raised his hand towards Gavid. "Huh...!" A stark middle finger. Gavid couldn''t help but let out augh of disbelief. Such an utterly rude gesture ¡ª it was so typical of Hamel. Gavid shook his head as he watched Eugene plunge into the sea. "I have no idea what he''s plotting,¡± Gavid muttered. A letter left on the table caught his eye. Gavid hadn¡¯t intended to snoop, but since Eugene had left it openly unfolded, he couldn¡¯t help but read it. [I¡¯ll spend the year training. We¡¯ve agreed to build the arena in Raguyaran, so tell the dwarves at the Lionheart estate to handle it. Don¡¯t get mad, and try not to worry too much either.] "Huh..." Gavid shook his head again. The letter unterally stated his demands. How could he just write that and leave? And now he was instructing to have the dwarves construct the arena in Raguyaran.... "I¡¯ll need to send a letter myselfter,¡± muttered Gavid. If things were left as Hamel had instructed, something would surely go amiss. It seemed necessary for Gavid to send a letter to the Lionheart n detailing the date and location of the duel in ce of Hamel. "How irresponsible,¡± Gavid muttered. He opened the portal again while clicking his tongue. *** The moment he passed through the chain gate, Eugene dropped straight into the sea. ¡®I have to admit, this ability is incredibly convenient,¡¯ Eugene thought enviously. It was a power that allowed him to arrive anywhere in a single step without a need for warp-gates, as long as he had the coordinates. This was an authority not even Sienna or the dragons possessed, but solely the Demon Kings. ¡®Thanks to this, I arrivedfortably.¡¯ This ce was the southernmost tip of the Southern Seas. It was the site near the distant ocean where Iris had died and in the ancient past, the location where the Demon King of Fury had made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration. It was a city once ruled by Agaroth, the sea where the sanctuary of the War God was submerged. ¡°It would have taken quite some time if I came alone,¡± Eugene murmured as he fell into the sea. This part of the ocean was far from any warp-gate and could not be reached without a boat or flying. Only a year remained. He needed to maximize this time. But how? Should he seek Molon for a sparring session out of the blue again? Was there anything left to gain from such sparring now? ¡®No, there isn¡¯t,¡¯ Eugene realized. Eugene was now stronger than Molon. Even if Molon had also spent time in training during Eugene¡¯s absence, he doubted there was anything more to gain from dueling Molon again. Should he return to the World Tree and seek the Sage''s help, or perhaps entangle himself in vines like Carmen did to duel the God of Giant¡¯s phantom? It could be beneficial, but it would mean that he was tantly ignoring the Sage''s warnings. Ultimately, now, Eugene could consider only one path ahead. ¡®Divine Power.¡¯ He needed a ce to anchor himself. He needed a ce free from others'' interference, where he could contemte who he was now, what he was before, and the essence of his being ¡ª solely, profoundly, and introspectively. ¡°There¡¯s nowhere else but here.¡± The moment his feet touched the sea, it split open with a crack, as if the sea itself were a door. Eugene didn''t panic but dropped through the gap created by the parted waters. ¡®One year.¡¯ Eugene''s eyes narrowed. ¡®I won¡¯t leave this ce for a year.¡¯ The abyss of the deep sea yawned open. In the blink of an eye, a year passed. Chapter 529: The Declaration (7)

Chapter 529: The Deration (7)

The year sped by swiftly. The Grand Duke of Helmuth, the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, had sent a personal letter to the Lionheart mansion shortly after his meeting with Eugene. The letter detailed the exact date, location, and manner of the duel set for a yearter. It also assured that Eugene Lionheart¡¯s disappearance was solely for intensive personal training and that he had in no way harmed his opponent, the Hero destined for the duel. He had sworn on it. Gavid had no choice but to write such a letter. Eugene had vanished from the world afterst being seen at Alcarte Cathedral. Although he had hastily scribbled a letter, the unteral nature of its contents made it difficult to discern his intentions. Consequently, suspicion unavoidably pointed towards Gavid in regard to Eugene¡¯s disappearance. ¡°One year.¡± Ciel furrowed her brows deeply as she uttered, ¡°It¡¯s almost the agreed day for the duel, so what in the world happened...?¡± Her breath fogged in the air with each word ¡ª a biting cold. This chill was not from Kiehl¡¯s winter. Ciel was at a training base in Lehainjar, where the Knight March had taken ce years ago. ¡°It¡¯s not like he ran away.¡± Though Cyan replied thus, he couldn¡¯t stop his expression from contorting. In this vast world, there were far more fools unaware of who Hamel, or rather Eugene, was than Cyan and Ciel could have imagined. ¡°Did I say otherwise? There¡¯s no way he ran away,¡± said Ciel. She red at Cyan, her eyes intense. ¡°When did I ever say he ran away? I said he didn¡¯t.¡± Cyan hastily defended himself. He returned the re with equal intensity. The charged sh of res between the twins sparked white mes. Both had reached Six Stars of the White me Form, but the mes they conjured were uniquely their own, flickering as they quelled the snowstorm around them. ¡°Ugh.¡± After a moment of intense staring, Cyan sighed deeply and withdrew his mes. ¡°What are we doing? This is embarrassing in front of others,¡± said Cyan. ¡°Sorry,¡± Ciel apologized. She also extinguished her mes and slumped her shoulders. The twins were quick to re up over minor matters. It was inevitable, given the sensitive circumstances. Only three days remained until the duel with Gavid Lindman. Yet, Eugene had not only disappeared but had also done so without sending a single message. Despite the twins reaching the Sixth Star of the White me Form and oveing the Dark Room, not even a brief letter had arrived at the Lionheart mansion from Eugene. Eventually, not just the Lionheart n but the entire continent had no choice but to search for Eugene. But even with empires and kingdoms leading the search, employing information guilds, and collecting tips from citizens, Eugene¡¯s whereabouts remained undiscovered across the continent. Eugene Lionheart was rumored to have fled before the duel. It was inevitable for such rumors to be circting. The only reason the rumors hadn¡¯t be more exaggerated was due to Eugene¡¯s past achievements and his well-known personality. The year had passed by rather quickly. Since the duel was set, Eugene has vanished without a trace. Moreover, he wasn¡¯t just hiding his whereabouts but also leaving no news for a whole year, and now, with only three days until the decided date of the duel, he still hadn''t made an appearance. ¡°The sea...¡± Cyan muttered with a grimace. Eugene''s family and friends knew where he had headed, which was a small relief, but... the pressing time made it inevitably worrying. ¡°That ce, the Southern Sea''s edge. I''ve never been there myself, but is there really a ce there that¡¯s suitable for training?¡± asked Cyan. ¡°There might... be,¡± Ciel answered uncertainly. The sea was where Iris, the Demon King of Fury, had been in after a fierce battle. Ciel knew that there was something hidden in its depths. But whaty deeper, in the abyss below the sea, she didn¡¯t know. However, she understood that whatever it was, it held great significance and profound meaning for Eugene. ¡°I don¡¯t know what exactly is there. Only Lady Sienna and... Sister Saint Kristina truly know,¡± admitted Ciel. ¡°Decide whether you¡¯re going to call her Saint or Sister,¡± Cyanmented. ¡°No. I don¡¯t like just calling her Sister. It feels too familiar and embarrassing,¡± Ciel retorted, pouting her lips and kicking at the snow at her feet. During the year Eugene was missing, Kristina locked herself away in her room after returning from the Holy Empire. She drowned her solitude in liquor. The unexpected guest stayed in the confines of her room and only sought liquor. She had been left as Ciel¡¯s responsibility to handle. ¡°Hasn¡¯t the Saint told you anything? We can''t keep secrets or hide anything now, with only three days left,¡± said Cyan. ¡°Nothing, really. I tried to pry it out of Sister Kristina when she was drunk, but all I got in response was her stern face every time,¡± Ciel responded with a shake of her head. It represented the significance of Eugene¡¯s secret. In the past, Ciel might have felt left out and depressed, but no longer. Eugene''s identity as Hamel¡¯s reincarnation was already public, and Ciel had already been rejected by Eugene. She wasn''t about to give up. Being rejected once did not mean she had quit. The only thing that mattered was that she would be epted in the end. Ciel recalled the stinging p she''d received years ago. ¡°Surely he didn¡¯t get the time mixed up...?¡± Cyan muttered. He ignored his sister as she firmed her resolve. Ciel turned her head towards the nearby mountain peak. Beyond thaty Raguyaran. ¡°Being in the middle of the sea, it''s hard to keep track of the date. Maybe he miscalcted the days while training...¡± Cyan suggested following his train of thought. ¡°Do you think Eugene¡¯s an idiot?¡± questioned Ciel. ¡°He¡¯s not an idiot, but he does have his ditzy moments. Besides,ing from the Southern Sea''s end here is literally crossing the continent. Even using a warp-gate, three days is cutting it too close.¡± Agents from various countries were already stationed along the shortest route from Shimuin to here. News would have quickly spread if Eugene had shown up at any of the warp-gates by now. But Eugene had not been spotted at any warp-gate so far. ¡°He¡¯ll make it somehow...¡± Ciel responded, but she couldn¡¯t be entirely sure herself. Eugene running away from the duel was out of the question. He would find a way to arrive within three days, whatever it took. But how? Ciel and Cyan had no way of knowing how he would return. They would not have worried if Eugene had taken Raimira with him. After all, he could have simply flown back on her back. However, Eugene had not taken Raimira, nor had he taken Mer, so it was impossible to know what he had nned. Their only hopey in the fact that Sienna and Carmen had not yet returned. They had heard that the pair were metamorphosing at the World Tree. Was it possible that they would return with Eugene? If that was the case, they might make it back within the tight span of three days. ''But will that really happen?'' Ciel wondered as she was honestly skeptical. This ce was at the very northern edge of the continent, and Eugene was stuck at the southernmost tip of the Southern Sea. Crossing the vast ocean would directly bring one to Raguyaran. However, in the history of the continent, no one had ever crossed this vast ocean before. Nothing was at the northern end and nothing at the southern end either. Even though something might be there ¡ª no one had verified it. "He¡¯ll make it somehow." The voice came suddenly. Ciel and Cyan jumped and turned toward the direction of the sound. The blizzard was intensifying. They could see Kristina staggering towards them beyond the swirling snowkes. "The vast... ocean... hic.... Crossing the ocean is, gasp, something not even Sir Eugene could do, but, hic, we''ll make it somehow." To their surprise, Kristina was holding a different liquor bottle in each hand. Both were equally emptied. Without any concern for how they might view her, she raised both bottles to her mouth and guzzled down their contents. "So.... So, hic, don¡¯t worry, both of you. It¡¯s-it''s very cold outside. So, hic,e inside, coe inside,¡± Kristina stuttered in a drunken haze. She was more worried about Eugene than anyone else. She had been drinking in an attempt to forget her worries and unease regarding Eugene. But surprisingly, despite drinking daily, Kristina did not spend her days like a reclusive invalid. During the first month of the year of Eugene¡¯s absence, she had holed herself in her room. She had forced Ciel to keep herpany while drowning herself in liquor. But after about a month, Kristina took her bottles and stepped outside. She returned to Yuras and erected statues of Eugene throughout the holy kingdom. She added verses about Eugene to the holy scriptures. Then, she visited the World Tree alone and, in recent months, had moved to Lehainjar to bless the dwarves who were constructing an arena for the uing duel. She had also met with Molon, who lived secluded in the Grand Hammer Canyon. "Saint... Saint, you are drinking too much..." Cyan said, sounding worried. "Oh, Sir Cyan, I''m, I''m fine. It''s, it''s just so cold, I''m drinking to warm up. My mind is perfectly clear,¡± Kristina responded with a chuckle while holding two nearly empty bottles. Her smile, broadened by a pleasant tipsiness, made Cyan quietly shut his mouth. "How is the arenaing along?" Ciel asked. "Ahahaha... Ciel, didn¡¯t you see it for yourself? That ce... that ce is tr-truly splendid. I asked the dwarves specifically, hic, asked them! It¡¯s a beautiful and majestic ce, perfectly... perfectly splendid! A fitting site to write the grand myth of Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina responded. Crash! One of Kristina¡¯s bottles shattered mid-sentence. "All we need now is for Sir Eugene toe. It¡¯s time for him to... to arrive, but why hasn¡¯t hee? I, I trust Sir Eugene very much, hic, but it¡¯s truly hurtful that he hasn¡¯t sent me a proper letter, hic, even now when I think about it,¡± Kristina said, sounding downcast. Here we go again. Ciel¡¯s expression darkened. She instinctively took a step back. "Ciel! Where are you going? Come here,e to my room. It''s cold outside. Cyan... Sir Cyan, what about you?" asked Kristina. "I must... attend to my duties as the future head of the family.... I will respectfully decline,¡± Cyan said as politely as he could. "Ah! If it''s the future head''s duties, then, hic, there''s nothing I can do but understand. But Ciel, you''re okay, aren¡¯t you?" questioned Kristina. Ciel¡¯s gaze quivered. She wanted to run but couldn¡¯t. Someone had to rein in Kristina¡¯s rampage.... Anything else Anise could handle, but not when it came to alcohol. "Yes..." Ciel answered quietly. "Then let¡¯s go!" Kristina stepped forward, beaming. She seized Ciel by thepels of her jacket. *** Ciel was dragged into Kristina¡¯s room. It was already akin to a ruin. She nced fearfully at a corner. Therey Mer and Raimira, embraced in each other¡¯s arms like discarded rag dolls, exhausted. ¡°Why do you think that is?¡± questioned Kristina. Tears started to flow freely as she opened a fresh bottle of alcohol. "Why do you think Sir Eugene¡¯s not sent even a single letter during the year?¡± "Maybe... he was too busy with his training,¡± Ciel suggested. "Yes, yes, I believe so too. This duel... Sir Eugene must win. If he loses, everything ends. That''s why he must have been fully focused on his training,¡± agreed Kristina. "Yes, that¡¯s true..." muttered Ciel. "But I feel so, so heartbroken. I¡¯mpletely left out. He hasn¡¯t even thought about how I might feel being left behind. It¡¯s not just me. What about you, Ciel? And Sir Cyan? And Sir Gerhard!" Kristina shouted. Ciel decided to keep quiet. "I... I do understand." Kristina seemed to regain herposure after venting her sorrow. Perhaps she was following a mental cue from Anise. No... was that truly the case? Honestly, it was hard to tell. Was it Kristina in her drunken stupor causing a scene, or was it Anise? "Sir Eugene must have gone to the abyss of the deep sea... a ce... that no one else but he can enter. No matter how much I may wish, I cannot follow..." muttered Kristina. "Yes," Ciel agreed. She had heard about it, just not whaty beneath. Thus, Ciel''s imagination had to work overtime to fill in the nk spaces. Might there be an undersea cavern at the bottom of the abyss, like the bottom of Lake Lionheart? Perhaps there was something akin to a dragon¡¯sir. "But even so! He could have given me a hint. Then we could have waited for Sir Eugene nearby with a boat or something,¡± grumbled Kristina. "Isn¡¯t there a boat there now? I understand Maise is there to meet Eugene,¡± responded Ciel. "That''s just for meeting him. But I can''t go there. I yearn to be there with all my heart, but I can''t...." Kristina sighed deeply while pouring more liquor into her mouth. "Ugh... I... have to prepare for the worst-case scenario. If Sir Eugene doesn¡¯t arrive within three days.... Since Lady Sienna isn¡¯t here either, I will have to face Gavid Lindman..." Kristinained. "What?" Ciel shouted. This was news to Ciel. She jumped up in response, startled by the revtion. Facing Gavid Lindman instead of Eugene and Sienna!? Could she possibly be thinking of wielding a il against the de of Incarceration, or is she nning to deliver a sobering p that would stop his tears in an instant? "Oh... even for the Saint, isn''t that too reckless? I''d rather call Sir Molon,¡± said Ciel. The arena in Raguyaran was close to the Grand Hammer Canyon. Summoning Molon with the Demoneye of Darkness would take but a step. In fact, Molon could leap to the arena in just a few seconds with his incredible mobility. Ciels¡¯ abilities had dramatically improved after reaching the Sixth Star of the White me Form and oveing the Dark Room. She had focused particrly on increasing her pool of mana, which, irrespective of her achievement in the White me Form, had surpassed even those with Eight Stars like Gilead and Gion. "And.... There are others here as well, right? Sir Alchester, Sir Ortus, Sir Ivik, and King Aman are here, not to mention all the Archwizards..." continued Ciel. "I have no intention of fighting Gavid Lindman," Kristina said as she set down her drink and shook her head. "Truthfully... I''d like tounch a joint attack with everyone. But if we did, Sir Eugene would be furious when he returns. And there''s no reason for Gavid Lindman to fight us all if we attack together. If he escapes unscathed, the whole world will mock and insult Sir Eugene." It was only a contingency n in case Eugene was dyed to the duel. Kristina had no doubts that Eugene would definitely return. "What I intend to do is not to confront but to make a request ¡ª hic ¡ª to Gavid Lindman. He, too, earnestly wishes for this duel with Eugene, so he might understand if Eugene is a littlete..." said Kristina. "Really? Do you think so?" Ciel asked, sounding doubtful. "No, honestly, it doesn¡¯t seem likely.... He might not be so understanding. He might even demand some kind ofpensation. I am prepared to kneel and bow my head if necessary,¡± said Kristina. Ciel briefly imagined Kristina kneeling and begging Gavid. It wasn''t just Kristina who would kneel. The Faithful Anise, too, would kneel before the de of Incarceration. It would be a terrible humiliation. Ciel''s gaze turned icy. She chewed her lip a few times, then abruptly stood up. "Then I will kneel with you. If it''s for Eugene, all of the Lionheart family will kneel,¡± dered Ciel. "There¡¯s no need for the Lionhearts to invite such humiliation," Kristina said with a bitter smile while shaking her head. "The real question isn¡¯t whether to kneel or not... It''s about trusting in Sir Eugene. I trust him, too. We¡¯re just preparing for the worst." Kristina sighed deeply as she poured another drink. "I hope he arrives by tomorrow or the day after, at thetest..." she muttered. Despite her hopeful words, Eugene did not appear even after two days. Three days passed, and Gavid Lindman, the de of Incarceration, arrived. Chapter 530: The Declaration (8) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 530: The Deration (8) [Bonus Image]

Raguyaran. Unlike Lehainjar, where snow fell year-round, thisnd saw no snow. Instead, the sky was gray and misty, and the ground seemed to be soaked with fog. There was a vast stretch of a silent sea without even a ripple. A gate of chains appeared, and the members of ck Mist poured forth. The de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, stepped onto thend of silence. "Huh." Before even taking in his surroundings, Gavid chuckled and looked up. He could see the familiar Giabe-Face above in the milky sky. As the ck mist finished emerging and the gate of chains shut, the mouth of Giabe-Face opened. ¡°I thought you woulde alone,¡± Noirmented. She smirked as she floated in the sky. She was known for her entric and mboyant fashion, but today, she was uncharacteristically d in a monochrome dress. Gavid nced at the ck veil covering Noir¡¯s face and smirked. ¡°You predicted I¡¯d die in defeat,¡± he said. ¡°Ahaha. Of course, but I have no intention of mocking your death. I would sincerely mourn you if you were to die,¡± Noir responded. Noir lifted her veil slightly and revealed a smile. ¡°But this is unexpected. I thought you¡¯de alone,¡± she repeated. ¡°The whole continent wants to see this duel,¡± Gavid responded. ¡°That answer is even more surprising, Gavid Lindman. I didn¡¯t know you were a man of such vanity. What will you do if you lose?¡± asked Noir. ¡°If I lose, all the more reason I brought the ck Mist here. They will get to see how formidable Helmuth''s enemy is,¡± Gavid responded while turning to nce at the ck Mist. They were a group of Helmuth¡¯s elite knights. Even if he were to lose, Gavid hoped this duel would allow the knights within the ck Mist to gain and learn something. Gavid continued, ¡°And it¡¯s not just because I wished for it. You know as well. The ck Mist are the personal guards of His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. The ck Mist must naturally be present in the presence of His Majesty.¡± ¡°Oh my,¡± Noir sounded excited. Her eyes sparkled, and she briefly nced at the gate of chains that was now closed. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration himself... ising?¡± she questioned. ¡°He agreed to bestow his power upon the arena,¡± Gavid responded. ¡°I¡¯d heard as much, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯de in person,¡± Noir said. ¡°Are you afraid he might scold you for your impudence?¡± Gavid jested. ¡°Ahaha! Hardly. I¡¯ve done nothing wrong,¡± responded Noir. Sheughed heartily while waving her hand dismissively. Gavid shrugged at the echoingughter and started walking. ¡°Duke Lindman. Why is it that His Majesty doesn¡¯t scold Duke Giabe for not serving His Majesty with reverence?¡± The one who asked the question was the lieutenant of the ck Mist. It wasn¡¯t just him, either. All of the ck Mist found the situation baffling. The Demon King of Incarceration ruled over Helmuth. He preferred the title Demon King to Emperor, but regardless of his title, all his subjects must owe him deference. Yet, Noir Giabe did not address him with the proper title. "It is because she recognizes his stature," Gavid responded in a calm voice. Noir had refrained from the customary courtesies due to the Demon King for a year now, acting as if she were his equal. Gavid had been tolerating her behavior since then. "Therefore, take care not to do anything that might upset Duke Giabe. She can destroy you as easily as one crushes ants, and His Majesty will not reproach the Duke, even in the face of your demise,¡± Gavid warned. "Yes." Unfair as it was, the members of the ck Mist responded obediently. "Impressive,¡± Gavid eximed while gazing up at the dueling arena. It was hard to believe such a magnificent structure waspleted in less than a year. He smiled wryly as he surveyed the delicately carved walls. "It''s a pity this has to be thest time,¡± hemented. If he won the duel, then.... He stopped himself from thinking further. Such thoughts were better enjoyed after a victory. Gavid chuckled while soaring into the sky. There was a door below that would lead inside, but there was no need to use it. The building was simr to the Coliseum of Shimuin in that it had no ceiling. "It looks fancy on the outside but somewhat in within, doesn''t it?" Gavidmented to no one in particr. Heughed softly upon seeing the mostly empty stands. It was to be expected. This ce was at the very northern edge of the continent. One had to cross an endless in filled with snow and scale steep, rugged mountains to get here. ''Even so, they could have installed a warp-gate. Why didn¡¯t they...? Is there a reason for it?¡¯ Gavid pondered briefly. He looked to the side. He could see the sea, which was eerily calm, as well as the ominous, thick miasma over Lehainjar. It wasn¡¯t present thest time he was here, during the Knight March. But now, Gavid could see the death energy and the poison energy festering in the mountains of Lehainjar. Atop the highest peak overseeing Raguyaran, he saw a man standing tall. The man felt even more gigantic than the mountains of Lehainjar themselves. "Molon of Terror," Gavid said. The distance between them was great, yet Gavid could feel Molon¡¯s murderous intent as if he were right before him. Molon had his axe, which was shattered for some reason, slung over his shoulder, and he locked gaze with Gavid from afar. "You coulde closer if you wished. Ha, perhaps you, too, are bound by certain unavoidable circumstances,¡± said Gavid. He saw the blood-stained axe on Molon¡¯s shoulder, from which the death and poisonous energies were emanating. Gavid snickered again while looking down at the stands. The stands were mostly empty, not just because the ce was remote and hard to reach but also due to the skepticism surrounding Eugene Lionheart, who had vanished for a year ¡ª and perhaps because of the anxiety over what might happen if Eugene were to lose the duel. "Would you have preferred the stands to be full?" Noir whispered from above in the sky. "If not just humans but also demons hade, oh, it would have been interesting to see whose cheers would be louder.¡± "I heard the duel is going to be broadcast across the continent anyway,¡± Gavid said dismissively. "That¡¯s right. Everyone in the world wants to know the flow and the oue of the duel,¡± responded Noir. She sensed the various spells installed in the grand arena. It seemed like an attempt to mimic the ck Tower and magic cables in human fashion. She muttered while chuckling, "Broadcasting things like this is my specialty. If they had asked nicely, it would have been easy for me to set it up for them.¡± Nevertheless, the reproduction was impressive. With the current set-up, people in the main squares of all the nations would be able to watch the duel. Who would win and who would lose between the Hero, the Radiant Eugene Lionheart, and the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman? Who would live, and who would perish? "The audience is sufficient as it is," Gavid dered with a smile as he descended. "After all, we have the heroes of the continent, as well as the Lionheart n." Given the location and the unknown dangers, the emperor, the pope, and the kings were absent. But all the heroes Gavid had seen on the battlefields of Hauria were present. Gavid gave a slight nod in their direction in a gesture of respect. "However, the main participant hasn¡¯t arrived yet," Noir said with a grin. There was no sign of Eugene anywhere in the stands or the arena. "It appears my Hamel hasn¡¯t arrived yet." "The day isn¡¯t over yet," Gavid responded nonchntly, his gaze crossing to the opposite side where Helmuth¡¯s g was prominently disyed. He chuckled at the sight of therge chair in the center of the stands. "Fortunately, it seems they don''t n to make me wait in the center of the arena." "If you sit in that chair, where does the Demon King of Incarceration sit?" Noir asked with a mischievous smile. Gavidughed heartily while leading the ck Mist across the sky. "His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration would not deign to make that chair his throne," Gavid stated disdainfully. "That¡¯s true. The Demon King of Incarceration always prefers a throne of chains over a proper chair. Whatfort does he find in those hard, uneven chain seats?" questioned Noir. Gavidnded and sat down under the Helmuth g. The ck Mist spread out behind him in an organized fashion. Noir chuckled as she surveyed the knights of the ck Mist. None of them were seated. "Do you n to sit here until the end of the day?" Noir inquired. "Indeed, I do,¡± responded Gavid. "What if my Hamel doesn¡¯te today?" asked Noir. "I believe Hamel wille,¡± came the response. "But I¡¯m asking what if ¡ª what if Hamel doesn¡¯t show up?" said Noir. The atmosphere among the ck Mist shifted ¡ª a chilling intent to kill wafted as the mist began to ripple. Gavid slightly raised his hand and calmed the mist with that single gesture. "Well, I''m not sure what to do. I never considered the possibility that Hamel wouldn''t show up for our agreed duel," Gavid mused aloud. "Heh, thest time anyone saw my Hamel was with you. So naturally, you should know where he is. Why don''t you go fetch him?" Noir teased. "I made no such promise with Hamel." Gavid shook his head. "If Hamel does not arrive here by today, he will break his promise to me. I do not think Hamel would run from a duel... but if he does not show up, there''s nothing to be done, is there?" "And then?" Noir probed further. "As much as I''d prefer not to, if Hamel doesn¡¯t show, someone else will have to take his ce in the duel." Gavid¡¯s statement elicited a burst ofughter from Noir. "If that is uneptable, I shall leave this ce at once. I haven¡¯t thought about where to go yet, but it will probably be some city,¡± Gavid continued. "To a city? And then what?" asked Noir. "I will y everyone there," Gavid dered. The air in the dueling arena chilled with his words. "No one will be able to stop me. If they try, they''ll be the first to fall,¡± said Gavid. He raised his gaze and looked straight ahead. "Is that a sufficient answer, Saint Kristina Rogeris?" He called out to a figure in the stands. Kristina stood in front of the stands with eight Wings of Light spread behind her. Her face was marked with a frosty expression. She hadn''t spoken, but Gavid seemed to have read her intentions without needing any words. "What you need to do is not to persuade me. Return to your ce, fold your hands, and pray. Pray that Hamel arrives here before the day ends,¡± Gavid dered. "Are there no other conditions?" Kristina finally spoke. She felt a chill run down her back. But that was it. She did not back down. Instead, she maintained eye contact with Gavid while holding her ground. The old Kristina would have been pale and trembling at the sight of Gavid, Noir, and the malignant aura of the ck Mist. But she, too, had grown stronger over the past year. Despite picking up the bad habit of drinking, she had fully adapted to the Stigmata on her hands and never missed a day of prayer. "I had thought of you as someone who... prioritized chivalry, someone courteous. And as much as you eagerly awaited your duel with Sir Eugene, I believed you would be considerate if Sir Eugene could not make it in time due to unavoidable circumstances,¡± Kristina said. "Is that so?" questioned Gavid. "I think you are wrong, but I will not me you. A duel with a single opponent versus the massacre of an entire city. Such acts may seem insane from a human perspective, but you are not human,¡± Kristina continued. "It might be better not to add such remarks if you and I are to maintain a more friendly rtionship,¡± Gavid warned. "That might be true. But I do not wish to forge a friendly rtionship with you. Moreover, wearing a mask of falsehood in dealing with you would itself be an insult to you,¡± Kristina stated calmly. Kristina wasn¡¯t scared. She viewed Gavid rationally. It was in stark contrast to her past self, and now she could feel his strength clearer than before. Gavid Lindman was terrifyingly powerful. Without Eugene and Sienna present, no one here could contend with him. Even if they summoned Molon, the chances of victory seemed slim. Moreover, if Gavid chose to simply vanish using the Demoneye of Divine Glory, capturing him would be impossible for any of them. "So I will state my intentions honestly, Gavid Lindman. If I kneel before you and kiss your feet, would you consider postponing the date of the duel?" Kristina proposed earnestly. "Do you actually understand your position when you say this?" Gavid asked. He did not scoff at her. Instead, he looked at her with genuine surprise. "You are the Saint of Light, an existence more akin to the Light than even the Pope of Yuras. And yet, you would kneel before me, a demon, and kiss my feet? In front of everyone on the continent?" "Yes,¡± answered Kristina. "And you would do this even if it shames the Light you serve?" Gavid questioned with narrowed eyes. "The Light I serve does not consider it a humiliation for the Saint to kneel and kiss in order to save the lives of a city''s people. What do a few scuffs on my knees and some dirt on my lips matter inparison to saving an entire city?" Kristina responded. "That''s an interesting take, Saint Rogeris. What if I refuse your offer?" Gavid asked. "Then I have another proposal. How about you take me as a hostage until Sir Eugene returns? To my knowledge, the Saint has never been taken hostage in the long history between Helmuth and Yuras,¡± Kristina proposed. "Holding you hostage wouldn''t be particrly enjoyable for me. I have no intention of torturing anyone either,¡± Gavid rejected her immediately. "Then I''ll do it voluntarily. If Sir Eugene does not arrive by tomorrow, I will remove my left eye. After two days, I will cut off my left arm, and after three days, my left leg; after four days, my right leg; and after five days, my right eye,¡± dered Kristina without hesitation. Gavid''s mouth fell open at her words. The Saint was suggesting that she would harm herself. She might have enough trust in her miracles to make such a bold suggestion, but the idea of the Saint voluntarily taking herself hostage and mutting her body was filled with a madness beyond imagination. "Five days. If Sir Eugene has not arrived by then,¡± Kristina continued. [Kristina!] Anise had been screaming for a while now, but Kristina ignored the cries. She didn''t relinquish control of her body to Anise. [I''d rather reveal my presence here. I''ll put my soul up as coteral.] The outcry went unanswered. Kristina continued in a steadfast voice, "Then I will offer my neck." Kristina''s deration ended, but Gavid said nothing and remained silent. "Hahaha!" Soon, Gavid burst outughing loudly. He hadn''t expected to hear such a thing. Afterughing for a while, he looked at the eight radiant wings spread behind Kristina. The brilliant wings and her visage inevitably reminded him of Anise of Hell from three hundred years ago. ¡°The prospect of taking the Saint hostage and having the power to kill her is... a very tempting offer indeed. However, I must decline,¡± Gavid answered, still sticking to his initial rejection. ¡°Why would you refuse?¡± asked Kristina. ¡°To trade your life, Saint Rogers, for the lives of merely one city¡¯s worth of people would be unwise. Your life is far more valuable,¡± Gavid said softly. Kristina continued with her persuasion, ¡°That would actually be to your advantage¡ª¡± ¡°Yes. It would indeed be a great achievement to spare a city and instead take you as hostage to kill. But, I do not wish to do so,¡± Gavid dered. ¡°So, do not try to persuade me further, and return to your ce.¡± Faced with his repeated refusals, Kristina could only stare at Gavid in surprise. She had believed he would never decline such an offer. "This man is more principled than you think," Noir whispered from above the clouds. "If you really must plead, you''d be better off pleading with me rather than Gavid Lindman. Heh, Kristina Rogers, I might be able to hold Gavid off for a few days, depending on what you do." [Kristina. Please, do not listen to that whore¡¯s words.] This time, Kristina did not ignore Anise¡¯s outcry. She bit her lip and turned away. "Well," Noir''s eyes gleamed as she whispered. She looked over the audience and at the eerily calm sea beyond. "You won¡¯t need to beg anymore." Kristina''s shoulders shuddered. She swiftly spread her wings and soared into the sky. She wasn''t the only one who felt something. Everyone in the stands stood up and turned to look at the sea. ¡°I see,¡± Gavidmented. He nodded with a smile as he rose to his feet and looked towards the sea. "He has arrived." From a far-off ce, they could feel the wavesing from the tranquil sea. Chapter 531: The Duel (1)

Chapter 531: The Duel (1)

Rumble.... A deep, resonant growl filled the air as Gavid rose from his chair. The ck Mist was stirring tumultuously behind him. They were the elite knights of Helmuth, serving directly under themand of the de of Incarceration. However, right now, every one of them was slowly being engulfed by a creeping emotion. Shivers ¡ª all of the knights of the ck Mist were feeling the same thing. The sea wasn¡¯t very far from the dueling arena, and they could feel something approaching them from beyond the sea, from a ce far more distant. It felt like theing of a massive wave that could awaken the eerily calm sea and engulf all the demonfolk present. ¡®What is that?¡¯ Noir wondered. She straightened her posture from lying about in the sky. Her expression was tense as she ascended higher to get a clearer view of the sea. It wasn¡¯t just a feeling. The sea of Raguyaran truly was churning. The previous silence was like the calm before a storm. The sea was roiling violently, and the advancing waves seemed to push the gray earth back. Ssshh, ssshh. The sound of the sea grew louder, and Noir''s frozen expression began to thaw. She pressed a hand to her heart as if calming her first-love jitters and whispered, "Hamel." Hamel was not yet in sight, but Noir felt his presence more intensely and vividly than ever before. This feeling was undoubtedly a mix of love and exhrating hatred. Kristina could go no further and stopped mid-air. The spectators had risen from their seats and climbed to the highest parts of the stands to get a better view, but Kristina remained suspended in the air without moving an inch. Her body was here, but Kristina and Anise''s souls were already drifting towards the sea. The two Saints recognized each other''s presence and shared a briefugh. "Sister, I¡¯m embarrassed. I really spoke out of turn,¡± admitted Kristina. "How many times did I tell you, Kristina? There was no need for you to say such things, no need for you to volunteer to be a sacrifice,¡± said Anise. "But if I hadn''t stepped forward, Sister, you would have," retorted Kristina. "Between you, who are still very much alive, and me, who has been long dead, who do you think would be a better hostage, especially if it could lead to death? I think thetter was obviously the correct choice,¡± Anise said. She chuckled softly at Kristina, who resembled her in so many ways. She folded her radiant wings and moved closer to Kristina before taking her hand. "Well, debating this now is pointless. But Kristina, I am deeply troubled. Should we wee Hamel or scold him?" "I believe it is right to wee him now. However, if the duel ends with Sir Eugene¡¯s victory... I think Sir Eugene will need to atone for his irresponsible and faulty actions and for causing us such distress,¡± Kristina responded with a bright smile. It was at that moment the sea roared loudly. Waves from afar engulfed all of Raguyaran''s waters, and in an instant, the graynd was submerged under a shallow sea. Despite the encroaching waves pushing against the ground, the feet of the Saints remained dry. They had transcended their physical forms and be pure spirits, angelic in essence. The two of them moved in unison as if it were the most obvious course of action. They folded their radiant wings and knelt on one knee on the water-sweptnd. Plop. A quiet ssh echoed as their feet touched the tranquil sea, sending ripples across the calm waters. ¡°I¡¯m notte, am I?¡± came a teasing voice. The two Saints looked up with a chuckle. ¡°No, you¡¯re notte.¡± ¡°The day isn¡¯t over yet, after all.¡± There stood a man standing by the shore. Eugene Lionheart looked slightly different from when theyst saw him a year ago. How much had he immersed himself in his tasks during that time? Anise whispered with a lightugh, ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have shaved the beard?¡± ¡°It seemed like a bit of a time crunch,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Lies. You thought the beard suited you, didn¡¯t you?¡± Anise¡¯s yful banter made Eugene click his tongue. He stroked his bearded jawline and nced at Kristina. ¡°Kristina, what do you think? I kind of like it. I¡¯m getting to the age where a beard seems appropriate, aren¡¯t I?¡± he asked. ¡°I think it suits you well, but I also believe you look more handsome without it,¡± answered Kristina. Well, that settled it. Eugene no longer asked and swept his hand across his face, erasing the beard to reveal a clean-shaven appearance. He then casually tidied his unruly hair, looking like he had just shaken off a year¡¯s dust, as he walked along the beach. ¡°I¡¯m notte, but still, sorry for the dy,¡± he apologized. Eugene approached the two kneeling angels. ¡°Hamel,¡± Anise whispered, looking up. Eugene reflected in her eyes was different. Something had changedpared to a year ago. It wasn¡¯t just his shaved beard or the tousled hair ¡ª no, it was a transformation more profound than that. Eugene Lionheart¡¯s essence, his very soul, seemed to have transformed. ¡°Can you win?¡± Anise asked. Her heart swelled. Would this be what it felt like to truly stand before a god? It was a sensation that defied logic, felt not through the mind but through the heart ¡ª an unbelievable miracle. ¡°Well,¡± Eugene answered honestly. ¡°We''ll have to see, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll lose.¡± There was a rxed confidence in his tone, incongruent with the deadly duel thaty before him. Yet, his expression was serene and clear of any doubts. Kristina sped her hands in front of her heart. She had been present for almost all of Eugene¡¯s battles. She remembered the expressions and emotions he bore into each fight. Eugene''s adversaries in battle were predominantly demons. Some had been as powerful as Demon Kings, and some were indeed Demon Kings themselves. Eugene¡¯s feelings towards such beings were typically the same: anger, hatred, and murderous intent. However, this time it was different. It was clear that Eugene felt neither anger, hatred, nor murderous intent. Instead, a pure and steadfast spirit of struggle filled him, a sense of confidence that harbored no deception ¡ª he didn¡¯t think he would lose. Eugene hade to this duel to win. "Victory," Kristina whispered. Eugene did not reply. He simply smiled. As he passed by the two angels kneeling before him, they vanished into light and returned to their corporeal form. "Ah...." Kristina shivered with a momentary thrill in the sky, then spread her eight wings wide and soared across the sky toward the oceanic balustrade. The assembled spectators were silent as they held their breaths. They saw the waves that had once battered the shores now calm down. They saw the sea that had eroded the so-called ends of the earth. Suddenly, a man appeared, standing defiantly on the boundary between two ends. However, the spectators could not see the two angels meeting the man from their vantage. But they could feel an intense divinity from the man who had crossed the ocean. He had traversed the sea that no one had conquered or crossed before. Everyone knew it. They felt a myth in his presence. "Eu..." Ciel stuttered. She opened her lips to unknown feelings. It was hard toprehend what she felt ¡ª a profound euphoria from meeting a true myth. It made it difficult for her to voice her words. "Eugene." Still, Ciel managed to squeeze out the name. Had there ever been a time in her twenty-four years of life when it was so hard to speak? Had she ever truly realized she was human like this before? No, but this feeling wasn¡¯t that of helplessness. It was something different. She was touched. It wasn¡¯t just Ciel, either. Everyone felt the same overwhelming emotion. Everyone gradually found their voices after Ciel. The members of the Lionheart familyid their hands over the lion insignia on their left chests. The knights, mercenaries, warriors, and Archwizards whispered Eugene¡¯s name while forming their hands into fists. "Eugene Lionheart." The call of the Hero was answered. Eugene walked the boundary of ends and now stood at the balustrade of the arena. Could he still be called just the Hero? No. Everyone felt the same. Eugene was no longer merely the Hero. Was it just a feeling? Although the graynd was devoid of any sunlight, it felt as if Eugene was emitting a faint glow that illuminated his surroundings. "Sorry to keep you all waiting,¡± Eugene said with a smirk, but no one responded. Everyone was wrapped in an indescribable emotion of reverence. But in only a moment, the awe inspired by his presence quickly subsided, reced by a chill that spread through the space. Everyone there felt it. The Demon King of Incarceration had arrived. Most spectators did not understand how the Demon King of Incarceration had managed to appear here. However, the Demon King of Incarceration was undoubtedly here, standing in his true form. All of the knights of the ck Mist kneeled in their ces, and even Gavid lowered his body. However, Noir did not descend from the sky. She remained aloft while looking down at the Demon King of Incarceration in the stands. To look down upon a Demon King, upon the Emperor of Helmuth, was an immense disrespect, but the Demon King of Incarceration did not rebuke Noir. In fact, he did not even nce her way. "Light," the Demon King of Incarceration began. He spoke from the lowest part of the stands while taking a step forward. The chains draped over his shoulders clinked with each movement. "Have you encountered the Light?" he asked. Everyone turned in astonishment to look at Eugene, who met the Demon King¡¯s gaze without response. His eyes shimmered a brilliant golden while emitting a radiant light. The Demon King of Incarceration felt a profound divinity in the depths of Eugene¡¯s eyes. At the same time, he saw the light that originated from the acknowledgment and embracing of one¡¯s own existence. "This ce," Eugene started, his head tilted slightly as he eyed the Demon King intently. "Is neither a venue for dialogue between you and me nor a ce for me to be tested by you." His voice was steady, and a thin smile appeared on the lips of the Demon King of Incarceration upon hearing Eugene¡¯s reply. Eugene continued while staring down that smile. "Today''s main actors are not you and me.¡± He pointed his finger at Gavid, who was standing in the opposite stand. "Gavid Lindman. Today, this ce is set for our duel,¡± Eugene dered. "Ha," the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled briefly, hisughter causing the world to tremble. "So it is. I was too hasty, Eugene Lionheart. You are right. Today is not... our stage." The Demon King of Incarceration nodded slowly. "de of Incarceration.¡± A whisper followed, "My knight." "Yes." Suddenly, Gavid was by the Demon King¡¯s side. He slowly knelt on one knee, keeping his head bowed toward the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King turned to look at Gavid. Gavid drew Glory from his waist and held it respectfully with both hands. The Demon King took Glory in his hands. "Gavid Lindman,¡± he called out. "Yes,¡± answered Gavid. "I desire victory in this duel,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration continued. He ced Glory on Gavid¡¯s shoulder as if he were assigning Gavid to be the de of Incarceration for the first time. "This duel is not a defiance against me. If you are concerned about it going against my wish and my promise, you need not worry,¡± said the Demon King. "Yes," Gavid responded. "I will deliver victory." With the investitureplete, Gavid raised both hands. Glory was returned to his grasp, and he slowly stood up. With a tter, the cape of chains lifted. The Demon King of Incarceration seated himself on the throne of chains, which was his usual perch. "This is a splendid ce," the Demon King of Incarceration remarked as he surveyed the arena. "This ce and today''s duel will be a myth." The ground shook violently. Kooong! Suddenly, chains surged from the center of the arena. They undted before settling back to the ground and sprawling widely to separate the stands from the dueling floor. The circr arena was now encircled by interlocking chains that seemed to dissolve into the space itself. "Thank you for your grace," Gavid said as he re-sheathed Glory at his waist and bowed deeply, acknowledging the authority bestowed directly by the Demon King of Incarceration. Now, no matter the destruction that urred within the spacious arena or the magnitude of forces shing, the spectators would not suffer any overspill of damage. "Have Sienna and Carmen not arrived yet?" Eugene asked nonchntly, seemingly indifferent to the knightly investiture and the disy of power by the Demon King of Incarceration. "No, they have not returned yet." "Huh. It¡¯s been a year already. I would have expected them to be back by now,¡± Eugene grumbled and strode down the steps of the stands with a rxed gait, then leaped from the lower balustrade. "Come down now,¡± said Eugene, flicking his finger towards Gavid. Gavid chuckled and descended the stairs. ''Victory.'' This duel was not a rebellion against the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration desired a victory in the duel. That desire released thest chain that had bound Gavid. Chapter 532: The Duel (2)

Chapter 532: The Duel (2)

The expansive circr arena seemed many timesrger than the coliseum Eugene had seen in Shimuin. Eugene and Gavid faced each other at opposite ends of this vast dueling ground. The two intuitively understood what the past year had meant for each of them, even without exchanging questions or attacks. The year might have seemed short to others, but it was a rich and lengthy period for them. Gavid, in particr, couldn¡¯t help but be astounded by Eugene''s growth. "Indeed." Gavid nodded with a satisfied smile. "Hamel, I am fortunate to be dueling with you today." There was no deceit in his words. Gavid was confident he could have killed Hamel a year ago at the Alcarte Cathedral during their meeting. But he had not wanted that. What Gavid desired was a fierce duel where both of them could sh with their full might, which was why he opened the gates of chains as Hamel wanted and gave him a year''s time. Yet, Gavid couldn¡¯t shake off a certain thought: No matter what training Hamel undertook, it couldn¡¯t be more valuable than the year Gavid would spend, for Gavid had the chain bestowed to him by the Demon King of Incarceration and the barren wastnd he was led through was a ce out of sync with real-time. If he trained diligently, he could very well utilize more than a hundred years¡¯ worth of time in just one year. It wasn¡¯t just about having more time to spend either. The greatest value wasn¡¯t found in the extended time in the corpse-strewn barren wastnd. Instead, there was great value in having the opportunity to battle endlessly with the ancient God of War, Agaroth. That was the true worth of the chains. "I wanted a fierce duel where both of us exerted our full strengths. I wanted a duel where it wouldn¡¯t be strange for either of us to win or lose,¡± Gavid stated. He had spent an immeasurably long time in the barren wastnd and experienced countless deaths. He was whittled down repeatedly. What was worn down was reinforced by his desires, and he advanced as much as he longed without sitting back or retreating. "But at one point, I feared this duel might end too easily... and end up feeling anticlimactic,¡± continued Gavid. He was first struck with such a thought when he managed to shatter Agaroth¡¯s de for the first time with Glory and drew blood from the War God. "But it looks like I didn¡¯t have to worry," Gavid muttered with a wry smile. He shrugged off his cloak. He wore no armor. After all, no armor or shield in the world could block Eugene¡¯s relentless attacks. As such, instead of armor, he donned the uniform of Helmuth. Gavid lightly flicked the epaulets on his shoulders, then began unbuttoning the top of his shirt, which wasden with medals that proved his military exploits as the de of Incarceration and a duke. "There¡¯s so many of them. Aren¡¯t they heavy?" Eugene teased. He was draped in the Cloak of Darkness. "Medals are symbols of honor. It is only natural for them to be heavy," Gavid replied, slipping the jacket off and stowing it inside the door of chains. "These medals are from my time as the de of Incarceration and as a Duke of Helmuth. Now, their weight is just a hindrance." Gavid unbuttoned a few more buttons on his crisp shirt and rolled the sleeves to his forearms. Eugene chuckled at the sight. Gavid¡¯s pants were sharply creased as if sliced by a de. His shoes shone subtly, untouched by a speck of dust. His hair was neatlybed back. In stark contrast to Gavid, Eugene''s hair was unkempt and shaggy, and although his clothes did not stink, they were tattered and frayed from a year of rigorous trials ¡ª a far cry from the attire one might expect for a duel under the continent''s watchful eye. Yet, Gavid did not mock Eugene. Instead, he observed Eugene with a calm and serious demeanor that was mixed with curiosity and enjoyment. ¡®How curious,¡¯ he thought. The arena was vast. The distance between Eugene and Gavid, standing at opposite ends, was considerable. Gavid was the first to move. He advanced step by step while staying conscious of Glory in his hand. ¡®This is not the barren wastnd,¡¯ Gavid thought. They were in Raguyaran, a ce beyond Lehainjar. ¡®And the one that stands before me is not Agaroth.¡¯ Yet, for some reason, Gavid felt as if he was walking through the barren wastnd he was familiar with. He experienced the same oppressive feeling he had when he first saw Agaroth. The metallic scent of weapons and the stench of blood from corpses filled his senses. The oppression was tangible enough to prickle his skin. As the distance between them closed, Gavid increasingly felt the enormity of the present Hamel, of Eugene Lionheart''s strength, and how much further he had gone beyond his human limits. This realization gave Gavid a specific gut feeling. "Is that so?" he said in response to his intuition. Gavid''s smile deepened. "So you were Agaroth,¡± he whispered. Eugene did not reply. Crack. Eugene''s fingers snapped as he slowly moved his right hand into the Cloak of Darkness. This scene was visible to everyone in the stands. Although the ck Mist knew little about what he was doing, those who had once stood on the same battlefield as Eugene knew exactly what his actions represented. The shaggy cloak had once belonged to Melkith El-Hayah, but it had now be a symbol of Eugene. Hidden within this cloak were weapons that could be considered the very history of the Lionheart family. He had the Holy Sword, Altair, which was forged by the God of Light, the ominous Moonlight Sword, as well as various spoils from ying the Demon Kings. ¡®What is your first move?¡¯ Gavid wondered as he narrowed his gaze while continuing his unhurried approach. There were no referees in this duel. The moment they faced each other after descending from the stands, the duel had already begun. The time for formal greetings and dialogues was over. Gavid directed his focus to Glory, and without hesitation, the Demoneye of Divine Glory emitted a brilliant light. In an instant, hundreds of possibilities shed through Gavid''s mind ¡ª every weapon Eugene could possibly wield and every type of attack that mightmence, with counter strategies for each of these. Naturally, the possibilities Gavid considered included strategies against the Holy Sword, the Moonlight Sword, and even Agaroth''s sword. Gavid took another step, Eugene''s hand emerged from the cloak, the weapon still partially unsheathed. The Demoneye of Divine Glory captured the weapon Eugene had chosen before it was fully drawn. Gavid was momentarily shocked. It was a sword Gavid had never seen before ¡ª with a de as clear as ss. It resembled the Holy Sword he had seen a year ago, but the light fluttering inside the de was utterly different from that of the Holy Sword. "Huh?" Gavid couldn''t help but exim. He could perceive a powerful force from the mysterious sword using the Demoneye of Divine Glory. The weapon was an amalgamation of all the lights Eugene had mastered, including the radiance of the Holy Sword Altair and the ominous light of the Moonlight Sword. This ss-like de epassed all the lights Eugene had dominated. It wasn''t just that. The power contained in the relics of dead Demon Kings, including the powers of the Annihtion Hammer Jigth and the Demon Spear Luentos, were also contained within Eugene¡¯s weapon. It was as if the hammer and spear had been melted down and reforged anew. But how could such inherently opposed forces be fused into a single sword? "What is that sword?" Gavid had to ask. It was simply iprehensible. Eugene answered whileying the de, which appeared as fragile and clear as ss, sideways. "The Holy Moonlight Sword." Whoosh! Eugene was engulfed in the ze of the White me Form. Simultaneously, the ssy de emitted moonlight and radiance. The moment the intermingling lights were enveloped by the white mes ¡ª Crackle! ¡ª the ss de was wrapped in dark crimson mes. "Levantein," Eugene said the name aloud. He had shattered the Moonlight Sword. He had shattered the Holy Sword. He had shattered the Demon Spear. He had shattered the Annihtion Hammer. All that was left from the destruction, he melted in the Light. The light itself took up the hammer and forged the remnants of the weapons into a single sword. The Holy Moonlight Sword, Levantein. This sword was a gift from an old friend to Eugene, and it was the manifestation of a miracle. Eugene exhaled lightly while tuning the mes of Levantein. ¡®As expected,¡¯ Eugene thought. His hand, his soul, his very being trembled. The de, once transparent and beautiful, was now entwined with savage mes. This sword was definitely something irregr. It had to be. Simply wielding the Holy Sword, the Moonlight Sword, the Demon Spear, and the Annihtion Hammer simultaneously was overwhelming enough. But the power that acted as Levantein¡¯s center magnified the already daunting force several fold. Crack, crack, crackle.... The mes intensified continuously, shaking the entire arena as the mes red. The Demon King of Incarceration eximed quietly while seated on his throne of chains. He realized just how incredibly preposterous Levantein was and clearly saw through the essence of this sword. "Is that so?" Saying so, the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled while lifting a finger. Though invisible to others, the Demon King''s eyes clearly saw how the chains were stretched to their limits in dividing the arena and the stands. If nothing were done, the chains would undoubtedly snap. "That sword could reach even me and Destruction," the Demon King muttered. Whip! Once again, chains shot out from beneath the feet of the Demon King of Incarceration, stabilizing the tremors of the arena. After reinforcing the chains, the Demon King rested his chin on the back of his hand and pondered. He pondered about Light. He pondered about all the gods who died to illuminate what came after destruction. He pondered about the greatest god who acted as the foundation, the one who supported everything in the center. "This time, for sure,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration murmured as he closed his eyes once. Gavid opened his eyes. He was momentarily overwhelmed by the dazzling, ferocious mes and was awed. At the same time, he was certain. Agaroth''s sword was also melted within Eugene¡¯s de. Gavid chuckled unwittingly as his body swayed forward. The Demoneye of Divine Glory was illuminated with a burst of light. The vast arena between them seemed to vanish in an instant. He swung Glory towards Eugene, with its de wrapped in dark power. His movements were too fast for the naked eye. Eugene didn¡¯t bother trying to track it visually. Levantein was already in motion before Gavid started his attack. Their swords shed. It felt as if Glory was being sucked into the mes of Levantein. Crash! The colliding lights shattered spectacrly. Despite the tremendous forces at y, neither Eugene nor Gavid staggered. Eugene attempted to swing Levantein again, but the sword didn¡¯t move as he intended. Creak.... Chains had sprung from the space around and gripped the de of Levantein. This was the power of the Demoneye of Divine Glory. It allowed the wielder to freely manipte the powers of Incarceration, and it had restrained Levantein. That brief moment was like an eternity for Gavid. The demonic sword struck down at Eugene. Eugene couldn¡¯t react even if he wanted to. He could either drop his sword or.... Gavid was surprised to feel an uncanny dissonance just as his sword was about to impale Eugene. The de should have pierced into flesh, but it still hadn¡¯t reached Eugene. It felt like his sword was being blocked by something. No, not quite. It wasn¡¯t a blockage. Time had slowed down. "You should watch where you step in,¡± Eugene whispered. As soon as these words reached him, Gavid¡¯s gaze dropped. To the untrained eye, there was nothing but the gray earth below. However, Gavid saw something different. Eugene¡¯s feet that were entwined in ck mes and the ground were wholly interconnected in space. ¡°This is my sanctuary.¡± A god could not be harmed in his sanctuary. Thus, Gavid¡¯s sword could not reach Eugene. Whoosh! The mes intensified and snapped the chains. The chains, which were imbued with the powers of Incarceration, melted away in the mes of Levantein. Eugene grasped Levantein with both hands, and Gavid quickly retracted Glory towards himself. Crash! Gavid was flung backward. His hands felt stiff. His lips involuntarily curled into a smile. A sanctuary. Though a foreign concept to Gavid, he instinctively understood the transcendent power and divine authority radiating from Eugene. ¡®It didn¡¯t cut,¡¯ Eugene mused. He watched as Gavid regained hisposure at a distance. Eugene was no longer constrained by the number of times he could strike with the Divine Sword. Levantein itself had be his Divine Sword. ¡®It¡¯s even stronger than Agaroth¡¯s Divine Sword,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. Levantein had been smelted by melting Agaroth¡¯s Divine Sword. Yet, it had not bisected Glory and Gavid in one strike. That could only mean one thing. ¡®How strong has that bastard gotten?¡¯ Eugene wondered. Eugene dialed down Levantein¡¯s firepower. This damned sword couldn¡¯t be fully controlled in its current state. Levantein was an irregr weapon, and to wield it properly required a significant level of readiness. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene called out while standing firmly at the center of the sanctuary. ¡°Just one question.¡± Gavid raised his eyebrows while opening and closing his stiff hand. ¡°What is it?¡± he questioned. ¡°You.¡± Eugene stared intently into Gavid¡¯s eyes and questioned, ¡°Did you lose an eye along the way?¡± Chapter 533: The Duel (3) Gavid possessed the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Both of his eyes operated as the Demoneye of Divine Glory. However, strangely enough, his left eye, which should have been functional as well, didn¡¯t seem to be exerting its power. At first, Eugene thought he was mistaken. It was rather inconceivable to him that only one of Gavid¡¯s eyes was functioning as the Demoneye of Divine Glory. But he wasn¡¯t mistaken. Eugene¡¯s gaze had never strayed from Gavid¡¯s eyes during their exchanges. He was now certain. Gavid¡¯s left eye did not harbor the Demoneye of Divine Glory ¡ª it was just an ordinary eye. Seeing Eugene¡¯s scrutinizing look, Gavid took the initiative to exin, "Theck of it isn''t a penalty. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m not using it to insult you. Rather, I simply had to prepare for whatever came next." "What came next?" Eugene echoed his words. "If, by chance," Gavid said as a bitter smile spread across his lips, "if I were to lose to you, Hamel ¡ª it''s a contingency for that." Eugene decided not to respond to Gavid¡¯sment. ¡°A demoneye can be used in various ways,¡± Gavid continued.Gavid¡¯s right eye, the Demoneye of Divine Glory, emitted a chilling light. "As you know, this eye contains the power bestowed by my lord, His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration. Whether I use both eyes or just one, that fact remains unchanged." Eugene was well aware of this. It was the same with Ciel. Despite having only one of her eyes imbued with a demoneye, she could manage the power of darkness and immobility just fine. However, a demoneye wasn¡¯t something that could conveniently be plucked out and transferred to another at will. It wasn¡¯t that easy or convenient. A demoneye embedded itself in an entity but not in the flesh. Even if one were to gouge out an eye, the Demoneye of Divine Glory would not perish. Yet now, Gavid''s left eyecked the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Eugene finally said, "From the sounds of it, you''ve passed it on to someone else. Who is it? Has someone already been designated as the next de of Incarceration in my absence?" "I guess there¡¯s no need to hide it,¡± Gavid said with a chuckle. "I haven''t designated any sessor. His Majesty the Demon King of Incarceration does not desire such arrangements." Gavid had given a report to the Demon King of Incarceration regarding the uing duel after making his deration to Eugene. He also expressed his wish to transfer the Demoneye of Divine Glory. He thought if it were refused, then so be it ¡ª he wouldn''t hold any regrets. After all, the Demoneye of Divine Glory was a gift from the Demon King to his de. But the Demon King of Incarceration did not refuse Gavid''s request. He did not even show displeasure. Instead, he epted Gavid¡¯s request with a joyfulugh. After receiving permission, Gavid then headed to Giabe City. "The Queen of the Night Demons," Gavid whispered in response, confirming Eugene''s worst fears. Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. Eugene flinched and lifted his head. He could see Noir recliningfortably in midair through the now transparent wall of chains. When he first arrived here, Eugene inevitably had to keep an eye on both Gavid and Noir. The duo were the greatest obstacles he needed to ovee before ascending Babel. Fortunately, the stage was set with Gavid today, and Eugene did not entertain the thought of defeat. He only thought about what woulde after winning the duel. If he were to kill Gavid today, the only hurdle left before climbing Babel would be Noir Giabe. He had observed Noir carefully and felt absolutely nothing from her, which sent chills down his spine. He could not feel any power or authority emanating from Noir Giabe. Had Gavid not informed him, Eugene would have never known that Noir had inherited the Demoneye of Divine Glory. "I was going to surprise you with thatter," Noir said, giggling as she swung her legs in the air. Herughter was yful, but Eugene sensed a sinister undertone in her smile. Eugene came to a stark, profound realization: Noir Giabe, the Queen of Night Demons, was born a Night Demon. However, she had far transcended her race. Did that mean she was now a Demon King? ''No,'' Eugene realized. She wasn¡¯t a Demon King. No, she was something else entirely. Eugene clicked his tongue in annoyance and looked down, ring at Gavid. It was too early to prepare for Noir''s death. What Eugene needed to do now was to win the duel against Gavid Lindman. He needed to kill him outright. "You really thought you''d divide the Demoneye of Divine Glory. You dukes always came up with bizarre ways to screw me over. You''ll regret not having both eyes before you die today, and you¡¯llment not being at full strength in your final moments,¡± Eugene proimed. "The power difference is negligible," Gavid retorted. As if to prove his words, the light from the Demoneye of Divine Glory intensified. Creak, creak, creak. Although the chains were still invisible to the naked eye, the sound of metal echoed around Gavid. "As I said, a demoneye is all about how you use it," said Gavid. He absolutely did not regret passing one Demoneye of Divine Glory to Noir. He didn''t think it weakened him at all. The numerous battles in the barren wastnd had strengthened him, and the sword that had cut Agaroth had not been harvested with a pair of the Demoneye of the Divine Glory. So, if he were to lose today, it definitely would not be because he only carried one Demoneye of the Divine Glory. It simply meant that Gavid¡¯s sword could not surpass Eugene¡¯s. ng. Invisible chains suddenly became visible. Chains burst from the void and coiled around Gavid''s left hand while hundreds of chains raised their heads like snakes facing Eugene. That alone altered the nature of the space. Eugene felt a tremendous force pressing on his sanctuary. Kwaaar! Many chains wereunched at him like spears, and Levantein was once again enveloped in mes, and then space ruptured open to a soaring wall of mes. The unique ability of the Demon Spear Luentos, Spear Forest, manifested in an entirely different form. The chains could not prate the wall of mes, nor did they have a need to. The power of Incarceration¡¯s chains was straightforward and intuitive. They ensnared and confined everything they touched, be it mana, magic, divine power, or miracles, stripping control the moment they connected. Gavid was the one pulling the chains. He yanked the chains with his left hand. With a thunderous crash, the wall of mes dissipated. Gavid skillfully twisted his left wrist and whipped the chains around. Eugene stood motionless at the center of the sanctuary. He felt the need to verify how much his current sanctuary could really withstand against the powers of Incarceration. Rumbleee¡­! The arena vibrated ominously. The chains Gavid swung stayed suspended in the open air, quivering violently. Neither touched the other directly, but Eugene and Gavid felt the same thing: this was a mere contest of strength. Neither had a distinct advantage, and such a test of force alone would yield no results. Thus, Gavid advanced. Dark power enveloped his entire body and flowed into the de of Glory. ''He¡¯s testing me,'' Gavid realized. Eugene was testing Gavid¡¯s strength and his sword. Gavid¡¯s lips twisted into a smirk. Indeed, Eugene¡¯s sanctuary was impressive. He had stabbed with the intent to kill, yet the tip of his sword did not reach Eugene. A radius of several meters around Eugene seemed to operate beyond the realm of ordinaryws. Yet, Gavid moved towards the sanctuary. With each step, he tightened the chains wound around his left hand and put more strength into his steps. The dark power swirling around Glory intensified. But it did not run wild. Instead, the power around it quietly condensed into the de. Suddenly, Gavid''s foot pushed hard against the ground. The tightly pulled chains ckened momentarily, and the force flowing through the chains shifted. All forces, except those forming the sanctuary around Eugene, propelled Gavid forward. It was not a charge or a leap but a forceful propulsion. In an instant, all forces were directed towards Eugene. And Eugene felt it then. Gavid was unleashing a single strike, but it did not feel like a sh from a sword. "Huh. Gavid Lindman. You¡¯vee this far?" Eugene asked. Thew of the sanctuary was: The god of the sanctuary couldn¡¯t be harmed within it. Therefore, Gavid Lindman''s sword should not have reached Eugene. That simple and absolutew should have deflected Gavid¡¯s strike, but thew shattered in one blow. Gavid¡¯s sword did not stop there. The demon sword, having reached the realm of god ying, aimed at taking Eugene¡¯s life. Eugene swiftly changed his strategy aftering to the realization. The current form of the sanctuary could not stop the demon sword. If that were the case¡­ ''I¡¯ll change the form of the sanctuary,'' Eugene thought. mes erupted from Eugene¡¯s back. He activated his Signature, Prominence. The moment the dark, explosive wings of light manifested, Eugene¡¯s aura transformed dramatically. His movement underwent a dramatic change. Explosive eleration pushed at Eugene¡¯s back. In an instant, Eugene and Gavid¡¯s positions were reversed. The demon sword was stopped in its tracks. Despite the massive force being redirected midway, there was no imbnce in Gavid¡¯s movement. He swiftly turned around to follow Eugene¡¯s figure. ''Ignition?'' Gavid couldn¡¯t help but be mistaken. But no, Eugene had not reached for his chest. This wasn¡¯t Ignition. Prominence was the Signature Eugene Lionheart had developed with the aid of the Archwizards in Aroth. It was not merely a form of magic ¡ª it was an ability of a different caliber entirely. It involved scattering feathers to mark coordinates for consecutive spatial leaps. It was truly a technique outrageously powerful as a support spell inbat. But for Eugene, the ultimate potential of Prominence was that it could be used as a pseudo-Core to substitute for Ignition. It was a fact Gavid was well aware of from what he had witnessed in the skies of Nahama. "The realm of magic has been transcended indeed," Gavid muttered with a hollowugh. The mes were not justposed of mana. Simrly, the forms making up Prominence were not magic. Prominence had surpassed the domain of magic and reached firmly into the territory of miracles. The dark wings themselves were a testament to Eugene''s divinity. It wasn''t about creating a sanctuary in the world. Prominence itself had be Eugene''s sanctuary. This was not Agaroth''s method. The God of War used his sanctuary like a weapon of war. Agaroth¡¯s troops never tired in the battles he led. Most wounds they suffered were miraculously healed, and they were graced with divine power. However, Agaroth¡¯s sanctuary had shattered far too easily in the face of the Demon King of Destruction. After reflecting on Agaroth¡¯s death, Eugene knew he could not rely solely on Agaroth¡¯s methods. A vast sanctuary would be necessary if a full-scale war against the demons was required, but currently, Eugene needed to focus on the duel. The time woulde to kill Noir Giabe and the Demon King of Incarceration, and he would run into the same situation. Thus, he had transformed Prominence into his sanctuary. Crackle, crackle, crackle. The space around Eugene trembled and fissured as he pushed the limits of his power, and the world struggled under the strain. Gavid did not continue his exmations. He silently raised his sword. Eugene was nowpletely enveloped by his sanctuary. The implications of this inbat were still beyond Gavid¡¯sprehension. In that case, he had no choice but to face Eugene directly. Gavid inhaled deeply before fully unleashing his dark power and prowess. Chains coiled around his body in a tight embrace. Fwoosh¡­. Eugene¡¯s eyes shone brightly within the darkness. Divinity was sparked deep within his brilliant golden irises, and an unprecedented power was mobilized. The symbolic swords of both warriors shed and sliced through space. A single collision resulted in a blinding explosion of light that filled the arena. The Demon King of Incarceration immediately flicked his fingers. Despite the chains being reinforced multiple times, the arena still rumbled under immense force. Blood spurted from both Eugene and Gavid¡¯s arms. Both Kristina and Anise screamed simultaneously. This duel was imposing brutally harsh conditions on Eugene as a human. He could not afford to sustain injuries. A minor wound might be manageable, but a serious one would significantly impede his ability to fight. The sight of Eugene¡¯s right arm proved it. Despite just one sh, his bones had twisted and pierced through the skin. Blood gushed from his muscles, which were ripped and had burst open. With the Saints present, such wounds could be healed instantly, but currently, they could not intervene in the duel. "Ah...!" Kristnina and Anise eximed in surprise. But despite their shock and concern, Eugene''s arm was restored as if it had never been destroyed. Was it supernatural regeneration by divine power? No, it wasn''t that. His arm had been destroyed. It was as if the reality where his arm had been shattered had simply ceased to exist. This was a unique form of immortality, something iprehensible even to the Saints. "Ha-ha-ha!" The Demon King of Incarceration alone understood the nature of Eugene¡¯s immortality. He did not merelyugh either. He pped his knee in admiration. "Hamel, you,¡± Gavid eximed in shock. He had simrly regenerated his broken arm. He did not stop marveling but asked, "Are you truly human?" Even as he posed the question, Gavid did not stop his attacks. Chains of Incarceration materialized from all directions and assaulted Eugene. Eugene''s left hand brushed the de of Levantein and ignited the divine power within more fiercely. The mes burned even brighter. "No," came Eugene¡¯s reply. Crimson mes traced a single line within the exploding radiance. Eugene clenched his left hand into a fist after sweeping over Levantein¡¯s de. Suddenly, darkness absorbed all of its light. "I am a god." Ovepping divine forces formed a small sphere. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to call the sphere a ck sun after it had absorbed all the light. Eclipse erupted. Chapter 534: The Duel (4) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 534: The Duel (4) [Bonus Image]

God. This quiet, shocking deration was not caught by the continent-wide broadcast, obscured as it was by the rampant light and explosions filling the arena. However, Gavid and everyone in the audience felt those words. Eugene¡¯s calm voice carried an arrogant certainty. But no one could deny it. The current Eugene had undoubtedly transcended human limits, and the powers he wielded were fittingly divine. The one who felt this truth the most was the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene¡¯s divinity reminded him of emotions he had long forgotten. Perhaps, just maybe, truly.... This time.... ¡®However,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration pondered while resting his chin on his hand. Eugene Lionheart was a monster born of destiny and potential, and indeed, his divinity was worthy of admiration. However, he did not possess a particr advantage in this duel. Gavid Lindman had cast his lifelong title and position to embrace his purest desires as a demonfolk. He had reached the realm of godying. In the Age of Myth, he would have made his name known as a godyer and perhaps ascended to the most dreadful ranks of the Demon Kings. "I''m not sure,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration murmured with a wry smile. If Eugene or Hamel had achieved such stature three hundred years ago, the Demon King would have opened the gates of Babel without a second thought. But it was not a time of war now. Three hundred years had passed since then. An era that should have ended long ago had persisted for three more centuries. If not for the Oath, if there had not been a slight intrigue, the Demon King of Incarceration would have repeated what had been done at the end of thest eras as well. "It''s not enough,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration muttered bitterly. Perhaps that power would have been enough three hundred years ago. But now, it was insufficient. After all, three hundred years was a long time for everyone. As if to prove it, despite such a massive explosion of power, Gavid Lindman did not retreat. Had it been him three hundred years ago, he would have been obliterated by that force. But Gavid was no longer the same demon as three hundred years ago. If Noir Giabe had transcended her limits as a demon by gathering countless desires, Gavid Lindman transcended his limit through repeated epochs, confining himself and pursuing nothing but the sword. Gavid swung Glory. The explosion of light seemed capable of annihting the entire area, but it was blocked by the tip of Gavid¡¯s sword. He swung it sideways. The line bisected the light. Without a sound, the light was extinguished, and all was voided. Eugene¡¯s eyebrows twitched in annoyance. He had not anticipated his attack would be cleaved in a single strike. "Ha.¡± He let out a shortugh. Indeed, it wouldn''t be easy. Expecting this duel to end simply and swiftly without much difficulty would be an overstep of arrogance. Just as Eugene had finally grasped divinity after a year of various trials, Gavid, too, had experienced the unknown and reached an unfathomable realm. That was why he could stand tall in this ce. "New powers,¡± Gavid murmured. Eugene was utilizing the new strengths he had acquired after themencement of the duel. The Holy Sword and the Moonlight Sword, as well as the Demon King''s weapons, were now reforged into the Holy Moonlight Sword, Levantein. In addition, he was using his sanctuary and Prominence. "Is that all?" Gavid asked. Eugene did not respond immediately but stared at Gavid for a moment. The question did not stir any particr emotion in him; it wasn''t loaded with any other meaning. Yet, on a separate note, Eugene couldn''t help but feel a certain way, a sentiment he wasn''t keen on expressing. He took a deep breath before responding, "I''m sorry." He hadn''t intended to keep his cards hidden. Once again, Eugene lifted his left hand. Whoosh. The embers of Levantein transferred to Eugene''s left hand. ck mes traced a line following his hand. "I still have habits from past battles, and using it right from the start isn''t something I''m used to," Eugene admitted. A smile spread across Gavid''s lips. The implication of his words and actions was clear. Three hundred years ago, Gavid had been overwhelmed and terrified. Hamel had shown him a resolute will to kill without regard for his own soul or life. It wasn¡¯t an exaggeration to say that this technique essentially represented Hamel of Extermination. The burning hand was thrust into Eugene¡¯s left chest. Thump. The loud sound was heard by everyone in the arena. The mes of Levantein resonated with Eugene''s heart as it beat rhythmically. Thump, thump, thump. With each heartbeat, the mes enveloping Eugene slowly settled down into tranquility. What if.... What if he attacked now? That thought crossed Gavid''s mind. If he struck while Eugene was deploying Ignition, wouldn''t Eugene be defenseless? If that were the case, there was no reason not to attack now. ¡®No,¡¯ he decided resolutely with a shake of his head. Not because it seemed dishonorable to attack in such a manner but because he instinctively understood that Eugene¡¯s posture was not as defenseless as it appeared. Ignition had been activated the moment his left hand touched his chest. Eugene wasn¡¯t standing there motionless because Ignition was dyed. If Gavid mistakenly thought there was a gap and approached.... "Ha-ha." Gavid let out a humorlessugh. He should not approach. Gavid felt this instinctively but proceeded anyway. This was what he had longed for over three hundred years. One step. He had only taken one step forward, but that was enough for Gavid¡¯s expression to change. The vast arena explicitly built for this duel suddenly felt small, as if constrictive, as if he were in a tiny cell directly facing Eugene while Eugene seemed so immense. And then another step. Before he could think or act further, instinct moved his body. He swung the demon sword reflexively. Even so, he failed to offset the entirety of the impact. The shock came a beatter than Gavid had anticipated. His body was thrown backward. It felt as though his soul was being ripped from his body, flying off into oblivion without knowing where it might crash. At that moment, Gavid could do nothing but look at Eugene. Eugene had not moved from where he had used Ignition. Only his arm, Levantein in hand, had moved. That alone made the sh terrifyingly heavy. With a tter, chains appeared from thin air and ensnared Gavid. He had already wrapped chains around his body as a precaution, but they had mostly been shattered by the recent assault. ¡°This ce...¡± Eugene¡¯s lips parted as he slowly bent his knees. He kept his intense gaze fixed on Gavid, who was suspended in midair by the chains. ¡°It¡¯s too cramped.¡± With a thunderous roar, Eugene''s foot smashed into the ground. The duel arena cratered with the impact of his foot despite being protected by the power of Incarceration. Eugene leaped forward and reached Gavid in an instant, not allowing him even a moment of respite. Crackle, crackle. Eugene¡¯s right arm swung back, and the mes of Levantein quietly ignited. Crackle! Glory and Levantein shed in midair. They had been evenly matched in their previous sh. But they no longer stood on equal footing. This time around, Gavid was overwhelmingly outmatched. Gavid gritted his teeth as he attempted to hold on, but the chains that held him tightly broke. The dark power enveloping Glory dissipated entirely. ¡®The firepower...¡¯ Gavid thought. It was vastly different from moments ago. Could using Ignition really change it to this extent? The simultaneous activation of Prominence and Ignition was supposed to increase Eugene¡¯s power threefold or fourfold, or so Gavid thought. But the power Eugene was now drawing vastly exceeded Gavid¡¯s estimates. And still, Eugene continued to output even more power. Eugene leaned forward as if he were about to fall. Then, he vanished. Gavid knew where he would appear, but his knowledge proved useless. The moment he reappeared, Eugene delivered a swift strike and pushed Gavid back once again. Earlier, Eugene had fought with rtive restraint. He had barely moved from his spot, and if he moved, it was not with the dynamism now disyed. But it was different now. Eugene had begun to take full control of the battle. It was impossible to follow his speed with the naked eye, and predicting his attacks proved useless. How could one deal with attacks that couldn¡¯t be avoided, even if they could be predicted? All Gavid could do was wrap the chains of Incarceration around his entire body, do his best to hold his ground, focus on defense, and look for an opening. ¡®Oh my.¡¯ After being hit dozens of times, Gavid finally understood. The fact that Eugene had not moved aggressively after unsheathing the me of Levantein wasn¡¯t because he had been reserved. No, instead, it was because the beautiful, monstrous sword was something Eugene dared not wield freely in his normal state. It could only be handled after deploying his sanctuary or wrapping it around his body. Therefore, he needed to use Ignition. Without entering a berserk state, Eugene himself could not handle the power of Levantein. Gavid was right in his thinking. Levantein was a sword forged from all the weapons and powers Eugene possessed. It was a weapon forged to end all Demon Kings and burn the Destruction that threatened the world. The power of this sword was such that not even a god could wield it without risking self-immtion. A fatal resolve was necessary to wield the de. The wielder needed the pure desire to kill the opponent, a desire even greater than the fear of their own death. ¡®Not yet,¡¯ Eugene told himself. His eyes shed. His left hand still clutched at his chest, gripping his heart. ¡°It¡¯s still not enough,¡± Eugene dered. Whoosh. Blood-red mes transferred from his heart to his fingers as he lightly brushed the de of Levantein. His murderous intent and divine power ignited a light that embedded itself in the de, making Levantein tremble. Thump. The de of ss pulsed. A new me wasyered over the existing fire. The mes ovepped. ¡®Empty Sword.'' It felt as if Gavid was beingpletely crushed. His thoughts were sporadic and fractured, yet within that turmoil, Gavid came to an answer. The Empty Sword, the secret technique of the Dragonic n, involved stacking sword-force to create oveppingyers. The principle in Eugene¡¯s current technique was the same as the original. However, what Eugene was now ovepping with was not sword-force but Divine Fire. Eugene¡¯s sword had been formidable enough to block Gavid¡¯s attacks before, but now, it was even more powerful. "It¡¯s not enough," Eugene dered once more. Despite wielding such immense power, Eugene still desired more. The de, aglow with a crimson me, advanced, and as it did, Eugene infused it with yet another power. The power of Jigoth, imbued in Levantein, had the ability to shatter and explode anything in its path. As the me approached Gavid, he intuitively knew what was about to unfold. The ck sword would crush all the chains of Incarceration he had focused around him. It would defy the Demoneye of Divine Glory. It would even shatter the de of Glory, which was supposed to be unbreakable. In the presence of Levantein, the chains wrapped around his body for defense would mean nothing. Yet, Gavid thrust his sword forward. There was no other option avable to him. Evading the attack was impossible. The sword¡¯s nature made avoidance futile. Levantein had already decreed Gavid¡¯s fate as one of absolute defeat and death. To flee from the zing red and ck mes would be akin to escaping fate itself. Gavid wasn¡¯t wrong in his prediction. The cruel and violent divine me shattered all chains. The mes continued forward and cleaved through the de of Glory. Yet, Levantein did not stop there. The me pushed forward as much as Eugene desired and reached Gavid. Crack, crackle. Dark power sparked between the de and Gavid. For a moment, Gavid¡¯s wide eyes and Eugene¡¯s eyes locked. Eugene withdrew his gaze. Levantein shed through Gavid¡¯s body. With a whoosh, the soaring mes reached the chains that covered the dome of the arena and dispersed. Gavid¡¯s knees hit the ground. His head drooped. Eugene stood there for a moment as he gazed down at the kneeling demon. ¡°Ugh...¡± groaned Gavid. The duel was not long. Itsted less than ten minutes. Yet, during those ten minutes, surprisingly, Melkith did not speak even once. She couldn¡¯t. The duel between Eugene Lionheart and Gavid Lindman was majestic enough topletely silence the chatterbox Melkith. "It¡¯s over." Melkith finally managed to speak. She jumped up from her seat and looked down at the arena. Honestly, she initially thought Eugene might lose. Gavid had parried Eugene¡¯s attacks too easily and calmly. But after Eugene activated Ignition, his victory was assured. Everyone present, including Melkith, knew well how Eugene fought. Eugene would not use Ignition unless he was certain of victory. ¡°It¡¯s over!¡± Melkith eximed excitedly while jumping up and down from her seat. Melkith had contracts with three Spirit Kings, and she could vaguely sense how destructive the power loaded within Eugene¡¯s sword was. No matter how strong Gavid Lindman was imed to be, Eugene¡¯s sword left no room for any counteraction. A sword that kills upon contact ¡ª how could one possibly stop it? "It''s over! Eugene won! Long live the Brilliant Eugene Lionheart!" Melkith cheered while raising her hands high. The other spectators were unlike Melkith. They were not without their dignity. Thus, they did not jump or cheer wildly. However, their feelings were not much different from Melkith¡¯s. They were overwhelmed by Eugene and Gavid. In particr, they could clearly feel a divine might radiating from Eugene. It felt natural that he had only taken a few strikes. Each blow carried the potential to shatter the world, and there was no reason to strike hundreds or thousands of times. "Hurrah!" Only Melkith continued to shout with her arms raised high in the silence. As she continued shouting, the audience, too, began to realize something. Gavid didn¡¯t get up after falling to the ground. He was a demon with the ability to resurrect from being decapitated, having his heart crushed, and reduced to ashes. However, it appeared as if he could not revive from Eugene¡¯s strike. This meant one thing. Just as noisily as Melkith was proiming, Eugene had indeed won the duel. A murmur spread through the spectating crowd. The eyes of the ck Mist quivered. They, too, were overwhelmed by Eugene''s divine might. But even in their overwhelmed state, they had believed in Gavid¡¯s power, in the power of the de of Incarceration. They could not ept the defeat of their revered duke. Was the battle fierce? Was it intense? Had it been a sh where everything was put on the line such that it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for either side to fall? No. It was Eugene who dominated. From the moment Eugene used Ignition, Gavid''s sword never once brought Eugene close to crisis. The ck Mist could hardly ept this truth. They looked bewilderedly towards the Demon King of Incarceration. He was still sitting on the throne of chains, with his chin propped on the back of his hand. He seemed unfazed by Gavid''s defeat and death despite spending hundreds of years together. Had he anticipated the oue from the beginning? Had he felt no expectation because he sensed Gavid¡¯s defeat? No. The thoughts of the Demon King of Incarceration remained unchanged. He had never sensed Gavid¡¯s defeat and death. The Demon King of Incarceration still could not discern the oue of this duel. He hadn¡¯t expressed his ignorance towards the oue of the duel in vain. "Gavid Lindman." The lips of the Demon King of Incarceration parted. Eugene was still looking down at Gavid. He neither turned away in assured victory nor struck with Levantein again topletely eliminate Gavid. He couldn¡¯t. Eugene was feeling a strange and ominous stickiness. "...Not yet," Gavid muttered, his head still bowed. "It''s not over yet." Then, Gavid staggered to his feet. Chapter 535: The Duel (5) Gavid looked down at his right hand. He could see Glory. The de was never supposed to shatter. But now, ity in pieces, yet the hilt he gripped remained intact. That was all that was left. It could no longer be called a sword, nor could it serve as one. "Fascinating,¡± Gavid murmured in a hoarse voice. He felt his body with his unupied hand. His once spotless white shirt was now in tatters. His crisply creased trousers were frayed, and his polished shoes were no better. He ran a hand through his hair. Even his neatly pomade hair,bed back with care, was a mess. He had never imagined he would show himself to the world in such a disheveled and unseemly state. Gavid chuckled softly while closing his eyes for a moment. He murmured, "Is that so?" Gavid Lindman was under a profound misconception. He harbored a fundamental contradiction. He had wandered the barren wastnd for a year. He had faced countless deaths at the hands of War God Agaroth. Despite using the Demoneye of Divine Glory and wielding Glory, defeat had always been an unalterable oue. Was it because the Demoneye of Divine Glory and Glory were weak?No. They were merely tools that allowed him to borrow the power of Incarceration. No matter how unique or superior the tool, if handled poorly, it could only produce resultsparable to the expertise of the handler. He needed to reflect on himself before relying on the tools. The Demoneye of Divine Glory and Glory were, in the end, the possessions of the Demon King of Incarceration. He could not surpass the sword of Agaroth with them alone. He could not win the duel with Eugene Lionheart. "I should have realized this already,¡± muttered Gavid. He had relinquished the title of Grand Duke of Helmuth. He had also abandoned the name ¡°the de of Incarceration.¡± He had desired to let go of things and had thus beseeched the Demon King of Incarceration for a duel with Hamel. It was a contradiction. The one who actually stood in the arena for today''s duel was not Gavid Lindman but the de of Incarceration. Gavid chuckled as he looked at the broken form of Glory, the demonic sword that had apanied him for so long. For Gavid, it served as proof of his role as the de of Incarceration, along with the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Gavid called out, "Just a moment." He raised his eyes to look at Eugene, who stood still with a stern expression as he stared back. "A moment is enough," Gavid continued. Then, without waiting for a response, Gavid thrust the hilt of Glory into his right eye socket. Eugene¡¯s cheek twitched at Gavid¡¯s sudden action, and the entire audience gasped in shock. The ck Mist was no different. They couldn''t understand why Gavid would perform such an act. "Ha-ha ha-ha." Only the Demon King of Incarceration understood the meaning behind Gavid¡¯s action. "Are you finally letting go?" he said, sounding happy. Before the duel had started, the Demon King of Incarceration had taken back Glory from Gavid. Then, he had knighted Gavid once more and bestowed Glory upon him again. Gavid had the choice of whether to ept this bestowal. It had been a test and an opportunity given to Gavid by the Demon King of Incarceration. However, Gavid did not refuse. Despite having realized long ago, at the outset of the duel, he could not shake off his contradictions. He had cherished the name de of Incarceration more than anything. That name had represented him for so long that it was already deeply ingrained in him and bound him like chains. ¡ªI desire victory in this duel. When the Demon King of Incarceration spoke thus, Gavid epted the knighting with gratitude. ¡ªThis duel is not a defiance against me. It is my wish, my promise. If you are concerned about such things, you need not be. What had Gavid replied? ¡ªI will deliver victory to you. This duel was not a rebellion against the Demon King of Incarceration; the Demon King desired victory. It was wrong. Gavid realized that the victory in this duel should not be dedicated to the Demon King of Incarceration. The victory, the defeat, the glory, the death, everything that resulted from the duel belonged to Gavid and Gavid alone. In this duel, the Demon King of Incarceration should not be, and could not be, Gavid''s lord. The moment Gavid thought otherwise, the purity of his purpose in this duel would be corrupted. That was why Gavid pierced the Demoneye of Divine Glory with the hilt of Glory. He didn''t just physically break the demoneye; Gavid¡¯s will rejected it. He renounced the gracious powers he had enjoyed as the de of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration epted Gavid¡¯s refusal with joy. The hilt of Glory that had been thrust into his right eye turned to ash and disappeared. A new eyeball formed in the now empty socket, just as the Demoneye of Divine Glory had vanished. The power that Gavid had wielded for hundreds of years was gone. Yet Gavid did not feel powerless. Something new filled the void, and he found himself smiling involuntarily at the fullness. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Just as Eugene had apologized, Gavid did the same. He no longer swayed but stood straight as he stared at Eugene. ¡°I thought I had realized it, but it seems I couldn''t let go after all,¡± Gavid murmured as he raised his hand. Whoosh! The dark power he used wasn¡¯t of the Demon King of Incarceration but of Gavid himself. It transformed into a long sword, and Gavid grabbed the hilt of the newly formed sword. "Huh." Eugene let out a small sound of exmation at Gavid¡¯s appearance. Before him stood a demon, Gavid Lindman, the same demon he had seen three hundred years ago. Yet strangely, Eugene found the current Gavid unfamiliar, as if he was looking at an entirely different being. "Are you truly a demon?" Eugene asked, mirroring the question Gavid had once posed about him being human. Gavid chuckled briefly and raised the sword before him. "I''m not sure," Gavid replied in an even tone. He wasn''t certain, but he could faintly sense it. To abandon, to seek, to fill, and to realize ¡ª this profound realization was not exclusive to demons. It was an enlightenment reached through an immeasurably long pursuit across the brink of death. Anyone sufficiently dedicated and considered a genius would naturally arrive at this state. If not, the failure to do so in itself would be a horrendous and illogical anomaly. "Thank you." Gavid sincerely expressed his gratitude. Without the fear and sense of inferiority he felt towards Hamel, the Gavid of today would not exist. If today''s Eugene had not pushed him to this extent, he might never have recognized his contradictions. Eugene did not respond to the offered gratitude but lifted Levantein instead. The subdued me reignited. Gavid''s transformation could well be described as a metamorphosis. The realm he had reached, the heights he had ascended through his trials ¡ª Eugene felt pure respect for Gavid. He was indeed a man worthy of reverence. Yet, what Eugene needed to do today remained unchanged. Whoosh. Eugene clenched his left hand over his heart. As Gavid had gone through metamorphosis, so had Eugene in ascending to divinity. He had enough time remaining of Ignition that he didn¡¯t need to worry. But was that really true? Could he kill Gavid within the time he had left? When he first used Ignition, he was confident he could. But now, that certainty had faded. It was as if they were starting from the beginning all over again. ''We''ll have to see,'' thought Eugene. Eugene moved first, closing the distance in an instant and swinging Levantein. His dash was fast, but the sh of me was even faster, already reaching Gavid in a moment. But speed was not Eugene''s alone tomand. The moment Eugene thought to dash and cut, Gavid had already started moving in response. His right eye no longer housed the Demoneye of Divine Glory, yet Gavid felt a special power within it, as if, as if¡­. It felt as if he could see the future. The mes spread in the air. They touched him. Or had they? At the moment of contact, he sidestepped. With a fluid motion, Gavid perfectly exemplified sticity. His movements were supple, and Levantein''s me passed over his sword withoutnding. Eugene was not perturbed. If he could not overwhelm Gavid with sheer firepower, he would use a mix of different tactics. Once more, Eugene drew Divine Power from the cosmos within his chest into Levantein. Along with a throbbing resonance, the Empty Sword wasplete. ''Seeing the future¡­. No, that''s not it,'' Gavid realized. Gavid stepped back. He wasn¡¯t actually seeing the future. Rather, he was making predictions born of countless experiences, honed to a finer edge. But that was enough. Gavid felt the immense power imbued in the Empty Sword and epted that he could not face it head-on. Then he wouldn¡¯t insist on a frontal assault. Gavid grasped his sword with both hands. The horizontally aligned de gleamed ominously. A concentrated burst of me plummeted towards Gavid. The weight and force of the Empty Sword seemed capable of cleaving the world in two. Gavid could see the path of the sword. It was a chaotic flow of power, but a road was clearly outlined for him. Gavid didn''t contemte whether he could do it; he simply believed he could. The demonic sword plunged through the mes, dispersing them like a gust of wind. The Empty Sword was thwarted, and the pristine de of Levantein was exposed clearly in front of Gavid. Their des met. Neither Gavid nor Eugene pushed to the end. Having anticipated Gavid¡¯s attack just as Gavid had his, Eugene knew precisely where and how to strike in the extremity ofbat. To press directly would only result in being cut himself. So, he withdrew, then thrust again. The two des surged forward. Gavid took another skillful step back, then deflected Eugene¡¯s counterattack. One must not focus solely on the sword. Gavid noticed that Eugene¡¯s left hand was forming a dark sphere. Eclipse. Though Gavid had thwarted it once, it still presented an ominous power, a great enough threat to warrant extreme caution. ¡®This is insane,¡¯ Gavid thought. His movements changed. He leaped back as far as he could to maximize the distance from Eugene. As if he had expected this, Eugene detonated the Eclipse midway. Boom! What exploded was not a me of divine power but ghastly moonlight ¡ª the small sphere was not a sun but a moon. ''He regenerated the Moonlight Sword?'' Gavid thought, shocked. Strictly speaking, it wasn¡¯t a sword, but the exploding shards of moonlight were as sharp as hundreds or thousands of des. The ideal way to evade the attack would be to distance himself to where the moonlight couldn¡¯t reach, but that was impossible right now. No matter how vast the arena was, it was still like a cage bound by the chains of Incarceration. ''The power he wields is terrifying, yet the attack itself is simplistic...'' Gavid inferred. As if mocking his thoughts, the form of the moonlight changed. The simple frontal assault halted abruptly, and a crimson current started flowing through the gray moonlight. Fizz! The moonlight transformed into a truly colossal sword. It was a sword made solely of moonlight, without a hilt, which Eugene wielded without physically holding it. Rumblee! The space around it could not withstand the immense force and warped and shattered. Eugene created the Empty Sword using purely the Moonlight Sword, whilst using the explosion of Eclipse to maximize its force. The sword was endowed with the miracles of absolutely meeting its target and killing it, just like the Divine Sword. It was toote to thwart it. It was toorge. It was impossible to cut through it all. Thus, Gavid chose to scrape it as much as possible. Among the myriad possibilities that shed through his mind, Gavid chose the one he felt was definitive. His demonic sword glowed with a dark light. Crack! The demonic sword scraped the surface of the Moonlight Sword. That alone caused his arms to shatter and his organs to burst. Yet, to Gavid, pain and death were all too familiar. He did not even flinch. He simply sliced the surface of the Moonlight Sword as he advanced. The sky split open! But Gavid''s body did not. Finally, he reached inside of the Moonlight Sword¡¯s shing range. sh! The demonic sword cut forward. Blood spurted from the center of Eugene¡¯s chest. Though Gavid aimed to bisect, the sh was shallow. Eugene advanced while ignoring the wound. sh! This time, Levantein cut through Gavid¡¯s body. Eugene, too, was unable to bisect Gavid¡¯s bodypletely. Their wounds regenerated in different ways. Levantein reignited its mes, and the demonic sword quietly emitted its dark light. The two swords engaged in a flurry of blows. Eugene never once blinked while embedding countless shes in a single swing. It felt as if he was daring Gavid to try and predict his attacks. Gavid¡¯s eyes moved rapidly as they tried to follow the trajectory of Eugene¡¯s sword. Which was real and which was fake among the oing shes? He wanted to discern them, but the task proved meaningless. Every de was true. Each sh carried definite lethal intent and power as they bore down on Gavid. "Aaaah!" Gavid screamed as he swung his demonic sword. The vast expanse of time he spent in the barren wastnd was encapsted in his de, making the demonic sword transcend worldly understanding. In contrast to Eugene''s myriad cuts, the demonic sword moved only a few times, but each strike it unleashed was undoubtedly the epitome of what a sword should be. Each attack contained the absolute truth about the sword. He cut through everything. Startled, Eugene stepped back. The attack surpassed mortalprehension and left only the truth of being cut. Blood spurted from Eugene''s entire body. ¡°Ahh!¡± The scant audience screamed at Eugene¡¯s injury. Molon did not scream. He clenched his fist while watching the duel from the highest peak of Lehainjar. Despite bleeding profusely, Eugene did not fall. His expression showed no distress either. It was the face of someone who saw such injuries as being natural. "Hamel,¡± Molon spoke up. He couldn¡¯t leave Lehainjar since he did not know when the Nur might appear. Thus, he hadn''t sat in the stands, but Molon¡¯s keen eyes could see every detail of the duel from this distance. "Win." Molon believed in Eugene''s victory. Therefore, he murmured in a steady voice. He wished he could sit in the stands and loudly cheer for Eugene''s victory. Couldn¡¯t he do so from here? The thought crossed Molon¡¯s mind for a moment. He clenched his fist tightly and began to take deep, slow breaths, gathering all his strength to shout for Eugene¡¯s name and victory. "Don''t do it, you idiot," someone said. If it weren¡¯t for the voice that suddenly called out from behind, Molon would have loudly called out Eugene¡¯s name. Cough! Cough. Just as he was about to shout, he was interrupted. Molon gasped in surprise, swallowing the breath he was about to use, which caused him to choke. Each time Molon bent over coughing, the peaks of the mountains trembled. "If you scream, you''ll burst the eardrums of those unprepared," grumbled the voice. It was close enough to be right next to him, yet Molon hadn¡¯t noticed the presence of the speaker until now. He turned around after the fit of coughing stopped. "Si... Sienna?" After being gone for over a year, Sienna and Carmen stood behind Molon. Chapter 536: The Duel (6) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 536: The Duel (6) [Bonus Image]

"Si... Sienna?" Molon''s voice cracked and broke off in a series of coughs following his initial shock. As he stuttered out the name, Sienna furrowed her brow and chided him, "It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never seen me before. Why do you look so surprised to see me?" "How did you...?" Molon began asking but stopped. Molon had heard about Sienna¡¯s recent whereabouts from Anise. Sienna had been in the form of arge, unopened flower bud for a year. It was a transformation meant to help her ascend to a divine realm of magic. She had been under the guidance of the Sage of the Ivory Tower, Vishur Lavi, who could be called the persona of the World Tree. However, these details were trivial to Molon. What mattered to Molon was that Sienna had been an unopened flower bud and would someday bloom in the divine realm of magic. "Oh," Molon uttered as realization dawned on him. The fact that Sienna was here could only mean one thing. Molon''s eyes widened with shock, and his shoulders trembled. Yes, Sienna had finally blossomed and emerged into the world after a year. This meant she had achieved her aspiration of reaching the divine realm of magic. She had undergone a metamorphosis from a human to a higher existence. Molon couldn''t help but feel a thrill deep in his heart. "Sienna!" Molon shouted with his arms wide open. He wanted to embrace her and share this overwhelming emotion and excitement. However, just as he was about to wrap his arms around her, Sienna¡¯s figure seemed to sink into the ground and disappeared. He heard Sienna¡¯s voiceining, "Why are you acting like this? It''s creepy." Suddenly, Sienna was beside him. She pped Molon''s shoulder and rolled her eyes while Molon blinked dumbfoundedly. He could not understand how Sienna had suddenly vanished and reappeared. "Good grief," Sienna said, ncing at Molon, who was blinking in confusion. She then crossed her arms and turned her gaze toward the dueling ground. "He¡¯s fighting like an idiot once again. I wonder if he¡¯ll ever learn the lesson without dying once more,¡± Sienna grumbled while shaking her head in annoyance. If it weren¡¯t a duel, she would have joined in immediately. But for now, she put aside her petty annoyance with Eugene, who had recklessly arranged the duel and focused on other elements in the arena. Gavid Lindman. She didn¡¯t contemte how strong she had gotten. She wouldn¡¯t be the one to deal with his power anyway, and she didn¡¯t entertain the slightest thought that it mighte down to her turn. If it were her turn, it would mean Eugene had been defeated and killed, which she naturally needn''t even consider. Noir Giabey obliquely in the air. She was facing the dueling ground, which meant her face wasn''t visible. ''Bitch.'' The moment Sienna thought this, Noir turned her head towards her. Despite the distance, Sienna and Noir''s gazes met. Sienna felt an attempt at an invasion of her space, which she scoffed at and brushed away. Yet, Noir showed no sign of disappointment. She merely waved her hand flirtatiously with a seductive smile. ¡®She was no ordinary bitch or monster even before, but now...¡¯ Sienna thought with a click of her tongue and turned away. She could see the Demon King of Incarceration. He was likely aware of her presence but showed no sign of acknowledgment, his attention fixed on the dueling ground. She observed the authority of Incarceration enveloping the arena andpared it momentarily with her own magic. She came to the conclusion that it was pointless topare them at this time. Sienna pursed her lips in a pout. "Will you watch from here?" Carmen asked her while approaching from behind. Her appearance hadn¡¯t changed much from a year ago, but the change in her power was profoundly palpable to Molon. She was iparably powerfulpared to the Knight March, and her skills had evidently improved from before. "There''s no need to stand here when perfectly good seats are avable,¡± responded Sienna. She extended her hand toward Molon, but he shook his head without taking it. "I can see fine from here,¡± responded Molon. "Because of the Nur? You managed to leave the mountain for a while during the Knight March a few years ago,¡± said Sienna. "Things are different from back then," Molon replied with a wry smile. Indeed, a few years ago, it had been fine for him to leave the mountain for a brief period. But recently, the Nur had been appearing so frequently that he couldn¡¯t leave. They would appear suddenly without warning, sometimes dozens at a time, and several times a day. "It''s alright,¡± assured Sienna. "What do you mean it''s alright?" questioned Molon. "No Nur will appear for about half a day,¡± said Sienna before stretching out her hand. The air parted, and a staff appeared. Mary. The Sage¡¯s beloved staff, now fused with Frost, had transformed into a new form ¡ª a staff adorned with pristine snowkes. The moment Sienna grasped it, a burst of light sparked and melted into the entirety of Lehainjar. Molon looked around in surprise. Though he was ignorant about magic, he could feel that Sienna had done something. He inspected Lehainjar with his bright eyes and let out a sound of admiration. "I''ve closed the gate,¡± said Sienna. She set down Mary before reaching out to Carmen and Molon. "Half a day should be enough for this foolish and terrible duel to end. When Eugene wins, shouldn''t we be the first to go and pat him on the back for his efforts?" said Sienna. "Hahaha!" Molonughed as he took Sienna''s hand. "Indeed, you¡¯re right. While we can watch the duel from here, the thrill of victory can only be truly felt there. If Hamel wins, I¡¯ll lift him high into the sky in celebration,¡± he dered. "I will shout the glorious name of the Radiant Eugene Lionheart by your side, Sir Molon,¡± Carmen chimed in with a warm smile. The two took Sienna¡¯s hands, and just like that, the trio disappeared. Molon didn''t even feel the sensation of being swept up in magic. Such was the swiftness and perfection of Sienna¡¯s spell. The moment they arrived in the stands, the smell of blood overpowered their smell. Then it was gone. They looked down at the dueling ground. Eugene''s leg had just been severed, and blood gushed out. But he paid it no heed and pressed forward. The severed leg returned, and the blood vanished. He swung Levantein relentlessly, but it was blocked in its tracks. Gavid''s demonic sword skillfully redirected the mes of Levantein, briefly withstood the brunt of Eugene¡¯s de, and redirected it again. Eugene¡¯s de seemed to bend. It appeared to twist under the force, yet Eugene did not lessen his power or halt his assault. He modted the cascading energy, and the mes spiraled around him. The mes rotated rapidly as he continued his shes towards Gavid. This was unstoppable, and Gavid could not redirect it. Realizing this, Gavid pushed forward instead of creating distance. He chose to meet the attack head-on at minimal range rather than a futile attempt to escape. He sacrificed his left arm. It was severed and immediately consumed by fire, turning to ash from the forearm up. Levantein¡¯s de was such that even a slight graze could incinerate flesh instantly. ¡®Is that so,¡¯ Gavid thought resolutely. Before the mes could climb to his shoulder, Gavid cut off his own arm. ¡®The de isn¡¯tplete yet,¡¯ he surmised. This sudden realization was terrifying for Gavid. Even now, Levantein had the potential to turn the world into a sea of mes if Eugene willed it. Yet, the de was still notplete. Eugene¡¯s aim was not to create a sword that would set the world aze but one that could kill Demon Kings. Once it waspleted, Levantein would be a de that would render the immortality of demons and Demon Kings moot. Gavid closed the distance after sacrificing his left arm. He was already targeting Eugene with his demonic sword. Eugene¡¯s left arm was caught in the strike. It sliced through skin, muscle, and bone, severing the arm cleanly. ¡®This isn¡¯t a human fight,¡¯ Gavid observed. The fight would have ended long ago if Gavid had been against a human, but Eugene was no longer human. Mere cuts wouldn¡¯t reach his life. Could he be killed with a decapitation? Surprisingly, Gavid wasn¡¯t even sure of that. Still, he could not stop wielding his de. This duel would not end until one of them died. Gavid¡¯s intent to kill was embedded in the de, the same de that had killed Agaroth ¡ª the de that had in the War God. Eugene had to admit it. Gavid¡¯s sword had long since surpassed Eugene¡¯s imagination. Eugene needed to break Gavid¡¯s de to kill him. It meant he had to surpass Agaroth, who had once reigned as the God of War. But that was what Eugene desired anyway. If he failed to surpass Agaroth¡¯s powers, he could kill neither the Demon King of Incarceration nor the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene felt awe at Gavid''s ability to hone his de to such a caliber. He recognized Gavid beyond him simply being a demon or an enemy. How many deaths had he witnessed to reach such a level? How often had he swung his sword? ¡°But it¡¯s not just you,¡± Eugene dered. He acknowledged Gavid¡¯s efforts wholeheartedly. But that was it ¡ª because Eugene was desperate as well. The time Eugene spent in the buried city had been horrifying and brutal, too. He had engaged in lengthy contemtion beneath ruins and fallen idols, where not even corpses remained. Eugene Lionheart and Hamel Dynas ¡ª he revisited everything about them. He recalled the forgotten memories of Agaroth and cycled through all that once was. Thus, he reached a state of nothingness. Eugene did not distinguish between himself, Hamel, or Agaroth. He intertwined all that he was or had been into one. Yet, it was still not enough. No matter how much more he added, it felt insufficient. In an insatiable longing, he moved. He swung his sword and ignited his mes. He poured out all he had, then emptied himself and thought again. What was hecking? What more did he need to be filled? He had crossed extremes time and time again. But now, there were no extremes left to cross. He came to a natural understanding. ¡®This is my end.¡¯ He had already arrived at the final station of his human existence. Transcendence began only after crossing this station. At that point, Eugene felt both emptiness and rage. This could not be the end. There was still more to ovee, more to destroy. If this were the end, he could not reach the level of his adversaries. It was with this thought that Eugene saw the ruins of a city and the shattered statue of Agaroth. He recalled Agaroth in that barren wastnd as hemanded death to all gods. Despite his desire to flee, the proud God of War had obstructed the Demon King of Destruction. What had pushed Agaroth''s back? ¡ªBrilliant. It was because of the voices. He was pushed by the voices of the devotees, the voices of faith, and those who did not wish for destruction. He was raised by the voices that were hoping for peace today and happiness tomorrow. ¡ªHero. The deste ruins and the deaths of his followers amidst despair and agony were a testament to Agaroth¡¯s failure. The ruins and the broken statue were evidence of Agaroth''s defeat. At that moment, Eugene, as Agaroth, despaired. The God of War had sacrificed his life to stall the Demon King of Destruction. His dy had allowed the Sage to be the World Tree and other gods, including the God of Giants, to prepare for what was toe. Yet, the world had ultimately been destroyed, and all the devotees had died. To promise a future essentially meant to abandon and relinquish the present. ¡®To hell with it,¡¯ Eugene decided. He had no intention of abandoning the present. He was different from Gavid. Gavid had abandoned his title as the Duke of Helmuth, the de of Incarceration, the Demoneye of Divine Glory, Glory, and filled his sword with desire and belligerence. But Eugene could not do that. He, Eugene Lionheart, the Hero, must not forsake anything. He must embrace it all and add more. ¡°Eugene Lionheart.¡± Now, the world''s wishes reached Eugene''s ears. This duel was being broadcast worldwide. Everyone on the continent was watching his fight. It was a brutal fight, with limbs and guts flying ¡ª a sight not for children, yet even a child would be watching. It was unavoidable. This duel, without exaggeration, involved the fate of the world. If Eugene were to die, the Demon King of Incarceration would immediately invade the continent. Countless lives depended on Eugene. ¡°To victory.¡± He heard the wish. He needed to respond. He could not discard it. Though it was embarrassing to admit, right now, Eugene wanted to save the world. Therefore, he could not afford to lose. ¡®It''s heavy,¡¯ Gavid realized the change. The demonic sword wavered. Gavid gripped it tightly, stabilizing its tremor with a force that shook his very being. ¡®So it is. Hamel, your sword has...¡¯ Gavid staggered back along with his sword. A gap between the two was formed and quickly filled with mes. The massive, heavy mes pushed Gavid even further back. ¡®All the hopes of humanity embedded in it.¡¯ Eugene¡¯s sword contained the longing for victory, the desire for today''s peace and tomorrow''s happiness. Such hopes made his sword unbearably heavy. To ovee this sword meant that Gavid would be taking the future of the continent into his own hands. He would be the one to decide its fate. He didn''t care. Gavid was determined to win today''s duel. He would end three hundred years of simmering inferiority by not merely sipping but draining the celebratory cup, and then he would lead the demon forces to invade the continent. The fate of the continent was not his concern. His only desire was for victory today. "Aaaah!" Both screamed simultaneously. The swords, one forged from relinquishment and the other from aspirations, shed. Though different in make, their tenacity was the same. Yet, something wascking. Despair wascking. Gavid''s tenacity, longing, and inferiority fell short of the despair that Eugene possessed. Eugene knew the end of the world. He turned his despair into determination, not to end today but to save the world. It might have sounded clich¨¦ and predictable, but the hero was a symbol of hope. Whoosh. mes blossomed in Eugene¡¯s left hand. He turned the wishes in his ears, the prayers for victory and hope for tomorrow, into fuel for the myth he was writing. As the swords shed and recoiled, Gavid grasped his demonic sword with both hands, and Eugene let the myth in his left hand flow into Levantein. Fwoosh! Violent mes engulfed the ss de of Levantein. Every me of the White me Form resonated with Levantein. The Sanctuary of Prominence oveid all miracles on Levantein. Thus, Levantein became a miracle. Hundreds of years of life. Devotion to the sword. The repeated trips to the barren wastnd. A sword that surpassed the God of War, a de of god-ying. A rank reached by discarding the old and embracing the new. The obsession with victory. Eugene had to admit it. It was undeniable. Gavid Lindman was formidable. He was strong. He had transcended demons, even surpassed Demon Kings, and ascended to the ultimate mastery of the sword. However, there was a simple, critical w. The world''s wishes, hopes, and miracles proved stronger than Gavid¡¯s sword. Chapter 537: The Duel (7)

Chapter 537: The Duel (7)

The mes that stood in his path seemed capable of incinerating everything. Gavid stood in the way of those mes. There was no ce to retreat. He had raised his sword, but Gavid already knew how powerful the zing divine fire was and what legend it would leave in its wake on this battlefield. In that legend, Gavid would be recorded as a foolish demon who defied a god. This legend was already predetermined and irrevocable. The demonic sword in Gavid¡¯s hand would be consumed by the fiercely burning divine mes. ''God,'' Gavid thought, inwardly denying the word. Even if Eugene truly attained a god-like brilliance, that divinity was not born from the faiths of the demons. Gavid believed it was absurd for a demonfolk to worship a god. There wasn¡¯t anything more ridiculous. ''Even if your sword has truly be a miracle,'' Gavid thought. He did not want to silently acknowledge the truth and perish. Even if Hamel or, rather, Eugene Lionheart had indeed achieved divinity, Gavid would not recognize him. This was simply because he was not human. He was a demonfolk, and demons did not follow the faith of humans. That was Gavid Lindman''sst act of defiance. "Aaaaaah!" Gavid screamed as he swung the demonic sword towards the mes. However, Gavid¡¯s sword fell short of being a miracle in the face of the divine. As if it were predetermined, the mes of Levantein incinerated the demonic sword. The destruction did not stop there. The mes that had turned the demonic sword to ash now invaded Gavid¡¯s body. The pain was not just physical but soul deep. It burnt him to ash. The pain he experienced was iparably worse, evenpared to the thousands of deaths he had experienced in the barren wastnd. He endured. His soul, which should have disintegratedpletely, maintained its form, though imperfectly, amidst agonizing pain. The mes continued burning, and with them, Gavid experienced the pain of his entire existence burning. There was the crackling sound of the mes. Amidst those, a sound he had not heard for a long time grew louder. ''Ah.'' Gavid Lindman had discarded everything he possessed to stand here. Apart from his loyalty to the Demon King of Incarceration and the glory of the Helmuth Empire, he remained solely for the duel with Hamel and the desire for victory. Glory was shattered. He had pierced his eye himself where the Demoneye of Divine Glory resided. That decision to discard his demoneye had been Gavid¡¯s choice. However, the ck Mist did not respect Gavid¡¯s decision as they watched the duel from the stands. Just as Gavid wished for victory in this duel, the ck Mist also desired Gavid''s victory. They sighed and despaired when Gavid copsed, called his name with hope when he took up the demonic sword again, and now, as Gavid seemed about to perish into legend, they fervently shouted his name. It was not just the ck Mist. The duel in Raguyaran was being broadcast across the continent. Not just the humans but demons were also watching the duel. The demons naturally hoped for Gavid¡¯s victory. They were anticipating the end of the Oath and the beginning of the war. Even young demons, who had yet to fully grasp the concept of war, cheered for Gavid¡¯s victory as he stood up again and again. It was inevitable. While human hopes were concentrated on Eugene, all the demonic aspirations were focused on Gavid. He thought it was cruel and bitter. He had discarded everything to retain only his sword, and now, the very things he thought he had abandoned were supporting him from behind. Gavid found it both ironic and pitiful. He could only mock himself. ¡®Nevertheless,¡¯ Gavid thought. He moved forward. The voices supported him from falling and held onto his body, which should have already turned to ash. ¡®I am....¡¯ This wish that poured on him was different from what Eugene had received. If the wishes concentrated on Eugene had brought an absolute miracle, the wishes focused on Gavid merely postponed his inevitable death. ¡®I am....¡¯ Beyond the still-raging fierce mes, he saw Eugene. Eugene was staring at him with wide eyes, his gaze devoid of any ridicule or contempt ¡ª only astonishment and admiration. ¡®I, you....¡¯ Gavid¡¯s feet staggered forward. "Gavid Lindman." The voice was clear and close amid the fading cheers and the sighs. It was the voice of the Demon King of Incarceration, sitting on his throne of chains. The usual ennui that was everyday life for him was absent. The Demon King of Incarceration wore a bittersweet smile as he witnessed the end of the knight he had long kept at his side. "Do not leave with regrets." That phrase pierced Gavid¡¯s mind. Regret, regret.... Wasn¡¯t it inevitable? Despite everything he had forsaken and devoted himself to, this was his end. Even having reached such heights, he had ultimately failed to reach the man he truly wanted to defeat. Had he been wrong? Should he not have discarded those things? Instead of insisting on a duel, if he had perhaps.... "Ha ha." A chuckle escaped Gavid¡¯s lips. Such regrets were useless. The cruel mes, the already decided death, the consciousness that could vanish at any moment ¡ª had these made him weak in hisst moments? Gavid chuckled and reached out his hand. "Yes," Gavid acknowledged. The ck Mist was watching. All the demons of Helmuth were watching. Noir Giabe was watching. And the Demon King of Incarceration was watching. He could not leave a legacy of regret or disgrace. The ash left by his burnt soul became his sword. Do not stop in self-pity with regrets. If you are not yet fully dead, continue to struggle. ¡®I did note here to die with regrets,¡¯ Gavid told himself. Even if defeat was already certain, he did not want to fall pathetically and pointlessly. The unattainable victory, its very unattainability, made him desire it even more. He did not want to remain in the myth that Eugene Lionheart would write as a foolish, insignificant demon who aplished nothing. He grasped his sword. In the mes that seemed capable of incinerating all in their path, Gavid stamped the ground and charged through them toward Eugene. Demons did not believe in gods. His desperate will defied the divine. Eugene scattered the mes by wielding Levantein. He felt a profound respect for Gavid. Eugene had not anticipated movement in such a state. The miracles and myths were stronger than Gavid''s sword, but at the brink of existence, his burning determination dared to defy even miracles. No. This was not merely determination. It was a curse born from a desperate end. Whoosh! Suddenly, the mes of Levantein disappeared. That fierce myth became concentrated on the ss tip of Levantein. At that moment, Gavid''s mind cleared. He saw how he should swing his sword, and he struck. His strike, scattering dark ashes, touched Levantein. Crash! Myth and curse collided. "Ha ha..." Gavidughed with a voice that was hoarse and breaking. "Just a bit longer." He could hold on no longer. Gavid knelt, muttering. Hisst strike had been blocked by Levantein. His longing had not ovee Levantein but was blocked and shattered. However, a small fragment that had broken off brushed against Eugene¡¯s cheek, managing to reach him, if only slightly. "Why do you think I lost?" Gavid asked. He looked up at Eugene, who slowly lowered Levantein and raised his left hand to touch his cheek. The blood that smeared his hand was hot, and the wound was painful. "Because I am stronger than you,¡± responded Eugene. Despite being sliced and severely wounded numerous times, those wounds had healed. But this wound on his cheek would not disappear. It would remain indefinitely. After a pause, Eugene continued, "You and I carry different burdens.¡± "What we carry,¡± echoed Gavid. "I absolutely cannot lose here,¡± Eugene spoke in a matter-of-fact voice. He had died as Agaroth and as Hamel. Then he was reborn as Eugene Lionheart. He had received the Moonlight Sword. He was chosen by the Holy Sword, by the Light. Eugene carried all of that. He had not discarded anything. He could not afford to. "Still," Eugene said. He felt the blood trickling down his cheek and muttered, "The end was thrilling." The dark cursed sword. Without divinity, he would not have discerned the treacherous path of the de. The sword that bent just before the collision had be a deadly curse aimed at Eugene¡¯s neck. Had he not blocked it, his neck would have been severed, and a slight misstep would have cost him an arm. He incinerated the fragments immediately after shattering them, making them only graze his cheek; otherwise, he might have lost an eye. "Is that so?" Gavid chuckled and nodded. Crack! One arm turned to ash. Death, which he had pushed to its limits, began to approach. "You won,¡± he said. The sword had broken, but he wanted to curse. He wanted to dere a harsh and despairing end to the myths that would be written today and used in the future. He did not proceed with theint, for it would have merely been the grumbling of a defeated man. He had given his all... truly his utmost effort. It was a desperate fight, one he deemed a fitting climax to a life. ¡°Hamel... no, Eugene Lionheart,¡± Gavid called out. He moved his stiff fingers, and the space around him warped, albeit without stability. Even this meager maniption seemed to fail him. He chuckled bitterly and opened a small gap from which a half-empty bottle of liquor rolled out. ¡°A modest gift for the victor, but take it,¡± said Gavid. ¡°What is this?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you see? It¡¯s liquor,¡± answered Gavid. Eugene picked up the rolling bottle from the ground. It was an opened bottle, half-drunk, with nobel. He inspected the suspicious alcohol and then looked at Gavid. ¡°There¡¯s no poison. Not that poison would work on you anyway,¡± dered Gavid. ¡°I had intended to toast to my victory over you. But having been defeated, it¡¯s only right that you, the victor, should have it. Feel free to throw it away if you dislike it.¡± ¡°No,¡± Eugene said with a shake of his head and tucked the bottle inside his cloak. ¡°I shall drink it after I have killed the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± he dered. Gavid blinked nkly, then looked up at Eugene and burst outughing in a hoarse voice. ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯te to be used for that,¡± said Gavid. ¡°Gavid Lindman,¡± Eugene nced briefly upward. ¡°I was weaker than you three hundred years ago. If you had not backed down, I would have died then by your sword.¡± ¡°I know I was stronger than you,¡± Gavid replied. ¡°Three hundred years ago and even a year ago, I was stronger than you. If I had truly wanted to kill you, I could have done so at any time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°But as you said earlier, today, I was the weaker one,¡± said Gavid. It was not a satisfying admission. Nor was he without regrets. He was frustrated. Gavid closed his eyes briefly. ¡°But this defeat... feels differentpared to the one from three hundred years ago. It seems inevitable, and rightly so,¡± dered Gavid. Eugene just epted these words silently. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± Gavid said as he opened his eyes. He struggled to lift his scarcely moving body. ¡°Will you grant me the time to report this defeat?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Eugene nodded and stepped back. ¡°Onest thing,¡± Eugene called out. ¡°Thank you for dueling with me.¡± Without waiting for a reply, Eugene turned away. As he staggered, Gavid watched Eugene¡¯s receding back. There was not a trace of mockery in hisst words. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± Gavid spoke again, ¡°Thank you for making this duel myst.¡± Eugene did not respond. He did not turn back. He simply raised a hand and waved once. Gavid chuckled softly and turned away. From the opposite stands, cheers erupted. Everyone was shouting Eugene''s name. Gavid paid no attention to it. He extended his foot and took a step forward with difficulty. Crack! His weakened leg crumbled into ash, and he failed to maintain his bnce, which normally would have been effortless. His drained body fell forward. However, he did not face-nt onto the ground. Someone supported Gavid¡¯s body from copsing. "Any regrets?" came the question. Barely lifting his head, Gavid saw the Demon King of Incarceration. His vision was blurry, but even if he were to lose his sightpletely, he would not fail to recognize the Demon King. With a wry smile, Gavid nodded. "There are some,¡± he answered. "If you wish, I can erase those regrets,¡± responded the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King, having descended from his throne without using chains, personally supported Gavid with his hands. His voice was serene, devoid of any sadness or pity. It was inevitable. For a sinner like him, who had entwined all causality with chains, such emotions had long been worn away. Yet, even if he was devoid of sorrow or regret, the words of the Demon King were sincere. It was not the Demon King''s practice to choose directly. However, if Gavid desired it, the Demon King would even incarcerate the predetermined death that awaited Gavid. "This duel must end with the loser''s death,¡± Gavid answered, shaking his head in response. "Please, do not cling to my end." It was a sufficient answer. The Demon King did not press further. Following him, the ck Mist descended and surrounded both the Demon King and Gavid. Gavid''s body continued to crumble into ash. All the while, the ck Mist drew swords and pointed them skyward. Looking down at Gavid, the Demon King spoke, "Duke Giabe.¡± Noir, who had been above in the sky, descended beside the Demon King. The veil that had previously been tossed back was now draped over, concealing Noir''s face. "Do you have anything to share?" the Demon King questioned. "I never expected such consideration from you,¡± Noir answered in a quiet voice, devoid of her usualughter. She raised her hand as she asked, "Will you grant me a moment of mourning?" Without responding, the Demon King looked down at Gavid. Gavid managed a bitter smile and nodded. "You got what you wanted, yet you do not seem pleased,¡± Gavid said to Noir. "I am quite surprised myself,¡± Noir answered. She took over supporting Gavid from the Demon King. She gently lowered herself and ced Gavid''s head on herp. "Should I have stopped the duel back then?" she questioned. "No,¡± Gavid answered. "Right, it would have been impossible to stop you then,¡± Noir murmured softly as she gazed down at Gavid''s face. His eyes, now clouded, saw nothing more, and his body continued to disintegrate into ash. "I could show you onest dream,¡± Noir offered. Her purple eyes shimmered. Noir continued, "Everyone hopes to dream a happy dream in their final moments, Gavid Lindman. Whatever you didn''t achieve, whatever you couldn''t reach... the dream is¡ª" "Merely emptiness,¡± Gavid replied. "And I have already lived a life that was much like a dream. Everything I abandoned was the dream I had cherished since childhood." "Even this death?" Noir asked. "It''s a defeat, but not a nightmare.¡± A briefugh followed, and then Gavid continued, "There are regrets, there are lingering thoughts. Yet, it is quite satisfying." Noir didn¡¯t know what to say. "I hope the eye I entrusted to you helps you realize your dream,¡± said Gavid. Noir said no more but closed her eyes momentarily. She could feel the Demoneye of Divine Glory embedded in her left socket. With a long sigh, she nodded. Gavid sensed Noir''s tremor and chuckled hoarsely. "...Your Majesty,¡± Gavid said. "May I wish for Your Majesty''s reign and prosperity?" The Demon King of Incarceration looked at Gavid with somber eyes, understanding the weight of his question. "No,¡± he answered. The Demon King shook his head. "I do not seek to reign nor to prosper. If you wish to hope for something, Gavid Lindman, hope that the aspiration I have pursuedes to fruition,¡± continued the Demon King. Gavid did not know what aspiration the Demon King pursued. However, he felt that the Demon King did not desire power or glory. If he truly pursued such things, there would have been no reason to make the Oath three hundred years ago, no reason not to kill Eugene, the reincarnation of Hamel, no reason to wait in Babel.... "Yes," Gavid said readily. But he did not ask about the Demon King''s aspiration. "I hope your aspiration is realized." Even in death, the souls of Helmuth''s demons could not leave the Demon King of Incarceration. But the Demon King did not hold onto the soul of Gavid as he turned to ash. Gavid did not wish for it. "So be it,¡± the Demon King closed his eyes and replied. The Duke of Helmuth, the Sword of Incarceration. The demon, Gavid Lindman. He disintegrated into ash. Chapter 538: The Duel (8) While Gavid received condolences from the demons, Eugene did not look that way. He had already finished offering his condolences and farewells to Gavid. He was unsure how Gavid had taken them, but he was genuinely thankful and expressed that. This duel was important to Eugene and held great significance. Thus, he absolutely had to win. He had been desperate. "I''m getting tired,¡± Eugene sighed deeply and muttered to himself. He slowly allowed Ignition to end. The sanctuary wrapped around his body disappeared as well. It was quite different from a year ago. Eugene had far surpassed the human limits, and he no longer had to deal with any physical recoil. That didn''t mean he waspletely fine. If anything had changed, it was that his physical body could still move perfectly. However, he couldn''t help the bacsh from the surge of divine power. ¡®It would be better if only my body were in pain,¡¯ Eugene thought bitterly. Due to Ignition''s bacsh, he could not use divine power for a while. Fortunately, he could still use mana, but Levantein could not even draw a quarter of its original power without Divine Power. ¡®I''m d this didn''t happen in Babel.¡¯Eugene had gained a lot through this duel. One was the divine power and Levantein. Moreover, having won a duel that was broadcast across the continent, his faith would increase immeasurably. Of course, the greatest achievement was having killed Gavid Lindman. Now, no demon could stand in Eugene''s way in ascending to the throne of the Demon King of Incarceration in Babel, except for Noir Giabe. ¡®I need to kill her before going to Babel,¡¯ Eugene thought apathetically. It was not an easy task. He wasn¡¯t confident even after gaining such power. Nevertheless, there was one thing he could be certain of, regardless of whether he would win or not. Noir could no longer be given any more time. She could no longer be called the Queen of the Night Demons. She was the same as Gavid. She had already be an unfathomable entity, transcending the realm of demons. ¡®She even possesses the Demoneye of Divine Glory.¡¯ Eugene continued with his musings. Just the Demoneye of Fantasy was horrendous and tricky enough, but she now also possessed the Demoneye of Divine Glory. Moreover, Noir would not use the Demoneye of Divine Glory like Gavid. ¡®Noir Giabe''s mastery of the Demoneye is overwhelmingly superior. She''ll probably use the Demoneye of Fantasy as a supplement in battle,¡¯ Eugene thought with a frown. Thus, all the more reason Noir could not be given time. What she had done in Giabe City was unclear, but Eugene could no longer leave her be. "Radiant!" a voice was heard. Eugene''s steps halted abruptly as he brooded. It was the cursed title he had heard for the first time in a year. But would it have be familiar if he had heard it all year long? He doubted it. Eugene grimaced and looked up. Everyone in the stands was standing and looking at Eugene. The first to jump down was, surprisingly, Gilead Lionheart. "Radiant Eugene Lionheart!" Gilead shouted as hended in front of Eugene. Eugene saw the Lionheart crest emitting a faint light on his left chest. It wasn''t just Gilead. All the Lionhearts who came here were the same. Carmen introduced a new emblem on the uniform a year ago. Eugene looked at the Lionhearts gathering in front of him with a mncholic expression. "Why the face?" Ciel asked with a puzzled expression. He couldn¡¯t pinpoint his emotion. It wasn¡¯t unpleasant, but he couldn¡¯t openly be happy about it either. Should he just ignore it? Was it necessary to mention it? All the Lionhearts, including those who were not present, probably had the same emblem engraved on the chests of their uniforms. Eugene coughed and simply shook his head. "I''m just tired,¡± he said. "That makes sense,¡± Cyan murmured in agreement with a nod. He had seen the recent duel with his own eyes from the nearby stands, but he could not understand it. The duel between Gavid and Eugene was beyond humanprehension. "Aaaaah!" A crow-like scream struck Eugene¡¯s eardrums, but he was not surprised and looked toward the noise. Among all the people of the continent, there was only one person who could make such a loud, screeching noise. Just as before, Melkith raised her arms high without caring that she was being broadcast to the entire continent. "Long live, long live, long live!" Arge g appeared in Melkith''s hand. Eugene was speechless at the sight of the Lionheart crest engraved on the g. His name was even written in gold below the crest. Eugene could only stare with his mouth agape as Melkith squealed and waved the g back and forth. "Hmm...¡± He shut his eyes closed to help with his nausea. It seemed like a tease, but it wasn''t. The gently glowing Lionheart crest and the fluttering g were all prepared because they had believed in Eugene''s victory. Eugene had attained divinity but fortunately still had a human heart, so he refrained from scolding Melkith and bore with it. "A-hem." From the back, Sienna cleared her throat. She did not push through the crowd or fly directly to Eugene but reached him with a small step. "Uh-hum-hum." Sienna straightened her shoulders and pushed out her chest while coughing. She had hoped for a greeting like ¡°long time no see,¡± but Eugene did not act as Sienna had expected. However, Sienna could notin to Eugene. The moment she stood before him, without hesitation, Eugene spread his arms wide and embraced her. Sienna had not imagined being suddenly embraced, so when she was held, she could say nothing and fumbled with her lips. "It''s been a long time." A whisper tickled Sienna''s blushing ears. Sparks flew in Sienna''s head, and her shoulders trembled slightly. "Uh... uh, uhuh..." She barely managed to make some sound. After over a year, the embrace was very stimting for Sienna. She had to try her best to keep her legs from giving out. But there was no need for that. Molon came forward and lifted both Eugene and Sienna together. "Uha! Uahaha! Hahaha!" Molonughed heartily while shaking Eugene and Sienna in the air. After a few shakes, Sienna came to her senses. She remembered what Molon had said earlier. With regret, Sienna slipped away from Eugene''s embrace and descended to the ground. "Victory!" Molon yelled. He immediately carried out what he had proposed earlier. He threw Eugene high into the sky and shouted again, "Victory!" Eugene could have run away but sighed deeply and silently fell downward. Molon caught Eugene with his palm and, like bouncing a ball, threw Eugene up high again. "You did it! In your duel with Gavid Lindman! You won, Hamel!" he shouted. "Yeah, yeah..." Eugene tried to sound enthused. Molon threw and caught Eugene ten times before finally letting him down to the ground. Eugene casually pressed down his disheveled hair with his hand. "Enough,¡± Eugene said. He stopped Molon, who was about to continue. Not just to Molon, Eugene silently looked around at everyone with calm eyes. Then everyone stopped cheering. A sudden silence ensued. Eugene''s expression, gaze, and atmosphere contributed, but in addition, everyone came to realize the situation. Gavid Lindman was dead. Molonposed his expression and turned around. Although he doubted it would be necessary, Molon stood in a position where he could block the front and protect everyone in case of any threat. Sienna also removed Mary from the subspace and held it in her hand. She didn''t prepare any spells. Sienna''s magic no longer needed any incantations. Soaked in emotion, Kristina and Anise offered prayers as they came to realize this truth. Kristina clenched her rosary nervously. The ck Mist did not want to reveal Gavid''sst moments to others, so they formed a circle to hide his figure. But now, there was no need for that. The ck Mist sheathed their raised swords and lowered the face covers of the helmets as they retreated backward. From the dispersing ashes, Noir Giabe rose. She grasped some of the remaining ashes on her knee with her hand. Noir''s expression was unreadable because her face was covered with a ck veil as dense as the abyss. The Demon King of Incarceration stood behind her. He stared at the ashes scattering in the sky for a moment. Under his serene gaze, Melkith flinched. She slowly lowered the g she had been vigorously waving. Could it be that the Demon King of Incarceration was displeased with this fuss? Could he attack them, using them of daring to insult this time of mourning? Although Melkith was bold enough not to care about the gazes of the people of the continent, she was somewhat afraid of the Demon King of Incarceration. "Congrattions on your victory,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration spoke. He shifted his gaze from the ashes that drifted and disappeared in the sky. He thought he had long since worn out such emotions. Yet, strangely, the Demon King of Incarceration felt a bit of regret. If he had ignored Gavid''s wish, or if he had collected the soul to take it to the next cycle irrespective of his wishes, even if he did not revive Gavid, would it have helped? ''Is it meaningless?'' the Demon King wondered. He shook his head with a bitter smile. Even if he had taken the soul to the next cycle, he wouldn''t have blossomed as much as he did now. Gavid''s fable was special because he had existed in this era. "Not much time is left, really,¡± he muttered, trying to lessen the regret. Although he had kept beings like Gavid Lindman by his side several times, this was the first time he felt such regret. "Eugene Lionheart," the Demon King of Incarceration called. He lowered his gaze to look at Eugene. The moment he saw Eugene standing in front of the Lionhearts and the heroes of the continent ¡ª the Demon King of Incarceration could not help but feel a strange nostalgia. This was a world that would have perished long ago. If it weren''t for the Oath from three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Incarceration would have watched from the highest ce in Babel as the world sank into the sea and fog, disappearing as he had done several times before. The Demon King of Incarceration recalled Vermouth from three hundred years ago. That distorted byproduct. A man who could not possibly be called the Hero from the roots of his being, yet who forcefully held the Holy Sword and was shunned by the Light. The Light never considered Vermouth the Hero. The Light neither understood nor tried to understand Vermouth''s existence. No, in the first ce, the Light did not have the intellect to understand Vermouth. Yet, Vermouth wielded the Holy Sword. He forcibly extracted the Light using the Holy Sword as a medium. In fact, Vermouth didn''t need something like the holy sword, but he held it nheless. Because the title ''Hero'' was a necessity. He needed to be the Hero to assert that the world¡¯s end was not yet decided. He needed to prove that there was a hero who could stand against the Demon Kings. And finally¡­. "Has Vermouth''s Oath borne fruit?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration murmured in a low voice. The people from three hundred years ago threw themselves into the Devildom because of the Hero¡¯s existence. Even those who were weak and not heroes were influenced by Vermouth. They died in the Devildom for the sake of the world. The continent and the humans did not win the war. But they also did not lose. Three hundred years ago, there were a few moments the Demon King of Incarceration could not forget. One was when he first saw the man called Vermouth Lionheart. The moment he saw him, the Demon King of Incarceration no longer advanced but returned to Babel. And he weed Vermouth there. He was curious what that man, who could hardly be called the Hero, was plotting. Another was when he first saw Hamel. It was when he came to the Devildom as one of therades of Vermouth. Thest moment was at the very summit of Babel, in the throne room of the Demon King. When Hamel''srades trudged on after his death, Vermouth unleashed the nature he had been sealing. "Excellent," the Demon King of Incarceration spoke with a nod. He could have refused, but he did not. The Demon King of Incarceration had made the Oath as Vermouth had wished. Thus, three hundred years had passed. For the Demon King of Incarceration, three hundred years was not considered a long time, but it was not the same for the world. Destruction had been postponed for three hundred years. The war had ended. The world had changed iparably from before the war. What nowy before the eyes of the Demon King of Incarceration was the fruit of that promise. But could he truly reap that fruit? "Eugene Lionheart," he called out once again. nk. The chains behind the Demon King of Incarceration moved. "There isn¡¯t much time left. Regardless of my will, the end of the Oath is approaching." "Yes," Eugene responded with a nod. He, too, thought of Vermouth. Tied down and sitting in a chair of chains, Vermouth was utterly exhausted and worn out. "We can''t just wait for the end of the Oath, can we?" said Eugene. Still, Eugene did not truly know what kind of existence Vermouth was. But, this he was sure of: Even if Vermouth was rted to the Demon King of Destruction, he did not wish for the world''s destruction. Even if Vermouth was not the Hero, he had done his best to save the world. He must have desperately hoped that Eugene would fulfill that wish. "I''lle before it''s toote," Eugene promised. He raised his finger to his neck. "Don''t run away. Just wash your neck and wait," he told the Demon King of Incarceration. Swish. Eugene''s finger slid across his neck. The ck Mist flickered and showed malice toward Eugene. However, it didn¡¯t really bother Eugene. "I will wait for you," the Demon King of Incarceration promised. He smiled and opened the door of chains. The Demon King of Incarceration entered the door first, and the ck Mist quietly followed behind. The door of chains closed. Only Noir Giabe remained alone. A veil still covered her face, so her expression was unreadable. But Eugene felt Noir''s gaze. "Shh." The moment Eugene was about to speak, Noir raised her finger and shook her head. "I do not wish to have a reunion, conversation, ormunion with you here,¡± Noir whispered. "The Demon King said the end of the Oath is not far off. If so, Hamel, you will have toe find me soon." Noir took a step back. Whoosh! A descending wind swept the ground. Noir pressed her fluttering hair with her hand. Her smile was visible through the fluttering veil. "I will wait," Noir whispered. The wind that had been plunging downward now shot upwards. Noir ascended into the sky with the wind. The Giabe-Face that hade to greet its master shone brightly. "In my city." With that whisper, Noir and Giabe-Face disappeared.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts Momo: I did not expect info on Vermouth in this chapter. But super interesting to read anyways.
Chapter 539: The Duel (9)

Chapter 539: The Duel (9)

Eugene casually ran his hand through his hair, which had been tousled by the wind, as he stared at the sky where Giabe-Face had disappeared. He felt a bit surprised. Was Gavid''s death so significant that it could explicitly dampen the atmosphere like that? Eugene recalled thest expression he had seen on Noir''s face. In fact, Eugene knew. Noir hadn¡¯t been in a somber mood solely due to Gavid¡¯s death. It had been vague, but this had beening for a long time now and was inevitable. Noir had always joked about their nned face-off with a beaming smile, but now, she definitely acknowledged that both of their ends were not far off. Indeed, what form their end would take was something Eugene looked forward to, albeit with regret, sadness, and.... ''Fear?'' Eugene thought in surprise. He nced down at his hand. His fingertips were trembling slightly. He thought it was inevitable. This emotion was not something he could simply ignore. Bonds were always like that. He closed his eyes. He thought of the Sage of the Ivory Tower, Visuhr Lavi. He thought of the Light. Once, Eugene had thought that even if he was a reincarnation of Agaroth, he did not want to be swayed by Agaroth''s bonds and emotions. He thought he was ultimately himself, and the bonds and emotions from when he was not himself were simply a hindrance. It had been an arrogant and foolish thought. Despite making such distinctions, Eugene had benefited from Agaroth''s virtues several times. While harboring contradictions, he had chosen to swallow only the sweet and spit out the bitter. ''It can''t be helped,'' Eugene thought wryly. He hade to a full realization of his contradictory thoughts during the introspection of half a year that he was forced to undergo at the bottom of the Southern Seas. Following that, he came to a conclusion. Eugene could not simply dismiss the bonds from when he was Agaroth. The bonds from that time had be a desire that now made the current world and the current Eugene Lionheart exist. Denying Agaroth''s bonds was akin to denying Eugene''s very foundation. Therefore, what Eugene had to do was.... ''I have to end it,'' Eugene thought with determination. With the Twilight Witch, the War God''s Saintess, Aria, and.... His bond with Noir Giabe could not be simply dismissed. The emotions of Agaroth ingrained in Eugene wouldn''t allow it. ''Perhaps, when I... kill Noir Giabe....'' Eugene halted his thoughts. Disturbed by the sticky and painful emotions, Eugene shook his head. These feelings and thoughts didn''t weaken his resolve, but they were repulsive and overwhelming. Eugene clicked his tongue and clenched his still trembling hand. "Sir Eugene." Kristina, who had stepped back slightly, took Eugene''s hand and asked, "Are you okay?" "No, I''m not,¡± he responded honestly. Normally, he would have said he was fine. However, Eugene did not act as usual today. Was it really because he was not okay? Was his mind troubled by Gavid''s death and the thought of killing Noir? He wasn¡¯t without such reasons. "I''m really struggling. Too much has happened over this year,¡± Eugene confessed. Saying this so openly was, for Eugene, a kind of surrender and a plea for his life. He could feel Kristina¡¯s grip around his knuckles, and the handle of her il was clearly visible between the folds of her clerical robe. He suddenly recalled how he had vanished for a year without ever writing letters. He saw the small metal liquor sk dangling from her waist. "I''ve trained desperately and ultimately won, but it wasn''t an easy victory. Don''t you all think so? I almost died several times in this duel.... If I had started training just a bitter, it might have been me who died in today''s duel, not Gavid Lindman," Eugene quickly continued while scanning his surroundings. However, most people did not understand the implications of Eugene''s words and simply stared nkly. The problem was that most people here considered Eugene a senior. They didn¡¯t understand why he was suddenly speaking so respectfully. "Your Highness Crown Prince Honein,¡± Eugene called out. "U-uh, yes?" Honein Abram, the future king of Aroth, looked startled at the sudden call of respect. "You seem to have achieved a lot since Ist saw you a year ago. What Circle are you at now?" Eugene asked. "The Eight... Eighth Circle,¡± Honein answered hesitantly. Honein was currently twenty-nine. He belonged to a lineage of the Aroth royal family, which had been specifically developed to be adept at magic. Eugene was exceptionally special, but Honein would also have been ssified as a genius under normal circumstances. Reaching the Eighth Circle at the age of twenty-nine proved Honein''s genius, even though he had just crossed the boundary. "Weren''t you at the Seventh Circle a year ago?¡± asked Eugene. "I... was,¡± Honein answered slowly. "How did you rise to the ranks of an Archwizard within just a year?" Eugene asked, genuinely surprised. "That was... the war in Hauria inspired me¡ª" Honein answered cautiously. Eugene''s eyes narrowed. That was not the answer he had expected from Honein. "Have you ever skipped training during the year?" Eugene interrupted. "No, not at all,¡± said Honein. He was able to answer that question confidently. He had never forgotten the admonition of his father, Daindolf Abram. To reform the homnd, he must not depend on the mercy of the lion but must possess the strength for the lion to willingly lend his teeth and ws. After hearing that, Honein devoted himselfpletely to magic, proved his training during the war in Hauria, grasped the enlightenment gained on the battlefield, broke through the Eighth Circle''s barrier, and became the youngest Archwizard after Eugene. "I have not skipped a single day of magical training in the year after the war. Sir Eugene, your prowess has given me great magical inspiration, and with the single-minded intent to stand by your side, I practiced magic every day," continued Honein. "That''s exactly it!" Eugene shouted suddenly. Eugene was not particrly interested in the motivations and circumstances behind Honein''s dedication to training. "Not wasting a year and devoting oneself! That is what made you, Crown Prince, into an Archwizard," shouted Eugene. "Uh... yes, that''s right,¡± answered Honein hesitantly. "Cyan, Ciel, isn''t that right?" Eugene once again asked suddenly. The target shifted. Cyan, who had been clueless about what Eugene was trying to say, flinched and stepped back. "Uh, what?" he asked. "Feeling your mana, both of you have reached Six Stars in The White me Form. The Patriarch and Sir Gion have reached Eight Stars. All within a year!" Gilead and Gion could not guess Eugene''s intentions. They weren¡¯t sure what he was trying to achieve byplimenting everyone¡¯s achievements. But Ciel was different. The Saints had severely tormented her over the past year, so she could guess what Eugene feared. What did she have to hide? Whenever drunk, the Saints often blustered about plucking all his hair out if Eugene ever returned after the duel. "You''re right, Eugene. A year is not long at all. It''s actually very short. To break down walls and reach new heights, not a single day can be wasted. Training must begin the moment it''s decided,¡± Ciel chimed in. She immediately supported Eugene. Feigning ignorance of his true intentions could have been fun... but Ciel really liked the disheveled hair Eugene was currently sporting. Its unkempt, wild growth reminded her of Eugene when he first came to the Lionheart estate twelve years ago, like a country bumpkin. "Ivatar!" Eugene shouted. "I ran through the Great Forest daily for a year, wielding my axe in training,¡± Ivatar quickly responded. It was aplete lie. Over the past year, Ivatar had been busy managing the newly established nation of Zoran and attending to state affairs rather than training. But Ivatar was naturally astute and quick-witted. He had been the one to pioneer the eptance of external cultures with an open mind, despite being born in a barbarian tribe, and had united the tribes of the Great Forest to be their chieftain. Thus, he was able to give Eugene the answer he wanted. "Gargith! Your muscles have grown evenrger," continued Eugene. "I have not missed a single day of training or the family''s muscle growth form in twenty years,¡± responded Gargith. Muscle growth form. It had been a long time since Eugene heard those words. Despite growing sorge, was he still taking muscle growth supplements? His size had already surpassed Molon''s. ''What the hell does he want to be?'' Eugene thought in horror. Had eating the giant''s balls made him truly want to be a giant? "Anyway, yes," Eugene said half-heartedly. ¡®That should be enough,¡¯ Eugene hoped. He took a breath and then slowly turned to look at Kristina. "Because a year is so short... I felt I could not win the duel unless I started training as soon as possible," he exined. Silence ensued at his words. Eugene continued, "The ce I intended to go is quite difficult to reach, and since Gavid could open the door, I could go there right away. So...." "I understand,¡± Kristina finally responded. To think he would resort to such pitiful excuses.... Anise sighed at Eugene''sck of boldness. But Kristina didn''t think so. ''The duel with the de of Incarceration, Gavid Lindman, was intense enough that Sir Eugene had no choice but to dedicate himself to training wholeheartedly,'' Kristina told Anise. [My goodness, Kristina, did you really fall for that absurd excuse?] Anise asked in shock. ''Didn''t you hear as well, Sister? Eugene did not make excuses,'' Kristina countered. [If that''s not an excuse, then what is it?] Anise asked, astounded. ''I spent a year worrying and suffering in my heart. Knowing this, he exined it as having been unavoidable. What a kind heart he has...!'' Kristina said, adoration dripping from every word. Anise sighed again at that response. Such a favorable interpretation.... Exnations and excuses were often just a thin line apart. "Indeed, Sir Eugene, I have been short-sighted. The grueling training without a single day off.... Even after the training ended, you had no time to rest but came straight here to fight the duel,¡± Kristina said, sounding apologetic. "That''s right,¡± answered Eugene. "Then what you need now is rest. Though a ce for rest is provided here at the duel site, since the duel is over, there is no need to stay here any longer. What will you do? Will you return to our home?" Kristina asked with a smile. ¡®Home? By that, did she mean the Lionheart family home? Why had Kristina''s home be the Lionheart mansion?¡¯ Eugene thought shamelessly. If Anci had known this thought, she might have broken another fan in vain. "I have something to discuss with you all,¡± Eugene called out. Rest was indeed needed. For a year, he had subsisted on preserved food like jerky stashed inside his cloak and the candies and sweets Mer and Raimira had stuffed in. His food hadcked meat, meat that was dripping with juice, rich and fatty meat. He wanted to fill his stomach with such meat, drink, bathe, and sleep deeply. But that was not yet possible. Eugene looked back at Molon and Sienna. Sienna nodded slightly. She also had things she wanted to ask and hear about Eugene. "Indeed," Kristina murmured in a low voice. The Saints were also eager to hear his stories. They had agreed not to make an issue of his sudden disappearance anymore. Eugene''s past year, and.... [Phew...] Anise sighed. She had known long ago, and her troubled heart had been settled. But to think from mere spection to learning the definite truth, it was inevitable to haveplicated feelings. ¡ªHave you met the Light? When Eugene arrived at the dueling arena, the Demon King of Incarceration had asked him. "We will go ahead and return first,¡± Gilead was the first to speak. "Surely you won''t disappear for a year this time?" "I will arrive at the family home within a week at thetest,¡± Eugene promised. "Prepare and wait,¡± said Gilead. "Modestly,¡± Eugene emphasized his voice as he spoke. "Notvishly, but modestly. Only at the mansion." "Surely everyone who saw the duel here should attend, shouldn¡¯t they?" Gilead asked. "If that''s the case... yes,¡± Eugene answered. "And the coteral branches?" Gilead continued his probing. "If it includes just the Lionhearts," Eugene said. "His Majesty the Emperor, His Holiness the Pope, and other distinguished guests who supported you?" Gilead asked. "There! That''s enough,¡± said Eugene. Eugene could not concede any further. Gilead nodded, satisfied with the negotiation¡¯s sess. "Is there anything else you want?" he asked. "Please tell Nina to prepare the food,¡± asked Eugene. "Meat?" asked Gilead. "Yes, the kind I have been eating since I was thirteen," Eugene replied. That reminded Gilead of Eugene¡¯s growing years. During his teenage years, when Eugene was swinging his sword daily and practicing the White me Form, his personal servant, Nina, used to bring him absurdlyrge and thick cuts of meat as per his requests and cook them to his taste, serving them three times a day. She had served dishes like stews with more meat than vegetables and perfectly grilled steaks.... "I''ll pass that on," Gilead said with a wry smile and a nod. The incredible divinity disyed in the duel and Eugene''s childhood, which Gilead had observed twelve years ago, were hard to reconcile. But one thing was certain: Eugene was Gilead''s son no matter what height he reached. "Then, I¡¯ll see you at the mansion,¡± Eugene said and turned his head. "Why aren¡¯t you twoing? Or are you not interested?" Mer and Raimiria had been shrinking behind everyone but now jumped at each other in surprise. "...I thought a measly familiar like me wouldn¡¯t even be a consideration for you now that you have be such a great person, Sir Eugene,¡± said Mer. "T-thisdy believed in Benefactor. But even a dragon like myself does not seem so greatpared to Benefactor¡¯s greatness. So... so...." muttered Raimira. "Stop talking nonsense and juste,¡± Eugene furrowed his eyebrows and opened his cloak. Mer and Raimiria no longer hesitated and quickly jumped inside the cloak. "Let''s move from here first,¡± Eugene said. He gently floated into the sky. Kristina still hadn¡¯t released his hand and followed him into the air under his lead. Sienna watched this with dissatisfaction and finally spoke out, "You can fly, can''t you?" "It¡¯s strange, but my wings aren''ting out right now," answered Kristina. "Is it okay for the Saint to lie?" Sienna asked with narrowed eyes. "It''s not a lie. Really, my wings aren''ting out,¡± Kristina stated without changing her expression. Sienna felt a bubbling irritation inside and pouted her lips. "Where are you going?" she asked. "Molon¡¯s ce,¡± Eugene answered. "That cave? Why?" asked Sienna. "Because it overlooks Raguryaran," Eugene exined patiently. "Well, it doesn¡¯t have to be there. Isn¡¯t that peak over there good enough?" asked Sienna. She pointed at a high peak, where Molon had been overseeing the dueling ground from earlier. "Well, there is no problem with that ce either¡ª" Whoosh! Sienna''s mana expanded. Before Eugene could finish his sentence, her mana enveloped Eugene, Kristina, and Molon. "Here." When Sienna finished speaking, the four were at the summit of Mount Lehainjar. "Wow." Eugene looked around and eximed in admiration. "It''s not teleportation?" "It''s a swap,¡± Sienna said with a smug expression. "I swapped the mana in this ce with mine,¡± she responded. "Any limitations?" Eugene asked. "I can''t swap more than ten people. Of course, my mana can easily cover thousands, but forcibly swapping that much mana would copse the axis of space, causing a great disaster. And this is roughly the limit for distance,¡± she said. "It¡¯s convenient. Can I use it too?" Eugene asked. "Of course not! Only those who understand the tiny world of mana and can perfectly manipte soul power can use it,¡± Sienna answered. "So you¡¯ve decided to call it soul power,¡± said Eugene. "Senior Sage called it the essence of the source, but that¡¯s too long,¡± responded Sienna. "So you decided to call her Senior,¡± Eugene called out. "Are you going to keep being cheeky?" Sienna red as she snapped at him. Eugene stopped teasing and cleared his throat, turning his head. "First...." Where to start? Eugene thought for a moment, nodded his head, and then looked at Molon. "Hey, Molon." "What is it, Hamel?" "From today, you are my Holy Knight." Molon blinked in surprise at the sudden deration. Chapter 540: Divine Ascension (1)

Chapter 540: Divine Ascension (1)

¡°Ah!¡± Unlike Molon, who was left blinking in confusion from being unable to understand what Eugene was trying to say, Kirstina immediately grasped the meaning behind Eugene''s words. With an impressed expression, Kristina started pping on the spot as she said, ¡°Indeed! There was also that method! As expected of you, Sir Eugene!¡± [To think that idiot would be able toe up with such a method...!] Anise was just as equally impressed. As Saints, they were well aware of the fundamental nature of a Holy Knight. If Molon were to be a Holy Knight, he would be able to use divine power in addition to the power he already possessed. No, Molon would actually have ess to even more power than that. The only power the gods granted ess to the Holy Knights from the various religions, including the faith of the Light, was divine power. However, if Eugene personally were to appoint Molon as his Holy Knight, Molon would be something simr to a Saint, being guaranteed a further strengthening of his divine power and given the ability to perform miracles as well. ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± Kristina¡¯s eyes shone as she stared at Eugene. ¡°If you are taking Sir Molon as your Holy Knight, would that make him a Holy Knight of the Light? Or would he be a Holy Knight of the God of War?¡± ¡°He would be both,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°My original godhood was the Godhood of War that once belonged to Agaroth, but somehow, I also ended up gaining the Godhood of Light. Well, rather than gaining it, it¡¯s more like the Light handed it to me....¡± After trailing off with this mysteriousment, Eugene clicked his tongue and continued, ¡°In any case, I currently have two godhoods. So if I were to personally appoint Molon as¡ª¡± ¡°Ah!¡± Molon¡¯s excited cry cut Eugene¡¯s words short. He raised his thick arms high into the air as he shouted, ¡°So that means I would be a Holy Knight of War and the Light!¡± Eugene sincerely felt it was lucky that Carmen wasn¡¯t here right now. If Carmen were to hear that, she would have been moved to ecstatics by such a grandiose title as ¡°The Holy Knight of War and the Light.¡± Eugene silently let out a sigh. However, Eugene was well aware that even if Carmen wasn¡¯t here right now, he would still eventually have to face that very situation someday. Eugene quietly strengthened his resolve to be ready to face that embarrassment when it eventually arrived. Right now, Molon might be the only one he was appointing as his Holy Knight... but before the time came to assault Babel, he would have to appoint several other people to be his Holy Knights as well. First on his list were all of the Lionhearts who would be participating in the war, and then.... ¡®It¡¯s not like there would be any hardcore agnostics who would refuse the offer to be my Holy Knight, would there?¡¯ Eugene thought uncertainly. There were already certain people whom Eugene was considering taking on as his Holy Knights, such as Alchester, Ortus, Ivic, and Ivatar, some of the strongest warriors alive. Rather than recklessly trying to increase the number of Holy Knights as much as possible, it would be better to give a greater proportion of strength to a smaller number of people. In the first ce, if Eugene really wanted to make an Order of Holy Knights, he would be able to recruit a sufficient number just by converting all of the Lionhearts into his Holy Knights. ¡°A Holy Knight of War and the Light,¡± Sienna muttered thoughtfully. Getting a slight sense that something might be off, Sienna shot Eugene a look as she asked, ¡°In the end, one of those belonged to Agaroth, and the other was given to you by the Light, right?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°But don¡¯t you have a godhood of your own?¡± Sienna asked suspiciously. It was a pertinent question. As Sienna had said, the godhood of the God of War was something that had once belonged to Agaroth, and it had been imprinted into Eugene¡¯s very soul as a relic of the Age of Myth. As for the Light, Eugene had personally received that godhood from the hands of the God of Light himself. ¡°I¡¯m in the middle of forming one,¡± Eugene replied with an annoyed click of his tongue. ¡°Since it isn¡¯tpletely formed yet, it¡¯s a bit too early to say anything for certain, but... I can already get a rough feeling for what it might be.¡± Considering the voices that he had heard during his duel with Gavid, what kind of challenges Eugene would have to face from now on, and the necessary resources that Eugene would need to umte in order to achieve his ultimate goal, Eugene could guess what kind of divinity was waiting for him. ¡°In that case, you will end up possessing three different godhoods,¡± Sienna muttered with a nod. Thanks to her metamorphosis, Sienna had obtained the Godhood of Magic. In the previous era, Vishur Lavi, the Sage of the Ivory Tower, had been the Goddess of Magic, and now, in this era, the current Goddess of Magic was none other than Sienna Merdein. ¡°I also believe that it will be necessary for you to take Molon as your Holy Knight. One day, Molon might be able to reach godhood on his own, but we don¡¯t have enough time to wait until that happens,¡± Sienna said with a frown. The current era was different from the Age of Myth. Back then, humans as a race were able to umte karma and virtue through their actions. Then, by receiving worship from their followers, their faith was born, and they were able to reach godhood. However, in today¡¯s era, it had be physically impossible to achieve divine ascension. In the past, Sienna had been unable to understand why that was the case, but the current Sienna could vaguely sense why things had turned out this way. Someone had closed the door to divine ascension. In doing so, they had been able to monopolize most of the worship and faith that was being generated by the world. Even Sienna herself, whose name had be practically synonymous with the path of magic, would have found it difficult to reach the Godhood of Magic even after hundreds of years of training if she hadn¡¯t received the guidance of the Sage, that is. Sienna had her guesses as to who that someone was. ¡°You should be able to tell us by now,¡± Sienna said as she turned to look straight at Eugene. ¡°What have you found out about the Light?¡± The God of Light was the god who boasted thergest number of believers in this era. While there were other faiths worshiped throughout the continent apart from the Light, even if you added all of the believers from these misceneous faiths together, they would still fall far short of the total congregation of the Light. The proof of this collective power was in how Yuras was able to reign supreme as the only holy empire on the continent. Kristina also spoke up in encouragement, ¡°Sir Eugene, please.¡± Kristina and Anise had also made up their minds to hear the truth. What exactly was the Light, the source of their existence as the Saint, and the deity they had been destined to serve from the moment they were born? They hade up with their own guesses to answer that question in the past. They had felt that the light didn¡¯t seem to possess an actual ego driving it. So they had guessed that it was simply an autonomous entity that granted divine power to those who served it and requested its blessing. ¡°Is the Light truly an actual god?¡± Kristina asked nervously. If their guesses were correct, the Light wasn¡¯t an existence that could be called a god because it would mean that there wasn¡¯t anything like an independent will steering its divine focus. In the past, that was what Kristina and Anise had both believed. However, Eugene had corrected the Saints¡¯ assumptions. ¡ªThe Light isn¡¯t a god as most people would think of the term. In Eugene¡¯s opinion, this meant that the Light wasn¡¯t simply a mass of power without any ego driving it. At the very least, the Light evidently did have some form of will guiding it to bestow the Holy Sword upon the world, choose Eugene as the Hero, and remind the Saints to open Vermouth¡¯s tomb. But such revtions had solely been delivered for Eugene¡¯s sake. The Light obviously treated Eugene as a special existence, someone to be exclusively favored. Now, Eugene knew exactly who the Light was. Eugene slowly spoke up, ¡°The Light has many names.¡± With a bitter smile on his face, Eugene sat down in his seat. Then, he turned to look into the distance. Looking past the arena, over the gray waves of Raguyaran that had currently settled down quietly, he looked into the distant sea obscured beneath a thick, hazy fog. ¡°The God of Abundance and Prosperity. The God of the Sea and Navigation. The God of the Earth and Forests. The God of Knights and Honor. The God of Time and Fate....¡± In addition to these titles, Eugene listed the names of all the gods known to the continent. Eugene even included those whose divine titles weren¡¯tmonly known by the public, as well as cults that were actively being persecuted by Yuras¡¯ Inquisition of Heresy. ¡°All those are just different names for the Light,¡± Eugene shockingly revealed. In this current world, the only true faith other than the faith of the Light was the faith of the World Tree that was still being practiced in the Rainforest. Having never imagined that there would be such an answer to all of their doubts, Kristina''s jaw dropped wide open in shock. Anise also couldn¡¯t help but be taken aback. They both had often met priests and pdins belonging to other denominations, but they had never once felt any shared sense of kinship with these other priests and holy knights. ¡°It¡¯s the same thing as the primal spirits,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Just like how the primal spirits only get named things like wind, water, and earth spirits after they leave their primal state... the Light at its core is just pure divine power without anything that could be called a distinguishing feature. In a way, it''s simr to pure mana.¡± ¡°That...¡± Kristina paused to collect herself. ¡°In other words, the divine power that we, and the ordinary priests of the Light, use... as well as the divine power of other religions, including those that the Church dismisses as heretics or inferiors... are you saying that it¡¯s all the same in the end?¡± ¡°No, not exactly the same. But well, it doese from the same source,¡± Eugene grumbled as he rested his chin on one hand. As Kristina was left so shocked by this revtion that she could only move her lips soundlessly, not knowing what to say, Anise took over their body. Hurriedly walking over to Eugene¡¯s side, Anise asked, ¡°Why exactly did the Light create so many different religions?¡± ¡°Because his godhood consists of a mass of dozens, or even hundreds, of different concepts,¡± Eugene calmly replied. Even Anise couldn¡¯t help but feel flustered by those words. What did he mean, a mass of dozens, or even hundreds, of different concepts? ¡°Ah...!¡± But Anise soon realized what exactly those words meant and what the Light truly was. Sienna¡¯s expression, which had been fixed in a serious look as her eyes were focused on Eugene, also trembled slightly. Both their thoughts had turned to what exactly Eugene must be feeling about this. In the one year that he¡¯d been away up until his return today, they didn¡¯t know when exactly he had found out the truth, but he couldn¡¯t have remained calm after learning about this. ¡°It has to do with those gods who were there to see the end of the Age of Myth,¡± Eugene slowly began to speak while still staring out into the sea. In his mind¡¯s eye, he looked beyond the hazy sea fog that was impossible to see through. Eugene recalled the sight of the distant sea thaty beyond the fog. That sea was a ce where the presence of any living being was strictly prohibited. A ce that no one who belonged to this era was allowed to enter. A ce where both despair and hope had been interred together. It was the grave of all the gods who had been present at the end of the Age of Myth ¡ª except for the Sage ¡ª and the Holy Land of the gods who now belonged to the current era. ¡°This is what he said,¡± Eugene slowly recalled. Eugene didn¡¯t know when exactly it had started. But one day, as he had woken up in that ruined city deep beneath the abyss where nothing ever changed only to have found that the Light was suddenly standing right in front of Eugene. ¡°He said that the remaining gods were only there to witness the end of the world because of what Agaroth had done to slow down the Demon King of Destruction,¡± Eugene repeated. Those words matched with what the Sage had said. If Agaroth and his Divine Army had chosen to escape, the Demon King of Destruction would have been able tounch its assault immediately on the world without any interference. However, Agaroth had blocked the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s advance, and because he had held back the Demon King, the other gods were able to make their own arrangements for the Destruction thaty ahead. ¡°The Sage and all of her followers who were gathered at her Ivory Tower transformed themselves into the World Tree. That was because the Sage was concerned that the Cycle of Reincarnation might be broken and that the Destruction of the next era would alsoe without any warning,¡± sighed Eugene. However, the cycle of reincarnation actually wasn¡¯t broken with the end of the world. Though that being the case, the final spell cast by the Sage and the wizards of the Ivory Tower still sessfully bore fruit in the current era. Thanks to that, the legacy of their magic could continue uninterrupted, and the World Tree would serve as the final defense should Destruction return to destroy the world once more. Eventually the divine authority of magic was inherited by Sienna. ¡°The other gods also sought to do something simr. In order to aplish this, they literally joined together as one. In the most barbaric way possible,¡± Eugene revealed with a grimace. ¡°What do you mean when you say a barbaric way?¡± Sienna hesitantly asked. ¡°Hamel, the one who told you this story... which god from the Age of Myth was it?¡± Anise also asked in a trembling voice. Still staring out into the distant sea, Eugene quietly answered, ¡°It was Gordian.¡± After saying this unfamiliar name, Eugene let out a long sigh. ¡°It was the God of Giants,¡± Eugene rified. Upon first meeting him in that ruined city, Eugene immediately recalled just what kind of god he had been and what name Agaroth had once known him by. The God of Giants had appeared in front of Eugene as a huge man sculpted out of light itself. During the Age of Myth, Gordian hadn¡¯t been embodied by the Light like he was currently, but even then, he had still been of such colossal size that he could make even mountain peaks look minuscule. ¡°As for the barbaric way that I mentioned, well... it was something truly savage,¡± Eugene said, letting out another sigh before seemingly changing the subject. ¡°Gordian was always extremely huge. Of all the gods who had ever lived during the Age of Myth, he was the absolutergest in size.¡± The others listened in shocked silence. ¡°Gordian told me that the other gods willingly threw themselves into his mouth,¡± Eugene finally shared. After appearing within that deep abyss, the Light told Eugene how Gordian and the other gods had nned to face the end of the world. He also told Eugene why they had felt that they had no other choice but to resort to that method. At that time, the imminent Destruction of the world was already an irrefutable fact. The Elder Gods had arranged a meeting with the Demon King of Incarceration and had asked him if there was any way to stop Destruction, but the only answer they received was to wait for the next era. As such, the gods readied themselves for what was toe. Even if this current era was destroyed, they trusted in the fact that another era would begin anew. They also hoped to devise a way to prevent that new era from having to face the same Destruction that theirs would be facing. ¡°There were two things that they had nned,¡± Eugene said. ¡°The Ancient Gods managed to prepare two different contingencies. The first was to create a single source of divinity and divine power in the next era by having all of the gods be willingly consumed by the God of Giants.¡± ¡°How could they ept such a method?¡± Anise asked in disbelief. Eugene sighed, ¡°Because the imminent end of the Age of Myth had already proven that, no matter how many gods there were, they still wouldn¡¯t be able to stop the Demon King of Destruction.¡± This didn¡¯t mean that the gods were able to ept such a desperate option right from the very beginning. When the hold that Agaroth had held on Destruction was first released, a number of gods who possessed overflowing confidence in their strength had stepped forward to stop ¡ª no ¡ª to y the Demon King of Destruction. However, not a single one of them survived their attempt. None of them even managed to impede Destruction¡¯s advance for a bare moment. ¡°As such, those Ancient Gods chose to ensure that in the next world, there would be no other gods but one. The God of Giants would eat all of the remaining gods in that era and be one huge, all-epassing god, thus ensuring that he would be the supreme god of the next era. In the next world, he would be the only such god in all of existence,¡± Eugene finished his exnation. Sienna thoughtfully chewed her lower lip before nodding, ¡°As expected, so the one responsible for blocking this world¡¯s path to divine ascension... it really was the Light.¡± The Ancient Gods had manufactured a monopoly on divinity in the current world. No matter what type of worship was performed, all of the faith generated by said worship would be consumed by the Light once it ascended into the divine realm. That was consistent with the warning that the Sage had given Eugene. Simr to how Eugene¡¯s own budding faith would be preyed upon if he stayed in the World Tree for too long, all faiths that had existed throughout the history of this current era had been devoured by the Light and the other religions that it masqueraded as. ¡°However, humans will still believe in what they want to believe and refuse to believe the things that they don¡¯t want to,¡± Eugene continued. Sienna couldn¡¯t deny that. ¡°That is why the Light has so many different names and why their true identity is so muddled. Because they also possess the Godhood of Selflessness, the collective entity created from the Ancient Gods can masquerade itself as any god in this era. Though among the various identities it has created, the most important one is its identity as the Light, which was also intentional on their part,¡± Eugene said as he began rummaging through his cloak. This action was because Eugene was feeling in the mood for a drink. The first thing that he ended up pulling out of his cloak was the bottle of alcohol that Gavid had left behind. ¡°Not this one,¡± Eugene muttered with a wry grin. He was going to save drinking this bottle for when he someday ended up ying the Demon King of Incarceration. But after some effort, he still couldn¡¯t find any other bottles of alcohol rolling around inside of his cloak. Eugene soon realized that there wasn¡¯t any need for him to keep searching inside his cloak. After all, Kristina was sure to have some alcohol on her. When Eugene reached out his hand in silent request, Anise handed over the sk that was hanging from her waist. Under usual circumstances, Anise would have never offered to share a drink from her personal sk with the others. However, now wasn¡¯t the time to bother with such things. When Eugene opened up the bottle, a strong aroma drifted out. ¡°This isn¡¯t your usual choice of drink, is it? Isn¡¯t this a distilled beverage?¡± Eugene questioned doubtfully. If you gave her some distilled alcohol, she would still drink it, but Anise usually preferred strong, fruity wines. ¡°That¡¯s because I¡¯m not the one who chose that particr vor of drink. Kristina¡¯s the one who filled the sk with that,¡± Anise revealed. ¡°No way...¡± Eugene said with an incredulous expression as he lifted the bottle to his lips. Only a year ago, Kristina was someone who would rarely ever drink, and if she did, she would only drink sweetened wine.... ¡°So Hamel, what you¡¯re saying is... if all of the Ancient Gods were eaten by the God of Giants and transformed into the supreme god of the present era... then what exactly is going on with all of the myths surrounding the Light?¡± Anise carefully inquired. Eugene reassured her, ¡°All of those stories might be exaggerated to a certain extent, but there are some grains of truth in them. As I said, they intentionally chose the Light as the main faith for their divine collective, despite holding the Godhood of Selflessness.¡± Anise frowned and asked, ¡°What was their reason for doing so?¡± ¡°The name itself conjures some obvious impressions, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene said with a shrug. ¡°It was meant to bring to mind the Light that illuminates the darkness. It can also work as several other allegories.¡± The Light that illuminates the darkness could also be the Light of dawn that follows the long night. ¡°That makes it perfect for creating religious icons. Like how in Yuras¡¯ legends, the Incarnation of Light descended upon the world to illuminate it.... Although something like that didn¡¯t physically happen, it is true that the Light did bestow the Holy Sword Altair onto the world. And because of Altair, the Holy Empire of Yuras was created,¡± Eugene took a swig of the strong spirits before setting the bottle down. ¡°The Ancient Gods¡¯ n worked out just as they had hoped. Thanks to their efforts, the Holy Church of the Light is able to flourish throughout the current world, while most other religions can¡¯t even form a proper governing structure.¡± ¡°In that case... that means that everyone in this world is ultimately serving one single god,¡± Anise surmised. ¡°That¡¯s right. That¡¯s what was intended all along. Thanks to that, they amassed a huge amount of divine power that can¡¯t even bepared to what they may have had in the Age of Myth. Though, in fact, they won¡¯t actually be able to make use of any of that divinity directly,¡± Eugene added. Anise raised a brow and asked, ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t they be able to use it directly?¡± ¡°Because they¡¯re all dead,¡± Eugene revealed another earth-shaking fact. Anise¡¯s eyshes fluttered in shock. Eugene continued without a pause, ¡°After the God of Giants devoured all of the gods, he incinerated his own body. In doing so, his body perished, leaving behind only his soul, which was how Gordian was even able to move on to the present era with his memories intact. But because of what he sacrificed to do so, he cannot descend onto the world in physical form or otherwise intervene directly. All he can do is to bestow divine power on those who worship them as their god.¡± Anise silently processed this new information. ¡°However, most people wouldn¡¯t be able to directly bear on their shoulders the enormous power that their primary Godhood of Selflessness generates,¡± Eugene said as he took another swig of his drink before setting it down. ¡°That is why they bestowed Altair onto the world. To make it easier to draw on a portion of that immense divine power.¡± Anise frowned as the gears spun in her head, ¡°But Altair... the fact that only a Hero can hold it means....¡± ¡°There were two things,¡± Eugene reminded her with a wry smile. ¡°I said that the Ancient Gods had two different ns that they had prepared to prevent the destruction of the next era.¡± The first method was that all of the gods were eaten by the God of Giants so that they could be the sole god of the next era. ¡°The other contingency they left behind was me,¡± Eugene calmly stated. ¡°...Huh?¡± Anise gaped in confusion. ¡°The only one who was able to block the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s advance and who was able to leave his mark on the core of that monster,¡± Eugene said, letting out a long sigh. ¡°The final n of the Ancient Gods was to make sure that Agaroth would be reincarnated in the new era.¡± Chapter 541: Divine Ascension (2)

Chapter 541: Divine Ascension (2)

Three hundred years ago, after Hamel had died in the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s Castle, Babel, Vermouth was the one who had arranged his reincarnation into Eugene. However, Vermouth didn¡¯t have anything to do with how Agaroth had been reincarnated as Hamel. ¡°It was because Agaroth was the only choice,¡± Eugene softly muttered while looking out into the distant sea. ¡°He may not have defeated the Demon King of Destruction, but he at least left his mark on the Demon King¡¯s core. And unlike the other gods, he was able to hold the Demon King of Destruction back for several days.¡± Though there weren¡¯t that many gods who had taken on the challenge of trying to stop the Demon King of Destruction, among the gods who had epted that task, only Agaroth had managed to aplish it. Was it because Agaroth was just that strong? Eugene was the first to deny that possibility. It was true that Agaroth was one of the strongest gods around. It was also a fact that he was one of the few gods who had managed to y multiple Demon Kings by himself. However, among all of the gods who had been alive during the Age of Myth, Agaroth hadn¡¯t been the strongest. Of the Ancient Gods who hadn¡¯t taken part in the war between the gods and the Demon Kings, there were several gods who possessed greater divine power than Agaroth. What made Agaroth so special was that, as befitting of his name as the God of War, Agaroth was unstoppable when it came to warfare. ¡®Eugene suddenly recalled, ¡®Just now, Gavid Lindman said that he had managed to cut down Agaroth, didn¡¯t he?¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t believe that Gavid Lindman was lying about that, but he did feel that there were certain other factors at y to have made such a thing even possible. No matter what methods the Demon King of Incarceration may have used to recreate him, the Agaroth that Gavid had fought wasn¡¯t the real thing. It was probably an illusion created by the Demon King of Incarceration based on what he had seen and remembered. If all of the God of War¡¯s murderous intent and spite was removed from him, leaving him with only his skill inbat, it was inevitable for there to be differences from the real Agaroth. Agaroth was able to hold back the Demon King of Destruction for so long because of the said spite and murderous intent. In the first ce, the strength and depth of his divine power hadn¡¯t been of any use when facing the Demon King of Destruction. Before that final battle, Agaroth had heard the voices of his believers. He watched as everyone in his Divine Army died in front of his eyes. Then, to satisfy thest wishes of his Saintess Aria, he had broken her neck himself. That was why Agaroth had been able to block the Demon King of Destruction. His spite and murderous intent had fueled his desire to kill the Demon King of Destruction by whatever means possible and had allowed him to endure those five days spent within the core of Destruction. ¡°In the opinion of the Ancient Gods, it would be a far too risky and baseless venture to ce their trust in the people of the next era,¡± Eugene snorted. ¡°That¡¯s right. Rather than expecting the birth of someone in the next era who could perfectly control the Holy Sword, was strong enough to be an equal of the god, and was skilled enough to not only defeat the Demon King of Incarceration but also reach the Demon King of Destruction whoy beyond, they decided that it would be better to just reincarnate the reliable choice ¡ª Agaroth.¡± His friends listened in silence. ¡°But it didn¡¯t go as well as they hoped,¡± Eugene muttered with a wry grin. The Ancient Gods¡¯ arrangements were only half sessful. Eventually, the Demon King of Incarceration didunch an invasion of the continent just like he had during the Age of Myth. The exact reason for the invasion was unknown, but the fact that the Demon King of Incarceration, who had remained silent for so long, would suddenly start a war seemed to be a clear signal that the end was approaching. ¡°Sienna, Anise, Molon. Three hundred years ago, would any of you have ever imagined that I might be something so grandiose as the reincarnation of the Ancient God of War from the previous era?¡± Eugene asked his three listeners. Instead of replying immediately, all three first nced at each other. They carefully thought back to when they had first met Hamel. They recalled the way he seemed to have a dirty rag for a tongue, how he kept clicking his tongue at them like he was trying to pick a fight, all of the unsavory rumors surrounding him, and how Hamel would constantly challenge Vermouth to a spar whenever he got the chance.... ¡°I don¡¯t know about a God of War, but I did think you were a true idiot,¡± Anise admitted honestly. ¡°You didn¡¯t seem quite strong enough to be epted as arade, but I still felt that you weren¡¯t truly a viin at heart,¡± Molon also gave his honest opinion. ¡°I... um... well... I did think that you were a bit of an idiot, but still, um, that didn¡¯t stretch to the point where I couldn¡¯t ept it,¡± Sienna stammered out her answer in a small voice, recalling how she felt after hearing Hamel call her ¡°pretty¡± during their first meeting. ¡°You three really are a bunch of bastards,¡± Eugene growled. It seemed like they had initially looked down on him even more than he had first thought. Trying to calm the anger boiling inside of him, Eugene spat out, ¡°In any case, well, that was where the problemy. The Ancient Gods had been hoping that the reincarnation of Agaroth would result in someone who could pacify the battle in the human world as soon as he was reincarnated and proceed to harvest the heads of all of the high-ranking demonfolk and Demon Kings like they were weeds. But in reality, I, as the reincarnation, wasn¡¯t quite as impressive as they were expecting.¡± Sienna awkwardly tried tofort him, ¡°...But even so... well... Hamel, you were strong enough, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Being strong enough wasn¡¯t good enough.¡± Eugene shook his head with another click of his tongue. ¡°The thing that caused half of the n to fall into ruins was time. Too much time had passed between the beginning of the current era and the reincarnation of Agaroth.¡± The Holy Sword Altair had been forged for Agaroth¡¯s sake. The Ancient Gods had hoped that Agaroth¡¯s reincarnation would work with Altair to stop the Demon King of Destruction before the Demon King managed to end the world once more. They judged that, even if Agaroth¡¯s own strength proved insufficient, as long as he could use Altair as a medium to draw on the source of divine power that had been distilled from the faith of the entire continent, he should be able to reach the same level as the Demon King of Destruction. However, too much time had passed, causing Agaroth¡¯s godhood to fade into obscurity. Although Hamel was strong for a human, he still fell far short of the strength that the Ancient Gods had been expecting. Even if Hamel had be the master of the Holy Sword, without his godhood, it would have been impossible for him to draw on Altair¡¯s full power. An opportunity was needed to reawaken his faded divinity. He needed to spend time wandering the battlefields, repeatedly fighting in battles, killing demonfolk, and ying Demon Kings.... But would the Demon King of Destruction really wait around for him to finish all that? No, it wouldn¡¯t, and it wasn¡¯t just the Demon King of Destruction that Hamel needed to worry about. The Demon King of Incarceration had already announced the start of the war but had retreated into silence within Babel after doing so. However, the other Demon Kings and demonfolk refused to stay simrly silent. Instead, they were given free rein to leave the Devildom and rampage across the continent, leaving a trail of massacres behind them. If things had continued like this, humanity would have been destroyed at the hands of the demonfolk and Demon Kings before the Demon King of Destruction had even made an appearance. Someone. They needed someone. Someone who could buy time until Agaroth could reawaken his forgotten godhood. Someone who could stop the other Demon Kings and demonfolk from destroying humanity. Someone who could provide hope instead of allowing resignation and despair to permeate the world. The Ancient Gods knew what method they needed to use. Things would turn out fine if they could just find a Hero. Someone who could be the focal point of humanity, ignite the hope for victory, and inspire humanity to follow him onto the battlefield by serving as the foundation of their newfound hope. Only a Hero could do such a thing. So should they bestow a revtion and manufacture a Hero? But who on earth should they choose? Within the Light, that divine mass of Selflessness, a faint ego was formed in order to make this decision. If things kept going like this, then everything that they had done would be rendered utterly meaningless. Someone needed to buy time until Agaroth could be reawakened, but who on earth should they choose? Just who would be able to act as the Hero to end this era of despair? They had the Saints. Putting aside the fact whether these poor women could even be called true Saints, the Light, at the very least, did not reject the existence of these Saints. This was because they felt that such beings were necessary for their ns. However, the Light ultimately decided not to bestow the fate of a Hero onto these Saints. It wasn¡¯t because they felt pity for these artificially created Saints; it was simply a problem of it being inefficient to do so. In that case, should they just choose one of the church¡¯s Holy Knights? But there weren¡¯t any holy knights who really caught their eye. Once they had made their choice of Hero, they couldn¡¯t allow that Hero to be defeated. The Hero must serve as a symbol of hope. He needed to be someone who could inspire hope in others and create a desire for victory. What if they made the wrong choice and their Chosen Hero was defeated and in by a Demon King, one who wasn¡¯t even the Demon King of Incarceration at that? Or maybe, just maybe, the absolute worst thing could happen, and their Hero could end up being killed by amon demonfolk rather than a Demon King. If something like that were to happen, it would only result in an irreversible trend of humanity falling into despair. Despite possessing countless names, the Light was the sole deity in charge of the current world. If its Chosen Hero were defeated, then people would no longer be able to believe in their gods. So even if they sessfully managed to reawaken Agaroth¡¯s godhood, if the world had already drowned itself in despair, then... Altair would no longer be able to serve as an equalizer for Agaroth. ¡°You three already know what happened next,¡± Eugene said while lifting the sk to his lips. ¡°Someone suddenly appeared, imed the Holy Sword, and became the Hero.¡± He had first appeared in the northern snowfields among a group of prisoners being transported to the Devildom. If things had gone as they were originally meant to, all of those prisoners would have died after being used up as sacrifices by a ck wizard or being turned into a demonfolk¡¯s ythings. At least, that is what would have happened if something miraculous hadn¡¯t urred. One of the prisoners, a young boy who hadn¡¯t been seen as any threat before this, suddenly snatched a sword from one of the guards and ughtered all of the demonfolk and ck wizards who had been part of the caravan. ¡°Vermouth,¡± Molon said in a reflective murmur. This was Vermouth Lionheart. Molon still couldn¡¯t forget the moment when he had first met Vermouth. On one of the snowfields that the Bayar Tribe had roamed, Vermouth, whom Molon had encountered on that day, hadn¡¯t given him the impression of a lion as the Hero¡¯s name might suggest. With his matted gray hair and golden eyes that had shone with a ghostly light amidst the snowstorm, the first impression that Molon had gotten from Vermouth was that of a starving snow wolf. Vermouth wasn¡¯t able to just go and grab the Holy Sword right from the very beginning. Vermouth¡¯s journey first began with making his name widely known. For that purpose, he rampaged across the snowfields along with Molon and the Bayar Tribe. Together, they destroyed demonfolk fortresses, copsed ck wizard dungeons, and liberated the prisoners that were being transported across the snowfields. As they traveled across the vast and deste snowfields, they found many people who had been forced into hiding to escape the demonfolk. Vermouth gathered all these people together and protected them as he led them to safety. After doing all this, rumors about his actions were bound to spread without any further involvement from Vermouth, quickly generating rumors about the young hero who had appeared in the snowfields. A few of the hastier rumor spreaders even imed that this young hero was the Hero that the Light had sent down to save the world. ¡°I remember that,¡± Anise absently muttered. ¡°At that time, Yuras was making all sorts of attempts to somehow draw the Holy Sword. I also attempted to draw the Holy Sword, but as expected, I too failed, and there were countless other holy knights and priests ordered to make an attempt alongside me. Among the ordinary believers, all those known to have a strong faith in the Light also got a chance to stand in front of the Holy Sword.¡± However, no one had been able to draw the Holy sword. Under those circumstances, the rumors regarding Vermouth began to reach the church¡¯s ears. It didn¡¯t matter whether he actually had any faith in the Light. The Church decided that the world needed a Hero like Vermouth to give it hope. ¡°In the end, the Pope of that era personally stood up to make a deration, and soon, Sir Vermouth and Molon came to Yuras,¡± Anise recalled. Just like Molon, Anise could clearly recall Vermouth¡¯s appearance at the moment that she first met him, when he confidently strode into the Holy See. His neatlybed gray hair and the pure white cloak that he wore around his shoulders had made for quite a sight, along with his golden eyes that had emitted a soft glow of light. During that time, Anise had been filled with resentment and skepticism toward the Light, but the moment she saw Vermouth, she couldn¡¯t help but have some instinctive thoughts about him. She instantly felt that this man truly was the Incarnation sent down by the Light to save this world, and he could be no one else other than the fabled Hero. That was just how sacred and holy Vermouth¡¯s appearance had been at that moment. The golden light flickering in his eyes had felt just like the dawning rays of hope. ¡°The Light had something else to say,¡± Eugene added before pouring the rest of the liquor down his throat. ¡°At first, he had no intention of actually appointing Vermouth as the Hero. After all, from the moment he first saw Vermouth, he got the feeling that Vermouth definitely wasn¡¯t human.¡± The others silently processed this information. Eugene shrugged. ¡°However, the Light wasn¡¯t able to prevent what happened next. Vermouth took hold of the Holy Sword and forcibly pulled it out.¡± Eugene was aware of the truth behind this. The Holy Sword had never once actually epted Vermouth as its master. Yet even so, Vermouth had been able to wield the Holy Sword. In order to wield it, Vermouth had sealed away the Holy Sword¡¯s Light. The light that was emitted by the Holy Sword after Vermouth had drawn it was nothing more than the faint afterglow left over by the sword¡¯s Light leaking through the seal. Only after the de was broken in Eugene¡¯s battle against the specter that the Holy Sword managed to regain its original brilliant glow. ¡°Right until the very end, the Light still refused to acknowledge Vermouth as the Hero, but they were left with no other choice but topromise with Vermouth¡¯s actions. Even though Vermouth wasn¡¯t human, at the very least, he didn¡¯t seem to be an enemy either. So holding the Holy Sword, Vermouth began acting as the Hero, then, after finding me, he moved on to the goal of ying the Demon Kings,¡± Eugene calmly recounted. But what on earth had driven him to do such a thing? Just what exactly had Vermouth known that led him to discover Hamel? ¡°The Light couldn¡¯t tell what Vermouth¡¯s true identity was, but they felt that he shared the same desires as them. So, they allowed Vermouth to keep doing what he was doing. While hoping that someday, eventually... I would reawaken my divinity,¡± Eugene said with a sigh. However, until hisst moments, Hamel was still unable to reawaken his divinity. He never got the opportunity to possess Agaroth¡¯s Ring, and he didn¡¯t manage to survive their climb up Babel. But why was that? What was so different between the lives that he had lived as Eugene Lionheart and as Hamel Dynas? Eugene knew the answer to those questions. Agaroth¡¯s Ring had always been fated to end up in Eugene¡¯s hands somehow. As Agaroth¡¯s reincarnation, Eugene was always meant to be reunited with Agaroth¡¯s Ring through one means or another, even if his godhood had already faded away. However, Hamel never once crossed paths with Agaroth¡¯s Ring during his lifetime. ¡°The Light had an idea on why that was,¡± Eugene said with a chuckle as he set down the now empty liquor sk. ¡°He said that my destined fate as Agaroth¡¯s reincarnation may have been altered because I had met Vermouth.¡± The Light had never arranged for the existence known as Vermouth in its ns. It might even be that Vermouth Lionheart wasn¡¯t an entity that was ever meant to be a part of this world¡¯s destiny. Even though this meant that the world itself had to have been set off-course by Vermouth, Vermouth was ultimately someone whose very existence went against all reason. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the Light reveal the truth to you in advance?¡± Molon asked with a hard expression. ¡°Ultimately, the Light was the one who knew the most about you. Even with their Godhood of Selflessness keeping them from being active, you said that they could still muster up a slight trace of ego during moments of need. In that case, wouldn¡¯t it have been possible for them to tell you and Anise the truth?¡± ¡°Idiot,¡± Eugene scolded with a chuckle. ¡°If that bastard called the Light were to suddenlye and tell me, ¡®You¡¯re actually the reincarnation of the ancient God of War,¡¯ do you think I would just go, ¡®Oh my, so I¡¯m actually a god!¡¯ and believe them?¡± ¡°Um...,¡± Molon paused, uncertain of what to say. ¡°I would have naturally dismissed it as total bullshit. And fine, say that I did give them a lot of leeway and chose to believe their im; what could I do even if I did believe it?¡± Eugene posed rhetorically. Even if Eugene had known the truth in advance, it wouldn¡¯t have changed anything. Without Agaroth¡¯s Ring or having traveled to the abyss deep within the Southern Seas, Hamel still wouldn¡¯t have been able to reawaken his lost divinity. ¡°That¡¯s why they couldn¡¯t say anything. And by that, I mean both Vermouth and the Light. Neither of them could tell me anything until I managed to reawaken my godhood on my own,¡± Eugene admitted. However, three hundred years ago, Hamel couldn''t realize his divinity until the very end because his fate had already been drastically altered. Vermouth must also have known that. But had Hamel managed to survive and reach the top floor of Babel, would things have somehow been different? ¡°So, in the end...¡± Anise muttered quietly before letting out a long sigh. She looked down at her empty sk with disappointed eyes. Her heart was filled with a sense of depression and wistfulness, leaving her in desperate need of a drink. ¡°...does that mean even the Light doesn¡¯t know anything about Sir Vermouth?¡± Anise sought to confirm. ¡°They said that if anyone in this world knows who or what Vermouth exactly is, it would only be the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Eugene grumbled as he clicked his tongue once more. ¡°But even with that being the case, they seemed to have a vague guess about the truth.¡± ¡°Couldn¡¯t you get them to tell you what their guess was?¡± Anise asked. Eugene shook his head, ¡°I felt like they would have told me if I had asked, but I didn¡¯t want to hear it.¡± ¡°Why not?¡± Anise frowned. Eugene sighed, ¡°Because they weren¡¯t certain about it.¡± The same thing also applied to Eugene. He had his own vague guess as to Vermouth¡¯s true identity, but too much was uncertain. Vermouth had been able to use the Moonlight Sword. He had discovered several weapons that hadn¡¯t been made in this current world of theirs. He had also been able to use the various weapons belonging to the other Demon Kings. Finally, from the very beginning, Vermouth had known that Hamel was the reincarnation of Agaroth and invited him to be hispanion because of that. ¡°I¡¯ll get the full answer from the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Eugene vowed. He would get the truth about Vermouth and about the Oath as well. Also, he would find out what they needed to do to save Vermouth. Eugene even nned to put a knife to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s throat while asking these questions. ¡°Hamel, I have.... This is just a personal question, but....¡± Anise¡¯s uncertain voice trailed off in a questioning tone as she nced at Eugene with a cautious look. ¡°It¡¯s over there,¡± Eugene raised his finger and pointed towards the distant sea. ¡°If any ce can be called heaven, that ce is the closest to it.¡± ¡°...Huh?¡± Anise gaped in confusion. ¡°All souls sworn to one god or another eventually end up flowing to that ce,¡± Eugene revealed. All the way towards that distant sea. Eugene sighed, ¡°The alternate dimension connected to that ce is the tomb of the Ancient Gods, the Holy Land of the current God, and the closest thing this world has to heaven.¡± Reincarnation was an indisputable fact. Even the Demon King of Destruction hadn¡¯t been able to break the cycle of reincarnation. Only the Demon Kings could pluck a soul from the cycle of reincarnation and keep it from returning to the cycle. And among all of the Demon Kings, the most unique and special example was the Demon King of Incarceration. Unlike the others, who needed to bind their victims with contracts, the Demon King of Incarceration could wrap his chains around those souls and imprison them even when they hadn¡¯t made a contract with him. ¡°It¡¯s nothing too impressive,¡± Eugene described. ¡°After all, it¡¯s just a temporary transit area where the souls are made to wait before being reincarnated. However, it wouldn¡¯t be wrong to call it heaven. Souls that have been polluted or damaged during their time in this world are purified by the Light during their stay in heaven and are then sent off to be reincarnated.¡± You could even describe it as a type of virtuous cycle. The ultimate goal of the Light, with its countless different names, was to expand its divine power by increasingly growing the faith it harvested from the world. Through these arrangements, the Ancient Gods had nned to bring down the Demon King of Destruction by granting Agaroth the use of all the divine power they cultivated during these countless, long cycles. It was a known fact that, for the few moments following someone¡¯s death, their souls would still possess some form of consciousness. After all, if people were transformed into unthinking beings at the exact moment of their death, there wouldn¡¯t be such things as ghosts or the undead. Because of this phenomenon, the Light had created all of its stories regarding heaven. He had wanted to extract everyst drop of faith from the souls that came pouring into the afterlife, attracted by the concept of heaven. Anise couldn¡¯t help but allow her jaw to drop soundlessly. So heaven wasn¡¯t actually created out of the Light¡¯s pure love for humanity? ¡°Haaaah....¡± Eugene let out another long sigh. But could you really say that the Light didn¡¯t have any love for humanity? The Light¡¯s ultimate desire was to prevent the Destruction of the world. This deception was done in order to save the world and the people living in it. That was the Light¡¯s sole motivation. Yet even so, the Light still allowed its Church to inflict all sorts of bullshit onto this world, turning a blind eye as their followers conducted human experiments, harassed other religions, and even hunted down those whose only crime was to belong to other faiths. Because some of the church¡¯s crimes could prove necessary to save the world, the Light allowed them to continue. As such, the Light could even be described as a monster devoted to protecting humanity. ¡°If there really is a heaven, then that¡¯s enough,¡± Anise closed her eyes and softly whispered. Eugene¡¯s exnation just now had granted Anise relief from all of the anxiety and doubts that she had harbored over the past hundreds of years. In this world, there really was such a thing as heaven. The Light that she had once devoted herself to, and that even now was being worshiped by countless others, was truly, in some way or form, still a god. ¡°Well... the next time I go there, I¡¯ll have to redo the ce,¡± Eugene muttered as he got up onto his feet. ¡°Make it actually look like the heaven that it¡¯s meant to be.¡± ¡°Hamel, can you really do something like that?¡± Anise asked in surprise. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, then I¡¯ll just beg them to do it for me,¡± Eugene grumpily snorted. ¡°There¡¯s no way that they would ever say no, right? After all, they¡¯re the ones who went and reincarnated me without permission and handed me the arduous fate of ying Incarceration and Destruction to save the world.¡± That was why Eugene felt like he couldn¡¯t let go of his past connections. There were countless people who had sacrificed themselves to ensure that he managed to reach the present day. They had entrusted Agaroth, Hamel, and Eugene with a flickering spark of hope that had kept burning all the way until now. ¡°Well then, shall we get started?¡± Eugene turned to Molon and asked as he pulled Levantein out of his cloak. ¡°To begin, why don¡¯t you get down on one knee.¡± ¡°Do I really need to kneel?¡± Molon asked with a grim expression on his face. To think that Molon would actually show such stubborn pride. ¡°No... I guess there¡¯s no real need for you to kneel,¡± Eugene conceded as he chose to respect Molon¡¯s pride. Chapter 542: Divine Ascension (3) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 542: Divine Ascension (3) [Bonus Image]

Although this was Eugene Lionheart¡¯s first time knighting someone, there was nothing grand about the asion or the setting. In a ce like this, there naturally wasn¡¯t any raised dais, and the only witnesses present were two living souls, one deceased soul, one familiar, and a dragon. Of course, if you looked at it from another perspective, it was apletely different story. One of those living souls was the undisputed greatest wizard of this era and a formerly pending Goddess of Magic who had recently reached full divine status, and the other living soul was a Saint. The remaining deceased soul was that of a genuine Archangel. But what about the familiar? ¡®I suppose it¡¯s enough that she¡¯s cute,¡¯ Eugene thought with a silent snort. In the first ce, Eugene didn¡¯t consider Mer to be just a familiar. As for Raimira, it was also enough for a dragon to just be a dragon. After all, in the current era, there weren¡¯t any knights who could be said to have been knighted with the blessings of a dragon. ¡°Ahem,¡± Eugene suddenly cleared his throat. He could have somehow made a dais to stand on if he really felt that it was necessary, but Eugene thought that something like that wasn¡¯t strictly needed because Eguene was fully capable of flying through the air on his own. Floating up into the air, Eugene stood slightly taller than Molon, whose shoulders were thrown back and his legs locked straight in an imposing stance. ¡°Molon Ruhr,¡± Eugene began the ceremony by solemnly calling out the name of the one being knighted. The Brave Molon Ruhr, the Courageous First King who had founded the nation of Ruhr, calmly looked up at Eugene. ¡°I... ahem... so anyway...,¡± Eugene faltered, unsure how exactly he was supposed to continue. They had both agreed that Eugene would appoint Molon as his Holy Knight, but how was he meant to do this? For a few moments, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but lose himself in frantic thought. His sudden panic was because he had never actually knighted anyone before in his entire life. In the case of Laman, whom Eugene had long ago dragged back with him from the desert, Eugene had simply thrown him into the mansion¡¯s service without first knighting Laman. After a few more moments of trying to figure it all out by himself, Eugene turned to Molon and asked, ¡°Hey, how am I supposed to knight you?¡± Molon, who had been waiting there with a serious and solemn look, shifted back into his usual foolish expression as he blinked in confusion and said, ¡°Why are you asking me that?¡± ¡°At the very least, you¡¯ve been a king, so you must have dubbed a lot of people before, right?¡± Eugene argued. ¡°That is true, Hamel.¡± Molon nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯m reminded of when I first raised a vige in this harsh snowfield. That vige became Hamelon, the capital city of Ruhr. As you must know, the name of this country¡¯s capital, Hamelon, was chosen in your honor.¡± Eugene listened to this silently. ¡°At first, Hamelon wasn¡¯t arge city like it is now. Besides me, there were the warriors who followed me and their families, as well as refugees who had lost their homnds because of Helmuth.... At that time, we were sorelycking in supplies, so we constructed the houses using bricks made out ofpacted snow,¡± Molon fondly recalled. Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what Molon was getting at. ¡°That¡¯s how we raised the first vige in this snowfield, and I dered it the start of my kingdom. The kingdom that was eventually named after me ¡ª the Kingdom of Ruhr. At that time, in the middle of the snowfield, I granted the title of knight to my hundreds of warriors...,¡± Molon trailed off in reminiscence. Why had this bastard started boasting all of a sudden? Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed in confusion. To Eugene, who was starting to lose his patience, Molon¡¯s words sounded like nothing but bragging, as if he was saying, ¡®Oh, look at me, I¡¯ve knighted hundreds of knights.¡¯ Also, why had he started talking about the founding of Ruhr all of a sudden? ¡°Stop with the bullshit, and just tell me how you¡¯re supposed to knight someone,¡± Eugene demanded with a growl. Molon shrugged, ¡°You can just do whatever you want.¡± Eugene frowned as he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t listen to your bullshit just to hear such a simple answer.¡± ¡°The de[1] ceremony is performed differently for every knightly order,¡± Molon finally exined. ¡°The de ceremony for holy orders involves being beaten to a pulp, getting pped in the face, then spending the whole night reciting prayers while holding your sword. If that¡¯s what you really want, Hamel, I don¡¯t mind it if you feel like spending a few days punching me.¡± ¡°Why would I do something like that when it will only end up hurting my fists more than your face?¡± Eugeneined. Molon changed the subject, ¡°I¡¯m actually curious about something else, Hamel. As I said before, I named the capital of Ruhr Hamelon in your honor, but now that you¡¯ve been reincarnated like this and the whole world knows about your reincarnations, is there any need tomemorate your death like that? Doesn¡¯t this mean Hamelon no longer needs to be named Hamelon?¡± ¡°Hey! Even if I¡¯ve already been reincarnated, that doesn¡¯t make it so that my death as Hamel never happened. So what do you mean that there¡¯s no need tomemorate it?¡± Eugene fired back as he raised Levantein into the air. Fwoosh! The de of transparent crystal burst into mes. Startled by the roaring mes, Molon took a backward step. ¡°Why did you just set your de on fire?¡± he asked with concern. ¡°I¡¯m going to tap you once on each shoulder with this de,¡± Eugene informed him. ¡°Are you really going to make branding your knight¡¯s flesh with scars of holy me part of your de ceremony?¡± Molon asked in wary concern. ¡°It just looks like it¡¯s burning fiercely, but it isn¡¯t that hot,¡± Eugene reassured him. Although he didn¡¯t believe that Eugene would lie to him, Molon¡¯s eyes couldn¡¯t help but waver in concern. After all, it hadn¡¯t been that long since he had seen this sword of mes, Levantein, unleash its terrible might by slicing straight through Gavid¡¯s body. However, this was none other than the Brave Molon. So he just took a short breath and kept his back straight as he stood in front of Eugene. ¡°Molon Ruhr,¡± Eugene said solemnly, lowering his voice. Engulfed in mes, Levantein slowly parted the air around it as it softlynded on Molon¡¯s right shoulder. ¡°You are my first Holy Knight,¡± Eugene dered. The moment he said this, the color of the mes changed. The dark and vicious blood-red color transformed into a radiant white light. Eugene continued, ¡°I dub thee the most trusted and valued of my knights and the Greatest Warrior.¡± Moving once more, Levantein gently touched Molon¡¯s left shoulder. Fwooooosh! The mes erupted from the de and washed over Molon¡¯s body. But it was just like Eugene had said. Even though the mes had now engulfed his entire body, Molon didn¡¯t feel even the slightest trace of heat. Molon unconsciously took a deep breath. The swirling mes flowed into Molon along with the air that he breathed in. Badump, badump.... As the mes circted within his lungs, Molon¡¯s heartbeat began to feel different from how it usually sounded. He reached his hand out towards the axe that he had plunged into the ground next to him. The moment that his huge, rough hand wrapped around the handle of his axe... Fwooosh! mes identical to Eugene¡¯s engulfed Molon¡¯s axe. Molon gasped in surprise as he lifted his axe to take a closer look. As he felt the divine power now dwelling within him, Molon smiled brightly and said, ¡°This strength defies belief.¡± The divine power had only just been poured on top of the mana that Molon had already umted over the long course of his life. But even with just that recent addition, Molon was already able to ignite such powerful holy mes. This was the strength of a Holy Knight and the Greatest Warrior personally knighted by his god. Moreover, it wasn¡¯t just anyone who had been dubbed by Eugene ¡ª it was Molon, who had already been one of the strongest human beings alive. ¡°It¡¯s not just my strength. Everything about me feels like it has just been remade,¡± Molon muttered introspectively as he lowered his axe. Even before this, Molon was already considered a legend as the Founding King of Ruhr. His storied life had extended for a whole three hundred years, a feat that in any other era would have immediately guaranteed his ascent to godhood. As a result of all that history, this de especially brought about a massive growth in Molon¡¯s strength. ¡°It will be a year at the verytest,¡± Eugene said as he stared at Molon with a calm look. ¡°I will be challenging Babel within the year.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that too hasty?¡± Molon asked in concern. Eugene sighed, ¡°I have no choice but to rush it. The Demon King of Incarceration has already warned us more than once that there really isn¡¯t much time left.¡± Although they couldn¡¯t know for sure what would happen when the time came for the end of the Oath, Eugene didn¡¯t want to wait and see what that end would be like. Because no matter how much he thought about it, Eugene knew that the end wouldn¡¯t bring about anything good. ¡°Also, the number of Nur appearing has significantly increased recently, hasn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene pointed out. The Nur were an omen of Destruction. Even with the recent increase in numbers, Molon was still able to handle them easily. But if the Nur poured forth in uncontroble numbers and spread across the continent as they had during the end of the Age of Myth, then things would truly get out of control. ¡°So the only issue left is Noir Giabe?¡± Molon muttered with a hard expression. He didn¡¯t know the full story behind Eugene¡¯s rtionship with Noir. However, even without knowing anything about thatplex rtionship, Molon already knew that Noir was a strong opponent. ¡°Hamel, do you know what state Giabe City is in now?¡± Anise suddenly asked. Eugene shrugged, saying, ¡°I¡¯m sure that ce is as noisy and rotten as it¡¯s always been.¡± ¡°It¡¯s true that it¡¯s as rotten as ever, but... the situation in that city has changed since youst visited it,¡± Anise said, shaking her head. ¡°While you were absent, Giabe City was sealed shut for two months. None of the city¡¯s millions of tourists were allowed to leave, and no new tourists were able to enter the city.¡± Eugene frowned silently. ¡°Thingssted like that for two months. Because the tourists from their various countries weren¡¯t allowed to return, all the countries involved sent a formal protest to Helmuth. They demanded an exnation for why their tourists were being held hostage. I also got the feeling that something wasn¡¯t right, so I paid a visit to Giabe City,¡± Anise recounted. Despite receiving dozens of protests, the Demon King of Incarceration didn''t take any action to reopen the gates of Giabe City. That said, the Demon King of Incarceration also didn¡¯t do anything to show his direct support for Noir Giabe. He had simply rejected all involvement in this issue. The Saints decided to ept this at face value and proceeded to take action. Although they didn¡¯t want to engage in armed conflict with Noir Giabe at such an early point, the number of human lives being held captive made it impossible for them to simply ignore her. Hamel might be absent, but if he had been there with them, he would have surely made the same choice. As such, the Saints mobilized all of the forces that they could muster. Most of those who had participated in the Hauria Liberation War also chose to respond to the Saints¡¯ call. The Pope gave his blessing, and even the Emperor of Kiehl lent his support to the Saints¡¯ decision. Moreover, the Demon King of Incarceration himself didn¡¯t do anything to interfere either, even as the Saints led an army across the Helmuth border and proceeded to travel through the warp-gates as if they were only going there as tourists. Even the ordinary demonfolk, who were usually prone to convulsions, granted the army swift passage, appearing like they had been given orders to that effect. Even now, Anise still found it difficult toprehend the strange sight of Giabe City at that time. She had visited Giabe City in the past with Eugene and spent some time in the insanity that was Giabe Park. It was truly a city where night never seemed to exist, a city that never went quiet, not even for a single moment. But when she stood in front of the gates of Giabe City that day, with her army behind her, Anise couldn¡¯t hear any soundsing from the city. The city that had been holding millions of captives within its walls was so silent that no trace of their presence could be felt. ¡°They opened the gates,¡± Anise slowly recalled. They had just been about to break down the tightly sealed city gates, but before Anise could give the order, the gates had opened on their own. ¡°It was right at the end of the two months of lockdown, the gates were opened, and all of the captive tourists were released,¡± Anise borated. This only made the whole situation even more bizarre. The Saints weren¡¯t the only ones who felt that way. The many knights, mercenaries, warriors, and wizards who had also been present were disturbed by this surprising turn of events. Most of those present possessed senses keen enough to detect the traces of an ant crawling on the other side of the city gate. However, none of them had sensed the gathering presence of all these people before they proceeded to pass through the now-opened gates. The same was also true for those who had been peering down into the city walls from observation points floating high in the sky. From their lofty positions, they should have had a clear line of sight to whaty inside the city, but none of their eyes could clearly make out what exactly was happening inside Giabe City. No, from the very start, they hadn¡¯t been able to see anything through the strange veil covering Giabe City. The false image of the city that they thought they had been looking at, as well as the traces that they had been carefully searching for, all of that was an illusion created by a distortion of reality. ¡°The people who emerged from the wide-open gates looked so at ease that it was impossible to believe they had just been held captive for the past two months. They all looked extremely refreshed. If I had to describe it, they each had the face of someone who had enjoyed a long, rxing nap,¡± Anise reported with a frown. The tourists who emerged from the city gates came to a halt in confusion at the sight of the army led by the Saints that was blocking their path. ¡°After asking a few of those apanying me to lead those tourists away, I tried to enter Giabe City on my own. I wanted to figure out what had been happening inside the city during those past two months. I wanted to know what exactly Noir Giabe, that slut, was up to,¡± Anise confessed. ¡°But it seems that you weren¡¯t able to enter,¡± Eugene suddenly muttered thoughtfully, breaking his silence. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anise nodded while also letting out a long sigh. ¡°It¡¯s shameful and pathetic to admit, but it¡¯s true, I wasn¡¯t able to enter the city.¡± A voice had started whispering to Anise as if it wasing from right in front of her. ¡ªIf you dare to enter.... The voice didn¡¯t finish what it was about to say. However, from what it had already said, it was easy enough to imagine what words would have followed. Anise had had to make a decision. The power held by the Saints was the antithesis of all demonkind, but their opponent was Noir Giabe. A demonfolk of her level was ¡ª no ¡ª Noir had already be an existence that even surpassed the level of an ordinary demonfolk or even a Demon King. So, would the Saints truly be able to defeat a Demon King single-handedly? That was impossible. Even if Anise poured out all of her divine power and let loose with her strongest miracle, she still wouldn¡¯t be able to put up a fight against Noir. Those gathered behind the Saints were undoubtedly a group of the most elite warriors from across the entire continent. However, even with their protection, how long would Anise truly be able tost in such a battle? Was it even possible for them to put up any resistance against Noir? ¡°At that time, I didn¡¯t feel like I had the determination or justification to risk everyone¡¯s lives,¡± Anise admitted shamefacedly. ¡°You did the right thing,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°It¡¯s not like you went there to kill Noir Giabe. You only went there to retrieve her captives, and since that seeded, it meant that there was no need for you to fight her.¡± ¡°Are you trying tofort me out of pity for my weakness?¡± Anise sniffed haughtily. ¡°Just think of it however you like. After all, no matter what I say, the humiliation you felt back then won¡¯t go away. However, Anise, I would hate it if you died,¡± Eugene said with a fond smile as he pulled Anise into a hug. Anise was startled by the sudden embrace and tried to leap up to her feet. However, Eugene¡¯s strong arms held Anise in such a firm grip that she couldn¡¯t escape. ¡°Anise, Kristina,¡± Eugene sighed. ¡°It seems you both went through a lot of suffering and hardships while I was gone. It¡¯s a blessing that we were able to safely reunite like this.¡± Anise faltered, ¡°Oh... um....¡± I am already dead, so what¡¯s the meaning of you saying at this point that you ¡®would hate it if I died¡¯? If it were the usual Anise, that is what she would have said to poke fun at Eugene. However, right now, she wasn¡¯t capable of doing something like that. Eugene¡¯s embrace had robbed Anise of any freedom of thought. [Sister, Sister!] Kristina shouted. Anise ignored Kristina¡¯s loud screams echoing inside her head. Meanwhile, Anise was also desperately trying to keep control of their shared body. Kristina¡¯s strength had grown a lot, but she still couldn¡¯t easily seize control of her body from Anise. [You devil! You viin!] Kristina shouted usingly. How dare Kristina call the holy spirit of someone who had died as a Saint and transformed into an Archangel, a devil? However, Anise decided to generously forgive her shameful behavior. ¡°Y-yes.... It... it really is a blessing, Hamel, that I... that I¡¯m alive like this...,¡± Anise slowly said as she leaned her face against Eugene¡¯s chest, showing a soft expression that she had never once revealed during all of the time that she had been alive three hundred years ago. ¡°Ahem, ahem, ahem!¡± Unlike Molon, who was watching this scene with a fond smile, Sienna was ring at the two with mes in her eyes as she loudly and repeatedly cleared her throat. ¡°So then, what happened after that?¡± Sienna prompted Anise. ¡°After the tourists were released, you had to run away from Noir!¡± ¡°Really now, how can you be so tactless with your words?¡± Molon chided her. Sienna was taken aback, ¡°I... what¡¯s wrong with what I said....¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Apologize, Sienna. Your words just now were far too harsh. Anise is a priest, after all. It¡¯s only natural that she wouldn¡¯t be able to fight a Demon King on her own like we can.¡± ¡°I... I truly am so pitiful and weak. Th-that¡¯s why I need the Hero¡¯s... Hamel¡¯s protection...,¡± Anise said in a breathy sob. She actually dared to call herself pitiful! Sienna¡¯s shoulders trembled in rage. How could a battle priest who, three hundred years ago, had reveled in swinging a mace and smashing in the skulls of high-ranking demonfolk and who even now could turn most demonfolk into stters of flesh and blood be described as pitiful! However, when one thought about it calmly, it was a self-evident fact that thebat power of a Saint would be inferior to that of an Archwizard and a Hero. ¡°I... you...,¡± Sienna¡¯s lips parted as she tried to apologize for what she had just said and correct herself, but she found herself struggling to actually finish the sentence. Anise didn¡¯t wait for Sienna¡¯s apology and resumed speaking first, ¡°The lockdown of Giabe City was lifted, but there was a problem with what happened next.¡± Anise had yet to leave Eugene¡¯s embrace, and she even proceeded to wrap both arms around his back as she continued to lean her face against his chest. ¡°You... you crazy bitch! What do you think you¡¯re doing!¡± Sienna shouted in anger. ¡°The tourists who had left the city and returned to their hometowns began heading back to Giabe City all on their own. Each of their countries tried to restrict them from traveling back, but that didn¡¯t work so well. If any of them were forcibly captured and ced in confinement, they would start tomit acts of self-harm, such as mming their heads against a wall or strangling themselves with their own hands,¡± Anise softly whispered, paying no heed to Sienna¡¯s insult. Even as she continued to speak, Anise was still desperately trying to keep control of their body so that Kristina couldn¡¯t take over.... ¡°The other priests and I felt that it had to be some sort of ck magic spell designed to manipte their thoughts, or perhaps some sort of evil hypnosisid on them by the Queen of Sluts, so we tried to purify them, but... it was impossible to do so. The tourists weren¡¯t being afflicted by any ck magic spell or hypnosis,¡± Anise revealed disappointedly. ¡°Then what was it?¡± Eugene urged her. ¡°It was their own memories,¡± Anise sighed as her hands ran down Eugene¡¯s back. ¡°Those intense and pleasant memories from the two months that they had spent in that slut¡¯s city made them voluntarily decide to head back to Giabe City. If we wanted to suppress that urge, we would either have to erase those memories or erase the emotions associated with them.¡± ¡°In other words, you didn¡¯t have any practical methods of dealing with them,¡± Eugene surmised. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anise reluctantly admitted. ¡°Because there are limits to what we could do to control their urges and restrict their attempts to harm themselves, in the end, most tourists were allowed to return to Giabe City.¡± Still, the city didn¡¯t feel as extremely off-putting as it had been the first time. The gates of Giabe City had been left wide open. Anyone was allowed to enter, and all those who entered were free to leave as they pleased. But this didn''t do anything to improve the situation. The various kingdoms had taken action to ban their citizens from traveling to Giabe City, but the tourists who had entered Giabe City before that ban was put into ce weren¡¯t willing to leave. ¡°Most of the attractions and casinos in Giabe City were still operating, but...,¡± Anise hesitated. ¡°Hamel, everything had changed from thest time we were there. At that time, Giabe City was known as the city without a night. At all hours of day and night, the city was filled with the noise of people partying. However, at that moment, things werepletely different. At that time, the tourists who visited Giabe City weren''t interested in any entertainment. They only went to the city to dream.¡± Through their dreams, they could lose themselves in their fantasies. Meanwhile, Noir Giabe was floating in the air, standing above these millions of blindly dreaming tourists. ¡°That slut has gone crazy,¡± Anise cursed. She was already crazy to begin with, but never before to this extent. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene said with a wry smile as he let go of Anise. ¡°Because of that, I need to kill her before she gets any crazier.¡± Turning away from Anise, whose eyes were practically dripping with tears of disappointment, Eugene looked around at the others. ¡°For now, we should head back to the Lionheart estate,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°...Alright,¡± Anise responded once she had regained control of her emotions. Instead of replying to Eugene, Sienna repeatedly cleared her throat, ¡°Ahem, ahem, ahem...!¡± ¡°Molon,¡± Eugene said as his gaze finally came to a rest on Molon. ¡°When I reach Babel, I will summon you, my first Holy Knight and my one and only Greatest Warrior.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s just how it should be,¡± Molon said with a grin and a nod. ¡°As I familiarize myself with the Light that you¡¯ve granted me, I will look forward to that day.¡± It would be a year from now at the very most. Compared to the hundreds of hellish years that Molon had spent on this mountain, a year was an extremely short amount of time. ¡°On that day,¡± Molon smiled and extended his fist towards Eugene, ¡°Together with you, Hamel, we will defeat the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Eugene also grinned as he extended his fist to Molon. Bam. Their fists lightly knocked against each other. 1. Also known as the dubbing, where the liege ces his or her sword on the soon-to-be knight¡¯s shoulder. ? Chapter 543: Divine Ascension (4)

Chapter 543: Divine Ascension (4)

When Eugene had returned to the mansion a year ago, he had found it drastically different from how he remembered it. ¡®How on earth did the mansion turn out like this?¡¯ Eugene couldn¡¯t help but unconsciously think to himself at that time. Even so, a year ago, the mansion had still retained some traces of its former appearance, but now no such traces remained. Eugene stared at the mansion in silence. What bothered Eugene more than anything else was the extreme disharmony that could be found within the grounds of the estate. On one side, there was a forest so dense that it seemed like it had been ripped right out of the Rainforest. Then there were the three Fairy Trees[1] that towered above the rest of the forest. As Fairy Trees, they would have already grown muchrger than ordinary trees, but these weren¡¯t just any ordinary Fairy Trees; they were saplings grown from the World Tree. While looking at the lush tree branches that were beginning to cover most of the sky above the forest, Eugene had to swallow back a gulp. Unlike the first side, which was filled with the overflowing vitality of nature, the other side didn¡¯t have any traces of nature left. All he could see were various different mechanisms that were hard at work. All sorts of items were flying down the constantly running conveyor belts ¡ª swords, spears, axes, arrows, and shields ¡ª those sorts of products. In other areas, all sorts of different minerals were piled up. Even the precious mythril ore was heaped up and made to look asmon as a stone one could find on the street. Eugene widened his eyes as he watched all this activity taking ce. The dwarves were running around everywhere on their short, stout legs, and among their number... were people that he wasn¡¯t familiar with. ¡°Hmmm...,¡± Eugene hummed thoughtfully. Upon inquiring, Eugene was informed that they were all Spirit Summoners who belonged to the White Tower of Magic. They were working as the dwarves¡¯ assistants with an air of familiarity, and they were also responsible for enchanting thepleted equipment and items. Some of them had even set up their own workshops and were coborating with the dwarves. In the first ce, although the current White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah, was a renowned Spirit Summoner, the White Tower of Magic didn¡¯t just deal in spirit summoning. They also specialized in alchemy. ¡°Hmmm.... ah....,¡± Eugene murmured in surprise. When he hadst seen them a year ago, the grounds of the mansion had also been in quite a state of disarray. The elves and the saplings of the World Tree that Eugene had brought here had already been causing the Lionheart Forest to grow far too aggressively. Then, there were the ten dwarves he had brought with him to process Raizakia¡¯s corpse. At that time, the dwarves had set up a workshop on one corner of the mansion¡¯s grounds to improve their work efficiency, but the problem now was that the workshop had already grown far toorge. ¡®The results are definitely a benefit, but...,¡¯ Eugene kept these thoughts to himself. Thanks to the saplings of the World Tree having fully set down their roots, the ground beneath the Lionheart estate had been transformed into one of the strongest leylines on the continent. The Lionhearts had been able to monopolize the benefits from this as, even if you just looked at it in terms of pure efficiency, the mana that the Knights of the White Lion and the ck Lion had umted over the past few years was qualitatively superior to all of the mana that they had previously umted through a lifetime of training. The dwarven workshop might somewhat marr the estate¡¯s aesthetics, but the goods they produced were of excellent quality. Thanks to that, all of the Lionhearts had been armed with dragon-sourced equipment, and they would be able to continue to monopolize the dwarves¡¯ craftwork throughout the near future. ¡°Once everything is over,¡± Eugene said after clearing his throat with a nervous cough, ¡°how about getting the whole family to move somewhere else?¡± Instead of replying, Anci just kept up a shallow smile. Shooing the others off, she had volunteered to greet Eugene¡¯s return today all by herself. Naturally, this act was because she wanted to show him how much the mansion had changed over the past year. ¡°By ¡®once everything is over,¡¯ when exactly do you mean?¡± Anci questioned as she led Eugene on a tour of the mansion. Eugene gulped, ¡°I... after I¡¯ve in the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction, things should be over at that point....¡± ¡°That sounds like it will be quite difficult,¡± Anci said with a sniff. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right...,¡± Eugene admitted nervously. ¡°Although it isn¡¯t as much as you, I¡¯ve had to face my fair share of difficulties during this period,¡± Anci sighed in a low voice, still keeping up her smile. Eugene suddenly recalled how Sienna and the Saints had immediately run away when they saw that Anci was the oneing out to greet them. Sienna had escaped by saying it had been too long since she hadst seen her older brother and the Saints had left while saying they had some matters to discuss with the Pope, who had arrived earlier that day.... ¡°Moving, you say, that sounds like quite a good idea. Do you already have a ce in mind?¡± Anci continued her interrogation. Eugene hastened to promise her, ¡°I would be fine with wherever you decide, Lady Anci. If you wish to live in his castle, I will even go up to King Strout II, who has said that he will be attending today¡¯s banquet, grab him by the cor, and order him to make preparations to vacate his pce immediately.¡± ¡°Oh my...,¡± Anci muttered appreciatively with a nod, still wearing the same smile she had first greeted him with. When they had discussed this topic before, Eugene had sensed that Anci didn¡¯t seem too upset with the idea of moving the family to a different home. However, Eugene could sense that something had changed since then. Thest time, Anci had felt a bit resigned to the changes going on around her, so after giving it some thought, she wasn¡¯t upset by the idea and had insteade to ept the possibility of moving out of the Lionheart estate ¡ª but now, things were very different. ¡®I¡¯m dead,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself in fear. He could feel her chilly, murderous intent wash over him as he walked behind her. Anci¡¯s murderous intent was one born of deep resentment rather than a violent rage. Eugene tried to continue persuading her, ¡°Or how about the Holy See? Yuras is actually quite a nice city to live in, and the Vatican is right in the center of the city. They might tell everyone publicly that there are no warp-gates in Yuras, but that¡¯s just a bunch of lies. The Vatican even has a warp-gate hidden in its basement. And if that¡¯s not enough, we can just make a few more.¡± ¡°A castle, as you said earlier...,¡± Anci, who had been quietly listening to Eugene¡¯s chatter with that same stiff smile on her face, finally gave a physical reaction. She nodded slightly as she turned to look back at Eugene, ¡°I believe that Babel would be fine.¡± As Anci spat out these words, her eyes, which had been narrowed into thin, smiling curves, opened up slightly to reveal her pupils. The cold gaze that shot out brushed over Eugene¡¯s skin. Anci¡¯s gaze seemed to prate even deeper into Eugene¡¯s skin than any of the Demoneyes he had met throughout his life. ¡°Ba... Ba-what?¡± Eugene stammered. ¡°Babel,¡± Anci slowly repeated. ¡°Is the Babel that you¡¯re talking about the same Babel that I¡¯m thinking of?¡± Eugene nervously checked. Anci calmly rified, ¡°I¡¯m not sure just how many ces you know about that are called Babel, but as far as I am aware, there is only one Babel.¡± ¡°Ah... ahem...,¡± Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat. Could Babel really be called a castle? Eugene thought back to what he had seen of Babel during hisst visit to Helmuth. Babel had definitely looked like a skyscraper that was ny-nine floors tall.... However, Eugene knew that if he dared to tell Anci that Babel wasn¡¯t a castle when she was in such a vulnerable state, the fan she held in her hand would definitely be snapped in two. ¡°Um... Babel is... alright... as long as it stays intact and doesn¡¯t copse. Then yes, I agree,¡± Eugene conceded. ¡°The bottom floors can be used to garrison the knights, and the upper floors can be for the family¡¯s personal use.¡± Anci nodded in approval, ¡°It would be quite a powerful gesture to repurpose the royal pce on the top floor for the Patriarch¡¯s personal office. It would also be very symbolic.¡± ¡°Yes...,¡± Eugene weakly agreed. But would Babel really be able to remain intact after he was done killing the Demon King of Incarceration? That, more than anything else, was causing Eugene to feel hesitant to agree. Most probably, the building wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand the aftermath of their battle and would just copse, or else.... In the worst-case scenario, the entire fief might end up being erased, like what had happened when the Dragon-Demon Castle was brought down. No, in the first ce, the current form of Babel was only able to exist because of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s dark power. So, if the Demon King of Incarceration were to perish, wouldn¡¯t it be only natural for Babel to crumble away in its entirety? ¡®If that happens, we¡¯ll just have to build a new one,¡¯ Eugene resigned himself. Now that Anci had voiced her decision, even if Babel were to be erased, they would just need to erect an equally tall, ny-nine-storied building in its ce. Just like Anci mentioned, such an act would have plenty of symbolic meaning. The reincarnation of Hamel, who had died while climbing Babel, and the Lionhearts, the descendants of the Hero, would have finally conquered Babel after three hundred long years and would make it into their personal fiefdom. ¡®That would be quite the sight...,¡¯ Eugene smiled to himself. The more he thought about it, the more pleased he felt with the idea. ¡®Even if Babel ends up destroyed, we can just build a new one. Ny-nine floors is a bit too much, so perhaps around ten floors.... No, would ten floors be too low?¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as he nodded in contemtion. Suddenly, Eugene recalled another question that was bothering him. ¡°But what are the wizards from the White Tower of Magic doing here?¡± ¡°Without you or Lady Sienna here, do you think there is anyone around who would be able to restrain Melkith from ordering them here?¡± Anci asked rhetorically. ¡°But Kristina was here, wasn¡¯t she,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°While you were gone, the Lady Saint locked herself in her rooms for several weeks, getting drunk all by herself. During that time, Lady Melkith invaded the estate and caused all sorts of things to follow,¡± Anci revealed. This wasn¡¯t a bad thing for the Lionhearts. Instead, it was actually a huge benefit for the family. Through active exchanges with the wizards of the White Tower of Magic, the elves living in the forest had learned the art of spirit summoning, and even among the knights, a few had found themselves learning spirit summoning at such ate point in their career. Also, most of the dwarven products created were further enhanced by the wizards¡¯ alchemy and enchantments before entering the Lionheart¡¯s arsenal. ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Eugene sighed in relief. ¡°Thanks to the elves and the dwarfs that I brought along, the family has really prospe¡ª¡± Grrk. Eugene heard a strange noise. Fortunately, it wasn¡¯t the sound of a fan snapping in two. It was just... the sound of Anci grinding her teeth. Eugene stopped himself from finishing his earlier sentence and instead quickly changed the subject, ¡°Everyone is probably waiting on us, so why don¡¯t we head back over to the banquet hall?¡± *** Many prestigious guests were visiting the Lionheart mansion today. All of the rulers Eugene had met thus far in his life were in attendance, including the Emperor of Kiehl and the Pope of Yuras. Also present were all of the spectators who had been in the arena during his duel with Gavid in Raguyaran a few days ago, including the heads of a few of the more influential coteral bloodlines and their children. ¡°I had heard that you¡¯ve employed elves as your servants... but to think that it would be true,¡± said the Emperor of Kiehl. Strout II was observing the elves from his seat in the VIP area. Just a few years ago, it would have been extremely rare to see any elves outside of the forests. This was because most of the previously wandering elves had either fled south or had been hunted down and taken as ves, so any remaining elves were forced to live while hiding away in deste forests or mountains. However, ever since the Lionhearts had dered themselves the guardians of the elves, the entire race¡¯s situation had changed drastically. The elf hunting that had previously been taking ce, despite the country¡¯sws banning very, hade to aplete halt due to the impact of the Lionheart name. Strout II knew the reason for this. The Lionheart name was certainly influential, but it was also thanks to the Knights of the ck Lion, who had taken care of all the necessary dirty work in the shadows. Then, there was also the impact of Eugene Lionheart¡¯s name on top of that. More than the fact that Eugene was publicly known as the sessor of the Wise Sienna, his name had been able to deter the vers who had previously been hunting elves in the Rainforest because he was known to have the backing of the Zoran Tribe[2]. In fact, at that time, Strout II had been dissatisfied with everything regarding this elf affair. Even if it was just a minor race, to think that a single family would be able to dictate the fate of an entire race and leverage even more influence than thews of the country... and to think that they had even gone and formed rtionships with the barbarian tribes of the Rainforest? If it hadn¡¯t been for Alchester dissuading him, Strout II would have used any excuse to take Eugene Lionheart down a peg. ¡®Thank goodness,¡¯ Strout II thought to himself. At that time, Alchester had yet to have met Eugene. Despite that, Alchester had still thrown his support behind the young man. It may have been out of his loyalty to the Lionhearts or Alchester¡¯s desire to protect the much younger Eugene, but ¡ª thinking back on it now ¡ª Alchester¡¯s dissuasion had saved Strout II¡¯s life. If he had found an excuse to get Eugene in his hands at that time, then.... ¡°Hey,¡± a voice suddenly reached Strout II¡¯s ears just as he was sighing in relief. ¡°Aaagh...!¡± Strout II gasped as he almost leaped out of his seat, without any regard for the damage to his reputation from doing so. Before Strout II had even realized it, Eugene was already standing next to him. ¡°Eu-eu...¡± Strout II stammered, struggling to collect himself. ¡°Lord... Eugene Lionheart.¡± ¡°What do you mean, Lord? Huh[3]? Didn¡¯t I tell you to call me Sir?¡± Eugene demanded thuggishly. ¡°Wha¡ª¡± Strout II choked back a protest. ¡°Why didn¡¯t I see you at the duel? Lord Alchester showed up, so why didn¡¯t you?¡± Eugene questioned as his eyes forcefully red a hole into Strout II. In what realm ofmon sense could that be justification for scolding someone of his status? Strout II was the Emperor. No matter how much the fate of the continent might depend on that duel, it was unconscionable for him to personally attend such a duel when it was impossible to know what might happen. After all, if Eugene had been defeated, wasn¡¯t it possible that Gavid and the other demonfolk present would have gone on to ughter all the spectators there? Strout II tried to defend himself, ¡°No... no matter what, you should at least consider our position¡ª¡± ¡°Your position?¡± Eugene sneered. ¡°I¡¯m asking you to tell me why you didn¡¯t show up while Lord Alchester came in person?¡± Why was Eugene treating Alchester with such respect, even as he was being so rude to Alchester¡¯s liege, the Emperor? Strout II was dismayed and anguished by Eugene¡¯s double standards. Just a few years ago, Eugene had at least been willing to treat him like his Emperor when in front of other people... but after it had be publicly known that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel, even that minimal show of respect had disappeared. ¡°That¡¯s... We are not the only one who didn¡¯t attend in person,¡± Strout II tried to argue. ¡°The Pope of Yuras and the Kings of Shimuin and Aroth also didn¡¯t make a personal appearance....¡± Eugene defended the King of Shimuin. ¡°Oseris would have found it difficult traveling all the way up from the southern tip of the continent. Since he¡¯s spent most of his life in a temperate climate, he would have frozen to death the moment he arrived in the north.¡± Strout II was forced to remain silent. ¡°The Pope is too old, and Daindolf of Aroth at least sent his Crown Prince Honein in his stead. So, who do you think you are not to send anyone?¡± Eugene sneered. Strout II protested, ¡°We also sent Lord Alchest¡ª¡± ¡°Is Lord Alchester a member of royalty? Do you think that he¡¯s your son?¡± Eugene immediately shot back as he narrowed his eyes in anger. His shoulders trembling in a mix of anger and fear, Strout II realized that there was no way he would be able to emerge victorious from this conversation. This was because Eugene had already decided on what kind of response he wanted to hear from Strout II. In the end, Strout II was forced to bow his head as he struggled to suppress the anger boiling inside him, saying, ¡°I apologize....¡± Eugene nodded victoriously. ¡°That¡¯s right, but make sure to do your best so there¡¯ll be no need for you to apologize in the future.¡± Tap tap. Eugene patted Strout II a few times on the shoulder. The depression that Eugene had been left with after receiving such a difficult mission from Anci hadpletely disappeared. ¡°You¡¯ll get sick if you keep trying to bottle everything up. Sometimes you just need to vent,¡± Eugene muttered as he turned and left Strout II behind him. Even if that meant you needed to manufacture an excuse for that outburst yourself. ¡®Did he say that out loud just for me to hear him?¡¯ Strout II thought to himself. Strout II felt aggrieved about everything that had just happened to him. However, unlike Eugene, Strout II knew he couldn¡¯t just vent his pent-up emotions at any of those present here. He felt it would be better to hold it in, even if that meant getting sick. ¡°Ahem.¡± Eugene deliberately cleared his throat loudly. At this noise, the many eyes spread throughout this banquet hall turned to face Eugene. Sienna and Kristina had arrived earlier, leaving Eugene as the only attendee yet to arrive. Everyone already present had been eagerly awaiting Eugene¡¯s arrival, but none of them had realized Eugene was already there with them until they heard him clearing his throat. Before an outpouring of their loud voices coulde crashing down on him, Eugene raised his hand and requested, ¡°Please settle down, everyone.¡± Even though that was all he did, all the voices in the room immediately stopped speaking. Even Melkith, who was wearing a fine dress with a low-cut back, kept her mouth shut without a fuss. This was thanks to the natural aura of intimidation that the current Eugene carried with him. ¡°Hah....¡± Eugene let out a deep breath as he shook his head. He had just seen the tinum Lion standing proudly in the back of the banquet hall, serving as a decoration. Every time he saw that thing, he felt the urge to destroy it or melt it down, but strangely enough, Gilead had grown attached to that fancy float.... ¡°They should just put it in storage...,¡± Eugene muttered as he turned his gaze away from the tinum Lion. He looked around to see if there was any high footing he could stand on, but unfortunately, the highest vantage point in the banquet hall was on top of the tinum Lion. Could it be that its cement there was deliberate? Eugene clenched his fists tightly before rxing them. Only one senior in the Lionheart n could have arranged something as eye-catching as this. Eugene immediately looked around for Carmen. Carmen silently made eye contact with him and nodded back with a joyful smile. Eugene knew that Carmen bore no trace of ill will towards him... so he just couldn¡¯t bring himself tosh out at her. In the end, still letting out repeated sighs, Eugene climbed up on top of the tinum Lion. Mer reminded him, [If you really didn¡¯t want to climb on top of this lion, you could have just started floating up into the sky. Or perhaps it would have been better to just start speaking while you were on the ground. Everyone was already looking at you, Sir Eugene, in any case, so was there really any need for you to go and stand somece tall?] Eugene¡¯s only response was silence. [Sir Eugene, I know you all too well.] Mer shook her head. [Right now, you¡¯re just trying to fool yourself. No, it¡¯s not just now. You¡¯re always being dishonest with yourself when ites to most things, Sir Eugene. Even though you say, ¡®I don¡¯t want it~,¡¯ you actually secretly enjoy doing stuff like this. That¡¯s still the case even now. Even as you think that it can¡¯t be helped and that Carmen¡¯s the one responsible for all this... the truth is that you enjoy drawing all this attention while looking down on them from such an attention-drawing and tall position.] Just let her say whatever she wants to say for now. If he could have his way, Eugene really wanted to reach into his cloak and pinch Mer¡¯s cheek. Everything that this cheeky little brat had just said was pure nder. Raimira had her own opinion, [Since Benefactor is more honorable than any of the humans here, it is only natural for Benefactor to stand in such a splendid and high position while he receives everyone''s admiration.] Mer cursed, [You bitch, why do you always take Eugene¡¯s side whenever I make fun of him? That¡¯s just like how a cowardly lizard would act.] [Thisdy is just being honest. However, Benefactor, this sculpture is too shabby to properly show off your majesty. Surely it would be better for you to stand on my head, this magnificent dragon?] Raimira proposed. [You sly bitch, stop trying to get closer to Sir Eugene by using yourself to draw even more attention!] Mer used. Mer and Raimira began squabbling inside the cloak. Now standing atop the tinum Lion¡¯s head, Eugene ignored the loud noisesing from his cloak. ¡°Many of the guests currently present were also there for my duel in the Raguyaran arena,¡± Eugene began by saying. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how well the broadcast of the duel managed to record it, but there was something important that I revealed during my fight.¡± Just what could Eugene be leading up to? Everyone in the banquet hall looked up at Eugene, their eyes shining in interest, and their ears pricked as they listened carefully. ¡°I revealed that I am now a god,¡± Eugene dered this in a calm voice. Naturally, Eugene¡¯s gaze first fell on the Pope. Eugene had wondered if the Pope would be dissatisfied with his deration and step forward to dispute it. But unlike Eugene¡¯s suspicions that Kristina had been making up an excuse to run away from Anci, it seemed that she really had met up with the Pope and informed him of what would happen in advance. ¡°A god?¡± ¡°A god... what on earth is he saying all of a sudden....¡± ¡°Is he seriously saying that, not just as a metaphor for something else?¡± The crowd erupted in an uproar, but the people who were making most of this fuss didn¡¯t include those who had watched the duel in person from their seats in the arena and instead consisted of those who had spectated the duel through the broadcast. In fact, the people who had been there to see the duel in person, like Alchestor, didn¡¯t doubt Eugene¡¯s words. The duel that had taken ce there, the mes and the power that Eugene had exuded were more than enough to identify him as a divine being. ¡°In any case, since I have be a god, before I give everyone leave to enjoy this banquet,¡± Eugene paused to clear his throat as he pulled Levantin out from within his cloak. ¡°If anyone wishes to be converted by me personally and be my believer, as well as my Holy Knight, please stand in a line in front of me. This isn¡¯t an opportunity thates every day. That said, it¡¯s also not something I can do for everyone here. Based on certain criteria, I will be selecting a¡ª¡± ¡°Eeeep...!¡± Before Eugene could even finish speaking, someone let out a loud gasp of excitement and raised their hand. It was Carmen. ¡°Hmm... I knew this would happen,¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he nodded his head. ¡°Please,e this way.¡± 1. It¡¯s been a while since this tree species wasst mentioned, so here¡¯s a small reminder. Fairy Trees are a species of trees that only grow in the Elven Territory, and their wood can be used to make exceptional magical staffs. The World Tree is also a Fairy Tree and thergest of its kind. ? 2. The original text uses the Bayar Tribe, which is the tribe that Molon belongs to. However, from the context, it is obvious that the author meant Ivatar''s tribe, the Zoran Tribe. We made the change for consistency and a better reading experience. ? 3. The original text uses a Korean verbal tic meant to signify an imminent physical threat, often apanied by a raised hand. ? Chapter 544: Divine Ascension (5)

Chapter 544: Divine Ascension (5)

While receiving stares from everyone in the banquet hall, Carmen walked to the front of the crowd. She had just returned to the estate after a year spent in the rainforest together with Sienna, but her physical appearance as a whole hadn¡¯t changed greatly from when Eugene hadst seen her in the rainforest. However, Eugene could sense a distinct depth of experience in her gaze that hadn¡¯t been there a year ago. For humans, a year was already by no means a short span of time, but the year that Carmen had just spent must have felt dozens of times longer than that. Eugene didn¡¯t know for sure just how far out-of-sync her sense of time might have be, but what he did know was that Carmen had experienced something simr to what Gavid had gone through. The magic of the Sage and the World Tree had summoned a copy of the God of Giants from beyond time and space, allowing Carmen to repeatedly challenge the God of Giants over that long period while experiencing countless deaths. ¡°This is just out of personal curiosity, but...,¡± Eugene whispered after Carmen had arrived at the foot of the float. Casting a spell that kept their voices from reaching the rest of the audience, Eugene asked, ¡°...did you manage to defeat the God of Giants?¡± Eugene was honestly very curious about her answer. It might not be able topare to the real deal, but the memory of the God of Giants that the Sage had summoned had to have been incredibly strong. During his duel, Gavid had said that he was able to transcend his limits as a demonfolk by repeatedly battling the illusion of Agaroth, so what about Carmen? ¡°No,¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°Until the very end, I was unable to defeat that immense and imposing man.¡± Her answer was only natural. The methods that they used to grow stronger may have been simr, but there had been a huge gap in strength between Carmen and Gavid from the very start. The most crucial factor was that Gavid was a demonfolk, and Carmen was only human. No matter how many times she had died during her training, it wouldn¡¯t lead to an increase in her strength in reality, and even with the strength of Carmen¡¯s willpower, this type of practice was too excessive for a human to endure for too long. If she was forced to repeatedly die hundreds of times, over and over again, even Carmen¡¯s formidable will would copse. ¡°However, even though I wasn¡¯t able to defeat him, I still learned a lot. While challenging someone so amazing that I would never be able to defeat them and suffering repeated defeat dozens of times over, I, Carmen Lionheart, was reborn from the petty weakling I once was,¡± Carmen said as she clenched her fist aggressively. Although Carmen hadn¡¯t directly ignited her mes, Eugene could sense the fire burning within Carmen. It was the fire of the White me Form. Carmen¡¯s White me Form, like Eugene¡¯s, had undergone a brand new transformation, one that couldn¡¯t be ssified by the number of Stars. ¡°Through my rebirth, I realized something. Something about the Lionheart¡¯s White me Form: the Stars that are used to separate each level are ultimately just an illusion. If you remain blindly obsessed with increasing the number of Stars, you will never be able to achieve true strength.¡± Carmen raised her voice, no longer speaking solely to Eugene. Carmen was now addressing all of the Lionhearts who were present in the banquet hall. She continued, ¡°In the end, the White me Form, which was created by the founder of our Lionheart n, the Great Vermouth, was something that was started by him and could only bepleted by him. In the end, our founder passed down the White me Form and the Red me Form to us, his descendants. Naturally, we considered the White me Form to be the genuine article and deemed the Red me Form to be the inferior version....¡± At these words, the members of the coteral lines began to murmur. There were countless coteral lines belonging to the Lionheart n, but among all those lines, only those who were particrly powerful had the qualifications to attend today¡¯s banquet. Moreover, the overwhelming majority of the ck Lions who were in attendance also came from coteral lines, though the recognition shown by the Lionhearts to have them assigned to attend this banquet was based on their actual skill rather than the prestige of their families. But for all of those from the coteral bloodlines, Carmen¡¯s words just now were a harsh and bitter reminder of the division and discrimination within the n. ¡°I don¡¯t want to mince words, so I, Carmen Lionheart, will speak my mind boldly,¡± Carmen dered. ¡°In truth, I did think that way in the past. As the ones responsible for continuing the direct bloodline, the main family must be the only ones to inherit the White me Form and thus secure their legitimacy. In contrast, the coteral bloodlines that are responsible for spreading out like branches must only be taught the Red me Form so that they are not tempted to go against the main family. That was what I believed, and I was also sure that the ck Lions solely existed to protect thews that governed the n.¡± Eugene had just wanted to proceed straight into ordaining his first group of Holy Knights, but why had things changed into Carmen giving a speech? However, Eugene kept this thought to himself and didn¡¯t do anything to interrupt Carmen¡¯s speech. ¡°However, through my metamorphosis, I havee to realize something. If we simply continue to consider learning the White me Form to be the orthodox path to follow, we will never be able to catch up to our Founding Ancestor. Both the White me Form and the Red me Form that our ancestor left as a legacy for the family were ultimately nothing more than a guideline for the development of the Lionheart n¡¯s own martial path!¡± Carmen dered, her voice growing even stronger. The coteral bloodlines were no longer making any noise. They were listening to Carmen¡¯s speech with bated breath. Even the Patriarch, Gilead, and the Head of the Council, Klein, had their ears pricked to listen to Carmen¡¯s speech with a serious look on their faces. ¡°The ancestor of our Lionheart n may have been a great hero, but it was a mistake for us as his surviving descendants to follow his path without question blindly! If we continue to cling solely to those two training methods, the White me Form and the Red me Form, in the end, the true Star that we all possess will just end up fading away!¡± Carmen raised her fist as she passionately shouted, ¡°We ¡ª all of us ¡ª have a Star shining in our hearts....¡± ¡°Erm....¡± Eugene swallowed a groan of consternation as he unconsciously took a step backward. However, Eugene was the only one showing that kind of cringing reaction. Genos, the strongest among all the coteral lines, even had tears streaming down his face as he listened to Carmen¡¯s speech. Even Gilead¡¯s eyes had turned red with suppressed tears as he clenched his fists in excitement. ¡°Rather than the Stars of the Great Vermouth, I want to perfect the Star of Carmen Lionheart,¡± Carmen shouted as she raised her fist high into the sky. Although the sun was still far from setting and the skies were clear, the fingers that Carmen raised to point up at the sky looked like they were trying to pluck the stars out of the night sky. ¡°Those who truly wish to find their own Star,e forward. It doesn¡¯t matter whether you¡¯re from the main line or the coteral lines. Regardless of the lines we have drawn between the White me Form and the Red me Form, the fact that we each have our own brilliant Star within us is what unites us and the Lionheart n as a whole. I believe that that is the future that our founding ancestor, the Great Vermouth, truly dreamed of,¡± Carmen finished passionately. In fact, Carmen¡¯s words weren¡¯t wrong. It was impossible to reach Vermouth¡¯s level of strength even if one did master the White me Form. In the first ce, there was a big difference between the White me Form that Vermouth passed down to his descendants and the White me Form that he had used, as humans would never be able to use the genuine version of the White me Form. That was why there was ultimately a need to evolve past the White me Form at some point during their progress. Eugene had also gone through the same thing. After going through several intense battles, Eugene¡¯s White me Form, which had originally been at the Seventh Star, had gone through a transformation that rendered the number of Stars meaningless. Currently, there existed an infinitely expanding universe inside Eugene, where the Stars of the White me Form had once been. But this result was because Eugene was a special case. He didn¡¯t just learn the White me Form; he also managed toprehend the Eternal Hole. Then, he proceeded to create his own internal universe bybining these two, along with his experiences as Hamel and Agaroth¡¯s divine power. It would be impossible for the other Lionhearts to do the same thing. Still, judging from Carmen¡¯s case, it seemed urate to say that Vermouth had always intended for the White me Form to be able to evolve in some form or another. ¡®If someone was currently at the level of the Sixth Star, they should be able to adapt the White me Form for their personal use just by going through the Dark Room...,¡¯ Eugene considered thoughtfully. But would it also be possible to do that with the Red me Form? The result would surely vary depending on who exactly went through the process, but what was certain was that the gap between the main family and the coteral lines would be greatly reduced. If that were to happen, the superiority of the White me Form that was practiced by the main family would only create arge gap between them and the coteral lines when both their respective levels were low. ¡°Lionhearts.¡± Carmen wasn¡¯t done speaking just yet. Infusing her voice with her hopes for the glory of the Lionheart family, the future of the continent, and the inheritance of their ancestor¡¯s will, Carmen shouted with all of her strength, ¡°Awaken!¡± Along with her shout, her hand, which had been pointed at the sky with all fingers extended, curled into a fist. Right now, Carmen had just seized hold of her Star. ¡°Awaken!¡± Her passionate cry moved all of her listeners. Genos was the first to raise his fist. Then, like father, like daughter, Genia who was standing beside him also raised her fist in the exact same way. ¡°Awaken!¡± And just like that, all the Lionhearts in the banquet hall were raising their fists. The banquet that had been nned as a way to celebrate Eugene¡¯s return and his victory in the duel against Gavid had suddenly be an event of reuniting the divided Lionheart n. ¡°Awaken!¡± Everyone was shouting the word with the same positive intention behind it. The Lionhearts were only ever meant to serve as a n for Hamel to be reincarnated into. Having grown past this purpose, the Lionhearts now seemed to have been left with no other choice but to serve as the strongest vanguard for Hamel¡¯s eventual war against the Demon Kings. Perhaps... this really might have been the future that Vermouth had envisioned for them. Yet even with that being the case, Eugene, who was listening to the passionate cries that Carmen had inspired from all of the Lionhearts present while standing atop the brilliantly sparkling tinum Lion, couldn¡¯t help but wonder what kind of expression he was supposed to be making now. If he really had to be honest, Eugene just wanted to cover his ears and run away from all of this. But Carmen¡¯s cries hadn¡¯t ended just yet. ¡°For the sake of the Radiant! Eugene! Lionheart! For the sake of the continent¡¯s future!¡± While looking up at Eugene with her burning golden eyes, she shouted out her new goals for the Lionheart n. ¡°Awaken!¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel an unspoken pressureing from her gaze. He wanted to rebel against this pressure, but it was impossible for him to do so. It wasn¡¯t just the Lionhearts. Everyone who had gathered in this banquet hall was now looking up at Eugene with their eyes sparkling in interest as if they were waiting to hear his opinion on the matter. In the end, Eugene hesitantly raised his hand, no, raised Levantein to the sky, and awkwardly shouted, ¡°A-awaken!¡± ¡°Oooooh!¡± all of the Lionhearts enthusiastically cheered. Eugene scrunched his eyes tightly for a moment to stop himself from seeing this. Only when the enthusiastic cheering had stopped did he open his eyes once more. ¡°Now then, time to resume the ordination,¡± Eugene sighed in relief. Until just a moment ago, Carmen had been shouting so fiercely that it had seemed likely for her throat to start bleeding, but now her current expression showed only calmness with no trace of any other emotions. After struggling to get his own emotions under control, Eugene nodded and proceeded to get back into the ordination. The dubbing process itself was simr to what he had done with Molon. Although he didn¡¯t say anything about them being chosen as his Holy Knight and Greatest Warrior, as he had done with Molon, Eugene did tap each of them on the shoulders with his sword, which was covered in a thinyer of fire. As he performed each dubbing, the mes of Levantein would seep into one being dubbed. Even though his divine me was being bestowed like this, Eugene¡¯s divine power didn¡¯t suffer any decrease. Instead, each time he ordained another Holy Knight through this bestowal of his divine me, Eugene¡¯s divine power was actually refilled. Carmen was just the first to be dubbed. He also ordained the Knights of the White Lion, the Knights of the ck Lion, and the patriarchs of the coteral lines who did not belong to either of the knightly orders. As he had initially intended, today¡¯s ordination wasn¡¯t just limited to the Lionhearts. He also ordained Ruhr¡¯s elite forces, the White Fangs, who were led by the Beast King Aman. He then ordained Ivic and the other mercenaries. Ortus and the Knights of the Violent Tide seemed to hesitate for a few moments, but after seeing those who had been ordained admiring the divine mes that had been infused into their bodies, he ultimately ended up standing in front of Eugene. The same was true for Alchester and the White Dragon Knights. At first, Strout II was hesitant about whether he should truly turn a blind eye to their ordination. His hesitation was because he felt that if he allowed this to happen, Alchester and the White Dragon Knights, who were sworn to serve only the Emperor and had previously been personally knighted by the Emperor, would end up beingpletely swayed to Eugene¡¯s side. However, despite such thoughts, Strout II didn¡¯t do anything to block the ordination. He was afraid of being criticized by Eugene for needlessly stepping in, and since it was for the sake of saving the world, he would have been forced to acquiesce to the ordination in any case. Surprisingly enough, it was Ivatar and the warriors of the Zoran tribe who were truly hesitant to ept the offer. In their case, they had already devoted their faith to the spirits of the rainforest and the World Tree. No matter how much respect they might hold for Eugene, as one of the native tribes of the Rainforest who had never been exposed to any other religions throughout their entire life, being ordained by a strange new god was an unfamiliar and disturbing prospect in many ways. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Eugene took the lead in reassuring them, having guessed why Ivatar was hesitating. ¡°I have met with the World Tree in person, and after asking her, the World Tree has given her approval to allow me to ordain you.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± Ivatar asked in shock. ¡°I¡¯m not lying; it¡¯s the truth. And it¡¯s not like I will be your master by doing this. It¡¯s more like we¡¯re making a temporary contract because we both need and respect each other. Thenter, once the war is over and the contract has been satisfied, we can readdress the issue of your tribe¡¯s faith,¡± Eugene said in a tone that showed no sign of reluctance or regret to do so. He truly wasn¡¯t feeling disappointed by Ivatar''s hesitation. In the past, he had thought about converting the entire Zoran tribe into a theocracy that supplied him with their faith through his rtionship with Ivatar, but the current Eugene was not only connected to the faith of the Light, but he also held a connection to all of the various other faiths that existed on the continent. As such, there was no longer any need for him to resort to that measure. ¡°Understood,¡± Ivatar nodded his head. Ivatar wasn¡¯t aware of the various circumstances behind Eugene¡¯s offer. However, he respected Eugene as a warrior and was also interested in the divine mes he had seen being infused into the ordained knights. So, in the end, starting with Ivatar, he and the other elite members of the Zoran tribal warriors were all ordained by Eugene. Raphael and the Knights of the Blood Cross didn¡¯t have to undergo this new round of ordination. After all, they were already Holy Knights sworn to the Light. Even without Eugene ordaining them, to a certain extent, he was already sharing his divine power with them. ¡®An Incarnation of the Light...,¡¯ the Pope thought to himself as he silently watched this ceremony take ce. Pope Aeuryus and Raphael had already heard this news from the Saints in advance. Of course, they hadn¡¯t been informed of the full truth. The Saints had given up on the possibility of persuading these stubborn fanatics that their god was dead right from the very start and had instead chosen to fabricate a lie. Eugene Lionheart had directly met with the Light and had be an Incarnation of the Light. Eugene and the Light had joined together in one body, and the Light had given Eugene its divine blessing to be the new god that would continue to illuminate this era.... In fact, this wasn¡¯t aplete lie, and since it was the genuine Saint who was saying this, even the Pope didn¡¯t have the necessary authority to question this matter. ¡°Why can¡¯t I be ordained?¡± a shrill voiceined. After the ordination of the knights, mercenaries, and various warriors had beenpleted, Melkith, who had also lined up to be ordained but was rejected by Eugene, was left in tears. ¡°Have you started discriminating against wizards now?¡± Melkith used. ¡°Those guys who only know how to swing their weapons get to be your Holy Knights, so why can¡¯t wizards be your Holy Knights, no, your Holy Wizards?¡± ¡°In the history of this entire world, has anyone ever even been given the title of a Holy Wizard?¡± Eugene pointed out skeptically. ¡°I am an open-minded person. Even if there is no Holy Wizard, I can just be the first Holy Wizard,¡± Melkith dered proudly. Eugene sighed, ¡°Stop with the nonsense and just go back already. I can¡¯t ordain any wizards.¡± ¡°But you also use magic, don¡¯t you? Since that¡¯s the case, Eugene, you can¡¯t be like this! When you were just a cute little brat, this big sis took great care of you, didn¡¯t I? Like with your current Signature, what was it again, promenade or Prominence? It was your big sis, this Melkith El-Hayah, who helped you out when you were busy creating it, so how could you do something like this to me?!¡± Melkith cried out like a child throwing a tantrum and demanding sweets, but if something shouldn¡¯t be done, then it couldn¡¯t be done. ¡°It will be Sienna who ordains the wizards, not me,¡± Eugene finally revealed in frustration. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you would also prefer to be ordained by Sienna rather than me, isn¡¯t that right, Lady Melkith?¡± Melkith¡¯s expression immediately transformed as she cried out, ¡°Big sis!¡± She stampeded away from Eugene¡¯s side, ran over to Sienna, who was leisurely drinking some tea, and got down onto her knees next to Sienna. ¡°Big Sis! Oh, Goddess of Magic!¡± Melkith cried out reverentially. It had been Sienna¡¯s long-held desire to be the Goddess of Magic. This was a fact that the Archwizards who were active in this era were already aware of. Going back to just before the liberation of Hauria, Sienna still didn¡¯t have a firm idea of how exactly to achieve godhood, but through her one year in seclusion, it seemed that Sienna had finally managed to achieve divine ascension. Lovellian and the other Archwizards also moved to surround Sienna in their excitement. Sienna had been nning on savoring Eugene¡¯s embarrassment all day long, but she never could have imagined that he would just toss the grenade back to her like this. After ring at Eugene, Sienna stumbled over her words, ¡°Ah... Um....¡± ¡°Please grant us your ordination!¡± Now, even King Daindolph of Aroth and the Crown Prince Honein were bowing their heads to Sienna. Sienna barely managed topose her expression before responding. ¡°I... I can¡¯t do it here. I¡¯ll do it the next time that I¡¯m in Aroth.¡± Eugene had his prior experience as Agaroth and also the help of the Light, but Sienna had only just recently ascended to Godhood. Ordination as a whole should be possible, but since she had never attempted it before, Sienna still felt the need to get some practice done beforehand. What if she tried to ordain someone here, in front of everyone, and it failed? If so, Sienna¡¯s divine legend as the ¡®Wise Goddess of Magic¡¯ would be set awry right from the very beginning. Sienna absolutely couldn¡¯t ept such a thing happening. ¡°This should be enough,¡± Eugene said with a tired huff. Having ordained most of those present ¡ª the ones who could be called the true elites of the continent ¡ª Eugene felt like he had ordained enough people for now. He didn¡¯t feel like it was necessary to mass-produce holy knights by ordaining any more people than he already had. That was what Eugene had decided from the very start. Thanks to the experience and strength that they had already umted through their training, those present were easily able to harmonize with his divine mes, but granting his ordination to any Tom, Dick, or Harry[1] would just be a waste of resources. ¡®And finally...,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. The ordination of everyone here had finally beenpleted, but there was still work to be done after the banquet was over. ¡°Kristina, Ciel,¡± Eugene called out to those two, restricting who could hear his voice to avoid any misunderstanding. In response to his call, Ciel hurriedly arrived in front of Eugene. Everyone in the main family, the White Lions, the ck Lions and the coteral lines as well, had already been ordained. Only Ciel had yet to receive her dubbing. ¡ªI¡¯ll do yourster. After hearing this exnation from Eugene, Ciel had withdrawn to the back of the line. There had to be a special reason for Eugene to put hers off until thest moment. ¡°Is it finally my turn?¡± Ciel asked with a smile, her eyes shining brightly. Kristina also strode over to stand next to Ciel. ¡°You two,¡± Eugene began speaking with a calm expression and a quiet voice, doing everything he could to avoid any possible misunderstanding. ¡°Come to my room after the banquet is over.¡± Although he tried his best, it was a statement that couldn¡¯t help but be misunderstood. 1. The original text uses the Korean idiom of any little pieces of shit or pieces of piss. This is a less vulgar option. ? Chapter 545: Divine Ascension (6)

Chapter 545: Divine Ascension (6)

¡°Why did he have to put it like that?¡± Ciel grumbled as she walked down the mansion¡¯s hallways. It was now dawn on the day following the banquet. For him to invite her to his room at such an early hour of the morning, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if there might be some misunderstandings going on. If a rtively sane and ordinary man had said those words to herst night, Ciel might just have felt some strong hope that the oue of these supposed misunderstandings was exactly what she desired. However, the one who had said them was Eugene. Ciel was very familiar with Eugene in various aspects, and he had even once rejected her so harshly that she had felt like her body wouldn¡¯t be able to withstand it. Therefore, she definitely wouldn¡¯t have any such misunderstandings, nor would she harbor any hopes. ¡®Until that bastard ys all the Demon Kings, he¡¯s sure to live his life like a eunuch,¡¯ Ciel cursed to herself. It wasn¡¯t like she could directly ask him if he meant something else by his invitation and receive a clear answer, but Ciel was certain that Eugene hadn¡¯t meant anything more than what he said. But why was Eugene so averse to that? Was it because of the possibility that he might die during his battles? In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be better for him to let his desires burn all the more passionately? Let the mes of passion burn so brightly that even if he did die, he would die without regrets...? Ciel was silent for a few moments, caught in her unending thoughts. In any case, if Eugene died, the world would end, whether it be at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction. No matter what measures the survivors took, it would be impossible for them to stop those Demon Kings. But wasn¡¯t that enough reason, no, even more of a reason why they should make sure to burn so brightly that no regrets remain should everything end in vain? ¡°Ahem,¡± Ciel cleared her throat as she forced herself to stop this seemingly endless train of fatalistic thoughts. Of course, Ciel knew all too well that Eugene would never be tempted by such distractions. Even if the world were to end tomorrow, he wouldn¡¯t be able to bring himself to down even a single ss of wine before leaving to avert the end of the world. Instead, he would just... even if he knew that he wouldn¡¯t be able to do anything to stop the impending destruction, Eugene would still just sharpen his sword before setting off to stop the end of the world. That was just the kind of guy he was. ¡®...In the first ce, if Eugene had invited me to his room for such personal reasons, he would have made sure to call only me,¡¯ Ciel admitted to herself reluctantly. But, in that case, would it even be her that he would call? Such a depressing question suddenly crossed her mind, but Ciel desperately attempted to ignore that line of thought. ¡®In any case, he didn¡¯t invite me alone. Since he also invited big sis Kristina, I guess... it must be something truly important,¡¯ Ciel realized. But what on earth was so important that it could only be done in his room rather than anywhere else? For now, Ciel brushed away all possibility of a misunderstanding. She also gave up even the smallest of hopes. Yet even so, just in case, shouldn¡¯t she still prepare so that she was ready if maybe, just maybe, things turned out that way? So Ciel had made sure to take a bath as soon as the banquet was over, change into a new set of clothes, and she had also sprayed on some light perfume. Ciel suddenly came to a halt and stood silently for a few moments. She was only a few steps away from the tightly shut door to Eugene¡¯s room. The reason for Ciel¡¯s halt was that she had just seen Kristina acting strangely in front of the door, doing things like stamping her feet, pinching her own cheeks, and tearing at her hair. So why was Kristina acting like this? Ciel didn¡¯t even need to ask her directly to know the answer. The breeze flowing from Kristina¡¯s direction wasn¡¯t carrying even the slightest trace of alcohol. Instead, there was a subtle yet refreshing soapy scent. There was no doubt that she had also decided to prepare for the slight chance of a ¡®what if?¡¯ scenario by taking a bath beforehand, and now it seemed like both of the Saint¡¯s personalities were fighting over who would be the one to open the door and enter Eugene¡¯s room. ¡°Ahem-hem.¡± The fight was getting so intense that it seemed like it would soon lead to self-harm. Ciel couldn¡¯t bear to watch this continue any longer, so she pointedly cleared her throat a few times. At this sound, the Saint quietly released her fistfuls of hair, then used her fingers as ab to brush through the tangled mess of her hair a few times. ¡°What¡¯s this? You¡¯ve changed into a fresh set of clothes and even sprayed on some perfume. Just what kind of cheeky expectations are rising within you?¡± the Saint teased as she shot Ciel a sharp look. This personality had to be Anise. With a calm expression, Ciel shrugged and said, ¡°The banquet ran for quite some time, didn¡¯t it? So it¡¯s not so strange that I took the chance to wash up and put on some fresh clothes.¡± Anise narrowed her eyes, saying, ¡°It seems that, despite your young age, you¡¯ve sprayed on quite the mature scent. Is that really your preference? Or could it be that you were in such a rush that you had no choice but to use that scent?¡± ¡°This sort of scent is actually quite trendy nowadays. As for you, oh Lady Saintess, it might be because you¡¯re someone from the distant past, or perhaps it¡¯s just because you¡¯re a priest, but do you know that the scent you are currently using is quite old-fashioned? If I had to be polite about it, I guess I could at least call it quite the refreshing odor,¡± Cielmented, refusing to back down despite Anise¡¯s piercing words. For a few moments, their gazes shed in midair. ¡°Hmph,¡± Anise snorted as she turned around. ¡°Little girl, it¡¯s obvious what kind of foolish hope you might be harboring in your chest, but it won¡¯t turn out the way you wish. In the first ce, if he wanted to do something like that, there is no way that Hamel would call both you and me together.¡± ¡°Hmm? But I didn¡¯te here bearing any expectations, though? So I¡¯m not sure what exactly you might be implying,¡± Ciel said, strolling closer while pretending ignorance. Anise nced at Ciel with a skeptical look, but she didn¡¯t fire off any more shots. Because in the end, no matter what she tried to say at this moment, Anise would just be spitting into the wind. Of course, in Anise¡¯s case, she could be excused to a certain extent. It was Kristina who had washed up while feeling a mixture of anticipation and excitement, put on a fresh set of clothes, and then hurried over at a frenzied pace to stand in front of Eugene¡¯s door. It was also Kristina who had screamed at Anise and yanked her back by the hair when thetter had tried to take advantage of her seniority and be the one to first step into Eugene¡¯s room.... So as far as Anise was concerned, Kristina should be the one to feel troubled by this behavior. ¡°For now, let¡¯s just go in,¡± Anise calmly proposed. Ignoring the sad wails that were echoing inside her head, Anise reached out to turn the doorknob, showing not a trace of expectation on her face. But Anise suddenly paused and questioned, ¡°Should we really head in together?¡± ¡°He called for the both of us,¡± Ciel argued. ¡°That might be true, but why don¡¯t I head in first to examine the situation,¡± Anise generously offered. ¡°No, he called for the both of us,¡± Ciel insisted, her eyes narrowing in determination as she refused to back down. Anise got the feeling that if she continued to argue, things would only get ugly, so she clicked her tongue and opened the door. Ciel and Anise were both left speechless by what they saw within. Should they say that it was just as they had expected? The scene within the room waspletely different from the shallow hopes that all three women had secretly harbored. There wasn¡¯t any romantic lighting or light refreshments or sses of wineid out for them to partake in. Eugene also wasn¡¯t wearing something seductive like a bathrobe. He just greeted them with a question. ¡°Why are you all just standing there in front of the doorway?¡± Even if this was his room, Eugene was looking far too casual for such ate-night rendezvous. He had taken off his stuffy formal clothes and was wearing a loose, short-sleeved top, and he was also holding arge haunch of meat in one hand. If it had only been that, it would have been understandable. Throughout the banquet, Eugene had been consumingrge amounts of meat whenever he could. Following the end of the duel, Gilead had ryed to Nina exactly what Eugene had requested, and duringst night¡¯s banquet, a separate table had been prepared just for Eugene. He had already gone through an extravagant mountain of meat... yet even now, Eugene was taking big bites of meat from the leftovers he had brought from the banquet while doing something else. ¡°...Why exactly are you doing that?¡± Ciel hesitantly asked, unable toprehend what she was seeing. Currently, Eugene had blood flowing down from cuts on both of his wrists. It was obvious that he had deliberately sliced open the veins on his wrist. And it was exactly because he was nning to let out so much blood that Eugene had chosen to wear short sleeves. ¡°Divine Ichor,¡± Anise muttered as her brow furrowed. In Yuras, there were sacred relics that were rumored to be able to create Divine Ichor, the very blood of the Incarnation of Light, or perhaps just that of a past Saint. Those sacred relics in the shape of grails were said to have received their power after such blood had first been poured into them.... Of course, Anise knew that most of such relics were fake. And even those rarely found ¡°genuine¡± relics weren¡¯t truly powerful enough to be called sacred relics. However, the blood being spilled in front of her was an entirely different matter. Eugene was a genuine god, and that was unmistakably the blood of a god. It was truly Divine Ichor. [Ah....] Kristina, who had already stopped sobbing, released a long sigh of realization as she saw what was behind Eugene. It was a small bathtub. Although they couldn¡¯t see inside from where they were standing, Anise and Kristina could both tell that this bathtub wasn¡¯t simply filled with water. ¡°Has it nowe to the point where you have to rebuild the Fount that you yourself destroyed?¡± Anise noted the irony. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s different,¡± Eugene said, shaking his head. ¡°That one was a fake, and this one is the real deal.¡± They were talking about the Fount of Light in Yuras that Eugene had personally destroyed. It had been a pool of purified holy water created by using the holy relics of past Saints to filter out any impurity. Following the repeated birth and death of each new generation of Saint, the performance of the Fount of Light grew ever stronger, and Saints through the ages had been forced to incorporate this holy water by receiving cuts all over their body and immersing themselves in the Fount of Light. Through this method, Yuras had trained generations of Saints to serve as their holy weapons. However, what Eugene was creating now was something different. This small bathtub didn¡¯t contain any sacred relics taken from the bodies of previous Saints. It was a genuine Fount of Light that had been created through a generous supply of Divine Ichor, a single drop of which was far more valuable than even Dragon¡¯s Blood or an elixir. ¡°For now, we should be roughly done with ordaining my Holy Knights,¡± said Eugene. Chomp. Eugene tore off a shred of meat from the bone with his teeth before chewing and swallowing it. Even with all of the godly vitality he had been granted, pouring out so much of his godly essence and Divine Ichor was causing Eugene to feel extremely fatigued. No matter how much he ate, he still felt hungry, and his head grew dizzy. Eugene continued, ¡°However, I have yet to rebaptize you as my Saints, haven¡¯t I?¡± Anise was silent. ¡°You two should have already felt it,¡± Eugene pointed out with a wry smile as he shook his head. ¡°Your situation is bound to be different from mine and Sienna¡¯s. And you¡¯re also a different case than Molon.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Anise admitted with a short sigh and a nod. ¡°Our strength and abilitiese from the god whom we serve. No matter how much we pray and strengthen our beliefs, there is no way for us to be as strong as you all are.¡± It might be different if she was just another warrior or wizard, but as a priest, it was difficult for her to be stronger on her own. Because, in the end, a priest¡¯s strength came from the divine power they had been granted. ¡°...But really,¡± Anise sighed once more and shook her head. ¡°I never thought that you would be the one to bring up this suggestion first.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene cocked an eyebrow. Anise nodded, ¡°Yes. Is this because you¡¯re taking into consideration our wounded pride?¡± ¡°I did think that it would be better for me to prepare in advance rather than wait for you toe and ask me for it personally,¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Did I make a mistake?¡± ¡°Even without you admitting to it just now, I know that you were just being considerate of us. You¡¯ve always been like that, Hamel. You¡¯ve always been sympathetic towards me without showing me any needless pity,¡± Anise said with a smile. When she thought about what changes may have already happened after she had be Eugene¡¯s Saint rather than the Light¡¯s, Anise recalled how the Stigmata on Kristina¡¯s body had grown. Now that Eugene had assumed ownership of the godhood held by the Light, it was only natural that their abilities as his Saints had grown stronger. Yet Anise had already been able to sense the widening gap. Currently, the two Saints were able to heal dozens or even hundreds of people with a single prayer. They could regenerate severed limbs and shattered organs without missing even a single drop of blood. However, that still wasn¡¯t enough. No matter how much their capabilities as a Saint may have grown, all that strength was ultimately still drawn from Eugene. In the first ce, it was impossible for a Saint to provide their deity with assistance. So eventually, during the battles that would take ce from now on, the Saints wouldn¡¯t be able to give any more help to Eugene. ¡°Hamel, if we are baptized once more by you, what will that enable us to do?¡± Anise asked. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to ease some of my burden,¡± Eugene answered with a grave expression. ¡°You¡¯ve seen it for yourself, so you should already be aware of the problem, but it¡¯s difficult for me to handle the divine power of the Light on my own, on top of everything else I have to do.¡± Levantein had been created as a tool that would grant Eugene ess to the full force of the Light. However, the mes that would burst forth from Levantein when such strength was activated were so intense that even Eugene found it difficult to handle its full power. This made it nearly impossible for him to even wield it properly without first activating Ignition. Yet even with Ignition activated, increasing the flow of power to its very limits ced a huge burden on Eugene. Anise was still hesitant, ¡°Isn¡¯t Molon enough for that?¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°The roles of a Holy Knight and a Saint are different.¡± Anise felt a throbbing sensationing from their Stigmata. These Stigmata were the genuine deal. They hadn¡¯t been forcibly engraved on Krisitna¡¯s body like in the past, through the use of the Fount of Light or at the hands of the Pope and his Cardinals. It had been engraved into her body by her own sincere belief and faith. Molon was already strong, and now he had be the first Holy Knight of the God of War and the Light, and was the Greatest Warrior of his god. However, just like Eugene had said, the roles of a Holy Knight and a Saint were different. In the end, because Molon didn¡¯t have the same faith as the Saints, no Stigmata had been engraved into his flesh. ¡°That is true,¡± Anise finally nodded with a faint smile. ¡°Hamel, you... by baptizing us anew ¡ª I as your new angel, and Kristina as your new Saint ¡ª are you trying to turn us into your Incarnations?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene nodded firmly. ¡°The divine power of the Light is so huge that even I, after attaining godhood, can¡¯t easily control all of it. So, I will connect you to the divine power I¡¯m not using. And then you can use the Stigmata on your hands as gates to extract that divine power.¡± Anise listened to the exnation silently. At this point, Eugene hesitated before continuing, ¡°Anise, you... since you¡¯ve already experienced this three hundred years ago you should already be aware. If you do ept this baptism, it will cause you pain whenever you need to perform a miracle. You might also have to shed blood.¡± ¡°Hamel. Three hundred years ago, whenever I started bleeding from my Stigmata and was driven to drink to forget the pain, you were the one who always came looking for me and tended to my wounds. But despite that, are you now trying to force that agony back onto Kristina and me?¡± Anise asked usingly. In response to this question, Eugene had to close his eyes for a moment. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Eugene admitted after his eyes had reopened. ¡°Because I promise that I will always be there to clean your shed blood and apply ointment to your wounds. So until we kill all the Demon Kings, I am asking you to bear that burden.¡± ¡°Ahahaha,¡± at these words, Anise let out theughter she had been holding back. ¡°If you are willing to personally tend to my wounds like you did in the past, then I am willing to bear the pain, no matter how bad it gets. In the first ce, during my lifetime, you were the one who always had to suffer until you were at the point of near death. However, I, as the Saint, didn¡¯t have to suffer much and just had to support you with my prayers from the rear.¡± Anise took a step forward. ¡°I¡¯ve always hated that.¡± It was Kristina¡¯s turn to speak. ¡°Even though doing that is my role as a Saint, I¡¯ve always hated that you, Sir Eugene, were the one who always had to face the harshest challenges. I also want to share the same pain with you, Sir Eugene, and fight alongside you.¡± Kristina took a step forward. ¡°As such, we both will dly ept this baptism. But in that case, oh my Lord, allow me to point out the error in your words. You said we will only need to bear this burden until all the Demon Kings are in. But no, that is not nearly enough. Until all the Demon Kings are killed, and until both Vermouth and the world have been saved, we will dly shed our blood with smiles on our faces.¡± With a wry smile, Eugene got out of their way. The bathtub he had dragged out of the bathroom was filled to the brim with a golden liquid. ¡°It thought that it would just look like a pool of bloody water,¡± Anise observed. ¡°I also expected that, but after mixing it with some water, it became like that,¡± Eugene said as he continued to stare at the Saint. Standing in front of the bathtub, Anise clicked her tongue as she felt his gaze focused on her. ¡°Do you mind? Are you really going to keep looking like that?¡± Anise demanded. ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene grunted in confusion. Anise reminded him, ¡°If I¡¯m going to step into a bathtub, I need to take my clothes off before I go in.¡± Eugene was taken aback and hastily said, ¡°Ah... it doesn¡¯t matter if you leave your clothes on when you go in¡ª¡± ¡°It will definitely feel ufortable, so I am not going to do that,¡± Anise simply rejected. ¡°No, but...,¡± Eugene hesitated. ¡°It won¡¯t end with just you soaking your body. I need to be able to touch your Stigmata while making a few adjustments....¡± At this response, Anise¡¯s face twisted in consternation. Three hundred years ago, she had already been willing to show him her naked back, but the current situation was different. No matter what, Anise didn¡¯t feel ready to show Hamel her naked body. [I don¡¯t mind it,] Kristina said. Instead of concern, Kristina almost seemed to be anticipating the reveal. [It¡¯s not like that! Th-this is an extremely sacred and pure ritual¡ª! Just what kind of lewd and devilish thoughts are you thinking, Sister?!] Kristina shouted her own usations. Anise ignored the now familiar nder as she calmly ced one foot into the bathtub. As the glimmering golden waves rose past her ankle and reached up to her calf, Anise¡¯s body began to tremble. ¡®It¡¯s so hot,¡¯ Anise thought to herself. It felt like mes were seeping in through her skin. Anise took a deep breath before fully entering the bathtub. ¡°Hah...,¡± Anise let out a short hiss. ¡°Are you alright?¡± Eugene asked with a concerned expression. Unable to find even the words to speak, Anise could only nod a few times. Kristina was also feeling the same pain at the same time. But since she had agreed to share this burden, she would also willingly share the pain. Ciel stood there quietly, watching all of this take ce in front of her. Well, for now, she would just have to ept that washing up, spraying on some perfume, and putting on a fresh change of clothes had been stupid. Right now, the Saints could not even speak properly and could only continue to pant heavily while Eugene just stared at them with eyes full of concern.... ¡°Ah... ahem,¡± Ciel awkwardly coughed as she took a step back. ¡°W-well, I¡¯ll just be off then.¡± If he was nning to do this, then why had he also called her here? Ciel thought in annoyance to herself, but even the most snot-nosed brat would be able to tell that this wasn¡¯t the time to say such a thing. Eugene turned and scolded her, ¡°What do you mean you¡¯ll be off?¡± Ciel, who had been backing away towards the closed door, stopped where she was. ¡°Come closer,¡± Eugene curtly demanded. ¡°W-why?¡± Ciel asked nervously. ¡°Juste here quickly,¡± Eugene impatiently ordered with an unusually overbearing attitude. Feeling a mysterious sense of excitement, Ciel slowly slinked over to Eugene. Chapter 546: Divine Ascension (7)

Chapter 546: Divine Ascension (7)

A chair floated over andnded in front of Eugene. Slowly slinking closer, Ciel swallowed a gulp and sat on the chair. The distance between them was so close that their knees were touching. While staring into Eugene¡¯s face, which was right in front of her nose, Ciel could feel her heart pounding loudly. She silently clenched her sweaty hands. It had only been a few seconds since she had just sat down, but the silence between them already felt awkward. Ciel felt like she should say something, but right now, she couldn¡¯t think of anything to say. It was then that Ciel¡¯s eyes were drawn to the diagonal scar across Eugene¡¯s right cheek. ¡°Th-that scar...,¡± Ciel suddenly began speaking. The scar had been left during Eugene¡¯s duel with Gavid Lindman. Even though Eugene¡¯s limbs had been able to regenerate instantly after being torn to pieces during the duel, the scar on his cheek had yet to disappear. Eugene didn¡¯t care about the scar on his cheek. This was because, back when he was Hamel, his life had left him with enough scars to cover both his face and body. In fact, Eugene was actually just the slightest bit pleased to have this scar. Scars like this would only add to his reputation as a warrior, and since his face was already almost excessively handsome, Eugene felt like the scar would set off his handsomeness quite well. Ciel¡¯s sentiments about this scar weren¡¯t that much different from Eugene¡¯s. After all,pared to a year ago, with his hair bing much bushier, the addition of a diagonal scar across his right cheek, his slightly sharper eyes, and the strong bridge of his nose.... This was a face Ciel had already seen countless times ever since she turned thirteen, but for some reason, as she looked into Eugene¡¯s face while sitting across from him like this, Ciel felt a strange emotion rising within her. But right now, she couldn¡¯t just finish her sentence by saying that she thought he looked good with a scar. Ciel thought frantically for a few moments and finally ended up asking a question that she wasn¡¯t fully at ease with. ¡°...doesn¡¯t it hurt?¡± ¡°It¡¯s already fully healed, so why would it hurt?¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow. ¡°That¡¯s... there¡¯s a thing called phantom pain, isn¡¯t there?¡± Ciel awkwardly argued. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like anything. It doesn¡¯t even tickle,¡± Eugene said as he began to lean his body forward. Due to this movement, the already close distance between them narrowed even further until Ciel¡¯s entire vision was fully upied by Eugene¡¯s face. As her breathing began to quicken, getting closer to panting, Ciel unconsciously swallowed a breath and jerked her body backward. ¡°Stay still,¡± Eugene ordered, hisrge hand grabbing Ciel¡¯s shoulder. Because of his grip, she couldn¡¯t get any distance. This whole situation was causing Ciel¡¯s head to spin. No way, could it be? This strangely oppressive attitude, the serious look on his face, the strength of the hand holding onto her shoulder, and the whole situation of being caught in Eugene¡¯s grip and unable to move was causing Ciel to feel a mysterious and nerve-wracking sense of excitement. ¡®No ¡ª no way...,¡¯ Ciel cried out internally. If they were to get even a little bit closer, his lips would end up touching hers. No way, could it be? Would the fantasies she had dreamed of hundreds or even thousands of times before now finally be reality? Feeling a nervous sense of anticipation, Ciel subtly puckered her lips. ¡°Mmph....¡± In the bathtub behind Eugene, the Saints who had been submerged in holy water were struggling to endure the pain. However, the moans that they were releasing couldn¡¯t reach Ciel¡¯s ears. Right now, Ciel¡¯s eyes could only see Eugene and her ears were directed solely toward listening to Eugene¡¯s voice. ¡°Your eyes,¡± Eugene said abruptly. ¡°...Huh?¡± Ciel gasped in confusion. ¡°Open your eyes wide,¡± Eugene ordered. Ciel stammered, ¡°Wh-why do you suddenly want to look at my eyes?¡± ¡°What do you mean why? I want to take a look at your Demoneye,¡± Eugene answered impatiently. As expected. ¡®There¡¯s no way that this bastard would do something like that...,¡¯ Ciel cursed to herself in disappointment. Her senses suddenly returned to normal. Ciel retracted her subtly puckered lips and let out a long sigh. Then, just as Eugene had ordered her to, she opened her left eye wide. ¡°You already examined my Demoneyest time,¡± Cielined. ¡°Why do you have to examine it again at this point?¡± Eugene justified his actions by saying, ¡°I am different from back then, almost as if we are twopletely different people.¡± ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s why~,¡± Ciel drawled sarcastically. ¡°How impressive of you. But why are you the one doing this? Has Lady Sienna gone somewhere?¡± ¡°She went to meet with the elves in our forest. Shest saw them a year ago, and she also wants to inform some of them of what she experienced in the World Tree,¡± Eugene revealed. But those weren¡¯t all of Sienna¡¯s reasons. Among the elves currently living in the Lionheart''s forest, many were suffering from the Demonic Disease. Signard, who was currently taking on the role of acting representative of these elves, had also caught the Demonic Disease. So, regardless of their own free will or personal situations, the fates of these elves had left them with no choice but to live in the forest. Naturally, Sienna couldn¡¯t just watch this happen without doing something about it. Three hundred years ago, even though the war had ended, the Demonic Disease didn¡¯t disappear, and the Demon King of Incarceration had also washed his hands of the matter, saying that he couldn¡¯t do anything about it. Although no one knew for sure whether or not that was true, as someone who considered the elves to be her family, Sienna wanted to find some way to treat the Demonic Disease. She had already experimented with several treatments in the past, but she had never managed to seed. Whether it was with magic or with holy magic, it was impossible to cure the elves¡¯ Demonic Disease. However, having managed to attain the Godhood of Magic, it might now be within her reach. That was why Sienna had gone to the elves¡¯ vige. ¡°Open your eyes a bit wider,¡± Eugene suddenly demanded. ¡°How can they get any wider than this? If you want me to open my eyes any wider, I¡¯ll have to tear open the sides of my eyes first,¡± Ciel retorted unhappily. Eugene tsked before saying, ¡°Your eyes are actually quite small... even though they seemed really big when you were younger.¡± Ciel¡¯s fists were clenched tightly at these mumbled words. Unable to hold it in, she lifted her foot and kicked Eugene in the leg to vent her anger, but there was no effect. Eugene¡¯s leg was as dense as an old oak tree, so when she kicked him, only Ciel¡¯s foot ended up getting hurt. ¡°Stay still,¡± Eugene muttered as Ciel¡¯s chair shook from the recoil of her kick. Eugene slightly strengthened his grip on Ciel¡¯s shoulder as his face pushed even closer. At this point, the two of them truly were close enough for their noses to be touching. Once again, Eugene¡¯s face had filled Ciel¡¯s entire field of vision. ¡®Is my... is my skin okay?¡¯ Ciel suddenly panicked. As someone whose body would always work up a healthy sweat during her daily training, Ciel¡¯s skin was already plump and smooth without needing to take any special care of it, but Ciel couldn¡¯t help but feel unreasonably concerned. Naturally, Eugene didn¡¯t have any interest in the texture of Ciel¡¯s skin. Focusing all of his attention, Eugene carefully examined Ciel¡¯s left eye. Fwoosh. A me ignited in Eugene¡¯s right hand and engulfed it. His me-enshrouded right hand rose past Ciel¡¯s cheek as it headed towards her left eye. Ciel¡¯s body trembled in surprise, but she didn¡¯t close her eyes. ¡°Stay just like that,¡± Eugene mumbled as his finger carefully touched Ciel¡¯s left eye. Even though the mes were now touching her very iris, there wasn¡¯t any burning sensation. Instead, her eye felt cool, like it was being washed clean. Crackle. Having taken the form of a me, Eugene''s divine power flowed into Ciel¡¯s eye. Following their battle against Iris, two Demoneyes had appeared in Ciel''s eye. The Demoneye of Darkness that Iris had possessed and the Demoneye of Immobility that Noir had named. At that time, they had confirmed that these Demoneyes didn¡¯t seem to rely on dark power and had settled into Ciel¡¯s eyes without any problem. As such, there was no need to try and treat them. However, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to treat them even if they had wanted to because no one knew what had caused Ciel toe by her Demoneyes. Back then, Eugene had been caught up in the rampage of the Moonlight Sword. His consciousness had been swept away into an unknown void, and his body had been assimted by the Moonlight Sword. It was Ciel who had saved Eugene at that moment. Her blood as a Lionheart had responded to the Moonlight Sword, and Ciel¡¯s consciousness had also been swept away into the void, just like Eugene¡¯s. That was how Ciel had ended up meeting Vermouth for a few scant moments before she escaped from the void with Eugene.... ¡®This Demoneye... was probably given to her by Vermouth,¡¯ Eugene admitted to himself. At that time, Vermouth hadn¡¯t been in a position to provide any direct help to Eugene. But even with that being the case, Vermouth still seemed to be aware of the situation as a whole. He knew that Eugene was battling against a Demon King and that Eugene was in for quite the struggle. The piece of Darkness that had pierced through Ciel¡¯s left eye and shattered it had probably fused with what remained of her eye and transformed into a Demoneye of Darkness. But what about her Demoneye of Immobility? At that time, they had decided that the Demoneye of Immobility may have belonged to Ciel herself, or to be more precise, it was something that had been locked away in Ciel¡¯s Lionheart blood from the very start. ¡®The Lionhearts are human,¡¯ Eugene reminded himself. However, after they had met Vermouth, the founder of the Lionheart n, as he was sitting within that void, Ciel¡¯s Demoneye had been awakened. Now wasn¡¯t the time to remove Ciel¡¯s Demoneyes. The Demoneye of Immobility might prove useful in the future, but they would definitely need the Demoneye of Darkness to summon Molon when they reached Babel. But that left a question: if Ciel was ordained as a Holy Knight, would that cause her Demoneyes to disappear? Also.... Could it be possible... to meet with Vermouth onest time through the power of this Demoneye? Until now, Eugene had managed to reunite with Vermouth a few times. However, he had never once been able to meet with Vermouth when thetter was in a fit state to speak. This meant that they had never been able to have a proper conversation. ¡°Tell me if this hurts,¡± Eugene said as he traced his fingertip across Ciel¡¯s eye. It didn¡¯t hurt. There wasn¡¯t any burning sensation. But that said, it didn¡¯t feel good either. At first, Ciel¡¯s eye had just felt refreshed, but as the mes prated deeper, her stomach began to churn with nausea, and her head grew dizzy. ¡°Mmph,¡± Ciel swallowed a groan. She could still endure. Ciel bit down on her bottom lip and clenched her knees together. Meanwhile, Eugene closed his eyes to focus his will. Eugene¡¯s consciousness melted into the mes. He left his physical body and flew into Ciel¡¯s Demoneye. By doing this, he was able to dive into the depths of Ciel¡¯s Demoneye. During the process, Eugene was able to achieve his first objective. He confirmed that even if Ciel was ordained as his Holy Knight, her Demoneye wouldn¡¯t disappear. In the first ce, this wasn¡¯t exactly the same thing as a demonfolk¡¯s Demoneye, and it had now be an ability that was unique to Ciel. Even if the ability¡¯s origins were demonic, that was no longer the case. ¡®But the situation is still precarious,¡¯ Eugene thought in concern. He could feel it. The mysterious factor hidden in the Lionheart bloodline that was responsible for the development of Ciel¡¯s Demoneyes hadn¡¯t been diluted even after being passed down for over three hundred years. Eugene suddenly recalled Eward Lionheart. The shame of the n. An idiot who had allowed himself to be possessed by the remnants of the deceased Demon Kings and who had attempted to be a Demon King by sacrificing his siblings and rtives. The reason Eward had been about toplete the ritual with only a very small number of sacrifices wasn¡¯t just due to the help of the Demon Kings¡¯ remnants. It was partly because Eward was a Lionheart and partly because he had chosen to use his fellow Lionhearts as sacrifices. The blood of the Lionhearts, descendants of the Hero, was paradoxically close to that of a certain Demon King. ¡®The Demon King of Destruction,¡¯ Eugene silently pondered. Eugene wasn¡¯t flustered by this revtion. He had already known that Vermouth¡¯s true origins had something to do with the Demon King of Destruction. However, the fact that the Lionhearts¡¯ blood was so potentially dangerous alerted Eugene to several incongruities. Vermouth had only ever wanted to save the world. Eugene had seen this truth for himself during his time with the Hero three hundred years ago. Vermouth wasn¡¯t the type to easily reveal his inner feelings, but all hisrades from back then had seen the truth in his actions. Everyone in the world had also known that Vermouth had dedicated himself to saving the world. Setting aside the issue of whether or not the Light had truly acknowledged him as such, Vermouth was the Hero. Even though the Holy Sword had refused to recognize him until the very end, Vermouth had still held the Holy Sword in his hand as he yed the Demon Kings. So why had such a man... allowed his inherently dangerous blood to spread across the world through his descendants? Why had he chosen to increase the number of his direct descendants with such uncharacteristic enthusiasm[1]? Eugene knew the answer to both of these questions. It was because he wanted Hamel to be reincarnated as his descendant. But why was that? Was it because he wanted Hamel to inherit the White me Form? Because he wanted to pass control over the whole n to Hamel? Or was it because he wanted Hamel to start off with the advantage of a body that carried a genius level of talent? Any of these might have been part of the reason for Vermouth¡¯s choice, but Eugene had narrowed it down to a more fundamental reason than that. The reason was simple. In order to kill the Demon King of Destruction, the blood of the Lionhearts was needed. That was why Vermouth had passed down his blood. Then, after three hundred years had passed, the soul of Agaroth was ced within a specially prepared vessel named Eugene Lionheart. ¡°As impetuous as ever,¡± said a voice that Eugene had been expecting to hear. Apanied by the familiar sound of clinking chains, Eugene opened his eyes. The voice continued, ¡°Even if you meet him like this, it will be impossible for you to save him.¡± The first thing Eugene saw when he opened his eyes was the Demon King of Incarceration sitting on his throne of chains. Behind that throne, Eugene also saw a door that, simr to the throne, was wrapped in chains. Eugene gave a wry grin as he turned to look at his surroundings. Apart from the Demon King of Incarceration, his throne, and the door, there was nothing else here. Eugene¡¯s room seemed to have vanished, along with Ciel and the Saints. ¡°It seems that only my consciousness has been sent here,¡± Eugene observed. ¡°That is what you intended, isn¡¯t it?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a smile. ¡°You are truly persistent. This isn''t the first time you¡¯vee looking for Vermouth using such impulsive means. Don¡¯t you remember what happened thest time you tried this?¡± Eugene thought back, ¡°You¡¯re talking about when I tried to use Draconic Incantations to examine the Moonlight Sword?¡± ¡°I had to stop you back then as well. There was also the time... when the Moonlight Sword went on a rampage. Now that I think about it, you¡¯ve never thanked me for either of those incidents,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as hezily rested his chin on one hand. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t held on to you back then, your soul would havepletely dissipated. Just like three hundred years ago, everything would have failed due to your stubbornness and reckless mistakes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just you acting on your own ord because you didn¡¯t want to see me fail,¡± Eugene dismissed the Demon King¡¯s grievances with a snort. ¡°So why exactly did you spare my life all those times when you could have killed me at any moment?¡± ¡°Because of the Oath,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said in exnation. ¡°I also had to put a lot of effort into upholding the Oath. Having invested so much effort into it... if possible, I also want to see it through to the very end.¡± Eugene sarcastically proposed, ¡°In that case, why don¡¯t you justmit suicide? It would be good for the Oath, and that way, you¡¯re the only one who needs to die.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯sughter grew louder. ¡°It seems that you¡¯ve managed to guess what exactly I derive from the Oath.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve given it some thought,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°What must it feel like to have to move on to the next era after everyone around you dies, leaving you as the only one who will live to see the next era? What must it feel like to conquer the world but not be able to rule it, as everything will eventually bepletely erased by Destruction? Why did you make such an Oath with Vermouth and grant him and humanity a grace period of three hundred years? What benefit would you gain from doing so?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration smiled silently. Eugene met this smile with a wry smile of his own. ¡°You want to end Destruction, but you¡¯re unable to do so. No matter how strong of a Greater Demon King you might be, you¡¯re still unable to bring an end to Destruction. The only thing you can do is to survive by yourself in the middle of its raging sea as everything around you disappears,¡± said Eugene as he began walking forward. ¡°I have never experienced such a thing, and I can¡¯t even imagine what it must feel like, but it must be a horrible feeling. Especially since it isn¡¯t something that just happens every few dozen years but instead something that repeats itself over and over again every hundreds of thousands of years. When I think about it that way, I actually can¡¯t help but feel awed by you.¡± His steps never slowing one bit, Eugene arrived in front of the Demon King of Incarceration as he asked, ¡°Just how long have you wanted to die?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration silently stared at Eugene. There was still a faint smile adorning his lips. ¡°No matter what, this body is unable to die in such a vain manner,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration finally began to speak. ¡°Do not be so quick to presume that you know what I truly desire, Eugene Lionheart. I have shown you much mercy, but... it would be an extravagant insult for you to so hastily conclude that you truly understand the great longing that I have harbored over the course of my long life.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re saying that you can¡¯t justmit suicide,¡± Eugene impatiently concluded. ¡°If that were possible, I would have done so a long, long time ago,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration shook his head with a dryugh. ¡°Telling you about myself, pulling on your emotions, and making you understand what I truly desire will be one of the greatest pleasures I will have experienced in the countless eons I have been alive, but... there is no reason for me to grant such an honor to the current you. This is not Babel, and you have yet to obtain the qualifications to stand before me.¡± ¡°Will killing Noir Giabe give me the qualifications?¡± Eugene angrily questioned. The Demon King shrugged. ¡°You are the one who decided that you needed to kill her before you could climb up through Babel.¡± ¡°Fine. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever be able to do something like understand you, but before I kill you when I climb to the top of Babel, I will at least listen to your story,¡± Eugene said as he stepped past the Demon King of Incarceration. Or at least, he tried to step past, only for a towering wall of chains to block Eugene¡¯s path forward. ¡°Do you truly wish to head in there?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration questioned. ¡°That is why I¡¯vee here,¡± Eugene insisted. The Demon King of Incarceration reminded him, ¡°Even if you meet him now, it will be impossible for you to save Vermouth.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Eugene impatiently replied. ¡°It might not even be possible to have a clear conversation with him,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration added. ¡°I know,¡± Eugene repeated as he red at the door covered in chains. ¡°I just came here because I wanted to take a look at that bastard¡¯s face.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration fell silent. Eugene scowled, ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if we aren¡¯t able tomunicate. Because I can just say what I have to say to him and be done with it.¡± The chains that were blocking Eugene¡¯s way forward slowly retracted downwards. ¡°This will be thest time,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration softly whispered. ¡°This meeting will be thest concession that I ever grant you. At the same time, this is also thest time I will show any sympathy for Vermouth Lionheart.¡± ¡°Yeah, alright.¡± Eugene shrugged this reminder off. A portion of the chains covering the door came loose. Following this, the door opened slightly, and Eugene stepped forward towards that gap. Behind him, he heard the Demon King of Incarceration say with a final chuckle, ¡°Good luck.¡± As he entered through the gap in the doorway, Eugene closed his eyes and then reopened them. Eugene arrived in a ce that he had seen before. A bleak world that seemed to recreate the nothingness of the void. It felt like he was standing at the center of a deep wound in the world. And in front of him, he saw Vermouth sitting on a chair wrapped in chains. 1. It¡¯s been a while, so just a reminder. Vermouth was said to have taken many wives and mistresses. ? Chapter 547: Divine Ascension (8)

Chapter 547: Divine Ascension (8)

Trigger Warning: This chapter contains thoughts of suicide and acting on that impulse due to physical disability (basically Hamel¡¯s death). . . . . Eugene was filled with a variety of emotions. He had seen Vermouth in his present state more than once, but this was the first time Eugene hade face-to-face with the true Vermouth. Their meeting hade far toote. Or at least, that was what Eugene thought. Eugene felt that he should have already gotten the chance to face this bastard, Vermouth Lionheart, at least once before now, someway or somehow. As long as it was just once, no matter how short their meeting might be, they could have at least gotten the chance to talk. No, even if they weren¡¯t able to talk to each other, as long as Eugene could see Vermouth in person and not as an illusion or in someone else¡¯s memories, it would have been fine. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene called out as he stepped into the void. This was a world in which no life could be supported. It was different from the dimensional rift that Raizakia had fallen into or the one that Eugene had got sucked into during his battle with the specter. This ce actively rejected all living beings. The only thing that could exist here was the void that was left by Destruction. But while all that might be the case, Vermouth was still here. Eugene had also managed to reach this ce, even if it was only in the form of his consciousness. Eugene didn¡¯t bother to understand how this could be. He already had a vague idea of what was going on, and also.... Eugene didn¡¯t want this joyful reunion that had been dyed for three hundred years be disturbed by such frivolous thoughts. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene called out to Vermouth once more. Each time he took a step forward, Eugene could feel his consciousness wavering. He had finally managed to reach this ce, but it wasn¡¯t easy getting to the center where Vermouth was waiting. It felt just like when he had first seen the Demon King of Destruction. Just the way that Demon King had been able to elicit feelings of despair and insanity by merely looking at it, just standing in this ce was enough to bring up feelings of madness and despair. However, Eugene was able to suppress those feelings. After all, this wasn¡¯t his first timeing here. Back in the distant past, before the time when Eugene was Eugene, and even before he was Hamel, Agaroth, the God of War, had been here once before. He had ordered his Divine Army to charge to their deaths, and after witnessing their total demise, Agaroth himself had also gone to face his own death. Then he had died here. ¡°Are you still alive?¡± Eugene asked. Eugene was sure he knew what this ce was. Agaroth had died here, inside the stomach of the Demon King of Destruction. Right in the core of Destruction. Eugene paid close attention to where Vermouth was sitting. His chair was ced in the center of a wound that had been carved into the void. In the distant past, Agaroth had left this sh here, and Vermouth was sitting in the center of that sh with his head bowed. ¡°Or have you died already?¡± Eugene taunted. The closer he got, the more difficult it was to speak. Each step he took also grew heavier. Eugene couldn¡¯t even tell whether the words he had barely managed to eke out through gritted teeth were even reaching Vermouth. Yet even so, Eugene felt that he had to say something. Right now, it didn¡¯t really matter whether Vermouth was listening or if he could even respond. ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Eugene cursed. If at all possible, Eugene had wanted to have a good talk with Vermouth, but if Vermouth wasn¡¯t in a state where he could coherentlymunicate, then it couldn¡¯t be helped. Because in that case, there was only one thing that Eugene needed to do. He let loose a flood of curses, ¡°You fucking bastard! Do you know how fucking hard it was and how much shit I had to go through because of you? Argh, just thinking about it pisses me off all over again. You son of a bitch! If you had just said something sooner, then you wouldn¡¯t even have been left in this state, you know that?¡± Vermouth had obviously been enacting some grand n. However, this bastard hadn¡¯t bothered to ry any of that n to anyone and had kept it a secret until the very end. Before starting their climb through Babel, if Vermouth had at least given Hamel some kind of hint, things wouldn¡¯t have turned out the way that they did. Eugene growled, ¡°You bitch, at that time, you could have just told me not to do anything strange and just stick to the rear, keeping safe and quiet, no matter what. So why didn¡¯t you, huh? You should have said that there was no point in memitting suicide! You should have just¡ª! Just told me to stay quiet! You should have said that I just needed to follow you! That everything would be fine if we managed to climb up to the top together! That¡¯s all you needed to do!¡± The more he thought about it and the more he talked, the angrier Eugene became. Unable to hold in his fury any longer, Eugene¡¯s voice gradually rose to a loud roar, ¡°If only you had done that! I also wouldn¡¯t havemitted suicide like an idiot¡ª¡± ¡°Do you really think that would be the case?¡± A low, cracked, and hoarse voice was suddenly heard speaking. Eugene abruptly stopped shouting. In his chair wrapped up in chains, Vermouth, whose head and shoulders had been hanging limply, could be seen slowly raising his head. ¡°Hamel,¡± Vermouth whispered as his closed eyes crept open. He stared at Eugene with cloudy and dull golden eyes. Eugene¡¯s breath stopped as he felt this gaze focus on him. In Eugene¡¯s, or rather Hamel¡¯s, memory, Vermouth¡¯s eyes had never been cloudy or dull like they were now. Because of that, Eugene could tell, just from the look of Vermouth¡¯s eyes alone, how much of a terrible and agonizing torture the past three hundred years were for Vermouth as he spent those years sitting here. Vermouth weakly began, ¡°If I, at that time, had given you a hint, Hamel, would you truly have¡ª¡± ¡°No.¡± Eugene simply shook his head. ¡°At that point, I probably wouldn¡¯t have listened no matter what you said.¡± Eugene had gone on such a tirade after losing his temper, but in fact, even he knew quite well that if Vermouth had said something before they started climbing Babel, something like telling Hamel not to overdo it in the tower... or that Hamel absolutely needed to survive until they managed to reach Incarceration¡¯s pce.... If Hamel had heard such words back then.... Hamel would have, at least slightly, pretended to listen and obey. Then, he would have tried to work out his own reason as to why Vermouth would say such things. Telling him not to overdo it? Hamel had regrly been told such things by hisrades. Telling Hamel that he must survive until they reached the pce of Incarceration? That was understandable; after all, it was true that all five of them had only been able to make it this far because each of them had given their all. ¡°But in the end, I would still have ended up dying on the way there,¡± Eugene admitted. No matter what Vermouth said, the results wouldn¡¯t have changed. At that time, Hamel was already dying. With his body in such a terrible state, it would have been impossible for him to climb any further up Babel on his own. So Hamel hadn¡¯t wanted to be a hindrance to hisrades. Even if everyone else said that it was okay, Hamel didn¡¯t want things to y out that way. That was why Hamel hadmitted suicide. ¡°See now,¡± Vermouth whispered. Then his dry, cracked, and pale lips drew a faint curve as he smiled. ¡°At that time, no matter what I would have said... you wouldn¡¯t have listened.¡± Eugene shook his head. ¡°No, if that was the case then, bastard, you should have just taken physical action instead of relying on words. At that time, my body was in such a crippled state that I wouldn¡¯t have been able to put up any resistance, so if you had just forcefully dragged me with you....¡± ¡°Just think about it, Hamel,¡± Vermouth said as he slowly shook his head. ¡°At that time... I... I thought that everything was nearly over and that the culmination of all our efforts was just around the corner. It truly was only just a little bit further. Just the tiniest bit more. We had already in the Shield of Incarceration, and we had just defeated the Staff of Incarceration. The only one left was the de of Incarceration.¡± Eugene held his retort. Vermouth continued, ¡°The de of Incarceration might be strong, but he is also a straightforward swordsman. For a group like ours, he would have been much less difficult to deal with than the Staff of Incarceration, who had hurled all sorts of traps and curses at us.¡± Unable to say anything to this, Eugene just quietly kept his mouth shut as he listened to Vermouth. Vermouth kept up the same faint smile as he confessed to Eugene, ¡°I thought I was being thorough in all of my preparations, but at that moment, I rxed just the slightest bit. After all, we really didn¡¯t have all that long to go. The thought that we only needed to take just a few more steps led me to drop my guard.¡± Eugene awkwardly muttered, ¡°Ah... well....¡± ¡°When the curse left behind by the Staff of Incarceration in his final act of desperation shot towards me, I... my reaction to it was a little slow,¡± Vermouth admitted. ¡°However, I still had enough time to either dodge or defend myself.¡± Eugene knew Vermouth was telling the truth. ¡°It was at that moment that you made your move, Hamel,¡± Vermouth sighed. Eugene coughed guiltily, ¡°Ahem....¡± ¡°I had been paying close attention to your movements ever since we managed to reach Babel. I knew that you were gradually getting closer to death. I also knew that you intended for the battle against the Staff of Incarceration to be yourst one when you used Ignition that one final time. Despite that, or perhaps even more so, I didn¡¯t pay any attention to you at that moment. Because I had already judged that you were no longer capable of movement,¡± Vermouth easily admitted his mistake. Eugene coughed once more, ¡°Ahem....¡± ¡°At that moment, I could never have imagined that... in the state you were in, you would actually move to shield me. Three hundred years ago, that was the second mistake I made,¡± Vermouth said as he closed his eyes. Eugene didn¡¯t have a reply to this and could only purse his lips. Vermouth¡¯s words were, for the most part, correct. During their battle against Belial, the Staff of Incarceration, Hamel¡¯s body had lost all of its fighting capability. He had been left in a state where he couldn¡¯t even move without some support. However, Hamel had still forced himself to move. When Belial¡¯s curse had been fired at Vermouth, his body, which should no longer have been able to move on its own, still sprang into action. Vermouth wouldn¡¯t have died from that curse. He probably wouldn¡¯t even have gotten injured. Since this was Vermouth, he would have been able to respond in some way or other in that short time. But Hamel, who was saddled with this crippled body from then on, would be forced to stare at everyone¡¯s backs as they went on without him. He could only watch as Vermouth, Molon, Sienna, and Anise fought Gavid Lindman and finally defeated the Demon King of Incarceration. Furthermore, this was Babel, the Demon King¡¯s Castle. This wasn¡¯t a ce for a cripple who couldn¡¯t even move his own body. Even if he just stayed quietly in the rear, having the burden of a cripple around would just be a hindrance to everyone. But Hamel¡¯srades would never abandon him. No matter how fierce the battle might be, they would always pay attention to the rear so that Hamel wouldn¡¯t get caught up in the fight. Hamel definitely couldn¡¯t bear the thought of such a future. He didn¡¯t want to have his crippled body dragged along only to serve as a hindrance to everyone. Eventually, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but let out a long sigh before saying, ¡°Well... I¡¯m sorry. You probably already know this, Vermouth. But back then, when I threw myself in front of you, it wasn¡¯t in an attempt to save you. It was simply because I... I wanted to die. And I decided to die in a way that meant I would get the foolish self-satisfaction of ¡°saving¡± you.¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Vermouth replied as his eyes opened once more. ¡°That isn¡¯t something that you need to apologize to me for. I never gave you an exnation for what was going on. In that ignorant state, you made a choice to end your life when you found that you could no longer fight, and when you leaped into action, I am sure that you simply wanted to save me. That is just the type of person that you were and are. I was the one who was just caught off guard and slow to react. It¡¯s all because I didn¡¯t manage to keep focused until the very end.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene agreed, nodding his head as if he¡¯d just been waiting for Vermouth to say these words. Vermouth blinked a few times in surprise at this shameless response. After a few moments, Vermouth let out a dry chuckle as he nodded his head. ¡°You... it seems that you haven¡¯t changed at all,¡± Vermouth observed fondly. ¡°No, I may have been mistaken. Instead, it seems like you¡¯ve be even more shameless than you were three hundred years ago.¡± ¡°If you want to survive being reincarnated as a one-year-old child[1] with an adult mind while hanging around a bunch of snot-nosed brats, then, of course, you have to learn to be shameless,¡± Eugene excused himself. Vermouth let out anotherugh, ¡°Haha, when I arranged your reincarnation, I was worried that you might not be able to endure all of the many inconveniences, and it would drive you to go on a rampage.¡± ¡°Just what exactly do you see me as?¡± Eugene sneered. ¡°In a fit of passion, I may havemitted suicide in my final moments, but I was usually a calm and collected person. Even if three hundred years had passed and I was reincarnated as your descendant with all of my past life memories intact... I guessed that there had to be a reason for it.¡± He could still vividly picture that moment. After dying as Hamel, he had woken up with a loud cry of ¡°wah.¡± When he was born, his mouth had just kept wailing all on its own, and he had no control over his newborn infant¡¯s body. Then he heard her voice. ~ ¡ªIt¡¯s a healthy boy. ¡ªHis name will be.... ¡ªEugene. ~ The voice of his mother who had just given birth to him. ~ ¡ªEugene Lionheart. ~ He definitely would never be able to forget the feelings that had surged within him after hearing his new name. His life as Hamel Dynas had ended, and his new life as Eugene Lionheart had begun. ¡°There were times when I felt that I couldn¡¯t bear it any longer,¡± Eugene admitted. After quickly learning to walk and how to voice his thoughts clearly, he had learned of how the Great Vermouth had made an Oath with the Demon King of Incarceration that had ended the war, even though there were still two Demon Kings left alive in this world. He learned that the Devildom had be the Helmuth Empire, that Vermouth and Anise had died, and that Sienna and Molon had gone into seclusion. At that time, he had sobbed loudly until his voice grew hoarse. He also broke everything in his room in a fit of anger. ¡°Vermouth,¡± Eugene called out the Hero¡¯s name in a calm voice. ¡°I¡¯ve thought about it over and over again. When I finally meet you, when I get the chance to talk to you, what exactly it is that I should be asking you.¡± Vermouth waited in silence. Eugene listed the question, ¡°Why on earth did you make that Oath? What exactly is in the Oath? Why did you make sure I was reincarnated?¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Vermouth called out to him. Eugene ignored this call and continued speaking, ¡°I now know the answer to all of that. You had no choice but to make that Oath. Regardless of whether or not it was possible for you to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration, the ending that you had envisioned absolutely required my survival.¡± This time, Vermouth closed his eyes instead of responding. Eugene shook his head, ¡°I still don¡¯t know the exact details of your Oath. All I can do is make a guess. This world should have been destroyed three hundred years ago, but because you made that Oath, the Destruction was postponed until now. The Demon King of Incarceration... agreed to halt the war, and together you managed to find a way to restrain the Demon King of Destruction.¡± Vermouth silently acquiesced to these guesses. Eugene sighed and said, ¡°That just leaves the question of why you reincarnated me. But I know the answer to that as well. You knew from the very start that I was Agaroth¡¯s reincarnation. That was why you recruited me as yourrade. However, after I died like an idiot, you had no choice but to somehow reincarnate me.¡± ¡°Hamel,¡± Vermouth finally spoke up. ¡°Everything that you¡¯ve said was correct. By now, you know most of the answers to all of the questions that you had.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°However, there is one thing that you haven¡¯t asked yet,¡± Vermouth pointed out. ¡°One thing that you can only find the answer to by asking me right here and now while I¡¯m right in front of you.¡± Now, it was Eugene¡¯s turn to fall silent. ¡°The question of who am I,¡± Vermouth said with a wry grin. He buried himself deeper into the chair that was wrapped in chains while raising his hands. The shackles locked around his wrists nged as Vermouth¡¯s hands rose up to cross over his chest. Vermouth continued, ¡°You haven¡¯t asked who exactly am I. Who exactly is Vermouth Lionheart? And if I¡¯m really a human? But you should already know that I¡¯m not exactly a human. However, you¡¯re still unaware of what I truly am at my core¡ª¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need to know that,¡± Eugene suddenly spat out. ¡°You are Vermouth Lionheart. That¡¯s enough for me. The same goes for Molon and Anise. Moreover, even Sienna, who almost died after you opened a hole right through her chest, also thinks the same way.¡± Vermouth¡¯s lips were pressed tightly in emotion. ¡°That is enough for all of us. Since you are Vermouth, it¡¯s only natural for us to still think of you as Vermouth,¡± Eugene insisted. Vermouth tried to argue, ¡°Hamel¡ª¡± Eugene just spoke over him, ¡°However, no matter how much I think about it, don¡¯t you think that you were being a little bit too harsh with your actions? Could it be that you have some kind of grudge against Sienna? Why did you have to poke a hole right through her chest, straight through to the other side? Because of that, Sienna almost ¡ª no, I shouldn¡¯t say that. ording to Sienna, you were in a very strange state when you attacked her. It seemed like someone else was in control of your body, not the real you.¡± Squeeze. Vermouth¡¯s chest tightened as he bit down on his bottom lip. Pretending not to see this, Eugene continued speaking, ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I can¡¯tpletely rte to what you might have been feeling. Even today, it¡¯s still sometimes true, but back then, three hundred years ago, there were a lot of times when I wanted to smack Sienna just once.¡± That said, he had never thought of wanting to pierce a hole straight through her chest. ¡°And sometimes, when my anger reaches its boiling point, I also have memories of losing control of my temper and running wild.... Then there¡¯s also the time when the Moonlight Sword went on a rampage, I was the one fighting, but it felt like there was someone else in control,¡± Eugene admitted. ¡°Hamel,¡± Vermouth said, letting out a sigh as he shook his head. ¡°You should already know this by now, don¡¯t you? Everything that you¡¯ve just said is ultimately nothing more than a forceful attempt to turn your head away from the true problem.¡± ¡°So fucking what if I am,¡± Eugene said, furrowing his brow as he red at Vermouth. ¡°For all four of us, that¡¯s all that we need. We don¡¯t really need to hear from your lips just what kind of bastard you really are or what you were up to.¡± ¡°This isn¡¯t a problem that you can solve just by ignoring it,¡± Vermouth chided. Eugene angrily retorted, ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll just listen to your exnationter. Later... once everything is all over. After we¡¯ve forced you to get up out of that shitty chair, then we, all of us together, will surround you and beat you to a pulp.¡± Vermouth silently twitched. ¡°We¡¯ll be sure to listen to your exnation then,¡± Eugene said with a huff. Vermouth closed his lips and stayed silent for a few moments. He could tell that Eugene¡¯s words were sincere. No matter what he said right now, Hamel wouldn¡¯t listen to him. ¡°You all haven¡¯t changed a bit,¡± Vermouth finally said. ¡°I, with you... with Sienna, Anise, and Molon... if I had wanted to, I might have been able to tell you something about who I was, about what was in the Oath, and what had been prepared.¡± ¡°That seems to be the case.¡± Eugene nodded. ¡°However, I couldn¡¯t say anything because even my continued silence was included as part of the Oath,¡± Vermouth revealed. ¡°That¡¯s still the case even now. Hamel, even if you ask me about my true identity... I won¡¯t be able to answer. I¡¯m not allowed to respond to such questions. Only the Demon King of Incarceration can tell you the true story.¡± ¡°Why did you make an Oath like that with that bastard?¡± Eugeneined. Vermouth shook his head. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration has seen both the beginning and the end of the world¡¯s fate many times over and has imprisoned countless people in his chains. To someone like him, these three hundred years of postponed Destruction are an anomaly that should not rightly exist, and he just wants to be able to observe the whole process.¡± ¡°But that bastard, Incarceration, has been secretly interfering with all sorts of matters,¡± Eugene used. ¡°In the end, he just wants to see the oue of our challenge against fate or whether it¡¯s even possible. That is the reason he decided to make that Oath with me,¡± Vermouth said with a chuckle and shook his head. ¡°Because that miserable and weary demon has been wrapped up in countless ties of cause and effect, he has a love-hate rtionship with fate. ¡°He desperately wishes to somehow change his fate and find a true end, but he has resigned himself to the impossibility of that. At the same time, he believes that a person¡¯s will can change their fate. He loves it when someone manages to free themselves from their fate, despite not being able to do so himself, or perhaps that¡¯s even more reason for why he feels that way.¡± Eugene silently processed this. ¡°That¡¯s why the Demon King of Incarceration sealed my lips. After Destruction was postponed for the next three hundred years, I kept my silence, Sienna focused on her magic, Molon founded his own kingdom, and Anise chose to face her own death. All of that has created the flow of events that has led us to reach this moment. If I hadn¡¯t kept my silence, if I had told everyone who I am and what they should be preparing for,¡± Vermouth paused as he looked straight at Eugene and whispered, ¡°Would you really be where you are now? ¡°Is there any point in guessing whether or not you, who knew the full truth in advance and were fully prepared for it, might be better than who you are now? You have experienced much, gained much, and finally reached this point,¡± Vermouth asked. Cliclink. Vermouth¡¯s shackle-d hands fell down from his chest. As he draped his arms over the chair¡¯s armrests, Vermouth continued speaking, ¡°The nature of my existence, the Oath, and the mission that I was charged with three hundred years ago ¡ª all of that will be revealed by the Demon King of Incarceration when you reach his pce in Babel. After you know the full truth, what you decide to do then will be the final test given to you by the Demon King.¡± ¡°Heh,¡± Eugene let out a snort as he shook his head. ¡°That bastard really is one sick pervert.¡± Though, he felt like he should have expected that from the moment he first saw the Demon King walking around wrapped in chains. 1. An interesting fact about Korean and other Asian cultures is that age is counted differently from Western cultures. Children are born as one-year-olds and turn two on their first birthday. ? Chapter 548: Divine Ascension (9)

Chapter 548: Divine Ascension (9)

For a few moments, Vermouth was left speechless by Eugene¡¯s murmur. This was because Eugene¡¯s sudden words were so vulgar that they seemed to have punctured the serious atmosphere of the conversation they had just been having. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Shortly after, Vermouth let out a peal ofughter. With eachugh and shake of his shoulders, all the chains wrapped around him, including those binding his limbs to the chair, rattled and nked. ¡°Hearing your words, I have to agree. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s personality truly does have a perverted side to it,¡± Vermouth said with a chuckle. Of course, the Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t go around wearing chains just because it was his personal taste. The Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t help but carry those countless chains attached to him, as the chains acted as a medium for his powerful abilities. ¡°Hamel,¡± Vermouth said once hisughter had died down. ¡°I cannot tell you the whole truth about my origins and the Oath. However....¡± ¡°However, what?¡± Eugene prompted, his brow furrowing as he tilted his head in question. He didn¡¯t like how Vermouth had fallen into silence instead of continuing with the sentence. Right now, Vermouth seemed to be working out what he could say while avoiding the restrictions that kept him from saying anything about the Oath. ¡°You don¡¯t need to do that,¡± Eugene sighed. Vermouth ignored Eugene¡¯s attempt to save him the trouble, ¡°Do you remember what I said earlier?¡± Eugene tried once more, ¡°It¡¯s fine if you just don¡¯t speak about it.¡± Vermouth shook his head, ¡°I said that not being able to stop your death was my second mistake.¡± Eugene fell silent. Vermouth continued speaking, ¡°But my first mistake was....¡± Eugene didn¡¯t want to hear this. He clenched his fists as he red at Vermouth. ¡°...being born.¡± However, in the end, Vermouth still said it. ¡°I was never meant to be born into this world.¡± Eugene gritted his teeth. ¡°Everything became twisted because I was born,¡± Vermouth revealed guiltily. ¡°Hey,¡± Eugene growled. Vermouth sighed, ¡°If only I wasn¡¯t born... then perhaps¡ª¡± ¡°Stop with that bullshit,¡± Eugene angrily demanded as he took a step forward, unable to bear it any longer. Or at least, he tried to get closer to Vermouth. But no matter how many steps he took, the distance between Eugene and Vermouth didn¡¯t get any shorter. ¡°Can¡¯t you just get rid of this effect already?¡± Eugeneined. Vermouth shook his head as he exined, ¡°It¡¯s an istion seal. Even if it¡¯s you, without your physical body, you won¡¯t be able to make it past this seal. As such, Hamel, just stand right there and listen to what I have to say. I¡ª¡± ¡°Shut your trap!¡± Eugene roared. Eugene hated what Vermouth seemed to be trying to do. He already had a vague guess as to Vermouth¡¯s true identity. By now, he already knew that Vermouth¡¯s existence was somehow connected to the Demon King of Destruction. But why should Vermouth¡¯s true identity matter? To Eugene, Sienna, Anise, and Molon, something trivial like Vermouth¡¯s true identity wasn¡¯t at all important. To them, he was just Vermouth Lionheart. This meant that, whether or not he was human, he was still just Vermouth Lionheart, theirrade and friend. Three hundred years ago, he had been everyone¡¯s Hero. Even though the Light may not have recognized Vermouth as such, to the world, and to all of his friends, Vermouth truly was the Hero. Eugene hated his title of the Stupid Hamel, and the first time he heard that his friends¡¯ titles were the Faithful Anise, the Wise Sienna, and the Brave Molon, the young Eugene had bent over, clutching his stomach, as he burst intoughter. Eugene knew Sienna was more temperamental and clumsy than wise. Likewise, Anise couldn¡¯t be considered all that faithful, as she drank every day and had a love-hate rtionship with the Light, ming it for not saving the world personally. As for Molon? The reason he acted so bravely was that he was just an idiot. And finally, what was going on with his title of ¡®the Stupid Hamel¡¯? He felt that was truly unjustified nder. However, Vermouth was different. Eugene didn¡¯t want to admit it, but that bastard Vermouth truly was great. So he deserved to be called the Great, as well as the Hero. After three hundred years had passed, the Hero of the current era was Eugene. But did that really make Vermouth any less of a Hero? Three hundred years ago, as the Hero, Vermouth ended the war with his Oath, and it was also Vermouth who managed to postpone the Destruction that should have taken ce back then for three hundred years. ¡°You are Vermouth Lionheart, the Hero,¡± Eugene spat at the now-silent Vermouth. ¡°You¡¯re also ourrade. I don¡¯t really want to say this while sober since it¡¯s such an embarrassing topic, but since you¡¯re not the type of person to make fun of me over something like this, I¡¯ll tell it to you straight. You¡¯re... a friend. Our friend. My friend.¡± Vermouth¡¯s eyes shook as he heard this. Eugene kept speaking, ¡°The reason I came here was¡ª¡± Whoooooo.... The world around him started shaking. The istion seal that was centered around Vermouth was pushing Eugene backward. However, Eugene refused to back down. Instead, he gritted his teeth and kept moving forward. The veins on Eugene¡¯s forehead bulged as he stubbornly mustered all of his strength. ¡°...to tell you that...¡± Pop pop. The distance between Eugene and Vermouth suddenly shrunk. In the end, the istion barrier failed to push Eugene out. It was still a challenge just to take one step after another, but Eugene forced himself closer until he was standing right in front of Vermouth. ¡°...we will definitely save you.¡± Vermouth lifted his head to look Eugene in the eye. His bloodshot golden eyes peered through shaggy locks of gray hair. At the same time, Eugene also stared back at Vermouth. The lion-like majesty he had once held that had befitted hisst name of Lionheart had grown faint in the current Vermouth. The man simply looked worn out and faded. Taking in this sight, Eugene raised his fist and extended it towards Vermouth. This was something that Eugene had always thought that he needed to do when he someday, eventually, reunited with Vermouth. He had promised himself that he would plunge his fist right into Vermouth¡¯s face. However, now that he was right in front of Vermouth, Eugene found that he couldn¡¯t do it. Especially after seeing how faded and cloudy Vermouth¡¯s eyes had be, as well as how pale and bloodless his face looked. Eugene angrily bit down on his lip. ¡°You son of a bitch. That ugly mug of yours looks so weak that it feels like you would die to a single hit,¡± Eugene grumbled as he lowered his fist. Tap. Drained of its strength, his fist gently rested on Vermouth¡¯s shoulder. He couldn¡¯t bear to hit Vermouth in the face, so Eugene just touched him on the shoulder. However, the moment he made contact, Eugene felt like he had made a mistake. This was because Vermouth¡¯s weak appearance, which made it seem like he would die to a single hit, wasn¡¯t just limited to his face. Now that Eugene got a closer look at Vermouth, he noticed that Vermouth¡¯s whole body was also simrly haggard. His shoulders were slumped bonelessly, and his limbs were as thin as reeds. ¡°...There¡¯s no way that I could have broken one of your bones with just that, right?¡± Eugene asked in concern, carefully lifting his fist that he hadnded on Vermouth¡¯s shoulder. Not knowing what to say, Vermouth just stared nkly into Eugene¡¯s face. After a few moments of silence, Vermouth barely managed to regain control of his voice. ¡°...You...,¡± Vermouth began weakly, hiding the shaking in his hands by clenching them into fists, ¡°...you¡¯re really going to save me?¡± Vermouth had also heard those same words of reassurance from the specter. Vermouth was only using the specter as a tool, so he couldn¡¯t help but feel guilty about that. The specter was an existence that was born from Hamel, but it wasn¡¯t Hamel. Yet he hadn¡¯t med Vermouth at the moment of his death. Instead, he had conveyed his gratitude to Vermouth. And someday.... ...the specter had said that someday Vermouth¡¯srades woulde to save him. Back then, Vermouth hadn¡¯t given the specter any response. He hadn¡¯t been able to respond. Saying anything in reply to those words had been forbidden to Vermouth. The same restriction also came into effect this time as well. Vermouth found that he wasn¡¯t able to say anything more in response to Eugene¡¯s words. Vermouth parted his lips a few times as he tried to use his voice, but no matter how much he wanted to, his voice wouldn¡¯te out. Cliclink. The chains wrapped around him gradually tightened their grip. Vermouth¡¯s face grew even paler. Instead of the words he wanted to voice, what emerged from his lips were heavy gasps for breath. In reaction to this, Vermouth gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. Boom boom booom booom.... Suddenly, the world around them began to shake once more. Eugene jumped in surprise as he turned to scan his surroundings. The already oppressive auraing from Destruction¡¯s dark power gradually filling this space grew even stronger, and as if in sync with the effect, Vermouth¡¯s hair began to shake. Eugene frowned in concern, ¡°Hey, are you¡ª¡± ¡°Stop,¡± Vermouth finally managed to draw out his voice. However, Eugene wasn¡¯t just going to stop talking after Vermouth said something like that. ¡°What¡¯s happening all of a sudden?¡± Eugene demanded. ¡°Is it the Demon King of Incarceration? Is that bastard doing something to¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not him,¡± Vermouth responded in a cracked voice as he panted for breath. ¡°He¡¯s trying to open his eyes.¡± ¡°...What?¡± Eugene asked uncertainly. ¡°The Demon King of Destruction... is trying to open his eyes,¡± Vermouth gasped out. Woooooo.... A sound like the howling of some unidentified beast set the world around them shaking even more fiercely. Eugene unconsciously swallowed a gulp as his shoulders shivered. Just hearing the sound of that roar alone was enough to shake his consciousness and raise goosebumps over his whole body. Just like when Hamel had first seen the Demon King of Destruction three hundred years ago and back in the distant past, when Agaroth firstid eyes on the Demon King of Destruction. The same unbearable fear he had felt both those times was causing Eugene¡¯s heart to shake. ¡°Hamel... listen hah closely,¡± Vermouth ordered as he raised his head to look up at Eugene. The look in Vermouth¡¯s eyes felt different from when they had just been conversing. With an even duller, unfocused look in his eyes, this definitely didn¡¯t feel like the Vermouth that Eugene knew. However, it wasn¡¯t an unfamiliar look to him. Eugene could remember having seen those ¡°eyes¡± somewhere before. A few years ago, Sienna had shown him some of her memories using her magic. She had revealed what had happened in Hamel¡¯s tomb two hundred years ago when she was attacked by Vermouth. Right now, Vermouth¡¯s eyes looked just like they had at that time in Sienna¡¯s memory. The attacker had clearly worn Vermouth¡¯s appearance, but to Sienna, it definitely hadn¡¯t felt like Vermouth. Eugene could nowpletely understand the words Sienna had used to describe that moment. In the process of transforming into Vermouth from back then, Vermouth could no longer maintain his sense of reason. In the absence of his waning sanity, the empty space inside his head was being filled by the madness of Destruction. ¡°One year at most,¡± Vermouth gritted out as he stared at Eugene with his bloodshot eyes. ¡°When Destruction fully awakens, it will immediately move to begin destroying the world. At that time, no one will be able to prevent the Destruction.¡± Eugene stared at Vermouth as he memorized this warning. ¡°I...,¡± Vermouth gasped, ¡°right now, I¡¯m still holding it back. But you need to end it. Before everything is toote, Babel¡ª¡± ¡°I get it.¡± Eugene nodded his head. ¡°You don¡¯t need to say anything more, Vermouth. Just listen to me. We will climb to the top of Babel before it¡¯s toote, and we will y the Demon King of Incarceration. Then we wille to save you.¡± ¡°...Hamel,¡± Vermouth whispered weakly. ¡°Make sure not to forget that,¡± Eugene ordered. ¡°When things take a shitty turn, and you have a hard time holding on, just think back to what I just told you. We will definitely, definitelye to save you.¡± Woooooo...! The noise of the roar was growing even louder, and the shaking of the world was getting stronger. The ground around them was churning and bouncing like in an earthquake, but the chair that Vermouth was sitting on and the ancient wound surrounding it didn¡¯t shake. This was the only ce that remained at peace in the midst of all this seething destruction. But was that really the case? Eugene stared closely at Vermouth¡¯s face. He noticed the trembling in Vermouth¡¯s body and how Vermouth¡¯s eyes were bing increasingly bloodshot and stained red. Eugene bit down heavily on his bottom lip as he saw the madness slowly spreading behind Vermouth¡¯s eyes. The scar in the void and the chair at its center might seem to remain silent and peaceful, but there was nothing peaceful about what Vermouth was going through. But that just gave Eugene even more reason not to turn his gaze away from Vermouth. He tried to persuade himself to withdraw to avoid the eruptions shaking this space, but Eugene simply couldn¡¯t bring himself to ignore Vermouth¡¯s pain and just retreat like this. Weren¡¯t there any other methods he could use to help Vermouth? It might be impossible for Eugene to y the Demon King of Destruction right now, but at least there had to be some way for him to ease Vermouth¡¯s suffering. ¡®...No, there aren¡¯t any,¡¯ Eugene finally admitted to himself. He was reminded of Molon, who had also been suffering from insanity. Back then, Eugene had been able to erase Molon¡¯s madness as well as the dark power corrupting the other side of the Lehainjar by using the Moonlight Sword. That was possible because the Moonlight Sword was the sword of Destruction and because Eugene hadplete control of the Moonlight Sword. But the dark power within this ce and the madness spreading from it couldn¡¯t bepared to what Eugene had seen on the other side of the Lehainjar. Even if he pulled out Levantein rather than the Moonlight Sword, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to erase all of the dark power here. There was no point in even making that attempt. If he was even just the slightest bit careless, such an attempt might only serve as a stimulus topletely awaken the Demon King of Destruction. Vermouth could read the regret in Eugene¡¯s eyes. He also knew that there was no way for the current Eugene to do anything to change this situation. As such, while he still had some rationality left, Vermouth spat out in a cold voice, ¡°...Just leave!¡± With great difficulty, Vermouth barely managed to raise one hand and thrust it towards Eugene. Whooosh! Eugene¡¯s consciousness was flung backward. It was just like what had happened in the past when he had experienced Noir¡¯s dream. Just as Vermouth had desired, Eugene was unable to offer up any resistance and had no choice but to be expelled from this space. The distance between them widened instantly. The figure of Vermouth seated atop the giant scar quickly shrunk into the distance. Eugene stared at Vermouth with his eyes wide open. He still had a lot of curses that he wanted to fling at Vermouth, and he also had a lot of topics that he wanted to talk about. However, it was impossible for him to linger in this ce any longer. ¡®Next time,¡¯ Eugene promised himself. And there would definitely be a next time. So, there was no need to feel disappointed with how short the length of his visit had been. Eugene kept this thought to himself as he closed his eyes. Eugene¡¯s presence had finally left. Once again, Vermouth was the only one left in this prison. Vermouth could still feel the madness and the dark power rushing to fill in the gaps left by his fading reason. The cycles were gradually growing shorter. The three hundred long years that the Demon King had spent in deep sleep would soon transform into a light slumber. In fact, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if the Demon King of Destruction opened his eyes any day now. ¡®But not yet,¡¯ Vermouth swore as he clenched his teeth. Even the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t be sure when the Demon King of Destruction would fully open his eyes. However, Vermouth was sure that it wouldn¡¯t be now. He tightly squeezed his eyes shut, trying not to let go of the fleeting remnants of his reason. Hamel¡¯s words still lingered inside his head. He had said that it didn¡¯t matter what Vermouth¡¯s origins or identity were. Hamel had said to them he was just Vermouth Lionheart, and that was enough. However, Vermouth definitely couldn¡¯t agree with such an opinion. From his position, he was left with no choice but to deny most of the assurances that he had heard from Hamel today. ¡°You said that you are going to save me?¡± Vermouth scoffed in self-depreciation, ¡°That¡¯s impossible.¡± Woooooo...! The world shook once more. Vermouth didn¡¯t want to harbor any of the faint hopes or longings that had been stirred up by the conversation he had just now. Just how much regret had he experienced in the past due to such feelings? Eugene may have denied Vermouth¡¯s words while feeling sincere anger on his behalf, but Vermouth definitely wasn¡¯t capable of doing the same. To Vermouth, the greatest sin he had evermitted was being born into this world. It was because he was born into this world that Vermouth had experienced such futile longings and hopes. He would rather.... ...rather than being here, Vermouth would rather have never been born.... His hands clenched around his armrests as Vermouth closed his eyes. Chapter 549: Divine Ascension (10)

Chapter 549: Divine Ascension (10)

He was back. Eugene gasped for breath as he opened his eyes. The very first thing he saw was the unconscious look on Ciel¡¯s face as her eyes had rolled back into her head. From the way she had slumped into her chair, her body seemed to have been drained of all of its strength. rmed, Eugene grabbed Ciel by the shoulder. Although he had seeded in his n to reach Vermouth, it seemed that the whole experience had ced far too heavy a burden on Ciel. Eventually, Eugene sighed in relief, ¡°Phew.¡± Fortunately, Ciel was just exhausted. She wasn¡¯t suffering from any internal injuries or anything that could leavesting effects. But even so, just in case, Eugene leaned closer and carefully cradled Ciel¡¯s head. Worried that there might be something wrong with her Demoneyes, Eugene wanted to take another look at them, but the problem was that her pupils had rolled back into her head. In that case, he had no choice but to try and roll them back down. A me rose from the end of Eugene¡¯s fingertip, and he carefully rubbed Ciel¡¯s eyes. The rolled-back eyes slowly returned to their original position. Once that was done, Eugene looked deeply into Ciel¡¯s unfocused gaze. Thankfully, there weren¡¯t any issues. Her Demoneyes were also perfectly fine. It seemed that Ciel had just lost consciousness. Eugene let out a sigh of relief as he pulled his hand away from her eye. It was under such circumstances that the light suddenly returned to Ciel¡¯s eyes. Her vision might still be blurry, but Ciel had managed to regain consciousness. She couldn¡¯t help but feel slightly flustered because the moment she regained consciousness, the very first thing she saw was Eugene¡¯s face at far too close a distance to hers than expected. ¡°...Ahem,¡± Ciel cleared her throat awkwardly while feeling a mixture of embarrassment and nervousness, following which she was immediately ovee with regret. If she had just moved her lips forward a little bit while using the excuse that she was half asleep, wouldn¡¯t that have resulted in a kiss, even if it was only by the slightest of contact? The distance between them was close enough for that, so it would have been easy to make such a slip. Ciel paused. On second thought, she was d that she hadn¡¯t done so. After finishing her examination of Eugene¡¯s face from such a close distance, Ciel couldn¡¯t help but change her mind. She could see that Eugene¡¯s eyes were currently filled with a flurry of mixed emotions. Ciel wasn¡¯t able to fathom the source of all those emotions, but she could at least sense that they weren¡¯t positive emotions. Ciel felt that current expression and that look in his eyes really didn¡¯t suit Eugene. So she hesitantly asked, ¡°What¡¯s... the matter with you?¡± Eugene returned the question, ¡°With me? What do you mean?¡± ¡°You look sad,¡± Ciel stated bluntly. ¡°Really now.¡± Eugene let out a snort as he returned to his seat. Did he really look that sad? Eugene clicked his tongue as he absentmindedly rubbed his cheeks. His cheeks truly did feel a bit stiff. Even the tip of his nose felt a bit sore. No matter how he thought about it, apart from its talent when it came to things like battle, this new body of his had a whole lot of problems associated with it. Eugene felt like there had to be some kind of innate defect with his new body that was causing him to lose control of his tear ducts. ¡°It¡¯s because I¡¯m tired,¡± Eugene exined weakly. ¡°What?¡± Ciel raised a brow. ¡°It¡¯ste, isn¡¯t it? By this time, I¡¯m usually already asleep,¡± Eugene muttered before letting out an obviously fake yawn. It was such a clumsy lie that even a child would have been able to see through it. However, Ciel didn¡¯t bother to point that out. She felt that whatever problem Eugene was facing, she should avoid talking about it. So instead, Ciel asked something else. ¡°...What exactly did you do to me?¡± Things were different from thest time Eugene had gone to that ce when they were both facing Iris at the Souther Sea. Back then, Ciel had seen Vermouth with Eugene, but this time, she hadn¡¯t been pulled in with him. Whatever Eugene had done, it had felt like a me was spreading inside of her body, but rather than heating her up, it was instead cooling her down; then, in a moment of blind panic, she had suddenly lost consciousness. Ciel¡¯s memories had cut off right at that point. ¡°It seems I went a bit too deep in my examination,¡± Eugene said with an awkward cough. Should he tell her about meeting Vermouth? After giving it a few moments of thought, Eugene decided to keep it to himself. He felt sorry for Ciel, but the whole story surrounding Vermouth would be hard for her toprehend. Also, from now on, there would be no further need to use Ciel¡¯s eyes as a doorway to that ce. ¡°But I still finished your ordination while you were passed out,¡± Eugene quickly informed her. Ciel stuttered in surprise, ¡°D-don¡¯t you have to tap me on my shoulders with a sword, or something like that?¡± Eugene shrugged as he said, ¡°Instead of doing all that, I just did it while I was touching your eyes.¡± As Molon had said, the formalities weren¡¯t all that important when it came to knighting someone. As long as Eugene wanted it to happen, the ordination would work no matter what form the ceremony took. Ciel hesitated for a few moments as she turned to look at Eugene. After hearing what Eugene had just said, Ciel could sense that her ordination truly had beenpleted. Right now, inside Ciel, there was a different source of light other than the mes of the White me Form. If this were any other time, she might have started flirting with Eugene while drawing on her newly gifted divine power right in front of him, but right now, it didn¡¯t feel like they had the right atmosphere to do such a thing. ¡°Why are you being so tactful?¡± Eugene eventually asked. ¡°So what, would you prefer if I dropped the tact and just acted selfishly?¡± Ciel asked with a sniff. Eugene shrugged before saying, ¡°That¡¯s what you did when you were young.¡± ¡°Just what kind of impression did I leave in your memories from when we were young?¡± Ciel asked with a huff. Eugene answered her rhetorical question honestly. ¡°You were an annoying and arrogant brat who knew how to make good use of her pretty looks. Instead of being tactful of others¡¯ feelings, you preferred to make everyone else cater to your whims.¡± Ciel fell silent for a few moments after hearing such a decisive response. Moreover, every word in Eugene¡¯s description of her was so urate that there was nothing Ciel could refute. ¡°E-even so..., I feel like I¡¯ve always been very considerate of your feelings,¡± Ciel tried to argue. ¡°Really? It¡¯s been over ten years since I first met you, but it¡¯s only now that I¡¯m finding that out,¡± Eugene drawled sarcastically. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ve always paid attention to what you¡¯re feeling, and that¡¯s still the case even now. So how can I not notice something wrong with you when you¡¯re having such a sorrowful expression?¡± Ciel muttered as she pouted her lips. Then, she leaped out of her seat and continued, ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll just be heading back to my room now. Right now, judging by your expression, you must be truly depressed about something, and it doesn¡¯t seem like the sort of issue that can be resolved by discussing it with me. Alright? See, I really can be considerate of you.¡± ¡°Really now,¡± Eugene said with a snort. ¡°What, do you have anyints?¡± Ciel narrowed her eyes and red at Eugene. ¡°No, that¡¯s fine with me,¡± Eugene replied with a long sigh. It was only then that the corners of Ciel¡¯s mouth curved upwards in a slight grin as she asked, ¡°What about the Saint Sist ¡ª ahem ¡ª I mean, the Lady Saints, how long do they have to remain like that?¡± ¡°Who knows,¡± Eugene said with a shrug. ¡°I don¡¯t have any prior experience when ites to something like this. Still, it shouldn¡¯t take more than a full day.¡± Ciel questioned, ¡°Do they have to soak their body in that bathtub for a whole day? That seems like it would get cold.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just any ordinary water, but holy water, so it probably won¡¯t get that cold,¡± Eugene said, his voice sounding unsure. ¡°You won¡¯t do anything strange while I¡¯m gone, will you?¡± Ciel narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Eugene cocked a brow and asked, ¡°Something strange? What do you mean, strange?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? A man and a woman are sharing a bathtub in the same room,¡± Ciel leered as she let out a giggle. Eugene blinked in surprise at these words, then shook his head in bewilderment. ¡°That''s some crazy nonsense you¡¯re spouting. This is a sacred ritual. It¡¯s obvious that I¡¯m just baptizing her. Don¡¯t you know that what you said could be considered sphemy?¡± Ciel sniffed and said, ¡°It was barely even an insult.¡± ¡°If I, as a god, were to feel insulted, then it¡¯s obviously a case of sphemy,¡± Eugene argued back. ¡°Alright, fine, you¡¯re the god,¡± Ciel said, rolling her eyes before sticking her tongue out at him and turning around. Her previous words were only meant as a joke. Ciel didn¡¯t really have any suspicions that Eugene might do anything perverted. While the Saints might secretly desire for something like that to happen, Eugene himself would never have such inappropriate thoughts. ¡®Even a genuine eunuch might not be as chaste as he is,¡¯ Ciel thought as she turned to shoot Eugene one final nce. She saw that Eugene was still sitting in his chair with that same depressed and solemn look. Eugene, who was resting his chin in one hand, felt her gaze rest on him, so he turned his head to her and asked, ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing,¡± Ciel said before turning around once more and leaving the room, closing the door behind her. With that, the only ones remaining in the room were Eugene and the two Saints. Eugene slowly got up from his chair and walked over to the bathtub that had been ced in the back of the room. The holy water within the tub emitted a soft glow. Kristina¡¯s expression as shey submerged in the bathtub looked much morefortable than it had when she had first stepped in. Eugene¡¯s attention was drawn to the Stigmata engraved on both of Kristina¡¯s hands. The light from the holy water that filled the bathtub was gradually being drawn toward her Stigmata. ¡®I¡¯ve done everything that I can,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself with a sigh. He had appointed Molon as his Holy Knight and the Greatest Warrior under hismand. The knights and other warriors who had attendedst night¡¯s banquet had also been ordained. With that one act alone, Eugene had fully formed his personal order of Holy Knights. When the time came to march on Babel, they would serve as Eugene¡¯s Divine Army and battle against the demonfolk of Pandemonium. After he killed the Demon King of Incarceration and conquered Babel.... ...the next step would be the Demon King of Destruction. Most of the vassals of Destruction who had been sheltering in Ravesta had already died in Hauria. There might be a few of Destruction¡¯s vassals still left in Ravesta, but those that remained were likely just the dregs of their group who wouldn¡¯t even be able to put up a proper threat. That said, this didn¡¯t mean that Eugene wouldn¡¯t have to consider any variables that might arise. Just thinking back to when they had retaken Hauria, the specter had used the humans and demonfolk under hismand to create hundreds or even thousands of Nur. Following the conquest of Babel, the next duty of Eugene¡¯s Divine Army would be to stand guard just in case they were needed to block a sudden surge of Nur. ¡®If they doe, where will theye from?¡¯ Eugene carefully considered. Perhaps they would emerge from Raguyaran or Lehainjar? Molon¡¯s help would also definitely be needed in their battle against the Demon King of Destruction. It had been confirmed that Sienna¡¯s magic could temporarily suppress the emergence of Nur for a certain length of time, but they couldn¡¯t just blindly ce their trust in that. To a certain extent, the appearance of Nur in the aforementioned locations was merely a portent of what was toe. ¡®A portent of Destruction,¡¯ Eugene thought grimly. The Demon King of Destruction was currently in a sealed state. However, through his meeting with Vermouth just now, Eugene confirmed that the seal wasn¡¯t permanent and that the Demon King would be breaking out soon. ¡®There¡¯s no way he can just continue sleeping peacefully while we¡¯re getting ready to kill him, right? He¡¯s sure to wake up as soon as he¡¯s provoked,¡¯ Eugene mused. If that happened, then even Sienna¡¯s magic might not be able to suppress the emergence of Nur from Raguyaran and Lehainjar. Therefore, part of the Divine Army would need to be deployed there in order to prevent the spread of Nur. ¡®It should be fine if we leave that side to the Ruhr Kingdom¡¯s army,¡¯ Eugene decided. Duringst night¡¯s banquet, he had ordained Aman and the elite knightly order of the Ruhr Kingdom, the White Fangs. He would only be able to make a decision after seeing the actual situation, but if the Ruhr Kingdom¡¯s army alone wasn¡¯t enough, then they could also mobilize the army of the Shimuin Kingdom or the d mercenaries to support them. As he carefully considered these next steps, Eugene unconsciously let out a smile. The military forces that Eugene was casually ordering about inside his head were all the elite forces of their respective countries. In addition to these various elite forces, if Eugene so desired, he could also order these various countries to conscript and mobilize additional forces. ¡°I really have grown a lot,¡± Eugene muttered to himself while shaking his head. No matter how famous Hamel had been three hundred years ago, it would have been impossible for him to issue orders to the king of a country. However, such a thing was now possible for Eugene. If Eugene truly desired it, he could gather up the forces of not just one country but the entire continent and order them into action. Eugene Lionheart had be a name capable of wielding such influence all within a span of ten years or less. This gathering of influence was done out of necessity. Setting aside the significance of his newfound divinity, the fate of the world now rested in Eugene¡¯s hands. It was by his actions that they would all either perish or survive. And if they did survive, he would be the one to decide what form their future would take. ¡°As expected, it really is heavy,¡± Eugene gave a low chuckle as he reached into his cloak for some alcohol. He filled the table in front of him with several bottles of wine that he had brought with him from the banquet. Kristina and Anise, who practically ran on alcohol[1], were present but silent. Sienna, who also liked alcohol quite a fair bit, though not as much as the Saints, was still upied in the forest, and Molon was all the way in the far north. ¡®...I¡¯ve done everything I could,¡¯ Eugene told himself once more. Since he had already attained godhood, there was no point in spreading his faith any further. In the first ce, from the moment the Light had entered Eugene, all of the divine power that had been umted as part of the Light¡¯s n since the Age of Myth ended was almost entirely at Eugene¡¯s disposal. Their preparations wereplete, and all that was left... was to muster up their resolve. Once they had all firmed their resolve, they would face their final challenge. But all that said, it wasn¡¯t so easy to make up one¡¯s mind andmit everything they had to face this challenge. Eugene knew there was nowhere to run to, and they also didn¡¯t have much time left. But what if he failed? What if he died? In that case, he guessed he would just need to find a good ce to die. Eugene was reminded of the specter and what he had said during the specter¡¯s final moments, as he grabbed his copy by the hand. ~ ¡ªLet¡¯s go. ~ Eugene had already made his deration back then. He had promised to kill the Demon King of Incarceration, and he had promised to save the world. But if he were to be killed by the Demon King of Incarceration, his soul would be captured. That would mean that all hope for the next era would be extinguished. In fact, at this point, Eugene thought that the oue wouldn¡¯t be that much different depending on whether he died at the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction. The Eugene Lionheart of this era was able to exist because of the Ancient Gods, who were responsible for reincarnating Agaroth. All those Ancient Gods had been devoured by the God of Giants and had transformed into a single god. Then all of the power they had prepared over the ages since had been passed down to Eugene through the Levantein. If the current world were to be destroyed and a new era arrived, at that time, even the faint hope that currently existed would have alreadypletely disappeared. If that happened, it would only result in a repeat of the eternal cycle of creation and destruction. Just how many more times would the world have to be destroyed before the cycle would finally end? Would the Demon King of Incarceration be the only one to survive to see that happen? His resolve.... Eugene red down at the wine filling up the bottle. In fact, Eugene already knew the truth. The resolve that he currently needed to muster up the most wasn¡¯t the resolve to fight either the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction. Regardless of whether he ultimately seeded or failed, Eugene was wholeheartedly devoted to ying those two Demon Kings. He had already mustered up all the resolve that he needed for that. The resolve that Eugene currently needed to find was the resolve to kill Noir Giabe. He definitely had enough murderous intent towards her. He wanted to kill her. He needed to kill her. However, when that moment came, would he really be able to kill her? No matter how resolve he had, no matter how much murderous intent he was emitting, no matter how close he came to actually killing her.... Would he truly be able to kill Noir, to kill Aria, at that final moment? Eugene Lionheart could do it. Hamel Dynas could also do it. But what about Agaroth? ¡®I¡¯ll just have to force myself to do it somehow,¡¯ Eugene thought with a sigh. Then, after killing her, he would surely feel a lot of regret and despair. He would be left with scars that could never be erased for the rest of his life. Instead of lifting his ss of wine, Eugene rubbed the scar on his right cheek. This scar had been left on him by Gavid Lindman. This scar would also remain on him for the rest of his life. But instead of his body, Noir¡¯s death would leave a scar on his heart. Eugene was both afraid and disgusted by the knowledge that he would surely feel regrets, doubts, and despair following her death. ¡°It needs to be done,¡± Eugene muttered aloud, verbalizing something that he already knew to be true. He was just reminding himself of the facts. There was no need to make any more preparations. Eugene would be ready as soon as he finished firming up his resolve. Right now, Eugene had already taken the first step to muster that much-needed resolve. So he wouldn¡¯t need all that long to get ready. When the Saints opened their eyes, and when Sienna finished her preparations, then.... ...all four of them would be heading to Giabe City. His Divine Army wouldn¡¯t be apanying them. The Divine Army wouldn¡¯t be of much help in their battle against Noir Giabe. Numerical superiority was meaningless when it came to dealing with the current Noir. If they did take the army with them, perhaps their army might just end up strengthening Noir instead. There could be no more dy. Noir Giabe had already surpassed the standards of a normal Demon King. She had already been on the path to bing infinitely stronger by using the entire city as a factory to supply all the life-force needed for her consumption, but the current Noir no longer needed to rely on mere life-force, instead sustaining herself on the powers of Fantasy that she herself generated. Just like Aria had once dreamed of during the Age of Myth, Noir Giabe had sessfully ascended to godhood. She had be an Evil God, and Giabe Park was her godly domain. Eugene let out a deep sigh and lifted the ss of wine to his lips. But the wine didn¡¯t taste like anything. *** On that night, Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one drinking by himself. This was a city that had sunken into silence. A few days ago, night finally returned to the city where night didn¡¯t exist. The entire city was plunged into darkness because all the lights had been turned off tomemorate the loss of an old friend. ¡°Haha,¡± Noirughed as shey down under the dazzling light of the full moon. Lying down in the middle of the city, using the entire cked-out city around her as her cradle, Noir kicked her legs merrily in the air. ¡°I can feel you thinking about me,¡± Noir said with a grin as she lifted her wine ss. The full moon seemed to hang on the edge of the swirling liquor within. Noir could feel the desperate longing that filled the fantasies of the millions of inhabitants currently slumbering within her silent city. But burning even more intensely than all of their desiresbined, the murderous intent and mncholic yearning directed at her from some distant location was causing a chill to run up Noir¡¯s spine. It was a familiar killing intent. As well as.... ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to send him an invitation,¡± Noir said with augh as she swirled her wine under the light of the full moon. 1. The original Korean text describes her as loving alcohol to the point of death. ? Chapter 550: The Invitation (1)

Chapter 550: The Invitation (1)

The soft chirping of the birds outside the window stirred Kristina from her sleep early in the morning. She awoke refreshed as if she were emerging from a deep slumber. ¡°Ah.¡± The sound of rippling water made her pause as she began to sit up, her shoulders tensing. Memories of the events before she lost consciousness slowly returned ¡ª Eugene¡¯s baptism. The water in the bathtub was still warm, though it no longer shimmered with that initial, mystical Light. [Are you awake?] Anise''s voice reached her, and Kristina nodded without surprise. ¡®Did you wake up before me?¡¯ she inquired. [I just woke up as well,] answered Anise. Her mind was clear, not groggy. The only difort was her wet clothes clinging to her skin, but aside from that, she felt remarkably well ¡ª even better than usual, as if she were as light as a feather. [It is morning, but we have not just passed a single dawn. We must have been unconscious for several days,]mented Anise. But Kristina felt no hunger. She felt a fullness within her as she finally stood up. With a swoosh, the water in the bathtub evaporatedpletely. ¡®Have you not seen Sir Eugene?¡¯ asked Kristina. [It''s true I woke before you, but only by about ten minutes. Hamel wasn¡¯t in the room then,] Anise said with a small sigh. [That''s actually worrying. Given Hamel''s nature, he wouldn''t leave us alone in the room without a good reason. His absence must be because of something important.] Kristina started worrying, ¡®Could something have happened to Sir Eugene? After all the blood he shed for us¡ª¡¯ [Are you being serious? Kristina, I can''t imagine Hamel fainting from blood loss, can you?] Anise interrupted her. ¡®But Sister, you are concerned about Eugene''s safety¡ª¡¯ said Kristina. Anise interrupted once more with a reminder, [Yes, I am worried. While we were unconscious, something sinister might have lured Hamel away. Don''t you remember what happened before the baptism? It wasn¡¯t just us and Hamel in this room.] Kristina''s expression hardened. It had been several days, perhaps, but Ciel had also been in that room, freshly bathed and perfumed. [We must not overlook Ciel. It¡¯s been a year since theyst met, and he did nothing for her. That girl must be harboring some resentment,] said Anise. ¡®Gasp....¡¯ [Who knows what tricks she might have tried while we were asleep? She might have forced Hamel against his will...,] Anise continued exining. ¡®How dare she aim for Sir Hamel¡¯s virginity!¡¯ Kristina eximed. Kristina''s shout made Anise momentarily speechless. At most, she had imagined a forceful hug or a date. Kristina¡¯s interjection took it to an unexpectedly drastic conclusion. In the aftermath of Kristina''s outburst, Anise couldn''t help but feel a tangle ofplicated questions. Was it right to refer to Hamel as a virgin? Anise knew that during his days as a mercenary, Hamel had had his share of sexual encounters. Back then, and even now, such wasmon practice among mercenaries, so Anise hadn''t really dwelled on it. Surely, Hamel was no virgin, right? ¡®What are you talking about, Sister? He¡¯s Sir Eugene, not Sir Hamel now,¡¯ Kristina reminded. [What?] questioned Anise. ¡®His body is different, and his name is different. And love did not exist in the reckless escapades of his mercenary days,¡¯ exined Kristina. [What...?] Anise asked, dumbfounded. ¡®Sir Eugene''s body is new, and his name is new. That makes him all the more valuable and in need of protection,¡¯ Kristina dered. With that, she abruptly shed her clothes. Why was she undressing? Because her clothes were wet. Were there clothes to change into? Yes, there were. Neatly arranged on the bed were garments meant for the Saints, prepared ahead of time for when she mighte to her senses. However, Kristina did not even spare a nce at those clothes. She hesitated only briefly beforeing to a decision and crossing the room naked. This was Eugene''s room, and one side of the spacious chamber had a door leading to a dressing room. [Good heavens, good heavens...!] Anise eximed, thoroughly shocked. The devilish and shameless thoughts that Kristina harbored, then the swiftness with which she made her resolve were too much for Anise to handle. Kristina was now entering a forbidden ce that neither Sienna nor even Ciel, who had lived in the mansion with Eugene for the past ten years, had dared enter. Eugene had frequented this dressing room in nothing but his primal state since his childhood. The Saints were the first to invade his room among the females. No, they were unlikely to be the first, though. Nina had dedicated herself to serving Eugene since his childhood. She might have entered several times, but she had done so out of professional necessity. As such, Kristina quickly erased Nina¡¯s name from her thoughts. [Good heavens, good heavens, good heavens...!] Anise kept muttering, gasping for air. Having casually discarded her wet clothes, Kristina had now draped herself in one of Eugene¡¯s shirts. Given the height difference between her and Eugene, the shirt''s hem reached her thighs. [Could it be, could it be...?] Anise''s voice trembled. She was now entertaining thoughts that a priest, and especially the Saint, should never have ¡ª thoughts that werescivious and diabolical. This sacrilegious attire could, by shedding yet anotheryer of human decency, be a different kind of sacred. The Saint would no longer be the Saint but a saint in a different sense. Fortunately, a sliver of reason remained within Kristina. She shook off the stern thoughts wandering through her mind, modestly fastened the shirt''s buttons, and stepped outside. She then dressed herself with neatly folded undergarments and trousers that wereid out on the bed. [Ah... well done,]plimented Anise. While many things distinguish humans from beasts, Anise considered clothing to be one of them. Yet, a part of her felt a slight regret. If Kristina had truly abandoned her reason and fallen, and if Hamel had witnessed that, Anise was just a little curious about what his reaction would have been. "Let''s go find Sir Eugene,¡± said Kristina. Kristina had not lost her grip on reason,rgely because this was the Lionheart estate. Had this been a sanctuary shared solely by Eugene and herself, she would have acted without hesitation, as it would naturally have been right, irrespective of propriety or reason. But this was the Lionheart mansion, home not just to Eugene but to others as well. While she was fine with showing things to Eugene, they were not for the eyes of the others. Just an hour earlier, Eugene had been in his room, waiting for the Saints to awaken, but now he was in the Lionheart''s conference room. Kristina''s judgment was utterly correct. The atmosphere in the conference room, which she entered after knocking politely, was tense. Had she entered in the attire she initially considered, she would have been ced in an awkward situation. "You''re awake..." Eugene said in the form of a greeting. He had been sitting with a serious expression but now found himself at a loss for words. He had known Kristina had regained consciousness some time ago. After all, Kristina was his Saint. He could sense her presence without needing to feel her physically. His speechlessness was, at first, due to Kristina''s transformation. Her blue eyes had deepened, but there was a more tant change about her now. A faint aura of Light surrounded Kristina, and above her head, much like the first time Anise had manifested as an angel, there was a halo of light. However, this halo was so faint it was barely visible. Eugene stared at her in silent astonishment. He wasn¡¯t at a loss for words just because of the aura and the halo. He hadid out clothes for her on the bed, and the fact that she wore trousers meant she hadn''t failed to find them. But then why was she wearing that shirt as her top? "What kind of attire is that?" Sienna asked while furrowing her brows. She was sitting beside Eugene, and obviously, she recognized the shirt as belonging to Eugene. "The clothes you prepared for me were a bit small," Kristina lied without changing her expression as she folded the overly long sleeves with her fingers. "Small? How could they be too small?" questioned Sienna with narrowed eyes. "They were small,¡± Kristina responded with a shrug. "How exactly were they small?¡± Sienna questioned again. "Lady Sienna, you really are mischievous, expecting me to answer such an embarrassing question,¡± Kristina said, looking bashful. Sienna''s lips twitched at the audacious response. "How long was I unconscious?" Kristina asked without allowing Sienna to ask anything further. She quickly took the initiative with her question, prompting Eugene topose his expression. "Three days,¡± he answered. "My goodness. I have been asleep for quite a while." "Not asleep, knocked out,¡± Sienna muttered with a pout. Kristina didn¡¯t deem it ament worth responding to, so she continued with her questions. ¡°What has be of the elves in the forest?" "There has been some progress,¡± Sienna responded. "So, aplete cure is impossible?¡± Kristina muttered. "The Demonic Disease has dark power as its nature,¡± Sienna said while clicking her tongue and shaking her head. "But we''ve confirmed that the dark power isn''t from the Demon King of Incarceration. That must be why even the Demon King of Incarceration couldn''t curb the disease. The source of the disease is Destruction¡¯s dark power. I think... just like the Nur, the disease itself is a sign of impending destruction." Three hundred years ago, when the war began, the elves were struck by the Demonic Disease. At the time, it was believed that the war itself was driven by the ambitions of the Demon King of Incarceration, but now the true nature of the war was known. The world was supposed to end around that time. The war was, in essence, the harbinger of Destruction. "Well, if we kill the Demon King of Destruction, the Demonic Disease will disappear too," Eugene muttered. Kristina nodded slowly and sat down beside Eugene. Seated on the opposite side, Sienna nced at her. She saw that Kristina was sitting extremely close to Eugene. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but speak up, "Move away¡ª" Once again, Kristina ignored Sienna''sment and interrupted with her own question, "You mentioned there was progress. What kind of progress has there been? The advancement of the disease itself should have been halted long ago." "Uh... ah, um, we managed to extract the dark power of Destruction from the elves afflicted with the disease,¡± stammered Sienna. "Even after extracting the dark power, aplete cure is impossible?" Kristina asked. "It''s enough to make a gravely ill elf almost healthy again. But if they go outside, the disease progresses once more. But you, aren¡¯t you sitting a little too close¡ª" muttered Sienna. "By the way, why are the two of you in the conference room? The atmosphere felt very heavy when I entered. Did the two of you have a fight or something?" Kristina asked pointedly. "Why would I have a quarrel with him?" Sienna asked, resigned. She gave a deep sigh, having given up on distancing Kristina from Eugene. "We received an invitation," Eugene answered, clicking his tongue as he pulled an envelope from his pocket. "...Noir Giabe." The wax seal was broken, but the script on the envelope was clear. It was Noir Giabe¡¯s name.... Kristina¡¯s expression inevitably hardened, and she muttered, "If it''s an invitation...." "It''s faster to see for yourself,¡± Eugene murmured as he opened the envelope and took out the letter. It was just a single sheet of paper. It wasn¡¯t densely packed with words, either. Kristina¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. What they saw was an enchanting red lipstick kiss mark at the center of the letter. Noir Giabe had left the mark with her lips. There was no time to discuss the repulsion it evoked. "...What?" Startled, Kristina jumped up from her seat. The act itself was meaningless. She hadn¡¯t been sitting in the first ce. Somehow, even the space around her had changed. Until just before seeing the kiss mark, Kristina had been in the Lionheart mansion¡¯s conference room. But now, she stood in front of the crimson twilight[1]. Kristina flinched and stepped back, startled. Then, she jerked around as a sshing sound came from beneath her feet. The scene behind her was one she recognized all too well ¡ª the Fount of Light. Behind her was the very fount Eugene had destroyed in Yuras,pletely intact. But it was not exactly as she remembered it. It was more horrifying. The fount¡¯s once gentle light had changed color. Gradually, it turned a deep, ominous red. Beneath the surface of the spring, Kristina saw something ¡ª countless skeletons. They were the relics meant for the Fount of Light, the remains of past saints. The white skeletons seemed to be peering at her. Click, click, click. The skeletons¡¯ jawbones snapped, and their teeth ttered. From the hollow eye sockets, a faint malevolence flickered. ¡ªWhy? ¡ªWhy only you.... A voiceden with despair and malice reached her. Kristina unwittingly covered her mouth. A chill crept deep into her bones. The pile of bones in the fount stirred. Underneath the gurgling bubbles, someone raised their head. ¡ªKri... Kristina.... It was a face, decayed and disintegrated. Yet, Kristina recognized that face and voice. It was Sergio Rogeris, Kristina¡¯s foster father. ¡ªWhat did I... do wrong.... She covered her mouth with her hand as she looked at him. She had never thought of him as a father. Nor had Sergio ever shown paternal love towards her. To Kristina, her foster father was a symbol of resentment, oppression, and fear. For Sergio, Kristina was nothing more than a saint to be meticulously crafted and perfected. ¡ªIf you.... If you... didn¡¯t exist.... But seeing him made Kristina shudder. Emotions about her foster father that she thought she hadpletely shaken off began to stealthily crawl up from the depths of her heart. Under normal circumstances, she would not feel this way. Sergio¡¯s death had truly had no impact on her. All the despair of her childhood and the emotions and duties imnted in her while being made into the Saint had disappeared after she watched the fireworks with Eugene and with the journeys that followed. But.... No matter how much of the resentment and negative emotions she had shaken off, Kristina was still human. Seeing such a scene recreated a flicker of emotion. The despair and resentment vomited by the bones of past Saints. The curse of her decayed foster father. These small emotions were amplified against her will. Thus, Kristina''s mind was briefly seized by a nightmare. "My goodness." A voice drifted from beyond the twilight. "One would expect such a vision, but your nightmare is rather dull and uninteresting." A chuckle followed. Kristina was startled and turned her head. Noir Giabe appeared, her figure silhouetted against the dusk. She had her arms crossed, and she was grinning. "Ah, don¡¯t feel too embarrassed. You¡¯re not the only one who has had a nightmare. My Hamel, who saw the invitation first, Sienna Merdein, and...." Noir''s smile deepened. "Anise Slywood, who is intertwined with you, also experienced nightmares. Each one different." "You.¡± A voice came from beside Kristina. Anise had appeared next to her. She steadied her trembling legs and stood upright, ring at Noir. "You whore...!" "It¡¯s good to hear your voice directly. It¡¯s been a while, Anise,¡± responded Noir. "What is this trickery? Why did Hamel¡ª" Anise started asking. "Why did he show you the invitation, you ask?" Noir interrupted. She smirked maliciously. The words were ones Kristina hadn¡¯t dared to utter. This unpleasant nightmare had been induced by the invitation. There was no need to show them. "Did you really think I didn''t know about you two?" questioned Noir. Sheughed softly. "Ah, let me be honest. Until I saw you at the duel arena, I wasn¡¯t sure either. I had my suspicions, but no confirmation. But at the arena, I instantly knew. I could see how entangled you all were,¡± said Noir. Anise just listened with narrowed eyes. "And this invitation, in such a form, heh, is due to my kind consideration,¡± continued Noir. "Consideration?" Anise spat. She scrunched her face in disgust. "Yes, consideration,¡± said Noir. The yful smile vanished from Noir''s face. With a serious look, Noir said, "It''s different from three hundred years ago, Anise Slywood. Back then, I was trivial and weak. I showed you nightmares several times, but I couldn''t bring you to despair or break your spirit." She took a step forward. Wooooooo...! A menacing sound emanated from the twilight behind her. "But not anymore. Now, I can show you a nightmare that will never end. No matter howplete Kristina Rogers is as a Saint or how Sienna Merdein has transcended humanity, it means nothing to me now,¡± Noir stated. "...What are you trying to say?" questioned Anise. "It''s simple,¡± said Noir. The twilight twisted, and an overflowing red engulfed the sky. "If you don''t want to die, don¡¯te to my domain,¡± she warned. Noir''s figure blended into the crimson backdrop. "Don¡¯te to interfere with Hamel and my end." 1. This is the first time we have seen this name. From this andter chapters, we realized that it is associated with Noir¡¯s conjured dreams, more like a constant that¡¯s seen in most of them, but it''s not always there. I feel its associated with her powers of the Demoneye of Fantasy. ? Chapter 551: The Invitation (2)

Chapter 551: The Invitation (2)

"Interfere?" Anise and Kristina were left speechless. They were unable to utter anything in response. Noir Giabe¡¯s statement was not a jest nor a bluff. She was speaking in earnest. This nightmare was not a direct creation of Noir Giabe. She had not actually appeared before them. It had been induced merely by exposure to the dark power contained within the letter she sent. She had induced them into a forced sleep, whichpelled the victim into slumber with a nce, followed by dream within a dream ¡ª drawing the sleeper into a perpetual and recursive world of dreams. Such powers were naturally within the domain of high-ranking Night Demons. Naturally, as the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir had mastered these abilities to such an extent that she could send hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands into sleep with just a nce. But now, she had transcended even those capabilities. She no longer needed to catch sight of her victims. Noir Giabe could now delve into an opponent''s consciousness merely with the lingering essence of her dark power, excavating deep-seated traumas and crafting horrific nightmares for the victims. Anise too, had just experienced a nightmare. Her nightmare was a battlefield from three hundred years ago. The people she could not save had poured their resentments onto her. She also saw the moment Hamel died before her eyes, the very moment she, as the Saint, could do nothing. She had failed to revive the dying Hamel. All these elements intertwined and amplified into vast despair. Furthermore, there was the end that Anise had faced. All the Saints of Yuras, one after another, had be relics for the next Saint. Anise was no exception. In fact, being among the mostplete of all Saints, she was destined to be a relic. Tragically, unlike Molon and Sienna, Anise was not granted longevity. Being nearplete didn¡¯t mean trulyplete. As a ¡°created¡± human, Anise had bore several unavoidable ws. That was why she had tried even harder to escape such a fate. She had lived her life as the Saint. She had lived for the Light. And so, she wanted herst moments to be for herself. She wanted to rebel against the Light she had served all her life. But, during ast visit to Hamel¡¯s grave in the desert, she came to a realization. Hamel had sumbed to a gruesome and unsightly death, but he had still wished to save the world, even in hisst moments. Hisst words that asked her to kill all the Demon Kings carried his will and determination till the very end. In the end, Anise changed her mind about retreating to live and die in solitude. She returned to Yuras with the pdins and priests who had sought her out to be a relic for the next Saint. Her end was tied to the nightmare ¡ª the fear she had faced just before bing a relic. She had harbored various thoughts and fears in herst moments. Could her action ultimately prove to be meaningless? Would her death be simply in vain? Such fears contradicted the present and Anise¡¯s very existence as a soul dwelling within Kristina, but such contradictions meant nothing in the nightmare of Noir¡¯s creation. Just a hint of fear was all she needed. Even if this fear was from a past she had already ovee, given the slightest pretext, it could amplify uncontrobly. Such was the nature of fear. Even if one knew they were alone in a dark room, the moment they started to feel scared, they could not help but imagine things that should not be there. Once awakened from a nightmare, the fear of falling back into another could cause one to lose sleep. ¡®It¡¯s fantasy,'' Anise realized finally. Noir¡¯s current nightmare was amplifying the very fears, the fantasies inherent in one¡¯s existence. "If I don''t want to die...?" Kristina muttered thoughtfully. Thus, Noir Giabe''s words were no mere bluster. Kristina knew this well. Though the torment had ended for now, what if Noir were to directly turn reveries into nightmares before their very eyes? It would not end with them merely sping their mouths, trembling, and legs giving way until they copsed. The nightmare would be repeated infinitely, where the mere presence of fear would amplify the terror until it shattered their minds. "Don¡¯te?" Anise questioned in a quivering voice. "Don¡¯t interfere with you and Hamel''s final moments?" Anise''s voice quivered not because she feared Noir, the nightmares, the mental breakdowns, or because of the fear of death. "How dare you," Anise hissed. Kristina felt the same way. She bit her lip hard, ring at Noir. The two Saints shared the same fury. This was an insult. How dare she try to suppress the Saints with mere fear? Was this warning meant to coerce the Saints into staying away out of fear? "Hmm," Noir hummed as if in thought. The distorted twilight and the overflowing red had vanished. The Saints¡¯ anger caused Noir''s expression to change again. She tilted her head with the same smile as before. "This reaction is all too predictable. But definitely more reserved than Sienna Merdein,¡± Noirmented. Anise decided not to respond to the obvious taunt. "Ah, yes. Do you want to know what nightmare Sienna Merdein experienced? It probably isn¡¯t much different from what you would imagine. Hamel''s death. Vermouth''s betrayal. The massacre of the elves..." continued Noir. She paused, and her lips twitched. "But her resistance was fierce. Much more than yours. She shattered her nightmare and sought me out to kill me. But what can she do? Here, I am just a phantom in the nightmare. Ahaha, did you know? If anything, Sienna Merdein despaired and felt fear even more because of that." Noir giggled while covering her mouth with her hand. "She was distressed even by a mere phantom of me. Sienna Merdein is such a powerful wizard now. She understands how absurd and horrifying the nightmare I created was,¡± Noir exined with a smile. "So," Anise said, her voice still shaking. "Did Sienna say she was scared? That she wouldn¡¯te?" "It would have been nice if she had." Noir shook her head. "She reacted just like you. Got angry and told me not to insult her. Really, after all the consideration I showed. Could it be jealousy? Are you jealous of the end Hamel and I will have? Is that why you want to interfere?" "Jealousy? Don''t talk nonsense. We have no reason to be jealous of you," Kristina said. "Are you asking that because you truly don¡¯t know, Kristina Rogeris?¡± Noir asked. Her eyes and lips curved. Through her thinly veiled gaze, her purple irises emitted a chilling light. "I can do things you, Anise Slywood, and Sienna Merdein cannot, things you are incapable of. That alone is reason enough for you to be jealous of me,¡± said Noir. "Nonsense...!" Kristina shouted. "Ahaha! Nonsense, you say? I am quite serious. Oh, does the word jealousy hurt your pride? Then let me put it differently,¡± Noir said. She paused for a breath. Facing the stern gazes of the Saints, she slowly parted her lips and said, "You see, Hamel and I can kill each other and be each other''s end." The statement seemed so matter-of-fact that it was almost absurd. Capable of killing each other? Kristina, Sienna, and Anise would never engage in such acts with Hamel. Why would they ever need to? Yet, Noir was not speaking these words in jest or as a joke. "In this world, only I can do this with Hamel. It is a privilege only I possess. I can kill Hamel and be killed by him. We can be each other''s end. We can explore every depth of each other''s emotions,¡± said Noir. Her voice trembled slightly. It was a quiver not unlike the thrill of madness. "Can you do that? No, you cannot. Youck the reasons, the justifications, the emotions. All you can do is stand behind or beside Hamel, just watching. Let me tell you more. All you do is apany him, live with him." Her voice trembled even more as her emotions became heightened. "But I am different. Whether Hamel or I survive remains unknown, but I am certain. We monopolize the regret, hesitation, and all other emotions of the moments of killing or dying, and these memories will forever remain with each other," Noir said passionately. Kristina and Anise found themselves unable to speak. Noir''s impassioned voice was shaking the nightmare, and the sticky, heavy emotions stifled the Saints¡¯ words. "I am the only one in this world who can do this,¡± Noir dered. She took a step forward. Wooooo...! The trembling twilight once again consumed the nightmare. Shadows stretched from Noir, who turned her back on the dusk. The shadows rushed towards the Saints. "In all of Hamel''s repeated lives, only I am unique,¡± she said. Noir''s tone shifted again, discarding any pretense of respect for the Saints, leaving only pure, raw emotion. "Unlike your clumsy attempts at love,¡± she spat. The twilight formed a monstrous visage of evil, casting shadows on Noir''s face. Only the curves of her eyes and lips were distinctly visible against her darkened face. Red lips. Purple irises. "You." The emotions Noir now disyed were contempt, disdain, and anger. "You are not worthy," Noir stated mockingly. This was not jealousy. It was a right she feltpelled to assert. Noir truly believed it. "But you will dare to interfere with our end?" Noir questioned angrily. The shadow undted and danced. It stopped before the Saints, advancing no further. "Dare to intrude?" Noir asked once more, her voice harsh. The Saints knew instinctively. They knew what it meant to be consumed by this shadow in the nightmare, to be swallowed by this sticky madness and ecstasy ¡ª it would not end merely with a corruption of the mind. "Don''t be ridiculous,¡± Noir said. ¡°You all are not worthy of doing so. That is why I am personally warning you.¡± The intense emotion she poured out pressured Kristina and Anise heavily. "You can only stand behind or beside Hamel. But I can stand before him. If I am killed by Hamel, he will live his life haunted by Noir Giabe, whom he personally killed. The same goes for me. If I kill Hamel, I will live my life reminiscing about him,¡± imed Noir. Her emotions subsided. "You should be satisfied with that. Even allowing that is my mercy,¡± she said. The shadow that had been seething returned to Noir. She steadied her slightly roughened breath and shook her head gently. "I hope my sincerity has been conveyed." Noir''s tone shifted again. The encroaching twilight receded, and the shadows that had veiled her face disappeared. She no longer wore a sinister smile. On Noir¡¯s face now was a smile that the Saints had seen several times before ¡ª a smile that fell within the realm of ''ordinary.'' "I believe you are quite reasonable. That''s why I deliberately warned you harshly just now. You understand why I did it, don¡¯t you?" Noir asked softly. It was indeed understandable. Noir¡¯s warning had tantly demonstrated the disparity in their power and status. "Tell Sienna as well. Oh, but merely telling her might not be enough, right? You''ll probably need to convince her,¡± Noir murmured and then turned away. The ground trembled as if an earthquake had struck. Soon, the vibration shook the earth and then the sky, jolting the entire world. A bright red twilight engulfed Noir. As the twilight disappeared, the world turned to night. The nightmare ended, and the dream copsed. "Ah." The chair shook. Just as it was about to tip over, Eugene¡¯s hand supported Kristina¡¯s back. "Ah... Ah." Kristina was unsure whether she was in reality or still dreaming. She blinked several times and then pinched her cheek. There was pain. But could she be certain that this pain was real? A normal dream or nightmare would allow such discernment, but in a dream crafted by Noir Giabe, even pain could seem real. "Is this... is this reality?" questioned Kristina. [Yes,] Anise responded in a cold voice. [The emotions we are feeling now are our own. They are neither amplified by the nightmare nor are they under the control of that detestable whore.] "Ah...." Kristina sighed and shook her head. Eugene, who had been supporting her back along with the chair, looked at Kristina''s face and sighed with relief. "Are you okay?" he asked. "How could I be?" The moment he asked, he was greeted with a cold response. It was Anise. She furrowed her brows in annoyance, anger, and humiliation as she red at Eugene. "I understand why Noir Giabe sent such an invitation,¡± said Anise. "Yes." "It was... it was horrific. The nightmare Kristina and I saw. If it were a dream we had on our own, we wouldn¡¯t even consider it a nightmare because of its triviality,¡± said Anise. "I felt the same," Sienna muttered, pouting her lips. "Frankly, the nightmare she showed us is one I¡¯ve grown tired of since three hundred years ago. Sure, a few new elements appeared, but really, they don¡¯t seem like nightmares to me at all.¡± The nightmare that Noir showed Sienna was filled with Hamel''s death, the extinction of the elves, and Vermouth''s betrayal. Yet, these things no longer stirred any significant emotional turmoil in Sienna. She knew that Vermouth had not betrayed her, that Hamel had been reincarnated, and that the elves could ovee the gue. However, within Noir''s nightmare, reality could not be so easily discerned. The nightmare dominated the dreamer¡¯s emotions. "Even me, the Goddess of Magic herself, was overwhelmed at first. I managed to shake it off eventually... but resistance was impossible,¡± Sienna admitted. "I heard it directly from that whore, Sienna. What you felt towards Noir as well," said Anise. "What did she say?" Sienna questioned with narrowed eyes. "She said you felt despair and fear,¡± Anise replied. At that answer, Sienna''s face contorted. She opened her lips to retort but only managed to sputter without forming words. "That''s right.¡± Sienna exhaled a long sigh, then after a pause, readily admitted, "At that time, I felt despair and fear. I couldn''t think of a way to dismantle the nightmare.¡± "How about now, Sienna? The emotions we felt in the nightmare were under that whore¡¯s control. But now that we''ve escaped the nightmare¡ª" said Anise. "It''s the same,¡± Sienna spoke with a furrowed brow. "Once you enter the nightmare, fighting her bes impossible. To kill her ¡ª it has to be done in reality, not in a dream." "But that''s impossible,¡± Eugene said, joining the conversation. He had been supporting the Saints¡¯ tilting chair and carefully righted them. "The power contained in the letter alone dragged our minds into the nightmare,¡± Eugene reminded them. "Hey! Don¡¯t say impossible," Anise shouted. "Acknowledge what needs to be acknowledged. In mental attacks, Noir is overwhelming. No matter if you are the Goddess of Magic, and even if Anise and Kristina construct mental barriers, if Noir directly intervenes, she will easily breach them,¡± Eugene concluded. Anise didn¡¯t argue back but bit her lip. It had been the same three hundred years ago. No matter how many barriers Sienna and Anise created, Noir invariably infiltrated their dreams. Those dreams weren¡¯t as lethal as now but still caused them to umte fatiguepletely different in nature from that derived from battle, eroding their spirits. "Hamel,¡± Anise said, exhaling a long sigh, "I didn''t understand at first why you showed us the invitation or why you specifically conveyed that witch¡¯s warning.... But now I do." She understood why the atmosphere had been so heavy when she first entered the conference room and why Sienna had been so angry and irritated. "Hamel,¡± she called out. Anise''s mncholic gaze turned towards Eugene. "You n to go alone,¡± she stated. "That''s right." Eugene didn¡¯t deny it, simply nodding. "I''ll enter Giabe City by myself." Chapter 552: The Invitation (3)

Chapter 552: The Invitation (3)

The sound of grinding teeth echoed sharply as Eugene finished speaking. Sienna pounded the desk with her small fist as she stood up in anger and exasperation. "Break that stubbornness of yours!" she demanded while looking at Anise for help. Sienna turned to re at Eugene. Anise couldn¡¯t help but anticipate how many heated arguments had already passed before she woke up. "How am I supposed to do anything about his stubbornness?" Anise asked with a deep sigh. She was well aware of Hamel''s obstinacy. In fact, she had known for over three hundred years. "If his stubbornness could be swayed by words, Hamel wouldn¡¯t have ended up dead like that, would he now?" Anise mocked. "Oh,e on, how long are you going to milk that story? It¡¯s already been three hundred years,¡± Eugeneined in annoyance. "I¡¯ll milk that tale till you turn three hundred. It¡¯s a story that needs to be told over and over again,¡± retorted Anise. Eugene ignored the piercing gazes and smacked his lips before saying, "Yeah, well, you two know best how stubborn I am. So, no matter what you say, I am¡ª" "Let''s hear your reason first,¡± Anise cut him off. "Hey! Anise!" Sienna shouted back, clearly upset that Anise, whom she expected to side with her, seemed to be leaning toward Eugene¡¯s argument. The mere thought was intolerable to her. "Your voice is too loud, Sienna. What will you do if someone gets startled andes in?" questioned Anise. Although no one outside the room would likely notice anymotion, Anise rolled her eyes and effectively silenced Sienna with that onement. "Try to think rationally and not get too worked up. Hamel is stubborn, impulsive, emotional, and reckless, but he knows his limits,¡± Anise continued. "Are you supporting me or insulting me?" Eugeneined. "Hamel, just shut up and listen. I¡¯m not finished yet. Anyway, I believe Hamel has his reasons for being stubborn," Anise said as her frosty gaze turned to Eugene, pressing him for an answer with her look. But instead of waiting for a reply, she decided to drive the point home herself. "Right?" Eugene didn''t respond immediately but met Anise''s gaze. Sienna felt awkward and embarrassed with how the atmosphere had changed since she had stood up while mming the desk. Eventually, she sat down while clearing her throat. "There¡¯s a reason.¡± Eugene nodded and finally spoke, "Simply put, it¡¯s better if I go alone." Sienna''s gaze darkened at his sinct reply, and Anise pursed her lips while ring at Eugene. "Don¡¯t look at me like that. There are more reasons why it¡¯s better I go alone. First off, I can resist Noir¡¯s dreams,¡± he exined. "How can you do that?" Sienna asked with a frown. "It must be because of the divinity I possess,¡± Eugene responded. "But I couldn¡¯t manage that," Sienna said with a frustrated expression. "It wasn''t exactly that resistance was impossible, was it?" Eugene challenged. "How can you call that resistance? I was barely maintaining consciousness,¡± Sienna retorted with a scoff. "Well, that''s true," Eugene conceded lightly. "Why is it that you can, and I cannot?" Sienna asked, her frustration palpable. "Isn''t it obvious? My divinity is of Agaroth and the Light. I understand that wizards worship you, Sienna, but you are hardly a match for me." Eugene''s words, though true, sounded inexplicably irritating. Sienna clenched her fists and trembled as she red at him. "Are you certain?" Anise''s tone softened, her gaze turning calm and inquisitive. "Absolutely. Even before I was aware of my divinity, I had already escaped from Noir''s dream,¡± he answered confidently. Eugene recounted the time Noir showed him her experiences in Ravesta in the form of a dream and how he hade to self-awareness within that dream, much to Noir''s astonishment. "And this time too... I wasn''t ensnared by the nightmare,¡± he continued. Despite hisposed facade, both Sienna and Anise seemed to see right through him. "But there was some disturbance, it seems," Anise murmured. Sienna exhaled deeply, scratching her head in frustration. "What kind of dream was it?" she asked while pouting. "You didn¡¯t hear either?" Anise asked in surprise. "I asked, but he didn''t answer," Sienna grumbled, pouting in annoyance. Anise leaned closer to Eugene, her eyes narrowing with interest. "Was the dream so unspeakable that you can''t even tell us?" she pressed. "It''s a dream I''d rather not talk about,¡± Eugene said. His reluctance was very clear. "What was it about?" Sienna persisted. "Thest of Agaroth," Eugene replied with a bitter smile, recalling the vision filled with corpses strewn across a barren wastnd. "My dream was a repetition of the despair Agaroth felt. Back then, Agarothmanded all of his Divine Army to die. And they did, as did Agaroth himself.¡± Before his death, Agaroth had snapped the neck of his Saint. "It was that kind of dream. There was no embellishment,¡± Eugene exined. Unlike the nightmares that Sienna, Anise, and Kristina experienced, which were modified with additional horrors, Eugene''s dream was starkly real. It repeated the harsh reality he had experienced multiple times. He experienced Agaroth¡¯s failure, defeat, and despair again and again. "I couldn¡¯t control my emotions. I don''t know if Noir intended it that way, but I didn''t feelpelled. I could have escaped easily if I had tried," Eugene finished his exnation as he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. "Why? Why didn''t you?" Sienna''s voice was barely a whisper. "Just because,¡± he said. "Did you want to feel the pain? Or was it despair?" Sienna probed. "It wasn''t really about wanting to feel pain. It was about eptance,¡± he answered. "Was there any meaning to it?" Anise asked, seeking some deeper understanding. "Yes." Eugene nodded, affirming the profound significance behind his eptance. "There was a disturbance, yes, but it was entirely my own and also within my control. Every emotion I felt in that moment belonged to me alone. That alone was meaningful enough," Eugene dered with a firm conviction. Silence followed his words. "That''s why I must go alone,¡± Eugene stated, breaking the silence. Unlike Sienna and the Saints, he could resist the dreams. The nightmares shown by Noir could not dominate Eugene''s emotions. "Facing Noir Giabe with a numerical advantage is meaningless. We learned that three hundred years ago,¡± he said. Going together would only mean being individually overpowered if they were dragged into a dream. Naturally, Eugene''s divine knights could not apany him either. If they were pulled into the nightmare, their terror would only serve as fodder for Noir. Eugene continued his persuasion, "What I fear most is this: I can fight effectively in Noir''s dream, but you are different. You will be influenced in one way or another.¡± Anise changed tacts and said, "Hamel, Kristina and I are your Saints. We were swallowed by nightmares separately this time, but together with you... we could resist." "There''s a possibility of that. But can you be certain?" Eugene questioned, his gaze piercing. "No, there is no certainty. I understand your words. If her godmands it, how could his Saint resist? We can only obediently follow," Anise replied. "I didn''t mean for it to sound like a taunt,¡± Eugene responded. "Don''t misunderstand, Hamel. I''m not being sarcastic. I truly believe this. We do not want to be a hindrance to you,¡± Anise exined. "The way you¡¯re speaking, you would think I''m fighting alone," Eugene said, letting out a hollowugh as he straightened his chair. Sienna blinked at his response. "I thought you were fighting alone?" Sienna echoed. "When did I say I was fighting alone? I said I''d go into the city by myself,¡± Eugene corrected. "Ah... right, isn''t that what it means?" Sienna questioned. "Are you really the Goddess of Magic? After all, you''re the one who named yourself the Wise Sienna. Maybe you''re not the Goddess of Magic, but a b¡ª" Eugene cut himself off, not finishing his thought as Sienna red at him, her eyes zing. "A what?" she demanded. "Nothing,¡± he responded. "What were you going to say after ''a''? What is it?" Sienna questioned. "I meant to say that I am bald," Eugene repeated, though the statement didn''t really make sense in context. He stuck with it because saying ''Goddess of Blockheads'' might have led to one of them not surviving the day. "Of course, I''ll support you from outside the city," Anise remarked while stealing a pathetic nce at Sienna. "Hamel, you said it yourself, didn¡¯t you? For Levantein to be used effectively, you need Kristina and me. Even though I cannot join you in the city to face the nightmare, I will pray for your victory from outside.¡± "I... I..." Sienna started, hesitating for a moment as she pondered, seeminglying up with a clever n. "What about mming a meteor into that damned city?" Silence lingered momentarily. Continuing with her half-serious suggestion, Sienna proceeded to boast, "Back in the day, it took hundreds of wizards to summon a meteor, but this Goddess of Magic doesn''t need such preparations anymore." "But didn''t the meteor get stopped by a mere gesture from the Demon King of Incarceration?" Eugene retorted. "Ah, not just a gesture! He blocked it with his chains. He must have panicked when the meteor was about to crash down on Babel. He rushed out just in time to stop it,¡± Sienna exined. "I really don''t trust this meteor business. It seems all show and no power..." Eugene muttered. "What do you know about Meteor?" Sienna questioned angrily. "I know enough. I am an Archwizard myself, oh Miss Goddess of Magic. I still think my sword might be more effective than dropping a meteor,¡± Eugene suggested. "That... might be true, but there''s a certain romance to Meteor," Sienna argued, her voice quivering slightly with excitement, but Eugene could only scoff. "Romance, my foot,¡± he said. "If you can''t see the romance in Meteor, then you''re not a true wizard. Every wizard has a romantic notion about meteors. Everyone wants to drop one at least once. I-I¡¯m sure of it. If we called all the tower masters of Aroth right now, all of them would want to drop a meteor,¡± she argued. "Why a meteor, of all things?" Anise chimed in. "It''s cool! Dropping a meteor from space! By a single wizard! With magic! That''s why it''s the very essence of romance,¡± Sienna exined. "True. It¡¯s not like there are many opportunities to cast such magic,¡± Eugene agreed. "See? You get it, right? And you can''t just drop a meteor into the sea or a desert. It has to be on a city. The massive mass crashing down! Civilizations built by humans obliterated by cosmic energy.... That''s the kind of apocalyptic romance it is,¡± Sienna said, her voice spirited and impassioned. Even her eyes gleamed dreamily. Eugene couldn''t quite sympathize with this apocalyptic romanticism, but he could somewhat understand the thrill of obliterating something colossal. He remembered when he had crashed the Dragon Demon Castle years ago. "So, Meteor. What do you think about it?" Sienna asked. "It''ll be blocked,¡± Eugene answered. "We won''t know until we try,¡± Sienna retorted. "And what about me? I¡¯ll be inside the city,¡± said Eugene. "Hamel, why are you only thinking about yourself? There are millions of hostages who went to Giabe City voluntarily,¡± Anise reminded. "They have probably all left Giabe City by now,¡± Sienna suggested hopefully. Eugene and Noir had had such a conversation in the past about Giabe City. Noir had promised to evacuate all the tourists from the city when Eugene arrived. "Indeed,¡± Anise nodded in agreement. "That crazy whore is obsessed with being alone with you, Hamel. The hostages in the city would just be in the way then.¡± "Then we could drop the meteor, right? Eugene, you wouldn''t die from a meteor strike,¡± Sienna said happily. "Stop suggesting strange things. Use another spell. Something that would likely disrupt Noir''s powers from outside the city," Eugene suggested. With that, Sienna stopped pushing her argument, although she still pouted slightly. "...When are you nning to go to Giabe City?" Anise asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and concern. "I could go right now, but I need to make some final adjustments,¡± answered Eugene. The rites for the Saints had concluded. The power of Levantein could now be reliably drawn upon, but he still needed to make some adjustments. "I can handle it alone," Eugene said as he rose from his chair. This time, he managed to hide his expression and emotions well enough that neither the Saints nor Sienna noticed. "Are you returning to your room?" Anise asked. "No. I''m going to the leyline beneath theke,¡± Eugene replied. It was a ce connected to the roots of the World Tree sapling, a ce Eugene had often used for the practice of the White me Form and meditation. Although Eugene no longer needed meditation or practice, this ce in the Lionheart estate was the best for uninterrupted focus. ''I really don''t want to write a will,'' Eugene thought with a click of his tongue. More precisely, he hoped there would never be a need for one. Yet, he thought it prudent to prepare. Noir was that powerful. With Iris, the specter, and Gavid, the thought of death had never crossed his mind ¡ª but now, it was different. He felt the reality of death more acutely than ever, even more so than during his battle with Raizakia. So, he intended to write a will, just in case he were to die in defeat. He wanted to somehow n for what woulde next. [Sister,] Kristina spoke up, watching Eugene''s back as he left the conference room. [Are you not going to tell Lady Sienna about Noir Giabe''s sphemies?] ''The question itself holds the answer. That whore¡¯s ramblings are nothing but nonsense. There¡¯s no reason to ry them,'' Anise said. Jealousy? That was nonsense. Anise, Kristina, and Sienna had never felt jealous of Noir. Qualifications? That, too, wasughable. Noir had no right to question the qualifications of the Saints or Sienna. However.... There was one piece of Noir''s ramblings that had truly gotten under Anise''s skin. If Noir were to die, Hamel would remember her for the rest of his life. Noir knew this all too well. That was why she had mocked the Saints. ''How vile,'' Anise thought while clenching her rosary. Chapter 553: Nightmare (1)

Chapter 553: Nightmare (1)

It was just as Eugene had thought. Tourists who had voluntarily visited Giabe City over the past year were starting to return. Unlike before, they had not be deranged, lost in dreams and memories. More precisely, they could not fully remember the time they spent in Giabe City. Despite having harmed themselves previously, such as banging their heads against bars until they were freed to make their way to Giabe City, they now could notprehend why they had gone to Giabe City in the first ce. "The memories of the city have been entirely excised, but there are no aftereffects," said Anise. Eugene stood on the rooftop of a building, looking down at the wide za below where many people were gathered. The people gathered in the square were all citizens of the Kiehl Empire quarantined in this camp, and every one of them was a returned tourist from Giabe City. The people were murmuring among themselves as they waited their turn for an examination. "I don¡¯t think quarantine is necessary,¡± stated Eugene. "I agree, but such a grand measure needs to be demonstrated," Anise replied. The Kiehl Empire had arge poption, and naturally, the majority of tourists returning from Giabe City were its citizens. Eugene didn''t believe a quarantine was necessary, but the emperor and the imperial bureaucrats could not dismiss the possibility that the tourists might have been brainwashed. "There''s precedent, after all,¡± said Anise. These people had once left Giabe City and were driven mad by dreams of the ce. They had insisted on returning. "Can you call that brainwashing?" Eugene asked. "It did mess with their minds,¡± Anise argued. "But you said there are no aftereffects this time?" Eugene asked. "When they returnedst time, they initially showed no signs of disturbance. They could suddenly change this time, too. If that many people went berserk, it would be troublesome,¡± exined Anise. Years ago, when crossing the snowy fields to attend the Knight March, Eugene had encountered Princess Knight Scalia and her lieutenant Dior. Although Scalia was now a devout follower of Eugene, dedicated to proselytizing in Shimuin, the Scalia he had met in the snowfields had been mentally unstable due to insomnia and nightmares induced by Noir. She had massacred a mercenary band they came across in the snowfields andter suffered hallucinations that led her to attack Eugene and his group. "Well, I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll do that,¡± Eugene said as he thought back to the Knight March. "Hamel, sometimes I think you trust Noir Giabe too much," Anise retorted with a roll of her eyes. She didn¡¯t want to think about it, but Noir¡¯s sphemous words from her nightmare kept floating through her mind, annoying her whenever she heard Eugene defend Noir. "Unleashing these tourists in a frenzy before she dies as ast act of defiance isn¡¯t Noir¡¯s style. I just don¡¯t think she will do that,¡± said Eugene. "And what about the opposite?" Anise asked after a pause. "The opposite?" Eugene asked. "If you were to lose to Noir Giabe and die. If that happened, that whore would... perhaps... lose interest in the world. In any case, I would also consider this world a failure if you were to die," Anise spected, revealing her deep concerns about the potential oues of Eugene''s conflict with Noir. Eugene''s expression remained unchanged, mirroring his emotions. In preparation for the worst-case scenario, he had already written a will should he meet his end in defeat. The will was now in the hands of Laman, who was currently serving as Gerhard¡¯s bodyguard. Laman was absolutely loyal to Eugene, and should Eugene fall to Noir Giabe, Laman would act as instructed. The five copies of his will would be sent to Molon, Gilead, Gerhard, Sienna, and Anise. Anise continued with her suppositions, "The whore loses interest in the world and causes those she has touched to go into a state of frenzy. This scenario could indeed happen. Hamel, unlike you, I cannot ce my trust in Noir Giabe. That whore is the most... entric demon I''ve ever encountered, capable of the most nonsensical actions.¡± "I don''t particrly trust her either," Eugene responded. Lies. Anise swallowed the word that rose to her throat. She gazed at Eugene for a moment before sighing softly and turning away as she said, "Sienna should have arrived by now. Let''s go." As Anise had predicted, they found Sienna at the warp-gate, holding Mary in one hand. Her eyes were closed, and she was surrounded by a swirling dark aura. "It seems to have worked well,¡± Eugenemented. He approached Sienna with a smirk. She paused her maniption of mana and opened one eye to nce at him. "Of course, it worked. What do you take this Goddess of Magic for?" she asked. "Even the great Goddess of Magic can''t create dark power, can she?" Eugene countered. "Of course not. How could I, a human who is neither a demon nor a ck wizard, create dark power?" she said. However, dark power was necessary to amplify soul power. Sienna''s chosen method was to use Amelia as a battery for dark power. Initially, during their time in the great forest, they had to physically carry Amelia, who was nothing more than a doll. But now, that was no longer necessary. "Amelia Merwin is locked up in the ck Tower of Magic. It''s not in use anymore, and she''s well-sealed there. Melkith will feed her daily,¡± Sienna exined. Preserving her in Akron as a specimen in a dark magic textbook had been an option as well, but Amelia''s dark power was still needed elsewhere. She was sealed in the ck Tower of Magic, and Sienna would tap into her dark power whenever she wished. The dark power would then be transferred to Mary. "Was there no sign of Balzac Ludbeth?" Eugene asked. "Not a trace," Sienna muttered with a shrug. Since the liberation of Hauria, Balzac had vanished once again. Previously, his disappearance was to evade Amelia''s tracking, but now there seemed no reason for him to hide. Even then, during the year Eugene and Sienna had been in seclusion, Balzac had also disappeared from the world. "Perhaps he''s preparing to wee us at Babel,¡± Anise suggested. "Do you really think Balzac would stand in our way with the Demon King of Incarceration?" Sienna asked, sounding unconvinced. "Sienna, don¡¯t tell me you¡¯ve grown fond of that ck wizard? I know Balzac Ludbeth holds you in high regard, but in the end, he is a ck wizard, one who has directly contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration. As long as we aim to ascend Babel, Balzac Ludbeth will inevitably block our path,¡± Anise said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Balzac''s aspiration is to leave a mark on history as a wizard and be a legend. If he kills you, Sienna, well, that would certainly make him legendary,¡± Eugene suggested mockingly. "Wouldn''t killing a Demon King as a ck wizard be a much more legendary feat than killing me?" Sienna grumbled, her lips puckering in displeasure. At her words, both Eugene and Anise let out a hollowugh. "Please stick to stories within the realm of possibility. Balzac Ludbeth has contracted not just with any Demon King but with the Demon King of Incarceration. How could he possibly betray his master?" Anise questioned. "Without the Demon King of Incarceration lifting a finger, just the thought alone would have Balzac coughing blood and dying. And the Demon King of Incarceration can read all of Balzac¡¯s thoughts. How could he betray him?" Eugene chimed in. "I was just saying,¡± Sienna said. ¡°Anyway, it¡¯s not really possible.¡± Sienna, who had entertained a slight possibility of Balzac not betraying them, cleared her throat and turned away. "Anyway, I''m ready,¡± she said. "Kristina and I are ready as well,¡± Anise said. Their gazes naturally shifted towards Eugene. "Then we should head out," Eugene said as he nodded in agreement. They were going to face the only living Duke of Helmuth, the master of Dreamea and Giabe City, the most renowned demon on the continent, the Queen of the Night Demons ¡ª Noir Giabe. Although she was a demon that not even the Demon King of Incarceration could disregard, only three individuals would be heading over to confront her. Norge armies, no orders of pdins, and no Archwizards apanied them. Only Eugene, Sienna, Kristina, and Anise would participate in the campaign against Noir Giabe. And among them, only Eugene would face Noir directly. ''It¡¯s sufficient,'' Eugene thought in assurance. He looked ahead. He saw therge city surrounded by towering walls. The city gates were firmly closed. The first time Eugene hade to Giabe City, a long line had stretched from the warp-gate to the city gates. Tourists from across the continent had queued up to enter the fantastic city of entertainment. Now, the road to the city gates was deserted. However, a few people were inevitably inside the warp-gate facility ¡ª guild-affiliated gate wizards. "If you don¡¯t want to get involved, run¡ª" Before Sienna could finish, the wizards abruptly stood up. Blinking their dim eyes, they silently lined up and passed through the warp-gate. The wizards here had long been captivated by Noir¡¯s dreams. Eugene watched the warp-gate''s light fade and finally go out and murmured, "We''re thest ones." "No need to worry about anyone elseing through,¡± said Sienna. "Just in case, this facility shouldn¡¯t be destroyed. I don¡¯t want to walk back,¡± Anise joked. They exchanged light banter, but no oneughed. Eugene stepped out of the building first. He looked sternly at the closed city gates and slipped his hands into his cloak. He grabbed Mer and Raimira¡¯s hands. They were obviously tense. In any other battle, the damage from the fight wouldn''t reach inside his cloak, but this time was different. Mer and Raimira had been informed beforehand and understood the situation, so they quietly held Eugene¡¯s hand and stepped out of the cloak. As they stepped out, their eyes brimmed with tears. They were worried for Eugene, and the fear of the unknown was visibly overwhelming them. Seeing their faces, so ready to burst into tears, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but let out a soft chuckle. "Am I going there to die?" Eugene quipped lightly, a smirk ying on his lips. "Don''t, please don''t talk about such ominous things," Mer pleaded, visibly shaken. "Even as a joke, such words shouldn''t be spoken...!" Raimira eximed, her voice trembling with fear. Eugene roughly ruffled their heads as he turned to look at Sienna and the Saints, who also wore uneasy expressions. Sienna, in particr, was nervously biting her nails as she alternated her gaze between Eugene and the city gates of Giabe City. "It''s been a long time since I''ve felt this way," Eugene mused aloud, his head throbbing and stomach churning just from looking at the solid gates. Neither Raizakia, Iris, the specter, nor Gavid Lindman had ever induced such a sensation in Eugene. To Sienna, the city beyond those gates felt like apletely different realm, a hellish mire. "If it gets too much, just run away," Anise advised while clutching her rosary. "If ites to that, don''t hesitate to ask us for help," Kristina added, her hands pressed together in prayer. Eugene didn''t respond. Instead, he shed a wry smile, fully aware of what sort of help Kristina meant. "What god would tell his Saint to die in his ce?" Eugene retorted as he turned away. "I''ll be back." He decided no more words were necessary. Adjusting his breathing and expression, Eugene walked towards the gates of Giabe City. He did not look back. *** There was no sign of Noir Giabe as he approached the gates. There was no sound. Giabe-Face did not manifest in the sky either. Eugene stopped in front of the gates, half-expecting them to open on their own, but they remained firmly shut. ''Maybe I should just smash the gates with the Levantein.'' The thought crossed his mind just as he felt a vibrating envelope in his pocket. Pulling it out, he discovered it was the invitation he had received a few days earlier. Curious, he opened the envelope, expecting to find the letter with a kiss mark, but instead, there was something entirely different inside. It was a key. "Insane," Eugene muttered. Though it was absurd, he took out the key. Lifting his head, he couldn''t help but let out a bemused chuckle. The massive city gate had somehow transformed into a normal door. Have I already been dragged into a dream? For a moment, Eugene entertained the thought but quickly dismissed it. This was not a dream but reality, albeit a reality twisted by Noir like a dream. "I don''t know what she''s ying at," Eugene said with a shake of his head. The door had changed, but it was still closed. Eugene eyed the doorknob, which naturally had a keyhole. He tried turning the handle, pushing, and pulling. The door didn''t budge ¡ª an overt and tant indication that he was meant to use the key. However, Eugene was not in the mood to y along with Noir''s tricks. mes enveloped Eugene as he lifted his foot without hesitation. With a resounding crash, his kick sent the door shattering in a straight line. The shattered door did not fly backward but instead burned up, turning to ash instantly. "...Really?" Eugene''s eyebrows twitched. Despite his forceful entry, the cityscape did not reveal itself. Annoyingly and frustratingly, another door stood behind the one he had just demolished. "This makes my resolve and determination look foolish." He contemted whether to kick it again or simply slice through it with the Levantein but judged that neither would be useful. It appeared that any effort to open this door without using the key would lead to a futile and pointless struggle. Eugene clicked his tongue and moved the key toward the doorknob. Click. Turning the handle met no further resistance. Eugene pushed the door open and stepped inside. One step further. Then another. Silence. A firece. Firewood. Warm, orange mes. A spacious dining table. On one wall hung arge portrait ¡ª or was it a photograph? The sound of a knife chopping on a cutting board. The bubbling of something boiling. "You''re early, aren''t you?" Noir¡¯s back was visible in the kitchen. She paused her cooking and turned to look at Eugene. "I¡¯ve already drawn a bath. Do you want to wash first? Or shall we dine first? Or perhaps...." Noir tilted her head with a bright smile. She was d in an apron. "Me?" she asked. Chapter 554: Nightmare (2)

Chapter 554: Nightmare (2)

"Me?" Noir asked. Eugene could not immediately grasp her words, a reaction likely shared by anyone in his position. Today, Eugene hade with significant resolve, having steeled his emotions over several days and even penned a will in anticipation of the worst oue. Hearing such nonsensical talk right from the start left him without even the capacity to feel incredulous. Nor was he angry. Rather, Eugene found Noir¡¯s demeanor so characteristic of her that it was somewhat fitting. "What do you mean, ¡®you¡¯? What are you talking about?" he snapped. "Oh dear, oh dear, you¡¯re making me embarrassed. Hamel, isn''t it too mischievous of you to demand an answer directly from me?" Noir responded, her hands cupping her cheeks as she giggled. She gently swayed her hips and shrugged her shoulders while sneaking nces at Eugene. "Are you really curious? Do you wish to hear it from my lips directly? It wouldn¡¯t be hard, but hmm, I''d rather you said it yourself,¡± she continued. Noir¡¯s attire changed subtly. She no longer had an apron draped over her casual clothes. Instead, she wore only an apron, her body otherwise bare. "Dinner," Noir said. She untied the apron around her waist as she slowly walked away from the kitchen. She inquired, "Come to think of it, I don''t really know what kind of meal you prefer. Do you like simple, warm, home-cooked meals? Or perhaps the hearty ir of a barbecue, where ingredients are grilled whole? Or maybe sophisticated cuisine that requires special ingredients and culinary skills? Hmm, cooking does have its varieties." Noir chuckled and shook her head. "But today¡¯s meal will be of my choosing, regardless of your preferences. Because, in this setting, home cooking is most fitting. This is one thing I won''tpromise on," she continued. The pot bubbled. The knife was no longer in her hand but tapped rhythmically on the chopping board, chopping vegetables on its own. The meat sizzled as it hit the hot pan. "Bath," Noir said. With a whoosh, arge bathtub appeared next to the zing firece. It was easily big enough for several people, and the water was topped with a frothyyer of bubbles. "Hmm, I like bubble baths, but your taste might differ.... Might this be more romantic?" Noir winked, and the bubbles subsided. The water turned a pale gold as rose petals floated to the surface. But it didn¡¯t stop there. A small table, an ice bucket, and wine appeared beside the tub. "Truthfully, I''m fine with either option, Hamel, as long as I can join you. Just imagine it; wouldn¡¯t it be delightful? What do you think?" she asked. Noir¡¯s attire changed again. Arge bathrobe now enveloped her body. She toyed with the knot of the robe, her smile beguiling. "Me, you, together in thatrge tub, both of us bare. I¡¯d start by smearing bubbles on your face. Or perhaps sprinkle you with rose petals. How would you respond?" she asked. "I would kill you,¡± Eugene answered. "Ahaha! That''s also charming and lovely. Anyway, that¡¯s the bath." Noir took a step forward. Once more, her attire changed. She was no longer in a robe or just an apron. She returned to the clothes she had been wearing in the kitchen ¡ª in, everyday attire that was devoid of any mor or exposure. Noir wouldn¡¯t typically cover herself with such clothes. "I''m not sure what you''ll choose, but if I may say so." The warm orange glow from the firece illuminated Noir''s face as she spoke, "I do hope you choose me." Her smiling gaze was directed at Eugene. For a moment, the two stared at each other. The sounds of wood crackling in the firece, the flickering mes, and the warmth of the orange light mingled with the bubbling and chopping sounds from the kitchen, the appetizing aroma of the food being prepared, and the scent of roses from the bathtub. There stood Noir Giabe, embodying the scene. It was palpable, recognizable ¡ª the ordinary, everyday setting was the future Hamel had once envisioned. It was a future he had hoped for after killing all the Demon Kings and leaving the Devildom ¡ª if ever he could live like this. That was the dream Hamel had wished for at that time. Silence fell. But in the dreams Hamel once painted, Noir Giabe did not exist. She should not have existed. Therefore, the current dream was but a nightmare. Hamel would have thought so and would have ended this nightmare without hesitation. But Eugene was different. He hesitated, if only for a very, very brief moment. Rumble! The hesitationsted only an instant. mes surged from Eugene''s body and swept through the surroundings. The nearby bathtub shattered, the water evaporated, and the rose petals turned to ash. The small,forting mes in the firece were swallowed by a fierce inferno. The chairs, the sparkling clean dishes, and the neat table set were engulfed in mes. Noir stood beyond them. The kitchen, which had been peaceful in preparation for dinner, was now swept up in a cataclysmic fire, yet Noir''s face remained calm. As the mes surged to engulf her, the dream shifted. The mes disappeared. Eugene stood still while surveying his surroundings. This ce was no longer an ordinary home kitchen. It was a vast hall with a spiral staircase and a red carpet. He stood at the center of a grand mansion. Eugene looked up. A beautiful chandelier sparkled above. Arge photograph hung on the wall. The background had changed. The picture had altered slightly. Eugene stared at it with a stoic expression. There, smiling brightly, were Eugene and Noir. In the previous dream, they were in humble attire, but the photograph portrayed them differently in the current dream. In the picture, Eugene wore a neat tuxedo, and Noir wore a beautiful white dress. Eugene stared at the Noir in the photograph for a moment. He didn''t need to ponder what the white dress signified. It was a wedding dress. Noir''s smile seemed to personify the word happiness as she held arge bouquet. Eugene looked simrly content in the picture. "My personal preference is," Noir¡¯s voice resounded, along with the echoing clicks of heels. She descended the spiral staircase in an attire different from that of the previous dream. It was fitting, as the current Noir wore avish dress. "I belong in a grand mansion or a castle like this. I''ve always been so, and such ces suit me,¡± she exined. Noir''s rxed pace brought her down the stairs. She continued smiling at Eugene. "But with you, I''d even enjoy a modest and small home like earlier," she dered. "Aren''t you going to listen to my opinion?" Eugene asked. "Ahaha. Your opinion? I showed it in the previous dream, didn''t I? Surely you aren''t trying to lie to me?" Noir retorted. Fwoosh! She covered her smile with an ornate fan and continued, ¡°The dream from earlier. Thatndscape was exactly what you had longed for, Hamel. I have known of it for three hundred years. Remember, Hamel? When I first intruded into your dreams.... Heh, who would have thought that Hamel, known as the Hamel of Extermination and feared by the demons, would harbor such peaceful and endearing dreams?" Eugene just red at her. "Don''t look so angry. I merely showed you your own dream. Ah, perhaps... are you upset because I altered it on my own?" she asked. With a snap, the fan she had been holding folded shut. The erect fan sliced Noir''s face in two. The smile that had seemed so joyful turned into an icy sneer. "Naturally, it had to be changed," she added. Noir knew who Hamel had wished for as apanion in that dream of the peaceful little house. She knew who he hoped would be waiting for him there. "If you dislike both your dream and mine, how about this one instead?" she asked. Noir''s lips twitched, and her violet eyes shed ominously. Whoosh! Once again, the dream shifted. The grand mansion crumbled. The photograph of the couple, smiling blissfully in a tuxedo and wedding dress, vanished. The scene changed. "I dislike the small house." Her voice was cold. "I prefer a grand mansion." With a rumble, a mansion rose from the empty world. Eugene watched from a distance in the sky. "A ce with many trees and clean air, where the sky is high and blue." Trees sprouted around the mansion, forming a forest. In the previously empty sky, clouds as pretty as a painting appeared, and painted the void blue. "At night, a ce where stars crowd the sky." The clouds vanished. Over the blue, ck was brushed on. Stars, like tiny dots, appeared in abundance. "Rather than a salty sea breeze, a ce with a gentle flowing river." With another rumble, the forest shook, and the ground cracked open, forming a river that meandered behind the mansion. "I want a separate annex entirely for a library." Suddenly, an annex appeared next to the grand mansion. In an instant, Eugene found himself inside the annex. Everything that was happening adhered to Noir''s will. Because she mentioned a library, a library instantly appeared in the dream''s annex. "As the sun sets, I''ll light the firece, illuminating the library with a warm orange glow." A firece appeared on the previously bare wall. mes simr to those seen in the initial dream lit up the library. "In that ce, I''ll sit in a rocking chair, reading a book, or¡ª" Noir, previously unseen except for her voice, appeared from thin air. She was wrapped in arge nket, sitting in the rocking chair. Creak, creak. Both Noir and the chair rocked together. Holding a book in one hand, sheughed. "Shall I write something... myself? Ahaha, I guess not." The book disappeared. Noir, instead, lightly swirled the wine ss that had appeared in its ce and continued speaking, "In this dream, what about you, Hamel? After wielding various weapons and sweating profusely, would youe in alone, wash up at your leisure, and shake off your wet hair as you enter the library?" No response came. "But I won''t scold you for your attitude. I might grumble a bit, though. ''Hamel, did you really wash up alone? Bathing is always a joint affair! We agreed to do it together!'' I would say." Noir''sughter rang out, but it held no joy. Her expression was the same, her smile was merely a curve, unsettling in its emptiness. "After that, we might reminisce about the old days asionally. Camping outdoors? No, I would prefer to lie in bed with you and whisper. Anise? Molon? Vermouth? Why would I?" Again, no reply. "Of course, those are things I don''t need. But Hamel, you need to be by my side. And I''ll be by yours. That¡¯s how¡ª" "Is this Sienna''s dream?" Eugene interjected. "Is this... Sienna''s dream?" "Ahaha!" The rocking chair creaked. Leaning back, Noir clutched her stomach andughed. "That''s right! This fresh and adorable dream belongs to Sienna Merdein. What? You don''t like this one either? Then I''ll show you Anise''s dream. You know, Hamel, what that serpentine Saint dreamed of for your future!?" Silence again. "After the war, that woman nned to bless your marriage to Sienna and then disappear alone. That''s what she appeared to want on the surface. But underneath, it wasn''t so. Saint or not, she is still a woman! In truth, she didn¡¯t want to give you up to Sienna. She wanted to live with you, perhaps setting up an inn in some quiet countryside where she could sell drinks and food ¡ª she wanted to live and die with you!" Noir shouted. There was a pause. "No." Noir''s voice stopped as suddenly as she had shouted, though her breathing remained steady. However, she allowed herself a moment of silence. She came down from the rocking chair. "That wouldn''t have bothered me three hundred years ago. I felt love for you, Hamel. But the reason I loved you was entirely different from ordinary love,¡± she professed. Click. The sound of high heels striking the floor resonated profoundly within Eugene, though it was merely a solitary noise. "Even years ago, I wouldn''t have cared. You were dead and then reborn, and I felt a destined thrill when we met again. But this love was always one-sided, wasn''t it? Yes, so who you held in your heart and whom you loved didn''t matter to me. It wasn''t my concern,¡± she continued. Thud. This time, the sound of footsteps didn''t end with just an echo. The library, the annex, no, the entire dream weighed down on Eugene like a thousand kilos. "But now it''s different. Not today. It doesn''t matter whether it''s your dream, my dream, Sienna''s dream, Anise''s dream, or any dream. Today, this moment belongs only to the two of us. In every dream you dream, only I, Noir Giabe, must exist and be the center,¡± she dered. "How dreadful,¡± Eugene muttered under his breath as he shook his head. "You ask about my wishes and dreams, yet in the end, you do as you please, Noir Giabe." His cloak fluttered. A sword with a de-like clear ss appeared. Levantein, the Holy Moonlight Sword. Noir gave a wistful smile at the sword that had ended the life of an old friend. "It¡¯s because this is a dream,¡± she said. The annex crumbled with a loud crash! The forest shook, and the river surged. The moon, high in the night sky, contorted grotesquely, and all the stars turned into eyes that stared down at Eugene. "Don''t you wish this were all a dream?" she asked. Eugene did not answer her. He raised Levantein to the side. Inside the ss de, a spark ignited. Crackle! Crimson mes engulfed the de, shaking the entire dream with their intensity. "Indeed." Under the twisted moon, Noir leaned forward. "So, you choose me over dinner or a bath?" The mes from Levantein split the night. Chapter 555: Nightmare (3) [Bonus Images]

Chapter 555: Nightmare (3) [Bonus Images]

It wasn¡¯t as if Eugene didn¡¯t feel any emotion in the series of dreams. Yet, these emotions were his own. Even if he was in the midst of a dream dominated by Noir, Eugene''s emotions remained beyond her control. Likewise, Eugene''s existence, even within the dream, was not governed by Noir. Everything else merely formed the backdrop and circumstance. The agency over Eugene¡¯s being rested solely with him. ¡®However, the dream itself is beyond my interference,¡¯ Eugene concluded. He had tried interfering several times, but it proved impossible. Even though he was aware that he was dreaming, the control of the dream itselfy firmly in Noir''s grasp. Her dominion over it was iparably strong. To ovee the current situation, Eugene knew he had to start with something simple and straightforward. Though he was uncertain if it was the right solution, the best course of action Eugene could think of was to shatter the dream itself. Rumbleee! With a roar, mes enveloped the ss de, and it began to tremble violently. Eugene red at the sky while clenching the hilt of the sword. The night sky began to quake. Noir shed a provocative smile while turning her back to the distorted moon. "For now, I have a few things I want to ask you. I¡¯m genuinely curious about them,¡± Noir said. She had not changed her attire from the grand mansion. She wore an borate dress utterly unsuitable forbat. The skirt reached down to her ankles, and it was adorned withvish ruffles. Her arms were covered with long, white gloves reaching up to her forearms, and in her left hand, she held a folded fan. "Hamel,¡± she called out, then slowly raised the fan in front of her face. "Do you really think you can defeat me?" With a swish, the fan unfolded. The fan, as ornate as her dress, covered Noir''s lips, though her eyes remained uncovered. Her eyes curved into a slight smile, gleaming from the shadows cast by the moon. "Do you really think you can defeat me in this dream?¡± she repeated. It was a question not worth answering. Eugene shifted Levantein to his side. The de pointed at the sky, and the flickering mes seemed to lick at the moon. Crack, crackle.... The mes of the White me Form resonated with Levantein. "Can I win?" Though it was a question not worth answering, Eugene responded, "I don''t know." It was an honest answer. He continued, "I''m not here to lose and die to you. Nor am I here to indulge in your deranged obsession. I am here...." The spreading mes intensified the tremor of the dream. The resonance between Levantein and the mes of the White me Form was definitely impacting the dream. Whoosh. The fluttering sparks gathered behind Eugene and formed wings of fire. In the darkness of the dream''s night, the ck mes of Prominence stood out a distinct shade. "I''m here to kill you," Eugene dered. There was no hesitation in his statement. There shouldn''t have been. Noir felt a chilling thrill. She wrapped one hand around her trembling shoulder while smiling with concealed lips behind the fan. "Yes, I know,¡± she answered. Hamel¡¯s resolve was palpable in his every expression, response, and emotion. She could see a mix of calm determination and desperate tenacity. Yet, it wasden with overwhelming emotions that were buried deep within. Noir perceived a resemnce between the current Hamel and Levantein. The de of transparent, exquisite ss appeared so fragile that a mere tap might shatter it, yet paradoxically, it never would. Within that seemingly fragile ss de was an inferno capable of consuming the world and more. ¡°I know the extent of your resolve ining here,¡± Noir said. Crack...! The distorted full moon began to fracture. ¡°Hamel, you say you came to kill me, but there¡¯s more to it than that. You came prepared to die by my hands,¡± she continued. The cracks in the full moon widened, with fragments and debris scattering behind Noir. ¡°This is the dream that I create and rule. I admit, Hamel. In this dream, I cannot control your presence or your emotions. But I can see your feelings and memories. My Hamel, you¡¯ve left a will,¡± Noir called out. The disintegration of the full moon elerated. Behind Noir, there was no longer a full moon but a circle of moon shards. ¡°However, I¡¯m not fond of the contents of that will. You already know, don¡¯t you? Can Molon Ruhr truly rece you as the master of Levantein after you die? You are the only one that the Demon King of Incarceration considers special. You¡¯re the only one who gets the chance. Without you, he wouldn¡¯t bother,¡± said Noir. As the moon shards spread wider, the stars resonated with them. Every star in the sky seemed to gather around Noir, escaping the undting darkness of the night. ¡°Indeed, who could stand against the Demon King of Destruction in your ce? Gilead Lionheart? Gion Lionheart? Carmen Lionheart? Ahaha, you really believe those young, feeble twins can face the Demon King of Destruction?¡± Noir mocked. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°But they will manage somehow. I don¡¯t believe that those living in this era are so insignificant that my death would be in vain. That¡¯s why I wrote the will. When I die, Molon, Sienna, and Anise ¡ª they will kill the Demon King of Incarceration in my stead. If anyone is worthy to stand against the Demon King of Destruction, it''s those of the Lionheart blood.¡± Thud. Eugene''s feet lightly pushed against the ground, and he soared into the sky. ¡°Fortunately, the Lionhearts are arge family. There¡¯s no shortage of members who meet the necessary qualifications,¡± he said. ¡°Ahaha!¡± Noirughed, her shoulders shaking in tandem. ¡°Hamel, you know as well as I do how unlikely that is.¡± ¡°Of course, I know,¡± he said. But he had to leave such a will. ¡°So, I n to survive somehow,¡± he stated. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy,¡± she retorted. ¡°No, it¡¯s simple and straightforward. I just have to kill you, Noir Giabe, before I die,¡± said Eugene. It was reckless, even improbable, and thus, he was desperate. Prominence zed even brighter. The lone wing of that me alone enshrouded Eugene in a sanctuary. His sanctuary stood tall even in the dream Noir had conjured. Sanctuary and dream collided. Yet, to Noir, this was but a trivial rebellion. She snorted dismissively while shaking her head. "No." Her left hand, which was draped over her shoulder, moved. Fingers wrapped in white gloves traced a circle in the air while pointing skyward. "Hamel, the task you propose is neither simple nor easy. Kill me?" she questioned. Woooooo! The night began to howl, and the full copse began. Shattered shards of the moon and stars tore through the night''s darkness while plummeting to the ground. "It¡¯s a tremendously difficult and arduous task," Noir stated. The moon and stars in the endlessly vast, distant night sky were small enough to be covered with a palm or picked with fingers. However, that was no longer the case as they descended and grew closer. Sienna had talked about the romance of using Meteor. The grand spell of overwhelming mass was currently falling towards Eugene. This wasn¡¯t reality. It couldn¡¯t possibly be reality. If countless stars and shattered shards of the moon were to fall in reality, the world would be utterly destroyed. That was why such absurd violence was possible. Everything was merely a moment of a nightmare. Even amid an onught of stars and moons capable of obliterating the world, Noir''s dream did not end. But Eugene would die. His divinity and intuition warned him. ¡®Romance, is it?¡¯ Eugene scoffed. Levels of violence otherwise impossible in reality were made possible because they were in a dream. But Noir wasn¡¯t the only one who was allowed such an option. Although others might have been helpless in such a dream, Eugene could put up resistance. That was why he had unfolded his Prominence. He had not extended but tightly wound his sanctuary around him for defense and enhancement. His sanctuary mingled with Noir¡¯s dream, realizing the dream Eugene desired. Ting! The de of Levantein trembled. Eugene held his breath and raised his left hand. The divine fire transferred from the de and wrapped around his hand. If this were reality, he would never use Ignition now. This was not the decisive phase of the battle, and once he used it, his divine power would be sealed. But now, such concerns were unnecessary. "My goodness," Noir gasped. To think he¡¯d use the dream in reverse! Noir was genuinely astonished. Meanwhile, the moon and stars continued to fall towards Eugene. The catastrophic violence filled the night sky. It appeared as if the sky wouldpletely copse and merge with the ground. It was an unrealistic spectacle. But Eugene did not end with Ignition. Eugene¡¯s sanctuary, which had melted into the dream, continued to realize Eugene¡¯s desires. Another Levantein appeared. "Wait." For the first time, a look of confusion crossed Noir''s face. "Hamel." Another Levantein appeared. "Even though this is a dream." Another Levantein appeared. "I can do as I please in this dream because I possess the Demoneye of Fantasy. Moreover, I also have the Demoneye of Divine Glory." Another Levantein appeared. "I am the ruler of this dream. Whatever happens, I can handle it. But you cannot." Another Levantein appeared. "Just like how you are soaked in cold sweat and feel your heart palpitating when you wake from a nightmare. Just like how you scream in your awakening when you fall in your dream.¡± Another Levantein appeared. "Don''t you understand? What happens here in this dream affects you in reality too. Ignition is fine. You''re used to that. But this is different. This is something you can''t handle in reality¡ª" Another Levantein appeared. "No," Eugene countered. "I can handle it. If my brain burns out from the overload, my Saint will manage it somehow. If my mind gets trapped in the dream, Sienna will find a way." Levantein continued to multiply. "And, if you say I can''t handle it in reality, what does that even mean to me now? If I die in this dream, what good is reality?" Eugene questioned. mes emanating from dozens of Levantein filled the space between the sky and the ground. "Your mind won''t endure it," Noir shook her head. "I will endure," Eugene responded, shaking his head in return. His mind had withstood the center of the Demon King of Destruction. There was still work to be done. He hoped the ugly, improbable story written in his will wouldn''t reach others. Eugene swallowed and gripped the real Levantein. Dozens of Levanteins red up identically. mes rose to defy the catastrophic disaster that threatened to obliterate the world. Sound itself was extinguished. Countless stars turned to ash in the Levantein''s ze. All fragments of the falling moon burned up. The sky of the dream was no longer night. The mes of Levantein had extinguished even the darkness of the night. The night melted into mes, turning the world into a twilight hue. Noir still covered her mouth with her fan. She was undisturbed by the immense destruction. She remained unscathed. But this twilight hue caused a slight stir in Noir. "Impressive," sheplimented. Noir smiled and nodded her head. Hamel''s absurd act of interfering with the dream had definitely flustered her. Who could have imagined turning such an overwhelmingly disadvantageous battlefield to his advantage? "But it''s not enough,¡± she said. The inferno that had erased both earth and sky targeted Noir. "I''ve be unable to feel death from just this." She closed the fan covering her mouth. Thus, one dream closed. But the dream did not end. It simply changed to the next. There was no distinction between the ending of one dream and the beginning of another. Dozens of Levanteins, as well as Eugene''s sanctuary, were swallowed by arger dream. Bang, bang, bang, bang! The terrifying ze turned into the froth of a shaken champagne, scattering into nothingness. The cork of the champagne flew high, striking the ceiling and then falling down. Eugene''s body swayed once. The world had changed suddenly, and Eugene found himself standing on the ground. This was no longer the mansion that Sienna had dreamed of. It was not a forest with a gentle stream, where the air was fresh and the sky high and blue. It was an unknown, tranquil ce. A ce where carriages and wagons passed through, a ce without warp-gates. It was a rural vige where the fields turned golden in the autumn. It was a small inn catering to travelers. "Oh, it''s you,¡± she called out. Noir emerged from the open kitchen, turning around with two beers in hand. She gave a broad smile. "Why aren''t you at the counter?¡± This was Anise¡¯s dream. ¡°Even if our inn isn''t doing well, as the owner, you should be waiting for¡ª" Eugene didn''t listen to the end. He charged forward and drove his fist into Noir''s face. Pop! Noir''s head burst like a tomato. No, it literally turned into ¡ª a tomato. The pulp of the burst tomato fell to the floor with a st. "I told you, Hamel." Crushing the pulp underfoot, Noir brought one of the beers to her lips. "It''s going to be incredibly hard and tough." Ignition rekindled. Quake! A storm of mes obliterated the inn. Noir was swept up in the mes while sipping her beer. The violent mes turned into a tempest in a teacup. Eugene stepped back, startled. He suddenly found himself observing something entirely different. He saw a spinning roulette wheel. Across the table, Noir, eyeing a stack of chips, grinned broadly. "Betting?" Crack! Eugene stomped on the roulette and shattered it. Just as he was about to thrust Levantein into Noir''s neck, the current dream folded and transformed into a new one. They were at a ball. In this dream, there were others besides Noir and Eugene. Men and women in tuxedos and dresses held hands and spun around the dance floor. No, not other people ¡ª every woman was Noir. The men were just faceless versions of Eugene. "Isn''t dancing nice too?" dozens of Noirs whispered to Eugene. "It reminds me of Shimuin. I wanted to dance with you then." The real Noir, partnerless, tiptoed towards Eugene. "But you, you sent me away and danced with Sienna Merdein." She didn''t unfold her fan. Instead, she slowly removed her white glove. "I wasn''t bothered then. Now, I''m angry,¡± she said. Noir threw the removed glove at Eugene''s face. "Let''s duel." It was a whisper full ofughter. But the thin glove, casually thrown, shattered Eugene''s head. Chapter 556: Nightmare (4)

Chapter 556: Nightmare (4)

Having lived through past and present lives, Eugene had experienced various incidents and sustained numerous injuries. Yet, even he had never experienced his head beingpletely shattered. He had smashed countless demon heads, but this was the first time his head had burst. This was naturally the case, as a person typically died when their head was destroyed. It wasn¡¯t only true for humans, either. Most creatures died if their heads were destroyed. However, Eugene did not die now. He was in a dream. This was not reality. But that was precisely why it felt even more bizarre and repulsive. Eugene watched as his skull fragments and brain bits scattered. He saw some liquid, possibly his blood or brain fluid, burst forth. His vision shook chaotically as his eyeballs sprung like springs and disrupted his sight. The pain of his head shattering, the swirling vision ¡ª all of it was a strange, repulsive, and novel experience for Eugene. Even though what was happening was not real, the sensations Eugene felt were as real as anything in the physical world. He knew that he would feel something simr if his head were to be destroyed in reality. Eventually, his body staggered. Without his head, his torso lost control. His legs trembled, and then he copsed. Blood spurted from the messy stump of his neck like a fountain. Such a scene was familiar to Eugene. But he was only familiar with the scene from the perspective of the perpetrator. Eugene himself had never suffered such a fate. Even though he had attained divinity, he was fundamentally human. Losing his head would mean death. ''I am alive.'' He quickly assessed the situation. His head was shattered, but his thoughts continued. Complex and horrific pain threatened to obliterate his reason, but Eugene remainedposed, enduring the agony. ''Don''t get swept away. Don''t think about death.'' He repeated these words to himself like a mantra. His head had indeed exploded, but he had not died. However, if he dwelled on death and became engulfed by it, he would fall straight into Noir Giabe''s nightmare. Though his headless body sat there, spouting blood like a fountain from his stump, Prominence did not vanish. Eugene''s sanctuary still protected him in this ludicrous dream. ''Again,'' he thought. Fwoosh! The scattered brain fluid returned. His brain reassembled, and his skull rejoined. The rolling eyeballs returned to their sockets. Thus, Eugene''s head was restored. He gasped while pressing his hands against the floor as he pushed against the ground to stand up. "Ahaha." Laughter echoed from above. It was Noir''sughter. But herugh was so loud it reverberated through the ballroom. "You wanted to duel, didn¡¯t you?" Eugene asked. He frowned and looked around. The dozens of dancing Noirs had vanished. Only Eugene stood in the spacious ballroom. And Noir was looking down at him from above. Eugene saw gigantic, purple eyes asrge as a full moon. All Eugene could see in the ballroom were Noir¡¯s eyes. "I¡¯m just kidding. It¡¯s a joke. Hamel, why would I want to duel with you?" Noir giggled. Rumble! Her eyes seemed to recede, and then a gigantic hand descended towards Eugene. "How about ying with dolls instead of a duel?" Noir suggested. A massive finger attempted to grasp Eugene. Was it that Noir had grown, or had everything else shrunk down? The question crossed Eugene¡¯s mind momentarily, but he decided it didn¡¯t matter either way. With a roar, the mes of Levanteinshed at Noir''s fingers. "Hmm." Therge finger dodged the mes. The movement was light and the motion minimal, but the mes missed their mark due to the space distorting and receding erratically. "I¡¯m going to be honest with you. I hate those mes,¡± said Noir. Crackle! The space crumpled andpressed around Eugene. He was stopped in his tracks for a moment, and Noir¡¯s index finger curled while resting on her thumb. "I don''t want it to touch." The finger flicked and struck empty air. That spacepressed around Eugene was ripped away along with him. Eugene swallowed the blood curdling in his throat. As long as all space was under Noir''s control, using Prominence''s spatial leap was impossible. The power of the sanctuary could only extend to protect Eugene in the dream. On the other hand, Noir was free to do anything. It was already impossible to kill her in reality, but in the realm of dreams, it wasn¡¯t an overstatement to call her omnipotent. ''But is Levantein''s me effective?'' Eugene wondered. Regardless of what Noir had just imed, Eugene judged that Levantein was indeed effective against her. It was absurd to think otherwise. Levantein, the Holy Moonlight Sword, was forged from the wishes of all gods existing from thest era to the present. It was a weapon designed to kill the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. Even if Noir Giabe had be an Evil God, it was impossible for Levantein to be ineffective. The problem was, no matter how powerful Levantein was, it was meaningless if it couldn''t hit its target. Such concerns had been unnecessary in his duel with Gavid. As Vermouth had said, Gavid was a traditional swordsman. Even with the Demoneye of Divine Glory, Gavid¡¯s tactics had been straightforward. But Noir was different. In the first ce, she had no need to choose a straightforward fight. Even now, it was so; no matter how much Eugene swung Levantein, it couldn¡¯t reach her. Fwoosh! Levantein began to multiply again. The crumpling and unfolding space was now filled with dozens of ming des. "I was surprised earlier, but,¡± Noir scoffed from high above. "The power itself may be duplicated, but the divinity cannot be. This is my dream, after all." Crunch, crackle! The ballroom was engulfed by mes and started to shake. The space itself began to crumple like a dollhouse made of paper. The windows, hidden behind red curtains, shattered. Noir¡¯s eyes were visible through the gaping window. Her purple eyes, emitting a sinister light, peered into the dollhouse. "Well, even if there''s no divinity, the power is considerable. But not enough to kill me. Even if the entire dream burns away and vanishes right now,¡± she stated. Crash! The ballroom and the mansion disappeared. In that instant, Prominence wrapped around Eugene. He hadn¡¯t caught the transition between the dream ending and a new one beginning before, but this time, he did. He saw the dream that had unfolded vanish and a new one form. With a mighty crash, a massive wave engulfed Eugene. It was not a metaphorical wave but a real one,plete with the salty tang of the ocean breeze and the distant cries of seagulls. Eugene instinctively swung Levantein and sliced through the wave. "I can leave the zing dream behind and simply dream anew,¡± Noir stated. As soon as the wave was cleaved, a tranquil sea emerged, stretching boundlessly with nond in sight. Noiry on a sunbed atop a giant mingo float under arge parasol. She lifted her oversized sunsses, which covered half her face, and grinned. "Since we''re at the sea, why not rx a bit first?" Noir proposed as she stood up. She held a bottle of oil she seemed to have conjured from nowhere, and whispered, "How about we apply some oil to each other?" "Huh?" By this point, Eugene could hardly hide his exasperation. He gazed towards the endless ocean and murmured, "Just how far can you go?" "In a dream," Noir replied with a casual shrug and an easy smile, "nothing is impossible. Everything is as you''ve imagined, Hamel. Here, I am omnipotent." This leisure was not pretense. The current dream was far more expansive than any before. There were no distinct settings like cabins, forests, mansions, or ballrooms. This ce was truly an infinite ocean. The more Eugene tried to perceive an end, the more the ocean seemed to expand. Such was the nature of this dream. The more he tried to prate it, the more it overwhelmed him. In this endlessly unfolding dream, Eugene''s sanctuary seemed pitifully small. ''It''s beyond anything I imagined,'' Eugene realized. He hadn''t anticipated it would be this extreme. How could this be? The scale of it made it harder for Eugene toprehend. Even if Noir had spent three hundred years umting life-force using every method and pursuing optimum efficiency, even if she had created Giabe Park in recent years and gathered tremendous amounts of life-force and desire, this was... iprehensibly excessive. Eugene''s shoulder twitched. Noir''s left eye emitted a sinister light. It was the Demoneye of Divine Glory, which she had directly received from Gavid. He reconsidered and observed the dream anew. Eventually, Eugene came to an understanding. Noir had used the Demoneye of Divine Glory topletely incarcerate the dream, cutting it off from the outside world and filling it with fantasies. In this dream, there was no distinction from reality. Here, every fantasy Noir desired became a reality. "Do you understand now?" she asked. Noir squeezed a generous amount of oil into her left hand. "I know you don''t want to admit it, but some things just aren''t possible. In the dream world, I was already near invincible three hundred years ago. Now? Ahaha, do I even need to say?" The beach towel draped over her shoulders slid off. Her swaying tail moved behind her back and pulled at the strings of her bikini top. "Your struggles and resistance are enjoyable, but there''s always time for thatter. For now, let''s enjoy something else. Let''s apply oil to each other, lie down together, and soak up the sun." Eugene briefly closed his eyes. "Ah, don''t misunderstand me, Hamel. I don''t wish for a different ending with you. I am going to kill you, and you must kill me. This is all part of our journey to the end," Noir said. Eugene contemted with his eyes closed. "So, why don''t you enjoy yourself for a moment? You''ve been through so much. Hamel, endlessly reincarnated against your will, always having to live up to countless expectations. Oh, naturally, I know. I know that you would have done the same even without anyone expecting that much of you,¡± she continued. How could he end this perfect world? "Even if you hadn''t known about Agaroth, given you are Hamel''s reincarnation, you would have acted just as you have now, even if you had not been born into the Lionheart family but into a humble, no, a more wretched family. You would have... somehow found your way to me,¡± Noir confessed. This was a world incarcerated by the Demoneye of Divine Glory, a dream constructed by the Demoneye of Fantasy. The fuel for this world''s construction was all the power Noir had umted, along with the worship and faith garnered by fulfilling the desires of those in Giabe City through dreams. This dream was Noir''s sanctuary. Even if Eugene possessed Agaroth¡¯s divinity and the Light, standing his ground was the best he could manage. "I know it sounds cruel, Hamel, but this is your final destination," Noir continued. Killing Noir in the dream was impossible. Levantein couldn''t reach her. Even if he repeated the destruction of the dream, Noir would restart it again and again. "You can''t defeat me. Just as you prepared to kill me, I too, prepared to kill you. You might think you came here to kill me without any leisure, but you were toote from the start. I could have killed you at any time, Hamel,¡± Noir said. Destroying the dream was easy. But what was the point of repeatedly destroying something that could be restarted indefinitely? He knew. Using Ignition repeatedly, proliferating Levantein, and swinging it didn''t tire him. The same was true for Noir. Then, this battle would end only when someone''s spirit broke first after being worn down by the endless repetition. "Don''t think about it too hard, Hamel. If we enjoy ourselves a bit before it ends, maybe we''ll both have fewer regrets?" Nir suggested temptingly. With a rustle, the strings of her swimsuit loosened. Holding the clear oil in her hands, Noir gave a smile. Eugene opened his eyes. His golden pupils were undisturbed, and his lips were firmly shut. Seeing his expression, Noir frowned. "Don''t you like the sea?" Noir asked. Eugene came to a conclusion. Escaping the dream and returning to reality alone was difficult. He could try hundreds or thousands of times. If the only way to reach Noir was to erode the dream, Eugene was willing to do so. But that was not the only method avable to Eugene. Though he was in the dream, Sienna and the Saints existed in the reality outside. ''Can my voice not reach?'' Eugene questioned himself. Yet, he was undoubtedly connected to the Saints. That was enough. Just as Eugene felt the connection with the Saints, they too, must be feeling his presence. This itself became a coordinate. No matter how many times Noir recreated the dream, Eugene could not be erased. As such, this coordinate was immovable. "It''s pointless," Noir scoffed while shaking her head. She, too, knew. Sienna Merdein, Kristina Rogeris, and Anise Slywood were outside Giabe City. "If they had entered, I would have killed them," Noir giggled. Her fingers were slippery with oil as she rubbed them together. "Hamel, you break it from the inside. Sienna Merdein, Anise Slywood, and Kristina Rogeris break it from the outside. Fine, that sounds impressive, but only if it goes as nned. Do you really think it¡¯s possible? For a wizard resurrected from death, a ghost who clung hideously to this world in death, and a rotten doll made from the corpse of that ghost." Crackle, crackle...! She began to rub her fingers faster and more forcefully. "Do you think they can break my dream? Really, do you think they will be of help to you?" Noir asked. "Yeah," Eugene answered without hesitation. He didn''t provide a reason. He believed there was no need to justify faith. His response was filled with conviction. "Oh, is that so?" Noir said tly. She did not like his answer. The straps of her swimsuit, which had loosened, came back together. The oil disappeared from her fingers. "That''s annoying." Boom! The mingo float carrying Noir exploded, and with it, the ocean burst as well. Waves soared to the sky and crashed down all around Eugene. "That faith of yours is annoying," Noir whispered beneath the shower of water droplets. She brushed back her wet hair with both hands while ring at Eugene. "I wanted to have a good dream with you, Hamel." Whoosh! mes radiated out from Eugene, forming a circle around him. The split waves evaporated instantly. Through the dense fog, Noir pointed a finger at him. "If you don¡¯t want a good dream." Crack! Dark power surged from her finger and pierced the fog. Eugene reflexively raised Levantein to block the attack, but he couldn''t cut through or deflect Noir''s magic. The force sted him and Levantein backward. He was thrown back by the collision. Instead of pursuing him, Noir rotated the world by half. The sea that had been at their feet moved behind Eugene. "I have no choice but to show you a nightmare." The voice that should have been distant sounded right next to him. Along with the voice, the bubbling of froth filled Eugene''s ears. The bottomless sea swallowed Eugene. Chapter 557: Nightmare (5) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 557: Nightmare (5) [Bonus Image]

Three hundred years ago, Noir Giabe demonstrated the devastating power of the Demoneye of Fantasy most urately, not in battle, but in a massacre. She had drowned thirty thousand elite soldiers of the Turas Kingdom on a in devoid of water. The soldiers hadcked resistance to mental attacks. They had seen an ocean on the dry in and floundered on the ground as if they were in deep water. In their desperate attempt to escape the nonexistent sea, they shed their heavy armor and even cast aside their weapons. Yet, despite their efforts, all thirty thousand soldiers perished by drowning on the dry in within minutes. The situation Eugene found himself in now was even more dire than that event three centuries prior. This sea was an illusion, yet it was no illusion. It felt as real as any waking moment, and here, Eugene could die repeatedly without truly dying. In the worst case, he would drown over and over again. Eugene''s eyes widened in panic, and he bit his lip while instinctively holding his breath. He couldst perhaps dozens of minutes without air, but not indefinitely. However, holding his breath for too long impaired his thinking, and inevitably, his consciousness would start to fray. And he would lose consciousness regardless of his will. He tried to move, but his efforts were futile. The infinite ocean seemed to flow towards him, its immense pressure crushing him. Suddenly, a spiraled stream of water shot towards him like a drill amidst the violent currents. He realized it early on and made an attempt to avoid it. However, he failed to do so. It wasn¡¯t just the sea but the dream itself that restricted his actions. His body twisted violently as he was pierced through. ¡®Lungs,¡¯ he thought. They had been pierced through. He no longer had any control over his breaths, and his consciousness rapidly faded. Water poured into his punctured lungs. It felt like his lungs were on fire, and his whole body felt as if it might burst. ¡®I can''t endure this,¡¯ Eugene realized. He came to a decision just as his consciousness started to slip away. He had considered holding his breath and waiting for an opportunity, but that seemed futile now. If he were truly in the ocean, there might have been other strategies to employ, but in this dream-made ocean, this was the best he could do. His body felt as if it might explode ¡ª and it actually did. The White me Form ran amok, and the universe seemed to explode with it. All of Eugene''s mana burst forth as mes. Noir stared with her jaws agape from above the sea. What Eugene had just done was essentially a form of self-destruction. Without seeking any alternative, he had simply blown himself up. Yet, the power of his explosion was ludicrously immense, creating a gaping hole in the infinite sea. It was a force more potent than any techniques he utilized, including the Empty Sword and Eclipse. It was bound to be since he had sacrificed his entire existence to deliver the single blow. "Hamel, this is quite... surprising, to say the least," Noir said, her initial anger and irritation now reced by astonishment. She took a step back while blinking with wide eyes. "You really are recklessly insane," she muttered. Crackle! Eugene burst forth from the hole in the sea. His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing agitated, and his hair drenched. Noir chuckled dryly and shook her head as the zing form of Levantein soared towards her head. "Hamel,¡± she called out. Her voice changed, and so did her form. Noir, who had just been shaking her head, was now transformed into another being. Sienna blinked at Eugene. Then she spoke, "You''re trying to kill me...." The mes did not scatter, and Levantein did not hesitate in its path. Eugene immediately beheaded Sienna. From nose to nape, her head split in two and flew away. "Hamel, isn''t this too much?" Another voice sounded from behind him. He recognized it instantly. It was Anise. Eugene spun around with Prominence. His adversary was d in a stark white clerical robe. The skeletal form of Anise cked her jaws and sped her bony hands in prayer. "Trying to kill me again when I am already dead..." she muttered. "Yeah, I''ll kill you,¡± Eugene responded curtly. Thud! Levantein split Anise''s skull from the crown to the chin. Crunch! Anise''s ribs were cracked open, and Kristina burst forth. She clung to Eugene''s arm, tears of blood streaming down her face. "Please, please, Sir Eugene, save me..." she begged. "To hell with that,¡± Eugene spat out in annoyance as he pressed down harder with Levantein. "Aaaaagh!" Kristina''s entire body was consumed by mes. The smell of burning flesh stung Eugene''s nose, and in the fire, Kristina glowed brightly. "Sir Eugene! Pl-please, save me!" Below him, Mer clung to Eugene''s legs. Crack! Eugene wielded Levantein like a spear of me and skewered Mer. "Benefactor! Ah, it hurts!" Raimira was split into two the moment she appeared. Her two halves, one side to the right and the other to the left transformed into different beings. "Eugene, you''re the one suited to be the head of the Lionheart family...." "I saved your life, you know? If it hadn''t been for me...." Cyan and Ciel approached Eugene, babbling as if they were genuinely making conversation. Crack. Tired of the recurring farce, Eugene bit his lip. Rumble! mes enveloped Levantein and gathered into a massive form like a hammer. He then manifested the skill associated with the Annihtion Hammer: Pressure. To smash. To burst. To explode. This simple, brutish power struck at Ciel and Cyan. No, it didn''t make contact. The strike stopped just in front of them. Roar! The power contained in the strike was redirected to the surroundings. "Hamel. Are you intending to kill the descendant of Vermouth with your own hands?" He saw a chilling re. The man¡¯s bushy beard quivered. Molon¡¯s axe pushed back the fiery hammer. The dream had changed suddenly. Just moments before, it had been the sea ¡ª no, was it really the sea? When Cyan and Ciel appeared, it had been the Lionheart mansion, and now he was in a blizzard in Lehainjar. "Shit." Eugene grimaced as he uttered the word. This kind of dream was familiar to him. It was a ssic nightmare that Noir used to favor three hundred years ago. By repeatedly showing nightmares about hisrades, she made it impossible to distinguish between reality and the nightmare. Hence, she would bring malice from the nightmare into reality and sow discord. Naturally, it had no effect on Hamel and hispanions. Even now, it was the same. No matter how intricate Noir''s nightmares were, Eugene''s emotions remained unconquered, dominated not by fear but by irritation and anger. "What good is this crap to me?" Eugene roared, splitting Molon neatly in two along with his axe. "I didn''t go mad from such nightmares even three hundred years ago; do you think I would now?" He stepped over Molon¡¯s bloody corpse and strode across the blood-stained snowscape. The dream ended, and a new one began. "Of course, you won¡¯t go mad," Noir''s voice echoed. "I don''t believe this dream will drive you mad either. Nor do I wish it to." "Then what are you trying to do...?" Eugene asked through gritted teeth. "But, even if it doesn''t drive you mad, you hate these kinds of dreams, don''t you?" said Noir. He especially hated this one. "A dream you hate is a nightmare, after all,¡± she said. The light flickered. Shadows began to spread in the darkening world. He was on a ravaged battlefield. Eugene knew this ce. It was Babel, the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration from three hundred years ago. "O Almighty God of Light, please... protect this foolishmb after his rest... on his perilous journey... uh... with mercy and lo... love, guide him, and on the path themb takes..." Anise stuttered through her prayer before finally breaking into sobs. Bang, bang! Molon, whom Eugene had just killed, reappeared. He mmed his head and fists into the ground. "No, no, no...! Don''t go, don''t leave me behind...!" Sienna sobbed, rubbing her cheek against the face of the corpse. Beside her knelt Vermouth. His head was bowed, and his expression was hidden, but the slight trembling of his shoulders was visible. Hamel¡¯s vision had been too blurry to see his surroundings clearly when he died, but it seemed Vermouth had shed tears as well. Eugene closed his mouth and stood silently. Meanwhile, the dream continued. Sienna screamed. She grabbed Anise by the cor and demanded to know about heaven. When she didn''t receive the answer she wanted, Sienna threw herself on the ground, screaming. Anise too, covered her mouth, fumbling with her rosary as she wept. "It''s not over yet," Vermouth said. He staggered to his feet. It was the first time Eugene had seen his expression so distorted, and his cheeks streaked with tears. This dream was distinct from the dreams he had seen until now. It was heavy and somber. If the previous dreams had been mere fabrications, impossible in reality, the current dream was different. For Eugene, this dream was closest to a nightmare. "There''s no fabrication in this one," Noir whispered, standing beside Hamel''s corpse. "Three hundred years ago, I was different. I did not confront you directly. In the first ce, only the vassals of Incarceration were stationed in Babel at that time." Noir chuckled softly while taking a seat beside Hamel''s body. "But after the battle ended and the Oath was established, I pleaded with the Demon King of Incarceration to grant me the memories of this ce. I wanted to see my beloved... heh, I wanted to my Hamel¡¯s end by any means necessary.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t interrupt Noir¡¯s exnation. "Ah, and of course, I cried as well. Just like Sienna Merdein, Anise Slywood, Molon Ruhr, and Vermouth Lionheart. I cried because I was sad and felt regretful of my Hamel¡¯s death.¡± Noir was no longer d in a swimsuit. She now wore a pitch-ck dress, her face veiled in ck. ¡°I truly wept. More bitterly than any of yourrades. I gave up eating and drinking. No one coulde near me. I secluded myself in my room until the moment the Devildom became Helmuth. While all demons celebrated the victory of Incarceration, I alone mourned you," Noir said softly. She lifted her head to look at Eugene. "Even though we''ve met again in this reincarnation, the sorrow I felt then was real, Hamel. Can you understand that? Can youprehend the grief of those left behind by your reckless death? Did you ever consider the sorrow that those who remained would have to bear when you died?" Noir asked, sounding mournful. Eugene silently observed Noir. He saw the corpse of the Stupid Hamel, dead like a fool, and beside it, Sienna kneeling, Anise sobbing, Molon banging his head, and Vermouth standing motionless. "No," Eugene uttered a single word. He shook his head. "I cannot understand." He gripped Levantein firmly. "I did not think of it," he admitted. This nightmare deeply stirred Eugene''s emotions. "But so what?" he asked. The dream trembled. "The left behind? Emotions? What do they matter to me?" he ridiculed. Eugene strode forward. Whoosh! The mes that spread out burned Molon and Anise. "At that time, I was dying. I didn¡¯t want to die, but it was inevitable, a situation where I had to die. Do you think I had time to think of others?" he questioned. He took another step. The mes consumed Vermouth and Sienna. "Your feelings? What should I care, Noir Giabe? Why should I understand your emotions? What does it matter to me that you grieved?" he spat. He took another step, but the mes did not advance further. They defied Eugene''s will. Neither Hamel''s corpse nor Noir was engulfed by the mes. "Hamel." Noir chuckled as she caressed Hamel''s corpse. "You say such horrible things. Do you really need to say that when I wept over your death?¡± Noir rose from the mes. The cold corpse of Hamel rose with Noir¡¯s touch, a hole in his chest. Noir cradled Hamel''s body and spun around in the mes. "Well, I also liked that horrible aspect of you. Did you know? Hamel, even now, I''m growing fonder of you. My love deepens. Why do you think that is?" she asked. "It''s because," Eugene said, his lips twitching slightly, "I think more and more about wanting to kill you." "That''s right.¡± Noir nodded with a bright smile. ¡°But it¡¯s not just that either. You see, I find joy in heading towards our... inevitable end together... with each repetition of these dreams, you grow more endearing to me." "You..." Eugene said. He lifted Levantein high. Crackle! Ignition and Prominence red together, and Levantein began to multiply. Dozens of mes swirled around Eugene. "...are contradicting yourself," he finished. The mes created a massive flow, a unified current that gradually spread out while shattering the dream of Babel. "You said you would show me nightmares, yet you don''t show the real nightmares,¡± Eugene called out. Noir stared at him wordlessly. "The nightmares I truly don''t want to see, you don''t show those," Eugene continued. Babel burned downpletely, vanishing in mes. Normally, at this moment, the next dream should have begun. But this time, it didn''t. The dream did not start anew, and only mes remained. In a world still burning, Eugene and Noir faced each other. "Is it because you feel the same way?" Eugene challenged. Noir still held Hamel''s corpse. She caressed the cold, stiff body, then quietly pushed it towards the mes. Whoosh! Hamel''s body turned to ash in an instant. "What do you mean?" she asked. Her face remained veiled, revealing only Noir''s lips to Eugene. It was the smile he had seen countless times ¡ª repetitive, mechanical curves. "That wastnd," Eugene said, ring at Noir. "Thest of Agaroth and Aria." Noir had shown Eugene many dreams. Nightmares, too. But she had never shown him the most overt and deeply prating dream. That wastnd was the true nightmare for both Eugene and Noir. It was thest they had already endured once together. Noir kept smiling, but Eugene could not detect even a hint of mirth in her constrained smile. "Hamel,¡± she said after a brief silence. She slowly shook her head as she continued, "That statement. Do you also consider that wastnd a nightmare?" "It''s not a pleasant dream,¡± he responded. Noir smiled quietly. The repetitive, mechanical curve of her smile transformed. "That''s right,¡± she admitted. The emptied world was suddenly bathed in a crimson sunset. The vast wastndy scattered with countless bodies. Noir, with the red twilight at her back, transformed. "It cannot be pleasant,¡± she said. The War God¡¯s Saint, the Twilight Witch, Aria turned towards Eugene with a wistful smile. Chapter 558: Nightmare (6) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 558: Nightmare (6) [Bonus Image]

Raimira was in her original form as the ck dragon, and Sienna stood on her head. She had her eyes closed and raised Mary with both her hands. An hour had passed since Eugene entered Giabe City alone. Since then, Sienna had been deep in concentration with her eyes closed. She had not spoken a word since then. Though she remained still, it wasn''t without effect. Positioned above Raimira, Sienna became the focal point through which all the mana in the vicinity, to be exact, from outside Giabe City, seemed to flow. The Saint was on her knees by Sienna¡¯s side. Kristina silently prayed, feeling Eugene''s divine power, while Anise used this to determine Eugene''s condition and location from within Kristina. This was not nned, yet the three acted as if following Eugene''s unspoken desires. The Saints had been able to clearly sense Eugene¡¯s presence before he entered Giabe City. Regardless of where he was in the world, they couldmunicate with him through the resonance of divine power. But now, that was no longer possible. It was as if they were peering through a dense fog. Eugene was undoubtedly somewhere within the murky environment, but his exact location and condition remained elusive. While it was important to locate his physical whereabouts ¡ª likely near the city walls or somewhere within the city ¡ª the state of Eugene''s mind, which had been dragged into a dream, was more of immediate concern. Despite their prayers, they felt no revtion from Eugene, nor could they sense any divine sign. [It has not extinguished,] Anise dered. Kristina nodded while continuing to pray with her eyes closed. She wasn''t looking towards Giabe City or its walls. She was gazing at a faintly flickering light. The mes belonged to Eugene, to Levantein. Even amidst the deep fog and the depths of a dark nightmare, that me continued to burn. Its light signified that Eugene was not dead. He was still alive. Several times, both Kristina and Anise experienced sharp pain. A deep, throbbing ache radiated from within, a burning heat that seemed to consume them came from their very being, and the Stigmata on their hands burned with a sharp pain. It didn¡¯t stop with pain, either. The scars of the Stigmata split open and started to bleed. They could endure this pain. Anise was ustomed to even greater suffering from past battles, and Kristina, though not familiar with such pain, bore it, believing it was all for Eugene¡¯s sake. They knew why they were experiencing this pain. It was because of Levantein. Though Eugene had not yet escaped the nightmare, even the battles within the nightmare affected Levantein. Their faith in Eugene and Levantein was keeping a grip on Eugene and keeping him from beingpletely swallowed by the nightmare and being dominated by Noir. "Hmm." After a long silence and focused meditation, Sienna finally made a sound. Her eyes cracked open, and her brows furrowed. "It was wise not to enter," she said. The power enveloping the entire city was that of the Demoneye of Divine Glory, enhanced by the dark power and life-force Noir had umted over her lifetime. No matter how prepared Sienna might have been, entering that ce would have immediately drawn her into Noir''s dream. "Have you found a way?" Kristina asked, lifting her gaze to focus on Sienna as she hid her blood-soaked hands. But there was no hiding it. The smell of blood and the sleeves and the clerical robe stained red by the bleeding Stigmata gave it away. Sienna felt a mncholic surge as she considered how diligently Anise had hidden the Stigmata three hundred years ago. "If it is just a way, I have known one from the start,¡± Sienna answered. "Really?" Kristina questioned. "Why are you surprised? Though not as effective in dreams, in reality, I am a true Goddess of Magic. Did you think I would truly have no way out?" Sienna questioned. No. Kristina did not voice that answer aloud. Anise shared the same opinion but did not assert it through Kristina¡¯s lips. It couldn¡¯t be helped. Sienna had returned after a year and boasted of her divine status, yet she had never shown the majestic demeanor befitting a Goddess of Magic. Leaping great distances was magically impressive, but even Ciel could do as much with her Demoneye of Darkness. And for all her posturing, Sienna had been unable to resist the spell contained in Noir¡¯s invitation. She had been dragged into a dream, a fact that the Saints found somewhat skeptical. "As expected, Lady Sienna. Please, tell us the method you possess,¡± asked Kristina. "Do you know how to wake up from a dream?" Sienna questioned. "What?" Kristina asked. "You have to wake up,¡± Sienna said seriously, and Kristina mirrored her solemn expression. Anise refrained from reacting hastily, instead waiting for Sienna''s next words. "Do you know how to wake up?" Sienna asked once more. Both Kristina and Anise just stared silently at Sienna, slightly confused. "You make them wake up. Shake them, ssh water, or hit them,¡± Sienna answered her own question. "Is that what you call a method?" Kristina questioned with an incredulous expression. [This idiot, to think that is even an answer...!] Anise shouted in exasperation. Kristina could no longer maintain a serious expression at such a shallow and simplistic response. Anise also lost her temper. "Why are you getting angry?" Sienna asked. "It¡¯s iprehensible that you, Lady Sienna, would even ask such a question!" Kristina argued. To wake up from a dream, one must wake up from their sleep. To wake up from sleep, one must be awakened. Was there anyone in the world who was oblivious to this ringly obvious fact? Trying to keep her calm, Kristina pointed out, "We cannot enter the city. It¡¯s impossible for us to shake Sir Eugene awake. So, what then...?" "There¡¯s no need to wake Eugene directly,¡± said Sienna with a smirk. She raised Mary. "We''ll wake the entire city." "You don¡¯t mean to... drop a meteor, do you?" Kristina asked aghast. Sienna did not answer but gave a smile instead. The petals of Mary trembled. Sienna became a hub for mana, influenced by the magic emanating from Mary. Whoosh! The visible flow of mana transformed into hundreds, thousands of petals. Suddenly, Raimira¡¯s surroundings were filled with petals. "Here." Sienna extended her hand to Kristina while standing amid the drifting petals. Kristina did not know why Sienna was doing so, but she did not ask. There was no trace of yfulness in Sienna¡¯s eyes. Kristina swallowed nervously and cautiously reached out her hand. Her hand, cracked with Stigmata and soaked in blood, moved towards Sienna¡¯s. "It¡¯s okay,¡± Sienna assured. Kristina and Anise hesitated. Naturally, reaching out a blood-soaked hand to another was disconcerting. However, Sienna, unbothered, firmly grasped Kristina¡¯s hand. The blood from the Stigmata touched Sienna''s hand first. The mana that Siennamanded enveloped the Saints. And it became magic. They felt a massive tremor. The Saints jumped up, startled. Giabe City lookedpletely different from a moment ago. The entirety of the massive city was entwined inplex vines. ¡°What is that...?¡± Kristina asked. ¡°It¡¯s magic,¡± Sienna replied. The Sage, Vishur Lavi, had said that human magic was inferior. It was no different now than in the Age of Myth. Humans could not find answers in mana. They confined the profound and infinite potential of magic and mana into trivial designs called spells. A year ago, Sienna was unable to bypass these limitations. She had attempted to surpass her limits, but it had been difficult and elusive. But now, it was different. Sienna Merdein had transcended humans and their magic. Thus, she no longer needed spells. Her magic had reached the realm of miracles. Sienna did not wish for miracles to descend. Rather, her very desires became miracles. Even so.... ¡°It¡¯s impossible to destroy that dream,¡± Sienna admitted. Noir Giabe¡¯s dream could not be shattered even by divine magic. But it could be shaken. Even if dozens of Archwizardsbined their forces to unleash a cmitous spell, the dream would not waver, but Sienna¡¯s magic could shake it. ¡°There it is,¡± Sienna whispered. Mindlessly shaking the dream would hardly wake Eugene from his deep, ongoing nightmare. Sienna could scarcely feel Eugene¡¯s presence in that city. But now, it was different. Just as the Saints saw the magic that only Sienna could see, now, Sienna also perceived the light that only the Saints could see. The connection formed by their sped hands allowed Sienna to see the light of Eugene and Levantein. She saw the chains formed by the Demoneye of Divine Glory and the iprehensible, unobservable illusion it formed. But within it, she found Eugene¡¯s spirit. She broadened her view to locate Eugene¡¯s body. He had been dragged straight into a dream after passing the city gate, so she thought he might be lying just inside it, in front of the gate, but he wasn¡¯t. Eugene was wandering the city like a sleepwalker. However, he wasn¡¯t wandering aimlessly. The entire city was guiding him. It had been just over an hour since Eugene had entered the city, and he was already nearing its center. Sienna bit her lip hard and gripped Mary tightly. The swirling petals turned the color of blood, reflecting Sienna¡¯s killing intent. In the heart of Giabe City, where day and night once held no distinction, the casino that used to burst with tourists nowy steeped in silence. The brilliant lights had all been extinguished, leaving the building beneath a dim glow. Two of the famed Giabe-Faces, which used to enchant tourists with dreams, sat decoratively ced. Higher up, in a pitch-ck sky devoid of clouds, a single Giabe-Face was flying. Sienna looked up at it while biting her lip. She saw a woman reclining on avish chair. It was Noir Giabe; her eyes closed as if she were asleep. However, Sienna felt the intensity of a gaze piercing even through those closed eyelids. She steadied her trembling breath. At that moment, Noir''s long eyshes fluttered. Her eyelids slowly lifted, revealing amethyst eyes. They were as beautiful as the gemstone, but Sienna felt no sense of beauty from them. Instead, she sensed a chilling eeriness and revulsion from those eyes. Though they were far apart, Sienna distinctly felt Noir¡¯s gaze. She saw Noir¡¯s red lips twitch and curve upwards. The distance between them was meaningless. Being seen meant being caught in the grip of the Demoneye of Fantasy. Quiver! The petals surrounding Sienna thrashed violently. The outer petals darkened suddenly, turning to ash and scattering. Having been humiliated through the invitation, Sienna had prepared magic to withstand the Demoneye of Fantasy and from being forced to sleep. She had readied herself for the worst. Thus, she was able to defend herself. ¡®It¡¯s less potent than expected,¡¯ Sienna concluded. Though much stronger than the power contained in the invitation, she could manage with her defensive magic. It wasn''t hard to specte why Noir¡¯s power was reduced. Even that monstrous whore was likely expending much of her energy to maintain the dream that held Eugene. This created an opportunity for Sienna to strike. Sienna prepared her next magic, calling upon the Saints'' prayers to summon Eugene. Eugene wasn''t merely wandering lost in a dream. He would be doing his best to shatter it from within. Thus, Sienna needed to shake the dream, the city, from the outside and continue to press Noir Giabe. ¡®Press?¡¯ Sienna thought mockingly. She nced at her arm. It was covered in goosebumps, and she felt a chill down her spine. The hand that had touched Anise and Kristina¡¯s blood had long since gone cold. Sienna red at Noir while slowly regting her breaths. Sienna was the one feeling pressed by Noir. Noir did not rise from her chair. She wasn¡¯ting after Sienna using the Giabe-Face either. She remained above the city¡¯s center, the casino. Her gaze was filled with malice and murderous intent, and her lips twisted into a smirk of annoyance and anger. The petals, formed from the maniption of mana, continued to smolder in response to the Demoneye of Fantasy. ¡°Anise, Kristina.¡± Sienna shook off the pressure, whispering quietly, ¡°Pray that your god may awaken.¡± Despite their linked senses, Sienna was not Eugene¡¯s Saint. No matter how fervently she prayed or called, her voice would never reach him. But the prayers of the Saints could reach Eugene. Even if too soft and faint at first, if they kept shaking the dream, the Saints¡¯ voices would reach him more clearly. ¡°Stop napping and just wake up already.¡± *** Eugene stood motionless while surveying his surroundings. This wastnd remained vividly in his memory as one of the most intense experiences in Agaroth''s recollections. Time and again, Eugene had conjured up images of this wastnd and had even vicariously experienced it several times. Yet, no matter how often he revisited this ce, his emotions never changed. But unlike the faint impressions and experiences of the past, this dream felt no different from reality. He saw the faces of the corpses. All were faces that existed in Agaroth''s memories. If he delved deeper, he could even recall their names. Eugene saw the terror and despair that remained etched on the faces of the dead. The deaths had urred so abruptly that they seemed devoid of pain, but this fact scratched at Eugene¡¯s heart all the more. Agaroth''s Divine Army had perished at the hands of the Demon King of Destruction. Agaroth was the one who hadmanded the Divine Army to die in such a manner. The circumstances had been such that he was left with no other choice. Eugene might have devised another strategy, but Agaroth had been a man who would issue such orders. "In this dream, Hamel, you and I will share the same feelings,¡± Noir spoke, her form and voice altered. She was no longer the Queen of Night Demons, Noir Giabe. Now, she took on the form and voice of the God of War''s Saint, the Twilight Witch, Aria. "I cannot feel joy,¡± she said. Noir Giabe''s hair was as dark as night. Aria''s hair was as red as sunset. "Even if I died in your arms at the end, that death was not what Aria desired,¡± she continued. Noir Giabe''s eyes resembled amethysts. Aria''s eyes were like rubies. "This ce is a nightmare for both of us,¡± she said. Aria took a step closer. "But I," Aria began, "even in this nightmare, if I am with you, I could love." Eugene saw Aria¡¯s neck. It was the neck that Agaroth had broken. Now unbroken, it was adorned with a ne. It was a ne strung with a ring engraved with the words Noir Giabe. The ring engraved with the name Hamel Dynas was currently on the ring finger of Aria''s left hand. Eugene recalled the conversation they had shared with Noir while fitting those rings. At that time, Noir had said that when she would eventually kill Hamel by her own hand, she would ce the ring bearing her name on the finger of a dying Hamel as he died embraced in despair. "I....¡± Eugene finally spoke softly. After the war in Hauria, Noir had realized Aria¡¯s memories. He had shared a conversation with her. But nothing had changed. They each wished for the other''s death. But now, the words Noir spoke and her actions to this point.... "I cannot,¡± Eugene said quietly. "Never." Chapter 559: Nightmare (7)

Chapter 559: Nightmare (7)

Since entering this dream, Eugene had harbored the same question. The first dream: a cozy, peaceful family home, a warm kitchen with gentle heat. That dream had been Hamel¡¯s ideal future, envisioned during his time in the Devildom. After killing all the Demon Kings and ending the war, if he returned home intact ¡ª this was how he wanted to live. He had thought it a provocation, a deception, and a mockery. If that were the case, Noir¡¯s stratagem had been brilliant. What she presented as dreams were the futures Hamel, Sienna, and Anise had envisioned. But was it merely a provocation? He couldn¡¯t help but question his assumption. Noir¡¯s fabricated dreams always starred her and Eugene as the main characters. Sienna, Anise, Kristina, or anyone else barely mattered in the dreams crafted by Noir. They did not exist. It was always a dream shared by just Eugene and Noir. Even when Eugene shattered the dream in denial, Noir quickly recreated another, simr in content, if not in form. And she asked him. She asked him if he liked the current dream. She even pleaded. All of this intensified the doubts Eugene harbored. Noir Giabe seemed as if... she did not wish for death. It almost seemed she hoped for a different ending. Eugene did not want to entertain such thoughts. Thinking this could shake his resolve. He remembered the kiss Noir had forced upon him in Hauria, as well as the conversations they had shared under the curtain-like wings. At that time, Noir had been in despair. Her emotions, her love, had been tainted with those of Aria and could no longer be called just Noir Giabe¡¯s. At that time, Eugene had despaired as well. Noir¡¯s awakening to her past life made it feel as if it was impossible for him to treat her as before. He feared that he might hesitate to kill her at the very end. Their mutual confusion and agitation had then reached a conclusion. Both had awakened from the brief illusion they had sumbed to. For Eugene Lionheart, Noir Giabe was an enemy that had to be killed. Not to kill her would mean denying the very foundation of Hamel and Eugene¡¯s lives. The life he lived under these two names would be devoured by the distant past life of Agaroth. Noir Giabe could not consider Eugene Lionheart as her enemy. Noir loved Eugene, and she loved Hamel, though for irrational reasons. That emotion, if it must be expressed in a word other than love, could only be described as madness. Noir desired the reality of death. She craved loss, regrets, and mourning. She wanted the passionate destruction that would make her clumsy, and break and ruin herself. Yet, the current Noir was acting in contradiction to what she herself had wanted. She acted as if she did not want to face the end, as if she did not want to kill Eugene, as if she did not want to die. She was repeatedly showing the future they could share together through the dreams. She was begging Eugene for it, even now. ¡°Why?¡± Eugene spoke in a hoarse voice, his lips crushed and bitten. Like the scent of blood and corpses that filled his nostrils, the pain from biting his lips felt just as real. Despite the bloodied lips, the voice that emerged carried no sense of reality. It was undoubtedly Eugene''s voice, yet it seemed as though someone else was speaking. "Why are you taking that form?¡± he asked. Noir was currently assuming the appearance of Aria. Just as Agaroth and Eugene did not resemble each other, Noir did not resemble Aria either. Yet, Noir had deliberately chosen to take on Aria''s appearance ¡ª her voice and her attire were those from Agaroth¡¯s memories. Assuming such a guise was a great contradiction for Noir. Back in Hauria, her despair had stemmed from her emotions not being entirely her own. Thus, Noir had vehemently denied Aria. She had seized Eugene by the neck and then kissed him abruptly. Their lips had locked, their lips had parted, and their tongues had entwined. The kiss, devoid of sweetness, romance, or innocence, was far removed from Aria''sst. "Why, I wonder,¡± she responded. Aria''s expression had not changed from the start of this nightmare. It was lonely, even sorrowful. She wore a smile that seemed on the verge of tears. Eugene recognized her expression. It was the smile Aria had worn while embracing Agaroth, with her face half-torn. Everything about Noir now reminded him of Aria. She was stirring his emotions and his mind, consciously and deliberately. But was that really true? His stream of thoughts concluded with a question. He could not allow this to happen. He could not be conscious of it. He should think no further. Yet, he couldn''t control it as he intended. His emotions churned. His cheeks twitched. He couldn''t even discern what expression he was making at the moment. Noir had invited Eugene to her city. As soon as he crossed the city gate, he was sucked into a dream ¡ª a dream that could be happy, that had the potential to be happy. Depending on how one epted it, it was not a nightmare at all. If he had just relented, if he had just discarded his murderous intent toward Noir, if he had just given up on himself. Doing so would, in fact, have smoothed things over much more than now. Noir was formidable. Even the Demon King of Incarceration might struggle to confront the current Noir. If Eugene did not kill Noir, but instead, they came to an understanding and epted the emotions of their past lives, then.... "We ended in tragedy,¡± said Noir in her Aria form. It was just as Aria said. The deaths of Agaroth and Aria ¡ª it was all a tragedy. It had been their first andst kiss. Even knowing their feelings for each other, he had no choice but to break her neck. He had no choice but to order everyone to advance, already knowing everyone would die. In the end, even Agaroth died. So many lives were sacrificed, and all it did was dy the Demon King of Destruction for a few days. "We don''t need to repeat the tragedy,¡± Noir continued. Agaroth had loved that voice. After the battle, upon his return, he would hear her voice. ¡ªCongrattions on your victory, my lord. Agaroth had loved that whisper, which was always apanied by her thin, delicately drawn smile. It looked as if it had been drawn by a fine pen. When he returned to his room after the banquet with the intention to drink a few more sses of wine alone, the door would open without a knock. He always anticipated it. Watching Aria enter, cradling a bottle of mediocre wine, Agaroth wondered if today, the wine might contain a poison or a curse lethal even to a god. ¡ªAre you not going to drink? ¡ªMy lord, such a request is too burdensome and cruel for me. How can a saint contend to drink with a god? ¡ªSo you won¡¯t drink because it''s poisoned, I take it. ¡ªYes, I have indeed added a lethal poison. Thus, I shall never touch the wine. My lord, if the poison in this insignificant concoction frightens you, please put the cup away. Her attire was too flimsy to be considered that of the Saint''s. Agaroth had liked thenguid voice under the flickering light, the coquettish smile mixed with flirtation. Ultimately, he had loved the taste of the wine, which was never poisoned or cursed, just in. ¡ªMy lord, the sun has long since risen. Please, open your eyes and rise. He never showed it. He always recoiled and pushed it away, for if he did not, that bewitching creature would tease and tempt him with a mischievous smile. But he liked the whispering voice by his ear, as well as the sweet and hot breath that tickled his cheek. "Hamel." Aria took another step towards Eugene. Behind her, the twilight trembled. Aria''s smile and her ruby-like eyes quivered. Tears welled up and rolled down her moist eyes. "Please hold me,¡± she asked. Aria spread her arms. "Hold me, kiss me. Whisper my name in my ear,¡± she begged. Eugene could not move. He still couldn¡¯t tell what expression he was making. A torrent of emotions churned through his torn heart. The despair and regret Agaroth had felt at the end, the hope that they might now face a different ending, shook Eugene¡¯s mind and emotions. "Hamel,¡± she called out. Aria took another step closer. Eugene couldn''t move. No, in truth, he wanted to move. He wanted to give the response Aria desired. Even he himself wished for it. Not wanting it was impossible. This dream was... ...Too deep. With a crunch, he drove the ss de into his neck. No spark was ignited. The de, cutting diagonally, caught at his corbone. "Gurk." His throat, choked with emotion, made no sound. The boiling, gurgling blood inside became a sound and parted Eugene''s lips. The tumult of emotions washed away from him. All the thoughts cluttering his mind ceased abruptly due to an intuitive brush with death. Aria stopped in her tracks and looked at Eugene. Crunch, crunch... The ss de, still emitting no sparks, advanced slowly, ever so slowly, slicing through Eugene''s body. A diagonal cut across the neck wouldpletely sever it with a mere touch. The de, having passed the corbone, was now cutting the edge of the heart and slicing through the lungs. The movement of the de was slow, but nevertheless, Eugene was unhurriedly and deliberately cutting through his own body. Were sparks to fly, his body would incinerate in an instant. No, there was no need for mes. The beautiful ss de was sharp enough to slice through anything it touched. Yet still, he pushed it forward slowly, almost with no force, little by little. Aria wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks. With the tears, her smile disappeared too. She looked at Eugene with cold, settled eyes and reached out her hand. Boom. The dream trembled. The sky distorted. This disturbance was not intended by Noir. She stopped her hand and clicked her tongue. "It¡¯s too deep for me as well," Noir muttered. There was a dream epassing the entire city. She could ept humans, whether millions or tens of millions. A single world could spawn dreams for millions, fulfilling all their desires and fantasies instantly and perpetually. But Eugene was no ordinary human. Trapping him in a dream and creating dreams for him was way harder than doing the same for tens of millions of humans. Noir herself was expending a great deal of mental energy, having delved deep into the dream herself to assimte Eugene¡¯s mind as much as possible. She had embraced memories and emotions deeply. "However,¡± Noir murmured as she caressed her cheek, "It wasn''t a lie." Eugene didn¡¯t hear her. He was listening to a different sound ¡ª the sound of the de cutting flesh and bone, the blood bursting upon the de. And then.... A prayer. A calling of names. The voice he heard now was not that of Aria, which Agaroth had loved. It wasn''t the sound of her calling her god. The de stopped. "I feel refreshed,¡± said Eugene. His lips foamed with blood, and his eyes were bloodshot as he looked at Aria. The nightmare was too deep. Even with his divinity, with his sanctuary, resisting such a deep nightmare was not easy. Had his decision to sever his throat and kill his mind been dyed, had he sumbed to Aria¡¯s pleas and embraced her.... "Noir Giabe," Eugene called out a name, but it wasn¡¯t Aria''s. Thus, he distinguished what was and what wasn¡¯t. The figure before Eugene was not the Twilight Witch, Aria, nor was it the God of War, Agaroth¡¯s Saint. It was the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe. "Are you wearing that skin to confuse me?" Eugene asked as he pulled out Levantein from his body. No blood spurted out; instead, mes surged and filled the wound. "Do you repeat these tragedies, say these things topletely engulf me in this nightmare?" he questioned. He hoped that would be the case. He hoped that Noir had concocted this farce solely with deceit and mockery. If so, Noir would remain utterly iprehensible to him, an entity incapable of harboring any emotion other than murderous rage and anger. Without waiting for Noir¡¯s answer, Eugene continued, "And if it''s not....¡± He listened to prayersing from afar ¡ª Anise and Kristina''s voices, not as Saints of Agaroth, but as the Saints of Eugene Lionheart. "Why would you say such things?" he questioned. He felt the dream tremble. He could not hear Sienna, but she was the only one outside the dream who could cause such a disturbance. "What name do you wish to be embraced under, and by whom?" Eugene asked. "Either way, it¡¯s me, and either way, it¡¯s you," Noir responded without a smile. However, Eugene only perceived her answer as a y on words. To others, it might not matter, but for Eugene and Noir, names were of profound significance. "I have something I want to ask, too," Noir spoke first, breaking the short silence. "Do you really want this dream to end?" The twilight trembled. "Do you really want to go out into reality?" she questioned. The redness in the sky deepened. "Do you truly wish to face the real me?" she asked. From that question, Eugene couldn''t help but feel that since entering this dream, Noir had always been sincere. Every appearance she had shown, every contradiction, had been Noir''s true feelings. That was why Noir was hesitating. "I''ll be honest with you, Hamel,¡± she said, not waiting for Eugene¡¯s answer. The nightmare was quivering. "I wish this dream couldst forever,¡± she admitted. Eugene looked at her silently. "I want to continue to be in this dream with you,¡± Noir confessed. Chapter 560: Nightmare (8) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 560: Nightmare (8) [Bonus Image]

Eugene gazed at Noir''s face against the backdrop of the trembling twilight. Her face, facing away from the setting sun, was shadowed and dark, yet her expression was clearly visible even in the dim light. There was no smile on Noir''s lips. There was not even a hint of yfulness in her at that moment. "In this dream, we can kill and be killed forever," Noir whispered. "Death here might not be the death I have longed to understand all my life. But if I''m with you, I can give up such things." Noir slowly raised her hand. The ring on her ring finger caught the twilight and emitted a faint glow. She caressed her neck with her left hand and continued softly, "Beyond killing and being killed, there is much more we can do. In this dream, we can dream many dreams, not just nightmares. Hamel, having experienced many dreams, you know my words are neither false nor pretentious." Of course, he knew. Without the awareness of it being a dream, this world would be no different from reality. In fact, it could be better than reality. If he did not desire nightmares, if he wished for joyful and happy dreams ¡ª this world could fulfill all the fantasies Eugene could ever want. "We can do anything here,¡± Noir promised. Noir''s hand sped her throat as she felt the pulsing of her heartbeat and continued, "Here, we can dream endless dreams forever. If you wish, ahaha, Hamel, if you truly wish, I will dly be Aria for you. With Aria''s face, with Aria''s voice, I will serve you as my god." Eugene still gazed at Noir without uttering a word. "But ideally, I would rather you wanted me instead. You don''t have to love me. It''s okay to kill me hundreds of thousands of times. If you want me, that is enough for me," Noir voiced her desire. Eugene closed his eyes briefly, not wanting to see the ring on Noir''s finger. He did not want to see the neck she sped, the ne, or the ring that dangled there. "Hamel." But Noir wasn¡¯t done yet. With unwavering eyes, she continued to stare at Eugene and said, "I spoke of ''forever.'' That was no lie." Time flowed differently in dreams than in reality. If Noir wished, she could turn a year in the dream into just a day in reality. "Of course, I cannot achieve this eternity alone. This ce is our dream, yours and mine. But if you ept it, we can truly achieve eternity in this dream," she continued to entice. Whoosh! The form of the trembling dream changed. The corpse-strewn wastnd bloomed with green grass and flowers of various colors. A shimmeringke appeared, and a quaint mansion stood tall, as if straight from a fairy tale book. "In that eternity, we will never be bored. We can enjoy new days every day," she said, weaving a story. The grass turned into brick pathways. Theke transformed into a massive castle, and the flowers became buildings. Suddenly, Eugene and Noir were in the middle of a bustling small city. ¡°If thenguor of idle days bes wearisome, I shall create a dazzling city for you. I know, Hamel. Humans continue to only ever seek greater desires. That¡¯s no problem. I am Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. I have witnessed millions of desires and crafted millions of dreams. All these will enrich our eternity,¡± Noir promised. Eugene opened his eyes. ¡°I understand, Hamel,¡± Noir whispered. ¡°You have a mission, a destiny. What you have wished for, and what has been entrusted to you by another.¡± All the gods had willingly entered the mouth of the God of the Giants. The God of Giants had be the Light. The Sage had turned into the World Tree. Vermouth had reincarnated Hamel. The specter had wished to save the world. ¡°I know you are not one to ignore your mission and destiny. Even if you grumble in displeasure, you ultimately do not forsake expectations and desires. You cannot forsake them.¡± Eugene listened to Noir¡¯s monologue in silence. ¡°ying the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. You do not even concern yourself with whether it is possible.¡± Noir chuckled softly, releasing her hand from around her throat. ¡°But, Hamel. Not everyone can be like you. Not everyone can move forward as you do. Some might prefer a thin, long day-to-day life over an honorable and sublime death. Some might choose happiness until the very end over an uncertain war.¡± Herughter tapered off. ¡°I can even embrace such weakness. I can invite everyone you know, those who do not wish to die, to a blissful dream. Until the world ends, we can enjoy eternity in our dreams.¡± Noir paused, a brief silence allowing her topose her emotions and grasp the core of the fluctuating dream. ¡°Even Sienna Merdein, Anise Slywood, and Kristina Rogeris, though I truly dislike them. Hamel, if you wish it... I will invite them into the dream. If needed, I vow not to control their emotions. I promise them freedom,¡± Noir offered. Her hand moved from her neck to her chest, pressing down on her fluttering heart. ¡°I dislike them, and naturally, they dislike me too. But if it must be so, Hamel, for the sake of dreaming an eternal dream with you, I am willing topromise. Perhaps, haha, who knows? Maybe, in the dream, we could grow a bit closer,¡± Noir suggested with augh. Though she said this, she thought it unlikely. Yet, if those three kept their decorum and acted appropriately in their ce, Noir would dly grant them the right to love Hamel. She continued, ¡°Maybe, just maybe... we could be quite friendly, idly chatting away. Yes, Hamel, with you. Traveling through dreams, sitting at the same table to eat, entering the same bathtub, lying in the same bed. Haha, it¡¯s hard to imagine, but it might not be so bad after all. And¡ª¡± ¡°Noir,¡± Eugene interrupted. Ignoring the voice, Noir continued, ¡°And, and. Sometimes, we might even discuss the problems of reality, not just dreams. We might wonder how much time has passed outside. Maybe the Demon King of Incarceration will disrupt our blissful eternity. If so, then together¡ª¡± ¡°Noir Giabe.¡± A low but firm voice cut her off. ¡°That¡¯s your name,¡± Eugene said. He felt the tremors intensifying. "The Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe,¡± he repeated. The once distant shaking was now drawing ever closer. "Your sweet dreams will never be reality,¡± he said. He heard a voice. It was faint and small, yet it was not a whisper. The Saints were calling out Eugene¡¯s name with desperation. "Hamel," Noir responded. She slowly smiled. "Do you really want to end this dream?" She knew. A dream was just a dream. Everything Noir spoke of ¡ª it was all but an illusion that could never manifest into reality. It was a contradictory fantasy that denied the very foundation of the rtionship and feelings between Noir and Eugene. To make that sweet, blissful dreamst forever, both Noir and Eugene would have to let go of many emotions. Eugene would have to discard his intent to kill her, seeing her not as Noir Giabe but merely as the reincarnation of Aria. Noir would have to forget all the reasons she had fallen in love with Hamel. She would need to relinquish her lifelong yearning for death. "Do you really want to step out into reality, not just dreams?" Noir asked onest time, knowing all of this. "Yes,¡± Eugene responded, also knowing it all. There could be no other answer. He hadn¡¯t even considered it. His response was calm and unwavering. Through countless repeated dreams, through numerous pleas and appeals, after much confusion, agitation, and hesitation, Eugene spoke a clear conclusion, "There is no such thing as an eternal dream." His voice was soft yet steady. Eugene¡¯s eyes gleamed. He lifted his sword, Levantein, which was soaked in his own blood, to the side. "Dreams are meant to be awakened from, eventually,¡± he proimed. mes sparked from the blood-soaked de, instantly causing the blood to evaporate. Fwoosh! This me was the brightest and most vivid of all the mes ever conjured in all the dreams. In the dreams where the scenery changed countless times, the only constant ¡ª the dusky red of twilight ¡ª was pushed aside by the light emitted from Levantein''s mes. "Ah." Noir let out a sound. It sounded like an exmation, yet also like a sigh. She pressed down harder on her throbbing heart, overwhelmed with excitement, sorrow, joy, and love. She felt the pounding of her bursting heart through her left hand, adorned with a ring. Noir''s smile changed. She no longer smiled like Aria, wistfully and painfully. Noir Giabe smiled, a smile befitting the Queen of the Night Demons, a smile Eugene had known for three hundred years. "Brilliant," Noir said. Crack! Her fingers pierced through the fabric and dug into her chest. Bright red blood filled Noir''s palm. The ring was stained with blood. She felt even more vivid pulsations. "I have suffered in this moment. I confused your and my existence. I was swayed by memories and emotions that were not mine. I felt both love and hatred. I wandered lost among contradictions,¡± Noir admitted. She strode forward, the crimson twilight that seemed ready to swallow the world trailing behind her. "I can swear to you, Hamel, every word I whispered in the dream was true. If you had wished to be with me, I would have been there as I pleaded,¡± she said. "I know,¡± Eugene answered. Prominence soared high. Eugene''s divine mes shone brilliantly against the twilight that filled the dream. Noir perceived beauty in that sight. She felt the resolved, scar-ridden intent that had almost crumbled but ultimately stood firm. She felt love. It was so endearing that it was unbearable. "Come, Hamel," Noir whispered. "Come and kill me in this dream. With your sword. Burn down the dream that could havested forever." Eugene silently stepped forward. Whoosh! The divine mes pushed Eugene''s body forward. Levantein, wrapped in mes, swept through the dream world. Noir had always tried to avoid a direct sh by Levantein. Even in a dream, being cut by that sword was fatal to maintaining the dream. When it seemed inevitable, she would end the dream herself and start anew. This time, she did not. Noir, smiling brightly, pulled her hand from her chest. Her blood-soaked left hand stretched towards Eugene. The blood spewing from her chest scattered from her hand and fluttered like petals. "Hamel.¡± Her lips parted with a faint smile, and blood dripped out. Her ring-adorned left hand slowly moved to touch Eugene''s cheek. "This is the end of the dream." Noir offered no resistance to Levantein. She willingly opened her chest, allowing the sword to pierce her through. Her heart burst. Yet, Noir still heard its steady beat. She felt a surge of euphoria spreading through her body. "The twilight has passed,¡± she said. The hand caressing his cheek felt warm. He felt the ring. Eugene silently looked into Noir''s eyes. They were close. He felt her hot breath. He smelled the thick scent of blood. "But," Noir whispered. Rumble! The blood-red sky melted away. The mes from Levantein seeped into the dream and started to burn everything. The Saints'' prayers were clear and close. A wedge was driven deep into the dream. Sienna did not miss it. Levantein''s mes burnt through the dream, and Sienna''s magic shook and crumbled the world outside the dream. "Dawn will note,¡± Noir proimed. Her blood-soaked lips curved into a broad smile. Everything copsed. Noir was consumed by the mes and turned to ash. The ground beneath crumbled, and Eugene fell into a vast abyss. He tried to fly up with Prominence, but it was not to be. The concept of flight seemed to have vanished from the world. All Eugene could do was fall into an unknown depth. At that moment, a tiny light appeared in the distance and pierced the darkness. Unconsciously, Eugene reached toward the light. It quickly drew nearer and took on a form. "Hamel." "Sir Eugene." Two voices sounded. The light stretched a hand toward Eugene, who grasped it without hesitation. He opened his eyes. The feeling was faint. Was this ce the reality? Or had the previous dream ended, only for a new one to start? How long had he been in the dream? Questions spread through his mind, followed by a brief sense of powerlessness. He felt exhausted. His head throbbed, and his chest ached. He tasted blood in his mouth. This was reality. All these sensations affirmed that this was indeed reality. The dream had ended. He had awakened from his sleep. No longer did the voices of the Saints sound from afar or near; they resounded within Eugene. He felt their light. Rumble! A massive quake shook his body. Eugene steadied his trembling legs and looked around. "What a foolish method,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but say. Eugene saw therge vines stirring up the vast space of Giabe City, proof of Sienna¡¯s magic at work. ¡®Still, less foolish than a meteor,¡¯ he thought while pressing his throbbing temples. "Did you sleep well?" a voice asked. It came from above. He could hear a whisper, "Good morning, or rather, good night...? Hehe, nor that either." Arge, ornate casino building came into view. Eugene¡¯s gaze climbed up the building, passing a darkened neon sign, and met the eyes of two Giabe-Faces perched on the roof. But Noir was not there. In the pitch-ck night sky, without the moon or stars, was where the third Giabe-Face was floating. Noir Giabe was above that bizarre flying object. She sat in a splendid chair, looking down at Eugene. "What a splendid night, Hamel,¡± she said. Against the pitch-ck night sky, Noir appeared like a goddess of the night. Her purple eyes sparkled as she parted her red lips and said, "Wee back to the reality you wished for." Noir shed a yful smile and spread her arms. Fwoosh! Light returned to the dark city. Neon signs glowed in vibrant colors, and the entire city awakened from its slumber. "Wee to my city, to Giabe City." Noir Giabe, the mistress of this city, had awakened from her dream and returned to reality. Sienna¡¯s magic could no longer shake Giabe City. "But Hamel, do you know?" Noir said. "This reality will still be a nightmare for you." She spoke with a smile, but her intent was deadly. Chapter 561: Night (1)

Chapter 561: Night (1)

The illuminated city cast a kaleidoscope of colors into the night. Joyful music echoed from every corner. Yet, despite all the lights, the darkness above remained undiminished. It seemed to respond to Noir¡¯s deration, undting like the waves of the sea. Twilight had ended. It was now night. "Hamel, I despise the dawn," Noir said. She hated waking up in the morning. Noir rose from her chair, her mind drifting back to the night she had spent in the city with Eugene. They had shopped together, drank together, and strolled through the city. During that time, Noir had wished the night wouldst forever. She detested theing of dawn. Those moments had been undeniably real, yet Noir had treated them all as if they were a dream. She had hoped the dream would never end. "So, I will prevent the dawn froming," Noir dered. But the dream had ended. Eugene hadn¡¯t wanted it, and Noir had epted his decision. They had woken up from the dream and returned to reality. Noir leaped off the Giabe-Face with a smile, descending from the sky without spreading her wings. Eugene stood watching as Noir gracefully descended. They locked eyes, and Noir smiled brightly while looking down. Booom! The city trembled. The ground sank, with spider web-like cracks spreading through it. Eugene gritted his teeth and braced his knees to counter the impact. It wasn¡¯t just a minor tremor but a massive shock capable of crushing Eugenepletely. The severalyers of protective barriers surrounding Eugene crumpled like paper. The sanctuary that Prominence erected disallowed any vition of god, but right now, it was meaningless. "Ahaha," Noirughed from above Eugene. It wasn¡¯t a great attack. Noir had merely dropped from the sky and stomped her foot above Eugene¡¯s head. That was all. She continued, "I didn¡¯t expect you to wee me like a princess, but that expression of yours, Hamel...." The sound of Noir¡¯s high heels forcefully pressing down on the sanctuary¡¯s barrier intensified. The cracks on the road that Eugene stood on spread further. Soon, the road flipped under pressure, and the ground began to sink lower. Eugene maintained the sanctuary while gripping his sword, Levantein. "It¡¯s almost like I''m heavy," Noir whispered with a chuckle. Fwoosh! A burst of mes exploded within the sanctuary, propelling the divine de across the sanctuary towards Noir. In return, she kicked with her long legs. With a loud crash, her ck shoes kicked away both the mes and the de. No matter how strong the impact, Levantein did not break. However, Eugene felt as if his arm was being torn off from the impact of just that single kick. "Ahaha!" Noirughed loudly while raising her hands high. Rumblee! Purple swirls of dark power began to form a whirlwind between her palms. She mmed her hands downward, and the dark power cascaded like a waterfall directly above Eugene''s head. It was not just dark power; it was poison. The poison coursed along the surface of the sanctuary¡¯s barrier and began to dissolve the ground where Eugene stood. The road melted into a sludge and sent up plumes of ck smoke that were equally toxic. ''Poison?'' Eugene thought in surprise. His body was normally impervious to poisons. However, the current venomous aura was so intense that even he felt dizzy. The dream had ended. This was reality. Yet, the current Noir and her Demoneye of Fantasy could alter even reality itself. While it was impossible topletely remake the world as in a dream, an absolute poison that did not exist in the real world fell within the range of fantasies Noir could conjure. Ordinarily, just breathing in the toxic miasma would result in immediate dissolution, just like the ground, but Eugene''s divinity resisted the venom. That didn''t mean he was unaffected. The rapid onset of poisoning made his mind reel and his body unresponsive. "It''s like being drunk," Noir whispered. She extended a finger towards the staggering Eugene. Purple light concentrated at her fingertips. Though Eugene''s vision swayed, he could see that the light was piercingly intense. Eugene¡¯s body instinctively reacted to the imminent threat of death. Would a direct hit kill him? Perhaps not instantly, but it would inflict injuries severe enough to disable him from fighting momentarily. In Noir Giabe''s presence, even a brief moment could lead directly to death. As the purple light shot from Noir¡¯s fingertips, Eugene bit his lip. His body was still not fully responsive. Eugene decided to relinquish control of his body. Instead of deliberate movement, he trusted everything on instinct and intuition. He had made the right choice. His body resisted death. Instinct and intuition acted to evade the deadly attack. His body moved on its own and narrowly dodged the magical attack. Booom! A brilliant light burst from the sky. Noir frowned as she watched the descending light. "How dare you," she growled. They should have known their ce and status. They should have been praying from afar, grateful even for the privilege of observation. Noir expressed her irritation before flicking her finger. Boom! The light exploded in the night sky and scattered like fireworks in all directions. But that was enough. Know their ce and status? Though not as Noir had intended, Kristina and Anise indeed knew their limits. They knew they couldn¡¯t kill Noir Giabe. In fact, they couldn¡¯t even inflict a scratch on her. But they were never meant to have such roles. Three hundred years ago, and even now, the ce for Saints was not beside or ahead of the heroes but behind them. From a few steps back, they were to watch the Hero¡¯s back, to be the first to see if the Hero staggered. ''It reached him,'' the Saints thought in relief. The scattered fragments had reached Eugene. That was enough. His dizziness vanished instantly, and his control over his body returned. Miracles focused on healing and purification cleansed Eugene''s mind and body. ¡°Phew.¡± He exhaled a breath. His gaze met Noir¡¯s, and she flicked her finger at him with a smirk. Suddenly, lightning cracked across the night sky, striking directly above Noir. "What a surprise!" Noir eximed with a giggle as she caught the lightning as if it were a toy. She hurled the captured lightning like a spear. With a loud swoosh, it flew through the air and reached Raimira instantly. "Kyaaak!" Raimira screamed in rm. Sienna reacted before Raimira could respond with a Breath. The lightning was Sienna¡¯s spell. However, the moment Noir grasped the lightning, it ceased to be Sienna''s magic. As such, Sienna used her powers to dissolve the lightning that was turned against her. Sienna gritted her teeth and soared into the sky, leaping through space to approach the city''s center. She hadunched a long-distance magical attack from beyond the city limits. But from her attempt, it became clear that such attacks were futile against the current Noir. Magicunched from a distance was easily seized by Noir and turned against its caster. "I warned you," Noir murmured as he sensed Sienna''s approach. "If you don''t want to die, stay away from our fight." A colossal swirl of dark power whirled around Noir. She attempted to ascend high into the sky, her wings spread wide like a bat''s, but she was forced to stop midway. There were dark mes. A sword forged fromyers of divine fire sliced through the space. "Impressive," Noir muttered. A darkness that seemed to absorb all colors, a heat so intense that merely breathing it felt like turning one''s lungs to ash, and a murderous intent so fierce ¡ª it all made Noir acutely aware of Hamel. It reinforced his presence, making the reality ever more tangible. "Right now," Noir said as her hand moved, gathering dark power gently in her open palm. "I stand at the center of the future I dreamed of." She wanted to die at Hamel''s hand. She wanted to kill Hamel. She couldn¡¯t be certain of the oue, but the process was delightfully joyous and fulfilling, all the more so because of the bitter and sad dream. Now, she was joyful. The end of the dream had made her love Hamel even more. Thus, Noir responded with all her might. The small force of dark power in her hand swelled enormously. Both the Demoneye of Fantasy and the Demoneye of Divine Glory were activated simultaneously. With a sh, chains materialized in the air, blocking the path of the sword. Then, fantasy was imbued into the dark power in her palm. The purple energy turned into mes. The mes oveid each other and grew in intensity. A bright smile yed on Noir¡¯s lips. She desired the Empty Sword, and the Demoneye of Fantasy transformed that desire into reality. While she could not mimic Levantein exactly, Noir¡¯s boundless dark power was amplified just like the Empty Sword. An overwhelming force was created. The Demoneye of Divine Glory summoned chains of Incarceration, but Eugene''s current sword attack broke even the chains of Incarceration. However, the ming sword unleashed from beyond the chains by Noir could not be shattered. At the moment of collision, he was repelled instead. With a tremendous roar, Eugene was thrown backward. The collision extinguished even the mes of Levantein. Such was the overpowering force that it annihted the divine fire itself. ''That¡¯s insane,'' Eugene thought. It felt as though every bone in his body had shattered; in fact, they had. But recovery was swift. While the prayers of Saints helped, a body that had reached the divine level possessed an immortality not granted to ordinary humans. ''My attacks don''t reach,'' Eugene assessed the situation. He was back in reality, but it was just like the dream. Eugene''s attacks did not reach Noir. As she had said, reality too was a nightmare. ''No, it''s different. I can kill the current Noir,'' Eugene realized. The Divine Moonlight Sword, Levantein, was a de forged directly by the Light to kill the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. The mes of Levantein were lethal even to Demon Kings who wouldn¡¯t die. If Noir Giabe was directly struck down and burned by Levantein¡¯s divine fire, there would be a limit to her resurrection. The problem was reaching Noir. Eugene had to admit a misconception he had been harboring: Noir was adept at directbat. Unlike in the dreams, he had assumed he might have had a chance to press her in reality. The situation had indeed somewhat improved. The real Noir wasn''t omnipotent as she was in dreams, but that didn''t make the fight any easier. Despite falsely believing Noirckedbat skills, Eugene found himself overwhelmed in a direct confrontation. The previously unleashed Prominence now acted as a brake on his airborne body. Feathers he had scattered earlier entered his vision, and he leaped instantly. He had intended to prate Noir¡¯s blind spot, but he realized his mistake mid-leap. It was a failure. Such attacks did not work on Noir. The entire city was under her control; no matter how Eugene moved, he couldn''t deceive Noir¡¯s senses. Blind spots simply did not exist for her. Ahaha. A delightedugh tickled Eugene''s ears as something massive suddenly filled his vision. It was the Giabe-Face that had been perched on the casino roof. The bizarre flying object hurtled toward Eugene. The problem was its speed. Eugene collided with the Giabe-Face before he could even attempt to dodge. It wasn''t just fast; it was heavy, too. Eugene was thrust backward again. Tick-tock, tick-tock.... The sound of clock hands moving came from inside the Giabe-Face. It was an artificial and overt signal. Eugene''s face contorted. Such a noise could only mean one thing. Eugene imagined the oue, and his imagination soon became a reality. Booooooom! A massive explosion took ce. The Giabe-Face had self-destructed and pushed Eugene back. A simple explosion couldn''t harm him, but this explosion was far from simple. The shockwave passed through the sanctuary, causing Eugene to cough up blood. ¡°This attack is too ingenious,¡± hemented. He was not ustomed to this kind of battle. Even now, he felt something huge moving behind him. It was a building. One of Giabe City¡¯srge buildings, unnaturally equipped with limbs, stomped toward Eugene. Rumbleee! The surrounding buildings disassembled and reassembled, attaching themselves to therger building. A giant concrete fist was raised into the air. "Good heavens,¡± Eugene blurted. Such brutish and massive attacks didn''t usually affect Eugene, but while in this city, it was a different story. Though the building looked like a crudely assembled golem, it was imbued with the fantasy Noir desired. With a loud crash, the building''s giant fist struck down on Eugene. He immediately swung Levantein, invoking the power of the Annihtion Hammer, Jigoth. At the moment of impact, the building exploded. "Ahahaha!" Noir, watching from above,ughed heartily and pped her hands. Even her apuse was extraordinary. Every p shook the city and sent a storm of dark power crashing down. "Ugh...!" Eugene groaned as he swayed forward. He almost toppled but barely managed to stop and turn around. He saw an unreal scene unfold. The nearby buildings were uprooted and floated around Noir. Noir hummed a tune and flicked her fingers. With a rustling sound, therge buildings disassembled and turned into countless stones. The scene was not much different from what had been seen in the dream. The dream Noir had pelted Eugene with stars and moons. The real Noir was smashing him with buildings. The method of assault hadn''t changed. A merciless bombardment began. Each stone, imbued with dark power, was as powerful as those stars and moons from the dream. Levantein zed once more. Before Eugene could even swing his sword, the space around him split open and unfolded. The power of the Demon Spear, Luentos, was unleashed, shooting thousands of mes that, in turn, became spears. Repeated interceptions ensued. Dark power and mes danced together in swirling movements. A mere touch would have reduced anything to ashes ¡ª yet, to Noir, it all appeared as a beautiful fireworks disy. Noir propped her chin with her hand, her expression enraptured. "Beautiful," she dered sincerely. It wasn''t just simple fireworks. It was a moment when all existing bonds and emotions between them were sublimated into intense, sorrowful murderous intent and exploded. This beautiful spectacle was meant only for Eugene and Noir. It had to be. And yet... "You ignored my warning," Noir said in annoyance. It was an attack that should have been made earlier, an attack that had been blocked by Eugene and thus not executed. But now, nothing hindered it. Noir''s dark power whirled, a terrifying murderous intent imbued in the purple energy. She gently pushed a newly formed awl with the tip of her finger. She didn''t send it flying. Rather, the awl magically leaped and vanished. It appeared in front of Sienna, who was approaching at high speed. Sienna didn''t panic but thrust forward her staff, Mary. The dark power she drew from Amelia Merwinbined with Sienna''s mana and transformed into soul power. With a ng, the soul power summoned magic that blocked the awl''s advance. "Disappear." A whisper sounded close by. Amidst the dissipating dark power, Noir appeared. Her purple eyes shed brilliantly. Forced slumber. The power from close range took its toll on Sienna''s mind. She could feel her eyes bing hazy. "...?" A brief look of confusion flitted across Noir''s face. She had definitely put Sienna to sleep, but she hadn''t managed to push her mind into a nightmare. [It''s me.] A breathless voice. But it wasn¡¯ting from Sienna¡¯s lips. [Do you think I, the Goddess of Magic, would fall for the same unchanging tactic again and again?] Noir couldn''t help but burst intoughter, then sharply raise her gaze to look at the pitch-ck night sky. There, connected by a faint thread to her body, was the figure of Sienna, an opaque being. The moment forced slumber was activated, and she fell asleep, Sienna had separated her soul from her body. "So the only method you could think of was suicide?¡± Noir scoffed derisively. Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! As if to punish her mockery, magic pierced through Noir''s body. Chapter 562: Night (2) Arrows struck both of Noir''s eyes. Hundreds more arrows followed through and pierced through Noir¡¯s body. In just a moment, she looked like a porcupine with hundreds of needles sticking out of her. Naturally, these were no ordinary arrows. The arrows created from soul power carried an absolute force, even without having to intend it. They were imbued solely with the intent to kill. The obliteration of Noir Giabe was the only purpose imbued within the arrows, and hundreds of such sharps had been thrust into her. Sienna gasped as her soul returned to her body. The shock awakened her from forced slumber. This method couldn''t entirely avoid forced slumber, but it could prevent the much worse fate of being trapped in Oneiric Cascade. Even for Sienna, being dragged into a dream while asleep would leave her with no recourse. That was why she had separated her body and soul. The moment she fell asleep, she had temporarily rendered her body lifeless. Not even Noir could induce dreams in a dead adversary. However, this was not a method that could be used repeatedly. Not only was the strain of revival burdensome, but repeated separations could gradually weaken the connection between her body and soul. Eventually, she might separate her soul from her body and never return, which would effectively be the same as dying. ¡®Still, it''s possible,¡¯ Sienna surmised. Destroying the city''s nightmare had been effective. The dream Noir had imposed on the city was still in a disarray. Otherwise, even with her soul separated, Sienna would have been trapped in the city''s dream. The dream Noir was now showing operated only within the consciousness of one person instead of the entire city. Although repeating it could indeed be a form of suicide, Sienna still had an answer to Noir¡¯s attack. But honestly, Sienna didn¡¯t want to repeat this method several times. She hoped to end it with just this one time. The magical attack had been effective. The arrows of soul power had certainly destroyed Noir. Hundreds of sharps containing murderous intent had been simultaneously lodged into her. "Hmm." Despite this, Noir still moved. Her body slowly leaned forward. The arrows lodged in her body made an unpleasant noise as Noir moved. With a swish, she pulled out the arrows in her eyes. Her eyeballs weren¡¯t plucked out along with the arrows. The shattered irises regenerated before Sienna¡¯s eyes. "It hurts,¡± Noirmented. The arrows piercing her cheeks and lips fell out. Noir smacked her lips and her torn cheeks a few times before smirking. She turned her purple gaze towards Sienna. Sienna attempted to separate her body and soul again, but it proved unnecessary. Noir had not used forced slumber. Seeing Sienna jolt, Noirughed mockingly. "Scared?" she asked. It was a taunt. Sienna¡¯s eyebrows furrowed in anger, but she couldn''t retaliate. Noir''s attack was much faster than Sienna''s. Noir suddenly appeared in the air and swung her foot. That was all it took to end Sienna''s flight. She could no longer fly and crashed to the ground. "Sienna Merdein, your magic hurts. Sure... I''ll admit it¡¯s a fine murderous intent, but you can''t kill me,¡± Noir sang softly. Noir spread her arms wide as Sienna, ttened on the ground, cursed and mmed her hands into the earth. Chains shot up from the ground and wrapped around Sienna¡¯s wrists. It was the power of the Demoneye of Divine Glory, the chains of Incarceration. "The only murderous intent that can kill me belongs to Hamel. The only murderous intent I wish to die by is Hamel''s,¡± continued Noir. The chains continued to sprout and bind Sienna¡¯s body. Noir looked down at Sienna¡¯s form as it was forced against the ground, then murmured softly, "I will not die by the likes of your malice. No matter how much you hate me and wish to kill me, your hostility is nothing to me. You do not belong here. You should not havee to this ce." "Crazy bitch¡­!" Sienna cursed. "Ahahaha! That''s a phrase I''ve heard too often. It''s not even offensive anymore. Yes, I am crazy. Crazy with love for Hamel!" Noir shouted. Noir raised a finger. She continued to shake her fingers to conjure illusions. One by one, kitchen utensils appeared before her ¡ª knives for chopping vegetables and cutting meat, a pot for stirring soup, forks, spoons, tes, cups, and other implements that seemed unlikely to harm anyone. "Hmm, perhaps this would be better for you?" Noir''s lips twisted into a mischievous smile. Fwooosh! The crowded array of tools transformed entirely into books. Arge bookshelf suitable for a library, a rocking chair, and even a firece appeared. Sienna''s face contorted horribly. She barely managed to lift her head and look upward. She understood what Noir''s illusion meant. It was a tremendous insult and disrespect. "I won''t kill you," Noir said with a smile. "You just need to lie there on the floor as you are now, buried and crushed under the boring, insignificant dreams you cherish, doing nothing. Stay alive and just watch as I kill Hamel and Hamel kills me." The library furniture and books began to fall toward Sienna. Could such an impact alone be fatal? Noir entertained the thought andughed softly. If that was how she died, if such a trivial death were to be Sienna Merdein¡¯s end, then¡­. Well, that couldn¡¯t be helped, could it? Noir harbored no killing intent with this attack. She was merely pouring the library Sienna dreamed of over her. If Sienna were to die from this, it would be nothing more than an unfortunate ident. Frankly, witnessing such an ident might even be enjoyable. Noir watched with a mischievous grin as Sienna was squashed by the library. Boom! Everything halted just before the final crash. "Wow," Sienna eximed. Noir''s eyes widened as she observed. She didn¡¯t stop just with words but continued with actual apuse. p, p, p. The sound of ordinary apuse rose into the night sky. This wasn¡¯t mere mockery. Noir sincerely admired the present Sienna. The chains of Incarceration that were created by the Demoneye of Divine Glory had been severed. Naturally, it was not Noir who had broken them. Sienna had done it herself, breaking the chains and rising to her feet. Though Noir imed no malice in her action, everything she had caused to fall had stopped in their tracks. That, too, was Sienna''s doing. "Quite impressive," Noir said sincerely. The chains of Incarceration blocked mana and magic. It was a deadly antithesis to any sorcerer. Breaking them with magic and stopping the fall so promptly was no small feat. "Perhaps I underestimated you? Maybe I should have paid more attention," Noir chuckled as she spoke. Sienna did not reply. She stood, wavering slightly, exhaling abored breath. Sharp pain radiated throughout her body, and a burning rage simmered within her chest and mind. Sienna bit her lip hard as she lifted her head defiantly. "Ahaha!" Noir burst intoughter upon seeing Sienna''s face. Sienna¡¯s eyes were bloodshot. Blood streamed from her nose, lips, and eyes. It was evident that Sienna had exerted herself greatly in her struggle to escape the chains. "You seem to be having a hard time, huh? Hmm, perhaps that''s for the best. Sienna Merdein, I won''t retract my statement about not killing you. Given your recent efforts, you''ve maintained your dignity, so why don''t you just sit quietly and watch?" Noir suggested. Sienna did not respond. More precisely, she couldn''t hear Noir¡¯s cacklingughter. "Do you have the means to treat your wounds? Oh, it looks painful even to me. Sorry, I''m not ustomed to using the Demoneye of Divine Glory like this. It¡¯s a bit difficult for me to control the power,¡± Noir admitted. She could see that Sienna¡¯s limbs were bloodied. In her struggle to break free, Sienna¡¯s flesh had been crushed and bones broken. Noir clicked her tongue and waved her finger. Whoosh! Arge armchair appeared next to Sienna. It was a rocking chair. "There, sitfortably. There are plenty of books¡­. Ahaha, just pick one and read. I really don''t want to bother with you," Noir said and turned around nonchntly. Only a short time had passed. The attacks she had focused on Eugene had not yet ceased. The bombardment continued incessantly, blinding to the point that the scenery was obscured. The onught would not end as long as Noir wished for it. No matter how much Eugene destroyed, shed, and burned things to ashes, Noir could always conjure more attacks from those ashes. "Really now." Noir''s eyebrows furrowed. She didn¡¯t even need to look back. She had created a chair and even provided books. Had she needed to create ake or river as well? "You''re too greedy,¡± Noir uttered in annoyance. She turned her head to look behind. She could see Sienna gripping her staff with her bloodied hands and pointing it toward her. Her eyes were bloodshot and red as she red at Noir. "If you disregard my kindness, even I cannot help but be angry. Should I tear off your limbs to make you behave?" Noir asked. Still, Sienna did not respond. Her anger had long surpassed its limits, preventing her from hearing Noir''s taunts. Instead, she distinctly heard other voices ¡ª Kristina and Anise''s. Despite being busy with other matters, they were aware of Sienna''s injuries and intended to treat them. ''No need,'' Sienna thought, directly rejecting the Saints'' offer for healing. ''I like it better this way.'' The restriction and pain of her broken limbs made her acutely aware of her pitiful state. Sienna bit her lip once more. Whoosh! Soul energy surged, and a gxy appeared behind her. This spectacle annoyed Noir. She saw the vast gxy unfolding behind Sienna. It was different in depth and intensity from anything she had seen in Hauria. Noir felt it, though she could not fullyprehend the depth and potential it held. Noir pondered for a moment. Should she put Sienna under forced slumber again? Even if Sienna could separate her soul and extract herself from the dream, she would not be able tounch any counterattacks. Or perhaps she should reconstruct the enormous dream she had ended ¡ª the dream that had been broken by shaking the city awake. Although it would be a more fragile, brittle dream than the original, it would still suffice to imprison and kill Sienna. ¡ªDreams are, after all, meant to be awakened from. She recalled the voice. A thin smile graced Noir¡¯s lips. That alone made her abandon the idea of reconstructing the city''s dream. "Really now,¡± Noir muttered under her breath once more while shaking her finger. Ching! Chains appeared around Sienna. "You should consider yourself lucky,¡± said Noir. Hamel had wished for reality, not dreams. Thus, Noir had willingly died to Eugene in the dream and had forsaken the dream. She did not recreate the demolished dream. This was fortunate for Sienna. If Noir had not abandoned the city''s dream ¡ª Sienna''s magic would never have threatened her. "So, you should appreciate your current luck and mercy. Stay still," she advised. The chains slithered towards Sienna. She did not react and stood motionless. Sienna kept Mary pointed towards Noir, just like before. The anger that had swelled in her chest cooled, and her mind became tranquil. In the frozen silence, only the clinking of the chains rang clear. She listened more intently. Beyond the sound of the chains, she heard faint whispers. This was not humannguage but the voices of mana she always heard while metamorphosing. She listened to these whispers. The chains of Incarceration were one of her many traumas. She remembered how helpless she had been in Babel after being restricted by those chains. She had been left unable to do anything. But this was not Babel. This was the city of Noir Giabe, the Queen of Whores whom Sienna had despised. Sienna admitted it: Noir was stronger than her. Even if she was the Queen of Whores, she was truly powerful. Do nothing and just stay still? Watch as she and Hamel kill each other? Of course not. Sienna despised everything that mocked her powerlessness. She had already been sick of this damn emotion three hundred years ago. She never wanted to experience it again. To ovee it, she needed to surmount those damn chains. The chains of Incarceration moved towards her, and at that moment¡ª Sienna''s time stopped. The world''s time flowed uninterrupted, but Sienna''s did not. In her own eternity, her consciousness elerated. The moment the chains touched Sienna, the gxy unfolded behind her radiated light. This was the manifestation of her endless mana. Sienna herself had dismantled the Eternal Hole, which she thought was alreadyplete, in the process of reaching the divine level of magic. The present form was not merely infinity in words. It spoke of infinity and did not remain finite. The infinite magicprehended the power of Incarceration. Like a blooming flower, the magic pushed the chains away. Fsssst! The chains began to corrode after being wrapped in magic. All of this happened in an instant. ¡°¡­?¡± Noir could notprehend what had happened to her. It all felt like a sudden illusion. It wasn''t much different, really. Just as Noir had transformed illusions into reality through the Demoneye of Fantasy, Sienna had conjured miracles and illusions originating from mana. These were chains replicated through magic. Hundreds of chains swiftly bound Noir. "Aha..." Noir gasped. Sienna¡¯s chains possessed a power simr to that of the chains of Incarceration. Noir¡¯s dark power was being suppressed. Noirughed in delight as she felt her power being drained rapidly. She was quite pleased with Sienna Merdein''s current malice. If not for Hamel, such malice alone might have excited her. But with Hamel present, infidelity was out of the question. How could she stray when the man she loved was watching her with wide eyes? Noir chuckled and tried to move her body, but it barely responded. The chains were incredibly strong, and even Noir couldn''t easily shake them off. Yet, Noir whispered without a hint of panic, "Is this your true limit?" Sienna had just knelt on one knee after staggering. She gasped for air and clutched her chest with her hand. Replicating the chains of Incarceration through magic, suppressing Noir Giabe''s endless and ferocious dark power ¡ª all of it ced a great strain on Sienna. "I''d p again, but my hands are tied. Or maybe I should kill you with praise¡­." Noir gave a deep sigh. "This is why I didn''t want to y with you." The smile vanished from Noir''s face. "Me being like this, and you like that. It''s as if I''m¡­." A delightful chill ran down her back. She wanted to be deeply embraced by the murderous intent. "¡­a viiness tormenting the heroine." Noir sighed heavily and turned her head. Eugene, who should have been trapped in an endless bombardment, was now looking this way, not with a single wing but a pair of zing wings of fire. Noir saw the swirling ck ashes around Eugene. Had he obliterated the attacks with a single strike? Impossible. The bombardment should have continued. ''He must have burned the very illusion I created,'' Noir realized. She saw Levantein glowing with a dark, burning me. Eugene was exuding more firepower than when he had killed Gavid Lindman. It didn¡¯t look like he had used Ignition. So what were those wings? Noir felt a moment of doubt but quicklyposed herself. She grimaced. Noir struggled within the binding of chains and burst into tears. "Help me, Hamel!" she cried. Chapter 563: Night (3) The attacks were relentless and unceasing, simple yet persistent and difficult to shake off. No matter how fiercely Eugene wielded Levantein or unleashed magic, the attacks did not dissipate. The solution to ovee this situation was straightforward: increase the firepower. To prevent the illusions from resetting and starting anew, he needed to burn thempletely into ash. Though the solution was simple, it was not easy to implement. Eugene would need to use Ignition to explosively increase Levantein''s firepower. Employing Ignition meantmitting to a decisive, short battle. Even though he could use Ignition for an extended period of timepared to before, using it prematurely in a battle where a kill could not be guaranteed would ce a heavy burden on Eugene. ¡®Empty Sword.¡¯ He oveid divine me upon his strikes and detonated Eclipse. Yet, he failed to eradicate Noir¡¯s attacks. The seemingly trivial debris of buildings kept regenerating and relentlessly barraging Eugene. It seemed familiar. Though slightly different in form, this unrelenting chain of attacks resembled the Infinite Purgatory that Hamel had favored in the past. It couldn¡¯t be a coincidence. Noir Giabe was the one attacking him. That madwoman could very well conceive of recreating Hamel''s techniques to kill him. ¡®Sienna¡¯s here,¡¯ Eugene realized.Although he had dismantled the city''s dream, this did not mean Noir was weakened. In particr, her obsession and rage toward Sienna and Anise were no less than before. Naturally, Eugene couldn''t help but entertain a grim notion. He couldn¡¯t allow it. Eugene bit his lip. Even as he did so, Sienna was drawing ever closer. [Sir Eugene.] [Hamel.] Voices echoed in his mind. Whooosh! A light blossomed in Eugene''s chest. He turned toward the direction of the voices. They came from far beyond the city outskirts. Yet, Eugene''s eyes could see Raimira flying near the distant fortifications, and atop her, Kristina in prayer. [You needn''t worry about us.] [So, please.] They whispered. Eugene lowered his hand from his chest and instead grasped Levantein with both hands. "Was I the one hesitating?" Eugene wondered sadly, then smirked and took a deep breath. Rumble! Eugene began to resonate with Levantein. Power began to surge from within the de¡¯s core, power that could not be properly handled without the use of Ignition. His hands tingled, and his heart began to ache. Eugene clenched his teeth and red at Levantein. A soft groan echoed in his mind. Blood flowed profusely from the Stigmata on Kristina¡¯s sped hands, and a hot and painful fervor shook the consciousness of the Saints. Kristina wasn¡¯t physically by Eugene¡¯s side. However, Eugene saw her. He could even see the form of Anise, whocked a physical body. The two suppressed their groans and continued their prayers, and the light around them grew increasingly intense. The halo of light floating above their heads also began to expand. Soon, they were enveloped in radiance. "Oh, oh, Mother! Mother!" Raimira screamed in horror. She could feel Kristina¡¯s body dissolving into light and disappearing. Mer, too, gasped and leaped up. She reached hastily into the light but could not touch the Saint''s body. "It''s okay,¡± two voices responded simultaneously. With a whoosh, the light dispersed, and the Saints'' forms vanished. Eugene slowly lifted Levantein above his head. Levantein felt heavy in his hands, almost crushing. Just as he thought this, Eugene saw that his hands were bloodied. The intense and powerful resonance transformed the Saints into light and drew them close to him. "Does it hurt?" Eugene asked. Two pairs of hands ovepped his own. Blood spilled from the Stigmata and seeped into the mes. With a whoosh, the divine mes intensified and enveloped the apparitions of the Saints. [It does not hurt.] [Kristina is lying, Hamel. It hurts tremendously. It feels like my soul is burning.] The two gave opposite responses. "Endure." He could say nothing else. Anise smiled as if she had expected this, and Kristina sped Eugene''s hand more tightly. Whoosh! The mes engulfed the Saints. The oppressive weight of Levantein disappeared. Eugene closed his eyes momentarily, and when he opened them, he could no longer see the Saints. However, he felt their presence behind him. He experienced a unity he had never felt before. [I didn''t want to be one like this.] He heard a sigh-like whisper from behind. Although he knew what it meant, Eugene feigned deafness while twisting his waist. Whooosh! Wings, not those of Prominence, emitted light. Crackle! The Divine Sword transformed everything into ash. The endlessly regenerating attacks, the illusions, everything was struck into ash. The attacks continued no more. [Hamel, Sienna has¡­.] He turned his head at the somber voice. He saw Sienna on one knee. Noir was chained in the night sky. Eugene met Noir¡¯s gaze. "Help me, Hamel!" Noir cried. She looked like she was about to cry as she thrashed around. The very fact that she could do so was proof that this was all an act. These were magical chains that recreated Incarceration¡¯s power. Yet Noir, entwined in these chains, moved freely and soared through the sky. Noir''s dark power was overpowering Sienna''s spells. "This wicked witch is tormenting me!" Noir screamed shrilly. Eugene ground his teeth as he looked away. Sienna was¡­. [It''s okay. Lady Sienna has just lost consciousness for a moment.] [Do not misunderstand. The injuries to her limbs remain because Sienna wishes it so.] Two voices spoke at once. Yet, his mind was not muddled. These voices melted into his consciousness as if Eugene himself were conjuring them. It wasn''t just that. His vision had broadened. As the weight of Levantein lessened, the limits of his miracles grewrger. He hadn''t anticipated such abilities during the baptism. This¡­ it was a miracle. ¡®Light.¡¯ The divine immensity, which Eugene alone found overwhelming to bear, was something he was now sharing with Anise and Kristina, both Saints of Light. How much, then, had the limits of his miracles grown? How far could it go? He had no idea. He had no choice but to try. Eugene leaned forward. "Hmm," Noir hummed as she concentrated. She erased the look of impending tears and looked down. Just moments before, Eugene had been opposite her, but now suddenly below her. Whether by rapid movement or magic, either was easy for Eugene. Such feats should no longer surprise Noir. Yet, she was surprised now. It was impossible for Noir to not sense everything in her surroundings. But just now, she had failed to sense Eugene¡¯s movement. Noir saw the wings behind Eugene ¡ª not those of Prominence but wings of a different light. Noir''s eyes narrowed. They were clearly wings, yet they did not appear so to Noir at that moment. Instead, she saw Kristina and Anise. It seemed as if the duo stood behind Eugene. Noir''s lips twisted into a smile. "Ahaha!" Noir''s twisted lips parted inughter. Crack! The chains that bound her shattered and dispersed. Noir spread her wings wide and stood upright against the night sky. Eugene reached out toward Sienna. A brilliant light infused into her and instantly regenerated her crushed limbs. Simultaneously, Noir¡¯s fingers pointed toward Eugene. Bang. She intended for an explosion. She had hoped so. However, the dark power meant for an unrealized illusion was severed right before Eugene''s eyes. Noir found the tip of Levantein pointed directly towards her. Bang! Contrary to her expectations, an explosion erupted right in front of Noir. A dark crimson inferno engulfed her. Noirughed softly while waving her palm. She gently extended her palm and pushed the mes away. She clenched her fingers to extinguish the fire. In that brief moment, Eugene reached Noir. With sudden eleration, Levantein was thrust into Noir¡¯s throat. It was blocked. A white palm caught the zing de of fire. The ring on the little finger shone distinctly even within the mes. Noir attempted to deflect the attack. Whoosh. But it didn''t budge. Though the sword felt as light as a feather to Eugene, to Noir, it felt immensely heavy. The mes bursting forth from Levantein chained into Empty Sword. Boom! The consecutive sts elerated Levantein. Blocking and holding out was no longer possible. Noir was overpowered and sent flying backward. "Oh my," Noir uttered a brief exmation while looking at her palm. There were burns. The de had indeed prated. Unwittingly, sheughed. The sword was heavy. The wounds were hot. All of it excited Noir. She clenched her throbbing hand. She stopped herself from being thrown even further and abruptly halted in midair. She saw Eugene helping Sienna to her feet. The sight was somewhat irritating. Still, she could ept it. No matter whose help he had, no matter who he stood behind or beside¡­. "In the end, today, here, all you see is me," Noir said triumphantly. Excitement and love transcended even jealousy. How long had she awaited this moment? She felt her emotions anew through the burns on her palm. To be honest, Noir had not imagined her defeat until just now. She had failed to grasp the death she had so eagerly anticipated. But now, things were different. Sienna''s magic had startled her, and Hamel''s sword, empowered by the Saints¡¯ prayers, had reached Noir even in reality, not just in dreams. This was no duel. It was merely a desperate attempt by each to kill the other. Fighting fair and square? From the start, the battlefield had overwhelmingly favored Noir. But it felt as if the battle had be somewhat more bnced. She could feel her defeat, which had been impossible, drawing slightly closer. Was death drawing closer? "Damn wench,¡± Sienna spat. Her limbs were healed, but the ache inside her chest and the headache had not faded. This was the price for recreating the Demon King''s power without the Demoneye. "Can you fight?" Eugene asked. "Why? After all of this, you¡¯re going to ask me for help?¡± Sienna asked in irritation. "I told you before, I never said I was going to fight alone. I said I would go in alone,¡± Eugene retorted. "It looked very much like you were going to fight alone,¡± Siennained. "If I really nned to fight alone, I wouldn''t havee with you, and I wouldn''t have chosen this ce. I would have drawn her into a duel, like with Gavid," Eugene answered. "I really, truly, dislike that. Why do we have to fight on a battlefield that overwhelmingly favors her?¡± grumbled Sienna. "Would she havee out if I called her?" Eugene asked. He looked at Sienna with an incredulous expression. Sienna paused to catch her breath and think. It was a dreadful thought, but if Sienna were Noir¡­. "She wouldn''te out,¡± Sienna admitted. There was no reason to give up a battlefield where one could be overwhelmingly powerful and omnipotent. Sienna would have done the same. "It¡¯s not toote to drag her out now, right? What if we just ran away?¡± asked Sienna. "I don''t want to run,¡± Eugene answered simply. "That¡¯s what¡¯s irritating about you. You can afford to say something so brazen after nearly dying,¡± Sienna muttered as she picked up her staff. She knew it, too. Running away today or retreating wouldn''t make it easier to gain the upper hand next time. In fact, next time, it might be even more terrible. While they might be able to shatter the city''s dreams now, could they do the same next time? Nor could they simply disregard the presence of Noir Giabe. If Eugene ignored her, Noir would not hesitate to join forces with the Demon King of Incarceration and move her realm. Then, her dream might no longer stay contained in Giabe City. Noir¡¯s dream could unfold across all of Pandemonium. Then, they would truly stand no chance. Before even climbing Babel, they would be annihted by Noir, who would have the assistance of the Demon King of Incarceration. If not now, they would never have another chance to kill Noir. This was their chance to kill. Sienna pursed her lips and looked at Eugene. She did not know what dream Eugene had had. But it had been difficult to shatter the dream, and Eugene must have had terrible nightmares in Noir¡¯s realm. She wanted to ask. What nightmare had he had? What conclusion had he reached? Did he really want to kill Noir? Was it truly okay to kill Noir? It couldn''t be alright. No matter how resolved he was, if they killed Noir, they couldn''t just happily celebrate victory as before. In some form or another, there would be consequences. However, Eugene was prepared to endure even that. "If it were merely a contest of strength, you would have the advantage," Sienna said. She didn''t want to shake Eugene''s resolve by asking again. Her role on this battlefield was to help Eugene win. "Just fight however you want. I''ll take care of those damned Demoneyes for you. So¡ª" Sienna stopped mid-sentence and looked up. Eugene, too, quickly nced upwards. It was night. With no moon or stars, the sky was dark, but a different kind of darkness had suddenly cast itself over them. It was a building. A massive building was plummeting towards Eugene and Sienna. Sienna frowned and raised her weapon. "So, don''t stay by my side. Go,¡± she said. Magical light surrounded Sienna and shot towards the building. Hundreds of beams silently obliterated the falling mass. The remaining debris fell like rain, and the Demoneye of Fantasy transformed the remnants into other forms. But Sienna wasn¡¯t about to let Noir do as she liked. Sienna''s magic captured the fantasy. She had just promised to block it, and her magic produced infinity. Unlike the Demoneye of Divine Glory, the Demoneye of Fantasy was innate to Noir. It was not a borrowed power from the Demon King of Incarceration but Noir''s own ability. Borrowed powers could be mimicked, but this fantasy could not be countered by Sienna¡¯s imitation. In that case, she would keep shing with magic. Just as Noir''s Demoneye of Fantasy made illusions into reality, Sienna''s magic made wishes into reality. Their approach was different. If it came down to a sh between the two, Sienna would lose. It didn''t matter. What Sienna hadmitted to was blocking the fantasies. She opened a path with magic. Eugene did not hesitate to let go of Sienna. Although the support was gone, Sienna did not stagger. She saw Eugene, who had swiftly flown ahead from a distance. She did not want him to look back. She didn''t want to make him turn around. Noir did not concern herself with how Sienna was blocking her fantasies. Instead, she turned her gaze and saw Eugene approaching rapidly. She saw the mes of Levantein. That sword was concerning, even for Noir. The burn on her palm still throbbed painfully, stubbornly refusing to heal. Being cut by that sword was indeed lethal. But she felt that the very form of the sword was actually a weakness. A sword could only sh or stab. No matter how powerful those mes were, the shape they took ¡ª a sword ¡ª meant that Noir could feel Hamel less. For Noir, that was regrettable. The form of a sword was simply too honest. It could not fully express the merciless intent to kill that Hamel, whom Noir loved, felt. "¡­?" She was dyed for a moment due to her thoughts. To her surprise, Eugene had suddenly thrown Levantein. Levantein was the Holy Moonlight Sword, a de forged by the Light for Eugene. It was a Divine Sword of Eugene and the Light, meant to kill the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. That sword was now flying like a dagger towards Noir. It was surprising but not a drastic departure from straightforward tactics. Noir sneered and dodged. She dodged Levantein without breaking a sweat. "Wait," Noir had barely uttered, but Eugene didn''t stop. At the same moment he threw Levantein, he performed a miracle. An interdimensional leap, unseen even by Noir, positioned Eugene right in front of Noir. He punched Noir in the face. ''Now you decide not to use the sword?'' Noir thought while spitting blood.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts Yojj: The DR team joined me on ''s Teahouse, so go give them a listen~ ?? YouTube: /@sTeahouse/videos ?? Spotify: /pod/show/s-teahouse ?? Apple: /us/podcast/s-teahouse/id1739025403
Chapter 564: Night (4) Eugene had not thrown Levantein in a fit of resignation. He had carefully orchestrated the event. He had ensured Noir would be constantly looking out for Levantein by attacking with the sword. His strategy had been effective. Noir had no choice but to be conscious of Levantein. As strong as Noir was, the strikes from Levantein were effective against her. Noir was strong, but she wasn¡¯t arrogant. Three hundred years ago, she had never shown herself directly, and after the war, she selected demons who could rival her and corrupted them. She continued to gather strength regrly ever since by collecting life-force. Contrary to her appearance and behavior, she was exceedingly cautious. It was inconceivable that Noir, knowing the threat Levantein posed, could ignore it. Instinctively, she kept her gaze primarily on Levantein with every attack Eugeneunched. She made sure to keep a vignt watch on Levantein, even if she allowed other attacks from him. As a result, Eugene''s fist had made contact with Noir''s face. He felt the crunch of her nasal bones breaking. ¡®Stronger,¡¯ he wished, and with a crack, his fist burst Noir''s head. Noir''s headless body staggered. Eugene didn''t stop and swung his hand again. Levantein, which had been flung far, was now back in his hand. Summoning a fallen weapon was a simple spell. In fact, he didn¡¯t even need to cast magic for Levantein. Levantein itself was Eugene''s Divine Sword. It would reappear in his hand whenever he wished. The de, wrapped in divine fire, surged toward Noir. Eugene did harbor grand ambition. After all, although he had crushed Noir¡¯s head, she wasn¡¯t dead.It was just as he expected. Before Levantein could reach her, Noir''s body reacted. With a thud, she kicked and sent Eugene reeling backward. "Striking a woman''s face!" Though headless, Noir''s outcry was clear. Rumble! Dozens of buildings drawn from the city flew at Eugene. He ignored them. Eugene did not strike at the buildings but leaped again. Bang, bang, bang! The buildings targeting him shattered in the sky. Sienna had intercepted them from the ground. ''Anise, Kristina,'' Eugene called in his mind. He had never tried it before, but he believed it was possible. He coated the de of Levantein with Light. Unfortunately, Eugene was not familiar with divine magic and miracles, but it was different for the Saints. Though startled by Eugene''s absurd request, they did not hesitate. If their god deemed it possible to perform a miracle, then surely it wasn''t impossible. Like ssblowing, the de wobbled. Following Eugene''s will, the de seemed to melt and then reshaped itself. An axe, or perhaps a hammer? Noir watched with wide eyes after having regenerated her head. The form was imperfect and vague. It was unclear what form it had taken moments before. But one thing was certain. The current Levantein was definitely not a sword. "Answer! An axe!" Noirughed out loud and eximed as she opened her hands and struck the night sky. Whoosh! It seemed as if the darkness of the sky was being pushed back. Such was the force of the dark power. It was a mixture of various elements. Even as she unleashed raw dark power, she made use of the two Demoneyes. Chains sprang from space and targeted Eugene. ''Invert. Fall. Crush. Kneel. Kneel,'' Sienna chanted internally. Simply put, the power of the Demoneye of Fantasy manipted perception. Until now, Noir had used this powerbined with dreams, and now, she was manipting reality itself. It went beyond manipting mere perception. These intuitive illusions would affect Eugene the moment they made contact. Sienna felt as if her head would burst and her intestines were being scraped out with a spoon. Currently, she was perceiving and blocking unrealized illusions. She was countering the chains of Incarceration with chains of magic. ¡®I can do this,¡¯ Sienna told herself. She would not run out of mana. As long as her consciousness held, she could draw magic from the infinite. Sienna red at the night sky while gasping for breath. She had blocked the power of the Demoneyes as much as possible. But the sheer brute force of the immense dark power was beyond her ability to stop. "Ahaha!" Noirughed. She had thought it was an axe. But she was mistaken. Levantein was currently taking on the form of a hammer. It wasn''t made of mes either. The de itself had transformed into a hammer. This was different from before. The heavy blow from the hammer shattered Noir¡¯s dark power. Along with it, the night sky that had been pushed back broke into pieces. "Still, wasn''t I half right?" whispered Noir. The hammer transformed into an axe after smashing through the waves of dark power and the night sky. Eugene closed the distance between himself and Noir in an instant. Noir spread her arms as the axe aimed to lodge itself in Noir¡¯s chest. Crack! But despite being driven downwards, the axe did not fully split Noir in two. In fact, it failed to even reach her. The purple aura of dark power surrounding Noir transformed into hundreds of hands that caught the axe in its tracks. Although about half of the hands were crushed by the axe, Noir still managed to block Eugene¡¯s advance. ''Demoneye of Fantasy?'' Sienna red fiercely while swallowing blood. Noir had not used the Demoneye of Fantasy to manipte reality but had directly imbued her dark power with illusion. Who would have thought that was even possible? Sienna quickly maneuvered Mary to target Noir. Thump! However, Sienna¡¯s magic was interrupted mid-cast. An incredible amount of dark power caused Sienna to be flung backward through the air. Meanwhile, Eugene yanked the axe out of the wall of hands. Hundreds of hands were torn off in the process, and the zing mes turned the lump of dark power into ash. But since Levantein hadn''t directly struck Noir, she took no damage. It didn¡¯t matter if arge amount of dark power was burnt away. It paled inparison to the ocean of near-infinite dark power Noir possessed. "Down there,¡± Noir whispered. "Aren''t you worried? She might be dead." "She''s not dead,¡± Eugene spat. The de stretched out. "Ahaha! You trust in Sienna Merdein? Or perhaps you¡¯re counting on my kindness? After all, if I wanted to kill, I could have done it long ago. I chose not to kill,¡± said Noir. It was true. There had been several opportunities for her to kill. From the moment Noir sent the invitation, she could have dominated the minds of her targets. The reason she hadn''t killed them¡ª She thought Hamel would be sad. It seemed like Hamel would be angry. She didn''t want to corrupt Hamel''s murderous intent into something meager like vengeance. "This time, it''s a spear, right? You used a spear quite well¡ª" Noir stopped mid-sentence. No, she was wrong. The de stretched out like a spear and then suddenly thickened. ¡®What is that?¡¯ She couldn¡¯t help but wonder. Noir became shocked by what transpired next. What she thought was a spear had be a cannon barrel. Levantein had literally transformed into a ss cannon. mes started to flicker at the mouth of the ss cannon. She thought it would emit mes, but it didn''t. Instead, numerous small spheres of light poured out from the barrel. They were tiny spheres the size of fists. Noir knew what they were. She watched the spheres float around her and burst intoughter. "Your attacks have be quite creative,¡± shemented. Hundreds of Eclipses exploded simultaneously. The sky was no longer night; it turned a blinding white. However, it was not a bright light but a congration that threatened to erase everything. The attack was focused on Noir. "Is it because of those wings?" Noir asked. She spread her arms wide with a radiant smile. Crackle! The barrier of dark power Noir had spread was instantly destroyed. Within the ze, Noir''s body drifted like a falling leaf, but she did not burn. She reinforced the barrier immediately before it was destroyed and pursued Eugene. The blinding congration that had lit up the sky all returned to Eugene. The de of Levantein, which had once again taken the form of a sword, wasyered with the fiery ze. The Empty Sword had not been particrly effective against Noir, but it was different now. Levantein¡¯s firepower had undergone an upgrade with Eugene¡¯s resonance with the Saints. And now, with the current stacks of the Empty Sword¡ª "This is dangerous,¡± Noir muttered. Whoosh! The Empty Sword plunged into Noir. The miracle of the absolute strike, which had previously been ineffective against Noir, was now unleashed. The barrier around her was consumed by the mes. Noir imbued her remaining dark power with illusions. But no illusion could block the Empty Sword. Weapons, shields, armor ¡ª all were cut by the mes before they could fully manifest. She had to retreat. Just as she was about to act on her thoughts, she was stopped. nk. A chain appeared from behind and wrapped around Noir''s ankle. "So that''s what you were aiming for,¡± said Noir. She could see Sienna¡¯s fierce gaze among the debris of shattered buildings under the sky that had brightened before darkening again. Noir had hoped she would be out cold. But contrary to her expectations, Sienna had remained conscious. Her ankle was tied. The sure-hit Empty Sword was approaching. Any response would be slightly toote. It seemed inevitable. Noir spread her arms with a slightugh. "Just in time," she whispered. Whoosh! The Empty Sword shed across Noir''s chest. Her chest was cut wide. The mes seared the wound so that no blood spilled over. An open wound revealed the heart, and Eugene targeted it with his mes. "It¡¯s not quite there. Itcks the realization," Noir whispered with a bright smile. The sparks advancing toward the heart suddenly extinguished. The blow had been shallow. Eugene bit his lip and pulled Levantein back. The sword transformed, adopting a shape for the quickest movement to stab directly at the heart ¡ª a dagger plunged into Noir''s chest. Noir''s hand blocked the dagger. Crunch! He managed to pierce her palm, but the dagger could not advance any further. Before Levantein could change shape again, Noir''s fingers clenched around both the hilt of the knife and Eugene''s hand. "A real feel for death,¡± she said. Blood dripped from Noir''s lips. She relished it ¡ª the taste of blood filling her mouth. It was a sensation distinct from the throbbing in her chest and hands, different from the emotions she felt. It was a pure heat of pain. "Let''s both be desperate, Hamel," Noir said. Crack! She snapped the chain that bound her leg. She severed the hand that had stopped Levantein as well. She burst intoughter. Just as Eugene was about to attack again, Noir grabbed the wound on her chest with her remaining hand. "Ahahahaha!" With a boisterousugh, the wound gaped open. With a dramatic flourish, instead of blood, a multitude of Giabe Coins burst from Noir''s seared wound. It wasn¡¯t intestines or bones. It was coins ¡ª too many to count ¡ª assaulting Eugene. ''What is this?'' Eugene was shocked. He had faced all sorts of attacks from Noir, but never had he imagined coins spurting from a wound. And these coins were unusually heavy and forceful. Eugene swung Levantein, stacked with the Empty Sword, while grinding his teeth. Whoosh! A multicolored cascade of coins disintegrated in the mes. Noir was nowhere to be seen. Immediately, Eugene expanded his senses to locate her. "Up!" He heard a scream from below ¡ª it was Sienna¡¯s voice. He didn¡¯t have time to check on her condition. Eugene immediately turned his gaze upwards. Whoosh! One Giabe-Face was plummeting down, one that had been perched atop a casino roof. He hadn''t forgotten the earlier incident. He knew that facing it head-on might drag him into an inescapable explosion. Eugene instantly moved out of the st radius andunched an Eclipse. Boom! The Giabe-Face exploded like fireworks. ''Where''s Noir?'' Eugene thought immediately. Where had she gone in the brief moment? Had she fled? No, that couldn¡¯t be it. Was she buying time to heal her wounds? Though shallow, Levantein had undoubtedly inflicted a wound on Noir. A little deeper, and it might have reached her heart. It wasn¡¯t a fatal wound, but not one that could be ignored either. Other injuries might heal instantly, but a wound from Levantein was hard to recover from. He couldn''t afford to give her time to recover. "Don''t worry." The voice came from somewhere. Eugene immediately turned toward the source of the sound. It was the center of the city, the ce where he first encountered Noir. The city was nowpletely copsed. Noir was there, by the lone Giabe-Face still hanging in the sky. She wore a bright smile. "Didn''t I tell you, Hamel? Let¡¯s both be desperate,¡± she said. The wound on her chest pleased her. The savage, searing heat felt perfect. Her left hand was now regenerated, and Noir gently caressed Giabe-Face with it. Eugene half-expected a straightforward charge, so he was surprised when it didn¡¯te. Instead, the crowned Giabe-Face, Noir¡¯s residence, suddenly soared high into the sky. "With passion,¡± she dered. Boom, boom, boom, boom! The Giabe-Face''s mouth opened, and loud music poured out. Its ssy,rge eyes emitted multicolored lights like a disco ball, coloring the starless night sky with vibrant hues. Meanwhile, the darkness melded into the night focused on Noir. "With joy,¡± she said. The dark power enveloping the entire city flowed into Noir. She gathered all remnants of the city¡¯s dreams, forsaking their restoration to concentrate every bit of power from her domain into herself. Thump! A loud throb emanated from the gaping wound on her chest. Noir leaned back while caressing the wound. "Ahaha, ahahahaha! This is, this is too much!" she eximed. The power amassed was beyond even Noir''s reckoning. A lifetime of power was being consolidated into one physical body. Crack, crackle! Fissures spread across the sky around Noir. Eugene stared with shock. He could not advance rashly. The same was true for Sienna, who, supporting her tattered legs with her hands, barely managed to remain standing. She swallowed hard. [My god.] Both the Saints and Sienna involuntarily sought divine intervention. They felt as if everything that had transpired until now was merely a fleeting dream. They now faced a sinister power that sent chills down their spines and made their limbs tingle. Thud, thud! The buildings of the city began to copse under the overwhelming weight pressing down from the sky. Noir spread her wings wide while the space around her wavered and distorted. Boom! It was just the unfurling of her wings, yet the city copsedpletely under the impact, which reverberated even beyond the city limits. Raimira was also hit by the shockwave. She screamed as she plummeted. Sienna, who had quickly formed a barrier, was also overwhelmed by the shock and vomited blood. Eugene held Levantein upright. The bright, burning mes cut through the darkness. Prominence, the Wings of Light, the sanctuary he formed ¡ª all resisted Noir''s overwhelming disy of force. "Don¡¯t you also want more?" whispered Noir. Though he heard it, Eugene couldn''t respond. An attack from above mmed him into the ground. He did not kneel. He endured, aiming for the next opportunity. He swung his sword, but it did not reach his target. Laughter echoed, growing distant, then suddenly near again. Crunch! He was smashed downward, but this time, he was sent flying backward. Blood surged from Eugene''s mouth. [Hamel!] [Eugene!] The Saints'' cries echoed. The Wings of Light wrapped around Eugene on its own. His crushed organs regenerated. The eyes that had burst from the internal shock also regenerated. His vision was once again filled with light. Bam, bam, bam, bam. The music that filled the air seemed fit only for a club in Giabe City. Multicolored lights danced wildly in the sky. All this chaos disoriented the mind. "Shit," Eugene cursed while spitting blood. She was simply too strong. He had never struggled this much since gaining awareness of his divinity and acquiring the Divine Sword. The specter had been strong. Gavid had been strong. But neither had been as overwhelming as this. Even with the aid of Sienna and the Saints, he couldn''t grasp any advantage over Noir. When he had managed a shallow cut andnded an attack, he had felt slight relief. He had felt as if he had taken a step towards victory. But then he had ended up in this state. He had been toyed with by Noir at every turn ever since entering this nightmare. ''Realization,'' Eugene thought. Eugene staggered to his feet. Noir wasn''t attacking him anymore. Amid the dizzying colors, he saw Noir, the concentration of her dark power now a deep ck dress that adorned her. But the cleavage that the dress revealed sported the wound on her chest from before. The wound. Despite having gathered all her power, the wound had not healed. But the inside of the wound was invisible. Where her heart should be, only a profound darkness remained. Sensing his gaze, Noir smiled broadly. She deliberately raised her hand to trace the wound. Her fingers moved higher and gently touched a ne. Eugene ignored her provocation. He had baptized the Saints. The current form of Levantein possessed greater firepower than ever before, evenpared to when he had used Ignition. The sanctuary itself was strengthened. The range of miracles he could perform had also expanded. Yet, he was stillcking in firepower. ''What should I do?'' Eugene thought. He came to realize that the same kind of battle as before would not hold up now. ''I''ve reached her a few times.'' But each tangible strike had been shallow. ''Can I reach her again?'' It didn¡¯t feel as if she would allow even a shallow strike now. ''Right.'' He inhaled deeply, the smell of blood tingling his nostrils. ¡®I¡¯ve already realized it.'' Firepower wasn¡¯t what he wascking. Noir might only now be feeling her mortality, but Eugene had never been in this city without truly feeling the presence of defeat and death. ''I need to be more desperate.'' Eugene was on the brink. A slight tilt could end him. No, in truth, he was already deeply inclined toward death. He needed to change the course. ''I am weaker than Noir Giabe right now.'' Acknowledging this truth simplified what he had to do. What he had beencking was resolve. Noir was right; he had not been desperate enough. He needed to be desperate to ovee defeat, death, and the brink. All of it. ''I will kill Noir Giabe before I die.'' Eugene clutched his chest with his left hand. Chapter 565: Night (5)

Chapter 565: Night (5)

Boom, boom, boom, boom.... The morous music echoed in his ears. Ba-dum. The beating of his heart swallowed the music. The multicolored lights of the Giabe-Face transformed the night sky, yet they were consumed by an even brighter, more intense light. "Ah," Noir moaned. Now was the moment. Noir gripped her ne with a dreamy smile. The dream she had hoped would never end had concluded. It had felt as if the night would never end, as if it would never wee the dawn. Yet, the moment was near for an ending. She felt death. She had be as desperate as she had yearned to be. Hamel felt the same as Noir. Ignition. Noir had always loved that. It was a technique with reckless abandon that cared only for the moment, not what came after ¡ª an essence of murderous intent that sought to destroy the opponent while sacrificing one¡¯s own life. He would kill. He would kill no matter what. Even if he died, he would kill. That resolve emanated from Hamel as he bowed his head. The throbbing beat of his heart synced with the music and elerated further. Crackle, crackle! The mes engulfing Eugene surged more violently, sparking deep red currents. The mes of Prominence soared higher. The Wings of Light resonating with the Saints also grewrger. [Aaaaah...!] The Saints screamed in unison. The surging divine power, the ceaseless explosions ¡ª all of it became intense pain for the Saints. Yet Eugene did not ask them to endure. [We must... endure...!] Instead, it was the Saints who cried out. They were deeply resonating with Eugene now. They felt the pain of Ignition and knew that the agony they were experiencing was only a fraction of the whole. This Ignition was different from any before. It transcended just igniting the Core or the cosmos or even the divinity itself. Eugene¡¯s aspirations and miracles sought beyond that. They had seen Ignition being used several times. It was a suicidal tactic that wreaked havoc on the user¡¯s body. Honestly, Eugene had never liked using Ignition. He detested the circumstances that necessitated such a mad technique. He had thought several times that it would be better to retreat rather than use Ignition. But he knew the truth. There was no situation where retreating without using Ignition was an option. If he did not employ it now, there would be no opportunity for retreat. If not now, he would never win. Now, too, that was the case. As Ignition elerated, the Saints also increasingly realized the presence of Noir Giabe. Noir Giabe was a distant, overwhelming being who alone could crush a city with her mere presence. She was capable of obliterating the continent and challenging the Demon King of Incarceration if she truly unleashed her power. She was truly an evil god. But Noir felt closer now. She was not as distant as before, nor as overwhelming. The sense of inevitable defeat was wavering. If Eugene did not advance now, if he retreated, he might never again reach this point. God might be nonexistent. Both Anise and Kristina had once thought so because, despite fervent prayers, they had never heard the voice of god, and their prayers had not saved the world. But now they thought differently. The indifferent, merciless Light had ultimately proven real. While it might forsake the hopes of its devotees, the Light sought the salvation of the world itself. Their god was here in a desperate attempt to save the world, to overturn the predetermined apocalypse, and vanquish all Demon Kings. Right now, the Saints felt the presence of their god more closely than ever before. Eugene¡¯s divinity surged. His divine might expanded. Yet, it was still insufficient. The vessel was too small. With his current capacity, Eugene could not ovee the situation. He yearned more deeply. He craved a miracle and thus caused one to ur. Divine power resonated with his wish, and an endless surge of divine power filled Eugene¡¯s body, filling the universe near his heart. He beheld the distant sea, a boundary that did not permit the footsteps of living beings. There, he saw the Light that had existed for eons, the God of Giants he once considered his friend in the ancient past, and the ancient gods who had allowed themselves to be devoured by the God of Giants at the brink of destruction. They had carried on as the Light. ¡®It¡¯s not enough,¡¯ Eugene thought. He could not contain all the divine power. He could only draw it out using Levantein as a conduit. Yet even that was not sufficient. The sword would never break, but Eugene¡¯s body could not withstand the immense divine power. But now he could bear it. He lifted Levantein. Within the mes, there was a de of ss. Without hesitation, Eugene turned Levantein¡¯s de. Whoosh! Levantein plunged into Eugene''s chest. The ss de, melting into mes and light, flowed into Eugene. Thus, it waspleted. The divinity of the Light became one with Eugene. The vessel expanded to the brink of shattering and finally broke. Yet, the light that had filled it did not spill out but mingled within Eugene. "Ah, ahhh." Noir gripped her ne while letting out a moan. She felt a force that would inevitably lead to mutual destruction. The miracle that Hamel now sought was solely to kill Noir. Noir felt the same. All she desired was to kill Hamel. If she did not kill him, she would be killed by him. Either way, death was inevitable. "Come, Hamel,¡± she whispered. She extended her hand, which wore a ring engraved with Hamel¡¯s name. "Come to kill me,¡± she asked. Eugene leaned forward. His iling wingsy down beside him. His hands grasped the ground. The simple power of the Annihtion Hammer ¡ª to push away whatever it touched, to shatter it, and to explode it ¡ª that power unfolded through Eugene''s hands. Boom! The ground was pushed, shattered, and exploded. All of it became a violent propulsion. Thus, Eugene became a beam of light. A dark red line split the darkness. Crash! Noir and Eugene collided. The hands that had reached out gently were crushed. From Noir¡¯s mouth burst blood and fragments of her innards amidst the impact. It felt as if she had collided with the entire world. "Ah, ah! Ahahaha!" The pain was enough to knock her unconscious. But Noirughed madly. She held her crumbling body together with dark power and twisted her waist. "You¡¯re like- a beast!" Noirughed as she shouted. Crack! Her elongated legs were entwined with dark power. A vortex of dark power apanied her kick. A shing light blocked the front of the vortex. The power that Eugene unfolded was the Spear Forest, but unlike before, the forest did not spew mes. Instead, countless types of weapons surged. Each was forged of mes and light from divine power. Noir''s dark power was blocked by numerous divine artifacts. Noir kicked back the darkness and leaped backward. Her two Demoneyes lit up. The chains of Incarceration grasped the space around her, and the Demoneye of Fantasy replicated Eugene''s attack. Crash! The entangled weapons shattered, and divine power mixed with dark power. The sword-force split everything in two. It was a shallow cut, but it sliced through Noir''s ck dress and left a line across her pale stomach. There was no blood spilled. Noirughed heartily as she restored her dress. "It hurts!" she squealed. The wound on her stomach did not heal. Wincing from the sharp pain, Noirughed even louder and then mmed her hand downward. Crack! Eugene''s knees buckled under the force. It was heavy. He clenched his teeth and swallowed blood, then straightened his knees once more. Crash! It was unclear whether he was stepping on the ground or the sky, but he pushed forward and leaped ahead. [Aaaaah!] The Saints screamed. The divine heat they felt even became mes that amplified Eugene''s divine power. Eugene swept his hand through the air. Swish! Where his hand passed, darkness was erased, and light and mes emerged. Hundreds of divine swords appeared from that space, all aimed at Noir. The ground, the darkness, no, the space itself shattered into fragments. A part of the world blocked the barrage of divine swords. The chains of Incarceration bound it all together, and the Demoneye of Fantasy sent a dream that turned a part of the world into a mere fantasy. This sequence of events unfolded in the blink of an eye. A pale hand elegantly tapped the darkness. What followed was anything but elegant. Brutal violence engulfed Eugene. He didn¡¯t bother to identify what form the attack took. The scene was too bright. His mind was too bright. There was no need to see and judge to find an answer. His intuition, now one with his divinity, allowed him to urately perceive and counter the attack. Sienna staggered to her feet and watched everything unfold. Being a divine being didn''t mean being equal. At this moment, Sienna realized she could never intervene in this battle. No matter how infinite her magic had be, it was infinitely fragile against the forces shing before her. ¡®It¡¯s almost....¡¯ Sienna couldn¡¯tplete her thought. She swallowed hard as she watched Eugene. He wasn''t wielding Levantein now. Rather, countless swords were being created from his gestures. The same Divine Sword that had defeated the new Demon King of Fury, Iris, and the Incarnation of Destruction were being born and shattered repeatedly, like cheap swords. He wasn¡¯t just forming swords, either. Now, Eugene was wielding every weapon he had handled since his days as Hamel. It was as if he was the incarnation of war itself. Simultaneously, Eugene was Light. War and Light illuminated the night created by Noir. It was undoubtedly a battlefield of myths. Sienna unconsciously clutched her chest. She felt something, but it wasn¡¯t defeat or helplessness. What she saw broadened Sienna¡¯s perspective. It enriched the magic she desired and the infinity she pursued. "I can almost understand it,¡± Sienna muttered softly. Eugene had once said it: War belonged to Agaroth, and the Light was something handed down. But apart from that, what Eugene Lionheart''s divinity was¡ª ¡ªI¡¯m creating it. That was all Eugene had said. He had not told her what his divinity was. But she had grasped it without hearing it from him. She could almost grasp what his divinity, unrted to the light or war, truly was. He had poured everything into this battle, even risking his own life, all for a desire he harbored deeply. ''It''s close,'' Eugene thought. No longer was it far, nor was it shallow. It was near. If he reached out, he could touch it. But merely touching was not enough. He needed to delve deeper. With a rumble, Eugene''s left foot pressed down on the ground. His right foot shot forward forcefully, shattering the earth beneath. Crunch. The divine power contained in his body waspressed to its limit. It groaned as if his body was on the verge of shattering. Eugene twisted his waist and raised both arms, his empty hands grasping the light and mes that enveloped him. ''It''s close,'' he thought again. He was close to Noir Giabe and just as close to death. Whose death would it be? Which of them would die first? That was still unclear. But the reality of it was vivid. With a whoosh, the mes and light grasped by Eugene transformed into a colossal sword. ''What do I desire?'' Eugene asked himself. He desired the death of Noir Giabe. He longed for the end of a long, impossiblyplex rtionship that couldn''t merely be called enmity. He longed for the end of this dream, of this night. He yearned for a brilliant dawn. He yearned for victory. The noisy music had long since faded away. The lights spewed by the Giabe-Face, now a mirror ball, had been swept away by other distractions. Not even the sounds of the battlefield ¡ª crashing, bursting, and breaking ¡ª reached him now. All Eugene could hear were the painful groans and prayers of the Saints and.... Noir''sughter. He swung his sword. The night was split. Theughter abruptly stopped. It did not transform into groans or screams; it simply ceased. Noir was flung into the sky. The impact was so immense that she couldn¡¯t even emit any sounds. Blood spurted from Noir''s mouth, yet silently. Eugene saw her blood-streaked lips curve into a smile. He smiled just the same. His lips were also smeared with blood. His wounds were healing, yet the blood continued to flow. The pain he felt did not subside either. It felt as if his soul was oxidizing. Because their lives shed, their ends drew nearer to each other. But it was not over yet. There was more they could do. They both smiled equally. They had collided and drifted apart, but both had charged at each other again. "Ha... Ha...!" Hisbored breath mixed withughter. They began tough again. The infinite dark power, the eternal nightmare, was being negated. The Light burned the dark power and brought down the infinite into the finite. The nightmare shattered into pieces and turned into reality. It was endearing. It was unbearable because it was so endearing. This act with Hamel was profoundly endearing. Now, she could truly imagine it. The very certain and near reality vividly illustrated death. "Hamel," Noir called out. Even the longest night came to an end. How much longer could they go on? How much longer could they fight? He had shed numerous times. He had burned her numerous times. Each time, death drew closer. And inevitably, the first to die would be.... "You. How about you?" Noir asked. He hated the thought. Noir''s arms flung open wide. The miracle had reached her. Her dark power surged violently. The lips sttered with blood twisted into a smile. Light pierced through Noir, yet the darkness remained unbroken. St! Noir''s left eye, the Demoneye of Divine Glory, burst of its own ord, overwhelmed by a power far exceeding its limits. All of Noir''s dark power transformed into chains. The Demoneye of Fantasy alone shone brightly. The chains wrapped around the world, embodying the same nightmare for both Eugene and Noir. The seemingly eternal night and the dawn that would follow were denied. The worst nightmare dawned. Scarlet Twilight filled the world. Noir opened her heart wider. Crunch.... The Divine Sword pierced her chest and twisted further. It narrowly missed her heart. The roiling mes tried but failed to consume it. "My Hamel," Noir whispered softly. Eugene''s face contorted in pallor. They were in an incarcerated space, a twilight simr to a nightmare. Eugene knew what was to unfold next. "Do you feel the same death as I do?" she questioned. The twilight''s light enveloped everything. "Eugene!" The world encircled by chains melted in the burst of red light from within. Sienna screamed as she flew towards it, understanding what Noir had just done. Noir created a world just for the two of them, ensuring the force did not disperse. She opened her own heart for that brutally simplistic attack. And then it burst. She had caused her dark power to rampage. It was self-destruction. Even Noir, the caster of that attack, could not escape death. So, they would die together? For their mutual end? She had known Noir was mad but never thought it would be to this extent. ".....!" Sienna suddenly stopped. She could see Eugene in the melting crimson light. He was alive, not dead. But his condition was dire. Eugene slumped down, blood gushing out as he sat. Fssst! Prominence crumbled into ashes. The lone remaining Wing of Light gradually dimmed as well. Eugene barely lifted his trembling hand to the side. The Wing of Light vanishedpletely, and an unconscious Kristina appeared. He barely caught her with his arm, but Eugene''s body could not withstand it. The arm supporting her snapped. "Your arm!" Sienna screamed as blood poured from the severed arm. Eugene looked at it through blurred vision. "How long has it been since Ist lost an arm," Eugene murmured with a chuckle. "Keep it... safe. I''ll reattach itter.¡± "Hey, hey! Are you... okay? Are you really okay?" asked Sienna. "I¡¯m not okay... but alive," Eugene muttered. After bleeding out more, Eugene staggered to his feet. He had nearly died. He had barely managed to slice through the nightmare and burn the chains. If it weren''t for the sanctuary and miracles, he would have truly died. Having nearly died and not dying felt almost the same. Eugene looked up at the sky. The pitch-ck night sky looked as if it might copse at any moment. Eugene sensed Noir somewhere out there. "Soon, then," Eugene chuckled and clutched the torn stump of his left arm. Chapter 566: Night (6) [Bonus Image] "You... just stay still," Sienna found herself saying. It was the first time since the fight with Raizakia that Eugene appeared so severely injured. There had been worse fights some three hundred years ago, but back then, they were all weaker and less adept. Sienna approached Eugene with a pale, stricken face. "I¡¯m alive," Eugene muttered while ring at the sky. Eugene wasn¡¯t dead, and neither was Noir Giabe. She was out there somewhere in the night sky, waiting for him. "Isn¡¯t that obvious? I know too. That¡­ that whore is still alive. But you don¡¯t need to fight anymore¡­!" Sienna clenched her robe as she spoke. It was truly a grim sight, not just his severed arm either. His internal injuries looked severe, too. Though acquiring divinity had enabled him to regenerate most wounds, at this moment, that was impossible for Eugene. This was the price of overdriving his divinity. The bacsh from Ignition had just hit him. "You¡­ just sit here quietly, with your severed arm. Soon, either Kristina or Anise wille to their senses. Yes, get the elixir..." Sienna muttered. "Sienna,¡± Eugene called out."You¡¯re not worried about me, are you? I might be injured, but it''s not even a scratchpared to yours. And that whore is just as badly hurt! So..." continued Sienna. "Sienna,¡± Eugene called out once more. "Don¡¯t call my name! Just, just shut up and rest. I could kill Noir Giabe in her current state¡ª" She couldn¡¯t finish her sentence. Sienna¡¯s lips were pursed as she red at Eugene. Had he really heeded her demand not to call her name? Eugene didn¡¯t call out to Sienna anymore. But his gaze was far heavier than any words he could have spoken. "The fight is practically over anyway. Both of you are alive, but you have... I¡¯m here. I can finish this,¡± said Sienna. "No,¡± retorted Eugene. Sienna red at him silently. "This is between me and Noir Giabe. Only one of us can end it. Not you,¡± said Eugene. "Ha! Why should I indulge in your sentimentality? You can hardly stand, yet you insist on fighting," spat Sienna. "If you act on your own and ignore my wishes, I will hate you for the rest of my life,¡± Eugene said, shing a faint smile. "Really. Even if you cry and beg, I won¡¯t forgive you." "If you die, there will be nothing for you to hate," Sienna retorted. "I won¡¯t die,¡± Eugene assured. There was no use talking to Eugene at times like this. Sienna wanted desperately to convince him, but she knew it was futile and sighed deeply. "Alright, I understand. Killing that whore personally is that important to you. But how do you intend to do it? You can barely move, let alone fight," Sienna inquired. "I''ll make it possible." With those words, Eugene ced his hand on his chest. Not understanding his gesture at first, Sienna blinked in surprise. Eventually, as she grasped what Eugene intended to do, she gasped and reached out her hand. "You crazy fool!" she shouted. Eugene''s fingers brushed his heart just before the magic seized him. Thump! A faint heartbeat surged with heavy force, reviving the dying embers. "Hey!" Sienna shouted. Until now, Eugene had only used Ignition consecutively during the Raizakia incident. Back then, he had pushed Raizakia to the brink of death alone but had copsed from exhaustion just moments before finishing the task. A second consecutive rampage hadpletely damaged his heart and Core, almost killing him then. If not for the miracle of the World Tree, he would have indeed died. "It''s different this time," Eugene said in a calm voice. The previous Ignition had caused a surge of divine power, but this time, it was purely a mana surge. Therefore, it wouldn¡¯t kill him from the recoil like during the Raizakia incident. Of course, that was just the theory. The bacsh from surging divine power was merely a sealing of divine energy, which hardly burdened his body. But now, could his battered body withstand the recoil of this Ignition? He hadn''t thought about it. Noir, too, wouldn¡¯t be in great shape, but there was no chance of his victory unless he caused his mana to rampage. Eugene quickly drew an elixir from his cloak and downed it as first aid. "You... you¡­." Sienna was at a loss for words. Her lips were quivering. Eugene shed her a grin and then kicked off the ground, soaring into the sky. "If you die, I''ll die too!" Sienna screamed after him into the night sky. "Ah." Noir let out a short sigh while fluttering through the undting night. "I thought dying together in each other''s arms would be... a beautiful end,¡± she said. It could have been. They were so close. But it hadn''t happened. Noir chuckled while massaging her chest. In truth, Hamel''s response had been excellent. Just as her bomb of dark power was about to explode, Hamel had reacted in the best way possible. "The beautiful ending I envisioned wasn''t beautiful for you, I guess,¡± she muttered. Was the grip too weak? Or¡­ had she hesitated at thest moment? Perhaps it was a bit of both. The explosion had been impulsive. She had acted out of a moment¡¯s impulse. Perhaps it had not been passionate enough? Or perhaps she had hesitated at the end. Either way, it was fine, whether her grip was too weak or she had hesitated. All of it made this moment sweeter. Noir removed her hand from her chest and ced it above her lips. Cough. Blood trickled from her slightly parted lips. The failed explosion had severely injured Noir as well. She had lost the Demoneye of Divine Glory. A significant amount of her dark power had evaporated in the explosion as well. Her injuries were severe; her chest was shed and pierced. Pain radiated near her heart, and her tattered wings trembled as if they might crumble any moment. Yet Noir was still alive. She was alive and flying in the sky. "We could have dreamed the same dream,¡± shemented. Noir¡¯s smile was visible through her blood-stained face. Below, she could see Hamel staggering. His condition was just as dire. He had lost his left arm. His Ignition had ended. His Prominence was depleted of energy. He was no longer resonating with the Saints. Even that seemingly endless pool of divine power was now unperceivable. Yet neither of them had died. They were still alive. However, they both sensed that the end was near. The dream, the night, wasing to a close. Noir chuckled softly as she looked down below. mes were visible. Hamel wasing. However, these mes were different from before. There was no trace of divine power or divinity, yet they burned fiercely. Noir realized what Eugene had done. Without any divine power left, he had ignited his mana once more. "You went to such lengths just for me?!¡± Noir said lovingly. She found the mes, devoid of any divine sensation, endlessly endearing. How could she not love this sight of him, racing towards death, destroying his own body? Noir smiled brightly as she caressed her throat. "Hamel," She called his name tenderly with blood-stained red lips. "My Hamel." She could feel his presence even more intensely in his current state, without any divine power. His was a presence unmarred by past lives ¡ª yes, Noir nodded with a smile. He was the first man Noir Giabe had ever loved. He was the man she could not help but love. "Ah¡­." Noir sighed sweetly as she surveyed her own body. Everything was a mess. Her chest was shed and punctured, and her body was covered in wounds. The clothes she had dressed up in now looked no better than rags. Noir conjured a small hand mirror to inspect her face. "Ugly,¡± shemented. Though her face was still beautiful, Noir was not pleased with it, not with the burst and hollow socket in her left eye, not with the blood-covered face, not with the burst lips. She disliked everything about it. This face, this condition, it was not eptable. Hamel ¡ª there was no need for him to intervene. As Sienna Merdein had shouted, he could have allowed her to finish the battle. That was the logical choice. That was the sensible choice. Sienna was more than capable of finishing off Noir in her current state. Yet, Hamel hade himself. Despite being unable to fight, he had used Ignition one more time. He hade to finish everything with his own hands. Therefore, Noir had to meet Hamel with her best effort. She giggled and stirred up her dark power. Her left eye regenerated and filled the socket. The scars on her face disappeared, and ayer of light makeup was applied. Although the wound on her chest remained beyond repair, the other injuries healed. The tattered clothes transformed into something new. Thus, Noir achieved a beautiful appearance, befitting their final encounter. She rotated the mirror to examine her reflection and, satisfied, set it down with a smile. "Hamel,¡± she called out. The theme park was the greatest in Helmuth, no, the greatest in the continent. It opened just a few years ago. Giabe City was a ce of pleasure where one could indulge in every conceivable entertainment. It was a city that embodied all of Noir Giabe''s dreams and ideals. The mirror fell to the ruins. Fwoosh¡­ Down below, the still-intact amusement park lit up. The carousel creaked into motion, and the Ferris Wheel started to turn, its lights blinking weakly. Noir murmured softly as she watched, "There are so many things I want to do with you in this city." Still with his hand on his chest, Eugene drew forth Levantein. It was no longer a divine de now that its divine power was sealed. However, he could still use it as a sword. But Eugene slipped Levantein back into his cloak and drew another sword instead. It was a in, rugged sword. It was a sword with no legends or mysteries. Whoosh. The mes of the White me Form enveloped the de. "To gamble in the casino, to drink in the bars, to shop in the department stores, at the swimming pool, the zoo, the amusement park,¡± continued Noir. The de, wrapped in mes, was directed at Noir. Whoosh. The flickering mes settled down calmly. He was not in a hurry. He slowly manifested sword-force and enveloped the de. "There were so many things I wanted to do. I could talk forever, and it wouldn¡¯t suffice. Yes, but it''s okay. The thing I wanted to do the most ¡ª I''m doing it now,¡± said Noir. Eugene could not manifest divine power. But he didn¡¯t need it. He knew it instinctively. He wouldn¡¯t need divine might, Agaroth¡¯s power, or the divine power against the current Noir. He could reach her regardless of what he held in his hand. What mattered was his will to reach. "Ahaha." Noirughed as she observed the sword aimed at her, the mes that had settled down despite numerous oveps, and beyond them, the golden eyes emitting a fierce glow. She saw Hamel. He was the sword forged from his murderous intent. "You really are sentimental,¡± shemented. There was no need to ask why Hamel had chosen a rugged and ordinary sword instead of Levantein. She didn¡¯t intend to ask, and she didn¡¯t need to know. The clear and beautiful murderous intent was Hamel''s answer, the words Noir desperately wanted to hear. "And so romantic." At the end of her whisper, Noir moved forward. Instead of her left hand, which wore the ring, she extended her right hand. She drew a murderous intent as heavy as the overwhelming love she felt. All the dark power Noir could muster moved with that intent. Hamel. Noir whispered his name, as sweetly as one might to a lover lying beside her in bed, yet with the same intent as one faced their nemesis. Eugene shed. He swung his sword wildly. Though the mes enveloping the ordinary iron sword had calmed, the swordy met with fierce murderous intent. The creaking of his body, the strain on his heart ¡ª none of these made him hesitate with the sword. Noirughed. The clear, ringingughter mingled with the sounds of shing swords throughout the night. That, too, was shed. Eugene shed again and again. He cut through the night that seemed like it would never end, through the sweet, poignant nightmare. Noir swung her hand. The shredded night became her ws. She parried an iing attack. She moved forward into the very heart of the unyielding murderous intent. Remorse, regret, despair ¡ª none of these weighed down her sword. Eugene Lionheart. Hamel Dynas. He did not stop his sword. Dark power and mes intertwined, burst, and scattered. They were raised again. No matter how many times their attacks were blocked, their intent to kill did not dull. ''We were¡ª'' Eugene thought. The scattered dark power once again became a de that brushed past. Eugene ignored it. He couldn¡¯t afford to block each one, and he did not have the leisure to do so. He had activated Ignition forcibly. All the mana avable to him was transformed into mes, all poured into the sword. He only looked forward. He only saw Noir Giabe. Every nerve was focused solely on reaching her. ¡®¡ªDestined to end this way.¡¯ Their past lives, the connections they shared from before, Agaroth and Aria ¡ª none of that mattered. As long as he was Hamel and she was Noir, this was their inevitable conclusion. Do not dull. Do not be weighed down. Do not hold regrets. Do not hesitate. All the emotions that he would inevitably confront were irrelevant at this moment. Thus, Eugene''s murderous intent was pure. He approached Noir purely. She knew. She could feel it. She could feel how much Hamel wanted to kill her right now. She could feel how pure and upright his murderous intent was. That was why sheughed. She couldn¡¯t bear it withoutughing. ''I feel the same,'' Noir thought. Because she loved Hamel, she wanted to dream an eternal dream with him. Because she loved Hamel, she wanted to kill him with her own hands. Because she loved Hamel, she wanted to die at his hands. She felt death. She felt Hamel. This moment was the sweetest dream of Noir''s life. They were close now, too close to retreat, not that either of them wished to. A reach away, and they could touch. Their gazes met, each contemting the deadlypletion of the other. Noir stretched out her hand, and Eugene thrust his sword. ''It¡¯s me.'' Crack! Noir''s hand scattered the mes and shattered Eugene¡¯s sword. The fragments scattered across the night sky. Seeing this, Noir smiled brightly. In the end, Eugene¡¯s sword had not prated her; it had reached her but failed to deliver death. ''I am the one who will kill you.'' She had reached the conclusion she had so desperately desired. Throughout her journey to this day, Noir had experienced a tumult of emotions. Noir Giabe, once known in ages past as Aria, had been called the Twilight Witch, the War God¡¯s Saint. She had suffered aftering to realize this fact. She suffered after having to acknowledge things she did not want to know. She grappled with an identity that was not entirely her own, shaken by memories and emotions that did not belong to her. It only deepened love and hate. The realization that her love for Hamel and her feelings towards him were not entirely her own tormented her. She despised their past lives. Yet, she could never let go of her love for Hamel. He was a man she could not help but love. Thus, today, she had destroyed Hamel with all her might, hoping to dream an eternal dream, wishing they could die together. The end they reached after surpassing everything was as fatally sweet and venomous as any. The emotions that would follow this conclusion ¡ª regret, loss, and grief ¡ª would be iparably greater than any she had previously imagined. Perhaps she would be broken beyond recovery. No, she was certain of it. Noir would be shattered. She might never smile again, might never dream again. But it did not matter. A world without Hamel was not worth living in. That was enough. She did not like the twilight. She did not like the dawn. Thus, this sweet night would draw to a close as an eternal nightmare. "Ahah." Was it the end? No, it was not over. Noirughed unwittingly. As the fragments of the sword scattered, Eugene twisted his body. From his wide-open cloak, a sword hilt protruded. It was the same as before: an unremarkable, in, ordinary sword. It had always been this way. He treated weapons too harshly. Breaking a weapon during battle was not umon for you. If one sword broke, you would simply draw another and continue fighting. Hamel was such a man. ''I am satisfied.'' She was satisfied that she could kill Hamel. Satisfied that she could kill him like this. ''But you weren¡¯t.'' Even now, Hamel did not give up. He did not hesitate. ¡®I wascking.¡¯ Hamel did not wish to die together with her. He did not wish to lose. In this moment, after killing Hamel, Noir envisioned what woulde next ¡ª the despair of being left alone, destroyed. But not Hamel. He was still looking at Noir even now. His pure, murderous intent did not hesitate with regret or reluctance. His sword approached her. His desire rekindled the mes. Noir, smiling brightly, spread her arms wide. "So you really want to kill me that badly." Their bodies ovepped. The sword pierced her heart.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 567: Night (7) [Bonus Image] Time seemed to have stopped, and for a brief moment, he wished it truly had. The sky was pitch ck, devoid of moon or stars. The morous music had long ceased, and the lights of Giabe-Face no longer shone. The carousel and Ferris Wheel stood still. In the heart of the quiet night, Eugene and Noir were intertwined. Eugene looked at Noir with quivering eyes. She was smiling brightly, her lips streaming with blood. He saw the gaping wound in her chest where the sword remained embedded. This time, the strike was not shallow. It hadn''t missed its mark. The in sword had pierced Noir''s heart precisely. He noticed the ne, now red with the blood that spurted from her wound. Unknowingly, Eugene swallowed his breath, wishing he could turn his gaze away. Noir''s hand moved. Her trembling hand reached toward Eugene. It was possible that she still had strength left in her. Despite having driven her to this point and piercing her heart, she was still the Queen of the Night Demons. Perhaps to her, death still felt strange and distant. "¡­Ahaha." Her bloodied left hand touched Eugene''s face, leaving streaks of red on his cheek. Noir chuckled as she moved her hand downwards. She slowly caressed Eugene''s throat. "Haha..." She stopped. Noir did not grip his throat. She didn¡¯t dig her nails into his neck or tear it open. Instead, she touched him with the gentleness and delicateness of handling a fragile piece of art. She saw Eugene¡¯s eyes tremble with each gentle touch. She saw his cheeks twitch and his lips contort."Hamel,¡± she called out. Her lips, stained red with blood, parted. Noir whispered with a mischievous smile, "In such a beautiful moment, why do you wear such an expression?" Everything about that expression was satisfying to her. Noir chuckled and moved her right hand, groping towards the hand that held the sword hilt. "Such an awkward finish isn''t like you,¡± shemented. Her dispersing strength wasn¡¯t used to attack Eugene. Instead, with a yful smile, Noir pulled on Eugene''s hand. Thump! The sword plunged deeper. Eugene and Noir grew even closer. Blood welled from her open lips, and his face contorted further. "Ah." It looked as if he might cry at any moment. It was a face unbing of Hamel. But it didn¡¯t matter. Noir closed her eyes. She could feel a blissful satisfaction. She could no longer fly, nor did she feel the need to. Noir¡¯s body began to fall limply from the sky. He could have just let go, but Eugene didn¡¯t. If he had both arms, he might have held the sword and supported Noir''s back, but now only his right arm remained. So, he chose to release the sword. He pulled her into his embrace while grasping Noir¡¯s hand. Whoosh! Eugene¡¯s cloak transformed and enveloped them both. She felt aforting warmth in her rapidly cooling body. She felt the tremble of the hand she held. Their hands separated. He reached out and supported Noir¡¯s waist. Slowly. They fell slowly. Eugene said nothing. Noir buried her face in Eugene''s chest so his expression remained unseen. Yet, he did not look up. Eugene found the moment perfect. He truly wished that time could just stop right there. But no matter how desperately he wished, time did not stop. Even a leisurely fall had to eventually conclude upon reaching the ground. Eugene''s feet touched the earth. He held Noir for a moment longer before letting out a long sigh and gentlyying her down on the ground. "Ahaha." Her heart had been pierced by the sword. The long de had passed through her body and protruded from her back. Despite this, when her back touched the ground, she felt no pain from the sword being pushed or caught. "You''re surprisingly gentle and kind, unlike how you look," she remarked. He had broken the sword hilt beforehand, when he held her in his embrace, ensuring she wouldn''t feel more pain when theynded. Noir chuckled as she looked up at Eugene. "Didn¡¯t you think I could strike back?" she teased. "Yes," Eugene responded softly, "You could have if you had tried. If you wanted to. Even when you tried to self-destruct. Even when I plunged the sword into your heart." "Ahaha... that''s different, Hamel. It''s not that I didn''t. I couldn''t. The self-destruction¡­. Heh, your determination was stronger than I anticipated. I was toocent, even at the end¡ª" Noir paused and closed her eyes. "It was the same in that moment. I was content, but you were not. Hamel, you... you hoped to kill me until the very end. That''s all there was to it. Your desire was stronger than mine. You wanted me so desperately." Silence followed. "Ahaha. In the end, that''s what it was. I hesitated at thest moment. I had regrets. I was content just in that moment. Heh, in the end... it turned out just as I said, didn''t it?" Noir said. She smiled broadly as she opened her eyes. Eugene''s face was visible to her. His expression was unchanged from before, no different from when they were in the nightmare. He looked like he might cry at any moment. He was struggling to hold back his emotions. Even though he had achieved the victory he longed for, he was not happy. She found his expression deeply satisfying and joyful. "What a wonderful night,¡± shemented. The end of the night was approaching. The pitch-ck night sky was fading. The rising sun was gradually changing the color of the sky. Twilight had passed, and night too, and now dawn wasing. "Hamel," Noir spoke. "I have awoken from the dream I wished wouldst forever, and the night I hoped would never end ising to an end." The night was retreating. Eugene felt it too. Simultaneously, Noir''s end was approaching. Eugene ced his hand on his aching chest. Whether the pain was from sessively using Ignition or purely emotional, he did not want to decide. "Tonight, I have seen all of you,¡± she said. Noir reached out her hand. "Hamel, I have tasted the foundation of your being." Her trembling hand slowly moved towards Eugene. Even though he was right in front of her, her hand seemed unable to reach him. Every step towards reaching him felt incredibly distant. Noir felt death. Throughout her life, she had witnessed countless deaths. She had often been the one to dish out death and had frequently watched others die. Showing onest dream to a doomed human was also one of Noir''s hobbies. However, Noir had never truly felt her own death. Despite her ability to conjure any fantasy, she could not create the sensation of her own demise because she had never experienced it, nor could she imagine it. But now, she could imagine it; she was feeling it. The eternal night she had so longed for was upon her. An unfathomable darkness, not mboyant, loud, or noisy, but a dull and cold silence was settling in. "I have," Noir began, genuinely smiling even in the face of death, "tonight, I have held you close." Cough. A surge of blood momentarily silenced her. Noir coughed up blood several times. With each episode, her body stiffened and cooled. Her vision blurred, yet she did not let her smile falter. After coughing, she continued, "Deeper and more intensely than anyone else could." Sienna Merdein, Anise Slywood, Kristina Rogeris ¡ª none of them knew Eugene as she had. Noir had experienced what they never could. She and Eugene had tried with all their might to kill each other. She came close to doing so, hesitated, and eventually faced death. "Ah...." Noir moaned. She finally managed to reach that hand that seemed unreachable. Eugene himself helped Noir grasp his hand. Noir''s body trembled slightly. She came to a new understanding of the death she was feeling. It was not at all bleak or cold. It was not as dark as the night. Noir looked up at Eugene while blinking. She saw how his eyes were closed tight, how his lips were pursed, and how his cheeks twitched. His eyes seemed on the verge of tears yet shed none. His golden pupils quivered, and his ash-gray hair twinkled in the distant light. Eugene saw the dawn behind him. "It''s warm," Noir chuckled. "If, someday, I am reincarnated like you and we happen to meet by chance." Eugene stared at her. "Would you recognize me? Will I remember you?" she questioned. "I wonder," Eugene murmured. "Heh, it seems like a usible thing. If it were¡­ to happen," Noir paused, then chuckled and shook her head, "No, I won''t say it." Discussing a potential distant future mattered less to her than the present. "Hamel,¡± she called out. "....." "Do you love me?" Noir whispered. Eugene sighed softly. After a few breaths, he slowly shook his head. "No." He was not confused. The emotion he felt was not love. Eugene did not love Noir. He could not love her as long as she was Noir Giabe. "You''re cruel. You could lie, just this once, at the end,¡± she said. But Noir was not disappointed by his response. She grinned broadly as she gently stroked his hand. "But... Hamel, you hesitated,¡± shemented. Her grip was weak, but she tugged gently. It wasn''t enough strength to pull even a dish, but sufficient to convey her message. Eugene did not refuse but leaned in toward her. "You might not have loved me, but you almost did, didn''t you?" she questioned. He could not deny it. The dream Noir had shown him, the battles leading up to now, no, even before that ¡ª when he found out Noir was the reincarnation of Aria, he had be aware of it. It had been unavoidable. What he had desperately longed to ignore hade to form a sentiment with her pleading. "That''s enough," Noir said, smiling as she nodded. The turmoil Hamel felt was not pure. It was not born solely from his perspective of Noir Giabe. But that did not matter. "After all, it''s all about me in the end." She nced sideways. Sienna Merdein was approaching from behind the ruins, supporting the Saint who had not yet regained consciousness. Noir observed Sienna''s dirt-streaked face with a mischievous smile. Despite the situation, she couldn''t help but feel a sense of superiority. "It seems we are both not far off." Noir chuckled again, turning back to look at Eugene. His body trembled, not just from emotion but also from the toll of nearing death. Yet, despite the excruciating pain, Eugene would not die. Noir was different. She was going to die soon, fading away like the dim light of dawn. "It would be troublesome if you copsed before I die. So," she said, barely managing to lift her hand to Eugene''s cheek, satisfied that her dying body could still move that way. She whispered, "May I say myst words?" "¡­..¡± "Sienna Merdein,e closer. Come and see me and Hamel,¡± said Noir. Even in these moments close to death, Noir Giabe managed to maintain her yful tone. Her relentless madness and affection were enough to disgust Sienna. However, Sienna did not refuse but moved closer while supporting the Saint. "You shocked me tonight, but that wasn''t enough. After all, you, Anise Slywood, and Kristina Rogeris are all alive by my grace,¡± said Noir. "Are yourst words a mockery of us?" questioned Sienna. "That''s right. Since I''m about to die, isn''t it fine to leave behind some mockery as myst words?" Noir asked. Sienna unwittingly clenched her fist. At this, Noir let out augh. "I''m truly surprised. I''ve never liked you, Sienna Merdein, but today, you were quite admirable. Your murderous intent was quite charming,¡±plimented Noir. "What are you talking about?" Sienna asked. "But it''s not enough. That level of murderous intent and magic can''t kill me. Even less so, kill the Demon King of Incarceration," Noir concluded. Was it all just mockery and ridicule? Sienna''s eyebrows twitched, but before she could respond, Noir continued, "So I will give you the Demoneye of Fantasy.¡± "What?" Sienna blurted. "I don''t think I''ve said something soplicated that the Wise Sienna Merdein can''t understand. But if you really want me to repeat it, I will. I will give you the Demoneye of Fantasy, along with my dark power,¡± said Noir. Sienna''s gaze was inevitably drawn to Noir''s right eye. The Demoneye of Divine Glory had burst from overuse, but the Demoneye of Fantasy remained intact. "This was not given to me by the Demon King of Incarceration," she said, "so I could pass it to you, and you might be able to use it. It''s not possible to transfer it to you as cleverly as was done in the case of Ciel Lionheart, for a human without dark power, but you might find a way to wield it." "¡­.." "Ah, but still, heed this advice: don''t be foolish enough to embed it directly into your eyes. Try using it with that splendid magic of yours,¡± advised Noir. "Why?" Sienna stumbled over the question. Why would Noir Giabe leave such a legacy? "Because I hope Hamel survives,¡± Noir said with a smile. "I had hoped to kill him myself, but since I couldn''t manage it, neither should the Demon King of Incarceration nor the Demon King of Destruction be able to kill Hamel. If you, so frail, were to stand behind Hamel, that alone would interfere with him. So," Noir whispered, smirking at Sienna, "please, use it well. Keep Hamel alive. Your dreams, and those of Anise Slywood and Kristina Rogers ¡ª I frankly don''t care about them and hope they nevere true." She paused. Her breaths werebored. Then Noir''s smile shifted from mockery to something else. "But I do hope Hamel''s dreamse true." Crazy girl. Sienna didn''t voice the words, instead copsing where she stood. If only Noir had left it at mockery and derision, Sienna wouldn''t have felt this way. The fact that she seemed satisfied after saying such things, looking at Eugene as if pleased, inflicted a bitter sense of defeat in Sienna. "Now, Hamel." Noir turned her gaze to Eugene. Throughout the conversation with Sienna, Eugene had silently observed Noir. Touching her stiff cheek, Noir chuckled. "Will you fulfill my final wish?" she asked. "You want me to break your neck?" Eugene responded. "Ahaha. That''s Aria''s wish. In the end... dying while feeling your touch wouldn''t be a bad way to go, but I''d rather not,¡± answered Noir. Eugene looked at her silently, waiting to hear herst wish. "Remember me forever,¡± Noir requested. What could he say? How should he respond? Eugene himself didn''t know. This wasn''t love. Noir Giabe was someone who needed to be killed. And so he had killed her. Why then did this long-desired moment bring neither joy nor pleasure? "Ahaha. There''s no need for me to even say it." As if reading his thoughts, Noir whispered, "You''ll remember me for the rest of your life." And so he would. He couldn''t help but do so. At this moment, Eugene was recalling not Aria but Noir Giabe. He recalled the first time he met her as Eugene Lionheart, when he encountered her in the snowfield as Princess Scallia, before entering the Dragon-Demon Castle, at a hotel where she hade to him, amid the ruins of the fallen Dragon-Demon Castle, where she first called him Hamel, at the ball in Shimuin, and here, in Giabe City. This was the city she had crafted. It was a city brimming with narcissism, offering dreams and illusions to the visiting humans. It was the continent''s foremost tourist attraction. It was a city where she had dealt with humans to feel guilt, loss, regret, and such emotions. Eugene remembered the night he had shared drinks with Noir, the night he had asked if there was no other way but to be enemies. Had Noir given a different answer then.¡­ Even if she hadn''t, had Eugene hoped for a different answer¡­? "Sometimes, you will dream about me,¡± she said. Eugene just stayed quiet. "You''ll think that we could have had a different ending,¡± she continued. It was inevitable that they would end up this way. Was it truly so? Was there no other possible ending? "You will regret this,¡± she imed. Her words were prophetic. Even now, Eugene was feeling regret. "Hamel, do you remember what I said in this city?" she asked. Noir''s voice was faint as if it could fade away at any moment. "You and I, at the moment, our long connection is finally severed... I asked if you didn¡¯t want to give me onest gift. You had answered me like this.¡± ¡ªNo. "Even if I called it a wish," Noir whispered. ¡ªYour wish is none of my concern. "Someday, when I kill you, I''ll slip a ring on my finger, and onto your finger as you die. And after you''re gone, I''ll look at the ring on my ring finger and remember you forever," Noir repeated. "....." "If you end up killing me, I hope you do the same. Yes, that''s what I said. So¡­." The blood-stained ne around her neck jangled. "ept my ring,¡± she asked. Eugene still didn¡¯t say anything. "It doesn''t have to be on the ring finger,¡± she said. He felt the ring, cold now, no longer warmed by living blood. "Please ept it, Hamel. Live with the ring that bears my name. Remember me all your life, and sometimes when you dream about me, when you wake up and feel my ring, think of today and feel regret,¡± she said. "Such a cruel and vicious wish,¡± he responded finally. "That''s right, cruel and vicious. This is a curse. Isn''t it strange?" she asked. Her hand, stroking his cheek, was heavy. It slid down, eventually resting on Eugene''s shoulder. She desired it. So she wanted it. Barely lifting her gaze and chin, she looked at him. "I am the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe,¡± she dered. Her fumbling hand grasped his throat, pulling as if begging. He could have pulled away, but he did not. A will. A wish. A curse. Eugeneplied with them all. Slowly, he tilted his head, closing the distance between him and Noir. Their foreheads touched. "Ahaha..." Their foreheads slightly parted. Her red lips opened, then closed again. Without a word, her lips drew nearer. The brief kiss ended. "You''re quite sentimental and romantic, you know," Noirmented. Memories were made. In snowfields, hotels, seas, balls, cities, taverns, streets, deserts, dueling rings, dreams, ruins ¡ª just as she had always said, Noir approached Eugene whenever there was an opportunity. No matter how much Eugene rejected or insulted her, she met him with a smile. In this way, they built memories. Unwillingly, something umted in Hamel¡¯s heart. And today, all of it bloomed. She felt a sense of loss. Regret, attachment, sorrow ¡ª all these emotions were new to Noir. "I hated the dawn," Noir said. Her hazy eyes moved. The sky was no longer dark. The light was settling into thepletely devastated city. "Because it ends the night." She saw Eugene¡¯s face for thest time. Swallowing hard, Eugene grasped Noir¡¯s ne in his hand. "But," Noir smiled broadly, "I wanted to say good morning to you." The creeping dawn cast their shadows together. "Good morning, Hamel." The night had ended. Noir''s eyes closed.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 568: Night (8)

Chapter 568: Night (8)

Noir''s eyes never opened again. Eugene quietly gazed at her face, which looked as peaceful as if she were merely sleeping. There was no sign of pain, no hint of lingering regret ¡ª just a serene, self-satisfied expression. Noir Giabe had died. He turned his head to look at the distant sunrise, which was already hanging in the sky above. The night had passed, and morning had arrived. The light descending from the twilight sky illuminated the city. A once vibrant ce was now reduced nearly to rubble, with most buildings copsed. Eugene paused to look at the frozen Ferris Wheel, then let out a shortugh. "It''s over,¡± he said. Noir Giabe was dead. He felt it deeply once again. A sudden pain surged from his severed arm, and his chest felt as if it might burst or tear open. His whole body trembled with a chill, and his head spun as his vision began to blur. "I¡¯m going to faint," Eugene stated. He chuckled bitterly. Disregarding everything else that had taken ce, he had used Ignition twice in a row. Even discounting the sessive use of Ignition, he could not have been fine. He had endured mental attacks in nightmares and had fought fiercely on the line of death in reality. His injuries were not limited to his left arm; even his insides felt shredded. It was a miracle he was even alive, and the bacsh from pushing himself so hard was more than mere difort. "Sienna,¡± he called out. Eugene unclenched his hand, which was still covered in blood. It revealed a ne. He looked at Noir''s left hand, at the ring on her ring finger, and sighed deeply. "Are you okay?" he asked. Sienna, who had been sitting slumped, flinched at his question. She replied with a pout, "What do you mean, okay?" "Just everything. Your body... or...." Eugene trailed off. "The conversation you just had, the emotions you''re feeling... honestly, I¡¯m not okay with them," replied Sienna. She staggered to her feet. She saw the shadows of Eugene and Noir, created by the dawn light, in the midst of the ruined city. Their shapes were ovepping closely. "Still, I''ll say I''m okay,¡± she corrected. ¡°But you just said you''re not okay,¡± Eugene questioned. "I mean, I''m not really okay, but I''ll say I am. It''s not like I can''t understand you, and then, that whore¡ª" She stopped herself mid-sentence. It wasn''t that she thought Eugene would react to the word. She didn''t even consider that he would. But Noir''sst smirk and her will had prevented Sienna from uttering the derogatory term. "Noir Giabe did try to kill you. But still, in her dying moment, she did think well for your sake and intended for you to live,¡± Sienna said. "You call that for my sake,¡± Eugene snorted softly and reached out to Noir. Psss. Her body was slowly turning to ash. It wasn¡¯t immediate, perhaps because he hadn''t used the Divine Sword to finish her off. Still, it was only a matter of time. Before the morning passed, she would bepletely gone. And Eugene likely wouldn''t witness that scene. ¡°Noir didn¡¯t want me to live for my sake, but rather... she left a curse. She wanted me to remember this day forever and suffer,¡± Eugene exined. Carefully, Eugene lifted Noir''s left hand and slowly removed the ring from her ring finger. Sienna watched silently. Swayed by his emotions, if Eugene were to put the ring on his finger, she thought it wouldn''t really matter as long as it lightened the burden on his heart. "So, you mean you''ll be tormented by today,¡± Sienna asked probingly. "It seems likely,¡± Eugene answered. "Do you regret killing Noir Giabe?" Sienna asked. "I don''t regret it. She needed to be killed, and she herself desired death. That''s why I killed her. If I hadn''t, she would have killed me,¡± Eugene replied simply. Sienna still couldn''t fully grasp their rtionship. Could she forgive Noir Giabe? Honestly, it was difficult. But she could ept it as inevitable. Eugene probably felt the same. But in the end, it hade to this. "It can''t be helped," Eugene said, his voice trailing off into a faint smile. "Things turned out as we both wished. I would raise a toast if I could, but that''s not possible." "Yeah,¡± said Sienna. "I''m about to faint," Eugene repeated. "Yeah.... Wait, what?" Startled, Sienna looked up to see Eugene casually wiping the bloodied ring and examining the engraving inside. Each of the rings was engraved with the names Hamel Dynas and Noir Giabe. Eugene quietly threaded the two rings onto a chain and hung it around his neck. "Aren''t you going to wear it on your finger?" Sienna inquired. "No," answered Eugene. "Why?" Sienna asked curiously. "What would you have me say if you ask ''why''? There''s no profound reason. I just don''t want to y into Noir''s wishes,¡± he grumbled as he flicked the pair of rings on the ne. It felt awkward suddenly wearing two nes. "Hey, right. My left arm? Where''s my left arm?" Eugene asked, looking around. "Don''t worry, I''ve kept it safe. But are you sure this will really reattach?" Sienna asked skeptically. She flicked her finger, and arge orb appeared in the sky. Eugene¡¯s left arm was floating inside. The original mud- and blood-caked arm was now cleanly washed, even at the severed end. "I''ve disinfected it, but what if it doesn¡¯t reattach?" Sienna asked, worried. "Molon reattached his legs backward once and had to cut them off again to fix them, so why wouldn''t an arm reattach? And it''s not the first time I''ve lost an arm,¡± Eugene exined patiently. "That''s true, but, um... the circumstances are different from when you lost it three hundred years ago. You still haven''t healed the scar on your cheek. It would be problematic if you became one-armed. I don''t think you can beat the Demon King of Incarceration with just one arm,¡± Sienna said seriously. "This is a scar from a curse, so that¡¯s different. My left arm will be fine. It wasn''t severed by a curse,¡± answered Eugene. During the battle with Noir, her attacks until the very end were murderous but not cursed. The only curse she left was herst will. "What about you? Are you going to take the Demoneye of Fantasy?" Eugene asked. "She told me to use it, so why wouldn''t I ept it? I¡¯m going to... take it,¡± Sienna responded, her voice tense as she gripped the edge of her robe. "I need it to kill the Demon King of Incarceration." "Aren''t you worried it''s a trap set by Noir Giabe?" Eugene asked. "You aren''t either,¡± retorted Sienna. "True enough." Eugene chuckled weakly and theny sprawled on the ground. Only then did Sienna realize what he had said earlier and hurried to his side. "You, you said you were about to faint? Why? Where does it hurt?" Sienna asked. "Can''t you see?" Eugene responded mockingly. "Can¡¯t I see...? I mean... is it bad enough to faint?" she asked. "Yes. I''m forcing my eyes open right now. It¡¯s getting hard even to keep them open. I''m sleepy,¡± he answered. "Sleepy? Are you sure... that¡¯s okay? What if you never wake up?" Sienna asked anxiously. "Don''t say something so ominous. Just do me a favor,¡± asked Eugene. "A favor! A favor? How can I not speak ominously when you talk like that!? You''re not making a will, are you?" asked Sienna. "It''s not a will, so don''t worry. I¡¯m just fainting. I might be out for a few days... maybe even a week. Take Kristina and Anise and go back to the Lionheart estate. You exin the situation,¡± asked Eugene. "Hey...!" "Don¡¯t try to wake me if I sleep for too long. If you''re really worried, tell my Holy Knights and Kristina and Anise to pray. That should do it. And¡ª" he paused. With a feeble hand that barely moved, he gestured towards the ruins. "Erase this city,¡± he asked. "....." "I''d do it myself if I had the strength. Please,¡± he requested. "Well... That¡¯s not a difficult request,¡± responded Sienna. He was asking her to erase the remnants of the city. Was it his desire not to remember this ce as it had been, even though no trace of the old city remained in these ruins? Sienna sighed briefly and nodded. "What about the body?" she questioned. "It¡¯ll disappear on its own. You need to take the Demoneye of Fantasy before it does," he answered. "What about a grave... or a tombstone?" she questioned. "Are you crazy? No need,¡± he said. Eugene looked at Sienna with disgust. His golden eyes were unfocused and dull. Sienna chuckled softly as his eyes began to close. "Okay. Get some rest. Sleep well,¡± she said. "It feels strange if you word it like that," Eugene murmured aint. He wondered if he might dream as his heavy eyelids closed. He didn''t want to dream. *** "So it is," murmured the Demon King of Incarceration. He was seated on a throne of dark chains in Babel, Pandemonium. He opened his eyes as he spoke, "Has she gone then?" Noir Giabe had died. What had transpired in her domain, Giabe City, or what battles had been fought there, he could not see. There had been no ce in Helmuth, or rather, the entire continent, that was beyond the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s observation. Or rather, that had been the case before. For the past year, the Demon King of Incarceration had been unable to observe Giabe City. The dream Noir Giabe had crafted and maintained was so insr that even he could not easily peer into it. Even though the Demoneye of Divine Glory had been used to construct the dream, ironically, the bestower of the Demoneye had been unable to interfere. Noir Giabe had thoroughly controlled both the Demoneye of Divine Glory and the Demon King of Incarceration, using the power of the Demoneye while stubbornly refusing to ept any of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s dark power. "It had been quite difficult for me to imagine your death,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. Of course, had he refused, Noir could not have used the Demoneye of Divine Glory. But he had not refused. He had let Noir Giabe have her way, recklessly using the powers of an emperor, a Demon King, without even being asked. Was it because she was Helmuth''s highest taxpayer? Was it because she was a duke? Because of her distinguished services three hundred years ago? Any of these could be a reason. But more than anything, the Demon King of Incarceration had not refused because Noir Giabe had been so fervent. She had doggedly pursued a lifelong ambition and likely reached a satisfying conclusion. The Demon King of Incarceration felt slight envy. "Was it for Hamel that you covered the night?" he muttered. He had been unable to observe the dream. Even as it ultimately copsed, the city''s dark power continued to defy the Demon King of Incarceration''s observation until the end. Therefore, the Demon King of Incarceration could not know how Noir Giabe''s dream had evolved and reached its conclusion, how an entity of her stature could die, and how Hamel had managed to deal her a death blow. "Or was it for a deep dream of your own?" he questioned. He could not know the answer. Noir Giabe was dead. She had not made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration, so her soul was not bound to flow to him. Perhaps her very soul had been extinguished. Eugene''s Divine Sword, Levantein, could have incinerated even her soul. "You had quite a rtionship with Noir Giabe,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said. He looked down. From the dark pce, a blurry figure surged up. "Duke Giabe was one of my few patrons," replied Balzac Ludbeth. He was the only surviving one of the Three Mages of Incarceration. "When I was the master of the ck Tower, she donated substantial sums annually, and during my studies in Helmuth, she supported me in many ways,¡± Balzac continued. "I remember. Duke Giabe enjoyed your ideals,¡± the Demon Kingmented. "She did not mock me. She might haveughed, but there was no scorn. You were the same, Your Majesty,¡± Balzac responded. "Did you say you wanted to be a legendary wizard? Someone who would be remembered in history?" The Demon King of Incarceration gave a thin smile. Naturally, the Demon King of Incarceration knew of Balzac''s ideals. Balzac Ludbeth. The Demon King of Incarceration still remembered their first meeting, which had been facilitated by none other than Noir Giabe. He had been a young candidate for the position of the Blue Tower Master, yet for some unknown reason, he left to pursue ck magic in Helmuth instead. His unique background caught the attention of several high-ranking demons of Helmuth. Although many demons offered him pacts, Balzac formed no such alliances with any demon despite his intentions of bing a ck wizard. Indeed, it was nearly impossible for a human to wield dark power without making a pact with a demon. Balzac was no exception. While he rejected contracts with the demons, he wholeheartedly pursued ck magic. He frequented the ck wizard academy, facing disdain yet devouring every scroll and tome on the dark arts. This entricity caught the eye of Noir Giabe. A groundbreaking agreement was made; Noir supported Balzac with dark power alone without binding his soul in return. Yearster, having be a ck wizard, Noir introduced Balzac to the Demon King of Incarceration. "Do you mourn the death of Duke Giabe?" asked the Demon King of Incarceration. "No," Balzac said as he shook his head. "The duke often spoke to me about what death meant. Though our rtionship cooled after I stepped down as the master of the ck Tower, I knew how much she yearned for death and her obsession with Hamel... Eugene Lionheart." Balzac paused and gave a bitter smile. "If she has reached the death she longed for, and it was Eugene Lionheart who delivered it, then surely the duke must have died content. Such a death is more suited to blessings than mourning,¡± he said. "That''s a very you answer," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a slight smile and a nod. "Achieving one''s ideals, lifelong desires, or deepest wishes is no easy task, especially if they are almost unimaginable. How about you?" "My own deepest wish is very simr. It is difficult to imagine it achieved,¡± responded Balzac. "Do you consider it impossible?" asked the Demon King of Incarceration. "I am doing my best... desperately. But, it seems impossible,¡± answered Balzac. "If you wish, I could dissolve the contract,¡± said the Demon King. Balzac flinched at the suggestion. "That might bring you closer to your deepest wish. If you could overthrow those who will rise to this ce soon... heh, it would be nothing short of legendary, but that''s impossible,¡± said the Demon King. "You jest cruelly, Your Majesty," Balzac said with a wry smile, shaking his head. "I will gratefully ept just your words. As you have said, Your Majesty, it is impossible for me to defeat Eugene Lionheart, Sienna Merdein, and Kristina Rogeris. However, I believe the opposite is also true,¡± said Balzac. "The opposite," mused the Demon King of Incarceration. "If I were to dissolve our contract, I would be just an ordinary wizard. What could I aplish then?" questioned Balzac. "You might join forces with Sienna Merdein, whom you admire, to strike at me,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration suggested. "Ha.... Your Majesty. If that were to happen, my ideal would turn into your defeat. That truly is unimaginable. It is impossible. I cannot envisage your defeat,¡± Balzac said. "A ck wizard who betrays the Demon King. Wouldn''t that make for quite a legendary tale?" the Demon King questioned. "If betrayal leads to failure and defeat, then it will only bring ridicule and mockery. In that case, I would rather stake my ideal on Your Majesty,¡± Balzac said staunchly. He bowed deeply as he spoke, "Any enemy that invades here will have to step over my corpse to reach the throne." "You are free to flee,¡± said the Demon King. "How could I run away and abandon the lord I serve?" Balzac asked. "You are not so loyal to me,¡± the Demon King retorted. "There is a desire thatpels my loyalty,¡± Balzac answered. "A desire," the Demon King of Incarceration mused, looking down at Balzac and letting out a small chuckle. "What do you wish for?" "If I die, please take my soul. Allow me to see the end with you,¡± Balzac requested. "You do not wish for annihtion?¡± the Demon King asked. "Which being would wish for annihtion?" said Balzac. "It is not a difficult wish,¡± the Demon King responded. A soul pact had already been made. Even if Balzac were to die, his soul would return to the Demon King of Incarceration. The only exception was if he met his end with the Divine Sword that could incinerate even souls. But here in Babel, any soul that entered was imed by the Demon King of Incarceration. Even if the Divine Sword turned Balzac¡¯s body and soul to ash, Babel would gather even the ashes. "Granted," the Demon King of Incarceration said, closing his eyes in response. "Balzac Ludbeth, you may die here in Babel." "Yes." Pleased with the response, Balzac smiled contentedly and bowed even deeper. "I shall indeed die here." Chapter 569: The Holy See (1)

Chapter 569: The Holy See (1)

A dining table was surrounded by a cozy warmth. The dishes being served were an ordinary loaf of bread, some homemade soup, thick strips of bacon, and fried eggs. Steamed or baked potatoes were piled up in a separate basket. ¡°Ah,¡± Eugene let out a sigh. As he was putting some bacon and a fried egg onto a slice of bread, he suddenly realized something. ¡°So this is just a dream,¡± he muttered to himself. He turned to look in the direction that a rattling sound wasing from. A woman wearing loose house clothes with an apron pulled on top was standing in the kitchen. He knew what she was doing. She was grinding her coffee beans to make herself some coffee. Eugene didn¡¯t enjoy drinking coffee enough to have the patience for such an onerous task. He knew that she should also feel the same way. However, as part of a quiet and leisurely daily life, even cumbersome tasks like those could be a pleasure. Eugene silentlyid down the fork he was holding. Then he tilted his chair backward and was lost in thought for a few moments. How long had this dream been going on for? It seemed to havested quite a long time. He wondered just what he had been doing before finally realizing that this was all a dream. Just what kind of life had he been living out in this dream? He was able to recall the answers to these questions very quickly. It seemed that he had just... lived a normal and peaceful life. And for quite some time at that. With a wry grin, Eugene got to his feet. Thud. The chair fell backward. ¡°You¡¯re not the one showing me this dream, right?¡± Eugene asked, even though he already knew the answer to that. He didn¡¯t receive any response. The rattling sound had also stopped at some point. ¡°Like I thought,¡± Eugene shook his head as he walked to the kitchen. The figure of the woman with her back turned towards him grew blurry. Without any hesitation, Eugene stretched out his hand. As with all lucid dreams that aren¡¯t controlled by someone else, Eugene¡¯s dream followed his wishes. The woman turned and looked at Eugene. ¡°I have to say, I really didn¡¯t want to dream about this,¡± Eugene muttered to himself while staring at Noir¡¯s face, which had a faint smile on it. This wasn¡¯t a dream that Noir had created for him. The remaining fragments of emotions that he felt towards her had shaped this dream all on their own. Just like the dream Noir, Eugene smiled faintly as he stretched out his other hand as well. He could see a ring on his ring finger. Noir, who was just standing there nkly with a smile, was also wearing an identical ring on her ring finger. This was just that sort of dream. Without a pause, Eugene clenched his outstretched hand. The sceneid out in front of him crumpled up around his grip like a piece of paper. It kept shrinking smaller and smaller until itpletely disappeared. In the ckness left by the dream¡¯s departure, Eugene closed his eyes. ~ When he opened his eyes again, the dream space was no longer inplete darkness. Countless small lights were illuminating his dream. Eugene could hear voicesing from each of these small lights. They were calling out his name. While sensing all of these voices and the different sources of faith that were connected to him, Eugene let out a wry smile. ¡°Was I really still dreaming even though they were being this noisy and distracting?¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he walked towards the light. ¡°It seems that her curse worked all too well.¡± A bright light engulfed Eugene. ~ ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Until just now, all that Eugene could see was a dazzling white light, but when he actually opened his eyes, the light he saw was very dim, washed-out, and gentle. A pale, orange-colored light that wasn¡¯t all that bright. It was the light that could onlye from a nightmp ced next to a bed. ¡°Kyaaaaaaaaah!¡± Another thing that Eugene noticed was that it was extremely, extremely noisy. This sound wasn¡¯ting from just one person. This was the sound of two people screaming at the tops of their lungs. It was so loud that, for a moment, Eugene missed the quiet and peaceful dream he had just been having, and he felt like he wanted to go back there. It felt as if he had suddenly woken up in the middle of a battlefield, and all of the noise was so loud that it was making his eardrums numb. Soon, Eugene came to his full senses. Even though the light was already so faint, it was still causing his eyes to hurt. They felt sore and hot as if a beam of light was being shone directly onto his corneas. He reflexively tried to close his eyes once more, but even doing that was so ufortable that his body wasn¡¯t able to obey his thoughts. He had only opened his eyes for a few moments, but his eyeballs seemed to have instantly dried up, and his eyelids felt stiff. ¡°Ah...,¡± Eugene groaned. His lips and the inside of his mouth didn¡¯t feel too dry to speak, but the voice that emerged sounded cracked and stuffy. His body''s responsiveness was also very slow. As Eugene tried speaking a few more times, turning his body, and rolling his dry eyes, the loud screaminging from next to him continued with intermittent pauses. ¡°Hey, hey,¡± Eugene let out a deep groan as he turned his head toward the source of the two different screams. The lighting might be dim, but it was still enough to make out their faces. Right next to his bed, Eugene saw Mer and Raimira screaming while hugging each other. And they weren¡¯t just screaming. He didn¡¯t know the reason for it, but both of them were shedding thick streams of tears. ¡°Sir Eugene has opened his eyes!¡± ¡°B-benefactor is alive!¡± It seemed that they weren¡¯t crying out of sorrow or grief but because they were feeling so joyful. For now, Eugene felt that he needed to calm them down, but the moment he opened his lips to say those words, the two kids leaped onto Eugene¡¯s bed at the same time. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± ¡°Benefactor!¡± ¡°Cough¡ª!¡± Right at the moment when he was about to speak, Mer¡¯s head mmed into his sr plexus. It was such an effective and damaging blow that it was difficult to determine whether it was truly an act done out of concern and affection, or whether it was actually an attack aimed with clear hostile intent. The timing was certainly urate, but it had been able to strike so painfully and heavily because most of Eugene¡¯s senses felt strangely awkward and dull. His arm was also hurting him. Raimira, who had horns on her head, thankfully hadn¡¯t mmed headfirst into him as Mer had, but she was instead holding onto Eugene¡¯s arm and eagerly rubbing her forehead against him. Eugene felt like he knew why his body felt so heavy and sore. Barely managing to catch his faltering breath, Eugene slowly squeezed out a question, ¡°How many days has it been since I fell asleep?¡± Mer, who had driven her head into his sr plexus and was now violently drilling her head into him, finally raised her head. ¡°How many... how many days?¡± Mer slowly repeated herself. ¡°Just now, did you really ask how many days it¡¯s been?¡± ¡°Ah...,¡± Eugene took a deep breath before continuing. ¡°Ahem, well, it seems like it hasn¡¯t just been a few days. It looks like I might have been asleep for quite some time¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s been three months!¡± Mer let out a shout. ¡°Three months! Three whole months! If we just count it by the days, you¡¯ve been lying there asleep for almost a hundred days now!¡± ¡°M-Mer, to be more precise, Benefactor has finally opened his eyes after only ny-three days,¡± Raimira gently corrected her. ¡°What¡¯s the difference between ny-three and a hundred!¡± Mer angrily roared back. ¡°It¡¯s a difference of a week,¡± Raimira pointed out. ¡°Also, I don¡¯t think that it¡¯s a good idea to shout so loudly at Benefactor, who has miraculously woken up after being asleep for ny-three days.¡± Mer hissed back at her, ¡°You vile thing! I¡¯ve told you before, don¡¯t take advantage of moments like these to win over Sir Eugene! Right now, Sir Eugene needs to be scolded!¡± Then, just like they usually did, Mer and Raimira both grabbed onto each other¡¯s hair and started squabbling. But Eugene couldn¡¯t spare even a single thought towards mediating their argument. His lips half-parted as he blinked his eyes in shock. ¡°Three... three months? I was actually asleep for ny-three days?¡± Eugene mumbled in disbelief. He had gotten the feeling that he had been in the dream for quite a long time. However, the passage of time in a dream flowed differently from the way time did in reality. Eugene could never have even imagined that he would be asleep for so long. ~ ¡ªI¡¯m just fainting. I might be out for a few days... maybe even a week. ¡ªDon¡¯t try to wake me if I sleep for too long. If you''re really worried, tell my Holy Knights and Kristina and Anise to pray. That should do it. ~ ¡°Why didn¡¯t you wake me up?!¡± Eugene shouted in his hoarse voice. He definitely remembered what he had said to Sienna before passing out in Giabe City, but there was no way she would pay attention to something like that. And there were degrees to everything. If someone had been unconscious for three months, wasn¡¯t it necessary to do whatever it took to wake him up? Regardless of whether he had said not to wake him, if he had been unconscious for that long, shouldn¡¯t they have resorted to other measures by now? ¡°We did try to wake you up,¡± a dull, subdued voice was heard from the other side of his bed. Eugene found this gloomy voice so frightening, even for him, that his shoulders couldn¡¯t help but shudder in shock. ¡°We tried to wake you up over and over again,¡± the voice exined. ¡°Every day, we spoke into your ear, Sir Eugene. We¡¯ve also tried several times to shake you as hard as we could without doing any damage to your body.¡± Eugene held his tongue. The voice continued, ¡°Naturally, we also prayed to you every day. It wasn¡¯t just us either, all of the Holy Knights ordained by you, Sir Eugene, joined in our prayers. Since even that didn¡¯t seem to be enough, we even requested all of the people of the continent who believed in you to pray for you despite not having been baptized by you.¡± ¡°Well... ahem,¡± Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat. ¡°We even tried using several more proactive measures. Lady Sienna created several new magic spells in order to wake you up, and we also attempted to delve into your mind, Sir Eugene. Perhaps in an attempt to recreate what happened in the South Seas, Ciel would hold on tightly to your hand while repeatedly groaning in effort. And apart from her, all the other Lionhearts have also spent time lingering by your side,¡± the voice sighed. Eugene coughed as he tried to defend himself, ¡°Ah-ahem, well, in any case, I didn¡¯t wake up isn¡¯t because I didn¡¯t want to¡ª¡± Before he could even finish his fumbling excuse, Kristina shook her head and cut Eugene short, saying, ¡°I know that.¡± In an unsteady gait, Kristina slowly approached Eugene. He could see that her shoulders, cheeks, and eyes were shaking with unshed tears. Kristina admitted in a tearful voice, ¡°Lady Anise and I were the most... no, we can¡¯t say that we were the most concerned about you. Everyone was worried about you, Sir Eugene. Everyone sincerely wished for you to wake up in good health.¡± Eugene wasn¡¯t sure what to say. ¡°And thankfully, you have woken up,¡± Kristina sniffed as she slowly drew closer and closer. He didn¡¯t know if it was because she had shot them a subtle gaze or if they had chosen to show some tact all by themselves, but Mer and Raimira, who had been clinging to Eugene, quickly got off the bed. Once she reached the side of his bed, Kristina practically threw herself into Eugene¡¯s arms. ¡°We¡¯re so very thankful that you woke up safely,¡± Kristina murmured into Eugene¡¯s chest. Eugene had been unconscious for three whole months. Although he hadn¡¯t died, he was just lying there in a state no different from death. Moreover, as the Saints had also lost consciousness before Eugene had fainted, they must have been even more worried about Eugene when he continued to stay unconscious after they had already woken up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Eugene said as he raised one hand to stroke Kristina on the head. Then he grunted as he btedly realized something, ¡°Ah.¡± His left arm, which had been severed during his battle with Noir, was perfectly reattached. Even though it had been reattached after being severed in battle, the nerves seemed to have been connected seamlessly, as his arm felt as if it had never even been cut off. Eugene didn¡¯t feel any difort even as he tried to move his fingers. ¡°So you¡¯ve finally noticed it, Hamel,¡± the Saint murmured in response to his gasp. The way she called him had changed. Her head, which was buried into his chest, lifted as Anise looked up at him with narrowed eyes. Anise ran her fingers down both sides of Eugene¡¯s chest as she whispered, ¡°Although reattaching a severed arm had be amon and familiar practice for me three hundred years ago, this was my first time doing it in this era. Perhaps due to that, I can¡¯t help but feel a slight concern. Do you feel any difort when moving it?¡± ¡°My arm seems fine, but my body doesn¡¯t feel all that well,¡± Eugene honestly reported. ¡°My eyes are also sore and it¡¯s hard for me to speak. And I¡¯ve developed such a clear sensitivity to the movements of my internal organs that it¡¯s giving me the creeps.¡± Anise shrugged, ¡°We did our best to care for you, but since you¡¯re waking up after three months of constant sleep, that can¡¯t be helped. Don¡¯t you feel hungry?¡± Eugene answered vaguely, ¡°I do feel kind of hungry, but at the same time, not really.... My sense of hunger seems muted.¡± ¡°You were in no condition to eat. After all, it was impossible for you to swallow your food, let alone chew it. I even considered chewing your food myself, passing it into your mouth, and helping you swallow it,¡± Anise said thoughtfully as the fingers tracing Eugene¡¯s ribs started tapping on his skin like she was ying the piano. As she did this, her fingers slowly began to move upwards. Her hand movements were so subtle that Eugene didn¡¯t even feel ticklish due to them. Eugene swallowed a gulp as he stared at Anise with a look of fear in his eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that,¡± Anise huffed. ¡°I did consider that method, but we never actually ended up using it. While you were unconscious, the nutrients that you needed were delivered directly into your body using magic. Along with all your medications. And as for your excretions....¡± Eugene paled, ¡°No way, you didn¡¯t....¡± Anise rolled her eyes, ¡°Don¡¯t let your imagination get out of control. No one even had to take your pants off. All of that was also, quite conveniently, handled by magic.¡± When she said the word ¡®conveniently,¡¯ Anise¡¯s brow seemed to furrow slightly. Why did it seem like she couldn¡¯t help but feel some kind of regret...? Eugene was reminded of that time in the past when he was left unable to move his body after using Ignition. He didn¡¯t know if it was just her mood, but Kristina had seemed to secretly enjoy the situation of caring for Eugene while he was in pain. ¡°However, no matter how convenient and amazing that spell might be, it seems that it still has its limits. It might be because you haven¡¯t been able to eat properly for the past three months, Hamel, but I can see that you¡¯ve gotten a little thinner,¡± Anise observed. ¡°I do feel like my arms have gotten a little less thick...,¡± Eugene muttered in agreement. ¡°It¡¯s not just your arms; your whole body has been reduced in size. Well, since you are in good health, all of that should return soon. Your muscles, I mean. However, what about your mind?¡± Anise asked in concern. Her fingers, which were tracing the sharp lines of his ribs and his slightly thinned chest muscles, suddenly came to a halt. Clink. Anise¡¯s fingers had rubbed against the pair of rings that were hanging on his ne. ¡°Are you truly sure that your mind is in good health?¡± Anise asked in concern. ¡°My mind?¡± Eugene repeated quizzically. Anise reminded him, ¡°Kristina should have already told you, Hamel. While you were asleep, Sienna tried to enter your mind several times. Of course, we also attempted to do the same thing. After all, awakening and healing wounded or broken minds is also within the realm of holy magic.¡± Eugene listened silently. ¡°However, neither I, Kristina, nor Sienna could dive into your mind,¡± Anise revealed. ¡°Your unconscious mind was able to strongly reject any such intrusion.¡± Anise¡¯s expression changed. She shifted between looking at Eugene and his ne with a sorrowful look in her eyes. ¡°Were you in a dream?¡± Anise asked. ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene grunted in confirmation. Anise nodded, ¡°And were you so immersed in your dream that you didn¡¯t want to wake up?¡± ¡°That might have been the reason for it,¡± Eugene said with a shrug. Anise raised an eyebrow, ¡°What¡¯s with that vague response?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only recently that I realized it was a dream,¡± Eugene exined with a faint smile as he ced his hand over Anise¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve also had that kind of a dream at some point in your life. Sometimes, we dream about things that we desire, but at other times, we are forced to dream about things that we don¡¯t want, things that we hate, and things that we don¡¯t actually want to dream about.¡± It was Anise¡¯s turn to listen silently. Eugene shook his head as he said, ¡°It¡¯s not that I didn¡¯t want to wake up. It¡¯s just... that it took me a while toe to my senses, and there were various factors that had left my body in a not-so-great condition.¡± After some thought, Anise cleared her throat, ¡°Ahem. Allow me to be clear, Hamel. Your physical condition wasn¡¯t just bad; it was extremely dire. One arm was severed, you had barely any bones that weren¡¯t broken, and the same was true of your internal organs. And then there were the problems with your mind.¡± ¡°But I¡¯m perfectly healthy now, aren¡¯t I?¡± Eugene confirmed. ¡°Yes, Kristina and I both worked very hard to restore your body. If you had had any divine power left within you, you would have been able to recover on your own, but three months ago, your divine power was in a sealed state. If Saints like us weren¡¯t around, you would have missed the best chance to reattach your arm, so you would have had to go without your left arm for the rest of your life.¡± ¡°If that had happened, it would have been quite the challenge,¡± Eugene mused. ¡°Could I have at least gotten a prosthetic arm...? Or perhaps I could have strapped Levantein onto the stump to serve as an arm?¡± ¡°Looking at the quality of Narisa¡¯s[1] prosthetic leg, such a prosthetic would be somewhat serviceable for daily life, but it would be impossible for you to have fought with it,¡± Anisemented. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Eugene agreed. ¡°Krisitna, Anise, thanks to you two, my arm was reattached in perfect condition.¡± Anise couldn¡¯t help but smile at the way he immediately began to tter her without any sense of shame. She gently shook off Eugene¡¯s hand, which was still holding on to hers, and got off the bed. ¡°By the way,¡± Eugene let out a cough as he turned to look at his surroundings. ¡°Where exactly is this? This doesn¡¯t look like my room.¡± ¡°We are in Yuras,¡± Anise answered him. ¡°Yu... Yuras? That Yuras?¡± Eugen asked in disbelief. ¡°To be more precise, we are currently located in the Holy See, which is situated in Yurasia, the capital city of Yuras,¡± Anise further borated. Eugene blinked in surprise, ¡°What am I doing here?¡± ¡°It isn¡¯t just you, Hamel. The entiremand structure of your Divine Army, including all of the Holy Knights you ordained, is currently residing in the Holy See.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene yelped in shock. Anise informed him, ¡°The rest of your Divine Army is stationed in the border region between Yuras and Helmuth.¡± Unable to think of anything to say, Eugene could only p his lips soundlessly. He took a few moments to gather his thoughts. ¡°Why?¡± Eugene eventually asked, unable to sort out andprehend all of the information that he had just been given. In response, Anise just clicked her tongue and furrowed her brow impatiently, ¡°You were unconscious for three whole months, Hamel.¡± Eugene weakly protested, ¡°To be more precise, it¡¯s ny-three¡ª¡± Anise spoke over him, ¡°In those three months, Helmuth ¡ª no, Pandemonium, has gone into a full state of war.¡± This was no time to be lying down. Eugene quickly leaped up out of bed. 1. Just a reminder, this is the one-legged elf that Eugene met when he first arrived in the Samar Rainforest. ? Chapter 570: The Holy See (2)

Chapter 570: The Holy See (2)

ording to Vermouth¡¯s predictions, the deadline he had given Eugene would arrive within a year. Eugene naturally had no intention of leaving things right until the end of that year. There was no definite time set for the deadline, as Vermouth¡¯s prediction was solely based on how long he felt he would be able to endure. But, to put it simply, the Demon King of Destruction was expected to escape Vermouth¡¯s suppression and wake up on its own within the year. What would happen then? Would the Nur proliferate on arge scale like they had during the Age of Myth? Or would the Demon King of Destruction manifest directly and wipe away the world, just like he had during thest days of the previous era? Eugene hoped that it would be the former. If the Demon King of Destruction manifested directly, there would be far too little time left for them to do anything to avert it. In the case of the former oue, it might not be much, but it would at least buy them a little more time. However, before all that, they still needed to climb up Babel in order to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. If they wanted to reach their final goal of saving Vermouth and ying the Demon King of Destruction, they first had to ovee the challenge of the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet even with all that in mind, it was still impossible for them to simply rush to attack the Demon King of Incarceration. But the problem with waiting to make a n was that Eugene had been in aa for the past three months. ¡°A deration of war...,¡± Eugene groaned as he held his throbbing head. He had already heard the news from Anise. A month ago, the Demon King of Incarceration had announced the start of the war. If this were in the past, it would have been Gavid Lindman who had made the announcement in his role as the Archduke of Helmuth instead of the Demon King of Incarceration himself, but Gavid Lindman had already died at Eugene¡¯s hand. That said, the Demon King of Incarceration still hadn¡¯t appeared in person to make this announcement. Instead, the one who stepped forward to do so was the former Tower Master of the ck Tower of Magic, Balzac Ludbeth. Amelia Merwin had already fallen into a state beyond any possibility of recovery, so of the Three Mages of Incarceration, Balzac was the only one left who was currently still alive and well. So when Balzac Ludbeth reappeared, it made sense that it would be as the emissary of the Demon King of Incarceration. A month ago, all of the screens installed within Helmuth suddenly turned on by themselves and began broadcasting Balzac¡¯s figure. Balzac had informed the city¡¯s residents that the Oath from three hundred years ago had finally expired. Soon, elite warriors from every nation on the continent would be invading Helmuth. As such, all of the demonfolk who wished to partake in this war would need to gather at Babel. Helmuth had no intention of avoiding this war. Having betrayed the Demon King¡¯s mercy, the ungrateful humans would soon be making their way to Pandemonium to challenge the climb up through Babel. There, they would meet their deaths in Babel. That was a basic summary of what Balzac had announced in his role as the emissary of the Demon King of Incarceration. The very first thing that was arranged after this deration had been given was the mass evacuation of all non-demonfolk immigrants who had been living in Pandemonium. ¡®Even though I thought that they would keep the humans as hostages,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself in surprise. Though on second thought, it didn¡¯t seem all that unexpected, as the Demon King Of Incarceration wasn¡¯t the type to use Helmuth¡¯s immigrants as hostages. Shortly after this extreme evacuation policy had been implemented, Pandemonium, as befitting of its name, had descended into a frenzy of war-lust. This was all thanks to the fact that the city was now solely upied by savage demonfolk with cravings for war. Then, a week before today, Pandemonium had begun to move towards the frontlines of Helmuth. ¡°After Helmuth dered a state of war, all nations across the continent immediately began entering their own war preparations,¡± Anise reported. ¡°Each country began mustering its elite forces and mercenaries, then deployed them onto their border with Yuras, as this is the closest nation to Pandemonium. All of your Holy Knights also began gathering here, quickly arriving at the Holy See¡ª¡± ¡°Hold on, just hold on for a second,¡± Eugene suddenly raised his hands to stop Anise from continuing to speak. He had been trying to listen patiently until the end of Anise¡¯s exnation, but he couldn¡¯t help but interrupt her, ¡°There¡¯s something that I don¡¯t quite understand. Did you say that Pandemonium has moved towards the frontlines of Helmuth...? And that¡¯s why the other nations have deployed their troops on Yuras¡¯ borders?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anise said as she nodded in confirmation. ¡°No... just what on earth does that even mean? How on earth... does a city like Pandemonium even move?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. He just couldn¡¯t understand what Anise meant by those words. The city of Pandemonium stood at the very heart of Helmuth. In the first ce, three hundred years ago, the Empire of Helmuth had been founded with Babel at its center and had then proceeded to spread outwards across the Red ins that surrounded the castle. The current Pandemonium might be seen as such a highly developed city that no other capital city of any other nation could evenpare to it, but three hundred years ago, all there was where the city now stood were the blood-red ins that the desperate armies of mankind had been forced to march across while risking death with every step they took. ¡°I meant it in a literal way,¡± Anise stated with a serious look on her face. Anise knew that Eugene¡¯s confusion at this news was something that couldn¡¯t be helped. Even Anise herself, who was currently giving him this report, had had no choice but to react in a simr fashion a week ago after personally witnessing the sight of Pandemonium in motion. ¡°Rather than trying to exin it through words, it would be quicker for you to see it for yourself,¡± Anise said with a sigh as she walked over to the window. When Eugene, who had been unconscious for nearly a hundred days, had first woken up, any overly bright sources of light would have been enough to damage his eyes. That was why Eugene¡¯s room had been dimly lit with only faint sources of light for illumination. However, it wasn¡¯t like the room he was in was devoid of windows. Anise pulled back the thick curtains and, seeming to decide that alone wasn¡¯t enough, she also pulled aside the screens that usually covered the windows. ¡°Aargh, the light is burning my eyes,¡± Eugeneined. ¡°If you lose your sight, then allow me to serve as your eyes,¡± Anise offered generously. ¡°No, you can just heal them, remember,¡± Eugene reminded her bluntly. ¡°To think that that would be your reaction to such romantic whispers,¡± Anise grumbled as she threw open the ss windows themselves. The bright sunlight instantly illuminated the entire room. Eugene¡¯s eyes were stinging and sore from the light, but after blinking a few times, he soon got used to it. Looking at the angle of the sun, he realized that it was already noon. Just as this thought went through his head, Eugene spotted something in the distance, ¡°What is that?¡± Eugene¡¯s voice couldn¡¯t help but tremble slightly. He walked over to the window on unsteady legs. Then he held onto the window frame with his hands as he stuck his head further out the window for a better look. ¡°Do you understand what I meant now?¡± Anise asked sympathetically. The target of Eugene¡¯s observation was at a considerable distance. They were in the Holy See, the center of the capital city of Yuras, so they were located quite far from the country¡¯s border with Helmuth. However, even from this distance, that thing could still be seen as a faint dot in the sky. But how could Eugene ever mistake its appearance, even from this distance? Three hundred years ago, he had repeatedly red up at that very castle. Eugene was carried back to the Battle of the Red ins. He recalled the moment when they had raced across that battlefield to reach Babel. All the while, they had been shing with the ck Fog that wasmanded by Gavid. At that moment, as the ground was stained with thebined blood of the demonfolk and the death-sworn human army, the Red ins had truly resembled their name. When the battle was over, everyone had been left ring up at the castle that loomed in front of them. ¡°Babel,¡± Eugene muttered its name darkly. Babel was currently floating high in the sky. Its appearance waspletely different from what it had been in Pandemonium. It was no longer shaped like a ny-nine-storeys high-rise. Instead, its current appearance was what it had originally looked like three hundred years ago ¡ª a dark and gloomy-looking castle that seemed to be a literal representation of its role as the Demon King¡¯s Castle. Just like how, back in the Demon-Dragon Raizakia¡¯s fief, the Dragon-Demon Castle had once floated aloft in the sky, Babel was flying high in the distant sky. ¡°A week ago, the Demon King of Incarceration moved the entire city of Pandemonium to its current location,¡± Anise said as she let out a deep sigh. ¡°That¡¯s... it was a sight that was hard to believe even when seeing it with the naked eye. Pandemonium literally flew through the sky until it arrived at its current location.¡± ¡°Where exactly is the city located now?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Itnded right in front of the Alcarte Parish,¡± Anise replied. The parish was where the borders of Yuras and Helmuth met. Anise further borated, ¡°The only building that is currently left floating in the sky is Babel itself. The rest of Pandemonium wasnded on the ground a week ago.¡± Having been to Alcarte a few times before, Eugene was able to clearly visualize the ce where Pandemonium now stood. Located at the very northern end of Yuras, there was a city named Neran. After passing through the border gate located outside the city and traveling across the wide-open in for several days, one would arrive at Alcarte, the entrance into thend of Helmuth. The ce where Pandemonium had currentlynded was within those ins on the border between Helmuth and Yuras. ¡°Crazy bastard,¡± Eugene muttered with a derisive snort. Was the Demon King trying to save Eugene the trouble of having to walk across the whole of Helmuth to reach him? Or perhaps... did the Demon King intend to end the war personally by arriving at the frontlines of Helmuth like this? Either way, this definitely sounded like something that the Demon King of Incarceration would do. In any case, if Eugene were to be defeated by the Demon King of Incarceration when they met in Babel, the Demon King would immediatelyunch an invasion of the continent, just like he had done three hundred years ago. That might have been another reason why the city of Pandemonium itself had been moved to the front lines. ¡°They may have made their deration, but not all demonfolk have rallied to Pandemonium,¡± Anise admitted with another long sigh. ¡°The younger demonfolk arepletely uninterested in the idea of war. And even amongst the older demonfolk, there seem to be quite a few who are satisfied with their current lives and have no interest in going back to war.¡± ¡°But as time passes, the demonfolk¡¯s numbers will only increase, don¡¯t you think?¡± Eugene growled out as he kept ring at Babel in the distance. Since war hadn¡¯t fully broken out just yet, it didn¡¯t seem like the demonfolk felt any pressing need to head directly to the battlefield. However, the bloodlust of the demonfolk was a core part of their very nature. As time passed, the number of demonfolk gathering in Pandemonium would surely increase. Anise responded, ¡°Even if that is truly the case, we still have the edge when ites to numbers. After all, the birth rate of pure-blooded demonfolk is pretty low.¡± Helmuth might be thergest and most powerful empire on the continent, butpared to its vast territory, the proportion of the poption who were pure-blooded demonfolk wasn¡¯t all that high. This was because most demonfolk had a lifespan that was too long and a very vague attachment to the concept of a rtionship between parents and children. By this point, the number of human immigrants residing in Helmuth had far surpassed the number of demonfolk. Of course, no matter how small the number of pure-blooded demonfolk was, when one took into consideration the difference in strength between the demonfolk and humans, Helmuth¡¯s military power wasn¡¯t at a level that could be easily ignored. Even if the elite forces from every country on the continent were to gather here, they still wouldn''t possess all thatrge of an advantage in a contest of strength with Helmuth. In fact, the biggest problem was still the Demon King of Incarceration. No matter how many allied troops there were or how small Helmuth¡¯s military forces were, all of that was meaninglesspared to the power of the Demon King of Incarceration. Simply put, the oue of this war fully depended on when the Demon King of Incarceration would be defeated. The longer this war went on, the more demonfolk would be drawn to Pandemonium from all across Helmuth. Even the demonfolk who held no desire to involve themselves in the war would be drawn to the battlefield by the scent of blood and forced to sumb to their instincts. ¡°So it¡¯s lucky that he brought the frontline right to us,¡± Eugene muttered as he closed the windows. If Pandemonium and Babel had stayed right where they were, it would have been a pain in the ass just getting there. After all, it would have been impossible to use the warp-gates between countries while everyone was on a war footing. ¡°By the way,¡± Eugene said as he frowned while turning towards Anise, ¡°did you just say that bastard Balzac appeared in front of everyone as the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s emissary?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Anise confirmed. Eugene¡¯s frown deepened. ¡°Why would he do that?¡± ¡°How would I know?¡± Anise said with a shrug. ¡°I presume that he just took up the vacant position of the Staff of Incarceration.¡± ¡°But at this point in time?¡± Eugene questioned in disbelief. ¡°Wasn¡¯t it you, Hamel, who said that we shouldn¡¯t consider such a suspicious ck wizard to be our ally?¡± Anise pointed out. ¡°That might be true, but I never suspected that he would actually attach himself to the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Eugene sighed. In all the battles that Balzac had involved himself in thus far, he had served as Eugene¡¯s ally on every asion. Although he had never seemed all that trustworthy, Balzac had never once actually attempted to betray them. This had even led Eugene to ponder a certain possibility. What if Balzac was actually nning to betray the Demon King of Incarceration? However, in the end, things still turned out like this. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not really in a position where he could betray the Demon King, even if he wanted to,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. In Samar and Nahama, Balzac had made himself the enemy of the previous Staffs of Incarceration. But, for some reason, the Demon King of Incarceration himself hadn¡¯t seen fit toy down any punishment on Balzac for doing so. Despite all that, in the end, Balzac was still a ck wizard who was bound by a contract to the Demon King of Incarceration. If his contracted partner had been just another low-level demonfolk, then it might have been possible for the ck wizard to use his wits to usurp control of the contract, but such tactics would never work against a Demon King. As such, this meant that Balzac would never be able to betray the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®That said, to think that he would actually end up acting as the emissary of the Demon King of Incarceration,¡¯ Eugene shook his head. Both Gavid and Noir had already perished. The other two members of Incarceration''s Three Mages had also fallen. As a result, Balzac naturally became the sole subordinate of any significance to the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®Was that his goal all along?¡¯ Eugene thought suspiciously. Considering that Balzac had helped to defeat the other two ck wizards contracted to the Demon King, such a possibility wasn¡¯t entirely unlikely, but... from what Eugene had seen of Balzac, the wizard didn¡¯t seem to possess any ambitions for things such as power. That said, Balzac also didn¡¯t seem to desire the outbreak of a war like the other high-ranking ck wizards and demonfolk of Helmuth had. Balzac¡¯s true pursuit was the fulfillment of his lifelong dream. He wanted to be a legendary wizard, someone whose name would go down in history. ¡°There¡¯s no way he could be nning on bing a legendary wizard by killing either me or Sienna, right?¡± Eugene questioned doubtfully. If that was the case, then Balzac was truly a fool. Eugene sincerely believed this proposition. No matter what techniques Balzac might use, it was impossible for him to inflict any serious harm on either Eugene or Sienna. Then, just what kind of scheme could he really be up to? Eugene didn¡¯t have any clue as to what kind of n Balzac might be brewing up, but if they did encounter Balzac as they climbed up Babel, and if Balzac truly did choose to stand in their way as an enemy, then.... Eugene would destroy him without any hesitation. Sienna would also do the same. Whether they met Balzac in Babel or on another battlefield, if he truly did turn out to be their enemy, they would definitely take his life and thus crush his dream of wanting to be a legendary wizard into nothingness. ¡°But where is Sienna?¡± Eugene suddenly asked. Anise nced at a clock, ¡°At this time, she should be instructing the Divine Army¡¯s magic corps.¡± ¡°That¡¯s...,¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°there¡¯s something that I¡¯ve been meaning to ask you for a while now, but I got distracted. And I really am just asking because I truly don¡¯t know the answer, but why exactly are we calling it my Divine Army?¡± ¡°It¡¯s only natural, Hamel,¡± Anise said with a smile. ¡°After all, you¡¯re the one who will be leading this army as its Commander in Chief.¡± Eugene¡¯s eyes fluttered in shock as he was met with this calm response. Anise shook her head slowly as she said, ¡°Hamel, haven¡¯t you realized yet? You are the God Emperor of the Holy Empire of Yuras, the Speaker for the Allied Powers, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army.¡± ¡°And who went and decided all that?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°It was agreed upon by the leaders of all the Allied Powers. And who asked you to go and put yourself in an unresponsive state for three whole months?¡± Anise scoffed. ¡°It¡¯s not like I was unconscious because I wanted to be¡ª!¡± Eugene erupted before asking with a frown, ¡°Also, what was that about a God Emperor?¡± ¡°Yuras is a theocracy that worships the Light, and the Pope is, at its core, the leader of the church. Meanwhile you, Hamel, are the one who was chosen by the Light and entrusted with its divinity. So isn¡¯t it only right for him to concede the rulership of Yuras to you?¡± Anise asked as if she was only stating the obvious. Eugene was left speechless. Anise continued, ¡°Since you¡¯ve already taken up the Godhood of the Light, what¡¯s so difficult about bing Yuras¡¯ God Emperor as well?¡± ¡°I... I already told you that I didn¡¯t want to be some sort of king¡ª!¡± Eugene protested weakly. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. You¡¯ll only be an emperor in name. The Pope will continue to handle all of the government affairs as he had done up to this point. And even though you are the Speaker for the Allied Forces and the Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army, no one actually expects you to manage either the alliance or the Divine Army,¡± Anise revealed with a snort. Although Eugene himself had said that he didn¡¯t want to do it, after hearing her say something like that, he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little offended. ¡°Why not?¡± Eugene demanded in a hurt tone. ¡°I might have some unrevealed talent for kingship that even I don¡¯t know about.¡± ¡°No way, Hamel, are you seriously saying that? I can also admit that you do possess some charisma to a certain extent, but to tell the truth, you really don¡¯t have the talent to be a king,¡± Anise shook her head sadly. Eugene silently scowled. ¡°To think that you, someone who always goes running off on your own at the drop of a hat, without any heed for your protection, and who also charges headfirst into battle, would actually believe that you could be a king!¡± Anise gasped in shock. ¡°It¡¯s terrifying just trying to imagine it. Hamel, if you were to be a king, all of the knights and your other subjects would soon be mentally ill from the stress of your leadership.¡± Eugene still couldn¡¯t find a way to deny those words, but after hearing Anise voice such skepticism, each word felt like it was impaling him in the heart. ¡°A king just needs to be brave enough,¡± Eugene muttered petntly. Anise sighed, ¡°Now you¡¯re even saying something that only Molon would say.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re being a bit too harsh?¡± Eugene protested once more. ¡°Then allow me to correct myself,¡± Anise sniffed coldly. ¡°What you said just now was very rude to Molon. After all, Molon at least managed to found his own country and run it smoothly.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t see any way to refute her, so he could only clutch his chest in pain. With a faint hope, he turned to look at Mer and Raimira for help. However, the two of them couldn¡¯t think of any way to defend Eugene either, so they kept their lips shut and avoided his gaze. Although Eugene had naturally expected a turncoat like Mer to react like this, to think that Raimira, who had always taken his side no matter the issue, would also choose to avoid his gaze...! Eugene¡¯s clenched fists trembled in grief and anger. ¡°Hey!¡± a voice suddenly shouted as the window that had only recently been closed burst open. The person who popped her head into the room through the now-open window was Sienna, who was currently supposed to be instructing the magic corps. Sienna looked at Eugene with tear-filled eyes and stammered, ¡°Y-you...! You¡¯ve finally woken up¡ª¡± But before she could fully share her tear-filled joy at his revival, Eugene preempted her by asking, ¡°Hey, between Molon and me, who do you think would be a better king?¡± ¡°What?¡± a stunned Sienna replied. Eugene repeated himself, ¡°Between Molon and me, who would be a better¡ª¡± Sienna angrily cut him off, ¡°You, having finally woken up after three whole months, do you really think those are the words you should be saying to me right now?¡± She didn¡¯t know what conversation they had been having that caused him to ask her that question, but one thing was for certain: this wasn¡¯t the time and ce for Eugene to say such a thing. ¡°Um...,¡± Eugene panicked as he watched the rage flooding Sienna¡¯s tear-filled eyes. After hesitating for a few more seconds, he greeted her with an awkward smile, ¡°...Hello?¡± Bam! Sienna¡¯s fist mmed into Eugene¡¯s cheek. Chapter 571: The Holy See (3)

Chapter 571: The Holy See (3)

¡°I took care of your request,¡± Sienna suddenly said after closing the window behind her. Eugene¡¯s shoulders shook as he was startled while rubbing his stinging cheek. ¡®What he¡¯d requested?¡¯ Eugene suddenly recalled the request he had barely managed to convey in his dazed state just before he fainted in the ruined Giabe City. Sienna continued speaking, ¡°Did you know? I heard that the site the city was built on was originally Iris¡¯ fief and was formerly a forest area where the dark elves lived all by themselves. Isn¡¯t that funny? Even though they are no longer elves, they were still attached to the forest.¡± Eugene listened in silence. ¡°I hate that bitch, Iris, so much that even thinking about her now makes me want to grind my teeth. However, as for the dark elves who followed that bitch, well...,¡± Sienna paused wistfully. ¡°After being transformed into dark elves, their mental states were simrly corrupted. But even so, weren¡¯t there more than a few elves who were forced to transform due to the Demonic Disease or were forcibly transformed after being kidnapped by Iris?¡± ¡°Well... that might be the case,¡± Eugene tentatively nodded. ¡°Also, there were many other elves who died because of Iris.¡± After she finished saying this, Sienna hesitated for a few moments as she nced over to check Eugene¡¯s expression. Just a few minutes ago, she had shouted at him and even pped him, demanding to know just what kind of bullshit he was trying to spout after opening his eyes for the first time in three whole months. However, now, Sienna was ncing over at Eugene like a puppy who had just made a naughty mistake. ¡°So, as a tribute to the victims,¡± Sienna paused once more. Eugene was still staring at Sienna inplete silence. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but feel a little frightened by his continued silence. This was because she knew just how cold-hearted Eugene, who usually appeared so goofy and immature, could be when he was feeling serious or angry. ¡°I turned the whole city into a forest,¡± Sienna quickly blurted out her confession. Eugene silently processed this. ¡°You... I know that you asked me to erase the city, but still, just think about it. If thatrge area ofnd was leftpletely empty, wouldn¡¯t it be a bit, no, very strange? It would probably stand out even more than if you had just left the city where it was. So that¡¯s why I just, well, turned it into a forest,¡± Sienna hesitantly exined. Eugene waited for her to finish. Sienna fidgeted, ¡°Also, umm, naturally, I didn¡¯t erect any graves or tombstones or anything like that. It¡¯s just an ordinary forest. One that¡¯s simr to Samar. There isn¡¯t a single trace of Giabe City left¡ª¡± ¡°Good job.¡± Right when Sienna was about to fall back into stammering excuses, Eugene interrupted her with a grin. Casually waving off her worries with the hand that had previously been rubbing his cheek, Eugene continued speaking, ¡°If you believe that is the better solution, then I¡¯m also okay with it. After all, I¡¯m the one who left everything up to you to handle while I was in aa for three months.¡± It was Sienna¡¯s turn to fall silent. ¡°But thanks for your concern anyway,¡± Eugene said as he got out of his bed. Clink. It was just a small sound. However, Sienna was able to clearly detect the small sound made by the two rings colliding with each other. ncing at the ne that was mostly hidden beneath Eugene¡¯s thin hospital gown, Sienna sighed and said, ¡°This should go without saying, but in regards to my concerns, I don¡¯t have any to spare for Noir Giabe herself. I honestly don¡¯t want to even think of how she died, where she died, or what emotions she was feeling as she died.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s how you should feel,¡± Eugene nodded along. ¡°The only concerns that I, Lady Sienna Merdein, have are for you, Eugene Lionheart,¡± Sienna said firmly. ¡°Anise and Kristina also feel likewise. We ¡ª all of us ¡ª don¡¯t want you to get dragged down by the dream you saw in that city. We don¡¯t want any moment of your future life with us to be spent grieving for that dead bitch. However, we all know that would be impossible. Because your rtionship with her was extremely... extremely deep and colorful.¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene grunted in acknowledgment. ¡°So there will be times when you can¡¯t help but look back at your memories of her, whether it¡¯s because of any regret, lingering emotions, or just a passing dream. During those moments...,¡± Sienna¡¯s lips settled in a pout as she hesitated for a few moments before letting out a deep sigh. She also started absentmindedly twisting a strand of hair around her finger. After a while, she let out another deep sigh, then stretched her arms wide open and embraced Eugene. ¡°If we just left the ce as an empty ruin, it would be far too deste,¡± Sienna imed. ¡°That¡¯s why I made it into a forest. However, it¡¯s also because I happen to like forests. A forest is, well, it¡¯s overflowing with vitality, don¡¯t you know?¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow as he asked, ¡°Is that so?¡± Sienna nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. A forest is packed full of positive energy[1]. The proof of that is how I, Lady Sienna, became such an astounding Archwizard after being born and raised in the forest. And you, Eugene, three hundred years ago, where was it again? I heard that you grew up in the forest on Turas¡¯ border, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Well... that is true,¡± Eugene slowly admitted. Sienna took a deep breath, ¡°Then all we need to do is cover up the depressing memories of the past with the good memories we will make in the future.¡± Squeeze. Sienna¡¯s arms pulled Eugene into an even deeper embrace. ¡°Later, once everything is over, I want to go and live in that forest. Of course, with you by my side.¡± After a short pause, Eugene asked, ¡°Is there a river flowing through the forest?¡± Sienna¡¯s shoulders trembled at the sudden inquiry. She turned to look straight into Eugene¡¯s eyes with a slightly flustered expression before finally clicking her tongue with a ¡®tsk¡¯ as she shook her head. ¡°It seems that damn bitch really showed you all kinds of dreams, didn¡¯t she?¡± Sienna said with a pout. ¡°A river? There isn¡¯t one there yet, but I¡¯ll make one flow through the forestter. I¡¯ll even ensure that the sky above will always be full of stars. And also... also, the positive energy of the forest will be good for our child....¡± As Sienna trailed off in a mutter, Eugene blinked in confusion and asked her, ¡°What did you just say?¡± Sienna¡¯s eyes just shook dizzyingly as she avoided meeting Eugene¡¯s gaze out of embarrassment. Anise had been watching this scene y out with an unsightly look in her eye. She now clicked her tongue in a simr ¡®tsk¡¯ as she muttered, ¡°Did you really say that you want to go and live in a forest without anyone else around? Are you nning on raising a family of woodcutters? Or perhaps Forest Rangers? Sienna, Kristina and I did agree with you raising a forest on that piece ofnd, but we don¡¯t want to live there for the rest of our lives. Though it might be fine to put a holiday vi there.¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong with the forest?¡± Sienna snapped back. Anise just shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s only right for humans to live side by side with other humans. Just look at what happened to you and Hamel. After living alone in the forest, you both ended up with personality defects, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I was raised by the elves!¡¯ Sienna loudly protested. ¡°Elves aren¡¯t humans,¡± Anise calmly pointed out. ¡°So what, Anise, are you saying that you don¡¯t have any personality ws because you lived surrounded by other humans?¡± Sienna challenged sarcastically. Anise shook her head. ¡°No, I admit that my personality has many problematic aspects. But that''s because while I was growing up, my surroundings were filled with pieces of trash, not people. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t allow our future children to go through the same growth processes we did.¡± ¡®Our future children, huh?¡¯ Eugene¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly in surprise at how casually Anise was able to bring up such topics. However, Eugene was also keeping his silence as he couldn¡¯t find a way to refute Anise¡¯s argument. Even Eugene himself had to admit that Hamel, who had lived alone in the forest on the border of Turas after losing his parents, had a mess of a personality. On the other hand, what about Eugene Lionheart? Wasn¡¯t Eugene''s personality, who had grown up in the quiet and peaceful Gidol estate in Kiehl¡¯s countryside, under the loving care of his father Gerhard, a lot better? Hadn¡¯t Hamel¡¯s shitty personality mellowed out greatly after growing up as Eugene? Eugene blinked in realization and said, ¡°Oh that¡¯s right, what about my father?¡± Having finally thought of Gerhard, Eugene was suddenly filled with concern. Before leaving for Giabe City, he had made sure to brief his father on the general situation, but it was only natural for Gerhard to be worried if his son had been in aa for three whole months. ¡°Since you wouldn¡¯t wake up, Kristina and I had to work hard to reassure him you¡¯d be okay,¡± Sienna told Eugene. ¡°I helped as well,¡± Anise chimed in. ¡°Though Sir Gerhard probably thought that I was Kristina.¡± ¡°Sir Gerhard is still back at the main estate,¡± Sienna informed him. ¡°He did show great enthusiasm to y his part in theing war, but it seemed a bit inappropriate for him to pick up a sword and stand on the battlefield at this point, don¡¯t you think?¡± The only ones currently staying at the main estate were Anci, Gerhard, Princess A, the dwarves, and the elves who were still suffering from the Demonic Disease. Apart from them, all those who lived in the main estate, anyone who had shown a willingness to volunteer as support or who was capable of fighting on the battlefield, had assembled at an outpost on the border near Neran. The same situation also applied to the Knights of the ck Lion, who had only left a single unit and their squires to man their station on Kiehl¡¯s southern border. On top of that, the coteral lines had also volunteered their support, so it was no exaggeration to say that the entire military force of the Lionheart n was currently gathered at the outpost near Neran. And it wasn¡¯t just the Lionhearts. All the carefully selected elite forces from across the continent had gathered in Neran. Thanks to all of that, Neran was currently being transformed into the busiest military garrison on the continent. ¡°Except for the general staff, most of the armed forces have been stationed in Neran. And I just returned from Neran, where I was instructing the wizard corps in their training,¡± Sienna revealed. They had yet to inform him of who exactly made up the general staff, but Eugene could make a rough guess about their identities. The group in charge of leading the army had to include the higher-ranking pdins that Eugene had appointed during the Lionhearts¡¯st banquet, the Archwizards of Aroth, and any other Eighth Circle wizards. What Eugene didn¡¯t quite understand was why this general staff had remained in the Vatican. Wouldn¡¯t it have been more efficient for them to have been stationed at Neran as well, which was right on the frontline of theing battle? ¡°It¡¯s because of you, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina, who had suddenly switched ces with Anise, politely folded her hands in front of her as she answered his questions. ¡°After all, wasn¡¯t it possible that someone might try to assassinate you while you were still unconscious? The Demon King of Incarceration most likely would never give such an order, but now that a state of war has been dered, the demonfolk have already been stirred into action. It¡¯s possible that some demonfolk who are blinded by their ambitions might choose to act on their own and try to assassinate you, Sir Eugene.¡± ¡°The Vatican¡¯s defenses are tight, but you never know what could happen,¡± Sienna said as she shrugged. ¡°That is why the general staff have remained stationed here in the Vatican.¡± ¡°In that case, have there been any assassination attempts?¡± Eugene asked curiously. ¡°Weren¡¯t we up to six now?¡± Sienna tilted her head thoughtfully as she turned to look at Kristina for confirmation. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Kristina nodded. Sienna informed Eugene, ¡°Among those attempts, there was even a high-ranking demonfolk from the top fifty ranks of Helmuth. Though he actually seemed to believe that by killing you, there wouldn¡¯t be any need for a war. Perhaps he hoped his attempt would inspire other demonfolk to form a coalition aimed at repeatedly trying to assassinate you.¡± ¡°In fact, after the first assassination attempt, Sienna tried tounch a Meteor straight into Pandemonium, which had just floated into sight by that point,¡± Kristina tattled. ¡°I was just trying to give them a little scare. I didn¡¯t actuallyunch it at them,¡± Sienna protested with an aggrieved expression. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel relieved when he heard that. If Sienna had been even a little more reckless, he might not have woken up in the Vatican but insteade to his senses in a temporary barracks on what was now the front lines. Eugene changed the subject, ¡°Well then, now that I havee to my senses, should we head over to Neran?¡± Sienna spun her head towards Eugene and shot him a re. ¡°Who says that you¡¯re going anywhere?¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but blink in surprise when faced with her re. Now that he had woken up and his body was back to full health, what reason was there for him to remain in the Holy See? Eugene awkwardly began, ¡°Um... well... what else am I meant to be doing here in the Vatican¡ª¡± ¡°This is the center of the Faith in the Light,¡± Kristina said as she briskly walked over to a window facing in a different direction from the one she had previously opened. ¡°In order to get you to open your eyes, Sir Eugene, after you were in an unconscious state for such a long time, I thought that you might need the assistance of devout prayer on top of all the healing and nursing that we were providing.¡± Eugene recalled the scene that he had witnessed just before opening his eyes. There had been countless small lights in the darkness and voices calling out Eugene¡¯s name. Cold sweat broke out on Eugene¡¯s forehead as he came to an unwee suspicion. Meanwhile, Kristina had already pulled back the curtain covering the window on the other side of the room and was now throwing the window wide open. Eugene looked out the window in silence. In the huge square in front of the Holy See, he saw arge crowd of people gathered there. They were all kneeling down on the ground, their hands joined together in front of them, with their heads bowed deeply. They were all praying together. Even with so many people having gathered to kneel in one location, they were all so focused on their prayers that one could barely hear even the slightest of murmurs. Quietly, with their lips shut, they were all desperately praying from the bottoms of their hearts. ¡°They are all your believers, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina quietly whispered with a look of pride on her face. ¡°Of course, this isn¡¯t all of them. There are currently believers all across the continent who are praying for your recovery.¡± Eugene was still dumbstruck. ¡°Now that you have woken up like this before you head to Neran, shouldn¡¯t you at least give a short speech to all your faithful followers?¡± Kristina persuaded. Eugene¡¯s lips were trembling at the very thought. Barely managing to stop the groan of despair, he took a deep gulp of air. Eugene gasped, ¡°R-really? Is that really necessary¡ª¡± ¡°This is yourst chance to explosively increase your divine power before beginning your war against the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Kristina reminded him. ¡°An explosion of divine power? An explosion, hmm,¡± Eugene thoughtfully repeated. Although his first reaction was one of disgust, Kristina¡¯s idea wasn¡¯tpletely without value. His duel against Gavid had been broadcast all across the continent. Then Giabe City had been destroyed in a single night. Faith in Eugene, rather in the Light, must have seen a continuous growth during the three months he had been unable to wake up. And now, before heading into the war, if he were to stoke up the mes of their faith to the very limit by giving a speech to his believers.... In any case, the act of training no longer held much meaning for the current Eugene. Even with meditation, it would be difficult to increase his strength any further. But during his death match against Noir, he had managed to expand the capacity of his vessel to store divine power. This meant that he was no longer restricted to using Levantein as a medium to draw on the Light¡¯s divine power. However, even after taking that growth into ount, the divine power of the Light was still far too immense. Even if Eugene resonated with the two Saints, activated Ignition, and became one with Levantein, it was still difficult for him to handle the full divine power of the Light. That was why he needed to steal it. What Eugene currently needed was to absorb the faith of the Light and make it his own. The divine power umted over an immensely long period of time by the Light, no, by that mass of divinity that went by many different names, and the divine power that was born from that faith needed to be remade in the image of Eugene Lionheart. This move could not have been used before his battle with Noir, as it had been a private conflict. However, it could certainly be used against the Demon King of Incarceration, who had dered a state of war, a war that threatened to destroy the entire continent, and had already established himself on the front line. This was the seconding of the era of war that wasst seen three hundred years ago. If they lost this war, it would be the end of all human life on the continent. They were on a mission to save the world for the sake of all life in this world. This was the greatest cause that could be fought for in any era. If Eugene were to step forward now and call on humanity to put their faith in him if they desired victory, then even the most devoted believers of the Light and the other Gods would find themselves fervently praying for Eugene Lionheart¡¯s victory in this war and for him to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. If that were to happen, Eugene¡¯s godhood would surely expand, and the amount of the Light¡¯s divine power his body could store would also grow. Even without activating Ignition, he would be able to control immense amounts of divine power, and if he were to use Ignition on top of that, he might even be able to pose a death threat to the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene knew all this in his head, but.... ¡°Haaaah...,¡± Eugene let out a long sigh. Even though he understood the necessity of this course of action, he still didn¡¯t want to do something as cringeworthy as giving a speech. What was he even meant to say in front of so many people? During the press conference that was held after it was publicly revealed that he was the reincarnation of Hamel, he was so embarrassed that he had wanted to either kill everyone there or take his own life, but was he really going to have to do something so insanely embarrassing one more time? ¡°What are you so worried about?¡± Sienna scoffed. ¡°All of these people out there are already believers of you and the Light. Even if you went out there and suddenly took a shit in public, they would probably just shed tears while crying out that it was a miracle.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene can¡¯t just poop,¡± Kristina quickly refuted. Sienna was taken aback, ¡°Wha-what kind of nonsense is that? How could there be anyone who doesn¡¯t take a shit? Even if all you ate was dew, shit would stille out.¡± Kristina shook her head, ¡°Please, Lady Sienna, let¡¯s stop talking about such dirty and unsightly topics. What I meant by my earlier words is that there¡¯s no way that Sir Eugene could do something like that when he is meant to deliver his divine promation in front of all his believers.¡± ¡°Why are you acting like it has already been decided that I will be giving a speech when I haven¡¯t even said whether I¡¯m willing to do so,¡± Eugeneined. Kristina just raised an eyebrow, ¡°Does that mean you¡¯re not going to do it?¡± Eugene hesitantly responded, ¡°No, well... if I have to... then... uh... since it¡¯s necessary... I¡¯ll do it, but¡ª¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t, I will read out your will,¡± Sienna whispered into Eugene¡¯s ear with a mischievous smile. The moment that he heard those words, Eugene¡¯s whole body was covered in goosebumps. His will? Before leaving for Giabe City, he had made sure to leave his will with Laman. But he had told Laman that he should definitely burn the will if Eugene returned alive.... ¡°Laman, that son of a bitch!¡± Eugene cursed. Sienna pped him on the shoulder, ¡°Hey now, calm down. He didn¡¯t betray you.¡± ¡°Then why!¡± Eugene turned to her and growled. ¡°Since you were unconscious for so long, I decided that you might be in danger of losing your life at any moment! So I told him that if you were to die, we should be ready to carry out your will!¡± Sienna proudly revealed. ¡°So he just handed you my will even though I wasn¡¯t dead yet?!¡± Eugene angrily demanded. ¡°No, not really,¡± Sienna admitted guiltily. ¡°While you were at the Lionheart estate, he went to your room in private and held your hand, then I overheard him sighing to himself, ¡®Sir Eugene, what am I meant to do with your will....¡¯ So I just took it from him.¡± Was that really something that she should be proud of? Eugene stared at Sienna as his eyes shook in disbelief. Siennaughed, ¡°I haven¡¯t read it yet, since you threatened that you would slit your own throat if I did, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± Kristina spoke out for Eugene, ¡°Please don¡¯t make fun of Sir Eugene when he was so determined to face death that he even wrote down his own will.¡± Sienna scoffed, ¡°Like you weren¡¯t practically begging me to read even the shortest snippet of the message he left for you in his will.¡± ¡°I swear to the Light that I have never done such a thing. Lady Sienna, the one you saw doing that wasn¡¯t me, but Lady Anise,¡± Kristina quickly sold her sister out. ¡°The speech...,¡± Eugene finally spat out through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll do the speech... so give me back my will. I want to burn it right now.¡± ¡°If you need it, we already have a speech written for you,¡± Sienna said with a bright smile as she pulled out a thick stack of paper from the inside of her robe. ¡°This speech was personally written by Carmen Lionheart. What do you think?¡± ¡°Are you actually a devil?¡± Eugene asked in shock. Sienna shot him a look. ¡°A certain someone caused me a lot of worry after being in aa for three whole months, so don¡¯t you think that the fact I¡¯m only getting back at you like this is a sign of how much I care for you?¡± When she put it like that, Eugene couldn¡¯t think of any way to refute her. He could only shake off his annoyance by clenching his fists tightly. Then he let out a sigh. Eugene eventually rejected the offer, ¡°I don¡¯t need a pre-written speech. I¡¯ll just say a few short words about whateveres to mind.¡± ¡°Do as you please,¡± Sienna conceded. ¡°However,¡± Eugene narrowed his eyes as he tried to stare a hole through Sienna¡¯s robe. ¡°What happened to the Demoneye of Fantasy?¡± Sienna¡¯s shoulders trembled slightly. 1. I was tempted to put good vibes, but that doesn¡¯t really sound like Sienna. ? Chapter 572: The Holy See (4)

Chapter 572: The Holy See (4)

Sienna knew that it was only natural for Eugene to ask about the Demoneye, but she had never expected him to ask her at a time like this. Sienna¡¯s face, which had been smiling mischievously just a few moments ago as she teased him, suddenly stiffened. After hesitating for a few moments, she nodded and said, ¡°I already told you back then. I took it with me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking where it is now,¡± Eugene pressed. After a short sigh, Sienna pulled open the front of her robes. A purple diamond-like gem hung from a ne hanging around Sienna¡¯s neck. Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed at this sight. He didn¡¯t really think that it would still be in the form of an actual eye, but he was still surprised to see that Sienna would turn it into a jewel and wear it around her neck. But Eugene felt especially surprised because he couldn¡¯t feel any unusual energiesing from it, even though the Demoneye of Fantasy was hanging right in front of him. ¡°It¡¯s been sealed,¡± Sienna exined. ¡°Sealed?¡± Eugene repeated questioningly. ¡°Mhm. It¡¯s too hard to control. It¡¯s also overflowing with dark power,¡± Sienna said before letting out another deep sigh and gently rubbing her finger against the ne. With this gesture, it only took a few moments for her to lift the seal. Eugene could immediately see why Sienna had had to seal it and why she had described it as difficult to control and overflowing with dark power. The moment Sienna¡¯s magical seal was lifted, the jewel began to give off a bewitching glow. Whoooosh! A seemingly endless surge of dark power poured out from the jewel. At the same time, the Demoneye of Fantasy seemed to activate on its own ord as it began to draw on the flow of dark power. Grrrrrumble....! As the whole room started to vibrate, everything contained within began to shake. Though this wasn¡¯t actually happening in reality, it was all just an effect of the Demoneye of Fantasy going out of control as it continued to draw on the flow of dark power. With his brow furrowed in concern, Eugene turned his head to look behind him. He wanted to take a look at Kristina¡¯s expression. Fortunately, unlike when Noir had used it, it seemed that the Demoneye of Fantasy wasn¡¯t able to subdue its targets¡¯ minds and forcibly drag them into a dream. This was because that particr power had been based on Noir¡¯s own ability, and it wasn¡¯t something that the Demoneye of Fantasy could do on its own. However, after it randomly went on a rampage and began to swallow uprge amounts of dark power without any restraint, the ability of the Demoneye of Fantasy instead manifested itself as a direct mental attack. This was why Kristina currently felt a slight headache and couldn¡¯t help but let out a frown. Kristina¡¯s face suddenly disappeared, apanied by a crackling noise. The Demoneye of Fantasy seemed to have activated on its own once more, recing Kristina¡¯s face with the appearance of Noir, who looked exactly as Eugenest remembered her. Noir seemed to turn to look at Eugene with a bright smile. That smile also looked exactly like the smile in Eugene¡¯s memories. ¡ªHamel. Then there was her voice. Eugene clicked his tongue as he tried to keep his cool. That alone was enough to shatter the illusion. Noir¡¯s face disappeared, going back to Kristina¡¯s original appearance. ¡°You understand now why I¡¯m keeping it sealed, right?¡± Sienna said with a sigh as she stroked the jewel once more. At this second touch, all of the dark power that was pouring out of it was sucked back inside, and all visual indicators of the Demoneye of Fantasy¡¯s activation disappeared. ¡°I don¡¯t even know what kind of illusion you were seeing,¡± Sienna muttered grumpily. ¡°That¡¯s how difficult this thing is to control.¡± Eugene frowned, ¡°Does that mean you can¡¯t control it at all?¡± ¡°Who do you think I am? Of course, I can control it. Although it¡¯s extremely annoying and tiring to do so, it also consumes a lot of mental power. That¡¯s why I usually keep it sealed up like this,¡± Sienna muttered proudly as she pulled her robes back together. ¡°But still, it¡¯s nice to have ess to such an endless source of pure, high-quality dark power. It¡¯s much stronger than the dark power Amelia Merwin can generate, so of course, this Lady Sienna will make good use of it.¡± Eugene kept strangely silent. Sienna continued unabated, ¡°In fact, even without being able to control the Demoneye of Fantasy perfectly, just the fact that I canbine its dark power with my mana to create soul power is¡ª¡± ¡°Sienna.¡± Eugene¡¯s eyebrows wrinkled as he carefully considered a certain possibility. After staring at Sienna for a few moments, he began speaking again, ¡°Is it possible that Noir Giabe¡¯s soul... or any of her remnant thoughts were left within the Demoneye of Fantasy?¡± Eugene recalled how Noir¡¯s face and voice had manifested during the jewel¡¯s rampage just a few moments ago. What if that wasn¡¯t just a simple illusion? What if some trace of Noir¡¯s existence remained within the Demoneye of Fantasy? Eugene couldn¡¯t help but have such doubts. When he finally slew Noir, he hadn¡¯t used his divine power or Divine Sword. As such, Noir¡¯s soul hadn¡¯t been erased. ~ ¡ªIf one day, I am reincarnated like you were, and if, by any chance, we meet again.... ~ The words that Noir had whispered before she died were swirling within Eugene¡¯s head. He could have erased her soul. Even if he couldn¡¯t use his divine power or Divine Sword, he could still have used the ominous light of the Moonlight Sword that had been fused into Levantein. The reason he hadn¡¯t used it.... In the end, it was because Eugene had also harbored the desire to see the ¡°one day¡± that Noir had spoken of. So he couldn¡¯t muster up the will needed to erase Noir¡¯s soul. Because he didn¡¯t want to fully erase her. So in the end... he just took her life. ¡°There¡¯s nothing in here,¡± Sienna shook her head with a sigh. ¡°I know that it might be inevitable for you to have such concerns, but you were there; Noir died right in front of us. Her soul... probably went where souls are supposed to go.¡± ¡°Well, you do have a past criminal record,¡± Eugene pointed out jokingly with a grin. ¡°Three hundred years ago, when I died, who was the one who trapped my soul in this ne and kept it with them?¡± ¡°That¡¯s!¡± Sienna blushed. ¡°I kept it with me for a reason, you know? It¡¯s because of what you wished for with yourst words! Because you wanted to be reincarnated into a world where all Demon Kings had been in!¡± ¡°Alright, alright,¡± Eugene gestured for her to calm down. ¡°In any case! That damned Night Demon is well and truly dead,¡± Sienna stated firmly. ¡°She might someday be reincarnated as a man, a woman, or even an animal, but that¡¯s none of my business! There¡¯s not a single trace of her left in the Demoneye of Fantasy!¡± ¡°Then why did it go on a rampage like that?¡± Eugene questioned. Sienna turned the question back on him, ¡°Did the Moonlight Sword go on a rampage because it also had an ego driving it to do so? It went out of control because I¡¯m trying to forcefully control a power that I don¡¯t meet the right conditions to use freely!¡± After the Moonlight Sword was brought up as an example, Eugene got the feeling he shouldn¡¯t ask any more questions. Well, indeed, it wasn¡¯t like Sienna had had any reason to preserve Noir¡¯s soul, and if there really were any traces of Noir left within the Demoneye of Fantasy, what reason would Sienna have to hide it? If any such traces had remained, rather than keeping them intact, Sienna would have destroyed them long ago. ¡°You just stop arguing with me and get changed into a proper set of clothes,¡± Sienna frantically ordered. ¡°You have to give a speech, remember!¡± Eugene blinked doubtfully, ¡°Does it really have to be today...?¡± ¡°Then what, do you want to do it tomorrow? Hmm? Or perhaps the day after?¡± Sienna offered sarcastically. ¡°After being unconscious for three months, are you really going to waste any more time?¡± To think that Sienna would be so naggy after he had just teased her a bit. Feeling aggrieved, Eugene grabbed the bottom of his hospital gown and pointedly lifted it up to his head without any warning, making a show of obeying Sienna¡¯s order. At the sight of Eugene¡¯s abs, which had grown even more defined due to his prolonged involuntary fasting, Sienna spun her head around and screamed, ¡°Kyaaaah!¡± ¡°Kyaaah!¡± [Kyaaah!] Kristina and Anise also let out identical screams. However, the Saints didn¡¯t turn their heads away, and instead just covered their eyes with their hands. Their fingers were also syed wide open. ¡°Wh-what are you doing?¡± Sienna snapped, her face blushing red. Eugene shrugged as he said, ¡°What? You told me to get changed.¡± Eugene honestly couldn¡¯t understand her reaction. Even going back three hundred years ago, Molon had always gone around without any shirts on, and when the battlefield was low on supplies, Hamel had also been forced to wear rags so threadbare it was practically the same as not wearing any clothes at all. Moreover, even in the present day and age, there had been quite a few times when his clothes had been left in an embarrassing state following a battle. ¡°Who told you to get changed in front of everyone?!¡± Siennained. She didn¡¯t say it out loud, but Sienna also felt embarrassed by her overreaction. But there was a time and a ce for everything. And now naturally wasn¡¯t the time for something like that. Eugene sighed, ¡°You really are being picky. So what exactly do you want me to do?¡± Sienna stammered, ¡°I-I¡¯ll keep my back turned, so get dressed already.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be better if you just stepped out of the room?¡± Eugene proposed. Sienna rejected the idea, ¡°I can¡¯t do that, you might run away because you don¡¯t want to give the speech.¡± ¡°Do you think I am a child? That I would run away just because I didn¡¯t want to do something?¡± Eugene scoffed. Sienna remained firm, ¡°No matter what, I won¡¯t leave this room. So just quietly get dressed¡ª¡± Whooooom. The shadows in the corner of the room suddenly rose from the ground. Eugene blinked in surprise for a few moments, wondering what the source of this new interruption was. The fact that he couldn¡¯t feel any traces of hostilitying from the shadows, as well as the frivolous conversation that he had just been exchanging with Sienna, distracted Eugene froming up with an immediate response. ¡°Eugene!¡± Ciel suddenly leaped out of the dark center of the shadows with a loud shout. It wasn¡¯t just Ciel. There was also Gilead, Gion, Cyan, and Carmen. As well as Alchester, Ivatar, Ortus, Ivic, Raphael, Honein, and all of the Archwizards. All of the general staff of the newly formed Divine Army emerged out of the darkness along with Ciel. Looking at the scene in the room, Ciel was struck dumb. She had been praying for Eugene toe to his senses and had been using the power of her Demoneye of Darkness, which could allow her to be one with shadows, to check up on him every day since his return. Only to be greeted with the sight of Eugene¡¯s abs. The neers also btedly realized the situation they had just barged in on. With his face stiffened into an expressionless mask, Eugene slowly pulled down the hem of his hospital gown, acting as if nothing had happened. For a few moments, everyone was silent. They had only recently found out that Sienna, who had returned from Neran in a hurry, had rushed into Eugene¡¯s room. Following that discovery, the entire general staff had also hurried over to Eugene¡¯s room using the power of Ciel¡¯s Demoneye. But now they were faced with the question of why Eugene, who had finally reopened his eyes after being in aa for three months, was trying to take his clothes off in front of Kristina and Sienna. ¡°Oh my, oh my my my...,¡± Melkith began blushing to herself as she cradled her cheeks with both hands. As she slowly sidled back into the darkness she had just emerged from, Melkith hissed, ¡°What are you all doing? Stop being so tactless. Don¡¯t you see that we should all head back and stop interfering with the touching scene of how these twodies n to wee the hero who came back from the dead?¡± Tempest was right, Eugene realized. He should have killed Melkith El-Hayah earlier. Eugene red at Melkith and growled through gritted teeth, ¡°It¡¯s not like that.¡± ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not? And even if that really isn¡¯t the case, don¡¯t you think that Lady Sienna and Saint Kristina will be disappointed if you state your rejection so firmly,¡± Melkithined. Eugene cursed, ¡°Damn it, I¡¯m saying that you¡¯ve got the wrong idea.¡± Melkith puffed out her chest, ¡°Damn it? Did you just curse in front of me? Have you forgotten the memories from your childhood just because you¡¯ve be a god? Don¡¯t you remember how kindly your big sis treated you when you were just a cute little human child?¡± Eugene clenched his fists as he eximed, ¡°Ah damn¡ª¡± ¡°Again with the cursing? Fine, keep going then. Whates after the damn? ¡®It¡¯ or ¡®you¡¯? Huh?¡± Melkith childishly pointed between Eugene and herself.[1] Eugene¡¯s fists shook in anger at her obnoxious show. Couldn¡¯t he just kill her now? No, Eugene told himself that he shouldn¡¯t. Although it was hard to believe it judging by her usual behavior, Melkith could debatably be chosen as one of the strongest humans on the entire continent. Evenpared to the rest of the general staff, who were all standing in front of Eugene, Carmen might be the only one who could truly match Melkith in power. Eugene silently pondered this fact: A world in which a madwoman like Melkith could arguably be described as the strongest human being on the continent, wouldn¡¯t it be better for such a world to be destroyed? A madwoman like that was actually the greatest Spirit Summoner in the world? Even if it was just for a few moments, Eugene seriously contemted the thought of erasing everything and starting over again. Tempest¡¯s voice was suddenly heard inside Eugene¡¯s head. [As a Spirit Summoner, Melkith El-Hayah really isn¡¯t all that bad.] Eugene silently cursed, ¡®You bastard, you must be out of your mind. Have you really been corrupted by that woman...?!¡¯ [Don''t be mistaken, Hamel. I still have yet to acknowledge Melkith. However, after giving it some rational thought, I have found that she is not as terrible a human as I initially perceived her to be,] Tempest imed. It seemed that the Spirit King had looked too deeply into the abyss. This thought ran through Eugene¡¯s mind as he breathed in deeply, trying to soothe his growing anger. ¡°Are you feeling alright?¡± Gilead asked as he hurriedly approached Eugene. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re having trouble breathing. It might be better for you to get some more rest.¡± Eugene¡¯s breathing had grown rough because he was starting to lose his temper. There was no way that Gilead couldn¡¯t have noticed this, but the Patriarch¡¯s intention was to resolve this awkward situation as quickly as possible. ¡°Oh Radiant Lion, your halo is even more radiant than before, but unfortunately your body has dried up and withered.¡± Carmen, who had simply spoken out of a desire to say the words ¡®Radiant Lion,¡¯ shook her head and sighed. ¡°Is it really not that sort of thing?¡± Ciel slowly asked as she shot Eugene a suspicious nce. Meanwhile, Cyan let out a deep sigh as he stepped forward to stand beside Gilead, then he opened his arms wide and embraced Eugene. ¡°I¡¯m d you¡¯ve woken up safely,¡± Cyan said. Ultimately, it seemed that Eugene could still count on his brother. While subtly feeling moved, Eugene reciprocated the gesture, wrapping his arms around Cyan. Before exiting the hug, Eugene whispered, ¡°You didn¡¯t get married while I was unconscious, did you?¡± Cyan¡¯s face twisted in response to his quiet question. After themotion had finally settled down, Eugene forced Carmen and Melkith to take an oath. They promised to never, ever interrupt Eugene¡¯s speech. They weren¡¯t to raise their voices, nor could they mix in with the crowd so that they could start up any chanting. They weren¡¯t allowed to scream, either. They were forbidden from doing anything except listening quietly. In fact, Eugene at first tried to tell them not to listen to his speech and just stay away, but Carmen rejected thismand with a straight face, saying that she absolutely couldn¡¯t do such a thing, so Eugene was left with no choice but topromise. Once a year, during the feast day that marked the birth of the Holy Emperor, the Pope would conduct a service for the crowds in front of Yurasia¡¯s Holy See. During this event, the Pope would stand at the highest point of the Apostolic Pce[2] and look down at the square below before giving his sermon. ¡°Pleasee this way,¡± Pope Aeuryus politely directed. Although it was a sudden request, Pope Aeuryus didn¡¯t seem surprised that the event was being hijacked. This was because, from the Pope¡¯s position, he thought that it was only natural that Eugene should be giving such a speech, and the fact that they had called the believers to pray for Eugene in the main square in front of the Vatican only supported Pope Aeuryus¡¯s conclusions. Thanks to that, Aeuryus happily granted them ess to the rooftop of the Apostolic Pce. ¡°But are you truly not going to wear the Holy Crown?¡± the Pope asked with a disappointed expression. He was holding in his hands a magnificent five-tiered crown that was heavily decorated with gold and precious gems. This crown had been specially made for Eugene and was iparably more extravagant than the three-tiered crown that the Pope usually wore during public events. Eugene scoffed, ¡°How am I meant to wear something that looks that heavy? It would break my neck.¡± Aeuryus protested, ¡°But for a historic speech like this¡ª¡± Eugene bluntly interrupted him, ¡°I¡¯ll die before I wear that. In fact, I don¡¯t even really want to wear a cape like this either.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene, you are the Divine Emperor of Yuras,¡± Aeuryus reminded him. ¡°When did I ever agree to that...?¡± Eugene grumbled as he looked down at the clothes he was wearing. Beneath his red floor-length cape, he was dressed in a gorgeous outfit that was colored in white and gold. The Pope had also specially prepared this set of clothes for Yuras¡¯ new Divine Emperor. Aeuryus tried to persuade him, ¡°Right now, Sir Eugene, you are not just speaking as a member of the Lionheart Family. As the Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army and the Divine Emperor of Yuras, you will soon be giving one final speech before heading into battle against Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration. Therefore¡ª¡± ¡°Alright, alright, I¡¯ve got it already. That¡¯s why I¡¯m wearing this instead of the Lionheart uniform. But that Holy Crown is just going too far,¡± Eugene expressed his disgust as he cut the Pope¡¯s lecture short. As Eugene subtly bared his intimidating aura, the Pope decided to refrain from offering any more advice and just quietly nodded. ¡°Before your speech begins... would you please promise me a few things,¡± Gilead politely requested as he walked over to stand by Eugene. He had been standing nearby with a worried frown. ¡°Please, in your speech... ahem... please avoid the use of any profanity.¡± ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t do such a thing,¡± Eugene said as he nodded in agreement. ¡°And also... please don¡¯t make any threats either,¡± Gilead hesitantly added. ¡°Huh?¡± Eugene frowned in confusion. Gilead exined, ¡°For example: If we lose the war or if the war situation bes unfavorable, we will have no choice but to forcibly conscript even the civilians... so if you don¡¯t want to end up conscripted, pray for our victory.... I¡¯m talking about those kinds of threats.¡± Eugene stared at Gilead silently. How had Gilead known what he was nning? Goosebumps rose on Eugene¡¯s skin. He felt like his mind had just been read. However, Eugene didn¡¯t reveal any trace of that surprise in his expression. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Eugene tantly lied. In fact, Eugene had been nning to make a quick getaway after making that threat the key point of his speech. But now, he had been directly told not to do such a thing. Then what sort of speech should he give? As Eugene¡¯s head was about to start letting off steam from all the work it was doing... Aaaaaaaah! ...a loud roar was hearding from the open door. All of the believers who had been silently praying in the square below had be greatly enthused after hearing that Eugene, who had finally opened his eyes, was about to give a speech. Eugene silently gulped. The longer he dyed, the more excited his believers would be. Would they be wondering just how amazing and moving a speech it must be for Eugene to take so much time to prepare before giving it? The longer he dragged things out here, the worse things would get for Eugene. What was needed now was bold decisiveness and the ability to take action. Taking a deep break, Eugene stepped forward. ¡°Aaaaah...,¡± Kristina sighed with an ecstatic expression as she lifted the trailing hem of Eugene¡¯s cape. As the Saint for both Eugene and the Light, she kept her head bowed deeply as she followed behind Eugene. They walked out onto the rooftop. The closer they got to the railing that overlooked the square, the louder the cheers grew. At the same time, Eugene could also feel a burning heat rising inside his chest. This feeling wasing from the continuous growth of his divine faith. Kristina was right. Giving a speech here and now was sure to expand the capacity of Eugene¡¯s divine vessel. Eugene¡¯s lips parted soundlessly. Though his head recognized the value of what he was doing and his body could sense the benefits, his thought processes didn¡¯t seem to be functioning properly. Just what was he meant to say to them? But he no longer had any time to ponder that question. Eugene had already arrived in front of the railing. Since therge za had already been filled to capacity, people had even started filling up the nearby roads just to see him. All of the nearby buildings also had people leaning out of their windows and crowding their rooftops. For now, Eugene just needed to say something, ¡°I....¡± Even though Eugene was speaking softly, measures had already been taken to amplify the sound of his voice. Yurasia wouldn¡¯t be the only city listening to his speech. Before Eugene had even opened his eyes, preparations had already been underway for him to give a speech. Currently, Eugene¡¯s speech was being broadcast across the entire continent, just like his duel with Gavid. ¡®Damn it,¡¯ Eugene silently cursed to himself. Maybe he should have at least kept a copy of Carmen¡¯s speech in his pocket. He hadn¡¯t read the contents of her speech, but even if it wasn¡¯t something that no one in their right mind would dare to write, it would at least have to be somewhat appropriate for the situation, right? However, it was toote for regrets. Eugene continued speaking, ¡°...am Hamel¡¯s reincarnation... Eugene Lionheart.¡± Even though all he had said was his name, the crowd immediately responded with cheers. ¡°The Radiant Lion.¡± Watching from the rear of the crowd, Carmen whispered amidst the loud cheering. ¡°The Divine Emperor,¡± Raphael murmured. Even Alchester found himself mumbling, ¡°Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army.¡± But Eugene couldn¡¯t bear to continue introducing himself with any of these prestigious titles, so he just continued with his speech. ¡°While I was asleep... a lot has happened. The Demon King of Incarceration and Pandemonium have descended onto the border in preparation for the war, while the Demon King¡¯s Castle Babel is flying high in the skies above.¡± Right now, Eugene just wanted to go home. Or else escape towards the battlefield. ¡°The end of the Oath that hassted for three hundred years is approaching. Soon, war will break out. It must be fought for the sake of the world....¡± But now that things had turned out like this, it couldn¡¯t be helped. ¡°But to be honest, rather than fighting for the sake of the world, I just really want to kill the Demon King of Incarceration. That was the case three hundred years ago, and it¡¯s still the case even now.¡± It would be better just toy the truth out directly than to give any false promises. ¡°To those of you who have never once picked up a sword in your life, I won¡¯t tell you to hold a sword and head to the battlefield. Instead, you should just pray for the safety of the world. No, pray for yourself. That would be of more help than anything else you could do.¡± Eugene didn¡¯t think of this as being much of a threat. ¡°Pray for the victory of the Alliance...¡± The crowds were silent. ¡°...pray that I will kill the Demon King of Incarceration...¡± At some point, the cheering had stopped. ¡°...and pray that I will be victorious.¡± Eugene abruptly spun around. His eyes met with Kristina, who had let go of his cloak and was staring at him with her jaw dropped. Eugene pretended not to notice her expression and hurriedly walked away from the railing, looking almost like he was running away. His speech, if it could even be described as that, had ended with this call for prayer. Aaaaaaaah! However, his believers still exploded in cheers behind him. 1. The original text uses a pun that doesn¡¯t trante literally. The word that Eugene curses withes in two sybles. Eugene gets out the first syble before Melkith interrupts him. The second syble can be spelled in two different ways depending on inflection, but they both mean the same thing. These two different ways, on their own, trante literally as ¡®arm¡¯ and ¡®foot.¡¯ So, in the original Korean text, Melkith shakes her arm and then her feet, teasing Eugene as to which one he is going to use. ? 2. The Pope¡¯s official residence. ? Chapter 573: The Divine Army (1)

Chapter 573: The Divine Army (1)

¡°Where would you find anyone else crazy enough to put a threat into their speech like you just did?¡± Anise angrily demanded. ¡°When did I threaten anyone?¡± Eugene protested. Anise had scolded Eugene immediately after they had left the rooftop, but Eugene felt genuinely wronged. He would have humbly epted the scolding if Anise had pointed out a problem with the actual contents of his speech, but Eugene didn¡¯t believe that there had been any threat in his words. Anise frowned, ¡°You told them that if they didn¡¯t want to take up the sword, they needed to pray for your victory. What was that if not a threat?¡± ¡°You only heard that as a threat because you¡¯re way too negative,¡± Eugene used. ¡°I didn¡¯t have the slightest intention of threatening them. And what¡¯s so wrong about asking them to pray for my victory?¡± ¡°Your attitude was so rude,¡± Sienna reproached as she clicked her tongue and shook her head. She had been listening quietly from the side. ¡°What¡¯s with telling them to ¡®pray that I will be victorious¡¯? You should have at least added a ¡®please¡¯ before that.¡± Eugene sniffed, ¡°What would be the difference?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just a difference of a single word. It¡¯s a sign of your sincerity. In fact, even if you had to get on your knees and beg, it still wouldn¡¯t have been enough,¡± Sienna imed. Eugene protested, ¡°What have I done that¡¯s so wrong or offensive that I need to kneel and beg, huh? Do you really want me to kneel in front of so many of my believers, start crying big fat tears, and shout, ¡®Please! Please pray for me!¡¯¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to go that far, but after hearing you describe it like that, I kind of want to see you acting like that at least once before I die,¡± Sienna confessed. ¡°That will definitely never happen,¡± Eugene promised as he untied the red cape hanging off his shoulders. ¡°Divinity isn¡¯t something that you can grow by begging for it. As you naturally aplish various feats, myths, legends, and other such things... just hearing about them will naturally inspire your believers into thinking about you, and the feelings that they associate with you will immediately feed into your divinity¡ª¡± ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case, you still directly told them to pray for your victory, didn¡¯t you?¡± Sienna pointed out. Eugene impatiently retorted, ¡°So what should I have told them to pray for? My defeat? In theing war, once the fighting starts, of course, we need to win!¡± Eugene rolled up the cape he had pulled off his shoulders and tossed it at Sienna¡¯s face, but Sienna naturally wouldn¡¯t allow the cape to just fall on her. She clicked her tongue once more as she waved her finger at the cloak, stopping it midair. ¡°Too slow,¡± Sienna teased. ¡°You really make me want to teach you a lesson,¡± Eugene growled. ¡°Let me just tell you, during the three months that you were fast asleep, I have only perfected my magic even further,¡± Sienna bragged. ¡°Just how long are you going to keep harping on about those damn three months,¡± Eugene sighed in frustration. Sienna pouted, ¡°It¡¯s not like me not bringing them up will erase the fact that you were asleep for three whole months, now will it? Because really, even thinking about it still makes me feel sick to the stomach.¡± She wasn¡¯t just joking when she said this. Those three months that Eugene had spent in aa had been painful for everyone, as they couldn¡¯t help but feel a mounting sense of anxiety and tension with each day he failed to wake up. Eugene hadn¡¯t heard each of their individual stories of what they had experienced while he was in aa, but after being subjected to their constant care and attention since he had woken up, Eugene was left with no other choice but to shrug his shoulders and ept the me. ¡°Since this might even be your final speech, it would have been nice if it had been a bit more elegant and impressive...,¡± Anise sighed regretfully. ¡°Could it be that you¡¯re just incapable of such a speech?¡± ¡°What do you mean, my final speech? Why would you say something so unlucky? If you¡¯re truly my Saint, shouldn¡¯t you be happy to show unconditional trust in me?¡± Eugeneined. Anise scoffed, ¡°There are plenty of people who will nod their heads no matter what you decide while praising and ttering you. As your Saint, that means I need to be able to provide you with a calmer perspective than anyone else.¡± ¡°But still... in any case, the reaction to my speech was good, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Eugene argued. In fact, there was no need to question it because Eugene himself could already feel the rapid rise of his faith and his divinity. It was a different sensation from forcibly expanding his capacity for divine power by using Ignition. The divinity inherent to Eugene¡¯s very being was constantly growing stronger. All of the faith that had been umted by the Light since the very start of this world was slowly fusing with Eugene. However, even this growth had its limits. Compared to three hundred years ago, themon sense of the world had drastically shifted. In today¡¯s world, the demonfolk, Demon Kings, and Helmuth itself were no longer seen as pure evil. Unlike Eugene, who had experienced the era of the war, the people of today¡¯s era didn¡¯t hold such great hostility and hatred towards the demonfolk. This was all due to how, from three hundred years ago until now, the demonfolk had shown great kindness to humanity under the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s reign. So much so that, even though a state of war had just been dered, barely any of Helmuth¡¯s immigrants had fled the country. In fact, among the humans living on the continent, there were quite a few who hoped that Helmuth would be the one to win the war. They truly wished for Helmuth to conquer the entire continent so that all of humanity would fall under the rule of the Demon King of Incarceration. These people, ignorant of what the end of the Oath truly meant or of the circumstances behind the Demon King of Destruction, wanted to enjoy the same level of livelihood that the humans in Helmuth enjoyed, which was rumored to be no different than a Utopia. ¡®There¡¯s not much time left,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. The alliance and the Divine Army had been able to muster up so quickly, not just because Eugene Lionheart was serving as the focal point of their efforts. It was because Helmuth had been the first to dere a state of war, and then Pandemonium and Babel as a whole had been flown to the border to establish a frontline. Just like three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Incarceration had transformed into an invader, so the continent, which had no desire to be invaded once more, was forced to form an alliance. The longer tensions were allowed to simmer on the frontline, the more likely it became that cracks would form in the hastily created alliance. Regardless of how the general staff held absolute trust in Eugene and would resolutely follow his orders, themon people would still grow anxious the longer they had to wait. Currently, the alliance and the Divine Army were ignoring the spread of anti-war sentiment among the public, but if the anti-war sentiment was given time to spread from country to country, the Divine Army¡¯s strength would be weakened before the war could even fully break out. ¡®I might fall into aa again,¡¯ Eugene thought in concern. In theing battle against the Demon King of Incarceration, he would need to make use of all the means he had avable. If necessary, he might have to use Ignition multiple times. The problem with that was what would happen afterward. Even if he barely managed to eke out a victory by using Ignition, like he had with Noir, if he ended up losing consciousness for several months ¡ª then the Demon King of Destruction might just wake up before he could even open his eyes. ¡°It can¡¯t be helped,¡± Eugene let out a sigh as he turned his head. Through the window, the Demon King¡¯s Castle, Babel, could be seen floating in the distant sky. *** The frontline that had been established across the border between Yuras and Helmuth could be seen clearly from the watchtower on top of Neran¡¯s city walls. Alcarte Parish had once stood there, on the other side of the vast ins, that would take several days to traverse even when taking a carriage, but that was no longer the case. Instead, waiting on the other side of those ins, there was now Pandemonium, the capital city of Helmuth. But was that really true? Eugene let out a snort as he shook his head. Although it was far away, Eugene¡¯s eyes could still clearly make out the vista of Pandemonium that was lying straight ahead of them. Eugene had visited Pandemonium in the past. It was a city that had seemed iparably more advanced than the capital city of any other kingdom. There were concrete buildings with dozens of floors and mechanical fishes that used dark power as an energy source to fly through the skies over the city, watching over everyone and maintaining order. With its cars that ran on the roads in ce of carriages and golems that kept the streets clean, the city of Pandemonium that Eugene had visited a few years ago was a city so advanced that it had even managed to surpass Giabe City and could not be fullyprehended with the existing knowledge of the times. That was still the case even today. Eugene¡¯smon sense waspletely incapable ofprehending how a city like Pandemonium could exist. The formerly ny-nine-story skyscraper that was called the Demon King¡¯s Castle Babel was now floating in the sky, having returned to its original appearance from three hundred years ago. Likewise, Pandemonium had also changed in appearance from when he had seen it a few years ago. However, the city hadn¡¯t changed back to the style from three hundred years ago. Instead, he could see various devices packed on top of the tall, ck city walls. They appeared to be something different from ordinary cannons. Something that looked like huge metal... rods were now being aimed in their direction. And in the skies above, the flying fish that had once been charged with monitoring the city were floating there quietly. Eugene spied on whaty inside the city walls. Nothing of the city he hadst seen a few years ago remained. The skyscrapers had all been converted into other types of buildings, and there were no dark-powered vehicles in sight. Instead, there were many other differently shaped vehicles, ones that were heavily armored in metal and equipped with what looked like long gun barrels. ¡°Are those... tanks[1]?¡± Eugene spected. This was his first time seeing a tank that looked like that. And it wasn¡¯t just tanks, either. There were a lot of other strange vehicles that Eugene was unable to recognize. The streets were also packed full of demonic beasts and demonfolk. If the giant monsters that had once been trapped in Ravesta hadn¡¯t beenpletely annihted in Nahama, then those demonic beasts would surely have gathered in Pandemonium as well. ¡®The city is under full martialw,¡¯ Eugene noticed. All of the immigrants who had originally lived in the capital, as well as the demonfolk who had refused to participate in the war, had been evacuated. Right now, every single entity within that huge city was dedicated to preparing for the war. Eugene let out a snort as he shook his head. He had, of course, been expecting all of these demonfolk and demonic beasts to gather in Pandemonium like this, but... just what exactly was going on with all of those mechanical devices and vehicles of unknown purpose? There was no way to know for sure. However, he could feel it instinctively. Eugene¡¯s godhood included the domain of War, which enabled him to sense the strong scent of blood and ferocity that all of those various mechanisms gave off. He knew that each of those devices was a weapon of war. ¡°Just what exactly is that bastard trying to do?¡± Eugene muttered in concern. The Demon King of Incarceration had to be the one who had created all of those weapons. The reason Helmuth had achieved such an unsurpassable level of developmentpared to other countries was all due to the existence of the Demon King of Incarceration. Helmuth, as an empire, had been created, led, and maintained by the Demon King of Incarceration all on his own. ¡®Those things didn¡¯t exist during the Age of Myth,¡¯ Eugene recalled. Since that was the case, it meant that those weapons had to be from a different era. Those were all ancient weapons that the Demon King of Incarceration had resurrected from an era that must have been destroyed long ago. Helmuth¡¯s entire civilization was probably created using the various technologies that the Demon King of Incarceration had personally witnessed before they were ultimately destroyed. Weapons like those hadn¡¯t been used during the previous era of the war. Cold weapons had served as the mainstay for the human forces, with the support of artillery fire from battle wizards being rare and difficult to find. At the same time, cannons or ballistas were the best and most reliable source of firepower. So why hadn¡¯t the Demon King mobilized these kinds of weapons three hundred years ago? Eugene could vaguely guess the reason why Incarceration hadn¡¯t done so. Although he wasn¡¯t sure what the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s true purpose was, as long as the Demon King of Destruction still existed, even if Incarceration conquered the entire continent, the world was still doomed to end. Wouldn¡¯t this mean that, in the first ce, conquest and tyranny weren¡¯t the true purpose behind the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s actions? But in that case, what was the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s true goal? ¡°Hey,¡± Sienna suddenly called out from beside Eugene. Eugene retracted the re he had directed towards Pandemonium and turned to look at Sienna. ¡°Look up there,¡± Sienna said with a stiff expression. The moment he heard those words, Eugene could sense what Sienna was talking about, even without looking up. He could sense the silent gaze being directed down at him. However, despite its silence, the presence behind that gaze was far from calm, instead exuding fierce and immense pressure. Eugene clicked his tongue as he raised his head. High up in the sky, the Demon King¡¯s Castle Babel was floatingpletely motionless. Eugene saw the Demon King of Incarceration standing atop the castle¡¯s walls. The Demon King wasn¡¯t looking at the army gathered on the ground below him. Right now, the Demon King of Incarceration was staring directly at Eugene. ¡°Hah,¡± Eugene let out a huff, his shoulders trembling from the weight of that stare. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s current gaze was far removed from his usually expressionless demeanor. Right now, the Demon King of Incarceration was clearly expressing an emotion as he looked down at Eugene. It was anticipation. The Demon King of Incarceration was ring down at Eugene as if eagerly expecting something from him. The Demon King didn¡¯t say anything. Everything was being conveyed through his gaze alone. However, as he felt this expectant gaze that didn¡¯t have even the slightest trace of Incarceration¡¯s usual boredom and weariness, Eugene grinned. For a few moments, Eugene and the Demon King of Incarceration just stared at each other like this. But soon, the Demon King of Incarceration turned around. The chains that were draped down his back like a cloak wrapped around the Demon King¡¯s body, and soon afterward, he disappeared. In ce of the disappearing Demon King of Incarceration, a shadow arose. Someone then proceeded to walk out of that wavering shadow. It was the former ck Tower Master and current Staff of Incarceration, Balzac Ludbeth. He stood on one of the parapets on the castle wall and looked down at them. The eyes behind the transparent lenses of his sses were drawn into smiling curves. Balzac leapt off the parapent. He flew through the air in a controlled manner, but he wasn¡¯t descending into Pandemonium. Instead, Balzac was approaching the walls of Neran, heading to where Eugene and Sienna now stood. Eugene was so dumbfounded by Balzac¡¯s actions that he unconsciously spat out, ¡°What is that bastard thinking?¡± Just how thick-skinned and confident must he be to approach them like this openly? Eugene¡¯s startled reaction was actually rather calm. Standing next to him, Sienna immediately stretched out her index finger and pointed at the ck wizard when she saw Balzac flying over to them. Crackle! Sparks of mana spat out from the tip of Sienna¡¯s finger. A huge amount of mana waspressed in a single instant before flying off of her fingertip. Boooom! A ray of light shot out from Sienna¡¯s fingertip, apanied by a loud roar. Eugene hadn¡¯t expected that Sienna would suddenly fire off a spell like this. He felt his jaw drop as he turned to look at Sienna. ¡°What?¡± Sienna asked with a calm expression. ¡°That¡¯s what I should be saying! What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± Eugene demanded. Sienna casually shrugged, ¡°You know full well what you just saw. I just fired off a spell at that bastard, Balzac.¡± ¡°But why?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°He wasing this way. Was I supposed to just let him make his approach?¡± Sienna pointed out. Eugene hesitated, ¡°No... that¡¯s true, but....¡± ¡°I already made it very clear to him,¡± Sienna said, her voice lowering slightly. ring up at the sky with an annoyed look, Sienna continued speaking, ¡°When Balzac was studying with me and the other wizards in Akron, I warned him very clearly. Someday, if he were ever to be my enemy and challenge me to a fight, then, at that moment, I told him that I would y him without any mercy.¡± Since Balzac Ludbeth was a ck wizard who had signed a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration, it was inevitable that he would be their enemy at some point. Even though she recognized this fact, Sienna hadn¡¯t killed Balzac on sight. At that time, Balzac¡¯s positioning was closer to an ally than an enemy, and acting as if he were just another wizard, he had passionately followed Sienna around during the course of her research. ¡°He was quite an impressive wizard,¡± Sienna admitted. ¡°It would have been better if he wasn¡¯t a ck wizard, but even as a ck wizard, well, he was such an impressive wizard that I felt it might be alright just to leave him be, so long as he didn¡¯t act like a ck wizard in front of me. I also appreciated his deepest wish.¡± That was why she had granted him permission to participate in her research. Sienna¡¯s new Signature spell, her Absolute Decree, was a culmination of the entire team of Archwizards¡¯ knowledge of magic, and Balzac¡¯s own research was included among their number. ¡°If he has still decided to turn his back on me and be my enemy, doesn¡¯t that mean he has a good enough reason and the confidence needed to do so? If he can¡¯t deal with a spell of this level at such a distance, then he¡¯s not even worth treating as an enemy,¡± Sienna scoffed. In Sienna¡¯s opinion, the spell she had fired off just now was both low-powered and weak. Of course, that was only based on Sienna¡¯s standards. Eugene let out a snort as he turned to look ahead. The ray of light that Sienna had emitted had already raced through the sky and was closing in on Balzac. It was at that moment that one of the weapons that had been installed on Pandemonium¡¯s city walls began to move. Boomboomboom! A metal rod was shot out, apanied by a loud roar. Though it was fired off like how a ballista would fire its arrows, that thing definitely didn¡¯t look anything like an arrow. A tail of mes shot out of its rear end as it cut through the sky. Even Sienna couldn¡¯t help but widen her eyes into circles and let out a surprised yelp, ¡°What is that?¡± Balzac, who seemed simrly surprised by the loud noise that had suddenly erupted from behind him, flinched as he turned around to look backward. Eventually, he let out a sigh and quickly flew through the sky. The metal rod that had beenunched from the city walls passed through where Balzac had just been floating. It was fast. Or at least, that was the initial impression that Eugene got from it. It didn¡¯t seem like it was powered by magic, but it was much faster than mostmon spells. But what about its power? Eugene felt more curious about the power of those ancient weapons than he was about Balzac, who was still floating towards them in the sky. ¡°Sienna, stop chasing Balzac and send something to intercept that rod,¡± Eugene ordered. Now that it had been fired at them, Eugene wanted to confirm its power. Sienna nodded as she bestowed her previous spell with the blessing of her Absolute Decree. The ray of light that had been weaving through the air as it tried to attack Balzac settled down and began to fly in a straight line toward the rod. The two attacks collided. Booooooom! An explosion erupted with such a loud noise that it felt as if the sky was going to be torn into two. It was such arge explosion that a whole chunk of the ground below was overturned, and even from here, faint vibrations could be felt rumbling beneath their feet. ¡°What¡¯s the status of your spell?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°It¡¯s still in good condition,¡± Sienna said, even as her brow furrowed in a frown. The power of the explosion had certainly felt impressive, but that hadn¡¯t been enough to cancel out or destroy Sienna¡¯s spell. The explosion didn¡¯t have the power or sophistication to neutralize one of Sienna¡¯s spells. However, the problemy with the rod¡¯sbination of both power and numbers. There appeared to be hundreds of such weapons lining the city walls. What if they were all shot out at the same time? The general staff of the Divine Army might be able to withstand an explosion of such power, but there was no way that the ordinary soldiers would be able to resist. ¡°Take back your spell for now. After all, it seems like the Demon King is warning us not to attack Balzac,¡± Eugene muttered as he prepared to meet with Balzac. After having risen to a height that was outside the radius of the explosion, Balzac was heading their way once more. Unlike when he first started his approach, this time Balzac was vigorously waving both of his arms above his head. It was an obvious hand signal telling them not to attack. ¡°Do you want to call him over and kill him when he gets close?¡± Sienna guessed. ¡°It seems you really want to kill him,¡± Eugene observed. Sienna raised an eyebrow as she said, ¡°What? Do you not want to kill him?¡± ¡°No, I also want to kill him. However, before we kill him, let¡¯s hear what he has to say,¡± Eugene said as he red at Balzac. As if he felt that waving his arms like that still wasn¡¯t enough, Balzac started shouting in an uncharacteristically loud voice, ¡°Please don¡¯t shoot!¡± 1. Not sure how Eugene even knew the word tank; maybe Aroth has some kind of medieval, magic-powered version of a tank? ? Chapter 574: The Divine Army (2)

Chapter 574: The Divine Army (2)

¡°I really thought that I was going to die,¡± Balzac said, his voice trembling as he arrived in front of Neran¡¯s walls. After straightening his disheveled robes, he politely ced his hands in front of him and bowed his head deeply. ¡°It has been a while. Sir Eugene, Lady Sienna, Lady Kristina, have you all been well?¡± Balzac politely inquired. But let alone the three he had just addressed, no one else was willing to respond to Balzac¡¯s greeting. Right now, all the members of the Divine Army¡¯s general staff had gathered at the foot of Neran¡¯s walls. Kristina, who had been instructing the members of the Graceful Radiance and the other priests in the army, had quickly climbed up to the top of the walls after hearing the explosion and was now ring at Balzac without any attempt to hide her hostility. ¡°Did you reallye here just to say hello?¡± Kristina questioned suspiciously. Kristina and Anise didn¡¯t harbor even the slightest favor toward Balzac. In the past, starting from when he first studied in Aroth, Eugene had received various forms of help from Balzac. Sienna also respected Balzac as a fellow wizard. However, Kristina and Anise didn¡¯t have anything like that. To the two Saints, Balzac Ludbeth was just another ck wizard who was contracted with the Demon King of Incarceration, the current Staff of Incarceration, and the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s emissary. And that was all that there was to him. ¡°Haha, there¡¯s no way that would be the case. After all, if I just wanted to say hello, I could have just as well done so from the walls of Babel,¡± Balzac said with augh as he pointed up at the sky. High in the sky, the Demon King¡¯s Castle Babel was blocking the view of the sun like it was a sr eclipse. The resulting huge shadow cast the ground below into an ominous twilight. ¡°The reason I came here personally...,¡± Balzac paused for a few moments as he looked at those gathered at the base of the walls. All those he had fought together with as allies during the Liberation of Hauria were gathered here. But among all of those who had followed Eugene at that moment, Balzac was the only one who hadn¡¯t joined the Divine Army. ¡°The reason I came here alone to the ¡°enemy camp,¡± despite knowing that I would never be weed here... is that I would like to have a conversation,¡± Balzac revealed. Balzac didn¡¯t appear to hesitate when saying the words enemy camp. At this deration of his position in the war, Hiridus, the Blue Tower Master who had once studied alongside Balzac in the Blue Tower of Magic, let out a long sigh. Although it wasn¡¯t as bad as Hiridus, all of Aroth¡¯s Tower Masters couldn¡¯t help but feel deep emotions of betrayal and regret. ¡°The ¡®enemy camp,¡¯ hmm,¡± Lovellian, the Red Tower Master, spat out these words as his jaw trembled in anger. From the very start of their association in Aroth, he had never liked Balzac. From the moment Balzac became a ck wizard, the two Tower Masters had bepletely ipatible, like oil and water. However, regardless of his hatred and disgust for ck wizards, Lovellian had always held an admiration and respect for Balzac¡¯s passion for magic. ¡°A conversation? Do you really like talking that much?! So much so that you would evene here, to the hated enemy camp, to have a conversation!¡± the White Tower Master, Melkith, screamed, unable to hold it in. It might be because she was aware of her surroundings; she had yet to cast her Omega Force, but she was radiating so much hostility that it seemed like she might attempt to kill Balzac at any moment. It was Sienna who calmed everyone down by ordering, ¡°Stop.¡± As soon as the word left her mouth, all the mana in the air stilled. In this world where all mana was frozen in ce, the spell that Melkith had secretly been about to cast was unable to manifest itself. Startled, Melkith nced up at Sienna. Melkith stammered, ¡°B-big sis goddess, there¡¯s no need for you to step forward personally. I¡¯m going to m this ungrateful bastard into the ground right now¡ª¡± ¡°He said that he¡¯se here for a conversation,¡± Sienna spoke over her without even turning to look at Melkith. Melkith couldn''t help but feel very aggrieved by that reprimand. After all, it was Sienna who had taken the first shot at Balzac when he was flying down towards them from Babel. So why, at this point, would she be willing to agree to the conversation that Balzac had requested? ¡°Fine, Balzac Ludbeth. If you have reallye here for a conversation, then we shall have a conversation. However, do you really believe that you are qualified to have a conversation with us?¡± Sienna demanded. Despite blocking Melkith from taking action, Sienna had no intention of hiding her hostility. Balzac could feel the mana in the air constricting around him. All the mana within this area was under Sienna¡¯splete control and followed her every order. Whilst shivering in excitement at this wondrous disy of magic, Balzac bowed his head deeply and said, ¡°As a lowly ck wizard and a humble wizard, of course, I don¡¯t have the qualifications to have a conversation with you, Lady Sienna. Then there is also the fact that I have betrayed Lady Sienna¡¯s¡ª¡± Sienna interrupted him, ¡°Betrayed? That¡¯s the wrong word to use because there was never enough of a rtionship between you and me to warrant the use of the word ¡®betrayal.¡¯¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just as you say, Lady Sienna,¡± Balzac meekly agreed. ¡°You made sure to draw that line between us from the very start. However, Lady Sienna, isn¡¯t it a fact that my actions have disappointed you?¡± ¡°Hmph, that¡¯s true,¡± Sienna said with a nod, unable to deny it. ¡°Balzac Ludbeth, I appreciated your dream. Although your secret desire was extremely tant and ambitious, I also thought it was noble and respectable. The reason I thought so was that your dream was something that you could only pursue by remaining both a human and a wizard. Even if you did borrow the power of the Demon King of Incarceration to do so, I at least felt that your desire was pure.¡± Crackle. A purple electric current began to flow around Sienna as she continued, ¡°However, if you were to abandon your identity as a human and as a wizard to pursue your dream as a ck wizard, there is no way I would be able to tolerate you. That is why I am so disappointed. In the end, are you really going to give up the purity of your dream in order to serve the Demon King of Incarceration, hand and foot?¡± ¡°From the very beginning, I was willing to make thatpromise,¡± Balzac admitted, his voice not shaking despite Sienna¡¯s cold reprimand. ¡°I was always aware of my limitations from the very start of my efforts. Because there is no way that I would be able to achieve my dream on my own, I, as you have already pointed out, Lady Sienna, made a contract with the Demon King of Incarceration. Since then, I have continued to pursue my dream, but now....¡± Balzac raised his bowed head. With a bitter smile, Balzac shook his head and said, ¡°Now, I have decided to just ept it. Compared to the dream I so desperately desire, I am too feeble and weak. In the end, I could never be like you, Lady Sienna. As such, I have decided topromise. After all, it¡¯s not like I am fully giving up.¡± ¡°Compromise?¡± Sienna repeated the word with a frown. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to write a story like yours, Lady Sienna. I won¡¯t be able to be a legend like you have. In the end, I am simply not like you. However...,¡± Balzac paused before bursting intoughter. ¡°Hahaha.... Even if I can¡¯t be a legendary wizard, can¡¯t I at least be a legendary ck wizard?¡± A legendary ck wizard. The crowd fell into a cold silence at this prideful deration. Eugene, who had been keeping silent out of an understanding of Sienna¡¯s position as Balzac¡¯s senior and her disappointment towards him, felt his brow furrow in a frown. The general staff, who had just been showing their anger and hostility towards Balzac, were now distracted with keeping an eye out for Sienna¡¯s reaction. This was because Balzac¡¯s deration wasn¡¯t just a direct refutation of Sienna¡¯s previous hopes for him; it could also be seen as an almost heretical insult to her personally. Sienna didn¡¯t show any obvious reaction and just stared piercingly at Balzac. Her green eyes, which were a shade that had always been reminiscent of emeralds, only grew stronger in their resemnce to those precious jewels as they now seemedpletely devoid of any human emotions. ¡°Is that so?¡± Sienna finally responded. Fwooosh! The electric current that had just been surging around Sienna suddenly disappeared. ¡°In that case, what exactly qualifies you toe here and request a conversation?¡± Sienna asked with a smile. But her smile was only skin-deep as there wasn¡¯t any trace of amusement in Sienna¡¯s voice or in her eyes. Without avoiding her gaze, which was as hard and dry as flint, Balzac responded, ¡°I havee here to speak with you as the emissary of the Demon King of Incarceration and an envoy of Helmuth.¡± ¡°It seems that I was mistaken,¡± Sienna let out a snort as she took a step back. ¡°If you havee here in that capacity, then we have no reason not to converse with you. It also means that I don¡¯t have any reason to attack you. After all, you¡¯re not worth the effort.¡± ¡°As someone who respects you so, Lady Sienna, those words are very hurtful,¡± Balzac sighed. ¡°Although it feels disgusting to hear you say that you respect me, I won¡¯t tell you not to do so. However, I no longer have any respect for you. If you stand in my way when we reach Babel, I will be sure to sweep you aside without any respect or courtesy,¡± Sienna promised. ¡°Babel?¡± Eugene spoke up. Without hiding his annoyance, Eugene red at Balzac and muttered darkly, ¡°Is there really any need to wait until Babel? I feel like we should just get rid of him now.¡± ¡°Haha.... I understand why you would say such a thing, but...,¡± Balzac pushed his sses back up with an embarrassed smile. ¡°As I have said... I havee here as the emissary of the Demon King of Incarceration and an envoy of Helmuth. So naturally, all of my qualifications to do so were granted to me by the Demon King of Incarceration. If I am unable to return, then....¡± Eugene shrugged, ¡°Well, who knows? I don¡¯t believe that the Demon King of Incarceration would be all that upset if we were to kill you right now.¡± ¡°Actually, I also share the same thought,¡± Balzac confessed. ¡°Even if I were to die, I don¡¯t believe the Demon King of Incarceration would feel even the slightest hint of rage.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°So does that mean we¡¯re alright to kill you?¡± ¡°If that is what you decided to do, Sir Eugene, there is nothing that I could do to avoid it. However, please allow me to have that conversation with you first,¡± Balzac politely requested. ¡°Fine. If that is yourst wish, there is no reason not to grant it,¡± Eugene answered agreeably. Balzac¡¯s expression grew even more resigned at the words st wish.¡¯ He nodded slightly, then pointed to another section of the caste walls. ¡°I don¡¯t believe that you would be willing to offer me something like a seat, so how about this? Why don¡¯t we take a bit of a walk while we talk?¡± Balzac proposed. ¡°Alright. I should at least hear out your final request.¡± Eugene nodded his head cooperatively once more. If that were even possible, Balzac¡¯s expression seemed to grow even more resigned upon hearing the words, ¡®final request.¡¯ After letting out a slight cough, Balzac turned around and began walking down the length of the castle walls. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina called out in concern. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine on my own,¡± Eugene said, lightly waving Kristina and the other members of the general staff off when they tried to follow him. But before he started walking off after Balzac, Eugene shot Sienna a nce. ¡°Just do as you please,¡± Sienna said in reply to his nce, her voice still as cold as ice. Anger, frustration, and disappointment, these emotions were so evident in her voice that it was hard not to notice them. After hearing her reply, Eugene began following Balzac. The two continued walking like this for some time. Balzac¡¯s pace was quite fast, so in just a short time, they had already walked quite a distance from the others. So much so that, when Eugene nced over his shoulder, the figures of the general staff had grown very small. Of course, this distance didn¡¯t pose any problems for him. With the skills of the general staff, they would still be able to reach him in a mere instant. ¡°Just how much further do you n on walking? Are you really going to keep walking until the others are no longer even visible?¡± Eugene grumbled as he looked at the back of Balzac¡¯s head. In fact, there wasn¡¯t even any need to keep the members of the general staff in sight. From the very beginning until now, Balzac had always been firmly within Eugene¡¯s range. No matter what trick Balzac might pull, Eugene had the confidence that he would be able to kill Balzac in mere moments. This was only natural. There was too much of a difference in skills and levels between Eugene and Balzac. But that just left Eugene feeling even more confused. After all, Balzac should also be well aware of Eugene¡¯s strength, so why had he felt the need to attach himself to the Demon King of Incarceration? Given the nature of the Demon King of Incarceration, if Balzac simply refused to participate in the war, Incarceration would never have forced him to do so. So why had Balzac still felt the need to enter Babel? Did he think that the Demon King of Incarceration would protect him? There was no way that would be the case. The Demon King of Incarceration would never descend from his pce. In that case, Balzac would simply be forced to serve as Babel¡¯s gatekeeper, destined to die while trying to block the Hero from advancing. Still walking ahead of Eugene, Balzac finally spoke, ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± At the same time, he slowed his pace until Eugene had reached his side. ¡®So just what exactly does this bastard have to say?¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as he kept a calm expression on his face. ¡°Please spare my life,¡± Balzac pleaded. ¡°What?¡± Eugene¡¯s jaw twitched in surprise at this sudden request. He hadn¡¯t misheard Balzac. Eugene responded like this because he had clearly heard what Balzac had just said. Eugene turned to look at Balzac in disbelief before asking once more, ¡°What did you just say?¡± ¡°I asked you to spare me,¡± as he said this, Balzac¡¯s expression couldn¡¯t have been more serious. He looked directly at Eugene as he continued speaking, ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me right here and now, and allow me to return with my life.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Eugene eventually asked. Balzac¡¯s expression was serious, and his voice didn¡¯t have the slightest tremor. But that just left Eugene even more confused. With a hollowugh, Balzac continued speaking, ¡°Sir Eugene, if you were to grant me that small mercy, it would be easier for me to return alive. Because Lady Sienna has no intention of killing me here today.¡± Eugene shook his head as he said, ¡°That might be Sienna¡¯s intention, but it isn¡¯t mine. Also, all of the other members of the general staff do want to kill you today, right here and now. That¡¯s right, why don¡¯t we leave it up to a vote? If we were to allow the majority vote to decide your fate, I¡¯m sure that they would probably unanimously agree on your execution.¡± ¡°That would only be natural,¡± Balzac agreed. ¡°If you know that, why would youe here? Just what kind of conversation have youe here to have?¡± Eugene questioned. Balzac informed him, ¡°The reason I had no choice but toe here is as I have already said, the Demon King of Incarceration has entrusted me with the duty of an envoy. I havee here in order to ry the intentions of the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Eugene raised an eyebrow, ¡°And what exactly are his intentions?¡± ¡°He wishes to know when the war should begin,¡± Balzac responded without any further prevarication. ¡°Haha...,¡± Eugene shook his head with a shortugh. Creak. The surge of emotion that those words naturally evoked caused Eugene to squeeze his fist tighter and tighter until veins popped up on the back of his hand. Eugene kept his voice calm, ¡°The official start of the war, huh? That¡¯s right because right now, we¡¯re still just in a standoff. Does that mean the Demon King of Incarceration has no intention of striking the first blow?¡± ¡°Well, in the first ce, isn''t there still the promise that the Demon King of Incarceration made with you, Sir Eugene? Until you begin your climb up Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration has no intention of starting the war,¡± Balzac paused for a few moments to look up at Babel. ¡°However, the moment you reach the castle, Sir Eugene, the war will surely break out. Once that happens, all of the forces currently gathered in Pandemonium will invade the continent once more.¡± ¡°That seems likely,¡± Eugene nodded his head. ¡°For now, that force onlyprises a portion of Helmuth¡¯s demonfolk, but the more time passes, the more Helmuth¡¯s public opinion will be forced to change,¡± Balzac warned him. ¡°As the scent of blood spreads further and further, the demonfolk who have refused to join the war will instinctively be drawn towards it. The giants who have been in hiding since Kamash¡¯s death may also end up joining the war. I am well acquainted with the skills of your Divine Army¡¯s general staff, but in terms of the quality of the general soldiery, the demonfolk possess an overwhelming superiority.¡± ¡°That might be true,¡± Eugene conceded with a shrug. There was nothing that could be done about the fundamental difference between demonfolk and humans. Of course, Balzac¡¯s warning would only be relevant if the warsted for much longer. However, Eugene had no intention of prolonging this war. The war would end in a day or two at the very most. ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Balzac said with a sigh. ¡°I think it would be better to minimize the sacrifices on both sides.¡± Balzac raised his hand and pointed at the walls of Pandemonium. ¡°When Lady Sienna attacked me earlier, Pandemonium¡¯s response... wasn¡¯t intended on my part. Of course, it wasn¡¯t the intention of the Demon King of Incarceration, either. The soldiers on those walls fired off that shot to protect me. Did you happen to see the power of that missile for yourself, Sir Eugene?¡± Balzac asked curiously. ¡°The missile?¡± Eugene repeated. ¡°Yes. Although they¡¯ve attached many different titles in front of it, that thing is ultimately called a missile,¡± Balzac exined. While recalling that one of the most basic magic attack spells was called Magic Missile, Eugene looked around at all the missiles installed on top of Pandemonium¡¯s city walls. ¡°Those missiles won¡¯t be used on the Divine Army following the start of the war. It''s because they¡¯re too powerful for that. However, Sir Eugene...,¡± Balzac paused for a few moments, ¡°the moment that you lose your duel with the Demon King of Incarceration, all of Pandemonium¡¯s missiles will beunched toward all the countries on the continent.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene gasped in surprise. Balzac repeated himself, ¡°The moment that you are defeated, Sir Eugene, all of those missiles will set the continent aze. Their very first targets will be the capital cities, which can be described as the hearts of their respective countries, then each sequentialunch will target the city with thergest remaining poption. Distance won¡¯t be a problem. Every inch ofnd in this world is within their range.¡± Eugene was silent. ¡°Killing all of the humans living on the continent with just that alone... would still be impossible. But their goal isn¡¯t to exterminate humanity. There will be immense destruction, but humanity will still survive. From then on, the surviving members of humanity will have to make a choice. Whether they should surrender to Helmuth or whether they should listen to their hatred and desire for revenge and continue fighting until they die,¡± Balzac said, letting out a short sigh as he shook his head. ¡°That would be far too cruel. I have no desire for that to happen. But if the Divine Army were to surrender, the continent wouldn¡¯t have to be a sea of mes. Also, Helmuth will willingly ept all those who do surrender.¡± Eugene finally spoke, ¡°Just what are you trying to say? ¡°I am merely persuading you to surrender,¡± Balzac said calmly. Eugene blinked in surprise at this response. In the end, he burst intoughter, ¡°Ha ha ha!¡± Surrender, of all things it could have been! Naturally, this must be Balzac¡¯s personal suggestion, and it had nothing to do with the Demon King of Incarceration. Because the Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t have any reason to want them to surrender. That was why Eugene couldn¡¯t help but startughing, and he keptughing for quite some time. ¡°Just go,¡± Eugene, who had finally finishedughing, lifted his hand. Balzac flinched at this movement and took a step back. However, Eugene¡¯s hand didn¡¯t move to attack Balzac. Instead, Eugene pointed at Babel as it floated high in the sky and continued speaking while still chuckling, ¡°I won¡¯t kill you, so just go. Go back to Babel, or run away somece else.¡± ¡°Sir Eugene,¡± Balzac tried to protest. ¡°That¡¯s right, I¡¯m allowing you to live because it seems that you¡¯re trying to limit the destruction in your own way. Even if it is with such a foolish method as youing down here, fully prepared to die, in order to try and persuade me to surrender,¡± Eugene shook his head in disbelief. It was Balzac¡¯s turn for silence. ¡°As such, I will allow you to leave with your life. Though, to be clear, it¡¯s just this one time,¡± Eugene warned him. While he might be able to kill Balzac, Eugene had decided not to. Instead, he would allow Balzac to leave with his life. This would be the only time he did so. Even if he allowed Balzac to escape with his life this time, if they were to meet in Babel, then, at that time, Sienna would be sure to kill Balzac before Eugene could even make a move. ¡°On what grounds?¡± Balzac asked once more. ¡°Given your personality, I never expected you to surrender, Sir Eugene, but even so, isn¡¯t this something that you should discuss with the others?¡± ¡°It¡¯s meaningless,¡± Eugene replied with a snicker. ¡°Surrendering won¡¯t change anything. It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not the Demon King of Incarceration shoots those missiles of his... if I cannot ovee the Demon King of Incarceration, then everything will truly be over.¡± Balzac silently pondered this. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. You were asking about when we should dere the start of the war.... Alright, let¡¯s make it a monthter,¡± Eugene said before turning to leave. Eugene, who hadughed for quite some time, said something that Balzac couldn¡¯t understand, and had dered the day on which to start the war without giving it much thought. Balzac stared at Eugene¡¯s back in confusion. However, Eugene didn¡¯t have anything more to say as he leisurely began walking back the way they hade. ¡°Alright,¡± Balzac finally said. He couldn¡¯t understand Eugene¡¯s rejection of his offer. However, Balzac was able to infer something from Eugene¡¯s response. Those monsters that Balzac had devoured in Hauria using Gluttony, their ominous dark power, the Demon King of Destruction, and the Oath that the Great Vermouth had sworn with the inscrutable Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°One monthter, I will see you in Babel,¡± Balzac called out. It wasn¡¯t that Eugene wasn¡¯t willing to surrender. It was that he couldn¡¯t surrender. If Eugene didn''t manage to ovee the Demon King of Incarceration, the world would be destroyed. Having understood this, Balzac bowed his head low. A bright smile appeared on his shadowed face. Chapter 575: The Divine Army (3) ¡°Why did you allow him to return?¡± ¡°One month?¡± The questions came flying at Eugene at the same time. Which one was he meant to answer first? Eugene was left momentarily speechless as he could only blink his eyes in confusion. ¡°I asked you why you allowed him to return!¡± ¡°One month! That¡¯s far too soon!¡± While he was still blinking his eyes, the barrage of words continued. Although the other members of the general staff didn¡¯t join in the questioning, all of their faces were covered in doubt and uncertainty. ¡°For now, you both should try to calm down,¡± Eugene said, raising his hands as he tried to get them to step back. Because if they didn¡¯t, Sienna and Anise seemed like they were about to take turns hitting him as they drew closer. ¡°I¡¯ll answer your questions one by one. So Sienna, for now, please let your mana settle down. Also, you¡­ Kristina, you should also lower your il as well. Alright?¡± Eugene nervously pleaded. It was Anise, not Kristina, who was ring at him through narrowed eyes, but apart from Ciel, none of the other members of the general staff were aware of Anise¡¯s existence. As such, Eugene was left with no choice but to use Kristina¡¯s name instead. ¡°Fine then,¡± Anise huffed. Although she didn¡¯t retract her narrow-eyed re, for now, Anise decided to lower her il. Sienna also allowed her mana to settle down with a pout. Once that was done, Eugene was able to let out a deep sigh of relief as he took his seat. ¡°I allowed him to return because I felt like it wouldn¡¯t matter even if I let him go,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°And I feel like you deserve a smack, Ha ¡ª Sir Eugene, would you mind if I gave you one?¡± Anise asked as her hand went back to the il that she had just set down. Eugene¡¯s shoulders trembled as he flinched and quickly insisted, ¡°No, really. I just thought that it would be okay to send him back, so that¡¯s what I did.¡± ¡°And now I¡¯m asking you why you would make such a foolish decision,¡± Anise said coldly. ¡°Because Balzac is still holding onto his humanity in his own way,¡± Eugene tried to argue. ¡°He couldn¡¯t do anything about the fact that he had already bound himself to the Demon King of Incarceration through his contract, so it seems that he took up the position as the new Staff of Incarceration to minimize the destruction from the war. Or so I believe.¡± ¡°So what, are you saying that we shouldn¡¯t kill Balzac Ludbeth?¡± Anise asked doubtfully. ¡°No,¡± Eugene responded while shaking his head. ¡°This is thest time I will show him mercy or give him a chance to escape. I gave you an exnation for why I made such a decision, but if Balzac does block our way up through Babel¡ª¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be the one to kill him,¡± Sienna spat out before Eugene could finish speaking. ¡°Today, I was nning to allow him to return to Babel with his life, in any case. It doesn¡¯t matter whether or not Balzac retains his human emotions. Now that he has be the Staff of Incarceration, so long as he stays in Babel and protects the Demon King of Incarceration, if he has truly given up his dream as a wizard to devote himself to his duty as the Staff of Incarceration, then as the Guardian of Magic, once we climb up through that damn Babel, I will be sure to take his life.¡± Although her mana had settled down, her voice was still fierce. The other Archwizards who were part of the general staff looked at Sienna with admiring eyes upon hearing this deration. Setting aside the overflowing murderous intent that was seeping out of Sienna, it seemed that they had been entranced by her title, the ¡®Guardian of Magic.¡¯ ¡°Big sis, let me go with you. I also want to climb up through Babel! Until we reach the Demon King of Incarceration! Then I¡¯ll show him the power of the Strongest Spirit Summoner of all time!¡± Melkith said as she clenched her fists excitedly. Her motivation was impressive, but there was no way that they could allow this. Eugene rejected her, ¡°Sienna, Kristina, and I will be the only ones ascending Babel.¡± ¡°But why!¡± Melkithined. ¡°That is because, Lady Melkith, while I acknowledge you as the greatest Spirit Summoner of all time, you won¡¯t be able to use your amazing spirit-summoning skills freely while within Babel,¡± Eugene exined. Babel was the location in which the Demon King of Incarceration could most powerfully exercise his full strength. While Eugene, of course, hadn¡¯t managed the climb up to the Demon King¡¯s pce three hundred years ago, he had heard from Sienna, Anise, and Molon about what the battle had been like back then. At that time, Sienna had had most of her magic sealed off during their battle against the Demon King of Incarceration, and Tempest had barely managed to remain active throughout the fight. ¡°You should take care of things on the surface, Lady Melkith. And if possible, please clear the walls of Pandemonium,¡± Eugene requested. ¡°The walls?¡± Melkith repeated quizzically. Eugene answered her question by exining the purpose of the missiles that had been installed on top of the walls. After hearing that they were aimed at all of the countries on the continent, the general staff¡¯s expressions were filled with shock. ¡°W-we need to evacuate immediately¡­!¡± Honein stammered as he leaped up from his seat. Among the general staff of the Divine Army, Honein and Aman were the only members of royalty who would be directly participating in the battle. Although he didn¡¯t show any reaction to the news, Aman¡¯s expression was also extremely dark. ¡°Is there any meaning to doing that? ording to Eugene, those missiles are able to bombard the entire continent,¡± Ivatar pointed out. Aman sighed deeply and shook his head in response to Ivatar''s words, ¡°Even so, we can¡¯t just leave our citizens to burn in our cities.¡± ¡°If you really must evacuate, then send them to Samar,¡± Ivatar offered. ¡°Thend of the Rainforest is vast and, aside from the Lionheart¡¯s estate, it is the ce with the highest concentration of mana on the continent. You can use the rainforest as your main refugee camp if the Archwizards here are willing to step in and erect a defensive barrier to protect them.¡± Everyone turned to look at Ivatar as if they were surprised to hear him give such a good idea. Ivatar realized the meaning of the gazes being directed at him, and he furrowed his brow in a frown as he responded, ¡°Those gazes feel extremely insulting¡­. Just because we are the native tribespeople of the forest doesn¡¯t mean that we are barbaric and ignorant.¡± Honein coughed, ¡°Ahem, we weren¡¯t going quite that far with our thoughts.¡± Ivatar shrugged, ¡°In any case, if you feel the need to evacuate, thene down to the rainforest. However, when you issue the evacuation order, it would be best not to mention the possible bombing. Doing so would only needlessly increase their anxiety and confusion.¡± Eugene pped his hands in approval at this insightful remark, which made it hard to believe that it came from an indigenous tribesman. Ivatar raised an eyebrow, ¡°What exactly do you mean by your apuse?¡± Eugene shrugged, ¡°It just means, ¡®Oh¡­ You really are smart, aren¡¯t you, Ivatar¡­?¡¯¡± In the face of thispliment made with seemingly pure intentions, Ivatar could only furrow his brow even further because he wasn¡¯t sure what kind of reaction he should show. He was a hot-blooded man who would usually never allow any insult to go unanswered, but that being said, Ivatar couldn¡¯t permit himself to take out his fiery personality against Eugene. ¡°What do you mean, you want me to clear the wall? What kind of boring request are you trying to make of me, Melkith El-Hayah, the greatest and most powerful Spirit Summoner of all time?¡± Melkith, who had finally realized the seriousness and gravity of the matter, began to grumble. Eugene took a deep breath, ¡°Lady Melkith¡¯s amazing and powerful Infinity Force¡ª¡± ¡°That name was for when there were only three Spirit Kings; now it¡¯s called Omega Force,¡± Melkith insisted. ¡°Right¡­. I¡¯m asking you to please destroy all of the missiles on the wall with your Omega Force. Then, if you get the chance, you can charge into Pandemonium and sweep them all away as well,¡± Eugene said encouragingly. ¡°Are you asking me, Lady Melkith, to charge straight into the enemy base and run wild?¡± Melkith demanded, her voice rising. Eugene raised a brow, ¡°What, are you afraid?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s just that I¡¯m so happy¡­!¡± Melkith said as she excitedly clenched her fists. Melkith, who loved being in the spotlight and held an overflowing desire for validation, couldn¡¯t help but be excited by the critical nature of the mission she had just been given. ¡°The rainforest might be huge, but it will be impossible for it to amodate all of the refugees on the continent. We will also need to construct shelters in each country,¡± Anise assessed. Eugene waved it off, ¡°The kings will take care of that on their own.¡± Sienna sniffed, ¡°How nice for you. You just casually need to tell them to do something, and others will take care of all the hard work for you.¡± ¡°Who were the ones who looked at me and told me to sit in this seat as the Commander-in-Chief of the army? You gave me this seat so that I can focus on ying the Demon Kings, so all that I need to do is concentrate on doing my job,¡± Eugene said smugly. Sienna red at him in response, but Eugene didn¡¯t feel any guilt. Everyone had their strengths and capabilities. Administration was definitely something that Eugene wasn¡¯t good at, nor was it something that he would ever willingly do. ¡°I¡¯m also not good at making Barriers, so you should take the other Archwizards with you, Sienna, and take care of it by yourselves,¡± Eugene instructed. ¡°You are also an Archwizard,¡± Sienna pointed out. Eugene shrugged as he said, ¡°Lately, I¡¯ve actually been wondering if I can even be considered a wizard. What about me even looks like a wizard? Am I a wizard just because I have a Signature spell? But I don¡¯t use any magic apart from that¡ª¡± As he was in the middle of saying all this with a calm expression, Eugene suddenly flinched and turned to look at Lovellian¡¯s expression. This was because Eugene felt that, no matter what, it might be going too far to deny the usefulness of his magic in front of Lovellian, the one who had taught him magic. ¡°Well¡­ each person has their own style that best suits them,¡± Lovellian reassured Eugene. ¡°It¡¯s just that your fighting style doesn¡¯t match that of a pure wizard, Sir Eugene.¡± Eugene winced, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ even so, I do always make use of my Signature, don¡¯t I? In fact, there¡¯s not much difference between what I do when swinging my sword and casting a spell. It¡¯s just, what I¡¯m trying to say is that I¡¯m not good when ites to barriers. That¡¯s all that I meant to imply.¡± As Eugene earnestly backtracked on his words and made amends, Lovellian¡¯s disappointed expression softened slightly. ¡°But what about Sir Molon? Don¡¯t I need to summon him?¡± Ciel tilted her head to the side and asked. In addition to mastering the White me Form, Ciel had also been baptized by Eugene, so the current Ciel was now able to reach even the northernmost point of the continent when using her Demoneye of Darkness. Eugene nodded in assent as he said, ¡°Of course, you need to summon him. I¡¯ll send him a message after I first enter Babel so you can summon him then.¡± In the showdown against the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene couldn¡¯t afford to hold back any cards. Fighting the Demon King on his own was also out of the question. Molon had been transformed into an Incarnation of Eugene and was his Greatest Warrior. He was a powerful fighting force that definitely couldn¡¯t be left out of action. ¡°Isn¡¯t one month a bit too short?¡± Sienna asked as she furrowed her brow. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m aware that we don¡¯t have much time left. However, we should still have the freedom to wait longer than a month, don¡¯t we?¡± Eugene shook his head. ¡°Even if we increase the dy until the start of the war to more than a month, nothing will change. Instead, the longer it takes, the more anxious people will be. I¡¯m more afraid of that than anything else.¡± ¡°One month¡­,¡± Carmen suddenly spoke up. She tilted her head to the side and stared at Eugene. ¡°Oh, Radiant Lion. Do we really have enough¡­. No, I already know full well that the world doesn¡¯t have that much time left. After all, I did apany you on your visit to the rainforest.¡± That was when they met the Sage, Vishur Lavi. Carmen was also present at that meeting. She hadn¡¯t listened in on the full conversation, but she was aware that the previous era had met its destruction before they had arrived at the current era. ¡°However, apart from me, no one else among the general staff is aware of that fact. Even I don¡¯t know theplete truth. But now I feel that I, that we, deserve to know the truth,¡± Carmen said firmly. ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Eugene grunted consideringly. ¡°We are also a part of this world. We havee here today to protect the world and defeat the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Carmen said, her eyes revealing her strong determination. The other members of the general staff also looked at Eugene with the same determination. ¡°Indeed, this really isn¡¯t something I should hide any longer,¡± Eugene finally agreed with a deep sigh. The members of the Lionheart n already knew that Vermouth was sealing the Demon King of Destruction. However, he had never told them about the true meaning of their war against the Demon King of Incarceration and what would happen following the end of the Oath. Eugene had already decided that this was something he should tell them someday. It couldn¡¯t be kept hidden forever. ¡°If I lose to the Demon King of Incarceration, the world will be destroyed,¡± Eugene said with a calm expression. ¡°Even if I win, that doesn¡¯t mean that the world won¡¯t end. If I lose, the Demon King of Incarceration will take action to destroy the world, and even if I win¡­ the Demon King of Destruction, as his name suggests, will also attempt to destroy the world.¡± The crowd was silent. There was nothing that they could say in response to that. There wasn¡¯t even a hint of emotion in the tone that Eugene had used to ry these rming facts. He was talking as if he were describing a process that waspletely natural and inevitable. Next, Eugene told them about how Destruction would surelye looking to end them within a few months¡¯ time. He told them about how previous versions of this world had been destroyed multiple times. He also revealed that he was the reincarnation of Agaroth, the God of War, who had been alive during the time of the ancient Age of Myth. He exined how the world should have already been destroyed three hundred years ago but had been given a reprieve thanks to the Oath that Vermouth had made with the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene honestly admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know why the Demon King of Incarceration wants to turn the world into a sea of mes the moment he defeats me. I can¡¯t tell what that son of a bitch¡¯s true intentions are. However, if I was forced to pick which side he is on, I suspect he¡¯s on the side that opposes the Demon King of Destruction.¡± While that might be the case, it seemed that the Demon King of Incarceration had no intention of directly confronting the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene suspected that he simply wasn¡¯t capable of contending with Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration had been forced to witness the destruction of the world many times over, crossing over to the next world each time that it happened. Eugene thought that the reason the Demon King of Incarceration refused to face the Demon King of Destruction was the possibility of Incarceration dying if he did so¡­. But so what if he did die? The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s only desire seemed to be preventing the destruction of the world. If he had lived for so long while futilely clinging to that one desire, then what exactly was keeping the Demon King of Incarceration alive? What kept the Demon King of Incarceration hoping that the world wouldn¡¯t be destroyed, and that the Demon King of Destruction would be erased? ¡°I don¡¯t consider the Demon King of Incarceration to be an ally. Whether it is in the past or the present, that person is and always will be a Demon King, and he was the one who firstunched the invasion against the rest of the world. He has also done the same thing this time as well. I don¡¯t know what kind of reason or stubborn insistence he has for doing such a thing, but one monthter, I will climb up through Babel and cut the Demon King of Incarceration down in his own damn pce. ¡°After that, I will y the Demon King of Destruction as well,¡± Eugene promised before shaking his head with a short sigh. ¡°That¡¯s why I said that the war would start in a month. It won¡¯t end with just ying the Demon King of Incarceration, and the longer this standoff goes on, the more the people¡¯s faith in me will waver.¡± ¡°In order to save the world,¡± Carmen spoke, her voice trembling slightly. ¡°And prevent the Destruction¡­.¡± With a shaking hand, Carmen reached inside of her vest and pulled out a cigar case. Despite her hand tremors growing increasingly intense, she managed to open the case and grab a cigar, but in the end, the cigar that she had stuck between her fingers snapped under the vibration. ¡°How amazing¡­,¡± Carmen muttered as she tightly clutched the broken cigar. Carmen suddenly leaped up from her seat and swung her jacket over her shoulders. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Carmen said as she looked around to the rest of the general staff. Everyone else, who still seemed weighed down by the truth of the matter, turned to look at Carmen with puzzled expressions. Ciel stammered, ¡°G-go where?¡± ¡°The time given to us is short, but there is much that we need to do,¡± Carmen said firmly. ¡°To save the world. To prevent its destruction. And finally, to save the ancestor of the Lionheart n, the Great Vermouth.¡± Hissss! The broken cigar that Carmen was still holding in her hand was burnt into ashes and disappeared. ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for us to remain here, being crushed by the weight of the truth or cowering in fear. We must be the cornerstone of the brilliant future that the Radiant Lion has drawn for us. We are the vanguard! Of War, of Light, of Glory, and of Victory!¡± Carmen roared as she raised her clenched fist in front of the other members of the general staff. ¡°In order to be victorious, our mes must burn brightly on the battlefield. Just how long are you all going to keep sitting there?! Alchester!¡± ¡°Y-yes?¡± Alchester stuttered. ¡°Draw your sword ande with me,¡± Carmen ordered. ¡°It¡¯s time for a spar. Then next, Lord Ortus, it will be your turn.¡± Ortus was bewildered, ¡°Why are you suddenly challenging us to a spar¡­?¡± ¡°That is a foolish question, Lord Ortus. For knights like us, apart from sparring, is there a need for any other type of training?¡± Carmen said as she spun around. As she left the conference room ahead of everyone else, Alchester and Ortus, who had been directly named by her, also got up to leave. Just like that, the general staff left the conference room one by one. It might be because they had all felt something stir within them during Carmen¡¯s magnificent speech, but each of them walked with purpose. To save the world. To prevent Destruction. They may have already firmed up their resolve, knowing that they must be victorious, but the stakes that had just been revealed had only caused their resolve to grow all the more desperate. There was only a month left. Defeating the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t be the end of the war. The world could only be saved if the Demon King of Destruction, who had already destroyed the world several times over, was defeated. Once they had all left, Eugene, Sienna, and the Saints were the only ones left in the conference room. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it have been better for Lady Carmen to have been the Commander-in-Chief rather than me?¡± Eugene said with a snort as he turned to look at the others. They found themselves enthusiastically agreeing with Eugene¡¯s words, but they just couldn¡¯t bring themselves to nod and admit it. ¡°I also have to get going,¡± Sienna said as she stood up. ¡°Where to?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°The great Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army did ask me to set up the barriers, didn¡¯t he? That¡¯s why I¡¯m going off to do just that!¡± Sienna snapped. ¡°Come back safely,¡± Eugene said, not the slightest bit intimidated by her anger as he waved at Sienna in farewell. ¡°I will also be leaving,¡± Anise informed him. Eugene looked at her in surprise, ¡°Why you as well? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re needed to set up a barrier.¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t say something so stupid. The priests of this era are extremely inexperienced when ites to battling demonfolk. Do you know just how much of a hassle it is to teach them about such things?¡± Anise hissed as she red at Eugene. ¡°Then we also have to mass-produce holy water! Do you know just how annoying that is?¡± ¡°Well¡­ if you need help, just tell me,¡± Eugene offered. ¡°After all, it¡¯s just a matter of me slitting my wrists a few times.¡± ¡°Instead of that, why don¡¯t you chop off all of your limbs and go jump into ake? A few days of that, and it might be enough to transform the entireke into holy water.¡± Eugene gulped, ¡°If¡­ if that¡¯s what you need. Anise just snorted at his stammered response and stood up to leave. ¡°No, let¡¯s just ignore that idea. Hamel, all that you should do during this month is conserve as much strength as possible. And think of a way to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± ¡°Mmm¡­ alright,¡± Eugene conceded. Anise frowned and said, ¡°I¡¯m asking this just in case, but the reason you only gave them a month is that you have the confidence to win, right?¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°That¡¯s¡­ something I¡¯ll only know once I¡¯ve attempted it.¡± Anise¡¯s face twisted into a scowl after hearing his uncertain answer. She barely managed to hold back the harsh words she¡¯d been about to blurt out as she red at Eugene. ¡°Please don¡¯t say such a thing in front of the general staff or the Divine Army,¡± Anise said through gritted teeth. ¡°Of course, I wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Eugene scoffed. ¡°I know as well as you do how important morale is on the battlefield.¡± Anise just let out a deep sigh at his thick-skinned response. ¡°Sometimes, I truly despair at the fact that the fate of the world is in your hands.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t mean that,¡± Eugeneughed. ¡°After all, you trust me, don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°It would be a whole lot better if you could just keep your mouth shut,¡± Anise let out another deep sigh as she left the conference room with onest look at Eugene¡¯s grinning face. After she had left, the smile disappeared from Eugene¡¯s face. Without any trace of amusement on his face, he got out of his seat and walked over to the window. ¡°One month, huh,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. Looking through the window, he red up at Babel. The confidence to win? Anything like that had always felt extremely faint, starting from his duel with Gavid. Eugene had never had the confidence that he would absolutely, definitely, without fail, be able to win. He had fought because he had to. This time would be the same. He needed to win. He had to win. If he didn¡¯t win, everything would end. And he didn¡¯t want that. ¡°I need to win,¡± Eugene muttered to himself as he red up at Babel. One month passed.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: Wow, Anise can be really vicious. Momo: Hand it to Carmen to raise the morale! Eugene should learn a few things from her.
Chapter 576: The War Begins (1)

Chapter 576: The War Begins (1)

"O Lord." It was a devout call. Eugene opened his eyes. He had fallen into deep sleep while being aware of his surroundings. It was to bring his body and mind to an optimal state. Thanks to that, even though he had just awoken, his eyelids were not heavy, and his mind was crystal clear. In fact, Eugene felt sharper than ever, both mentally and physically, though he had just woken up. "My Lord." A soft whisper. Eugene turned his head towards the gentle calling from right beside him. That call made Eugene think of the distant past. "Are you doing that on purpose?" he questioned. Kristina tilted her head in confusion at the sudden question. Eugene himself thought it was a foolish question to ask. Kristina and Anise did not know about his memory as Agaroth. Eugene rubbed his head in an attempt to erase the faint remnants of it. "I¡¯m wondering why you¡¯re calling me like that all of a sudden," he corrected himself. "Because today, of all days, Sir Eugene must be a god," Kristina replied with a faint smile. He needed to be a god today more than ever. Eugene knew the meaning and weight behind her response and smirked bitterly. "It''s not just me who calls you that. Eugene, my god. Everyone in the Divine Army repeats it,¡± continued Kristina. "I know," Eugene responded while cing a hand over his heart. Simply being aware of it made the voices audible. The voices had grown incessantly over the past month, leading to today. He could feel the prayers and faith of those from all over the continent, as well as from his Divine Army. It couldn¡¯t be helped that the voices had grown stronger leading up to this day. The continent had been stirred over the month. Although an announcement was not made regarding the missiles and bombings, the very act of evacuation due to the war instilled fear in the citizens. The Divine Army in Neran felt the fear as well, knowing the onset of war was imminent. They sought their god to forget their fears. In this world, their god was no longer far away. The very god who would listen to their prayers, confront the Demon Kings, and bring them victory in the war was right here. Because they knew this, their prayers were unceasing. "The preparations for war areplete," Kristina whispered. She clutched the rosary around her neck as she bowed her head. "Everyone is waiting for yourmand, Sir Eugene." "I told you that I didn¡¯t want to do this,¡± answered Eugene. "On a day like today, please say you will do it willingly, my God,¡± responded Kristina. She raised her head again, and Anise, who had taken her ce, red at Eugene and snapped, "If not you, the Commander-in-Chief, then who else will dere the onset of war?" "If it¡¯s about qualifications, Sienna has plenty, and if it¡¯s about trust, Lady Carmen also...." "Please, Lord! You know how important today is, don¡¯t you!" shouted Anise. Her expression was fierce as she berated Eugene. "Yes,¡± Eugene chuckled and rose from the bed. The sudden change in the atmosphere made Anise''s shoulders twitch. Stepping down from the bed, Eugene ced a hand on Anise¡¯s shoulder and said, "Today is an important day. It could be the end of this era. Or, it might be the turning point that changes the end." "My God," said Anise. "Let¡¯s not be too solemn, though,¡± dered Eugene. Anise¡¯s eyes fluttered angrily at his response. "Are you acting foolish just to ease my tension?" she questioned. "I did mean to ease the tension, but I¡¯m not joking when I say I don¡¯t want to do it," answered Eugene. "You really are...!" Anise started. "I am indeed your God, and you are indeed my Saint. It¡¯s true that today is important and special. But let¡¯s not make too much of a fuss about it." As Eugene spoke, he stretched out his hand, and arge jar nearby gently floated into the air. Anise blinked several times. She did not understand Eugene¡¯s intent. "Step back,¡± hemanded. "Excuse me?" Anise questioned. "Step back. It might ssh,¡± he exined. What could possibly ssh? Anise did not understand, but she stepped back as Eugene had instructed. Meanwhile, the floating jar moved forward toward Eugene. He quickly reached out and grabbed the jar. Instantly, the empty jar was filled with water. "What are you doing...?" Before Anise could finish her sentence, Eugene lifted the jar above his head. Ssh! The cold water poured down. "What on earth.... What are you doing?" Anise gasped in shock. Eugene shook his damp hair a few times, then reached for the Cloak of Darkness from a nearby coat hanger. Swish! The cloak flew towards him and wrapped around his body. "A cold shower," Eugene said. "Excuse me?" Anise asked. "Just wanted to freshen up the mind as well,¡± he dered. His previously drenched hair dried instantly and became fluffy. Eugene pped his cheeks with both hands and then walked past Anise. "Let''s go,¡± he said. Anise blinked as she followed Eugene, who headed towards the door. Soon, she burst intoughter and nodded, "Yes, Hamel." "It sounds much better than being exalted as a god,¡± Eugene said. "Really, if you wanted to relieve the tension for Kristina and me, hmm, there were plenty of other ways you could have done it," Anise hinted. "I just woke up. I did it to wash up." Eugene chuckled casually and opened the door. His officers were lined up in the long corridor, excluding Sienna and the Archwizards ¡ª knights and warriors unrted to magic. Eugene saw Carmen, Gilead, and Gion standing closest to the door. "Did everyone sleep well?" Eugene asked with a grin. "I tried my best to get some sleep,¡± Gilead replied with a wry smile. Many had lost their sleep as this day drew nearer due to a mix of nerves and excitement. This was true for most of the Divine Army, and the members of the general staff were no exception. It was unavoidable. Their adversary was the Demon King of Incarceration, who had reigned over countless eras for an immeasurable span of time. Considering the eras he had crossed over, the time the Demon King of Incarceration had ruled could very well be discussed as eternal. "You seem to have slept well,¡± Eugenemented. "I tried my best to sleep." Gion''s teasing reply drew a snicker from Eugene. However, the other officers couldn''t manage to smile. The war would begin today. Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina would ascend to Babel, and the Divine Army would block Helmuth''s offensive on the ground. Frankly speaking, the battle on the ground was not the source of fear. Many had already faced demons and demonic creatures in Hauria. Carmen, Ortus, and Ivic had even experienced despair in a battle against a Demon King. No matter how fierce the battle on the ground might be, it would not be vastly different from the ones they had already endured. The real issue was Babel. If Eugene''s group, having entered Babel, were defeated by the Demon King of Incarceration ¡ª regardless of the oue on the ground, everything would end. There was nothing the officers could do about that. Thus, their expressions were inevitably grim. Eugene was strong, but the opponent was the Demon King of Incarceration. The members of the general staff could not possibly imagine the defeat of the great Demon King. "Youck faith," Eugenemented. He could feel the pervasive anxiety. As he walked among the members of the general staff, he ced a hand over his heart. Whoosh. Divine fire surged near his heart, instantly transforming the atmosphere in the corridor. The air, previously frozen with anxiety and tension, became permeated by mes. "Ah...!" Ivatar eximed without realizing it. He turned his head and saw Eugene''s back. Eugene¡¯s presence felt like a beacon in the dark night sea as he passed the members of the general staff. The anxiety and tension in their hearts dissolved at the mere sight of his back. No. That wasn''t all, either. Ivatar felt something else from Eugene''s back. It felt as if Eugene had be someone else. Strangely enough, Ivatar epted this sensation as familiar and natural. "Haha..." Alchester let out a low chuckle while clenching his fist. The sweat that had pooled in his hand was now dry. Lack of faith, huh? It was true. One must not think of Eugene''s defeat. One must not doubt his victory. Alchester swallowed hisughter and looked at Eugene''s back. This was a sight he couldn''t have imagined when he first saw Eugene years ago. "Brilliant," Carmen murmured with a smirk. Among the members of the general staff there, only Carmen was calm. She felt neither tension, anxiety, nor fear. She had unwavering faith in Eugene''s victory and was confident that her Dragon w would contribute to a brilliant future beyond Incarceration and Destruction. "Is itcking?" Eugene nced back as he asked, but no one answered. All the members of the general staff in the corridor already stood behind him with unshaken faces. "I shouldn''t have asked,¡± said Eugene. He smirked and continued walking forward. The door at the end of the corridor opened on its own. This building stood atop the walls of Neran. Eugene stepped out the door and immediately found himself walking along the wall. The sky was overcast. Clouds so thick it seemed they might burst into rain at any moment obscured the sun, giving the sky a grim, murky appearance. But it wouldn''t rain. Eugene nced up briefly. Those weren¡¯t ordinary clouds. Rather, the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration had covered up the nearby skies. "The weather''s shitty today,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. He lowered his gaze and stopped to turn around. Woah! The moment he looked down, a thunderous cheer erupted. Although this ce had yet to be a battlefield, the sounds of the onset of war were imminent and close. Below the high walls was the Divine Army, the strongest troops gathered from across the continent. They were positioned on the ins between the continent and Pandemonium. The soldiers roared upon seeing Eugene. "Took your sweet time, didn¡¯t you?" Sienna''s voice rang out clearly even amid the deafening cheers from the ins. She suddenly appeared at his side and gently elbowed him in the ribs. "It was you who told me to sleep off my worries,¡± Eugene said. "I didn''t expect you to sleep in thiste,¡± Sienna retorted. "It''s still just noon. It¡¯s not thatte. So, how are things?" Eugene asked, taking in the Archwizards assembling beside Sienna. "We¡¯ve done all we can prepare,¡± Sienna answered. The magical corps had been the most upied over the past month, with Sienna and the Archwizards at the forefront. They connected the Samar Forest to the World Tree, establishing a powerful defensive barrier, and erected simr barriers over each kingdom''s major cities. Simultaneously, they had set up various magics in these ins to prepare for the battle and mass-produced magical scrolls to support the Divine Army. Kristina and Anise, along with the priests, had also participated in the mass production of holy water and divine magic, but their efforts paled inparison to Sienna and the wizards. "I also visited Lehainjar in the middle of the night,¡± Sienna added. Summoning Molon would leave Lehainjar empty. As such, Sienna needed to use her magic to artificially prevent the emergence of the Nur. Thanks to that, Sienna had been in Lehainjar until just earlier. "What about Pandemonium?" questioned Eugene. "It''s empty. Doesn¡¯t look like there''s a second wave. It''s impossible for them to strike us from the rear,¡± answered Sienna. "Huh," Eugene chuckled dryly as he looked forward. Pandemonium was out of sight. The end of the ins was not visible either. Beyond the Divine Armyy a vast army made up of demons and demonic creatures. It seemed as if all the demonic creatures bred in Helmuth had gathered on this in. It wasn¡¯t just demons, either. He could see humans here and there, and though not many, there were giants and a few beastfolk as well. "Are we just going to smash into each other with all our might?" Sienna asked. "The battle on the ground won''t mean much to the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± answered Eugene. Sienna stared darkly at the ckened skies of Babel. Even if the ground forces were annihted, it would mean nothing to the Demon King of Incarceration. He was a Great Demon King, and he could sweep the continent alone if he wished. "But not me,¡± continued Eugene. His left hand was still ced over his heart, and it emitted an increasingly fierce light. "If this is war, then I want victory.¡± His left hand fell from his chest. Eugene raised his hand above his head, with all of the Divine Army watching him. Whoosh! The divine fire that had enveloped his left hand zed fiercely. Eugene grinned and casually tossed the mes up into the sky. Whoosh! The mes soared high and swelled explosively. Amidst the magically darkened sky, a blood-red sun was forged. Just as Agaroth had done in the Age of Myth, Eugene crafted a miracle, conjuring a sun with his divine power. "Ah...." The Divine Army forgot to shout, entranced by the sun in the sky. Everyone knew this was not the real sun, though it appeared so. Yet, for the troops on this battlefield, this artificial sun shone more brilliantly than the actual sun. They had roared to forget their fears and trepidations, but now, such roars were unnecessary as no trace of fear could be felt. Instead, feelings of faith and courage overflowed from their hearts. "Sanctuary..." Anise eximed in awe, turning to look at Eugene. Even during his battle with Noir, Eugene''s sanctuary had not covered such an extensive area. But now, without even deploying Prominence, Eugene had turned the entire in into a sanctuary. Within this sanctuary, the faithful could fight tirelessly. Wounds would heal rapidly, and divine power would enhance their mana. The mere presence of that sun drastically increased the power of the Divine Army several-fold. "I''m not one for grand speeches," Eugene admitted as he caught the gaze of the entire Divine Army. He extended his hand. Whoosh! The Lionheart banner, previously affixed to the walls of Neran, flew into Eugene''s hand. Recalling the march in Hauria, Eugene grinned. "Troops,¡± he said. Creak, creak.... The ominous sound echoed from the gstaff in his hand. Mana filled the staff and wrapped it in mes. Crack! From Eugene¡¯s hand, the gstaff shot forth, piercing through space and impaling thergest giant in the enemy''s ranks. As it pierced, mes burst forth and caused the giant¡¯s body to explode. The surrounding demons and monsters were instantly reduced to ashes. "Let''s survive to see this through,¡± he said with a smile. In the midst of the enemy camp, the Lionheart banner fluttered boldly. Chapter 577: The War Begins (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 577: The War Begins (2) [Bonus Image]

Uwaaah! The Divine Army let out a cry. Let''s survive to see this through. Eugene considered it not a grand or profound statement, yet the troops thought otherwise. The Divine Army knew that their Commander-in-Chief was the reincarnation of Hamel from three hundred years ago. He was a great hero who had once stood against the Demon Kings alongside the legendary Vermouth to save the world and had been reborn in this era as the chosen Hero of the Holy Sword. Now, he had transcended even his role as the Hero to ascend to divinity. Eugene Lionheart. The battlefield under his protection and presence could truly be considered the center of an ongoing myth. The blood-red sun hanging in the sky was profound evidence. Along with his words for them to survive, the sun illuminating the battlefield was both a miracle and a divine blessing. "You said exactly what we needed to hear," Carmen said while stepping forward. ¡°Form Change,¡± she muttered under her breath. However, it was audible not only to the Divine Army but also to the enemy forces. They had been cursing the Lionheart banner, which had embedded itself in their ranks, then turned around upon hearing the unexpected words Form Change. Swish! The coat she was wearing fluttered. Underneath, the special Exid that Carmen wore transformed and enveloped her body. The process of donning the Exid, a transformation for Carmen, normally took no more than three seconds. However, Carmen deliberately slowed down the transformation process because she thought it was necessary. Like Eugene''s words had recharged the morale of the Divine Army, she believed her transformation would infuse them with courage and hope. And she wanted to ensure that everyone saw this stunning transformation. She also wanted to make her presence known as the cruel reaper of death for the vast enemy forces. She would crush them. "The reaper..." Carmen whispered. She liked that title. Click, click...! The transformation began at the torso and spread to the limbs. ¡®This is not enough.¡¯ Carmen observed the Exid covering her limbs and thought to herself. Her specific Exid was named White me Dragon, but that was a name of the past. Carmen Lionheart had pushed the Stars of the White me Form into a new metamorphosis. Carmen Lionheart, once known as the Silver Lion and the White me Dragon, no longer existed. What stood here now was.... ¡°The Grim Reaper,¡± Carmen dered proudly. The Exid darkened to pitch ck. Like the night, like death, the Exidpletely shrouded Carmen in ck. Carmen climbed onto the railing in full view of everyone. "Go." Carmen looked back at Eugene and said, "No, that''s not right." She picked up a cigar with her fingers, which were as sharp as the scythe of the Grim Reaper. With all eyes on her, Carmen ced the cigar in her mouth. Then, with the fingers that had held the cigar, she pointed to the sky, to the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, Babel. "Come back," she said. There could be no better response to the call to survive and see. It wasn''t enough to just go. One must go ande back. Normally, Eugene would have been frozen by Carmen''s childish actions, but not today. He felt the weight of the meaning behind her words. "Yes,¡± Eugene responded. Whoosh! Prominence surged from behind Eugene. Kristina, who had not yet resonated with Eugene, simrly spread her Wings of Light. "I¡¯ll leave it to you," Sienna told the magical corps. She did not take flight immediately but instead turned to look at the Archwizards. Melkith stepped forward as if she had been waiting for this moment. "Don''t worry. I, Melkith El-Hayah, will make sure everything goes well,¡± she vowed. "Ifmunication is lost, we will proceed as nned," Lovellian said, ncing up at Babel. Although the members of the general staff had decided to be responsible for the battle on the ground, in the worst-case scenario, they too would enter Babel. "Let''s hope that doesn''t happen,¡± said Sienna. She floated up into the sky. She smiled wryly at Mer and Raimira, who looked up at her with worried faces. "Don¡¯t overdo it, alright?" she said. "Yes...!" The two children nodded and waved goodbye. Mer and Raimira were also participating in the ground battle. Despite their youthful appearances, their powers were considerable. Raimira, being a dragon, would merge with Maise¡¯s Signature to be a key force in aerialbat, while Mer was tasked with maintainingmunication with Sienna, interpreting the battlefield, and assisting the magical corps. "I¡¯m worried something might happen,¡± Eugenemented. "Whatever happens here, it''ll be better than what we might face," Sienna chided Eugene, who kept ncing nervously at the ground. "Well, that''s true,¡± he answered. With that, he surveyed the enemy. The missiles installed on the walls of Pandemonium were immobile. However, unknown vehicles and weapons inside the walls were now positioned behind the enemy lines. He had thrown the g to pre-empt any advance, but therge gap it had created in their ranks had already been filled by other units. They had not yet advanced. Instead, they watched Eugene with a deadly gaze, waiting for him to enter Babel. The most intense killing intent emanated from the ck Mist in the vanguard. Although their leader, Gavid, was dead, they still shrouded themselves in ck mist and maintained a dominant presence within the enemy ranks. ''Their dark power has grown stronger. Is it the work of the Demon King of Incarceration?'' Eugene wondered. A few years back, higher-ranked demons had been bestowed dark power from the Demon King of Incarceration himself. The ck Mist had been excluded at the time since they were excluded from the rankings of the demons. But now, it appeared they had been granted new powers in preparation for the war. This was troublesome. If the ck Mist had been part of the demonic hierarchy, the highest echelons would now be entirelyprised of these beings. They were already creatures specialized for battle and were now enhanced with the dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration. "But it''s better than three hundred years ago, isn¡¯t it?" Sienna murmured as they both surveyed the ground. "Definitely,¡± Eugene answered. There was no denying it. Three hundred years ago, on the outskirts of Babel, a desperate band had gathered on the red ins, exhausted to the point of having nothing left but their lives to gamble. The band, true to its name, had mostly perished on the red ins. But this time was different. Eugene gazed coldly at Babel. Yes, things had to be different from three hundred years ago. Back then, Eugene, as Hamel, died in Babel. He never reached the throne of the Demon King of Incarceration. "I''ve been thinking,¡± Eugene said suddenly. Babel was drawing closer. Whoosh! The wing of Prominence red dramatically behind Eugene, sending mes of feathers shooting forward. He engaged in a spatial leap and moved past the front gate of Babel. Rather, he reappeared at a higher point. "Do we really need to enter through the main gate?" he questioned. Sienna gave a hollowugh in response to Eugene¡¯s question. She cast a spell and teleported both herself and Kristina right next to Eugene. "We tried that three hundred years ago,¡± said Kristina. "Back then, we couldn''t break through the barrier that enveloped Babel, so we had no choice but to enter through the gate. But don¡¯t you think we¡¯ll be able to break through this time?¡± asked Eugene. They could see chains densely surrounding Babel. Three hundred years ago, they had failed to prate those chains and had to breach the outer gate first. "There shouldn''t be anyone hindering us in Babel now except for Balzac," Sienna reminded them. There had been no Shield of Incarceration for three hundred years, and no new de of Incarceration had been appointed since the death of Gavid. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s personal guards, the ck Mist, were also on the ground. As it stood, only Balzac stood in their way to the throne of the Demon King of Incarceration. There might still be traps, monsters, or undead lurking around like three hundred years ago ¡ª but frankly, such things no longer posed a hindrance with how strong they were. They could immediately clear away whatever blocked their path. "That''s true, but..." Eugene started. Dark mes ignited around Eugene. He gripped Levantein and eyed the barrier. "I''d like to break that first." Rumble! mes burst forth from the de of Levantein. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but smirk in response to Eugene¡¯s straightforward statement. She pulled out Mary from inside her robe and pointed it toward Levantein. "I also want to break it,¡± she said. Sienna had longed to ovee the chains of Incarceration and Babel her entire life. A light flickered from the tip of Mary. Scattered petals drifted into the mes of Levantein and burned to ash. However, the magic did not disappear; instead, it augmented Levantein. Crack, sizzle! Sparkling currents began trickling the surface of the mes. Eugene raised Levantein above his head, which was now heavier than before. "Proceed as you wish,¡± said Kristina. Obviously, Kristina had no intention of stopping Eugene, and neither did Anise. She did not intervene. Kristina sped her hands in prayer and stepped back. Levantein cleaved the sky. The crimson mes struck Babel like lightning falling from the sky. Roar! The chains encircling the space around Babel were shattered by the mes. Babel trembled as if it were about to copse. Whoa! A great cheer erupted from the ground. It was the sound of the demon army starting its assault. Eugene ignored it. He raised Levantein once more. He hadpletely sliced through the barrier of Babel with that single strike. Now, Babel was just a menacing demon castle floating in the sky without any barrier to protect it. Eugene stared at the center of Babel, at the wide, tall main castle. Three hundred years ago, Hamel died attempting to ascend it. A smile tugged at his cheeks. Eugene raised Levantein high again. Divine mes erupted around it, and he instantly shed, striking deep into the main castle of Babel. The castle seemed to crumble with a loud explosion. It appeared to sway greatly and then turned into a vast ck mist. The mist swelled massively like a cloud and engulfed the castle entirely. "That¡¯s...." Eugene frowned while eyeing the mist. This was a fog born of dark power, of ck magic. Eugene knew what the darkness floating in that mist signified. Before Eugene could say more, Sienna briskly stepped forward. "Take Levantein in and pull back,¡± instructed Sienna with a voice as cold as ice. Eugene did as told, sheathing Levantein and stepping back. Sienna moved forward, wielding Mary. The fog thatpletely enveloped the castle writhed as if alive, but no one here felt apprehensive or fearful of it. Instead, they felt anger and a killing intent. Sienna red at the fog while biting her lower lip. It wouldn''t be difficult to dissipate or destroy it from the outside. However, Sienna chose not to do so. If they wanted her toe inside, thinking it would be to their advantage, she would go in directly and destroy it thoroughly, decisively, and overwhelmingly. Without averting her gaze, Sienna silently walked into the fog. Eugene and Kristina did not stop her. It was not only due to their trust in Sienna but also because they understood that trying to stop her at such a moment was futile. Sienna entered the fog and was swallowed by it. Eugene, keeping Kristina close, also walked towards the fog. His vision turnedpletely ck. However, it wasn¡¯t that the thick fog was obscuring his sight. The fog had taken away his vision entirely. Blind ¡ª this was Balzac Ludbeth¡¯s Signature. "I expected it to be used below,¡±mented Eugene. Eugene blinked several times, though his eyes couldn''t see. He knew from past battles in Samar how deadly arge-scale application of Blind could be ¡ª if millions of the Divine Army were visually impaired simultaneously, it could have been disastrous. Of course, they had prepared for such a possibility. If Balzac had cast a veil of Blind on the ground, the sun Eugene had created would have immediately torn through it. "Hmm." Eugene tilted his head slightly. Though his vision was blocked, it didn''t mean much to him. Even without sight, his other senses remained intact. In fact, he didn¡¯t even need to rely on those other senses. Just by blinking a few times, his vision returned. "Magic like this can''t possibly work on me," Eugene muttered as he surveyed his surroundings. Kristina, too, had regained her vision on her own. She sighed softly next to Eugene. "You chose not to listen to Sir Eugene¡¯s advice,¡± she said. Balzac had been spared, allowed to flee, and even advised to run. Kristina narrowed her eyes as she stared ahead. Balzac stood in front of the firmly shut gates. "I almost expected you to try entering the throne room outright. Doing so would make my position as the gatekeeper quite ridiculous, wouldn''t it?" Balzac adjusted his usual sses slightly as he smiled. "Gatekeeper?" Sienna tilted her head as she muttered. Blind was still in effect. However, Sienna had not lost her sight from the beginning. One of Sienna''s signatures, Empress Rule, allowed her to dominate magic at a lower level than hers. Although Empress Rule typically had several limitations when it came to ck magic, Absolute Decree allowed it to control even ck magic. "The door is already open, so why would you need a gatekeeper?" Siennamented. Sienna''s chilly voice caused Balzac''s shoulders to twitch. ¡°Haha..." Balzac let out a hollowugh after immediately turning around. Until just moments ago, the door had been shut, imbued with multiple spells to ensure it would never open. Yet, unbeknownst to Balzac, it now stood wide open. "The door is open, yes. But if you do not allow entry, is it not the same as being closed?" Balzac gave a bitterugh as he looked forward again. "Balzac Ludbeth," Sienna spoke as she extended Mary forward. "What are you as you stand before me now?" Balzac didn¡¯t reply. "Former ck Tower Master? A wizard? A ck wizard? The gatekeeper of Babel?" questioned Sienna. "All of the above," Balzac responded. A dark staff appeared from the drifting fog. Balzac held the staff in his left hand and stretched out his right hand towards Sienna. "And also the Staff of Incarceration,¡± he added. Creak. The palm of his right hand split open, revealing a small mouth. "Good." Sienna nodded. "Then die." Mary shed brilliantly with light. Chapter 578: The War Begins (3) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 578: The War Begins (3) [Bonus Image]

Kiiing.... A mana-infused bud blossomed at the tip of Mary. Thin beams of light were shot from the fully opened petals, forming lines of radiance. Balzac immediately activated Gluttony in his right hand. The mouth of greed extended beyond his palm up to his forearm. Balzac''s arm split open like the jaws of a reptile. The approaching light entered Gluttony via the mouth, and it immediately devoured the light. Crunch. The mouth closed, and the light disappeared. Simultaneously, Balzac''s face contorted. His stomach turned, and blood spewed from his mouth. It was impossible for him to digest the magic he had just swallowed. "Ugh...!" Balzac stepped back while vomiting blood. Crack, crack-crack! His left arm fractured, and bubbles formed on the surface of his skin. The undigested magic began to tear Gluttony apart from the inside. Balzac forcibly swallowed the blood he kept vomiting as he thrust his staff forward. Boom! He hurled a mass of dark power toward Sienna. Simultaneously, Gluttony opened once more in his right hand. It regurgitated the magic after failing to digest it. But though he vomited it out, Balzac managed to interpret some of the magic and wrest control over it during that brief moment. Both the mass of dark power and Sienna¡¯s magic were hurled toward her. However, Sienna felt no sense of crisis from them. She swiftly stretched her fingers and drew a line in the air. Both magics were extinguished simultaneously. She had not merely overpowered them. Rather, she interfered with the magical forms themselves and turned the magic into nothingness. "How beautiful...!" Balzac eximed in admiration, wiping the blood smeared across his mouth. He had never seen such a clean dispel. He felt shocked by Sienna¡¯s first attack but even more so by her dispel. It was truly overwhelming. Balzac felt an insurmountable gap between himself and Sienna. They were on different levels. No matter what magic Balzac used or what measures he took, it seemed impossible to inflict even a scratch on Sienna. "Did you retract Empress Rule because... you are looking down on me?¡± he questioned. "That¡¯s right,¡± Sienna answered without hesitation. "Even without Empress Rule, your magic will not reach me.¡± "Ha, that seems to be the case," Balzac admitted. "Just once,¡± Sienna dered. Her left hand opened wide. "With this one spell, you will die.¡± It was a promation made without any emotion. Sienna was certain, and so was Balzac. He chuckled bitterly and nodded. "Then I must try not to die... not just once, but twice, if not three times,¡± he responded. "No, that''s impossible. You won''t get a second chance. Just once, only once,¡± dered Sienna. Crackle.... Purple light gathered in Sienna''s left hand. Seeing that, Balzac couldn''t help but doubt his eyes. That purple light wasn''t mana. It was a sinister light that Balzac knew couldn''t possibly belong to Sienna Merdain. In fact, he knew to whom it originally belonged. "That is... the power of Duke Giabe," he muttered. "Right. It''s Noir Giabe''s dark power,¡± answered Sienna. Sienna had harvested the dark power of Noir along with the Demoneye of Fantasy. Although she only possessed a fragment of Noir¡¯s original power, it was still so vast that its limit was difficult to gauge. Balzac let out a shortugh and set down his staff. "Thank you,¡± he said. He was expressing gratitude even though his own death was imminent. Sienna had countless ways to kill him. Even another volley of the initial burst of light alone would have been enough to kill him. Balzac would have been rendered unable to respond. However, Sienna was sincerely preparing her magic to end him in a decisive, single blow. Balzac felt grateful. Although Sienna had retracted Empress Rule, saying he would fail to reach her regardless, Balzac did not feel that she was looking down on him. Rather, he felt that she was being considerate. ¡®She¡¯s making sure I won¡¯t have any regrets,¡¯ Balzac thought gratefully. He had known from the beginning. Although he stood here as a gatekeeper, Balzac was never able to guard the gate. Balzac was too insignificant and pitifulpared to the obstacles they had ovee so far. No matter how desperately he struggled, he could not be a hurdle they needed to surpass. In fact, he couldn¡¯t even be considered a pebble in their path. He had known from the beginning. He stood there in their path despite knowing. If he had wanted to be an obstacle, he should have be an enemy much earlier. From the start, Balzac had no intention of being an obstacle. "Divinity of Magic," said Balzac. That was what Balzac ultimately hoped for. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to witness it,¡± he said sincerely. He released his staff, but it did not fall. Balzac stood with his staff before his chest and stretched out both arms. Crackle.... His right hand split again, and Gluttony opened its mouth. Swallowing his blood-tainted breath, Balzac brought his left hand close to Gluttony. Rumble.... A heavy vibration sounded from within Gluttony. Soon, it regurgitated a pale gray dark power. ''The power of Destruction,'' Eugene thought with a click of his tongue from behind where he was watching the battle. It wasn''t difficult to guess the source of that power. It stemmed from the army of the Nur that had poured out from Hauria. Balzac had been actively involved in that battlefield, devouring the Nur. This was the dark power he had stored then. Eugene thought with narrowed eyes, ''The power of Destruction destroys existence. Even the Incarnation of Destruction isn¡¯t exempt. If a human harbored such power....'' Eugene could somewhat understand why Balzac didn''t run away, why he said it was inevitable, and why he stayed at Babel. From the beginning, Balzac didn''t have much time. Although he was still maintaining his physical form, having devoured so much of the power of Destruction, Balzac was soon destined for destruction. ¡°Sigh....¡± Balzac took a deep breath as he focused the dark power of Destruction. Simultaneously, the power of Incarceration poured from his left hand. After Gluttony spat out all the dark power of Destruction from his right hand, it vomited dark power gained from other sources. It was the dark power he gained by devouring demons and demonic monsters. In addition, all the mana Balzac possessed was added into the mix. Different types of dark power and mana intertwined andpressed. Sienna silently watched this while wielding Mary. Crackle! She guided her dark power to entwine with Mary¡¯s petals. The mana she manifested began to mix with the dark power. Both Sienna and Balzac were using mana and dark power simultaneously. However, the oues were not the same. While Balzac forcibly held together ipatible elements, Sienna''s mana and dark power achieved perfect harmony. She was wielding soul power. This was a pure essence drawn from the intersection of altered mana and dark power. "Ah...." Balzac swallowed the blood welling up in his throat in awe. Even during the war of Hauria, Sienna had not possessed such power. If I had experienced this earlier, could I have achieved it too? He could not help but wonder, and Balzacughed again. It was impossible. This was truly the divine domain of magic. It was a power that transcended legends to reach myth, which only a Goddess of Magic could wield. "Thank you." Balzac expressed his gratitude once more. He was thrilled to be able to see such a thing before dying, to experience death through it. He thought even a hundred thank yous would be insufficient. At the same time, a thought came to mind. Magic was something he couldn¡¯t help but love. It was captivating. It didn¡¯t matter how much talent one had in magic. One could love even without ample talent. One did not expect anything in return for love. He simply loved and had been loving. How could one not love such wonder? "It is ready,¡± he said. Balzac gripped his staff with trembling hands. Roar...! The staff vibrated like thunder, straining to control the overwhelming power. It began to fracture. Balzac''s body reacted simrly. His originally pale face turned ashen like a corpse, and Gluttony''s teeth cked together noisily. "Any regrets?" Sienna asked. "None," Balzac responded, prompting Sienna to nod. Had he expressed regret, she might have been disappointed. iming himself as a wizard, a ck wizard, and the Staff of Incarceration. Dying with such firm resolve would at least be honorable for him. "Then," Sienna said. The soul power gathered at the end of Mary was no bigger than the size of a fist. It was iparably smaller than the power Balzac had amassed. But it was of a different caliber. Both Balzac and Eugene knew this fact. Eugene stepped back a few paces to shield Kristina behind him. If they were caught in that power, it wouldn''t end well. "Farewell, Balzac Ludbeth." The words Sienna uttered contained no trace of regret or attachment. She had no reason to feel such emotions for Balzac. He was a foolish ck wizard who devoted his life to magic and yearned to reach the pinnacle of magic. He deserved at least some respect for such devotion. Her magic contained just that respect. The murderous intent she held towards Balzac, who had stood in her way as a ck wizard, was as great as ever. The ball of soul power moved. The fist-sized light slowly flew toward Balzac. With wide eyes, he watched the light, knowing it would determine thest moment of his life. He wanted to see everything clearly to the very end. And Balzac, too, fired his magic. His staff shattered as the light exploded. The magic Balzac unleashed was ferocious and barbaric, unlike Sienna''s. Before the two magics collided, anticipating the situation, Eugene created a sanctuary with Prominence, shielding both Kristina and himself. The two magics collided. There was no sound of an explosion or shattering. The collision did not apany such phenomena. That was because Balzac''s magic was extinguished the moment the two forces collided. All the power of Destruction he had amassed by sacrificing his lifespan, the mana and dark power he had obtained by altering and devouring creatures, were all meaningless before Sienna''s magic. Instead, his extinguished magic flowed into Sienna''s, magnifying the mass of soul power. "Ah...." Balzac neither panicked nor was shocked. He knew this oue was inevitable. Thus, with a bright smile, he stretched out his right hand. Death approached him slowly, and it took the form he had longed for all his life. ''If only it were a little longer.'' With that thought, he opened Gluttony. The wide-open mouth swallowed the approaching death. Sienna''s magic was devoured by Gluttony and disappeared. For a moment, Balzac stood still, arm extended. Shortly after, he managed to part his trembling, quivering lips, "Thank you." Sienna did not respond but lowered Mary. "Magic is..." Balzac''s voice cracked as he spoke slowly, "...so marvelous... and magnificent." Crackle, crackle. Balzac''s right hand split and began to crumble. With each breath he took, he could feel his internal organs disappearing. The beings devoured by Gluttony turned into books that were shelved within Balzac. The same went for magic. Just like how Akashaprehended magic, Balzac''s Gluttony could understand the magic it consumed. But the magic it had just devoured ¡ª was absolutely beyond hisprehension. It was like the first time he saw Witch Craft, or the Eternal Hole. It was as if he was looking at answers, yet he could not understand them. It was a vague impossibility. Was this the divine domain of magic? Balzac chuckled, clutching his chest with the little strength left in his left hand. "To witness such magic and die from it ¡ª there could be no greater death for a wizard like me," he said. "It seems you won¡¯t die as the Staff of Incarceration,¡±mented Sienna. "I was always a wizard from the beginning,¡± Balzac answered with a smile. He could no longer stand and copsed weakly. "May I ask... onest thing?" he said. "Go ahead,¡± said Sienna. "Is this the end of magic?" Balzac asked earnestly. Sienna didn''t know what kind of answer he was hoping for. She had no intention of fulfilling any expectations, but she didn''t lie either. "Surely, something like this can''t be the end of magic." So she answered honestly. "Even I can¡¯t fathom the end of magic, even as the Goddess of Magic. I, too, am exploring it. In fact, I am now considering this: does an end to magic even exist?" she said. "An end might exist for me as a being, but not for magic. If magic holds infinite possibilities, it shouldn''t have an end.¡± "Ah...." Balzac uttered a sound, a mixture of admiration and a sigh, nodding his head. "Thank you." He whispered hisst thanks in a voice so faint it was barely audible. He could no longer lift his head and let it drop. "Even this... is still... just a step in magic. Heh... so it is." All his internal organs had disintegrated. And now, even his physical body began to vanish. His vision blurred, prompting him to close his eyes. He made no effort to cling to his consciousness, which seemed on the verge of snapping. His body would disappear, but his existence would not. He was bound by a contract, and his soul was tethered. Despite facing death, the contract remained firm. After the dissolution of his body, Balzac¡¯s soul would return to the Demon King of Incarceration. "I''m d I chose to be a wizard," Balzac muttered with a smile. His life had been marked for death long ago. He had never entertained thoughts of survival. He had been content to die at Eugene''s hands... but if possible, he had hoped to die at Sienna''s hand, in by the magic of the one he revered. That wish had been fulfilled. No, he had experienced a death beyond what he had hoped for ¡ª the best death imaginable. With this blissful aftermath, Balzac¡¯s spirit would return to the Demon King of Incarceration. That was enough. Balzac was content, and he died smiling. His shattered body turned to ash and vanished. The full blossom of Mary withered again. Sienna gathered her mana and dark power and looked ahead. The gate was open, and there was no gatekeeper. "Let''s go,¡± Sienna said, turning to Eugene with an unfazed expression. Eugene, having dismantled the barrier, nodded. "That was straightforward,¡± hemented. "Did you expect me to struggle?" questioned Sienna. "He made quite a show of blocking the way as the gatekeeper, so I thought he might have some trump card,¡± said Eugene. Balzac Ludbeth, the former master of the ck Tower, had always acted suspiciously since Aroth. "He died in such an anticlimactic fashion for someone who''s been so suspicious all this time,¡± Eugene grumbled as he walked toward the open gate. Chapter 579: The War Begins (4)

Chapter 579: The War Begins (4)

Eugene remembered passing through the gates of Babel, the road towards the main castle. Three hundred years ago, this ce was teeming with demons, undead, and chimeras, and it was riddled with traps. But now ity empty. Aside from Balzac, who had died blocking the way, and the Demon King of Incarceration in the throne room, there seemed to be no one else in Babel. ¡®Because it''s meaningless,'' Eugene thought as he walked through the deste garden. It was a garden without a single flower or weed. It was questionable whether this ce could still be called a garden, but the scattered, neglected sculptures suggested it once served as one. ''Recreating what was here three hundred years ago wouldn''t stop me now,'' he thought. Too much time had passed. Back then, breaching Babel was a matter of life and death, but not anymore. That left Eugene with more questions. Vermouth could have breached the garden alone even then. But he didn¡¯t. Vermouth had his share of struggles in Babel, before and during his battles with the Demon Kings of Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury. Vermouth had always given his all. Eugene never thought it was just an act. It simply had to be that way. Eugene didn¡¯t voice his thoughts. He had his suspicions. No, he was certain, and he acknowledged it. But he did not want to confront it. He had been avoiding it. But now, he could no longer afford to do so. Hadn''t Vermouth already told him? He knew Vermouth''s true identity, the Oath, the goal three hundred years ago. He knew what the Demon King of Incarceration yearned for. What decision would Eugene make aftering to know all the truths? That would be the final trial of the Demon King of Incarceration. Atst, Eugene reached Babel. Now, he was heading towards the throne room. So now he couldn¡¯t ignore it anymore. He couldn¡¯t look away. Eugene would learn the truth from the Demon King of Incarceration. And then... he would have to decide. Decide. What decision would he have to make? ¡ªYou will have to make a decision after knowing all the truths. That will be the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s final trial. He didn¡¯t know. That was beyond his guess. Eugene nced down and saw his hands trembling with tension. He felt a subtle fear. The battle with the Demon King of Incarceration honestly frightened him. Whether he could truly defeat that Great Demon King, he wasn¡¯t sure. He feared defeat, that everything would end. He feared that the long-cherished wishes tied to his existence would be in vain. And he feared the truth. "Brings back memories,¡± Sienna said suddenly when they reached the castle. "After we passed this ce, the Shield of Incarceration blocked us." "Right," Eugene replied hoarsely. "And then Hamel, you died,¡± Anisemented. Eugene gave a bitter smile and nodded. Eugene¡¯s memory of Babel ended there. How many had been sacrificed for this door to open? Eugene looked at the gates of the main castle. There was no longer a gatekeeper. He simply needed to open the door. Eugene slowly approached the door. "I''ll open it." Sienna and the Saints nodded. No sign of life could be felt on the other side of the door, but one could never be sure. Eugene reached towards the door, prepared to draw Levantein from his cloak at a moment¡¯s notice. Creak.... However, to Eugene''s surprise, the door opened easily. The interior waspletely empty, revealing the corridor he had struggled through three hundred years earlier. Swallowing hard, Eugene stepped inside first. ng. The sound of chains echoed. Anywhere else, it might have been dismissible, but in Babel, one could not afford to ignore the sound of chains. From the moment Eugene had infiltrated Babel, the Demon King of Incarceration would show no mercy. Startled, Eugene drew Levantein. ".....?" He intended to check on Sienna and the Saints, but that proved impossible. There was no one around him. Was this an attack? If it were, there would have been some sign. Even if Eugene hadn''t sensed it, Sienna would have reacted. ''Not an attack.... No, this isn''t an attack. There''s no malice here. Is it magic? Or a power?'' Eugene considered. Babel was the domain of the Demon King of Incarceration. Every phenomenon here was under his control. Eugene kept his guard up as he surveyed his surroundings. In the pitch darkness, something flickered. Chains. Countless chains melted into the darkness and entwined the entire space. As the darkness slightly faded, something else began to appear. Eugene realized what it was. They were memories. Memories of events that had taken ce here were slowly bing visible. "Has everyone fallen?" The Demon King of Incarceration spoke. Startled by the voice, Eugene looked in its direction. The darkness abruptly cleared away. Roar.... Rumble.... He stood at the highest level of the Demon King''s castle in Babel, where the Demon King of Incarceration resided. It was a ce Hamel had failed to reach three hundred years ago. The scene was unmistakable. The walls had crumbled entirely, and even the ceiling was gone, allowing the cloudy, gray sky dominated by roiling red lightning to be visible. Below the stormy sky stood the Demon King of Incarceration. "Do you not intend to fall?" the Demon King of Incarceration looked down and asked. That figure, that attire, was exactly as Eugene had seen on the Red ins three hundred years ago. This was a memory from three hundred years ago. It was Vermouth who was questioned. Vermouth, battered and almost on the verge of copse, stood there. He was the least damaged among them. "Molon Ruhr has fallen." Before Vermouthy Molon in a state so gruesome, he could be mistaken for a corpse. His limbs were torn off, and his side was ripped open, spilling his intestines. Yet Molon was still alive, thanks to a faint light that covered his wounds. "Sienna Merdein has also fallen." Next to Vermouthy Sienna. She clutched a long sword in her hand, a sign she hadn''t been able to use her magic as intended. Despite being stripped of her magical powers, Sienna had charged forward with her sword, resulting in injuries uncharacteristic of a wizard. Though not as severely as Molon, Sienna, too, had suffered wounds typical of a warrior and had fallen. "Anise Slywood has also fallen." Behind Vermouthy Anise, her entire body soaked in blood. The blood wasn¡¯t from an attack or any injuries. It was the cost of overusing her divine magic and miracles. She had bled so much from her Stigmata that her white robe was dyed entirely in red. Yet, Anise did not abandon her prayers until the end. She had lost consciousness, kneeling in a praying pose. She had allowed Molon and Sienna to survive despite their severe and potentially fatal injuries. "Everything was meaningless," the Demon King of Incarceration continued. "Vermouth Lionheart. Your existence is not destined by fate, yet you intervened and tried to change everything, but it was all meaningless. The axe boasted by the robust Incarnation of the Wilderness, born in the harshnds, never reached me. The prodigy of magic that this era produced could not unt her magic before me. Even the false Saint, created by zealots who proim themselves a holy empire, could not shine in front of my dark power." Vermouth remained silent with his head bowed. The expression of the Demon King of Incarceration changed as he floated in the sky. He gave a painful smile as if he felt genuine regret. The Demon King of Incarceration said, "Those who leaped into the belly of the God of Giants after watching the world''s end, the heroes of myth ¡ª they abandoned their era and the followers who worshiped them. They attempted to defy the next apocalypse, but even that was meaningless. Defying fate is a difficult endeavor.¡± "They may have harbored hope and desire, but they ultimately failed. However, I do not wish to mock them. How could beings who have never lived eternity understand eternity? Hamel Dynas. The reincarnation of Agaroth was born human, and Destruction does not wait for him to realize his divinity,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration continued. At Vermouth¡¯s prolonged silence, hemented, "Perhaps all this distortion was caused by you.¡± Vermouth flinched at those words. They were words he most certainly did not want to hear. He had considered the possibility countless times. ''It can''t be.'' ''I was not wrong.'' ''I did nothing wrong.'' It was something he had desperately avoided. "I know you were desperate," said the Demon King of Incarceration. "You were suddenly born, and you were certain of your existence and purpose. You did not hesitate to be a seeker. Despite the gods'' disapproval, you insisted on bing the Hero. Vermouth Lionheart, you brought Molon Ruhr out from the cold. You affirmed the existence of gods to Anise Slywood, who secretly hoped for the end and questioned divine will. You taught Sienna Merdein, who knew only vengeance, what true cause was." In the palm of the Demon King of Incarceration, a ttering bundle of chains appeared. As the chains unfurled, a shimmering light revealed itself. "And then you met Hamel Dynas ¡ª a mercenary roaming the battlefield. Hamelcked fame and skill at the time, but you drew him in as arade. It had to be him. He was thepanion you most needed." "I understand. You were originally inexperienced and vulnerable soon after your birth. You neededrades to fight alongside. Molon Ruhr, Anise Slywood, and Sienna Merdein made excellentpanions. But in the end, they were insufficient. Hamel Dynas was who you needed most.¡± The gaze of the Demon King of Incarceration shifted, and a flickering light yed in his palm. It was a soul ¡ª the soul of Hamel, cursed and dead. "However, Vermouth Lionheart. With your birth, everything began to twist. The Demon King of Destruction, unlike before, rampaged brutally, and the Divine Sword Altair, intended for Hamel, ended up in your hands. And even the Moonlight Sword." In Vermouth''s hand right now was the Moonlight Sword. He chewed on his lip as he stared at the sword, his eyes trembling as if peering into his own ws. "It¡¯s a piece of Destruction you tore out while trying to mimic humanity. You eventually grasped it again after burying it yourself. Was it out of necessity? Ultimately, it was because you were impatient. Your entire journey has been just like that," the Demon King continued. "It''s because it was twisted. You must have thought about it many times. That from your birth, everything went wrong because you pre-empted Hamel''s fate. Haha... Ultimately, it was inevitable. Destruction did not wait for Hamel to be aware," the Demon King taunted. "Not yet,¡± Vermouth finally spoke. "It''s not over yet." "No. It is over," the Demon King of Incarceration said, shaking his head. "You, a mere fragment, cannot defeat me. What you needed to do was not toe as the Hero to defeat me. It was to stand before me with the immature Hamel." Vermouth started, "If you had... opened the way¡ª" "I am a Demon King, Vermouth Lionheart. You ask too much mercy from a Demon King. I have already shown ample mercy. I did not destroy the world. I calmed the Demon King of Destruction when he began to rampage wildly. I waited here until you and yourrades defeated the other Demon Kings beforeing to me. During all that time, I waited for Hamel to realize his divinity." The chains rattled again, wrapping around Hamel''s soul. "I know how difficult it is to defy fate. To defy fate, one must possess the necessary qualifications and strength. And in the end, youcked the qualifications. Hamel ultimately died a human without realizing his divinity." Vermouth couldn¡¯t retort. "If you had reached me with Hamel.... Even I, who have despaired so many times... would have epted the possibility. Even if I had no confidence in it, I would have hoped for that slim possibility. I would have willingly led you and Hamel into the belly of Destruction." "It''s not over yet,¡± Vermouth spoke again, turning the Moonlight Sword upside down as he continued, "Demon King of Incarceration. I know it''s impossible for me to defeat you." "I suppose so," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a sorrowful smile. "Just as I cannot kill the Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Destruction cannot kill me either. We are... bound together, forever." "But I can take Hamel''s soul from your hands. I can prevent you from killing Molon, Sienna, and Anise," Vermouth dered. "Hahaha.... Do you not want to admit that everything is over? Then let me ask you this, Vermouth Lionheart. What will you do after you take Hamel''s soul from me? The only immediate option for resurrecting the dead is to turn them into undead. But you know this method would corrupt Hamel''s soul and strip it of its divinity." "I won''t resurrect him immediately," Vermouth said. Crack! The Moonlight Sword pierced Vermouth''s chest. Vermouth himself drove the sword into his body. "I know that you, once again driven to despair, will no longer show mercy," Vermouth continued. No blood flowed from Vermouth''s chest despite it being pierced. "You will act the same asst time and as you have several times before. With the countless causations woven into your body, bound by your chains, you will move on to whates next," Vermouth told the Demon King. "Because that is right for me," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a smile. "It''s not right for me.¡± Vermouth''s golden eyes turned gray. "This era is myst. It is right for me to act now. Therefore, I won''t ask for mercy. I will make it so that you have no choice." The response altered the smile on the Demon King of Incarceration''s face. He slowly descended as he spoke, "You''ll make it so I have no choice? How?" "I will break the chains you''ve drawn with the curse of eternity," Vermouth said as a sinister dark power enveloped his body. The undting aura looked like mes or manes. Vermouth slowly raised his hand and pointed at the Demon King of Incarceration. "I may not be able to kill your existence, but I can sever your numerous chains,¡± he dered. "You overestimate yourself. Can you, a mere fragment, truly do that?" questioned the Demon King of Incarceration. "I can,¡± answered Vermouth. Vermouth took a step forward. Poof! The dark power of Destruction ring around him took on other colors. Countless colors mixed into the mes. The Demon King of Incarceration stared at the magic swirling around Vermouth and muttered, "You''re not just a fragment, after all." The Demon King of Incarceration realized he had misjudged Vermouth. "Vermouth Lionheart, what do you desire?" "To prevent the destruction of this world,¡± Vermouth answered. "Is that the Hero''s desire? Or... the desire of a fragment of Destruction?" questioned the Demon King of Incarceration. "I am not a hero,¡± Vermouth answered. "This is the desire of myself and everyone,¡± Vermouth responded with an unwavering voice. The Demon King of Incarceration fell silent for a moment, then chuckled and nodded. "Have you not yet despaired?" he asked. If Vermouth had begged for mercy, he would have been deemed unworthy of consideration. But even in the worst of situations, this being, revered as the hero yet not the hero, saving humans while not being human, chose actions that were both heroic and humanly. The Demon King of Incarceration couldn''t help butugh. Such a demeanor was something he had despaired and lost long ago. Therefore, the Demon King of Incarceration whispered with a smile, "Then prove it to me. Prove that it''s not over yet. That you must not yet despair." Vermouth, surrounded by intertwining colors, moved forward. Chapter 580: The Demon King of Incarceration (1) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 580: The Demon King of Incarceration (1) [Bonus Image]

"I cannot kill Vermouth, and neither can Vermouth kill me," the voice dered. The sound of plodding footsteps followed. "Thus, the only thing we could do was to erode each other''s minds through extreme pain." The nking of chains echoed in the air. "But to me, pain has long since be a nauseatingly familiar presence, so much so that now it feels utterly inconsequential. Pain cannot wear me down because there is scarcely any mind left in me to wear out. "Vermouth is different, or so I thought. Unlike the essence of Vermouth, he appears almost human in character, as if he is inebriated," the voice continued. Eugene stood motionless, listening to every sound. The Demon King of Incarceration ascended the stairs, apanied by these sounds. Eugene, Sienna, and the Saints watched his every movement. "In fact, Vermouth faltered and nearly fell many times there. Yet, he stubbornly rose again and again toe at me," the Demon King of Incarceration said. This ce was the very heart and pinnacle of Babel. It was the throne room. "It was not in vain. As Vermouth himself had said, he was... breaking my chains. I could not be killed, and he could not be killed. He was undaunting, and the end never came. So there was no other way,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said. He turned around atop the stairs. He looked down at all who had reached this ce, his face breaking into a faint smile. "We made an Oath,¡± he confessed. The numerous chains draped over his back formed a throne. The Demon King of Incarceration sat on the throne of chains he had created. "I returned the soul of Hamel Dynas. I did not kill Molon Ruhr or Sienna Merdein, nor Anise Slywood. I stopped the war. I made the time Vermouth could endure a grace period for this world," he continued narrating. Eugene said nothing but red at the Demon King of Incarceration. However, the others did not remain silent. One of the Saints spoke, "Why would you make such an Oath? What did you stand to gain from it?" It was Kristina who asked. She was born in this era. She was someone who would not have existed without the Oath from three centuries ago. "Hope," the Demon King of Incarceration answered with augh. His reply did not sound like it came from a Great Demon King who had ruled for eternity. "What I gained from the Oath was hope. If this world does not end, then there is no need to move on. The disappearance of the Demon King of Destruction would be a joyous event for me,¡± the Demon King exined. "But it was you... who started the wars...!" Kristina used. "It was a necessity. It always has been," the Demon King of Incarceration replied before closing his eyes momentarily. "Even if the world now fails to ovee its destruction and fades away as previous worlds have done, there is still something I gained from the Oath. That is possibility and memory. This era was special. If I move on, I can reflect on the previous era and guide a new current." "You," Eugene began, "knew Vermouth." Chewing on his lip, Eugene red at the Demon King of Incarceration. "No, of course, you knew. But... the way you just acted, as if you''ve known Vermouth since before¡ª" "I know what you''re trying to say," the Demon King of Incarceration interrupted, opening his eyes. His dull gaze seemed to pierce Eugene from the throne. "The Oath I made three hundred years ago, here, in the throne room of Babel, was the second Oath.¡± Eugene had expected the answer, but it was still shocking to hear the truth. Eugene bit down so hard his mrs cracked, and blood burst from his gums. Blood dripped from his clenched fists as well. "The first Oath was in Kazard. It was there that Vermouth first tore away his nature in an attempt to mimic humanity. I met Vermouth there,¡± the Demon King revealed. At that time, the Demon King of Carnage had not yet been vanquished. From the northern ice fields to this ce, Alcarte, the frontier of Devildom, had been the domain of the Demon King of Carnage. Being the lowest in rank among the Demon Kings, he was used as the spearhead in invasions. He was the first to face the continent''s retaliation and the first of the Demon Kings to perish. Kazard was the domain of the Demon King of Carnage, near the demonic citadel. It was no concern for the Demon King of Incarceration to intrude on another Demon King''s domain. The other Demon Kings ¡ª Carnage, Fury, and Cruelty ¡ª knew that not all Demon Kings stood equal. "He was... a mysterious being. Not a Demon King, not a demon, not a human. An entity that was nothing. And so, an entity that wished to be human,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration continued. He could never forget the thrill of that moment. In all the eternities he had lived through, repeating worlds time and again, there had never been anyone like Vermouth. He was a major variable, a possibility unique to this era. The world shook. The chains infused into the space stirred. The first Oath, which had been incarcerated beyond memory, was revealed. The scenery of the throne room changed. The air was murky, the view dim, resembling the deep underground. The Demon King of Incarceration knew this ce. He had passed through it in a previous, destroyed era. There was an altar erected by those who worshiped the Demon King of Destruction. The era had been destroyed, swept by the seas, resurfaced and buried underground. The world held many such things. But this altar held no meaning, no mystery. No matter how much it was worshiped, connecting with the Demon King of Destruction was impossible. Now, this altar was merely an ancient relic. No amount of sacrifice or prayer could bring about such events or such beings. "What are you?" Thus, the Demon King of Incarceration had to ask directly. This being was worth questioning. No. All recent phenomena were worth questioning. There were far too many events that were taking ce that had never existed in the eternities the Demon King of Incarceration had lived through. The Demon King of Destruction was too active. Until now, there had never been such a thing. It wasn''t that there was no unrest, but this era was particrly prone to frequent disturbances. And yet, these disturbances were not continuous. The Demon King of Destruction rampaged abruptly and swept through the area before vanishing. It wasn''t just the unrest that stood out. In this era, the Demon King of Destruction had been forming contracts. Originally, the Demon King of Destruction did not keep vassals ¡ª perhaps in the distant past, but not anymore. By now, that being would have neither the will nor the need to keep vassals. Strangely, however, in this era, or rather, recently, he had been forming contracts almost excessively. "I am," the entity spoke. What had just been a sinister gathering of mist now transformed as it uttered a word, "Vermouth." Ash-gray hair and golden eyes. "Vermouth... Lionheart." The Demon King of Incarceration knew that name. It was a name he had known long ago, a name he thought he would never hear again. That is why, in an extraordinary turn of events, the Demon King of Incarceration showed a burst of emotion. Clink! Chains sprang from the space, binding the limbs of the boy who dered himself Vermouth. "That name," the Demon King of Incarceration muttered, his expression a mix of various emotions. "How do you...? Do you even know what that name represents...?" He stammered before stopping himself. He felt the chained being¡¯s existence aftering face-to-face. No, rather, he had known before evening to this ce. From the moment it was inevitable for him toe here, the Demon King of Incarceration had guessed what this being was. However, he had not expected it to have something like a persona nor for it to speak that name. After a while, the Demon King of Incarceration gave a deep sigh and said, "Is that so?" He then withdrew the chains and looked at the boy again. He looked to be around thirteen years old. The mystical aura emanating from the ash-gray hair and golden eyes made the Demon King of Incarceration think of the distant past. Of course, the he that the Demon King of Incarceration remembered wasn''t in the form of a boy, but if he had been young, he would have looked just like this. "Why... I wondered why the Demon King of Destruction was acting differently than before. It¡¯s because you''ve split off from him. Indeed, such an event would not have existed even in the eternities he has experienced. Must what has split off be filled in again?" the Demon King mused. The boy who had called himself Vermouth Lionheart gnawed at his lip. The Demon King of Incarceration sighed once more as he gazed at Vermouth. "What do you desire?" he questioned. "The end of Destruction,¡± answered the boy. "A contradiction. Your separation will only elerate the destruction. What once appeared sporadically as a phenomenon is now rampaging to satiate its hunger. Destruction will probably descend soon,¡± answered the Demon King of Incarceration. "If it were you, you could stop it,¡± countered the boy. Vermouth stood firm, facing the Demon King of Incarceration. "Binding the rampaging Destruction with chains and suppressing it isn¡¯t impossible for you, is it?" he questioned further. "Why should I do that?" the Demon King of Incarceration countered. "You, being a fragment, would know. I have no intention of opposing the Demon King of Destruction. What I desire is¡ª" "To maintain the status quo." The response came before he finished speaking. Yet the Demon King of Incarceration did not show displeasure. Instead, that reply piqued his interest in Vermouth even more. "Just as it has been, moving on to whates after destruction. You would want that, but it''s not an ideal, is it?" said Vermouth. "You speak as if you can fulfill my ideal,¡± questioned the Demon King. "I know a way to end Destruction," Vermouth said as he raised his hand. "But I cannot implement that method immediately. I need time." "Everyone needs time," murmured the Demon King of Incarceration. "Your story, much like your existence, is quite fascinating. However, it is troublesome for you to ask for time. Why should I give you time? That time you speak of¡ª" The Demon King of Incarceration stopped mid-sentence. After a moment of thought, he smiled bitterly and shook his head. "No. How you use the time, what you... will do, I shall not ask. There is a need to observe in ignorance,¡± he said. "If there is time, I can end Destruction,¡± said Vermouth. He was repeating the same phrase as if he were a parrot. He had no choice. Vermouth''s resolve to see the end of Destruction was strong. The Demon King of Incarceration fell silent again. The end of Destruction. That phrase sounded incredibly sweet to him. Having witnessed countless repetitions, he couldn''t help but love such a variable. "How much time do you need?" Thus, the Demon King of Incarceration inquired. He could never refuse a conversation on this topic. Even if all of it were meaningless, the experience itself would nurture the eternity of the Demon King of Incarceration. "Enough time to put an end to Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury, and until I find you,¡± answered Vermouth. "Ha.... With your innate nature and power, you could do that immediately,¡± said the Demon King. "I discard this," Vermouth said firmly. His hand moved close to his chest. The Demon King of Incarceration could not guess what Vermouth was about to do. Then, Vermouth''s hand plunged into his chest. "I do not... wish to keep it," he confessed. It was a denial of his own essence. But there was no falsehood. With genuine revulsion, Vermouth extracted the destruction residing within his body. The destruction he drew out took the form of a crude sword ¡ª a in, ordinary sword that could be found on any battlefield, usable by anyone. Yet, despite its in appearance, the power flowing from the sword was ominous and devastating. "I will." After nting the extracted destruction on the altar, Vermouth red at the Demon King of Incarceration while gasping for breath. "As a human, I will... kill the Demon Kings and find you,¡± he dered. "This is an Oath. If I...e to find you, Demon King of Incarceration. You should¡ª" "Are you asking me to help you put an end to Destruction?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration interrupted with a soft chuckle and shook his head. "You ask for too much mercy from me, a Demon King. Is it not enough that I have bound Destruction with chains and given you the time you desire?" "You were not always a Demon King,¡± said Vermouth. "You speak of a nostalgic and fleeting story. Yes, I was not always a Demon King. But I stand here now as the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± The Demon King stepped back and whispered, "I will give you the time you desire. But unconditional cooperation, I will not. I give time only. The next negotiation.... Ha. Vermouth Lionheart. After you have defeated Carnage, Cruelty, and Fury, let''s have it when you reach Babel." "After that." Their voices ovepped. Then Kazard underground vanished, and they returned to the throne room of Babel. Seated upon the chain throne atop the stairs, the Demon King of Incarceration continued speaking, "Vermouth Lionheart headed towards the northern ice fields. What he did there, you must surely know." There were ves being transported to the Devildom. "A young boy killing demons, ck wizards, and liberating ves. The world has always thirsted for such heroic tales," the Demon King of Incarceration said softly. At that time, the ice fields were used as a major trade route for transporting looted goods, including ves. Tribes, including the Bayar, confronted the demons as best they could, but the tribes of the ice fields operated independently and without unity. They proved to be no match for the demons. That was when Vermouth made his appearance. He liberated the ves and colluded with the Bayar tribe and Molon. In the brief time it took a boy to be a young man, Vermouth unified the strength of Bayar and other tribes and liberated the ves of the north. Then, he became a candidate for bing the Hero and was invited to Yuras. "Are you telling me Vermouth intended all of this?¡± Eugene asked. "Did you not expect that?" the Demon King of Incarceration countered. "He desired much. Killing three Demon Kings and reaching me was no easy task. It required extensive preparation. He needed to n how to be the center of the world, who to take as allies...." Eugene and the rest listened in silence. "He must have arranged it before splitting off. From within Destruction, observing the world... seeing who had potential, who to take as allies¡ª" "You said he was a fragment of Destruction," Sienna interjected. She had been present here three hundred years ago and had suffered defeat and despair. She had once resented Vermouth for acting on his own without revealing the truth, and she had nearly died because of him. "How could he do that?" Sienna frowned and red at the Demon King of Incarceration. Sienna had long suspected some rtionship between Vermouth and the Demon King of Destruction. However, she could notprehend exactly how Vermouth had separated from the Demon King of Destruction. The separation of Vermouth from the Demon King of Destruction would be a fatal w for the Demon King of Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration must have made the Oath because he, too, saw the possibility that Vermouth could end Destruction. "It''s a wound," the Demon King revealed. At that response, everyone looked at Eugene. Sienna finally understood. Kristina covered her mouth, but Anise sighed. Only then did she realize why Eugene had so vehemently avoided specting about Vermouth''s existence. "The wound Agaroth inflicted on the Demon King of Destruction." The Demon King of Incarceration continued, "Vermouth Lionheart was born from that wound." ¡ªI should never have been born into this world. Eugene clenched his bloodied fist. Chapter 581: The Demon King of Incarceration (2) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 581: The Demon King of Incarceration (2) [Bonus Image]

Eugene knew. Vermouth had sat in the center of Destruction, right where Agaroth had left the mark. He had not initially understood its significance, but gradually, piece by piece, he came to understand. When Eugene encountered Vermouth through Ciel¡¯s Demoneye, Vermouth was not in a position where he could reveal his identity. But there was no need to hear it from Vermouth. At that time, when Eugene met Vermouth in the Temple of Destruction, he had already convinced himself that everything he imagined was the truth. Yet, Eugene chose to ignore it. He thought there was no need to be conscious of it. Just as there was no need to hear Vermouth''s identity, he thought there was no need to deliberatelye to know it. Nothing would change. No matter who Vermouth truly was or how he was born, he was still Vermouth. He was Vermouth Lionheart. Eugene gnashed his teeth as he remembered his meeting with Vermouth. He opened his bloodied fist. What had he said to Vermouth? If he truly wanted to reveal everything, Eugene had asked Vermouth to do itter, after everything was over. That he would pull Vermouth from that damned chair and give him a good beating, then he would listen. But he knew that was impossible. To reach Vermouth, he had to get past the Demon King of Incarceration. Speaking all of the truths here in the throne room of Babel anding to a decision would be the final trial set by the Demon King of Incarceration. "The first Oath bore no fruit," the Demon King said before turning his gaze to Eugene. "Eugene Lionheart, if you hade with Vermouth... negotiations for the end of Destruction could have taken ce. As Vermouth wished, I would have guided you into the belly of Destruction. Even if it were a high-risk gamble, I would have taken a bet I would never normally consider." But Hamel had died. "I made a second Oath with Vermouth. He returned to the destruction from where he was born. He mingled with Destruction and grappled with it. And I decided to wait. The reprieve gained by dying Destruction. Even if everything ultimately ended in destruction, it was worth watching.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration paused briefly and then chuckled before continuing. "I gave... time. Vermouth earned it, and all I had to do was stop the war. The time thus granted had significance. The world has grown since three hundred years ago. The continent''s will is stronger than it was during the era of war. And you, Hamel, reborn, ascended Babel and reached me with divinity.¡± Three hundred years ago, this alone would have sufficed. But now, that was no longer the case. Vermouth wasn¡¯t here. "This isn''t the end, is it?" Anise spoke up, her eyes holding undisguised hostility as she red at the Demon King of Incarceration. "Isn''t that right?" "Do you want to fight me?" questioned the Demon King. "There''s no one among us who wouldn''t want that,¡± Anise responded. "That depends on the choice Eugene Lionheart makes,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration responded. All eyes turned to Eugene. "This is all for you, after all. You are the reincarnation of Agaroth, who left a deep wound on Destruction. You are the existence that continues the hopes of the ancient gods. You are what was achieved through Vermouth¡¯s self-sacrifice, the representative of Light and all gods,¡± the Demon King continued. It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that the three hundred years since the era of war existed solely for Eugene. "I might live eternally hereafter, but there will never be another like you now. Yet, I must doubt. Can you truly end Destruction? You, without Vermouth by your side, can you really... do it?" the Demon King of Incarceration said softly. Eugene silently furrowed his brows. "Even if you im you can, I must believe that you cannot," the Demon King of Incarceration stated. He rested his chin on his hand. From his high throne, he looked down imperiously. He was every inch the Great Demon King. "End yourself,¡± he said. "What?" Eugene asked, shocked. "End yourself and offer your soul to me. The same goes for all of you," the Demon King repeated. His gaze shifted to Sienna and the Saints. "Sienna Merdein, Kristina Rogeris, and Anise Slywood. Your souls are exceedingly valuable, more than enough for me to take to the next era," he continued. "You...." "If you voluntarily offer your souls, I will treat you ordingly. Do you wish to preserve your memories? It is a very easy task, you know? The Demon King of Fury reincarnated with memories of his past by swearing allegiance to me," the Demon King of Incarceration offered. There was a stunned silence following this exnation. "Of course, even if you do not end yourselves... I am confident I can kill you all. But then, I would have no reason to preserve your memories. And I do not wish to kill you directly. Doing so might diminish the purity of your souls. I would prefer to avoid that. You all are such valuable, once-in-an-eternity souls," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a smile. "You n on moving on to the next?" Sienna asked, skepticism evident in her voice. "Are you saying you''ll reincarnate us as demons?" Kristina questioned with incredulity. Both of them expressed expressed their disbelief at what they were hearing. "No," the Demon King said with a shake of his head. Their expressions wavered significantly at the response. The Demon King of Incarceration continued in an enticing voice, "It doesn''t have to be as demons. I have always taken the souls Imand to the next era. Except in special cases, I do not choose the race. I simply take them along. I have repeated this many times. Discard what can be discarded and refill anew. "But I can promise this. In the eternity I will live, your souls will never be discarded. If you wish, I will allow you to remember countless reincarnations. And if that eternity bes too burdensome ¡ª I can also make you forget," he promised. Everyone except the Demon King of Incarceration fell silent. The Demon King dly epted the silence and continued his whispers, "Fate is meant to repeat itself. Just as Iris became the Demon King of Fury, drawn by destiny even though she had not preserved her memories, just as Agaroth''s Ring found its way to you, Eugene Lionheart, just as Ivatar Jahav took a liking to you, and as Noir Giabe became obsessed with you." The Demon King of Incarceration slowly raised his hand, and the space cracked open, revealing another scene. The scene showed the battlefield below Babel. The sh between the Divine Army and the demon armies became visible to all. The Demon King continued, "There must be those among them who share a special bond with you. Even those not on the battlefield. Yes, Eugene Lionheart. What about your father? The servant who has looked after you in your family? The elves of the forest who serve you? And what of the numerous followers who adore you? "Such connections will continue into the next era, even if faintly. Even if they merely pass by, the present is not meaningless." The Demon King of Incarceration''s eyes curled into a smile. "But if you choose to end yourselves, I will willingly take in those connected to you as well. Your souls are worth it, and so are the heroes who are bound to you." His voice was like the devil¡¯s whisper, and what he said was a tant temptation ¡ª abandon this world and move on to the next together, remembering the past, living through the next era, dying, and repeating. "Eternity,¡± Eugene finally spoke up. "Even in the next era, and the one after, are you saying you will not end Destruction?" "That is impossible,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration replied. "You must have realized it from your discussions with Vermouth. I cannot kill the Demon King of Destruction, nor can he kill me. Thus, I am bound to live eternally." "I see," Eugene replied after a brief pause. ¡ªI cannot let hope like you be bound to the Demon King of Incarceration. The specter had said in Hauria. "If I die by your hands, I can never kill the Demon King of Destruction," Eugene pointed out. The specter told him to leave behind any regrets. "If I die, I can never save Vermouth," Eugene said, clearly making his stand. Eugene had dered to the specter that he would shoulder all the regrets that the specter had, and he had confidently responded that he would save Vermouth. "Saving Vermouth?" The Demon King of Incarceration chuckled. "You must already know that saving Vermouth is impossible. He is not just a fragment of Destruction ¡ª he is the Avatar of Destruction. Now, he has assimted back with the Demon King of Destruction while sealing Destruction. Killing the Demon King of Destruction means killing Vermouth." Eugene knew this very well. "If not now, I may never even have the chance to try,¡± Sienna responded, chewing on her lip and gripping her staff tightly. The petals of the staff''s flower blossomed. "I have not reunited with Sir Vermouth. Thus, I must see his face at least once. I''ve long resolved to wrinkle that noble face with my hands and to make him bleed hideously,¡± said Anise. A halo appeared above Anise''s head, radiating light. Eight wings unfolded from her back. "If it''s for saving Vermouth, you cannot bring down Destruction,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. "Meeting Sir Eugene was a miracle for me. To sacrifice this brilliant miracle to your chains just to carry it to the next era? To abandon the world where I was born and met Sir Eugene? How could I possibly do that?" Kristina said resolutely. She also clenched her rosary. Listening to their replies, the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled and gripped the armrests of his throne. Sounding amused, he said, "To save Vermouth, to kill Destruction, and to even save the world? You are overly ambitious. Impossible. Is it worth giving up ties and the future? Eternity often presents variables, much like your existences. Who knows? Maybe, someday, someone else will end Destruction. Maybe Destruction will dissolve on its own." "No." Eugene shook his head firmly, then said, "I must be the one to do it. I have lived for this purpose. There are those who have wished that I would aplish it." "To aplish that, you must first ovee me,¡± responded the Demon King. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly rose from his throne. Creak, creak.... The chains of causality he bore copsed and transformed back into a cloak. "Do you think it''s possible?" the Demon King asked, standing tall. Eugene did not answer immediately but turned to look beside him. His eyes met Sienna''s. She grimaced as if she were questioning why he was looking at her, then lifted her robe slightly to show her left hand. Her middle finger was sticking up. His gaze met the Saints¡¯. Anise shared Sienna¡¯s sentiment and took on a disgruntled look when she saw Eugene seeking confirmation. She nced at Eugene with narrowed eyes. However, Kristina was not displeased; instead, she seemed to feel an even greater trust in Eugene''s gaze. "We believe it is possible," Eugene proimed. He lifted Levantein to his side. The mes within the ss de surged and zed fiercely. "What do you think?" Eugene asked. The question was not directed at the Demon King of Incarceration. "Molon," Eugene finished. A great crack tore through the darkness that had settled over the throne room, spreading rapidly before shattering loudly. "Such a foolish question, Hamel." A man with a bushy beard, long hair, and a towering figure leaped into the throne room from the darkness. "Does saving the world and Vermouth need justification?" he asked. Molon was not present physically, but he had heard everything through Eugene. With a rumble, hended beside Eugene and red up at the Demon King of Incarceration. "If it means fighting the Demon King of Incarceration to aplish that, then of course we must fight,¡± he dered. A massive axe, slightly chipped at the edge, rested on Molon''s shoulder. "So it is possible," he dered. He bared his teeth in a grin. The throne was no more. The Demon King of Incarceration stood on the empty stairs as he looked down. There stood Molon Ruhr of Terror, Sienna Merdein of Cmity, Anise Slywood of Hell, and Kristina Rogeris, who had transcended false deification to reach true sainthood. There stood Eugene Lionheart, once the War God Agaroth and Hamel Dynas of Extermination. ¡°Is that so?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration chuckled while shaking his head. Creak, creak.... The chains began to stir. The darkness enveloping the throne room trembled. All chains embedded in the space began to connect to the Demon King of Incarceration. The power of Helmuth concentrated on the Demon King of Incarceration. The dark power that permeated the empire and drove its forces returned to its original master. Booooom. With a thunderous sound, the Demon King of Incarceration stepped down from the stairs. An overwhelming presence pressed down on everyone, but no one flinched. They faced the eternal Great Demon King, the Emperor of Helmuth. Such a formidable presence was expected. "Things are different from three hundred years ago," the Demon King said. Those who had reached the throne back then were insignificant. By human standards, they were formidable, but from the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s perspective, they were trivial. However, their sense of mission had beenmendable. Their convictions were strong, their hatred profound, their venom impressive. But what about now? Their sense of mission, conviction, hatred, and venom were all greater than in the past. But.... "Just because it¡¯s different, do you think you will be able to change the oue?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked. He chuckled as he continued down the stairs. Molon took the lead, as he always had, exhaling sharply as he gripped his axe with both hands. Crack...! He clenched the handle with all his might while the axe trembled and glowed. Eugene''s divine power moved ording to Molon''s will. Then, Molon charged at the Demon King of Incarceration. Chapter 582: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)

Chapter 582: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)

[Ciel.] The voice did not echo in the ears like a mor but was etched directly into the mind. Ciel had been retrieving Javel from the throat of a member of the ck Mist when the voice echoed in her mind. She was startled and looked up into the sky. At the center of the gloomy sky hung the castle of the Demon King of Incarceration, Babel. To Ciel, this voice was nothing less than a revtion. Because this voice belonged to Eugene who had ventured into Babel, and her god was delivering a prophecy to her. It was clear what this revtion called for. Without hesitation, Ciel immediately stepped back. "Is it Eugene?" Cyan asked while quickly approaching her. Ciel nodded and closed her eyes. Cyan wiped the blood smears from his cheek with the back of his hand while standing guard near Ciel. It wasn¡¯t just Cyan who had made a move. Others moved simrly. Gilead and the Knights of the White Lion formed a protective circle around Ciel. Crackle. A ck current flowed around her left eye. After taking a few deep breaths, Ciel opened her eyes again. Fwoosh! A dark sphere appeared in the sky where her gazey. A rough andrge hand emerged from inside the sphere before stirring the air several times. Soon, arms as thick as tree trunks and shoulders as solid as rocks followed, and then¡ª A man with a bushy, unkempt beard and wild hair appeared. It was the Brave Molon arriving straight from the mountains of Lehainjar. His face showed no hint of surprise or tension as he surveyed the surroundings. He didn¡¯t need to scrutinize. He could feel the reverberations in the air through the tips of his outstretched hands and the cacophony of war, screams, and shouts that filled the surroundings. Molon¡¯s beard quivered. After emerging from the dark portal, Molon stood tall on the battlefield. Ciel could feel her eye throbbing as she caught her breath. There was never a chance she would fail, since she had tested it several times. Nevertheless, she felt relief at the fact that she had summoned Molon precisely at the moment of revtion. She could feel her body being replenished with mana as she approached Molon. "Mo...." She tried to call his name but couldn''t. The moment she entered Molon''s presence, the air changed. Ciel felt her breath catch, and she stumbled back without realizing it. His hair and beard were fluttering, and it was hard to discern Molon''s face. But Ciel could sense that his expression wasn''t as hearty as it had been in the past. "Is that so?" A deep voice was heard from within the trembling beard. This was a real battlefield, a ce where life shed with life. Molon looked up at the center of the murky sky. The demon castle Babel, which he had failed to conquer three hundred years ago, loomed before him. The moment Babel came into his sight, Molon''s body shuddered. His upper body shook violently as he leaned backward. "Aaaaaaaah¡ª!" His thunderous roar shook the battlefield. Taken aback by his outburst, Ciel and Cyan fell to the ground. Then, the entire battlefield came to a pause. Both the Divine Army and the demonic army turned to look at Molon. "I am,¡± he started. Thump! He stomped the ground once with his massive foot. The tremor transformed into an earthquake and shook the battlefield. Molon looked around the battlefield again. He could see descendants of the Bayar tribe fighting against the giants, heroes of the current generation from the Knight March spread out in the field, and many others standing tall against the demonic forces. "...Molon Ruhr,¡± he dered. His powerful voice resonated through the space, spreading a hint of fear across the faces of the demons who had survived the era of war. They remembered Molon not just as someone who represented the Brave but as the Terror incarnate. They remembered how that name had instilled fear into the hearts of the demons in the past. "Wh-what are we supposed to do?" Voices spread within the demon army. The ambitious young demons were aiming for total dominance in this era, and they did not tremble with fear. To them, Molon Ruhr was nothing more than a hermit who had hidden away for centuries. Unlike Sienna or Eugene, he had not shown his prowess recently. Although his voice was loud, the demons didn¡¯t think he was anything special. However, even if regarded as a relic of a bygone era, Molon Ruhr''s head held high value. Molon could feel the murderous aura of the demons before they charged at him. In response, Molon grasped his axe. Crunch, crunch...! The space around his hand distorted. He struck with his axe, and with a swoosh, the axe vanished into thin air. But the murderous intent remained. The heads of the hundreds of demons who had harbored an intent to kill Molon simultaneously flew into the air. "I appreciate you summoning me," Molon said. Despite being in the middle of the battlefield, he turned around without any sign of caution to look at Ciel. Being addressed like this by Molon had Ciel standing around awkwardly. Molon continued, "I''d like to rampage here as well, but this is not my battlefield. I can hear the call." Even at that moment, Molon was receiving updates about the situation in Babel. Thus, he could no longer smile. Molon recalled his first encounter with Vermouth. Vermouth had been standing with a sword in front of the liberated prisoners, and he was more a wolf than a lion in those days. Nothing changed. Regardless of who Vermouth truly was, to Molon, Vermouth was simply Vermouth. Molon silently withdrew his gaze and looked up at the sky, at the demon castle Babel. Today, Molon had no thoughts of retreating with his life intact. He wasmitted only to victory. "Hamel is calling me,¡± he said. Crack, crack...! Molon slowly bent his knees. Ciel and those around her instinctively stepped back, sensing what was toe. Their actions were justified only a momentter. With a tremendous roar, the ground sank, and Molon''s massive form leaped towards Babel. Ciel and her protectors stared at this sight in shock, their mouths agape. Boom! Molon broke through the walls of Babel and entered the castle. Only then could Ciel finally close her gaping mouth. The battlefield, which had paused momentarily, resumed right after Molon''s leap. Ciel started to swing Javel once more. She did not hear any more revtions from Eugene. It was inevitable, she thought. Since Molon had been summoned here, it meant that the battle with the Demon King of Incarceration had begun in earnest. The heroes of the past, excluding the Great Vermouth, were once again challenging the Demon King of Incarceration after their loss three centuries ago. ''Can we really win...?'' Ciel inadvertently had this thought. Though she didn''t want to entertain such a thought, she couldn''t help it. Like most members of the general staff, Ciel simply couldn''t imagine the Demon King of Incarceration''s defeat. But neither could she imagine Eugene''s defeat. It was unsettling, yet she had no choice but to trust in Eugene. Moreover, Eugene was not fighting alone. The Wise Sienna, the Faithful Anise, Kristina Rogeris, and now, the Brave Molon were all headed to Babel. And if it came to it, the members of the general staff of the Divine Army would also head to Babel, even if it meant putting their lives on the line. So, it was fine. She needed to believe in victory, not defeat. She needed to focus on the battle in front of her. While the members of the general staff were overwhelming their counterparts, the demonic forces were deploying demonic creatures, ck wizards, and the undead. The battlefield was at a deadlock. Whoosh. It all happened in an instant. The sky darkened to pitch ck. Darkness enveloped Babel as it spread like ink. The sun Eugene had created was still intact, pouring strength upon the Divine Army. But now, the same happened with Babel. The dark power that the Demon King of Incarceration had harvested from his empire now endowed the demon army on the battlefield. "Ah...!" The demons shuddered with ecstasy after getting a taste of the endless power. The monsters seemed to evolve, their very bodies transforming. The ck wizards pierced walls with nothing but their physical power, and the undead they raised werepleted in a sh. Even humans and mercenaries who knew nothing of magic received the grace of the Demon King. The magnitude of power he bestowed was different. The dark power of the Demon King of Incarceration could be distributed generously to millions in his demon army. The gap in the capabilities of the leaders was now merely a matter of physical strength. "This can''t be...!" Gilead eximed. He looked up at the sky in dismay. Near the divine sun, he saw Raimira surrounded by Maise¡¯s Signature, Battleship. Raimira, who had bombarded the battlefield with several Breaths and spells multiple times, was bringing miracles to the battlefield with the Graceful Radiance, the elite of the Luminous Covenant. However, she now staggered under the spreading dark power. Rumble! Babel started to shake with a great noise, and Raimira screamed in surprise. She barely managed to keep her altitude, and she and those on her back turned their gazes toward Babel. Molon, who had just broken into Babel, now burst out again after breaking it a second time. Gilead¡¯s eyes widened in confusion at the sight. Just as Molon jumped out of Babel, he was followed by chains shooting out through the broken walls. Molon flipped around in midair. Crack! His fist shattered a chain head-on. Although he had no foothold in the sky, Molon did not retreat. Instead, he grabbed the rebounding chain and pulled himself back into Babel. "You fool!" Eugene yelled in exasperation from within Babel. He had not expected Molon to fall in a single blow after such a brazen charge...! "Why did you rush in so recklessly?" Sienna scolded him as she spread her robe wide. She was preparing the Demoneye of Fantasy inside her robe. "I am no fool,¡± said Molon. He gripped the chain firmly in his hand. The blow he had received was strong enough to send him flying through the wall, but he was otherwise unscathed. Crunch. Thick veins bulged on Molon''s hand and arm, and his muscles twitched. Molon red at the Demon King of Incarceration, who stood midway up the stairs. "Do you wish to drag me down?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked. Although Molon was strong enough to physically crumple space itself, he found that he couldn¡¯t make the Demon King of Incarceration budge even a single step. Creak, creak. The chain was pulled taut. Molon''s eyebrows twitched. Creeeak...! Molon¡¯s feet began to slide towards the Demon King of Incarceration. His face showed disbelief as he held on tightly to the chain. Crack...! Sparks started to fly from his fist. Boom! Molon''s feet were embedded into the ground. His body, which had leaned forward, now snapped back, and his outstretched arm bent. The chain that had been pulling him was suddenly yanked towards him. At the same moment, the Demon King of Incarceration was flung up from the stairs. He spread his cape of chains like wings, falling towards the center of the court. Molon took aim with his axe as his enemy descended. Then, he swung his axe, and it made contact, or so it seemed to the eye. But Molon felt nothing. There was no sound either. His axe had merely stopped in front of the chains that enshrouded the Demon King of Incarceration. From amidst the chains, the Demon King of Incarceration raised a finger. He directed his long index finger towards Molon, and it flickered with a ck light. From this tiny flicker, chains sprung forth. Molon was struck by the chains and flung backward. His innards were shaken by the dizzying impact, yet he gritted his teeth and resisted. He attempted to stop himself from flying backward while raising his axe high. But the Demon King of Incarceration had not finished his attacks. The chains rushed towards him like spears, and Molon drove down his axe in response. ¡°Stop acting like a fool...!¡± Eugene murmured while crouching low. Whoosh. The divine fire born in the region of his heart enveloped his entire body. In the court filled with dark power, Eugene¡¯s mes flickered brightly. The light resonated with the Saints, who spread their arms wide. Whaack! A radiant light was born in the midst of a room filled with dark power. Anise recited a prayer and Kristina gathered her spread arms to raise the prayer. The light that emerged formed countless rings and pushed away the dark power. [The Light...!] Anise murmured in awe. Three hundred years ago, she could only summon a faint light in this court. But now, she could summon the Light effortlessly. It was only natural since she had Eugene by her side. He was the embodiment of the divine. The Demon King of Incarceration spoke as he quietlynded on the floor, ¡°It¡¯s bright.¡± He raised his finger towards the Saints. Eugene immediately kicked off the ground and blocked his path. But stepping in his path didn¡¯t do anything. Dark power still permeated the space around them, and it spread like ink over the Saints. Just before the curtain of ck washed over them, the mes of Prominence wrapped around them like a shield. ¡°Huh!¡± The Saints became Light and resonated with Eugene. The Demon King of Incarceration admired the wings that unfolded with the bright light. He had never witnessed how Eugene fought. He had not been able to observe the battle in Giabe City due to Noir¡¯s interference, and the gatekeeper Balzac had died at Sienna¡¯s hand. Moreover, even if Eugene had been the one to kill Balzac, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to disy his true power. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve improved since your duel with Gavid Lindman,¡± the Demon King of Incarcerationmented. The distance between the two of them was closed in an instant. The Demon King of Incarceration had assumed Eugene would wield Levantein, but even as the gap closed, Eugene¡¯s hands remained empty. But soon, a smile crept up on the face of the Demon King. He had realized that Levantein, now a catalyst connected to the Light, was not taking the form of a sword but resided in Eugene¡¯s heart. ¡°Excellent,¡± heplimented. As if responding to the dry appraisal, Eugene raised his hand. The mes wrapped around his hand became a sword. Though he didn¡¯t expect the first strike to connect, Eugene nevertheless swung the sword in his hand as intended. Crackle! To his surprise, the me dispersed in front of his eyes. It was the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fist that shattered the divine fire. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s foot slid forward, and Eugene momentarily lost sight of him. But his instinct prompted a response. Eugene allowed his intuition to guide his hand as he swung. The scattered embers became countless des tearing through space. But the Demon King of Incarceration neither retreated nor created a barrier for defense. He slowly extended his hand and gently brushed past Eugene¡¯s des. That alone altered the trajectory of the des. Despite the divine power and the dark powering into contact with each other, there was no reaction. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s technique was so fluid that it felt as though they had touched yet hadn¡¯t. The twisted trajectory of the des opened an empty space between Eugene and the Demon King of Incarceration. "Unexpected, is it?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked. Instead of responding verbally, Eugene responded by throwing a punch. At the same time, Molon attacked the Demon King of Incarceration from behind. It appeared as though the Demon King of Incarceration reacted toote, but his hand met Eugene¡¯s fist head-on. At first, it seemed as if he nned on blocking Eugene¡¯s blows from the front, but instead, his hand enveloped Eugene¡¯s fist and coiled up his forearm like a snake. Molon¡¯s axe came from behind, but the Demon King didn¡¯t use his chains. Rather, he caught the axe with his other hand. Eugene had thought the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s tactics would resemble those of a wizard. He had been certain that the Demon King would avoid closebat. Or perhaps he would employ a strategy based on overwhelming firepower, like most demons and Demon Kings. Sienna, Anise, and Molon, who had fought the Demon King of Incarceration three hundred years ago, had said as much. But it was different from Eugene¡¯s expectation. As the Demon King of Incarceration himself had said, this was utterly unexpected. The Demon King of Incarceration was engaging in weaponless close-quartersbat. He wasn¡¯t fighting with an overwhelming force based on infinite dark power but instead utilizing a martial technique that either made use of the opponent¡¯s strength or nullified it entirely. "It has been a long time since I moved like this," the Demon King revealed. Molon¡¯s knees buckled as the Demon King of Incarceration returned his strike. Eugene tried to extricate his entangled arm immediately, but before he could do so, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s hand reached Eugene''s chest. Thump. He tapped Eugene¡¯s chest with an open palm, and Eugene was mmed against the wall. Chapter 583: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)

Chapter 583: The Demon King of Incarceration (3)

"Cough." A heavy impact reverberated within Eugene. Blood mixed with fragments of organs trickled from his mouth. Eugene spat out the sticky blood clinging to his throat and pulled himself away from the wall where he had been smashed. "Quite unexpected,¡± hemented with another cough. He had not anticipated that the Demon King of Incarceration would engage in closebat. Such a style of fighting was utterly uncharacteristic of the Demon King of Incarceration he had known so far. As far as he knew, the Demon King of Incarceration had never fought like this in the battle against Sienna, Molon, and Anise three hundred years ago. "There''s not much difference between us,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration spoke, unbothered. Behind him, Molon, having dropped his subdued axe, was now lunging at the Demon King with bare fists. The Demon King raised his hand without even looking back. Molon''s punch slid off the Demon King as if he were covered in oil. The Demon King of Incarceration smoothly caught Molon''s forearm and, with fluid motion, mmed him to the ground. "Just as you can wield a sword, spear, axe, and bow," the Demon King said. Molon¡¯s body did not move as his own. The moment he came into contact with the Demon King, his strength was drained, and he iled uncontrobly. It was an unfamiliar sensation for Molon, who had perfect control over his body. Even after hitting the ground, Molon didn¡¯t regain control of his body. He couldn''t tell if his right arm was truly his own. Though his joints and muscles were intact, the arm wouldn''t move. It had neither strength nor sensation. The Demon King of Incarceration continued, "I, too... have many skills. I can wield any weapon, and magic is no exception. I''ve had all the time in the world." His gaze slowly shifted to Sienna. Seeing the swirling magical energy around Sienna, he smiled broadly. "I have practiced magic since before Ether[1] was divided into dark power and mana. Of course, I''m more ustomed to the powers of a demon... a Demon King,¡± hemented. "It seems you haven''t mastered it to the extreme,¡± Sienna replied, unflustered. Crackle, crackle.... The swirling force of soul power was imbued with a definite murderous intent. Simultaneously, Sienna manifested Absolute Decree and targeted the Demon King of Incarceration. "You boast of handling magic for such a long time, yet you failed to discern the Sage,¡± Sienna reminded him. "The extreme, you say? I cannot deny it. The extreme I thought I had reached has now be a relic of the past. And as a Demon King, to live eternally, I had to give up various things,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration responded with a bitter smile. He didn¡¯t say exactly what he had to give up, but Sienna could make a guess ¡ª it was because she felt the soul power and mana getting strongly repelled against the Demon King. This being, true to the name of a Demon King, ruled only dark power. Mana and soul power were beyond his control. While it might have been different in the distant past, now the Demon King could not handle mana. "But this I did not give up,¡± the Demon King said. His hand slowly clenched into a fist. Creak, creak.... As more power flowed into his fist, the chains connected to the Demon King of Incarceration emitted a scream-like shrill sound, as if his power, his physicality, was bound by the chains. "This is something I''ve possessed since my very existence began. It has granted me glory and despair," the Demon King revealed. With a crack, Molon''s body, which had previously been mmed into the ground, twisted to the side. He gave up trying to free his captured arm and instead opted to shatter his shoulder to escape the restraint. Even then, he was still on the floor. But even while lying on the ground, Molon managed to summon an extreme force and hurled his fist. "This..." the Demon King said as if demonstrating something. Crunch! Before Molon''s fist could make contact, the Demon King of Incarceration''s fist fell. A devastating blow struck Molon in the sr plexus, sending blood spewing from his mouth as the Demon King withdrew his fist and stood upright. "...is what I do best." Eugene swallowed hard. The atmosphere around the Demon King of Incarceration had changed drastically. The Demon King, usually draped in boredom and ennui, now felt like apletely different entity. What had reced his usual indifferent attitude was a fighting spirit thrilling enough to vibrate the very air and a murderous intent too tant to be imagined from the Demon King of Incarceration. He took a step forward and flung Molon''s arm aside. "Hey, Molon,¡± Eugene called out to the sprawled-out figure on the ground. "Are you alive?" There was no response from Molon. However, Eugene could sense that he was barely clinging to life. That was enough. Molon had also been on the brink of death several times three hundred years ago. That was why he was considered a fool. He would recklessly charge in, get beaten down, copse, and then stand back up, attacking as if he had never fallen in the first ce. The Demon King of Incarceration took another step closer. The pressure doubled and engulfed Eugene. But Eugene did not retreat. The stronger the crushing pressure, the brighter the mes engulfing him zed. Boom! Eugene stomped on the ground. The distance between them closed instantly, and Eugene swung his sword aimed to slice the Demon King of Incarceration in half. Simultaneously, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s left hand moved. He opened his palm and intercepted the de as it came towards him horizontally. Crack! He caught the sword in his hand and broke it. But it didn''t matter. Eugene already conjured a short spear in his right hand. He thrust forward. The Demon King of Incarceration''s right hand followed the spear, moving sideways, aligning with his feet and waist. The spear barely missed his waist, and he caught it in his right hand. "The power of Cruelty,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration whispered. The spears were about to appear from below, behind, above, and on both sides, but they were chained and stopped in ce before they could even materialize. "Amusing to think of using it against me. Who do you think gave Luentos to the Demon King of Cruelty?" the Demon King asked. Snap! Both the chained spears and the one in Eugene¡¯s hand snapped. But Eugene did not linger and leaped into the air. But the Demon King of Incarceration was not about to let him go. Creak, creak...! The Demon King clenched his fist, pulled back his shoulder, and twisted his waist. All these movements were followed by the screams of the chains. The chains screamed their loudest when the Demon King of Incarceration punched. The cloak of chains draped over the Demon King¡¯s back red dramatically. His punch was apanied by sts of dark power. Eugene responded immediately to this ominous power. Prominence constructed a sanctuary, and the Saints, merged with the Light, simultaneously recited their prayers. Eugene himself created a massive hammer to smash down on the fist. However, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fist thoroughly shattered every obstruction blocking his way. The power of the Annihtion Hammer was destroyed alongside the hammer itself, the barriers of the sanctuary were crushed, and even the prayers of the Saints were deafened by the screams of the chains. At that moment, Sienna¡¯s magic activated. Vines grew rapidly from all directions and encircled the Demon King of Incarceration. The chains attempted to counter the vines, but the vines corroded the chains and firmly grasped the Demon King''s arm and legs. "Divine magic," the Demon Kingmented as he nced at his legs and left arm. The right fist he had thrown did not find its target ¡ª Eugene was already gone, having leaped away in that brief moment. "Impressive, but insufficient," the Demon King dered. Crash! Mary¡¯s magic struck the imprisoned Demon King. Though it was a bombardment that could threaten even a Demon King, he merely gave a wry smile and reached out with his hand. "You haven''t bound my right arm," he reminded. With a gentle motion, his hand drew a smooth curve. That single movement shifted the flow of the world, defying even Sienna¡¯s Absolute Decree. The bombardment that should have hit the Demon King of Incarceration was redirected with the twisted flow and pierced through empty space. A sh of light and the ceiling of the throne room was gone. "Although, being fully bound wouldn''t have made much difference," the Demon King said softly. He chuckled as he tore off the vines. Sienna could only look at him with disbelief. That was neither magic nor a use of his authority. Just as Molon crudely grasped and tore space with brute force, the Demon King of Incarceration did something simr, but on a level absurdly high enough to defy even Absolute Decree. Wait...! That was neither magic nor authority? If such phenomena weren''t the result of magic or authority, what were they? "Hey, this changes things,¡± mumbled Sienna. Eugenended beside the utterly astonished Sienna and muttered, "You said the Demon King of Incarceration isn''t skilled in closebat, right? You said he keeps his distance, attacks with dark power, and binds you with his chains.¡± "That¡¯s how he fought three hundred years ago,¡± Sienna retorted with a pout, genuinely feeling wronged. "Oh, really?¡± Eugene said. ¡°So, three hundred years ago, this bastard must have really gone easy on you guys. Or perhaps he didn''t think you were worth his full effort." Flickering mes of the divine fire gathered behind him and formed into the shape of an angel. Anise clicked her tongue and reached out to Molon, who was sprawled on the ground. [You sure do have a lively mouth for someone who died before all that,] shemented, annoyed. "We wouldn¡¯t have even fought if I had made it there alive," Eugene responded cheekily. Molon¡¯s eyes shed open upon Anise¡¯s touch, and he jumped up. "Just dozed off a bit,¡± he said. "Idiot,¡± Eugene grumbled as he raised his hand. Like Anise, Kristina took the form of an angel. She respectfully ced a sword in Eugene¡¯s hand. The Demon King of Incarceration stood motionless while observing this scene. Such unity inevitably evoked many emotions in the Demon King. "Impressive," heplimented. His dark power settled quietly. "Not many stood before me as heroes, bearing both the name and the mission. You, as you are now, are among the most outstanding heroes I have seen in my lifetime,¡± he said. He clenched his right hand. "Strength and skill. Desperation for the mission." He clenched his left hand. "Your unwavering trust in each other. None of you would even imagine betrayal.¡± This trust, in particr, stirred deep emotions within the Demon King of Incarceration. Three hundred years was a long time for humans. But even such a lengthy period had not worn down their trust in each other. Anise had intended not to care about the world after her death. Yet, for the sake of Hamel''s wishes and herrades, she ultimately died as the Saint. Sienna devoted her life to magic solely for the sake of avenging Hamel. Even as she faced death from Vermouth''s rampage, she never med him to the end. Molon, prompted by a request from Vermouth in a dream, had been killing the Nur for over a century. Hamel did not abandon his past convictions even after his sudden reincarnation. He never harbored any doubts that hisrades had betrayed him. Even with a different name and a different body, he ultimately arrived at his destination. The Demon King of Incarceration knew how difficult such bonded trust was. In the face of overwhelming despair, even the firmest bonds softened and weakened. Trust dispersed into betrayal in the face of despair, and convictions flipped as easily as the palm of a hand in the face of fear. The Demon King of Incarceration knew this better than anyone, having often been in despair and fear himself. Once, he, too, stood before despair and fear, not bending but confronting it, calling out for trust and conviction. He had felt the knife of betrayal from loosened bonds. He had seen the betrayal of a trustedrade and watched as thatrade became an embodiment of uncontroble despair and fear. "Thus¡ª" Boom. A massive presence pressured the hall. The Demon King of Incarceration lifted his foot, as if for them all to see. "I shall be your ordeal, the Great Demon King." Molon charged forward. Eugene ran alongside him. Although it was their firstbined attack in three hundred years, neither felt it was awkward, for three hundred years was not enough to fade their memories. Molon took the left side of the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene the right. Molon wielded an axe and Eugene a sword. But it wasn¡¯t merely a replication of past experiences. Eugene¡¯s divine power flowed into Molon. Thus, their thoughts connected. Molon''s bright eyes and Eugene''s intuition became one. Theyunched their best attack, yet the Demon King of Incarceration neither retreated nor hesitated. He continued advancing and raised both his arms. Crash! Axe and sword were blocked by fists. Nothing broke. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fists left countless afterimages while the axe and sword also unleashed violent, overwhelming shes. Kristina and Anise began their prayers. They pushed back dark power with their prayers, tended to the wounds of Molon and Eugene, and granted them protection. Their role was to allow Eugene and Molon to focus entirely on the fight. This was the role of the Saint, as it had been from three hundred years ago. In the dizzying melee, Sienna concentrated and observed the movements of the Demon King of Incarceration, aiming to stop him at a crucial moment tond a meaningful strike. Simultaneously, she prepared the Demoneye of Fantasy under her robe. She had sealed it to prevent it from indiscriminately scattering fantasies around, but to properly make use of it, she needed to unseal it. Sienna chewed on her lip as she tore at the ne. A purple gem wrapped around her left hand. ¡®It shouldn¡¯t run rampant, but...¡¯ Sienna calcted in her mind. Frankly, she was reluctant to use this power. If possible, she didn''t want to use it at all. But she had no regrets. [Even after lying to Hamel?] A voice echoed in her head. She didn¡¯t believe her actions were wrong. [Selfish person,] the voice chuckled. She didn¡¯t want him to be haunted by nightmares for life. [It¡¯s a cruel thing to me,] the voice used. "That''s not for me to know," Sienna retorted. [Ahaha.] A cheerfulugh echoed in Sienna¡¯s mind. 1. This is the first time we have heard this name. ? Chapter 584: The Demon King of Incarceration (4)

Chapter 584: The Demon King of Incarceration (4)

Whooosh.... A mist of purple dark power flickered. Sienna focused even more intensely as she adjusted the Demoneye of Fantasy. Crackle. She found her concentration wavering slightly, and unwanted visions began to blur into view. [Ahahaha....] An unwee voice echoed in her mind as she further adjusted her magic. The dark power that spread like fog met with Sienna¡¯s mana and became soul power. The Demoneye of Fantasy fed on the vast reservoir of soul power and began to open slowly. [You are truly a selfish and cruel woman, Sienna Merdein.] The voice became more distinct within the echoingughter. No, it wasn¡¯t just the voice. A pale, beautiful hand caressed Sienna¡¯s cheek. [I wanted to be Hamel''s eternal nightmare. I wanted Hamel to fear the nightmare forever and, secretly, to hope for its return. More than Sienna Merdein, more than Anise Slywood, more than Kristina Rogeris, I wanted to be etched stronger in his memory. I wanted him to remember me with regret and sorrow.] The hand that had caressed her cheek now gently touched the corner of her eyes. Sienna did not respond but bit her lip instead. This was not a rampage of the Demoneye of Fantasy. She had perfect control of the Demoneye of Fantasy, including its output and authority. However ¡ª this voice was beyond her control. She had no choice but to allow her mind to be eroded by illusion and nightmare if she wanted to control the Demoneye of Fantasy. [You think your actions were not wrong? You don''t want Hamel to be gued by nightmares for life? Ahaha, aren¡¯t you just jealous? You must be jealous that Hamel remembers me and thinks of me more than you,] the voice used. Sienna didn''t want to respond to the previous nonsensical talk, but she couldn¡¯t tolerate this one. As she bit on her lip harder, blood started to flow from the puncture wound. She snapped back, ¡®Don¡¯t be mistaken. I didn¡¯t bind you because of such feelings. Memories? Ha! I¡¯m more than confident that I can make Eugene think of me much more than someone like you.¡¯ [Really?] ¡®In the end, you''re dead, Noir Giabe. But I''m still alive, aren¡¯t I?¡¯ Sienna reminded her. Noirughed at the response. ¡®I didn¡¯t take you in because of some petty sense of defeat,¡¯ Sienna rified. [Ahaha! Getting all worked up like that. It¡¯s quite cute. I like it, Sienna Merdein. This is... a deal, after all,] Noir agreed with augh. It was a necessity. That was why she had collected Noir¡¯s soul in Giabe City. She took the unextinguished soul and locked it deep within the Demoneye of Fantasy. Although Sienna could control and use the Demoneye of Fantasy, she could never be as adept as its original master, Noir. As such, she had reaped Noir¡¯s soul to use it for today¡¯s decisive battle. [Ahaha... When I heard you wanted to use me as a tool, I couldn¡¯t help butugh. Use me, Noir Giabe, as a tool? That was a remarkably arrogant thing to say. I acknowledge that you are a great wizard, Sienna Merdein, but you aren¡¯t great enough to use me as a tool,] Noir said, sounding amused. Noir Giabe giggled and gently touched Sienna¡¯s eyeball with her fingertip. Sienna felt a chill run down her back as if her soul were being toyed with. Yet, she did not withdraw the Demoneye of Fantasy nor Mary. This was a deal. Gritting her teeth, Sienna said, ¡®You don''t want Eugene to die, do you? I feel the same.¡¯ At this very moment, Eugene and Molon were confronting the Demon King of Incarceration. Despite facing attacks from all sides, the Demon King seemed hardly disadvantaged. His arms moved fluidly, blocking or deflecting all iing strikes, and if he spotted an opening ¡ª or even when there seemed to be none ¡ª his attacks pierced through Eugene and Molon¡¯s defenses all too easily. ¡®I wouldn¡¯t wish for your help if I could help it, but the Demon King of Incarceration ¡ª he''s strong. If it''s necessary to bring him down, I''ll do anything. Even if it means borrowing your cursed hand,¡¯ Sienna acknowledged readily. [Your defeat and death are none of my concern, but I do not wish for Hamel''s defeat or death. He killed me, after all. He won against me. So he must continue to live,] Noir said with a lightugh as she retracted the hand that had been caressing Sienna¡¯s eye. [However, having my soul bound by you... I really don¡¯t like it. That''s why I call you selfish and cruel, Sienna Merdein.] ¡®I won''t let you have your way.¡¯ Sienna didn¡¯t back down. Noir said, [To deny a dead soul even the respite of reincarnation, to snatch away the freedom of rebirth ¡ª truly... you are cruel. But, well, fine. Let''s consider even this a sweet amusement. You, who do not wish for Hamel''s regret and nightmares¡ª] Her hand moved towards the Demoneye of Fantasy. Wooong.... The gem quivered within its nest of soul power. [You will have no choice but to release my soul,] Noir finished. The Demoneye of Fantasy opened. Boom. The ensuing shockwave made the Demon King of Incarceration flinch. He couldn''t hide his dismay and turned his head. He saw the blooming Mary and the resonating purple gem. The Demon King of Incarceration immediately recognized what it was: the Demoneye of Fantasy. He immediately tried to retreat, but the sinister light emitted by the Demoneye of Fantasy allowed no room to escape as it burrowed into the Demon King¡¯s psyche. ¡®This is...¡¯ the Demon King thought. His vision blurred. The eternity that the Demon King of Incarceration had lived began to erode. The Demoneye of Fantasy was interfering with his mind. The Demoneye of Fantasy should never have attained such a realm, but Noir Giabe had transcended the limits of the Demoneye of Fantasy multiple times. She had reached the realms of the iprehensible. ¡®...Profound,'' the Demon King realized. He wanted to resist, but it wasn¡¯t going his way. The relentless attacks by Eugene and Molon were a distraction. The two Saints synchronized and clutched at the Demon King¡¯s dark power, bothering him. In such a critical situation, the Demoneye of Fantasy pierced through the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s psyche. ¡®Sienna Merdein. This level of magic... no, this isn¡¯t entirely her own magic,¡¯ the Demon King concluded. He saw Sienna in his distorted vision. She had outstretched Mary towards him. The Demon King of Incarceration sensed the presence of the Sage in that ancient staff. ¡®So it is,¡¯ the Demon King thought. The staff wasn¡¯t simply passed down to Sienna. The staff contained the will of the Sage, Vishur Lavi. The magic of Mary enhanced the Demoneye of Fantasy and stirred the Demon King¡¯s mind more profoundly. The Demon King of Incarceration unwittingly turned his gaze away without a word. There was deep darkness. Someone stood there silently, watching him. What he saw was just an illusion. He knew this, and seeing it now brought him no sentiment. However, the Demoneye of Fantasy forced even the unfelt emotions to surface. The contrived agitation shook the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s mind, and amidst such turmoil, his dark power and the offense faltered. "Hahaha...." In the end, the Demon King of Incarceration could only let out a shortugh. He felt an emotion that was surprisingly nostalgic. The illusion standing in the darkness, taking the form of Vermouth but not being Vermouth, whispered something to the Demon King of Incarceration. "Surprisingly, I feel no hatred,¡± the Demon King said to himself with a chuckle. Puff! His dark power was severed. The sword of divine fire, zing crimson, shed toward the Demon King¡¯s neck. Simultaneously, a massive axe, wrapped in divine fire, dug into the Demon King''s waist. Crack! With a horrific noise, everything came to a stop. The sword had failed to slice through the Demon King¡¯s neckpletely. It had stopped, and the same was true for the axe. Molon exerted more force on the axe with a re, but it remained stuck after having cleaved halfway through the Demon King¡¯s body. "It¡¯s been too long," the Demon King said. Despite his neck and waist being half-severed, the Demon King''s expression remained tranquil. He felt pain, but such a degree of pain could not disturb his peace. Indeed, this pain was far less than the constant agony the Demon King of Incarceration always bore ¡ª thousands, tens of thousands of chains piercing through his soul, the sensation of those chaotically interlocking chains eternally grinding his soul. Compared to the undying and never-loosening curse, the pain of this earthly realm was merely a tickle. "It¡¯s been... so long, I almost wee it," the Demon King said softly. Sienna''s eyes wavered. What she had intended to create through the Demoneye of Fantasy was fear. However, while the Demoneye of Fantasy had caused some disturbance to the Demon King, it had not induced fear. Even the contrived agitation could no longer shake him. With a faint smile, the Demon King withdrew his gaze. "So,¡± he said. Eugene and Molon sensed it simultaneously. They tried to extract their weapons embedded in the Demon King''s body, but it didn''t go as nned. Instead, a massive flow orchestrated by the Demon King pulled them in, preventing their escape. "Have you seen my abyss?" he asked as he tilted his head andughed. Whoooosh.... The Demon King regained control over his dark power as if it had never been interrupted. Power converged on both of his fists, and Eugene and Molon both felt an intuition. Eugene immediately released his sword and stretched both hands toward the Demon King. Molon also released his axe and grasped the thin air. Eugene immediately conjured Eclipse at maximum output. Just before it exploded, Molon forcefully extracted the flow of dark power he had gripped in space. Boom! The explosion of Eclipse engulfed the Demon King, and at the same time, Molon grabbed Eugene and leaped backward. Fwoosh.... The mes fluttered and then disappeared. Eugene rubbed his sore back and gave Molon a sideways nce. "Bastard, take it easy,¡± he said. "If I had gone easy, we would have been hit by that punch,¡± responded Molon. Had they been hit, it would have been more than just a sore back. Thus, Eugene didn''t scold him further. Instead, Eugene looked at Sienna. He frowned as he looked at the Demoneye of Fantasy she was holding. He couldn¡¯t be sure... but Eugene felt an ominous presence from the Demoneye of Fantasy. "Hey, you... don¡¯t tell me..." Eugene started to say but stopped midway. He had asked before, but now, seeing the current state of the Demoneye of Fantasy, he couldn¡¯t help but conjure an uneasy possibility. However, Sienna did not offer any excuses to Eugene. She couldn''t. With her mouth gaping, she staggered back and copsed to the ground. Noir did the same. Noir¡¯s soul, visible only to Sienna, felt horror from the abyss she had delved into with the Demoneye of Fantasy. "You saw it," Noir whispered. As the divine fire cleared, the Demon King of Incarceration emerged. The sword that had half-decapitated his neck had turned into a me and disappeared, but Molon¡¯s axe was still embedded in his waist. The Demon King chuckled, pulled out the axe, and then threw it back at Molon. Bang! In an instant, the axe became embedded in Molon. Although he had managed to catch it just barely, therge de of the axe still gouged slightly into his chest. Yet, instead of groaning, Molon uttered a war cry and charged at the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene withdrew his gaze from Sienna. He thought what she had done was outrageous, and he felt angry that she had prepared such a thing secretly. However, now was not the time to rebuke Sienna, and even Eugene had to admit that such a measure was necessary. Indeed, the Demoneye of Fantasy had momentarily created an opening against the Demon King of Incarceration. Thus, Eugene joined Molon in his assault on the Demon King. The mes that swirled around him became a longsword. His previous attack had been incredibly shallow. Evenunching Eclipse point-nk and shing the Demon King¡¯s neck and waist seemed merely superficial to cause any damage to the Demon King. Despite the divine mes being lethal to immortal beings like Demon Kings, they failed to prate deeply into the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene needed to cut deeper. The divine fire began to stack. The crimson-zing mesyered repeatedly until they turnedpletely ck. But that was still not enough power. The mes could no longer maintain the form of a sword after being excessively condensed. But it didn¡¯t matter. What Eugene wielded was no longer something for a precise strike but a lump of brute force. ¡®Molon...!¡¯ Eugene didn¡¯t voice his words, but Molon heard his voice and felt Eugene¡¯s intent. He did not hesitate or falter. It was a cruel and reckless demand, but Molon did not know hesitation and doubt. [This is insane...!] Anise and Kristina also realized Eugene¡¯s intention. They cursed inwardly but did not go against Eugene¡¯s will. The blessings of the Saints concentrated on Molon. "Aaaaaaah!" With a scream, Molon threw his axe. The axe, filled with tremendous power, tore through space and flew at the Demon King of Incarceration. Such an attack was clumsy and slow for the Demon King. He stretched out his hand and caused a shockwave to alter the trajectory of the axe long before it could even make contact. Molon was no longer holding anything. He grabbed the space. Crrrrack! The torn space was forcibly pulled by Molon¡¯s grip, drawing the Demon King slightly closer. Molon threw a fierce fist, but the Demon King of Incarceration merely grinned in response. It ended in an instant. The Demon King¡¯s fist swiftly knocked Molon unconscious. A flurry of blows destroyed Molon¡¯s body in a sh. Molon lost consciousness, and yet, he did not stop. His body was regenerated instantly, and he grasped the Demon King¡¯s waist with his broken, bloodied hand. Simultaneously, Sienna''s magic manifested. The Demoneye of Fantasy,bined with her magic, transformed reality. Magic fetters from all directions momentarily obscured the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s vision. A massive surge of killing intent could be felt from above him. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s knees buckled. The ckened de of the Divine Sword struck down at the Demon King¡¯s hand, but the massive power was not something he could deflect with his bare hand. "Excellent," The Demon King of Incarceration sincerely expressed his admiration. Crack! The Divine Sword severed the Demon King¡¯s hand, and it shed at his shoulder. However, it did not cleave through. Like before, the sword dug in a little and then stopped. "Glug..." Molon, still gripping the Demon King''s waist, vomited blood and knelt down. In contrast, the Demon King of Incarceration straightened his knees. Eugene did not let go of the Divine Sword, which had stopped around the ribs. He red at the Demon King. "Can''t you... be killed?" Eugene finally asked. The Demon King of Incarceration smiled wryly and nodded. "It¡¯s a curse," he admitted. Even if he wanted to, he could not die. Chapter 585: The Demon King of Incarceration (5)

Chapter 585: The Demon King of Incarceration (5)

He didn¡¯t die even if he was killed. Eugene had encountered many such cases throughout the centuries. Even middle-ranking demons possessed some trivial form of immortality, and high-ranking demons were even harder to kill. And when it came to a Demon King, one might even wonder if such a bastard could even truly die. But if one kept killing them, they could eventually be killed. Eugene had killed multiple enemies time and again ¡ª the Demon King of Carnage, the Demon King of Cruelty, the Demon King of Fury, and in this life ¡ª Raizakia, Iris, Gavid Lindman, and even Noir Giabe. He had managed to kill them all. But now... with the Demon King of Incarceration.... "Shit," Eugene cursed. The Demon King¡¯s response held not an ounce of falsehood. In fact, there hadn''t even been a need to hear it out loud. Eugene could instinctively feel it. The Divine Sword had prated the body of the Demon King of Incarceration, but it could not advance any further. From it, he could feel that he could never end the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s life. Time and again, even if he shed dozens, hundreds, or thousands of times, the Demon King of Incarceration could not be killed. This dreadful immortality was like a curse for the Demon King of Incarceration. No matter how many times Eugene attacked, the Demon King of Incarceration would not perish. ¡®No,¡¯ Eugene thought. That could not be true. Even if he was cursed with immortality, if Eugene could attack with enough power to overwhelm the curse, the Demon King of Incarceration could be killed. Eugene steadied his wavering heart. Such chaos would only breed despair, and Eugene had no intention of falling into despair. Vermouth could not kill the Demon King of Incarceration as it was impossible to kill him with the powers of Destruction. But Eugene wasn¡¯t using the powers of Destruction now. He had intentionally refrained from using the power of the Moonlight Sword. Whoosh. The Divine Sword¡¯s me zed fiercely. Despite the fire raging over the sword piercing his body, the Demon King of Incarceration was unfazed. Instead, he was still smiling as he reached out toward Eugene. "Do you have no thoughts of giving up?" he asked. Dark power covered Eugene¡¯s view. At the same time, the feathers of Prominence glowed. Then, just as the dark power caused a loud explosion, Eugene grabbed Molon and leaped backward. "Ugh...." Molon regained consciousness and moaned slightly. As he wiped his bloodied lips and stood up, he asked, "Did I fail?" "No, I failed,¡± Eugene responded. Eugene had hoped that by risking his own life, Molon would hold on to the Demon King of Incarceration and create an opening. And Molon had done so perfectly without hesitation, but it was Eugene¡¯s attack that had failed to wound the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene flexed his sore hand and red at the Demon King. The Divine Sword still embedded in his body continued to burn, but the fire was extinguished the moment the Demon King of Incarceration took a step. nk.... The chains rattled. Then, the Demon King of Incarceration casually cracked his neck, and his wounded body was seamlessly rejoined, and he was whole again. His smirk was gone, reced by a calm expression. Both Eugene and Molon felt chills run down their backs. This was the Great Demon King. Even his presence was different. Just standing before him made one feel like they were being crushed by the pressure. Eugene and Molon shared a nce. "Pfft...." They burst intoughter, not knowing who started it. They couldn¡¯t help it either. It had been three hundred years since they had fought together. Who would have thought that after three hundred years, they would find themselves in such a situation, feeling this way? Anise looked aghast as she stared at the two of them. Sienna let out a deep sigh and shook her head. Only Kristina seemed puzzled. She couldn¡¯t share in the sentiment and wasn¡¯t sure why they wereughing at such a critical time. [Kristina, from now on... you will need to concentrate even more,] Anise warned immediately. [Yes?] Kristina responded. Anise exined, [In the past, Sir Vermouth would have taken control and coordinated the battle. But now, since Sir Vermouth is not here....] [Sister, what do you mean...?] Kristina was still confused. [Those two are perfectly in sync in battle,] Anise said with a sigh. [From now on, they will fight without regard for injuries.] [What...?] Kristina asked, shocked. [They will know they are on the verge of death, yet they will charge in any way. However, it''s fortunate, really. Three hundred years ago, I had to keep those idiots from dying all by myself.... Now, at least, I have your help, Kristina,] Anise said, sounding annoyed. While the Saints conversed, Eugene and Molon''s stances lowered to the ground. In Eugene''s hands were two Divine Swords, but Molon was unarmed ¡ª his axe had been thrown away earlier. Puff! Amidst a crimson explosion, Prominence scattered mes. Thousands of sparks, like hidden weapons, bombarded the Demon King of Incarceration. Some of these sparks became stepping stones, and Eugene became a streak of lightning as he pierced through the mes. The two swords moved with their own rhythm. The Demon King of Incarceration didn''t bother to track the trajectory of the des. Crash! The des were flung upwards, causing the space around them to tremble. The flurry of high-speed shes was invisible to the eye. Instead of retracting his fist, the Demon King straightened his knees. His foot shot out like a spear. With a heavy impact, Molon''s arm was ripped off and flew away. Although he had lost his arm in an instant, Molon burrowed further toward the Demon King of Incarceration without even a tiny groan. Light shed from Anise and Kristina. Molon¡¯s severed arm was instantly sped by the light and became reattached to Molon. Flesh and bone were rapidly regenerated. Molon curled his hand to form a fist. The Demon King of Incarceration was using both hands to block the barrage of Eugene¡¯s dual swords. His leg, which he had used to kick away Molon¡¯s arm, remained raised. Without hesitation, Molon threw a punch towards that knee. Crack. The Demon King¡¯s foot moved as fast as lightning and struck Molon¡¯s jaw. Such a blow could have easily snapped his neck and burst his head, but none of that happened. Molon''s will denied death, his body obeyed his will, and the divine power he had acquired as Eugene¡¯s Holy Knight also responded to his resolve. Yet, the shock from the blow knocked Molon unconscious. Although he had briefly lost consciousness, his body did not stop. Crash! His fist continued onwards and finally pushed the Demon King of Incarceration back. Crunch. For the first time, blood started to flow from the mouth of the Demon King of Incarceration. He chuckled at the unbelievable strength and weight contained in the blow. "Indeed," he remarked. Therades that Vermouth chose three hundred years ago were all special. Hamel was special, naturally, but so were Anise, Sienna, and Molon. All of their existences were miracles. Among them, Molon was born with a strength that could be considered supreme among all beings. Unfortunately, being born a human proved to be Molon¡¯s only limitation. A human body could not handle the power Molon was born with. If Molon had been born a giant, he would have long reached a strength that could crush even a Demon King. "The stature of the Greatest Warrior suits the power you were born with. Your body is managing to handle the power you have,¡±mented the Demon King. The blessings of the Saints illuminated his consciousness. With a tingling zap, Molon¡¯s consciousness returned. Despite having briefly passed out, Molon did not hesitate. He roared like a beast and stomped against the ground. His fist had made contact. The sensation of impact still lingered in his fist. Rumble! The axe that had flown into the darkness returned, tearing through dark power as it heeded Molon''s call. Molon grasped the returning axe with both hands. Eugene transformed the tattered dual swords into mes. The fire zed once more before morphing into a massive hammer. Eugene and Molon swung the hammer and axe simultaneously. Their weapons gained tremendous force and swung toward the Demon King of Incarceration with incredible momentum. Creak...! The chains connected to the Demon King¡¯s back plunged into space, anchoring his existence. Then, he raised both arms and thrust them forward. The duo¡¯s attack did not push the Demon King back, but the dark power permeating the hall dissipated. The light summoned by the Saints'' prayers illuminated the hall. Simultaneously, Sienna¡¯s magic, empowered by Mary and infused into the Demoneye of Fantasy, transformed reality. It altered the space where the chains had anchored, and the Demon King of Incarceration eximed in shock. The spatial shift caused the chains to cken. The axe and hammer struck once again before the Demon King could react and re-anchor his existence with his chains. Booom! The Demon King of Incarceration was sent flying. He spat blood while his eyes glimmered. Eugene dropped the hammer and seized a spear with both hands. Molon raised his axe above his head. The living chains moved like snakes toward the Demon King of Incarceration. ''He isn''t truly immortal.'' Eugene thought. If he were truly undying, there''d be no need for him to block these attacks. Yet the Demon King of Incarceration continued to parry. Was it possible to kill him? Or perhaps.... ''The chains,'' Eugene observed. Eugene saw the numerous chains linked to the Demon King. From the memories he saw from three hundred years ago, he remembered that Vermouth, who couldn¡¯t kill the Demon King of Incarceration, had threatened to sever the chains of the Demon King to pressure him. That suggested that breaking these chains was unwee to the Demon King. ''Have they diminished by a little?'' Eugene suddenly realized. The attacks had been significant. It was still hard to imagine killing the Demon King of Incarceration, but Eugene didn''t think the past attacks had been in vain. The axe was the first to strike down from high. The strike contained enough force topletely sever even space. [Ahaha.] As the Demon King moved to counter, he heard augh. He saw a faint presence by the side of the powerful attack. At the same time, the world seemed to stop. Or rather, it felt as if it had paused. He had been encroached by an illusion upon encountering the presence. "Noir Giabe." In the world that had seemingly paused, the Demon King of Incarceration spoke. He chuckled and looked back. He saw his own form, arms raised toward the axe. His body and mind had been separated. The Demon King of Incarcerationughed again. "You should be dead. What lingering attachment keeps you in this world?" he asked. [I felt no such attachment. I died extremely satisfied. My death held no regrets.] Noir chuckled andy back in the sky. She propped her chin with one hand as she looked down at the Demon King of Incarceration before continuing, [I¡¯m only like this due to the nasty old witch¡¯s spite. Really, there''s a line not to cross even when you desecrate the dead.] "If you dislike your current situation, I could take you in. How about it?" suggested the Demon King of Incarceration. [Quite a kind offer, but... I''ll decline. Things have already turned out this way, and I hope to see Hamel survive. I want him to fulfill his desires, to triumph over you,] Noir said firmly. "Do you think that''s possible?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked with a smile. Noir¡¯s smile faltered slightly. The Demon King continued, "You''ve looked into my abyss along with Sienna Merdein. Thus, you should know." [Your abyss was....] After a short sigh, Noir shook her head. [Unexpected.... It was really unexpected. I ¡ª no, rather no one could have imagined it.] The Demoneye of Fantasy seeded in disturbing the Demon King of Incarceration. The Great Demon King, who had lived through an eternity, now had his deepest trauma revealed and disyed through illusion. The fact that he did not feel fear at his own trauma was not in itself surprising. Just as Noir had never imagined her own death until the end, she couldn¡¯t possibly imagine the Demon King feeling fear. A slight disturbance, that¡¯s all. She thought that was enough. But Noir felt an even greater disturbance than what the Demon King of Incarceration had felt. The Demon King''s abyss was profound, and the darkness at its bottom was dense. He had despaired to the point where despair itself had be hispanion. Could she truly grasp victory against this Great Demon King who had lived through eons of time? "Do you pity me?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked with a smile. Noir dyed her response, her eyes clouded withplex emotions. Soon, she shook her head along with a short sigh. [No, Demon King of Incarceration. To pity you would be an insult. I do not pity you. Instead, I feel awe,] Noir said honestly. It was true. Noir had never sincerely felt awe towards the Demon King of Incarceration in her life, but after having glimpsed into his abyss, she could not help but feel it now. "Awe, you say," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a soft chuckle and closed his eyes. As time resumed, his consciousness reunited with his body. Then, Molon¡¯s axe struck down upon the Demon King. Crack! With a horrific sound, the Demon King''s body snapped. Unable to withstand the force, his knees buckled. He narrowly avoided a fatal blow to the head, but Molon''s axe tore through the Demon King''s left shoulder and cleaved down to his waist, splitting him for the first time. Following that, Eugene stabbed with his spear. With a shockwave, the spear¡¯s tip pierced the Demon King''s chest. Whoosh! Blood spurted from the wound along with dark power. "Hah...." The Demon King of Incarceration exhaled deeply. Blood flowed from his lips, staining his chin and chest red. Craaack. The spear, lodged in his chest, twisted and broke his ribs. With each turn, the divine fire ignited from within, starting to consume the Demon King from the core. "Let me ask again,¡± said the Demon King. His lower half had been severed by the axe, and he had copsed. His tattered upper body, impaled and burning, continued to bleed, but there was no sign of agony on the Demon King''s face. Calmly, with sunken eyes, he stared at Eugene. "Have you no thoughts of surrender?" he asked. It was an out-of-ce remark under the circumstances. "Or perhaps, of ending your own life?" he questioned. Amidst the divine fire, the Demon King of Incarceration asked as the chains rattled in the intensifying mes. "Go to hell,¡± Eugene spat back without releasing his spear. To that, the Demon King smiled bitterly. "Pity," he dered, then closed his eyes. The world was enveloped in darkness. Chapter 586: The Demon King of Incarceration (7)

Chapter 586: The Demon King of Incarceration (7)

¡®What the?¡¯ Eugene thought in surprise. His vision was engulfed in darkness. Startled, Eugene leaped backward. The darkness was so thick that he couldn¡¯t even make out his own body, let alone the figures of Molon, Sienna, and the two Saints. The first thing that immediately came to mind was Balzac¡¯s Signature spell, Blind. Balzac may have died in a vain attempt to defeat Sienna, but his soul hadn¡¯t been erased by her and had instead been retrieved by the Demon King of Incarceration. Because of that, if he really wanted to, the Demon King of Incarceration should have enough knowledge to reproduce Balzac¡¯s Signature adequately. But was that really the case? Eugene first settled his nerves. This darkness... was something different from Blind. It wasn¡¯t some type of spell that blocked the five senses, but was something much simpler than that, something that couldn¡¯t really be described as a spell or an ability. It was simply dark power. But the nature of this dark power, which the Demon King of Incarceration had previously kept under control and allowed to permeate his entire pce, had undergone a change. The dark power had be extremely thick, dense, and concentrated, so much so that it had even corrupted the space around them ¡ª transforming it into a separate world. This absurdly dense and concentrated dark power was even able to extinguish and erase the light of divinity that Eugene had been ring. ¡®My sanctuary...,¡¯ Eugene thought in concern. It had yet to copse. The sanctuary had been maintained because Eugene¡¯s presence was still present. However, the dark power that was now covering everything outside of his sanctuary was capable ofpletely suppressing any of the benefits that the sanctuary had once granted Eugene. Eugene closed his eyes and sharpened his senses. His aim was to see if he could confirm the status of hisrades. However, his search failed. While it was understandable that he would fail to sense Sienna, Eugene became more than a little flustered by the fact he wasn¡¯t able to sense Molon, Anise, or Kristina either. Thetter two were both Eugene¡¯s Incarnations and his Saints. Yet despite that, he still couldn¡¯t feel them. It was as if the veryws of the world had been subverted. He had never been sopletely constrained, not even when he had entered the nightmare within Giabe City, but this darkness ¡ª it had left Eugenepletely isted. Step step. He could hear footsteps. Startled, Eugene turned to look in the direction of the sound. Though he was surrounded by a darkness so thick that he couldn¡¯t even see his own body, Eugene felt reassured that he could at least still feel the grip of his sword in his hand. ¡°Who is it?¡± Eugene cautiously asked. It could have been Molon or Sienna or maybe even one of the Saints. As he couldn¡¯t see, Eugene needed to carefully judge the other person¡¯s identity before swinging his sword at them. However, the person that had appeared in front of him wasn¡¯t one of hisrades. It was the Demon King of Incarceration. However, something was different about him. The Demon King of Incarceration, who arrived with the sound of footsteps, looked much different from the one Eugene had seen earlier. Perhaps the biggest difference was that the Demon King looked much younger. Other than that, the atmosphere that Incarceration gave off was also very different. Despite his younger appearance... this Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t give off any of the spirit or passion that came with youth. That said, he also didn¡¯t have that same air of boredom that clung to this era¡¯s Demon King of Incarceration. From this young-looking Demon King of Incarceration, the only thing that Eugene could sense was... terrible despair. Although he wasn¡¯t covered in blood or wounds, it felt as if this Demon King of Incarceration might copse at any moment and break into wailing sobs. Eugene couldn¡¯t imagine that the Demon King of Incarceration he had be so familiar with would ever show such depths of emotions. It had to be because, in the first ce, this person was apletely different type of being from the Demon King of Incarceration that Eugene knew. Eugene could feel it. The sensations were startlingly clear. Emotions that didn¡¯t belong to Eugene were rushing into his mind as if being fed through pipes connected directly to his brain. There was a terrible and overwhelming amount of despair, rage, loss, and also.... ¡®Betrayal?¡¯ Eugene thought cautiously. He felt dizzy from the emotions flooding into his mind. His legs, which were still invisible due to being engulfed in darkness, staggered, and he was barely able to keep his bnce. It was difficult for Eugene to understand or even ept the burden of all these emotions because he didn¡¯t know why he was experiencing these emotions in the first ce. What was clear was that all of this despair, rage, and loss were born from a great betrayal. But in that case, what kind of betrayal could have caused Incarceration to feel such great surges of emotion? Who on earth would even be in a position to betray the Demon King of Incarceration? Eugene lifted his head to stare at the Demon King of Incarceration once more. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly walked closer to Eugene, but his gaze wasn¡¯t directed at him. In the end, this figure was nothing more than a remnant of Incarceration¡¯s memories that was embedded in this dense cloud of dark power. The Demon King of Incarceration had somehow dragged Eugene into his consciousness using his chains, and he had locked Eugene into his subconscious mind, trapping him within this terrible abyss of dark power. Eugene blindly grabbed at the side of his own head in pain. This figure might have just been a remnant of Incarceration¡¯s distant past, but Eugene had been able to glean something from it. Even though it was simply a remnant of a memory that had been imbued with dark power, Eugene noticed that the Demon King of Incarceration from that period of time hadn¡¯t given off the sensation of possessing dark power. But how could that be possible? Eugene couldn¡¯t believe what he had discovered. There was a simple reason why he hadn¡¯t been able to sense any dark power from that memory. It meant that the Demon King of Incarceration of that time hadn¡¯t been a Demon King. ¡°I don¡¯t miss that period of time,¡± a voice said, apanied by the nking sound of chains. Eugene turned his head in surprise. The current Demon King of Incarceration was now standing right next to Eugene. ¡°Everyone has memories that they would rather not remember. Isn¡¯t that so?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said as he looked at the phantom from his distant past. ¡°The same also applies to me. I don¡¯t want to remember any of these memories. That period of time holds no value for me to recall. As such, I have buried these memories here, deep down in my mind, with everything else that I don¡¯t have a use for.¡± ¡°You...,¡± Eugene hesitantly spoke. ¡°However, there are times when they do be necessary. When I... no longer have the will to do all this. When I just want to abandon everything and quit. At those times, I take out these memories and look at them,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a wry grin as he shook his head. ¡°All thoughts of wanting to quit getpletely erased. I tell myself that I can do it... that I have to do it. It is what gives me motivation.¡± Eugene red at the Demon King of Incarceration, unable to say anything in response. He didn¡¯t feel all that weirded out by Incarceration¡¯s admission that his motivation was born from his feelings of betrayal. This was because Eugene himself was familiar with drawing on the spite that came from such negative emotions for strength. ¡°Just what on earth is going on?¡± Eugene finally couldn¡¯t help but ask. However, this time, it was the Demon King of Incarceration who fell into silence. ¡°Why do I get the feeling of divine power from the you from back then?¡± Eugene pressed for an answer despite the continued silence. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel greatly shaken by the shocking revtion that he couldn¡¯t sense any dark power within the Demon King of Incarceration from the distant past. Instead, what he felt from that figure was an abundant source of divine power. This waspletely absurd. It was extremely hard for Eugene to ept it. How could a Demon King have anything to do with divine power? Moreover, that divine power wasn¡¯t something on the level of an ordinary power. That divine power could have belonged to a Saint... or perhaps even an Incarnation. Eugene swallowed a gulp as he red at the Demon King of Incarceration. Having noticed that divine power, Eugene was now able to sense something other than the dark power infused into this world of darkness he was currently trapped in. It felt as if... as if there was divine power fused with the dark power. The silence ended. ¡°At that time, I wasn¡¯t a Demon King,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration admitted with a bitter smile. ¡°I was the Hero.¡± ¡°What?¡± Eugene blurted out in disbelief. ¡°I said that I was the Hero,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration repeated himself as he raised his head. In this cloud of darkness, there was no way to see the sky or the ceiling. There was only a pitch-ck darkness wherever you looked. While staring into this darkness, the Demon King of Incarceration continued speaking, ¡°I did the exact same thing that you... and Vermouth... did. I wanted something simr to what you desire. To defeat the Demon King and to save the world.¡± Eugene listened silently. ¡°At the very end, I managed to seed, only to be met by failure. I defeated the Demon King as I had hoped, but... I was betrayed by therades who had apanied me up until that point. Some fell for the temptations offered by the dying Demon King. Some lost their minds due to the Demon King¡¯s curse. And some....¡± The Demon King of Incarceration closed his eyes as he paused for a moment. ¡°My dearest friend, he fell for the allure of the Demon King¡¯s throne. In his greed, he sought the power to rule the world as he pleased. I considered him to be my best friend, but he never once truly thought of me as a friend.¡± His dearest friend.... ¡°My friend was jealous of my strength, of my position, of the glory that I would be able to enjoy in the future, and of all the praises that I would receive.¡± What kind of person would the Demon King of Incarceration call his best friend...? ¡°Amidst those final moments, he betrayed me. He stabbed his knife into my back. Those who had fallen for the temptations or had been swayed by the curse also raced towards the throne thaty in front of them, but, in the end, the one who was sitting on the Demon King¡¯s throne... was my best friend who had stabbed me in the back.¡± Just how much had that person meant to the Demon King of Incarceration...? ¡°But his greed was endless. The desires of the Demon King, who now sat on that throne, grew evenrger. He desired eternal power. As such, he started devouring everything around him. In the end, he ended up devouring more than he could handle, so that finally...¡± The Demon King of Incarceration opened his eyes. ¡°...he became Destruction.¡± When the Demon King of Incarceration had first seen Vermouth, he had been greatly shaken by that appearance and the name Vermouth Lionheart. Vermouth was the clone of Destruction born from the wound that Agaroth had inflicted on the Demon King. Vermouth had had that appearance and name from the moment he was born, and it wasn¡¯t taken from someone else. This meant that the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s original appearance must have looked somewhat simr to Vermouth¡¯s. ¡°Then why... why did you be a Demon King?¡± Eugene asked haltingly as he tried not to stagger under all these revtions. ¡°How could you... after being a Hero, and after being betrayed... be a Demon King?¡± ¡°Even a Hero would fall into corruption after experiencing such an immense betrayal, wouldn¡¯t you agree?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration replied with a smile. ¡°Falling was the most natural course of action to take in that situation... and it proved to be the best and wisest choice for me, personally. As a result of doing so, I managed to escape being devoured, and I stayed alive.¡± Clink, clink, clink. The sound of chains rang through the darkness once more. Eugene¡¯s eyes were now able to make out the countless chains that were flowing through the pitch-ck darkness. At one end, all of these chains were wound into one huge chain connected to the chest of the Demon King of Incarceration. As he yed with the chain connected to his chest with one hand, the Demon King of Incarceration continued speaking, ¡°I... have been alive for a very long time. I have witnessed Destruction destroying the world several times over. Everything I have experienced over that immensely long period of time grew to be too much for even myself to handle. That is why I bound all of those memories within my chains and incarcerated them here. Until now, that course of action has been enough. However....¡± Clink. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s hand tightened around the chain. ¡°Now, these memories are needed once more.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration shook his head, saying, ¡°You truly are impressive, Eugene Lionheart. You are the strongest and most outstanding Hero I have ever seen in my entire life, including this version of myself from the distant past. Yourpanions, who haven¡¯t given in to temptation, who haven¡¯t sumbed to curses, and who don¡¯t harbor any secret desires for greater power, are also amazing. Because of that, I, as the Demon King, have been left with no choice but to greet you with an even greater challenge.¡± Clicliclink. The Demon King slowly began to pull the chain out of his chest. ¡°Until today, I have witnessed countless eras and worlds. And I have to admit it: Of all the countless eras and worlds that I have observed, this one is the one that hase closest to ending Destruction. But that is why I must be an even greater source of despair to truly test you, the Hero, in order to see whether you will truly be able to bring an end to Destruction. If you are able to defeat me, the Demon King of Incarceration, then....¡± Right when Incarceration began to pull out the chain, the darkness around them had also started shaking. ¡°Then I might truly be able to witness the end of Destruction,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration finished saying. All his strength that had been sealed within this concentrated cloud of darkness had finally been released. It wasn''t just dark power. All of the divine power that had been corrupted and fused with this dark power was also released. And also... there were the souls of those who the Demon King of Incarceration had collected from all the worlds he had lived through. The souls of those who he had once killed and those who he had oncemanded. The souls that the Demon King had imprisoned in this space instead of taking them with him to the next era. The Demon King¡¯s chain was pulled free. Rooooooar. The darkness was suddenly filled with rows and rows of twisted death masks, so many that they were impossible to count. In the next moment, the sight of them all being absorbed back into the Demon King of Incarceration almost made it look like there was a dark river that was flowing down into hell. The cloud of darkness quickly cleared. The surroundings that had previously been hidden within the darkness started to be visible once more. Eugene spotted Molon, Sienna, and the Saints. Thankfully, they didn¡¯t appear to be injured, but their expressions were filled with shock as if they had also been listening to the conversation just now. Before Eugene could think of what to say to them, he looked down at his hand. More specifically, at the Divine Sword that he had previously created and had been holding in his hand. He couldn¡¯t feel any Lighting from the Divine Sword, even though he could feel his divinity still burning away. The darkness around them may have been disappearing, but it felt like something evil and ominous was still clinging to him. As he felt his fingers begin to tremble, Eugene bit down heavily on his bottom lip. Having pulled the chain out of his chest, the Demon King of Incarceration seemed to stagger on his feet, as if he was feeling a slight dizziness. Along with the Demon King¡¯s unsteady appearance, Eugene felt a sense of eerinessing from Incarceration. Eugene exchanged gazes with hisrades. There was no doubt that they were all sharing the same thought. It was dangerous. Eugene immediately grabbed his chest. It was still far from being the decisive point of this battle, but now wasn¡¯t the time to think about such things. Eugene had the gut feeling that it was impossible to deal with whatever the Demon King was doing without using Ignition. Molon, Sienna, and the Saints also understood the necessity of this measure. The Saints immediately transformed into light as they returned to Eugene¡¯s side. This was so that they could reduce the burden of Ignition on him while also amplifying its power. Sienna also activated the Demoneye of Fantasy once more while holding Mary aloft. In order to buy time for their preparations, Molon charged at the Demon King of Incarceration. None of them were able to see the Demon King of Incarceration move. But he did something, and Molon was suddenly left falling forward without being able to arrest the momentum of his charge. The blood that spurted from Molon, as he rolled for quite some distance, sttered the dark floor with crimson streaks. Even at that moment, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s figure was still nowhere to be seen. Blood was spurting from Molon¡¯s neck. Arge piece of flesh was torn out of Molon¡¯s throat, making it look as if he had been bitten by some kind of beast. Eugene still hadn¡¯t activated Ignition. This was because Molon had copsed at the very moment that Eugene¡¯s fingers had first plunged into his chest. Likewise, Sienna also hadn¡¯t activated her next spell. Just as Sienna began to pour the soul power that she had generated into Mary and the Demoneye of Fantasy¡ª Sienna¡¯s knees suddenly buckled. Before she could even open her mouth, blood was gushing out through the small gap between her closed lips. Arge hole had been pierced straight through her stomach. Just like Molon, Sienna hadn¡¯t been able to respond to the attack made by the Demon King of Incarceration as he shed right past her. ¡°Allow me to ask you once more,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said as Eugene¡¯s fingers, which had been trying to grab hold of his heart, were forcibly pulled out of his chest. The Demon King of Incarceration had suddenly appeared in front of Eugene, clutching his wrist tightly. ¡°Do you truly have no intention of giving up?¡± the Demon King asked once more. Creak, creeeeeak.... Eugene¡¯s wrist creaked as his hand was forcibly pulled away from his chest. The eyes of the Demon King of Incarceration, as he stood directly in front of Eugene, were filled with a cold and calm reserve that left Eugene with an indescribably deep sense of impending doom. The Demon King asked a different question, ¡°Have you given any thought to taking your own life?¡± Eugene had been prevented from activating Ignition, but instead of forcefully trying to pull his hand free, Eugene swung the Divine Sword that he was holding in his other hand. That was his answer to the Demon King¡¯s shitty suggestion. ¡°I see, so that really is the case,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration sighed. Crack! In mid-swing, the Divine Sword shattered and dissolved into specks of ck ash. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly raised his other hand and reached toward Eugene¡¯s chest. ¡°In that case, I have no choice but to show you such despair that you are forced to give up,¡± the Demon King said regretfully. Booom. The Demon King delivered a light tap. Eugene fell to his knees on the spot. Chapter 587: The Demon King of Incarceration (8) [Bonus Image] Dark red blood spilled out from between Eugene¡¯s parted lips. Coughing slightly, Eugene weakly lifted his head as he gasped for air. The Demon King of Incarceration could have continued his assault, but instead, he red down at Eugene without doing anything. This was done to drive the Hero into despair. The Demon King of Incarceration was prioritizing bringing Eugene and hisrades to the brink of despair over killing them. Was that because, after having shown them a past projection of himself in his darkest hour, he wanted them to feel the same despair he had? Eugene firmly bit his trembling lip. Then, he forcefully swallowed the blood that was surging up his throat. Despair? Eugene had no desire or intention to entertain such an emotion. No matter how strong the Demon King of Incarceration might be, no matter how unattainable victory might seem, Eugene would never fall into despair. He would never take his own life and move on to the next era like the Demon King of Incarceration had suggested. He wanted to kill the Demon King of Incarceration. He wanted to y the Demon King of Destruction. He wanted to save the world. Everything that he wanted belonged to this era. The Demon King that Eugene wanted to kill first, the Demon King of Incarceration, was currently right in front of him, while the Demon King of Destruction was, at this very moment, being held back by Vermouth. The world that Eugene wanted to save was this very world, which still continued to struggle for survival even now. To be honest, something like the next world didn¡¯t at all matter to Eugene. He wanted to save the world in which the World Tree had set down its roots. He wanted to save the world that had been illuminated by the Light. He wanted to save his Divine Army, which was currently fighting on the battlefield below, as they waited for Eugene to emerge from Babel victorious. He wanted to save all of his believers from all across the continent who were currently praying for his victory on the battlefield. And he wanted to save Vermouth, who even now was being worn down to the very limits of his sanity as he held back Destruction. That was why he couldn¡¯t afford to despair. Eugene wouldn¡¯t allow himself to fall into despair. Gasping for breath, Eugene forced himself onto his knees. His shattered internal organs churned as they pieced themselves back together. Eugene felt grateful that he had managed to get his hands on a level of regeneration that was close to immortality. Because if he hadn¡¯t been able to heal from these wounds, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to keep fighting. ¡°You¡¯re still trying to stand?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration voiced an observation. Crack! Eugene wasn¡¯t able to see this attacking, either. However, once it had hit him, he was forced to register the blow even if he didn¡¯t want to. Eugene had just been struck by a sweeping kick that broke both of his legs and sent him rolling across the floor. ¡°Don¡¯t you realize that it¡¯s all meaningless,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration chided. After rolling on the ground a few more times, Eugene managed to grab hold of the ground with his hands, arresting his roll. His back teeth were so tightly clenched together that his whole mouth was filled with the taste of his blood. Despite the pain, Eugene red up at the Demon King of Incarceration with bloodshot eyes. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many times you get back up,¡± the Demon King sneered. ¡°Eugene Lionheart, you will never be able to fulfill any of your desires. And what meaning is there in a Hero who is unable to ovee the challenge of a Demon King such as myself.¡± Eugene silently attempted to get back onto his feet. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly walked over while saying, ¡°You will find no victory in this battle, nor in this war. No matter how hard you try to keep from falling into despair, in the end, the fact that you will never be able to win will rob you of all your hope.¡± Cracrack, cracracrack. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s right hand balled up into a fist. ¡°In the first ce, Eugene Lionheart, what you desire is impossible. That thing that has destroyed the world so many times over has, by now, be a cataclysm that can no longer be considered as just another Demon King. It is the death that all eras must face. Just as all humans must someday grow old and die, it has be the end that defines the lifespan of the world.¡± Eugene stared at the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fist with bloodshot eyes. He was keeping all of his focus on it because he needed to be able to see it moving. ¡°Everything that he originally was has been consumed by ravenous greed,¡± the Demon King spat angrily. ¡°Unable to be satisfied with just a Demon King¡¯s throne, he coveted an even greater power and ended up consuming everything that existed ¡ª even his own ego ¡ª until the only thing remaining was that desire to consume. That is what finally ended up bing Destruction. And that hunger will never reach its end.¡± The fist moved. ¡°Don¡¯t you think that I would have already ended Destruction if I could have? I am the one who hates Destruction more than anyone else, and I have long yearned to bring an end to it.¡± Incarceration paused in lingering regret. ¡°If I had only managed toplete my duty as the Hero, if I hadn¡¯t allowed myrades to betray me, if I could have just in myrades with my own hands before they sumbed to temptation, were maddened by a curse, or were blinded by their own jealousy¡­.¡± Crunch. Eugene¡¯s heart was pounded deep into his chest. His breath caught in his throat, and his vision shook as he was thrown backward. ¡°Then a new Demon King would never have been born,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration sighed. ¡°No one would have sat down on that throne. In the eternities that I have lived through since that moment, can you imagine¡­ just how many times I have regretted my failures during that moment?¡± Eugene hunched over as he hacked for breath. The prayers screamed by the Saints in their panic ran through his head. His injuries were already being regenerated at high speed. However, the attacks from the Demon King of Incarceration were too fast and heavy for his regeneration to keep up. ¡°I have gone through these cycles of regret and hatred over and over again, desperately hoping to end Destruction that was born from my failures. However, I have never been able to bring an end to it. The world continues to be destroyed and reborn anew, and no God has ever been able to save their world,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said as he began to approach Eugene once more. With the apanying sound of a sharp scream, Eugene¡¯s right wing shed. Anise, who had transformed back into her angel form, leaped towards the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°When my world was destroyed, the angels also screamed as they died,¡± Incarceration calmly observed. ¡°Just like you are now, Anise Slywood.¡± Anise¡¯s body froze in midair. A dark, deathly aura that had been shaped into the form of a hand was now clenched around Anise¡¯s throat. Anise struggled as she clutched at the hand that was choking her by the neck. ¡°I fell from grace after denying those gods who could neither stop Destruction nor save the world,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration sneered. ¡°Chaining myself to that fool and his throne while he was still in the process of transforming into Destruction as he suffered from a hunger that refused to abate no matter how much he ate and ate, I used that connection to take my own seat on that throne.¡± Boom! The deathly aura shaped like a hand mmed Anise into the ground. Kristina was no longer able to keep up her stream of prayers. She also transformed into the form of an angel with a desperate yell as she stood in front of Eugene and spread her wings protectively. ¡°That is how I was reborn as the Demon King of Incarceration. But why¡­ do you think I chose to be a Demon King? It was because I couldn¡¯t allow myself to die. Because I needed to take responsibility for my failure. Because someone had to be there to create something in the wake of Destruction.¡± Incarceration paused before continuing, ¡°So after everyone and everything in the world was destroyed, in a world where nothing living remained¡­ I, on my own, restarted everything from the very beginning.¡± Anise, who was still lying on the floor, reached out with a trembling hand to grab hold of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s ankle. Bam! The kick she was met with caused the light to fade from Anise¡¯s eyes. Without sparing further attention to Anise, Incarceration continued, ¡°I raised thend from beneath the waves that had covered everything and carved out the mountains. I released the souls that I had previously incarcerated and restored the cirction of lifeforce. Once living beings and civilization began to emerge into this new world, I resumed my role as the Demon King and retreated into the darkness to wait for the return of Destruction. This cycle has repeated itself over and over again. In order to ensure that the world was neverpletely destroyed, I have repeatedly created the next era of the world.¡± Kristina¡¯s eyes shook as she resolutely remained standing in front of Eugene. If those words were true, then ¡ª despite being a Demon King ¡ª the Demon King of Incarceration had actually been ying the role of the Creator God. ¡°With the continuous destruction of each new era, that ¡®thing¡¯ haspleted its transformation into the very concept of Destruction, but the chain that I tied to it at the very beginning still remains intact. Thanks to that, I will never die at the hands of Destruction, but neither am I able to y Destruction.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration said with a sigh, ¡°As such, I¡­ have been forced topromise. Without being able to end Destruction, I have been forced to¡­ ept the role of Destruction while continuously moving on to the next era.¡± Aaaaaaaah! With a bestial roar, Molon rose to his feet. Blood was still pouring down from his torn-open throat, but instead of covering up the wound, Molon leaped onto the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s back. ¡°That is why I am telling you now: what you desire is impossible. Sometimes¡­ when things are impossible, you need to ept the truth andpromise,¡± the Demon King said, even as his hands caught the thick pair of arms that came flying in from behind him as they tried to wrap around his body. Compared to Molon¡¯s muscr arms, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s hands seemed almost small, but when he started to clench his fingers, Molon¡¯s muscles and bones were easily crushed under the pressure of his grip. After breaking both of his arms, the Demon King of Incarceration threw Molon to the side. ¡°You say that you are going to kill Destruction? While still insisting that you also want to save Vermouth? That simply isn¡¯t viable. You also im that you are going to save the world by killing me? That, too, is an impossibility. The only reason that the current world still exists is because I am the one who created it,¡± dered the Demon King of Incarceration. Sienna staggered to her feet. She covered her punctured abdomen with one hand as she filled in her wound, biting down on her bloody lips to distract herself from the pain. Clutched in her trembling grip, Mary was pointed at the Demon King of Incarceration. The soul power concentrated on the tip of the staff erupted into a spell. Boooom! However, even a spell of such power was easily scattered with a gesture from the Demon King of Incarceration. The deathly aura transformed into a streak of lighting at Incarceration¡¯smand and pierced through Sienna¡¯s abdomen once more. Sienna¡¯s body copsed forward as Mary and the Demoneye of Fantasy fell to the floor. ¡°I apud your determination and solidarity, but the hope you cling to just feels like stubbornness to me. Just how much longer can you keep it up?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked with idle curiosity. Still struggling to catch his breath, Eugene stepped forward to stand in front of Kristina. Startled, Kristina tried to stop Eugene, but instead, he pushed Kristina behind him. ¡°Just how much longer¡­ do you intend to put up such pointless, worthless, and ignorant resistance?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration demanded, a note of anger entering his voice. ¡°Just how long will you insist on being so greedy and stubborn?¡± ¡°Until I defeat you,¡± Eugene quietly responded. The corner of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s cheek twitched in anger at these words. For a moment, the Demon King of Incarceration felt a surge of genuine annoyance and rage. ¡°It seems that it will be difficult to drive you to despair,¡± Incarceration said with a sigh. ¡°In that case, even if it means that your soul will end up somewhat damaged, I have no choice but to kill you.¡± Eugene¡¯s legs moved forward. He brought his arms up to defend himself. Until now, he still hadn¡¯t been able to catch any of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s movements. If he couldn¡¯t see them, he couldn¡¯t react to them. He couldn¡¯t stop the attacks. He couldn¡¯t avoid them. He couldn¡¯t even get a grip on the Demon King, nor could he get any of his own attacks in. Eugene couldn¡¯t allow things to go on like this. Anise and Molon had been pinned to the ground. Sienna had also copsed and seemed incapable of getting back up. The situation was turning out the same as it had three hundred years ago when Hamel hadn¡¯t even been able to make it to the top of the Demon King¡¯s pce. However, unlike three hundred years ago, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t just stop there. Vermouth wasn¡¯t here, and there was nothing that could motivate the Demon King of Incarceration into making another Oath. Eugene also had no intention of relying on something like that Oath to end this battle. For Vermouth¡¯s sake, for Sienna¡¯s sake, for Molon¡¯s sake, for Anise¡¯s sake, and for Kristina¡¯s sake; for the God of Giants and the other Ancient Gods who had fused together into the Light, and for the Sage who had transformed herself into the World Tree, for his family, for the Lionhearts, and for the whole world. The only oue that Eugene would ept here was hisplete victory. ¡®I¡­.¡¯ He needed a miracle. He had toe up with a miracle. He could hear all of their wishes. The prayers of his believers were still finding their way to him. He couldn¡¯t fall here. He couldn¡¯t allow himself to be defeated. He must not fall into despair. ¡®I will definitely¡­.¡¯ The Demon King of Incarceration moved, but time and space suddenly seemed to disappear. Eugene could see the result of the Demon King¡¯s attack, a fist that tore its way through his chest and crushed his heart. In a single moment, he glimpsed the future that was about to ur. This time, he managed to see through the Demon King¡¯s movements. So Eugene moved. Thuthump! Eugene leaped over the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fist. The irritation and rage that had been on Incarceration¡¯s face was washed away by surprise. It was as if the Demon King couldn¡¯t have ever imagined that Eugene would actually manage to avoid his attack just now. This surprise couldn¡¯t be helped. The current Demon King of Incarceration had released himself from all of the chains that were usually binding him. Freeing himself from his restrictions, the Demon King of Incarceration had unleashed his full power. Ever since Vermouth hade to him three hundred years ago, swearing to break the eternal cycle that they were both trapped in, the Demon King of Incarceration had been storing up his vast reserves of dark power as well as the immortal life-force that had kept him alive over the eternities. His purpose for storing up these reserves of energy was to prepare for the creation of the next era. But the Demon King of Incarceration was now sacrificing a part of these reserves in order to ensure absolute certainty. Thus, the Demon King was certain that there was no way he could lose this battle. But that certainty had now been partially shaken. The definite oue of his actions that had had no room for error had been altered. In that moment of stopped time, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s eyes had met with Eugene¡¯s. A light was sparkling deep within Eugene¡¯s bloodshot eyes. It was the light of hope that could never have shone amidst despair. ¡°I finally saw through it,¡± Eugene gasped out. The light in his eyes transformed into a divine glow. The embers that had been about to die out red into life once more as the mes of hope reignited. The clinging darkness could no longer cover up and snuff out his light. Thuthump. Eugene took a step forward. Fwooosh¡­! Even his dimly glowing wings burst back into light. His outspread wings formed the shape of a halo that illuminated the darkness. The spreading rays of light swept over Molon and Anise. Under this light, their broken bones and torn muscles were reconnected. Their closed eyes eventually opened as the two staggered back onto their feet. ¡°You saw through it?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration repeated, the surprise having disappeared from his face. Pulling back his fist that had paused midair, Incarceration continued speaking, ¡°Do you really believe that?¡± The moment that the Demon King finished asking that question, his fist seemed to disappear. In that instant, Eugene¡¯s field of view felt like it had been drastically widened as he tried to see where the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s attack was about tond. The rapid attack that had beenpletely untraceable just a few short moments ago was now somewhat visible, if only slightly. To be more precise, Eugene¡¯s divine senses were now able to detect the point of impact right before the blow actuallynded. Eugene still couldn¡¯t see through the trajectory of the Demon King¡¯s attacks just yet. However, by detecting the point of impact, he would at least be able toe up with some sort of response instead of helplessly allowing himself to be hit as he had been before. It was with that thought that Eugene raised his arms. ¡°Fuck,¡± Eugene swore as he immediately felt regret. He might be able to see iting, but it was the height of arrogance to think that he would be able to easily deal with the attack. The Divine Sword that Eugene had tried to use to block the point of impact exploded in a burst of light as the arm that he had only btedly managed to regenerate was broken and torn to pieces once more. As Eugene leaped backward in retreat, the Demon King of Incarceration let out a snort. ¡°It seems you have managed to see something,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration epted. Being able to react perfectly to the blow was apletely different story from just being able to see iting, yet the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t help but feel surprised by the fact that Eugene had managed to see anything. The fact that his speed, which Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to keep up with, was slowly bing visible to the Hero meant that¡ª ¡®Even now, Eugene Lionheart is still growing stronger as this battle goes on,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration realized. Could Eugene really have adapted to the Demon King¡¯s speed sometime during the continuous attacks? Incarceration could have epted that Eugene would slightly be able to adjust to his speed after seeing it a few times. However, the Demon King of Incarceration still believed that there was such a gap between their strengths that it would have been impossible for Eugene to ovee it. The Demon King of Incarceration felt unnerved by the fact that Eugene seemed to be narrowing the gap between them by growing stronger and unlocking more of his potential. But it seemed that the Demon King of Incarceration had no choice but to acknowledge this revtion as well. Eugene Lionheart¡¯s most overwhelming strength was actually his ability to grow. The fact that he had been able to reach such a level in just a few years wasn¡¯t simply because he was the reincarnation of Agaroth and Hamel. The Demon King of Incarceration mused, ¡®Does he grow stronger every time he surpasses his limits?¡¯ But Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one. Right now, in this battle against the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene wasn¡¯t fighting on his own. Molon¡¯s bellows shook the darkness. Although he was covered in such grievous wounds that it wouldn¡¯t be strange for him to have already died several times over, Molon still rose up, almost as if he was an undead, and charged at the Demon King of Incarceration. Even if he hadn¡¯t truly died, having been pushed to the very brink of death, Molon should have been experiencing great terror and agony right at this very moment, but there were no such emotions in Molon¡¯s eyes. The only thing burning in his eyes was hostility and murderous intent directed at the Demon King of Incarceration. As Eugene¡¯s Greatest Warrior and Incarnation, Molon found himself linked to the heightened level of senses that Eugene had managed to reach. Molon, who had been rushing forward with a fierce roar, felt as if time had started slowing down around him as his senses grew sharper. Molon intuitively felt that this wasn¡¯t just his illusion or a fantasy but was a real phenomenon. Even with this slowing down of time, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s attack was still terrifyingly fast, but Molon¡¯s finely-honed senses were able to foretell the target of Incarceration¡¯s attack. Molon didn¡¯t try to avoid the blow. He didn¡¯t even put up any defenses. Instead, he met the Demon King¡¯s attack with his own attack. Rather than swinging his axe, Molon recklessly threw his fist at the oing blow. Cracracrackle! It sounded as if the world itself was shattering into pieces. The muscles of Molon¡¯s arm bulged to the extreme before bursting explosively, and his fist was shattered into pieces. But even then, Molon refused to back down. And despite having shattered Molon¡¯s fist with his punch, the Demon King¡¯s fist also found itself unable to advance any further. There was definitely the sensation that the Demon King¡¯s attack had been blocked. [Hamel, just what on earth have you done?] Anise, who had transformed back into a wing of light, asked in surprise. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Eugene spat out as he turned to look usingly at Sienna. Sienna met Eugene¡¯s gaze as she was getting back up after having regenerated her wounds. ¡°Now that things have reached this point, you should start earning your keep,¡± Eugene demanded as his eyes slid down to stare at the Demoneye of Fantasy. [Ahahaha.] A sound ofughter that Eugene had previously heard in his nightmares rang inside Eugene¡¯s head.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
Chapter 588: The Demon King of Incarceration (9)

Chapter 588: The Demon King of Incarceration (9)

Sienna let out a deep sigh as she pulled the Demoneye of Fantasy free from her robes. As she did this, the flow of time was distorted. Just like how the Demon King of Incarceration had dragged them out of reality into his dreamscape for a few short moments, Eugene and Sienna had also now been absorbed into the same dream thanks to the power of the Demoneye of Fantasy. Within this gap of a few frozen moments in time, caught in the middle of a dream that was far removed from reality, Eugene tilted his head to the side as he red at Sienna. Eugene¡¯s immediate reaction to this new situation was to question Sienna, ¡°Are you insane?¡± Although his tone was sharp and usatory, Sienna was unable to defend herself and could only hunch her shoulders in meek shame. ¡°I did think that perhaps, just maybe, you might do something like this, but I didn¡¯t think that you would actually go through with it,¡± Eugene said with a sigh of exasperation. ¡°Are you nning on bing a necromancer as well?¡± Sienna stammered guiltily, ¡°Th-that¡¯s putting things a bit too harshly. Even though you know how much I hate ck wizards¡ª¡± Eugene snorted and cut her off, ¡°Oh really? Are you actually saying that when you were very passionate about studying ck magic?¡± ¡°That¡¯s!¡± Sienna yelped. ¡°That¡¯s because ck magic is still just magic in the end. Also, Eugene, you should know full well that even ck magic has many different types of magic. Do you really think that I would be crazy enough to try and learn necromancy?¡± ¡°So then, why did you do what you did!?¡± Eugene shouted angrily. It wasn¡¯t like there weren¡¯t any precedents for Sienna¡¯s crimes. Three hundred years ago, when the Demon King of Incarceration had returned Hamel¡¯s soul that had been harvested after his death because of Belial¡¯s curse, Sienna had sealed Hamel¡¯s soul into a ne despite herrades¡¯ objections. She had done so to ensure that, once they had managed to y the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction, Hamel would safely reincarnate into a world free of the Demon Kings. Of course, that was apletely different reincarnation from the one that Vermouth had been nning, so he had ended up taking the ne from her, but ¡ª in any case ¡ª it was a fact that, in the past, Sienna had once captured his soul. ¡°Now, now, you both should calm down,¡± said a voiceden with amusement. Eugene unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut to avoid looking at the source of the sound. ¡°Why did you do it?¡± Eugene eventually spat out, his eyes still tightly clenched shut. Seeing Eugene react like this to that voice, Sienna couldn¡¯t help but feel an instinctive surge of annoyance. Even a snot-nosed brat would be able to see that Eugene was currently feeling extremely agitated and emotionally confused. ¡°There are two reasons for what I did,¡± Sienna confessed. ¡°First of all, I didn¡¯t have the confidence that I could perfectly control the Demoneye of Fantasy. I was sure that I could roughly work out how to use it, but I decided that I simply didn¡¯t have enough time to really familiarize myself with it, which would prevent me from being able to push it to its limits.¡± ¡°And your other reason?¡± Eugene prompted. Sienna took a deep breath and said, ¡°I didn¡¯t like the idea of her leaving you with regrets and nightmares for the rest of your life.¡± Eugene stayed silent in the face of this open confession. ¡°I¡¯m sure you would insist that everything is fine and that you would eventually get used to the guilt,¡± Sienna said with a sigh. ¡°And Anise, Kristina, and I are confident that we could erase any lingering regrets you might have. However, when ites to human emotions, such things can never truly be wiped awaypletely.¡± Eugene frowned when he heard her reply. ¡°So what? For me to not have any regrets, you actually went and trapped her soul inside that thing? So that whenever I feel some slight pangs of regret, you can pull her out and let us have a short chat. Is that right? If you were just going to do that, then we might as well not even have killed her in the first ce¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s totally different!¡± Sienna suddenly shouted. ¡°Just what kind of impression do you even have of me!? Do you really think that I, Lady Sienna, would trap her departed soul just to y around with it?! Is that what you think of me?!¡± Sienna was panting for breath as she stomped on the ground in anger. After taking a few moments topose herself, Sienna suddenly dered, ¡°Once everything is over, I am going to marry you.¡± Eugene¡¯s jaw dropped in shock. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I said that I am going to marry you!¡± Sienna loudly repeated herself. ¡°As for Anise and Kristina, well... if they also want to join in... I might be willing to amodate them.¡± Eugene looked perplexed, ¡°Wha... what are you even saying¡ª?¡± Sienna interrupted him, ¡°After that, I am going to shove her soul into a familiar.¡± At this, Eugene was left gaping silently. Sienna just continued, ¡°I am going to shove her soul into the body of the most hideous and shitty-looking familiar that I can find. Then I am going to put a leash around her neck and tie her up in the front yard of our new home to act as our new guard dog.¡± Was Sienna currently even in her right mind? ¡°Because by doing so, there won¡¯t be any reasons left for you to have nightmares about her!¡± Sienna passionately exined. ¡°When you see the ugly face of that little bitch tied up in front of our new home, you¡¯ll never have nightmares about her, ever again.¡± ¡°Even if you transform me into a hideous familiar, I will still be me,¡± Noir suddenly spoke up. She had been standing in front of Eugene with her cheeks puffed out in a pout. ¡°In the first ce, isn¡¯t the fact that you n on leashing me up like that proof enough that you¡¯re afraid of me?¡± ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Sienna protested. ¡°It¡¯s the reason why you won¡¯t just destroy my soul or allow me to be reincarnated someday. Although there¡¯s no guarantee that all of my memories will remain intact once that dayes.¡± Noir suddenlyughed smugly, ¡°Ahaha, between Hamel and I there exists a very... deep bond of fate. When the dayes that I am finally reincarnated, I will surely be able to remember my dear Hamel.¡± Noir refused to move away from Eugene. She just kept staring at Eugene¡¯s face with a sweet smile. ¡°The fact that you want to make me into a hideous familiar... isn¡¯t that because you¡¯re afraid of the fate that ties Hamel and me together?¡± Noir shot Sienna a challenging look. Sienna just red at Noir without responding. Naturally, Sienna didn¡¯t feel any such fear. To be honest, she really did n to transform Noir into a familiar for a certain length of time, but she didn¡¯t necessarily feel the obsession to ce the ghost into a particrly ugly mutt. Once Eugene had managed topletely ovee his nightmares and shed off any remaining emotions of regret and guilt, Sienna would be willing to let go of Noir¡¯s soul cleanly. However, if she admitted to such an intention, wouldn¡¯t her ns just end up being twisted by Noir¡¯s nonsense? ¡°There¡¯s no need to turn her into a familiar,¡± Eugene finally said, letting out a deep sigh. ¡°I understand and ept that you did what you did to prepare for today¡¯s battle... and for my sake as well. However, I really don¡¯t need a familiar like that. So just... once everything is over, just release her soul.¡± ¡°Alright,¡± Sienna replied with a sulky pout. Since Eugene had agreed topromise to that extent, it only made sense for her to restrain her pride. ¡°In any case, just how long do you n on ignoring me?¡± Noir questioned as she slowly reached out to him. Eugene quickly stepped back, avoiding the approaching hand. Noir simply stepped forward in pursuit, ¡°You know that I¡¯m right in front of you, Hamel. It¡¯s me, Noir Giabe. The same Noir Giabe who you stabbed in the heart, gave onest kiss, and sent off with an expression that looked like you were going to burst into tears.¡± Eugene silently closed his eyes. ¡°Are you acting like this because our reunion is so awkward and embarrassing for you? Could it be that the taste of my lips from back then hasn¡¯t faded yet? Ahaha, that ne, I see that you¡¯re still keeping it with you,¡± Noir proudly noticed. ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene growled. ¡°If you were just going to give me such a response, what¡¯s the point of you keeping your eyes closed and trying to ignore me? Besides, Hamel, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m in a position to ¡®get lost,¡¯ even if I wanted to. Do you really think that, if it were up to me, I would want to reunite with you like this?¡± Noir pointed out as she turned her head slightly to shoot Sienna a sideways nce. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you already know this, but I have to say, I was already extremely satisfied with my death. It was the perfect death that I had always been hoping for. Because we really did end up almost destroying each other and I was able to leave you with such strong emotions when I died.¡± Eugene silently recalled thosest moments. ¡°So why did things end up like this in the end? It¡¯s all because that mean-spirited witch cruelly decided to use my soul as a tool, all of her own volition. As such,¡± Noir paused as her hand approached Eugene once more, ¡°you should open your eyes and look at me, Hamel. And in any case, all of this is only taking ce within a brief nightmare.¡± Her slowly moving hand caressed Eugene¡¯s cheek. Eugene let out another deep sigh as he finally opened his eyes. He looked straight at Noir, who appeared no different from when she was alive. Seeing her like this, he couldn¡¯t help but feel aplex mix of emotions. ¡°Ahaha...,¡± Noirughed with a bright smile on her face. Boom, boom, boom.... The nightmare started shaking. Sienna turned to look around at their surroundings in rm, but Noir wasn¡¯t surprised by this. Taking back the hand that had been caressing Eugene¡¯s cheek, Noir exined, ¡°This dream is copsing. It might have been a different story if we were still in my territory, but I can¡¯t keep this dream up for so long in this ce.¡± ¡°That makes sense,¡± Eugene said with a slight nod. ¡°I tried to pull the Demon King of Incarceration into the nightmare as well, but... it didn¡¯t work out too well. His heart is deeper than any abyss, and the reality that he has lived through is far more terrifying and despair-inducing than any nightmare. The Demoneye of Fantasy wasn¡¯t able to instill any terror into him,¡± Noir admitted. ¡°As expected,¡± Eugene nodded once more as he responded in a calm voice. No matter how often the Demoneye of Fantasy was repeatedly activated, it wouldn¡¯t be enough to even slightly shake the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s consciousness. Instead, it was Sienna, who had caught a glimpse of the abyss dwelling within the Demon King of Incarceration, who had experienced a wavering in her emotional stability. Noir frowned in concern as she voiced her thoughts, ¡°Although it¡¯s funny for me, who has already died, to say something like this, I''m afraid this situation seems quite hopeless, Hamel. The Demon King of Incarceration still has a lot of strength, which he¡¯s holding in reserve. Hamel, it seems that you have managed to adjust slightly to the Demon King of Incarceration''s strength, but... even so, I can¡¯t imagine you defeating the Demon King.¡± Eugene just snorted, ¡°You weren¡¯t even able to imagine your own death. However, you still died in the end. And I¡¯m the one who killed you.¡± ¡°And what an ecstatic death it was,¡± Noir said with a smile as she continued to caress his chest. Even now that she was already dead, she could still vividly picture that moment. ¡°Whether or not you can imagine something, that doesn¡¯t have any bearing on what I need to do,¡± Eugene insisted. ¡°You said that this situation seems hopeless? I know that. However, I don¡¯t feel hopeless.¡± ¡°So you think that you can win?¡± Noir asked him. ¡°No,¡± Eugene said as he shook his head. ¡°I know that I have to win.¡± He was far from confident in his victory. But that didn¡¯t mean there was any reason for him to despair. The only thing that Eugene needed to do was to pour all of his strength into attempting to kill the Demon King of Incarceration. He had to fight with the full intent of defeating the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°If that is what you desire,¡± Noir said as she slowly raised her hand. A purple gem, the Demoneye of Fantasy, suddenly appeared in her hand. Noir chuckled as she lifted the jewel to her eye. ¡°As someone who has already passed, I, the Queen of the Night Demons, will do my best to help you realize your wish,¡± Noir promised. The purple gem glowed with light and melted into Noir¡¯s eye. At the same time, the nightmare hadpletely copsed around them. Their minds, which had been temporarily absorbed into the nightmare, returned to reality. The scene they returned to was of Molon and the Demon King¡¯s fists meeting in midair. ¡®This feeling of having one of my blows blocked,¡¯ the Demon King thought with a bright smile. He briefly enjoyed this sensation that he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time before saying in a low voice, ¡°It seems that wasn¡¯t just any ordinary dream.¡± The Demon King¡¯s whispered observation wasn¡¯t directed at Molon. But instead of responding to those words, Eugene spread his wings and leaped forward. Badump. Just as he was approaching the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene felt a pulse of divine power wash over him. Eugene flinched in surprise and turned his head to look backward. Sienna, who was holding Mary aloft, also had a puzzled expression on her face. The Demoneye of Fantasy had started floating in midair, all on its own. A hazy fantasm was gradually taking shape around it as Sienna¡¯s soul power was drawn into it. [Oh my god...!] Anise let out a cry. There was no way that the Saint would ever be able to forget that figure. It was Noir Giabe. The Queen of the Night Demons, who was supposed to have died, had suddenly appeared next to Sienna. Moreover, her current appearance¡ª Sienna shouted in anger, ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± [I¡¯m turning myself into an angel,] Noir whispered. [Since you im to be the Goddess of Magic, shouldn¡¯t you have at least a single angel serving you?] Sienna bit her lip, ¡®Who asked you to go and do that on your own¡ª!¡¯ Noir reminded her, [You¡¯re the one who said that you¡¯d be using me as your tool, Sienna Merdein. So there¡¯s no need for you to feel so angry about it. After all, resonating with you like this should be the most helpful thing I can do right now.] Noir¡¯s eyes shone with the light of the Demoneye of Fantasy. At the same time, Sienna also understood what Noir was attempting to do. Noir had once attempted to ascend to the throne of an Evil God in her previous life and had sessfully managed to attain divine power by stepping into the realm of a Demon King as a mere Night Demon. Resonating with Noir would only further enhance Sienna¡¯s divine status. Thanks to that, Sienna¡¯s miracles could actually be cast through the Demoneye of Fantasy. Boom, boom, boom! The pce shook. Sienna¡¯s will reinforced Eugene¡¯s light as they worked together to drive back the darkness around them. The soul power she had been wielding was also infused with the force of her divinity. The two disparate types of divine powers didn¡¯t sh with each other but instead blended together into one. Both Eugene¡¯s and Sienna¡¯s holy domains somehow fused together to suppress the Demon King of Incarceration. This feeling... Eugene recognized it. Even as he was feeling astonished, Eugene immediately raised his Divine Sword. Their two holy domains had fused together and became one; then, through the Demoneye of Fantasy, Sienna¡¯s miracle had been cast to warp reality. They might have still been within the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s pce, but Eugene and Sienna¡¯s holy domains had been oveid on top of it, and reality itself began to straddle the line between dreams and fantasy. In a ze of divine mes, a crystal de appeared in midair. There could be no mistaking it. Eugene let out an amused snort as he continued to pour out his divine mes. It was the Divine Moonlight Sword Levantein. The sword that had previously been embedded in Eugene¡¯s chest had appeared anew. And it didn¡¯t just stop at just a single sword. In response to Eugene¡¯s desire, the holy domain that had been enhanced by the Demoneye of Fantasy miraculously realized his wish as more crystal swords appeared. The number of Levanteins continued to increase. But it still wasn¡¯t enough. Eugene¡¯s head was growing dizzy and the taste of blood had filled his mouth. Blood was also flowing down from his nose. The Saints, who were still resonating with him, also swallowed back their groans as they helped to shoulder Eugene¡¯s burden. He needed even more swords, and they needed to be even stronger, stronger than the heights that Eugene had managed to reach during the nightmare that had once trapped him when he entered Giabe City. Something like this would have been impossible in reality, but it should be possible in a ce like this. There were now dozens of Levanteins floating in the air. But Eugene still desired more than just that. Fwoosh. All of the crystal des erupted in mes. Then, the mes began to ovey on top of each other. As the growing ze transformed into multiple multiyered Empty Swords, the heat grew so intense that even the crystal des began to warp. ¡°Haha,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t help but unconsciously let out hisughter at this sight. He knew that the dozens of Levanteins currently aimed at him were definitely not some kind of illusion. At least within the confines of this space, all of those swords were the real deal. Even Molon, who was still blocking the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s advance, felt dumbfounded by the absurdity of this scene, but he immediately grasped the situation and leaped over to stand next to Eugene. ¡°How impressive,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration muttered with an amused smile. All of the Levanteins suddenlyunched themselves at the Demon King of Incarceration. All of their power, strong enough that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if it destroyed the world several times over, was all focused on the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t retreat. Instead, his smile grew even wider as he stepped forward to meet the Levanteins¡¯ bombardment. Enough power to destroy the world several times over? Something like that wouldn¡¯t give the Demon King of Incarceration any reason to back down. The Demon King of Incarceration had be used to acts of destruction far more terrible than this one. He had seen this world destroyed so many times. His fist simply shattered apart the mes. Chapter 589: The Demon King of Incarceration (10)

Chapter 589: The Demon King of Incarceration (10)

Explosions erupted on top of the previous ones. There weren¡¯t any gaps in Eugene¡¯s continuous barrage of attacks. In response to this assault, the Demon King of Incarceration directly opened up a new path forward. His fist blocked the stream of Levanteins, scattered the Empty Swords, extinguished the divine mes, and shattered the crystal des. With each step he took forward, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fists created multiple after-images. But even though he had broken apart everything in front of him, the attack had yet to end. The scattered Empty Swords reassembled themselves, the extinguished mes reignited, and the shattered des were fully restored. On a visual level, there were already dozens of Levanteins, but the actual density of the bombardment was dozens of times greater than what could be seen with the naked eye. The Demon King of Incarceration felt a chilly sensation run down his spine. Goosebumps had appeared on his arms. It had been a very long time since he hadst faced an attack of this level. He was reminded of the first time that he could no longer bear the weight of his regrets and had rushed at the Demon King of Destruction. Except for those times when he had attempted to end himself by facing the Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Incarceration had never experienced attacks like this one. Incarceration couldn¡¯t afford to underestimate the danger he was currently in. If he had failed to react to this attack in time and were hit by it, even someone like him, who had never known death, would havee close to feeling what that might be like. Of course, spection like that would only matter if he had failed to respond to the attack and was hit by it. The space they were in was a separate world that had been created through a miracle that Sienna had cast using the Demoneye of Fantasy, with the help of the residual thoughts of Noir Giabe. Within this miraculous world, Eugene and Sienna¡¯s holy domains had merged to be one, working together to thoroughly identify the Demon King of Incarceration as an external enemy and driving out his influence. So, within the current confines of this world, the Demon King of Incarceration was left without any of his previous advantages. But just as he was left without any advantages, he was also bare of any disadvantages. To put it simply, this meant that the situation for the Demon King was neither bad nor good. Although the Demon King of Incarceration might be seen as an invader in this altered reality he now found himself in, the Demon King¡¯s domineering strength and superior level couldn¡¯t be shaken even within the confines of this world. Eugene and hisrades were the ones who had gained an overwhelming advantage thanks to these preparations. Still, in other words, this just meant that Eugene and hisrades had finally gained the qualifications needed to confront the Demon King of Incarceration on an equal level while they were in this world. Nothing had truly changed, and the Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t nning on doing anything differently. Eugene¡¯s growth during their battle may have ever so slightly adjusted how Incarceration believed things were supposed to go, but even that was ultimately just a minor disruption that wouldn¡¯t change today¡¯s oue. Even if today¡¯s events, no, even if this entire current era had given rise to the highest number of unusual happenings in all of the eternities that the Demon King of Incarceration had lived through, nothing had truly changed about what the Demon King of Incarceration needed to do. That was why the Demon King of Incarceration kept advancing forward while destroying the dozens of Levanteins. He kept breaking the des that were restored again and again each time he destroyed them, and with his hands, he snuffed out all of the divine mes that kept reigniting around him. Eugene couldn¡¯t help but feel an eerie difort at this sight. Within this holy domain that was created from a connection between dreams and reality, none of the advantages of this dream could be enjoyed by the Demon King of Incarceration. In the past, Noir Giabe had neutralized a simr bombardment of Levanteins by simply ending the dream and recreating a new dream instead of trying to challenge their power directly. The Demon King of Incarceration might not be able to use such a method, but even so, who could have expected that Incarceration would recklessly choose to make a frontal breakthrough? Moreover, even as the Demon King of Incarceration continued his advance, destroying Levanteins with each step, he showed no signs of being in a rush. The Demon King of Incarceration could calmly repel all of the iing attacks as he slowly closed the distance between himself and Eugene. ¡°I¡¯ve seen through your moves,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s muttered words pierced through the aftershocks of the repeated explosions. As he said this, the Demon King of Incarceration shifted his stance. He twisted his body to the side and lifted his left hand into the air. Then he tightly clenched his right fist and pulled it back to his waist. The Demon King¡¯s widely syed left hand was stretched forward. Something seemed to explode with a poing sound. Under Incarceration¡¯s fine yet firm control, strands of dark power extended from his fingertips and fluttered through the cracks left by the explosions like a spider web. This web of dark power then split into thousands, even tens of thousands, of tiny strands that entered between the fragments of the Leveaneins as the des were being shattered into pieces. Finally, the Demon King of Incarceration simply clenched his left hand. The thin strands of spider web instantly thickened into chains. Cracracrack! Countless fragments and burning embers were all individually bound within these chains. The Demon King of Incarceration pulled back with his left hand. At this pull, the tens of thousands of chains all came flying back to him as if it was only natural for them to do so. Then, the Demon King of Incarceration slowly leaned backward. The right fist held at his waist tilted back along with the rest of his body until it was low enough to almost touch the ground. All these movements seemed to be ying out in infinite slowness to Eugene¡¯s eyes. Within this world where dreams and reality ovepped, the Demon King of Incarceration gave off a distinct sense of alienation. Soon, Eugene realized what his instincts had been trying to tell him. It wasn¡¯t truly alienation that he was sensing. It was that the Demon King of Incarceration was using his strength and dark power, the weight of his very existence itself, to invade and conquer their holy domain through a frontal assault. Just like how thews of their holy domain had been altered by the power of fantasy, the Demon King of Incarceration was altering reality once more through the force of his presence alone. Booom. The loud sound came from the Demon King clenching his fist. Eugene instinctively took a step back. But before his feet could move as far back as they wanted to, the Demon King of Incarceration thrust his fist forward. Boom, boom, boom. As his fist pushed forward, its advance was apanied by a sequence of loud roars. Soon, the Demon King¡¯s fist had been extended to its full length. All Levanteins that had been arrested in the chains were instantly annihted, and the divine mes that had been burning as fiercely as an inferno were fully extinguished. ¡°Haha,¡± the Demon Kingughed softly as he lowered his left hand. As for the fist he had thrown with all his might behind it, the hand copsed into ck ash. The power that the Demon King of Incarceration had sealed away within his inner abyss was a double-edged sword that would even cut into the Demon King himself. But it wasn¡¯t a big problem for Incarceration. No matter how sharp this double-edged sword might be, it wasn¡¯t sharp enough to take the life of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°But would it have been enough to take your lives,¡± the Demon King wondered. Chains erupted from the stump of the arm that had copsed into ash. These chains twisted around each other before forming back into a new arm. Eugene could never have imagined that it would even be possible to crush his strongest attack through a frontal sh like the one that the Demon King of Incarceration had orchestrated just now. However, his confusion and shock were short-lived. Once again, Eugene pulled his mind back into gear. ¡®His ability to read the flow of power is terrifying,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. The Demon King had previously dered that he had seen through Eugene¡¯s attack. It seemed that his words hadn¡¯t been a bluff. Even as he was smashing apart all of the attacks with his fist during his advance, the Demon King of Incarceration had simultaneously been reading and calcting the flow of each of the attacks. Although Eugene hadn¡¯t established any specific patterns during his barrage of Levanteins, the Demon King had still been able to instantly see through each random attack as it came. Eugene had never once thought that he would fall behind his opponent when it came to his instinct for battle, but now it seemed that he was left with no choice but to admit his rtive inferiority. The Demon King of Incarceration was truly a monster beyond all known limits. At first, he had been a Hero, then he had be a Demon King in order to thwart Destruction, and now he was a Greater Demon King who had been alive for many eons and had seen the end of many worlds in his time. So even after Eugene and hisrades were done stacking the board with so many advantages, it felt like they were still only barely managing to pull out equal. In that case.... ¡®Just how much more can your miracle take?¡¯ Eugene asked Sienna and Noir telepathically. Sienna¡¯s face paled at the idea that Eugene had conveyed along with his question, and Noir burst intoughter. [Oh my god, Hamel, are you seriously considering that?] Noir asked in disbelief. ¡®Are you insane?¡¯ Sienna questioned harshly. In response to these reactions, Eugene just grabbed his chest with one hand. Fwoooosh. mes spouted from Eugene¡¯s fingertips, engulfing his chest. Eugene then turned to look at Molon, who was standing right next to him. Molon had an unusually stiff expression on his face but smiled when his eyes met Eugene¡¯s. ¡°Is there any way for us to ovee this challenge without trying something crazy?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Battles against the Demon Kings have always been like that,¡± Molon agreed. Eugene¡¯s lips twisted in response. Boom, boom, boom. Having erased the inferno blocking his way forward, the Demon King was steadily approaching once more. The Saints, connected to Eugene¡¯s thoughts, didn¡¯t even consider trying to block his approach. They could also sense the danger that he posed. The bombardment of Levanteins that they had justunched against the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t been able to inflict any serious damage. Until now, the only effective way of causing any damage to the Demon King of Incarceration had proven to be a continuous, unrelenting assault. Since they had managed to figure out that much, they had to change the nature of their attacks to match. [I¡¯ve said this before, Hamel, but just because this is a dream, that doesn¡¯t mean everything is possible. If a dream bes too extreme... then it will inevitably be affected by reality. It¡¯s already happening now, in fact,] Noir reminded him. ¡®If... if that is truly the course of action you have decided on, then I will do my best to make the dream you desiree true, no matter how demanding of a miracle it requires. However... I¡¯m honestly a bit afraid. Is something like this really possible?¡¯ Sienna asked in a trembling voice. Eugene just smirked as he tightened his grip on his chest and said, ¡°By this point, it¡¯s useless to ask whether or not it¡¯s possible.¡± Even if it did prove impossible, they would still have to try it. If they gave up their attempt and sought to avoid this sh, they wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat this monster, the Greater Demon King, in front of them. So Eugene quickly took action without waiting for any further response from Sienna and Noir. His fingers dug into his chest, tightening around his heart. At the same time, he reached out for his followers¡¯ beliefs. This belief was what formed their faith, and their faith was what created miracles. And miracles could be whatever their god desired. Eugene¡¯s divine power red up like a bonfire. This was Ignition. They were still far from the deciding point of the battle. Eugene had no intention of forcing things to that point. But the current Ignition that he was using was one that was free of any time limits. This was thanks to Sienna¡¯s miracle, which altered reality by using the power of fantasy. As the universe within Eugene was suffused with divine power, there was a violent eruption. This eruption didn¡¯t just end with the first explosion. One after another, explosions erupted continuously as the universe began to expand infinitely. Eugene¡¯s body was trembling from the force. Just like how the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fist hadn¡¯t been able to withstand his full power and had fallen away into ash, Eugene¡¯s body also seemed unable to endure the powerful explosions erupting inside him. His skin had begun to crack open. The cracks spread down his chest, which began to swell and shrink as if it was on the verge of bursting open. However, his body didn¡¯t break apart. The Saints, who were still fused with Eugene, kept up their steady stream of prayers even as a fever, so hot that it felt like their souls were burning, ravaged their shared body. The widespread cracks slowly began to seal back together. Eugene¡¯s body was gradually adjusting to the immense power unleashed by the eruptions. It wasn¡¯t just the Saints and Eugene who had to endure this pressure. As Eugene¡¯s Greatest Warrior and Incarnation, Molon also had to bear part of the burden of these insane explosions. Blood began to flow from between Molon¡¯s tightly clenched teeth as he almost fell to his knees. [Ahaha! Ahahahaha!] Noir burst intoughter like a mad woman. The Demoneye of Fantasy, which was pouring out streams of light, was shaking so fiercely it seemed like it was about to fall into pieces. Sienna also had to let out a groan as she barely managed to hold onto the rapidly vibrating Mary. Even with their resonance, Sienna and Noir were struggling to keep the miracle active. But without such power, it would be impossible for them to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration halted his stride mid-approach. The power currently being built up in front of him was so impressive that he couldn¡¯t help but stop and take a moment to just observe it. ¡°How impressive,¡± the Demon King said, his voice filled with sincerity. In the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s eyes, this wasn¡¯t just a simple mass of power. If his mission to preserve life despite having witnessed the destruction of the world several times over could be described as a kind of madness, the mass of power that was currently standing in his way was madness based on a desire for termination rather than preservation. It was a madness that sought to burn everything they had in their possession in order to illuminate the world. As he saw this, the Demon King of Incarceration also came to a realization that made him smile. As if tobat the light in front of him, dark power engulfed his whole body. Just like how shadows grew darker the more intense the light that created them, the Demon King of Inaceration¡¯s very existence currently seemed to have grown more distinct than it was before. Clink, clink. As the Demon King of Incarceration began to move once more, the sound of the chains he wore wherever he went apanied him. The Demon King stepped forward. Eugene also raised his bowed head to meet him. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± Molon kicked off the ground with a loud roar. The de of the axe that he was holding in his hands had shattered. A radiantly burning me now stood in ce of the axe de. Whoooosh! The axe swung through the air, leaving behind a trail of light. The Demon King of Incarceration just held up his left fist to block the path of the axe. The sh of light that erupted when the two forces met left the whole world shaking. The outer edges of Babel, which had also sunken into this space between fantasy and reality, copsed from the aftershocks. Instead of pulling back the arm that had been sent flying from the recoil of the collision, the Demon King of Incarceration twisted his body to the side. A chain was wrapped around his right arm, his right hand also having been clenched into a fist. This chain wasn¡¯t meant to defend against his opponent¡¯s attack. It was meant to prevent his own arm from being damaged by the force of his own attack. Booom! As he met the Demon King¡¯s next blow head-on, the entire left half of Molon¡¯s body shattered as he was pushed backward. As Molon staggered backward from the recoil, Eugene leaped over his head. The Divine Sword, which was held high in Eugene¡¯s hands, was covered in mes. The mes bellowed outwards, creating dozens of small suns. These newly-created Eclipses then rained down like meteors. The Demon King of Incarceration simply waved both his hands in front of him. In a single instant, he had read and redirected the flow of the Eclipses. So, the explosions that should have struck the Demon King of Incarceration failed to make any contact and were diverted elsewhere. Eugene wasn¡¯t flustered by this. He was still in the air, holding the Divine Sword. Blood was already beginning to flow from both Eugene¡¯s eyes and lips. Instead of using his power to create dozens more Levanteins like before, Eugene had concentrated all of that power into his Divine Sword. And this was after having oveid multiple uses of Ignition. Power that was almost too excessive, even for a dream, fell from Eugene¡¯s hands. The plunging Divine Sword pierced through the Demon King of Incarceration. Cracracrack! The Demon King of Incarceration fell to his knees. The countless chains wrapped around the Demon King¡¯s body had provided a slight impediment to the path of Eugene¡¯s divine sword, but even so, the remaining power behind the blow was extremely heavy. Even as blood burst out from the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s lips, he struggled to raise his head. The Demon King¡¯s blood-soaked lips were twisted into a smile. High above the Divine Sword, the previously scattered suns had gathered together once more. At some point, Sienna had also flown up into the sky. The gxy that was spreading out behind her back was being materialized into reality. Meanwhile, Noir, who now looked like an angel, had erupted into peals ofughter that were far from angelic. Boom, boom, boom! The dozens of suns shrank in on themselves before exploding into hundreds of thousands of smaller stars. It looked as if the night sky was pouring down onto the ground below. All the stars that had once illuminated that dark canvas were now crashing down directly onto the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King quickly realized that this wasn¡¯t something that he could ovee by meeting it head-on. The Demon King¡¯s sharp senses, which had previously allowed him to see through all kinds of chaotic flows of power, were unable to find a way to break free of this offensive. Cliclink! The Demon King¡¯s hand grabbed hold of several thousands of his chains. He then swung all these chains like whips, shattering apart a slice of these falling stars. He then leaped through the small opening that this had created. Of course, Eugene and Molon weren¡¯t just going to watch as the Demon King of Incarceration fled. Holding an axe in each hand, Molon began swinging his weapons in a crazy flurry. The falling stars shattered as they met his axes, and all these fragments were shot out at the Demon King of Incarceration. All the measures they had taken were meant to restrict the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s movements. Meanwhile, all of the possible measures that the Demon King of Incarceration might use to ovee this situation were shing through Eugene¡¯s head. The Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t the only one who could see through his opponent and calcte their next move. As predicted, Eugene had truly grown over the course of this battle. And now, by fueling his Ignition with so many explosions that he had been about to kill himself, Eugene had broken through all of his previous limits and had unleashed his full potential. Before the Demon King of Incarceration could make another move, Eugene preemptively burst into action. As the Demon King was about to use his fist and his swinging chains to open up another path of escape, Eugene arrived to block that path from forming. His Divine Sword appeared in front of the chains before they could even strike. When the Demon King of Incarceration instead tried to use his fist to intercept the Hero, Eugene had already managed to slice the chains into pieces, freeing his Divine Sword. Eugene then dove into the Demon King¡¯s reach. His hand was thrust toward the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s chest. At this moment, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t see any way to escape this blow and couldn¡¯t think of any possible means to defend himself. This was because anything that he coulde up with would be blocked by Eugene. Booooom. The power transferred through Eugene¡¯s palm drilled into the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s chest. Dark red blood poured out from between the Demon King¡¯s lips as something burst within him. The attacks continued unabated. A fist that Eugene swung with all his might behind it spun the Demon King''s head to the side. Molon¡¯s ae was mmed into the staggering Demon King¡¯s waist. But even when part of his waist was chopped in half, the Demon King refused to copse. Instead, finding a spare moment in between the continuous waves of attacks, the Demon King of Incarceration found a way to turn the tables once more. Chains leaped out from the Demon King¡¯s shadow, wrapped around Molon¡¯s limbs, and tore them off. Instead of dodging the Divine Sword, which had closed in on him while he was distracted, the Demon King of Incarceration just bared his neck towards the de. When the Divine Sword was swung into his neck, he took advantage of the close distance to m his elbow into Eugene¡¯s chest. As this impact forced Eugene to let go of the Divine Sword and fall backward, the Demon King was also sent rolling across the ground. But he had been sent rolling. That was what was important to Eugene. This Greater Demon King, who had seemed like he would never be brought down, had been sent rolling across the ground, unable to control his body. ¡®Just a little bit more,¡¯ Eugene told himself. Swallowing the blood that had surged up his throat, Eugene charged forward. Chapter 590: The Demon King of Incarceration (11)

Chapter 590: The Demon King of Incarceration (11)

As he was rolling across the floor, the hand of the Demon King of Incarceration dug a furrow in the ground. This made for quite the inelegant sight, but the Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t feel any sense of embarrassment. Right now, the only thing he was feeling was praise for his foes who had managed to push him to such an extent. ¡®How impressive,¡¯ Incarceration thought to himself. It wasn¡¯t as though the Demon King had never thought the world was without even the slightest hope of survival. But then, what purpose was behind the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s current actions? It was all to see if Agaroth¡¯s reincarnation, who had died in vain during his previous life, could return all the way to this point while single-handedly shouldering the burden of his fate as the Hero. By presenting him with such an ordeal, the Demon King wanted to see Eugene¡¯s full might as a sort of test for him. And in his opinion, Eugene didn¡¯t seem to becking in any way. To be honest, the Demon King of Incarceration was already satisfied with what he had seen. Eugene¡¯s obsessive levels of determination and the insane focus he had shown, as well as the assault that they hadunched at him with their full force ¡ª all of that had already surpassed the standards that the Demon King had previously set for them. However, just like Eugene and hisrades refused to give up on their goals, the Demon King of Incarceration had no intention of simply giving in either. He wasn¡¯t just going to roll over because he was satisfied with their strength. This was because, simr to Eugene''s faith that their choice of action was the right one, the Demon King of Incarceration also believed that his choice was the only option. ¡®But is that really the case?¡¯ the Demon King suddenly thought to himself. He was reminded of the specter. The specter hadn¡¯t known the whole truth of the matter, but he had been made aware of the constant cycle of Destruction as well as the fact that the Demon King of Incarceration possessed the ability to cross over to the next era. Even after learning these facts, the specter had still made his own choice of what to do. ¡®In the end, just like how he wanted to prove his worth by dying the way he did, I am no different,¡¯ the Demon King thought as a smile crossed his blood-drenched lips. This test wouldn¡¯t just end with both sides backing down after reaching a satisfactory oue. This battle would only end after one side had managed topletely destroy the other¡¯s will. So what exactly was behind the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s will? After repeatedly sumbing to despair and being forced to patch himself up from the rags that his attempts tomit suicide by Destruction had left him in, Incarceration had settled on the solution of coexisting with Destruction. Since he couldn¡¯t kill or be killed, he was left with no other choice but to coexist. He refused to allow everything to end just because he went haring off trying to kill something that couldn¡¯t even be killed. Even if that meant he had to continue reigning as a Demon King for all eternity, even if he had to carry all the souls of the deceased and constantly repeat the cycle of creation and destruction while knowing that it would be all for nothing in the end... the Demon King of Incarceration would do what he believed was right. ¡°Who¡¯s the one truly being unreasonably greedy here?¡± the Demon King asked softly as he dug his fingers into the floor and pulled himself up. His bloodshot eyes glowed with an inner light as he continued, ¡°Aren¡¯t I the greedy one for stubbornly insisting on building up a sand castle, all while knowing that it will be swept away by the waves?¡± Just like how the sun set and the night fell, only for the sun to rise once more, the waves of Destruction were sure to follow each other no matter what. The man who had nted the seed for the birth of Destruction and had been left with no other choice but to bear witness to the fruit of his mistakes had transformed himself into a Demon King to save the crumbling sand castle that the world had been transformed into. No matter how many times the unceasing waves would eventually tear the sand castle down, once the waves had receded, he would build the sand castle once more with his mud-stained hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know the answer to those questions. I truly can¡¯t tell,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a shake of his head. ¡°However, Eugene Lionheart, I still feel that the hope you are clinging to is nothing more than stubborn foolishness. Therefore, I cannot ept your desired course of action.¡± The Demon King of Destruction and Vermouth Lionheart were one being. Even if they had been temporarily separated, Vermouth¡¯s essence was still linked to Destruction. This meant that it would be impossible to defeat the Demon King of Destruction while trying to save Vermouth. If instead, Eugene and hisrades were willing to give up on Vermouth, if they only wished to kill both the Demon King of Destruction and Vermouth Lionheart to save the world, then the Demon King of Incarceration may not have felt the need to go this far. However, since Eugene had given his final word on the matter, insisting that he would aplish the impossible, the Demon King definitely couldn¡¯t allow such foolishness. That was why he had wanted to drive them into despair and force them to give up. ¡°I don¡¯t need your approval,¡± Eugene said coldly as his Divine Sword rose to block the Demon King¡¯s path forward. While pulling back the shreds of his fist for another punch, the Demon King of Incarceration burst intoughter. Eugene wasn¡¯t the only one who looked ready for a fight. Behind him stood Molon, and Sienna was floating above them. The Saints were responsible for supporting them so that the three of them could focus exclusively on their fight. ¡°If I defeat you, that means I¡¯m the one who¡¯s right,¡± Eugene stated determinedly. Right now, it didn¡¯t matter which of their beliefs was objectively correct. To put it simply, whoever won today was in the right. Even if they couldn¡¯t ovee Destruction in the end, today¡¯s loser wouldn¡¯t have any grounds to argue with the results. That was what Eugene firmly believed, and the Demon King of Incarceration burst intoughter once more as he agreed, ¡°That certainly seems to be the truth.¡± Incarceration didn¡¯t think that such a mindset was selfish or self-righteous. After all, The Demon King of Incarceration was also the same in that he had lived his entire life without ever needing anyone else¡¯s understanding. Since each of them believed that they were in the right and insisted that theirs was the only course of action that should be taken, they had no choice but to sh with each other until one of them was ultimately forced to give in. ¡®No,¡¯ the Demon King suddenly thought as he clenched his fist. There was a difference between them. Eugene wasn¡¯t alone. He had hispanions with him. He also had believers who were praying for his victory. Even if they didn¡¯t know the full story behind the matter, they still didn¡¯t want the current era to end. They all hoped that the Hero, their god, or the Light, would defeat the Demon Kings and bring peace to the continent. But what about the Demon King of Incarceration? The demonfolk participating in this war didn¡¯t know the first thing about the Demon King of Incarceration. The only things the demonfolk desired were to win this war, trample the losers beneath their feet, and establish an immortal empire that would rule over the entire continent. They didn¡¯t know about Destruction or the fact that even if they did win this war, their immortal empire was something they would never get to witness. They didn¡¯t know that, once they were victorious, they would be annihted by the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction without even getting enough time to enjoy their victory. They didn¡¯t know they would lose all memories of this era before moving on to the next one. They didn¡¯t know that some of their souls would be harvested to be one of the countless souls trapped within the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s chains before being reborn into the next era. They didn¡¯t know that a part of the souls that were not chosen would be rendered down to be the base elements of dark power, primal spirits, and the new world¡¯s mana. They didn¡¯t know that the remaining souls left after all these processes wereplete would be fused together and form part of the sinister power that the Demon King of Incarceration had sealed deep within himself. That was how things had always been. Incarceration didn¡¯t expect anyone to understand him. He had never talked to anyone about this. He had never shared hisints with anyone either. He had never gone to a confession. That was the way that things had been in the previous eras, and that was also how things would be in the current era. Even his close associate, Gavid Lindman, who Incarceration had kept by his side for an exceedingly long span of time and who he had favored to the point where even the Demon King himself recognized that it was unusual for him, hadn¡¯t known the truth that the Demon King of Incarceration had kept to himself until the very end. ¡ªI hope that your Majesty¡¯s wishese true. In his final moments, Gavid seemed to have formed a slight understanding of his liege. However, other than Gavid, the demonfolk would never truly be able to understand the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡ªOnce I am dead, please ept my soul. Please allow me to see the end of the world together with you, Your Majesty. After leaving thesest words while knowing that he would definitely be meeting his death today here in Babel, Balzac Ludbeth had died in a vain attempt to guard the gates. There was no way that he could have understood the ¡®end¡¯ that the Demon King of Incarceration was waiting to see. All that was waiting for them was a hopeless void of despair with no means of averting it, and any who found themselves in such a situation would be bound to resent the one who had brought them to such a tragedy. Even the demonfolk who had been loyal to the Demon King of Incarceration their entire lives, even the immigrants settled in Helmuth who had suckled on the welfare of the Demon King like it was their lifeblood and who had mortgaged their souls as payment for all the privileges they had received during their lifetimes; they would all resent the Demon King of Incarceration for conceding to andpromising with Destruction. And the Demon King of Incarceration was willing to humbly ept all of their resentment. Boom. The world shook as Eugene moved. But the Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t just staying still during this time. Suddenly, a short span of a single moment was somehow stretched out endlessly, but within the split seconds of that single moment, the Demon King of Incarceration was constantly attacking, defending, and searching for openings. But the Hero and hispanions were so closely linked together that there weren''t any openings in their attacks. By breaking apart and scattering each of their attacks, the Demon King managed to keep his damage minimal, but their attacks were gradually growing ever more intense. Molon came charging in with his overwhelming might. With his strength amplified by his status as Eugene¡¯s Incarnation and the resonance of the world also aiding Molon, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s very existence was shaken with each blow that Molon managed tond. Through the power of her imagination, Sienna¡¯s spells were able to materialize the impossible. She had already brought the night sky toe crashing down on the Demon King more than once. Sienna¡¯s magic had even turned this entire world into a forest, overturned the earth to transform it into a zing hell, burned what was left into a stifling desert, and then froze everything to leave the ground covered in cold permafrost, only to repeat the cycle anew. All of these natural disasters were directed solely at the Demon King of Incarceration and weren¡¯t causing any harm to herrades. And on top of that, Eugene¡¯s zing suns repeatedly came crashing down on the Demon King before floating up once more. As if to prove his past identity as the God of War, the weapons in Eugene¡¯s hands kept changing. His attacks, which were so variable that it was impossible to react to them even if one stared directly at them, were slicing away at the Demon King of Incarceration. However, all of this still wasn¡¯t enough to kill Incarceration. Even a world like this couldn''t fully suppress the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s power. No matter how well-made this dream world might be, it was still ultimately just a product of merging dreams with reality. It couldn¡¯tpletely rece reality. Eugene and the divine power of the Light that he was linked to, and Sienna¡¯s divine power, might be able to push the Demoneye of Fantasy to its very limits, but even so ¡ª this absurd world wouldn¡¯t be able tost forever. And if Incarceration really looked for it, he should be able to find a way out of this world. If he could only find the breaking point, he could break apart this world and copse it around them. So, where was the breaking point? Wasn¡¯t the answer obvious? There was no need for the Demon King of Incarceration toboriously figure out the entire structure of this world to destroy it. After all, there was a much easier method than that. The Demoneye of Fantasy was responsible for starting up and maintaining this world. And the one wielding the Demoneye of Fantasy was Noir Giabe, who had been transformed into an angel after she had been left with only her soul. Cliclink. Chains erupted from the Demon King of Incarceration''s abyss once more. Then, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s arms lost their original form and transformed into limbs of pure dark power that rippled as they moved. At the same time, the Demon King¡¯s eyes were dyed ck as if ink had been dripped into them. Incarceration¡¯s sense of reason shook as he loosened his hold on his madness. The madness that he had sealed away for him to be able to endure his long eons of life, along with all of the strength that this madness carried, was finally being released. ¡°Gurk,¡± when Incarceration coughed, instead of blood, a dark stream of poison leaked out from between his lips. Even for the Demon King of Incarceration, it would be dangerous to release any more of this poison. If he weren¡¯t careful, his ego would copse, and he would be an insane, rampaging disaster, no different from the Demon King of Destruction. Naturally, the Demon King of Incarceration had no desire to experience such a fall. While he might be able to continue coexisting with Destruction even if he did be the same type of natural cmity, it would mean that Incarceration would no longer be able to create any future eras for this world. ¡®To think that they would be able to push me to this extent,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration thought as his dark eyes glowed with an inner light. Eugene, Molon, and Sienna, who were still trying to push the Demon King of Incarceration just that little bit further, felt a primal fear and uneasiness strike them when they saw his eyes. It was the same feeling they had experienced when they first saw the Demon King of Destruction. [Ah,] Noir gasped as she felt his poison begin to target her. Just the initial release of Incarceration¡¯s poison was causing her hold on the dream world to shake. Noir felt an agonizing pain spreading from her left eye socket as if she was being burned alive, but she still refused to close her eyes. This was because she was certain that they had finally managed to reach the turning point of the battle. If they didn¡¯t take this chance to push him just a little bit further, they wouldn¡¯t be able to seize this opportunity to finally defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. This poison wasn¡¯t just hisst resort; it was also the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s fatal weakness. ¡®I¡¯m all too familiar with such feelings of obsession,¡¯ Noir thought to herself as she forcefully held her lips tightly mped in a twisted smile. The Demon King of Incarceration was obsessed with ensuring the next era. He would never allow himself topletely fall to the corruption of that deadly poison. ¡®Though, in the first ce, even that poison isn¡¯t enough to kill someone like you,¡¯ Noir thought wryly. That poison might not be enough to endanger Incarceration¡¯s life, but why had he still insisted on sealing it away instead of using it? Was it because he hated the pain that it brought him? No, it couldn¡¯t be such a simple answer. The reason the Demon King of Incarceration had suppressed such a powerful poison and the signs of the madness within those ink-stained eyes pointed to the oue that the Demon King of Incarceration absolutely refused to allow. ¡®You don¡¯t want to lose yourself,¡¯ Noir sympathized. She was very familiar with such feelings. Noir had been like that before, as well. She had been afraid and disgusted by the thought of bing someone else, someonepletely different from the current her. In other words, before the Demon King of Incarceration would fully reach the point of losing himself, he would be left with no choice but to reapply his chains to that poison and return it to its incarcerated state. So even if Incarceration was a Demon King burdened with a curse of never being able to die, once all of his means had been blocked, Incarceration would be forced to admit defeat. As such, Noir couldn¡¯t allow herself to close her eyes. If she could just hold out until the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t bear it any longer and was forced to withdraw his poison, then it would be Noir¡¯s ¡ª no ¡ª Hamel¡¯s victory. ¡®Although your victory is what I too desire, Hamel,¡¯ Noir thought as bloody tears began flowing down from her Demoneye of Fantasy. Having realized that the darkness unleashed by the Demon King of Incarceration was far from ordinary, Eugene and Molon had once again resumed their attacks. Noir clenched her teeth while staring at Eugene¡¯s back and thinking, ¡®Even if your victory demands a harsh toll from me.¡¯ Would they really be fine if they could just hold out until the Demon King of Incarceration was forced to withdraw his poison? There was no way that could be possible. That poison was the Corpse Poison distilled from the dposition of countless dead bodies and souls as well as the deaths of multiple eras. Even when Noir was alive and reigning over Giabe City, it would have been impossible for her to hold out against such a poison for very long. So, for Noir, who had died and was left with barely her soul, it became even more of an impossibility for her to hold out against the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s poison for all that long. Noir was certain of a single fact. Before the Demon King of Incarceration would be forced to withdraw his poison, her soul would have already been thoroughly contaminated. What would happen to her once she was so contaminated? Would her soul just disappear? Or perhaps, would even her personality be contaminated to the extent that she was no longer herself? No matter what happened, it meant that she would not be able to reincarnate and reunite with Hamel. [Ahahaha,] Noir burst intoughter. By this point, should she still be afraid of such an oue? No, Noir wasn¡¯t afraid at all. Since, in the first ce, Noir had never even counted on the possibility of reincarnation following the death that she had so craved. The only thing that Noir desired at this point was Hamel¡¯s victory. No matter what happened to her in the end, it didn¡¯t matter. Even if she were topletely disappear once this dream world had copsed, Noir¡¯s only desire was to give everything she had to serve as a stepping stone for Hamel¡¯s victory. That was why Noir continued to re back at the poison without closing her Demoneye of Fantasy. This dream might still copse in the end, but until then, she hoped to push the Demon King of Incarceration as far as possible. ¡®What¡¯s this?¡¯ Eugene thought to himself with a frown. Eugene and Molon weren¡¯t able to sense the existence of the poison. They could feel that the dark liquid that the Demon King of Incarceration had released wasn¡¯t anything ordinary, but they didn¡¯t know it was poison. This was because Noir hadpletely suppressed the effects of the poison and had kept it contained to herself. However, Sienna, who was connected to Noir, was able to analyze the existence of this poison to a certain extent and was staring at Noir with an astonished look in her eyes. [Shhh,] Noir whispered. As Noir¡¯s emotions were conveyed to her, Sienna bit down heavily on her bottom lip. She couldn¡¯t tell Noir to stop what she was doing. Noir had made up her mind to do this, and Sienna also understood that, at this point, there was no other way for them to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®We just need to finish this fight before anything happens,¡¯ Sienna encouraged herself. Allowing Noir¡¯s soul to be destroyed like this would go against Sienna¡¯s ideals. Because of that, Sienna wanted to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration as quickly as possible before Noir was erased. Meanwhile, Incarceration knew that Noir would do something like this. The Demon King swung the limbs of darkness that had reced his usual arms at his foes. Sisisizzle! The poison scattered along the trajectory of his swings and caused the world to shake once more. But Eugene and Molon, who were protected from the poison¡¯s effects, simply sliced and smashed apart the globs of dark liquid as they charged at the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°It seems that she still underestimates me,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration muttered to himself with a chuckle. This poison indeed held dire consequences for the Demon King of Incarceration, but it would take a long time before it could even hope to destroy his egopletely. Even with Eugene, Molon, and Sienna¡¯s attacks consuming the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s strength, it would still take much less time for Noir to sumb to the poison and either be destroyed and go insane than it would for the Demon King to reach the limits of his endurance. Incarceration shook his head as he thought, ¡®Noir Giabe, I knew that you would be willing to go so far for Hamel¡¯s sake, but in the end, your sacrifice will only¡ª¡¯ Suddenly, the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s mind received a great shock. ¡°Gurk,¡± Incarceration coughed as his blood that had beenpletely transmuted into the poison flowed down from his lips once more. The Demon King of Incarceration was confused, not understanding what strange affliction had suddenlye over him. ¡®What is this?¡¯ the Demon King thought in shock. Soon, the Demon King of Incarceration understood the true nature of this unexpected weakness. A different source of contamination from the Corpse Poison was eating away at the abyss contained within the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®This is...,¡¯ Incarceration thought as the face of a particr man appeared in the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s mind. ¡®Balzac Ludbeth?¡¯ Chapter 591: The Demon King of Incarceration (12)

Chapter 591: The Demon King of Incarceration (12)

The Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t know why Balzac Ludbeth¡¯s face had popped up in his mind at this moment. Could Balzac truly have been capable of this? If he were, there was no way that the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t have noticed. After all, no matter how clever Balzac might have been, the ck wizard was personally contracted to the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King was able to read the minds of his contractors at any time he pleased. Of course, the Demon King of Incarceration had always permitted his subordinates the freedom to plot rebellion. As long as they didn¡¯t put any of their ideas into action, that is. If they did try something and failed, he would always be sure to hold them responsible for their mistakes. However, the Demon King of Incarceration had never once felt any desire to rebel from the human ck wizard known as Balzad Ludbeth. Balzac had always shown loyalty to the Demon King of Incarceration, from the moment that he had arrived in Babel to the moment he died. In his final moments, Balzac expressed his admiration for Sienna¡¯s magic and, at the same time, he died hoping for the victory of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡®Balzac Ludbeth,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration mused. He was certain of it. The Demon King of Incarceration knew that Balzac Ludbeth wasn¡¯t capable enough to be a threat to him. Balzac had also never once shown any thought of betraying the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet even so, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t remove Balzac¡¯s name and face from his mind. Although there was no evidence for it, the Demon King of Incarceration was now sure that Balzac Ludbeth was the source of these ufortable and dangerous shifts taking ce inside of him. That was what both his intuition and instincts were telling him, so there wasn¡¯t any need to waste time looking for evidence to support this theory. The Demon King of Incarceration sensed that whatever was currently afflicting him was a poison even deadlier than the Corpse Poison that had been slowly fermenting and umting inside of the Demon King throughout the course of his long life. ¡®Just what... is this...?¡¯ the Demon King thought with a frown. His senses were bing skewed. It felt like he had lost control of himself and that time was passing slowly for him, leaving him separated from the world. He was even left uncertain whether he was currently standing up or lying down. Incarceration tried to use his remaining sense of rity to get a hold of himself somehow, but his body wasn¡¯t responding the way he wanted it to. Instead, he could feel his poison levels rising. The poison spilling out from the abyss within him had slipped out of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s control and was currently eating away at his own dark power. This was the start of a rampage. The poison was beginning to run out of control. It shouldn¡¯t have been possible for something like this to happen. Still, the power that the Demon King of Incarceration had managed to hold in check for the entirety of his life was gradually freeing itself from his control. ¡®This is dangerous,¡¯ Incarceration realized. Even the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t help but feel a sense of crisis at this moment. He had been storing up far too much poison within the depths of his internal abyss. And above all, the one thing that the Demon King of Incarceration needed to keep secure at all costs, even in the worst-case scenario, was the chain that connected him to the Demon King of Destruction. If that connection was severed or destroyed, there would be no way for the Demon King of Incarceration to cross over to the next era. The Demon King of Incarceration was the only one who felt that time seemed to flow slowly. This meant that those attacking him weren¡¯t subjected to any such inconvenience. Eugene and Molon quickly noticed that there was something strange about the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King, who had been able to respond to all of their previous attacks without being phased or put off-bnce, had suddenly stopped reacting to their attacks. At first, they thought this might be a part of some kind of trick. They suspected the Demon King might have deliberately left an opening, wanting to draw them in deep before springing the trap. However, that wasn¡¯t the case. Even after they braved the risk and ventured in deep, the Demon King of Incarceration still hadn¡¯t reacted to them. He didn¡¯t do anything to push them back, block them, orunch a counterattack. ¡®What is this bastard up to?¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as he red into the Demon King¡¯s stiff gaze. Even though Eugene was examining Incarceration from such a close distance, all that could be seen in the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s eyes was a dim reflection of Eugene¡¯s figure. It was as if Incarceration''s eyes weren¡¯t really looking at him but instead seeing something else. And that was indeed the case. The Demon King of Incarceration stood alone in the center of the abyss, his consciousness being pulled out of the normal flow of time. There, he parted his lips and said, ¡°Balzac Ludbeth.¡± As he called out that name, the rippling, ck sea below him began to bubble over as it boiled. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration demanded. This sea was the abyss hidden within the Demon King of Incarceration. All of his madness and the souls he had umted over the eons of his life were all dissolved into this sea. But the soul of Balzac, who had just died today, wasn¡¯t meant to be in here. The Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t thrown Balzac¡¯s soul into this abyss. The Demon King of Incarceration frowned as he asked, ¡°Could you be trying to usurp my power and status? If that¡¯s the case, it will be a waste of your effort, Balzac Ludbeth. I admit that the dagger you have stuck into my back has delivered quite the lethal blow, but as someone who is already deceased, you will never¡ª¡± ¡°Usurp?¡± a voice suddenly flowed out from within the bubbling foam. Countless souls had been dissolved within this abyss, and right now, Balzac was included as one of their number. If Balzac¡¯s aim was to crawl out of that abyss and turn the tables to devour the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s soul, thus forcefully seizing the Demon King¡¯s power and status, Balzac would never be able to seed. ¡°It seems that you¡¯vee to a great misunderstanding, Your Majesty. I have no desire to be a Demon King,¡± Balzac stated. He no longer had a physical body, and Balzac wasn¡¯t strong enough to pull himself out of this abyss and create a new body for himself, either. Balzac¡¯s soul had already be trapped within this vast sea. But there was something strange going on. Even though he had be a part of this vast and unfathomable sea, Balzac hadn¡¯t lost his sense of self. He, who had been alive for less than a hundred years, was still able to maintain his independent ego when fused with all of these countless souls. Balzac reminded the Demon King, ¡°Don¡¯t you already know what my greatest wish is, Your Majesty?¡± The bubbling foam was gradually spreading as the sea began to shake. Of course, the Demon King of Incarceration knew what Balzac¡¯s greatest wish was. Balzac wanted to be a legendary wizard. It was a wish that only a child who greatly admired magic and had just stepped on the path to bing a wizard would have. ¡°As a ck wizard sworn to the Demon King, if I had managed to defeat Eugene Lionheart and Sienna Merdein... haha, that would certainly be enough to be called a legend, Your Majesty. However...,¡± Balzac paused for a moment. Although Balzac had been stripped of his body, and only his voice was left flowing up from the abyssal sea, the Demon King of Incarceration could sense that Balzac¡¯s voice was filled with unconceble joy and satisfaction. ¡°I want to be a legend as a wizard, not a ck wizard,¡± Balzac proudly revealed. ¡°If I am to be a legend whose story is passed down for a long time, I want my story to be told by humans, not demonfolk. So you asked me if I wanted to be a Demon King? Haha, don¡¯t you know me better than that, Your Majesty? I would hate that more than anything else.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration knew that Balzac was telling the truth. Unlike Edmund Codreth, who had wanted to abandon his humanity to be a Demon King, Balzac had never once felt the desire to lose his humanity. But despite knowing that, the Demon King of Incarceration still couldn¡¯t help but feel lost about the motivations of this human, Balzac Ludbeth. This was because the Demon King had never seen him nning any of this on the asions when he had read Balzac¡¯s mind. Balzac smiled proudly as he said, ¡°Just imagine it, Your Majesty. As a ck wizard contracted to the Demon King... what would happen if he were to betray the Demon King at a crucial moment? What would happen if the betrayal of that ck wizard managed to fatally wound the Demon King at a crucial moment, and if it was thanks to that wound that the Hero, and all of humanity, won the battle?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration stared at Balzac silently. ¡°That has always been my greatest desire. But I never thought... that I would ever get close to fulfilling my wish.¡± Balzac smiled as he exined, ¡°I still felt that way even up to my final moments. Because, while I may have made plenty of preparations while I was alive, once I was dead, there was no way for me to make any further preparations for what would happen afterward.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a slow nod. While Balzac continued to speak, the Demon King was examining each of the souls in his possession. This careful examination was being done because he couldn¡¯t understand what Balzac¡¯s soul, which he had never personally sent to the abyss, was doing here. But now he understood it. He also understood why Balzac had decided toe to Babel just to die here. The man had used his death to trick the Demon King. Balzac had split his soul right at the moment when the Demon King of Incarceration was collecting Balzac¡¯s soul following his death. The split had been pulled off so elegantly that the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t even noticed it happening, and in the end, just like Balzac had intended, the split-off soul had been drained into the abyss like all of Babel¡¯s discarded souls were. ¡°To think that you would be able to fool me like this,¡± the Demon King said, shaking his head and giving a hollowugh. ¡°Deception is one of my few specialties,¡± Balzac admitted humbly. Although he couldn¡¯t see Balzac¡¯s face, the Demon King of Incarceration could clearly imagine what kind of expression Balzac must be having right now. ¡°Was your Signature also part of your ns for today?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked suspiciously. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t had Gluttony, I wouldn¡¯t have been able to orchestrate this very moment,¡± Balzac confirmed, not feeling the need to hide anything any longer. If Balzac¡¯s Signature consumed a living creature, Balzac could take that creature¡¯s strength and memories for his own. But in that case, where did the soul go? Instead of disappearing, it would actually be a part of Balzac. That was how Balzac had secretly expanded the size of his soul. After his soul had grownrge enough, Balzac had secretly divided himself into two so that the Demon King of Incarceration was only ever able to read one of their memories. In the end, Balzac¡¯s n was sessful. Until the moment of Balzac¡¯s death, the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t been able to sense his impending betrayal, nor had the Demon King noticed it when the deceased souls parted ways. ¡°How impressive,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said as he nodded his head. ¡°Balzac Ludbeth, I thought that you had given up on your wish. I even thought that your death was a meaningless one. However, it seems that wasn¡¯t the case. You continued to pursue your dream until the very end, and you also didn¡¯t die in vain. You even used your own death to transform yourself into a dagger that has stabbed me in the back.¡± ¡°With just my death alone,¡± Balzac responded, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to be a dagger capable of threatening you, Your Majesty.¡± Balzac may have been smart, but that didn¡¯t mean he was capable of nning for everything. He had been unaware of the true nature of the Demon King of Incarceration. He had seeded in secretly dividing his soul, and his split soul had managed to sneak all the way down into the abyss, but that didn¡¯t mean Balzac had the confidence that he would truly be a virulent poison capable of threatening the Demon King of Incarceration. Even after transforming himself into a deadly poison, if the Demon King of Incarceration had had a moment to spare... Balzac would definitely have been destroyed before he could position himself to be the dagger in the Demon King¡¯s back. ¡°The fact that I was able to be a dagger like this... it definitely means that you were distracted with something else, Your Majesty. Because of that, you were forced to draw on your deepest reserves of strength,¡± Balzac surmised. The Demon King of Incarceration simply smiled warmly without responding. ¡°Right now, I have turned myself into a poison and am currently spreading throughout your abyss,¡± Balzac dered proudly. ¡°However, I alone am still not enough to defeat you, Your Majesty. No matter how far I spread, you would still be able to excise me. However, by cutting me out of yourself like that, you would surely suffer a corresponding loss of strength.¡± The sea below was churning. Even at this very moment, Balzac¡¯s soul was still growingrger by devouring the souls trapped within the abyss. Therger he grew, the faster the devouring process became. ¡°That is more than enough for me,¡± Balzac said with a smile. ¡°In the end, this is all for the sake of ensuring Your Majesty¡¯s defeat, and protecting the current era rather than the next.¡± Booom. A huge vibration seemed to shake the world they were in. The Demon King of Incarceration lifted his head to look upwards. The scene in his eyes suddenly changed. Instead of the abyss, the Demon King of Incarceration was now back to viewing reality. In reality, the Demon King of Incarceration had copsed onto the floor. He wasn¡¯t dead yet. However, his regeneration had slowed and his mind was confused. His senses were still skewed. Meanwhile, his degree of poisoning kept escting. ¡°Haha...,¡± the Demon King of Incarcerationughed without trying to get to his feet. ¡°How impressive, Balzac Ludbeth.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration felt the need to acknowledge the wizard once more. Chuckling to himself, he ced a hand on the ground for support as he stood up. ¡°This is certainly a fatal blow. And it¡¯s not just you. Everyone present could currently prove a fatal threat to me.¡± Eugene and Sienna had frozen at the sudden mention of Balzac¡¯s name. However, they didn¡¯t get the chance to ask why the Demon King had mentioned that name. Their eyes were drawn to the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s shadow, which was visibly swelling up from the floor as the Demon King staggered to his feet. The Demon King of Incarceration proceeded to wrap his arms around his shoulders before slowly crouching down. ¡°What the hell,¡± Eugene cursed nervously as he swung his Divine Sword. The long sh that flew from his de sliced through the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s neck. However, even when the Demon King¡¯s head fell to the ground, the warning from Eugene¡¯s intuition hadn¡¯t disappeared. Molon, who felt the same sense of danger, immediately gripped onto the fabric of space and pulled Eugene backward. Then, while leaping back himself, Molon swung his hand forward once more. Whoooosh! As the fabric of space was forcefully pushed forward, the distance between the Demon King of Incarceration and the members of their party was widened. ¡°Sienna!¡± Molon roared out. Sienna also lifted Mary without hesitation as she got ready to defend herself. At the same time, she used her other hand to grab the Demoneye of Fantasy that had been floating nearby. Noir tried to stop her, [Hold on, I still have to¡ª!] Sienna scolded her, ¡°You¡¯re just my tool, so don¡¯t go sacrificing yourself as you please!¡± Sienna knew that Noir had prepared herself for self-destruction. Earlier, she had respected and understood Noir¡¯s determination, but now that things had changed, Sienna couldn¡¯t allow Noir to go through with her original n. The rampaging poison had already begun to copse the dream world. And whatever the Demon King of Incarceration was currently attempting, it didn¡¯t feel like something that could be avoided just by stubbornly maintaining this dream world. ¡®Why has he suddenly changed patterns?¡¯ Eugene thought in concern. Was it because they had managed to push the Demon King to such an extent? Did it have something to do with how the Demon King had uttered the name ¡®Balzac Ludbeth¡¯? Incarceration had said that he had felt a fatal threat. It seemed that it was true that the Demon King of Incarceration had been pushed to the point where he was left with no other choice but to admit that honestly. However, the Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t going to give up just yet. As his shadow continued to swell, all of his sinister dark power began to coalesce around the Demon King of Incarceration. Kristina and Anise¡¯s prayers conjured a dazzling light as a barrier rose up from the holy ground below, covering Eugene, Molon, and Sienna. A spell was also shot out from Mary as Sienna ripped apart space to create a path of escape. Cracracrack! Right at that moment, a river of darkness began to flow from the stump of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s severed neck. The poison endlessly pouring out from the abyss began to engulf the world around the Demon King. Since the need to maintain the dream world had ended with Sienna¡¯s withdrawal of the Demoneye of Fantasy, Eugene and Molon could also now sense the effects of this poison. The poison and dark power continuously gushing forth from the Demon King¡¯s neck formed a huge wave that swept toward Eugene and hispanions. Hahaha... hahahahaha! The sound ofughter rang out from this dark torrent of liquid. It was Balzac¡¯sughter. The Demon King of Incarceration had managed topletely flush Balzac from his inner sea. This would guarantee Balzac¡¯splete annihtion, but Balzac didn¡¯t care. ¡°With this, it should be possible for me to be a part of your legend, don¡¯t you think?¡± Balzac¡¯s clear voice flowed into Sienna and Eugene¡¯s ears. At that moment, Eugene and Sienna understood what Balzac had intended to do with his death at their hands. Sienna gaped nkly for a few moments, then she let out a snort and shook her head. ¡°So much so that I even feel the urge to write a fairy tale just for you,¡± Sienna said, her voice filled with sincerity. However, that was thest that would be heard of Balzac¡¯s voice. Balzac had alreadypletely disappeared. He had left without any regrets. In his final moments, Balzac managed to achieve what he had always dreamed of, and he died satisfied. As the ck wizard who had betrayed the Demon King, he was a legendary wizard who had contributed greatly to the Demon King¡¯s defeat. However, Balzac¡¯s wish hadn¡¯t been fully realized just yet. Roooooooar! The poison and dark power erupting from the Demon King of Incarceration was beginning to erode and copse Babel itself. Before they could get caught up in this senseless destruction, Eugene and the others used the spatial door created by Sienna¡¯s magic to escape from Babel. After floating through space for a few moments, Eugene and his party arrived at the skies above the battlefield. Then they watched as Babel copsed behind them. Chapter 592: The Demon King of Incarceration (13)

Chapter 592: The Demon King of Incarceration (13)

Babel, which had been floating in the skies above the battlefield, was copsing. The Demon King¡¯s castle, which Incarceration had reigned from for the past three hundred years and beyond, was falling apart in front of everyone''s eyes. Everyone fighting on the battlefield suddenly raised their heads to look at the sky and take in this sight. Regardless of whether they were part of the Divine Army or the demonfolk armies, everyone felt shocked. The demonfolk armies sworn to the Demon King of Incarceration had never once imagined that the Demon King¡¯s Castle floating above their head would ever copse. No matter how strong the foes who stood against the Demon King of Incarceration might be, the demonfolk believed that their strength would be nothing when facing the Demon King. ¡®No,¡¯ everyone suddenly realized. Babel might be copsing, but the Demon King had yet to be defeated. Even as Babel fell to pieces, a cloud of sinister, ominous, and pitch-ck dark power was spreading from the castle. Even the sun of divine power that Eugene had raised into the sky was engulfed by the darkness spreading from Babel. So even though the source of therge shadow that had been covering the battlefield was copsing, the fall of Babel had caused the skies to turn into night. ¡°Eugene...!¡± Ciel shouted in rm. She was drenched in the blood of the demonfolk and had been gasping for breath. The excessively thick darkness was blocking all light, but Ciel¡¯s senses were able to detect the presence of light still remaining within this pitch-ck night. ¡°That¡¯s...,¡± Carmen¡¯s face turned pale as she shook off the flesh clinging to her fist. The cloud of darkness that had continued to spread as Babel copsed behind it was beginning to swirl. The ruins of Babel that had been falling to the ground suddenly froze in ce. In the middle of all this chaos, someone raised his head. It was the Demon King of Incarceration. Standing in the center of this frozen scene of Babel¡¯s copse, Incarceration took a deep breath. As the Demon King of Incarceration breathed back out, the ruins of Babel and the clouds of darkness began to pulse in resonance. Even while standing in the center of these immense clouds of dark power, the Demon King of Incarceration was still spitting up blood. When he had excised Balzac from within himself, it wasn¡¯t just Balzac¡¯s poison that Incarceration had been forced to remove. Balzac¡¯s treachery had indeed posed a deadly threat to the Demon King of Incarceration. If he hadn¡¯t excised everything that Balzac may have touched, the chain that connected Incarceration to Destruction, something that Incarceration could never allow to be broken, may have been severed. After taking a few moments to catch his breath, the Demon King of Incarceration muttered with a dry smile, ¡°What a terrible situation.¡± Rooooar! The frozen ruins of Babel were suddenly converted into clouds of dark power that scattered into the air. ¡°And deadly as well,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a sigh. He had been forced to excise far too much of himself. The Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as he coughed up blood once more. But the chain... it hadn¡¯t been broken. As such, Incarceration wasn¡¯t going to die. However, that was all that Incarceration had managed to prevent. Even if he didn¡¯t die, if he was no longer able to fight, what was the difference between that and being defeated? Rubbing his blood-soaked lips with the back of his hand, the Demon King of Incarceration raised his head. On the other side of the swirling vortex of darkness, he spotted Eugene. ¡°It seems you¡¯ve also suffered quite terribly,¡± the Demon King observed. It was the price that the heroes had paid to be able to push the Demon King of Incarceration to this extent. For an opening blow, they had used the Demoneye of Fantasy as a catalyst tobine reality and dreams into a separate world. Then Eugene had oveid multiple uses of Ignition before summoning dozens of copies of Levantein and Empty Swords. The bacsh from exerting such great power wouldn¡¯t have disappeared just because their actions had been performed in the dream world. The recoil of the power they had used within the dream world had stille looking for them after they had woken up from their dreams. Eugene silently looked around him, still holding his sword in his trembling hands. He looked at Molon, who was panting roughly, unable to catch his breath, and Sienna, who was chewing her bottom lip with a pale, tired look on her face. The Saints were still in a state of resonance with Eugene. However, while their current state couldn¡¯t be described as being all that bad, it wasn¡¯t great either. Moreover, the only reason Eugene had yet to copse and was still able to remain standing was that the Saints were bearing part of the bacsh that Eugene had incurred and were continuously healing him. Now, the Demoneye of Fantasy had closed. It wasn¡¯tpletely broken, and Noir¡¯s soul also hadn¡¯t been destroyed, but there was no way for them to reopen the Demoneye of Fantasy in their current battle. ¡°Can you still fight?¡± Eugene asked hisrades. Eugene wasn¡¯t in a great condition either. In fact, he felt like it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he copsed at any moment. However, he could still put up a fight. The bacsh from their battle in the dream world might have exhausted both his mind and body, but in the end, what they had done hadn¡¯t actually taken ce in reality, so Eugene still had ess to his full reserves of divine power. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration hasn¡¯t fallen yet,¡± Molon simply grunted out in response. As Molon stretched his hand out, his axe that had been floating within this cloud of darkness flew into his hand. This axe that Molon had been swinging all his life was so worn out that it looked like the handle might snap at any moment, and its de was also cracked here and there. However, it still wasn¡¯t broken yet. Molon grinned as he gripped his axe with both hands and said, ¡°I can feel it, Hamel.¡± The darkness around them was still stirring. Molon¡¯s eyes pierced through the thick veil of darkness as he stared at the Demon King of Incarceration and said, ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration seemed so far beyond us, but now... I feel like we might be able to defeat him.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no might about it,¡± Eugene responded as the sounds rising from the battlefield below came to a stop. Everyone was too busy looking up at the sky to fight. Eugene ced his left hand on his chest as he growled out, ¡°We will defeat him.¡± His fingers dug into his chest. mes ignited in the exhausted depths of his heart. As an explosion was set off within his overworked internal universe, Eugene¡¯s divine power was set on a rampage. The dying embers had red back into life once more. ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sienna agreed, doing nothing to stop Eugene from using Ignition. She had also realized that they would never get a better chance than this one to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. They had gotten good use out of the Demoneye of Fantasy and Noir Giabe. And the n that Balzac had kept hidden even as he was dying had scored a critical hit on the Demon King. As a result, they had barely managed to corner the Demon King of Incarceration. If they retreated while having second thoughts now, they would never be able to defeat the Demon King of Incarceration. Sienna¡¯s eyes glowed with light. Mary¡¯s dried-up petals unfurled once more. Whoooosh! A storm of soul powerpletely pushed back the spreading cloud of darkness. The figure of the Demon King of Incarceration, who was standing there all on his own, was revealed. A beam of light drew a line across the sky. Eugene¡¯s Divine Sword shot out a sh so fast that it looked almost like a lightning bolt as it flew toward the Demon King of Incarceration. Still coughing up blood, the Demon King of Incarceration raised his hand to block the attack. Cracracrack! Fragments of the forcefully scattered sh sshed across the walls of Pandemonium. With a loud rumble, the walls and the city itself were sliced apart. ¡°Kyaaah!¡± Melkith, who had been rampaging through the city, let out a scream. Melkith, whose eyes had been fixed on all the destruction she was causing around her, finally raised her head to look up at the sky. In the sky, repeated bursts of light shattered the darkness. The stream of shes that Eugene was shooting off seemed like they would be able to cut down the Demon King of Incarceration at any moment, but the Demon King of Incarceration refused to back down and kept blocking all of the shes with his bare hands. [It¡¯s the Demon King of Incarceration!] Tempest shouted. He might have withdrawn from Hamel¡¯s side because he didn¡¯t want to interfere with the decisive battle, but Tempest also harbored great resentment towards Babel and the Demon King of Incarceration. The Wind Spirit King still remembered the defeat and humiliation he had suffered at their hands three hundred years ago. That was why he had always set his sights on returning to the north for the past three hundred years. ¡°Wait, wait, wait!¡± Melkith cried out in rm as she suddenly lost control of her Omega Force. As Tempest riled himself into a storm, he began moving Omega Force¡¯s arm on his own. Rumble! Tempest wasn¡¯t the only one shrugging off Melkith¡¯s control and running wild. As the other three Spirits Kings also shared the same determined desire to defeat the Demon Kings, they began to follow Tempest¡¯s lead. ¡°Kyaaaaah!¡± Apanied by Melkith¡¯s scream, Omega Force threw out a punch. Despite Melkith¡¯s objections, the Spirit Giantunched a beam of electricity that pierced through the sky. The four Spirit Kings poured so much of their energy into the beam that it ended uppletely consuming Melkith¡¯s Omega Force. ¡°If you go and act like that, what am I supposed to do?!¡± Melkith screamed as she fell from the sky. The beam of electricity was strong enough that, in his current state, the Demon King of Incarceration was forced to spare some of his attention to deal with it. Boooom! With a swing of a hand, he managed to change the trajectory of the beam, but the lightning that struck Incarceration the moment he made contact with the beam tore up his arm and left it spurting out blood. Molon¡¯s axe suddenly appeared above the Demon King¡¯s wounded arm in a downward swing. Crack! The battered arm waspletely torn off Incarceration¡¯s body by the axe. The Demon King of Incarceration, who was left staggering from the force of the plow, clenched his teeth as he immediately twisted his waist. Boom! An earth-shattering kick sent Molon¡¯s body flying backward. Everyone knew what would happen next. It was how things had always gone. Once Molon had created an opening by cing himself on the line, Eugene¡¯s attack would immediately follow up on their target. Their cooperation worked perfectly this time as well. Molon had sliced off Incarceration¡¯s arm, then baited the Demon King into a kick. And into that opening came the Divine Sword. The Demon King of Incarceration knew all of this as well. He could see it all happening with his own eyes. However, his body was struggling to keep up with what his mind was telling him he needed to do. Incarceration just barely managed to dodge the blow. But even that wasn¡¯t donepletely. Blood sprayed out from the graze that the Divine Sword had left on his waist. ¡®He¡¯s slower than before,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration noted. Compared to earlier, when Eugene had stacked his Ignition several times over, it was only natural for the Hero to have gotten slower. However, the Demon King of Incarceration was even slower than that. That was because Incarceration wasn¡¯t able to shake off the effects of all the damage he had umted. ¡°Hahaha....¡± Even with his waist sliced open, the Demon King of Incarceration was stillughing. Incarceration¡¯s shaking hand was clenched into a fist. Crack! This time, instead of dodging it, Incarceration met Eugene¡¯s next attack head-on. The Divine Sword shattered as blood sprayed from the Demon King¡¯s fist. Lights suddenly shed on the other side of the spray of blood. Sienna¡¯s spell has summoned up countless stars beforeunching them at the Demon King of Incarceration. Boom boom boom boom! A massive explosion engulfed the Demon King of Incarceration. [Hamel!] Tempest suddenly shouted inside Eugene¡¯s head. Without any hesitation, Eugene reached into his cloak. He pulled out the Storm Sword Wynnyd, which hadn¡¯t been drawn since Tempest had finally made a contract with Melkith[1]. His divine mes, which had been stoked by his use of Ignition, engulfed Wynnyd. [Aaaaah!] Tempest roared fiercely. Eugene¡¯s divine mes were imbued into the storm pouring off of Wynnyd. A huge burst of wind blew away both the Demon King of Incarceration and the explosion that had been covering him. If this had been earlier, Tempest¡¯s winds wouldn¡¯t even have been able to shake the Demon King of Incarceration. However, the current Demon King of Incarceration was finding it difficult to control the movement of his own body in these raging winds. ¡®No,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration shook his head. Even if he had been in good condition, Incarceration felt like this storm wouldn¡¯t have been that easy to simply shake off. In the midst of this violent storm that was slicing pieces off of his body, the Demon King of Incarcerationughed in admiration. Three hundred years ago, this wind spirit had been pitifully weak. Although anyone else would have called the winds that the spirit had summoned a storm in its own right, to the Demon King of Incarceration, it had been nothing more than a gentle breeze. At that time, the world had been on the brink of destruction. With the world being trampled under the boots of the demonfolk armies and the Demonic Disease spreading all over the world, the power of the spirits had been at its weakest. However, now things were different. The three hundred years of peace that the Demon King of Incarceration had granted had been enough to change the world for the better. But hadn¡¯t the people grown ustomed to peace and be weaker? One might think so, but that hadn¡¯t been the case when it came to the spirits. The World Tree may have been sick for most of those past three hundred years, but it had since recovered. As the goddess who had originally transformed herself into the World Tree, Vishur Lavi was able to lend the World Tree¡¯s power to the violent winds being raised by Tempest and the other primordial spirits. [Hamel!] Tempest shouted once more. Eugene could also sense the power brewing within that raging storm. As the wind pushed against his back, Eugene felt like he could almost hear theughter of the Sage currently resting within that distant World Tree. The former spirits of the World Tree that had be a part of Eugene¡¯s body in the past also heard this call and responded in their own way. Fwooosh! Thanks to this, the Divine mes that had already been stoked by Eugene¡¯s use of Ignition began to burn even more fiercely. It wasn¡¯t just the spirits that had grown in power. Levantein, which had be one with Eugene, also began to glow with an even stronger light. On the other side of the World Tree, beneath that far-off sea, a figure of light suddenly formed. The flickering light solidified into the appearance of a giant man stretching out his hand toward Eugene. Eugene¡¯s eyes seemed to have transcended time and space when he took in this sight. The giant of light parted its lips and said, ¡°Agaroth.¡± As the figure brought its hands together, its excess light was transformed into a giant sword. The Light, no, the God of Giants whispered as he slowly extended the sword to Eugene, ¡°Take this sword.¡± The Divine Sword that Eugene had been holding evaporated, as a huge sword that only a giant could havefortably wielded suddenly appeared in his hand. Without feeling any apprehension or surprise, Eugene tightened his grip on the sword. Then, he brought Wynnyd, which he still held in his left hand, close to the God of Giant¡¯s or the Light¡¯s Divine Sword. [Aaaaaah!] Tempest let out another roar. Grumble! The de of Wynnyd, which still had a storm roiling off of it, trembled violently before shattering into pieces. The fragments of the sword transformed into shards of light that swirled wildly within the storm. The prayers of the Saints, who had sounded like they might lose consciousness at any moment, were suddenly strengthened. Instead of continuing to whisper their prayers weakly, Anise and Kristina¡¯s voices rose in a hymn of worship. The swirling light grew into a gigantic figure in the air. The Spirit King of the Wind had somehow fully descended into the world. This descent came neither in the form of lending his strength to the holder of his contract nor in the form of an iplete descent that had all sorts of strings attached. The huge sword of light had opened up a door that had allowed the Spirit King¡¯s true self to descend into the world. Even seeing it with one¡¯s own eyes, this sight was hard to believe. The Demon King of Incarceration burst intoughter as he watched this impossible scene take ce right in front of him, ¡°Hahahaha...!¡± Pitch-ck dark power quickly coalesced around the Demon King¡¯s hands. The Demon King of Incarceration was preparing his own attack to meet the mounting threat from what could only be described as a miracle. ¡°Graaaaah!¡± Molon let out a warcry as he charged back into the fray. Molon was all too aware of what he should be doing now. As Eugene¡¯s Incarnation and Greatest Warrior, what Molon should be doing now was opening up a wide path so that Eugene¡¯s attack wouldn¡¯t be interrupted. Sienna also understood her role as she waved her staff. Beautiful sparkles flew off of Mary and struck Molon. Time suddenly seemed to be flowing faster around Molon. He instantly leaped through the remaining space between them and closed in on the Demon King of Incarceration. Poppop, poppoppop...! The veins on Molon¡¯s arms bulged as his muscles swelled with strength. Instead of shattering the handle of his axe, the terrifying strength being transmitted through his grip was causing the axe head to vibrate. Molon¡¯s positioning and his iing attack were forcing the Demon King of Incarceration to make a choice. But no matter whether Incarceration chose to respond by striking back, withdrawing, or trying to block, he still wouldn¡¯t be able to face the force of that Divine Sword with his full might. ¡°Are you so eager to die?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration questioned Molon. By pushing his body even further, Incarceration felt that he could still open up a path to escape. But the price for doing so definitely wouldn¡¯t be light. Parting his blood-drenched lips in a grin, Molon simply said, ¡°I have faith.¡± Was it faith in his own strength? Did Molon believe that he would be saved by a divine miracle? Or perhaps, did Molon just have faith that Eugene would make good use of the path he would be opening at the cost of his life, thus ensuring that his death wouldn¡¯t be meaningless? His tone filled with respect, the Demon King of Incarceration issued Molon apliment, ¡°Amazing.¡± Long ago, what the Demon King of Incarceration had been desperatelycking from hisrades was just that sort of faith. While feeling a bitter regret along with his respect, Incarceration stretched out his hand. Rooooooar! The Demon King¡¯s dark power collided with Molon¡¯s axe. The boiling turbulence that erupted between them knocked the Demon King of Incarceration''s arms up and shattered Molon¡¯s axe while sending the man flying backward, spraying out blood. Eugene¡¯s next move came neither toote nor too early. The moment Molon opened up a path that would lead directly to the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene swung his Divine Sword. Behind Eugene, the manifested Tempest also swung a fist wrapped in light. The darkness that had covered the sky was erased. Not a single speck of darkness or gloom remained in the sky. The brilliantly shining sky was then split apart by the force of Eugene¡¯s sh. Immediately afterward, the storm raised by Tempest¡¯s fist blew away everything, even the split in the sky. In the midst of this violent storm, the Demon King of Incarceration was left unable to resist and could only erupt with even more blood. Then, the Demon King finally fell. As he crashed into the earth, Pandemonium was left shaking. 1. This is the first time it is explicitly stated that Tempest formed a contract with Melkith. ? Chapter 593: The Demon King of Incarceration (14) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 593: The Demon King of Incarceration (14) [Bonus Image]

The Demon King of Incarceration tried to stand up but couldn¡¯t get to his feet. His legs lost their strength mid-attempt, causing him to copse back onto the ground. His vision kept shaking from side to side, and even his sense of bnce seemed off. Was his brain damaged? Or perhaps it was a different organ? He seemed to have retained his rationality, but.... ¡®It¡¯s difficult,¡¯ the Demon King sighed. He couldn¡¯t even voice the thoughts going through his head. The Demon King of Incarceration decided to just lie down on the ground for a few more moments to catch his breath. But why wasn¡¯t he able to catch his breath? Although that was what Incarceration was trying to do, he simply couldn¡¯t get his wild panting under control. Every time the Demon King attempted to take a deep breath, his chest hurt so badly it felt like his ribcage was about to be ripped apart. Instead of air, it was only ck blood and shattered pieces of internal organs that dripped down from his parted lips. ¡®It truly is difficult,¡¯ the Demon King grimaced. Was there a hole in his chest? Could it be that his shattered ribs had torn apart his lungs? Was his heart still in good condition? There were too many concerns to address regarding the current state of his injuries, and most of the results that came back from his self-examination were negative. ¡®At this point, I¡¯m barely clinging to life,¡¯ the Demon King admitted to himself. As long as the first chain that the Demon King of Incarceration had ever created was still connected, his body wouldn¡¯t be able to die even if he wanted to. And his chain that was connected to Destruction... hadn¡¯t been broken yet. So, as long as it remained intact, the Demon King of Incarceration would never be able to die. But in his current situation, that wasn¡¯t all that helpful. In a state where it wouldn¡¯t have been strange for anyone else to have died long ago, the chain was just barely keeping him alive. Was it finally enough? This thought suddenly urred to the Demon King. There was no way for the Demon King of Incarceration to die in this battle. No matter how much Eugene and hisrades might cry out for his death, there was no practical means for them to kill the Demon King of Incarceration. So, in their fight, the only ones whose defeat would end with their deaths were Eugene and the rest of his party. For the Demon King of Incarceration to be defeated... they would need to change his mind. Eugene and hispanions would win when the Demon King of Incarceration finally decided that there wasn¡¯t any further need to test them. They would win when the Demon King of Incarceration was no longer obsessed with ensuring the next era. They would win when the Demon King of Incarceration stopped thinking about whether or not their mission was even possible and just ced all of his hopes on the current era. ¡°Hahaha.¡± Eventually, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t help but let out augh. While letting out a low chuckle, the Demon King of Incarceration pressed his hands against the ground. In this test of their strength... Eugene and hisrades had sufficiently proven themselves. They had used every means at their disposal to push the Demon King of Incarceration to his breaking point. So much so that the Demon King could no longer be pushed any further. Even if their sess was due to variables that the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t have foreseen, such as the betrayal of Balzac Ludbeth... and how they had obtained the help of Noir Giabe¡¯s remnant soul. But the Demon King of Incarceration loved unexpected variables. Especially variables that had not existed within all of the countless eons he had experienced. He loved how these variables could shake the course of fate, which was constantly converging on a path to Destruction. The more deadly a threat those variables could pose to the Demon King of Incarceration, the more effectively they would be able to resist fate. That was why he found the current era to be such an amazing and beautiful one. Its heroes were overflowing with the will to rise up against the Demon Kings and save their world. Not a single one of them had given into despair, and even in the face of overwhelming power that should have stripped them of their will to resist, they had still continued to move forward bravely. Incarceration had tested them several times. He had tried to force them into despair by showing them such power that they must have felt that it was impossible to defeat him. He had told them to give up, that they would be able to move on to the next era together, where they would be able to enjoy the glory and happiness they deserved. However, none of them had epted his offer. Not one of them had hesitated out of a fear of death, nor had any of them betrayed theirrades. So, Incarceration wasn¡¯t able to drive them into despair as he had hoped. He had confirmed their strength. They had also refused to give up on their desire to save Vermouth, no matter the cost. In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be fine just to end things like this? ¡°Your Majesty!¡± some demonfolk cried out as they approached the prone Demon King of Incarceration. This group of demonfolk were thest members of the Demon King¡¯s Army stationed within Pandemonium. At the sound of their voices and approaching footsteps, the Demon King of Incarceration slowly lifted his head. Only then did the Demon King of Incarceration realize where exactly he had fallen. He was in the capital of Helmuth, Pandemonium. The city that had beenpletely remodeled into a battle fortress with the ability to indiscriminately bombard the rest of the continent following the demonfolk¡¯s victory in this war had nowpletely lost its function. The attack that had brought down the Demon King of Destruction had also cut down vast swathes of Pandemonium, but even before that, Pandemonium had already been reduced to ruins. This was all thanks to Melkith, who had followed Eugene¡¯s orders and had invaded Pandemonium all on her own before running wild through the city. The demonfolk stammered, ¡°A-are you all right...?¡± The demonfolk approaching Incarceration didn¡¯t appear to be heavily wounded. The Demon King of Incarceration could easily infer the reason for this. These demonfolk hadn¡¯t put up any resistance to Melkith¡¯s invasion. The demonfolk who would have had the strength to do so were already on the battlefield outside the city. These demonfolk, who had remained within Pandemonium, were all lowlifes whose only thoughts were of how they could invade the continent and sate their desires once the Demon King had emerged victorious. Because of that, these members of the rearguard hadn¡¯t dared to confront Melkith and had instead remained hidden. While hiding, they had just watched as Melkith¡¯s Omega Force destroyed all of the missile batteries and the other weapons that the Demon King of Incarceration had prepared. The Demon King of Incarceration stared at these demonfolk without saying anything. Incarceration could read the anxiety and fear in their eyes. He could also see another desire that was slowly spreading its way through them. These demonfolk had thought that this war would naturally end in Helmuth¡¯s victory. They hadn¡¯t had any doubts about the Demon King¡¯s eventual triumph. However, in front of them was the Demon King, who they had once thought to be so undefeatable but had now fallen into such a miserable state that it wouldn¡¯t be strange if he were to die at any moment. Their anxiety and fear of defeat began to give way to a desire to take the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s head for themselves. Such a dirty desire came from multiple factors. Some of the demonfolk wanted to take the Demon King¡¯s head and offer it up to humans. If they did, they might be able to acquire the glory they desired, even if it meant their defeat. Still others coveted the Demon King¡¯s throne. Without even taking into ount that killing Incarceration would mean Helmuth¡¯s defeat, they only cared about bing the Demon King and then fleeing to ensure their own safety. ¡°Haha,¡± the Demon King of Incarcerationughed, not feeling even the slightest disappointment when faced with such selfish greed. Instead, he would have found it funny if, in this current situation, any of these demonfolk had been willing to sacrifice their lives for Helmuth¡¯s glory and their Demon King. The Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t have a single drop of affection for the empire that he had founded. The reason he had founded the Helmuth Empire was to pursue optimal efficiency for his preparations during the three hundred years he had granted as a grace period. Then what about his efforts in developing Helmuth and actively epting human immigrants? This might just be stating the obvious, but the Demon King of Incarceration had never regretted his actions in starting the war or considered his actions to be in the wrong. His human-friendly policy was only for the sake of obtaining human souls without waging a war. Such a simple trick had worked out impressively. As a result of this policy, countless humans had immigrated to Helmuth before dying there. The souls they had mortgaged with contracts for posthumousbor had be assets to be used in preparation for the next era as their souls were circted within Helmuth. His recent preparation of weapons that transcended the current era¡¯s level of civilization was also done in the same context. After bombing the capitals of all the nations on the continent, the Demon King¡¯s goal was to leave the people with no choice but to surrender to him, making it easier for him to send them into the grindstone and use them as assets for his next era. After his first few times creating a new era, the Demon King had established a standard set of practices. When the time came for him to finally say goodbye to the current era, anypassion would only serve to wear him down. As such, the Demon King of Incarceration had always kept his entanglements to a minimum. His eyes had only ever been focused on the next era, never taking a moment to look down at those crushed beneath his feet or even lend them a hand. All the minimal entanglements he had been forced to make in this era were now dead. To the Demon King of Incarceration, the Demon King¡¯s Army that he had mobilized to fight in this war held no value, either as his subjects or as subordinates. That was why he didn¡¯t feel any disappointment at the treasonous intentions currently directed at him by these demonfolk. ¡°Get lost,¡± the moment the Demon King uttered these words, the bodies of the gathered demonfolk turned into ash and copsed. The dark power he had granted them had instantly been transformed into mes that had annihted them from the inside out. The Demon King let out a dryugh as he staggered up to his feet. That¡¯s right. He still had such a method avable to him. The Demon King chuckled as he rested his hands on his knees and said, ¡°I can still draw upon what I granted to all of you.¡± He had already withdrawn all of the dark power that had previously been spread throughout Helmuth. However, he had yet to withdraw the dark power he had granted to the soldiers of the Demon King¡¯s Army currently fighting on the battlefield. Though the dark power that he had granted them wasn¡¯t all thatrge in proportionpared to the total amount of dark power that the Demon King of Incarceration could hold, he now felt that everyst bit of it was needed. Without that small amount of dark power, he wouldn¡¯t be able to fight any longer. In other words, the Demon King of Incarceration hade to a conclusion. He still wanted to keep fighting. This wasn¡¯t because the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t given up. He had already resigned himself to his defeat long ago. His reason to keep fighting also wasn¡¯t because he thought that he hadn¡¯t tested them enough. After having undergone such a decline in his fighting strength, any further testing was meaningless. Yet even so, the Demon King wanted to keep fighting, even if it meant resorting to such shameless means to recover his dark power. ¡°Why is that?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked himself as he looked up at the sky. ¡°It should be enough that they have already forced me to give up. I¡¯ve also had to admit to their strength.¡± In a sky that was no longer covered in darkness, Eugene was standing, looking down at the Demon King. He didn¡¯t seem to be in great shape either. His eruption of divine power that had been unleashed with Ignition was slowly reaching its end. The pain that wouldn¡¯t go away even after his body was healed was also making it hard for Eugene to move his perfectly healthy body the way he wanted it to. Yet even so, Eugene¡¯s status was much better than that of the Demon King of Incarceration. He was still holding the giant Divine Sword of Light in his hands. Tempest, still covered in light, was also glowing in an eye-catching manner behind Eugene. Molon was barely clinging to life and was being supported by Sienna. The Demon King of Incarceration was also able to spot the figures of the Saints. The two Saints, who were now exhausted beyond all measure, were clinging to Eugene''s back instead of relying on each other for support. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s partly because I am jealous of you, who are so different from me,¡± the Demon King admitted. He knew the real reason. ¡°But it¡¯s mainly because I am very much enjoying our fight,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said with a smile. Even if this ended with Eugene kneeling in front of the Demon King of Incarceration, unable to fight any longer, the current Demon King definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to kill Eugene. Setting aside whether or not the Demon King of Incarceration still had any intention of killing Eugene, everyone who had apanied Eugene up to this point would make sure to block the Demon King from carrying out such an action. If things were toe to that point, the Saints would rush forward to sacrifice their lives for Eugene, and Molon would do what he had always done up until now, stepping forward to use his body as a shield for Eugene. Sienna would also desperately use all of the magic at her disposal to prevent the Demon King of Incarceration from realizing his hostile intentions. Even if he were to kill them all, the Demon King of Incarceration still wouldn¡¯t be able to kill Eugene. The Divine Army who had followed Eugene here would never betray Eugene. Not one of them held any desire to usurp Eugene¡¯s divine throne. The daughter of the Demon-Dragon, who was currently flying in the sky above, wouldn¡¯t hesitate to die for Eugene, the man who had killed her father. All of the believers who had followed Eugene here from Yuras would instantly be fanatics willing to martyr themselves to save Eugene. Even the heroes who had gathered from all across the continent were willing to die for him, giving up all the glory they had umted throughout their careers and the fame they would be able to enjoy far into the future. Even the descendants of Vermouth Lionheart, the one who had betrayed the Demon King oh so long ago, would sacrifice their lives for Eugene instead of repeating the mistake of their ancestor. ¡°So that¡¯s how it is,¡± the Demon King nodded with a calm smile. In the end, the Demon King was only ever meant to y the role of a viin in this battle. The Hero and all of the heroes apanying him would give it all they had as they stood together against the Demon King. It might not have worked out that way in the distant past, but that was how it was now. The fate of this world was different from the fate that the Demon King of Incarceration had envisioned for it. No, it wasn¡¯t just this world. Even the fates of the previous world and all the worlds that hade before it were never meant to rest in the Demon King¡¯s hands. Whenever the Demon King of Incarceration hadunched his invasions, the beings who had stood up to fight against their inevitable destruction had done so with the determination to create their own fate, without sumbing to despair, without allowing their hope to be snuffed out. Instead of the next era that the Demon King of Incarceration had always insisted on... they had fought to continue the future of their worlds. ¡°Show me then,¡± the Demon King softly said as he raised his hand. Roooooar! The battlefield outside Pandemonium shook. The demonfolk, who had already stopped fighting, screamed as they were drained. The ck Fog were the first to fall to their knees as they writhed in pain, and the demonic beasts all copsed as lumps of dead flesh. ¡°Show me your radiant light that erases despair,¡± Incarceration said, challenging Eugene. The dark power Incarceration had just stolen from his victims wasn¡¯t able to fly through the sky towards him. Like a shadow attempting to spread beneath a light that was far too bright for it, the dark power slithered across the ground as it flowed toward the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King chuckled as he clenched his fist and said, ¡°Show me a defeat that will close the door to the next era.¡± The Divine Sword was raised aloft. A pir of light rose above the world. As he shuddered at this sight, the Demon King of Incarceration whispered, ¡°Show me the victory that will open a path for the future.¡± Dragging the towering pir down with him, Eugene descended to the earth. Unable to hold it in, the Demon King of Incarceration burst intoughter. He grew so focused that even the nking sound of his chains wasn¡¯t able to enter his ears. The Demon King of Incarceration ran to meet Eugene as the Hero fell from the sky. Boooom! Darkness and light collided. But it was the darkness that shattered into pieces and was scattered. The countless chains trailing behind the Demon King of Incarceration were also broken along with the darkness. The Demon King of Incarceration staggered backward as if he was about to be sent flying, but he barely managed to keep his feet under him. He clenched his fist once more as blood andughter spewed from his lips. The next swing of his fist managed to stop the light in its tracks. However, that light was far too bright for the current Demon King of Incarceration to blockpletely. Behind Eugene, Tempest also raised his fist. A storm rose once more. Infused with light, the wind erupted forth in a sh. The Demon King of Incarceration used his remaining chains to try and hold himself in ce, but the storm of light engulfed the darkness in its entirety and shattered the chains. The remaining force of the blow washed over Pandemonium and eradicated what remained of the city¡¯s walls. As he was sent flying by the storm, the Demon King of Incarceration watched as the Divine Army marched over the fallen walls. Instead of ending the lives of the Demon King¡¯s Army as the demonfolk justy there, having lost all of their strength, the Divine Army had instead advanced on Pandemonium. They were chanting the name of Eugene Lionheart as they marched. Everyone on the battlefield could sense that the defeat of Helmuth, the demonfolk, and the Demon King of Incarceration was drawing near. The victory of Eugene Lionheart and the Divine Army was close at hand. ¡®Victory,¡¯ Eugene also had a sh of intuition. Eugene no longer had any remaining doubts about his divine domain. He listened to the prayers of his believers as well as how his name was resounding throughout the battlefield. Right now, what was it that everyone so fervently desired? What were they certain they had found? What was necessary to finally bring an end to this battle? What exactly was needed to close the door to the next era and open the door to the future? The Demon King of Incarceration had already said what this was. And Eugene was also sure of the answer to these questions. ¡°Agaroth,¡± the Light whispered from its cave beneath that distant sea. The Divine Sword of Light Eugene held in his hands shone with a radiant light. ¡°Hamel,¡± hisrades¡¯ voices called out. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± everyone else called the name that he was currently known by. All of the different names that belonged to Eugene werebined into one. Fwooosh. Levantein, which had fused with Eugene¡¯s heart, possessed an all-epassing divinity. As Eugene held the Divine Sword with both hands, the sword burst into mes. The light of the sword had been converted into a fiery ze. The roaring mes tore apart what remained of the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s clouds of darkness. The Demon King of Incarceration held up his hands to try and push back these mes, but his darkness was no longer able to cast any shadows, and his chains could not bind these mes. In the midst of the mes, the Demon King of Incarceration silently lowered his fists. After lifting his head to look up at the sky onest time, he shook his head with a long sigh. ¡°To think that you would be the God of Victory,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration muttered with a chuckle. ¡°It truly suits you.¡± Chapter 594: The Demon King of Incarceration (15)

Chapter 594: The Demon King of Incarceration (15)

The Demon King of Incarceration fell to his knees. However, Eugene didn¡¯t rashly approach the fallen Demon King. He had already caused Incarceration to fall to his knees several times throughout their fight. There had also been several times when the Demon King had been knocked down and seemed unable to get up. But every time, the Demon King of Incarceration had still gotten back to his feet. Even when he had been struck with attacks that should have left him close to death ¡ª no ¡ª that should have taken his life outright. This Greater Demon King, who bore the curse of immortality, would always get back up once more to block Eugene¡¯s path forward. ¡®Please,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself as he red at the Demon King of Incarceration, forcefully suppressing the urge to pant for breath. ¡®Please don¡¯t get up.¡¯ This wish was filled with all of the sincerity that Eugene could muster. Such a strong desire was because Eugene, just like the Demon King, had been pushed far beyond his limits. His whole body was groaning in protest, his vision was swimming, and his head felt clouded, so it would be challenging for the Hero to keep fighting any longer. Of course, Eugene wouldn¡¯t set his sword down just because he thought it would be a challenge. He might be sincerely wishing for the opposite oue, but if the Demon King of Incarceration did get up one more time... if he raised those shaking fists that he couldn¡¯t even hold steady and started walking towards them, then Eugene would naturally step forward to meet the Demon King and be ready to swing his sword once more. ¡°Haaaah...,¡± a long sigh escaped the Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s lips as he continued to kneel on the ground. Eugene bit his lip to keep focused as he took a cautious step forward. Fwooosh...! The mes of his Divine Sword, which had been infused with his godhood of victory, red up once more. ¡°You can lower your sword,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him. Startled by these words, Eugene froze in ce. On the other side of the copsed city walls, the Divine Army hade to a halt as they chanted the name of Eugene Lionheart. After shooting a nce at his Divine Army, Eugene spoke to the Demon King, ¡°What happened to all of your subordinates?¡± ¡°My subordinates? Hah,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled for a few moments before shifting his posture so that he was now sitting down on the ground with his legs in front of him. With his arms resting on his raised knees, Incarceration stared at Eugene as he said, ¡°Their loyalty to me was born out of fear rather than trust, and their obedience was trained into them by keeping them ignorant and ipetent. From the moment Babel copsed and my defeat became certain, I was no longer their master. Though I never even considered them worthy subordinates in the first ce.¡± Eugene listened in silence. ¡°Of course, not everyone is like that. Among all of the demonfolk gathered here, there are a few who are sincerely loyal to me and would have willingly sacrificed their lives for me. However, I still don¡¯t have any feelings toward them,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration admitted with a dryugh. The only exception to this was Gavid Lindman, but that man was already dead. The Demon King of Incarceration didn¡¯t spare any thought as to whether his army would be destroyed now that they had been defeated. ¡°That is why I took it back from them,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration exined. ¡°What exactly did you take from them?¡± Eugene asked with a frown. ¡°The dark power that I had granted them... as well as their dark power. I decided that I needed it more than they did in order to keep fighting,¡± the Demon King exined. In response, Eugene didn¡¯t say anything and just red at the Demon King of Incarceration. Incarceration sighed, ¡°However, it has still turned out like this. Despite making such an unsightly choice and giving it one final struggle, in the end, our battle has ended with me on my knees.¡± ¡°At least you¡¯re not dead,¡± Eugene quickly retorted. The Demon King of Incarceration smiled brightly at this quick response and continued speaking, ¡°I don¡¯t want to repeat the same things over and over again, Eugene Lionheart. With this body of mine, I am not able to die even if I wanted to. For me to die... it will be when I can no longer suppress the madness that I have buried deep within me, and I lose everything to it. Or perhaps, if therees a time when I get the chance to trade my own life for the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s death.... Until then, I am bound to this body like a ghost possessing a corpse.¡± As he was saying this, the Demon King of Incarceration ced a hand on his chest. Clinkclinkclink. A tarnished, ckened chain emerged from his blood-stained chest. This chain was so aged that none of the chains that the Demon King of Incarceration had revealed thus far could even seem to rival it. It was the oldest of all his chains. The very first chain that he had created and the one that had given him his title as the Demon King of Incarceration. Sensing this, Eugene swallowed a nervous gulp. ¡°This chain... is connected to the Demon King of Destruction. As long as this chain doesn¡¯t break, I won¡¯t be able to die. That said, even if I were to die somehow, that doesn¡¯t mean the Demon King of Destruction would die with me,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration noted with a wry smile. Eugene processed this silently. ¡°However, through this chain, I can get close to the very heart of the Demon King of Destruction. I... am unable to do anything to it, but if it¡¯s you, Eugene Lionheart, then there¡¯s a possibility that you might be able to end Destruction,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said eagerly. Eugene¡¯s eyes shook as he tried toe up with a response, ¡°Does that mean...?¡± ¡°So you want me to make things even clearer?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as he retracted the chain back into his chest. ¡°This battle has ended in my defeat.¡± His voice wasn¡¯t all that loud. However, the Demon King¡¯s deration still managed to overwhelm all of the surrounding noise, including the chanting of the Divine Army, and echoed throughout the battlefield. ¡°Helmuth has been defeated in this war,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration announced once more. These words caused all of the members of the Demon King¡¯s Army who still lived to fall into despair. Having been robbed of most of their strength, they buried their faces into the ground as they wailed in sorrow. Though, with the current state of the battlefield, it wasn¡¯t all that important to the surviving members of the Demon King¡¯s Army whether or not the demonfolk were willing to admit their defeat. Even if the remnants of the Demon King¡¯s Army wanted to resist this surrender, having been drained of most of their dark power, the demonfolk¡¯s parting struggles wouldn¡¯t be able to change the oue of this battle. ¡°I, the Demon King of Incarceration, do admit to our full defeat. With a body that cannot die even if I wanted to, I cannot offer you my neck just yet. But someday, Eugene Lionheart, when you finally achieve your goal... I will dly offer you my neck and open the door to the future with my blood,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration promised. Unable to say anything to this, Eugene just stared at the Demon King of Incarceration. He had yet to be hit by the joy of their victory. This... all of this still felt unreal. The Demon King wasn¡¯t done yet and continued, ¡°Until then, I am willing to bow my head and submit myself to you as your captive or ve.¡± ¡°What about Helmuth¡¯s territory and all of the empire¡¯s citizens?¡± Eugene eventually managed to ask. ¡°As the victor, is there any need for you to ask the vanquished for their opinion?¡± The Demon King returned his question with a smile before slowly shaking his head as he continued speaking, ¡°Thew of Helmuth is that the victor can im everything from the loser. Even if you hold no desire to press your im, I, as the vanquished, have no intention of iming ownership over anything that previously belonged to me. As such, Eugene Lionheart, you can do whatever you please with Helmuth.¡± Incarceration¡¯s hand, which had been resting on his knee, flipped over so that it was now facing palm-up. A bundle of chains suddenly appeared on the Demon King¡¯s outspread palm. ¡°This chain binds the souls of every single demonfolk, including those who didn¡¯te here,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration revealed. It didn¡¯t matter whether or not they had a contract with the Demon King. Helmuth was the territory of the Demon King of Incarceration, so all of the demonfolk who lived or were born there were ultimately the Demon King of Incarceration''s vassals. The dark power that the Demon King of Incarceration had freely bestowed to everyone in his empire for the past three hundred years had marked every single demonfolk. ¡°As long as you hold this chain, you will havemand over all demonfolk. If you order them to die, they will die, and if you order them to be your ves, they will serve you as your ves,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration exined. Eugene chewed his bottom lip as he thought about this. He didn¡¯t like the demonfolk. There was no way that he could like them. Even if the attitude and public perception of demonfolk may have changed over the past three hundred years, to Eugene, the demonfolk were still the enemy. However, his hatred of them wasn¡¯t enough to willingly annihte all the demonfolk who remained in Helmuth, including those who had chosen not to participate in this battle. But that didn¡¯t mean he was going to refuse the offered chain. After all, just because most demonfolk hadn¡¯t participated in today¡¯s battle didn¡¯t mean Eugene could just ignore the demonfolk¡¯s innately violent nature. ¡°Fine,¡± Eugene said with a nod. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and do as I please with them.¡± Eugene reached out his hand and picked up the chain. He had no intention of killing or enving all of the demonfolk, but he still decided to ept this chain as insurance so that he had the ability to seize control of the demonfolk in case of an emergency. As he tucked the chain away on his person, Eugene raised his head and looked up at the sky, murmuring, ¡°Victory, huh?¡± Ever so slowly, the realization of what had happened was beginning to sink in. They had won the battle. They had won their war against the Demon King of Incarceration. Although they hadn¡¯t been able to kill the Demon King just yet, the Demon King of Incarceration had admitted his defeat. This was a victory that he had been desperately searching for ever since he was Hamel. A victory that he hadn¡¯t been able to obtain even as Agaroth, the god. He had defeated the Demon King of Incarceration, someone who had seen the world end and begin anew many times over and who had always exerted hisplete control over the world as he prepared for the next era. ¡°Ha....¡± Augh unconsciously erupted from Eugene¡¯s bloodstained lips. As he wasughing, his legs suddenly gave out. Just as he staggered and was about to fall, Eugene was saved by Kristina¡¯s support. The Saint was also in the same exhausted state as Eugene. But desperately clinging to consciousness, Kristina forced her body to keep moving as she stepped forward to help Eugene keep standing. [Hamel.] ¡°Sir Eugene.¡± The Saints called out Eugene¡¯s names with trembling voices. Boom! Behind them, Molon and Sienna had copsed onto the ground. Before Molon could stagger back to his feet and walk over to embrace Eugene, Sienna had already leaped up and ran forward, crying out, ¡°Hamel!¡± Tears streamed down her face as she embraced Eugene and Kristina. Sienna stammered, ¡°D-did we win? Did we really, really win?¡± Sienna had also felt the same desperate desire for a victory over the Demon King of Incarceration. Ever since Hamel¡¯s death, just how long had she been waiting for this moment? Molon, who had btedly caught up with Sienna, approached them with his arms spread wide. ¡°Ahahaha! Hahaha! Hahahahaha!¡± Molon¡¯s voice was hoarse from all the roaring he had done during their battle, but hisughter reached even louder heights as he embraced everyone. As their victory was made clear, the realization was also slowly spearing through the Divine Army. Here and there, Lionheart standards were being raised into the air. Led by Gilead, the general staff rushed over the destroyed city walls and came running towards Eugene. Melkith, who had been hiding in the rubble of the city, raised her head from where she had been crouching down and leaped out of her hiding spot. She raised her head high and waved her arms vigorously as she tried to lead a cheer, ¡°Hip hip hurray! Hip hip hurray! Hip hip hurray!¡± Still in his descended form as a giant made of light fused with storm winds, Tempest trembled in joy as he uttered, [Finally.... We finally did it...!] They had finally fulfilled the goal of their northern expedition, which Tempest had been waiting for for so long. Tempest had even personally struck a blow against the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene lowered his trembling hands. The mes of the Divine Sword dissipated away into nothingness. He listened as his name was chanted from all directions. This was their victory. Eugene closed his eyes for a few moments. He knew the truth. Their victory in this war didn¡¯t mean that everything was over. They still had the Demon King of Destruction left to deal with. They still had to save Vermouth. After getting enough rest and making preparations, they would soon be marching to Ravesta. Holding on to the chain of the Demon King of Incarceration, they would stand in front of the Demon King of Destruction. There, they would meet Vermouth, who was sitting on top of the wound left by Agaroth as he held back Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration watched all of this take ce as he remained seated on the ground. In his opinion, it couldn¡¯t be helped that Eugene didn¡¯t seem able to find joy in his victory. Incarceration still felt that Eugene was being too greedy in wanting to save Vermouth while also ying the Demon King of Destruction. He felt that it was obvious that ying Destruction would also result in Vermouth¡¯s death. However, strangely enough, such an ambitious desire no longer felt like they were chasing a vain hope. Just a few hours earlier, Incarceration would have believed that it waspletely impossible, so... why had that changed? Had his opinion changed after suffering such aplete defeat that had rendered all his struggles meaningless? Or perhaps, had he been influenced by the unreasonable and stubborn ideals that Eugene and the others had voiced? In the end, had he been wholly convinced by the unwavering trust that they had shown in each other, theirck of betrayal even at the veryst moment, and the hopes they shared for the future? Perhaps... just perhaps, they might really be able to make his wishe true. They might just be able to finally y the Demon King of Destruction who had destroyed the world so many times over. They might be able to do what the Demon King of Incarceration had never been able to manage. Where Incarceration had only found failure and had been forced topromise, they might be able to find sess. ¡°Is that how it is,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as he shook his head. ¡°The whole lot of you are certainly surprising... and impressive.¡± As the cheers of victory began to spread across the battlefield, the Demon King of Incarceration parted his lips to say something. Incarceration¡¯s voice was being kept from reaching the Divine Army, making it so that only Eugene and hisrades, standing right in front of the Demon King, could hear him. The Demon King of Incarceration confessed, ¡°I had always thought that my will could never be allowed to be shaken by anything or anyone. The countless eternities I have lived through have spanned far too great a length of time and during those eternities... I made sure to seal away all of the various figures who had the potential to cause my will to waver and endanger my sanity. I... could not allow myself to be shaken. If I were ever to waver, give up on my mission out of despair, and give in to my death wish, the world would never get to see another era....¡± These words were delivered with a faint smile. Eugene opened his eyes and stared at the Demon King of Incarceration warily. ¡°But in the end, the bond that you share... and the hope that burns within you when you speak of your future has led me to fall t on my face,¡± the Demon King admitted wryly. ¡°Do you regret it now?¡± Eugene spat out, ignoring how the trembling in his hands refused to subside. ¡°You should have killed me a long time ago. If you had, you would have prevented me from reaching the strength I have today. So, do you regret it?¡± There had been many chances to kill Eugene. The Demon King of Incarceration could have done so at any time. That had been the case three hundred years ago, and until just yesterday, it would still have been easy for the Demon King of Incarceration to kill Eugene. However, the Demon King of Incarceration hadn¡¯t done so. Instead, he had waited until the Hero was capable of defeating him, and in the end, Incarceration had fallen to his knees. ¡°Most of my life has been filled with regret,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration responded with a smile. ¡°However, Eugene Lionheart, right now I can say this for certain. I don¡¯t regret how things have turned out today. I don¡¯t regret not killing you.¡± He paused for a few moments. After taking some time to listen to the resounding cheers and victory celebrations, heughed once more. ¡°Even though I have been defeated like this, strangely enough... I feel relieved,¡± the Demon King admitted. Eugene sneered, ¡°I had no intention of ever granting you such relief, oh Demon King of Incarceration. I only ever wanted to drive you into despair.¡± The Demon King of Incarceration justughed once more. ¡°Haha, despair you say.... It would be very difficult for you to rouse such emotions in me. I hope that you don¡¯t feel too upset about my self-satisfaction.¡± Eugene was distraught by these words. His distress came about because he hadn¡¯t defeated the Demon King of Incarceration just to hear him say such things. Even though the Demon King of Incarceration could sense Eugene¡¯s difort, he continued speaking, ¡°In the end... this means that the prayers supporting you and the hopes you spoke of were stronger than my desire to restart the process with the next era. Although I still feel reluctant to think that I can¡¯t save all these valuable variables to better prepare for the next era.... If a next era is no longer required, it means there will be no need for such reluctance.¡± ¡°You son of a bitch,¡± Eugene cursed. The Demon King of Incarceration shook his head and said, ¡°This world has diverged greatly from the fate I have so often seen repeating itself. Although I don¡¯t know for sure whether these differences will be enough to change the established ending, I... I am beginning to lean towards the hopes and dreams for the future that you so desire.¡± ¡°I know that you have a lot of history and your own circumstances,¡± Eugene said with a furrowed brow. ¡°But even so, I don¡¯t have any desire to sympathize with you. As far as I am concerned, you¡¯re just a Demon King who has repeatedly destroyed the world alongside Destruction over and over again. Even if you did... restart the world from the beginning every time, I won¡¯t feel any gratitude towards you for doing so.¡± Incarceration just shrugged and said, ¡°Instead of your gratitude, I actually prefer your unchanging hatred towards me. Because if it weren¡¯t for that hatred, you wouldn¡¯t have gotten to where you are today.¡± ¡°It really pisses me off that I can¡¯t kill you right now so that you won¡¯t be able to keep pping your lips like this,¡± Eugene growled through gritted teeth as he turned away. He didn¡¯t want to speak to the Demon King of Incarceration any longer. However, even as Eugene turned away from him, the Demon King of Incarceration whispered with a smile, ¡°I hope that you can muster up the same level of hatred for the Demon King of Destruction.¡± Eugene silently clenched his fists. ¡°Eugene Lionheart,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said before his gaze shifted to the side. ¡°Sienna Merdein. Molon Ruhr. Anise Slywood, Kristina Rogeris.¡± After saying the names of those who had finally shown him defeat, the Demon King said in a sincere tone of voice, ¡°I hope that all of your wishese true. Instead of starting the next era, I hope that you can open up a true future for this era. May you destroy the Demon King of Destruction and save Vermouth.¡± The criesing from the victorious Divine Army were suddenly snuffed out. The chanting of Eugene Lionheart¡¯s name also ceased. Even the wailinging from the defeated Demon King¡¯s Army fell silent. All noise suddenly disappeared from the world. Molon, who was still embracing everyone, felt his hair stand on end. Sienna stopped sobbing with joy as her eyes widened in rm. Anise¡¯s expression, which had been pale with exhaustion, suddenly stiffened and Kristina, who had been holding on to her rosary with tears pouring from her eyes, felt her legs give out on her. Startled, Eugene raised his gaze. The Demon King of Incarceration also turned around and looked behind in shock. They saw a riot of colors spreading across the sky. Chapter 595: Advent (1)

Chapter 595: Advent (1)

"Why?" The one who spoke was the Demon King of Incarceration, his face no longer smiling but instead filled with horror. He struggled to mobilize his inert body and staggered to his feet. "How can this be...?" he said with incredulity. What he was seeing was beyond belief. Colors were swirling chaotically before his eyes ¡ª it was a unique phenomenon that could only mean one thing. But why? Why had the Demon King of Destruction appeared here? For three hundred years, the Demon King of Destruction had been sealed away in Ravesta with Vermouth. This ce was not Ravesta. There should be no reason for the Demon King of Destruction to appear here. Yet, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn''t deny that the chaotic colors spreading across the sky were a harbinger of theing of the Demon King of Destruction. His chains were connected to the center of the swirl of colors. He felt even more appalled. He always felt the trembling in the chains. Whenever any influence was exerted on the Demon King of Destruction or Vermouth, the Demon King of Incarceration would be the first to know through the chains. Thus, it was genuinely rming that he had not sensed the advent of the Demon King of Destruction earlier. Was it because he was focused on the battle at hand? Because he was weakened? No, it was not for such reasons. Regardless of his circumstances, the chains were unbroken. ¡®He descended here before I could even feel the tremors,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration thought. The Demon King of Destruction was an entity that was both omnipresent and also not present anywhere. Destruction was a phenomenon known as a Demon King, yet it was also a harbinger of destruction and disaster. Without the seal, it could appear anywhere at any time. ¡®Has the seal been broken?¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration wondered in rm. This thought caused the Demon King of Incarceration to panic even more. There should have been some leeway left in the seal. At the very least, it should have held strong for a few more months. But now, suddenly and without any signs, the seal was broken.... Wait, signs? The Demon King of Incarceration bit his lip. If the seal was purely his own doing, he wouldn¡¯t have been forced into such an unexpected and abrupt confrontation. ¡®Vermouth Lionheart,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration thought with a sigh, no longer panicking. Seated on the throne that was bound by chains was Vermouth. Though Vermouth¡¯s limbs were shackled by the chains, the ultimate authority of the seal was, indeed, Vermouth himself. If the seal had failed and the Demon King of Destruction was descending, it meant only one thing ¡ª Vermouth had ultimately failed to endure and keep Destruction in his slumber. "What now,¡± Eugene barely managed to speak. Why the Demon King of Destruction appeared here was a secondary concern. They had to think of something else first. They couldn''t fight right now. Not Eugene, not Sienna and Molon, and not even the Saints. They had just finished their battle against the Demon King of Incarceration and werepletely spent. After rampaging in the dream and facing bacsh from using Ignition in reality, Eugene felt as though he could faint at any moment. He was somehow managing to hold on to his consciousness, but fighting against the Demon King of Destruction was out of the question. Eugene couldn¡¯t even use his divine power at the moment. The Demoneye of Fantasy had closed. Simr to Eugene, Sienna was nearly drained of her soul energy after having unleashed miracles and magic one after another. Although she could still use some magic, it was impossible for Sienna alone to hold back the Demon King of Destruction. Molon had thrown himself into battle time and again. Each time, he managed to keep his life and heal his wounds, but in reality, Molon''s body was as good as dead. He needed more time to be battle-ready. And what of Kristina and Anise? In truth, the Saints were in the worst condition among theirrades. Throughout the fierce battle, they had poured out divine miracles to keep their allies alive, simultaneously bearing the tremendous burden of bacsh along with Eugene from his reckless fighting style. ¡®We cannot fight,¡¯ Eugene reached this conclusion in an instant. Fighting the Demon King of Destruction now was impossible. Even attempting it would end in their demise within mere seconds. ¡ªAll troops, follow me. Memories of a distant past surfaced in Eugene¡¯s mind ¡ª memories not of Eugene but that of Agaroth. When Destruction had suddenly descended, Agaroth hadmanded the Divine Army to march. He ordered them to death, and Agaroth himself had prepared to meet his end. But should he do the same now? Would that even mean anything? Even if he sent all of the Divine Army forward, they couldn''t stop the Demon King of Destruction. The general staff was strong, but their power was futile before Destruction. Eugene''s eyes trembled. Even in his wildest dreams, he had not imagined encountering the Demon King of Destruction today, and he was utterly bewildered by this dreadful and desperate encounter. A deep darkness pooled at the center of the intertwining colors, spreading out everrger. That darkness, emanating from the center felt more ominous and malevolent than anything else in the world. Ohhhhhh.... The very air quivered, and the ground undted. Mana was sucked in and became part of the chaotic colors. The world screamed. The darkness spread increasingly wider at an rming pace amid the chaotic colors. The sight was iprehensible to the eye, and looking at it directly contaminated one¡¯s mind with madness. The Divine Army could sing no longer. Stricken with terror and shock, most had already copsed, clutching their heads or screaming. Even the general staff, led by the Lionhearts, were frozen in ce and unable to move. "Uh...?" It was Molon who managed to speak. His bright eyes saw a figure rising within the darkness. Soon, Eugene, Sienna, and the Saints also saw it. But unlike Molon, Eugene couldn''t utter a word, so great was his astonishment. What formed from within the darkness was something that, although distorted, took on a human form. They had seen the Demon King of Destruction once from a great distance three hundred years ago. Back then, it had appeared as a mishmash of colors. It had not resembled a human or demon. It was the same in Agaroth''s memories. Even then, the Demon King of Destruction hadn''t taken such a form. Even when Agaroth barely reached the heart of Destruction, it had not looked like this. But then, what was this thing? Ohhhhhh.... The smoky figure moved further. It staggered forward, seeming about to copse at any moment. But somehow, it remained upright while swaying. The colors went mad. Intertwined and spreading, the colors seemed to erode the world. All those colors were connected to the strange being that had appeared at the center. The figure looked like a human cloaked in chaotic colors. Slowly, very slowly, it moved further, though it was barely discernible due to the chaotic nature of the swirling colors. But everyone instinctively came to a realization. It was looking their way. It was pointing a finger toward them. He knew, but Eugene couldn''t move. Was it because of the recoil from the fight? No, it wasn''t that. While it was true that he was bruised and battered from the fight, Eugene couldn¡¯t move right now because his thoughts had frozen the moment he made eye contact with it. "Hamel." It was Molon who moved first out of sheer instinct. Although he was in no condition to move quickly, his body seemed to respond on its own. The killing intent hung in the air as clear as day. He was sure something terrible would happen if he didn¡¯t move, and as always, Molon did not hesitate. He was thankful that he was already holding hisrades. Molon¡¯s thick arms wrapped even tighter around Eugene, Sienna, and Kristina. He gritted his teeth and swiftly turned around. Molon¡¯s broad back served as a sufficient shield to protect those he held. Boooooom! A loud sound of explosion ensued. Molon was flung into the air while holding hisrades. He vomited blood, which was scattered in the air. Coming to his senses btedly, Eugene looked up at Molon. His horribly twisted face and overturned eyes proved the pain he was enduring. "Molon...!" Sienna screamed. Kristina snapped out of her daze and, instead of screaming, began praying while embracing Molon¡¯s back. Anise quickly added her miracles as well. Although Kristina had reached out to his back, she could not feel any flesh or blood. What she felt instead on her fingertips was rough bone, and even that was gradually turning into ash. "Molon!" Eugene also screamed in utter shock. Fwoosh! A me he barely ignited enveloped them all. Sienna cast a spell to leap through space repeatedly. In this way, they all gained distance from it. ''He¡¯s not dead yet,'' Eugene consoled himself. But even the resilient Molon was so critically struck that he hovered on the brink of death. Even in his unconscious state, Molon did not loosen his grip, forcing Eugene to pry his arms open to hold him. "What is that...?!" Sienna shouted after stopping her leaps, gasping for air. They had put what seemed like enough distance between them, but a chilling unease remained. The thing, wrapped in dizzying colors, slowly descended. The entity that hadnded on the ground moved toward the Demon King of Incarceration standing before him. The Demon King of Incarceration said nothing and instead just stared at it. However, it didn¡¯t look back at the Demon King of Incarceration. Its gaze remained fixed only on Eugene. Sensing its gaze, the Demon King of Incarceration let out a long sigh, and it passed by the Demon King of Incarceration without causing any trouble. "Molon, Molon...!" Eugene called out urgently. He felt disbelief and anger receiving the gaze of that being. But right now, Eugene couldn''t face its gaze directly. He first had to check Molon¡¯s wounds, who had taken the direct hit while shielding everyone. His back had been blown away. His bones remained but were gradually turning ck. The same was happening to his organs. Molon''s breathing was unbelievably faint. Eugene¡¯s divine power was sealed, and he couldn''t heal Molon, but the Saints were desperately attending to his wounds. "What... what do we do?" Sienna asked falteringly. They couldn¡¯t fight now. Sienna had reached the same conclusion as Eugene. For now, they had to retreat. But could they retreat? For some unknown reason, the Demon King of Destruction had descended and was now approaching them. [Aaaaaaaaaah!] A scream echoed from the sky. Raimira, who had been flying high in the sky, charged forward. Bang, bang, bang! Maise¡¯s Signature, Battleship, was still active around Raimira. Its cannons continuously fired during her charge, and Raimira also opened her mouth, gathering a massive amount of mana into one point before unleashing a Breath attack. It reached out toward Raimira¡¯s Breath, and the intertwining colors that covered the sky shot forward. The moment the color touched the magic and the Breath, everything was annihted. [Aaaaah!] As the advancing colors drew closer to Raimira, Sienna quickly swung her staff. Her magic immediately transcended space and enveloped Raimira. However, it failed to fully protect her. A glint of colors had merely brushed the tip of her wing, but the colors spread swiftly andpletely engulfed Raimira¡¯s wing in the blink of an eye. ¡°No!¡± Maise screamed from Raimira¡¯s back. With a whoosh, Maise¡¯s magic de narrowly severed Raimira¡¯s wing. [It hurts, it hurts!] Having lost one wing, Raimira started to plummet downward. Maise¡¯s magic barely managed to catch her in ce. ¡°Wait...¡± Eugene said as he quickly stood up, but Tempest didn¡¯t heed his words. Stiffened by the presence of Destruction, Tempest whipped up the winds and screamed, [Back off!] With a roar, Tempest charged forward. Rumbleee! It wasn¡¯t just Tempest that surged forward. Having raised her hands high and cheered loudly before, now, Melkith also screamed shrilly. Although she had already exhausted all her strength, she intuitively felt that now was not the time to flee. ¡°Block it!¡± Melkith screamed, her nose bleeding and her eyes crying bloody tears. She barely seeded in summoning the Spirit Kings of Earth, Lightning, and Fire. The three Spirit Kings followed behind Tempest. The earth was overturned, and lightning struck down from the sky. mes erupted from the overturned earth. It raised its hand again. The colors spread anew. The lightning that had struck was returned to the sky. The torn earth mended. mes were extinguished as if doused with water. [Aaaaah!] The storm abated. The Spirit Kings could no longer exist in this world. Those terrifying and nullifying colors sent all the Spirit Kings back to their world. Still suspended in the sky, Raimira no longer screamed in pain. Instead, she fired another Breath attack. She knew such attacks were futile but did so anyway in an attempt to block its advance. But it wasn''t just Raimira who was struggling desperately. On her back were the priests who had been bringing miracles to the battlefield. All of them leaped down simultaneously. These were the priests of Graceful Radiance, those who had been imnted with holy relics and trained for the war against Helmuth. They jumped from the high skies, one after another, all unfolding wings of light as they flew toward the Demon King of Destruction. "Wait..." Eugene stammered once again. He had issued nomands. Not to Raimira, nor to Tempest, Melkith, or Graceful Radiance. He had not ordered them to advance or attack Destruction. "My god!" Some members of Graceful Radiancended where Eugene was. They barely managed to help the staggering Eugene and hisrades to their feet. A few of them sliced their own wrists to pour blood on Molon''s wounds, purifying the corruption of Destruction¡¯s dark power. "Please, please fall back...!" A priest of Graceful Radiance, whom Eugene had seen several times before, helped him stand and then cried out. But before Eugene could respond, the priest whirled around. He saw fellow priests who had charged at Destruction disappearing into the light, vanishing in vain. "To martyrdom!" the priest bellowed before spreading his wings and flew off. Other priests followed in session, crying out ¡°for martyrdom¡± as they charged toward the colors stirred by Destruction. "Hey..." Eugene called out weakly. It took only a few minutes for hundreds of priests to be extinguished. But during those few minutes, it had stopped in its ce. Bang, bang, bang! The thunderous explosions caused by Raimira¡¯s breath did not cease. As if drawing all the mana from her Dragonheart, Raimira continued firing Breaths, and the wizards above her vomited blood as they supplied her with mana. "Why are you doing this?" Eugene said helplessly. It wasn¡¯t just Raimira. As their captain, Raphael led the entire flying squadron in a charge towards the Demon King of Destruction. Martyrdom, martyrdom, martyrdom! Raphael''s cries of zeal echoed thunderously through the roars of Raimira¡¯s breaths. The earth trembled. Eugene quickly turned his head to look back. He saw the fluttering banner of Lionheart. The entirety of the Divine Army had been singing a hymn of victory when Destruction descended. They had stiffened in fear at first but now were charging toward it. The Divine Army charged, screaming, without even maintaining proper formation. They knew that against it, tactics or strategies were meaningless. Eugene could understand what they were thinking, what they were nning. The goal of the Divine Army was not to fight and defeat the Demon King of Destruction. Their objective was to hold off Destruction long enough for Eugene and hisrades to escape. They had determined that this was the only way to victory in the current situation. "Why?" Eugene asked in despair. Eugene had notmanded such a thing. He had not yet ordered death to the Divine Army like Agaroth. But they had decided to die of their own ord to save Eugene and momentarily stop Destruction. "Is that so?" Within the rapidly spreading death, the Demon King of Incarceration let out a long sigh and shook his head. Then he said, "Everyone is drawn to you, Hamel." nk. The sound of chains echoed from the Demon King of Incarceration. Chapter 596: Advent (2)

Chapter 596: Advent (2)

With a sigh, the Demon King of Incarceration turned around. He saw Destruction advancing, wrapped in dizzying colors, and the ash and light left by the oxidized members of Graceful Radiance scattering in the air. Ahead, there was Raphael on his Pegasus, leading the flying squadron. On the ground, the Divine Army was screaming to forget their terror as they advanced. He saw Eugene, unable to move. The Demon King of Incarceration understood that Eugene had no choice but to freeze in such a situation. The Demon King of Incarceration''s power had ultimately failed to drive Eugene to despair, but the current situation would inevitably make him despair. It was enough to bring Eugene to despair. "Are you despairing because what you pursued hase to naught?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked. He sighed again and wore a bitter smile. "Do you despair seeing those who revered you sacrificing their lives in vain?" nk. The Demon King of Incarceration began to walk. Chains that had appeared out of nowhere dragged along the ground with his steps. "Before the inescapable and irresistible Destruction... do you also finally sumb to despair?" he questioned. Eugene had won the war against Helmuth and the Demon King of Incarceration. However, he could not win this current battle. The Demon King of Incarceration could too easily foresee and be certain of the oue of this fight. Eugene and hisrades no longer had the strength left to fight. Or so he thought. "Ah...!" the Demon King of Incarceration suddenly uttered. He stopped walking. It was not a sigh but an exmation that escaped him. Eugene must be despairing now. At the moment when everything he and hisrades had hoped to save hade to naught, feeling despair was inevitable. In the distant past, the Demon King of Incarceration had felt the same. He had wanted to overthrow the Demon King. He wanted to save the world. He had really been on the brink of achieving it but had fallen at thest moment. A trustedrade had be the Demon King, and the world he wanted to save was destroyed. The Demon King of Incarceration hadn''t always been fixated on the future rather than the present. Time and again, as he faced new beginnings, he had thought, this time for sure. He had hoped for a different oue this time. Not toply with Destruction and move on to the next era but to end Destruction in the present. He had failed many times. He had lost much, filled many voids, seen and embraced much, and yet lost again. He had be alone many times. He had despaired, and even this despair he had incarcerated in the abyss, to the depths of his own being. One would be met with despair when their desires and goals crumbled into nothing. The Demon King of Incarceration knew this despair all too well. He also knew that it was not something that could be easily shaken off. Would Eugene give up and choose death here? He thought so. Or perhaps he would run away in terror. Although he saw thetter as almost impossible, stubbornly struggling against the impossible was something this man might do. But look! Blood trickled from Eugene''s clenched lips. The eyes that had been clouded with despair were flickering with light once more. His trembling fingers formed into a fist. Yet, Eugene''s feet did not move forward. Without turning away his bloodshot eyes, Eugene took a step back while staring ahead. Instead, he held back Sienna, who was screaming and trying to rush forward, and made Kristina step back. He also helped the fallen Molon to stand. "Ahh...!" The Demon King of Incarceration eximed again. There was no longer any despair in Eugene¡¯s eyes. He barely kept his anger under control while choosing to step back instead of advancing. He did not choose defeat. Instead, he chose to honor the wishes of those who had chosen death for him, those who had advanced forward without orders. If he died now, everything would end. Eugene understood this clearly, and the Demon King of Incarceration couldn''t help but admire Eugene¡¯s resolve. Eugene Lionheart still hadn''t given up and rose above his despair. He clung to his desire not just for a future beyond the current era but for a future now, vowing that the deaths of the many who sacrificed themselves for him would not be in vain. Had Eugene sumbed to despair, chosen to flee in terror rather than retreat in hate and determination, it would have been unavoidable.... That would have been the conclusion the Demon King of Incarceration came to. Although this era faced a different ending from what the Demon King of Incarceration had originally envisioned, he would have judged this world to be done for and prepared for the next era. But now, he did not entertain such thoughts. This world could not be discarded. Instead, the Demon King of Incarceration thought, how dazzling is the light oxidizing without fear of death? Even before the unstoppable forces of destruction and death, they were united. They burned their lives willingly for values and glory far greater than their own lives. The Demon King of Incarceration wasn¡¯t particrly fond of zealots. Most gods he encountered during his eternal life were ipetent, and the fact that he created the world from the beginning innumerable times meant that the Demon King of Incarceration himself was closer to being a god than those beings. But now, the Demon King of Incarceration even felt amitment and light in those zealots at the forefront that he had never paid attention to before. "Admirable." Thus, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn''t help but sincerely marvel. Crack! The Demon King leaped high off the ground. He instantly crossed the distance andnded between Raphael¡¯s leading flying squadron and the Demon King of Destruction. "The Demon King of Incarceration...?!" Raphael, who had been fervently calling for martyrdom, cried out in surprise. The Demon King of Incarceration didn''t wait to hear the rest and moved his hand. ng, ng...! Numerous chains sprang from the Demon King''s arm. Fwoooosh! The sky split wide open. The chains from the Demon King had opened a portal in space. It was impossible for him to open a portal to a distant ce, but for now, this was sufficient. Though he felt his head spin and his breath was caught, the Demon King ignored the cries of existence and swung another chain. "What are you doing?!" Raphael screamed as he hastily pulled on Apollo''s reins, but he couldn''t resist the storm raised by the Demon King. The flying squadron, faced with the spreading colors of destruction, was sucked into the portal opened by the chains of Incarceration. "Indeed," the Demon King of Incarceration observed as he gasped for air and turned his head. Even though he had snatched prey right from its mouth, it did not pay attention to the Demon King of Incarceration. From the beginning, it had not acknowledged any existence other than Eugene. It had merely erased the moths flying towards it. "You don''t even pay attention to me," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a self-mocking smirk as he fell. Phew... The Demon King of Incarceration curled up as he inhaled deeply. His overtaxed body screamed as it copsed, but the Demon King of Incarceration did not stop. As he fell to the ground, he raised both his hands high, then lowered them. Whoosh! When the Demon King''s hands touched the ground, countless chains surged from the earth. The chains intertwined and formed a massive barrier. The Demon King of Incarceration staggered to his feet while gasping for breath, then spat out blood. "You...," Eugene gasped. As he stepped back, he saw the fallen form of the Demon King of Incarceration before him. The Demon King of Incarceration spat out blood repeatedly, then lifted his head while takingbored breaths. "You know what that is,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. The voice that reached him was so weak it seemed it might cut off at any moment. Gasping for breath, the Demon King of Incarceration looked back towards Eugene. "Vermouth,¡± Eugene responded in a soft voice. Sienna and the Saints were startled by his answer and turned towards him. The Demon King of Destruction stood before the wall of chains in a human form wrapped in chaotic colors. But Eugene could feel Vermouth from it. He was certain that it was Vermouth. "That''s right,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said while wiping the blood dripping from his lips with the back of his hand. "I don¡¯t know why I failed to sense that the seal was broken, and I don¡¯t know why it appeared here.¡± Creak, creak.... The Demon King of Destruction, no, Vermouth began to move again. As the distance closed between Vermouth and the chains raised by the Demon King of Incarceration, the chains trembled even more. "Whether Vermouth''s ego has been devoured, I''m not sure. But it was drawn here because of you,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene silently clenched his fists. "You should not feel guilty. Rather, take pride, Hamel. When you were Agaroth, you engraved a wound inside the Demon King of Destruction. Your existence is imprinted at the core of Destruction," the Demon King of Incarceration exined. Creak, creak. The sound of chains also began to echo from the body of the Demon King of Incarceration. Aware of the noise emanating from his body, the Demon King took another deep breath. "Through that imprint, Destruction felt your presence. It came here because it cannot tolerate your existence. So, you can be proud, Hamel. The Demon King of Destruction sensed that your sword could reach it." The Divine Army''s advance halted. They were wary of the Demon King of Incarceration, who had suddenly burst in, flung the flying squadron aside, and erected a wall of chains to block the Demon King of Destruction. Amidst their hostile gazes, the Demon King of Incarceration gave a broad smile. "Therefore, I shall....¡± The Demon King of Incarceration paused, then continued, "Hamel, I will acknowledge you once more. Your sword is sharp enough to have drawn the Demon King of Destruction here. And your will shall not waver even before the ominous madness of destruction, and yourrades will never betray you." The Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as he raised both hands. Creak, creak. Newly appeared chains wrapped around his arms. "What are you... trying to do?" Eugene asked. It was clear the Demon King of Incarceration was also drained of strength. Yet, to muster such power ¡ª Eugene''s expression hardened. He was wringing it out. He was using the souls he had never given up on, the souls he would carry onto the next era. His cursed, undying soul was being transformed into dark power. "If the seal has been broken, then I will simply seal it again," the Demon King of Incarceration replied. "Of course, I am not Vermouth, so I cannot hold Destruction at bay for centuries. A seal made by sacrificing myself will ultimately be a temporary and unstable measure. But for now, it should be enough to save you all." The sound of lowughter mixed with the sound of chains. The Demon King of Incarceration ran his hand over his chest and then pulled out a part of the ancient chain to hand over to Eugene. "As I said earlier, I cannot directly lead you to the center of Destruction anymore. But this will suffice. This chain will guide you into the depths of Destruction." Eugene could only stare at the Demon King of Incarceration. He was unable to respond. He could not fully understand why the Demon King of Incarceration had made such a choice, why he chose to stand in the way of Destruction. Was it because he acknowledged defeat? It couldn''t be just that. Something had moved the Demon King of Incarceration''s heart. "I won''t thank you, and I haven''t changed my mind about killing you,¡± Eugene said while biting his lips and clutching the chain. The Demon King of Incarceration nodded with a smile. "Of course. What I truly desire is death itself. It doesn''t need to be restful. Oblivion is fine.... Even eternal suffering without death is eptable. Just knowing that Destruction can end, and I don''t have to move towards the next era, is rest enough for me,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration. The Demon King of Incarceration wound the chains that flowed from his chest around his hand. Creak. As space distorted, simr chains appeared at the heart of the approaching Destruction. The Demon King of Incarceration wrapped the chain linking him to the Demon King of Destruction around his hand several times as he said, "Go." Eugene stepped back. "Do not let the lives sacrificed for you be in vain,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration warned. "Right,¡± Eugene answered. Eugene pushed Sienna forward, even though she hesitated, and hoisted Molon''s massive form onto his shoulder. The portal in the sky formed by the chains fell to the ground. Eugene pointed towards the portal with his hand. "We retreat now." His low voice reached the Divine Army. Gilead, leading the Divine Army, hesitated before nodding. At Gilead''s gesture, the Divine Army advanced towards the portal while whispering among themselves. "How long can you hold it?" Eugene asked without looking back. His chains trembled as he firmly grasped them. The Demon King of Incarceration vomited blood once more before replying, "I will hold it until you return." "Good," Eugene uttered a single word. He didn''t ask for a specific duration but thought it irrelevant. The Demon King of Incarceration was sacrificing everything he had to restrain Destruction. Having fought the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene knew how formidable and tenacious that entity was. Moreover, Eugene didn''t need much time. As soon as he recovered physically and mentally, he nned to return here. So, for now, they would retreat. Eugene did not ask further questions and leaped through the portal of chains. The Demon King of Incarceration did not check his departure but moved his hand. With a roar, all the demons remaining on the battlefield were dragged towards the Demon King of Incarceration. "Ah!" "My lord!" The demons screamed and struggled, but they couldn''t shake off the chains wrapped around their waists. As they drew closer, their screams turned to curses and abuses. They instinctively knew what the Demon King of Incarceration was attempting. "Yes." Pleased by the barrage of curses and insults, the Demon King of Incarceration grinned. "This suits me." The demons were flung over the wall of chains towards the Demon King of Destruction. Thump, thump! The demons were instantly annihted when they came into contact with the spreading colors of the Demon King of Destruction. Their dying souls returned to the Demon King of Incarceration, strengthening his grip on the chains. Whoooo.... The world cried out around the Demon King of Destruction. The wall of chains trembled as if it might copse, and blood dripped from the hands of the Demon King of Incarceration as he held onto the chains. "This is... emotion." The Demon King of Incarcerationughed as he approached the Demon King of Destruction. As he drew nearer, the wall of chains tightened around the Demon King of Destruction as it raised its hands towards the chains. Boom...! A heavy resonance shook the chains and the Demon King of Incarceration, but he did not stop. "Vermouth, are these your emotions?" The Demon King of Incarceration crossed through the wall of chains to stand before the Demon King of Destruction. The entangled colors were too dense to see Vermouth''s form. But the Demon King of Incarceration felt an unmistakable gaze and emotion from it. Since Eugene had passed through the portal and left this space, the Demon King of Destruction could no longer see Eugene. But it was also impossible for it to follow Eugene, as the Demon King of Incarceration held the chains tightly. "Is that so?" The Demon King of Incarceration whispered, clutching the chains with both hands. "You are still there." The shattered wall of chains encircled both the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction. Chapter 597: Advent (3)

Chapter 597: Advent (3)

The ce that Eugene arrived at after passing through the portal of chains was Neran, where they had been stationed during this war. Having exhausted most of his power, this was as far as the Demon King of Incarceration could manage to connect the gate, and Eugene actually found this fact fortunate. From here, he could see the battlefield clearly. He stood at the highest point of the city walls and watched as all the members of the Divine Army passed through the portal of chains. Eugene observed the battlefield they had all just vacated. The figures of the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction were not visible. All that was there now was a massive dome of chains ¡ª thest seal the Demon King of Incarceration conjured by sacrificing himself. Eugene narrowed his eyes and intently observed this seal. He could faintly make out the inside of the seal. What he saw within were writhing masses of flesh. It was packed with Nur as far as the eye could see. The seal was about the size of the coliseum where he had dueled Gavid, and it was filled to the brim with nothing but the Nur. "I can''t see,¡± Eugene muttered, rubbing his aching eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn''t see the center of the seal, and looking from the outside was futile with so many of the Nur crowding the view. Finally, Eugene gave up with a heavy sigh and looked away. ''What about Molon?'' he asked the Saints inwardly. [We are continuing the treatment, but... he is not fully recovered yet.] Eugene sighed again after hearing Anise¡¯s response. Should he be grateful that Molon was still alive? If so, it wasn¡¯t just Molon who was fortunate. They had all nearly died. In fact, many had perished. The scene he had witnessed was still etched in his eyes: Priests of the Graceful Radiance, who had been organized from the start as a suicide squad, spreading their wings and charging at the Demon King of Destruction. If the Demon King of Incarceration had note this far and acted stubbornly, insisting on testing them and pushing them to their very limits, if there hadn¡¯t been a full-scale battle, they would have proceeded with the original n to enter Pandemonium with only a few key members of the general staff. The Graceful Radiance would have also sacrificed themselves to be the Light for Eugene. But the battle had unfolded differently. Even though some priests had died during the fight, more had survived. But all the members of Graceful Radiance who survived had momentarily blocked Destruction in exchange for their lives, and seeing this, the entire Divine Army had charged forward for Eugene. "Dammit,¡± Eugene cursed. Whether as Agaroth or Hamel, Eugene had seen his fill of battlefields. This wasn''t the first time he''d seen people die for someone else. But, this was a first. Those who had charged for Eugene¡¯s sake were killed by the very person Eugene had sworn to save. That creature had even tried to kill Eugene. ''Is that really even Vermouth?'' Eugene mused, recalling the indistinct figure he had seen. Thinking back on its movements, it seemed devoid of any sense of self. If even a shred of his ego remained, it wouldn''t have acted that way. Eugene forcibly erased the haunting scene from his vision. It was because of those who sacrificed themselves without a second thought that Eugene had survived. But in truth.... "Stupid bastard,¡± he muttered. Eugene gave a heavy sigh and pped his own face. With a smack, his head was whipped to the side. "If I hadn''t just stood there like an idiot...," Eugene muttered angrily. His excuse had been that he didn¡¯t have proper control of his body due to the recoil from overusing Ignition in the earlier battle. But that was just that ¡ª an excuse. The real reason he had frozen in the face of the descending Destruction was that he couldn''t bring himself to believe what was unfolding before his eyes. Recalling it made his stomach churn again, and Eugene pped his cheek harder this time. His head turned with a loud smack. Thinking a p might not be enough, he had punched himself. But he had hit himself so hard that his head spun, and his mouth was filled with the taste of blood. "Idiot, what are you doing?" a voice was heard chastising Eugene. Someone steadied Eugene as he staggered, about to fall. He blinked rapidly to clear his vision. He recognized the face and spat the blood pooling in his mouth to the side. "What else? I¡¯m doing something idiotic,¡± he answered in frustration. "At least you know." Cyan sighed deeply and released his hold on Eugene. He examined Eugene''s blood-caked face and body and shook his head, asking, "Aren''t you going to at least wash up?" "Speak for yourself,¡± Eugene retorted. It was true. Cyan was in no better condition. Eugene pointed at Cyan¡¯s hair, which was matted and stiff with dried blood, and clicked his tongue. "Don¡¯te any closer; you smell like a rotting corpse,¡± Eugenemented. "That¡¯s probablying from you,¡± Cyan grumbled before sitting down on the parapet of the wall. In the middle of the empty battlefield was the seal of chains. The scene he had just witnessed was truly unfathomable and ominous. Just thinking about it made Cyan shiver, but he did not show it and gripped his knees tightly. "A lot died,¡± Cyan said, still staring at the empty battlefield. "I know,¡± answered Eugene. "But far more survived,¡± Cyan continued. "Because we won,¡± Eugene replied. "Because you won," Cyan corrected him. During the battle, Cyan¡¯s hands had moved of their own ord as he wielded his sword. It seemed he had relied more on instinct than reason from some point onwards. He couldn¡¯t even remember how many of the enemies he had killed. He was suddenly reminded of his first battlefield. He had killed quite a few people back then, too, and frankly, it had not been much different this time. But he felt like he could never get used to it. "If you hadn''t gotten the Demon King of Incarceration to surrender... um... I would still be fighting out there, right?" Cyan asked rhetorically. "That''s true,¡± Eugene agreed. "And if you hadn¡¯t brought the sun up in the sky... our side would have suffered much more damage. So...." Cyan paused, lowering his head. What the hell was this kid trying to say? Eugene wanted to press him to get to the point, but he remained silent, finding Cyan¡¯s earnest yet bedraggled appearance somewhat amusing. Cyan finally continued, "You know... um... I can somewhat guess how you¡¯re feeling. Honestly, you are much... in terms of age or experience.... Well, still, I am your older brother, after all.¡± "Who decided that you¡¯re my older brother, you little brat?" Eugene retorted. "Anyway...." Cyan bristled, then lifted his head and finally saw it. Eugene was desperately holding backughter. Seeing that, Cyan felt a mix of embarrassment and as if his blood was boiling. Did he really even need to say this? Now that he thought about it, what reason did he have to offerfort or encouragement to someone like Eugene? Shouldn¡¯t he be the one receiving encouragement after barely surviving through the battle? "Get lost,¡± Cyan snapped after contemtion. "Why? Keep talking. Try encouraging your younger brother like a good older brother should,¡± Eugene urged him. "Encourage? You''ve handled yourself just fine,¡± Cyan said while jumping down from the parapet of the wall. "Looking at your face, it seems like I¡¯m the one who needs to correct my mental state. Ugh, what I saw earlier. It still gives me chills just thinking about it." "You did well not to faint,¡± Eugeneplimented. "Maybe because it felt simr to something I''ve experienced before? Like, when the ck Lion Castle was invaded...? I felt it in Hauria, too, ¡± said Cyan. Although not quite the same, the ominous colors resembled the presence of the specter. Had Cyan not experienced it before, he might have copsed without resisting. "Besides, it wouldn''t do for the future head of the Lionheart n to faint even before the fight starts, right?¡± said Cyan. "Fight?" Eugene asked, looking puzzled. This response made Cyan look at Eugene as if he was the strange one. "Are you saying we shouldn''t fight?" Cyan asked. Eugene decided to answer this question with silence. "It turned out well, didn''t it? We¡¯re right at the forefront of the battlefield... and the troops are still here. We could head into battle right now if you were ready,¡± Cyan continued. "Aren''t you scared?" Eugene asked curiously. "Of course, I''m scared. But that doesn''t mean I can run away. Eugene, are you... testing me? Trying to see if I''m shaking in my boots?" Cyan spat. "What do you think I am?¡± Eugene asked. "I think you''re trash,¡± Cyan answered angrily, subtly hiding his trembling hand behind him. Eugene had noticed the shaking before but had chosen not to tease him about it. "Little brat, you¡¯ve grown up well." Eugene chuckled and patted Cyan on the shoulder, but Cyan grimaced and pushed his hand away. "From the way you talk, someone might think you were the one who raised me,¡± Cyanmented in irritation. "I can take credit for about half the work,¡± Eugene said with a grin. "Stop talking nonsense and go wash up and get some sleep. And don''t sleep for half a year likest time,¡± Cyan snapped back. "I''ll check below first,¡± Eugene answered. Leaving Cyan on the wall, Eugene descended to the temporary camp. The soldiers were checking supplies, and they nodded as they saw him, and many folded their hands in prayer. Eugene raised his hand slightly in response, then headed to the infirmary. "Ah... ahhh...." Thergest patient in the infirmary was Raimira. She hadn''t released her polymorph and was curled up on the outskirts of the infirmary, groaning in pain. "Ugh... Benefactor...," Raimira groaned. Raimira had coiled her long neck into her chest as she suffered, but upon sensing Eugene¡¯s presence, she immediately lifted her head. Her eyes, which were asrge as a human¡¯s head, brimmed with tears. ¡°Benefactor.... My, my wings are... my wings...,¡± she cried. ¡°Does it hurt a lot?¡± Eugene asked in concern. ¡°It hurts.... It hurts so terribly.... This is the first time having my wings cut off...,¡± Raimira sobbed. She suddenly halted, and her eyes quivered. ¡°Mer!¡± Raimira shrieked after lifting her head high. Mer, who had been busily darting around the infirmary surrounded by piles of medicine and bandages, froze in shock. ¡°I remember now! It was you, Mer. You cut off thisdy¡¯s wings, wings as beautiful as obsidian! It was you!¡± Raimira cried out usingly. ¡°How dare you raise your voice at your savior!¡± Mer yelled back as she grabbed a nearby bundle of bandages and hurled it toward Raimira. ¡°Stupid lizard! If I hadn¡¯t cut off your wings, that vile light would have devoured your entire body! What do you think would have happened then?¡± ¡°I... I don¡¯t know...¡± Raimira muttered hesitantly. ¡°What do you mean, you don¡¯t know? You would have been dead! Foolish lizard. Just because you got hit in one wing, you scream miserably and do nothing, so I, being smart and rational, had to step in. Do you understand?¡± Mer shouted back. ¡°I.... Just one wing...? I have two wings, so if one is cut off, it¡¯s like losing half¡ª¡± Raimira¡¯s whimpers were cut short. ¡°Stop being so dramatic! In the past, I¡¯ve lost both my arms and legs and even had my chest split open to my belly. Even then, I didn¡¯t moan but remainedposed,¡± Mer said proudly, boldly puffing out her chest as she spoke. Though she recounted experiences from when she had been disassembled in Akron, as a matter of fact, Mer did not feel pain. Of course, Raimira didn¡¯t even think to point this out. She merely curled up further. ¡°Look.... In truth, thisdy is not in pain. Thisdy just made some noise because my throat was itchy...¡± she muttered. ¡°Hmph, then stay quiet,¡± Mer shot back sharply, then noticed Eugene. After hesitating for a moment, she passed the bandages and medicine she was carrying to a nearby acolyte. ¡°Sir Eugene!¡± Freed, Mer dashed towards Eugene and leaped into his arms. Normally, Eugene wouldn¡¯t have minded Mer''s embrace, but now, he could not maintain his stance. Without a moment to brace himself, his waist bent backward, and his legs buckled. Even the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t easily force him to his knees, but now, they plowed into the ground too readily. ¡°Ugh...¡± he groaned. Eugene had been forced to his knees, but Mer could not be bothered to point it out. She lifted her head from his chest abruptly. She could feel a sticky difort on his face.... Mer grimaced as she rubbed her face and pinched her nose. ¡°Sir Eugene, you smell,¡± she said. ¡°What kind of smell?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Blood smell, sweat smell, and various rotten smells,¡± she answered. ¡°I did bleed and sweat a lot. I¡¯ve also been in a pit with rotting corpses,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°You really need to wash before you sleep,¡± Mer suggested. ¡°I was about to wash and then go to bed anyway,¡± Eugene grumbled as he set Mer down beside him. ¡°Just as soon as I get a grasp on the current situation.¡± After leaving the infirmary, he entered the quarters of the general staff. Eugene greeted the bustling knights and headed for the private room. ¡°You¡¯re here,¡± someone said as he entered. The room was filled with hisrades. Sienna was sitting in the center, deep in concentration. She opened her eyes and turned her gaze towards him when he entered. ¡°How''s the seal?¡± Eugene asked immediately. ¡°I¡¯ve looked everywhere, but the core is nowhere to be seen. How about on your end?¡± ¡°The barrier I left in Lehainjar is unstable,¡± Sienna responded with a frown. There was an active barrier in Lehainjar suppressing the emergence of the Nur. ¡°It should hold easily for another week, but... it¡¯s not looking good.¡± ¡°Has the Nur appeared?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Not yet. It''s unstable because I''m preventing them from surfacing. I don¡¯t n to leave it like this... but if the barrier breaks, countless Nur might flood out,¡± Sienna pointed out. ¡°The ins are the same,¡± said Eugene. Eugene approached Molon, who was lying face down, next to whom Anise had copsed from exhaustion. ¡°The Nur are swarming inside the chains. It might not burst because of that... but we need to be vignt,¡± Eugene continued. Molon had no visible injuries on his back, but he was still unconscious. Eugene threw his blood-soaked cloak to the side. ¡°How long do you think it will take for recovery?¡± Eugene questioned. ¡°That... depends on Molon¡¯s mental strength,¡± Anise replied, barely managing to raise her head. ¡°No, not Molon. You,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Me...? Well, I guess I might recover after resting for a couple of days,¡± said Anise. ¡°Sienna, what about you?¡± questioned Eugene. ¡°Same for me... But I¡¯m not sure about the Demoneye of Fantasy,¡± said Sienna. ¡°I doubt the Demoneye of Fantasy will work against the Demon King of Destruction,¡± Eugene remarked. He nced at the purple gem next to Sienna. It hadn¡¯t shattered, but its luster had faded, and ck stains had formed on its surface ¡ª a contamination from the Corpse Poison of the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°The dark power of Destruction is far more sinister and ominous than the dark power of Incarceration. Just seeing it could drive one mad,¡± said Eugene. Even Noir had been overwhelmed by the Demon King of Destruction in Ravesta. Even in life, she couldn¡¯t directly counter that madness. Using the Demoneye of Fantasy in her unstable spiritual form might lead to her being devoured instead. ¡°Hamel, what about you?¡± asked Anise. ¡°Me? Well, a couple of days won¡¯t cut it... maybe a week off might do,¡± he answered. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m asking,¡± said Anise. Her gaze sharpened as she struggled to sit up. ¡°Can you fight?¡± ¡°I wondered what you were going to ask,¡± said Eugene. Anise stared at him in confusion. ¡°You¡¯re asking the wrong question, Anise. Can I fight? Of course, I can fight,¡± said Eugene. ¡°Hamel,¡± Anise called out. ¡°What you should be asking is, ¡®Can you win?¡¯¡± Eugene chuckled as he clenched his fist. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to beat Vermouth.¡± Chapter 598: Advent (4) The memory of their first meeting surfaced in Eugene¡¯s mind. After Vermouth had abruptly asked him to berades, Eugene had challenged him to test his skills ¡ª and lost miserably. He was defeated so thoroughly that he could find no excuses to make. It was an overwhelming loss. Barely, just barely, he had managed to nick Vermouth''s cor, and for that, he had ended up face-first in the dirt. ¡°I have¡­.¡± It wasn''t just that one time, either. ¡°I¡¯ve never beaten Vermouth. Not even once,¡± Eugene said. After bing Vermouth''srade, in the beginning, Eugene would pick fights and challenge him to duels whenever he got the chance. He didn¡¯t ask to duel with Vermouth because he could win. Rather, he asked for a duel simply because he wanted to duel. Logically, he knew he would lose. He hade to a realization after bing Vermouth¡¯srade and fighting together with him. Even if he didn¡¯t want to, he couldn¡¯t help but realize it: that Vermouth was strong. Vermouth was so strong that Eugene, who had never considered himself inferior to anyone inbat, had to admit that the difference between them was like night and day. No matter how much he trained or gained experience, the gap between him and Vermouth did not seem to narrow. ¡°Looking back, it makes sense that I never won. That bastard Vermouth had too many tricks up his sleeve,¡± Eugene grumbled. ¡°The way you areining, everyone might think you had nothing up yours,¡± Sienna said while raising a finger. A sparkling light enveloped her, cleaning her tattered robe and washing the blood and sweat from her body.¡°You had plenty hidden up yours too, didn¡¯t you?¡± Eugene said usingly. Sienna cleared her throat and waggled her finger as Eugene shot her a pointed look. ¡°That''s right. Molon and I were the only ones who could boldly say that we had nothing hidden in our back pockets,¡± Anise said with a smirk. Now clean and fresh, she felt content. ¡°What? Why me!? I had nothing either,¡± Siennained. ¡°Nothing? Really? The Sage of the World Tree said it, Sienna. You were favored by mana and magic, which is how you were led to the great forest,¡± Anise responded. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I was some fool who had a dazzling past life!¡± retorted Sienna. ¡°Yes, you are different from an idiot who lived a brilliant previous life yet died a fool. Buting back to the topic, it¡¯s true that your back pockets were always full, right?¡± Anise said as she casuallyy down. ¡°That¡­. What about you? You¡¯re the same!¡± Sienna shot back. ¡°My goodness!¡± Anise eximed. Still lying down, she gasped and threw her arms up toward the ceiling. ¡°You really are cruel, Sienna! You know the terrible tragedy of my birth. How could you say that?¡± ¡°Ah¡­. No.¡­ That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Sienna mumbled, sounding flustered. Anise wailed, ¡°You know I didn¡¯t choose to be born this way! My goodness, my goodness¡­. Unlike you, who was born under the grace of magic, my birth was marred with hideous fanaticism and blood¡­.¡± She iled her arms toward the ceiling, her voice filled with distress. As her cries continued, sweat began to bead on Sienna''s forehead. ¡°I¡¯m¡­ sorry¡­ I misspoke¡­¡± Sienna whispered. ¡°Your voice is too quiet,¡± Anisemented. Once again, Sienna lost to Anise. She timidly approached Anise, gently took her shoulders, and shook her softly. "I''m sorry...! It was my fault¡­," she apologized sincerely. "Well, since you apologize like that, I guess I have no choice but to find forgiveness in my generous heart,¡± Anise replied with a small smile. Obviously, Anise wasn''t really angry or sad. She was just exploiting Sienna''s guilt. Anise had always been adept at leveraging her unfortunate past to her advantage. And despite knowing full well she would do such a thing, there was no way to win an argument with her. "I had nothing either,¡± Molon dered in a firm voice. He had been lying prone, listening to the conversation. He slowly lifted his head, saying, "I was truly born with nothing. And my homnd, the snowy ins, was a harshnd that truly had nothing." "The great forest was the same,¡± Sienna retorted. "It''s different. Sienna, didn¡¯t you grow up with the kind elves?" questioned Molon. "Do you think the great forest had only elves? There were plenty of monsters and natives, too. Do you know how many cannibals were there three hundred years ago...?!" Sienna snapped back. "So, Sienna, did you grow up with monsters and cannibals?" Molon''s question was sharp despite having juste back from the brink of death. "That''s... well, no, but," Sienna faltered. "Not all wilds are the same, Sienna. I grew up braving blizzards every day, hunting monsters." Molon reminisced about the past while slowly nodding. Tired of watching this pointless conversation, Eugene flopped down on Molon''s back and grumbled, "What are you guys even arguing about?" "You were raised in an ind city. You wouldn¡¯t understand,¡± Anise responded. "You¡¯re from the ind too,¡± Eugene pointed out. "I spent most of my youth confined to a monastery, and I had no parents,¡± Anise replied calmly. "Who among us did? And what city! My hometown was a backwater vige in Turas. Do you know how many monsters were in the forest right next to the vige? Kids getting eaten by goblins or orcs was just a part of daily life there,¡± Eugene responded, then pped Molon on the shoulder. "Hey, are you feeling alright?" "It hurts, but I can bear it," said Molon. "Bastard, why did you do something that nobody asked for? I would have dodged it myself,¡± Eugene rebuked. "Hamel. Even if you hadn¡¯t intervened, Vermouth would have dodged it himself,¡± Molon retorted. Eugene was at a loss for words. Had Molon be smarter aftering back from the brink of death? "Uh... well... anyway, thanks," Eugene mumbled. Knowing that getting angry would only lead to more teasing, Eugene ended the conversation with words of gratitude. "Though I was lying down, I heard everything,¡± said Molon. "You¡¯re lying. You were knocked out. How could you have heard anything?" questioned Eugene. "I wasn''t knocked out. I was just resting with my eyes closed,¡± Molon exined. "Oh, is that so?" Eugene said, sounding unconvinced. "Vermouth. Can we beat him?" Molon asked. At that question, Sienna and Anise looked at Eugene. He didn''t answer immediately but scratched his chin and pondered for a moment. "If it were the Vermouth from three hundred years ago, I think I could beat him with just one finger," muttered Eugene. "The Vermouth we know now is not the same,¡± Molon reminded Eugene. "That''s right. It seems even the Demon King of Incarceration had trouble with the nature he¡¯s revealed now," Eugene acknowledged. "Does the current Vermouth even have any sanity left?" Sienna questioned, feeling a twinge of pain from the part of her chest where she was wounded, even though it had long since healed. She frowned and ced a hand on her chest before continuing, "He looked even stranger than when I saw him in the tomb. At least back then, Vermouth had a face." "He''s being manipted by the Demon King of Destruction,¡± Eugene said while climbing down from Molon¡¯s back. "It''s clear that Vermouth has no intention of attacking us. If that¡¯s the case, then it wasn''t Vermouth who attacked us." "Hamel, but¡ª" said Molon. "I know. It¡¯s possible that Vermouth''s sense of self haspletely disappeared,¡± Eugene answered. When they saw Vermouth earlier, he had possessed a strange appearance. His face and form were barely visible and shrouded in ominous colors. But it was undoubtedly Vermouth''s body. Eugene had felt his gaze. Eugene had stared straight at him but couldn¡¯t feel Vermouth¡¯s ego in those eyes. "We haven¡¯t checked yet,¡± Eugene grumbled, dismissively waving his hands. "If we can clear away that chaotic mess, maybe Vermouth wille to his senses. If he doesn¡¯t, well, we¡¯ll think about that when the timees." "We¡¯ll just have to beat him into consciousness,¡± Molon chuckled in response. "If we punch a hole in his chest, he''lle to his senses whether he likes it or not,¡±mented Sienna. "And if he still doesn¡¯t wake up, I''ll perform the rites for the dead. It might finally be time for a real funeral,¡± Anise chimed in. Sienna and Aniseughed simultaneously. In the end, none of them intended to give up on Vermouth. The Demon King of Incarceration called it excessive ambition, but since when was it wrong to have excessive ambition? Now that they had set their minds on saving him, that was all they were thinking about. And it wasn¡¯t just because it was Vermouth. No matter who it was, they wouldn¡¯t abandon arade. "You all rest,¡± Eugene said, staggering to his feet. "I''ll go and briefly discuss the situation with the Patriarch." "Shouldn¡¯t you be the one resting most, Hamel?" said Anise. "It¡¯s not as bad as when I was in Giabe City,¡± Eugene reassured her. While everyone needed rest, Sienna had to keep an eye on the barrier in Lehainjar, and Molon and Anise were still unable to move. Of them all, Eugene was in the best condition, and regardless of anything else, he held the title of the Commander-in-Chief of the Divine Army. "If you go looking like that, you¡¯ll only bring the morale down,¡± Sienna said while pointing at Eugene. In the blink of an eye, his ragged clothes were washed clean, his matted hair soaked and then dried to a fluffy state. The cloak that had been crumpled and thrown aside rose up and returned to its original form, draping over Eugene¡¯s shoulders. "Just talk briefly ande back. The quicker you rest, the quicker you¡¯ll recover,¡± said Sienna. "But the more we dy things, the more the Demon King of Incarceration will suffer, right? Thinking about that makes me want to dy even longer,¡± Eugene joked. "Stop talking nonsense, and just go ande back quickly!" Sienna chided as she shoved him towards the door. Urged by the smacks on his back, Eugene was pushed out of the room. However, he could not help but stop after only a short walk down the corridor. "I¡¯m heaving... struggling... groaning¡­." In the corridor sat Melkith, conspicuously positioned. She was leaning against the wall. She had slumped down and, with effort, turned to look at Eugene, offering a faint smile. "I¡¯m d¡­ you¡¯re safe¡­." Blood trickled from Melkith¡¯s nose. Eugene nced at the bundle of tissues that had fallen near her hand. It seemed she had just pulled the tissues that had been plugging her nose. "Eugene¡­ if you are¡­ safe, then hope continues into the future¡­ For that, I am¡­ cough." Melkith struggled to continue. She turned her head and coughed a few times. Unfortunately, blood did note out as she might have hoped. Should she bite her lip or tongue? Melkith seriously considered it but decided against it. She feared the pain. "Hah¡­ hah¡­ I¡­ I don¡¯t regret¡­ stepping up for you¡­." Watching Melkith gasping for air, her voice dying, Eugene stood still for a moment before walking towards her. "You are¡­ the light of the world¡­ a me. And to keep the me burning¡­ someone must be the kindling." She was pleased with this line. Melkith shivered at her own words. Eugene was getting closer. As he did, Melkith mixed emotion into her breath and slowly tilted her head. "Ah, how dazzling¡­ I am¡­ fortunate¡­ to have served you.¡­" He passed her by. He didn¡¯t stop, not even for a moment. He didn¡¯t spare her another nce. Eugene simply walked past Melkith without saying a word. "Hey!" Stung by his indifferent demeanor, Melkith dropped her act. She screamed and grabbed Eugene¡¯s ankle. "How could you do that?!" "If you¡¯re hurt, go see a priest. Don¡¯t lie here; go lie in a bed,¡± said Eugene. "You didn¡¯t feel anything from my touchingst words?" Melkith shouted. "Whatst words? You¡¯re not dead,¡± Eugene pointed out. "I was ready to die for you!" she screamed. "That would have been very touching, but doing this here kind of ruins it,¡± Eugene responded as he helped Melkith to her feet. "Now, go plug your nose again." "Did you really find it touching?" Melkith asked expectantly. "Of course,¡± answered Eugene. "If you really were moved, then do that for me, too,¡± Melkith said, gritting her teeth. It wasn¡¯t her original intention to make such an open demand, but since her act hadn¡¯t worked, she had no choice. "What are you asking me to do?" questioned Eugene. "You did that thing with Tempest, right? The light! Can''t you do that with the other Spirit Kings besides Tempest?" Melkith asked excitedly. "What nonsense are you talking about...?" Eugene asked. "You just have to bestow your grace and baptize them! Isn¡¯t that how it works? Spirit King of Light...!" Melkith said dreamily. "That¡¯s not a spirit. It''s divine power,¡± Eugene pointed out. "I know. There''s no such thing as a spirit of light in the world. But if I, the Grand Spirit Master, say it¡¯s the spirit of light, doesn¡¯t it be one? I¡¯ve decided that''s how it is,¡± Melkith stated proudly. "Are you sure you haven¡¯t hit your head?" Eugene asked in concern. "I¡¯m perfectly fine,¡± answered Melkith. "Yes, you seem as usual. Anyway, it¡¯s not something I can do just because I want to. The Light used Tempest as a vessel..." Eugene started to exin. "More vessels are better.¡± Undeterred, Melkith followed Eugene, pestering him. "But I mean, even if I want to do it for you, I can¡¯t. If you really want it, why don¡¯t you join the Church of Light and pray fervently?" Eugene suggested. "The only deity I serve as a god is the Goddess of Magic, Lady Sienna,¡± responded Melkith. "Then ask Sienna to do it,¡± Eugene suggested. "I¡¯m asking you because Lady Sienna can¡¯t...!" Melkith whined. "As much as I¡¯d like to oblige because I''m grateful, I can¡¯t do what¡¯s impossible. No matter how much you plead, I really can¡¯t,¡± Eugene stated. "Really?" asked Melkith. "Why would I lie to you?" Eugene asked. Only after hearing the same response several times did Melkith¡¯s shoulders slump. She chewed her lip, filled with deep disappointment and reluctance. "How are Tempest and the other Spirit Kings?" Eugene asked. "They''re recovering,¡± answered Melkith. "So everyone needs time. Lady Melkith, you should also rest instead of wandering around,¡± Eugene suggested. "Of course..." Melkith wore a look of exasperation. Many thoughts had passed through her mind in the face of Destruction. She hadn¡¯t simply acted without thinking. However, at that moment, she just felt it was necessary. So, without considering the consequences, she had intercepted Destruction. Thinking about it now... frankly, it was frightening. Could she do it again next time? Did she have to fight? Was it even possible to win against such an enemy? "Can you win if you fight?" she asked cautiously. Eugene chuckled dryly in response, ¡°Did I fight the Demon King of Incarceration because it seemed winnable? We fought and just happened to win." "So? Do you think we might win if we fight this time?" Melkith probed again. "We¡¯ll only know if we try,¡± answered Eugene. "Can I run away?" asked Melkith. "You can go if you want,¡± responded Eugene. "Now that you''re not trying to stop me, I don''t really want to go,¡± Melkith sighed heavily. Chapter 599: Advent (5)

Chapter 599: Advent (5)

When Melkith and Eugene entered the conference room, all the general staff was already gathered. The members of the general staff, who had been engaged in a serious discussion, rose from their seats as soon as they saw Eugene enter through the door. "You all must be tired. There¡¯s no need to stand up,¡± Eugene said as he waved dismissively while crossing the room, which was filled with the mixed scents of blood and medicine. These were the highest members of the general staff with formidable skills within the army, yet none were without injuries. Eugene briefly nced at Carmen''s hands, which were tightly wrapped in bandages. He could see blood seeping through the wrappings. It wasn''t just for show, apparently. "Looks like everyone made it out alive,¡± Eugenemented. He climbed onto the central table of the conference room and sat down, surveying those around him. Each had one or two wounds, but no one had suffered critical injuries. If one had to name the most severely injured, it would be Melkith, who could no longer summon spirits and had suffered internal injuries. "But why such long faces?" Eugene asked with a half-smile. It was a given, but everyone¡¯s expressions were evidently grim, both when he had entered the room and even now. "It¡¯s not exactly a situation to celebrate a victory,¡± Lovellian spoke up with a sigh. "Helmuth... we won the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. If it had just ended there, we''d be toasting withughter by now. But it didn¡¯t end there,¡± Carmenmented while opening and closing her bandaged hand. "We know what it is but not why it appeared here. I don¡¯t know why the Demon King of Incarceration blocked it and why he let us escape." "Humiliation,¡± Raphael ground his teeth as he spat the word. "To think we were saved by the Demon King of Incarceration...!" "Don''t get too worked up. You weren¡¯t the only one who was saved,¡± said Eugene. "But, Sir Eugene...!" Raphael cried out. "Really, calm down. If anyone should feel humiliated, it should be me. I won the fight, yet afterward, I survived thanks to the Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Eugene replied as he furrowed his brows, and Raphael had no choice but to seal his lips. Eugene sighed deeply while observing Raphael. "Anyway, I''m just d everyone is safe." With those words, silence enveloped the room. No one dared to speak, and all eyes cautiously observed Eugene''s expression. Even Melkith, who had entered with him, was so oppressed by the atmosphere that she kept her mouth shut. "That is...." It was Gilead who finally broke the silence. He sped his hands tightly and closed his eyes before continuing, "The Demon King of Destruction... right?" "Yes," Eugene answered. "It might sound strange... and I find it odd myself, but Eugene, when the Demon King of Destruction approached... oddly enough, it felt as though my blood was being drawn to it,¡± Gilead said cautiously. At those words, Gion''s expression changed. Carmen was the same. They both chewed on their lips, unable to find words to speak. Eugene nodded in response. ¡°Well, it was Vermouth that appeared earlier,¡± Eugene said casually. Everyone took a sharp breath in response to Eugene¡¯s shocking statement. ¡°Vermouth...?¡± ¡°The Great Vermouth himself?¡± Murmurs broke out among the gathered staff. Eugene was saying that the Hero, the Great Vermouth, the one responsible for forming a peace treaty, the Oath, three hundred years ago, had now reappeared as the Demon King of Destruction. If this news spread outside, it would literally turn the world upside down. ¡°It¡¯s not that Vermouth wanted to attack us. It¡¯s just that... having sealed the Demon King of Destruction for too long... his mind has been muddled a bit. A good thrashing might snap him back to reality.¡± Eugene said, waving his hand dismissively. ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ll be the one to beat him down. I¡¯ve wanted to beat him up for ages. Besides, my body now... is a descendant of Vermouth¡¯s and... well, there are various reasons.¡± He wondered if he should tell them the truth about the identity of the Demon King of Destruction and about the Demon King of Incarceration. Should he speak now? Eugene pondered for a moment and decided against it. The Demon King of Incarceration would not wish it. He could have revealed at any time what sort of existence he was and what he had done for the world. However, the Demon King of Incarceration had never once disclosed the truth throughout his repeated lifecycles. True to his name, the Demon King of Incarceration had simply wished to remain a Demon King. Now, to have his past and story revealed, to leave a name in history, or to receive recognition ¡ª none of these were things the Demon King of Incarceration would desire. ¡®I¡¯m more tempted because he wouldn¡¯t want it.¡¯ A mischievous thought crossed Eugene¡¯s mind but remained just a thought. Of course, this was all Eugene¡¯s spection. In truth, the Demon King of Incarceration might even wish for the truth to be revealed.... ¡°Anyway,¡± Eugene said. He thought it best to ask directly next time, assuming the Demon King of Incarceration was still sane inside his prison. ¡°It¡¯splicated, messed up, those kinds of circumstances.... I can¡¯t quite exin it. But to put it simply, the Demon King of Incarceration is currently sealing the Demon King of Destruction. I don¡¯t know how long he can hold it, but he said he would manage until I return.¡± Eugene tilted his head and brushed his chest a few times. He had checked his condition repeatedly. His divine power was sealed, and his mana wasn¡¯t circting properly. His body could barely move, which meant a battle was out of the question. Eugene continued, ¡°For now... after a good rest, once my body is back in shape, I''ll head straight to the Demon King of Destruction. It''s the same deal, just a different opponent. If I win, we can throw a festival or something. If I lose....¡± ¡°The world will end,¡± Carmen voiced the unspoken words while staring at her blood-soaked fist. ¡°Given that his very title is the Demon King of Destruction.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s no different from before. The world would have ended even if we had lost to the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± Gion said with a nod. ¡°Actually, this time, it feels more urgent and motivating. It¡¯s really thest battle, and we might even save our Ancestor, right?¡± Gion looked around with a bright smile. Despite the situation being anything but hopeful, his cheerful demeanor prompted a few chuckles from the group. ¡°Nevertheless, I won''t force anyone. If you don''t wish to join the fight, then while I¡¯m getting some rest as I sleep¡ª¡± said Eugene. ¡°That¡¯s nonsense,¡± Alchester interrupted him as he dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand. ¡°If we lose, the world ends. No one desires that, so everyone must fight. And if we win, won¡¯t our names be etched in history, honored for a lifetime?¡± ¡°Well... I suppose so,¡± answered Eugene. ¡°Haha. Truly, the most dreadful thing isn¡¯t dying. It¡¯s me fleeing in terror, only for those who remain to defeat the Demon King of Destruction. Just the mere thought of it is horrifying. If that happens, I¡¯d rather take my own life out of shame,¡± Alchester dered. ¡°You never even thought of fleeing in the first ce, did you, Sir Alchester?¡± Ortus asked with a chuck. ¡°I was honestly tempted. Just a glimpse of the Demon King of Destruction was enough to wipe away any desire to fight. But after hearing your words, I couldn¡¯t flee even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°Well,¡± Eugene scratched his head and grabbed his cloak. ¡°I clearly said, if you don''t want to fight, you don''t have to. So, if you die or get injured this time, don¡¯t me me.¡± He pulled out a bottle from his cloak and ced it on the table. ¡°Alcohol?¡± someone asked. ¡°We can¡¯t have a grand feast, but we should at least toast. Make sure the soldiers have enough alcohol, too,¡± Eugene said. Eugene chuckled as he pulled another bottle from his cloak. It was half-full, a gift he had received from Gavid. He swirled the bottle while looking around. ¡°Would anyone care for some?¡± he asked. ¡°We don¡¯t deserve to drink that.¡± Carmen shook her head. ¡°That¡¯s the wine you got after defeating Gavid Lindman. Oh, Radiant Lion of Victory, didn¡¯t you say before? That you¡¯d drink it after defeating the Demon King of Incarceration.¡± And so, the Radiant Lion had be the Radiant Lion of Victory. ¡°That wine should be shared with the real heroes of victory, not us.¡± With those words, Eugene was chased out of the conference room. All the other bottles he had stacked in his cloak were taken, and he left with only the half-full bottle in his hand. Eugene stood in the hallway, shaking the bottle a few times before letting out a dryugh and turning around to go back to hisrades. ¡°Ah,¡± Eugene said as he stepped inside. He found that Ciel hade to the room while he was away. She was covering Sienna, Anise, and Molon with nkets as they were sprawled on the floor, asleep. She pointed at Eugene as he entered. ¡°Where have you been?¡± she asked. ¡°The conference room. And what are you doing here?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you tell? I¡¯m covering them with nkets,¡± Ciel said. She then sighed heavily, dropping the pillows she had been holding onto the floor, and grumbled, ¡°Why does everyone abandon their rooms to sleep here? And on the floor, not even a bed.¡± ¡°Maybe they were reminiscing about old times. In the past, after killing a Demon King, we used to just copse and sleep right there,¡± Eugene said. ¡°Always with the old stories,¡± Ciel said as she rolled her eyes. Eugene clicked his tongue as he nced at her. Despite being arge room, the floor seemed incredibly cramped with Molon''s massive form sprawled out. ¡°Let¡¯s wake them up,¡± Eugene suggested. ¡°Really? Everyone is sleeping soundly,¡± Ciel muttered. ¡°They were all wide awake until I left. It¡¯s probably been barely five minutes since they fell asleep,¡± Eugene exined. ¡°Well, even if they were awake five minutes ago, now they¡¯re sleeping, right?¡± Ciel protested. ¡°So what?¡± Thud! A kick shook Molon''s body. One kick didn''t wake him, but after about ten, Molon¡¯s heavy eyelids began to flutter. ¡°Do you really have to kick him awake?¡± Ciel asked doubtfully. ¡°Whether I shake him with my hands or feet, it¡¯s all the same,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°Lousy brat...¡± Ciel cursed. She felt foolish to have even expected humane behavior from Eugene. While Ciel shook her head in dismay, Eugene busily moved around. He snatched the nkets off Sienna and Kristina, pinched Sienna¡¯s cheek, and poked Kristina in the ribs with his other hand. ¡°Ah...¡± ¡°Eek!¡± With contrasting groans, the two woke up. As her cheek was being pulled like jelly, Sienna blinked slowly, her eyelids heavy. Kristina rubbed the spot where she had been poked while twisting her body. ¡°What... what are you doing?¡± Kristina asked drowsily. ¡°Wake up,¡± Eugene answered. ¡°You told us to rest...!¡± Siennained. ¡°I said rest, not sleep,¡± Eugene corrected her. ¡°Hamel, why such petty mischief?¡± Molon asked as he stood up, rubbing his sore shoulder. ¡°Petty mischief?¡± Eugene flopped down while holding the bottle of wine. ¡°This is a unique bottle of wine. The one Gavid Lindman himself made. I was about to drink it all by myself, but then I thought of you guys and brought it¡ª¡± ¡°Hand it over!¡± The mood shifted instantly. Anise sprang up from her seat and dashed over to snatch the bottle from Eugene. She shook the bottle, inspecting the flow of the liquid inside before opening the cork. ¡°Isn¡¯t this wine aged for at least three hundred years and steeped in grand significance? Hehe, it must be delicious,¡± Anise said with a broad smile. Initially ready to be angry at being woken up so rudely, Sienna and Molon approached the bottle as well. Eventually, all four of them gathered around the bottle, wrapped in nkets. Smiling broadly, Anise ced a ss in front of each of them. ¡°Well, then....¡± She started filling their sses. *** Whoosh.... Whoo-oosh.... The wind emitted a gloomy sound, trapped and unable to escape. The chains formed an empty core, and it was surrounded by countless monsters clinging together. Between the doubleyers of chains, the monsters'' flesh fused and mingled into indistinguishable masses, yet their eyes flickered wildly. It was a wall made of flesh, with hundreds or even thousands of eyes rolling about. Whoo.... Outside the inner wall of chains, where the wind wept, stood a man. He raised his head. His head... throbbed. He had barely regained consciousness, but he felt as if it might slip away again. His hands were trembling, and he groped through his faint memories. What happened? What had he done? ¡®Did I do this?¡¯ He mulled over the question, though he knew the answer without needing to delve into deep contemtion. The fragmented memories linked together, and he recalled the stares that had been fixed upon him. ¡°Haha...¡± Vermouth let out a hollowugh as he slumped down. It felt like the inside of his skull was being scraped with fingernails. And what was scratched off left behind dark masses that seemed to spread. The dark masses did not tolerate Vermouth. Even now, they pressed down on Vermouth''s ego, trying to seize his body. It wasn''t greed for his body. It did not desire such vessels. It had no such cravings. Its attempt to seize the body was simply because Vermouth had detached from itself. But was that really true? Vermouth chewed on his lip. The Demon King of Destruction had no self.... Perhaps it once had, but that had long since copsed. Now, it was merely a cmity that sought nothing but destruction. Then why had he attacked Sienna two hundred years ago? At that time, Vermouth had gone to seal the Moonlight Sword. He had nned to encounter and converse with Sienna. He knew she woulde searching upon detecting the intrusion, and he had hoped to receive the ne from her. But his consciousness had blurred. When he regained his senses, he had already inflicted a fatal wound on Sienna. ¡®This time, too,¡¯ Vermouth thought in panic. He had failed to endure the seal and had his body taken over by Destruction again. And then he arrived here, attacked everyone, and... regained consciousness once more. All of this terrified Vermouth. If the Demon King of Destruction had no self, then who was the one that desired to attack Sienna three hundred years ago, and who wanted toe here today to attack everyone? ¡°No,¡± Vermouth groaned, clutching his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t me.¡± In the cage of chains, with no one to answer, Vermouth quietly wept. Chapter 600: Advent (6)

Chapter 600: Advent (6)

He had awakened from sleep, but he hadn''t opened his eyes. Was it because the sleep was so deep and sweet? Or because the bed was toofortable? Both were true. His body was exhausted to the point that even a cold, hard floor would have afforded him deep, sweet slumber. The bed Eugeney in now was soft, warm, and even faintly fragrant. Without a word, he assessed his situation. He had awakened but couldn¡¯t open his eyes because he was afraid to do so. Silently, he carefully retraced his memories. How did ite to this? Why was he sleeping like this? When exactly had he fallen asleep? Before he fell asleep, he had been drinking with Molon, Sienna, Anise, and Kristina. The alcohol, personally brewed by Gavid, was a gift after Eugene¡¯s victory in the duel with him. He had promised to drink it atop the corpse of the Demon King of Incarceration after defeating him. Regrettably, Eugene hadn¡¯t seen the corpse of the Demon King of Incarceration, but since he had won the battle, he figured it was alright to drink the bottle. Moreover, he thought there might not be another chance to drink itter. Perhaps someone among hispanions would die, or maybe Eugene himself.... He didn¡¯t like to think about it, but the thought unavoidably crossed his mind. The sudden appearance of the Demon King of Destruction had prevented them from fully sharing the joy of victory, and they had solidified their resolutions and preparations. What was needed now was a celebration of the victory over the Demon King of Incarceration.... With that thought, he drank with hisrades, and the taste of the alcohol was excellent. Eugene, who had never deeply scrutinized the taste of alcohol in his past life, couldn¡¯t give a detailed review. Still, from how Kristina, who had recently acquired a taste for liquor, and Anise, a born drinker, took turns sipping and praising it, it seemed to be exceptionally well-made. However, there were a few problems. Warriors and wizards who had reached full control over their bodies found it hard to get drunk. Unless they consciously decided to get drunk, even the strongest of the spirits would be detoxified as soon as they entered their bodies. The drinking started with a toast, with the intention of celebrating their win. Moreover, since it was a unique bottle left by the deceased Gavid, it was absurd to even think of finishing such a drink without getting drunk. Thus, they all started drinking with the intention of getting drunk. ¡®Might as well get drunk and sleep it off for a few days....¡¯ It was a reasonable thought, considering that all of them were considerably fatigued, both physically and mentally. Then the next problem arose. It was an obvious problem if one took just a moment to ponder it. Both humans and demons tolerated alcohol differently. Even a strong drink that could intoxicate a seasoned human drinker in a few sips might be just a mild beverage for a demon. Gavid¡¯s liquor was strong. They all drank it heartily without any intention of moderating their intoxication. But by the time they finished the liquor, they were mere beasts absolutely incapable of any rational thought. And the first beast to fall was the wounded one, Molon. He had rarely gotten drunk in the past, but by the time they finished the bottle of Gavid¡¯s liquor, Molon had copsed headfirst to the floor. However, no one took care of him. At that point, even Eugene was struggling to make rational decisions. If there was any constion, it was that there was only one bottle of alcohol ¡ª half-filled at that, and they were even finishing it off. ¡ªFive of us shared half a bottle ¡ª how could that possibly even wet our throats? ¡ªBring more! When the bottle was empty, the beasts mimicked human speech and howled. There was no humane understanding to be expected from thedies. Eugene had given all the alcohol he had inside his cloak to the members of the general staff and thus suggested to hisrades that they might as well go to sleep. But such pleading proved utterly futile. If there was no alcohol, they should just bring more, dered the Saints, and the wizard, infuriatingly, grabbed the God of Victory by the scruff of his neck. The injured warrior who had fallen was left alone, uncared for, in the room. And then, another problem arose. As was stated numerous times, everyone was far from sober. Molon couldn¡¯t even muster a quarter of his usual tolerance and copsed under the influence and fatigue. Everyone else was just like Molon. They were all maintaining themselves through sheer willpower, having long surpassed their physical limits. And so... and so, he couldn''t remember well. Sienna had grabbed him by the scruff and dragged him out of the room. They went somewhere, into someone else¡¯s room ¡ª maybe Sienna or Anise''s... perhaps even Eugene''s room. Anyway, he was detained there, and either Anise or Kristina brought more alcohol. With more alcohol present, naturally, they drank more. As they drank, gradually... his mind, his reason, melted away. His mind became jumbled. It was to the extent that he couldn¡¯t tell what he was saying, thinking, or doing ¡ª amidst cacklingughter and... nonsensical jokes and banter. And then.... He passed out. Whether it was on the floor or the bed at that moment, he couldn¡¯t remember, but now he was lying in... a bed, anyway. Though he had passed out heavily drunk, there wasn¡¯t even a slight scent of stale alcohol on his breath. His clothes... they had definitely been magicallyundered, and his body washed.... But that wasn''t the problem. The problem was ¡ª he couldn¡¯t feel his clothes at all. He waspletely naked. But why? Had he gotten hot while sleeping and thrown off his clothes? Eugene didn¡¯t usually have such a sleeping habit, but it wasmon for people to do things out of character when drunk. Forcing himself to concentrate, Eugene tried to recall more details. Yes, he had gotten drunk and... thrown off his clothes while sleeping. Perhaps even before he fell asleep. By taking them off, he might have also removed the lingering smell of alcohol, or maybe... maybe during his sleep. Eugene prided himself on his cleanliness, so it was entirely possible that he had magically cleaned himself subconsciously. Eugene slowly examined himself but stopped abruptly. Setting aside his own condition, what he needed to think about was something else. First of all... where was this ce? Whose bed was this? And why... why did he feel another warm body beside him? The more he thought about it, the more it felt like sinking deeper into a swamp called hell, and Eugene was afraid of everything. What was even more frightening was.... That he felt more than just a single warm body. ''Mo... Molon?'' Eugene thought tentatively. It might be Molon. Hadn''t he often slept next to Molon or Vermouth three hundred years ago? He had never slept naked, but... anyway, if the person beside him turned out to be Molon, that would be rtively.... Eugene gave a silent groan. He knew all too well that it couldn''t be Molon. The softness of the flesh that barely touched him could never belong to Molon. Yes... Eugene decided to ept the reality. This was a situation he could not resist, even if he wanted to. ¡°A-hem......" Before opening his eyes, he let out a light cough. The presence he felt on either side of him became more pronounced. The left side stirred, and the right side twitched. "Hmm... h-hmm..." He prolonged his coughing. Whoever was on the left pulled the nket slightly towards themselves. The right held their breath. That was all. No one acted any further. But wasn''t it the same for Eugene? Fearful of facing reality by opening his eyes and speaking up, hey there, not opening his eyes and just groaning, waiting for someone else to initiate a conversation. The silence continued. For how long? Until when should he lie here without opening his eyes, groaning like a puppy in need, waiting for someone''s touch? He knew what he needed now. It was courage. He needed the courage to open his eyes and ept the mess he had made. He needed the courage to face reality and move forward. Just as he was mustering the courage to open his eyes and get up, Eugene had a sudden thought. He felt an intense sense of difort. For how long, he wondered. No, since when? The sides of the wide bed. Right and left. The soft skin. How long had it been since he had fallen asleep drunk, overwhelmed by umted fatigue and damage? It was impossible for everyone who fell asleep at the same time to wake up at the same moment. Someone else must have awakened long before he did. But even now, there were still people beside Eugene. They should have awakened and left the bed in some way or another by now, yet they were still there. ¡°Could it be......" Eugene¡¯s eyes snapped open, and he looked to the left. A blemish-free white back, a slightly parted nket, and abundant blonde hair. It was indeed Anise and Kristina. "Were you pretending to be asleep until I woke up?" he used after taking in the scene. He looked to the right. There, he saw Sienna, even her shoulders red, curled up in a ball. As soon as she heard Eugene¡¯s words, she trembled as if she were having a spasm. "I... I just woke up." A voice came from the left. Slowly, a head turned towards Eugene. Her eyes were struggling to focus. Anise had been nervously chewing on her lips. She barely managed to say, "You see, Hamel, I really just woke up. As you know, I am but a soul left, and it¡¯s been hard to shake off the aftermath of the battle.... And then I foolishly drank too much. So it was difficult for me toe to my senses, and this, this body isn¡¯t even mine, right? I am ultimately at the mercy of the original owner, Kristina. I, I woke up, but Kristina was...." A hand moved on its own and covered Anise''s mouth. For a moment, two souls fought within one body. Eventually, the hand covering the lips fell away, and a gasp of breath escaped. "It''s a lie. It''s absolutely not true. I woke up two days ago, but Sister said she was tired and stayed in bed. Sister even had a servant bring food to the room and continued to live in bed......!" Kristina used. Eugene couldn¡¯t think of how to respond to their bickering and ended up just staring at the ceiling. While it was customary to look someone in the face when conversing, Eugene found it utterly impossible at the moment. Firstly, he was doubtful whether the being before him was truly human, and secondly, he simply didn¡¯t know where to rest his gaze. "I, I...." Sienna spoke from right beside him. Eugene flinched and turned his head, then looked back at the ceiling. Still curled up without turning around, Sienna¡¯s shoulders and back were flushed so red that they were embarrassingly overt to gaze upon. "I woke up about three days ago but I deliberately... deliberately stayed lying down,¡± she admitted. Eugene continued to stare at the ceiling without a word. "I wasn¡¯t in a state to move right away... and, and I needed a bit more rest. And, you know, when you woke up, I thought maybe I should be here beside you,¡± Sienna continued. "That...." Eugene barely managed to speak, faint memories surfacing. He swallowed hard and slowly sat up. "Before I fell asleep¡ª" "Stop." He was cut off before he could finish speaking. Sienna, who had been curled up with her back turned, suddenly spun around and covered Eugene¡¯s mouth with her hand. "We, we didn¡¯t do anything, okay?" she assured him. "Mmph...." Eugene uttered a muffled acknowledgment from behind her hand. "Nothing happened! We just slept in this bed. It''s incredibly wide, you see? Understand?" Sienna continued firmly. With his mouth covered, Eugene couldn''t say anything, but he stared at Sienna. He was unable toprehend the situation. Braving the embarrassment, he looked at Sienna''s face and saw it predictably beet-red. At the same time, her eyes held a resolute determination that she would not be defeated. "Why do you say nothing happened?" the Saints asked. Anise and Kristina couldn''t understand this resolve either. In such a situation, Sienna would typically obsess over everything that happened the night before, braving any embarrassment. If Eugene didn¡¯t remember well, she would p him and forcibly jog his memory, resorting to childish, predictable, and tiresome derations like take responsibility. But to say nothing happened? "I...." Sienna''s lips quivered. Her eyebrows twitched diagonally, then shot up, and finally, unable to hold it back any longer, she shut her eyes closed. She covered her face, which remained flush with heat. "I... I don¡¯t like something like this,¡± she dered. "You don¡¯t like it?" the Saints asked, surprised. "I was so tired! Drunk! I can''t even remember it well! It wasn''t romantic!" Sienna rified. Silence followed this deration. "I was not alone... not alone either...! There was the smell of alcohol! And, and my body wasn¡¯t in good condition! So, so nothing happened. Okay?" Sienna continued weakly. Eugene couldn¡¯t understand why she was insisting so vehemently, but the Saints did. They truly empathized with Sienna''s words and thought it absolutely had to be that way. Kristina sped her hands together, deeply moved, while Anise nodded in agreement. "Indeed, I''d rather not think of this as my first time either," Anise dered. Sienna and Anise exchanged serious nces. Caught between them, still with his mouth forcibly covered, Eugene could only stare at the ceiling. After a moment, Anise got out of bed. She quickly dressed in the underwear and clerical robes she had neatlyid aside. Soon after, Sienna removed her hand from Eugene''s mouth. With a flick of her fingers, her undergarments and clothes wrapped around her. "Eugene." Draped in a crisp robe and grasping her staff, Sienna turned to Eugene with aposed expression and said, "How long do you n to stay asleep?" "Leave him be, Sienna. Hamel isn¡¯t usually a heavy sleeper, is he? We came to wake him up today and shook him several times, but he wouldn¡¯t get up,¡± Anise spoke without changing her expression, casually altering what had really happened. Watching them for a while, Eugene slowly nodded. "That¡¯s right. Nothing happened,¡± he said. "What?" Sienna questioned, her eyes wide. "Nothing happened...," he repeated. Sienna quickly approached him and grasped Eugene¡¯s shoulder. Her face drew near, her eyes trembling and then moistening with tears. "Re-really?" she asked. "Yes, you said so...," Eugene muttered. "Just because I think so doesn¡¯t mean you should too!" Sienna shouted. "What nonsense is this?" Eugene asked, baffled. "I said nothing happened, but it doesn¡¯t mean that nothing really happened!" Sienna cried. "That¡¯s... true,¡± Eugene agreed. "Think of it as a dream... Ah, no, not a dream. Anyway, that¡¯s it. Nothing happened, but it¡¯s not like nothing really didn''t happen; just think it didn¡¯t...," Sienna muttered this nearly iprehensible logic as she let go of Eugene¡¯s shoulder. The Saints, standing at a distance, nodded sincerely in agreement, but Eugene simply couldn¡¯t. "If you¡¯re awake, don¡¯tze about. Get up now, Hamel,¡± said Anise. "Right. We have to defeat the Demon King of Destruction,¡± responded Sienna. "Listening to that makes me feelplicated. To have such a thing happen right before the final battle...," Anise muttered. "What are you talking about? Anise, we didn¡¯t do anything. And it¡¯s not like we want to fight the final battle. It¡¯s just that that bastard Destruction forced his way here,¡± Sienna insisted fiercely. "My goodness! Now that you mention it, that¡¯s right, Sienna," Anise agreed readily. The two chatted back and forth as they quickly left the room. Left alone, Eugene blinked nkly, then slowly got out of bed. As he dressed clumsily, faint memories became clearer and clearer, and his face burned. "I want to die," he groaned. The thought of stepping out of the room made him sincerely wish for it. But he couldn''t stay holed up in his room forever. With a resolved heart, Eugene opened the door. He stepped into the corridor and turned his head. Eugene''s eyes immediately met with Molon''s. It seemed Molon was just about to enter this room. For a moment, Molon blinked at Eugene, then broke into a mischievous grin and thrust both fists toward him. "Hamel." Two thumbs went up. "Congrattions." His bushy beard parted to reveal a sh of white teeth. Faced with Molon''s beaming smile, Eugene found himself involuntarily clenching his fists. What the hell is he congratting me for? Stop spouting nonsense and get lost. Do you want to die? Although all these responses floated through his mind, Eugene initially kept his mouth firmly shut. It seemed no answer would wipe the grin off Molon''s face. "How long has it been?" Eugene finally asked. "Exactly a week today,¡± Molon said with a broad smile. "When did you wake up?" Eugene asked. "Two days ago,¡± answered Molon. "Why didn¡¯t you wake me?" Eugene asked. "Hamel. Even though I''m your friend, and theirs, I simply could not enter that room. Never. I didn¡¯t want to enter either,¡± said Molon. Eugene''s shoulders shuddered at Molon¡¯s uncharacteristically rational response. Once again, Eugene chose to end the conversation and shut his mouth. Wasn¡¯t a week quite reasonablepared to the half-year he had once slept? There was a saying: even rotting fish have their backbone. Surely, the Demon King of Incarceration wouldn¡¯t crumble after just a week. "Where are you going?" Molon called out as Eugene quickly moved away. "I''m going to check on the situation over there,¡± responded Eugene. "Then I¡¯ll also¡ª" said Molon. Eugene interrupted with narrowed eyes, "Didn¡¯t you see enough while I was out? Looks like you were watching until just now.¡± "There were changes... the seal grewrger, and inside¡ª" Molon said. "Are the Nur swarming?" Eugene interjected once more. "Yes." Molon nodded, then continued, "If it bursts, they''ll pour out¡ª" His grumbling voice suddenly cut off. Eugene couldn¡¯t walk any further and stood still, staring down the corridor. In the distance, arge bouquet of flowers swayed as it approached. "Ah." Among the bouquet of vibrant flowers, Melkith¡¯s head suddenly popped out. Like the flowers beside her, she shed a radiant smile at Eugene and waved. "Congrattions!" Eugene no longer wanted to hear it. Without hesitation, he opened a nearby window and jumped out. Chapter 601: Advent (7)

Chapter 601: Advent (7)

Eugene had done nothing wrong and had no reason to flee, yet he ran without looking back. The sight of Melkith walking toward him with a beaming smile and a bouquet asrge as himself was etched into his eyes with such a chilling force that he couldn''t help but escape. "Ugh," Eugene groaned as he felt a shiver run down his spine. If he were caught, even killing Melkith a hundred times in his imagination wouldn¡¯t satisfy his murderous intent. Standing at the battlements, Eugene quickly nced back. Fortunately, Melkith wasn¡¯t following him, and he sighed in relief before looking forward again. The meaning of Molon¡¯s words was instantly clear to him. Indeed, the seal created by the Demon King of Incarceration had grown several timesrger than it was a week ago. Without exaggeration, it spanned across half the ins and had swallowed the neglected Pandemoniumpletely. ''How many are there?'' Eugene thought to himself as he squinted into the seal. The number of Nur filling it, from the ground to the ceiling, was beyond any number he could conjure. And that wasn¡¯t all. These Nur were merely drawn here by the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene¡¯s brow furrowed as he recalled the original emergence of the Nur in Lehainjar. ''No word yet, so the gate there must still be intact...,'' he concluded. The only reason it remained so was the seal containing the Demon King of Destruction. If the seal were broken, countless Nur would pour out, which would signal the arrival of the Demon King of Destruction. That would, in turn, cause even more Nur to flood from Lehainjar, and Sienna¡¯s seal would no longer be able to hold them back. ''Can it be stopped?'' Eugene frowned as he contemted the uing battle. The roles of Eugene, Sienna, Molon, and the Saints remained unchanged. They would follow the chains left by the Demon King of Incarceration and enter the inner realm of the Demon King of Destruction. As it had been with Agaroth¡¯sst stand, the Demon King of Destruction would be immobile at that moment. While Eugene and his group held Destruction inside, the Divine Army would have to hold back the countless Nur on the outside. Eugene would prefer to clear out the Nur before entering the depths of Destruction, but that seemed impossible. With the seal intact, there was no way to attack the Nur from the outside. Then, would the sealpletely open the moment Eugene entered? "What are you pondering so deeply?" A voice came from the sky. Looking up, Eugene saw Ciel mounted on a fluttering wyvern. "Sir Eugene Lionheart," she added. Her voice was cold and hard, devoid of anyughter. Her stare was as good as a re, her eyes lifeless as if she were dead. From that alone, Eugene could perfectly understand Ciel''s feelings. "Phew..." Eugene exhaled deeply. "A sigh? Are you sighing because you see me, sir? Does my face make you sigh? Do you realize how much my heart is torn to shreds when you sigh like that, Sir Eugene...?" Ciel asked mockingly. "I¡¯ve really been through a lot,¡± Eugene said, letting out another deep sigh and slumping onto the railing. "It¡¯s too sordid to exin everything, but it¡¯s unfair and heartbreaking. I haven¡¯t done anything wrong; I¡¯ve just been swept up in an unstoppable, massive flow of the world¡¯s course...." "You say it¡¯s sordid, yet why do you talk so much?" Ciel asked with a re. "I¡¯m being med for things I shouldn¡¯t be... even harassed by one of the only two siblings in the world," Eugene muttered. "Sibling? Don¡¯t you know that sibling is thest word I want to hear from you?!" she shouted. Overwhelmed by emotion, Ciel leaped down from the back of the wyvern Yongyong and stood beside Eugene, gasping for breath as she kicked him repeatedly. "When we were kids, you used to im you were my older sister,¡± Eugene protested. "That was when I knew nothing! When I was just a child! If I could, I¡¯d go back and tell my thirteen-year-old self not to awkwardly hover and just go for it. While I¡¯m at it, I¡¯d go back to my simpering days in Shimuin and p myself for whining too much,¡± dered Ciel. Ciel shivered at the thought of her past mistakes and embarrassments. Eugene could truly rte to her. If he could go back, he¡¯d definitely never, ever cross-dress again. "So, why are you sitting here sulking? You could¡¯ve stayed lying down,¡± Ciel said scornfully. "I was lying down until just now. Once I regained my senses, of course, I had to get up," Eugene exined. "Oh, really? So you just came to your senses. I thought you were awake long ago but just stayed in because you liked the bed,¡± used Ciel. "I¡¯m really frustrated and upset. It feels like I could cry,¡± Eugene cried. "I''m not exactly frustrated, but I feel heartbroken, sad, and angry enough to cry,¡± retorted Ciel. "Are you going to keep this up?" Eugene asked. "I¡¯d like to, but I won''t because you might start to dislike me,¡± said Ciel. "I don¡¯t dislike you. I wouldn¡¯t ever dislike you over something like this,¡± said Eugene. "Do you like me then?" Ciel questioned. Taken aback by her sudden question, Eugene blinked and stared at Ciel. Her fist clenched when he didn''t respond immediately. "Let¡¯s drop it. Don¡¯t even bother answering," said Ciel. "That was quite the curveball,¡± Eugeneined. "When have I ever not been like this? Anyway, why are you sitting here?" Ciel asked. "As you can see, I was looking at that,¡± Eugene responded while gesturing at the massive seal. "Why watch from here? If you¡¯re curious, go closer,¡± suggested Ciel. "It¡¯s the same from here or up close. What about you?" Eugene asked. Up in the sky, the unfortunately named wyvern Yongyong[1] pped its wings. Eugene nced at the poor creature, destined to live with that name forever, andmented, ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like a casual flight." "Of course not! I was on a reconnaissance mission!" shouted Ciel. "Reconnaissance? The seal?" Eugene asked. "That too, but my main focus was on the borders of Helmuth," Ciel said with a grimace and pointed across the seal towards the border. ¡°The Demon King of Incarceration has admitted defeat, and Helmuth has be a defeated nation. The Demon King also entrusted you with the power over the life and death of all demons... and naturally, this has been conveyed to Helmuth.¡± "Ah, I see," Eugene said with a nod. He immediately understood the situation. The chains that held the fate of the demons were given to him by the Demon King of Incarceration, and while he had no immediate ns for them, he wasn¡¯t about to transfer them to anyone else either. "Given that they might lose their lives at any moment, there was a possibility of assassination attempts while I was asleep,¡± deduced Eugene. "It''s not just a possibility; there were several attempts. Several!" Ciel yelled back, but Eugene leaned on his chin nonchntly. "There were assassination attempts even while I was asleep in the papacy,¡± Eugene imed. "The desperation is different from back then!" Ciel shouted in exasperation. "Well, why would they do that? I have no intention of exterminating all demons,¡± said Eugene. "Really?" Ciel asked, her eyes widening in response. Eugene''s previous incarnation was that of the Stupid Hamel, who even in fairy tales couldn¡¯t help but show a disdain for demons and was known among the demon ns as Hamel of Extermination. "The war-faction demons were killed off by the Demon King of Incarceration without my intervention, and what¡¯s left now are mostly the peaceful demons. If they don''t harm others and just want to live peacefully, why should I kill them?" Eugene said. "If that¡¯s truly how you think, it would be best to make a formal statementter. So," Ciel paused, then subtly leaned towards Eugene. "What were you thinking about while sitting here?" "I was thinking about how to deal with the monsters swarming inside there,¡± Eugene answered. "What to do? Since they''re not the kind you can talk to... just kill them as theye out, right?" Ciel suggested. "It''s easy to say, but you know they''re not easy opponents,¡± Eugene reminded her. "I know,¡± agreed Ciel. Ciel had experience battling against the Nur in Hauria. These monsters could disorient one¡¯s senses by their mere presence. They fought unpredictably, and their very blood was toxic. These creatures were born from the corpses swept up by Destruction, imbued with dark power. They were the true vassals of Destruction, having contributed to the annihtion of life through the ages. "We can¡¯t just leave them be,¡± Ciel murmured. "Even if you take down the Demon King of Destruction and... saved the Ancestor. If we leave them be, the world might just end up a bit ruined." "Likely, more than a bit. The Nur keep multiplying,¡± Eugene responded. "Whether a little or a lot, we can''t let the world be destroyed. You wouldn¡¯t want it to be, would you?" questioned Ciel. "If I wanted that, would I be here doing this?" Eugene responded. He chuckled wryly. He could have given up or taken the easy way out at any time. There had been at least two opportunities for him, inevitable Destruction notwithstanding. One was to be trapped in an eternal dream with Noir, and the other was to move on to the next era with the Demon King of Incarceration. He had the choices, and he chose. So, here he was now. Eugene instinctively knew there would be no such chances anymore. Either he would lose and perish inside Destruction or win and live for a future. At the thought of the two possible oues, Eugeneughed. "Dying is not an option. So, thinking about aplishing it even though it kills me is out of the question,¡± he muttered. "What?" Ciel asked, unable to catch the sudden mutter. "It''s nothing," Eugene said as he shook his head. Of course, Eugene had no intention of dying. He was determined, ready to risk death, if necessary, to defeat Destruction and save Vermouth. Yet paradoxically, he really did not want to die. It was always ¡°even if it almost kills me.¡± ''Having been reincarnated so many times after dying, it would be too unfair if I just died,'' Eugene thought to himself. He was enduring all this hardship to live a happy, carefree life after saving the world. It wasn¡¯t just grand, noble motivations ¡ª Eugene felt that after all his efforts for the world, the world owed him in return. "We need to contact the rear first,¡± said Eugene. "Why?" asked Ciel. "The numbers are terrifying. The Divine Army alone won¡¯t be enough. We need reinforcements from the rear," Eugene began. "All those who are willing toe are already here,¡± Ciel spoke as if it was obvious, but Eugene blinked in misunderstanding. "Ah. Did the Patriarch request it while I was asleep?" he questioned. "Even before the request was made, they started arriving on their own,¡± Ciel answered. "Why?" Eugene inquired, confused. "Because this is thest Demon King," Ciel said as if he should know this obvious answer. Hearing this response, Eugene stood up. He had defeated the Demon King of Incarceration, and only the Demon King of Destruction remained. "If we kill it, it all ends. If we fail, the world ends. Where¡¯s the room to hold back?" Eugenemented. He leaped high enough to overlook all of Neran. Yet, even that was insufficient. Outside the walls of Neran, temporary encampments filled the area. gs nted haphazardly represented not only the Divine Army but also those of every nation and mercenary group on the continent. Eugene had never seen such a vast army in his life. It was no exaggeration to say that the armies of the entire continent had gathered. "It¡¯s all because of you. And for you," Ciel said from atop her wyvern. Yongyong pped its wings as it approached Eugene. "You defeated the Demon King of Incarceration and made Helmuth a defeated nation. Now, the Demon King of Destruction stands before us." That vast army and the fluttering gs began to appear differently to Eugene. They shimmered as if all the stars of the night sky had gathered on the ground. Eugene saw a spreading fire that blended with the burning lights. Whaty before him now was the Light fighting against Destruction. "Who would have thought? Who could have imagined you would defeat the Demon King of Incarceration and Helmuth? But Eugene, you did it,¡± Ciel said, half-amused by her own words. "The Eugene I know ¡ª has never been defeated." "I used to lose a lot in the old days,¡± Eugene said. "But they don¡¯t think so. And even I think that way. If it''s a fight with you..." Ciel paused and swallowed hard. The scene she had seen a week ago caused her a nauseating dread. Ciel clenched her fist and looked back. "...I think you can defeat the Demon King of Destruction too. Everyone believes that." Eugene also withdrew his gaze from the light and looked behind him. The distant seal of Destruction was visible. Something pushed at his back, but there was no need to look back. Eugene understood what was pushing him. It was a craving for victory. A wish. All emotions and wills were forgetting the fear of war and death. Ultimately, everyone and everything pursued and wanted to achieve victory, and all of that had be faith in Eugene. ''Ah.'' Eugene¡¯s mind reached the seal of Destruction in an instant. His transcendent mind could not leap past the solid seal, but he saw what he had not seen before. He saw the swarming ranks of the Nur and, beyond them, the center of Destruction. What was needed for victory? The answer was an enemy. An enemy to be defeated, to be vanquished, was required for victory. Victory required subjugating that enemy. As long as they were at war, it was imperative. The entire continent¡¯s faith showed him the enemy that needed to be conquered. He saw the image of a man kneeling with his head bowed. In the midst of shattered chains, a man crouched on the ground, hands pressing into the dirt. ¡®The Demon King of Destruction.'' And. ¡°Vermouth.¡± The dread remained, but Eugene could feel no fear. Eugene viewed the enemy with calm eyes. Silently, Eugene averted his gaze and turned his head. The next day, an army chanting victory and Eugene¡¯s name marched towards the seal of Destruction. 1. Just a reminder that the ¡®Yong¡¯ in here means dragon. So, the wyvern is named Dragondragon and it¡¯s supposed to be a cutesy name. ? Chapter 602: The Demon King of Destruction (1) [Bonus Image]

Chapter 602: The Demon King of Destruction (1) [Bonus Image]

"Ah," Eugene murmured, his voice tinged with an overt disy of frailty as he shivered. Molon was standing a few steps ahead of Eugene. He turned around, his voice filled with considerable tension, and asked, "What''s the matter?¡± It was a situation tense enough to stiffen even Molon''s movements. It wasn¡¯t only Molon who reacted to Eugene¡¯s sudden exmation. Sienna had been gripping her staff tightly and focusing intently when Eugene made the sound, causing her to jump in surprise as well. She opened her eyes wide as she asked, "What? What''s suddenly gotten into you?" Instead of replying, Eugene remained silent, embarrassed by the fervent reaction his involuntary response had elicited. Seeing Eugene falter, Molon looked back, puzzled. "Hamel, why suddenly¡ª" he began to inquire. "Dismiss it," Anise instructed from behind, sighing deeply as she raised her hand and smacked Eugene''s back hard. "He was about to spout nonsense without reading the room." "It''s not that I couldn''t read the mood. That¡¯s not it. In fact, I waspelled by the atmosphere to speak nonsense," Eugene retorted, his justification neither a lie nor an excuse. He truly felt that way. He could feel that everyone was overwhelmed by suffocating pressure. They could all sense the tension of an impending end, and that constricted everyone¡¯s breath. "And it''s the stares from behind, too. Feels like they could bore a hole through my head," Eugene grumbled as he looked back. At the edge of the ins, in front of the city walls, was an enormous grouping of various armies led by the Divine Army. This army was positioned such that it sprawled far beyond the walls to the rear. All those soldiers were watching Eugene''s group heading towards the seal containing Destruction. Despite the considerable distance, gs fluttered, and cheers erupted as if they had seen him turn around. The powerful shouts vibrated through the ins, causing the very air to vibrate. "They''re all wishing for your victory, Hamel. Why not wave back at least?" Anise suggested. "How embarrassing," Eugene muttered, though he waved his hand regardless. Another wave of cheers followed, and Eugene sighed deeply once more. Their morale was high, at least in the army. There was little sense of the tension or fear of the imminent battle. However, that was mostly because many didn''t truly grasp the reality of the enemy they were about to face. The seal was still intact, and the Nur hadn''t yet poured forth. Eugene withdrew his gaze from the army and looked up to the sky. Just as when he had battled the Demon King of Incarceration, a sun created by Eugene''s divine power shone in the sky over the ins. And it wasn''t just here. With Ciel''s help in the early morning, he had also conjured a sun over Lehainjar, beneath which stood Aman, the army of Ruhr, and the mercenary forces led by Ivic. "The snowy fields seem somewhat precarious," Eugene said. Puffing out his chest with pride, Molon dered, "Aman is my descendant. To bear my blood means to be a brave and strong warrior, and those who follow him are the true heirs of Bayar." Taking a deep breath, he continued, "Though I cannot fight alongside them, my descendants will ensure that the Nur cannot descend from the mountains.¡± "Shouldn''t we worry about ourselves rather than others?" Sienna retorted, rolling her eyes and with a slight pout. "And yet, you''ve arranged some of your spells here too," Eugene responded. Both she and Eugene were concerned for those left behind. But there was a limit to what they could prearrange from here. Staying behind to fight against the Nur was impossible. Ultimately, the only way to end the battle was to defeat the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene unclenched his tightly clenched fist. The chains he had received from the Demon King of Incarceration appeared in his palm, trembling and shifting. The chains had vibrated like this ever since he had gripped them, resonating more and more as they neared the seal of Destruction. Eugene steadied his breath and looked forward. What appeared in front of him was the massively enormous wall of chains before him. He looked at Molon, who was standing slightly ahead. Molon nodded and stepped back upon meeting Eugene''s gaze. Next, he looked at Sienna, who stopped her chanting and moved to his side. Lastly, he looked behind at Anise, who sped her rosary and stepped forward slightly. All four of them, excluding Vermouth, stood before the wall of chains in unison, the chains in Eugene¡¯s palm now vibrating more intensely. Cheers continued unabated in the distance. The brilliance of the Light could be felt without turning back, and it gently pushed against their backs. Eugene stretched out the chain. Fwooosh! From the top of the towering wall, the chains began to unravel and crumble. Countless intertwined fragments fell and scattered as ck ash. The sinister energy contained within was released, and the sky rippled and then became tainted as if stained. What was happening to the world couldn''t be fully witnessed as the chains in front of the group opened wide. Before Eugene and hispanions could move from their spots, the gate made of chains engulfed them all. They could no longer hear the sound of copsing chains. Nor could they see the Nur, which had been filled to the brim inside the seal. Eugene raised his head. The sky was not visible. There was no sun, no moon, just a white expanse. He looked down. He seemed to be standing on something, but it didn¡¯t feel like ground. Like the sky, the earth too, was stark white. He was in the void he had seen several times before, the world Agaroth found at the end, the dead world. This was inside the Demon King of Destruction. Destruction itself was a chaotic amalgamation of every color, yet the inside itself bore no color, only white. "You¡¯ve arrived quickly," a voice said. Eugene looked toward the source of the voice, not a bit surprised. The isted figure of the Demon King of Incarceration stood before him. "A wait with promise is rather bearable, isn''t it?" T Demon King of Incarceration murmured to himself with a chuckle. Eugene stood still and stared at the Demon King of Incarceration. Even from a distance, he could tell that Incarceration was barely managing to stand ¡ª perhaps out of fear that if he sat down, he might never rise again. "Despite your words, you don''t seem to be in good condition,¡± Eugenemented. "It''s a seal I created by overexerting myself, so it¡¯s inevitable. And... why would I need to be in good condition anyway?" the Demon King of Incarceration asked. Slowly, the Demon King turned his head. His naturally pale face, usually devoid of much color, now looked ghostly pale, surpassing his usual pallor. "Do you need my help any more than this to defeat Destruction?" Incarceration inquired. "No." Eugene shook his head without hesitation. "Your role in this battle is over." He then strode forward, and the void itself seemed to quiver at his steps. "You," Eugene said as he passed by the side of the Demon King of Incarceration, "just stand here and watch. Watch the end of all thepromises you made, the end of all the cycles you repeated while hoping for the next era.¡± Aaaah.... A ghostly wail echoed from the trembling void. Hearing this, Eugene clenched his fist. Molon gritted his teeth, Sienna bit her lip, and Anise sighed. "Do you still...," the Demon King of Incarceration began, shaking his head. "Do you think you can save Vermouth?" "How many times will you ask that? We think of nothing else," Eugene replied lightly. "I suppose so," the Demon King said with a sigh. He did not discuss what was possible or impossible. He did not speak of what he had seen or felt while bound to this ce. The Demon King understood that his reflections and opinions held no value to these heroes. Seeing, feeling, and deciding ¡ª that was not his role. The role of the Demon King of Incarceration was not to judge but to witness the oue. Eugene was right. The Demon King''s task was merely to observe the end. "There." The Demon King pointed ahead, towards the very heart of Destruction. It was an utterly alien site that could also be considered the origin of everything. Despite the vast passage of time, a wound there remained unhealed. This scar was the first and only scar that was etched after he became the Demon King of Destruction. It would remain unhealed, no matter how many times the world was reset and repeated. Before bing the Demon King of Destruction, he was known as Vermouth Lionheart. He had aspired to be the Hero, though he never became one, yet he was a man permitted to stand beside the Hero. At the moment everyone had hoped for, when the Hero defeated the Demon King, the man stabbed the Hero in the back out of petty jealousy. He believed that once the Demon King was vanquished, the Hero would be eternally revered, and he, as a merepanion, would not share in the same glory. The throne of the Demon King had spurred the man''s ugly, worldly envy, and that day, a new Demon King was born. "Vermouth." The scar was visible. Eugene remembered Vermouth and how the Demon King of Destruction came to be. Eugene knew from the memories that the Demon King of Incarceration had shown him what name Vermouth had been using before bing the Demon King of Destruction. It was a memory devoid of need or value. Why did the origin of Destruction matter? To Eugene, it was not the origin but the death of Destruction that was important. The name of Destruction? Vermouth Lionheart? Eugene had a terribleck of interest in that. The Vermouth that the Demon King of Incarceration knew, and the Vermouth known to Eugene, Molon, Sienna, and Anise were different. Vermouth Lionheart was the Hero. It did not matter that the Light did not acknowledge him, nor that Vermouth himself did not consider himself the Hero. Everyone else recognized and called Vermouth the Hero. Betray apanion out of petty jealousy? That was something utterly inconceivable for the man known as Vermouth Lionheart, whom Eugene and hisrades knew. Everyone knew it as the truth. Vermouth would never betray apanion. No, in fact, none of the five who traversed the Devildom together three hundred years ago would betray apanion. None would stab a friend in the back out of jealousy for their glory. If one must me Vermouth.... ¡°You just kept your mouth shut and bore everything alone,¡± Eugene said, tilting his head slightly. ¡°You¡¯ve also tormented me in my dreams for over a hundred years,¡± Molon said while stroking his beard. ¡°He even made me write eulogies while he wasn¡¯t even dead,¡± Anise said with a grin and a nod. ¡°I almost really died when my heart was pierced,¡± Sienna muttered with a grimace. ¡°So, Vermouth,¡± Eugene said, his hand ring on the side. With a whoosh, mes rose and enveloped his body. ¡°Either apologize or make your excuses.¡± A massive scar. Near its centery shattered chains scattered around. Vermouth was sitting on the throne he had upied countless times. His form was different from the one that had descended a week ago. If that had been the guise of the Demon King of Destruction oveid on Vermouth, the figure now before them.... Vermouth raised his head. His lips remained sealed. His dim golden eyes took them all in. In this colorless world, each of them shone with their own distinct light. His heart, which had forgotten agitation, throbbed uncontrobly. The wavering emotions gradually spread in front of him. The light was dazzling. The four figures before him radiated a light he had longed for, a light that had desperately sustained his sanity through the three hundred lonely years in this void. It was the Light he yearned to approach but knew he could never, ever reach. He felt intense emotions. Instinctively, he remembered the existence among those lights that had first inflicted a deep wound within him long ago. He looked no further. He withdrew his gaze, for what he saw with his eyes could not be attained. The Light that had kept him sane until now, the emotions he currently felt, could not evoke a true appreciation in him. The screams echoing from the abyss would never escape his lips. He looked outside. His kin were pouring out, yet he remained motionless. He knew why. It was because they were here. It was simple. If he killed them, he could move. If he killed them, the me screaming in the abyss could disappear, and he could be whole. What then? There was no need to think about that. There was no need to contemte the repetitiveness of the next era. The Demon King of Destruction had no reason to destroy the world. He had never truly brought the world to ruin. The world always moved on to the next era, starting anew before thepletion of destruction. The Demon King of Destruction had always, always, always repeated what he could never finish to the end. Could he truly bring the world to ruin this time? He did not even entertain the thought. The instinct that had repetitively brought the world to the brink of destruction now stirred the man. "Bastard," Eugene cursed. Colors entwined around Vermouth¡¯s body. His hollow and murky eyes showed no emotion or will, no different from hisck of murderous intent. He did not emit any killing intent, only a dreadful, mind-breaking malevolence. This now was not Vermouth. From the beginning, that body was a split manifestation of the Demon King of Destruction. But it belonged to Vermouth, and he was inside. "If I¡¯m to make him speak, I need to make hime to his senses first," Eugene surmised. He chuckled dryly and gripped his sword. Then, the Demon King of Destruction approached them. Chapter 603: The Demon King of Destruction (2) Vermouth staggered as he approached them but was devoid of any reason. His unfocused, dim eyes showed absolutely nothing. Everyone standing before him felt it. The entity approaching them was something else wearing Vermouth''s skin. They recognized that this being was both the essence of Vermouth and the primal force that birthed him. No amount of pleading with past connections or emotions would stop it from fulfilling its nature of Destruction. "Vermouth," Eugene called his name softly. He didn¡¯t expect a single call to awaken Vermouth, but the name had slipped out involuntarily as the being approached them. As if responding to the call, Destruction raised an arm. The void twisted, and chaotic colors spread in all directions. Everyone reacted immediately at the same time. With a heavy sound, Molon leaped forward, kicking off the ground. He wielded no axe now; his lifelong weapon had shattered in the battle with the Demon King of Incarceration. Yet Molon raised his hand as if he were holding an axe. Whoosh. Sparks flew between Eugene and Molon. Molon was the Incarnation and the Greatest Warrior of the God of Victory, and thus, his god bestowed a new weapon unto him. Suddenly, an axe appeared in Molon¡¯s empty hand. Showing absolutely no surprise, Molon swung the new axe over Destruction¡¯s head. But the axe was stopped mid-air. Though Molon pushed down with a mighty force, the barrier created by tangled colors remained unmoved. Despite the collision, no sound echoed. From behind, Sienna raised her staff, Mary. She quickly saw through the shing mes and the chaotic colors and immediately devised a spell with soul force that could find its way through the cracks. She conjured a spear andunched it silently, which passed by Molon and reached Destruction.The spear exploded just as it reached him. Again, there was no sound. Though it prated the barrier around him, Sienna''s magic inflicted no damage on Destruction. The magic simply vanished, and Destruction''s gaze shifted to Sienna. But it was only his gaze that shifted. This ce was none other than the belly of Destruction. Here, a mere nce could cause a phenomenon. Sienna sensed the impending death enveloping her but did not move. It was because the moment of approaching death was interrupted by a different shing light. Sparks spread through the void. Using the Saints as his wings, Eugene Lionheart raised his hand, and with that alone, extinguished the colors. Eugene grasped the Divine Sword, which burned brightly. Long ago, Agaroth had barely managed to resist by swinging his sword wildly. But it was different now. What Eugene held in his hands were the desires that transcended space and time. The will of the world, which opposed destruction, pushed his back. The light drew a line. Booom! For the first time, a loud sound erupted. The chaotic colors scattered, and Destruction was pushed back. Watching from a distance, the Demon King of Incarceration unwittingly marveled. Eugene¡¯s Light wasn¡¯t extinguished even inside the belly of Destruction, and the Demon King of Incarceration could instinctively feel what fueled that light. Eugene was not like Agaroth. The divinity of war that Agaroth held did not shine long within the belly of Destruction. Eugene Lionheart''s divinity was not war. ¡®However¡­.¡¯ The Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t stop himself from having doubts. Though he marveled, he couldn¡¯t be sure of the end. The Demon King of Incarceration clung to the fraying thread of consciousness and faced Destruction directly. Unlike Agaroth, who could only stop Destruction in his ce with desperate struggle, Eugene had forced Destruction back, albeit slightly. "Tsk," Eugene muttered. He could feel a distinct difference. This was unlike Agaroth''s time and was different from even a week ago. Now, Eugene and hispanions did not sense the ominous dread, anxiety, or madness they always felt from the Demon King of Destruction. They were resisting the horrific erosion of his dark magic. Eugene had never dreamed of overpowering it, but now that he was directly in contact with Destruction, he could clearly feel it: merely touching it seemed to wear down his divine power, his very existence. No, it definitely was wearing him down. "Vermouth,¡± he called out. Eugene stepped back with a dryugh. He stared into the unfocused eyes but could not see Vermouth within. Still, Eugene continued unabated, "It seems one can only go mad here, whether they want to or not." Destruction stepped forward again. His hands moved and drew colors. mes erupted to oppose the onught of different colors. The light of the burning mes was immediately painted over by the colors and disappeared, but then the light red up once again. Eugene cut through the tangled colors again and again. But cut as he might, the colors continued to grow, spread, and blocked his way. A barrage of strikes and magic rained down on the growing colors. Though each magic spell immediately vanished upon contact, Sienna continued to conjure them without rest. "Molon!" Eugene shouted. Even before he had called out, Molon had already grasped Eugene''s intention and raised his axe. Wooosh! The divine axe, shaped by divine power, altered its size to suit Molon''s intent. Molon Ruhr was a man who had almost reached divinity through sheer strength alone. Now, he exerted all his power, blending it with Eugene¡¯s divinity to manifest a miracle. The alreadyrge axe grew evenrger. Although there was neither a sky nor a ceiling, the axe grew, seemingly ready to pierce the heavens. The de at its end grewrge enough to cleave the sky and the earth. And Molon''s hands did not falter as he gripped the enormous axe. "Phew..." Molon breathed out. His face turned crimson with exertion, and his veins bulged all over his body. Destruction sensed something amiss behind it and turned its head. Although itcked intelligence and reason, its instinct alone deemed that it could not leave this unchecked. As Destruction''s gaze shifted, Eugene slid into position, and behind Destruction, Sienna unleashed her magic. Thanks to this, Molon faced no interference. His clenched teeth shattered, blood spurted from his gums, and veins throbbed all over his body. Bones cracked, and muscles burst under the strain, but his grip on the axe did not loosen. As his physical form crumbled, his strength exponentially increased, driving the axe. Kwaah! The axe began to fall. Its slow, heavy motion distorted the void, breaking and tearing it apart. This was not outside. This was not the middle of the world. Instead, this was inside the belly of Destruction. In other words, the axe was now cleaving through the belly of Destruction. It could not be left unchecked, Destruction''s instinct judged again. Merely shifting its gaze did not suffice to block or even interfere with Molon¡¯s strike. Thus, Destruction moved directly. Without a motion or sound, Destruction leaped over Eugene. "Eugene!" Sienna shouted as she took action. Crack! Sessive spears shot after Destruction. Eugene also immediately spread his wings and followed after Destruction. His outstretched hand grasped one of the magical spears. Eugene''s hand transferred the mes that then wrapped around the spear. Different divine powers harmoniously fused together. Whoosh! The force of therge ming spear in his hand pulled at him strongly, and Eugene immediately twisted his torso and let the spear loose. The me exploded, and the spear shot forward. Swirling divine power pierced through the void. Destruction had been attempting to block the falling axe, but it turned its head as it felt a chilling from behind it. Crack! Destruction stopped. The persistent and tenacious magic clung to Destruction''s body once more. Despite struggling to escape, it couldn¡¯t move, and the attempt was futile. Destruction¡¯s unfocused eyes followed the axe¡¯s trajectory. Although colors moved along with its gaze, blocking the axe was now impossible. The falling axe throbbed as if alive. Its slow descent gradually elerated, and therge, tall axe shrank as it gained speed,pressing its power. Although the axe became more and more difficult to wield, Molon did not stop. Eugene brought his hands together in front of his chest. Levantein ignited mes inside the universe in his chest. He felt the presence of Light from the distant seas. He found that the resonance with the Light was stronger than during his battle with the Demon King of Incarceration. It had to be. What the God of Giants and the ancient gods of the previous era ultimately desired was the end of Destruction. The battle with the Demon King of Incarceration was merely a step to ultimately reach this moment. Thus, the Light spared no divine power and poured it all out to assist Eugene. The divine power drawn from Levantein became mes and swirled between Eugene''s hands. The sun of divine power slowly turned dark. Eclipse. Eugene knew it. The Eclipse he was conjuring was far stronger than the ones he had used in every battle thus far, even stronger than the Eclipse he had created in Noir Giabe¡¯s dream. The Eclipse advanced. "Break it, Molon," Eugene said. Molon twisted his bloodied lips into a grin. Once towering enough to reach the sky, the axe had now shrunk to the size Molon usually wielded. Eclipse entered the trajectory of the axe. The de of the axe shattered Eclipse. The ck mes ensuing from the explosion enveloped the axe. Then, while leading the mes, the axe struck the ground. Crunch. The colorless ground cracked. But even after striking the ground, Molon continued to fuel more power into the axe. The void trembled. Screech! A tearing scream echoed. This ce, even within the belly of Destruction, was particrly special and imperfect. This was the ce that housed the first wound ever sustained by the Demon King of Destruction. Despite the passage of time, the wound had not healed; instead, a part of Destruction had fallen away through the wound. The attack had targeted precisely that very wound. The axe that had split the belly of Destruction further tore the wound. The falling Eclipse burrowed into it. "Ah." A sound was heard. Everyone turned in surprise. Still caught by Sienna''s persistent magic, Destruction had opened its mouth. "Ah... ah." Destruction continued to moan. The colors enveloping Destruction fluctuated. The trembling spread to the void. The intensifying tremors spread down to the ground. [Sir Eugene, look over there,] Kristina''s voice echoed in Eugene''s mind. The trembling of the void reflected blurry scenes from the outside and simultaneously revealed thendscape of Lehainjar. Armies of Nur continued to pour out, trampling over scattered corpses. They were being contested, and their advance blocked by the Divine Army. Eugene couldn''t keep watching as the heavily cracked ground began to copse under their feet. He had not anticipated the ground to give away, and Eugene hastily reached out to the injured Molon. Molon slumped to the ground with his ragged arm as he was moved beside Eugene. Then the fall began. The widely spread wings enveloped Molon, and Anise''s touch swiftly healed his wounds. Gasping for air, Molon lifted his head. From above, he saw Destruction falling. "Hamel, that voice just now¡­," Molon muttered. "I don''t know,¡± answered Eugene. Eugene bit his lip. Was it a pained moan or a sigh? Either way, it wasn''t a sound Destruction should make. Had it been an effective strategy to drive their attack into the existing wound? Had it been quite fatal? Or perhaps their attack had awakened Vermouth¡¯s consciousness. "Where are we falling?" Sienna asked while drawing closer to them. She nced down as she prepared her magic. The bottom was not visible, making it impossible to gauge the distance of the fall. But one thing was certain. The atmosphere was differentpared to the ce they were in before the fall. It was deeper. The air was foul. Breathing alone made the head spin and the mana unstable. "Is it alright to fall? Rather¡ª" Sienna questioned. "It''s fine,¡± Eugene responded without hesitation. He, too, felt the foul air, the instability, the madness ¡ª all the toxins. But Eugene thought this was exactly the right course. This rampant madness and ominous feeling were proof that they were near the core of the Demon King of Destruction. They stopped falling. "What is that?" someone said as they all looked in the same direction. Their gazes were no longer on the falling form of Destruction. There was something more eye-catching in front of them. They saw something beyond the unpleasant and contaminated currents. There was a distortion in space, something that looked almost fabricated and unreal. Therey a grotesque and repulsive mass, rotting yet with fresh flesh entangled like rags. It was simrly mixed with skin and bone and resembled a sculpture that a vile sorcerer might create as a wicked hobby. It couldn''t possibly be alive. Yet everyone felt it. It was alive. It was throbbing. "It''s the heart," revealed a voice. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly descended to the ground. He couldn''t stand properly and slumped down while gasping for breath. "The Heart of Destruction," he exined. Eugene pulled an old chain from within his cloak. The chain trembled as if it might break at any moment. The very chain the Demon King of Incarceration had first bound to the Demon King of Destruction. Eugene swallowed hard and turned to look at the Demon King of Incarceration. "Originally, I tied the chain to the throne where the Demon King of Destruction sat," Incarceration said. Thus, the first hero became the Demon King of Incarceration. "So, the throne became the heart," he concluded. This was the deepest ce within the belly of Destruction. The chain was originally connected, but even the Demon King of Incarceration had never seen the heart. He had wanted to see it but couldn''t, and even if he had tried to get close, he couldn''t. "Destroy it,¡± came a voice. "Then it ends." Everyone looked up. They saw Vermouth clutching his chest. Chapter 604: The Demon King of Destruction (3) The ancient wound in the belly of Destruction was torn open and created a path straight to its heart. The wrecking that unfolded deep within violently shook the power of Destruction. Vermouth was barely, just barely made conscious as a result. He gasped for air and looked down. He saw hisrades looking up at him with shocked expressions, and... even the Demon King of Incarceration. Vermouth didn''t ponder for long why the Demon King of Incarceration was here. He knew about the deep-seated delusion of the Demon King of Incarceration. The decisions he made as the Hero were to perpetuate the world, and as the Demon King, to conform to destruction. The fact that hisrades were here meant that they had ultimately broken the mistakenly held obsession of the Demon King of Incarceration. "Destroy it," Vermouth said in a hoarse voice. That was the heart of Destruction, the throne that birthed the first Demon King. With each end that came, Destruction had killed all living beings. This cycle had been repeated numerous times with the Demon King of Incarceration. With each transition to the next era, terrible venom and evil umted in the Demon King of Incarceration. While he imprisoned all that within his abyss, the Demon King of Destruction could not. The ominous force of the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s power, which could drive everything it encountered mad, was because of this, and the heart was the essence and the venom of the several eras of the world that Destruction had killed time and again. "Then it ends," Vermouth gasped. The Demon King of Incarceration shifted his gaze from Vermouth to the heart. If it had been three hundred years ago, if the Demon King of Destruction hadn''t fully descended and was still controble¡­. But such assumptions were meaningless. After all, the passage of three hundred years didn¡¯t just yield terrible and adverse oues. Because of that extra time, Eugene and hisrades had grown strong enough to surpass the Demon King of Incarceration. Having been defeated outright, the Demon King of Incarceration sincerely desired the end of Destruction, and he looked towards the future of the world.Looking at the heart, the Demon King of Incarceration couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it would have been possible for them to destroy the heart three hundred years ago, even if they had reached this ce then. Even at the moment of its own heart''s destruction, would the Demon King of Destruction really have remained silent? Would that which had destroyed the world several times truly have epted that vain end? Could Hamel and hisrades from three hundred years ago have withstood the rampage of the heart? At that moment, would the Demon King of Incarceration¡­ have trusted humans? ¡®No,¡¯ the Demon King of Incarceration immediately came to an answer. There was no need to ponder about such things. At that moment, he would never have trusted the humans. He would have judged that the rampage of Destruction¡¯s heart could ruin what was toe next and corrected the error quickly before it became any more dangerous. But not now. Not only did he have no capacity to do so, but even if he did have the capacity, he would have refrained from taking any such action. "It ends?" Eugene broke the short silence. He looked at Vermouth, suspended in the air, and chuckled dryly as he continued, "You mean you will?" Vermouth involuntarily held his breath. It wasn¡¯t as if Hamel¡¯s response had been unexpected. Instead, he had expected Hamel, or rather, all of them, to have responded in the same way. Even Sienna, despite the fact that he had almost killed her by piercing a hole through her heart. It didn¡¯t matter that he had not been in his right mind. He had once almost killed her and forcibly taken away a ne she had cherished all her life. Even when she knew she was dying, Anise believed in him as the Hero until the very end. He had revealed nothing to her but entrusted her with his funeral. Even after she died and remained as only a soul after death, she stood behind Hamel. Likewise, he had asked Molon to exterminate unidentified monsters in the snowy mountains without sharing any truths or asking for his understanding. All of them ¡ª were looking at Vermouth with the same expression as Hamel. Just their expressions alone made Vermouth want to burst into tears. He had never sought their understanding. He had only pursued this moment. Even if he was not the Hero, even if he was just a fragment of the Demon King of Destruction, he believed there was worth in saving the world. He believed that even his life, despite the fact that he should never have been born, would be of value if he could disappear along with the Demon King of Destruction at the end. He believed he could find value in his existence. "Why¡­?" Vermouth asked with a trembling voice. He knew the answer even without asking, but he had no choice but to ask. He had to face their response directly and deny it. "Why are you trying to save me? I never informed you of anything. I hoped you wouldn''t understand me, and I had no intention of justifying my actions. I... I hoped you would hate me instead,¡± Vermouth said as he choked on his words. Sienna burst intoughter without trying to suppress it, then turned her head and continued chuckling. "You all... you know now. I''m not even a human, let alone the Hero. I am no different than what I was three hundred years ago. I am precisely the fragment of the Demon King of Destruction that you so desperately wanted to kill,¡± continued Vermouth. This time, Anise was the one tough. She quietly pped Kristina¡¯s shoulder while standing next to her, giggling softly. Vermouth¡¯s shoulders shook as he trembled. "I¡­ I never asked to be saved. If I had wanted that, I would have told you long ago, wouldn¡¯t I? How many times do you intend to make me say it...! I am a fragment of Destruction, and as long as you do not give up on me, killing the Demon King of Destruction is impossible¡­." "Hahahahaha!" Thisughter was louder than that of Sienna or Anise. Molon threw his head back, his boomingughter resonating loudly. Even Vermouth couldn¡¯t help but flush with embarrassment at that raucousughter. "What''s so funny...?!" he asked, sounding upset. "How could it not be funny?" Eugene chuckled in response to Vermouth¡¯s agitated question. "You idiot." Vermouth¡¯s eyes went nk at the insult. He could not find any words. His lips simply opened and closed wordlessly. Eugene continued, "You never told us anything, never hoped for any understanding. You¡¯re not trying to justify your actions, and you¡¯re not asking to be saved. So why are we trying to save you? Fuck, then why did you do that to us? Vermouth, you asshole, you acted like a total jerk, doing whatever you wanted, so we¡¯re doing the same." At Eugene¡¯s outburst, Vermouth¡¯s eyes went wide. Eugene continued, "We don''t expect your understanding either. We don''t intend to convince you. We''re saving you simply because we want to. Hatred? Sure. If you want to hate us, then hate us all you want after you''re saved.¡± He gripped his Divine Sword. "If you really want to die, then survive first, settle your debts with us, and then you can die for all I care." "Why don''t you understand...?!" Vermouth said weakly. He couldn''t bear to look hisrades in the eye. Logically, their words seemed like nothing more than empty emotional appeals. "No matter what you all want, no matter what you say, Hamel...! The fact that I am a fragment of Destruction doesn''t change. If Destruction dies, I die too. That''s an unchangeable fact...! Are you hesitating to kill Destruction just to save me, even as Destruction''s kin pour out into the world right now?" questioned Vermouth. "My descendants are out there," Molon replied. "My descendants won''t fall easily. They''ll block the monsters. Warriors and knights took up their arms with admiration for Hamel, for you, and for me. Wizards took up books with admiration for Sienna. Priests chanted prayers with admiration for Anise." Vermouth stared at Molon wordlessly. "Vermouth. During the three hundred years you salvaged, the world has matured. The children who grew up hearing our stories are now adults standing against Destruction,¡± continued Molon. Molon grinned while clutching his axe. Vermouth chewed on his lips after hearing Molon¡¯s words. "Sir Vermouth,¡± Anise spoke up. "No matter what you say, I have not forgotten how you marched through Yuras three hundred years ago. You say you are not the Hero, just a fragment of Destruction ¡ª but you were undeniably the hope, light, and the Hero in those desperate times. If I had not seen you then, I would not have ventured into the world." "Anise...!" Vermouth called out. "So please, do not speak so lowly of yourself. Every word you use to deny yourself is an insult to all those who saw you as hope, light, and the Hero three hundred years ago,¡± continued Anise. Anise smiled gently and turned to look at Kristina. Instead of speaking, Kristina sped her hands and offered a prayer to Vermouth. In times when everyone doubted the existence of gods, the Hero appeared to save the world. That was the Vermouth Lionheart Kristina learned about and grew up with. ¡°Remember the old days?¡± Sienna asked, giving a bitter smile. ¡°Back in the Devildom. On those truly tough days, we used to talk about the future. Molon always said he wanted to be a king... Anise didn¡¯t say much and just drank, but now I understand what kind of future she wanted. Vermouth, you don¡¯t know, do you?¡± Vermouth couldn¡¯t answer this question. ¡°Anise wanted to open a tavern in some quiet countryside, one that also served as an inn. Hamel wanted to establish an academy, which totally didn''t suit him. And I... I wanted to get married and have kids. I wanted to live happily. As it turns out, only Molon has achieved his dream,¡± Sienna said wistfully. ¡°Sienna,¡± Vermouth called out. ¡°Vermouth. Every time we had those conversations, you just gave a vague smile and dodged the question. So we never heard what future you dreamed of,¡± Sienna said while shaking her head. ¡°We deserve to be happy.¡± Three hundred years ago, in the despairing and terrible days, Sienna had this thought every single day. She continued in a slightly louder voice, ¡°We deserve happiness more than anyone. We should live happily all our lives. That''s only natural. We saved the world three hundred years ago, and we¡¯re still saving it now.¡± Vermouth couldn¡¯t respond to this statement. ¡°And more than any of us, Vermouth, you need to be happy,¡± Sienna concluded. Would they have been able to defeat the three Demon Kings three hundred years ago without Vermouth? If not for Vermouth, they wouldn¡¯t have been able to make a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration. Without Vermouth, the world would have already perished three hundred years ago. ¡°We¡¯re going to end Destruction,¡± Sienna dered. She walked towards the slowly but steadily beating heart. ¡°And Vermouth, we¡¯re going to save you too,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Impossible...¡± Vermouth gasped. ¡°Fuck, since when have we only done what¡¯s possible? You might have thought it was okay since you were hiding basically everything, but the first time we faced the Demon King of Carnage, everyone, well, everyone except you, thought it was impossible!¡± Eugene yelled while pointing a finger at Vermouth. ¡°So fuck it, even if you say it¡¯s impossible, we¡¯re going to save you and kill Destruction. What? You¡¯re a fragment of Destruction? If Destruction dies, you die? That¡¯s just bullshit,¡± Eugene shouted. ¡°I told you before, you asshole. To us, you¡¯re just Vermouth Lionheart. You don¡¯t have to be a hero. It¡¯s okay if you¡¯re a fragment of Destruction. But¡ª¡± Eugene paused his tirade to take a deep breath. Holding back his surging emotions, he gripped his Divine Sword tightly as he continued, ¡°Don¡¯t deny that you are the Vermouth Lionheart we know. After we kill Destruction, we¡¯re going to beat the shit out of you. You have to survive just to get beaten up by us. So don¡¯t even think about dying with Destruction. Just think desperately about surviving.¡± Vermouth looked on with his mouth agape. ¡°It¡¯s the same as three hundred years ago,¡± Eugene said. He stared at the heart. ¡°We¡¯re here to kill the Demon King. We came here to kill the Demon King. Vermouth, you¡¯re with us... in killing the Demon King,¡± he said. At those words, something stirred deep within Vermouth¡¯s chest. Vermouth had lived his entire life knowing he was a fragment of Destruction. He believed it was natural for him to die alongside the Demon King of Destruction. He desired nothing else. He couldn¡¯t wish for anything else. But those words. The ones he had heard so many times: You are just Vermouth Lionheart. At those words, Vermouth was eventually forced to close his eyes tightly. ¡°Hamel, Molon, Sienna, Anise,¡± his voice trembled as he continued, ¡°You are... idiots, morons. No. Imbeciles.¡± ¡°Hahaha,¡± Eugeneughed, his shoulders shaking. ¡°It¡¯s the first time I''ve heard you use suchnguage.¡± ¡°Vermouth swearing!¡± shrieked Sienna. ¡°See, Sienna? Even Sir Vermouth is human, isn¡¯t he?¡± Anise chimed in. ¡°Imbecile is kind of a low-grade insult,¡± said Molon. The four of them giggled together. Hearing theirughter, Vermouth bowed his head to hide his flowing tears. Thump. The heart, which had been beating slowly, began to elerate because Eugene and hisrades had gotten too close. The heart sensed the imminent threat and prepared to resist. ¡°I don¡¯t wish for this,¡± Vermouth muttered in a trembling voice. Whooo¡­. The colors rose again and began to envelop Vermouth¡¯s body. Seeking to eliminate the intruders in its core, Destruction once again imposed its colors onto Vermouth¡¯s body. ¡°I, you¡­¡± Vermouth stammered. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to attack us. I also know that from this point on, it¡¯s not you, Vermouth,¡± Eugene said with a snort and shake of his head. ¡°What we¡¯re going to beat up from this point, isn¡¯t you, Vermouth. So, you... think about getting beaten up some more while staying alive and fighting back from within. Don¡¯t just be passively controlled. Struggle!¡± ¡°Ha¡­.¡± Vermouth exhaled. The surging colors swallowed Vermouth. With his focus fading, Vermouth twisted his lips into a horrid smile. ¡°Stupid brat,¡± it said. Destruction charged. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 605: The Demon King of Destruction (4) [Bonus Image] "You all go to the heart," Eugene said as he rapidly closed the distance and blocked the advancing Destruction. Crack! A burst of dark power vaporized along with his mes right before him. Eugene nced at the tips of his hair turning to ash as he took half a step back. "I''ll keep this bastard here,¡± he said. No longer could he sense Vermouth in the Demon King of Destruction standing before him. Its eyes were as unfocused as before, and instead of mes, its entire body was enveloped in a vibrant color and dark power. "By yourself?" Sienna asked. She was about to join him but paused. "Not alone. Anise and Kristina are with me,¡± Eugene replied, pushing his Divine Sword forward. As if to prove his words, his wings emitted a brilliant light. Roar! The light quickly turned into a baptism of fire that engulfed Destruction. However, Destruction was not consumed by the mes; instead, it repelled them with its dark power and swirling color."Understood,¡± Sienna said as she nodded without hesitation. Eugene had fought and defeated the specter in the past after it had be the Incarnation of Destruction. But what they faced now was beyond any incarnation. The entity controlling Vermouth¡¯s body was a fragment, or perhaps even the Demon King of Destruction itself. It was on a different levelpared to the specter. Could Eugene really stop it alone? There was no need to consider whether that was possible. It was Eugene¡¯s decision to make. His divinity, which was linked with victory, didn¡¯t y a role in this decision. There was a simple reason why Eugene, or Hamel, was acting this way. ¡®Because he¡¯s never beaten Vermouth,¡¯ Sienna thought to herself. With a shake of her head, she turned around. Unlike Sienna, who had paused momentarily, Molon had not stopped at all. As always, he charged forward without hesitation. "Kraaaaah!" With a war cry, Molon raised his axe. However, the heart of Destruction did not remain silent either. With a crackling sound, the surface of the heart broke, split, and opened. Dark power flowed out from within and surged toward Molon. Molon¡¯s axe fell. Therge de cut through the mass of dark power, but at the same moment, an explosion of color engulfed Molon. Just then, Sienna cast a spell with a deep sigh. The space between them was severed, and as if it had always been so, Molon was transported next to Sienna. "Stupid bastard! Don¡¯t go off alone!" Sienna chided. "Sienna, I trusted you,¡± Molon answered simply. Sienna could no longer reproach him after hearing his response. She knew from Molon¡¯s character that his words weren''t mere ttery. He had sincerely believed that Sienna would assist him when he charged. "Alright, alright, I get it, so just don¡¯t go charging in alone. We need to see what to do about that first,¡± Sienna said, gesturing to Destruction¡¯s heart. Sienna sighed again and narrowed her eyes. The surface of the heart continued to wriggle. The mess of bones and flesh continued to unfold. Inside, purple and dark red flesh writhed like rotten meat, with dark power and swirling colors flowing within instead of blood. "How disgusting,¡± Siennamented. She had seen countless rotting corpses before. Her stomach was steeled to the point where she could have tea amidst such grotesque scenes without feeling sick. Yet, the sight of that heart made her insides churn and flip. It was certainly repulsive to the eye, but it was also the effect of the dark power and colors emanating from the heart. What umted and congealed inside was far more noxious and dreadful than any poison the Demon King of Incarceration had ever concocted. ''How long can Ist?'' Sienna wondered. Sienna chewed her lip as she held back her nausea. Her divine power had grown significantly stronger after the battle a week ago. Her resistance to dark power had increased as well, though she was notpletely immune. Boom! A loud explosion behind her interrupted Sienna''s worrisome thoughts. There was no time to think. "Molon," she called out. After brief contemtion, she made the same decision as three hundred years ago. When they faced an unknown enemy, in a situation with no clear answers, it was always Molon who charged first. "Go ahead,¡± she said. "I knew you would say that,¡± Molon said with a grin. He leaped forward. Sienna watched how he confronted the heart and how it would resist. She nced back briefly, but a mere nce was insufficient for her toprehend the situation. All she could see was a chaotic intermingling of light and colors. Of course, Eugene did not want to fight Vermouth this way. Someday, he wanted a proper duel with Vermouth to finally determine who was stronger ¡ª but certainly not today. It was something he yearned for after everything was over. It was something to be had in a peaceful routine where they wouldn''t have to think about Destruction or Demon Kings, without any grand resolutions or beliefs, after their victory. And after his victory, if Vermouth were feeling defeated and down, Eugene would tap him on the shoulder a few times after the fight. Though Eugene seriously doubted that he would actually react that way. More likely than not, he would say something typical of a victor, like, ¡°You will be stronger one day,¡± and then go for a drink together. "But not today," Eugene said with a chuckle as he wiped the blood from his lips. He didn''t consider his current opponent to be Vermouth. Ultimately, the excuse that he had given, that he had never beaten Vermouth before, was just a way to steel himself. "Strictly speaking, it''s not even a one-on-one, right?¡± Eugene said. [Technically, Hamel, there are three of us on our side,] Anise answered. [But Sister, I don''t think Sir Eugene is being unfair. The opponent is evil, has lived as long as the Demon King of Incarceration, and must be thoroughly defeated,] Kristina countered. Unlike Anise who yfully teased Eugene, Kristina defended him earnestly. [My goodness, Kristina¡­. With your current reasoning, even if Hamel were to defecate in the street, you would be able to give a reasoning for it and exin it to everyone,] Anise said sarcastically. [Sir Eugene would never do such a thing,] Kristina retorted. "Why would I shit?" Eugene questioned as well. Boom! An explosion a short distance in front of him made Eugene''s hair flutter. He steadied his breath and reached out. The Light flowing from his chest instantly created an Eclipse. "And it''s not the three of us,¡± he said. Eclipse wasunched into the center of the explosion. The spreading force was all sucked into Eclipse, which then exploded again. This explosion shook the void with a force many times greater than the previous ones. Destruction raised a sword nearby. It was holding a sword, one that was eerily simr to the one Eugene knew. ¡®The Moonlight Sword.¡¯ The Moonlight Sword was created by Vermouth by drawing out his dark power after splitting off from Destruction. Thus, there was no reason for the Demon King of Destruction to wield the Moonlight Sword. Yet, since earlier, Vermouth had been crafting and wielding it in battle. Despitecking sentience, its attacks weren''t awkward either. Earlier, Destruction had only known simple attacks using its arms or manipting magical power and color, but now that was no longer the case. As the shes continued, its movements evolved. Destruction disappeared from Eugene¡¯s view, having sliced through Eclipse¡¯s explosion. It hadn¡¯t done that before, or rather, it couldn¡¯t. But Destruction had adapted and evolved. For several moves now, Destruction had been moving that way, and actively using it to attack Eugene. This was the belly of Destruction. Vermouth was born here, and he could move anywhere he wanted, just like now. Though Eugene couldn¡¯t see it directly, his instincts honed from his divinitypelled him to move. The Moonlight Sword¡¯s strike shed through the air where Eugene''s head had been just now. He dodged the strike. But the attack wasn¡¯t over. The colors drawn in the air writhed and exploded in all directions. Eugene couldn¡¯t utilize Prominence to leap through space here. Thus, he retreated, dodging the spreading colors, and drew his sword. ¡®I¡¯m certain,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. The current attacks were sharper than the previous ones. Without his instincts, dodging Destruction¡¯s strikes would have been difficult. It was getting used to its method of movement and adding attacks toplement its movement technique. How could that be when it had no sentience? ¡®It¡¯s evolving,¡¯ Eugene concluded. There was no other exnation. The Demon King of Destruction was using Vermouth, the vessel, to grow explosively. The originalbat techniques Vermouth knew were being used against Eugene. Destruction was responding to Eugene¡¯s strikes in ways that Vermouth would typically utilize. ¡°You,¡± Eugene growled. He confirmed his suspicion. Destruction iled around while looking at him. Once more, Destruction disappeared from Eugene¡¯s view. ¡°Son of a bitch,¡± Eugene muttered. Eugene felt intense anger. It was just like the time when he fought against the specter. The way this bastard fought like Vermouth, despite not being Vermouth, infuriated him. It reminded him of his time as Hamel when he had never defeated Vermouth. He had vowed to avenge his past defeats by fighting the real Vermouth someday, so encountering such cursed situations made his stomach turn. It seemed to dilute the joy he would feel when he would eventually defeat Vermouth. ¡°Cut it out,¡± Eugene growled in anger. His instincts warned him. Kristina and Anise also shouted Eugene¡¯s name in surprise. But Eugene didn¡¯t move as before. He stood still with a snarl. ¡°If you evolve using the methods Vermouth would use to attack¡­,¡± he muttered. The Divine Sword in his hand turned into mes and disintegrated. The distance between them was too short to swing a sword. Divine mes wrapped around Eugene''s hands. And then Destruction appeared. It swung the Moonlight Sword from an even sharper and more lethal angle than before. "Then I can easily¡­," Eugene said as he clenched his hands into fists. He punched, his fist wrapped in divine fire. He blocked the Moonlight Sword that was aimed at his neck with his left arm. The ominous dark power devoured the divine fire and bore into Eugene''s forearm. The moment the Moonlight Sword pierced his arm, his still-clenched right fist mmed into Destruction''s face. With a loud crash that seemed too intense for a mere punch, Destruction was driven downward. "Predict how you¡¯re going to move...!" Eugene muttered while shaking his sore fist. His left arm was deeply cut, though not to the bone, and blood flowed from it unabated. Destruction''s dark power hindered his recovery. [What if your arm had been severed?!] Anise shouted angrily. "You would have reattached it,¡± Eugene answered. [You know that doesn''t reattach immediately,] said Anise. "That''s why I hit before it could be severed,¡± retorted Eugene. The sensation of making contact with Destruction was less than what he expected. The colors enveloping Destruction must have dispersed the impact. Eugene clicked his tongue while opening his hand. He had thought pounding Destruction with his fist might suffice, but the effort seemed fruitlesspared to the result. Time was against him. Resisting the dark power endlessly wasn''t a feasible option. He would be the first to be worn down if the fight dragged on. Eugene nced back. He saw Molon slicing through the surge of colors and dark power emanating from the heart, with Sienna pouring her magic into the path he opened. Despite the high-powered magical strikes, the heart showed no significant damage. It was to be expected. That had been Destruction''s heart for thousands of years, perhaps many times more than that. The dark power umted over such an extensive period was deeply embedded and stored in the heart. ''And you¡¯re growing too,'' Eugene thought with worry. Destruction pushed itself up with both hands from the ground. There was no expression on its face. The cheek where Eugene had struck it showed no swelling or blood. Eugene¡¯s lips quivered at the sight. Destruction¡¯s attacks were growing explosively stronger with each exchange. But for now, he could still handle it. The enemy was fighting with only Vermouth''s intelligence and experience. If so, he needed to outpace its growth with rapid, overwhelming attacks. He needed to make sure Destruction couldn¡¯t respond to his attacks. Eugene crouched, preparing Ignition with Prominence. "There are four of us," Eugene said. These were the words he hadn''t managed to finish earlier. It wasn''t just Eugene and the Saints fighting Destruction. During the attack, he saw a slight tremor in Destruction''s fingertips. It wasn¡¯t affecting thebat yet, but there was a tremor in Destruction''s movements that seemed unintended. ''Vermouth,'' Eugene called out silently. That idiot finally seemed to understand what Eugene and hisrades had been saying. He had told him not to think about dying here today. Don''t talk like Destruction''s avatar; don''t despise or deny yourself. Fight together. Don''t just be swayed; struggle against it. The tremor in Destruction was evidence that Vermouth was struggling. Vermouth was still inside. ''I can see it,'' Eugene realized. It wasn¡¯t the first time. Unlike before, he wasn¡¯t relying on instinct. Eugene immediately leaped and raised divine fire. Two Divine Swords appeared in his hands. He had to surpass Destruction¡¯s explosive growth rate. He needed tounch attacks so intense that just using Vermouth¡¯s intelligence and experience wouldn''t be enough to counter them. For a brief moment, Eugene''s memory shed back to past duels with Vermouth. Among them, the attack that had nearly given him the upper hand was¡ª "Asura Rampage." The two Divine Swords unleashed a flurry of shes.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 606: The Demon King of Destruction (5)

Chapter 606: The Demon King of Destruction (5)

The swords swung at breakneck speed, but paradoxically, they seemed to stand still. But that was how they merely appeared to the naked eye. The twin Divine Swords moved tens, no, hundreds of times in an instant, filling the space with their swift cuts. These shes of the Divine Swords did not simply vanish after the motion. The mes emitted by the Divine Swords gave these shes a distinct form. Therefore, they couldn¡¯t simply be avoided. Unless the shes were smashed apart, the mes would only spread and grow. Thus, Destruction waspelled to use the Moonlight Sword. Imbued with dark power, the Moonlight Sword emitted a pale and ominous light. The sword-light of Destruction was something familiar to Eugene. Eugene had experienced many defeats throughout his life, and most of them had been at the hands of Vermouth. Each loss prompted Eugene, or rather Hamel, to reflect on why he had been defeated. He pondered how Vermouth had defeated him and how sharp and graceful Vermouth¡¯s sword technique was. He thought about the precise moment he lost the pace of the battle that led to his defeat. He remembered it all. Over and over, he had visualized these battles in his mind. More recently, he had experienced them firsthand. The specter he fought in Hauria had wielded Vermouth¡¯s sword techniques after adopting Vermouth¡¯s memories. The onught of attacks did not cease. Eugene held his breath and poured all his strength into each of his swings. The web of mes intensified and threatened Destruction. However, it did not yield and advanced while swinging the Moonlight Sword. No, it wasn¡¯t merely swinging the sword but also utilizing its left hand by enveloping it with dark power and extinguishing Eugene¡¯s shes. ¡®Bastard,¡¯ Eugene cursed inwardly at the unfolding situation. His lips twitched in annoyance as he continued Asura Rampage. It was just like thest time he sparred with Vermouth. Of course, Vermouth held a different sword back then and wrapped mes of the White me Form around his left hand instead of dark power. But apart from that, Destruction was currently mirroring Vermouth¡¯s response. ¡®It¡¯s irritating how you mimic him,¡¯ Eugene thought in annoyance. Imitation. That was all it amounted to. Destruction might possess strength and speed that far surpassed the old Vermouth, but Eugene did not consider Destruction superior to Vermouth. It didn¡¯t matter how strong or fast it was. What mattered was how onebined and handled such abilities. Could a response that was nothing more than a knee-jerk reflex truly be considered strong? What was so difficult about breaking down and devouring such a simple and brutish attack? So, Eugene¡¯s face twisted into a grimace. Using Vermouth¡¯s body as a vessel and drawing on his experiences and thoughts was Destruction¡¯s mistake. After all, possessing a human body limited itsbat techniques, and Eugene was already overly familiar with the techniques it was utilizing. And Eugene excelled in this kind of personalbat. Even if Vermouth himself came to fight, he would be no match for the current Eugene. Today¡¯s Destruction was inferior to Vermouth¡¯s responses. Growth? If Eugene fought in a way that allowed for its growth, yes, it might be quite a struggle in the future. But that wasn¡¯t a problem right now. Eugene did not intend to allow it to grow. He breathed in deeply and exhaled. His heart felt tight. His blood boiled and elerated. His vision widened. The mes of the twin Divine Swords zed intensely. He sliced. He thought only of that. A fierce will transformed into a miracle and embedded itself within the swords. From that moment, Destruction could no longer follow the rapid shes. The Moonlight Sword was helplessly pushed back by the sessive strikes, and the left hand of Destruction could no longer suppress the mes. Destruction could no longer advance. Little by little, Destruction had no choice but to retreat. It was being forced back. There was no other way. To advance would mean allowing deeper cuts. To stay put would also mean bracing deeper cuts. Thus, retreating was the only option it had. But did that mean it could avoid being cut by retreating? Not necessarily. The shes persistently pursued Destruction. Even though Destruction responded the best it could, its dark power and essence were being worn away. Eventually, Destruction could no longer wield the Moonlight Sword properly. It shrank away and switched entirely to defense. But even that was insufficient. Though it desired to block everything, it couldn''t. Splurt! The shes that came from all directions caused dark power to burst like blood. Then, both Divine Swords simultaneously plunged straight ahead. The Moonlight Sword, set for defense, shattered into pieces. ¡°Do not draw the sword,¡± Eugene whispered between the shes. Though Destruction did not understand the words, Vermouth¡¯s reasoning made it clear that one should not draw the sword against such an opponent. It would be no match against its opponent while using the sword. It sensed that it should not draw the sword, even with sufficient growth. Thus, Destruction hastily raised its dark power. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Eugene whispered again. Crunch! Eugene¡¯s strikes burst through the dark power. The jumbled colors scattered in all directions. Eugene brought his hands together. The two Divine Swords merged into one greatsword. He raised it overhead, then shed downward. All of the lingering mes tangled like spiderwebs and connected to the Divine Sword. An inescapable session of shes trapped Destruction. Fwoosh! The magic and its hues were eroded by the mes. Though this wore down Eugene¡¯s supply of divine power, he was unconcerned. Destruction¡¯s dark power and color were being depleted faster than his divine power. Even in the belly of Destruction, he could hear the prayers of the world, hoping for his victory. Thus, he was still far off from running low on divine power. Its body wasn¡¯t moving. No, it couldn¡¯t move his body. The persistent mes clung to the hues, not letting go. No, that was not the only reason. Simply put, the body was not moving as it wished. The muscles involuntarily tensed, and the joints were stiff. ¡®Give it back.¡¯ A voice echoed in its head. ¡®This is my body.¡¯ It was the voice of the vessel. It belonged to the avatar that had separated on its own from an ancient wound. ¡®I am Vermouth Lionheart.¡¯ It knew the name. Originally, Destruction was a human with such a name. But now, it had no awareness or sentiment left regarding that name. ¡®So I¡¯m taking it,¡¯ Vermouth dered. Crack, crackle. Its arms refused to obey its will fully, and now, it mobilized with another¡¯s will. What had been set for blocking an attacking from the front moved upwards on its own. Thus, its defenses were left wide open. Crack! The sword plunged into its body, and Destruction staggered significantly. ¡®Vermouth,¡¯ Eugene thought, his eyes flickering. Destruction had shown some unusual movement. It was not just a small tremor but a clear movement for Eugene''s benefit. It was Vermouth. His resistance and struggles had a definite impact on Destruction. Eugene grinned and pulled the Divine Sword back. The ovey of the Empty Sword engulfed the Divine Sword, the mes fiercely aze. Destruction knew instinctively that this sword posed a danger. mes not yet shaken off still clung to its body and burned. It needed to move. Destruction¡¯s gaze shifted. It had realized toote. If it could move as it willed, it could have escaped the mes long ago. But that wasn¡¯t an option. It was Vermouth. He was firmly holding onto his own body, preventing it from disappearing. "Hamel.¡± A voice came out through forcibly parted lips. Eugeneughed softly, hearing Vermouth¡¯s voice. "Yes,¡± he answered. The Empty Sword drew closer to Destruction¡¯s body. Rumble! The wave of dark power and colors oxidized with the mes but failed to push Eugene back. The Empty Sword burnt through all obstructing colors as Eugene gradually approached Destruction. Eventually, the mes of the Empty Swordpletely engulfed Destruction. Rumble! The void trembled. Destruction struggled violently within the zing mes. Chaotic colors and dark power continued to pour out within the mes, but they were instantly turned to ash and disappeared. Eugene stretched his hand forward while gasping for breath. He clenched his fist, and the mes exploded violently. It did not end with one explosion. Eugene continued to unleash Eclipses, and with each exploding Eclipse, Destruction staggered significantly. Sienna could hear the continuous sounds of explosions from behind her. But she had no leisure to look back. She had to focus all her nerves on attacking the unyielding heart. She struck the heart with magic several times, but the magic barely managed to prate into the heart, failing to cause the damage she desired. However, she could gradually see changes in the heart. An irregr creaking mixed into the thumping sound of the heart, and the dark power and colors pouring out were no longer as fierce and resistant as before. Molon also approached the heart. The axe he swung with a scream embedded itself in the heart''s surface as if he were chopping wood. Thump, thump, thump. The consecutive axing made the heart quiver, and dark power and colors poured out like blood. [Now.] When the explosion behind them grew louder, a voice came through Mary. It was sudden, but Sienna was not startled. The voice belonged to the Sage, the World Tree, Vishur Lavi. Sienna felt the invisible hand of the Sage touching her. What did now mean? A bright light filled Sienna¡¯s eyes. Her consciousness expanded vastly and allowed her to understand even the things she could not see with her eyes. Vermouth was resisting fiercely. Destruction could no longer control the part it had lost. The divine fire that Eugene continued to unleash was incinerating the part of Destruction that possessed Vermouth, and all of it was putting direct stress on the heart. The dark power and the colors were shaking wildly. Sienna knew what she had to do with her magic now. She knew what it could do. She pointed Mary at the heart of Destruction. [Is this the final destination of my desire?] The Sage asked with a chuckle through Mary. The wish to see the end of Destruction had finallye to fruition today. The power of the World Tree flowed into Mary from the distant great forest. Whoosh! Mary¡¯s vines stretched out like a bow. Sienna strung the strings of soul power between the vines. Crack! The spirits of the World Tree that came through Mary gathered together, and Sienna¡¯s soul power bound them together to form an arrow. Molon felt a spine-tingling thrill. He did not look back. Like Sienna, Molon also knew what he had to do now. He knew what he could do. ¡°Arrghh!¡± With a ferocious scream, he raised his axe up high. Though it was not erged, the axe was focused with the same force that had opened a path to the heart of Destruction. Rumble! Waves of dark power and colors poured out, but Molon did not unleash his attack to counter Destruction¡¯s attack. Molon still held the axe high and made the choice to endure the attack with his bare body. It was not yet time to swing. The bowstring was released. A green light pierced through the void and rushed toward the heart. Then, finally, Molon brought his axe down. The resisting colors and dark power were forcefully driven downward by the relentless power contained in the axe. Crack! The axe created arge gash in the outer wall of the heart before shattering. The arrow Sienna released was shot into that wound. Spirits of the World Tree, released along with soul power, burrowed into the heart. Hahaha! Theughter of the Sage led the spirits. The heart swelled as if it were about to burst, and its throbbing turned into a tearing scream. "Aaaaaah!" A genuine scream burst forth. Still not freed from the explosions of Eclipse, Destruction clutched its head and rolled on the ground. The voice belonged to Vermouth, but the screams of pain were not his own. It was Destruction possessing his body that was reacting to the pain. Even so, Eugene did not like hearing a scream that Vermouth would never utter in his voice. He reached out his hand toward Destruction to stop it from screaming. But he withdrew his hand. Despite the screaming, he could see that its eyes were calm. He could faintly discern the focus in its eyes. The eyes were cloudy and faded in color, but still, there was a me burning deep within them. "Yes," someone said as if in understanding. Eugene also nodded silently. The divine fire burning Destruction dissipatedpletely. Destruction sprang up as if it had been waiting for this. However, it did not attack Eugene; instead, it moved towards the swollen heart. Sienna naturally tried to intercept it but flinched and withdrew her magic. Molon also refrained from swinging his axe anymore, hastily stepping back because he sensed Eugene''s intent. "I think it''s a mistake," The Demon King of Incarceration said, shaking his head while watching the battle from a distance. "Destruction¡¯s instincts have not abandoned Vermouth Lionheart. That shows how significant Vermouth is to the Demon King of Destruction.¡± "That might be so,¡± answered Eugene. "If you had continued attacking, you could have inflicted wounds even the Demon King of Destruction couldn¡¯t ignore,¡± said Incarceration. "If Vermouth had been killed, that is,¡± Eugene challenged Incarceration¡¯s words. The Demon King of Incarceration grimaced at the response. "You... must have seen some potential in Vermouth. But in the end, that''s all it is ¡ª potential. As much as Vermouth might wish otherwise, once swallowed up like that, he will no longer be able to resist." The Demon King of Incarceration pointed to the heart. Vermouth''s body was being sucked into the heart after reaching it. "Well," Eugene scoffed as he stared at the heart, which was undergoing transformation. The dark power that spilled out from it wrapped colors around it and touched the ground. Crack, crackle. Flesh and bones extracted from the heart turned into grotesque limbs. "Look, Hamel," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a sigh. "Do you really think you can kill that monster?" The monster, centered around the heart, raised its head. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 607: The Demon King of Destruction (6)

Chapter 607: The Demon King of Destruction (6)

Eugene naturally tried to recall any beast or monster that resembled the creature before him. It had a massive body and a wide-open mouth revealing dense, sharp teeth. Its limbs sprouted irregrly and touched the ground. Some nails and ws curved like hooks, while others jutted out like knives. There were further additional limbs sprouting randomly on its back, as well as wings. Try as he might, Eugene couldn¡¯t think of any monsters like the one in front of him. While individual parts might resemble something familiar to him, no beast or monster was simr in appearance to the one standing in front of him. It was a monster formed on its own, but it was fundamentally different from a chimera. In other words, it wasn¡¯t a forced union of different things. Rather, it was a creature in its own right ¡ª a monster shaped from dark and dreadful power. Eugene felt a chill run down his spine as he clenched his fist. Most of the Demon Kings or simr beings Eugene had faced looked somewhat human, but this one did not. But, it was precisely because of that Eugene could strongly sense that what he faced was suited to be called a Demon King. ¡®Should I say it¡¯s an efficient form... free of waste?¡¯ Eugene wondered in amazement. This was the being that had brought about the end of the world several times, and as such, Eugene could sense evil dark power that was suited for the destroyer of the world, emanating fully from this monster. They were inside the belly of Destruction, but what they faced now could truly be called the essence of Destruction. Eugene was certain of one thing as he clenched his sweat-soaked hands: killing this creature meant killing the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°Stop spouting nonsense and think of helping, okay?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°Help?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration shrugged, showing his frayed hands. ¡°I¡¯ve burnt up my life keeping Destruction at bay until you arrived. Isn¡¯t that enough?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just a life on the highway for death anyway,¡± retorted Eugene. ¡°Haha... I do wee death, but to openly say such a thing is truly shameless,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration said, shaking his head and chuckling dryly. ¡°Unfortunately, I can¡¯t be of any help in this fight. My dark power was depleted long ago. I have nothing left to draw upon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not asking for help in battle,¡± said Eugene. The Demon King of Incarceration blinked several times in response to the earnest gaze directed at him. ¡°Haha!¡± Soon, the Demon King of Incarceration burst outughing. This time, theughter was not hollow. Heughed genuinely. He felt surprise and delight at Eugene¡¯s words. ¡°Indeed, Eugene Lionheart,¡± he said, still chucking. Without wasting any more time gazing at the Demon King of Incarceration, Eugene turned his head. He considered the emotions mixed in thatughter a sufficient response. Besides, he no longer had the luxury of conversing with the Demon King of Incarceration. The massive mouth of the monster had opened wide towards him. ¡°You¡¯re a remarkable glutton,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration murmured from behind. As Eugene thought, there was a definitive answer mixed in theughter. Eugene smirked and raised his hand. With a woosh, a gigantic Divine Sword appeared. The Demon King of Incarceration slowly dragged his feet backward, though they barely moved ording to his will. His body was destined for death. He wanted to witness the end of this battle before dying, but if the situation demanded ¡ª though he might not see the end, he thought it wouldn¡¯t be bad to devote hisst moments to the future. His stores of dark power had been long depleted. He wasn¡¯t able to fight any longer. That was the truth. Yet the soul of the Great Demon King, having lived through the ages, possessed a will strong enough to push back the dark power of Destruction for one fleeting moment, if need be, if he had to. The Demon King of Incarceration was willing to let himself burn for the sake of taking Destruction down. But now, that was no longer possible. Dying that way could provide a fine self-satisfaction, but it wouldn¡¯t meet Eugene¡¯s ambitious expectations. ¡°Do you truly want to create a miracle?¡± the Demon King of Incarceration asked with a chuckle and lifted his head. A miracle? Heughed again at the word he had muttered. The term seemed almost quaint. Everything up to now, and this moment here, was the miracle Eugene Lionheart had wrought. What the Demon King of Incarceration had to observe until the end was whether all these miracles could culminate into a myth. ¡®I can feel it,¡¯ Eugene thought to himself. His heart was racing, painfully so. His senses were so heightened he could feel every flow of his heated blood. Eugene steadied his breath and fixed his gaze on the monster. Its enormous maw seemed capable of swallowing entire cities and was agape. Yet, despite its vast openness, the inside remained obscured, housing nothing but imprable, pitch-ck darkness. Destruction¡¯s dark power was bubbling furiously within. ¡®The blood knows,¡¯ Eugene thought earnestly. Waves of boiling dark power rippled and leaked out of the gaping maw. Countless teeth were coated with the dark power. Eugene sensed the emanating tension from Sienna and Molon as they drew closer. Anise and Kristina, too, had forgotten their prayers in front of the overwhelming monster. ¡®Vermouth,¡¯ Eugene called out inwardly. The blood of the Lionhearts flowed in his veins. It remained undiluted even after three hundred years. This body was a descendant of Vermouth. Though it did not contain dark power, the blood of the Lionhearts originated from the Demon King of Destruction. That was why Eugene could feel it so intensely now. The boiling blood informed him. It informed him that Vermouth was inside the heart at the center of the monster. He had been sucked into the heart but had not lost consciousness. Eugene could have blocked him from being dragged in if he had wanted, but he had let him go because that was Vermouth¡¯s wish. Vermouth had escaped despair. He had not given up on life, deciding to die with Destruction. Just as Eugene and hispanions had hoped, Vermouth Lionheart had decided to fight as himself, not as a mere fragment of Destruction. Even now, Vermouth was awakening and resisting at the center of that dreadful and ominous dark power. ¡°You should have done that earlier,¡± Eugene muttered. Despite standing in front of the monster¡¯s vast, gaping maw, there was a smirk on his face. The overflowing dark power was converging into a single point, but Eugene¡¯s eyes were fixed straight at its center. Although it appeared to be imprable darkness, a tiny spark could be seen in its midst. The tiny spark was burning brightly. Roar! The monster unleashed the dark power from its maw. The clumps of dark power rushed forward, and it felt as if thousands of dragons had unleashed their breath simultaneously. No, even that seemed trivial inparison. Eugene could no longer gaze at the spark. He swallowed his breath and clutched his Divine Sword tightly. ¡°Light,¡± he whispered softly. The Light seated far across the sea rose up. All the divine power amassed in anticipation of this very day was now linked to Eugene. It was so immense it could shake even his spirit, but the prayers of the two Saints made this boundless power more malleable and avable. Levantein was imbued into the Divine Sword. The burning mes swelled massively along with the light. Rumble! The Divine Sword cleaved through the dark power, but it could not incinerate all the severed fragments of it. The remaining, unburned dark power was drawn back into the monster and recycled. "Time is not on our side. You know that, right?" Sienna stated briskly. Eugene nodded as he passed the Divine Sword to Molon. "Even breathing here is lethal,¡± she said. Not that going outside would improve their situation. Attacking from within Destruction¡¯s heart allowed them direct strikes at the heart, but if they fled outside ¡ª it would be extremely difficult to reach the heart once more. ¡°The fight with a Demon King has always been like this. We just need to kill it before we die,¡± Molon muttered gruffly while transforming the Divine Sword into an axe. Boom! With its countless limbs scraping the floor, the monster advanced towards them. Eugene eyed its many limbs that were reminiscent of a centipede before speaking up, "Molon, cut off those bastard¡¯s limbs. If possible, slice through the torso as well." "Yeah,¡± he answered. "Sienna, aim for its back. Stop it from circting its dark power,¡± instructed Eugene. "Easier said than done,¡± Sienna responded. Unlike Molon, who nodded solemnly, Sienna grimaced and grumbled. Despite her words, she immediately soared upwards. "What about you, Hamel?" Molon asked while crouching low with the axe in both hands. Gripping a Divine Sword in each hand, Eugene replied, "I¡¯ll rip that bastard¡¯s mouth apart." Sienna had voiced her concerns and Eugene had also acknowledged them. He was keenly aware that the fight wouldn''t be easy. The oppressive aura from the giant monster was even more formidable than that of the Demon King of Incarceration. But Eugene had defeated the Demon King of Incarceration, so he was not overwhelmed by the Demon King of Destruction. But just not being overwhelmed didn¡¯t mean he could take its power lightly. Everyone ¡ª Eugene, Molon, Sienna, Anise, and Kristina ¡ª knew they couldn¡¯t underestimate Destruction. Yet no one hesitated. They all advanced towards the monster. There was nowhere else to retreat, and they just needed to bring it down. That was reason enough to stand against Destruction. The same was true outside. Many people had died. As many of the Nur had fallen as the dead allies, yet it had little impact on the battle''s progress. The enemy relied solely on swarm tactics and was not swayed by morale. "Block them!" Lovellian shouted in front of a giant gate suspended in the sky. Pantheon was fully opened and had already unleashed all its summoned creatures, yet the front line was still being pushed back. They had to stop it. If the endlessly pouring waves of Nur finally eroded the divine army''s ranks and the concepts of front and rear lines lost their meaning on this battlefield, then a wanton massacre would begin. ''We can hold them off... but for how long?¡¯ Lovellian wondered as he took a deep breath and fixed his gaze on the front line. An army like none other in history had gathered here. They faced thest Demon King humanity had not conquered, a Demon King who had brought about the end of the world multiple times. Those gathered here were individuals wanting to leave their names in history, legend, and myth. They were enchanted by the noble cause of saving the world. Despite the overwhelming enemy numbers, there was still faith in their eyes. It was because the divine sun shining brightly in the sky did not let them feel fear. Even as allies fell dead beside them, even as the teeth and ws of unknown monsters pierced them, everyone bellowed while marching forward. From the outset, retreat wasn¡¯t an option, even if they wanted to. The exact details weren¡¯t known to the divine army, but everyone who had witnessed the Demon King of Destruction instinctively understood one thing: If they didn¡¯t bring down Destruction, everything would be over. "Fire Punch!" shouted Melkith. She swung her fists wildly after taking on a giant form using Omega Force. She would be the Archwizard who saved the world against Destruction! Melkith reveled in that glory. Balzac Ludbeth had be a legend by betraying the Demon King of Incarceration and delivering him a fatal blow, but Melkith was confident that the renown she would achieve today would surpass even that. This was the center of mythology. If she survived today, she would be an eternal legend, the greatest Archwizard of all time. There would be no other Archwizard greater than Melkith El-Hayah in the future or for eternity. "Thunderbolt Kick!" she yelled. The monsters known as Nur kept pouring out endlessly, swarming toward Melkith. She had faced them before in Hauria. Melkith possessed overwhelming firepower, and the Nur were no more than moths drawn to the me. But even so, if enough moths flew into the fire, they could eventually snuff it out. Melkith bit her lip nervously. ¡®The oxidation of mana is troubling...!¡¯ she thought in concern. She burned, crushed, and tore apart the Nur that clung to her, killing them all. In the process, the scattered dark power burned through Melkith''s mana and disrupted her resonance with the spirits. She could withstand it for now, but if this continued, she wouldn¡¯t be able to maintain Omega Force for much longer. ¡®This is poison,¡¯ Melkith thought. The fumes of dark power released by the dead Nur were spreading like a miasma. The more corpses piled up, the stronger the toxic energy would be. Melkith nced up at the sky, wondering, ¡®If I get farther from the ground, could I avoid the poison?¡¯ Roar! Near the sun, Raimira and the battleships unleashed their breath attacks and bombardments. Raphael¡¯s airborne forces were steadily advancing while fending off the Nur. Melkith swallowed hard and clenched her fists. Her destination wasn¡¯t the sky but ahead, the source of these grotesque monsters. That was where the Demon King of Destruction was standing. If she attacked that unmoving, mysterious mass of colors.... The thought crossed her mind, but realizing it wasn¡¯t easy. Though they hade here under the noble pretext of saving the world, charging directly at the Demon King who had brought about the end of the world countless times was not something one could do without extraordinary resolve. "...Huh?" But just as she was trying to steel herself to move forward, Melkith¡¯s eyes widened in surprise. Above the tightly packed heads of the Nurs, areas of darkness began to manifest repeatedly. It was the power of the Demoneye of Darkness. Ciel was using the Demoneye in session to close in on the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°No!¡± cried Melkith. Ciel wasn¡¯t the only one traversing the darkness. Carmen led the elite forces of the Lionhearts as they approached Destruction. ¡°I¡¯ming too!¡± Melkith screamed in determination as she ran across the Nurs¡¯ bodies. ¡°Blood,¡± said Carmen. She stood at the forefront and clutched her chest as she red at the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°This blood, born of evil, seeks justice,¡± Carmen announced. It was a cryptic statement, but every member of the Lionheart n who stood before Destruction felt the same pounding in their hearts as Carmen. Inside that monstrosity was Eugene Lionheart. And alongside him, the progenitor of the Lionhearts, Vermouth Lionheart. mes engulfed Carmen¡¯s Heaven Genocide. This strike wouldn¡¯t be enough to deliver a fatal blow to the Demon King of Destruction. It might not even qualify as a proper attack, let alone leave a scratch. Even so, Carmen threw her punch at Destruction. She struck, ensuring the blow would resonate deep within the twisted mass of colors. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 608: The Demon King of Destruction (7)

Chapter 608: The Demon King of Destruction (7)

"What?" Alchester was leading the White Dragon Knights, and he looked towards the Demon King of Destruction, eximing in shock. Carmen¡¯s strike had reached and dissipated against the Demon King of Destruction, but it had created a very small ripple in the tangled mass of colors. ¡®Did it connect?¡¯ Alchester thought as his eyes widened at the sight. It was only a week ago that he had witnessed how terrifyingly powerful and ominously strong the Demon King of Destruction was. It had appeared suddenly, instantly nullifying Melkith El-Hayah''s Omega Force, and had remained unscathed despite hundreds of priests sacrificing their lives to attack it. But look at it now. Carmen''s strike had definitely reached the Demon King of Destruction. It had created a tiny ripple in that bizarre entanglement of colors. It was entirely possible that Carmen Lionheart had grown stronger in thisst week. Eugene Lionheart¡¯s divinity was growing, and his anointed holy knights were receiving his power. But more than that, Carmen had managed to cause damage to Destruction because its current state was imperfect, at least more so than when it first appeared a week ago. Alchester understood why. Heroes who had ventured directly into the belly of the Demon King of Destruction were fighting within. Because of their struggle, the Demon King of Destruction was remaining stationary and had be vulnerable enough to be affected by outside attacks. "Captain!" Alchester¡¯s lieutenant shouted after noticing the situation. The White Dragon Knights were always mentioned among the strongest in the continent. But today, they were struggling just to hold the line against the relentless, undeterred horde of monsters. It was only because Alchester stood at the forefront that the White Dragon Knights were able to push the front line forward at all. If Alchester were to leave, the tide of battle would change immediately. But all the members of the White Dragon Knights looked at him with fearless eyes. They urged Alchester forward with their nces. Even if Alchester were a superhuman, wielding his sword relentlessly against the endless army would eventually wear him out. Therefore, it seemed best to strike directly at the cradle of the monster known as Destruction while he still had the strength, even if it meant that he and many of hisrades might die in the process. Alchester felt a resolute determination in the eyes of his subordinates. It wasn¡¯t just the White Dragon Knights who were exceptional. Everyone on this battlefield was filled with a resolve to die for the greater good. They thought of the radiant name of the Hero, a man who had reincarnated after hundreds of years and ultimately ascended to divinity. Everyone here knew the name of Eugene Lionheart and the tales of the heroes from three hundred years ago. They had even defeated the Demon King of Incarceration, who had once defeated these heroes. And now, they were challenging the Demon King of Destruction, whom no one had ever been able to stand against. Everyone on this battlefield was captivated by that myth. They wanted to witness itspletion and contribute to its fulfillment. "Yes," Alchester replied. He felt the same. He was born into a family of knights that served the royal family of the Kiehl Empire. He had long ago sworn to dedicate his life as a knight to the royal cause. But ¡ª how many times had he longed for this? Ever since meeting Eugene, ever since hearing his stories, time and again, he hadmitted himself. Even before knowing that Eugene was the reincarnation of Hamel, their encounter had ignited a flicker of me in Alchester''s heart. He had a desire to dedicate his sword to that young Hero, a desire to fight alongside him against the Demon King and save the world. Not just as a knight but as Alchester Dragonic, the man, he had always yearned for this. Now was the time to consume himself with that desire. Alchester leaped upward from the ground. With a whoosh, his massive form of the Empty Sword cleanly bisected the necks of the Nurs in one sweep. Under the zing arc of his sword, dozens of the monsters¡¯ heads and their grisly blood rained down like a downpour. Alchester stepped on the severed heads and leaped forward again. "Little Alchester,¡± Carmen said as she nced back and chuckled. Her hands were bloody and tattered as she spoke, "This ce is where we settle the debts of the blood that runs through the Lionhearts. An outsider like you doesn''t necessarily need to help." "I personally taught Sir Eugene how to wield a sword technique,¡± Alchester replied with a smile. "I can''t im to have taught him anything else, but the art of the Empty Sword, a secret of my family, was indeed passed on to Sir Eugene by me. Though I do not carry the blood of the Lionhearts ¡ª serving here for Sir Eugene, I believe I am more than qualified to do so." "Your son is still young,¡± Carmen reminded him. "The kid once called little has grown enough to have a son of his own. If I cannot be a proud father, my son might not get the chance to be an adult,¡± responded Alchester. He felt a burning sensation in his chest. The Demon King of Destruction remained silent and did not strike back. Carmen''s arm was tattered because it was harmed by the natural bacsh of dark power when she struck Destruction. Even if it didn¡¯t move, dark power surrounded Destruction, and its reactive force alone could cause injury to the body. "Hmm, not the time for ir, is it?" said Carmen. She pulled out a cigar and put it in her mouth. As always, she didn''t light it, but the cigar soaked in flowing blood tasted of the acrid blood and the musty dampness of the tobo leaves. "Help us,¡± she asked. She turned her head to look at the Demon King of Destruction. Rumble! Gilead, Gilford, and Gion wielded their swords and carved through the chaotic colors of Destruction. But swinging a single strike left their mes scattered, and blood spurted from their mouths. "The heroes who made this world what it is are in there,¡± said Carmen. She clenched her bloody hand into a fist. "The progenitor of the Lionhearts, the Great Vermouth, is also in there." There was no need for further words. A colossal form of the Empty Sword surged from Alchester''s de. Carmen silently watched Alchester''s back as he charged toward the Demon King of Destruction, letting out a chuckle. "The kid has grown up quite a bit,¡± Carmen chuckled, reminiscing about the past ¡ª Alchester as a little boy, swinging a wooden sword. That small child had be themander of a nation''s knightly order, and enough time had passed for him to have a son. The heroes who gifted them that time were inside Destruction, and just like in the distant past, they were fighting to give the world a future. ¡®The world couldn¡¯t simply rely on them alone,¡¯ Carmen thought as she turned her head. Did everyone share the same desire and resolve? She saw people headed this way across the battlefield. They were not the heroes from three hundred years ago, but those from this era, people who could certainly be called heroes in the future. "There must be meaning in all this,¡± said Carmen. "There will be,¡± said Gilead, wiping the blood from his mouth as he approached Carmen. "It was brief, but at the moment the sword pierced through, I felt my blood being drawn.¡± "And the light, too,¡± Gion gasped for breath as he spoke. "I think I wouldn¡¯t mind dying here,¡± Carmen said with a nod. "But I believe that our ancestors... and ourrades should never die." "I wish for the same,¡± said Gion. "Having suffered all their lives, shouldn''t they all live to see happiness?" Gion chuckled wryly and turned his head, looking at Gilford, who seemed about to copse any moment, spitting blood. "My second brother has indulged in too much happiness. Just one swing of the sword and look at him..." hemented. "I... I¡¯ve retired...," Gilford responded. "To think you retired at your prime, even if you were moved to a coteral line. You gotcent with your happiness and neglected your sword, didn¡¯t you?" Gion asked. "You¡¯re too harsh to the one who, for the sake of our family, took up his sword in a dire moment though he hadid it down long ago!" Gilford protested in hurt and indignation. Carmen smacked his back and stepped forward. "If you have the energy to talk, use it to engage the White me Form. An attack of mes, lightning, storm, and earthquakes struck the Demon King of Destruction alongside a shrieking roar. Carmen frowned as she watched the violently shaking colors. "We receive help for a great cause, but inside there is the ancestor of Lionheart. And there is also his descendant, the Glorious and Honorable Eugene Lionheart, along with Lady Sienna, who might as well be his wife, and Saint Kristina,¡± said Carmen. "The great ancestor is there too,¡± said Gilead. "Yes. They are all the blood of the Lionheart,¡± Carmen nodded vigorously before raising her fist. This battle was for the world, but it was also for the Lionheart n and its kin. Carmen thought of her ancestor, who had suffered for three hundred years. At the moment he was freed from hisst bonds, if, at that moment, the sound he heard was that of the uncultured woman screaming.... The mere thought was horrifying and guilt-inducing. Carmen shook off the pain and swung her fist once more. *** Eugene felt a resonance. It wasn''t earth-shattering, but his senses clearly felt the subtle vibrations. At first, he thought it was Vermouth. Could it be that Vermouth was resisting inside the monster¡¯s heart, causing the void filling this ce to waver? But soon after, he realized it wasn''ting from within. The vibration hade from outside. "Damn it," Eugene cursed as he pushed himself up from the ground. He tried to stand but staggered instantly ¡ª for a simple reason. His left leg was missing. He had thought he dodged well but apparently not well enough. Eugene examined his leg, which neither bled nor caused pain, and scowled. [Hamel!] [Sir Eugene, your leg...!] "Don''t make a fuss,¡± Eugene said, jumping forward on his remaining leg. "If it had been an arm, it would be a problem, but a leg is actually okay. I don¡¯t need it to kick. I can just fly to move around." He had arrived at that conclusion through cold reasoning. The loss of his leg had no impact on the current fight. The severed leg couldn''t be regenerated immediately, but it would fully heal during recovery after everything was over. Fortunately, there was no pain and no bleeding. Dark power wasn''t seeping into him through the wound either. And though it might sound odd, fortunately, the leg was severed very cleanly. He hadn''t been careless. He just hadn''t dodged properly. Eugene levitated at a low altitude and narrowed his eyes to re at the monster. Molon''s axe had chopped off several of the monster''s many limbs. The hands that iled from its back were bombarded by Sienna¡¯s magic. Eugene also crushed the giant maw¡¯s teeth, burst its eyeballs, and hacked at its face. Despite their relentless assault, it didn''t feel like they were pushing it back. The more they attacked, the more they chipped away at its color and dark power, but it equally drained their strength, too. They could no longer overestimate their regenerative abilities, but the monster was not limited in that regard. No matter how much it was cut, it quickly regenerated. But they hadn¡¯t given up. If their attacks were too shallow and it regenerated, Eugene thought they just needed to strike deeper and heavier. Then, the monster¡¯s stance changed. The swirling colors suddenly stopped in ce, and its dark power quietly settled. And then it exploded. That was it. "Are you okay?" Eugene asked as Molon was just getting up. "Not really." Molon¡¯s response was unexpectedly straightforward. His left arm had been severed from the shoulder. He had sacrificed his arm to block the scattering dark power and colors. "I can still fight." Molon rotated his right arm a few times to demonstrate. "I saw it,¡±mented Sienna. She had returned after being blown away and was catching her breath. There were no injuries on her body, but many of Mary¡¯s petals had turned to ash and crumbled. "I''ll need to formte new spells. Thatst attack won¡¯t work on us anymore,¡± she said. "How many times can you block it?" asked Eugene. "I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± answered Sienna. [I''ll assist,] Anise chimed in. Light stretched from Eugene and connected to Sienna. She received the additional divine power and felt Anise¡¯s presence. "It¡¯s not giving us a break, is it?" Eugene grumbled as he lifted his head. He had impaled the monster with a huge Divine Sword, but it was slowly rising to its feet. Just before his leg was severed, he had driven the Divine Sword in, but it had disintegrated by the ring, exploding colors. Slowly, the creature''s mouth opened, and dark power boiled within. Hundreds of hands on its back swayed, and then all shot up into the air. Boom, boom, boom... Each hand manifested a condensed orb of dark power. The sight of thousands, tens of thousands of attacks aiming their way made Sienna''s face stiffen. "What about that? Can you block it?" Eugene asked with a hollowugh. Sienna half-opened her mouth and then fell silent. Anise, too, was at a loss for words. Both were briefly pondering how tobine barriers to fend off this merciless assault. "Try to avoid it as much as possible," Sienna stuttered out a response. Molon ground his teeth and stepped forward to shield them. If the worst came to pass, he was prepared to end it with his sacrifice. "I can¡¯t see what¡¯s in front of me, so get lost," Eugene cursed as he stood next to Molon. With a haunting moan, dark power and color flowed out of the monster''s maw. Eugene gripped a Divine Sword in each hand and red at the beast. It was already clear that moving out of range was impossible. As soon as the attack started, he would open a path based on instinct and intuition. The anomaly urred suddenly. The monster''s massive body staggered, and the orbs of dark power held in the hands on its back scattered. It staggered and scattered its power, but that didn''t mean the attack hadn¡¯t started. However, those tens of thousands of attacks were not aimed at Eugene and his group but shot off randomly into the sky and elsewhere. "What the¡ª?!" Sienna screamed, taken aback. Though the attacks seemed randomly fired, given their sheer number, some were heading their way. And still, a powerful tide of dark power was boiling inside that gaping maw. Boom! With a roar, the monster¡¯s mouth snapped shut. The build-up of dark power in its mouth backfired, blowing off the monster''s head cleanly. Eugene, too, was shocked, his eyes wide. Its head had been blown off, but the attack originated from the monster¡¯s own dark power. A new head burst forth right next to where the original had been. The creature roared loudly for the first time, emitting immense fury. It seemed the recent anomaly hadn¡¯t been part of the monster''s n. "Bastard," Eugene cursed with a grin, deflecting the oing rush of colors with his two Divine Swords. Vermouth wasing. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 609: Vermouth Lionheart (1)

Chapter 609: Vermouth Lionheart (1)

This was a ce incapable of hosting anything; hence, bing aware of one¡¯s self-existence or one¡¯s own ego was impossible, as was staying conscious. It was akin to a trash heap where madness and filth had umted over an immeasurable expanse of time. The belly of Destruction was a ce incapable of existence, and nothing should have been able to originate from the emptiness that filled it. Thus, the emergence of an existence was nothing short of a miracle. Long ago, Vermouth was born here. He knew neither the name Vermouth Lionheart nor did he possess any real personality after his birth. His existence was profoundly alien even in the belly of Destruction, but the mindless Demon King of Destruction did not recognize the being born within itself. In fact, it wasn¡¯t even capable of bing aware of the foreign body. All manner of things were teeming within Destruction¡¯s belly, and a newborn incapable of even squirming was no different from any other cell. For a long time, Vermouthy crouching in the belly. Although it was his birthce, he never once felt it asforting or cradling like a mother''s womb. He was defined merely as a cell and wasposed of Destruction¡¯s dark power. Yet strangely, as more time passed, he felt increasingly more difort the more he became aware of his sense of self. Who am I? Why was I born here? And what exactly is this ce? At some point, he began to harbor such questions. And after much contemtion, he realized the answer. Arge scar could be found in a ce where nothing should exist. It was a deep wound that, despite the passage of time, never healed. As he grew increasingly aware, everything in the belly became increasingly torturous for him, but strangely, he did not feel any pain in the scar. Instead, he felt a sense offort and longing there. Bing aware of this scar awakened his existence. Despite previously having no feelings and only questions, he now possessed a clear personality. Once he found himself conscious, memories began to seep into his mind. Who was responsible for this scar? ¡®Agaroth,¡¯ Vermouth distinctly remembered the name in the darkness. He was born from the scar inflicted on Destruction. Though he was a miraculous existence born from a scar caused by the Divine Sword, Vermouth found it impossible to affirm his own existence. Moreover, even if he was born from a miracle, the fact that he was a copy of Destruction did not change. The critical difference between Vermouth and the Demon King of Destruction was the presence of reason and recognition of self. He had awakened memories bying to self-realization, and he knew the history that Destruction had lived through, as well as the name Vermouth Lionheart. Unlike the Demon King of Destruction, who existed solely to bring about destruction, Vermouth ¡ª in this repulsively revolting belly ¡ª contemted who he was, what he should do, and what he could do. He could have lived as a mere extension of Destruction. Doing nothing would have been fine, but Vermouth could not ept that. It was because his existence began with a miracle. There was a faint light in the very first of his reawakened memories. There was a dying ember. There was a man who, after leaving a scar on Destruction, slumped down and opted to curse rather than despair. The man died harboring nothing but a will to kill despite facing his death and the eventual ruin of the world. Then, there was a man who, consumed by desire, betrayed others and ultimately was devoured by his cravings. He was a man who left behind only despicable regret. He was overwhelmed with regret and guilt, thinking that he would have made a different choice had he only known better. That man, swept away and consumed by his regrets, was none other than Vermouth Lionheart. Thus, Vermouth emerged into the world to continue the miracle that had given rise to his existence and to lead a life different from the old Vermouth, who died with ugly regrets. Because he had felt the man who had died cursing and harboring murderous intent had been born into this world. How much time had passed since Agaroth¡¯s death was unclear, but Vermouth was certain that Agaroth had reincarnated into this world. And since Vermouth was born from the miraculous scar Agaroth had left behind, he felt a fateful connection with this man. "I am...." In the midst of damp, sticky darkness, Vermouth spoke, "A clone of Destruction." He was born from a miracle, yet ultimately was a part of Destruction. Perhaps he was the reason everything went awry; after all, he had been born and interfered with fate. If only I had not been born. If only I had not pretended to be the Hero. Perhaps... everything would have proceeded smoothly. Vermouth had questioned himself hundreds, thousands of times over three hundred years. He wondered if all that he had experienced as the Hero should have been Hamel''s instead. He continuously pondered why he had no choice but to step forward. He was strong. He knew about the Demon King of Destruction. He could negotiate with the Demon King of Incarceration. Though he couldn¡¯t help in defeating the Demon King of Destruction, he could contribute greatly to killing the other Demon Kings. Hamel was still weak. He had not awakened his divinity. He may be making a name for himself in the mercenary world, but with his strength, Hamel wouldn''t survive a fight with the demons. The world needed a hero. Vermouth had no choice but to take the holy sword and be the Hero. That was how the world would find hope. He neededpanions to fight the Demon Kings and who could also support Hamel. So, he had been left with no other choice. But those were all excuses. Vermouth knew what he truly longed for, the desire he had long kept buried deep inside. The original Vermouth Lionheart didn''t just want to be the Hero''spanion. He wanted to be the Hero himself. Born from a miracle, Vermouth Lionheart wanted to save the world with Hamel. "I was just a piece of Destruction, doomed to die." Vermouth ced his hand over his chest. He could feel the faint beating of his heart. "I was neither the Hero nor a human." The beating of his heart quickened. A me sparked in his chest spread and transformed into a brilliant star. "You simply called me Vermouth." The bright white me illuminated the darkness. His murky eyes were starting to fill with a brilliant light. This ce was no longer dark. Vermouth looked around with his shining, golden eyes. Thump, thump, thump. The steady, loud beats came not from Vermouth¡¯s heart but from the heart of Destruction that he had assimted with. Vermouth took a deep breath and reached out his hand. Thump, thump, thump, thump.... The beating of the heart grew stronger. He could see the outside beyond the dimming darkness. Hispanions stood in front of the monster. All of them were covered in blood and wounds, yet no one had fallen. Despite the slim chances of victory, there was no sign of despair on their faces. Vermouth knew all too well the look in those eyes. How many times had they crossed the line of death with such a gaze? "I...." Vermouth reached further ahead while gasping for breath. Thump, thump, thump, thump.... As Vermouth moved, the beating of the heart grew stronger, but a grating dissonance apanied it, indicating his movements were adversely affecting the monster and its heart. "Where I belong is...." Hamel, Anise, Sienna, and Molon had said it. They called him to fight together. The young Saint, who had never spoken directly with Vermouth, prayed for him. Vermouth recognized the look in the eyes of the young Saint, who resembled Anise. To Vermouth, such gazes had once been very familiar. He had seen such gazes daily. Such were the eyes of one beholding the Hero. They were eyes filled with hope, filled with belief that he would save the world. "This isn''t the ce," Vermouth said as he bit his lip and moved forward. The dense dark power in the heart shed with Vermouth''s me. The dark power of Destruction turned to ash under the scorch of Vermouth¡¯s me, but his fire did not dim. He clearly knew that he was Vermouth Lionheart, and his belief caused his me to be unwavering. He had made a deration that he did not belong in this ce, and his words created ripples inside the heart. He stepped forward and grasped something. It was an ancient chain that had been bound to Destruction in the distant past. [Do you still wish to die with Destruction?] a faint voice came through the chain. "No," Vermouth said as he smiled faintly and shook his head. He understood the intent behind the question. The original Hero and the Demon King, who had always tested the world and despaired repeatedly, was notying a trial of despair with his question now. The Demon King of Incarceration, who had lived an eternity of despair, was now seeking hope. "I wish to destroy Destruction with everyone,¡± Vermouth dered. [Ha ha....] The Demon King of Incarceration let out a shortugh and said, [Then pull out the chain, Vermouth Lionheart.] Vermouth wrapped his hand around the chain. With a crunching sound, he pulled out the chain from the depths of Destruction¡¯s heart, and the chain wobbled in the darkness. The chain then coiled around Vermouth¡¯s arm, but he was unperturbed and made no effort to prevent it from doing so. Crack, crack. The chain began to burrow into his arm after twisting around it, but he could feel no pain. [What do you need?] the voice of the Demon King of Incarceration echoed in his head. "A sword," Vermouth answered without hesitation. As he spoke, a sword appeared in Vermouth''s hand. The chain that had once bound the heart from the beginning had be a sword for Vermouth. He gripped the sword with both hands. The mes Vermouth conjured shed with the dark power of Destruction, and the sword born from the chain did not sumb to the heart''s power. "Ha ha..." Vermouth couldn''t help butugh at the feel of the sword in his hands. "It feels nice." How long had it been since he had wielded a sword to fight, to kill a Demon King? Vermouth felt more alive and himself as he held the sword in his hand. Knowing that he was a piece of Destruction felt horrific and excruciating. But now, holding a sword to kill the Demon King, he.... Whoosh! The sword split the darkness. Like on ancient battlefields centuries ago, he kept swinging. The more he swung, the more the mes spread. The sound emanating from the heart was now closer to creaking screams than rhythmic beats. It opened. Rumble! A small wound opened, and Vermouth was spat out along with currents of dark power. The engulfing currents not only shook Vermouth¡¯s spirit but also threatened to deeply erode it. The impulses and madness that had visited him thousands of times over the past three hundred years battered at his reason. But he wouldn¡¯t let it erode him. Vermouth red beyond the darkness with his golden eyes. He listened to the beating of his own heart. He felt the heat of the blood pumping from it. ¡ªThe Great Vermouth. A voice came from afar. It caused him to grasp onto his consciousness even stronger. The insidious impulses and madness that tried to erode him were pushed back. ¡ªThe Great Vermouth. The voice came again. The Great Vermouth. In the midst of the turmoil, Vermouth found himselfughing. All his life, Vermouth had never liked the name the Great Vermouth. He had read the fairy tale. He naturally guessed who had written it: Sienna and Anise. Therefore, he couldn¡¯t possibly like the fairy tale and the name the Great Vermouth. He had made promises, but only to himself. He hadn''t said a word to hispanions who begged him to exin. After returning to Kiehl, he received a duchy and married a woman chosen among many candidates for her likelihood of producing many children. After the war, Vermouth Lionheart¡¯s life was never great. After a loveless marriage, he lived only to fulfill his responsibilities towards the Lionheart family and to help it flourish. He even severed ties with hisrades. To him, the title of the Great Vermouth seemed like cruel mockery. He never asked Sienna and Anise what they were thinking when they wrote the book, but he had his suspicions. There was a possibility, or rather, it was almost certain, that the name Great Vermouth was a nasty joke. He wasn¡¯t someone who could ever be called great. He wasn¡¯t the Hero, nor was he even human. "Why didn''t I think of it?" Vermouth chuckled as he raised his sword. "That you would never mean it that way." ¡ªThe Great Vermouth. The voice came again. There was not a hint of mockery in that voice. It wasn¡¯t hisrades calling him. The voice came from outside the belly. Many people were shouting that name. ¡°The Great Vermouth, huh," he said helplessly. The monster''s chest split open. "Honestly, it''s quite embarrassing." Vermouth smiled wryly as he fell. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 610: Vermouth Lionheart (2)

Chapter 610: Vermouth Lionheart (2)

The monster had been sting dark power in all directions as if it had been gripped by a fit of frenzy. Then, suddenly, it trembled before stopping in its ce. Eugene knew that something must¡¯ve happened to the monster, but at the same time, he was taken aback when it suddenly stopped. Molon quickly turned towards Eugene while catching his breath, waiting for instructions on whether to continue his attack. "Wait,¡± said Eugene. The monster''s pause was an opportunity. Yet, something was off. The monster had been behaving oddly for a while, but now, Eugene felt strange. It was somehow rted to the pounding of the monster¡¯s heart. "Vermouth,¡± Eugene muttered without realizing it. Whoosh! As if responding to the call, the monster''s belly split open. Dark power and color poured out like blood, and the monster¡¯s countless legs iled before their joints buckled. Woooo...! A scream erupted from the monster''s gaping mouth. However, the cascade of dark power and swirling color didn''t pool or spread but vanished where it fell. To be precise, it turned to ash. Within the dense waterfall of dark power and color was a distinct me and light. And at the center of the burning light and me shone a golden hue. "Vermouth!" Sienna eximed in surprise. Molon did not wait for Eugene¡¯smand this time. He charged forward, and Eugene did the same. Roar! Sienna''s magic was sucked into the monster''s maw and exploded. The sessive green mes threw the monster''s head back. Molon chopped off the monster¡¯s legs with his axe, clearing the path for Eugene, who rushed forward. Inside the maelstrom, Eugene saw Vermouth. The golden eyes were shining through, though they were different from the eyes of Vermouth Eugene had known since his reincarnation. When he first saw Vermouth after reincarnating, his eyes were always murky, dulled by centuries of madness. But now, they shone as if from three hundred years ago, like when they had first fought together against the Demon Kings, like when they had traversed the Devildom together. They were shining just like when they first met, and Vermouth asked him to be hisrade. Eugene found himself stretching out his hand towards Vermouth. Vermouth saw the hand reaching toward him. Three hundred years ago, when Hamel had first met him and lost in a duel, Vermouth had reached out his hand in ordance with Hamel¡¯s promise to berades. "Now," Vermouth said with a faint smile. "You continue to reach out your hand to me so many times." Now, no promise was needed. Vermouth grasped Eugene''s hand. With a fierce pull, Vermouth emerged from the maelstrom. "You¡¯re not going back in aftering this far, are you?" Eugene asked with a smirk. Vermouth proudly raised his sword in response. Though it waspletely different in form, Eugene could feel the chains of the Demon King of Incarceration in that sword. Eugene didn¡¯t ask if Vermouth could fight. Instead, he yanked Vermouth back with a strong pull and tossed him backward while he stayed under the monster¡¯s split belly. He saw the wide gash in the monster¡¯s belly. There were no organs inside, but Eugene could sense the heart through the wound. It was still throbbing irregrly but with power. Eugene held his breath while conjuring divine fire. Whoosh! The will of Light inhabited Eugene''s divine fire. A long spear materialized in his hand, and he threw it toward the monster¡¯s gut. Crackle! The spear was sucked straight into the monster¡¯s belly. It cleaved through the dispersing dark power and color and pierced the monster¡¯s body. "Vermouth!" Molon called as he leaped to catch Vermouth when he saw Vermouth flying towards him. He intended to support Vermouth since he had just been inside the monster. Moreover, he knew Vermouth had not been in great condition. But as Molon and Vermouth''s gazes met mid-air, Molon realized that Vermouth didn''t need any support right now. With a grin, Molon hefted his remaining right hand to raise his axe. Vermouth turned his body mid-air and used Molon¡¯s axe as a foothold. Whoosh! The axe cut through the air, and Vermouth was propelled even higher. Thus, Vermouth quickly ascended above the monster''s head. The monster was drenched in Sienna¡¯s magic and prated by the spear of divine mes. It was still struggling to maintain its posture. With a sh of fury in his golden eyes, Vermouth swung his sword with his right hand. sh! His attack seemed to split the void, and it decapitated the monster. Dark power and color spurted out like a fountain from the stump of its head, but before it could even hit the ground, Vermouth swung several more times and shattered the monster¡¯s head into pieces. "Seems like you were quitefortable inside the stomach. You''re doing much better now,¡± Sienna giggled as she flew to join Vermouth. "I''ve heard you all asking to fight together several times. I couldn''t just sit back and watch after all that,¡± responded Vermouth. "Heh, it''s good to be enthusiastic, but don¡¯t overdo it. Right now, you are much weaker than us¡ª" Sienna abruptly paused, choking on her words. Hadn¡¯t Vermouth just sliced off the monster''s head? Despite the monster''s inability to steady itself, how much had Sienna and Molon struggled to destroy its robust body? "Why are you so strong?" Sienna asked with narrowed eyes. "A child''s violence is very fatal to their parents,¡± Vermouth answered. Sienna had never imagined such a response from Vermouth. She stammered for a moment, then finally managed to ask, "Are you joking?" "No,¡± Vermouth chuckled while shaking his head. "I don¡¯t consider that thing a parent, but I was indeed born from it." Eugene, Molon, and Sienna¡¯s powers were nullified by the monster''s dark power. The more they attacked, the quicker their strength waned. But Vermouth¡¯s strikes could effortlessly slice through Destruction¡¯s dark power while wasting no energy. "But that¡¯s as far as it goes. I can¡¯t match your finesse. And ¡ª ending Destruction with my own hands will be impossible,¡± continued Vermouth. The stump of its head bubbled and boiled. The spear that had prated the monster¡¯s body also disintegrated. No more dark power and color poured from the monster¡¯s belly, and its limbs straightened. The monster rose up. ¡®Now is the moment,¡¯ Everyone thought this. Now, they could defeat the monster. Now, they could destroy the heart of Destruction. Eugene was certain as he returned to hisrades¡¯ side. He targeted the monster with his divinity of victory. Although the path to victory wasn¡¯t easy, the win, once invisible, now glimmered faintly in sight. Ahhhhhh! Dozens of heads blossomed from the boiling stump of the monster¡¯s head. The monster opened its dozens of mouths wide, and the void thundered as dark power seethed within its maws. Eugene felt a tingling on his skin and instinctively stepped back. "This is its death throes,¡± Eugene observed while facing the intense wave of dark power head-on. The creature released all of its dark power, and the waves of darkness engulfed its body. This was no longer merely a monster. It had truly be an embodiment of destruction. As Eugene watched the dizzyingly entwined colors, Vermouth approached him. "You shatter its heart,¡± said Vermouth. "And you?" Eugene asked. "I¡¯ll go with you, though I¡¯m not sure if that will satisfy you right now,¡± responded Vermouth. Vermouth was asking him to conserve his energy. Eugene snorted and nodded. Thud, thud, thud... The vibration from outside shook the void. Attacks were beingunched at the Demon King of Destruction from outside as well. "Do you hear it?" Eugene asked. Vermouth closed his eyes for a moment to feel the vibration before responding, "Even if I didn¡¯t want to, I¡¯d have no choice but to hear it." The Great Vermouth. "We will return together this time,¡± Eugene dered. Thump. Eugene patted Vermouth''s shoulder before picking up his Divine Sword. Vermouth shivered and nodded. The monster¡¯s dozens of heads turned towards them, mouths gaping. Beams of dark power and color shot forth, engulfing everything in their paths. Anise and Kristina began to chant prayers. Sienna extended Mary and unleashed her magic. With a roar, the miracle-infused barrier blocked the onught of destruction. But the strain it endured was no light matter. Sienna swallowed back the blood in her mouth and bit her lip. [There''s only so many times you can block it.] The voice of the Sage was hearding from Mary. The power of the Demon King of Destruction could easily obliterate the world. Even if Sienna sat on the divine throne of magic, she couldn¡¯t block such attacks repeatedly. ¡®I must block it somehow,¡¯ Sienna thought desperately. The Hero would take the life of the Demon King. Sienna understood her role. Her task was to aid the Hero¡¯s sword in defeating the Demon King. [For which the sword was forged.] With the sage''s whisper, Mary shone brilliantly. The withering vines and petals unfurled once more. Startled by the power transmitted to her from Mary, Sienna jumped slightly. ¡®You should have handed it over earlier!'' Siennained to the Sage in her mind. [There is only significance in delivering it at the moment it is most needed. Promise me, my sessor. I will... not awaken for a long time.... I won¡¯t be able to see you and Agaroth end Destruction.] The Sage, Vishur Lavi, had be the World Tree to continue the world from Destruction. [I trust in Agaroth. I trust in you, the darling of magic. I trust in all those with you. So... I believe that I will be able to awaken once more and go to sleep.] The Sage had given up on witnessing what she had longed for all her life. Yet, the Sage harbored no fear about a future she would not see. "Then," said Sienna. Mary felt incredibly heavy in her hands. The World Tree¡¯s life force was filling Mary to the brim. "My children will wee you then,¡± she dered. Roar! Mary emitted light. The barrier opened, and beams of light shot forth, extinguishing Destruction¡¯s dark power and forging a path straight ahead. Dozens of the monster¡¯s heads were swept away by the light in the midst of spewing dark power and swirling color. Sienna felt her legs give out under her but forced herself to step forward. It was too early to fall. [Agaroth,] the Sage said. A light burst from behind, but Eugene did not look back. Sienna and the World Tree had opened a path for him, and Eugene was the first to leap down that path. [No, that''s an old name,] the Sage continued. In thesting path of light, he felt the forest. Spirits of the World Tree, which could not exist here, pushed on Eugene¡¯s back, and someone caught his hand from the front and pulled it. [Goodbye, Eugene Lionheart,] the Sage said with a brilliant smile. He saw the fading figure of the Sage. She did not wear the lonely smile she had when she first saw Eugene. Although she hadn¡¯t forgotten the man named Agaroth, she no longer held any lingering feelings for him. Her hopes for the future outweighed her unresolved past regrets. A lonely smile did not suit the future she envisioned. "Sleep well, Vishur,¡± Eugene responded with a smile of his own. Satisfied by this smile and farewell, Vishurughed heartily as her image receded. Her heart resounded withughter. The Light had wished for the same conclusion but had made different choices when faced with Destruction. The Light disappeared while calling the name of an old friend who had fallen asleep long ago. But there was no need for mourning. The Sage had merely entered a long slumber. If there existed a future unseen by the gods of the past, they could meet once again. ¡°I know," Eugene said aloud. He ced a hand on his chest. His fingers dug into his chest. Perhaps..., no, definitely. Eugene clung to the universe in his heart with such a thought. This would be hisst Ignition. Either he died, or he killed Destruction. Having lost dozens of heads, the monster staggered as it iled its limbs. Molon screamed and rushed forward first. He shed through all the attacks that were aimed at Sienna and Eugene. Vermouth was not idle either. It took mere seconds for Eugene¡¯s Ignition to activate. It was routine for Vermouth and Molon to fend off attacks during that time. Thump. A loud sound resonated. It was a sound different from the rumble emanating from the outside and distinct from the one echoing from the heart of Destruction. It was a sound that signified determination. The end woulde in some form or another. This was a deadly, but powerful technique that brought about the end of a battle albeit at a great cost. But it was ultimately destructive to the body, and Vermouth harbored no affection for Ignition. But one thing was undeniable: Eugene and Hamel had never lost after using Ignition. He always used Ignition to secure victory against high demons and Demon Kings. He had even forced Gavid to retreat three hundred, despite the insurmountable gap in power between them. Even with a broken body, he used Ignition to y the Shield and Staff of Incarceration, even though Hamel himself died in the end. ¡®This time, I won''t die,¡¯ Eugene dered. Of course, he had no intention of dying. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 611: Vermouth Lionheart (3) ¡®It feels distant.¡¯ Vermouth couldn¡¯t help but think so despite being right beside Eugene. The mes, born from the White me Form, had be something entirely different now. Those clear, intense mes were indeed the divine mes that affirmed Agaroth, Hamel Dynas, and Eugene Lionheart. Vermouth looked sideways at Eugene while shuddering. Eugene¡¯s eyes zed like mes as he red at Destruction. He sensed Vermouth¡¯s gaze and turned his head towards him. "What''s up, you bastard?" Eugene asked with a chuckle. "Think you can do better than now?" Vermouth blinked several times, taken aback by the sudden question. He couldn¡¯tprehend Eugene¡¯s words at first, but soon, he recalled something he had said long ago and let out a curtugh. "I was wondering what you were on about. Did my words hurt you that much?" Vermouth asked. "Usually, the one who does the beating doesn''t remember. It''s the one who gets hit that remembers. Because it hurts,¡± answered Eugene. "I said it for your sake,¡± said Vermouth. Thinking about it now, there were reasons for those words. But Hamel could not have guessed them at the time.So, Eugene scoffed and joked, "For me, huh? Fucking hell. Out of nowhere, you smack me on the back of the head, then say, do better, bastard." "I thought that kind of advice was right for you,¡± responded Vermouth. Now, it was Eugene''s turn to blink dazedly. Indeed. Hearing those words at the time had been incredibly infuriating, but it was those words that drove him to push himself to the limit. But was it truly thanks to Vermouth? Wasn''t it Hamel who decided he would one day get back at the bastard for hitting the back of his head? He was the one who had be determined to one day beat that bastard. "Let''s go," Eugene said without a retort. Of course, voicing such opposing thoughts would only cheapen the moment, and Eugene knew this well. Thus, he put on a serious expression and red at Destruction. Seeing that determined profile, Vermouth unwittingly smirked. He was simply pleased being able to exchange such trivial banter with hisrade. "I¡¯ll go first,¡± said Vermouth. He patted Molon on the shoulder and moved ahead, ncing back at Eugene, saying, "With how you are now, even if I go ahead, you can catch up to me in no time.¡± Molonughed heartily at that. Then, the three of themughed together in front of the fearsome power of Destruction. Molon stomped the ground and surged forward,ying his axe t. Destruction''s numerous arms and bursts of dark power immediately flew toward Molon. But there was no need for him to swing his axe. Sienna had cast a spell. A thick beam of light obliterated Destruction¡¯s arms and dark power. Thanks to her swift response, Molon reached the body of Destruction without needing to swing his axe. Crack! He swung his axe immediately after, cutting through Destruction¡¯s thick legs. It was as if he were slicing through a giant tree in one fell swoop. Molon spun around amidst the swirling dark power and color. The following strikes sliced off more of Destruction¡¯s legs. Vermouth moved, too. He crossed the space in an instant and reached the heads of Destruction. While his sword could easily sever destruction''s neck without resistance, slicing its heads tens or even hundreds of times would not kill it. ''The weakened heart.'' Vermouth and Eugene shared the same thought. However, targeting the heart didn¡¯t mean they could easily reach it and destroy it. They had failed once already. The spear forged from divine fire had perfectly prated the body of Destruction but failed to reach the heart. Even if Vermouth had torn it open and weakened it while exiting from the body of Destruction, the sinister and ferocious waves of dark power were still fiercely guarding the heart. There was no other way forward. They had to keep slicing. They needed to continue cutting through the thick curtains of dark power before they could drive the divine sword into Destruction¡¯s guarded heart. It wasn''t far now. Eugene could feel that their victory was imminent. The heart had seemed unreachable before, but after Vermouth¡¯s emergence, it was now within reach. But Destruction¡¯s end wasn¡¯t the only thing that was near. They were inside the belly of Destruction. Waging a prolonged battle here was an impossible feat from the start. If it were merely about holding on, they couldst a long time, but they burnt through their energy at an rming pace as they gave it their all against Destruction. Sienna was already at her limit. Although she forcibly held herself up and continued to cast spells, it wouldn¡¯t be strange if she copsed at any moment. "Not yet,¡± Sienna gasped, feeling dizzy and tasting blood in her mouth. She felt hollow inside. Her grip on Mary felt numb. And Mary was heavy. For a wizard, to feel their staff heavy was a truly dangerous sign. But Sienna didn''t stop. She had already felt the weight of the staff hundreds of years ago. Was this the worst she had ever been? No. Sienna chewed on her lip and forced her hands to move Mary. The Sage''s voice no longer reached her. The soul power she had received from the World Tree was fading, and the dark power she had received from Noir, along with her own mana, was nearly depleted. But this was not the worst yet, Sienna thought again. This was not a dire situation. It was a challenge that could be ovee. Although her strength was exhausted and her body slow and heavy, her mind was clear. Her thoughts were infinitely expanding. Suddenly, there was no dizziness in her head. Rumblee! With a roar, the magic Sienna released rained down from above Destruction. Thousands of arms sprouted from Destruction''s back and resisted the magical downpour, but the magic infused into its limbs and caused explosion after explosion within Destruction''s body. Sienna coughed up blood and staggered as she barely managed to raise her head. Her vision blurred a bit more. But despite the blurring and shaking, the mes were still distinct. "It''s okay," Sienna said assuringly. She shook her head and smiled. She could sense Anise and Kristina trying to approach her. Even if they wanted to heal her, her injuries weren¡¯t the kind that could be treated. Moreover, the Saints were just as strained as her. They were already overwhelmed with just fine-tuning the divine energy that Eugene had unleashed. "I wish I could watch more, help more,¡± said Sienna. She didn''t want to copse yet, but it seemed she had no choice now. "I know," Sienna said as she smiled faintly and looked ahead. She saw mes that seemed capable of burning everything. Yet, it was also brilliant and seemed capable of illuminating everything. Although Eugene had stepped forwardter than Vermouth and Molon, he was already standing beside Vermouth, severing the head of Destruction. "I know well," Sienna said as if to herself. She saw the mes merge. First, Vermouth struck, and Eugene hammered divine fire into the path Vermouth opened. Sometimes, Eugene struck first, and Vermouth covered him. Sienna knew them too well. She had always watched their backs. She knew. She knew that with Eugene and Vermouth as they were now, they could do it. Hadn''t it always been so? Even against an enemy that seemed utterly invincible, even if it were a Demon King, if Hamel and Vermouth fought together, they could win. It would be the same now. Although Sienna''s divinity was not of victory, she was as sure of victory as Eugene. Therefore, she gathered all the remaining mana and gathered it into Mary. This was thest spell she could use in this battle. Sienna raised Mary high above her head. She slowly knelt down and brought Mary down. With a thud, Mary stood upright on the ground. Vines wrapped around the staff started cascading down, and petals started to fall. Things that shouldn''t exist here were born. Things that could be called symbols of life ¡ª grass, flowers, trees ¡ª began to sprout around Sienna. A forest was instantly born in the belly of Destruction, where only a void existed. This was magic that even the wizard Sienna Merdein could never have wielded. Yet, it was a miracle that only she could perform, coloring the belly of Destruction not with ominous shades but with the colors of life. "Bloom." Sienna¡¯s voice was faint, but it was filled with determination. Hermand activated the magic. Whoosh! Countless buds and the flowers of trees blossomed. Sienna closed her blurry eyes as she felt the fragrance fill the air. Boom! All of Destruction¡¯s legs buckled amid abundant life. Molon took a step back as Destruction copsed, but he did not nce back. This magic was a miracle wrought by Sienna. All the flowers and nts were swallowing Destruction''s dark power and wilting in the process. This was herst spell. Sienna could no longer cast magic, nor could she fight. "It¡¯s not enough," Molon said with a wry chuckle to himself. His end wasn''t far off, either. A severed arm wasn''t the issue. Being exposed at the forefront to Destruction''s toxic power was what afflicted Molon. He had given his all. He had been desperate. But had he fought enough to satisfy himself? He questioned beforeughing heartily. He had split open Destruction¡¯s wound and cleared the path to the core. That was all. He hadn''t managed to destroy the heart. He didn''t consider cutting off Destruction''s limbs several times a significant feat. Up above, Hamel and Vermouth were fighting together. ''What can I do now?'' Molon wondered, then stopped. That was the wrong thing to ask. ''What should I do?'' Molon thought instead. He recalled what he had done in battles fought alongside hisrades. Molon always took the lead. While he attacked when there were opportunities, his primary role was to receive attacks. Hamel and Vermouth were freed to focus solely on attacking because Molon could take the hits. To be attacked meant to immobilize the enemy, to render them incapable of movement. His role was to make it easier for Hamel and Vermouth to engage inbat. He understood. Molon put on a bright smile while lifting his axe. Crack! He severed the rotting legs of Destruction. Normally, they would have regenerated instantly, but now, the process was noticeably slower. Thus, Molon could proceed with his intended task. He summoned all the strength he could muster, all the force he could draw from within himself. The concentrated power caused Molon''s entire body to glow red and tremble. The force was so intense it even shattered the axe in his grip. It didn¡¯t matter. Right now, he had no need for an axe to sever. The divine fire responded to his will as it formed an axe. The divine power he had drawn forth as Eugene¡¯s Incarnation enveloped Molon. Boom. Molon¡¯s foot stamped the ground. He looked up, his eyes meeting those of Eugene and Vermouth as they beheaded Destruction. Molon grinned at them. "I am¡­." Molon had done what he needed to do. He would fulfill his duty with the one arm he had left. Though it would have been better if he had both, circumstances dictated otherwise. Molon approached the slumping figure of Destruction and raised his right arm high. Craaack¡­. He grasped the body of Destruction with his fingers. However, asrge as it was, what Molon had grasped was merely a fraction of Destruction¡¯s figure. Yet, the strength contained in his hand allowed him to seize all of Destruction. Crunch! His teeth shattered from being clenched too tight. Blood spurted from Molon''s eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. Still, he did not stop. The many legs that had copsed were forcibly torn apart by his strength. Booom! Molon finally drove the body of Destruction into the ground. "Molon Ruhr," he yelled. He had expended all his strength, no, summoned more power than he had drawn before. Was this also a miracle? Molon raised his head, but now was not the time to look up. Thus, he turned around. This miracle was not wrought solely by Eugene''s divinity. "So that¡¯s how it is," Molon said with a nod and a smile. He could not afford to fall first in a battle. It was necessary for hisrades to defeat the enemy for victory. Molon always had to remain standing, even if he were caked in blood. ¡ªIdiot. Every time Molon forced himself to endure, Hamel woulde over and call him an idiot, tossing him behind and taking over his role. Vermouth didn¡¯t use harsh words but sometimes did the same. But after returning from the Devildom, Molon could no longer afford to fall. The harsh, barren tundra, scant of resources from the start, was left with truly nothing after the war. Molon had to rebuild his tribe and the tundra as both a chieftain and a hero. Thus, he became a king. For all his subjects who revered him, he could not afford to copse, and the same had been true in Lehainjar. But it was different now. "It''s fine,¡± Molon murmured with a smile. Now, it would be alright to fall. Molon thought this as he knelt down. [Ah¡­.] One of the Saints gasped. Sienna had fallen, and so had Molon. Kristina and Anise watched it happen as Eugene¡¯s wings. Theirrades had fallen. It was the Saint''s role to prevent such urrences, but in this battle, they could not afford to. They were wholly supporting Eugene''s power. [Sister, Sir Eugene, I¡­.] Kristina''s voice was heavy withbored breaths and interspersed with sobs. She whispered while pushing against Eugene''s back, [I believe that today, this holy war will end as everyone''s victory.] [Yes,] Anise replied in the same tone. She smiled brightly. She supported Kristina with one arm while reaching out with the other to Vermouth. [I can hear them.] Different murmurs, yet their prayers were not dissimr. The Saints heard the world''s prayers for victory, filled with worshipful hymns. The mes grew fiercer, and there was light. Eugene¡¯s gaze headed towards Vermouth, and Vermouth returned the gaze. Destruction could no longer stand with its legs shattered, but the multitude of arms and heads on its back continued attacking Eugene and Vermouth in unison. The voices could be heard. A warm light was pushing against their backs. Despite the mes being so intense, the light was not burning hot but warm as it connected to Vermouth. It was a stark contrast to the excruciating pain he felt when wielding the Holy Sword in the past. What Vermouth felt was theplete form of divinity. The power that once felt distant, the movements once uncatchable, were now perfectly aligned with him. Like countless times before, both of their swords moved in unison and met the enemy¡¯s attacks seamlessly. [Do you see?] The unified voice of the Saints whispered to Vermouth. Vermouth found himself turning back. He saw the light he had seen within Destruction, and he heard the voice that had kept him from forgetting himself amidst the swirling turmoil. ¡ªThe Radiant Eugene. ¡ªThe Great Vermouth. They had never met. Yet, he knew them. They were the descendants born from Vermouth, the lineage created solely for Hamel. The Lionhearts were now shouting the names of Eugene and Vermouth together. Despite centuries passing, their characteristics had not altered: ash-gray hair and golden eyes. Most importantly, they held the lion emblem on their left chest. A woman swinging her blood-soaked arms could be seen, as well as a man yelling and swinging his swords behind her. They were followed by knights. The girl who had been given the demoneyes was shedding bloody tears while her older brother supported her and led the young knights. Vermouth had ignored and even marginalized the coteral branches. It was natural to think they would hold grudges, but even they were now joining in, shouting their ancestor''s name. [Everyone¡­,] the Saints said. It was not only the Lionhearts. A man with the emblem of Kiehl unleashed a massive wave of sword-force. There were also knights and warriors carrying the emblems of other kingdoms and holding the gs of their mercenary bands. There were also the indigenous people of the Great Forest, those who had previously been massacred to set an example on Us Mountain. Their young chieftain stood before Destruction with countless corpses behind him. Even the wizards, who should have been at the rear, were fearlessly fighting at the front. The great spirit summoner screamed as the colors of Destruction continued spreading, but she did not retreat but instead continued iling her arms toward Destruction. Despite having no more summoned creatures tomand, the Archwizard in red did not retreat but led other wizards of different colors. Above, a young dragon not yet fully matured was breathing fire, carrying both wizards and priests on its back. [They all¡­,] the Saints continued. Despite continuing to pour out from Destruction, the Nur could not advance into the world. There was a noble cause to stop Destruction in its tracks, and the army gathered under this banner was now blocking the path of the Nur. "Ah¡­," Vermouth gasped as he looked further afield. He saw the end of the world. He had left it to Molon to defend. The white, snowy mountain was now stained red. The Nur continued to pour out from there, though it was a pitifully small forcepared to the ce where the Demon King of Destruction descended. But the Nur couldn''te down the mountain. Countless had died, their blood staining the snow red, yet Molon''s descendants did not despair and led their troops. Knights and mercenaries with sun-scorched skin, more suited to the sea than snowy fields, blocked the Nur just the same. [Sir Vermouth, these are your descendants,] the Saints affirmed. Three hundred years ago, the world should have perished. All beings would have died, and the Demon King of Incarceration would have moved on to the next era, starting anew in an empty world. But the world did not end then because Vermouth had made a pact with the Demon King of Incarceration, sacrificing himself to reseal the Demon King of Destruction. They had obtained that reprieve three hundred years ago. [No, Sir Vermouth,] Kristina said, shaking her head in denial. [It wasn''t just a reprieve.] Vermouth looked up at Kristina. The young Saint, resembling Anise, prayed to Vermouth as a representative of the generations born three hundred yearster. [Sir Vermouth, you opened the future for the world,] she stated. Without Vermouth, nothing in the current world would exist. "Is that so?" Vermouth nodded with a faint smile. "I was truly¡­.¡± ¡ªThe Great Vermouth. "The world... truly considered me¡­," Vermouth choked as he said. He did not wipe the tears that streamed down his cheeks. Vermouth turned his head with a smile. "Considered me the Hero," he said, smiling even more broadly. Dozens of gaping maws appeared. Vermouth swung first with the chained sword he had received from the Demon King of Incarceration. After cutting off all of Destruction¡¯s heads with that sword, Vermouthid it down. Then he picked up another sword. The new sword he now held was not the one from the Demon King of Incarceration. There was a relentless calling. The Light gently pushing his back, as well as the light seeping from deep within Vermouth himself transformed into his sword. "Hamel,¡± he called out. This was the sword of the Hero responsible for saving the world three hundred years ago, the one responsible for opening the future. The Hero paved the way. "Eugene Lionheart,¡± Vermouth called. At the end of the path he paved, Vermouth pushed Eugene forward. "Now it''s your turn." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 612: Vermouth Lionheart (4) [Bonus Images]

Chapter 612: Vermouth Lionheart (4) [Bonus Images]

Eugene felt a hand gently pushing his back. As he moved forward, he turned to look behind. There were Kristina and Anise, acting as his wings to keep him from falling and supporting him steadfastly. He saw Vermouth, who smiled brightly like a zing me. But that wasn¡¯t all. Though Molony fallen below after grappling with Destruction, Eugene could feel Molon right behind him. He could sense Sienna, though she had copsed far away. He thought of everyone present as he listened to the voices calling out. He felt those who were blocking Destruction, the very essence of cmity. He felt the collective will to prevent the world from total destruction. "Now it''s your turn." Vermouth''s words reached him. There was no need to question what he meant. Eugene understood Vermouth¡¯s words the moment he heard them. Vermouth had saved the world three hundred years ago, and now it was Eugene¡¯s turn. Everything that had transpired until now had been leading to the moment when Eugene Lionheart would take over. Agaroth had wounded Destruction before dying. And because Agaroth had held Destruction, the Sage became the World Tree, and the God of Giants and the ancient gods became the Light. Thus, a world different from all past worlds began. Vermouth was born from Destruction¡¯s scar and gathered hisrades, and although they were ultimately defeated, it wasn¡¯t aplete failure. The three hundred years he bought weren¡¯t meaningless. The world had evolved sufficiently and had united to stop its own destruction. And thus, it was now Eugene¡¯s turn. "I know,¡± answered Eugene. He no longer looked back. He didn¡¯t need to see the feel of many hands pushing his back. He no longer needed to strain his ears. The many prayers had already transformed into a massive will and filled him from within. Destruction raised its head to see Eugene. Despite being cut down over and over, it still had dozens of heads and hundreds of arms. With a whoosh, hundreds of arms shot out toward Eugene. Eugene''s eyes emitted a golden light. Each of the iling arms carried enough power to annihte life. Destruction blocked the path of Eugene, the Hero who carried the world''s will. Eugene bit his lip and grasped the Divine Sword. "No," Eugene said with firm conviction. In the distant past, Agaroth had knelt before Destruction. Three hundred years ago, Hamel had felt despair from afar at the sight of Destruction. Even a week ago, Eugene had felt terror in the face of Destruction. But that wasn¡¯t the case anymore. "You can''t stop me,¡± he dered. All of that was just in the past. Agaroth, Hamel, Eugene, and even Destruction itself had not vanished but persisted until this very moment. But Destruction, which had swallowed the world numerous times, could not conquer this moment. Eugene was absolutely sure of that, and his determination and certainty fueled the divine fire even more. Fwoosh! A single strike incinerated half of Destruction¡¯s arms. Destruction writhed while emitting a terrible scream. Its instinct was to retreat, but it couldn''t. The magic left by Sienna prevented Destruction from standing on its legs. Molon¡¯s hand still held onto Destruction. The attacks on Destruction''s true form from the outside prated deep, causing a simr resonance inside the heart. The great will of the world, given birth by all the prayers, made Destruction cease to be Destruction. "You," said Eugene while gasping for breath. He gripped the Divine Sword with both hands. Eugene¡¯s internal universe, forced into overdrive by Ignition, ced a tremendous burden on him. But if it were necessary, he would use Ignition over and over without much thought. He possessed the resolve and the will to do so. "What do you have?" Eugene asked the monster. Rumbleee! The remaining hands of Destruction moved towards Eugene once again, but they were incinerated to mere ash by the mes of the Divine Sword. Destruction rallied up for another attack, and dozens of jaws opened wide. It was the same attack that had destroyed Eugene¡¯s leg and Molon¡¯s arm. Sienna was no longer here to block the attack. She had fallen. However, her will had passed onto Eugene. The burst of light couldn¡¯t even get close to Eugene before being blocked by a barrier. "You have nothing,¡± Eugene dered. Everyone was born with the will to aplish and attain something. Such will, united in thought, transformed into conviction. Even the specter, despite being born of falsehood and lies, died with conviction. Even the Demon King of Incarceration had his convictions, though he had persisted through multiple worlds. But did the Demon King of Destruction have anything simr? Did Destruction have such conviction? The answer was no. Destruction was a monster born without any will. It did not strive to destroy the world because it had any convictions. Rather, it simply destroyed worlds because they existed and continued to wreak havoc and destruction because it could not destroy itself. "There¡¯s no way that something like you...," said Eugene. Even though Vermouth was born of the Demon King of Destruction, he possessed the will to save the world. The Demon King of Destruction couldn''t fully consume Vermouth. Destructioncked resolve or will. It was a monster driven only by the simple, obvious instinct of filling its stomach due to hunger. Eugene came to realize the true nature of Destruction. This existence wasn¡¯t a grand entity deserving of the moniker Demon King of Destruction. "Can stop me," continued Eugene. It was a monster born from vile jealousy and narrow-minded desire. It may have aimed to be a Demon King initially, but it had instead be a monster swallowed by its own uncontroble power. It was a cmity that had coincidentally grown uncontroblyrge as the world was reborn repeatedly. "Can stop us," said Eugene. It had always failed. It tried to be a Demon King as it desired but never did. Driven by hunger, it tried to destroy the world but couldn''t even do it properly. It tried to absorb Vermouth after he split from it, but it failed even then. And now, it was trying to kill Eugene. But that, too, would fail. "There''s no way you can stop us," Eugene dered. He raised the Divine Sword high. He didn''t refer only to himself. He had gotten this far because it had been us rather than me. Therefore, the Divine Sword Eugene held was not solely his own. It was imbued with the will of all those who had fallen, those who had not fallen, and those who, in this very moment, denied Destruction. Dozens of heads meant nothing. So, instead, the heads merged into one to struggle in vain. The gaping maw seemed capable of swallowing the world whole. It looked like a pitch-ck abyss. But to Eugene, that pitch-ck abyss seemed thin, almost transparent. That vast maw felt utterly useless, incapable of swallowing anything. It looked to be a mere pretense. Even an abyss that seemed endlessly deep was shallowpared to the current Eugene. Andpared to that, what of the Divine Sword Eugene held? It was as bright as the whole world and as vast as the sun. His opponent, that grotesque thing, could never block the Divine Sword. Eugene was certain, and with that conviction, he swung down with the Divine Sword. The enormous head of Destruction was split almost too easily. But despite cutting through the head of Destruction, the power of the Divine Sword did not diminish at all. The severed head disintegrated into dark power and various colors before scattering in all directions. Eugene leaned forward with the Divine Sword and advanced. [For salvation,] Anise whispered. Whoosh! From the dissipating wings, Anise pushed Eugene''s back. The word salvation had been a constant on her lips for three hundred years. Although she once resented the Light and despised her own existence, Anise had truly be the Saint and yearned for salvation after heading towards the Devildom during the era of war. They were closer to salvation than ever before. Anise smiled brightly as she watched Eugene¡¯s back. The one who remained by Eugene¡¯s side until the very end was none other than Kristina, who had attained salvation purely through Eugene¡¯s existence. But even she found it hard to endure any longer. However, there was no sadness or lingering regret. Kristina knew what would be decided shortly thereafter. [For victory,] Kristina prayed for victory as the Saint. Always, always.... She prayed to her god, who had always triumphed. Just as the fate of being the Saint had given her a future, so too would the Hero, the god, give the world its future. Believing in this, Kristina pushed Eugene¡¯s back. Though he had no wings left, he did not fall. Amidst the thick riot of dark power and colors, Eugene moved forward as if he were carried by the wind. The monster had lost everything and could no longer create more heads. Only its hideously twitching body remained. Eugene knew exactly where to strike. Despite taking damage, the heart was still intermittently throbbing and continuing to emit dark power. It was insignificant. Why had he ever feared something that only lived without conviction or purpose? Why did he shiver in madness whenever he saw it, feeling it ominous? Eugene chuckled as he raised the Divine Sword. The sword swept downward and cleaved through both the dark power and swirl of color. The twitching body of the monster offered no resistance to the Divine Sword. The heart was no different. The divine fire first devoured the heart. As if in its final throes, Destruction expelled all of its remaining dark power and colors, but nothing could pierce through the divine mes and escape. Within theyers of burning mes, both dark power and the swirling colors were extinguished. And then, the Divine Sword split the heart. Whoosh! A great burst of mes erupted at the moment the sword cleaved the heart. Eugene did not retreat but jumped into the mes. Though he thought it unnecessary, he wanted to witness the end with certainty. The disaster that bore the ill-fitting name of Demon King of Destruction faded away. As the heart turned to ash, the enormous body also became ash. Eugene watched everything from the center. He could no longer hear the throbbing. Nor were there any screams. Instead, a different sound grew louder. Thump, thump, thump ¡ª it was the sound of beating originating from the outside. Eugene, who had been standing quietly watching the demise of Destruction, slowly turned around. There was nothing more to see. Until the veryst of thest, this entity was nothing at all. It left nost words and no will. An existence devoid of meaning would face an end that was just as empty. It had to be this way. The only part of it that wasn¡¯t void no longer existed within it. Eugene emerged from the dispersing mes and first helped up Molon, who was kneeling nearby with his head bowed. He then lifted Kristina onto his shoulder from the ground. "Are you all alive?" Eugene asked. It was a rhetorical question, but he still asked it with a wry smile. However, he wasn¡¯t greeted with any answers. Molon, Kristina, and even Anise, who dwelled within her, had all lost consciousness. "Looks like they''ve all passed out. This isn¡¯t going to look good once we get out," Eugene said with a sigh. He shook his head and reached out his hand. The unconscious Sienna, who had copsed a distance away, was moved closer to Eugene. After ensuring all hispanions were ounted for, he asked, "Isn¡¯t that right?" He directed the question to Vermouth, who had not lost consciousness. Vermouth did not respond. The heart of Destruction had burned to ash. With that, the Demon King of Destruction was dead. Its true form still remained outside, but it too would soon perish, along with the endless waves of the Nur. Vermouth could feel all of it. He felt that he, too, would soon... simrly perish. The heart of Destruction, now turned to ash, had ultimately been Vermouth¡¯s heart as well. "Hamel,¡± Vermouth finally spoke. It felt as if his chest had been hollowed out. There was nothing left where his heart should be. His end was near, but Vermouth felt content. He had achieved what he had always longed for.... He had killed the Demon King of Destruction. He had ended the cycle of destruction. "Thank you,¡± Vermouth said with a faint smile. He had wished to die this way. There could be no happier death than this. At the very end, he was able to fight alongside hisrades. The world had shown him that the life he lived as Vermouth Lionheart was not meaningless. Despite his many denials of being the Hero, everyone had indeed regarded him as one. "Because of you... because everyone was here, I... in the end, I was able to die as a human... as the Hero,¡± said Vermouth. Eugene did not respond but moved closer to Vermouth. He carefullyid down Molon and then Sienna and Kristina in turn. "It''s a pity I can''t talk more with them, but it can''t be helped. I no longer have much time left¡ª" Vermouth continued. "I thought I already told you,¡± Eugene interrupted. He squinted his eyes as he red at Vermouth. "We said we would save you.¡± "That has been fulfilled. I have been saved by everyone...," responded Vermouth. "You also said we deserve to be happy,¡± Eugene said. "Could there be any greater happiness than this?" Vermouth asked with a bitter smile. "I have achieved everything I wanted. I was able to fight alongside you all, and I defeated the Demon King of Destruction. I was recognized by the world. So¡ª" "What good is it if you''re dead?" Eugene interjected. He plopped down in front of Vermouth. Rumble.... The void was trembling. The space itself looked like it was about to disappear as the Demon King of Destruction had died. Yet, Eugene had disregarded such matters. He fixed his gaze directly on Vermouth¡¯s face. "Don¡¯t try to leave yourst will as if it¡¯s all over. You¡¯re not finished yet, and neither are we.¡± "You always insisted on the impossible," Vermouth replied after a pause. Though meant as a reproach, Eugene found gratitude in those words. Yet, this time, it truly seemed impossible. Vermouth looked down at his body, which was slowly turning to ash, a faint smile gracing his lips. "What use is it if I die...? Yes, that might be the case for you since you already died once and had many regrets. But I have no regrets left,¡± Vermouth dered. "Is that really true?" Eugene asked while tilting his head. "You ask such mischievous questions,¡± Vermouth responded. With a deep sigh, Vermouth lifted his head, gazing briefly at the crumbling void before continuing, "It¡¯s impossible... not to have regrets. No matter how much I wish to be detached, they linger." "And these regrets are?" Eugene probed. "To see with my own eyes the world that existed because of me,¡± answered Vermouth. He hadn¡¯t wanted to say it out loud. Just voicing it strengthened his attachment to life. The regret of not being able to continue with hisrades weighed heavily on him. Vermouth continued, "I want to hear the voices that call my name. And...." He paused. "And, what?" Eugene prompted him. His cheek had twitched. It could have been a forced smile to shake off the sadness. He thought such teasing, even at thest moment, was typical of Hamel ¡ª unnecessary, really. Did he truly need to act that way? Vermouth truly wondered. At least he had mourned Hamel at the moment of his death. "I want to try the things we talked about in the past, in the Devildom. Traveling peacefully, visiting the hot springs in the snowy mountains...,¡± continued Vermouth. "Those are things you can¡¯t do if you¡¯re dead,¡± said Eugene. "That¡¯s true,¡± Vermouth agreed. As much as he had avoided it, he had ended up saying it. "I don¡¯t want to die." Eugene had wanted to hear those words. "So that''s it," Eugene said, grinning as he suddenly reached out and grasped Vermouth¡¯s right hand. That statement hadn¡¯t been meant for Vermouth. Vermouth jumped in surprise and looked down at his hand. An old chain had suddenly been gripped in it. "It was a contract,¡± a voice came from behind them. "I had asked you, Vermouth Lionheart." The nking of chains sounded. "I asked you if you still wished to die with Destruction.¡± Vermouth turned around in surprise. The Demon King of Incarceration, unseen until now, was walking towards them. He had held back Destruction for days after being defeated by Eugene and hisrades. This had left the Demon King of Incarceration too weary to stand properly, but now, he seemed less exhausted. He walked by himself. Although there was no cloak of chains behind him, the Demon King of Incarceration held a chain in his hand. "You answered no. You said you wished to destroy Destruction with everyone,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration whispered in a low voice with a smile. "I asked you what you needed,¡± he continued. He slowly pulled on the chain. It was connected to the chain held by Vermouth. "You answered, a sword, and I gave you one." Vermouth no longer had a heart in his body. His body had died with Destruction and was disintegrating. "Like a god, a Demon King fulfills wishes if there''s a price to be paid," dered Incarceration. There was only one thing a Demon King desired: the soul. "The body you were born into as a clone dies with the Demon King of Destruction. But the Hero as the world spoke of, the soul of Vermouth Lionheart whom you decided is different ¡ª as the price of the contract, I, the Demon King of Incarceration, will have it." This contract depended on Vermouth''s will. If Vermouth had thought of himself only as an avatar of Destruction to the end, and if he had wished to die with the Demon King of Destruction, then Vermouth¡¯s soul would not have beenpletely independent. The chains of the contract would never have bound it. But now, the chains of the contract weren¡¯t tied to the avatar of Destruction but to the soul of Vermouth Lionheart. "If you do not wish to die, then live." Eugene pushed the disintegrating heart of Vermouth with a smile. "We agreed to go back together." The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 613: Vermouth Lionheart (5) [Bonus Image] Vermouth felt the chain binding his soul tighten. Eventually, he came to understand. His body, which was born as the avatar of Destruction, would perish alongside the Demon King of Destruction. But Vermouth Lionheart would not perish. His soul was no longer an avatar of Destruction. Originally, his body and soul should have disintegrated along with Destruction, but the contract had bound his soul with chains. "From the beginning¡­" Vermouth barely managed to say through his trembling lips. "Was this what you aimed for from the start?" "No,¡± Eugene answered honestly. "Initially, I had no specific n. I just didn''t want you to die... and I thought perhaps a desperate wish might find a way." He had not arranged for this to happen from the start. Eugene hadn''t fully understood Vermouth''s situation, nor had he any guess how the battle might unfold. "In the end, that desperate wish created a way. I wished it, you wished it... and everyone wished it,¡± Eugene said. He turned his head to look at the distant horizon. By everyone, he was referring to all those who had stood against the Demon King of Destruction. They had not forgotten the name Vermouth Lionheart. They had always seen him as the Hero. Vermouth wore a stunned expression as Eugene exined. He couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter. "A miracle, you say," he murmured. A miracle, indeed. Vermouth repeated the word while bowing his head.For Vermouth, a miracle had always been a double-edged sword. It could be said that a miracle had brought him into existence, but repeated failures and three hundred years of solitude had made him resentful of the word ¡°miracle.¡± Therefore, Vermouth couldn''t see a miracle as hope or salvation. No matter how much he wished, he himself could not bring about a miracle. "The Demon King of Incarceration,¡± Vermouth called out. He raised his head. The Demon King of Incarceration was standing close, gazing at him. "Now... what happens to me? Do I live as one of your minions?" Vermouth asked. It was natural for him to be curious. Vermouth well understood what it meant to make a pact with a Demon King and surrender the soul. His soul could be preserved until the Demon King chose to release it, or depending on the Demon King''s power, he could be reborn as a vessel. The soul bound to the Demon King would have no freedom. "No," the Demon King of Incarceration said with a shake of his head. "Vermouth Lionheart, I will not make you one of my vassals. There is no need for that." "Then what?" Vermouth asked. "You should know," the Demon King of Incarceration answered with a faint smile. He raised his head and gazed at the crumbling void of the sky before continuing, ¡°You¡¯ve always known what I wanted. Don¡¯t you, Vermouth?¡± Vermouth just kept looking at the Demon King without responding. ¡°Today,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration began. However, he couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. He had been worn down by immeasurable despair over eternity. He felt overwhelmed by the rush of emotions. He had longed for it so deeply, and yet, he had believed it would never truly be aplished. Thus, the Demon King of Incarceration paused and closed his eyes in silence. Finally, after getting his emotions under control, he dered, ¡°Today¡­ in this world, both the Demon King of Destruction and the Demon King of Incarceration will die.¡± He had lived expecting the death of the Demon King of Destruction. In anticipation, he had continued the world over and over. He could never defeat the Demon King of Destruction himself. So, he became a Greater Demon King to test the world before the impending doom. ¡°There is no longer a reason to start a new era. I have no reason to do so,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration whispered under his breath. He chuckled and lowered his head, whispering as he met Vermouth¡¯s gaze, ¡°I have longed for death my whole life. And now¡­ I can finally die. Vermouth, you have nothing to worry about. I will not make your soul one of my vassals, nor do I n to live on andmand you.¡± Vermouth wasn¡¯t sure what the Demon King was hinting at. ¡°Today I will die, and your soul, with which I''ve made a pact¡­ will dwell in my body,¡± Incarceration dered. Vermouth¡¯s eyes widened at the response. ¡°That¡¯s all. Vermouth, it does not mean I am leaving you the throne of the Demon King. My body will be devoid of any dark power. It will merely serve as a vessel for your soul,¡± said the Demon King of Incarceration before slowly taking a seat[1]. ¡°My body may not please you as a vessel, but you know as well as I do that this is unavoidable and the best we can do.¡± Even if he was no longer an avatar of Destruction, Vermouth¡¯s soul was exceptional. Most human bodies would not suffice as his vessel. Then, should a new vessel be specifically fashioned for Vermouth? There was a precedent. Amelia Merwin had created Hamel¡¯s Death Knight. She had crafted a new body that suited him well after she lost his original corpse. But there was a difference in the size of the souls. No matter how special the prepared vessel was, it could not be tailored to Vermouth¡¯s soul. The only feasible option might be to use the body of a Lionheart, but Vermouth himself would never consider stealing another human¡¯s body. Then what about simply facing death and reincarnatingter? That wasn¡¯t even an option worth discussing. What everyone desired was to return together. ¡°Is that enough?¡± Incarceration asked. After a moment of silence, Vermouth asked with a resigned smile, ¡°Demon King of Incarceration. I know how much¡­ you have anticipated this moment, but can you truly die satisfied?¡± He knew it was inevitable. He wasn¡¯t in a position to refuse. Yet, Vermouth feltpelled to ask this to the Demon King of Incarceration. ¡°Do you think I have any regrets?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration scoffed in response. ¡°To me, life has been a dreadful burden. I have no intention of enjoying a new life now that I¡¯m unburdened. Perhaps, no, certainly, the world will change¡­ But do I really need to see such a world?¡± The Demon King of Incarceration chuckled as he looked at Eugene. "You have different convictions from mine. You chose a different future and realized it by defeating me and killing the Demon King of Destruction. Thus, all of this should be enjoyed by you, the victors, and I, the loser, should," Incarceration paused. With a nk, the chain connecting to Vermouth pulled towards the Demon King of Incarceration as he finished, "die here." Vermouth no longer questioned the intentions of the Demon King of Incarceration. He was the original Hero who became the Greater Demon King for the world, and he was satisfied and sought rest. His words and will were without deceit. The Demon King of Incarceration¡¯s response contained no lie. "Understood," Vermouth said with a nod and gripped the chain. "Demon King of Incarceration. I will forsake that name and inhabit your body. I will live on as Vermouth Lionheart." There was no hesitation in his response. The Demon King of Incarceration smiled faintly when he saw Vermouth¡¯s bright golden eyes. He did notpare it to the face he knew from a distant¡­ very distant past. The man whom the Demon King of Incarceration once cherished as a friend had died due to a coincidental disaster. The person before him now was Vermouth Lionheart, who had saved the world three hundred years ago and today had defeated the Demon King of Destruction alongside hisrades. "Vermouth,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration smiled as he spoke. "I wish you the life you desire." Vermouthughed. He had never imagined he would receive good wishes from the Demon King of Incarceration. He wanted to respond, but he couldn''t because his body hadpletely disintegrated along with Destruction. "Eugene Lionheart,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration called. Still smiling, he turned his gaze towards Eugene. He continued while guiding Vermouth¡¯s soul into the vessel of his body through the chain. "Thank you for... killing the Demon King of Destruction." Eugene remained silent as he gazed at the Demon King of Incarceration. He did not entertain the thought that the Demon King of Incarceration would engage in folly here. There was no reason for the Demon King of Incarceration to betray him now. If any vestige of reluctance caused him to cling to life at the very end, it would be an insult to the eternal life and beliefs the Demon King of Incarceration had pursued. Therefore, the Demon King of Incarceration would never engage in such an act. Eugene was certain of it. "Thank you for allowing me to die,¡± the Demon King spoke with a satisfied smile. His answer was free of any lingering attachments or obsessions. "Rest,¡± Eugene said. Then, with a smirk, he added, ¡°No¡­. Go to hell." The Greater Demon King had lived through eternity, hoping to save the world. He had despaired in his failures and repeated the cycle of rebirthing the world. He had witnessed the deaths of countless, truly numerous lives. Although he couldn¡¯tpare to the Demon King of Destruction, the Demon King of Incarceration had also in many, enough to fill the world. So, Eugene did not wish for him to rest. The only ce for a Demon King to lie was in hell. "I hope so,¡± the Demon King of Incarceration responded with a chuckle. Rumble¡­. Silence followed his response. The Demon King of Incarceration bowed his head. He seemed devoid of any life. Eugene sat and waited quietly with Molon, the Saints, and Sienna nearby. Destruction was crumbling. Soon, this ce would vanishpletely, and Eugene and hispanions would exit. "If I¡¯m standing alone, I really won¡¯t look the part,¡± Eugene grumbled as he nced at his legs. Fortunately, thanks to the Demon King of Destruction''s death, his leg had regenerated. The sight of their emergence would be a legend and a myth. It would be long recounted in tales for generations toe. But if he were to be standing awkwardly on one leg as he emerged, future statues of him might also depict him as one-legged. A thousand years from now, he might be known as the One-legged Eugene instead of the Radiant Eugene or the Stupid Hamel. "Hey, wake up." Eugene pped Molon''s cheek repeatedly. It might be a decent sight for him to be supporting three unconscious people and standing unscathed. No, he didn¡¯t like that idea. He was being childish and stubborn, but Eugene sincerely thought so. ¡°Ugh...." After a few more ps, Molon groaned aloud. Eugeneughed brightly as he forcibly sat him up, then started pping Sienna''s cheek. "Ow, that hurts¡­." After about ten ps, Sienna also came to her senses. Everyone was quick to regain consciousness, thanks to the Demon King of Destruction''s dark power having dissipated with his destruction. Eugene had Sienna sit up as she blinked dazedly and raised his hand toward Kristina¡¯s cheeks. "I-I''m already awake." This time, there was no need for a p. Kristina quickly opened her eyes and blocked Eugene''s hand. "Lady Anise is also within me. So, Sir Eugene, there¡¯s no need to p my cheek,¡± she continued. "My jaw hurts¡­," Molon muttered as he adjusted his creaking jaw. "Vermouth!" Sienna suddenly screamed, sporting her swollen cheeks. "Where¡¯s Vermouth?!" "Isn''t there something else you should be asking? Like what happened to the Demon King of Destruction¡­," responded Eugene. "Seeing you acting like this, you must have taken care of it just fine! So where is Vermouth?!¡± Sienna asked. "Are you more worried about Vermouth even after I fought so hard to defeat Destruction?¡± Eugene asked glumly. "Anyone would think you fought alone from the way you talk,¡± Sienna said, shaking her head in disbelief. "Hey! If fighting were all there was, we would have done it long ago. Why did we go through so much trouble?! It was to save Vermouth! You wanted to save Vermouth! So, what''s wrong with me asking where Vermouth is?" "It gets on my nerves that you¡¯re asking about Vermouth rather than how I¡¯m doing, even though I¡¯m right in front of you¡­¡± Eugene grumbled before turning his head and spitting. "Because you''re standing right in front of me, all in one piece.... No, don''t tell me you''re¡­.¡± Sienna''s lips twitched upwards in amusement. "Are you really jealous?" "Friends don''t get jealous of each other,¡± responded Eugene. "Seems to me like you are jealous,¡±mented Sienna. "Why the fu¡ªck would I be jealous? Do you like Vermouth that much?" asked Eugene. "As a friend, yes,¡± answered Sienna. "You like him? As in, really like him? This damn..." Eugene grumbled. "Hey! So you hate him as a friend? You hate Vermouth?" Sienna retorted. "I hate him; I absolutely despise the bastard. Once we get out of here, I''m really going to catch him and beat the shit out of him¡ª" Eugene abruptly stopped talking and turned away. He could sense breaths of airing from the Demon King of Incarceration. Eugene wasn''t the only one who felt it. "Why is the Demon King of Incarceration sitting here in front of us like this?" Anise asked. "Is he pretending to be our friend now because he doesn¡¯t want to die?¡± Sienna chimed in. Swish¡­. The hair of the Demon King of Incarceration began to change color in front of everyone. His ck hair shifted to ash gray, causing Sienna and Anise to gasp and step back. "Ve... Vermouth?" Molon stuttered out the name. Crack¡­. The body of the Demon King of Incarceration transformed to fit the soul that had newly inhabited it. Vermouth lifted his head and blinked a few times before looking down at his hands. "Ha... haha..." He couldn''t help butugh. The voice was unmistakably that of Vermouth, known to all. "Vermouth!" Molon embraced Vermouth with a broad grin. "How much did you hear?" Eugene asked with slightly narrowed eyes. Though he was happy, he had to have his priorities straight. "From the beginning,¡± Vermouth answered. "Well, I didn''t say anything I shouldn''t have,¡± retorted Eugene. "How badly do you want to beat me up?" Vermouth asked with augh, and Eugene responded not with words but by casually flipping him the middle finger. "What... what the hell happened?" Sienna asked in wonder. "Why has Sir Vermouth be the Demon King of Incarceration? Or rather, has the Demon King of Incarceration be Sir Vermouth?" Anise asked, sounding confused. The two weren¡¯t able to get a grasp on the situation. But instead of answering, Eugene pushed himself up from the ground. "We''ll talkter. First, stand up,¡± he ordered. "Why?" Sienna questioned. "If we go out there looking slumped, it''ll look pathetic,¡± Eugene answered. "Is that really what¡¯s important?" Anise asked. "Of course, it''s important,¡± Eugene said without hesitation. He firmly urged Sienna and Anise to their feet. "Anise, hand over that body to Kristina first. Then, stand behind her as an angel,¡± Eugenemanded. "Excuse me?" Anise said, startled. "Don''t tell me you n to hide inside Kristina even at thisst moment?" Eugene remarked. "But... what''s wrong with that? I don''t particrly want to be known to the world..." Anise replied. "I don''t like it.¡± [I don''t like it either.] Eugene and Kristina responded simultaneously. "You''ve suffered just as we have. Shouldn''t the world know about it?" Eugene asked. [I couldn''t have done anything by myself. I could only be here today because of you, Sister,] Kristina chimed in. "Ah... but¡­." Anise hesitated to agree. The reason was simple. She had done many things that might be considered disgraceful while inhabiting Kristina''s body, and if it became known that she had been inhabiting Kristina¡¯s body as an angel... wouldn¡¯t that tarnish the name the Faithful Anise that had been revered for three hundred years? "Hurry up before I have to drag you out!" Eugene shouted. "Why are you rushing me like this!?" Anise asked, distressed. "It''s alle crumbling down already!" Eugene pointed to the gaping ceiling and screamed. It was true they didn''t have much time. The space around them was crumbling after the death of the Demon King of Destruction, and the outside scenery was starting to blur into view. At first nce, it seemed like all the Nur had vanished, and everyone was awaiting the return of the heroes right outside. "Technology now is much better than in our time. The images of us emerging from this space will be magically extracted and revealed to the world. They''ll be photographs, whether in newspapers or broadcasts,¡± Eugene said. "Why are you bringing up your ambitions right now¡­?!" "Hey! Do you think I''m doing this just for myself? It''s for all of us! To show that we''ve returned. Together!" Eugene responded. To think he would speak so openly! Anise¡¯s face burned with embarrassment. "You should have said that earlier...!" She said. [Oh, Sir Eugene, how beautiful is your heart¡­!] Kristina eximed. Anise could not help but sympathize with Kristina¡¯s joy. She genuinely found Hamel to be charming and adorable. After transferring control of the body to Kristina, Anise took on her angelic form and flew behind Kristina. "Ahem¡­." Sienna cleared her throat and discreetly moved closer to Eugene. Kristina was about to stand on the opposite side of Eugene. She suddenly burst into a shortugh and instead stood beside Sienna. [Sir Vermouth,] Anise called out Vermouth''s name with a bright smile. [Please stand beside Hamel.] "Why next to me?" Eugene questioned. [We¡¯ve put so much effort into rescuing Sir Vermouth, so shouldn¡¯t we disy it to everyone? That we''ve defeated the Demon King of Destruction, saved the world, and even rescued Sir Vermouth,] Anise replied. "That makes sense,¡± Eugene acknowledged. Eugene helped Vermouth to his feet. "Should I hold the axe?" Molon asked with a serious expression while taking his ce next to Vermouth." I don''t have an axe right now." "Why do you need an axe? It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going to kill anyone,¡± responded Eugene. "Then, Hamel, why are you holding your Divine Sword if you''re not nning to kill anyone either?" retorted Molon. "I''m in the center. I should at least hold my sword high,¡± responded Eugene. "Hamel, I haven''t seen it directly, but I''ve seen the statue you left in Shimuin in a photograph,¡± Molon said suddenly. "And?" asked Eugene. "Honestly, I thought it looked really tacky,¡± Molon responded. Crack. A sound escaped between Eugene''s teeth. "And you think the statue you left in the capital city isn''t tacky? Why the fuck did you put me in there?¡± Eugene asked through gritted teeth. "I even named the capital after you to honor your sacrifice,¡± said Molon. "Your statues in Ruhr! The ones with the axe raised! Those are damn tacky too!" Eugene shouted. "It¡¯s all the same. Can you all just quiet down?" Sienna interrupted their banter. "You think you¡¯re the exception, huh? Hey! Sienna, I''m talking about that green square. You¡¯re there holding a staff, too!" Eugene shouted. "I never posed for that! Why are you giving me crap for something they made up on their own?" Sienna retorted. "Enough,¡± Kristina interjected, unable to listen to the childish quarrel any longer. She smiled refreshingly while gazing at the increasingly distinct scenery outside. "Why don¡¯t we all just put our arms around each other¡¯s shoulders?" "Around the shoulders?" Eugene asked. "Yes. Haven¡¯t we all returned together just as we wished?" Kristina said. Kristina gave a demonstration. She draped her arm over Sienna''s shoulder and gently brushed across Eugene¡¯s lower back. Eugene felt a shiver run through him as he tentatively raised his hand to grasp Sienna¡¯s shoulder. [We need to get a bit closer,] Anise chimed in. She subtly leaned forward and stood behind Sienna. She ced her hands on Eugene and Kristina¡¯s shoulders. Suddenly, Sienna found herself tightly sandwiched in the middle, unable to move. "Hmm¡­." Vermouth debated whether to drape his hand over Eugene¡¯s neck or just lightly touch his left shoulder. He suddenly made eye contact with Kristina as he nced over Eugene¡¯s shoulder. "Is that so?" Vermouth murmured. He nodded calmly with a serene expression. He understood perfectly what Kristina indicated and quietly ced his hand just on Eugene¡¯s shoulder. Molon did the same. "Perfect,¡± Kristina nodded. ''Is it really perfect?'' Only Sienna, sandwiched between Eugene and Kristina with Anise at her back, felt doubtful. ''This is a disaster.'' A roar of cheers erupted as they emerged outside. Under the scrutiny of countless eyes, Eugene thought: If this moment is captured in a photograph. The title would be: The Most Awkward Hero and His Companions in the World. 1. Not sure where he found something to sit on. ?
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 614: Vermouth Lionheart (6)

Chapter 614: Vermouth Lionheart (6)

The Nur had been pouring forth without an end, but suddenly, they all froze in ce before beginning to disappear in unison. It didn''t take long for all the Nur to vanish without a trace, despite having filled the ins and the snowy mountains with heaps of corpses. Those who had desperately held the front lines, facing death, and those who had supported them from behind to prevent the lines from being pushed back ¡ª all who had dominated the skies, thend, and the snowy fields ¡ª needed a moment to grasp the reason behind the sudden disappearance of the Nur. "Is it over?" someone muttered btedly. Simr murmurs emerged from various parts of the battlefield. Soon, these murmurs turned into a great shout, and all the survivors cheered in delight. It was over. It was truly over. The army of the Demon King of Destruction, which had emerged as if to bring about the end of the world, hadpletely disappeared. As they cheered, everyone looked toward the Demon King of Destruction. The figure of the Demon King of Destruction no longer seemed grotesque or ominous. The dizzying colors had faded, and the dark power that had instilled fear in their hearts was no longer perceptible. Carmen was gasping and huffingboriously and barely clung to consciousness. Her heart felt as though it might burst, and her breathing would not settle. Heaven Genocide, which could be called Carmen''s trademark, had long since been shattered. The armor that had earned her the epithet of the Dragon Lion was the same. With her weapon in such a state, her bare hands fared no better. She could no longer even clench her blood-soaked hands. They hung limply at her sides as she looked at the Demon King of Destruction. Vague figures appeared in the fading colors. Five... no, six? Carmen strained her eyes to discern the figures but to no avail. "Why are there six of them?" Gilead asked while barely holding onto a broken sword. Alchester lifted his head to look ahead, even as blood kept dripping from his mouth. "The Demon King of Incarceration was in there, wasn''t he?" he said. Four heroes had gone in to kill the Demon King of Destruction: Eugene Lionheart, Sienna Merdein, Molon Ruhr, and Kristina Rogeris. If they had seeded in their mission to rescue the Great Vermouth, as hoped, there should have been five.... If counting the Demon King of Incarceration, then perhaps... six. Though, the Demon King of Incarceration could hardly be called a hero. Still, he had sacrificed himself a week ago to temporarily seal the Demon King of Destruction. Gion attempted to count the numbers in his head but suddenly felt dizzy and copsed to the ground. His mental state was so poor that he couldn¡¯t even count simple numbers correctly. "It must have ended, right?" Gion asked with desperate hope. It was a sentiment shared by everyone. "Why is the Demon King of Incarceration standing so close to them?" Lovellian expressed his doubt after descending from the sky. It was a valid question. The veil of colors was still fading, and the figures of the heroes were still not clearly visible beyond it. Yet, even if they were just wavering shadows, it was evident how they were standing together. "Arms around each other¡¯s shoulders?" Ivatar muttered under his breath. He had already copsed a while ago. Arms around each other¡¯s shoulders? Raphael leaped down from Apollo upon hearing those words. "God has subdued the Demon King!" Raphael could not help but shout. He was feeling overwhelmed by surging faith. Subdued? Everyone squinted and stared at the shadows after hearing Raphael¡¯s sudden exmation. It was a hard thing to believe unless one of them was kneeling. But none of the six visible shadows appeared to be on their knees. Perhaps Raphael¡¯s pain and fatigue had clouded his judgment. ''That wing must belong to Saint Kristina... and thatrge figure must be Lord Molon....'' ''But who is the other one?'' Those unaware of Anise''s existence began specting amongst themselves. "Perhaps they be friends with the Demon King of Incarceration inside...?¡± Melkith suggested. "Stop talking nonsense," Hiridus, the Blue Tower Master, quickly reproached her. "What¡¯s so nonsensical about it? After fighting like this, camaraderie could sprout..." Melkith scoffed in response while lying sprawled on the ground. "I see it now..." There was no longer any need for guesswork as the figures became clearer. "p, p, p," Carmen uttered without a hint of embarrassment. She had opened her mouth to mimic the sound of pping when she realized she could not produce a loud enough p with her tattered hands. Right beside her, Gilead stared at her while she demonstrated her unique ability to produce a sound with mouth ps but could not think of it as strange behavior. Instead, Gilead was deeply touched and overwhelmed and called out, "Lady Carmen...!" He wanted to cry. It would be none other than Carmen who must be feeling the most sorrow at the moment. She would have wanted to apud loudly enough to shake the world, but she couldn¡¯t. Thus, Gilead raised his arms high for all to see in her stead. p, p, p! He spread his arms wide and thundered apuse across the battlefield. Soon after, Gion, Gilford, and all the Lionhearts began pping. The apuse began with them but quickly spread across the entire battlefield. Everyone approached the vanishing form of the Demon King of Destruction while pping and cheering. "Uwaaaaaah!" The names echoed in the cheers were not unified. Some shouted for Eugene Lionheart, others for Sienna Merdein, some for Molon Ruhr, and still some others for Kristina Rogeris. Among the names shouted was also that of Vermouth Lionheart. Amid the apuse and cheers, the heroes¡¯ forms became visible. Uwaaaah.... p, p, p, p.... The apuse and cheers gradually died down. It had to. The sight of the emerging heroes was truly shocking. Even a child would look at the heroes now and wonder: Why are they like that? Wow.... p, p, p.... But no one could ask about it. The overwhelming emotion of awe far exceeded any confusion or dismay. The slowly fading apuse and cheers regained strength and momentum and grew in volume once more. "En-enough." It was Eugene who found it too much to bear. He dropped his stiff smile and lowered his arms from around hispanions. Vermouth stepped aside as if he had been waiting for this cue. But Sienna did not step back. She stubbornly embraced Eugene''s shoulder, and so did Kristina and Anise from either side of Sienna. The three wanted to affirm their rtionship in a photo that would surely be recounted for a thousand years in front of everyone. "Oh,e on,¡± Eugeneined. "Why are youining after you asked for this?" retorted Sienna. "When did I ever ask for this?" Eugene questioned. "Do you perhaps feel ashamed of us?¡± Anise shot back. "No, what nonsense are you talking about? Can''t you see their expressions?" Eugene countered. "I only see Sir Eugene''s face,¡± Kristina whispered, her cheeks blushing slightly. They were sweet words, but why did they send a chill down his spine? Eugene shivered and stepped sideways with a cough. "Ahem..." His call to stop had silenced the cheers and apuse. But now, instead of the sounds, he was left with the burden of everyone''s weighty stares. None of the general staff in the vicinity was unscathed. Yet, they did not think of tending to their wounds and instead stared intently at Eugene and hispanions. Many more people crowded around while also gazing earnestly in the direction from where the heroes emerged. They were undoubtedly filled with many questions. Was the Demon King of Destruction truly dead? Would it never appear again? Eugene could sense even more questions, but he shifted his gaze. All of the Lionhearts looked as though they might burst into tears at any moment ¡ª no, more than half were already shedding them. They swallowed the sobs that threatened to burst forth as they looked at Eugene and Vermouth. "Hey," Eugene said, ncing sideways. He intended to encourage Vermouth to say something ¡ª but there was no need. Vermouth¡¯s expression spoke volumes more than words. His golden eyes shimmered with unshed tears, and a gentle smile yed on his lips. What must he be feeling? For Vermouth, the Lionheart family was something he created out of necessity. He had never enjoyed being called the Hero or the Great Vermouth. But the reason Vermouth had not lost himself within the dark heart of Destruction wasn''t just the talk he had with hispanions. It was because they, his descendants, had all called out his name. "I am Vermouth Lionheart,¡± Vermouth spoke aloud after a bit. Three hundred years ago, after ending the war with the Oath and returning to the Kiehl Empire, like hispanions, the Great Vermouth did not indulge in banquets or social gatherings. Despite a swift marriage and numerous concubines, there was never a scandal outside the family. He expanded his family, almost like an obsession, built the ck Lion Castle in the Us Mountains, and watched over the empire¡¯s borders as the Grand Duke of Kiehl. There were hardly any stories passed down about the man known not as the Great Vermouth but as Vermouth Lionheart. He was a man suited to the word iron-blooded. That was how he was known to the world, and to the Lionhearts. But there he was ¡ª Vermouth Lionheart ¡ª his voice trembling as he spoke his name in front of his distant descendants. "Thank you,¡± Vermouth said, struggling to continue. He closed his eyes as tears streaked down his cheeks and sobbed, ¡°For not forgetting me." How could they forget? Yet no one dared to ask. With dripping tears, Carmen ced her hand over her left chest atop the emblem that symbolized the Lionheart family. And all followed suit, cing their hands over their chests in respect to Vermouth. Should he do the same? Eugene pondered briefly before cing his hand on Vermouth''s shoulder instead. "So... let''s see...." Eugene trailed off as he organized his thoughts. What should he say first? What he truly desired now was a clean wash, a locked door, and a long sleep in bed. But first, the story needed a conclusion. "As you can see, the Demon King of Destruction is dead,¡± Eugene dered. A roar of inevitable cheers erupted. Eugene allowed the cheers to wash over him for several minutes. "The Demon King of Incarceration is also dead," he continued. Where did the Demon King of Incarceration go? Eugene prevented any questions by dering, "By the time we stormed in, the Demon King of Incarceration had exhausted all his strength in holding the Demon King of Destruction. He was already dying. He thanked us before he died." The Demon King of Incarceration had reigned as the Greater Demon King and the emperor of the Helmuth Empire for a long time. Even though he had surrendered his empire and pledged allegiance to the victors after losing in the war, the actual death of the Demon King of Incarceration left everyone speechless. "And here... uh... some of you might have noticed," Eugene said hesitatingly. The enigmatic sixth member of the group had forced guesses about her identity. Eugene pointed at Anise, who was floating behind Kristina. "This is Anise. Anise Slywood,¡± he said. "The Light sent me,¡± answered Anise. In the now silent battlefield where cheers and apuse had halted, Anise spread her wings wide for all to see. Conscious of the stunned expressions of Raphael and the priests, she continued, "I have been watching over the world for a long time. And only today have Ie down to join you in a miracle." "Ahhh...." "I was able to descend as an angel long after my death because your prayers were fervent and because of the faithful belief of Saint Kristina Rogeris, who I consider a sister in spirit. It was also because, after three hundred years, my friends wished for a miracle,¡± she exined. Anise smiled benevolently as she spun her tale. She had no intention of ever letting the world know that she had been with Kristina all along. Kristina had always conducted herself with a fervent zeal, such as during the Knight March, and the scandals involving Eugene were well-known. She wanted nothing to do with these memories. Thus, Anise maintained her smile without changing her expression and shifted all me onto Kristina. "Ah, indeed...! The voice echoing in my head was Lady Anise¡¯s all along!" Kristina shouted. If she allowed Anise to continue, she would be left to take the sole me like a scapegoat. But Kristina was now a fully grown serpent. She had no intention of dying alone. "I have heard Lady Anise''s voice so many times! Ah, indeed, indeed it was true. The reason I acted out of character was that I was enchanted by Lady Anise''s voice...!" continued Kristina. "Enchanted...?! I have never bestowed upon you any divine revtion to bewitch you,¡± Anise retorted. "Lady Anise! Do not put me to the test. Do not let my lips part unwittingly to utter your revtions,¡± Kristina said with a smile. "What are you trying to say...?" Anise muttered. "Which bed Lady Anise hasin in, whose warmth she has sought.... Ah, ahah!" Kristina stopped midway and raised her hands in prayer. Anise disappeared inside Kristina¡¯s body while screaming. "This is the end,¡± Eugene said, trying to take control of the speech once more. The murmuring was growing uncontrobly. Eugene felt the inevitable chaos and stepped back. "It¡¯s tough for everyone but... uh...," he trailed off. He was hit with a sudden thought. It was natural for everyone who fought against Destruction to feel weary. But surely the ones who had endured the most were the ones inside the Demon King of Destruction, the ones responsible for killing it. They were the ones most weary. Eugene nced at the sky. The sun he had created earlier was still there, and beside it was Raimira. She was unable to descend to the ground due to the crowd. Eugene exchanged nces with Sienna, and their thoughts aligned. Then, he whispered to Raimira, "Drop them." He was referring to the wizards and priests on her back. Raimira¡¯s eyes widened in shock, but she quickly obeyed Eugene¡¯smand. With a scream of surprise, the wizards and priests fell, but not to the ground, as spells of Draconic gently caught them. Simultaneously, Eugene unleashed his divine power. "Let the emperor, the pope, and other high-ranking officials take care of the aftermath," he ordered. The divine power flowing through the sun worked miracles of healing. Simultaneously, Sienna¡¯s magic transported Eugene and hispanions onto Raimira¡¯s back. "Wait, just a moment! Eugene!" Gilead reached out in shock, but Eugene ignored him. "Let¡¯s go,¡± he dered. "Wh-where are we going?" Raimira asked. "Anywhere but here,¡± Eugene answered. He thought they could slip back in about a month when things had settled and sprawled himself out on Raimira¡¯s back. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 615: Vermouth Lionheart (7)

Chapter 615: Vermouth Lionheart (7)

¡°Ah...!" Vermouth eximed. Indeed, the dragon was swift. The vast battlefield began to recede behind them in an instant. Vermouth nced back. He could not entirely shake off the continuous shoutsing from behind. "Did you want to stay there longer?" Eugene asked sarcastically. "No... that''s not it...,¡± Vermouth replied. Though he harbored many secrets and bore considerable anguish, Vermouth Lionheart was not one for social graces. He had let tears escape because he had been overwhelmed by surging emotions. But knowing how to handle what came next was a monumental challenge for him. Then suddenly, he found himself abruptly hoisted onto the back of a dragon by Eugene and hisrades. ¡®A dragon...,¡¯ Vermouth thought with a grim expression. The realization that he was riding a dragon brought a strange feeling, considering that the Demon King of Destruction had nearly eradicated them all. Of course, Vermouth no longer considered himself an avatar of Destruction and felt no guilt about the past; it had been the same even three hundred years ago. But that was merely Vermouth''s point of view. Wouldn¡¯t any surviving dragons have every reason to hold a grudge against him? ¡®Not just dragons either,¡¯ he thought. Vermouth cleared his throat awkwardly as he turned his gaze towards a little girl who sat between Sienna and Eugene. The girl giggled merrily. "That girl is... Sienna, she is a familiar you created, isn''t she?" Vermouth asked. "My name is Mer," Mer answered immediately. She looked at Vermouth with sparkling eyes as if she had been waiting for this moment. "My first name is Mer, and for now, myst name is Merdein. Mer Merdein." "For now...?" Vermouth asked, confused. "Soon, it will be Mer Lionheart," Mer replied brightly. Sheughed happily while pulling Eugene and Sienna¡¯s arms around her. Eugene closed his eyes without saying a word while Sienna blushed and dropped her head. "I see,¡± Vermouthmented. Everyone was in the know about the feelings Sienna harbored for Hamel since three hundred years ago. Vermouth smiled knowingly and nodded. "Is this dragon... one... that survived from three hundred years ago?" Vermouth asked. "No,¡± Eugene answered. It wasn¡¯t as if Vermouth was the keeper of all knowledge. Eugene opened his eyes and gently stroked Raimira¡¯s scales. "Do you remember Raizakia?" he asked. "How could I forget?¡± Vermouth responded. The Demonic Dragon Raizakia. Even after Helmuth became an empire, Raizakia shunned humans and named himself the ck Dragon Duke upon receiving the title of duke. He was a dragon that reached the pinnacle of misanthropy. Vermouth had pondered in the past whether he should kill Raizakia for the sake of the future. "She is Raizakia''s daughter,¡± Eugene said. [Oh, Great Vermouth, thisdy is called Raimira!] The fact that the legendary Vermouth from the fairy tale took an interest in her elicited a bright voice from Raimira. Vermouth¡¯s cheeks twitched after hearing their answers. He was grappling with several doubts. Vermouth was well aware of what the demons called him: Vermouth of Despair. He wondered why Raizakia''s daughter showed him such reverence when he had been a figure of fear among the demonfolk and earned himself such an ominous nickname. And then.... "Isn¡¯t Raizakia dead?" Vermouth asked tentatively. "I killed him," Eugene answered with a calm expression. [Even thinking about it now, the ck Dragon Duke deserved to die,] Raimira also responded nonchntly. She never had any familial affection for Raizakia to speak of, and she knew what schemes the ck Dragon Duke had harbored. "I see...." Vermouth reluctantly nodded. He could somewhat understand. If the dragon could allow her father¡¯s killer to ride her, why couldn¡¯t she ept the one responsible for nearly wiping out her race? "Hmm... Hamel, they''re still calling us,¡±mented Vermouth. "Your hearing is sharp. You can still hear them from this distance?" Eugene asked, surprised. "There are also some people following us from behind,¡± Vermouth said while pointing behind them. Indeed, Vermouth''s words were true. Several figures were pursuing them from afar, with Melkith in the lead. Eugene gestured towards Sienna with a face full of disgust. "Drop them,¡± he ordered. "Okay,¡± Sienna answered. Knowing that Melkith was leading the pursuers made it easier for Sienna to cast aside any hesitation. The beam of light she fired exploded upon making contact with Melkith. Kyaaaaah.... With a long scream, Melkith plummeted downward. "I-is this really okay?" Vermouth stuttered. Everything that was happening was hard to grasp withmon sense. "It is,¡± came the answer. Vermouth was restrained bymon sense only because he did not know what kind of person Melkith El-Hayah was. Eugene clicked his tongue in disgust and pped Vermouth''s back hard. "I just saved you, got it?" he said. "Why are you saying that all of a sudden...?" Vermouth asked, perplexed. "Not from the Demon King of Destruction, but from losing human dignity... and from shame... that''s what I saved you from,¡± Eugene exined. There was a time in the past when he had a conversation with Melkith and asked her a question: Which of the heroes from three hundred years ago did she respect the most? Naturally, any wizard would say the Wise Sienna, but Melkith had been an exception. Melkith had replied that her most respected hero was the Great Vermouth. The reason being that Vermouth had made a pact with the Wind Spirit King, Tempest. The world spoke of the Great Vermouth as a warrior and a knight, but Melkith thought otherwise. The Great Vermouth was a grand spirit wizard, having forged a contract with the Wind Spirit King. In fact, Melkith¡¯s obsession with Tempest stemmed from Vermouth. So what would happen when she actually met Vermouth, whom she had admired since childhood? Eugene couldn¡¯t even begin to imagine the frenzy that Melkith would create. "Everything should take care of itself if we stay away for about a month,¡° Eugene said firmly. He smiled contentedly after confirming that there were no more pursuers on their tail. "Take care of itself?" Vermouth asked, still stunned. "Do you think a war just ends with a victory? There''s a lot that happens afterward,¡± said Eugene. "That''s obvious..." muttered Vermouth. "What''s obvious?! I hate dealing with that stuff. I''m good at fighting and killing Demon Kings, not cleanup or politics.... I hate that,¡± said Eugene. "While we were fighting on the ground, the pope and the emperor stayed within their territories. It''s their duty to handle the aftermath," Anise agreed and supported Eugene''s words with a nod. Molon, Sienna, and Kristina did not say anything, but the relief on their faces showed they were d to have escaped. Vermouth looked around at hispanions'' faces and let out a hollowugh. ¡°Three hundred years ago, we had many discussions about a grand procession,¡± said Vermouth. "It¡¯s been ages since then. You had your procession after I died, didn''t you?" Eugene used. "Well, some idiot chose to die alone, so it wasn¡¯t any joyous procession,¡± Sienna grumbled as if for Eugene to hear, but he, as usual, pretended not to hear. "And Vermouth, while you were gone, I''ve already experienced a few simr things. I''m so sick of it,¡± Eugeneined. He had been forced into embarrassingly grand marches after he killed the new Demon King of Fury and after he liberated Hauria. Eugene shuddered at the thought of the tinum Lion tucked away in the corner of the Lionheart mansion. "Why do you ask? Do you want to have a procession since it¡¯ll be the first with all of us together?¡± Eugene asked. The war with the Demon King was truly over. As they had always hoped, everyone had returned together. This thought made Eugene feel slightly regretful about the absence of a march, but¡ª ¡®No,¡¯ he thought to himself firmly. He quickly shook off the regret. The uing procession would undoubtedly be the most magnificent in history, and definitely with the tinum Lion at the forefront of the march. Eugene absolutely did not want to be waving his hand with a forced smile atop a damned float. "I don''t want to either,¡± Vermouth said with a bitter smile. He had attended endless events three hundred years ago, disregarding his feelings for such events as they were necessary. But truthfully, even he despised such events. "What will we do about that?" Kristina asked while looking down. The Demon King of Incarceration had moved the capital of Helmuth, Pandemonium. Ity in ruins on the surface. "Just bulldoze it over,¡± Eugene said without a second thought. The forest of buildings in Pandemonium had been the symbol of Helmuth, but it was now gone. Since the Demon King of Incarceration had killed all the demons who had participated in the war, whaty below was nothing more than a spooky ghost town without survivors. "What about Helmuth?" Kristina asked. "Is dividing the territory a bit too much?" Eugene wondered. "It''s not just a city. It''s an empire. Where it¡¯s located is a bit awkward as well,¡± Molon stroked his beard thoughtfully as he answered. After all, he had not be a king just because of his sheer size. "If we bring it to the table, the kings of the continent will be tripping over themselves to get a slice. Though our presence ensures it won''t escte into war, someone is bound to get angry,¡± said Molon. "The Emperor of Kiehl is quite greedy." Eugene felt subtle nces directed his way. He immediately straightened up and shook his head. "Don''t even start talking to me about ying king,¡± he said. "I didn''t say anything,¡± responded Anise. "Your expression says it all. I''m absolutely not doing it. If you really need someone, there are still demons left in Helmuth. Pick one of them,¡± suggested Eugene. "Do you know any demons?" Sienna challenged. "Would I? It''s a shame Balzac is dead. If he were alive, I would have made him King of Helmuth," muttered Eugene. "I made a promise with Balzac,¡± Sienna spoke up with a serious expression. "What promise?" Eugene asked curiously. "To write him a fairy tale,¡± Sienna answered. "What, to name him the Legendary Balzac?" Eugene asked sarcastically. "How did you know?" Sienna asked with a startled expression. Surely, he wasn''t serious about leaving behind the name the Legendary Balzac? Well, it was still better than the Stupid Hamel.... Eugene muttered with a wry expression, "Well... it''s a cool name. Can''t argue with him since he''s dead." "Better than the Cunning Balzac, isn''t it?" Sienna said. "Just go with the Legendary Balzac. Anyway, I have no interest in ruling Helmuth. Anyone here interested?" Eugene asked. No one raised their hand. Eugene nced at Vermouth, just in case. Since Vermouth''s body was originally that of the Demon King of Incarceration, it seemed like a reasonable idea that he might rule Helmuth. "I don''t want it either," Vermouth said. "Then let''s not worry about it. They''ll figure it out themselves,¡± Eugene said with a shrug. With Eugene holding the chains that controlled the demons, there was no need to worry about a rebellion. "Still... it''s a bit regrettable about Babel,¡± Eugenemented. "Babel? Why?" Sienna asked, confused. "I made a promise to Lady Anci. I was going to give her Babel as a gift,¡± Eugene answered. The Lionheart family home had been turned into a mess by the elves and dwarves. But since it couldn¡¯t be helped, he had made a promise to Anci to find her a suitable ce. But now that Babel had copsedpletely, he couldn''t even offer that even if he wanted to. "We''ll just have to build a new one,¡± Eugene said firmly. "Got a spot picked out?" Sienna asked. "Somewhere with a forest and a river flowing¡ª" Eugene started to answer with a stern face. Sienna''s fist jabbed into his side. "So where are we headed?" Kristina spoke up while sneakily pulling out a bottle of liquor from inside her robe. The mere appearance of the bottle drew everyone closer. "Let''s go somewhere secluded and rest for a bit.¡± "Bring out the liquor first." "Hamel, I know you stashed a bottle in your cloak before you stepped onto the battlefield,¡± said Anise. "Wait a moment..." Vermouth, who had been listening to the conversation joyfully, suddenly spoke up. "You had it prepared in advance?" "So?¡± Eugene shot back. "Is there a problem?" Kristina asked, confused. "You mean to tell me... before fighting the Demon King of Destruction... you had already stashed away a bottle?" Vermouth asked. "Bastard, have you forgotten everything from being sealed away for hundreds of years?" Eugene clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Didn''t we always do that in the old days? We always brought liquor before fighting a Demon King." "Drink before dying or after killing." "That''s true, but...." Vermouth''s eyes wavered. Indeed, that was how it used to be. But to have liquor ready just before the final battle that could determine the fate of the world and theirrades.... "So, you''re not going to drink it?" Eugene asked. "If you give it... I''ll drink,¡± Vermouth said with a smile. "Yeah, but not now. If we''re going to drink, we''ll do itter. We¡¯ll just share one bottle for now,¡± said Eugene. Thest drinking session had taught Eugene a lot. Drinking now in their less-than-ideal state could repeat history once more. "So... after we rest, where do we go?" Vermouth inquired. Unable to resist liquor, Anise was the first to open the bottle. She took one sip, then another. "Why are you drinking twice when there''s not much?" Eugene sounded annoyed. "This is the liquor Kristina brought out. And I didn''t drink twice. Once for me, once for Kristina. Understand?" Anise said with a giggle. Sharing one body had its moments. "I¡¯m going to head to the World Tree,¡± Sienna said. She passed the bottle she had sipped from to the side. "I¡¯ve said my farewell, but you should still report back. Then there''s Raguyaran... and the distant seas to visit,¡± said Eugene. He smiled faintly when he recalled Vishur in deep slumber. It almost felt like he could hear theughter of Light from afar. "We need to check on Lehainjar. My descendants are there, aren''t they?" Molon said. Eugene passed the bottle to Molon. After taking a swig, he handed it to Vermouth. "If possible, I''d like to check on Ravesta too. There might be nothing left there now... but still, I want to see it with my own eyes,¡± Vermouth answered with a bitter smile. Ravesta was where Vermouth had been sealed for over two hundred years. The demons that had made a pact with the Demon King of Destruction and lived there had perished, and the sealed beasts had died in the war of Hauria. Now, Ravesta was just a small, detached ind in the sea. Vermouth knew it as well, but he wanted to see it for himself. "And after that?" "Vermouth, isn''t there anything else you want to do?" "Hamel said he wanted to establish an academy." "Better than a tavern." "Do you have a problem with my dream?" "I think it''s a wonderful dream." Amidst the ongoing banter, Vermouth let out a softugh. "What I want to do.... I''ll think about it slowly," he murmured. He had already achieved what he truly wanted. There was no rush for the next. No fate bound Vermouth any longer, nor did the world. The destruction had ended. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 616: Ever After (1) [1] Sightings of the heroes, who had disappeared immediately following their defeat of the Demon King of Destruction, were spread all across the continent. Their very first destination had been the Lehainjar Mountain Range. ¡°They suddenly descended from the sky tond right in front of us,¡± Aman Ruhr said with a smile as he recalled that moment. His already fierce visage had had a few more scars added to it. Those scars had been earned while defending against the march of the Nur. Aman considered these scars as glorious medalsmemorating their victory, so he refused to have them healed and wore them with pride. ¡°To be honest, at that time, I was extremely exhausted. And it wasn¡¯t just me; we were all at our limits. After all, until just a few hours ago, we had been facing an endless tide of monsters¡­. Haha, though indeed, it¡¯s not like we were the only ones,¡± Aman admitted with a chuckle before falling silent for a few moments and shaking his head. ¡°When the news finally reached us by magic, we were informed that the Demon King of Destruction had been in. As such, we were on our way back to base. ¡°We also heard about how the Great¡­ Vermouth had returned from the dead, and of how the heroes had suddenly left the battlefield. Ahem, well, even though we had heard about it in advance, when the great hero suddenlynded in front of us, we couldn¡¯t help but be amazed and thrilled to see him in person.¡± The ce where Aman had set up his defense was at the very northernmost tip of the continent. It was far from the frontlines of the battle against the Demon King of Destruction. Of course, if one could ride a dragon for transport and had all kinds of magic for support, it would be easy to cross such a distance in only a few hours.¡°My ancestor, for whom I am proud to dere my eternal respect, threw his arm over my shoulders and told me I had done a good job. He also said that everything was finally over,¡± Aman said with a proud smile. At that time, Aman hadn¡¯t been able to endure the sudden surge of overwhelming emotions and had fallen to his knees as his legs grew weak. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me,¡± Aman defended himself. ¡°Lord Ortus, who had sharedmand over the vanguard alongside me, was also shedding thick streams of tears. Ivic refused to allow himself to fall to his knees or shed tears, but everyone there knew the reason why he kept stubbornly staring up into the sky. Haha, in any case, while we were still ovee by our emotions, the Great Vermouth had something he wanted to say to us.¡± He had sincerely thanked them. ¡°He¡­ the Great Vermouth¡­ he actually bowed his head to all of us. Haha, hahahaha¡ªhm? What happened after that?¡± Aman blinked as he looked at the crowd in front of him in surprise. Those currently gathered around him were the various heads of the continent¡¯s Union of News Guilds. Now that the war had ended, the News Guilds had quickly burst into action, trying to weave together the whole story of the war. Although, on the surface, it was just the Union of News Guilds that was taking action, all of the guilds had the consent and were working in cooperation with the various nations of the continent. Unlike three hundred years ago, when only Sienna¡¯s fairy tale had been left as an ambiguous historical record of that era, the Union had sworn to work together and create a clear record of everything that had happened in this war and thus preserve it as a historical record for future generations. For the sake of this mission, Aman, the King of Ruhr, was willing to personally meet with the heads of the Union and talk about his own experiences. In fact, even without knowing about the oaths sworn by the Union¡¯s leaders, Aman would have still dly epted their interview. The heroes he so respected had recognized his efforts, and Aman was eager to boast about it. ¡°Hm¡­ well¡­ you want to know what happened next, do you? But there wasn¡¯t really anything that came after that¡­. After praising us, they flew back up into the sky. They crossed over the peak of the Lehainjar range and seemed to have headed into the Raguyaran. They didn¡¯t say anything about where they were going either¡­,¡± Aman confessed before awkwardly clearing his throat. ¡°Ahem, more importantly, allow me to regale you with tales of just how courageously and desperately I and the rest of our army held the line against the Nur.¡± Even though the forces under Aman¡¯smand hadn¡¯t been able to swing their axes into the Demon King of Destruction, they had also yed their part in the battle to decide the fate of the world. It was all because of the duty they had been entrusted with. Someone had to stand guard here at the Lehainjar. However, since they hadn¡¯t been able to fight against the Demon King of Destruction directly, their efforts wouldn¡¯t receive as much coverage in the stories that would be passed down toter generations, so Aman felt that he had no choice but to expound on their achievements to his current audience. The gathered heads of the News Guilds were only interested in finding the heroes¡¯ whereabouts and weren¡¯t really willing to take the time to listen to Aman¡¯s tale, but in the face of Aman¡¯s scar-covered visage, none of them could muster up the courage to say, ¡®No thank you.¡¯ Over in the Capital City of Shimuin, in the Southern Seas. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s true,¡± said Scalia Animus. Scalia had once been a member of the Violent Tide Knights, Shimuin¡¯s representative knightly order, and had been known by her nicknames as the Flower of the Knightly Order and the Princess Knight. But that was a story from years ago. She had alreadyid down her sword and divested herself from her former knighthood. That said, she hadn¡¯t just returned to being a mere princess either. Instead, Princess Scalia had turned to faith. And not just any faith, but the faith of Eugene Lionheart. Technically speaking, it was in Shimuin that Eugene Lionheart had first dered himself a ¡®god,¡¯ and a statue had been erected in the city¡¯s main za of his return from ying the Second Demon King of Fury. Princess Scalia was so devout that she prayed in front of his sculpted icon every week ¡ª no ¡ª every single day, and the Royal Family was hoping that Scalia might someday be officially recognized as his actual Saint. ¡°On that day, I was praying in front of his icon, as I always do. Ah, of course, I wasn¡¯t the only one present. With me, there were also the family members of the knights and soldiers who had yet to return from the battlefield¡­ along with the other members of the faithful who worship Sir Eugene,¡± Scalia said, her smile even more beautiful than when she had gone around while receiving des as the Princess Knight. She folded her hands together in prayer as she continued speaking with a sigh of admiration, ¡°At that moment, aaaah, a light descended from the sky. Our lord had arrived in response to all of our prayers.¡± The members of the News Guilds who were currently interviewing Scalia knew that the truth was different from what Scalia imed. They had already heard the stories from the other believers who had been gathered there. Eugene Lionheart had descended from the heavens with a tant look of embarrassment on his face, and his otherrades had beenughing in amusement as they alternated between looking at Eugene¡¯s face and the face of the sculpture. If the News Guilds were forced to specte based on the information that they had gathered about the various heroes¡¯ personalities, the group had simply descended from the sky to take a moment to tease Eugene Lionheart about his sculpture as they were passing by. ¡°Our lord spoke to us. He told us that he would return after making a trip into the distant sea. His reason for doing so¡­?¡± Scalia shook her head. ¡°How could I dare to ask for the reason behind our divine lord¡¯s choice of action?¡± Did that mean she hadn¡¯t asked him where he might be heading next? In the face of this carefully posed question, Scalia¡¯s expression grew stern as she scolded them, ¡°Our lord is everywhere and nowhere. Even as I say this to you, he is surely here with us. Such beliefs are a core part of our faith.¡± In other words, she didn¡¯t know. The next piece of news about the heroes¡¯ sightseeing trip sprung up a weekter. Within the Zoran Tribe of the Samar Rainforest. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to hear the exact details, but it seemed like they had already spent a few days in the rainforest before they came to visit me. They must have been visiting the World Tree ¡ª I mean, the one in the elven domain,¡± Ivatar quickly specified. The Zoran tribe, who had united all of the tribes within the Rainforest, already held enough territory that they could rightfully be called an empire. However, the young Great Chieftain, Ivatar Zahav, hadn¡¯t raised himself as their emperor and still insisted on sticking with the title of Great Chieftain. This was because of the negative sentiments that the tribes of the rainforest still harbored towards the words ¡®empire¡¯ and ¡®emperor.¡¯ ¡°I may have granted you this private meeting due to your oaths with the kings of the continent, but¡­ hmph, let me first make this clear. If you ask me for the location of the World Tree, I will chop off your arms. And if you release your rats into our forest without my permission to find the location of the World Tree and the elven territory¡­ I¡¯ll just have to show you how we barbarians, about whom you so like to gossip, enforce our rules,¡± Ivatar warned them, the tattoos on his face writhing as his lips curved into a menacing smile. It had already been confirmed during the war that the military forces under Ivatar''smand could stand on their own whenpared to any of the forces belonging to the overlords of the continent. So the News Guild heads, who had arrived at the rainforest with a n of thoroughly investigating all its mysteries, decided right then and there to go back the way they hade. ¡°Ahhh¡­ but please don¡¯t worry too much. Since a promise is a promise, I will reveal everything that we talked about during our meeting. I¡¯ve already asked and received permission to do so from my friend, Eugene.¡± Ivatar made sure to emphasize the word ¡®friend¡¯ before continuing his narration. ¡°They said that they came here to greet the World Tree. I didn¡¯t ask about the full details, but they said that the World Tree provided them with great help during their defeat of the Demon King of Destruction.¡± The World Tree was the religious figure that all elves and the natives who lived in the rainforest worshiped. Seeing as how the heroes had said that they had received its help, it seems that the faith of the World Tree wasn¡¯t just a simple folk religion. ¡°Apart from that, they also passed on a message from the World Tree. Though, well, the message didn¡¯t really contain anything special. It just charged me with the duty of cherishing and protecting the forest. But well, haha, we already do that every day,¡± Ivatara dered with a proudugh. Every single day? The heads of the News Guilds recalled the sights they had seen before arriving at this meeting. The figures of those fierce-looking warriors as they went around transnting seedlings and spraying fertilizer¡­. ¡°But what you¡¯re still curious about is where Eugene and the other heroes went next, right? Haha, I did happen to hear where they were nning on going. I am his friend after all,¡± Ivatar said as he emphasized the word ¡®friend¡¯ once more. ¡°They said that they were going to Ravesta.¡± Following the end of the war, these reporters had met countless people and listened to all of their stories, but this was their first time hearing about the heroes¡¯ next destination. The leaders of the various News Guilds unconsciously leaped right out of their seats. Ivatar burst outughing. ¡°Hahaha, I understand why that news might light a fire under you. However, do you really think that you will be able to meet them if you head there now?¡± It turned out just as Ivatar had said. The leaders of the News Guilds immediately left Zoran territory in a hurry. Going through a chain of warp gates, they traveled across the whole continent to arrive at Helmuth. There, they were met with many problems. Following the death of the Demon King of Incarceration, Helmuth had been ced under the collective control of all the nations on the continent. Yet, even so, Helmuth still needed to find a representative who could speak as the country¡¯s new leader. The demonfolk who had refused to participate in the war were all candidates for that position, so Helmuth was trying to decide which of them should take on that role through the unfamiliar process of holding an election. In such a situation, it was only natural for there to be great confusion. Much of that confusion came from the human immigrants, who were faced with the suspension of the overwhelming levels of welfare that they had previously enjoyed, and the closure of most of the shops within Helmuth. Elite knights dispatched from every country on the continent were stationed on every street, standing ready to prevent any riots; demonfolk held up signs, calling for people to give their precious votes to the candidates that they were supporting; and meanwhile, the human immigrants were holding a protest on the main street. ¡ªWe aren¡¯t demonfolk! ¡ªRespect the rights of the human immigrants! ¡ªWe just want to go home! All of this was already confusing enough, but what especially gave the heads of the various News Guilds a headache was the fact that Ravesta happened to be located in the very hintends of Helmuth. This meant that there weren¡¯t any warp gates that could take them directly to their destination. Even after going through the closest warp gate to Ravesta, they would still have to travel a few days by foot, and then a few more days by boat, before they could finally arrive at Ravesta. But with their goal seemingly right in front of their very noses, the hardworking heads couldn¡¯t help but continue with their mission. They went through that final warp gate, raced past all the various towns and viges on the way at breakneck speed, and finally arrived at the ocean. Only to hear some disappointing news as they were trying to find a ship that would carry them across the water. ¡°Ravesta? That ind disappeared a few days ago.¡± Fortunately, they could hear the true story of what had happened from a most unexpected ce. Within the Holy Empire of Yuras¡¯ Prison of Heresy. This was the ce where Yuras imprisoned any priests or pdins who had fallen into corruption, as well as members of any religious cults not recognized by the church. ¡°To think that the Union of News Guilds would find its way here. It seems that your name isn¡¯t just for show. Your eyes and ears must truly be quite sharp.¡± The person who met with the heads of the News Guilds wasn¡¯t the Chief Warden of the prison. It was themander of the Blood Cross Knights, the Crusader, Raphael Martinez. With a cold smile that didn¡¯t suit his youthful appearance, he led the leaders deeper into the prison. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t misunderstand why we are holding the witness here, as we never intended to conceal her presence in the first ce. It is merely because she happens to be a sinner who has betrayed the faith before. Because of a deal that she had made with Lady Sienna in the past, we allowed her to go free instead of killing or capturing her¡­ but she happens to be the only witness to what happened that day. So after recapturing her, we only transferred her here to keep her from escaping before we had a chance to listen to her ount of the events,¡± Raphael exined. In their hearts, the heads wanted to protest. Wasn¡¯t any information discovered about Eugene Lionheart and the other heroes supposed to be immediately shared with all of the nations of the continent through the News Guilds? However, the heads of the News Guilds couldn¡¯t actually muster up any of those protests. The Crusader was known to be second to none when it came to the depths of his fanaticism, and this was Yuras¡¯ Prison of Heresy. Even if the Crusader were to chop off all of their heads right here and now, not a single word would ever leak to the public about it. Raphael continued, ¡°The woman we have in our custody is Hemoria. You¡¯re all familiar with that name, aren¡¯t you?¡± They did recognize that name. It was the name of the previous ace of Yuras¡¯ Maleficarum Inquisition, the woman who had once been known as the Guillotine. However, that former Inquisitor was said to have fallen and had be Amelia Merwin¡¯s servant, only for her topletely disappear following the liberation of Hauria¡­. ¡°I allowed her to go free. However, I also branded her with a mark that would allow me to find her no matter where she went or what she did. I told her to hide away somewhere like a dying rat, breathing itsst breaths¡­ but it seems that impudent woman still harbored some malicious intent,¡± Raphael said with a sneer. ¡°That¡¯s not true!¡± A loud shout emerged from the iron bars of an upied prison cell. Hemoria, who had been crouching inside her cell, shook the bars while screaming, ¡°What do you mean, malicious intent?! I-I never showed anything like that!¡± ¡°Shut up, you evil creature. If it weren¡¯t for Lady Sienna¡¯s orders, I would have never let you go free,¡± Raphael spat out as his eyes narrowed in a re. Hemoria, who was grinding her teeth furiously, banged her head against the iron bars as she growled, ¡°I was falsely used!¡± ¡°What do you mean by ¡®falsely used¡¯? Don¡¯t you know full well just what kind of ce Ravesta was? It was where the Demon King of Destruction was being kept asleep,¡± Raphael said as he loudly kicked the bars of her cell. Bang! Struck by the shockwaves from his kick, Hemoria let out a scream as she was sent rolling across the ground. ¡°You also spent some time hiding in Ravesta along with Amelia Merwin. So, were you preparing to perform some kind of evil ritual there in anticipation of the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s resurrection? Or perhaps you coveted the traces of dark power he might have left there? Maybe you were even nning on inviting the radicals who are enraged by Helmuth¡¯s current situation over to Ravesta to start a rebellion?¡± Raphaelid out his guesses. ¡°You¡¯re being delusional!¡± Hemoria shouted. ¡°Hasn¡¯t this shitty brand of yours already told you where I was and what I was doing?! I-I only went to Ravesta after the war had ended. Before that, I was just¡­.¡± It was hard for Hemoria to keep speaking. She didn¡¯t want to admit to having lived the life of a vagrant who was forced to wander the back alleys of Helmuth. The only good thing she had going for her was that she wasn¡¯t aplete vampire, so she wasn¡¯t forced to feed solely on blood. However, she was asionally ovee by the urge to suck someone¡¯s blood. Since she wasn¡¯t allowed to drink human blood, Hemoria had survived by sucking the blood of other vagrant demonfolk, who were in no better shape than the rats who lived in the gutter beside them. While fearing that the hunters of Yuras would eventuallye looking for her, no matter where she went, Hemoria had lived in hiding like this ever since she had left Hauria. Then, the war began, and soon afterward, it abruptly ended. While still in hiding, she had harbored some hopes that the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction might win the war¡­ but that didn¡¯t happen. Helmuth was defeated. Even as Helmuth fell into chaos, Hemoria¡¯s living space was gradually reduced. This was because of the knights sent to Helmuth from the countries on the continent. Among their numbers were a few pdins and battle priests of Yuras. If she were forced topete with these knights solely in terms of strength, most of them were weaker than Hemoria, but the problem was the brand on her shoulder. If she were caughtmitting a crime, a hunting party would definitely be sent after her. And since the pdins could also sense the presence of her brand, the darkness of Helmuth¡¯s back alleys could no longer offer Hemoria a safe ce to rest. The only safe ce that had popped up in her mind at that moment was Ravesta. The Demon King of Destruction who had owned the ind was dead. There weren¡¯t any demonfolk left living there either. The ce was truly a barren wastnd with nothing going for it, and no reason for anyone to visit it¡­ but didn¡¯t that make it the perfect ce for her to hide out? So Hemoria had crossed the sea and arrived in Ravesta. When she finally reached the shore after an exhausting swim, Hemoria was drained and felt pushed to her very limits. She decided to just live in Ravesta for the rest of her life. Although thend was barren, she could still try to cultivate a field. She could farm, nt trees, grow fruit, and catch fish¡­. Eventually, she might even be able to raise some kind of livestock, right? Hemoria was still worried about being overwhelmed by her urge to suck someone¡¯s blood, but she remembered the old days when she was still living as an Inquisitor. She had gone without touching a single drop of blood¡­ so as long as she could endure and hold on to her restraint, she should be able topletely ovee the urge in time. Here, in Ravesta, she could be reborn. She could live a whole new life. ¡°I¡­ I was falsely used¡­,¡± Hemoria sobbed as she wed at the floor. That was truly all she had been hoping for when she crossed over to Ravesta. Once there, she found that the ground in Ravesta no longer showed any traces of dark power. So it seemed that if she just tilled some fields and sowed seeds in them, they might truly bear fruit in time. Hemoria dove into work, tilling the wastnd and fishing the sea¡­. But after about a week had passed like this, devils descended on Hemoria from the sky. Or at least, to Hemoria, those people had felt no different from devils. Immediately recognizing who they were, Hemoria let out a scream and tried to run away, only to be captured by one of those devils. ¡ªWhat the fuck are you doing here? Eugene Lionheart, her sworn enemy who had ruined Hemoria¡¯s life, had asked her this question with a puzzled expression. Hemoria was so scared that her teeth were chattering. And when she was unable to answer, he smacked her on the back of her head. ¡ªAre you still insisting on doing that bullshit of grinding your teeth at me? That was yet another false usation. She wasn¡¯t grinding her teeth; she was just so terrified that her teeth were chattering on their own. ¡°There¡¯s no point in listening to her ramblings any further,¡± Raphael said as he looked back at the various leaders with a bored expression. ¡°Sir Eugene and the other heroes arrived on that ind to check the situation in Ravesta. They must have been worried that traces of the Demon King of Destruction still remained. It turned out that there wasn¡¯t anything to be worried about, but¡­. They then decided there was no need for a ce like Ravesta to remain, so they sank the entire ind.¡± And so, thefortable hideaway Hemoria had been dreaming of wasid to rest at the bottom of the sea. ¡°Sir Eugene threw this bitch down onto the shore and left her there. Ah, but of course, we were already aware that she had gone to Ravesta. We were just leaving her alone for a while because we were curious about what she was nning to do next. But since someone had suddenly returned her to the shore of the maind, and she was just lying there, what else were we supposed to do?¡± Raphael said with a shrug. They captured her and locked her away here in the Prison of Heresy. ¡°However, we intended to let her out in a few days. We don¡¯t intend to kill her¡­ and it would be a far greater punishment for her to continue living a life in the outside world without any safety than it would be to keep her locked up in here. Ah, but the thing you¡¯re really curious about doesn¡¯t have anything to do with her situation, now, does it?¡± Rahael said with a smirk as he stared back at the News Guild people. ¡°Have any of you heard this piece of news before? Before the Liberation of Hauria, a dragon came by to see Sir Eugene.¡± It was the Red Dragon, Ariartelle. Instead of directly participating in that battle, the dragon had opened up her treasure vault and bestowed various precious weapons onto the warriors gathered there, while also giving some advice to the human wizards. The story of how a dragon came looking for Eugene Lionheart in person and lent him her assistance would surely be one of his many legends that would be passed down to future generations. ¡°ording to what this thing ims, an unknown woman with red hair was apanying Sir Eugene to Ravesta,¡± Raphael said as he indicated towards Hemoria with a tilt of his chin. ¡°I don¡¯t know where Sir Eugene was heading next after he was done sinking the ind of Ravesta, but¡­ he might have gone with that mysterious woman to the dragon¡¯sir. Ah, of course, I don¡¯t know where the dragon¡¯sir is either.¡± As the heads of the News Guilds were left silently stewing in their frustration, Raphael¡¯s murmurs continued, ¡°If you want to speak with the heroes, you¡¯ll either have to search for the dragon¡¯sir or¡­ wait for them in front of the Lionheart Estate. Haha, thetter option might actually be the more difficult challenge. You must have heard thetest news, haven¡¯t you? It¡¯s said that when the Kiehl Emperor tried to visit the Lionhearts, the Patriarch and his wife stood their ground and prevented him from entering.¡± Following the end of the war, a procession of worshipers seeking to meet with the Great Vermouth and Eugene Lionheart had arrived at the Lionheart estate, but they had all been blocked and turned away by the Lady of the House, Anci. Even the Emperor who had visited to pay his respects was no exception to this. ¡°Especially since the main branch of the Lionheart n is currently busy preparing to move out of the estate¡­. You should just try your best to find where the dragon¡¯sir is hidden,¡± Raphael advised with a chuckle. Through the sound of Raphael¡¯sughter, Hemoria weeping as she ground her teeth could still be heard in the background. 1. As in, ¡®happily ever after.¡¯ ?
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: I guess she deserved it, but still, poor Hemoria. Momo: For the first time, I really felt sorry for Hemoria. All she wanted was to be a recluse.
Chapter 617: Ever After (2)

Chapter 617: Ever After (2)

Bonyo Vige, on the border of the Kiehl Empire. Ariartelle¡¯s house was located in this quiet countryside vige. Of course, none of her neighbors living in Bonyo knew that Ariartelle was a dragon. As far as the vigers were aware, Ariartelle was a noble who had fallen into poverty and was forced to move to the countryside, and they had no interest in looking any further beyond that fact. Usually, country people could be overly curious about such neighbors, especially when it came to young people who were living on their own without any family members, but that wasn¡¯t the case for Ariartelle. And it was all thanks to her magic. Ariartelle naturally had no interest in socializing with her human neighbors, so she had long ago ced a perception-obstructing spell on herself and her mansion, and thanks to that, her mansion was usually a very quiet and peaceful ce. For Eugene and his party, who had been traveling around for nearly a whole month, there was no better ce for them to get somefortable rest. In the past, they had spent some time in Molon¡¯s cave in Leheinjar, but since the Nur were no longer being generated there, there was no reason for them to continue staying up in those mountains. Ariartelle silently stood in the middle of her living room. This was a space where Ariartelle could usually indulge in her hobbies, a room lit with warm lights and Ariartelle¡¯s favorite scent perpetually lingering in the air. It was a ce where she could asionally rx and enjoy reading a book with a cup of tea or coffee... and it was also here where she usually spied on the daily life of Leo Dragonic, who had grown into adulthood. But that was now a story that belonged to the past. After inviting such terrible and obnoxious guests into her mansion, Ariartelle¡¯s beloved living room ¡ª no ¡ª the entire mansion that she was living in had been thoroughly ravaged. The only ce left in this mansion that could still be described as belonging solely to Ariartelle was her bedroom. Ariartelle silently swallowed back the sadness that was welling up inside her. Instead of giving in to her urge to grab something and break it or throw it at someone, she just clenched her fists tightly. If she allowed herself to cry tears of sadness, it would be unbing of her identity as a dragon, and she didn¡¯t have the confidence that she would be able to handle the consequences of suddenly grabbing something and smashing it or throwing it onto the floor. Because of that, the wise dragon just let out a long sigh and shook her head. The living room was a right mess. A blonde woman with disheveled hair was sprawled over Ariartelle¡¯s favorite sofa. A muscr giant with a bushy beard was snoring away on top of her favorite rug. A wizard was sound asleep, a bottle of wine cradled in herp, in the armchair where Ariartelle usually rxed with a cup of coffee and a good book. Squeezed between the sofa and the armchair was the man who could be called the root of all this evil. Just when had things started to go so wrong? While using her magic to clean up the empty bottles of alcohol and leftover snacks that littered the living room, Ariartelle was ovee with feelings of regret. A month ago, the war against the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction had ended. Ariartelle hadn¡¯t personally participated in that war. Since the battle was for the sake of the world, she had truly wanted to devote herself to the cause... but she couldn¡¯t afford to do so. A dragon could never break their sworn oaths, and Ariartelle had made a promise to guard the Cradle. After all, what if the worst were to happen? What if the Demon Kings had won? In that case, Ariartelle¡¯s duty would be to prevent the legacy of the dragons she was charged with protecting from falling into the hands of the Demon Kings. Though such a promise had only been made because the dragons had been ignorant of the true goals of the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction.... If the dragons had known that the two Demon Kings¡¯ goal was not to reign over the world but to destroy itpletely, they would have never ced Ariartelle under such an oath. Ariartelle would also have been able to throw herself onto the battlefield and fight for the grand cause of protecting the world. In other words, this meant that Ariartelle hadn¡¯t just been hiding away because she was afraid of taking part in the war. However, this monster of a home invader, who was curled up on the floor in such a wretched position, had shown no consideration for Ariartelle¡¯s circumstances. ¡ªNo matter what, you still weren¡¯t there to help. Ariartelle was the one who had gone looking for them in the first ce. She had heard that the Demon Kings had been defeated. Now, there were no longer any Demon Kings left to threaten their world. There were still countless demonfolk remaining in Helmuth, but their race¡¯s innate ferocity was being restrained by the chain held by the Hero. It was aplete victory ¡ª an achievement worthy of celebration. As the representative of the dragons, Ariartelle had gone looking for Eugene and hisrades. The Hero¡¯s party had disappeared following the end of the war and had been wandering across the continent, but it wasn¡¯t that hard for Ariartelle to find them. All she needed to do was to find her fellow dragon, who happened to be apanying them. But once she had found them, Ariartielle was subjected to all sorts of jibes regarding her absence from the war and was forced to open up her home to them. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t have gone looking for them...,¡± Ariartelle sighed deeply as she continued cleaning up the room. The rows of empty bottles she had lined up on one side of the room were already numbering in dozens. All those bottles had once been a part of Ariartelle¡¯s cherished wine collection, but they had all been emptied in a single night. But now that things hade to this point, what was the use of regret? Just as she finished cleaning, and was about to throw nkets over the bodies of the four wastrels who had fallen asleep without even a coat to cover themselves¡ª ¡°Ahem....¡± Ariartelle heard a coughing from behind her. Startled, her back snapped up straight. A quickly cast spell covered Ariartelle¡¯s face with a thinyer of makeup. With a moment to prepare herself, none of the despair shadowing her face until just now could be seen on Ariartelle¡¯s face. ¡°Have you woken up?¡± Ariartelle said with a smile as she gracefully turned around. A cleanly-dressed Vermouth was standing at the entrance to the living room. Unlike the four wastrels sprawling around this room, Vermouth had gone to bed in his room. This was thanks to the fact that he had managed to escape from the drinking contest that had been held in this living roomst night, a true ordeal that had managed to knock out everyone other than himself. ¡°My apologies,¡± Vermouth said, bowing his head. Seeing that not a single contestant had managed to leave the living room, Vermouth thought it was fortunate he had managed to escape to his room in the early hours of the morning. ¡°Not at all, oh Great Vermouth. There is no need for you to apologize,¡± Ariartelle said as she silently shrieked to herself, ¡®Aaaaah, it¡¯s the Great Vermouth!¡¯ Ariartelle¡¯s eyes were filled with a sweet look of adoration. Ever since she was a hatchling, she had repeatedly read the fairy tales about the Hero, and like most people, she had been fascinated by the figure of the Great Vermouth. As for the Stupid Hamel, the Wise Sienna, the Brave Molon, and the Faithful Anise, having actually met them... they had, more or less, managed to shatter all of the illusions that Ariartelle had ever held about them, but the Great Vermouth was different. Here was a man who seemed to be an exact replica of the image that Ariartelle had imagined when she was reading the fairy tale. ¡°Please don¡¯t say that, Ariartelle. We should be grateful that you even lent your mansion to us, but to think that they would make such a mess after using it for just a few days...,¡± Vermouth sighed. Ariartelle shook her head, ¡°By now, even I am fully aware that they simply refuse to listen to your advice.¡± That was indeed the truth. Vermouth had repeatedly suggested that it would be better for them to refrain from drinking and carousing so vigorously, but hispanions refused to listen to his advice. Instead, they enjoyed pinning Vermouth down by his limbs and pouring wine into his mouth even as he tried to stop them from doing so. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s necessary to wake them up just yet... so how about it, oh Great Vermouth? Shall we go get some air outside... together?¡± Ariartelle mustered up her courage to whisper. If Ariartelle could have her heart¡¯s desire, she would like to listen to Vermouth talk about all of the legends that he had left behind while drinking some fragrant ck tea in front of the flowerbed out in the gardens, but... these devils might wake up at any moment and stagger out into the garden while scratching their stomach. If she didn¡¯t want her private time with Vermouth interrupted like that, it would be better for Ariartelle to just leave the mansion with him altogether. Vermouth smiled awkwardly, ¡°I appreciate the offer, but I¡¯m afraid we need to make some preparations today....¡± Ariartelle was very clearly exuding an air of admiration for Vermouth. Although he was grateful for her attention, Vermouth also felt the situation extremely burdensome.... The reason for his awkwardness was that Ariartelle was a dragon ¡ª a dragon who had lost her parents to the Demon King of Destruction, at that. ¡°Preparations...?¡± Ariartelle repeated. ¡°What kind of preparations do you mean? If there is anything that you might require, I¡¯m sure that I should have already provided them to you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that we¡¯ve already been enjoying your hospitality for a week now,¡± Vermouth replied with a wry smile. ¡°If we dawdle here any longer, I believe that we¡¯ll only end uppletely draining your cherished liquor collection. As such, we intend to depart from your mansion today.¡± Upon receiving this response, Ariartelle¡¯s expression was filled with various emotions. At least, she would finally be able to see the backs of these devils. With that, Ariartelle would be able to return to her beloved daily life. The departure of these devils was highly anticipated and weed, but... she felt regret that this would mean the Great Vermouth was leaving as well. ¡°Aaaah.... So that¡¯s the case, oh Great Vermouth. Will you be returning to the Lionhearts?¡± Ariartelle asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Vermouth nodded. ¡°How disappointing.... There are so many things that I still wanted to talk to you about. If only these noisy troublemakers could have kept their voices down for just a bit, I could have spoken to you for that much longer,¡± Ariartelleined. Vermouthforted her, ¡°It¡¯s not like this is our eternal farewell. Whenever you wish, I cane over to serve as your conversational partner.¡± As he said these words to her with a gentle smile, Airatelle suddenly felt a stabbing sensation in her chest. What on earth was this feeling? Ariartelle had some difficulty defining exactly what she was feeling at this very moment, but there was one thing she knew that she desperately desired the moment that she heard those words. Ariartelle stammered, ¡°D-do you promise?¡± ¡°A promise...?¡± Vermouth repeated with a frown. ¡°I-I am a dragon,¡± Ariartelle stated the obvious. ¡°As you should already be aware, oh Great Vermouth, we dragons ce great importance on promises.¡± ¡°Ah... yes, I was aware of that,¡± Vermouth said with a nod. Vermouth felt ufortable around words like ¡®promise¡¯ or ¡®oath.¡¯ If possible, he never wanted to make another promise for the rest of his life. However, the person requesting that promise was a dragon who had lost her parents to the Demon King of Destruction. When faced with someone like that, Vermouth feltpelled to swear such a promise even though he really didn¡¯t want to. ¡°Ariartelle, this promise I make with you will be thest promise I ever make in my life,¡± Vermouth said with a bright smile. At these words, Ariartelle was sent reeling, feeling as if her head, chest, and soul had all simultaneously been struck with a hammer. ¡®Thest promise that I ever make,¡¯ Ariartelle repeated in her mind. Contrary to what Vermouth had actually intended when he said these words, the implications shook both Ariartelle¡¯s mind and body. Hisst-ever promise! Could those words mean¡ª? Ariartelle was gasping for breath. Before she could say anything, Eugene came to his senses with a groan, ¡°Oooooh my head....¡± Straightening up from his awkward position between the sofa and the armchair, Eugene twisted his stiff neck and waist from side to side as he stretched. With bleary eyes, Eugene turned towards Ariartelle and Vermouth before questioning them with a frown, ¡°What the...? What are you two doing?¡± Why did Ariartelle look like she was about to copse? Vermouth was also curious about the answer to that question. However, seeing how Eugene still seemed to be half-drunk and was clutching at his forehead, Vermouth couldn¡¯t afford to pay any more attention to Ariartelle. ¡°We¡¯re already runningte,¡± Vermouth reminded Eugene. ¡°We decided that we¡¯d be leaving for home today. Did you actually forget?¡± ¡°No...,¡± Eugene said with another groan. ¡°I didn¡¯t forget.¡± After shaking his throbbing head a few times, Eugene¡¯s empty and rumbling stomach settled down, his headache disappeared, and his head cleared up. While chewing at his bottom lip, Eugene muttered, ¡°I didn¡¯t forget, but now that it¡¯s really time to head back home, I¡¯m having second thoughts....¡± ¡°Your father is also waiting for us at the Lionheart estate,¡± Vermouth reminded him. ¡°That might be the case, but my father knows all too well just what kind of person I am. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be too upset even if I took another year before heading back...,¡± Eugene muttered. Eugene believed without a doubt that he was truly a filial son. So what if he spent more time wandering outside than he did at home? That was something that couldn¡¯t be helped as he was working towards the great cause of saving the world. Since he, as a son, was doing something so important, how could his only true blood rtive, his father, not understand the need for that? So what if he hadn¡¯t properly kept Gerhard informed of his whereabouts, let alone kept in contact, while he was wandering around outside? That was also something that couldn¡¯t be helped. He was sure that his father probably wasn¡¯t too worried by such behavior either. Ever since he was a snot-nosed brat living in a small country vige, Eugene had enthusiastically proven to his father that he wasn¡¯t the type of person to get beaten up the moment he went out by himself. ¡°However, father-inw does always cry a lot whenever you return,¡± Sienna said, sabotaging Eugene''s arguments as she shot him a nce. She had also woken up and was fixing her messy hair using magic. ¡®Father-inw...,¡¯ Eugene thought as he gulped involuntarily. He felt like his soul was suddenly being pressured by the power and weight behind those words, but he had already realized that, at this point, it was toote to make a fuss about Sienna¡¯s behavior or try to change it. ¡°Since I was a child, my father has always been prone to shedding an excessive amount of tears,¡± Eugene defended himself. Sienna frowned and said, ¡°I don¡¯t quite believe that¡¯s the main reason for his reactions....¡¯ ¡°His age might also be ying a part in it. Men tend to get a lot more weepy as they grow older. Just take a look at Molon over here; this bastard also bursts into tears at the drop of a hat,¡± Eugene argued as he kicked Molon, who was still lying on the ground. ¡°When all of yourrades and friends die before you, leaving you all alone, and you¡¯re stuck guarding a mountain valley for hundreds of years, continuously hunting monsters, anyone would have a lot to cry about,¡± Molon said as he lifted his head slightly. At these words, everyone couldn¡¯t help but fall silent. Vermouth, in particr, was so affected by the silent pressure that his whole body began to tremble. ¡°I... I¡¯m sorry,¡± Vermouth struggled to apologize. Just as the silence had stretched on long enough that Vermouth was about to kneel down on the spot, Molon pushed himself off the ground. ¡°What are you apologizing for? Vermouth, there¡¯s no need for any further apologies between us. Back then, the only person you could rely on was me, and it was something that had to be done by someone, wasn¡¯t it? I never once resented you for asking me to do it,¡± Molon said with a chuckle as he patted Vermouth on the shoulder. Extremely moved by these words, Vermouth stared at Molon with tears in his eyes. But all signs of his overflowing emotions disappeared from Vermouth¡¯s face when Molon suddenly asked, ¡°By the way, Hamel, when are we going to be beating up Vermouth?¡± ¡°Hm, that¡¯s right. When would be a good time to beat him up?¡± Eugene considered thoughtfully. Everyone had already agreed without any hesitation that they owed Vermouth a good beating. Vermouth¡¯s opinion regarding this matter wasn¡¯t of any importance. However, in the month leading up to this day, Eugene and hisrades had yet to deliver Vermouth his beating. Instead, they had just wandered around the continent together, drinking, chatting, sleeping, and spending their days as leisurely as possible. ¡°In my opinion, there¡¯s no point in beating him up in a ce like this. Don¡¯t you all agree?¡± Anise asked rhetorically. ¡°We haven¡¯t given Sir Vermouth his beating until now because it wasn¡¯t the best time, right? I¡¯m not sure what you all might think about it, but I want to give Sir Vermouth his beating in front of the public. In front of a huge, huge amount of people. What do you think?¡± Vermouth shuddered at the thought, ¡°But why...?¡± Anise frowned, ¡°Sir Vermouth, are you really asking that because you don¡¯t know the answer? If we beat you up when it¡¯s just us, doesn¡¯t that mean that your beating will be kept a secret? That way, no one in the world would know that we have beaten you up, Sir Vermouth.¡± ¡°But... what¡¯s the problem with that?¡± Vermouth intively asked, his expression showing that he really didn¡¯t know the answer to his question. Anise pounded her chest in frustration before saying, ¡°Sir Vermouth, if we beat you up in front of a lot of people, all of those people would be witnesses to that historic moment. That way, they would all know of the guilt of the Great Vermouth and how much of a huge mistake he had made in the past! They would know just how much trouble we¡¯ve gone through because of you!¡± Eugene shook his head, ¡°No way, Vermouth, did you really think that we would allow history to merely record you as a Hero who returned from the dead, a legend returned to life, of how you made such a noble sacrifice...? That is all we would want them to know?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way we can allow that,¡± Sienna said with a snort. ¡°Ah, but of course, we won¡¯t tell them about the specific wrong you did. We¡¯ll just beat you up in front of them, and those who witness it will have toe up with a lot of their own guesses as to why you were beaten up. We¡¯ll be perfectly satisfied with that.¡± Anise, Eugene, and Sienna boxed Vermouth into a corner with their perfect teamwork. Vermouth couldn¡¯t even say anything in protest to this. He also couldn¡¯t ask Molon for help. Molon was stroking his beard, wondering whether he should punch Vermouth with his fist, kick him with his feet, or even beat him with his axe. Vermouth gulped and asked, ¡°You¡¯re not actually nning on killing me, are you?¡± Eugene burst intoughter at Vermouth¡¯s carefully voiced question, ¡°We went through all that trouble to save you, so why would we kill you now?¡± Would it have been better for him if he had just died back then? Vermouth considered this thought for a few moments. Chapter 618: Ever After (3)

Chapter 618: Ever After (3)

Since the end of the war, every member of the Kiehl Empire¡¯s Lionheart n had been so busy that they hadn¡¯t gotten any rest[1]. The Elders, Gilead, Carmen, and the younger generations of the n had all been busy settling the aftermath of the war alongside the rulers of all the countries involved, and they hadn¡¯t been able to return to the main estate until just a few days ago. Under such circumstances, the one who had taken responsibility for managing all of the n¡¯s affairs was none other than the Matriarch, Anci. The victory on the battlefield, the death of all of the Demon Kings, and the return of the Great Vermouth; all of these may have been a source of infinite glory for the continent, but for Anci, they had alle together to create a situation where she couldn¡¯t help but start to suffer from neuroses. Members of the News Guilds and other reporters had made their way to the main estate from all across the continent. Unable to muster up the courage to knock on the gates of the estate directly, they instead set up camp right in front of the Lionheart mansion. On top of that were all the pilgrims who were also drawn from all over the continent. When this crowd, which included those drawn by the news of Vermouth¡¯s return, had started to enclose the walls of the mansion fully, Anci had thrown open the mansion¡¯s gates while wearing armor instead of her usual dress and holding a sword instead of a fan. Get lost! That was what she had truly wanted to shout at them, but Anci couldn¡¯t allow herself to do something so crass. What Anci needed to disy to all those present was the nobility of the Lionheart n¡¯s Matriarch, who could calmly ept the endless glory that had been bestowed upon her n while also presenting the image of a gracious noblewoman who was carefully managing all the affairs of her n inside and out. As such, Anci kept her sword sheathed at her side, and apanied by her knights, she gave a quiet speech. To summarize the contents of her speech, she informed her audience that this was the Lionheart n¡¯s private property, so they should stop hanging around while being such an annoying and noisy disturbance and just get lost already. By now, the Lionheart n held a greater social status than even the Kiehl Emperor ¡ª no ¡ª all of the leaders of the continentbined. And Anci was the Matriarch of this amazing n and the mother of its next Patriarch. So how could anyone refuse to step aside when Anci had personally stepped forward, dressed in armor, and made the perfectly reasonable request that they vacate her personal property? At that moment, the aura of the knights, the elves, and the various mysterious objects created by the dwarves, as well as the smoke emitting from their furnace in the distance, all loomed up behind Anci, giving her speech just that extra bit of weight; so much so that the crowd that had previously been squatting on the Lionheart¡¯s private property without permission couldn¡¯t help but take a step back. Afterward, Anci had taken control of the turbulent atmosphere that inevitably began to show up among the coteral bloodlines. Some of the stronger families among the coteral lines had sent suggestions to the main family, arguing that since the Great Vermouth had been resurrected, the Lionhearts should just be independent from the Kiehl Empire as a whole and be their own nation. Or perhaps, they argued, they should take this chance to establish the Duchy that the Great Vermouth had rejected three hundred years ago. Although Anci was quite attracted to these suggestions, even if she was the Matriarch of the main line, she didn¡¯t have the authority to decide on such matters. Having known him for over a decade, Anci was well aware of how terrible a temper Hamel ¡ª no ¡ª Eugene could reveal if someone were to make his decisions for him. Then, there was the fact that the Lionheart main line was also preparing to move house. A month after Eugene¡¯s irresponsible disappearance, the various countries had almost finished hashing everything out over the table, and at this point, all that remained was to carry out their final decision. The entire in where the battle had taken ce was to be a park dedicated to the concept of peace between all nations, with a huge memorial and various other facilities to be built within the park. The war was finally over. The Demonic Disease that had tortured the elven race for so long had also vanished. In other words, the elves no longer had any reason to continue living in the Lionheart main estate. As for the elf hunters and ve traders? What about them? In terms of influence over the continent, the Lionheart''s name was like a god¡¯s ¡ª no ¡ª the Lionhearts really did have a god. So, who would dare touch the elves protected by both the Lionhearts and the Wise Sienna? There was also no reason why the elves could not return to the Samar Rainforest, the homnd of the elven race. The Zoran Tribe, with Ivatar as its Great Chieftain, hadplete rule over the entire Rainforest and treated the elves with respect. In the current state of the continent, attempting to enve elves or otherwise harming them had be an enormous taboo that couldn¡¯tpare to how things had been in the past. However, the elves living in the Lionheart estate had no intention of leaving.... It would be no exaggeration to say that the Lionheart forest and the elves had be part of a single body, going beyond mere coexistence. Anci understood the reason behind all this. The saplings of the World Tree that had been nted in their forest a long time ago were still only saplings, but the elves had grown to live in harmony with the spirits of these saplings, and the forest was now full of vitality and mana. This had alsoid a solid foundation on which the Lionhearts could nurture their knights from hereon. But why weren¡¯t the dwarves leaving? The war was over. But let alone vacating the workshop that they had built near the Lionheart Manor, the dwarves seemed to be actively expanding their workshop on almost a daily basis, all while continuously smelting molten iron in their furnace. Since they had already demanded citizenship in Kiehl for their contributions during the war, there was no point in expecting Shimuin to order the dwarves to return to their home country. In the first ce, the King of Shimuin was too worried about how the Lionhearts might react even to consider summoning the dwarves back from Kiehl.... That said, it wasn¡¯t like Anci could step forward to chase the dwarves out of the estate. No matter what they might get up to, having dozens of dwarven master forgers living in the family estate was an incredible privilege. If they decided to leave on their own, Anci wouldn¡¯t try to stop them, but she couldn¡¯t just push them to leave either. So, both the forest and the workshop were continuously expanding. This meant that the grounds of the estate were being forced to shrink ordingly. It might not be a problem now, but if things continued like this for a few dozen more years, the Lionhearts would go from being a n of knights to a n of foresters and cksmiths. Anci had made her decision. Their Ancestor, the Great Vermouth, had returned and the war was over. As such, it was time for the family to leave the main estate they had been clinging to for the past three hundred years and find a new ce to live. But they were the most prestigious family in all of Kiehl ¡ª no ¡ª in the continent. So, where exactly should the Lionhearts move their main line? Anci might already be determined to move, but she had yet to decide on a destination. The only ones who could decide on this destination were Eugene and their Ancestor, the pair who were currently running away from all their responsibilities. ¡°It has been reported that the Wise Sienna has returned to Aroth,¡± a voice said. Anci sat in a garden filled with the scent of a forest, drinking her tea as she stared at the smoke belching up from the dwarven furnace some distance away. The workshop, which had already grownrger than the mansion itself, was constantly spewing out heat and smoke without a moment¡¯s rest. Fortunately, the smoke was actually being purified in the air thanks to the purification magic that the wizards had installed in the workshop, but smoke could still be clearly seen rising from the workshop. This was because the dwarves had stubbornly insisted that it wouldn¡¯t feel right unless the workshop was giving off smoke. Standing next to Anci¡¯s table and apanying her was the head butler in charge of managing the family¡¯s inner chambers. ¡°After returning to Aroth, Lady Sienna met with King Daindolf Abram and the Archwizards and is now preparing to give a speech in the square in front of the Green Tower of Magic,¡± the butler reported. ¡°Has she said anything about what her future ns might be?¡± Anci asked. ¡°We weren¡¯t able to confirm what her ns for afterward might be, but I believe that it¡¯s highly likely that she wille to visit the Lionheart estate,¡± the butler replied. ¡°Also, at the same time, the Faithful Lady Anise and the Spiritual[2] Lady Kristina returned to Yuras. Those... two...dies, after confronting the Pope and his Cardinals in the Vatican, are now preparing to give a speech in the White Square.¡± Having served as one of the pirs supporting the subjugation of the Demon King of Incarceration and the Demon King of Destruction, a new title had been given to Saint Kristina Rogeris. She was now known as the Spiritual Kristina. Considering the fact that the Faithful Anise was revealed to have been residing with her body, it was quite a suggestive title. To think that two souls had been residing in a single body. To the servants who had previously met Kristina during her stay at the Lionheart Mansion, the more they thought about it, the more they felt things click into ce... until they couldn¡¯t help but let out an ¡®Ah!¡¯ of realization. The butler continued, ¡°Likewise, Sir Molon has also returned to Ruhr. He too¡ª¡± ¡°Our inws...,¡± Anci suddenly muttered. ¡°Ahem, after meeting and discussing with Aman Ruhr, does he also intend to give a speech in Hamelin Square?¡± ¡°Yes, madam.¡± The butler nodded his head in response. ¡°And when did all of this take ce?¡± Anci asked with a frown. ¡°This all happened shortly after noon, about four hours ago,¡± the butler rified. ¡°You mean that they all returned at around the same time?¡± ¡°That is correct.¡± ¡°Then why hasn¡¯t our Ancestor and Eugene returned yet?¡± Anci asked as her eyes shone with annoyance. She might be wearing a dress and holding a fan in her hands, but Anci was exuding an even sharper aura than when she had stood in front of the trespassers to her home, wearing armor and carrying a sword. ¡°Perhaps they went to the Imperial Pce?¡± Gilead, who had been silently sitting next to his wife, quietly spoke up. It had been three days since he had returned to the mansion after everything in Helmuth had been mostly wrapped up. During this past month, Gilead had also been extremely busy and pushed to the very limits of his sanity. Still, at the very least, he had the general staff of the Divine Army to share his concerns and carry the burden alongside him. Because of that, Gilead couldn¡¯t help but tactfullyfort Anci, who had been left to handle all of the n¡¯s affairs by herself. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about our Ancestor, but that boy, Eugene, would never head to the Imperial Pce on his own. If he were that kind of person, Gilead, then he would have never left you with all that work and run away by himself,¡± Anciined. ¡°Dear, he didn¡¯t ¡®run away¡¯... or at least, that¡¯s not how I would put it,¡± Gilead tried to argue. ¡°If what he did wasn¡¯t running away, what was it then?¡± Anci angrily demanded. ¡°At that time, everyone on the battlefield was extremely agitated by their presence. So they had no choice but to leave the way they did lest things go out of control,¡± Gilead said, shaking his head. ¡°After all, at that moment, the Demon Kings who had threatened the world for thousands of years had just died, the demonfolk could no longer pose a threat to humanity, and the heroes that everyone in the world had grown up hearing about were standing right in front of us.¡± Although a whole month had passed since that day, Gilead could still vividly recall the emotions he had been charged with at that moment. He clenched his trembling hands and continued speaking, ¡°If they hadn¡¯t left and had instead stayed there in front of an overly agitated crowd of millions, perhaps even tens of millions, there was a good chance that it would just cause all sorts of other problems.¡± Anci sniffed doubtfully and said, ¡°Other problems? There is no way that could be the case. I might not have been there at that moment, but from what I¡¯ve heard, the crowd all fell into silence as soon as it seemed like Eugene was about to say something. Since that boy was capable of exerting such influence, I¡¯m sure that every one of those millions of people present would have calmly followed his every word.¡± Gilead had just wanted to find an excuse to defend the heroes, but it wasn¡¯t an easy task to fool his oh-so-intelligent wife.... ¡°They had already done all they could that day,¡± Gilead tried to argue once more. ¡°They must have been exhausted from the ordeal. On the other hand, we were able to shake off our injuries and fatigue thanks to the blessings they bestowed on us. As such¡ª¡± Anci impatiently interrupted him, ¡°No matter how tired they might have been, it was still too excessive of them to just run away from that scene and stay away for an entire month.¡± ¡°Ummm...,¡± Gilead hemmed awkwardly. ¡°Dear, didn¡¯t Eugene fall asleep for half a year thest time he used all of his strength? Perhaps he was afraid that he might fall asleep for a simrly long period this time as well.¡± Anci was quick to point out, ¡°But after disappearing from the battlefield, he showed up all over the continent just a few dayster, didn¡¯t he?¡± ¡°If... if I have to be honest.¡± Gilead let out a deep sigh before continuing to speak, ¡°Even if Eugene hadn¡¯t left and had stuck around to help, I don¡¯t think that he would have been of much help to the clean-up.¡± It had also been like that when they were responsible formanding the Divine Army. Most of the work had been done at the hands of the general staff, while all Eugene had contributed was to decide on the general direction and personally confront the Demon Kings. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about the others... but as for Eugene... well... that¡¯s what I truly believe,¡± Gilead hesitantly admitted. ¡°Also, the fact is, none of the heroes are really experts when ites to politics... don¡¯t you agree?¡± ¡°That is true...,¡± Anci reluctantly agreed. Only after being convinced that they wouldn¡¯t have been much help even if they had stuck around did Anci finally ept their hasty departure. ¡°In any case, I don¡¯t believe that Eugene would have gone to the Imperial Pce. And if he had gone there, we would have already received word of it a long time ago.¡± Gilead muttered, ¡°It couldn¡¯t be that he feels ufortable at the thought of receiving a grand wee, could it...? Anci sighed, ¡°But we¡¯ve already taken that into consideration and chose to avoid organizing a public banquet, so what else can we do?¡± Aroth, Yuras, and Ruhr were already in the midst of preparing a grand festival to celebrate their returning heroes. These festivals would begin immediately following the heroes¡¯ speeches in their capital city¡¯s squares. By all rights, Kiehl should also be doing the same thing, but the problem was that Eugene didn¡¯t really enjoy loud banquets and festivals. Also, ording to the historical records, their Ancestor, the Great Vermouth, wasn¡¯t one to enjoy banquets either. As such, Anci hadn¡¯t invited members of the royal family or any of the coteral bloodlines to be present, and the atmosphere in the Lionheart estate was no different from how it usually was. ¡°You never know,¡± Gion, who was drinking tea on the opposite end of the table, suddenly said with a smile. ¡°He might have already snuck into the mansion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s absur¡ª¡± Anci, who had been about tough at Gion¡¯s joke, suddenly froze. A few hours ago, one of Anci¡¯s twins, Cyan, had left for Ruhr along with his fiancee, Princess A. This was because A was a direct descendant of the Brave Molon, and they were engaged to be married in a few years, binding the Royal Family of Ruhr and the Lionhearts in marriage, so Cyan had chosen to escort his fiancee back to her home to meet the inws. But Ciel and Gerhard were currently nowhere to be seen. Recently, Ciel had been staying in the annex, obsessed with earning points with Gerhard by ying cute for her prospective father-inw. Just an hour ago, when Anci had asked them if they would be joining her for tea, Ciel had been chatting with Gerhard, and the two had replied to her invitation by saying, ¡°They would head over once they had finished getting ready.¡± Now that an hour had passed, they were already long overdue, especially as they shouldn¡¯t have had much to do to get ready. ¡°Where is Nina?¡± Anci asked with dawning suspicion. It wasn¡¯t just Ciel who was absent. The figures of Nina, the head maid, and Narissa and Lavera, her assistants, were nowhere to be seen. Themon denominator that linked the three women together was that they had all served as Eugene¡¯s personal servants. Nina was currently the head maid in charge of all the servants in the mansion, but whenever Eugene chose to stay in the mansion, she would return to her duty of serving Eugene as his personal maid rather than continuing to serve as the head maid. ¡°No way,¡± Gion, who had just said it as a joke, shot out of his seat with a gasp. Their suspicions were soon proven correct. In the annex next to the main house, Eugene was kneeling in front of Gerhard, who was sobbing heavily. Narissa and Lavera stood next to Gerhard, continuously passing handkerchiefs to the older man. Meanwhile, Nina was pouring tea for Vermouth, who was sitting in a chair, with Ciel seated in the chair across from him, not knowing what to do or say in front of her prestigious Ancestor. ¡°Just what is this...,¡± Anci muttered. Even though they were looking directly at it, it was still hard for them to understand what was going on in this situation. For now, the three members of the main family who had just arrived at the annex approached Vermouth while keeping a low profile. ¡°G-great Ancestor, what are you doing here?¡± Gilead asked nervously. ¡°That¡¯s...,¡± Vermouth hesitated for a moment, unable to answer immediately as he nced over to Eugene. The facts of the matter went like this. Neither of them had been ready to receive an over-the-top wee. It had been easy for the duo to slip past the eyes of the guards. However, Vermouth didn¡¯t quite understand why he had to climb over the walls like a thief to enter the Lionheart mansion, but in any case, the two of them had secretly climbed over the wall and entered the Lionheart estate. Before heading over to the main house to look for Gilead and Anci, Eugene had decided to stop by the annex first because Gerhard¡¯s face kept popping up inside his head. Just then, Gerhard and Ciel had been about to leave the annex and head over to the garden. But Gerhard had burst into streams of tears the moment he saw Eugene. And since his father had just started bawling while right in front of him, Eugene had felt like he had no choice but to get on his knees.... ¡°It¡¯s not like your son is returning after doing something bad and having been sent to prison. He¡¯s returning after ying the Demon Kings and saving the world, so why are you crying as soon as you see his face?¡± Anciined. ¡°I¡¯m crying because I just feel so moved and proud of him,¡± Gerhard replied, rubbing his swollen eyes. ¡°I also feel sorry for not being able to go to the battlefield personally. To think such a wonderful son would be born from someone like me. Well... it¡¯s not like he could choose who he was born to, but in any case, I felt so proud that I couldn¡¯t help but burst into tears. Also....¡± Gerhard¡¯s gaze carefully slid over towards Vermouth. Vermouth was maintaining a calm expression, not showing any trace of awkwardness or difort, as his distantly descended family members along the main line all gathered to stand around him. ¡°Also, the Ancestor of our family was here. So how could I not shed tears after seeing the Great Sir Vermouth with my own eyes?¡± Gerhard admitted as tears began welling up in his eyes once more. Their Ancestor, huh.... Eugene felt a little ufortable with the reverent attitude that his family members were disying towards Vermouth. ording to their shared genealogy, Eugene was also a distant descendant of Vermouth. However, even if that was the case, there was no way that Eugene could just treat Vermouth as his Ancestor, now could he? From Eugene¡¯s perspective, for his one and only father to start crying while respectfully calling Vermouth his Ancestor felt no different from his family bursting into tears and worshiping a friend that he had brought home with him. ¡°This bastard isn¡¯t really all that great,¡± Eugene muttered. ¡°How dare you say something so rude about our Ancestor?¡± Gerhard scolded him. Eugene argued back, ¡°If you really break things down and look at it, I, as your son, am fundamentally a lot more impressive than that bastard.¡± Gerhard frowned, ¡°No matter who you may have been in your past life, right now, you are my son.¡± ¡°Who said anything otherwise?¡± Eugene muttered, turning his head away with an awkward cough while getting to his feet. ¡°Well, in any case, I¡¯m back.¡± ¡°We can all see that,¡± Ciel snarked. Eugene yawned and said, ¡°I¡¯m feeling tired from the long trip, so for now I think I¡¯ll get some rest in my room¡ª¡± ¡°There is no way,¡± Anci said, firmly stopping Eugene as he tried to sneak away to his room. Her hand was clenched in a tight grip around her fan as she forced herself to smile and say, ¡°A lot has happened since west saw each other, hasn¡¯t it? There are a lot of stories that I want to hear from you, and there are also many things that we need to discuss as a family.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s... Wouldn¡¯t you rather hear about it from Vermouth, instead of me...?¡± Eugene tried to plead. ¡°I can¡¯t do that,¡± Vermouth was the one to speak up this time. If Eugene felt awkward and ufortable with how their friendship was getting tangled up with their genealogy, Vermouth was feeling even more awkward and nervous about reuniting with his descendants, with whom he had never imagined ever getting a second chance to meet. So what would happen if he allowed Eugene to run away on his own? Vermouth would have to spend an incredibly awkward amount of time surrounded by all his descendants. So Eugene had to stay here to divert some of the attention. ¡°Hah, really...,¡± Eugene said with a deep sigh as he shook his head. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s get something to eat first. But with just us family members present.¡± ¡°What about Lady Carmen?¡± Ciel asked. Eugene tilted his head in confusion. ¡°Isn¡¯t she here now?¡± Ciel shrugged and answered, ¡°She actually had to head back to the ck Lion Castle today of all days.¡± ¡°Then she¡¯s probably already had something to eat when she arrived there...,¡± Eugene muttered to himself. If Carmen were toe over for dinner, Eugene had a feeling that things would be exhausting in many ways. So wouldn¡¯t it be better to just not invite her? Eugene considered this for a moment before he realized that there was a different opportunity he could argue. ¡°That said, it would be impolite not to invite her, so for now, we should at least send a message,¡± Eugene swiftly changed his tune to propose. Although he had framed it as just sending a message, there was no way that Carmen would refuse the invitation. She would be sure to ept the offer no matter what and would be heading over through the warp gate from the ck Lion Castle right away. Then, once she had arrived, she would definitely cling to Vermouth, introducing herself to him in an unforgettable manner and make him realize just what kind of madman the blood of the Lionhearts had created. 1. The original Korean idiom used here trantes literally as so busy that they didn¡¯t have time to blink or breathe. ? 2. This word also has ¡®divine¡¯ connotations, but ¡®spiritual¡¯ was the most appropriate trantion to convey the original intention. ? Chapter 619: Ever After (4) [Bonus Images] The main house¡¯s long dining table was filled with various dishes. There were specialties from all over the continent, delicacies that represented each of the various regions, different types of desserts, and even local dishes with hundreds of years of tradition behind them. It was all organized as a buffet where one could choose whatever one liked to eat without having to worry about the meal¡¯s flow. Before she had married into the Lionheart family, Anci Kaenes had already been part of a prestigious noble family in Kiehl. This might be stating the obvious, but Anci, who had received a very proper education from a young age, didn¡¯t exactly enjoy this type of meal setting because itcked dignity. No, it wasn¡¯t just on the level of not enjoying it; she truly hated it. However, Eugene liked this sort of meal style. He hated the style of ting where a few pieces of food would be ced on arge te with only smears of sauce sprinkled around them, and all of the courses were bite-sized dishes that were served one after another without any seasoning. As such, when Eugene was first adopted into the main house as a foster child, after eating a meal at the main house he would always have to eat another meal upon returning to the annex. But that was a story from long ago. As he grew older and gained enough influence to have a say in the matter, Eugene managed to persuade Anci to ept alterations in the main house¡¯s dining style. He argued that it wasn¡¯t like they got the chance to eat together every day in any case, and since everyone mostly ate outside with only a few chances to return home and have a home-cooked meal, wouldn¡¯t a simpler style of meal be better for everyone? If Anci had retained her past personality that would see her refusing to back down no matter what, there was no way that Anci would have readily epted such an argument, but¡ª ¡°Try this dish as well,¡± Anci urged softly. The current Anci wasn¡¯t as uptight or as venomous as she used to be. After bing the Matriarch of the main house, a position where she couldn¡¯t be looked down upon by anyone, she had be much more rxed.Her children had all grown up, and Cyan had been confirmed as the next Patriarch, and he had even be engaged to the golden child[1] of the Ruhr Kingdom. Although she still had Ciel to worry about¡­ was there any wall in this world that couldn¡¯t ultimately be climbed over[2]? Anci believed in her daughter¡¯s potential. And if Ciel still couldn¡¯t climb over the said wall, Anci believed that her daughter would eventually be able to knock that wall down, even if she had to crash into it dozens or even hundreds of times over. It was due to all of these factors that Anci¡¯s personality had grown softer. She was particrly affectionate at moments like this one when she was taking care of Mer and Raimira. The dozens of desserts that took up a whole side of this huge dining table had been specially prepared by Anci to feed Mer and Raimira. ¡°Really now, you¡¯ve smeared it all over your lips,¡± Anci chided. Even now, Anci was standing beside them, fully absorbed in caring for the two little ones. As she wiped away the cream smeared over the corner of Raimira¡¯s mouth with her handkerchief, Anci had a soft smile on her face. ¡°Hm¡­,¡± Eugene awkwardly cleared his throat. Everyone gathered here was aware of the truth. The fact that those two young girls that Anci was caring for so fondly, as if they were her daughters or perhaps granddaughters, were actually several times older than Anci, by about two hundred years at the very least. However, none of the gathered people were willing to point out this inconvenient fact or even think about it for too long. The gathered people¡­ that¡¯s right, there were dozens of people attending this dinner. The only ones actually sitting down at the table might have been Vermouth and the rest of the family members of the main line, but there were dozens of other individuals also present in this room. Not only were there servants carrying trays of food and utensils and supplying drinks, but also the Captains of the Knights of the White Lion and the Knights of the ck Lion, who were stationed away from the table with their backs to the walls. Moreover, there were even a few retired elders of the Council, though they had also politely refused a seat at the table and were also standing guard with their backs to the walls. The reason for everyone¡¯s attendance was clear. They were all here to see the Founding Ancestor of the Lionheart n ¡ª a legend who had returned back to life after three hundred years. Everyone here had wanted to see the Great Vermouth with their own eyes. In fact, they had already seen him a month ago, but it was only natural that those who had been there at the time weren¡¯t satisfied with such a short meeting. So why were only the Captains present? This was because, no matter howrge the banquet hall of the Lionheart estate might be, it definitely wasn''trge enough to squeeze in the hundreds of knights of the White Lion and the ck Lion knightly orders who had wanted to attend. So among the many, many applicants who had desired to meet the Great Vermouth, those highest in rank were selected for the privilege. Vermouth awkwardly tried to focus on the foodid out on the table while silently ignoring all the admiring nces that were being directed his way. Strangely enough, the table in front of Vermouth was filled with traditional dishes that had been passed down over the centuries, particrly those belonging to the local cuisine of northern Kiehl and the Kingdom of Ruhr, and it was also piled high with all sorts of nutritious food. Vermouth looked at the spread silently. Had they thought he might be missing the food from the old days since he had been trapped within a seal for the past three hundred years? And had they thought that he probably needed a lot of nutritious food because he wouldn¡¯t have been able to eat anything while he was sealing away the Demon King of Destruction and should thus be sorely depleted of energy? Vermouth could ept the reasoning behind their good intentions, but¡­. ¡®There was no need to go this far¡­,¡¯ Vermouth thought wryly. Of course, Vermouth didn¡¯t show any trace of this resignation on his face. While Vermouth was forcing himself to keep eating with a calm expression, Eugene finally faced the question that he had been preparing himself for all night. ¡°So why did you alle out looking like that?¡± Ciel asked ever so innocently. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Eugene awkwardly feigned ignorance. He thought that he had prepared himself thoroughly for this question, but when he heard it being voiced, Eugene¡¯s breath caught in his throat, and his mind went nk. As Eugene stubbornly kept his head down, ring at the food on his te instead of looking up at his interrogator, Ciel, who was sitting across from him, reached her hand into a pocket with a mischievous smile. ¡°I¡¯m talking about this,¡± Ciel said as she took out a neatly folded newspaper. As he caught sight of that object with a furtive nce, Eugene¡¯s face crumpled as if he had bitten into a mouthful of shit. Eugene naturally knew the contents of Ciel¡¯s newspaper. It was a special edition of the newspaper that had been published all across the continent a month ago. ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Eugene said threateningly. ¡°What exactly do you think that I¡¯m going to do?¡± Ciel asked mischievously. ¡°You¡¯re about to show everyone that picture,¡± Eugene growled. ¡°Of course I am,¡± Ciel admitted with a cheeky grin as she unfolded the newspaper. A single photopletely covered the front page of the newspaper. It was the photo of the year, one that everyone across the continent would instantly recognize upon seeing. This photo would even serve as a record and representation of this era for the next tens, no, hundreds of years. ¡°The heroes who saved the continent,¡± Ciel read out the newspaper headline. The photo recorded the six heroes who had emerged after defeating the Demon King of Destruction. In the photo, the six people were all standing there with their arms thrown across each other¡¯s shoulders ¡ª and no matter how often you looked at it, they still looked like a group of the most awkward people in the world. Each of them was just standing there stiffly, with their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders, and while they might have what could be called bright smiles on their faces, it somehow all felt artificial. ¡°I didn¡¯t do that because I wanted to,¡± Eugene defended himself. ¡°Then who exactly came up with the idea to do this?¡± Ciel demanded. Eugene shook his head and said, ¡°There¡¯s no way I can tarnish my friend¡¯s honor, so please allow me to keep silent on that matter.¡± Ciel narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re the one who came up with the idea, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°I already said that I wasn¡¯t. Vermouth was the one who suggested the idea,¡± Eugene quickly sold out Vermouth, who was sitting right next to him. Because if it was Vermouth of all people who had suggested the idea, then, at the very least, no one in the Lionheart family would be willing to say anything about it. ¡°I never said anything like that,¡± Vermouth immediately denied. Eugene cursed, ¡°You son of a bitch, after all that I¡¯ve done for you and how much I¡¯ve suffered because of you, can¡¯t you just back me up a little?¡± ¡°No matter your rtionship with him, don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a bit much to curse at our Ancestor right in front of us?¡± Ciel scolded him. Indeed, not only Gilead and the other members of the Lionheart family but even the Captains of the two knightly orders who had been watching over the meal, were all showing trembling expressions as they held back the urge to say something. ¡°I do owe you a lot, Hamel. But while that might be the case, I won¡¯t admit to doing something I haven¡¯t done,¡± Vermouth muttered. Crunch. The knife in Eugene¡¯s hand crumpled like a piece of paper. ¡°Fine, I am the one who came up with the idea,¡± Eugene admitted before continuing to shift the me. ¡°But even so, while I might have suggesteding together as a group, I¡¯m not the one who decided to adopt that particr group huddle. It was Kristina.¡± This wasn¡¯t actually a lie. Eugene had been the one to suggest that they should all group up together so that it would be easier to take a picture of all of them, but it was Kristina who had pushed them to put their arms around each other¡¯s shoulders. ¡°But you must have also felt it was a good idea,¡± Ciel used. ¡°And how would you know whether or not I thought it was a good idea?¡± Eugene argued back. ¡°How else would I know? It¡¯s because of the way that you¡¯re smiling in the photo. Doesn¡¯t that mean you were enjoying it?¡± Ciel teased. Eugene just sniffed and said, ¡°Sometimes a smile isn¡¯t really a smile.¡± Ciel changed the subject, ¡°Did you know? Our Patriarch intends to print an erged version of this photo and is going to hang it in the living room.¡± ¡°What?!¡± Eugene yelped. Ciel continued mercilessly, ¡°It won¡¯t just be at the main estate; copies will also be sent to the ck Lion Castle and the coteral lines as well.¡± Eugene¡¯s shoulders shook in fear as he turned to look at Gilead and asked, ¡°Is that true?¡± Gilead, who was sipping his ss of wine with a bright smile, nodded his head. ¡°After all, it is such a magnificent picture. It¡¯s also a visual record of that monumental moment and proof that the Demon King of Destruction was defeated and the world was saved. From now on, everyone in the world will think of that picture as why they can continue living in safety each and every day. This picture will be in every textbook that is used to teach the children of the continent about history. And all of the descendants of the Lionheart family will model their future selves on the images of the heroes decorating the walls of this mansion.¡± There wasn¡¯t a single trace of insult or mockery in Gilead¡¯s straightforward response. He sincerely believed that this photo just looked that amazing. In Eugene¡¯s opinion¡­ there were times when Gilead¡¯s aesthetics seemed a touch different from everyone else¡¯s. However, Eugene couldn¡¯t bring himself to actually voice this observation. This was because Eugene still remembered how, more than a dozen years ago, Gilead had told Eugene that he thought that Hamel was the coolest hero. Eugene tried a different tack. ¡°If you really want a photo to decorate the walls, why don¡¯t you let us take another photo for you¡ª¡± Gilead shook his head and said, ¡°Why would I ever need you to do that? This picture is a striking record of that great moment.¡± It seemed that persuasion was impossible. Eugene closed his eyes as he swallowed a sigh. There was nothing he could do. Unless he could return to the past, or destroy the world and recreate it, Eugene wouldn¡¯t be able to stop that photo from continuing to exist far into the future. ¡®If I had known this would happen, I would have at least kept my lips shut instead of smiling like an idiot,¡¯ Eugene thought reluctantly. But it was toote for regrets. At the moment when Eugene finally decided to submit to the greater will of the world, Carmen was silently staring at Vermouth. As the representative of both the Council of Elders and the Knights of the ck Lion, she was sitting across from Vermouth. In fact, apart from Carmen, who else was qualified to sit across from Vermouth? During the battle a month ago, she had hammered away at the cloud of Destruction until her fists had broken. In Carmen¡¯s opinion, she believed that she was the one who had poured out the most attacks against Destruction among those standing outside of the barrier. If the sound of their blows truly had reached the inside of Destruction, the loudest sound should havee from the crack of her fists breaking on that wall. ¡°Oh Honored Ancestor of our family, the Great Sir Vermouth,¡± Carmen eventually spoke up. Composing himself, Vermouth raised his gaze to meet with hers. While wandering across the continent for the past month, Vermouth had heard all sorts of stories from hisrades. Among the stories he had been told during this time, the name ¡®Carmen Lionheart¡¯ had been featured multiple times, but he had never been properly introduced to just what ¡®kind¡¯ of person she was. This was because Eugene had intentionally hidden the truth of Carmen¡¯s personality, but Vermouth wasn¡¯t aware of this fact just yet. Aside from things like her personality, all that Vermouth knew about Carmen was that, excluding Eugene, she was the strongest member of the Lionheart n. She had also seen through the limitations that Vermouth had intentionally left behind in the White me Form, and she had freely spread her realizations to the rest of the Lionhearts. Also, though it was hard to even imagine this based on her appearance, she was the aunt of the current Patriarch, Gilead, and was still single despite being the eldest member of the Lionheart n. ¡°Yes, feel free to ask me anything,¡± Vermouth politely responded. Carmen blushed as she said, ¡°No, please, there¡¯s no need to be so polite.¡± Vermouth shook his head. ¡°No, there¡¯s no way that I could do that. I know that you are all my descendants, but what qualifications do I have to reappear before you now, three hundred years after faking my death, and insist on being treated as your Ancestor?¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid that it¡¯s difficult for us to understand what you mean by that. Your qualifications? If it wasn¡¯t for you, Oh Ancestor, we Lionhearts wouldn¡¯t even exist,¡± Carmen argued. ¡°Lady Carmen. I¡¯m not sure if the records of the kind of person I was have remained intact into the present day, but I definitely wasn¡¯t a caring husband, or even a great father,¡± Vermouth said, shaking his head with a bitter smile. ¡°At that time, I founded the n solely out of necessity. I was also the one who built an imprable wall between the main line and the coteral lines. Then I deceived everyone by faking my death.¡± Carmen tried to argue, ¡°But¡ª¡± Vermouth spoke over her, ¡°I am extremely grateful that you, Lady Carmen, and the others here still respect me as the Founding Ancestor of the Lionheart n. However, I do not want you all to treat me like distant descendants worshiping their Ancestor. After all, it¡¯s because of all of your efforts that the Lionheart n, which I only created out of necessity, has been able to thrive until the current day. I could remember who I am while in the belly of Destruction¡­ was because all of you kept calling out for me.¡± Vermouth¡¯s long response was delivered without hesitation as if he had already thought out his speech in advance. At some point, the meal hade to a halt. Even the servants had stopped in their tracks and were staring at Vermouth. The Elders and the Captains standing by the walls all looked moved by Vermouth¡¯s speech, and Gilead, Genos, and Gerhard had already started shedding tears. ¡°Aaah¡­,¡± Carmen gasped, experiencing the same emotional reaction. She bowed towards Vermouth, cing both hands on her knees, not wiping away the tears now flowing down her cheeks as she said, ¡°So you really were able to hear our voices, Oh Ancestor.¡± Vermouth nodded and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. Even in that thick, pitch-ck darkness of Destruction¡¯s stomach, I managed to find myself thanks to your voices calling out my name. It was also thanks to those resounding reverberations that shook Destruction¡ª¡± ¡°Reverberations?¡± Carmen repeated before Vermouth had even finished speaking. Her eyes shone brightly as she shuffled her chair forward and asked, ¡°Just what kind of¡­ reverberations are you talking about?¡± Vermouth blinked before answering her question, ¡°The ones from the attacks that were striking the Demon King of Destruction¡¯s outer form¡ª¡± ¡°Those attacks!¡± Carmen excitedly interrupted once more. ¡°Did they really manage to reverberate all the way into the interior of the Demon King of Destruction?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right,¡± Vermouth said, nodding once more. ¡°Oh, Ancestor,¡± Carmen said with a proud smile as she lifted her hands off her knees and ced them on the dining table. Carmen¡¯s hands had already received healing, leaving them pale and unmarred. Still, as she clenched her hands into fists without caring about how badly they had recently been hurt, Carmen revealed, ¡°I shattered my fists during those attacks.¡± Vermouth searched through his memories. He thought back to one month ago, after that¡­ photo¡­ had been taken. As the descendants of the Lionheart n had all gathered around to see him, the one standing at the front of the crowd had been Carmen. Vermouth certainly did recall that her fists had indeed appeared to be broken and were covered in blood at that time. ¡°I knew that I wouldn¡¯t be able to directly bring down the Demon King of Destruction with my punches, but I never stopped swinging my fists,¡± Carmen proudly recalled. ¡°Even after my Dragon w was broken, Heaven Genocide had shattered, and my bones had cracked apart, I never stopped punching.¡± What exactly were the Dragon w and Heaven Genocide? This question arose in Vermouth¡¯s mind, but he couldn¡¯t bring himself to ask her about those terms right now. This was because Carmen¡¯s expression seemed far too serious for him to interrupt her for that. Carmen dered, ¡°I wanted to lend my fists to the mission of defeating the Demon King of Destruction, saving the world, and opening up a new path for the future. That was the sole purpose that kept driving me as I swung my fists. Among the reverberations you heard, Oh Ancestor¡­ the reverberation created as I broke my fists upon the Demon King definitely had to have been included in them.¡± ¡°Lady Carmen Lionheart,¡± Vermouth said as he stood up from his seat. Carmen tried to follow him in getting up, but Vermouth shook his head. He then started heading over to Carmen by himself. ¡°Among the reverberations that I heard, the sound of Lady Carmen¡¯s fists definitely must have been arge part of it,¡± Vermouth said as he walked around the table towards Carmen. ¡°I can now return to the Lionheart family and can talk and share a meal together with you all like this¡­ it¡¯s all because Lady Carmen and everyone else here shed their blood for my sake.¡± ¡°Honored Ancestor¡­,¡± Carmen called out in a tearful voice, causing Vermouth to smile gently. Now standing next to Carmen, Vermouth ced his hand on her fist. ¡°It is true that I am the Ancestor of the Lionheart n, but I don¡¯t want any of you to call me Ancestor. I want you all to call me by my name, Vermouth Lionheart. As a fellow member of the Lionheart n, and as a member of our family.¡± ¡°Aaaah¡­!¡± Carmen gasped, her body trembling as if she had been struck by lightning when Vermouth¡¯s hand was ced on her fist. She stared at Vermouth with trembling eyes as she tried to control her rapid breathing, ¡°Fa¡­ family¡­!¡± Vermouth nodded with a smile. ¡°Yes, aren¡¯t we family? We both share the same Lionheart name¡ª¡± ¡°Fa-father,¡± Carmen suddenly stammered out, causing Vermouth¡¯s eyes to widen in surprise. Carmen continued, ¡°Would it be alright¡­ for me to call you father?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Vermouth gaped in confusion. ¡°After all¡­ didn¡¯t you say we are family? Oh Ancestor ¡ª no, Sir Vermouth, you are my father¡¯s father¡¯s father¡¯s father¡¯s father¡­ in other words, you could be called my father many times removed,¡± Carmen insisted. It wasn¡¯t exactly all that false a im. Vermouth hesitated, ¡°But¡­ being called father by you, Lady Carmen, isn¡¯t that¡ª¡± ¡°I already consider you my father, Sir Vermouth,¡± Carmen passionately dered. ¡°Even if that¡¯s the case¡­,¡± Vermouth struggled to find a way out of this. ¡°Sir Vermouth, you are the father of all Lionhearts. Aaaah, the reason that my broken fist was healed back then¡­ it was all so that I could feel a father¡¯s touch on my hands,¡± Carmen began to shed tears once more as the warmth of their blood and flesh connection seemed to pass through Vermouth¡¯s hand into her fist. ¡°Please, grant me permission, Sir Vermouth, to call you my father¡­.¡± Vermouth¡¯s eyes shook in violent consternation. It was difficult for him to understand how the conversation that they had just been having could have turned out like this. However, her earnest eyes and the words, ¡®father¡¯s father¡¯s father¡¯ and ¡®the father of all Lionhearts,¡¯ seemed to be exerting a subtle persuasive power over Vermouth. ¡°If¡­ if that¡¯s what you want, then fine,¡± Vermouth gave in. ¡°Father¡­!¡± Carmen cried out, her fists loosening so she could tightly grab hold of Vermouth¡¯s hand. Her biological father had already left this world a long time ago. However, even herte father would surely be happy in the afterlife to see that the Great Vermouth had be her new father. ¡°There are so many things that I want to do with you, Father,¡± Carmen excitedly informed him. ¡°Ah, is that right¡­,¡± Vermouth awkwardly agreed. ¡°As your daughter, may I personally pour you a drink[3]?¡± Carmen offered. Vermouth hesitated for a few moments before shooting Eugene a nce. It was a silent plea for help to get out of this difficult situation that Vermouth had found himself in, but seeing the grin on Eugene¡¯s face, it seemed like there weren¡¯t going to be any helping hands iing. Instead, something else made its way to him. In ce of a helping hand, what was approaching Vermouth was an empty wine ss. Vermouth red at Eugene as he caught the ss that thetter had slid across the table. ¡°Congrattions on your new daughter,¡± Eugene said, pping his hands as he watched Vermouth ept a drink from Carmen with aplex expression on his face. 1. The original text literally trantes to jade leaves on a golden branch and is an archaic way of describing the descendants or family of royalty. In modern usage, the phrase is used to describe a favored child of a family. ? 2. The original text uses the idiom: any tree in this world that can¡¯t be climbed in the same context. ? 3. In Korean culture, younger rtives pouring drinks for older rtives is an important disy of filial piety. ?
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: How long before Eugene starts seeing that photo on t-shirts? He¡¯ll never be able to escape it. Just like Vermouth won¡¯t be able to escape his new daughter. Momo: Carmen is hrious. Vermouth is going to have his hands full because of his new daughter. On a different note, just one month after returning, Vermouth already has a potential girlfriend and a daughter.
Chapter 620: Ever After (5) It had been four days since Sienna had returned to Aroth, and she had a packed schedule for every one of these past four days. On the first day, she met with the King and the Magic Tower Masters, and immediately after that, she gave a speech to the crowd that had gathered in the Green Square. As she finished her speech, which was met with both tears and cheers, the whole city of Pentagon had begun preparing a huge festival. The next day, Sienna participated in the festival procession and was paraded around Pentagon. The day after that, Sienna took the time to meet with a group of young wizards, carefully selected by the four Tower Masters and the Head of the Wizard¡¯s guild, who dreamt of bing the next generation of Aroth¡¯s leaders. The meeting started with a light lunch, but the attending young wizards were more interested in listening to Sienna¡¯s nagging than in the food. Sienna¡¯s nagging started with herining about ¡°the problem with young people these days,¡± but as it eventually led to her providing each of the young wizards with individual guidance, everyone left the meeting satisfied. Today was still the fourth day of her return to Aroth. Sienna had one final meeting with the Royal Family of Aroth and the Royal Parliament. They had also tried to upy her schedule for the rest of the day, but Sienna had firmly refused all of their appointments. This was because she felt that she had already done more than enough by allowing them to pester her for these past four days. Siennained, ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m going to die any time soon. Even if I don¡¯t take any measures to prevent my death, I¡¯ll still be able to live for over a hundred more years. So why are you all making such a fuss? Fine then, I¡¯ll do whatever you want me to do, but in exchange for that, I won¡¯t ever set foot in Aroth again. Is that okay with you?¡± How could anyone dare to pressure Sienna further after being told it might make them an enemy of Aroth for the rest of their life?Once Sienna managed to free up her schedule for the rest of the day by using this argument, she returned to the top floor of the Green Tower of Magic. This was originally the office of the newly appointed Green Tower Master, Rynein Boers, but during these past four days, Sienna had been using it for her temporary lodgings. Of course, Rynein had offered to return the entirety of Sienna¡¯s mansion to her for her private use rather than just the top floor of the Tower of Magic. If Sienna had so desired, she could have even imed the entirety of Aroth¡¯s Royal Pce for herself, but¡­ no matter what, Sienna felt the mostfortable here, on the top floor of the Green Tower of Magic. Along with her mansion, which had now be a museum, this was where Sienna had spent most of her time when she first lived in Aroth three hundred years ago. ¡°Hm,¡± Sienna hummed thoughtfully as she sat in afy chair, holding up a gem as she carefully examined it. This gem was the Demoneye of Fantasy, which had gotten cracked during their battle against the Demon King of Incarceration. Since then, it hadn¡¯t seen any use, and thanks to Sienna¡¯s regr infusion of soul power, the crack in the Demoneye of Fantasy hadpletely recovered. ¡°Hmmmm¡­,¡± Sienna¡¯s focus intensified. She didn¡¯t have any regrets for what she had done. After inheriting the Demoneye of Fantasy from Noir, Sienna had immediately sealed Noir Giabe¡¯s soul into the Demoneye. At that time, she believed it was the best option avable. If Noir was allowed simply to perish and disappear like that, she might be an eternal nightmare that would continue to weigh heavily on Eugene¡¯s heart. Sienna just couldn¡¯t ept that. That was why she couldn¡¯t allow Noir to diepletely. Of course, there was also a secondary reason that she needed Noir¡¯s help to control the Demoneye of Fantasy. Back then, Sienna had no choice but to admit to herself that, no matter how hard she worked, she wouldn¡¯t be able to wield the Demoneye of Fantasy against the Demon Kings as skillfully as its original owner, Noir Giabe. ¡°In the end, I was proven right, wasn¡¯t I?¡± Sienna muttered, her lips sticking out in a pout. When they fought the Demon King of Incarceration in Babel, would they have still been able to win if they hadn¡¯t used Noir to control the Demoneye of Fantasy? Thinking about it rationally, the possibility of their victory would be extremely low. During that battle, everyone¡¯s strengthbined was still less than that of the Demon King of Incarceration. If the Demoneye of Fantasy hadn¡¯t been able to fuse reality with a dream world, it would have been much more difficult for them to push the Demon King of Incarceration as far as they had. It was only because they had pushed him as hard as they could, that the Demon King of Incarceration had been forced to unleash his full power, which was what allowed the poison Balzac Ludbeth had turned himself into to activate¡­. ¡°Aaagh¡­,¡± Sienna groaned in frustration. Since all Demon Kings were now dead, there would no longer be any reason to use the Demoneye of Fantasy. In that case, sealing it away like this might be able to put a clean ending to everything. However, the power held by the Demoneye of Fantasy was too great in its potential to limit it to mere battles. Her instincts as a wizard drove Sienna to figure out how to replicate the powers of the Demoneye of Fantasy, using only magic¡­. But that wasn¡¯t the only reason Sienna was hesitant to simply seal away the Demoneye of Fantasy forever. Her interest in its magic was just an excuse. Sienna let out a deep sigh as she shook her head. If she just sealed the Demoneye away like this, wouldn¡¯t Noir still be a nightmare for Eugene? ¡®No, I can¡¯t allow that,¡¯ Sienna thought, shaking her head, knowing full well just what kind of personality Eugene or Hamel possessed. During the moment that he had in Noir, the feelings that Eugene had carried for Noir Giabe¡­ those feelings weren¡¯t just born out of the lingering influence left from his past life as Agaroth. In the end, it was Eugene who ultimately remembered his past life¡¯s rtionship with Noir. And while the two of them were facing each other in Noir¡¯s dream realm, they must have seen something in each other that appealed to both of their heart¡¯s desires. So, the nightmare of Noir Giabe that clung to Eugene following her death was ultimately an umtion of his unfulfilled feelings for her. Such feelings would not disappear no matter how much time passed, but would instead grow stronger. Even if he didn¡¯t usually think about it, someday¡­ it would suddenly return to the forefront of Eugene¡¯s mind to torment him. But was that really the only reason why she had yet to seal the Demoneye of Fantasy even though everything was finally over? At the moment of Noir¡¯s death, the feelings that Sienna had felt were¡­. Sienna couldn¡¯t help but admit the truth. The words that Noir had whispered to her amid her specially crafted nightmare still bothered her ¡ª Noir¡¯s ims that Sienna would absolutely never reach the level of intimacy that existed between Noir and Eugene. Even though it was a destructive rtionship, where they were doomed to kill each other despite harboring affection for each other, the bond between Eugene and Noir was so strong that, whoever died, the scars that would be left on the survivor would never be erased. Sienna might not hold any desire for such a rtionship but in their final moments¡­ Sienna had felt jealous of them. At the same time, she had also felt fear. Fear that if she allowed Noir to die like this, then perhaps¡­ no, Noir would definitely reincarnate someday ande looking for Eugene. Noir had even personally warned Sienna about the possibility of this happening. ¡ªThe bond of fate that exists between Hamel and me¡­ is an extremely strong one. When I am someday reincarnated, I will definitely, without a doubt, be able to remember Hamel. Sienna had denied her feelings at the time. However, now that everything was over, she could admit that all of theforting lies she had told herself at that moment were false. The jealousy she had felt at the moment of Noir¡¯s death, the fear of her possible return, and also¡­ ¡°It¡¯s all because I¡¯m far too kind,¡± Sienna muttered with a deep sigh. Having already given in and admitted to the truths that she had previously tried to deny, there was still one emotion that Sienna had felt at that moment. And she was fully aware of what that emotion had been. It was sympathy. As the reincarnation of the Twilight Witch, Noir Giabe had been reborn as a Night Demon. Sienna sympathized with Noir Giabe who, let alone being able to satisfy the unfulfilled desires of her past life, was forced into a rtionship with Eugene where they had no choice but to try to kill each other. She also sympathized with Eugene, who had chosen to kill Noir even though he had reached a point in their rtionship where he could admit to himself, ¡°I don¡¯t want to kill her.¡± So instead, Sienna had captured Noir¡¯s soul¡­. ¡°But there¡¯s our promise,¡± Sienna said with a frown. In Babel, Sienna had made a promise to Eugene. That once everything was over, she would release Noir Giabe¡¯s soul. However, doing that wouldn¡¯t be enough to put Sienna¡¯s heart fully at ease. Sienna let out another deep sigh as she tapped the Demoneye of Fantasy with her finger. [Oh my,] Noir said as she rose from the jewel in a purple cloud. She blinked her eyes for a few moments, stared at Sienna, then grinned happily, [It seems¡­ that very little time has passed since I wasst out. Sienna Merdein, you appear to be in perfect health. And this ce is¡­.] While Noir was sealed within the Demoneye of Fantasy, she wasn¡¯t able to observe what was going on outside of her prison. Noir tilted her head as she looked around. [This looks like a wizard¡¯s room.] Her probing gazended on the namete on the office desk. [The Green Tower Master, Rynein Boers¡­,] Noir read out. [Ahaha, the position of the Green Tower Master was vacant at the time of my death. So it seems that, since then, she has be the new Green Tower Master, hasn¡¯t she?] ¡°You¡¯re still just as talkative as ever,¡± Siennained. [Well, that can¡¯t be helped, can it? It isn¡¯t like you¡¯ll be willing to exin the situation otherwise. So, what¡¯s going on? How much time has passed since I wasst let out? Since you aren¡¯t dead, you must have defeated the Demon King of Incarceration¡­. Hmph, and naturally that means Hamel didn¡¯t die either, right? If Hamel were dead, you would definitely have followed him in death. And even if you were left with no other choice but to survive, you definitely wouldn¡¯t have this expression on your face,] Noir observed with a giggle as she leaned forward to scrutinize Sienna. As long as the Demoneye of Fantasy was under Sienna¡¯s control, Noir couldn¡¯t use the powers of the Demoneye of Fantasy. However, her eyes, which should only be those of a lost soul, shone with a bewitching light as she looked into Sienna¡¯s eyes. Noir smirked, [So it seems like everything is finally over, isn¡¯t it?] Sienna remained silent. [Ahaha, it looks like my guess is correct. But even if you defeated the Demon King of Incarceration, that should have still left you with the Demon King of Destruction. Hmmm, did you actually manage to defeat the Demon King of Destruction without my help?] Noir said with a doubtful tone. ¡°Don¡¯t act so cocky,¡± Sienna snorted. ¡°We didn¡¯t even need your help.¡± [Hmph, I guess that does make sense. After all, my abilities probably wouldn¡¯t have been a good match against the Demon King of Destruction. However, when you fought against the Demon King of Incarceration, you definitely did need my help, isn¡¯t that right? You don¡¯t actually intend to deny that, do you?] Noir asked challengingly. Sienna tried to avoid the question, ¡°Stop bringing up something that¡¯s already in the past.¡± A faint smile spread across Noir¡¯s lips, [In that case, shall we talk about the future instead?] Noir stepped back from Sienna with a light skip and sat down on a nearby sofa, as casually as if this was her room. [So, what do you n on doing with me?] Noir asked. Sienna fell silent once more. [I¡¯ve already known about theplex mix of emotions you feel towards me for a while now,] Noir said before smirking. [No way, did you actually think that I hadn¡¯t noticed? Sienna Merdein. You¡¯re truly much worse at hiding your feelings than you think that you are.] ¡°Afortable death would be a luxury you don¡¯t deserve,¡± Sienna spat out, ring at Noir. ¡°I will not allow your death to be Eugene¡¯s nightmare. I also won¡¯t allow you toe looking for us someday after being reincarnated.¡± [And what does that leave?] Noir raised a brow. ¡°I will not set your soul free. I¡¯ve given it¡­ a lot of thought,¡± Sienna slowly admitted. ¡°How can I make you, who has already died, suffer even more? How can I make it so that your death will not be a nightmare for Eugene?¡± Noir didn¡¯t say anything to this. Instead, she kept staring at Sienna with that same annoying smile that she had always kept on her face while still alive. While feeling like Noir¡¯s gaze was piercing a hole right through her, Sienna snapped her fingers. Click. Falling from a wide-open hole in space was a ball-jointed doll the same size as a human. ¡°I am going to stuff your soul into this,¡± Sienna revealed. Noir shook her head. [When did you go and be a necromancer? To think that you would actually learn how to stuff souls into bodies that didn¡¯t belong to them. Hmmm, I do recall that there was a certain woman among the ck wizards whom I was acquainted with who happened to be skilled in that sort of work. Her name was Amelia Merwin. Speaking of which, you happen to be holding Amelia Merwin captive, aren¡¯t you?] Amelia Merwin hadn¡¯t been sentenced to death and was still alive. However, her mind had been shattered beyond all hope of recovery. [Sienna Merdein, it seems that you were able to learn ck magic by using Amelia Merwin¡¯s memories. You were also using her as a source of dark power to draw upon. Could it be that you fell for the temptations of ck magic while doing so?] Noir spected. ¡°ck magic is, in the end, just another type of magic,¡± Sienna defended herself. ¡°And I am the Goddess of all magic.¡± [How convenient for you. Well, fine, if that¡¯s what you¡¯ve decided to do. So what next? After stuffing my soul into that toy, what else are you going to do to me?] Noir asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to show you everything,¡± Sienna proudly replied. Noir¡¯s cheeks twitched slightly as she allowed Sienna to continue speaking. ¡°The world is at peace. All of the Demon Kings are dead, and there is nothing left to threaten it. Now, all that is left¡­ is for everyone to live happily. Noir Giabe, you¡­ are going to watch as we all live happily ever after,¡± Sienna dered. It was Noir¡¯s turn to fall silent. ¡°I¡¯ve already said it, haven¡¯t I? Death and reincarnation would be a luxury for you. As such, I am taking all of that away from you. You won¡¯t be able to die, nor will you be able to reincarnate. Instead, you will just continue to be trapped within that doll¡¯s body¡­ as you watch Eugene and I live happily together,¡± Sienna finished speaking triumphantly. Noir didn¡¯t say anything in response to this and just kept staring at Sienna. Sienna took a deep breath before dering, ¡°That is the punishment I will be delivering to you.¡± [A punishment, you say,] Noir began to speak following the short silence. [As for whether or not you are even qualified to punish me¡­ ahahaha¡­ let¡¯s put that aside for now. After all, it¡¯s not really that important. But speaking of your punishment, Sienna Merdein, I already told you earlier, didn¡¯t I? That you¡¯re much worse at hiding your true feelings than you think you are.] Noir chuckled before muttering, [Indeed, this is truly¡­ a selfish, vicious, and insulting act of mercy. It¡¯s also extremely effective. Certainly, for me, who thought that I had gotten a perfect ending, there is no greater punishment than this.] Sienna kept her silence. [But what do you think about this?] Noir, who was leaning back into the sofa, turned her head to the side and asked, [My dear Hamel.] Sienna also gathered up her courage to turn and look towards him. Eugene was standing in front of the office door. He had been listening to the whole conversation from the other side of the door. Partway through their conversation, he had opened the door and let himself in, unable to be a silent bystander. However, he hadn¡¯t inserted himself into their conversation. Instead, he had just kept listening. Eugene let out a long sigh and shook his head, then said, ¡°You promised that you would release her soul, remember?¡± Sienna shrugged. ¡°I already exined why I am not going to do that.¡± ¡°And if I say that I can¡¯t ept that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°In that case, you¡¯ll just have to go along with my stubbornness,¡± Sienna insisted. ¡°There¡¯s really no need for you to be so afraid,¡± Eugene changed tack. Sienna shook her head and said, ¡°You also know full well that I¡¯m not just doing this out of fear.¡± Eugene closed his eyes at Sienna¡¯s muttered response. The dark silence that followed was interrupted by the sound of Noir¡¯s giggles. [What a disgraceful and tacky act of salvation. Don¡¯t you agree, Hamel? This isn¡¯t what either of us wanted,] Noir said, shaking her head. Boom. ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Sienna asked as her hand mmed down on the nearby desk. She red at Noir, who was still sitting on the sofa, and at Eugene, who was standing there with his eyes closed, before spitting out, ¡°Rather than missing you after your death, it¡¯s much better for you to live¡­ stay alive¡ª. Well, even if it can¡¯t really be called living, in any case, isn¡¯t it much better to keep you around in some form or other than letting you just disappear?¡± [Are you speaking from experience?] Noir asked with a smirk. [Aren¡¯t you just projecting your feelings from three hundred years ago onto Hamel?] ¡°Aaargh, fine, you¡¯re right!¡± Sienna shouted as she mmed her hand down on the desk once more. ¡°It truly feels like shit when you have to grieve the loss of someone who has died¡­! And I just don¡¯t want Eugene to be forced to feel that way!¡± ¡°I have no intention of grieving her,¡± Eugene spoke up. Sienna shook her head and said, ¡°Of course you shouldn¡¯t! Because I wouldn¡¯t allow you to. However, still¡­ you know that, don¡¯t you? That, sometimes, she would still appear in your dreams.¡± The doll that had been sprawled on the floor floated up into the air. Sienna threw the doll next to Noir and continued speaking, ¡°I know¡­ that everything I¡¯m doing just seems selfish, vicious, insulting, and petty to the two of you¡­ so fine then. If you don¡¯t want to do it, I won¡¯t force you to. I¡¯ll just destroy this doll right here and now and free your slutty soul¡ª¡± ¡°Ten years.¡± Eugene let out a deep sigh and opened his eyes. ¡°Let¡¯s go along with your stubbornness for ten years. If it¡¯s that long, I don¡¯t think there will be any regrets after that.¡± [Doesn¡¯t my opinion matter in this?] Noir asked while observing the doll lying next to her. She grabbed the doll¡¯s arm and shook it. [Ten years, hmmm, that duration feels a bit ambiguous. If we¡¯re going to do this, then how about giving it a hundred years? You¡¯ll definitely be living for that long in any case, right?] ¡°Shut up,¡± Eugene growled. Noir sighed. [Your attitude has gotten colder than when I was alive. Aha, could it be that? Are you trying not to get attached while I¡¯m still here? Hamel, you should already know the truth, don¡¯t you? That dislike is just another form of attachment. Instead of being rude, it would be better to try and satisfy both our desires in a way that won¡¯t leave any regrets behind.] ¡°Satisfy our desires?¡± Eugene repeated doubtfully. [For example, how about sleeping with me?] Noir offered with a smirk. Both Eugene and Sienna¡¯s faces twisted in distaste at this inappropriate response. [Hm¡­ now that I think about it, that might not work,] Noir admitted. [If you sleep with me, that will only leave you with more regrets once I leave.] ¡°Crazy bitch,¡± Eugene muttered in disgust. Sienna was also about to let out a simr curse, but she was struck speechless at the sight of Noir groping the doll¡¯s chest with a serious expression on her face. Noir frowned and asked, [I¡¯m just asking this to be sure, but if I do go in here, I won¡¯t have to keep this doll¡¯s nd appearance, will I?] ¡°Your soul¡¯s true appearance will be projected on top of it,¡± Sienna admitted reluctantly. [Is that so?] Noir said, her purple eyes sparkling in interest. She turned to look at Sienna with a seductive smile. [If that¡¯s the case, does this doll have reproductive functions as well?] Eugene just clicked his tongue in disgust at this question. He naturally expected Sienna to let out a foul curse in response to this inquiry, but surprisingly, Sienna¡¯s expression was ever so subtly off. Her response, which finally came after a moment of hesitation, was truly mind-boggling. ¡°It can¡¯t have children,¡± Sienna prevaricated. Eugene let out a snort as he shook his head in disbelief, and Noir¡¯s smile grew even wider. [Does that mean, while it can¡¯t have children, it can do everything else?] Noir said suggestively. ¡°Why did you include such useless functions?¡± Eugeneined. ¡°That¡¯s¡­,¡± Sienna hesitated. ¡°This is also one of my proudest works¡­ and while creating it, I thought of it as a challenge to further develop my skill in magic, so I just unconsciously¡­.¡± [How amazing, Sienna Merdein. You truly are a genius, no, you are the Goddess of Magic,] Noirplimented as she lifted the doll¡¯s arms and pped its hands together for Sienna. ¡°How crazy do you have to be¡­,¡± Eugene muttered in a low voice. Sienna heard Eugene¡¯s mumbling, but she ignored it to ask, ¡°So why did youe looking for me suddenly?¡± Eugene was confused by this abrupt change of subject. Sienna nced over, taking in the confusion on Eugene¡¯s face, before continuing to speak, ¡°We originally nned that I¡¯ll visit youter today. So, is there something going on for you toe looking for me like this?¡± ¡°There is something, but it¡¯s not as ridiculous as what you¡¯ve managed toe up with here,¡± Eugene responded. ¡°So what is it?¡± Sienna pressed. Eugene exined, ¡°The Lionhearts are moving our main estate elsewhere.¡± Sienna¡¯s eyes widened in realization at these words. She had already heard wind that the main family of the Lionhearts, who were based in Kiehl, had started preparing to move weeks ago. Soon, Sienna¡¯s eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she asked, ¡°I understand why you came looking for me. It seems that you need the help of I, Lady Sienna, don¡¯t you? Indeed, moving the entire mansion as a whole would be far from simple. Alright then, what do you need me to do? Should I just uproot the entire forest and move it as well?¡± ¡°Mhm,¡± Eugene nodded his head. Over the course of these past four days, Eugene had shared a lot of discussions with the members of the main family about the move. At first, they had been nning on just the main family members moving out, allowing the elves to use the entire estate for themselvesfortably, but the elves had rejected this n. The elves led by Signard had already adapted to life in the outside world and had no desire to return to the rainforest and their former home next to the World Tree. But more than that, they were determined to use a part of their long lives to repay the favor the Lionhearts had shown them. ¡°What about the dwarves?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°They said they would follow us as well,¡± Eugene answered. Sienna raised a brow. ¡°In that case, things won¡¯t be all that different from how they are now.¡± Eugene shrugged and said, ¡°That just means we need to im a much bigger territory than the one we already have.¡± They needed a territory sorge that, even after including the forest of the elves that was centered around the saplings of the World Tree as well as the dwarves¡¯ continually expanding workshop, it still wouldn¡¯t encroach on the main family¡¯s living space. ¡°No way,¡± Sienna gasped. She had suddenly thought of an abandoned piece ofnd that was no longer owned by anyone. The new home of the Lionheart family would be located in the city of Pandemonium.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: So I guess this makes Sienna the Goddess of Sex Dolls as well? Momo: hahahahaha. Iughed so hard at OBW¡¯sment.
Chapter 621: Ever After (6) ¡ªWe should just tear it all down. That was what Eugene had said when he hadst red down upon Pandemonium. However, even after a month, Pandemonium had yet to be torn down. There were many reasons for this, but the biggest argument for its continued existence was its historical value. The current Helmuth could no longer be called an empire, but Pandemonium had been the capital of the most powerful empire on the continent until just half a year ago. Since then, the empire had copsed, and Pandemonium had been uprooted from its original location and nted in the former neutral zone between Yuras and Helmuth. The constantly illuminated streets and the concrete skyscrapers that had once symbolized Pandemonium had also disappeared. ¡°I still feel like it would have been better just to tear it all down,¡± Eugene said as he looked down on Pandemonium from the skies above. The walls of the city had crumbled. Most of the buildings had also copsed. The majority of the destruction had been caused by Melkith, and whatever remained had been almostpletely destroyed by the descent of the Demon King of Destruction and the subsequent battle. Eugene turned and asked, ¡°How is it? Do you sense anything?¡± As this casual question was tossed his way, Vermouth, who had been standing next to Eugene, reopened his closed eyes. He looked down on Pandemonium for a few moments and then slowly nodded. ¡°He swapped the two sides,¡± Vermouth dered.¡°What?¡± Eugene frowned in iprehension. Vermouth exined, ¡°The original city was swapped with the dimension on the other side of this space.¡± As Vermouth¡¯s finger drew a circle in the air, it created a slight gap in space through which a whole different vista was made visible. Tall concrete skyscrapers could be seen on the other side of the circle. It was the same cityscape Eugene had seen during hisst visit to Pandemonium. ¡°I thought that he had just torn everything down and built over it,¡± Eugene muttered as he crossed his arms and pondered this new information. After considering the few options that met their requirements, Eugene had decided on Pandemonium as the new home of the Lionhearts. As for the minor problem that this vast area ofnd was far away from Kiehl¡¯s borders¡­ he had already discussed this matter with the Emperor. The greedy Emperor had suggested that the Patriarch of the Lionheart n be granted the title of the Grand Duke of Kiehl and that Pandemonium, which no one was currently iming ownership of, be made the fief of the Grand Duke. His goal was to turn Pandemonium into the Lionheart Duchy. If that were to happen, then from the Kiehl Empire¡¯s perspective, not only would they be able to cling on tightly to the Lionhearts, but they would even gain various other benefits, including a brand new duchy. At present, Pandemonium was located on the border between Helmuth and Yuras. If Pandemonium were to be the Lionheart Duchy, the Imperial Family of Kiehl would easily be able to keep a close eye on Yuras and could even interfere in the ongoing internal affairs of Helmuth, which was slowly transforming itself into a republic. ¡ªWell, aren¡¯t you greedy? Unfortunately, things didn¡¯t turn out the way the Emperor wanted. As a result, the Lionhearts refused the title of Grand Duke, and the ownership of this huge area ofnd now solely belonged to the Lionhearts. And now, all they needed to do was think about how they should fill thisrge plot ofnd. ¡°The existing city is too high maintenance,¡± Eugene eventually decided. Helmuth¡¯s capital, Pandemonium, was able to maintain its constantly lit streets and its forest of skyscrapers because of the enormous amounts of dark power that had been provided by the Demon King of Incarceration. Of course, with Eugene¡¯s strength, he might not be able to cover the entirety of Helmuth, but he could easily provide enough power to supply the needs of Pandemonium. However, Eugene didn¡¯t want to do that. Pandemonium had been an extremely deformed city from the very start. It could only exist thanks to all of the knowledge that the Demon King of Incarceration had been able to umte as he lived through one world after another. Since Eugene didn¡¯t have any of that knowledge, he would soon reach his limits by just having to restore and maintain the city. ¡°I can design a new city for you,¡± a voiceden with amusement said, causing Eugene to nce back over his shoulder. Standing there, with her arms crossed, was Noir. Just like Sienna had said, the doll¡¯s body had changed appearance to match Noir¡¯s soul. Eugene had feared that maybe, just maybe¡­ the doll''s appearance would transform into that of Aria, the Twilight Witch, but the doll¡¯s body appeared exactly the same as Noir¡¯s had when she was alive. She had died not as Aria, the Twilight Witch, but as Noir Giabe, the Queen of the Night Demons. ¡°If I have ess to the Demoneye of Fantasy, I can raise buildings in an instant. Of course, I would require Sienna Merdein''s cooperation to do so,¡± Noir said as she leaned closer to Eugene with a grin. ¡°You remember Giabe City, don''t you, dear? I made that whole ce by myself. When I made Giabe City, my power and control of my Demoneye were stillcking, so I needed to oversee the construction personally. However, now¡­.¡± Eugene stared at Noir with a nk expression. If he tore down all of the ruins left below, only a wastnd would remain. To build a brand new city on top of that, he would need to borrow the necessary manpower from elsewhere. He already had ess to the dwarves, who were bursting to create something new and filled with extra vigor because of that. If he could get the support of the wizards of Aroth on top of that, as well as borrowing manpower from the various countries of the continent¡­ ¡­just how long would it take? Honestly, Eugene couldn¡¯t evene up with a rough estimate. Eugene just didn¡¯t have any experience with this sort of thing. However, considering the size of his future territory, it seemed like it would take several years at the very least. ¡°You know I¡¯m not going to do something evil at this point, don¡¯t you? In the first ce, there is no way for me to rebel against you and Sienna Merdein,¡± Noir whispered quietly, noticing Eugene¡¯s concern. ¡°Because my soul belongs solely to you. Now that I have this chance, I want to enjoy my present with you.¡± Eugene shook his head and said, ¡°I know you can¡¯t do anything stupid, but I don¡¯t trust your¡­ taste.¡± ¡°My taste? Oh my gosh! Hamel, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m hearing such a thing from you, of all people!¡± Noir gasped, feeling offended. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with me?¡± Eugene frowned. ¡°Do you really not know the answer to that? Hamel! You only ever wear one type of outfit! That same red shirt, and your cloak! And in rare cases, the Lionheart¡¯s dress uniform!¡± Noirined. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Eugene asked defensively. Noir lifted her chin and said proudly, ¡°I am Noir Giabe. The head of the giant Giabe Corporation! My reach extends far beyond Helmuth, for I am the one who led the cultural trends all across the continent.¡± During her lifetime, Noir ran severalpanies while also serving as one of Helmuth¡¯s Dukes. Under her presidency, the three areas in which her Giabe Corporation had made a name were construction, entertainment agencies, and fashion. Noir might have died, but the legacy she left behind while she was alive still remained relevant within Helmuth and continued to have a great influence everywhere else. Eugene silently recalled his memories of Giabe City. In his mind, the city had been focused solely on the pursuit of pleasure. Eugene frowned and said, ¡°From now on, this territory will be ruled by the Lionhearts. If all of the buildings are colored with your crazy taste in design, what will the citizens of the territory think of us?¡± ¡°They would just think that the Lionheart¡¯s Patriarch must be bursting with joy,¡± Noir grumbled with a pout on her lips. ¡°Also, I have to say, Giabe City was designed like that in the first ce because the city¡¯s main purpose was to serve as a theme park. And my Giabe Construction Company doesn¡¯t just make cities like that; it has made plenty of other ordinary cities as well. Do you know just how many cities I¡¯ve constructed in Helmuth over the past three hundred years?¡± ¡°Let me ask Sienna for her opinion first. In any case, if I do leave it up to you, just how long would the construction take?¡± Eugene asked after a pause. ¡°Let¡¯s see now¡­ considering the size of the territory¡­ hmmm¡­ but what do you intend to do with that?¡± Noir asked as she turned her head. Outside of the copsed city walls, there remained the battlefield on which the Divine Army and the demonfolk armies of Helmuth had shed and where the countless corpses of the Nur hadin before they had disappeared along with the death of the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°They say they¡¯re going to make that area into a national park,¡± Eugene recalled. ¡°They¡¯re also going to build a huge memorial in the center of that park. And also¡­ they said there will be lots of other stuff there as well.¡± ¡°By that, they probably just mean a war museum. But since it¡¯se to this, why don¡¯t we also connect your territory to that ce?¡± Noir said with a smile, her eyes shining with delight. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be much more symbolic to connect the park to the city of the Lionhearts, the ones responsible for saving the world? We could build a Heroes Square between the city and the park, or perhaps a Square solely for the Hero, and we can also put up your statue there.¡± Eugene remained silent. ¡°Hamel, how about building the academy that you¡¯ve always wanted to create over there as well?¡± Noir proposed. ¡°It would fit in perfectly, and we could also put the Square and the Memorial right on the school grounds.¡± The more Eugene listened to her speak, the more he felt inclined to leave the city''s design to Noir. As she watched Eugene¡¯s expression begin to shift towards eptance, Noir asked with a wide smile, ¡°And didn¡¯t you say that you wanted to build a river through the forest, as well?¡± If Sienna had been here with them, her whole face would have been flushed red and she would surely have screeched at the thought, but Sienna wasn¡¯t here right now. She was preparing to move the entire forest that covered the Lionheart estate and was also making preparations to magically link the forest to the World Tree all the way in the Samar Rainforest once she had finished transnting it here. Sienna was creating this link to hasten the recovery of the World Tree, which would otherwise be forced into a long slumbersting well into the future. There were currently three saplings of the World Tree growing within the forest on the Lionheart¡¯s main estate. They were still very immaturepared to the World Tree in the rainforest. Still, if the growing saplings were grafted to the World Tree by using magic to connect the two spatial coordinates¡­ they might be able to wake Vishur from her slumber much faster than the Sage had initially nned. ¡°The river might be going a tad too far,¡± Eugene reluctantly muttered. It¡¯s not like it couldn¡¯t be done if he truly insisted on doing it, but it would definitely seem a bit excessive to reroute an entire river. Noir giggled at this response and nodded while agreeing, ¡°It would definitely be excessive. We¡¯re so far from the sea after all. In any case, if we include the park in the designs, then¡­ hm¡­.¡± Noir rubbed her chin as she looked back and forth between the city of Pandemonium and the barren ins. ¡°How many citizens are you thinking of epting?¡± Noir eventually asked. Eugene shrugged, ¡°Who knows¡­.¡± ¡°You really haven¡¯t given it any thought, have you? That¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll just have to think about it for you. Now let¡¯s see¡­ considering Pandemonium¡¯s original poption¡­. Hmm, once the city ispleted, there will definitely be an overflow of people from all over the continent wanting to immigrate. If we consider future growth and adjust for the poption density¡­. Do you intend to fill your territory solely with citizens from Kiehl?¡± Noir suddenly asked Eugene. ¡°Ah¡­ well¡­ no?¡± Eugene stuttered out a response as he nced at Vermouth. Vermouth shrugged, asking, ¡°Why are you looking at me?¡± ¡°Well¡­ don¡¯t you have anything to contribute to these ns?¡± Eugene pressed. ¡°If it¡¯s a problem like this, Molon would be more helpful than me,¡± Vermouth muttered. Any further words from Vermouth were cut short as Noir muttered to herself, ¡°Indeed, that does seem to be the case. After all, Vermouth Lionheart, after you settled down in Kiehl, you were solely obsessed with siring child after child.¡± Vermouth stared at Noir with a trembling expression, unsure what to say. To be honest, he wasn¡¯t adjusting well to her presence. Who would have thought that he would actually end up being able to have a conversation like this with the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe¡­? Eugene cleared his throat, ¡°If we only ept immigrants from Kiehl, that would be showing far too much favoritism to Kiehl.¡± Noir nodded sharply. ¡°Fine then. Hamel, let¡¯s just start here. Exactly what kind of academy do you intend to establish? There¡¯s no way it would be a ce that just teaches ounting or something like that.¡± Eugene hesitated, ¡°Ah¡­ we¡¯ll teach swordsmanship¡­ and other types of weapons¡­ perhaps fighting in general? I also think that it would be good to teach magic as well. And also, well, maybe a few other things¡­.¡± Noir raised an eyebrow and inquired, ¡°So you intend to teach your students anything they wish to learn? On top of that, you¡¯ll be opening your city to everyone, so that people from any country can immigrate here. Are you just going to get rid of all racial barriers as well?¡± Eugene shrugged and said, ¡°I don¡¯t know about Sienna, but I believe in treating all races equally. Elves and dwarves, for sure, but even giants or beastfolk¡ª¡± ¡°What about demonfolk?¡± Noir asked with a mischievous smile. Conscious of the chain he was holding in his pocket, Eugene replied, ¡°As long as we make sure they have the right ideology.¡± Noir changed the topic, ¡°So long as the poption is sufficient, we can somehow get an industry running, but what about your initial budget? Will you be opening up the Lionheart¡¯s coffers?¡± Eugene rubbed his chin. ¡°There might be some sponsorshiping in from other countries¡­.¡± So far, no one had offered to fund the construction. However, if he were the one to ask them, they definitely wouldn¡¯t be able to refuse. Eugene¡¯s response had Noir pping her hands excitedly. She eximed, ¡°Alright, so the initial budget needed to run the new city will be covered by the subsidies from the various countries. Once the city¡¯s industry is running, I¡¯m sure there¡¯ll be enough cirction of funds to keep our finances in the green, don¡¯t you think?¡± Eugene murmured, ¡°Well¡­ I don¡¯t see why not¡­.¡± ¡°Alright then. To summarize¡­ there will be no national or racial restrictions ced on the immigrants to the New Lionheart City. Anyone will be able to immigrate and live in the city so long as they follow the necessary procedures. With such a cosmopolitan city, you¡¯ll surely be able to make a lot of money just from the tourism industry alone. On top of that, there will even be an academy that teaches a wide variety of subjects!¡± Noir¡¯s excited pping grew even louder. ¡°If we use your connections, we should be able to fill up as many teaching positions as the Academy requires. If that doesn¡¯t work out, you can even go up and stand at the podium yourself. Hmm, on that basis alone, the academy is sure to attract at least ten thousand students. Perhaps we should consider charging admission fees. It would be easy for us to name our prices.¡± ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that a bit¡­,¡± Eugene seemed hesitant. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to teach practical martial arts, knightly training, magic, theology, and even spirit summoning¡­. Ah, and you can even include lessons from the dwarves as well, can¡¯t you? What an amazing vision for a city, and so idealistic. You¡¯re probably the only person in history who could create a city like this,¡± Noir said with an admiring sigh. Eugene frowned and asked, ¡°Are you being sarcastic or what?¡± ¡°Sarcastic! No, I truly am impressed. The Lionheart¡¯s new city will be a much more impressive city than my own Giabe City, and I¡¯m the one who will be responsible for building it, won¡¯t I?¡± Noir smiled brightly as she embraced Eugene¡¯s arms. ¡°Should I also take a stand at the podium? An academy doesn¡¯t necessarily only have to teach younger students. If there are sses for adults¡­ but, hm, teaching sexual education to the younger students might be a nice change of pace as well.¡± ¡°Stop with that bullshit. So exactly how long will it take?¡± Eugene demanded, shaking off Noir¡¯s tant attempt to squeeze his arm between her chest. Noir shook her head. ¡°First of all, I have to summon my employees in the Giabe Corporation from Helmuth to get their advice. I¡¯ll also need Sienna¡¯s help.¡± ¡°How are you nning on using the Demoneye of Fantasy? You¡¯re not going to do something too draining, like linking reality with your fantasies, are you?¡± Eugene asked cautiously. ¡°If I don¡¯t do something like that, the time taken will be far too long. Don¡¯t worry. I have no intention of turning the ce into a nightmare. Like what we did in Babel, I will align my power with Sienna Merdein¡¯s magic to alter reality¡­. That said, since creating something out of nothing is extremely difficult¡­,¡± Noir, who had been calcting various sums in her head, turned to Vermouth and asked, ¡°Let¡¯s use the materials from the abandoned city on the other side of Pandemonium, does that sound usible?¡± It wasn¡¯t just Eugene who was having a hard time keeping up with the rapid pace of the conversation. As he had said, Vermouth had no experience when it came to such things, so he just nodded his head with a bewildered expression. ¡°One month,¡± Noir said with a bright smile. ¡°In one month, I will create the most impressive city in the entire continent atop these ruins and ins. A city where the cultures and values of all races cane together, and they can enjoy various sensual pleasures¡ª¡± ¡°No way,¡± Eugene interrupted Noir¡¯s vision with a harsh rejection. Noir pouted and grumbled, ¡°Do you really think it makes sense for a city of this size not to have a red-light district? Hamel, even if you reject the idea, the people of the city will desperately desire its construction.¡± Eugene finally conceded, ¡°I won¡¯t allow any subus clubs.¡± ¡°Fine, we can draw the line on what is humanely eptable by following thews of the continent,¡± Noir snorted before shrugging her shoulders in apromise. ¡°Now, as payment for all of this construction, Hamel, how aboutpensating for my services with a night in your bed?¡± Eugene scowled. ¡°Are you insane?¡± ¡°Then how about just a kiss?¡± Noir kept trying. ¡°Get lost,¡± Eugene impatiently shooed her off. ¡°I always knew you were a cold-hearted person,¡± Noir calmly sighed, showing no signs of displeasure despite the repeated rejections. As a first step, she had been promised ten years of life. If they could spend that amount of time together without trying to kill each other, then, as their hatred slowly faded away¡­ Noir chuckled to herself with a seductive smile. ¡°Now that you¡¯re alive again, you should have these back,¡± Eugene suddenly said as he reached to grab the ne hanging around his neck. Strung on the ne were the rings that he had received from Noir during the moments when Giabe City had copsed around them. The rings were a matching pair that had both Hamel and Noir¡¯s names engraved onto them. Now that Noir had been resurrected like this, there was no longer any need for Eugene to keep wearing this ne. ¡°I don¡¯t want them,¡± Noir quickly said, just as Eugene was about to take the rings off of the ne. ¡°Strictly speaking, it¡¯s not like I am currently alive, now am I? I still can¡¯t have children either.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re also not dead,¡± Eugene tried to argue. ¡°I still believe that I am actually dead. I¡¯ve just been turned into something like an undead. As such, regarding those rings¡­.¡± Noir raised her finger with a faint smile. Click. Her approaching finger tapped on the pair of rings hanging from the ne. ¡°You should keep them. Though, if you ever want to return those rings to me¡­ huhu, it should only be after we get into a rtionship where it would be appropriate for you to offer me a ring.¡± ¡°That sounds like a terrible idea,¡± Eugene said, shaking his head with a twisted expression. But he didn¡¯t move to pull the rings off of the ne.
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts Momo: Looks like Noir is back to building her enterprise, the savvy business woman that she is.
Chapter 622: Ever After (7)

Chapter 622: Ever After (7)

In the Tressia Parish of the Holy Empire of Yuras. Kristina had grown up in a remote monastery located in this parish. She had been abandoned at the gates of the monastery as an infant, taken in by the priests, before being adopted by Cardinal Sergio Rogeris when she was ten years old. From the moment she was abandoned at the monastery and taken in by the priests, Kristina¡¯s future had been set on the path towards priesthood. A major turning point that had altered this future was her bing the adopted daughter of Cardinal Sergio Rogeris. Since her adoptive father was an extraordinary priest who had even risen to the high position of a Cardinal, there was no way that Kristina could be just another ordinary priest either. With each year that she grew older, Kristina¡¯s appearance increasingly resembled that of the Saint, the Faithful Anise, whose name had left its mark in history. The parishioners who visited the cathedral would even whisper that young Kristina seemed to be the Second Coming of the Saint. So naturally, Kristina had set her sights on bing her generation¡¯s Saint. This might not truly have been a product of Kristina¡¯s will, but the young Kristina could not refuse the expectations and prayers of the people around her. Kristina had received personal lessons in theology from Sergio Rogeris before being taken to the Fount of Light, where Saints and Saint Candidates had performed rituals throughout history, and after bing a proper Saint Candidate, she had been assigned to the Alcarte Parish, a ce which could be called the frontline in the spread of the teachings of the Light. Now she knew the truth. It was by no means a coincidence that Kristina had been adopted by Cardinal Sergio. Kristina¡¯s appearance gradually growing to resemble that of the Faithful Anise also wasn¡¯t a coincidence. The tant expectation in their gazes that even a child could read. The oppressive attitude with which her adoptive father had taught her theology. The prayers at the Fount of Light that were no different from torture; Kristina could remember it all. Kristina had known that the source of the water within the fountain was the strange light that was emitted whenever she shed blood. She could sense the origin of the difort she felt whenever her consciousness floated out of her body during her prayers, and she recognized the identity of the faint sobs that she had heard. Kristina silently stared at whaty in front of her. This had once been a holy site of Yuras, known as the Fount of Light, but now it no longer existed. Now, nothing else remained in this location apart from a huge cemetery. A few years ago, Eugene had killed countless pdins and Inquisitors on this spot. They had tried to test and challenge the Hero and had paid the just price for doing so. The countless corpses had been thrown down into a deep, dark pit. There had been more than a few who had barely managed to cling to life, but none who had fallen into that pit hade out alive. Eugene had brought down the Fount of Light because it wasn¡¯t a ce that deserved to be called a holy site. Not only had they attempted to artificially mass-produce Saints here, but they had also used the corpses of the candidates who had failed to be Saints as the source of the fountain¡¯s waters. Even Eugene, or rather Hamel¡¯spanion, the Faithful Anise, had been sacrificed to the fountain. Because of that... on that day, Eugene hadn¡¯t been able to hold back. He had delivered their executions without any qualms. This was because he knew what the priests of Yuras were doing was evil, even though they imed to serve the Light and did everything for its sake. This was because they had desecrated Anise¡¯s death, the woman who had wanted to save the world and had hoped that Heaven did exist. Eugene hadn¡¯t controlled his rage. He had swung his sword without the slightest hesitation. And the Light did not stop him from ughtering those who imed to serve Him. In the center of the cemetery, in front of a pure white tombstone, Kristina put her hands together and prayed, ¡°May you rest in peace.¡± Most of the pdins and Inquisitors who had died here had had at least a part of their bodies salvaged, and each had been given their own gravestone. However, the names of those who were written on this one gravestone hadn¡¯t been able to leave even a single piece of their bodies to beid to rest. These names belonged to those women who had been submerged in the Fount for far too long. The Saint Candidates of the previous generations hadn¡¯t been allowed to leave behind a body for a proper burial as their corpses were used to prepare the next candidates for Sainthood. Included among the bodies were newborn babies who hadn¡¯t even been able to be candidates and had simply died with the Fount of Light serving as both their cradle and their coffin. They were all Kristina¡¯s older sisters who had fallen to create an Imitation Incarnation who would be able to reproduce the original¡¯s miracles. This tombstone had been erected in remembrance of them. ¡°Heaven,¡± Kristina muttered at the end of her prayer. During their month of wandering following the end of the war, they had flown out into the distant sea. And far into that sea, somewhere that ordinary humans would never be able to reach, Kristina had stepped into and of pure whiteness. Kristina had even been personally weed by the Light. Although she couldn¡¯t hold a... conversation with the Light, Kristina had definitely felt the Light¡¯s existence. That ce was the Heaven Anise had been searching for. The souls of those who died in this world, unless their souls were destroyed by ck magic or some other reason, would eventually be drawn towards that distant sea. After passing through thatnd, they would be reborn into their new lives. However, could that ce truly be called Heaven? Kristina had heard about this heaven run by the Light from Eugene prior to her visit. It was a ce that souls had to temporarily pass through before they could be reincarnated. Souls that had been polluted or damaged during their lifetimes would be purified by the Light during their time in Heaven, and afterward, they would enter the cycle of reincarnation. During this process, the Light would extract thest remnants of their faith. The faith umted through this method would eventually be passed on to Eugene, and be transformed into the strength needed to save the world. The group had stayed in the holynd of the Light for three days. During that time, Eugene had sat in front of the light and remainedpletely silent, as if he was only sleeping. The Light was formed after the God of Giants was forced to devour the gods of the ancient era in the hope of ending Destruction and saving the world. Since Eugene was the one they had reincarnated and entrusted with the hope of saving the world, he was the only exception with whom the Light couldmunicate. Otherwise, by their very nature, the Light was unable to hold a conversation with anyone. Three dayster, Eugene had stood up and said, ¡®It¡¯s over.¡¯ The Light must have already known that Destruction had been thwarted. But Eugene had stille here and spent three daysmunicating with the Light because he wanted to greet his old friend who had been forced to remain in such a bloated state for so long and because he wanted to talk with the Light about the future that had now opened up for the world. ¡°Heaven does exist,¡± Kristina muttered with confidence. Before leaving their holynd, Kristina had clearly felt that the Light was somehow different from when they had first arrived. Eugene had kept the promise that he had made to Anise and Kristina in the past. ¡ªWhen I return thereter, I¡¯ll also make sure to tear that ce apart and fix it. ¡ªSo that the ce is a bit more like the Heaven you¡¯ve been hoping for. She hadn¡¯t asked Eugene what exactly had changed in the Heaven run by the Light, or what had been added to it. The nature of Heaven wasn¡¯t something that should be known by the living. Kristina had kept her curiosity about Heaven alive so that she could someday look forward to seeing it for herself... after she eventually died. [I can go check that out for you right now if you want me to,] Anise said to Kristina as she began to walk away from the tombstone. [I am already dead, after all.] ¡°You can¡¯t just leave me for that,¡± Kristina said with a wry smile. She knew that what Anise had just said wasn¡¯t a simple joke. After all, hadn¡¯t she already said it in the past? Anise had been transformed into an angel and allowed to remain in this world to fulfill her past regrets. Now, all of the Demon Kings had been defeated. That was the goal that they hadn¡¯t been able to achieve three hundred years ago. With the death of Destruction, Anise¡¯sst regrets had been fulfilled. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any new regrets you want to rectify?¡± Kristina suggested. [Those have already been fulfilled to a certain extent,] Anise said calmly. ¡°Sister, if you disappear... Sir Eugene would be sorrowful,¡± Kristina tried to persuade her. ¡°That also applies to Lady Sienna, Sir Molon, Sir Vermouth, and, of course, me.¡± [However, if I continue to share your body like this, Kristina, you won''t be able to enjoy living your own life fully, now will you?] Anise argued back. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter to me,¡± Kristina quickly denied. [You can say that now, but we can¡¯t continue like this. The memories you make in life should belong solely to yourself,] Anise said seriously. ¡°Hasn¡¯t Lady Sienna already created a method to solve that issue?¡± Kristina pointed out. As they left the cemetery, they were greeted with a bow from Raphael, who had been waiting for them. ¡°Please allow me to escort you to the gate,¡± Raphael politely offered. This visit would mark the final entry of Kristina¡¯s itinerary in Yuras. After this, Kristina would be leaving Yuras and heading back to her home with the Lionhearts. The Vatican had nned to hold a grand send-off ceremony, but neither of the Saints had desired such an ostentatious farewell. In any case, the title of Saint they both held was something that couldn¡¯t and shouldn¡¯t ever be taken away from them. Yuras no longer dared to reach their hands towards the Saints, but the countless believers of the Light would always remember them for what they had done and be filled with a desire to get closer to them. [Sienna¡¯s method hm,] Anise muttered thoughtfully as Kristina stepped into the carriage that was being drawn by Apollo. Through Kristina¡¯s eyes, Ansie stared at therge suitcase that had been ced on the opposite seat. [Her method... is so amazing that it even managed to ignite the lingering regrets I¡¯ve been holding deep within me,] Anise admitted. [However, I¡¯m not sure if that is really the right choice to make.] Kristina silently reached out and pulled the suitcase onto herp. With a click, the suitcase opened, revealing how the insides of the suitcase appeared distorted due to the spatial magic that had been ced on it. Kristina reached into the suitcase and pulled out arge life-sized doll before cing it down on the opposite seat. ¡°With this doll body, even the Queen of the Night Demons, Noir Giabe, was given a chance at a new life. Is there any reason why you shouldn¡¯t do the same, Sister?¡± Kristina argued. Anise frowned to herself, [I¡¯m really not happy with that. So much so that, when I heard the news, I honestly suspected that Sienna may have gone senile.] Kristina also couldn¡¯t help but agree with Anise¡¯s misgivings. Unlike Sienna, the Saints were having a hard time epting Noir Giabe¡¯s resurrection. Even if Noir wasn¡¯t the life-threatening enemy she had been in the past, it wasn¡¯t like all of the danger she had put them through in the past would disappear, now would it? [Of course.... I also think that there are grounds to sympathize with Noir Giabe for being subjected to such a twisted fate. However, even with that said, isn¡¯t it too much of a kindness to grant her a new lease on life?] Aniseined. Kristina defended Sienna, ¡°Lady Sienna did say that this new life was the punishment she hadid down on Noir Giabe.¡± Anise snorted. [You already know full well that that isn¡¯t the only reason that chick gave Noir a new life, don¡¯t you?] ¡°Yes, I am aware. Lady Sienna has a very soft heart. However, she is not foolish enough to show Noir Giabell mercy out of pure sympathy. On top of that...,¡± Kristina slowly trailed off as she turned her head to look out of the window. The distance from here to Pandemonium was quite far, so she couldn¡¯t actually see the scene taking ce there, but as she stared in the direction of Pandemonium, Kristina pictured in her mind therge-scale construction that was currently underway on that site. Kristina sighed and said, ¡°Noir Giabe... is certainly capable. She can be used in as many ways as needed.¡± [I understand the reasoning for getting as much use out of her as needed before sending her soul into the afterlife to pay for her crimes. But to think that Sienna would actually give her ten whole years...,] Anise shook her head. [Considering Sienna¡¯s personality, after ten years, they will surely have formed an ill-fated rtionship that will prevent her from releasing Noir¡¯s soul.] ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t we both work together to keep Lady Sienna in check so she doesn¡¯t do such a thing?¡± Kristina said with a broad smile as she grabbed the doll¡¯s hand. ¡°I know all sorts of things about you, Sister. Even now, you still have many regrets that keep you from departing this world.¡± [And to think, you used to be so innocent and cute,] Anise muttered with a wry smile. The thought that it would be better for her to leave this world and go to Heaven hadpletely disappeared over the course of her conversation with Kristina. ¡°Even in the past, I wasn¡¯t that innocent,¡± Kristina argued. [Well, who knows? Setting aside your sharp tongue, I feel like you used to be gullible. However, that no longer works. At some point, I became the one who was being swayed by you instead,] Anise sighed. Kristina smiled. ¡°I learned it all from watching your example, Sister.¡± Anise chuckled at the cheeky response. Fwooosh.... With a burst of light, Anise emerged from Kristina¡¯s back. Furrowing her brow, Anise moved to sit next to the doll on the seat facing Kristina. [But won¡¯t people make fun of me?] Anise shared her concerns. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kristina asked in confusion. Anise pointed out the irony, [I¡¯m talking about the fact that I, a priest and a Saint who died three hundred years ago, still insist on defying thews of life and death by seeking to continue living inside a doll.] ¡°Oh, Lady Anise,¡± Kristina said with a cheerful smile. This time, Kristina didn¡¯t call her Sister. Anise¡¯s eyes widened in surprise at suddenly being called by her actual name. ¡°While we were in the belly of the Demon King of Destruction, among all the words that Sir Eugene, Lady Anise, Lady Sienna, and Sir Molon said to Sir Vermouth, there was one line in particr that I took deeply to heart. Which line do you think it was?¡± Kristina asked rhetorically. Anise just looked at her. ¡°It was when you all told him that he deserves to be happy. Yes, I also agree with that thought. Everyone deserves to be happy, and the same applies to you, Lady Anise,¡± Kristina said, reaching out to grab Anise¡¯s hand. However, Kristina couldn¡¯t feel any sensation or resistance from Anise. This was because the figure of Anise, who was sitting in front of Kristina, was ultimately just a soul that had been transformed into an angel, and although Anise could be seen and spoken to, the warmth of her skin and flesh could no longer be felt. Whether it was eating food or drinking alcohol, all of that could only be possible for Anise if she experienced it through Kristina¡¯s body. Kristina¡¯s face grew serious as she said, ¡°Lady Anise. You passed away three hundred years ago. Your corpse was processed into holy relics, with part of it being thrown into the Fount of Light, while other parts were passed down from candidate to candidate... until they were finally transnted into my body when I was just an infant. For the sake of the world, you even offered up your own body. And your soul, unable to rest, became an angel so that you could stay here with me.¡± [I wanted to do it,] Anise slowly insisted. ¡°That¡¯s because you didn¡¯t have any other options. You did it because you had no choice but to do it. However, now, you don¡¯t have to do such a thing. There are no more helpless choices for you to make. You don¡¯t have to do anything that you don''t want to do,¡± Kristina said encouragingly. [That is true,] Anise gave in, shaking her head with a wry smile. [You''re appealing to my human emotions and desires, rather than challenging my principles and faith, so I have no choice but to concede. Fine then, Kristina, I¡¯ll do it.] ¡°Lady Anise, if anyone ridicules your choice as an ugly act of clinging to life, I will personally p some sense into them,¡± Kristina promised. [Alright, but don¡¯t expect me just to stand there and listen to it. You can p the left cheek, and I will p the right,] Anise agreed with a grin. They let go of each other¡¯s hands. While cing her hand on the chest of the doll sitting next to her, Anise muttered, [Now, what was in that exnation that Sienna sent over again? She said that it could eat food and drink alcohol, didn¡¯t she? However, she also said that it couldn''t have any children, right?] ¡°If she continues her research into it, she might be able to improve it even further,¡± Kristina said optimistically. [I don¡¯t particrly want to have any children. But it would be interesting to see what yours and Eugene¡¯s child looks like,] Anise teased. Kristina repeated the word thoughtfully, ¡°A child.... But shouldn¡¯t Lady Sienna be the first to give birth?¡± Anise raised a brow, [You¡¯re not going to stammer out a denial? Your face isn¡¯t even blushing!] Even though she was being teased, Kristina¡¯s face hadn¡¯t reddened in the slightest. Instead, a faint smile hovered over her lips. Her eyes were curved inughter, and her blue pupils were sparkling with menace through the thin gaps between her eyelids. Anise felt her soul tremble at the insidious danger she felt lurking behind that smile. As expected, Kristina certainly wasn¡¯t innocent any longer. Chapter 623: Ever After (8) In the early morning hours, Ciel woke up in her bed. There was still time left before the sun began to rise, but Ciel was used to waking up at this hour. She sat up in bed, rolling her neck a few times, and then, after cing her feet together in front of her, she stretched her upper body forward. After she was done with that, Ciel got out of bed and lightly stretched her body as she loosened her joints. Then she drank a ss of water that had been ced beside the bed before washing her face, brushing her teeth, and changing into a new set of clothes. Stepping out of her room, Ciel quietly closed the door behind her. Most people were still asleep at this hour. She silently walked down the hallways that were kept illuminated with dimmed lights. Getting up and leaving her room at this hour was all part of Ciel¡¯s daily routine. Even during her childhood, Ciel had never once cked off in her training, working hard to prove that she deserved to be born into the main line of the Lionheart n. Back when the eldest son, Eward Lionheart ¡ª whose name was now forbidden even to be mentioned ¡ª had held the right to seed the family, Ciel had been driven to fight for her mother¡¯s approval and their position in the family. But then¡­. ¡°So what if all of our hard work was aimed in the wrong direction,¡± Ciel muttered with a pout as she walked down the quiet hallway. It hadn¡¯t just been her. From a young age, both the twins had been hard workers, and it wasn¡¯t just for the sake of their mother¡¯s approval and their position in the main family. When they were thirteen years old, in the now-defunct Lionheart tradition that was the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony, they hadpeted against Eugene, who had shown them that an overwhelming gap existed between him and them before he was adopted into the main family. No, rather thanpeting¡­. At that time, they were only thirteen years old. Meeting him at such a young age, the twins couldn¡¯t help but holdplicated feelings toward Eugene ¡ª a descendant of a coteral line who was far superior to those from the main line. If he had simply remained a part of the coteral lines, there wouldn¡¯t have been much for the twins to worry about, but Eugene had then be a foster child of the main family. Fortunately, Anci had a keen eye for reading the wind, so she chose not to show any hostility towards Eugene. She had sat the young twins down in front of her and told them they needed to be a real family to Eugene. The fact that they had seen Eugene¡¯s skills firsthand during the Bloodline Continuation Ceremony also served as a blessing for the twins.Cyan had instinctively been drawn to Eugen¡¯s strength. Boys at that age tended to admire those stronger than themselves and wanted to be friends with them. But Cyan didn¡¯t just want to be friends; he wanted to be true brothers, and his pride as a noble young master made him want to catch up with Eugene no matter how hard he had to work for it. Ciel also felt simrly. However, unlike Cyan, Ciel was a girl. For Ciel, who had only ever lived in the main house, which was filled with her blood-rted family members, Eugene¡¯s sudden intrusion into their lives at such a young age had left her unable to hold anything more than a vague perception of him as a family member or a sibling. There had been too many missed opportunities: if only the awkward feelings brought about by her puberty had been less intense or if Eugene hadn¡¯t gone to study abroad in Aroth. Or maybe if she had followed Eugene instead of bing a ck Lion or if she had only acknowledged her feelings early on and confessed them to Eugene¡­ if she had just made any type of concentrated effort. Cielughed bitterly, ¡°There¡¯s still no way it would have worked out.¡± If it had been in the past when she hadn¡¯t known the full circumstances, Ciel might have believed otherwise, but the current Ciel now knew a lot more about Eugene. No matter in which direction Ciel might have chosen to devote her efforts, she still wouldn¡¯t have been able to receive the desired answer from Eugene. For Eugene, the past was something he would never be able to cast off, whether it was his connection to hisrades, his emotions umted in that life, or his unfulfilled regrets. No matter how desperately Ciel confessed her love to him, Ciel¡¯s feelings wouldn¡¯t have been able to reach Eugene. No matter how pretty the clothes she wore, no matter how many times she swung her sword in the training grounds every morning, no matter how much stronger she became as a result of all that, these efforts still wouldn¡¯t be able to grant Ciel the response that she so desperately desired. Even now, after the war hadpletely ended¡­ that was still the case. Ciel wanted to be so much stronger because she wanted to fight alongside Eugene. Whether it was against the Demon King of Incarceration or the Demon King of Destruction, she had wanted to do her part in those battles and be of help to Eugene. But the distance between them had proved far too great. She hadn¡¯t been able to catch up to him in time. Ciel¡¯s only significant contribution during those battles was to use her Demoneye of Darkness to summon Molon. In the battle against the Demon King of Incarceration, she had defeated many demonfolk and demonic beasts. In the battle against the Demon King of Destruction, she had also brought down many of the Nur. But that was all she had managed. Ciel still hadn¡¯t been able to stand on the same battlefield as Eugene. In both battles, Ciel¡¯s position had always been the same. She had only fought on the battlefields that were far away from the Demon Kings. So she had been left with no choice but to wait while hoping that Eugene would return after ying the Demon Kings. ¡°Phew,¡± Ciel let out a deep sigh. The war was over. And there wouldn¡¯t be another such war for hundreds of years from now. No, even if a war did break out somewhere on the continent, there wouldn¡¯t be any need for Eugene to be there, so naturally, that meant Ciel also wouldn¡¯t get another chance to fight alongside him. Yet even so, Ciel still woke up in the early hours of the morning every day, changed her clothes, and headed out to the training grounds¡­. Was it because of her many regrets? Did she perhaps still harbor some faint hope? Was it a desire to be stronger regardless of the situation? Or was it simply out of habit? Even Ciel herself didn¡¯t know the exact reason for her behavior. She just naturally woke up at this time without even meaning to, and when she tried to go back to sleep, her sleep was uneasy, and if she skipped her early morning training, her body felt heavy¡­. So was it just because of habit in the end? Ciel headed towards the stairs with a wry smile on her face. ¡°Hm? Ciel hummed, sensing a presence in the study near the hallway. With a little bit of focus, she was able to detect the identity of that presence, so instead of heading down the stairs, she first walked over to the study. In the Lionheart¡¯s main estate, even a study boasted a sizeparable to a small library. Vermouth was standing near a bookshelf as he read a book instead of sitting down to read it. He raised his head as he heard the sound of gentle knockinging from the door. ¡°Please,e in,¡± Vermouth called out. Ciel carefully cracked open the door and peeked her head through the gap. She blinked her eyes bashfully as she looked at Vermouth, then she grinned and said, ¡°Hello Uncle[1].¡± ¡°Haaah¡­,¡± Vermouth let out a long sigh at this yful greeting. He shook his head and muttered, ¡°I still can¡¯t get used to that title.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it better than calling you Father? Or perhaps, would you prefer to be called Grandfather instead?¡± Ciel cheekily asked. ¡°It would be better if you could just call me by my name,¡± Vermouth requested resignedly. ¡°There¡¯s no way I could do something like that,¡± Ciel said, shaking her head. ¡°You are the Founding Ancestor of the Lionheart n, after all, Uncle.¡± ¡°But you calling me Uncle still feels a little¡­,¡± Vermouth trailed off awkwardly. ¡°Since the Patriarch doesn¡¯t have any older brothers, there¡¯s no one else who I can call Uncle[2]. Besides, doesn¡¯t me calling you that truly make us feel like family?¡± Ciel said with a giggle as she stepped into the study. Following the dinner they had shared a week ago, Carmen had been calling Vermouth her Father while Ciel had been addressing him as Uncle. ¡°Am I perhaps bothering you?¡± Ciel politely asked. ¡°Not at all,¡± Vermouth assured her. ¡°Are you having trouble sleeping? Or maybe, is there anything about the main estate that¡¯s making you ufortable¡­?¡± Ciel cautiously inquired. ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing like that. I usually don¡¯t sleep much¡­,¡± Vermouth admitted as he held up the book he was reading, ¡°...and there are a lot of interesting books here.¡± The book Vermouth was holding summarized the history of the Lionheart n, and it had never been circted outside of the family. Ciel¡¯s eyes sparkled with interest. As a descendant of the main family, Ciel had naturally read that book several times from a young age. ¡°Uncle, are you curious about what happened to the family after you¡­ well¡­ passed away?¡± Ciel asked with some slight hesitation. ¡°I wonder if I even have the right to be curious about that,¡± Vermouth said as he sat down on a chair with a bitter smile. As he stared at the book he had set down on the desk in front of him, Vermouth remained silent for a few moments. Vermouth of three hundred years ago definitely hadn¡¯t been a good husband, nor had he been a good father. Vermouth had had more than a dozen wives and fathered dozens more children, but not one of them had received any more affection than any of the rest, nor had he shown them any special interest. Vermouth¡¯s children had all been forced to work hard to escape the shadow of their father¡¯s glory, of the Hero who had been titled the Great Vermouth. At the same time, they had longed for the affection and attention of their father, whom they couldn¡¯t help but admire deeply. Some of his children must have surely resented their heartless father. They would definitely have been dissatisfied with the gap between the main line and the coteral lines that Vermouth had established all that time ago. However, none of them had dared to confront Vermouth openly about his policies. That was all because their father was the Great Vermouth. ¡°There wasn¡¯t even a single bad line written about me,¡± Vermouth muttered with a wry sense of shame. Was it out of respect for their father that they hadn¡¯t left any trace of their resentment? Or perhaps they had wanted the future generations to believe that their ancestor was some kind of perfect genius? ¡°Do you regret your past?¡± Ciel tilted her head in curiosity as she sat down across from Vermouth. Unable to take his eyes off the book lying closed in front of him, Vermouth eventually spoke up, ¡°Back then, I had no choice but to do what I did. Even if I could return to the past, I would still do the exact same things.¡± The Lionheart n had been created in order to reincarnate Hamel. Everything Vermouth had done was to increase the probability of Hamel¡¯s reincarnation because he didn¡¯t know just how long it would take. He had also ensured the n¡¯s growth and expansion so that it could serve as Hamel¡¯s ally. So even if he were to return to the past, Vermouth would still fashion the n in the same way. ¡°So, Uncle, even someone like you still has regrets,¡± Ciel sighed. ¡°As long as they¡¯re human, everyone has regrets; it¡¯s only a question of how many,¡± Vermouth said as he lifted his gaze away from the book to look ahead at the person sitting in front of him. Ciel was one of his descendants, born two hundred years after his apparent death. She was a direct descendant of the main line. But aside from that, Ciel was also someone who held a special connection to Vermouth. Vermouth stared at Ciel¡¯s left eye, which appeared a little cloudypared to her right eye. The Demoneye residing there had been awakened by Vermouth. During the battle against the new Demon King of Fury, when Eugene¡¯s consciousness had been sucked into the void during the Moonlight Sword¡¯s rampage, the chains of the Demon King of Incarceration had been needed to calm the rampage, and Ciel had connected with Eugene to free his consciousness from the void. In the process of doing so, the demonic factor that Ciel had inherited through her Lionheart blood had been activated. Vermouth was responsible for that activation. He had been wary of activating the demonic factor in Eugene¡¯s blood, as it might arouse a bacsh from Eugene¡¯s innate divinity, so Vermouth had used Ciel¡¯s blood instead, as she happened to be there with Eugene. ¡°I have done you a grave injustice as well,¡± Vermouth confessed with a long sigh. ¡°Back then, when you two were at sea, I¡­ I didn¡¯t even consider the future consequences of what I did to you. Even though I knew that you could die from the sudden bacsh of the Demoneye that was transnted into you, I still¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Ciel said, rubbing her left eye. ¡°At first, I didn¡¯t know what was going on, but it all worked out in the end, right? I actually like having this Demoneye.¡± Right at the moment when Eugene had woken up from the Moonlight Sword¡¯s rampage and had yet to gain full control of his body, the Demon King of Fury had taken advantage of that opening andunched an attack targeting Eugene. Ciel had thrown herself in front of the blow in order to save Eugene and had lost her left eye as a result of her sacrifice. ¡°At that time, I just thought of this Demoneye as a gift from you, Uncle. Thanks to it, I was still able to help Eugene even though my strength was severelycking,¡± Ciel said gratefully. Vermouth stared at her silently. ¡°So there¡¯s no need to feel any guilt for what you did to me,¡± Ciel said with a giggle as she leaned closer to Vermouth. ¡°More importantly, there are a lot of stories that I want to hear from you, Uncle.¡± Vermouth raised an eyebrow and asked, ¡°What kind of stories?¡± ¡°Just what kind of person was Eugene?¡± Ciel asked, her eyes sparkling with interest and curiosity. Vermouth tilted his head to one side, considering this unexpected question. ¡°Haven¡¯t you already heard stories about Hamel many times before? From sources other than myself? Such as Sienna, Anise, and Molon¡ª¡± ¡°But I¡¯m sure that every one of you has a different impression of him. I¡¯m curious about what kind of impression you got from him, Uncle,¡± Ciel exined. ¡°Uncle, you and Eugene have always paid a lot of attention to each other, haven¡¯t you? I¡¯ve heard that Eugene has always considered you his rival and always wanted to win against you at least once during his previous life.¡± ¡°My impression¡­,¡± Vermouth said, slowly tapping his fingers on the table as he considered his answer for a few moments. ¡°Setting aside what I knew of Hamel¡¯s past life, the impression that I had when I first saw him was that he was¡­ well¡­ a thug[3].¡± ¡°A thug?¡± Ciel repeated in confusion. Vermouth began to exin, ¡°At that time, I only had threepanions at my side, Molon, Sienna, and Anise. Meanwhile, Hamel was just someone who made quite a name for himself in the world of mercenaries. I used his reputation as a flimsy excuse to exin why I was intent on taking Hamel as my newpanion.¡± ¡°So what happened next?¡± Ciel eagerly pressed. Vermouth shook his head, ¡°Sienna and Anise both had reservations. Molon and I were strong enough that they didn¡¯t see the need for another warrior who could fight in closebat, and at that time, the impression people had of the mercenary profession wasn¡¯t very good. On top of that, Hamel¡¯s reputation was¡­ well¡­ let¡¯s just say that he wasn¡¯t famous for the right reasons.¡± There was no need for Vermouth to search his memories. He could still remember his first meeting with Hamel as clearly as if it had happened yesterday. Vermouth fondly recalled, ¡°During our first meeting, Hamel was beating up a group of knights.¡± ¡°And why was he doing that?¡± Ciel asked in confusion. ¡°Hamel had been looking for a ship that would take him across the sea to the Devildom. The conflict started because the knights had mocked Hamel while they were in the midst of¡­ negotiations,¡± Vermouth carefully exined. Unable to say anything in response to this, Ciel just blinked her eyes in surprise. Vermouth continued, ¡°Hamel broke a limb on each of the knights and confiscated their weapons. Once he was done¡­ I approached Hamel.¡± ¡°And then what?¡± Ciel leaned forward eagerly. ¡°I invited him to share a meal. We couldn¡¯t just have a conversation in the middle of the street surrounded by all those onlookers, after all. So we headed into a restaurant together, and while we were eating¡­ I asked him to be myrade,¡± Vermouth slowly recounted. ¡°What did he say in response?¡± Ciel asked, absorbed in the story. Vermouth hesitated, ¡°How should I put this in a more polite way¡ª¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to censor the story for my sake,¡± Ciel quickly insisted. Vermouth hesitated for a few more moments before eventually continuing in the most polite tone he could manage. ¡°He said that he didn¡¯t want to listen to the orders of some scrub who was weaker than he was.¡± ¡°Ahaha!¡± Ciel couldn¡¯t help but burst intoughter at these words, clutching her sides as she doubled over. ¡°So even in the past, he still had the same trashy personality that he has now?¡± ¡°I think that he¡¯s actually be much gentler nowadays. After he became a member of our party, Sienna and Anise were always trying to beat Hamel¡¯s personality into shape¡­,¡± Vermouth said with a smile as he looked at Ciel. ¡°Being reincarnated and having to start a new life may also be responsible for the changes in Hamel¡¯s personality. I could never have imagined that Hamel would actually be willing to kneel down in front of his father.¡± ¡°Um, that¡¯s for sure,¡± Ciel agreed. ¡°When I first met Eugene when I was younger, he was even more of a jerk than he is now.¡± ¡°And how did that go?¡± Vermouth asked. Ciel shook her head and said, ¡°After my brother teased him a little, Eugene immediately challenged him to a duel. My brother got knocked down in a single hit and was made to cry while throwing up.¡± Just like Vermouth, Ciel was also able to remember her very first meeting with Eugene clearly. As he was watching Ciel giggle at the memory with one hand over her mouth, Vermouth asked, ¡°Do you like Hamel?¡± Ciel¡¯sughter came to a sudden stop. She blinked her eyes a few times as she stared back at Vermouth. The silence was short-lived. ¡°Yes,¡± Ciel responded without even the slightest hesitation. Ciel still regretted not trying to get just that little bit closer to Eugene in the past. Even though she knew that, even if she did return to the past, she still wouldn¡¯t be able to close the distance between them. But as Vermouth had said, everyone has regrets to a certain extent, but there was no way to redo what had happened in the past. ¡°I know that I won¡¯t be able to get the answer I want from him. However, I don¡¯t want to give up. If I give up¡­,¡± Ciel paused before continuing. ¡°If I give up, then I think I will just regret it even moreter on.¡± Ciel still woke up every morning to swing her sword as if out of habit. ¡°No matter how much stronger I get by continuing to swing my sword, I will never be able to catch up to Eugene,¡± Ciel admitted. ¡°But even though I may only ever be able to keep chasing Eugene¡¯s back, I will still keep swinging my sword from now on.¡± Because if she kept swinging her sword until the sun had fully risen, Eugene, who had finally woken up from his sleep, would walk over to talk to her. Ciel loved those moments. ¡°I don¡¯t want to fall behind where I can¡¯t even see his back. No matter how far out of reach he might be, I still want to be able to keep up with him. That way¡­ if I can just do that, there might be times when Eugene turns around to look back at me,¡± Ciel said, self-consciously blinking her eyes, but surprisingly, there was no sign of tears. ¡°No, I¡¯ll keep following him so desperately that he has no choice but to turn and look back.¡± Instead of feeling sad, Ciel surprisingly felt relieved. The gloomy feeling that had been hovering over her before she had entered the study had disappeared. Ciel smiled and said, ¡°Uncle, do you think I¡¯m being stupid?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no way I would think that,¡± Vermouth said, shaking his head, a faint smile also on his face. ¡°Ciel. There is no reason tough at you for holding on to your wish. After all, doing so just means that you never gave up or gave into despair, isn¡¯t that right?¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s because I got pped for doing so in the past,¡± Ciel said with a grin as she rubbed her cheek.[4] A faint ray of light streamed in from the window near the desk. Ciel nced out the window to see that the sun had already risen at some point during their conversation. ¡°I should be heading off now,¡± Ciel excused herself. ¡°Are you going to do some sword swings?¡± Vermouth asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Ciel nodded. ¡°If it¡¯s alright with you, would you like me to take a look at your swings?¡± Vermouth offered. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m alright with that,¡± Ciel said, getting up from her chair with a bright smile. ¡°Since you¡¯ve listened to me talk and offered to look at my sword swings, does that mean I can assume you¡¯re cheering me on, Uncle?¡± ¡°We¡¯re family, after all,¡± Vermouth said, returning her smile with his own as he also got up from his chair. ¡°You should head over to the training grounds first. I¡¯ll be there right after I¡¯m done changing.¡± ¡°Alright!¡± Ciel cheered, as she quickly spun around and left the study. Vermouth, who was left on his own once more, muttered to himself as he picked up the book that he had ced on the desk and returned it to its ce on the bookshelf, ¡°Really now¡­.¡± In his previous life, Hamel hadn¡¯t been very popr with women. That was because he had a violent personality, a rough tongue, and a face covered in scars. Sienna and Anise, who had both spent a long time fighting alongside him asrades, had developed feelings for Hamel, but from a general perspective, Hamel wasn¡¯t really the type to be popr with women. But nowadays¡­. ¡°To think that he would be reincarnated with such a handsome face,¡± Vermouth sighed ruefully. Of course, Ciel¡¯s feelings for Eugene weren¡¯t just because of his handsome appearance, but his looks must have also yed a bigger role in her infatuation. Especially when one took into ount the fact that the hundreds of boxes of love letters that had to be burned at the Lionheart main estate every single day were all due to Eugene¡¯s heroics and handsome face. ¡°It seems that you also have a lot to repent for, Hamel,¡± Vermouth said, shaking his head as he left the study. 1. The word Ciel uses here specifically trantes to the older brother of your father. ? 2. Again, in Korean, this term specifically applies to the elder brother of your father, so while Gilead does have two younger brothers, Ciel wouldn¡¯t be able to use this specific term to address them. ? 3. The word that Vermouth uses has aplex etymology. It¡¯s a very archaic insult that carries the implication of the person being a useless person, an executioner, or a bastard. ? 4. This refers to when Kristina pped her for acting pathetic. ?
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts OBW: Should we have a poll on which of Eugene¡¯s many gifts was his greatest inheritance? Agaroth¡¯s divinity, Hamel¡¯s rtionships, or Vermouth¡¯s good looks? Momo: I will vote for looks ;) Who doesn¡¯t like to admire good looks? ;)
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 624: Ever After (9)

Chapter 624: Ever After (9)

¡°Any ns of getting married?¡± ¡°Kagh-heuk.¡± This sudden question had Eugene coughing up the mouthful of alcohol he had just been about to swallow. The eruption came without any warning, but proving that all of his previous training hadn¡¯t been for nothing, Cyan reacted calmly and immediately leaned his chair backward to avoid the ssh. ¡°Kah-heuk, gahk....¡± However, Eugene couldn¡¯t deal with the violent coughing fit with as much grace as Cyan. The strong alcohol that flowed back up from the inside of his throat stung both his nose and eyes. ¡°Why would you suddenly ask me that?¡± Eugene protested. ¡°It¡¯s not like my question is that unwarranted,¡± Cyan replied, allowing his tilted-back chair to slowly fall onto all fours. They were currently in Cyan¡¯s room. Eugene had taken the seat across from Cyan after thetter had invited him to share ate drink between brothers, just the two of them. So how could Eugene have expected Cyan to suddenly spring such a question onto him? Eugene wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he red at Cyan and growled, ¡°Who told you to ask me that?¡± ¡°W-what?¡± Cyan awkwardly feigned ignorance. ¡°I said, who told you to ask me that?¡± Eugene repeated himself. ¡°Was it the Patriarch? Lady Anci? Or could it perhaps have been my father...?¡± ¡°Ahem,¡± Cyan cleared his throat as he looked away. ¡°No... hold on. It might have been one of the others,¡± Eugene muttered as he narrowed his eyes. Glug glug glug. Pouring out the brown spirit once more into his empty ss, Eugene considered the possible candidates. In addition to the adults of the main family, who were the first toe to mind, there were far too many people who might have ordered Cyan to float the idea of marriage to Eugene. There was Signard, who was currently living in the forest. Although they were of different races and were born to different parents, Signard and Sienna saw each other as siblings. He could be a bit of a doting idiot when it came to matters involving Sienna, and there were several times when he had teamed up with the other elves living in the forest to put some pressure on Eugene and Sienna to advance their rtionship. There was also Lovellian and Melkith. A few days ago, they hade to visit the Lionheart¡¯s main family while iming to be acting as the representatives of Aroth regarding the new city. Eugene had been present for their arrival, and they had started off their greetings with some light conversation that had included some discussion about the new city and its Academy that was soon to be inaugurated. Next up were Alchester and Raphael. They had also arrived at the Lionhearts for reasons simr to the ones the wizards had given. One of the reasons for their visit was to convey their respective Emperor and Pope¡¯s request to continue to maintain their current friendly rtions with the Lionhearts, but Alchester had also asked, without any warning, about the age range for students to be admitted to the Academy. Eugene had thought that this was because Alchester wanted to enroll his son, Leo Dragonic, who was just over thirteen years old, into the Academy, but that wasn¡¯t the case. It was Alchester himself who wished to enroll into the Academy.... While they do say that the pursuit of learning has no requirements on status or age, it was still impossible for Alchester, the Commander of Kiehl¡¯s Imperial Knights, to enter the Academy. Fortunately, Raphael at least didn¡¯t seem to have any intention of trying to enroll in the Academy personally. Instead, he was interested in the theology course, which was currently under consideration to be one of the subjects taught by the Academy. Raphael had said that if the Academy needed his help, he was willing to leave his duties in the Knights of the Blood Cross behind to teach the theology course, but Eugene had declined without any hesitation. If a die-hard fanatic like Raphael were to teach them theology, his students would surely be the same type of fanatics as well. Anyways,ing back to the current problem, it might have also been King Aman. After all, hadn¡¯t Cyan visited the Kingdom of Ruhr apanying A a few weeks ago? There were many other suspects apart from those Eugene had already considered. It would only be a slight exaggeration to say that the entire continent was interested in Eugene¡¯s going-ons, particrly since celebrity marriages was a popr topic that could be eagerly discussed even in the local bar. ¡°If someone wanted to ask, they could just ask you directly. Why would they approach me and task me with asking you that question?¡± Cyan tried to argue. Eugene snorted in disbelief, ¡°Why? Because we¡¯re brothers, that¡¯s why. If it¡¯s between brothers, well, of course, you might say things you wouldn¡¯t say to anyone else.¡± ¡°Brothers...!¡± Cyan gasped, his eyes widening. Feeling greatly moved by this affirmation of their brotherhood, Cyan raised his ss in a toast and clinked it against Eugene¡¯s. ¡°So who was it?¡± Eugene pressed. ¡°Sienna, Anise, or Kirstina?¡± Cyan scoffed, saying, ¡°If it¡¯s those three, they would definitely have just confronted you directly.¡± ¡°Indeed, that does sound like them. So tell me, who was it?¡± Eugene asked impatiently. Cyan hesitated, seemingly finding it difficult to give up the answer. But his ambiguous attitude was only making Eugene feel even more frustrated. Clink. Eugene clinked his ss against Cyan¡¯s as he urged his brother once more. ¡°Just tell me who it was?¡± ¡°It was A,¡± Cyan murmured in a low voice. ¡°Who?¡± Eugene frowned. Cyan raised his voice, ¡°I said, it was A.¡± Eugene hadn¡¯t expected her name toe up as the culprit. A Ruhr, a descendant of Molon, the daughter of King Aman, Princess of the Kingdom of Ruhr, and Cyan¡¯s fiancee, that A? Eugene blinked as he thought of A, whom he had seen in the mansion hallway a while earlier. She did bear a striking resemnce to both Molon and Aman and looked incredibly precocious for a thirteen-year-old. ¡ªYoung master. Whenever they met, A would always smile brightly and address Eugene by that formal title. ¡ªCould you tell me where Big Sis Mer and Big Sis Mir are, please? But her precociousness was only in terms of her appearance. A¡¯s mental age was still the same as her actual age. Perhaps that was why, in a rare case for them, Mer and Raimira both chose to act as elders in front of A. ¡°Why would Miss A ask about that?¡± Eugene eventually got over his shock and asked. ¡°She¡¯s very interested in your marriage,¡± Cyan revealed. Eugene furrowed his brow and asked, ¡°For what reason?¡± Cyan shyly admitted, ¡°A said that before we eventually get married to each other, it would be better if you got married first. It seems like she wants to take notes from it....¡± ¡°Take notes...?¡± Eugene slowly repeated. ¡°About what kind of ceremony it was, and what the bride should wear, and also... also....¡± Cyan hesitated for a moment, unable to continue, before finally downing his neglected ss of alcohol and finishing what he¡¯d been trying to say, ¡°She also wants... to catch the bouquet.¡± ¡°The bouquet....¡± Eugene swallowed a nervous gulp. Cyan¡¯s wedding was already scheduled for when A turned twenty. Judging from the fact that she wanted to take notes on the wedding process and was eager to catch the bouquet, it seemed that A¡¯s feelings for Cyan were more serious than Eugene had previously believed. In fact, if one set aside the difference in age and just judged them based on their appearances, they did look good together. For now, at least. A¡¯s height might still be shorter than Cyan¡¯s, but what if the Ruhr blood that she had inherited from Molon and Aman were to awaken over the course of the next few years? Eugene was reminded of Gargith¡¯s younger sister, whom he had met in the main house at a previous family event, and how she had sported bulging muscles just like her older brother. ¡°What¡¯s with that expression?¡± Cyan asked suspiciously. ¡°Ahem...,¡± Eugene coughed as he carefully examined Cyan¡¯s expression. ¡°But are you two really going to be getting married?¡± ¡°Probably,¡± Cyan said with a shrug. ¡°But your engagement was ultimately something the Patriarch and Lady Anci decided for you, wasn¡¯t it? Apart from Miss A, there was also...,¡± Eugene trailed off awkwardly. Cyan finished what Eugene had been about to say, ¡°The other candidate was Princess Scalia.¡± Nowadays, Scalia had be a devout believer who worshiped Eugene as her god, but when they had first met, she had just finished ughtering a group of mercenaries in the snowfield and had attacked Eugene, her eyes rolling in her head due to the stress and the constant nightmares she was suffering. At that time, Cyan, who hadn¡¯t been able to decide between A and Scalia, had immediately picked A as his fiancee after witnessing the scene that Scalia had left in the snowfields. Cyan set down his ss and said, ¡°It seems like you might be misunderstanding something, but I am sincere in my intentions to marry A.¡± Cyan¡¯s expression was solemn as he said this, but upon seeing this expression, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but shoot him a look filled with even more suspicion. ¡°Could it be... do you... no, never mind,¡± Eugene shook his head. Cyan groaned in exasperation, ¡°I told you to stop it with the misunderstandings...! Who said that I wanted to get married right now?¡± ¡°Once Miss A turns twenty, you¡¯d be thirty years old,¡± Eugene pointed out. ¡°If A really doesn¡¯t want to marry me, then there¡¯s no way I would go along with it. That¡¯s not just for now; it will apply after seven years as well. But right now, she bursts into tears if I even bring up the idea of possibly breaking off our engagement...!¡± Cyan spat out, his shoulders shaking just from the memory of it. ¡°She was crying like the world was about to end, so what else was I supposed to do? I had to say something tofort her! So I told her I was sorry and promised that I definitely wouldn¡¯t break our engagement!¡± Cyan took a moment to calm himself before sighing, ¡°However, after seven years have truly passed, A might still change her mind. She might not want to marry a middle-aged man ten years older than her.¡± Eugene snorted in amusement, ¡°If a thirty-year-old is middle-aged, then what am I, a grandfather? No, maybe I would count as an undead?¡± Cyan huffed, ¡°Stop speaking in circles and tell me, when exactly are you going to get married?¡± Eugene clicked his tongue at this sharp retort and took a moment to think about it seriously, ¡°About a year from now?¡± ¡°What¡¯s with the vague time of a year? If you¡¯re going to do it, you should just do it right away,¡± Cyan encouraged. ¡°Is marriage truly something that you should jump into right away just because you¡¯ve decided to do it? I also need some time to prepare myself mentally,¡± Eugene protested. ¡°Preparation, as if...,¡± Cyan snorted in disbelief. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll get to it in about a year,¡± Eugene stubbornly insisted. ¡°And who will you be getting married to?¡± Cyan asked, delivering yet another extremely sharp question. As Eugene awkwardly avoided meeting Cyan¡¯s eyes, his lips sealed tightly shut. Cyan clicked his tongue several times before muttering, ¡°Lady Sienna, Lady Anise, or Lady Kristina? Which of them are you going to choose?¡± Eugene hesitantly replied, ¡°All of them... all together?¡± Cyan¡¯s face twisted in disgust at this barely reasonable answer. Before Cyan could part his sneering lips to actually say something, Eugene quickly added, ¡°All three of them want to marry me in any case, and I... well... I also think that it would be good to do so. Also, rather than marrying Sienna a year from now on, then marrying Anise a yearter, and finally marrying Kristina a year after that, I feel like it would be better to do it all at once....¡± ¡°There¡¯s a lot that I want to say about that,¡± Cyan slowly began, but instead of erupting into curses, he let out a long sigh. ¡°You might actually... have a point with what you¡¯re saying. But has Lady Sienna agreed to this n of yours?¡± Eugene cleared his throat, ¡°She¡¯s sort of agreed.¡± ¡°Why do you keep giving such vague responses?¡± Cyanined. ¡°That¡¯s why I said that I need about a year. That gives me time to sort out everything I need to sort out, and I can definitely get her permission with that much time...,¡± Eugene blurted out his excuse. ¡°You¡¯re insane,¡± Cyan let out another sigh as he shook his head. ¡°But even so... well... I guess it would be quite a joyous affair. A would also probably enjoy it as it gives her more chances to catch the bouquets.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll be throwing all three of them at the same time, so tell her to do her best to catch them all,¡± Eugene said encouragingly. ¡°If you¡¯re going to throw three of them, why don¡¯t you throw one over to Ciel,¡± Cyan suggested. Eugene choked on his drink once more, ¡°Gaghk!¡± Once again, Eugene sprayed out a mouthful of alcohol, and Cyan had to quickly tilt his chair backward to avoid being sprayed. Eugene stammered, ¡°F-for a while now, I¡¯ve noticed that Vermouth seems to be getting closer to Ciel. Do you know what¡¯s going on with that?¡± He was trying to change the subject to something else. Cyan looked at Eugene with a pitying expression, then slowly shook his head, ¡°Why are you asking me when you could be asking him? Also, you can tell just by looking at them. He¡¯s been watching over her training every day for a while now.¡± ¡°But why all of a sudden...?¡± Eugene intively questioned. Cyan shrugged, saying, ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s only giving guidance to Ciel. He¡¯s also given me some good advice as well.¡± ¡°Are you suggesting that he might be a better teacher than me? That bastard, even in the past, he had no clue how to teach someone,¡± Eugeneined. Cyan sniffed and avoided answering the question. ¡°It is an honor that he¡¯s even willing to guide us.¡± Eugene just smirked and said, ¡°It seems like he¡¯s still as bad at teaching as ever.¡± ¡°At least he¡¯s a lot friendlier than you were during our past lessons,¡± Cyan said, clicking his tongue at those old memories as he set down his ss. ¡°We should finish our drinks with this. Tomorrow is an important day after all, so we can¡¯t just drink the whole night away.¡± The following day, the Lionheart¡¯s new city would finally beplete and ready to be moved into. Since a new mansion had already been constructed in the new city, they had decided to leave the mansion that they had been residing in on its current site. Since this mansion had three hundred years of history associated with it, they had decided to use it as a vi that would also serve as a museum for future generations. ¡°Who did you say would be attending the Inauguration Ceremony again?¡± Eugene asked Cyan to remind him. ¡°From the Lionhearts, there will be everyone from the Council of Elders, the ck Lions, and the most influential families among the coteral lines,¡± Cyan recalled. ¡°And besides the Lionhearts, there will be the general staff who served in the Divine Army, monarchs from the various countries, and other high-ranking nobles....¡± Eugene raised a brow, ¡°Is that all?¡± Cyan wryly shook his head as he muttered, ¡°Hundreds of thousands of people have already gathered to wait outside the city gates since a few days ago.¡± The Inauguration Ceremony of the Lionheart¡¯s new city was receiving a lot of attention from all across the continent. At tomorrow¡¯s Inauguration Ceremony, those currently residing in the Lionheart¡¯s main estate would be the very first to step foot in the city. After that, they would tour the new mansion as well as the city¡¯sndmarks, apanied by a few specially invited guests. After a short ceremony, the city gates would finally be opened. The hundreds of thousands of people who had been gathering outside the city for the past few days would then be allowed through the open gates to tour the city independently. ¡°To think that you would actually select the new residents by lottery. Isn¡¯t that far too radical?¡± Cyan asked in concern. Eugene reassured him, ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯re just going to pick anyone.¡± When choosing the residents of their new city, they had decided to give priority to the soldiers of the Divine Army who had fought in the war. They had also decided to hold a lottery for the demonfolk and human immigrants who had previously lived in Pandemonium, as well as anyone from the rest of the continent who hoped to immigrate over. ¡°But you also said that you would hold a separate lottery for the crowds of people attending the Inauguration Ceremony tomorrow. If you¡¯re not careful, a disaster could ur,¡± Cyan warned. ¡°We¡¯ll do our best to keep things under control so that nothing like that happens,¡± Eugene promised. If the hundreds of thousands of people waiting outside the city were allowed to rush in all at once, it would only be natural for there to be chaos. On top of that, if they held the lottery right in front of them, the excited crowd might cause quite amotion. Thankfully, they had already prepared measures to prevent that. ¡°It¡¯s finally happening tomorrow,¡± Eugene sighed, a pleased smile on his face as he got out of his seat. As Cyan had said, tomorrow was an important day, so Eugene also agreed to end their drinking session here and just head back to his room. ¡°You were pretending to be calm, but it seems like you¡¯re also looking forward to it, aren¡¯t you?¡± Cyan asked with a smirk. The members of the Lionheart¡¯s main family had first set eyes on the new mansion that had been built for them in the new city a few days ago. Cyan, in fact, didn¡¯t have anyints about the mansion they were currently living in, but after seeing the mansion that had been built for them in the new city, his heart couldn¡¯t help but flutter in excitement. ¡°Of course, I¡¯m looking forward to it,¡± Eugene replied with a simr smirk. However, Eugene¡¯s anticipation wasn¡¯t because of the new mansion or the inauguration of the new city. He had other ns for tomorrow. Eugene hid his excitement as he left Cyan¡¯s room. As he was heading down the hallway on the way back to his rooms, he ran into Anise and Kristina. ¡°Are you really going to bed now?¡± Anise asked with a pout. When Anise, who had sessfully transferred her soul into a doll¡¯s body, stood next to Kristina, the duo looked like twins. Aside from the slightly different air that each of them gave off, the only differences between them were Kristina¡¯s teardrop mole and the style of clothes that they wore. Eugene could recognize who was who without any problems, but they looked so simr that other people couldn¡¯t help but get them confused. It had been suggested that at least one of them should tie up their hair so that it would be easier to identify who was who, but Anise had firmly refused the suggestion. Given her teasing nature, it seemed like she enjoyed being able to confuse others. ¡°Where¡¯s Sienna?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°She¡¯s still out in the forest,¡± Anise answered. ¡°She said that she had to check on the teleportation spell she¡¯ll be using tomorrow.¡± Eugene nodded, saying, ¡°Well, it would be a big deal if that spell were to fail.¡± Even if they were leaving the mansion on its current site, the main family still had an extraordinary amount of luggage that needed to be moved. On top of that, Sienna also had to warp the entire forest as well as the dwarven workshop all the way to the new city. During thisst month, while the city had been under construction, Sienna had been obsessed with refining and double-checking her huge-scale warp spell. Since everyone living in the main estate would be moving to the new city by going through the usual warp-gates, there was no need to worry about the possibility of any casualties. Still, if any of the luggage or the trees of the forest¡ªespecially the saplings of the World Tree¡ªwere lost due to warp failure, it would be an irreversible disaster. Kristina shook her head, ¡°But there¡¯s no way that Lady Sienna¡¯s spell would actually fail, would it?¡± ¡°Still, I feel like I should go and help her out a bit,¡± Eugene argued. Anise said with a snort, ¡°When you went over to helpst time, didn¡¯t Sienna end up chasing you away? Instead of needlessly going over there to bother her, you should just get some sleep.¡± ¡°Then what are you two up to instead of sleeping?¡± Eugene pointed out. There wasn¡¯t really any need to wait for an answer because they were absolutely reeking of alcohol. Ever since Anise had possessed her doll, the two of them had spent every day drinking together. Sometimes, Ciel would be dragged away to join them once she was done with her training. Anise cheerfully grinned, saying, ¡°We¡¯re just getting a bit more to drink....¡± Kristina sighed, ¡°I don¡¯t really want to drink tonight, but Sister says that she still hasn¡¯t had enough wine yet....¡± ¡°That¡¯s a tant lie,¡± Anise used. ¡°The one who tempted me to head down to the kitchens because we didn¡¯t have enough drinking snacks was you, Kristina, isn¡¯t that right?¡± While the two were bickering, Eugene stealthily tried to sneak away. Because he knew that if he stayed here any longer, the two were sure to grab hold of him and force him toe and drink with them. ¡°Sir Eugene shoulde with us,¡± Kristina suddenly suggested. Aniseplimented her, ¡°That¡¯s a great idea, Kristina. Since Sienna isn¡¯t here right now, the two of us can monopolize Hamel.¡± Before Eugene could back away any further, Kristina and Anise grabbed hold of Eugene¡¯s arms. If they were still limited to a single body, he would have been able to shake them off somehow, but now.... Eugene gulped as he felt the soft pressure of their chests enveloping both of his tightly held arms. Just as Eugene was about to be dragged down the hallway by the two Saints, the door of Vermouth¡¯s room cracked open slightly as he peeked out to ask them, ¡°Why aren¡¯t you all sleeping yet?¡± Vermouth took in the look on Eugene¡¯s face, which was pale and locked into a frightened grimace, and then turned to Kristina and Anise, whose faces were red from tipsiness but with a gleam of desire shining in their eyes before clicking his tongue in disapproval. ¡°Hey, why don¡¯t youe and drink with us,¡± Eugene quickly called out, looking to Vermouth for help. ¡°No thanks,¡± Vermouth said without giving it a second thought. Vermouth had the gut feeling that if he got dragged along to wherever they were going, he would be forced to drink until morning, and it would also ce him right in the firing line for Anise and Kristina¡¯s eventual revenge. The two Saints¡¯ smiles deepened at Vermouth¡¯s response. ¡°Good night, Sir Vermouth.¡± ¡°Sweet dreams, Sir Vermouth.¡± The two Saints left with these greetings as they continued to drag Eugene away. ¡°Hey.¡± Just as Vermouth was about to close the door behind him, a sudden shout had him turning back to look at Eugene. Eugene red at Vermouth with narrowed eyes as he continued speaking, ¡°You should look forward to tomorrow.¡± ¡°...?¡± Vermouth frowned, unable to understand the intention behind these words. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone! Chapter 625: Ever After (10) [Bonus Images] ¡°Thank you for entrusting the city''s construction to our Giabe Construction Company!¡± Noir said with a bow. Dozens of demonfolk were lined up behind Noir, who was wearing a hard hat over a suit. With Noir¡¯s employees consisting of many different races of demonfolk, each with their distinct differences, the group of demonfolk was disying a great array of different appearances. Among their number were a few subi like Noir and also quite a few Daemons, the mostmon race of demonfolk. The giants stood out from the rest with their huge bodies, and there were even a few demonfolk with multiple pairs of arms. They were all part of the executive staff of Giabe Construction, and just like Noir, they were dressed in hard hats and suits, with the words ¡°Giabe Construction¡± printed across each of their hard hats. ¡°Now then,¡± Noir said, holding her arms up high. At this gesture, the eyes of everyone attending the Inauguration Ceremony were drawn upwards. A huge curtain was hanging behind Noir and her executives. Noir savored the attention of each and every gaze that was fixed on the curtain behind her and announced with a bright smile, ¡°Allow me to reveal the Lionheart¡¯s new mansion!¡± Swiiiish!As the curtain drew back, arge mansion was revealed. Pampababam, pampababam, pampampampam! Boom, boom, boom, boom! Fireworks soared into the sky amidst the loud fanfare before erupting in a colorful and flowery disy that covered the clear, blue sky. Eugene and the rest of the main family had already seen the mansion several times while they were inspecting the construction, but not everyone who was attending the Inauguration Ceremony had seen the mansion before. There was an extended cry of amazement at the beauty and grandeur of the stately mansion. The previous Lionheart mansion had already been beautiful enough to rival any mansions belonging to the noble families on the continent, but this new Lionheart mansion was literally on a different level. Even the Emperor of Kiehl, who owned several castles, was so shocked that his jaw dropped open speechlessly. Of course, the mansion wasn¡¯t as tall or asrge as a castle or pce. This had been done because if one counted all of the main family members who regrly lived at the main estate, that number didn¡¯t even add up to ten people. Even if one included the butlers and servants, the mansion was still only ever meant to house a few dozen. However, the size didn¡¯t matter, as the finished mansion as a whole looked like a work of art. No, in fact, all of the sculptures decorating the mansion were actually works of art renowned all across the continent. ¡°Well then, where should I start with my introductions? If I were to exin the artistic intentions and origins of all my favorite features, it wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say that I could keep talking about them for weeks. Or are you all perhaps curious about the functional features? The outdoor swimming pool perfectly replicates the beaches of Sernia Ind, the most beautiful holiday resort in the whole continent; the open-air bath was inspired by the Livar Hot Springs, a famous attraction in Ruhr, and¡­.¡± Noir began to deliver a long exnation. The dozens of guests invited to the Inauguration Ceremony were guided through the grounds of the mansion as they listened to Noir¡¯s exnation. But the outer appearance of the mansion wasn¡¯t the only noteworthy thing here. There was also the carefullyndscaped forest growing around it. Behind the mansion, the saplings of the World Tree stood tall, as if they were standing guard, and they were surrounded by the other fairy trees, each of which was several times more valuable than their same weight in mithril. The guests could feel the perfect harmony that had been cultivated between the forest and the mansion. As Vermouth stood there silently, someone approached his side and said, ¡°This took me a lot of hard work.¡± It was the White Tower Master, Melkith El-Hayah. The moment she approached him, Vermouth unconsciously took a few steps to the side to distance himself from Melkith. The impression that Melkith had left on him from their first meeting had been ingrained deeply into Vermouth. This was the Spirit Summoner who had chased after them while screaming when they had left the battlefield. The one who Sienna had cast a spell at and sent falling without any hesitation or mercy. At the time, he couldn¡¯t understand why she would do such a thing, but now¡­. During the time he spent at the main estate, Vermouth hade to know exactly what kind of person Melkith El-Hayah was. She might be simr to Carmen in a way, but at her core, she was far more insane. ¡°Phew¡­,¡± Melkith pursed her lips and blew a kiss at him. The sweetly scented breath that she exhaled should have been too far away to reach Vermouth, but the wind spirit that was summoned by her will carried her breath over to him. Whooosh¡­. Her breath, now reinforced by the wind, tickled Vermouth¡¯s ear. For Melkith, who held contracts with four Spirit Kings and could exert total control over any of the lower-ranking spirits, distance held no meaning when it came to blowing her kisses or whispers. ¡°Dear~[1],¡± Melkith whispered with a sickly sweet voice and smile. The touch of her breath and the way her whisper lingered in his ear sent goosebumps running throughout Vermouth¡¯s whole body. The way he hunched his shoulders and shakily nced at Melkith made it seem like Vermouth was confronting some primal and ancient fear. ¡°I did a lot of work. All for you, dear. And for the family,¡± Melkith slowly whispered. The family? Whose family? Vermouth felt afraid because it wasn¡¯t quite clear which family Melkith was referring to. ¡°You can feel it, can¡¯t you, dear? You were the greatest spirit summoner before I came along, after all. An incredible depth of spirit-summoning expertise went into the design behind this mansion and its forest,¡± Melkith proudly dered. Melkith was telling the truth. The sessful construction of this mansion and the forest, no, of this entire city, was only possible thanks to the cooperation of Aroth¡¯s Archwizards, and even among their number, the Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master, in particr, had yed significant roles. Led by Lovellian, the summoners of the Red Tower of Magic had provided much of thebor needed for the construction, and the spirit summoners of the White Tower of Magic had used their earth spirits to build the city¡¯s roads. Melkith had also devoted much of her time to creating the forest. Thanks to her, the spirits of the earth had been thoroughly taught how to keep thend fertile so long as the forest above wasn¡¯t somehow burnt down, and they had also been trained to arrange the growth of anything new that was nted so that it wouldn¡¯t mar the existingndscape. ¡°So anyways, dear,¡± Melkith¡¯s voice and the look in her eyes grew even more sickly sweet. As she took a step forward towards him, Vermouth had to swallow back a nervous gulp. ¡°Don¡¯t I deserve some praise¡­,¡± Melkith¡¯s whisper was mixed with a note of wistful desire, her breath continuing to tickle the corners of his ears. The one who saved Vermouth from this human-shaped source of dizzying fear that was making him feel like he was suffering from vertigo was Carmen, who resolutely stepped forward to defend Vermouth. ¡°Don¡¯t get so close to my father,¡± Carmen spat out, ring at Melkith with eyes full of disgust. Melkith sniffed and said, ¡°Why are you calling my dear your father?¡± Carmen narrowed her eyes, ¡°Why are you calling my father dear?¡± But could this really be called salvation? Caught in the center of this verbal duel, Vermouth squeezed his eyes shut. Even as he tried to ignore what was happening around him, Carmen and Melkith continued to exchange fierce res. Why was Carmen Lionheart calling the Great Vermouth, the Founding Ancestor of her n, father? And why was Melkith El-Hayah addressing the Great Vermouth as her dear? The honored guests who had been invited to the Inauguration Ceremony were very curious about the reasons behind such strange behavior, but no one dared to ask the participants directly. This was because both women looked to be taking this argument far too seriously for anyone to feelfortable asking them what was going on, and the Great Vermouth appeared too distressed to wee any further disturbances. ¡°If I could, I would like to guide you through the interior of the mansion, which boasts a decor just as artistic as its exterior, but unfortunately, that is meant to be the living space for the main family. There is also the issue of privacy, so please inquire separately with the members of the Lionheart¡¯s main family about viewing the inside of the mansion,¡± Noir finished her long spiel with a bright smile. ¡°Now then, let us continue by touring the Lionheart¡¯s new city that is built around this mansion!¡± Just like the Lionheart¡¯s previous mansion, their new mansion also had a warp-gate installed on the grounds of the estate. This was necessary because the grounds of the new mansion were far toorge for anyone to walk out of easily. As Eugene followed Noir, who was leading the tour group away while still wearing a hard hat, he suddenly asked a question, ¡°How are the preparations?¡± ¡°They¡¯re allplete,¡± Sienna replied. She had been sticking closely by his side. Although she had been up all night until early morning hours, preparing to teleport the entire forest, Sienna¡¯s face didn¡¯t show even the slightest trace of fatigue. She lifted her chin and proudly dered, ¡°Hmph, who exactly do you think you¡¯re talking to? Of course, I, Lady Sienna, finished preparing everything perfectly.¡± ¡°There¡¯s no room for even a single mistake to be made,¡± Eugene warned her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. After all, you¡¯re not the only one who¡¯s been looking forward to this,¡± Sienna assured him as she exchanged nces with Molon and Anise. Anise nodded back silently. Molon¡¯s expression was hidden behind his thick, bushy beard, but his fists were clenched in excitement and anticipation. ¡°I won¡¯t be participating in this,¡± Kristina responded when Sienna¡¯s eyes turned towards her. She had received their offer to be involved but refused their invitation, and Eugene had no intention of forcing her to participate. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do it, it can¡¯t be helped. But if you do change your mind, you can join in any time,¡± Eugene said with a bright smile as he looked back over his shoulder. Even now, Vermouth was being tortured to the point of insanity while he was caught between Carmen and Melkith. Stepping through the mansion¡¯s warp-gate, they arrived at one of the city¡¯s manyndmarks. Ooooooh. The guests erupted in gasps upon arriving at their destination. Unlike the mansion, there wasn¡¯t a curtain hiding the site from view. However, just like thest time, Noir held her arms up at the entrance to thendmark and shouted an introduction, ¡°This is the symbol of the Lionheart¡¯s new city! The only institution of its kind in the entire history of the continent! A ce of learning that will pave the way to the future!¡± This site was the only location in the new city that made use of asrge an area as the Lionheart¡¯s new main estate. Magnificent buildings that looked like they had been copied from a royal pce had been built on this site. Noir suddenly shot Eugene an enthusiastic look. The other guests also seemed to be expecting him to step forward. Eugene hesitated amid this atmosphere of eager anticipation, only for Sienna to push him forward with a mischievous smile. ¡°What are you doing? Go ahead and give them an introduction to your new school,¡± Sienna said teasingly. Eugene stumbled forward a few steps due to her push. He shot a resentful gaze back at Sienna, but sensing the many eyes directing eager looks of anticipation towards him, Eugene swallowed back the curses he had been about to blurt out. ¡°This ce is¡­,¡± Eugene began to speak, only to pause and clear his throat as he nced back over his shoulder. Behind Eugene were six statues erected on the campus za that connected the various buildings together. The statues were of Eugene, Sienna, Molon, Anise, Kristina, and Vermouth. The dwarven craftsman who had been living at the main estate had especially carved out these statues just for today. ¡°...the Dynas Academy,¡± Eugene finished announcing. Eugene had discussed with many people what to name his academy. At first, he had just wanted to name it Lionheart Academy without giving it much thought, but Gilead had opposed this idea. He said that the Lionhearts had no intention of iming ownership of the academy and that the name as a whole didn¡¯t fit the purpose of the academy or represent what the academy meant to Eugene. Since ¡°Lionheart Academy¡± had been rejected, if he truly had to name it something else, Eugene wanted to name his academy something that sounded impressive and appropriate. However, all the names that Eugene suggested had been rejected by the various people he had spoken to. The only name that had finally made the cut after all the discussion was over and done with was Dynas Academy. The name had been taken from Hamel¡¯sst name. It was just an idea that Eugene had mentioned without giving it much thought, but surprisingly, everyone had epted it and thought it was a good idea. Vermouth had fathered the Lionheart n. Molon had founded the Kingdom of Ruhr. Sienna had created the Circle Magic Form and was admired by all wizards. Anise¡¯s deeds as a Saint had even been recorded in Yuras¡¯ religious scriptures, which meant that every future priest of Yuras would learn how to cultivate their faith through the life and writings of Anise that were passed down through these scriptures. However, Hamel hadn¡¯t left behind any legacy for the future generations. If one really had to pick something, there was the ¡°Hamel-style¡± that had been passed down through Genos¡¯ family, but that had actually been something left to them by Vermouth, not Hamel himself. Because of that, they all agreed to name this ce ¡°Dynas Academy.¡± ¡°This ce is¡­ um¡­,¡± Eugene awkwardly trailed off. He had prepared a lot of things to say in advance, but now that the time hade to actually say them, Eugene felt too embarrassed to do so. In the end, just like he had before, Eugene continued his speech by saying whatever came to mind. ¡°Here, you can learn a lot of things. It won¡¯t just be swordsmanship; there are all sorts of other weapons¡­. You can also learn various types of magic and spirit summoning. Then there are pure theology courses¡­ ah, in the case of theology, we don¡¯t just teach the doctrine of the Light. If you want to, um, you can also study the doctrine of War or Victory¡­ and once you graduate¡ª? Or maybe as an internship? What I mean is that I¡¯m thinking of making it possible for you to be a priest or a pdin¡­. If you want to be a knight instead, you will need to take a course on your weapon of choice and another course on the subject of chivalry,¡± Eugene hastily concluded. Although he may have just made it up on the spot, everyone had been listening intently to Eugene¡¯s speech. Eugene felt pressured by the intent silence of his captive audience, but he just continued to speak without stopping to think about it. ¡°I also n to include opportunities to study abroad, like with Aroth¡¯s Towers of Magic, as well as actively inviting experts in the various subjects to speak to the students, allowing students to make an informed choice on whether they want to further their studies in a subject¡­. But for now¡­ the Dynas Academy that I have always wanted to create is a ce where you can learn everything and be anything. Of course, their final oue still depends on how hard the students are willing to work for it, but as the principal of Dynas Academy I will do my best to ensure that my students don¡¯t waste their precious youth and that they can realize their dreams for the future.¡± ¡°A round of apuse!¡± Noir shouted as soon as Eugene had finished speaking. Pampababam, pam, pam, pam! The fanfare everyone had heard earlier was yed once more as fireworks shot up into the sky. p, p, p¡­. Eugene felt embarrassed by the apuse that all the guests were showering him with and he quickly returned to the side of hispanions. ¡°Why are you crying again?¡± Eugene scolded Gerhard, who kept wiping away his tears with a damp handkerchief. However, unable to stop his tears, Gerhard simply stammered, ¡°M-my son¡­ to think that my son would have such grand ambitions.¡± ¡°What do you mean, grand ambitions,¡± Eugene awkwardly mumbled. ¡°To think that you wouldn¡¯t just be satisfied with saving the world, but would go on to try and make the work a better ce,¡± Gerhard sobbed into his handkerchief. Eugene tried to defend himself, ¡°I never said anything like that¡­.¡± ¡°But the more exceptional people there are, the better the world will be,¡± Gerhard insisted. Just a quick nce around showed that Gerhard¡¯s reaction wasn¡¯t unusual. Gilead¡¯s eyes were also red, and it appeared as if he had been deeply moved by Eugene¡¯s speech. ¡°If you officially open a course on chivalry, might I be able to give a few lectures as a Visiting Professor?¡± Alchester requested. ¡°I¡¯ll allow it if you also give my students a chance to train with the Knights of the White Dragon,¡± Eugene counter-offered. ¡°Haha, as long as they¡¯re of sound mind and solid skill, I would be willing to take them on as full-time members, not just as trainees,¡± Alchester said with a bright smile. ¡°I¡¯m saying this just in case, but don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll favor Leo just because he¡¯s enrolling in the academy,¡± Eugene warned. ¡°Of course, that¡¯s how it should be,¡± Alchester said with a quick nod. ¡°There¡¯s no need to think of him as my son. If Leo tries to use the Dragonic family¡¯s influence as a shield, please feel free to expel him immediately.¡± As they were having this conversation, everyone had walked through the campus za and were about to enter the main building. Since the academy buildings were sorge and spacious, it would be impossible to showcase and introduce everything in the time they had left, so everyone started moving separately after entering the main building. ¡°Where should we do it?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°The za that we passed through earlier should be fine,¡± Anise said. ¡°One of the ssrooms would also work just as well,¡± Eugene argued. Sienna shook her head and said, ¡°That wouldn¡¯t give it the right sense of openness, it needs to be done out in the open.¡± Eugene couldn¡¯t help but tilt his head in confusion at Sienna¡¯s response. What was so important about being out in the open? In the end, as Anise had suggested, the campus za was confirmed as the location for their n. Eugene nodded decisively and said, ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get a move on.¡± After looking around the academy for thirty minutes, the tour group was ready to move on once more. Noir continued to act like a skilled tour guide, her mouth constantly moving without a moment¡¯s rest. ¡°The ce we¡¯re headed to now is the dwarven industrial zone. That is where the dwarven artisans who originally lived on the Lionheart estate, as well as the other dwarves who formerly lived in the southern inds, will be forming their independentmune. From there, the dwarves will be able to create and receivemissions freely, unlike in the past, and by doing so they will contribute their strength to the economy of the new city.¡± The King of Shimuin¡¯s face crumpled at this news about the dwarves. Originally, the dwarves and their skills had been virtually monopolized by the kings of Shimuin, but during the construction of the new city, all of the dwarves who had been living on the inds of Shimuin began preparing to move to the continent. However, out of fear of Eugene, the King of Shimuin couldn¡¯t even express any of hisints regarding this¡­. From the industrial zone, Noir thenunched into a full-scale tour of the city. They were shown past the city hall, which stood ready to listen to anyints of the city¡¯s citizens, the guildplex, the library, the park, and the downtown area. The new city had been installed with more warp-gates than any other city on the continent. There were also floating stations in the sky above the city that controlled the city¡¯s weather while also providing ess to flying carriages that gave a great view of the city below; and below the city, there was a subway, just like the one in Giabe City. Thanks to that, even though the tour group had visited many differentndmarks, it was still daytime when the tour finally ended. ¡°The new city looks even more beautiful at night,¡± Noir promised with a grin as she looked at the sun slowly setting in the sky. ¡°And such a beautiful night view can only truly beplemented by a splendid festival. Now then, since it has reached this hour¡­ shall we head back to the city gates?¡± Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered at the city gates, waiting to see the new city. As soon as those gates opened, all of the lights in the city would be turned on, and the festival would begin. Although no one had moved into the city yet, there wouldn¡¯t be any problems with running the festival. Noir¡¯s vassals, who had lost their jobs with the copse of Giabe City, would be doing all of the work in the city for today only. ¡°If you do anything strange, I¡¯ll kill you,¡± Eugene threatened Noir. ¡°I¡¯m already deceased,¡± Noir pointed out. Eugene frowned gravely, saying, ¡°Do you want to know what it feels like to die a second time?¡± ¡°When you say it like that, instead of a warning, it actually sounds quite a tempting promise, you know that?¡± Noir teased. Eugene shot the grinning Noir a re. ¡°Fine, fine, I understand. Haven¡¯t I already said that I won¡¯t show anyone a fantasy or a dream? I also won¡¯t steal any life-force. In the first ce, there¡¯s no longer any need for me to suck out someone¡¯s life-force,¡± Noir said with a giggle as she pointed up to the city walls. ¡°Well then, shall we get going?¡± There was still a lot of work that needed to be done before the end of the Inauguration Ceremony. Aaaaaaah¡­. The crowds of people who had been making a fuss in front of the tightly shut city gates all cheered when they saw the group of people who had suddenly appeared on top of the gates. ¡°Do I really have to do this?¡± Eugene turned to Noir and asked, his face twisted in a scowl. ¡°Of course you do! This is truly the whole point of the Inaugural Ceremony,¡± Noir answered firmly. She still hadn¡¯t taken off her hard hat. ¡°Now then, everyone, line up quickly.¡± ¡°I really don¡¯t want to do this¡­,¡± Eugene groaned. ¡°This act is one that will truly signify the opening of your new fief,¡± Gilead said encouragingly. In contrast to Eugene¡¯s uneasy muttering, Gilead showed great enthusiasm for this next part of the ceremony. He stepped forward with Anci, whose smile seemed to be trembling slightly. Since the Patriarch had already stepped forward, it really couldn¡¯t be helped. Gion stood next to Gilead and sent Eugene an encouraging nce. Then, Cyan led A by the hand to stand next to his father, while Ciel also stepped forward to stand next to Anci. ¡°Father.¡± A silent Vermouth was also dragged forward by Carmen. Next came Gerhard. Tucking his tear-soaked handkerchief into a pocket, Eugene¡¯s father stepped forward. Now that everyone else had gone forward, Eugene sighed deeply before moving forward to stand next to Gerhard. ¡°Sienna Merdein.¡± Noir turned and called out her name. Sienna stuttered, ¡°Wh-why are you calling me?¡± ¡°I guess you have no intention of truly bing part of the Lionheart family? If that¡¯s the case, there¡¯s no need for you to step forward,¡± Noir muttered. Sienna, who had been trying to sneak away, was left with no choice but to fall in line following this murmur. She quickly took the ce next to Eugene. ¡°Sister,¡± Kristina said as she grabbed Anise¡¯s arm and pulled her forward. This would be Anise¡¯s first time standing in front of so many people since she had started possessing her doll¡¯s body. ¡°Pl-lease hold on a second, Kristina,¡± Anise stammered. ¡°At least let me get into your body first ¡ª no, never mind, if you just stand there on your own, they¡¯ll just assume I¡¯m standing there with you¡ª¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do that,¡± Kristina said, refusing to allow Anise to run away or hide. In the end, Anise had no choice but to step forward along with Kristina. She was worried that the crowd might make fun of her, but the already riled-up crowd didn¡¯t show any confused reaction upon seeing Anise ¡ª who had died and be an angel but was now standing next to Kristina ¡ª apparently alive and well. Eugene turned and scolded the two remaining children, ¡°You two should also be standing up here, so what are you waiting for?¡± ¡°I was just waiting for you to call me, Sir Eugene,¡± Mer said with a cheeky smile. ¡°Benefactor, the fact that you are calling us to stand with you, does that mean we will still get to live with you from now on?¡± Raimira asked excitedly. Eugene scoffed and said, ¡°Were you nning to move out? Get over here already so we can finish this quickly.¡± Mer and Raimira quickly hurried over to stand in front of Eugene. They were too short to stand next to him like the others were. ¡°Now then¡­¡± Noir said, looking at the members of the main family all lined up together with a satisfied expression. She pped her hands together. At this signal, a colorful ribbon appeared in front of the members of the main family. Noir handed a pair of tinum scissors to each of them before saying with a bright smile, ¡°Please cut the ribbon on my signal.¡± After passing out the scissors, Noir quickly moved to the back of the crowd. Left standing in front of hundreds of thousands of people, all looking up at him with eyes full of anticipation, Eugene gulped nervously as he stood in the center of the group. ¡°Smiles please,¡± Noir whispered from behind as everyone obediently burst into smiles. ¡°With this, we will soon be cutting the ribbon to announce the opening of the Lionheart¡¯s new city! Now then, one, two, three!¡± Eugene kept a forced smile on his face as he cut the tape with his scissors. Aaaaaaaaaah! Their excitement reached its peak, and the crowd let out a loud cheer as fireworks erupted all across the sky! The tape that had been cut into dozens of lengths transformed into flower petals that fluttered beautifully through the air. Creeeeeeeak! The closed city gates began to swing open. At that moment, Noir¡¯s eyes shone with light as she shouted, ¡°Don¡¯t push the people in front of you or standing next to you! Please enter the city slowly! Don¡¯t run in the city! Please enjoy the festival and your tour of the new city while maintaining order at all times!¡± Noir had activated her Demoneye of Fantasy as she called out these instructions. Over the long course of Noir¡¯s life, her Demoneye of Fantasy had never been used for such a mundane purpose as it had just now. The powerful hypnosis that was affecting hundreds of thousands of minds at the same time led the crowd to enter the city in an orderly manner as if all of the excitement they had been showing just now had disappeared. ¡°We should get going as well,¡± Eugene said, shaking off the flower petals stuck to his body. Anise nodded and turned to the side, saying, ¡°Sir Vermouth.¡± Vermouth let out a sigh of relief as Anise approached him. Pulling his arms free of the tight hold that Carmen and Melkith had at some point gotten him into, Vermouth quickly responded with a nod, ¡°Anise.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t the six of us go and enjoy the festival as a group,¡± Anise suggested. ¡°Aaaah¡­! O-of course we should. Lady Carmen, Lady Melkith, please allow me to take my leave,¡± Vermouth said before approaching hispanions with a bright smile. ¡°As a group? You¡¯re not actually nning to run away are you?¡± Ciel asked with a re, feeling suspicious due to their earlier precedent. ¡°No way,¡± Eugene said with a smile, throwing his arm across Vermouth¡¯s shoulder as thetter stood beside him. *** In the campus za at Dynas Academy. ¡°Why have wee here?¡± Vermouth asked. ¡°All of the other ces will be filled with people. However, this ce is still closed, so no one cane in uninvited,¡± Eugene exined. The gates to the new city may have been thrown open, but the Academy''s gates were still closed. Vermouth nodded in eptance of Eugene¡¯s response,menting, ¡°I see.¡± Standing in front of the six statues, Vermouth looked up at his own statue. The statue had been made by a skilled dwarven craftsman and was so exquisitely detailed that it almost looked as if it were alive. For a few moments, Vermouth couldn¡¯t help but lose himself in examining his statue, which had a faint smile on its face. ¡°Whether it''s statues or portraits, ever since the war ended three hundred years ago, I¡¯ve seen plenty that were made of me. Most of them weren¡¯t made with me standing up, but this one¡­¡± Vermouth trailed off. This time, it felt different. Agreeing to the dwarven craftsman''s request, Vermouth had stood in front of him and modeled for the sculpture. Unlike three hundred years ago, he had had no reason to refuse, nor had he felt any desire to. ¡°I¡­ I have never liked the statues and paintings made of me. So, I have never looked at any of them deeply. However¡­ this one¡­ haha, it¡¯s a strange feeling,¡± Vermouth said with a quietugh as he shook his head. ¡°But it¡¯s not a bad feeling. My chest¡­ it feels warm.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± Eugene responded. Eugene and the rest of the party were standing behind Vermouth. ¡°I never thought that I would actually feel this way. But that¡¯s only natural since I never thought¡­ that a day like this would actuallye,¡± Vermouth said as he turned his gaze to the rest of the buildings that made up Dynas Academy. Now that the new city had finished construction, the Academy would begin recruiting students and faculty in earnest, and admissions would start next year. Vermouth smiled once more as he thought of the many students who would being here to learn something. ¡°Dynas Academy. There is no better name to symbolize this ce,¡± Vermouth said with a sigh. ¡°Why is that?¡± Eugene asked. ¡°That¡¯s because Hamel, you¡­ you are able to do so many things,¡± Vermouth said proudly. ¡°You were able to do all of the things that I couldn¡¯t. And the reason everything now exists the way that it does is the life that you lived as Hamel.¡± Neither Sienna, nor Molon, or Anise had had anything to do with Agaroth. They were all Hamel¡¯spanions. That also applied to Vermouth. He hadn¡¯t actually known Agaroth personally. The person that Vermouth had first met was, and would always be, Hamel Dynas. ¡°The world that you saved will continue into the future, and the students of Dynas Academy will be the ones to cultivate that future. Haha¡­ this means, in a way, your name has gained its immortality,¡± Vermouth chuckled as he turned to look back at the others. Eugene, Sienna, Molon, and Anise were standing in a line behind him. For some reason, Kristina was standing slightly apart from the others. Vermouth tilted his head as he took in the strange sight hispanions were making. A bit uncertainly, he asked, ¡°Why are you all standing like that?¡± ¡°Vermouth,¡± Eugene said with a wide smile. Molon, Sienna, and Anise also had simr smiles. Vermouth returned hispanions¡¯ smiles with his own. Seeing this smile, Eugene threw his cloak open. Flutter! What fell out of the cloak was a rolled-up rug made from spun straw. Vermouth blinked in confusion, not knowing what he was looking at. He asked, ¡°What is that? A pic nket?¡± ¡°Something simr,¡± Eugene replied as he spread the unrolled rug across the ground before continuing to speak. ¡°This is something that we used to use in my hometown of Turas; it¡¯s called a straw mat.¡± ¡°Is that so,¡± Vermouth said curiously. ¡°I have to admit, my hometown was extremely rural, even for Turas, and it had a certain custom that the people living in the city wouldn¡¯t be familiar with,¡± Eugenemented idly. ¡°A custom?¡± Vermouth didn¡¯t know why Hamel had suddenly brought up such a topic, but since Hamel had mentioned that it was a custom from his hometown, Vermouth asked out of pure curiosity, ¡°What kind of custom was it?¡± ¡°It will be faster to demonstrate it than it would be to try and exin it.¡± After carefully spreading the mat to lie t on the ground, Eugene stood up and told Vermouth, ¡°Lie down here.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Vermouth was puzzled. ¡°I said, lie down already,¡± Eugene said, rushing Vermouth. Vermouth still didn''t understand what was going on. However, since all of hispanions were smiling, he just tilted his head to the side curiously as he stepped onto the mat. ¡°You want me to lie down on this¡­?¡± Vermouth asked uncertainly. The mat he was stepping on seemed quite coarse. He had thought it was meant to be a pic nket so they could sit on the grass and have some drinks, but he was being told to lie down on it? Vermouth felt a bit uneasy, but he still did as he was told andid down on the mat. ¡°This doesn¡¯t really feel like it should be used as bedding¡­,¡± Vermouth slowly observed. Clicliclick! The moment Vermouth hadin down, Sienna¡¯s spell was activated. The end of the mat rose and wrapped around Vermouth until he was rolled up tight. ¡°Wh-what the?!¡± Vermouth yelped. Startled, Vermouth tried to struggle free of the mat, but while it might have been possible for him to do that three hundred years ago, it was impossible even for Vermouth to escape from Sienna¡¯s spell now. All he could do after being wrapped up in the mat was wriggle his body around, rolling the mat across the ground like a worm. Eugene immediately pulled some dark-stained clubs out of his cloak and handed them to hispanions. ¡°Get him!¡± Eugene shouted. ¡°Aaaaaah!¡± Molon let out a roar as he raised his club high into the air. [Illustration 1] ¡°Die!¡± Sienna also ran up to Vermouth, swinging her club with both hands. [Illustration 2] ¡°Ashes to ashes!¡± Anise called out a prayer of mourning when she took her turn raining down blows with her club. [Illustration 3] ¡°Oh Lord¡­!¡± Kristina, the only one not holding a club, fell to her knees and prayed. Bam! Pow! Crack! [This son of a bitch!] [Aaaargh!] [Oooooh!] [Gaghk¡­!] [Watch out for your ribs!] [Kaaaaagh!] [Go ahead and die already!] [Ka-heuk¡­.] Gilead, who had just been enjoying a ss of wine, ignored the way his wine was spilling down the front of his shirt as he stared up at the sky. High up in the sky, where everyone in the city could see it, a video was being yed of the Great Vermouth, the Founding Ancestor of the Lionheart n, being clubbed by hisrades as he was wrapped up in a mat, unable to put up any resistance. Gilead¡¯s jaw had dropped at this shocking sight, allowing a sip of wine to spill out from the corner of his mouth. ¡°Wh-what is going on¡­?¡± Gilead stammered. Everyone felt the same sense of shock as they watched the video being yed in the sky. The beating was taking ce in the campus za of Dynas Academy, right in front of the statues of the six heroes. The Great Vermouth was letting out groans and cries of pain as he was unable to defend himself against the rain of clubs that were being mmed down onto him. This video wasn¡¯t just being broadcast in the skies about the Lionheart¡¯s new city. Sienna¡¯s spell was perfect in its coverage. Just like in the past, during Eugene¡¯s duel against Gavid, the baptism of violence that Vermouth was experiencing was being broadcast all across the continent. [Stop¡­ please stop¡­!] [What do you mean, stop, you bastard!] [Illustration 4] [We¡¯ve still got a lot left to go!] [We aren¡¯t going to kill you, so don¡¯t worry about that.] [Hey now, it looks like a lot of your bones are broken. Let me heal them for you.] Even though his bones were crushed into dust, the violence didn¡¯t end. After Vermouth¡¯s body was engulfed in light, and all of his wounds were immediately healed, the beating resumed once more. ¡°Gaaaah¡­,¡± Vermouth cried out in agony. It hurts! Vermouth was all too familiar with various kinds of mental anguish. He was also well-acquainted with the agony that was felt when one¡¯s whole body was being torn into little pieces. So Vermouth had the confidence to say that it would take more than just a moderate amount of pain before he would even let out a single groan. However, he wasn¡¯t able to endure the current agony that he was experiencing. He couldn¡¯t even defend himself because both his arms were firmly pinned to his side by the mat wrapped around him. If this had just been an ordinary beating, it wouldn¡¯t have even scratched Vermouth¡¯s skin, let alone broken any of his bones. But right now, the strength of each of the four people who were beating Vermouth was strong enough that any of them could easily break Vermouth¡¯s bones, and the heavy pain that was somehow being transmitted through all of theyers of rolled-up matting was sinking deep into Vermouth¡¯s bones. Just how on earth had these things been created? Their clubs weren¡¯t breaking despite all the force put behind their swings, and the mat hadn¡¯t even torn after being struck so many times. On top of that, this ordeal of violence couldn¡¯t be escaped by falling unconscious. Whenever Vermouth felt like he was about to faint, Anise¡¯s miracles immediately woke him up, and even if his bones were broken, they would be healed immediately. ¡°Stop, please just stop¡­!¡± Vermouth begged. ¡°I was wrong, it¡¯s all my fault¡­.¡± Eugene snorted and said, ¡°We already know that you were in the wrong.¡± ¡°So don¡¯t apologize!¡± Sienna scolded. Molon nodded, saying, ¡°That¡¯s right, just ept your beating!¡± ¡°Sir Vermouth, your sins have already been forgiven,¡± Anise said in constion even as her club kept swinging through the air. Bam, bam! Crack! Pow! Despite Vermouth¡¯s pleas, the beating continued. Mercifully, the beating was solely aimed at the parts of Vermouth¡¯s body that were rolled up in the mat, and no one tried to target his head. ¡°Gaaaaagh¡­.¡± In the end, Vermouth gave up all resistance and could only groan and scream in time with the beatings, praying earnestly in his heart for this terrible stretch of time to pass quickly. Bam, bam, bam¡­. Kristina kept her eyes closed and continued praying even as the sounds of the clubsnding their blows streamed into her ears. She couldn¡¯t bear to join in on their beating of the Great Hero. However, with that said, she didn¡¯t try to mediate and stop the violence either. At the very least, in Kristina¡¯s opinion, Vermouth did deserve this beating. ¡°Huff¡­ huff¡­ huff¡­,¡± Eugene panted heavily as he put down his club, sweat dripping down his forehead. The sun was slowly setting, and the sky was covered in its soft, red glow. The clubbing had continued until the point where even Eugene was left exhausted. He felt tempted to activate Ignition and continue beating Vermouth, but if he did that, Vermouth might actually die. [Illustration 5] ¡°Gagh¡­ gaaaghk¡­.¡± Still rolled up in a mat, Vermouth looked like a dried-up corpse. His once neatly arranged hair was a tousled mess, his pale skin was covered in dirt, and blood was foaming around his lips. His half-lidded eyes were golden and cloudy, just like they were back when he was sealing away the Demon King of Destruction. ¡°Aha¡­ ahahaha¡­.¡± At this sight, Sienna felt like a bubble of tension had burst within her, leaving her with a refreshing sensation; it was a much different feeling from that time long ago when Vermouth had actually blown a hole straight through her chest. ¡°Hahaha!¡± Molon also burst into a hearty peal ofughter as he set down his club. For over a hundred years, Molon had single-mindedly hunted the Nur, and never once during all that time had he ever let out a smile. Molon had never resented Vermouth for burdening him with such a life without any apparent hope of salvation in sight. However, even without being burdened by such resentment, he had still felt the urge to beat up Vermouth more than once, so he was in a very good mood right now. ¡°Ahahaha!¡± Aniseughed as she shook the sk she had taken out of her pocket. In fact, Anise had never once been directly harmed by Vermouth¡¯s actions. At most, she had just been inconvenienced after she was forced to preside over his funeral despite Vermouth having faked his death. However, just because she wasn¡¯t harmed didn¡¯t mean she had never gotten the urge to beat Vermouth up. And wasn¡¯t it a fact that she had suffered a lot because of Vermouth, who had silently kept everything to himself? ¡°With this, all of our hard feelings have finally been cleared,¡± Eugene said to Vermouth, who was still writhing in pain. There was no response. Vermouth wasn¡¯t in any condition to say anything. Anise giggled as she began to heal Vermouth. ¡°Congrattions,¡± Kristina said. She approached Eugene with a handkerchief from the side where she had been kneeling down and praying. She wiped the sweat off Eugene¡¯s face with a soft smile as she said, ¡°Now everything truly has ended.¡± ¡°The end¡­¡± Eugene muttered as he caught his breath. The end. It was just as Kristina had said. Now, everything truly had ended. The Demon King of Incarceration was dead. The Demon King of Destruction had also died. The demonfolk still remained, but they could no longer run wild like they once had. In the world toe, the demonfolk would be just another race living alongside the humans and the other races. The elections going on in Helmuth still weren¡¯t over just yet, but whoever the winner was, once they were finally confirmed, they would be left with no choice but to develop friendlier rtions with the other countries. Dynas Academy had alsopleted construction. Eugene had finally achieved the dream he had been carrying ever since he was Hamel. Molon had already founded his own country. But instead of returning to the Royal Family of Ruhr, where his descendants now ruled, he had said that he intended to stay in the forest next to the Lionheart mansion. Sienna had yet to build herkeside mansion, but even though there wasn¡¯t ake, they already had both a forest and a mansion. She had said that she wanted to live in the mansion along with Eugene and continue to educate young wizards by going back and forth between the Academy and Aroth¡¯s lecture halls. While doing so, she also intended to find the spare time to develop new magic and write up a new book of spells. Of course, the first thing she would be writing wouldn¡¯t be a book of spells, but instead, a fairy tale titled ¡°The Legend of Balzac.¡± Anise wouldn¡¯t be returning to Yuras. Her dream was to run a bar that doubled as an inn. The building had already been constructed for her, but its interior had yet to be decorated. Anise had said that it was just a daydream that she once had and that she didn¡¯t have any real intention of running the business, but¡­ judging from the fact that she had met up with several merchants by using Anci¡¯s connections, it seemed that that issue had yet to be fully determined. Just like Anise, Kristina wouldn¡¯t be returning to Yuras either. She would also be staying with the Lionhearts. She seemed a little hesitant about giving lectures at the Academy but judging from the fact that she was secretly encouraging Anise to do so together, it seemed like she did have some intention of giving lessons on theology. Everyone was now busy pursuing their dreams. They had arrived at an end that couldn¡¯t really be called an end, as it was an end that would just lead into their new future. Just like they had so longed for, three hundred years ago, they were finally happy. But was that really the case? Could things really end like this? Was this truly a happy ending? Eugene silently stared at Krisitna¡¯s face. The warmth of her hand was transmitted through the handkerchief that was wiping his cheek. Kristina tilted her head in confusion at his intent gaze. Her blue eyes sparkled like jewels as Eugene looked into them. ¡°Sir Eugene? Is something the matter?¡± Kristina asked. Eugene remained silent. Had she always been this beautiful? Seeing Kristina¡¯s face from such a close distance, Eugene couldn¡¯t help but think about how pretty she was. Eugene coughed and turned his head. He was now looking at Anise who was still drinking from her sk. ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡± Anise asked with a smile as she lowered her sk from her lips. Her appearance was still slightly disheveled after having recently worked up a sweat. Transparent beads of sweat were running down her cheeks. Her eyes were curved in a deep smile. Had she always been like this? Was Anise really always this pretty? She was simr to Kristina but also distinct from Kristina. Eugene gulped as he turned his gaze once more. This time, his gazended on Sienna, who was taking off her hat. ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Sienna snapped, her cheeks a little red, perhaps out of excitement. No, perhaps it was because her skin was dyed by the setting sun. Sienna¡¯s refreshed smile as she used her hat as a fan set Eugene''s heart throbbing. Eugene silently raised his head. He looked up at the six statues, the buildings that made up Dynas Academy, and the red sunset that was looming behind all of them. Agaroth¡¯s wish had been to y all of the Demon Kings. Hamel¡¯s wish was to kill the Demon Kings and then build an Academy on his return home. Eugene had taken the unfulfilled regrets from his past life as his wish in this life. He had fulfilled his wish by ying the Demon Kings. He had also built this Academy. Now that everything had been wrapped up, that still left Eugene¡¯s wish. A wish that didn¡¯t have anything to do with Agaroth or Hamel. ¡°Let¡¯s get married,¡± Eugene suddenly said. They had just thoroughly beaten up Vermouth. Thepleted Academy looked quite amazing. And the sunset was truly beautiful. After having lived through two lives, Eugene had finally learned to live for the present. He felt a great sense of satisfaction and an unprecedented level of peacefulness wash over him. And Sienna, Anise, and Kristina looked especially beautiful today. As such, Eugene had said those words without really thinking them through. Let¡¯s get married. He had been nning on asking them this question after giving it another year or so, but the current circumstances surrounding Eugene and the emotions evoked within him had caused him to blurt out his true feelings without any preparation. His sudden proposal was met with silence. Sienna stared at Anise. Anise looked to Kristina. Kristina turned to Sienna. Right now, all three of them were feeling the same emotion. ¡°Who are you going to get married to?¡± Molon asked cautiously. No matter how much Molon thought about it, this didn¡¯t feel like the right time. Molon wondered if he could still stop Eugene before his friend made a mistake, but before Molon could even finish his thoughts, Eugene had already replied. ¡°Sienna, Anise, and Kristina,¡± Eugene confidently stated. Molon held his tongue. ¡°Please marry me,¡± Eugene repeated his proposal. Molon closed his eyes. Aaah¡­. His sudden proposal was also caught by the spell, which was still broadcasting this scene to the rest of the city and the whole of the continent. There were countless sighs and many exmations from the unwitting audience to Eugene¡¯s proposal. Sienna silently stared at Eugene, her shoulders shaking. Her face was nowpletely red. This shade wasn¡¯t because of the sunset, or due to embarrassment, or even because of her joy. ¡°Why would you ask us that now?¡± Sienna barely managed to keep her voice level as she squeezed out this question. ¡°Hamel, are you insane?¡± Anise asked, her eyes shing like a snake¡¯s behind her crooked-eye smile. ¡°Sir Eugene¡­ what you said just now has made me extremely happy, but¡­,¡± Kristina staggered backward and sighed. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to hear those words at a ce like this.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Sienna chimed in with a shout. ¡°I agree with Kristina.¡± Anise also nodded along vigorously. Still intoxicated by the situation and his emotions, Eugene couldn¡¯t understand the trio¡¯s reactions. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this?¡± Eugene asked in confusion. ¡°What do you mean, what¡¯s wrong?! Do you really not know the answer to that?!¡± Sienna yelled. ¡°Who would bring up such an important matter in a ce like this, while we¡¯re all standing around holding clubs?¡± Aniseined. ¡°Did you at least bring rings?¡± Kristina asked patiently. Only for Eugene to helplessly shut his eyes in embarrassment as he desperately began rummaging through his cloak. ¡°Hamel.¡± Swish¡­. Rolling himself free of the mat, Vermouth staggered to his feet. Without even wiping his blood-stained lips, Vermouth¡¯s bloodshot eyes widened in glee as he told Eugene, ¡°Lie down.¡± ¡°Why should I?¡± Eugene nervously asked. ¡°Because everyone is going to want you to lie down soon,¡± Vermouth said in satisfaction. Eugene turned to look at Sienna, Anise, and Kristina. Sienna and Anise, who had already been holding clubs, raised their clubs with both hands. Kristina, who had taken a few steps backward while Eugene was searching his cloak, slowly strode over to Eugene and plucked the club from his hands. ¡°I don¡¯t want any part in this,¡± Molon said as he handed the club he was holding to Vermouth. Eugene silently alternated between looking at the mat and everyone else, a bewildered expression on his face. ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sienna asked. ¡°Please lie down,¡± said Anise. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir Eugene,¡± Kristina apologized. ¡°Lie down already,¡± Vermouth impatiently insisted. ¡°Ahem,¡± Eugene cleared his throat. The thought suddenly urred to him. Should he just try to run away? However, if he ran away from this ce right now, he got the feeling that he would never be able to return to this ce ever again. The feelings that had previously intoxicated Eugene had already cooled down, allowing him to reflect on his mistakes calmly. ¡°Please be gentle,¡± Eugene said in a small voice as hey down on the edge of the mat. Then he rolled over, wrapping the mat around his body all by himself. ¡°Die!¡± Apanied by Sienna¡¯s scream, the clubs began to fall. [Illustration 6] The End 1. The original text uses the word oppa, which literally trantes into a term women use to address their older brothers. However, as those familiar with Korean culture should know, it is also used by girlfriends to address their boyfriends. ?
Openbookworm & DantheMan''s Thoughts Illustration 1 Illustration 2 Illustration 3 Illustration 4 Illustration 5 Illustration 6 OBW: So this is how the story ends. I guess it¡¯s appropriate that it ended on such a funny note, though it feels like the author might have a bit of a grudge against handsome guys. Momo: It was such a wholesome chapter and funny too. I really didn¡¯t like how all thedies treated Eugene violently, but for once, I reallyughed hard. Still, I feel they should have epted that proposal happily, knowing how unromantic Eugene was in the first ce. ??
Authors Note & Teams Messages

Author''s Note & Team''s Messages

Author¡¯s Note. *This note contains spoilers for the story. Hello, this is Mokma[1] Damn Reincarnation, which started serialization on the 17th of August, 2020, had finallye to an end. There have been 625 chapters over the past three years. Among all my serialized novels, it is the second longest, following Desire.... While I was writing the novel, there were many times when I felt disappointment and regret, but more often than not, I was satisfied that I did everything that I wanted to do. Of course, many of my readers may think that I should have done a bit less. In any case, thank you for joining me on this long journey of 625 chapters. This is already my eighth time ending a novel, but I always have trouble figuring out what to say every time I have to write a review of the ending. So, just like I have done up until now, I will talk about a few things that I didn¡¯t include in the novel. The feeling I got while writing Damn Reincarnation is that I wanted to write a happy ending. I wanted to make the often-mentioned line in the novel, ¡°We deserve to be happy,¡±e true. Since they suffered through so much to save the world, it was only natural that they deserved happiness. Let¡¯s go with a happy ending, is what I decided. So, I discarded most of the tragic storylines that I had nned. I had originally nned to include more tragic and gruesome scenes rted to Kristina and Anise, but I threw them all away. I allowed Anise, who I was nning to have ascend to the heavens, to remain in the normal world. And I also kept Noir. While I might have left a prettier image if she had died, I eventually leaned toward Sienna¡¯s opinion on that decision. So, no one around the protagonist ended up dying. Having written this story for so long, my preference would have been to have killed off a few of the main and supporting characters midway, but this time, no one truly died. As for Ciel... ahem, I believe my ns for her were inadequate. I first thought of Ciel as a youngdy who had just be an adult and was loved by everyone. So, I thought it would only be appropriate for such a youngdy to cry and cling to him after being rejected by her first love. Could I have somehow written her slightly better??? I guess my abilities were just toocking. If I went back and had to write that scene again, I would try to make her emotions resonate slightly clearer. While writing the protagonists, Hamel and Eugene, I wanted to give them the feeling of being burdened by the inescapable ghosts of the past. Whether it was their present or their future, they were all shaped by their past failures and regrets.... But as I was creating their characters, I even ended up digging out a past life of a past life. I feel relieved but also regretful because I think I¡¯ve written all of the stories and scenes I wanted to write about Eugene in these 625 chapters. There¡¯s nothing more that I want to do, but I feel like I could have done it better. It might be because, as a writer, I am nowhere close to perfection, so I always have many regrets about my work whenever I finish a novel. However, I think it''s fortunate that the number of things I regret has decreasedpared to when I finished my first novel. I think that if I keep writing my stories all the way to their ends like this, I will eventually be able to write a story that doesn¡¯t leave me with any regrets. Allow me to drink a toast to myself for all the hard work I¡¯ve put into this novel. Thank you to all those readers who followed along with me. And for Gaegrim[2], who helped by providing me with illustrations whenever I needed them. All my thanks and love. To all those readers who wrote reviews on themunity site every day, saying that Damn Reincarnation is great, to those who left theirments every day, and to those who drew fan art of my story, I love you all. I n to write something about possession for my next work. I¡¯ve written about regression and reincarnation, but I¡¯ve never written about possession. It will probably be a mix of game and possession... and if possible, I would also like to add some martial arts. And maybe even mix in some elements from the Heavenly Demon genre as well. I don¡¯t know when I will start my next work, but with my personality, I won¡¯t be resting for too long.... I think I will probably start sometime before February at the verytest. Today is the Lunar New Year. Happy New Year to everyone. I would also like to thank everyone for their New Year''s best wishes. Also, please make sure to take a look at my next work. I¡¯ll be sure to do even better this time around.... Thank you very much; I love you all! Dan: Hello to all the readers and fans of DR! Whether you¡¯re reading this in 2024 or 2124, congrats, you made it to the end! As all things do, DR must alsoe to an end, but it¡¯s been one heck of a journey to get here. A big thank you to the author for providing us with this wonderful series, to Yojj for making sure we don¡¯t stray off the path, OBW for being a great teammate, Momo for being the best editor anyone could ask for, and to you, for sticking through 600+ chapters and making it to the end! Please continue to give WW your love and support, and we¡¯ll be seeing you in other novels! OBW: Hello to the lovely readers of DR! Thank you for apanying us on this wild journey through Eugene¡¯s life. I hope that our work has brought you both joy and satisfaction, bringing youughter when you were feeling down and hope when you were facing your own challenges in life. I have to give my thanks to Wuxiaworld for giving me the opportunity to bring this great story to a wider audience. I also owe a lot to Yojj, who has been an understanding and caring supervisor even during the harder times. Dan and Namu, my fellow trantors, deserve a lot of thanks and credit for being able to bring this book to its satisfying conclusion, and we couldn¡¯t have done it without our editor Momo, whose skill and work ethic have been an inspiration to me. Our favorite characters may have finally reached their happy endings, but just like how they have a future that now lies outside the pages of this book, we also have our own futures to get back to, having grown richer from meeting them. I hope to see some of you again in the future, in whatever future book I end up tranting. Momo: Hello, hello, hello! What a long ride it has been, a happy one but definitely a long one. Writing the ending post always feels bitter-sweet, but here we are.... When I was first presented with this novel, I was pleasantly surprised at how the story hooked me, and I hope that¡¯s the case with you, too. From then, Eugene and hispanions have made usugh, cry, feel frustrated, and wonder how things will end. I hope the novel has brought you joy and courage by escaping to Eugene¡¯s world and his adventures, if and when needed. DR has one of the best teams I have worked with. I had two amazing trantors, OBW and Dan, who brought life to the story, and an amazing manager, Yojj, who was more than supportive and amodating when needed. It was a pleasure to work with them. I enjoyed working on this novel so much that it didn¡¯t feel like work. ?? Though, I have to say, OBW and Dan never gave me any spoilers, even when I pestered them. Lol. Finally, thank you for supporting the novel, either by championing it, bymenting, or just by rmending it to your friends. It means a lot to us. While DR has ended, we will have other novelsing out soon, so see you all there! Take care. Can¡¯t believe the end of DR? Not ready to be thrown into another world empty-handed? Don¡¯t worry! You¡¯ve got a regressor cksmith who can make everything for you. Look for Lee Se-Hoon in The Regressor Can Make Them All. He¡¯ll show you his amazing collection of creations and heroes! Maybe... maybe you¡¯ve already said goodbye to DR and are now searching for a new world to explore. Join Sword Emperor Yeon Mu-Hyeok in The Sword Emperor Transmigrates. He promises the action you crave as he takes on a brand-new world. And if you''ve already read both of those, then hold onto your horses because we have anothering out very soon. Just like your adventure in Wuxiaworld doesn''t end with the end of DR, death isn¡¯t the end for Kim Gong-Ja either. Find him in SSS-ss Revival Hunter! 1. His name trantes to Wooden Horse, which could refer to a hobby horse or a rocking horse. ? 2. His name literally trantes to Dog Drawings. ? The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!